Past destruction, future rebirth act 1: part 1 (edited)

[valkyrie skye]

?Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two equals four. If that is granted, all else will follow?
-Winston Smith ?1984?


Past Destructions, Future Rebirths
By Valkyrie Skye

Act 1: El Soldado Eternal: Heero Yuy?s story
Chapter 1: the natural born killer

July 10, AC 204
ES1008 cluster of the L1 colony

If one were to ask this man, this 24 year old, recent college graduate, what he intended to do with the next 40 years of his life, the most likely answer would have been anything but working for a interplanetary security and intelligence agency such as The Preventers. Majoring in Technological Engineering with high honors in the Colonial University: L1 Branch, he knew, and probably intended to work in the colonial technology department of L1. He would be preparing himself for 40 years of making the colony better by upgrading weather systems, managing and running efficient air ventilation structures and guarding the gravitational thrusters so that L1 could stay in orbit. He could probably do so much for his colony with his talents and brilliance.

So what, in all places, was he doing in the L1 Intercolonial Spaceport with a solitary bag containing only the most basic of necessities and a laptop, forsaking the job he had intended and trained for 4 years to wind up with a position in the ranks of the Preventers?
It was a question he had often asked himself over the course of the last two weeks. And so, here he was; sitting in the spaceport diner, letting the now cold Turkey and Swiss on rye remain half eaten, while drinking the large cup of lukewarm black coffee, bare of any sweetness and dark as a hopeless nightmare and gulped the last of it down with one bitter swig. After placing it down on the shoddy wooden table, this man, Heero Yuy, began to ponder over the events of the past two weeks.

He remembered standing in his dorm room after graduation; it was a place of sanctuary for the last four years. And as everyone made their tearful goodbyes to one another outside the room, recounting their most memorable moments and their promises to never forget their friendship, he silently and efficiently packed his belongings.
The beep resonating from the open laptop was a quiet sound amidst the loud voices outside. Dutifully, he went to it, as a parent would tend upon sick child. An animated mailbox displayed notification of the most recent e-mail delivery. Upon opening it, his eyes were immediately greeted with the stalwart insignia of The Preventers Agency. One brow rose and his eyes remained half lidded with conceit. He knew who had sent this message. Yet?why would Chief Commander Une send him an e-mail now? They had never been close. In fact, he didn?t even consider her an acquaintance, more like a well-known stranger of sorts.

Nevertheless, he accepted the message and began to read it. As he did so, his eyes grew wide.

?Dear Mr. Yuy,
From the entire staff of The Preveneters Agency Main Headquarters of Luxembourg, I extend my congratulations to you in your recent graduation from college. Let me inform you that The Preventers Agency here in Luxembourg is looking to hire maximum-security officers for the ESUN governmental body. Our position offers paid-for housing, personal transportation, and a retirement pension as well as medical coverage and a starting high annual salary. Please respond to us as soon as you receive this letter with your answer to our proposal.
Sincerely,
Chief Commander Ann Une
Preventers Agency: Luxembourg Main headquarters

The letter was concise and to the point, very much like the person who wrote it. He read it again, even though he already knew from the first reading exactly who she was referring to when she mentioned ?ESUN governmental body.?

He took a seat at Gate 54-C in one of the worn plastic chairs covered with red Naugahyde. In the chair next to him, sat today?s ?the L1 times? with a picture of the young ESUN president. The photo had been taken last night, during an address to the ESUN Senate in London, discussing a new bill allowing families of former MO-III resource satellite construction workers to receive compensation from the time that the former Earth Alliance controlled colonial development.

In year AC 193, the Earth Sphere bared witness as colony rebels known now as the Maganac Corp. infiltrated a resource satellite in the attempts to rescue the workers, of which they were seriously underpaid (indeed many never got paid at all.) and were gravely mistreated (1). Though rescued, the families still suffered severe financial burden, as many of the workers found it difficult to secure jobs in the Alliance supported countries of earth.

The picture was taken from a popular cable news network and it explained the rather lively expression The President bore, as she spoke to the audience of delegates and news reporters. He stared at her eyes first, blue as the earth itself and just as alluring. He once noted that the pseudo-skies of the colonies could never be as blue as her eyes. And for some reason he couldn?t explain, the thought frightened him. Heero recalled seeing her face countless of times during his years on L1. He kept those innumerable appearances on television news reports and news talk shows, filed away in his memory. It easy for anyone with a keen eye and a good ear to notice that the exclusive interviews with hosts, no matter how professional looking their appearance, really knew little to nothing of the policies and bills she had pushed through the senate. What they did know was all for the sake of ratings and inflated egos.

There was one appearance, however, that stood apart from all the rest. It was just 7 months back. He sat on his bed in the warmth of his dorm room, and paused from his ?Modern Philosophy 121? assignment, taking a quick swig of his beer as he watched, with calm undivided reverence, the ESUN president?s inauguration ceremony.
She was sworn in before the eyes of the people. She would uphold the duties of being the leader of the world?s nations until the conclusion of her term. And he knew with one glance at her telltale eyes that she would, without a doubt, fulfill her oath. The chairman of the ceremony rose to the podium and announced the dawning of the term for the new ESUN president. As he did so, those words resonated within him as his heart swelled with something that felt like pride and some other unknown warm feeling.

?Ladies and Gentlemen, the new Earth Sphere United Nations President, Miss Relena Dorlian.?

?Relena?? he whispered unconsciously. Heero shook himself out of the memory and glanced about the terminal to see if anyone had heard him. After finding otherwise, he looked at his watch. 7:18 am. It would be 36 hours before he?d touch terrestrial ground for the first time in four years?


May 15, AC 180
ES1001 cluster of colony L1

?Fuck? said the blonde haired man with the butcher blue eyes as he surveyed the mess. Amniotic fluid and blood littered the brothel floor, trailing from one of the rooms on the upper floor.

A Japanese man stood next to him. His knowledge of the English language was limited, but he fully understood the meaning of the foul western word and nodded his head in understanding. ?Hai.?

A short woman emerged from the room and stifled a gasp upon seeing the two gentlemen. She looked behind the door and then turned her attention back to the men. She cried, stretching her hands outward towards them, begging in Japanese to leave the poor girl in peace for she was giving birth. The Japanese man shook his head violently and said in his native tongue ?Then let the bitch give birth. We?ll wait. Boss Tanaka wants his money, he?s been far too lenient on her. He allowed her to sell drugs rather than her body due to her pregnancy, but that doesn?t change the fact that she now owes him 868 units. Either you get it or we?ll come upstairs and welcome the birth with a .45mm bullet in their heads.? And as if to show proof, he took out his Beretta from the holster in his jacket and waved it in the air. The woman nodded and ran back inside the room. Some of the other young ladies who had earlier meandered into the hallway gasped, and cried out at the sight of the weapon, holding on to one another for dear life. He turned to the young ladies and yelled ?what the hell are you all doing?! Get to work! We?ve got customers waiting out front!! Go on!? Immediately, they scrambled towards the brothel?s customer service quarters quite literally as if their lives depended on it.

Taking a seat in one of the plush red love seats of the foyer, the Japanese man sat and sighed heavily, glancing at the door and then at the blue-eyed man who was still standing. ?How long do you think the bitch upstairs is gonna be at this??

Though Caucasian, the man spoke perfect Japanese and responded eloquently. ?Birthing takes awhile, Akira-san. The mess here looks a bit dried so I suspect we?ll be seeing the girl and her newcomer pretty soon.?

The man snorted, ?Who do you think is the father??

?A lot of men come through here, both Colonists and Alliance Specials officers alike. I don?t doubt that the father is either somewhere in one of these colonies or out on earth.? Abruptly, he stopped. He didn?t feel like talking to this man. He knew that this man, Akira, hated him with all his heart. Akira hated the fact that the head of the Japanese mafia of the L1 colonies employed a white man in their ranks. And out of all of them, Akira was the one chosen to partner with this white man, this ?Odin-san.? But, as for Odin, it was all right. After all, when you had the support of the head honcho of a very powerful mob group, somehow, silly things like Akira?s opinion of him didn?t really matter much.

During the course of the next few indiscernible hours, the woman they had spoken with earlier would come down to the foyer, pleading for the men to be patient. She then nervously returned to the upstairs room. Finally, she came out and sheepishly looked at the men. ?It?s done.?

The two immediately climbed the narrow staircase and went inside the room. This room was one of the ones dubbed ?the special room? The wall, upholstery, and objects of sexual matter littered the blood red carpet. Upon the large bed, the blood of the birthing and the red of the satin sheets contrasted with one another in dim light. There in the middle, lay a young Japanese girl. Sweat and tears mingled in the thin sheets around her face as she stared at the two strangers entering the room. In her arms, she cradled a small crying baby. Her tired, dark eyes looked at Akira and immediately turned away; they were far too cold for her taste. She then settled her eyes on the calm gaze of Odin.

?Congratulations.? The words were a complete contrast to the malice radiating from Akira.

?Domo.? She whispered.

?Well, if you two are quite finished, you probably know why we?re here.? Akira added with smugly. ??And in case you?re wondering, it isn?t because of the baby.?

The woman in the back desperately wanted to protest but was quelled by a calm glance from the girl on the bed. She cradled her baby to sleep and said in a low voice, ?In my drawer?is 300 units. That?s all I have for this week. You must understand that I couldn?t get more because of? well?? she looked down at her baby then looked back and said, ??you know.?
Akira walked over to the drawer and took out the money. Counting it, he turned and glared at the girl ?This is unacceptable. You know Boss Tanaka won?t accept this.?

She narrowed her eyes. ?Well, with all due respect, Akira-san, you can tell Boss Tanaka that I could not meet his quota this week and that I?ll make up for it next week when hopefully I?ll have healed enough to sell and fuck till I bleed again.?

Akira gnashed his teeth and whipped out his gun, pointing it directly at her head. ?Watch your mouth, slut.? His voice a low growl ?I just might carry Tanaka?s order to shoot your head off a little preemptively.?
Odin had a hard time making out her features in the dim lighting, but if her voice was any indication, he assumed it was covered with a defiant expression. Her voice was hard when she replied, ?I can?t produce money from air. What do I look like, a magician?? She then looked at her baby. He was a sleeping angel compared with the atmosphere of the hellish room. Her firm gaze returned to Akira, ?Tell Boss Tanaka that if he will not believe me when I say that I?ll make up for this disgrace, then he can take this baby for collateral.?

?NO!? the other woman screamed.

Akira glanced haughtily from the woman to the girl and laughed, ?What need does Boss Tanaka have for a baby? He already has a family, three kids and an oblivious wife. Why would you wish to burden him with another mouth to feed??

The girl sighed, ?This is the best I can do. Either you can take the money and my baby boy, or kill me now.?

As far as Odin was concerned, things were speedily getting out of hand. And yet he stood there motionless, his hands in his coat pockets, watching the events unfold in perfect detail. Silently, he watched as Akira raised the gun and pointed at the general direction of the girl?s head. He watched as the girl wrapped her skinny arms around the baby?s head. He watched as the bullet blasted from the barrel and embedded into her temples in a fantastic display of light and speed. Blood sprayed from the other side of her head, splattering against the wall and the already bloodied sheets. And before he could blink, the girl?s head hung lifelessly over the terrified, screaming baby.

The moment shattered when the woman?s scream pierced through the air, followed by the thud of her body against the floor. She had fainted; the shock was too much for her to bear. Akira strode to the foot of the bed, aimed at the defenseless child, and cocked his gun. A hand settled on his arm. Odin narrowed his eyes and his voice left no room for argument. ?I think you?ve done enough.?

?Yes, and you didn?t.? He put the gun back into the holster and said ?I cannot believe Boss Tanaka sent you with me when I?ve done all the work.? He said smugly.

?And when were you going to give me the chance to speak? It seems to me that you didn?t want to stop talking, determined to call all the shots. Has it ever occurred to you that she might have stashed more money elsewhere and nobody knew about it? You didn?t even check how much coke she really sold. So, how do we know the 300 was all she had??
Odin brushed past Akira and took a hard look at baby before moving the limp arms away from the baby?s head. The never-ending wail coming from the child indicated that at least it was still alive. Other than life, protection from deafness, by covering the baby?s ears, was the last gift the young girl gave to her newborn.

Odin turned and gave Akira a level stare. ??And for your information, Boss Tanaka sent me with you to baby-sit you. He said you had a happy trigger finger.?

Akira growled in the back of his throat and spat out his next words. ?I don?t need your opinion, or your company, white-man. I can carry on fine by myself.? He turned, snatching up the money walked out the door. Odin still stood, staring at the child as he listened to Akira?s footsteps on the stairs. A few moments later, the front door to the bordello slammed shut.
Ever so slowly, the woman was brought back to consciousness. She blinked her eyes and moved to sit up. She froze as her vision focused on the figure standing only a few feet away from her. Terror seized her heart as she recognized him to be the Caucasian man that had come with Akira. She let out a gasp, followed by a whimper as she struggled to suppress her fear. Finally, she was able to calm her shaking limbs, but her slanted, horror-filled eyes remained fixed on Odin?s form.
Out of the corner of his eye, Odin noticed that the woman had come to and asked in a deep monotone voice, ?Are you all alright??
The woman nodded her head jerkily and turned to look at the girl. Blood was oozing down from the hole in the girl?s head and dripping on the baby. She let out a choked cry before turning her attention back to Odin. ?Please. Leave me with the baby,? she begged him.
Odin looked at the woman then turned to the dead girl and said, ?As I understood it, she was going to give the baby to Boss Tanaka and no one else.?

The woman?s voice was filled with anguish, then confusion. ?But Akira-san refused. I heard it myself.?

?Akira-san is not the Boss. Now, he may act like he is, but in all honesty, he does not know the wishes of Boss Tanaka. I doubt if he really knows him at all.?

?Are you saying that Boss Tanaka will keep the baby? For what purpose? She?s dead. The bargain was made so to spare her life.?

Odin turned to the woman and as he did, she swallowed back into silence ?Nevertheless, she allowed us to keep the baby boy and no one else.? He walked over to the girl. The stink of birth and blood clouded the room with a thick, sickening miasma. Removing the baby from the dead girl?s arms, he ripped a piece of the bed sheet and wrapped it around the baby?s naked body. He then turned to the woman. His voice was flat, void of emotion. ?I?ll take him now.?

?No! Please.? She implored him, trying to rise from her position on weak legs. She managed to grab hold his arm before he was out the door. ?Don?t! I can take care of him! I could be his mother, please? don?t.?

Odin shrugged out of her grasp and walked out of the room, away from the mob owned brothel and went out to the streets, baby in hand - the killer and the unnamed newborn with an unknown destiny.

To be continued.

(1) For those who don?t know, that was in Quatre?s episode zero

[perfectpeach]

T_T so sad!