A Man's World

Chapter 9: Thrill of the Kill

by terre nymphe

as aforementioned in the summary, this piece borrows both characters and storylines from Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, and Dark Angel. I do not own, nor have any claim to, any of these shows and/or comics. I apologize for any perceived plagiarism and assure readers that it is not intentional.

The week passed quickly for the two soldiers. Usagi could do nothing about Benedict until he returned, so she devoted her concentrations to maintaining her cover. It was relatively easy at first; she simply avoided the other 'perfect' altogether, but as the week went by, it became almost impossible. Not only did they share a trailer, a dressing room, and a near obsession for the lions, Catherine was determined for the two to be friends.

She noticed Sera doing her warm-up exercises one morning and recognized the ballet positions immediately. Well aware of the fact that Trowa was a well-trained danseur, Catherine made sure that he too was aware of the new girl's morning habits. He would never admit it out loud, but Trowa was eager to have another excuse to talk to Sera.

This fascination with the girl was disturbing to him. As a child, he had a very limited exposure to women; the Society was almost completely composed of men. Even as he hit puberty, he never had much use for the females. Catherine had been the only girl he could tolerate and only in small doses at that. Then, he met Sera. Now, his every thought was edged out with the mental image of the 'green-eyed' beauty rising gracefully from the midst of the lionesses. Soon after Catherine relayed the latest bit of information about Sera, Trowa rushed off, nonchalantly mind you, to find her. She stood next to the big oak tree just outside the circus grounds.

Hand resting lightly on a low branch, her feet moved from first position into second then third, fourth, and fifth, followed by a series of deep plies and perfect arabesques. Trowa watched as she began to dance the opening sequence of Swan Lake; his enhanced hearing allowed him to listen as she hummed along with perfect pitch and perfect rhythm. Trowa knew the ballet well and recounted the story as she danced.

The maiden Odette, cursed by the evil Rothbart to live half of every day as a swan, is seen by Prince Sigfreid. He promises to declare his undying devotion to her to break the spell. Rothbart discovers the plot and brings his daughter Odile, who is almost identical to Odette, to the Prince's ball.

At this point in the story, Sera paused. The next sequence was the pas de deux (duet) between the Prince and the evil Odile, but Sera had no prince to dance with. She had walked through the earlier pas de deux but seemed reluctant to repeat the action. Nevertheless, she began to dance again; her face was more relaxed and unguarded than he had ever seen it, the first semblance of genuine emotion he'd witnessed from her.

Unwittingly, he drew closer to her, and she was too engrossed in the story to realize it. He stood but a few feet from her as she went into a triple pirouette. On her final revolution, the ground shifted under her shoe. Just as she realized she was falling, Trowa caught her waist. Setting her down gently, he watched her face for any change, but there was none. Sera's face was as passive as he had ever seen it. Determined to get some reaction out of her, he grabbed her hand and began to dance, pulling her along with him. Gradually, Sera resumed her humming and began dance as well. As they finished, the pair noticed Catherine running toward them—a giant smile on her face.

"Hey you guys, hurry up! The show starts in twenty minutes."

Realizing his hand was still on the girl's waist, Trowa mumbled an apology and started for the big top. Usagi watched him as he walked away, wondering which of the doctors was responsible for creating him. It would be an odd mission indeed that required Trowa to be trained as a dancer. She had never had the need to know about her peers before and Director A had certainly not volunteered the information. In the event that he would have to be eliminated, she would at least like to have known his designation.

The show was over soon and the two acrobats returned to their shared trailer to change. Though Usagi had no modesty, she was sure that 'Sera' would, and she turned her back to Trowa. Out of courtesy to the girl, Trowa turned his back too. He dressed quickly and faced Sera assuming she had finished as well­– she hadn't. A slight blush crept to his cheeks until he saw some discoloration on her hip reflected by the window.

"Did he hurt you?" Trowa demanded of her.

"Excuse me?"

"That man that was here the other day. Did he hurt you?"

"No. Why?"

"That bruise on your hip!"

Pulling the last bit of clothes on, Usagi was unfazed by the outburst, but Sera was indignant.

"Alex didn't hurt me. I'm fine. I can take care of myself!"

Trowa was experiencing an anger he'd never felt before, "you're lying. I saw the bruise!"

Taking a moment to congratulate herself on her foresight of covering her identification numbers, Usagi slid her pants down enough to expose her tattoo.

"It's a tattoo. It was a way to rebel against my squeaky-clean image," she ducked her head with mock embarrassment. "I'm actually rather ashamed of it; sometimes, it gives people a wrong impression of me." She was baiting him.

Trowa's anger leeched from his heart while awkwardness colored his cheeks; the bruise turned out to be a small, black crescent moon. He surprised himself by taking off his shirt to reveal his own tattoo.

"I've one as well," he pointed to the circle on his chest. "It's supposed to represent completion." He took her hand and raised it to the circle.

Usagi traced the mark lightly with her fingertips, smirking inwardly when she felt him shiver slightly at her touch. She placed her hand at her side again and regarded the boy in surprise. For some reason, he felt safe enough to reveal himself to her. If the Founders ever found out that he revealed himself to anyone he thought to be outside the organization, he would be brutally punished. She was confused by the fact that he would risk himself for someone he didn't know, but she had to take advantage of the situation; he may be disloyal to the cause.

"What is that underneath the circle?"

Trowa slipped his shirt back on, discomfited at his reaction to her touch. He was debating what to tell her. He felt he could trust her. Yes, he could tell her the truth, and the two of them could run away– away from his Founder and away from The Society.

Usagi, in turn, sat down on her bed and unnoticeably slipped her hand under her pillow for the gun hidden there. She waited for him to say something, fully prepared to execute him for treason if he mentioned anything about The Society. She didn't want to kill a gundam pilot, but she would if his loyalty was the least bit questionable. The gun aimed for the kill, Usagi awaited his response.

Her finger moved from the trigger as he dismissed it as a boyish mistake, and she discreetly slipped the tiny gun in the back of her pants. Gundam Zero pilot 0372 was safe for now, but she have to alert Director A to the boy's exposed flaw. This apparent weakness for helping others at the expense of the mission might compromise the entire operation.

There was an overwhelming silence in the room, which Trowa attributed to his forward and intimate action. Eager to repeat the electrifying experience, he moved toward Sera, maintaining a smoldering stare. A sudden knock on the trailer door halted his advancement. Catherine peeked her head inside the door.

"Is everybody decent," she giggled.

Trowa reluctantly motioned the girl inside, and she plopped down on his bed.

"Sera, you asked me to let you know when Benedict got back. He's at the popcorn stand right now."

Usagi stood quickly, her adrenaline beginning to rush, and made for the door. Before exiting, she turned to the others to offer a quick explanation, "I stood him up for a date a few nights ago and haven't had a chance to apologize. I don't want the opportunity to slip away again. I'll just be a few minutes."

Before closing the door, Usagi made a quick inventory of her gear. This was her chance to assassinate Benedict; therefore, 'Sera' would have to go too. Assured that she'd left nothing valuable in the trailer, Usagi hurried to her target. The charges were already set. All that was left to do was confront the mole, detonate the bomb, and leave a message for the Society survivors. She ran past the lions without a second glance; they would be the only part of this life she would miss– well, maybe not the only part.

Careful to give herself an alibi, Usagi waved at a few of the circus staff as they walked out of sight. Spotting her target, she crept up behind the man and covered his eyes, "guess who?" The flirtatious tone was beginning to sicken her.

Benedict practically jumped out of his skin, until he realized his 'attacker' wasn't an assassain, but the flexible red-head who had been throwing herself at him. He took her hands from his eyes and pulled her around to face him.

"Sera, you don't know how glad I am to see you."

"I thought you might feel that way. I have something to show you. I showed Trowa too, but he didn't appreciate it like I know you will."

A smile edging his mouth, Benedict took a deep breath and looked into her eyes, "and what would that be?"

Usagi took one of his clammy hands and put it at her waistband.

"Take a peek."

He pulled at the pants until he caught sight of tattoo, and as he moved his hand away, a breathy whisper stopped him.

"Leave it there."

Edward "Eddie" Benedict was sweating rivers as the willing young woman in front of him put his finger to her mouth and began sucking it. His knees were ready to collapse when she moved his wetted finger to the small black moon low on her hip. She moved his finger around the soft skin, and he may have fainted but for noticing some strange substance coating his digit. Below the moon, there was now a barcode reading G0-0630.

Usagi watched as the ecstasy on Benedict's face turned to terror. She studied him as he looked around wildly for any other human being. She felt that it was finally time to put the squirming little man out of his misery– sort of.

"Don't bother trying to find help, Eddie. You know it won't do any good; you know what I am."

" . . .but how? You're a girl!'

"I'm aware of that, but what we really need to talk about are your crimes against the Society. Selling "family secrets" is a serious offense. I've been sent to make an example of you. Now, I'm going to punch you in the throat to block your air supply. You'll be out cold and you won't feel a thing. Consider this Sera's gift to you. "

In a flash, Usagi lashed his wrist to the cart and knocked him unconscious. Quickly severing his other hand and burning the edge, she marked it with six black dots, all in a circle. She tossed by the lion's cage for Trowa to find, pressed the detonator in her hand, and blurred to her motorcycle. Revving the engine, she screeched out of the circus ground unseen and unnoticed. Maybe if she went fast enough, she could outrun the guilt.

Trowa and Catherine heard the explosion and ran out of the trailer toward the sound. They stopped short in front of what used to be the popcorn stand. The same thing ran through both of their minds, Sera!

"She was probably finished talking to him. I'll go check the tent. Trowa, go see if she's by the lions! "

Catherine was on the verge of hysterics. Trowa simply stared at the scene, analyzing it. Mistaking this for shock, Catherine pushed him in the path of the lions. Half-running and half-blurring, Trowa arrived at the cages in record time. What he saw, confirmed his suspicions. Benedict's hand lie on the ground, cut cleanly but burned as to deceive the inexperienced. On his hand were six dots in a circle or a zero. In a flash, his mind was cleared of all distraction. Benedict had been the mole! Trowa had failed his mission of 8 months while G0-0630 had not only found, but also eliminated, Benedict in five days.

Trowa walked back to the scene, compiling a statement of mission failure he would have to present to the Founders. He found Catherine on the ground, sobbing. He hadn't realized that she was so close to the traitor, and while he felt no sympathy for the man's death, he decided that a physical display of comfort would be appropriate in the situation. He put his arm around her and pulled her into an awkward hug. Between her heaving sobs, he heard her say something that stopped his blood cold.

"I'm so sorry Trowa. I know that you liked her a lot. Poor Sera, this is so unfair."

He pushed her away, and she saw the shock on his face.

"Oh god. Trowa, I thought you knew. A few of the workers saw her talking to Benedict right before the explosion. I'm so sorry Trowa, but Sera is . . . dead."

Catherine collapsed to the ground, wailing. Trowa simply stared at the site. Practical and objective analysis of the situation ran through his mind. G0-0630 did what he had been trained to do. The blast looked like an accident, the fire was hot enough to decimate all human remains, and the message was clear to all Society employees that betrayal had a swift and deadly reward. This new pilot would have been a great asset. Would have. Trowa looked to the grieving girl again. 06, the bastard responsible for this, would die before he got the chance to prove himself again. Sera was dead and Trowa's humanity was dead too. The Founders want another Heero? Well, now they've got one.