Chapter Seven
I risked a look behind me. She was standing where I'd seen her last, just watching me run. Wasn't she going to chase me? I was almost wishing she would, since that would mean I knew exactly what she was doing.
She pulled out a gun and shot at me. The bitch shot at me!
Luckily the shot didn't hit me, but it was enough of a surprise to force me to the ground. I tried to push myself up, but my arm gave way at the shoulder. By the time I'd started to get up with my other arm, she'd pinned me.
I growled at her in a low voice, showing my anger, but not letting out anything else. That was how I'd been trained, not to give anything away. I felt the barrel of the gun press into the back of my skull. "Going anywhere, pilot?"
I just lay where I was.
She sighed dramatically. "It doesn't matter. You know that, don't you? We'll find out what we need one way or another."
She pulled me to my feet sharply. I thought my arm had just been torn off at the shoulder. She saw the pain on my face and spitefully twisted my arm behind me.
"Stop it!"
"So you do speak. Now we're getting somewhere. Care to tell me any more about yourself?"
Now that she had let up on my arm, I felt disgusted with myself. Silence! Not another word! She was the enemy and I'd suffered worse at the hands of people like her.
"Come on." She dragged me along behind her for several minutes, making sure she kept a grip on my injured arm so I wouldn't try to wrench free. It worked. I followed her like a lamb. A bloody lamb!
Eventually I could see a huge transport. That had to be what had deployed the suits. And she was trying to take me with her. Well that wasn't happening!
Bracing myself for the pain, I tore away from her. She hadn't expected it, and let me go and I ran. I ran like the devil was after me. In a way I suppose she was.
"Colonel Une!" cried someone at the ramp. "We have to leave now or we risk being shot down by one of the Gundams!"
She ignored him and continued after me. I was one of the pilots that had been causing havoc amongst the OZ organisation. She just didn't realise that I didn't know half as much as she probably thought I did.
She was slowly falling behind. Scanning the trees ahead of me I saw my chance. A branch! One that I could probably reach if I jumped high enough. I ran towards it and jumped. My working hand grabbed at it and desperately pulled my body slowly after it. I hooked first one leg and then the other around the branch and pulled myself up slowly. My temples throbbed painfully as I settled into balance.
Colonel Une passed underneath me. If she'd thought to look up she would have caught me. I wouldn't have been able to move any more, let alone run away from her. She looked to either side before running back towards the transport. I watched her for a few seconds before finally losing my grip and falling out of the tree.
I hit the ground on my back with an almighty thump, knocking the wind out of me. I let my head fall back against the ground and felt the dampness seep through my hair. Nothing else mattered. I was still free.
And that was all that I was worried about right then.
