~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pheonix
Rising
by Ratha
Part Six:Resurrected
Memories
Memories never die,
they only fade until you need them most. They can't be suppressed forever,
they come back to haunt you at the most inopportune times. They have a
life of their own, and they refuse to let your humanity be destroyed. You
can never lose them, for they are always there, sleeping in the back of
your mind for all time...
Whoa! Where are
we? Did we die or something? Duo's voice echoed strangely in the unearthly
swirls of color and light. He looked around, then jumped with a startled
yelp as someone unexpectedly appeared out of the mist.
Baka. It's only
me, Heero's voice growled.
That's why I yelled,
Duo replied impudently, sticking out his tongue at the other pilot. Where
are we?
I don't know. Where's
Eiko? Heero looked around and spotted Trowa and Quatre approaching,
followed by Wufei.
You won't believe
who we found, Trowa commented, jerking his head toward two more figures
behind them.
Duo visibly bristled
with anger. Id and Zechs. What're you doing here?
Damned if we know,
Id spat back.
Calm down, you two.
There's no use wasting energy trying to start a fight, Trowa said calmly.
Fighting isn't allowed here.
How do you know?
Id and Duo demanded.
Because Eiko won't
allow it. She's the one that brought us all here. To teach us a lesson,
I assume.
A lesson in what?
Quatre
asked. Where is she?
Trowa shrugged.
"Are you lost, mister?"
asked a young girl's voice.
Heero gasped and spun
around, eyes wide as he stared at the scene that was now visible.
Do you know her
or something, Heero? Duo asked.
Heero didn't respond,
only staring at the scene of himself laying on a grassy hill and looking
up at a young girl with a puppy. No...Not again... he whispered.
"I'm not lost,"
Heero replied. "I'm just relaxing."
Heero relaxing?
I didn't think he could.
Shut up, Bakagami.
"Oh. Do you like
my puppy?" The girl picked up her puppy to show it to him, obviously proud
of the wiggling drool factory.
"It's cute." He
sat up and awkwardly patted the puppy, who promptly tried to lick his face.
"Real cute. Look, I gotta go, okay?"
"Okay! I gotta go,
too. Bye!" The girl skipped off, her puppy scampering around her feet and
barking happily.
The scene abruptly
changed, showing Heero standing outside a mobile suit factory and holding
a detonator.
Heero pressed the
button and a series of explosions went off in and around the factory. One
MS fell over, crashing into a nearby apartment building and destroying
it. He blinked, then ran into the ruins of the building and searched through
the rubble. Suddenly he paused, his face blank, then he bent down as snow
began to fall. He straightened slowly and turned to reveal he was holding
something and a single tear running down his cheek. He was holding the
body of the little girl's puppy.
"What have I done?"
he whispered as he began walking with his head bowed, still holding the
lifeless animal.
The scene faded and
everyone turned to look at Heero. The Perfect Soldier was visibly shaken
and there was a suspicious glimmer in his eyes. Wisely, no one spoke as
they wondered whose memories were going to be shown next.
"Solo! Hang on!
I've got the medicine!" cried a young boy's voice, close to tears.
Duo let out a small
"eep" and began nervously fiddling with his braid.
The scene showed a
young brown-haired boy kneeling beside another boy who was obviously fatally
ill.
"C'mon, Solo, don't
die on me! I've got the medicine!" the brown-haired boy pleaded.
The sick boy smiled
weakly and coughed. "S-sorry, kid. Can't do that." He began coughing harshly.
"Don't leave me,
Solo!"
The ill boy snorted.
"That's easy, idiot. I'll never leave you. You'll never be alone, 'cause
I'll always be by your side." He smiled again, then he suddenly went limp
in the other boy's arms.
"Solo? Solo!"
The scene shifted to
show a church.
A nun stood in front
of a group of raggedy-looking children, a kind smile on her face. "Hello,
children. I am Sister Helen. Welcome to the Maxwell Church. Father Maxwell
wants me to care for you orphans. Please tell me your names."
Several of the children
eagerly told her their names, but one boy remained silent.
"What is your name,
little one?" Sister Helen asked kindly, bending down to to look into his
eyes.
The boy looked up,
revealing himself to be the boy with Solo. "I'm Duo."
Gee, Duo. I didn't
know you were an orphan...
Shut up, Quatre.
You've got 29 sisters and I've got nuthin'.
You've got us and
Eiko.
Do I? Just keep
watching and you'll see why I'm the Shinigami.
The scene shifted to
show a group of rebels using the church as a base of operations.
"I'll get you the
mobile suit if you'll just leave the church!" the young Duo said to the
rebel leader, clutching his short braid with his desperation.
The leader looked
at him disdainfully. "Right, brat. Like you could really steal something
as big as an MS."
"I can! Just watch
me! I'll bring the MS back here tonight! Just promise that you'll leave
the church when you get it!"
"Yeah, sure kid.
If you can bring us an MS, we'll leave your little church."
Duo nodded and ran
off, calling over his shoulder, "I'll be back, Sister Helen and Father
Maxwell!"
I can't believe
I was stupid enough to believe them, those lying bastards.
The young Duo struggled
to drive the MS transport back to the church. He suddenly paled. "Noo!
Those bastards!" He stopped the transport and scrambled out of the cab
to stare at the destroyed church.
The church was littered
with the bodies of the other children and the church's inhabitants. Duo
walked silently among the ruins in shock. A soft sound caught his attention
and he spotted Sister Helen, who was still alive.
"Sister Helen!"
he cried, running to her side. "Sister Helen, what happened?"
"Th-the rebels bombed
the church soon after you left," the nun whispered hoarsely. "They didn't
think you would really be able to get the mobile suit. I'm so glad you
survived, Duo..." Her eyes slowly closed and her hand went limp in his.
Duo stared in shocked
horror for a moment, then suddenly let out an anguished wail.
The scene shifted again
to show a Duo slightly younger than the present one, wearing a priest's
outfit and a solemn expression.
"Yeah, whatever,
Professor G," Duo snorted. "I'll do whatever it takes to destroy OZ for
the pain they've caused."
Professor G nodded
slightly. "What is your name, boy?"
"Duo Maxwell, the
Shinigami."
"God of Death? Interesting.
Why do you call yourself that? Do you believe in God?"
Duo's eyes flashed.
"No. If there was a God, He wouldn't've taken everything away from me.
No, death follows me wherever I go, so I must be Death itself."
"I see. Then may
I suggest a different tactic, young Shinigami? If you are Death, then it
cannot claim you. Laugh in its face and hide your pain with that laughter.
Then Death can never call its God home."
The scene faded and
everyone was silent. Duo was sitting down with his knees pulled up to his
chest, arms resting on his knees, and his face was hidden in his arms.
Quatre silently put a hand on the other boy's shoulder.
Well, now we know
why Duo's messed up in the head.
Shut up, Wufei.
I'm not in the mood. So who's Eiko gonna torture next?
"Is the Heavyarms
ready yet Professor S?"
The scene showed Professor
S and a strange man standing in front of the Heavyarms.
"Almost, Trowa Barton.
But Operation: METEOR isn't-"
The strange man
cut him off. "I don't care what it is or isn't. My uncle funded the building
of this gundam, so I will use it the way he wants it to be used."
"We can't allow
that, Mr. Barton. Operation: METEOR's objectives have changed and-"
"Then I will have
to inform my uncle of your refusal." He turned to leave.
A shot rang out
and the man collapsed, killed instantly. Professor S lowered the gun slowly.
"We can't allow
that, either."
The man standing
behind Professor S looked up at the gundam. "How can we find another pilot
for the Heavyarms in time for Operation: METEOR?"
"Perhaps I could
be of assistance," said a familiar voice and a dark figure leapt down from
the shadows of the gundam. "My name is Triton Bloom, I'm a former mercenary
who's been working on this gundam with the other technicians, so I know
the Heavyarms pretty well."
"Very well. You
may pilot the gundam. Since Trowa Barton is dead, why don't you assume
his name when you pilot Heavyarms?"
Triton nodded. "Then
my name is Trowa Barton, pilot of the Heavyarms."
Triton? Your real
name is Triton?
Well, you've recovered
quickly, Duo.
So Catherine really
is your sister, Trowa- er, I mean Triton?
Yes, Quatre. But
keep calling me Trowa. It's the name I've gotten used to.
The scene shifted to
show Trowa inside the Heavyarms' cockpit, staring at the remains of a colony
in shocked horror.
"Mother, Father...Catherine...I
was too late." Trowa stared at the remains a moment longer, then all expression
faded from his face. "OZ will pay. I will make them pay."
The scene faded after
a few moments of silence.
Hey! No fair! Trowa's
is the shortest!
Shut up, Bakagami.
How come you haven't
said anything, Zechs? Duo demanded, rounding on the OZ soldier.
Zechs looked silently
at the braided pilot, his mask hiding his face. I've got nothing to
say, Maxwell.
Duo blinked in surprise,
then spun to Heero and Wufei. Even Zechs doesn't call me Bakagami! So
why do you two?
Eiko said they're
jealous of you, Duo, Trowa said with amusement.
Heero and Wufei sputtered
indignantly while Duo grinned goofily.
"Quatre! You're
being disrespectful!" a man's voice yelled angrily. "You're not piloting
that gundam ever again!"
Quatre let out a startled
cry. Father!
The scene showed Mr.
Winner facing his son on their colony.
"I'm sorry, Father!"
Quatre said with mild defiance, holding a computer disk. "But someone has
to fight."
"Such arrogance!
You're just a child! Think like the Winner heir!"
"He is thinking
like the heir," a soft voice said as a young woman placed a hand on Quatre's
shoulder.
"Ilea..." Quatre
said, looking up at her.
"Quatre fights for
the good of the colonies," Ilea continued.
"Military force
will not solve the problem," Mr. Winner snapped.
"I never thought
I'd get to pilot Sandrock by helping Instructor H," Quatre murmured.
Mr. Winner turned
to the window at the sound of shouting outside. "People are angry because
I don't follow OZ. Looks like they've been fooled into protesting against
me again."
The shouting could
be plainly heard through the glass. "The Winners monopolize our resources!"
"The Winners are the enemy of the colonies!
Mr. Winner turned
back to his son. "But still, we're not fighting." He looked out the window
again, then did a double-take. "What's that MS doing here?!"
Outside, a Leo suit
was visible, aiming its weapon at the protestors. "I'm the Winners' guard!"
the pilot said. "We will not be insulted anymore! Death to the protestors!"
It fired its machine-gun at the crowd.
"What?! It's firing
at the civilians! I don't even know that MS!" Mr. Winner shouted as two
Taurus suits appeared.
Quatre stared in
shock as he watched the Leo's pilot sneak out. "It's an OZ trap!" he cried
as the Taurus fired their beam cannons at the mansion.
"OZ set us up!"
Mr. Winner shouted just before the mansion was hit.
The house exploded
with a loud boom, then everything was silent.
Quatre groaned and
stirred, pushing himself to his hands and knees. Blinking and shaking his
head, he suddenly noticed Ilea. "Sister!" he cried upon seeing her fatally
wounded.
"I'm glad...I could
protect my brother..." she croaked weakly. "We'll always...love you..."
She let out a last shaky breath and was still.
"ILEA!!" Quatre
screamed, tears brimming in his eyes.
"Force of arms...will
not solve anything..." Mr. Winner's voice said weakly.
"Father!" Quatre
located his father trapped under slabs of stone.
"It will only cause
more problems..." Mr. Winner reached a hand toward Quatre. "Quatre...remember...you
are...the Winner heir!" His hand fell to the ground.
Quatre stared in
shocked horror, then he let his head drop down to hide his face. "Ilea...Father..."
he whispered brokenly. "OZ kills everyone who gets in the way...even civilians..."
He fell silent and slowly stood, stumbling forward. He picked up the disk
that had somehow survived the blast.
Soft laughter filled
the room, slowly growing louder as Quatre lifted his head to look at the
disk. Tears streamed down his cheeks as a familiar maniacal expression
crossed his face.
The scene faded with
Quatre's laughter still echoing around the stunned pilots.
Eesh! You're even
scarier than Heero, Quatre! Is that when you went crazy with the Wing ZERO?
Duo turned to the pilot of Sandrock questioningly.
Quatre nodded silently,
looking very shaken.
It's okay, Quatre,
Trowa said softly, putting an arm around the other boy's shoulders. I'm
sure Eiko has a reason for doing this.
Wufei looked at Id
and Zechs, who were looking extremely uncomfortable. I think I know
what she's doing. It's mainly for those two. He jerked his thumb at
the two OZ soldiers.
So who's next?
Duo asked. There's only four left-Eiko, Wu-man, Vampire-boy, and Sucks.
Heero muffled a laugh
as the three "nicknamed" pilots angrily advanced on the braided pilot.
Leave
him alone. He's always saying things like that. He's just an idiot with
a death-wish.
Hey! You're not
helping, Heero! Duo yelled as he took refuge behind Trowa and Quatre.
"You weakling! Get
your nose out of those books and fight!"
Wufei let out a curse
as the scene showed a library with a young Chinese woman standing in front
of a chair, the occupant of which was obviously hiding his face behind
a book.
"Did you hear me,
Wufei?! Listen to me when I'm talking to you!" the woman snarled.
Heh. Wufei was a
bookworm.
Shut up, Bakagami!
Yeesh! Ya don't
have to bite my head off! So is that Meiran, Wu-man?
Don't call me Wu-man,
and yes, that was Meiran.
I thought so.
Letting out an exasperated
sound, Meiran snatched the book from Wufei's hands. "I swear, I am going
to burn all these blasted books of yours!" She tossed the book over her
shoulder and glared at the silent Chinese man. "Now, are you going to fight
with us or not?"
"No," Wufei said
calmly. "Fighting won't stop OZ, or the Alliance. All it will accomplish
will be the death of more innocent people."
Meiran scowled,
but said nothing more, spinning on her heel and stalking away. "Suit yourself,
you weakling! Just don't come crying to me when you get captured by the
Alliance!"
"As if that would
ever happen," Wufei muttered as he stood and went the opposite direction.
I'm confused, Wu-man-
What else is new?
Ha ha. I thought
you were the one who was always yelling about others being weak and you
were strong and all that junk.
Shut up and use
your brain for once.
Be nice to him,
Wufei.
The scene shifted to
show the scene of a battlefield littered with bodies.
Wufei stared at
the carnage in shock, then began frantically looking for someone or something
among the dead. He stumbled over one body and landed beside the body of
Meiran. His eyes widened as he stared.
The Chinese woman
stirred and opened her eyes, looking up at him. "Wu...fei..." she whispered
hoarsely. She coughed up blood and let out a labored breath.
Wufei got to his
knees beside her, disbelief plain on his face. "This...this is impossible.
The weak are supposed to be the ones to die, not the strong."
"I wasn't strong
enough. But I died for my people. Does that finally prove I am the legendary
Nataku?"
Wufei stayed silent
for a long moment, then nodded slightly. He stayed by her side until her
breathing stilled, then stood up, fists clenched and trembling at his sides
with helpless fury.
The scene faded into
silence.
Wufei scowled darkly
and crossed his arms. Eiko had better have a damned good excuse for
doing this, he growled. Or else I will severely berate that girl!
'Berate'? That's
all, Wu-man? Heh. Looks like you're getting soft-
Shut up before I
strangle you with that braid of yours!
"Father! Mother!"
cried a boy's voice just before an explosion rocked the area and flames
burst into existence. A young boy with long pale blonde hair stood on a
clifftop above a burning kingdom. Shocked horror was visible on his face
as he stared at the burning inferno below him. "Relena..." he whimpered,
falling to his hands and knees, sobbing softly.
The scene suddenly
shifted to focus on a familiar figure standing several yards behind the
boy: Treize Kushrenada.
Treize watched the
boy silently, a faint smile on his face. He didn't even turn as a soldier
approached. "Were there any other survivors?" he asked the soldier quietly.
"We couldn't find
the girl, Relena Peacecraft, to imprison with the rest of the Peacecrafts,"
the soldier replied.
"No matter," Treize
smiled. "We have young Milliardo. Make sure he never finds out the truth
about this. Understood?"
"Yes, Lord Treize."
Truth? Zechs
suddenly said. What truth? What is he talking about?
Treize gave the
boy's back a mock pitying look. "We wouldn't want him to know that it was
OZ that destroyed the Sanc Kingdom, now would we?"
The scene faded.
Who's Milliardo?
Duo asked in confusion.
That bastard,
Zechs growled with barely controlled fury. So he's the one who destroyed
my home! Damn him! I've been serving the murderer of my family!
Whoa. Duo looked
at Zechs in surprise. I didn't think-
You don't
think. That's the problem.
Wufei glared at Duo, who returned it, much to Wufei's surprise.
Get off my back,
China man!
I warned you to
be nice to him, Wufei, Trowa said calmly. Now you've got Shinigami
mad at you and not Duo.
Id snorted. Talk
about your split personalities.
A baby's wail suddenly
split the air.
Aw shit, Id
groaned. Damn you, Eiko.
A rude noise overran
the wailing.
And there's Eiko,
Heero chuckled.
The scene showed a
dim room, the center of which was lit up by a single light over a table,
on which a baby kicked and wailed unhappily as the two shadowed figures
ignored it.
"This brat is getting
on my nerves!" a male voice growled. "Can't you get it to shut up, Lady?"
The other figure
snorted. "Why should I? I don't want the brat. Take him to the orphanage
or something. Just get him out of my sight."
The baby wailed
louder and a faint glow surrounded him just before something smashed nearby.
The two figures
cursed in startled anger.
"Dammit, I said
get it out of here!" the woman snarled. "That thing is a menace! A freak!
What NORMAL brat would have such pale skin and red eyes?"
The man chuckled
darkly. "I know the perfect place for it. There's a secret lab that is
conducting experiments with such...freaks...as this brat. It's for the
Newtype Project. They would be ecstatic to get it."
"Whatever. Just
get rid of it."
"Yes, Lady. As you
wish. Lord Treize will never know of it."
Id growled dangerously
and the younger pilots edged away from him. Dammit, Eiko! What game
are you pulling? Is this another attempt to get the better of me? Answer
me!
Silence met his angry
voice and the scene faded abruptly. Id let out a round of curses at the
infuriating silence.
I've heard of that
project, Quatre said softly. The Newtype Project. It was run by
OZ. Then something happened and their funding was cut off and the project
abandoned.
What happened?
Duo asked.
I happened,
Id growled. Suddenly he seemed to deflate and let out a heavy sigh. I
was a prime candidate for the experiments to create a better soldier and
to artificially bring about the newtype abilities. My pseudo newtype abilities
were never cultivated enough to warrant any further funding, so the project
was scrapped. But just before I was disposed of, Treize decided to adopt
me, rather than let me be killed. Then that bitch Lady Une let slip that
I was her son, which I had always known, thanks to Eiko. When Treize had
my blood analyzed, he found out that I was his son as well.
Damn. Talk about
a messed-up childhood,
Duo commented. Just like the rest of us. But what's Eiko's point in
showing us all this?
As if in answer, the
colors and light suddenly seemed to explode around the seven pilots, blinding
them. When they could see again, they found themselves on one of the Colonies.
As they watched, they suddenly noticed Leos all over the place, plus countless
OZ soldiers armed with assault rifles. The soldiers were guarding a group
of Colonist prisoners and herding them into transport shuttles.
"Get these prisoners
moving!" a soldier shouted. "Make them an example to all those who oppose
OZ!"
A familiar flash of
black hair caught the watching pilots' attention and the spotted a young
twelve-year-old girl among the prisoners.
Eiko...Wufei
said in surprise.
The girl jerked as
if she'd heard him and turned, but she was shoved into a shuttle by a soldier
and the door closed for the shuttle to leave.
"Mama! Daddy!" her
panicked voice wailed as the scene shifted.
Now they were inside
a resource satellite, surrounded by slaves. The pilots immediately focused
on a transit train and the familiar figure of Eiko, looking defeated. She
seemed unaware of her surroundings until a disturbance attracted her attention.
"Work, you worthless
piece of scum, WORK!" snarled an OZ slave driver as he beat a man who obviously
couldn't work anymore.
Eiko stiffened and
her eyes glowed their familiar blue-green glow that heralded the use of
her powers. "Daddy..." she whispered, her eyes blazing with fury.
Then with a cry of
fury, Eiko's powers exploded out of her, slamming into the slave driver
and throwing him into an upright, stored emergency mining spade, killing
him instantly. Her eyes still glowed with an unholy light and a reddish
aura flickered like flames around her.
After a moment, the
guards began firing at her. The bullets never touched her, yet she collapsed
in a dead faint and the scene faded into darkness.
Then a vague, echoing
voice broke the silence.
"I've never seen anything
like this, Lord Treize. Her psychic powers are immense, unmatched by anything
else in the known universe. She would be a great asset to OZ. But her memories
of the 'peacekeeping' invasion could prove dangerous."
"Then erase her memories,"
Treize' voice responded. "And install a limitor to control her. Such power
is too valuable to destroy."
"What about the girl's
parents?"
"Kill them. We can't
risk another telepath with that kind of power being created."
The light returned
and the pilots now saw the Eiko they all knew, but she had an alien expression
of coldness on her face.
"What is your name
and rank?" Treize asked.
"Special OZ soldier
1934. Codename: the Pheonix," she responded curtly.
"And your history?"
"Raised in OZ and trained
solely to fight."
"Who is your commanding
officer?"
"Special Lieutenant
Zechs Marquise."
Then for a brief second,
a look of sadness crossed her face just before the scene faded.
Id blinked in shock.
I never knew the truth of what OZ and my father did, he murmured. Eiko
was right. OZ' ideals aren't for the good of the Colonies or for peace.
That's what I've
been trying to tell you for years, Id, said Eiko's voice and she suddenly
appeared in front of them. I'm sorry for making all of you go through
that, heaven knows it was hard on you before. But I had to show you the
truth. I had to show you the true face of OZ. And it is not pretty.
She turned to face Id. What is your decision?
Id was silent a moment,
then spoke quietly. I can't let my father hurt any more innocent people.
I will join you pilots against OZ.
Eiko smiled and turned
to Zechs. Zechs Marquise-
My name is Milliardo
Peacecraft, he interrupted. Zechs died in the battle with the phoenix.
I will avenge my family and the destruction of the Sanc Kingdom.
Eiko smiled and nodded.
Then I have proved my point and we can return.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The eight gundams
docked at the space base and the pilots exited their mobile suits.
"Id!" Eiko shrieked
happily and tackled the red-haired man in a hug, kissing him enthusiastically.
The younger pilots
laughed and began hooting and making catcalls, bursting into more laughter
when the embarrassed man glared at them through an embarrassed blush.
A glare from Eiko made
them shut up instantly. She smiled brightly and looped her arm through
Id's, leaning her head on his shoulder. "So now there's eight gundams against
OZ," she said. "OZ doesn't have a chance. Right?"
"Right!" was the unanimous
response.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whee! Part six
is finally done! I was having so much trouble with this part because my
muse abandoned me before I even got started on it. I swear, I am going
to hurt that Trowa! How dare he sneak away when I wasn't looking! Now I'll
have to go chase down another muse. Do you know how hard it is to catch
a muse when you're as insane as me? The Z-gang's too fast to catch, the
GW boys carry guns, Kaoru chases me away from her dojo, the Sailor senshi
always go ballistic, and the Ronins and mashos hide where I can't get to
them. :( Does anyone know where I can get a new muse?