"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 10: June 23rd, AC 206, 11:46am

Sally came to awareness and a distinct disinfectant odor wafted across her nose. Without opening her eyes, she quickly concluded that she was in a hospital. The smell was a dead giveaway. The feel of an uncomfortably hard and thin mattress pressed against her back, and her vestibular system told her she was lying down. The strong bleached scent of the sheets made the inside of her nose sting. 

She was disoriented and it took her several minutes to remember what happened and why she was where she was now. Bits and pieces of an unearthly creature flitted across her mind like a rapidly moving slideshow. Its face garish, malevolent. Flashes of pointy teeth and shiny eyes that glowed a sickly yellow-green, like a fading bruise, bobbed beneath her closed eyes and her confused mind tried to rationalize the images. Was it a dream she'd had? 

Suddenly, like a sledgehammer barreling into the side of her head, scenes of horrific murders flared in her mind's eye and reality descended with instant clarity. She abruptly sat up, fully awake, cognizant now of what transpired a short time ago.

Her eyes flew open, so wide they bulged painfully in her sockets. A name, buried deep within her chest, broke free past her lips in a harsh cry.

"Bensen!" 

Sally looked around frantically, expecting the nefarious doctor to be lurking nearby, ready to strike. Instead, she was met with only a typical sterile-looking hospital room and its cluster of medical equipment and monitors.

Her hands fumbled clumsily with the bedding, pushing it off her lap. Her legs protested weakly as she swung them over the side of the bed. She felt the drop in her blood pressure as she got to her feet and she leaned back against the bed, on the verge of fainting. She recognized her symptoms immediately. A sedative. Some sort of barbiturate. Ativan, most likely.

She struggled against the light-headedness and wobbled over to the chair that sat a few feet away. A clear, plastic bag with her clothes and belongings rested on the seat. The line in the back of her hand pulled, dragging the IV stand a few inches until the wheels caught on some cords strewn about the floor. It tipped over, spilling the bags of saline that were hooked to it. Cool air touched her backside from the opening in her gown. The pulse ox monitor clamped around her finger slipped off and dropped to the bed. 

Several nurses wearing a multitude of different colored scrubs and a doctor in a white lab coat rushed in to calm her and get her back into the bed. She fought them weakly, but in the end, they overpowered her, grasping flailing limbs and easing her back down. Words of comfort and reassurance reached her ears, but did nothing to settle her nerves. 

Sally finally gave in and laid back down, though her muscles remained tense, ready to spring into action if the need arose. 

"Just calm down, Dr. Po. Everything is okay. You need to rest. You had some sort of episode. We gave you a mild sedative and we ran some tests -"

"Where is he? Where's Bensen?" 

"Dr. Bensen? He left. Said he had to get back to ESUN Headquarters to report to Prime Minister Cambridge. He said -"

But Sally was scrambling to get out of the bed again. "I have to warn them! He's not what he seems! He's - he's..." She was at a loss for words. "I have to talk to Cambridge, and General Une right away." 

The doctor, Mendoza, his name tag said, shook his head, pressing his hands down on her shoulders. She reluctantly sat down on the edge of the mattress. "You will. We're reestablishing the phone lines and they should be up and running any time now. You can call whoever you need to in a few minutes. I need you to calm down, though, okay? Something happened to you and we're not sure what. Witnesses said it looked like some sort of seizure." The doctor paused, then asked, "What were you saying about Dr. Bensen?"

Sally opened her mouth, then closed it. She stared at him, unsure if she should answer that. Her logical mind was finally beginning to take precedent over her impulsive side and it would behoove her now if she were to start spouting off some half-cocked tale about demonic creatures disguised as doctors. 

She shook her head and smiled, trying to appear dismissive. "Never mind. I must have been having some crazy dream. I guess the sedative confused me for a few moments. I feel better now. Clearer."

"Okay, good. Sorry about sedating you, but we didn't have much choice."

"It's okay. I probably would have done the same. You said the phones should be working soon?"

"Yes, the land lines. Cell phone signals are unreliable at the moment and they don't work inside the building anyway." 

"Alright. Let me know as soon as possible. I need to make some urgent calls. I'll rest here, but I want to get dressed now. I'm feeling much better."

Mendoza looked dubious. "Are you sure, Doctor? We still don't have the test re -"

"I'm quite sure, thank you. I just want to get my clothes back on. I'll wait here until you come back, though."

Mendoza nodded. "Okay. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Thank you, Doctor."

He left after checking Sally's vitals again. Everything was normal as she had predicted. She sat back against the hospital pillows and contemplated the morning's incident. Did that really happen, or did she just have some sort of neurological, or psychological episode? If it was psychological, it would indicate shock, likely from experiencing the earthquake. It happened to people all the time, but she didn't think that was it. Being a soldier in the war and fighting in extreme combat situations, she had long experience in dealing with trauma, both her own, and other people's. She'd seen things that would keep her up at night for the rest of her life. If this was a psychotic break, why now? She didn't dismiss the possibility, but it didn't seem probable. 

If it was neurological, that would be indicative of a physical problem inside her body. But again, that didn't seem likely either. If there was a neurological problem, she'd been asymptomatic up until this morning. Usually, these types of circumstances happened after a long history of medical issues that were typically difficult to explain, and diagnose. Up until now, she'd been perfectly fine. Her medical records were off the charts in terms of being in tip top shape. And quite frankly, she felt perfectly fine, albeit a little groggy which she could blame on the sedative. 

So then what was the alternative? A supernatural occurrence? Everything she'd ever known, believed, been taught as a scientist railed against the idea. It was preposterous, but right now, Sally was at a complete loss about how to explain it.

Could Heimlich Bensen be some otherwordly creature? Some demonic being? No, he couldn't be. He was just an asshole. So what was that? Why did he take off so quickly? 

"Ugh!" Sally groaned and banged her head against the flat pillows in frustration. This was going nowhere. Her brain was chasing itself in circles like a dog after its own tail. Her eyes darted about the room, landing on the vid screen mounted on the wall opposite her bed. There probably wasn't a transmission yet, but she grabbed the remote anyway and clicked on the screen.

Surprisingly, it was working. Sally was immediately bombarded with an aerial view of what must have been the remains of Sanq, if the surrounding landscape was anything to go by. Sally swallowed the lump in her throat as the media hovercraft flew over what was once a magnificent city. One of the most cherished in the world. The kingdom had been a huge conglomerate of wealth and prestige. It was one of a few select cities contended for the title of World Capital. Its population was known for its diverse educational, cultural, and traditional backgrounds. Sanq's generosity was among the most lauded in the world, often being the first responders when other nations were in need of aid.

It was gone. In an instant, it was wiped off the face of the earth. The tidal wave left nothing behind. The television screen split and the news anchor's somber face appeared beside the shaky footage of Sanq's ruins. Her eyes were shiny with tears and her voice trembled as she repeated what Sally had heard before in the crowd outside the hospital. No survivors. Sally choked on her grief as it seemed to swell in her throat and block her airway. Her hand rose to her mouth and she bent her head down and wept. All those people. Those families. Relena...

The anchor abruptly switched over to another breaking news story and Sally picked up the word "Gundam" through the rushing sound in her ears. Her head shot up and she stared at the television in disbelief. This time, the familiar faces of five men scrolled across the screen, their names listed beside each photo. Giant scare quoted letters spelled out "Gundam Pilots? Murdered?" 

Sally froze, a sinking feeling in her gut.

"Oh, shit."

She leaned over towards the table next to the bed, hands scrabbling desperately for the phone. She grabbed it and pulled it into her lap.

"This fucking thing better be working." 

She picked up the receiver. Honestly, this was the most technologically advanced hospital in the world and they were still using pre-colony phones? She placed it against her ear and heard a dial tone. Hallelujah! She quickly dialed Une's direct number.

After two rings there was a click. "What?" Une's voice barked into the phone.

"General Une, this is Sally."

"Dr. Po? What the - where the hell are you? What the fuck happened?!"

"I'm - not sure. I'm at the hospital. I had some sort of episode -"

"What some sort of episode? What happened? Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I can't really explain it over the phone -"

"Wait." There was the sound of something covering the phone's mic and muffled voices as Une spoke to someone in the room. Her garbled voice rose in pitch indicating she was yelling at someone. Sally smirked. 

After a few more seconds, Une was back. "How soon can you get back here? Is the hospital gone?"

"No, there wasn't much damage. Is everyone there okay?"

"Yes, yes, everyone's fine," Une said impatiently. "I want you back here on the double. We've got big problems."

"Yeah, I know. Did you see the news cast?"

"Wh - no! Cambridge called me almost an hour ago saying something about ESUN Headquarters under attack. He said he was leaving for the hospital. I have no idea why. It's not the designated safe zone when there's a crisis, but he couldn't be talked out of it. I was supposed to be there forty five minutes ago for a press conference, but he said to stay put until further notice. I haven't heard from anyone since. I have no idea what's going on! I don't -" There was more muffled yelling. 

"General, there was a news story - I was just watching. They just leaked the identities of the Gundam Pilots."

Une was silent for a moment and then, "What?" Her voice was quiet, calm even, but Sally heard the explosion behind it before it came. 

"Their names and faces are all over the TV." 

".....What?!"

Sally continued, "They're reporting on the murders..." She looked back up and saw an old photo of Mariemaia Kushrenada on the screen. One from way back during her failed attempt to launch the original Operation Meteor. The words "Assassinated!"  and a smaller subtitle, "Are they connected?" loomed at the bottom of the newscast. "Oh my God!"

"What?! What is it? What's going on?!" Une's voice was shrill, frenetic.

"What the f -"

"Sally!"

"Sorry. Th - Mariemaia Kushrenada? Did you know about that?"

There was a loud bang on the other end of the line. A muttered, "God damn it. I'm going to kill that fucking bitch..." Then louder, "Yes, I found out from Cambridge about an hour ago or so ago. Same profile as the Gundam murders."

Sally cursed. "What is going on?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. You know what? On second thought, stay there. I want you to be there when Cambridge arrives. Have him contact me as soon as he gets there."

"Okay. But, General -"

"Where's Bensen? Is he there?"

A chill shot down Sally's spine at the mention of his name. "No. I guess he went back to Headquarters. One of the doctors told me. I uh -" Sally scratched her head. "I never saw him leave." 

"Fucking hell, that good for nothing - I'll never understand why Cambridge appointed him as Surgeon General."

Sally struggled for a response. "Yeah, well...he's a really good doctor," she finished lamely.

"Whatever. Between you and me, I think there's something wrong with the guy."

"You're not the only one," Sally muttered under her breath.

~ * ~

Chapter 11

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