Intruder - Part Thirteen
Fashion victim...
"Back off buddy!" Duo roared. Quatre didn't know if he meant him or the intruder.
"Whoa! Damn you, you b-ahh"
As his friend cried out for the second time, Quatre could stand it no longer. Seeing the gun on the floor he tried to reach it, but it was kicked away by the enemy.
Duo realized this and pushed off the wall again, and shoved it back to Quatre. He had been too busy watching the gun to see the attacker pull a knife, and only Quatre's shout and the dull glint from the lights above gave it away. There wasn't much he could do to avoid it, other than attack back. He landed a good blow in the "stomach" which should have winded him, but only caught him off guard. The knife flashed and a bolt of pain flew up his leg. He'd sliced his shin open, not very deep, but it was still painful and bleeding into his jeans. Duo roared again, not with pain, but with the anger welling up inside of him, and leaking out, just like his blood.
~ The other's must have heard that. ~ Quatre hoped. He still couldn't get to the gun, their adversary had it beneath him, out of reach. Duo was bleeding.
He was trying hard, but so far unsuccessfully, to make him drop the knife. Seeing the gun below him he kicked at it and felt the burning in his leg. The gun slid across, almost within Quatre's grasp.
~ I must draw him away. ~
He pulled him across and went to ram his head in the wall. It barely touched it.
~ Weak! ~
It had however left his chest 'open' to attack. The opponent tried to, literally, swinging the blade at Duo's body. He pulled himself away, but slipped in the growing skid-marks from his shin. It felt like lightning searing across his chest, as he fell to the ground. The intruder stood over him, and looking up Duo saw his own face mirrored there, then the image was gone, and left the shadow hanging over him.
*BANG *
He rolled left instantly, to try to dodge the bullet that he expected, but instead of seeing the tiled floor shatter on impact, his opponent came crashing down next to him.
Glancing over to where Quatre was standing, he was still poised for the next shot, holding the slippery pistol in his steady hands. There was no need for it, as the figure lying next to the injured pilot didn't move.
At this moment in time, the others came running in, first Trowa and Heero from the mess, then Hilde and Wufei from the Hangar.
"Duo!" Hilde exclaimed in surprise. Rushing over to him, he struggled to his feet. She hugged him, giving him the support he needed.
"He ruined my favorite shirt."
She smiled at him, glad he was in a joking mood, that meant he wasn't too badly injured.
"S'ok I'll get you another one."
After acknowledging that the bloody pilot was not in any mortal danger, Heero was more interested in the prone figure lying at Duo's feet. Wufei caught Duo's eye. He smiled at him, and Chang nodded in return, and left. Trowa still stood in the background, against the wall, as if he was waiting to be invited.
Quatre dropped the gun to the floor. It landed with a click on the tiles. He went to Duo.
"You saved my life didn't you? He was going to shoot me while I was just lying in there..."
"Aw, who's countin'? Anyway, I think ya just repaid the debt." He said motioning to the figure on the floor. Hilde let go of him and he buckled slightly, without falling. Both she and Quatre looked concerned. He joked them back into their previous moods.
"Hey, he ruined your shirt too, it's all gone red."
Hilde looked down, and he was right. The pale blue blouse she'd put on this morning was now decorated with a stripe of dark red across the front. Quatre frowned.
"We should get those fixed up." He said, and to the sound of Duo's friendly protests both he and Hilde push/dragged him through the doors and onto the ready-made bed.
"Hey, no fair two on one! An' I'm injured! Heero?! This ain't fair!"
Heero ignored him, busy looking at the "dead" trespasser. The blood on him was not Duo's, he hadn't lost that much. If he had he wouldn't be playing around now.
~ So where is it from? ~ Searching the body provided the answer, inside the hollow casing of the upper body was a small reservoir tank, to persuade them it was real, after all, a machine couldn't bleed could it?
~ So that's where it all came from. Wufei too, he didn't have any major wounds. Sly. ~
He continued to check over the mechanics of their stalker. He was so interested in the workings of the so-called 'Gundam' that he was there for quite a while, because when he looked up he saw Duo being bandaged.
Quatre had almost finished neatly wrapping his lower leg. Hilde however was busy tying him down to the bed, as the strips of material had got caught on the side, and the gash across Duo's ribs, although not as deep, had been leaking slightly more than his shin.
Quatre finished binding his leg wound, and looked up at the other. His eyes went wide.
"What? Whaat?!" Duo asked, trying to see where he was looking at.
"Um, shall I finish that for you, Hilde?" Quatre asked trying to keep a straight face.
"No, I'm almost done." She replied, being to busy tying the wraps, she was oblivious to his smile. Duo managed to see her handiwork, and grimaced. The knots were each half the size of his fist. Trying to change the conversation, Quatre said
"You should be fine, we'll just need to change the dressing when it needs it, say every couple of hours."
Duo rolled his eyes. "Ya mean I've gotta stay here like this for two hours?! I can't even move!!" He wriggled and got nowhere, just to prove a point.
"That's ok, I'm sure I'll find something to do." Hilde said. She had the smallest gleam in her eye, and Duo knew what she meant.
~ My stuff! The cupboards! Man, she's gonna tidy my room! ~ then he remembered how he'd left them ~ Phew, safe. ~
"Quatre, can't you get Trowa to introduce her to Max?" he asked, trying to keep her out of his room while he was otherwise engaged.
"Trowa's out here!" Heero called from the hall.
"Trowa they want you in there."
Carefully, with his usual casual grace, Trowa Barton stepped over Heero and the fallen foe. Touching the door it opened, and he went in.
"Hey, Trowa! How are ya?"
He frowned. "Better than you, it would seem."
"Aw, c'mon, just cause I look like a mummy, don't mean I'm done bad."
"So, what is wrong?"
"Only a couple o' scratches. That guy fought like a wom-ow!"
Hilde had finished the last knot, and pulled it tight, too tight.
"Aw, c'mon babe, y' know I didn't mean it like that. C'm'ere."
"We have to tie them tight so the pressure prevents anymore blood loss. And there's no point me coming over to hug you, as you can't sit up to do it anyway." Again there was a slight shine in her blue eyes. And the corner of her mouth was just up the smallest bit.
"Blood loss?! With all them stitches?!" she frowned at him for joking about it, and for his previous comment. "No offence meant, Hilde, y' know what I-"
"Yes." She turned to Trowa. "So who's this Max then, anyway?"
"I'll take you to see Charlie know. Follow me."
"I thought-"
"Duo thinks he should be called Max, But Trowa calls him Charlie." Quatre explained.
"And what do you think?" she pressed.
"Uh, I think you should follow Trowa." He gestured to his friend, who'd already started off up the corridor.
"Oh, ok." She got past the blockage on the hallway floor. "Bye Duo!"
"Bye." He watched her walk away around the corner and waited till he thought she would be out of earshot. Then looking down at his chest and up to his companion he asked; "Can y' sort these out now, Cat? Please?"
Quatre smiled at him. He walked over and gently tugged at the chaotic mess of material. "Sure, let's find the end."
Fashion victim...
"Back off buddy!" Duo roared. Quatre didn't know if he meant him or the intruder.
"Whoa! Damn you, you b-ahh"
As his friend cried out for the second time, Quatre could stand it no longer. Seeing the gun on the floor he tried to reach it, but it was kicked away by the enemy.
Duo realized this and pushed off the wall again, and shoved it back to Quatre. He had been too busy watching the gun to see the attacker pull a knife, and only Quatre's shout and the dull glint from the lights above gave it away. There wasn't much he could do to avoid it, other than attack back. He landed a good blow in the "stomach" which should have winded him, but only caught him off guard. The knife flashed and a bolt of pain flew up his leg. He'd sliced his shin open, not very deep, but it was still painful and bleeding into his jeans. Duo roared again, not with pain, but with the anger welling up inside of him, and leaking out, just like his blood.
~ The other's must have heard that. ~ Quatre hoped. He still couldn't get to the gun, their adversary had it beneath him, out of reach. Duo was bleeding.
He was trying hard, but so far unsuccessfully, to make him drop the knife. Seeing the gun below him he kicked at it and felt the burning in his leg. The gun slid across, almost within Quatre's grasp.
~ I must draw him away. ~
He pulled him across and went to ram his head in the wall. It barely touched it.
~ Weak! ~
It had however left his chest 'open' to attack. The opponent tried to, literally, swinging the blade at Duo's body. He pulled himself away, but slipped in the growing skid-marks from his shin. It felt like lightning searing across his chest, as he fell to the ground. The intruder stood over him, and looking up Duo saw his own face mirrored there, then the image was gone, and left the shadow hanging over him.
*BANG *
He rolled left instantly, to try to dodge the bullet that he expected, but instead of seeing the tiled floor shatter on impact, his opponent came crashing down next to him.
Glancing over to where Quatre was standing, he was still poised for the next shot, holding the slippery pistol in his steady hands. There was no need for it, as the figure lying next to the injured pilot didn't move.
At this moment in time, the others came running in, first Trowa and Heero from the mess, then Hilde and Wufei from the Hangar.
"Duo!" Hilde exclaimed in surprise. Rushing over to him, he struggled to his feet. She hugged him, giving him the support he needed.
"He ruined my favorite shirt."
She smiled at him, glad he was in a joking mood, that meant he wasn't too badly injured.
"S'ok I'll get you another one."
After acknowledging that the bloody pilot was not in any mortal danger, Heero was more interested in the prone figure lying at Duo's feet. Wufei caught Duo's eye. He smiled at him, and Chang nodded in return, and left. Trowa still stood in the background, against the wall, as if he was waiting to be invited.
Quatre dropped the gun to the floor. It landed with a click on the tiles. He went to Duo.
"You saved my life didn't you? He was going to shoot me while I was just lying in there..."
"Aw, who's countin'? Anyway, I think ya just repaid the debt." He said motioning to the figure on the floor. Hilde let go of him and he buckled slightly, without falling. Both she and Quatre looked concerned. He joked them back into their previous moods.
"Hey, he ruined your shirt too, it's all gone red."
Hilde looked down, and he was right. The pale blue blouse she'd put on this morning was now decorated with a stripe of dark red across the front. Quatre frowned.
"We should get those fixed up." He said, and to the sound of Duo's friendly protests both he and Hilde push/dragged him through the doors and onto the ready-made bed.
"Hey, no fair two on one! An' I'm injured! Heero?! This ain't fair!"
Heero ignored him, busy looking at the "dead" trespasser. The blood on him was not Duo's, he hadn't lost that much. If he had he wouldn't be playing around now.
~ So where is it from? ~ Searching the body provided the answer, inside the hollow casing of the upper body was a small reservoir tank, to persuade them it was real, after all, a machine couldn't bleed could it?
~ So that's where it all came from. Wufei too, he didn't have any major wounds. Sly. ~
He continued to check over the mechanics of their stalker. He was so interested in the workings of the so-called 'Gundam' that he was there for quite a while, because when he looked up he saw Duo being bandaged.
Quatre had almost finished neatly wrapping his lower leg. Hilde however was busy tying him down to the bed, as the strips of material had got caught on the side, and the gash across Duo's ribs, although not as deep, had been leaking slightly more than his shin.
Quatre finished binding his leg wound, and looked up at the other. His eyes went wide.
"What? Whaat?!" Duo asked, trying to see where he was looking at.
"Um, shall I finish that for you, Hilde?" Quatre asked trying to keep a straight face.
"No, I'm almost done." She replied, being to busy tying the wraps, she was oblivious to his smile. Duo managed to see her handiwork, and grimaced. The knots were each half the size of his fist. Trying to change the conversation, Quatre said
"You should be fine, we'll just need to change the dressing when it needs it, say every couple of hours."
Duo rolled his eyes. "Ya mean I've gotta stay here like this for two hours?! I can't even move!!" He wriggled and got nowhere, just to prove a point.
"That's ok, I'm sure I'll find something to do." Hilde said. She had the smallest gleam in her eye, and Duo knew what she meant.
~ My stuff! The cupboards! Man, she's gonna tidy my room! ~ then he remembered how he'd left them ~ Phew, safe. ~
"Quatre, can't you get Trowa to introduce her to Max?" he asked, trying to keep her out of his room while he was otherwise engaged.
"Trowa's out here!" Heero called from the hall.
"Trowa they want you in there."
Carefully, with his usual casual grace, Trowa Barton stepped over Heero and the fallen foe. Touching the door it opened, and he went in.
"Hey, Trowa! How are ya?"
He frowned. "Better than you, it would seem."
"Aw, c'mon, just cause I look like a mummy, don't mean I'm done bad."
"So, what is wrong?"
"Only a couple o' scratches. That guy fought like a wom-ow!"
Hilde had finished the last knot, and pulled it tight, too tight.
"Aw, c'mon babe, y' know I didn't mean it like that. C'm'ere."
"We have to tie them tight so the pressure prevents anymore blood loss. And there's no point me coming over to hug you, as you can't sit up to do it anyway." Again there was a slight shine in her blue eyes. And the corner of her mouth was just up the smallest bit.
"Blood loss?! With all them stitches?!" she frowned at him for joking about it, and for his previous comment. "No offence meant, Hilde, y' know what I-"
"Yes." She turned to Trowa. "So who's this Max then, anyway?"
"I'll take you to see Charlie know. Follow me."
"I thought-"
"Duo thinks he should be called Max, But Trowa calls him Charlie." Quatre explained.
"And what do you think?" she pressed.
"Uh, I think you should follow Trowa." He gestured to his friend, who'd already started off up the corridor.
"Oh, ok." She got past the blockage on the hallway floor. "Bye Duo!"
"Bye." He watched her walk away around the corner and waited till he thought she would be out of earshot. Then looking down at his chest and up to his companion he asked; "Can y' sort these out now, Cat? Please?"
Quatre smiled at him. He walked over and gently tugged at the chaotic mess of material. "Sure, let's find the end."