Cheyenne – Early Reunion
"No…Stop…Eyaaaa!!!" Zacha screamed in pain as she felt it. The small, cold steal making an incision on her soft flesh. Her screams and cries proved to be in vain though, as she felt his malignant grip on her twine-bound arm tighten.
She felt it. Something warm and sticky flowing down her arm above her wrist a few inches. Hot tears swept down her face and got caught in her blindfold. And those tears that escaped flooded the front and sides of her face and were mixed with sweat and cold, pure hatred.
A large hand pressed down around the cut in her arm, giving her temporary relief from the festering pain. Within the shadows a few feet away, a pair of burgundy lips smiled wickedly. "You know", Lady Une said, "your screams will do you no good. I for one am not phased in the least by you pleas, so I now give you an option: You can either cooperate and tell us what was on that disk and all information you know of your pilot friends, or we can force it out of you. Your call, but make it quick. Bruno!" The large man holding Zacha's arm snapped to attention, and let it go, thus letting the pain return full force. "Ma'am!" he said. Lady Une smiled. "Well little one? What is your answer? Will tell us what we want to know?"
The sweat on Zacha's face doubled as she fought emotions and sickness. "I-I…" she stammered. Zacha tried to clear her head to think, when Duo's smiling face imbedded itself in her mind. "D-Duo…"
Lady Une's ears pricked up. "Well??"
"…No… I've made… my decision…" she said weakly. "I…WON'T tell you. I can't betray them like that…"
"Very well…" Lady Une growled. "Bruno, inject the last serum. Afterward, if she still won't cooperate, you can have her and do as you like with her." Bruno got the hint and grinned at the well-beaten girl.
Zacha felt the room spin. I must think straight, she thought. If I don't, Lord only knows what I might say… Think! She gave a quick, painful sigh. How did I get into this mess?? Events of the past few days flooded her mind. Her ties with the Gundam pilots felt like they could be her saviors, her sanity, and at times like this, her doom.
She thought back a few days. She figured if she could hang in there and think to herself, maybe she'd get a miracle; either someone would come save her, or she'd die before telling them anything. Think…
Only a few days beforehand, she and her gang had felt unfriendly eyes watching them. But being wrapped up in the holidays, you don't really notice much else.
Zacha bounded from rooftop to rooftop, trying to ditch the two cops behind her. "Stop! Thief! Halt, You are under arrest! Get back here!!!"
As she ran, she turned her head behind. "Me? Stop? Whatever for?!" She laughed, pulling something out of her pocket. It looked like a sampler tube of lipstick. Still running, she put a kiss on it, tossed it behind her at the officers, and jumped off the
building quickly. Confused, the officers stopped to examine the object. It beeped, and they looked closer at it. It beeped again. They got closer. It blew them up (and half the building). On the ground, a very sick grin formed on her face. She sighed, inhaling the air deeply. "Ahh, I just LOVE the smell of C4 in the morning… Now, onto breakfast!" she said, running off to her meeting place. A few blocks down, she walked into a building, with several other people waiting for her. "Morning boys," she said. Some nodded at her, some hugged her, and some just mumbled their greetings. She couldn't help that C4 explosions made her perky. Each of
them laid out food, fresh and non-perishable, on the table, and Zacha told them where to take it; non-perishable in the bin for holiday dinner, fresh to the kids. It was their typical morning.
It was only one day until Thanksgiving, and the past few weeks had been spent gathering and preparing food for the 478 children she took care of. But finally, it was all done and cooked. She had enough for everyone to have a decent sized plate this year.
She even had some extras.
Taking several tins, she walked into the preparing kitchen of this month's home; (she changes homes every month so it'll be harder to find her); and began to prepare a plate of food. The plate was laden with a banquet; half a small turkey, stuffing, mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows, and several other good things. She wrapped it in plastic, set it in one tin, and placed it in a large box. She put two-dozen of her "Duo Maxwell Pick-Me-Up Chocolate Chip Surprise Cookies" into another tin, and an apple pie in the last.
She set them gently in the box, tossed in a semi-sweet note and closed the box. Just to make it look like a package from the old movies, she wrapped it in brown paper and tied it with string. She smiled to herself. What's missing? she thought. It hit her, and then she grinned herself silly. She applied her tube of midnight-wine lipstick and kissed the box, then sprayed it with her Star Dust perfume. "Perfect," she giggled.
She smiled to herself, and stood at the door, giving a shrill whistle. "Jimmy!" she called. "I've got a very important mission for you." Promptly a young man presented himself before her, his blue eyes shining with curiosity. "Okay," she said smiling.
this is your first big job for me, so I'm counting on you to do it quick and do it well." He smiled with anticipation. "Your mission, should you choose to accept it or not, is to deliver this very important package. Now, I know you've run with Mike a few times, so you should know the place; but this time you've gotta go solo. Mike's out running errands for me, so he'll be back later."
Jimmy looked up at her. "A package?" he asked, blinking. "So what's in it, boss? Bombs, instructions… what? Or should I not ask?" He looked at the package, saw the lipstick and smelled the perfume. Must be a bomb, he thought.
Zacha laughed. "That dear is none of your concern. Just a word of warning: Do not tip it any way other that this; do not leave it in heat or cold; make sure it gets there before supper time tomorrow; and do not, I repeat DO NOT attempt to open it in an
way. If when you get there, the recipient finds that you have meddled with the package, I've given him permission to cut off a finger, and then when you return I'll totally chew you out. Understand?" He paled a moment, but nodded. "Good. Other than that
have a good time, stay out of too much trouble, and if you run into any that you can't handle, give the signal. Someone should be in the area."
He nodded once, and turned to leave, then stopped at the door. "Hey boss? I know there's got to be a shorter route so… How about the Under-roads*?"
"I was waiting for that. Very observant. Go just out of the Old Territory, then into the Under-roads. Take road four dash three. And if anyone asks, tell him or her Cheyenne sent you, and they'll guide you through the Under-roads, and protect you once
you get above ground. After the first time through, you should know how to get back. And should you need some reference, take this." She handed him a slip of paper with instructions on it.
He nodded his thanks, and dashed off smiling. It was his first big job for her, and saw it as his chance to prove himself ready to be one of her top ten men in the gang. It had always been his dream for some reason, and now, she had asked him to deliver
this package for her. Me, he thought. Doing this big job, asked by Zacha herself. Wow! Talk about good karma! Maybe it's a sign. Maybe I really will be one of her ten finest….
Zacha smiled to herself as she saw the boy, over-flowing with self-pride and joy, go off into the streets as it neared noon. He'll be fine, she thought. He should arrive at four dash three by six 'o clock, rest in one of the pit-rests in the Under-road till seven or eight a.m. tomorrow, finish his way in the Under-roads by ten, and arrive at his destination by lunch time. For the way back, he'll probly' have enough sense to hitchhike with one of our friends or something.
Duo accepted the box with a grin that the Cheshire cat would envy. He grinned at Jimmy, who was trembling head to toe and did an awful job at hiding it. "Heh," he said. "Don't be so nervous kiddo. I don't bite. Hard." He laughed, and that relaxed Jimmy
little. "Here," Duo said, handing him a tip. "For your troubles."
Jimmy blinked, then smiled widely. "Thanks!" he said happily. His shaking had lessened, and he left with his escorts, who had offered him a lift back to the edge of the Old Territory. From there he was on his own, and should be back home by dinnertime.
just in time for Thanksgiving dinner. Duo hugged the box gleefully, and bounded into the safe house. The other pilots looked up at him, slightly dazed by his actions. He went into the kitchen and tore the box open. He saw the note, and sat down to read.
'Dear Duo,
Wussup? Well, I knew you'd be eating Hungry-Man for dinner, so I took the liberty of sending you some Thanksgiving dinner. The whole dinner is in the biggest tin. Just throw it in the microwave for three minutes on high, stir potatoes and stuffing, back
in the microwave for one minute on high, and serve. There's a can of cranberry sauce. (How can you EAT that?!) The cookies are for you, and the last tin has an apple pie in it. That is TO BE SHARED with your pilot friends. Well, talk to ya later, and enjoy your Thanksgiving. Later!
Love forever, 'Lock & Key',
Zacha'
Duo grinned, silently thanking her. He followed the instructions, and poured himself a small glass of wine to go with it. He sat at the table, and the other pilots, curious, peeked in and saw Duo bow his head in prayer.
"What's he doing?" Quatre whispered. "And who sent him that?"
Heero grunted. "Looks to me like he's praying; a rare sight indeed. And he'd better be prepared to die, because obviously someone knows where we live…"
"Judging from the smile," Trowa said, "must be a friend of his. But I agree with Heero…" They all looked up as they heard the last of his dinner prayer.
"And God bless Zacha, today and ever after. Kindness beyond her years, and good cooking out of the blue! Now… commence eating!" Before anyone could bat an eye he was politely eating his food.
The pilots walked back into the living room and sat, waiting for Duo to finish so they could have a little 'chat' with him. About forty-five minutes later, he had finished dinner, and was happily munching the cookies. He sat the pie on the counter, and
left with the cookies to his half of his shared room. He sat munching on his bed, in thought. Hmmm, he thought. She's been so nice… And she's never forgotten to send the cookies annually, like she promised. And here she's sent me a wonderful dinner, the
cookies promised, and a pie for me and the guys. I've gotta send her something back… but what? Then it hit him like a bullet. He grabbed the phone, and closed the door mostly, leaving a crack. He opened up a small black book, and dialed a number. The other
pilots peeked in and listened at the door.
The phone rang once. Twice. Someone picked up. It was Zacha. "Hello?" she said. "May I ask who's calling, and to whom this call is directed?"
Duo laughed. "Such wonderful phone manners. Always did have 'em."
Tears of joy and surprise began to form in an eye as the monitor showed Duo's face. "Duo! Hey, boy! Long time no see. What's up? Did you get your dinner? We just finished ours an hour ago."
"Yeah, I got it. And it was wonderful. Thank you for sending it." And they began to chat away, about recent stuff, old memories, and just about everything from local gossip to how blue the sky is. The other pilots watched and hung on every detail.
"Who's SHE?" Quatre whispered. "Any of you guys know her?"
They shook their heads. "Nope," said Trowa. "But it looks like they know each other pretty well. Girlfriend maybe?"
"Nah, he'd have at least mentioned her. Wouldn't he?"
Heero shook his head. "No, not likely." Their ears pricked up as they heard talk about them.
"Yeah," Duo laughed. "I've got a present for you. My gundam video tapes all that happens in the cockpit, and all around it outside. And I've got my own home-video collection. Enjoy! I'll narrate as it plays!" The other pilots' eyes grew wide as saucers
as Duo played video clips of them all before, during and after battles, but even better their personal lives. "And here we have a clip of Heero while he's asleep. Doesn't he look so sweet when he's not awake? And look, he's cracking a grin in his sleep! Now THAT'S rare!" Heero bit his lip. Duo, not hearing the low growl and Japanese mutterings and threats, continued.
"And here we are, running from the notorious Relena Peacecraft. She's totally in love with Heero, and he, as well as the rest of us, can't stand her! And here's one I had to sneak to get; here you see a tender embrace of Quatre and Trowa…"
Zacha gave him a funny look. "Uh, could we skip this part? Not my thing…" Quatre and Trowa silently thanked her as they blushed shades of red.
"Okay. And here's another sneak; here's Wufei watching a movie. But what's this? He's crying! And what's the movie? Titanic!" Zacha was in stitches and Wufei was ready to kill. At that moment, they were all ready to pounce. Duo stopped the disk. "Well,
that's all that was on the disk. What'd you think?"
Zacha was having a hard time breathing, she was laughing so hard. "That… that was rich! Hahahaha!!! Thanks, Duo. That was a wonderful present. Oh! I've got something to show you." She pulled out a photo, and pressed it to the screen. It was at the Maxwell Church. There was Duo as a child, sitting in a tree, having his hair brushed by a tanned girl with butter-blonde hair the same length. On the steps of the church stood Father Maxwell and Sister Helena. The picture was taken by one of the other kids. Duolooked at the picture, and his mind was flooded with memories. "Do you remember this, Duo?"
"Yeah, I do… Hey Zacha? Could you fax me that picture?"
"Hm? Oh, okay. It'll take a few minutes, though; the fax is old. I mean, I practically built this phone out of pieces from other things." She set the picture in, and it went to work. Then they started up with the singing. The pilots were slightly bewildered. "The plot thickens," Heero whispered. "Childhood buddy, I guess." They all looked up as they heard Duo singing "Bye-bye Miss American Pie". "And who knew he sang?"
Songs went on for minutes, American songs ranging from old and soft rock, to heavy metal love ballads, then onto Christmas songs. The room was flooded with the sounds of a lovely duet singing a moving rendition of "I'll Be Home For Christmas". The last line was Zacha's.
"..I'll be home for Christmas… If only in… my... dreams." The songs were over, and Duo smiled at her.
"You know," he said. "We've gotta series of missions coming up, then some leave time. So maybe during my leave time I can come and visit. How's that? I'll be home for Christmas!"
Zacha smiled widely. "You mean it? As in coming to stay for a while, see the old gang, meet the new, have dinner… A real visit? Wow! That'd be great! But when do you have to leave for L7?"
"Tonight, we all leave for Earth. We'll be there by tonight, be done before long, and be back by tomorrow. Really big mission. But I'll call you right as I'm heading back, Kay? But I'd best be getting off the phone now; gotta get ready to leave. But I'
talk to ya later, Zacha."
"All right. Later then." Quickly she applied a layer of her lipstick and kissed the screen. Duo saw the lipstick print, and matched the kiss on his screen. She smiled and they hung up.
If only there weren't the screen between the kiss… Lifelong dream will ONE day will come true… he thought. He smiled to himself and finally noticed the four pairs of eyes watching him intently. They all stepped through the door, and at that moment he
w the deadly glowers they gave him. "Uhh… H-hey guys… Umm… Uh-oh, I'm screwed… You… saw the conversation. Right? Guys? Umm… Eh-heh, eh-heh…" Duo wasn't the only one who was being spied upon then caught. As Zacha hung up the phone, smiling to herself, she saw a body calmly sitting in her living room chair. The woman sat there, very clam and had been polite enough to wait for her to finish her conversation. Zacha eyed her suspiciously. "Can I help you?" she asked.
The woman smiled. "Yes, I think you can. I am Lady Une. Are you the one they call Zacha?"
Zacha caught her breath. "Who wants to know?" One hand behind her, she fumbled around in her hip pack, looking for her mini smoke grenades.
"My administrator. We have received a tip that Zacha, who we all know is a well-known terrorist, lived here, and was in alliance with the Gundam pilots. We've also learned that she has information on the pilots and their gundams that would prove very,
very useful to the people I work for. So now we are seeking Zacha in hopes that she would willingly aid us. We'd even be willing to pay her."
Now Zacha knew this was bad. She was about to try and say or do something to stall Lady Une when she saw two very big, very mean looking men come in. "I'm sorry, but she's not interested!" Zacha threw down several of her tiny grenades and made an unsuccessful run for it. In the midst of the coughing and confusion, a third man who waited outside saw the smoke and a small girl bursting out of it. With incredibly fast reflexes, he grabbed her with one hand and easily avoided her flailing fists.
Lady Une and the two other men came out of the building, eyes fixed on the tiny girl. While the man was distracted, she gave him one swift kick; which released her from his grip. Trying to run again, the two men tackled her at once, as the third got in
he driver's seat of the parked van. "No!" she screamed. "No! Let me go! Let me go! No!!! Help! Four-Fingers, Juno, someone, help!!!"
Lady Une looked around nervously. "Shut her up!" she yelled. "She's a gang leader, so her friends will be here any moment. Hurry Up!" One man held Zacha by both arms, and the other, grinning cruelly, gave Zacha one painful blow to the lower ribs. He knocked the wind out of her, and the skin had already begun to bruise. She doubled over in pain, hot tears streaming down her face. Still trying to breathe, she made no movement of escape. They threw her into the back of the van roughly, and the men got in after her. Lady Une hopped in the passenger seat, and they sped off.
Within the van, just to make sure she wouldn't pull anything, her hands were handcuffed behind her, and a slipknot rope was tied around her neck. The other end was attached to the wall of the van, tied just tight enough for her to breathe. If she were
tug ever so slightly, she'd be strangling herself. Even if she went back to the wall, the rope wouldn't loosen; it had to be loosened manually. Oh shit, she thought. I'm royally zugged beyond hope. Father Maxwell… Sister Helena… Please… Give me strength...
What seemed like hours later, the van stopped. The one man took the rope off her neck, but blindfolded her. Just in case. The man picked her up and toted her in the building, her slight weight seemingly no more than a sack of potatoes. She was roughly
placed on a chair; the one man held her down and the other quickly tied her tightly in twine. Her stomach was all in knots, and her heart was in her mouth. She trembled lightly, and the one man grinned at her.
"Lady Une will be with you in a moment," he said. "But in the mean time, I'll introduce myself. My name is Bruno, and maybe later on, after a nice hot bath…" He placed his hand on her stomach, tracing the patterns with his finger. "…Maybe we could get to know each other a little better…" She strained against the twine that held her. "Ooh, you'd better be thankful, Bruno," she growled. "If I could move my feet at the very least, you'd be nut-mash."
He gave her a sick smile. "Ooh, feisty… Good. I like a girl with a lot of fight… Those ones are wonderful when they're pinned down in bed." Frightened and outraged, she once again strained at her bonds, cutting them into her and making her wrists bleed.
She gave out a small cry, and then ceased her struggle as the pain shot up her arms. "Oh, don't hurt yourself too badly trying to get free, dear," Lady Une said as she came in. "That's our job. I see you've met Bruno. Now let's begin." And so, Lady Une started to ask Zacha all kinds of questions; Zacha refused to answer.
Hours went by, and Zacha was now battered, bruised and bleeding. She was already fighting two different truth serums, chemicals that would eventually kill her, incredible pain from bleeding from many places, and the urge to pass out. She could feel the very life draining from her with every cut they made on her body. Her lip was swollen and bleeding, and Bruno's large hand came flying down, giving her an additional bruise to the already sore and bleeding spots on her face. "The truth!" he yelled. "What was on that disk?!" Zacha winced as tears mixed with sweat and blood.
"Forget it," Lady Une sighed. "Let's try a few different methods…" Zacha gasped and trembled in fear…
Elsewhere, on Earth, a certain smiling pilot picked up the phone in a room and dialed Zacha's number. It rang three times before somebody picked up. "Hey Zacha," he said. "It's me again. I was just calling to…" Duo stopped in mid-sentence as the screen
showed the person who answered; it was a very big man with only four fingers on one hand, and a necklace of strung human finger bones. "Who… are you? And where's Zacha?"
The man glared. "That's exactly what we'd like to know; she's gone."
Duo's pupils got to the size of pencil dots. "Wh-what do you mean 'gone'? Gone out shopping? Gone out visiting? Gone where…?" Duo's stomach did flip-flops, as his heart told him what his head wouldn't hear.
"Just as I said; GONE. Kidnapped. We found a handful of her mini smoke grenade shells on the floor, and outside her house are a bunch of tire skid marks. And it looks like there was a struggle just out front. There's her footprints, several sets of men
prints, and prints of another woman. And one of the boys down the streets says he heard her screaming, but she was gone before they could get to her…. Gone…"
Duo's eyes flooded with fear for his friend. Oh God, no… he thought. The gang's nearly tripled in size, she told me. And then there's her ten finest… So many fighters covering the area, and they couldn't save her..?! No! This can't be!! I'll find her a
kill them all when I find them…Zacha… Just hang on… Please… Wait for me…Duo hung up the phone before Four-Fingers could say another word. He ran out of the building at lighting speed, heading for a jet. Heero followed him in.
"What's the hurry? Where are you going," Heero asked.
Duo panted and blurted everything together. "She's in big trouble… They've kidnapped her… I'm going to murder them all…" Heero came up next to him, placing a hand on Duo's shoulder.
"Hey, slow down. Now, what's going on?"
"I'll explain on the way there. But I'm going to need your help. Big time." Heero sat down in the chair next to Duo and strapped himself in. He noticed that Duo's knuckles were white as he gripped the controls, starting it up. Once airborne, he pressed
buttons and pushed bars to make it go as fast as possible. He already had several thrusters, pushing their maximum speed. He was about to put on the last few thrusters, when a thought, dressed as a chibi-style Zacha, popped into his mind. 'Duo,' it said.
If you throw all the thrusters pushing maximum like that, you'll blow the engines and won't get anywhere.' Duo sighed. Thank you Zacha, for my sanity, he thought. Heero nodded as Duo explained the current situation to him.
"So what you want me to do," Heero said, "is get the girl while you make a big distraction."
"That's about the size of it," Duo said through clenched teeth. I've never seen him so angry, Heero thought.
A few hours later, they arrived on L2 at the main airport. A boy at the flight tower called in. "This is L2 flight tower," he said. "Please identify yourself now."
Duo picked up the microphone to the tower. "This is Shiningami! Let me land or be blown to bits, greeted by Death Himself!!"
The boys face lightened in a welcoming smile. "Duo!" he said. "Come on in. land at gate five. Just go into the hanger; I'll meet you there." Duo landed, though it was more like the rush emergency landing. The jet had just stopped when he jumped out. He
an to meet the boy. "Hey," he said to the boy. "Lemme in your office; I've gotta use your computer." The boy saw Duo's deadly glare, and nodded.
Duo rushed on the computer, hacking into every system on L2, looking for a building with an incredible amount of security on it. He already knew that the captor was the type to take all precautions. But at this time, no caution could stop Duo Maxwell…
The touch of the cold steel blade on Zacha's sweating neck brought her back to the present and out of her thoughts. It slid across her neck on the broad side, giving her the chills. Lady Une sneered. "Well little one? Now that you've had a few moments to think, will you tell us anything at all??"
"…No," Zacha growled. "I TOLD you already; I will not betray their trust in me that quickly…"
Lady Une glowered at the beaten and bleeding girl. "Fine. Bruno, you can have her now. If she won't cooperate, she's of no use to us. Do what you want; I'll be in the office." With that, Lady Une left the room, leaving Bruno alone with Zacha.
"Well," he said. "Now that we're alone…" Zacha strained against the twine once more as she felt Bruno coming up close to her. "Well, there's still some fight in you. You're a strong girl, taking all that and you're still strong enough to be a fair fight
if I let you go. But I'm not. It's more fun with you all tied up at the moment…" He snickered, taking the small knife to her shirt. He kissed her ear and whispered, "Don't move; if you do, you'll be cut with this knife. Can't do much with you the way you
are right now, but until then, I can have a little fun…"
"Found it!" Duo said at last. He ran out, grabbing Heero by the wrist. "Let's Go!!" They jumped into the jet, and barely had the door closed when Duo was going to the thrusters. Hang on Zacha… he thought. A few more minutes…. Hang on! It wasn't telepathy, but they could always feel when one needed the other most. And right now, he could feel her life force fading away further by the second.
Memories of the two always together played in his mind; the games, the fist-fights, the joys, the sorrows, and the promises and vows that followed. Duo clenched his teeth, fighting tears. They are SO dead….!
Zacha held her breath as she felt the knife slicing down her shirt. "Please," she whispered. "Don't do this to me. Please…" Bruno stroked her face, and heard her whimper.
"Well," he said, standing up. "You are getting weaker. Just had to push the right buttons so to speak. Let's see…" he looked at her braided bun. "Now that's gonna get in the way later on, so I'll fix it." He stood behind her and untied the bun, lettin
her long blonde braid hang to the floor. "This should fix it..!"
Roughly, he grabbed the braid and pulled up, partly lifting her off of the seat. She screamed, but he didn't hear. Pieces of hair were ripped out from pulling, and anything in her still bleeding arms ripped downward. The twine that held her wrists dug
again, more deeply, fresh blood running down her hands. With her last amount of strength, Zacha screamed for all she was worth. He took the knife and cut the braid. Zacha passed out as she felt her loose hair falling down around her shoulders; then all or her went black. Bruno laughed, but then stopped suddenly as he saw the explosions in the hall and heard the screams of the men. "What the Hell?!" he yelled. "What's going on??"
The explosions came into the room. Bruno looked at the doorway, where Heero and Duo stood. Heero's expression was it's usual, but Duo's grin wasn't the one he usually had; it was the kind of grin a homicidal killer grins when he's thoroughly pissed. Then they split up; Duo shot at men in the hall, then fixed his eyes on Bruno. He glanced at Zacha; he saw that she was beaten, bleeding, and that her shirt was torn open. Then he looked at her hair. She wasn't moving at all, and that sent Duo's mind and heart racing. "Did YOU do that to her?" he demanded. "Answer me!" Bruno nodded evilly. "You sorry bastard!! You know what you are? You're dead, that's what you are!!" Without regret or second thought, Duo shot the man in cold, pure hate. Then he ran to he
Heero with Zacha. "Heero," he said. "Is she…?"
"No," he answered tonelessly. "Not yet. Will be soon, though from the looks of her injuries." As fast as they could, the to of them cut the ropes. Heero gently removed the scalpel that had been inserted into her vein and taped there, carefully picked her up and carried her out in his arms. Duo was about to follow when he saw the braid laying on the floor, part of it in a puddle of blood. He picked up the braid and the empty needles quickly and put it in his pocket, then ran off with Heero. Heero laid Zacha down in a back seat of the jet and then got in the driver's seat. Duo jumped in and sat on the ground next to her. Zacha was rescued, the building was burning down, and Lady Une was cursing her eyes out at them. "It didn't look like she was breathing very much, if at all," Heero said emotionlessly. "But, there's a chance she might live. So until we get to the safe house, there should be a little emergency kit under her seat. Try to wipe most of the blood off, then wrap her wrists in the bandages. We'll have to wait for Wufei when we get back. But in the mean time," he paused and shot Duo this glare that could scare a rabid wolf, "you've got a LOT of explaining to do on your part."
The jet flew off to their L2 safe house, and Duo attempted to explain a portion of the history between he and the unconscious girl. He stroked her face gently as he explained, hoping that she'd open her eyes.
Heero walked into the safe house, followed by Duo, carrying a small girl. As Duo gently laid her on the couch, he looked up to see the other pilots. They looked at Duo, then looked at the girl. Duo took a good look at her as well. Aside from her lovely hair being lopped off and she being in a nice state unconscious, he examined her current physical state. Her usually golden-tan skin had paled to a dull apricot. Her lips were nearly white, except for the part that had stopped bleeding. Her thick eyelashes looked so dark on her face it was almost scary. Duo sat there looking at her, praying that her turquoise eyes would flutter open any moment now. He turned to Wufei, and handed him the needles carefully. "They pumped these into her," he said. "You're good with medicines. Can you help her? Please Wufei…"
All could hear the genuine concern in his voice. Wufei sighed. "I'll look at them. I've got a pretty good idea of what they are, but until I know exactly, just watch and make sure she keeps breathing." Wufei walked into his room and shut the door to examine the chemicals. The other pilots held quiet conversation in the living room. After what seemed like forever, Wufei emerged from the room with a slip of paper. "Trowa," he said. "I need you to run out and get me the things on here. And no, Duo, you may not go with him. It should only take a few minutes." Trowa nodded, taking the list and leaving. "Now, I need one of you to take Duo out of here and keep him out for a while. I don't care if you tie him to his gundam, just keep him out of here for a few hours while I try and help the girl."
Heero nodded, and grabbed Duo by the arm, practically dragging him out the door and down the stairs. Quatre stood beside the couch. "How is she?" he asked curiously. Wufei didn't reply as he undid the rest of her shirt, following the line of cuts and small slashes. Quatre saw that Wufei's expression was firm and grim.
"Quatre," he said. "For now, get me a bowl of cold water and a wash cloth. I need to start cleaning these." Quatre walked into the kitchen to fetch the water and washcloth. How cruel, he thought. Heartless… How can they just DO that to such a small girl? He brought out the things asked for and sat in a chair waiting. Just waiting. Trowa came through the door with a box of medical supplies and handed them to Wufei.
"We'll be in the kitchen if you need us," he said, taking Quatre's arm. As they sat in the kitchen. Wufei worked for nearly two hours before showing any signs of being near done. He'd cleaned and dressed her wounds, and had washed all the blood off of her. Her wrists were sealed and bandaged, and he'd injected four or five different antidotes to the toxins originally injected. To finish it off, he put one of Duo's tee shirts on her, propped her head up, and laid a thin blanket over her. Finally, he stood up and went to the bathroom to wash his hands off. His work was done, and Duo owed him big time. Not too long after, Heero came in with a frazzled looking Duo. In one hand Duo had a bag with some of Zacha's clothes in it. He sat the bag down and looked at her.
"Is she alive?" he asked to no one in particular.
"Yes," Wufei answered. "She lives. And with some luck, she'll make it through till the morning. We'll just have to watch her. But for now she's asleep. You look exhausted. You should get some sleep too."
"Later. For now I'll just sit in here and make sure she doesn't stop breathing." His own words stung him. But he was determined that she would live. The other pilots went into the kitchen, occasionally glancing out at Duo, who would wait there, by her side. Waiting for her to wake up and live.
~owari~
"No…Stop…Eyaaaa!!!" Zacha screamed in pain as she felt it. The small, cold steal making an incision on her soft flesh. Her screams and cries proved to be in vain though, as she felt his malignant grip on her twine-bound arm tighten.
She felt it. Something warm and sticky flowing down her arm above her wrist a few inches. Hot tears swept down her face and got caught in her blindfold. And those tears that escaped flooded the front and sides of her face and were mixed with sweat and cold, pure hatred.
A large hand pressed down around the cut in her arm, giving her temporary relief from the festering pain. Within the shadows a few feet away, a pair of burgundy lips smiled wickedly. "You know", Lady Une said, "your screams will do you no good. I for one am not phased in the least by you pleas, so I now give you an option: You can either cooperate and tell us what was on that disk and all information you know of your pilot friends, or we can force it out of you. Your call, but make it quick. Bruno!" The large man holding Zacha's arm snapped to attention, and let it go, thus letting the pain return full force. "Ma'am!" he said. Lady Une smiled. "Well little one? What is your answer? Will tell us what we want to know?"
The sweat on Zacha's face doubled as she fought emotions and sickness. "I-I…" she stammered. Zacha tried to clear her head to think, when Duo's smiling face imbedded itself in her mind. "D-Duo…"
Lady Une's ears pricked up. "Well??"
"…No… I've made… my decision…" she said weakly. "I…WON'T tell you. I can't betray them like that…"
"Very well…" Lady Une growled. "Bruno, inject the last serum. Afterward, if she still won't cooperate, you can have her and do as you like with her." Bruno got the hint and grinned at the well-beaten girl.
Zacha felt the room spin. I must think straight, she thought. If I don't, Lord only knows what I might say… Think! She gave a quick, painful sigh. How did I get into this mess?? Events of the past few days flooded her mind. Her ties with the Gundam pilots felt like they could be her saviors, her sanity, and at times like this, her doom.
She thought back a few days. She figured if she could hang in there and think to herself, maybe she'd get a miracle; either someone would come save her, or she'd die before telling them anything. Think…
Only a few days beforehand, she and her gang had felt unfriendly eyes watching them. But being wrapped up in the holidays, you don't really notice much else.
Zacha bounded from rooftop to rooftop, trying to ditch the two cops behind her. "Stop! Thief! Halt, You are under arrest! Get back here!!!"
As she ran, she turned her head behind. "Me? Stop? Whatever for?!" She laughed, pulling something out of her pocket. It looked like a sampler tube of lipstick. Still running, she put a kiss on it, tossed it behind her at the officers, and jumped off the
building quickly. Confused, the officers stopped to examine the object. It beeped, and they looked closer at it. It beeped again. They got closer. It blew them up (and half the building). On the ground, a very sick grin formed on her face. She sighed, inhaling the air deeply. "Ahh, I just LOVE the smell of C4 in the morning… Now, onto breakfast!" she said, running off to her meeting place. A few blocks down, she walked into a building, with several other people waiting for her. "Morning boys," she said. Some nodded at her, some hugged her, and some just mumbled their greetings. She couldn't help that C4 explosions made her perky. Each of
them laid out food, fresh and non-perishable, on the table, and Zacha told them where to take it; non-perishable in the bin for holiday dinner, fresh to the kids. It was their typical morning.
It was only one day until Thanksgiving, and the past few weeks had been spent gathering and preparing food for the 478 children she took care of. But finally, it was all done and cooked. She had enough for everyone to have a decent sized plate this year.
She even had some extras.
Taking several tins, she walked into the preparing kitchen of this month's home; (she changes homes every month so it'll be harder to find her); and began to prepare a plate of food. The plate was laden with a banquet; half a small turkey, stuffing, mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows, and several other good things. She wrapped it in plastic, set it in one tin, and placed it in a large box. She put two-dozen of her "Duo Maxwell Pick-Me-Up Chocolate Chip Surprise Cookies" into another tin, and an apple pie in the last.
She set them gently in the box, tossed in a semi-sweet note and closed the box. Just to make it look like a package from the old movies, she wrapped it in brown paper and tied it with string. She smiled to herself. What's missing? she thought. It hit her, and then she grinned herself silly. She applied her tube of midnight-wine lipstick and kissed the box, then sprayed it with her Star Dust perfume. "Perfect," she giggled.
She smiled to herself, and stood at the door, giving a shrill whistle. "Jimmy!" she called. "I've got a very important mission for you." Promptly a young man presented himself before her, his blue eyes shining with curiosity. "Okay," she said smiling.
this is your first big job for me, so I'm counting on you to do it quick and do it well." He smiled with anticipation. "Your mission, should you choose to accept it or not, is to deliver this very important package. Now, I know you've run with Mike a few times, so you should know the place; but this time you've gotta go solo. Mike's out running errands for me, so he'll be back later."
Jimmy looked up at her. "A package?" he asked, blinking. "So what's in it, boss? Bombs, instructions… what? Or should I not ask?" He looked at the package, saw the lipstick and smelled the perfume. Must be a bomb, he thought.
Zacha laughed. "That dear is none of your concern. Just a word of warning: Do not tip it any way other that this; do not leave it in heat or cold; make sure it gets there before supper time tomorrow; and do not, I repeat DO NOT attempt to open it in an
way. If when you get there, the recipient finds that you have meddled with the package, I've given him permission to cut off a finger, and then when you return I'll totally chew you out. Understand?" He paled a moment, but nodded. "Good. Other than that
have a good time, stay out of too much trouble, and if you run into any that you can't handle, give the signal. Someone should be in the area."
He nodded once, and turned to leave, then stopped at the door. "Hey boss? I know there's got to be a shorter route so… How about the Under-roads*?"
"I was waiting for that. Very observant. Go just out of the Old Territory, then into the Under-roads. Take road four dash three. And if anyone asks, tell him or her Cheyenne sent you, and they'll guide you through the Under-roads, and protect you once
you get above ground. After the first time through, you should know how to get back. And should you need some reference, take this." She handed him a slip of paper with instructions on it.
He nodded his thanks, and dashed off smiling. It was his first big job for her, and saw it as his chance to prove himself ready to be one of her top ten men in the gang. It had always been his dream for some reason, and now, she had asked him to deliver
this package for her. Me, he thought. Doing this big job, asked by Zacha herself. Wow! Talk about good karma! Maybe it's a sign. Maybe I really will be one of her ten finest….
Zacha smiled to herself as she saw the boy, over-flowing with self-pride and joy, go off into the streets as it neared noon. He'll be fine, she thought. He should arrive at four dash three by six 'o clock, rest in one of the pit-rests in the Under-road till seven or eight a.m. tomorrow, finish his way in the Under-roads by ten, and arrive at his destination by lunch time. For the way back, he'll probly' have enough sense to hitchhike with one of our friends or something.
Duo accepted the box with a grin that the Cheshire cat would envy. He grinned at Jimmy, who was trembling head to toe and did an awful job at hiding it. "Heh," he said. "Don't be so nervous kiddo. I don't bite. Hard." He laughed, and that relaxed Jimmy
little. "Here," Duo said, handing him a tip. "For your troubles."
Jimmy blinked, then smiled widely. "Thanks!" he said happily. His shaking had lessened, and he left with his escorts, who had offered him a lift back to the edge of the Old Territory. From there he was on his own, and should be back home by dinnertime.
just in time for Thanksgiving dinner. Duo hugged the box gleefully, and bounded into the safe house. The other pilots looked up at him, slightly dazed by his actions. He went into the kitchen and tore the box open. He saw the note, and sat down to read.
'Dear Duo,
Wussup? Well, I knew you'd be eating Hungry-Man for dinner, so I took the liberty of sending you some Thanksgiving dinner. The whole dinner is in the biggest tin. Just throw it in the microwave for three minutes on high, stir potatoes and stuffing, back
in the microwave for one minute on high, and serve. There's a can of cranberry sauce. (How can you EAT that?!) The cookies are for you, and the last tin has an apple pie in it. That is TO BE SHARED with your pilot friends. Well, talk to ya later, and enjoy your Thanksgiving. Later!
Love forever, 'Lock & Key',
Zacha'
Duo grinned, silently thanking her. He followed the instructions, and poured himself a small glass of wine to go with it. He sat at the table, and the other pilots, curious, peeked in and saw Duo bow his head in prayer.
"What's he doing?" Quatre whispered. "And who sent him that?"
Heero grunted. "Looks to me like he's praying; a rare sight indeed. And he'd better be prepared to die, because obviously someone knows where we live…"
"Judging from the smile," Trowa said, "must be a friend of his. But I agree with Heero…" They all looked up as they heard the last of his dinner prayer.
"And God bless Zacha, today and ever after. Kindness beyond her years, and good cooking out of the blue! Now… commence eating!" Before anyone could bat an eye he was politely eating his food.
The pilots walked back into the living room and sat, waiting for Duo to finish so they could have a little 'chat' with him. About forty-five minutes later, he had finished dinner, and was happily munching the cookies. He sat the pie on the counter, and
left with the cookies to his half of his shared room. He sat munching on his bed, in thought. Hmmm, he thought. She's been so nice… And she's never forgotten to send the cookies annually, like she promised. And here she's sent me a wonderful dinner, the
cookies promised, and a pie for me and the guys. I've gotta send her something back… but what? Then it hit him like a bullet. He grabbed the phone, and closed the door mostly, leaving a crack. He opened up a small black book, and dialed a number. The other
pilots peeked in and listened at the door.
The phone rang once. Twice. Someone picked up. It was Zacha. "Hello?" she said. "May I ask who's calling, and to whom this call is directed?"
Duo laughed. "Such wonderful phone manners. Always did have 'em."
Tears of joy and surprise began to form in an eye as the monitor showed Duo's face. "Duo! Hey, boy! Long time no see. What's up? Did you get your dinner? We just finished ours an hour ago."
"Yeah, I got it. And it was wonderful. Thank you for sending it." And they began to chat away, about recent stuff, old memories, and just about everything from local gossip to how blue the sky is. The other pilots watched and hung on every detail.
"Who's SHE?" Quatre whispered. "Any of you guys know her?"
They shook their heads. "Nope," said Trowa. "But it looks like they know each other pretty well. Girlfriend maybe?"
"Nah, he'd have at least mentioned her. Wouldn't he?"
Heero shook his head. "No, not likely." Their ears pricked up as they heard talk about them.
"Yeah," Duo laughed. "I've got a present for you. My gundam video tapes all that happens in the cockpit, and all around it outside. And I've got my own home-video collection. Enjoy! I'll narrate as it plays!" The other pilots' eyes grew wide as saucers
as Duo played video clips of them all before, during and after battles, but even better their personal lives. "And here we have a clip of Heero while he's asleep. Doesn't he look so sweet when he's not awake? And look, he's cracking a grin in his sleep! Now THAT'S rare!" Heero bit his lip. Duo, not hearing the low growl and Japanese mutterings and threats, continued.
"And here we are, running from the notorious Relena Peacecraft. She's totally in love with Heero, and he, as well as the rest of us, can't stand her! And here's one I had to sneak to get; here you see a tender embrace of Quatre and Trowa…"
Zacha gave him a funny look. "Uh, could we skip this part? Not my thing…" Quatre and Trowa silently thanked her as they blushed shades of red.
"Okay. And here's another sneak; here's Wufei watching a movie. But what's this? He's crying! And what's the movie? Titanic!" Zacha was in stitches and Wufei was ready to kill. At that moment, they were all ready to pounce. Duo stopped the disk. "Well,
that's all that was on the disk. What'd you think?"
Zacha was having a hard time breathing, she was laughing so hard. "That… that was rich! Hahahaha!!! Thanks, Duo. That was a wonderful present. Oh! I've got something to show you." She pulled out a photo, and pressed it to the screen. It was at the Maxwell Church. There was Duo as a child, sitting in a tree, having his hair brushed by a tanned girl with butter-blonde hair the same length. On the steps of the church stood Father Maxwell and Sister Helena. The picture was taken by one of the other kids. Duolooked at the picture, and his mind was flooded with memories. "Do you remember this, Duo?"
"Yeah, I do… Hey Zacha? Could you fax me that picture?"
"Hm? Oh, okay. It'll take a few minutes, though; the fax is old. I mean, I practically built this phone out of pieces from other things." She set the picture in, and it went to work. Then they started up with the singing. The pilots were slightly bewildered. "The plot thickens," Heero whispered. "Childhood buddy, I guess." They all looked up as they heard Duo singing "Bye-bye Miss American Pie". "And who knew he sang?"
Songs went on for minutes, American songs ranging from old and soft rock, to heavy metal love ballads, then onto Christmas songs. The room was flooded with the sounds of a lovely duet singing a moving rendition of "I'll Be Home For Christmas". The last line was Zacha's.
"..I'll be home for Christmas… If only in… my... dreams." The songs were over, and Duo smiled at her.
"You know," he said. "We've gotta series of missions coming up, then some leave time. So maybe during my leave time I can come and visit. How's that? I'll be home for Christmas!"
Zacha smiled widely. "You mean it? As in coming to stay for a while, see the old gang, meet the new, have dinner… A real visit? Wow! That'd be great! But when do you have to leave for L7?"
"Tonight, we all leave for Earth. We'll be there by tonight, be done before long, and be back by tomorrow. Really big mission. But I'll call you right as I'm heading back, Kay? But I'd best be getting off the phone now; gotta get ready to leave. But I'
talk to ya later, Zacha."
"All right. Later then." Quickly she applied a layer of her lipstick and kissed the screen. Duo saw the lipstick print, and matched the kiss on his screen. She smiled and they hung up.
If only there weren't the screen between the kiss… Lifelong dream will ONE day will come true… he thought. He smiled to himself and finally noticed the four pairs of eyes watching him intently. They all stepped through the door, and at that moment he
w the deadly glowers they gave him. "Uhh… H-hey guys… Umm… Uh-oh, I'm screwed… You… saw the conversation. Right? Guys? Umm… Eh-heh, eh-heh…" Duo wasn't the only one who was being spied upon then caught. As Zacha hung up the phone, smiling to herself, she saw a body calmly sitting in her living room chair. The woman sat there, very clam and had been polite enough to wait for her to finish her conversation. Zacha eyed her suspiciously. "Can I help you?" she asked.
The woman smiled. "Yes, I think you can. I am Lady Une. Are you the one they call Zacha?"
Zacha caught her breath. "Who wants to know?" One hand behind her, she fumbled around in her hip pack, looking for her mini smoke grenades.
"My administrator. We have received a tip that Zacha, who we all know is a well-known terrorist, lived here, and was in alliance with the Gundam pilots. We've also learned that she has information on the pilots and their gundams that would prove very,
very useful to the people I work for. So now we are seeking Zacha in hopes that she would willingly aid us. We'd even be willing to pay her."
Now Zacha knew this was bad. She was about to try and say or do something to stall Lady Une when she saw two very big, very mean looking men come in. "I'm sorry, but she's not interested!" Zacha threw down several of her tiny grenades and made an unsuccessful run for it. In the midst of the coughing and confusion, a third man who waited outside saw the smoke and a small girl bursting out of it. With incredibly fast reflexes, he grabbed her with one hand and easily avoided her flailing fists.
Lady Une and the two other men came out of the building, eyes fixed on the tiny girl. While the man was distracted, she gave him one swift kick; which released her from his grip. Trying to run again, the two men tackled her at once, as the third got in
he driver's seat of the parked van. "No!" she screamed. "No! Let me go! Let me go! No!!! Help! Four-Fingers, Juno, someone, help!!!"
Lady Une looked around nervously. "Shut her up!" she yelled. "She's a gang leader, so her friends will be here any moment. Hurry Up!" One man held Zacha by both arms, and the other, grinning cruelly, gave Zacha one painful blow to the lower ribs. He knocked the wind out of her, and the skin had already begun to bruise. She doubled over in pain, hot tears streaming down her face. Still trying to breathe, she made no movement of escape. They threw her into the back of the van roughly, and the men got in after her. Lady Une hopped in the passenger seat, and they sped off.
Within the van, just to make sure she wouldn't pull anything, her hands were handcuffed behind her, and a slipknot rope was tied around her neck. The other end was attached to the wall of the van, tied just tight enough for her to breathe. If she were
tug ever so slightly, she'd be strangling herself. Even if she went back to the wall, the rope wouldn't loosen; it had to be loosened manually. Oh shit, she thought. I'm royally zugged beyond hope. Father Maxwell… Sister Helena… Please… Give me strength...
What seemed like hours later, the van stopped. The one man took the rope off her neck, but blindfolded her. Just in case. The man picked her up and toted her in the building, her slight weight seemingly no more than a sack of potatoes. She was roughly
placed on a chair; the one man held her down and the other quickly tied her tightly in twine. Her stomach was all in knots, and her heart was in her mouth. She trembled lightly, and the one man grinned at her.
"Lady Une will be with you in a moment," he said. "But in the mean time, I'll introduce myself. My name is Bruno, and maybe later on, after a nice hot bath…" He placed his hand on her stomach, tracing the patterns with his finger. "…Maybe we could get to know each other a little better…" She strained against the twine that held her. "Ooh, you'd better be thankful, Bruno," she growled. "If I could move my feet at the very least, you'd be nut-mash."
He gave her a sick smile. "Ooh, feisty… Good. I like a girl with a lot of fight… Those ones are wonderful when they're pinned down in bed." Frightened and outraged, she once again strained at her bonds, cutting them into her and making her wrists bleed.
She gave out a small cry, and then ceased her struggle as the pain shot up her arms. "Oh, don't hurt yourself too badly trying to get free, dear," Lady Une said as she came in. "That's our job. I see you've met Bruno. Now let's begin." And so, Lady Une started to ask Zacha all kinds of questions; Zacha refused to answer.
Hours went by, and Zacha was now battered, bruised and bleeding. She was already fighting two different truth serums, chemicals that would eventually kill her, incredible pain from bleeding from many places, and the urge to pass out. She could feel the very life draining from her with every cut they made on her body. Her lip was swollen and bleeding, and Bruno's large hand came flying down, giving her an additional bruise to the already sore and bleeding spots on her face. "The truth!" he yelled. "What was on that disk?!" Zacha winced as tears mixed with sweat and blood.
"Forget it," Lady Une sighed. "Let's try a few different methods…" Zacha gasped and trembled in fear…
Elsewhere, on Earth, a certain smiling pilot picked up the phone in a room and dialed Zacha's number. It rang three times before somebody picked up. "Hey Zacha," he said. "It's me again. I was just calling to…" Duo stopped in mid-sentence as the screen
showed the person who answered; it was a very big man with only four fingers on one hand, and a necklace of strung human finger bones. "Who… are you? And where's Zacha?"
The man glared. "That's exactly what we'd like to know; she's gone."
Duo's pupils got to the size of pencil dots. "Wh-what do you mean 'gone'? Gone out shopping? Gone out visiting? Gone where…?" Duo's stomach did flip-flops, as his heart told him what his head wouldn't hear.
"Just as I said; GONE. Kidnapped. We found a handful of her mini smoke grenade shells on the floor, and outside her house are a bunch of tire skid marks. And it looks like there was a struggle just out front. There's her footprints, several sets of men
prints, and prints of another woman. And one of the boys down the streets says he heard her screaming, but she was gone before they could get to her…. Gone…"
Duo's eyes flooded with fear for his friend. Oh God, no… he thought. The gang's nearly tripled in size, she told me. And then there's her ten finest… So many fighters covering the area, and they couldn't save her..?! No! This can't be!! I'll find her a
kill them all when I find them…Zacha… Just hang on… Please… Wait for me…Duo hung up the phone before Four-Fingers could say another word. He ran out of the building at lighting speed, heading for a jet. Heero followed him in.
"What's the hurry? Where are you going," Heero asked.
Duo panted and blurted everything together. "She's in big trouble… They've kidnapped her… I'm going to murder them all…" Heero came up next to him, placing a hand on Duo's shoulder.
"Hey, slow down. Now, what's going on?"
"I'll explain on the way there. But I'm going to need your help. Big time." Heero sat down in the chair next to Duo and strapped himself in. He noticed that Duo's knuckles were white as he gripped the controls, starting it up. Once airborne, he pressed
buttons and pushed bars to make it go as fast as possible. He already had several thrusters, pushing their maximum speed. He was about to put on the last few thrusters, when a thought, dressed as a chibi-style Zacha, popped into his mind. 'Duo,' it said.
If you throw all the thrusters pushing maximum like that, you'll blow the engines and won't get anywhere.' Duo sighed. Thank you Zacha, for my sanity, he thought. Heero nodded as Duo explained the current situation to him.
"So what you want me to do," Heero said, "is get the girl while you make a big distraction."
"That's about the size of it," Duo said through clenched teeth. I've never seen him so angry, Heero thought.
A few hours later, they arrived on L2 at the main airport. A boy at the flight tower called in. "This is L2 flight tower," he said. "Please identify yourself now."
Duo picked up the microphone to the tower. "This is Shiningami! Let me land or be blown to bits, greeted by Death Himself!!"
The boys face lightened in a welcoming smile. "Duo!" he said. "Come on in. land at gate five. Just go into the hanger; I'll meet you there." Duo landed, though it was more like the rush emergency landing. The jet had just stopped when he jumped out. He
an to meet the boy. "Hey," he said to the boy. "Lemme in your office; I've gotta use your computer." The boy saw Duo's deadly glare, and nodded.
Duo rushed on the computer, hacking into every system on L2, looking for a building with an incredible amount of security on it. He already knew that the captor was the type to take all precautions. But at this time, no caution could stop Duo Maxwell…
The touch of the cold steel blade on Zacha's sweating neck brought her back to the present and out of her thoughts. It slid across her neck on the broad side, giving her the chills. Lady Une sneered. "Well little one? Now that you've had a few moments to think, will you tell us anything at all??"
"…No," Zacha growled. "I TOLD you already; I will not betray their trust in me that quickly…"
Lady Une glowered at the beaten and bleeding girl. "Fine. Bruno, you can have her now. If she won't cooperate, she's of no use to us. Do what you want; I'll be in the office." With that, Lady Une left the room, leaving Bruno alone with Zacha.
"Well," he said. "Now that we're alone…" Zacha strained against the twine once more as she felt Bruno coming up close to her. "Well, there's still some fight in you. You're a strong girl, taking all that and you're still strong enough to be a fair fight
if I let you go. But I'm not. It's more fun with you all tied up at the moment…" He snickered, taking the small knife to her shirt. He kissed her ear and whispered, "Don't move; if you do, you'll be cut with this knife. Can't do much with you the way you
are right now, but until then, I can have a little fun…"
"Found it!" Duo said at last. He ran out, grabbing Heero by the wrist. "Let's Go!!" They jumped into the jet, and barely had the door closed when Duo was going to the thrusters. Hang on Zacha… he thought. A few more minutes…. Hang on! It wasn't telepathy, but they could always feel when one needed the other most. And right now, he could feel her life force fading away further by the second.
Memories of the two always together played in his mind; the games, the fist-fights, the joys, the sorrows, and the promises and vows that followed. Duo clenched his teeth, fighting tears. They are SO dead….!
Zacha held her breath as she felt the knife slicing down her shirt. "Please," she whispered. "Don't do this to me. Please…" Bruno stroked her face, and heard her whimper.
"Well," he said, standing up. "You are getting weaker. Just had to push the right buttons so to speak. Let's see…" he looked at her braided bun. "Now that's gonna get in the way later on, so I'll fix it." He stood behind her and untied the bun, lettin
her long blonde braid hang to the floor. "This should fix it..!"
Roughly, he grabbed the braid and pulled up, partly lifting her off of the seat. She screamed, but he didn't hear. Pieces of hair were ripped out from pulling, and anything in her still bleeding arms ripped downward. The twine that held her wrists dug
again, more deeply, fresh blood running down her hands. With her last amount of strength, Zacha screamed for all she was worth. He took the knife and cut the braid. Zacha passed out as she felt her loose hair falling down around her shoulders; then all or her went black. Bruno laughed, but then stopped suddenly as he saw the explosions in the hall and heard the screams of the men. "What the Hell?!" he yelled. "What's going on??"
The explosions came into the room. Bruno looked at the doorway, where Heero and Duo stood. Heero's expression was it's usual, but Duo's grin wasn't the one he usually had; it was the kind of grin a homicidal killer grins when he's thoroughly pissed. Then they split up; Duo shot at men in the hall, then fixed his eyes on Bruno. He glanced at Zacha; he saw that she was beaten, bleeding, and that her shirt was torn open. Then he looked at her hair. She wasn't moving at all, and that sent Duo's mind and heart racing. "Did YOU do that to her?" he demanded. "Answer me!" Bruno nodded evilly. "You sorry bastard!! You know what you are? You're dead, that's what you are!!" Without regret or second thought, Duo shot the man in cold, pure hate. Then he ran to he
Heero with Zacha. "Heero," he said. "Is she…?"
"No," he answered tonelessly. "Not yet. Will be soon, though from the looks of her injuries." As fast as they could, the to of them cut the ropes. Heero gently removed the scalpel that had been inserted into her vein and taped there, carefully picked her up and carried her out in his arms. Duo was about to follow when he saw the braid laying on the floor, part of it in a puddle of blood. He picked up the braid and the empty needles quickly and put it in his pocket, then ran off with Heero. Heero laid Zacha down in a back seat of the jet and then got in the driver's seat. Duo jumped in and sat on the ground next to her. Zacha was rescued, the building was burning down, and Lady Une was cursing her eyes out at them. "It didn't look like she was breathing very much, if at all," Heero said emotionlessly. "But, there's a chance she might live. So until we get to the safe house, there should be a little emergency kit under her seat. Try to wipe most of the blood off, then wrap her wrists in the bandages. We'll have to wait for Wufei when we get back. But in the mean time," he paused and shot Duo this glare that could scare a rabid wolf, "you've got a LOT of explaining to do on your part."
The jet flew off to their L2 safe house, and Duo attempted to explain a portion of the history between he and the unconscious girl. He stroked her face gently as he explained, hoping that she'd open her eyes.
Heero walked into the safe house, followed by Duo, carrying a small girl. As Duo gently laid her on the couch, he looked up to see the other pilots. They looked at Duo, then looked at the girl. Duo took a good look at her as well. Aside from her lovely hair being lopped off and she being in a nice state unconscious, he examined her current physical state. Her usually golden-tan skin had paled to a dull apricot. Her lips were nearly white, except for the part that had stopped bleeding. Her thick eyelashes looked so dark on her face it was almost scary. Duo sat there looking at her, praying that her turquoise eyes would flutter open any moment now. He turned to Wufei, and handed him the needles carefully. "They pumped these into her," he said. "You're good with medicines. Can you help her? Please Wufei…"
All could hear the genuine concern in his voice. Wufei sighed. "I'll look at them. I've got a pretty good idea of what they are, but until I know exactly, just watch and make sure she keeps breathing." Wufei walked into his room and shut the door to examine the chemicals. The other pilots held quiet conversation in the living room. After what seemed like forever, Wufei emerged from the room with a slip of paper. "Trowa," he said. "I need you to run out and get me the things on here. And no, Duo, you may not go with him. It should only take a few minutes." Trowa nodded, taking the list and leaving. "Now, I need one of you to take Duo out of here and keep him out for a while. I don't care if you tie him to his gundam, just keep him out of here for a few hours while I try and help the girl."
Heero nodded, and grabbed Duo by the arm, practically dragging him out the door and down the stairs. Quatre stood beside the couch. "How is she?" he asked curiously. Wufei didn't reply as he undid the rest of her shirt, following the line of cuts and small slashes. Quatre saw that Wufei's expression was firm and grim.
"Quatre," he said. "For now, get me a bowl of cold water and a wash cloth. I need to start cleaning these." Quatre walked into the kitchen to fetch the water and washcloth. How cruel, he thought. Heartless… How can they just DO that to such a small girl? He brought out the things asked for and sat in a chair waiting. Just waiting. Trowa came through the door with a box of medical supplies and handed them to Wufei.
"We'll be in the kitchen if you need us," he said, taking Quatre's arm. As they sat in the kitchen. Wufei worked for nearly two hours before showing any signs of being near done. He'd cleaned and dressed her wounds, and had washed all the blood off of her. Her wrists were sealed and bandaged, and he'd injected four or five different antidotes to the toxins originally injected. To finish it off, he put one of Duo's tee shirts on her, propped her head up, and laid a thin blanket over her. Finally, he stood up and went to the bathroom to wash his hands off. His work was done, and Duo owed him big time. Not too long after, Heero came in with a frazzled looking Duo. In one hand Duo had a bag with some of Zacha's clothes in it. He sat the bag down and looked at her.
"Is she alive?" he asked to no one in particular.
"Yes," Wufei answered. "She lives. And with some luck, she'll make it through till the morning. We'll just have to watch her. But for now she's asleep. You look exhausted. You should get some sleep too."
"Later. For now I'll just sit in here and make sure she doesn't stop breathing." His own words stung him. But he was determined that she would live. The other pilots went into the kitchen, occasionally glancing out at Duo, who would wait there, by her side. Waiting for her to wake up and live.
~owari~