Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Broken Wing ❯ Broken Wing - Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter One



It took me a little longer than Id anticipated, but at long last, here it is, Broken Wing, Chapter One! I hope that everyone enjoys it, and PLEASE review, I LOVE getting reviews. Also, don't be shy, EMAIL ME! If you've got ideas or whatever, feel free to tell me. You never know what might end up being in the story. Anyways, thanks to everyone who reviewed the prologue and encouraged me to continue. You know who you are! And now, without further ado….


Chapter One



Colonel Une stared at the viewscreen, her brown eyes narrowing behind the glare on her glasses. If OZ's pilots couldn't get any better than that, they wouldn't stand an inkling of a change against even one of the Gundams. A scowl marred the stern beauty of her face as she motioned to the screen.
"Call those pilots back and send out the next group," her low, hard voice was specifically designed to put fear into the hearts of her underlings, no matter how mundane the order.
"Yes, Colonel Une," the soldier she had addressed answered briskly.
"Colonel Une," came an unfamiliar voice from behind her, "I've brought you the reports from the colonies, as you requested."
The colonel turned and let her flat eyes look the speaker up and down. The woman was dressed in the black, slightly stylized uniform of a lieutenant, with green tinted black hair tied up in a single bun. Her maroon eyes were tilted towards the ground in proper respect for a higher ranking officer. All in all, she seemed a typical OZ soldier.
Except for the fact that Une had never seen this woman before in her life. She knew all of the lieutenants, and would have remembered perfectly the face of anyone she had asked to bring her reports. But this woman was a complete anomaly.
"Identify yourself, soldier," Une barked, and the woman blinked in seeming surprise.
"Lieutenant Meioh, Colonel . . . remember? I transferred here about two months ago . . ."
Une frowned and her mouth opened, words of denial about to spill from her lips when those maroon eyes flashed with a strange light that, for a moment, sent a shiver up the OZ officer's spine. When the light subsided, all memory of what she was about to say was wiped clean from her mind.
"Thank you, Lieutenant Meioh," she snapped instead, snatching the reports cleanly from the officer's hands, "Dismissed."
Une watched the woman leave, a scowl plastered on her face. She'd never liked Setsuna Meioh, the entire two months that the lieutenant had been aboard Barge. She was certain that the dark haired woman was trying to get in and steal her position. Well, that wasn't likely to happen anytime soon. Une made a mental note to see about having Meioh transferred again as soon as humanly possible.

~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~

Setsuna smiled softly to herself as she walked the corridors of Barge. Une, as a woman who was used to having her commands strictly obeyed and knowing everything and everyone aboard her vessel, had been easily tampered with. As far as she was concerned, Setsuna was who she said she was. A new lieutenant transferred from somewhere else to duty on Barge, which was just setting orbit above the moon, in contact with Lunar Base. My, that's where the captured Gundam pilots were being held. How convenient.
After pulling her mental trick on the soldier stationed to guard the mobile suits, the Guardian of Time set off towards Lunar Base.
She entered the prison area, populated only by the people being held there. Officers and soldiers generally stayed away from this section of Lunar Base, for no one wanted to be caught there should any prisoner escape. No, it would not be their fault.
She didn't need to search out the cell she wanted. The location, as well as everything else about this time period, was etched into her memory. Boots heels clicking solidly on the metal floor resounded in her ears and she smiled, grateful for such a small pleasure. Such sounds couldn't be heard in the plane between Times.
So engrossed she was in the pleasures of being on the mortal plane, that she nearly missed her stop when it came. But she came to her senses just in time, and turned to look at the plain metal door. Within those walls was held the savior of the future, although he didn't know it yet. Setsuna placed a hand upon the doorway and took in a deep breath, letting it out with a sigh. She didn't have very long before Trowa and Une would arrive to take Hiiro for the first field test of the Mercurius and the Va8. Time was not on her side in this matter; there was so little of it free so that she could speak with the pilots without being seen.
Setsuna unlocked the cell door and swung it open. She knew that she was in effect standing in the middle of a bright white light, her features vague at best to the two boys sitting within the dark room. As her own vision adjusted to the darkness, Setsuna laid her eyes on Hiiro Yui and Duo Maxwell for the first time in person.
Hiiro truly was a handsome young man, with dark brown hair that insisted on invading the cold, unfeeling plain of flesh he called a face. Brown seas of indifference stared at her from under the strands of hair. His thinly muscled arms were draped over his knees and bound together by handcuffs. He didn't speak to her; he probably thought that she would speak to him if she so desired. And she did.
Duo was leaning calmly back against the cell wall as if he were not imprisoned at all, but in the middle of a vacation in a sunny paradise. Only one of his indigo eyes popped open at her presence, and when he saw her he simply smirked and closed the eye again. She smiled almost lovingly at him as the vision of his future flashed in her mind. It was so good to see him alive and well, complete with braid. Setsuna sighed and brushed her hand over her shoulder in an attempt to push back her own green-black hair, which normally rested there, but was now pulled up into her bun.
"I don't expect either of you to trust me," she began, getting that part over with from the beginning, "but whether you do or not, I am here to help you."
Duo snorted, obviously disgusted with her openness, but Hiiro merely glared at her. Those eyes . . . so cold and hard . . . they didn't seem natural on a boy his age. It was enough to unnerve even the stoic Guardian of Time.
"Yeah, right," Duo began in his oddly inflected voice, never moving from his comfortable seeming position on the wall, "An OZ lieutenant just waltzes right on in our cell and claims to want to help us, and we're supposed to believe that? You've got a few screws loose, lady. We ain't that stupid."
"I know you aren't, Duo," she said his name lightly, as a mother would speak to a loved son, and he straightened at her tone, giving her a hard glance, "None of you are stupid, and I wish that your intelligence alone were enough to keep the five of you alive, but it won't be if you don't listen to me."
The braided boy's eyes narrowed at her words, and Hiiro didn't move even as the barest hint of interest entered his cold gaze.
"We're listening," Hiiro grunted in a monotone, and Duo glanced at him in shock.
"WHAT?!? Have you completely lost it?? She works for-"
"I know who she works for."
Setsuna nodded gratefully in Hiiro's direction. This acceptance from him was the last thing she expected, but she didn't have the time to let it distract her.
"I can't tell you everything right now; your friend Trowa is on his way as we speak to take Hiiro to test pilot one of the new mobile suits," she saw the confusion in their eyes, and realized that at this point in Time the name Trowa was not known to them, "Trowa is on your side, no matter what he may say or do. There are many things for all of you to learn and all five of the Gundam pilots must be brought together before I can begin to teach you."
"We learned everything we needed to know before we left for Earth," Duo nodded at Hiiro's statement.
"Correction, you learned everything that the scientists could teach you. But there is much that they don't and couldn't possibly know."
"And you do?" Duo scoffed as he gazed at her with disbelief sparkling in indigo pools.
"Yes," she replied simply, moving back towards the door. Seconds were ticking by; seconds that brought Trowa and Une closer to the cell. Setsuna stepped out, maroon gaze glancing in the direction she knew the two would be coming from. One hand rested on the door as she began to swing it closed, but before she shut them back into darkness, she spoke one more time, "All you need to know now is that I know someone who can help you, and will bring them to Earth soon. Farewell, brave pilots."
Light slanted as she shut the door quietly, and the two pilots were locked back into darkness.

~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~

Duo stared into the blackness where Hiiro was only a moment ago. The braided one's vision was still adjusting to the sudden change from light to dark. Ever so slowly he began to be able to see his cell-mates outline in the shadows that shrouded them both.
"What do you think you're doing, huh?" he asked only when he was able to tell for certain that Hiiro still sat out of arms reach, "That's an OZ lieutenant!"
"I know," came the answer in low monotones. Hiiro didn't even bother to move.
"You're crazy, you know that? Absolutely nuts."
Silence met Duo's comment. Apparently Hiiro didn't consider it important enough to formulate a reply. Duo rolled his eyes and sighed. His sigh was that of a person with the weight of more than a world on their shoulders. There were colonies out there that also depended on the work that he and the other pilots were doing. As he stared out into the blackness that made the small cell seem larger, one of those moments came upon him.
It was a feeling that it was all so unfair. He was fifteen, still a child in most people's eyes. Any other boy would never admit that he still balanced on the fence of life, constantly leaning back and forth from childhood to maturity and back; any other boy Duo's age would have insisted that he was a competent adult. But the burden of his responsibility made the braided-boy realize the truth. He was a boy, not a man. Yet he piloted one of the most deadly machines that humanity had ever dared to create. What was it about Destiny that made it such a cruel taskmaster? He should be going to school, dating, and arguing with parents and siblings, not risking his life with every breath that passed from his lungs.
"You ever regret being a Gundam pilot?" he murmured in Hiiro's general direction, not really expecting much of an answer.
"No," came the response, "how can I regret what I've been raised to do?"
Duo sniffed.
"I figured as much. You really are a piece of work, you know that?" Suddenly Duo felt the need to strike out at someone, anyone, for the emotional abuse he had endured in the form of expectations, "You're just as much a machine as the ones we pilot. You're programmed, that's all. That's why you don't feel anything, because you aren't programmed to feel. You do only what your sick little scientist tells you to do."
"Kinda like you?"
Duo blinked. Hiiro's reply was cruel, but accurate.
"Yeah, I guess ya got a point there," he admitted as he leaned back against the wall.
His musings might have lasted a bit longer, save for the fact that the information given by the lieutenant was correct. The door swung open again, this time revealing two figures. One was a woman, face hard and eyes holding a certain amount of cruelty. The other was a boy about their age, with hair that hid half of his face. His expression was completely indifferent, as if he didn't care one way or the other whether he was here or somewhere else. Duo assumed that this was the one named Trowa, although the face was not familiar.
"Well," the woman asked in tones of impatience, "which one do you think should test pilot the Mercurius, Officer Barton?"
Barton, as she called him, let the voids empty of emotion that were his eyes pass from Duo to Hiiro. It was unnerving, the way that his eyes were the only things about him that moved. Finally he made a gesture in Hiiro's general direction.
"Him," languid was the only way to describe his voice, a voice that Duo immediately recognized, "He's less likely to try to escape than the other."
The woman nodded briskly and motioned to the two guards outside the door. As mechanized as OZ's mobile dolls the soldiers came at their ranking officer's beck and call, picking up Hiiro and marching him out into the hallway, leaving a wide eyed Duo behind. He scowled. For all he knew, they could be taking Hiiro for execution under the guise of test piloting a new mobile suit. He watched the woman, vaguely hearing one of the soldiers addressing her as Colonel Une, as she smirked at him, obviously very pleased with herself. She turned and followed her lackeys, gesturing to Barton to follow her. Trowa Barton paused just long enough to stare silently at Duo, then stepped out and closed the cell door behind him.
Duo was left alone to consider several things.
The first was that Trowa Barton, the officer working directly under Colonel Une it seemed, was a Gundam pilot. Duo recognized that voice from the time when all five pilots had been together on Earth. He hadn't seen all of their faces, but their voices were ingrained in his memory, and there was no doubt that Trowa was one of them. So why was he wearing that OZ uniform??
And just how had that lieutenant known that Une and Trowa would take Hiiro? They hadn't even seemed to know themselves which one they wanted until their arrival. Was it just a lucky guess? If so, it had been damned lucky. Duo frowned and gave the door an indigo glance.
Not to mention the fact that Hiiro seemed all too ready to trust this mysterious lieutenant. Hiiro. Hiiro Yui. Duo shook his head. Hiiro still didn't trust him, but he was willing to trust some random OZ officer that suddenly dropped by and claimed to want to help them? He snorted in disbelief. Hiiro was nuts.
It was too late now to do anything about it, however. All Duo could do was sit and hope that Hiiro wasn't out there choosing a pattern for his blindfold.

~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~

Setsuna returned the mobile suit to its proper place on Barge before she donned her Senshi fuku and left the Universe for her more comfortable abode on the plane between Times. She sighed as she ran a hand over her shoulder and was pleased to find her hair there, as usual. After countless millennia of having green-black hair to shove behind her shoulder, it was annoying to still have the habit, but not the hair.
She shook her head. There were more important things to worry about.
Like how she was supposed to earn Duo's trust. And after that, Wufei's. Where were they going to stay when they arrived on Earth? How was Usagi supposed to interact with five boys, the majority of whom would rather kill her than look at her? Could Usagi befriend the pilots? And if she could, would she be able to do it and remain the pure, innocent soul she was? Setting in to motion a new timeline always blocked Setsuna's foresight, and there were simply too many questions to answer, even for the Guardian of Time.
She released a sigh and the mist that surrounded her stern face curled about and in on itself, billowing out away from her shimmering maroon eyes. Tiring as this was going to be, Setsuna knew that it was the only way to save the five pilots and the future that they would create.
So much to do, and just where to start?
Rest first. Action could come after she rested.

~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~

Sailormoon sighed and pulled a hand across her forehead, wiping the sweat from her skin. She looked up with panicked tears in her eyes at her friends, who were just beginning to rouse themselves from the ground. At the sight relief burst the dam of her heart and her face crumpled as she sank to her knees, sobs shaking themselves from her chest. Placing her face in her gloved hands, Sailormoon sobbed her fear and relief out.
"Usagi-chan . . ." she heard Minako's voice, and felt arms wrap around her in a comforting hug.
"Usagi . . ." that was Rei, the one hugging her, her best friend.
"Please don't cry, Usagi-chan . . ."
"And why shouldn't I, Ami-chan?!?" Usagi cried through her weeping, "I thought you all were dead! I thought I'd let you all die AGAIN!" Her tear-filled pause was silent, for all of the Senshi were giving each other worried glances, not knowing what to do with this miserable, anguished Sailormoon, "I don't want to do this anymore! No wait, I never did want to fight . . . I NEVER wanted to fight!" She turned her sorrowful blue eyes up to her friends, and they all saw the pain, regret, and determination in them, "This is it. I won't fight anymore," even as those words spilled from her lips, Sailormoon's fuku disappeared in a flurry of ribbons, and Tsukino Usagi took the brooch from her school uniform. She handed it solemnly to Sailormars.
"Usagi!"
"No," the blonde answered simply, shaking her head, "Take it. I don't want it anymore."
"Usako . . ." Tuxedokamen stepped up, taking her hands in his, "I can't say that I agree with you," he began, receiving nods from the Senshi and a hard glance from Usagi, "But if this is what you feel you have to do then I am behind you."
"MAMORU-SAN!"
Mamoru shook his head and raised a hand to silence the protesting soldiers. His decision was final, they all knew. He would stand by Usagi because he loved her, and had faith in her. He believed that she would one day realize how the world needed her, and return to being Sailormoon more powerful and dedicated than ever. And if she didn't . . . well he would still love and support her.
His tuxedo and hat disappeared, leaving Chiba Mamoru to walk his girlfriend home.
Later, outside her home, Mamoru sighed and looked at her.
"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked her one last time, hoping that the quiet walk home might have calmed her a bit. He was disappointed to see the resolute shining of her blue eyes. That look was familiar to him. He'd seen it too many times before to mistake it for anything else other than pure Tsukino Usagi determination. She would not be swayed. He sighed, "Alright, I understand. I won't speak of it any more and I won't try to change your mind. But I can't make that same promise for the others."
"I know, Mamo-chan," she said, smiling a small smile, meant to encourage him. How could she know that for the first time since meeting her, her smile had the reverse effect? To him she seemed perfectly content to pull out of the battle and let the other four take on the Dark Moon by themselves. What would they do if she really never fought again?
Die, most likely.

~~**~~~**~~~**~~**~~~**~~~*~~~

Quatre's blue eyes wavered as he stared out of the enclosed control area to where the nearly completed Gundam stood. His body, leaning against the control panel on rigid arms, was taught with his lingering anger. The boy was ready to pounce on anyone who dared to oppose him in any way.
"It's almost finished," his eyes narrowed as the words tumbled in a murmur from his lips, "Soon . . ." The boys head fell, his chin hitting his chest as those once innocent eyes closed, "Father . . ."
He remembered the figure of his father standing against the window of his ill-fated ship, staring stoically out at him and his sister. Then the colony had fired . . . and the ship . . . gone. Lost in the explosion, taking his father with it. That idiotic, foolish colony fired too soon, without really listening to what the elder Winner had to say. OZ held all of their minds firmly in its grasp, poisoning them into violent action. And that . . . that was why it had to pay. All of the colonies did, because they were all poisoned by OZ. OZ was everywhere.
Ever so slowly his head rose, eyes opening to gaze out into the work area, where his project was near completion.
Quatre would exterminate OZ with his new Gundam.
Wing Zero.

~~**~~~**~~~**~~**~~~**~~~*~~~

Infinity, or merely a second or so, had passed in the immortal realm between Times. Setsuna was once more positioned before the Gate, maroon eyes gazing sadly on its white polished surface.
She was not supposed to interfere. It was an unspoken rule. But over the millennia it had become increasingly difficult for her to simply stand and watch, allowing Time and other more sinister forces to carry on their work in peace. First the rule was broken when she contacted Sailormoon to help Small Lady, who was trapped in her dreams, chased by the dark youma of dreams. After that . . . well . . . she preferred not to think of it as breaking the rule. She preferred to think of it as helping her friends.
The Time staff glinted in the dim light of the realm. It seemed to be encouraging her on her way, knowing more than even she that Time was short. Setsuna nodded and sighed. Her fuku faded in a gentle wash of violet light, to be replaced by the black uniform of an OZ lieutenant. Once more her hair was swept into the single bun atop her head that annoyed her so much. If only the military wasn't so strict about such things.
With a flourish mastered over many centuries packed into millennia, Setsuna commanded that the Gate of Time be opened to the proper time. Of course, being a sensible Gate, it did precisely that.
Don't worry, she thought to the five pilots, knowing that they could not hear her, I won't let you die . . . I'll preserve your destinies and your lives.



End Chapter One