Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Hand Me Down ❯ Part III ( Chapter 3 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

A/N: I got the dialogue in Sally's flashbacks directly from an Ep. Zero manga translation. I am also working on SotP, and should be able to get that chapter out soon as well.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of its characters. I also do not own the song "Hand Me Down."

Hand Me Down: Part III

The road stretched before them like an endless black ribbon twirling forth. The motorcycle sped along, seemingly fast, but in all actuality it barely even moved against the vastness that reached out into the horizon. Sally really sat up and took notice when Wufei began to slow the motorcycle, turning down a small dirt road. Their speed was reduced, the dirt road being uneven and rocky. A tree stood near the road, its branches stretching out above the narrow road. A few of its roots even protruded from the ground, but Wufei skillfully avoided them, instead coming to a halt underneath the tree's branches.

As the cycle stopped Sally slid off the seat, and Wufei climbed off as well, kicking down the kickstand. The Chinese woman looked around, with no small amount of curiosity. Beyond the tree was a huge stretch of meadow. Tiny red, yellow, white, and blue flowers dotted the field, and their fragrance brought a sweet aroma to the air. The sweetness made the air seem heavy and damp, but Sally liked the memories that seemed to float in the pregnant air.

She turned to her partner questioningly. "Wufei..."

"There was a meadow," he interjected, gazing out across the expanse of flowers, "on my colony." His statement left Sally confused, but she could tell it really meant something to him. Maybe it was this acute awareness that kept her quiet, and merely allowed him to speak. Somewhere above them, a tiny bird chirruped brightly.

So lay all your troubles down

I am with you now.

"I would go there-to that meadow," he continued, looking up into the tree and spotting the singing bird. "I would read quite a bit, to work on my scholarly training. Sometimes I would meditate." A butterfly flew past Wufei's ear, it's soft wings beating soundlessly.

"It sounds like you enjoyed being alone..." Sally commented softly, following his eyes as he watched the butterfly land on a bright yellow flower. The flower's petals bent slightly under the soft weight of the insect.

"But I wasn't alone," Wufei replied, and-in his eyes-it seemed as though he knew something she didn't. "She was always there, too. She knew how much I loved it there."

Sally asked, though she already knew the answer. "Who was always there?"

"Meilan," he answered, "my wife." Sally had heard of Wufei's former wife before, and she knew that she had died before Operation Meteor even began. She had never heard the whole story from Wufei, though, and his oddly speculative mood piqued Sally's curiosity.


The butterfly that was sitting on the flower didn't even have time to fly before it was viciously eaten by a crow. Having devoured its meal, the large black bird flew off with a harsh "caw!" Wufei's soft expression darkened.

"She was killed so easily," he said harshly, his obsidian eyes growing hard and angry. He walked over to the tree, reaching onto the lowest branch and hauling himself up onto it. Sally had to look up to see him.

"How was she killed?" the tawny-haired woman questioned, watching as her Preventer partner cooled his demeanor by taking several deep breaths. His tense muscles relaxed somewhat and he was able to fix her with a steady gaze, though it didn't lack its cold glint.

"The Alliance attacked my colony," he answered. "But I learned that General Septem had ordered the attack...and I killed him." Sally frowned slightly and her breathing quickened.

"What...colony did you live on, Wufei?" she queried, surprised at how steady her voice sounded. She knew he was from the L5 cluster, but she was uncertain on what specific colony he was from. She had some kind of sick curiosity, wanting desperately to know the answer, but deathly afraid of what the results might show.

"A0206," he stated, and Sally swore that her heart stopped the moment those words were issued from his lips. A0206 was the colony she had been ordered to attack...

"Are you telling us to murder Colony A0206's inhabitants?!" an angry Sally demanded, unable to comprehend the enormity of this situation...

"No, I didn't say that," Septem assured her, but his tone was anything but reassuring. "But that colony is old and useless. So I'm telling you to disinfect it before we scrap it." Sally shook her head. He expected her to wipe out the unsuspecting colonists?! What kind of sick, heartless person...this was war, true...but not a massacre!

"I'll admit that 0206 is decrepit," she stated. "However...in that case we should offer the colonists another colony...or at least renew the support systems!" 0206 was definitely becoming old, but with the new technology arriving, they could easily renew the weather and support systems. Or they could simply find another colony-maybe one of the new ones-for 0206's inhabitants.

Sally shook her head. "YO-448 is a biological weapon. As a doctor...no, as a human being I can not condone such an inhumane act!" Septem frowned, growing angry at her insubordination.

"There are dangerous elements on colony A0206. This is a necessary measure to preserve the peace of the Earth Sphere," he stated, lying through his teeth. Sally may have been young, but she was not naive.

"But sir-"


"That is all I have to say!" he commanded, his tone carrying through the vid-phone. "Disinfect these rebellious germs! Do I make myself clear, sanitation squad commander?" Before Sally could begin to protest, Septem's angry face blipped off of the vid-phone. He had disconnected. But her indignation was still not sated.

"This is insane!" she cried, her eyes wide and horrified. "There's no way such a massacre could be justified!" How could she alone stop this inhumane act?

"The OZ advance team is going in!" stated a fellow soldier who had donned a headset. A sharp gasp escaped Sally's lips and, for once, she wasn't in control of the situation. She was absolutely powerless.

"...Sally?" came Wufei's voice. And then, louder. "Sally?" Shaken out of her sorrowful reverie, the Preventer agent could merely shake her head.

"I'm sorry, Wufei, did you say something?" she questioned, glancing up at her partner who was studying her critically. Even the smallest details didn't go unmissed by his intense eyes.

He managed a wry smirk. "I was just wondering what caused you to space-out on me," he stated flippantly. 'Space-out?' Sally questioned silently to herself with a slight shake of her head. 'Duo must have had more of an effect on him than I realized.' When she remembered her reasons for daydreaming her mood sombered considerably.

Somebody ought to take you in, try to make you love again

Try to make you like the way it feels when they're under your skin.

"Did you know I was once part of the Alliance?" she inquired, leaning against the tree trunk and looking up in order to keep eye contact with Wufei, who was still seated on the tree branch, spooned up against the trunk.

He nodded in affirmation. "Major, right?" he questioned, though it was more of a statement than a query. For this reason, Sally didn't provide an answer, though his question still hung in the air, along with the scent of the flowers. The heavy air wasn't so relaxing anymore. In fact, it seemed to be suffocating, the sickly-sweet scent preventing Sally from taking in oxygen. Her other friends had already abandoned her. Would Wufei do the same once he discovered what she had done? She wouldn't blame him...

"Kind of coincidental..." she stated, "that General Septem was my superior." Wufei frowned, his raven eyebrows drawing together on his forehead.

"Actually," she admitted, "I was ordered by Septem to 'disinfect' what he considered a decrepit colony...he...he ordered me to wipe out the residents of A0206 using biological weaponry..." The birds had stopped chirping, and the scent of the flowers seemed to add to the constricting silence that held the pair captive.


"So what did you do?" Wufei questioned, his arms folded over his chest. His eyes didn't seem angry, but there was this intensity about him that spoke of strength and raw energy. It wasn't as fearful as it was captivating.

"I didn't do anything," she admitted, and then added, "I told Septem that using biological weapons were inhumane, but he brushed me off. Then Commander Treize ordered that the colonists be wiped out using mobile suits." The hard line of Wufei's mouth moved only when he spoke.

"But the Alliance never found out about Nataku or the Leo prototype," he stated, growing slightly confused. "They would have done more searching, had they known about our resistance." Sally looked away, watching as a bumblebee buzzed around a pretty red flower.

"The Colonel's Leo has been destroyed!" a soldier cried out. "This mission is a failure!" Sally shook her head.

"No...this is fine," she stated, hoping against hope that she could save whatever was left of the colonists. Shame filled her...not for her noncompliance, but for taking part in an unjustified massacre.

"Huh?" replied the confused soldier, turning to look at Sally who, though younger, outranked him.

"Let General Septem know the mission was a success," she told him, trying to keep the slight quake out of her voice. If she got caught, or if the soldier ratted her out...

"But..." he said, still unsure about her orders.

Sally forced herself to lace her voice with steely determination. "Nobody lives on this colony now... got it?" She heard the soldier swallow before answering.

"U-understood," stuttered the soldier before commencing to type the faulty report. Sally shook her head sadly. What had she gotten herself into... she couldn't take all this killing of innocent civilians...

"The Alliance never knew of the colonists rebellion," Sally told Wufei, pushing off against the trunk of the tree. "I didn't include it in my report." Wufei's expression was slightly startled. "The only other person who knew of the resistance was Treize Khushrenada." At this Wufei grew truly surprised.

"Treize knew?" he questioned. "But I thought he was the one who orderedthe attack with mobile suits against my colony?" Sally nodded.


"He did issue the attack," she answered. "But he also refused to tell the Alliance of the resistance. I think he said it was because the suit symbolized the colonists rebellion. He wanted to face the pilot, because he was a worthy opponent." Sally's smile was wry. "I guess, in the end, he got his wish, didn't he? I suppose he didn't expect to lose..."

"On the contrary, he knew he would lose," Wufei said. "In fact he wanted to lose. He allowed himself to become overpowered. I should have lost that fight, and that took me awhile to come to terms with." Sally's expression darkened…as though she hadn't heard a word of what he just said.

"Wufei, how can you even look at me?" she questioned, and the Chinese man grew startled at her outburst. "I allowed your colony to be wiped out...I'm the reason your wife died! Why aren't you angry...why don't you hate me?"

"Do you want me to hate you, Sally?" he inquired, leaning over the tree branch, but only seeing the top of her head. He could see her head shake back and forth. "Then why do you ask me this?"

She bit her lip. "Because that is what has been happening to me! Everyone I care for has been suddenly dropping out on me, and I thought I could be in control for once. I thought that if I told you how I was part of the attack on your colony that I could make you hate me, rather than have the truth sneak up on me..." she trailed off. She realized, with modest chagrin, just how silly she must sound. Was she really looking for atonement? She had done everything she could to stop the destruction of A0206…

"You are being awfully foolish, woman," he stated with a shake of his head, though his voice held no admonishment. "I'm not going to drop out on you..." Sally sighed. She had always been such a good judge of character. She had been awfully paranoid and jumpy these past few hours.

"I really was being foolish, wasn't I?" she questioned, with a chuckle, turning around and catching Wufei's smirk. "And don't you dare answer that." Wufei opened his mouth to retort, but obviously thought better of it and closed his mouth. He hopped down, landing in front of her lightly. He gestured with his arm, walking over to the parked cycle.

"Let's go."

Never once did you think that they would lie when they're holding you

You ever wonder why they haven't called when they said they'd call you?