Chapter 1, Part 2 (4/4)

The army surgeon Major Sally Po looks down from the control room to the boy strapped to a bed in the central treatment room on the 50th floor of the Alliance hospital.

It is said that he was brought in by an ambulance team and a girl who had discovered him floating in the water in the vicinity of a submarine in an Army port. Presently he is unconscious.

Even if he is a boy, there's no question of bringing him to a normal hospital. This because he is a potential culprit of the explosion which occurred at the port.

If you think rationally, you couldn't think that such a 15 or 16 year old boy could cause an explosion. But the data presented before Sally's eyes are beyond her.

The extraordinarily steeled body comes up to a professional member of an athletic squad. The substance of the musles is elastic and additionally the equilibrium is extremely well regulated. Run, fly and throw. It's a body formed to adapt to whatever movement.

There are more than 100 spots with bruises and fractured bones. However, the only exterior wounds are the two caused by the bullets. The bleeding has already stopped, maybe because the initial treatment was so good?

Even if you see only this, you cannot believe that this boy has grown up in a normal family.

Besides, the boy does not have one single thing which proves where he comes from. The optical disk, which was in his waist pouch, is so well protected that even the mother computer of the Alliance can't analyse it. The opinion of the engineers charged with the analysis is that it may be a program to invade a normal computer and to overwrite the data stored there.

Is he after all a member of the rebellious elements opposing the Alliance?

There was also the proposal to use a truth serum, but as an army surgeon, Sally Po objects to this. A prescription of medicaments during the growth period can only cause damage. Besides, as long as there is not yet any solid information it's illegal. This regardless of whether it's certain that he is the culprit or not.

What could be the right way to handle this?

Sally entrusts the surveillance of the boy to the deputy army surgeon and goes downstairs. She plans to maybe go outside and cool down her head.

The elevator arrives in the first floor and Sally exits towards the lobby. The lobby faces the sea, which is the reason why a sea breeze comes blowing in here. If she sits on the sofa and sips a drink, she can even enjoy a bit of resort atmosphere.

In that moment, just as she has taken out her card to buy something at the vending machine, a loud voice reaches Sally's ears.

"No visitors!? Are his injuries this grave??"

A girl with light brown hair corners the receptionist with questions.

"Ah, weren't you the one that brought with that boy?" The receptionist raises her voice.

That boy?

These words attract Sally's attention and she approaches the long-haired girl.

"You were the one who brought the boy to us from the harbour?" asks Sally while gazing at the girl.

"And you are?" asks the girl back, without showing any fear.

"I am Sally Po. I work here as an army surgeon. Can I talk with you about this amazing guy?"

"Amazing guy?" The girl - Relena looks up at Sally defiantly.

"Hello Grandpa. How's it going?"

Duo talks this way in direction to the screen in the phone box. On the screen an elderly man is displayed, wearing sunglasses.

"Ah, it's you. We were wondering what became of you since we haven't received any news from you."

"Just a little accident. Two have broken down like two carriages. After retrieving them, could you please have lunch ready behind the golden field. Incidentally, couldn't you send the little fish to the hospital please?"

"You're asking for difficult things here." At Duo's word, spoken in a secret code, the elderly man arranges his sunglasses and grimaces.

"I trust you with it. I'll help with the young wheat afterwards."

Duo pleads urgently as if he wanted to mollify the man this way. Then the elderly man nods with a bitter laugh.

"Can't be helped I guess."

"Thank you!!"

Duo presses a switch and ends the phone call. Then he tears out the card and leaves the phone box. Before his eyes, the Alliance hospital towers up.

"So, shall we go to visit a sick person?"

Grabbing a bunch of flowers, Duo hoists a large backpack on his back and walks towards the hospital.

"He's a really interesting guy, you know. He seems barbaric, but you can feel something noble on the inside."

Inside the elevator heading towards the central treatment room on the 50th floor, Sally chats with Relena casually, wanting to draw information from her about the boy.

"Is that so? I think he's an ordinary boy and that everything is fine."

Relena answers curtly. Sally laughs bitterly at Relena's appearance and changes her tactics.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Relena Darlian."

"Darlian? Are you Vice Foreign Minister Darlian's...."

Sally is astonished about the answer given and asks back.

"Yes, I'm his bad daughter." Relena rudely interrupts what Sally was saying.

"Have I said anything which hurt you?"

"No, don't trouble yourself. Can I meet him... Heero?"

"Heero? His name is Heero?"

Maybe it's joy about finally finding some sought-after information which is heard in Sally's voice. Relena sensitively feels this.

"Yes, I am his classmate and very well befriended with him."

As if she wants to triumph over Sally's situation she openly speaks out, without surpressing her bragging side. But she is not conscious of why she is feeling this way.

A chime, 'bong', resounds and the elevator stops at the 50th floor.

Sally lets Relena get out first, then verifies the condition of Heero with the doctor responsible for checking him.

"Any changes?"

"None, Major."

No change. This means that he has not yet regained consciousness. The electrocardiogram and the electroencephalography displayed on the monitor show no sign.

"Heero! How cruel! Why is he restrained??" cries out Relena while looking down into the treatment room through the one-sided mirror glass front. Heero's hands and feet are tied down by belts.

"He's too strong. We are afraid of his force. That's why we have him tied down. If we can talk to him, things will look differently."

"He's not a member of the Alliance then?"

Relena asks about what she faintly suspects. Without answering, Sally asks Relena "Come downstairs".

Sally is about to head towards the stairs leading down into the treatment room.

In that moment, they are surprised and thrown to the floor by a thunder and percussions.

"What is hap...."

When Sally has stood up, she sees something she can't believe.

It's not only that a big hole was blown into the wall by the explosion or that though that hole a black-clad boy comes flying in. More than this, she is shocked that Heero wants to stand up.

Involuntarily she turns around to the monitor for the electroencephalography. Up to a moment ago, it registered alpha waves the same as those when sleeping. That boy has not let them notice that he has woken up and has been waiting until now for a chance to escape.

What kind of child is that!?

Sally is at the same time shocked and impressed. She had never thought that there is a person who could calmly do such things.

Elsewhere, also Relena is shocked when she sees the boy who has blown the hole in the wall. It's the boy who, half a day ago, has shot Heero.

How did that come to be?? My God, has he come to kill Heero?

Relena hurriedly runs outside.

Storming into the treatment room, Duo cuts the belts binding Heero's arms and legs with an army knife. Then he throws the backpack at Heero and runs towards the blown up wall.

Heero follows Duo just as if they had agreed to this beforehand.

Relena jumps down the stairs and follows Heero.

At that moment, on the other side of the destroyed wall, another explosion occurs. The blast and the smoke cause Relena to stop. Duo has blown up the outer wall of the building with a small bomb.

As soon as the smoke has settled, Relena follows the two as far as she can, panting heavily.

The wall ends there. On the other side there's empty space. Down to the ground there are 50 floors. Besides, below the ground level is a steep rock wall, going down to the beach.

"They've jumped out from here?!"

Sally has caught up with Relena. She raises her voice while standing beside Relena and looking down.

Both boys have jumped down in direction to the beach.

While holding her hair in the blowing sea breeze, Relena looks outside. Contrary to Duo, who has opened his parachute right away, Heero is falling down head first.

He wishes to die!

Relena is convinced of this.

"Heero! Don't!" she involuntarily shouts out.

Just as if he had heard this, the parachute from Heero's backpack unfolds.

But it's too late. Immediately below, the steep slope is approaching. Even if he opens the parachute at this altitude, until it's open it won't reduce the speed anymore.

Has Heero noticed this? He undoes the back pack and takes it into his hand. Then he raises his body and throws the pack downwards. The counter-effects makes his body lose some speed.

But it's not enough. Heero's body rolls down the precipice and is thrown onto the beach while raising a cloud of dust.

He's dead....

Sally is convinced. She can't imagine that he could have been saved in this situation.

But as soon as the dust settles, there's the figure of the boy standing up shakily.

"He's alive... I can't believe it. I just hope he's not the enemy" murmurs Sally very astonished.

This means that he has the ability to lessen the shock with body techniques.

"Heero!"

Relena shouts out once more, then she runs towards the elevator in order to follow Heero down to the beach.

Elsewhere, standing on the beach, Heero clenches his fists.

"What... What am I doing??"

Heero shouts as if spitting out these words. Immediately after hearing Relena's call, he has drawn the cord of the parachute as a reflex action.

No, he has to get rid of an eye witness. That's why he's not allowed yet to die.

This is a reason, but it certainly feels as if it had been constructed with force.

"I understand the wish to die. But if you can't die falling from this height, it might be better to think of another way."

While cutting off the parachute and packing it together in an experienced way, Duo says this as if he's making fun of Heero. His eyes stop by Heero's left leg. It is bent in a funny direction.

"You've broken your leg, eh?"

With just a 'can't be helped', Duo puts Heero's left arm around his shoulder.

"I'm not going as far as saying that you should trust me, but I guess there's nothing else you can do now."

After persuading Heero, who seemed to say 'let me go', by sheer force, Duo walks off towards a small approaching boat.