Gundam Wing: The First Chapter Part 6
Night had fallen over the school where Heero and Duo had been hiding. Talk between the students and administrators over the mysterious explosion that had destroyed the large carrier had died two days after the incident since there were no leads to what or who was responsible. 'An unfortunate accident' is what it was labeled as by the heads of the high school by means of preventing any panic amongst their student body. Two of those students knew otherwise.
Late at night, two nights after their attack on the ported ship, Duo was lying comfortably in his bed. His hair was pulled back in the same ponytail he wore every night with a rubber band wrapped at the base of his head. Curled in his blankets, the Gundam pilot signed softly in his slumber when a small sound broke through his dreams... It sounded like a frightened whimper. His violet eyes snapped open as he sat up quickly, turning his head and body to face Heero's bed. Duo watched with wide eyes as the Wing pilot tossed and turned, his own blankets kicked off of the mattress and onto the floor in a heap. Heero was panting heavily with sweat drenching his face as another whimper left him and his eyes squeezed tightly shut.
Tossing his blankets off, Duo jumped from his bed and quickly knelt beside his friend's bed as he watched in concern. Hovering over the shaking form of the Japanese pilot, he called gently, "Heero."
Rolling onto his back with a terrified cry, Heero whispered brokenly through his sleep, "I'm so sorry... I didn't know..."
Duo grabbed onto his shoulder tightly as he shouted, "HEERO!!! SNAP OUT OF IT!!!" With a sharp gasp, the Wing pilot's cobalt eyes flew wide open as he panted heavily. As his vision adjusted in the moonlight, he gazed up into concerned violet as Duo looked down on him, lips parted and a worried look on the other pilot's face. Taking a shuddery breath, he whispered softly, "It's all right, Heero. It's me."
Swallowing hard through his pants, Heero's shaky voice asked brokenly, "D-Duo?" The American gave a small but relieved smile nodding gently and causing some of his loose chestnut hair falling over his right shoulder. Sitting up slowly, the Japanese boy propped himself on his elbows as his breathing calmed.
Sitting back on his heels, Duo frowned in worry as he asked soothingly, "Are you all right? I came as soon as I heard. That must have been one hell of a nightmare if it had you scared like that." The other boy didn't trust his voice; he just closed his eyes with a shuddering breath and nodded shallowly. Taking a moment to consider his friend's pleading words, as he was lost in his dream, Duo considered what Heero could possibly have been so sorry for. Realization hit him quickly as his eyes widened and his jaw fell slack. "It was Noventa, wasn't it? You were dreaming of our attack on New Edwards..." Duo's voice trailed off as it hitched in his throat. Another shallow nod. The longhaired boy whispered sadly, "Oh, Heero..."
Heero's right hand trembled as he brought it up to wipe some of the sweat from his brow as he rested it against the side of his face. With his eyes still closed, he whispered faintly, "I saw it happening all over again." The mattress beneath him shifted as a new weight was added. Opening his eyes, he found Duo's back facing him as the American reached over to the small desk that fell between their beds.
Taking hold of the ceramic house that he had given Heero, Duo said softly, "You're right to call me a baka all the time." Lowering his hand to his side, the Japanese pilot's cobalt eyes blinked in confusion. Holding the small trinket with both hands in his lap, the American gazed down on it as he whispered sadly, "All this time, I should have known that what happened back there left more of an impact on you than you let on."
Duo turned his head back to meet Heero's eyes as he said quietly, "Heero, what happened back there wasn't your fault." The Wing pilot's lips parted as if to say something as his deep blue eyes filled with uncertainty at the other's words. With a reassuring smile, Duo continued, "Not one of us knew that OZ had a trip like that up their sleeves waiting for us. If you didn't take out that plane, I would have done it. You were only acting the way you were taught... to see a mission through without any hesitation or remorse. OZ knew that we wouldn't leave without taking that plane down. And they used that to their advantage." Resting a hand over one of Heero's tanned fists, he rubbed it tenderly as he begged gently, "Please don't blame yourself for something that you had no control over." He turned back to the small cottage and began turning the gold key in its base as Heero watched with soft and confused eyes as he processed Duo's words.
Once the key was turned as far as it would go Duo released it as the calm, lovely melody began to fill the room. The longhaired pilot turned back to his friend and wrapped his arms around his neck before the other could react. Heero's cobalt eyes widened as he froze at the contact. Before he could say anything, Duo gently lowered him onto his back, still holding onto him. They laid next to each other, the American smiling warmly at Heero as he embraced him and soothed, "You're not the soldier that everyone makes you out to be, Heero."
Eyes locked with that warm pair of violet, the Japanese boy asked quietly, "How can you be so sure?"
The smile on Duo's lips grew slightly as he chuckled gently before answering, "In all honesty, I don't have a direct answer. It's just a feeling that I have, nothing that can be described perfectly." Nuzzling close to his friend, he closed his eyes and whispered, "I'm not giving up on you, either." Heero's eyes widened at that statement. The beautiful song continued to play and ease the Wing pilot's fears as he listened to that and the soft breathing of the boy holding him. After the brief pause, Duo's eyes opened as he said faintly, "Friends don't give up on each other... no matter what." He reached down and took hold of one of the warm, white bed sheets as he pulled it over their bodies just past their waists. Lying down fully, he wrapped his arms back around Heero as their eyes locked again.
"You're so determined to be my friend..." Heero said quietly as he gazed into that warm violet stare. It was meant to be a question, but there wasn't really a doubt in his mind what the answer would have been if it was left that way.
Duo smiled warmly and nodded. "Like I said before," he whispered, "I like you." Heero didn't know how to respond and he turned his gaze to the ceiling. Without turning his head, the other pilot's eyes went up as well as he told his friend quietly, "I know that our chances of surviving this war are slim to none. But even if we don't make it through, I just want you to know that it's been a pleasure knowing you, Heero." Quietly, he yawned, "Good night."
Heero turned his head to find that Duo's eyes had already closed. The longhaired pilot's chest rose and fell evenly as warm breath escaped him and a small smile remained on his lips. Duo had one of his arms folded under the Japanese boy's back as the other fell over his collarbone protectively. Taking a soft deep breath, Heero wrapped his own arms loosely around Duo's waist as the sleeping pilot snuggled closer. The soft melody continued to play its soothing tune as they lay there. As he watched Duo sleep, Heero gave the smallest of smiles as he whispered faintly, "Good night, Duo." His cobalt eyes closed slowly as he relaxed completely in Duo's arms, falling into a peaceful sleep.
* * * * * *
Knowing that it wouldn't be long before they would be sent another mission, Heero began packing some of his belongings into a large backpack the following afternoon. Dressed in his school uniform, he cleared out the last of his drawers and began folding his clothes. Since he never traveled with much, the bag was more than enough to fit all of his things. With no telling how long it would be before they would be called away, they both chose to continue with their identities as students until the end. Duo already had finished taking all of his things from the room and was attending one of his last classes for the day. After putting everything away and zippering the backpack closed, Heero set it next to his desk where his laptop waited.
Turning back, his deep blue eyes fell on the ceramic house that Duo had given him as it lay just where it was before, on the table between their beds. Walking over towards it, Heero took the trinket into his hands and gazed upon it with a small smile. He brought it back to where he set his bag and carefully slipped it inside, wrapping some of his clothes around the porcelain for protection. Once he secured his gift, Heero zipped the pack closed again.
It was later that evening, as Heero typed in the dark and empty dorm room when the expected finally happened. A signal was interrupting the message and his cobalt eyes widened slightly as he whispered, "Huh?" Through the text he was reading, a metal claw suddenly appeared and clicked closed several times. Able to make out that claw anywhere, the Wing pilot's voice was filled with anticipation as he called, "Doctor J." The old man's image appeared behind the claw with a small smile.
Towards the end of Doctor J's message relation to Heero's next mission, the images of OZ's Taurus suits were displayed on the laptop as the old man's voice explained, "If the command to kill overrides the pilot, the consequences could be significant." The doctor appeared on the screen again as he said, "Destroy it, otherwise, it will be a menace to mankind." At those words, the screen went blank.
"Mission accepted," Heero said to the dark screen just as the door to the room began to open. Turning quickly with a threatening glare, he called, "Who's there?"
Through the light from his hallway, he met Duo's gaze as the braided pilot peeked in through the red, cracked door. Dressed in his priest outfit once again and a small frown on his face, the American said quietly, "I came to say goodbye. I have a bad feeling about this one." Opening the door fully, Duo crossed his arms and leaned his back against the doorframe as his eyes closed and he said, "OZ's transport plan is good. From what I can gather, they're going to be taking two routes, by air and by land." Pausing hesitantly, he asked, "Heero, could you take the air route? I'll fight them on the ground."
With that, Duo turned and began to walk off down the hall. Turning back once to meet those cobalt eyes of his friend, he concluded, "We'll lose unless we have our own plan this time." Heero never replied with words, as he remained in his chair, determination in his deep blue eyes.
* * * * * *
Just hours later, Duo was closely watching his monitors within Deathscythe as he studied the different train routes that OZ had power over. A high-speed train began darting down one of the tracks. Narrowing his eyes, he growled deeply and pushed forward on his controls as he flew his Gundam overhead. Once he was over the train at a safe height, Duo quickly punched several scans to see what was stored within the compartments. "Damn it," he hissed bitterly, his eyes thin as he gripped his hand bars tightly. "They're only carrying. This was a decoy all along."
The sound of heavy gunfire several miles ahead went through his monitors as he looked up to another screen. He zoomed in on an attack taking place between several OZ mobile suits and an army of brown and gold suits that Duo had never seen before. It wasn't long before he recognized the white Gundam with curved blades that had appeared at New Edwards. The strange Gundam made its way towards the tracks before him and raised its large blades to cut them down as the train sped close. Suddenly, a hatch from the train opened as it fired upon the large suit, bringing it to crack headfirst onto the tracks.
Gasping sharply to himself with wide eyes, Duo quickly composed himself as he narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth while he pushed forward at great speed. Locking Deathscythe's arms around the side of the train once he was close enough, the braided pilot shouted, "You wish!" Pulling back on his controls as hard as he could, he growled loudly as the suit arched back and took the train from the rails. With a loud crash, the train skidded on its side along the ground as it broke apart with several of its massive carts falling over a high ledge of earth.
Once the train came to a complete stop, Duo brought Deathscythe to its feet as he removed the rubble that had been covering him. Turning his Gundam's head towards the white suit, he asked gently, "Hey... You okay?"
The blonde pilot of the other suit smiled sincerely, "Yea. I'm fine. Glad you came."
Solemnly, Duo replied, "Sure. But this is the decoy route."
"WHAT!?" the other boy yelled. Just then, Leo suits began to pour from those carts that remained intact after the crash from the train's rubble as they opened fire on the Gundams.
Replying with his own attacks, Duo cut through a good number of soldiers with a few swipes from his thermal scythe as he fell upon them. Gazing at his monitors to survey the area as the fight continued, he said quietly, "I hope you're having better luck wherever you are, Heero."
* * * * * *
Firing upon a handful of soldiers with his Buster Rifle just after landing at his own battlefield, Heero turned within his cockpit as his monitors began to blink red with a series of beeps, signaling that something was coming. Watching his screen, the Japanese pilot asked himself quietly, "That an Aires?" Quickly, he noted, "No. It's bigger." Zooming in on the approaching white suit, he could already see that it was as large as Wing.
Reading the reports from the scan, he said quietly, "Data checked... No match to any OZ weapon?" The other suit was approaching fast as Heero aimed his Buster Rifle for his target. Just as he fired, he watched as the pilot maneuvered himself to fly overhead to avoid the blast just in time. Gazing up and watching the white suit as he soared over a mile above him, the Japanese pilot could only tell himself in slight awe, "He's fast." Just then, a golden beam fell upon him as the OZ suit fired upon him. Gripping his controls tightly with his eyes squeezed closed and his teeth gritted, Heero growled deeply as he took in the painful jolt.
The OZ suit descended from the sky before Heero as the pilot within coaxed, "That's enough, Gundam Zero One. We should have no need for beam rifles or cannons between us."
* * * * * *
Several minutes later, the fourth of the pilots striking OZ gazed at his screen. His brown hair came down to cover half of his face as one green eye followed the sword fight taking place between the Gundam he had come across at New Edwards and what could only be OZ's latest weapon. Narrowing his own eyes slightly, he told himself, "My mission is to destroy the Taurus. I'm checking out." At this, he turned towards the OZ mobile suits firing upon him as he unleashed a wave of bullets from his Gundam.
* * * * * *
The battle raged on in two fronts. While they were greatly outnumbered, the four Gundam pilots were holding more than just their ground as they battled savagely to carry out their mission. Finally, just as they were beginning to break through OZ's defenses, something happened that changed all of that, bringing the attack on both fields to a sudden halt.
Over their monitors, the four boys heard a woman's voice announce firmly, "Calling all Gundam pilots. We are now positioned to stage an all out missile attack on the Colonies" At this, the young men froze as they listened closely, their eyes wide and unable to breathe as even their hearts refused to beat. The woman's voice continued, "We have seized all missile satellites from the former Alliance." Her smirk could be heard over the transmitted as she said smoothly, "It's reasonable to say that we control the destiny of all Colonies." To confirm their worst fears, she stated, "This isn't a bluff. I demand all pilots to surrender at once and hand over your Gundams."
"They've targeted the Colonies!" the blonde Arabian yelled as he removed his goggles from his head with wide, frightened eyes.
Duo's skin was a shade paler after the announcement as he shouted, "And hand over our Gundams!?"
From within his cockpit, the European pilot's face remained calm but threatening as he said quietly, "Sounds like OZ's tricks."
There was a long pause where there was no communication between any of the pilots and no attack between anyone had been attempted with the exception of a brief skirmish between the white OZ suit and Wing initiated by the former. The Gundam pilots simply would not risk the Colonies. Even still, they made no move to surrender as they remained within their suits, watching their comrades in their monitors for any change.
Suddenly, all of their screens were filled with static followed by the image of an old man with thick, dark glasses and dressed in a white coat. While his eyes could not be made out, the anger that seeped from him as he gazed forward and announced bitterly, "Attention OZ. I never would have imagined that you people could be so incredibly foolish! The space Colonies have no intention of fighting OZ! This is my personal battle that I am staging against you!"
Heero's eyes saddened slightly as he said quietly, "Doctor J..."
Duo gazed at the old man on his screen with a confused look as he asked, "Who's this guy?"
The blonde pilot answered, "The person who's been sending orders, to someone amongst us five."
It was at that moment that Duo recalled hearing the man's voice before. Just before opening the door to the dorm that he and Heero shared before they parted, the braided pilot recalled catching the end of what he imagined must have been the relaying of Heero's next mission. His violet eyes widened with a sharp gasp as his skin paled as he whispered, "Heero..." With the sound of his blood pulsing in his own ears, Duo could barely make out what the old man was saying at that point... until he heard what he dreaded.
Doctor J remained firm and calm as he ended his speech by stating, "I have no choice but to surrender." After a brief pause, the cockpit to Wing opened as Heero stepped onto the platform, a gentle breeze blowing through his unruly hair, as he stood tall, and his strong determination ever present in his face and eyes. Duo's heart leapt into his throat and he bit his lip with a small whimper as he watched his friend closely. His violet eyes were wide as he clenched his fists tightly in his lap.
Quietly, the OZ pilot said to himself, "A boy... The Gundam pilot is nothing more than a mere boy?"
The old man's voice broke through the silence as he declared firmly, "I surrender, but I will not hand over the Gundams. I repeat! I surrender, but I will not hand over the Gundams!" Duo remained frozen, unable to tear his eyes from the screen, from his friend, forgetting to breathe.
Heero's stern face never changed as he raised the detonator to his suit just before his face as he stated, "Mission accepted." Without any further words or hesitance, he pressed the detonator. A red glow coursed through Wing's outlines and the Japanese pilot never flinched as the Gundam exploded before everyone's eyes. The head of the suit was completely gone as the hollow remains fell forward to land on what was left of its knees before collapsing onto its stomach.
Crying out as he was thrown through the air, Heero fell lifelessly while debris and shrapnel from his suit rained from the skies with him. Gazing up to the night sky, a flash of Duo came before his eyes. The American was dressed in his white night shirt and striped boxers with his long hair pulled back in a ponytail that fell over his shoulder. His violet eyes gazed down at the Japanese boy with concern and fear in them as he frowned in worry. One more flash of Duo filled his vision, this one of Duo in his priest outfit, his eyes as bright and cheerful as his smile as he turned to the Wing pilot and winked.
"Duo," Heero whispered faintly, almost sadly. Reaching up as if to touch the other boy once more, he frowned in loss as he said softly, "I wish I had said goodbye before... Take care... my friend." Lowering his arm, the last thing Heero saw was the braided pilot just before world fell into blackness as he collided violently with the earth. The back of his head hit the ground first as his body rolled back a few feet as if there were no bones within.
Duo's eyes widened as far as they could as they watched the whole thing take place in slow motion, unable to do anything to stop it. When Heero's body finally came to a halt, lying on its back with his cobalt eyes wide open to the skies and blood pooling around his head, everything shut down for the braided pilot. He gazed as if in a trance at the sight of his friend lying there, unmoving. After a long pause, he took a shuddery breath and whispered brokenly, "T-this can't be happening..." Lifting a trembling hand to his monitor, he touched the cool screen over the image of his friend's right cheek as he whispered breathlessly, "He-Heero..."
The picture never changed. Heero remained still and bleeding terribly and there was nothing that would change that. Heero was dead. Nothing was more final than that.
Suddenly, Duo's head began to spin as he doubled over with a choked gag as he covered his mouth and desperately fought back the urge to throw up that hit him. Panting heavily with sweat rolling from his brow, he struggled to sit up, only to remain hunched over as he tried to compose himself. Hurling a tight fist into his controls at great force, he shouted bitterly as he squeezed his eyes closed, "Those bastards!" Trembling, he clawed hands into his controls whispered, "Damn it, Heero, why did you have to be so willing to obey orders?" After a moment to stop the shaking, the braided pilot sat up slowly with his head lowered. Smiling sadly, he said faintly, "Do me a favor and keep an eye on me from time to time. Sleep well, my friend."
Sitting forward in his own cockpit as he watched the forth Gundam lifting Heero's body, the Arabian pilot called, "Trowa? Is that you?"
The tall pilot replied, "Without resolutions, we cannot fight." Gazing down at the body in his suit's right fist, he frowned and said quietly, "He's accepted all orders."
Duo's eyes narrowed as he said hissed, "Because they bluffed with the Colonies." Lowering his head, he growled, "Damn!"
"We can't fight any longer," the blonde pilot said quietly. As the OZ mobile suits opened fire on Deathscythe and Sand Rock again, the boys within pulled back as their suits fell from the battlefield.
As he gazed at the white suit that had been battling Wing, the last of the four pilots remained still. Finally, the OZ pilot said, "Hurry and move out. I won't attack you in a position like this." The Gundam bearing Heero's body turned and walked off with the other watching, true to his word in never striking against him. After a few moments, the white suit also walked off in the opposite direction.
The battlefield remained abandoned and quiet as the gentle breeze was the only sound for miles. Where the remains of Wing lay, spread and scattered, a small, ceramic house without its roof lying within one of the many craters left behind.
TBC...
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