Chapter 2
Solo was already up and about, despite having numerous injuries. Zechs
watched him
pace the room, muttering. He had been unconscious for the best part of two
days,
but now he was back, and apparently none the worse for his wounds. As soon
as he
had heard the message, which was still fragmented, he started musing over
what it
could mean. He was also sore over having lost so many men in the fight
against Gundam 04, though it had been inevitable. He was lucky to have got
away with his own life. And, on top of it all, 01 had also gotten away.
Things weren't going too well.
Duo was thumping the wall of the cell in frustration. His hands were bruised badly, and his shoulder ached continually from the bullet wound, be he was so frustrated that he didn't notice.
'Heero got away, and he left me! Arrrrrrrrrrrrg' He yelled in pain when he hit the wall too hard. The fire that shot up his arm was enough to convince him that hitting the wall wasn't such a good idea, and certainly wasn't getting him anywhere. He slumped to the floor, nursing his sore hands, looking utterly miserable and defeated.
Wufei was, as per usual, sat against the opposite wall, seemingly meditating. Infact, he was just watching Duo, keeping himself amused. He perfectly understood how Duo felt. It was not that Heero had left them, that was understandable, it was more that he had managed to get away, while they were stuck here. Well, maybe they would be next, they were about due for a lucky break.
'Hey, Wu-man?'
No reply.
'Where d'ya think Heero's off to? I mean, now he's out, and he's got a Gundam, what d'ya think he's gonna do? My bets on Quatre. He's off to find him. It's sooooooooo unfair that he's out! I asked them to let me fight, but would they? Nooooooo. Well, they'll have to let me next time, coz 01's not here anymore. And boy, there's gonna be HELL to pay!' Duo slumped against his wall, unconsciously nursing his arm, and grinning slightly as he imagined the glorious revenge he was gonna wreak on Oz. Boy, he was gonna smash them. The God of Death did not take kindly to being locked in a cell while others got to escape. He glanced over at Wufei, who nodded at him. The time was almost there, they were gonna blow this joint!
The base was in chaos. Another message had just got through, this one perfectly comprehendible, and Trowa, Zechs and Solo were all suiting up and getting ready to move out with a small deployment of mobile dolls, and a small carrier vessel. Everyone was shouting warnings, people were running here and there getting ready for the pilots to take off, and no one really knew what was happening. The message hadn't really cleared up anything the first message had said, just confused the situation further.
Trowa was sat in the Veyeate, which was newly fixed and in working condition, rereading the new message on his control screen. He scrolled through, checking the contents for clues, for signs that it might be a trap, for anything helpful, but found nothing. It was just a short message, plain and simple.
'I am sending this to inform you that the promised pilot is being sent to you in stasis, in a small vessel, which will pass through your sector today at about noon. I suggest to take this as a sign as good will, before it's too late. All I ask is that you do not compromise the pilot's well being, if you value you're lives. Transmission over.'
A simple written message. He looked to the status panel. Almost noon. Sending a signal to Solo and Zechs, Trowa proceeded to move out, towards whatever awaited them on the mysterious vessel. The other suits followed, and the party made their was swiftly through space towards the slowly drifting point indicated on their radars.
Solo slipped quietly through the door, gun in hand. He surveyed the room and motioned the others that it was safe. Trowa and Zechs entered, and they all surveyed the large capsule that dominated the centre of the room.
Solo was the first to approach. He moved cautiously forward and peered though the misty glass covering the capsules top. The inside appeared to be filled with smoke, making it even harder to see, but atleast he seemed satisfied, and stepped back.
'She seems to have been telling the truth'. He motioned to the capsule. 'There's someone in there, and there's no reason why he shouldn't be this other pilot' He moved to the control panel at the side of the room. 'Trowa, you help Zechs. I'll open the capsule and you get the pilot out. Make sure he's unarmed' He waited for them to move into position, them typed in the command to open the capsule.
There was a hiss as the gas escaped, and a thin cloud briefly surrounded them before dissipating. Trowa moved forward to check the pulse of the limp form before him. It took him a second to find it, and though it was faint it was steady. He signalled that it was ok and then moved down to check for weapons. He was totally unprepared when the masked pilot jumped up, snatching his gun and bringing it down hard on his head. Trowa collapsed onto the floor in a senseless heap.
The figure ducked down inside the capsule where he was shielded from fire and proceeded to fire over the top at Zechs and Solo, who had taken shelter behind the door and the console. All three were pinned down and unable to move from their positions.
The firing continued for several minutes, until the mystery pilot ran out of bullets. There was a brief pause as he pulled out his own revolver, giving Zechs long enough to disappear for backup and Solo to move to a more secure position. The pilot peered out over the capsule, locating Solo's new position, and gauging his chances of making it to the door. Deciding that it was worth the risk he stood and prepared to make his escape.
He didn't get the chance. Trowa, having regained consciousness, also rose and in one sweep knocked the pilot's legs from under him. The pilot fell, head slamming hard on the capsule, and fell limp.
Duo peered through the bars in the door, searching for the source of the racket. His eyes widened, and he beckoned to Wufei, who rose and joined him. A figure in a long black cloak and a black mask similar to Zechs' was being half led, half dragged down the corridor. It wasn't the prisoner but the guards that were making all the noise. All six guards were trying to keep the figure moving while trying to stay out of the way of the well- aimed kicks.
Twice the figure broke free, running down the corridor, but was caught. Whoever it was was struggling madly, making it nearly impossible for the guards to hold onto him. One had been hit in the face, and his nose was streaming with blood, and another had evidently taken a blow to his arm and side.
Duo turned to Wufei.
'Who do you think it could be?' he asked. He peered out of the door again. 'Could it be Quatre?' Wufei shrugged. Just because Heero had gotten away, they may still have caught Quatre. He was tempted to say it was, but there was something wrong with the figure. The clothes were wrong, and the struggles of the mystery figure were also out of character. So was the silence. Whoever it was hadn't made a single sound.
They watched as the prisoner made another bid at escape. Twisting madly the figure suddenly dropped down into a sweeping low kick, knocking all but two of the guards off their feet. Seizing the chance the prisoner leapt up and sprinted down the corridor. One of the guards had had enough. He pulled out his gun and fired, catching the fleeing figure in the knee before it could round the corner. He stumbled and fell, before being obscured from view as the guards moved in and dragged him off, out of sight.
Wufei and Duo watched in silence, then moved back into their cell. Wufei moved across to his favourite spot by the wall, leaning against it and closing his eyes, while Duo slumped down dejectedly on one of the steps.
'Great, so now they have Quatre as well. You can bet we won't be doing any more missions for Oz now that Heero's escaped so their goes my escape, and now Quatre's locked up as well'. He sighed miserably.
'You're assuming a lot in saying that the prisoner we just saw is Quatre. He could be anyone. I don't think he's Quatre. There's something funny about him.
'Yeah, I know he was acting weird, but there must be something wrong if he was attacking the colonies in the first place. Besides, who else could it be?' Duo shot back.
'I don't know' Wufei receded back into silence. Duo, sensing that it would be useless to pursue the point, followed his example, but could not help thinking about the strange figure. It had to be Quatre. He lay down on his back, turning onto one side, then hastily rolling onto the other side as pain shot through it, a reminder of Zechs strange visit.
The masked figure was sat against the wall of the cell. The cuffed hands went up to the mask shielding the prisoner's identity, and slowly removed it. Long, wild brown hair tumbled out from it, framing her oval face and accentuating her icy blue eyes. Then she began to tear strips from the bottom of her cloak, and bind them over the wound in her leg.
That done she fixed her eyes on the door, waiting in silence for it to open and present a chance for escape. No cage could hold her. She had a mission, and no one would stop her from completing it. It was just a matter of time.
Zechs paced the control room. Solo stood silently, watching Trowa work towards locating the source of the two transmissions. So, it had been a trick after all. The purpose of the pilot was to lure them together and destroy them. Well, it had backfired. They had the pilot, and soon they would have some answers.
'It's going to take awhile. When I say that they're heavily encrypted I mean that as an understatement. Whoever did this is smart.' He continued to tap away, entering codes and passwords, trying to bypass the firewalls that had been set up.
Solo turned away.
'I'm going to interview the new pilot. Keep working on it, and inform me of any progress you make' he ordered. Zechs watched him until he was out of the door.
'How long do you think it will take?' he asked Trowa, who shrugged.
'A couple of hours at the least, maybe a day' he shrugged again. 'Even then I may not be able to find anything conclusive. It would be easier for us if this pilot was on our team'. He turned to the side monitor and typed out a new command, and watched as data on the gundam that had been found inside the carrier containing the pilot was updated into Oz' system.
'Not long now' he thought to himself. 'If this pilot is against Oz then now is the time to strike' He turned back to the main monitor, aware of Zechs' watchful gaze, and continued to work at locating the source of the transmissions.
Zechs turned and was about to leave when a beep from one of the screens indicated an incoming video link transmission. He nodded to Trowa, who brought it up on the main screen. It was a woman, probably in her early thirties, with short black hair and green eyes. She started to speak.
'As you may have guessed, I am Dr Lyre. Apparently things have not turned out the way I planned.' She paused, then continued, her voice clear and sharp. 'This was not a trap, it is merely that 06 reacted differently to what I had expected. Do not do anything to rash, you'll regret it' She ended, bluntly. Her eyes moved from Trowa to Zechs, who stepped forward.
'If you aren't Oz' enemy, then why did your pilot shoot at us. There was no provocation' he held her gaze. 'My brother has gone to question him now.'
'Then your brother is in for a surprise' she replied. 'I suggest you send this young man' here she motioned to Trowa 'to stop him.' She smiled coldly. Trowa looked to Zechs, who nodded. He got up and left, moving swiftly towards the cell area.
'Now tell me what you mean, and why I should trust you' he demanded.
'Because, 06 is not a boy. SHE is a girl, as well trained as the other pilots, and possibly more intelligent. I suggest you bring her here and let me talk to her before she escapes.' She laughed softly, almost sadly. 'I support Oz, but that has not always been. I found out about the Scientists plans for the Gundam Pilots long ago, and joined them. We each trained a pilot and provided them with a gundam. But then my views of Oz changed, and so did my intentions. 06 is a gundam pilot, but she does not fight for the colonies. She has a personal vendetta against the other pilots, which is why I sent her to you. However, I did not tell her of this, so when you found her she was naturally defensive. I suppose it just proves how well she has been trained. Let me talk to her, so I can sort out this mess'. She stopped, and looked straight at Zechs. He stood and thought.
'I will go and confer with my brother. Contact us again in half an hour, then maybe we'll let you talk with 06, under supervision' Lyre nodded, and the screen went blank. 'Do I trust her?' he wondered. He looked around the room. 'Battles are beginning to loose their meanings. Who am I fighting for? I don't know anymore. I'll leave, Solo will take command. This is not where I'm supposed to be' he looked once more to the blank screen, then left, and headed towards the launch bay.
06 heard the approaching footfalls, and moved to her position next to the door where she would not be seen. Next to the opposite wall lay her cloak and mask, arranged as if she was sleeping within them. Now she would wait.
Suddenly there was the sound of running.
'General Solo, the scientist is on the video link. General Zechs sent me to find you. Apparently there's something about 06 that we don't know'.
Go back and find out what. There's a lot we don't know, that's what I'm here to find out. But I'll be careful. Thank you Trowa.' There was a brief silence, then the sound of someone leaving. Then the man she assumed must be the general continued to approach her cell. She stood tense and ready.
The footsteps stopped out side the cell. Someone, probably one of the guards, peered through the barred window in the cell door.
'Seems he's asleep General' came a voice.
'Ok. Let me in' ordered the general. A key clicked in the lock, and the door slowly began to open.
Duo was thumping the wall of the cell in frustration. His hands were bruised badly, and his shoulder ached continually from the bullet wound, be he was so frustrated that he didn't notice.
'Heero got away, and he left me! Arrrrrrrrrrrrg' He yelled in pain when he hit the wall too hard. The fire that shot up his arm was enough to convince him that hitting the wall wasn't such a good idea, and certainly wasn't getting him anywhere. He slumped to the floor, nursing his sore hands, looking utterly miserable and defeated.
Wufei was, as per usual, sat against the opposite wall, seemingly meditating. Infact, he was just watching Duo, keeping himself amused. He perfectly understood how Duo felt. It was not that Heero had left them, that was understandable, it was more that he had managed to get away, while they were stuck here. Well, maybe they would be next, they were about due for a lucky break.
'Hey, Wu-man?'
No reply.
'Where d'ya think Heero's off to? I mean, now he's out, and he's got a Gundam, what d'ya think he's gonna do? My bets on Quatre. He's off to find him. It's sooooooooo unfair that he's out! I asked them to let me fight, but would they? Nooooooo. Well, they'll have to let me next time, coz 01's not here anymore. And boy, there's gonna be HELL to pay!' Duo slumped against his wall, unconsciously nursing his arm, and grinning slightly as he imagined the glorious revenge he was gonna wreak on Oz. Boy, he was gonna smash them. The God of Death did not take kindly to being locked in a cell while others got to escape. He glanced over at Wufei, who nodded at him. The time was almost there, they were gonna blow this joint!
The base was in chaos. Another message had just got through, this one perfectly comprehendible, and Trowa, Zechs and Solo were all suiting up and getting ready to move out with a small deployment of mobile dolls, and a small carrier vessel. Everyone was shouting warnings, people were running here and there getting ready for the pilots to take off, and no one really knew what was happening. The message hadn't really cleared up anything the first message had said, just confused the situation further.
Trowa was sat in the Veyeate, which was newly fixed and in working condition, rereading the new message on his control screen. He scrolled through, checking the contents for clues, for signs that it might be a trap, for anything helpful, but found nothing. It was just a short message, plain and simple.
'I am sending this to inform you that the promised pilot is being sent to you in stasis, in a small vessel, which will pass through your sector today at about noon. I suggest to take this as a sign as good will, before it's too late. All I ask is that you do not compromise the pilot's well being, if you value you're lives. Transmission over.'
A simple written message. He looked to the status panel. Almost noon. Sending a signal to Solo and Zechs, Trowa proceeded to move out, towards whatever awaited them on the mysterious vessel. The other suits followed, and the party made their was swiftly through space towards the slowly drifting point indicated on their radars.
Solo slipped quietly through the door, gun in hand. He surveyed the room and motioned the others that it was safe. Trowa and Zechs entered, and they all surveyed the large capsule that dominated the centre of the room.
Solo was the first to approach. He moved cautiously forward and peered though the misty glass covering the capsules top. The inside appeared to be filled with smoke, making it even harder to see, but atleast he seemed satisfied, and stepped back.
'She seems to have been telling the truth'. He motioned to the capsule. 'There's someone in there, and there's no reason why he shouldn't be this other pilot' He moved to the control panel at the side of the room. 'Trowa, you help Zechs. I'll open the capsule and you get the pilot out. Make sure he's unarmed' He waited for them to move into position, them typed in the command to open the capsule.
There was a hiss as the gas escaped, and a thin cloud briefly surrounded them before dissipating. Trowa moved forward to check the pulse of the limp form before him. It took him a second to find it, and though it was faint it was steady. He signalled that it was ok and then moved down to check for weapons. He was totally unprepared when the masked pilot jumped up, snatching his gun and bringing it down hard on his head. Trowa collapsed onto the floor in a senseless heap.
The figure ducked down inside the capsule where he was shielded from fire and proceeded to fire over the top at Zechs and Solo, who had taken shelter behind the door and the console. All three were pinned down and unable to move from their positions.
The firing continued for several minutes, until the mystery pilot ran out of bullets. There was a brief pause as he pulled out his own revolver, giving Zechs long enough to disappear for backup and Solo to move to a more secure position. The pilot peered out over the capsule, locating Solo's new position, and gauging his chances of making it to the door. Deciding that it was worth the risk he stood and prepared to make his escape.
He didn't get the chance. Trowa, having regained consciousness, also rose and in one sweep knocked the pilot's legs from under him. The pilot fell, head slamming hard on the capsule, and fell limp.
Duo peered through the bars in the door, searching for the source of the racket. His eyes widened, and he beckoned to Wufei, who rose and joined him. A figure in a long black cloak and a black mask similar to Zechs' was being half led, half dragged down the corridor. It wasn't the prisoner but the guards that were making all the noise. All six guards were trying to keep the figure moving while trying to stay out of the way of the well- aimed kicks.
Twice the figure broke free, running down the corridor, but was caught. Whoever it was was struggling madly, making it nearly impossible for the guards to hold onto him. One had been hit in the face, and his nose was streaming with blood, and another had evidently taken a blow to his arm and side.
Duo turned to Wufei.
'Who do you think it could be?' he asked. He peered out of the door again. 'Could it be Quatre?' Wufei shrugged. Just because Heero had gotten away, they may still have caught Quatre. He was tempted to say it was, but there was something wrong with the figure. The clothes were wrong, and the struggles of the mystery figure were also out of character. So was the silence. Whoever it was hadn't made a single sound.
They watched as the prisoner made another bid at escape. Twisting madly the figure suddenly dropped down into a sweeping low kick, knocking all but two of the guards off their feet. Seizing the chance the prisoner leapt up and sprinted down the corridor. One of the guards had had enough. He pulled out his gun and fired, catching the fleeing figure in the knee before it could round the corner. He stumbled and fell, before being obscured from view as the guards moved in and dragged him off, out of sight.
Wufei and Duo watched in silence, then moved back into their cell. Wufei moved across to his favourite spot by the wall, leaning against it and closing his eyes, while Duo slumped down dejectedly on one of the steps.
'Great, so now they have Quatre as well. You can bet we won't be doing any more missions for Oz now that Heero's escaped so their goes my escape, and now Quatre's locked up as well'. He sighed miserably.
'You're assuming a lot in saying that the prisoner we just saw is Quatre. He could be anyone. I don't think he's Quatre. There's something funny about him.
'Yeah, I know he was acting weird, but there must be something wrong if he was attacking the colonies in the first place. Besides, who else could it be?' Duo shot back.
'I don't know' Wufei receded back into silence. Duo, sensing that it would be useless to pursue the point, followed his example, but could not help thinking about the strange figure. It had to be Quatre. He lay down on his back, turning onto one side, then hastily rolling onto the other side as pain shot through it, a reminder of Zechs strange visit.
The masked figure was sat against the wall of the cell. The cuffed hands went up to the mask shielding the prisoner's identity, and slowly removed it. Long, wild brown hair tumbled out from it, framing her oval face and accentuating her icy blue eyes. Then she began to tear strips from the bottom of her cloak, and bind them over the wound in her leg.
That done she fixed her eyes on the door, waiting in silence for it to open and present a chance for escape. No cage could hold her. She had a mission, and no one would stop her from completing it. It was just a matter of time.
Zechs paced the control room. Solo stood silently, watching Trowa work towards locating the source of the two transmissions. So, it had been a trick after all. The purpose of the pilot was to lure them together and destroy them. Well, it had backfired. They had the pilot, and soon they would have some answers.
'It's going to take awhile. When I say that they're heavily encrypted I mean that as an understatement. Whoever did this is smart.' He continued to tap away, entering codes and passwords, trying to bypass the firewalls that had been set up.
Solo turned away.
'I'm going to interview the new pilot. Keep working on it, and inform me of any progress you make' he ordered. Zechs watched him until he was out of the door.
'How long do you think it will take?' he asked Trowa, who shrugged.
'A couple of hours at the least, maybe a day' he shrugged again. 'Even then I may not be able to find anything conclusive. It would be easier for us if this pilot was on our team'. He turned to the side monitor and typed out a new command, and watched as data on the gundam that had been found inside the carrier containing the pilot was updated into Oz' system.
'Not long now' he thought to himself. 'If this pilot is against Oz then now is the time to strike' He turned back to the main monitor, aware of Zechs' watchful gaze, and continued to work at locating the source of the transmissions.
Zechs turned and was about to leave when a beep from one of the screens indicated an incoming video link transmission. He nodded to Trowa, who brought it up on the main screen. It was a woman, probably in her early thirties, with short black hair and green eyes. She started to speak.
'As you may have guessed, I am Dr Lyre. Apparently things have not turned out the way I planned.' She paused, then continued, her voice clear and sharp. 'This was not a trap, it is merely that 06 reacted differently to what I had expected. Do not do anything to rash, you'll regret it' She ended, bluntly. Her eyes moved from Trowa to Zechs, who stepped forward.
'If you aren't Oz' enemy, then why did your pilot shoot at us. There was no provocation' he held her gaze. 'My brother has gone to question him now.'
'Then your brother is in for a surprise' she replied. 'I suggest you send this young man' here she motioned to Trowa 'to stop him.' She smiled coldly. Trowa looked to Zechs, who nodded. He got up and left, moving swiftly towards the cell area.
'Now tell me what you mean, and why I should trust you' he demanded.
'Because, 06 is not a boy. SHE is a girl, as well trained as the other pilots, and possibly more intelligent. I suggest you bring her here and let me talk to her before she escapes.' She laughed softly, almost sadly. 'I support Oz, but that has not always been. I found out about the Scientists plans for the Gundam Pilots long ago, and joined them. We each trained a pilot and provided them with a gundam. But then my views of Oz changed, and so did my intentions. 06 is a gundam pilot, but she does not fight for the colonies. She has a personal vendetta against the other pilots, which is why I sent her to you. However, I did not tell her of this, so when you found her she was naturally defensive. I suppose it just proves how well she has been trained. Let me talk to her, so I can sort out this mess'. She stopped, and looked straight at Zechs. He stood and thought.
'I will go and confer with my brother. Contact us again in half an hour, then maybe we'll let you talk with 06, under supervision' Lyre nodded, and the screen went blank. 'Do I trust her?' he wondered. He looked around the room. 'Battles are beginning to loose their meanings. Who am I fighting for? I don't know anymore. I'll leave, Solo will take command. This is not where I'm supposed to be' he looked once more to the blank screen, then left, and headed towards the launch bay.
06 heard the approaching footfalls, and moved to her position next to the door where she would not be seen. Next to the opposite wall lay her cloak and mask, arranged as if she was sleeping within them. Now she would wait.
Suddenly there was the sound of running.
'General Solo, the scientist is on the video link. General Zechs sent me to find you. Apparently there's something about 06 that we don't know'.
Go back and find out what. There's a lot we don't know, that's what I'm here to find out. But I'll be careful. Thank you Trowa.' There was a brief silence, then the sound of someone leaving. Then the man she assumed must be the general continued to approach her cell. She stood tense and ready.
The footsteps stopped out side the cell. Someone, probably one of the guards, peered through the barred window in the cell door.
'Seems he's asleep General' came a voice.
'Ok. Let me in' ordered the general. A key clicked in the lock, and the door slowly began to open.