Six Gundams Confirmed?
Duo Maxwell was asleep in his Gundam's cockpit, dreaming quietly, when Deathscythe's monitor began to screech furiously. Awake and awing in the blink of an eye, he sat up and grabbed the controls. He glanced around anxiously and relaxed. Nothing but empty space surrounded him. Quatre appeared on the vid screen in front of him and Duo smiled. "What's goin' on, man?" he asked, but Quatre didn't return the smile.
"OZ has caught one of the Gundam pilots. You're the only person I've been able to contact, so I'm afraid it's either Heero, Trowa, or Wufei," Quatre finished and gazed helplessly at Duo.
"Where are they holding him?" Duo asked and leaned as far forward as his seat brace permitted.
"In the northeastern area of Colony L4. I'll meet you there in thirty-six hours. Over and out," Quatre sighed and the screen went blank. Duo punched the coordinates into Deathscythe's main computer and reclined in his chair again.
Who got caught? he thought, Trowa? No, he was too good at melting in with the crowd. Wufei? Possibly, but he couldn't have gone down without a fight. Heero? Eh, he'd been caught before. "The biggest surprise is that it wasn't me!" Duo laughed and gazed at the ceiling. "Well, I guess it's time I started paying them back for all the times they've saved my butt," he sighed and fell asleep again.
An explosion rocked Deathscythe and Duo was startled awake again. "Them again!" he yelled and proceeded to shoot down the Mobile Dolls that had surrounded him while he slept. He took a couple of blows himself, but managed to destroy them all and discreetly land his mobile suit in a wooded area of the northeast corner of Colony L4.
Duo climbed out of Deathscythe and threw some leafy branches around it to hide the giant robot as best he could. Shrugging, he strolled out of the woods and towards the city, whistling. Once he reached a road, he glanced around, eyes stopping on a large iron structure that served as a temporary military warehouse. "Heh, I land half a mile away from a OZ base and no one cares. Yeah, most of the troops are off at war, but you'd think someone would notice a huge mobile suit," Duo laughed and made his way towards the base.
~~~
Heero, Wufei, and Trowa moped about in a storage roomed that served as their prison. The door swung open and Quatre stumbled in, bruised and cut. He fell and the door shut behind him. "What are you doing here?" Heero asked.
"I came to save the captured Gundam pilot," he laughed in self-mockery.
"So did we. Apparently, there wasn't one until they caught us," Wufei growled in frustration.
"Impossible! I saw a Gundam in the background when the message aired!" Quatre exclaimed once he righted himself against a wall.
"So did I. It looked a lot like Deathscythe, but not the same," Trowa sighed. Heero nodded in assent.
"Speaking of that unbearable nuisance, where is Duo?" Heero asked and sat in a corner.
"Last I heard, he was on his way here to save the pilot," Quatre smiled.
"There's no hope of a rescue, so we should start planning an escape," Wufei said quite seriously and glanced at the single dim light-bulb hanging from the ceiling.
"Now, that's not very nice," someone outside mumbled. The door was opened again and Duo was shoved in.
"It may not have been nice, but it was true," Wufei sighed as the door slammed shut again.
Duo held his bruised and bloodied shoulder and laughed through split lips. "Good to know everyone has faith in me," he sighed and winced as his lip started bleeding again.
"So, everyone came here to rescue a pilot that doesn't exist and ended up getting caught?" Duo asked while Quatre bandaged his shoulder with strips of Duo's shirt.
"We thought it was you when the broadcast aired because the Gundam looked like yours, but it was probably just a decoy. Seems OZ is getting smarter," Trowa replied.
A crash echoed out in the hall, followed by swift footsteps. The boys jumped to their feet with the exception of Duo, who could just barely manage to get his knees under him without help because of his shoulder. Someone yelled and sounds of fighting were heard, but were soon silenced by a sickening crack. The door was opened once more and a dark figure was thrown in. "Maybe next time you'll loosen your tongue a little, pilot," a guard bellowed and the door slammed shut.
The four other boys gathered around to inspect the figure that had landed at Duo's feet. Blood was pooling around him, and he wasn't moving. "This is the sixth Gundam pilot?" Duo asked and gave up on trying to stand.
"So, it wasn't a hoax!" Quatre sighed and gazed down at the beaten boy.
"You think he's dead?" Heero asked and kneeled down to inspect the body. He was lying on his stomach, arms protecting his head. Wufei rolled him on his back, and they all backed up.
"I-it's a girl!" Duo exclaimed and waved his hand in front of the girl's blank face. She had a nasty gash under her eye and her right leg was bent at a joint that shouldn't have been.
Quatre leaned over her face and listened for breath, but there was none. "She's needs CPR before her heart stops," he said calmly. The boys all looked at each other worriedly. "Well, somebody's got to do it!" Quatre yelled and glared at them.
Duo sighed audibly and opened the girl's mouth. Quatre felt for her ribs and pressed on her diaphragm. He forced the air out of her lungs and Duo breathed life back in. When it didn't work the first time, they tried again, but the girl caught Duo around the neck with one arm, and held a gleaming knife to his temple with the other.
Duo Maxwell was asleep in his Gundam's cockpit, dreaming quietly, when Deathscythe's monitor began to screech furiously. Awake and awing in the blink of an eye, he sat up and grabbed the controls. He glanced around anxiously and relaxed. Nothing but empty space surrounded him. Quatre appeared on the vid screen in front of him and Duo smiled. "What's goin' on, man?" he asked, but Quatre didn't return the smile.
"OZ has caught one of the Gundam pilots. You're the only person I've been able to contact, so I'm afraid it's either Heero, Trowa, or Wufei," Quatre finished and gazed helplessly at Duo.
"Where are they holding him?" Duo asked and leaned as far forward as his seat brace permitted.
"In the northeastern area of Colony L4. I'll meet you there in thirty-six hours. Over and out," Quatre sighed and the screen went blank. Duo punched the coordinates into Deathscythe's main computer and reclined in his chair again.
Who got caught? he thought, Trowa? No, he was too good at melting in with the crowd. Wufei? Possibly, but he couldn't have gone down without a fight. Heero? Eh, he'd been caught before. "The biggest surprise is that it wasn't me!" Duo laughed and gazed at the ceiling. "Well, I guess it's time I started paying them back for all the times they've saved my butt," he sighed and fell asleep again.
An explosion rocked Deathscythe and Duo was startled awake again. "Them again!" he yelled and proceeded to shoot down the Mobile Dolls that had surrounded him while he slept. He took a couple of blows himself, but managed to destroy them all and discreetly land his mobile suit in a wooded area of the northeast corner of Colony L4.
Duo climbed out of Deathscythe and threw some leafy branches around it to hide the giant robot as best he could. Shrugging, he strolled out of the woods and towards the city, whistling. Once he reached a road, he glanced around, eyes stopping on a large iron structure that served as a temporary military warehouse. "Heh, I land half a mile away from a OZ base and no one cares. Yeah, most of the troops are off at war, but you'd think someone would notice a huge mobile suit," Duo laughed and made his way towards the base.
~~~
Heero, Wufei, and Trowa moped about in a storage roomed that served as their prison. The door swung open and Quatre stumbled in, bruised and cut. He fell and the door shut behind him. "What are you doing here?" Heero asked.
"I came to save the captured Gundam pilot," he laughed in self-mockery.
"So did we. Apparently, there wasn't one until they caught us," Wufei growled in frustration.
"Impossible! I saw a Gundam in the background when the message aired!" Quatre exclaimed once he righted himself against a wall.
"So did I. It looked a lot like Deathscythe, but not the same," Trowa sighed. Heero nodded in assent.
"Speaking of that unbearable nuisance, where is Duo?" Heero asked and sat in a corner.
"Last I heard, he was on his way here to save the pilot," Quatre smiled.
"There's no hope of a rescue, so we should start planning an escape," Wufei said quite seriously and glanced at the single dim light-bulb hanging from the ceiling.
"Now, that's not very nice," someone outside mumbled. The door was opened again and Duo was shoved in.
"It may not have been nice, but it was true," Wufei sighed as the door slammed shut again.
Duo held his bruised and bloodied shoulder and laughed through split lips. "Good to know everyone has faith in me," he sighed and winced as his lip started bleeding again.
"So, everyone came here to rescue a pilot that doesn't exist and ended up getting caught?" Duo asked while Quatre bandaged his shoulder with strips of Duo's shirt.
"We thought it was you when the broadcast aired because the Gundam looked like yours, but it was probably just a decoy. Seems OZ is getting smarter," Trowa replied.
A crash echoed out in the hall, followed by swift footsteps. The boys jumped to their feet with the exception of Duo, who could just barely manage to get his knees under him without help because of his shoulder. Someone yelled and sounds of fighting were heard, but were soon silenced by a sickening crack. The door was opened once more and a dark figure was thrown in. "Maybe next time you'll loosen your tongue a little, pilot," a guard bellowed and the door slammed shut.
The four other boys gathered around to inspect the figure that had landed at Duo's feet. Blood was pooling around him, and he wasn't moving. "This is the sixth Gundam pilot?" Duo asked and gave up on trying to stand.
"So, it wasn't a hoax!" Quatre sighed and gazed down at the beaten boy.
"You think he's dead?" Heero asked and kneeled down to inspect the body. He was lying on his stomach, arms protecting his head. Wufei rolled him on his back, and they all backed up.
"I-it's a girl!" Duo exclaimed and waved his hand in front of the girl's blank face. She had a nasty gash under her eye and her right leg was bent at a joint that shouldn't have been.
Quatre leaned over her face and listened for breath, but there was none. "She's needs CPR before her heart stops," he said calmly. The boys all looked at each other worriedly. "Well, somebody's got to do it!" Quatre yelled and glared at them.
Duo sighed audibly and opened the girl's mouth. Quatre felt for her ribs and pressed on her diaphragm. He forced the air out of her lungs and Duo breathed life back in. When it didn't work the first time, they tried again, but the girl caught Duo around the neck with one arm, and held a gleaming knife to his temple with the other.
