Chapter One
Click.
Ivory paused and pushed away from her laptop. She turned slowly, having a sinking feeling enter her stomach. Ivory raised her eyes to the barrel of a gun, pointed straight at her forehead. A Gundam pilot? Her captor motioned for silence and to rise. As she stood, he grabbed Ivory's forearm and pulled her to the door. He was tall and quite strong, but considerate enough to not cut the circulation to the rest of her arm. His hair was long in front and it swept across his face, masking the right side. Ivory wanted to ask if he used gel in his hair, but felt it wasn't an appropriate time to ask, being his hostage and all. She made sure her gun was secure in the holster and followed.
She thought he was the pilot of the Gundam labeled 04. He pulled Ivory down the maze of hallways with a sense of urgency. She only resisted when she heard the voices of soldiers but he pushed Ivory in front of him and started to jog. Ivory knew silence what key to her survival and believed being alive was better than trying to fight. But on rounding a corner, alarms went off and shouting ensued. He started to run, and Ivory had to follow. He grabbed both her hands tightly and raced for the next wing.
The mysterious brown haired boy pushed her out the back door of the base and into the passenger seat of an idling large truck. She tried to run but he used his body weight to shove her in. Ivory yelled but the alarms were too loud for anyone to notice. He vaulted in behind her and yelled "GO!" Another pilot, the pilot of 02, stomped on the accelerator and through the open gates of the Barton estate. Her kidnapper jumped into the back of the truck where Ivory heard the clicking of a keyboard and a series of beeps.
With her arm free, Ivory reached for the handle to the door and the locks slammed down. The driving pilot tipped his cap to her. Ivory glared at him as she raised the lock, just as the Barton estate exploded. She sat in a moment of shock before Ivory screamed. She huddled into the chair and looked at the pilot. "What's going on?" she yelled.
"Hey! Did you check her for a bug? Or a tracking device?" the driver said. He nodded at Ivory. "It's just a precautionary thing. We're not going to rape you or anything." Before she could think, the pilot who kidnapped Ivory hustled her into the back of the truck. He pulled out a pair of jeans and a button down blouse.
"You have to undress." Ivory shot him a defiant look. "No." "Don't make this hard on yourself. I don't want to hurt you." Ivory glared. "Do your worst."
"The Barton uniform. It has to go. I know it's got a homing device in the cufflinks and a mike in the pin. Who knows what else you've got on you." She made no response. There was a homing device and a mike in the pin of her lapel, but with the Barton building destroyed, it wasn't any good unless another soldier was within three miles of her. But they were all dead.
Ivory suddenly reached for the right side of her waist. Her holster was empty. The pilot waved around the characteristic Barton utilitarian gun in his left hand. "Looking for this?"
When Ivory made no move, Trowa switched the gun to his right hand and cocked it. "I promise I won't stare, but the uniform's got to go. And before you change into the other stuff, I have to glance you over once and you're good to go.
"You DO realize that I could have an internal device or something in my underwear. I'm not the average soldier Mr. Gundam Pilot."
Trowa smiled. "I used to work for the Barton's too. They wouldn't make anything special that they couldn't use on everyone. And they would never put anything inside you." Now the smiled faded and he pointed the gun at her head again. "I'll turn around and look through the mirror if you're shy. But you have to do it."
Ivory shot him a venom glance and turned her back to him. She started to unbutton the jacket and swung around to kick him in the head. He read her easily. He caught her foot and flipped her, crashing Ivory into the floor. He pulled her arms behind her and pressed the gun to the back of her head.
"Is everything okay back there guys?" the driver called back.
"Change." Trowa let Ivory up, making sure to tug on her arms a little to make his point. "Don't make me do it for you." Ivory undressed and spun slowly so he could see. Ivory glared at him defiantly through the mirror, regardless of her nakedness but she had nothing to hide. But she dressed as fast as she could, feeling slightly violated. Ivory kept her back to him as Trowa collected her uniform and locked them in a safe. Trowa could feel his blood race a little faster as he watched her surreptitiously, but she couldn't know that.
"I don't see what you're so embarrassed about." He half smiled. "You can go back and sit up front again with Duo. If you need me, just look back here." Ivory didn't meet his gaze, but nodded. He was stronger than her and the skirmish definitely left a few bruises. But that being the first time someone ever looked at her without a scientific reason, made her slightly uncomfortable. And by not meeting his eyes, she noticed an extra bulge in his pants that wasn't there before. She blushed in anger and a little shame, resenting her moment of negligence in her room.
Ivory slid back into the passenger seat and looked out the window. After an hour she asked, "Why am I here? And why did you guys take me?"
"What are you talking about? We saved you from the Bartons. You would have exploded back there if it wasn't for us!"
"You're probably the ones that set the bombs to go off. Why take me? I have no use for you!" Ivory spat. "Bring me back to the base!"
Duo hesitated. "We'll tell you later Lin." A bell went off in her head.
"Lin?"
"Lin Choi? Everyone knows who you are."
"Lin Choi died AC 195. Lin Choi doesn't exist! She's a martyr for the colonies. You must have me confused for some other soldier."
"I disagree. You're sitting here in front of me right?"
Ivory raised an eyebrow. "I'm not Lin."
Duo pulled out a file about half an inch thick and tossed it into her lap. The folder included information on the Barton estate, the operation Ivory was working for, and surprisingly, all the information on Lin Choi. But where all normal files ended, it continued into HER life. There were pictures of Ivory on the street, her Barton files and reports, and her itinerary of that day. The file was complete, but all the information about the patriotic death of Lin was missing. Instead, it included files about her hospitalization and injuries suffered from a building explosion the day Lin Choi supposedly died in battle for the colonies.
"Don't worry. We're not going to kill you. You have another purpose." Ivory kept reading. Watching the pictures of "Lin" getting older, name changes, how she changed her age. Everything looked complete. The Barton's file on Ivory didn't contain even this amount of care. Ivory didn't understand how they got so much information, but none of it could be true.
Meanwhile, the pilot in the back kept typing. "He's probably looking at a secret recording of me undressing," Ivory thought. She felt exposed.
Click.
Ivory paused and pushed away from her laptop. She turned slowly, having a sinking feeling enter her stomach. Ivory raised her eyes to the barrel of a gun, pointed straight at her forehead. A Gundam pilot? Her captor motioned for silence and to rise. As she stood, he grabbed Ivory's forearm and pulled her to the door. He was tall and quite strong, but considerate enough to not cut the circulation to the rest of her arm. His hair was long in front and it swept across his face, masking the right side. Ivory wanted to ask if he used gel in his hair, but felt it wasn't an appropriate time to ask, being his hostage and all. She made sure her gun was secure in the holster and followed.
She thought he was the pilot of the Gundam labeled 04. He pulled Ivory down the maze of hallways with a sense of urgency. She only resisted when she heard the voices of soldiers but he pushed Ivory in front of him and started to jog. Ivory knew silence what key to her survival and believed being alive was better than trying to fight. But on rounding a corner, alarms went off and shouting ensued. He started to run, and Ivory had to follow. He grabbed both her hands tightly and raced for the next wing.
The mysterious brown haired boy pushed her out the back door of the base and into the passenger seat of an idling large truck. She tried to run but he used his body weight to shove her in. Ivory yelled but the alarms were too loud for anyone to notice. He vaulted in behind her and yelled "GO!" Another pilot, the pilot of 02, stomped on the accelerator and through the open gates of the Barton estate. Her kidnapper jumped into the back of the truck where Ivory heard the clicking of a keyboard and a series of beeps.
With her arm free, Ivory reached for the handle to the door and the locks slammed down. The driving pilot tipped his cap to her. Ivory glared at him as she raised the lock, just as the Barton estate exploded. She sat in a moment of shock before Ivory screamed. She huddled into the chair and looked at the pilot. "What's going on?" she yelled.
"Hey! Did you check her for a bug? Or a tracking device?" the driver said. He nodded at Ivory. "It's just a precautionary thing. We're not going to rape you or anything." Before she could think, the pilot who kidnapped Ivory hustled her into the back of the truck. He pulled out a pair of jeans and a button down blouse.
"You have to undress." Ivory shot him a defiant look. "No." "Don't make this hard on yourself. I don't want to hurt you." Ivory glared. "Do your worst."
"The Barton uniform. It has to go. I know it's got a homing device in the cufflinks and a mike in the pin. Who knows what else you've got on you." She made no response. There was a homing device and a mike in the pin of her lapel, but with the Barton building destroyed, it wasn't any good unless another soldier was within three miles of her. But they were all dead.
Ivory suddenly reached for the right side of her waist. Her holster was empty. The pilot waved around the characteristic Barton utilitarian gun in his left hand. "Looking for this?"
When Ivory made no move, Trowa switched the gun to his right hand and cocked it. "I promise I won't stare, but the uniform's got to go. And before you change into the other stuff, I have to glance you over once and you're good to go.
"You DO realize that I could have an internal device or something in my underwear. I'm not the average soldier Mr. Gundam Pilot."
Trowa smiled. "I used to work for the Barton's too. They wouldn't make anything special that they couldn't use on everyone. And they would never put anything inside you." Now the smiled faded and he pointed the gun at her head again. "I'll turn around and look through the mirror if you're shy. But you have to do it."
Ivory shot him a venom glance and turned her back to him. She started to unbutton the jacket and swung around to kick him in the head. He read her easily. He caught her foot and flipped her, crashing Ivory into the floor. He pulled her arms behind her and pressed the gun to the back of her head.
"Is everything okay back there guys?" the driver called back.
"Change." Trowa let Ivory up, making sure to tug on her arms a little to make his point. "Don't make me do it for you." Ivory undressed and spun slowly so he could see. Ivory glared at him defiantly through the mirror, regardless of her nakedness but she had nothing to hide. But she dressed as fast as she could, feeling slightly violated. Ivory kept her back to him as Trowa collected her uniform and locked them in a safe. Trowa could feel his blood race a little faster as he watched her surreptitiously, but she couldn't know that.
"I don't see what you're so embarrassed about." He half smiled. "You can go back and sit up front again with Duo. If you need me, just look back here." Ivory didn't meet his gaze, but nodded. He was stronger than her and the skirmish definitely left a few bruises. But that being the first time someone ever looked at her without a scientific reason, made her slightly uncomfortable. And by not meeting his eyes, she noticed an extra bulge in his pants that wasn't there before. She blushed in anger and a little shame, resenting her moment of negligence in her room.
Ivory slid back into the passenger seat and looked out the window. After an hour she asked, "Why am I here? And why did you guys take me?"
"What are you talking about? We saved you from the Bartons. You would have exploded back there if it wasn't for us!"
"You're probably the ones that set the bombs to go off. Why take me? I have no use for you!" Ivory spat. "Bring me back to the base!"
Duo hesitated. "We'll tell you later Lin." A bell went off in her head.
"Lin?"
"Lin Choi? Everyone knows who you are."
"Lin Choi died AC 195. Lin Choi doesn't exist! She's a martyr for the colonies. You must have me confused for some other soldier."
"I disagree. You're sitting here in front of me right?"
Ivory raised an eyebrow. "I'm not Lin."
Duo pulled out a file about half an inch thick and tossed it into her lap. The folder included information on the Barton estate, the operation Ivory was working for, and surprisingly, all the information on Lin Choi. But where all normal files ended, it continued into HER life. There were pictures of Ivory on the street, her Barton files and reports, and her itinerary of that day. The file was complete, but all the information about the patriotic death of Lin was missing. Instead, it included files about her hospitalization and injuries suffered from a building explosion the day Lin Choi supposedly died in battle for the colonies.
"Don't worry. We're not going to kill you. You have another purpose." Ivory kept reading. Watching the pictures of "Lin" getting older, name changes, how she changed her age. Everything looked complete. The Barton's file on Ivory didn't contain even this amount of care. Ivory didn't understand how they got so much information, but none of it could be true.
Meanwhile, the pilot in the back kept typing. "He's probably looking at a secret recording of me undressing," Ivory thought. She felt exposed.