The Gundam Guys meet...Lara Croft.
Part Five
Heero turned off all the surrounding screens and switched the main one back to the familiar image of Deathscythe Hell in the Hangar. Then, grabbing his plate, cutlery and drink, he quietly left Duo's room for his own, to sort out what he had just seen.
One main question stood out in his mind.
~ How did she get here?...~
Duo held the door as the other two came in, then left it open behind them.
"So, whadya wanna do?" he asked, throwing himself heavily onto the sofa.
"...Those Mobile Suit things, the Gundams, what are they for?"
"Fighting. Battle. War." Quatre was quiet; it wasn't his favorite subject.
"But, -" She stopped, not wanting to upset them.
"Go on, I doubt you'll shock us."
"But you're just, kids."
"No. We were soldiers; we still are in some respects."
"Heero?"
"Yeah. Heero's never lived in a world without war. He's still a soldier."
"The war is over now. We won. There's nothing to fight for anymore."
"So there's no need for soldiers anymore."
"Nope. They don't need us, so most of 'em just forget about us."
"Most of them?"
"Yeah, but sometimes we help out, if there's a problem or somethin'."
Quatre smiled. "We're a regular emergency service."
"Hardly regular."
"I suppose not."
"Anyone wanna drink?" Duo changed the subject.
"Ok."
"Please."
He handed them both a can each, and sat back down.
"So what about you, Lara. What do you do?"
On the screen Lara appeared, disappeared and reappeared continuously in the same place. Wufei frowned as he watched the image flicking in and out of existence.
Something was very wrong here; people just didn't do that.
~ The Intruders did. ~
No, she couldn't be. They'd destroyed them all and the cause behind them too. And Maxwell seemed to trust her; he wasn't easy to fool. Personally he agreed with him on that, she certainly appeared real enough.
Even if she was a 'woman'.
What he didn't like however was the fact that she carried guns, and obviously was used to action. This was the main point of his dislike for her, as he had strong beliefs against women fighting in battle-particularly if they left someone behind. All this was stemmed from his bitterness that he was unable to save Meiran, his Nataku. She was a woman, and she shouldn't have been fighting. Fighting was a man's work.
But when he started fighting, he wasn't a man. He was still a child. Not that that had been a disadvantage to him, adult adversaries often disregarded the threat from him, and more fool them if they didn't take him seriously enough.
He knew now that there were certain people who never again would make the same mistake of underestimating the destructive capabilities of a child. Not that they could.
Wufei went back to checking the other views, they were all the same as the first, none had been looped or tampered with, the film shown was what had happened.
~ But that should not be possible. ~
He found himself more confused than he had been before he'd checked the DCS. He decided he needed a second opinion on this particular investigation.
~ Heero will help. ~
He saved the data to a password-protected file, and went to seek out the perfect soldier.
Trowa flew along in his Gundam, trying to forget the mystery woman who'd appeared.
He turned his mind to his task ahead, and wondered if Kathy would be in her caravan or in the top. He reached L3 and quietly sneaked in behind a cargo ship.
~ No problem. ~
Borrowing a car from the lot, he sped off up the road to the circus camp.
Katherine would be there, but she may not be expecting him.
Heero sat at his computer. After beating a hasty retreat from the room opposite, he'd flopped onto the bed and lay there for a while, thinking it over. Then Wufei had arrived with his data file copied from the DCS. It was interesting to say the least.
He watched carefully, like a small child watching a magician, trying to interpret the trick.
He couldn't. It was a simple matter of 'now you see her, now you don't'.
Wufei stood silently observant over him as he picked through it a frame at a time.
"...Humph." Heero was fed up. He couldn't see how it had been done.
"I don't get it either." Came the voice from over his shoulder.
Heero turned around to face his quiet partner.
Wufei's face was serious as usual, but held a mix of disappointment and interest.
He frowned. "She didn't know about the Colonies, or Mobile Suits. Let alone the war."
Chang's right eyebrow raised at this comment.
"Then where is she from? Nowhere here, on the Colonies, or on Earth."
"I have no idea." There was a pause while they thought it over.
"She said she was in Nevada."
"Was. Isn't anymore."
"Obviously."
"Maybe Duo's having more success."
"..."
Quatre watched as Duo leaned back and asked her, almost uninterestedly,
"So what about you, Lara. What do you do?"
She seemed to think about it for a moment, then announced her form of 'employment'.
"I'm Lara Croft, the Tomb Raider. I'm a treasure hunter."
Duo choked on his drink.
"What?!"
"Treasure hunter." She repeated.
"I think he meant 'what' as in surprise, rather than he didn't hear you."
Quatre smirked at Duo's astonishment.
"So do I."
Duo recovered his voice and used it.
"Tomb Raider? Treasure Hunter? You mean like you run around jungles and stuff an' find all these gold things and ancient trinkets?"
"Something like that." She smiled at his description.
Quatre was quiet; he didn't need to ask the obvious question. But Duo did.
"So what the hell were ya doin' in Nevada?"
"..."
"What? Ya think there's somethin' out there? There's nothin' there but dust and sand."
"...* Sigh *."
~ Well, they're hardly going to do anything about it, are they? ~
"...They stole something of mine. I went to get it back."
"And did you?" Quatre asked, a sudden interest emerging.
"Yes. At least, I did have it. It should be..."
She removed her backpack and opened it on her lap. After rummaging around for a bit, she pulled out a selection of things, a bottle of drink, a medikit, a compass, a Desert Eagle and some ammo, and finally a small bundle of dirty cloth. Replacing all the rest of her stuff, she laid it gently on the table.
Quatre cocked his head and stared at it, intrigued.
Duo looked at it dubiously.
"Y' mean y' went all the way to Nevada desert to get back some old laundry?" he joked.
She didn't find it amusing.
"No."
Quatre shushed him as she carefully untied the wraps on the package.
Trowa handbrake-turned and skidded the car into the gap between the two trailers.
It stopped in place perfectly. Then he removed his key and got out, locking it behind him.
He didn't want anyone stealing it.
After securing the car, he walked across to the fourth caravan, next to the campfire. He stood outside for a moment, then went up the steps and knocked gently on the door.
He could hear a noise inside, and then footsteps.
The door opened.
"Trowa!" Katherine beamed.
"Hello Kathy." He replied.
"Oh, Trowa!" she smiled widely and pulled him inside.
Once he was in she shut the door and gave him a big hug.
"Look Charlie, look who's come to see us!"
The lion rumbled in appreciation, and rubbed its head against his jeans.
"Hello boy." He stroked his head and back with his hand.
"So, stranger, what brings you here?" she asked, the smile still bright on her face.
Part Five
Heero turned off all the surrounding screens and switched the main one back to the familiar image of Deathscythe Hell in the Hangar. Then, grabbing his plate, cutlery and drink, he quietly left Duo's room for his own, to sort out what he had just seen.
One main question stood out in his mind.
~ How did she get here?...~
Duo held the door as the other two came in, then left it open behind them.
"So, whadya wanna do?" he asked, throwing himself heavily onto the sofa.
"...Those Mobile Suit things, the Gundams, what are they for?"
"Fighting. Battle. War." Quatre was quiet; it wasn't his favorite subject.
"But, -" She stopped, not wanting to upset them.
"Go on, I doubt you'll shock us."
"But you're just, kids."
"No. We were soldiers; we still are in some respects."
"Heero?"
"Yeah. Heero's never lived in a world without war. He's still a soldier."
"The war is over now. We won. There's nothing to fight for anymore."
"So there's no need for soldiers anymore."
"Nope. They don't need us, so most of 'em just forget about us."
"Most of them?"
"Yeah, but sometimes we help out, if there's a problem or somethin'."
Quatre smiled. "We're a regular emergency service."
"Hardly regular."
"I suppose not."
"Anyone wanna drink?" Duo changed the subject.
"Ok."
"Please."
He handed them both a can each, and sat back down.
"So what about you, Lara. What do you do?"
On the screen Lara appeared, disappeared and reappeared continuously in the same place. Wufei frowned as he watched the image flicking in and out of existence.
Something was very wrong here; people just didn't do that.
~ The Intruders did. ~
No, she couldn't be. They'd destroyed them all and the cause behind them too. And Maxwell seemed to trust her; he wasn't easy to fool. Personally he agreed with him on that, she certainly appeared real enough.
Even if she was a 'woman'.
What he didn't like however was the fact that she carried guns, and obviously was used to action. This was the main point of his dislike for her, as he had strong beliefs against women fighting in battle-particularly if they left someone behind. All this was stemmed from his bitterness that he was unable to save Meiran, his Nataku. She was a woman, and she shouldn't have been fighting. Fighting was a man's work.
But when he started fighting, he wasn't a man. He was still a child. Not that that had been a disadvantage to him, adult adversaries often disregarded the threat from him, and more fool them if they didn't take him seriously enough.
He knew now that there were certain people who never again would make the same mistake of underestimating the destructive capabilities of a child. Not that they could.
Wufei went back to checking the other views, they were all the same as the first, none had been looped or tampered with, the film shown was what had happened.
~ But that should not be possible. ~
He found himself more confused than he had been before he'd checked the DCS. He decided he needed a second opinion on this particular investigation.
~ Heero will help. ~
He saved the data to a password-protected file, and went to seek out the perfect soldier.
Trowa flew along in his Gundam, trying to forget the mystery woman who'd appeared.
He turned his mind to his task ahead, and wondered if Kathy would be in her caravan or in the top. He reached L3 and quietly sneaked in behind a cargo ship.
~ No problem. ~
Borrowing a car from the lot, he sped off up the road to the circus camp.
Katherine would be there, but she may not be expecting him.
Heero sat at his computer. After beating a hasty retreat from the room opposite, he'd flopped onto the bed and lay there for a while, thinking it over. Then Wufei had arrived with his data file copied from the DCS. It was interesting to say the least.
He watched carefully, like a small child watching a magician, trying to interpret the trick.
He couldn't. It was a simple matter of 'now you see her, now you don't'.
Wufei stood silently observant over him as he picked through it a frame at a time.
"...Humph." Heero was fed up. He couldn't see how it had been done.
"I don't get it either." Came the voice from over his shoulder.
Heero turned around to face his quiet partner.
Wufei's face was serious as usual, but held a mix of disappointment and interest.
He frowned. "She didn't know about the Colonies, or Mobile Suits. Let alone the war."
Chang's right eyebrow raised at this comment.
"Then where is she from? Nowhere here, on the Colonies, or on Earth."
"I have no idea." There was a pause while they thought it over.
"She said she was in Nevada."
"Was. Isn't anymore."
"Obviously."
"Maybe Duo's having more success."
"..."
Quatre watched as Duo leaned back and asked her, almost uninterestedly,
"So what about you, Lara. What do you do?"
She seemed to think about it for a moment, then announced her form of 'employment'.
"I'm Lara Croft, the Tomb Raider. I'm a treasure hunter."
Duo choked on his drink.
"What?!"
"Treasure hunter." She repeated.
"I think he meant 'what' as in surprise, rather than he didn't hear you."
Quatre smirked at Duo's astonishment.
"So do I."
Duo recovered his voice and used it.
"Tomb Raider? Treasure Hunter? You mean like you run around jungles and stuff an' find all these gold things and ancient trinkets?"
"Something like that." She smiled at his description.
Quatre was quiet; he didn't need to ask the obvious question. But Duo did.
"So what the hell were ya doin' in Nevada?"
"..."
"What? Ya think there's somethin' out there? There's nothin' there but dust and sand."
"...* Sigh *."
~ Well, they're hardly going to do anything about it, are they? ~
"...They stole something of mine. I went to get it back."
"And did you?" Quatre asked, a sudden interest emerging.
"Yes. At least, I did have it. It should be..."
She removed her backpack and opened it on her lap. After rummaging around for a bit, she pulled out a selection of things, a bottle of drink, a medikit, a compass, a Desert Eagle and some ammo, and finally a small bundle of dirty cloth. Replacing all the rest of her stuff, she laid it gently on the table.
Quatre cocked his head and stared at it, intrigued.
Duo looked at it dubiously.
"Y' mean y' went all the way to Nevada desert to get back some old laundry?" he joked.
She didn't find it amusing.
"No."
Quatre shushed him as she carefully untied the wraps on the package.
Trowa handbrake-turned and skidded the car into the gap between the two trailers.
It stopped in place perfectly. Then he removed his key and got out, locking it behind him.
He didn't want anyone stealing it.
After securing the car, he walked across to the fourth caravan, next to the campfire. He stood outside for a moment, then went up the steps and knocked gently on the door.
He could hear a noise inside, and then footsteps.
The door opened.
"Trowa!" Katherine beamed.
"Hello Kathy." He replied.
"Oh, Trowa!" she smiled widely and pulled him inside.
Once he was in she shut the door and gave him a big hug.
"Look Charlie, look who's come to see us!"
The lion rumbled in appreciation, and rubbed its head against his jeans.
"Hello boy." He stroked his head and back with his hand.
"So, stranger, what brings you here?" she asked, the smile still bright on her face.