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Twilight
By Marie
((AC198))
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Notes: No Sallys or Wufeis were hurt in the writing of
this fic. ^_^
Okay, so I'm lying. At any given time Wufeis and Sallys may be
hurt, maimed, tortured and maybe even killed... but not to
worry!! They shall be brought back relatively unscathed... 'cause
I need them as good as new for other fics. ^^;; Um, hee?
Other Notes: This particular story is a Work in Progress,
and I'm writing it alone and without a beta reader (peer
editor)... which is rather inconvenient because I know I leave
spelling mistakes and plot holes and such!! >_<
Technical stuff scares me. *lol* I'm trying to make this story as
realistic as possible, but some people could probably pick it
apart. Apologies, and if you have some advice for me, I'll be
glad to hear it!!! In fact, I'll be very grateful and may even
incorporate your advice!! :D
That's it! Well, thanks for reading! :D
~Marie
~~~
Chapter 1
"This is Preventer Cruiser 002, Water reporting," The woman, Sally Po, talked causally into the cruiser's radio. She squinted out the main view screen of the squat little ship, wincing slightly. The clouds in front of the cruiser were dark and menacing, laced with lightening and other light effects. It was way too dangerous to attempt to land the cruiser in the torrential jungle below... she glanced at her partner, getting a slight nod of assent.
"Aborting mission," she sighed. Damn, she added mentally. It was the first time in a while that anything truly interesting had seemed to have come up at the Preventer HeadQuarters... an organization formed to help prevent a world and space war like the one back in AC195 from ever happening again. It looked like the Preventers were a somewhat successful organization as well... nothing had happened in mouths which even indicated covert terrorism. No mobile suits were being made at a secret base somewhere. No Gundamanium. Nothing. Which was why she and her young partner, Chang Wufei were so excited when the report of some sort of unknown pirate signal was being broadcast from somewhere in the south-western hemisphere. Work. Rebels. Uprisings. And that was also the reason why it was so darn frustrating now. To be turned back because of a simple tropical storm...
"It's too dangerous to go in there, Air. Investigation of pirate signal will continue tomorrow. Bringing ship about. See you in space." She dropped the handset, turning to "voice" her displeasure by scowling slightly at her partner, Chang Wufei.
Wufei was oblivious. "Bringing cruiser about," he reported dryly, his fingers making short work of the controls.
Sally fastened her safety harness tightly, turning her glower at the ever menacing clouds. "Damn you!" She told them pointedly.
Wufei afforded her a slight smile. "There will be another day." He told her evenly and logically before returning his attention to the controls. Sally grinned.
The cruiser banked, then turned upwards slightly, it's position causing the view screen to rotate to show the amazingly clear sky above them, complete with the sparkling lights of many stars and many colonies. She smiled. And then stopped.
Even as the cruiser continued to climb and gain altitude, a sudden darkness seemed to pass in front of the ship, the lights from the colonies and stars going out one by one. Sally frowned. That... that wasn't normal... even the storm couldn't move that fast... could it...?
"Wufei?" She questioned, turning her attention back to her partner. Wufei was frowning as well, glancing between his controls and the view screen. His sensors, though very limited in the presently electricity in the air indicated that something...
"Hang on!!" He shouted suddenly, gripping the console in front of him. Sally gasped as an instant later she was thrown sharply against the safety straps, the cruiser banking sharply against a large crash sounded from something outside of the cockpit. The cruisers engines screeched with displeasure and all lights in the cabin flickered. Sally turned wide eyes to Wufei, noting that the boy was out of his seat, standing at his console, face taunt as he rapidly hammered at the controls.
"What was that??" She demanded to know.
"I don't know!" He shot back, pounding some more against the controls. "But we've been hit!"
Sally lurched against the safety straps again as the ship moved erratically. "By WHAT??!"
"I don't know..." his voice trailed off, fingers dancing. A look of relief flooded his face as the engines whined more and the cruiser began to turn about. Then the ship banked again. And stopped.
Silence. Complete and utter. There were no lights on in the cockpit. No lights meant... No power, Sally realized, blood running cold. No engines...
Lighting crashed against the main screen. That instant the cockpit was illuminated time froze and the picture it formed was one that Sally was sure would be embedded in her mind for years to come... Wufei stood rigid, utter disbelief and partial fear on his face evident as the Chinese pilot stood staring at his controls. As their craft hovered precariously in mid-air.
And then they began to drop.
"K'SO!!" Wufei shouted, diving forwards. He beat his hands against the controls futilely, then finally he smashed glass to grab the manual lever and yanked on it with all of his might, throwing himself back.
The effort produced little effect beyond perhaps tilting the cruiser at something a little less than a completely vertical drop. Sally returned her horrified gaze to the view screen.
Darkness was rushing by them at an incredibly *fast* rate... "We're going down!" she shouted unnecessarily. She was at her own controls instantly trying to get the ship to respond to her co-pilot commands. No power, she had to remind herself. No power meant no control...
She glanced at the radio that she had so recently held in her hands. Dead. No power meant...
"WUFEI!!" She screamed.
"Radio for help!" he snapped back, the lever still clenched in his hands, still futilely straining against it for all of the little good it was doing them.
Sally yanked the useless headset from the wall. "IT'S DEAD!!" She screamed again.
He stared at her for what seemed to be forever, his face blank as his mind refused to process that. No radio, no help, no power...
No solutions came to mind. He opened his mouth and closed it again, shaking his head slightly. If at all possible Sally's eyes became ever larger in the darkened cockpit, desperation on her face as she turned her view back to the view screen, mouth opening to shout a curse... or something...
Another crash sounded from outside of the cruiser, loud and commanding in his ears. A flash of light lit the cockpit. For a moment he heard the wrenching screech of medal against medal and then he realized that Sally was moving away from him even as she rocked violently against her halter.
And then he realized that it wasn't Sally that was moving away from him... he was moving away from Sally. Very rapidly. She looked up at him and shouted something which the thunderous noise about him drowned out... a hand futilely reaching out...
It was the last thing he remembered before loud darkness and driving pelts of wet enclosed his face -- body -- and then his whole entire world went blank.
~~~