Chapter 6

The sun's up. The air's fresh. The ground is littered with a fresh blanket of snow and various pieces of what used to be Aries. I'm happy as ever, though a bit hungry and my back hurts like hell from sleeping in this chair. But I'll be fine, the Aries were taken care of, it's 8:00 am, and all I have to do is borrow a carrier and fly home. I'm in a good mood.

I hide Sandrock and make myself something to eat. Baked beans this morning, yum...really. Ok, so maybe the food I've got isn't the best ever, I'll fix it when I get back.

I check over my wounds and find most of them healing quite nicely now that I've had time to care for them properly. None of them should be too serious. Maybe I should stop by Ms. Sally's to get her to check me out before I head home...

The thought is quickly dismissed as a pang of longing for a certain braided one hits me right square in the chest. "Damn this empathy...." I mutter as I clean up a bit and situate myself in the pilot-seat, starting Sandrock and moving him in the direction of the Oz base I had escaped from. Sure, I think somewhat bitterly, it helps me out a ton, but it also drives me to be a sentimental baka half the time...

I grumble to myself as I realize just how much I'm beginning to resemble my koi. Oh drat him, drat his beautiful heathen ass...I'll defiantly have something to take up with him when I get back.

The Oz base looms in front of me. Well, parts of the Oz base...There's the control tower, I smile, as it's at least 80 ft. from its' original position, and in a couple million more pieces. There's the soldiers barracks, there's part of the 'holding cells'...

'Crunch' Sandrocks' foot steps on the afor mentioned piece of Oz base, effectively destroying it even more, More like dungeon. 'Holding cell' Sandrocks' foot... I deliberately punctuate my thoughts with a couple more good stomps on the remaining pieces of rubble. Overkill... some part in my mind mutters at me. I ignore the fact that I've developed an alternate personality and promptly shoot back, So what? Overkill is good, I like overkill! The thought is punctuated once more, by another good stomp. I'd be doing Duo proud, all I need now is to utter some maniacal laughter and...I stop the thought for two reasons: One, the pang of longing that hit me once more, and the next, I am really and truly starting to scare myself here.

"Ok," I decide talking out loud is better then attempting to argue with my head, "mission parameters: attempt to location standard issue Oz craft carrier in working order with a moderate amount of fuel supply." Looking around, I decide to try to opposite side of the base, it suffering slightly less damage.

* * *

The sounds of the engine calm me slightly. The carrier was relatively easy to find and needed only a few repairs, taking about three hours at most with the tools I had in Sandrock. I was actually not expecting to find a carrier left, with all the destruction I only half remember causing. The only hitch in the plans so far were the three Aries that showed up just as I found the carrier. They were dispatched of quickly though, and I made a quick getaway, knowing that they had probably informed someone of my whereabouts.

"Only an hour to go Sandrock," I say over my shoulder, "We'll be home soon. You can do whatever Gundams do when left alone with other Gundams," I make a mental note to ponder over this at a later time, "and I can pounce on my Du-koi." I smile at the hentai thoughts that race through my mind at the mention of my koi. The longing is getting better now that I'm getting home for sure, and it's turned into a different kind of longing...which is getting steadily worse. Though, I think to myself, that's gotta be a good thing...

I try to direct my thoughts to something besides my koi hot and sweaty above me, hair undone and —Not working!!! I mentally reprimand myself as I feel my pants tighten. "The mission..." I mumble, trying to keep myself away from those thoughts, "Ok, they're a lil bit off from where the last safehouse was, that's Ok, I know where it is." I check the clock by the controls, "Half hour more, will live through it. Gundams are in warehouse an hour out of town, along with transportation. Carrier can be landed and stored in warehouse for further use..." I glance at the clock again, noticing the date it displays. February 14th, 2:04 pm.

Ah, kuso! It's Valentines Day...I need to get him a present!