It had been a rough couple of months,
but now the 5 pilots were enjoying their 2 weeks of vacation on Earth.
Well…sorta.
"Stupid
Rain!" Duo complained. He was sitting on the couch looking out the large
picture window.
"But
Duo," Quatre started also looking out the window, "if it wasn't for this rain,
the earth wouldn't be so beautiful, would it?"
Duo grumbled something but made no
comment. Quatre continued to look out into the pouring rain as the braided
pilot looked around the room, hoping to find someone to annoy. His gaze swept
over Wufei and Trowa who were reading and settled on Heero, typing as usual. He
was about to jump off the sofa when Quatre's voice startled him.
"What
the.."
Following the Blonde's gaze he saw something
very strange, the rest looked up as Duo gasped. A young girl was walking
unsteadily down the street. Her gait revealed that her left leg wasn't working
properly. Her white sweatshirt was soaked through with rain and blood. Her
right arm was held close to her chest as the elements assailed her ripped
clothing. Her hair was blown out of her face by a gust of wind and Quatre
noticed her white skin. She stopped suddenly, leaning over to cough harshly
before straightening herself up again to continue walking. Quatre was up and
racing out the door, Trowa followed, stopping only to put on his rain jacket.
Hearing footsteps rapidly approaching,
the girl spun around quickly. The effort proved too much and she felt herself
falling. Quatre caught the blonde girl as she fell. She seemed uncomfortable
being held and quickly regained her footing. Looking at Quatre, he blinked in
surprise; her eyes were the same color as his! She nodded her thanks, but kept
walking. Quatre was still puzzled by her eyes that he didn't notice her limping
away
"You
need medical attention!" He yelled over the rain.
"I'll
be fine" She responded.
Trowa
arrived suddenly, hearing her words and taking in the amount of injuries the
girl had sustained, he shook his head. In two strides he was at her side.
Firmly grabbing her hips, he halted her meager process. She instinctively
raised her right hand to break his iron grip. Quatre pawed water out of his
eyes as he took her arm in his, pinning it to her side. He reached for the
other but relaxed his grip when she hissed in pain.
"We
need to take you inside!" He said, looking at her face.
But it was relaxed and drawn, showing she was
unconscious. Looking at Trowa, he nodded toward the house. Picking the small
stranger up he walked toward the building.
As they entered the other 3 looked up. Wufei mumbled
something about 'strays' before returning to his book. Heero told them to put
her on his bed, still looking, a look of amusement on his face. Duo, however,
bounced around asking meaningless questions. Trowa silenced him with a glare as
he headed toward the room Heero shared with Quatre.
Duo stepped back as the door was
slammed in his face. Huphing loudly, he went back to bother Heero. Quatre
blushed as he realized they were going to have to un-dress the blonde girl. He
looked beseechingly at the tall Pilot. Sighing, Trowa placed her on the bed and
began to cut away her sweatshirt with a pair of scissors. Quatre visited the
bathroom to remove the first aid kit. Trowa quickly inspected her injuries beneath
the flimsy t-shirt she wore, her tear-aways had been removed and the black
shorts showed.
"Dislocated
shoulder, broken arm, lacerations, hmm, that ankle looks twisted, her frame
seems to be a lot like Quatre's…" Trowa muttered, more to himself then anyone
else.
"What
was that Trowa?" Quatre asked, walking in with the first aid kit in hand.
"Huh?
Oh, nothing, can you get me a long t-shirt from my closet"
He asked. The Arabian obediently trundled off to the
room Trowa shared with Wufei. Duo had a room to himself so his roommate
wouldn't have to suffer through his terrible snoring. As he came back carrying
the t-shirt, he saw Trowa bandaging the cut on her knee. He was passing the
material to his brown haired friend when he looked at the girls face and saw
that her eyes were open. He cleared his throat and Trowa looked up. He too,
then saw the deep blue eyes.
"Your
safe," He assured her, though her eyes showed no fear. "We're taking good care
of you. My name is Trowa, what's yours?"
He spoke softly, gently. The over-all
size of the girl seemed to the older boys that she had to be at least 5 years
their junior. She looked at him for several long minutes. Realizing she wasn't
going to answer, he took a shot of morphine to numb her shoulder. He was quite
surprised when her calm voice penetrated his consciousness.
"I
can administer the drugs myself, please"
Dumbfounded, he handed over the shot.
Sitting her self up with a grimace of pain, she maneuvered her broken arm onto
her lap. Closely watched by both the blonde and the tall boy, the girl smiled.
She plunged the needle deep into her vein. Seeing the blonde wince, her brows
creased in confusion. So far all the people she had met wanted to cause her
pain, yet this boy seemed reluctant to do so. Expelling the clear liquid into
her system, she waited for it to take effect.
"My
name's Amy. Who is the blonde?"
"My
name is Quatre. What happened to you Amy?"
Here he got a shrewd glance. He could tell that she
was deliberating whether or not to tell them the truth.
"I'll
tell you what. Let's play a game. I ask a question. Then you. If we don't want
to answer, we say pass. Then ask another question. Okay?"
Quatre nodded as Duo sprang in. Looking around
cheerfully, he turned 360 degrees before spotting the girl.
"First
question? Who is the braided boy?"
"That's
Duo. My question. Are the drugs kicking in?"
As if in
answer to this, Amy took her shoulder in one hand and viciously wrenched it to
the side. A pop was heard. Standing up, she took the clothes from Trowa and put
it on. The hem reached about her knees. She sat back down again.
"Yes
drugs are working, next question. Are you guys Gundam Pilots?"
The 3 looks she got were full of
suspicion and fear. She sighed loudly.
"The
soldiers at the Oz base wanted to know if I knew you. That's all. They said
your name and the names of my Uncles creations."
"Uncles
creations? You mean the Gundams"
"Yes.
Deathsycthe. And the other ones. Heavyarms, Sandrock, Wing Zero, Epyon,
Shenlong, and Tallgeese. My uncle created these with the other scientists. I
was being held in a secret Oz base not far from here for information, I
escaped, barely. I remember walking down a street, and someone yelling at me.
Everything else is a blur."
A great crash was heard as Duo fell off the desk
from surprise. The remaining two pilots flew in, thinking someone was dying.
Heero had already removed his gun and immediately fired off a shot at Amy,
mistaking the sound to be made by her. Throwing herself off the bed, Amy missed
the bullet. Duo stood up, with Heero moving out of his way.
"Duck!"
Duo instinctively followed Wufei's
orders. A tug was felt from his head and he stood up uncertainly, he only got
halfway before yelping and falling back down again. Turing around, he saw his
braid pinned to the wall by a short dagger. Amy sat on the floor, another
dagger pulled from her boot. She and Heero glared at each other for a minute.
Duo suddenly realized that the dagger was meant for Heero, who had moved out of
this exact spot. Pulling the dagger out, he stood up. If he hadn't ducked, the
metal would have pierced his heart. He shuddered, Amy certainly played for
keeps.
"Heero
Yuy" She growled. It was a statement, not a question.
"Amy
Walker" He responded.
"You
gonna put down your weapon first?"
"Hn.
Nope." She sighed at his answer.
"Why
am I not surprised?"
The pilot of Wing Zero walked over and extended his
hand. Taking it gratefully, Amy pulled herself up, keeping off her sprained
ankle. The other pilots looked on in startled amazement. Seeing their confused
looks, Amy quickly explained.
"During
Heero's training I was working on the Wing Zero. So I saw him often. I actually
taught him some of the self-defense skills. Though I always prefer daggers to
guns. We got to know each other really well. I stayed their for, what? 2 years.
When work was postponed due to lack of parts, I joined Heero in training."
The others looked to the boy for conformation. He
nodded disinterestedly.
"How
old are you?" Duo asked, squinting at her small form. She smiled at him
brightly. Sitting down to take weight off her ankle.
"I'm
compact size for easy transportation. 14, 18 if you an Ozzie"
"Ozzie?"
"An
Oz officer."
Trowa
measured out another dose of morphine for her ankle. This one he administered
himself, as she was caught up in her conversation with Duo. Wufei expected a
look of pain to cross her face as the needle penetrated her heavily swollen
ankle. However, as she felt the needle enter the affected area, she merely
glanced at the drug, and then resumed her talking. Looking in surprise at the
girl, the Chinese boy couldn't take it anymore.
"Damnit
woman! You're supposed to be weak! How can you take this much pain and not bat
an eye?!"
All present looked up at the explosion. Duo muttered
something about 'chill pills' and Heero glared at his fellow pilot. Obviously
not liking anyone yelling at his old friend. She glanced at Wufei's flushed
face. Amy's smile had disappeared and she merely looked at him. Trowa moved
forward to feel her ankle, checking for breaks before putting a tight tenser
bandage on. Amy continued to look at Wufei.
"You
can tell them, they won't mind."
Heero commented from the corner. Amy glanced at him
before returning her stare at Nataku's husband.
"Last
year, my Gundam, Chaos, was shot down by enemy troops. I was severely injured
and twisted my spine at a bad angle. Ever since, I have a depleted Nervous
System. It's harder to feel pain. Is that what you wanted to hear Wufei? Not
all women were weak! Was your wife weak?"
Wufei gasped before turning a deep crimson. The
other 4 pilots knew he had had a wife, but didn't talk about it. They stood
here now, wondering how Wufei was going to react. Heero moved closer to Amy,
his hand still on his gun. Wufei breathed laboriously for several minutes,
calming himself.
"
How dare you! How dare you talk about Nataku in such a way! She was the
strongest woman I have ever known! But she is dead I cannot bring her back. It
is best to forget!"
At this Amy snorted.
"You
wish to forget the only woman you truly loved? You wish to bury her memories as
deep as you buried her! Then you are truly pathetic Wufei Chang. For you are
running away from the only thing that you could not face. The love that you
believed made you weak. When it really made you stronger. If you do not want to
remember, then so be it, but if you ever want to remember this, or her. Don't
be surprised if you can't. Memories are all you have left of her. Are you
throwing these out? Then goodbye Wufei Chang. For you are already dead!"
These last words didn't seem too much
sense to the others, but it obviously hit a nerve in Wufei, for he snarled and
ran out of the room. Trowa saw tears streaming down his face. Seconds later the
front door slammed. Duo was about to go after when Amy's voice halted him.
"Let
him go. He has some serious thinking to do. Nataku was one of my friends in
Elementary School. Wufei didn't know that but now he does. She believed that
dying was something to look forward to, an eternity of time with the person you
love. Wufei disagreed. He believes you should die in battle, with honor. Me
telling him he died years ago was a great dishonor, but he needs to
understand."
"Stand
up" Quatre said.
Not wishing to dwell on death. She followed
instructions dutifully. Feeling the change in her ankle. Heero offered her a
drink of water, which she gladly accepted.
All the morphine was making her sleepy, and her eyes seemed to weigh a
ton each. Then she noticed that her limbs also weighed a lot, akin to beginning
to get numb. She glared up at Heero.
"I
haven't seen you for 2 hours yet and you're already drugging me. Damnit Heero,
I don't need rest!"
Heero smirked slightly, her taking the drink showed
that she trusted him, and that he could trust her.
"You
need sleep"
He said
simply. Helping her into the bed. Trowa, Duo and Quatre watched with a slight
smile on their faces. Here was the perfect soldier, master of the zero system,
acting like a mother hen. Unable to resist in her drug-induced state, Amy
merely sighed as the covers were pulled up to her chin. Darkness claimed her in
seconds.
Heero left the room, returning to his
laptop. Duo and Trowa followed suit, but Quatre stayed in the room for several
more seconds, watching Amy sleep. Her frame was quite similar to his own.
Small, but quick. He stared at her for a minute before remembering her broken
arm. Padding over to the bed, he pulled down the covers.
Hmm,
splinted, nice job on it. I should compliment Heero.
Walking out of the room, he spotted Duo and Trowa
staring at Heero's laptop screen, obviously reading something. Looking through
a gap, the blonde noticed that a file on Amy Walker graced the screen. Several
words were highlighted.
Advanced
Combat Abilities…SWAT training completed…. Gundam Piloting Skills Outside
Normal Parameters…Stealth Level Intact…Avid Martial Artist…. Bomb Specialist….
"Holy
cow! She's a bloomin' perfect soldier!"
Duo exclaimed, eyes scanning the impressive report.
"Do
you know all this stuff too Heero?"
"Amy
received more extensive training then I did"
Duo smirked
at his friends comment.
"So
basically, she knows more then you do?"
He asked. Heero glared as he shut down the laptop.
Duo shuddered. He didn't want to meet her on a bad day. Even wounded, Amy had
avoided Heero's bullet and sent a dagger zooming toward her assailant. He
grabbed a book, not really noticing that he was reading it upside down.
Several Hours later, Wufei
re-appeared, calm and composed once more. Ignoring the looks from his fellow
pilots, he went to the fridge, then migrated to his bedroom, closing the door
after him. Heero glanced at his watch.
"We
should all check on her," he said, standing up.
Upon
entering the room Heero tackled Amy around the waist, pinning her to the floor
with his heavier body. Trowa didn't understand his friend's actions until he
saw the window wide open. She was trying to leave. Amy humphed loudly from
underneath Heero.
"Pray
get off dear sir, before human flight is achieved as you fly across this room!"
Her voice was menacing, Duo was glad he wasn't on
top of her. Quatre moved forward quickly.
"Why
are you trying to leave miss?"
"Get
off Heero! That was you last warning Buddy-boy! Rule 37 of my training Quatre.
The mission comes before personal safety. I still have my mission, and I wasted
enough time with Heero's damned drugs! Now, I have to leave!"
With that said, she went in to action.
Heero gave a grunt of surprise as he sailed into Duo. Even with one arm and
foot, Amy was strong; she turned to jump out the second story window, but
growled with frustration when she saw Trowa blocking her way. The click of a
gun was heard and Amy instinctively knew that Heero was aiming it right at her
legs.
"Look
people, I have a mission. Heero you of all people know the importance of this!"
"Let
me do it" He replied. Amy shook her head.
"This
involves bombs, you aren't qualified for that. So I am leaving!"
With speed that surprised all the
boys, Amy swept Heero's legs out from under him, grabbing his gun in the same
movement. Quatre was moving to intercept her, being the closet, but a heel to
his ribcage pushed him forcefully out of the way. Raising the gun and aiming
quickly, Amy shot the window above Trowa. Ducking instinctively as the sharp
pieces rained down, the tall pilot moved out of Amy's way. Dropping the gun,
she flipped through the window. The glass hadn't even stopped falling before
she was gone. Disappearing into the wind and rain. Heero swore as he helped
Quatre up, who was nursing some bruised ribs.
"Your
lucky," He told the blonde. "I've seen her kill people with that kick, send
their broken ribs plowing into their heart. Instant death. She taught me how to
do it."
Wufei ran in, hearing the gunshot. Taking in the
situation at a glance, he began to laugh. One 14-year-old girl had completely
disgraced four 15-year-old pilots. Glaring at the Chinese boy, Quatre sat on
the bed. Something crinkled and he pulled out the piece of paper he had sat on.
Trowa listened to the note Amy had left while he brushed the glass out of his
hair.
Thanks
peeps, for the stuff. Heero I stole your jeans and a sweatshirt. Tell Wufei to
look in the top dresser drawer. I'll see you guys again when my mission is
over. Bye y'all
P.S.
Omae O Koruso Heero Yuy
"Uh-oh,
Heero's got another enemy," Duo said.
Wufei opened the dresser drawer and a
sweet melody came floating out. It was a beautiful heart locket, complete with
a girls picture in it. Wufei felt tears sliding down his face as he stared at
the picture.
"Nataku"
He
whispered, before once again running to his room.
"It's
a running joke between us," Heero explained to Duo. "Every time we've met, we
have tried to kill each other. Now we just wonder who will die first."
"I'll
fix the window," Trowa said.
The others nodded.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two Days Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heero
looked up from his laptop.
"I
just got an e-mail from Amy. It says, she's being followed by Ozies; we need to
vacate the area. They have found out this safe house. She'll meet us at
Quatre's mansion."
Not a word was spoken as the pilots
grabbed their stuff. No questions were asked. Only the trust they felt that the
other Pilot could offer them. Piling in the station wagon that they used for
transportation they drove for several minutes. A sudden explosion racked the
still air and Duo jumped. Looking back, the pilots saw a cloud over the area
their safe house had recently been. Driving to Quatre's mansion on Earth. They
piled out. Rashid met them at the door.
"Master
Quatre, some girl came here several minutes ago. She seemed to know about the
Gundams so I figured she was an Oz officer."
"Oh
no! What did you do to her Rashid?! She was a friend!"
"I
knocked her unconscious, she's tied to a chair in the shed over there."
As he finished talking, the wooden
shed door flew off its hinges and Amy walked out, brushing dirt from Heero's
shirt.
"Y'know
Quatre, we gotta talk about your visitor policy"
Rashid looked up in surprise. He didn't seem to have
heard Quatre say she was a friend.
"I
knocked you out! I tied you to a chair!
How come you are now out of the chair and escaping! Only an Oz officer is that
resourceful"
With that said, Rashid whipped out his
gun. Several other Magnacorps who had come to see Quatre followed suit.
"No!
Wait Rashid! Stop guys! SHE is A FRIEND!"
His voice was drowned out as the sound of guns
firing exploded. Trying to tackle the elder man only got the blonde a one-way
ticket to the ground. Suddenly the shooting stopped. The red hat-wearing men
looked around, trying to find their target. Looking up Quatre sighed in relief
at seeing no body lying dead by the shed. Still, it was impossible for her to
have dodged all the bullets.
Standing up, he was roughly pulled against the warm
body of a person behind him. An iron grip encircled his waist, tight but not
painful. He felt a blade against his throat. The cold metal giving him
shivers. A familiar voice whispered in
his ear.
"Sorry
Blondie, but this is the only way they'll listen. Don't struggle."
Amy cleared her throat loudly. All present turned to
look at her, bringing up their guns. But they could not hit her without
injuring Quatre.
"What
do you want?"
Rashid asked, mistaking her intent to be one of
murder. Quatre took a deep breath as the dagger moved away from his throat
fractionally.
"Listen
to her Rashid. She is a friend. This is Amy Walker. Dr.J's niece."
Dropping her weapon on the ground, she
held up her hands in a sign of submission. Several of the people were looking
at her in amazement. One actually stepped forward and examined her for bullet
holes. She sighed loudly.
"Perfect
Soldier" She said.
Many nodded understandingly, others merely looked
bewildered. They had obviously heard the term before. Quatre followed the girl
into the house. Putting his hand on her shoulder to guide her, he pulled it
away swiftly when it became damp with blood.
Amy looked at her injury disinterestedly.
"It's
only a scratch, it'll stop bleeding in a few minutes."
Duo looked at her, shocked.
"Let
me spell this out for you. You-are-bleeding-profusely. Don't you care?"
All he got in return was a blank
stare.
"Rule
45. A wounded warrior does not bow down to her body. I control the mind. I
control the body."
"I'm
sure Wufei would have agreed with you, but he went to bed."
Quatre stopped and Amy took in her new
surroundings. She sighed heavily as the blonde picked up a cotton swab from the
table in the small clinic-like room.
"Just
stay still missy, this'll only take a sec."
But 'missy' had other ideas. Moving
quickly she tapped Quatre lightly on the shoulder, dodged around him, and ran
out the door. Her voice floated back to them.
"Tag!
Quatre's it!"
Duo doubled over laughing at his friend's
looks. Only Amy could start a game of tag. He was still laughing when Quatre's
hand descended on his head. He looked up as Trowa and Quatre ran out, yelling.
"Duo's
it!"
Grumbling to himself, Duo looked to
Heero. He got another glare.
"Touch
me and Die"
Swiftly taking the hint, Duo exited
the room. He saw a strand of blond hair turn the corner closet to him.
Sprinting quickly, he tapped the person on the shoulder, yelling tag like an
idiot. Racing away, he looked back to see a very confused maid staring at him.
Grumbling to himself, he continued looking. He hadn't gone far when he heard to
familiar voices from around yet another corner.
"Let
me go Trowa! He'll tag me!"
"That's
the idea Miss Amy!"
Rounding the corner swiftly, Duo saw Trowa pinning
Amy's arms behind her back. He stepped forward. Expecting Amy to bolt, however,
she struggled but didn't get free. Feeling giddy with the prospect of tagging
someone, Duo walked forward slowly. Just as he was about to tag her he got a
nasty surprise. Trowa let go of Amy and they both flipped over his head
effortlessly. Landing on the other side of the bewildered pilot, they took off,
Duo following. He was no match for them however; Trowa's long strides carried
him forward, while Amy ran like a deer.
When he thought he was going to lose them, the two
slowed down, allowing Duo to catch up as they put on a burst of speed when he
got close. Staying just out of reach. They thundered through the hallways,
hurling threats and jokes back and forth.
Wufei, woken from his nap by the
noise, poked his head out in time to see Trowa and Amy run by, watching the two
sprint ahead, he failed to notice Duo's hand coming toward his head. Smack!
"Wu-Mans
it! Wu-mans it!"
Wufei snarled as he rubbed his injured
head. Imagine, playing tag like 5 year-olds. Then he smiled, why not? Grabbing
his Katana, he tied it around his waist. Leaving the room, he checked all other
doors leading off the main hallway.
He had been searching patiently for about 20 minutes
when he saw a maid making the bed in a room. Her blonde hair was done up in a
tie and pulled under her hat, the uniform she wore made her look quite
professional.
"Excuse
me miss? Have you seen any Baka's running around screaming bloody Murder?" He
asked politely.
The maid shook her head as she
continued to fold the sheets. Wufei was about to move on when he notice that
the maid looked to be the same size as Amy. Looking again to double check his
suspicion. Wufei entered the room silently. Jumping on her he landed on the bed
and had a fleeting thought.
'Damn!
I just attacked a Perfect soldier! With my sword on she might mistake me for an
attacker.'
And
Amy did just that. Pinning her 'assailant' to the mattress was easy enough. His
arms were twisted violently behind his back, as a knee was pushed onto his
spine. In the seconds it took for the perfect soldier to recognize Wufei, he
tested his limbs. Both legs were completely numb, owing to the fact that Amy's
knee was on his pressure point, depleting the blood flow from his waist down.
The arms were being held in such a position that if he tried to move them, he
was met with excruciating pain. His own knife was pushed against the back of
his throat.
"My
god! Wufei I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was you! Man! Don't do that to me, I
could have killed you." She said, letting him up. Wufei nursed aching joints.
"Aren't
you it?" She asked. Wufei looked at her incredulously.
"What?
Me be 'it'? what makes you think I would play such an immature game?"
"Whoa!
Sorry! Who's it then?"
"You
are"
Wufei
replied tagging her arm and leaping off the bed, he sprang around the door,
aiming for the room Heero was in. Amy was right on his heels.
"That's
not fair Wufei! INJUSTICE!"
"What?
Fairness? You pinned me to the bed, and you talk about justice?!"
"She
pinned you?"
Wufei stopped at the sight of Duo,
Trowa and Quatre looking at him in the hall.
"She
pinned you?" Duo repeated.
Wufei smacked his head against the wall.
Duo was never going to let him live this one down. They all followed Quatre
down for lunch. Heero looked up from his meal to see the others, flushed, sit
down. He tut-tutted severely and said something about Baka's that no one really
understood. Then again, they didn't really want to. Hot soup was meant to be
good, but only succeeded in warming the pilots up even more. There was words
exchanged about resuming the game, but they quickly dissipated.
Soon the topic of swimming was brought
up, all agreed. 5 happy boys, splashing each other and waiting for Amy to join
them, soon filled the outdoor pool. She did so promptly, though she was wearing
shorts and a t-shirt, no bathing suit in sight. Duo shot her a questioning
look. Seeing the look. Amy smiled.
"I
didn't bring a swimsuit. I don't usually pack that when I go on missions."
"Does
it make a difference?"
Heero asked, now outside the pool, looking Amy up
and down. Catching his tone of voice, Amy scowled.
"You
dare to try, you will regret it." She said.
However, the other pilots had now
surrounded Amy, a semicircle with the pool at her back. Amy had the distinct
feeling that the pool was a precipice, and her friends Ozzies. They came
forward slowly.
"OK,
ok. I get the point, but let me jump in myself ok?"
The others nodded. Moving away to give her a
narrow aisle to run through. They stood around her still, at regular intervals.
Amy noticed the width of the pool to be about 5, maybe 6 feet. A cinch she
thought, little did the others know, she was not gonna get into that water.
Just like long jump in elementary school.
Taking a long running start, she
achieved top speed in seconds, not hearing the gasps of admiration from her
friends. Her right foot pushed off the edge of the pool, sailing through the sir,
Amy felt the rush of exhilaration that was always associated with flying
through the air. She landed evenly on the grass on the far side of the pool.
Standing up she glanced back at her friends. Seeing their jaw-dropped faces,
she kept her's serious.
"Sorry
gang, the pools too small. I guess I will just have to stay out."
After saying her piece, Amy lay down
on the grass to get a good tan. The boys merely looked at each other. They had
been duped. No way on God's green earth were they gonna get away with no
revenge.
Sitting down the poolside, they
planned the said revenge. Sneaking up on her was out of the question. Her
training would let them be heard far before they got close enough to do
anything. Wufei couldn't believe this, he was trying to get revenge on a 14
year old girl, and him, Duo, Trowa, Heero and Quatre were having a bad time. In
2 hours they had made more progress on their tans then on their plans.
Duo suddenly had an idea. Whispering it to his
counterparts, he jumped up and sprinted to the house. Amy watched after him,
confused and suspicious. She looked back to the other boys and Quatre caught
her look.
"Bathroom"
He said.
Amy
nodded understandably, turning on to her back so she would tan evenly. Quatre
suppressed a giggle. This was too good to be true. He jumped onto the pool,
trying to act normal with his guy-pals. Trowa chanced a look up at the gently
sloping roof and saw their plan in motion.
Amy lay
right below the lip of the roof, and would have a rude awakening when Duo's bucket
of ice water hit her warm body from the second story roof. The others looked up
too, waiting. Just as Duo was tipping the bucket, Amy sprang up, moving away
from the targeted area. She had obviously known about their plan.
Duo had unfortunately miss-calculated the weight of
his bucket and was being pulled over the edge with it. Heero shouted a warning
to his fellow pilot but it was too late. Duo was hurtling earthward and would
hit with bone-breaking force. Amy calculated his landing area, racing there and
immediately tucking herself into the required position for soft landings.
Turing her vital organs to the earth, she locked her joints and covered her
head with her arms. The boy above her was at least 40 pounds heavier then her,
ruling out the possibility that she catch him with her still-broken arm. If
this was done correctly, she shouldn't be hurt. And Amy didn't know how to do
things the wrong way. This procedure was supposed to be done in case a fellow
pilot needed to jump off his Gundam and land on something other then the
ground. But it might work for this too.
Duo expected to hit the ground, arms under him,
landing on the bucket, but was quite surprised when something soft cushioned
his fall, taking out much of the force. The surprise only lasted for several
seconds before he remembered the cushioning technique Dr.J had taught him,
realizing one of his fellow pilots must have remembered. He rolled to the side
as the impact hit his female friend. Hoping to take the brunt of the hit off
her. Standing up, dazed and bruised, he knelt beside his 'cushion'.
"Are
you alive?" she asked. He nodded, helping her up. He gazed at her solemnly.
"That
has to be the most mature thing I have ever seen anyone do. I thank you for
saving my life."
Amy smiled, at his serious tone, but
quickly ended the moment by stuffing several large ice cubes down his swim
trunks. Screaming like a little schoolgirl, Duo ran into the pool. Amy was so
busy laughing that she didn't notice several pairs of iron hands coming toward
her. All at once, Wufei grabbed her arms, Trowa one leg and Quatre the other.
Heero held onto her waist, effectively immobilizing her. Amy's first instinct
was to fight like hell, but quickly remembered that she was with friends and
wasn't supposed to attack them. Settling for a glare instead, she shot to every
one of them. If looks could kill.
It then that she noticed how
precariously close to the pool edge she was. The evil grins on the boy's faces
confirmed her fears.
"You
guys even try it and you'll…"
Her sentence was cut off as her body
hit the water with a large splash. Jumping up, her cotton clothes adding 50
pounds to her slight body weight, she glared at her 'friends'. Stepping out,
she stood dripping in the sun; her voice was choked with anger.
"That
was suicide you guys. Your gonna pay. Not now, but later, when you aren't
expecting it, I will get you, and I will get you bad!"
Duo
came out of the water, blowing like a fish.
"You
people didn't really have to throw her on me you know!"
"sure
we did, if we didn't, revenge wouldn't be so sweet" Quatre explained.
"why
did you move anyway? Duo had you all perfectly lined up?"
Amy smiled slyly, seeing the looks of
wanting.
"the
bucket that was so perfectly positioned on the edge of the roof, that drips of condensation
rained down, also, Duo's shadow fell across me several times. I knew what was
going to happen so I moved. Though I never expected Duo to follow his bucket
down." Trowa agreed.
"it's
a good thing you didn't move too far from the target area, and that you
remembered your training."
As they were talking, Amy noticed
several children from the Magna corps sneaking up on them with water guns. She
deliberately raised her voice higher then normal.
"uh-oh
people! I think I sense several blood-thirsty pirates near-by!"
Catching her look, the others nodded.
Quatre had forgotten that the children were visiting today. To his relief,
however, the others played along. Making over exaggerated movements, the
teenagers moved away from their 'attackers'.
Giggling sounded from behind several bushes, proving Amy's theory of
pirates. A Luke-warm jet of water blasted Heero's chest, tickling him slightly.
Running away from the children, Amy
deliberately tripped, bringing Heero down with her. The children charged. As
they were about to douse both pilots with water, the biggest held up his hand.
Obviously the ringleader, his word was law.
"Daddy's
say no to hurt the goirls"
So Heero was the only one who got
soaked. Holding a whispered conversation with the leader, Amy nodded. She was
going to enjoy this. Jumping up, she used her speed to catch up to her friends.
Quickly grabbing Duo's braid, she pulled it at such an angle that Duo crashed
into Quatre, who crashed into Trowa. Dominoes. Wufei had disappeared.
Looking up from the tangle of limbs
they were in, 3 startled pilots saw a
gang of Children running toward them with a hose in tow. Uh-oh, they all
thought. A torrent of water soaked them in seconds. The hose was turned off by
someone, as the wet older people jumped on Amy pinning her. Wufei appeared at
the corner of the house where the house was attached. The mystery of the
turning off hose was solved. Following the Chinese person was Heero. Laundry
baskets of water ballons were in tow. Upon seeing these, the 'leader' called a
retreat.
Amy was still pinned to the ground when Heero and Wufei joined them. Evil
smiles on all faces. He was just lifting a water balloon over Amy when her body
went taunt. Violently shaking came seconds later. Her whole body shook with convulsions.
Even in the sun, her body heat had dropped sharply. Her lips blue. All others
looked in shock to Heero, who himself was startled. Knowing she could act, but
never this well, Heero picked her up effortlessly, inwardly shuddering as her
ice cold skin touched his. Running into the house, several questions were
yelled by the children who were following.
"is
the nice lady sick"
"Will
the good girl be ok?
"my
mommy can fix her"
Ignoring all these, Quatre ran to call
his private doctor, while the others placed her in the guest room. Quatre
walked in seconds later, even under the heavy covers, Amy's skin was the color
of concrete, and deathly cold. Reaching for a pulse, Trowa found one barely
discernable. Heero was on his laptop to Dr.J, asking questions. Wufei was
silently staring, minutes ago, Amy was laughing and joking with her friends,
now, she was on death's doors step.
The doctor arrived promptly, but hours
later had no explanation. He went home, sad and puzzled. Dr.J however, showed
up later in the evening, much to the surprise of the pilots. They didn't know
he was on earth. Going directly to her bedside. He injected a pale yellow
liquid into her bloodstream. Instantly, her temperature came up, her skin
became pinker. Heero and Co. pulled Dr.J aside.
"What
was that"
The elderly doctor sat down to rest
his aching bones. He took a deep breath.
"you
may have noticed that Amy has a stronger body then her frame dictates. That her
speed is far above normal, that several of her abilities seem abnormal." He
waited for the nods of confirmation from the boys, in getting them, he
continues.
"I
added an advanced adrenaline rush to her every now and then to keep her body
going. It is a serum I developed years ago, making the brain waves stronger.
Something like the Zero system. It makes her more alert, easier to move, etc.
Anyway, with out one of these shots every 3 days, her body simply collapses out
of need for these. Which is what just happened. However, she has still been
using them so I don't know why they suddenly stopped working, I'll have to
produce a new serum in time to give it to her in 3 days. She'll be fine for
now, Anyway, I'll get that to you guys later."
He silently left the room. Leaving 5
very relieved pilots to their own devices.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Several
months later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Bogey
on your left Trowa"
"Roger
that"
"all
those who challenge the Shinigami shall die!!"
"Duo,
you say that every time we battle. It's getting repetitive."
"Sorry
Wu-man, it's tradition."
"I
am Wufei! Not some horrific slang!"
"Ozzies
on your right Wu-man!"
"if
only those dolls were your braid baka, I would enjoy this a lot more."
"Careful
Wufei, or Duo will do to you what Amy did to Heero"
"What
you mean drug me and drop me in a bed full of Strawberry jello?"
"oh
man, my maids had a heck of a time getting those red stains out of the sheets."
"Why
don't you guys drop this subject and concentrate on the fight?"
A bright pink light suddenly envelops
the Gundams. Electricity sparks around
the Pilots as they fall unconscious. Several dozen Manned Dolls surround them,
attaching towing cables to the suits, they drag them through space.
Duo wakes up slowly, his head is
aching like a son of a gun. He touches his head, below the temple and finds a
deep cut. Wincing, he pulls his hand back. Glancing up he sees the others out
cold beside him in the dark cell. His senses warned him of steps coming closer,
so he lay back down and pretended to be out cold still. The Door hissed open,
light flooding the room, a grunt was heard as 2 armed soldiers pushed a bound
captive into the room.
"You
guys are so gonna get your buts kicked when I get out of her!"
Duo
chuckled.
"You
tell them Amy, pelt them with Strawberry Jell-o, that'll shut them up for
good."
She giggled, sitting down next to Duo.
Easily getting out of her bonds. He sat up, looking his female friend over for
injures. She had put on several pounds, which made her figure look larger then
he remembered. Several cuts on her face, bare arms and legs, were bleeding slightly.
"I
ran through a bramble patch trying to escape" She said.
He nodded, as she went over to inspect
the other pilots. Checking each over thoroughly before rejoining Duo to wait
for them to wake up.
"Did
you know how we were caught?" Duo asked.
"unfortunately,
Oz has developed a weapon that immobilizes the Gundams for several seconds. The
side affect was that anyone Human in the Suit was deprived of Oxygen in a
sudden burst. Rendering them unconscious. My mission is to destroy the
prototype and the blueprints. When I found out you guys were in here, I figured
I might as well stop by for a visit. however, I just found out after Oz had
surrounded me, that the mission had been terminated 'cause the lab where the
blueprints and stuff got blow to pieces"
Reaching over her head, she pulled of
the large sweatshirt she was wearing. Duo noticed that her waist seemed to
be….wrong. Amy smiled at his as she lifted up a flap of skin on her side.
Several items fell onto the floor. A fake skin! Duo wondered. So she could hide
things on her. Pulling off the rest of the skin, Amy looked more like Duo had
remembered. Looking at her items, he saw several small guns, a little first aid
kit, two blocks of explosives, and a sandwich.
"Lunch,"
she said, nodding toward the sandwich that had Duo drooling.
"You
can have it if you're that desperate."
No sooner were the words out of her
mouth, the sandwich disappeared into the gaping black hole known as Duo's
mouth. She stared, gawping at him. Surprised that anything could move that
fast.
"good gosh! Not even I can move that fast."
Duo smirked around a mouthful of
Peanut butter and jelly. Obviously taking it as a compliment. Amy stared at him
wordlessly, shaking her head hopelessly. She silently strode over to Heero,
taking one of the guns with her. Pushing the cold barrel against his head, she
waited for him to wake. He did so immediately, hands reaching to push away the
metal. He jumped up, landing in a classic fighting stance. Amy smiled at
Heero's glare, idly twirling the gun around her index finger.
"Omae
o Korusu Amy Walker" She smirked.
"sure,
if I had a gun for ever time you said that to me, I'd have more ammo then all
of Oz.
"that's
a pretty big statement"
Quatre said,
waking up slowly. His voice seemed to open Trowa's eyes, who winced at the ache
in his head. Wufei decided to re-join the land of the awake seconds later. Amy
repeated her mission statement several times.
"Now
that you're here, do you think you can get back out again?"
"Sure,
this is only a minimum security base, they were planning to move you guys to
barge later this evening."
"Were?"
Amy smiled brightly.
"How
can they transport you if we've already escaped?"
Wufei saw no flaw in her logic and was
about to thank her for bring the weapons when the cell lights came on full
force, stunning the captives within. As Amy covered he eyes with her arm, she
heard the cell door hiss open. Her arm was suddenly wrenched to the side, and
only her quick reflexes stopped the cuffs from snapping onto her wrist.
Her eyes now accustomed to the light,
Amy sent her heel crashing into her attackers' shin, hearing the bone break
audibly. Her 'assailant fell to the floor, screaming bloody murder. Amy was
already up and doing severe damage when the fact that her fellow pilots were in
cuffs. She stopped as a soldier lifted his gun to Heero's head
"Surrender,
or this guy gets it"
A maelstrom of feelings swept through
the only female pilot. Dr.J's voice echoed in her head 'Rule 93: public sacrifices are and can
be made! Rule 136: there are no allies! Rule 137: Death is expected! Rule 167:
when in doubt, shoot your way out!' But
there were things that Amy had never felt before crashing through her. Worry,
Doubt, anxiety, worry, apprehension. Against every thing she had ever been
taught, Amy lowered her hands.
The guards swept in, punishing her
body with their gun handles. Amy lost count of the blows as they broke skin and
bone. Fire lanced all along her body, driven by the soldiers. She was dimly
aware of someone sobbing, telling them to stop. Feigning un-consciousness, Amy
let her body slump. The rain of hammer-like blows stopped.
"She
alive?" A voice asked
"I
doubt it" Came the answer from another. Amy guessed thereto be at least 8 or 9
soldiers in the room, probably more in the hall. They were expecting her! She
bit her lip to stop from growling. Get the traitor later, you've got acting to
do. Concentrating hard, Amy slowed her breathing, therefore slowing her pulse.
Keeping her pulse to a dangerous 45 beats per minute, she waited.
Scene 1! And Action!
A
soldier roughly turned her over, jabbing his finger to her neck.
"Damn
she's tough as nails. Heartbeat is slow, very slow. But damn! She's alive!"
"That's
good, Barge wants her alive. We best get a medic, or we might lose her." The
voice sounded young.
"You
say losing her like it's a bad thing. She along could probably kill 6 of us
un-armed!" Heero's flat monotone broke
into the conversation.
"Nine"
"What?"
"her
average is 9 people un-armed in 10 minutes."
"Shut
up kid! Who asked you! And Steven, get
a medic."
Heero smiled to himself, these
soldiers were scared, and it showed. The medic came in the form of an older
man. Heero judged him to be about 50-55 years, with graying hair. His eyes were
kind, something that seemed out of place in anyone working for Oz.
Quatre looked in horror at Amy, her
skin was looking paler then normal. Then he remembered, The serum! If Amy was
losing blood, the serum dissolved in her blood was being lost too. Only the
Ozzies didn't know about this.
"My
god!"
The medic exclaimed, moving quickly to the only
female Pilot. He was quickly filling a syringe with clear liquid when Amy's
hand grasped his wrist. The soldiers moved forward, their guns raised
threateningly, but the medic raised his hand, warding them off. The medical
alert bracelet on the girls arm glinted in the light. Putting the syringe down,
the doctor read the tag.
"Well,
miss Amy, it's a good thing you did that, I almost injected you with poison. By
the way, I'm Clinton, can you tell me were it hurts?"
"Come
on!," The first soldier said, "Just patch her up so she can travel, I got a
deadline here!"
Clinton gave him an icy glare but
complied. As he bandaged a large cut on her side, no one noticed him slip a
small gun into her pants. Amy's eyes met his, and he mouthed the word 'ally',
nodding her head once in understanding, Amy let Clinton cuff her hands in front
of her body. The soldiers were about to object when Clinton held up his hand
again.
"Her
arm is fractured, if it gets put behind her, it might break."
"Just
leave it guys, she won't be a problem" It was the youngest soldier again.
"Alright
Perk, but you watch her closely" The young boy, Perk, nodded his assent.
As Clinton let go of Amy, she didn't have her
balance and she didn't notice she had been falling, until Perk caught her.
Trowa smiled as he replaced his expressionless mask, after several years in a
circus, he could tell acting when he
saw it, yet this was the best he had seen by far. As Amy was half dragged, half
carried out the door by Perk, she winked at Trowa.
They were entering the shuttle, when
Amy suddenly clutched her chest, falling to the ground fighting for breath. She
struggled for several seconds before her body became limp, her breathing harsh
and irregular, a tiny trail of blood, leaked from the corner of her mouth.
Clinton swore as he directed a startled Perk to quickly carry Amy onto the
shuttle. Placing her on a seat, Perk backed off as Clinton came forward. He
fiddled in his bag for a minute before coming up with a stethoscope. He used it
to check her breathing, and swore again.
"What
is it? Will she live?"
Perk asked, a touch of panic in his voice. Wufei had
seen these signs before and answered Perks questions.
"One
of her broken ribs has pierced her lung."
"Your
right Mr. China Man, but if I remove the bone, she'll bleed to death in
minutes, so here's the plan, Amy, can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can
hear me"
~squeeze~
"Ok,
I'm going to give you a drug that will make you sleepy, After 15 minutes, I'm
going to pull the rib out. Hopefully, as you sleep, your breathing rate will
decrease, letting the wound heal. After 10 minutes, I'm going to wake you up
with the antidote? Ok?"
~squeeze~
"Why
don't you just keep her out cold, less work for us?" The soldier asked.
"If
I keep her unconscious, her body may fight the drugs I'm giving, therefore they
will treat it as poison that causes the blood to deplete"
This made no sense to the Ozzies, but
they asked no questions. As Clinton finished giving the drug, a lurch was felt
and the shuttle blasted into space. Waiting for the drug to work, Clinton sat
beside Duo. The boy however was looking out the window when he felt a gun slide
into the secret pocket of his pants. Looking up at Clinton, he felt a wave of
reassurance. Amy was in good hands if Clinton was a good guy.
Standing up, Clinton removed the rib,
and waited before applying the antidote. Quatre and Trowa both noticed that the
'antidote' looked suspiciously like the serum Dr.J gave Amy several months ago.
Standing back, Clinton waited for the action to start.
Amy opened her eyes slowly, noticing
that every one was staring at her. She knew she was on the shuttle, but why not
relax the enemy by playing it dumb.
"Where
am I?"
She asked, looking around. Trowa had to bite his lip
to stop from laughing out loud. Perk looked Amy in the eye, brushing a strand
of her hair out of her eyes.
"You're
on a spaceship-"
He got no further, Amy's elbow crashed into his
head, knocking him out like a snuffed candle. Leaping up, the cuffs were no
match for her on an adrenaline rush. They were pulled apart like they were made
of aluminum. Grabbing the gun in one fluidic motion, she fired off several
shots, each bullet taking out a different soldier. Clinton pulled out his own
gun and ended the battle quickly. Amy was reloading when the Captains voice
came over the intercom.
"Perk?
What's going on back there?"
Amy was already heading towards the front of the
ship, firing off shots as she went. Clinton was taking the cuffs off the other
pilots when Amy returned. Perk was waking up and Duo immediately pointed his
gun at him. Perk took one look at Duo and shut his eyes tight, waiting for the
bullet to hit him. Instead he felt Amy's hand on his cheek. Looking up into her
eyes, she smiled at him.
"I'm
sorry you chose Oz Perk, you'd make one hell of a rebel."
Perk looked her over, marveling.
"Were
you faking all those injuries?"
She shrugged her shoulders, showing
him 5 red capsules in her hand.
"They
dissolve on your tongue and presto! Insta-blood, it comes in handy sometimes."
Perk looked into her eyes, taking a
sharp breath.
"Kill
me"
He said calmly. She shook her head.
"No
Perk, you're a good man, despite the war. The world needs more people like you.
When you get back to Oz, tell them I said hi."
She held a strip of gauze over his
mouth and nose. The chlorophyll worked in seconds and his head slumped forward.
Clinton lifted him up and moved toward the hanger. Amy was looking after him
for a minute before Quatre caught her attention.
"He's
a good guy? huh?"
He asked nodding toward Clinton's
retreating back. Amy looked up from taking the gauze that Clinton had applied
off of her.
"Oh
yah, He's my dad's best friend. Promised he'd look after me"
"Do
your parents not take care of you?"
Amy looked at Wufei, her face blank.
Suddenly she wheeled around, heading toward the hanger. Leaving his question
hanging.
"What'd
I say?"
Wufei asked, watching her leave.
"Amy's
parents were killed in an accident."
Heero said, his voice cold.
"What
accident"
Heero took a deep breath.
"Several
years ago, Amy's parents were letting her take their shuttle out for a short
trip. They were going through a dense asteroid belt when an un-expected ice
storm caused the Shuttle to veer sideways onto a large asteroid. The shuttle
was grounded and there was only one emergency pod left. Gail and Paul knocked
Amy out and put her inside. Amy was found several days later. When they
returned to the asteroid, her parents were dead. She blames herself for piloting,
for wanting to go out, for everything that went wrong that day."
"But
how can it be her fault, Her parents knocked her out because she would never
let her parents die."
Heero shrugged his shoulder as Amy
re-entered the room.
"I
got Pilot duty!"
Duo yelled, rubbing his hands together
gleefully. He charged into the cockpit. The ship lurched to the side, the
result being Amy falling on top of Quatre. She jumped up, only to be thrown
into the empty seat across from her. Wufei leapt up, heading toward the
cockpit, mumbling something about 'bakas'.
Over the intercom came the sounds of
fighting.
"Maxwell!
Give me the controls!"
"Sorry
Wu-man, but Amy shot the controls when she attacked the pilot, I'm doin the
best I can."
"That's
not good enough Maxwell, and my name is WUFEI! Let me pilot, you couldn't do a
better job then Quatre's sister!"
"Iria
can pilot very well thank you very much!"
"Maxwell,
look out, your going to run right into that debris field, that's were Barge
drops off all its waste"
Bam!
An object hit the side of the shuttle. Clang, another did as well.
Amy suddenly found her world fading
out. She was on a badly mangled Space ship, warning lights and sirens going off
continuously. Above it all came the sound of a young girl sobbing.
"No
Mama! I don't wanna go! What about you!?"
A male voice came into play.
"We
love you Amy, be strong, you'll always be our little girl, Amy, Amy, Amy"
"Amy,
Amy" Trowa was calling her. She opened her eyes, meeting the green ones that
hovered inches above her. She didn't move, marveling in the feeling of a strong
person that was holding her up. Someone who wouldn't let her go, she loved that
feeling, of dropping her soldier self, and becoming a 14 year old girl that was
being held by a caring person.
"Amy?"
Trowa's voice snapped her out of the
enjoyable feelings. She stood up, seeing that her surrounding was the Oz
shuttle. Trowa looking up at her with concern in his eyes.
"You
blacked out, are you ok?"
"I'm
fine Trowa, just tired"
She sat down and didn't notice Duo sit beside her.
The braided pilot had been talking to her non-stop for 10 minutes about Chinese
people taking over, when Heero blandly told him that Amy was asleep. Duo
watched her sleeping form for several seconds before jumping up and grabbing a pen.
Sitting
back down again, he raised the writing implement to her face.
As soon as the cold metal touched her
face, Amy was wide-awake. Duo yelped with shock as her hand enveloped his. He
was wrenched to the side and instantly fighting for his life. They were rolling
around in the aisle, her hand viselike on his neck, cutting off his air supply.
Stars danced in Duos head as he felt himself passing out. Amy was far too
strong for him.
Heero jumped in, yanking Amy off Duo.
Instantly, the girl moved to attack him. Heero pinned her hands to her side,
but saw the other one out of his reach.
"Amy!
Amy it's me! Heero!"
Amy pulled her hand back from the
killing blow it was about to do on Heero's neck. She turned, horrified to see
Duo on the floor, trying desperately to regain his breath. Hands rubbing his
badly bruised neck. Her gaze turned to Quatre and Trowa. The tall pilot had his
gun out, but Quatre stared at her, mouth agape. With a strangled sob, she
darted into the hanger.
Quatre followed her, while Trowa
assisted Duo. Heero stared after his old friend. Could there be such a thing as
over-trained?
Amy ran into the hanger, jumping onto
the shoulder of a Taurus, she wept. The only friends she had, and she attacks
them, nearly killing two. All She wants is someone to hold her. Wants to drop
this stupid killing machine front, and lead a normal life. Curse her Uncle for
forcing her into this life! A life of misery and loneliness. She heard Quatre
sit down beside her, but didn't move, her emotions had exhausted her.
"I
don't want to live like this"
She said. Quatre stared at her,
surprised. He expected her to push him away. She was so proud and….he couldn't
place it. She stood up for herself and had to be the strongest-willed person he
had ever met. But he understood.
"No
one wants to be a soldier. All we do is kill people. No one enjoys death."
"You
don't understand Quatre. Dr.J stole my child hood. I was 4 when he began to
train me, only doing it sometimes. After my parents were killed, he started
training me full time. I never played games; felt love or compassion, never
enjoyed the one thing I can never get back. I was a killing machine. I want to
run free, be free"
Quatre felt an enormous wave of
sympathy. He treasured his memories of child hood above all else. Playing tag
with his sisters, enjoying his birthday. But Amy had never enjoyed these
things. Her past consisted of pain and misery. He put his arms around her. She
froze, rigid, but didn't resist. He stayed like this, and Amy slowly relaxed,
her sobbing began again. But Quatre continued to hold her. His head resting on
her soldier, humming an old tune.
Clinton, Duo, Heero and Trowa looked
at them from the walkway. They had heard every word.
"That's
rough"
Duo said, remembering his own tragic childhood.
"Your
right Amy, I can't understand what you went through. Nor can I pretend to. But
I will be here for you. If you ever need to talk. I'm here."
She pulled away, smiling through her
tears.
"Thanks
Blondie, I'll hold you to that."
"YUCK!!
Mushy hushy wish wash!"
Duo exclaimed, watching the pair.
Heero hit him on the head none-to-gently.
"Omae
O Koruso Duo"
"Yah,
yah, I know."
"Maybe
we should give the pair some privacy?"
At this, Duo's eyebrows shot up.
'Privacy huh' Much to the braided pilots dismay however, the two separated.
"5
minutes to L2"
Wufei's voice came over the intercom.
They docked swiftly, feigning the
image of civilians visiting friends. As they neared the requested co-ordinates
of rendezvous, they saw a note taped to the door.
If you can get in, I will tell you,
if you fail, I will disappear
"Ok then, strange mushroom headed man, we'll
play your game."
Amy nudged Duo in the ribs to quite
him. Stepping back onto the street, she observed the house. Her keen eyesight
picked up several pieces of string stretched across various parts of the house.
Traps.
Smiling to herself, Amy returned to
her companions. She liked a challenge. Whispering her plan, they set off in
single file. Clinton had turned down the prospect of sneaking in, and would
wait for them on the street. The boys followed Amy every step, footprint for
footprint. Duo was too busy watching his feet to notice the wire at head level
that Heero had ducked under. Wufei hit his head down just in time. Smiling
foolishly, he continued.
Spotting a basement window, Amy
stopped. Continuing toward it by herself, she scrutinized the framework. It all
seemed to be in order, but Dr.J wouldn't leave this open without traps.
Stepping closer, she still saw no opposition to it. Quietly, cautiously, she
opened it. It was large enough to permit her body size, and perhaps Quatre's,
but not the other 4.
Taking several steps back, she
motioned for her friends to join her. Using no words, but simple military hand
signs, she motioned Quatre forward, leaving the others to stay put.
Going feet first, Amy dropped through
the window, landing noiselessly on the metal floor. Blondie followed suit. Not
knowing what they were supposed to do here, Amy merely looked around for more
clues. Seeing a light on top of the stairs glowing brightly, she moved toward
it.
More used to doing things by herself,
she completely forgot the Arabians presence, concentrating on the floor and her
surroundings. Seeing no traps, she was clearly puzzled. This was too easy,
there had to be something she was missing. She silently started up the wooden
stairs, the aged wood creaking under weight. She was almost at the top when
Quatre gave a yell behind him. The stair he was standing on had collapsed,
sending him downward quickly. Amy caught his hand seconds before it was too
late.
Looking down, both pilots saw the
floor below them was covered with scrap metal, its corners as sharp as razor
blades. Exhaling the breath he had been holding for the past minute, Quatre
relaxed as he was pulled up.
"This
is no regular mission, Doc would've made it harder, with no death traps"
She whispered toward her friend. They
continued, Amy walking ahead, her mind working feverishly.
'If
this wasn't Dr.J's house of horror, then who made it. Obviously the message to
go here had been sent by him. Wufei had said so. Unless, of course! The
transmission could have been intercepted by enemies, in the time it took them
out get here, the house could have easily been tampered with.'
With her mind working with these
thoughts, she had let Quatre take the lead. She was still thinking when the
blond accidentally stepped on a raised tile on the floor. In seconds the light
was shut out as the windows were covered with heavy metal shutters.
Instinctively drawing her gun, Amy stepped back, feeling her back hit the wall.
She was looking around at every thing, but it was so dark she only saw lights
swirl before her eyes, deceptions of her imagination. She was concentrating too
hard, calming herself, she felt Quatre bump into her side.
"I
geuss this isn't the time to talk huh?"
Amy noted the slight panic in her
friend's voice. She sensed there was something going on in his head, but this
was no time to question it. She moved slowly forward. This was defiantly not
one of Dr.J's traps, this was something else. She suddenly heard noises to her
left. Turing swiftly, she brought up her gun, firing several shots. Grunts of
pain rewarded her efforts, and she grabbed Quatre, pulling him to where she
though the window was. She fired at it, but only ran out of bullets. Quatre
whimpered beside her, his hand clasped firmly on her shoulder.
Amy suddenly felt a huge torrent of
fear; it latched onto her heart, dragging her into its oily depths, threatening
to drown her. Only her training saved her, Shutting her eyes tight, she used
her mind to turn the tables. Drowning
the fear instead of her. But she was failing, the fear had diminished, but it
was still there.
Quatre released his grip, and Amy suddenly was no
longer afraid, the fear leaving as suddenly as it came. Quatre! His touch, he
had been feeling fear, when he touched her, she felt it! He was empathic! The
word screamed in her mind. 'the power to feel others feelings, the power to
transmit feelings from one to another, the'
She shook her head, clearing it of the clutter.
Movement to her right proved that her attacker was still at large. The window
across from them suddenly crumpled inward like a tin can. Heero came sailing
through it, illuminating the room. HE had already cocked his gun at one of the
four men, shooting bullets toward him. Three dropped soundlessly, but the
fourth evaded the weapons, darting toward the two blondes.
Stepping forward, Amy smoothly dispatched him of the
knife, turning on her heel; she used the weapon's handle as a club, bringing it
down on the man's temple. He fell in a pile, dead. Quatre was breathing
heavily, on the verge of passing out. His hands on his knees, head between his
legs. Stepping toward him, Amy forgot about the weapon in her hand. Looking up,
Quatre saw the knife, not her. Nor did he hear her question concerning his
health.
The house was filled by his terrible scream, a
scream of fear. Amy had heard it a hundred times in her missions. But the sound
came from her enemies, not her friends. Quatre was still screaming when Heero
moved to ward him, covering the mouth with his hand, silencing the boy. Nodding
toward the window, Amy jumped out of it, quickly followed by Heero who was
carrying Quatre in his arms.
The Winner heir was shivering un-controllably,
holding onto Heero like he was going to die if he let go. Lating the boy down
on the grass, Trowa joined them. Quatre was still shivering as Trowa knelt
beside him, asking questions. Amy turned to look at Wufei, her face a mask of
emotions.
"What's
wrong with him?"
Wufei merely shrugged, watching as Trowa rocked
Quatre back and forth.
"He's
an empath"
Wufei looked up in surprise at Amy. Quatre,
empathic? It didn't make sense,
wouldn't he feel the pain of the men he killed in battle?
"it
was a trap, something not done by the doctor, I think the message was a fake,
or this whole thing was a trap. May I please see the video of him giving you
the co-ordinates."
Wufei nodded, turning back toward the shuttle
hanger. Amy watched as Quatre was calmed down, in seconds he fell into a deep
sleep. Amy looked up, trying to find Clinton, but the man had disappeared. She
would ask Wufei when he got back.
They were now at a safe house on L2. Quatre was fast
asleep on the large bed. The others were around the large television, watching
the screen. Amy was easily watching the video, leaning back, and hands behind
her back. Dr.J's face had been on the screen for less then a minute when Amy
sat forward.
"it's
a fake"
Heero raised an eyebrow. HE too,
leaned forward, balancing his elbows on his knees.
"And
pray tell, how is this a fake?"
"point
number one, Whenever I get an e-mail from doc, he keeps his hair covering his
face. In this one, the bangs were pulled back from his face. Point two, the
scar shown on his cheek is still healing, in these days, that scar is small,
completely healed and hard to detect. Next, his voice pattern doesn't flow as
smoothly as he does in this video. And most of all, the camera's we use for
these transmission use a 36 volt color bit. This is far too grainy to be
anywhere near 36 volt. And his hair is a liter color then it is in real life.
Hence, an obvious fake."
Trowa looked slightly bewildered.
"Absolutely,
just so damn obvious!"
"well,
Mr. Sarcastic-Chang, will you please tell me, if you're done being the smart
guy, Where Clinton went today."
"The
Baka had to use the facilities"
Amy gave him a blank look. Duo giggled
as he thought up a response, Heero however, beat him to it. With a much more
suitable response.
"He
went to the bathroom"
"OOOHH! Well then why didn't you say
that Wufei, geez, you sound like an old English woman, facilities indeed.
Anyway, why would Clinton suddenly leave. Even if he did have to pee, he would
wait, he would never leave me."
"so,
we have a fake tape, a missing person, and several people that seem to have the
idea that your death would benefit them."
"well
duh, I'm a perfect soldier, it's my job to kill them, so if I die, they will
live. And anyways, the part about Clinton being involved, is out of the
question. I'd trust him with my life, he would not. I repeat, I would not, even
think about suspecting him"
Wufei exchanged looks with his fellow
male pilots.
"Rule
89, Trust no one but yourself. If you trust him so much, call him on the secure
line. Ask him to meet you somewhere, alone, then we'll see if you get sprung."
Amy snatched the phone, furious that
Heero had caught her with rule 89. She had told them too much about herself
already.
"Hi
Clinton, where'd u go…toilet huh…yep, I'm fine...anyway…I'm going out to the
park on 3rd street for a picnic, you wanna join me…yah, just the two
of us…yep...ok then…see you at noon."
She glared at Heero, getting up to go
to the kitchen, packing food. Silently, Trowa leaned into Wufei, his mouth at
his ear as he whispered.
"we'll
follow her"
Wufei nodded his approval, looking at
Heero, who already knew the plan. Amy walked back in, dragging Duo by his ear.
The latter was squealing something awful.
"You
guys keep this damn baka away from my sandwiches!"
Duo was forcefully propelled into
Trowa. Amy returned to the kitchen with the braided pilot rubbing his ear
ruefully.
"Trowa,
Wufei and I are going out with Amy later today, you need to stay here in case
Quatre wakes up."
He looked disappointed, but said
nothing. Amy reappeared, a bag on her back. she checked her watch, waved to
those assembled, and went through the door. The boys waited several minutes
before heading the same way.
It didn't take much for them to follow
her, she was taking a direct route. It was several minutes before they got
there. Amy sat down in a large clearing, surrounded by several trees. Wufei
smiled to himself. 'how perfect'
He
quickly jumped onto a protruding limb, scooting further up the tree until he
had a perfect view of the girl. Heero remained on the ground, the safety on his
gun clicked in the off position. Trowa was on the other side of the clearing,
also in the air by several branches.
They were quite surprised that Amy
hadn't heard them. She must have her mind firmly set on Clinton. Heero had
noticed that she was un-armed. All her weapons had been left on the dresser top
at 'home'. He was snapped out of his train of thought as Clinton entered the
clearing, he sat down opposite Amy. Accepting the sandwich he was offered, he
bit into it.
Amy was just opening her mouth when several large
men pounced on her. Pinning her tightly, she was, for the first time in her
life, unable to move. Her enemies knew all of her moves, everything she had
been taught. Clinton stood in front of her, lifting her head up with the barrel
of his gun.
"It
was you!"
She snarled, trying to get free.
"You
warned the soldiers of my rescuing the pilots, you told them about the Gundams,
new weapons, you told them about Dr.J and L2! And I trusted you!"
"hahaha!
Yes you naive little fool you trusted me, and now you will die."
He raised the gun, but his body was
thrown to the side as Trowa slammed into him, sprawling his body onto the
ground. Heero and Wufei easily took care of the 6 men holding Amy. She dropped
to the fake-grass. Over come with emotions, the one person I loved, cared
for, betrayed me. Tried to kill me…
She sat on the ground numb. She looked
up, hearing voices. Duo and Quatre were racing toward her.
"Amy.
I'm so sorry, it was my fault, and I'm scared of the dark, of what would happen
to you, I'm so sorry! We're so alike, yet so different, please Amy! I would
never hurt you! I need you!"
Every one was so caught up in what
Quatre was saying, they didn't notice Clinton stirring. He lifted his gun,
fired one shot before collapsing as Duo's own bullet pierced his head.
The force of the bullet hitting her
body flung around Amy's body. She fell into Quatre's arms, blood pouring from
the chest wound. Quatre needed her, finally, someone needed her. The world was
swirling around in a maelstrom of color and sound. She looked up, seeing the 5
faces of her best friends look down on her. Quatre's holding me, I don't
need to be strong anymore, Quatre will be strong for both of us, I don't need
to be perfect…
It seemed
ironic that the only time she saw Heero cry was now, when she found it
difficult to talk, so she couldn't ask him what was wrong. Her eyesight was
getting dim, and Amy Walker had the feeling that Heero was drugging her.
"Oh
Allah! Don't go Amy! Don't die, please don't die."
Reaching up, Amy brushed the tears off
of Quatre's cheeks.
"Don't
waste your tears on me Blondie, save them for someone important."
"Oh!
Amy, you are the most important thing I have!"
It was too bad Amy could no longer
hear him.
