January 23, 2001
Sequel to 'Have You Ever...'
Standard Warnings and Disclaimers apply.
They floated over from the Shooting Star to the satellite secured with a heavy cable. Once in the relative safety of the floating mass of metal they removed their space suits and checked their armaments.
"Remember," Jack said, studying the gathering as she fixed her mic. "Ten minutes. Dev? Nita?"
"Check," the two girls called over the com.
"There's no action," Nita went on. "I mean, the place looks completely deserted."
"Be on the lookout, just in case," the dark haired teenager warned them.
"Right," the company agreed before striking out in their predetermined destinations. Blaire and two of the men headed out right; Kat and the remaining man, left. Jack looked at her youngest sister. "Come on," she said before pushing out, straight ahead.
Jack tried to check her pace so Rini could keep up--but the younger girl was keeping up on her own, her golden brown eyes glowing with a feverish excitement. Jack wanted to stop, to yell at the girl: "No, NO! Don't be excited about this! Don't get excited from war and destruction and chaos!"
But she didn't. She held her tongue and pressed forward, hoping to reach the second power grid sooner than later. The lights flicked before sputtering out completely, launching them into darkness. Rini gasped, Jack pushing her against the wall and waiting expectedly.
Seconds passed and nothing happened.
And then a low hum started as the power generator kicked in, bathing the corridor in a eerie red glow. Jack waited a second longer, waiting to see if anything else would happen... and when it didn't, she backed away from Rini, jerking her head in the direction they'd been heading.
"Let's keep going," she said, turning before she could she the other girl's nod.
They reached the end of the corridor and were about to proceed into the next when the door to their left whooshed opened. The two girls jumped, Jack pushing Rini behind her and raising her gun.
"Well, well, well. Look what I found."
She was halfway out of the carrier before it had even settled.
"Colonel.," the young man saluted at the base of the lift.
"Report," Une barked, accepting the garments he held out for her and immediately stripping. She was oblivious to the young man's blush as she removed the flight suit from her otherwise naked body and adorned the military uniform in record speed.
"Uh, ma'am. Our, ah, troops and White Fang's are engaging, ma'am," he stumbled.
"What of Peacemillion?"
"Last report, ma'am, she hadn't moved, ma'am."
"Understood." She finished fastening her jacket, smoothing the wrinkles out, and then looked up. "Take me to the bridge."
He felt torn. A part of him wanted to be outside, fighting, helping to protect the colonies. Another part of him understood that at the moment, the best way to protect the colonies was to make sure this girl lived. He looked at her from the corner of his eye.
It wasn't that she was pretty, although, she wasn't really bad looking either. There was just something about her. Her spirit? Maybe. Her naivety? Hn. Definitely. But more than then. Her genuine desire for peace. She truly believed that everyone could achieve peace... and, what's more, people believed her. He believed her.
So what?
So he'd decided to make it part of his mission to make sure she survived, even if no one else did. At least, that way, if she did, then she could lead whoever managed to survive to peace. After all, that's what this was all about, wasn't it? Peace? Everyone wanted it, but no one seemed to agree on how to accomplish it. But she knew. She knew the secret to peace. She was the secret.
He had wanted to stay put, to be prepared for when the time came to destroy the ship, but he found himself restless. Too restless to just sit there and do nothing. Not when there was a battle to be fought. Right outside those metallic walls. A battle fought for freedom, for peace. A war for peace. Did anyone recognize the irony in that? Did anyone care?
He felt the ship still beneath his feet. The constant thrumming of the engines fall silent, and immediately, he seemed to know what was happening, almost as if he was outside the ship and seeing it happen.
"Get down," Heero told Relena.
"What's wrong Heero?" Relena cried, turning to look at him.
"Get down and cover you head," he repeated before looking back at her. "Peacemillion's going to ram us."
She was frantic, having searched everywhere she could think of, looking for her youngest sibling in the chaos of evacuation. Desperation sent her to the subbridge where she could find her old friend.
"Well, hello pretty lady," Howard called over the alarms when he saw the young lady step out onto his bridge. "You went the wrong way to get off here!"
"Sally!" she cried, stumbling forward as laser fire hit the ship.
"Doce!" the other woman replied, sparing a brief look for her friend.
"I can't find Carina anywhere! I searched your quarters and everywhere I could think of--"
"Too late now!" Howard cut in. "She probably got herself to one of the escape shuttles like you should've done. Too late now! Too late now! Grab a seat and strap in, lady, 'cause things are about to get bumpy! ALL HANDS BRACE FOR IMPACT!"
The two groups met back up at where they'd entered the satellite, looking expectantly at one another, shifting back and forth nervously. "Where's Jack?" Kat asked, looking to Blaire.
The blonde shrugged and called into her com for the time.
"Five sixty," Nita answered. "You guys done yet?"
"Not exactly," the older blonde replied. "You got a fix on Jack?"
"Negative. Too much interference."
"She's usually the first one back," Kat said, unable to hide the worry in her voice.
"Yeah, but she's got Rini with her now," Blaire pointed out. She grabbed for the com unit at her shoulder and called into it to her missing sisters.
Static was the only reply.
End of Part 27: Mission in Progress
Andrea Readwolf
Please send comments to: andrea_readwolf@hotmail.com