Chapter 6
"Sorry about that Duo, but I couldn't let you get any further." Davina said as soon as they were settled.
"The thing is, we aren't allowed to talk about the west wing really. And especially not where people can hear you." Alex joined in.
"Why not?" Trowa asked.
"We don't know, but anyone who does and has been heard disappears! And we know that there are microphones in the canteen that can hear you talking, so it's best to talk out here where it isn't wired." Peter said.
"How do you know it's wired?" Wufei asked with an accusatory glare at Peter.
"So I got an amateur spy kit and put it to use. I saw them through a keyhole installing it." Peter said, sheepishly. Then the defiance returned to his voice. "Anyway, the important thing is, that up until two years ago, the west wing was where the canteen is now. That west wing was only built two years ago. Can't you see the difference in colours of brick?"
The four boys looked. There was a slight difference, it was not such a big one that you immediately noticed it, but it was there, all the same.
"Anyway," said Peter, drawing their attention back to him. "Three years ago, this woman turns up and starts ordering construction workers around, telling them to get it done in time for the start of term. Then she disappears for a while. The construction goes on, and soon that place is built."
"I heard that half of it is underground." Alex interrupted. "That building is only the tip of the iceberg, as it were. The rest of it sprawls underneath the college grounds, going god-knows-where."
"And that woman?" Davina put in her input. "She turns up two months before the new college year starts and moves in. Whatever she put in there, it was technology I've never seen before, I know. I do a computer course." She explained. "A week before college starts, everybody turns up and relaxes before college really gets started. It helps the first years get settled in. After all, they will be staying here practically all the time, and it helps them get used to the routine of a boarding college."
"We're getting off the subject." Peter intervened. "What Davina is getting to is that very same week, five girls arrived. I remember because I saw them and thought that they were starting a bit late, you know, because of our final exams and everything? Anyway, they milled around all day together, always deep in conversation, and then at the end of the day, they joined the rest of the school in getting sorted. That's when the teachers come out of the school and call out who will be in what dormitory this year. But then something odd happened. The woman we told you about? She came out of the west wing….. and stood there."
"And? There isn't much in that!" Wufei snorted.
"Well, this is the weird part. Without a signal or anything, the five girls just picked up their bags, quiet as can be, and went to her. There was no whistle, no calling their names, nothing. They just walked over to her and they all disappeared into the west wing, and we never saw them again!" Alex ended dramatically.
"Don't be stupid, Alex." Davina scolded. "Of course we saw them again." She continued in nicer tones to the other boys. "My brother likes to exaggerate. They come out every now and again, talk to some of the other students, but mostly they keep themselves to themselves. They have nothing to do with the rest of the college though, it's weird."
"And when did they move in?" Trowa murmured.
"Two years ago." Peter looked at Duo, as he had broken into a huge grin. "And what's even stranger? They don't leave there. Ever. None of them go home for holidays as far as we know, and when they moved in, we were expressly forbidden to go anywhere near it by the Principal. Anyone who is heard to be talking about it or anything is slammed in detention for a month." Silence followed his remarks, and the four new boys looked at one another. Then as one, they stood up.
"Thanks, for everything." Duo said, stretching.
"Hey no problem, look, just be careful, yeah?" Davina said, getting up.
"Sure. Let's play ball sometime again yeah?" Duo called over his shoulder as they left.
"Sure, that would be fun!" Davina yelled, but they had already gone. She turned to her brother and shrugged, then sat down again.
Relena pictured Du Lac on the target fifty feet away and squeezed the trigger. A single shot rang out, and Relena holstered her firearm. Lady Une pressed the switch and brought the target close to. A single hole in the very centre of the target showed testament to Relena's skill. She nodded approvingly, and turned to the girls, all of whom had achieved the same results.
"Well done. I believe you are ready." The young women smartly stood to attention and saluted.
"Yes ma'am." They chorused. Une looked at them proudly.
"Go and shower. Change, then report back here in thirty minutes. Dismissed." The women saluted again, turned on their heels, and strode purposefully out of the door.
Half an hour later, they stood to attention in the main training area. Une looked at them critically. Each of them had grown into beautiful young women, whose looks belied their deadly abilities. Turning she headed to the middle of the room.
"Follow me." The five women stepped onto the centre square of the room. "This is Commander Une. Bring us down." The square beneath their feet juddered, then began to move down, a huge lift that transported them into a huge warehouse basement. The women beside Une peered into the darkness.
"Commander?" Dorothy turned to her. "Where are we?" Une waited as the lift shuddered and stopped.
"We are below the college. About sixty metres below ground level." The girls stepped off the lift and lined up next to her, stood at ease with their feet apart and their hands at the small of their backs. "It has become apparent that we can no longer waste time. Du Lac is gathering strength daily, and your first mission has been decided. A factory nearby has been producing illegal mobile suit parts – the Zero system, in particular. It will be a perfect first test for you. Understood?"
"Yes ma'am!" The answer rang out loud and clear. Une nodded appreciatively.
"It is time for you to meet your suits." The women stood a little straighter, and the lights came up on five suits standing opposite the line of women. "Each suit is seven feet tall and is made of Neo Gundanium. It is twice as strong and twice as light as normal grade gundanium. Because it is so light, the speed and manoeuvrability in these suits are much better than gundams and other mobile suits. Their small size makes them perfect for reconnaissance and stealth missions. Each suit is designed with an array of weapons, including beam sabre, missiles, bullets, and compact beam cannons. The suit fits around your body, allowing it to move as easily as you yourself would move. Each suit also incorporates the latest Shifting technology, allowing you to move from one place to another as fast as thought with nothing but co-ordinates. Relena." Relena looked at her. "You shall pilot Pax. Hilde, your suit is called Ebony. Catherine, Tumble is yours. Dorothy, you shall be Scorn's pilot. Sally, Rebel will suit you best." The women stepped forward as their names were called, and examined their new suits.
Pax was white, with folded wings against her back. Her eyes were violet, and she was tall and slim. At her sides were two beam daggers, and on her back a compact beam cannon hung in a shoulder holster. Ebony was so blue she was almost black, and stared at Hilde with ice blue eyes. She was well built and sturdy, but elegant. Across her back hung a laser bow, and missile arrows were held in a quiver at her side. Tumble had basic guns and a compact beam cannon, but it was clear that she was built more for speed and manoeuvring than fighting. She was more flexible than the rest, to allow for more complex movements, and her maroon colour and green eyes suited Catherine perfectly. Scorn was a bright red colour, and her blue eyes stared out ahead of her, daring anyone to cross her. Her beam sabre was safely held at her side, and a shield was slung across her back. She was large built and heavy footed, allowing an advantage in a hand to hand battle, and allowing her a sure footing. Rebel was an emerald green colour, and her yellow eyes shone like jewels. Her main weapon, a quarterstaff, could extend and shrink whenever she wanted, and hung across her back until it was needed. Rebel was powerfully built, and her feminine shape did nothing to hide the fact that she would be able to give as good as she got.
Lady Une watched them sizing up their new suits and smiled wryly. They would work well together. As one, the girls looked at each other and grinned. Turning, they saluted their commander, who nodded, and they relaxed into an at ease position once more.
"It is time for you to leave for your mission. Your mission objectives will be fed into your AI's mainframe. Dismissed." The women stood to attention, and put their backs to their suits. Stepping backwards, they stepped into their new suits and flexed their metal encased hands. As if on cue, the suits closed around them, encasing them in a protective shell. The helmet unfolded over their heads, and the eyes glowed as the system came online. Relena sighed and relaxed into her suit.
"This is going to be fun." She said. The other girls laughed as the co-ordinates of the factory were fed into their mainframe. Nodding to Une, they Shifted.