The clinks and clanks could be heard in the back room as Duo pounded away at the engine of the car.
"I can't believe that we've gone from just selling parts to having to install them too!" He scratched his head and gave a heavy sigh. "Well, that should just about do it." He walked over to a nearby sink and turned on the faucet. He let the cold liquid fill up the sink before taking it in his hands and splashing it all over his face. He looked up into the mirror at his exhausted reflection. The deep dark bags were apparent under his tired eyes. Duo let out a large yawn and splashed more water on his face.
"Come on Duo, you've only gotta make it through one more hour and then you can hit the sack. Don't go to sleep on me now!" He was still splashing water on his face when the telephone in the front office began to ring.
"Hilde! Hilde could you get that?! Hildddddeeeeee!" Duo barked. He was always a little cranky when he was sleepy. When no one answered the phone, Duo became a little aggravated.
'Where could she be!?' he thought to himself. "And who in their right mind would call at this hour? We're closed for crying out loud!' Reluctantly he grabbed a towel, dried his face and ran to pick up the telephone. Duo cleared his throat, took a deep breath and picked up the receiver.
"Hello, Duo and Hilde parts and repair. How may I help you?" He listened attentively for someone to start complaining about how their vehicle had stopped running or about how long it had taken him to answer the phone.
But the other side was quiet. No one was speaking, no one was even breathing into the receiver. Just dead silence.
"Hello?" Duo asked again. There was a faint click on the other side, as if someone had flicked a switch. A faint crackle could be heard, then an electronic voice began to speak:
Tools are all pounding
But they won't be for long
Your time is near out
It's the end out your song
One snip of a cord
An electrical charge
An explosion as large as
That of Fort Barge
There's nowhere to run
There's nowhere to hide
This world is not peaceful
The soldiers have lied
The recording ended and the other side was once again silent. Duo listened for any other strange recordings, and then hung up. He had been too tired to actually pay any attention to the recording, merely listen to every other word as he drifted in and out a of a tired sleep.. They had said something about tools, time being almost up, a snipped cord, an explosion, not being able to run, and lying. He shook his head, thinking it was just someone upset about their car breaking down because of a snipped wire.
"These complaints are getting weirder and weirder." He said to no one in particular. "People have started to become creative and start making them into little rhymes." He scratched his head again and shrugged his heavy shoulders. "Oh well." Groggily he trudged back to the car and began to work.
It wasn't until about ten minutes later that he heard the light shhhhhing in the back room. Duo, thinking that he had left the faucet on, groaned and dragged himself over to the sink.
"Well that's odd," he thought when he neared the sink. "The faucet is off. But if that isn't what's making the noise. . ." Duo turned around and his face turned white. Right behind him, the gas tank had mysteriously been turned on and was now leaking highly flammable material throughout the entire garage.
"Alright, I know I didn't leave this on!" Duo spun around, trying to look in all directions at once. "Alright, who's here!?" Duo's heart pounded inside his ribcage and he began to sputter as the gas seeped its way toward him. "Hilde?! Anyone?!" he shouted to the blackness around him. Something didn't feel right, and though it was probably nothing, Duo had learned to trust his first instinct. The gas, now more dangerous than it had been in the beginning, was making it difficult to breathe. Duo gagged and put his shirt over his mouth and nose in order to block the gas from choking him.
Cautiously he inched his way toward the tank but stopped dead in his tracks. Right next to the tank was a broken wire that was going crazy, showering sparks everywhere. Duo sweat dropped and began to breathe heavily (though he wasn't sure if it was from the gas or fear). He didn't even have time to scream before sparks hit the gas and the entire garage was shattered in a single bright light. . . .
You were gone in an instant
With so many things left unsaid
I'm sorry that I wasn't there
To help ease the throbbing pain
Now that you have left me
Though for how long I cannot tellI will wander aimlessly
For an answer to the burning question-
Why is it that I could not love you?
Why is it that I did not love you?
How come we spaced ourselves apart
When there should have been no space between?
My heart aches and twists
With the thought of our forsaken love
Never again shall I shun the lingering smile
That plays forever across my tired mindThe crowd cheered as the acrobats spun around like toy tops and landed on a large pad on the floor. It was a good audience, especially for a weeknight. The stands were full, everyone was munching on popcorn, and the clowns were all happy and smiling. Well, most of them were. Trowa Barton stood hidden behind a flap of the circus tent, gazing at the abundance of people. Something wasn't right, he could feel it. The only problem was he didn't know exactly what was bothering him.
"It's a great crowd tonight, isn't it Trowa?" whispered Catherine as she came to join him. Trowa merely gave a shrug and continued to look at the crowd.
"Trowa?" Catherine asked in the concerned voice that she always used when he was acting strangely. "What's wrong Trowa . . .?" Breaking his gaze away from the people, he looked over at Catherine who was staring up at him with eyes filled with love and compassion. Trowa stared deep into them and became lost in a sea of blue and green. "Trowa, are you alright?" Catherine asked again.
"I'm just fine. Don't worry about me Cathy," he stated after a moment of uncertain pause. Catherine's figure relaxed and she allowed herself to smile just a little.
"I'm glad." Catherine was about to give Trowa a loving hug, but he had returned to watching the people. Catherine shook her head in despair. She should have known not to try to get close to Trowa, for he would only try to push her further away with the fear of her getting hurt. He had still not forgiven himself for when he had allowed her colony to become abducted by White Fang. He continued to blame himself for the incident though Catherine had tried to convince him that it wasn't his fault. However, every time Trowa pushed her away, she found herself drawn even closer to the silent soldier.
Catherine sighed heavily and looked up into his eyes. Eyes that at first seemed so cold and lifeless, but once, after staring deeper into them, a slight fiery ember glowed within their depths. "Trowa, I came to find you and tell you that there has been and accident."
If this news surprised or enticed Trowa at all, he did not show it on his expressionless face. He said nothing and made no indication to Catherine that he had even heard her. He simply stood, as he had for hours, stiff yet strong. Silently he waited for her to continue.
"I just received a call from Hilde at the hospital. Duo's been hurt really badly." Trowa took a deep breath and held it suppressed inside his chest. Catherine continued "He's alright, but he's going to be in the hospital for more then a month due to damage to his head." She looked at Trowa once again with his expressionless face. "She's still on the phone if you want to talk to her. . . ."
Trowa just stood there for a minute taking in all of the new information. Duo might be a wise crack, and a little on the hyper side, but he was no idiot, that's what made him a Gundam Pilot. After running the data through his brain for a moment, he decided that it might be a good idea to talk to Hilde and get more facts.
Turning, he left and wordlessly trekked over to the telephone, not even bothering to thank Catherine.
"Hello?" He asked
when he picked up the receiver. There
was a faint shuffling in the background as Hilde made her way to the
phone.
"Hello, Trowa?" The voice was meek and tired, but still distinguishable. It was obvious that she was scared, but still she tried to mask the fear in her voice.
"What happened Hilde?"
"Oh it was horrible Trowa! It was late last night and Duo was staying up late in order to finish the engine on a new car that was supposed to be done by the next day. He seemed so tired that I thought I might try to cheer him up by going out to the store and picking him up some ice cream for him." Hilde hiccupped as she tried to suppress the oncoming tears.
"And. . . ?" Hilde took a deep breath and continued.
"And when I can back there where paramedics and police all over the garage, or, what was the garage. . ."
"What do you mean Hilde 'or what was the garage'? What happened?" Trowa was getting a little aggravated, but he did not show it in his voice.
"What the police can decipher, is that there was a leak in the gas tanks and a broken wire. They say that the sparks from the wire set the gas on fire and blew up the entire garage." Hilde, no longer able to hold back her tears began to sob silently on the other end of the phone line.
"How is he now?" Trowa asked, trying to some what change the subject from the previous night.
"He's unconscious, and the doctors say that it's a miracle that he's even alive. I've been giving blood to him all morning, so has Quatre, he came as soon as I called him. I couldn't get a hold of Heero or Wu Fei, and you're the only other person I could reach." Hilde paused for a minute trying to recollect herself.
"Hilde," Trowa asked, trying to sound as comforting as he could "is Quatre still there?"
"Yeah, he's talking to the doctors at the moment. Give me a second though, and I'll go and get him." The was a quiet thud as the receiver was placed on the table. Trowa waited for only a while before another familiar voice picked up the telephone.
"Hello? Quatre speaking."
"Quatre, how's he doing? I can't get any information out of Hilde without making her cry."
"I honestly can't say Trowa," Quatre whispered into the receiver "he's lost a lot of blood and he was nearly dead when they pulled him out of the rubble. He still needs a lot more blood, but I can only give so much."
"I'll be over as soon as I can. My acts are already over and I don't think that anyone will miss me in the ending parade. Ja." Trowa was just about to hang up the telephone when he heard Quatre's hushed whisper.
"Hurry Trowa. Something isn't right, I can just feel it."
"What are you talking about Quatre? Oh course something isn't right, Duo's in the hospital."
"I don't mean that. Duo may be a little careless sometimes, but not as careless as to go and blow up the entire garage!" Quatre was right. Something was defiantly wrong, and Trowa was determined to figure out what it was.
"Alright. Let me go change and tell Catherine that I'm leaving and I'll be over in a little while." He hung up the telephone and took a deep breath. Trowa had this odd feeling, like the one he had had earlier in the evening. At first he had thought that it was because Duo had been injured, but now he could tell that that wasn't it. The question stuck in his mind like a splinter that he could not remove and was driving him insane, taunting him with every passing moment.
The night was cold and clammy against Trowa's skin as he walked out of the tent towards his dressing room. The moon cast an eerie silver shadow across the land and the light danced among the shadows. An owl hooted in a near by tree branch, then silently and stealth fully swooped down it order to capture it's newly found prey.
Trowa climbed the wooden stairs up to his trailer and shuffled in his pockets for the keys. Slowly he inserted the key into the lock, turned it a quarter turn to the left, and opened the door. Immediately the aroma of wildflowers air fresheners assaulted him. Catherine had been in his trailer again cleaning up after him as sisters do. Trowa made a mental note to thank her as he walked over to his dresser. As he passed his desk, he noticed a small piece of paper that was folded in half. Curious, and thinking it was a reminder of some sort from Catherine, Trowa picked it up and read it.
Fire and matches
Is not a good mix
Beware and be cautious
Of animal tricks
I'm out on a rampage
And no one's protected
Hidden in shadow
I'll go undetected
There's nowhere to run
There's nowhere to hide
This world is not peaceful
The soldiers have lied
Trowa's fist clenched around the note and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. This was certainly not a note from Catherine, or was it? A million questions flowed through Trowa's mind at once. What did they mean beware and be cautious of animal tricks? Why was this person telling him not to play with fire or with matches? And most importantly, how did this person get into his dressing room? The only people who had the keys were him, Catherine and the other Gundam Pilots. Catherine could have easily slipped the note in at any point, maybe while she was cleaning, but what reason would she have to do that? It couldn't have been Duo for obvious reasons and Quatre had been at the hospital all day. The only others were Wu Fei and Heero, but what would they, or any of the others for that matter, have any reason for writing him a note and placing it on his desk?
Suddenly, there was a loud scream from outside and Trowa rushed to the door, throwing it open and staring in complete shock at the sight before him. The main tent had caught on fire and large yellow and orange flames with a heart of blue licked the sky as the flames leapt from place to place. Quickly recovering himself, he rushed towards the tent.
"Cathy!" He called out, nearly choking on the smoke. "Cathy!" Blindly he continued to venture into the burning tent calling her name. "Cathy!"
"Trowa!" She finally called out. Through the smoke, Trowa could see a tall slim figure making it's way towards his voice. "I'm over here Trowa!" Catherine stumbled in front of him, coughing and sputtering.
"Are you alright Cathy?" Trowa asked in a concerned voice that he rarely used. Catherine looked up at him with watery eyes, part from tears and the other from the thick cloud of smoke.
"I'm fine Trowa."
"What happened? Why did the tent catch on fire?" Trowa was feeling uneasy. The note had said that it wasn't a good thing to play with fire. But still, so far nothing else in the note had come true. He wanted to keep it that way.
"Well, Manager and I were just about to finish up the tiger act with a jump through the rings of fire. But when Manager lit the match and put it to the first ring, it completely exploded with flames and got caught on the tent. Oh Trowa I was so scared!" Trowa said nothing. The jumping through the rings of fire trick . . . could that have been what the note had meant?
Turning toward Catherine, Trowa could tell that she was having a hard time breathing. "Cathy, you got outside, make sure that all the audience members get out safely and that the fire doesn't jump to any of the other tents. I'll stay here and get the rest of the animals out."
Catherine shook her head. "I can't let you stay in here all alone Trowa. I want to help." Once again she coughed and Trowa could tell that she couldn't breathe very well in the smoke, and that she needed to get out, and fast.
"I'll be fine Cathy, don't worry about me. The people outside need you a lot more than I do. I'll be out as soon as I free the rest of the animals." Reluctantly, she nodded her head and left. Trowa watched as her figure slowly faded into the haze before he turned around and continued to make his way to the animals. All the while, Quatre's voice played through his head. . . 'Hurry Trowa. Something isn't right, I can just feel it.' Over and over it played, like a broken record, until Trowa was brought out of his daze by a giant 'CRACK'. With his quick reflexes, Trowa jumped and did a back flip with a two and a half twist, only to land on a weak floorboard. Giving away to the extra weight, the floorboard splintered and Trowa's foot became stuck within the panels.
"Itai!" he mumbled as he winced with the slight pain. Trowa tried to remove his foot, but found that he couldn't because his foot was wedged between the broken shards.
Cinders began to fall among Trowa's face and he glanced up. Right above him, a support beam was being eaten away by the rapidly growing fire. Fear covered Trowa's face as it hadn't since Catherine's colony had been abducted. Slowly, the beam became feeble and unsteady. As he raised his hands in order to shield his head, the beam began it's heavy decent toward the defenseless Gundam Pilot . . .
Through darkened shadows of the nightI travel without dream or love
There is nothing for me nor is there
A glimmer of hope to show me the way
But still I trudge onward
Blindly through the foreign lands
'Till I reach my long sought destination
Which waits for me like a loyal friend
Searching and calling in the hidden depths
For once forgotten vows
Looking to restore the broken shards
Of my forever mending heart
But until that day in which the fog clears
And bonding chains are broken
I travel lost and lonely
Searching for answers to promises once made
Deep in the hidden depths of the dunes he watched.
"Soon, soon I will make my move and prove to those 'soldiers' that there is a greater enemy in which they cannot over come as easily as the others." he sneered in a mocking tone. "I will show them that even in this so called peaceful world, there will always be battles and enemies in which need to be fought."
His dark eyes glimmered with hate and vengeance. "Soon I will have my revenge, and all the people of Earth and the Colonies will remember this day in history. The day that I become supreme leader!" A cold and heartless laugh filled the chamber as he continued to plan his next attack on the unsuspecting pilots . . .