Author: SkyLark
Warnings: Language, Violence, Sexual reference and future lemon
Rating: NC-17
Pairings: 1+2
Disclaimer: We all know that I do not own these characters. As far as the plot and story, they are based off a long doujinshi series 'Children of the Moon' by Natsuo.
Beta written by Stormy and Deathangelgw.
Gundam Wing: The First Chapter (Children of the Moon) Part 1
It was cold all around him, his eyes closed to block any other unsettling observations. His small, naked form floated in the observation tank as he breathed into the oxygen mask covering his mouth and nose. Two young scientists in long, white coats typed at their large station just beyond the tank. Occasionally, they would gaze up from their keyboards and up to the boy floating within the chamber. The young woman of the pair jotted notes by hand into her notebook, running a hand through her blonde, wavy hair before putting pen to pad.
"I'm amazed how far along he has come in the last two years," she stated with a hint of amusement in her tone as she paged through her recordings.
The young man sitting beside her continued to type, his auburn hair falling just past his shoulders in a loose ponytail as he snorted softly. "You expected any less?" he asked with a smirk in her direction, his brown eyes gazing through his long bangs. "He is the son of Odin Lowe, after all."
Lowering the notebook onto the desktop, the blonde scientist crossed her arms as her green eyes narrowed in her partner's direction. "Stop acting so smug that we have him in our possession. Let's not forget the terrible mistake that we made in trying to obtain him," she replied in a dark voice.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that it was a terrible mistake," a voice from behind said. Both scientists froze and stiffened in their seats with widened eyes at the familiar tone. Chuckling deeply at their shock, an old man with a long, white beard that matched his long hair walked forward, wooden cane in a robotic hand as he stepped forward. "Thanks to that misunderstanding, we now have two pilots in stead of one. Look for the blessings in all you do before labeling them as mistakes," he advised as a father would to his children. The young doctors eased into their seats as relief filled them.
The clicks of the white-coated man's metal legs filled the now silent room as he took his place between his agents. His goggled eyes gazed at the small form within the observation tank as he smiled to himself. The boy's dark, unruly hair stirred in the water as small bubbles would occasionally rise from the smooth floor of the chamber along with the oxygen mask. His eyes remained closed as his limbs were outstretched, his body floating on his left side. "They are going to make all of us proud," the old man said quietly.
Nodding at this, Stephen looked up to his employer and replied, "Of course, Doctor J." With a nod, the white-haired man turned and walked a few paces behind the pair.
Turning back to face them again, the professor began, "There is something of great importance I need to discuss with both of you." At this, the scientists nodded and turned their chairs fully until they met their employer's gaze. Doctor J stated in his matter-of-fact tone, "Our inside intelligence has found valid evidence that Colony H7 is building their own Gundam suit as we speak." Instantly, the pair before him responded with wide, disbelieving eyes and slackened jaws.
"How does anyone outside of the five L clusters know of the Gundam suits?" Jenna asked in a shaken, quiet voice that echoed the fears and concerns racing through the pair.
Shaking his head, the doctor replied, "King Devion has never liked being one of the last to know a secret. Somehow, he managed to sneak in some intelligence to collect information on the suits. And he has all the resources he needs and then some with his influence. I do not need to remind either of you that Colony H7 has great amounts of Gundanium." There was a pause as the two researchers paled slightly as all of this sunk into their minds. Finally, the doctor continued, "With communication between the Colonies does not exist at this time, I don't have any ways of transmitting the information to verify it with my colleagues on the Five-L Cluster."
He smirked with a cocked eyebrow, "This is where you come in, Jenna and Stephen." He wrapped his claw over the top of his cane and folded his hand over it as he explained, "Professor G has already met with Kumi once and has yet to know Odin. I thought that this would be a great opportunity for the boy to make a trip to Colony L2. With you to watch after him, you will both be able to gather any information that G as disclosed on H7 to compare notes."
Nodding firmly, Stephen assured him, "You know that we won't let you down." Jenna nodded her own assurance, her short blonde hair flowing with her movement. Determination and certainty overtook their recent shock and concern.
Doctor J smiled sincerely and answered, "I have complete faith in both of you." His gaze turned up as he gazed into the observation tank, watching the small boy inside as he was now floating with his knees locked and his hands resting over them. His eyes remained closed. Quietly, Doctor J remarked, "We have far too much depending on their success."
* * * * * *
That night, the little boy was in his room, dressed in a light green nightshirt four sizes too large for his small form as the fabric pooled around him past his knees with no need for anything on his legs. He sat on his floor, reading a child's book filled with colorful pictures of animals. It was one of only a few other books that were anything associated with his age that he was given. Gazing at the pretty images, his large cobalt eyes scanned over the pages. The steel door to his room opened, bringing his head to turn in that direction.
Doctor J stepped into the room; goggled eyes locked with the child's as he entered with the door sliding closed behind him again. A warm smile fell on his lips as he said kindly, "Hello, Heero." The boy closed his book without breaking his gaze from the doctor. It wasn't very often that the old man would see him after dark. His cobalt eyes were filled with a mixture of uncertainty and attentiveness. Doctor J knelt beside the boy, frowning slightly as he sighed deeply.
"Odin..." he began, almost searching for how he was going to put into words what he wanted to say. Odin remained transfixed, listening closely and never changing as he watched the only person he could consider a guardian for the last three years of his eight-year-old life. Doctor J sighed softly again before continuing quietly, "You understand that what you and your cousin are being trained for is vital to millions of lives, don't you?" Blinking his large cobalt spheres once, Odin gave a small but firm nod, neither frowning nor smiling. "And you know that if I did not think you were capable of this, I would never put either of you through this, don't you?" J asked in an even quieter voice, unsure of himself. Without hesitating, Odin nodded again. A small smile of relief was his response as the old man replied softly, "Good lad."
Taking his metal hand, the doctor clamped the cold fingers around the boy's small chin, holding it there in an almost nurturing way as he said, "You know, many people would question our using children for what you are being asked to do." Odin blinked once, his expression never losing its uncertainty and respect for the old man. "Thank you for helping my conscience," J whispered faintly. At this, he stood and turned as he walked through the door again, stealing one last glance at the child inside before the door slid shut again.
Blinking once again, Odin grew even more confused than he had been at the doctor's appearance. Unsure of what J's purpose was to have this talk, he rose from his spot and neatly placed his book with the others on the shelf against the far side of the room. His bare feet rapped against the steel floor as he walked to his bed. The moment he got onto the mattress, the lights above him dimmed themselves out upon registering that he was ready to lay down for sleep now. Lying onto his back, Odin gazed up to the ceiling, the thoughts of the day's events. In the end, his mind concentrated on the brief encounter that he just with Doctor J up until his eyes finally closed at sleep's claim on him.
* * * * * *
Dressed in a light blue sweater with a black collar, jean shorts and dark blue socks rolled up past his knees, Odin stepped out into the sun as Doctor J and his two associates led him through the entrance of the dome-shaped examination lab. His small, black sneakers trudged over the dirt and the small boy blinked a few times at the bright sun shining through the clear sky. It was the first time he had been out in almost two weeks. Occasionally, he would have visits from his cousin during and after the training. Since he never had had a real family until now, the young boy was still adjusting to the small girl, only an hour younger than he was. Normally, their training and experiments would take place together. But, on this day, Odin was being taken out on his own.
Kneeling before the small boy, the old doctor that had been working with Odin closely smiled reassuringly. "Odin," he began, "Jenna and Stephen will be taking you to L2 for a visit with a colleague of mine there." Bringing his robotic hand up to clasp the child's chin gently, he smirked, "He is very interested in meeting the newest trainee that I have acquired. Now I expect you to be on your best behavior while you're away." Odin nodded once within the cold metal fingers. Softly, Doctor J nodded, "That's my boy."
* * * * * *
Odin slept soundly in the back seat of the black car taking him to an unknown destination. Curled up with his legs hugged to his chest, the child never heard the conversation that was taking place between the two scientists transporting him. "I never liked L2," Jenna scowled as she gazed out her rolled down passenger window. Her short, blonde locks blew with the breeze from the drive through the rundown neighborhoods. "It's no wonder G hasn't found anyone suitable to train to pilot 02. There's not a lot of offer in anyone that comes from this run down scrap in the sky."
Stephen snorted softly, shaking his head as he smirked, "Well, maybe when he meets the kid face-to-face, he'll have an idea what he's looking for." As he continued to drive, children covered in dirt with torn up clothing played in the streets as they passed. Running a free hand through his long auburn hair, he remarked, "There has to be someone here worthy of piloting G's suit."
After a brief pause, Jenna turned back in her seat to gaze at the sleeping boy in the back seat. "He's only eight years old, Stephen... I know that our training him to pilot 01 is the only chance we have at being successful in Operation Meteor." Lowering her head and closing her eyes, her frown grew as she said faintly, "But what will training him and his cousin to be the cause of a massacre do to them?"
There was a long silence before Stephen finally replied quietly, "I don't know..."
With a turn around another corner, the scientists made their way down another street of a run down and deserted homes, unable to see a dark form blocking off the way they just came with large cross signs reading 'Condemned.' There was no one to be found anywhere as the crumbling remains around them began to case an eerie scene. As they neared the end of the long block, Jenna and Stephen sat up at the sight of a roadblock ahead. Large cross signs joined by long metal chains prevented anything from entering or leaving.
Growling deeply, Stephen hissed with narrowed eyes, "What the hell is this?" Unbuckling his seatbelt, the young man opened his driver seat door and closed it behind him as he stepped out as Jenna did the same. Walking up to the roadblock, they examined the barrier. The sound of a car door shutting behind them made their heads turn back quickly.
Odin walked towards the scientists, eyes heavy-lidded as he gave a wide yawn and scratched his sleep-filled eyes with the back of his hands. Jenna quickly went to him, saying soothingly, "Odin, sweetie, it's alright. We're not going anywhere." The small boy nodded at her as the blonde scientist wrapped her arms around him.
Stephen sniffed something in the air as he remained at the roadblock. As soon as he recognized the smell, he gasped sharply with his eyes as wide as they could get. Turning back to Odin and Jenna, he shouted, "THERE'S A GAS LEAK! WE'VE BEEN-" Before he could say anymore, there was a large explosion from the other end of the block they just came down and a wave of debris and flames poured down to cover them.
In the blink of an eye, what had been standing was no more as it was leveled into rubble... and in the end, there was nothing but silence.
* * * * * *
"JENNA! JENNA, WAKE UP!" Stephen shouted to his fallen associate following the explosion. The young woman was limp in his arms as he shook her.
Coughing suddenly, the blonde doctor's green eyes slowly opened as she gazed up at her partner. They were both covered in dirt and bruised in several places with their clothes tattered in others following the explosion. Groaning deeply as she sat up, Jenna asked, "What happened?"
Clenching his fists with narrowed eyes, Stephen hissed, "Someone knew we were coming with the kid. They didn't plan on letting us make it back with him."
Covering her mouth quickly with a sharp gaps, Jenna's eyes widened as far as they could and she shouted, "OH GOD!! ODIN!!!" Rising on shaky legs before her friend could stop her, she gazed at the piles of debris remaining from the houses on the block. Cupping her mouth, she shouted desperately, "ODIN! WHERE ARE YOU!?!"
Quickly, the young man rose and covered her mouth with one hand as the other wrapped around her waist to pin her against him. His brown eyes glared threatening into her terrified, green gems. "Keep quiet!" he warned sharply. "If the bastards responsible for this are nearby, they'll know the boy's name. I've been looking for him since I came to. There's no sign of him."
An overwhelming urge to be sick coursed through the blonde woman as she wrapped her arms tightly around herself, paling at this news as she went limp in her friend's arms. Struggling to calm her panting breath, the frightened doctor whispered brokenly, "Oh God, Stephen. Doctor J will kill us if we don't find him. He has to be alright."
Nodding at this, Stephen replied, "I've already contacted Doctor G. I described Odin to him and there's already a search team making their way here and around the neighboring areas in case Odin might have walked away from this." Placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing it, he said, "We can't stay here. G's already set up a place for us to stay while the recovery units are looking for the kid." Seeing the small tears welling up in Jenna's eyes as she struggled to fight them, the young man assured her, "We'll find him." Hesitantly, Jenna finally nodded and roughly rubbed her eyes dry with her arm. Together, the scientists made their way from the rubble and shredded remains that wound around them for almost a mile.
A few hours later, Odin lay unconscious in what appeared to be a crater amidst the debris following the explosion. Amazingly, he seemed unscathed, spare a few bruises on his face. Dirt and soot tinted his skin and clothes in some places as he continued to sleep in what should have been his grave. All was still around him. Nothing but the breeze offered any sound.
Climbing the splintered beams and mounds of dirt left behind from the blast, a small boy scanned the area. Wearing a white T-shirt with bold, black letters that read "Banned" in large print and "American" below it in smaller print, the child gazed all around, shifting and moving any obstacles in his path. The black jacket that he wore open over his shirt hugged his waist and his tan flood shorts fell past his knees. The black sneakers on his feet showed that the boy must not have had any other shoes with the condition they were in. Making his way though the debris, the dirty child looked for any sign of life... or something that might make him some kind of money on the streets.
In his search, he stopped on the edge of a crater hidden within the massive piles of rubble. Gazing inside, he gasped with wide eyes as he spotted a body lying inside of the large hole. Quickly, the boy ran down to the flat base of the crater, slowly making his way to the small figure lying there. Placing his hands in his pockets, the boy walked to the fallen child who was no older that himself. Noticing a puddle of water not far from where the silent form was, the curious boy picked up a rock and tossed it into the liquid, causing a small splash to see if there would be a reaction.
After a brief pause, a small and confused whimper left Odin. Slowly, his cobalt eyes blinked shallowly a few times before he regained focus. Once his eyes were opened fully, his mouth slackened slightly as he looked up to a boy just a few feet from him. The young scavenger's chestnut hair fell past his shoulders in a loose braid and he gave a friendly smile as his violet eyes lit up when their gazes met. "You're alive," he said quietly in a warm voice.
Odin's lips parted as he brought himself up to kneel, never taking his confused eyes from the boy approaching him. Something about that boy's smile... it was something that Odin had never seen before. The braided child knelt before him as he continued to smile. Bringing a hand down to gently rub the top of Odin's head, he chuckled, "Damn there's barely even a scratch on you. I thought I was the only one who could defy death." Odin's cobalt eyes blinked as the confusion and uncertainty remained all over him.
The braided boy's smile faded as he frowned sadly and lowered his hand from the unruly hair, asking softly, "Do you know where your parents are, kid?"
Just then, a sharp gasp left Odin as his eyes widened in fear. That instant, he got to his feet and ran to the edge of the crater, climbing up with ease as the violet-eyed boy watched in shock before following quickly. Standing at the top of the ditch, Odin's cobalt eyes widened as he paled and gazed to his surroundings. There was nothing but rubble and debris everywhere he looked. The braided kid reached him as he watched Odin closely with saddened eyes.
As he continued to scan the area, Odin felt more frightened than he ever had in his young life. There was no one to guide him, no one to tell him what he needed to do. And he was somewhere on a strange, new Colony without any means of getting back to L1. He had always been lost... but now he was alone as well. Suddenly, he felt the world caving in all around him.
Odin was broken from his thoughts when a gentle hand fell on his right shoulder. Turning quickly, his fear-filed and saddened eyes looked up and met an equally saddened pair of violet. The braided boy stood a few inches taller than he did. Without breaking their gazes, he went down on one knee before Odin and placed his free hand on the other shoulder, squeezing them gently in support. Smiling sadly, he tried to offer the scared child any comfort he could as he spoke in that warming voice, "I'm not expecting you to trust me, but right now, I'm the only friend you've got, pal."
Cobalt eyes mixing confusion in with the fear that was already there, Odin whispered faintly, "F-friend?"
At this, the braided boy's smile warmed even more, if possibly as he nodded once and assured him, "Yes, friend... My name is Duo. Duo Maxwell. What's your name?"
"I'm Odin... Odin Lowe," came the soft response.
Duo's smile remained as he replied, "Nice to meet you, Odin." His voice took on a serious tone as he said, "I promise that I won't let anything happen to you. Whatever happens from this time on, we'll always be there for each other, 'k?"
While he never knew this Duo Maxwell before, Odin could tell just by looking in his violet eyes that he meant every word of what he said. He trusted him and he found warmth and comfort just being in the braided boy's presence. Odin knew that he was safe with him. With a small nod, he answered quietly, "Alright, Duo."
There is no end to a story that has no beginning.... On that day, a new story had begun.
TBC...
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