Chapter Four: Heavymetal Butterfly
"Dammit, this really sucks," Duo announced as he strode towards Quatre. "Wake up, Q-man. Rise and shine."
"He hit me." Was Quatre's numb response, and Duo grimaced.
"You're fine, man. My Q-man can take a little roughing around. Now get up, okay?" Duo pulled Quatre up to his feet.
"I need to sleep." The blonde teenager looked sick. "I need to lie down and just sleep."
"We just woke up an hour-! Okay, sleep it is." Duo relented under Heero's glare. "We'll take you back inside-"
"Sandrock. I'm going to be with Sandrock." Quatre insisted, and Duo rolled his eyes but obligingly helped Quatre to his Gundam and to the hatch. The Arabian pilot didn't even look back as he disappeared inside, and the hatch hissed shut.
"Well, what do we do? We have a day – or what's left of one – to waste." Duo said, shrugging his shoulders.
"What are going to do with Trowa's Gundam?" Heero asked, looking thoughtfully at Heavyarms. "We can't slave him to our Gundams, that will waste so much energy we won't have enough to get off the colony."
"Leave it here?" Wufei suggested, frowning. None of the pilots liked the idea of abandoning a Gundam.
"I'll fly it." Meike said calmly. Duo looked askance at her.
"In you condition? With your experience? I don't think so." He announced dubiously.
"I will. You need a pilot. I'll do it. Show me the basics and I'll be flying as well as any of you." Her gray eyes hardened, and her German accent became a bit thicker. Duo recognized some of Heero's stubbornness in the girl as she stuck her chin out. "Or maybe you're afraid to let a lady at the controls, because she'll show you up." She challenged, and Duo flushed.
"All right then," he said recklessly. "You get the Gundam. Heavyarms is in pristine condition – Trowa kept superb care of his Gundam. You get yourself up in the hatch and inspect the controls. I'll be along in a little while to help you." Heero stiffened and Wufei nearly shouted as Duo handed over the possession of the Gundam.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Wufei yelled furiously. "She's an inexperienced German female! Women don't fight, let alone fly Gundams!"
"I fight just as well as you, you asinine chauvinist pig!" Meike snarled at Wufei, her pride bruised. "If you need proof, I'll give you proof, but unless you know exactly what I can and cannot do, you had better keep you judgmental little sexist bastard opinion out of it!" Wufei jerked back.
"I am a warrior!" Wufei cried, nearly turning purple. "I have had enough proof that women are not fighters!"
"Well then welcome to the real world, because you're about to get something different." Meike voice was low and thick with half-enunciated vowels, her native language nearly consuming the English. She turned towards the Gundam muttering obscene things in German.
As she climbed the hatch, she felt her hand brush against something soft and furry. To her surprise, a small green caterpillar was inching its way up the Gundam. She gently cupped her hands and took it off the machine, bringing it inside the Gundam with her.
Once she had gotten inside Heavyarms, she set the little caterpillar down by the control panel and collapsed into the pilot's chair with all the grace of a deflated balloon. Her head throbbed with a horrible ache and her body was sore beyond belief. I hate this, she thought painfully, her eyes brimming with tears. I hate Wufei and I hate these Gundams and I want to go home. She closed her eyes tight and let darkness wash over her. Maybe this time I won't dream, she thought as she drifted out of consciousness.
~*~
"Meike!"
"Dad?"
"Meike, where are you?"
"Daddy, I'm right here, I'm over here! Come and get me!"
"Meike! Meike, answer me, please! Marzie, where are you?"
"Daddy, I'm right here! Why can't you hear me, Daddy?"
"Meike…?"
"Don't go, Daddy!"
"Marzie…"
"Daddy, I'm here, please listen to me! Daddy, please…"
~*~
Meike awoke with her cheeks wet. "Daddy…" she whispered out loud to no one, blinking away the salty tears. The Gundam's dim interior, lit only but panels of buttons and lights, was silent but for the hum of life support.
Panels. Panels that controlled the equipment of the Gundam. Meike sat up and shoved the dream out of her head, focusing on the display in front of her. So this is a Gundam, she thought, excitement building up. Her hands began to explore the controls, reading the labels and watching what happened if and when they were pressed.
Meanwhile, Heero was having a private conversation with Wufei.
"She has no idea how to fly the Gundam. We have no idea how it will respond to her." Wufei said angrily. "It's a risk to us, to her, and to the Gundams. She has no experience and she'll ruin that Gundam."
"Anything we do will have a risk, Wufei. We can't keep the Gundam on slave mode and have it follow us the entire mission. That'll wear out the internal battery, wear out our batteries, and that'll leave us with NO Gundams. We can't leave it here, because the colonists – or the Vampires – will take it apart for construction. Or they'll use it to attack someplace else." He told Wufei. Wufei opened his mouth to speak, but Heero spoke again before he could say anything. "You're also letting your dislike color your opinion of her abilities. Just because she's female doesn't mean she's incompetent." Wufei's features turned ugly with hate as he forced himself to accept that fact.
"Maybe I am not fond of the concept of women fighting." He said, gritting out the words with effort. "But the fact remains that she has had no experience with a Gundam. She's not fit to fly it."
"Take a look, Wufei." Hero turned and switched on the Gundams' visual links, and in both teenager's Gundams a small viewing screen materialized. In it was Meike, eyes intent, fingers dancing across the panel. Wufei straightened.
"She'll ruin it!" he started to cry, but the shout died on his lips as Heavyarms began to power down.
"She's methodical, and if she keeps that up, she'll be able to fly it. Not well, but she'll fly it nonetheless." Heero said. Wufei nodded slowly.
"I underestimated her, as well as you, Yuy." Wufei said, then cut the link to WingZero.
Inside of AltoLong, Wufei stared at the screen in front of him, still troubled. The German girl was smarter than he had thought, if she could decipher the basic controls within thirty minutes of entering a Gundam. Sighing, he switched off the viewing screen and settled back, waiting for Yuy to sort out his thoughts and inform them of when and why they would advance.
"I've got to learn to control this." Meike whispered softly to herself. Then she giggled. "Why am I whispering?" she asked out loud.
"Not a valid question." A calm voice answered her, startling Meike out of her wits.
"What? Who's that?" she whirled around in her seat.
"I am Heavyarms." The voice replied.
"For the love of God, don't do that." Meike breathed. "You're Heavyarms' voice?"
"Yes, I am." Heavyarms replied.
"Well, I'll have to find a new name for you eventually." Her gaze fell on the little caterpillar she had brought inside. It was beginning to spin itself a cocoon, attached to a protruding piece of metal. "Heavymetal Butterfly," she said. "You'll be Heavymetal Butterfly."
"Heavymetal Butterfly?" the former Heavyarms queried.
"Yeah, Heavymetal Butterfly. Save that. You're not Heavyarms anymore." Meike's face was glowing as she contemplated the dangerous machinery at her fingertips. The sort of power that can wipe out an entire colony of Vampires, she thought coldly, and her smile was a predator's.
"Changing names already?" Duo asked over a communications line. Meike was glad to see he wasn't holding a grudge for her insult. Then she blushed.
"Yeah, changing names. Meet Heavymetal Butterfly, Duo." Meike announced. Duo shook his head.
"Welcome to the team, Meike. You might regret this later, but welcome aboard anyway." Duo told her.
~*~Fin~*~
Author's Note: Okay, I know some of you are wondering, 'What is Quatre gonna do?' because I haven't addressed that much. But it'll be there come next Chapter, don't worry your pretty little heads. ^-^"
Daitryk: What? Cliché? Never. ^_- I try not to be predictable. It originally started out as a fluff fic – a parody of Buffy made into Gundam, in fact (Wufei/Buffy the Vampire Slayer). But when it hit Chapter Three it got a little un-fluffy. So I turned around and did a little reconnaissance work.
Spanish Eyes: Oooh, spiffy name. It sounds exotic. Well, I was practically glowing after I read your review! Somebody loves my ficcy! ^-^" I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
As for more… well, it's not going away for a long time. The entire fic was written (well, most of it!) over last summer and I've got about twenty chapters written but not re-read and fixed up for posting. So it's continuing, you betcha. As always, I love reviews and will reply to them. (Obviously!) Adios!