"Duo, you get us some carriers from the north gate. Trowa and Quatre, set up the bombs within the base. Wufei, go south with Nataku and destroy the Tauruses. I'll go get the data we need," Heero briefed us as we lay in a cave West of the Cameroon Oz base.
We all nodded. Our gundams were hidden within the moutains and numerous crevasses here in the wilderness. The Oz base would be hard to get to but we were going to do it by stealth. It was in the middle of a desert area, and the gundams would be spotted and intercepted from miles away, so we had decided to go on foot, except for Wufei who would distract them and destroy the Tauruses under construction.
Trowa and Quatre were the first to leave with some backpacks. Wufei started climbing up the mountain face to get to his gundam, while Heero and I waited in the cave for the signal from Trowa and Quatre.
A few minutes later we saw the flashing of a mirror and stepped out of the cave, going our separate ways. I kept heading straight on, while Heero walked with me some of the way, then headed West. I walked for a few hundred metres, then pulled a mirror out of my backpack and signalled to Wufei. Soon enough I saw the Shenlong rise above the mountains and head for the base.
I kept walking, wiping the sweat from my brow. I stopped to sit down and have some water, it was a long walk, and the sun was beginning to set. I stood up again, put my backpack on my back and started jogging towards the base. I was approaching from the south and would have to go around the base to get to the carriers in the north hangars.
I stopped at the south gate and crouched beside it. It was dark now, and very cold and my teeth chattered slightly. A shiver ran through my body, starting at the base of my spine, and my jaws locked as I tried to stop it. The searchlights from the lookout towers above moved over the sand. When they were moving within the base itself, I ran forwards, and managed to get about half way towards the base.
Suddenly a siren started. "Wufei must've arrived," I assumed. I heard gunfire and numerous explosions. The searchlights were all concentrated up north and soldiers were running throughout the base.
In all the commotion, I took the opportunity to move further North. I approached the hangars and fumbled in my backpack for a bomb to blow them open with. I didn't want to use a torch for fear of being found. Eventually I found the bomb and planted it on the door, then ran to the side of the building and saw some shadows moving towards me from the left.
"Shit!" I muttered. I was dressed in my trademark black clothes, but I still knew they'd see me. There was a river just a bit further north and I sprinted towards it. Looking back, I saw a group of five Oz soldiers jogging towards me, willing me to stop. I kept running and dived into the river, holding my breath for as long as I could.
Bullets shot through the water, but they whizzed past me. I could barely see them in the murky water. My lungs felt like they might explode and my head was throbbing. I had to get up for air. Slowly I rose to the surface of the water, and gently lifted my head out of the water. The soldiers were walking away slowly. I took a deep breath and lowered my head again, my heavy clothes weighing me down. I kicked off my shoes and pulled off my trousers, trying not to splash around too much. I also pulled off my tops, remaining under the water in just boxers. Suddenly I spluttered, swallowing dirty water from the river. I raised my head again, up out of the water and breathed in the cold air. All seemed to be quiet. I coughed, then got out of the water, shivering violently. I pulled on my black sweatshirt and black trousers, but they were soaking wet and made me even colder, so I pulled off the shirt and stayed in trousers only.
I felt a terrible stabbing pain on my back and twisted my head to see what was wrong. I noticed a black lump on my skin. It was a leech, sucking my blood. I grabbed it with my fingers and tried to pull it off but my grasp on it was shaky, my fingers shook in the cold, and it was slimy and slippery.
"I need a lighter," I thought to myself. "Or some salt."
My backpack was still by the hangar. The soldiers had probably taken it and taken the bomb as well. I hadn't had a chance to set it off. I kicked the ground in rage and sand flew up. I bent over and grasped some sand in my hands and rubbed it savagely over the leech and the surrounding skin. "Get off! Bastard..." I muttered to it.
It wasn't working. I fumbled around in the sand, searching for a rock. Eventually I found one with nice sharp edges and literally scraped the leech off my skin, taking away my skin with it. I winced in pain and felt my back. It was wet and sticky, very obviously I was bleeding. There wasn't anything I could do about it so I ran back to the hangar. The others were supposed to meet me there at nine o'clock. I illuminated my digital watch. It was already quarter past nine.
I cursed to myself and ran back to the hangars in my socks, my feet sinking in the sand. I could feel the muscles at the back of my legs stretching, relaxing, stretching, relaxing. Running in the sand was hard, and my shivering body wasn't making it any easier. My teeth chattered in the cold and my breath was becoming fast and shallow, but I had almost reached the hangars. The door was open and one carrier was leaving. It turned to the right, then raced down the runway, taking off and flying off into the darkness. I ran into the hangar, trying to find a familiar face.
There was one carrier left, and the back was open. I ran to the back and saw the Shenlong being loaded. "Wufei?" I called out, willing my teeth to be still. "Wufeiii?!"
A head appeared from within the carrier. "Wufei... I need a carrier for Deathscythe, there's none left."
"Heero loaded Deathscythe into his carrier along with wing. Get in, we got the data we need. This place will go up in 2 minutes!"
I ran into the carrier and Wufei finished loading Shenlong. The back closed, and the plane raced down the runway.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"We've decided to lay low for a while. We'll be hiding out at one of Quatre's estates in Italy. No-one will suspect that we're the gundam pilots." Wufei grinned slyly.
"Can't they track the carrier?"
"We'll stop the carriers two miles west of the estate, and put the gundams into an underground hideout Quatre and the Maguanacs have access to. We'll go the last two miles by car. Rashid is coming to meet us."
I nodded and concentrated on the vast skies ahead of us. Endless darkness. We were flying over the Mediterranean sea. I was tired, very very tired, and my head started to drop. Luckily Wufei was flying the plane.
"Duo? You alright?"
"Huh?" I looked up quickly, disturbed from my position on the verge of sleep. "I'm fine!"
"Why did it take you so long to reach the hangars? You didn't even open it. I got it open with Nataku. An even better question, why are you half naked and where are your shoes? And why is your back covered in blood?"
"Long story. I'll tell you when we're at Quatre's place."
Wufei nodded and we were silent for the rest of the flight.
We all nodded. Our gundams were hidden within the moutains and numerous crevasses here in the wilderness. The Oz base would be hard to get to but we were going to do it by stealth. It was in the middle of a desert area, and the gundams would be spotted and intercepted from miles away, so we had decided to go on foot, except for Wufei who would distract them and destroy the Tauruses under construction.
Trowa and Quatre were the first to leave with some backpacks. Wufei started climbing up the mountain face to get to his gundam, while Heero and I waited in the cave for the signal from Trowa and Quatre.
A few minutes later we saw the flashing of a mirror and stepped out of the cave, going our separate ways. I kept heading straight on, while Heero walked with me some of the way, then headed West. I walked for a few hundred metres, then pulled a mirror out of my backpack and signalled to Wufei. Soon enough I saw the Shenlong rise above the mountains and head for the base.
I kept walking, wiping the sweat from my brow. I stopped to sit down and have some water, it was a long walk, and the sun was beginning to set. I stood up again, put my backpack on my back and started jogging towards the base. I was approaching from the south and would have to go around the base to get to the carriers in the north hangars.
I stopped at the south gate and crouched beside it. It was dark now, and very cold and my teeth chattered slightly. A shiver ran through my body, starting at the base of my spine, and my jaws locked as I tried to stop it. The searchlights from the lookout towers above moved over the sand. When they were moving within the base itself, I ran forwards, and managed to get about half way towards the base.
Suddenly a siren started. "Wufei must've arrived," I assumed. I heard gunfire and numerous explosions. The searchlights were all concentrated up north and soldiers were running throughout the base.
In all the commotion, I took the opportunity to move further North. I approached the hangars and fumbled in my backpack for a bomb to blow them open with. I didn't want to use a torch for fear of being found. Eventually I found the bomb and planted it on the door, then ran to the side of the building and saw some shadows moving towards me from the left.
"Shit!" I muttered. I was dressed in my trademark black clothes, but I still knew they'd see me. There was a river just a bit further north and I sprinted towards it. Looking back, I saw a group of five Oz soldiers jogging towards me, willing me to stop. I kept running and dived into the river, holding my breath for as long as I could.
Bullets shot through the water, but they whizzed past me. I could barely see them in the murky water. My lungs felt like they might explode and my head was throbbing. I had to get up for air. Slowly I rose to the surface of the water, and gently lifted my head out of the water. The soldiers were walking away slowly. I took a deep breath and lowered my head again, my heavy clothes weighing me down. I kicked off my shoes and pulled off my trousers, trying not to splash around too much. I also pulled off my tops, remaining under the water in just boxers. Suddenly I spluttered, swallowing dirty water from the river. I raised my head again, up out of the water and breathed in the cold air. All seemed to be quiet. I coughed, then got out of the water, shivering violently. I pulled on my black sweatshirt and black trousers, but they were soaking wet and made me even colder, so I pulled off the shirt and stayed in trousers only.
I felt a terrible stabbing pain on my back and twisted my head to see what was wrong. I noticed a black lump on my skin. It was a leech, sucking my blood. I grabbed it with my fingers and tried to pull it off but my grasp on it was shaky, my fingers shook in the cold, and it was slimy and slippery.
"I need a lighter," I thought to myself. "Or some salt."
My backpack was still by the hangar. The soldiers had probably taken it and taken the bomb as well. I hadn't had a chance to set it off. I kicked the ground in rage and sand flew up. I bent over and grasped some sand in my hands and rubbed it savagely over the leech and the surrounding skin. "Get off! Bastard..." I muttered to it.
It wasn't working. I fumbled around in the sand, searching for a rock. Eventually I found one with nice sharp edges and literally scraped the leech off my skin, taking away my skin with it. I winced in pain and felt my back. It was wet and sticky, very obviously I was bleeding. There wasn't anything I could do about it so I ran back to the hangar. The others were supposed to meet me there at nine o'clock. I illuminated my digital watch. It was already quarter past nine.
I cursed to myself and ran back to the hangars in my socks, my feet sinking in the sand. I could feel the muscles at the back of my legs stretching, relaxing, stretching, relaxing. Running in the sand was hard, and my shivering body wasn't making it any easier. My teeth chattered in the cold and my breath was becoming fast and shallow, but I had almost reached the hangars. The door was open and one carrier was leaving. It turned to the right, then raced down the runway, taking off and flying off into the darkness. I ran into the hangar, trying to find a familiar face.
There was one carrier left, and the back was open. I ran to the back and saw the Shenlong being loaded. "Wufei?" I called out, willing my teeth to be still. "Wufeiii?!"
A head appeared from within the carrier. "Wufei... I need a carrier for Deathscythe, there's none left."
"Heero loaded Deathscythe into his carrier along with wing. Get in, we got the data we need. This place will go up in 2 minutes!"
I ran into the carrier and Wufei finished loading Shenlong. The back closed, and the plane raced down the runway.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"We've decided to lay low for a while. We'll be hiding out at one of Quatre's estates in Italy. No-one will suspect that we're the gundam pilots." Wufei grinned slyly.
"Can't they track the carrier?"
"We'll stop the carriers two miles west of the estate, and put the gundams into an underground hideout Quatre and the Maguanacs have access to. We'll go the last two miles by car. Rashid is coming to meet us."
I nodded and concentrated on the vast skies ahead of us. Endless darkness. We were flying over the Mediterranean sea. I was tired, very very tired, and my head started to drop. Luckily Wufei was flying the plane.
"Duo? You alright?"
"Huh?" I looked up quickly, disturbed from my position on the verge of sleep. "I'm fine!"
"Why did it take you so long to reach the hangars? You didn't even open it. I got it open with Nataku. An even better question, why are you half naked and where are your shoes? And why is your back covered in blood?"
"Long story. I'll tell you when we're at Quatre's place."
Wufei nodded and we were silent for the rest of the flight.