Chapter Two
Rumors of the Past
A young, blonde, almost white, shorthaired boy sat across from a dark, shorthaired girl. The two were the same age, around six, but no older. They giggled at each other from across the table.
"Milliardo," the boy's nurse chided. "Mind your manners and take your elbow off the table.
The boy looked up and grinned at the nurse. The girl smiled broadly. At the same instant the two jumped up and ran out of the room. "Milliardo!" The nurse called another name as well, but it was blurred.
*****
The young girl laid in her bed wrapped in her warm blankets. They had gotten caught by the nurse eventually and sent to bed early. She didn't mind much. She was sleepy anyway.
As the girl began to doze off she heard shouting from down below accompanied by the sound of gunfire. She sat bolt upright in her bed as Milliardo opened her door.
"Milliardo," she hissed. "What's happening?"
"I don't know," the young boy said, terrified.
The girl jumped out of her bed, landing with a soft thud. The wooden floor was cold under her bare feet, but she hardly noticed. She grabbed Milliardo's hand and they crept slowly to the balcony in the next room. From there they could see everything that was happening in the front of the palace. Thousands of soldiers were out there, shouting. Some firing their weapons, others throwing stones at the palace.
"There's so many men," the girl said in a thin voice as she clung to her friends arm. "What will your father do?"
Milliardo's brow creased in fear and confusion as he shook his head. His short hair clung to his forehead with sweat. He's so scared, the girl thought. Then I must not be.
"Perhaps we will find Nana?" She suggested, referring to their nurse. "She'll know what to do."
"Relena!" Milliardo exclaimed coming out of his trance. "We have to find Relena." He turned toward the girl and said her name, which also came out as a blur. "You have to help me find her."
The door burst open. Nana stood in the doorway with the baby Relena in her arms. "Milliardo," she gasped. "Take…"
Without hesitation, Milliardo grabbed his younger sister, and the girl went over to Nana. "Nana?" she asked.
The woman began to stagger into the room. She gasped and dropped to her knees, whispering the girl's name. "Take care…of the…prince…and the princess…for me."
"I will," the young girl bobbed her head. "I will…Nana…Nana…NO!!!"
Nana gasped for breath and then collapsed into a heap. The girl grabbed the woman's shoulder and shook her. "No, Nana. Don't go. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be a bad girl. Please, Nana, don't leave me!!!" The girl cried. Sobs racked her body as she buried her face in the woman's chest. "Nana, please…"
Milliardo, holding Relena, knelt beside the girl. He noticed the girl's hands, smeared with blood. Tears formed in his eyes. Cradling Relena in the crook of his left arm, he placed his right hand on the girl's shoulder. As he felt the sobs shake her body, tears began to stream down his cheeks. Relena began to wail.
"Ti…"
*****
The girl woke with a start, sitting bolt upright in the bed. Her breath came in terrified gasps. Her long hair hung loose, sticking to the back of her neck with sweat. Her face was stained with tears. Where am I? She thought. Vaguely she remembered the battle with the Leos, and the five pilots. Dinner. That was where it stopped. There are so many holes. But…now I remember something. Nana…she was shot. Her blood stained my hair. That's why it's so long. She…she was…like my mother. I didn't have a mother…who? The prince, Milliardo…when? She gave up trying to remember. Tears began to form in her eyes. Tears of frustration and grief. Did they survive? She told me to take care of them. Did I?
*****
Trowa sat alone in his room. Memories of his past floated through his mind. Quatre, insane under the influence of the zero system. His mobile suit exploding. Finding himself wandering a colony. Catherine. I feel sorry for her, he thought. His mind wandering to the girl they had met earlier that day. I wish I knew what to do. If only… His thoughts strayed. What am I thinking?! She could be a spy! No, that look in her eyes. No. What's wrong with me? Thinking that it would help clear his mind, Trowa began to walk around Peacemillion, not thinking at all. When he finally came out of his trance, he realized that he sat at a computer, looking through files.
What am I doing here?
"Trowa, man, is that you?" He heard Duo ask from the doorway. He looked up at Duo. Duo stood there, in a pair of sweats and a tee shirt, yawning and scratching his head. "Do you know what time it is?! What are you doing here this late?"
Trowa turned back to the screen, wondering the same thing. Duo walked up behind him, covering his mouth to stifle another yawn. Duo looked at the screen in front of Trowa. On it was a picture of a woman with brown hair and brown eyes.
"Whose that?" Duo asked. He leaned forward to read the name. "Diencha Spedoski? What the heck are you doing." The screen flickered to another woman with brown hair and brown eyes. "Are you looking for…?"
"I guess so," Trowa finally answered.
"What? Ya' mean you don't know?" Duo asked jokingly. He was ignored. "You want help?" He asked, seriously, after a moment.
"If you feel like it," Trowa said in a voice that suggested he didn't care.
Duo pulled up a chair and spun it, sitting down on it, backwards, next to Trowa. "When she…passed out," he started.
"Duo," Trowa interrupted. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Alright."
After a while of looking through files with no luck, Duo spoke. "If she was able to pilot a mobile suit that good, then she had to have had some military training. Maybe if you checked the files for OZ or the Alliance Military?"
"Hmm," Trowa thought about Duo's suggestion. "You're probably right. But I'm too tired right now. I'll check them later." He stood up. "Good night, Duo."
"'Night Trowa," Duo said, watching Trowa leave.
There's something weird about him since that girl passed out. What is it? He turned back to the computer. After punching in a few keys and manipulating passwords, he opened OZ's personnel files. Since there were so many, he narrowed his search down to brown hair and brown eyes, like Trowa had done. He sat there for hours looking through the file. The blue of the computer screen reflecting on his face.
*****
Trowa didn't go back to his room. Instead, he found himself standing at the door to the girl's room. He put his hand up to knock, but he hesitated. I should just go to bed. He lowered his hand and backed up, but before he had the chance to leave, he heard a voice through the door, screaming. What he heard was a muffled plea that he couldn't quite make out. Without thinking, he opened the door and slipped into the dark room. He could hear the girl crying softly, tossing in the bed. His heart ached for her sake. If only I could help.
Suddenly, the girl's thrashing stopped and she sat bolt upright in her bed. The light of the stars that shown through her window played on her face. Her loose hair clung to her shirt. She bowed her head, seeming to think. After a moment, the light of a star glinted off of a fresh tear falling from her eye. Trowa took a step forward, then backed off. Too late.
The girl turned in his direction, seeing his silhouette. "Who's there?" She demanded.
Gingerly, Trowa stepped forward, into the pale light.
"What do you want, Trowa?" She demanded, sounding slightly annoyed.
"I…heard you scream," he said truthfully, not knowing whether or not she would tell him to leave, ask him to stay, or just get up and try to kill him. He could see the muscles in her jaw working as if she were chewing something. He could almost hear her grinding her teeth. "I'm sorry for disturbing you. I just wanted to make sure you were ok."
Trowa turned and started for the door. "Trowa," the girl called after him. He turned around and waited. After a moment of looking at his green eyes, she said, "You asked me what happened." She looked down. After a slight pause, she continued. "You seemed to understand…everything. How?" She looked up at him, her face now composed.
Trowa nervously bit his lower lip. Why am I standing here like a fool? "Not too long ago, I lost my memory after a battle. If my friends hadn't found me, I never would have remembered a thing." He paused. She continued to look at him. "I…I know how painful it is. I remember how frustrated I'd get when I couldn't remember…even my own name." He tore his eyes away from hers. "I'd better go." He turned and left before she could stop him. Or was it to stop myself from continuing. Man, I don't even know the girl. Why am I acting like this? He thought as he left the room.
*****
Slowly, trying not to think, the girl laid back down, hoping she would not dream. After a short span of only a few minutes, her breathing deepened and she fell into a fitful sleep, full of dreams.
*****
Trowa leaned against the door once he was inside of his room. He closed his eyes and rested his head on the door. What…am…I…doing? He thought, frustrated. What is wrong with me? My heart was pounding so hard it felt like I had run for an hour without stopping. His brow furrowed in frustration. Trying to put his actions behind, he changed into a comfortable pair of sweats and a baggy shirt and slipped between the covers of his bed. In no time he fell into a deep sleep, devoid of any dreams for the first time in years.
*****
A seven-year-old girl with shaggy brown hair stood in front of a building, looking up at the sign. "Our Lady Maria's Home for Children." Frightened, she took a step back, but when she did, she caught a whiff of food cooking inside. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that it had been days since she had eaten the smallest scrap of food. She held her stomach, looking again at the sign. Timidly, she took a step forward.
"Hey you," a masculine voice called off to her side, standing out from the noise of the city. She looked over at him. "Yeah, you. Come here, kid." The girl looked at the sign again, then at the man. The scent of food filled her nostrils. She looked back at the sign and took another step toward the building. The man came closer. "Hey, kid, don't go in there. I can give you a home, if that's what you need kid." She looked at the man again.
Home, she thought. I don't deserve it. Her eyes traveled down to her bare feet, dirty from the dust and grime of the back allies. I deserve the worst punishment. I failed Nana. I…
The man's voice interrupted her thoughts. He was now squatting down next to her. He looked into her grimy face and said, "Come on, kid."
She looked up at him. Her stomach rumbled. He smiled gently. "Is that what you want, food?" Her face brightened and she nodded, forgetting about her failure. His smile grew larger. "What's your name, kid?" The man asked as he led her away, down the street.
"Ti…"
*****
The thirteen-year-old girl crept around the feet of the large mobile suit. The Leo, she had been told. This was her mission; to get that Leo. But she hesitated, only for a moment until she heard a siren go off and guns begin to fire. She climbed up the leg of the mobile suit and opened the hatch to the cockpit. Lake Victoria Academy was up and distracted with her friends, now she had to go.
Settling herself into the seat and strapping herself in, pushing her long hair over her shoulder. She looked at the controls. Just like the sims, she thought. She started the suit up and began to leave. She grinned as she thought she was about to escape.
Suddenly her radio came to life. "Stop right there or I'll shoot," a not yet matured male voice said. She spun around, facing the twin to her mobile suit. A screen came to life in the suit showing a boyish face with shoulder length white-blonde hair and a bird-like helmet on. "Surrender now, and your sentence will not be as harsh."
"Come and get me," she challenged, bracing herself for attack. The other suit lunged at her. The two fought for less than a minute. The girl was completely over-powered by the young pilot. She had no choice but to try and escape on foot.
Quickly, she unlatched the restraining belts and opened the hatch. She jumped out, but her land was not as graceful as it should've been. As she rolled to the side, she saw the young pilot getting out of his suit, holding a gun. She stood up and instantly regretted it. Her left ankle gave out, sprained from the landing.
"Kuso," she muttered, limping as fast as she could, trying vainly to get away from the running pilot. In almost no time he had caught up with her and was pointing a gun at her head.
"Don't move," he warned.
"What do you want?" she demanded.
He looked shocked, as much as that helmet would allow at any rate. "You just tried to steal a mobile suit, what do you think?" He asked, almost appalled at her question.
"It was just a dare. My friends dared me to do it," she lied, suddenly frightened of the young pilot who was no older than she was.
"Cadet Merquise!" Someone called, running up behind the pilot. "Good," he said, looking at the girl, "You caught her. There were two others in the building, but they were shot. They couldn't have been more than ten but they killed about fifteen cadets and six officers."
The girl could barely contain her anger. Her friends were dead. The children she had lived with for the past six years. In a sudden burst of adrenaline, given to her by her rage, she attacked the helmeted pilot knocking the gun out of his hand. The other boy picked it up and grabbed her arm, roughly pulling her off of the pilot, digging the gun into her back. The boy that held her shook his head to get his bangs out of his face.
The pilot stood up and dusted himself off. He stepped closer to peer into her eyes through the eyeslits of that helmet. He smiled, "Just a dare, huh?"
The girl grimaced in pain. The one that held her rolled his eyes and the two boys half carried/ half dragged her back to the base.
*****
The girl woke slowly from the dream, revealing another one of the locked away memories. Memories weren't the only things in her dreams though. Some of them didn't even seem like her own. One was about a boy that looked a lot like Duo. He was watching a nun die, and crying. Remembering the dream made her want to cry because it seemed so real.
Putting the dreams behind her, she stood up and tried to smooth out her clothes before stepping out into the hall. She wandered around a bit until she found the cafeteria that she had sat in the day before. It was early, about 0300, but she had decided not to try to sleep anymore.
*****
Duo woke up in a sweat. He was used to nightmares, but this one had been real. The day of the Maxwell Church Tragedy. The day when the Father and Sister had died because he had been away, trying to steal a mobile suit so the rebels would leave the church alone. He remembered all of it so vividly. The alliance soldiers firing at him as he sped away in the truck with the mobile suit. Then, as he stepped out of the truck, the scent of blood hit him. The church was in ruins, and people lay, dead, scattered all over the ground. He still remembered every bit of it.
That's when the peace ended for me, he thought. It ended at a place where peace began. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't the rebels just stay away from the church? Duo felt the old rage begin to well up inside of him.
He remembered the feel of the nun's body as he held her in her last moments. She had told him about how Father had thought of nothing but him and peace until he was shot. She told him that God loved him. Then she died. In his arms, she drew her last breath, because he wasn't there to protect her.
He remembered yelling at the God he had been taught of, demanding to know why this had happened. He didn't blame God though, only himself. Of course, no one had blamed it on him, but he knew all the same. That was why he fought now. The long haired boy sat up. I fight for the peace that I used to feel at the church. I wish it would come back. Duo fought tears.
He sniffed and flipped his braid off of his shoulder onto his back. He stood up and changed into the priest's outfit that he had worn since that day at the church. Because he didn't feel like washing his hair and having to braid it again he put on his black hat and left his room, his stomach already rumbling for something to eat.
*****
As the girl stepped into the room, she noticed it's other occupant, sitting at the same table she had the previous day.
Noin looked up at the girl, noting her hesitation. Silently, she gestured to the seat across from her with her free hand. The other held a mug of coffee. The girl slid into the seat, looking at Noin, not even noticing the mug of coffee in front of her.
"I figured someone would be up this early, so I grabbed another cup," Noin explained to the girl. Absently, the girl noticed the mug and sipped at the hot black liquid.
Noin looked at her over the top of her mug. "You look familiar," she said.
The girl looked up. Noin lowered her mug. "Do you remember anything about Lake Victoria?" Noin asked.
The girl's breath caught in her throat. "I had a dream about it last night," she said quietly.
"Do you want to tell me?" Noin asked when the girl stopped. "I went there, maybe I could help you."
"I don't think so. My memories are too vague. There are too many holes," she said flatly.
The door swished open and Duo strode in. "Hey!" he called, seeing the two women sitting at the table. They looked like two old friends sharing a cup of coffee, but he knew it couldn't be. "Mind if I join ya'?" he asked hesitantly.
Noin looked at the girl. The girl spoke up, "No, go ahead."
*****
In the cafeteria of Lake Victoria Academy, a fourteen-year-old Noin and a girl, the same age as herself, sat across from each other, sharing a cup of hot cocoa. The girl's long hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck. She grinned at something Noin had just said.
The door opened and the young Zechs Merquise walked in, wearing his bird-like helmet with his white-blonde hair hanging down past his shoulders. "Hey guys," he said, walking toward Noin and the other girl. "Mind if I join you?"
"No, go ahead," the girl said, gesturing to the chair next to Noin. Noin glared at the girl for her choice of seats. The girl grinned.
*****
Noin looked up at the girl, into her dark brown eyes. "It is you," she said quietly. Duo, sitting next to Noin, looked at her.
"What?" he asked.
The girl sitting across from them looked back into Noin's violet eyes without so much as a hint of recognition. "At Lake Victoria, I'm sure it's you," Noin continued.
The girl shook her head, not remembering anything.
Noin's shoulders sagged as she noted the girl's lack of reaction. It has to be, she thought. With one last look at the girl, Noin stood up and, almost in a daze, walked out of the cafeteria, leaving her coffee on the table.
*****
Once outside the room, Noin walked swiftly to her room. Sitting down on her bed she opened a small bag. From it she pulled a small, crinkled up photo taken while she was at Lake Victoria Academy. The picture was of a younger Noin, Zechs, and the girl. It is her, Noin thought. What was her name? Try as she might, she couldn't remember. It had been so long since she had even thought of her.
*****
Trowa woke up early, more rested than he had been in a long time. After staring at the ceiling for a few moments, he got up and got dressed. Washing the sleep out of his eyes, he debated on whether or not to go down to the cafeteria. He decided against it, he wasn't hungry yet. As he stepped out into the hall, Noin walked past him in a daze. He shrugged it off and headed in the opposite direction.
Sitting down in front of a computer, Trowa hacked into the OZ personnel files, just as Duo had done the night before. He sat there, looking through the files for what seemed like hours. I've got nothing better to do, he rationalized in his mind.
*****
Duo now sat across from the girl, moving Noin's coffee away. "So," he asked cheerfully. "How did you sleep?"
"You were in one of my dreams," she said flatly, sipping her coffee.
Duo's face paled, "Huh?"
"As a little boy. You were holding a dying nun," she continued as if Duo had never spoken.
If it was possible, Duo's face paled even more. "Wait a sec," he said in disbelief.
"Who was she?" The girl asked, as if knowing that it was a true dream.
Duo shook his head, for once, utterly dumbstruck. "That's not possible. You couldn't know anything about that."
"I don't. I only know what was in my dream."
"That wasn't your dream," Duo said slowly. "That was…" Who is she?
The girl looked up at Duo, setting her cup down. Duo shook his head, eyes wide. "No, never mind." He scratched the top of his head and left to go get his breakfast. When he returned the girl was gone. He ate in silence, still confused. How did she know?
Finishing quickly, he grabbed the remaining bagel and headed off to find a computer. He walked into the room where Trowa sat, looking dully into the computer screen.
"Hey Trowa," Duo tried talking to him. No response. "The girl's up. She was in the cafeteria, but she left a while ago," he said, trying to start a conversation, receiving a frustrated grunt from the other pilot.
Taking a bite of his bagel, Duo sat down in front of another computer and did the same thing he had done last night, except this time narrowing it down to what he had learned this morning.
"Gender – female
Hair color – brown
Eye color – brown
Age – 19"
He also narrowed it down to those soldiers trained at Lake Victoria Academy. Possible files, only 16. Scanning them quickly, he narrowed it down once again to three. Looking at the final picture with the smallest military file he had ever seen, he brought up a photo. Wearing a red OZ officer's uniform, a young woman stared blankly into the camera. Her dark hair was tied up into a waist long ponytail. Her face held no expression.
"Hey Trowa," Duo said, staring at the screen. He heard Trowa stand up and walk over to him. Trowa looked over his shoulder.
"It's her," Trowa said, a hint of excitement in his voice.
On the screen it showed.
YEAR OF BIRTH: A.C. 176
RANK: 1st Lieutenant
NAME: Tiana Moore
*SPECIAL FORCES TOP SECRET!
"Special forces?" Duo asked. "Man, this is intense. Why was she a prisoner?"
Trowa shook his head, staring at the information. Duo's bagel lay half-eaten on the consul. Neither talked. Trowa shook his head, braking his trance. "Can you find out any other information."
Duo looked intently and the screen, pressing buttons, trying to find a larger file. He shook his head. "There's nothing. It's as if that's the only information they have."
Trowa ran his fingers through his hair. "They have to have something else. School records. Medical records. Anything."
Duo looked at Trowa, "I'm sorry, man. This is all there is." He shook his head. "It says 'Special Forces,' maybe they keep those files separate."
"Can you get into them?" Trowa asked.
Duo shook his head, "Not without screaming a warning to OZ. I'm not even sure if Heero could do that. Besides, I'm not about to wake him up." While Duo was talking, Trowa dashed out of the room. "Hey Trowa! Where ya' goin'? TROWA!" Duo's chair scraped on the floor and nearly fell over as he stood up and ran after Trowa. He had to run as hard as he could to catch up with the running pilot.
Once he reached Trowa, Duo put a restraining hand on his arm, slowing him to a fast walk. "Trowa, if you're thinkin' about wakin' Heero up, you're nuts. He'd shoot…"
"I'm not going to get Heero," Trowa cut him off.
"Huh?" Duo asked.
"I'm going to get Tiana," Trowa said, satisfied that he finally knew her name.
"What's she gonna do?" Duo asked.
"She seemed to remember her training, if nothing else," Trowa explained after a moment. He stopped in front of her door. "Maybe she was trained in computers as well as mobile suits." He knocked quietly on her door. Inside he heard a shuffle of feet and then the door opened. Tiana stood by the door, looking blankly at the two.
"What do you want me to do, Trowa?" She asked.
"We need your help," Trowa stammered out.
Duo raised his eyebrows as Trowa hesitated. Duo took over. "Do you remember anything about computer hacking?"
"I might," Tiana said, unsure.
"Could ya' help us then?" Duo asked, gesturing down the hall.
Wordlessly, Tiana stepped out of her room and followed the two pilots down the hall. Trowa looked angrily at Duo. Once inside the room, Tiana took the seat in front of the computer Duo was working on. She pressed a key to reactivate the screen and gasped.
She stood up, knocking over the chair and startling Trowa and Duo. Her body numbed and she was dimly aware of Trowa and Duo asking what was wrong. Suddenly, an onslaught of memories flashed in front of her eyes. She tried to fight them off, to slow them down. Reflexively, she grabbed her head with both hands. She felt a hand on her arm and she punched, her fist making contact with Duo's jaw.
Tiana let go of her head, stepping away from the two stunned pilots. She took a step backward as Trowa left Duo to nurse his jaw and stepped forward.
"Tiana," he said quietly.
She grimaced at the sound of her name. No, she thought as more memories rushed in on her. STOP! She held her hand out in a gesture for Trowa to back off. She continued walking backward until she backed into something. As she turned to run, Trowa rushed in on her, grabbing her arm. She used her other arm to swing a punch at Trowa, but he caught the fist and held on. She tried to break his grip, but the pilot of Heavyarms would not let go.
"Let me go," she said, her voice deceptively thin. "Please."
Trowa shook his head. Duo, still rubbing his jaw, stepped up behind him. Tiana tensed and kneed Trowa in the ribs. Trowa doubled over reflexively and released his grip. Tiana started to run off, but as she exited the door Duo tackled her and pinned her to the ground.
"Let me go," she said in a low voice.
"Tiana…" Duo started. He was cut off when he had to struggle to keep her down.
Tiana struggled, burying her face into the floor. What is happening? The onslaught of memories came again, flashing in front of her closed eyes. The gunfire at the Peacecraft palace. Loosing Milliardo and Relena in the chaos. Wandering and finding her self in a band of rebels. The training. Her capture. More training. Her two friends, Noin and Zechs. Sitting in an examination chair. Green lights flashing. Her mind. The pain. Lost.
Tiana gave into the rush this time, her body going limp. As the tide carried her thoughts into the locked chambers of her mind, she fell away into unconsciousness.
*****
Duo felt Tiana's body go limp under him. Cautiously, he got off her and stood up. Trowa staggered to his side. When she didn't move, both pilots knelt down next to her and turned her over. She was unconscious. Trowa looked close to tears, thinking about what had just happened.
"I shouldn't have brought her down here," he said quietly, shaking his head.
"You didn't know," Duo said, vainly trying to comfort him.
Trowa took a deep breath, ignoring Duo's attempt. "Let's get her down to the medics."
*****
In the hospital bed, Tiana lay, thrashing violently at times and hardly moving at others. Trowa stood off to one side, looking at her. It was 1300. She had been unconscious for over nine hours.
The door behind him hissed open and Quatre walked in. He looked at Trowa with a concerned expression. Without speaking, he moved to stand next to Trowa. Looking at Tiana, Quatre said, "Duo told me what happened."
"Hmm," was all the response Quatre received. The silence lasted for a while, both boys watching Tiana's restless sleep, Trowa drawing comfort from the presence of the other boy.
*****
Tiana sensed Trowa's presence near her, but she couldn't wake herself up. Her mind was too exhausted to even try. She felt whole again, yet sad at the same time. She knew what had caused her to loose her memory. An experiment gone wrong. That's what the doctors had called it.
Tiana remembered lying on the operation table. But this was no ordinary operation.
*****
Doctors huddled around Tiana's body, lying flat on an operation table. She looked up at their silhouetted forms backdropped by bright lights. She felt the prick of a needle in her right arm.
Dimly, she heard one of the doctor's voices. "Don't fight it, Lieutenant. Don't…"
The next thing she knew, her brain was foggy and doctors and assistants hollered to one another from across the room.
"She's waking up, sir," an assistant near her called.
"No, it's too early," the doctor ran over to the young man's side. "We haven't finished. Inject her again."
This time, Tiana was too weak to even worry about it, much less protest. She dimly felt the needle inject the anesthetic into her arm. When she woke again, an old, graying doctor bent over her, shining a green light into her eyes. Her mind was foggy, however, she could clearly hear the alarm that went off. Her body convulsed and her blood ran cold.
"Her pulse is dropping rapidly," an assistant announced.
"Blast!" the old doctor shouted, standing up and motioning to two younger doctors standing behind him. "Get her pulse back up you worthless excuses for doctors." The two men sprang to life as Tiana's vision narrowed.
"We're loosing her!" was the last thing Tiana heard before her mind slipped away.
The next time she woke there was an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose. She looked around, near panic. She was in the same room. She sat up, wincing as IV's tore out of her skin. She ignored the pain as she ripped the oxygen mask off her face.
The door burst open across the room. Two doctors and seven soldiers stalked into the room. The soldiers pinned Tiana to the bed. The more she fought, the harder the held her. Tiana's mind raced wildly. She could sense all nine men in the room. She grabbed on to the feeling of one of the soldier's minds. That soldier loosed his grip and crumpled over in pain. The other six switched between looking at each other and at her in fear. The doctor strapped another mask over her nose and mouth and turned on a machine.
Tiana struggled against the soldier's grip. "She's too dangerous," the other doctor said.
"The experiment didn't quite go as we had planned," the first doctor said as he nodded his agreement.
Tiana's mind raced wildly. She was dying. She grabbed hold of any presence she sensed, tearing at it madly. The gas from the machine filled her lungs. Inside she screamed in pain. The nine men all grabbed at their heads as her silent scream filled their minds. She willed herself to tear the mask off, but the gas that filled her lungs deadened her senses and all too soon, her brain shut down and her body remained on the table, all but lifeless. The doctor took the mask off her and shut off the machine.
"Perhaps we can still use what's left of her," he explained to the other doctors.
*****
Tiana shook at the memory. She tried to make her self wake up. She was so tired. She had to wake up. Trowa, she thought. She could sense his guilt. Trowa, it's not your fault, she thought.
*****
Trowa's head dropped, then shot up. He looked questioningly at Tiana's still form.
"Are you ok, Trowa?" Quatre asked, worried.
"She just…" Trowa started. In his mind he heard Tiana's voice. 'Trowa,' it said. 'It's not your fault.'
Trowa, dazed, stepped toward the bed.
"Trowa?" Quatre's voice carried concern.
Trowa reached over and touched Tiana, not thinking. A sudden stab of pain in his mind made him pull his hand back. The touch, however, woke Tiana up. Trowa's breath caught in his throat.
Quatre's brow creased in concern. He stepped toward his friend. Then, realizing that Tiana was awake, he retreated out of the room.
"Tiana," Trowa whispered.
Tiana looked up at him. This time she didn't flinch at the sound of her name.
"What happened?" Trowa asked.
Tiana turned her head away from Trowa. Taking that as not wanting to talk about it, Trowa closed his eyes and nodded to himself. "I understand," he began.
"I remember," Tiana cut him off sharply. "Every thing." She turned to look at him again, her face tight with concentration. "I'm an Oz soldier. Your enemy. Now that you know, you have no reason to let me live. I will accept whatever course of action you take," she said, throwing her life into Trowa's hands.
Trowa's eyes jerked up. His mind fumbled for what to say. He opened his mouth, then hesitated. Closing it, he turned on his heel and all but ran out of the room.
Tiana let out her breath slowly. He doesn't want me to die, she thought. I could hear him think it. She shook her head to herself, looking up at the ceiling. She drew a long, slow breath and let it out again just as slowly. She closed her eyes and relaxed her body. What's done is done. He knew. He looked at the files before I did. Yet he didn't take any action against me. By now they all must know. Her mind tormented her. Her thoughts laying on the past and the possible futures. Tears formed in her eyes. Why did they have to do this to me? A single tear broke loose and cascaded down her cheek. Why?
*****
Trowa stood in the hall, shaking. I heard her, in my mind, he thought in disbelief.
