What would I do?
Part II
Disclaimer: I don't own GW or this poem..
Warning: Yaoi Implied, Angst
Pairings: 13x5, 3x4, possible 6+2\2+6
You're a stranger in a strange land
Don't remember anybody
Nobody remembers you
You're a stranger in a strange land
I don't remember you
You don't remember me
But sometimes, sometimes
I don't know why
I think I miss your smile
Stranger in a strange land
Do strangers have regrets?
Do you ever wonder
Why you're a stranger here?
Looking at each other, unknowing
Looking for each other, unfinding
Passing by each other again and again
Will we always be
Strangers in a strange land?
Treize leaned back in the seat inside the office that was apparently his while staying here and sighed softly closing his eyes. 'Gods what a day.. and no one here that I can talk to..' He opened his eyes slightly to glance around the room and sighed again leaning his head back against the seat. 'At least I can lock the door into this place, so that dammed woman can't reach Me..'
A shiver ran down his spine as he thought about his welcome into this place. Hell.. if it wasn't for Trowa's reassurance that they thought him someone else and that everything was still going to plan, he might have turned and bolted from the turn out from the base. 'And at the forefront of it all was her.. if I didn't know any better, I'd say that the fervor behind those glasses she wore could possibly be very dangerous. Now if only I could figure out why she's centered on me.. '
A knock brought him out of his thoughts and he lifted his head to glance at the door. "Yes..? Who is it?"
The sound of a throat being cleared reached him and then a hesitant voice. "Your Excellency.. I have some documents I was told by Colonel Une to give to you.. they're about the events that have been going on while you were gone.. sir.."
Another soft sigh escaped and he reached forwards to push a small button on the desk to unlock the door. "Bring them in.. "
The door slid open soundlessly and the young soldier stepped inside quickly allowing the door to slide shut again behind him. Treize's eyes glanced over the uniform and then noted silently the rank on it. The ensign walked forwards towards his desk with a slightly frightened look in his eyes and he sat back wondering why it was there. Maybe the rank difference? He wasn't sure how the man he was supposed to be replacing would have responded to the young man but he decided to forget trying to act like something he wasn't.
A small smile graced his lips as he took the papers and he raised his eyes to meet the others across from him. 'Damn.. now he looks more frightened.. what did I do?' he let the small smile drop and decided to ask instead of being left in the dark. "Thank you, ensign. May I ask what is troubling you?"
"Sir?" The question was slightly confused.
Silently he cursed himself for apparently making matters worse and then set the papers down on the desk lowering his eyes to them. "Never mind.. you may go now ensign."
The youth nodded sharply and then turned seeming to flee from the room. He shook his head and then locked his door again for privacy, also so that Une woman could not take it upon herself to see how he was doing, yet again. Another small shiver worked his way down his spine as he turned his attention to the papers. He glanced through them and then noticed that the attacks listed seemed to ring small familiar bells until he realized why. He had organized the attacks with his friends.. the pilots. Now that he was on the other end he was seeing the result of those plans. He slowly allowed a small smile to grace his lips again as he flipped through the papers.
One of the papers held a file clipped to it and he flipped it open to glance at the contents within. A couple papers, it seemed to be a profile of someone.. he turned over a picture that was within the file and the smile faded as one slim finger tapped it silently in thought. 'I know you... I don't know where I've seen you.. but I do know you..' he finished the thought aloud. "Lieutenant Zechs Merquise.."
*
Treize glanced up from his seat to take in the others sitting along the table within the room. He attention was drawn to the white bearded man standing at the front of the table. 'Duke.. Dermail... Romefeller..' he frowned faintly in thought and a voice snapped him back from his reverie. "Treize.. would you care to tell us what you are displeased about..?"
The Duke was looking straight at him and he lifted his head slightly before speaking, drawing upon his memory of what the older man had been speaking of just then. "Yes.. those.. machines.. the mobile dolls you called them.. how are they to be used..? I just asked because it seemed as if they were to take our place in the field."
A small scowl marred the Duke's features. "Now Treize.. the mobile dolls are not of your concern, but in answer to your question. They are merely something to help fight down the rebellion that is taking place on the Colonies and in certain countries here on Earth."
"May I ask why they are rebelling? I have been absent for a small while.. so I am afraid that I do not know everything that has happened during my absence."
Duke Dermail nodded faintly. "Yes.. I heard of your accident, and absence. Very well, while you were gone. The Gundams continued attacking both us and the bases that housed Oz soldiers and suits. Due to his poor performance in the field, Colonel Une discharged Lieutenant Zechs Merquise.. the former Lighting Count from Oz. Leaving he took the mobile suit known as Tallgeese with him and left Earth for Space where he resurfaced on the L1 colony D120 as a good will ambassador by the name of Milliardo Peacecraft of the Sanc Kingdom. He broadcasted a speech to the Colonies and Earth, denouncing both us and Oz as the true villains in this war and claimed the Gundams were in fact the good guys.."
The older man shifted his stance and set a hand against one hip as he continued. "After that, he disappeared, only to resurface back on Earth within an area inside China with a organized resistance group. We need to get rid of him if we are to stop this rebellion, successfully win this battle, and bring the Colonies back under control. As we can not seem to get a spy close enough to him to monitor his whereabouts, we are forced to settle with destroying the entire rebel group within China and the other few counties that seem to be taking up his banner."
"Could I see these reports?" Treize asked watching Dermail. This had to be what the scientists had sent him here for. They would need to know everything Romefeller knew about these other rebels in order to help them.
"Of course, but may I ask why? This little rebellion is not your concern at the moment, that's why we are reviving the plans for the mobile dolls. So that the Oz troops will be able to work in space to end the rebellion there, they were considering our offer to join with us until Merquise went up there and changed their mind. I'm sure you can turn them back in the correct direction."
"I see, won't the mobile dolls take some time to be constructed and brought into play? I could easily spare some of the Oz forces to help begin to corral these rebels in China while they are worked on." He wouldn't of course, but the Duke didn't need to know that. As soon as he collected the information needed he would pass it on to the others and they would take whatever action they saw as fit. He would have to work though to make it look as if he had done something though. This would have to be carefully planned.
"You're right.. very well proceed with that course and then you'll be informed when to pull your men out."
"Thank you."
*
The next morning the reports were on his desk and he sat down and began to read through them silently. After he finished he turned to his computer and then secured a single line to begin a report. Before he began though he double checked the security on the line and was assured it was safe to use for what he intended. He wrote out what he had found out about the fighting going on Earth and also to a lesser degree in space. He also told about the rebels and their strikes against Romefeller. He sent that to the pilots and then began to plan what he could do here to help before he left.
As he went through the reports and various profiles he had pulled up something was nagging him. At the moment the rebels were getting hassled through Oz, same as the colonies. But if the soldiers were taken out of the picture then what..? From the looks of the reports Romefeller was leaning heavily on these soldiers for defense and support. If that was taken away what would happen. He recalled the turnout when he arrived. Something about that was wrong somehow. There was a piece missing to the puzzle before him and it felt like it was just beyond his grasp.
He closed his eyes as he leaned back in his chair. He would take another look at all the information he had at hand, and maybe that would give him the missing piece. There was the accident, no one had said what kind it was, but it had to been big. He opened his eyes and scanned the reports for the last year on any large events within them. Within minutes there were several things on the screen. He glanced at the headings given. He knew most of them from reading the reports that had been given. He had in a way been the cause behind some during his time with his friends. There was one unfamiliar one at the top. Two shuttles had been destroyed. According to the notes next to it three people had died in the crash. Two Oz soldiers and a Romefeller official.
He shut the screen off and stood up. He put the mystery of the accident aside to think of how he could make it appear he was sending soldiers to China, when he wasn't doing anything of the sort. His mind wandered once again back to the welcoming turnout when he had arrived at this base and then to the woman who seemed to shadow every step he made outside the room.
The plan came suddenly out of nowhere. But he would need to know which of the troops were loyal to him and which were Romefeller's lackeys. If he knew, he could send troops to China, only instead of harming the rebellion, it would help it. They would need the help if those ...cursed... machines were built and sent out on the path that was currently planned. As he completed sending several orders to Colonel Une, he leaned back in his chair silently.
'The duel is mine.'
He blinked and glanced back towards the monitor of the com. It was silent, the screen black. The phrase hadn't come from there. There was a familiar ring to it though as if he had heard it before. He closed his eyes in thought and opened them again when the sound of steel on steel reached his ears. He frowned faintly and stood walking over to the window. It was locked shut, he opened it and looked out. There wasn't anyone around the outside of his office. He turned away from the window and walked slowly back towards his desk.
'If you don't kill me right now, I'll keep on coming back until I get you Treize.'
He stopped halfway to the desk when he heard the threat. He turned slowly to look back at the window he had left open. It was empty, the curtains blew slightly in the breeze coming through the it. What was going on? He turned slowly scanning the rest of the large office, he was alone still. The door he had locked hours ago, so no one could of entered that way, the window had been locked until just moments ago.
He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose silently. He then felt the floor under his feet shudder and a blast of wind tore past him. He turned to see what had happened. His eyes widened slightly when he recognized the thing laying just inside his office, the wall was mostly gone, destroyed. The dragon-like head that was part of the Shenlong Gundam laid not two feet from him. He took a step back, as a small figure ran along it into his office only to fade away along with the damage to the office wall.
Everything was back like it was several seconds ago. The curtains still danced in the wind, the wall was intact. He walked over to it brushing a hand against it in slight disbelief before looking out the window again. Nothing out of the ordinary appeared. He stood there for several minutes waiting. When nothing else happened he relaxed slightly and sighed softly lowering his head and closing his eyes again.
'Lets see what course the future will take.'
He stiffened for a second before lifting his head to look back into the room. Still empty, but something about the statement nagged him. It had sounded too familiar. He glanced back outside and sighed once more before reaching for the window to close it.
'It will take whatever direction you decide on.'
He froze with his hand on the window, before slowly relaxing and closing the window. Maybe he just needed to get out of this office. He had been keeping himself inside for privacy and the silence. He would take a short walk, maybe these unexplained voices and illusions would cease afterwards. One could hope. Decision decided, he turned away from the window and unlocked the door, leaving the silent office.
***
I stood face to face with the ghost of my past
And the spirit of what was to come
And they made it clear that one day I'd have to
Answer for what I had done
And I saw what I'd become
The choices you make
The chances you take
They'll follow you all of your life
I'm just tryin' to live so when I die
The preacher won't have to lie
I ain't no prophet and I ain't no saint
And I ain't made no great sacrifice
I just keep tryin' to carry my weight
I keep trying to do what is right
And it's hard to do right sometimes
(The Preacher won't have to Lie - Lee Ann Womack)
Milliardo Peacecraft looked up from the clipboard he had been studying with one of the rebels at the voice that called his name. He nodded silently at the man before leaving him to walk towards the man who had called for him. He leaned over the chair the man sat in, one hand resting on the back of it as he studied the console before him. "Something heading our way?" he asked quietly as he glanced once from the console to the man.
"Yes, something big is.. to small to be a carrier though. Bigger than a Aires or Leo.."
He frowned faintly in thought before speaking. "Taurus?"
"It might be.." Milliardo nodded silently as he straightened up and turned to give the signal to ready the anti-air missiles. "Sir..?" He looked back behind him, an eyebrow raised slightly in query. The blonde rebel looked down. "I was thinking.. we could use that suit.."
"How would you propose to disarm it enough for us to take it without damaging it?"
"Well.. we could.."
"Yes..?"
"Well, KHUSH could take it out of the sky without damaging it, if we waited for it to come in low, like it does for a attack run and hit it with KHUSH, it wouldn't fall very far. I'm sure we can take care of the pilot.."
"Alright, but what if there are more suits from where this one came? Also the system you're referring to has never been tested.. it shouldn't harm suit or pilot, but it might.."
"Its the only thing I could think of.. besides blowing it out of the sky."
"It's a sound idea, we'll consider it a test run." he said, smiling faintly at the man at the console. He sent one of the men to the shed where the system was stored. A missile launcher was armed with a dud missile as the man came back with KHUSH, he sighed softly.
'You are remembered, my friend.. you just might help bring peace after all.' he thought silently as the man attached the small spider-like construct onto the head of the missile. Should everything go like it was *supposed* to when it was launched and the signal sent from base to activate the system within the little spider-like metal body. When the missile came into contact with the suit, it would detach itself from the missile head to the suit and basically hack into the systems faster than any human could to shut down all systems within the suit. The suit would then fall to the ground and wouldn't be able to power up again until KHUSH was deactivated or sent another signal telling it to detach itself from the machine.
He looked down at the console. "How soon..?" he asked.
Behind him, a feminine voice spoke up. "We have target lock, ready to fire when ready." He nodded once waiting.
"It's coming in now!" the blonde rebel shouted suddenly.
"Fire."
There was a whoosh of the launcher behind him firing the missile bearing its little passenger towards the target. "Sir!"
Milliardo looked down from the horizon where the missile had disappeared into, to the blonde. "Yes? Something happen? Did more suits show up?"
"No sir. Its not a Taurus!" The man swallowed and looked up at him. "It's a Gundam, sir."
Milliardo's head snapped up to look at the horizon. A number of curses passed through his mind as he waited, and hoped silently that the surprise they had sent either worked correctly or not at all. There had been the possibly brought up that the hacking might cause the suit's circuits to short and cause their computers to overload and blow up in their pilot's faces.. effectively killing the suit, since it needed its pilot to control it. He hoped to god, it didn't happen. It would be the cruelest irony to finally get the attention of the Gundam Pilots only to be the cause for the death of one the very people he was trying to ally with.
"Sir! The Gundam has fallen a couple yards from the outermost camp. I have reports that the Gundam is good condition on the outside despite its fall."
He looked down again and nodded. "I'll go and check it out. When I call back here, send the signal for KHUSH to release the Gundam." The man nodded and Milliardo turned and left the base, throwing on a dark jacket he sat down on one of the motorcycles he had acquired for such use and kick started it, heading towards the camp.
**********
Duo cursed once more as he hit the controls once again trying to get his gundam to power back up. "Damn it, what the hell happened to ya, buddy? That missile was a dud, didn't do anything but crash into us and fall." The computer remained dark and silent. He hit the screen once with his fist and glared at the unresponsive controls. He crossed his arms across his chest as he banged his head back against his seat. 'Shit.. I get almost to where this abandoned base is supposed to be and have a damned unexplained power failure, of all the rotten luck.' He glanced back down at the controls again and uncrossed his arms to enter the power up sequence again.
Still nothing.. wait.. maybe..
The screen lit up a pale blue and words flashed across the screen in black.
// Do not attempt to power up this suit again//
Duo blinked in surprise. 'What the hell is going on?' He reached out towards the console again to touch one of the controls. An arch of electricity shocked his fingers. "Shit!" he yelped and jerked his hand back.
// Do not attempt to touch controls again//
Duo glared at the screen and crossed his arms back over his chest. "Fine.. whatever. Mind telling me who you are? Along with why I can't power up?" he asked the screen not really expecting an answer.
//I have disabled it on orders from Base. I am KHUSH. Until I receive new orders, this suit shall remain inoperative//
"That's just.. wait a minute.. KHUSH? As in Khushrenada?" he asked, slightly startled.
//Negative.//
"You talk like a machine, no offense."
//I can not take offense, I am a machine. I only have now become active, I shall remain so until base sends orders to deactivate//
"Wait a minute.. you're telling me you're a *machine*? How are you able to talk to me and how did you disable my gundam." Duo asked, uncrossing his arms again watching the screen. A picture flashed onto the screen. He recognized Deathscythe's armor and then noticed the small spider-like thing attached to it. 'So that's what the missile was for.. slick, real slick.' The picture disappeared.
//Has your question been answered?//
"Yea, I guess so." he said leaning back in his seat again. "Wait.. you never told me .." The screen flickered and then went dark again. 'Great.. now I wonder how long I have to wait for someone to come and get that thing off of my gundam.' He snorted and blew his bangs out of his face. 'I hope they hurry the heck up.. this is getting boring.'
****
Milliardo walked towards the massive black gundam. Gundam 02. He frowned slightly as he climbed up onto the chest of the gundam and then lifted KHUSH from the black armor. He located the hatch and knocked on it to get the attention of the pilot inside. After a minute the hatch opened and he knelt at the edge looking into the cockpit of the gundam. Violet met azure. 'Who are you?' he wondered as he studied the pilot silently.
*
Duo watched as the hatch opened and someone bent over the opening. Long white-blonde hair fell into the cockpit as the man looked down at him. He stared up into the other's face silently and then realized where he had seen him before. 'That day on the broadcast! He was the one making that speech about Oz and them..' Now if I can remember what the paper said about him.
"Who are you?"
The question took him by surprise and he responded without thinking. "Duo Maxwell."
"Ah." A hand entered the cockpit and stopped in front of him. "It is good to meet you, Duo Maxwell."
Duo glanced at the hand dubiously before looking back up at the man above him. Then it hit him, he knew who it was now. "You're Zechs Merquise." he began. The hand was drawn back up out of the cockpit silently and a sighed followed moments later.
"Yes, I did go by that. Actually though, my name is Milliardo. However, if its easier for you.. you can call me Zechs."
Part II
Disclaimer: I don't own GW or this poem..
Warning: Yaoi Implied, Angst
Pairings: 13x5, 3x4, possible 6+2\2+6
You're a stranger in a strange land
Don't remember anybody
Nobody remembers you
You're a stranger in a strange land
I don't remember you
You don't remember me
But sometimes, sometimes
I don't know why
I think I miss your smile
Stranger in a strange land
Do strangers have regrets?
Do you ever wonder
Why you're a stranger here?
Looking at each other, unknowing
Looking for each other, unfinding
Passing by each other again and again
Will we always be
Strangers in a strange land?
Treize leaned back in the seat inside the office that was apparently his while staying here and sighed softly closing his eyes. 'Gods what a day.. and no one here that I can talk to..' He opened his eyes slightly to glance around the room and sighed again leaning his head back against the seat. 'At least I can lock the door into this place, so that dammed woman can't reach Me..'
A shiver ran down his spine as he thought about his welcome into this place. Hell.. if it wasn't for Trowa's reassurance that they thought him someone else and that everything was still going to plan, he might have turned and bolted from the turn out from the base. 'And at the forefront of it all was her.. if I didn't know any better, I'd say that the fervor behind those glasses she wore could possibly be very dangerous. Now if only I could figure out why she's centered on me.. '
A knock brought him out of his thoughts and he lifted his head to glance at the door. "Yes..? Who is it?"
The sound of a throat being cleared reached him and then a hesitant voice. "Your Excellency.. I have some documents I was told by Colonel Une to give to you.. they're about the events that have been going on while you were gone.. sir.."
Another soft sigh escaped and he reached forwards to push a small button on the desk to unlock the door. "Bring them in.. "
The door slid open soundlessly and the young soldier stepped inside quickly allowing the door to slide shut again behind him. Treize's eyes glanced over the uniform and then noted silently the rank on it. The ensign walked forwards towards his desk with a slightly frightened look in his eyes and he sat back wondering why it was there. Maybe the rank difference? He wasn't sure how the man he was supposed to be replacing would have responded to the young man but he decided to forget trying to act like something he wasn't.
A small smile graced his lips as he took the papers and he raised his eyes to meet the others across from him. 'Damn.. now he looks more frightened.. what did I do?' he let the small smile drop and decided to ask instead of being left in the dark. "Thank you, ensign. May I ask what is troubling you?"
"Sir?" The question was slightly confused.
Silently he cursed himself for apparently making matters worse and then set the papers down on the desk lowering his eyes to them. "Never mind.. you may go now ensign."
The youth nodded sharply and then turned seeming to flee from the room. He shook his head and then locked his door again for privacy, also so that Une woman could not take it upon herself to see how he was doing, yet again. Another small shiver worked his way down his spine as he turned his attention to the papers. He glanced through them and then noticed that the attacks listed seemed to ring small familiar bells until he realized why. He had organized the attacks with his friends.. the pilots. Now that he was on the other end he was seeing the result of those plans. He slowly allowed a small smile to grace his lips again as he flipped through the papers.
One of the papers held a file clipped to it and he flipped it open to glance at the contents within. A couple papers, it seemed to be a profile of someone.. he turned over a picture that was within the file and the smile faded as one slim finger tapped it silently in thought. 'I know you... I don't know where I've seen you.. but I do know you..' he finished the thought aloud. "Lieutenant Zechs Merquise.."
*
Treize glanced up from his seat to take in the others sitting along the table within the room. He attention was drawn to the white bearded man standing at the front of the table. 'Duke.. Dermail... Romefeller..' he frowned faintly in thought and a voice snapped him back from his reverie. "Treize.. would you care to tell us what you are displeased about..?"
The Duke was looking straight at him and he lifted his head slightly before speaking, drawing upon his memory of what the older man had been speaking of just then. "Yes.. those.. machines.. the mobile dolls you called them.. how are they to be used..? I just asked because it seemed as if they were to take our place in the field."
A small scowl marred the Duke's features. "Now Treize.. the mobile dolls are not of your concern, but in answer to your question. They are merely something to help fight down the rebellion that is taking place on the Colonies and in certain countries here on Earth."
"May I ask why they are rebelling? I have been absent for a small while.. so I am afraid that I do not know everything that has happened during my absence."
Duke Dermail nodded faintly. "Yes.. I heard of your accident, and absence. Very well, while you were gone. The Gundams continued attacking both us and the bases that housed Oz soldiers and suits. Due to his poor performance in the field, Colonel Une discharged Lieutenant Zechs Merquise.. the former Lighting Count from Oz. Leaving he took the mobile suit known as Tallgeese with him and left Earth for Space where he resurfaced on the L1 colony D120 as a good will ambassador by the name of Milliardo Peacecraft of the Sanc Kingdom. He broadcasted a speech to the Colonies and Earth, denouncing both us and Oz as the true villains in this war and claimed the Gundams were in fact the good guys.."
The older man shifted his stance and set a hand against one hip as he continued. "After that, he disappeared, only to resurface back on Earth within an area inside China with a organized resistance group. We need to get rid of him if we are to stop this rebellion, successfully win this battle, and bring the Colonies back under control. As we can not seem to get a spy close enough to him to monitor his whereabouts, we are forced to settle with destroying the entire rebel group within China and the other few counties that seem to be taking up his banner."
"Could I see these reports?" Treize asked watching Dermail. This had to be what the scientists had sent him here for. They would need to know everything Romefeller knew about these other rebels in order to help them.
"Of course, but may I ask why? This little rebellion is not your concern at the moment, that's why we are reviving the plans for the mobile dolls. So that the Oz troops will be able to work in space to end the rebellion there, they were considering our offer to join with us until Merquise went up there and changed their mind. I'm sure you can turn them back in the correct direction."
"I see, won't the mobile dolls take some time to be constructed and brought into play? I could easily spare some of the Oz forces to help begin to corral these rebels in China while they are worked on." He wouldn't of course, but the Duke didn't need to know that. As soon as he collected the information needed he would pass it on to the others and they would take whatever action they saw as fit. He would have to work though to make it look as if he had done something though. This would have to be carefully planned.
"You're right.. very well proceed with that course and then you'll be informed when to pull your men out."
"Thank you."
*
The next morning the reports were on his desk and he sat down and began to read through them silently. After he finished he turned to his computer and then secured a single line to begin a report. Before he began though he double checked the security on the line and was assured it was safe to use for what he intended. He wrote out what he had found out about the fighting going on Earth and also to a lesser degree in space. He also told about the rebels and their strikes against Romefeller. He sent that to the pilots and then began to plan what he could do here to help before he left.
As he went through the reports and various profiles he had pulled up something was nagging him. At the moment the rebels were getting hassled through Oz, same as the colonies. But if the soldiers were taken out of the picture then what..? From the looks of the reports Romefeller was leaning heavily on these soldiers for defense and support. If that was taken away what would happen. He recalled the turnout when he arrived. Something about that was wrong somehow. There was a piece missing to the puzzle before him and it felt like it was just beyond his grasp.
He closed his eyes as he leaned back in his chair. He would take another look at all the information he had at hand, and maybe that would give him the missing piece. There was the accident, no one had said what kind it was, but it had to been big. He opened his eyes and scanned the reports for the last year on any large events within them. Within minutes there were several things on the screen. He glanced at the headings given. He knew most of them from reading the reports that had been given. He had in a way been the cause behind some during his time with his friends. There was one unfamiliar one at the top. Two shuttles had been destroyed. According to the notes next to it three people had died in the crash. Two Oz soldiers and a Romefeller official.
He shut the screen off and stood up. He put the mystery of the accident aside to think of how he could make it appear he was sending soldiers to China, when he wasn't doing anything of the sort. His mind wandered once again back to the welcoming turnout when he had arrived at this base and then to the woman who seemed to shadow every step he made outside the room.
The plan came suddenly out of nowhere. But he would need to know which of the troops were loyal to him and which were Romefeller's lackeys. If he knew, he could send troops to China, only instead of harming the rebellion, it would help it. They would need the help if those ...cursed... machines were built and sent out on the path that was currently planned. As he completed sending several orders to Colonel Une, he leaned back in his chair silently.
'The duel is mine.'
He blinked and glanced back towards the monitor of the com. It was silent, the screen black. The phrase hadn't come from there. There was a familiar ring to it though as if he had heard it before. He closed his eyes in thought and opened them again when the sound of steel on steel reached his ears. He frowned faintly and stood walking over to the window. It was locked shut, he opened it and looked out. There wasn't anyone around the outside of his office. He turned away from the window and walked slowly back towards his desk.
'If you don't kill me right now, I'll keep on coming back until I get you Treize.'
He stopped halfway to the desk when he heard the threat. He turned slowly to look back at the window he had left open. It was empty, the curtains blew slightly in the breeze coming through the it. What was going on? He turned slowly scanning the rest of the large office, he was alone still. The door he had locked hours ago, so no one could of entered that way, the window had been locked until just moments ago.
He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose silently. He then felt the floor under his feet shudder and a blast of wind tore past him. He turned to see what had happened. His eyes widened slightly when he recognized the thing laying just inside his office, the wall was mostly gone, destroyed. The dragon-like head that was part of the Shenlong Gundam laid not two feet from him. He took a step back, as a small figure ran along it into his office only to fade away along with the damage to the office wall.
Everything was back like it was several seconds ago. The curtains still danced in the wind, the wall was intact. He walked over to it brushing a hand against it in slight disbelief before looking out the window again. Nothing out of the ordinary appeared. He stood there for several minutes waiting. When nothing else happened he relaxed slightly and sighed softly lowering his head and closing his eyes again.
'Lets see what course the future will take.'
He stiffened for a second before lifting his head to look back into the room. Still empty, but something about the statement nagged him. It had sounded too familiar. He glanced back outside and sighed once more before reaching for the window to close it.
'It will take whatever direction you decide on.'
He froze with his hand on the window, before slowly relaxing and closing the window. Maybe he just needed to get out of this office. He had been keeping himself inside for privacy and the silence. He would take a short walk, maybe these unexplained voices and illusions would cease afterwards. One could hope. Decision decided, he turned away from the window and unlocked the door, leaving the silent office.
***
I stood face to face with the ghost of my past
And the spirit of what was to come
And they made it clear that one day I'd have to
Answer for what I had done
And I saw what I'd become
The choices you make
The chances you take
They'll follow you all of your life
I'm just tryin' to live so when I die
The preacher won't have to lie
I ain't no prophet and I ain't no saint
And I ain't made no great sacrifice
I just keep tryin' to carry my weight
I keep trying to do what is right
And it's hard to do right sometimes
(The Preacher won't have to Lie - Lee Ann Womack)
Milliardo Peacecraft looked up from the clipboard he had been studying with one of the rebels at the voice that called his name. He nodded silently at the man before leaving him to walk towards the man who had called for him. He leaned over the chair the man sat in, one hand resting on the back of it as he studied the console before him. "Something heading our way?" he asked quietly as he glanced once from the console to the man.
"Yes, something big is.. to small to be a carrier though. Bigger than a Aires or Leo.."
He frowned faintly in thought before speaking. "Taurus?"
"It might be.." Milliardo nodded silently as he straightened up and turned to give the signal to ready the anti-air missiles. "Sir..?" He looked back behind him, an eyebrow raised slightly in query. The blonde rebel looked down. "I was thinking.. we could use that suit.."
"How would you propose to disarm it enough for us to take it without damaging it?"
"Well.. we could.."
"Yes..?"
"Well, KHUSH could take it out of the sky without damaging it, if we waited for it to come in low, like it does for a attack run and hit it with KHUSH, it wouldn't fall very far. I'm sure we can take care of the pilot.."
"Alright, but what if there are more suits from where this one came? Also the system you're referring to has never been tested.. it shouldn't harm suit or pilot, but it might.."
"Its the only thing I could think of.. besides blowing it out of the sky."
"It's a sound idea, we'll consider it a test run." he said, smiling faintly at the man at the console. He sent one of the men to the shed where the system was stored. A missile launcher was armed with a dud missile as the man came back with KHUSH, he sighed softly.
'You are remembered, my friend.. you just might help bring peace after all.' he thought silently as the man attached the small spider-like construct onto the head of the missile. Should everything go like it was *supposed* to when it was launched and the signal sent from base to activate the system within the little spider-like metal body. When the missile came into contact with the suit, it would detach itself from the missile head to the suit and basically hack into the systems faster than any human could to shut down all systems within the suit. The suit would then fall to the ground and wouldn't be able to power up again until KHUSH was deactivated or sent another signal telling it to detach itself from the machine.
He looked down at the console. "How soon..?" he asked.
Behind him, a feminine voice spoke up. "We have target lock, ready to fire when ready." He nodded once waiting.
"It's coming in now!" the blonde rebel shouted suddenly.
"Fire."
There was a whoosh of the launcher behind him firing the missile bearing its little passenger towards the target. "Sir!"
Milliardo looked down from the horizon where the missile had disappeared into, to the blonde. "Yes? Something happen? Did more suits show up?"
"No sir. Its not a Taurus!" The man swallowed and looked up at him. "It's a Gundam, sir."
Milliardo's head snapped up to look at the horizon. A number of curses passed through his mind as he waited, and hoped silently that the surprise they had sent either worked correctly or not at all. There had been the possibly brought up that the hacking might cause the suit's circuits to short and cause their computers to overload and blow up in their pilot's faces.. effectively killing the suit, since it needed its pilot to control it. He hoped to god, it didn't happen. It would be the cruelest irony to finally get the attention of the Gundam Pilots only to be the cause for the death of one the very people he was trying to ally with.
"Sir! The Gundam has fallen a couple yards from the outermost camp. I have reports that the Gundam is good condition on the outside despite its fall."
He looked down again and nodded. "I'll go and check it out. When I call back here, send the signal for KHUSH to release the Gundam." The man nodded and Milliardo turned and left the base, throwing on a dark jacket he sat down on one of the motorcycles he had acquired for such use and kick started it, heading towards the camp.
**********
Duo cursed once more as he hit the controls once again trying to get his gundam to power back up. "Damn it, what the hell happened to ya, buddy? That missile was a dud, didn't do anything but crash into us and fall." The computer remained dark and silent. He hit the screen once with his fist and glared at the unresponsive controls. He crossed his arms across his chest as he banged his head back against his seat. 'Shit.. I get almost to where this abandoned base is supposed to be and have a damned unexplained power failure, of all the rotten luck.' He glanced back down at the controls again and uncrossed his arms to enter the power up sequence again.
Still nothing.. wait.. maybe..
The screen lit up a pale blue and words flashed across the screen in black.
// Do not attempt to power up this suit again//
Duo blinked in surprise. 'What the hell is going on?' He reached out towards the console again to touch one of the controls. An arch of electricity shocked his fingers. "Shit!" he yelped and jerked his hand back.
// Do not attempt to touch controls again//
Duo glared at the screen and crossed his arms back over his chest. "Fine.. whatever. Mind telling me who you are? Along with why I can't power up?" he asked the screen not really expecting an answer.
//I have disabled it on orders from Base. I am KHUSH. Until I receive new orders, this suit shall remain inoperative//
"That's just.. wait a minute.. KHUSH? As in Khushrenada?" he asked, slightly startled.
//Negative.//
"You talk like a machine, no offense."
//I can not take offense, I am a machine. I only have now become active, I shall remain so until base sends orders to deactivate//
"Wait a minute.. you're telling me you're a *machine*? How are you able to talk to me and how did you disable my gundam." Duo asked, uncrossing his arms again watching the screen. A picture flashed onto the screen. He recognized Deathscythe's armor and then noticed the small spider-like thing attached to it. 'So that's what the missile was for.. slick, real slick.' The picture disappeared.
//Has your question been answered?//
"Yea, I guess so." he said leaning back in his seat again. "Wait.. you never told me .." The screen flickered and then went dark again. 'Great.. now I wonder how long I have to wait for someone to come and get that thing off of my gundam.' He snorted and blew his bangs out of his face. 'I hope they hurry the heck up.. this is getting boring.'
****
Milliardo walked towards the massive black gundam. Gundam 02. He frowned slightly as he climbed up onto the chest of the gundam and then lifted KHUSH from the black armor. He located the hatch and knocked on it to get the attention of the pilot inside. After a minute the hatch opened and he knelt at the edge looking into the cockpit of the gundam. Violet met azure. 'Who are you?' he wondered as he studied the pilot silently.
*
Duo watched as the hatch opened and someone bent over the opening. Long white-blonde hair fell into the cockpit as the man looked down at him. He stared up into the other's face silently and then realized where he had seen him before. 'That day on the broadcast! He was the one making that speech about Oz and them..' Now if I can remember what the paper said about him.
"Who are you?"
The question took him by surprise and he responded without thinking. "Duo Maxwell."
"Ah." A hand entered the cockpit and stopped in front of him. "It is good to meet you, Duo Maxwell."
Duo glanced at the hand dubiously before looking back up at the man above him. Then it hit him, he knew who it was now. "You're Zechs Merquise." he began. The hand was drawn back up out of the cockpit silently and a sighed followed moments later.
"Yes, I did go by that. Actually though, my name is Milliardo. However, if its easier for you.. you can call me Zechs."