past destruction, future rebirth chp 4

[valkyrie skye]

Past Destruction, Future Rebirth
By Valkyrie Skye

Act 1: El Soldado Eternal: Heero Yuy story
Chapter 4: Frieda


April 7, 187
ESC1029 colony cluster of L1

The street is most familiar to Odin now. It was quite unusual. He always seems to move to another place every 2 to 3 months. He had been in the same neighborhood for close to a year now. It was the longest stay the boy had ever felt in his entire short life. Speaking of which, Odin drives down the street towards Ken Yamaoka elementary, picking up the boy when he heard the chanting. He heard it coming into the street, blocks away. It was growing louder as he came closer to the source. In front of the UESA L1 Specials Military Academy were a large group of college protesters holding signs and chanting loudly ?HEERO YUY MUDERERS! CONFESS, CONFESS!?

The signs all bared his face, a kind and gentle image of the fallen peace advocate. The slain hope of the colonies. Zealous protesters being held back from the entrance by officers and riot police held blown-up pictures of better days gone by under his leadership.

Today marks the 12-year anniversary of Heero Yuy?s assassination and Odin hated this day with a passion. He hated it for 12 years since. He sat in his driver seat, entranced as the protesters chanted and cried and angered over the passing of this one man. This one man whose life was taken way. Their beloved martyr. By a heartless monster with no regard for human life. He ran his worn hands through his head. How long will he carry this in his heart? He still sees it in his mind. He could have sworn that he could still hear the silenced muffle of the sniper rifle as it fired into Representative Yuy?s head. The blood staining concrete while the body fell and people everywhere was running for their lives.

That one bullet changed everything. Ever since then, riots broke out. Waves of Alliance armed forces spread throughout the colonies like a virus since then. In every corner, you?ll see an armed officer ready and waiting for someone to step out of line. Communications to the other colonies was cut off. In the year following, he saw the true power of the Alliance military might with the introduction of the first mobile suit. Huge machines that was made from the stuff of nightmares.

And though he hated this day, it was not because he was a political man. It was not because he cared for the colonial cause for independence. It was because of what it brought. Nothing, he knew then, is for free. Death, no matter how insignificant the person may seem to be, had its price. And the price for Yuy?s passing was far too big.

A horn honked from behind him pulling him out of his reverie. Divers behind him yelling in Japanese profanity ordered him to ?move his ass? Odin simply mumbled and drove off. As he does, one cannot help the horrible irony in this?

The man that killed Heero Yuy, the beast that all colonists wants his head on a platter (especially those protesters on the streets), just drove off behind them to pick up his ward from school.

*~*~*~*


Sunsets are quite useless in the colonies. There?s no ecological necessity for it. But for as long as humanity was conscious enough to appreciate the daily, fading lights of the sun, people have lived with it for so long that one cannot seem to picture life without it. It was the generosity of the early constructors of the colonies to technologically recreate the vast purples and pinks coalescing with the yellow of the artificial sun.

However the boy, now 7, found them utterly, completely, and fully worthless. It was already evening, and after finishing his homework, he went to his room to do what he usually does to past the time. Next to the old teddy bear (of which still faintly reeked of its first blood shower 2 years ago and still had some reddish-brownish stains all over its worn out cotton skin.) was a little box. After unlocking it, the boy took out from the inside his very own Glock 34 9x19 caliber handgun. It was his very own weapon given to him by Odin this past Christmas. A present to the boy because according to Odin, he was getting better.

And he was. His first kill took place two months after the Sam incident. When they moved to another part of L1, Odin had him shoot at animals first before getting him used to killing people. It was easier with a sniper rifle, the boy deduced. You were not close to your target and somehow, that made things better. You were not up close to see the blood splatter, to hear the sound of the bullet slicing its way through the body. And Odin made him feel better about this too. It was easier, far easier to refer them as ?your targets?, that?s what he would call them. His targets. Because it was far easier to pull the trigger when you refer them as ?targets? and not ?human beings? and it that was the only way the boy could sleep at night. And ever since then, he slept quite well.

The boy, in his room holding his unloaded pistol turned to the clock. It was soon to be 9 PM. He didn?t know how long was he in his room for and didn?t care. The boy decides to head off to sleep because in his heart, sleeping was far better than staying awake. He thinks about that for a second. And for a brief moment, he thought about the possibility of sleeping forever. Unloaded anyways, he raised the Glock and pressed it cold barrel against his temples and closed his eyes. 7 Years old?

Sleep forever?

?Hey.? Odin?s voice called through the wooden door and his heavy knuckles knocked against the surface penetrating through the silence of his room ?You sleeping, boy??

He put away the gun and opened the door. ?No. What is it?? he replied tersely.

Odin dressed in Dockers, a casual shirt, and a dark tan leather coat stood there, a smirk on his lips said, ?I?m going out tonight.?

The boy knew that. For the past 2 months, Odin had been heading out into the night for reasons other than business. He knew that, and didn?t care. The boy replied, ?Have a nice night.? and turned back inside.

?I want you to come with me.?

The boy paused. He turned to Odin, his eyes unreadable and said, ?Oh. So its one of those things? I?ll get my gun.?

?No. Its not one of those things. Tonight isn?t for bloodshed. I just gotta pick up somebody from work. That?s all.?

He stood, confused as he stares at his mentor ?Why would I be needed??

?Listen, I never taught you to ask questions, did I? So then why are you asking now? Tonight is just to relax, meet someone, and eat. No business. No weapons. Just relax. How ?bout it??

Looking as if he was contemplating through a difficult math problem, the boy finally replied, ?Give me 5 minutes. I?ll be right out.?

?I?ll be in the car.?

~*~*~*~

When he parked, the boy, sitting in the backseat, looked at the surroundings with perplexity. It was odd. The parking lot was stained yellow by the streetlights. Everywhere, men, both drunk and sober where coming in and out from the building across the street. The building itself was just as bizarre. There was large tinted windows in front of the establishment with a neon sign boasting it?s business ?GOLDFINGERS: THE REAL GENTLEMEN?S CLUB.? with a silhouetted voluptuous woman on the bottom.

?What the hell are we doing here??

?Picking someone up, now stay here and don?t get out of the car.? He shifted his weight and opened the door, ?I?ll be back soon with our companion and then we?ll head off for some food.? Then he quickly shut the door behind him and the boy watched as Odin walked into the black doors. If his eyes weren?t so tired, he would of seen him actually jogging to the doors.

Sleep was getting the better of him. He no sooner fell asleep as Odin stepped foot into the club.

*~*~*~*

Stepping into the foyer and looking out onto the wide room before him, he smirked at the scene. Everywhere, the building reeked of lust. Men in the bar being served drinks by large breasted, barely dressed women. Alliance officers sitting in tables, many receiving gratuitous lap-dances from girls looking young enough to be barely legal. Maybe they were, maybe not. It didn?t matter. They were giving them what they wanted. Most of the men in the room were sporting rock hard erections watching the event on the mirrored catwalk; two girls in only their thigh-highs and heels in dancing to the music in awkward positions mimicking a sex act while the fortunate few stuff bills in their garters.

But this is not what Odin came for. No, in fact when the act was over, he walked closer to the catwalk anticipating the person he wanted to see. The performer who caught his attention and was able to stoke a fire within him in more ways than one. The curtains, opened up and the announcer proudly introduced their main attraction ?SCHOOLBOYS, CLASS IS IN SESSION. PLEASE PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER AND YOUR MONEY FORWARD FOR MISS. SINN!!!?

And as if on cue, music blared out once again and a woman stride through the curtains, her long legs gracefully and sinfully strutting out onto the floor as her stiletto heels clicked to the sound of her footfalls. Dressed in a teacher?s outfit complete with black-rimmed glasses, she lustfully looks out onto the crowd, slapping the ruler on her hand as her green eyes burrowing into each pair of eyes that got her attention. She paused at Odin. And then she wickedly smiled.

School was in session.

She grabbed on to the pole and danced erotically to the beat every so often looking to see if she had Odin undivided attention. And she did. Every article of clothing, from her blazer, to her blouse, to her skirt and even undid her red hair from a tight bun until she was in nothing except for her white garters and bra. She looked directly at Odin, who just stood on the floor in front of the catwalk, still as a statue. His hands were shoved into his coat pockets and his lips still held a smooth smirk. It drove her mad with lust. She walked over and knelt in front of him. She looked lustfully in his eyes, and unlatched the clasp in front of her lacy bra revealing her chest as she draped the bra around his neck and touched his lips with the tips of her fingers so subtly, he almost lost control and would of taken her right there, were it not for her leaving immediately to finish her act, but not before turning back and tossing him a wink.

*~*~*~*

In the dressing room, the stripper placed her money into her purse. Fully dressed now, she parted ways with her other performers and made her way outside the room where she knew just who was waiting for her in the hallway. Outside, she sees Odin and smiles before walking over to him and giving him a big kiss on the lips. ?I missed you.? She said.

?Same here. Come on.? He wrapped an arm around her waist as they walked towards the exit and asked, ?you hungry??

The woman nodded ?I could eat a horse.?

?Well, horses is something I didn?t have in mind when it comes to eating. But of course...? and he gently shoved her against the walls and nibbled in her ear, ?I could always eat out something else.? He chuckled.

?Odin!? she laughed before he removed himself from her and continued walking down the hall, his grasp still laid upon her waist.

?Yeah, I know, this ain?t the time. Besides, I got someone waiting in the car.?

?Oh yeah? Who??

And he sighed out, ?You?ll see.?

*~*~*~*

It was the sound of the car door opening and the rustling sound of fabric that drove the boy wake. His eyes flew open at the sound of the two people coming into the car. One of them he knew was Odin, but as for the other passenger, the boy can only guess that she was the companion in question. Hearing the closing of the doors, and getting settled in did Odin turn to the boy in the back and smirk.

To the woman in the car named Frieda, the boy?s name is Isamu.

Frieda turn to Odin who was looking in the backseat and then turn to see the boy in the back. She smiled ?Odin? Who?s this??

?This is my son, Izamu. Son, this is Frieda. She?s?? he looked at her and his smiled broaden. Although the car was dark, her face blushed and inside her heart expanded. She felt so much joy and love when looking into his eyes. He finally finished, ?someone very special.?

There was obviously something in the air between them. Even Isamu could sense it, for all his young age. He looked at the pair with a sudden urge to say something, anything. It was strange to look at Odin. He acted completely different when he was around her. It?s not entirely surprising to find Odin with a woman. He was known to have many females for as long as the boy could remember. But the only difference was that Odin always acted the same up until this point. Isamu couldn?t quite place it, but could tell that Odin was a lot more? softer, in his demeanor.

Frieda turned to the boy in the back. She squinted in the dark to look at him and them turn the overhead light to get a better look at him. She took in a gasp and smiled brightly ?Oh my god! Odin, he?s adorable! Those blue eyes.? she reached out and ran her slim fingers through his spiky brown hair ?and such amazing hair! Oh?? and she tossed Isamu a sly smile ?I can tell,? She said as she wagged her finger at the boy ?YOU, are going to be a real heartbreaker when you grow up!? The light brightens the car well enough to see the blush flourish in Isamu?s cheeks. Turning then to Odin she asked ?Isamu? Is that Japanese??

Odin shrugged ?My ex-wife is Japanese. She chose the name.? He said rather convincingly.

The smiled was still on her face when she turned to Isamu once again. ?Well, hello there. Nice to meet you, Isamu. Can I call you Izzy??

The boy shrugged.

?Quiet, isn?t he?? she asked Odin.

?He can be more quieter.? Odin answered looking straight ahead as he turn the ignition on, ?Anybody in the mood for take out??

*~*~*~*~*

He didn?t know when, but the boy fell asleep in the car ride back home. He didn?t remember coming into the apartment, but he knew full well that the woman, Frieda, was still here. Isamu?s eyes flew opened at the repeated banging sounds against his bedroom wall. The boy woke alarmed. And then in an instant, he grew confused. The sounds of the woman clearly were loud and alarming and coming from Odin?s room.

Her voice permeated through the plaster, ?OH GOD, OH GOD, ODIN!!!!?

The boy had a speculation of what was going on. But of course, what he knew about the subject was as much as a church going person knew about killing. Absolutely nothing. However, what he did knew was that it was keeping him awake and he couldn?t go back to sleep.

So 7-year-old ?Isamu? lay wide awake against his bed, trying his best to sleep against the sound of the couple next door.

*~*~*~*

Weekend mornings after a night of wonderful sex were one of Frieda?s most favorite things. She opened her green eyes to see Odin content face resting the off-white pillows. She smiled. She felt complete in more ways than one. Frieda pushed herself up and stretched out the kinks in her joints hen turned to Odin again. This time, she softly brushed a fallen blonde lock away from his eyes and brought her fingers against her lips and placed a kiss. Then she brought down her kissed fingertips and settled gingerly on his lips. She?s whispered ?I love you.? To his sleeping form before she got out, put on her underwear and dressed in his discarded shirt, the hem reaching halfway to her mid-thigh.

Opening the door, she happily embraced the silence of this Saturday morning. Sleepily walking into the kitchen, she was startled to see the boy on the table, reading the delivered newspaper. He looked up for a second before looking down to the paper again. Frieda?s lips slowly spread into a smile ?Good morning Izzy.? She said.

Isamu barely said something audible to her.

?What?? she asked, ?Um. I didn?t catch that.?

The boy looked up ?I said hello.?

?Ah.? There was a heavy silence in the room. The kitchen wasn?t wide, but in the silence, it seemed like a huge quiet palace. Standing in the threshold, she walked over to Isamu, overlooking the article before him. She tsk-ed and said ?Oh my god? as she read the bold lettered title

?COLONIAL VIRUS OUTBREAK AT L2?S V08744 COLONY CLUSTER. MANY DEAD OR INFECTED. TREATMENT SCARCE.?

?Oh god. Izzy, why are you reading something like that? It?s so depressing.?

?You should take the time out to learn about the world. That?s what Odin always tells me.?

Frieda turned her head towards him in amused disbelief. She walked over to the empty seat across from him and folded in her arms on the table. She smiled ?so, how did such a cute little boy like you get to be so smart??

He looked up across the circular table and avoided her greens eyes, the blushing color of pink licking up his face like a uncontrollable flame ?um... erm? hn.?

Frieda laughed, ?You?re an amazing kid. Like your dad. So when you grow up, are you gonna be just like him??

He frowned ?Most like.?

?Oh, That?s great.? She said joyously.

?it? it is??

?Yeah, I mean disposal management is a great position. Any government job is.? She said matter-a-factly

The boy frowned in confusion. And then in a second, it hit him ?Is that what Odin told you??

She nodded.

He felt shock although one cannot notice it through his expressionless face. Isamu pressed his fingers on the table firmly to take his mind off the extreme lie his mentor told his?

Isamu paused. What was she to him? She couldn?t have been his friend. Isamu had a feeling they were something more, but Odin wasn?t the one for a long lasting relationship with females so this woman confused him. ?So are you Odin?s friend??

She giggled, ?I?m? his very, very special friend.? And smiled cheerfully.

?Ah.? He said, but didn?t quite understand. He felt like there wasn?t anymore to say and went back to the paper.

Frieda looked around at the table and spotted only a cup of Orange Juice. She frowned ?didn?t you eat??

The boy shrugged.

?Well, that can?t happen Izzy. Don?t you know breakfast is the most important of the day?? Then she pushed herself up and walked over to the refrigerator ?Hmmm?? she said, rummaging around the fridge ?I see you have flour, milk, eggs, sugar, syrup? any blueberries??

?Um. I think there?s a can in the cupboard.?

?Great!? she took all the items in her hands and arms and placed them on the counter. Then grabbing the can of blueberries and said ?How about some blueberries pancakes? I usually use fresh blueberries, but I think I can make due with this.?

Now typically the boy never really said much because he felt there was no desire to. However to this act of kindness, there were words to say, but for some reason he cannot put them together. He was struck mute to this. ?I? I suppose? um, ok.?

About a half an hour later, Odin stumbled out of the door, scratching his stomach and yawning. Walking into the kitchen, the site was rather surprising. There was his ward, eating away at a stack of blueberry pancakes smothered with warm, fragrant syrup and melting butter on top. He roved his eyes over to the grinning woman at the stove in his shirt flipping over the pancakes and singing a popular song about a love lost. ?Ahem?

The two looked up alert at his presence, ?Good morning Odin! Coffee?? she said.

?Please.? He said as he sat down to the table, admiring Frieda dressed only in his shirt before smelling the delectable food across from him. Isamu simply looked at him with his placid cobalt blue eyes while munching away at the pancakes before him. ?Enjoying that??

Isamu nodded.

?Do you mind if I have some of that??

He nodded again.

He growled slightly before Frieda placed a steaming cup of coffee with a plate of freshly cooked pancakes and planted a kiss on his cheeks before whispered ?Don?t bother Izzy while he?s eating.? Then she winked at the boy and went back to the stove.

Odin started cutting through the pancakes with a fork before saying ?If I was a lesser man, I?d suspect you like my son a little too much than necessary.? He murmured to Frieda before ending the comment with a chuckle.

Frieda rolled her eyes ?Oh please, Odin.? She looked over her shoulder, giving him a sly look ?I can?t help it if you have a very interesting young man living with you.?

No sooner did she walked over to the table with her food and collectively, the three ate their food. In the silence, Isamu had an epiphany. He surveyed the scene before him. Next to him, Odin ate his food every so often, taking the chance to skim through the paper and drink his coffee. Across from him, Frieda ate her food, looking at the shopper advertisements that came with the paper. And himself, sitting in the presence of these two adults wondering how did he come to this warm little scene after all the death born from his hands. There was a word to describe the image of this scene in his head. It was going around his mind but he was too afraid to say it for fear that this scene would up and disappear like morning mist on the base of a mountain. The word made his heart swell with warm joyous feeling. A feeling like he may just be like one of the kids after all. Frieda caught his eyes and smiled. Wondering if she read his mind, she said ?This is cute, it kinda like we?re a family.?

Odin looked up from his paper. His blue eyes went to Isamu then back to Frieda and a small smile spread on his face before saying ?Yeah. Family.?

*~*~*~*

June 8 AC 187

One time, when Isamu came in from school, he caught Odin drinking a bottle of vodka inside the darkness of his room. Odin once said that a human being?s true essence is sensed when one is in deep concentration. The man?s eyes looked as if he would no sooner burn holes through the glass bottle. Isamu stood in the doorway, staring until he cleared his voice ?ahem?

Odin looked up ?hey kid. How was school??

?It?s alright. What are you doing??

?Thinking.? he looked back at the bottle once again then took a deep breath as if he was finding the right words. ?How do you feel about revenge??

He shrugged ?It?s all the same, I assume. In the end, they get wiped out.?

?Hn.?

Isamu hesitated ?so. Does this have to do with something in particular??

Sipping in the air, ?I have a bullet in my one of my sniper rifles. I?m saving it up for an opportune moment.?

?An opportune moment of? revenge??

Odin nodded.

This more or less through the child off, ?we never killed anyone over some grudge. Is it serious??

Setting down the bottle on the lamp table, he walked toward the bathroom on the other end of his room. Eyes to the room ahead, he said ?More than you?ll ever possibly know.?

*~*~*~*

January 1, AC 188


The boy never celebrated the holidays once in his entire life. Odin never bothered putting up a tree or eating turkey because according to him, holidays are a time for beliefs. And if one believes in something, it becomes necessary to recognize the rewards and punishments that come with that belief. If one doesn?t believe, then there?s no belief. And if there is no belief, there is no need to stress about your moral fiber, or in the case of Odin and Isamu, lack thereof.

But being with Frieda, things have changed. Of course, she not a very religious person, but she has brought some aspect of morality into lives of the two. She brought the feeling of a family within Isamu every time she would come over and cook dinner before she would head off to work. Or give hugs and kisses whenever she would see him. When outside, she would hold his hand when they cross the street. He knows about crossing the road when the red light appears, but it was for that sign of concern for his safety that really affected him. Odin would never even consider holding his hand but then again, in the profession he was in, he knew Odin?s concern for him was the last thing in his mind.

She loved holidays. That was something he was inwardly awed it. She loved celebrating it in all its glory. In Halloween, she convinced Isamu to go trick or treating and even got him a costume (He was a Zombie. Complete with make up, and fake blood.) Then, still in his costume she threw a Halloween costume party in her apartment and took pictures of herself in her revealing magician?s costume with Zombie Isamu and Odin (he declined to wear any costume despite Frieda?s complaining)

In Thanksgiving, she baked a turkey and made the entire main course of stuffing, sweet potatoes with melted marshmallows and cinnamon, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and a great many other things that Isamu wondered just how long did she stay up to make all this. And more importantly, how did she manage to stay so energized afterwards.

In Christmas, she brought a tree to the apartment. It was the first ever in the child?s life that he had one, much less decorated it. She made an event of it. There was popcorn to make the tree lining, and candy canes to place along the tree. She made hot cocoa to warm them on L1?s cold nights (and it does get cold at that part of the year). She sung carols and hung up stockings around the house due to their lack of a chimney. She had presents under the tree and when Isamu woke up the next morning, he just stood in front of the tree, star struck at the boxes wrapped in colorful, shiny paper. When the two woke up, they all got together and celebrated it like a? like a family. She gave Isamu a new teddy bear to replace the old, faded one and when he held the plush toy in his small hands, his eyes started to water and he ran to Frieda, voluntarily giving her a hug.

Isamu never gives hugs. Ever.

Sitting in the living room of the New Year?s Eve party in Odin apartment (thrown obviously by Frieda), Isamu noticed how affectionate he himself became when Frieda was around. Indeed, when Odin and Isamu went out on their missions, the child becomes numb and cold to get the job done. However, in her presence, he was all ready to give and receive hugs and kisses. On one point, he really felt the need to smile.

The ringing phone took him out of his reverie. Turning to Odin, he sees him and Frieda engrossed in a conversation with the downstairs neighbors and went to get the phone himself. ?Hello??

?Hello. Is Odin Lowe home??

?Who?s this??

The voice paused. ?Tell him, its someone who can help him sleep at night.?

Isamu hesitated ?Who are-?

?Boy, just do as you?re told.?

The phone was growing warm and his placed it down on the table. He walked over to Odin and told him about the call. The next thing, Odin took the phone and went inside his room, closing the door behind him. For ten minutes, he was not seen outside the room. Isamu anticipated for his return. He was having a bad feeling in his insides. There was something about that voice that made him feel like dark clouds were accumulating over the recently brighten horizon. He felt the cold rise up inside as someone came up from behind him. He shuddered as he felt a hand on his shoulder

?Izzy??

He turned to see Frieda. Green eyes frowned in concern and her full red lips consigned to a grimace ?Izzy, are you alright? What?s wrong??

He shook his head. ?Nothing. Nothing?s wrong.?

?Oh? Where?s Odin??

?Odin. Odin?s in the room taking a call.?

She breathed a sigh of relief ?oh. For a minute, I thought something was wrong.?

On cue, Odin finally stepped out of the room. His face looked beleaguered, but excited at the same time. He looked around and saw his ward and Frieda. Odin frowned as he looked at them. His family. The news he carried in his heart can turn everything they all had to ashes in a cinder in a matter of minutes.

*~*~*~*

February 5, AC 188

Frieda stepped out of the elevator at the sight of the 4th floor sign. The sound of her heels clicked on the wooden floorboards of the hallways leading to Odin?s apartment. She was startled when she saw the young Isamu sitting outside the apartment door before he turned his head to greet her silently.

?Hi Izzy.? Frieda said. When she said that, she sounded? sad.

?Hi.?

She breathed in the air while quickly glancing at the cold door ?He?s not home, isn?t he??

He shook his head.

Frieda brought her eyes down at the boy still keeping that sad expression in her eyes ?Were you waiting there long??

?I dunno. How long is long??

?Well, right now it?s? she glanced at her gold watch, ?almost 4 PM. What time you get out of school??

?2:50.?

?2:50?! Izzy, you?ve been waiting here for more than 2 hours? Aren?t you hungry??

Her kindness never ceases to amaze him ?I? yes. Yes, I am.?

She stuck out her slender hand ?Well, come on. Lets go to my apartment; I got some of your favorite chocolate cake in my fridge. You can have some of that with some hot cocoa, would you like that??

Though on the outside, his expression was still the same. But inside, with the awe of her kindness and his love for chocolate, he felt such warmth within his heart ?sure.?

*~*~*~*

Frieda wiped her hands with the kitchen towel cloth after setting down the slice of chocolate cake to the boy. He took the fork and eagerly ate away at the dessert. He paused when hearing the silence and looked up at the woman across from him. Frieda looked preoccupied, her green eyes frown in worry. The silence was quite heavy and though he only spoke in a small voice, it seemed loud in the presence of this thick stillness ?Is there something wrong??

Frieda looked up, alarmed and then smiled and said ?no. No, nothing is wrong.? She murmured, ?How?s the cake??

?Good. Thank you.?

She smiled in gratitude. Silence blanketed the room once again. She fumbled her fingers and forced herself to ask what was in her heart. ?Hey. Um? How?s Odin??

The boy looked up. He seemed a bit shocked but played it off as if it was nothing ?He?s fine.?

?Oh. That?s good.? She paused ?Is he getting my calls??

The boy nodded

?Oh. Ok. I suppose he must be really busy to call me back.? She said and as she said that, she frowned even further.

The boy observed that change in her demeanor. She seemed? sad. But why? She turned to look at the boy again, but this time, she brighten up a little ?Ya?know, one of these days, you?re just gonna wind up doing something really stupid. I mean everyone does something stupid, but it?s the measure of that stupidity that really matters. It?s the measure that you get judged for.

?One day, you?ll meet someone. We all do. And when you do, and she looks past your stupidity. Looks at you and see everything that?s good about you, then I want you to promise me something. Please.?

The boy stared. No one had ever talked to him with this much intensity. His eyes asked to continue.

?I want you to do all you can to keep her in your life. Because people who can look past your big flaws are very, very hard to come by.? And then she sadly smiled, ?They are one in a million, kiddo. Don?t forget that.?

Isamu didn?t quite get that. He still had the confused expression on his face and at the sight of it, She smiled a little brightly and clicked her tongue ?god, would you hear me? I?m talking to you like you know what I mean.? She rested her elbows on the table, fumbling and picking apart the paper napkins on the table with her eyes drawn to it, ?What I do? what I do, I do not because I want to. But because I need the money. Kid, you have no idea what I go through. It?s not a job many people look highly on. And in my place, you?d find that love, real love, is so hard to find.? She turned her eyes away from the napkins and toward the boy, ?They just can?t seem to look past what I do. And those that do are so very rare. And that?s what Odin is. He knows what I do and he doesn?t judge. And that?s what makes him so great. That?s what made me love him. Because he can look past my flaws and if you do what I?m doing, that means a lot.?

Isamu nodded, ?I understand.?

?No. No you don?t.?

?Ok. Maybe not, but I hope to, one day?

Frieda smiled. And this time she smiled fully ?That?s all I ask for.?

*~*~*~*

February 8, AC 188
1:26 AM

He did it again. Odin was waking him up again late into the night. He slowly roused up conjuring memories from that night of Sam. Odin stood over him, fully dressed. ?Get up. We have to go.?

?Where??

?L3. X18999 to be precise.?

The boy almost choked, ?L3! That?s on the other side of the earth?s orbit. It?ll take us forever to get there.?

?2 days. 2 days and a half maybe. We?re taking a shuttle to L4 then transfer to a shuttle that goes to L3. Get dressed.? He finished by walking out the door.

The boy crawled out of the bed to find his clothes only to find that they?re gone. All his drawers and closets are completely empty. He walked out onto the living room to find suitcases placed on the floor. Odin turns away from packing his other suitcase to the boy ?Your clothes on the couch. Hurry up, our flight leaves in 2 hours. We gotta go through security and I don?t know how long that would be.?

Dressed, the boy walks into the living room again to watch Odin finish up his packing. He hesitated for a moment before asking, ?I?m aware that I cannot question your motives. However, I feel that you at least owe me a briefing on the mission we are about to embark on.?

Not looking, he said, ?Yes. You?re right. I?ll give you that. We?re about to go to a colony that is still under construction. Our target is stationed there to oversee the construction, which is planned to be finished by next year.?

?Stationed? You mean for military purpose or??

?Military.?

He stood still, letting the word sink in. ?This isn?t any ordinary mission.? He said, sounding more like a question than a statement.

Odin, still packing and still not looking up, said ?No. It isn?t.?

?Did you receive all the information that is needed for this mission??

?Yes. That?s why I was busy for the past 3 weeks. I was trying to put together a plan for this night.?

?You were informed.?

?Nothing gets past you, huh??

?Who??

?Now that?s nothing you need to know about this mission. What you do need to know is what I?ll be briefing you on the way to the Spaceport.? He said, closing the lid, preparing to zip the luggage closed.

?What about Frieda??

He stopped. Odin didn?t look up and the boy couldn?t see his face from where he was, but he flinch at the sound of her name. His eyes, blue as the spring skies, became glassy but soon changed back to its cold emotionless demeanor, ?I leaving her a note. She?ll understand.?

?She?ll understand that we just up and disappeared??

Finally zipping up the luggage he said, ?You?re drawing a line and asking too many questions.? Turning to face the boy he said, ?She?ll understand. Because that?s really the only thing she can do.?

*~*~*~*

February 10, AC 188

It was Saturday and ?Goldfingers? was usually filled to the brim with men willing to spend their paychecks watching naked dancing girls than paying the bills and caring for their families. In the dressing room, ?Miss. Sinn? just stepped in from her performance with two female ?students? giving the audience a lesson on punishment.

Frieda wiped the sweat from her face and chest, looking at the mirror to check her makeup. In the corner of her eye, she sees someone in the reflection coming up behind her. Looking up at the reflection, she smiled ?Hey Jackie. You leaving??

?Yeah, my shift is over. But before I go, I got a package for you.?

She turned, ?A package??

Jackie nodded ?mm-hmm.? She handed her a large delivery envelope and glanced at her watch ?Christ, 2:34 AM. My boyfriend should be here by now to pick me up. I?ll see you tomorrow??

?Yeah, sure.? She said sounding as if she was far away. Opening the envelope, she found a letter. Reading it, she turned pale. Reading further, her eyes were getting watery and though she didn?t notice, she was trembling. All the other girls turn to stare; some were expressing concern on their facial expressions. It wasn?t until one of the other females asked ?Frieda? Are you alright?? that she stopped, grabbed her clothes, dressed quickly and ran out to the exit. She zipped past her manager who just turned his head and yelled after her ?FRIEDA! You still got an hour shift to complete, where the hell are you going?!!!?

In the dressing room, girls murmured in shock. The manager entered in the room clearly angry ?Can anybody inform me what the fuck happened to Frieda?? crowding around the manager; one girl noticed the note dropped on the floor. She picked and began reading:

Frieda, when you get this, me and Isamu will be gone. My time with you was possibly the best time of my entire 40 years of living. If you are wondering about the possibility of ever seeing me again, I highly doubt it. You were a big impact in my son?s life and for that, I?ll never forget you. I empty out the apartment and there?s no trace of us there anymore. Go on with you life. You have many possibilities in your horizons and maybe you?ll be a star, however, it?ll have to be in someone else?s sky.

Please don?t go looking for me. I don?t want to be found.

Odin.

*~*~*~*

?No. No, it can?t be, he wouldn?t do this?.? She said running up the stairs to the fourth floor. She chanted it over and over in her head, on the verge of tears, hoping somehow that this was a horrible lie or joke Odin is pulling and that they?ll all be there. That when they open the door, they?ll all be a family again.

Running to the apartment door, she banged her knuckles against the surface so hard, one might think she?ll run right through it. ?Odin!!!!? Odin!!!!? She knocked for 2 minutes before a door behind her opened up. A tired old man peered through an open crack of his door ?do you mind? It?s almost three AM and I?m trying to sleep.? He said, sounded annoyed

?I?m sorry, I?m just trying to see if my boyfriend?s home.?

The man gave her a confused look ?Lady, nobody?s been living there for 4 days. The guy and his kid left and never came back. The landlord is looking for new tenants to take that apartment.?

Slowly locking her sides into place she stared at the old man and let the words sink in to her conscious. ?Oh. I see. Thank you. Good night.? She said numbly.

The elderly old man, once annoyed, looked apologetic, ?Um, hey listen. I?m sorry? I didn?t? uh. Ya?know. Damn.? He took a deep breath, ?Well, listen, you go and have a good night.? He trailed off on the last words before closing the door. Hearing the door clicked closed, Frieda leaned against the cool wall feeling the hardness of it against her back and slowly slid onto the floor where she just crumpled up and cried.

Because it was all she really can do.

*~*~*~*
X18999 cluster colony of L3

Arriving at the hotel, Odin placed a case on his bed. The boy, looking out of the window, or perhaps looking at his reflection stayed quiet throughout the entire trip. It mattered not. Opening the case, he thoughts relished at the following people:

The boy, who would undoubtedly, go out after this mission and survive on his own from now on.

Frieda, who shown him the good side of life and now must move on without him.

And last, but not certainly least?

General Septem. The man he was saving his last bullet from his sniper rifle for. One bullet, for the one to compensate the death of the original Heero Yuy. The one Septem hired Odin to carry out.

The one that?ll give Odin peace over his grief with his blood. Even if he has to die trying.

To be continued