JinChi Wong's Episode zero

By Prinder

Warnings: Death, blood, violence, anal-retentive girl on PMS

Summery: this is a story about JinChi's past up to AC 195. This will give you an idea about what Jin thinks and feels about the world around her, her friends, her enemies, and everything in between.

Note: I've decided to have Jin "Write" this story so as to give it just a little more depth, there will be other Episode Zeros from other people in JinChi and Fiora's lives when they were growing up.

And so it begins…

After reading what Fiora wanted to say I decided to give my own input about our lives, and how our roads managed to cross and intertwine.

Unlike Fiora, I haven't had my DNA altered in my young life. But that doesn't mean I am not without any adaptations.

As explained (rather crudely) by Fiora, we "shuttle folk" tend to have slight differences from that of those on earth, the moon, and the colonies.

I, being one from the Pluto division, grew up in the one of the colder places from the sun, making me easily adapted to harsh and cold places. This also has its drawbacks; I have a low tolerance for extreme heat.

In addition, because of the lack of gravity, my body is more susceptible to injuries, such as broken bones, but I have the advantage of being used to fighting in zero gravity where others do not.

We of the Pluto division are best known for our abilities for scientific development. Our planet is the best place for such tests for it is the farthest out of the way for someone from earth or the colonies to see anything that we might be working on and houses the best conditions for chemicals of more unstable nature to be used safely.

Meaning that despite other planet division's efforts to keep up with our progress in such things, they fall hopelessly short.

But we aren't without our disadvantages, it seems, that although we are exceptionally good at scientific research, other planets are exceptionally good at other things where we are lacking.

I am including a listing of each planet and what its division is best at.

Mercury - known as a gathering place for slyer shuttle folk, and for a well of information on the lesser-known things going on.

Venus - known for its ships built for smuggling cargo, Mineral mines, and seedy people.

Earth - there is no Shuttle division that runs this planet, as so stated from the above.

Mars - is known best for its mineral, and the very rare, Gundanium mines, and shuttle building facilities. Known for its shuttles that can tow heavy cargo, such as asteroids.

Jupiter - one of the three top divisions for chemicals and the manufacturing of said chemicals, and a crystal like substance which we use for a longer lasting fuel source then what comes from the Colonies and Earth. Known for its large shuttlecrafts.

Saturn - is one of the three divisions for fuel and resources, mostly used for smaller ships. Also known for its long distance traveling shuttles.

Uranus - known for its technological development facilities, and fuel used for adapted shuttlecrafts.

Neptune - known for the only unmodified shuttle design that can enter all atmospheres, and under water facilities.

Pluto - known for scientific development facilities.

Unlike Fiora, I am not going to go into needless details about my past. I was born on September 26 AC 180. Lets leave it at that.

That said, I can now continue on with this story.

Thank you for your time.

Wong, JinChi.

AC 183

Many of my family died in this year, my parents included.

It was a very rare instance. Some bumbling idiot dropped a canister full of a powerful toxin known as Tictromioum Gulimate, also known as Triple G, TG, G3, or the Great Gas Giant, if my memory serves me right; it was a air born toxin that slowly rotted away ones flesh, burned out your lungs on contact, and turned your bones into a scummy white paste. Fiora was very much correct when she said that it wasn't pretty.

Our best scientists were working on a way to safely dispose of the toxin without causing harm to anyone. Although we tried to keep word of this problem from spreading to the other divisions, information leaked out to the Mercury division and from there it spread like the very toxin itself.

Fortunately for me, I wasn't in that lab when that canister dropped, however, many of my friends and loved ones were.

If I do recall correctly, I was located in the children daycare center. And if you must know, I was busy drawing a picture of my parents with a set of crayons at the time (you laugh. You die).

None of us knew what was happening at the time. My Grandfather, Wong Chin, told us much later.

Our scientists tried everything they could think of, but it seemed like there was no way to stop, let alone get rid of, the toxin that threatened our vary lives and way of life.

Then came this Dr. E. her full name as she told us was Doctor Jennora Eleri, but everyone, including myself, referred to her as the former rather then the later.

When she first stepped off of her shuttle she was greeted by what little of the toxin that couldn't be contained in the lab and promptly went into a coughing fit. This shocked many of us, she was from the Jupiter division, and they have a high resistance to such things. Many of my elders wondered just how powerful this toxin must be, if it can reduce someone from the Jupiter division into a convulsing form on the floor as she fought to steady herself as blood would drip from her mouth and nose, undoubtedly, from her lungs as they were torn apart by the burning gas in the air.

It was then that we truly realized just how much trouble we were in.

When she had gotten her hacking under control she clambered to her feet, falling back onto her knees once or twice in doing so, and waving away the offer of assisting her in standing that came from the men. She pulled a handkerchief out of her starch white lab coat and covered her nose and mouth with it in an attempt to block the chemicals from attacking her further.

"I would say that I was glad to be here, but that is hardly the truth," she mumbled through her kerchief and her hand as she pinched her nose gently to stop the bleeding.

"If circumstances weren't as dire as they are now, we wouldn't be glad to see YOU either!" one of the more cocky of our scientists snapped.

"Yes, well, it doesn't look like anyone is getting what they want today now does it?" Dr. E. replied.

"You just think you can waltz in here, snap your fingers, and fix this?" he yelled.

"No, not at all, I do not think that in the lest, a cure for your predicament will take much more then that. No, it is not I that thinks that, it is YOU that does" she replied.

Looking back, I suddenly realize where Fiora got her sharp tongue!

It was my Grandfather that jumped in and put a stop to the slander before it got out of hand. "Please, please! Lets have SILENCE!" he eyed the apposing sides carefully, daring them to continue, "that's better, regardless of your reasons Dr. E. or our predicament, all help to solve this problem is greatly appreciated, ALL HELP" he said, when he was sure that they would listen, no doubt.

"Right! Now, I want to take a look at just what it is that I am up against, is there a research laboratory available for me to use somewhere?" Dr. E. asked as if the exchange of hateful words never occurred.

My grandfather simply nodded and pointed down the west wing hallway with his cane.

Dr. E. murmured her thanks and proceeded to the first empty laboratory that she came across.

One might ask where I was during this entire ruckus. One must understand that it was a very traumatic moment for us all, this especially for one such as myself at such an innocent and naïve age, at that time. I was currently located hiding behind my grandfather, peering out after Dr. E. from behind his lab coat.

She didn't venture far from the laboratory while she was there. After two months she requested that I assist her in her work, for the simple fact that she "couldn't work without someone to make some form of noise, she would surely go mad from the beeps and hums of the lab without it" I do believe those were her exact words.

Truthfully, I believe that she only wanted to talk of her daughter and of her home. She spoke of everything she could think of, I would say, she would even resort to mindless gibberish, when the time called for it.

I recall one day she, loudly, proclaimed that I was "just like the little girl that I keep at home, so silent, so withdrawn, I would think that you would enjoy each others company very much… how I miss my little one…" she would say, I would have to wonder, being a woman of such open nature as she, just how she came to have a daughter such as she described.

Time passed, many suffered, and still she pressed on. Many of us fled, believing it was hopeless, and traveled to other divisions. Until, at last, a solution had been discovered! Dr. E. complained about how simple it really was, saying "I can't believe, I just simply cannot believe that this thing has been knocking me between my eyeballs at all hours of the night all this time!"

Regardless of how she came across it, or how long it took her, we were, finally, free of the retched G3 for good.

One thing troubles me to this day, however. When asked how she found the cure, she simply smiled with an odd glint in her golden honey eyes and a flick of her ebony hair as she said "it wasn't I who did it all, I must thank my little helper, she did more then just keep my company, even though, she might not even realize it… yet…"

And with that, we bid our goodbyes, farewells, and wishes of luck to her as she boarded her shuttle once again and returned to her family.

It Saddens me to think that her life was cut so short, although she might have done most of the talking in all the time that I knew Dr. Jennora Eleri, I came to look upon her with a kind of respect, and trust, almost friendship.

AC 186

It was the Chinese New Year when I first started learning Tai Chi and Kung Fu, Fiora was very correct when she stated what I took a Kung Fu fighting stance when she and I first met. This was the year in which I first started my training on such things.

Although I am not of the age to wear it as of yet, I am what is known as a "Black belt" which is one of the higher ranks one can achieve in the arts.

I will not pretend that I am not proud of my skill level for anyone. Not even Wufei. The same holds true to pretending that I do not have it.

True enough, I will not brag about it, when studying Kung Fu, one also learns self-discipline, self-confidence, and most importantly, self-control.

The whole point of learning such skills is, actually, not to fight, but to train oneself and improve upon ones own weakness. It is easy to defeat ones opponent, it is far more difficult to defeat oneself.

The meaning behind that is simple. To become a master in the arts, you must not defeat your enemy you must defeat yourself. You are all that stands in your way in everything that you do. It is your own limitations that limit you. Upon braking free of them, you learn what it truly means to be a warrior.

A lesson well learned, and well taught from my Grandfather who taught me everything I know. But that alone is not nearly as much as he himself knows.

It was he who told me this: "it is not by age, but by wisdom that one gains knowledge"

I have taken that to heart even since.

AC 193

One has to wonder how I got attacked on this date. Truth of the matter is, I hardly know myself; I was sitting in a seedy club called "The Cloak and Dagger" I was looking for someone who could get me into touch with the rebel shuttle children. I recall asking the man at the bar what he knew, he merely waved me away and ignored my questions. I remember thinking just how dangerous these so-called "Kids" were, if they had adults running scared and silent about what they were doing exactly at the time.

I realize now that I must have asked the wrong people the right questions. For in the next few moments I was being jumped on by more then twenty men in uniform at least twice my size and being pulled out into the streets where I was "pounded on" (as Fiora so well put it later when the whole ordeal was over with) inside a human fighting ring.

I was doing everything within my power to end whole "episode" as quickly as possible. But it seems that no matter how many I managed to knock out, two more took his place and soon I was nearing my wits end.

This seemingly went on for hours until a punch was grabbed and stopped in mid-flight by a small brown haired, brown-eyed girl.

I was still slightly stunned by the brutal beatings when she arrived, seemingly, out of nowhere, so when she made the remark "Didn't anyone ever tell you that it isn't right to pick on a lady?" it didn't fully register in my mind at the time. And when one of my Captors fell victim to a punch of her own, I couldn't help but be slightly surprised and my reaction was akin to a short laugh. A "Ha" if you will.

I got back onto my feet (when my attacker fell I was knocked down with him), dusted off my robes, and took a defensive stance (which was, oddly enough, actually a Kung Fu stance as Fiora unknowingly guessed).

She must have assumed that I was amused by what she had said and not, dare I say it, shocked by her strength for she quipped the words "Hope you don't mind! You looked like you was having so much fun that I thought that I would join you!"

I could barely hide my smirk from that as I sent her a calm reply as we ended that fight together.

Hum. An interesting thing, she says that she is taller then I; she is incorrect; she only seems as such because she wears shoes with three inch thick soles on them. She was taller, but in truth she wasn't, leave it to that troublemaker to still lie about such things.

She has what many would call a "Napoleon complex"

An interesting thing about Fiora's fighting skills; they are hopelessly flawed; it is a wonder that she hasn't been killed yet! Her legs are too close together, her fists held to high and too lose, I am amazed that she can even punch! When her feet aren't too close together is when she is either 1. Just coming to a stop, 2. Running at someone, 3. Scrambling to get back onto them, or 4. Kicking. In all of these cases she feet are too far apart.

Her fighting style is a breed of all its own; she relies mainly on what she has around her (tables, chairs, poles, knives, her body, and those "gismos" that she carries around her belt and in her backpack. You get the idea) and the mindset of "I'm going to die sometime anyways, but at least this way I die fighting" within a battle, this makes her 1. Very unpredictable, 2. Dangerous, and 3. Most likely to live

After all of my attackers were either knocked out (by me) or killed (Fiora did most of that, I would have no part in taking a life) we discovered the connection between us (Dr. E.) and I learned of said connection's passing.

When we introduced ourselves to each other I didn't speak my "shuttle name" when I told her mine.

I will tell you now that my "shuttle name" is Katana; it is a dagger like weapon of possibly Japanese or Chinese decent. Had I used this name I would have proclaimed myself as Katana Wong. But as I said then to Fiora: I do not like to use it unless I deem it necessary.

After that first encounter with Fiora many things happened. I shall list them in order.

1. She took me to the shuttle rebel's headquarters where I joined their cause.

2. She and I went on many (nerve-wrecking) missions with each other.

3. Had just as many "close-calls"

4. I provided her with the chemicals for her "exploding balls" (Silver, Brass, Copper, Bronze, Gold, and Steel balls that contain the many different forms of gasses that do different things)

5. She begged me to teach her how to do that "Jackie Chan thing" (Kung Fu) that I do when I have to fight (I didn't teach her)

And 6. Time passed.

AC 194

Hum. Fiora and her senseless babble. Had she not wasted her time ranting and raving over pointless details, she would have finished her "Episode Zero" much sooner and with a lot fewer pages. My story comes to a close here. But this ending will not be in anyways short I am afraid.

Fiora says that she didn't know how she got "drafted" into the spy mission for the simple fact that she wasn't paying attention. I will tell you now that it was I that suggested that she be the perfect choice.

I didn't really expect everyone else to agree.

She came to me later and requested that I aid her in her mission as an "information gatherer" if you will. Of course, I agreed, albeit, very reluctantly.

When asked why she wanted me to assist her; she merely replied with (and I quote): "Because there isn't a person in our friendly little group that wouldn't like to see me hanged, at least you can say so to my face! I trust them just about as far as I could kick them! At least this way, I know where I stand with you, I have no clue about where I am with the others"

There are times when Fiora's twisted logic makes perfect sense. This is one of those times.

Ending notes

All through my life, I have studied those closest to me, my family, my comrades, my enemies, and my friends, and after doing such; I have come to these conclusions of them:

Heero Yuy: although he assumes the cold, calm, cool, collected, calculated, and emotionless "perfect soldier" he is quite the opposite behind the mask I would think. If one were to look passed the outer shell, one would see that it is the eyes of a human that truly portrays their emotions and not the words or actions of the person in question.

Duo Maxwell: He carries the most complex mask that I have ever seen yet, and smile and a cheery face, no one would think to look past the infectious grin. But once again, it is the eyes that tell the truth, although his are sporting a mask themselves. I have to say that he will either need mental help (we all will I would say) or, as Fiora would put it, a "nice room with padded walls and free jackets without any arm wholes in them"

Trowa Barton: simple, yet complex. There is also a mask on this man, this one is the mask of nothingness, he carries no expression on his face, voice, or even eyes, for all intents and purposes, he is dead in spirit, I know not the whole story of why this is, but even so, there are times when his spirit awakens from its dreamless sleep and plays upon his eyes like a thousand wind chimes; these moments are for Felina and Felina only, as it should be.

Quatre R. Winner: he appears innocent and naïve at one's first glance, but closer inspection indicates that he is not what he seems, he is just a capable, and dangerous as the others, sometimes even more so for the fact that people underestimate him drastically.

Chang Wufei: he is still in morning over his lost wife. White is the color the Chinese wear when they are in morning over a lost friend or loved one. Anger and ignorance is by far the worst mask he could have chosen to wear, he is cocky, rude, "trigger happy", and… human. He wears a mask, but it isn't a mask. It is real, and yet it isn't. He understands and yet he does not understand. He is young, like the rest of us, and foolish too, as are we.

Felina Star: you will not find a mask of closer likeness to that of Duo's then Felina's; she also bares a mask of smiles and grins, but the not in the way that most would think. Tragedies from her past linger in her present. She flits around dancing and singing because she fears that her ghosts with catch up with her if she stops to rest. Beneath it all there is a wounded animal, too scared and too badly injured to take flight, and yet, there is one more layer that is beneath that of the animal; it is the child, the child that so much wants to curl up with her loved ones and not see the horrors that await her in the real world.

Jasmine (excuse me, but I haven't the time to list her full name): strangely untarnished, that is the soul of Miss Jasmine. It is as though she held a rather sheltered life, but didn't at the same time. She knows of the cruelties of the wars, yet doesn't truly see everything. So pure of heart is she that one would not believe that there was a war with her among us. So much a peace with the world, and yet, so saddened by it that she keeps her words to herself and shares only to those to ask of it.

Relena Peacecraft: a most confusing school girl that was dropped into the publics eye at her young age and so unready was she for it that I would think that it overwhelms her, though we never see it for ourselves. A fire burns within her that has the power to change things within a blink of an eye, I am yet to match wits with this young woman, but such an encounter would be deemed quite interesting indeed.

Fiora Eleri: Whatever you think of her now, forget it. The facts are that whatever you think she is; she is really the exact opposite. She is not evil, nor can she be deemed an angel, strong yet weak at the same time. She as an amazing gift, the gift of being able to switch her masks at will, and within a blink of an eye She learned this from her training, a spy would be no good if anyone could read what they were thinking, or could see past the lies and deception. A so happy with this is she that she keeps her many masks and continues to walk in the shoes of her occupation for all her days. I see the masks, but I am never to see what hides behind them, many have come close, but as of yet, she is still a riddle to all.

Me: I do not assume that I carry a mask, nor do I assume that I walk with my emotions written all over my face. I simply am. I do not try to be anything other then that. It would be nothing more then a waste of time and energy that I do not have. I care not of the issues of the day, only that I can see what is in store for me tomorrow. Look ahead, not where you stand now, nor behind you, and you will find that time doesn't care either way.

Hum, eight pages… soon to be nine by the time I'm finished I would think.

I wish to explain why I wanted Fiora to be the spy and to do such I will use the words from the Tao Te Ching, written by Lao Tsu.

In which is says this:

"Thirty spokes share the wheels hub; it is the center hole that makes it useful.

Shape clay into a vessel; it is the space within that makes it useful.

Cut doors and windows for a room; it is the holes which make it useful.

Therefore profit comes from what is there; usefulness from what is not there."

Do not try to understand, simply be, that is all I ask of you.

I wish to end this with good words in passing.

To know what it is that I see when I see you, you must first look at yourself from the outside, to see past the masks you must know your own, and except them as just that… yours.

I see and yet I do not. Understanding is but one of many things that we all must learn before we can change our world.

I do not know all. Nor do I pretend to. I simply wish for the understanding, to except what I cannot change.

Give me strength to change the things I can. Peace to except the things I cannot. And the wisdom to know the difference.

All things will come back to you one day. No matter what you do, it shall be returned. The only question is; is it going to be good things or bad?

The truth shall set you free.

JinChi Wong.