Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Untitled ❯ Ch 2 Alone Again So Soon ( Chapter 2 )

Author's note: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up! I do have a life, contrary to popular belief. Plus, I'm lazy as hell. I know Nina talks big for a ten year old, but humor me, alright? She had a slightly short childhood.

Standard Disclaimer applies… meaning I don't own Gundam Wing or its characters, and I'm not making any money off this story. It's purely for my entertainment, and hopefully some of you guys like it too.

Here it goes.

The year is A.C. 190. The secret rebel group Wabi has successfully foiled Oz and Alliance operations for years though espionage and sabotage. However, even the best of spies make fatal mistakes…

"Panther to Lioness, do you read me?"

"I read you, Panther. What's your status?"

"Ready to infiltrate command center. Security's tight. Requesting back-up."

"Tiger will cover you. I'll act as look-out. Inform me when you have secured the control room."

"Understood. Over and out."

The Big Cats were only one unit of Wabi. The group regularly switched units in the field to throw off Oz and Alliance intelligence. The other members of Wabi were back at the base, following the Big Cats' every move, jamming signals, creating diversions, or resting. Some were recovering after recent missions, others were preparing for upcoming ones. There is no rest for a group with a cause.

And at the head of it all was Hana Mienai. No one would have guessed the petite Japanese-American restaurant owner was running a terrorist operation out of her basement, or that her top operative was a 10-year-old girl who happens to be adept at remaining unseen.

Panther crept through the air ducts of the Oz base, her partner watching her back behind her. Tiger was the tech genius of the two, and had invented more advanced gadgets than the Alliance would ever hope to see. For example, he owned the only known pair of compact x-ray binoculars in existence.

"We should be there soon… Just another twenty feet… Wait, it looks like there's some sort of group in the room below us… Someone looks angry…"

"Yeah, they're probably getting chewed out about that last mission we botched for 'em," Panther scoffed. She crept closer to an air vent and heard a couple of vaguely familiar voices ranting at the soldiers.

"… completely disgusted with the massive failure of your mission…"

"… Can't believe you let them get away…"

"… Loose ends all over… disgraceful!"

The two men glared around the room at the group of ten soldiers, each wearing a look of guilt and shame. The commanders' faces softened and their voices slowly shifted to tones of encouragement.

"However, we believe you've learned not to disappoint us again."

"Besides, the rebels are amateurs. They don't have your training. Most likely, they'll all get themselves killed pretty soon."

"Yeah, that's the best thing about colonists. If they're supposed to be gone, they're usually dumb enough to do it themselves. For example, when Colonel Smith and I started in this unit, our first mission was to dispose of a family who was suspected of financially supporting a rebel group. The adults were taken care of quickly, but we had a hard time finding their kids."

"Couldn't leave any loose ends, you see. There was the risk that the kids could talk, and word would leak out that we had offed a couple of civilians…"

"So we searched, found 'em in the back yard, and gave chase."

"The brats fell into the river and drowned. So we got lucky."

"But you can't always expect your plans to work out so easily!" one colonel exclaimed, suddenly stern again. "You are each to think hard about why you here, and how you may improve. You will all be on kitchen AND bathroom duty all week! You are dismissed!" The young men slowly filed out of the room until the two older men were the only ones left.

"Do you think it was wise to tell them that story?"

"Ah, couldn't hurt."

Panther seethed in the air duct above them.

"Those bastards were the ones who…"

Panther suddenly kicked out the air vent, dropped into the room, kicked the door shut, and rounded on the men, gun drawn.

"Couldn't hurt, could it? We'll see about that. I think it's gonna hurt plenty."

The men chuckled.

"Big talk for such a little twerp. And who might you be, cutie? We don't get many girls around here…" Colonel Smith taunted, smirking.

"You might just say I'm the one who got away," Panther replied with a smirk of her own. "Betcha didn't think I'd return from the dead to get you back for the life you took from me!"

"What the hell are you talking about, kid?" Colonel Smith snapped.

"What, don't you recognize me? I'm that leftover from your first botched mission. Maybe you should take care of loose ends yourself from now on."

"Can't be…" Colonel Smith's eyes widened. Just then, his comrade grabbed Panther from behind, and Tiger dropped from the air duct onto Smith's shoulders and snapped his neck. Panther managed to twist out of the other man's grasp and shoot him in the head.

Tiger rolled his eyes.

"Next time you want to take revenge, do it quickly and quietly, and tell me first, ok? Or at least use a silencer. I bet half the base heard that gunshot. Now we have to do this the hard way." At that moment, the door burst open, and a concerned cadet charged in.

"Colonel Smith?! Colonel…" He is stopped by a silent shot from Tiger's gun.

"Geez, what a rookie. He didn't even enter with his gun drawn. Let's get out of here before his friends show up."

"Finally," Panther sighed, slamming and locking the door to the control room. She and Tiger have fought their way into the control room, taken out all the soldiers inside, and secured the room. Suddenly, a shot rang out, and there was the sound of a body hitting the floor. Panther turned to find Tiger sprawled out on the ground, bleeding profusely. It seems one soldier who was not quite dead yet had decided to make a last stand. Panther fired two shots to ensure that this punk will never fire a gun again. Then she rushed to Tiger's side to attend to his injuries. He was bleeding from the nose and mouth…

and also from the bullet wound in the middle of his chest.

"Tiger, Tiger! Come on buddy, you're alright… We've got to get you out of here, ok?"

"Yeah, sure thing, kid, as soon as this gigantic hole closes up, I promise. Listen, get yourself out right now. I'll be safe here… the room's locked, remember? Just get out so Hana can see you again… You're the only family she has, ya know? She can't lose her little girl."

"Hey, Tiger, don't you worry about me, I'm a big girl, and a fighter to boot. I can take care of myself."

"Heh. You're right… you're too grown up for ten… Do me a favor? Be a kid. Just for one day. Be a kid. I wish I had…"

"Come on Tiger, let's just get out of here and we'll do all sorts of stupid kid stuff, ok? I mean, yeah, you're sixteen, an old-timer, but I'll play dollies with you like a good little girl if ya want. Tiger?"

He couldn't hear her anymore. Panther stood up. For the first time in her life (as far as she can remember), she was unsure and scared, and felt like the lost little girl she never wanted to be. Then a voice sounded over her communicator.

"Panther, this is Lioness. What's your status?"

"Secured control room. Tiger is down," Panther replied numbly.

"Damn. We're calling off the mission. I'm not getting responses from any other members of the unit or from home base. We can't take any more ri…" The communicator suddenly cut off.

"Lioness? Damn it! So everyone's gone, huh?" Panther scoffed quietly to herself. "Well, then I can finish this mission myself, and I don't have to worry about anyone getting hurt."

She sat down at the large control panel and craned her neck to see the monitor. She tapped into the system, set the self-destruct timer, and sat back to wait.

"Panther…" the communicator crackled. Panther's eyes widened.

"Hana? She's okay? I have to get back!"

Arriving back at the base, Nina, the girl also known as Panther, was greeted with a horrific sight.

The base was in ruins.

Apparently, the communications frequency the rebel group used had been traced, and OZ Special Forces were deployed to eradicate the problem. The rebel base, standing no chance against mobile suits, was completely destroyed, reduced to nothing but rubble.

Nina stood among its remains, dumbstruck.

"My home…"

"Nina?" A voice called out weakly. Nina turned abruptly, frantically searching for its source.

"Hana? Hana, where are you?" Nina began to root through the debris, and finally found her guardian, clutching a familiar, ragged stuffed dog in her hands. "Hana! Are you ok?! Just hold on, I'll get you out of there!" Nina began scrambling to clear away the rest of the wreckage. Hana abruptly grabbed Nina's wrist.

"Nina, stop… It will do no good."

"What are you talking about, Hana? Come on, I've got to get you some help…"

"Nina, who will help us? Look around, all our comrades are gone… and OZ forces would be waiting at the hospital… It's no use."

"Oh Hana, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I brought attention to the mission, and I alerted Earth forces to our presence. I ruined everything… Can you ever forgive me? Please, please, you HAVE to be ok… please?" By this time, tears were flowing freely down Nina's face. Hana smiled gently up at her, and softly stroked her young charge's cheek.

"Child, don't blame yourself. It was bound to happen eventually… we had too few men, too few resources, too few weapons, and, it seems, too little security. It is I who should be sorry… taking you in when I knew I could never give you a normal childhood… raising you among violence and warfare… I should have kept you from this. You should be in school, among those your own age. I want you to get away from here, to find a normal life for yourself." As Hana spoke, she became weaker and weaker.

"Stop! Don't say that! You are my family… I don't want any other life, only this one! I'm just so sorry I failed you…" Nina hung her head in shame.

"But oh, Nina, how I am proud of you… you are so brave, so intelligent, and so strong. I know you will do well. You never have and never could disappoint me."

"… Thank you, Hana… I'm sorry… "

"I'm just so glad you're ok, Nina… so glad... I could never forgive myself… I do love you."

"I love you too, Hana… Hana?! Hana!!! DAMN IT!!!! NOOOOOO!!!"

Nina screamed. And then she curled into a little ball, cuddling her tattered stuffed dog that Hana had held, and wept until her eyes were dry.

"I'm sorry, Hana, I can't keep the name you gave me. I don't deserve you as family. But I won't let our group disappear… I'm the only one left, but I'll make sure OZ and the Alliance forces know we still exist. From now on, I AM Wabi. I hope one day I can earn the right to be your family again. I'm sorry."

Author's note:

Hehe, sorry guys, was that too sappy for you? Let me know, and I'll take a line or two out… I just didn't want that cliché "she never knew I loved her" stuff going on. If you're wondering why it's rated the way it is, it's because later chapters will get a little more *ahem* adult.

A little background on names….

Nina: the word Niña means girl in Spanish, but I truthfully got it this way….

"Ni" means "two" in Japanese… "na" means "name or fame" (at least according to my Japanese dictionary.)

So, if you put the two together, you get "Nina."

Being that she's got always got two names (ie, the unknown one her family gave her, and the new one Hana gave her, or the civilian name Nina and the code name Panther, or her "real" name Nina and the assumed name Wabi, there are a lot of ways to look at it.), I thought it fitting.

"Hana" means "flower" in Japanese. "Mienai" means "invisible," which is what Hana and Nina should have been, being terrorists. "Wabi" means "apology, stillness, or loneliness." Fitting, as Nina will spend years and years trying to make up for her mistake, and these years will probably be spent in silence and loneliness.

I'll explain other names as they come up.

Please review!!! I know I don't update often, but I might be willing to if I had some motivation… hint hint, wink wink. Plus, I have no idea if this is any good or not!

As far as plot goes… don't worry, things will turn up for Nina, eventually.