|
"Sensus Divinitatis"Written By: The Plotting Housewife Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Bandai, Sotsu
and associated Parties. This work is written for pleasure not profit. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements,
Ghosts, Demons, Apocalypse, Major character death, blood, gore, violence Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5x6 Summary: It begins with a prophecy and ends with
Judgement Day. What happens in between will determine the fate of
the human race. The murders of the Gundam Pilots was only the catalyst.
The beginning of the end. " Sensus Divinitatis" Chapter 2: June 23rd, AC 206, 4:04am Sally sighed in exhaustion and rubbed her dry eyes. She was so tired, she was having difficulty seeing the words on the screen in front of her. She needed some fresh air. She put her computer into a doze, took a swig of her energy drink, stood, and grabbed her jacket off the back of her chair. She exited the building out the side door and stood with her back against the brick wall, inhaling cool air. It did help to wake her sluggish brain up a bit. She let out a long breath, leaned her head against the wall, and rubbed her eyes again. This was Hell. She'd volunteered to notify Hilde, Relena, and Trowa's and Quatre's sisters. She'd also had to tell Relena that her brother was missing. They were her friends. It was only right that the news came from her. She closed her eyes, bitter tears stinging them, as she remembered how they had all broken down. The devastation on their faces tore through her heart like splinters of glass. Iria Winner tried to remain professional, but she couldn't hide the agony she was feeling, the tears that shone in her eyes, or how her voice caught and trembled when she thanked Sally for informing her. Quatre was the baby of thirty children and her only brother. She not only had a funeral to plan now, but she'd also have to contact their other twenty eight sisters and let them know what had happened to their little brother. She also promised that she would pass on the information to Rashid, and the other Maguanacs, despite Sally offering to do it for her. The independent Jordanian army and their leader would be inconsolable when they found out that their beloved co-commander, their Master Quatre, was gone. Cathy Bloom hadn't held up much better. Sally did have a little trouble finding her at first, since the circus was currently travelling, but she'd eventually located her in a small town on one of the L1 colony clusters. Her face had gone ghostly white and she'd made a small noise in the back of her throat. Her shaking hand had risen up to cover her mouth. Her eyes were wide with shock and tears collected at the bottom of her lids before spilling down her cheeks. She'd been virtually speechless and only nodded when Sally asked if she was going to be okay. Sally's heart broke for her. Trowa was her only blood relative and the two were very close. Sally sincerely hoped someone would be there to comfort her. Hilde initially expressed shock and then anger. She wanted to know who, what, when, and why, and she wanted to know yesterday. Her boyfriend sat beside her as Sally reiterated the news and rubbed her back soothingly. Sally had no doubt the terrible sadness would overtake her at some point, but for the moment, rage and the need for justice took priority. Duo was her first love and her best friend. Someone was going to pay. Relena didn't bother with any pretense of self-control. She'd sobbed brokenly, her face buried in her hands. Sally bit back her own tears of grief. She was working. She didn't get paid to break down over cases, even those close to her heart. She would grieve later, after her friends were buried, and the sick bastards who committed these crimes were brought to justice. Relena inquired about her brother, asking if he was a suspect. Her eyes begged for it not to be true. Sally was relieved to be able to reassure her, at least presently, that there was no evidence that Zechs was involved. Though his unknown whereabouts were raising serious questions, but Sally didn't need to tell Relena that until there was something to tell. They were searching for him, too. They had no idea if he was also a victim and if so, where his body was located. But Sally didn't think so. The killers almost seemed to be boasting about their crimes. Very deliberately leaving the murder weapons next to, or on top of, the victims. If Zechs met the same fate, Sally believed he would have been found already, in a similar state as the other five victims. Though the Preventers were not privvy to the private relationship between Zechs Merquise and Chang Wufei, they'd been able to surmise, with reasonable certainty, that Zechs had not been inside Chang's home for a few weeks before the murders took place. In fact, there were no reports of him having been anywhere near any of the former pilots for at least a few months prior. Of course, nothing could be ruled out, but Sally was relatively confident that Zechs was, at the very minimum, not directly involved. For one thing, there was no motive. No logical one anyway. At least where the other four victims were concerned. If it was a crime of passion between himself and Chang, there would have been no need to go after the other pilots. Unless he was concerned about retribution. Still, even if Zechs did carry out these murders, he hadn't acted alone, and that threw the whole crime of passion theory out the window. This was premeditated. It was organized. It was a brutal, almost ritualistic massacre. The five former Gundam pilots had been executed, but for what reason, remained a mystery. The unanswered questions were driving her crazy. Sally sighed and checked her watch. Une expected her to be at Sanq's secured military compound in three hours to oversee the autopsies. She shuddered at the thought of seeing her friends laid out on the cold, metal slabs, cut open and dissected. She was a doctor. She'd seen enough blood and guts to last her a lifetime, but when people she cared about were involved, it was a tough pill to swallow. A commotion in the sky jerked her attention back to reality. Overhead, a large flock of birds were swooping and diving erratically. Parts of the flock veered off course and then tried to right themselves again, unfortunately colliding with some of the others and falling to the ground, wings and necks broken. They seemed confused, frantic. Their squawking was high-pitched, sounding almost panicked. They circled the Preventers' Headquarters and surrounding area, trying to figure out which way they were supposed to be going. The complex murmurations that controlled their speed and direction seemingly getting crossed, or broken down altogether. Their communication signal getting lost somewhere among the flock. They swooped around the building again, screeching so loudly that Sally had to cover her ears. More birds, perhaps getting the wrong signal again, flew away from the flock, and then tried to move back in. Their elevations alternated dramatically, some darting up and down in the air so quickly, Sally couldn't keep track of them. A few hit the building with sickening force. Their twisted bodies twitched and writhed in their final death throes, before going still forever. Sally ducked back inside and watched through the door as the flock finally disappeared behind the trees. The faint echo of their eerie cries still reaching her ears. She looked off to the side to see that the two guards standing post near the side door had hunkered down slightly, apparently also worried about getting their heads bashed in by bird missiles. They straightened, looking bewildered, then glanced over at Sally and shared mutual expressions of shock and awe. "What the hell was that?" Sally exclaimed. "No idea, Sir. No idea."
~ * ~ |
