Whew! It's been a while since I crossed here, and I have returned. It really has been a while with tests and college, but I have managed to get the next chapter up and running.
Just a side note: if you are confused with the meaning of the letter in the beginning, when I meant "in person". I meant their physical body, not their spiritual essence. I just need to clarify that in case you are confused at the very beginning.
Chapter 4: Frozen Dreams: Recovering the Displaced Soul of Allenby
As Allenby opens her eyes following the shock of a lifetime, her first sight was not of the inside of her cockpit, but the stars that were far in the sky. Not knowing where she was, and not knowing what happened to her Gundam, she quickly jumps from her spot on the ground. As she reorients herself and her immediate vision of the lands, she notices not the base, but a valley of green around her.
She was completely unsure as to where she is. She thought for a moment that she was dead, and this was the world known as the afterlife, but dismissed it after realizing that she could feel the wounds of her body resonating. As she looked for a speck of life around her, all she could see was a small cottage, nestled in the spot in-between a grove of trees; all cherry blossoms that have fully discarded their spring Sakura petals.
Desiring for the answers, Allenby runs over to the cottage, and knocks the doors. Her successive knocking made no response. Opening the door, Allenby notices an empty room, appearing to not have been used for quite sometime. The shelves appeared to have been gathering some specks of dust, and the beds have no evidence of being used; all that was there were the mattresses. The room itself was pleasantly inviting however. Around this small home were two beds: one king size and the other a twin. The kitchen, though having a few dust particles there, was relatively clean, an interesting flora pattern was carpeted around the entire room and for good measure there was a nearby bathroom that was attached to one of the doors.
As Allenby looked around the small cottage, the door behind her opened again. In came three people, dressed in the clothes of a summer breeze. "I'm sorry. I didn't know someone was here." Replied the young man, who upon first look, created a small attraction in Allenby
"She invaded our summer home, Mamoru. What are you saying?" replied the woman, a bit younger than the man, but feeling more jovial than him.
"I'm sorry." replied Allenby. "I've been lost. I'm not sure where I am. The last thing that I remember is that I was in this fight at Neo-Sweden and…"
"Neo-Sweden?" replied the young child that was with them. "I've never heard of that location. Are you ok?"
Allenby stood in confusion yet again. "Actually, I'm not sure where I am either. Uh… could you tell me?"
The man spoke with a congenial feeling. "This is a valley outside the city of Crystal Tokyo. I'm Mamoru… well at least I was one time, but I'm now known as King Endymion II."
"I was also called Usagi, but now they call me by the title of Neo Queen Serenity. Over here below me is the runt named Small Lady Serenity."
"Usagi, are we going to start?" she replied, feeling rejected by her mom. "I was called Chibi-Usagi once."
"Do they always do that?" replied Allenby.
"I am afraid so," replied Mamoru "but I have to ask… why you are here in our summer cottage?"
"I don't know… I mean…" Allenby suddenly did a double take on the identity of the characters. "Wait a sec, are you really Endymion?"
Her jovial excitement got the attention of Usagi, which was not all that pleasant. "No one is going to steal my hubby away." Usagi quickly took one of Allenby's arms and threw her aside. Allenby is in shock. "Queen Serenity, what is the meaning of this? If it is about your husband, I am surely not going after him."
A sweat drop passed through Usagi's neck. "Uh, sorry. I get jealous sometimes."
"I've noticed." She sat down, feeling a bit expressive in her emotions, because for a while now, Allenby has been looking for the two entitled Selene and Endymion, thinking that they hold the key to finding out the identity of her parents. However, she did not expect it would come here and happen so quickly. "I'm sorry I acted like that King Endymion. It's just that for a while now, I've been kind of looking for you."
"How come?" he asked Allenby.
"You see, my name is Allenby Beardsley. I'm not sure how I came here, but I have been trying to find a person named Endymion. It is about my past. I've been told that you know something about who I am."
"…I am not sure, but…"
"Let me handle this." replied Usagi as she held her hand to Allenby's forehead. She wanted to see, somehow, if she could read something in her mind. "I think I may know something about you. It has been a long time, but…" Usagi felt a twitch in her eye as she was able to confirm what she was looking for. "So it is true… you are a spirit of me… I feel a bit weird but… happy…"
"So I am… who?"
As a small crescent moon glowed in her forehead, a loud shriek was heard in the room. The intensity of this shriek overloaded Allenby's senses as she collapses to the ground.
Allenby opens her eyes yet again, yet what she saw was not the sky, but ceiling tiles cross shaded along the wall. Rising up her left arm, she noticed a tube of intravenous fluids attached to her bloodstream. She was not back at the Gundam, nor was she at the valley. She was at the hospital, lying in a hospital bed, complete with the mobile interface suit still attached to her.
Since the attack on the base severely damaged the medical building, Allenby has been relocated to the 1st General Hospital in Stockholm 2, the main governmental region throughout the colony. Placed under heavy security, the ward to which Allenby was located was for the moment restricted to military personnel, hospital staff, and relatives of the patients already located within the ward.
As she slowly regained movement and feeling the sores draped across her body, she noticed two military police blocking the door out of her room. She figured that they were there for specific privacy from the media.
Gabriel walked in a minute later with a resident doctor beside him. "Ah, you have awakened Ms. Allenby." The doctor replied with his voice hinting at a small speck of humor.
Allenby replied to him quickly without saying hello. "Exactly why am I here, Dr…"
"Dr. Augustine Helios is my name Ms. Allenby, and it should be very obvious as to why you are here."
Gabriel added into the conversation. "I know that you would have been in the hospital on base, but that was heavily damaged during the attack. In fact, we had most of the wounded transferred here for treatment."
Allenby carefully walked out of bed and looked around the ward. All along the sides, she could see doctors rushing in and out, medical supplies moving around the hallways, and panicked people trying to find out what is going on. Though it looked like a few aspects of the chaos were subsiding, the fact that she was out when the chaos happened corrected this thought. "How long was I out for, doctor?"
"You did not have any severe injuries, but you were knocked out for a few hours."
"I see… and Onyx?"
"You mean the man that was in the black mech. Well, let's see…" Dr. Helios flips through the pages as if a tray of ice cubes were melting rapidly. "He's in critical but stable condition. Your friend, Gabriel should explain his injuries, but I am afraid that I cannot help you with that right now. We have to go up front and await the survivors from the second attack."
"A second attack?"
Gabriel filled her on the details "Allenby, while you were out, we had received reports of another attack. This time the attack was centralized on a space station just outside our borders."
"What? Are you saying that we are under attack?"
"I don't know what is going on. Right now, the entire nation is on high alert. All the borders going in and out are closed."
"What about the president?"
"They've already taken him to the emergency shelter. He's going to speak to the nation in about ten minutes."
Allenby rushed back into her room and jumped back to her bed. Gabriel followed her back in. "And does anyone know who the attackers are?"
"We do not know anything at all. The only person who could know is Onyx, and he's still in a coma." Gabriel started to become concerned as he plopped himself on a nearby couch. His eyes were showing a sense of nervousness toward Allenby. "Allenby, I want to know what you did to him during the fight."
"What do you mean?"
"I saw the medical report on him, and… damn: fractured bones, internal bleeding, broken ribcage, lacerations left and right? Be glad he can still walk after this. Of course, when and if he is going to wake up is another story." Gabriel looked toward Allenby as soon as he said this. "I want to know every detail of the fight starting with the first encounter you had."
"Ok… from what I recall, he attacked me from above. He clamed that he was assigned to kill me for something called 'Shattered Crystal.' From then, I took the defensive, trying to avoid his attacks while finding a weak point in his suit."
"Go on."
"Once I was able to ID Onyx, I approached him and started to take him down quickly… then… everything went blank." The excitement of Allenby's response suddenly became placid and uncertain. "I don't remember anything past the final blow. Weird."
A concerned Gabriel said nothing as he wondered if the result of Onyx's injuries was based on the unit, or on something else.
A week has passed since the incident, and as of this moment, the colonies are feeling edgy. As the search for who attacked the colonies continues, all the eyes are on finding a guilty party. However, no one could agree to a unified conclusion as to who did it, and not one of the survivors has had a reasonable answer that everyone could understand. Neo-Japan, well trying to act as the mediator in this international conflict, is becoming a hot target of discussion as some people in the colonies are pointing the finger at them, primary due to the Devil Gundam Project.
As for Allenby, she was placed on indefinite leave from military service as the base is getting rebuilt and rearmed.
As Allenby sat down on her porch one morning, her body nearly recovered to its full strength, a small furry animal started to scamper along her yard. She first dismissed it as a wild animal passing by, but as it reached the middle of the yard, it turned its direction toward Allenby. As she noticed the animal walk up, a sense of discomfort came before her, because the glare from the sun prevented her from getting a good picture of the animal.
As Allenby walked back to the door, the animal hopped as close to Allenby as it could, stopping on the base of her feet. Getting a better look at the animal, she realized that it was nothing to be afraid of. "Aww, it's a bunny." She replied. Feeling reassured, she walks back inside to her home. However, it appeared that the bunny started to follow Allenby into the home unnoticed.
As she went back on the computer, the bunny climbed up to the table and jumped onto her lap. She kindly took the bunny back outside, where it scampered back indoors to the kitchen. Grapping the bunny yet again, it slipped from her hands and ran to the front door, where Allenby opened it and allowed it to leave. It did not.
Leaving the door wide open, she went back to the computer, thinking it was going to figure it out eventually. Instead, it scampered back to Allenby and the computer. "You are becoming a very big nuisance here, you know that?" Turning around, she walked away from the bunny, but it still was following her like she was a huge carrot. Turning around, she headed toward the stairs in an effort to find a big enough basket to trap her in.
When Allenby arrived at the foot of the staircase, the bunny jumped on one of the couches, launched itself high into the air, and landed on her. With Allenby on the ground, and the bunny on top of her head, she conceded in trying to chase this thing around, and befriended it till she can figure out what to do next.
Moments after she accepted this, her door rang. Opening the door, she was greeted by a very familiar guest whom Allenby identified immediately. "Amy, what are you doing here? Wait, how did you find this place?"
"It is amazing what you find on the news today." She said. "Anyway, I'm here because I need to tell you something."
"Which is?"
"Well, it's about Onyx. We found some very interesting information about him that I want to share it with you."
"Ok, but why don't you show it to the police?" Allenby asked, wondering why she made this decision.
"The police have their own agendas. Speaking to them is not our style, especially after your 'abduction.'" Amy confirmed it as she felt out of place in Allenby's home. "I think we should get out of here though. I feel like I'm being watched."
"Where do you have in mind?" replied Allenby.
"No where particular. Did you eat yet?"
"Nah. I'm hungry as it is. Let's go."
As Allenby walked out, the bunny began to walk in sequence with her. "Why is that bunny following you?" Amy asked.
"I don't know. It seems to like me for some reason." Amy picked up the rabbit, where a sense of relief came before her. "Ah, there you are. I've been looking for you."
"You know this bunny?"
"This is my pet bunny, Canceri. It ran away about an hour ago and I was looking for it this morning. However, I placed a tracking device on her collar for just a situation." Holding the bunny in one hand, Amy shows a small collar around its neck, the base of it containing a tiny crescent moon attached to it.
"Ah, I didn't notice that for some… reason…" The image of the crescent moon made Allenby recall the dream she had a week ago. The shock from it also made her woozy "Are you ok, Allenby?" Amy said, noticing her staggered walk.
"I'm good. Just sore."
Arriving at a convenient café nestled within the outskirts of Stockholm 2; Allenby and Amy decide to talk as they carry their items outside. It was said in the colony weather reports that there was a potential for rain today, but for now it appeared that it was going to hold on. "Ok, Amy. I know that I still have some doubts on being that person in the picture, but you said that you knew some information on the attackers, correct?"
"Yes. Let me take out my PDA and I'll show you." Amy goes into her purse and takes out her Portable Digital Assistant, though once she took it out, it looked more like a mini laptop than a PDA. Amy continued talking as the PDA booted up. "Once after the attack happened, our organization got a hold of the name 'Onyx Nightshade' from an insider that was there." She was obviously hiding the fact that she intercepted the communication, but Allenby did not know that. "We did a search on this person, and we found out who he was working for."
"I believe that he said it was an organization called. 'Shattered Crystal', correct?"
"Correct. 'Shattered Crystal' is a criminal organization which has been around for a while now. We don't have any information on when they started, but we know that they deal primary in smuggling illegal goods throughout the colonies."
"Is there anything about Onyx that I should know about?" Allenby requested.
"Onyx was not one of the top three members of the organization. In fact, he was considered to be the 7th important, minus the leader of course."
"And do you have anything on the top 6?"
"I have them right here." Amy punches a few keys into the screen and opens an image, showing a very cute male with blond hair that made a small offset to his pale face, tranquil eyes, and gray pilot's suit. "This fighter is called Peabody Perennial."
"He has a weird name."
"Trust me; it's almost the same for everyone else. He's one of those pseudo romantic types that fight with a sense of honor."
"Kind of like George De Sand from Neo-France?"
Amy nodded as she opens another image. This time it was a woman wearing a lavender pilot suit and having her hair dyed a hint of red. "This fighter calls herself Amelia Amethyia. She relies more on stealth tactics than actual fighting."
"So that means she does not have a mech?"
"Not from our account. Anyway, here is the last person on the list." Ami turns to the next picture, a man from Eastern Europe who's slender structure did not hinder the energy within him. "Topior Tikhonov is his name."
"He doesn't seem to be than much of a fighter from the look of it." Allenby said, noting that he does not have a "fighting personality" like Domon.
"Actually, this guy isn't a fighter at all. The only reason he is important is because he's head of 'Shattered Crystal's' entire science and medical division. If he had any sort of protection with him, it is that he usually drives a 'Tesla Tank'."
"You're kidding? Do they even make them?"
"Even I am not sure about that. However, it appears he is planning to leave the organization sometime in the future. It seems he wasn't too aligned with them from the start."
Amy closed the image and opened up a new folder. "Those three you do not have to worry about that much. What you do have to worry about are the next three." Amy opened up a new window, where a green haired maiden appeared, complete with a formal viridian sweater and black pants that went along her black hi-tops.
"Here is everything I got on this person. Her name is Erin Esmeralda; one of the three Gemstone Generals, and proud of it."
"Who are these 'Gemstone generals'?" Allenby addressed with curiosity.
"You know how Rubies, Sapphires, and Emeralds are so valuable and rare that the price for a perfect one is ridiculously high? That is how the 'Gemstone Generals' are treated; with the highest honor of the organization." Amy went on to explain that each 'Gemstone General' has been with the organization the longest and they have had the most personal relationship with their unnamed leader. Not only have they been honored as the elite protectors of the organization, but they each pilot their own Gundams.
"I wish I could show you Erin's Gundam," Amy said. "But the image we found was too corrupted for us to use. It probably has something to do with the Gundam's ability to blend in the territory."
"You mean camouflage, right?"
Amy nodded as she closes the file and opens the second one. The photo shown is a man who seems to have aged a little in the look of his eyes, but still containing fire in them as his volcanic pilot's suit covers some of the scars in his arms. "Robert Rubicon is the second Gemstone General, and I must admit, he is a firehouse on two legs. His Gundam is… well take a look." Amy shows Robert's Gundam, which has on the same Gundamian alloy and designed, along with two flame throwers attached to each arm. "The mech actually uses the exhaust from the engine as surplus fuel, so it has a longer combat time, and should anything happen, they easily detach from the mech."
Changing from the screen to the final General, a small sigh came to Amy. "This last person is… a bit strange. Her name is Sebille Sapphire, but unfortunately I do not have a record of her Gundam here or her mug shot. It seems that she was recently inducted into the 'Gemstone Generals' just a week ago and…"
The stress of delivering this information was getting to Amy. Allenby noticed this and tried to comfort her. "It's ok, Amy. This information is a lot, and I… thank you."
"Well, the pleasure is all mine. I just…"
Allenby somehow doubted with what Kamen said to her earlier, and she had to address that to Amy so that she could understand. "Amy, I like you and what you are doing with helping me, but… the truth is that I don't know if I am the one you are looking for. All this information is very valuable, but everyone on your team has to accept the fact that I could not be the one. You understand?"
Amy took the response without worry. "I got you, and I understand what you are saying, but… think about it further. Maybe there is a reason that 'Shattered Crystal' is going after you, and maybe it is because of the girl in the picture. It could just be possible that this is not a coincidence, and that you are the reincarnation of that person in the picture. Then again, we have had a lot of problems with information as of late. Imagine though if you are her however. Imagine if you are the reincarnation of that girl. Then… it would be very interesting to live the life of a 'mahou shoujo'"
Back at the hospital, Dr. Helios is circling around the ward, checking up on the injuries of patient #122-98740, a.k.a. Onyx. As he enters the room, the sudden shock of an empty bed enters his eyes. As he looks on further, the window, appearing half open in the room, signals the result of a person that has left the hospital, for reasons that could only be answered by the one who opened it.
A/N: This is a message to SaiSaiciAngel. After looking over your review and the story at hand, I have realized that you are right with the (unnecessary) formal structure of the dialogue, so I have tried to rework this chapter to a (hopefully) more simplistic style. I will fix the rest of the chapters eventually. (Considering that I have been in college and, as of this revision date, studying for a Physics Exam.)
