"Heero! Heero, wake up!"
Heero Yuy woke at the call of his name, his heavy eyelids lifting to reveal tired, violet eyes. He was met immediately by the face of Quatre Raberba Winner, who's normally bright, cheerful face was now scrunched with worry and distress.
"Eh..? Quatre?" he started groggily, leaning up in his cot. The five gundam pilots had been sent on a mission in the Alpha Centauri system, and Heero and the others (besides Quatre, who had taken over control of the ship) had fallen asleep about five hours ago.
"Heero, something's wrong!" Quatre said with urgency as Heero threw his blanket off and spun his legs over the bed. "There was some sort of glitch in the auto pilot system, and we're headed straight for the sun! Quick, get out of bed and get to the cockpit. I'll go wake up Wufei." Heero nodded as the blonde rushed out of his small room and into Wufei's. The brown-haired pilot immediately got out of bed, quickly slipping his yellow combat boots on and sprinting to the bridge of the small ship, where Duo Maxwell and Trowa Barton were already stationed.
"About time you got here!" Duo exclaimed as soon as Heero entered the room, not taking his eyes off of the control panel he was sitting at. "We were waiting for ya, Wonder Boy." Heero sat down and replied with a dismissive 'hn.' "Something's up with the auto pilot, and we can't over-ride it."
"Trowa, have you centered the glitch yet?" the sepia haired boy asked, just settling into a station.
"Not yet, but we know that it's somewhere in the directional system," Trowa replied hastily, the keyboard constantly clacking under his skilled fingers. "Duo attempted to gain access to the ship's navigation, but couldn't hack in."
"That would be because this is a Navi pod," Wufei replied. He had entered the room and sat down unnoticed a few moments ago. "Navi pods are made only to follow the auto pilot course that is fed to them." Quatre, who had also entered recently, frowned with worry as he resumed his work.
"Isn't that awfully dangerous?" he asked. "When something like this happens, it's impossible to take control of the ship?"
"Hey, what'd you expect?" Duo said with a somber grin. "Those cheapskates couldn't possibly afford anything better than this old piece of junk. This ship's ancient! They used way back before the colonies were created."
Trowa, ignoring the conversation, was more concerned with finding out the cause of their current strife. It was possible that it was a terrorist attack; some people didn't take too kindly to the gundam pilots, and there've been quite a few rebels against the current government. Or, it could have just been a simple, innocent glitch in the aged system, but he had to be sure.
"Ah!" Wufei was the first to be affected by the powerful brightness of the star as it shone through the glass pane set in front of the ship. "Someone cover those windows!" Heero, who shaded his eyes with his forearm, managed to punch in the command that made the ship's lead window covers fall over the glass. The others sighed in relief as their eyes adjusted to the new dimness of the room. Duo brought his arms over his head and rested upon them, closing his eyes in submission.
"Yep, the auto-pilot's busted. There's nothing we can do about it, either."
"Are you sure?" Quatre asked urgently, still looking over the commands he had as pilot. "There has to be something that we can do, right guys?" Wufei shook his head, and also released his hands from the keyboard.
"No, Maxwell's right. As long as the autopilot is shot, we have no power over the navigation system, and it's only a matter of time before we're caught in Alpha Centauri's gravitational pull anyway. Can you tell if this was done by terrorists, Barton?"
"No, I don't think so," Trowa also gave up his attempts, resting on the back of his chair, "but if it was, they were damn sneaky about it. There's no trace of any sort of virus or anything in the system, even though it would be pretty easy to overload such an old system." Heero nodded silently, swiveling his chair around to face the wall. His head was deep in random thought, too deep to respond much to anything that the others said. Quatre sighed, turning to face the middle of the room.
"So...there's nothing to do but wait, then?" he said quietly as Trowa, Wufei, and Duo also swiveled their chairs to face the kiosk at the center.
"'fraid so," Duo replied, flipping his long, brown braid over his shoulder and musing with it mindlessly. "No ships, except for automated cargo ships, pass through this area. Basically, we're screwed. Heh, and I never got the chance to go bungee jumping."
"How long do we have before impact?" Wufei asked, almost impatiently. Trowa turned to face his control pad, opening the appropriate screen.
"Impact won't occur for about twenty minutes, but the ship's hull will be burned up in thirteen minutes, at the most," he answered, returning his gaze to the floor in front of him and crossing his arms. Wufei groaned quietly, disappointed that he would be subject to this mindless dribble for thirteen more minutes. If he could choose how he spent the last few minutes of his life, he certainly wouldn't choose listening to the babble of his fellow pilots.
Quatre, who wasn't sure whether to be nervous or depressed, was forced to settle for a rough median between the two. There was no need to panic anymore; there was nothing they could do to prevent the inevitable. If they ejected from the ship with their space suits on, they would just be sucked straight into the sun, or be left to float in space, waiting for their oxygen to run out. And besides, there were only three suits on the ship anyway. Oh, why didn't he notice all of these safety hazards before they left? If he, by some miracle, ever made it back, he would sue whatever industry still distributed these abominations. But, since that would never happen, he simply smiled weakly and stared at the flickering light receptacle on the roof.
"So this is it...it's all over." he sighed as he spoke, hoping to break the silence. "And I never even fell in love..." Wufei scoffed quietly.
A romantic 'til the end, he thought bitterly, annoyed that the peaceful silence had been disrupted.
"Hey, Trowa, have you ever felt true love?" Quatre asked, turning to his left and smiling as warmly as he could. Trowa turned to face him, looking him straight in the face momentarily, then returned his eyes to the floor, brushing a sienna brown lock of hair out of his face.
"No. Never," he replied almost monotonous, causing the blonde next to him to frown from his friend's harsh answer.
"Oh...sorry." He automatically responded with an apology, as he was accustomed to. He politely looked away, then turned his gaze to the normally carefree pilot at his left, who was now shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "How about you, Duo?" He smirked at the innocent query.
"Well..." he began, pretending to think hard, "I did have a crush on some girl in sixth grade, but I don't think that counts. Other than that, not really, unless you count a couple of movie stars that I had a thing for." Glad that someone had finally spoken up, Duo smiled his usual wide smile and spun in his chair, stopping in front of the slightly annoyed, yet respectfully silent pilot behind him. "Yo, Wufie, what about you? You ever fallen in love?"
"First of all, my name is Wufei, not Wufie," the martial artist replied, closing his eyes in thorough irritation, "and second, I don't believe that what you want to know is any business of yours." Duo gasped mockingly, putting a hand to his chest and pretending to be offended.
"Touchy, touchy. Loosen up, man."
"'Loosen up'?!" Wufei snapped, scowling at the pilot in front of him. "And how do you suggest that someone who isn't a grinning idiot like you 'loosen up,' hm? You can play around with your foolish thoughts all you want, Maxwell, just don't bother any of us with them, all right?I'm not in the mood for your idiocy at the moment."
"Ooh, someone's in a bad mood," Duo muttered, completely ignoring Wufei's demands. He was always annoyed by Duo's playful and sometimes mindless nature, but Duo knew that he would never back up any of his threats. Or at least, not when he was in a good mood. Deciding to leave Wufei alone, both from fear and boredom, Duo switched his attention to Heero, who was still musing silently in the corner. "Oi, did you ever fall in love, Heero?" he asked, his voice full of much less sincerity than Quatre's was when he asked.
"Hn," was the stern pilot's only reply. He didn't so much as stir at the question, and he dismissed it just as quickly as he did most of Duo's other questions.
"Ah, didn't think so, which reminds me..." Duo stood from his seat, an evil grin on his face as he walked across the small room. Quatre, worried about whatever Duo was up to, winced silently as he prayed that it wouldn't end in Heero killing them all before the ship burned up. Quatre, Trowa, and even Wufei (though he was rather uninterested) watched as Duo stepped in front of Heero, blocking his view of the lovely wall, grabbed his face, and...kissed him. It didn't seem to be much of a 'romantic' kiss, and it certainly wasn't contributed to by both parties, but it did last about ten seconds before Duo finally drew back, a grin as wide as ever on his face.
Heero was too shocked to do anything. Too shocked to scream, too shocked to mortally wound Maxwell for what he had done to him, and even too shocked to wipe the horrible taste from his lips. All he could do was sit there, paralyzed with his eyes wide and his mouth agape. And, to make matters even worse, he was immediately taunted by Duo's boisterous laughter, his head laid back and his chest heaving from his obnoxious snickering.
"Ha! I always wanted to do that. Don't think that I like you or nothing, I just wanted to see the look on your face. And believe me, it was worth it." He continued chuckling as he returned back to his seat, his hands on his hips as if he were walking home from a tremendous victory. Heero spun around in his chair, a vicious and furious scowl on his face as he stared at Duo without wavering.
Quatre couldn't help chuckling quietly at the--actual, no fooling--pout on Heero's face. It was rare that the pilot ever lost to anyone, especially in such a strange battle, so these few indignant looks were precious. Even the normally thoughtful Trowa smiled as he attempted to silence his own laughter. Wufei, on the other hand, simply rolled his eyes and groaned at the childish act.
Trowa glanced at the screen next to him, finding that the ship was about one minute away from destruction. He looked at the others, motioning for them to notice this as well. He sighed and looked down, feeling strangely calm. He was going to die, and the only people who would really care were going with him. It felt...sort of relieving that no one would be left to be sad about his death. Besides, it wasn't like he wasn't prepared to die anyway. He knew that his day would come someday, and he was never worried about it. It would be a second of pain, or maybe even less, and then it was over. It would all be over.
Wufei acknowledged the slight glance from Trowa and looked down at his screen. Less than a minute left now. After discovering his time limit, he sighed. He had always thought that he would die in battle, defending whatever cause he represented at the time. Although the death that he was about to face next was not quite as honorable as the one he had expected, he still accepted it with pride. If he could die in the company of such noble fighters--yes, even Duo--then he could die in peace.
Duo let a chuckle cross his lips as he discovered how much time the ship had left. Never one to take things seriously, everyone thought that he was, in some way, humoured by his upcoming demise, but they were incorrect in assuming so. It was rather interesting that he, a warrior, should die from a technical error, but that wasn't why he laughed. He laughed because he was happy. Duo Maxwell was actually glad that he was dying. He didn't have anything left to live for in this life. No children, no girlfriend, he didn't even have a real job, besides being a freelance pilot. All that he had left to live for were his friends, and they were going right down with him. As he would say, 'There's nothing better than an empty death. That way, no one gets hurt, and there ain't nothing to worry about. It's the perfect death.' And that's what he would have.
Heero didn't even seem to be affected by the fact that his clock was ticking fast, but that was probably because he always looked like he was about to die. He never showed emotion, except perhaps in battle, and even then, it was mostly either spite, anger, or bloodlust. In truth, Heero Yuy had already died, inside. All that was left was the shell of a warrior with no emotion left in his body. He felt almost nothing as his thoughts drifted aimlessly. Relena; she had loved him, once, but was assassinated soon after her inauguration. He never really cared for her anyway. Wing Gundam; the only real thing that he had to lose. He almost wished that it could be destroyed with him, just so that no one could ever pilot her again. And finally, the others; four noble pilots who kept any feelings they felt inside, like true warriors. Even Maxwell, the one who had wronged him, kept his gaping mouth shut like a gentleman. This isn't so bad. He could end his life like this. Mission accepted.
Quatre smiled somberly. Only about thirty seconds left. He was probably the least ready to die among them, but he certainly didn't let it show. He was so young, and had lived most of his life caged in a life of 'luxury,' if that's what you would call it. There was so much that he had yet to have experienced, so much left undone, but he wouldn't let that bother him. All around him were his comrades, his friends, with whom he had been through so much. Trowa, probably his closest friend, sat right next to him in respectful silence. He didn't say it, but Quatre knew that Trowa probably thought of him as a close companion as well, what with all that he had done for him. Wufei and Heero, though they would never admit it, had become his friends as well, willing to risk their lives for him in battle. And Duo, always sarcastic and never sincere, he, too, was his good friend, through thick and thin. More than anything, Quatre felt happy to have known and fought with such wonderful people, and even happier to be sharing his final moments with them.
The five men exchanged no words as the ship drew nearer and nearer to the atmosphere of Alpha Centauri. It probably would have been a lovely thing to see, if their eyes weren't so sensitive. If they did try to see it, they would be blinded almost instantly, but what would it matter anyway? They wouldn't be seeing anything pretty soon, so why not let the last thing their eyes behold be something as lovely as an aged star, up close?
Their time drew even nearer, and they braced for impact, prepared for whatever would come next. Or, at least, they were prepared for what they thought would come next, not what did. The ship shook to a screeching halt, sending Heero flying into his control pad, Wufei flying down to the lower deck, Duo flying into the floor, and Trowa flying into Quatre, who soon fell to the floor from Trowa's impact.
"Guys, are you in there?" a familiar voice asked over the com system. "Hello?"
"N-Noins?" Heero asked, seating himself back in his chair and opening the line. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you guys the same thing! We were headed to a colony around here and saw your ship headed straight into the sun! Luckily, we were able to get a tractor lock on you and pull you away before you burnt to a crisp. Are you okay in there?"
"For the most part," Duo replied, picking himself up from the floor as Wufei did the same, brushing himself off. Trowa also stood, getting off of the nearly crushed Quatre and helping him up too, muttering apologies. "Just a little out of it and surprised, is all."
"I thought that there weren't any colonies around this area," Wufei asked, getting settled back in his station.
"It was just established about a year ago, in another system in this galaxy. I didn't know about it either, but we were sent to do some salvage work there. Do you need a lift?"
"Yes, we were just headed that way," Quatre said with a smile, half-relieved and half-thankful that Trowa had not crushed him to death. "Our auto-pilot crashed and we couldn't gain control of the ship. I hope that you don't mind letting us come along with you..."
"Of course not! Anything for you guys. But you should know better than to travel in an ancient rust bucket like this, you know. They break down all the time. Why in the world were you even on this thing in the first place?"
"It's a long story," Duo muttered. "Anyway, thanks for the ride, Noins. We'll be right over." Heero cut the line and stood, still unaffected by the current events. The others followed, relieved and thankful. Well...for the most part.
I don't believe this, Duo thought to himself as he followed the others to the hanger. I have to live the rest of my life...knowing that I've kissed Heero Yuy. Ugh.
*~Owari~*