Chapter 3 - Destiny Arrives
L4 Colony Docking Bag
"Shuttle
4238, you are cleared to land at bay 820."
"Roger,
Control. Descending."
Heero steered the
shuttle to the designated bay. The
six-hour trip to L4 colony had been smooth as ice. No problems whatsoever.
Unless you called
Duo's constant chatter nothing.
Heero shook his
head at the thought of the braided pilot. Doesn't
he realize that you don't have to occupy empty space with noise? Especially when the people you're with are
nervous as hell? Heero thought to
himself.
Then again, maybe
that's why Duo did it. His insistent
chatter seemed to quell the discomfort everyone on board seemed to share. Not for the first time during the trip,
Heero wished Relena was there. He
already missed her terribly. Thinking
of her made him also think of the time they met. Or rather, the second time.
How he vowed to kill her. He
inwardly smiled at the memory. Even
then, he couldn't do it. He could never
kill her. Only protect her. It took a very long time for him to finally
come to realize that he loved her.
Truly loved her.
Relena brought
peace and contentment to his life.
Something he never thought he would attain. Not in his lifetime.
"Aren't we
there yet?" A voice from the
passenger area of the shuttle asked.
"Shut up,
baka. We'll get there when we get
there!" A feminine voice
responded.
"But…"
Heero walked into
the passenger area in the middle of another Duo/Hilde argument.
"Shut up,
Duo. Now." Heero gave Duo his famous "Glare of
Death."
Duo closed his
mouth and glared at the Japanese pilot.
Ignoring, Duo, Heero turned to Quatre.
"We've arrived Quatre. Were
at bay 820."
Quatre looked
stunned. "What bay?"
"820."
The other pilots
looked at Quatre with concern. What was
wrong?
"What's
wrong with bay 820?" asked Hilde.
"Nothing,
really. It's just the area the bay is
in. It's in one of the most rundown
areas of the colony. It'll take us a
couple of hours to get to my home."
Quatre smiled, trying to convey a sense of reassurance. Reassurance that he did not feel. Surely his uncle knew he was coming
today. Quatre called ahead to inform
him of their arrival time.
Perhaps he just forgot. Quatre thought. He
said he had an important personal matter for me to attend to. Maybe he was seeing to it.
Dismissing his
apprehensions from his mind, he motioned to his friends to follow him. Wufei and Heero looked at each other. Something was up. But since Quatre obviously wasn't going to say anything, they
both silently agreed to keep an eye out for trouble. They followed their friends into L4.
* * * * *
Even a rich
colony like L4 has its rundown places.
The area that the Gundam pilots found themselves in was bad, but as Duo
mentioned, not as bad as his home of L2.
Plaster was stripped from many buildings. Broken glass littered the streets. Graffiti covered every available surface. A four order permeated this desolate
place. Hilde was the first to comment
on it.
"What IS
that smell?" she asked, looking around.
"Death. And despair." Trowa remarked, looking around intently. Something was wrong here.
Duo noticed it as
well. "Something's not right
here."
"Yeah, were
here and not at Quatre's house."
Hilde remarked snidely.
Duo shook his
head. "I don't mean that. I grew up in areas worse than this. There is something wrong. Where are all the people?"
"Maybe their
too afraid to come out." Quatre
supplied.
"No. Duo's right. Even if the people were afraid, there would still be gangs. Where are they? We most certainly have crossed territory they might
hold." Heero said.
Quatre worried at
his bottom lip. He knew Heero and Duo
were right. Something was wrong. What should they do? go back and try another way? Or continue on?
"Incoming. 12 o'clock." Wufei whispered as he went into battle readiness. The others looked up.
Sure enough,
there was a large group of men approaching them. They looked like an average gang, but Heero could detect the
demeanor of professional soldiers.
Obviously, they were disguised to look like local gang members.
Hilde and the
Gundam pilots stopped where they were.
None of them moved. They would
allow the gang members to make the first move.
"Well,
lookie here boys. Fresh meat."
Heero zeroed in
on the voice who was obviously there leader.
Tall and lanky, he resembled nothing short of a stork. He sneered at their intended victims.
"Step out of
our way." Heero said levelly to
the arrogant leader.
"'Step out
of our way' he says. I don't know where
you're from mate, but YOU invaded OUR territory. And for that, there's a price to be paid." He glanced at them and eyed Hilde
appreciatively.
"Never! I'd rather kiss a salamander than hang
around you lot." Hilde retorts
hotly.
"Tsk. Tsk.
My dear. That's not any way to
speak to your owner."
"Your don't
own her. Or us." Declared Duo as
he stepped beside Heero.
Before the matter
could escalate, Quatre stepped forward.
"Please. We didn't mean to
intrude on your territory. We are
trying to get to my home. Please let us
pass. We won't cause any trouble for
you."
At this, the
leader started to laugh.
"Please? Did you hear that
boys? He said 'please'!" The other men started to laugh as well.
Quatre's eyes
narrowed. He didn't want to have to
hurt these people. Whoever paid them
was his enemy. Not them. But if they won't move…
"Do not
underestimate us. We will go by whether
you want us to or not. You can choose
to go peacefully, which I prefer, or the hard way. Which will it be, gentlemen?" Quatre queried with a clear and determined voice.
Quatre's friends
looked at him with interest. None of
them knew just how much Quatre's father's death had affected him. During the war, he became quite aggressive. It appeared that he was changed in other
ways that none of them could even begin to imagine.
Trowa gave a
faint smile. Quatre had surely grown
since he first became a pilot. He could
still be charming, gentle and kind. But
he also had a nerve of steel.
Duo gives Quatre
a strange look. Shaking his raid from
side to side, he dismisses Quatre's strange behavior. "I would listen to the man if I were you. It's obvious to us that you're
soldiers. Who paid you?"
The leader
growled at Duo. Their cover was
blown. He didn't think it would fool
them, but it had been worth a shot. At
a curt signal from him, his men pulled out various weapons. Taking their positions within their ranks,
they attacked.
Trowa and Duo
attempted to put Hilde and Quatre behind them for protection. The look on Hilde's face would have stripped
paint. Taking her own position next to
Duo, she gave a battle cry and attacked the first soldier to come their way.
Wufei and Heero
began to engage the enemy. Fists and
feet flew in a blinding array of martial arts techniques as they assaulted the
soldiers. Wufei sidestepped a lunge
from one soldier, to attack the soldier's compatriot. Fist flying in a jab to the temple, followed a kick to the
leg. The man was out for awhile.
In a great show
of strength, Heero grabbed the arm of one assailant, who was about to hit him
in the face, and used the man's own momentum from the blow to send him sailing
into his comrades.
Trowa and Duo had
also joined the fight. Both Gundam
pilots let fists do their work upon their aggressors. Blood littered the ground from the various broken noses of their
attackers.
However, everyone
had forgotten Quatre. Normally peaceful
and gentle, since his experience with the ZERO system, his battle reflexes had
changed. He was faster, quicker and more
aggressive then he ever used to be.
Taking advantage
of Quatre being unprotected, the soldiers not currently engaged with Quatre's
friends began their attack. Coming
together, they surrounded Quatre in a circle of enemies. Unable to escape, Quatre turned to the first
man who stepped forward and motioned him to begin their battle.
