The hallway was just like the base, dark and nothing but plated steel.
Duo's head hung low as he stepped lightly, followed by his two best
friends. Their arms were in shackles and gunpoint followed
them in silence. They watched as so many other cells went by, each empty.
Somehow, an endless hallway
lead to a plain door with two guards next to it.
"Here are the other pilots." One guard said to the other. "Open the cell." The door opened and Aenne, Duo and Sam were pushed onto the floor.
"You were captured." a monotone voice called out.
"Mr. Heero?" Aenne asked.
"You could be a little nicer!" Duo started, "We came to save you."
"Your mission failed." He responded.
"We can see that captain obvious." Sam said sitting up in the dark. "Where are we?"
"Barge." Heero said quietly. "There is something you should know."
"What's that," Aenne asked sitting next to Sam.
"Trowa is here."
"What?" Duo exclaimed. "I thought he was dead, or something."
"Poor Quatre." Aenne said whimpering. "Sam, give me some candy." Sam took out the bag of candy and handed it to Aenne.
"Gimme some candy too!" Duo said scampering over to Aenne. Just as he got a piece of candy in his mouth the door opened. Trowa stepped in wearing an oz uniform.
"You!" He said pointing to Duo, "Come with me."
"Be careful Duo!" Aenne said to his back. The door slammed shut leaving Aenne and Sam in the same room as Mr. Monotone.
"Is Trowa with the enemy?" Sam asked Heero.
"Yes," he said plainly.
"What?" Aenne asked, "That traitor! If Quatre knew about this he would beat him down!"
"In more ways then one." Sam smirked.
****
"Barge is going to play an important part in the future." Trowa said quietly to Duo in a small white interrogation room. "Everyone who is going to fight for the future is drawn to this place. Even the scientists are here."
"What?" Duo exclaimed, "Professor G is here?"
"They are all here. They are interested in Aenne and Sam." Trowa went on. "The two suits, Troublewind and the former HellfireDevil, were the models that our new gundams are going to be based on. Those two must live through this."
"What's so important about them?" Duo asked in concern.
"They must live." Trowa said turning his back. "Make sure they do."
"Okay, I'll try, but they may be too much for me." Duo said grinning a grin. "We have candy back in the cell."
"When you get back, my orders are to interrogate Aenne and Sam." Trowa went on.
"What are you going to do to them?" Duo asked immediately. "If you hurt them, or let anyone hurt them, I'll kill you."
"Nothing of the sort. There are going to meet the scientists." Trowa stopped. "I have to hit you now."
"Well, hurry up and do it." Duo said closing his eyes. The next thing he felt was Trowa's fist hitting him square in the jaw knocking him back out of his chair. Then he felt a kick to the stomach.
"You know, if you screamed, it wouldn't hurt as much." Trowa said to the curled body before him.
"Oh yeah?" Duo sputtered, "Well my mama said real men don't scream."
****
"I wonder if Duo's okay." Aenne said sticking another piece of candy in her mouth.
"I'm sure he's fine, after all, he is Duo. Only the greatest pilot in the world." Sam said assuring Aenne.
"Your flattery is pointless." Heero commented.
"I know it is." Sam said turning to his voice, "He's not here to listen to it."
"Ooh!" Aenne jeered, "You have a crush on Duo!"
"I wouldn't think that way." Sam said smiling to herself. "I know you do too."
"I do not!" Aenne said back shocked. "Well you like him more then me!"
"No, you do!" Sam retorted.
"You do!"
"You do!" The yelling match continued and even involved some candy throwing. In the end, neither of them won. They declared that Cary loved Duo the most, just to shut each other up.
"You won't tell Duo will you?" Sam asked concerned. "If you knew, he would never let me forget it."
"As long as you don't tell him that I do." Aenne said back.
"You got a deal."
"You do realize that your love for Duo is a weakness." Heero said plainly.
"Well, you realize we have something to fight for, we have something to protect." Sam stopped and looked at Aenne. "If anything, it's a strength." Sam stopped just in time to see Duo get pushed into the room bruised and battered.
"Ow." Duo said as he landed.
"Are you okay?" Aenne said rushing to his side.
"I'm fine." Duo said smiling. "I have good news. The scientists are rebuilding and improving our Gundams. I can't wait until they are done. But for now, I'm going to get some sleep."
Along with Aenne, Sam rushed over to her beaten friend. "Duo!" She called to him, but by now he was not really awake. (Trowa had quite some hidden rage) Aenne cradled Duo's head in her lap, while Sam instantly ripped off part of her long sleeve shirt. She dipped in the cold water, that the soldiers had provided them with and then handed the soaked cloth to Aenne. Aenne gently rubbed his wounds, cleaning then; she wiped the blood dripping slowly from the corner of his pale swollen lips.
"Duo.." Aenne looked at him as if he were a poor little child. Her sadness soon turned to anger though. "Who ever did this to you!!" She clenched her teeth.
"Don't worry." Sam comforted her, placing her hand on Aenne's shoulder. "We'll pay them back tenfold."
A few minutes had past, Duo's face was almost totally normal again with Sam and Aenne still cautiously taking care of him. Heero just sat and watched the minutes go by, with out talk or response. Suddenly, Trowa walked in, with two henchmen on either side. "Your turn." He pointed to Sam and Aenne.
"Why you!!" Aenne growled at Trowa.
"Quiet." Trowa made a swift hand motion, causing his henchmen to go and grab the ladies. Trowa's right hand man, rushed over to Sam and pushed her constantly to move.
"I'm going, I'm going." She muttered as he forced her out of the door.
"Hurry up you!" The left hand man sneered at Aenne.
"Hold on..let me make sure Duo's head is secure." Before Aenne had the chance to kindly place Duo's bruised head on the hard ground, the guard furiously yanked on Aenne's hair, forcing her on her feet and making Duo's head bang hard against the cold floor.
"NOW!" The guard bellowed shoved her towards Trowa and the others.
Seeing as how there was no way to fight back yet, Aenne just called out to the silent pessimistic pilot. "Take care of Duo for us! We'll be back soon!" She smiled, and Heero just huffed.
Soon the girls found themselves alone with Trowa in the same interrogation room as Duo found himself in(minus the chair). Aenne had slumped up against a wall, and Sam stood protectively beside her. Both their hands were tied behind their backs but the legs were free.
"So I finally get to see you two again." Trowa said breaking the eerie silence.
"Shut up Trowa!" Aenne shouted angrily. "What did you do to Duo!?!"
"Nothing that matters..put it behind you." Trowa leered at the two.
"What!? You beat up our best bud and you expect me to 'put it behind'!? Come on! I'll take you out even with out my hands!" Aenne jumped up excitedly as vengeance flowed through her veins. No one was going to get away with hurting Duo, no one.
"Aenne!" Sam stopped her with her solid tone. Aenne looked over her shoulder at Sam, who still relaxed against the 'comfy' wall. She tilted her head. "Can I join you?"
Aenne nodded. As the two rushed bang boy, Trowa pulled out a gun and aimed it right at Sam's head. "I think not."
"Damn." Sam cursed. "I guess you've won."
"Not yet!" Aenne trickily kicked the gun out of Trowa's hand and then kicked him in the face. "Ha!" She stated in satisfaction.
"You'll get nothing out us." Sam announced.
"Fools." Trowa mumbled. "Stupid fools." He got up, holding onto his soar jaw. "Good thing your still Gundam pilots..Listen, just follow along.the scientists need to talk to you."
"Scientists?" Sam stepped back disgusted, she did not want to talk to some old scary guys in white lab coats. "What if we don't wanna talk to these 'scientists'? Huh?"
"Yeh!" Aenne added.
"Then...I'll have to kill you." His stare looked deathly serious. He meant what he said, and he would do it. Frightened, Aenne stepped back to meet Sam. "Now come along nicely." He walked towards the back wall. He stopped a few inches before and punched a few buttons in a pad. A hidden door opened to reveal another huge darkened room. He motioned for the two pilots to go into the room.
"I don wanna." Aenne whimpered to Sam. "Scary old guys."
"It's ok. We'll take 'em on!" Sam encouraged her shivering friend. Aenne hid behind Sam's back as they traveled into the darkness. Trowa closely follow the girls.
"It's about time you brought them to us." An elder squeaky voice bellow over a loud speaker sending shivers up the two girls spines. Two bright white lights fell upon them, temporarily blinding them. "Healthy looking pilots.no wonder their Gundams were so strong." The elder voice continued to speak.
"Sam.." Aenne whispered. "They really are scary."
"Welcome back Trowa." An old man appeared from the shadows. His gray hair formed to the shape like a mushroom cap, covering everything to his nose, which poked out like a tree branch. A scar traveled down the side of his face until reaching his gray mustache. He grinned as Trowa tilted his head acknowledging the scientist.
"I brought them."
"Yes yes!" The squeaky voice said with a hint of excitement. "To the gundams.."
"I don't want to see any gundam until we know Duo's ok!!" Sam protested, sticking up for the two.
"Duo." He rolled the name off his tongue. "Yes, Duo will be just fine. He's a nice kid, bit of a trouble maker, but he's a kid."
"Whaaaat!?" Aenne asked confused. "How do you know Duo?"
"Me..I constructed Gundam DeathScythe."
"Thanks Trowa." Sam said tilting her head. "We put on a good show."
"What?" Aenne asked still confused, "I don't understand."
"In order to bring us here, we had to make it look like Trowa was a soldier of Oz. That's why we had to fight him and he had to win." Sam explained happily.
"What about what he did to Duo?!" Aenne asked again.
"That was also for show." Sam continued. "Trowa may have gone a little overboard, but it was necessary." She stopped as Aenne nodded yes as if she understood everything. She then looked at the scientist closest to her. "You are professor G?"
"Yes." he said simply
"Good, then you can tell me how to find Howard."
"Who?" Aenne asked.
"Yes ... Howard." Professor G thought, "I will tell you how to reach him, but first we must complete your Gundam."
"Where is it?" Sam asked a little excited. "Will it be like HellfireDevil?"
"Yes, but we are improving it, as well as Heero's, Duo's and Aenne's." Professor G continued.
"I need to get you back to your cell." Trowa said quietly. "No interrogation takes this long."
"But you are dealing with extra-special Gundam pilots!" Aenne shouted.
"He's right." Sam enforced, "Besides poor Duo is in there ... alone with Heero."
"Poor Duo!" Aenne whimpered, "Let's go back right now!" Trowa led them through the once hidden door back into the interrogation room. Their shackles were replaced and they were lead through the hall back to their cell with the common brutality that one would expect inside a prison. Once at their cell, they were pushed to the floor the same as Duo was.
"How did it go?" They heard their familiar buddy ask.
"Good." Sam replied.
"Trowa is a poo head!" Aenne yelled. "I can't believe that Quatre loves him! I just don't get it!"
"I don't get it either." Sam said smiling. "I thought Duo and Quatre were going to end up together."
"What!" Duo exclaimed. "That's so very wrong. That would never happen because I love-" Duo stopped himself short and blushed.
"You love who?" Sam said leaning in.
"He loves me!" Aenne said jumping up. Her legs ran to Duo where she glomped him harshly, knocking him back. Sam fell back in laughter holding her sides.
"That's so wrong!" She said pointing at the two in their awkward embrace. "That's just so wrong!"
"Your just jealous!" Aenne said hugging Duo tighter.
"Ladies, Ladies!" Duo said interrupting what could have been a horrible argument, "There is enough Duo for everyone!" His gleaming smile was met with cold stare and eerie silence from Aenne and Sam. The silence was broken when Heero finally said something.
"Your faintly is unjustified." He said in a cold cut matter.
"You're jealous too!" Duo said sticking his nose in the air. "I have the love of the two most beautiful women in the world."
"Hey!" Sam shouted at him, "Who you calling woman?"
"You, that's who!" Duo said still in the clutches of Aenne.
"Take is back!" Sam said standing up.
"Never!" Duo said moving Aenne ever so slightly as to block the oncoming tackle.
"Take it back!" Sam repeated, but louder.
"No, I don't think I will." Duo said smiling.
"Maybe you should." Aenne cut in, "I don't think it's good for Sam's health to be called woman."
"Perhaps you're right ..." Duo trailed off, "But I won't take it back."
"That's it!" Sam said charging forward. She pushed Aenne out of harms way and knocked Duo on his back just like Aenne did when she glomped him. She stood over his body, looking down on him. "Now, take it back!"
"Never!" Duo shouted up to Sam.
"Fine, we'll do this the hard way." Sam sneered. She bent over and started tickling Duo's sides. His laughter was only slowed when he begged Sam to stop.
"Hey!" Aenne shouted, "That's not fair! I want to tickle Duo!"
"Then do!" Sam said back. Aenne rushed forward and tickled Duo's back.
"Stop! Stop!" Duo screamed back. "I take it back!"
"You won't get off that easy!" Sam shouted as she increased the tickling. His screams of laughter echoed in the small cell. But like all things, Aenne and Sam soon tired themselves out. When that happened, they both took a shoulder, Aenne on Duo's right, and Sam on the left. They both had one arm draped over their bodies. The three slept there keeping each other warm.
"Food!" The guard yelled loudly when the little sliding screen on the door popped open.
"Yay!" Sam shouted, "Breakfast!" She took all the servings and handed them out to each of her inmates before digging in. Today's meal consisted of watered down oatmeal, a slice of bread and a glass of water, each which disappeared momentarily. "Mmm-mmm!" Sam exclaimed, "That was good!" She saw blank stares look her in the eye. "You gonna finish that?" She said pointing to Duo's plate.
"No, no. You can have it." She grabbed the plate and ate in as fast as her first helping.
"How can she eat this?" Duo said leaning over to Aenne and whispering. "It's disgusting!" "I don't know." Aenne said making a gagging face at Sam, "I just don't know."
"Hey guys, last night I had this really funny dream last night." Sam said addressing Duo and Aenne. "It was really weird. Quatre's name was Quatro, my name was Uno, and Aenne, your name was Trio. We were undercover with Duo. The four of us were in the Sanc kingdom. Our mission was to find Cary and rescue her from the brainwashing of that evil, evil woman Relena."
"Woah, woah. woah!" Aenne said shaking her head. "My name was Trio?"
"Yeah, it was really, really odd." Sam said looking up. "What are those funny looks for? Stop looking at me!" Duo and Aenne looked at each other then back at Sam.
"You know, I think she's finally lost it," Aenne whimpered to Duo.
"I think you are right." Duo whispered, "Soon, she'll start talking to the walls."
"You three!" Trowa shouted from the door, "Come with me!"
"What for?" Duo asked aloud.
"Just come with me!" Trowa responded.
"Not again." Aenne sighed, muttering under her breath.
Again the soldiers put shackles on their arms and feet, each spread out evenly, and forced to walk at gunpoint. Duo was the leader, Sam paced in the middle, and Aenne followed behind. This time they were brought into a huge room, than some simple interrogation room.
"I need all three of you to pilot! We must destroy the approaching enemy." An OZ officer commanded, shoving a gun into Duo's face. "And you WILL destroy it."
"Don't get that greedy." Trowa took the gun from the young officers hands. "We'll only need two of them. The other two will stay here for further inspection." Duo sighed as the gun withdrawled from his forehead, he had to many guns pointed at his head for comfort. "Besides I'm coming along." Trowa added.
"Well count me out." Aenne mumbled.
"Silence!!!" The crazy over-commanding OZ officer bellowed.
"That's enough. I'll be fine by myself." Trowa instructed the officer to take his leave.
"S-Sir Trowa." He stammered. "Will you be okay with four gundam pilots?"
"Yes. They are in chains." He pointed the obvious to the frighten officer. "Go wait outside." Soon though he did walk out the door, leaving the five alone in the prison cell.
"Which two are going?" Heero asked, leaning up against the wall (the famous Heero pose).
"I'm going that's for sure!!" Duo chimed. "There ain't no way I'm staying in here any longer."
"That doesn't matter. We have already chosen the best pilots for this mission."
"Well what is it!?" Sam shouted slightly annoyed with Trowa. "Don't just stand there blabbing, tell us what's going on!"
"If you must. It seems that a Gundam is headed in our direction. We.have to take care of it."
"Gundam." Sam thought aloud. "But that means its either Quatre or Chang."
Trowa nodded, while silence filled the cell. Each person thought about the situation that presented itself, the realization that they were fighting one of their own.
Aenne intruded upon the silence with her comments. "But we can't fight them!!" She protested.
"Now you sound like Quatre!" Sam lightly shoved Aenne out of the way. "So who's going?"
"You and Duo." Trowa looked straight into Sam's eyes. "I'll be back to get you in ten minutes." Trowa turned around and headed for the door.
"Surely you can't fight against our friends." Aenne beckoned, trying to knock some sense into Trowa.
"That pilot is no longer our friend as long as we are in OZ's control." He promptly walked out the door and left the four pilots to their jail.
"Damn he plays it good." Duo commented. "He should just relax once and a while."
"Yeh." Sam agreed while Aenne went off mumbling things about 'stupid Trowa'. The pilots spent most of the ten minutes in their minds, figuring out what to do next. Sam and Duo were talking over strategies in one corner. Aenne watched them, while Heero watched Aenne. Soon Trowa barged though the door followed by one lonely OZ person. He pointed to Sam and Duo, who were then unchained and unshackled. Sam stood up and looked at him.
"We fight Quatre." Trowa responded as if reading her mind.
As the three left, Duo and Sam waved bye to Aenne who sat I the middle of the floor of the cell. After the door slammed shut with a threatening boom, the blonde said her goodbye. "Good luck you two. Don't get killed..and don't kill Quatre.." Aenne sighed. "Stupid Trowa!" Aenne muttered again to no one in particular (seeing as how Heero was not likely to respond). "Why does he havta go and do that?"
"Can't you see the pain in his eyes?" Heero spoke, lifting his head from the shadows. Aenne looked up at Heero uneasy. "He's obviously troubled by this. He masks it over just so no one will notice. This will be the most difficult thing for him to face, even he realizes it."
Aenne pondered Heero's words. She had never thought of it to be like that. She sighed still confused over the whole ordeal.
"Here are the other pilots." One guard said to the other. "Open the cell." The door opened and Aenne, Duo and Sam were pushed onto the floor.
"You were captured." a monotone voice called out.
"Mr. Heero?" Aenne asked.
"You could be a little nicer!" Duo started, "We came to save you."
"Your mission failed." He responded.
"We can see that captain obvious." Sam said sitting up in the dark. "Where are we?"
"Barge." Heero said quietly. "There is something you should know."
"What's that," Aenne asked sitting next to Sam.
"Trowa is here."
"What?" Duo exclaimed. "I thought he was dead, or something."
"Poor Quatre." Aenne said whimpering. "Sam, give me some candy." Sam took out the bag of candy and handed it to Aenne.
"Gimme some candy too!" Duo said scampering over to Aenne. Just as he got a piece of candy in his mouth the door opened. Trowa stepped in wearing an oz uniform.
"You!" He said pointing to Duo, "Come with me."
"Be careful Duo!" Aenne said to his back. The door slammed shut leaving Aenne and Sam in the same room as Mr. Monotone.
"Is Trowa with the enemy?" Sam asked Heero.
"Yes," he said plainly.
"What?" Aenne asked, "That traitor! If Quatre knew about this he would beat him down!"
"In more ways then one." Sam smirked.
****
"Barge is going to play an important part in the future." Trowa said quietly to Duo in a small white interrogation room. "Everyone who is going to fight for the future is drawn to this place. Even the scientists are here."
"What?" Duo exclaimed, "Professor G is here?"
"They are all here. They are interested in Aenne and Sam." Trowa went on. "The two suits, Troublewind and the former HellfireDevil, were the models that our new gundams are going to be based on. Those two must live through this."
"What's so important about them?" Duo asked in concern.
"They must live." Trowa said turning his back. "Make sure they do."
"Okay, I'll try, but they may be too much for me." Duo said grinning a grin. "We have candy back in the cell."
"When you get back, my orders are to interrogate Aenne and Sam." Trowa went on.
"What are you going to do to them?" Duo asked immediately. "If you hurt them, or let anyone hurt them, I'll kill you."
"Nothing of the sort. There are going to meet the scientists." Trowa stopped. "I have to hit you now."
"Well, hurry up and do it." Duo said closing his eyes. The next thing he felt was Trowa's fist hitting him square in the jaw knocking him back out of his chair. Then he felt a kick to the stomach.
"You know, if you screamed, it wouldn't hurt as much." Trowa said to the curled body before him.
"Oh yeah?" Duo sputtered, "Well my mama said real men don't scream."
****
"I wonder if Duo's okay." Aenne said sticking another piece of candy in her mouth.
"I'm sure he's fine, after all, he is Duo. Only the greatest pilot in the world." Sam said assuring Aenne.
"Your flattery is pointless." Heero commented.
"I know it is." Sam said turning to his voice, "He's not here to listen to it."
"Ooh!" Aenne jeered, "You have a crush on Duo!"
"I wouldn't think that way." Sam said smiling to herself. "I know you do too."
"I do not!" Aenne said back shocked. "Well you like him more then me!"
"No, you do!" Sam retorted.
"You do!"
"You do!" The yelling match continued and even involved some candy throwing. In the end, neither of them won. They declared that Cary loved Duo the most, just to shut each other up.
"You won't tell Duo will you?" Sam asked concerned. "If you knew, he would never let me forget it."
"As long as you don't tell him that I do." Aenne said back.
"You got a deal."
"You do realize that your love for Duo is a weakness." Heero said plainly.
"Well, you realize we have something to fight for, we have something to protect." Sam stopped and looked at Aenne. "If anything, it's a strength." Sam stopped just in time to see Duo get pushed into the room bruised and battered.
"Ow." Duo said as he landed.
"Are you okay?" Aenne said rushing to his side.
"I'm fine." Duo said smiling. "I have good news. The scientists are rebuilding and improving our Gundams. I can't wait until they are done. But for now, I'm going to get some sleep."
Along with Aenne, Sam rushed over to her beaten friend. "Duo!" She called to him, but by now he was not really awake. (Trowa had quite some hidden rage) Aenne cradled Duo's head in her lap, while Sam instantly ripped off part of her long sleeve shirt. She dipped in the cold water, that the soldiers had provided them with and then handed the soaked cloth to Aenne. Aenne gently rubbed his wounds, cleaning then; she wiped the blood dripping slowly from the corner of his pale swollen lips.
"Duo.." Aenne looked at him as if he were a poor little child. Her sadness soon turned to anger though. "Who ever did this to you!!" She clenched her teeth.
"Don't worry." Sam comforted her, placing her hand on Aenne's shoulder. "We'll pay them back tenfold."
A few minutes had past, Duo's face was almost totally normal again with Sam and Aenne still cautiously taking care of him. Heero just sat and watched the minutes go by, with out talk or response. Suddenly, Trowa walked in, with two henchmen on either side. "Your turn." He pointed to Sam and Aenne.
"Why you!!" Aenne growled at Trowa.
"Quiet." Trowa made a swift hand motion, causing his henchmen to go and grab the ladies. Trowa's right hand man, rushed over to Sam and pushed her constantly to move.
"I'm going, I'm going." She muttered as he forced her out of the door.
"Hurry up you!" The left hand man sneered at Aenne.
"Hold on..let me make sure Duo's head is secure." Before Aenne had the chance to kindly place Duo's bruised head on the hard ground, the guard furiously yanked on Aenne's hair, forcing her on her feet and making Duo's head bang hard against the cold floor.
"NOW!" The guard bellowed shoved her towards Trowa and the others.
Seeing as how there was no way to fight back yet, Aenne just called out to the silent pessimistic pilot. "Take care of Duo for us! We'll be back soon!" She smiled, and Heero just huffed.
Soon the girls found themselves alone with Trowa in the same interrogation room as Duo found himself in(minus the chair). Aenne had slumped up against a wall, and Sam stood protectively beside her. Both their hands were tied behind their backs but the legs were free.
"So I finally get to see you two again." Trowa said breaking the eerie silence.
"Shut up Trowa!" Aenne shouted angrily. "What did you do to Duo!?!"
"Nothing that matters..put it behind you." Trowa leered at the two.
"What!? You beat up our best bud and you expect me to 'put it behind'!? Come on! I'll take you out even with out my hands!" Aenne jumped up excitedly as vengeance flowed through her veins. No one was going to get away with hurting Duo, no one.
"Aenne!" Sam stopped her with her solid tone. Aenne looked over her shoulder at Sam, who still relaxed against the 'comfy' wall. She tilted her head. "Can I join you?"
Aenne nodded. As the two rushed bang boy, Trowa pulled out a gun and aimed it right at Sam's head. "I think not."
"Damn." Sam cursed. "I guess you've won."
"Not yet!" Aenne trickily kicked the gun out of Trowa's hand and then kicked him in the face. "Ha!" She stated in satisfaction.
"You'll get nothing out us." Sam announced.
"Fools." Trowa mumbled. "Stupid fools." He got up, holding onto his soar jaw. "Good thing your still Gundam pilots..Listen, just follow along.the scientists need to talk to you."
"Scientists?" Sam stepped back disgusted, she did not want to talk to some old scary guys in white lab coats. "What if we don't wanna talk to these 'scientists'? Huh?"
"Yeh!" Aenne added.
"Then...I'll have to kill you." His stare looked deathly serious. He meant what he said, and he would do it. Frightened, Aenne stepped back to meet Sam. "Now come along nicely." He walked towards the back wall. He stopped a few inches before and punched a few buttons in a pad. A hidden door opened to reveal another huge darkened room. He motioned for the two pilots to go into the room.
"I don wanna." Aenne whimpered to Sam. "Scary old guys."
"It's ok. We'll take 'em on!" Sam encouraged her shivering friend. Aenne hid behind Sam's back as they traveled into the darkness. Trowa closely follow the girls.
"It's about time you brought them to us." An elder squeaky voice bellow over a loud speaker sending shivers up the two girls spines. Two bright white lights fell upon them, temporarily blinding them. "Healthy looking pilots.no wonder their Gundams were so strong." The elder voice continued to speak.
"Sam.." Aenne whispered. "They really are scary."
"Welcome back Trowa." An old man appeared from the shadows. His gray hair formed to the shape like a mushroom cap, covering everything to his nose, which poked out like a tree branch. A scar traveled down the side of his face until reaching his gray mustache. He grinned as Trowa tilted his head acknowledging the scientist.
"I brought them."
"Yes yes!" The squeaky voice said with a hint of excitement. "To the gundams.."
"I don't want to see any gundam until we know Duo's ok!!" Sam protested, sticking up for the two.
"Duo." He rolled the name off his tongue. "Yes, Duo will be just fine. He's a nice kid, bit of a trouble maker, but he's a kid."
"Whaaaat!?" Aenne asked confused. "How do you know Duo?"
"Me..I constructed Gundam DeathScythe."
"Thanks Trowa." Sam said tilting her head. "We put on a good show."
"What?" Aenne asked still confused, "I don't understand."
"In order to bring us here, we had to make it look like Trowa was a soldier of Oz. That's why we had to fight him and he had to win." Sam explained happily.
"What about what he did to Duo?!" Aenne asked again.
"That was also for show." Sam continued. "Trowa may have gone a little overboard, but it was necessary." She stopped as Aenne nodded yes as if she understood everything. She then looked at the scientist closest to her. "You are professor G?"
"Yes." he said simply
"Good, then you can tell me how to find Howard."
"Who?" Aenne asked.
"Yes ... Howard." Professor G thought, "I will tell you how to reach him, but first we must complete your Gundam."
"Where is it?" Sam asked a little excited. "Will it be like HellfireDevil?"
"Yes, but we are improving it, as well as Heero's, Duo's and Aenne's." Professor G continued.
"I need to get you back to your cell." Trowa said quietly. "No interrogation takes this long."
"But you are dealing with extra-special Gundam pilots!" Aenne shouted.
"He's right." Sam enforced, "Besides poor Duo is in there ... alone with Heero."
"Poor Duo!" Aenne whimpered, "Let's go back right now!" Trowa led them through the once hidden door back into the interrogation room. Their shackles were replaced and they were lead through the hall back to their cell with the common brutality that one would expect inside a prison. Once at their cell, they were pushed to the floor the same as Duo was.
"How did it go?" They heard their familiar buddy ask.
"Good." Sam replied.
"Trowa is a poo head!" Aenne yelled. "I can't believe that Quatre loves him! I just don't get it!"
"I don't get it either." Sam said smiling. "I thought Duo and Quatre were going to end up together."
"What!" Duo exclaimed. "That's so very wrong. That would never happen because I love-" Duo stopped himself short and blushed.
"You love who?" Sam said leaning in.
"He loves me!" Aenne said jumping up. Her legs ran to Duo where she glomped him harshly, knocking him back. Sam fell back in laughter holding her sides.
"That's so wrong!" She said pointing at the two in their awkward embrace. "That's just so wrong!"
"Your just jealous!" Aenne said hugging Duo tighter.
"Ladies, Ladies!" Duo said interrupting what could have been a horrible argument, "There is enough Duo for everyone!" His gleaming smile was met with cold stare and eerie silence from Aenne and Sam. The silence was broken when Heero finally said something.
"Your faintly is unjustified." He said in a cold cut matter.
"You're jealous too!" Duo said sticking his nose in the air. "I have the love of the two most beautiful women in the world."
"Hey!" Sam shouted at him, "Who you calling woman?"
"You, that's who!" Duo said still in the clutches of Aenne.
"Take is back!" Sam said standing up.
"Never!" Duo said moving Aenne ever so slightly as to block the oncoming tackle.
"Take it back!" Sam repeated, but louder.
"No, I don't think I will." Duo said smiling.
"Maybe you should." Aenne cut in, "I don't think it's good for Sam's health to be called woman."
"Perhaps you're right ..." Duo trailed off, "But I won't take it back."
"That's it!" Sam said charging forward. She pushed Aenne out of harms way and knocked Duo on his back just like Aenne did when she glomped him. She stood over his body, looking down on him. "Now, take it back!"
"Never!" Duo shouted up to Sam.
"Fine, we'll do this the hard way." Sam sneered. She bent over and started tickling Duo's sides. His laughter was only slowed when he begged Sam to stop.
"Hey!" Aenne shouted, "That's not fair! I want to tickle Duo!"
"Then do!" Sam said back. Aenne rushed forward and tickled Duo's back.
"Stop! Stop!" Duo screamed back. "I take it back!"
"You won't get off that easy!" Sam shouted as she increased the tickling. His screams of laughter echoed in the small cell. But like all things, Aenne and Sam soon tired themselves out. When that happened, they both took a shoulder, Aenne on Duo's right, and Sam on the left. They both had one arm draped over their bodies. The three slept there keeping each other warm.
"Food!" The guard yelled loudly when the little sliding screen on the door popped open.
"Yay!" Sam shouted, "Breakfast!" She took all the servings and handed them out to each of her inmates before digging in. Today's meal consisted of watered down oatmeal, a slice of bread and a glass of water, each which disappeared momentarily. "Mmm-mmm!" Sam exclaimed, "That was good!" She saw blank stares look her in the eye. "You gonna finish that?" She said pointing to Duo's plate.
"No, no. You can have it." She grabbed the plate and ate in as fast as her first helping.
"How can she eat this?" Duo said leaning over to Aenne and whispering. "It's disgusting!" "I don't know." Aenne said making a gagging face at Sam, "I just don't know."
"Hey guys, last night I had this really funny dream last night." Sam said addressing Duo and Aenne. "It was really weird. Quatre's name was Quatro, my name was Uno, and Aenne, your name was Trio. We were undercover with Duo. The four of us were in the Sanc kingdom. Our mission was to find Cary and rescue her from the brainwashing of that evil, evil woman Relena."
"Woah, woah. woah!" Aenne said shaking her head. "My name was Trio?"
"Yeah, it was really, really odd." Sam said looking up. "What are those funny looks for? Stop looking at me!" Duo and Aenne looked at each other then back at Sam.
"You know, I think she's finally lost it," Aenne whimpered to Duo.
"I think you are right." Duo whispered, "Soon, she'll start talking to the walls."
"You three!" Trowa shouted from the door, "Come with me!"
"What for?" Duo asked aloud.
"Just come with me!" Trowa responded.
"Not again." Aenne sighed, muttering under her breath.
Again the soldiers put shackles on their arms and feet, each spread out evenly, and forced to walk at gunpoint. Duo was the leader, Sam paced in the middle, and Aenne followed behind. This time they were brought into a huge room, than some simple interrogation room.
"I need all three of you to pilot! We must destroy the approaching enemy." An OZ officer commanded, shoving a gun into Duo's face. "And you WILL destroy it."
"Don't get that greedy." Trowa took the gun from the young officers hands. "We'll only need two of them. The other two will stay here for further inspection." Duo sighed as the gun withdrawled from his forehead, he had to many guns pointed at his head for comfort. "Besides I'm coming along." Trowa added.
"Well count me out." Aenne mumbled.
"Silence!!!" The crazy over-commanding OZ officer bellowed.
"That's enough. I'll be fine by myself." Trowa instructed the officer to take his leave.
"S-Sir Trowa." He stammered. "Will you be okay with four gundam pilots?"
"Yes. They are in chains." He pointed the obvious to the frighten officer. "Go wait outside." Soon though he did walk out the door, leaving the five alone in the prison cell.
"Which two are going?" Heero asked, leaning up against the wall (the famous Heero pose).
"I'm going that's for sure!!" Duo chimed. "There ain't no way I'm staying in here any longer."
"That doesn't matter. We have already chosen the best pilots for this mission."
"Well what is it!?" Sam shouted slightly annoyed with Trowa. "Don't just stand there blabbing, tell us what's going on!"
"If you must. It seems that a Gundam is headed in our direction. We.have to take care of it."
"Gundam." Sam thought aloud. "But that means its either Quatre or Chang."
Trowa nodded, while silence filled the cell. Each person thought about the situation that presented itself, the realization that they were fighting one of their own.
Aenne intruded upon the silence with her comments. "But we can't fight them!!" She protested.
"Now you sound like Quatre!" Sam lightly shoved Aenne out of the way. "So who's going?"
"You and Duo." Trowa looked straight into Sam's eyes. "I'll be back to get you in ten minutes." Trowa turned around and headed for the door.
"Surely you can't fight against our friends." Aenne beckoned, trying to knock some sense into Trowa.
"That pilot is no longer our friend as long as we are in OZ's control." He promptly walked out the door and left the four pilots to their jail.
"Damn he plays it good." Duo commented. "He should just relax once and a while."
"Yeh." Sam agreed while Aenne went off mumbling things about 'stupid Trowa'. The pilots spent most of the ten minutes in their minds, figuring out what to do next. Sam and Duo were talking over strategies in one corner. Aenne watched them, while Heero watched Aenne. Soon Trowa barged though the door followed by one lonely OZ person. He pointed to Sam and Duo, who were then unchained and unshackled. Sam stood up and looked at him.
"We fight Quatre." Trowa responded as if reading her mind.
As the three left, Duo and Sam waved bye to Aenne who sat I the middle of the floor of the cell. After the door slammed shut with a threatening boom, the blonde said her goodbye. "Good luck you two. Don't get killed..and don't kill Quatre.." Aenne sighed. "Stupid Trowa!" Aenne muttered again to no one in particular (seeing as how Heero was not likely to respond). "Why does he havta go and do that?"
"Can't you see the pain in his eyes?" Heero spoke, lifting his head from the shadows. Aenne looked up at Heero uneasy. "He's obviously troubled by this. He masks it over just so no one will notice. This will be the most difficult thing for him to face, even he realizes it."
Aenne pondered Heero's words. She had never thought of it to be like that. She sighed still confused over the whole ordeal.