Gundam Wing (my version chapter eleven)
*Last time Heero and the others were resting in Rio while trying to make heads and tails of their last mission. While in Rio Heero talks to Ester to discover the reasons for her down disposition. As Heero and Ester talked and ran a few errands in town, trouble seemed to follow them but thanks to a smart stranger who gave them a chance to escape. However before Heero could relax there was still the matter of talking to the others about the freak shows that were on their tails.
*About Five Hours before*
As Heero and Ester made their way inside, the smell of fresh cooked meat hit their noses, signaling that dinner was ready.
"Looks like we got back in time for dinner, why don't you go wash up and I'll see if Jade needs help." Heero then grabbed the bag with the supplies that they needed and made for the kitchen while Ester went to the washroom.
Once in the kitchen, Heero was surprised to see not just his sister but Quatre and Wu Fei as well. It would seem being skilled pilots were just one of the things that these two were good at. Heero decided to wait until after dinner to talk to the others.
"Hey Jade, here's the supplies you wanted," Heero then placed the bag on the table next to his sister who was placing a nice roast on the table next to Wu Fei who was sharpening a knife.
"Thanks a lot Heero, I have a funny feeling that with the way Casanova is acting we're going to need these," Jade then proceeded to pull out the many medical supplies from the bag and place them on the table opposite of Wu Fei who was busy cutting the meat. Quatre had taken the time to walk their way with a bowl of steaming vegetables and fresh hot bread.
"If he just learns to keep his hands to himself then we wouldn't have a problem, but that's asking for a miracle isn't it," Heero then took a bowl that Quatre had and put it on the table and went to the sink to wash his hands to help.
"No Heero you're just asking for someone to turn water into wine, so to speak. By the way where's Ester?" Jade looked to her brother and wondered where the youngest girl had gone. Once Heero had dried his hands he came to stand next to his sister.
"She's washing up for dinner. After our trip to the market, I told her to go wash up. She's fine Jade so don't worry." Heero then went to the cabinet to take some plates down and proceeded to the dining room which had a rather large table.
"I'm not, but what I'm worried about is the psycho crew that was let loose on the world right now working with the guy who you pissed off," Heero groaned since he knew his sister wasn't going to let that go anytime soon.
"You're not going to let that go, are you?" Heero gazed skeptically at this sister who just coyly smiled before just uttering one word.
"Nope" Jade then went back to shooting daggers at her brother for his foolishness. Heero just sighed and knew his sister was going to condemn him for this whole Claus mess unless he gave her some more information.
"Look can we get through dinner first before you try to kill me for an idiot that has a problem with rejection. Besides for what it's worth I plan to shoot the guy between the eyes anyway for this," As Heero placed the plate on the table, Quatre appeared next to him with a pitcher of water along with several glasses.
"Heero I know I shouldn't butt in this conversation, but what do those guys have to do with you and your sister anyway?" Quatre heard Heero groan once again before turning to see his sister and Wu Fei come into the room with trays of food.
"Perhaps it would be better to talk this over dinner rather than try and get this information out here and there," Heero turned to his sister who agreed and decided that talking over dinner would be good.
"Alright now how about we get the rest of this food on the table before it gets cold? I for one don't have the stomach to eat cold roast." Jade then went back into the kitchen to retrieve another tray of food followed by Quatre.
As Wu Fei was placing the sliced meat on the table he noticed the distant look in Heero's eyes like he was looking for something in the setting sun but decided to keep quiet. Wu Fei knew that whatever Heero was going to do he had a reason behind it. But decided to break Heero from his distant gaze quick before the fool starved.
"Whatever is troubling you, you might want to wait to think about it until after dinner my friend." Wu Fei saw Heero snap his gaze from the setting sun to him and just grinned at Heero's dismay.
"Just saying, heavy thinking on an empty stomach is not wise my friend. Besides your mind needs to be clear when explaining about our new enemies for I fear that this won't be the last we see of them." Wu Fei then went back into the kitchen leaving Heero to troubled thoughts.
"Father please give me strength for tonight. I fear that the sins of the past will come to haunt us and those around us once again." Heero then went back into the kitchen to help bring in the food.
*Ten minutes later*
Once all the food was on the table, the other pilots took their seats and began to fill their plates. Well the other filled their plates, Duo piled his plate with a mountains worth of food and surprisingly, it disappeared just as quickly as it was placed on his plate.
"I've heard of a healthy appetite, but with Duo…," Jade didn't know how to put her worries into words after seeing Duo literally inhale his food. It puzzled her how someone like Duo could eat with such vigor and not gain a pound.
"Pst…please this is nothing, you should see him around pizza. If you're not careful he'll inhale your slice before you even take a bite out of it." Ebony placed her fork with some roasted herb potatoes into her mouth all the while keeping her other hand on the knife by her plate. Ebony knew first hand just how tricky Duo could be and knew keeping her hand on a sharp object was the only thing keeping her food on her plate.
"Well at least he's breathing while he eats. That's saying something," Quatre tried to lighten the mood a tad hoping Duo's eating habits wouldn't ruin dinner with his new friends.
"Don't worry about it. Once Duo gets to his potatoes he'll be fine, but aside from his eating habits, perhaps Princess and her brother can tell us about the group of psychos that are currently on our tails." Ebony saw both Heero and Jade glance at each other as if thinking of how to start their tale. Thankfully it was Heero who broke the ice.
"Okay if you must know the ones that are chasing us right now are the last few members of the dreaded Black Widow gang," Heero took a sip of his water and quietly waited for the shocked looks to disperse. Sadly, Duo being himself was the first to speak his shock after he almost chocked on his water.
"The Black Widow Gang?! But that's impossible, those guys have been gone for more than twenty years. How can those psychos be the last of that clan?" Duo couldn't believe what he was hearing. He himself had heard of that gang years ago, and all the stories he heard were nothing but blood and gore. The Black Widow gang had left a bloody legacy in their wake as they painted their path with the innocent blood of many victims that had the misfortune of crossing their path.
"I should be shocked but in a way, I'm not. But here's the question I'm asking, how are those four still alive and where have they been all this time." Wu Fei was now interested in this conversation since he too heard of the dreaded Black Widow Gang.
"That one is simple, you see when the colonies were still fighting Oz's oppression before Operation Meteor was launched, those four were being trained alongside my brother and me. But there was one tiny problem when it came to training those four," Jade put her knife and fork down before she placed her head in her hands trying to think of how to tell the next part of her tale. Toni however was the one to break the news that Jade had trouble telling.
"I take it that problem was that these guys were mentally unstable and tried to kill anything within their path. Including the one who wanted them to carry out Operation Meteor." Toni saw the dismal look on both Heero and Jade and knew he was right.
"That's one way to put it. As it turns out all four of them were orphans that were sent to a mental institute for testing. When my father was alive, he along with my late uncle made it their mission to put an end to that clan once and for all. Our father was the one who ended the reign of the Black Widow Gang and ended the life of their former leader. However, my father wasn't the type to put an end to a child's life. Around the time of the former leaders' demise, it was discovered that he had four children that were in the initial stages of training for that clan and Heaven knows what type of torture that clan put their children through. It was decided by my father that in hopes to cleanse the world of that clan he would send the remaining survivors to a mental institute for heavy rehabilitation. But we all know how that went," Heero then poked his meat thinking about the problem that could be heading their way
"Ok but how do you explain the one that wants your head, who is the one that called you Gejin?" Ray's innocent question caused Heero to groan and Jade to sigh.
"Okay here's the thing, the one that called my brother Gejin goes by the wonderful name of Lady Death Strike. And believe me when I say her name speaks for itself. She's had this thought in her head that both her and my brother were destined to be together but that didn't go as planned when she and her brothers literally killed one of the people that was training them. From what the doc who raised my brother and I knew, if those guys stayed with us, they would have been turned into trained emotionless killing machines. Which wouldn't have made much of a difference since whatever training they received before our father ended their clan had warped their minds far beyond repair. And my brother's rejection was just icing on the cake for Death Strike. When my brother never returned her affections, what little sanity that she had was gone forever. It was then that Death Strike and her family were shipped to a special mental institute. However, its not to say that they didn't put up a fight which landed them in a highly secured facility instead where escape was but a dream. Those guys have been in that place for the past few years. That is until a few days ago when this Claus person broke them out. But the one thing that puzzles me is how this Claus person got past the guards and cleared security?" Jade turned to her brother who was pondering the same thing.
"That does bring up a valid question as to this Claus persons reasons for letting them out. I mean he couldn't just want them to kill the two of you," Quatre began to pick up the plates and clear the table.
"Yeah this is confusing us as well since nothing and I mean nothing would make any sane person want to let those guys out." Ebony drank a little of her water before turning to Jade who was glaring daggers at her only brother.
"The key word you said being 'sane'. This Claus person is far from sane in my opinion. Something must have snapped in this Claus person. I fear that we're in for some troubling times." Trowa along with the others agreed and for the rest of dinner, Heero and Jade told their fellow pilots a little more about their past and the Black Widow Gang.
After four hours of talking, coffee/milk and dessert the pilots decided to call it a night and went to their respective room. Toni of course being dragged to his room by both Trowa and Wu Fei where both boys proceeded to ensure Toni was snug in bed.
"Well you have to admire how they work together," Heero turned to see Quatre walk up to him and give him a reassuring smile to help ease his mind.
"Heero I'm sure that things will be alright. I thank you for telling us about your past even though I know that there's still more to your past than the two of you told us. But the information that we have now will help us stop this Claus person should we run into him or the Black Widow Gang. And Heero, for what it's worth your father tried to do the right thing by getting those guys help. Even if they were damaged beyond repair, he still tried. His heart was in the right place and I can see his kindness within you and your sister." Quatre then ascended the stairs to his room leaving Heero to his thoughts.
"Quatre such a sweet person. I find hard to believe that someone as kind and sweet as him would be fighting in a war." Heero turned to see his sister come his way after seeing both Ray and Ester to bed.
"Well it takes all kinds, Jade. But I think now we have something else to worry about now since Death Strike and her loony brothers are on the loose now. Dealing with Oz is easy, dealing with those guys will push our training to the test." Heero felt his sister embrace him in a warm hug before looking him in the eye.
"I know but I pray that those psychos will let us have some sense of peace and leave us be." Jade then kissed her brother on his head goodnight and went to her room, followed by Heero who went to his room and once there Heero collapsed on his bed and laid there and thought.
After about twenty minutes Heero was unable to think clearly for his mind was plagued with thoughts of one girl, Relena. Heero was frustrated at the thought of not being able to clear his thoughts of one girl who was going to drive him crazy. All the training the Dr. gave him never prepared him for dealing with a girl like Relena.
"Uggghh, I'm not going to get any sleep anytime soon, but what to do?" Heero then turned to the phone in his room that was adjacent to his bed and debated doing the one thing that was going to get him in trouble later with his sweet deadly sister.
"Well Jade's already mad at me for Claus, she would probably kill me if I didn't give Relena a call." Heero then reached for the phone and dialed a familiar number.
After three rings, Heero was relieved to hear a sweet voice on the other line.
"Hello?"
"Hello Relena," Heero could see her gasping on the other line and smiled.
"Heero?"
"Yes it's me Relena," Heero heard Relena breathe a sigh of relief as if she feared something had happened to him.
"Heero where are you? Are you alright, you're not hurt are you? Why did you disappear like you did. You scared me half to death. I thought I was never going to-,"
"Relena slow down and breath, I'm fine. Right now, my sister and I are with the other pilots in a safe house miles away. Physically I'm fine, save for a headache and as for why I left the way I did," Heero took a deep breath and thought how to word his complex feelings.
"Heero it's alright, just hearing your voice right now is enough for me. You have no idea how happy I am to hear from you. Since that attack the news has been nothing but Oz speeches, military recruitment ads, and every general, major and Lieutenant wanting your heads right now. I'm scared Heero," Relena heard Heero sigh over the phone knowing that if he was here with her, Heero would have his arms around her to bring her some comfort.
"Relena, don't worry about the news and stop watching that stuff anyway. You're going to worry yourself into an early grave. Besides I'm worried about you as well. I was hoping to meet you and to talk. And I mean that serious talk that I promised you long ago," Heero could practically see the joyous tears in Relena's eyes and knew he'd made her happy.
"Oh Heero that sounds wonderful but where will we meet, how we'll we meet? Half of Europe and Eurasia is looking for you and your friends right now." Relena knew that there was a heavy bounty offered by the Romefeller foundation for the Gundam pilots and them traveling around in the area was risky.
"I'll arrange for a plane to bring you to me and we'll be in another city. I promise you everything will be fine. All I ask of you tonight you get some sleep and in the morning a car will come to take you to the airport. Pack light and be prepared for a wonderful time. I'll see you tomorrow, sweet dreams Relena." Heero could almost see the smile on Relena's face and knew that sleep would come easy for her now.
"Alright Heero I will. I hope your dreams are sweet as well Heero, goodnight." The resounding 'click' of the phone informed Heero that Relena had indeed gone to be. Now Heero had another problem. And that problem involved getting out of the house without his sister finding out he was leaving. But Heero didn't care, he wanted to see Relena and he'd be damned if anything stood in his way. With Claus and the Black Widow gang on the loose, Heero was determined to see to Relena's safety and he knew just how to do it.
After an hour of making a few calls and packing a small bag, Heero quietly made his way out of the house and to the small garage where a small motorcycle was held.
"I'll be back before Jade wonders where I've gone," Heero then sped off into the night to another airport to board his flight. However unknown to Heero, Jade did notice his departure from the house along with Duo and Ebony all of whom were up wondering what Heero was doing.
"Oh…how I love my foolish brother, but does he really believe that I wouldn't notice that he was gone from the house? Jade continued to watch her brother speed off down the highway until he was nothing more than a speck before turning to Ebony and Duo.
"Well at least the fool left his Gundam behind so it's safe to say that he's not going anywhere that requires heavy firepower. But where is he going this late at night anyway?" Jade then went to her brother's room hoping to find something but sadly found Heero's room clean.
"Tch…well so much for finding anything in his room. With how clean he keeps his room you would think the guy has OCD." Jade gave a frustrated groan before sitting on the neat bed. Ebony sat next to her hoping to give Jade some comfort. Duo however had a smile on his face that would make the Cheshire cat proud. Ebony knew that Duo knew something or where a certain someone was going.
"You know where he's going don't you?" Ebony was not disappointed when Duo chuckled at their confusion before revealing the truth.
"Yes, and Jade FYI you might want to do something about the thin walls in this place. I heard him talking to a girl named Relena on the phone earlier. And as it turns out he's on his way to meet her this very moment." Duo saw shock and revelation appear on Jade's face along with a smile.
"So, the fool really does care for her. My brother is truly the biggest idiot I've ever had the misfortune of being related to. But I love him none the less. I don't suppose you know the exact location of where he's heading." As Jade was told where her brother was heading hoping to follow and keep him safe, across the world another meeting is taking place.
At this very moment Zechs is meeting with his longtime friend/secret crush/ fellow soldier Noin, for a meeting with the leader of Oz himself, Trieze. It seemed that Trieze couldn't wait until after dinner to talk to Zechs and now Zechs hoped that whatever Trieze wanted wouldn't take long since he had dinner reservations with Noin. As much as he respected his friend and commander, the thought of missing out on seeing Noin in a skin-tight red dress was something he wanted to see. It was rare that Noin dressed up since half the time they were in uniform but when she did, by God Zechs wanted to jump his second in command and rules be damned he do it.
Zechs was brought out of his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Noin gazing his direction.
"I think you need to stop fantasizing about me in a little red dress and focus on what his Excellency has planned for us. I promise you'll get to see me in that little dress before the night is out," Noin then walked ahead of a gaping Zechs who turned a nice shade of red. Of course, you wouldn't know if you didn't look from the nose down. Had Zechs not been wearing his mask, Noin would see a face as red as a tomato.
"Noin I have no idea as to what you're talking about but rest assured that once this is over, you and I will be having a nice long talk," Zechs then proceeded to walk further ahead of Noin to the door with a nice shade of red on his cheeks and the coy smile that was on Noin's face was almost hard to miss. Once they were in the room however, Noin was at attention along with Zechs and Noin had to bite her tongue to keep from saying anything to his Excellency's favorite lapdog, Lady Une. While both women served Oz, Noin couldn't stand the woman. The fact that she was a higher rank had nothing to do with it, no Noin just couldn't stand the woman's attitude. However before either woman decided to have a staring contest, Trieze decided to welcome both and reveal what he wanted from them.
"Good that you both made it, my apologize if I interrupted any plans you might have had this evening." Trieze then motioned for both Zechs and Noin to have a seat next to a couple of kids.
"Don't worry, you actually caught us before we left for dinner." Zechs wondered what Trieze was up to this time and hoped that whatever the man was up to didn't involve these two kids.
"Good now let's get down to business; As you both know the Gundams took our ploy and many who opposed us are now gone. However, those pilots are still out there and I want them found. But that is another assignment my friend, no what I wish of you is the reason for this young man and young lady sitting next to you." Trieze motioned Zechs to Shin and Anya who were just waiting for Trieze to answer their questions from earlier.
"I'm probably going to regret asking this but what do these two have to do with this assignment Trieze?" Zechs had a sickening feeling that was making him wish he'd had gone to dinner instead of coming here.
"It's simple my friend, I want you to train this young man as a pilot. It seems that Mr. Shin is in dire need of answers to his puzzling past and only has small glimpses of what his past life was like. Earlier before you arrived, he mentioned that one of his glimpse included a small town being hailed by blast from mobile suits and in his hand a worn medal. When Shin revealed this medal to me I informed him that this type of medal is given to special soldiers that served years ago. However the village he spoke of is under the command of Commander Klink and getting him to give any information is like pulling teeth. The man has even denied my request for a meeting, which is where you come in Zechs. I need you to take Mr. Shin and Ms. Anya to this village and find Klink and bring him to me. And while there you can teach Mr. Shin about what it means to be a true pilot." Trieze then dismissed them and proceeded to go over some paperwork that Romefeller had given him.
As the group of four left the office Zechs couldn't help but wonder what Trieze was truly up to. Zechs knew Trieze had a habit of meddling in the lives of others, whether intentionally or by accident but it seemed that Trieze had another motive for helping this boy. It was times like this that Zechs wished he'd just went to dinner instead of coming to see Trieze.
"Well this is going to get interesting" Zechs then lead both Shin and Anya to the car that was waiting on them and to a new chapter.
*To be continued*