[Fic] Nada - ZERO
Title: Nada - ZERO
Night: 2 - Nun
Character: Howard
Notes: Hopefully it will be clear for whom this is.
Disclaimer: Standard
Nada - ZERO
by ArabianPrincess
"No, not this one," he muttered under his breath absentmindedly. "I need this one here, and that goes over there."
"What are you doing, Uncle?" queried the tiny voice from over his shoulder.
He didn't bother to look as he continued to work. "Just working," he replied vaguely. "Your mother will be upset to find you in the hangar, Hugo."
"It's okay," the boy assured as he climbed up the machine as easily as his father. In moments he was at Howard's side. "What are you working on?"
"Something that will change everything."
"How?"
"I'm not entirely sure just yet," Howard admitted, "but I know it'll change it somehow."
"Why?"
"Why do I know it? Or why do I want to change it?"
Hugo shrugged. "Both?"
"Have you ever heard of 'the butterfly effect,' Hugo?"
The boy shook his head.
"Well, the common misconception is what I'm working with here, you see. The commonly held belief is that you can go back into the past and change something to manipulate the future-or present as the case usually is."
"What's the real butterfly effect?"
"Nothing nearly as helpful," replied Howard.
"So you want to time travel," deduced Hugo.
"Just a little," grinned the old man.
"Why?"
For a long time, Howard remained quiet, working silently. Just when Hugo was about to return to his mother and to leave his uncle alone, Howard decided to answer. "Well, Hugo, not everyone is happy with his era."
"Dad says that's how it always is. He says people never get along, and they never will, and there's no sense in wasting your energy, trying to change that."
"He didn't used to be like that, Hugo. He at least used to try. Unfortunately, what he did was mostly waste his energy-at least to his eyes."
"So you're going to go into the past and tell him not to bother?" asked the boy.
Howard shook his head. "No, see, I think the world was better when he was trying-when more people tried."
"So you're going to tell him to try harder?"
"Do you remember what you were told about the Eve Wars?"
Hugo thought about it. "The Earth and the Colonies fought, but after some general died, the Earth and the Colonies decided to stop fighting."
"And a year later...?"
"Some little girl tried to take over, but Prime Minister Darlian stopped her."
"Well, those events went something like that." Howard gave the boy some small task to do as they talked. "I've thought about it long and hard, Hugo, my boy, and I've come to one conclusion: the Eve Wars should have never happened."
Hugo cocked his head to the side and regarded his uncle. "You want people to keep fighting?"
He smiled. "Not at all, but there are other implications, kid. Peace will find a way; it always does eventually." Of course the key word there was eventually. "I have weighed everything that has happened since the Eve Wars-things you are too young to understand-and I assure you that I have traced the roots to the Eve Wars, and I have deduced-scientifically, of course-that those events should have never taken place."
"So what will be different?"
"No one can say for certain."
"But what if it's not different, Uncle?"
Howard grunted.
"What about me?"
"What about you, Hugo?"
"Dad says that after the Eve Wars, he found Mom."
For a moment, Howard was silent. At length, he replied, "True love always finds a way, Hugo." He gave the lad a warm smile. "I wouldn't worry." Although mentally Howard was crossing his fingers, Hugo seemed mollified.
"So where's the time machine? Is it this mobile suit?"
"Not the whole mobile suit," corrected the old scientist. "You see, there's a system in here, called the ZERO System."
"Dad told me about that!" gasped Hugo in wonder.
"I'm sure he did." Howard adjusted one other module. "ZERO is very complex, Hugo. I'm not entirely certain even its creators know all its secrets."
"How is that possible?" questioned the lad with a quizzical expression. "Dad knows everything about his inventions."
"As great as those are, kid, his inventions aren't as complex as ZERO, which seems to have taken on a life of its own. Still, there are many riddles known only to the creators of the System: such as how ZERO shows someone his own future."
"Dad's friend said it's from math and science and calculating odds and risks. He says it takes more than long division, though."
Howard laughed. "Yes, it does use math more difficult than long division." He grinned at the boy and gave him a peppermint. "The man's just partially correct, though."
The man frowned. "Uncle Howard...."
"Yes?"
"Are you saying that...?"
"Am I saying what?"
"Are you saying that the ZERO time travels?!"
Howard just gave the lad a conspiratorial smirk and wink.
"Uncle Howard!"
"Shh!"
"Huuugo!" called the boy's mother from outside the hangar. "Hugo! Time for lunch!"
"You better run before your mother catches you in here," warned Howard.
"But Uncle Howard!"
"Run along," urged Howard. "This won't be ready to do anything any time soon. We'll talk after dinner." With that, the boy reluctantly climbed down off the machinery and ran out of the hangar.
"Hugo!" whispered Howard as he shook the boy in his bed. "Hugo! Wake up!"
Groggily, the boy sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Wha-?"
"Come! It's time!"
Hugo shot out of bed and ran out to the hangar. Once Howard joined him, the boy started to hop excitedly. "Why are we doing this at night?"
"Less people to interfere with us," explained Howard.
"Who would interfere?"
"You don't need to worry about it," assured the scientist. "Now, I have the controls right here. Oh, stand a little to the left, Hugo. That's a boy. Now, we'll be heading back to just before the Eve Wars."
"What are we going to do?"
"You just do as I say."
"Okay!"
"Ready?"
"Ready!"
Howard's fingers danced over the controls, doing complicated maneuvers that Hugo could barely keep track of. Eventually they stopped for the all important: hitting of the "start" button. "Here we go," Howard stated, and then he ceremoniously hit the button. Hugo bounced in anticipation as the machine housing the ZERO System whirled to life, but it quickly died, and Hugo's face fell.
"What happened?"
"I don't know," Howard admitted and walked over to machine. After a few minutes of inspecting various parts, he proceeded to kick the device.
"Uncle Howard?"
"Nothing's happened!"
"Uncle Howard!"
"What?!"
"It's glowing!"
Howard frowned and looked over. Yes, the device was indeed glowing. Was it supposed to do that? "Hugo! Run!"
"Uncle Howard!" screamed Hugo. The glowing became too bright, and the boy had to look away. There was a bang, and suddenly, Uncle Howard was gone. Hugo ran to where everything used to be, but everything was gone. "Uncle Howard?" He was gone, and nothing had changed.
Nothing had happened.