yay! the next chapter...my muse is back! r&r!
~The Beginning of the End~
*Force of the Future*
Location: New Washington, North America
Maureen sighed audibly.
Duo pulled himself away from Maureen's clasp and staggered to the vid comm. He was out of breath from the rushed kiss as he sighed, accepting the vid call. He gingerly touched his lips to see ruby red lipstick.At first, he panicked as he wiped off the lipstick from his lips; was it Hilde checking up on him? How was he going to explain himself this time? The vid screen appeared to be terrified Quatre with a white bandage wrapped around his skull.
"Quatre!" Duo cried. "What the hell happened to you?"
"Long story," he replied tersely. "Anyways, look, I've contacted Trowa in Nova San Juan. We have a big situation that you should be aware of. You see, I was on tail with a suspicious man, probably a terrorist. The next thing I know, Trowa's counterpart, Andie, calls saying that a warhead is headed straight towards the coasts of Virgina in ETA three hours."
"No crap," Duo muttered. This was right up his alley.
Quatre blinked at his shocked friend."I'm not joking, Duo," Quatre said wearily, "This is serious. Trowa has contacted all the Atlantic coast countries and are trying to figure out something right now. You must do something. Inform the President. Inform Preventers. Right now, we got half of the fleet busy trying to help. Preventer Po is busy in Africa trying to figure out a way to block the trajectory coast. You don't have a lot of time."
Mission accepted---no choice this time around.
Duo nodded gravely. "Understood. Keep in touch, Duo out." He terminated the transmission, then scanned if anyone bugged the line. Sighing with relief, he turned around. To his shock, Maureen was still there. She leaned over and kissed him passionately again, resuming what was going on before the transmission intercepted.
Duo desperately pulled himself away from her, feeling guilty.
Maureen blinked, as if she knew nothing. "Duo?"
"I have to go...now." As he went to get his coat again, he was deep in thought. I have to stop this forsaken warhead from destroying North America, he thought. Damn, this is just great. Perfect timing. He stole a quick glance at Maureen, who was standing there, dumbfold. Mission objective; save North America and stay away from Mau---Preventer Hepburn.
Location: Siberia, Russia
Slam! The man was thrown against the wall, hard. He landed onto a garbage can and toppled over it like a piece of trash. The man groaned as he slumped at the wall, only to be picked up again by none other than Heero Yuy.
"Answer my question," Heero hissed, "you said you saw them. Where did they go?" When the man did not respond, Heero added coldly, "You are doing them nothing by not saying anything. I will find them and save my friend. Either way...they lose."
"Nyet," he man spat raggedly. "I will never say anything."
Heero sneered at the man's incompetence. Then again, he admired his stubborness not to give in, but Heero wasn't going to give up now because he admired a man. This man might be working with the terrorists and holding Relena hostage...he was determined to get Relena back.
At all costs.
Heero scoffed as he punched the man again. "Dammit, this is the last time I am warning you!" he shouted, fustrated. He never heard himself this fustrated before. Nor this angry. "I am looking for my friend. You saw the guys who took her. Now tell me...WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY?!" The last words came out so hard and so angry, the words echoed down the silent alleys.
Even the man was startled.
And frightened.
He trembled as if...
"Don't you dare," Heero warned icily, his grip still tight around the man's collared shirt, which stank in odoured sweat. He tried hard not to scrunch up his nose in the foul stench. "You better answer my question...I'll give you five seconds and then I'll simply eliminate you just like all the others..."
"There...there were others?" the man stammered.
Heero smiled cryptically. "Oh yes, about...hmm...twenty?"
"Tw-twenty?"
"Yes...and you will be victim number twenty-one," Heero stated thinnly.
"Y-You're lying," the man accused, trembling.
Heero shook his head with a dramatic sigh. "Am I?" he asked. He tightened his grip on the man. "Hmm..let's see. I was a former Gundam pilot who was a prime target of the Romefeller Foundation, White Fang and Oz. I was subjected to critical testing during my upbringing to become the perfect soldier. I can handle any kind of gun and hunt down even the most unsuspicious of people. Why? Because...I am trained to be a soldier." He cocked his head to one side. "Now...five...four..."
"Y-You're bluffing between your teeth!" the man spat.
"Three...two...o---"
The man squirmed. "Dammit, alright! Alright, I'll tell you where the hell they went!" His voice barely came out as a strained whisper.
"Mikhayl...they...came around a couple of days ago, asking me for some tickets out to the old Oz control tower out west. I...I asked them why...and...and they said they had someone with them, some important girl..."
Heero's lips tightened, remembering the location clearly. "Did you see her?"
"Th...The girl?" The man shook his head frantically. "Noooo...never saw."
"For a reward...you can live...for now." Heero released his clasped grip on the man, making him fall down to the cement ground, rear first. The man winced, groaned, about to complain when he saw Heero's penetrating glare. "Mess with them...or me...and you'll wish I had killed you in the first place."
"Da," the man said fratically. "Da."
Heero turned around and started to walk away, grinning cryptically. Maybe if I did this bad-persona attitude go on, he thought, I just might get through terrorists like him. That was a hell of a good bluff...let's just hope it'll be to my advantage in the future...
Location: Nova San Juan, South America
"You okay, Trowa?" Andie asked, handing him a warm mug of coffee.
"No," Trowa replied indifferently, focused on the computer screen.
Andie placed the warm mug on a coaster and retrieved the empty one. That made twelve empty mugs of coffee. She looked at him, clearly worried as she stated, "I brought you some coffee." Seeing no reaction in his concentration, she added, "What are you doing?"
"I am running through alternative tactical strategies to avert the warhead from its current trajectory," Trowa replied flatly. "So far, I have made over three hundred possibilities and strategies."
"And...?"
"Not a single one will avert the trajectory," he concluded in fustration, slamming the consol. "Each one of them resulted in either destruction of the entire west coast for both continents, deaths of millions or the destruction of the entire planet itself."
Andie blew out a breath. "Damn."
"I will find a way," Trowa assured defiantly. "I will find an alternative."
"That's just it, Trowa," Andie said sadly, "what if you don't? I mean, would you be prepared to give up the coast of North America for the world? Or would you let the whole world suffer the fate of the North American East Coast?" She looked at him tenderly, with a glimmer of sadness.
The thought had already occurred to him, a long time ago. He swallowed, looking up to her. "I will give up my life if it will save the millions who live on the coasts," he told her.
Andie touched his shoulder gently. "And I will be beside you."
~End of Chapter~
~The Beginning of the End~
*Force of the Future*
Location: New Washington, North America
Maureen sighed audibly.
Duo pulled himself away from Maureen's clasp and staggered to the vid comm. He was out of breath from the rushed kiss as he sighed, accepting the vid call. He gingerly touched his lips to see ruby red lipstick.At first, he panicked as he wiped off the lipstick from his lips; was it Hilde checking up on him? How was he going to explain himself this time? The vid screen appeared to be terrified Quatre with a white bandage wrapped around his skull.
"Quatre!" Duo cried. "What the hell happened to you?"
"Long story," he replied tersely. "Anyways, look, I've contacted Trowa in Nova San Juan. We have a big situation that you should be aware of. You see, I was on tail with a suspicious man, probably a terrorist. The next thing I know, Trowa's counterpart, Andie, calls saying that a warhead is headed straight towards the coasts of Virgina in ETA three hours."
"No crap," Duo muttered. This was right up his alley.
Quatre blinked at his shocked friend."I'm not joking, Duo," Quatre said wearily, "This is serious. Trowa has contacted all the Atlantic coast countries and are trying to figure out something right now. You must do something. Inform the President. Inform Preventers. Right now, we got half of the fleet busy trying to help. Preventer Po is busy in Africa trying to figure out a way to block the trajectory coast. You don't have a lot of time."
Mission accepted---no choice this time around.
Duo nodded gravely. "Understood. Keep in touch, Duo out." He terminated the transmission, then scanned if anyone bugged the line. Sighing with relief, he turned around. To his shock, Maureen was still there. She leaned over and kissed him passionately again, resuming what was going on before the transmission intercepted.
Duo desperately pulled himself away from her, feeling guilty.
Maureen blinked, as if she knew nothing. "Duo?"
"I have to go...now." As he went to get his coat again, he was deep in thought. I have to stop this forsaken warhead from destroying North America, he thought. Damn, this is just great. Perfect timing. He stole a quick glance at Maureen, who was standing there, dumbfold. Mission objective; save North America and stay away from Mau---Preventer Hepburn.
Location: Siberia, Russia
Slam! The man was thrown against the wall, hard. He landed onto a garbage can and toppled over it like a piece of trash. The man groaned as he slumped at the wall, only to be picked up again by none other than Heero Yuy.
"Answer my question," Heero hissed, "you said you saw them. Where did they go?" When the man did not respond, Heero added coldly, "You are doing them nothing by not saying anything. I will find them and save my friend. Either way...they lose."
"Nyet," he man spat raggedly. "I will never say anything."
Heero sneered at the man's incompetence. Then again, he admired his stubborness not to give in, but Heero wasn't going to give up now because he admired a man. This man might be working with the terrorists and holding Relena hostage...he was determined to get Relena back.
At all costs.
Heero scoffed as he punched the man again. "Dammit, this is the last time I am warning you!" he shouted, fustrated. He never heard himself this fustrated before. Nor this angry. "I am looking for my friend. You saw the guys who took her. Now tell me...WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY?!" The last words came out so hard and so angry, the words echoed down the silent alleys.
Even the man was startled.
And frightened.
He trembled as if...
"Don't you dare," Heero warned icily, his grip still tight around the man's collared shirt, which stank in odoured sweat. He tried hard not to scrunch up his nose in the foul stench. "You better answer my question...I'll give you five seconds and then I'll simply eliminate you just like all the others..."
"There...there were others?" the man stammered.
Heero smiled cryptically. "Oh yes, about...hmm...twenty?"
"Tw-twenty?"
"Yes...and you will be victim number twenty-one," Heero stated thinnly.
"Y-You're lying," the man accused, trembling.
Heero shook his head with a dramatic sigh. "Am I?" he asked. He tightened his grip on the man. "Hmm..let's see. I was a former Gundam pilot who was a prime target of the Romefeller Foundation, White Fang and Oz. I was subjected to critical testing during my upbringing to become the perfect soldier. I can handle any kind of gun and hunt down even the most unsuspicious of people. Why? Because...I am trained to be a soldier." He cocked his head to one side. "Now...five...four..."
"Y-You're bluffing between your teeth!" the man spat.
"Three...two...o---"
The man squirmed. "Dammit, alright! Alright, I'll tell you where the hell they went!" His voice barely came out as a strained whisper.
"Mikhayl...they...came around a couple of days ago, asking me for some tickets out to the old Oz control tower out west. I...I asked them why...and...and they said they had someone with them, some important girl..."
Heero's lips tightened, remembering the location clearly. "Did you see her?"
"Th...The girl?" The man shook his head frantically. "Noooo...never saw."
"For a reward...you can live...for now." Heero released his clasped grip on the man, making him fall down to the cement ground, rear first. The man winced, groaned, about to complain when he saw Heero's penetrating glare. "Mess with them...or me...and you'll wish I had killed you in the first place."
"Da," the man said fratically. "Da."
Heero turned around and started to walk away, grinning cryptically. Maybe if I did this bad-persona attitude go on, he thought, I just might get through terrorists like him. That was a hell of a good bluff...let's just hope it'll be to my advantage in the future...
Location: Nova San Juan, South America
"You okay, Trowa?" Andie asked, handing him a warm mug of coffee.
"No," Trowa replied indifferently, focused on the computer screen.
Andie placed the warm mug on a coaster and retrieved the empty one. That made twelve empty mugs of coffee. She looked at him, clearly worried as she stated, "I brought you some coffee." Seeing no reaction in his concentration, she added, "What are you doing?"
"I am running through alternative tactical strategies to avert the warhead from its current trajectory," Trowa replied flatly. "So far, I have made over three hundred possibilities and strategies."
"And...?"
"Not a single one will avert the trajectory," he concluded in fustration, slamming the consol. "Each one of them resulted in either destruction of the entire west coast for both continents, deaths of millions or the destruction of the entire planet itself."
Andie blew out a breath. "Damn."
"I will find a way," Trowa assured defiantly. "I will find an alternative."
"That's just it, Trowa," Andie said sadly, "what if you don't? I mean, would you be prepared to give up the coast of North America for the world? Or would you let the whole world suffer the fate of the North American East Coast?" She looked at him tenderly, with a glimmer of sadness.
The thought had already occurred to him, a long time ago. He swallowed, looking up to her. "I will give up my life if it will save the millions who live on the coasts," he told her.
Andie touched his shoulder gently. "And I will be beside you."
~End of Chapter~