Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Rituals ❯ Strong - A Side Story ( Chapter 14 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of its characters. The song quote in the beginning is sung by Sheryl Crow. I like that song - it is worth downloading. ^_^

Notes: Like already stated, this screws the timeline sideways. Yadda, yadda, yadda.

I'm experimenting with this side story. It's Sally who tells you about what happened. This is probably because I've listened to one too many lectures/talks lately about several people's experiences in the Second World War. I'd say it makes me want to write something in past tense/story telling style.

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Strong - A Rituals Side Story in Sally's POV by Maaya

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//Nothing's true and nothing's right

So let me be alone tonight

- Strong Enough, Sheryl Crow//

In the motel room I rented, there was a relatively well-kept couch with an ugly tiger-striped pattern. Of course, there were many other things in the room, a bed, a chair, a table and a TV, but it was this sofa that caught your eyes first when you entered. So it was usually onto it you sat down. And honestly, the godforsaken hideous thing was also the most comfortable object in the room and I had after one night in the bed resorted to sleep on it instead of tossing and turning trying to avoid hard bumps. Sure, I should probably have complained about the bed, but I didn't have the energy to do that. It was unsurprisingly onto the couch I flopped down, leaned back and let out a deep, from-the-heart sigh that just about explained all my emotions for the past week and, in particular, this special day. It felt as if I had just given up useless fighting and was right now hiding in a shitty motel in a shitty town, trying to get a grip of what I really believed. How do you find a certain word for that feeling? Hopelessness? Weariness? Old? I'm neither an author, nor a poet though, and while I might have a strong point for charisma, I don't usually try to think of synonyms.

So, yes, here I was. I should have stayed away from anything military, mother; I admit you were right. Staying here, in this town, was both a good decision and a bad. It was calm and nothing ever seemed to happen, but it was poor and far away from reality too. But it was here I would have to remain until I could sort out the messes - in my head as well as economical situation. And, well, try and find a job. I'm glad I have the education I do; in these times it would probably not be hard to find a hospital somewhere that needed employees.

Though now, I wasn't sure what I should do anymore. Why did I have to run into Master O, of all people? Because that was how he introduced himself to me, in a bar slash restaurant a late evening prior. We talked for a while and he got me to tell him more than I really ought to. Afterwards, he told me about the gundams and gave me an offer. He suggested that I should join the rebels and the gundams.

I asked him to tell me more.

It wasn't as if I said I would join them - but I didn't really want to turn him down. The plans of starting to work at a hospital felt so very...not useless I guess, but a little as if I wouldn't do what I wanted. I wished to do something that could help this crazy world of ours, and if I was going to do that, I wanted to hear all the options.

The gundams' purpose sounded...honourable, at least. But it might just be a cover, or something more to it. Master O told me to go home and think about it, and I did.

The next day, I got a call from him.

He asked for my assistance as a doctor. A gundam pilot, he said, someone who needed medical attendance. I asked why he called me, of all people, but he just told me he trusted me to do a good job, and hung up. I was left with a fresh address in memory and uncertainty in mind.

Though in the end, I decided to take on the job. As much as I hated that the man seemed to understand and know what I would decide from the beginning, a human is a human and doesn't really deserve to die. And who knew, maybe it would be good for me to meet a gundam pilot. God knew I didn't have anyone to betray them to anymore. Not that I would have anyway, but that's beside the point.

I arrived to the pilots' hiding place, the motel, as soon as I could with only bus as means of transport. By then, I was avoiding swallowing just in case my nervousness would upset my stomach more than it already had, and entered the building with a hard grip onto my bag with doctors' supplies. A girl sat behind the counter, looking bored and blowing a big bubble out of the whitened gum with expertise. As I entered, she raised her head, but looked down again when she noticed I walked past her. I did have the room's number after all. Another surge of nervousness made me take the stairs instead of elevator, just to make the trip take longer. It was not like me to feel like that, but maybe the last few days' tension and confusion took the worse out of me.

I knocked the code at the door, waited for a couple of seconds, then blinked at the barrel of a gun pointed at my face.

My first thought was, `it's a trap!' until I remembered there was no reason to put out a trap for mere little me. So I bit my lower lip roughly and glared at the gun, following it down and along the arm, until my eyes were met by a face.

A face of a boy.

He was fifteen, maybe sixteen, and glared at me with a pair of the most...brutal might not be the right word...wildest maybe, eyes I have ever seen. It was those kinds of eyes that made something inside your stomach tremble but also realize that showing fear would be fatal.

Still feeling somewhat jittery inside, I smiled, hoping it reached my eyes at least a little. "Heero Yuy, right? I think you've already been told who I am. Can I come in?"

He lowered his gun slowly and allowed me to enter. I did so, taking in the other two occupants in the room. They were also teenagers, kids. Was I supposed to be surprised anymore? This was what had forced kids to enter the fight. Something inside felt broken at the thought.

A boy of visibly Chinese origins sat on a bed in the room, open laptop in front of him, though his gaze was fastened on me, not the screen, and his eyes weren't those of a boy. He sized me up critically, before asking shortly, "Name?"

"Sally Po." I replied, wishing that the boy wouldn't look so much like my little brother at home. "What's the situation?"

Somewhere along the line, my nervousness had disappeared and I slipped into the professional mode I used when I had business to take care of.

"Who sent you?"

I didn't bat an eye. So they weren't going to trust just anybody. "Master O."

They both fell silent, and I turned my head slightly to study the third boy in the room. He was sitting down, and seemed to have hurt his leg somehow. But what first caught my eye, despite a long braid of brown hair, was the many band-aids on his face. But even though he must have been in some pain, he still grinned and winked in a silly manner. Well. He was a strange one. "What's the problem? More than the damage in his face?"

"Biological bomb." Was the reply I was given, before the Chinese guy began to type on his computer again. "We don't know what was in it. Damage is done to his throat as well. Yuy, we have a contact with Quatre."

Heero Yuy gave me a very intimidating glare before walking over to join his companion. Master O gave me his name...Chang, was it? And the last one had to be Maxwell then.

"I do not hear anything of what's being said in this room." I submitted shortly, and walked over to where I guessed the bathroom was, and washed my hands.

Well, I guess that is pretty much it. I examined Maxwell, made a diagnosis and decided I couldn't see any fatal problems.

But at least I got to meet those guys myself. Now I know the options and hopefully some facts. I hope that will help me out now, when I try to sort out this mess of beliefs.

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End of Strong

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Hmm...let's see...this is short, very late and rather not good. But it is something, I guess. And if you've read this far, I guess you are used to it by now. Though I still love you for reading!

I think I deserve brownie points for having written this on a shitty keyboard where I have to push on the shift-key several times before it works.