The Seed  (Part 3)

[Three days later, at a far corner of the earth where a smoking OZ base laid in ruins....]

The two Aries mobile suits relentless circled Heero's Wing Gundam. These two had him engaged in battle for fifteen minutes, which was no mean feat for the mobile suit pilots concerned. Most mobile suits could survive no longer than thirty seconds when attacked by a Gundam, which had far more superior maneuverability and firepower.

If it was a one-on-one fight, Heero knew that he could destroy both these mobile suits as easily as cutting butter. But these two mobile suits fought as one, which made Heero more cautious than usual. The reason why Gundams had been so successful in destroying enemy mecha was largely because their enemies were merely large numbers of individual fighters, each man fighting for himself -- which was not the case for the two enemies he was facing now. They complemented each other perfectly – one would defend while the other attacked, leaving no opening for him.

Without warning, the defender switched roles to become the attacker and released missiles which grazed the shoulder of his Gundam, barely missing the cockpit. The close brush with death bathed him in cold sweat. It was then that Heero realized, to his astonishment, that he was feeling fear. He thought he had completely removed that emotion from his system. What brought it back again? However he did not have time to think about it anymore as the battle demanded his full concentration. Not only were the two pilots skilful in piloting their mobile suits, they worked as a team so well that it bordered on impossibility.

How is it possible for them to time their movements and actions so precisely? Together, these mobile suits were tough opponents. Alone.... Heero's lips curled upwards in a deadly smile. The word 'defeat' was never in his vocabulary and nothing these two could do changes that fact. Brandishing his laser sword, he focused his attention on only one of them. His Gundam was poised, a metallic demon ready to pounce and devour.

* * * * * *

"Mission accomplished, sir. The OZ base at RTX-273-14s is successfully demolished." Heero had contacted his Colony commanding officer and was awaiting further orders.

"Well done, Heero. I trust that the entire military force there has been wiped out completely." At this, Heero's expression became tinged with shame. However he still managed to put on a straight face and reply in his usual calm voice.

"The area had been patrolled for survivors. There was none." The half-truth sounded loud in his ears and Heero hoped his superior would not discover that he was hiding something.

"I see. You can now return to the lakeside base. You will be briefed on your next mission there." The screen went blank.

Heero breathed a sigh of relief, wiping off a sheen of perspiration which had formed on his forehead. He knew that he need not feel so guilty; what he said was not exactly a lie.... but it was not exactly the truth either. There was one OZ survivor after that battle -- an OZ pilot he had allowed to escape because he was a coward. A coward who was afraid to die. The events of that afternoon replayed in his mind like a reprimand.....

The cost of destroying one of the pair was higher than he expected. He had taken a few square hits on his Gundam armor and had lost his only remaining weapon in the process. With all his missiles spent and his laser sword lying somewhere beyond his reach, he was forced to confront his last enemy weaponless.

Just as he expected, the red mobile suit posed no big threat once its partner was destroyed. The mobile suit pilot appeared disoriented, apparently staggering from the death of his other half. Without giving the pilot a chance to recover, Heero immediately charged at the mobile suit and immobilized it in a crushing bear hug. His plan was to self-destruct his Gundam, pulling his enemy into hell along with him. His mission was to destroy all enemies and that mission came before everything else, even his life.

His fingers were already punching in the codes to activate the self-destruct mechanism. As he was about to press the last button, he noticed the pink ribbon still wrapped around his right forearm. The words 'It takes more courage to live than die' whispered in his mind like a gentle reminder. His hands froze over the console and for the first time in his life, Heero hesitated to seek death.

His opponent took advantage of his hesitation to break out of his hold and gain a safe distance from him. Missing his chance, Heero knew that it would be impossible for him to use the same tactics again. The red mobile suit paused about a hundred feet away to take one last glance at Heero's Gundam before fleeing from the battle scene. The pain and hatred radiating from the escaping mobile suit pilot was tangible.

Looking down at the object which had curbed his suicidal tendencies, Heero could not help but recall the owner of the ribbon around his arm. Her looks were etched in his mind, an image he could not erase. She was a most exceptional female... and he did not even know her name.

* * * * * *

"Sometimes, it takes more courage to live than die. Don't you agree?" The girl standing beside him looked out to the open sea. Both of them had wandered back to the beach after dinner. So far the dialogue had been one-sided, with the girl chatting non-stop and Heero making minimal grunts. The girl never seemed to tire of talking and the conversation somehow drifted to the topic of death -- a topic which at least interested Heero enough to provoke a response.

"I don't understand. No one fears life more than death." Heero's voice ended the monologue which had been going on for at least two hours.

The girl stared at him with wide, mocking eyes. "Boy, I was wondering whether that mouth on your face is for decoration purposes only. Took you long enough to form words in your head." Heero's face flushed red under the assault of her teases. Seeing his reaction, the girl burst out laughing. Her melodious laughter blew away his embarrassment like a gust of wind, making him feel at ease again. "Sorry for teasing you. No offense intended, so don't you dare hold a grudge against me for that." She lightly elbowed his ribs twice to emphasize her words. Her mesmerizing eyes sparkled with mirth.

Not knowing how to respond to this sudden feeling of closeness to her, Heero clumsily tried to bring the conversation back to its original course. "Uh... we were talking about why you think that courage to live is greater than courage to die."

"Try to picture these two people for me -- firstly, a heartbroken idiot who throws himself off a building and secondly, a soldier in battle who prefers to be killed rather than to surrender. What do these two have in common?"

Heero thought silently for a while before replying. "Both of them are not afraid to die?"

"That too. But more importantly, they are both afraid to live. To them, living is more difficult and painful than dying; so they choose the easier path. Death has become a refuge for these two people. Do you see them as 'courageous' people?"

"The soldier should be considered courageous." Being the 'Perfect Soldier', Heero felt the need to defend himself.

The girl quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? And how is the soldier different from the person who throws himself off the building? Just because the soldier dies in a battlefield instead of some town or city does not make him the more courageous one."

"But..." The irrational urge to defend the soldier claimed Heero again. "... the soldier dies while following orders. That makes it entirely different from the one who commits suicide."

"So... what you're saying is that the soldier dies because someone else ordered him to, not because he chooses to do so himself. And that is supposed to qualify him as the braver of the two?"

"Not in the way you say it...." Heero was desperately searching for words to argue his case. "The soldier does his duty without any regard for his own life. His death is for a noble cause, and that makes his death honourable."

"Without any regard for his own life?" The girl shook her head. "You're mistaking 'courageous' with the word 'suicidal'. There is a vast difference between getting killed and being brave. Whether the death is honorable or not changes nothing. In my opinion, the soldier is every bit as idiotic as the suicidal idiot who decides to end his life without any good reason."

The girl's back was facing Heero when she spoke those words. As a result, she did not notice the pained expression that briefly flashed across Heero's face. "However...." She continued in her contemplative vein. "... the world does need plenty of such idiots to fight its wars. If they have been smarter, they would have cherished their living moments more..."

Silence reigned for a considerable length of time. Two motionless figures stood on the sand, occupied with their own private thoughts. The sunset view was beautiful, showing a crimson ball staining the surface waters blood-red.

Before long, the girl turned to Heero and informed him that she had to leave. Heero remained silent, his face betraying no emotion. As he watched her go, his mind was in a turmoil -- filled with thoughts that commanded him to follow her, to ask for her name, to find out where she lives, to grasp any thread that will lead him back to her in the future....

No. She and I belong in two different worlds. I am just being foolish for even considering such a thing. Knowing that he was doing the right thing did nothing to reduce the feeling of loss that gripped his soul. She was a dream... and would be nothing more than a dream.

* * * * * *

Heero's next mission required his hacking expertise to check up on a school suspected of having a liaison with the OZ organization. He entered the school as a new foreign student by the name of Hojo Tsukasa, two weeks after a girl named Katherine Kane was accepted as part of the school population.

                                                                                                                             < To Part 4 >