Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Domino ❯ Teaser ( Prologue )

Domino

An AU Gundam Wing fanfic

By Anne and Raletha

Authors' notes: This is the teaser to the canon based AU series, Domino. Future episodes will deal with the after effects of a decision made in this story. As in a stack of dominos, the way one piece falls or changes direction soon effects others, until that seemingly insignificant decision could very well change the entire outcome or survival of all the players

This series will be archived at

Shades and Echoes: http://www.angelfire.com/ab7/shadesandechoes/domino.html and

Slice of Heaven: http://www.angelfire.com/realm2/slice_of_heaven/GW.html

Disclaimer : Gundam Wing belongs to Bandai, Sunrise and Sotsu Agency. We are not making any money from this, though we do admit to having fun and losing a lot of sleep.

Thanks to : Bast and Maureen for support, encouragement and beta comments. Also to Jessie and Ash who pre read and gave opinions on this 'episode'

Feedback is welcomed and can be sent to :

anneo@paradise.net.nz and geekpuella@yahoo.com

**********

Pre Series Teaser

Quatre strained his ears to listen to the two men talking, as he leaned against the solid wooden door of his father's office. His father's was the clearest but he was sure he knew the other voice. Recognising it as he'd been passing by, he'd fought the urge to knock, realising that the conversation would probably change if they knew they had an audience.

Even though his father was grooming him to take over the Winner family business, there were obviously some things his heir was supposed to stay blissfully ignorant about. Subjects, for example, such as this. Topics that he knew far more about than his father suspected. Parents, even those with as much influence as Haroun Winner, couldn't protect their children from the reality of what was going on in the Colonies and on Earth forever. Sometimes Quatre suspected he was far less naïve in such matters than the so-called older and wiser male in the family.

Quatre took a sharp breath at the change of pitch in his father's voice. War? Weapons? Why would his father, a pacifist, be talking about such things? He put his ear to the door, trying to follow the rest of the conversation, then moved quickly into the shadows as he heard footsteps.

Quatre recognised the man instantly, even from behind. The bald head, the trick in his walk, it could only be one person. Why was the man he'd met on the shuttle two years ago here on L4 talking to his father?

H continued down the hallway, pausing to glance towards the office behind him with a sigh.

On impulse, Quatre ran after him and called out. "Wait!"

Instructor H turned in surprise. "What is it?" A small smile formed on his face, almost as though he knew something Quatre didn't and the blond frowned.

"I heard you talking to my father."

H nodded. "And something about this conversation interests you?" /Am I missing something?/ A shiver ran down Quatre's spine, as he tried to process the emotions coming strongly from the scientist in front of him. /Hope. Anticipation of things to come./ And something else he couldn't quite decipher.

Quatre glanced around, making sure his father or anyone else acting as his ears weren't likely to overhear. "There's a resource satellite belonging the Winner family about to be abandoned. If you continue your work there it's unlikely OZ or the Alliance would find you."

The rotund man paused, blinking several times before responding carefully, "Why are you telling me this? Surely you must realise what my work is?"

Quatre examined the part of the floor where the wood tone was slightly different in colour due to wear and tear, then met H's gaze. When he spoke, his voice was soft but firm. "Someone has to fight. It's not right for this war to go on forever."

H nodded again, this time slowly and Quatre could feel the hope rise in the man. /Please don't ask me that. Please don't. / "Will you be that someone? Would you fight….to help end the war, to end the bloodshed?"

The silence between them rose to a deafening roar as they stood, facing each other. Quatre shifted uncomfortably, fighting the urge to fidget as H examined him carefully, his eyes narrowing expectantly as he waited for a reply.

"I…" /Could he be right? Could I be that person?/ Quatre looked away from H's intense stare, glancing down at the floor again briefly, as he struggled to collect his thoughts. His throat felt dry, yet the hands clenched at his side were moist with perspiration.

No, it wasn't the right time. /I can't do this now. Not yet/ "No, I'm sorry. I can't yet… I'm not ready." Quatre took a deep breath before continuing. "One day, perhaps I will be - but for now - all I can do is help you to complete your work. I can do more good here, doing what I'm best at." His tone changed to one of bitterness tinged with a degree of sadness. "Doing what I'm more suited to."

Some of the newly awakened light in H's eyes died with Quatre's words. The blond looked away, trying to ignore the guilt rising within. /Is this the right decision? Or I am trying to justify my cowardice? No! I just…I want to be proud of myself. I want to help, but when the time is right./ Acting in this capacity before he was ready could be worse than not acting at all. This decision wouldn't alter the ultimate outcome of the project. He was only one person; it wasn't as though his presence was crucial in the grand scheme of things.

His father's words echoed through his mind over and over. /A pacifist has no right raising a weapon against others, he had said. /But there were different ways to deal with this threat, ways that were just as effective./

"Could you at least take me there?" H's eyes reflected the sadness in Quatre's heart, and he took a step closer to the older man before he realised what he was doing.

"Yes, I can do that much for you." The blond paused, surprised at the regret of his voice. "I hope you find the person you need."

H spoke softly, in almost a whisper. "So do I."

******

TBC

~ Coming soon ~

Domino: Episode One.

The Shooting Star They Saw.

While on a commercial shuttle bound for Earth, Relena Darlian meets Quatre Winner and the two observe an unidentified object re-entering the atmosphere. New mobile suits called Gundams appear at different places around the Earth, and their pilots Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton and Chang Wufei attack various Alliance resources. Later Relena meets a strange boy at the beach. Who is he and why is he so hostile towards her?