Duo and Quatre turned to run out the door, then waited for Relana. As Relana moved to join them, Relena grabbed her arm.
"Where do you think you're going?" she demanded. Relana stared at her in shock.
"I'm going to fight, of course. Where else!" she replied.
"No, you're not. You're not a Gundam pilot, and I won't allow you to go." Relena drew herself up to her full height, showing the queen she truly was. Duo and Quatre exchanged glances.
"Relana, we need to go now!" Quatre said impatiently.
"Where is it? Tell me, and I'll be there soon." Relana and her sister were trying to glare each other down.
"L2 colony. Hurry!" Quatre and Duo disappeared.
"Relena, you do not control me. The others need me, because I am a Gundam pilot. I don't want to fight with you, but this is too important. I don't want any innocent lives lost. I'll be back." Relana jerked her arm free and vanished out the door.
The sky over the L2 colony was lit by bright flashes of light as the Gundams battled OZ. Things were going badly for the Gundams; OZ far outnumbered them. A sudden burst of brilliant white light alerted them: Relana had arrived.
Kamikaze was black, with golden edging, and a fan of white spikes going down the head and neck. Two white horns adorned it's forehead, and great, feathery wings spread out behind it. In one hand it held a long, wicked-looking blade of pulsing white light. In the other, it held a glowing, silver chakram. Relana was an excellent fighter; she dispatched five big OZ mobile suits in as many seconds. She sliced them in half with the long blade, or threw the chakram to cut down any in her path.
Through the comm, they heard her screaming an Indian war cry, just before blowing up one of the largest commander suits. Duo whooped and threw himself into the fighting again. Trowa ran out of bullets, as usual, and started slashing around. They could hear Quatre muttering 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry' over and over again, as he cut down any who challenged him. Heero fought in silence, and Wufei attacked the OZ suits on the edges.
Suddenly, Heero started swearing.
"Relana! What is that girl doing? Relana, you baka!" he yelled through the comm. Duo's eyes opened wide. Relana was out of Kamikaze and running across the battle-torn field! Seemingly heedless of the firing and fighting around her, she raced toward what looked like an abandoned building near the edge. Faintly, Wufei's voice came through.
"Idiot! Never should trust a woman!" he was yelling. Quatre tried to go after her, but was engaged with a persistent, small mobile suit. Duo tried to fight his way through, but he saw with relief that Wing Zero was flying toward Relana's rapidly disappearing form. For the first time, Duo noticed a plume of smoke rising from the building that twisted into a spiral shape. Trowa cleared a path for Heero, as Wufei kept OZ from the abandoned Kamikaze.
Relana disappeared into the building, and Heero circled around it. In minutes, Relana had appeared again, carrying a large bundle, and followed by a young woman leading two children and carrying another. They shot towards Kamikaze, Relana scooping up the slower of the two children.
"They've got children!" Heero yelled, blasting an OZ fighter that was swooping down on Relana's group. Suddenly, Relana stumbled and went down. She was up in seconds, but as she ran, she tugged the child by the arm, and held her side. The other woman sped up, and grabbed the bundle Relana had dropped when she fell. Still carrying a child, and leading another, she caught up with Relana, who was slowing down. Relana was still clutching her side, and as she got closer, Duo saw with horror that her shirts was stained crimson.
Reaching Kamikaze, Relana let the other woman in, then boosted the children up to her. Lastly, she herself climbed in. By now, OZ was in full retreat, beaten back by the Gundams fury.
"Relana, Relana! What's happening?" Duo yelled through the comm.
"I'm… fine. Gotta… home. Can… go home, Duo?" She was having trouble talking, out of breath from the run and shock. A new voice came on.
"Duo, is that your name?" It was the other girl. "I'm Meg. 'Lana's fine, but we need to get her back to home, wherever that is." Her voice was steady and calm, with no trace of fear. "She can pilot Kamikaze, but she's losing blood fast. Get the other Gundam pilots, and move. Now!" Then Meg was gone. Duo called Heero, Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei, and gave them Meg's message. Faintly, Wufei was still muttering.
"Dumb girl! Can't trust women!"
They arrived back at Doc's as fast as they could, but by that time, Relana was barely able to control Kamikaze. When Heero had told Meg to take control of Kamikaze, she had told him she couldn't.
"What do you mean, you can't?" Heero had yelled.
"Kamikaze isn't like your Gundams. She will only let 'Lana pilot her. I don't have time to explain now." Meg had replied calmly.
Quatre was sent up the stairs first, to make sure Relena had left. He burst in the door, startling Doc. Unfortunately, Relena was still there, and when she saw Quatre's face, her own went dead white.
"It's my sister, isn't it?" she whispered.
"Relena, maybe you should go." Quatre began. She glared at him.
"You are talking about my sister! I will not leave!" she snapped, showing a side that neither Doc nor Quatre had ever seen. Just then, they heard steps on the stairs. Duo walked in, bearing Relana in his arms. She looked so small and pale that Relena could hardly believe it was the same girl from two hours earlier. She was still awake, but her eyes were dilated with pain, and she was clenching her teeth to keep from crying out. This, however, did not stop her from telling Duo, repeatedly, to put her down.
"I can walk! I'm not a child, that needs to be carried everywhere." She growled, then gasped as a fresh wave of pain hit her. Duo carried her into the small medical center Doc had set up for just this kind of thing. Yelling was heard on the stairs, and the wail of a baby.
"I'm not a baby-sitter!" That was Heero, whom Meg had forced to carry one of the children. Trowa had the other, and Meg carried the baby. Wufei brought up the rear with the large bundle. As they entered the room, Meg was still yelling at Heero.
"I don't care what you are! Relana risked her life for me and these children! I have to make sure she's okay." The child Heero carried wailed again, and flung her arms around his neck. She buried her face in his shoulder. Meg gave the baby to Quatre, who knew how to hold it at least. She disappeared into the room Duo had carried Relana into. She sent Duo and Doc out, telling them to make sure Heero didn't attack the children. That brought a faint smile to their faces, while Heero glowered at Meg's back.
Inside the room, Relena held her sister's hand, her eyes begging with Meg to help Relana. Meg carefully stripped away the blood-soaked shirt, revealing a nasty gash three inches deep on Relana's side. The actual bullet had hit her in the arm.
"You okay, Meg?" Relana asked weakly.
"Stop worrying about me, 'Lana. You're the one hurt. You always were doing stupid stunts like this. You're gonna be fine."
"Arigato, Meg." Relana looked at her with a knowing look, then sighed. Her eyes blinked closed, and she slipped into unconsciousness.
"Meg? Meg, do something!" Relena cried, tears streaking down her face. Meg busied herself patching up Relana's side and arm.
An hour later, she came back into the main room. The child Heero had carried was asleep on his lap, nestled into the crook of his arm. Quatre had found a cradle for the baby, and was now playing an idle game of cards with Duo. They both kept looking worriedly at the door. Wufei had set the bundle down and was tossing a coin from hand to hand. Trowa was showing the other child some tricks he learned in the circus. Doc paced back and forth. They all looked up as Meg entered. She looked troubled.
"All we can do now is wait. But I won't lie to you. She's lost a lot of blood, and may not last the night."
"Where do you think you're going?" she demanded. Relana stared at her in shock.
"I'm going to fight, of course. Where else!" she replied.
"No, you're not. You're not a Gundam pilot, and I won't allow you to go." Relena drew herself up to her full height, showing the queen she truly was. Duo and Quatre exchanged glances.
"Relana, we need to go now!" Quatre said impatiently.
"Where is it? Tell me, and I'll be there soon." Relana and her sister were trying to glare each other down.
"L2 colony. Hurry!" Quatre and Duo disappeared.
"Relena, you do not control me. The others need me, because I am a Gundam pilot. I don't want to fight with you, but this is too important. I don't want any innocent lives lost. I'll be back." Relana jerked her arm free and vanished out the door.
The sky over the L2 colony was lit by bright flashes of light as the Gundams battled OZ. Things were going badly for the Gundams; OZ far outnumbered them. A sudden burst of brilliant white light alerted them: Relana had arrived.
Kamikaze was black, with golden edging, and a fan of white spikes going down the head and neck. Two white horns adorned it's forehead, and great, feathery wings spread out behind it. In one hand it held a long, wicked-looking blade of pulsing white light. In the other, it held a glowing, silver chakram. Relana was an excellent fighter; she dispatched five big OZ mobile suits in as many seconds. She sliced them in half with the long blade, or threw the chakram to cut down any in her path.
Through the comm, they heard her screaming an Indian war cry, just before blowing up one of the largest commander suits. Duo whooped and threw himself into the fighting again. Trowa ran out of bullets, as usual, and started slashing around. They could hear Quatre muttering 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry' over and over again, as he cut down any who challenged him. Heero fought in silence, and Wufei attacked the OZ suits on the edges.
Suddenly, Heero started swearing.
"Relana! What is that girl doing? Relana, you baka!" he yelled through the comm. Duo's eyes opened wide. Relana was out of Kamikaze and running across the battle-torn field! Seemingly heedless of the firing and fighting around her, she raced toward what looked like an abandoned building near the edge. Faintly, Wufei's voice came through.
"Idiot! Never should trust a woman!" he was yelling. Quatre tried to go after her, but was engaged with a persistent, small mobile suit. Duo tried to fight his way through, but he saw with relief that Wing Zero was flying toward Relana's rapidly disappearing form. For the first time, Duo noticed a plume of smoke rising from the building that twisted into a spiral shape. Trowa cleared a path for Heero, as Wufei kept OZ from the abandoned Kamikaze.
Relana disappeared into the building, and Heero circled around it. In minutes, Relana had appeared again, carrying a large bundle, and followed by a young woman leading two children and carrying another. They shot towards Kamikaze, Relana scooping up the slower of the two children.
"They've got children!" Heero yelled, blasting an OZ fighter that was swooping down on Relana's group. Suddenly, Relana stumbled and went down. She was up in seconds, but as she ran, she tugged the child by the arm, and held her side. The other woman sped up, and grabbed the bundle Relana had dropped when she fell. Still carrying a child, and leading another, she caught up with Relana, who was slowing down. Relana was still clutching her side, and as she got closer, Duo saw with horror that her shirts was stained crimson.
Reaching Kamikaze, Relana let the other woman in, then boosted the children up to her. Lastly, she herself climbed in. By now, OZ was in full retreat, beaten back by the Gundams fury.
"Relana, Relana! What's happening?" Duo yelled through the comm.
"I'm… fine. Gotta… home. Can… go home, Duo?" She was having trouble talking, out of breath from the run and shock. A new voice came on.
"Duo, is that your name?" It was the other girl. "I'm Meg. 'Lana's fine, but we need to get her back to home, wherever that is." Her voice was steady and calm, with no trace of fear. "She can pilot Kamikaze, but she's losing blood fast. Get the other Gundam pilots, and move. Now!" Then Meg was gone. Duo called Heero, Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei, and gave them Meg's message. Faintly, Wufei was still muttering.
"Dumb girl! Can't trust women!"
They arrived back at Doc's as fast as they could, but by that time, Relana was barely able to control Kamikaze. When Heero had told Meg to take control of Kamikaze, she had told him she couldn't.
"What do you mean, you can't?" Heero had yelled.
"Kamikaze isn't like your Gundams. She will only let 'Lana pilot her. I don't have time to explain now." Meg had replied calmly.
Quatre was sent up the stairs first, to make sure Relena had left. He burst in the door, startling Doc. Unfortunately, Relena was still there, and when she saw Quatre's face, her own went dead white.
"It's my sister, isn't it?" she whispered.
"Relena, maybe you should go." Quatre began. She glared at him.
"You are talking about my sister! I will not leave!" she snapped, showing a side that neither Doc nor Quatre had ever seen. Just then, they heard steps on the stairs. Duo walked in, bearing Relana in his arms. She looked so small and pale that Relena could hardly believe it was the same girl from two hours earlier. She was still awake, but her eyes were dilated with pain, and she was clenching her teeth to keep from crying out. This, however, did not stop her from telling Duo, repeatedly, to put her down.
"I can walk! I'm not a child, that needs to be carried everywhere." She growled, then gasped as a fresh wave of pain hit her. Duo carried her into the small medical center Doc had set up for just this kind of thing. Yelling was heard on the stairs, and the wail of a baby.
"I'm not a baby-sitter!" That was Heero, whom Meg had forced to carry one of the children. Trowa had the other, and Meg carried the baby. Wufei brought up the rear with the large bundle. As they entered the room, Meg was still yelling at Heero.
"I don't care what you are! Relana risked her life for me and these children! I have to make sure she's okay." The child Heero carried wailed again, and flung her arms around his neck. She buried her face in his shoulder. Meg gave the baby to Quatre, who knew how to hold it at least. She disappeared into the room Duo had carried Relana into. She sent Duo and Doc out, telling them to make sure Heero didn't attack the children. That brought a faint smile to their faces, while Heero glowered at Meg's back.
Inside the room, Relena held her sister's hand, her eyes begging with Meg to help Relana. Meg carefully stripped away the blood-soaked shirt, revealing a nasty gash three inches deep on Relana's side. The actual bullet had hit her in the arm.
"You okay, Meg?" Relana asked weakly.
"Stop worrying about me, 'Lana. You're the one hurt. You always were doing stupid stunts like this. You're gonna be fine."
"Arigato, Meg." Relana looked at her with a knowing look, then sighed. Her eyes blinked closed, and she slipped into unconsciousness.
"Meg? Meg, do something!" Relena cried, tears streaking down her face. Meg busied herself patching up Relana's side and arm.
An hour later, she came back into the main room. The child Heero had carried was asleep on his lap, nestled into the crook of his arm. Quatre had found a cradle for the baby, and was now playing an idle game of cards with Duo. They both kept looking worriedly at the door. Wufei had set the bundle down and was tossing a coin from hand to hand. Trowa was showing the other child some tricks he learned in the circus. Doc paced back and forth. They all looked up as Meg entered. She looked troubled.
"All we can do now is wait. But I won't lie to you. She's lost a lot of blood, and may not last the night."