On a day not dissimilar to any other, a plane of formidable size can be seen departing from Neo Hong Kong. It's use is reserved for government officials, and although usage is limited, certain men are able to pull a few strings and use the plane more than once per year. One of these men is Neo Hong Kong's Wong Yun Fat, a man with great power and greater enemies. However, these thoughts were far from Wong's mind.
"I tell you, Urube, you are insane. Completely, utterly, and hopelessly insane. I thought the psychoanalysts were exaggerating, but apparently I was mistaken. Horribly mistaken."
It was rare for Wong, of all people, to label someone or something insane, especially Urube, a man he'd forgiven when few others could. However, as was his wont, Urube remained stoic and placid in the face of Wong's derision.
"Well, if you have another solution to this scandal, I'd love to hear it."
Wong ground his teeth, his annoyance more than evident. He was all too aware of his fall from grace, but recent events had only made the situation more evident in his mind. Coupled with the fact that all his research on Faulkner had turned up nothing of any real use, his annoyance was borderlining on rage. Urube's "helpful suggestion" had only added frustration to this gamut of emotion.
"This is hardly a solution at all... it seems more the pipe dream of a would-be-dictator."
Urube's eyes flashed slightly, just as Wong knew they would, but he did not pursue the subject. Urube knew Wong well enough to know that, in his current frame of mind, an argument would be lethal.
"Consider the situation rationally... Sadira Kreuz is a prominent, fairly wealthy engineer with ties to Neo Singapore's elite. She wasn't born into wealth, but earned it, which will earn you points with the crowds. And..." paused Urube, giving Wong a rare sly look. "She doesn't look all that bad, either."
"You're forgetting the fact that she hates me with a passion. For that matter, I don't particularly care for her, either."
"Details, details. All trivial. It's not as though you'd be dating her for any length of time. After this whole scandal has died down, you can ditch her and return to your teddy bear."
Wong's eyes narrowed, and he pulled his sunglasses down to let Urube know it.
"I won't tolerate comments like that, Urube Ishikawa."
"....... Of course. I apologize."
Urube has been rather rebellious as of late. With all that has happened, I can't be sure anymore just where his loyalty truly lies. After all, Karato could just as easily clear his name as I, and he served under the man far longer than he has I
Wong's thoughts were interrupted by a notable tremor as the plane settled down onto the Paragon Institute's runway. The reason for this second trip had been that Sadira wanted to test the prototype mobile fighter. However, Urube had seen an opportunity to make use of the situation, much to Wong's chagrin.
As they stepped from the plane, a car was waiting to whisk them to the testing site. Wong and Urube were both silent the whole of the trip, both deep in thought.
However, I suppose he has a point. It seems as though I have no choice, really. At least until I can find out just who "Mordred" is...
The car stopped in a lush, grassy field a fair distance away from both the Paragon Institute facilities and Neo Singapore itself. The landscape reminded Wong of the field that the Rose Gundam and God Gundam had dueled on, not too long ago. Awaiting them was a strange sight indeed, and even Wong couldn't help but blink in surprise.
Her hands on her hips and looking as impatient as she had the moment they had met her, Sadira Kreuz stood in the shadow of a mobile fighter. It was of average height, perhaps a bit taller than the standard mobile fighter. It carried no guns or other handheld weapons for that matter. Nevertheless, it still caught the eye, solely because of it's appearance. Giant gundarium sunglasses covered the green eyes, and the armor had been modeled and shaped into the appearance of Wong's business suit. It even wore an enormous rendition of Wong's trenchcoat, thrown back so that it resembled a cape of sorts. In all, the Gundam looked like a gigantic nutcracker in the likeness of Wong himself.
Urube couldn't help it. The moment he saw the mobile fighter in detail, he doubled over and fell to the ground in fits of laughter, a strange sight for such a normally stoic man.
Sadira grinned. "Does this Politician Gundam suit your needs, Mr. Wong?"
Wong's sunglasses had fallen so low that they threatened to fall off of his face at any given moment. However, he was too entranced by the sight of himself immortalized in Gundam form to notice.
"Well, ... I 'd imagine I should.... err... test it first... does it work?"
Sadira's grin widened, obviously pleased with their respective reactions. While Wong gaped, Urube continued to roll on the ground around them, crying from hysteria, his high-pitched laughter breaking through their conversation every now and then.
"I should hope so. We at the Paragon Institute are professionals, after all."
Sadira reached over and pushed up Wong's sunglasses. Her actions startled Wong out of his reverie, and she laughed, the first time he had heard her really laugh. It wasn't all that unpleasant a sound.
"Don't act so surprised. Wait, you'll love this.." Sadira paused to point up at the Politician Gundam's sunglasses, as if signifying something.
"The Politician Gundam has been calibrated to respond to your unique voice pattern, and it's core lander will come when you bid it so. Why don't you try it?"
Well, this should be interesting, to say the least. Maybe fatal to me, but interesting nonetheless.
Wong smirked, the light glinting off of his sunglasses. He struck his trademark pose, a stick of pocky in one hand.
"Gundam!"
This call was emphasized by a sudden bite into the pocky, producing a sufficient crunching noise. The Politician Gundam's eyes flashed, and the core lander suddenly departed from the back of the mobile fighter, heading straight for Wong. It was the same tan as the gigantic "trenchcoat", and it's thrusters had been shaped to appear as sleeves, giving the core lander the strange appearance of a smaller version of the trenchcoat. It landed right next to the pair, nearly crushing Urube, who was still rolling on the ground in laughing fits.
Sadira looked at the core lander, her pride for the creation obvious.
"Well? Are you going to just sit there or get in?"
Casting one last wistful glance at the car they had come here in, Wong climbed into the core lander, and stepped into the cockpit. He had only piloted one mobile fighter prior to this, and the results of that excursion hadn't been all that fun.
With a slight pause, the core lander took off and docked with the main cockpit, allowing Wong into the main cockpit. As he stepped inside, the gigantic cylinder hummed to life and the twin rings began to circle above him.
I have a feeling this may be painful...
As the rings came down, Wong gritted his teeth as he experienced for the first time the drawbacks of the mobile trace system. The skintight material was colored the same shade of green as his hair, and the traditional prongs were gold, and emblazoned on the chest was a single stick of pocky encircled by a red ring. He bit his lip as he struggled through the material, a facet which he had not been present in his experience with the Walter Gundam.
Sadira's face popped up in front of Wong. She looked slightly concerned. Behind her, Urube's hysterical squeals had started to die down into general cackling.
"Are you okay in there, Mr. Wong?"
"Yes... I'm fine..."
With a final near-scream of pain, Wong stepped to his feet, completely clad in mobile trace garb. For the first real time in his life, he found himself interfacing with the a Gundam. He experimentally moved one of the hands, and the Politician Gundam did likewise. He hesitantly brought his hands to his face, staring at them and at the same time staring at the Politician Gundam's hands.
No matter how many times I've seen this process repeated in the Gundam Fights, it didn't really help me know what it was really like. Oh well, at least now I know something new. Mobile trace systems hurt. I'm certainly glad I don't have to do this for a living.
Sadira's face appeared once more on the screen. Apparently Urube had recovered, for he stood over her shoulder, straightening his tie. Yet no sooner had he seen Wong in his mobile trace suit than had he fallen to the ground, in laughing fits once again. Sadira seemed professionally oblivious to the bodyguard's laughter.
"Try it's weaponry. In accordance with your... ah, trademark, we've outfitted the Politician Gundam with a new type of weapon. We've taken to calling them pocky funnels.
"Pocky funnels?"
"They function much the same way as Neo France's rose bits. You have to will them into mobilizing and attacking."
I suppose it can't be too hard...
Closing his eyes behind the sunglasses, Wong focused all of his mental power towards the Gundam. As he did so, the Politician Gundam's trenchcoat flew open, and several long metallic rods flew out. The rods had been painted so that they looked convincingly similar to pocky. The rods hovered in midair in front of the sunglasses-wearing Gundam.
Though Wong had never used this type of weapon before, he knew what to do. Focusing all of his thoughts on a target, he watched in satisfaction as the pocky funnels flew down at Urube. Somehow the sight of the enormous pocky funnels coming at him made him realize how serious the situation was, as he quickly stopped laughed and ran. Wong made sure the pocky funnels attacked directly where Urube had last been. Laughing, Wong lost his concentration, and the pocky funnels returned to the Politician Gundam automatically.
"That's not exactly what I had in mind... but nonetheless you're a natural with mental weapons, Mr. Wong."
"Really, now?"
"Yes... I've never seen a person master remote weapons so quickly." She paused, and smirked. "Apparently my early assumption was accurate."
While Sadira talked to Wong, Urube was busy catching his breath and straightening his tie. He flashed a murderous look up at the Politician Gundam. Though Wong knew he couldn't see him, he smirked nevertheless.
"Well, this test has proven useful. You can step out of the Gundam now, Mr. Wong."
Though Wong wasn't a man to take orders, he was slightly relieved to get out of the Gundam. The skintight mobile trace suit was annoying him, and he still felt out of place inside the mobile fighter. However, his greatest reason for balking against piloting the Politician Gundam (or any Gundam, for that matter) was one buried deep within his psyche, and one that even he didn't know about.
As Wong stepped down from the core lander, in his regular garb once more, Sadira smirked. Whether she was pleased with his performance or the performance of the Gundam was impossible to say.
"Not bad at all, Mr. Wong. With this data, we'll have your Politician Gundam completed in less than two weeks."
Urube was now standing behind Wong, and apparently his anger at having been chased around by the pocky funnels had faded. He leaned close to Wong when Sadira wasn't looking and whispered in his ear.
"Now's the perfect time... ask her!"
In all the excitement of the moment, Wong had forgotten about the main reason he had come. He bit his lip, looking at Sadira in a new way. She wasn't really that bad looking. A bit rude, perhaps... but she'd do for his plans. However, he had to ask her first.
"Erm... Ms. Kreuz?"
She looked up at him, surprised.
"Yes?"
"Well, I was wondering if perhaps you would be so kind as to... ah.. err..."
She waited patiently, a trait that Wong did not possess in large supply. It was obvious that this trait was one that had helped her attain such a high position.
".. if you would join me at dinner."
Sadira's eyes widened, making her glasses that much more prominent.
"Are you asking me out, Mr. Wong?"
Wong hesitated just a moment. He had not dated much in his life, and women were one of the few subjects he was unfamiliar with. Yet, for the moment, he had no choice.
"I suppose I am."
Urube stepped in between Wong and Sadira, all grins.
"He'll meet you on Saturday at 8:00, okay?"
Wong pushed Urube aside, not wanting him to appear dominant. After all, he was the one in charge.
"Let's make it Sunday at 9:00."
Sadira closed her eyes and smiled slightly. When she was smiling, she didn't look nearly as severe... nor as professional.
"Sounds good to me."
As Sadira walked back to the Gundam, Wong and Urube got back in the Paragon Institute car that would drive them back to the plane.
As soon as they got into the car, Wong looked at Urube, annoyed anew.
"I don't need you to butt in like that, you know. I'm perfectly capable of handling any given situation."
"Sure you are... that's why you were sitting there gaping."
Wong lowered his glasses and stared into Urube's eyes.
"I told you this when we were coming up here, and I'm telling you again. You are under my employ, and protection for that matter, so it would be in your best interests to do as I say."
Urube folded his arms and did not respond. Despite that, Wong felt he had gotten his point across to the former major.
At least he's been warned. Next time there won't be any excuse.
As the car drove back to Neo Singapore, the scene shifted from Wong, in favor of a privately owned satellite in orbit high above the Earth. Within it's interior, a man sat, cast in shadow. In front of him were large screens displaying the interior of the plane Wong and Urube had just boarded as well as the Paragon Institute hangar where the Politician Gundam was being returned.
The man's right hand emerged from the shadows. It wore two rings. One was a simple gold band on his ring finger; the other one mounted an impressive ruby, and rested on his index finger. He grasped a golden goblet and sipped casually, the red wine flashing briefly. The man sat the goblet back down, and his hand withdrew into the shadows.
The man smirked, allowing a glimpse at his face. Though the whole of him was his cast in shadow, his right eye gleamed in the dark like a jewel, in a way that no natural human eye could gleam.
"Soon, my old friend... soon."