Denotes thought
********** Separation of time
Heero Yuy's was disturbed by a thick voice. "Heero! Wake up!" Without stirring, he shifted and moaned, "I don't wanna ride the pony!"
"Heero, wake up damn you!" the voice rang out again.
"The emperor is a beautiful woman!" he mumbled in response.
"Heero, get your butt up and out the door!"
He sat up in his sleep looking around, startled. "What? I'm awake!" Whimpering just slightly, Heero slipped into a pair of jeans and a tee shirt that was lying on the ground. He casually looked over at the alarm clock. Shit! It's a quarter past five. Who in God's name would wake me up at a quarter past five?
Angrily, he marched out of his room and walked into the dinning room. He shielded his eyes from the bright lights, until they adjusted. He grunted his hellos to the other Gundam pilots. He grabbed the cup of coffee that was waiting for him in the kitchen. If I have to wake up at five in the morning, at least I have coffee to turn to. God bless Earth.
As he looked around the room, he noticed that the other Gundam pilots were dressed, fed and were more awake than he. "What time did you guys get your wake up call."
"About an hour after you got yours. Guess Dr. J knows you aren't a morning person," said Quatre replying in his usually cheery attitude. He was typing frantically on the computer. Heero couldn't see what. Actually, he didn't care. He was even more emotionless - if that was even possible - in the mornings, especially after he woke up.
Duo Maxwell poked his head in from the hallway that led to the living room. "Oh by the way, Heero. Why didn't you want to ride the pony?" Quatre shot one of his 'not-right-now-Duo' looks. Duo gave him an innocent 'what'd-I-do' look. Heero mumbled an inaudible something. He gazed around the room wondering if his fellow pilots had something else to add.
Trowa Barton was staring out the window, watching the sunrise. Even though he had been part of a circus, he did not have much of a humor. Well, then again, neither did Heero. Duo was the one with the smart-ass sense of humor. Although he wanted to smack the bastard over the head most of the time, Heero was convinced Duo was the reason they hadn't all gone insane over the past few months. Although he might be the one would push them all over the edge, too.
Chang Wufei was the only one truly obsessed with weaknesses and strengths and justice and all that other crap. Heero fought because he was chosen. They asked and he delivered. Simple as that. No questions, no answers. Wufei was tipped back in a chair with his feet on the table. He was a chewing on a toothpick and was concentrating, maybe meditating.
Heero glanced over at Quatre and the computer to see what he was doing. If it weren't for the kid, they'd all be stuck with no where to stay. His father had owned the cottage they were staying at. And since his father was assassinated, Quatre Raberba-Winner had inherited his father's estate and the family's fortune. Yep. He was the rich kid of the group. Wufei thought he was weak and unfit for war. It didn't help that the kid had a heart condition. The Heart of Space. The Unchu no Kokuro he called it. Heero probably wouldn't admit it (mostly because he couldn't admit it to himself), but Quatre had more hidden layers than he did. He had to admit, he first thought the kid would have gotten himself killed by now. But time after time again, he had proved himself more or less adequate.
Trowa awoke from his daze and asked, "Anyone know why Dr. J woke us up?"
"He's got a special announcement or something. New mission. Something important," Quatre said with a yawn. "He said it was important, and everyone should hear it."
"It's gotta be important. I mean, why else would he wake up Heero at five in the morning? Sight for sore eyes," Duo yelled from the hallway.
Heero growled and said something not that nice. Quatre decided to carry on with the topic at hand to avoid any further *ahem* comments. "I've been trying to contact him for some time now. All I'm getting is a busy signal."
"Damn well better have a good reason," Wufei said to himself.
"Oh lighten up, Wufei. I would think you'd be happy to pilot again and win back your strength and glory. Spread your righteousness upon the populace, yadda, yadda, yadda. Stop being such a damn pessimist," Duo yelled yet from the hallway.
"Duo, shutup you mere weakling! And what are you doing out there anyway?" said the slightly annoyed Chinese pilot.
"Oh, just watching your honor and et cetera pack its bags and walk out the door," he said with a playful grin.
Wufei tipped forward and opened his eyes. He stared at Duo with narrowed eyes that said 'Say one more word, Maxwell and I will kick your scrawny ass.'
"Down boy! Talk about looks that can kill. Meow!"
Wufei repositioned his feet on top of the table again. He continued to stare warningly at Duo. He was also still chewing on the toothpick, just with more aggression.
"Will you two please be quiet. This isn't as easy as it looks. Dr. J changed the password yet again," Quatre shouted in a frustrated huff. "Duo for God's sake, grow up. Wufei, learn to ignore him."
Duo stuck his tongue out at him. "I saw that," said Quatre. Despite himself, Wufei chuckled. Just very quietly. He didn't want to sound like a woman. Or Quatre for that matter.
"I mean, you guys have been living together for one week. Get used to it. Duo is an ass. Wufei is a little too proud. It's the Chinese in him. Heero isn't the greatest person to be around in the morning," he said without looking up from the computer.
"Trowa is the 'graceful clown'," snickered Duo.
"And you're practically a woman, Quatre," Wufei said with a smug smile on his lips.
Trowa snapped back into reality, and showed a sliver emotion. Quite the rarity. Quatre stopped typing and stood up from the chair. "What did you say?!" they said in unison. Trowa gripped his gun and pointed it in Duo's direction. Quatre resorted in a more peaceful course of action. He death glared.
"Trowa, man. I was just kidding. Ha ha! Joke, get it! Heh ... heh."
"Ooooh, look everyone. The little blonde is staring at me. Should I say 'I'm sorry' and kiss his feet for forgiveness."
"Knock this off!" Heero jumped up in frustration. "All right we're all tense right now. Living together has brought out the worst of us all. Trowa, put down the gun. What would Catherine say? And Wufei, grow some balls. You wanna make yourself a stronger individual, but you're picking a fight with Quatre, your comrade. Now breathe and let Quatre continue. Leave him alone. I was not trained to be a Gundam pilot to listen to you four bitch."
Trowa hesitantly put the gun back into its holster. Wufei lowered his eyes and continued meditating, ego damaged. Duo relaxed and walked to the kitchen. Although he tried his best to stay as far away from Trowa, who continued to stare out the window. Quatre sat back down and continued his tiresome job of trying to hack into Dr. J's communication systems.
Finally, a deep voice, the same that had woken Heero, rang from the computer's speakers. "Quatre? Quatre, how'd you get into my systems? I've put so many codes on this thing it would make your head spin."
"It almost did Dr. J," he said with a huff of relief. "So what's the deal? Why'd you wake us up? You're the one that suggested we should take a vacation. With OZ distracted with blotched plans and his mess-ups, there really wasn't anything for us to do. If all went well, they might just destroy each other and make our live a lot easier."
"I know Quatre. You're gonna have to cut your vacation short. I've heard from reliable resources that Treize Khushrenada is trying to negotiate with OZ. He's reconsidering what he truly wants from this war. He wants to form an alliance again to destroy the Gundams and control the colonies. It may not be permanent. Just so he can get revenge."
A muffled 'yeah' came from the five pilots. "Don't sound so enthusiastic. I'm sending a copy of the mission. All you really have to do is find the colony that the meeting is being held on, and destroy it. The meeting would have to be held in a neutral zone. It would most likely be on abandoned colonies owned by The Cinq Kingdom.
"Why would it be there?" asked Trowa. "I've heard that they were abandoned colonies. Pacifism being unpopular and everything"
"For once, Trieze don't want to make a big scene. They want to be as discrete as possible."
A new screen popped up on Quatre's computer. It was the plans for the new mission. As he printed out the screen the Arabian began reading out loud. "'Mission: Alliance. Stationed possibly in one of the four colonies owned by Cinq. Ordered to take Flame and Gundam 'Thunder' with you…' wait a minute. Who is Flame? And what's Thunder?"
"Oh, yes. I almost forgot. I've chosen a new Gundam pilot."
Heero jumped at the words 'new Gundam pilot'. "What? Why? We don't need any help. We've done perfectly fine on our own. Look how far we've gotten. Why should we accept any help now?"
"I'm gonna have to agree with Heero on this one," Duo said rather seriously. "I know I usually wouldn't, but he does have a point. We've already got the five elements of a good team or fighting squad. Whatever you'd want to think of us as. There's leadership, love for justice, calm, intelligence, and a bit of humor."
Everyone looked at Duo as if he was in his underwear. He had the queerest idea of what the Gundams were sometimes.
"Duo may be an idiot, but he does have a point," Trowa said unexpectedly. "You chose only five pilots for several reasons, I'm sure. One of which, I would think, is to keep a good cover but also to keep a good defense. I know I would have chosen five Gundams for such an assignment. Adding another pilot endangers us even further. Don't get me wrong, sir, but I think adding more pilots is too risky."
"Give him some credit, Trowa," Quatre spoke up. "I'm sure the person Dr. J chose is quite the capable individual. With all that's happened lately, anyone should know what dangerous business this is. A person of normal stamina wouldn't and couldn't be able to exist in the world that we do. The new pilot can't be someone off the street. Besides, it would be nice to be a step or two ahead of the enemy. Although there is something that I don't understand."
"What's that?" asked Dr. J
"When did you find the time to build another Gundam?"
"I received extra parts from the other scientists. I just put together all the other parts, gave it a new paint job and gave it to Flame. Which by the way, I should probably send you guys a picture."
Another new screen popped up on Quatre's computer. It had all the basic formats of a profile. The name, age, race, homeland, et cetera. But the picture wasn't very normal. The object that caught the most attention wasn't the pilot. It was the middle finger on the right hand of the pilot. It took up the whole space. The only other part of the body you could see was the hair (which was light brown) and the outline of the shoulders.
"Oh my God, he's a giant finger!" Duo screamed in mock horror.
"Definitely one for dramatics isn't he. Should fit right in," said Wufei.
"Sorry about that. Flame wasn't that thrilled about having the picture taken. Something about if 'OZ has my face, they can find my name. And I can't let them know that much.' Kid really isn't paranoid, just cautious. Which could be a added quality to your 'fighting squad.'" He looked at Duo sarcastically. "By the way, Flame should be arriving very soon. I'm trusting that you'll be hospitable. Go easy on the kid. Doesn't have as much experience you do."
"But don't any of us have a say in this? This affects us more than it does you!" Heero shouted.
"No, you really don't have a say in the matter. Deal with it. Just remember: be nice! I'll leave it to you, Quatre, to help Flame get settled in. Oh and by the way, don't be to alarmed at the appearance. This is Dr. J. Out."
A thick silence was strewn around the room. Separate people having their own separate idea about what Flame looked like. The only thing each image shared was that every one had brown hair. That was the only characteristic they really could work with.
"Does anyone realize how serious this is?" Duo asked. "I mean he could be a circus freak. No offense Trowa."
Trowa's grip on the gun relaxed a bit until finally his arm lay at his side. "None taken."
Suddenly, there was an opening and slamming of the front door. Footsteps carried through the almost emptied cottage. Trowa once again gripped his gun and withdrew it. Wufei looked up and tensed a bit. Heero stood up from the table and proceeded to the doorway very slowly and stealthily. Duo began walking out of the kitchen quietly. Quatre stayed still and tried not to breathe.
A light and airy voice drifted in through the hallway. "Hello! Does anybody live here? Quatre? Quatre Raberba-Winner?" The footsteps continued to travel from the door to the dining room entrance. "Is anyone here?" A stranger appeared in the doorway and looked in on the room. "Anybody's here." The stranger looked around the room and spotted Quatre. "Are you the owner of this house? Are you Quatre Raberba-Winner?"
"I am. And you are, may I ask?"
"I'm sorry. My name is Flame."
The Gundams were in total and complete awe. They examined Flame very slowly and carefully. Boots that came up somewhere past the knee were sucked to the calves very tightly. A black skirt that ended in the middle of the crotch and knee was hanging on the hips. A blood red spaghetti strap tank revealed just a sliver of the lower abdomen. To top the entire outfit, Flame wore a figure hugging, long, orchid coat that buttoned at the mid-section.
The sunshine pouring in from the window was caught in her brown hair, turning bits of it a golden blonde, which was draped over her shoulder and her ears. Other than her clothes, the only possession she had on her person was a shoulder bag, stuffed with God knows what.
The crashing of a beer bottle in the kitchen shattered the silence. All attention was pulled to that direction. "Holy shit! She's a chick!" screamed Duo rather obtrusively.
"You have quite the firm grasp on the obvious, Mr. Maxwell." Flame said with a smirk.
To most people, Flame would have appeared to be your average, if not overly attractive, teenager. But she had the signs of a true soldier. There was the very, almost unnoticeable, thin scar on her right cheek. You would only notice it if you were either very close to her or staring. Somehow, every Gundam had noticed it. Another scar was located on her left eyebrow. It had carved a certain U-shape in her skin and had shaved away some of the eyebrow itself.
Above all of that were her eyes. The grayish-blue voids had a certain knowledge. A certain wisdom that all warriors possessed. This was normal for an experienced soldier who had been battling for quite a time. But it was eerie to see this look of wisdom that didn't belong on this seemingly chaste face. It was a normal expression for any Gundam pilot to have.
To say Flame was exquisitely beautiful would have been redundant. She was the embodiment of a goddess. She seemed innocent and lovely, and yet very detached and mischievous. She might even have been perfect. From her medium hair to her soft skin and her shapely hips and voluptuous, round br-
Heero, snap out of it. Think of Relena. How does Dr. J expect us to live with this ... this... Heero didn't want to finish his thought. He stared into the black void of his coffee cup. He began rubbing his head, trying to concentrate on something other than the newcomer. Cooping me up in here and cutting us off from society has turned me into a damned nympho.
Quatre tried his best not to stare. Not because he was attracted to Flame. He had lived with way too many women to be turned on by anyone immediately. She was pretty. Hell, she was beautiful. He just didn't think staring was polite. This was so weird. A girl was fighting with them. For them.
Duo had no conscious thought that he was drooling a bit. The little voice in his head was screaming and giggling like mad. He snapped out of his trance and wiped his chin. Fortunately, no one had noticed.
Trowa had set his gun down on the table as a possible expression of peace. He didn't have an opinion about Flame yet. Like Quatre, he didn't fall as easily as Duo might. The thought crossed his mind; I wonder what Wufei has to say about this little twist of fate?
Well to say the least, he wasn't at all happy. Why in the hell do I have to fight with a woman? They're persistent, controlling and weak. Above all, they're bitchy. This is a disgrace to my honor.
"Not really ones for conversation are you?" she said, raising her eyebrows, trying to break the hush.
"I think I speak for everyone when I say this is a bit of a surprise. A pleasant surprise. But a surprise all the same," said Trowa.
"I'll say," Duo added. "And by the way, how did you know my name?"
"You forget. Dr. J hired me. That means I got the follow up on all of you. I know more about the five of you than you probably know about yourselves. Average stuff like homeland, family members. And of course there's the really hard stuff. You know, blood type, fighting style, personal reasons for fighting. The down and dirty no one else is supposed to know. Your secrets are safe with me. I promise," she said with a reassuring smile.
"And why should we? I don't see why we should trust this … woman. We've only just met her," growled Wufei.
"Well, why shouldn't we, Fei?" Quatre said earnestly. "I mean, she is a Gundam pilot. That should be some kind of proof to her credibility." Flame flashed a 'thank you' smile toward Quatre.
"She has no experience. None! For all we know, the Doc picked her up from some corner," Wufei eyed her arrogantly.
"I can see that the welcome mat is right under my feet. I think I'll just leave. Thanks again Quatre for at least letting me in." Flame glared at Wufei and took her leave.
"Wait, Flame! Please don't go!" The blonde pilot pleaded. "I apologize for Wufei rather rude welcome. He has a slight problem with … um … the opposite sex."
"He's not much of a people person either," she shot out a sarcastically innocent smile. Quatre kicked a leg on the chair to shutup his comrade. Wufei just growled quietly.
"Okay, now that you've gotten to know Fei, I should like to think you'd want to meet the rest of your team," Quatre offered. At the sound of 'your team', Duo was drooling yet again. This amazingly hot chick was going to be working with him? Oh sweet Jesus! I must have done something totally right this time.
"Actually, all J really gave me was names and physical descriptions. No pictures, no blood types, no deep, dark scary pasts. I was just testing everyone to see how paranoid you all really are," Flame said with a playful smile.
Everyone eyed Fei while smirking and snickering a bit. All he could really do was grumble. Quatre cleared his throat and began to speak. "You know me. This Trowa Barton." He extended his hand to the window. Trowa just nodded his head slightly and muttered "hello."
"And to my right are Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy."
"I've had the pleasure of speaking to Maxwell already. But I don't believe I've had the honor, Heero. Hmm … so this the great Heero Yuy." Heero just nodded in response. "I've heard a lot about you. I'm truly honored to be fighting with you. All of you really. It's a privilege."
"Well, thank you," Quatre said.
"Now that we're all introduced and all, I say we celebrate," Flame said warmly. "Quatre, did your parents keep a wine cellar downstairs?"
He blinked in confusion. "They did when I was little. I don't know if it's still there."
Flame rubbed her hands together happily. "You wouldn't mind would you?"
"No. Consider this house yours while you are here. Go right ahead." She seemed shocked by the hospitality. But she shrugged and ran downstairs to the cellar. When the coast was clear, Duo did his own separate celebration. This included several yelps, screeches, and hollers of joy. The other four pilots seemed shocked at Duo's slightly hormonal display. He gazed at them blankly. "Hey, we're on vacation, aren't we? I'm relaxing." They all shuddered at the thought of how Duo was thinking about Flame. They all shook the idea out of their heads when they came to the simple conclusion that Duo was just a pervert. A virgin pervert, but a pervert all the same.
Flame returned as quickly as she left with a half-empty wine bottle. She shrugged. "Not enough. C'est la ve." She poured some wine into a glass and handed it to Duo. She held the bottle by the neck and toasted in Duo's direction. She tipped her head back and finished off all of the remaining wine. Her fellow Gundam pilots just stared at her with wide eyes, except for Wufei, who, to say the least, was not impressed. Women are weak, yes. It's their job to be delicate though. Not guzzling like a damned drunk.
Flame looked around the room, slightly embarrassed. "What? A long trip halfway around the world can leave a girl … parched."
"I'm sorry," Trowa finally spoke up. "It's just that most girls are usually so -"
"Proper? Yeah, but I've decided that wasn't for me. Just a bunch of little rich girls, tittering over their boyfriends and what have you." Flame hopped up on the kitchen counter facing the dining room. She began to think about what she had just said and over at Quatre. "Oh, Quatre, I'm sorry. I wasn't talking about your sisters. I'm sure if your sisters are anything like you they are far from being twits." She finished the last of her wine and looked remorsefully at the empty bottle. "Hey, Maxwell! You got any beer left?"
Once again, Duo went wide-eyed. "Um, sure." He edged his way to the fridge and grabbed a bottle. He tossed it to her, wondering if she'd catch it. She did, and without even looking. For the third time, he was mystified.
Flame looked down and noticed the cap was still on the bottle. She lifted it to her mouth, and flipped off the cap with her teeth. She then spat it out, smacking a zoned out Wufei in the forehead. Duo erupted in laughter, Flame and Quatre snickered, and even Trowa cracked a smile when the cap bounced off Wufei's forehead and into Heero's coffee.
Flame gulped down the beer and headed for the dining room. She grabbed her shoulder bag, which she had set down. She glanced around the room and found Duo had followed her to the doorway and raised her eyebrow slightly. She then looked up at Quatre. "If you don't mind, I'd like to go see my room and get comfortable."
"Oh of course. Let's see. There's one empty guestroom at the end of the hall. But it's connected to Fei's room."
She sighed and smiled as best she could. "I've had to sleep in worse places." With that Quatre was leading towards the stairs. Wufei had waited until Flame was out of earshot until he mumbled, "weakling bitch."
Unfortunately, she had heard him. She stopped in her tracks and turned around very slowly. She caught his eyes and said dangerously, "what did you say?"
"Weakling bitch," he replied without a hint of fear in his voice, and a smile on his lips.
Flame nodded, smiled to herself and looked up at him again. "That's what I thought you said." She began to turn around but suddenly faked it, flicked back her long coat and grabbed the gun that had been hiding on her hip. She fired it at Wufei and dropped it. Then she threw the dagger hidden in one of her boots in the same direction.
The room was frozen for a moment. Flame calmly bent down and holstered her gun. She walked to the far-side wall where her dagger had been thrown. She yanked it out and placed it back in her boot. Then she picked up a splintered half of the toothpick Wufei had been chewing on, which had been driven into the wall along with her dagger. With a hunter's grace, she walked over to Wufei, grabbed the remains of the toothpick from his mouth and flicked it into Heero's coffee. She bent down so her face was an inch away from a gaping Wufei's face. She seemed to purr out, "so, am I still weak?"
With that she left the room and followed an equally gaping Quatre up the stairs and to her room. They left the remaining four pilots to sum up everything that had just happened.
***********************
"…I mean, what's his problem anyway. All I did was walk in and he was a total ass!" Flame complained.
"I don't know. It's something about his past. I overheard him talking to his Gundam about his dead wife. I think that might have something to do with it," Quatre said as discretely as possible.
"Oh. God…" Flame swallowed, pitying Wufei. She shook her head. "No one should ever have to suffer through that."
Quatre looked over at her as they walked through the candle lit hallway. He had had a small conversation with he while trying to find her room. He was hoping to find out more about her in doing this. But her reaction to Fei's past was nothing he expected. Not that he believed she was cold enough to have pity for someone. But Fei had expressed his less than thrilled opinion about the girl.
He shook his head, told himself to stop analyzing, and continued to walk with Flame. When they reached the end of the maze-like hall, he threw a door opened and gestured inward. "Make yourself at home. I think everything should be to your liking. I'm right down the hall if you need anything," Quatre said with a warm smile on his face.
She slowly walked into the room, sizing up her surroundings. Her eyes widened. "Oh my God! The room is better equipped than the house in India. I could definitely get used to this."
Quatre brightened at the name of the country. The Indian colony had been built close to the L4 cluster. "India? Colony or country?"
"Country. Although I have visited the colony. It's in better condition. I've also been around the original Saudi Arabia." Flame fell silent for a moment. "I'm sorry to hear about your father, Quatre."
He sighed, choking back the memory. His father making a speech about pacifism, the colonists attacking and destroying the asteroid, and the final scream of his father's death rang in his ears. "Thank you." He hung his head in sadness.
She placed her hand on his shoulder and looked at him. "It'll get better. Trust me, it'll heal." He looked up at her and managed a smile. He walked out of the room and down the hall to his own without a word. Flame bit her lip, sighed and returned to unpacking.
There was the sound of a new pair of footsteps and a rather cheery voice. "Hey Quatre! Man, what's wrong?"
"Nothing Duo. Don't worry about it." Shortly after, the figure appeared in her doorway. He was still looking back at Quatre.
"Kid's had a hell of a time. I don't even know how he can pretend to be happy. At least I didn't really know my parents." Duo shrugged. "Hey Flame!" he said with his goofy sort of grin.
"Hi Duo," she replied, her eyebrows drawn together in deep thought.
"What's wrong? I mean, if we are teammates now, we should be able to spill with no worries."
She cocked her eyebrow and chuckled. "It's nothing really. Just a little worried about Quatre. You know, his father's death was the most celebrated thing this century. And the worst part is that I think he knows it." She clenched her teeth and fist and growled. She slammed her hand on the bed. "Fucking savages!"
Duo had the expression of a deer in headlights. Women can't have this much anger in them. Can they? He took a step towards her. She glanced up at him. "I'm fine. Just a little tired perhaps." She walked over to the far-side closet. He could not get over the specific way she walked. Even when she was relaxed, she acted like she hunting prey. He felt a sadistic smirk cross his face. He slapped his cheek to wake himself up.
Flame slipped off her long coat and placed on the bed. Duo noticed an odd mark between her shoulder blades. "What's that? It looks kinda oriental."
"What? Oh that? It's the Chinese character for 'justice'. It's sorta what I fight for."
Duo smacked his forehead. "Oh boy, here we go! We've got another one for justice!" She looked puzzled. "Wufei … he's, well … you'll understand soon enough." She continued to unpack her shoulder bag, throwing various objects on the bed. A gun and ammunition, a drawn picture of a falcon, a laptop (similar to his own), and a silver necklace, which she immediately put around her neck.
"It's pretty. Where'd ya get it?" he asked.
"Thank you. It was my mother's." She stared blankly at the pendent. The sunshine pouring in from the window and hit the intricately designed silver. It reflected in her cold, sad eyes. It gave her a glow that seemed to bring out her inner beauty. "She died when I was very young. My father gave it to her on the day he proposed. I guess it's the equivalent of an engagement ring. It's all I have left of my family." She woke up from her "zone", and caught Duo's glance. It was filled with pity, concern and caring. For her? "So much for regrets."
"Flame, I … what happ…"
His sentence was cut short by a metallic beeping being emitted by the laptop. The same sound was being echoed throughout the hallway. Four sets of feet were running up the stairs and into separate rooms. Duo opened her laptop, and typed a few commands and stopped the beeping. He bolted out of the room into his own, leaving Flame by herself. He returned shortly afterwards. "Come on, girl. It's your first day on the job. Don't wanna be late, do ya?"
***********************
Heero pressed a series of numbers on the security pad in the pitch black of their Gundams' hanger. Trowa and Wufei were reviewing their separate missions, Quatre was leaning up against the wall, looking over every so often at Flame and Duo. Duo was trying to explain to Flame what she was supposed to do, which was to basically back them up (she being "inexperienced" and all).
"Duo, there isn't much to understand. I climb into the Gundam, I go into space with all of you, I see another mobile suit and I make them go KABOOM! It's that simple."
Quatre was startled out of his daze by the vibrating of the wall. He peered over to see Duo whacking his forehead against the cold cement. Somewhere next to him, he thought he heard Heero growl.
Silently, that hanger door slid open to reveal the famous and much sought after Gundams. They were arranged in numerical order, first three on the right. Trowa flicked the light switch on to make the room visible. The pilots went their separate directions, Flame followed Wufei and Quatre. Wufei glowered over his shoulder at *her* and then at Quatre. "Why does she have to follow us?"
"Because this is where I parked it dumb ass." Flame ran ahead, eager to jump into her suit. She stopped in front of it and folded her arms. "There he is. Thunder. My pride and joy."
All five pilots stopped to admire the slight beauty Dr. J had given to her Gundam. It was built similar to Sandrock and Shenlong. But the colors were very different. He boasted black and blood red, much like his pilot's clothing. He also possessed black wings with red streaks in them, which finished as a circular shape near the top. Someone mumbled something about Dr. J having a morbidly artistic side.
With one last proud giggle, Flame ran and jumped into her cockpit. As she was turning all the control panel buttons and monitors on and adjusting her head set, the others did the same. The Gundams all filed out, once again in numerical order.
When Flame was finally released from her parking space, she took to the air with more joy than Duo. She was hitting air currents, kicking up to mach speed, looping around Shenlong and Wufei, making childlike gestures at them.
"What the hell is wrong with you woman?! Is this just some fucking joy ride? This is serious. Peoples' lives depend on us!! What in the fuck is your problem?"
"I'd like to know what yours is? Just because your wife died doesn't mean you have to be a prick!! My whole damned family died, and look at me. Get over it!!"
A scream of rage rang out through the headpiece. "You never knew her you bitch! How dare you!" Shenlong's dragon staff flared and shot forward, buzzing at Thunder. Flame whipped out Thunder's staff equipped with spear ends and ball mace, and blocked the attack. The two began throwing and blocking each other's attacks. Heero threw his suit in the middle before the feud could become more lethal.
"What the hell are your problems? Wufei, get over your chauvinist thing and show her a little respect! Jesus!" he scoffed over the headset. He turned to Flame. "Never ever speak of anyone's dead loved ones like that. If you want to be more of a man than he is, show some kind of respect." He looked over at Duo, Quatre and Trowa. "Keep yourselves between these two. The last thing we need is for them to start biting at each other's throats mid battle." Heero shot one of his famous death glares at Flame and Wufei. "Stay away from each other. That's an order."
Flame growled despite the fact that she knew Heero was right. What she had said was hitting to far below the below the belt. Even for the little vixen she was. "Fei, I -"
"What!?" he barked. "Do you want to disgrace her memory than you already have? Well, do you, woman?"
"Fei. I'm sorry," she whispered. She dropped off from the lead and headed for the rear. Deathscythe came up along side her.
"At least you apologized. He probably wouldn't have given you that."
"Duo, I'll tell you right now so there's no future consequences. Don't ever compare me to anyone else! I don't care who. No one should be compared to me! If you do, I will personally kick your ass."
He started to say something, but he stopped. He flew off, hurt and rejected. Flame was kicking herself. What in the hell is my problem? Wufei may have deserved to be beaten down, but Duo ...
The six pilots and their suits continued the journey into space. They were headed to the 'neutral zone.' All of them were silent during the trip. Flame tried to forget by staring off into the stars. She watched them so closely as if she were expecting them to move. Her thoughts began to drift back to India. And her brother. She sighed. I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I know you're out there though. With mom and dad.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft voice. "Flame, are you okay?" She gazed over to her left and saw Sandrock in the window.
"Hello, Quatre."
"Are you all right?" He looked concerned from the way his eyebrows were knitted together on the video screen.
"Doesn't matter. Are they both still mad at me? Can't really blame them."
"Duo's a little hurt. He'll be fine. He easily forgives people. That's his true quality. Wufei, on the other hand, has had a severe wake up call."
"I'll talk to Duo after the battle. I owe him that much."
"The Cinq Kingdom colonies are just ahead. Get yourselves ready," Heero's voice declared. Everyone readied their Gundams' weapons. Flame whipped out her staff and crossbow. She loaded the crossbow. She looked around for something to aim at. About forty yards away from her were two large pieces of debris. The lifted the right arm and took aim. The bolt hit debris piece number one and sent an electrical surge through the rubble, causing it to explode. Flame turned to the staff and smiled. She began spinning it in Thunder's hand and slammed the mace into the side.
Trowa and Quatre traded gawking stares. Heero just cocked his eyebrow. He couldn't manage 'impressive' (him being all impassable). Wufei began to mumble something about being ostentatious. He was stopped by Wing kicking Nataku in the shins. Duo just smiled. "Very cool."
Flame was relieved. He's smiling. Good. "Thank you. Now, what'd do ya'll say about kicking a little Khushrenada butt cheek."
***********************
The explosion of three mobile dolls, which it had personally eradicated, threw Heavyarms back. Trowa continued to aim and fire, and eventually gave up aiming altogether. The abandoned colony was more heavily guarded than any of them had guessed. He did a quick scan to see if they were all still in one piece.
Wing was directly in front on him. Heero was holding off a dozen or so Leos. Trowa fired a shot in his direction. That got rid of two of them. Heero was going to signal his thanks, but cut short by attacking enemy suits.
Wufei had brought out the Dragon Staff. Even so, he was having a hard time. Sandrock found an opening and fired a few shots and made a few swipes with his swords. Half of the troupe holding Wufei back was gone. But for every one that was destroyed, three or more came on full force after Sandrock and Shenlong. Heavyarms made an attempt to help them, but was cut of by another troupe of mobile dolls.
Thunder and Deathscythe were having just as much luck. Duo had come to her rescue after she was almost blown out of the galaxy. Of course Wufei had seen it and had to remark about her almost fatal mistake. Duo had flown in and helped her to her "feet," if you will. They'd also given up their skillful training and just started swinging and shooting.
They had all been doing pretty well considering the odds of capture or complete annihilation was weighing upon the six of them. They had continued fighting like this for sometime. Indeed, the two forces were at a stalemate. But of course, neither of them wanted to stop killing each other.
This little episode in the battle had continued for an hour or so. The pilots were starting to get rather sluggish. Even the suits acted like they wanted to give up. But that wonderful (I use the term loosely) little spark of determination that never seems to die in a Gundam pilot reigned. Heero had even been able to get into the colony. He had specific orders to destroy the colony and everyone and everything in it. Including Trieze.
As he jumped out of his suit and headed to the control panel. Heero had to knock out a few OZ officers, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. He studied the switches and buttons and monitors. After trying every combination of codes and whatnot he came to the simple conclusion that there was no self-destruct mechanism of any kind. Unfortunately, they were smart when they built this one.
He checked back at his Gundam. He looked around the inside and nearly had to tear up the entire cockpit. Still, he found none of the explosives that he had sworn he had packed. Heero thought for a moment. There was no way he could program the colony to self-destruct. And he didn't have any explosives of any kind to blow it up from the inside out. He knew that he and the others had made several attempts to blow it up from the outside as well.
He looked up at his Gundam and sighed. "I must complete all missions at any cost. This is war." With that, he climbed into his cockpit and tapped in a few things into the computer.
Flame noticed that she hadn't seen Wing Gundam in quite some time. And she didn't remember seeing a large explosion. "Duo, have you seen Heero?"
"No. Oh, wait! There he is, in the hanger of the colony. But what's he doing. Suicide Boy better not be doing what I think he is."
She was going to ask what he was talking about, but she took her hint from the nickname. She brought down her computer that linked her to the other five Gundams. She wished that her fingers would have worked faster than the actually were, but they didn't obey that easily. She was able to hack into Wing's control systems. She found her way around a bunch codes and the like to find the last command entered into the log. "Oh shit."
Thunder was off in light speed. Duo came over on the video screen. "What's wrong, Flame? What's he doing?"
"He trying to kill himself." She rushed forward fast enough to see Heero walk out onto the runway with the joystick in hand. "Heero! What are you doing? Are you crazy?! You are here to blow up the colony. Not blow ourselves up you dumb ass!"
"There's no self-destruct mechanism and I don't have any explosives. My mission stated to destroy it by any means necessary. I'm doing just that."
"Don't you get it? We've lost this battle. If we regroup, we can still make it without losing our lives. Come with us."
"I must end the mission."
"I'm getting a little pissed off with this succeed or die crap." She positioned her Gundam in front of his. She flipped her helmet down and climbed out of her cockpit. She floated over to Heero and punched him in the head hard enough to knock him off balance. She picked him up and threw him into Wing's cockpit and locked the door. She tied a cable stretching from suit to suit and towed Wing and Heero behind her
Heero attempted to move out of his seat but realized Flame had handcuffed him to the chair. "You stupid goddamned bitch!!!"
"You can thank me later. All right guys, I know I'm not the one to give orders, but let's get the hell outa here."
"Flame, I'm gonna kill you when I get out of this Gundam!"
"Sounds good to me."
"I'm out of ammunition. We need to get back and make repairs."
"Fei and I can't hold our own anymore. Let's make a break for it."
"Why should we take orders from you, w-" Wufei was cut off by the beam cannon of one of the Leos. Shenlong was sent flying, with a handicapped weapon. But he was knocked unconscious from the blow. And another one came from the cannon.
Flame screamed, "Wufei!!!" She grabbed the scythe from Duo's Gundam and chucked it. It flew at the Leo. Before the pilot could react, the scythe split the machine in two. It worked as a boomerang and returned to Thunder. She almost threw the weapon and the cable leading to Wing to Deathscythe. She flew over to Shenlong, dodging and returning shots by attacking suits.
She tried to reach Wufei on the intercom and the video screen. No answer. "Ahh, shit. Boys, we need to burn rubber." And they were off, with Sandrock and Deathscythe in the back the ward off attack. Thunder carried Nataku along, trying to contact the pilot inside. When she got no answer, Flame began to get real nervous. "Come on, Wufei. You're not supposed to die that easily. Please, say something." She checked her scanners to find the nearest possible safe house. "Quatre, are there any L4 colonies near here?"
"Umm ... yes! There's one to the east, no too far from here. We'll be able to find housing and medical care. Not to mention mechanical help."
"We need to make it there fast. I can't contact Wufei. All I'm getting is static from both ends." So off they sped, desperate and exhausted. And very worried about their fallen comrade.
*****************************
Flame parked Thunder and leaped the whole thirty feet from the cockpit to the ground. She was out and breaking through the locks on the door to Shenlong long before everyone else was out of their Gundams. "God dammit, will someone please help me!!" she snarled. Quatre and Trowa rushed over to assist her, while Duo was releasing Heero from his chair. To say the least, he wasn't happy with Flame.
"You stupid bitch! What were you trying to accomplish by interrupting my mission?"
She stood up and glared directly at Heero. He glared back, waiting for a reply. She sprang, without warning, and gripped the collar of his green tank and pulled him up to meet her eyes. "Your mission? Your mission!! Correct me if I'm wrong Spandex boy, but I do believe that we all got the same exact orders to destroy the same exact colony. And it's in my best interest to keep our team together and in one piece. And if you got a problem with my intentions, I guess that's too fricken' bad."
Heero pushed her away from her grasp and balled his fist. He made direct contact with her cheekbone. Her head snapped to the left from the impact. Flame's mouth filled with taste of blood. She turned her head slowly to meet his warning glare. She spit a mouthful of blood on the ground and wiped her lips with the back of her hand.
Quatre wide eyed and gaping. It didn't matter who you were. If you were a guy, you didn't lay a finger on a woman. Trowa was also astounded at Heero's behavior. Sure, he was a rather reckless person, but he still respected woman. What he had done was uncalled for.
Duo had given up on shocked as an emotion for what had happened. The Shinigami was pissed. More than he had ever been. That son of a bitch. How dare he? His teeth were clenched together so hard that it started to hurt. He noticed that Flame's left cheek had already started to darken to purple and blue.
"I realize you are a woman," said Heero finally. "But you are also my teammate. Therefor, I should be able to treat you as I would Duo or Wufei. And in return, I expect you to respect what I feel is necessary for me to finish a mission, whether or not it is in your best interest."
Flame began laughing. It was angry and frustrated. And a little sarcastic. "I'm glad you realize that I should treated as your equal, as well as your teammate. And in return, I will kick your ass." She spun and kicked high with her heel aimed for his face. She connected and he flew against the wall and shrunk down a bit from the pain and shock.
Flame walked over to him and once again and got in his face. "Now knock this shit off and find an empty room in this place. If your team members are so important, than the last thing on your mind right now should be your broken pride." She stood and turned to Quatre with a more determined and concerned look on her face. "You said that the servants are on leave for the season, correct?"
"Correct. Why?"
"Because we need privacy. No servants, no strangers. It's in our best interest."
"Flame, call me dense, but by the way Wufei looks right now I think we need a doctor," Trowa suggested. Heero, a slightly calmer Duo, and Flame looked in his direction. Quatre and Trowa had been able to drag Wufei from the cockpit. His arm hung at an odd angle; there was still blood flowing from his forehead. A large gash on his stomach had turned his white uniform into an unfathomable red.
Flame rushed over and picked him up. "That's where I come in. I'm also a trained physician, for the most part." She bolted down the hallway that lead to the entrance with the body held close to her. He began moaning, regaining some consciousness. Flame stopped mid-stride. "Wufei? Are you there?"
He groaned again, barely able to open his eyes. He saw a womanly figure above him. But he couldn't recognize her. Then he realized he wasn't standing or sitting on his own. He was in the air, suspended by the woman holding him. A small angry grimace crossed his face. "Onna, put me down." He blacked out again.
She ran faster than before, hoping that they hadn't gotten him out too late. The four other pilots trailed behind her. Quatre asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "Won't you need anesthesia and proper medical equipment?"
She shouted over her shoulder, "You've got a candle, needle, thread and alcohol, right? That's proper medical equipment in savage form."
"You dumb shit! You could kill him!" Heero screamed at her. Duo glared at over at him. I wonder if throttling him would be a total loss?
She stopped and turned to face him. "Do you want him to die from the mission like an 'honorary soldier' or on the operating table where he could have another chance at life?" The anger dissipated from her eyes. They began to plead with the seemingly stone cold heart of Heero Yuy. "I can save him. All I ask of you is to believe in me."
He considered this. After a minute or two, he answered her. "Do what you can."
Flame nodded and smiled as a thank you and resumed her search for a room that would suffice for an operating room. She coasted down a wing and glanced in the rooms quickly. Finally, she found one. Please, God, don't tell me I took too long. She set the lifeless body on the bed. She whipped around hoping to find the other pilots behind her. And they were, right on her heels. She panted, swallowed and gathered her bearings.
"Trowa, Heero, and Quatre, I need you three to find me a very large and very sharp needle. I also need thread, and some vodka. The strongest and oldest you guys can find. Duo, I need you to stay here with me. Go damn it!" And they were off. She could feel the adrenaline pumping throughout her veins. "Duo, I think there's a bathroom connected to this bedroom. Find a large bowl or something and fill it with warm water. Oh, and grab some towels and washcloths."
Duo seemed in shock. Nothing was processing as quickly as it should have. "Water. Towels and washcloths. Right." He stood up and walked like a zombie over to the bathroom doorway.
When he returned, so did the other pilots. In their hands they carried the items Flame had requested. They set them all on the nightstand. Flame immediately picked up the vodka bottle. "1876. Good year." She unscrewed the cap and took a swig of the liquid.
They all sweatdropped. "Are you sure you should be drinking at a time like this?" Quatre asked suspiciously.
She didn't seem to get the sarcasim of the question. "What better time to drink." Wufei let out another moan that was laced with pain and maybe even fear. Flame was now all business. As quickly but as carefully as she could, she removed the Oriental's shirt.
Heero raised an eyebrow. "I'm not certain that you aren't enjoying that. Maybe you should let a man take care of that."
"Fuck off," Flame said with such ferocity, it permanently shut him up. "Besides, that would make you gay, Mr. Yuy." All of the pilots were lined up at the foot of the bed. She looked over at them. "I need someone to feed him the vodka. And to try to bring him around. I don't want him to go out on me in the middle of surgery." Quatre stepped up to the plate, grasped the bottle and tried to speak in a soothing voice, despite the fact that he was scared as hell.
"Wufei, hey it's Quatre. Do you know where you are? Wufei?"
He moaned in response, unable to form his parched lips in to a word. He resulted in shaking his head "no."
"You're in a house in one of the L4 colony clusters. Do you remember what happened?"
Flame was ready do begin the dirty part of the surgery. She removed her coat and threw it at Duo. "Hold that." She knelt on the bed, opposite of Quatre. "Stop with the small talk. He needs to know what's happening to him straight up. Trust me, he may be arrogant, but he isn't stupid. He's gonna want the vodka."
"Okay," Quatre said. "Wufei, we couldn't get any doctors. And you have a large cut on your chest. Flame can sew it up, but she doesn't have any morphine or anything like that."
"Dammit," he whispered. Flame was right. Wufei felt around for the bottle and chugged at least a quarter of it down.
Flame wrenched the bottle from his pale fingers. She spoke in a gentle but commanding tone. "Enough for right now. Feel free to scream out loud." She took his hand in hers. "I know you hate me, but I'm here for you anyway." She pulled her hair back and leaned over her victim, *ahem* I mean patient.
Just before she was about to make the beginning stitch, Wufei gripped her arm. "I do not hate you. And I am a man of honor; I do not scream."
"Suit yourself." She placed her fingers over the opening of the cut and pinched the skin together. She felt the grip on her arm tighten, as did the expression on Fei's face. She pierced the skin with the needle and pulled. She wondered if Fei was going to cut off the circulation in her arm. She continued stitching, looking down at him every so often. "You gonna be okay?"
"Oh yes, I've definitely had worse. Can I have the bottle again?"
"Sure. There you go." She handed him the bottle. He tried to receive it with his right arm. When he tried to move it, he did scream. Flame stroked the side of his face. "Shhh, calm down. Just drink and it'll numb the pain." I should probably try to keep his mind off of the pain. "I'm sorry about what I said about your wife today. It wasn't right."
"You are forgiven, woman."
"Unless it's too personal, tell me about her. What was she like?"
He paused, and breathed deep. He was trying to remember a memory that he had buried deep within himself. "She was quite beautiful. Her eyes were dark and deep. But they were also very kind. We were married when we were thirteen. It was an arranged marriage, so love was never something that was brought to our parents' attention. I did truly love her, I believe. But I never did tell her.
"She was killed about a year ago, by OZ. I was so weak that I couldn't have helped her. Since then, I've tried to become strong so I can avenge her and win her justice." He stopped. These were obviously very emotional events that he had never shared with anyone else except for possibly the other pilots. He snapped out of his reverie. "Are you done yet?"
"Almost ... there. Okay, I'm done with your chest. Now I need to reset your arm."
"I never thought a woman could handle herself this well." And then he smiled. He actually smiled.
She was taken aback, but saved her cool by saying, "I'm not your average, everyday woman." Duo, who had been amazed at the events unfolding before him, raised an eyebrow. She's definitely got a way with people.
Flame gripped Wufei's arm with care and squeezed. "Hold on, man." She twitched her wrists. It was abruptly followed by a muffled scream. She tried to ignore it. She found a makeshift splint and laced gauze around the bruised arm. When Flame was finally done, she sighed in relief. "It's done. No more torture," she chuckled to lighten the ever so tense mood. "Get some sleep. I'll be taking this." She stole the bottle from his side.
Flame ushered the other four bystanders out of the room, and shut the door behind them. She whispered, "Stay quiet. He needs sleep right now. Maybe it'll help with the hangover he'll have tomorrow." They all eyed her. "What? You saw how much he drank."
A sigh passed through the tiny crowd. Finally, Trowa spoke up. "Well, lets get to bed. It's at least twelve in the morning, if not later."
"So what are we supposed to do about our flunked mission?" Heero asked as he glared at Flame. She just glared back.
"I don't see why we can't go after them in the morning," offered Quatre. "I believe that the Maganacs are on this colony at this time of the year. I can ask them to come up here to help reload and fix up Shenlong."
Flame brightened. "Sounds good to me. Call me vengeful but I wouldn't mind beating the ass of whoever kicked mine today."
"Ditto," came Duo's reply. "Sleep is good right now, Q-man. Where are we supposed to rest?"
"Come with me." He led them to the end of the hallway. He showed them each to a separate room. They were all lined up in (big surprise) numerical order. Flame threw her bag and coat on the bed as she sized up her surroundings.
She knew well enough that Quatre was filthy rich. Hell, everyone knew that. But you could never even begin to imagine how much money they had until you were in his house. This was the one he'd grown up in. His father had made sure that the family's surroundings were elaborate.
The bed frame was brass, polished and shining. There were oak chairs, a desk, table and other pieces of furniture. The fireplace was made of a rich cheery wood. Designs and symbols portraying aspects of the Arabian culture were lined in gold. Flame looked up. There was a gorgeous crystal chandelier. The electric candles' light glistened and glimmered against the clear glass-like substance. It cast tiny spectrums on the wall. This is beauty. This is paradise.
She turned and walked out the door. Flame looked back over her shoulder and smiled. She snapped her head back just in time to see Quatre turn the corner. "Quatre, wait up!"
He stopped. "What is it?"
"I'd like to offer my help with Gundams. I know enough mechanical stuff to be of some help."
"That'd be really helpful. I was able to talk Duo into helping out too. Everyone else is just tired. I was able to get hold of the Maquenacs. They should be arriving soon. I'm just waiting for Duo."
He came bouncing out of his room, happier than ever. Flame cocked an eyebrow. "Are you always this happy?"
"Why shouldn't I be?" She chuckled and followed Quatre down the hall. She sighed. She put one arm around Quatre and one around Duo.
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