Prologue
Everything is going wrong, Sally thought. She flipped her head around at the
next report.
"Commander Sally, ma'am, the enemies have just crossed the defense line. They're
firing at the spare mobile suits, but they haven't targeted the control center yet", the
soldier saluted as he faced the flashing red computer once more. "What shall we do,
Commander Sally?"
Sally thought hard. So. The wily enemy had taken them by surprise, not showing
their true numbers and skill until now. Trust all cowards to be this way.
She gave the order, the final order that was now their only option, the one that
made every single being in the room gasp.
"Self-detonate the ship in 3 minutes. Everyone evacuate into the water. Bring the
lifeboats, but don't use them until we are safely out of harm's way and out of their firing range. Be very careful; please avoid being purposefully seen."
Nobody moved.
Sally had to practically roar "That was an order! Did you not hear my instructions,
officers? Do I need to repeat them again?"
Thoroughly shaken, everyone got out, just as the enemy mobile suits began to fire
at the control tower.
Sally urged everyone out, just as the rightmost computer exploded in a spray of
chips, shrapnel, and glass. She shielded herself as the one on the left exploded moments
after the last, showering her honey-colored hair with the same contents. She looked up when
the shower ended, and that was when everything went black.
* * *
Wufei waited anxiously outside the Emergency Room. The other four pilots watched
his silence build more than ever before.
Not even Duo said a word. In fact, he hadn't smiled for the two days that Sally had
been in the E.R. Of course, some were thankful for that, but at the same time were
troubled by it.
The Chinese pilot looked at the ceiling, the first movement he had done in a few
hours. He went over the week's events.
I guess it all happened when Sally sent me that message, the daily message, the
one that she sent almost everyday. The daily report; we were partners after all, so she
sent me one or two reports a day, didn't she? But it was different on - what was the day?
Thursday? No, it was Friday.
Friday the thirteenth of October.
But it was different this time. She sent me an e-mail that I ignored for several
hours, thinking it could wait, but that time, I was the one who was wrong.
It showed me, when I finally had the chance to open it, that there was a new enemy,
an enemy called the Conquistadors. I didn't even know what that meant, so I looked it up.
Conquistador: one of the Spanish conquerors of Mexico and Peru in the 16th century.
And now, the woman who sent me that very message is in the Emergency Room. Funny,
I haven't cried yet. The others are all crying inside, like me. He cast a glance at Heero.
Even Heero looks as if Relena just died.
And then what happened, Wufei Chang, the man who calls himself a warrior?
He answered his own question. I read on, and found that I was supposed to e-mail
her as soon as I got this message. And I had disobeyed her. She wouldn't have her computer
to answer me from; she told me she was going to L5 after she had written the message.
And now, Wufei, how do you feel about your, let's say, little mistake?
Wufei hesitated at this question.
I feel guilty.
How guilty?
So guilty that if it were an illness, I would've died from it long ago.
Why?
If I had read that e-mail then, I could've told everyone: the other pilots, Noin,
Hilde, Relena, Milliardo, Dorothy, Catherine, everyone that could help.
And?
"I didn't."
The other four pilots looked at him. Only Duo could pluck the courage to say,
"What was that, Wufei?"
Wufei looked back at him, not realizing that he had used "Wufei" instead of
"Wu-man". Then shook his head and muttered "Nadaima" under his breath. Obviously no one
believed him, so he repeated, "I said, it was nothing."
After that statement, Wufei went back into his lapse of silence.
* 2 days later *
Sally opened her eyes a crack. I'm alive. Must be a miracle.
She felt a weight on her left hand. She tried to turn her head, but was being held
straight by something. So she tried to turn her body over and immediately regretted her
decision.
Pain exploded in every part of her body. Colored lights clouded her vision and she
couldn't muffle the, "Ah!" that came from her mouth. She felt the weight on her hand leave.
The next thing she saw was Wufei's face, peering concernedly at her.
"You're awake, Sally."
Sally resisted the urge to punch him and answered, "Isn't that obvious, Wufei?"
Wufei snorted. "I see that even though you're injured in about a million different
places, your arrogance remains."
Sally tried to smile, but her jaw didn't seem to work. "Yes, Wufei."
"I'll go tell the others that you're awake." His eyes lingered a moment longer than
usual on Sally's calm face, and Sally knew what he was thinking. He'll never tell me; but
there's always a chance I might tell him. So naive, he is.
I wonder what he was thinking when he fell asleep by my bed.
She sighed, watching the wind billow the almost transparent drapes around the
window. She heard the telltale bang of a door being shut and after a few more moments, she
heard a gasp and a hand grasping each finger of both hands. She managed to stifle a laugh
when she heard Duo's frantic, "Hey! Why do you guys get to hold her hands and I don't have
a finger?"
"Too bad", Wufei answered, "maybe it was a good thing you didn't."
"Hey!"
Sally started to laugh, but her chest hurt and she ended up coughing. Willing hands
patted her back and she calmed down. "I think Wufei was right, Duo", she smiled.
Duo made a shocked face. "Who's side are you on, Sally?" he sniffed piteously,"I'm
hurt."
Everyone in the room with the exception of Duo snorted desersively.
Sally laughed.
* * *
Quatre hummed happily to himself. He paused only for a moment to cast a glance at
the other four pilots, then at the street ahead. Only another block or two to go. Then I
can go take a good nap. He hummed, then began to whistle a happy song.
Trowa looked at each of his fellow pilots and sighed under his breath. Everything was
O.K., but the news from Sally today was disturbing. He turned his thoughts to the last hour.
* * *
"Why were you so injured, Sally? We found you drifting in space. I was purely by
chance that Quatre's shuttle from the Mars Terraforming Project saw you on the heat sensor.
Man, to think that we might've never found you. Sally, the Lord above is surely saving
you from the mishaps of today to live until tomorrow", Duo looked kindly at the figure on
the bed.
Everyone looked at Duo. They realized in an instant that he had never said anything
about his belief in God until now.
Sally ignored the comment and continued on why she sent for them. "The reason I was
so injured was because was on the ship Bloody Mary. While I was still on Earth for
vacation, I just happened to stumble upon a site. Not just any site, but a fitness site. I
went in, but when I clicked on the icon for different exercises, I was in a totally
different place. I read even more, and I discovered there was a password on the bottom. I
was going to break it, but when I glanced up at the clock, it was almost time to go to L5.
Before I could even get up, the alarm for red alert came on and I rushed to the command
tower."
"When I got there, I found the attackers were the very people who had made that
website that I found a few hours ago. Their name is the Conquistadors, which means the
Spanish that conquered Mexico and Peru a long time ago. They fired at the ship's bulk first,
then at the spare mobile suits, then at the control center. I told everyone to evacuate
because I would self-denote the ship."
"Why didn't you just use the mobile suits that were in the hangar?", Heero asked,
casting a look in her direction.
"I couldn't. They attacked the bulk first, so the way was blocked."
"Why didn't the ship explode?"
"They used laser beams to carve the bottom out, just missing the quarter's level and
the top part of the ship."
This caused a murmur of confusion among the pilots. "No mobile suit has built in
laser beams, Sally. What model was it? Aries?"
Sally nodded, but said, "I never said they had built in laser beams. They were
carrying laser guns."
* * *
"So! What do you think, Trowa?", Duo's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"What about?"
The other pilots looked amazed. "I don't believe it! Trowa wasn't paying attention
to our animated conversation!", Duo put his hands on his hips. "Now that's a first."
"What was your "animated conversation" about, Duo?"
"Basketball", Wufei answered for him before Duo could even open his mouth.
"Don't take my line next time, Wu-man!"
"Don't call me that!"
Duo made a funny face at Wufei and started to run, shouting behind him, "Wu-man,
Wu-man, Wu-man, come and catch me, Wu-man!" An enraged Wufei took Duo's offer and sped
after the retreating figure. A few minutes later, they heard a started "Aargh!" and a "Ha
ha! You're still not fast enough, Wu-man". After that was a startled squawk. Quatre tried
hard to stifle the laughter bubbling inside, and both Trowa and Heero allowed a small smile
to come across their faces.
* * *
Far away in space, a man stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Hmm..."
/ \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \
Author's note:
So what d'ya think? Good for the prologue? I hope so. I don't know what came over
me; I just had to write something. My fingers were itching for a computer! Well, anyway,
I hope you like it.
Explanatory note:
This takes place after Endless Waltz, so you should know that story first. Just to
clear up some things!
Andrea Weiling
Everything is going wrong, Sally thought. She flipped her head around at the
next report.
"Commander Sally, ma'am, the enemies have just crossed the defense line. They're
firing at the spare mobile suits, but they haven't targeted the control center yet", the
soldier saluted as he faced the flashing red computer once more. "What shall we do,
Commander Sally?"
Sally thought hard. So. The wily enemy had taken them by surprise, not showing
their true numbers and skill until now. Trust all cowards to be this way.
She gave the order, the final order that was now their only option, the one that
made every single being in the room gasp.
"Self-detonate the ship in 3 minutes. Everyone evacuate into the water. Bring the
lifeboats, but don't use them until we are safely out of harm's way and out of their firing range. Be very careful; please avoid being purposefully seen."
Nobody moved.
Sally had to practically roar "That was an order! Did you not hear my instructions,
officers? Do I need to repeat them again?"
Thoroughly shaken, everyone got out, just as the enemy mobile suits began to fire
at the control tower.
Sally urged everyone out, just as the rightmost computer exploded in a spray of
chips, shrapnel, and glass. She shielded herself as the one on the left exploded moments
after the last, showering her honey-colored hair with the same contents. She looked up when
the shower ended, and that was when everything went black.
* * *
Wufei waited anxiously outside the Emergency Room. The other four pilots watched
his silence build more than ever before.
Not even Duo said a word. In fact, he hadn't smiled for the two days that Sally had
been in the E.R. Of course, some were thankful for that, but at the same time were
troubled by it.
The Chinese pilot looked at the ceiling, the first movement he had done in a few
hours. He went over the week's events.
I guess it all happened when Sally sent me that message, the daily message, the
one that she sent almost everyday. The daily report; we were partners after all, so she
sent me one or two reports a day, didn't she? But it was different on - what was the day?
Thursday? No, it was Friday.
Friday the thirteenth of October.
But it was different this time. She sent me an e-mail that I ignored for several
hours, thinking it could wait, but that time, I was the one who was wrong.
It showed me, when I finally had the chance to open it, that there was a new enemy,
an enemy called the Conquistadors. I didn't even know what that meant, so I looked it up.
Conquistador: one of the Spanish conquerors of Mexico and Peru in the 16th century.
And now, the woman who sent me that very message is in the Emergency Room. Funny,
I haven't cried yet. The others are all crying inside, like me. He cast a glance at Heero.
Even Heero looks as if Relena just died.
And then what happened, Wufei Chang, the man who calls himself a warrior?
He answered his own question. I read on, and found that I was supposed to e-mail
her as soon as I got this message. And I had disobeyed her. She wouldn't have her computer
to answer me from; she told me she was going to L5 after she had written the message.
And now, Wufei, how do you feel about your, let's say, little mistake?
Wufei hesitated at this question.
I feel guilty.
How guilty?
So guilty that if it were an illness, I would've died from it long ago.
Why?
If I had read that e-mail then, I could've told everyone: the other pilots, Noin,
Hilde, Relena, Milliardo, Dorothy, Catherine, everyone that could help.
And?
"I didn't."
The other four pilots looked at him. Only Duo could pluck the courage to say,
"What was that, Wufei?"
Wufei looked back at him, not realizing that he had used "Wufei" instead of
"Wu-man". Then shook his head and muttered "Nadaima" under his breath. Obviously no one
believed him, so he repeated, "I said, it was nothing."
After that statement, Wufei went back into his lapse of silence.
* 2 days later *
Sally opened her eyes a crack. I'm alive. Must be a miracle.
She felt a weight on her left hand. She tried to turn her head, but was being held
straight by something. So she tried to turn her body over and immediately regretted her
decision.
Pain exploded in every part of her body. Colored lights clouded her vision and she
couldn't muffle the, "Ah!" that came from her mouth. She felt the weight on her hand leave.
The next thing she saw was Wufei's face, peering concernedly at her.
"You're awake, Sally."
Sally resisted the urge to punch him and answered, "Isn't that obvious, Wufei?"
Wufei snorted. "I see that even though you're injured in about a million different
places, your arrogance remains."
Sally tried to smile, but her jaw didn't seem to work. "Yes, Wufei."
"I'll go tell the others that you're awake." His eyes lingered a moment longer than
usual on Sally's calm face, and Sally knew what he was thinking. He'll never tell me; but
there's always a chance I might tell him. So naive, he is.
I wonder what he was thinking when he fell asleep by my bed.
She sighed, watching the wind billow the almost transparent drapes around the
window. She heard the telltale bang of a door being shut and after a few more moments, she
heard a gasp and a hand grasping each finger of both hands. She managed to stifle a laugh
when she heard Duo's frantic, "Hey! Why do you guys get to hold her hands and I don't have
a finger?"
"Too bad", Wufei answered, "maybe it was a good thing you didn't."
"Hey!"
Sally started to laugh, but her chest hurt and she ended up coughing. Willing hands
patted her back and she calmed down. "I think Wufei was right, Duo", she smiled.
Duo made a shocked face. "Who's side are you on, Sally?" he sniffed piteously,"I'm
hurt."
Everyone in the room with the exception of Duo snorted desersively.
Sally laughed.
* * *
Quatre hummed happily to himself. He paused only for a moment to cast a glance at
the other four pilots, then at the street ahead. Only another block or two to go. Then I
can go take a good nap. He hummed, then began to whistle a happy song.
Trowa looked at each of his fellow pilots and sighed under his breath. Everything was
O.K., but the news from Sally today was disturbing. He turned his thoughts to the last hour.
* * *
"Why were you so injured, Sally? We found you drifting in space. I was purely by
chance that Quatre's shuttle from the Mars Terraforming Project saw you on the heat sensor.
Man, to think that we might've never found you. Sally, the Lord above is surely saving
you from the mishaps of today to live until tomorrow", Duo looked kindly at the figure on
the bed.
Everyone looked at Duo. They realized in an instant that he had never said anything
about his belief in God until now.
Sally ignored the comment and continued on why she sent for them. "The reason I was
so injured was because was on the ship Bloody Mary. While I was still on Earth for
vacation, I just happened to stumble upon a site. Not just any site, but a fitness site. I
went in, but when I clicked on the icon for different exercises, I was in a totally
different place. I read even more, and I discovered there was a password on the bottom. I
was going to break it, but when I glanced up at the clock, it was almost time to go to L5.
Before I could even get up, the alarm for red alert came on and I rushed to the command
tower."
"When I got there, I found the attackers were the very people who had made that
website that I found a few hours ago. Their name is the Conquistadors, which means the
Spanish that conquered Mexico and Peru a long time ago. They fired at the ship's bulk first,
then at the spare mobile suits, then at the control center. I told everyone to evacuate
because I would self-denote the ship."
"Why didn't you just use the mobile suits that were in the hangar?", Heero asked,
casting a look in her direction.
"I couldn't. They attacked the bulk first, so the way was blocked."
"Why didn't the ship explode?"
"They used laser beams to carve the bottom out, just missing the quarter's level and
the top part of the ship."
This caused a murmur of confusion among the pilots. "No mobile suit has built in
laser beams, Sally. What model was it? Aries?"
Sally nodded, but said, "I never said they had built in laser beams. They were
carrying laser guns."
* * *
"So! What do you think, Trowa?", Duo's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"What about?"
The other pilots looked amazed. "I don't believe it! Trowa wasn't paying attention
to our animated conversation!", Duo put his hands on his hips. "Now that's a first."
"What was your "animated conversation" about, Duo?"
"Basketball", Wufei answered for him before Duo could even open his mouth.
"Don't take my line next time, Wu-man!"
"Don't call me that!"
Duo made a funny face at Wufei and started to run, shouting behind him, "Wu-man,
Wu-man, Wu-man, come and catch me, Wu-man!" An enraged Wufei took Duo's offer and sped
after the retreating figure. A few minutes later, they heard a started "Aargh!" and a "Ha
ha! You're still not fast enough, Wu-man". After that was a startled squawk. Quatre tried
hard to stifle the laughter bubbling inside, and both Trowa and Heero allowed a small smile
to come across their faces.
* * *
Far away in space, a man stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Hmm..."
/ \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \
Author's note:
So what d'ya think? Good for the prologue? I hope so. I don't know what came over
me; I just had to write something. My fingers were itching for a computer! Well, anyway,
I hope you like it.
Explanatory note:
This takes place after Endless Waltz, so you should know that story first. Just to
clear up some things!
Andrea Weiling