Disclaimer: Usually I write out a very specific disclaimer explaining exactly what it is I don't own but I find myself not really interested in doing so this time as it is very tedious. Suffice it to say I own nothing that was created by anyone else and I am not making any money off of this story or any of the other stories I have written.
AN: This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance.
Chapter 24: The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men
There was a brief moment of tension when the two groups reunited as the three pilots who'd been separated from Harry gave him a critical once over. Harry had half expected to be scolded over what had happened but all five pilots knew that what happened hadn't been Harry's fault and he'd warned them that what they had asked him to do could fail. And while Harry had succeeded in protecting the satellite it was not without cost and that alone drove home the fact that even magic had limits and that not even the enhancements Harry had added to their suits could protect them from everything.
It also sharply reminded Harry that just because he'd not encountered other wizards in this world didn't mean that those who were born into this world couldn't defeat his magic in other ways. He was not invincible even if at times it seemed like he was.
Once the moment passed, it was business as usual for the six teens. Harry worked on finding ways to fix the weak points in the magical warding of the suits (or rather in the protective spells woven over top of the wards), researched ways to heal or at least protect the damaged nerves in his hand, and continued to train with the pilots on various methods of traveling through space and in self-defense. Heero and Trowa worked to repair the damaged suits and made certain that Harry didn't push himself into the ground (like he had during the weeks leading up to their departure from Earth).
Quatre spent time reconciling with his father, learning how to run the family business now that Zayeed had been declared dead (because the colony thought he died in the faked shuttle explosion), and performing his diplomatic duties for L4 in order to get the Colony the support it needed since it was technically their fault that the Colony had lost its satellite. Duo and Wufei spent half of their time repairing the shuttle that Harry had disabled (and the mobile dolls it contained) so that the shuttle could be warded against his magic and the dolls could be used in their fight against OZ and the other half of their time tracking OZ's movements in space.
About a week and a half after the group had been reunited, the six teens began planning their next strike against OZ. This time they were looking to start freeing the political prisoners that OZ had taken; such as the scientists that had created the Gundams, a number of the Alliance and Colony delegates that the pilots had saved from assassination earlier that year, and other political figures that had been speaking out against OZ. While the six of them had been doing everything they could to fight against OZ they knew they couldn't do it alone and who better to work with them than the people that OZ considered their greatest threats?
Harry sat in the corner sewing two pieces of supple dark green dragon hide together using a charm he'd learned before he'd pulled Heero off the beach; absently listening to the discussion the others were holding. The pair of flashing needles reached the end of the seam they'd been stitching and dropped to hang limply from the leather as Harry lowered his wand. Reaching out, Harry lifted the half finished glove, tied off the threads, and severed the extra length of thread with his teeth before he turned it right side out and pulled it over his right hand. It fit snuggly over his hand and arm, ending about three inches past the elbow, and Harry flexed his fingers a moment before forming a fist; noting that the slight pressure from the snug fitting glove didn't irritate the hand as much as he'd expected it to even if the seams dug into his skin uncomfortably and chafed against his damaged nerves.
"If we set off explosions here, here, and here; we could draw most of the soldiers guarding the place away from the cells," Heero suggested as he used a finger to tap the blue print spread on the table in front of the pilots.
"Creating such a loud distraction would announce our presence and make it harder to get out back out with weak and potentially injured prisoners though," Quatre pointed out with a frown. "Wouldn't it be better to sneak in and sneak out?"
"If we don't draw da guards away then how would we sneak passed them since accordin' da security data da corridors are swarmin' with soldiers guardin' da 'dangerous' political prisoners that wish ta 'destroy' da peace that OZ is 'creatin'?" Duo drawled with an undertone of frustration.
"Vanishing prisoners would be far harder to explain if there is no evidence of outside interference and would therefore lead to confusion, suspicion, and frustration between the multitude of factions that are bound to have formed within OZ's troops; which in turn would benefit our cause," Wufei commented as he leaned forward to study the blue print. "If we sneak in through an unconventional entrance and take care to avoid drawing the attention of the soldiers we could conceivably sneak back out the same way with those we are rescuing. Instead of using a distraction we should use misdirection and illusion; we've doctored surveillance systems before so why can't we do it again?"
"That won't stop the soldiers from spotting us if we run into them or keep them from noticing that the prisoners are disappearing," Heero countered with frown.
"My invisibility cloak can get at least three people into the prison unseen," Harry interjected as he peeled the glove off and turned it inside out once more so he could start applying the charms that would strengthen and hide the seams. "Sneak in, grab the prisoners, and then sneak back out. Of course, that would be far easier to do if you would allow me to test the effects space has on portkey travel between the two shuttles so I could determine if the magic of the portkey offered enough protection to those traveling. If we used the portkeys we could transfer the prisoners out that way instead of risking them turning uncooperative while we are trying to sneak them out."
"We've discussed this, Taliesin; you are not going to risk yourself experimenting with magic out in space when you have no idea what effect it will have on you," Heero curtly replied as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "If the spell pulls you through the vacuum of space it could injure or kill you."
"Yet it's okay for you to risk your life blasting into the prison and drawing the attention of every single soldier in the facility?" Harry demanded back as his mismatched eyes flashed angrily up to meet Heero's determined blue eyes. "I've told you; the time it takes to travel by portkey would leave me exposed for less than twenty seconds; that is far less time than I was exposed to the frozen vacuum of space when my suit's temperature controls and life support system failed. A hot drink or meal and a warm blanket or two once the test is over would be enough to counter any adverse effects if I was dragged through space. Even a lack of oxygen for such a short amount of time wouldn't really put me at much risk."
"I already said no…"
"You know, think of the benefits such an object could present on missions where there is a chance that a pilot could be killed when his mobile suit is about to be destroyed," Zayeed mused as he leaned in the doorway, giving away the fact that he'd been eavesdropping on the planning session for quite some time. "How many lives could be saved if the pilots could be removed in an instant?"
"Not happening…"
"How long will it be before he decides to experiment behind your back with this or other risky tricks he thinks might come in handy?" Zayeed continued as if Heero hadn't spoken at all. "If he knows you'll never agree to allow him to test his limits because you don't trust him to take precautions; what is to stop him from hiding his experiments from you? How long is it before he rejects your orders and decides to strike out on his own to do what he believes is right?" As he asked this last bit he looked right at Quatre and the blonde pilot offered the older man an understanding smile as he understood that his father had, in a way, just admitted to his own shortcomings as a father.
"My father is correct and we all know that Taliesin is just as stubborn as the rest of us," Quatre murmured softly and everyone turned to watch Harry who appeared to be ignoring everyone as he wove several additional protective spells into his glove along with a warming charm to prevent any drastic temperature drops from aggravating the damaged nerves.
"Unlike normal kids who have the choice to disobey their older brothers or their parents; I can't," Harry quietly reminded the five teens, his eyes once again cutting towards Heero before he dropped them back to his wand work (a pointed reference to the few times Harry had truly disobeyed a direct order from Heero and the price he'd paid for the defiance when his magic violently lashed out at him). "All I want is to be able to do my part to help… what was the point of you all training me if I'm not allowed to help? Each of us has a different strength and mine just happens to be magic but like all skills it takes practice and training and sometimes you have to have practical tests to insure the theory is sound."
"Stubborn brat," Heero growled without any heat before he sighed and ran a hand over his face.
"Kettle meet Pot," Harry shot back as he glanced up over his glasses at Heero. "Would you like me to introduce you to Cauldron too? Although you might already know him; he's sitting right beside you."
"Oy! What da hell?" Duo protested loudly when he noted that he was the only one sitting next to Heero who was seated at the end of the table. "Why are ya draggin' me inta this? Can't ya pick on Wuff-man for once?"
"Do you think it might have something to do with the fact that you are annoying?" Wufei inquired as he gave the long haired pilot a flat look that conveyed his irritation at being called by the ridiculous nickname.
The short exchange broke the growing tension in the room as most everyone laughed over Duo's indignation. Harry smiled lightly and shook his head as pulled his glove right side out as he tucked away his wand before pulling the glove back on. He sighed softly in relief when he noted that the minor discomfort he had felt when he first pulled on the glove was now gone, thanks to his charm work, and that the constant ache he'd felt since he'd been injured had been dulled to a more tolerable level. When he looked back up he noted everyone watching him with mild interest.
"Well?" Trowa inquired pointedly as he glanced down at Harry's right arm.
"It seems to be helping," Harry answered as he too glanced down at his gloved arm and curled his hand in a fist once more. "And it will at least prevent moderate temperature changes from making the pain flare. I don't know what I'm going to do about casting though; my skin has to actually be touching my wand for me to get the best results. And just strapping it to my arm like I do when I'm wearing my spacesuit won't work for everything. I could potentially cast left handed but to do so I'd have to relearn how to cast each and every spell and that means I'd have little to no control over my spells which could create problems because there really isn't a place for me to practice my control out here in space."
"Does your entire hand have ta be in contact with da handle of your wand?" Duo asked. "If not, ya could remove da first half inch from da fingertips or cut a circle in da palm of da glove ta allow for da minimum amount of contact that will allow ya ta both protect your nerves and maintain your current proficiency."
"That might work but it would still require me to experiment," Harry stated as he pulled the glove off and carefully began the process of adding one of his wing pockets (this one designed to hold Seth) into the glove above the elbow on the inner most side where it would be less likely to be damaged in case he was attacked. He'd eventually add a holster for his wand and a small hidden pocket to hold a set of lock picks or a small knife (such as the one his godfather had given him that he had left back on earth with his broom because he hadn't want to lose it).
Heero groaned over the subtle dig before he threw up his arms and ground out, "Fine! But you damn well had better make certain you are fully prepared for anything that could possibly go wrong and have someone standing by to help you after the transport."
Eight hours later saw Harry and Heero standing in the middle of the half warded shuttle, both of them wearing their regular clothes, as they waited for Trowa to give him the signal to activate the portkey. It would have been safer to do the test with their spacesuits on but because they did not have enough spacesuits protected from magic to hand them out to those they would be rescuing (though Harry was warding a few of extra suits they'd stolen from OZ whenever he had time and storing them in Dogstar and the other suits in case there was ever a need for them), they had to know how using a portkey through space would affect an unprotected traveler. Heero was taking part in the test along with Harry so they would have a better idea of how the trip would affect someone with little to no magic to compensate for the potentially harsh conditions.
"Alright, little brother, we're ready for you to begin."
"You do realize that I am technically two years older than you, right?" Harry dryly groused back before he called out the activation phrase. "May the force be with you."
Heero gave Harry a funny look when the shorter teen burst out giggling as they were hooked by the bellybutton and pulled through space to the other shuttle in a swirl of blue and gold. There was a brief impression of intense cold and breathlessness before they were spilled out onto the floor of the warded shuttle. Harry gasped and grabbed his right arm when his damaged nerves flared from the brief brush with the cold as he felt a warm blanket draped over his shoulders. A glance at Heero, who was also just given a blanket, showed the pilot had faired a bit better than Harry had if only because Heero didn't have any nerve damage.
"Merlin's shorn beard but I hate traveling by portkey," Harry growled once his head had cleared and the ache in his arm had receded.
"Well, what's the verdict?"
"The spinning was the worst," Heero replied after thinking about what he'd just experienced for a moment. "You're going so fast you really don't even have time to think about the cold or the low oxygen levels and the landing is a pain but overall I think it would be safe enough to use sparingly in the event of an emergency or to transport prisoners out safely. I would not recommend traveling that way too often though because the effects could be cumulative."
"It was cold and felt like I'd just flown by broom too high but it was over almost as soon as it started," Harry added as he accepted a mug of warm apple cider. "It was murder on the nerves in my right arm though; even with the protective charms on my glove."
"So, we gonna alter da plan?" Duo asked as he glanced between Heero and Harry a couple of times.
"Not having to worry about the prisoners causing trouble or having to fight our way back out would make things far easier," Heero grudgingly stated as he scowled lightly into his mug of coffee.
"Careful there, Hee-man, ya might hurt yourself if ya try ta swallow all of your earlier protests all at once."
"Shut up, Maxwell."
"Ouch, and we're back on last name terms again."
"That's because you like poking sleeping dragons with pointy swords made of words," Harry quipped around his mug as he tried not to laugh at the two pilots. He then grew serious as he mused, "Using the portkeys out here in space means that timing and target location will be extremely important; unless I can use a blood rune as a beacon or reference point since the shuttles move around far too much to be considered safe jumping points and even then they'd have to be stationary at the time the portkeys were created and during the jump; otherwise we'd miss the shuttle completely and end up out in space. When are we staging the first breakout?"
"In five complete cycles," Quatre replied as he glanced at the file he was holding.
"It shouldn't take me more than one full cycle to fix a jump point for the portkeys. I just won't be able to create the portkeys until the shuttle is in position above the target. How many warm bodies do I need to account for?"
"Twelve at our first target," Wufei answered as he passed Harry a stack of photos. "They've got all of the political prisoners spread out across several facilities. I've located all but the five scientists that created the Gundams."
"We're going to need equipment and supplies once we start rescuing people," Trowa announced as he skimmed through their supply manifest. "We didn't account for collecting co-conspirators in our original calculations."
"I'm not sharing my stash of expensive chocolate," Harry swore as he reached up to protectively clutch his shrunken supply trunks. "But I do have other food that can be added to the rest of our supplies as needed until we can establish resupply lines and what not."
Trowa snorted softly and shook his head at the chocolate reference as it brought to mind Harry's claim of being allergic to chocolate the night they'd fallen into OZ's hands and the video of Harry's indignation over the guard smashing his mug of hot chocolate in the dungeon. Harry flashed him a sad grin letting him know he knew what he'd been thinking about.
That first rescue went off with only one minor glitch; when an OZ guard managed to hitch a ride on one of the portkeys at the last second. A few of the rescued prisoners were a little upset that they'd not had the chance to take a little of their anger over their forced imprisonment out on their guards but that didn't last for long and most of them were just thankful to be free again. Even better was the fact that they were being given a chance to fight back and not just hustled off into hiding. The addition of the twelve adults followed by the active recruitment of sympathetic colonists to their group saw a subtle power shift amongst the Gundam pilots in their efforts to establish order within their growing organization; though it was really more of an affirmation of their former roles.
Quatre, as new head of the Winner Corporation and a diplomat of L4, sank into the background to a point as he focused on fighting the war on the political and economical front. Trowa took charge of training and outfitting the incoming recruits (making certain that each of them knew what they were doing before they were sent on any missions) as well as leading the occasional mission where his skills were needed. Duo supervised the upgrades and maintenance of all mobile suits that came into their possession and became their scavenger/salvage technician in order to make certain there were always a steady supply of useable equipment, recyclables, and resalable goods coming into the satellite so that they could both make and save money.
Heero became the leading general of their growing forces out in the field; leading and organizing the various raids on prison and manufacturing facilities. Wufei was the official head of the intelligence and research division as well as a lieutenant in their army as he occasionally led additional raids to secure information. Zayeed took charge of the satellite facility and worked extensively with Trowa and Duo to keep the Resistance supplied with food, munitions, and any equipment that wasn't collected via Duo's scavenging in addition to helping Quatre on the political front and with the running of Winner Corporation.
Iria fulfilled the roll of their chief medical officer as the only trained doctor currently on staff (not counting Trowa's limited training or Harry's magical healing and potions). Field Marshal Noventa became the figurehead of the Resistance shortly after they rescued him, with the five Gundam pilots, Zayeed, and several other high ranked political and military refugees functioning as his advisors. The man had nearly been demoted to boot scrubber when he'd tried to marginalize Harry's role in the organization (due to how young Harry appeared) but Harry's adopted brothers put a stop to that real quick.
Harry's role in the Resistance remained ambiguous for the most part, though on the surface he was simply the pilot of the mobile suit Dogstar. However, all five of the Gundam pilots often listened to his opinions, suggestions, and advice and could be seen deferring to him on any missions where his magic was to play a major role in carrying out said mission (not that the new recruits or the former political prisoners knew about his magic). Something that was quickly noted by the individuals joining the Resistance and that gave the impression that Harry was actually the true leader of the rebels with Noventa's face acting as a layer of protection for the apparent child genius.
The seventeen year old wizard was completely oblivious to the fact that many of the solders and pilots working with them began emulating the five pilots as more and more of them started seeing him as their true leader. That image was only solidified by Harry's determination to protect not just his brothers but the rest of those who joined the growing rebel organization; arguing adamantly against any and all potential suicide missions and offering alternatives that ultimately saved lives and accomplished their goals. Harry, on the other hand, never saw himself as a leader as he unfailingly looked to the five teens that made up the heart of his mismatched family for guidance.
As the Resistance grew in size and their activities became more widespread, the Star Pilots (as Harry and the Gundam pilots were now being called by the others due to the unique names and appearance of their mobile suits) saw less and less of each other as they carried out important missions. They never lost complete contact with one another but the time they had available to just hang out or train together was very limited.
This was especially true of Heero, Duo, and Harry as they spent roughly ninety percent of their time away from the satellite facility that had become the Resistance's headquarters. The separation was hard on Harry but he did his best not to let it get to him as he focused on what needed to be done instead of what he'd rather be doing. The important thing, after all, was that the overall morale within the Resistance was high as missions were more often than not completed with very few difficulties and fewer casualties.
It was inevitable that they would eventually run into missions that would fail for one reason or another and about the end of their third month out in space, one such failure saw the capture of Trowa and Heero by Lady Une. The two of them had been tasked to steal a newly completed battleship to add to their fleet and it was just their luck that Une had been inspecting the facility on the day they'd chosen to infiltrate the space station.
They had not anticipated the tripled number of soldiers patrolling the station since her inspection had been a last minute change of plans. Trowa had just fired up the engines of the battleship while Heero had been opening the docking bay doors when they'd been caught unawares by two platoons of mobile dolls with no where to go and no way to fight their way out because their suits had been loaded onto the battleship in preparation for take off.
Harry had been out on a mission of his own at the time; taking out a holding station for the mobile suits newly deployed from Earth (all suits now requiring extensive testing prior to deployment due to a slew of malfunctions that were courtesy of Harry's earlier sabotage missions during their supply raids). His attention had been completely on his mission since he was working with a trio of newly vetted Resistance pilots and his job was to distract the mobile dolls deployed in defense of the station while the others planted the necessary explosives to take out the station (after they'd spent a good three days monitoring the station's routine and studying the station's security network).
Once he'd been given word that the charges were set into place by the others, Harry led the mobile dolls on a merry chase while his three squad members retreated to a safe distance. He'd gone on to show the newbies exactly why he almost always acted as the decoy on missions where a large number of enemy suits and dolls were expected to be present as he pulled off moves that would have killed or seriously injured any other pilot in any other suit (not counting his brothers and their Star Suits) and often at speeds that even the mobile dolls couldn't keep up with.
Ten minutes after the trio had vacated the area, Harry detonated the charges after leading the mobile dolls right up close to the station and pulling a one-eighty-flip to reverse his direction. The empty computer operated suits hadn't even registered Harry's change of direction before a large explosion rocked the holding station and the entire station exploded outwards taking out the mobile dolls at the same time. Harry then rode the tail end of the shockwave to where the rest of his squad was waiting for him before they turned to scan the area for any surviving dolls.
"One-Three to Rebel Base, Holding Station near ex-one-eight-seven-two-two has been successfully disabled," Harry reported after making certain the other three pilots were uninjured. "Requesting clearance for Squad K-Nine to head home."
"Good job, gentlemen; permission to return to headquarters granted," an unfamiliar young woman's voice replied just moments later.
"You heard the lady, folks; let's go home."
The trip back to the satellite base was relatively uneventful and Harry was in high spirits as he landed Dogstar in the docking bay. He was looking forward to spending some quality time with all five of his brothers as their next mandatory three cycle vacations were scheduled to start at the end of his current mission. It had been close to two weeks since he'd last seen all of his brothers together due to the high number of missions that had been pouring in and Harry had needed to part with six bars of premium dark chocolate (a rare commodity around the base) in order to bribe the scheduling office to make certain their next vacations coincided so they could spend a bit of time together. It was well worth it in Harry's mind though as he missed his brothers something fierce.
Harry dropped down out of the cockpit after shutting everything off and glanced around the hanger to see who else was already there. He was happy to see Rockstar sitting in its customary space and Dragonstar currently being resupplied with munitions and fuel. A frown pulled at the corners of his mouth when he noted that Deathstar, Superstar, and Northstar were still not back since they were due to have returned long before Harry. He was just wondering what might be keeping the trio when his attention was drawn back to his surroundings by loud voices.
"I can't get over the fact that he's just a kid," a voice stated incredulously. "Did you see those moves he pulled off out there?"
"Rumor has it the kid was born in a pilot's chair and I believe it after seeing him out fly all of those dolls as if he was out for a pleasure flight instead of facing dozens of deadly enemies," a second voice added.
"They say that the only ones who can keep up with him in a suit are the other five Star Pilots," yet another voice remarked.
Harry snorted and shook his head as he glanced back over his shoulder to see his temporary squad members gesticulating wildly as they continued the conversation out of Harry's hearing as they headed out of the docking bay. Their reaction to Harry's performance was one of the reasons Harry preferred flying solo missions. He was proud of his flying skills and didn't mind showing off every now and then but he disliked the exaggerated rumors that tended to crop up every time he worked with a new group of pilots. Harry knew he was a decent flyer but even he couldn't have flown a suit while still in diapers and yet the latest scuttlebutt had him piloting a suit before his umbilical cord had even been cut.
A smile began forming on Harry's face as he caught sight of Quatre walking towards him only for the smile to disappear when he noted the grim expression on his brother's face. Harry immediately began striding towards him in order to meet him halfway, pulling off his helmet and tucking it beneath his arm as he went.
"Wufei is waiting for you in the briefing room," Quatre stated the moment Harry reached him. "I'll be running a maintenance check on Dogstar and getting him resupplied. Is there anything in particular you need replaced?"
"Just the standard resupply kit as we didn't have any trouble," Harry replied, "And the left beam pistol needs to be checked because I think I burnt the power supply out towards the end of the mission."
"I'll see to it that both guns are checked and refitted with new packs."
Harry nodded before he gave the taller a searching look before demanding, "Quatre, what's going on? Dogstar wasn't scheduled for resupply until closer to the end of our vacation."
"Wufei will explain once you join him."
The non answer had a knot of dread settling into Harry's stomach as he gave a sharp nod, spun on his heel, and headed for the briefing room; not even bothering to swing by his quarters to change out of his spacesuit. He had a feeling that whatever had happened had something to do with his three absent brothers and that bothered him since the only reasons they might have been late was because they'd run into a problem during their latest missions, they were having technical difficulties with their suits, they'd been captured, or they'd been killed.
If it was just a matter of a simple delay in the mission or a problem with their suits, Harry knew he'd have heard about it long before he'd returned to base. Which meant one or more of them had been killed or captured during their missions and because Harry's suit was being prepped for another mission he'd bet it was the latter and not the former (the idea that any of his brothers had been killed being ruthlessly squashed by the young wizard). By the time Harry reached the briefing room he had worked himself into a fine fury with his anger and his magic was just barely held in check. He actually made the three people waiting inside of the briefing room jump when he slammed open the door and strode inside scowling.
His eyes swept over the faces of those in the room before he took note of the images and blueprints currently being projected onto the wall. "When were they captured, who caught them, and where are they being held?" Harry asked as he crossed his arms over his chest and leveled his mismatched gaze on Wufei.
"OZ was performing an unscheduled inspection of the shipyard that coincided with Heero and Trowa's mission to steal OZ's new battleship and they got caught with their hands in the cookie jar. They are currently being held at the Lunar Base; which is where we now believe they are also holding the five scientists that built the Gundams," Wufei answered as he picked up a file containing all of his research and held it out to Harry. "Duo attempted to sneak into the base twenty-three hours ago in order to rescue them the moment he got wind of their capture but he was apprehended shortly after infiltrating the base."
"You didn't say who has them which means you're worried I'm going to flip when I find out. That leaves two possible candidates; Une or Zechs."
"Technically both; Une was the one credited with their capture (and that of their suits because they'd been loaded onto the battleship) but Zechs is currently in charge of the Lunar Base," Zayeed quietly stated.
Harry reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose as he let out a near inaudible growl. After a minute, he reached out and accepted the file from Wufei before he turned and stalked out of the room without saying another word. He opened the file in his hand and began skimming through the data as he headed towards his room to take a shower, change his clothes, and gather what extra supplies he might need in light of who he might be forced to deal with in his bid to free his brothers. He also needed to collect Seth; the cobra having been left behind on the last mission due to being in the middle of a shed cycle and far more irritable than normal.
He wasn't very surprised to find Iria was standing outside of his room holding an emergency first aide kit as he walked up to his door. He grimly accepted the kit without saying anything and nodded his thanks to the thirty-some year old doctor as he opened his door and stepped inside of his room. He set both file and kit down on his table as he striped out of his spacesuit before peeling off both of his shirts; his wings rustling in agitation as he stepped into the bathroom and turned on the water in the shower.
Eight minutes later, he was shaking his wings dry as he toweled off the rest of his body before wrapping the damp towel around his waist. He then grabbed the leather cord holding his trunks and his holstered wand from the counter before heading back out into his room where he found Wufei waiting for him.
"Have you read through everything in the file?"
"No, I only got through the first quarter," Harry replied tightly as he dropped the leather necklace on the floor and restored three of the four trunks tied to the cord to their proper size with a tap of his wand.
Without waiting for Wufei to continue the conversation, Harry ducked down into his supply trunk and quickly set about putting on a clean set of clothes. He then grabbed a rucksack off the shelf and began packing up an assortment of magical prank supplies, a deck of cards he could use to make portkeys, four changes of clothes (three of them intended for his captured brothers), and several doses of various healing potions to add to the first aide kit.
Once he stepped out of the trunk, he quickly shrunk it back down before entering the food trunk where he gathered up several bottles of water, a box of chocolate frogs, and an assortment of ready to eat foods and snacks that didn't require refrigeration. From the third trunk, his library trunk, Harry grabbed the Marauder's grimoire that Sirius had given to him along with his copy of A Collection of the World's Most Annoying and Irritating Spells.
Upon returning to his room, Harry found that Wufei had spread a hard copy of the Lunar Base blueprints out on the table along with a dozen photos of the base from various angles. Harry silently joined the other teen, taking the time to properly pack the rucksack; taking out the potions he'd gathered so he could add them to the first aide kit so that they wouldn't be spilled or broken. As he deftly reorganized the bag, Wufei began going over the information they had on OZ's Lunar Base.
"The entire facility is made up of three main levels; one floor above ground and two below in addition to the control tower which is a full five stories, all of which are above ground. The first floor is mainly the barracks, an assortment of offices, storerooms, the mess hall, and thirty hanger bays for mobile suits and small spacecraft. The larger ships typically never land on the moon itself; falling into orbit for the duration of their stay in the area unless they are in urgent need of serious repair. The middle floor is a maze of rooms and hallways spread out over forty square miles beneath the surface of the moon including several research labs, a small mobile doll factory, a smithy, their training facility, dozens of storerooms, and an extensive warren of hallways that connect to the underground missile silos. The last floor contains the prison cells, interrogation rooms, and another series of storerooms."
"What is the shortest path between the moon's surface and the prison cells? How is the ventilation system set up on all three floors? Are they large enough for someone to crawl through them? And are the systems for all three floors interconnected or separate?"
"There are two possible routes that would take you straight to the prison cells; the first one you'd enter through this hanger here and drop down the elevator shaft to take you to the middle floor where you'd have to navigate these three hallways before dropping down a second shaft that will drop you out around the middle of the cell row," Wufei explained as he marked out the route with a red marker before he switched to a yellow marker as he went over the alternate route. "The problem with that route is that it is bound to be heavily patrolled and every inch of it is monitored by multiple security cameras since it is the main corridor. The second route calls for you to enter through one of the missile silos entrances at the far edge of the underground warren. You'd then drop down another lift that connects the silos on the outer edge of the base to the underground storerooms where they keep the longer ranged missiles. From there you can follow this hallway to the section containing the prison cells."
"The ventilation systems for each floor are completely separate systems; allowing for them completely close off each floor in the event of a containment breech that would compromise the life support systems of the base. It also allows them to cut the oxygen supply to the prison cells or the entire lower floor for mass execution should the need arise. The vents are also far too small for a full grown adult or even a large teen to crawl through; you might be able to fit through them so long as you keep your wings under wraps."
"When was the last time the entire facility was upgraded with the latest technology and security equipment?" Harry asked pensively as he turned from the blueprints to study the various photographs that had been taken of different portions of the base.
"Over twenty years ago based upon the records I managed to dig up on the base but that doesn't mean that some of the individual systems haven't been upgraded since then. These blueprints are slightly older than that so there is a chance they are not completely accurate. According to what I could find out by hacking into OZ's network, the prison facility on the Lunar Base is among the most secure; with a total of fifty individual cells and five larger cells that are capable of housing up to twenty prisoners each. The walls of each cell are made from a combination of rock and steel and are a foot and a half thick and that includes both the floor and ceiling. The doors are made from six inches of steel sheathed in titanium with computerized locks that can be controlled from the control room here, from the guard room here, and individually with a key code and key card."
"If they managed to find a way to get around the defensive wards in order to move Northstar, Deathstar, and Superstar into the Lunar Base, where will they most likely take them to in order to make an attempt at getting inside to study their systems?"
"In one of the research labs or the underground testing facility if they plan on having some of their troops attempt to pilot the suits or if they simply wish to dismantle them in an effort to figure out how their defenses work."
"Anything else I need to know about the Base's external defenses or the inside security system?"
"Not really; external defenses will include the missiles, a handful of beam cannons, firepower from whatever spaceships are in orbit at the time, and an unknown number of mobile suits or dolls deployed from orbit and the base. Internally all you have to worry about are the guards and the cameras; both of which are scattered throughout the base in large numbers."
"Do we know how many ships are currently orbiting the moon?"
"At least one; Lady Une's command ship which is the Alliance's former space fortress, the Barge," Wufei replied after a slight hesitation. "There is a slight chance that at least two of the Star Suits are still on her ship (Northstar and Superstar) as she would have been the one to transport Heero and Trowa to the Lunar Base after they were captured. There is no point in trying to sneak aboard the ship just to look for the two missing suits; they will be expecting it for one and their retrieval is not the only task you will need to carry out."
"You want me to smuggle the scientists out of the Lunar Base in addition to getting our brothers back if they are being kept there as well," Harry supplied with a nod.
"Yes, but that's still only a small portion of the mission. There are rumors that OZ has managed to coerce the scientists into creating two new Gundam suits intended to surpass our original five Gundams. You'll need to hack into their systems to destroy any research or blueprints for the suit or suits, locate the prototypes of the suits, and destroy both the prototypes (if the suits are being built on site). That is your main mission; getting the scientists out is important as well since they would be able to recreate the suits and there is no doubt that we need to get Duo, Trowa, and Heero and if possible get their modified suits back. But destroying the newly designed Gundams and the data used to create them is crucial. And, Taliesin, you can't just fry the systems on the prototypes; you have to completely and utterly destroy them."
"It would be far easier to steal them."
"We considered that too but we'd rather the technology be eradicated completely because if they ever fall into the wrong hands it could be disastrous."
"Much like the Gundams the five of you took to Earth."
"Yes; exactly like the suits we took to Earth."
"I understand," Harry murmured as he used his wand to make a copy of the base's blueprints that he then absorbed so that he could more easily recall the layout of all three floors in addition to his easiest routes in and out of the base.
Debriefing over, Harry collected Seth from his terrarium after noting the cobra had finally shed and draped the snake around his shoulders where he promptly slipped beneath his shirt. Next, Harry quickly gave his spacesuit a quick clean with his wand before putting it back on. He then grabbed his rucksack and helmet and started for the door only to stop and frown over his shoulder when Wufei spoke up once more.
"Taliesin, you're not going alone; Quatre and I will be going with you. And before you argue, you're going to need someone to pilot the shuttle once you sneak into the base so that you have a way to get the scientists out and in the event that Trowa, Duo, and Heero or their mobile suits are in no condition to fly out. You will also need someone to watch your back while you're inside of the base."
"I'll grab Dragonstar and Rockstar," Harry stated as he grudgingly accepted Wufei's reasoning; a large part of him relieved that he won't be alone. There was a small part of him that wished he could leave the two teens behind though because he didn't wish there to be any chance that they too would be captured.
Fifteen minutes later, Harry was sitting strapped into a seat in the small passenger section of their magically protected shuttle skimming through the two books he'd brought with him while Quatre and Wufei piloted the small spaceship. He wasn't looking forward to running into either Une or Zechs (or possibly both) but there was no way he was going to let his fear and hate for those two prevent him from freeing his brothers.
So he spent his time preparing himself for what he saw as the inevitable confrontation (that was the way his luck worked after all) and going over various methods he could use to completely destroy the two prototype suits. By the time Wufei was landing the shuttle on an empty stretch of the moon well out of site of the Lunar Base, Harry had made note of several useful spells that could help him during the mission without shutting down the entire base.
"Taliesin…? Harry…?"
Harry jumped a bit as he glanced up from his book to find Quatre standing over him trying to get his attention. He blinked up at him before turning around to glance out the window where he noted the barren landscape of the moon filling the view. Sighing, Harry unbuckled his seat belt and mechanically set about creating the portkeys that would be used to move the scientists and their brothers off of the base. He also emptied out the rucksack of everything but the prank supplies so he could use it to carry his brothers' suits if he found them inside of the Base. The pranks would be used to create diversions (and sew chaos) as he traveled through the base.
"You will be careful in there, won't you?" Quatre asked softly as he dropped his hand on Harry's shoulder to get his attention.
"As much as I can."
"You do realize that they probably intentionally leaked the information regarding their capture to lure you here so they could capture you in turn, right?"
"I know, Quatre. I also know that none of the other pilots in the resistance would have had a snowball's chance in hell to get in and out without getting caught. Duo should have but he obviously ran into trouble at some point otherwise he'd not have been caught as well. Knowing Duo, he probably went in with his guns blazing instead of being sneaky about it."
Harry gave Quatre a brief hug before pressing the first aide kit into his hands; the blonde pilot would be staying to watch over the shuttle and take care of those that were transported to the shuttle via portkey. Harry then checked to make certain his helmet was on correctly before he slipped out into the cargo bay where Wufei was standing on the short ramp leading into Dogstar's cockpit.
Harry activated the controls that would depressurize the bay and allow them to exit the shuttle and waited for the cargo bay doors to open as Wufei entered the suit. Once the doors were open far enough, Harry used a weak levitation spell to guide the suit out of the cargo bay before he resized Rockstar so that Quatre could use his suit to escape in the event the shuttle became compromised.
Harry made his way out of the cargo bay and gave himself a gentle push towards his hovering suit. Once inside, he quickly closed the door before sliding into his seat. He then activated the various internal systems and the external sensors and scanners before entering stealth mode as he switched over to flight mode and headed towards the Lunar Base. He cruised around the base for ten minutes, allowing Dogstar time to thoroughly scan the entire base before he returned to suit mode and landed over an empty missile silo at the farthest edges of the base. Keeling the suit down, Harry had Dogstar carefully brush away the moon dirt covering the silo doors.
"That's good, Taliesin, I can see the control panel. If you'll cover me with the usual stealth spells, I'll go open the doors and catch a ride down on Dogstar's back once you steer him inside of the silo," Wufei stated as he leaned forward in his seat.
"I'll deactivate the invisibility booster for ten seconds once I get below the rim of the silo so you can see Dogstar long enough to know we're in and see where to land."
Harry checked the gauges that were linked to the conditions inside of the suit before he pulled off the glove over his right hand and turned to cast the Disillusionment Charm and a temperature regulation charm on Wufei so that he would be invisible to both visual and heat sensors while he was down on the surface and vulnerable. Harry then applied the same spells to himself (so he wouldn't have to worry about hiding himself later) before he tucked his wand back into the built in holster he'd added to the glove that covered his right hand (specially designed to allow for wand to skin contact along his arm for when he needed to cast spells while in his spacesuit).
Preparations complete, he replaced his suit glove and turned off Dogstar's life support system and the artificial gravity so he could open the door for Wufei. He waited until he saw the tiny gray dot that represented his unseen brother appear on the map grid before he closed the door.
Eight minutes later, he watched the door to the silo open to reveal the darkened missile tunnel below and he pulled Dogstar into a standing position as he waited for the doors to open wide enough for him to slip inside. It wasn't long before he was slowly sinking below the rim of the open silo, taking his time so as not to stir up any dust needlessly or catch Dogstar on the doors. A loud beep indicated that he was completely below the surface and he quickly reached over to briefly interrupt the invisibility booster to signal his position to Wufei. The external scanners showed the doors sliding shut once more just as a light clang rang through the suit; an indication that Wufei had landed on the back of Dogstar.
His suit was soon touching the ground at the bottom of the missile shaft and Wufei's voice floated across the radio as he announced that he was going to open the doors to get them inside of the base. While Wufei was doing that, Harry tucked Dragonstar into his rucksack (Wufei's suit would be restored to full size and left in the empty silo so Wufei had a way to escape should things go wrong) and made certain he had everything he would need to complete every aspect of the mission. By the time he finished that, the large bay doors leading into the base had opened and he crouched down to slip inside before he opened the door to the cockpit and dropped down out of the suit so he could set up Dragonstar.
"Dragonstar has been restored and temporarily stuck to the side of the silo directly to the left of the door with the stealth mode fully activated," Harry announced five minutes later so that Wufei would know how to find his suit. "I'm heading back to shrink Dogstar down now."
"Roger that, Taliesin."
Suiting actions to words, Harry quickly shrank his suit and tucked it into his rucksack as Wufei closed the silo doors and waited for the room to pressurize before they both headed into the main part of the base. The door to the silo's pressure chamber had barely closed behind them when the entire room they'd entered was suddenly flooded with OZ soldiers. The two of them quickly split up at that point and circled around the edge of the room, keeping low and moving slowly despite being invisible, as the soldiers searched the room for intruders.
The presence of the soldiers wasn't completely unexpected as they'd expected their entrance to have triggered an alarm either when they first opened the outer door or when they opened the inner doors leading to the silo. When the soldiers finally left (after checking the silo and the surface door), Harry and Wufei tagged along for several minutes before splitting up; Wufei to take control of the base's security cameras so he could search for each of their objectives and so he could loop the security footage in various locations and Harry to start setting up the various pranks that would be used to create distractions throughout the base.
Harry's first targets were the occupied missile silos in order to sabotage the missiles to prevent them from being used once they finished the mission and were ready to pull out. That involved visiting each of the silos to disarm each missile with a weakly cast stunning spell, sealing the doors that led into the silo shaft with fast acting magical glue and spells, and setting off a dung bomb in each of the pressure chambers that acted as a buffer between the base and the silos.
It took eighteen hours to deal with all of the missiles and Harry was starting to feel tired from the numerous spells he'd cast in combination to constantly being on the move for most of that time. That was on top of the many hours he'd put in on his most recent mission but he couldn't bring himself to rest knowing that his brothers were currently in the hands of Une and Zechs. Knowing Zechs was involved was bad enough but knowing Heero and Trowa had been at Une's mercy both frightened and angered him as he well recalled just how cold and cruel she could be.
Shaking off his exhaustion and circling thoughts, Harry headed up to the control tower. He spent the next half hour checking in with Wufei to let him know that phase one of the distraction had been set and to recast the stealth spells on the teen since they were starting to wear off. He then checked in with Quatre to make certain the blonde hadn't had any problems before he started on phase two; which would involve him setting up a series of Wet-Start No-Heat Fireworks in the drains of all the showers in the barracks and throwing Frogspawn soap into the toilets.
Before he headed back out, he learned that two of the three captured suits were in one of the research labs while the third was currently out in space where they were preparing to determine what it would take to destroy the suit. Harry cursed over that information because that was the very last thing he wanted OZ to discover. Quatre was heading out to retrieve the suit in the shuttle and Harry felt a thread of worry snake through him but knew that the blonde was the only one currently in a position to do something to retrieve the suit. Harry wished the blonde luck and reminded him to return the shuttle to the exact same location if at all possible (so the portkeys would still be accurate).
Putting Quatre's side mission out of his thoughts, Harry set out to start rigging the fireworks before he headed up to the first level in order to sneak into the kitchen where he'd be planting Hiccough Sweats, Belch Powder, and over the counter laxatives into the food stores. Stink pellets were casually tossed into the vents on the first floor and more dungbombs were set off in random storage rooms and empty offices. He then headed back down to the second level and followed the directions Wufei had given him to locate the two confiscated suits they knew were being kept inside of the base in order to remove them from OZ's hands.
He found them in a large room surrounded by dozens of guards along with two of the five missing scientists. He also found Zechs supervising from the observation deck that wrapped around the outside of the room about halfway up the wall. Harry stopped and stared at the masked man for five long minutes as he recalled each visit the man had made to his cell during his two months of imprisonment. Shaking off the less than pleasant memories, Harry spent the next several minutes debating on whether or not he should grab the suits now or come back for them later when there was less of a chance of being caught in the act.
He had almost convinced himself to come back later when he discovered that the scientists were trying to get around the wards on the suit and while he didn't think they would be successful he also didn't want to give them too much time in case they did find a way around them. Mind made up, Harry carefully reapplied the stealth spells he'd cast on himself earlier. That included taking the time to add a silencing ward so that no one would hear him breathe or hear his radio if Wufei or Quatre contacted him while he was in close proximity to the soldiers. The last thing he did was apply a Notice-Me-Not charm his rucksack.
He then crept closer to the door leading into the lab and waited a tense seventeen minutes for one of the soldiers inside to exit the room at which point he slipped in through the open door and carefully wove his way around to where the two scientists were currently arguing beside Deathstar. Placing his right hand on Duo's suit, Harry waited for the two scientists to finish their argument and make another attempt to bypass the ward. This happened when the one with a beak-like nose and poufy, bowl cut hair threw a wrench at the suit in frustration.
As the wrench bounced off the suit, Harry cast a shrinking spell to reduce Deathstar to a more manageable size before casting a Disillusionment Charm and a Feather Light charm immediately afterwards so that the suit appeared to shrink down and disappear completely. Harry then lifted the suit from the ground and tucked it into his rucksack. Harry about laughed his ass off at the chaos that unfolded in the wake of the suit disappearing as the scientists began yelling at each other, the soldiers began rushing forward all at once so fast that they crashed into each other, and Zechs began bellowing out questions and orders over the rest of the madness.
The two scientists were dragged from the room just a few minutes later while the soldiers were told to spread out and search the entire room. Order had nearly been restored when Harry moved over to Superstar, tossed out a couple of smoke bombs that exploded upon impact, and quickly used the renewed confusion to shrink, lighten, and store Trowa's suit. The soldiers reacted a bit more violently once the smoke cleared and it was discovered that the second suit had also vanished; firing their guns in a single barrage that cut through most of the room.
Harry barely dropped down to the floor before he'd been riddled with bullet holes and he swallowed thickly as the pinging of ricocheting bullets filled the room for two long minutes before silence returned. Harry then had to scramble out of the way as the soldiers began searching the room a second time. As Harry stood pressed up against the wall waiting for someone to leave the room so he could sneak out, Quatre's voice drifted across the radio informing them that he'd successfully retrieved Northstar and would return to the moon in fifteen minutes.
Harry breathed out a sigh of relief that his brother had completed the mission safely and sagged back against the wall. He then asked Wufei to confirm the location of the other three pilots and all five of the scientists. Wufei was just replying with the answer when Zechs stormed by Harry's position as he yelled at the soldiers to tear every inch of the room apart in order to find those suits before he yanked the door open and strode out. Harry hesitated for a brief instant before he ducked out after his part time stalker; least he not get another opportunity to exit the room.
He felt more than a little apprehensive when he realized that Zechs was heading down to the lower level since that was where the prison cells were located and where Harry himself had been headed. After a brief internal struggle, Harry chose to follow the man in the hopes that he would lead him straight to his brothers. They had just reached the lift when an out of breath soldier rushed up to the man and informed him that Une had just called the base to report the loss of the suit they'd been attempting to destroy. Harry couldn't help but snicker as the masked man cursed up a blue streak before practically bashing the buttons for the lift as he issued a string of orders for the soldier to relay to various officers around the base.
Harry then swallowed his mirth as he reluctantly followed Zechs into the elevator when the doors opened; his palms sweating in his nervousness as he was now virtually trapped in the small room with the man. His predicament was made even worse when Zechs began pacing in agitation, nearly catching Harry once or twice with an out thrown arm as the man continued to rant and mutter beneath his breath.
The elevator couldn't move fast enough for Harry when they finally stopped on the lowest level and he forced himself through the automatic door as soon as it was wide enough for his helmet to pass through without scraping the sides in an effort to put some distance between him and Zechs. The winged wizard stood to one side to give himself a few minutes to get his emotions back under control and let Zechs move off down the hallway in order put some distance in between them before he began following the man once more.
The man led him right to the door of the cell that held all three of his captive brothers and Harry smirked briefly over the irony. He then scowled because it appeared that his masked nemesis was going to interrogate the three teens about the now missing suits for who knew how long. He contemplated slipping into the cell through the partially open door but in the end decided against it because he ran the risk of getting himself caught if he did something so stupid. Taking off his right glove, Harry slipped his wand out from his holster in order to maintain better control over his magic if he needed to use it to take out Zechs.
He then crouched down across from the door to wait for Zechs to leave since he already knew that the scientists were one floor up working on the Gundams that would need to be destroyed. To help pass the time, he contacted Quatre to find out if he'd landed back on the moon yet and once it was confirmed that, yes, the shuttle was back on the surface, he activated one of the card portkeys and asked Quatre to verify that the card had ended up in the center of the blood seal that had been set into the open area between the cockpit and the passenger section. By the time that small test had been complete several minutes had passed and Harry once again felt in control of his fears as he settled back to wait.
He didn't have to wait for very long as he'd barely been waiting for another seven minutes when Zechs stormed out of the cell in an even fouler mood than he had been after the disappearance of the two Star Suits. Moving quickly, Harry darted into the cell the moment Zechs cleared the door and just before the door started shutting automatically. He quickly let Wufei know he'd made it into the room and asked him to loop the cameras in five minutes. Harry then took a good look at the three pilots that had been captured and he felt his anger spike when he noted that all three of his brothers appeared to have been slapped around a bit; their faces and arms covered with partially healed cuts and bruises.
The moment Wufei let him know the cameras had been dealt with; Harry tucked a portkey card into each of his brother's pockets and activated them without saying a word. He normally would have let them know he was there but he was still feeling slightly agitated by the condition he'd found them in and he was in no mood to listen to them argue about his having come to rescue them. He especially didn't want Heero to invoke his oath in order to demand that Harry leave before the mission was complete or worse, order Harry to allow the three of them to help him. Harry was so focused on getting them out of there that he never noticed the looks of dawning horror on the three teens' faces as they disappeared one by one in a rapid succession of blue and gold swirls of magic.
"All clear, Wufei; I just need you to let me out and reactivate the real time surveillance in their cells," Harry declared softly as he made certain his stealth spells were still active. "Quatre, please confirm arrival of all three pilots."
"We made it just fine, kiddo, but da two of ya have ta get out of there right now!" Duo answered in place of Quatre. "Zechs already knows you're there; it's a trap! Ya have ta get out."
"I'm opening the door now, Taliesin," Wufei replied even as the door slid open. "I've already destroyed all of the digital blueprints for both Gundams and will loop the cameras in the lab where they are working on the two suits and in the missile silo through which we entered before I leave."
"We anticipated the likelihood of your presence here on the moon being a trap, Duo. Wufei, be careful once you leave the control tower; the stealth spells I placed on you will not last much longer. I'm heading up to collect the scientists and to destroy the two new Gundams they created now."
Harry ignored Duo's curses as Quatre reclaimed the radio and kicked the other teens out of the cockpit of the shuttle (the blonde well aware of how important it was that this mission was completed in full). He took a moment to rig the prison cell with a few pranks (setting up several wet start no heat fireworks to go off the moment anyone walked into the cell as well as rigging two dungbombs onto a couple of exploding luminous balloons that would be triggered the moment the balloons exploded). Harry then headed back up to the second floor so he could finish the mission and get the hell out of there as he felt his exhaustion weighing down on him again.
He'd not even reached the elevator when all hell broke loose as an alarm sounded throughout the entire base as their rescue of the three pilots was discovered far sooner than it should have been. A series of loud crashes signified the lowest level of the base being sealed off from the upper two levels and Harry let out a string of curses as he put away his wand, replaced his right glove, and activated his spacesuit's life support system in case they shut off the oxygen to the third floor. He then spun around and headed back towards the other, less used elevator back near the storerooms in the hopes that he could bypass the locks and climb up the shaft.
He didn't take more than ten steps when things went from bad to worse as the antiquated fire sprinkler system built into the ceilings of the base spluttered into life and rained down a veritable flood of florescent green, glow in the dark paint from the ceiling. It was only a matter of seconds before Harry was covered from head to foot in the wet paint which effectively negated his disillusionment charm. The sprinklers shut off just seconds later along with the blaring alarm and Harry grew apprehensive as he heard the lock-down being lifted and he knew that the entire floor would soon be flooded with soldiers.
Cursing his rotten luck, Harry wiped the front of his helmet clear of paint so he could before he withdrew one the pistols he carried on him, undid the safety, and quickly made certain it was fully loaded without slowing down or stopping. He was just turning the corner when he came face to face with the first group of soldiers and he fired off several shots before ducking back into the hallway he'd just exited. It didn't take long for the soldiers to give chase and Harry soon found himself running pell-mell through the corridors of the prison level dodging bullets and the blasts of beam pistols while returning fire every chance he got; reloading his pistol each time he emptied the clip.
As he ran, he ordered Seth to move into the expanded pocket he'd added to the glove he wore on his right arm since he feared the snake might be injured if he couldn't dodge all of the bullets and the wards on the suit could only protect him from so much. He lost his rucksack not long after that when he tripped over a dead soldier as they kept chasing him in circles and he cursed himself for a fool as he recalled that the bag held his extra portkeys and that he could have taken one of them to escape long before he was spotted. Harry had no time to reclaim the bag though as his pursuers got a little too close for comfort and he was forced to leave it and the escape it represented behind.
Unfortunately, the exchange of gunfire and the shouts of the injured soldiers only drew more soldiers to his location like flies to honey and it wasn't long before he was trapped in the middle of a hallway by two different groups. Unwilling to give up, Harry pulled out a second pistol, danced back so that his back was pressed against the wall, and began firing into both groups at the same time.
He was a sitting duck though and it wasn't long before he was hit by several bullets and more than one burning blast of energy; the sheer volume of weapon fire eventually overwhelmed the protective wards he'd woven into his spacesuit. The last of his luck ran out when he spent his last bullet and before he could reload either pistol he was swarmed by the soldiers. As their weight bore him heavily to the ground, Harry struggled as best he could against his captors as he finally began feeling the pain of his numerous wounds. Between the pain and exhaustion it was all Harry could do to remain conscious.
Half a minute later, he was pulled back up onto his feet as Zechs finally made an appearance. His radio crackled to life as Wufei and Quatre were both demanding to know what was happening but before he could give them an answer, Zechs reached out and pulled the helmet from Harry's head.
"You are one difficult child to track down, son," Zechs declared as he reached out and gently wiped away the trickle of blood that ran from the corner of Harry's mouth.
AN: Yet another busy chapter for our boys. And we got to see some of the farther reaching effects that the change in the New Edwards Base mission had on the direction the war has taken; this being an actual resistance forming out in space instead of the Gundams all fighting and infiltrating separately. Harry's also interacting more with other people outside of the pilots.
Some of you might be angry with me for not letting Harry escape at the end or for him getting shot for a third time but I at least made him go down fighting and he put up a much better fight than he had when I originally wrote the chapter. He was also exhausted, knew his mission wasn't complete, and limited on what he could use of his magic because he is out in space and making a mistake would cost lives. He could have used a portkey to get out and then sneak back in later but he'd panicked as the trap had been far more elaborate than expected (not surprising because I never saw Zechs as being a stupid man) and he'd actually not been thinking clearly because of his panic and his exhaustion since he hadn't slept in a couple of days because of his need to push himself to save his brothers.
Canon Lunar Base… I just re-watched the episodes surrounding Heero and Duo's infiltration of the Lunar Base and realized I'd completely forgotten that the moon had also been a tourist attraction that had been reopened shortly after OZ had taken their presence out into space. Instead of trying to completely rewrite this section to include that; I' left the Lunar Base as strictly military because OZ's take over hadn't been as complete as it was in the anime/manga due to the ripples created by Harry's presence. So, no moon theme park or resort this time around.
And, obviously, Trowa didn't infiltrate OZ this time around (not that he could have done that successfully this time anyway because they already knew his face thanks to his earlier capture by Treize). Trowa also took Wufei's place as the second pilot captured while Duo was still the first one to break in after the two pilots had been caught (though this time he was looking to free the other pilots and the scientists; not kill them).
So, anyway, next chapter (no. 25) will have the promised glimpse of Zechs' thoughts and feelings as well as the fallout from Harry's second capture. In the mean time, while you wait, feel free to help yourself to the peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies I made for all of my readers/reviewers. Or if you prefer, I have donuts too. =) ~ Jenn