Lyla opened her eyes, and looked at Heero, her eyes were cool, calm, and collected.
"Get him to the medical bay, hook him up to life support, I don't know if there's much I can do but I HAVE to try. Call them back. Call them all back, use the EROS system." She said, her voice not one to be disobeyed.
Heero nodded, and walked over to his station, slipping on his headphones.
"Code red, code red." He said as the others lifted Duo gingerly, and exited the room. "All pilots abandon mission and return to base. I repeat, all pilots abandon mission and return to base."
*~*
Kiyoshi raised his head, looking to the side as he disarmed and totally crippled a doll, ignoring the explosion that lit up the side of his face.
"Abandon mission, and return to base…" he muttered under his breath… "Something's wrong…"
He felt a heavy pull as the thrusters of Raidon flared up, and turned him and the other pilots back to the base, he let go of the joysticks.
"Kiyoshi!" came Basim's voice "Scarlet's not responding and Bran's still in battle…"
"Damn it all!" Kiyoshi swore, adding a few oaths in Japanese, then hit the comm button
"Grandfather, neither Bran nor Scarlet are responding to the call. Awaiting instruction."
Heero blinked, the EROS system wasn't responding? That wasn't right… she must have disconnected it! Heero swore loudly, causing Kiyoshi to recoil slightly. He was jerked forward as the EROS system quit, and he was in command of his suit.
"Get her out of there and drag her back if necessary, Kiyoshi." Heero said, and the comm clicked as it closed the connection.
Kiyoshi turned Raidon around, and spread the majestic golden wings of the Thunder Gundam, drawing forth the beam saber and readying his shield for battle… but knew there was no time to duke it out with his cousin and Nick Catalonia. There was no guarantee that Scarlet would go back without a fight.
As he approached, Scarlet was locked into battle with Catalonia, whose heat whip had been slashed by the beam scythe, Bran shot back a hundred feet, and the two stood there.
Kiyoshi saw his chance when he saw his cousin approach in back of Scarlet, ready to deal the blow to the wings of Bran.
*~*
The fight was horrible and wonderful at the same time, Scarlet matched every one of Nicholas' blows, he was now down to his beam saber, and defended himself with it… she heard his voice crackle over the comm…
"Scarlet! We don't have top be enemies! I know who your parents are! Your mom was a scorpion… just like me!"
Scarlet blinked… her mother was… a Scorpion? How did Nicholas find out about that? Who had told him her mother was an enemy? That's not right, her mother was DEAD!
She cried out in alarm as she felt something bit her back, bashing her head against the back of her Gundam, and heard Kiyoshi's voice.
"Scarlet! Get back to base! NOW!" he commanded, and as Scarlet fought Nicholas, Raidon's arms grabbed at Bran's wings. Kiyoshi put the thrusters on full and dragged Scarlet and her Gundam away from the fight. Miraculously, his cousin and Nicholas Catalonia did not follow.
Kiyoshi felt a sharp tug at the system as Scarlet frantically tried to free herself and her Gundam from his grasp.
"Kiyoshi! Let me go! Now!" she cried out, her face showing up on the screen.
This was a Scarlet Kiyoshi had never seen before, her eyes were wild, feral, something was there in those eyes that scared him. Insanity?
Her breathing was hard, he could tell she was near to blacking out…
"Scarlet." He heard grandfather Heero's voice over the comm. "There's something wrong with Duo."
*~*
"MISTER MAXWELL!" Cried the crimson haired pilot as she threw down her helmet and ran into the room, her eyes wide with fear that he may have already gone… she took his hand into hers, and was overjoyed at finding it still warm.
Lyla put a hand on her shoulder.
"Scarlet… Duo suffered a heart attack… he… might not wake up. You're his family, I need to ask you a serious question." She said, looking at the teenager.
Scarlet turned to her…
"You… you're gonna ask me to pull the plug, aren't you?"
Lyla blinked her face emotionless.
Just like Heero's. And Kiyo's. Damn them. She's as much as a bastard as the rest of them, Scarlet thought.
"Yes." Lyla finally answered… "It's not likely he'll wake up, Scarlet… I… couldn't get to him in time."
"Why not? Were you all too concerned over watching us flaunt our stupidity on the battlefield? You aren't out there; you don't know what it's like now! You might have once…" she said, standing, keeping her eyes on Lyla… then she turned to Maxwell…
"You might have once… but you don't anymore.
"You can't tell us what to do anymore, we're able pilots, we don't need your guidance anymore."
"Scarlet! That's a horrible thing to say! You are still young and…"
"And so were all of you!" She said, closing her eyes…
"I remember everything he told me, how he didn't wanna fight but he did because of what happened at the Maxwell Church… how he was going to blow up the Gundam Deathscythe when he first saw it. He didn't want me to fight… he didn't want another war… he didn't want more war orphans, not like him… not like him… I don't want to be like him!" she whispered… "I want to have a family to go back to when this is over, I want to have someone to hold me when I cry, I want someone to calm me when I'm angry, I want someone to laugh at my jokes… he always laughed…"
Two trails of silver made their way down the freckled cheeks, brilliantly gleaming in the bright light of the medical lab.
"I don't want to be alone… I don't want to be alone…" she took his rough, old hand and placed it against her cheek, cupping it and closing her eyes…
"I wanna be alone, with Mr. Maxwell…" she whispered…
The others looked at each other, and nodded, and one by one, walked out.
Lyla was the last to leave, picking Scarlet's helmet off the ground, and setting it on the counter.
"Duo…" she whispered… then closed the door.
*~*
A few lyrics that inspired the following chapter, from the songs
"Never Let go" - Hanson
The second set of italics is my own written version, it was not in the song and not written by Hanson.
Just let it die, and let your worries sleep.
Don't think now, the water's dark and deep
'Cause you know, I'll love you and never let go
And you know, that I love you forever
I love you, and never let go
Yes I love you and never let go
Just cry out, I've cried those tears before
I can feel it now, as your tear drops to the floor…
…I'm yours until forever is gone
She held the hand to her cheek, feeling the warmth and glow that was Mr. Maxwell, the smell of old sweat and monkey grease reminding her of the shop that they had worked, the tiny mechanic's shop between a jewelry store and a pizza place on the L2 colony. Her breath came in short, strangled sobs as she held his hand to her cheek. In all the years together, he had not once raised a hand against her, he had never hurt her in any way… how could he hurt her so much now?
Scarlet was not a child, but she had always thought Mr. Maxwell really WAS the "God of Death", and that he was immortal, and that he'd never die… he would never leave her alone, not like this.
"Hey, Mr. Maxwell… remember when we had talked about our dreams, a long time ago?" she whispered, still kneeling by the bed, "I have a new dream now… it's not childish anymore. I have a dream… of not making any more war orphans like you… and singing when I grow older… I want you there too, Mr. Maxwell. I want you to be part of my dream… because I don't know if I can do it without you. You're my strength, Mr. Maxwell, you're more important to me than anything else in the world… this one or the next. Mr. Maxwell, you can't leave me here alone… I… I don't know what to do." She wiped a tear away, and sniffled. "Who's gonna watch out for me? Who's gonna laugh at my corny jokes and who's gonna offer a hand when I fall down? Who's gonna show me the way outta a house of mirrors when I get dizzy? Who's gonna goof around with me? Who's gonna call me GD Meathead when I mess up on something?" there was a pause, a pregnant moment of silence that tension was so thick in, Scarlet felt more burning tears against her cheek, more damning tears that marked her childhood.
"Mr. Maxwell… you can't leave me!"
This ocean's wide and the clouds above me weep
These tears come from my eyes, and I cry myself to sleep
And you know, that I love you forever, let go…
And you know, that I love you forever I'll love you and never let go
I'll love you and never let go
As I cry out, you've had these fears before
I can't feel you now; my tears fall to the floor
But I know that you love me and never let go…
And I know that you love me forever you love me and never let go
And I love you and never let go
You were always there for me
And I never realized that I'm yours until forever and oh…
I love you forever, let go.
I'll love you and never let go
"I'll love you, and never let go…" she whispered, as she closed her eyes, and stood, setting his hand back on the gurney. She brushed aside the gray hair that now matted his forehead, and pressed a tender kiss, the same kiss that she would have given him as a child, to his temple.
Standing back, she looked at him… turned, and left the room, pausing by the door only the briefest of moments to sneak a peak back at her trainer who lay there nearly lifeless, and picked up the helmet he had painted for her.
"You fought my battles before, Mr. Maxwell… now let me continue yours."
*~*
Scarlet walked out, her face deep in thought, her glasses almost askew. Kiyoshi stood before her.
"They put me here because they didn't want you doing something drastic." He said plainly.
"You're not a very convincing liar, Kiyoshi." She answered him, bright green eyes still shining with tears looking into his Prussian blue eyes.
The two stood there in the hallway, silhouetted by the stars beyond the windows of the mobile base Pod-Hopper II, the crimson haired goddess of death and the thus-named god of thunder, Scarlet and Kiyoshi, Maxwell and Yuy.
"Her eyes…" he thought… "They're so lonely… they're scared… she's not scared of dying herself… she's scared of living without him…"
She stood there, they were so near each other, then suddenly, without a word or warning, Scarlet dropped her helmet, wrapping her arms around Kiyoshi and sobbed into his shoulder, needing someone, needing someone she knew could care back.
Kiyoshi closed his eyes, leaned his head against hers, and wrapped his arms around her, embracing the scared woman that he beheld before him.
"It'll be all right, Scarlet…"
A pause… then his voice came soft like the wing of an owl in the cold, winter night
"I promise."
