DISCLAIMER: None of the Gundam Wing Characters are mine, except for Sette Devion and Kumi Yuy.
Gundam Wing: The Second Chapter
Episode 18: How the Mighty Fall
by SkyLark
with help from Snodin, Traci 14, Sam, Stormy and Sky0
Narrator: The Gundam pilots accomplished gaining a chain of communication waves to all of the colonies that existed before the Milky Way. From there, only four missions remained. Wufei Chang was not far from returning to Peace Million. Sette Sevion and Quatre Rabarba Winner were awaiting the word that they could leave once their suits were repaired. Since the beginning of the war, the only thing that would be able to assure a fair shot at winning this war was the successful completion of all seven missions.
So, while it was reassuring that three of those missions were completed, there were still four other pilots that needed to see their duties fulfilled. Trowa Barton, Kumi Yuy, Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy were taking every step possible to see that nothing stopped them even on the furthest reaches of space. The war was still in the air as to who would arise victorious.
* * * * * *
Peace Million was hovering silently in the middle of space as everyone inside slept soundly. The only people awake were the Preventers watching the hanger carefully. They spoke amongst themselves about the war and peace among other things. Something bounced and clinked on the ground not far from their posts. When it stopped just before them, the pebble-sized ball sprayed a gas that knocked the soldiers out and soon vanished.
As the smoke cleared, Dorothy walked past the sleeping soldiers with a thin cloth covering her mouth and nose. Once the air was clear, she removed the fabric and smiled up to her Gundam. The large suit seemed to welcome her as it glistened. Novem smiled to him, "Time for another adventure, ne, Rampage?"
* * * * * *
On a Preventer craft in the middle of nowhere, the leader of the fleet there was in the control room as he looked through several reports. One of his soldiers looked up from his computer and stated, "Sir, I'm picking up a message for Duo Maxwell." The captain nodded and requested that someone find the young pilot.
No sooner had he requested this that he heard a voice cry, "EVERYONE GET DOWN!" The Preventers in the room watched as a small, metal frisbee shot into the room as great speed. Everyone in the room screamed and got down as the disk shot across the room several times, having bounced off the walls a few times. Finally, the leader of the craft removed a gun and shot it down with one bullet.
Duo ran quickly into the room, smiling widely as he laughed loudly and shouted, "MAN DID YOU SEE THAT! I THOUGHT THAT LITTLE SUCKER WAS GONNA KILL SOMEONE!" The braided pilot ran to the captain who held the 'toy' and chuckled deeply as his soldiers laughed loudly around him. Duo bowed quickly and said, "Sorry, y'all. Didn't know those things were so sensitive when they're thrown." The captain nodded and lowered the frisbee as he looked to the Gundam pilot.
"Someone's trying to get in touch with you." Duo smiled, "Oooooooh! I wonder who it could be?" The captain informed him, "You can use the computer in my office so you can be alone. We'll patch the signal there." The American smiled and replied, "Thanks, o captain, my captain." With that he ran out of the room for the office.
When he entered the large room, Duo sat before the computer and smiled, "This is Duo here." The blue screen blinked as the image of Sera Makato came onto the screen. "Duo Maxwell?" she asked. While the Gundam pilot never saw this woman before, he could see that she was greatly upset about something. Duo nodded, "That's me." The woman sighed in relief, "Thank God I got through. My name's Sera Makato." The braided pilot's face beamed as he gasped, "Why hello, Sera. Nice to meet you. Heero's told me about you."
Sera took a brief moment to smile at the kind pilot. "I'm sorry to bother you this late." Duo shook his head, "Not a prob. What's up?" The Preventer answered, "It's Heero." The American gasped and rose to his feet with fear allover his face. "What happened? Where is he?" Sera assured him, "He's all right for now, Duo. He just went to sleep. But he did something that I have to tell you about..."
* * * * * *
"You can forget it! I don't want any part of this!" the shout of a young man could be heard through the closed doors of the Council House. Inside, Senator Reynolds and the biggest members of the council were gathered together. The young member who was protesting was out of his seat and very taken back by whatever was being discussed. The woman sitting beside him nodded, "I agree. The King and Queen have done nothing wrong to deserve what you are suggesting."
A young Senator seated next to Reynolds replied, "They have lied to us, and all of the people on Earth. Brian Weatherall said that Relena has 'responsibilities' in space to see that peace would reign in the war." A representative nodded, "That's right. So she's piloting a Gundam suit. It's the only way that this war can be fought to gain peace. And that you're claiming that this was a lie?"
Representative Stevens shook his head, "Those Gundam suits are what started this war in the first place. We never should have allowed them to be rebuilt after the Marimaya incident. The king knew that if he spoke the truth as to what Relena was doing, the people would not support them any longer. It's the only reason they're backing the original pilots to begin with.
"Somehow, they've convinced the King and Queen that fighting in those suits is the only way to win this war. They're manipulative and they're going to kill everyone before any peace is gained." Another council member stated with a nod of her head, "I couldn't agree more. Those Gundam pilots should have been killed before they had the chance to corrupt so many pure minds."
Seeing that arguing back and forth like this was getting nowhere, Senator Reynolds spoke for the first time that whole meeting. This debating had been going on for hours into the early hours of the morning. Everyone was tired and frustrated so he suggested, "Let's make a secret ballot and see where we stand. Write if you support the king or the council." After a moment for everyone to write their vote and pass the ballots to the Senator, Reynolds counted them aloud.
There were twenty-eight people present. Fourteen people voted in favor of the king, Fourteen voted in favor of the Council. Reynolds's eyes widened from the shock of the vote. He was certain that there would not be a split house vote like this.
Finally, one of the young woman sighed deeply, "We're not going to get anywhere at this rate. I move that we meet again before any further debates continue." The others all agreed and before long, only Reynolds and Stevens remained in the room. The Senator tore the ballots in rage and shouted, "GODDAMN IT!" He grabbed his hair tightly and growled, "What the hell do we do now?"
Stevens sighed and shook his head. "It's very late, Reynolds and we can't do anything about this now. Let's just go home and discuss this further in the morning." Frustrated but knowing that his friend was right, Reynolds rose from his chair as the two men walked to the door.
* * * * * *
The next day, Relena was still sleeping when there came a knock at her door. She heard Catherine call quietly, "Relena?" The young queen walked to the door, throwing a white silk robe over her nightgown. When the door opened, the queen saw Catherine with a concerned look on her face. "What is it, Catherine," she asked with worry when she saw her expression. "Dorothy's gone off again," the redhead replied.
Not too long later, after Relena quickly dressed, the two pilots were in the hanger as they looked to where Rampage used to rest. Relena sighed deeply and lowered her head, "How did she get out unnoticed?" Catherine replied, "She knocked out the Preventers that were watching the hanger and took off before anyone else could have known. The guards woke up just before I ran to get you." Relena growled deeply and whispered, "What are you trying to pull, Dorothy?"
The two pilots ran into the control room. Not to their surprise, the soldiers there were all busy after what happened the night before. Lieutenant Keiser glared to the two young women that entered. Walking towards them, he growled, "You should have kept a closer watch over your friend. Her stunt could cost countless people their lives if she's discovered." Relena's eyes narrowed as she replied, "I know that you're not fond of us, Lieutenant. But I know that Dorothy would never do anything like this unless there was a reason behind it."
Catherine agreed and nodded, "Relena's right. With everything that happened the first time she did this, Dorothy knows better than to go off without a good excuse." The redhead was no longer a Gundam pilot, herself, but she was very protective of her friends and would defend them anyway she could. The Lieutenant was not impressed with their words as he continued to glare at them. Both young women were glaring right back at him.
"Lieutenant," Lady Une interrupted as she walked to them. "Arguing about this situation isn't getting us anywhere. I know that there must be something better you should be doing right now than debating with these pilots." Keiser sighed deeply before looking to his commander. Finally, he nodded, "You're right, Lady Une. I'll be returning to my duties now." When he left the three ladies, Une sighed and shook her head, "Baka."
Relena and Catherine bit back laughter at this. Lady Une turned to them and said sadly, "I wish that I could get him to understand that you and the other Gundam pilots aren't the enemies in this war." Relena smiled and nodded, "We know that not everyone will accept us Lady Une. Thank you for all of your help." The young woman nodded back with a gentle smile. "Any chance of finding Novem?" Catherine asked hesitantly. Une shook her head, "She's been gone for hours. There won't be any way of finding her at this point. Novem will just have to come back to us." Relena sighed deeply, "That's what I was afraid of."
* * * * * *
It was nearly noon and Wing Zero was standing in the middle of a massive, desolate field. Thinking of the fight that was awaiting him, he sneered as the thought of killing every last one of the soldiers at the base he invaded. Ever since the war began, months prior to this day, the Wing pilot's thirst for vengeance grew with every passing day. Now, he'd finally have his chance to kill those who followed Quinze Khushrenadah and those responsible for the deaths of hundreds ...thousands.
The first time he really snapped inwardly was the night Colony L2 was destroyed. Seeing how his Duo was hurting after that terrible incident was enough to drive Heero insane. His koi had lost more than enough prior to that night. Being helpless in protecting Duo from that kind of suffering made something in Heero's heart and mind scream for revenge. Today's attack was something that he had been planning carefully ever since then. He wasn't about to let anything stop him from repaying the monsters that began this war and caused so much pain and suffering.
Sera watched with a heavy heart from woods far behind the white Gundam. She obeyed Heero's orders and stayed as clear from the battle ground as possible. Needing binoculars to see the suit, she watched and waited along with the pilot inside the suit. As she lowered the binoculars, she lowered her head and sighed deeply, "How could I have let this happen to Heero and Kumi? This is no way for anyone to live."
Upon saying this, Sera caught her breath as she saw something fall from the sky far beyond the Wing Zero. Using her binoculars, she saw that the army was making their way to the ground in their mobile suits. Looking to her watch, Sera saw that it was 11:58 am. She bit her lip and prayed quietly as she closed her eyes, "God, please take care of Heero. He doesn't deserve to die like this."
The Wing pilot stood before the soldiers as they lowered themselves a stood mile from where he waited. Soldiers continued to fall from the sky like huge, metal raindrops, lining behind each other as they looked to the Gundam across the way. Heero sneered and licked his lips as he faced the battle just a moment away. When the last of the soldiers had landed, there was a force more than three-hundred strong, every last soldier in the base accepted the challenge that Heero Yuy had made.
After one brief moment, Heero shouted and charged to the army, as all of the soldiers replied the same and quickly made their way towards him. The watch on Sera's arm beeped to say that it was noon exactly just before the charge began. The suits met in the middle of the field and the battle had begun. Soon, there was no sign of the white Gundam in the midst of the army. Heero took out any and every suit that was daring enough to face him. Before long, he patched into the Zero System and used that to aid him in his fighting.
Ten minutes passed, then twenty. Sera was watching the fight closely, not daring to take her eyes from the field for a moment. Still, all that could be seem were the mobile suits of the OZ soldiers. Finally, Wing Zero shot straight into the air. Heero shouted as he took out three Aires suits. The wings of his Gundam guided him as he used tricky turns and stunts to cause many of the Aires pilots to fly swiftly into each other.
Heero was bleeding from several cuts on his face, arms and chest. Sweat poured from every inch due to the intense struggle. Still, he laughed madly as he continued to wipe out the OZ soldiers. Those who were struggling against him watched his skills in awe. Still, this was what they wanted and they took to the fight with fire and passion. After the first thirty minutes, they were a hundred soldiers less. The Wing pilot showed no signs of tiring. Wiping a bit of sweat from his brow, Heero continued to strike, dodge and do whatever was required to kill every last one of these soldiers.
Taking to the ground again, Heero cut through five soldiers before they could react in time to dodge him. The loss of blood from his wounds was nothing that concerned the Japanese pilot as he went on to fight even more feverishly than before. There were still more than two hundred soldiers that he needed to get through. And this was something that he never allowed to slip from his mind. Ten more minutes passed and Heero felt the strain of the Zero System beginning to get to him. He quickly turned the system off and chose to fight the rest of the battle without it.
Heero spun his suit around swiftly with his blade sticking out far in front Wing Zero. Before turning completely, his sword hit something and caused him to stop his action. "What the-" he hissed as he saw that there was nothing in front of him other than the air.
Suddenly, something began to materialize. It was a laser scythe that had blocked his weapon. Heero's cobalt eyes widened as far as they could as he gasped loudly. A black Gundam stood before him in full view. The Wing pilot shouted, "DUO!?!" His lover smiled to him with a sigh of relief, "It's good to see you, too, Heero."
Heero smiled brightly to his partner's image in the monitor. Not having time to speak, the pair went right back to the fight against the remaining soldiers. Heero cut two Leos in half without any effort. Duo stabbed an Aries and spun it swiftly several times around his suit before hurling the suit into another Aries. The two suits exploded when the damaged Aires blew up first.
They went on fighting together as the soldiers were dropping like flies. Not one of them retreated as they each had their chance to fight the Gundam suits, as they always wanted. Heero and Duo, however, had the experience that none of these recruits could possibly have. And in the end, that was what mattered the most.
The Wing pilot took out a handful of suits with the Buster Riffle and Duo did the same as he swiped through more opposing soldiers. Neither pilot paused or faltered in the fight. While they were terribly outnumbered and had taken several hits because of it, there wasn't anything that brought about any signs that they would lose this struggle.
Five minutes passed, then ten...then twenty, then forty. Finally, with the explosion of three more suits, there was one last soldier in his Leo as he looked to the destruction all around the field with sweat pouring and wide eyes as he gasped. He looked to the two Gundams as they stood next to each other. Taking a deep breath, he screamed at the top of his lungs, "FOR OZ!" and charged at the pilots. The Wing pilot cut him from top to bottom the same time Duo sliced his across the center, making a cross imprint just before the suit exploded.
Sera fell to her knees in relief as she finally felt herself breathing again. The battle was much longer and more intense than she, or anyone could have witnessed. It was enough to shake even the strongest and bravest of soldiers to their core. She closed her eyes and whispered hoarsely, "Thank you, God." Shakily, Sera got to her feet and ran to the ship.
At the battlefield, Wing Zero and Deathscythe were feet away from each other. The cockpits opened as their pilots lowered themselves to the ground using their cable cords. Heero and Duo were both slightly bleeding and drenched in sweat from the fight, but they pain no mind to this.
The moment their feet touched the ground, they ran to each other and tightly embraced when they were a breath apart. They lock their arms around their love's body as if they were clinging for life. Burying their heads in their lover's shoulders, they choked back sobs and breathed deeply to take in the scent of their partner.
After a long silent moment, the reunited pilots loosened their tight embrace enough to kiss deeply until they nearly ran out of air. Panting, they looked to each other and rested their foreheads against each other. Heero held Duo's face in his hands and whispered breathlessly, "How...?" Duo smiled lovingly and kissed his lips. Then, he replied, "I got a call from a friend." Heero smiled back, knowing exactly who the braided pilot was speaking of.
Sera's ship landed not far from them and Sera ran out to the pilots. She was beaming when she saw that both Heero and Duo were safe...bruised pretty badly, but safe. The pilots walked to her and Heero said quietly, "Thank you." Makato smiled and nodded. Duo hugged her tightly as he thanked her as well. Sera sighed as cupped Duo's cheek and took a good look at him for a moment. Then, she smiled, "I'm just glad you got here in time." Duo smiled back, "I flew all night to get here." At this, he heard Heero whisper gently, "Duo."
The American's eyes met Heero's and they smiled to each other. Sera blushed and gently cleared her throat. "Well, we might as well stay on this colony since there won't be any soldiers following the ones that were killed. I'll be in my room the rest of the night." With a wave, she turned back to the ship to give the lovers some time to be alone.
When they were along, Heero and Duo embraced tightly again. "I've missed you koi. How long has it been since we were together?" Duo whispered as they held each other. Heero replied flatly, "Over three months." Duo sighed deeply, "Felt like three years." The Wing pilot nodded his agreement.
Once they pulled back, they kissed sweetly then deeply. "I've missed you, too, koibito," Heero whispered in his partner's ear. Duo's smile spelled mischief as he asked seductively, "Sooo. You got any plans tonight, Heero?" The Wing pilot smiled seductively in return and pulled Duo into a passionate kiss.
* * * * * *
Once they entered Heero's room and the door was closed, not second passed and Duo was shoved up against the wall- back first. Heero lunged at him as they kissed hungrily and desperately. The pair moaned and whimpered as they let their emotions run away with them, too lost in the moment. They began ripping each other's shirts off, not bothering to take the time to remove them any other way. The shreds of their tops dropped to the ground and were forgotten about. The only thing either of them wore from the waist up was the cross around Heero's neck.
Still kissing, the Japanese pilot removed the band holding his koi's braid together and undid the locks. The American's long, wavy locks were soon loose and Heero buried his fingers in them. They continued to moan and rub against each other with all the fire and passion that had been holding inside in waiting for this moment. Breathlessly, the Wing pilot whispered in Duo's ear, pleading, "Oh, I need you, Duo." Duo replied just the same, "I need you too, Heero."
They kissed deeply and even more passionately. Effortlessly, Heero picked Duo up without breaking the kiss. After lying his lover onto the bed, Heero straddled him. They ran their hands up and down their partner's chest, taking in every detail in that they missed so terribly during their time apart. Heero then leaned down and began kissing down the other pilot's chest.
The Japanese pilot then took Duo's right nipple into his mouth and sucked as his left hand gripped onto the other nipple. His lover's gasp and moan proved that he was enjoying this just as much as he was. Very quickly, the nipples hardened upon the touch and Heero proceeded to kiss and lick down the American's chest again, going down much further this time. Duo moaned deeply as his partner traveled down him and arched his back. His fingers buried wove tightly into The Wing pilot's unruly hair as he traveled even further down. It was not a moment later when the remainder of their clothing was no longer a barrier.
* * * * * *
Night had just fallen when Brian Weatherall was walking towards his room in one of the Senate houses. The day had been spent entirely in meetings and the young king was tired. All he was looking forward to was getting some sleep and hopefully returning to Peace Million once an agreement was made with the people he worked closely with. He missed Relena terribly and knew that her thoughts were with him just as his were with her.
The moment he entered his dark room and closed the door as he walked to the bed, a strong pair of arms wrapped from behind him as a hand bearing a cloth covered in strong cyanide was held over his mouth and nose just as he shouted against the aggressor. Brian fought as well as he could before the cyanide kicked in and he collapsed in the intruder's arms.
Senator Reynolds smiled to the fallen king after lying him on the ground. Removing something from his pocket, he placed Brian's right hand over it several times. He chuckled deeply as he rose again, "My but how the mighty fall."
* * * * * *
Back on Captain Churchill's ship, Sette was waiting along with the Maquanauts in a gathering room for word on their suits. When Quatre entered, everyone rose and looked to him. The Arabian smiled brightly, "The repairs on our suits are finished. We cane leave for Peace Million now if we wanted to." Everyone gave an expression of relief as they received this news. Sette nodded, "We probably should get back, then. The sooner we return, the better." No one protested this and the Maquanauts exited the room, led by Rashid.
Just as Sette was about to leave the room, Quatre took hold of her arm. The tomboy turned to him and asked with concern, "What's wrong?" The blonde pilot sighed deeply and replied, "I just spoke to Lady Une... Dorothy left Peace Million again." The blue-haired pilot's eyes widened as she gasped loudly, "What!?!" Quatre nodded then stated, "There's no way that anyone can find her. She could be anywhere at this point."
Sette lowered her head and hissed, "Damn it. I knew that girl was too loose of a cannon to be given a second chance." Looking to her beloved, she huffed, "She's lucky Heero and Kumi aren't around." Quatre wasn't going to argue that. He new that she was right. "I'll meet you back in the hanger in a few minutes," the ex-princess told the Arabian.
Quatre asked as she headed towards the door, "Where are you going?" Sette turned back and answered, "I have to find a collar with a reeeeeally short leash for Novem when she returns." At this, she left the room. Quatre chuckled deeply to himself and headed off to return to the hanger.
* * * * * *
Reynolds was back in the Council house, waiting for someone. When the front doors to the room opened, Representative Stevens entered and ran to him. "I came as soon as I got your message," he cried as he tried to regain his breath. "You came up with something that we can arrest Brian with?" His friend smiled and nodded, "I should have thought of it from the beginning..."
Handing his friend a stack of papers, he stated, "I've copied the king's signature so nobody can question that he wrote this." Looking to the reports and read very carefully, Stevens laughed, "This is perfect! I should have thought of this sooner, myself." He handed Reynolds the papers and stated, "Once we make a statement of this in the morning, we can have Brian arrested. We'll be in control of the Earth before the week is over."
Reynolds laughed loudly then replied, "And what makes you think I'm sharing the power with anyone?" The Representative had only a moment to react as the Senator removed a pistol and shot him three times in the chest. Reynolds looked to Steven's dead body and chuckled deeply. As he squatted next to the dead Representative, he sighed deeply in content with a smile, "Thank you for your help, old friend."
* * * * * *
Later that night, two pilots screamed out each other's name as they were driven over the edge yet again that night. Duo collapsed onto Heero, who was now below him. Duo's head buried in the Wing's pilot chest. They were both drenched with sweat and panting loudly. The young men wrapped their arms around each other as they continued to catch their breath.
Their bodies were no longer able to function much after hours of just beginning to make up for lost time. Every ounce of strength had been spent at this point. After a moment to recover, Duo just managed to lift his head up enough to look down to Heero as they were still breathing heavily. Heero's eyes opened as he looked up to the long-haired beauty watching him.
The exhausted pilots smiled lovingly to each other. Heero caressed his lover's cheek and whispered in awe, "You're so beautiful." The American blushed just a bit and replied, "I'm not nearly as beautiful as you are, koi." Duo leaned in as they shared a gentle kiss. "I love you, Heero," Duo whispered when the kiss broke. "Ai shiteru, Duo," Heero replied the same way.
Deathscythe's pilot then sighed in content and lowered himself into Heero's waiting arms. They wrapped themselves tightly around each other, arms and legs intertwined as the Wing pilot gently covered them like that with the thin, light blue top sheet of the bed.
Both sated, the lovers wrapped around each other as tightly as possible, neither wanting to think of the morning or what awaited them when they woke. Heero asked gently, "Do you need anything, love?" Duo smiled and shook his head, "Just you." Heero smiled in appreciation of that sincere remark and kissed Duo's forehead, holding his lips there for a moment.
As he lied his head down, Duo began to chuckle softly. "What is it?" Heero asked as he smiled to him. Duo smiled and chuckled loudly, "I can't move a damn inch after all of that." Heero couldn't help but laugh with him after he said this. He nodded as they continued laughing, "Neither can I." When the laughter subsided, they kissed deeply one last time before completely relaxing their bodies for the sleep that they needed so badly.
They both whispered 'Good night' and 'I love you' to each other before closing their eyes. Heero knew that Duo wouldn't need much time to fall asleep. Like clockwork, he soon felt Duo's breathing relax and steady as testimony that he was deep in sleep's grasp. Heero opened his eyes to take a long, gentle look as his love's peaceful face. There was a small smile across the long-haired pilot's lips as he slept soundly in the tight embrace they held on one another.
The Wing pilot gently traced Duo's lips with his index finger. He then brushed back some sweat-coated locks from his lover's face. Knowing that nothing could possibly stir the pilot in his arms, Heero took advantage of this moment. After taking a deep, but gentle breath, he whispered to him in a soft and sincere voice, "Will you marry me?"
Duo never heard the proposal, of course, but the smile on his face grew a bit. That small, sweet expression was more than enough for Heero to smile the same, though he wished that he could find the courage to actually ask Duo that same question when he was awake. The timing just wasn't right to ask that, in Heero's mind. This moment of peace was not going to last much longer. Still, the Wing pilot was going to enjoy all of while it lasted. He kissed Duo's forehead again as their embrace tightened more, if possible. Heero then followed his lover as he closed his eyes.
* * * * * *
In the morning, Brian woke in his room and looked to see that nothing had changed. Before he could have a moment to gather his thoughts, there was a heavy bang on his door. He staggered to get up as he walked over to see who was there. When he opened the door, Brian's eyes widened at the sight of several police officers. The Sergeant began, "Brian Weatherall, you are being placed under arrest for the murder of Representative John Stevens."
The young king paled and shouted, "What are you talking about!?!" The young man was then handcuffed and led outside of the building. The moment that the doors opened, reporters and huge crowds of people ran to see the young king as he was led to the police car. A squad was also there to see that nobody got too close to Brian in the midst of all of the confusion. The stunned king did not retaliate, knowing that he couldn't do anything even if he tried. So, he allowed himself to be taken off.
When Brian was in the car and the door slammed behind him, people swarmed around the automobile. The officer driving was one of several that escorted the king to the prison not far from the Council house. Once there, he was placed in a cell that was in the basement, all to itself as guards stood watch beyond the closed door at the top of the stairs. Brian walked to the cot in his cell and sat there, waiting for someone to come and tell him just what was going on.
The red-haired young man didn't have long to wait before he was greeted by Senator Reynolds. The sight of the man made Brian's blood boil as he growled deeply, "What the hell have you done?" The Senator laughed loudly and replied, "Oh come on, Brian. Is that anyway to say hello to an old friend. The young man walked to the bars and hissed, "I'm not going to ask again, Reynolds."
The man before him smiled, "The people have ordered your immediate execution. At nightfall tomorrow, you'll be killed in the public square for all the world to see." Brian's eyes widened as far as they could, then narrowed as he replied, "I had a feeling that was you in my room last night. You used my fingerprints." Reynolds clapped, "Oh, you're a bright young man, aren't you?"
Reynolds continued, "I also took the opportunity to create some false treaties that had your forged signature on them. They state how you and the Gundam pilots were allying to control the Earth much differently when this war comes to an end. They were found not far from Stevens's body, so there was your motive to kill him...The Representative found out what you are your Gundam pilots were planning, so you killed him and in your haste, could not get all of the evidence."
Brian shook his head and said, "The people of Earth know that I would never commit such a crime. And I would never dream of making an agreement with anyone to corrupt the system that exists here." Reynolds sneered, "The same way that they know that when you said Relena was fighting this war you meant she was fighting with her words and not a Gundam suit?" Again, Brian stood frozen in shock.
The Senator chuckled deeply, "A friend of yours supplied me with that helpful information. Everyone on the Earth now knows that their queen is piloting Gundam Unit 06. That was more than they needed to hear to point the finger at you for treason and murder." Brian's shocked expression melted into one of hatred towards the man beyond his cell. "You really think that you're going to get away with this, don't you?" he asked in a threatening tone.
Reynolds smiled and replied as he leaned closely to the bars and the face of the kind. He whispered, "Oh, I'm not only going to get away with it...I'm going to sit on the same thrown you've been on for the last four years." With a deep chuckle, he stood straight again and turned to walk back up the stairs. "I'll see you in hell for this, Reynolds and that's not a threat," the young kind swore in a deep voice. The traitor never answered to this as he simply walked up the stairs.
* * * * * *
No sooner had the Senator reentered the his office an hour later than his computer blinked on again. Quinze Khushrenadah was there, smiling as always towards the man before him. "I take it that all is going according to plan?" he asked in amusement. Reynolds smiled and nodded, "The king will be killed tomorrow night at a public dismemberment." Quinze's eyes flashed with excitement upon hearing this. He nodded, "Congratulations, your majesty. You've finally managed to gain the power that you've always wanted."
Reynolds replied as he leaned back in his chair, "And I have what you've requested as your repayment for the documents on Relena Weatherall and her Gundam." The young OZ leader sat up with anxiety. Reynolds chuckled deeply and typed something into the laptop. After a moment for the data to transfer to Quinze's computer, the man sneered and replied, "You have lived up to your end of the bargain, my friend. I thank you." With nothing more to say, the two men nodded to each other and the screen went black.
* * * * * *
On the OZ ship where Quinze was waiting, he walked down the halls to a specific room and entered. Inside, Azrael and Abrasia were sitting as patiently as possible, which was not saying much since it had been almost two days since they were able to attack something. When their leader entered, they jumped to their feet and ran to him. Azrael looked eagerly to her commander and asked, "Have you received the coordinates, sir?"
Quinze smiled and nodded, "Reynolds came through." As he said this, he handed a small slip of paper to Abrasia. The twins were beaming as they looked to the paper with great anxiety. They both laughed when they read the coordinates. "Who would have thought that Peace Million would be hiding there?" Abrasia chuckled deeply as he continued to look to the paper.
"Now you both understand what you need to do?" Quinze asked suddenly. "Demetris is not here to see that you don't get carried away again like the last time you fought the Gundam pilots." Azrael bowed her head to him and said sincerely, "We know what we have to do. And we won't let you down." Quinze lifted her head gently under the chin and smiled, "I don't have any doubt in that." Having said everything that needed to be said, Quinze turned and left the room.
* * * * *
Late that same night, in a small room within the Courthouse, two members of the Council met privately, careful to be sure that they were not being followed or heard as they spoke. The blonde young man whispered first to his gray-haired friend, "I know that you don't believe that Brian killed Stevens." The other Senator shook his head and whispered back, "Not for a moment. I'm willing to bet my life that Reynolds is behind this whole thing."
The younger of the two men asked with concern, "What are we going to do? We can't convince the world that the king would never commit such a crime. They're enraged that queen Relena is a Gundam pilot now that they all know." The other man nodded, "Yes, but we don't need to convince the world that Brian is innocent. All we have to do is keep him alive." No sooner had he said this than he went to the small room's door.
"Where are you going?" the blonde asked quietly. His friend answered, "We have to get a hold of Lady Une."
TBC
Author Note: Okay, I left the whole battle with Heero, Duo and the OZ soldiers to your imaginations. Just know that it was very long, violent and involved. I figured I'd leave the details to you! This way, you'll get to picture what you want! ^_^
Gundam Wing: The Second Chapter
Episode 18: How the Mighty Fall
by SkyLark
with help from Snodin, Traci 14, Sam, Stormy and Sky0
Narrator: The Gundam pilots accomplished gaining a chain of communication waves to all of the colonies that existed before the Milky Way. From there, only four missions remained. Wufei Chang was not far from returning to Peace Million. Sette Sevion and Quatre Rabarba Winner were awaiting the word that they could leave once their suits were repaired. Since the beginning of the war, the only thing that would be able to assure a fair shot at winning this war was the successful completion of all seven missions.
So, while it was reassuring that three of those missions were completed, there were still four other pilots that needed to see their duties fulfilled. Trowa Barton, Kumi Yuy, Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy were taking every step possible to see that nothing stopped them even on the furthest reaches of space. The war was still in the air as to who would arise victorious.
* * * * * *
Peace Million was hovering silently in the middle of space as everyone inside slept soundly. The only people awake were the Preventers watching the hanger carefully. They spoke amongst themselves about the war and peace among other things. Something bounced and clinked on the ground not far from their posts. When it stopped just before them, the pebble-sized ball sprayed a gas that knocked the soldiers out and soon vanished.
As the smoke cleared, Dorothy walked past the sleeping soldiers with a thin cloth covering her mouth and nose. Once the air was clear, she removed the fabric and smiled up to her Gundam. The large suit seemed to welcome her as it glistened. Novem smiled to him, "Time for another adventure, ne, Rampage?"
* * * * * *
On a Preventer craft in the middle of nowhere, the leader of the fleet there was in the control room as he looked through several reports. One of his soldiers looked up from his computer and stated, "Sir, I'm picking up a message for Duo Maxwell." The captain nodded and requested that someone find the young pilot.
No sooner had he requested this that he heard a voice cry, "EVERYONE GET DOWN!" The Preventers in the room watched as a small, metal frisbee shot into the room as great speed. Everyone in the room screamed and got down as the disk shot across the room several times, having bounced off the walls a few times. Finally, the leader of the craft removed a gun and shot it down with one bullet.
Duo ran quickly into the room, smiling widely as he laughed loudly and shouted, "MAN DID YOU SEE THAT! I THOUGHT THAT LITTLE SUCKER WAS GONNA KILL SOMEONE!" The braided pilot ran to the captain who held the 'toy' and chuckled deeply as his soldiers laughed loudly around him. Duo bowed quickly and said, "Sorry, y'all. Didn't know those things were so sensitive when they're thrown." The captain nodded and lowered the frisbee as he looked to the Gundam pilot.
"Someone's trying to get in touch with you." Duo smiled, "Oooooooh! I wonder who it could be?" The captain informed him, "You can use the computer in my office so you can be alone. We'll patch the signal there." The American smiled and replied, "Thanks, o captain, my captain." With that he ran out of the room for the office.
When he entered the large room, Duo sat before the computer and smiled, "This is Duo here." The blue screen blinked as the image of Sera Makato came onto the screen. "Duo Maxwell?" she asked. While the Gundam pilot never saw this woman before, he could see that she was greatly upset about something. Duo nodded, "That's me." The woman sighed in relief, "Thank God I got through. My name's Sera Makato." The braided pilot's face beamed as he gasped, "Why hello, Sera. Nice to meet you. Heero's told me about you."
Sera took a brief moment to smile at the kind pilot. "I'm sorry to bother you this late." Duo shook his head, "Not a prob. What's up?" The Preventer answered, "It's Heero." The American gasped and rose to his feet with fear allover his face. "What happened? Where is he?" Sera assured him, "He's all right for now, Duo. He just went to sleep. But he did something that I have to tell you about..."
* * * * * *
"You can forget it! I don't want any part of this!" the shout of a young man could be heard through the closed doors of the Council House. Inside, Senator Reynolds and the biggest members of the council were gathered together. The young member who was protesting was out of his seat and very taken back by whatever was being discussed. The woman sitting beside him nodded, "I agree. The King and Queen have done nothing wrong to deserve what you are suggesting."
A young Senator seated next to Reynolds replied, "They have lied to us, and all of the people on Earth. Brian Weatherall said that Relena has 'responsibilities' in space to see that peace would reign in the war." A representative nodded, "That's right. So she's piloting a Gundam suit. It's the only way that this war can be fought to gain peace. And that you're claiming that this was a lie?"
Representative Stevens shook his head, "Those Gundam suits are what started this war in the first place. We never should have allowed them to be rebuilt after the Marimaya incident. The king knew that if he spoke the truth as to what Relena was doing, the people would not support them any longer. It's the only reason they're backing the original pilots to begin with.
"Somehow, they've convinced the King and Queen that fighting in those suits is the only way to win this war. They're manipulative and they're going to kill everyone before any peace is gained." Another council member stated with a nod of her head, "I couldn't agree more. Those Gundam pilots should have been killed before they had the chance to corrupt so many pure minds."
Seeing that arguing back and forth like this was getting nowhere, Senator Reynolds spoke for the first time that whole meeting. This debating had been going on for hours into the early hours of the morning. Everyone was tired and frustrated so he suggested, "Let's make a secret ballot and see where we stand. Write if you support the king or the council." After a moment for everyone to write their vote and pass the ballots to the Senator, Reynolds counted them aloud.
There were twenty-eight people present. Fourteen people voted in favor of the king, Fourteen voted in favor of the Council. Reynolds's eyes widened from the shock of the vote. He was certain that there would not be a split house vote like this.
Finally, one of the young woman sighed deeply, "We're not going to get anywhere at this rate. I move that we meet again before any further debates continue." The others all agreed and before long, only Reynolds and Stevens remained in the room. The Senator tore the ballots in rage and shouted, "GODDAMN IT!" He grabbed his hair tightly and growled, "What the hell do we do now?"
Stevens sighed and shook his head. "It's very late, Reynolds and we can't do anything about this now. Let's just go home and discuss this further in the morning." Frustrated but knowing that his friend was right, Reynolds rose from his chair as the two men walked to the door.
* * * * * *
The next day, Relena was still sleeping when there came a knock at her door. She heard Catherine call quietly, "Relena?" The young queen walked to the door, throwing a white silk robe over her nightgown. When the door opened, the queen saw Catherine with a concerned look on her face. "What is it, Catherine," she asked with worry when she saw her expression. "Dorothy's gone off again," the redhead replied.
Not too long later, after Relena quickly dressed, the two pilots were in the hanger as they looked to where Rampage used to rest. Relena sighed deeply and lowered her head, "How did she get out unnoticed?" Catherine replied, "She knocked out the Preventers that were watching the hanger and took off before anyone else could have known. The guards woke up just before I ran to get you." Relena growled deeply and whispered, "What are you trying to pull, Dorothy?"
The two pilots ran into the control room. Not to their surprise, the soldiers there were all busy after what happened the night before. Lieutenant Keiser glared to the two young women that entered. Walking towards them, he growled, "You should have kept a closer watch over your friend. Her stunt could cost countless people their lives if she's discovered." Relena's eyes narrowed as she replied, "I know that you're not fond of us, Lieutenant. But I know that Dorothy would never do anything like this unless there was a reason behind it."
Catherine agreed and nodded, "Relena's right. With everything that happened the first time she did this, Dorothy knows better than to go off without a good excuse." The redhead was no longer a Gundam pilot, herself, but she was very protective of her friends and would defend them anyway she could. The Lieutenant was not impressed with their words as he continued to glare at them. Both young women were glaring right back at him.
"Lieutenant," Lady Une interrupted as she walked to them. "Arguing about this situation isn't getting us anywhere. I know that there must be something better you should be doing right now than debating with these pilots." Keiser sighed deeply before looking to his commander. Finally, he nodded, "You're right, Lady Une. I'll be returning to my duties now." When he left the three ladies, Une sighed and shook her head, "Baka."
Relena and Catherine bit back laughter at this. Lady Une turned to them and said sadly, "I wish that I could get him to understand that you and the other Gundam pilots aren't the enemies in this war." Relena smiled and nodded, "We know that not everyone will accept us Lady Une. Thank you for all of your help." The young woman nodded back with a gentle smile. "Any chance of finding Novem?" Catherine asked hesitantly. Une shook her head, "She's been gone for hours. There won't be any way of finding her at this point. Novem will just have to come back to us." Relena sighed deeply, "That's what I was afraid of."
* * * * * *
It was nearly noon and Wing Zero was standing in the middle of a massive, desolate field. Thinking of the fight that was awaiting him, he sneered as the thought of killing every last one of the soldiers at the base he invaded. Ever since the war began, months prior to this day, the Wing pilot's thirst for vengeance grew with every passing day. Now, he'd finally have his chance to kill those who followed Quinze Khushrenadah and those responsible for the deaths of hundreds ...thousands.
The first time he really snapped inwardly was the night Colony L2 was destroyed. Seeing how his Duo was hurting after that terrible incident was enough to drive Heero insane. His koi had lost more than enough prior to that night. Being helpless in protecting Duo from that kind of suffering made something in Heero's heart and mind scream for revenge. Today's attack was something that he had been planning carefully ever since then. He wasn't about to let anything stop him from repaying the monsters that began this war and caused so much pain and suffering.
Sera watched with a heavy heart from woods far behind the white Gundam. She obeyed Heero's orders and stayed as clear from the battle ground as possible. Needing binoculars to see the suit, she watched and waited along with the pilot inside the suit. As she lowered the binoculars, she lowered her head and sighed deeply, "How could I have let this happen to Heero and Kumi? This is no way for anyone to live."
Upon saying this, Sera caught her breath as she saw something fall from the sky far beyond the Wing Zero. Using her binoculars, she saw that the army was making their way to the ground in their mobile suits. Looking to her watch, Sera saw that it was 11:58 am. She bit her lip and prayed quietly as she closed her eyes, "God, please take care of Heero. He doesn't deserve to die like this."
The Wing pilot stood before the soldiers as they lowered themselves a stood mile from where he waited. Soldiers continued to fall from the sky like huge, metal raindrops, lining behind each other as they looked to the Gundam across the way. Heero sneered and licked his lips as he faced the battle just a moment away. When the last of the soldiers had landed, there was a force more than three-hundred strong, every last soldier in the base accepted the challenge that Heero Yuy had made.
After one brief moment, Heero shouted and charged to the army, as all of the soldiers replied the same and quickly made their way towards him. The watch on Sera's arm beeped to say that it was noon exactly just before the charge began. The suits met in the middle of the field and the battle had begun. Soon, there was no sign of the white Gundam in the midst of the army. Heero took out any and every suit that was daring enough to face him. Before long, he patched into the Zero System and used that to aid him in his fighting.
Ten minutes passed, then twenty. Sera was watching the fight closely, not daring to take her eyes from the field for a moment. Still, all that could be seem were the mobile suits of the OZ soldiers. Finally, Wing Zero shot straight into the air. Heero shouted as he took out three Aires suits. The wings of his Gundam guided him as he used tricky turns and stunts to cause many of the Aires pilots to fly swiftly into each other.
Heero was bleeding from several cuts on his face, arms and chest. Sweat poured from every inch due to the intense struggle. Still, he laughed madly as he continued to wipe out the OZ soldiers. Those who were struggling against him watched his skills in awe. Still, this was what they wanted and they took to the fight with fire and passion. After the first thirty minutes, they were a hundred soldiers less. The Wing pilot showed no signs of tiring. Wiping a bit of sweat from his brow, Heero continued to strike, dodge and do whatever was required to kill every last one of these soldiers.
Taking to the ground again, Heero cut through five soldiers before they could react in time to dodge him. The loss of blood from his wounds was nothing that concerned the Japanese pilot as he went on to fight even more feverishly than before. There were still more than two hundred soldiers that he needed to get through. And this was something that he never allowed to slip from his mind. Ten more minutes passed and Heero felt the strain of the Zero System beginning to get to him. He quickly turned the system off and chose to fight the rest of the battle without it.
Heero spun his suit around swiftly with his blade sticking out far in front Wing Zero. Before turning completely, his sword hit something and caused him to stop his action. "What the-" he hissed as he saw that there was nothing in front of him other than the air.
Suddenly, something began to materialize. It was a laser scythe that had blocked his weapon. Heero's cobalt eyes widened as far as they could as he gasped loudly. A black Gundam stood before him in full view. The Wing pilot shouted, "DUO!?!" His lover smiled to him with a sigh of relief, "It's good to see you, too, Heero."
Heero smiled brightly to his partner's image in the monitor. Not having time to speak, the pair went right back to the fight against the remaining soldiers. Heero cut two Leos in half without any effort. Duo stabbed an Aries and spun it swiftly several times around his suit before hurling the suit into another Aries. The two suits exploded when the damaged Aires blew up first.
They went on fighting together as the soldiers were dropping like flies. Not one of them retreated as they each had their chance to fight the Gundam suits, as they always wanted. Heero and Duo, however, had the experience that none of these recruits could possibly have. And in the end, that was what mattered the most.
The Wing pilot took out a handful of suits with the Buster Riffle and Duo did the same as he swiped through more opposing soldiers. Neither pilot paused or faltered in the fight. While they were terribly outnumbered and had taken several hits because of it, there wasn't anything that brought about any signs that they would lose this struggle.
Five minutes passed, then ten...then twenty, then forty. Finally, with the explosion of three more suits, there was one last soldier in his Leo as he looked to the destruction all around the field with sweat pouring and wide eyes as he gasped. He looked to the two Gundams as they stood next to each other. Taking a deep breath, he screamed at the top of his lungs, "FOR OZ!" and charged at the pilots. The Wing pilot cut him from top to bottom the same time Duo sliced his across the center, making a cross imprint just before the suit exploded.
Sera fell to her knees in relief as she finally felt herself breathing again. The battle was much longer and more intense than she, or anyone could have witnessed. It was enough to shake even the strongest and bravest of soldiers to their core. She closed her eyes and whispered hoarsely, "Thank you, God." Shakily, Sera got to her feet and ran to the ship.
At the battlefield, Wing Zero and Deathscythe were feet away from each other. The cockpits opened as their pilots lowered themselves to the ground using their cable cords. Heero and Duo were both slightly bleeding and drenched in sweat from the fight, but they pain no mind to this.
The moment their feet touched the ground, they ran to each other and tightly embraced when they were a breath apart. They lock their arms around their love's body as if they were clinging for life. Burying their heads in their lover's shoulders, they choked back sobs and breathed deeply to take in the scent of their partner.
After a long silent moment, the reunited pilots loosened their tight embrace enough to kiss deeply until they nearly ran out of air. Panting, they looked to each other and rested their foreheads against each other. Heero held Duo's face in his hands and whispered breathlessly, "How...?" Duo smiled lovingly and kissed his lips. Then, he replied, "I got a call from a friend." Heero smiled back, knowing exactly who the braided pilot was speaking of.
Sera's ship landed not far from them and Sera ran out to the pilots. She was beaming when she saw that both Heero and Duo were safe...bruised pretty badly, but safe. The pilots walked to her and Heero said quietly, "Thank you." Makato smiled and nodded. Duo hugged her tightly as he thanked her as well. Sera sighed as cupped Duo's cheek and took a good look at him for a moment. Then, she smiled, "I'm just glad you got here in time." Duo smiled back, "I flew all night to get here." At this, he heard Heero whisper gently, "Duo."
The American's eyes met Heero's and they smiled to each other. Sera blushed and gently cleared her throat. "Well, we might as well stay on this colony since there won't be any soldiers following the ones that were killed. I'll be in my room the rest of the night." With a wave, she turned back to the ship to give the lovers some time to be alone.
When they were along, Heero and Duo embraced tightly again. "I've missed you koi. How long has it been since we were together?" Duo whispered as they held each other. Heero replied flatly, "Over three months." Duo sighed deeply, "Felt like three years." The Wing pilot nodded his agreement.
Once they pulled back, they kissed sweetly then deeply. "I've missed you, too, koibito," Heero whispered in his partner's ear. Duo's smile spelled mischief as he asked seductively, "Sooo. You got any plans tonight, Heero?" The Wing pilot smiled seductively in return and pulled Duo into a passionate kiss.
* * * * * *
Once they entered Heero's room and the door was closed, not second passed and Duo was shoved up against the wall- back first. Heero lunged at him as they kissed hungrily and desperately. The pair moaned and whimpered as they let their emotions run away with them, too lost in the moment. They began ripping each other's shirts off, not bothering to take the time to remove them any other way. The shreds of their tops dropped to the ground and were forgotten about. The only thing either of them wore from the waist up was the cross around Heero's neck.
Still kissing, the Japanese pilot removed the band holding his koi's braid together and undid the locks. The American's long, wavy locks were soon loose and Heero buried his fingers in them. They continued to moan and rub against each other with all the fire and passion that had been holding inside in waiting for this moment. Breathlessly, the Wing pilot whispered in Duo's ear, pleading, "Oh, I need you, Duo." Duo replied just the same, "I need you too, Heero."
They kissed deeply and even more passionately. Effortlessly, Heero picked Duo up without breaking the kiss. After lying his lover onto the bed, Heero straddled him. They ran their hands up and down their partner's chest, taking in every detail in that they missed so terribly during their time apart. Heero then leaned down and began kissing down the other pilot's chest.
The Japanese pilot then took Duo's right nipple into his mouth and sucked as his left hand gripped onto the other nipple. His lover's gasp and moan proved that he was enjoying this just as much as he was. Very quickly, the nipples hardened upon the touch and Heero proceeded to kiss and lick down the American's chest again, going down much further this time. Duo moaned deeply as his partner traveled down him and arched his back. His fingers buried wove tightly into The Wing pilot's unruly hair as he traveled even further down. It was not a moment later when the remainder of their clothing was no longer a barrier.
* * * * * *
Night had just fallen when Brian Weatherall was walking towards his room in one of the Senate houses. The day had been spent entirely in meetings and the young king was tired. All he was looking forward to was getting some sleep and hopefully returning to Peace Million once an agreement was made with the people he worked closely with. He missed Relena terribly and knew that her thoughts were with him just as his were with her.
The moment he entered his dark room and closed the door as he walked to the bed, a strong pair of arms wrapped from behind him as a hand bearing a cloth covered in strong cyanide was held over his mouth and nose just as he shouted against the aggressor. Brian fought as well as he could before the cyanide kicked in and he collapsed in the intruder's arms.
Senator Reynolds smiled to the fallen king after lying him on the ground. Removing something from his pocket, he placed Brian's right hand over it several times. He chuckled deeply as he rose again, "My but how the mighty fall."
* * * * * *
Back on Captain Churchill's ship, Sette was waiting along with the Maquanauts in a gathering room for word on their suits. When Quatre entered, everyone rose and looked to him. The Arabian smiled brightly, "The repairs on our suits are finished. We cane leave for Peace Million now if we wanted to." Everyone gave an expression of relief as they received this news. Sette nodded, "We probably should get back, then. The sooner we return, the better." No one protested this and the Maquanauts exited the room, led by Rashid.
Just as Sette was about to leave the room, Quatre took hold of her arm. The tomboy turned to him and asked with concern, "What's wrong?" The blonde pilot sighed deeply and replied, "I just spoke to Lady Une... Dorothy left Peace Million again." The blue-haired pilot's eyes widened as she gasped loudly, "What!?!" Quatre nodded then stated, "There's no way that anyone can find her. She could be anywhere at this point."
Sette lowered her head and hissed, "Damn it. I knew that girl was too loose of a cannon to be given a second chance." Looking to her beloved, she huffed, "She's lucky Heero and Kumi aren't around." Quatre wasn't going to argue that. He new that she was right. "I'll meet you back in the hanger in a few minutes," the ex-princess told the Arabian.
Quatre asked as she headed towards the door, "Where are you going?" Sette turned back and answered, "I have to find a collar with a reeeeeally short leash for Novem when she returns." At this, she left the room. Quatre chuckled deeply to himself and headed off to return to the hanger.
* * * * * *
Reynolds was back in the Council house, waiting for someone. When the front doors to the room opened, Representative Stevens entered and ran to him. "I came as soon as I got your message," he cried as he tried to regain his breath. "You came up with something that we can arrest Brian with?" His friend smiled and nodded, "I should have thought of it from the beginning..."
Handing his friend a stack of papers, he stated, "I've copied the king's signature so nobody can question that he wrote this." Looking to the reports and read very carefully, Stevens laughed, "This is perfect! I should have thought of this sooner, myself." He handed Reynolds the papers and stated, "Once we make a statement of this in the morning, we can have Brian arrested. We'll be in control of the Earth before the week is over."
Reynolds laughed loudly then replied, "And what makes you think I'm sharing the power with anyone?" The Representative had only a moment to react as the Senator removed a pistol and shot him three times in the chest. Reynolds looked to Steven's dead body and chuckled deeply. As he squatted next to the dead Representative, he sighed deeply in content with a smile, "Thank you for your help, old friend."
* * * * * *
Later that night, two pilots screamed out each other's name as they were driven over the edge yet again that night. Duo collapsed onto Heero, who was now below him. Duo's head buried in the Wing's pilot chest. They were both drenched with sweat and panting loudly. The young men wrapped their arms around each other as they continued to catch their breath.
Their bodies were no longer able to function much after hours of just beginning to make up for lost time. Every ounce of strength had been spent at this point. After a moment to recover, Duo just managed to lift his head up enough to look down to Heero as they were still breathing heavily. Heero's eyes opened as he looked up to the long-haired beauty watching him.
The exhausted pilots smiled lovingly to each other. Heero caressed his lover's cheek and whispered in awe, "You're so beautiful." The American blushed just a bit and replied, "I'm not nearly as beautiful as you are, koi." Duo leaned in as they shared a gentle kiss. "I love you, Heero," Duo whispered when the kiss broke. "Ai shiteru, Duo," Heero replied the same way.
Deathscythe's pilot then sighed in content and lowered himself into Heero's waiting arms. They wrapped themselves tightly around each other, arms and legs intertwined as the Wing pilot gently covered them like that with the thin, light blue top sheet of the bed.
Both sated, the lovers wrapped around each other as tightly as possible, neither wanting to think of the morning or what awaited them when they woke. Heero asked gently, "Do you need anything, love?" Duo smiled and shook his head, "Just you." Heero smiled in appreciation of that sincere remark and kissed Duo's forehead, holding his lips there for a moment.
As he lied his head down, Duo began to chuckle softly. "What is it?" Heero asked as he smiled to him. Duo smiled and chuckled loudly, "I can't move a damn inch after all of that." Heero couldn't help but laugh with him after he said this. He nodded as they continued laughing, "Neither can I." When the laughter subsided, they kissed deeply one last time before completely relaxing their bodies for the sleep that they needed so badly.
They both whispered 'Good night' and 'I love you' to each other before closing their eyes. Heero knew that Duo wouldn't need much time to fall asleep. Like clockwork, he soon felt Duo's breathing relax and steady as testimony that he was deep in sleep's grasp. Heero opened his eyes to take a long, gentle look as his love's peaceful face. There was a small smile across the long-haired pilot's lips as he slept soundly in the tight embrace they held on one another.
The Wing pilot gently traced Duo's lips with his index finger. He then brushed back some sweat-coated locks from his lover's face. Knowing that nothing could possibly stir the pilot in his arms, Heero took advantage of this moment. After taking a deep, but gentle breath, he whispered to him in a soft and sincere voice, "Will you marry me?"
Duo never heard the proposal, of course, but the smile on his face grew a bit. That small, sweet expression was more than enough for Heero to smile the same, though he wished that he could find the courage to actually ask Duo that same question when he was awake. The timing just wasn't right to ask that, in Heero's mind. This moment of peace was not going to last much longer. Still, the Wing pilot was going to enjoy all of while it lasted. He kissed Duo's forehead again as their embrace tightened more, if possible. Heero then followed his lover as he closed his eyes.
* * * * * *
In the morning, Brian woke in his room and looked to see that nothing had changed. Before he could have a moment to gather his thoughts, there was a heavy bang on his door. He staggered to get up as he walked over to see who was there. When he opened the door, Brian's eyes widened at the sight of several police officers. The Sergeant began, "Brian Weatherall, you are being placed under arrest for the murder of Representative John Stevens."
The young king paled and shouted, "What are you talking about!?!" The young man was then handcuffed and led outside of the building. The moment that the doors opened, reporters and huge crowds of people ran to see the young king as he was led to the police car. A squad was also there to see that nobody got too close to Brian in the midst of all of the confusion. The stunned king did not retaliate, knowing that he couldn't do anything even if he tried. So, he allowed himself to be taken off.
When Brian was in the car and the door slammed behind him, people swarmed around the automobile. The officer driving was one of several that escorted the king to the prison not far from the Council house. Once there, he was placed in a cell that was in the basement, all to itself as guards stood watch beyond the closed door at the top of the stairs. Brian walked to the cot in his cell and sat there, waiting for someone to come and tell him just what was going on.
The red-haired young man didn't have long to wait before he was greeted by Senator Reynolds. The sight of the man made Brian's blood boil as he growled deeply, "What the hell have you done?" The Senator laughed loudly and replied, "Oh come on, Brian. Is that anyway to say hello to an old friend. The young man walked to the bars and hissed, "I'm not going to ask again, Reynolds."
The man before him smiled, "The people have ordered your immediate execution. At nightfall tomorrow, you'll be killed in the public square for all the world to see." Brian's eyes widened as far as they could, then narrowed as he replied, "I had a feeling that was you in my room last night. You used my fingerprints." Reynolds clapped, "Oh, you're a bright young man, aren't you?"
Reynolds continued, "I also took the opportunity to create some false treaties that had your forged signature on them. They state how you and the Gundam pilots were allying to control the Earth much differently when this war comes to an end. They were found not far from Stevens's body, so there was your motive to kill him...The Representative found out what you are your Gundam pilots were planning, so you killed him and in your haste, could not get all of the evidence."
Brian shook his head and said, "The people of Earth know that I would never commit such a crime. And I would never dream of making an agreement with anyone to corrupt the system that exists here." Reynolds sneered, "The same way that they know that when you said Relena was fighting this war you meant she was fighting with her words and not a Gundam suit?" Again, Brian stood frozen in shock.
The Senator chuckled deeply, "A friend of yours supplied me with that helpful information. Everyone on the Earth now knows that their queen is piloting Gundam Unit 06. That was more than they needed to hear to point the finger at you for treason and murder." Brian's shocked expression melted into one of hatred towards the man beyond his cell. "You really think that you're going to get away with this, don't you?" he asked in a threatening tone.
Reynolds smiled and replied as he leaned closely to the bars and the face of the kind. He whispered, "Oh, I'm not only going to get away with it...I'm going to sit on the same thrown you've been on for the last four years." With a deep chuckle, he stood straight again and turned to walk back up the stairs. "I'll see you in hell for this, Reynolds and that's not a threat," the young kind swore in a deep voice. The traitor never answered to this as he simply walked up the stairs.
* * * * * *
No sooner had the Senator reentered the his office an hour later than his computer blinked on again. Quinze Khushrenadah was there, smiling as always towards the man before him. "I take it that all is going according to plan?" he asked in amusement. Reynolds smiled and nodded, "The king will be killed tomorrow night at a public dismemberment." Quinze's eyes flashed with excitement upon hearing this. He nodded, "Congratulations, your majesty. You've finally managed to gain the power that you've always wanted."
Reynolds replied as he leaned back in his chair, "And I have what you've requested as your repayment for the documents on Relena Weatherall and her Gundam." The young OZ leader sat up with anxiety. Reynolds chuckled deeply and typed something into the laptop. After a moment for the data to transfer to Quinze's computer, the man sneered and replied, "You have lived up to your end of the bargain, my friend. I thank you." With nothing more to say, the two men nodded to each other and the screen went black.
* * * * * *
On the OZ ship where Quinze was waiting, he walked down the halls to a specific room and entered. Inside, Azrael and Abrasia were sitting as patiently as possible, which was not saying much since it had been almost two days since they were able to attack something. When their leader entered, they jumped to their feet and ran to him. Azrael looked eagerly to her commander and asked, "Have you received the coordinates, sir?"
Quinze smiled and nodded, "Reynolds came through." As he said this, he handed a small slip of paper to Abrasia. The twins were beaming as they looked to the paper with great anxiety. They both laughed when they read the coordinates. "Who would have thought that Peace Million would be hiding there?" Abrasia chuckled deeply as he continued to look to the paper.
"Now you both understand what you need to do?" Quinze asked suddenly. "Demetris is not here to see that you don't get carried away again like the last time you fought the Gundam pilots." Azrael bowed her head to him and said sincerely, "We know what we have to do. And we won't let you down." Quinze lifted her head gently under the chin and smiled, "I don't have any doubt in that." Having said everything that needed to be said, Quinze turned and left the room.
* * * * *
Late that same night, in a small room within the Courthouse, two members of the Council met privately, careful to be sure that they were not being followed or heard as they spoke. The blonde young man whispered first to his gray-haired friend, "I know that you don't believe that Brian killed Stevens." The other Senator shook his head and whispered back, "Not for a moment. I'm willing to bet my life that Reynolds is behind this whole thing."
The younger of the two men asked with concern, "What are we going to do? We can't convince the world that the king would never commit such a crime. They're enraged that queen Relena is a Gundam pilot now that they all know." The other man nodded, "Yes, but we don't need to convince the world that Brian is innocent. All we have to do is keep him alive." No sooner had he said this than he went to the small room's door.
"Where are you going?" the blonde asked quietly. His friend answered, "We have to get a hold of Lady Une."
TBC
Author Note: Okay, I left the whole battle with Heero, Duo and the OZ soldiers to your imaginations. Just know that it was very long, violent and involved. I figured I'd leave the details to you! This way, you'll get to picture what you want! ^_^