Authors Note: Wow. I'm actually updating my neglected Ambition's Debt? It would seem so. As ever, thanks go to all readers, especially those who have left reviews. Enjoy, and be sure to tell me what you think of this current development.
Neon lights. Vivid color schemes. The shouts of excited tourists. These elements could be found in any number of places in any number of nations, but rarely would they be found in as powerful quantities as they were in Neo America's Stardust Park. Without a question, Stardust Park was the most popular, most extravagant, and most prominent attraction of the powerful nation. Wong, ever the thrill-seeker, wasn't content with a visit to the newly rebuilt Statue of Liberty Cannon or the Triple Towers. No, he wanted something that was fun. So it was decided that Stardust Park would be the destination for his second outing with Sadira Kreuz. Constructed literally on the fringes on the Neo America colony, Stardust Park seemed almost a separate entity – tethered, yet free.
Of course, Wong had his own ulterior motives for coming to this place. While he had only been to Neo America once throughout his entire career as Prime Minister, he knew perfectly well that the colony was the third most heavily populated one in existence. Being seen there with a woman would mean plenty of opportunities for the paparazzi to spot him. The news would leak out to the other nations, and finally put that stupid tabloid that had started all of this to rest. Every cautious, Wong also decided to bring Urube along on this venture to reprise his actual position as bodyguard. Of course, the Neo Japanese dictator' was clad in all sorts of concealing clothing to hide himself – he would be tarred, feathered, lynched, and quartered by the mobs if they even got an inkling of who he really was.
Sitting calmly as Urube found a suitable parking space, Wong reflected on the trip here. For some reason, Sadira had readily agreed to go, but seemed somber and subdued for the duration of the journey. Thus, it had been left up to him to decide where they would go first. He had decided to try out the Stardust Circuit racecourse first.
Stepping out of the car, Wong stretched, his coat nearly falling off. He shrugged his coat up and looked at his companions.
"We're finally here... shall we?" he asked, gesturing to the entrance.
All he got in response was a curt nod from Urube and a disinterested Sure' from Sadira.
These people just don't know how to have fun, that's all. Hopefully once things pick up they'll lighten up.
Waiting at the entrance to the Stardust Circuit was an android. A far cry from the advanced models that could pass for humans easily, this model made no effort to hide it's mechanical nature. It was about the size of a middle-school age child, and had the familiar Windows insignia on it's breastplate. After Microsoft had purchased Disney, right before the dawn of the Future Century proper, the corporation had dominated the world of theme parks, and used them to show off their models. Apparently though, they hadn't gotten around to rotating out the technology here.
The android's eyes flashed as it computed the number of people present.
Please insert forty five dollars.' said the android in a grating, raspy whine of a voice. Wong took several bills out of his coat and slid them into the machine's chest.
"Welcome to Stardust Park.' said the android as it stepped aside to allow them entry. Once there, reactions were immediate from all three of them.
I like this.... I like this a lot!'
Big deal.'
Wow...'
The entrance room was dome-shaped, and full of people and more androids milling about. The trademark souvenir shop stood near the entrance, where cheap collectibles could be purchased. At the other end' of the room stood a huge pair of steel doors which no doubt led to the Stardust Circuit itself. Lined up on either side of the steel doors were several compact bumper karts of various colors, waiting for drivers, of which there were plenty.
"Those things look small..." grumbled Urube.
Wong shot him a look. He was getting tired of the constant complaints, even though he understood why the Neo Japanese man was so irritated. Being in a country full of people who would kill him if they knew who he really was would strain anyone's temperament. Sadira, on the other hand, was a mystery to him. If he weren't so excited about the prospect of this glittering place, he'd almost regret taking this trip.
"I'm sure there's one for you." assured Wong as he hopped into a green bumper kart with the number twenty-five displayed on a screen affixed to the rear of the bumper kart. Sadira chose the closest one to her, a red kart with the number fifty-four. After about ten straight minutes of searching Urube found a large black kart that sported the number six. During this time Wong noticed several people staring at him; even in the West he was a well-known figure.
"Well, now." remarked Wong to Sadira beside him, "Are you up for a race?"
Sadira merely shrugged.
Wong opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off as the gates opened, as they did in twenty-minute intervals, to allow a new group to proceed. Wong fiddled with the controls until he knew what made the kart go, then drove his way through the crowd and onto the racecourse, Urube and Sadira close by.
The racecourse itself was truly magnificent. Running under the colony itself, above the course and visible to all was space itself. Of course, a powerful barrier protected them from being sucked out into the vacuum of space. The walls on either side of them were ringed by lightposts, illuminating the course. Occasionally a neon rocket' or a glistening planet' could be seen on the sides as well. Above the barrier directly was the occasional chunk of meteor. The course was by no means linear either: wild curves and impossible slopes were the norm here.
Ignoring the other drivers zipping past them, Wong veered closer to Sadira's red kart so he could speak to her. Urube drove beside them erratically; apparently he was still mastering the kart or something.
"You don't seem to be having much fun..." he noted.
"Oh, it's not that." she said. "This place is fantastic, really it is. I've never been to Neo America before."
Wong opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off as his green kart was rammed and sent spiraling into the side of the track, bouncing off the wall.
"What was that?!" he demanded. His question was answered when he saw Sadira get similarly rammed into the wall, and now he saw who was the culprit, or rather, culprits. Two teenagers, a boy and a girl. The boy had black hair and was in an orange bumper kart with the number seventeen on it. The girl had blonde hair and sported a yellow bumper kart with the number eighteen. The two had apparently rammed him at the same time and sent him spiraling, as they had just done to Sadira.
"What the hell's wrong with you two?!" Wong shouted at the teenagers. "Are you nuts?!"
The twins grinned at the same time, and the boy responded. "Don't mind us, we're just having fun."
The two then spun their bumper karts and took off after him in unison. Wong drove as fast he could to avoid them, but they seemed to be working in almost perfect synchronization, and double-teamed him, sending him spinning into another bumper kart. This one, being driven by a child of only 12 years of age, was overturned on it's driver.
These kids are crazy! thought Wong. As he tried to get his kart to go, he looked around. The twins had turned their attention back to Sadira. An angry Wong put his foot on the accelerator and shot straight at them, colliding into the boy's kart and sending him into his sister.
Sadira was pale from trying not to get overturned. She looked at Wong and smiled.
"I didn't think you could do that."
Wong, however, had his eye on the twins, who were stabilizing their karts and had murder in their eyes.
"Hey, Gunjin, mind giving us a hand?!" he shouted at Urube.
All the while Urube had been left behind and only now was he catching up to them. His bumper kart tipped upward, and if it had wheels, the front ones would be off the ground. Apparently the kart wasn't big enough for him after all.
"I'm trying, Wong!" he replied tersely. "I'm kind of in a situation here..."
"Yeah, well so are we!" declared Wong, as he drove up next to Sadira's red kart and watched the twins accelerate towards them. The girl's hair was messed up, and she looked furious.
"Do you know how long it takes me to get my hair perfect?!?!" she demanded
Just as the teens were about to hit Wong, Urube drove in and caught the boy under his tilted kart. He rammed the boy into the girl, and forced them both into a wall.
"Go on ahead of me, you two!" shouted Urube. "I'll take care of these kids!"
Wong was more than happy to oblige. After all, he paid Urube to take care of people like that. Sadira drove up beside him, and the two continued further down the racecourse.
"Thank you for helping me back there, Wong." said Sadira. "Who were those kids anyway?"
Wong shrugged, raising up his coat, which had nearly fallen off his shoulders. "I don't know. Crazy Americans...."
For a few minutes the two simply drove along leisurely, taking the time to admire their surroundings.
"This is nice, Wong..." breathed Sadira as she admired the twinkling stars above.
"It is, isn't it? I'm glad you could join me here."
Sadira merely looked down, biting her lip. Wong by no means missed it.
"Look, something has been troubling you ever since we left, hasn't it?" Wong asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Well, to be honest... there's something that I need to talk to you about, Wong."
"Go on... you know you can talk to me about anything."
Instead of answering, Sadira's attention turned to behind them both. "Who're those people, Wong?"
Wong tilted his head as far behind him as he could while still driving, expecting to see either Urube or those crazy twins. Instead, he saw four off-red karts driving beside each other in a line, each displaying the number two. As they got closer Wong could see the drivers. Each kart was driven by a woman: one with short red hair, one with brown hair and glasses, one with long blonde hair, and one with pure black hair. All of them had eerie, glowing red eyes.
"I don't know, but they look familiar..."
As the four girls drove up to Wong and Sadira, they broke off from their formation, only to form a veritable square around the two. They never passed them up, nor stayed behind; they always kept pace. Though they weren't hostile, it was still unnerving, and Sadira inched her bumper kart closer to Wong's.
"Why are they just following us? And what's wrong with their eyes?"
Wong, however, was trying to remember just where he had seen these girls before. His memory was very good, so he knew he had seen them somewhere before. The trouble was placing where.
Elections, hospitals, vacations, Gundam Fights.... the 13th Gundam Fight! That's where I've seen them! They were... someone's crew members!
As this realization came into Wong's mind, the audible noise of another kart approaching was heard. This one was bright blue, and much faster than any of the others Wong had seen thus far. This one displayed the number thirty-one, and although Wong had never met the driver in person, he recognized him immediately.
"Chibodee Crockett?!"
Of course! Those were his crew members! But... how is he here? I thought he was dead!"
Apparently Chibodee himself wasn't troubled by such notions; he easily caught up to the little group. Unlike his girls, his eyes were perfectly normal, although his mouth was twisted in a leering grin that Wong didn't like one bit.
"I don't like this, Wong... we need to get away from these people!" exclaimed Sadira.
Wong attempted to pass through the opening in the square, but two of the girls zoomed in to block his path.
"Easier said than done..." he muttered.
As Chibodee neared them, the girls behind Wong and Sadira moved aside to allow him entry. The Neo American's fists glowed a bright red, and Wong knew what he was going to do... he had seen it done plenty of times before.
"Sadira, swerve to the side, NOW!" shouted Wong. As the two did so, Chibodee fired his Gounetsu Machinegun Punch. The volley of ki punches hit one of his girls, and her bumper kart exploded.
Wong didn't have to say what to do next; he and Sadira were both were smart enough to take the opportunity to get past the girls before they could get into another formation. They easily left the three remaining girls and Chibodee behind.
"Okay, Wong, you owe me an explanation. Who was that guy?!" demanded Sadira as soon as they were alone again.
"Explanations can wait; we haven't lost him yet!" yelled Wong, looking back behind him. Sure enough, Chibodee's blue kart was already visible again, and gaining on them rapidly.
"Doesn't that guy quit?!" exclaimed Wong in frustration.
"He's going to use that move again!!" shouted Sadira.
This time, the back of Wong's kart was hit, right in the screen, which of course shattered it. The ki punches deflected off of the barrier above them and dented the sides of the course.
"He's too fast... he's going to be so close in a few minutes he can't miss!" stammered Wong.
As Chibodee got closer and closer, his twisted grin got wider. His fists glowed red as he gathered his ki, and..
Suddenly Chibodee's fists stopped glowing and his face contorted in pain. His kart spun wildly into the wall, and also exploded.
"What happened?!" gaped Sadira.
"I have a clue..." said Wong, unable to hide his grin.
Where Chibodee has once been now was Urube. He was sitting in three seats, the other two presumably taken from the karts of the twins. Together, they stabilized his weight... barely. He had spent all this time catching up to them, and had rammed into Chibodee with all the force he possessed.
"Did I miss anything?" quipped Urube.
"As usual, your timing is flawless." commented Wong.
"Umm...." butted in Sadira. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but he's getting up..."
"WHAT?!" said Urube and Wong simultaneously.
From the burning wreckage of the kart emerged Chibodee, one arm hanging limply at his side. Now his eyes were as red as those of his girls, and he wiped blood from his lip with his good hand.
"Um... drive. Now." stated Wong matter-of-factly.
The three of them took off as fast as their karts could take them. After wiping the blood, Chibodee took off after them on foot, moving at insane speeds.... speeds attainable only by Gundam Fighters.
"How are we going to lose him, Wong?" demanded Urube.
"How should I know?" shouted Wong frantically. "You're the one with all the great ideas!"
"Watch out, you two!" exclaimed Sadira.
As he ran, Chibodee fired off Cyclone Punches and Burning Punches with his one good hand. The punches seemed to fill the air around them as they maneuvered their way through the deadly storm.
"Look! Up ahead!" pointed Wong. "There's a bunch of holes!"
"Yeah, you drop into them to get to the roller coaster, so?!" replied Urube.
"That... just might work!" said Sadira enthusiastically, having realized what Wong was planning to do. A second later Urube caught on, and he grinned his approval.
Swerving their way through the hail of ki punches, the three took off for the holes. Once they reached them their karts docked right in front of them. Wong looked back at Chibodee, who was gaining on them but far enough away... too far away.
Wong smirked.
As the three were sprung into the holes they dropped a short distance and landed in the seats of a roller coaster. Upon receiving it's occupants, the roller coaster automatically activated and took off down the track.
A split second after it took off Chibodee dropped down the hole... missing the roller coaster and falling a good fifty feet down into a small, shallow pool below.
"So much for him..." breathed Sadira.
"Good riddance..." remarked Wong.
As the roller coaster receded from view, a gloved hand reached out and grasped the rim of the pool. Coughing water and blood both, Romario glared up at the sky.
Wong, Urube, and Sadira looked around them in wonder. The roller coaster apparently led it's occupants into Stardust Park proper, and they had a bird's-eye view of the park in all it's glory. Like the Stardust Circuit, Stardust Park was overlooked by space above, but the neon lights that seemed to be everywhere illuminated the park. The centerpiece of the park was the enormous Pleasure Castle, which they got a good view of. After all, the track of the roller coaster itself looped around it's many red-roofed towers.
They also passed over bowling lanes strewn about at random, a carousel building, and a pair of ships- literal, old day ships – suspended in midair and circling around each other. The roller coaster finally stopped near the aforementioned carousel room, letting them out to what was apparently the front of the Pleasure Castle.
"Let's sit down for a minute..." said Wong, tired from the close call with Chibodee. Sadira and Urube agreed, and the three sat on the stone steps that were the entrance to the carousel room and watched the scene before them.
In front of the Pleasure Castle, right before them, was a pool. This, however, was not the same pool they had passed earlier – this one was much larger, and was currently filled with playing, laughing, shouting people. On the sides of the pool sat androids in beach chairs, obviously playing the role of lifeguard.
"What was that all about, Wong? asked Sadira.
Wong shrugged. "I'm not sure myself."
Urube suddenly spoke up. "Mind if I go on ahead of you, Wong? I want to see the Pleasure Castle."
Wong nodded. "Sure. Go ahead." He was inwardly smiling to himself, as he knew that Urube really wanted him to have some private time with Sadira.
For a few minutes Wong and Sadira simply sat and caught their breath. Finally Sadira spoke.
"Wong... there's something I want to talk to you about."
In all of the excitement of the Chibodee chase, Wong had forgotten about what Sadira had been talking about before. Now, though, he remembered, and he leaned forward.
"Certainly."
"Well, you were Prime Minister of the universe three years ago, weren't you?"
Wong frowned; the subject of his Gundam Fight days hadn't come up much in their conversations. His next words were careful.
"Yes, I was."
Sadira watched him as she spoke, her eyes seeming to search every inch of his face.
"Well, do you know anything about all of those accidents and strange events that occurred during that Fight?"
"Nothing that hasn't already been publicized." replied Wong. "That was a very unlucky year."
"There's one thing that no one talks about, though..." continued Sadira.
"Oh?" asked Wong, though he already knew good and well what she was talking about. "What are you referring to?"
"That Devil Gundam.' At least, that's all I've ever heard it called. They say that it was responsible for the deaths on Lantau Island... that it attacked the Shuffle Alliance in South America... and that it was on the Neo Japan colony or something. I don't know all the details."
Wong pushed up his glasses. "Devil Gundam... no, I can't say I've ever heard of it. I heard about the accidents in Guyana and Lantau, but those were both attributed to our own Gundam Fighter Master Asia, who unbeknownst to us all had lost his sanity."
Sadira's eyes narrowed. "Then why was Domon Kasshu accusing you of hoping to revive it? That's why he attacked you, wasn't it?"
"I... don't know," said Wong finally. "He never explained his actions, if you'll recall."
"Oh, but he did explain them." stated Sadira slowly. "He explained them to me."
Wong's glasses slipped, revealing eyes filled with surprise. He quickly pushed them up again. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying..." answered Sadira "... that I spoke with Domon Kasshu myself. His wife and George De Sand too. And they told me everything."
"You... did what?!" demanded Wong as he rose to his feet, not bothering to push up his glasses this time.
Sadira stood up as well and looked at him. "Is what they say true, Wong? Were you going to rule forever using that horrible gundam?"
Being a politician, Wong was an excellent liar. He had lied to hundreds... maybe thousands, throughout the course of his career. Lying came to him easily. So he was shocked when the next words out of his mouth were...
"Yes, it's true."
Now Sadira was the one to look angry. "So it's true... you risked the lives of many innocent people for your own greed... and then you lied to me about it!"
"It's not like that!" shot back Wong. "It... it wasn't supposed to happen like it did..."
"Oh?" questioned Sadira sarcastically. "Let me guess, you were supposed to stay in power forever, right? And if anyone got in the way, too bad for them."
"No! It wasn't just about me! I was going to use the Devil Gundam to rejuvenate the Earth! It was our plan!"
"What are you talking about?!"
"They didn't tell you that, did they?!" demanded Wong. "No, of course they didn't..."
"Tell me what?" asked Sadira, her voice a tad lower than before. "Tell me what you're talking about!"
"The Devil Gundam was supposed to revive the Earth." began Wong. "That's what Master said when he told me of it. And he was right... except that it wanted to destroy all of humanity to achieve that."
"So you're saying you were misled by your Gundam Fighter?" inquired Sadira dubiously.
"Yes. I didn't mean for anything to turn out the way it did.... but the Shuffle Alliance kept interfering, and Asia was bent on his own psychotic agenda."
"Okay, maybe you're right and maybe you're still lying." responded Sadira. "But how do you explain what you did to Allenby?"
They even told her about Allenby?
For the first time in his life, Wong has caught without any response. Seeing this, Sadira's eyes grew even angrier.
"You used an innocent girl.... you exploited her! How could you?!"
"I...I...." stammered Wong.
"Never mind."
With that, Sadira simply walked away.
"Hey, wait, Sadira! Come back!" cried Wong, chasing after her.
Sadira didn't even turn around, she just walked into the Pleasure Castle. After a moment's hesitation, Wong followed
Inside the Pleasure Castle were three long hallways. Wong didn't see Sadira in any of them.
How can this be happening? he asked himself sadly. None of this was supposed to happen!
Wong finally decided on the right-hand hallway. This hallway had red carpet and a red ceiling, but brown walls made of stone.
How could she have gotten so far away from me? Did I take the wrong hallway?
Then Wong saw someone at the end of the hallway, cast in shadow. At this distance he couldn't see facial features, but the figure was obviously feminine, and obviously waiting for him.
"Sadira, is that you?" shouted Wong. In response, the figure slipped away.
Wong ran after her as fast as he could go. Panting for breath, he peered into the room Sadira had slipped into. A far cry from the red hallway or the neon lights that he had quickly become accustomed to, this place was large and ominous. Mirrors lined the walls, giving the room a skewed, unreal appearance. A few gothic looking stone pillars that mounted candles sat in between a flight of stairs.
Pleasure Castle indeed... this place looks like it came from a horror movie or something.
Sitting at the very top of the stairs was Sadira, again cast in shadow. Her arms were folded, and she looked down at Wong.
"Sadira, you didn't even give me a chance to explain!" protested Wong. "At least let me have my say!"
Again Sadira rose and walked away. Wong ran up the stairs after her. She stepped back, then up an adjacent flight of stairs leading to what appeared to be some sort of mural. Looking back at Wong, she put her hand onto the foot of a dragon that was the centerpiece, and a portion of the mural slid to the side to reveal a hidden entrance. She stepped inside.
Wait... something's not right here... something's not right at all.
Wong looked between his choices: another long, stone hallway or the hidden altar entrance. He didn't know what lay waiting in either, but something was telling him not to take that altar entrance.
Ah, forget this. If she knows about that entrance, she'll know how to find me.
His choice made, Wong trotted off down the hallway.
Sadira Kreuz made her way down the hallway. It was certainly a change from what she had seen of Stardust Park thus far. She had expected the Pleasure Castle, as it was called, to be full of more neon lights, rides, and games. Instead, she found herself walking down a mirrored hallway. The walls around her were both mirrored, giving the hallway the frightening impression of continuing on for infinity. If there were a ceiling, Sadira didn't see it... nothing but reflections of herself.
Yet, as strange as this new development was, she couldn't get her mind off of Wong.
Am I being unfair to him? Maybe he had his reasons. Even if he did, though, how can you justify exploiting a child? Would he do that to me?
The mirrored hallway came to an abrupt end, opening up into another hallway, this one made of stone and possessing a very Middle Ages look, like the look of some dark castle. Candles lit the hallways, illuminating her.
This place sure is morbid... thought Sadira as she continued onward. The hallway looped on and on, eventually leading her into... another mirrored hallway.
What? Again? What is it with this place? Is it possible that I'm just going in circles?
This time, though, the exit at the end was visible, a clear sign that this was new territory. Sadira made her way down the hallway, but as she was halfway across she heard something... a strange crashing noise.
Sadira spun around, and faced off against the strangest thing she had seen in her life.
It was a machine of some sort, humanoid and easily over six feet tall. It was bulky and green, and stood on short, stumpy legs. It had no neck, only an oversized head. It's arms were silver and spindly, but easily had hands at the end. On it's back sat two thrusters, proportionate to the body.
The machine eyed her with it's metallic, unflinching gaze. Sadira stepped back.
"What sort of android are you?"
In response, the machine outstretched it's arms, as if wanting to embrace her in some sort of hug.
"I don't think so."
Sadira turned and ran, only to feel the machine's hand holding her arm with a grip of iron. She looked back, and saw that it hadn't moved an inch... it's arm had. Apparently it's hands were connected to it's arms by long wires... wires that were all too long.
"Let me go!" screamed Sadira, trying to pull it's fingers loose. In response, the machine extended it's other wire-guided arm, grabbing her free arm.
"Agh! Let me go! AAAHHHH!!! HELP ME WONG!!!"
Sadira duck her heels into the floor, but the machine steadily dragged her back towards it, until she was looking into it's clear, dead eyes. It's chest opened and smaller wires wrapped around her chest, pulling her close to it.
Sadira beat at it with her fists, but the machine was unfazed. It's thrusters were apparently about to ignite when...
A small, brown form jumped out of Sadira's purse and latched onto the machine's eyes, scrabbling and biting. As surprised as a machine could ever get, it stumbled back a bit, letting go of Sadira's arms to try and reach the mongoose clawing at it's eyes. To her utter surprise, the machine screamed a very human scream.
"Satangoose!" exclaimed Sadira. She knew her pet had a tendency to slip into her purse when she wasn't looking, but this was the first time she was glad he had. He must have been asleep for the duration of the trip and the Stardust Circuit ride.
Sadira grabbed her mongoose off of the machine's face and took off running down the hallway. It's face sparking and one eye shattered, the machine fired off both it's wire-guided arms simultaneously. Sadira dodged to the side and ran by them, never looking back.
Where are those two?
Having been walking around the rear of the Pleasure Castle for the past fifteen minutes, Wong couldn't help asking himself that question. Plenty of faces to choose from – but none of them resembled who he was looking for. Sighing, he sat down on a bench to rest.
As he sat down, he heard panting from behind him. He turned around to see Sadira, who was clutching her purse and catching her breath. He leapt up and rushed over to her.
"There you are! What happened? Why'd you go into that mural?"
"Mural?" stuttered Sadira. "What are... you talking... about?"
"That mural you went into..." replied Wong.
"I didn't... go into any... mural." said Sadira.
"Glad you two could make it." said a voice.
Wong and Sadira looked up to see Urube, with a newspaper in one hand and a bag full of water bottles in the other. He reached in and gave one to each of them.
Wong drank his water thirstily, then looked up at Urube. "Where have you been?"
Urube shrugged. "I just went through the Pleasure Castle and decided to wait for you two out here. Nice place, but it's a bit gaudy, don't you think?"
"Gaudy?" laughed Sadira weakly. "I'd say morbid is a better word."
"Ummm... okay." blinked Urube.
At the same time that Wong and Sadira were explaining the details of their respective ordeals to an incredulous Urube, two figures stood in a small room cast in shadow, said shadows hiding everything save for their outlines. Despite this, it was obvious that one of the figures was lithe and feminine, while the other was pudgy and short. The arm of the second figure hung limp at his side. The only light in the room came from a monitor affixed to one wall. The visage that glared from it looked none too pleased.
"So you're telling me that the two... no, three of you, didn't accomplish any of the directives that I gave you?" said the voice coming from the monitor angrily.
"I cannot speak for the others," said the woman, "... but, for my part, I did the best I could do given the circumstances. You told me not to harm him in any way, which limited my options considerably. As for the other two, I had no jurisdiction over how they operated."
The face then turned his gaze to the small man. "And what about you? What have you to say for yourself, Romario?"
A small, odd chuckle was Romario's only response.
A groan came forth from the monitor. "Argh! All I ask for is one minion... one competent minion."
The woman stepped forward. "You do not need him or the other one. I can take care of everything from now on, Mr. Mordred."
Mordred looked at her, then at Romario. "Fine. Retrieve that useless creation of mine and return to my private estate. I shall have your next assignment waiting for you."
He then turned to Romario. "And you, you worthess mime... you're fired!"
"Hehehehehe..." giggled Romario.
"Get out of my sight!"
Romario bounced out of the room, still giggling. Mordred's face disappeared from the screen, and the woman strode out of the room a few minutes later.
Two hours later found Wong and his entourage on the shuttle back to Neo Hong Kong. He had more than had his fill of Neo America for one day.
Urube had fallen asleep immediately. Wong had expected Sadira to fall asleep as well, but she did not.
"Wong?" she asked tentatively.
"Yes?"
"I'm... sorry about walking off back there. That was uncalled for." she conceded.
"No, you had every reason to." replied Wong. "I'm the one who should be apologizing..."
"About Allenby, though..." continued Sadira.
"You want to know if I had feelings for her, don't you." finished Wong. Sadira nodded.
"I know it doesn't matter now because it's in the past, but... I'd just feel better if you told me."
Allenby Biazury... she was an amazing young woman, that much is certain. But... did I have feelings for her?"
When Wong replied, he was answering both Sadira and himself.
"No. At least, not in that way. I admired her strength as a Gundam Fighter. But... we never would have worked out."
Sadira closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat, leaving Wong alone with his thoughts.
A female Gundam Fighter period was a rare thing... still is. And Allenby was and still is a warrior among warriors. I might have even enjoyed the chance to get to know her personally. However, I already know we could not have been anything, even casual friends. We were and are just too different. Besides, at this point in time she probably curses my name each night before she goes to sleep.
As relaxed as she was, Wong thought Sadira had fallen asleep. When she spoke, it surprised him.
"This is becoming a lot more than either of us planned it would be, isn't it?"
Her statement surprised Wong, but only for a brief time. She was an astute woman, and she read as much as he. She was also a woman who sensed opportunity.
"Yes, I suppose it has."
She looked over at him and smiled. "I know you might have done some bad things before. But I don't care. I... I feel more whole when I'm with you. I don't feel so isolated."
Wong was silent, knowing she had more to say.
"All of my life I've kept at a distance from people. It's not that I didn't like them... it was just that I was of no interest to them, and they were of no interest to me. I was happy with the chance I had, happy to be working with machines that were predictable... and stable."
"I can sort of tell where you're coming from." began Wong. "I've always felt more comfortable around people, but I never let them see all there was to see of me... my father taught me the dangers of doing such a thing."
Sadira waited for him to continue, but he didn't, even though the words were right there.
"You're still hiding, aren't you?" asked Sadira gently.
"It's better that way." said Wong simply.
"If you feel that's what you have to do, I'm okay with that." acknowledged Sadira. "As for me, though... this is the closest I've ever gotten to anyone."
"How do you feel about that?"
"I want to go even farther... but I want something from you."
Wong blinked behind his glasses. "What would that be?"
"I want a commitment." said Sadira matter-of-factly.
"A commitment?" asked Wong tentatively. "Aren't you kind of rushing into things?"
"I don't want to rush right into marriage or anything..." replied Sadira. "... but if I'm going to take this seriously, then you have to take it seriously too. And taking a relationship seriously means at least considering the possibility of marriage."
"I.... I don't know." said Wong hesitantly.
"That's all right." responded Sadira, a warm glow in her eyes.. was it love? "You don't have to respond right now. Think about it. That's all I ask."
The trip back to Neo Hong Kong was a lot more introspective than Wong had really hoped for.