Beyond The Light
by
Captain Anonymous

It was well after the fall of darkness, when there was a slight movement as the train took into a curved section of track.
Sylvia looked up, and looked around the small stateroom. They would arrive in Marseilles in the morning.
Joel sat by the window, staring out into the darkness.
Sylvia took the clips out of her hair, and placed down on the small table beside the bed.
She ran her hands through her hair, letting it fall around her face. Joel glanced at her for a moment. She picked up her hair brush, and carefully began to brush the long strands of hair.
For a second she stopped, and listened to the faint sound of the train.
It had been her idea to make part of the trip by train as it moved.
It wasn’t the fastest means of getting there by far, but for some reason she was drawn to the idea.
She had only taken a train ride once before, with grandfather when she was little.
She didn’t remember much about the details, or even the destination. She remembered waiting on the platform, holding her grandfather’s hand. Then on the train, she remembered being next her grandfather, her eyes fixed on the windows, watching as the scenery flew past.
She put the brush down next the hair clips and leaned back.
It seemed like it was so long ago.
Mitchell looked at his young wife, “We probably should try and get to some sleep tonight, we’ll have a lot to do in the morning.”
Sylvia smiled, “I know, let’s turn in a few minutes.”
“Sounds fine.” Mitchell said.
He fell silent for a moment, thinking about the day to come.
“Sylvia are you all right with this?”
“I’m fine.” She said with a light smile. It seemed like with all that had happened, it was a question that she should have been asking him.
It wasn’t going to be the first time for them to be going back to Marseilles. But still, she worried about him.

The train slowed slightly as they approached a town.
They both looked out as the train passed by the town.
It was a small town, located on highway, service stations and motels mostly gave the small town its light in the darkness.
Mitchell leaned in his seat as the bright lights flashed past.
Bright lights from signs, the glow of street lights, he looked at it as if looking for something in particular about the site.
It soon disappeared in the distance as the train pressed onward.
Mitchell leaned in his seat to catch a last glance, before the lights gave into the distance between them and the darkness of the night.
Sylvia look at her husband.
Maybe it was something to him, reminding of something from his past, maybe he was looking for something in a place like that. Or maybe it was the lights in the darkness.

Mitchell stood up and walked across the small area and sat down on the edge of the bed beside her.
Mitchell moved his head, it felt as if he was getting a headache.

Mitchell looked back at Sylvia and smiled.
She leaned her head back against the bed’s back board.
She was could feel the time she had spent awake start to catch up with her.
They would only spend a few days in the city, before going on, going back to see Midii and Trowa once again.
It was in Marseilles when she first met the blonde haired girl. Midii had only stayed for a short time. It would be so good to see them again, and their young daughter.
Just by the pictures she could tell just how much Marie had grown since she had last seen her in person.

Mitchell looked at her, silently with his tired eyes.
His eyes lowered, as looked away.
His eyes shut tight as a felt a sharp pain inside.
The pain of the tension inside of him, welling up.
He held the side of his head with his hand, as he opened his eyes.
Sylvia sat up, and moved closer to him.
Sylvia noticed his other hand, grabbing the blanket, clenching it in hand, as his fist tightened.
“Don’t look at me like that! It’s not my fault!”
His voice echoed loudly, as he yelled the words out.
The words were cold, scared.

Sylvia could tell that weren’t meant for her, but rather another, towards one of the lasting demons and memories inside of him.

His grip loosened on the blanket as the pain subsided.
She could hear him breathing deeply.
She let him fall into her arms, where she held him close.
She could feel him shaking.
He said softly, “I’m sorry.”
She quieted him, “No, don’t, it’s all right. It’s all right now.”
“Sylvia.”
“Don’t worry. I’m here.”
Mitchell slowly closed his eyes, “It’s passed. I’ll be all right.”
Sylvia ran her fingers through his dark hair, “Shhh, just rest now. We’ll talk about it later.”
She wondered who the words were meant for, what he did he see.
Maybe a memory, maybe felt something about that town. Maybe it was something else, something more then a memory.
Maybe something, she wondered, a premonition of something to come.

She pulled a blanket around him, as she felt his shivering body in her arms.
The train car fell silent, the only sound remaining was the barely noticeable sound of the train’s movement.

-----------

Years had passed since the Epyon system was last used.
It was Romafeller had come into possession of an altered version of the Zero System.
A cockpit system, that could manipulate the brain waves of the pilot.
The system could drive one to madness, or even farther.
One of Tuberov’s senior engineers on Earth had begun researching the system, testing it.
But the testing proved to be problematic from the start.
It posed great risk to its test pilots.
With Romafeller’s current situation, there was a lack of test volunteers that could be used.
The senior engineer approved prisoners to be used.
At high settings, to see just how long and much a human could handle at those settings.
Some didn’t survive the battery of tests.
Some went insane.
Captain Joel Mitchell was one of the prisoners used in the test.
The engineer made progress in his tests, working out data for a second version of the system.
With the Trieze Faction uprising, the data was sent out to different locations.
Some was lost, some was captured by the Trieze Faction.
Some of the data used in the development of the Epyon.
Trieze and his own engineers would rework the system, into what it became.
The Gundam Epyon would be born.
It was a dark weapon, only perfect soldiers could pilot it.
Eventually Zechs would adapt it for mobile dolls.
It was there, at the edge, at a turning point. What could have been the end of the earth, and what would become peace.
No known copies of the data or the system itself remain.

-----

There was a cold wind blowing through the air, as they walked together under the street lights.
There was a light snow, blowing around them, swirling in the cold darkness.
It was only a little while ago that they had dinner.
It was Catherine’s idea that they go out, she insisted that they not spend another night at home, that they needed to spend some time alone.
Catherine would watch over Midii’s two youngest brothers, and Marie for the night, so they could go out to dinner.
Even Catherine had insisted that she and Trowa go out, Midii couldn’t help but feel guilty about going out and with Trowa while Catherine was alone.
They had decided after eating, with the taste of garlic and sauce from the hot plates of pasta still fresh to take a walk together.

Midii could feel her husband holding her warm hand in his own.
“So what street is this now? Euclid?”
Trowa looked up, “I think that this is Superior.”
“Hmm.” Midii said, looking at store front window as they passed.
Trowa looked down at Midii, at just how lovely she looked in the pale light.
The soft smell of her perfume still carried in the air.
“Didn’t you get a call this afternoon.”
Trowa nodded, “It was just Vic Norton.”
Lt. Norton.
“Do you miss it?”
Trowa said softly, sincerely, “No, sometimes I wonder about them, but so many of the others are gone now. I have something far more important to me now.”
Midii smiled, made a soft sound.
Trowa looked at her, “Cold?”
Midii shook her head, “I’m fine. It seems quiet tonight.”
Trowa nodded slightly.
Midii added, “Not that it’s a bad thing.”

She listened as they walked to the sound of their footsteps.
She looked at him, and was quiet for a time.
Midii finally said, slowly, with each word being chosen carefully, “I was thinking, I wanted to ask you.......”
Trowa looked at her, a slight smile on his face. “Hm?”
“No, it’s all right.”
Trowa looked at her, “It’s okay, what is it?”
“I was thinking, I wanted to ask you, if its okay, about your name. I was just thinking about it. The name Trowa. When we met years ago, you told me you had no name.”
Trowa looked up towards the dark sky above.
“I thought you’d ask me someday about it. It’s not that I was keeping it from you.”
Midii looked at him, “I suppose.”
Trowa thought for a moment about it, “It was after I met you, after going to space, to the colonies. I found work, help to build Heavyarms.”
The name she had only heard Trowa mention a few times, his Gundam.
“It was then I met Trowa Barton, the real Trowa Barton. He was a.... a friend.”
Trowa thought about the man who’s name he wore now. He remembered him showing the picture of his sister and niece. He suddenly felt a chill go through him. He thought of his niece, she was still with Lady. Suddenly he thought about that the prospect of having that name and seeing her made him feel uneasy inside. He had witnessed her uncle’s death, and taken his name.
Trowa thought about it in his mind, before going on.
“He died suddenly. I had no name then. I was given Trowa’s name, and the Heavyarms, before going back down to Earth.”
Trowa took a deep breathe, his voice was slower as he thought about it.
“After the war, I still used the name. After the last battle, I was left with the Heavyarms and the name Trowa, neither were mine to begin with. The Heavyarms was destroyed. I was No Name again. It was Duo and Quatre, they said I should keep the name Trowa.”

Trowa stopped and looked at Midii, taking her other hand.

There was sadness in his voice as he spoke, “I don’t know if I’ll ever find who I was before I became No Name. If I did find my name, I would want to his name.”
Midii looked at him, “I’m sorry.”
Trowa moved his hand, and touched her cheek.
“It’s okay, I have what’s important to me. A family and a home.”
Trowa brushed the hair from her face, “With you.”
Midii stayed silent.
She touched her stomach with her hand.
As the snow continued to fall around them.......

-----------

The space port was quiet for this time of day, since there was only one shuttle schedule to arrive from the colonies.
Her daughter, the Vice Foreign Minister had been able to arrange for a private shuttle back to Earth. It was a post her husband had held for several years, she knew first hand just how little time that position left for loved ones.
But she was coming home for a visit, even if it was only for a few days.
Usually when Relena would come home, there would nothing else on her mind but seeing her.
But this time it felt different for her.
She thought about Count Townsend. He was such a kind man, there was something about him, that seemed different, it seemed to remind her of old feelings.
She still was unsure of the path they would take, how things would be with them.
She knew that she would have to tell Relena about him. She seemed so much older now, logic told her that Relena would probably understand her feelings, but still the memories of how close Relena was to her adoptive father still burned inside.

Maybe she wouldn’t understand. But she would have to tell Relena in person, this would probably be the best time, to find out how she would feel. She loved Relena, she wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.

She would wait for the right time to tell her.

A wash guilt went through her mind as the thought of her husband passed.
She knew she still loved him, but it seemed so difficult being alone.
She couldn’t find what was right and what was wrong.

She looked up as her daughter came down the ramp towards her.
Relena walked slowly towards her mother, Heero following a pace behind her.
She walked slowly, holding back her emotions, but even she could tell that Relena wanted to run towards her, and embrace her mother. She seemed so much older now, but her heart was still young.
Relena stood before her mother, bowing her head slightly before she spoke.
“It’s good to see you mother.”
“Welcome home Relena, its good to you.”
Relena looked at her mother, “I’m sorry if we kept you waiting.”
“No, I wasn’t waiting too long. Pagan’s outside with the car. We should go, we can talk more on the way home.”
Relena smiled, “Of course.”
She turned to Heero, “Heero.”
Heero followed them still a pace behind.
He couldn’t help but notice that Relena’s mother had come directly to the space port.
In the entire time he had been with Relena, she had never met Relena directly at the space port, always greeting her when she got home instead.
It seemed odd she would come to the port this time.
Heero stayed silent as they walked back to the car.

To be continued.