"What was that?" I gasp, but another explosion shakes the room and I dive
to the floor. I lay there, my head covered with my hands. I can hear
people screaming nearby. When the shaking stops I dare to lift my head
slightly. "What.?" I begin, but another explosion rocks the room and some
of the walls start to cave in. I crawl under where I saw the table and
cower there.
Even a few minutes after the last explosion I don't get up, just in case. After a while I hear Ian curse under his breath and I get up shakily.
"Doctor Dalzell?" I ask tentatively.
"I'm fine." He says from nearby, but he curses even louder. "Damn it!"
"What's wrong?" I ask, jumping slightly as I hear something collapse nearby.
"The computer." Ian says weakly. "All the work, the formulae.destroyed."
"We have to get out of here." I say, taking his arm and pulling him up.
"Sienne, you don't understand." He says, his voice full of emotion. "That last explosion made the computer crash. I've lost everything on the hard drive. Everything."
"You must have a back up copy somewhere." I say soothingly. "Now we need to go before this whole place collapses."
"Sienne, I don't have another copy. That was the only computer programme created by Doctor Klever before he died. He was the one who discovered your treatment. I've lost all the files and recreating the programme will take more than ten years!"
The bottom falls out of my stomach. "Are you saying that.all my test results.the formula.gone?" I ask.
"I'm sorry Sienne. I shouldn't have got your hopes up. But everything is gone. I won't be able to give you the treatment.I'm sorry."
I sit down in shock. I had sight for five minutes. I was going to see again.and now I won't be able to. The explosion caused the computer to crash and my treatment details have been lost. I'll never see again. Not until the formula is re-discovered, which will take years because the creator died.
Another explosion and a crashing noise bring me back to my senses. "Who cares?" I shout bravely. "We have to get out of here fast!"
Doctor Dalzell must realise this too, because he takes my arm and drags me out of the room. We hurtle down corridors, with other people joining us, crying and screaming in fear. After what seems to be an eternity we finally reach the exit and spill out onto the busy street. I can hear news crews reporting on what is going on, so I listen for more information.
"The explosions occurred in the hospital building behind me just a few moments ago.."
"Buildings have been dangerously damaged and are likely to collapse."
"Eye witnesses say that a group of madmen in the hospital rounded on five young men, shouting obscenities at them. These men are now being held hostage in the hospital building."
"Everyone else managed to escape from the adjacent buildings and the hospital. It is unclear what these madmen want with the five men."
Hang on a minute. Trowa was in that hospital! I strain my ears, trying to hear his voice among the screaming crowd. I can't hear him anywhere. I move around the crowd, asking if anyone has seen him. But no one has.
"Sienne?" I recognise that voice.
"Miss Relena?" I ask. Someone grabs my shoulder and I realise that it is Relena Peacecraft. "Have you seen Trowa?" I brace myself for a negative answer.
"Yes. He was in the hospital. I was in there too. So was Heero." Relena says. "Sienne, I heard that you know about Trowa's past."
"Yes. I overheard him talking." I say.
"Then you will understand me when I say that he was right. They were all lured here. Now all five of the Gundam Pilots are in that hospital. Those madmen are victims of the war. They lost friends and family at the hands of Heero, Trowa and the others. Now they want revenge."
"Trowa!" I gasp, fighting back tears. A police officer pushes us back behind some barriers. "Relena, what is happening?"
Relena tells me what she can see. Apparently policemen, firemen and doctors have all rushed to the scene, but no one dares enter the building for fear the madmen will kill their hostages. Relena says that the explosions were small bombs used to scare people away, so that the madmen would have the Gundam Pilots to themselves.
I feel panic sweep over me. Relena knows as little as I do. No one seems to be doing anything. And Trowa.if he dies.the last time we spoke I was angry with him. We weren't on the best of terms. I never had chance to say goodbye. If he dies now I'll never forgive myself for treating him like that. I never let him explain himself.
I feel Relena take my hand and I realise that she is as worried as I am. But of course, her fiancée is in there. I'm being so selfish, thinking only about my feelings. I squeeze Relena's hand and feel tears welling up in my eyes. I sit on the pavement and Relena sits next to me. She puts her head on my shoulder and I hear her begin to cry. We put our arms round each other for comfort and keep reassuring each other, but we know that this is more serious than we make out.
After about twenty minutes we are beginning to calm down. Suddenly a gunshot cracks the silence. We jump as it is followed by four more shots.
"Five bullets." I say, dumbstruck.
"Five Gundam Pilots." Relena whispers tearful. We both give up trying to stop tears pouring down our faces.
"They might not be dead." I say. Relena agrees half-heartedly. A kind- hearted officer walks up behind us and takes us gently by the shoulders.
"Move along now ladies. We are sending the paramedics in now. Everything has gone quiet and a white sheet has been flown from the window. Just move back." He says.
"Are there any casualties?" Relena asks.
"I'm sorry Ma'am." The officer says sadly. "We have already removed one body and four unconscious men."
Our worst nightmares have come true. Someone died, and the others are hurt.
"Please sir, our friends were in there." I say. "The dead person, what did they look like?"
"I haven't seen." The officer says simply, walking away. Relena and I stand alone, Relena does not want to go and see the dead person and neither do I, even though I can't.
"Sienne!" Relena suddenly says, breathlessly.
"What?" I ask sadly. But Relena isn't at my side any more. I hear her shout out a name and run forwards.
"Heero!" She cries. I can hear her being reunited with her fiancée. I'm truly happy that he is alive. I don't want to go and interrupt them to ask about Trowa. I don't know if I want my worst thoughts confirmed either. I hang my head and let my tears continue to fall.
Suddenly I feel someone walk over and lift my face gently, wiping away a tear. "Don't cry. You look much prettier when you smile!"
"Trowa?" I gasp. I dare not believe that he is standing in front of me.
"Yes." He says. I'm instantly overcome with joy. I fling me arms around his neck and bury my head in his shoulder. I start to cry onto his shoulder now. God, I'm always crying these days! He seems startled by my sudden show of emotion, but not for long. He puts his arms around me and rests his head against mine.
"I was so scared." I whisper, holding him tighter still.
"Shush, you're OK." He says, stroking my hair fondly.
"No, I was scared for you. Are you alright?"
"I'll live." He says grimly. I'm immediately suspicious and I raise my head slightly. I put my hands up to his face and feel moisture on his cheek. Has he been crying? No, I realise that there is blood on his face. He takes my hands away from his face firmly, and then holds me close again. I rest my head on his chest as we share an embrace.
"I'm so sorry." I say. "I thought you were dead. And I was so horrible to you, I never even said goodbye!"
"It was my fault. I should have told you the truth. Quatre and I."
"Shush." I say, putting a finger to his lip. "Don't make excuses now." He kisses my finger gently before speaking.
"No. All the time I was up there, I was thinking that I never told you the truth. Sienne, Quatre and I are just close friends. We shared a lot of experience. Admittedly we were in a relationship once, but that ended quickly because we realised that we weren't meant to be together." Trowa sighs.
"I'm so sorry." I can't help apologising. "I should have listened to you. But I just went off in a rage as usual and messed everything up. I hate myself. I can't control my temper and I just got."
Trowa puts his finger to my lips now and whispers to me. "But that is what I like about you. You're fiery and have a mind of your own. You keep me on my toes." I smile. "That's better."
"What happened anyway?" I ask as Relena and Heero come over and join us.
"Well it's a long story, but it all started when."
Even a few minutes after the last explosion I don't get up, just in case. After a while I hear Ian curse under his breath and I get up shakily.
"Doctor Dalzell?" I ask tentatively.
"I'm fine." He says from nearby, but he curses even louder. "Damn it!"
"What's wrong?" I ask, jumping slightly as I hear something collapse nearby.
"The computer." Ian says weakly. "All the work, the formulae.destroyed."
"We have to get out of here." I say, taking his arm and pulling him up.
"Sienne, you don't understand." He says, his voice full of emotion. "That last explosion made the computer crash. I've lost everything on the hard drive. Everything."
"You must have a back up copy somewhere." I say soothingly. "Now we need to go before this whole place collapses."
"Sienne, I don't have another copy. That was the only computer programme created by Doctor Klever before he died. He was the one who discovered your treatment. I've lost all the files and recreating the programme will take more than ten years!"
The bottom falls out of my stomach. "Are you saying that.all my test results.the formula.gone?" I ask.
"I'm sorry Sienne. I shouldn't have got your hopes up. But everything is gone. I won't be able to give you the treatment.I'm sorry."
I sit down in shock. I had sight for five minutes. I was going to see again.and now I won't be able to. The explosion caused the computer to crash and my treatment details have been lost. I'll never see again. Not until the formula is re-discovered, which will take years because the creator died.
Another explosion and a crashing noise bring me back to my senses. "Who cares?" I shout bravely. "We have to get out of here fast!"
Doctor Dalzell must realise this too, because he takes my arm and drags me out of the room. We hurtle down corridors, with other people joining us, crying and screaming in fear. After what seems to be an eternity we finally reach the exit and spill out onto the busy street. I can hear news crews reporting on what is going on, so I listen for more information.
"The explosions occurred in the hospital building behind me just a few moments ago.."
"Buildings have been dangerously damaged and are likely to collapse."
"Eye witnesses say that a group of madmen in the hospital rounded on five young men, shouting obscenities at them. These men are now being held hostage in the hospital building."
"Everyone else managed to escape from the adjacent buildings and the hospital. It is unclear what these madmen want with the five men."
Hang on a minute. Trowa was in that hospital! I strain my ears, trying to hear his voice among the screaming crowd. I can't hear him anywhere. I move around the crowd, asking if anyone has seen him. But no one has.
"Sienne?" I recognise that voice.
"Miss Relena?" I ask. Someone grabs my shoulder and I realise that it is Relena Peacecraft. "Have you seen Trowa?" I brace myself for a negative answer.
"Yes. He was in the hospital. I was in there too. So was Heero." Relena says. "Sienne, I heard that you know about Trowa's past."
"Yes. I overheard him talking." I say.
"Then you will understand me when I say that he was right. They were all lured here. Now all five of the Gundam Pilots are in that hospital. Those madmen are victims of the war. They lost friends and family at the hands of Heero, Trowa and the others. Now they want revenge."
"Trowa!" I gasp, fighting back tears. A police officer pushes us back behind some barriers. "Relena, what is happening?"
Relena tells me what she can see. Apparently policemen, firemen and doctors have all rushed to the scene, but no one dares enter the building for fear the madmen will kill their hostages. Relena says that the explosions were small bombs used to scare people away, so that the madmen would have the Gundam Pilots to themselves.
I feel panic sweep over me. Relena knows as little as I do. No one seems to be doing anything. And Trowa.if he dies.the last time we spoke I was angry with him. We weren't on the best of terms. I never had chance to say goodbye. If he dies now I'll never forgive myself for treating him like that. I never let him explain himself.
I feel Relena take my hand and I realise that she is as worried as I am. But of course, her fiancée is in there. I'm being so selfish, thinking only about my feelings. I squeeze Relena's hand and feel tears welling up in my eyes. I sit on the pavement and Relena sits next to me. She puts her head on my shoulder and I hear her begin to cry. We put our arms round each other for comfort and keep reassuring each other, but we know that this is more serious than we make out.
After about twenty minutes we are beginning to calm down. Suddenly a gunshot cracks the silence. We jump as it is followed by four more shots.
"Five bullets." I say, dumbstruck.
"Five Gundam Pilots." Relena whispers tearful. We both give up trying to stop tears pouring down our faces.
"They might not be dead." I say. Relena agrees half-heartedly. A kind- hearted officer walks up behind us and takes us gently by the shoulders.
"Move along now ladies. We are sending the paramedics in now. Everything has gone quiet and a white sheet has been flown from the window. Just move back." He says.
"Are there any casualties?" Relena asks.
"I'm sorry Ma'am." The officer says sadly. "We have already removed one body and four unconscious men."
Our worst nightmares have come true. Someone died, and the others are hurt.
"Please sir, our friends were in there." I say. "The dead person, what did they look like?"
"I haven't seen." The officer says simply, walking away. Relena and I stand alone, Relena does not want to go and see the dead person and neither do I, even though I can't.
"Sienne!" Relena suddenly says, breathlessly.
"What?" I ask sadly. But Relena isn't at my side any more. I hear her shout out a name and run forwards.
"Heero!" She cries. I can hear her being reunited with her fiancée. I'm truly happy that he is alive. I don't want to go and interrupt them to ask about Trowa. I don't know if I want my worst thoughts confirmed either. I hang my head and let my tears continue to fall.
Suddenly I feel someone walk over and lift my face gently, wiping away a tear. "Don't cry. You look much prettier when you smile!"
"Trowa?" I gasp. I dare not believe that he is standing in front of me.
"Yes." He says. I'm instantly overcome with joy. I fling me arms around his neck and bury my head in his shoulder. I start to cry onto his shoulder now. God, I'm always crying these days! He seems startled by my sudden show of emotion, but not for long. He puts his arms around me and rests his head against mine.
"I was so scared." I whisper, holding him tighter still.
"Shush, you're OK." He says, stroking my hair fondly.
"No, I was scared for you. Are you alright?"
"I'll live." He says grimly. I'm immediately suspicious and I raise my head slightly. I put my hands up to his face and feel moisture on his cheek. Has he been crying? No, I realise that there is blood on his face. He takes my hands away from his face firmly, and then holds me close again. I rest my head on his chest as we share an embrace.
"I'm so sorry." I say. "I thought you were dead. And I was so horrible to you, I never even said goodbye!"
"It was my fault. I should have told you the truth. Quatre and I."
"Shush." I say, putting a finger to his lip. "Don't make excuses now." He kisses my finger gently before speaking.
"No. All the time I was up there, I was thinking that I never told you the truth. Sienne, Quatre and I are just close friends. We shared a lot of experience. Admittedly we were in a relationship once, but that ended quickly because we realised that we weren't meant to be together." Trowa sighs.
"I'm so sorry." I can't help apologising. "I should have listened to you. But I just went off in a rage as usual and messed everything up. I hate myself. I can't control my temper and I just got."
Trowa puts his finger to my lips now and whispers to me. "But that is what I like about you. You're fiery and have a mind of your own. You keep me on my toes." I smile. "That's better."
"What happened anyway?" I ask as Relena and Heero come over and join us.
"Well it's a long story, but it all started when."