Chapter 3
My eyes slowly open to find an older man standing above me, smiling. It's not a warm smile, not even a cool one. All I sense from this man is cold hatred and a touch of smug amusement. I panic momentarily, wondering where the hell I am and who the fuck this bastard standing over me is. I groan as I remember everything, and wish that I could just roll over and go back into that welcome darkness. I don't want to remember it, I don't want to remember how I got here, and I don't want to remember what they did to me.
~I left the house and got to the site outlined by the mission perimeters well enough, hid my Gundam, and enrolled in the school there under the name of Aladdin Suhane, appropriate for my Arabic heritage. The school accepted my enrollment well enough, not suspecting a thing. You see, there is a base across the lake, it's an OZ mobile suit manufacturing base, as this school being an OZ funded one I assumed it got its money from the base.~
~The first couple days there went fine, I realized though, that this was going to take longer than I thought. In an effort to hurry up the mission, I infiltrated the base a little earlier than was requested in the mission perimeters. Lucky for me, that part was easy, the OZ facility had many trucks coming and going on a regular basis so it was nothing to sneak into one. Though, I had very close call when only a burlap sack lay between me and an OZ soldier. What my father would say if he had seen me hiding under that sack, on my hands and knees like a rat. The soldier left though, and I managed to knock out two others and steal their uniforms on my way out of the storage bay. My mission was simple, get into the main computer room, set some explosives, get into the mobile suit area, set some explosives, run like hell and press the detonation button. I ran down the cold hallway and my heart beat faster as I heard shouts behind me, the two unconscious soldiers had been found. I pushed myself to go faster and killed a guard in my way as I turned down what I remembered to be the hall that lead to the mobile suit storage area. I had memorized a map before coming here, always wanting to be the best prepared in case, Allah forbid, something goes wrong and I have to make a hasty retreat. I couldn't wait to get back 'home' to the safe house, if you could really call it a home. But what else am I supposed to call it, the Gundam pilots don't have a home really, so I took it upon myself to make them feel as comfortable as possible between missions. Moving from safehouse to safehouse occasionally got annoying, especially when you get used to one or another being a sort of home.~
~I shouldered through the door to the storage area and shot two guards before running straight down the middle of a mobile suit line and throwing explosives randomly as I went. I dodged shots that were coming from my right and ran out the other door. I stopped for approximately three seconds to start the countdown for the explosives and re-asses my surroundings. calling up the map in my head and, right beside that, picturing my beloved's face. Urging me to go on and hurry home. A smile flitted across my face as I once again began to run.~
~I heard the guards in front of me before I saw them. I had just set some more explosives in the main computer room and was bootin' it outta there as fast as I could. I had fifteen seconds left before the base went up in a very big ball of fire. I turned the corner, even though I knew the guards were there, there was no other way for me to go. The door, according to my memorized map, which hadn't failed me yet, was only 100 feet or so down this hallway. I almost stopped in my tracks when I saw 20 soldiers in front of me, I had been expecting, at most, ten...and here they were, doubled. I still have no idea how I picked up such colourful Chinese curses, but I'm assuming it comes from spending too much time around WuFei. In one fluid movement, I skidded to a complete stop, unhitched a grenade from my belt, and threw it at the group in front of me, yelling 'catch!' before I ducked into a doorway. I checked my time, ten seconds left. I heard the bang and peeked around the corner. It was an almost clear path to the door, I was getting through this easier than I thought. Duo's face suddenly flashed through my mind, he winked at me and blew me a kiss. I chuckled as I sprinted out the door.~
~I checked my location, outside an exactly where I expected to be. Not ten feet in front of me was the fence I had to clear for freedom. Five seconds left. I shot up the seven-foot fence as fast as I could and scrambled over the barbed wire, getting a few good-size gashes on the way and tearing some of my clothes. I landed in an uncerimonial heap on the other side and jumped up to sprint for the lake. I could duck underwater and hold my breath until the worst of the explosion passed. If I swam out, I could be at least 50 feet away from the shore, safe by 20 feet. I checked my watch as I started to run, six seconds left. Six, I thought, it was five before I was over the fence. Kuso!!! My head whipped around just in time to see the beginnings of the explosion work it's way through the base. The fire was lashing out and heading right for me, I needed to be at least another ten feet away, the lake was right in front of me. I ran for it and jumped just as I felt the heat on my back. I don't know if I made the lake or not, because I blacked out at that point.~
~The next time I woke up I was in this very same cell. There were four soldiers in front of me. I tried to move but I was chained to something, a bed. Not a very comfortable bed. More like a straw pad on a frame. The soldiers were sneering at me and making jokes about the famed 'Gundam brats'. They then advanced on me...I remember what they did, and I still keep trying to forget. It hurts too much...both mentally and physically.~
The man is looking down a me still. I'd like to reach up and wrap these damned chains around his thick neck. Unfortunately, that would take Duo's skill with lock-picking. He did teach me some stuff, but I've been working on these locks for what I think might be around three months and still couldn't figure it out. Between when I blacked out from the pain, hunger, or blood loss, I lost track of time. Instead of wrapping the chains around his neck, I slipped the lock pick out of its hiding place in the sheets and set to work. I was going to get out of here this time, and kill these fucking bastards. I knew they had my Gundam in here somewhere, and I intended to find it, blow up this base, and go home to see the only thing that kept me alive over these weeks, months, years, or whatever the hell they'd been.
"Ready for another go my angel?" The man sneered at me. I spat in his face, at a loss for anything else to do. This man had no right to call me that. Tears welled up in my eyes, that's what Duo called me.
This was the last straw. There's no way I'm going to let this kuso yaro fuck me. My throat was raw from screaming and my stomach had given up grumbling for pain. My clothes were gone, all thrown over in the corner, ripped, burned, and covered with blood, and other bodily fluids from the first time I had been woken up. I smelled, my wrists were bleeding from the shackles around them, I had scratches and welts all over my body. Some of the burns I had received from the explosion hadn't had the chance to heal, and my hands were still torn and infected from the barbed wire. I assumed I had a concussion as well, from my constant headaches and the blacking out. I knew if I didn't go before I blacked out again, there was a good chance I wouldn't wake up.
I worked more frantically with the lock pick and heard a satisfying click. The click I had been waiting for for what seemed to be eternity. The small click that was anything but insignificant and signaled my freedom like church bells on a Sunday morning. With freedom came a new serge of hope, and renewed energy.
The officer, whose hand was pulled back for a blow, froze. Apparently he too had heard that click. I smirked as I sat up and brought my arms around in front of me as quickly as I could. The chains were held in my fists and soon were wrapped around his neck. He had no time to scream before his neck was broken and he soon laid dead on his feet. You see, I hooked the chains up over the low rafters in my cell as soon as I untied my feet. Now, I'm usually not this violent, but I figured Allah would forgive me for this, seeing as what hell I went through for the last while.
I rooted through the mans' clothing and my findings make me smile. A gun, extra ammo, keys, and a half eaten twinkie. The gods were favoring me well. They damned well better be, I thought, after what I've been through I'm surprised I still haven't gone zero. I looked back at the man, now swaying in the chill breeze that came through an upper window. Ok, I thought while stuffing the rest of the twinkie in my mouth, maybe I have gone zero, but they deserve it.
I gather my clothes and get dressed as best I can, taking care to avoid my wounds, which were bleeding again from the attack. I unlocked my cell door and checked the halls. No one was in my sight range. It figures though, that officer probably sent them all on an errand so they wouldn't hear me screaming. I take off down the hall and begin the search for my Gundam.
