Chapter 1
Suddenly everything was bright. Too bright in Heero's mind. Slowly the youth opened his eyes blearily. He didn't understand, it was dark. Looked like nighttime, he slowly stood up, it wasn't easy. He felt like he'd been kicked in the ribs. He was standing right where he had been before he was shot. That didn't make sense, why was had he just been sleeping there? He shifted his jacket around him and stared around him. Where the heck was that idiot Duo, and the others? He glanced once more around him and walked off. Suddenly he noticed something odd, since when were there armed soldiers marching the streets? And why were they all wearing. . . . . .OZ uniforms?!?! He stared at a passing group of uniformed teenagers and kept staring in surprise. He stopped for a few minutes to stare at a large TV which was posted onto one of the buildings.
*And in later news. A rebel leader was caught earlier today in downtown.*
The screen flashed a picture of the rebel leader. Heero gaped, civilians who were still out cheered around him. He couldn't believe it. Since when was HILDE a rebel leader?! And what exactly was she rebelling against? He turned away sharply and bumped right into someone, both youths fell over in a tumbled heap.
"Watch where you're going!" Both shouted at the same time. Heero's vision finally cleared and when he saw who it was, he gaped again.
"Wufei?" He whispered. The youth glared at him.
"Watch your tongue subordinate." Wufei snapped. He was covered from top to bottom in the OZ uniform.
"Er. . . .Yes sir. Sorry sir." Heero said quickly, his mind speedily working out the reality in this world.
"You'd better be." The black haired youth sneered stood up, brushed himself off and was about to walk away when he suddenly glanced at Heero, sighing, his eyes flashed with an emotion he didn't recognize, and he thrust our a hand towards Heero. He gave a scowl when Heero didn't take the hand.
"You going to sit there all day?" He demanded. Heero glared, then took the hand, Wufei hauled him to his feet while Heero gave a tiny thanks. After that Wufei tramped off shaking his head leaving a very stunned Heero. Who in turn asked aloud;
"What the HELL is going on?!"
~~~
After watching the news for several more minutes, Heero could basically figure out what was going on with all his friends. Duo was in prison, many claimed he was a terrorist. Quatra had gone berserk after the colonies had betrayed him and killed his father. Trowa was in the worst situation, he was used as a test rat in a training base, a prisoner as well. Wufei was a general in the military. Relena was only a puppet for OZ, Zechs and Noin had vanished. Sally was a rebel like Hilde, Une had vanished, this was just a reality where nothing made sense. However, it was all like a dream, or a nightmare. It was a completely awkward world where nothing was following the rules of logic, but you knew what to do anyway. So as I just said, Heero knew exactly what to do. First he had to get on the inside for more information.
~~~
Heero was walking along the sidewalk, for some reason people were gathering along the sidewalks, most had things like towels, or sitting mats with them. A lot seemed excited.
"S'cuse me, but is there some event going on?" Heero asked a passing woman who was dragging a child which looked like her 10 year old son.
"Don't you know anything boy?!" She demanded incredulously, he stiffened in shock and anger. She however didn't seem to notice.
"Anyway, this is the day the parade takes place."
"What parade?" She stared.
"Where you born in a cave boy?! The parade that celebrates the day those miserable peace breakers, the Gundam Pilots were finally defeated!" She said triumphantly and walked away still cackling. Heero stared at her in disgust when cheering erupted in his ears. He looked wildly around and saw the cause of the cheering, although he almost wish he hadn't. Duo, looking rather beaten and bruised walked along the street surrounded by at least five soldiers. His arms were clamped together by a rather thick handcuffs.
"Duo?" Heero whispered in disbelief. Every fiber of him wanted to run out there into the street and kill those guards, then he would break the handcuffs and help Duo run for it. Yet doing that would be impossible, with so many people around, the chances of them both escaping were very narrow. People began to throw things at him, eggs, rotted fruit and the like. A truck progressed behind Duo and the soldiers around him. Then things went overboard. A child at the sidewalk blundered out in an attempt to kick Duo in the shin and tripped right in front of the truck. The driver couldn't see the child and was about to run the boy over. A woman screeched, people gasped. Duo looked behind him and registered the situation in a flash, he bolted right through the ring of soldiers and dived in for the child, grabbing the child safely in his arms, the pilot rolled over to the side just as the truck rolled by.
"Hey!" The soldiers yelled.
"Please don't hurt him! Please!" The mother screamed. Heero knew what was going on in Duo's head. Keep the child, he had a chance to get out, he had a hostage. But on the other hand, getting a child involved. . . . .
"C'mon Duo, THINK!" Heero hissed through gritted teeth. Duo sighed, walked up to the pavement and handed the squalling child to the woman. Heero gave out a sigh, he wasn't sure if that was a smart move or not. The woman took the child and stared at Duo as though she'd just seen the end of the world. Duo nodded his head, a small smile on his lips, that was before the gun butt crashed down on his head. It flattened him to the ground.
"Don't ever touch a civilian again you terrorist!" The soldier who had crashed his gun down screamed. Fury building in his chest Heero walked up to the soldier and did what his heart told him. Not his head. He punched the man in the chin. The soldier doubled back and stared at Heero wildly. Silence was now in play, Heero stooped and pulled Duo up by the arm. Duo looked at him and gave a tiny thanks, and another weak smile.
"You okay?" Heero asked.
"Yeah."
"What are you doing?! Don't you know who he is?!" A man called out.
"I know what he REALLY IS!" Heero yelled to the now listening crowd.
"You people are all so blind! You didn't even know what happened in his life and you condemn him!" Heero was screaming now, his anger and fury filling his words.
"You've all been blinded by OZ, I can only imagine what dolts you are." He declared rather loudly, then he hoisted Duo's arm over his shoulder and held him up with a worried glance. Duo however was looking rather confused.
"He IS a terrorist!" A voice yelled.
"Oh really?! Then why did he hand over that baby?!" Heero demanded. "Any terrorist would have kept the child as a hostage, a way to get out."
"He knew he'd never get out." The soldier said looking rather angry.
"Right. That's exactly how he broke through that ring you formed around him to save the child. Haven't you figured it out yet you morons? He could escape anytime he wanted."
"Then why didn't he?!" Another soldier demanded.
"Because. . . . ." Heero looked at Duo in the eye, he saw the reason, it was the same reason Heero had felt ever since the colonies had betrayed them.
"Because he no longer has a reason to live, he no longer has a reason to fight." Heero finished.
"What nonsense are you trying to pass off?!"
"It's not, being a Gundam Pilot means you were trained to protect the colonies, when they turn against you, you lose your reason to fight. Therefore you give up hope trying to live."
"You really know how we think don't you?" Duo mumbled, but everyone was so quiet that all the people heard him anyway. Duo chuckled. "That's exactly what I thought when we were betrayed, then when I was captured. I got a new feeling for the colonies." Silence. "Wanna know what it is? It was pity." Duo gave a sharp laugh, his voice hoarse, as though he wasn't used to using it anymore.
"You're all in OZ's pocket, following them blindly, I just pitied you because you were all so desperate. Oh well, if it brings peace, then who am I to fight? My mission was to acquire world peace. Guess I wasn't needed anyway. In fact, why don't someone do me a favor and shoot me?" Duo wasn't smiling now, quite the opposite, he was crying.
"Just shoot me! I don't care! I don't want to live! I'm sure Quatra and Trowa feel the same way! Wufei, well I don't know, the stinking traitor." Duo trailed off now, it seemed that if Heero didn't do something, the former pilot was going to go into hysterics.
"You mean you don't want to live?" A woman breathed.
"I never wanted to live, hey why not! It's a holiday! Why not celebrate with the sappy story of Duo Maxwell, Gundam Pilot and Peace breaker. Let's see, where to begin? Oh! I know!" Duo now seemed to have lost all sanity.
"Duo, no! You never wanted to talk about this, I don't think you want to start n-" Heero was cut off as Duo began to tell the crowd, the cameras the whole world about their story.
~~~
"It all began when I was five. My parents died in that the war, so I was stuck on the streets. I took refuge in the Maxwell church. Sound familiar? Yeah, that's my last name. So there I met two people who worked in the church, Helen and Jonathan. The priest and the nun." Duo chuckled at a hidden joke. "Then I met with some of the children at the church too, they were orphans, learning so that they could join the priesthood. Heh, Max and Sarah. Well that's when I was rather untrustful, didn't care about anyone. But they got to me. And just as I let my defenses down and got friendly, they died. Yep, that war killed them. Almost killed me too, cept this doctor comes by, white coat, weird hair. Like a mushroom. So he takes me with him, helps me recover, well now what? He's the type that would never do anything for free, trains me, tinkers with my blood. Yep, that's right." Duo commented to the shocked faces of the crowd. "I'm a living freak, so now I'm an enhanced being, special blood and all, so that's just about then I wished that war had killed me. I wouldn't have been a tool in the war. Hey now wasn't I right? My life is a trashy soap opera!" He laughed outright at this. Heero sighed, and helped him stand.
"C'mon, I think that's enough story telling for now." he muttered, cobalt eyes blazing, this was nothing new to him, in his world, Quatra, Trowa, and Wufei all new this story. They never brought it up though, it would hurt Duo too much.
"Oh no, it gets better!" Duo giggled with a smirk, now he was acting like he was drunk. "Next is the great part. Well you know I became a pilot right? Well guess what? Quatra wasn't too happy. We fought the army, on the colonies orders of course, then guess what?! OZ joins up with the colonies, well now we're screwed!" Duo laughed again. "The colonies killed Quatra's dad, Quatra freaked and went berserk. Trowa risked his life to save Quatra, got captured. Wufei was talked into becoming a general. For what? Handing me in of course. So we fought, I lost, tried to run for it, he tracked me down, we fought with hands. Well the bastard and his stupid sword got the best of me." He showed them a long scar on his right arm.
"So now I'm in jail, Trowa is a lab rat, and Quatra is hiding somewhere in the middle of nowhere plotting to kill the OZ general. So we've heard my story. Let's hear yours!" He turned to face Heero.
"Who are you and how do you know what we think?" Duo still smiled.
"It's official, you've lost it." Heero grumbled and let the teenager stand on his own.
"So who are you? How do you know me?" Duo asked now standing upright.
"I'm . . . . . ." Heero trailed off, wondering what would be the best way to break this to them. Then he decided.
"I'm the fifth Gundam pilot."
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Suddenly everything was bright. Too bright in Heero's mind. Slowly the youth opened his eyes blearily. He didn't understand, it was dark. Looked like nighttime, he slowly stood up, it wasn't easy. He felt like he'd been kicked in the ribs. He was standing right where he had been before he was shot. That didn't make sense, why was had he just been sleeping there? He shifted his jacket around him and stared around him. Where the heck was that idiot Duo, and the others? He glanced once more around him and walked off. Suddenly he noticed something odd, since when were there armed soldiers marching the streets? And why were they all wearing. . . . . .OZ uniforms?!?! He stared at a passing group of uniformed teenagers and kept staring in surprise. He stopped for a few minutes to stare at a large TV which was posted onto one of the buildings.
*And in later news. A rebel leader was caught earlier today in downtown.*
The screen flashed a picture of the rebel leader. Heero gaped, civilians who were still out cheered around him. He couldn't believe it. Since when was HILDE a rebel leader?! And what exactly was she rebelling against? He turned away sharply and bumped right into someone, both youths fell over in a tumbled heap.
"Watch where you're going!" Both shouted at the same time. Heero's vision finally cleared and when he saw who it was, he gaped again.
"Wufei?" He whispered. The youth glared at him.
"Watch your tongue subordinate." Wufei snapped. He was covered from top to bottom in the OZ uniform.
"Er. . . .Yes sir. Sorry sir." Heero said quickly, his mind speedily working out the reality in this world.
"You'd better be." The black haired youth sneered stood up, brushed himself off and was about to walk away when he suddenly glanced at Heero, sighing, his eyes flashed with an emotion he didn't recognize, and he thrust our a hand towards Heero. He gave a scowl when Heero didn't take the hand.
"You going to sit there all day?" He demanded. Heero glared, then took the hand, Wufei hauled him to his feet while Heero gave a tiny thanks. After that Wufei tramped off shaking his head leaving a very stunned Heero. Who in turn asked aloud;
"What the HELL is going on?!"
~~~
After watching the news for several more minutes, Heero could basically figure out what was going on with all his friends. Duo was in prison, many claimed he was a terrorist. Quatra had gone berserk after the colonies had betrayed him and killed his father. Trowa was in the worst situation, he was used as a test rat in a training base, a prisoner as well. Wufei was a general in the military. Relena was only a puppet for OZ, Zechs and Noin had vanished. Sally was a rebel like Hilde, Une had vanished, this was just a reality where nothing made sense. However, it was all like a dream, or a nightmare. It was a completely awkward world where nothing was following the rules of logic, but you knew what to do anyway. So as I just said, Heero knew exactly what to do. First he had to get on the inside for more information.
~~~
Heero was walking along the sidewalk, for some reason people were gathering along the sidewalks, most had things like towels, or sitting mats with them. A lot seemed excited.
"S'cuse me, but is there some event going on?" Heero asked a passing woman who was dragging a child which looked like her 10 year old son.
"Don't you know anything boy?!" She demanded incredulously, he stiffened in shock and anger. She however didn't seem to notice.
"Anyway, this is the day the parade takes place."
"What parade?" She stared.
"Where you born in a cave boy?! The parade that celebrates the day those miserable peace breakers, the Gundam Pilots were finally defeated!" She said triumphantly and walked away still cackling. Heero stared at her in disgust when cheering erupted in his ears. He looked wildly around and saw the cause of the cheering, although he almost wish he hadn't. Duo, looking rather beaten and bruised walked along the street surrounded by at least five soldiers. His arms were clamped together by a rather thick handcuffs.
"Duo?" Heero whispered in disbelief. Every fiber of him wanted to run out there into the street and kill those guards, then he would break the handcuffs and help Duo run for it. Yet doing that would be impossible, with so many people around, the chances of them both escaping were very narrow. People began to throw things at him, eggs, rotted fruit and the like. A truck progressed behind Duo and the soldiers around him. Then things went overboard. A child at the sidewalk blundered out in an attempt to kick Duo in the shin and tripped right in front of the truck. The driver couldn't see the child and was about to run the boy over. A woman screeched, people gasped. Duo looked behind him and registered the situation in a flash, he bolted right through the ring of soldiers and dived in for the child, grabbing the child safely in his arms, the pilot rolled over to the side just as the truck rolled by.
"Hey!" The soldiers yelled.
"Please don't hurt him! Please!" The mother screamed. Heero knew what was going on in Duo's head. Keep the child, he had a chance to get out, he had a hostage. But on the other hand, getting a child involved. . . . .
"C'mon Duo, THINK!" Heero hissed through gritted teeth. Duo sighed, walked up to the pavement and handed the squalling child to the woman. Heero gave out a sigh, he wasn't sure if that was a smart move or not. The woman took the child and stared at Duo as though she'd just seen the end of the world. Duo nodded his head, a small smile on his lips, that was before the gun butt crashed down on his head. It flattened him to the ground.
"Don't ever touch a civilian again you terrorist!" The soldier who had crashed his gun down screamed. Fury building in his chest Heero walked up to the soldier and did what his heart told him. Not his head. He punched the man in the chin. The soldier doubled back and stared at Heero wildly. Silence was now in play, Heero stooped and pulled Duo up by the arm. Duo looked at him and gave a tiny thanks, and another weak smile.
"You okay?" Heero asked.
"Yeah."
"What are you doing?! Don't you know who he is?!" A man called out.
"I know what he REALLY IS!" Heero yelled to the now listening crowd.
"You people are all so blind! You didn't even know what happened in his life and you condemn him!" Heero was screaming now, his anger and fury filling his words.
"You've all been blinded by OZ, I can only imagine what dolts you are." He declared rather loudly, then he hoisted Duo's arm over his shoulder and held him up with a worried glance. Duo however was looking rather confused.
"He IS a terrorist!" A voice yelled.
"Oh really?! Then why did he hand over that baby?!" Heero demanded. "Any terrorist would have kept the child as a hostage, a way to get out."
"He knew he'd never get out." The soldier said looking rather angry.
"Right. That's exactly how he broke through that ring you formed around him to save the child. Haven't you figured it out yet you morons? He could escape anytime he wanted."
"Then why didn't he?!" Another soldier demanded.
"Because. . . . ." Heero looked at Duo in the eye, he saw the reason, it was the same reason Heero had felt ever since the colonies had betrayed them.
"Because he no longer has a reason to live, he no longer has a reason to fight." Heero finished.
"What nonsense are you trying to pass off?!"
"It's not, being a Gundam Pilot means you were trained to protect the colonies, when they turn against you, you lose your reason to fight. Therefore you give up hope trying to live."
"You really know how we think don't you?" Duo mumbled, but everyone was so quiet that all the people heard him anyway. Duo chuckled. "That's exactly what I thought when we were betrayed, then when I was captured. I got a new feeling for the colonies." Silence. "Wanna know what it is? It was pity." Duo gave a sharp laugh, his voice hoarse, as though he wasn't used to using it anymore.
"You're all in OZ's pocket, following them blindly, I just pitied you because you were all so desperate. Oh well, if it brings peace, then who am I to fight? My mission was to acquire world peace. Guess I wasn't needed anyway. In fact, why don't someone do me a favor and shoot me?" Duo wasn't smiling now, quite the opposite, he was crying.
"Just shoot me! I don't care! I don't want to live! I'm sure Quatra and Trowa feel the same way! Wufei, well I don't know, the stinking traitor." Duo trailed off now, it seemed that if Heero didn't do something, the former pilot was going to go into hysterics.
"You mean you don't want to live?" A woman breathed.
"I never wanted to live, hey why not! It's a holiday! Why not celebrate with the sappy story of Duo Maxwell, Gundam Pilot and Peace breaker. Let's see, where to begin? Oh! I know!" Duo now seemed to have lost all sanity.
"Duo, no! You never wanted to talk about this, I don't think you want to start n-" Heero was cut off as Duo began to tell the crowd, the cameras the whole world about their story.
~~~
"It all began when I was five. My parents died in that the war, so I was stuck on the streets. I took refuge in the Maxwell church. Sound familiar? Yeah, that's my last name. So there I met two people who worked in the church, Helen and Jonathan. The priest and the nun." Duo chuckled at a hidden joke. "Then I met with some of the children at the church too, they were orphans, learning so that they could join the priesthood. Heh, Max and Sarah. Well that's when I was rather untrustful, didn't care about anyone. But they got to me. And just as I let my defenses down and got friendly, they died. Yep, that war killed them. Almost killed me too, cept this doctor comes by, white coat, weird hair. Like a mushroom. So he takes me with him, helps me recover, well now what? He's the type that would never do anything for free, trains me, tinkers with my blood. Yep, that's right." Duo commented to the shocked faces of the crowd. "I'm a living freak, so now I'm an enhanced being, special blood and all, so that's just about then I wished that war had killed me. I wouldn't have been a tool in the war. Hey now wasn't I right? My life is a trashy soap opera!" He laughed outright at this. Heero sighed, and helped him stand.
"C'mon, I think that's enough story telling for now." he muttered, cobalt eyes blazing, this was nothing new to him, in his world, Quatra, Trowa, and Wufei all new this story. They never brought it up though, it would hurt Duo too much.
"Oh no, it gets better!" Duo giggled with a smirk, now he was acting like he was drunk. "Next is the great part. Well you know I became a pilot right? Well guess what? Quatra wasn't too happy. We fought the army, on the colonies orders of course, then guess what?! OZ joins up with the colonies, well now we're screwed!" Duo laughed again. "The colonies killed Quatra's dad, Quatra freaked and went berserk. Trowa risked his life to save Quatra, got captured. Wufei was talked into becoming a general. For what? Handing me in of course. So we fought, I lost, tried to run for it, he tracked me down, we fought with hands. Well the bastard and his stupid sword got the best of me." He showed them a long scar on his right arm.
"So now I'm in jail, Trowa is a lab rat, and Quatra is hiding somewhere in the middle of nowhere plotting to kill the OZ general. So we've heard my story. Let's hear yours!" He turned to face Heero.
"Who are you and how do you know what we think?" Duo still smiled.
"It's official, you've lost it." Heero grumbled and let the teenager stand on his own.
"So who are you? How do you know me?" Duo asked now standing upright.
"I'm . . . . . ." Heero trailed off, wondering what would be the best way to break this to them. Then he decided.
"I'm the fifth Gundam pilot."
Disclaimer: Not mine.