Mission One

Resolution

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            "I see we have a new... guest."

            "Yes, Dr. Kay."

            The doctor looks up through her brows at her assistant.  Indicating the pitifully thin file in her hands, she asks, "Is this all we have on him?"

            The assistant nods.  "At the moment, yes.  The rest of his records are electronic.  They should be fully integrated into the database by the end of the week."

            Dr. Kay sighs.  "Damn but I hate all this bureaucratic red tape."

            The assistant says nothing.

            She glances down at the papers again.  "I see Jens and Lawrence were on duty when he came in last night."  For a moment, she wonders if they might know anything that's not in this folder, but then she spies their report.  She scans the page, noting nothing helpful.  "Well, at least they were thorough," she muses wryly.  With a sigh, the doctor checks her watch and stands.  "Well, I have a little time... I think I'll swing by and take a look at him."  She glances at her assistant.  "Are you curious?"

            The assistant grins shyly.  "A little."

            "Well, come one, then."

            The pair head down the hall, passing both open and closed doors.  Other doctors are working on their computers, talking on the phone, and making recordings of the day's observations.  Dr. Kay and her assistant step into the elevator and begin their descent.  The assistant fidgets then smiles apologetically when the movements draw the doctor's attention.

            "I'm sorry.  It's just that I haven't been down here before."

            Dr. Kay smiles.  "Yes, well, considering your area of interest, I thought you might like to take a look.  The medical profession doesn't solely focus on healing the injured and the ill.  There is so much more we can learn after the fact..."

            The assistant nods in agreement.

            The elevator slows to a gentle stop and the doors whisper open.  Leading the way, Dr. Kay steps into the long, white hall.  She flips open the file and memorizes the room number.  Beside her, the assistant is busy glancing about, soaking up as much as possible.  They turn down a second hall and stop abruptly in front of a plain, white door.

            "This is it," Dr. Kay mutters and slides her access card into the lock.  The door swings out into the hall, admitting the doctor and assistant.  "The observation room."  With a sweep of her hand, Dr. Kay indicates that her assistant is to precede her.

            The two of them step into the room and close the door behind them.  Then, to their surprise, they both note that one of the senior staff members is already evaluating the new arrival on the other side of the glass.  Dr. Kay moves toward the computer console with a grin.  "Shall we?" she invites, flipping the switch to activate the room's speakers.

            The voice of the doctor on the other side of the glass softly fills the room.  "...shall I call you then?"

            There is a long pause as the man sitting against the wall considers his reply.  In the end, he says nothing and simply stares at his surroundings with interest.

            The doctor tries again, "Do you know why you're here?"

            "Hm..." the patient says, still considering the walls and ceiling.  "I'm here because I am hers."

            "Whose?"

            The patient turns his ice blue eyes toward the doctor and grins.  "You can't understand.  I can see that you've never had that kind of connection with someone."

            "What connection is that?"

            The man smiles.  "I thought she was mine and I was hers.  That we belonged together.  Forever.  But she's denied me.  Denied us."

            "What has she denied you?"

            Laughter tumbles through the room.  "She has surpassed her creator," the man muses, evading the question.  "Even I never considered..."  He shakes his head, leans back against the wall, closes his eyes, and whispers, "She is perfection.  And I am hers."  He opens his eyes and focuses on his interrogator.  "I hope you are capable of making that profound distinction, doctor.  I am hers.  Not: she is mine."  He sighs.  "A formidable creation... opponent... indeed."  And then he grins.  "I'm terribly sorry to be bragging to you like this.  It's just that it's too good to not share."

            Those are the man's final words.

            The doctor asks more questions, attempts to elicit a response, but the patient has nothing further to say.  Dr. Kay turns off the speakers as the interviewer leaves the room.  Together, the doctor and her assistant watch the man on the other side of the glass.  He stares at the walls around him, smiling.

            Voice soft, the assistant muses aloud, "I wonder what it is he sees."

            The doctor replies with a small shrug and leads the way back to the offices.  As they walk away, they are unaware that what the General sees is the white.

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~End~

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Author's Notes:

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who reviewed (especially the precious few obsessive, repeat reviewers... you know who you are!), offering their reactions and encouragement. I treasure your thoughts and hope my fiction comes close to having the same affect on you.

Although I have decided to end Mission One, do not despair: I have several other works in progress at the moment. These include:

The Taki and Wufei Story: A Companion Fiction to The Perfect Soldier. This story is for those of you who wondered precisely how Wufei and Taki managed to get it together. With their head-strong personalities and explosive chemistry, it seems like they'd need a miracle.

Caged: A Companion Fiction to The Perfect Soldier.  Everyone knows Heero self-destructs in the series (episode 10), but how did his actions affect Yokaze?  Dark, angsty, and short, this story is about how Heero's decision influences the way Yokaze lives her life.

Roommates: Prequel to Mission One. Does anyone besides me wonder what it was like for Trowa and Yokaze to share an apartment at the academy? And what about her band members? What are they like? And why is it Trowa had such a hard time accepting the fact that Yokaze wants to be around him? (This is a rather ambitious undertaking considering I want to answer all these questions yet keep the fic pretty short.)

Night Wind: Sequel to Mission One. Yes, I plan to continue the tale, addressing, among other things, Heero and Duo's relationship. There will be pain and anguish and sorrow in this fiction, but I can promise that you won't feel like killing yourself at the end. I can't give away any hints; you'll just have to trust me.

I would also like to take this opportunity to say how totally baffled I am that so many of my reviewers like Yokaze. When I set out to write The Perfect Soldier I wanted to create a character that could have existed in the official Gundam Wing universe. I looked at The Perfect Soldier as a continuation of the series rather than a separate version of it. Still, even though I tailored Yokaze for Gundam Wing and not vice versa, I am consistently amazed by the positive response I get from my readers about her. Which makes it extra hard for me to kill her off. I keep trying, but thus far, no deal. Oh well.

Thank you for following this story with me. And, inspiration willing, there will be more to read from me in the future.

May you live long and ingest as many legal stimulants as you can stand.

~ The Manwell