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"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 17: June 23rd, AC 206, 8:47pmSally stood in front of a large window in the east wing of the hospital, a window that had yet to be barricaded. One didn't realize how many God-forsaken windows this building had until you had to board each and every one up. She was on the third floor, looking out at the horizon. The sky to the east, where Sanq resided, was an ominous black. It was so dark, it was almost green. It reminded Sally of the time she'd been in the United States for a medical conference. One that was located in the center of the country. She remembered a storm so terrifying, it had left her shaken for hours afterwards. Apparently, such things were common in that region of the world. Tornado Alley, it was dubbed. Something about the clash of cold air from the northern regions of Canada and warm, moist air from the Gulf Coast. She and her colleagues had taken refuge beneath a stair case on the lowest floor of the conference center, covering her head with her arms as the wind howled outside and blew pieces of debris against the building. It was eerily reminiscent of the shelter she'd taken from the earthquake just earlier that day. So far, most of the medical personnel had decided to cooperate with Cambridge's impromptu military takeover of the hospital. They went back to work, tending to their patients as best they could in the now cramped spaces they were allowed to be, trying their best to stay out of the soldiers' way. A few were still rebelling and were being contained in a room in the lower levels so as not to cause any inconveniences. Sally's heart sunk at the situation. She still didn't really understand what was going on. Cambridge was so busy, he scarcely had time to stand around and answer her questions, but she'd garnered enough to put two and two together, though her mind was still arguing with her about the impossible nature of what was occurring. She'd watched in horror as the telescreen in the employee break room aired footage from various media hovercraft as they swarmed around the western half of North America. She watched as thousands of miles of land broke into smaller pieces and disappeared beneath the Pacific, taking immeasurable amounts of lives with them. She'd been so in shock, she felt disconnected from the world around her. As a means of self-preservation perhaps, her consciousness faded to an almost otherworldly state, as the images of the unprecedented loss of lives played out before her eyes. In all her years of war, the atrocities she'd seen, nothing had been as terrible as what she'd witnessed just a few hours ago. In those moments, where time seemed to stand still, Cambridge had turned to her. A look of weary resignation in his eyes. Through her shock and fear, she'd heard him mutter three words that still echoed ominously in her ears. It has begun. It was something she didn't want to address, but she knew she had to. What? What had begun? A voice whispered in her head, familiar though she couldn't recall it in her currently chaotic mind. The beginning of the end. Cambridge had said the end of the world. But, could it be? And how would he even know? He hadn't gotten that far in his brief explanation, but she was determined to extract as much information as she could from the man as soon she saw him again. She'd lost sight of him a short while ago. But that was fine with her for now. She needed a breather. A little time to absorb what she'd learned so far. Try to rationalize it with a mind that still did not want to accept it. Was he right? Or was there a rational explanation to all this? Her experiences today were at war with a lifetime of scientific knowledge. Everything she thought she knew about the world had been turned onto its head and she didn't know which way was up anymore. Bensen. The name popped into her mind, unsolicited, and she shivered involuntarily. He had something to do with this. Cambridge had said as much. He'd made the connection between Bensen, OZ, and White Fang. Of course, it always came down to them. Treize, Quinze, and Barton were also at the forefront of this, but how? They'd been dead for the better part of ten years. Was Zechs involved, too? Was he also deceased? Where the hell was he anyway? She clenched her teeth in frustration. Too many questions, not enough answers. She squeezed her eyes shut, concentrating. Okay, what else had Cambridge said? Oh yes, he'd mentioned a prophecy, but he didn't tell her what it was about. Did he know? And what would any of this have to do with the end of the world? She blew out a harsh breath, agitated. No matter how many ways she tried to jam the puzzle pieces together, they just wouldn't fit. She jumped, startled, as the phone in her pocket tickled her backside. She stared at the dark sky though the window as she fished the buzzing device out. Finally. Maybe Une would have something for her. She flipped the receiver open and pressed it against her ear. "Po here." "Sally," Une's voice came through, laden with static. "What do you have for me?" "Well, I can tell you that Cambridge used to be in Dekim Barton's little club." There was a pause, the air between them thick with tension, then, "What?" Une's voice was quiet, controlled, but the outrage was there, simmering under the surface, waiting for the perfect moment to boil over. "Yeah," Sally sighed. "This was before the war, though. Several years at least. Apparently, he was drawn in by Barton's idealistic views of colony independence..." "Tch," Une tutted into her ear. "Of course he was," she muttered. "Is that all?" Sally laughed, though there was no humor in it. "No. It seems Barton, along with Quinze, and," Sally hesitated. This would not go over well. "Treize -" There was a hitch of breath as Une absorbed the information. "- Were involved in some weird...stuff..." "What kind of "stuff"?" "Okay, this is going to sound strange, but it was...cult type stuff, according to Cambridge." "Cult?" Une's voice was nonplussed, but there was an uncertain tinge to it that Sally wasn't familiar with. "Yes. Barton was certifiable...we already knew that, but..." Oh, how to say this. "He was much farther gone than any of us could have imagined. Barton was apparently convinced that the end of the world was coming. Cambridge also mentioned that Dr. Bensen was heavily involved during this time. Somehow, he managed to worm his way into this close-knit group, and he got Barton, Quinze, and probably Treize, to trust him. From what I gather, he told them some tall tales about prophecies, convinced them that certain things were going to happen. If what Cambridge says is true, Barton believed the Devil was coming to rule the earth. I think...somehow, Bensen convinced them." "How?" Une's voice was incredulous with disbelief. "I don't know," Sally admitted. She watched as the sky outside darkened, and it wasn't just because the sun was setting. "I still have more questions to ask him. He's been quite elusive despite the two of us occupying the same building." "Do you believe him?" Une asked. Sally had to think about it. "I...don't know," she said again. She looked around, took note of the passing soldiers and staff, and stepped into a nearby empty room. She closed the door and leaned against it. "I had an...experience...earlier, when Bensen was still here." Une waited in silence for her to continue. "I don't know if it was a dream, or some sort of episode...I've never experienced anything like it and I'm having a hard time coming to terms with it because it goes against everything I've ever believed, but it felt so real and -" "Sally, just get to the damn point," Une snapped. "Okay." Deep breath, Po. You can do this. "When I was talking to him, after the earthquake...everything seemed to fall away and it was just me and him in this...void. He turned into something that wasn't human. He shifted into what I can only describe as some kind of monster. He said things...terrifying things...He showed me," she remembered the visions of the Pilots' murders, "Things..." Sally flushed with embarrassment, feeling utterly silly, and thoroughly convinced that Une would now think she was nutters. Une was quiet a moment and Sally waited for the bark of laughter that was sure to follow. But, Une didn't laugh. "What did you see?" Sally swallowed down what felt like a ball of iron in her throat, squeezing tears back with clenched eyelids. "I saw the Pilots' murders. I saw...I don't know, but I saw shadows...that's all they were and I don't understand it, General, but they were shadows. The Pilots' were killed by shadows!" There was a few moments of silence and Sally half-expected Une to tell her to check herself into the hospital. Instead, she asked, "Do you think it was real?" "I'm not sure. It felt real. It felt very real." "Then it was real," was Une's decisive reply. Sally was taken aback. Une continued. "Sally, listen. I went over the security footage of the attack on ESUN. Bensen was there. He gave the order. I saw it. But, who attacked them is a little difficult to explain. While I could clearly see Bensen, the attackers themselves were also shadows. Four of them. They were vaguely human shaped, but there were no features I could discern and when I checked the satellite footage during the night of the Pilots' murders, they were killed simultaneously...I mean right down to the second. At the exact same time. I can't tell you how that's possible -" "But it would make sense if these things, whatever they are, are the culprit. They are not human. What are they anyway?" "Cambridge said something about demons when I spoke to him this morning," Une said. She laughed, derisively, without humor. "Christ, Sally, what is going on?" "Your guess is as good as mine, General." There was a sudden rush of static and the line cut out with a loud click. Sally glanced at her phone, then pressed it back against her ear. "General? Une, are you there?" The line was dead and Sally cursed, holding the phone up in an attempt to get the signal back, but it was lost, at least in the meantime. There was a deafening shattering of glass as the window exploded inwards and Sally crouched instinctively, arms coming up to protect her head. There was frantic squawking outside, so loud that Sally had to cover her ears as she chanced a glance through the now broken window. The dusky sky was nearly black with what looked like dozens of flocks of crows. Their cries hysterical, the way they had sounded that morning back at Preventer's, only on a much larger scale. She kept her hands over her ears as she watched the two that had broken the window twitch on the bleached, white tiles, before finally going still. There was shouting in the hallway accompanied by the pounding of boots. She yanked the door open to see more windows broken and soldiers and staff desperately trying to cover them with sheets of plywood to keep the frenzied birds from getting in, though a dozen, or so were scattered about on the floor already. She pulled the door shut and rushed forward to assist, pressing a sheet of plywood against a nearby window. She could feel the impacts of the delirious crows as their bodies smacked into the barricade and waited for the soldier to drill the screws into the window's frame. Heart pounding, Sally knew then that she had to face reality. Cambridge was right. He had to be. Now, you're getting it. The voice from earlier whispered in her head, sounding distinctly smug. This time she recognized it as the one and only Chang Wufei.
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