Author: Arethea
Rating: Mature- it involves fighting (obviously), and later on...who knows?
Disclaimer: The Gundam Boys belong to their respective owners, and not to me (unfortunately...). Sophia is a character of my own creation.
Chapter 1
A.C. 201
A snowflake landed on her binocular lens, blurring her vision to such an extent she had to wipe it off on the thin cotton shirt she wore. This created movement she couldn’t afford at this stage in her mission. Her motions were deliberate and slow, keeping her eyes on the target.
White. Everything around her white. Any trace of green life normally found in the outdoor surroundings were blanketed in a sheet of flawless cold. From her white fur lined boots to the mask covering her face, Sophia matched her background perfectly.
"It had to snow today," she sighed quietly, not wanting to be heard. "Of all the days in winter it had to snow today."
She once more placed the binoculars to her eyes and scanned the military base below. Her right index finger hit a small button on the white metal she held in her hands.
"Operations seem to have picked up pace in the past few days. Presently, 5 Taurus and 3 Virgos are visible. The factory that was dormant yesterday is now full of activity."
Sophia paused to scan an area a small way from the factory.
"20 meters north of the factory, about 100 or so young people are formed into…" Sophia’s eyes widened at the realization of what she was watching. "…into military formations. Practice drills. Incredible."
Sophia watched, wide-eyed, as the young men and women trained under the supervision of older, more experienced soldiers. Just as the sun came out from behind some clouds, Sophia once again hit the button on the side of her binoculars. She placed them over her neck and was turning around to leave when the sunlight hit the base.
The light pierced the metal and bounced around, the reflection hitting Sophia right in the eyes. Shielding her face she unconsciously let her eyes wander over to the troops once again. The light danced off the snow beneath the soldiers’ feet, illuminating their regimented unity. She could see all their faces clearly as well, the hard lines of concentration and emotionless features contrasting with the purity of the light.
One face stood out; the face of a young girl barking out orders, obviously in charge. Her face was porcelain white, her hair a deep orange color. Something about her was familiar. Quickly, Sophia pulled the binoculars to her face to get a closer look.
/She can’t be more than 11 or 12./
The eyes of the child stood out the most; an icicle blue as cold as the air around them.
/That face./
Sophia lowered the binoculars and turned around to slowly go down the hill she was on. Quietly slipping down the embankment, Sophia desperately tried to find a name in her mind that matched the description of the girl.
/Those eyes./
She stopped 30 feet from the hill above a hole in the snow. Inside the hole, a ladder led into the depths underground. As her foot touched the first rung on her way down, Sophia realized who the girl at the base was.
"Mariemaia."
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Sophia opened the door to the small cabin buried deep beneath the snow. Closing the door behind her, Sophia whipped the mask off her face and ran her fingers through her elbow- length light brown hair.
The cabin was dark except for a single lantern flashlight in the center of the room. No fire for warmth or even a generator was there. Going over to the small bed in the corner, she sat upon it and wrapped the blanket around her body to keep warm. Her breath came out in small white puffs in front of her face. Sophia heard the shifting of a body on the comforter next to hers. She smiled as she saw a tube of brown blanket with a long braid of brown hair sticking out the top.
"Cold?"
Two large violet eyes peeked out from the blanket roll.
"Very," came the muffled reply.
One of the eyes winked at her, then slipped back under the blanket.
Sophia began to toy with the binoculars around her neck.
/How do I explain to them what I saw?/
Breaking the silence, along with Sophia’s train of thought, quick tapping noises came from the desk across the room. 4 boys huddled around a computer were watching surveillance videos from a satellite they had hacked into.
Sliding from the cot, Sophia moved to stand next to the boys. She took off the binoculars and softly lay them next to Heero, the boy at the computer. His fingers stopped flying over the keyboard and he cautiously picked up the surveillance equipment. Heero popped open a small area near the recording button and took out a disk. Sticking it into the computer, he played the tape.
Sophia’s voice echoed through the underground cabin. Duo shuffled over from his cot to join the others still wrapped in his blanket. Their faces got grimmer as the short observations played. Wufei stopped the tape with the slam of his fist to a button on the console.
"Why? It’s been 4 years since the war. All MS production was disbanded. Why would they start now?" Quatre asked, his striking blue eyes concealing his true emotions.
Heero stood up, stretching his spandex covered legs. His green tank top shifted as he turned to face his partners.
"More to the point, Quatre," he started, "How are they doing this. Where are the funds coming from? Who’s thinking about MS production? And possible war."
"I saw something else."
The 5 boys turned to look at Sophia. Her eyes hardened at the memory of the young girl in the base. She turned and pulling the blanket up over her shoulders, sat down on her cot once again.
"As I was turning to leave, I saw a familiar face. I couldn’t place it. I mean, she was just a child." Her voice rose and cracked as she spoke.
Heero frowned at this.
/A child. What child could have Sophia so worried?/
Sophia pulled her knees up to her chest and watched her breath puff out in staggered white clouds. Duo walked over to Sophia, pulled off his blanket and draped it over her shoulders. Sitting next to her, Duo pulled her to him, placing her head on his chest.
She could feel his racing heart under her ear, the extra blanket covering her, his strong arms encircling her and the chill in the air melted away. Her breath became even and steady.
"I noticed her because she was so young. Plus, she was giving orders to soldiers." Sophia looked at the boys, power returning to her voice. "She knew she was in charge. And the soldiers knew it too."
Wufei stared at the floor, his fists clenching and unclenching. "He’s never really left, has he?"
Everyone stared at him. Quatre looked puzzled. "What are you talking about?"
The chair hit the floor and rattled around as Wufei threw himself out of it. His breath had become labored and he stared at Quatre in disbelief.
"What am I talking about?!" Wufei screamed. "That bastard Treize and his devil’s spawn child! They continue to haunt me, one of them dead and the other lurking about and getting stronger as we speak!"
Nerves were starting to get the better of Wufei. His hands shook as he held them up to the group, palms out, expelling a breath. Quietly, he picked up his chair and sat down in it again.
Not saying a word, Sophia went to the kitchenette area on the other side of the cabin. She boiled water, poured it over tea bags in 6 different cups and bought one to each pilot, including herself.
The warmth radiated through the cup and into her hands. She could feel the strength return to her which was depleted by the cold. Sophia took a sip and cleared her throat, looking up at the rest of the gundam pilots.
"Well, how do we stop her?"