Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2002 4:40 pm
Title: Essah
Author: Lanna
Genre: Action/Adventure (sometimes more drama)
Rating: PG-13
Note: I hope you enjoy this, and I worked really hard on it, so at least give it a look. Since I didn?t mention it in the story, let me quickly say that it takes place seven years after the original series. I don?t take into account the movie, because I never saw it, and only know about it because I spend way too much time on the Internet.
The sky that night was indeed a spectacle. Day gave way to night with a celebration, blending blue and lavender into a wonderfully dark collage that spread itself over the horizon. From a hotel room in Paris, the view was so that there was only a single cloud; cast a blackish hue in nature?s decorative changing. Relena felt a warm feeling building in her chest from the awe, as she stood on the balcony, surveying it all, as well as from the warm cup of hot chocolate she held against her bosom, not drinking immediately, for she preferred to have that warmth to herself; the sweet chocolate steam bathing her face and senses was something to be cherished, all right.
This was a night to ponder. The moment was worth its weight in gold, a treasured time. She knew she would find few like it. There were things to do, things to see to, and they would begin at the crack of dawn. With a sigh, this realization dawned upon her, and she turned back to the pitch-black room, which seemed so desolate and lonely in contrast to the sunset. Sooner or later, probably sooner than later, realization wouldn?t be the only thing dawning upon her, but the sun would make it?s glorious reappearance, and so she would find herself yet again in her tired job of immense responsibility.
Arguing was a part of human nature! But why SUCH a prominent part? She couldn?t make sense of it. There was no end to it, and she always found herself the peacekeeper, or rather, sometimes when her words were transformed to incorrectness, or she was heard to say things she had never voiced at all, that she was seen as yet another foolish politician, not understanding anything but the riches they could gain from their line of work. All this rushed through her head within the fraction of a moment, as the latest dispute was brought to mind. Something about how the colonies had unfairly been cut out of a trading pact made with some of the larger western countries had been it, hadn?t it? Small stuff, she hoped, something that could be resolved quickly and easily, something totally blown out of proportion. She would be briefed on the details tomorrow, would make a speech, and that would be it.
Her pondering done for the evening, Relena stepped inside, subtly annoyed at the swift change in temperature. It had been nice and cool outside, the signs of fall coming, where there would be more amazing sunsets, decorated with golden leaves blowing in the breeze. The stuffy air inside seemed entirely contradicting to the atmosphere. Sighing, she collapsed on her bed, placing her mug of wondrous warmth on her pile of ignored paperwork. She would work harder tomorrow.
A slender hand switched the lights off, coveting the room in complete darkness.
Adrift in the confining place of sleep, there seemed to be another. Eyes unseeing revealed to her a commanding darkness, in which was a dim form that she could barely make out, like a glow that was dying. Yes, that was it, a glowing outline, somewhat in human form, bending weirdly to some foreign will she did not understand. Who was it? She wondered. Could it even be a who? The usual sort of dizziness normal to that state seemed to be choking her from coming upon the identity, instead of merely slowing down the process of discovery.
The difficulty presented to her only made her curiosity so much more. Not only that, but she felt she truly knew this person, knew them more than ever before, but for the life of her she could not recall where she had once seen a dying glow bathed in a commanding darkness. Not for the life of her. Strokes toward them were made, like she was swimming upstream, or was it flying? Either way, painstakingly slowly she advanced.
Hours seemed to pass. Somehow, the blackness around her grew less and less and less confining; the closer she got, the farther away the figure appeared to be. Yet not once did she tire of her battle, rather, the harder she worked the more energy and zeal was granted to her, as fragments of thought pushed their way through the mind of her mind ? she would figure this out yet! The excitement and happiness building in her chest seemed to push her heart out of her body; the heart that was beating so fast now, somehow both too loud and absolutely silent, like a mythical drum.
She was almost there, just a moment more, and what was a moment here? Though she more felt it than saw it, the glow was right next to her, and all she need do is make it aware of her presence. With the pressuring blanket of black around her, she knew herself to outstretch a something, a hand, or an arm, she couldn?t tell, nor did she really care. To touch it, and then her burning wondering would be over with, and she would be gloriously victorious.
Suddenness was suddenly upon her, though, before she could carry through with the action, a change in the commanding darkness that seemed more commanding than ever, indeed, it was as if the black was now a dictator of an entity, or some being that was all powerful. A sharp knowledge of impending danger made it?s self known to her second mind, bringing with it a painful panic that left her totally confused and bewildered. It took her another moment, longer than most, as it felt, to come to terms with even recognizing these new developments ? once she had done that, the more pressing matter of the glow was brought to her attention, and she found it to be, simply, gone.
A quick search of her surroundings was made, which proved to be utterly futile, considering that she stood, floated, whatever it may be, in a void of nothing. Worry struck her heart, seizing it with cold, prying fingers, for she had somehow connected with the glow, and had found it to be one of the most innocent and unknowing beings she had ever have the pleasure, and curse, to recognize. Surely it could not hold it?s own against this immeasurable darkness? She could not. It was caving in on her, closing in, and it was all she could do to suppress it. Her strength would not last long, for now that she thought about it, she had foolishly spent it all on her efforts to reach the dying glow. If only she had paced herself! The dark was closing in, choking, and with another blasting suddenness it seized her. The panic of helplessness rushed through her uncontrollably, for she could do nothing to stop it ?
Then it was done, as it had never happened. Blinking teary eyes, Relena found herself sitting upright in bed, drenched in a cold sweat, and left with a disturbing fear that she could not understand. Her waking had cost her almost all memory of this occurrence, so that even though she racked her brain with an angry strength, nothing was revealed to her. All she knew was that she had had a dream, a bad one, a nightmare. Her face told her so, reflected to her from the mirror hung on the wall on the opposite end of the room.
She stared at it, studying how wide her ice blue eyes were, and how the corners of her lip had pulled down, leaving her mouth open slightly, halfway through a terrified scream. A dream, yes, yet she could recall none of it, other than it had been awful, and she had been helpless, and something had made her capacity for worry more than double. She glanced at her clock; she had only been sleeping for two hours now.
Gradually she sank back onto the pillow, timidly leaving herself to the wanderings of her frightened mind. Before she was totally gone she had a sensation of familiarity, like she had done this before, many times.
Night envelops things. With the simple act of existing, it can completely change the atmosphere of a place, from festive to melancholy, from desperately sullen to celebrating. It?s effects on forests can be particularly inspiring, especially when one looks up to the sky through the darkened canopy, observing the slanted shadows and dusted wisps of black clouds. If that is not enough to move a soul, there is always the wonder of many twinkling stars, followed by the glowing, brilliant full moon, casting it?s hue of light onto the ground.
Indeed, it says something about the morality aspect of you if you are not even the most subtly changed somehow. This, one pilot, who sat in the forest, typing away at his laptop, was considering, during the very same evening that horrors danced in the mind of Relena Peacecraft. He guessed that meant he was most definitely human.
Other than the trill of owl?s eternal question at certain intervals, and the rapid sound of the pilot?s hurried typing, silence covered the forest. He liked it that way, really, because he needed to hear his own thoughts. The normal hustle and bustle of human interaction could not only be tedious, but when one needed to concentrate, it was, simply, downright annoying. Hazel eyes flicked around the screen, observing and studying the information, as his computer of a mind sent the information to storage, ready to be recalled in a fraction of a moment if need be.
?Huh.? According the various states and facts portrayed to him from the screen, a new line of mobile suits could be expected soon, from none other than Winner Foundation. Odd, for he knew Quatre Winner was, no doubt, in charge of these changes, and he could not fathom why Quatre would decide to do this. It did not seem his style. One of his more influential sisters probably had a part in it. Nothing to be worried about.
Indeed, it seemed that there was very little to be worried about lately. Despite the trading dispute, and the renegade ?pirates? that had many shuttles in a panic, it seemed that Peacecraft?s efforts were making sense. There would always be problems. Problems were endless ? so few seemed to understand that!
Relena, however, would say that with problems come solutions.
He was just about to shut down the computer when a message flicked across the screen. ?Message from Essah? it read. Raising an eyebrow, the pilot clicked away at the accept option, curious as to what could private message him.
?Hello absolute none.? A silver bordered chat box popped up.
There was a slight widening of the pilot?s eyes. He typed back, ?What??
?7 plus 0 equals what??
Seven years ago.
The pilot looked up from the screen, glancing around at the darkened forest, as if the controversial night was playing a horrid practical joke on him. Several times he began to type up a reply, but each time stopped, erased it, and tried again. Finally, after a long moment, another response came back: ?Doves can?t fly forever.?
?Neither can Essah.? The pilot?s retort seemed weak, even to him, but what more could he do?
Before Essah?s response came back, the pilot was suddenly aware of a click and a beep, and then, before his very eyes, a figure, in the form of some crude multicolored boxes, marched across the screen, and set down something purple. There was a loud bang from the sound system, and the screen went as black as the mystifying night that covered him.
When dawn finally came back to Relena?s side of the world, she was still sleeping and unable to appreciate the sunrise. She was tired, tired of so many things ? work, for the most part, but she could never think of stopping. In an odd way, she was obsessed with her responsibility. It had been such a long, hard road to get it.
To any affect, she continued to sleep soundly for nearly an hour past the correct waking hour, until the vid phone on her night table let out an urgent, impatient beep. Rising quickly, a quick glance at the clock set her into a wild panic, hurriedly brushing her teeth and getting her lovely golden locks into order, all in the matter of about two minutes. Gasping for breath, she accepted the call, saying: ?Very sorry to keep you waiting ?? She did not, however, finish her apology, the sight of a familiar face delighting her out of her polite ways. ?Noin!?
Noin grinned back at her, her turquoise eyes sparkling. Relena could tell, however, that she was stressed ? something about the way Noin held herself told her so. In a thought, Relena sadly realized she was getting so good at reading people. ?It?s nice to see you, Relena. Your aides told me you were still asleep.?
?Yes. Why didn?t they wake me??
Noin threw her head back in a laugh; one that was so merry it was infectious. Relena giggled herself, but not really getting the joke, persisted, ?Well, why, then? I have work to do, you know, I?m not so sure I can afford oversleeping.?
?Relena, I?m sorry. Did it never occur to you that your aides might be human, and worried about you??
?I?m a politician. A very busy one at that. There?s no reason anyone should be worried about me, other than the content of my speeches.? Relena?s return was painfully serious.
Noin coughed, and nodded. ?Yes. Well...?
?You called me why, Noin??
?I?ve received an email.?
Relena shook her head, sighing, a small smile playing at her lips. ?I fail to see the importance, though I do sometimes find ad?s subject matter concerning.?
If Relena?s suddenly cold return made a few minutes ago had seemed scathing, it was no match for Noin?s. ?It?s serious. I think it?s a threat.?
?Oh??
?Yeah, some guy going by the name of Essah sent me a poem.?
Relena was on the verge of mentioning that she often enjoyed poems, but resisted the urge. Something in her friend?s face helped her. Glancing around, she found her mug of once-hot chocolate, feeling that Noin?s next sentence would place her in dire need of some refreshing chocolate. ?Continue,? she said, having taken her first sip.
?Do you want me to read it to you??
?Sure.?
?Just a moment.? Noin left view of the vid screen, followed by sounds of searching ? occasional loud thumps, as well as the sound of a printer running ? when it was all done, Noin had returned, positioning reading glasses on her nose and staring with a passionate hatred at the piece of paper in her hands.
?Go on.? Relena said, not quite understanding Noin?s long pause and cough. Noin, she realized, seemed to be coughing a lot these days.
?To the helper of the absolute none
warnings are sent
of the changing of the tides
inform the dove, helper
before Essah takes the next step,?
?Very crude.? Relena observed. ?Not of the best quality, I don?t think. Noin, it IS a disturbing thing, but it?s probably been sent to thousands of others, anyway.?
Before Noin could make her retort, she coughed again, and set down the paper. ?You don?t see the connection?? She asked, very surprised.
?No. It isn?t senseless nonsense??
?You haven?t listened very well.?
?Perhaps not.? Relena finished the last of her chocolate drink with a pang of remorse, resolving to ask her aide, Ann, for more, once she was done with this discussion.
?Relena, what is absolute none??
?I?m not sure. I?m not a mathematician.?
Noin sighed, shaking her head. ?Have you woken up yet? I thought it was very simple.?
Relena put that through her head ? simple, was it? ?Zero?? She guessed, not fully sure, as if she was a mere student once more, trying her best to please a particularly distasteful teacher.
Noin nodded affirmative. ?Yes.?
?Zero? So what about it? I still don?t understand ??The light of understanding filled Relena?s eyes, a sort of snap taking place. Dear god, it had been simple. ?Oh. OH!?
?What is your nickname, peacekeeper?? Continued Noin, wearing a grim smile.
?The dove of peace??
?And who am I? Did I not help Heero with his Zero??
?You?re the helper! But oh, Noin, really, couldn?t it just be coincidence?? Relena?s words were hopeful, and she knew it, but there were always possibilities. Whoever had wrote the poem would not be getting any awards for artistic content, but the use of metaphors had been somewhat interesting. If not eerie.
?Relena.?
At the sound of her name, she nodded, sighing. ?Alright.?
?Listen, Relena, I?ve got to go. An important conference at the Preventer?s is taking place in ?? Noin glanced at her watch, ?Uh oh. A half hour.?
Relena would have liked to pump Noin for her opinion on this disturbing matter, but there was no arguing Noin?s sense of duty. ?Alright.?
?Talk to you soon, Relena.?
?Bye, Noin.?
There was a mutual click as the two women shut off their vid phones simultaneously, each continuing on their way; a hard day was in front of them.
Outside the window, a sparrow was at play. It sat on a branch, which matched its brown wings almost perfectly, on account of the browning honey colored leaves that decorated it. Cawing and trilling a cute little whistle, everything seemed so trivial to it ? yes, all it cared about was that it could sing it?s song, and it could show off it?s wondrous ability to fly. So simple! And yet, so complex.
?Peacecraft? Miss Peacecraft??
Relena was bid, with the gruff voice of and stares of her fellow politicians, to return to the conference. ?Yes. Sorry.? She apologized, but there was an uncaring smile that betrayed her.
?Yes.? The man coughed, slightly embarrassed, and then launched into a lengthy lecture about assorted conditions under which he would only conduct the trading treaty. Relena listened with a passion, but was very sad to note, ten minutes later, that the sparrow had left for a more concerned audience.
The explosion seemed to have a slow progress. First there was a sort of rumbling, like that of many barrels being dropped on a wooden floor, not quite as pressing as that of an earthquake or volcano. Then it rose quickly, like a high-pitched whine, until finally the volume of it all seemed too much to bear. Finally, there was a sharp blast, much like the suddenness of Relena?s dream, rocketing to a painful level, so that it was realized that the whine was nothing compared to this ? a second blast, not quite as loud, but so quick it almost seemed stealthy.
The shock of it, as well with the rumbling, knocked Relena out of her chair. She lay sprawled on the floor; panic seizing her body and racking it wildly. Dimly she was aware of gunshots ? more explosions ? one of the grown men was crying. Trying to block it out, she put her hands over her ears, but it was in vain. Nothing could stop this moment of hell.
A pop. Something sharp licked her ear, cold as ice. Glass? She wasn?t sure. Trying to push down the panic, she managed to get her brain to function and see past the facts of impending danger ? out! She had to get out. Stumbling to her feet, she heard more blasts, and a rain of bullets, one of which licked her arm.
Tears ran wildly, uncontrollably down her cheeks. Such a curse that humans are only granted two hands. Using one to try to silence the deafening pulses and beats of her heart, the mythical drum, she used the other to wipe her grimy tears away, and to try to see clearly. It was no use; all she saw was flashes of gray, and the outline of a doorway.
She had done this before, hadn?t she? A strong feeling of familiarity, strange as it may be, presided over the chaos. Before, yes, but where? The lights flickered, and she was once more awash in complete and total dark. The familiarity was left with a familiar rush of urgency ? out, out!
Stumbling towards the door, she fell, crashing against a chair. It seemed that her body was in pain, now, the pain of her arm and the pain of her heart, and the pain with which she regarded the chances that she may ever get out of the black dark. The strength with which many had so grown to expect from the dove pushed her onward, and upward, as she staggered back to her feet again, and practically collapsed onto the doorway. In her state, surely the hallway would be safe? She hoped.
In a fraction of a moment she was out, but it was still there. Something clanged hard around her head, and then she had a dim feeling of pain, followed by complete numbness. The last thing she remembered was falling, onto the floor, and then in the back of her a last blast, like an encore. She allowed the darkness its victory. She was so tired, and so the black swallowed her triumphantly.
Author: Lanna
Genre: Action/Adventure (sometimes more drama)
Rating: PG-13
Note: I hope you enjoy this, and I worked really hard on it, so at least give it a look. Since I didn?t mention it in the story, let me quickly say that it takes place seven years after the original series. I don?t take into account the movie, because I never saw it, and only know about it because I spend way too much time on the Internet.
The sky that night was indeed a spectacle. Day gave way to night with a celebration, blending blue and lavender into a wonderfully dark collage that spread itself over the horizon. From a hotel room in Paris, the view was so that there was only a single cloud; cast a blackish hue in nature?s decorative changing. Relena felt a warm feeling building in her chest from the awe, as she stood on the balcony, surveying it all, as well as from the warm cup of hot chocolate she held against her bosom, not drinking immediately, for she preferred to have that warmth to herself; the sweet chocolate steam bathing her face and senses was something to be cherished, all right.
This was a night to ponder. The moment was worth its weight in gold, a treasured time. She knew she would find few like it. There were things to do, things to see to, and they would begin at the crack of dawn. With a sigh, this realization dawned upon her, and she turned back to the pitch-black room, which seemed so desolate and lonely in contrast to the sunset. Sooner or later, probably sooner than later, realization wouldn?t be the only thing dawning upon her, but the sun would make it?s glorious reappearance, and so she would find herself yet again in her tired job of immense responsibility.
Arguing was a part of human nature! But why SUCH a prominent part? She couldn?t make sense of it. There was no end to it, and she always found herself the peacekeeper, or rather, sometimes when her words were transformed to incorrectness, or she was heard to say things she had never voiced at all, that she was seen as yet another foolish politician, not understanding anything but the riches they could gain from their line of work. All this rushed through her head within the fraction of a moment, as the latest dispute was brought to mind. Something about how the colonies had unfairly been cut out of a trading pact made with some of the larger western countries had been it, hadn?t it? Small stuff, she hoped, something that could be resolved quickly and easily, something totally blown out of proportion. She would be briefed on the details tomorrow, would make a speech, and that would be it.
Her pondering done for the evening, Relena stepped inside, subtly annoyed at the swift change in temperature. It had been nice and cool outside, the signs of fall coming, where there would be more amazing sunsets, decorated with golden leaves blowing in the breeze. The stuffy air inside seemed entirely contradicting to the atmosphere. Sighing, she collapsed on her bed, placing her mug of wondrous warmth on her pile of ignored paperwork. She would work harder tomorrow.
A slender hand switched the lights off, coveting the room in complete darkness.
Adrift in the confining place of sleep, there seemed to be another. Eyes unseeing revealed to her a commanding darkness, in which was a dim form that she could barely make out, like a glow that was dying. Yes, that was it, a glowing outline, somewhat in human form, bending weirdly to some foreign will she did not understand. Who was it? She wondered. Could it even be a who? The usual sort of dizziness normal to that state seemed to be choking her from coming upon the identity, instead of merely slowing down the process of discovery.
The difficulty presented to her only made her curiosity so much more. Not only that, but she felt she truly knew this person, knew them more than ever before, but for the life of her she could not recall where she had once seen a dying glow bathed in a commanding darkness. Not for the life of her. Strokes toward them were made, like she was swimming upstream, or was it flying? Either way, painstakingly slowly she advanced.
Hours seemed to pass. Somehow, the blackness around her grew less and less and less confining; the closer she got, the farther away the figure appeared to be. Yet not once did she tire of her battle, rather, the harder she worked the more energy and zeal was granted to her, as fragments of thought pushed their way through the mind of her mind ? she would figure this out yet! The excitement and happiness building in her chest seemed to push her heart out of her body; the heart that was beating so fast now, somehow both too loud and absolutely silent, like a mythical drum.
She was almost there, just a moment more, and what was a moment here? Though she more felt it than saw it, the glow was right next to her, and all she need do is make it aware of her presence. With the pressuring blanket of black around her, she knew herself to outstretch a something, a hand, or an arm, she couldn?t tell, nor did she really care. To touch it, and then her burning wondering would be over with, and she would be gloriously victorious.
Suddenness was suddenly upon her, though, before she could carry through with the action, a change in the commanding darkness that seemed more commanding than ever, indeed, it was as if the black was now a dictator of an entity, or some being that was all powerful. A sharp knowledge of impending danger made it?s self known to her second mind, bringing with it a painful panic that left her totally confused and bewildered. It took her another moment, longer than most, as it felt, to come to terms with even recognizing these new developments ? once she had done that, the more pressing matter of the glow was brought to her attention, and she found it to be, simply, gone.
A quick search of her surroundings was made, which proved to be utterly futile, considering that she stood, floated, whatever it may be, in a void of nothing. Worry struck her heart, seizing it with cold, prying fingers, for she had somehow connected with the glow, and had found it to be one of the most innocent and unknowing beings she had ever have the pleasure, and curse, to recognize. Surely it could not hold it?s own against this immeasurable darkness? She could not. It was caving in on her, closing in, and it was all she could do to suppress it. Her strength would not last long, for now that she thought about it, she had foolishly spent it all on her efforts to reach the dying glow. If only she had paced herself! The dark was closing in, choking, and with another blasting suddenness it seized her. The panic of helplessness rushed through her uncontrollably, for she could do nothing to stop it ?
Then it was done, as it had never happened. Blinking teary eyes, Relena found herself sitting upright in bed, drenched in a cold sweat, and left with a disturbing fear that she could not understand. Her waking had cost her almost all memory of this occurrence, so that even though she racked her brain with an angry strength, nothing was revealed to her. All she knew was that she had had a dream, a bad one, a nightmare. Her face told her so, reflected to her from the mirror hung on the wall on the opposite end of the room.
She stared at it, studying how wide her ice blue eyes were, and how the corners of her lip had pulled down, leaving her mouth open slightly, halfway through a terrified scream. A dream, yes, yet she could recall none of it, other than it had been awful, and she had been helpless, and something had made her capacity for worry more than double. She glanced at her clock; she had only been sleeping for two hours now.
Gradually she sank back onto the pillow, timidly leaving herself to the wanderings of her frightened mind. Before she was totally gone she had a sensation of familiarity, like she had done this before, many times.
Night envelops things. With the simple act of existing, it can completely change the atmosphere of a place, from festive to melancholy, from desperately sullen to celebrating. It?s effects on forests can be particularly inspiring, especially when one looks up to the sky through the darkened canopy, observing the slanted shadows and dusted wisps of black clouds. If that is not enough to move a soul, there is always the wonder of many twinkling stars, followed by the glowing, brilliant full moon, casting it?s hue of light onto the ground.
Indeed, it says something about the morality aspect of you if you are not even the most subtly changed somehow. This, one pilot, who sat in the forest, typing away at his laptop, was considering, during the very same evening that horrors danced in the mind of Relena Peacecraft. He guessed that meant he was most definitely human.
Other than the trill of owl?s eternal question at certain intervals, and the rapid sound of the pilot?s hurried typing, silence covered the forest. He liked it that way, really, because he needed to hear his own thoughts. The normal hustle and bustle of human interaction could not only be tedious, but when one needed to concentrate, it was, simply, downright annoying. Hazel eyes flicked around the screen, observing and studying the information, as his computer of a mind sent the information to storage, ready to be recalled in a fraction of a moment if need be.
?Huh.? According the various states and facts portrayed to him from the screen, a new line of mobile suits could be expected soon, from none other than Winner Foundation. Odd, for he knew Quatre Winner was, no doubt, in charge of these changes, and he could not fathom why Quatre would decide to do this. It did not seem his style. One of his more influential sisters probably had a part in it. Nothing to be worried about.
Indeed, it seemed that there was very little to be worried about lately. Despite the trading dispute, and the renegade ?pirates? that had many shuttles in a panic, it seemed that Peacecraft?s efforts were making sense. There would always be problems. Problems were endless ? so few seemed to understand that!
Relena, however, would say that with problems come solutions.
He was just about to shut down the computer when a message flicked across the screen. ?Message from Essah? it read. Raising an eyebrow, the pilot clicked away at the accept option, curious as to what could private message him.
?Hello absolute none.? A silver bordered chat box popped up.
There was a slight widening of the pilot?s eyes. He typed back, ?What??
?7 plus 0 equals what??
Seven years ago.
The pilot looked up from the screen, glancing around at the darkened forest, as if the controversial night was playing a horrid practical joke on him. Several times he began to type up a reply, but each time stopped, erased it, and tried again. Finally, after a long moment, another response came back: ?Doves can?t fly forever.?
?Neither can Essah.? The pilot?s retort seemed weak, even to him, but what more could he do?
Before Essah?s response came back, the pilot was suddenly aware of a click and a beep, and then, before his very eyes, a figure, in the form of some crude multicolored boxes, marched across the screen, and set down something purple. There was a loud bang from the sound system, and the screen went as black as the mystifying night that covered him.
When dawn finally came back to Relena?s side of the world, she was still sleeping and unable to appreciate the sunrise. She was tired, tired of so many things ? work, for the most part, but she could never think of stopping. In an odd way, she was obsessed with her responsibility. It had been such a long, hard road to get it.
To any affect, she continued to sleep soundly for nearly an hour past the correct waking hour, until the vid phone on her night table let out an urgent, impatient beep. Rising quickly, a quick glance at the clock set her into a wild panic, hurriedly brushing her teeth and getting her lovely golden locks into order, all in the matter of about two minutes. Gasping for breath, she accepted the call, saying: ?Very sorry to keep you waiting ?? She did not, however, finish her apology, the sight of a familiar face delighting her out of her polite ways. ?Noin!?
Noin grinned back at her, her turquoise eyes sparkling. Relena could tell, however, that she was stressed ? something about the way Noin held herself told her so. In a thought, Relena sadly realized she was getting so good at reading people. ?It?s nice to see you, Relena. Your aides told me you were still asleep.?
?Yes. Why didn?t they wake me??
Noin threw her head back in a laugh; one that was so merry it was infectious. Relena giggled herself, but not really getting the joke, persisted, ?Well, why, then? I have work to do, you know, I?m not so sure I can afford oversleeping.?
?Relena, I?m sorry. Did it never occur to you that your aides might be human, and worried about you??
?I?m a politician. A very busy one at that. There?s no reason anyone should be worried about me, other than the content of my speeches.? Relena?s return was painfully serious.
Noin coughed, and nodded. ?Yes. Well...?
?You called me why, Noin??
?I?ve received an email.?
Relena shook her head, sighing, a small smile playing at her lips. ?I fail to see the importance, though I do sometimes find ad?s subject matter concerning.?
If Relena?s suddenly cold return made a few minutes ago had seemed scathing, it was no match for Noin?s. ?It?s serious. I think it?s a threat.?
?Oh??
?Yeah, some guy going by the name of Essah sent me a poem.?
Relena was on the verge of mentioning that she often enjoyed poems, but resisted the urge. Something in her friend?s face helped her. Glancing around, she found her mug of once-hot chocolate, feeling that Noin?s next sentence would place her in dire need of some refreshing chocolate. ?Continue,? she said, having taken her first sip.
?Do you want me to read it to you??
?Sure.?
?Just a moment.? Noin left view of the vid screen, followed by sounds of searching ? occasional loud thumps, as well as the sound of a printer running ? when it was all done, Noin had returned, positioning reading glasses on her nose and staring with a passionate hatred at the piece of paper in her hands.
?Go on.? Relena said, not quite understanding Noin?s long pause and cough. Noin, she realized, seemed to be coughing a lot these days.
?To the helper of the absolute none
warnings are sent
of the changing of the tides
inform the dove, helper
before Essah takes the next step,?
?Very crude.? Relena observed. ?Not of the best quality, I don?t think. Noin, it IS a disturbing thing, but it?s probably been sent to thousands of others, anyway.?
Before Noin could make her retort, she coughed again, and set down the paper. ?You don?t see the connection?? She asked, very surprised.
?No. It isn?t senseless nonsense??
?You haven?t listened very well.?
?Perhaps not.? Relena finished the last of her chocolate drink with a pang of remorse, resolving to ask her aide, Ann, for more, once she was done with this discussion.
?Relena, what is absolute none??
?I?m not sure. I?m not a mathematician.?
Noin sighed, shaking her head. ?Have you woken up yet? I thought it was very simple.?
Relena put that through her head ? simple, was it? ?Zero?? She guessed, not fully sure, as if she was a mere student once more, trying her best to please a particularly distasteful teacher.
Noin nodded affirmative. ?Yes.?
?Zero? So what about it? I still don?t understand ??The light of understanding filled Relena?s eyes, a sort of snap taking place. Dear god, it had been simple. ?Oh. OH!?
?What is your nickname, peacekeeper?? Continued Noin, wearing a grim smile.
?The dove of peace??
?And who am I? Did I not help Heero with his Zero??
?You?re the helper! But oh, Noin, really, couldn?t it just be coincidence?? Relena?s words were hopeful, and she knew it, but there were always possibilities. Whoever had wrote the poem would not be getting any awards for artistic content, but the use of metaphors had been somewhat interesting. If not eerie.
?Relena.?
At the sound of her name, she nodded, sighing. ?Alright.?
?Listen, Relena, I?ve got to go. An important conference at the Preventer?s is taking place in ?? Noin glanced at her watch, ?Uh oh. A half hour.?
Relena would have liked to pump Noin for her opinion on this disturbing matter, but there was no arguing Noin?s sense of duty. ?Alright.?
?Talk to you soon, Relena.?
?Bye, Noin.?
There was a mutual click as the two women shut off their vid phones simultaneously, each continuing on their way; a hard day was in front of them.
Outside the window, a sparrow was at play. It sat on a branch, which matched its brown wings almost perfectly, on account of the browning honey colored leaves that decorated it. Cawing and trilling a cute little whistle, everything seemed so trivial to it ? yes, all it cared about was that it could sing it?s song, and it could show off it?s wondrous ability to fly. So simple! And yet, so complex.
?Peacecraft? Miss Peacecraft??
Relena was bid, with the gruff voice of and stares of her fellow politicians, to return to the conference. ?Yes. Sorry.? She apologized, but there was an uncaring smile that betrayed her.
?Yes.? The man coughed, slightly embarrassed, and then launched into a lengthy lecture about assorted conditions under which he would only conduct the trading treaty. Relena listened with a passion, but was very sad to note, ten minutes later, that the sparrow had left for a more concerned audience.
The explosion seemed to have a slow progress. First there was a sort of rumbling, like that of many barrels being dropped on a wooden floor, not quite as pressing as that of an earthquake or volcano. Then it rose quickly, like a high-pitched whine, until finally the volume of it all seemed too much to bear. Finally, there was a sharp blast, much like the suddenness of Relena?s dream, rocketing to a painful level, so that it was realized that the whine was nothing compared to this ? a second blast, not quite as loud, but so quick it almost seemed stealthy.
The shock of it, as well with the rumbling, knocked Relena out of her chair. She lay sprawled on the floor; panic seizing her body and racking it wildly. Dimly she was aware of gunshots ? more explosions ? one of the grown men was crying. Trying to block it out, she put her hands over her ears, but it was in vain. Nothing could stop this moment of hell.
A pop. Something sharp licked her ear, cold as ice. Glass? She wasn?t sure. Trying to push down the panic, she managed to get her brain to function and see past the facts of impending danger ? out! She had to get out. Stumbling to her feet, she heard more blasts, and a rain of bullets, one of which licked her arm.
Tears ran wildly, uncontrollably down her cheeks. Such a curse that humans are only granted two hands. Using one to try to silence the deafening pulses and beats of her heart, the mythical drum, she used the other to wipe her grimy tears away, and to try to see clearly. It was no use; all she saw was flashes of gray, and the outline of a doorway.
She had done this before, hadn?t she? A strong feeling of familiarity, strange as it may be, presided over the chaos. Before, yes, but where? The lights flickered, and she was once more awash in complete and total dark. The familiarity was left with a familiar rush of urgency ? out, out!
Stumbling towards the door, she fell, crashing against a chair. It seemed that her body was in pain, now, the pain of her arm and the pain of her heart, and the pain with which she regarded the chances that she may ever get out of the black dark. The strength with which many had so grown to expect from the dove pushed her onward, and upward, as she staggered back to her feet again, and practically collapsed onto the doorway. In her state, surely the hallway would be safe? She hoped.
In a fraction of a moment she was out, but it was still there. Something clanged hard around her head, and then she had a dim feeling of pain, followed by complete numbness. The last thing she remembered was falling, onto the floor, and then in the back of her a last blast, like an encore. She allowed the darkness its victory. She was so tired, and so the black swallowed her triumphantly.
Update soon. I wanna know what happens! 
