Where Do We Go From Here?
Chapter #1: Heero Disappears…But Where?
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All right, I'm actually gonna try and write serious fic for once. My other attempts have turned out pretty bad but…there seems to be hope for this one. Oh, and one minor note before I begin, Heero lovers…don't hate me. Anyways! ^_^ This fic is about Heero, his mysterious disappearance, his finding, and his return to the other gundam pilots. It may not sound like anything to write a fan fic about but…you'll find that there's much more to the story than first meets the eye.
My disclaimer is as follows: I have written several other fan fics by now. Within all of which, I have included a disclaimer clearly stating that I do NOT own the Gundam Wing characters. I'm getting kinda tired of repeating myself so, for my disclaimer this time…see my fic entitled Ice Cream.
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::tup tup- tmp tmp:: Heero and Duo threaded their way cautiously down the shadowy maze of back alleys and sidewalks in an attempt to avoid the many OZ soldiers on patrol. They had been working together now for several months, receiving the same missions, using the same plans, and even going so far as to share the same safe house. And during that time, a higher level of understanding had grown between them. Not the passionate romance that the other pilots expected. But enough that they could live together and have enough tolerance towards each other that they weren't each plotting the other's death. And yet, they were finally being sent on different missions at last. To different corners of the world I might add. ::chic chic- chf chf:: They paused briefly as they reached the huge open expanse between the office buildings around them and the carrier hangars across the way. "Not a soul movin' about," Duo mused softly from where he stood behind Heero, "That seems a little odd." All Heero gave in response was a slight nod and then, he took off across the pavement. Behind him he heard Duo cursing, but that was all and he decided to ignore it. He was on his own mission now. Duo was no longer part of his plans. ::tmp tmp:: Now it was just his footsteps echoing hollowly in the silence between the two hangars. Strange as the sound was, Heero just continued along the side of the building, methodically searching for the door. Fumbling along in the dark, the thought occurred to Heero that he may have miscalculated and that he might be at the wrong building. But then, his hands finally found the door and the thought was lost as he turned the knob and was about to go in. Already starting to push the door open, Heero paused briefly, thinking that he had heard something. It had sounded like something shifting or the nervous motion of feet, but then it was gone. Straining his ears in the silence, he waited. Then, when he didn't hear the noise (or any noise for that matter) for a very long time, he finally dismissed it as a rat and proceeded to push the door open.
Peering briefly into the shadows beyond the door, Heero deemed it safe and went on in. He had just barely crossed the threshold though before he was caught. Coming up silently behind him, one OZ soldier grabbed his arms and locked them behind his back. Then, before he could even lift his legs to kick the soldier, another came forward, pressing a sweet smelling clothe over his face. Surprised and frantic to escape, Heero struggled against his two capturers and did his best to hold his breath. But even the inhuman Heero Yuy needed to breath so, when he could stand it no longer and his lungs burned fiercely from need of air he was forced to take a breath. And yet, even that was enough to get him intoxicated. The drug was that strong and only seconds after his short intake of breath, his knees had turned to water and he was steadily losing hid grip on consciousness. "Heh…this was TOO easy," the soldier with the cloth commented cockily from somewhere above Heero's head. The other soldier never replied or…if he did, Heero never heard him.
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The lights were too bright, it was cold, and he was lying on his side in a position that suggested that his hands and feet had been tied together. But where was he? Without making a sound or moving in the slightest, Heero opened his eyes and looked about him. There wasn't much to see though, considering that he found himself staring a blank, whitewashed wall. The floor on which he was lying was tile and just as white as the walls. And yet, something about all this didn't add up…the room smelled of old blood. "You awake yet?" a gruff voice asked from somewhere behind Heero. There was the sound of heavy footsteps and then, the next thing Heero knew, he was dangling by his collar, face to face with the biggest man he'd ever seen. Even Quatre's extraordinary guard, Rashid, couldn't compare. The man that was holding him must have been at least 7'7'' (judging by the fact that Heero's feet couldn't even reach the floor) and seemed to have no excess body fat on him anywhere whatsoever. And yet he was so muscular that he looked like he actually weighed twice as much as he should. And not only was he muscular but…intimidating. His cold, gray-green eyes didn't seem to miss much and his slightly upturned nose only added to the constant sneer that seemed to plague his face. And…he was bald. Heero took in all of this in a matter of seconds as the man held him a little higher and smiled, showing a mouth full of amazingly white teeth. "Hello there, Little One," the man said smugly, his smile deepening to something more like a smirk. "My name's Omar and for the next several…days you and I are going to become very good friends. Oh, and from now on, you should refer to me as God. For during this time, I will hold your very life in my hands." Omar chuckled upon saying this while Heero just growled, glaring sullenly at Omar. Noting this with a strange sort of delight, Omar grinned and carefully lowered Heero down to the ground. Then…then he did the unthinkable. He reached down and using both hands, broke the metal bonds holding Heero's hands and feet together. Not sure what to make it, Heero just stood there staring at him for a moment.
Then in the next instant, his instincts set in and he leapt back away from Omar, eyes scanning the room for any exits. That was when he discovered the odd fact that there were no doors or windows in the room…just white walls! Apparently realizing what Heero was looking for, Omar broke out laughing, "Hah hah, you amuse me Little One. I have not had this much fun in a long time! You see," Omar explained shrugging and still shaking with laughter, "there are only two ways out of this room. One, you defeat me before I extract the necessary information from you. Or two…I punch your lights out and you wake up at the 'pearly white gates'. Either way, your chances of survival are VERY thin." Ignoring the very obvious threat in Omar's voice, Heero just asked calmly, "What information do you need from me?" Omar answered just as calmly, in a matter-of-fact tone, "Gundams, where are they, where are the other pilots, and where are their creators?" "That's confidential," Heero replied, the faintest hint of a smirk on his lips. Omar didn't reply at all to this. The fact that his haughty smile left his face and the preparatory fighting position he took were answer enough. "Aye then, I didn't think I'd have the answers from you THAT easily. Just try and make it interesting for me please…before you die," Omar said coldly. Then, with no more warning than that, Omar charged Heero, ramming his gigantic fist into Heero's stomach. Unprepared and unprotected, Heero took the full force of the blow head on, flying backwards into the wall. Hitting it with a heavy sounding ::thud:: Heero slid slowly down it to slump, seeing stars, on the floor. "All right Little One," Omar said coldly from his position above Heero's head, "Care to answer my question now?" Heero, still disoriented and shaking from the force of the previous blow, hardly even heard Omar's question (much less understood what he meant). Shaking his head in an attempt to clear it, Heero paused briefly and looked up at Omar. It was then that he realized his mistake. Omar glared down at him angrily, thinking that the shake of Heero's head had been a "no". "Fine," Omar said in a deadly calm voice then, quite suddenly, he delivered a swift kick to Heero's side, sending him sprawling. "Lesson one," Omar continued in the same deadly tone, "you get up no matter what. I kick you down, you get right back up, you hear? I punch you in the gut and you go flyin', you get right back up." Shaking uncontrollably now, all Heero could do was nod and stumble back up to his feet. Omar was grinning again. "Good, very good," Omar commented sarcastically as he casually slid a pair of special gloves from pocket, "Now answer my question!" "I told you," Heero replied, bracing himself against the wall, "that's confidential." Omar snorted, "Confidential huh?" He was still smiling as he proceeded to slide the gloves on. They were cruel black things that cut off a little bit beyond the knuckles and had a sharp ridge of bronze bumps running along the edges of the fist. Looking them over and adjusting them for a moment, Omar finally seemed satisfied. Then, with the suddenness he seemed to favor, he charged Heero again, fist raised. This time though Heero was a little better prepared than last time and with one hand he vaulted over Omar's shoulders. Forced by his momentum , Omar completed his charge, leaving a huge dent in the whitewashed wall. Growling, he turned around and was about to rush Heero again when he received a powerful kick to the face. Agilely, Heero leapt back while the force of his kick sent Omar stumbling back against the wall.
Neither of them said a word as they just stood there, glaring at each other and sizing up what the other was most likely to do next. Then, by some unknown signal, they came at each other again. Omar, acting like a bull on the rampage, charged Heero once again, fists out, ready to pin him against the wall. Steadily regaining his composure and accuracy, Heero ducked under Omar as he completed his charge (leaving twin dents in the wall) and swung his own fist up into Omar's unprotected abdomen. Gasping from the sudden pain, Omar nearly went to his knees as Heero vaulted over his shoulders again and retreated to one of the far corners of the room. Unfortunately, Omar was not about to be felled that easily and was back on his feet in mere seconds and charging Heero again. Already prepared, Heero squatted down and got himself ready to pull the same duck, punch, and retreat maneuver once again. But at the very last possible second, Omar pulled his fists back and brought his knee up, catching Heero right in the face. The blow hit Heero with just a little below the amount of force it would have taken to break his neck and sent him sprawling anyway. Straightening, Omar brushed himself off and glanced briefly down at the stunned Heero, looking for all the world as though Heero had never hit him. "So, Little One?" he asked, his voice still deadly calm, "Will you answer my questions now?" Without bothering to answer, Heero just glared back up at him and Omar's face darkened with a forbidding frown. "Get UP!" he snarled, hanging like a sinister shadow above where Heero lay. Hoping to avoid any more pain for the moment, Heero obeyed, staggering back to his feet, a thin trickle of blood dribbling down his cheek. "Good," was all Omar said, the frown still furrowing his brows. "NOW…answer my questions!" The shout reverberated noisily off the walls and Heero winced visibly at the emotional force behind it. "What do I do!?" he worried frantically to himself, "I…I just CAN'T take another blow like that! Not without breaking down and giving him his answers…What do I do!?" Heero, having still not reached a decision, just swallowed hard and shook his head. With out a word, Omar gave Heero his response via one of his special black gloves. Backhanding Heero into the wall, Omar watched with a fierce pleasure as Heero fell and then stumbled back up to his feet again. Looking weary, battered, and in every sense, beaten up, Heero just glared defiantly up at Omar through his sweat soaked, brown locks. "My, my, what is that nasty look, Little One?" Omar quipped in a sarcastic tone as Heero continued glaring. Seeing that he couldn't bait Heero into talking, Omar frowned and with an angry snarl, backhanded him to the ground once again. "I'll ask you this only ONCE more," Omar growled as Heero got back up to his feet, "Where are the gundams!?" Mind still racing for an escape plan, Heero didn't reply and Omar didn't say a thing. Then, before Heero could blink, Omar was charging him in an angry rage, landing one painful blow after another, until all Heero knew was pain. He couldn't even get a chance to block before Omar had knocked him down and then, was forced back to his feet to be knocked down again. Until one time, Heero just didn't get back up. He just physically, couldn't. He was that spent. "Get UP!" Omar snarled, stalking over to where he lay and glowering down at him. All Heero could do was shake his head weakly and gasp, "Can't," from around his swollen, bloodied lips. " Like bloody HELL you CAN'T!" Omar roared, dropping to his knees and grabbing Heero's throat. Gasping for breath against Omar's tightening grip, Heero was positive that this time Omar really WAS going to kill him. That was until a small door sized section of one of the walls parted and a figure dressed all in white stepped through. "Let go of him, Omar!" the figure ordered sternly, crossing its arms over its chest. Heero would have thought it was an angel except for what it said next, "We'll have our answers all in due time. For now, let him live." In response, Omar released Heero's throat and stood, breathing hard with restrained anger. "Should I drug him or should we move right into 'Round 2'?" Omar asked, turning to glare down at Heero, a heated anger still blazing in his eyes. The figure in white considered this for a moment and then answered simply, "Drug him."
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This time Heero came back to himself a lot slower than last time. Which didn't seem odd at all considering the powerful narcotic they'd given him before he'd passed out. Looking about himself once again, Heero was relieved (to a certain extent) that the scenery had changed. The lighting was dimmer with only one lamp in the entire room and it was a little warmer even though something felt…different. Trying to put his finger on the difference, Heero just happened to glance down at himself and realized with a start just what was wrong. It appeared that as he'd slept, he'd been stripped of everything except his underwear and had been covered in a series of tiny electrodes taped to his skin. Add to that the fact that there was a needle embedded in his right arm that was slowly feeding a strange substance into it and Heero could tell without a doubt that his torture was about to be prolonged. As if to confirm this, a slightly familiar voice from beyond his field of vision asked softly, "So, what did you give him?" In response, another voice answered, "It's something that Omar brought with him. He swears that it's a special drug with a double ability." "That being…" the other voice asked. "He says that it not only loosens your victims tongue AND sensitizes their nerves as well. That means that we won't have to use much electricity before we get our answers," the second voice answered. Then, there was a pause where the owner of the first voice must have nodded and then, nothing. Waiting for something else to happen, Heero considered what the voices had said. And for the first time in a VERY long time Heero was stirred by a real flush of terror. Not so much from the pain to come (and the pain he'd already suffered), but the probability that he would reveal the secrets of the gundams. "They're right," he fretted silently to himself, "it WON'T must electricity to get me to tell…And how can I stop myself!? I certainly don't have enough strength to escape from…THIS! So what now!?" As if his dark and forbidding thoughts had called them forward, his newest pair of torturers appeared above him without a sound. Both were wearing identical lab coats and both were about identical in looks as well. As the interrogation was about to begin, the figure off to his right reached over and adjusted the flow of drug into Heero's arm. Deigning to hold off pain for as long as he could, Heero decided that his best plan would be to answer as many questions as he had to. "Where were you headed when you were caught by the soldiers?" the owner of the first voice, on his left asked without emotion. "Europe," Heero answered softly. "Were you meeting another pilot?" "No." "Then what were you doing?" the owner of the second voice asked, increasing the amount of drug once again. By now, Heero could tell that the drug was working. He hadn't meant to tell them where he was headed…not the real location anyway. Swallowing hard, Heero did his best to keep a grip on himself and at the same time keep down his rising nausea born from fear. "I…I was on a mission to infiltrate an OZ base and…steal information," Heero said hastily, hoping they didn't notice that he was partially lying. "What kind of information?" asked the owner of the first voice. "Just…information," Heero answered, unable to come up with a sufficient lie in time. He hadn't wanted to tell them that the information had really been profiles on the gundam pilots. But this time, his answer wasn't enough and the first person turned and nodded to someone standing in the shadows hugging the back wall.
"Throw the switch, Omar," the second person ordered, without turning to look away from Heero. Wondering what the switch was going to do, Heero didn't have to wait more than five seconds before he found out. It hit him with the full force of a train while burning along every vein in his body, leaving him gasping for breath when it ended. "And that's only level one," Omar's voice chuckled from his spot in the shadows. Clearing his throat, the first person ignored Omar's comment and went on with his questions, "What information?" Still breathing heavily, Heero answered slowly, "Information on…OZ's plans…for the future." "Were you planning on meeting another pilot afterwards?" the second person asked and Heero shook his head in a negative, "But do you know where the other pilots are?" "I…can't tell you," Heero said softly, mentally bracing himself for the pain that was undoubtedly imminent. As expected, the person to his right turned and nodded to Omar once again. And once again the pain surged through him until every nerve in his body screamed out in agony, burned raw by the pure electricity. When it cut off at last, tiny wisps of smoke were already rising from the electrodes taped to his skin and the room smelling strongly of burned flesh. "Insolence will NOT be tolerated," the first person informed him coldly as Heero lay there gasping in pain. "Now," the first person continued in the same cold tone, "Do you know where the other pilots are…or their gundams?" Heero just shook his head stubbornly, stupid as the move was. This time, he didn't even get a chance to brace himself. There was a loud ::click:: in the background and then there was only pain. It scoured his freshly sensitized nerves and poured through him until he felt like living fire. And it lasted much longer this time as well so that when it ended at last, Heero was fading in and out of consciousness, nothing but an aching mass of pain. This was it. He knew it. As his own screams continued ringing in his ears and still burned with the fiery pain, he knew. This would be the last time he could resist. One more shock and he would completely lose his grip on his mind and thus his ability to hold in the secrets of the gundams. Delirious and weary beyond belief, Heero opened his eyes weakly and looked up at the first person, beseeching release. Instead, the man's cold black eyes just glared down at Heero, smothering his plea. "I will ask you once more, boy," the man said, still glaring, "Where are the other gundams and their pilots?" He never knew how he did it, but somehow Heero managed to hold his tongue and remain silent. Perhaps it was because he bit his lip…until it bled. Without another word, the first person just nodded once and Heero closed his eyes. There was a pause, which to Heero seemed to drag on for years as his throat closed and a single tear, the first tear he had cried in a VERY long time, ran down his cheek. Then, in the next heartbeat, a shock such as which he'd never felt flooded through him, blowing every defense he had and shattering his control. The pain was so extreme it couldn't even be described…and it sent him screaming into oblivion.
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Cursing profoundly under his breath (and in several languages as well) Duo made his way down the hall. Slamming the butt of his gun down hard, another OZ soldier fell unconscious at his feet. He had received an e-mail only two days ago from Professor G. with a few altercations to his mission. One of which was that he was to make a side trip to Colony 196-A to rescue someone who was "vitally important to their winning the war." And that was all the professor could tell him. "Fat lot of good this does me," Duo complained mentally, taking out another pair of guards, "I don't even know WHO I'm rescuing and…let's see…one…two…three halls down….four doors over aaannnnd…HERE! This is it. Here goes nothing!" Taking his gun once again, Duo managed to break the lock on the door and after ramming it with his shoulder a few times, got it open. Staggering through under the force of his own momentum, Duo caught himself and then, stood there blinking for several seconds getting used to the light change. As far as he could tell, it was a cold, dark cell of a room and didn't even appear to have anyone in it. "Great, great, just great!" he growled softly, "This may not even be the right room…better go back…" Heading for the door, Duo was just about to leave when suddenly, he heard it. From off in the farthest corner of the room…someone moaned. Stepping through the door once again and squinting into the shadows, Duo finally found where the person was lying. And from the look of the crumpled, torn up figure, it was a wonder the poor sot was even alive. "Geez pal," Duo said softly as he came over and kneeled beside the prone body, "somebody really roughed you up GOOD! But I wonder how they…" Duo trailed off suddenly as he realized that there was something vaguely familiar about this person. Something about the shape of its body…the way it was dressed…just…something. Then, it clicked.
"Heero!" Duo cried in disbelief, gently shaking the other boy's shoulder. Not really responding, Heero moaned again deep down in his chest and Duo pulled his hand back. Looking down at it, he was horrified when it came away bloody. "Good LORD, Heero," Duo whispered harshly, looking down the length of Heero's body. It seemed as though he was nothing more than a mass of steadily purpling bruises, very severe burns, and gashes. "Good Lord," Duo repeated softly, still shocked at seeing his erstwhile partner so…so…beaten up. It was while he was sitting there just staring at him that Heero woke a little, looking up at Duo through drug hazed eyes. "Who's iss?" he asked, the drugs slurring his speak. "It's Duo, Heero!" Duo answered, surprised once again that Heero (looking as bad as he was) could speak. "Duo?" Heero asked, trying to sift through the pain and fear that were his memories, for the name. "Come on, Heero," Duo coaxed softly, gently laying hid hand on the other boy's shoulder. When the other boy only winced slightly, Duo continued, "We worked together before…before this happened. You know, on missions. And even stayed together. You remember, don't you Heero?" The other boy just stared at him blankly and Duo was about to give up when suddenly, recognition registered on Heero's face. "Duo? Wha-what ar u doin' here?" Heero asked, a little more sense returning to his eyes. "I came to rescue you," Duo answered, concern showing in the tone of his voice. "No…no. I ment, wha ar you doin' here. I thought u wer headed on yer own mission," Heero answered, as Duo started to help him up slowly into a sitting position. "Yeah, I was," Duo answered, "But then I got asked to come here to this colony and rescue you." "Colny?" Heero asked, blinking groggily. "Of course," Duo answered, confused as to why Heero didn't know where he was, "You're in space, Heero. Didn't you know that?" Heero never got the chance to reply as a gasp of pain cut him off. Duo had just helped him to his feet, and in the process had hit an extremely sore spot on his back.
"Oops…here let me just slid my arm under yours here and…there. Let's get you out of here to somewhere safe," Duo said, putting his arm under Heero's and helping the other boy stagger slowly to the door. By the time they had reached it and were out in the hallway, Heero was panting from the pain cutting through his drug haze and was starting to lose his grip on consciousness. "Come on, Heero," Duo encouraged him softly, "You can't quit now. Please, just stay awake a little longer. We'll get out of here, you'll see." Shaking himself awake again, Heero nodded weakly and put a little more effort into walking. It was slow going with Duo having to half-drag Heero most of the way, but eventually they made it. Past the twisting maze of corridors and halls, it ended up that there was a small docking bay, which was where Duo had been headed all along. Slamming his fist down on the door lock, Duo had just climbed into the cockpit of Deathscythe when trouble arrived. The sounds of the door opening had attracted several OZ soldiers and it was all Duo could do to hastily pull Heero into the cockpit with him before they started shooting. Cursing noisily, Duo pushed a single lever, slamming Deathscythe's cockpit closed just as the first bullets began flying. They bounced uselessly off the gundanium of Deathscythe's body and Duo ignored them, pushing levers and flipping switches, bringing Deathscythe's engines to life. Moments later, Deathscythe was winging out of the bay and into open space while the soldiers scrambled to close the open door before getting sucked out into the vacuum of space. "Now, let's see," Duo muttered softly, reaching over Heero's head to push a few more switches and punch in a series of codes. Responding to the commands, Deathscythe's speed increased a little more and it started making a beeline straight for Earth. Content that that was taken care of, Duo moved from tending to his gundam to tending to Heero. Sliding back as far as he could in his chair, he pulled Heero up a little higher in his lap and tried to get Heero into the most comfortable position possible. Satisfied with that, Duo reached over and pushed a single red button located slightly above his head. Moments later, both warmth and softly playing music flooded the cockpit of Deathscythe and Duo leaned back in his chair, sighing. Heero, who had been shivering slightly up until then, finally relaxed. "Heh," Duo joked softly, squirming just a little in the chair under Heero's weight, "And you said that these were just useless modifications. And to think that Wu Fei would call me weak for having them and now…" Duo trailed off in his familiar manner, listing off any number of personal offenders and Heero sighed. "Duo," he said softly, cutting Duo's babble short. "Sorry, Duo," Heero mumbled softly, head falling against Duo's chest, "can't….stay awake…anymore…" Heero trailed off, finally falling into the warm darkness's open arms, Duo quietly stroking his hair.
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Oooo, not exactly how I wanted to end the fic. But anyway, I think it turned out okay. Yes, it turned a little gay at the end but with Heero and Duo…how can you help yourself?! They're just so cute! ^_^ Anyways, I have a whole rack of ideas for a second one already. I'm just wondering what should happen. When Heero wakes up I mean. Should he be…handicapped? Should everything return to normal? Or should Heero have to face Omar and his tormentors again? I'm gonna leave it up to you guys since I can't seem to decided. So, if you liked it (or not) go ahead and leave me your thoughts, comments, and suggestions. I'm always open to criticism.