Disclaimer: (I have no idea why anyone would sue me for writing a fanfic but people have disclaimers so I guess I'll add one too) I don't own Gundam Wing so please don't sue me for writing this fanfic. Besides I don't have any money so it'd be a waste of time. Oh, and I'm writing this fanfic for fun, not for money so don't hold that against me either.
The War of the Assassins
"I need you to destroy Odessa Arrowney," said the most powerful and influential man on the planet. He even had a black, tall-backed, leather chair to swivel around in as he faced his hired goons. Like me, mused Strife Mercury, though I hardly consider myself a goon.
Strife felt that there was good reason for that (although he was obviously biased on the subject). He considered his physique for a second and decided that he most likely didn't look too dangerous: he was tall and slender – not bulky and built. But other Assassins had told him that he possessed a sort of subtle, unpronounced strength, and that his emerald green eyes gazing out from under his unruly black bangs held a deadly, cold look.
The huge, blood red, five-foot sword I'm carrying on my back that appears to be on fire certainly helps too. I bet no goon the Baron has ever hired had one of those. In any other situation, Strife would probably have chuckled at this thought, but there were more serious things to consider. Like what his employer had just said. About Odessa. Uh oh. How am I going to get out of this one? His mind raced to find an appropriate response.
"Destroy Siren?" he finally replied rather incredulously. The Baron rewarded his query with a dark glare. Strife cursed silently to himself, remembering too late that he wasn't supposed to have opinions on anything. Or more importantly: he was never supposed to talk back to his employers.
"I doubt that she would be much of a problem for the greatest Blade Mage Assassin who ever lived now would she?" retorted the other, larger man, with no small amount of sarcasm.
"But," 'she's your daughter!' was what Strife intended to say, but protocol and a certain irritating, cliché-ridden Assassin's Code held him at bay. He settled rather lamely on "But of course, my Lord," instead.
"Good. My secretary will brief you and give you half of your pay – the other half will be given to you when you destroy her."
Strife started. These days most Rookie Assassins (or Mercenaries as they were more commonly called) were paid half up front, half later since they were not to be trusted to finish the job. The thought that the Baron didn't believe that he, an Elite Assassin, could finish the job intrigued him, rather than offended him. Strife had not failed to assassinate any of his targets – only a fool would ignore such a spotless record. So it had to be something else that had made the Baron distrust him.
The realization of what the only possible alternative was hit him like a bolt of lightening. He felt a feeling of cold dread wash over him, which he had never felt before. Oh no…it can't be –
"Oh, and Strife – I understand that you seem to have shared some sort of past relationship with the Siren," said the deep voice of the Baron.
Damn it! Strife felt himself stiffen as he heard what the Baron said. God I can't believe I let that leak out! He presently felt another emotion that he hadn't felt for an untold amount of time: anger. Strife was absolutely furious at whoever had spread that closely guarded secret. He vowed to destroy the pathetic worm as soon as he found out who it was.
Another swift realization interrupted Strife's chain of thoughts. The Baron was waiting for him to speak; waiting for him to confirm the damning statement that he had had a relationship with a target - with a fellow Blade Mage Assassin for God's sake. He decided that the best answer was no answer and gave the Baron his characteristic cold glare instead.
The Baron unexpectedly chuckled at his cool austerity. "A real Elite Assassin, aren't you Strife?" The large man laughed some more, great roaring laughs that made his muscular chest heave and Strife's ears ring. "I don't know whether to be honored that you've slept with my daughter or to be furious."
Strife felt himself color, which was another first. He decided that he didn't like the feeling of embarrassment.
The Baron laughed at him yet again and then his expression abruptly darkened. "Just don't let anything you've shared together get in your way. You know that I wouldn't be saying this if I didn't suspect a real problem…and if there happens to be one, I wouldn't be surprised if this little tidbit about you and my daughter becomes public knowledge." He smiled as if he relished the thought, and then his face became stern again. "Now get out of my sight."
Strife nodded and swiftly took his leave; feeling enraged all over again. He loathed being threatened and hated being helpless even more. The Baron had him completely in his control, and there was nothing Strife could do about it short of destroying him; which would result rather quickly in his own destruction.
Strife scowled. He had been taught that his career was everything – no woman could ever mean more to an Assassin than his sword, and he had thought that this was true. Until he met the Baron's daughter that is. Even so…he leaves me no choice.
I'm sorry Odessa.
A lone woman stood in the sunny meadow, apparently unaware of the five Gundams that were about to destroy her. She saw them of course, as they were extremely hard to miss. But she did nothing, and was not frightened, as one would expect her to be. Stray strands of her midnight blue hair whipped in the warm breeze as her violet eyes gazed unconcernedly at the deadly mobile suits like one would gaze at birds in the sky.
"Isn't she supposed to be running away from us in hysterics screaming 'IT'S A GUNDAM!!!" right about now?" asked Duo, bemused. "I know that Sally said that Siren was tough – I mean she is the leader of the strongest rebellion we've ever faced – but you either have to be invincible or just plain stupid to not be even a little bit afraid when faced with all five of the legendary Gundams."
The other four pilots were just as nonplussed. They had never met a person who was absolutely unafraid of their formidable mobile suits. Sure, certain people had been fearless when the pilots met them in person, but hell, everyone was afraid of a killing machine 15 times taller than the average man was and 1000 times as deadly.
"Perhaps she believes she can defeat us using that odd black sword of hers…" commented Trowa, in his usual analytical manner.
All of the pilots reflexively focused on the said sword and collectively agreed that 'odd' was an understatement. Unearthly was more like it. Siren's sword was jet black and had to be at least four feet long. This in itself was surprising, but the thing that shocked all of the battle-hardened warriors (even Heero) was that a black flame surrounded the blade of the word. On top of that, the fire wasn't even a normal fire; it blazed at least three or four inches from the sword and seemed to pulse - almost as if it were alive.
"If I didn't know that it was physically impossible, I'd say that her sword is on fire…" said Quatre in shocked disbelief.
"Obviously, whoever made that sword did not have the Laws of Physics in mind Quatre," replied Heero calmly, in a flash of sarcasm that had recently become not so rare. "Zero does not lie. However improbably it may be, the Siren's sword is undeniably on fire." He sounded casual enough, yet Heero found himself doubting even Wing Zero's impeccable judgement.
Wufei scoffed, which was unsurprising to his fellow pilots. "I can't believe that that weak onna seriously thinks she can defeat us with just an enchanted sword. I'm surprised that she can even hold it up!" He started to laugh uncontrollably.
Then was abruptly silenced when the 'weak onna' turned and glared at the Altron as if she had heard what Wufei had said. Wufei jumped at least an inch above his seat and cursed. And with good reason: the radio link he had spoken into could only be heard by the other Gundam pilots.
"That's im-im-impossible!" Wufei finally managed to stutter. (Which was amusing for the others, even considering the seriousness of the situation)
"Just like it's impossible that my sword is 'on fire' right?" mocked a female voice, who must have spoken directly into the pilots minds since they all noticed that Siren's lips did not budge an inch and she was the only female for miles. That, and her voice sounded like what a Siren's voice should: smooth, honeyed, sweet, and seductive. It also possessed an odd lilting, sing-song quality to it.
Duo's mouth dropped. "Now that's impossible!" he exclaimed. He took a quick check of his video screens, which had a view of each Gundam pilot's cockpit. Duo decided by the looks on his comrades' faces that they all agreed with him.
"Earthlings," retorted a disgusted Siren, "I sometimes wonder how you miserable creatures survive with such pitiful technology. Tsk, tsk – you haven't even discovered telepathy yet."
The pilots could only stare in return. But something about her statement snapped Heero out of his shocked reverie.
"What do you mean by 'Earthlings'? Aren't you one yourself?" he demanded.
"You'll find out when you defeat me, pretty boy."
With that derogatory statement, Heero whipped out his beam saber as if he were about to attack, but was stopped abruptly by Wufei (who was obviously holding a grudge).
"Wait Heero. Nataku and I will show this weak onna her place." He then moved the Altron slightly ahead of the other Gundams.
The voice laughed. "How surprising of you Wufei Chang. You believe that you can defeat me simply because I am a woman."
Wufei bristled. "How did you know my name, witch?"
The pilots heard another laugh that sounded like the soft chiming of bells. Siren ignored the question. "Even with Sally, you have never learned. Well now I will teach you a lesson that you'll never forget."
Before Duo could make an amusing quip on how lame and cliché-ish her last statement was, Siren had settled into her battle stance. She had hooked the stray strands of her waist-length, midnight blue hair behind her ears and had spread her feet wide apart. Siren had then raised her glowing black sword up to her face, about an inch from her nose, and closed her eyes.
"Akhsan trioke mais priciose recontre sahcs," the pilots heard her mutter.
"Were some of those words French?" Trowa asked to no one in particular.
Before anyone could answer, (and ask how Trowa would know in the first place) they were all shocked speechless. Again. For the black flame had suddenly intensified after she had spoken those words and the sword had then started floating between her hands. It was no illusion: Siren held her slender hands around the sword in a praying position, but there was at least three inches of air between them and the hilt of the sword. The air between the sword and her hands shimmered and contorted, like the air above an asphalt street on a hot day.
"Magic," Heero muttered wearily. He wondered forlornly what had happened to the good old days when his enemies had fought with ordinary weapons.
"God knows that we've had enough of that in our lifetime," complained Duo.
Trowa and Quatre sighed and had a 'Here we go again' look on their faces while Wufei merely sat with his arms crossed and wore a smirk on his face. They all sat and waited.
After a few more unintelligible phrases that faintly resembled French, Siren's eyes abruptly snapped open, so that the pilots could see that her violet eyes had been replaced by deep, black pools. They were infinitely dark; a black hole that absorbed all light. An eerie fire seemed to glow in the depths of those hellish eyes, and it caused the unfortunate victims of her gaze to shudder in unreasonable fear.
Siren grasped the floating ebony sword with her right hand, halting its unnatural levitation. She turned to face the Altron.
She snarled viciously. "Now you die!"
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my first fanfic so I'd love some feedback. Please e-mail me at Cutlass317@aol.com for suggestions, compliments, flames, etc. Thanks!