DISCLAIMER: None of these guys are mine, with the exception of Kumi Yuy and Sette Devion!
Author Note: To Samantha who reviewed Episode 13, thank you for your complements you wrote! I tried to write, but something's wrong with my e-mail in that once I receive an e-mail, then I can write to people. If you could e-mail me at cyclone2996@hotmail.com, that would be great. Then, I can keep in touch and let you know when the next episodes will be up! To all readers, please feel free to do the same! I'd love to hear your ideas and thoughts with this saga since it's long and involved! I hope you all enjoy this! Love you all, SkyLark
Dedication: To my loyal fans, Snodin, Traci 14, Stormy and Samantha, as well as to all of you, my readers. You're the ones who make all of this worth the effort!
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Gundam Wing: The Second Chapter
Episode 14: Euphoria's First Flight
by SkyLark
with help from Snodin and Traci 14
Narrator: With Sette Devion's successful mission in gaining H7 and the Colonies that shared its orbit, the Preventers and her fellow Gundam pilots were able to breathe their first sigh of relief. OZ would never know what happened to the Colony or those that the program effected. This being their first true victory in the fight, was the first step in changing the tide of the war for those fighting for peace.
Unfortunately, this time to celebrate had been cut short as the people of Earth made allowed their fear and hate to put the blame of the war where it did not belong. In an effort to change this regain the Earth's support for the ones fighting the true culprits, Brian Weatherall chose to return to the Earth immediately. On top of all of this, there were still six Colonies that needed to be gained. The pilots flying those missions were still a long way from successfully completing their missions. Thus, in trying to see how the war would end at this point, it was far to early to say.
* * * * * *
Noin was working away at one of the computers in the control room with Sally Poe doing the same beside her. Both young ladies were wearing headsets and communication with the other Preventers in the center. The door behind them opened and Derek walked to them. Fire and Water turned to him as he informed, "The OZ forced that were heading for H7 to collect Sette never retreated after she was released. More than likely, they're going to change their course and try to locate the king's ship." Noin nodded, "Thank you for your help, Derek. What about Sette and Quatre? How are they now?" Derek answered, "They're on a Preventer's ship with General Churchill now. There's a delay in the plans to reach L4. But, as soon as they get the green light, they'll head off there together." Sally replied, "Sounds good. We have one ring of Colonies that we can channel to so that's better than nothing."
Derek stood straight and said, "I'll be returning to the hanger, then. Lieutenant Keiser has me and a bunch of other pilots on stand-by to get King Weatherall to the Earth safely." Before he turned to leave, Noin smiled, "Great job, Derek." Sally nodded, "Yea. Thanks again." The soldier winked to them and left the control room. When the young man disappeared, Water and Fire went back to their typing. The monitors on their screens showed everything within a hundred-mile radius of the Earth. "I had a feeling that OZ wouldn't call back the soldiers that they sent to H7," Noin said quietly. "And with the announcement that went throughout the galaxy last night, Quinze Khrushrenada and those who work with him know that we'll be doing something to reach the Earth." Water nodded, "You're right about that. For now, we can't worry about them until they actually arrive."
Fire began, "What I'm worried about is the fact that the Gundam pilots-" her words stopped short as she took in a sharp, deep breath and groaned in pain. Sally jumped from her seat and kneeled next to her friend, placing her hand on her stomach. Noin's eyes were slammed shut from the pain and her fists were clenched. She relaxed again with a slow exhale of breath and she sighed. Sally asked, "Are you alright?" Noin forced a smile and dried her forehead with a nod. Rubbing her belly, she stated, "I'm okay. That just came out of nowhere."
Sally did a quick check to see that all was well with the mother-to-be and the baby she was carrying. Seeing that all was well, Water reminded her cautiously, "You know that you're due to have this baby any day now. You don't have to strain yourself with this work with the state you're in." Noin shook her head, "No. I want to do this. I want to help see that Brian gets to Earth safely." Sally would have protested more, but she knew that this was important to her friend that she helped out with this mission, Brian being family and all.
Lady Une walked into the room and stood behind the two Preventers. "All preparations will be completed in an hour. The take-off will come soon after that." Sally got back in her seat as she nodded. Une looked to Noin, who was still sweating a bit. The leader of the Preventers knew that Fire would go into labor at any moment, but knew that nothing she said would get her away from that computer. Instead of saying words, she showed her support and concern by placing a hand on the young woman's shoulder and squeezed. Noin stopped typing and looked up to her commander. She gave Une a warm smile that was returned and went back to typing.
Sally Poe looked to her watch and said to the two ladies, "I have a meeting that will not take too long. I'll be back before the take off." Looking to Noin, she asked, "Are you going to be okay?" Fire replied with a nod, "I'll be alright. Don't worry...If anything changes, I'll make sure that I get help right away." Water felt better in hearing this and answered, "Alright. I'll be back, then." She got up from her seat and left the control room quietly.
Lieutenant Keiser walked to Lady Une from his post in the front of the room. "We have thirty Preventers ready to go. I'll have more ready in a half-hour." Lady Une shook her head "No, thirty Preventers is fine." Keiser gave a look of uncertainty and asked, "My Lady? Thirty soldiers is not a lot of support for the numbers of OZ soldiers that we are expecting to arrive." The woman shook her head, "Not with Zes and Novem giving their own back-up in their Gundams."
Keiser's eyes narrowed a bit and he growled lowly, "My Lady, I still don't see how they'll be able to do much good." "Then perhaps you should invest more of your faith in them, Lieutenant. I have complete faith that they will come through." "Even with Heero, Kumi and the others missing?" Keiser intervened. Une nodded, "Yes, Lieutenant." She turned her back to him and went back to went back to where Fire was. As she walked off, she ordered, "See that the thirty pilots you have are informed that there will be two Gundam suits flying with them. They should put any of their fears about this flight to rest." Keiser growled, "Whatever you say." Clenching his fists, Keiser turned to see that he carried out what was requested.
* * * * * *
Flying far past Jupiter, Heavy Arms continued on its path to reach his destination. However, for now, there was a drop-off on a ship that the pilot needed to make to receive more information on the status of the Colony and anything near it. As he entered the hanger and landed his Gundam, Trowa relaxed a bit in his seat and rubbed his eyes. After a moment to get his thoughts together, he jumped out of the cockpit and to the ground. The head of the ship greeted him with a warm smile. "Welcome to Astral, Trowa Barton," he welcomed with a firm handshake. Trowa nodded, "It's nice to meet you, Captain Evans."
The two Preventers walked out into the hallway and the Captain informed the young pilot, "We still have been receiving strange signals from the UFO that we had mentioned to you earlier." Trowa replied, "Several commanders have informed me of that. Is there any lock on an exact location as of yet?" The tall Evans shook his bald head, "No. Not just yet. But we are certain that it is just beyond the colony that you are heading for." Trowa nodded, "I'll be sure to look into it. Since this is my last stop before reaching the Colony, I'll be sure to remain extra careful." "You do that," Evans smiled.
They stopped before a small room and Evans explained, "You're room's all set for your stay tonight. Make yourself at home." The pilot of Heavy Arms sighed in relief of the thought of a good night's sleep in a bad for a change, "Thank you, Captain." Just as Evans was about to walk away, Trowa pulled an envelope from his jean pocket and requested, "Would it be alright if I left a note for Kumi Yuy with you? I know that her next drop-off is miles off from here, but it's the only way I'll be able to get in touch with her." Evans chuckled kindly, "Sure thing. One of my men is heading to that same drop-off tomorrow. They'll get to the ship before she will. We'll see that she gets that."
"Thank you," Trowa said quietly as he handed the envelope to the Captain. "Get some sleep, kid. You're going to need it," Evans suggested as he turned away. Trowa entered the room and removed his shirt followed by his shoes and pants. In only his boxers, the young pilot stretched out on the bed after placing the covers over himself. Once he turned the light out, a small yawn left the pilot. He rested completely and said to himself quietly, "Wherever you are Kumi, I hope you're all right." His eyes closed as sleep finally took him into its embrace.
* * * * * *
On a Colony that fell half-way between Saturn and Jupiter, a large OZ base hidden in the woods was the only place that was still awake with action this late night. Inside, uniformed soldiers ran around with their tasks of building more mobile suits and weapons that were needed for the war. The base was filled with troops as they shouted over the loud machinery that produced the suits. One soldier who was supervising the others looked over the balcony he stood on. Several soldiers were on harnesses as they worked on the details of the mobile suits from above. One particular soldier in a harness caught his attention. Whatever hair she had, it was all under a black baseball cap that she always wore with her uniform.
"Hey, you," he shouted over the buzz saws that the young woman and those near her were using. The young soldier looked up to him with an empty expression. "I need to see you in my office," the supervisor told her. The young woman nodded and flipped a switch that raised her to the balcony in her harness. When she reached the balcony and removed the straps, she walked with the OZ soldier into a small room.
The noise from the construction was muffled as the door was closed behind the young woman. The man sat at has desk and glared to the girl. "I have been looking into to find and reports under your name and there is no Kera Young or any name like that to be found. Therefore, I am going to have to excuse you from this base." The young woman's expressionless face sneered as she said in a chilling voice, "Then I'm going to have to kill you."
The young woman removed a pistol she had hidden in her blouse and shot the OZ soldier in the head before he could react further than widening his eyes. The man's body fell back and hit the floor with a sickening thud. Blood poured from behind the desk where the body landed. Kumi removed her cap, allowing the long braid of silver hair fall to her knees as she went to the reports in the office. Taking everything the files that she was looking for, she walked to the door and locked it before leaving. Once the door was closed, she replaced the cap, not bothering to hid her hair under it again.
Since none of the other soldiers were able to hear the gunshot over the noise of the construction, nobody knew that there was anything to be alarmed over. Kumi was able to walk past every soldier as they did not think to really get a good look at her. The cap visor hid her cobalt eyes. Had they seen them along with the silver braid, they would have known that they were with a Gundam pilot. But since they did not see this, they went on with business as usual.
Kumi stepped out into the night and walked to a car that she had stolen from the soldier she killed in order to have an OZ uniform. Once she got into the deep red automobile and turned the headlights on, she sped off through the dark woods with the reports in the passenger seat.
Several minutes passed and still there was no all of alarm in the base. Then, another OZ soldier thought that it was strange that the supervisor had not returned from the meeting with the young woman, since they saw her leave ten minutes ago. Curiosity got him and he walked to the office of the supervisor. When he went to open the door, only to find it locked, his eyes narrowed instantly. He gave a loud knock and called, "Sir, is everything alright?" He paused a moment and when there was no response, he removed his gun and kicked the door open.
The young soldier's eyes widened as he looked to the bloody scene before him. There was a report with the young woman's obscure picture on it. Looking to this, the young man read her reported name to be Kera Young. Suddenly, he thought of the young woman and her initials. "FUCK!" he screamed to himself as he fled the room. He screamed over the PA as he sounder the alarm, "GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE! A GUNDAM PILOT WAS IN THE BASE!" The soldiers panicked and began to flee. However, the steel doors were closed be remote, trapping everyone within.
From a tall cliff, Kumi stood with her hair loose and flying in the wind along with her deep purple cape over her black attire. The sirens of the base could be heard even from where she stood, a good few miles away and her view was perfect. The remote that closed the doors was replaced with a small detonation device that the pilot held before her. Without hesitation, the silver-haired pilot pressed the device. Instantly, three massive explosions went off, one after another and the base was engulfed in flames. Allowing herself a silent moment to see that the base was destroyed, or would be by the fire, she said in her 'Perfect Soldier' tone, "Mission accomplished." At this, she turned to return to the car waiting at the bottom of the cliff.
* * * * * *
Relena and Dorothy ran to the hanger together through the hallways. "This fight should prove interesting, right, Miss Relena?" Dorothy smile as they continued to run. "I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't nervous. Fighting without Kumi, Sette and the others won't be the easiest of challenges," the queen replied. "We'll make them proud," Dorothy said with an even wider smile on her face now. "Let's hope you're right," Relena whispered.
When they reached the hanger, the two pilots saw Catherine standing before the Gundams with Derek. The redhead looked to the two of them with a concerned glance. Relena and Dorothy caught their breaths when they saw the young woman there. Walking to her, Relena asked with uncertainty, "Catherine, are you going to fight with us?" Catherine huffed, "Not a chance. I just wanted to see Derek and the two of you before you leave." Derek lowered his head, "I tried talking to her, girls...I'm sorry." Relena smiled and shook her head, "Don't be sorry, Derek. Catherine has made her choice. It wouldn't be right for anyone to judge her or make her do something she doesn't want to." Derek nodded and hugged Trowa's sister. The young woman returned the hug and said gently, "Be careful, Derek." At that, the Preventer smiled to her and went off to reach his Taurus suit.
Dorothy smiled, "He's a nice guy." Catherine fought a blush that threatened her cheeks and replied without looked to her friends, "Yes. He is." Finally, the redhead looked to Zes and Novem with and asked with uncertainty and concern, "You're really going to do this...fight without the others?" Dorothy nodded, "Yes. We were chosen to be Gundam pilots to fight when we can. That's what we'll continue to do no matter what." Relena continued with a soft smile, "We'll be fine out there. Kumi and Sette trained us well and they never would have let us fight without them or the others if they didn't think that we were ready."
Catherine sighed deeply and shrugged, "More power to you both. I wish you luck, no matter what. If nothing else, I'll be here cheering you on." Relena hugged the young woman and said quietly, "Thank you, Catherine. That's we could use all the support we can get." When their hug broke, Novem walked to Catherine and hugged her as well. Looking to the pilots, the ex-pilot took a deep breath and told them, "Take care of yourselves out there." Her friends nodded and they parted ways from there, Catherine walking out of the hanger. Relena and Dorothy watched her leave with heavy hearts, nonetheless.
Slither was still a good few days from being fully repaired, even after all of this time. Catherine had damaged the suit worse than what anyone first thought. Walking to their Gundams, the pilots found Brian wearing a space suit. He ran up to them and smiled, "There you are." Zes smiled and kissed her husband. Hugging him tightly, she said quietly, "I'm sorry, love. I had to see Sally about something." "Is everything alright, sweetheart?" the king asked with concern in his voice and all over his face as he looked to his queen. Relena nodded and smiled, "Everything is fine. Our meeting just lased longer than I thought it would." Brian smiled and kissed her forehead.
Dorothy gave the young man a tight hug and said gently, "Good luck, your highness." Brian chuckled deeply as he returned the hug, "After all these years, you still don't call either Relena or myself by or first names." Looking into the blonde pilot's eyes, he said sincerely, "Thank you, Dorothy. Take care of Relena while I'm away." Novem smiled and nodded, "Of course." Novem walked off to leave the king and queen a moment together. The pair embraced again. "Please be careful, my love," Relena whispered. "I will. I'll be back before you know it," Brian promised. Reluctantly, they parted.
Brian walked to the ship that would be taking him to the Earth, It was only meant for himself. Getting into the cockpit, he looked down and saw Lieutenant Keiser wave to him. He stood and Keiser saluted, "We're ready when you are, your majesty." Brian nodded and took his seat as he placed his space helmet on. The visor of the ship closed over him and he announced, "Let's go." His ship was the first to leave the hanger, followed quickly by Calvary and Rampage then the thirty Preventer Taurus suits behind them.
* * * * * *
It was a two-hour flight to the Earth and after more than an hour passed, Noin's voice came over the transmitters of every ship and suit as she announced, "There is an army of OZ soldiers waiting for you about ten miles from the Earth's atmosphere. You'll be reaching them in about half-hour from the looks of things, they'll be staying there." Sally Poe's voice added, "If there is any way, try to make them come after you. The closer they fly to the Earth, the sooner the people down there will know there is a fight going on. The second they see any Gundams or Preventer suits, they will open fire on all of you. So, try to keep them in the dark until King Weatherall can get a clear entrance on his own."
Relena asked, "Everyone copy that?" There was an affirmative response from everyone. Sally replied, "Good. There's over a hundred and fifty soldiers there with more possibly on the way so stay on your toes." "We'll do that," Brian nodded. The pack flew on into the stars with caution as well as determination to reach their goal.
* * * * * *
Duo slept in the cockpit of Deathscythe as he made his way to his second drop off. Sleeping in a Gundam suit was not the most comfortable of experiences, but when you were the pilot of one for as long as he and his comrades had been, you got used to the situation. Sleeping, however, was even more difficult to find true content in without Heero's arms around him. At least there were his dreams. The braided pilot would always dream of his love when slumber would take hold of him. They were the only things that he had to look forward to for now, knowing that it would be a long time before he would actually be with Heero again.
This time, however, those dreams were not like the ones that he had seen before. In this dream, he was flying Deathscythe and battling the OZ fleets that came to challenge him. In the midst of the fight, Wing Zero came and fought beside his Gundam. Duo looked to his monitors and looked to the image of his lover and the Wing pilot smiled warmly to him as they fought on. The struggle was becoming more and more difficult as the swarms of OZ soldiers came from everywhere. The minute one opponent was destroyed, three more came in their place.
Suddenly, Wing Zero was hit by the beam of a laser and was nearly destroyed. "HEERO!" Duo screamed as he flew his suit to guard what was left of the angel-winged Gundam. The forces all disappeared as if running from something terrifying as they retreated in a flash. Duo took this as a blessing as he lowered Deathscythe to the ground beside the severely damaged suit of Wing. With his sanity leaving, he worked at opening the hatch of the suit. Finally, the hatch opened and he looked inside.
Heero was bleeding all over and unconscious as his form was lifelessly sprawled in the seat. Tears filled the American's eyes as he let out a large gasp, an even bigger lump forming in his throat. Violently, he forced the broken harness off of his lover. That force and violence disappeared when he leaned down and gently lifted Heero into his arms. Duo made his way to the ground and gently lied the blood-covered pilot with tenderness onto the grass.
Duo was now sobbing as he looked to Heero and caressed his cut cheek softly. A small groan of pain left his partner, though his eyes did not open. "d-duo?" Heero whispered so quietly that Duo almost missed it. "Heero," Duo called in a soft, choked chop. "Hang on, love. I'm right here," he said as he planted a kiss on the scarred forehead. Still unable to gain full consciousness, Heero said very quietly, "I love you, Duo." At that, his body fell lifeless into the braided pilot's arms.
"No," Duo whispered as he shook his head. Tears flowed from his eyes and he began to breathe quickly, unable to catch his breath. Everything around him and the pilot in his arms turned to red and a large form dressed in a black robe and hood with a massive scythe rose from where the ground was. Duo's eyes grew as large as they could become as he looked to Death. The hands of the figure that were able to be seen were nothing but skeleton.
Duo clutched onto Heero's body tightly and shouted, "NO! I WON'T LET YOU TAKE HIM FROM ME!" Death chuckled deeply and shook his head slowly. In a deep that seemed impossibly low, he said, "When have I ever let you keep anything, Duo? Did you really think I would let it be any different with that pilot you love?" Dark shadows of dead souls appeared from nowhere and jumped Duo, who struggled to fight them off. He was outnumbered and Death bent down and took Heero into his arms. "NO!" Duo screamed as he watched helplessly, being held back from the shadows. Death looked down to the Wing pilot and soon he and the shadows disappeared. As he vanished, Death chuckled deeply, "Pleasant dreams, Duo." The young pilot doubled into himself and cried hysterically when he was left alone.
Duo woke with a start as he screamed, "HEERO!" He was gasping for air and was covered in sweat, his eyes wide with fear and loss. Finally, he looked to his surroundings and fell back into his seat. He closed his eyes and wiped the sweat from his drenched face, taking deep breaths and trying to get the images of that nightmare out of his mind. Normally, he would clutch his cross at times like this, giving him something to hand onto. But, he soon reminded himself that Heero had it with him. He took one more deep breath before slowly releasing it. "Come on, Duo," he said to himself quietly. "It was just a nightmare."
Without warning, his monitor beeped. He looked to the screen as something was trying to make its way through his signal. The screen started off with just static, but something was trying to make its way as the static broke in spurts. "Please tell me this is..." he whispered breathlessly to himself.
* * * * * *
Sera Makato was on a small Preventer that was carrying her and Heero to the next drop off, still a good day or two away. She was typing away at the Wing pilot's laptop while she was in the ship's pilot seat. Heero was looking over Wing Zero in the hanger of the craft while she worked on the computer. Brushing back some strands of her dark hair from her eyes, Sera gave a small smile as she looked to the screen.
The door behind her opened as Heero walked in slowly. Sera turned and smiled to him, "Heero, I think that I've managed to get a fix on Deathscythe's signal." The 'Perfect Soldier's' eyes widened as he gave a small gasp of hope, "Honto?" "Honto," Makato nodded as she turned back to the laptop. Heero ran up to the seat and looked over her shoulder. Sera showed him what he needed to do in order to patch in and she handed him the laptop. "Have fun," she told him as he took the machine. Heero ran with the computer into the hanger and worked quickly at regaining access to the signal. Sera smiled as she watched him disappear, then returned to focusing on flying the ship again.
* * * * * *
The static on Duo's monitor was finally breaking and soon, an image came through. The braided pilot's eyes widened and as he whispered, "Heero." His partner appeared clearly now. "Duo," he heard the Wing pilot whisper just as quietly. The two pilots looked to each other and finally, Duo smiled lovingly to his koi. Heero returned the smile whole-heartedly and sighed deeply, "I've been trying to get through for days." Duo gave a small laugh of relief and nodded, "I have, too. How are you, koi?" His lover replied, "I'm fine. You?" The American shrugged, "All right...Just lonely." Heero nodded his agreement.
"How were you able to lock onto my signal," Duo asked. Heero answered, "There's a Preventer named Sera Makato who is working to get me where I need to go." Duo laughed and shook his head, "They hired a bodyguard for you!?!" Heero chuckled deeply, "I thought the same thing at first. But she's not here to do any more fighting than she needs to do. Sera was able to help me patch into finding your signal." Duo smiled warmly and replied, "Tell her I said 'thank you.'" "I'll do that," Heero smiled back.
After a brief pause, Heero whispered, "I miss you, koi" Duo bit his lip and lowered his head as he quietly whispered back, "I miss you too, Heero." "Are you being careful out there?" the Wing pilot asked gently. Duo winked, "Aw, you know me." Heero gave a sharp laugh, "That's what I'm afraid of." Duo stuck his tongue out quickly and laughed with his partner. Knowing that they couldn't talk long, the pilots never removed their eyes from their lover's image.
The 'Perfect Soldier' sighed, "I have to go." Duo nodded, "I know...I'm glad we got even this time to talk." The Wing pilot gave a small nod and replied, "So am I." There was another brief pause as their eyes locked. "I love you, Duo," Heero whispered. Duo replied just as quietly, "I love you, Heero." They wouldn't say good bye, it was something that they would never do, even in the first days of their relationship together. They just refused to say those words to each other. So, when their 'I love you's' were said, the screen turned to static again after they looked to each other one last time.
Duo looked to the static on his monitor for a moment before turning the screen off. He fell back in his seat, feeling relieved for the first time since leaving Peace Million. Looking where his lover's image once was, a small smile grew across his face. Hundreds of miles away from Deathscythe, in the hanger of the Preventer craft, Heero did the same.
* * * * * *
Mean while, the fleet flying towards the Earth only had a few minutes left before reaching the Earth's atmosphere, Relena shouted, "THERE THEY ARE!" Sure enough, a large swarm of mobile suits shot towards them. The pack of Preventers and Gundams split and went their own ways to protect Brian and knock out the OZ forces. Calvary gave the first blow as one of the massive sais sliced through a white Taurus suit from the top down to the bottom. Dorothy was right behind her and shot three suits with silver arrows as they exploded on impact. Derek lead the charge of his fellow Preventers as they battled with everything that they had.
The king's small craft was equip with lasers and he too, met the OZ soldiers head-on. Being a skilled fighter and pilot, himself, he did more than his share of fighting now. "I can't believe they were able to move this many soldiers here so quickly," he said aloud as he gripped his controls tightly. Two suits were coming from behind and the young man instantly spun his craft around to shoot them in their attempt to do the same to him.
Derek's suit sped through the soldiers, taking out a good number as he piloted. "Keep your eyes open. There might be more of these guys on the way," he called to everyone. Relena nodded as she sent a fist into the chest of another OZ suit. "I think I'm picking something up on my radar." Dorothy replied, "I'm getting something, too." After taking out another suit, she took a moment to get a better look at her monitor. Novem gasped and called, "There's at least fifty more suits making their way here now." Relena flew off and cut through two suits as she growled, "We have our hands full enough as it is."
* * * * * *
The reinforcement of OZ soldiers arrived and enveloped the fight at every corner. If one was to look at the battle that King Weatherall and the pilots were fighting from afar, they would see that he Preventers, the Gundams and Brian were in the middle of what looked like a swarm of bees that were the OZ suits they were fighting. Noin, Sally, and Lady Une were watching this along with the soldiers working in the control room. "I can't see them in the middle of that fleet like this," Sally announced. "They all completely surrounded." Noin replied, "Yes, but they're holding their own somehow."
Lady Une looked on with concern and whispered gravely, "But how long can they keep this up?" Catherine got up from her seat and joined the three young ladies as they huddled around Water and Fire's monitors. "Come on," she said quietly to herself, willing her friends to continue. "I know you guys can get through this...After all the fighting you've already been through..." Lady Une looked to the redhead with a gently glance. She knew that if Catherine was able to pilot again, she would have done so by now. Still, Une wished that maybe someday, she might find the courage to fight in Slither again. She had the same fire that Trowa always had, whether or not she would ever admit it. Lady Une looked back to the monitor when her thoughts went back to the fight.
* * * * * *
Relena was being struck time and time again as she was outnumbered by four OZ suits who took time to enjoy knocking the Gundam suit with their guns and laser swords. The queen shouted in pain as she was struck roughly at her side. Novem was not having much better luck, herself as Rampage was being attacked by several soldiers. "Is that all you have to offer," an OZ soldier laughed loudly as she sent a swift kick that nailed the spot over the Rampage's cockpit. Dorothy groaned loudly in pain as the cockpit shook from the force of the blow. She growled and tried to regain her composure and fight back.
Derek was struggling to get to his friends in the midst of the fight, but could not see beyond the OZ soldiers. He watched helplessly as two Preventers were shot at either side of him, their suits exploding. "Damn it," he shouted. "We're not going to make it out of here if this keeps up." Relena shook her head as she wiped some blood from her forehead after another blow caused her head to hit the controls. "We can't think that way," she insisted. "There has to be something that we can do to stop them.
Zes fought with everything she had and finally managed to send Calvary's right arm to rise and cut through another OZ soldier. The queen grunted and pushed forward on the controls to get her suit to move on. As Relena was beginning to get through the forces that were surrounding her, she didn't see that there was a soldier behind her, aiming their beam cannon at her. "Long live the queen," the OZ pilot sneered evilly as he was about to send the final shot. Suddenly, his monitors were beeping loudly with red lights flashing. The pilot's eyes widened as he shouted, "What the-!?!" Looking up, all he could see was a bright green laser heading right for him. That laser was being held by, "THERE'S ANOTHER GUNDAM!!!" was all the soldier was able to scream before he was cut in half.
Relena heard the scream and the explosion as she turned around with a loud gasp. Her eyes widened to their limits and her jaw fell slack as she looked to the large, golden Gundam suit before her. "Keep your eyes opened, Zes," Milliardo smiled to his sister. Relena smiled and shouted, "Milliardo!" At this, there was a shout and cheer heard from every Preventer and pilot fighting to get the king to safety.
Euphoria's weapon, two laser swords that were attached by their handles in the middle, was as large as the suit itself and could be handled like a bow and two swords when pulled apart. The golden Gundamimum shimmered in the light from the Earth and the sun, creating an amazing sight that stopped nearly every soldier that had been fighting as they took a moment to look in awe. Heero and Kumi made ever detail impressive and breathtaking. It was only right that Milliardo Peacecraft was the pilot of such an incredible Gundam. The pilot took a moment to nod to his sister and went off fighting the OZ soldiers who snapped themselves back to reality.
Milliardo shouted and went through five Taurus suits as if them were paper. Pulling the bow into two swords, Milliardo was able to fight and defend himself from more than a soldier at a time. His presence with Euphoria gave Brian, and the pilots the breath of relief that they had been looking for since the beginning of the fight, nearly a half-hour prior to this time. Together, they spun through the skies and regained their strength little by little.
Seeing that the OZ soldiers were purposely trying to draw the fight closer to the Earth's atmosphere, Milliardo piloted his suit to cut off those who were drawing back, closer to the planet. "Zes, Novem, I need you back here with me," he called. Relena and Dorothy arrived as they were requested, shooting and stopping the OZ forces that were trying to make their way close to the atmosphere.
To the other pilots, the long-haired pilot announced, "We'll start bringing them to you," he informed the other pilots. "Fly off and get ready to intercept them from the north and to the sides." The others agreed as they all flew off far from the Earth. Brian, Derek and the other Preventers all stopped when they were a good few miles further from the planet.
Once everything was in place, the three Gundam pilot looked to each other in their monitors. "Ready?" Milliardo asked the two young women. His sister and their good friend nodded sternly. "Good," he replied. "Let's finish this, then." At this, he flew Euphoria off at great speed before the other suits. The OZ soldiers were now trapped between a rock and a hard place with the Gundam suits coming from below and the Preventers surrounding their only paths of escape.
Some soldiers chose to brave the Gundam suits that charged towards them. Others tried to find a way through the wall of Preventers that blocked their escape. Any that tried to fly off were soon chased by either a Gundam or a Preventer. The cloud of OZ soldiers was being wiped out and finally, there was a small opening that was growing in the swarm. Relena saw this along with Dorothy as they flew off and worked to see that the opening continued to grow. As they knocked out more soldiers, it would not long before the ship that Brian was in would be able to make its way through.
"Look!!!" Novem shouted as she looked to her monitor as she continued to fight with the others. Another fleet of Preventers flew in swiftly to support the team that was already fighting. Milliardo gave a small sigh of relief, "Perfect timing." Now it was time for the OZ soldiers to be overwhelmed by the numbers they were up against. The shoe was quickly on the other foot as the tides changed. Finally, there was nothing that threatened a safe decent to Earth for its king.
Relena was elated when she saw this and she looked to the small craft high above her. Her husband smiled as he saw his chance. With sweat rolling down his face, he replied with a nod, "That's perfect." With a forceful push on the controls, the craft carrying the king shot through the hold in the OZ forces. This sudden breech in their stronghold was too much for the Taurus suits to react and shoot the king down. On top of this, their numbers were dropping like flies under the pressure of the forces working against them.
Brian and Relena just managed to catch a quick glimpse of each other at Calvary and the small ship passed each other. "I love you, Relena," Brian said quietly as he looked to her on his screen. Zes smiled and bit her lip. Finally, she nodded, "I love you, too." Their connection was lost and the screens went to static. Zes was too busy watching the ship disappear to hear the cries of victory from the Preventers. The OZ soldiers who managed to survive made a quick escape. There was nothing keeping them here any longer and they knew that they wouldn't be followed, not after the long and trying struggle that everyone had just been through.
Still looking to the Earth, Relena could no longer see any sign of her husband's ship. She sighed deeply and lowered her head, closing her eyes. "Relena?" she heard her brother ask quietly. She looked to see that Euphoria and Rampage were at either of her sides. The queen smiled to the two pilots, "We better be heading back before someone knows we're here." Milliardo nodded, "Yea...We'll talk back at Peace Million." Zes nodded and they all flew of with the Preventers back to where the others were waiting.
As he descended to the Earth, Brian thought back to early tat morning, when a promise was made that would decide the outcome of the fight he and his friends had just been through.
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(Flashback)
Brian Weatherall was packing in the cockpit of Peace Million as he prepared the craft he would be flying back to the Earth. The door to the hanger opened and the young kind turned to see who was entering through the bright light of the hallway. When the person came in full view, he smiled and walked to the pilot. "Hello, Milliardo," he greeted. The man before him smiled back and asked, "You were asking for me?" Brain took a deep breath and nodded, "I have a request to make before I leave for the Earth. I know that there is going to be resistance that'll work against me."
The long-haired pilot understood what the young king was going to request immediately on this note. Milliardo offered, "I would be happy to see that you reach your destination safely, Brian." His brother-in-law smiled and nodded, "Thank you...And about Relena..." The king paused, already dreading being away from his wife at such a challenging time for who knew how long. "Please take care of her for me while I'm gone," he said quietly, as he lowered his head sadly. Milliardo smiled and placed a hand on his shoulders. They looked eye-to-eye and the long-haired pilot vowed, "I promise I'll take care of her." The two young men shook hands firmly as they smiled to each other.
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* * * * * *
As they watched the suits fly back to the ship after the fight, Sally, Noin, Catherine and Lady Une sighed deeply as they went slack in their positions. Keiser walked to Lady Une with a mischievous grin on his face. Une smirked and shook her head, "You didn't tell me that you were sending troops after the original thirty." Keiser shrugged, "Let's jut say that I had a feeling that those ladies were going to have their hands full and thirty soldiers wouldn't have been enough." His commander closed her eyes, but gave a small smile, "I thank you for following your instincts." Satisfied with this, the Lieutenant nodded and walked off.
Sally looked to Noin and asked with a playful grin, "Did you know that Milliardo was going to be taking Euphoria into this fight?" Noin shook her head and replied sincerely as she chuckled, "I was just as surprised as the rest of you when he showed up with that suit." Catherine sighed, "I'm just glad the whole thing's over with. I'll be in the hanger waiting for the others when they get back." Saying this, the redhead left the room to do just as she said.
Sally asked Noin, "How are you feeling?" Noin shrugged, "Fine now." Rubbing her belly, she smiled, "I guess that the baby is just getting restless." Sally smiled and nodded, "Just take it easy. The second anything changes, see that I'm informed right away." Noin laughed and saluted, "Yes, mam." Sally went off and made her way to her office. Noin rubbed her belly again and smiled, "Just like your father, waiting for the right time to make big entrance."
* * * * * *
Many hours later, Relena was sitting in a small office in the medical area of Peace Million. She was buttoning the vest of her white suit and lied her head back against the wall. When her clothes were fixed again, the queen folded her hands and sat still in waiting. Thoughts of Brain were swimming through her mind as she tried not to worry. Try as she might, Relena would never be able to but her fears to rest until she knew that her husband was safe and back on Peace Million.
The door to the office opened and Sally Poe walked in. Relena stood right away and looked to her friend. Sally smiled to the pilot and suggested, "You can sit, Relena. I know that you have a lot on your mind right now. The test results will be a few minutes." The queen shook her head, "Sitting is all I've been doing. I'll be fine standing." Sally chuckled and nodded, "I understand." Her thoughts stopped when she saw Relena's hands fidgeting. The braided woman said sincerely, "Brain is going to be fine, Relena." With another chuckle, she added, "He's just as stubborn as you are." The young queen smiled and nodded, "I know... Still-" Her words ended when the phone in the wall near the door rang. The two ladies looked to the phone with wide eyes.
Sally walked over and picked up the call. "This is Water," she said as she brought the phone to her ear. Relena watched silently, biting her lip. The medic carried on the conversation, "Yes...Uh huh..." After a pause, she nodded, "Okay. Thank you." At that, she hung the phone back up and looked to the pilot. Relena was holding her breath as she looked to Sally and asked quietly, "What were the results?" Sally replied, "They were negative." Relena gave an expression that the Preventer couldn't read. The queen sat quietly back on the patient table. Water sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"My dear, you have plenty of time to have a child. Just because you're not pregnant now doesn't mean that you never will be," Sally said kindly, trying to pick up the queen's spirits. Relena smiled and shook her head, "I'm not upset at not being pregnant, Sally." She really was sincere when she said this. "I'm actually kind of relieved. And I know that Brain and I have plenty of time to have children...I guess that when there was a chance that I was going to have a baby, I got excited." Sally nodded, "That's a normal reaction when someone is happily married and wants to start a family, whether it's sooner or later."
Relena fought blushing as she stated, "Just the thought of having a family with Brian is exciting. I couldn't think of anyone else I'd rather share that with." Sally smiled warmly and hugged the pilot. "All in due time, Relena...You'll have plenty of children together." Relena nodded and hugged the young woman back. When the embrace broke, she smiled, "Thank you for the help and support. "That's what friends are for," Water smiled back.
The two walked out of the room and down the hall to the control room. Now it was Sally's turn to look concerned for a moment. Relena looked to her and saw the anxiousness in her eyes. She said quietly, "I know that Wufei is close to reaching his destination." Her friend looked to her with more concern in her expression. The queen smiled, "He'll be fine." Sally smiled back, " I know he'll be fine, too. It's still hard...not knowing." Relena sighed deeply and lowered her head, "Tell me about it." The rest of the walk was spent in silence.
* * * * * *
Wufei stretched in his cockpit and sighed deeply. It had been well over a week that he had been flying straight now. From the drop-off (which he reached twelve days earlier from now) he learned from the Preventers that as of yet, there were no signs of OZ soldiers located near or on his destination. However, there was reason to believe that this was not the actual case. All that the Chinese pilot wanted now was some sign of relief in getting this mission completed.
Looking to his monitors, Wufei's eyes widened. He sat up and looked closer to the screen as a smile spread across his face. "There it is..." he whispered to himself in awe. A Colony made of silver lied before him, glistening in the bright sun. "Colony C91."
TBC
Author Note: To Samantha who reviewed Episode 13, thank you for your complements you wrote! I tried to write, but something's wrong with my e-mail in that once I receive an e-mail, then I can write to people. If you could e-mail me at cyclone2996@hotmail.com, that would be great. Then, I can keep in touch and let you know when the next episodes will be up! To all readers, please feel free to do the same! I'd love to hear your ideas and thoughts with this saga since it's long and involved! I hope you all enjoy this! Love you all, SkyLark
Dedication: To my loyal fans, Snodin, Traci 14, Stormy and Samantha, as well as to all of you, my readers. You're the ones who make all of this worth the effort!
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Gundam Wing: The Second Chapter
Episode 14: Euphoria's First Flight
by SkyLark
with help from Snodin and Traci 14
Narrator: With Sette Devion's successful mission in gaining H7 and the Colonies that shared its orbit, the Preventers and her fellow Gundam pilots were able to breathe their first sigh of relief. OZ would never know what happened to the Colony or those that the program effected. This being their first true victory in the fight, was the first step in changing the tide of the war for those fighting for peace.
Unfortunately, this time to celebrate had been cut short as the people of Earth made allowed their fear and hate to put the blame of the war where it did not belong. In an effort to change this regain the Earth's support for the ones fighting the true culprits, Brian Weatherall chose to return to the Earth immediately. On top of all of this, there were still six Colonies that needed to be gained. The pilots flying those missions were still a long way from successfully completing their missions. Thus, in trying to see how the war would end at this point, it was far to early to say.
* * * * * *
Noin was working away at one of the computers in the control room with Sally Poe doing the same beside her. Both young ladies were wearing headsets and communication with the other Preventers in the center. The door behind them opened and Derek walked to them. Fire and Water turned to him as he informed, "The OZ forced that were heading for H7 to collect Sette never retreated after she was released. More than likely, they're going to change their course and try to locate the king's ship." Noin nodded, "Thank you for your help, Derek. What about Sette and Quatre? How are they now?" Derek answered, "They're on a Preventer's ship with General Churchill now. There's a delay in the plans to reach L4. But, as soon as they get the green light, they'll head off there together." Sally replied, "Sounds good. We have one ring of Colonies that we can channel to so that's better than nothing."
Derek stood straight and said, "I'll be returning to the hanger, then. Lieutenant Keiser has me and a bunch of other pilots on stand-by to get King Weatherall to the Earth safely." Before he turned to leave, Noin smiled, "Great job, Derek." Sally nodded, "Yea. Thanks again." The soldier winked to them and left the control room. When the young man disappeared, Water and Fire went back to their typing. The monitors on their screens showed everything within a hundred-mile radius of the Earth. "I had a feeling that OZ wouldn't call back the soldiers that they sent to H7," Noin said quietly. "And with the announcement that went throughout the galaxy last night, Quinze Khrushrenada and those who work with him know that we'll be doing something to reach the Earth." Water nodded, "You're right about that. For now, we can't worry about them until they actually arrive."
Fire began, "What I'm worried about is the fact that the Gundam pilots-" her words stopped short as she took in a sharp, deep breath and groaned in pain. Sally jumped from her seat and kneeled next to her friend, placing her hand on her stomach. Noin's eyes were slammed shut from the pain and her fists were clenched. She relaxed again with a slow exhale of breath and she sighed. Sally asked, "Are you alright?" Noin forced a smile and dried her forehead with a nod. Rubbing her belly, she stated, "I'm okay. That just came out of nowhere."
Sally did a quick check to see that all was well with the mother-to-be and the baby she was carrying. Seeing that all was well, Water reminded her cautiously, "You know that you're due to have this baby any day now. You don't have to strain yourself with this work with the state you're in." Noin shook her head, "No. I want to do this. I want to help see that Brian gets to Earth safely." Sally would have protested more, but she knew that this was important to her friend that she helped out with this mission, Brian being family and all.
Lady Une walked into the room and stood behind the two Preventers. "All preparations will be completed in an hour. The take-off will come soon after that." Sally got back in her seat as she nodded. Une looked to Noin, who was still sweating a bit. The leader of the Preventers knew that Fire would go into labor at any moment, but knew that nothing she said would get her away from that computer. Instead of saying words, she showed her support and concern by placing a hand on the young woman's shoulder and squeezed. Noin stopped typing and looked up to her commander. She gave Une a warm smile that was returned and went back to typing.
Sally Poe looked to her watch and said to the two ladies, "I have a meeting that will not take too long. I'll be back before the take off." Looking to Noin, she asked, "Are you going to be okay?" Fire replied with a nod, "I'll be alright. Don't worry...If anything changes, I'll make sure that I get help right away." Water felt better in hearing this and answered, "Alright. I'll be back, then." She got up from her seat and left the control room quietly.
Lieutenant Keiser walked to Lady Une from his post in the front of the room. "We have thirty Preventers ready to go. I'll have more ready in a half-hour." Lady Une shook her head "No, thirty Preventers is fine." Keiser gave a look of uncertainty and asked, "My Lady? Thirty soldiers is not a lot of support for the numbers of OZ soldiers that we are expecting to arrive." The woman shook her head, "Not with Zes and Novem giving their own back-up in their Gundams."
Keiser's eyes narrowed a bit and he growled lowly, "My Lady, I still don't see how they'll be able to do much good." "Then perhaps you should invest more of your faith in them, Lieutenant. I have complete faith that they will come through." "Even with Heero, Kumi and the others missing?" Keiser intervened. Une nodded, "Yes, Lieutenant." She turned her back to him and went back to went back to where Fire was. As she walked off, she ordered, "See that the thirty pilots you have are informed that there will be two Gundam suits flying with them. They should put any of their fears about this flight to rest." Keiser growled, "Whatever you say." Clenching his fists, Keiser turned to see that he carried out what was requested.
* * * * * *
Flying far past Jupiter, Heavy Arms continued on its path to reach his destination. However, for now, there was a drop-off on a ship that the pilot needed to make to receive more information on the status of the Colony and anything near it. As he entered the hanger and landed his Gundam, Trowa relaxed a bit in his seat and rubbed his eyes. After a moment to get his thoughts together, he jumped out of the cockpit and to the ground. The head of the ship greeted him with a warm smile. "Welcome to Astral, Trowa Barton," he welcomed with a firm handshake. Trowa nodded, "It's nice to meet you, Captain Evans."
The two Preventers walked out into the hallway and the Captain informed the young pilot, "We still have been receiving strange signals from the UFO that we had mentioned to you earlier." Trowa replied, "Several commanders have informed me of that. Is there any lock on an exact location as of yet?" The tall Evans shook his bald head, "No. Not just yet. But we are certain that it is just beyond the colony that you are heading for." Trowa nodded, "I'll be sure to look into it. Since this is my last stop before reaching the Colony, I'll be sure to remain extra careful." "You do that," Evans smiled.
They stopped before a small room and Evans explained, "You're room's all set for your stay tonight. Make yourself at home." The pilot of Heavy Arms sighed in relief of the thought of a good night's sleep in a bad for a change, "Thank you, Captain." Just as Evans was about to walk away, Trowa pulled an envelope from his jean pocket and requested, "Would it be alright if I left a note for Kumi Yuy with you? I know that her next drop-off is miles off from here, but it's the only way I'll be able to get in touch with her." Evans chuckled kindly, "Sure thing. One of my men is heading to that same drop-off tomorrow. They'll get to the ship before she will. We'll see that she gets that."
"Thank you," Trowa said quietly as he handed the envelope to the Captain. "Get some sleep, kid. You're going to need it," Evans suggested as he turned away. Trowa entered the room and removed his shirt followed by his shoes and pants. In only his boxers, the young pilot stretched out on the bed after placing the covers over himself. Once he turned the light out, a small yawn left the pilot. He rested completely and said to himself quietly, "Wherever you are Kumi, I hope you're all right." His eyes closed as sleep finally took him into its embrace.
* * * * * *
On a Colony that fell half-way between Saturn and Jupiter, a large OZ base hidden in the woods was the only place that was still awake with action this late night. Inside, uniformed soldiers ran around with their tasks of building more mobile suits and weapons that were needed for the war. The base was filled with troops as they shouted over the loud machinery that produced the suits. One soldier who was supervising the others looked over the balcony he stood on. Several soldiers were on harnesses as they worked on the details of the mobile suits from above. One particular soldier in a harness caught his attention. Whatever hair she had, it was all under a black baseball cap that she always wore with her uniform.
"Hey, you," he shouted over the buzz saws that the young woman and those near her were using. The young soldier looked up to him with an empty expression. "I need to see you in my office," the supervisor told her. The young woman nodded and flipped a switch that raised her to the balcony in her harness. When she reached the balcony and removed the straps, she walked with the OZ soldier into a small room.
The noise from the construction was muffled as the door was closed behind the young woman. The man sat at has desk and glared to the girl. "I have been looking into to find and reports under your name and there is no Kera Young or any name like that to be found. Therefore, I am going to have to excuse you from this base." The young woman's expressionless face sneered as she said in a chilling voice, "Then I'm going to have to kill you."
The young woman removed a pistol she had hidden in her blouse and shot the OZ soldier in the head before he could react further than widening his eyes. The man's body fell back and hit the floor with a sickening thud. Blood poured from behind the desk where the body landed. Kumi removed her cap, allowing the long braid of silver hair fall to her knees as she went to the reports in the office. Taking everything the files that she was looking for, she walked to the door and locked it before leaving. Once the door was closed, she replaced the cap, not bothering to hid her hair under it again.
Since none of the other soldiers were able to hear the gunshot over the noise of the construction, nobody knew that there was anything to be alarmed over. Kumi was able to walk past every soldier as they did not think to really get a good look at her. The cap visor hid her cobalt eyes. Had they seen them along with the silver braid, they would have known that they were with a Gundam pilot. But since they did not see this, they went on with business as usual.
Kumi stepped out into the night and walked to a car that she had stolen from the soldier she killed in order to have an OZ uniform. Once she got into the deep red automobile and turned the headlights on, she sped off through the dark woods with the reports in the passenger seat.
Several minutes passed and still there was no all of alarm in the base. Then, another OZ soldier thought that it was strange that the supervisor had not returned from the meeting with the young woman, since they saw her leave ten minutes ago. Curiosity got him and he walked to the office of the supervisor. When he went to open the door, only to find it locked, his eyes narrowed instantly. He gave a loud knock and called, "Sir, is everything alright?" He paused a moment and when there was no response, he removed his gun and kicked the door open.
The young soldier's eyes widened as he looked to the bloody scene before him. There was a report with the young woman's obscure picture on it. Looking to this, the young man read her reported name to be Kera Young. Suddenly, he thought of the young woman and her initials. "FUCK!" he screamed to himself as he fled the room. He screamed over the PA as he sounder the alarm, "GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE! A GUNDAM PILOT WAS IN THE BASE!" The soldiers panicked and began to flee. However, the steel doors were closed be remote, trapping everyone within.
From a tall cliff, Kumi stood with her hair loose and flying in the wind along with her deep purple cape over her black attire. The sirens of the base could be heard even from where she stood, a good few miles away and her view was perfect. The remote that closed the doors was replaced with a small detonation device that the pilot held before her. Without hesitation, the silver-haired pilot pressed the device. Instantly, three massive explosions went off, one after another and the base was engulfed in flames. Allowing herself a silent moment to see that the base was destroyed, or would be by the fire, she said in her 'Perfect Soldier' tone, "Mission accomplished." At this, she turned to return to the car waiting at the bottom of the cliff.
* * * * * *
Relena and Dorothy ran to the hanger together through the hallways. "This fight should prove interesting, right, Miss Relena?" Dorothy smile as they continued to run. "I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't nervous. Fighting without Kumi, Sette and the others won't be the easiest of challenges," the queen replied. "We'll make them proud," Dorothy said with an even wider smile on her face now. "Let's hope you're right," Relena whispered.
When they reached the hanger, the two pilots saw Catherine standing before the Gundams with Derek. The redhead looked to the two of them with a concerned glance. Relena and Dorothy caught their breaths when they saw the young woman there. Walking to her, Relena asked with uncertainty, "Catherine, are you going to fight with us?" Catherine huffed, "Not a chance. I just wanted to see Derek and the two of you before you leave." Derek lowered his head, "I tried talking to her, girls...I'm sorry." Relena smiled and shook her head, "Don't be sorry, Derek. Catherine has made her choice. It wouldn't be right for anyone to judge her or make her do something she doesn't want to." Derek nodded and hugged Trowa's sister. The young woman returned the hug and said gently, "Be careful, Derek." At that, the Preventer smiled to her and went off to reach his Taurus suit.
Dorothy smiled, "He's a nice guy." Catherine fought a blush that threatened her cheeks and replied without looked to her friends, "Yes. He is." Finally, the redhead looked to Zes and Novem with and asked with uncertainty and concern, "You're really going to do this...fight without the others?" Dorothy nodded, "Yes. We were chosen to be Gundam pilots to fight when we can. That's what we'll continue to do no matter what." Relena continued with a soft smile, "We'll be fine out there. Kumi and Sette trained us well and they never would have let us fight without them or the others if they didn't think that we were ready."
Catherine sighed deeply and shrugged, "More power to you both. I wish you luck, no matter what. If nothing else, I'll be here cheering you on." Relena hugged the young woman and said quietly, "Thank you, Catherine. That's we could use all the support we can get." When their hug broke, Novem walked to Catherine and hugged her as well. Looking to the pilots, the ex-pilot took a deep breath and told them, "Take care of yourselves out there." Her friends nodded and they parted ways from there, Catherine walking out of the hanger. Relena and Dorothy watched her leave with heavy hearts, nonetheless.
Slither was still a good few days from being fully repaired, even after all of this time. Catherine had damaged the suit worse than what anyone first thought. Walking to their Gundams, the pilots found Brian wearing a space suit. He ran up to them and smiled, "There you are." Zes smiled and kissed her husband. Hugging him tightly, she said quietly, "I'm sorry, love. I had to see Sally about something." "Is everything alright, sweetheart?" the king asked with concern in his voice and all over his face as he looked to his queen. Relena nodded and smiled, "Everything is fine. Our meeting just lased longer than I thought it would." Brian smiled and kissed her forehead.
Dorothy gave the young man a tight hug and said gently, "Good luck, your highness." Brian chuckled deeply as he returned the hug, "After all these years, you still don't call either Relena or myself by or first names." Looking into the blonde pilot's eyes, he said sincerely, "Thank you, Dorothy. Take care of Relena while I'm away." Novem smiled and nodded, "Of course." Novem walked off to leave the king and queen a moment together. The pair embraced again. "Please be careful, my love," Relena whispered. "I will. I'll be back before you know it," Brian promised. Reluctantly, they parted.
Brian walked to the ship that would be taking him to the Earth, It was only meant for himself. Getting into the cockpit, he looked down and saw Lieutenant Keiser wave to him. He stood and Keiser saluted, "We're ready when you are, your majesty." Brian nodded and took his seat as he placed his space helmet on. The visor of the ship closed over him and he announced, "Let's go." His ship was the first to leave the hanger, followed quickly by Calvary and Rampage then the thirty Preventer Taurus suits behind them.
* * * * * *
It was a two-hour flight to the Earth and after more than an hour passed, Noin's voice came over the transmitters of every ship and suit as she announced, "There is an army of OZ soldiers waiting for you about ten miles from the Earth's atmosphere. You'll be reaching them in about half-hour from the looks of things, they'll be staying there." Sally Poe's voice added, "If there is any way, try to make them come after you. The closer they fly to the Earth, the sooner the people down there will know there is a fight going on. The second they see any Gundams or Preventer suits, they will open fire on all of you. So, try to keep them in the dark until King Weatherall can get a clear entrance on his own."
Relena asked, "Everyone copy that?" There was an affirmative response from everyone. Sally replied, "Good. There's over a hundred and fifty soldiers there with more possibly on the way so stay on your toes." "We'll do that," Brian nodded. The pack flew on into the stars with caution as well as determination to reach their goal.
* * * * * *
Duo slept in the cockpit of Deathscythe as he made his way to his second drop off. Sleeping in a Gundam suit was not the most comfortable of experiences, but when you were the pilot of one for as long as he and his comrades had been, you got used to the situation. Sleeping, however, was even more difficult to find true content in without Heero's arms around him. At least there were his dreams. The braided pilot would always dream of his love when slumber would take hold of him. They were the only things that he had to look forward to for now, knowing that it would be a long time before he would actually be with Heero again.
This time, however, those dreams were not like the ones that he had seen before. In this dream, he was flying Deathscythe and battling the OZ fleets that came to challenge him. In the midst of the fight, Wing Zero came and fought beside his Gundam. Duo looked to his monitors and looked to the image of his lover and the Wing pilot smiled warmly to him as they fought on. The struggle was becoming more and more difficult as the swarms of OZ soldiers came from everywhere. The minute one opponent was destroyed, three more came in their place.
Suddenly, Wing Zero was hit by the beam of a laser and was nearly destroyed. "HEERO!" Duo screamed as he flew his suit to guard what was left of the angel-winged Gundam. The forces all disappeared as if running from something terrifying as they retreated in a flash. Duo took this as a blessing as he lowered Deathscythe to the ground beside the severely damaged suit of Wing. With his sanity leaving, he worked at opening the hatch of the suit. Finally, the hatch opened and he looked inside.
Heero was bleeding all over and unconscious as his form was lifelessly sprawled in the seat. Tears filled the American's eyes as he let out a large gasp, an even bigger lump forming in his throat. Violently, he forced the broken harness off of his lover. That force and violence disappeared when he leaned down and gently lifted Heero into his arms. Duo made his way to the ground and gently lied the blood-covered pilot with tenderness onto the grass.
Duo was now sobbing as he looked to Heero and caressed his cut cheek softly. A small groan of pain left his partner, though his eyes did not open. "d-duo?" Heero whispered so quietly that Duo almost missed it. "Heero," Duo called in a soft, choked chop. "Hang on, love. I'm right here," he said as he planted a kiss on the scarred forehead. Still unable to gain full consciousness, Heero said very quietly, "I love you, Duo." At that, his body fell lifeless into the braided pilot's arms.
"No," Duo whispered as he shook his head. Tears flowed from his eyes and he began to breathe quickly, unable to catch his breath. Everything around him and the pilot in his arms turned to red and a large form dressed in a black robe and hood with a massive scythe rose from where the ground was. Duo's eyes grew as large as they could become as he looked to Death. The hands of the figure that were able to be seen were nothing but skeleton.
Duo clutched onto Heero's body tightly and shouted, "NO! I WON'T LET YOU TAKE HIM FROM ME!" Death chuckled deeply and shook his head slowly. In a deep that seemed impossibly low, he said, "When have I ever let you keep anything, Duo? Did you really think I would let it be any different with that pilot you love?" Dark shadows of dead souls appeared from nowhere and jumped Duo, who struggled to fight them off. He was outnumbered and Death bent down and took Heero into his arms. "NO!" Duo screamed as he watched helplessly, being held back from the shadows. Death looked down to the Wing pilot and soon he and the shadows disappeared. As he vanished, Death chuckled deeply, "Pleasant dreams, Duo." The young pilot doubled into himself and cried hysterically when he was left alone.
Duo woke with a start as he screamed, "HEERO!" He was gasping for air and was covered in sweat, his eyes wide with fear and loss. Finally, he looked to his surroundings and fell back into his seat. He closed his eyes and wiped the sweat from his drenched face, taking deep breaths and trying to get the images of that nightmare out of his mind. Normally, he would clutch his cross at times like this, giving him something to hand onto. But, he soon reminded himself that Heero had it with him. He took one more deep breath before slowly releasing it. "Come on, Duo," he said to himself quietly. "It was just a nightmare."
Without warning, his monitor beeped. He looked to the screen as something was trying to make its way through his signal. The screen started off with just static, but something was trying to make its way as the static broke in spurts. "Please tell me this is..." he whispered breathlessly to himself.
* * * * * *
Sera Makato was on a small Preventer that was carrying her and Heero to the next drop off, still a good day or two away. She was typing away at the Wing pilot's laptop while she was in the ship's pilot seat. Heero was looking over Wing Zero in the hanger of the craft while she worked on the computer. Brushing back some strands of her dark hair from her eyes, Sera gave a small smile as she looked to the screen.
The door behind her opened as Heero walked in slowly. Sera turned and smiled to him, "Heero, I think that I've managed to get a fix on Deathscythe's signal." The 'Perfect Soldier's' eyes widened as he gave a small gasp of hope, "Honto?" "Honto," Makato nodded as she turned back to the laptop. Heero ran up to the seat and looked over her shoulder. Sera showed him what he needed to do in order to patch in and she handed him the laptop. "Have fun," she told him as he took the machine. Heero ran with the computer into the hanger and worked quickly at regaining access to the signal. Sera smiled as she watched him disappear, then returned to focusing on flying the ship again.
* * * * * *
The static on Duo's monitor was finally breaking and soon, an image came through. The braided pilot's eyes widened and as he whispered, "Heero." His partner appeared clearly now. "Duo," he heard the Wing pilot whisper just as quietly. The two pilots looked to each other and finally, Duo smiled lovingly to his koi. Heero returned the smile whole-heartedly and sighed deeply, "I've been trying to get through for days." Duo gave a small laugh of relief and nodded, "I have, too. How are you, koi?" His lover replied, "I'm fine. You?" The American shrugged, "All right...Just lonely." Heero nodded his agreement.
"How were you able to lock onto my signal," Duo asked. Heero answered, "There's a Preventer named Sera Makato who is working to get me where I need to go." Duo laughed and shook his head, "They hired a bodyguard for you!?!" Heero chuckled deeply, "I thought the same thing at first. But she's not here to do any more fighting than she needs to do. Sera was able to help me patch into finding your signal." Duo smiled warmly and replied, "Tell her I said 'thank you.'" "I'll do that," Heero smiled back.
After a brief pause, Heero whispered, "I miss you, koi" Duo bit his lip and lowered his head as he quietly whispered back, "I miss you too, Heero." "Are you being careful out there?" the Wing pilot asked gently. Duo winked, "Aw, you know me." Heero gave a sharp laugh, "That's what I'm afraid of." Duo stuck his tongue out quickly and laughed with his partner. Knowing that they couldn't talk long, the pilots never removed their eyes from their lover's image.
The 'Perfect Soldier' sighed, "I have to go." Duo nodded, "I know...I'm glad we got even this time to talk." The Wing pilot gave a small nod and replied, "So am I." There was another brief pause as their eyes locked. "I love you, Duo," Heero whispered. Duo replied just as quietly, "I love you, Heero." They wouldn't say good bye, it was something that they would never do, even in the first days of their relationship together. They just refused to say those words to each other. So, when their 'I love you's' were said, the screen turned to static again after they looked to each other one last time.
Duo looked to the static on his monitor for a moment before turning the screen off. He fell back in his seat, feeling relieved for the first time since leaving Peace Million. Looking where his lover's image once was, a small smile grew across his face. Hundreds of miles away from Deathscythe, in the hanger of the Preventer craft, Heero did the same.
* * * * * *
Mean while, the fleet flying towards the Earth only had a few minutes left before reaching the Earth's atmosphere, Relena shouted, "THERE THEY ARE!" Sure enough, a large swarm of mobile suits shot towards them. The pack of Preventers and Gundams split and went their own ways to protect Brian and knock out the OZ forces. Calvary gave the first blow as one of the massive sais sliced through a white Taurus suit from the top down to the bottom. Dorothy was right behind her and shot three suits with silver arrows as they exploded on impact. Derek lead the charge of his fellow Preventers as they battled with everything that they had.
The king's small craft was equip with lasers and he too, met the OZ soldiers head-on. Being a skilled fighter and pilot, himself, he did more than his share of fighting now. "I can't believe they were able to move this many soldiers here so quickly," he said aloud as he gripped his controls tightly. Two suits were coming from behind and the young man instantly spun his craft around to shoot them in their attempt to do the same to him.
Derek's suit sped through the soldiers, taking out a good number as he piloted. "Keep your eyes open. There might be more of these guys on the way," he called to everyone. Relena nodded as she sent a fist into the chest of another OZ suit. "I think I'm picking something up on my radar." Dorothy replied, "I'm getting something, too." After taking out another suit, she took a moment to get a better look at her monitor. Novem gasped and called, "There's at least fifty more suits making their way here now." Relena flew off and cut through two suits as she growled, "We have our hands full enough as it is."
* * * * * *
The reinforcement of OZ soldiers arrived and enveloped the fight at every corner. If one was to look at the battle that King Weatherall and the pilots were fighting from afar, they would see that he Preventers, the Gundams and Brian were in the middle of what looked like a swarm of bees that were the OZ suits they were fighting. Noin, Sally, and Lady Une were watching this along with the soldiers working in the control room. "I can't see them in the middle of that fleet like this," Sally announced. "They all completely surrounded." Noin replied, "Yes, but they're holding their own somehow."
Lady Une looked on with concern and whispered gravely, "But how long can they keep this up?" Catherine got up from her seat and joined the three young ladies as they huddled around Water and Fire's monitors. "Come on," she said quietly to herself, willing her friends to continue. "I know you guys can get through this...After all the fighting you've already been through..." Lady Une looked to the redhead with a gently glance. She knew that if Catherine was able to pilot again, she would have done so by now. Still, Une wished that maybe someday, she might find the courage to fight in Slither again. She had the same fire that Trowa always had, whether or not she would ever admit it. Lady Une looked back to the monitor when her thoughts went back to the fight.
* * * * * *
Relena was being struck time and time again as she was outnumbered by four OZ suits who took time to enjoy knocking the Gundam suit with their guns and laser swords. The queen shouted in pain as she was struck roughly at her side. Novem was not having much better luck, herself as Rampage was being attacked by several soldiers. "Is that all you have to offer," an OZ soldier laughed loudly as she sent a swift kick that nailed the spot over the Rampage's cockpit. Dorothy groaned loudly in pain as the cockpit shook from the force of the blow. She growled and tried to regain her composure and fight back.
Derek was struggling to get to his friends in the midst of the fight, but could not see beyond the OZ soldiers. He watched helplessly as two Preventers were shot at either side of him, their suits exploding. "Damn it," he shouted. "We're not going to make it out of here if this keeps up." Relena shook her head as she wiped some blood from her forehead after another blow caused her head to hit the controls. "We can't think that way," she insisted. "There has to be something that we can do to stop them.
Zes fought with everything she had and finally managed to send Calvary's right arm to rise and cut through another OZ soldier. The queen grunted and pushed forward on the controls to get her suit to move on. As Relena was beginning to get through the forces that were surrounding her, she didn't see that there was a soldier behind her, aiming their beam cannon at her. "Long live the queen," the OZ pilot sneered evilly as he was about to send the final shot. Suddenly, his monitors were beeping loudly with red lights flashing. The pilot's eyes widened as he shouted, "What the-!?!" Looking up, all he could see was a bright green laser heading right for him. That laser was being held by, "THERE'S ANOTHER GUNDAM!!!" was all the soldier was able to scream before he was cut in half.
Relena heard the scream and the explosion as she turned around with a loud gasp. Her eyes widened to their limits and her jaw fell slack as she looked to the large, golden Gundam suit before her. "Keep your eyes opened, Zes," Milliardo smiled to his sister. Relena smiled and shouted, "Milliardo!" At this, there was a shout and cheer heard from every Preventer and pilot fighting to get the king to safety.
Euphoria's weapon, two laser swords that were attached by their handles in the middle, was as large as the suit itself and could be handled like a bow and two swords when pulled apart. The golden Gundamimum shimmered in the light from the Earth and the sun, creating an amazing sight that stopped nearly every soldier that had been fighting as they took a moment to look in awe. Heero and Kumi made ever detail impressive and breathtaking. It was only right that Milliardo Peacecraft was the pilot of such an incredible Gundam. The pilot took a moment to nod to his sister and went off fighting the OZ soldiers who snapped themselves back to reality.
Milliardo shouted and went through five Taurus suits as if them were paper. Pulling the bow into two swords, Milliardo was able to fight and defend himself from more than a soldier at a time. His presence with Euphoria gave Brian, and the pilots the breath of relief that they had been looking for since the beginning of the fight, nearly a half-hour prior to this time. Together, they spun through the skies and regained their strength little by little.
Seeing that the OZ soldiers were purposely trying to draw the fight closer to the Earth's atmosphere, Milliardo piloted his suit to cut off those who were drawing back, closer to the planet. "Zes, Novem, I need you back here with me," he called. Relena and Dorothy arrived as they were requested, shooting and stopping the OZ forces that were trying to make their way close to the atmosphere.
To the other pilots, the long-haired pilot announced, "We'll start bringing them to you," he informed the other pilots. "Fly off and get ready to intercept them from the north and to the sides." The others agreed as they all flew off far from the Earth. Brian, Derek and the other Preventers all stopped when they were a good few miles further from the planet.
Once everything was in place, the three Gundam pilot looked to each other in their monitors. "Ready?" Milliardo asked the two young women. His sister and their good friend nodded sternly. "Good," he replied. "Let's finish this, then." At this, he flew Euphoria off at great speed before the other suits. The OZ soldiers were now trapped between a rock and a hard place with the Gundam suits coming from below and the Preventers surrounding their only paths of escape.
Some soldiers chose to brave the Gundam suits that charged towards them. Others tried to find a way through the wall of Preventers that blocked their escape. Any that tried to fly off were soon chased by either a Gundam or a Preventer. The cloud of OZ soldiers was being wiped out and finally, there was a small opening that was growing in the swarm. Relena saw this along with Dorothy as they flew off and worked to see that the opening continued to grow. As they knocked out more soldiers, it would not long before the ship that Brian was in would be able to make its way through.
"Look!!!" Novem shouted as she looked to her monitor as she continued to fight with the others. Another fleet of Preventers flew in swiftly to support the team that was already fighting. Milliardo gave a small sigh of relief, "Perfect timing." Now it was time for the OZ soldiers to be overwhelmed by the numbers they were up against. The shoe was quickly on the other foot as the tides changed. Finally, there was nothing that threatened a safe decent to Earth for its king.
Relena was elated when she saw this and she looked to the small craft high above her. Her husband smiled as he saw his chance. With sweat rolling down his face, he replied with a nod, "That's perfect." With a forceful push on the controls, the craft carrying the king shot through the hold in the OZ forces. This sudden breech in their stronghold was too much for the Taurus suits to react and shoot the king down. On top of this, their numbers were dropping like flies under the pressure of the forces working against them.
Brian and Relena just managed to catch a quick glimpse of each other at Calvary and the small ship passed each other. "I love you, Relena," Brian said quietly as he looked to her on his screen. Zes smiled and bit her lip. Finally, she nodded, "I love you, too." Their connection was lost and the screens went to static. Zes was too busy watching the ship disappear to hear the cries of victory from the Preventers. The OZ soldiers who managed to survive made a quick escape. There was nothing keeping them here any longer and they knew that they wouldn't be followed, not after the long and trying struggle that everyone had just been through.
Still looking to the Earth, Relena could no longer see any sign of her husband's ship. She sighed deeply and lowered her head, closing her eyes. "Relena?" she heard her brother ask quietly. She looked to see that Euphoria and Rampage were at either of her sides. The queen smiled to the two pilots, "We better be heading back before someone knows we're here." Milliardo nodded, "Yea...We'll talk back at Peace Million." Zes nodded and they all flew of with the Preventers back to where the others were waiting.
As he descended to the Earth, Brian thought back to early tat morning, when a promise was made that would decide the outcome of the fight he and his friends had just been through.
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(Flashback)
Brian Weatherall was packing in the cockpit of Peace Million as he prepared the craft he would be flying back to the Earth. The door to the hanger opened and the young kind turned to see who was entering through the bright light of the hallway. When the person came in full view, he smiled and walked to the pilot. "Hello, Milliardo," he greeted. The man before him smiled back and asked, "You were asking for me?" Brain took a deep breath and nodded, "I have a request to make before I leave for the Earth. I know that there is going to be resistance that'll work against me."
The long-haired pilot understood what the young king was going to request immediately on this note. Milliardo offered, "I would be happy to see that you reach your destination safely, Brian." His brother-in-law smiled and nodded, "Thank you...And about Relena..." The king paused, already dreading being away from his wife at such a challenging time for who knew how long. "Please take care of her for me while I'm gone," he said quietly, as he lowered his head sadly. Milliardo smiled and placed a hand on his shoulders. They looked eye-to-eye and the long-haired pilot vowed, "I promise I'll take care of her." The two young men shook hands firmly as they smiled to each other.
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* * * * * *
As they watched the suits fly back to the ship after the fight, Sally, Noin, Catherine and Lady Une sighed deeply as they went slack in their positions. Keiser walked to Lady Une with a mischievous grin on his face. Une smirked and shook her head, "You didn't tell me that you were sending troops after the original thirty." Keiser shrugged, "Let's jut say that I had a feeling that those ladies were going to have their hands full and thirty soldiers wouldn't have been enough." His commander closed her eyes, but gave a small smile, "I thank you for following your instincts." Satisfied with this, the Lieutenant nodded and walked off.
Sally looked to Noin and asked with a playful grin, "Did you know that Milliardo was going to be taking Euphoria into this fight?" Noin shook her head and replied sincerely as she chuckled, "I was just as surprised as the rest of you when he showed up with that suit." Catherine sighed, "I'm just glad the whole thing's over with. I'll be in the hanger waiting for the others when they get back." Saying this, the redhead left the room to do just as she said.
Sally asked Noin, "How are you feeling?" Noin shrugged, "Fine now." Rubbing her belly, she smiled, "I guess that the baby is just getting restless." Sally smiled and nodded, "Just take it easy. The second anything changes, see that I'm informed right away." Noin laughed and saluted, "Yes, mam." Sally went off and made her way to her office. Noin rubbed her belly again and smiled, "Just like your father, waiting for the right time to make big entrance."
* * * * * *
Many hours later, Relena was sitting in a small office in the medical area of Peace Million. She was buttoning the vest of her white suit and lied her head back against the wall. When her clothes were fixed again, the queen folded her hands and sat still in waiting. Thoughts of Brain were swimming through her mind as she tried not to worry. Try as she might, Relena would never be able to but her fears to rest until she knew that her husband was safe and back on Peace Million.
The door to the office opened and Sally Poe walked in. Relena stood right away and looked to her friend. Sally smiled to the pilot and suggested, "You can sit, Relena. I know that you have a lot on your mind right now. The test results will be a few minutes." The queen shook her head, "Sitting is all I've been doing. I'll be fine standing." Sally chuckled and nodded, "I understand." Her thoughts stopped when she saw Relena's hands fidgeting. The braided woman said sincerely, "Brain is going to be fine, Relena." With another chuckle, she added, "He's just as stubborn as you are." The young queen smiled and nodded, "I know... Still-" Her words ended when the phone in the wall near the door rang. The two ladies looked to the phone with wide eyes.
Sally walked over and picked up the call. "This is Water," she said as she brought the phone to her ear. Relena watched silently, biting her lip. The medic carried on the conversation, "Yes...Uh huh..." After a pause, she nodded, "Okay. Thank you." At that, she hung the phone back up and looked to the pilot. Relena was holding her breath as she looked to Sally and asked quietly, "What were the results?" Sally replied, "They were negative." Relena gave an expression that the Preventer couldn't read. The queen sat quietly back on the patient table. Water sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"My dear, you have plenty of time to have a child. Just because you're not pregnant now doesn't mean that you never will be," Sally said kindly, trying to pick up the queen's spirits. Relena smiled and shook her head, "I'm not upset at not being pregnant, Sally." She really was sincere when she said this. "I'm actually kind of relieved. And I know that Brain and I have plenty of time to have children...I guess that when there was a chance that I was going to have a baby, I got excited." Sally nodded, "That's a normal reaction when someone is happily married and wants to start a family, whether it's sooner or later."
Relena fought blushing as she stated, "Just the thought of having a family with Brian is exciting. I couldn't think of anyone else I'd rather share that with." Sally smiled warmly and hugged the pilot. "All in due time, Relena...You'll have plenty of children together." Relena nodded and hugged the young woman back. When the embrace broke, she smiled, "Thank you for the help and support. "That's what friends are for," Water smiled back.
The two walked out of the room and down the hall to the control room. Now it was Sally's turn to look concerned for a moment. Relena looked to her and saw the anxiousness in her eyes. She said quietly, "I know that Wufei is close to reaching his destination." Her friend looked to her with more concern in her expression. The queen smiled, "He'll be fine." Sally smiled back, " I know he'll be fine, too. It's still hard...not knowing." Relena sighed deeply and lowered her head, "Tell me about it." The rest of the walk was spent in silence.
* * * * * *
Wufei stretched in his cockpit and sighed deeply. It had been well over a week that he had been flying straight now. From the drop-off (which he reached twelve days earlier from now) he learned from the Preventers that as of yet, there were no signs of OZ soldiers located near or on his destination. However, there was reason to believe that this was not the actual case. All that the Chinese pilot wanted now was some sign of relief in getting this mission completed.
Looking to his monitors, Wufei's eyes widened. He sat up and looked closer to the screen as a smile spread across his face. "There it is..." he whispered to himself in awe. A Colony made of silver lied before him, glistening in the bright sun. "Colony C91."
TBC