Chapter Four
Ivory woke up alone to the sounds of many voices outside her door. There seemed to be some sort of argument or something. Her head hurt. A lot. Ivory groaned and sat up carefully, working around her bound arm. The file was on her nightstand in some random order. She didn't feel like picking it up again. Too many secrets and monsters lay within its white sheets. Clad in her sweats and T-shirt, she tried to open the door. It was locked, as usual, so she tapped lightly. The knob turned and Wufei poked his head around. He didn't say anything but raised an eyebrow and closed the door again. The voices continued to bicker about whatever and she went back and sat on her bed. Ivory brushed her hair aimlessly and used the bathroom. While Ivory was brushing her teeth, Quatre knocked and came into the room. She nodded at him and rinsed her mouth out.
"How does breakfast sound?" he asked with a smile.
Ivory smiled. "It sounds great." She motioned Quatre to leave the room while she pulled out a pair of jeans and a button down blouse. It was difficult to change with her arm in the sling, but Ivory grit her teeth and bore with the slight pain. She emerged from the room looking fresh and brighter than before. Quatre walked with her to the small room they called a kitchen. Duo winked at her and handed her a plate as Relena talked to Une about some diplomatic issue.
"The peace issue isn't a problem. Things are working out fine but the Preventers are a little behind."
"The Preventers are doing the best they can. We need up to date technology and more employees. Our space shuttles are behind and there're not enough people."
". but don't you think the Preventers should be working harder at it?"
Ivory chose to speak up. "I think that the Preventers are doing all they can. Technology is leaving them in the dust and there isn't a lot they can fix. I think they need to build up an infiltration system and a division of technology in order to even comprehend what's really going on."
Une and Relena stared. Relena looked her up and raised an eyebrow. She turned around haughtily and strolled to Heero's side. "What do YOU know Miss Choi? You've been MIA for the past few years. How would you know? Unless, you're in something we don't know about." Relena sneered and walked away.
Heero winked at Ivory and whispered. "Don't worry; it's just that time of the month. She'll be okay tomorrow." He walked over to her and put an arm around her shoulders. They walked out of the kitchen together and their voices faded away.
Une glanced at Ivory. Ivory seemed rather nonplussed and nonchalant. Une smiled. She could identify with Ivory's spunk. Une and Ivory had a political discussion over breakfast, concerning the free world and the human condition. They seemed to get along well. After a while, Une started to ask her about herself.
"What are you thinking?"
"Why am I here?" Ivory offered no other information and continued to chew her eggs thoughtfully. Une sighed.
"All will be revealed shortly." Une paused. "What do you think about world peace?"
"These are the worst eggs I've ever eaten. True world peace can never be attained. It is people's nature to be in conflict with each other. The idea is ideal but not realistic."
"What about the condition of the world now?" Une asked.
"It won't last." Une waited for more. After a moment, "Peace is something that has to be desired by everyone. But you can never make everyone happy. Someone will always want to be in control, taking advantage of what they can. Eventually, someone will rise up and declare him or herself a supreme ruler. A conflict will break out and it will be quelled quickly. But. that seed of doubt will be planted. 'What if that's how it was meant to be? What if I could take control like that?' And more people will rise against the idea of world peace." Ivory sighed. "That's human nature."
"But don't you believe that the world does want peace? Or has the war been fought in vain?"
"It has. People like the idea of peace but they really don't understand it. Eventually, peace will be thrown aside and the idea discarded for another hundred years. People don't change. Nature doesn't change. Instinct does not change. Peace is optimistic nonsense."
Une thought a moment. "So what do you stand for?"
"Me?" Ivory thought. "My purpose? To survive. To live out my life the way I want it. To help other people. But peace? No, I don't want that."
Une didn't comment for a while. She ruminated on Ivory's words. "How are you going to help people?"
"By protecting them from pain and teaching them to survive."
"Then I have a proposal for you."
-------
Ivory stood in the loading bay of the Preventer building staring up at the five Gundams. At the very end, a white sheet covered another object. As she looked on, the sheet fell and the Halcyon gleamed on its steel perch.
Like all Gundams, it was made with Gundamian alloy and installed with the most recent technology. However, the Halcyon was built during the war and had a better interior structure to prevent collapse. It looked like a gigantic cardinal or some other kind of crested bird. The Halcyon was silver-blue and the alloy was plated on so they appeared to be feathers. The crest on its head was the cockpit and although the eyes were closed, Ivory knew that the deep blue gleam would still be there.
The last time Ivory saw it, the Halcyon was slightly beaten after a space battle, protecting the colony where the remaining Barons were stationed. It had been polished and fixed since then. She smiled, proud of her small Gundam and happy it was safe. She walked around it, examining the exterior with a critical eye. Duo joined her and buffed out part of the wing.
"Wanna take a ride?" Duo jangled a pass key. "I can get you up there, but you have to take me along."
Temptation seized Ivory. She loved to fly her Gundam again. But could she really trust Duo? And if she tried to escape, would the Preventers shoot her beloved bird out of the air? "What about the Preventers?"
"They can shut you down from up there. No escaping for you. I just want to see how this baby flies," he smiled. "I won't touch anything. Just let me look out the window."
She looked at him suspiciously. "What do I owe you?"
Duo smiled like a little kid. "Well, I want a sweet one right here." He patted his left cheek. "Plant a little sucker right here and we can go."
Ivory smiled. He was such a dork. but it was a small price to pay to fly Halcyon again. She sighed and unstrapped her arm from the sling. Ivory leaned over and gave him a tiny little kiss on the cheek and grabbed the pass key. "Let's go!"
Ivory woke up alone to the sounds of many voices outside her door. There seemed to be some sort of argument or something. Her head hurt. A lot. Ivory groaned and sat up carefully, working around her bound arm. The file was on her nightstand in some random order. She didn't feel like picking it up again. Too many secrets and monsters lay within its white sheets. Clad in her sweats and T-shirt, she tried to open the door. It was locked, as usual, so she tapped lightly. The knob turned and Wufei poked his head around. He didn't say anything but raised an eyebrow and closed the door again. The voices continued to bicker about whatever and she went back and sat on her bed. Ivory brushed her hair aimlessly and used the bathroom. While Ivory was brushing her teeth, Quatre knocked and came into the room. She nodded at him and rinsed her mouth out.
"How does breakfast sound?" he asked with a smile.
Ivory smiled. "It sounds great." She motioned Quatre to leave the room while she pulled out a pair of jeans and a button down blouse. It was difficult to change with her arm in the sling, but Ivory grit her teeth and bore with the slight pain. She emerged from the room looking fresh and brighter than before. Quatre walked with her to the small room they called a kitchen. Duo winked at her and handed her a plate as Relena talked to Une about some diplomatic issue.
"The peace issue isn't a problem. Things are working out fine but the Preventers are a little behind."
"The Preventers are doing the best they can. We need up to date technology and more employees. Our space shuttles are behind and there're not enough people."
". but don't you think the Preventers should be working harder at it?"
Ivory chose to speak up. "I think that the Preventers are doing all they can. Technology is leaving them in the dust and there isn't a lot they can fix. I think they need to build up an infiltration system and a division of technology in order to even comprehend what's really going on."
Une and Relena stared. Relena looked her up and raised an eyebrow. She turned around haughtily and strolled to Heero's side. "What do YOU know Miss Choi? You've been MIA for the past few years. How would you know? Unless, you're in something we don't know about." Relena sneered and walked away.
Heero winked at Ivory and whispered. "Don't worry; it's just that time of the month. She'll be okay tomorrow." He walked over to her and put an arm around her shoulders. They walked out of the kitchen together and their voices faded away.
Une glanced at Ivory. Ivory seemed rather nonplussed and nonchalant. Une smiled. She could identify with Ivory's spunk. Une and Ivory had a political discussion over breakfast, concerning the free world and the human condition. They seemed to get along well. After a while, Une started to ask her about herself.
"What are you thinking?"
"Why am I here?" Ivory offered no other information and continued to chew her eggs thoughtfully. Une sighed.
"All will be revealed shortly." Une paused. "What do you think about world peace?"
"These are the worst eggs I've ever eaten. True world peace can never be attained. It is people's nature to be in conflict with each other. The idea is ideal but not realistic."
"What about the condition of the world now?" Une asked.
"It won't last." Une waited for more. After a moment, "Peace is something that has to be desired by everyone. But you can never make everyone happy. Someone will always want to be in control, taking advantage of what they can. Eventually, someone will rise up and declare him or herself a supreme ruler. A conflict will break out and it will be quelled quickly. But. that seed of doubt will be planted. 'What if that's how it was meant to be? What if I could take control like that?' And more people will rise against the idea of world peace." Ivory sighed. "That's human nature."
"But don't you believe that the world does want peace? Or has the war been fought in vain?"
"It has. People like the idea of peace but they really don't understand it. Eventually, peace will be thrown aside and the idea discarded for another hundred years. People don't change. Nature doesn't change. Instinct does not change. Peace is optimistic nonsense."
Une thought a moment. "So what do you stand for?"
"Me?" Ivory thought. "My purpose? To survive. To live out my life the way I want it. To help other people. But peace? No, I don't want that."
Une didn't comment for a while. She ruminated on Ivory's words. "How are you going to help people?"
"By protecting them from pain and teaching them to survive."
"Then I have a proposal for you."
-------
Ivory stood in the loading bay of the Preventer building staring up at the five Gundams. At the very end, a white sheet covered another object. As she looked on, the sheet fell and the Halcyon gleamed on its steel perch.
Like all Gundams, it was made with Gundamian alloy and installed with the most recent technology. However, the Halcyon was built during the war and had a better interior structure to prevent collapse. It looked like a gigantic cardinal or some other kind of crested bird. The Halcyon was silver-blue and the alloy was plated on so they appeared to be feathers. The crest on its head was the cockpit and although the eyes were closed, Ivory knew that the deep blue gleam would still be there.
The last time Ivory saw it, the Halcyon was slightly beaten after a space battle, protecting the colony where the remaining Barons were stationed. It had been polished and fixed since then. She smiled, proud of her small Gundam and happy it was safe. She walked around it, examining the exterior with a critical eye. Duo joined her and buffed out part of the wing.
"Wanna take a ride?" Duo jangled a pass key. "I can get you up there, but you have to take me along."
Temptation seized Ivory. She loved to fly her Gundam again. But could she really trust Duo? And if she tried to escape, would the Preventers shoot her beloved bird out of the air? "What about the Preventers?"
"They can shut you down from up there. No escaping for you. I just want to see how this baby flies," he smiled. "I won't touch anything. Just let me look out the window."
She looked at him suspiciously. "What do I owe you?"
Duo smiled like a little kid. "Well, I want a sweet one right here." He patted his left cheek. "Plant a little sucker right here and we can go."
Ivory smiled. He was such a dork. but it was a small price to pay to fly Halcyon again. She sighed and unstrapped her arm from the sling. Ivory leaned over and gave him a tiny little kiss on the cheek and grabbed the pass key. "Let's go!"