Instant Messaging across Antarctica [gen, PG, SEQUEL]

[Omnicat]

Title: Instant Messaging across Antarctica

Author: Omnicat v''v

Rating: K+ / PG

Genre: General, Humor, and a bit of Angst.

Spoilers & Desirable Foreknowledge: Up until episode 16, ?The Sorrowful Battle?.

Warnings: None.

Pairings: None.

Disclaimer: If I owned the rights to Gundam Wing these interactions would be plainly visible in canon. You?ll just have to check the canon to see if I do. ;)

Summary: Sequel to Note Passing at St Gabriel?s and Phonemails in Japan, set after ep 16. Relena had a very important letter to deliver, and really, when doing so in person was impossible, why not hack into the gundams? communication system?

Author?s Note: 007 is Relena (using Pagan?s identification code) and XXXG-01W is Heero (Wing Gundam?s official designation). Normal spacing and font this time, with the real-life happenings centered. Enjoy this third installment!


<center>II-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-I-oOo-I-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-II

Instant Messaging across Antarctica

II-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-I-oOo-I-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-II</center>

<center>Heero almost choked on the gush of adrenaline that flooded his veins when Wing?s newly re-installed communication system suddenly came to life.</center>


007: Is this message getting through? Hello? This is Relena. Are you getting this, Heero?

XXXG-01W: How the Hell did you get onto this connection?

007: Heero?

XXXG-01W: This is a protected circuit. Nobody is supposed to be able to get in from the outside when the connection is down unless they?re in a gundam using the same circuit.

007: I?ll take that as a yes.

007: Pagan hacked into it for me. I needed a way to contact you and he said this was the best option.

007: Turns out he was some sort of superman or secret agent before becoming my family?s butler. O.o

XXXG-01W: That wheezy old guy who walks around with his eyes practically closed from squinting all the time?

007: His eyes and lungs are fine, actually... But yes, that?s him.

XXXG-01W: Get off this connection. I need to erase all the software that Zechs guy crammed into my gundam and start over from scratch. Obviously a few revisions and upgrades won?t suffice if the first best living fossil can hack in.

007: No, wait! Your security is fine!

007: Pagan commends you for it. He had to use some special trick that only worked on the terminals in the plane we?re in, because we?ve been connected to the inter-gundam circuit before, when it was open. I don?t know much about computers, so I can?t tell you exactly what he did, but he says he used something called a gate memorial code.

XXXG-01W: Your driver used a Gates Memorial code to hack into my gundam?

007: Apparently. But like I said, he seems to have a history in espionage or secret services or something. It was a surprise to me too.

007: Why, is that code so hard to use?

XXXG-01W: You could say that.



<center>Heero made a mental note to do a thorough check on that Pagan fellow once he was off Antarctica. Someone with the expertise to execute a hacking technique as complex as the Gates Memorial in under six hours, using the on-board computer of just any random aircraft, was a force to be reckoned with. Even if he looked like he was born pre-colony.</center>


007: Words cannot express how grateful I am to him for getting a hold of you. So you?d better not cut the line before I?ve done what I came for, Heero Yuy! I have a message from Mrs Noventa for you which you really must read.

XXXG-01W: A message from Mrs Noventa?

007: Hold on, I?ll type what it says up for you.

XXXG-01W: You know the Noventas?

007: Field Marshall Noventa and my father were acquaintances through their work. I had never met his wife, but she knows who I am, so she knew the letter would be in good hands.

XXXG-01W: Why would Mrs Noventa send me a letter? I just spoke to her in person a week or so ago.

007: It says right here, if you?d just let me type...

XXXG-01W: Wait a minute. You?ve read my mail? That stuff is confidential.

007: Oh, I?m sorry Heero! I know I shouldn?t have, but I?d been looking for you for ages, I didn?t know whether you were dead or alive, or what Mrs Noventa wanted from you. When she sent me that letter without a single word of explanation, I just couldn?t take it anymore.

007: (And I think the word you meant was ?private?.)

XXXG-01W: (Pardon?)

007: (?Private?, not ?confidential?. ?Confidential? is too formal for personal messages.)

XXXG-01W: (Ah. But opening someone else?s personal mail is the social equivalent to reading confidential professional messages, so it should come down to the same thing. What does social etiquette say about penalties for such things?)

007: Look, I?M SORRY, alright? I can say it once, I can say it a thousand times, but it won?t change the fact that I broke every rule of privacy in the book, and it won?t miraculously cause it to unhappen. I was desperate. I didn?t know you had been to visit Mrs Noventa, for all I knew she was trying to find out whether you were still alive out there so she could wring your neck herself! I regret letting my impatience get the better of me, I honestly do, but I wasn?t trying to poke my nose into your personal affairs: I was looking for clues as to your health and whereabouts. And all things considered, I think putting my life on the line to make sure you got the letter in question just about makes up for opening it. So if you would please just let me type out the damn thing already, before either of us has to get moving again?!

XXXG-01W: That?s fine. It was curious how closely military conduct and social etiquette match in these kinds of situations. Nobody ever sent me a letter before, so if you say a near suicide mission would be sufficient compensation, I?ll have to take your word for it.

007: ...

007: Oh, never mind. I?m typing now.



<center>Heero waited as patiently as the question ?Just what is in that letter to make the penalty for opening it so severe?? would allow.

?You gave your girlfriend access to the inter-gundam circuit??

The jolt of surprise shooting through him almost caused the external computer unit to topple from his knees and over the edge of Wing?s hatch.

?Trowa!? Said pilot straightened up where he stood reading along over Heero?s shoulder. Heero craned his neck to look at Trowa, clutching the sides of the unit tightly so as not to let his hands perform a routine - and at this height, potentially lethal - defensive maneuver. ?Don?t sneak up on me like that.?

The casual tap of Trowa?s heel resounded with a loud, metallic clang. ?I could have tap danced up to you and you wouldn?t have noticed. Miss her that much??

?Relena is not my girlfriend.? Heero responded immediately, if somewhat incredulously. Duo he could understand, but Trowa?

Trowa cocked his head and raised his eyebrows. He didn?t look particularly impressed at Heero?s denial, but at least he wasn?t giving off that vibe.

Therefore, Heero added seriously: ?She agrees.?

?Uh-huh.?

Now the vibe was there.

?Why does everyone keep thinking she?s my girlfriend?!?

Trowa?s eyes narrowed. ?Why else would she go to so much trouble just to deliver a letter??

?I don?t know.? Heero said, then corrected himself. ?I don?t get it either. One day she just offered to become my ally and help me out. I told her a million reasons not to, but then she...? The lingering ache in his arm reminded him of what might have happened if he had handed her over to Doctor J, and he shook his head to dispel the chills that thought gave him. ?She just won?t see reason.?

?Heh. Glad to know I?m not the only one to have gotten a case of the stupids from meeting you, then.?

?Huh?? Heero blinked up at his fellow pilot in confusion.

?Don?t get me wrong Heero, but your little suicidal road trip has from the very start been nothing but a waste of time, effort and precious resources for me. And yet,? Trowa crossed his arms and cocked his head. ?I offered to take you. And before that, I risked exposure by keeping you in my trailer until you either died or miraculously recovered. Your chance of survival was so slim I even asked Cathy for help - do you have any idea what it took to get her to both cooperate and refrain from informing the authorities??

Heero had actually been wondering about all of that from the moment he woke up, but had decided against asking. Trowa was no Relena: he reminded Heero too much of himself to think he?d still be ensured of his good will if he started prying into the reason why.

Trowa sighed. ?Either way, I?ve been doing a lot of things I?d be better off not doing lately, and I blame you. Especially now that it turns out I?m not the only one you?ve... ensnared.?

Heero got a meaningful look along with those last words. The unit in Heero?s lap beeped, signaling the arrival of a new message, and Heero stiffened.

?Was there anything you wanted, Trowa? I?m in the middle of a conversation here.?

?Here.? Trowa took a disc from his pocket and handed it to him. ?To get any potential bugs or viruses out of the system. I did a quick check before your duel, but it?s possible I missed some.?

Heero nodded, and Trowa climbed down. When he reached the floor of the icy, deserted hangar they?d taken refuge in for a quick check of those parts and systems that would have to get them safely off Antarctica and across the ocean, back to civilization, Heero called after him.

?Hey, Trowa? Just so you know, I don?t swing that way.?

Laughter escorted Trowa back to his gundam. Without so much as a deep breath to prepare himself, Heero forced his eyes back to the computer screen.</center>


007: Your sudden visit caught me off guard, and I felt that I was unable to express to you the true feelings in my heart. That?s why I decided I should write this letter. / You made a mistake because your plan went awry in battle. You shouldn?t suffer over that any more than you already have. My husband and Ventei died trying to build a world for the near future, where genuine young man such as yourselves could live happily. / I have no regrets. That?s what happens in war: a wrong turn in the past can be painful for everyone. But you people are still young! I hope that you?ll think about building a new future. Our family is honoured to have had the opportunity to meet with you. / I pray that the day will soon arive that all battles will cease. / To my dear friend, Mr Heero Yuy.



<center>It was a long, long time before Heero replied.</center>


XXXG-01W: Thank you for bringing me this.

007: You don?t have to thank me. Withholding it from you would have been criminal.

XXG-01W: Do you agree with her?

007: I?m here, aren?t I?



<center>A breath he didn?t know he?d been holding escaped Heero.</center>


XXXG-01W: Could you get in touch with Mrs Noventa again?

007: Yes.

XXXG-01W: Please thank her for me.

007: I will.

007: So... did it help?

XXXG-01W: Honestly? I?ve been telling myself to move on and make up for it all this time, but with OZ pointing missiles at defenseless colonies, there?s nothing I can do. Visiting those relatives was the last option left to me.

XXXG-01W: But

XXXG-01W: I am grateful to her.

XXXG-01W: I think I needed to hear that from someone other than myself. Just once.

007: I?m glad.

007: So do you have any ideas about what to do now? At all?

XXXG-01W: Not yet.

XXXG-01W: Relena, do you want to be my girlfriend?

XXXG-01W: Relena?

XXXG-01W: Are you still there?

007: Who are you and what did you do to Heero Yuy?

XXXG-01W: What?

007: The Heero Yuy I know would never have said such a thing!

XXXG-01W: But I just did.

007: Look, there is still a war going on and an evil organisation to overthrow. I know better than anyone how frustrating it is to be stuck unable to do anything, but that doesn?t mean we can afford to just put everything on hold and have romantic picnics in the countryside! If you really can?t think of anything, you could come with me for a while. I?ve been talking to Noin lately, and I?m pretty sure that with her help I can secure myself a position in the Sank Kingdom. It looks very promising.

XXXG-01W: I assume that means no?

007: Of course it means no!

007: I mean, not that I think you wouldn?t be a good boyfriend or anything! But we hardly even know each other yet, and we have more important things to worry about.

XXXG-01W: Okay. Just wanted to be sure.

007: Huh?

007: What?

XXXG-01W: The guys kept thinking you?re my girlfriend. I told them we both agreed that you?re not, but I actually wasn?t sure of that until just now.

007: ... you?re hopeless.

XXXG-01W: What do you mean?

007: Never mind. It?s fine. :)



<center>Heero didn?t know what to say to that. Instead, he found himself typing something else - something that made no sense, because the part where she basically said she would be fine without his help from now on was still visible on the screen, and if it didn?t affect his mission, what she did was none of his business.

All the bad prioritizing was beginning to look like an epidemic.</center>


XXXG-01W: You?re not backing down no matter what I say, are you?

007: No. I?ve found a way, and I am going to walk it.


<center>He stopped just short of ?Be careful.?. It really sounded much better when he reworded it to be less obvious.</center>


XXXG-01W: Going against OZ in any way will be dangerous.

007: That?s been hard to miss: it took weeks before I found out you had survived the incident in Siberia.

XXXG-01W: Noin is affiliated with OZ. How do you know you can trust her?

007: She?s in love with Zechs and runs secret errands that go directly against OZ?s wishes for him. Like your fight today. She is loyal to him, and apparently HE is my brother and has been looking out for me from a distance ever since my father died.

XXXG-01W: How can you have a brother? Your files say you?re an only child.

007: (Why am I not surprised to learn you?ve looked up my public records?) They did not deign to tell me until today. My father wasn?t really my father either, and he waited until his death bed to let me know. It?s a long story, and I can?t say I?m happy knowing any of it. My whole life thus far turns out to have been based on lies. But Father?s death and Noin?s admission have opened up a way for me to make a difference in this war. To turn my back on the one good thing that has come from it all would be beyond foolish. I want to be true to myself from now on. I?m no longer sure of who and what I am, but this is one thing I?m sure of.

XXXG-01W: You?re unbelievable.

007: This coming from you, Heero? :)

XXXG-01W: Yes. Because I can judge. I?ve trained for years to handle these things and bring down OZ. And then you come along and act like it?s nothing.

007: Oh, that? Ha ha, that IS nothing. Try telling your father it?s okay to leave your birthday party to go to work, after you?ve been needling him about spending more time with you all throughout the school holidays. WITHOUT throwing a temper tantrum. :P

007: I would never have been able to get to this point without you, though. And I still have a long way to go.

XXXG-01W: Is that why you went to such lengths to bring me Mrs Noventa?s letter?

007: Gratitude, you mean? I suppose that?s a part of it. But I was really just terribly worried about you.

007: I guess it?s gotten a little personal.

007: Oh. Pagan says we should get going.

XXXG-01W: If you?re still on Antarctica, that would be best. There is no saying how long it will take OZ to get wind of what happened and send investigators or reinforcements.

007: I don?t suppose you feel like coming with me?

XXXG-01W: My presence would only make things needlessly complicated and dangerous. And now that I have my gundam back, there are options I want to explore for myself, first.

007: I understand. Take care of yourself, Heero. We?ll meet again, I?m sure of it. Don?t go making a liar out of me, okay? ;) I hope that the next time we meet will be under better circumstances, but please know you are always welcome.

XXXG-01W: We?ll see.

007: Keep an eye out for me, will you? For Relena Peacecraft. I intend to cause quite a stir. :)


<center>And then the code indicated the connection was cut: she was gone.

Heero was left thinking that at the rate Relena was going, their paths would likely cross again regardless of whether he looked for her or not. Yet even so...

Personal, huh? he thought.

The log out message chafed at his retinas and his hands itched. His instincts were telling him not to let her leave just like that, to go after her. With a peace of mind he hadn?t been able to achieve in what felt like years, he accepted the feeling, let it take over his senses and acknowledged this is me; these are my emotions and desires; this is the truth, and there is no flaw, shame or fault in it.

Only then did he discard it, bid Relena a silent farewell, and started preparing Trowa?s bugfinder.

Once both Wing and Heavyarms were back in shape, Heero and Trowa would go their separate ways. He was a solitary agent and his loyalty could not be divided. If he were to give his all to liberating the colonies, there was no place in him for dreams of the future, for camaraderie between soldiers, for her.

Now if only he wasn?t stuck with nothing better to do than brood about this!


II-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-I-oOo-I-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-II</center>

PSAN: This installment marks the last of their interaction in the first half of the season, and the beginning of a long separation. After this, Relena sets to work in Sank and Heero heads back to space. I want to write at least one more installment, set after their reunion, at the Sank Kingdom Institute, but it?s been too long since I saw that part of the show for me to do so now. Since this one is an ?end? in its own right, I hope you?ll forgive me if I take my time for that. :)

[HiFreak]

I really like how your story has progressed from an amusing one shot to a plausible meaningful conversation between the lead characters. Good Job.

[Fate Lowe]

I completely agree with HiFreak! This is absolutely wonderful! Keep up the great work. I can't wait for the next installment.