Chapter 4: The Doctor
"Hello." The doctor said greeting Akiko warmly as he extended his hand. Akiko took it and shook it coldly for appearance sake. The doctor looked her over with an odd vaguely doubtful look on this face. "So you're the hacker eh?" He asked sitting down.
"If you didn't want other people going through your things you shouldn't have tossed them aside so carelessly." She responded with a sort of cold indifference. "Then again that may have been just why you tossed this out the window. Who's after this information and why?" She asked setting the briefcase on the table.
"You look like an intelligent girl and one I can trust. I've never been known for judge of character but I think I can trust you. You could have ransomed the information but you clearly are out for something greater and more important than revenge." The doctor began slowly not bothering to eye the briefcase. He simply stared into Akiko's eyes as she stared back with an intense gaze devoid of any clue as to her intentions. "I don't suppose you're familiar with Blue Cosmos but back during the war..."
"They were a radical anti-Coordinator group spare me explanations and fillers Doctor I know more about history than 99 percent of the world today but it's the present I'm most concerned about." She said as she interrupted. Her tone wasn't rude or aggravated just flat and simple. The doctor looked at her with a flash of surprise on his face for just an instant then went on.
"Blue Cosmos never really died. They've hung around underground for years now. A few years back, some information was leaked about a top-secret government Coordinator production plant that was pumping them into society without anyone knowing. Not even the Coordinators themselves. No such plant exists." He explained in a calm tone.
"But they took the evidence of your facility producing a few Coordinators as validation enough." Akiko interjected. "They traced its operations back to you even though the Coordinator production phase had ended years ago. Now they want to find the location of the facility and destroy it once and for all."
"Precisely but also they are banking on the fact that we'd keep up with where they are. Unfortunately, during a sabotage attempt five years ago, the location intelligence last generation of NCs was lost."
"Which means you also lost the location of the Keys that were awakened and freed." Akiko commented thoughtfully.
"Not quite. We have the last intelligence report on the Keys and they were all located at the Lunar Academy for the Gifted. I'm certain one of the Keys was sent to Earth from there at some point though I'm not sure where. Where ever they are, they are being hidden well by their protectors."
"Can't you just get the governments to run checks and find out what kids have shipped down here from there?" Akiko wondered doubtfully.
"We could have easily acquired the information had the RPC still been an official government agency. The RPC was official disbanded 10 years ago on the grounds that there had been no real threats posed in sometime and that the rebels had clearly learned to lie in peace." The doctor said with a sigh. "Fools."
"Then how are you being funded?" Akiko wondered looking at him gravely.
"An extremist organization within the government going by the Global Allegiance of Involvement Advancement now funds the entire operation under the table. I was here to speak before the Council about the latest developments within the ZAFT colony."
"They're still a threat." Akiko stated more than asked.
"Indeed." The doctor replied nodding. "They've been a threat for sometime now. That's why we moved all operations back here to Earth. That and to fool Blue Cosmos."
"So why are you in this country?" She wondered looking around casually.
"The leader of this area is the strongest GAIA supporter of them all. I'm to meet with him later on at his home not far from here."
"He wouldn't happen to have a daughter would he?"
"Yes as a matter of fact he does and she'd be about your age." He replied with a nod as if clarifying the statement to himself.
"Hmmm... I don't trust him. Not in the least." Akiko whispered reverting her attention to the doctor.
"Neither do I which is precisely why everything I've been telling him has been a lie. I've heard of idealists who don't care about death when it comes to upholding what they believe in but he's... TOO idealistic to be real..." The doctor whispered back. "Now tell me dear. What did you hope to gain by coming here and talking to me?" He wondered in a louder and casual tone.
"I want to join you." She stated simply. The doctor cocked an eyebrow but didn't say a word. His expression asked every question for him. "All of my life I've felt out of place. Like I didn't belong among people or... These people. But I've always had a strong compulsion to protect like I had to prevent history from repeating. The history that I'm so enthralled with but yet the one that disgusts me so much. I... I don't want to fight but if I have to in order to spare innocent lives, I will." She ad turned her attention to the briefcase before her for awhile but looked back up at the doctor. He had an astonished look on his face.
"These people you don't fit in with? You'd still protect them? You'd still fight to save them? Or... Do you have people you care about that you long to protect?" He asked slowly as if he were trying to fathom what she had just said.
"I have no one and nothing left to protect but myself. But I don't really matter I'm just one. But when I read but the countless lives that have died over the years, I know that I don't want that to happen again. I know that if I die it wouldn't mean near the same as if a thousand others had died instead. But if I die and a thousand others live. It would be more than worth it..." She whispered as tears welled up in her eyes.
"It can't be... Could they have really finished developing the mind and thought process programming technology in time? Or is she really not one of them?" The doctor questioned himself as he shook his head. He didn't have time to figure things out. Gunshot rang through the air and pain coursed through him.
"Get down!" Akiko screamed lunging across the table and knocking the already bleeding doctor to the ground. The shots had come from a car as it drove past. Akiko looked the doctor over and found a gaping wound in his side. "Come on before they come back.
"Akiko. There's no time for me anymore. You can do it. I'm sure you can re-program one of the Gundams so you can use it. Take this." He reached into his brown suit coat and pulled out a small white computer and put it in her hand. "The sleeping stars have returned to the sky. All the stars must return to the sky sometime though. Help them home Akiko." He whispered in effort. "The map home is in your hands now. The map to peace is yours now. Good luck." He took one last heavy gasp before passing on. Akiko looked around in horror before grasping the briefcase off the table taking off running. She slid to a stop behind an old oak tree in the park and stood there panting wildly. She glanced at her watch.
"Five minutes. Mori will be here in five minutes." She thought to herself. She pried the briefcase open and carefully dropped the computer into it. "Come on Mori." She whispered.
"Are you sure the girl that was with him would have it?" A gruff man's voice asked as two sets of footsteps entered the quite park.
"Who else would have snatched it?" The other answered annoyed. "Now shut up and look for her!" The footsteps came closer and Akiko knew it was only a matter of time before they found her cowered behind the tree. She took a deep breath and flew out from around the tree smacking both of the men with the briefcase in the process. A punch and a kick delivered at inhuman speed and the way was clear for her escape. She slid to a stop as Mori's limo rolled up on the side of the street.
"What's wrong?" Mori asked frantically seeing Akiko's expression of worry. She slammed the door closed and the vehicle rolled away.
"We're going to space. As soon as possible." Akiko replied firmly.
"Why? What did he say?" Mori asked still concerned.
"The sleeping stars have returned to the sky. All the stars must return to the sky sometime though." She repeated in a far off voice. "I have to help the stars get home." She said finally looking at her companion.
"I don't understand." Mori replied narrowing her eyes and looking at the taller girl with a confused expression.
"I'll explain later." She replied closing her eyes.
"Akiko what happened back there? Something bad? Is that why you have the briefcase still? What happened?"
"I'll explain when we get back but you have to promise me to at least get your father to let me go to space after I tell you." Akiko said looking at her again.
"I will. I promise." She replied quietly with a nod.