Chapter 14
*~Meilai~*
And so we put our plan into action. We hinted to Himmler and Atkins how Phillipe and TJ
were becoming increasingly discontent, and we also hinted that we should go to Earth soon to
see what was happening. We figured that Phillipe at least would use this chance to rebel,
giving us the excuse to get rid of him.
And so, after some persuasion, I got Lillith to "go with TJ" one evening, in order to drop a
few hints. When she came back the next morning, the first words out of her mouth were, "You
owe me big."
"Did it work?"
"Yeah," she called over her shoulder, heading for the shower. "If you'll excuse me, I'll
be in the shower, trying to wash his stench off of me."
When she came out, she filled me in. "Basically, I said that we would go on a reconnaissance
mission in three days, and that we were going alone, just the four of us. The rest of the time,
well, I was trying not to throw up."
"Still hard for you?"
"I guess, even if it HAS been five years...Ugh! He's so disgusting!" she complained,
shuddering.
So in three days, Himmler and Atkins called us in for a briefing and gave us our assignment. We
were to observe what was going on, and we were to stay as far away from the gundam pilots as
possible.
"This is a secret mission!" Himmler barked. "Don't get caught."
Phillipe snorted, but discreetly, and exchanged a glance with TJ. "You are dismissed," Atkins
said coldly.
All four of us left, and immediately, Phillipe and TJ walked off, muttering. Lillith and I
exchanged disgusted glances. Later that day, the two of us were called in again.
"It has come to our attention that Phillipe and TJ have become potentially dangerous,"
Atkins said. I hid a smile. Of course they had finally realized it; it was Lillith and I that
had made sure that they had.
Atkins continued. "Phillipe will be the leader of this mission, and we will give him the
control for the self detonation device for your suits. However, it will be a fake. In reality,
you two are the leaders. Should either of them show even the slightest hint of rebellion,
detonate their suits at once."
Lillith and I nodded. "We will not fail you, sir," I said, and we left.
A few hours later, we departed for Earth. It was the first time either of us had been there.
We entered the atmosphere, and began to spread out. Suddenly, Phillipe and TJ swung their
suits around. "You two are finished!" Phillipe called gleefully. "Sorry babe," TJ said to
Lillith, "but we're going to detonate your suits now. Say goodbye."
"What?!" I said, pretending to be surprised. "Why?!"
"We're sick of working for those two old men," Phillipe growled. "With our firepower
and training, we don't need them! We'll take over Operation: Natural Selection, and we'll
rule the world! And we don't need you two. You'll just get in the way."
I rolled my eyes at this tacky speech. "Pathetic," Lillith sneered.
"Ha! You're just saying that because you've lost! Good bye," they called over, and
pressed a button.
Nothing happened, just as we had expected.
"What?!" TJ exploded. "What just happened?!"
Lillith laughed a cold laugh. "Watch and learn," she said icily, and detonated the Basilisk.
The thing exploded in a burst of light. TJ stared at it, aghast. "How stupid do you think we
are? We knew you'd pull something dumb; we knew all along. And so we made sure that Himmler
and Atkins found out too. The switch they gave you? It's a fake. The real one is right here,
with us."
"No..." TJ choked out.
"Oh yes," I said grimly. "And now, this is where it ends for you," and I detonated the
Wyvern.
We watched the light show for a few minutes, then Lillith said, "We'd better get back."
"Agreed. Let's get out of here before someone comes."
Chapter 15
~Reiming~
And so, Phillipe and TJ met their untimely demise. Veylona and I flew back to tell Himmler and
Atkins exactly what happened. We made sure to tell it exactly as it was, since we knew they
had been listening in on the entire conversation.
After we were done, they nodded, satisfied. "Good good," Himmler said, pleased. "Now that those
two are done, we can get down to business preparing."
And so we settled for a life on the sidelines. We watched as power switched from Treize to
Rommefeller to the White Fang and until the conflict finally ended. We also watched how the
power hungry Dekim Barton attempted his own coup. During this time, we continued our
training and research. We even upgraded our gundams, changing the gundamium alloy to
something the technicians of Himmler and Atkins had developed, X-Gundamium, which was more
durable but not much denser.
During the war, the ZERO cockpit system was developed. Veylona and I became fascinated with it,
and we set to create something better. Finally, we developed the XERO system, which worked the
same way as the ZERO did, integrating data with brain waves, but with much less risk. Also, in
preparation for the battle we would fight with the gundam pilots, we developed the ANTI ZERO
program, which caused the ZERO system to overload, resulting in severe head pain, and, if
prolonged, death.
During this period of a few years, we all relaxed. Our last competition, Phillipe and TJ, had
already been eliminated; there wasn't much else to do except continue our training and try to
develop new things.
So this is why, when one day, on impulse, I decided to sneak down to Himmler's and Atkins'
quarters to listen in, just as I had done a decade ago, and received a massive shock.
I guess the main reason was because I was bored, but to this day, I'm really not too sure why
I did what I did. Regardless, I stuck in a microphone, put on the headphones, and listened.
"The time is right to attack," Atkins said.
"Yes...there are no more gundams; the Earth and the colonies have completely disarmed
themselves. Now would be a perfect time for us to put our plan for world domination into
action!"
I rolled my eyes at this. I had certainly heard THIS before.
"Yes...Lillith and Veylona have certainly become the Perfect Soldiers. They will be
an excellent asset."
A pause. Then, "Those two still worry me. We allowed Phillipe and TJ to join forces, and they
turned against us. I'm sure those two are doing much more than we know they are; they are
still extremely dangerous. In fact, I won't even be surprised if they've already disarmed the
self detonation devices by now," Himmler stated. "No, we only need one of the two, but
which one shall it be?"
Another pause. Then, Atkins said, "Well then, remember our little wager a few years back?
How we bet that whoever chose the most children that survived would receive that satellite, but
we couldn't determine a winner because you had selected Lillith and Phillipe, and I had chosen
Veylona and TJ? Well then, how about now? We could finish our little bet now."
Himmler laughed. "Yes, I have not forgotten about our little wager. Well then, we'll just
have Lillith and Veylona fight to the death then. It should be an interesting battle. When
do you think we should?"
"First thing tomorrow morning. After the winner is determined, let's begin our plan,
say, in a week, on the date of the wedding of Relena Darlian and Heero Yuy?"
"Excellent. I cannot wait for the Earth and colonies to be under our control."
I sat there in the shadows in stupor, not believing what I had just heard. I quickly got up
and walked away, my thoughts in turmoil. I briefly thought of infiltrating the room where I
knew Himmler and Atkins kept the antidote for the poison, room 11B, and then taking it and
running. Then I thought of joining forces with my brother. But I guess, deep down, my mind had
been made up long ago, when I first told Veylona that I was determined to survive, no matter
what. Therefore, I only had one option.
I would kill Veylona.
I spent all evening preparing a poison to slip in Veylona's food. I had to time this one
perfectly; it couldn't affect her too soon; it couldn't affect her too late. Though I knew all
of her strengths and weaknesses, I knew she knew the same for me. I didn't know about the
chances of my surviving a battle with her...and I was too much of a coward to have to fight her
face to face.
"I'm sorry...Meilai," I whispered, just as I had to the first girl I killed when I was
six years old. "I'm...so...sorry..."
And for the first time in over a decade, I bent my head and I cried.
Chapter 16
*~Meilai~*
I don't think I've ever received so many shocks in my life as I did on this day. First came the
shock that Lillith and I would have to fight to the death. Then came the shock that Lillith
had been perfectly willing to kill me as I lay on the floor, gasping for breath, the poison
killing me. Then, when I woke up again, the shock that I actually was still alive, and then
the shock that Lillith had not told me her real name, as I thought she had, though by name, I
don't think anything could really shock me anymore.
It all started that morning. Lillith and I got up like we did any other day. Even though
Lillith knew exactly what would happen, she didn't show it. We made small talk, took our
shower, brushed our teeth, etc. I had no idea that Lillith had spent all night making the
perfect poison to use on me, and that, when I turned around for a brief instant, that she had
emptied it into my food.
As soon as we had eaten, Himmler and Atkins called us in, and told us to bring our swords.
"I wonder what for..." I mused as I picked up my sword. Lillith muttered something or other that
I didn't hear, but I didn't pay attention to it.
My first warning came when, once we entered the office, Himmler and Atkins took us to a large
arena. "What's this?" I asked. They smiled nastily. "You see ladies," Atkins said, "after the
incident with Phillipe and TJ, Himmler and I have decided that we really can't have you two
forming alliances. We don't even need you both. Therefore," and he waved to the arena, "you
two will fight it out right here, right now. The victor will walk away alive, the loser, on the
other hand..." and left his sentence hanging.
I felt the wind rush out of me. "No...you can't be serious!" I cried. "Oh, but we are,"
Himmler said gleefully. "This battle should be most interesting."
I looked at Lillith, aghast. She was pointedly ignoring me, staring straight in front of her.
I couldn't believe that I was being forced to kill her.
Or get killed by her.
That thought hardened my heart, and I boldly walked into the ring. "Let's get started," I
said harshly, drawing my sword. In the stands, Himmler and Atkins settled back with satisfied
smiles on their faces.
Lillith looked at me with dead eyes. Something about that look wasn't right, and suddenly, I
realized, "Oh my God, she knew..."
And at that moment, the floor gave way. The room started spinning, and everything went black.
The last thought I had was, "Lillith, I swear, if I survive, I will kill you. I swear it, on
my honor."
several days later...
"Ugh..."
"Well well, look who's back from the dead. It's about time."
Wearily, I opened my eyes...and saw the face of Atkins leering at me. "See Himmler," he
crowed, "I told you that she wouldn't die so easily!"
Himmler snorted. "Well, she certainly took her time. It's been about a week!"
I finally gathered my wits about me. "Where's Lillith?" I asked coldly. "Where is she?"
Atkins laughed. "Well, she's alive and well. You should have seen the expression on her face
after you passed out. Most curious." He leaned in closer. "Yes, very curious. Her eyes
went flat, like she was dead. Not apathy, but dead. Quite interesting."
"I don't care!" I said harshly. "I could care less what she felt. She was willing to
kill me; she didn't even face me in battle! Where is she?! I swore that I would kill her, now
I'm going to do so!"
"Calm down," Himmler said cooly. "Quit posturing. I'm sure you'll get your chance;
Atkins and I do not expect her to remain loyal to us for much longer."
"Why is that?"
"You know, Lillith is not her true name. I won't tell you her true name; I'm sure
when you see her again, she will tell you. But I will tell you this: she is linked to one of
the gundam pilots. Therefore, there is a good chance that she will betray us and join them.
Then, you can have your revenge. But for now," he said, straightenining, "Would you like to
see her?"
I nodded grimly. "Where is she?"
Himmler waved to a screen. On it was a figure in a dark cloak. "Is that her?"
"Yes."
Lillith seemed to be addressing a large crowd from the base to Earth. Upon closer examination,
I saw the faces of the ex-gundam pilots. "Why is Relena Darlian in that dress, and Heero Yuy
in that suit? Did they just marry?"
"Yes," Atkins responded, but quieted as Lillith began speaking.
"Mrs. Yuy, we are declaring war. You have three years to arm yourselves."
She had said more, but I only paid attention to that. "Why are you giving them three years?"
I asked coldly. "Finish them now."
Himmler cracked a smile. "I think poisoning you has awakened an alter self in her," he said
airily. "She wants them to rebuild the gundams, so she can have a decent fight. Yes, Lillith
has come to love the joy of battle."
I ignored Himmler, focusing only on Lillith. "Watch out Lillith," I thought. "Your days are
numbered." I clenched my fists angrily, glaring at her. "For what you did, I will make you
pay dearly."
Chapter 17, part A
~Reiming~
Before Veylona collapsed, she looked at me for a split second, and I could tell that she
realized what I had done. Then she just fell down. I think, seeing that, I completely
destroyed my soul, something I did not know I even still had. Because Veylona had kept me
alive, sustained me, as I had done the same for her. Even though I did not know it, she had
helped me cling onto that small part of humanity. By destroying her, I had, essentially,
killed myself.
I stared at her for a long time, not moving. Then, I heard clapping. Himmler had stood up, and
was applauding. "Excellent Lillith, most excellent. You've won." I only looked at him
blankly through dead eyes. When I spoke, it wasn't even my voice anymore. "I have eliminated
Veylona," I said flatly. "It is finished. Operation: Natural Selection, is over."
"Indeed it is," Himmler said gleefully, and turned to Atkins. "And you have lost our
little bet."
Atkins simply grunted, and also stood. "Relena Darlian and Heero Yuy will be having their
wedding in a week," he said. "On that day, you will issue a proclamation of war."
"War? It will not be a war. It will be a rout. It would be pointless to do so." I
said icily.
Himmler looked at me sideways. "What are you saying?"
"Give them time...give them three years. I've survived hell; what's the point if I
cannot use the skills I have learned. Let them arm themselves, the gundam pilots. I want to
see what they can do."
And I turned and left, leaving Veylona dead on the floor.
And so, seven days later, I found myself staring down at the gundam pilots. In a dead voice,
I issued my challenge...and spoke to my brother for the first time in fourteen years. He
hadn't changed at all; he was still chauvanistic, proud, and haughty. Even as I gave order to
detonate a satellite to prove that I was serious about my proclamation, I felt a twinge in my
heart. "Wufei...my brother...you are still alive. I have not seen you for so long..." I
thought, looking at him, but without grief. My emotions and feelings had disappeared a week
ago; I knew no sympathy or pity, but, seeing my brother, I couldn't help but feel a trace of
longing. But that disappeared abruptly. "Forget it," I said harshly to myself, after the
connection had been severed. "You were never welcome in that household; Wufei never even
cared for you, even though you once cared for him. You were banished from his heart."
However, a few hours later, I found myself downloading onto a disk the XERO program and
extensive data on Himmler and Atkins and their respective suits. I hid this away. "Just in
case," I murmured. "Just in case."
several years later...
AC 203. In 24 hours, I would face the gundam pilots. Standing in front of the Phoenix, I
whispered Veylona's line: Let the games begin, Phoenix...let the games begin.
And unbeknownst to me, on another part of the station, Veylona watched me through
impassioned eyes. "Let the games begin, Lillith..."
a few weeks later...
Chapter 17, part B
*~Meilai~*
What Himmler and Atkins had predicted had come true: Lillith had indeed capitulated to the side
of the gundam pilots. Everything at first had gone smoothly: she had easily defeated all
five of the gundam pilots, including Zechs Merquise, and then had succeeded in kidnapping the
majority of the pilots in an effort to obtain their suits. However, for some reason that I did
not know, she invited the pilots of 03 and 05, Trowa Barton and Wufei Chang, to the station...
without telling Himmler or Atkins. By the time her plan was discovered...she had disappeared.
Though they had been prepared for it, Himmler and Atkins were still furious. Lillith had
been skilled in her job; a few more days, and the two monsters would have had achieved
victory. But that didn't matter to me; all I cared for was to defeat Lillith. After I did,
I would have no reason to live. "My final enemy will be gone," I thought. "What role in life
would I play then?"
And so, I planned for Lillith's death, and for my own. Finally, the chance came. Himmler and
Atkins had been furious at Lillith's betrayal, and were in favor of an all out assault on
their base. But I convinced them otherwise.
"Stop overreacting," I said coldly. "The time will come."
And it did. One day, on our surveillance cameras, I caught sight of a shuttle leaving the
station and heading for Earth, alone. I followed, hoping that it was Lillith.
However, it was in reality Mariemaia Khrushrenada, who was heartbroken. Evidently, Lillith had
just disappeared without a trace, and Mariemaia, who had formed a strong bond with her, felt
betrayed. Watching her sob, I knew how she felt. "You've hurt too many people, Lillith,"
I murmured. "And now, you will pay."
I knew Lillith would come back to save Mariemaia, so I knocked her out and took her back to
the station. Then I issued a statement, stating that if the gundam pilots did not surrender in
24 hours, Mariemaia would die. Then, I sat and waited for my final opponent in life to
arrive.
Chapter 18
"Whew! I'm (yawn) FINALLY done!"
Reiming stretched, yawned, and stared with satisfaction at the fat packet of paper in her
hands.
"Feel better?"
Reiming turned around. "Well...I suppose, somewhat," she said, smiling thinly at Trowa. He
smiled. "Good," he whispered, putting his arms around her. "I'm glad."
She blinked sleepily. "Yeah...that took a long time; I'm exhausted!" Then her eyes
widened. "Oh no! Where's Giselle? Oh, I shouldn't have left her alone for so long!"
Trowa laughed at his wife's panic. "I packed Giselle off to Quatre's and Dorothy's. She's
been busy playing with Clare* for the past few days. Wufei did the same with Wuten and Wuli.
It was a good chance for them to meet with Rayan again."
Reiming raised an eyebrow at him. "You planned this all very well, didn't you?!" she accused,
poking his nose. Trowa smiled, and Reiming sighed. "No matter how hard I try, you somehow
end up one step ahead of me. How unfair."
"Life, dear, is not fair."
"Really? Is that right?" and she let out another yawn. Trowa chuckled softly. "Off to
bed with you!" he teased, and picked her up.
"Hey! Put me down!"
"Hmm...no."
Reiming glared at him. "You're just lucky I'm too tired to fight right now," she muttered, then
settled against his chest and immediately fell asleep. Trowa looked down at his sleeping
wife and smiled, then kissed her on her head. "It's nice to know that you will be sleeping
soundly once again."
at the Chang residence
"Ugh...I can't believe how long this took..." Meilai muttered, staring at the papers
in her hand, and then she yawned. "I'm exhausted..."
"Hello," a voice said by her ear. Meilai yelped and droppped her papers. "Wufei!
Baka, look at what you just made me do!"
Wufei smiled at the indignant expression on her face. "Is my wife back to normal now?" he
asked innocently.
Meilai rolled her eyes, "Yes, your wife is back to normal now," she said sarcastically, then
smiled a little. "Now, pick these up!"
Wufei groaned. "Yes, my wife is definitely back to normal..." as he stooped to pick up the
papers. After he was done, he found that his exhausted wife had fallen asleep...standing up.
He smiled, then a mischievous expression came to his face. Carefully not waking her up,
he took her and flipped her over his shoulder, just as he did a few days ago. Of course, she
immediately woke up at that.
"Wufei!! Put me down, now!" she shrieked, hitting him, not that it did much. Wufei
just laughed. "Go ahead and try and make me, onna," he teased. Meilai subsided, grumbling as
he carried her off to their bedroom.
a few days later...
"So this is it, eh?" Reiming asked, leafing through Meilai's huge stack of papers.
"Yes. These are yours?" Meilai asked, waving to Reiming's stack. She nodded.
"What are you going to do with yours?" Reiming asked her. Meilai shrugged. "I'm not too sure
yet...it was good to get it off my chest...but now, I don't know what to do with it!" she
finished, laughing.
Reiming smiled. "I don't either. I have no idea what to do with this, though I guess I'll
just lock it away. If Giselle ever asks about my history, once she grows up, I guess I'll
take it out and give it to her. Other than that..." and she trailed off.
Meilai looked at the papers thoughtfully. "You know, Reiming," she said quietly. "I'd...kind
of like to read yours," she finished uncertainly. Reiming stared, then smiled. "I guess...I
guess I would like to read yours too..."
The two looked at each other, and smiled.
a few days later...
Giselle had come back the day before, bursting with stories on how Clare how roomfuls of toys
and how mean her brother Rayan and her cousins were to them, but how they paid them back,
and how the forty "Uncle Maguanacs" had made them yummy food, and how Aunt Dorothy had
bought her lots of toys, and she went on and on and on. Trowa and Reiming had listened
patiently as their daughter chattered on and on. "Oh, and it was so much FUN!" the child
said enthusiastically. "I haven't seen her this hyper in a long time," Reiming chuckled that
evening, as she and Trowa got ready for bed. She started to get under the covers, then
stared at the pile of papers she had gotten from Meilai. "Aren't you going to read them,
Reiming?" Trowa asked. She thought for a moment, then smiled. "Yes, I will...When I am
ready..."
elsewhere...
"...and then Clare came and stuck mud in our shoes, but then we threw water
balloons at them..."
"...Giselle started to cry, and Aunt Dorothy made us apologize..."
"...Uncle Quatre took us to one of the resource satellites, where his sister gave us
ice cream!"
"...can we have ponies too? Rayan has five of his own..."
Like Giselle, Wuten and Wuli had come back, bursting with stories about their weekend stay
at the Winner residence. As she listened, Meilai smiled. She still couldn't believe how
lucky she was. This past weekend, she had forced herself to relive her horrible past, but,
as she listened to her two sons and glanced down at the papers in her lap. "I guess...it was
worth it...Reiming and I learned a lot...and once we read these, we'll learn even more
about each other," and she smiled.
That evening, as both Reiming and Meilai went to sleep, Trowa and Wufei contacted each other.
"So, has Meilai forgiven you yet?" Trowa asked Wufei. Wufei smirked. "Yes, I'm pretty
sure she has," he said smugly. Trowa gave a half smile. "I don't want to know," he
chuckled to himself.
After the phone call, Trowa went back to bed. Glancing down at Reiming, he smiled. "Good
night...sweet dreams," he murmured, and turned off the light.
Wufei did the same at his home. Watching Meilai sleep peacefully for the first time in a
month, he also felt at peace. "Meilai, your pain is my pain. I'm glad that you've finally
been able to let go..."
And so, finally, Chang Reiming and Ron Meilai finally allowed themselves to let go of their
past, and for the first time in a long time, they slept...and they dreamt sweet dreams.
OWARI
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Author's note: yes, I know I named Quatre and Dorothy's second child Clara in Ghosts of the
Past, but for some reason, I decided that Clare Winner sounded better than Clara Winner, so...
what can I say:) I changed her name.
Whew! I'm finally done! What did you all think of my second fic??? I don't think it's as
good as Ghosts of the Past...but hey, I tried! PLEASE send me some feedback at
lilangel4u@yahoo.com. Hope you enjoyed reading!
*~Meilai~*
And so we put our plan into action. We hinted to Himmler and Atkins how Phillipe and TJ
were becoming increasingly discontent, and we also hinted that we should go to Earth soon to
see what was happening. We figured that Phillipe at least would use this chance to rebel,
giving us the excuse to get rid of him.
And so, after some persuasion, I got Lillith to "go with TJ" one evening, in order to drop a
few hints. When she came back the next morning, the first words out of her mouth were, "You
owe me big."
"Did it work?"
"Yeah," she called over her shoulder, heading for the shower. "If you'll excuse me, I'll
be in the shower, trying to wash his stench off of me."
When she came out, she filled me in. "Basically, I said that we would go on a reconnaissance
mission in three days, and that we were going alone, just the four of us. The rest of the time,
well, I was trying not to throw up."
"Still hard for you?"
"I guess, even if it HAS been five years...Ugh! He's so disgusting!" she complained,
shuddering.
So in three days, Himmler and Atkins called us in for a briefing and gave us our assignment. We
were to observe what was going on, and we were to stay as far away from the gundam pilots as
possible.
"This is a secret mission!" Himmler barked. "Don't get caught."
Phillipe snorted, but discreetly, and exchanged a glance with TJ. "You are dismissed," Atkins
said coldly.
All four of us left, and immediately, Phillipe and TJ walked off, muttering. Lillith and I
exchanged disgusted glances. Later that day, the two of us were called in again.
"It has come to our attention that Phillipe and TJ have become potentially dangerous,"
Atkins said. I hid a smile. Of course they had finally realized it; it was Lillith and I that
had made sure that they had.
Atkins continued. "Phillipe will be the leader of this mission, and we will give him the
control for the self detonation device for your suits. However, it will be a fake. In reality,
you two are the leaders. Should either of them show even the slightest hint of rebellion,
detonate their suits at once."
Lillith and I nodded. "We will not fail you, sir," I said, and we left.
A few hours later, we departed for Earth. It was the first time either of us had been there.
We entered the atmosphere, and began to spread out. Suddenly, Phillipe and TJ swung their
suits around. "You two are finished!" Phillipe called gleefully. "Sorry babe," TJ said to
Lillith, "but we're going to detonate your suits now. Say goodbye."
"What?!" I said, pretending to be surprised. "Why?!"
"We're sick of working for those two old men," Phillipe growled. "With our firepower
and training, we don't need them! We'll take over Operation: Natural Selection, and we'll
rule the world! And we don't need you two. You'll just get in the way."
I rolled my eyes at this tacky speech. "Pathetic," Lillith sneered.
"Ha! You're just saying that because you've lost! Good bye," they called over, and
pressed a button.
Nothing happened, just as we had expected.
"What?!" TJ exploded. "What just happened?!"
Lillith laughed a cold laugh. "Watch and learn," she said icily, and detonated the Basilisk.
The thing exploded in a burst of light. TJ stared at it, aghast. "How stupid do you think we
are? We knew you'd pull something dumb; we knew all along. And so we made sure that Himmler
and Atkins found out too. The switch they gave you? It's a fake. The real one is right here,
with us."
"No..." TJ choked out.
"Oh yes," I said grimly. "And now, this is where it ends for you," and I detonated the
Wyvern.
We watched the light show for a few minutes, then Lillith said, "We'd better get back."
"Agreed. Let's get out of here before someone comes."
Chapter 15
~Reiming~
And so, Phillipe and TJ met their untimely demise. Veylona and I flew back to tell Himmler and
Atkins exactly what happened. We made sure to tell it exactly as it was, since we knew they
had been listening in on the entire conversation.
After we were done, they nodded, satisfied. "Good good," Himmler said, pleased. "Now that those
two are done, we can get down to business preparing."
And so we settled for a life on the sidelines. We watched as power switched from Treize to
Rommefeller to the White Fang and until the conflict finally ended. We also watched how the
power hungry Dekim Barton attempted his own coup. During this time, we continued our
training and research. We even upgraded our gundams, changing the gundamium alloy to
something the technicians of Himmler and Atkins had developed, X-Gundamium, which was more
durable but not much denser.
During the war, the ZERO cockpit system was developed. Veylona and I became fascinated with it,
and we set to create something better. Finally, we developed the XERO system, which worked the
same way as the ZERO did, integrating data with brain waves, but with much less risk. Also, in
preparation for the battle we would fight with the gundam pilots, we developed the ANTI ZERO
program, which caused the ZERO system to overload, resulting in severe head pain, and, if
prolonged, death.
During this period of a few years, we all relaxed. Our last competition, Phillipe and TJ, had
already been eliminated; there wasn't much else to do except continue our training and try to
develop new things.
So this is why, when one day, on impulse, I decided to sneak down to Himmler's and Atkins'
quarters to listen in, just as I had done a decade ago, and received a massive shock.
I guess the main reason was because I was bored, but to this day, I'm really not too sure why
I did what I did. Regardless, I stuck in a microphone, put on the headphones, and listened.
"The time is right to attack," Atkins said.
"Yes...there are no more gundams; the Earth and the colonies have completely disarmed
themselves. Now would be a perfect time for us to put our plan for world domination into
action!"
I rolled my eyes at this. I had certainly heard THIS before.
"Yes...Lillith and Veylona have certainly become the Perfect Soldiers. They will be
an excellent asset."
A pause. Then, "Those two still worry me. We allowed Phillipe and TJ to join forces, and they
turned against us. I'm sure those two are doing much more than we know they are; they are
still extremely dangerous. In fact, I won't even be surprised if they've already disarmed the
self detonation devices by now," Himmler stated. "No, we only need one of the two, but
which one shall it be?"
Another pause. Then, Atkins said, "Well then, remember our little wager a few years back?
How we bet that whoever chose the most children that survived would receive that satellite, but
we couldn't determine a winner because you had selected Lillith and Phillipe, and I had chosen
Veylona and TJ? Well then, how about now? We could finish our little bet now."
Himmler laughed. "Yes, I have not forgotten about our little wager. Well then, we'll just
have Lillith and Veylona fight to the death then. It should be an interesting battle. When
do you think we should?"
"First thing tomorrow morning. After the winner is determined, let's begin our plan,
say, in a week, on the date of the wedding of Relena Darlian and Heero Yuy?"
"Excellent. I cannot wait for the Earth and colonies to be under our control."
I sat there in the shadows in stupor, not believing what I had just heard. I quickly got up
and walked away, my thoughts in turmoil. I briefly thought of infiltrating the room where I
knew Himmler and Atkins kept the antidote for the poison, room 11B, and then taking it and
running. Then I thought of joining forces with my brother. But I guess, deep down, my mind had
been made up long ago, when I first told Veylona that I was determined to survive, no matter
what. Therefore, I only had one option.
I would kill Veylona.
I spent all evening preparing a poison to slip in Veylona's food. I had to time this one
perfectly; it couldn't affect her too soon; it couldn't affect her too late. Though I knew all
of her strengths and weaknesses, I knew she knew the same for me. I didn't know about the
chances of my surviving a battle with her...and I was too much of a coward to have to fight her
face to face.
"I'm sorry...Meilai," I whispered, just as I had to the first girl I killed when I was
six years old. "I'm...so...sorry..."
And for the first time in over a decade, I bent my head and I cried.
Chapter 16
*~Meilai~*
I don't think I've ever received so many shocks in my life as I did on this day. First came the
shock that Lillith and I would have to fight to the death. Then came the shock that Lillith
had been perfectly willing to kill me as I lay on the floor, gasping for breath, the poison
killing me. Then, when I woke up again, the shock that I actually was still alive, and then
the shock that Lillith had not told me her real name, as I thought she had, though by name, I
don't think anything could really shock me anymore.
It all started that morning. Lillith and I got up like we did any other day. Even though
Lillith knew exactly what would happen, she didn't show it. We made small talk, took our
shower, brushed our teeth, etc. I had no idea that Lillith had spent all night making the
perfect poison to use on me, and that, when I turned around for a brief instant, that she had
emptied it into my food.
As soon as we had eaten, Himmler and Atkins called us in, and told us to bring our swords.
"I wonder what for..." I mused as I picked up my sword. Lillith muttered something or other that
I didn't hear, but I didn't pay attention to it.
My first warning came when, once we entered the office, Himmler and Atkins took us to a large
arena. "What's this?" I asked. They smiled nastily. "You see ladies," Atkins said, "after the
incident with Phillipe and TJ, Himmler and I have decided that we really can't have you two
forming alliances. We don't even need you both. Therefore," and he waved to the arena, "you
two will fight it out right here, right now. The victor will walk away alive, the loser, on the
other hand..." and left his sentence hanging.
I felt the wind rush out of me. "No...you can't be serious!" I cried. "Oh, but we are,"
Himmler said gleefully. "This battle should be most interesting."
I looked at Lillith, aghast. She was pointedly ignoring me, staring straight in front of her.
I couldn't believe that I was being forced to kill her.
Or get killed by her.
That thought hardened my heart, and I boldly walked into the ring. "Let's get started," I
said harshly, drawing my sword. In the stands, Himmler and Atkins settled back with satisfied
smiles on their faces.
Lillith looked at me with dead eyes. Something about that look wasn't right, and suddenly, I
realized, "Oh my God, she knew..."
And at that moment, the floor gave way. The room started spinning, and everything went black.
The last thought I had was, "Lillith, I swear, if I survive, I will kill you. I swear it, on
my honor."
several days later...
"Ugh..."
"Well well, look who's back from the dead. It's about time."
Wearily, I opened my eyes...and saw the face of Atkins leering at me. "See Himmler," he
crowed, "I told you that she wouldn't die so easily!"
Himmler snorted. "Well, she certainly took her time. It's been about a week!"
I finally gathered my wits about me. "Where's Lillith?" I asked coldly. "Where is she?"
Atkins laughed. "Well, she's alive and well. You should have seen the expression on her face
after you passed out. Most curious." He leaned in closer. "Yes, very curious. Her eyes
went flat, like she was dead. Not apathy, but dead. Quite interesting."
"I don't care!" I said harshly. "I could care less what she felt. She was willing to
kill me; she didn't even face me in battle! Where is she?! I swore that I would kill her, now
I'm going to do so!"
"Calm down," Himmler said cooly. "Quit posturing. I'm sure you'll get your chance;
Atkins and I do not expect her to remain loyal to us for much longer."
"Why is that?"
"You know, Lillith is not her true name. I won't tell you her true name; I'm sure
when you see her again, she will tell you. But I will tell you this: she is linked to one of
the gundam pilots. Therefore, there is a good chance that she will betray us and join them.
Then, you can have your revenge. But for now," he said, straightenining, "Would you like to
see her?"
I nodded grimly. "Where is she?"
Himmler waved to a screen. On it was a figure in a dark cloak. "Is that her?"
"Yes."
Lillith seemed to be addressing a large crowd from the base to Earth. Upon closer examination,
I saw the faces of the ex-gundam pilots. "Why is Relena Darlian in that dress, and Heero Yuy
in that suit? Did they just marry?"
"Yes," Atkins responded, but quieted as Lillith began speaking.
"Mrs. Yuy, we are declaring war. You have three years to arm yourselves."
She had said more, but I only paid attention to that. "Why are you giving them three years?"
I asked coldly. "Finish them now."
Himmler cracked a smile. "I think poisoning you has awakened an alter self in her," he said
airily. "She wants them to rebuild the gundams, so she can have a decent fight. Yes, Lillith
has come to love the joy of battle."
I ignored Himmler, focusing only on Lillith. "Watch out Lillith," I thought. "Your days are
numbered." I clenched my fists angrily, glaring at her. "For what you did, I will make you
pay dearly."
Chapter 17, part A
~Reiming~
Before Veylona collapsed, she looked at me for a split second, and I could tell that she
realized what I had done. Then she just fell down. I think, seeing that, I completely
destroyed my soul, something I did not know I even still had. Because Veylona had kept me
alive, sustained me, as I had done the same for her. Even though I did not know it, she had
helped me cling onto that small part of humanity. By destroying her, I had, essentially,
killed myself.
I stared at her for a long time, not moving. Then, I heard clapping. Himmler had stood up, and
was applauding. "Excellent Lillith, most excellent. You've won." I only looked at him
blankly through dead eyes. When I spoke, it wasn't even my voice anymore. "I have eliminated
Veylona," I said flatly. "It is finished. Operation: Natural Selection, is over."
"Indeed it is," Himmler said gleefully, and turned to Atkins. "And you have lost our
little bet."
Atkins simply grunted, and also stood. "Relena Darlian and Heero Yuy will be having their
wedding in a week," he said. "On that day, you will issue a proclamation of war."
"War? It will not be a war. It will be a rout. It would be pointless to do so." I
said icily.
Himmler looked at me sideways. "What are you saying?"
"Give them time...give them three years. I've survived hell; what's the point if I
cannot use the skills I have learned. Let them arm themselves, the gundam pilots. I want to
see what they can do."
And I turned and left, leaving Veylona dead on the floor.
And so, seven days later, I found myself staring down at the gundam pilots. In a dead voice,
I issued my challenge...and spoke to my brother for the first time in fourteen years. He
hadn't changed at all; he was still chauvanistic, proud, and haughty. Even as I gave order to
detonate a satellite to prove that I was serious about my proclamation, I felt a twinge in my
heart. "Wufei...my brother...you are still alive. I have not seen you for so long..." I
thought, looking at him, but without grief. My emotions and feelings had disappeared a week
ago; I knew no sympathy or pity, but, seeing my brother, I couldn't help but feel a trace of
longing. But that disappeared abruptly. "Forget it," I said harshly to myself, after the
connection had been severed. "You were never welcome in that household; Wufei never even
cared for you, even though you once cared for him. You were banished from his heart."
However, a few hours later, I found myself downloading onto a disk the XERO program and
extensive data on Himmler and Atkins and their respective suits. I hid this away. "Just in
case," I murmured. "Just in case."
several years later...
AC 203. In 24 hours, I would face the gundam pilots. Standing in front of the Phoenix, I
whispered Veylona's line: Let the games begin, Phoenix...let the games begin.
And unbeknownst to me, on another part of the station, Veylona watched me through
impassioned eyes. "Let the games begin, Lillith..."
a few weeks later...
Chapter 17, part B
*~Meilai~*
What Himmler and Atkins had predicted had come true: Lillith had indeed capitulated to the side
of the gundam pilots. Everything at first had gone smoothly: she had easily defeated all
five of the gundam pilots, including Zechs Merquise, and then had succeeded in kidnapping the
majority of the pilots in an effort to obtain their suits. However, for some reason that I did
not know, she invited the pilots of 03 and 05, Trowa Barton and Wufei Chang, to the station...
without telling Himmler or Atkins. By the time her plan was discovered...she had disappeared.
Though they had been prepared for it, Himmler and Atkins were still furious. Lillith had
been skilled in her job; a few more days, and the two monsters would have had achieved
victory. But that didn't matter to me; all I cared for was to defeat Lillith. After I did,
I would have no reason to live. "My final enemy will be gone," I thought. "What role in life
would I play then?"
And so, I planned for Lillith's death, and for my own. Finally, the chance came. Himmler and
Atkins had been furious at Lillith's betrayal, and were in favor of an all out assault on
their base. But I convinced them otherwise.
"Stop overreacting," I said coldly. "The time will come."
And it did. One day, on our surveillance cameras, I caught sight of a shuttle leaving the
station and heading for Earth, alone. I followed, hoping that it was Lillith.
However, it was in reality Mariemaia Khrushrenada, who was heartbroken. Evidently, Lillith had
just disappeared without a trace, and Mariemaia, who had formed a strong bond with her, felt
betrayed. Watching her sob, I knew how she felt. "You've hurt too many people, Lillith,"
I murmured. "And now, you will pay."
I knew Lillith would come back to save Mariemaia, so I knocked her out and took her back to
the station. Then I issued a statement, stating that if the gundam pilots did not surrender in
24 hours, Mariemaia would die. Then, I sat and waited for my final opponent in life to
arrive.
Chapter 18
"Whew! I'm (yawn) FINALLY done!"
Reiming stretched, yawned, and stared with satisfaction at the fat packet of paper in her
hands.
"Feel better?"
Reiming turned around. "Well...I suppose, somewhat," she said, smiling thinly at Trowa. He
smiled. "Good," he whispered, putting his arms around her. "I'm glad."
She blinked sleepily. "Yeah...that took a long time; I'm exhausted!" Then her eyes
widened. "Oh no! Where's Giselle? Oh, I shouldn't have left her alone for so long!"
Trowa laughed at his wife's panic. "I packed Giselle off to Quatre's and Dorothy's. She's
been busy playing with Clare* for the past few days. Wufei did the same with Wuten and Wuli.
It was a good chance for them to meet with Rayan again."
Reiming raised an eyebrow at him. "You planned this all very well, didn't you?!" she accused,
poking his nose. Trowa smiled, and Reiming sighed. "No matter how hard I try, you somehow
end up one step ahead of me. How unfair."
"Life, dear, is not fair."
"Really? Is that right?" and she let out another yawn. Trowa chuckled softly. "Off to
bed with you!" he teased, and picked her up.
"Hey! Put me down!"
"Hmm...no."
Reiming glared at him. "You're just lucky I'm too tired to fight right now," she muttered, then
settled against his chest and immediately fell asleep. Trowa looked down at his sleeping
wife and smiled, then kissed her on her head. "It's nice to know that you will be sleeping
soundly once again."
at the Chang residence
"Ugh...I can't believe how long this took..." Meilai muttered, staring at the papers
in her hand, and then she yawned. "I'm exhausted..."
"Hello," a voice said by her ear. Meilai yelped and droppped her papers. "Wufei!
Baka, look at what you just made me do!"
Wufei smiled at the indignant expression on her face. "Is my wife back to normal now?" he
asked innocently.
Meilai rolled her eyes, "Yes, your wife is back to normal now," she said sarcastically, then
smiled a little. "Now, pick these up!"
Wufei groaned. "Yes, my wife is definitely back to normal..." as he stooped to pick up the
papers. After he was done, he found that his exhausted wife had fallen asleep...standing up.
He smiled, then a mischievous expression came to his face. Carefully not waking her up,
he took her and flipped her over his shoulder, just as he did a few days ago. Of course, she
immediately woke up at that.
"Wufei!! Put me down, now!" she shrieked, hitting him, not that it did much. Wufei
just laughed. "Go ahead and try and make me, onna," he teased. Meilai subsided, grumbling as
he carried her off to their bedroom.
a few days later...
"So this is it, eh?" Reiming asked, leafing through Meilai's huge stack of papers.
"Yes. These are yours?" Meilai asked, waving to Reiming's stack. She nodded.
"What are you going to do with yours?" Reiming asked her. Meilai shrugged. "I'm not too sure
yet...it was good to get it off my chest...but now, I don't know what to do with it!" she
finished, laughing.
Reiming smiled. "I don't either. I have no idea what to do with this, though I guess I'll
just lock it away. If Giselle ever asks about my history, once she grows up, I guess I'll
take it out and give it to her. Other than that..." and she trailed off.
Meilai looked at the papers thoughtfully. "You know, Reiming," she said quietly. "I'd...kind
of like to read yours," she finished uncertainly. Reiming stared, then smiled. "I guess...I
guess I would like to read yours too..."
The two looked at each other, and smiled.
a few days later...
Giselle had come back the day before, bursting with stories on how Clare how roomfuls of toys
and how mean her brother Rayan and her cousins were to them, but how they paid them back,
and how the forty "Uncle Maguanacs" had made them yummy food, and how Aunt Dorothy had
bought her lots of toys, and she went on and on and on. Trowa and Reiming had listened
patiently as their daughter chattered on and on. "Oh, and it was so much FUN!" the child
said enthusiastically. "I haven't seen her this hyper in a long time," Reiming chuckled that
evening, as she and Trowa got ready for bed. She started to get under the covers, then
stared at the pile of papers she had gotten from Meilai. "Aren't you going to read them,
Reiming?" Trowa asked. She thought for a moment, then smiled. "Yes, I will...When I am
ready..."
elsewhere...
"...and then Clare came and stuck mud in our shoes, but then we threw water
balloons at them..."
"...Giselle started to cry, and Aunt Dorothy made us apologize..."
"...Uncle Quatre took us to one of the resource satellites, where his sister gave us
ice cream!"
"...can we have ponies too? Rayan has five of his own..."
Like Giselle, Wuten and Wuli had come back, bursting with stories about their weekend stay
at the Winner residence. As she listened, Meilai smiled. She still couldn't believe how
lucky she was. This past weekend, she had forced herself to relive her horrible past, but,
as she listened to her two sons and glanced down at the papers in her lap. "I guess...it was
worth it...Reiming and I learned a lot...and once we read these, we'll learn even more
about each other," and she smiled.
That evening, as both Reiming and Meilai went to sleep, Trowa and Wufei contacted each other.
"So, has Meilai forgiven you yet?" Trowa asked Wufei. Wufei smirked. "Yes, I'm pretty
sure she has," he said smugly. Trowa gave a half smile. "I don't want to know," he
chuckled to himself.
After the phone call, Trowa went back to bed. Glancing down at Reiming, he smiled. "Good
night...sweet dreams," he murmured, and turned off the light.
Wufei did the same at his home. Watching Meilai sleep peacefully for the first time in a
month, he also felt at peace. "Meilai, your pain is my pain. I'm glad that you've finally
been able to let go..."
And so, finally, Chang Reiming and Ron Meilai finally allowed themselves to let go of their
past, and for the first time in a long time, they slept...and they dreamt sweet dreams.
OWARI
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Author's note: yes, I know I named Quatre and Dorothy's second child Clara in Ghosts of the
Past, but for some reason, I decided that Clare Winner sounded better than Clara Winner, so...
what can I say:) I changed her name.
Whew! I'm finally done! What did you all think of my second fic??? I don't think it's as
good as Ghosts of the Past...but hey, I tried! PLEASE send me some feedback at
lilangel4u@yahoo.com. Hope you enjoyed reading!
