Rated R for language
May 11
11:15 p.m.
Space outside of L3 colony
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Heero hit the button that opened up a channel to the scarred old ship that hovered above him.
"Ryouzai, this is Preventer 1, requesting permission to dock." He said.
"Preventer 1, what is your clearance code?" A voice crackled over the receiver.
Heero glanced down at the clipboard he had balanced on one knee. "Ryouzai, please be advised that the clearance code is gekizai."
There was a pause and then the voice came back. "Very well, Preventer 1, please proceed."
Heero cut the connection and began maneuvering his craft to connect with the larger ship.
"Hey, Heero, what does the name of this ship mean?" Duo asked curiously.
"Good medicine." Heero replied, his mind more on aligning the portal than with answering Duo's question.
"And the clearance code?" Duo persisted.
Heero was silent for a moment, until the ships thumped together and the airlock between them whooshed into place. "It has two meanings. Depending on use, it could either mean powerful medicine or a violent poison." He said, unbuckling himself from his seat and making his way to the door. He touched a small green button and the door hissed open.
"Cool." Duo replied and bounded out of his seat.
An older man, battle scarred and weary looking with shaggy gray hair and a beard to match, was waiting for them on the other side. "Welcome aboard the Ryouzai, gentlemen. My name is Mike." He extended his rough hand and gave both Duo's and Heero's a solid pumping. "Doc wanted to meet you herself, but there was a problem in the engine room and she had to go down there."
"Doc?" Duo asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Dr. Ryan, you know, Hannah. I wouldn't call her Doc, though. She hates it. Only myself and a few select others can get away with calling her that." Mike grinned wickedly.
"I'll remember that." Duo said with a smile.
Mike smiled back and gave them a once over. "God damn, how old are you two?" He asked curiously.
"17." Heero answered quietly.
"Same here." Duo replied.
"Shit. I've got warts older than you." Mike said, rubbing the back of his head.
"That's disgusting Mike!" An amused female voice accused. A slender woman with dark red hair braided into pigtails and startling gray eyes walked up to the group. She looked both of the boys up and down with an appraising air. "Not bad, sadly too young for my tastes, though." She said, a predatory grin forming on her full lips.
Both Duo and Heero fidgeted under her gaze.
She laughed suddenly and held out her hand. "Sorry, how rude of me. Here I am, checking you boys out and I don't even know your names! Mine's Ellen. I'm the Ryouzai's chief engineer." She shook both their hands and committed their names to memory.
"Did you fix the problem?" Mike asked her, for the moment ignoring the two pilots.
Ellen rolled her eyes. "Sort of. I won't really be able to fix it until we get better parts. I was hoping to get some while we were on leave…"
"But then we had to take off." Mike finished for her. Ellen nodded.
"It'll hold, for now." She said.
"Where's Doc? I'm sure these guys want to talk with her." Mike said, waving a hand in their direction.
"She wanted to check on Relena before she met them." Ellen said and then turned to Heero. "She told me to take you guys to the bridge." She said.
He nodded. Ellen favored the two visitors with a dazzling smile and began leading them in the direction of the bridge.
The bridge looked as ancient and careworn as the rest of the ship. Wires hung exposed from the ceiling and panels were missing from the walls. Battered seats indicated where the navigators, engineers, radio operators and the captain sat; only one of the seats was currently occupied. The bespectacled young man who sat behind the navigation console rose when they entered the room and smiled nervously at the visitors.
"You must be from the Preventers?" He asked, swiping some of his dark blonde hair from his face. He looked about twenty-five, though the beard he sported made him look slightly older. "My name's Eric." He didn't shake their hands, but returned to his seat as soon as they returned the greeting.
"Pardon the mess." Ellen said sheepishly, her hand gesturing at the room. "We were in the middle of overhauling this old heap when the call came."
Duo and Heero nodded, not sure what else they were supposed to say.
They were spared having to answer when the door slid open and a preoccupied looking Hannah rushed into the room.
"Sorry I couldn't meet you…" Her greeting faltered as she got a good look at the boys. "Holy shit." She whispered, her eyes traveling over Duo's face. Her face, meanwhile, drained of all color.
"Doc? Are you okay?" Mike asked, rushing to her side.
She closed her eyes and counted to ten before opening them again. "Sorry." She said, regaining some of her composure.
Duo glanced over at Heero, who shrugged.
"You are Heero." She said after a moment, pointing a finger at him. Heero nodded. "And who might you be?" She asked Duo carefully.
He raised an eyebrow. "Duo Maxwell." He replied. "Are you okay, Dr. Ryan? I'm not really a priest, if that's what worried you…" He said, his hand rising to indicate his priest's collar.
She shook her head. "No, no. You just bear a remarkable resemblance to someone I knew once. It was just surprising…after all these years…" She trailed off and seemed vague for a moment.
"Doc?" Mike placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed gently. Both Eric and Ellen stepped close to her, their concern evident. It was obvious that her crew had great affection for her.
She shook her head. "I'm fine, Mike. I just need to get a few hours of sleep." She shrugged off his hands and turned back to the pilots, not able to look directly at Duo. "Sorry you had to see that, boys. I'm just tired is all. We've been running around non-stop since we grabbed Relena." Her tone turned brusque. "Shiro sent me some stuff he wanted you to look at. I'll take you to our meeting room." She turned and indicated they should follow.
"How is Relena doing?" Heero asked as they walked down the narrow hallway.
"She's fine. In fact, in a few days, she should be stable enough for me to do that surgery on her arm." Hannah said, without turning around.
"Is she awake?" Heero asked.
"Not yet. She probably won't be for a while." Hannah paused in front of a door and hit the red button on the wall. The metal slid back soundlessly and she led them into a small conference room. "The files Shiro wants you to review are here," she indicated a computer console on the far side of the room. "Now, if you boys don't mind, I am in serious need of some sleep. If you need anything, just hit this button-it leads to the bridge-and whoever's there will help you." She walked to the door, but paused before leaving the room. "I'll take you to see Relena when I wake up, ok?" Her eyes skipped over Heero and rested on Duo. She ran a hand over her face and forced a smile. "See you in a while." The door slid shut behind her, leaving them alone.
"I wonder what about me upset her so much?" Duo asked as he flopped into a chair.
Heero shrugged. "I can name several things about you that piss me off, Maxwell, but given the fact that she's never met you before, I can't say what her problem was."
Duo made a face at him. "She said I looked like someone…I wonder who?"
"Never mind. Let's see what this Shiro guy sent us."
Hannah rushed down the hallways, praying she wouldn't bump into anyone. Luck was with her and she made it to her small room without meeting a soul. As soon as the door shut, she leaned against it and slid to the cold floor. Resting her head back against the metal door, she tried to reason with herself. Duo Maxwell did not look like Jack. She was tired, she needed sleep. "Just wait, Hannah." She whispered to herself. "You'll see him in the morning and he will look completely different. He won't look like Jack." She sighed and ran her hand over her face again. "You're just going crazy, that's all."
3:14 a.m.
"Explain this to me again?" Duo asked, rubbing his forehead in exhaustion.
Heero sighed.
"Hey, I'm sorry if I'm a little slow on the uptake today. It's three in the goddamned morning and I haven't slept in a while. So, just fucking humor me and explain it again." Duo snapped.
Heero raised an eyebrow and turned back to the computer screen. "Basically, there is a group of people out there who hope to bring down the United Earth Sphere and profit from the wars that would inevitably follow. Killing Relena on the colonies would spark the same reaction that the assassination of her father did a few years back."
"War between the colonies and earth." Duo muttered. "The same old shit, different channel."
"Actually, the channel hasn't changed either." Heero said. "We just failed to completely eliminate them last time."
Yawning, Duo rose from his seat and stretched. "Let's go get some sleep, man. I'm about to keel over."
Heero nodded and shut off the computer. "Do you recall where we were told to sleep?" He asked.
Duo scratched his head for a moment. "I think Ellen said five doors down." He said.
"Sounds right. Let's get some sleep."
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Gundam Wing is property of Sotsu Agency, Sunrise, and TV Asahi. All rights reserved. I claim no ownership.
May 11
11:15 p.m.
Space outside of L3 colony
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heero hit the button that opened up a channel to the scarred old ship that hovered above him.
"Ryouzai, this is Preventer 1, requesting permission to dock." He said.
"Preventer 1, what is your clearance code?" A voice crackled over the receiver.
Heero glanced down at the clipboard he had balanced on one knee. "Ryouzai, please be advised that the clearance code is gekizai."
There was a pause and then the voice came back. "Very well, Preventer 1, please proceed."
Heero cut the connection and began maneuvering his craft to connect with the larger ship.
"Hey, Heero, what does the name of this ship mean?" Duo asked curiously.
"Good medicine." Heero replied, his mind more on aligning the portal than with answering Duo's question.
"And the clearance code?" Duo persisted.
Heero was silent for a moment, until the ships thumped together and the airlock between them whooshed into place. "It has two meanings. Depending on use, it could either mean powerful medicine or a violent poison." He said, unbuckling himself from his seat and making his way to the door. He touched a small green button and the door hissed open.
"Cool." Duo replied and bounded out of his seat.
An older man, battle scarred and weary looking with shaggy gray hair and a beard to match, was waiting for them on the other side. "Welcome aboard the Ryouzai, gentlemen. My name is Mike." He extended his rough hand and gave both Duo's and Heero's a solid pumping. "Doc wanted to meet you herself, but there was a problem in the engine room and she had to go down there."
"Doc?" Duo asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Dr. Ryan, you know, Hannah. I wouldn't call her Doc, though. She hates it. Only myself and a few select others can get away with calling her that." Mike grinned wickedly.
"I'll remember that." Duo said with a smile.
Mike smiled back and gave them a once over. "God damn, how old are you two?" He asked curiously.
"17." Heero answered quietly.
"Same here." Duo replied.
"Shit. I've got warts older than you." Mike said, rubbing the back of his head.
"That's disgusting Mike!" An amused female voice accused. A slender woman with dark red hair braided into pigtails and startling gray eyes walked up to the group. She looked both of the boys up and down with an appraising air. "Not bad, sadly too young for my tastes, though." She said, a predatory grin forming on her full lips.
Both Duo and Heero fidgeted under her gaze.
She laughed suddenly and held out her hand. "Sorry, how rude of me. Here I am, checking you boys out and I don't even know your names! Mine's Ellen. I'm the Ryouzai's chief engineer." She shook both their hands and committed their names to memory.
"Did you fix the problem?" Mike asked her, for the moment ignoring the two pilots.
Ellen rolled her eyes. "Sort of. I won't really be able to fix it until we get better parts. I was hoping to get some while we were on leave…"
"But then we had to take off." Mike finished for her. Ellen nodded.
"It'll hold, for now." She said.
"Where's Doc? I'm sure these guys want to talk with her." Mike said, waving a hand in their direction.
"She wanted to check on Relena before she met them." Ellen said and then turned to Heero. "She told me to take you guys to the bridge." She said.
He nodded. Ellen favored the two visitors with a dazzling smile and began leading them in the direction of the bridge.
The bridge looked as ancient and careworn as the rest of the ship. Wires hung exposed from the ceiling and panels were missing from the walls. Battered seats indicated where the navigators, engineers, radio operators and the captain sat; only one of the seats was currently occupied. The bespectacled young man who sat behind the navigation console rose when they entered the room and smiled nervously at the visitors.
"You must be from the Preventers?" He asked, swiping some of his dark blonde hair from his face. He looked about twenty-five, though the beard he sported made him look slightly older. "My name's Eric." He didn't shake their hands, but returned to his seat as soon as they returned the greeting.
"Pardon the mess." Ellen said sheepishly, her hand gesturing at the room. "We were in the middle of overhauling this old heap when the call came."
Duo and Heero nodded, not sure what else they were supposed to say.
They were spared having to answer when the door slid open and a preoccupied looking Hannah rushed into the room.
"Sorry I couldn't meet you…" Her greeting faltered as she got a good look at the boys. "Holy shit." She whispered, her eyes traveling over Duo's face. Her face, meanwhile, drained of all color.
"Doc? Are you okay?" Mike asked, rushing to her side.
She closed her eyes and counted to ten before opening them again. "Sorry." She said, regaining some of her composure.
Duo glanced over at Heero, who shrugged.
"You are Heero." She said after a moment, pointing a finger at him. Heero nodded. "And who might you be?" She asked Duo carefully.
He raised an eyebrow. "Duo Maxwell." He replied. "Are you okay, Dr. Ryan? I'm not really a priest, if that's what worried you…" He said, his hand rising to indicate his priest's collar.
She shook her head. "No, no. You just bear a remarkable resemblance to someone I knew once. It was just surprising…after all these years…" She trailed off and seemed vague for a moment.
"Doc?" Mike placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed gently. Both Eric and Ellen stepped close to her, their concern evident. It was obvious that her crew had great affection for her.
She shook her head. "I'm fine, Mike. I just need to get a few hours of sleep." She shrugged off his hands and turned back to the pilots, not able to look directly at Duo. "Sorry you had to see that, boys. I'm just tired is all. We've been running around non-stop since we grabbed Relena." Her tone turned brusque. "Shiro sent me some stuff he wanted you to look at. I'll take you to our meeting room." She turned and indicated they should follow.
"How is Relena doing?" Heero asked as they walked down the narrow hallway.
"She's fine. In fact, in a few days, she should be stable enough for me to do that surgery on her arm." Hannah said, without turning around.
"Is she awake?" Heero asked.
"Not yet. She probably won't be for a while." Hannah paused in front of a door and hit the red button on the wall. The metal slid back soundlessly and she led them into a small conference room. "The files Shiro wants you to review are here," she indicated a computer console on the far side of the room. "Now, if you boys don't mind, I am in serious need of some sleep. If you need anything, just hit this button-it leads to the bridge-and whoever's there will help you." She walked to the door, but paused before leaving the room. "I'll take you to see Relena when I wake up, ok?" Her eyes skipped over Heero and rested on Duo. She ran a hand over her face and forced a smile. "See you in a while." The door slid shut behind her, leaving them alone.
"I wonder what about me upset her so much?" Duo asked as he flopped into a chair.
Heero shrugged. "I can name several things about you that piss me off, Maxwell, but given the fact that she's never met you before, I can't say what her problem was."
Duo made a face at him. "She said I looked like someone…I wonder who?"
"Never mind. Let's see what this Shiro guy sent us."
Hannah rushed down the hallways, praying she wouldn't bump into anyone. Luck was with her and she made it to her small room without meeting a soul. As soon as the door shut, she leaned against it and slid to the cold floor. Resting her head back against the metal door, she tried to reason with herself. Duo Maxwell did not look like Jack. She was tired, she needed sleep. "Just wait, Hannah." She whispered to herself. "You'll see him in the morning and he will look completely different. He won't look like Jack." She sighed and ran her hand over her face again. "You're just going crazy, that's all."
3:14 a.m.
"Explain this to me again?" Duo asked, rubbing his forehead in exhaustion.
Heero sighed.
"Hey, I'm sorry if I'm a little slow on the uptake today. It's three in the goddamned morning and I haven't slept in a while. So, just fucking humor me and explain it again." Duo snapped.
Heero raised an eyebrow and turned back to the computer screen. "Basically, there is a group of people out there who hope to bring down the United Earth Sphere and profit from the wars that would inevitably follow. Killing Relena on the colonies would spark the same reaction that the assassination of her father did a few years back."
"War between the colonies and earth." Duo muttered. "The same old shit, different channel."
"Actually, the channel hasn't changed either." Heero said. "We just failed to completely eliminate them last time."
Yawning, Duo rose from his seat and stretched. "Let's go get some sleep, man. I'm about to keel over."
Heero nodded and shut off the computer. "Do you recall where we were told to sleep?" He asked.
Duo scratched his head for a moment. "I think Ellen said five doors down." He said.
"Sounds right. Let's get some sleep."
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Gundam Wing is property of Sotsu Agency, Sunrise, and TV Asahi. All rights reserved. I claim no ownership.