Disclaimer:
I don't own Gundam Wing, or the characters from Gundam Wing. Never had and
never will either. I do own the minor characters and non-GW people.
You should know the warnings and stuff by now. And here's a shout-out to my
beta, Midii Une. Without her. well, this story wouldn't be as good as it could
be.
Gundam Wing: Phases of Memory Phase 05- Recollections By Sailor Celaeno
"A Newtype?" Quatre stuttered. "What do you mean?"
Marguerite looked intently at him. "Don't you feel your power? You're like
me. You're different from Duo and the others. You have powers like I do. Don't
you see? You can feel the pain and the suffering of others. Your heart is
beautiful because it can feel and bring compassion to others that need it
most." Quatre had never thought that his empathy for other people was a
sign of his power. He always thought that it was simply a part of his
personality. Could what she said be true? Could his empathy really be a form of
Newtype power? "How can you be so sure that it's a power, like
yours?" Marguerite was pacing a few moments as he spoke. "How could
they be anything else? How could you sense when your friends were in danger?
How could you feel Heero's pain, when he was injured." Quatre thought for
a moment. "If I'm a Newtype, then where did we come from? More
importantly, why were you sent to the hospital?" Marguerite said quietly,
"Because of my powers."
*****
Relena was giving a speech at Colony J19482 on the new trade treaty that the
colony and ESUN had agreed to. Reporters were asking many questions and taking
several pictures. Heero was at his usual spot near her. "Miss Dorlian!
Miss Dorlian! What is your opinion on genetic research?" shouted a
reporter. Soon everyone looked eagerly for her answer. Relena cleared her
throat. "I believe that any form of technology should be used with
responsibility to minimize any negative consequences that may result. Genetic
manipulation isn't something that is clearly moral OR immoral. Rather it is a
process. Any and all discoveries made should be responsibly used and not to
gain power over or harm others or in anyway exploit anyone or anything."
*****
"So Miss Relena Dorlian. you're of that opinion are you? Where were you
when I needed you? Well I'm going to make sure that they use their technology
properly in the future." Kelly whispered to herself as she watched the
press conference.
*****
AC 187
Maria had only wanted something better for her daughter. This was the last move
she hoped. Back home to Earth. She had changed their names again. She was now
Marlena Thomas. Cass was Cassidy Thomas, just so it wouldn't be too drastic a
change for her daughter. "Cass! Lunch is ready!" Cassandra ran into
the kitchen. She took her place at the table and saw that they were having
macaroni and cheese. She had her hair tied in pigtails. She had the feeling
that her mother wasn't happy about something and she knew it. "What's the
matter Mama?" "Remember that night you had a nightmare. You thought
it was the bogeyman in the closet trying to get you. Remember that baby?"
Cass nodded. "Yes. You said that the bogeyman was in my mind and that he
would go when I stopped believing in him." Maria looked at her daughter.
"I was wrong Cassie-baby. There is a bogeyman. He doesn't live in closets,
or under your bed. But he's always watching us. He is waiting for us."
Cass should have felt frightened at the cryptic words, but a deep strong voice
within herself told her that her mother was right. There was a bogeyman looking
for them. Waiting for the chance to catch her. "It's because of my powers,
right?" Maria hated seeing her daughter so young and knowing so much about
the truth. "I'm afraid so Cass. That's why we run baby. We can't stay or
else he'll catch us one day. He'll catch us and then you'll be taken away from
me." Cass couldn't bear the idea of being parted from her mother. Mother
was life for Cass it would lead to all sorts of chaos for her. Cass hated her
powers. She was very young when she could teleport. Then she began hearing
voices. They whispered all sorts of things to her and showed her things. The
most common thing she would see was a sad young girl being picked on. She was
lonely and sad like her too. The girl had a feeling that was evening stronger
than her own bouts of melancholy. This girl felt hate. A burning hate that was
welling up deep inside. Cass was frightened of this girl, but soon the hateful
feelings were no longer so frightening. Cass finally got the courage to ask her
mother. "Who is Hikari?" Maria froze for a minute. "Hikari."
she dropped the spoons she was drying. The spoons clattered in the silent room.
Maria was still dazed for a minute before she bent down to pick them up. Cass
frowned. She knew the girl's name from one very memorable vision. In the
vision, the girl said, "I'm Hikari, will you play with me?" As Hikari
reached out her hand, the vision ended. Maria turned around and faced her
daughter. "Hikari is no one. Just a figment of your imagination."
"Like the bogeyman?" Maria became silent again.
*****
Cass had to hurry to class that morning. Miss Swiss was having a surprise for
class that day and she couldn't be late. As she turned the bend, she slowed
down as she heard a voice. "So Maria came back to Earth, did she?"
"Seems like it. Desperate move." Cass gasped. "It's the bogeymen."
She turned to race the other direction, when two men approached her. "It's
the girl!" They walked faster towards her. With a sharp turn she raced
towards her school. Her heart was beating faster as her feet pounded on the
concrete pavement. "Please, someone help me!" she could only scream
in her head. Almost instantaneously, she felt a great surge of energy. With a
flash she vanished from the street.
*****
When the energy faded, Cass found herself at the front steps of her house,
where she had just left 10 minutes earlier. She ran into the house screaming
for her mother. She started a hasty narrative. Maria grabbed her emergency
purse with every document they would need. Before another 10 minutes passed,
Maria clutched her daughter tightly. "Teleport!" "What?!"
Cass was very confused and frightened after seeing the actual men that she and
Maria had always been running from. "Do it! You know how to. I know you do
baby. We must hurry, or they'll find you. Just do it!" Cass shook with her
mother's emphatic shouting. She felt the energy again. It was strong and warm
and before she knew it, she was not in their house anymore. "I did
it." Maria didn't answer. She merely looked around them and saw they were
all alone. It was a parking lot at the local mall. Maria was desperate. She
realized that Cass was only 8 and hadn't been able to focus her teleportation
to specific places, with the exception of their house. Maria had to make do
with what she could. She soon spied a red jeep nearby. Maria knew what she had
to do. In two minutes, Maria had picked the door lock, and hotwired the car.
Maria and Cass would drive as far as the car could carry them.
*****
Maria tugged on her daughter to pull her along faster. "Hurry!
Hurry!" "I. I can't Mama." Cass panted as the two Taylors were
running through the alley. Maria couldn't believe the awful luck. The car ran
out of gas and they resorted to running on foot. "You have to baby. We
don't have a choice." As they scurried through the street maze, a warehouse
loomed nearby and they quickly ran inside. Both tried to keep quiet as they
could hear their pursuers not too far behind. "Just where are they?"
growled one man. "I thought they ran in there," replied the other
man. "An oil refinery? Damn. look you watch your gun. We don't need to
have an explosion on our hands." They cautiously entered the factory.
"All right Maria! We know you're in here, so come out with the girl and
hand her over." They spread out to search more carefully. "The girl
stopped being your kid the day she was born. She's UESA property."
"Aha!" shouted the second man as he aimed the gun at Maria. She
pulled Cass and they ran. The man began firing. "Jackass! I told you not
to shoot in here!" They raced all over the refinery narrowly dodging the
men. Cass pulled out the gun that Andie had given to her. She knew it was
risky, but there was no alternative. She got cover and fired her gun. She
managed to hit one before she was fired on again. During the weapons exchange,
a bullet caused a spark near a vat of oil. The smoke soon filled the air.
"Cass! Get out! Now!" shouted Maria. The men had already turned
around and ran out. "I won't leave without you!" "Go now! If you
don't then." Maria aimed her gun at Cass. "I'll kill you."
"What?!!" "You heard me! I'd rather kill you than have you be
captured. You're too valuable to Linner and his benefactor. But you're
worthless when you're dead." "AH!" shrieked Cass as she saw her
mother cock the gun. A strange sensation overwhelmed her again. When she was
conscious of what was happening again, she was outside and could see the
refinery bursting into flames. The building burned and cracked with loud pangs
of noise and heat. Cass couldn't feel her mother's energy like she use to. But
she felt another energy. She felt Hikari. She could feel Hikari's hate. That
hate was the most comforting feeling that she could have right then and there.
*****
AC 198-Paris
"Your powers. What are they exactly?" "When I touch people or
things, sometimes I get visions." Marguerite gestured for Quatre to follow
her for a walk around the nearly empty museum. I was very young when the
visions began to happen. Back in the village I came from, I could predict
everything from." her eyes began to twinkle mirthfully. ". the best
time to harvest. to death." She was quiet for a few moments before she
continued. "Soon word went around that I was a real psychic. That I was a
fortune-teller. The next thing I know, I began having very dark visions."
"Dark visions?" Quatre shuddered at their implication. "I had a
great feeling of dread for myself. I would have visions of other children that
were different, like I was. When I saw these other children, I knew I never had
to worry about being the only one who was different. But there was one girl
that frightened me." Quatre frowned. "A girl?" "Yes. She
had dark hair, and her eyes were feral. She would always be unhappy. She could
sense me, like I could sense her." "How did you know?" "She
stared straight at me one time. She knew I was there. But her hate was so strong."
Quatre was saddened. "There was a little girl filled with so much hate?
How could that happen?" Marguerite shook her head. "I couldn't tell,
but I knew that she was dangerous. Her power was very strong. That also
frightened me that such an angry child could have so much power." Quatre's
suddenly clicked. "Wait a minute." "What is it?" "When
were you born?" "In AC 177." Quatre thought for a moment.
"When did you start seeing that angry girl?" "I think I was
eleven at the time. Why?" "I think I know who you saw." Quatre
sighed. "And you were right. She's dangerous. Or was."
*****
Preventers Headquarters-two days later
"What do you have to report?" Hilde and Duo looked at each other
before turning to Une. "Not much I'm afraid. Their system is difficult to
crack." Hilde's frustration was written all over her face. Une nodded
understandingly. Hilde and Duo were working hard trying locate PAGE's head
quarters. She looked towards Wufei and Sally. "What about the security for
the awards?" "I don't think it could be more secure than it is
already," replied Sally. "We're still completing the background
checks on everyone working on the awards ceremony," replied Wufei. Une
made notes. "Trowa?" "I'm keeping a close eye on Linner. I'm
still looking for more information on the good doctor." Quatre was next.
"It seems that Marguerite and several children like her were being
detained because they've developed powers. She made claims that I'm a Newtype
like her." Duo looked incredulously at him. "How could you be one?
Wouldn't they have taken you away from your family like those poor kids
were?" Quatre nodded. "That's what I thought too. But I realized a
few things. When she told me how it was to have those powers, I understood what
she felt. That's my power, Duo. My empathy towards people is my power. But my
empathy is stronger than most people. I can feel people's pain and misery. I
can feel the hurt in their hearts." Heero nodded his head. He knew that
Quatre was different. That Quatre seemed to know so much about things. Trowa
knew it too. Everyone could see his point. "But that doesn't explain why
UESA didn't try to take you Quatre." "There is a reason."
"Care to share?" asked Noin. "Dr. Linner wasn't the doctor that
created me." Wufei glowered. Sally frowned. "This is only conjecture,
but this does suggest." "This doc is seriously messed up. He's create
all these kids with powers, but why?" exclaimed Duo. Quatre shook his
head. "That's just it. I don't know. Only Linner would know that answer,
but I seriously doubt he'll tell you." "We may spend hours
speculating, but there's no evidence for us to charge him with anything other
than illegal usage of human beings for experimentation. That kind of conviction
would simply strip him of his medical license and earn him only a few years in
prison. Otherwise, we have can't do anything to him," replied Une. She was
also frustrated because they really had no way to accuse him of the most
serious crimes as of yet. "Damn. we can't touch him," growled Duo. "This
guy should pay for the misery he's caused to those Newtypes he created and
their families," added Hilde. "Sounds like we should just let PAGE do
whatever they want with him," smirked Wufei. Une sighed. "We still
have an obligation to ensure his safety in spite our feelings about his
unethical practices. We can't be the ones that decide on what is justice and
what isn't. We're here to make sure it is served." Everyone reluctantly
agreed with Une on that point. Zechs and Noin reported on their findings.
"Quite frankly, I'm smelling a heavy-handed conspiracy of an extreme
degree with kids like Marguerite," began Zechs. "Hn." was Une's
reply. "There were different procedures subjected on these 'delusional
adolescents.' There were shock therapy and mind-controlling drugs used. Others
were restrained. These children were being controlled and trained for
something," was Noin's conclusion. Quatre frowned. "Linner was
creating Newtypes. It's possible that if the UESA had Newtype soldiers, their
control over the colonies could have been even tighter than it was."
"That would have changed history. We wouldn't be sitting in this room
together," added Heero. "How would these Newtypes have been
used?" asked Trowa. "Well Newtypes like Marguerite had premonitions
and visions. Logistically, people like her could be used for strategic planning
and even as MS pilots. If a Newtype like her had been flying in a really good
MS like." "A gundam?" asked Zechs, Eypon's former pilot. Quatre
nodded. "Assuming Marguerite was an excellent pilot, and she had access to
Tallgeese or even Epyon, she would have had the potential to defeat everyone of
us. Even if we used the Zero system we'd never stand a chance." Trowa
nodded. "Her power would allow her to predict her opponents even more
accurately than the Zero system since she can see with absolute certainty what
her opponent will do." "With that sort of possibility, we'll need to
find out more about the truth," replied Une.
Next time: And so our story will continue. Now that our heroes know what's at
stake, how will they find out the truth? Coming up next time, Nichola and Trowa
meet, Liam Debinder-Pryde will finally make an appearance in the story, and
more! Phase 06-Degrees of Happiness