Torment of Paradise
Chapter 14
A gentle breeze swept down from the sky to the grassy flowered plains around her. She closed her eyes, savoring the feel of the wind against her skin.
'It's so nice here. I never want to leave.' she smiled to herself as the wind blew around her, the sundress she wore ruffling with its currents. 'I could stay and always be happy.'
She gazed around the sunny area, simply admiring the beauty all around her. Then she felt gentle arms slide around hers, holding her close as the long missing warmth returned and suffused her. She didn't say anything, her arms going around also; she was so afraid that if she turned around that he would vanish like last time and she would never know who it was that made her feel this way.
'You're very quiet today. Is something wrong Jess?'
'No, I'm perfectly fine.' she pulled him tighter. 'What makes you think something is wrong?'
'It's not you to be quiet.' a gentle kiss was placed behind her ear.
"You usually go around looking at stuff.'
'Not today love. ' she paused, surprised at how easily the word flowed off her lips; and how natural and right it felt. 'Something tells me to take all the happiness I can here in this place.'
'Because you'll be leaving again…won't you?' came the quiet voice, hands stroking her arms.
'Yes.' she closed her eyes, feeling tears come. 'I don't want to. What if I can never come back here? What if I can never come back to you?'
A low chuckle reached her ears, soothing away some of the tension inside. 'You came back here this time.' the hands glided down to her hips, encircling. 'I know you can and will come back again.'
She sighed lightly as she reached up and caressed a face gently, hand resting on the cheek. 'It's just that I didn't come back here in almost five months, and I barely remembered. I only felt that feeling inside.'
A pair of lips pressed against her hand, comforting and promising. 'You have to try to remember Jess. You have to.'
'Will you remember? So when I see you one day we'll both have this same cherished memory?'
'I will remember Jessica.' a tender kiss was placed along her jaw line, followed by another and another. 'We both have to come back to this little paradise that we built from our dreams and shared.'
She closed her eyes as she was turned around gently, a pair of lips finding hers. She returned his kiss back with the same urgency and fervor, pressing closer to him. She reveled in the feel of his hands exploring her body as her own traveled over smooth muscling planes.
'Never leave me.' she breathed in a whisper as he began kissing their way down her neck, her hands sliding into his hair.
'I'll never leave you Jessica. Trust in me; I never will.' Those were the last words she heard as the world and his touch vanished away like the desert sands.
"Zero five hundred hours! Get up!"
Blearily Jess half-opened her eyes as the loud voice made the last vestiges of the dream vanish. "Fuck off." she growled before turning over and snuggling back beneath the blankets.
"Now!" the blanket was ripped off the bed. "You forget you're still a prisoner and you have training today."
Sitting up she glared up at the armed solider before her. "What the fuck is your problem? It's goddamn five in the morning!! Have a little decency!!"
"Get moving." the woman replied, nudging her roughly with the barrel of the rifle. "Oz doesn't make exception for prisoners, despite their post."
Muttering darkly to herself, she shuffled out of bed, rubbing the side of her head as she followed her large escort down the hall. 'Lord, they send eleven soldiers to escort me to one place. They either fear me or don't want me to escape.' Soon enough, she entered a room, seating herself gingerly as she glanced around, taking stock of the objects in the room. At one end sat a strange looking machine with a large visor hooked up to some machine, as well as sensor gloves; it looked somewhat like a video game.
"Your instructor will be here shortly." the woman said curtly as she slammed the door shut.
Jess simply blinked in the face of this before brushing it aside; she could piss off people if she tried sometimes; and sometimes it was just her that set some off without her knowing it. 'A là Wufei.' She couldn't stop the wry thought from running through her head. Rubbing her face, she sighed before slouching in the chair, gazing up at the ceiling. She couldn't stop the rush that overtook her body as she recalled the dream; this had to be the first time she could even summon a vestige of it, much less more. Eyes closing at the feeling of serenity inside, she couldn't help but remember the touch of his lips on hers, the feel of his skin sliding against her skin, smooth and slightly calloused.
"I remember." her fingertips grazed her lips lightly as she murmured. "But I've yet to figure out who you are. How close are you to me?"
The door flew open suddenly jarring her from her thoughts. Whipping her head back to the door, she saw a person. 'Medium height. Caucasian male. Black hair. Green eyes. Around five seven…possibly eight.' She gave him a scrutinizing look, confirming her rapid analysis.
"You may wish to not look at me so; you may arouse the suspicion of your husband." he stated softly.
She looked at him, surprised by the pleasant tenor. "What do you care? And I have never cared for his opinion. Besides as good as the chances are that this room is monitored he, as he would put it, would not waste his time on me." she snorted before sitting up properly.
He didn't reply for a few minutes. "I am Philip. May I ask who you are?" he asked extending his hand.
She looked at it before looking at him. "I believe you know that already; or don't you review your assignments?" she said curling her lip at the last word.
"True." he murmured, taking a seat before her.
Silence descended in the room as he regarded her, green eyes probing and holding her. A sort of tiredness descended over her making her fight to stay awake. She shook her head a few times, before meeting his gaze unflinchingly. Then she felt it, the perplexing stirrings in her mind. As if some one was…
"What the hell are you doing?!" she demanded, shooting out of her seat and knocking it over.
"You are extremely defensive for one so young. And with good reason; you have been hurt before. By someone close I sense."
"Correction; what are you?!" she moved back as if it would give her protection. "Are you like reading my mind or something?"
"If you prefer to see it that way." he shrugged. "I believe the question is why are you letting your talents go to waste?"
Jess edged her way to the door, hand sliding over the knob, looking at the quietly seated man warily.
"The door has been locked at my request. It would be much faster if you simply sat and we had a civil talk."
"Civil? There's something I have never seen from Oz." she mumbled. "Why are you so nice anyhow?"
"I don't believe in brutalizing people to obtain answers unlike your husband." he paused at her pale face. "Everyone in Oz knows of you and him now. It seems as if he and Lara are engaged in a battle of some sorts presently."
"Lara told everyone?" she whispered.
Philip nodded his head before gesturing to the seat. She came and sat down heavily, hands resting on the table. 'How dare she?' her nails dug into her palms slowly. 'I would never dare tattle of her business.'
"Are you all right Miss Jessica?" Philip asked bending forward.
Jess didn't reply immediately, trying to get a grip on herself. "I…am…fine." she managed in a tight voice.
"Obviously not. I see blood."
Glancing down, she saw crimson trickling from the creases of her palms before she opened them, the bright red crescents standing out against the white of her flesh. "It's nothing." she said quietly, closing her hands again and drawing them closer to her as she stared at them.
Philip didn't say anything, simply regarding her again intently. Jess' head snapped up, anger lashing through her; just what the hell was going on? It definitely felt like someone was inside her head again. And she focused her thoughts on expelling it, wanting it out immediately.
Philip drew back, wincing slightly. "Point taken and noted; I shall not try again."
Jess simply regarded him, unsure of exactly what was occurring in the room.
"So you are a Gundam pilot are you?" he chuckled when Jess remained stoically silent. "Samuel told us. I didn't pry that information from you."
"Then I have no need to confirm that answer do I?" she paused. "And may I ask just what are you?"
"I am a special pilot brought in from the Pacific to train the recruits." he bowed his head slightly. "As well as any additional training required and requested."
"Oh how kind of them." she said sarcastically. "Are you here to train me by any chance?"
"My, such venom." he said, clucking his tongue. "Perhaps we should get down to business now?"
"And what are we going to be doing sensei?" she gave him a mocking bow. "Playing video games to while away the time?" "Did you get enough sleep? Perhaps that is why you are cranky." he shrugged. "Remind me to let the guards know that you are to sleep until eight from now on. In any matter that is exactly what you are going to do."
She watched as he walked over the console and activated the machine, holding out the visor and gloves to her. "A video game?"
"More or less; depends what you call a video game." Rising, Jess looked at it with an air and expression of apprehension. "I don't think so."
"I have no intentions upon your person if that is what you fear." he said.
"If you did, you'd be dead before you got anywhere." she said in a deadly tone.
"Are you so sure of that?" he asked. "Perhaps you underestimate my strength." he offered the visor and gloves once more. "Besides, when you play it I must leave for a few minutes."
She plucked them from his hand uneasily. "I'll put them on when you leave."
"As you wish." he shrugged, heading for the door. "It is exactly like a virtual reality game so this should be no problem for one your age."
Jess simply watched as he rapped on the door and it opened a few minutes later. 'This is some sort of test to determine my abilities.' She turned the visor over in her hands looking at it. 'I'd better play it cool for now.' She slipped on the cool plastic easily before her hands slithered into the gloves the plastic bumps of the receptors pressing against her skin.
The visor activated a few minutes later. 'Stage one; eliminate all the enemies in your sight. Do not injure any civilians or points will be deducted.' A gun materialized in her hands.
Jess nearly laughed; this was so like an arcade game and she knew that this would be a joke, even if she had to do terribly at it. The minutes passed away as she balanced out the levels, making it appear that she was a mediocre shot. She really did feel like laughing out loud.
'Stage twenty-eight; rescue the child and deliver him safely to the mother. Any civilians injured results in deducted points.'
Hearing those words, Jess balked slightly, before cocking the gun and going through the level; except this time she failed it much worse than all the others.
'Game over. Total points: 2023.'
Jess removed the visor, wiping away the loose hairs that clung to her forehead. 'That was pathetic; I could have had a score of 8000 and up. I'm so gonna have to make that up later some time.' She pulled the gloves off before placing the equipment back on the console and going back to her seat.
"Well…you did your best Miss Jess." Philip said as he entered the room again, a piece of paper in his hand. "Would you care to see your results?"
"No." she looked away, feigning shame. "I know I did so badly. Are you just going to lock me up now and leave me to die?" she could only hope for that; it would be her one chance.
Philip looked at her for a few seconds before he switched off a button on the wall. "Let me tell you something Miss Jess."
She looked up at him, even more wary; the pleasant tone from before was gone. "What?"
"Your act may fool others but it doesn't deceive me. I know you deliberately threw away that session. Your score should have been well above 9000, maybe even 10,000 even."
"I don't know what you're talking about." she stated, head held high.
"Don't you?" his eyes suddenly grew hard. "Well you better understand this. I know you are perfectly capable of protecting His Excellency and that's exactly what you are going to do. You will receive more training to enhance what you already know and then you will be sent to the colonies to be His Excellency's bodyguard."
"And if I don't? What then?"
Philip shook his head with a clear sense of regret. "I believe Noel and Aiko will be paid a visit."
"You wouldn't dare touch them." she said angrily, giving herself away unconsciously.
"I wouldn't; but Samuel wouldn't be past hurting them if you fail to cooperate. Your training will commence tomorrow and should be finished by then; you should pick up quickly."
Jess looked up at him. "This doesn't mean I have to like you."
Philip sighed and went to the door rapping on it. "I wasn't expecting you to." he replied as the door opened. "The prisoner can return to her cell now."
Jess watched as the guards came back into her cell, motioning for her to rise and head back. She did so numbly, trying to make sense of it all. Once she was in her cell she rested her head against the wall at the foot of her bed.
"Damn fucking bastards." she cursed, smacking a fist into the wall. "Damn fucking Samuel. I hope he…" she trailed off, unable to find a proper word for what she wanted to have happen to him. "Calm down Jess…just calm down…" she took a couple deep breaths. "when you get out of here, you can beat the crap out of him and feel so much better in the end."
She let herself fall back onto her bed, the ancient springs creaking in protest. She let her breath become slower and slower until she was totally calm. Then her eyes fell shut as she felt the warmth wash over her again at the mere thought of her dream.
"I remember." she whispered softly, words barely heard. "Please say you do to."
"Now we are going to do this one more time and I expect that you will succeed!" Philip said in an irritated voice. "Now hit me damn it!!"
Jess shook her head. "This is gonna hurt." she muttered as she reeled back before sending her fist smashing into his jaw and knocking out his knees with a sweeping low kick. He fell to the floor and before he could even get up, she had a blade pressed to his jugular. "Happy?"
"Yes; much better." he murmured appreciatively. "I knew you could do it with ease."
"Hm." she rose. "How nice to see someone has faith in me and my 'talent'."
Philip regarded her as he picked himself up. "I would say that you have completed your training."
She kept her eyes glued to her blade as she turned it over in her hands, noting how the light reflected off of the edges. "What now? You ship me off to God knows where?"
Philip paused at her calm and quiet voice. "You will be leaving for Colony X-18999 at twenty one hundred hours."
"Colony X-18999." she sheathed back the dagger on her hip. "Why is he there?"
"That isn't your business; you simply have to protect him. That is all."
Jess looked at Philip for a few seconds. "And what do I do now?" "You go back and get a uniform before you leave."
"I don't do uniforms" she crossed her arms. "They'll hamper me. You want me to protect this guy don't you?"
"I suppose you don't really need a uniform. But we have to visit the armory and get you equipped." he went to the door, holding it open. "Shall we go now?"
"Hm. What time is it now?"
"Twenty hundred hours. You shall have enough time to equip and reach the shuttle. Why, were you expecting something to happen?"
She didn't respond, simply walking out the doors, the guards falling in step around them. Twisting hallways led from one to another, sloping downwards gently until the came to a large steel door, bars going into the walls. A brief talk with the sentries followed by the flashing of authorization badges and the bars slowly withdrew from the wall allowing the door to swing open.
"Wait out here." Philip said to the guards. "We'll call when we're ready to leave."
The guards nodded curtly, the door closing back silently. Jess looked around as if in a daze; stockpiled here was virtually every single weapon that she had ever dreamed about. Rifles, handguns, grenades, detonators… 'Heero would love this place.' She wandered down an aisle looking at the shelves of weaponry; if only the others had such an arsenal at their disposal…
"You'll need a few basics such as handguns and knives perhaps…" Philip started down another aisle. "This way Miss Jess."
She followed him slowly, the amazement shaking off as a sobering thought came to her. 'How many of these weapons were used to kill innocent people who may have only wanted peace?'
"Here, you can use this…this and…" he stopped seeing the strange look on her face. "Is something wrong Miss Jess?"
She shook her head. "Nothing is wrong sensei." she took the offered weapons strapping them on quickly. "What else?"
Philip looked at her silently for a few minutes. "Just a few more things and then you'll be on your way."
She nodded curtly following after him and taking the occasional offered weapons and strapping them on slowly. The feeling that she should stall for as much time as she possibly could started to envelope her, causing her to slow down her motions. Even when Philip told her it was time to leave, she dragged her feet prolonging the moment. They walked out the door swinging shut before the bars thudded into place and they headed back up to ground level. She looked around at the armed guards surrounding her and Philip as they walked down the hall, the end drawing inexorably closer; and she saw two figures waiting for her at the end.
'God, I just wish that this hadn't happened.' She shook her ead looking around at the turnoffs that she couldn't escape down. And then she caught a flash of blond hair and aqua green eyes from around a corner. 'Quatre?!' Her head turned as she continued walking to see him peer around the edge, helpless frustration on his face. And close behind was Duo's violet eyed face, looking none too pleased as well. How she would have like to simply break away from the guards and run to Quatre and get out of there…
"Hey you, keep on moving." a guard said nudging her with the butt of his gun when she suddenly stopped.
"Why the hell are you people sending me to X-18999, huh? Just so you can get me out of the way?" she demanded, whirling to face Philip.
"I told you already Jess, His Excellency is there and it s your-"
"Don't give me that bullshit. The real reason why you're shipping me up to X-18999 is to get me out of your goddamn way." she scowled darkly. "You people are so dead once this war is over, threatening my parents to get what you want…no friggin' shame that's what if you ask me…"
"Are you scared of space Miss Jess?" Philip asked in a calm voice. "We can give you a sedative if need be."
"I am not scared of space, sensei." she said curtly. "I just think what you're doing here is a farce."
"And you know the risks. Keep on moving Miss Jess."
She gave him a glare before continuing on glancing back at Quatre and Duo. She looked away hastily before she seemed out of place. Silent now, she continued on to the end, seeing Lara and Zechs standing there.
"We'll take over from here." Zechs said in a quiet voice. "You are dismissed from your duties Sergeant Philip."
Philip nodded slightly. "I'm sure I'll have the pleasure of seeing you again, Miss Jess." he murmured before turning around and walking away.
Jess didn't say a word, just walking stiffly into the docking area and boarding the plane, Lara and Zechs behind her. Seating herself in the comfortable seat by the window, she gazed out as Lara took the seat beside her.
"Hey Jess. I'm sorry I wasn't able to get you out sooner or prevent this."
She didn't answer her, simply looking out the window as the shuttle started forward. There by the corners she could see Duo and Quatre, conversing to themselves as they hid in the shadows, looking and pointing at the shuttle. Jess placed a hand against the cold glass, seeing Quatre's eyes meet hers from so far away, captivating with the raw emotion she saw in them. Choking back a small sob, she managed to keep her coming tears under control. Shaking her head, she finally tore her gaze away from his, staring intently at the back of the seat.
"I'll come and get you Jess; I said I'd never leave you.'
Startled Jess looked around surprised to hear Quatre's voice in her head. 'How could he do or know that? It was only said in my dream…' She felt a helpless sort of rage build inside; she should get herself out of here, and there was Quatre and Duo coming after her; and as if that wasn't bad enough, if she failed to cooperate there was the extremely strong chance that Samuel would do something to her parents. Leaning forward, she began clenching and unclenching her hands in a vain effort to diffuse away the feelings inside.
"Damn it!" she muttered as she punched the back of the chair in front of her hard.
"Calm down Jess." Lara said in a hushed voice. "You should buckle up now, we're taking off."
"Don't you talk to me; I have no desire to talk to you, even in the most remote way possible." she said in a tight voice, looking out the window once more.
She could feel Lara's mournful gaze on her before she stood and moved to the seat ahead silently. Jess buckled herself in quickly, as the shuttle stopped at the runway. The ground bled into a blur as the shuttle picked up speed, heading for the vastness of space. Once they reached the starry expanse, she looked out the window to see the blue curvature of the Earth. Glancing at the seats ahead of her, she saw Zechs and Lara conversing quietly between themselves. With a dismissive noise, she looked out the window again, unable to deny that space had a beauty about it that Earth couldn't capture.
'If you guys do come up here after me, be careful about what you do.' she shut the window blind with a heavy sigh before closing her eyes. 'Things are going to happen up here….but they have yet to take shape.'
"Right this way Miss Jessica."
She followed the butler hesitantly, feeling slightly intimidated by the lavishly decorated hallway. She had finally arrived on X-18999 and was immediately whisked off by a high security escort to a mansion. Now she was heading to the drawing room to meet this slightly reclusive Treize Khushrenada.
"He is waiting for you in here Miss Jessica." the man said, pausing outside the carved door.
Not replying she walked in, seeing a ginger haired man seated placidly in a chair, the sword at his side grazing the ground slightly. She closed the door behind herself before taking a stand a few feet inside, a wary distance away.
"You're more than welcome to take the other seat here." he said, gesturing to the chair beside him.
"I'll stand thank you." she said in a slightly stoic voice.
"Very well, as you wish. I am-"
"Yeah I know, Treize Khushrenada. Everybody acts like your God or something." she shrugged. "So I was…forced into this position for your best interest by others."
"Namely, your husband started this all for you didn't he?" Treize regarded her. "How old are you?"
"That's irrelevant. I have a job to do."
"Hm…you may think so, however my men tend to not wish any harm befall me. Even the questionable ones like your husband."
"He is not my husband." she managed in a tight voice, perplexed slightly by the strange look in his eyes.
"Your jailer then?" Treize regarded her for a few moments. "I hear you attended school with Lieutenant Barrask."
"Big deal; it was better when we moved." she paused. "For someone who has to run an army, you seem to know a good deal about my life."
"I believe it would be imprudent to not know who has been assigned to protect me. Despite Colonel Une's best…endeavors I know there's something afoot concerning her." he paused. "For all I know you could have been placed here as a spy to kill me eventually."
Jess remained silent for a few minutes. "Look on the bright side; if I was and if I could, your death would be quick."
"How very comforting." he said with a slight bow. "It seems as if you also believe in doing things as quickly and painlessly as possible. Now there will be many tasks for you to for I do travel between Earth and the colonies."
Listening patiently, Jess absorbed all the things Treize told her as her mind puzzled over Treize's words. 'He knows the Colonel Une is up to something. Is this the thing Lara spoke of?' she started chewing her lip, thinking it over. 'Just what has Lara and Zechs gotten me into here?'