There Goes The World
1 Author's Note: I don't own the Gundam Wing characters. You know the drill.
He rose blearily from the bed as sunlight spilled into the room through the half-shaded windows. He yawned, rubbed sleep out of his eyes, and made towards the door. He didn't bother to change out of his pajamas before going to get breakfast. He opened the door, and the sunlight leaked out of the room, illuminating the dust floating in the air. Quatre paused for a moment, staring at the hovering dust as it danced and reveled in the sunlight. To the insightful boy, it almost appeared like the dust was alive, that each particle had its own mind, that each one was free to decide hoe it moved. It seemed silly, but the idea still captivated him. He wished he could be free like his visionary dust, but, like real, dust, he was merely pushed around by another force.
Even though the war had ended nearly two years ago, technically Quatre was still 'enlisted' as a Gundam Pilot. His father had warned him that it was a lifetime job, but he hadn't listened. He hadn't really cared, either. But now, instead of being able to excel in life, instead of being able to develop potential, he was stuck controlling petty rebel arguments. He no longer had Sandrock Kai, but that didn't eliminate him from stealth work. Apparently the other ex-Gundam pilots thought he was perfect for stealth. He came from an influential family, was a shy, quiet boy, and wasn't aggressive in the least. And those were only the reasons the others told him for working stealth. Sometimes, Quatre was positive that the others considered him the most expendable of the group. They would never, ever tell him that, probably because they wouldn't like the guilty feeling of admitting it, but he could read it in their eyes. That was how he gleaned most his information from people nowadays. As a pilot he had become extraordinary at reading body language, and not that was the only way he ever learned the truth.
He thought about this over breakfast, and it depressed him quite a bit. The only time he ever thought about these things, thought, was when a mission was looming on the horizon. There was no official statement of a mission, but by watching the news Quatre knew there was one coming soon. He couldn't help the adrenaline-boosted excitement he felt with the promise of a mission, However, he felt dread as well. Inevitably, he would be sent on another stealth mission with no promise of rescue should he get caught. He was growing tired of all this. At 18 years old, he felt he had dedicated enough of his life to being a Gundam pilot. He wanted to go to college; he wanted to become something more than a faceless warrior. But he knew, somehow, that would never happen. He, and the rest of the pilots, were destined to remain identityless, practically nonexistent. It was an idea that almost drove Quatre crazy with sorrow. He knew they all had potential to become more than what they were. But, he also knew that none of them would ever amount to more than what they were now. Each one of them had given up something important to become what they were; they each gave up something they could never get back.
He was beginning to wish he hadn't. Sometimes, he believed he wasn't the only one.
He got up from the chair, only partially aware that he had cooked and eaten breakfast, and made his way back upstairs. He had nothing important to do today, but he didn't want to lounge around in his pajamas. If he got dressed, at least he'd be ready if something came up. He couldn't help but stare at the dust once more as he reached his bedroom door, but he decided not to dwell on it this time. He opened the door to his room, which was now flooded with sunlight, and he entered. As he dressed (khaki shorts, white T- shirt and a blue windbreaker) he decided to go for a walk. It was a beautiful spring day out, and he certainly didn't want to waste it sitting around the house. As soon as his sneakers were tied, he grabbed his keys and headed outside, sure to lock the door behind him. For some reason people seemed compelled to break into his house, like he kept the Winner fortune in his mattress or something. Locking the door usually never stopped them, but it gave the blonde a little bit of security. Ever since the war had ended, certain places both on Earth and in space had deteriorated. Quatre loved the little countryside town he lived in on in Earth, but it seemed that all the rebels, with no 'society' to join, had resorted to theft and mugging, among other things. Luckily, just because Quatre was passive didn't mean he didn't know how to defend himself. Hanging around Heero, Trowa, Duo, and Wufei for almost a solid year certainly taught him some good defense strategies.
He was on guard as he walked, subtly looking for any suspicious persons. But the streets were basically deserted, and exactly as Quatre liked them. At this time of morning, when the sun was just spreading its rays over the small town, it gave the illusion of a storybook place where everyone got along great and nothing bad ever happened. In a few hours that image would change as commuters drove their cars through the town as they headed for the city, but right now everything was peaceful. He wandered around aimlessly for a while, but content. He had no place to rush off to, nothing to occupy himself with, yet he wasn't bored. He let the sun warm him and the birds sing to him. He let the world go on around him as he slowly let his mind wonder. He thought about nothing in particular, all of his depressing thoughts seemed to have evaporated in the sunlight. As he wandered, in both body and mind, he made his way towards a small café in the town square. It was one of his favorite places to go, a place where the hoodlums and businessmen never entered. The small café, Quatre assumed, was invisible to them. It was only filled with friendly townspeople, always willing to lend each other a hand. Quatre could escape the town when everyone else came out and he could enter the other world inside the café, where the ideals of a storybook became a lifestyle. He walked into the nearly empty café and took a seat at a table by the window, so he could watch the town awaken. It didn't take him that long, or at least it didn't feel like it was too long before cars started to drift lazily down the street and people began to wander towards the shops and stores.
He became so engulfed in the scene that he didn't notice the person who sat down at the table in the seat across from his nearly a half-hour after he had first entered the café.
"You're a hard person to find, Quatre." The blonde's attention snapped away from the window as his eyes fell on the person sitting across from him.
"Duo!" Quatre exclaimed, and although his voice was filled with surprise at seeing his friend, he also knew why Duo was there. There was only one reason any of the other pilots ever visited one another, and that was for a mission. Usually they never had any contact so that no one got wise to them, especially Duo, who had been captured and televised during the war. When Quatre didn't see the other pilots, he never really saw anyone who were 'friends'. He constantly had to see business associates and occasionally saw his sisters, but his only friends were the Gundam pilots, and he almost never saw them.
"The one and only," Duo replied with a grin. "Look, Quatre, have you been watching the news?" Duo was never really serious, but he looked the closest to it that Quatre had ever seen him.
"Yeah. We've got a mission, haven't we?" Quatre could already guess what it was. One of the L2 colonies had cut contact with Earth and was slowly withdrawing relations with other clusters as well. Their representatives on Earth didn't know anything, and people feared a rebel takeover.
By recalling this information, Quatre remembered that he had a business meeting in L2 tomorrow. He had made that appointment so long ago he had forgotten, although if he hadn't remembered Rashid would've reminded him. He knew right away that Duo was going to ask him to pay a visit to the estranged colony.
"Yeah, Damn L2 colony…we've got more information than the media, though. As far as we can tell, rebels are slowly taking control, building up an army of – get this – junk pieces from old mobile suits.
"Which colony is it?"
"L205. Look, Q, we know you've got a business meeting tomorrow in L201. We've wired you a flight to L205 before you head back to Earth. We need you to tell us what's going on, from the inside." Quatre was suddenly compelled to ask Duo if he too felt like he was wasting his life away being a Gundam pilot, but instead he just nodded.
"Okay, I'll do it. Conditions the same as last time?"
"Afraid so."
That meant no promise of rescue and no contact other than the daily reports. Also, it meant that his risk may be in vain. If, when he returned with his information, the other pilots decided that the mission wasn't suited for them, it meant his risk had been pointless. He wanted to accuse Duo and the others of not caring, of purposely putting him in danger, but he knew that wasn't true.
"Sorry, Quatre, but we simply can't change the conditions. If you do get caught, it'd be too risky for even one of us to go and try to rescue you. Just be careful, like you have been, alright?" Quatre nodded, and hesitated before asking his next question, his pale hands fidgeting with his empty teacup.
"How long with I be–-"
"No longer than two hours, or else they'll get suspicious. They keep a close watch on people who go into that colony."
'They,' Quatre thought. Duo almost sounded positive that there were hostile forces on L205. If that was the case, then why did Quatre have to go in to confirm? He felt they should send someone more aggressive.
"Alright. You can tell the others I'll do it." Quatre agreed, despite his better judgment.
1 Author's Note: I don't own the Gundam Wing characters. You know the drill.
He rose blearily from the bed as sunlight spilled into the room through the half-shaded windows. He yawned, rubbed sleep out of his eyes, and made towards the door. He didn't bother to change out of his pajamas before going to get breakfast. He opened the door, and the sunlight leaked out of the room, illuminating the dust floating in the air. Quatre paused for a moment, staring at the hovering dust as it danced and reveled in the sunlight. To the insightful boy, it almost appeared like the dust was alive, that each particle had its own mind, that each one was free to decide hoe it moved. It seemed silly, but the idea still captivated him. He wished he could be free like his visionary dust, but, like real, dust, he was merely pushed around by another force.
Even though the war had ended nearly two years ago, technically Quatre was still 'enlisted' as a Gundam Pilot. His father had warned him that it was a lifetime job, but he hadn't listened. He hadn't really cared, either. But now, instead of being able to excel in life, instead of being able to develop potential, he was stuck controlling petty rebel arguments. He no longer had Sandrock Kai, but that didn't eliminate him from stealth work. Apparently the other ex-Gundam pilots thought he was perfect for stealth. He came from an influential family, was a shy, quiet boy, and wasn't aggressive in the least. And those were only the reasons the others told him for working stealth. Sometimes, Quatre was positive that the others considered him the most expendable of the group. They would never, ever tell him that, probably because they wouldn't like the guilty feeling of admitting it, but he could read it in their eyes. That was how he gleaned most his information from people nowadays. As a pilot he had become extraordinary at reading body language, and not that was the only way he ever learned the truth.
He thought about this over breakfast, and it depressed him quite a bit. The only time he ever thought about these things, thought, was when a mission was looming on the horizon. There was no official statement of a mission, but by watching the news Quatre knew there was one coming soon. He couldn't help the adrenaline-boosted excitement he felt with the promise of a mission, However, he felt dread as well. Inevitably, he would be sent on another stealth mission with no promise of rescue should he get caught. He was growing tired of all this. At 18 years old, he felt he had dedicated enough of his life to being a Gundam pilot. He wanted to go to college; he wanted to become something more than a faceless warrior. But he knew, somehow, that would never happen. He, and the rest of the pilots, were destined to remain identityless, practically nonexistent. It was an idea that almost drove Quatre crazy with sorrow. He knew they all had potential to become more than what they were. But, he also knew that none of them would ever amount to more than what they were now. Each one of them had given up something important to become what they were; they each gave up something they could never get back.
He was beginning to wish he hadn't. Sometimes, he believed he wasn't the only one.
He got up from the chair, only partially aware that he had cooked and eaten breakfast, and made his way back upstairs. He had nothing important to do today, but he didn't want to lounge around in his pajamas. If he got dressed, at least he'd be ready if something came up. He couldn't help but stare at the dust once more as he reached his bedroom door, but he decided not to dwell on it this time. He opened the door to his room, which was now flooded with sunlight, and he entered. As he dressed (khaki shorts, white T- shirt and a blue windbreaker) he decided to go for a walk. It was a beautiful spring day out, and he certainly didn't want to waste it sitting around the house. As soon as his sneakers were tied, he grabbed his keys and headed outside, sure to lock the door behind him. For some reason people seemed compelled to break into his house, like he kept the Winner fortune in his mattress or something. Locking the door usually never stopped them, but it gave the blonde a little bit of security. Ever since the war had ended, certain places both on Earth and in space had deteriorated. Quatre loved the little countryside town he lived in on in Earth, but it seemed that all the rebels, with no 'society' to join, had resorted to theft and mugging, among other things. Luckily, just because Quatre was passive didn't mean he didn't know how to defend himself. Hanging around Heero, Trowa, Duo, and Wufei for almost a solid year certainly taught him some good defense strategies.
He was on guard as he walked, subtly looking for any suspicious persons. But the streets were basically deserted, and exactly as Quatre liked them. At this time of morning, when the sun was just spreading its rays over the small town, it gave the illusion of a storybook place where everyone got along great and nothing bad ever happened. In a few hours that image would change as commuters drove their cars through the town as they headed for the city, but right now everything was peaceful. He wandered around aimlessly for a while, but content. He had no place to rush off to, nothing to occupy himself with, yet he wasn't bored. He let the sun warm him and the birds sing to him. He let the world go on around him as he slowly let his mind wonder. He thought about nothing in particular, all of his depressing thoughts seemed to have evaporated in the sunlight. As he wandered, in both body and mind, he made his way towards a small café in the town square. It was one of his favorite places to go, a place where the hoodlums and businessmen never entered. The small café, Quatre assumed, was invisible to them. It was only filled with friendly townspeople, always willing to lend each other a hand. Quatre could escape the town when everyone else came out and he could enter the other world inside the café, where the ideals of a storybook became a lifestyle. He walked into the nearly empty café and took a seat at a table by the window, so he could watch the town awaken. It didn't take him that long, or at least it didn't feel like it was too long before cars started to drift lazily down the street and people began to wander towards the shops and stores.
He became so engulfed in the scene that he didn't notice the person who sat down at the table in the seat across from his nearly a half-hour after he had first entered the café.
"You're a hard person to find, Quatre." The blonde's attention snapped away from the window as his eyes fell on the person sitting across from him.
"Duo!" Quatre exclaimed, and although his voice was filled with surprise at seeing his friend, he also knew why Duo was there. There was only one reason any of the other pilots ever visited one another, and that was for a mission. Usually they never had any contact so that no one got wise to them, especially Duo, who had been captured and televised during the war. When Quatre didn't see the other pilots, he never really saw anyone who were 'friends'. He constantly had to see business associates and occasionally saw his sisters, but his only friends were the Gundam pilots, and he almost never saw them.
"The one and only," Duo replied with a grin. "Look, Quatre, have you been watching the news?" Duo was never really serious, but he looked the closest to it that Quatre had ever seen him.
"Yeah. We've got a mission, haven't we?" Quatre could already guess what it was. One of the L2 colonies had cut contact with Earth and was slowly withdrawing relations with other clusters as well. Their representatives on Earth didn't know anything, and people feared a rebel takeover.
By recalling this information, Quatre remembered that he had a business meeting in L2 tomorrow. He had made that appointment so long ago he had forgotten, although if he hadn't remembered Rashid would've reminded him. He knew right away that Duo was going to ask him to pay a visit to the estranged colony.
"Yeah, Damn L2 colony…we've got more information than the media, though. As far as we can tell, rebels are slowly taking control, building up an army of – get this – junk pieces from old mobile suits.
"Which colony is it?"
"L205. Look, Q, we know you've got a business meeting tomorrow in L201. We've wired you a flight to L205 before you head back to Earth. We need you to tell us what's going on, from the inside." Quatre was suddenly compelled to ask Duo if he too felt like he was wasting his life away being a Gundam pilot, but instead he just nodded.
"Okay, I'll do it. Conditions the same as last time?"
"Afraid so."
That meant no promise of rescue and no contact other than the daily reports. Also, it meant that his risk may be in vain. If, when he returned with his information, the other pilots decided that the mission wasn't suited for them, it meant his risk had been pointless. He wanted to accuse Duo and the others of not caring, of purposely putting him in danger, but he knew that wasn't true.
"Sorry, Quatre, but we simply can't change the conditions. If you do get caught, it'd be too risky for even one of us to go and try to rescue you. Just be careful, like you have been, alright?" Quatre nodded, and hesitated before asking his next question, his pale hands fidgeting with his empty teacup.
"How long with I be–-"
"No longer than two hours, or else they'll get suspicious. They keep a close watch on people who go into that colony."
'They,' Quatre thought. Duo almost sounded positive that there were hostile forces on L205. If that was the case, then why did Quatre have to go in to confirm? He felt they should send someone more aggressive.
"Alright. You can tell the others I'll do it." Quatre agreed, despite his better judgment.