Chapter 3

Author's note: Sorry, I meant to post this on Friday. For all of those following, I will usually post the new chapters every Friday or Saturday, sorry this one is a little late.

I expect to feel sharp pain all over my body as bullets rip though me. It takes me a second or so to realize that the bullets aren't being shot at us.

I look up as does Noin and Wu Fei. Zechs runs though the room, his automatic gun blazing, his hair flying as he runs. One by one the guards fall. One stands in front of Javier. He falls as well, taking Javier with him. Once they are all down he runs over to us. He starts to cut the ropes around Noin.

"Zechs it's so good to see you." Noin says as the ropes fall from around her.

"What are you doing here?" Wu Fei asks.

"I'll explain later, we don't have much time." He frees Wu Fei as Noin cuts my ropes.

Noin and I don't have time for a joyous reunion just yet. I dash for my duffel bag. I take out three weapons. I toss one to Wu Fei and another to Noin. I take the third for myself.

I clutch Noin's hand as we follow Zechs though the base.

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Javier pushes the dead soldier off of him. He stands, wincing with pain. His hand moves to his abdomen. He presses firmly against the shot wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

He looks around furious. All twelve guards are now lying on the floor, dead. He mentally goes through the massacre, trying to remember what the man who did this looks like, he looks so familiar.

He sees the long flailing hair, his wild blue eyes. He sees the face of the man, trying to recall where he has seen him before. It hits him. Yes! He is one of the soldiers from the surveillance  room.

He couldn't remember ever seeing him before. His Identification checked out though. He was working so hard too, he didn't seem to be an intruder. He had dismissed his feeling that something wasn't right, and let the man return to his work. How could he have been so foolish? The enemy was right in front of him and he didn't even see it.

Infuriated he limped over to the emergency phone on the wall. The phone leads directly to the bridge of the base. "They have escaped! Kill the men, leave the woman unharmed." He pushes the emergency switch next to the phone. The sound of wailing alarms filled the base. With that done he struggled out the door.

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The sirens go off. Soon enough they will have us. We quicken our pace through the long hallway.

"Quatre the explosions!" Wu Fei yells over the blaring alarm.

"Right!" I call back. I search for the detonator, digging it out of my pocket. I push the button. The faint sound of exploding bombs fills the hall. Wu Fei holds off detonating his. I assume because a few are in this hall.

We make a sharp right into another corridor. A unit of soldiers is right behind us. They open fire. Wu Fei pushes the detonator. The soldiers are consumed in a plume of fire and smoke.

I can clearly see a door at the end of the hall. It has to be one of the exits. We are nearly home free. Before we can reach the door though we are comforted by another group of soldiers. We duck into a smaller corridor just before they start shooting.

Wu Fei and Zechs shoot back. After a minute of so Noin and I take their place. Zechs takes a grenade out of his jacket. He pulls the pin out with his teeth and throws it at the soldiers. We turn away, backs pressed against the concrete wall.

The whole area shudders from the blast. Smoke pours into the hall. We don't wait for the smoke to clear, it makes for a good cover. We dash through the dark smoke to the hole blown through the wall.

Through the hole all we can see is darkness. We all know it's the exit though. We run through the hole. I don't know whom, but someone finds the stairs. We run up the narrow spiral staircase towards the surface.

We try to keep up our speed, but the air is choked with smoke. We choke and gasp for air as we climb blindly. My lungs burn, screaming out for air. Noin stumbles in front of me. I pick her back up and continue to run recklessly up the well.

Finally we come to the door. Zechs swipes the I.D. card and tries the door. It's still locked, they have already put a lock on the card. In his rage he tares the ID lock off the wall. He shoots at the kicks open the door. We stumble through into the basement of the First United Bank. We struggle to catch our breaths, choking from the smoke intilation.

I don't care how much I want the fresh air. I realize that I'm still holding on to Noin after helping her up. All I can think of is her. She feels the same way. She flings her arms around my neck. I wrap mine around her waist.

"Quatre… I thought that would be the end."

"I know." I say back, "It's okay now, it's all over."

"I'm afraid not."

Zechs' comment snaps us back to reality. "What did you find out?" I ask. Noin and I pull back and face Zechs.

"There are up there! Hurry we can't let them escape!" Muffled yells come through the open door.

"I hate to break the moment, but we better get to a secure pla-" Wu Fei is cut off by a bullet whizzing by his head.

We run out of the way of the shower of bullets for the stair access to the bank. We burst through the door to the lobby. The soldiers are right behind us, guns blazing. We shoot back as we dash through the crowd of screaming customers and personnel. 

"Get on the floor!" Noin yells. The poor, unexpecting people think it's an armed robbery. They do as told though. They hit the floor almost simontaniously.   

Most of the glass, floor to ceiling, windows on the front wall of the lobby are already shattered from the gunfight. Without so much as a second thought we crash through one of the windows to the street. Outside the sidewalk, covered with people, is in a state of panic. We manage to weave our way through the people, who, like us, are just trying to get away from the bank.

We spot a cab sitting out front of the bank. The cabby is sleeping. I don't understand how some people can sleep when a gunfight is going on only ten meters away, but this man proves that it is possible. 

Zechs jerks open the driver's door and pulls the unexpecting driver out. Noin and I get in the back, Wu Fei takes the front passengers seat. We tare out of the parking space as the soldiers make it to the sidewalk.

They shoot after us a little longer, shattering the back window of the taxi. Soon though we are out of range. The soldiers have no choice but to give up and retreat.

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"Sir, I'm sorry but we lost them." A highly ranked soldier informs Javier.

"What?" Javier sits up abruptly from his bed in the base's hospital. He quickly sits back grasping his side. "What happened?" He manages.

"They made it through to the surface. They escaped in a taxi. Should we presue them?"

"No, this is fine. They will be back, and they will see just how defenseless they truly are. Continue as planned, but move the schedule up a day. We start operation volcano at o-six hundred  hours Monday morning.

"But sir, operation volcano isn't to begin for another three days."

"In form the other bases of the change."

"Sir, are you sure you want to do this?"

"You are stepping out of line General Juniper."

The soldier salutes, "Yes sir, sorry for my insubordination."

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We maneuver slowly through the congested streets. Noin's eyes are growing heavy. She tries to suppress a yawn, but fails.

"You look exhausted." I tell her.

"I didn't sleep at all last night." She confesses.

"Here lie down." She lies her head down on my lap and starts to bring her legs up. She cries out in pain.

"Noin, what's wrong?"

Zechs turns his head, "Is she alright?"

She clutches her right calf. Blood is drenching her olive green preventer pants.

"Your hurt." I say, moving my hand to the wound.

"It's nothing, just a little scratch."

"Nonsense." I rip off the long sleeve of the uniform. I do my best to stop the bleeding as I tie the sleeve around her lower leg.

Wu Fei gets a glimpse at the hole in her leg, "That looks bad. We should get her to a hospital."

"No, that's to dangerous. Don't worry, I'll be fine, it's nothing serious."

"How did you continue on this?"  I ask.

"It must have happened when we were almost to the cab. I felt something hit my leg, I thought a bullet just grazed me.

Zechs slows the cab to a stop in the traffic. He turns back and takes a good look at the wound, "She won't be able to put any pressure on that."

"It looks like I'm going to have to carry you." I tell her.

She lies back down on my lap. She is too tired to protest or tell me that she doesn't need to be carried. Some how she manages to fall asleep though the pain.

About ten minutes later Zechs stops in front of a small run down motel. I don't want to wake Noin. I carefully lift her from the cab and carry her like a small child through the entrance of the motel.

There are only three open rooms, which Zechs rented ahead of time, in the whole God forsaken dump. What other choice do we have but to take them though? The longer we search for a more decent place the greater our chance of being discovered becomes.

I lay Noin down in the little bed in the center room. How both of us are going to fit in the bed is beyond me. I would rather be crammed in a bed then sleep on the cockroach-infested floor though.

Zechs is disposing the cab right now. We are going to discuss the situation when he returns. I don't suspect he will be back for another half-hour at least.

I rip the other sleeve off the shirt and wrap it over the existing makeshift bandage. Blood is already starting to seep through the fresh fabric. I need to get some proper bandages, I only have so many sleeves.

With the sleeves off there isn't much to distinguish the shirt as a military uniform. I take the gold eagle pin off the pocket and check the cracked and tarnished mirror for any more items that may give me away. Finding none I leave the room and head down for the street.

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I return some time after Zechs does. I can hear Wu Fei and his conversation through the thin walls.

Noin is still fast asleep. I open the brown grocery bag and take out some real linen dressings. I also take out some rubbing alcohol to clean the wound.

She wakes up while I'm swabbing the alcohol on and around the wound. It must sting like crazy, if it does she isn't letting me know. I don't know that she is awake until she starts to talk.

"How long have I been asleep?" She asks groggily.

"Only about forty five minutes. I bought you some medicine to help kill the pain." I rummage through the bag until I find the bottle of over the counter painkillers. I also take out a bottle of water.

"You thought of everything didn't you?" 

"Not everything, I still don't know what we are going to do with that Javier guy."

I finish wrapping the bandages. I stand and walk over to the side of the bed. I sit next to her and rub her back comfortingly. I close my eyes, enjoying the moment. Sensing someone I open them just in time to see Zechs and Wu Fei come in through the unlocked door.

"Now that it's safe, I will tell you what I know." Zechs says. He lets Wu Fei take the single chair in the room. Zechs leans up against the wall and starts his story.