NEVER GIVE UP HOPE
I do not own the characters of Gundam Wing, but I own Red, Steelos, Elisa and Rosaleena..are we all happy about that?
Releena couldn't sleep. Putting the book back on the side table she lay herself down on the bed. Nothing she did would get her to sleep. Her mind was just too full of thoughts.and all of them were on Heero. "I have to sleep, my big meeting will be tomorrow." Releena sternly told herself. "I'm afraid arrangements have changed." Came a voice in the shadows. Releena bolted upright to look around. It certainly wasn't Heero's voice. "Who are you?" Releena asked. From out of the shadows stepped three people, one woman and two men, each one armed with a gun. "What do you want?" Releena demanded. "You, for a start." The woman said, and then somebody jumped he from behind with a drug soaked cloth and put her to sleep. The woman chuckled. "She'll have no problem sleeping now." She turned to the other men. "Come on guys, let's get her out of here. Nobody will know till it's too late. Lets see the Gundams squirm out of this one." Then, the man behind Releena threw her over his shoulder and the sneaked out of the room. Nobody found out until late the next morning. The alarm was set, Releena had been kidnapped. There wasn't even a note of demands.
The Gundams had all been together when they found out; some messenger had come and told them. Despite Heero appearing calm, Duo seemed to sense that inside he was panicking. "Miss Releena Peacecraft was kidnapped, but we're not sure of either an exact time or the intentions. No ransom note was left and we don't know who did it or exactly how many came." The messenger paused a moment. "I also know it's not really my place, but I happen to have a brother who could help.he's got a tracker with him, Red as I hear it. The tracker's called Red. Red can track anything. I don't know anything about their other skills. But I know Red's helped with tonnes of other stuff too. Maybe I could give you an address." "Thanks." Quatre said. "I think we'll all take that option. We'll need all the help we can get to get Releena back." Heero looked at the messenger for a while before looking at Quatre, who was handed a card with an address on. "So guys, shall we go?" Duo asked. "I don't know.doesn't it seem a little too convenient?" Wufei asked. "We'll have to take our chances." Heero said. For a moment everyone looked at him then nodded. "Then lets go." Heero said. Trowa as usual said nothing.
Upon their arrival the Gundam Pilots were met by a tall man with grey hair and faded blue eyes. "I take it you're here for help?" He asked. "How did you know?" Quatre asked. "Messenger came back and told us. Also said that you'd be interested in askin Red for help." The man replied. "Then don't waste time and show us to this Red." Heero said, coolly. "You'll have to wait just one moment. Red heard about Miss Releena goin missing and s ran a quick scan around in a suit. Red reckons it's very likely she's been taken to another of the Colonies. Nobody tracks like Red." "Then lets wait. But you try and remember if you pull a stunt you'll be dead, got it?" Duo said. "Why don't you go in your suits and look for her. I'll give you rough coordinates to where Red went." "Hurry it up." Duo urged. They were given the coordinates and split up, it would be easier to remain hidden if they spread out taking a different angle, and it would have a more devastating effect. The first one to be attacked by an unknown mobile suit was Trowa. He was starting to think the whole thing was a trick...that was until the suit jumped out to attack him and another, more impressive suit sliced it in two, flying out from nowhere. Trowa looked more closely at bit and the suit appeared to be.... Exactly like a Gundam. It was a shining red suit, polished with extra armour, plenty of possible weapons and two sabres. Trowa tried to gain contact over the communicators, but failed. Instead, his screen went blurred and then it changed to a plain black screen. Letter flashed across it:
So you're one of the Gundams. I'd better get going. By the way, I'm Red.
Then the screen went dead, nothing happened. So that was the so far infamous Red. Red was a pretty good pilot, as well as a good tracker. Trowa gained a message from Quatra. His face appeared in the screen. "Is it okay down your end? Some really strange suit came down here when we were ambushed." Quatra said. "Yeah. It was Red, or so they said. Saved my life from a mobile suit. Looks like a Gundam." Trowa replied. "A pretty impressive Gundam too." Quatra agreed. "I can't wait to meet this Red guy." Although Trowa said nothing, he was also anxious to meet Red. He landed his Gundam back on Earth as the others signalled they were going to do the same. Waiting for them at the bottom was the same, mysterious shining red Gundam suit. The pilot was still in the suit, but others along with the same old guy that had suggested they go and find Red themselves was there waiting for Red to emerge. Each of the Gundams threw themselves out, each one eager to see who had saved them. The hatch of the red mobile suit opened slowly, first it was a hand then the entire upper half came out. The head had a fiery coloured helmet on and the body was padded quite a lot. "That Red has to be one of the greatest pilot I've seen outside the Gundam pilots." Wufei said. "A highly respectable character." Red walked over to them, now completely out of the suit. "It's nice to see you all here, Gundam pilots. I understand you're here to find Releena." Red said, voice distorted slightly by the helmet. "You've got a slight obsession by the colour red. Is that why they call you that?" Duo asked. "No." Red replied. "I'll show you one reason I'm called Red." Red pulled off the helmet, to reveal not only medium length ruby red hair, but also revealing that Red was a girl. Wufei was so shocked that Red chuckled. "And I had the impression you were impressed." She said. "It can't be true...there's no way a woman could be as good as you were." Wufei said, stubbornly. "Believe what you want, but so far you owe me. I saved you. And I'm gonna help you get Miss Releena back." Red said simply. Duo was biting his lip to stop a fit of laughter. "So what's the other reason they call you Red?" "I'm the best tracker they've ever seen. The system I used, I also built and designed. Every time I find what I'm lookin for the screen flashes red with target lock on. That's another reason they call me Red." "What was attacking us?" Heero asked. "They were attacking me before. When they had visual contact they left me to get you. So I stepped in to a fight they started with me but never bothered to finish." "Is that suit a Gundam?" Quatra asked. "Same sort of blue prints. Only I built and designed most of it. That's the Ruby suit." Red replied. "The Ruby suit?" Trowa repeated. "Yep. My pride and joy. Spent ages on that little baby. Of course, I used a lot of the blue prints my mother used. Originally my mother wasn't designing a Gundam." Red answered with a wink. "I think we should go inside, maybe get to know each other a little better." Quatra offered. "Since Red is helping us, I don't see why we don't know our ally a little better." Red nodded. "Hey! Steelos!" The old man turned at the call of his name. "Try and keep my sister away for as long as possible. Take her out shopping or whatever, tell Miyoko I'll be back A.S.A.P and keep the beta unit working for as long as possible. Those louses have gotta earn a coffee break, okay?" "Sure." Steelos replied. "And tell Mom I'll be introducing her to the real Gundam pilots should they agree. Do that as quick as you can." Ruby added as an after thought. "Okay. Are you just going to leave all these suits out here in the open?" Steelos asked. "No, first place we all stop at is 'The Vault'." Ruby said, stepping towards her suit. "Guys, buckle up in your suit, we gotta keep em locked up safe so we're not seen. Six or so huge suits isn't exactly inconspicuous now, is it?" Duo grinned. "I like her. Brainy and commanding." Quatra chuckled. "The perfect pair I should imagine." "Lets not waste time. If you wanna do chat up lines either say em aloud to a girl or say em in your head. Now lets go boys. Show me how responsible you can be." Red said, picking up pace.
Once the suits were all put away in the Vault, Red showed them out and into what seemed to be a little like an office but it had blue prints, sketches, print out blocks of details and mechanical pieces scattered over a desk. In the better light they could clearly see Red had amazing light blue eyes. "So guys. Is there anything you wanna tell me, or should it be ladies first?" Red asked, pulling off her padding to reveal casual clothes underneath. "Your mother is an engineer?" Quatra asked. "She's a master engineer and mechanic, taught me everything I know and more. We work together, we both made an improved version of the Gundam. Because she started to get busy with other things I started to build the thing up myself, and then we worked together to complete it." Red explained. "And your father?" Duo asked. "My father was a survivalist assassin. He would go out and assassinate leaders in their camps or homes to break up the order while the main bulk of an army would be picked off. Later he became somebody who would use his skills of silence and ability to blend into any surrounding to bring information back. He specialised in weaponry mainly, what you might call 'alternative if-you-run-out-of-ammo-and-all-else-fails weaponry. Both parents taught me everything they knew. Effective combo." "Ever killed anybody on a seek and destroy mission?" Heero asked suddenly. "Sure. I go in a double team with my dad. A fine question coming from the 'perfect soldier.'" "Yep, I really like this girl." Duo muttered. "Where is he now?" Trowa asked. "God knows. He went out on a mission up in the colonies. Trying to protect civilians, trouble is he can't use a mobile suit too well. He's more an on foot kinda guy. He crash-landed; when the enemies checked the suit he'd vanished. He's alive, he's a survivalist. My dad's been in worse fixes. This should be nothing." "Worst being?" Duo asked with brows raised. "Two broken legs, left in three places, right in one, and wrist badly cut. He pulled both legs into place, wrapped em and then went about sneaking around and eventually came back after being missing three weeks or so." "Sounds familiar." Duo muttered. "You're father sounds like a man I may be able to learn things from." Heero said. "Last mission so far, when he gets back he retires, I take his place. Not only as pilot but as whatever he did. I walk in his shadow." Then the door smashed open and in the door a girl squealed excitedly. She looked almost like Red, hair was only slightly darker and a little browner, and eyes were more a dark colour. "Wow! Real pilots...they're so cute!" she cried, pouncing on Quatra and squeezing him very tightly. Red looked a little exasperated and somewhat annoyed. "At a very bad moment, I'd like you to meet my little sister Rosaleena." "She....has.....a.....sister..????" Duo said, twitching nervously. "Unfortunately yes." Red replied. "I've always had this thing for pilots, a real soft spot in my heart." Rosaleena said, squeezing even harder. "Yeah, and a soft spot in your head where the brain should be." Red muttered. "Rosa, I thought you wanted ice cream or something." "Ice cream?" Rosaleena repeated hopefully. "Yeah...Steelos asked me where you were cos he said he's take you out for dinner and some ice cream and-" "Gotta go, see ya!" And Rosaleena was gone in an instant. "Sorry about that. There's one bad thing about her sharing a good ability to track, and that's the point that she can always manage to find me somewhere no matter what I do." Red said, sighing deeply. "Does she pilot anything?" Quatra asked, catching his breath. "Unfortunately no. If she did I'd have something to aim at." "Definitely like her." Duo muttered again, referring to Red, not her strange and annoying sister.
After a few other details the Gundam pilots were taken to see Red's mother, who had the red hair, but her eyes were brown. That was when they all guessed that her father had blue eyes. "Will you show these guys around while I start tracking Releena?" Red said and her mother agreed. "I'm coming with you." Heero said, and nobody dared argue. Red didn't seem to bothered, she smiled and then led him back into the office room. She pushed a button and a huge screen right in front of the desk came out, with various other little screens showing other minor details such as mapping, constellations and the contours and depths of the water and land. As soon as her hands began typing amazingly fast, the screen flashed so much Heero didn't even know how she could see anything happen. After about ten minutes the screen gave a loud siren and it flashed red a set of red cross hairs moved steadily along then screen. Calmly Red pushed a thin card into the slot, it gave a blip and pushed the card out then she swiped the card into the watch device she had on her arm. "Let's lock, load and suit up, Heero. I've found the Woman you love." Red said with a large grin. She left before he could say anything.
The other pilots had heard the news and were rushing down to the Vault to get their Gundams. They found Red and Heero already down there. Red was just climbing in her suit and Heero was just in his. Before the door to the Ruby suit closed, they saw her insert a card into the controls and a huge map came in screen, flashing red with moving red cross hairs. "Lets move it, boys!" Red yelled. "We haven't got all day you know!" The Gundam pilots scrambled into their Gundams and they all took off together. "Where are they?" Duo asked Red through the communicator. "A long way off, but still on earth, they're at some kind of compound. We have to get there real quick or they'll take off into space with her." "How do you know it's Releena?" Duo enquired. "Hey, there's nuthin I can't track. My gift. I can track suits, people, materials, animals..you name it." The suits split up again, and when they reached the compound they saw a plane and a small group of people down on the ground. They all ducked naturally to avoid the pelting bullets fired from Heero and his Gundam.
Inside the room where Releena was being held captive she heard the sound of guns going off. She had guessed that the people who had caught her hadn't guessed the whole army of the Gundams would come for them. Even on the off chance they'd prepared for the five suits, but there was one extra, unexplained red suit with them. "Don't get any cute idea's." the woman said. "I know they'll come in here, and we've got the room covered. Anybody gets in here they'll have a million or more holes in them." "Who are you.why are you doing this? Is it the Gundams you want?" Releena demanded. "No. We want somebody nicknamed Red. Knew she couldn't resist tracking us down to find you. When she gets here." She was silent as more gun shots fired to emphasise her point. "I don't care how many she brings. The more that come, the more practice I have before I get her." "You're an evil woman." Releena screamed. "I am aren't I? Is that what you think? Frankly I've never cared much for personal opinion. It's supposed to be a free country, the right of voice. Say what you want about me, I won't have you killed. I know what I am just as you know what you are." The woman replied. "Who are you?" "My name is Elisa Jones." She said, pulling out a sword. "And I think that I have an old score to settle with Red." "But she could still win." Releena was being stubborn. "True, but should she get close to killing me there's a dozen or more men who would jump out and shoot her dead anyway." Elisa said. "But that's not fair." "Nor is losing to a little girl, losing status as a pilot and a marks woman." Elisa replied with great resentment in her voice.
So far the battle was getting intense. Duo had to come and back Red up. Red gave a battle cry as she sliced a suit in half and it exploded. "You holdin up okay there, Duo?" Red asked through he communicator. "Yeah." Duo replied. "How about you?" "As good as I'll ever be. But if this ends up as my final mission, I have a confession." "What?" "My real name is Fuscia." Duo grinned. "Not quite the name I'd imagined for a pilot. Bit of a feminine name for you isn't it, Red?" Red laughed. "Yeah. I think I prefer Red personally." Duo gave another cry as he fired at an opposing suit. "Where in the Hell are they all coming from?" "Maybe we should call the other to take out their loading area. We'll cut down the suit before they have a chance to battle." "Tactical sense, lets do it." Duo and Red steered away down to the loading area firing wildly causing a great explosion. After that it wasn't getting any worse. Red wasn't using her ammo much, she was saving that. Duo's Gundam wasn't doing as well as hers. She had massacred another suit with both sabres pulled out suddenly.
"Hey, thanks again. That's the second time you've rescued me. How about a date as a thank you, the pleasures mine." Duo offered, but he was slightly joking, making a hope as always that they'd come out of this. "I'll think about it. I've got to check my calendar. I could be washing my hair." Red returned the joke. Suddenly a suit slammed into her and knocked her down. It was a suicide run from the pilot, that was obvious. As the suit toppled over, Red pulled at the controls, fighting for balance. Duo's Gundam filled in for her, pulling the suit off her and helped her gain balance. "Thanks." Red said. "For that I'll say yes."
Heero had left his suit on automatic for a while, driven on by hope of getting Releena out. If only he'd told her. Once he managed to get in somebody raised a gun to him. He didn't flinch. And Heero was about to make his move another bang went off and the guard fell dead. Above him he saw Red and Duo, Red holding up a gun. "Are we going or not. Both our Gundams have retreated from battle and are hiding away while we all bust in." Red told him. "You take that way, Heero. The mapping shows there's two ways of getting to Releena, that way, and that way." She pointed to the hallway behind Heero and to the passageway beside her. Heero nodded and then took his leave. Duo and Red went down the other way, trusting Heero would want to go alone. "That mapping device of yours comes in handy." Duo said as they ran on, shooting at the guards as they went. "Sure it is.I designed it, remember?" Red replied, taking out a guard about to shoot Duo. "From now on, we'll have to stalk around. You just follow me, okay?" Duo nodded and they began to stealthily attack. "Do you know who might be holding her?" Duo asked. "I don't know. It's just as likely it's a desperado as it is somebody targeting me. Until we really get into the core of this mess we'll never know." Red answered. "We're getting closer."
Heero heard Releena in the room he was standing outside of. He also heard another woman. He also listened to the conversation. "The next person to walk through there will be killed, I've got marksmen posted up in each corner of the room." The woman was heard to say. On hearing that Heero went in and killed each on he found until it was just him and Elisa. "Heero!" Releena cried. "Be careful, she's armed!" Then Red and Duo walked in. One of the people Heero had missed went to fire at Red, but Duo moved her away. "Elisa!" Red yelled. "What the Hell are you up to now?" "You lost me my rank, my marriage and my life." Elisa said, voice dropping to pure anger. "All I did was beat you, you went all depressed and lost everything. Fighting in anger doesn't always win you the best results." Red told her. "Then you show me just how good you are." Elisa invited, pulling her sword out. "On one condition, put all weapons out of the way, and we take this outside. Just you and me. You leave Releena and the others out. If you wanted me so bad why didn't you just come and get me yourself?" Red asked, also drawing hers. "Well.I needed a witness anyway to get you to come out.so a kidnap worked in my favour.since I have more than one to validate this." Elisa picked up a radio. "All troops fall down, get the hell out of here, leave all machinery, we are no longer in threatening situation. I repeat, pack up and leave guys. I have everything finished." Suddenly outside it was silent and within minutes the place was completely empty leaving the remaining Gundam pilots confused as to why they had suddenly left. Elisa threw her weapon down, into the far corner of the room and then circled Red. With equal calmness Red stepped in. As soon as her back was to the window Elisa charged at her, pushing her straight through window and sent both of them rolling to the floor where the mobile suits had been fighting. |Red was quicker to recover but there was something Elisa had that Red didn't at that moment. She pulled a gun out quickly and fired at Red, who didn't have time to consider what it was. It hit her just below to collar bone and went right through her. Red yelped. Elisa had time for better aim now. She levelled it and went to pull the trigger. Duo was already leaping from the window and then the bang went off.but it hadn't come from Elisa's gun. Elisa had fallen to her knees and another shot had smashed the gun from her hand, braking her wrist. Everyone looked up to see a man with black hair and light blue eyes holding a gun straight in the direction that the bullet had come from that hit the gun from Elisa's hand. Duo scrambled over and helped Red up. Meanwhile, the other Gundams were running over.
Back at home, Heero had escorted Releena back and insisted on sticking around. "Red's own father helped her.I wouldn't have guessed that would happen." Releena said thinking back. "Releena, I was worried about you. I wanted to tell you something." Heero said. "What?" And Heero simply told Releena that he loved her. Releena threw herself into his arms and then the two kissed.
Red had been bandaged up, Wufei had congratulated her but then stormed stubbornly off and Quatra wished her good luck and left very quickly as he heard Rosaleena's approaching. Only Duo was left. In the end, before Rosa could come in Steelos had caught her, thrust ice cream in her hand and talked her out of going in by bribing her. Duo helped Red down onto the bed. "Your dads a pretty amazing guy, for an assassin. I mean, Heero's an assassin, but." " I know." Red laughed. "So..are we still on for that date or not?" Duo asked hopefully. "Yeah. I always keep my word." Red replied. Duo grinned. "So.where's the destination?" "Anywhere away from Rosa, that's for sure..poor Quatra.." "My sentiments exactly." They both laughed and Duo sat down. Within a few minutes of silence they two were kissing.
I do not own the characters of Gundam Wing, but I own Red, Steelos, Elisa and Rosaleena..are we all happy about that?
Releena couldn't sleep. Putting the book back on the side table she lay herself down on the bed. Nothing she did would get her to sleep. Her mind was just too full of thoughts.and all of them were on Heero. "I have to sleep, my big meeting will be tomorrow." Releena sternly told herself. "I'm afraid arrangements have changed." Came a voice in the shadows. Releena bolted upright to look around. It certainly wasn't Heero's voice. "Who are you?" Releena asked. From out of the shadows stepped three people, one woman and two men, each one armed with a gun. "What do you want?" Releena demanded. "You, for a start." The woman said, and then somebody jumped he from behind with a drug soaked cloth and put her to sleep. The woman chuckled. "She'll have no problem sleeping now." She turned to the other men. "Come on guys, let's get her out of here. Nobody will know till it's too late. Lets see the Gundams squirm out of this one." Then, the man behind Releena threw her over his shoulder and the sneaked out of the room. Nobody found out until late the next morning. The alarm was set, Releena had been kidnapped. There wasn't even a note of demands.
The Gundams had all been together when they found out; some messenger had come and told them. Despite Heero appearing calm, Duo seemed to sense that inside he was panicking. "Miss Releena Peacecraft was kidnapped, but we're not sure of either an exact time or the intentions. No ransom note was left and we don't know who did it or exactly how many came." The messenger paused a moment. "I also know it's not really my place, but I happen to have a brother who could help.he's got a tracker with him, Red as I hear it. The tracker's called Red. Red can track anything. I don't know anything about their other skills. But I know Red's helped with tonnes of other stuff too. Maybe I could give you an address." "Thanks." Quatre said. "I think we'll all take that option. We'll need all the help we can get to get Releena back." Heero looked at the messenger for a while before looking at Quatre, who was handed a card with an address on. "So guys, shall we go?" Duo asked. "I don't know.doesn't it seem a little too convenient?" Wufei asked. "We'll have to take our chances." Heero said. For a moment everyone looked at him then nodded. "Then lets go." Heero said. Trowa as usual said nothing.
Upon their arrival the Gundam Pilots were met by a tall man with grey hair and faded blue eyes. "I take it you're here for help?" He asked. "How did you know?" Quatre asked. "Messenger came back and told us. Also said that you'd be interested in askin Red for help." The man replied. "Then don't waste time and show us to this Red." Heero said, coolly. "You'll have to wait just one moment. Red heard about Miss Releena goin missing and s ran a quick scan around in a suit. Red reckons it's very likely she's been taken to another of the Colonies. Nobody tracks like Red." "Then lets wait. But you try and remember if you pull a stunt you'll be dead, got it?" Duo said. "Why don't you go in your suits and look for her. I'll give you rough coordinates to where Red went." "Hurry it up." Duo urged. They were given the coordinates and split up, it would be easier to remain hidden if they spread out taking a different angle, and it would have a more devastating effect. The first one to be attacked by an unknown mobile suit was Trowa. He was starting to think the whole thing was a trick...that was until the suit jumped out to attack him and another, more impressive suit sliced it in two, flying out from nowhere. Trowa looked more closely at bit and the suit appeared to be.... Exactly like a Gundam. It was a shining red suit, polished with extra armour, plenty of possible weapons and two sabres. Trowa tried to gain contact over the communicators, but failed. Instead, his screen went blurred and then it changed to a plain black screen. Letter flashed across it:
So you're one of the Gundams. I'd better get going. By the way, I'm Red.
Then the screen went dead, nothing happened. So that was the so far infamous Red. Red was a pretty good pilot, as well as a good tracker. Trowa gained a message from Quatra. His face appeared in the screen. "Is it okay down your end? Some really strange suit came down here when we were ambushed." Quatra said. "Yeah. It was Red, or so they said. Saved my life from a mobile suit. Looks like a Gundam." Trowa replied. "A pretty impressive Gundam too." Quatra agreed. "I can't wait to meet this Red guy." Although Trowa said nothing, he was also anxious to meet Red. He landed his Gundam back on Earth as the others signalled they were going to do the same. Waiting for them at the bottom was the same, mysterious shining red Gundam suit. The pilot was still in the suit, but others along with the same old guy that had suggested they go and find Red themselves was there waiting for Red to emerge. Each of the Gundams threw themselves out, each one eager to see who had saved them. The hatch of the red mobile suit opened slowly, first it was a hand then the entire upper half came out. The head had a fiery coloured helmet on and the body was padded quite a lot. "That Red has to be one of the greatest pilot I've seen outside the Gundam pilots." Wufei said. "A highly respectable character." Red walked over to them, now completely out of the suit. "It's nice to see you all here, Gundam pilots. I understand you're here to find Releena." Red said, voice distorted slightly by the helmet. "You've got a slight obsession by the colour red. Is that why they call you that?" Duo asked. "No." Red replied. "I'll show you one reason I'm called Red." Red pulled off the helmet, to reveal not only medium length ruby red hair, but also revealing that Red was a girl. Wufei was so shocked that Red chuckled. "And I had the impression you were impressed." She said. "It can't be true...there's no way a woman could be as good as you were." Wufei said, stubbornly. "Believe what you want, but so far you owe me. I saved you. And I'm gonna help you get Miss Releena back." Red said simply. Duo was biting his lip to stop a fit of laughter. "So what's the other reason they call you Red?" "I'm the best tracker they've ever seen. The system I used, I also built and designed. Every time I find what I'm lookin for the screen flashes red with target lock on. That's another reason they call me Red." "What was attacking us?" Heero asked. "They were attacking me before. When they had visual contact they left me to get you. So I stepped in to a fight they started with me but never bothered to finish." "Is that suit a Gundam?" Quatra asked. "Same sort of blue prints. Only I built and designed most of it. That's the Ruby suit." Red replied. "The Ruby suit?" Trowa repeated. "Yep. My pride and joy. Spent ages on that little baby. Of course, I used a lot of the blue prints my mother used. Originally my mother wasn't designing a Gundam." Red answered with a wink. "I think we should go inside, maybe get to know each other a little better." Quatra offered. "Since Red is helping us, I don't see why we don't know our ally a little better." Red nodded. "Hey! Steelos!" The old man turned at the call of his name. "Try and keep my sister away for as long as possible. Take her out shopping or whatever, tell Miyoko I'll be back A.S.A.P and keep the beta unit working for as long as possible. Those louses have gotta earn a coffee break, okay?" "Sure." Steelos replied. "And tell Mom I'll be introducing her to the real Gundam pilots should they agree. Do that as quick as you can." Ruby added as an after thought. "Okay. Are you just going to leave all these suits out here in the open?" Steelos asked. "No, first place we all stop at is 'The Vault'." Ruby said, stepping towards her suit. "Guys, buckle up in your suit, we gotta keep em locked up safe so we're not seen. Six or so huge suits isn't exactly inconspicuous now, is it?" Duo grinned. "I like her. Brainy and commanding." Quatra chuckled. "The perfect pair I should imagine." "Lets not waste time. If you wanna do chat up lines either say em aloud to a girl or say em in your head. Now lets go boys. Show me how responsible you can be." Red said, picking up pace.
Once the suits were all put away in the Vault, Red showed them out and into what seemed to be a little like an office but it had blue prints, sketches, print out blocks of details and mechanical pieces scattered over a desk. In the better light they could clearly see Red had amazing light blue eyes. "So guys. Is there anything you wanna tell me, or should it be ladies first?" Red asked, pulling off her padding to reveal casual clothes underneath. "Your mother is an engineer?" Quatra asked. "She's a master engineer and mechanic, taught me everything I know and more. We work together, we both made an improved version of the Gundam. Because she started to get busy with other things I started to build the thing up myself, and then we worked together to complete it." Red explained. "And your father?" Duo asked. "My father was a survivalist assassin. He would go out and assassinate leaders in their camps or homes to break up the order while the main bulk of an army would be picked off. Later he became somebody who would use his skills of silence and ability to blend into any surrounding to bring information back. He specialised in weaponry mainly, what you might call 'alternative if-you-run-out-of-ammo-and-all-else-fails weaponry. Both parents taught me everything they knew. Effective combo." "Ever killed anybody on a seek and destroy mission?" Heero asked suddenly. "Sure. I go in a double team with my dad. A fine question coming from the 'perfect soldier.'" "Yep, I really like this girl." Duo muttered. "Where is he now?" Trowa asked. "God knows. He went out on a mission up in the colonies. Trying to protect civilians, trouble is he can't use a mobile suit too well. He's more an on foot kinda guy. He crash-landed; when the enemies checked the suit he'd vanished. He's alive, he's a survivalist. My dad's been in worse fixes. This should be nothing." "Worst being?" Duo asked with brows raised. "Two broken legs, left in three places, right in one, and wrist badly cut. He pulled both legs into place, wrapped em and then went about sneaking around and eventually came back after being missing three weeks or so." "Sounds familiar." Duo muttered. "You're father sounds like a man I may be able to learn things from." Heero said. "Last mission so far, when he gets back he retires, I take his place. Not only as pilot but as whatever he did. I walk in his shadow." Then the door smashed open and in the door a girl squealed excitedly. She looked almost like Red, hair was only slightly darker and a little browner, and eyes were more a dark colour. "Wow! Real pilots...they're so cute!" she cried, pouncing on Quatra and squeezing him very tightly. Red looked a little exasperated and somewhat annoyed. "At a very bad moment, I'd like you to meet my little sister Rosaleena." "She....has.....a.....sister..????" Duo said, twitching nervously. "Unfortunately yes." Red replied. "I've always had this thing for pilots, a real soft spot in my heart." Rosaleena said, squeezing even harder. "Yeah, and a soft spot in your head where the brain should be." Red muttered. "Rosa, I thought you wanted ice cream or something." "Ice cream?" Rosaleena repeated hopefully. "Yeah...Steelos asked me where you were cos he said he's take you out for dinner and some ice cream and-" "Gotta go, see ya!" And Rosaleena was gone in an instant. "Sorry about that. There's one bad thing about her sharing a good ability to track, and that's the point that she can always manage to find me somewhere no matter what I do." Red said, sighing deeply. "Does she pilot anything?" Quatra asked, catching his breath. "Unfortunately no. If she did I'd have something to aim at." "Definitely like her." Duo muttered again, referring to Red, not her strange and annoying sister.
After a few other details the Gundam pilots were taken to see Red's mother, who had the red hair, but her eyes were brown. That was when they all guessed that her father had blue eyes. "Will you show these guys around while I start tracking Releena?" Red said and her mother agreed. "I'm coming with you." Heero said, and nobody dared argue. Red didn't seem to bothered, she smiled and then led him back into the office room. She pushed a button and a huge screen right in front of the desk came out, with various other little screens showing other minor details such as mapping, constellations and the contours and depths of the water and land. As soon as her hands began typing amazingly fast, the screen flashed so much Heero didn't even know how she could see anything happen. After about ten minutes the screen gave a loud siren and it flashed red a set of red cross hairs moved steadily along then screen. Calmly Red pushed a thin card into the slot, it gave a blip and pushed the card out then she swiped the card into the watch device she had on her arm. "Let's lock, load and suit up, Heero. I've found the Woman you love." Red said with a large grin. She left before he could say anything.
The other pilots had heard the news and were rushing down to the Vault to get their Gundams. They found Red and Heero already down there. Red was just climbing in her suit and Heero was just in his. Before the door to the Ruby suit closed, they saw her insert a card into the controls and a huge map came in screen, flashing red with moving red cross hairs. "Lets move it, boys!" Red yelled. "We haven't got all day you know!" The Gundam pilots scrambled into their Gundams and they all took off together. "Where are they?" Duo asked Red through the communicator. "A long way off, but still on earth, they're at some kind of compound. We have to get there real quick or they'll take off into space with her." "How do you know it's Releena?" Duo enquired. "Hey, there's nuthin I can't track. My gift. I can track suits, people, materials, animals..you name it." The suits split up again, and when they reached the compound they saw a plane and a small group of people down on the ground. They all ducked naturally to avoid the pelting bullets fired from Heero and his Gundam.
Inside the room where Releena was being held captive she heard the sound of guns going off. She had guessed that the people who had caught her hadn't guessed the whole army of the Gundams would come for them. Even on the off chance they'd prepared for the five suits, but there was one extra, unexplained red suit with them. "Don't get any cute idea's." the woman said. "I know they'll come in here, and we've got the room covered. Anybody gets in here they'll have a million or more holes in them." "Who are you.why are you doing this? Is it the Gundams you want?" Releena demanded. "No. We want somebody nicknamed Red. Knew she couldn't resist tracking us down to find you. When she gets here." She was silent as more gun shots fired to emphasise her point. "I don't care how many she brings. The more that come, the more practice I have before I get her." "You're an evil woman." Releena screamed. "I am aren't I? Is that what you think? Frankly I've never cared much for personal opinion. It's supposed to be a free country, the right of voice. Say what you want about me, I won't have you killed. I know what I am just as you know what you are." The woman replied. "Who are you?" "My name is Elisa Jones." She said, pulling out a sword. "And I think that I have an old score to settle with Red." "But she could still win." Releena was being stubborn. "True, but should she get close to killing me there's a dozen or more men who would jump out and shoot her dead anyway." Elisa said. "But that's not fair." "Nor is losing to a little girl, losing status as a pilot and a marks woman." Elisa replied with great resentment in her voice.
So far the battle was getting intense. Duo had to come and back Red up. Red gave a battle cry as she sliced a suit in half and it exploded. "You holdin up okay there, Duo?" Red asked through he communicator. "Yeah." Duo replied. "How about you?" "As good as I'll ever be. But if this ends up as my final mission, I have a confession." "What?" "My real name is Fuscia." Duo grinned. "Not quite the name I'd imagined for a pilot. Bit of a feminine name for you isn't it, Red?" Red laughed. "Yeah. I think I prefer Red personally." Duo gave another cry as he fired at an opposing suit. "Where in the Hell are they all coming from?" "Maybe we should call the other to take out their loading area. We'll cut down the suit before they have a chance to battle." "Tactical sense, lets do it." Duo and Red steered away down to the loading area firing wildly causing a great explosion. After that it wasn't getting any worse. Red wasn't using her ammo much, she was saving that. Duo's Gundam wasn't doing as well as hers. She had massacred another suit with both sabres pulled out suddenly.
"Hey, thanks again. That's the second time you've rescued me. How about a date as a thank you, the pleasures mine." Duo offered, but he was slightly joking, making a hope as always that they'd come out of this. "I'll think about it. I've got to check my calendar. I could be washing my hair." Red returned the joke. Suddenly a suit slammed into her and knocked her down. It was a suicide run from the pilot, that was obvious. As the suit toppled over, Red pulled at the controls, fighting for balance. Duo's Gundam filled in for her, pulling the suit off her and helped her gain balance. "Thanks." Red said. "For that I'll say yes."
Heero had left his suit on automatic for a while, driven on by hope of getting Releena out. If only he'd told her. Once he managed to get in somebody raised a gun to him. He didn't flinch. And Heero was about to make his move another bang went off and the guard fell dead. Above him he saw Red and Duo, Red holding up a gun. "Are we going or not. Both our Gundams have retreated from battle and are hiding away while we all bust in." Red told him. "You take that way, Heero. The mapping shows there's two ways of getting to Releena, that way, and that way." She pointed to the hallway behind Heero and to the passageway beside her. Heero nodded and then took his leave. Duo and Red went down the other way, trusting Heero would want to go alone. "That mapping device of yours comes in handy." Duo said as they ran on, shooting at the guards as they went. "Sure it is.I designed it, remember?" Red replied, taking out a guard about to shoot Duo. "From now on, we'll have to stalk around. You just follow me, okay?" Duo nodded and they began to stealthily attack. "Do you know who might be holding her?" Duo asked. "I don't know. It's just as likely it's a desperado as it is somebody targeting me. Until we really get into the core of this mess we'll never know." Red answered. "We're getting closer."
Heero heard Releena in the room he was standing outside of. He also heard another woman. He also listened to the conversation. "The next person to walk through there will be killed, I've got marksmen posted up in each corner of the room." The woman was heard to say. On hearing that Heero went in and killed each on he found until it was just him and Elisa. "Heero!" Releena cried. "Be careful, she's armed!" Then Red and Duo walked in. One of the people Heero had missed went to fire at Red, but Duo moved her away. "Elisa!" Red yelled. "What the Hell are you up to now?" "You lost me my rank, my marriage and my life." Elisa said, voice dropping to pure anger. "All I did was beat you, you went all depressed and lost everything. Fighting in anger doesn't always win you the best results." Red told her. "Then you show me just how good you are." Elisa invited, pulling her sword out. "On one condition, put all weapons out of the way, and we take this outside. Just you and me. You leave Releena and the others out. If you wanted me so bad why didn't you just come and get me yourself?" Red asked, also drawing hers. "Well.I needed a witness anyway to get you to come out.so a kidnap worked in my favour.since I have more than one to validate this." Elisa picked up a radio. "All troops fall down, get the hell out of here, leave all machinery, we are no longer in threatening situation. I repeat, pack up and leave guys. I have everything finished." Suddenly outside it was silent and within minutes the place was completely empty leaving the remaining Gundam pilots confused as to why they had suddenly left. Elisa threw her weapon down, into the far corner of the room and then circled Red. With equal calmness Red stepped in. As soon as her back was to the window Elisa charged at her, pushing her straight through window and sent both of them rolling to the floor where the mobile suits had been fighting. |Red was quicker to recover but there was something Elisa had that Red didn't at that moment. She pulled a gun out quickly and fired at Red, who didn't have time to consider what it was. It hit her just below to collar bone and went right through her. Red yelped. Elisa had time for better aim now. She levelled it and went to pull the trigger. Duo was already leaping from the window and then the bang went off.but it hadn't come from Elisa's gun. Elisa had fallen to her knees and another shot had smashed the gun from her hand, braking her wrist. Everyone looked up to see a man with black hair and light blue eyes holding a gun straight in the direction that the bullet had come from that hit the gun from Elisa's hand. Duo scrambled over and helped Red up. Meanwhile, the other Gundams were running over.
Back at home, Heero had escorted Releena back and insisted on sticking around. "Red's own father helped her.I wouldn't have guessed that would happen." Releena said thinking back. "Releena, I was worried about you. I wanted to tell you something." Heero said. "What?" And Heero simply told Releena that he loved her. Releena threw herself into his arms and then the two kissed.
Red had been bandaged up, Wufei had congratulated her but then stormed stubbornly off and Quatra wished her good luck and left very quickly as he heard Rosaleena's approaching. Only Duo was left. In the end, before Rosa could come in Steelos had caught her, thrust ice cream in her hand and talked her out of going in by bribing her. Duo helped Red down onto the bed. "Your dads a pretty amazing guy, for an assassin. I mean, Heero's an assassin, but." " I know." Red laughed. "So..are we still on for that date or not?" Duo asked hopefully. "Yeah. I always keep my word." Red replied. Duo grinned. "So.where's the destination?" "Anywhere away from Rosa, that's for sure..poor Quatra.." "My sentiments exactly." They both laughed and Duo sat down. Within a few minutes of silence they two were kissing.