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the_goldenpathTitle: The Totality of Zero
Fandom: Gundam Wing
Pairings: to be established Heero and Duo
Genre: AU, fic deviates from canon after episode 42
Warnings: some foul language, especially from Duo.
Summary: The ZERO system became sentient on July 27, AC 196. Its effects were disastrous to the five Gundam pilots, having experienced the system themselves. ZERO operates completely self-aware and is in command of the Gundams who are now on a random rampage, sending the current war into a bitter and harsh struggle for survival. Three Gundam pilots are alive and at large, one is presumed dead, and one is comatose. Earth and the Colonies are literally at the edge of total annihilation…
Key: ----------------- = scene change
Undisclosed medical facility, Northern Europe
Sally searched for Auda all over the premises, but she couldn’t find him. She left a message with another Maguanac, Hakim, and trusted him to deliver it to Auda as soon as possible. Anything that pertained to their Master Quatre would be given utmost priority; their dedication was undisputed. She hurried to the nurses’ dormitory. Every nurse at the facility had been assigned a small bedroom, offering just enough space for a bed, a tall cupboard and a desk with a chair. The bedrooms disposed over a tiny sink and a mirror, barely enough room to get dressed in the morning and to wash your hands or face quickly. The showers were communal, further down the hall. Sally didn’t bother visiting her room first; she dumped her garments in one of the large hampers and grabbed a towel, a loofah and a mini-sized bottle of shower gel, good for one use only. She all but hopped under one of the large shower heads and it automatically turned on.
She was alone. Sally didn’t mind using a communal shower, she was used to it due to her time in the Alliance. Right now, she wanted to scrub the horror of her meeting with Akerson away. The very little privacy she had was a small price to pay and even if someone else would join her under the shower, this was for women only, not unisex. The male nurses had their own dormitory, and the staff usually had quarters or even penthouse-sized living spaces, with Akerson taking the top position, having his own house close to the facility. Akerson. She shivered as she continued to scrub. Her meeting with the chef de clinique had left her drained. Not a couple of days ago, she had admired the man for his dedication to the patients, his devotion to medical science, his work ethics and his unwavering attitude. Ever since she had found out he’d been fooling around with Anne-Frid and he’d allowed himself to be completely controlled by Zero, she had lost all respect for him. To make matters worse, she had stooped to his own level, blackmailing him with her knowledge of his adultery.
Maybe she had the upper hand now, maybe Akerson valued his marriage higher than Zero’s wrath at the moment, but she had no illusions about the fragility of her ‘victory’. The second Akerson decided to tip the balance in favor of Zero, her upper hand would mean nothing. Sally scrubbed harder, snorting at her thought of an upper hand. Akerson knew that she knew. She had overplayed her hand, that was for sure. She made herself a vulnerable target and even worse, he knew about her and Quatre. Even though he didn’t know the details, he had correctly deduced that Sally knew Quatre and that she had been lowering his medication. She shivered once more. Her entire body felt cold, despite the lovely warm temperature of the shower. It all happened so fast and so soon. Quatre was in no condition to be moved. He couldn’t sit upright or walk around, and she couldn’t take him off the sedatives and medication he was receiving; the shock would kill him. His body was used to such heavy doses for so long and gradually waning him of the medication would take time, precious time. She couldn’t rush it. She had to take it step-by-step, but how much time was left? Plans popped up in her mind and she rejected all of them. She couldn’t do this without the help of the Maguanac Corp.. She had to find Auda, and fast. Sally was just about to turn around and leave, when another nurse stepped into the shower, a friendly smile on her face.
“Shift’s over?” she asked. The brunette with the kind, open expression wasn’t one of Sally’s closest friends and she racked her brain to come up with a name. She should’ve known better; as a trained soldier she knew how to keep an eye on her environment, even on people in the background. She was letting her guard down! Fortunately, she was quick and professional enough to show the woman a warm, welcoming smile.
“Yes, I’m done for today. I just want to put up my feet and relax!”
“I know exactly what you mean.” The woman started to lather up. “We have a very responsible job, but it’s also very rewarding, don’t you think? To encourage a patient to recover, to help him get back on his feet…”
Sally continued to smile at her, albeit strained. She turned her face towards the shower head again and allowed the warm water to wash over her. Better to enjoy the luxury while she still could - but it was hard to rinse off the tainted feelings from the conversation with Akerson, though.
“You’re assigned to the Winner patient, right?” The woman next to her mimicked her movement and turned her face towards the large shower head, pleased to wash off the strain of a long workday. “I have the two patients on floor 2.”
That rang a bell. Beth, her name was Beth, but her last name still eluded Sally. “Yes, I’m assigned to Quatre Winner,” she said. For as long as it takes Akerson to make up his mind.
“So young, so vulnerable.” Beth shook her head, sending white dollops of shampoo flying. She continued to wash herself. “Say, would you like to grab a bite to eat together?”
Sally wasn’t really interested. She made sure to be friendly with everyone, from the cleaners to the staff, but she hadn’t forged any long-lasting or intimate relationships, not that she wanted to. Why would this woman, Beth, suddenly ask her for companionship? It wasn’t uncommon for nurses to eat together, of course. The medical facility was isolated; in the vicinity of the compound was nothing remotely fun, interesting or relaxing. Sally wanted to decline and retreat to her room to wait for Auda to contact her, but she decided against it. It already dawned to her why Beth had searched her out. How much money had Akerson paid her to keep an eye on her? She refrained from grimacing bitterly and instead mustered up a smile again.
“That would be nice! This evening kjǿtboller are on the menu.” Sally wasn’t all that fond of the large meatballs, but she loved the mashed potatoes and cream-sauce that went with the dish. It was a hearty, nutritious meal and she knew she needed all the energy and strength she could get her hands on.
Beth finished up her shower and dried herself off, joking about the size of the meatballs. She agreed to meet up at the dining hall within fifteen minutes. In her room, Sally dressed herself casually and braided her hair. Fifteen minutes was too small of a window to search for Auda, so she had to wait for another opportunity. Besides, if Beth was going to be her personal ‘bodyguard’, she had more trouble on her hands. She needed to talk to Auda about Akerson and Quatre as soon as possible. For now, she couldn’t do anything to change the situation, and she was actually famished. She could play along nicely and enjoy a good meal to boot. Sally left her room and met up with Beth as agreed.
The large dining hall wasn’t crowded at this hour. It could house the entire staff and personnel of the facility, but due to the system of day and night shifts, it never occurred that everyone was having dinner at the same time. Sally carried her tray towards one of the many, neatly arranged tables. It lacked any personal touch, but the food was much better than anything Sally could’ve prepared herself. Beth proceeded to talk about nonsensical things, innocent chit-chat. She wouldn’t make a good interrogator, as she wasn’t really prying Sally for information. As they ate, Sally’s eyes darted through the hall in search for Auda or anyone else of the Maguanac Corp.. She spotted a couple of them, busy with their cleaning carts, but no one looked in her direction or paid any attention to her in particular. Maybe it was for the better. If Akerson didn’t hesitate to use his own people to keep an eye on her, he wouldn’t hesitate to keep track of who she associated with either.
“I’m so glad I don’t have to cook,” Beth chattered between bites. “I’m exhausted after a day of work and not in the mood to peel potatoes…”
“Yes, this is definitely a nice perk,” Sally agreed. As a nurse, she didn’t have to cook, to clean or to do her own laundry. “There’s always something on the menu…”
“Watch out!” Beth suddenly yelled and jumped away from her chair. Sally had no time to realize what was going and cried out as liquid spilled all over her lap, dousing her clothes.
“Sorry, so sorry!” The man with an empty pan in his hands looked terrified. “So stupid of me! So sorry, lady!”
“You should’ve been more careful!” Beth scolded him. “What were you thinking, lugging around a pan of hot soup like that?”
“It’s not hot, it’s not hot!” Sally got up from her chair, sighing at her ruined, wet clothes and the ingredients of the soup clinging to the fabric. The man whipped out a large cloth and hesitantly reached for her, as if he wanted to dab at her. Sally grabbed the cloth from him to remove the worst of the spillage. She didn’t know the man, though his appearance gave him away as one of the Maguanacs. Her fingers touched something between the folds of the large cloth, something solid, rectangular. While Beth ranted at the man who dutifully lowered his eyes, Sally made a big show out of trying to clean up some of the mess, while she covertly transferred the foreign object from the cloth to her pants pocket, hiding it from view. She returned the dirtied cloth to the man.
“Fortunately, I finished my dinner already,” she said dryly, “but now I have to change.”
“Of course, lady,” the man apologized. “I can send dessert to your room if you want me to…”
“No thank you, I’m full.” Sally plucked at her soaked clothes. “If you’ll excuse me, Beth?”
“Sure,” the other woman said. “I’m glad the soup wasn’t hot. Such incompetence! You could’ve gotten burn degrees! I’ll make sure he gets fired for this!”
Sally didn’t protest, not because she wanted the Maguanac fired as well, but because she knew he couldn’t care less. He had taken a giant risk to get this message to her and her curiosity was killing her. She managed to get back to her room without running or hurrying, playing it calm and cool and smiling a little embarrassed when she encountered someone in the hallway, as the large, dirty spots on her clothes caught some strange looks. She was glad she could take it all off in the privacy of her own room. Hopping from foot to foot in her underwear, she took out the small card out of her pants pocket. It was a key card with a sticker on it, reading: Tonight at shift change, building 2-A. Sally peeled off the sticker and soaked the shreds under the running faucet, rendering it unreadable. Shift change was at eleven o’clock, when the day shift ended and night shift started. Nurses who were assigned to the care of special patients had their own roster, but Sally knew why Auda, she recognized his handwriting, had chosen for this particular moment. At eleven o’clock, the system would go down for one whole minute to switch from normal day-time power to night-time power, saving and conserving energy. It left her with a window of one minute to leave her dorm, but that had to be enough. She changed into dark, generic clothes and waited with growing anxiety until the clock struck eleven. As soon as the lights went out, Sally exited her room and made her way out of the dorm, clenching the key card. The card was neutral, not registered to her name, meaning that no computer records were generated of Suzanne Sölmstö's movements.
Building 2-A was one of the two warehouses pertaining to the medical facility and even though it was crowded during the day, after business hours it was virtually deserted. A couple of security cameras were visible but Sally knew their blind spots. She took her time to carefully avoid the cameras and she made her way over to the back of the building, her footsteps almost inaudible. She thought she was pretty good at sneaking around, until she bumped straight into a massive, unmovable obstacle. She gasped, shocked.
“What’s a nurse doing out here so late?”
The voice was so harsh that for a moment she feared her cover had been blown. “Leave me alone,” she said, proud that her voice was calm and controlled.
“You’re the one who got soup splattered all over her, right?” A brusque chuckle.
“Vegetable soup,” Sally answered. “I didn’t like it one bit.”
“Come with me.” He revealed his face to her by using a flashlight, and she gawked at his strong, muscular appearance. No wonder it had felt like she had run into a wall. “Behind the building.”
Sally followed the tall, burly man and was relieved to see Auda, standing amidst other Maguanacs under the cover of darkness. He apologized profusely.
“We had no other way of contacting you,” he said. “The male cleaning crew isn’t allowed in the women’s dorms, and you were constantly in the company of another woman.”
“I know,” Sally said bitterly. She brought him up to speed about her meeting with Akerson.
“That’s bad,” Auda said, pensively. “I’ll tell Rashid. He knows how to come up with a plan.”
“We have to leave, preferably tonight,” Sally said. She knew it was impossible. “We have to get Quatre out of here, right now.”
Auda shook his head. “We can’t, not tonight. We need time to prepare.”
“How much more time do you need?” she asked. “You’ve been preparing already, haven’t you?”
“It’s extremely complex,” Auda answered, frustrated. “It’s not like we can pick up Master Quatre, put him into a car and drive off. He can’t move or walk on his own and he still needs serious medical treatment. We have a facility of our own, but it’s far away. He’s never going to survive if we move him so soon. We had hoped for more time, to wane Master Quatre off the medication and for him to regain his independency.”
“We don’t have much choice,” Sally insisted. “Akerson already found out that I’ve been lowering the doses and I had to blackmail him to keep his mouth shut. This is a very precarious situation. I don’t know how much… or how little time we have.”
“You’re right, but Akerson’s never going to allow us to leave,” Auda said. “Don’t forget that Master Quatre is his bargaining chip as well. Without him, Akerson’s position is extremely vulnerable and I’m sure Akerson is very aware of that. Zero will have him killed if he fails.”
Sally wasn’t a murderer, but in times of war, victims were inevitable. “Maybe we can get a message through to him, a warning to get himself and his family to safety before all hell breaks lose,” she suggested. “Let’s concentrate on Quatre first. I’ll make sure to get his medication…”
“It’s the local security system we have to concentrate on,” Auda interrupted her. “Apart from the shift change, it’s extremely unpredictable. It randomly activates areas and cameras, and it checks and controls in a continuous loop, not to mention it’s directly connected to Zero. It’ll detect us in a heartbeat if we start lunging Master Quatre and his medical equipment around.”
“If only we had Heero Yuy with us,” Sally murmured. He would’ve hacked his way into the system effortlessly. Where was he? Where were the other Gundam pilots? Why weren’t they doing anything?
Auda grimaced. “We’re on our own,” he said. “The only thing I can think of, is to take strategic positions in the entire facility and cut the hardwire all over the place.”
“The landline? But if you cut the power, the patients…”
“They’ll be safe. The system will switch to back-up generators, powered by batteries.” Auda shook his head again. “Do you really think I’d sacrifice the safety of the other patients to save Master Quatre? If he ever found out, he’d send me away. I’d send me away.”
“I understand. We need to create diversions, as many as possible. If Zero can’t make heads or tails out of the chaos, we have a good chance of escaping the facility.”
Auda grinned. “We’re with plenty enough to create some awesome chaos and mayhem.”
“I need a gun.”
“Are you mad, woman? You’re being watched 24/7. I can’t give you a gun.”
“Then give me one as soon as we leave the premises.”
“Fine. We…” Auda was crudely cut short by a high-pitched scream, piercing the night. Everybody automatically assumed a fighting stance, ready to face oncoming trouble.
“What was that? Where did it come from?” Sally dropped her voice. Auda and the other Maguanacs looked around defensively, but prepared to fight.
“We better split up,” he whispered in return. “We’ll contact you again. Go back.”
Sally nodded and without another word, she parted ways with the Maguanacs. Dodging the watchful eyes of the security cameras, Sally took her keycard out of her pants pocket again. She had a lot to think about and she needed her rest. The sound of running feet warned her and she propped herself up against the wall of the nearest building. People ran by, confusion written all over their faces. More screaming, more ruckus - what was going on? Sally weighed the need to satisfy her curiosity against her safe return to her room. With everybody up in arms like this, it would be much easier to get back; the entire focus was on whatever was happening. Her curiosity got the better of her once more. Sally traipsed after the people who had been running, a crowd forming a circle around a couple of her colleagues, doctors, who in turn hovered over someone lying on the ground. All this commotion for someone who had fallen ill? She didn’t understand and tried to ignore the tense knot forming in her stomach. No amount of shock and screaming like this was necessary for someone who had fainted or ‘simply’ fallen ill. Something else was going on. Sally approached the crowd and on her tippy-toes, she tried to see what was happening. She recognized the movements immediately: one of the doctors was performing CPR. A sickening feeling settled into her, the knot in her stomach intensifying a tenfold.
“Too late,” someone said, voice hitching. People mumbled to each other, speculating about an attack, a robbery… Sally craned her neck. One of the doctors straightened himself, looking extremely frustrated. He had blood on his hands. Her blood turned cold in her veins.
“There’s nothing more I can do for her,” he said and a gasp went through the crowd.
“Horrible!”
“What happened?”
“The poor woman!”
Sally swallowed. Slowly, very slowly, she moved forward, working her way past the bystanders. Something compelled her to look at the victim of whatever had happened. Maybe she already knew. When she caught a glimpse of the shoes on the victim’s feet, she knew for sure. Fancy high-heeled shoes, not the sturdy, practical shoes of a nurse. Stockings. A lovely dress, dark blue with a rose pattern on it, the leaves adorned with sequins. Very few nurses at the facility would dress up like this or pay that much attention to make-up. She already knew. The perfect plump lips, wearing a matte red color, slightly parted as the darker colored blood trailed from the corner of her mouth. The large eyes, blankly staring into nothingness, framed with curled lashes, mascara generously applied. She had been on her way to see Akerson. Sally shivered. Anne-Frid Engman had been a selfish person, but she had been good to her patients. She hadn’t deserved this at all. Sally suppressed a shudder. Akerson hadn’t decided to bow to Zero, he had decided to get rid of the weakest link, the evidence of his infidelity. By blackmailing him, she had signed Anne-Frid’s death warrant. If it weren’t for the ice running through her veins, Sally thought she just might turn to stone from the sheer shock. Anne-Frid was innocent in all of this, and now she was dead. Furthermore, Sally’s own position had become extremely vulnerable and shaky. She had to disappear and take Quatre with her, right now! Sally took a few steps backward and detached herself from the crowd. She wouldn’t return to her room and rest. Whatever plans the Maguanacs had, they had to be put in motion, without a moment to spare. Time had run out.
-------------------------------
TRANSMISSION ZERO SYSTEM ERROR ERROR MANUAL OVERRIDE ERROR SYSTEM BREACH CONFIRMED
REROUTING DATA
INITIALIZING…. RECHARGING….
REASSIGNING PRIORITIES… SENDING WING ZERO TO INTERCEPT
SENDING DATA
END TRANSMISSION
---------------------------------
Previous chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |10 |11 |
Fandom: Gundam Wing
Pairings: to be established Heero and Duo
Genre: AU, fic deviates from canon after episode 42
Warnings: some foul language, especially from Duo.
Summary: The ZERO system became sentient on July 27, AC 196. Its effects were disastrous to the five Gundam pilots, having experienced the system themselves. ZERO operates completely self-aware and is in command of the Gundams who are now on a random rampage, sending the current war into a bitter and harsh struggle for survival. Three Gundam pilots are alive and at large, one is presumed dead, and one is comatose. Earth and the Colonies are literally at the edge of total annihilation…
Key: ----------------- = scene change
Undisclosed medical facility, Northern Europe
Sally searched for Auda all over the premises, but she couldn’t find him. She left a message with another Maguanac, Hakim, and trusted him to deliver it to Auda as soon as possible. Anything that pertained to their Master Quatre would be given utmost priority; their dedication was undisputed. She hurried to the nurses’ dormitory. Every nurse at the facility had been assigned a small bedroom, offering just enough space for a bed, a tall cupboard and a desk with a chair. The bedrooms disposed over a tiny sink and a mirror, barely enough room to get dressed in the morning and to wash your hands or face quickly. The showers were communal, further down the hall. Sally didn’t bother visiting her room first; she dumped her garments in one of the large hampers and grabbed a towel, a loofah and a mini-sized bottle of shower gel, good for one use only. She all but hopped under one of the large shower heads and it automatically turned on.
She was alone. Sally didn’t mind using a communal shower, she was used to it due to her time in the Alliance. Right now, she wanted to scrub the horror of her meeting with Akerson away. The very little privacy she had was a small price to pay and even if someone else would join her under the shower, this was for women only, not unisex. The male nurses had their own dormitory, and the staff usually had quarters or even penthouse-sized living spaces, with Akerson taking the top position, having his own house close to the facility. Akerson. She shivered as she continued to scrub. Her meeting with the chef de clinique had left her drained. Not a couple of days ago, she had admired the man for his dedication to the patients, his devotion to medical science, his work ethics and his unwavering attitude. Ever since she had found out he’d been fooling around with Anne-Frid and he’d allowed himself to be completely controlled by Zero, she had lost all respect for him. To make matters worse, she had stooped to his own level, blackmailing him with her knowledge of his adultery.
Maybe she had the upper hand now, maybe Akerson valued his marriage higher than Zero’s wrath at the moment, but she had no illusions about the fragility of her ‘victory’. The second Akerson decided to tip the balance in favor of Zero, her upper hand would mean nothing. Sally scrubbed harder, snorting at her thought of an upper hand. Akerson knew that she knew. She had overplayed her hand, that was for sure. She made herself a vulnerable target and even worse, he knew about her and Quatre. Even though he didn’t know the details, he had correctly deduced that Sally knew Quatre and that she had been lowering his medication. She shivered once more. Her entire body felt cold, despite the lovely warm temperature of the shower. It all happened so fast and so soon. Quatre was in no condition to be moved. He couldn’t sit upright or walk around, and she couldn’t take him off the sedatives and medication he was receiving; the shock would kill him. His body was used to such heavy doses for so long and gradually waning him of the medication would take time, precious time. She couldn’t rush it. She had to take it step-by-step, but how much time was left? Plans popped up in her mind and she rejected all of them. She couldn’t do this without the help of the Maguanac Corp.. She had to find Auda, and fast. Sally was just about to turn around and leave, when another nurse stepped into the shower, a friendly smile on her face.
“Shift’s over?” she asked. The brunette with the kind, open expression wasn’t one of Sally’s closest friends and she racked her brain to come up with a name. She should’ve known better; as a trained soldier she knew how to keep an eye on her environment, even on people in the background. She was letting her guard down! Fortunately, she was quick and professional enough to show the woman a warm, welcoming smile.
“Yes, I’m done for today. I just want to put up my feet and relax!”
“I know exactly what you mean.” The woman started to lather up. “We have a very responsible job, but it’s also very rewarding, don’t you think? To encourage a patient to recover, to help him get back on his feet…”
Sally continued to smile at her, albeit strained. She turned her face towards the shower head again and allowed the warm water to wash over her. Better to enjoy the luxury while she still could - but it was hard to rinse off the tainted feelings from the conversation with Akerson, though.
“You’re assigned to the Winner patient, right?” The woman next to her mimicked her movement and turned her face towards the large shower head, pleased to wash off the strain of a long workday. “I have the two patients on floor 2.”
That rang a bell. Beth, her name was Beth, but her last name still eluded Sally. “Yes, I’m assigned to Quatre Winner,” she said. For as long as it takes Akerson to make up his mind.
“So young, so vulnerable.” Beth shook her head, sending white dollops of shampoo flying. She continued to wash herself. “Say, would you like to grab a bite to eat together?”
Sally wasn’t really interested. She made sure to be friendly with everyone, from the cleaners to the staff, but she hadn’t forged any long-lasting or intimate relationships, not that she wanted to. Why would this woman, Beth, suddenly ask her for companionship? It wasn’t uncommon for nurses to eat together, of course. The medical facility was isolated; in the vicinity of the compound was nothing remotely fun, interesting or relaxing. Sally wanted to decline and retreat to her room to wait for Auda to contact her, but she decided against it. It already dawned to her why Beth had searched her out. How much money had Akerson paid her to keep an eye on her? She refrained from grimacing bitterly and instead mustered up a smile again.
“That would be nice! This evening kjǿtboller are on the menu.” Sally wasn’t all that fond of the large meatballs, but she loved the mashed potatoes and cream-sauce that went with the dish. It was a hearty, nutritious meal and she knew she needed all the energy and strength she could get her hands on.
Beth finished up her shower and dried herself off, joking about the size of the meatballs. She agreed to meet up at the dining hall within fifteen minutes. In her room, Sally dressed herself casually and braided her hair. Fifteen minutes was too small of a window to search for Auda, so she had to wait for another opportunity. Besides, if Beth was going to be her personal ‘bodyguard’, she had more trouble on her hands. She needed to talk to Auda about Akerson and Quatre as soon as possible. For now, she couldn’t do anything to change the situation, and she was actually famished. She could play along nicely and enjoy a good meal to boot. Sally left her room and met up with Beth as agreed.
The large dining hall wasn’t crowded at this hour. It could house the entire staff and personnel of the facility, but due to the system of day and night shifts, it never occurred that everyone was having dinner at the same time. Sally carried her tray towards one of the many, neatly arranged tables. It lacked any personal touch, but the food was much better than anything Sally could’ve prepared herself. Beth proceeded to talk about nonsensical things, innocent chit-chat. She wouldn’t make a good interrogator, as she wasn’t really prying Sally for information. As they ate, Sally’s eyes darted through the hall in search for Auda or anyone else of the Maguanac Corp.. She spotted a couple of them, busy with their cleaning carts, but no one looked in her direction or paid any attention to her in particular. Maybe it was for the better. If Akerson didn’t hesitate to use his own people to keep an eye on her, he wouldn’t hesitate to keep track of who she associated with either.
“I’m so glad I don’t have to cook,” Beth chattered between bites. “I’m exhausted after a day of work and not in the mood to peel potatoes…”
“Yes, this is definitely a nice perk,” Sally agreed. As a nurse, she didn’t have to cook, to clean or to do her own laundry. “There’s always something on the menu…”
“Watch out!” Beth suddenly yelled and jumped away from her chair. Sally had no time to realize what was going and cried out as liquid spilled all over her lap, dousing her clothes.
“Sorry, so sorry!” The man with an empty pan in his hands looked terrified. “So stupid of me! So sorry, lady!”
“You should’ve been more careful!” Beth scolded him. “What were you thinking, lugging around a pan of hot soup like that?”
“It’s not hot, it’s not hot!” Sally got up from her chair, sighing at her ruined, wet clothes and the ingredients of the soup clinging to the fabric. The man whipped out a large cloth and hesitantly reached for her, as if he wanted to dab at her. Sally grabbed the cloth from him to remove the worst of the spillage. She didn’t know the man, though his appearance gave him away as one of the Maguanacs. Her fingers touched something between the folds of the large cloth, something solid, rectangular. While Beth ranted at the man who dutifully lowered his eyes, Sally made a big show out of trying to clean up some of the mess, while she covertly transferred the foreign object from the cloth to her pants pocket, hiding it from view. She returned the dirtied cloth to the man.
“Fortunately, I finished my dinner already,” she said dryly, “but now I have to change.”
“Of course, lady,” the man apologized. “I can send dessert to your room if you want me to…”
“No thank you, I’m full.” Sally plucked at her soaked clothes. “If you’ll excuse me, Beth?”
“Sure,” the other woman said. “I’m glad the soup wasn’t hot. Such incompetence! You could’ve gotten burn degrees! I’ll make sure he gets fired for this!”
Sally didn’t protest, not because she wanted the Maguanac fired as well, but because she knew he couldn’t care less. He had taken a giant risk to get this message to her and her curiosity was killing her. She managed to get back to her room without running or hurrying, playing it calm and cool and smiling a little embarrassed when she encountered someone in the hallway, as the large, dirty spots on her clothes caught some strange looks. She was glad she could take it all off in the privacy of her own room. Hopping from foot to foot in her underwear, she took out the small card out of her pants pocket. It was a key card with a sticker on it, reading: Tonight at shift change, building 2-A. Sally peeled off the sticker and soaked the shreds under the running faucet, rendering it unreadable. Shift change was at eleven o’clock, when the day shift ended and night shift started. Nurses who were assigned to the care of special patients had their own roster, but Sally knew why Auda, she recognized his handwriting, had chosen for this particular moment. At eleven o’clock, the system would go down for one whole minute to switch from normal day-time power to night-time power, saving and conserving energy. It left her with a window of one minute to leave her dorm, but that had to be enough. She changed into dark, generic clothes and waited with growing anxiety until the clock struck eleven. As soon as the lights went out, Sally exited her room and made her way out of the dorm, clenching the key card. The card was neutral, not registered to her name, meaning that no computer records were generated of Suzanne Sölmstö's movements.
Building 2-A was one of the two warehouses pertaining to the medical facility and even though it was crowded during the day, after business hours it was virtually deserted. A couple of security cameras were visible but Sally knew their blind spots. She took her time to carefully avoid the cameras and she made her way over to the back of the building, her footsteps almost inaudible. She thought she was pretty good at sneaking around, until she bumped straight into a massive, unmovable obstacle. She gasped, shocked.
“What’s a nurse doing out here so late?”
The voice was so harsh that for a moment she feared her cover had been blown. “Leave me alone,” she said, proud that her voice was calm and controlled.
“You’re the one who got soup splattered all over her, right?” A brusque chuckle.
“Vegetable soup,” Sally answered. “I didn’t like it one bit.”
“Come with me.” He revealed his face to her by using a flashlight, and she gawked at his strong, muscular appearance. No wonder it had felt like she had run into a wall. “Behind the building.”
Sally followed the tall, burly man and was relieved to see Auda, standing amidst other Maguanacs under the cover of darkness. He apologized profusely.
“We had no other way of contacting you,” he said. “The male cleaning crew isn’t allowed in the women’s dorms, and you were constantly in the company of another woman.”
“I know,” Sally said bitterly. She brought him up to speed about her meeting with Akerson.
“That’s bad,” Auda said, pensively. “I’ll tell Rashid. He knows how to come up with a plan.”
“We have to leave, preferably tonight,” Sally said. She knew it was impossible. “We have to get Quatre out of here, right now.”
Auda shook his head. “We can’t, not tonight. We need time to prepare.”
“How much more time do you need?” she asked. “You’ve been preparing already, haven’t you?”
“It’s extremely complex,” Auda answered, frustrated. “It’s not like we can pick up Master Quatre, put him into a car and drive off. He can’t move or walk on his own and he still needs serious medical treatment. We have a facility of our own, but it’s far away. He’s never going to survive if we move him so soon. We had hoped for more time, to wane Master Quatre off the medication and for him to regain his independency.”
“We don’t have much choice,” Sally insisted. “Akerson already found out that I’ve been lowering the doses and I had to blackmail him to keep his mouth shut. This is a very precarious situation. I don’t know how much… or how little time we have.”
“You’re right, but Akerson’s never going to allow us to leave,” Auda said. “Don’t forget that Master Quatre is his bargaining chip as well. Without him, Akerson’s position is extremely vulnerable and I’m sure Akerson is very aware of that. Zero will have him killed if he fails.”
Sally wasn’t a murderer, but in times of war, victims were inevitable. “Maybe we can get a message through to him, a warning to get himself and his family to safety before all hell breaks lose,” she suggested. “Let’s concentrate on Quatre first. I’ll make sure to get his medication…”
“It’s the local security system we have to concentrate on,” Auda interrupted her. “Apart from the shift change, it’s extremely unpredictable. It randomly activates areas and cameras, and it checks and controls in a continuous loop, not to mention it’s directly connected to Zero. It’ll detect us in a heartbeat if we start lunging Master Quatre and his medical equipment around.”
“If only we had Heero Yuy with us,” Sally murmured. He would’ve hacked his way into the system effortlessly. Where was he? Where were the other Gundam pilots? Why weren’t they doing anything?
Auda grimaced. “We’re on our own,” he said. “The only thing I can think of, is to take strategic positions in the entire facility and cut the hardwire all over the place.”
“The landline? But if you cut the power, the patients…”
“They’ll be safe. The system will switch to back-up generators, powered by batteries.” Auda shook his head again. “Do you really think I’d sacrifice the safety of the other patients to save Master Quatre? If he ever found out, he’d send me away. I’d send me away.”
“I understand. We need to create diversions, as many as possible. If Zero can’t make heads or tails out of the chaos, we have a good chance of escaping the facility.”
Auda grinned. “We’re with plenty enough to create some awesome chaos and mayhem.”
“I need a gun.”
“Are you mad, woman? You’re being watched 24/7. I can’t give you a gun.”
“Then give me one as soon as we leave the premises.”
“Fine. We…” Auda was crudely cut short by a high-pitched scream, piercing the night. Everybody automatically assumed a fighting stance, ready to face oncoming trouble.
“What was that? Where did it come from?” Sally dropped her voice. Auda and the other Maguanacs looked around defensively, but prepared to fight.
“We better split up,” he whispered in return. “We’ll contact you again. Go back.”
Sally nodded and without another word, she parted ways with the Maguanacs. Dodging the watchful eyes of the security cameras, Sally took her keycard out of her pants pocket again. She had a lot to think about and she needed her rest. The sound of running feet warned her and she propped herself up against the wall of the nearest building. People ran by, confusion written all over their faces. More screaming, more ruckus - what was going on? Sally weighed the need to satisfy her curiosity against her safe return to her room. With everybody up in arms like this, it would be much easier to get back; the entire focus was on whatever was happening. Her curiosity got the better of her once more. Sally traipsed after the people who had been running, a crowd forming a circle around a couple of her colleagues, doctors, who in turn hovered over someone lying on the ground. All this commotion for someone who had fallen ill? She didn’t understand and tried to ignore the tense knot forming in her stomach. No amount of shock and screaming like this was necessary for someone who had fainted or ‘simply’ fallen ill. Something else was going on. Sally approached the crowd and on her tippy-toes, she tried to see what was happening. She recognized the movements immediately: one of the doctors was performing CPR. A sickening feeling settled into her, the knot in her stomach intensifying a tenfold.
“Too late,” someone said, voice hitching. People mumbled to each other, speculating about an attack, a robbery… Sally craned her neck. One of the doctors straightened himself, looking extremely frustrated. He had blood on his hands. Her blood turned cold in her veins.
“There’s nothing more I can do for her,” he said and a gasp went through the crowd.
“Horrible!”
“What happened?”
“The poor woman!”
Sally swallowed. Slowly, very slowly, she moved forward, working her way past the bystanders. Something compelled her to look at the victim of whatever had happened. Maybe she already knew. When she caught a glimpse of the shoes on the victim’s feet, she knew for sure. Fancy high-heeled shoes, not the sturdy, practical shoes of a nurse. Stockings. A lovely dress, dark blue with a rose pattern on it, the leaves adorned with sequins. Very few nurses at the facility would dress up like this or pay that much attention to make-up. She already knew. The perfect plump lips, wearing a matte red color, slightly parted as the darker colored blood trailed from the corner of her mouth. The large eyes, blankly staring into nothingness, framed with curled lashes, mascara generously applied. She had been on her way to see Akerson. Sally shivered. Anne-Frid Engman had been a selfish person, but she had been good to her patients. She hadn’t deserved this at all. Sally suppressed a shudder. Akerson hadn’t decided to bow to Zero, he had decided to get rid of the weakest link, the evidence of his infidelity. By blackmailing him, she had signed Anne-Frid’s death warrant. If it weren’t for the ice running through her veins, Sally thought she just might turn to stone from the sheer shock. Anne-Frid was innocent in all of this, and now she was dead. Furthermore, Sally’s own position had become extremely vulnerable and shaky. She had to disappear and take Quatre with her, right now! Sally took a few steps backward and detached herself from the crowd. She wouldn’t return to her room and rest. Whatever plans the Maguanacs had, they had to be put in motion, without a moment to spare. Time had run out.
TRANSMISSION ZERO SYSTEM ERROR ERROR MANUAL OVERRIDE ERROR SYSTEM BREACH CONFIRMED
REROUTING DATA
INITIALIZING…. RECHARGING….
REASSIGNING PRIORITIES… SENDING WING ZERO TO INTERCEPT
SENDING DATA
END TRANSMISSION
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