Chapter 2
Ivory didn't realize she fell asleep in the truck until they came to a halt. Now, her hands were bound behind her back. In her sleep, they must have put some sort of handcuff on her wrists. Ivory yelled at the guys to let her go, but they didn't look at her. Both of them got out of the truck and went to talk to a guy in a lab coat. As Ivory simmered, she took note that this seemed to be a government building. The Preventers.
As they finished talking, Ivory shot both of them a death glare. They pulled her out of the truck and through the maximum security walls. Ivory felt like she was being put on a death march through the monotonous halls of the building. She was being directed from behind, so Ivory didn't know who was taking her where. A door slid open and Ivory was pushed through and sat in the chair. The walls were reflective glass, the kind you could see through from one side, but were just mirrors on her side. Her wrists chafed under the shackle and Ivory wanted to get out of there. The intercom buzzed like a bad TV show.
"Are you Lin Choi?"
"No."
"State your name."
"Ivory Jung." She had a strong urge to say, "Bond. James Bond," but didn't find that very wise.
"What is your position in the Barton estate?"
"I'm a soldier and computer techie. I used to program Mobile Dolls until it went out of fashion." Ivory was pretty sure the person back there was a woman. "Maybe its Lady Une or one of the other Preventer higher ups," she thought.
"Did you ever pilot a Serpent?" (Author note: Serpents were the MS that were used by Dekim in Endless Waltz) Lady Une pinched the bridge of her nose and waited for Ivory to respond.
"I have never piloted a Serpent."
Une spoke again. "Did you help create them?"
"Yes. I programmed their memory and fighting programs." "All this information was inside the files. Why bother asking? They had all the information on me, so there doesn't seem to be a point in interrogation," she thought.
"Are you, Lin Choi, the pilot of the Halcyon?"
Ivory paused. This was new. "How did they know about the Halcyon? And how did they connect me with Lin? Where did they get this information?" Ivory took a breath
"I am not Lin Choi."
"Are you the pilot of the Halcyon?" Ivory made no response. Some of this battle training had to come in use sometime. After a minute, the voice asked again.
"Are you the pilot of the Halcyon, the Mobile Suit made by the Barton Foundation? The Mobile Suit meant to destroy the Gundams?"
Again, Ivory made no reply. But how had they known? After another minute, the shackle that bound her hands together clinked apart. Ivory didn't hide her confusion. She let the shackle fall to the floor with a "clang" and stood up, massaging her wrists. The door behind her whooshed open and Quatre, the heir to the Winner estate, beckoned Ivory to follow. What was up?
Quatre kept up a cheery monologue as he led Ivory to another room. It was a sparse bedroom, similar to the bunker she slept in at the Barton estate, only now there was just one bed. Quatre pointed out a closet where there were clothes for her and the bathroom. Ivory also noted that there were no windows. So much for an escape. Quatre told her that he was on watch and he'd be in the hallway if Ivory needed anything. Duo would come by an hour later and relieve him. Ivory nodded and went in the bathroom. She heard the door close as Quatre left her to her privacy. Ivory also heard the door lock when it closed. Definitely no escape route.
Ivory turned on the water to scalding hot and grabbed some clothes. Even though the only people she'd seen so far were male, whoever stocked her closet remembered the feminine essentials. Ivory stepped into the shower and thought of a plan. Whatever happened, she had to get out and get to space. There was a broken colony that the remaining Bartons were camped out in, and with headquarters destroyed, they were defenseless. True, the Bartons were up to no good, but they were like her family and to let a few hundred soldiers die out there was atrocious. Ivory felt that she had to help.
-------
Heero got out of the pink limo and opened the door on the other side. A dainty shoe poked out and Relena Darlian, formerly Relena Peacecraft, stepped out. She was wearing less formal attire, but the matter at hand was still government business. It simply required less elegant dress. Relena and Heero walked into the building together. He still didn't show any indication of his infatuation; however, it was well known that they were an "item." They spoke little but the messages were clear. It seemed the couple had developed their own language. Heero placed Relena's luggage in a spare room. She smiled endearingly and Heero showed the faintest of blushes. He was poised to leave and took his own duffel bag in hand. "I'd prefer that you stay in my room instead of somewhere else Heero. Even though it's a Preventer building, I don't want to take a chance." Heero smiled and kicked the door closed. "Why is that?" Heero asked. "I'm afraid someone might come in unwanted." Heero trapped Relena against the wall. "The only one you need to be afraid of is me." He kissed her lightly and Relena smiled. She took his head in her hands and guided him for another, deeper kiss. His hands found her waist and he pushed her against the wall, forcing a small moan out of Relena. They continued to kiss deeply until a knock disturbed them. "Hey guys! Une needs to see Relena!" Wufei passed the room and Relena let out a giggle. She led Heero by the hand out to the hallway, where once again, their relationship became reticent.
-------
Quatre pulled out his handheld computer and started playing chess with it. Quatre knew that the mysterious girl within the room was a pilot of a new Gundam. They didn't know if it still existed, but it was a threat. And a new Gundam would mean another uprising, with no other Gundams to defend the people. But what did the scientists want with that girl?
Quatre moved his pawn to block a knight and thought. Politics were confusing but something was going on. Just what?
From within the room, a short cry and a bump was heard. Quatre leapt to his feet and barged though the door. Something was wrong. The door to the bathroom was closed. He called to Ivory but there wasn't a sound from inside. Quatre put his hand to the doorknob and pulled slowly. He peeked around the crack and saw red liquid all over the floor. "Somebody! Help!!!" he called, before flinging the door wide open. Ivory lay face down on the floor, blood gushing from her left shoulder. Quatre tried not to notice that she was naked on the cold tiles and looked quite good from behind. He tossed a towel over her and rolled her over. It looked like a bullet wound that went straight through her back and out the front of her very shapely chest. Quatre blushed and focused on trying to stop the bleeding. It looked like Ivory passed out and had no intention of waking up. Quatre cradled her in his arms and made sure the towel was secure. He picked Ivory up and started running for the infirmary. As Quatre left, Trowa went inside the room to investigate. He eyed the bathroom suspiciously. There was no lock on the door and anyone could have gotten in. But how? Trowa looked around and noticed a screw lying on the floor. Directly above it was a vent. The vent was large enough for a person to jump through and obviously not very secure. Without a second thought, he pulled the vent off and vaulted through the hole.
-------
Quatre ran through the hallways and laid her on a stretcher. "SALLY!!" He opened the drawers and looked for gauze. As Sally ran through the door, pulling on gloves, Quatre already was checking Ivory for vital signs. She breathed shallowly and Sally fitted an oxygen mask over her mouth. Quatre watched as Sally took control of the situation. He felt rather useless but felt relieved that she would be okay. He blamed himself for not getting there sooner and Ivory getting hurt. Who shot her? What happened in that bathroom?
Sally nodded at Quatre and motioned for him to leave. He looked a little upset, but knew he shouldn't be there anyway. "Get another shirt," mouthed Sally, gesturing at the blood stained pink sleeves. He nodded and left the room. He took off his shirt and vest as he got outside and walked to him room to change. Wufei passed and grunted. Quatre rubbed his eyes and locked the door to his room. He pulled out more clothes and changed slowly, thinking about what just happened.
-------
Trowa pulled himself around metal corners silently, hearing the sound of fabric on metal not far away. He heard the roar of traffic nearby and believed he was close to the north wall. He heard running now, and sprinted after the attacker. He grabbed the arm of the person running in a tan and black uniform. "Barton!" he thought. Trowa turned the person around, blocked a punch and looked at the green eyes of another black haired girl. She tried to kick him, but he was too tall. Instead, she stepped on his hand and threw herself over him in a tight flip. She kicked the back of Trowa's head and ran off into the traffic. Trowa fell hard on the pavement and looked to the road, knowing for sure he couldn't catch her.
Ivory didn't realize she fell asleep in the truck until they came to a halt. Now, her hands were bound behind her back. In her sleep, they must have put some sort of handcuff on her wrists. Ivory yelled at the guys to let her go, but they didn't look at her. Both of them got out of the truck and went to talk to a guy in a lab coat. As Ivory simmered, she took note that this seemed to be a government building. The Preventers.
As they finished talking, Ivory shot both of them a death glare. They pulled her out of the truck and through the maximum security walls. Ivory felt like she was being put on a death march through the monotonous halls of the building. She was being directed from behind, so Ivory didn't know who was taking her where. A door slid open and Ivory was pushed through and sat in the chair. The walls were reflective glass, the kind you could see through from one side, but were just mirrors on her side. Her wrists chafed under the shackle and Ivory wanted to get out of there. The intercom buzzed like a bad TV show.
"Are you Lin Choi?"
"No."
"State your name."
"Ivory Jung." She had a strong urge to say, "Bond. James Bond," but didn't find that very wise.
"What is your position in the Barton estate?"
"I'm a soldier and computer techie. I used to program Mobile Dolls until it went out of fashion." Ivory was pretty sure the person back there was a woman. "Maybe its Lady Une or one of the other Preventer higher ups," she thought.
"Did you ever pilot a Serpent?" (Author note: Serpents were the MS that were used by Dekim in Endless Waltz) Lady Une pinched the bridge of her nose and waited for Ivory to respond.
"I have never piloted a Serpent."
Une spoke again. "Did you help create them?"
"Yes. I programmed their memory and fighting programs." "All this information was inside the files. Why bother asking? They had all the information on me, so there doesn't seem to be a point in interrogation," she thought.
"Are you, Lin Choi, the pilot of the Halcyon?"
Ivory paused. This was new. "How did they know about the Halcyon? And how did they connect me with Lin? Where did they get this information?" Ivory took a breath
"I am not Lin Choi."
"Are you the pilot of the Halcyon?" Ivory made no response. Some of this battle training had to come in use sometime. After a minute, the voice asked again.
"Are you the pilot of the Halcyon, the Mobile Suit made by the Barton Foundation? The Mobile Suit meant to destroy the Gundams?"
Again, Ivory made no reply. But how had they known? After another minute, the shackle that bound her hands together clinked apart. Ivory didn't hide her confusion. She let the shackle fall to the floor with a "clang" and stood up, massaging her wrists. The door behind her whooshed open and Quatre, the heir to the Winner estate, beckoned Ivory to follow. What was up?
Quatre kept up a cheery monologue as he led Ivory to another room. It was a sparse bedroom, similar to the bunker she slept in at the Barton estate, only now there was just one bed. Quatre pointed out a closet where there were clothes for her and the bathroom. Ivory also noted that there were no windows. So much for an escape. Quatre told her that he was on watch and he'd be in the hallway if Ivory needed anything. Duo would come by an hour later and relieve him. Ivory nodded and went in the bathroom. She heard the door close as Quatre left her to her privacy. Ivory also heard the door lock when it closed. Definitely no escape route.
Ivory turned on the water to scalding hot and grabbed some clothes. Even though the only people she'd seen so far were male, whoever stocked her closet remembered the feminine essentials. Ivory stepped into the shower and thought of a plan. Whatever happened, she had to get out and get to space. There was a broken colony that the remaining Bartons were camped out in, and with headquarters destroyed, they were defenseless. True, the Bartons were up to no good, but they were like her family and to let a few hundred soldiers die out there was atrocious. Ivory felt that she had to help.
-------
Heero got out of the pink limo and opened the door on the other side. A dainty shoe poked out and Relena Darlian, formerly Relena Peacecraft, stepped out. She was wearing less formal attire, but the matter at hand was still government business. It simply required less elegant dress. Relena and Heero walked into the building together. He still didn't show any indication of his infatuation; however, it was well known that they were an "item." They spoke little but the messages were clear. It seemed the couple had developed their own language. Heero placed Relena's luggage in a spare room. She smiled endearingly and Heero showed the faintest of blushes. He was poised to leave and took his own duffel bag in hand. "I'd prefer that you stay in my room instead of somewhere else Heero. Even though it's a Preventer building, I don't want to take a chance." Heero smiled and kicked the door closed. "Why is that?" Heero asked. "I'm afraid someone might come in unwanted." Heero trapped Relena against the wall. "The only one you need to be afraid of is me." He kissed her lightly and Relena smiled. She took his head in her hands and guided him for another, deeper kiss. His hands found her waist and he pushed her against the wall, forcing a small moan out of Relena. They continued to kiss deeply until a knock disturbed them. "Hey guys! Une needs to see Relena!" Wufei passed the room and Relena let out a giggle. She led Heero by the hand out to the hallway, where once again, their relationship became reticent.
-------
Quatre pulled out his handheld computer and started playing chess with it. Quatre knew that the mysterious girl within the room was a pilot of a new Gundam. They didn't know if it still existed, but it was a threat. And a new Gundam would mean another uprising, with no other Gundams to defend the people. But what did the scientists want with that girl?
Quatre moved his pawn to block a knight and thought. Politics were confusing but something was going on. Just what?
From within the room, a short cry and a bump was heard. Quatre leapt to his feet and barged though the door. Something was wrong. The door to the bathroom was closed. He called to Ivory but there wasn't a sound from inside. Quatre put his hand to the doorknob and pulled slowly. He peeked around the crack and saw red liquid all over the floor. "Somebody! Help!!!" he called, before flinging the door wide open. Ivory lay face down on the floor, blood gushing from her left shoulder. Quatre tried not to notice that she was naked on the cold tiles and looked quite good from behind. He tossed a towel over her and rolled her over. It looked like a bullet wound that went straight through her back and out the front of her very shapely chest. Quatre blushed and focused on trying to stop the bleeding. It looked like Ivory passed out and had no intention of waking up. Quatre cradled her in his arms and made sure the towel was secure. He picked Ivory up and started running for the infirmary. As Quatre left, Trowa went inside the room to investigate. He eyed the bathroom suspiciously. There was no lock on the door and anyone could have gotten in. But how? Trowa looked around and noticed a screw lying on the floor. Directly above it was a vent. The vent was large enough for a person to jump through and obviously not very secure. Without a second thought, he pulled the vent off and vaulted through the hole.
-------
Quatre ran through the hallways and laid her on a stretcher. "SALLY!!" He opened the drawers and looked for gauze. As Sally ran through the door, pulling on gloves, Quatre already was checking Ivory for vital signs. She breathed shallowly and Sally fitted an oxygen mask over her mouth. Quatre watched as Sally took control of the situation. He felt rather useless but felt relieved that she would be okay. He blamed himself for not getting there sooner and Ivory getting hurt. Who shot her? What happened in that bathroom?
Sally nodded at Quatre and motioned for him to leave. He looked a little upset, but knew he shouldn't be there anyway. "Get another shirt," mouthed Sally, gesturing at the blood stained pink sleeves. He nodded and left the room. He took off his shirt and vest as he got outside and walked to him room to change. Wufei passed and grunted. Quatre rubbed his eyes and locked the door to his room. He pulled out more clothes and changed slowly, thinking about what just happened.
-------
Trowa pulled himself around metal corners silently, hearing the sound of fabric on metal not far away. He heard the roar of traffic nearby and believed he was close to the north wall. He heard running now, and sprinted after the attacker. He grabbed the arm of the person running in a tan and black uniform. "Barton!" he thought. Trowa turned the person around, blocked a punch and looked at the green eyes of another black haired girl. She tried to kick him, but he was too tall. Instead, she stepped on his hand and threw herself over him in a tight flip. She kicked the back of Trowa's head and ran off into the traffic. Trowa fell hard on the pavement and looked to the road, knowing for sure he couldn't catch her.