Gundam Wing:
Is There No Escape from War?
Chapter 1: One Year Later
After Colony 203: After the dust had settled on their return, the pilots enjoyed a year of peace. Fear of the pilots' mysterious return quickly silenced any considerations terrorist organizations had about taking control of the ESUN. The Gundams were kept in an underground facility built beneath the ruins of the former Sanc Kingdom castle at the request of the other ESUN politicians, to keep the pilots from using them for 'reckless purposes', despite insistence from the pilots they would do nothing with the Gundams aside from their assigned purposes. Relena dismissed the old ambassadors after it was discovered they had planned to have her assassinated. How they discovered the assassination plot was never revealed, but rumours claimed that it was an inside tip from an unnamed assassin-for-hire that prevented it. Working on getting acquainted with the ambassadors that had replaced them meant that travelling to the colonies was almost impossible. With their normal lives to keep them busy, and Relena barely needing their services, the pilots rarely saw each other. However, that was quickly about to change as rumours of a threat to the ESUN and Relena began to slowly make their way around thanks to the people of the Earth Sphere…
Quatre sighed as he sat at his home desk, which was just as bogged down with papers and files as his office desk was.
"I must admit, this was one thing I didn't miss in that other universe…" He muttered to himself as he finished signing an acquisition form for supplies for an upcoming project.
Rashid chuckled in amusement as he stood, unnoticed by Quatre, in front of a bookshelf.
Quatre jumped in surprise, grabbing onto the desk to prevent himself from slipping off the chair. "I'm sorry; I didn't know you were there, Rashid."
Rashid made a dismissive gesture as he passed Quatre some more papers. "These are courtesy of an old friend." He explained when Quatre looked at him questioningly. "He's downstairs organizing the shipment right now."
Quatre smiled as he quickly signed all the papers that Rashid had handed him. "It's been a while. I specifically ordered from them hoping he'd personally make the delivery."
Rashid chuckled as Quatre rushed from the office and snuck quietly down the mansion's main staircase.
A man with a long braid wearing a long trench coat stood staring at a painting in the entrance hall with his arms resting loosely on his head.
Quatre slapped the papers into his hands with a grin.
Duo glanced back at him wearing a similar grin. "I had a feeling you'd rush these." He said as he waved the papers.
"It's been almost five months since our last mission, I was eager to see a friendly face again."
Duo nodded in agreement. "Hey Rashid, I'm sorry to ask you this, but could you take these out to Joey? He's the one in charge of the shipment; I just hitched a ride with them once I learned where it was going."
Rashid chuckled as he took the papers from Duo. "Of course… I'll go check to see if the other one has arrived." He said, nodding to the two younger men before exiting the mansion.
"Hey, what does Rashid mean by the other one?" Duo questioned as he followed Quatre into a living room.
Quatre smiled mysteriously and refused to answer his question, even as Duo began pestering him for information. Quatre finally managed to silence Duo by offering him a drink.
Rashid sighed as he entered the living room where Duo and Quatre were reminiscing about their time in the C.E. universe.
"Is he here?" Quatre questioned.
Rashid nodded. "I ran into him when I was giving those papers to that Sweeper guy. By the way, he says thanks for delegating all of your work onto him, jackass."
Duo shrugged casually in response as Trowa walked up behind Rashid, patting the older man on the shoulder in thanks before going over to greet Duo and Quatre.
He threw a leather coat with fur lining over his shoulder as he looked down at the other two men. "So you're still causing trouble for the Sweepers?" He asked Duo, who shrugged again in response, this time with an amused grin.
"I'm glad you could make it Trowa." Quatre said as he shook Trowa's hand.
"I must admit that your timing was perfect. The circus is on hold because one of the elephants is too far along in her pregnancy to safely travel. So we all have some free time until she's given birth."
"Hah. Knowing you, you'd find some excuse to come for a visit anyways." Duo said dismissively as Trowa shook his hand.
Trowa chuckled. "That's probably true." He admitted as he took the drink that Quatre was silently offering him with a grateful nod.
"I'll leave you three alone. I've gotta go and make sure this shipment makes it to the right project." Rashid said.
Quatre nodded. "Just be on the lookout for Yaturi's men, he's made some veiled threats recently and I'm concerned he's planning to finally come after us."
Rashid nodded in grim understanding before leaving.
"Who's Yaturi?" Duo questioned as both men looked at Quatre curiously.
"He's a jackass." Quatre said absently, causing his friends to stare at him in shock before he blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry about that…" He said weakly.
"Man, it takes a lot to piss you off… what has this Yaturi guy done to you?" Duo asked as Quatre sat down with a sigh.
"Heiran Yaturi is a devious man. I've rarely met him in person, but I've had some dealings with his company. They're the second largest corporation in the colonies, and we've been forced to deal with them a few times as the Winner Corporation has begun expanding into other fields of business. They've brought down a lot of smaller businesses by using some very underhanded schemes, but they've rarely come after the Winner Corporation because of our size and standing in the Earth Sphere, although I have a feeling my status as a pilot may help us too."
"I'm guessing he's really good at covering his tracks?" Trowa asked grimly, knowing that would be the only way they would get away with anything underhanded without the ESUN cracking down on him.
Quatre simply nodded before sighing. "Come on; let's go out to the garden. I've got some bad things to tell you and I'd prefer to say them in a nice setting…" He said grimly as he led his friends out of the living room, grabbing his winter coat as they went.
Duo and Trowa sat in the centre of the garden; staring around at how beautiful it was with the snow and ice glistening off of the trees and ground plants around them as Quatre stood nervously nearby.
He didn't really want to tell them what he needed to tell them.
"It's a bit chilly out here, so what are these bad things you have to tell us?" Duo asked finally.
Trowa sighed. "It wouldn't have anything to do with the rumours I've heard, would it?"
"So you've heard them too?" Quatre asked worriedly.
Trowa nodded. "That's initially why I chose the circus. You get to hear a lot of rumours from the patrons."
"I guess I'm the only one in the dark, then." Duo said with grim amusement.
Quatre glanced at him in surprise. "I'm amazed the Sweepers haven't kept you informed."
Duo made a dismissive gesture. "They rarely pay attention to anything except their jobs, even if Howard's tried to get them to keep their ears open for bad signs. So what are these rumours you two have been hearing?"
Trowa and Quatre glanced at each other worriedly before Trowa motioned for Quatre to explain.
Quatre sighed in defeat, knowing that Trowa would rather leave it to him. "There have been some rumours going around that could be considered a threat to the ESUN. I've already sent in a warning to Milliardo about them, and I know he's taking the rumours seriously…"
Trowa smirked. "I'm not surprised we both decided to let them know about the rumours. Hopefully that will make them realize how serious the situation is, since two pilots sent in a warning…"
Duo tensed as Quatre launched into an explanation of the rumours.
Trowa only partially listened since he already knew the rumours, which went like this: the ESUN's top officials were going to be the target of an act similar to Mariemaia's attack at the end of the Eve Wars. However, the rumours were constantly contradicting each other, so neither of the pilots could be certain about what was fact and what was fiction. All they could do was wait to see what the Defence Council would do in response to the rumours.
Duo shook his head when Quatre finished. "So we can expect to go back into full service soon, eh?"
Quatre and Trowa nodded.
"Do you think Heero and Wufei are aware of these rumours?" Duo finally asked.
"Heero would be definitely. Wufei would probably know too." Quatre said, getting a nod from Trowa.
"I've been able to keep track of everyone but Heero's whereabouts these past five months… it's odd… almost like he dropped off the face of the Earth Sphere…" Trowa said in concern.
"He's fine. You know he'll show up when he's needed." Duo said dismissively as he glanced up at the artificial sky of the colony.
"Well, can we get off this depressing topic? I know we'll be hearing more about it in the future. Why don't we go back inside and talk catch up? We haven't seen each other in five months, so it's been a bit lonely." Duo and Trowa nodded in agreement, grateful for both the warmth of the interior and the more friendly conversation.
Duo's prediction about Heero showing up whenever he was needed turned out to be accurate as he suddenly appeared at the ESUN headquarters in the Sanc Kingdom on Earth, wearing his denim jacket and leather gloves, indicating it was winter in the Sanc Kingdom as well.
Noin blinked in surprise as she noticed him looking around cautiously. "Hey, it's been a while." She said as she approached him.
"Where are Relena and Milliardo?" He asked quietly.
She sighed as she motioned for him to walk with her. "They're currently deliberating over the fate of the Tallgeese III. She's finally had time to think about what to do with it now that the more important matters have been dealt with."
"I hope she decides to keep it active…" He said grimly.
She frowned. "So you know about those rumours too, hm?"
"It's hard not to. They're especially common in space. I think that's where they originated, and where the threat may lie. I hate admitting it, but that is usually where trouble seems to originate…"
Noin nodded in agreement. "Considering that's where you five came from, I can wholeheartedly agree with those sentiments." She said with a grin as she went down a different hallway, forcing Heero to change direction to keep up with her.
"Let me guess why you're here: you want authorization to enter the Gundam's hangar, right?"
Heero nodded simply.
"It's rare to see you doing things formally." She said wryly as she looked at him.
Heero frowned in annoyance.
She chuckled at his annoyed expression. "Wait here, I'll go find them and get permission for you." She said, patting him quickly on the shoulder before walking away.
Heero frowned at her as she left, but said nothing as he leaned against the wall to wait for her return.
Relena sighed sadly as she stared up at the silent machine that was the Tallgeese III.
"You know the rumours, Relena. I relayed both Quatre and Trowa's messages to you almost as soon as I received them." Milliardo said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I know, but with the NJDs completed…" Hesitation was strong in her voice as she looked at him uncertainly.
"My instincts tell me that something is on the verge of happening… the Tallgeese III could be our only trump card if that should be the case."
"Your soldier's instincts aren't the only ones going off the deep end." Noin's voice echoed in the nearly empty space, causing both of them to jump in surprise.
Milliardo had his hand on his gun instinctively. "Noin!" Milliardo snapped as she chuckled in amusement.
"Sorry, I couldn't help it."
"What do you mean by that, Noin?" Relena asked in concern once she was able to calm herself down.
"Heero's here. He wants authorization to access the Gundam hangar. I think he's willing to be that mobile surveillance you were considering a few days ago…"
Milliardo frowned in concern at the unusual behaviour Heero was exhibiting.
"I'm fairly certain that I saw Wufei talking with Sally too. Two pilots at ESUN headquarters without being requested should be taken as a warning sign of things to come."
"Not to mention both Quatre and Trowa's warnings last month…" Milliardo growled warily.
Relena glanced between the two ex-soldiers in concern before sighing. "Give Heero access to the Wing Zero…" She said reluctantly before glancing at Milliardo. "As for the Tallgeese III, I don't want to be caught off guard for any reason, so consider yourself and the Tallgeese III on active duty as of this moment on."
He nodded in gratitude before glancing at Noin as she awaited his decision.
As a safety precaution requested by the other officials, both Relena and Milliardo had to acknowledge the authorization decision before any of the Gundam pilots were allowed to access their Gundams outside of a designated mission.
"Give Heero access to the Wing Zero… but remember to place restrictions on him… you know which ones."
Noin blinked in surprise before nodding. "Understood…" She said as she saluted them. "It's good to have the Tallgeese III back in action." She added quickly before leaving.
Relena shook her head. "I just hope we're making the right decision…"
Milliardo put a reassuring hand on her shoulder as they walked away from the Tallgeese III.
Meanwhile, Wufei and Sally were walking along the corridors in a different part of the building, close to where Relena and Milliardo were, also discussing the rumours.
"Do you honestly think they hold any weight?" Sally asked in concern, even though she already knew what his answer would be.
"Normally, I wouldn't care about rumours, but in this case, I think you should look into it. Something about these rumours seems different than the rumours I've heard in the past…" Wufei answered with a thoughtful frown, surprising Sally enough that she stopped, forcing him to stop as well.
"What do you mean?"
He closed his eyes for a few moments before reopening them with a grim expression. "The ones I usually hear, and dismiss, are the ones that are mostly consistent… but this one is too scattered with only a few points of consistency…" He frowned as he fell into silence.
"Normally that'd indicate a fake rumour, what makes this one so different?" Sally asked worriedly.
"Normally, I'd agree with you… but there's just something about the way this rumour feels… it feels purposely scattered, like somebody planted several versions of a rumour and let them go."
Sally frowned. "Well, I have never heard them personally, just the warnings that Trowa and Quatre have sent us. They probably feel the same way about the rumours that you do, that's probably why they warned us."
"The problem is if that's the case, then it's probably a false trail."
Sally nodded in agreement. "We've been thinking about that too. However, we don't have much to go on but what all of you have given us, so we need to look in the direction of the rumours."
Wufei folded his arms and nodded grimly. "Of course, that's why you have us… we can hunt down the source of these rumours."
Sally smiled gratefully as they resumed walking.
Noin paused as she noticed them while she was heading back to inform Heero about Relena and Milliardo's decision.
"Hey you two." She said as she fell into step with her fellow ex-Preventers.
"What brings you to this area? Were you looking for me?" Sally asked in concern, especially considering the conversation she had just been having.
"Not really, I had just been to see Milliardo and Relena to check on Tallgeese III's sentence."
"She's releasing it, isn't she?" Wufei asked warily and a subtle sigh of relief escaped the grim pilot when Noin nodded that went completely unnoticed by the two women.
"By the way, the Wing Zero will be operational too."
"What?" Wufei snapped at her idle comment, making both women jump and once again, they stopped.
"Heero's here too… he requested access to the Wing Zero and they just approved it. I was just on my way to inform him." Noin explained casually.
Wufei scowled as he resumed walking.
"What's wrong?" Sally asked in concern as they followed him.
"It's nothing; I just wasn't expecting him to have moved so quickly… or so openly. If he moved, I would have expected him to begin hacking the Earth Sphere's networks to try and find a hint about who the source of the rumours is."
"Perhaps his open actions are meant as a diversion… maybe he wants you guys to do the undercover stuff this time." Sally suggested half-heartedly.
Wufei remained silent as they reached an intersecting hallway and Noin departed in hopes that Heero had remained where she had asked him to stay.
An attempt to change the subject on Sally's part got Wufei talking again, but it was sparse and it seemed as though the pilot was only half-listening.
Less than an hour later saw Heero walking into the snow-covered ruins of the Sanc Kingdom castle as he paused and looked around for a few moments.
Anything that had survived the fires that had destroyed most of the castle was long gone, salvaged by the ESUN after it was founded and split between Milliardo and Relena or put into a museum for future generations to see.
He searched around the empty ruins for a few moments before shifting some snow and charred carpet to reveal a metal door and a blank panel.
This had better work…
He thought as he removed his glove and rested his hand on the blank panel. Only a slight flinch on Heero's part indicated how cold the panel was, even with the protection of the charred carpet to keep away some of the winter's chill.
The panel came to life as it scanned his hand for a few moments before the door beside it slid open, revealing a staircase that vanished into darkness.
The palm scanner was one of the technologies the ESUN had gained from the debris that had come from the C.E. universe, and no hacker in this universe could penetrate it yet, which is why it was chosen to be used to guard the hiding place of the Gundams.
He took one last wary glance around as he replaced his glove before descending the stairs, which were being illuminated by motion-activated lights.
Once he reached the bottom of the staircase, he found himself in a large bunker which was much larger than the castle above.
All five Gundams stood silently along the walls, bound by individual restraint systems to prevent unauthorized personnel from taking them. Unlike the system leading into the hangar, which was programmed to be accessible by those with permission from Relena and Milliardo, only the designated pilot could remove the restraint system for their specific Gundam.
Heero glanced around, taking note of everything in the hangar, when a sound caught his attention from behind. Figuring it was Milliardo or one of the others checking up on him, he turned around to face them. His eyes narrowed as he reached for his gun.
"I should have known…" He said icily before a shot echoed loudly within the hangar.
Heero's eyes widened as a trickle of blood escaped his mouth as he collapsed.
The shooter watched for a few moments as blood began to spread outward from the hole in Heero's chest before fleeing the scene, leaving Heero's rapidly emptying gaze to stare up at the roof of the hangar…
Author's Note: Yep! We're back up and running! And yes, this first chapter is huge. Sorry, but this shouldn't be expected to be a standard. Some of the chapters are really long like this, but others are what you've usually come to expect from me. For those of you who have read this before, well, unfortunately there isn't much that's changed. No new chapters or cutting-room floor stuff this time. However, this story is officially the largest story in my lineup, squishing Winged Destiny by well over 10,000 words. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this version.
And for those of you finding this from the straight Gundam Wing section, this is the sequel to a crossover story known as Winged Destiny, which can be found here:
fanfiction . net /s/5564161/1/Winged_Destiny
