Summary: Three young men with hidden secrets and huge responsibilities. Two more that are equally burdened with the goals they've set for themselves. One headstrong young lady with plans of her own. And two others who find themselves smack in the middle of the action when all these forces come together by chance and luck, and try their new, unexpected alliance against the largest force of all.
Author's Notes: An AU, but set in the Gundam Wing universe, just before the actual series starts. There are Leos, but no Gundams yet. Each scene is put in there for a reason, even if sometimes it seems pointless. And, er, watch out for copious amounts of sap in the last bit. grimaces I left a lot open at the end, so don't expect all the loose ends to be tied up.
Pairings: 1x2, established 3x4, 6x13
Unexpected Alliances
Part Nine
The metal of the ship was cool against his sweat-dampened skin. Quatre bit his lip in worry as he watched Trowa and Zechs crouching beneath the metal hulls of the two biggest ships in the bay, setting up bombs. He glanced back towards the silent entrance to the ship bay, imagining what would be happening back at the motel. The soldiers would have already broken the door down and half of them wiped out by Duo's sleeping gas, the other half realizing what had happened and rushing back here... they were probably nearing the space port by now.
He shuddered, sending a quick prayer up for Heero and Duo's safety, and looked back at Trowa. He was still crouching there, and there wasn't much time left... suddenly Trowa scrambled up, Zechs a second later, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
A sigh that he choked on when he heard gunshots.
"Hurry!" he screamed, throwing away all pretence of secrecy. Gunshots could only mean that the soldiers had reached Heero and Duo's positions, a hundred meters away from the hangar doors. He watched, heart in his throat and gunshots ringing in his ears, as Trowa and Zechs dashed towards the two ships. He glanced across, and saw Wufei waiting in the hatch of Relena's ship, hand poised over the lever that would close the metal doors.
The sudden screech of the hangar doors opening and the sudden increase in the sounds of the firefight was accompanied by a furious, "I'm not leaving you, dammit!" He whirled around to see Heero and Duo backing into the hanger, guns firing at enemies he could not yet see.
"Hurry!" Quatre yelled at them.
"Godammit, Heero!" Duo shouted as he dived behind a pile of boxes to one side of the doors while Heero took the other side. "Wu, shut the damn door and GO!"
"Maxwell?!"
"Duo! Heero!"
"Heero move it!"
"I'm not leaving you!"
"DUO!" Quatre shrieked as the soldiers raced in. Five fell to Heero and Duo's bullets, but three headed towards the waiting ships, and the two boys had their hands full coping with the incoming wave of soldiers.
"GO!" Heero and Duo screamed together, and Quatre jerked the lever down, barely making out Wufei doing the same. The door slid shut with an ominous thunk, shutting out the sounds of the fight outside, and the blond collapsed onto the ground, fighting tears.
The ship trembled underneath him, and he felt the G-forces pressing him down as Zechs brought the ship away from the bay. He let the pressure numb him, but all too soon the ship's flight smoothed out, and he was left with tears flowing relentlessly. "I should have known," he hissed quietly in between trembling breaths, "I should have seen..."
He remembered Duo volunteering to be back-up, to hold the enemy off as long as possible. He should have looked closer at the slight flicker in Duo's expression when he said that. And when Heero volunteered as well, Duo had tried to protest, but he'd already moved on...
"He planned on it, damn him," Quatre whispered brokenly. "He planned on staying behind... and Heero could see it, and I missed it..."
Zechs' voice over the loudspeakers jolted him. "We got company!" the long-haired man yelled. "Quatre, I need you to man the gun station!"
He savagely swiped at the tears with a sleeve as he scrambled to his feet, dashing to the station and ignoring the small voice that asked, "If the enemy is here... then what about Duo?"
Only a couple of clips left, not good. Heero looked over to where Duo was also reloading, and caught sight of two mini fighter ships – he knew the kind; they were built for a maximum of two people and had a small living space that would last two people 3 days at least. He caught Duo's eye and pointed them out, receiving acknowledgement before the two stealthily moved from behind their current hideouts to behind the mini ships.
It was a moment's work to hotwire them, and the hatches slid open silently, which they were thankful for. It wouldn't do to alert the remaining troops – those that hadn't taken off already in ships from other bays – to where they were. Silently they climbed in, closed the hatches, and then powered up. The minute they did, bullets were fired their way, but the casing of the ships were made of some kind of alloy that only dented upon impact. The power-up was fast, seeing that the ship was small, and they took off as soon as they could, heading into the silent fight that was taking place in the skies above, but not before destroying the entire bay.
Duo watched as Heero swooped into the fight. Taking a deep breath, he plunged his ship into the crisscrossing beams of laser and shrapnel, coordinating his movements with Heero's. It was amazing how easily he fell into a partnership with the other small fighter. Their movements complemented each other, taking the offensive and defensive at turns, and the last Alliance pilot they centred their sights on only had time to wonder if it were one person controlling both ships before his jet exploded in a brilliant, soundless explosion.
Taking a moment to calm down from the exhilaration of battle, Duo realized that he should probably contact the others. He set his radio to the previously agreed-on frequency, and began calling for response.
"...hello? Yoohoo, anyone home – "
"Duo." The screen flickered to life, and Heero's emotionless face appeared on the screen, flushed with exertion but none the worse for the wear.
He grinned at him. "Ah, Heero! Man, you were great – no, we were great, huh? Never would have thought I'd work so well with you – "
"What were you thinking?" Heero's voice was cold.
Duo blinked. "What?" he asked innocently.
"You could have been killed. You would have been killed."
He dropped the smile and stared back with Shinigami in his eyes. "I know."
They glared at each other for a while before they realized someone was trying to reach them. Reaching for the button at the same time, they were greeted with the tear-stained face of one very worried blond.
"Oh I'm so glad you two are fine and dammit Duo Maxwell never do that again! And that applies for you, too, Heero Yuy!" he snapped, but then broke into a relieved smile. "I thought you two were dead, you idiots!"
Another incoming message, and Wufei's face appeared on the screen as well. "We have a problem," he said bluntly. "Engines damaged."
"Oh, so that's why you weren't moving!"
"Maxwell, that's stupid, even for you."
Quatre sighed. "Okay, look, my ship can only take one more person; we've used up a lot of supplies with Treize and Zechs' unexpected arrival. I recognize Heero and Duo's ship models, and they can only take two passengers maximum before performance starts to deteriorate. So I suggest Treize that comes over here, so we can discuss terms – I'll do it on your behalf, Duo – and Trowa goes with Heero, and Wufei with Duo."
"No. I refuse to share with Maxwell," Wufei stated with a scowl.
Quatre scowled back. "Well, you can't go with Heero!"
"Anyone but Maxwell – "
"Look, Heero can come over, and Trowa can share with Wufei, okay?" Duo snapped.
They looked at each other and shrugged. "Fine," Wufei growled.
After boarding their respective ships, they buckled up and Duo gave instructions to head towards L3 for refuelling. When they were well on their way, Duo opened a communication channel, linking all the ships.
"Okay, I've got some bad news." And he told them about L5's ultimatum.
There was silence.
"No... you're lying, Maxwell. You're lying! Damn you! Kisama, no one can be that cruel!" Wufei snarled, leaning in close to the camera.
"I run and hide but I never lie, Chang Wufei!" Duo snapped back. "Ask Relena!"
"I have heard of something like that, yes, it's part of why I defected," the girl admitted.
"No..." Wufei breathed, falling back into his chair. Trowa placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Thank Allah Wufei isn't in the same ship as Duo, or there'd be a fight on our hands right now," Quatre muttered. "Okay, look. We can't do anything right now, we're going as fast as we can. Let's talk about move conducive things, shall we? Right now OZ, Ms Peacecraft, and the Scythes want to form an alliance."
"Don't forget the Maguanacs," Duo said tiredly.
"The Maguanacs?" Zechs asked eagerly. "You have their cooperation too?"
Duo blinked at him. "You haven't realized? Q's the leader of the Maguanacs."
"...What?"
Treize shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. "It was surprising enough that Winner's son disagreed with the Alliance, but to think that he is the leader of the second largest rebel group in the Earth Sphere? My, this is turning out to be an eventful trip."
Relena looked stunned, as if she hardly dared to believe her luck, while Zechs grinned. "The Alliance won't know what hit them!"
"No," Treize reprimanded him gently. "Don't get cocky. The Alliance has a huge, trained army, hundreds of Leos, political connections, and unorthodox inhuman leaders who can think of plans we will never be able to with our sense of right and wrong, of honour and justice."
"He's right," Quatre agreed. "They haven't gotten this far on luck. We have to be careful."
"Right, right, can we get on with it?" Duo asked impatiently. "We need to discuss how exactly this alliance thing is going to work out."
Quatre smiled at him. "Leave it to me, Duo, you've done enough. You look terrible. Rest, and let us do the negotiating. Besides, you're better at action plans, not diplomatic tangles."
"But – "
"If I need anything about the Scythes, I can ask Trowa."
"But – "
"Duo."
He glanced up at the Japanese man standing behind his chair, and saw the pointed look Heero was directing his arm. "Oh, alright," he grumbled. "See you guys later."
Heero reached out and cut the connection, then began to help Duo unbuckle his seatbelts. "And I almost pulled it off, too," Duo said ruefully. He stood as the last belt was released, but staggered once he was up, gripping the arm of the seat for support, blood loss making him dizzy. With a growl, Heero picked him up, and ignoring his protests, brought him to sit on the bunk on the right side of the small ship.
"Why hide this?" he asked, allowing some of the anger and upset to creep into his voice as he grabbed the first-aid kit from under the pilot's seat.
Duo smiled wanly. "Everyone else was more important at the time."
This time, Heero didn't even bother hiding his anger, not that he could have even if he wanted to. Taking Duo's left arm with more force than was necessary, he pulled up Duo's black sleeve and began cleaning and bandaging the forearm, glad that the bullet had passed through cleanly and that the blood flow had slowed to 'sluggish'.
Duo, to his credit, didn't flinch or make any noise of complaint, and only when his arm was neatly bandaged then did he break the silence. "Thanks," he said tentatively, seeing the contained anger in Heero's face. "Er... you mad at me?"
"What do you think?"
He winced. "I'm... sorry?"
"Do you even know what you're sorry for?"
Duo made a face. "Since when did you become so sensitive?"
The smile slipped from his face, and the teasing tone fell flat, when Heero replied quietly, "Since you became my friend."
Heero had seen the look in Duo's eyes when he had so flippantly dismissed his own life, and he knew that Duo wouldn't take any better care of himself even if he asked Duo to. He knew of only one way to change that – ask Duo to do it for him.
The time he'd spent together with Duo, Quatre and Trowa showed him the importance Duo placed on friendship. He put his friends before himself, always, and anything he could do for them, he would. And he also made good on his 'never lying' motto. Heero planned on using their friendship to make Duo promise to take care of himself, and Duo's own principles would take care of the rest.
There was guilt, yes, that he was manipulating Duo, but it was for Duo's own good. Heero supposed this could be considered an act of friendship. He was at risk here, too; for this to work, he had to let himself be vulnerable like never before. He had to evoke Duo's protective friendship instincts by opening up.
...He only hoped Duo would be able to get him through this in one piece.
Since when have I become so involved with him? Heero wondered as he helped Duo die down on the bunk, ignoring the other boy's protests that he really couldn't sleep, he was still not over the adrenaline rush. I suppose Odin would be happy that I'm following my emotions, but I've never felt anything this strong this quickly. Is this a good thing...?
It could be if I let it.
Whoohoo! Finally, the beginning of some 1x2 action! Er... not exactly action, per se, but... oh, just read it – um, you already did. Okay, just review (please!) and read the next update! -cheesy grin-
I'm running out of things to say at the end of the chapters, can you tell?
Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers for the last chapter!
fiery-icicles, camillian, Windy River, ZmajGoddess, PATTY 40 (hope you're not sick anymore?), karashacket, and Hells-angel8: I updated! -grins- Hope you like, and thanks for reviewing yet again! I'm indebted to you taking time to type a review, however quick, to let me know you liked the story. -bows-
Nikkler: Relena's okay here, don't worry. Actually she was just a useful plot device. -sheepish smile- She might get worse in the next part, though. Thanks for always reviewing!
Memeal: -blinks- That was a very long, and Very Welcome review. -hugs- I wasn't about to update this, but then I reread my reviews and seeing your long, praising comments – well! I couldn't make you wait some more. Thank you very much for always giving such thoughtful remarks. I think you see more in my story than I do! -laughs- Thank you again! Hope this chapter was okay. I think I'm going to save your comments now. -grins- Okay, just kidding, but the sentiment remains!
Merula: What do you mean, you dread what's coming? There's loads of sap in the later part! So much that when I read through it after a month or two's break, I couldn't believe what I wrote. What the heck was I thinking? o.O; Anyway, I'm kinda stuck on the Doorbell thing (again), so you might have to wait... Thanks for reviewing, though. -beams-
inthefire2002: Yup, he (or rather, I) broke up the pairs for a reason. It took me a while to come up with groups that would work properly with the plot development. Dorothy betraying Relena...? Hmm. Doro's not appearing any time soon, so you'll have to wait to find out! (That, and I haven't thought so far yet. Oops.) Thanks for reviewing!
ChibiNekoSakura: Yes, the human world is in pretty bad condition. Visit some of the poorer countries and it's obvious. And in this story you'll see most of the main characters from GW are allied – even OZ, thus the name of the fic. -grins- Thanks for reviewing!
otaku12: I tried to make the dynamics better, though I'm afraid the creativity is drying up. I'm glad you liked whatever's in the story so far, though! Thanks!
Shingaisha Setsuna: Even with your computer conking out on you, you still managed to get a review out? Yet you apologised for not reading my fic? Goodness, I'm flattered! There's absolutely no need to apologise, I'm the one who should be grateful that you even continue to read and review. Thank you for that!
And thanks to all those who reviewed the previous chapters, just didn't review the last chapter – and I really hope I haven't lost you somewhere.
Please review!
(er, I know this is presumptious of me, but if you're a new reader and have time and liked this story... please go and try a few of my other GW fics? Thanks.)
(Okay, I'll go hide my head now.)
-Ashen Skies-
"Woot. Running out of quotes, too."
