Gundams and Roses-Chapter 7
The dark figure stared moodily into the crystal orb in front of him. Damnit all, his
plans were unraveling and after so much planning! It seemed to be time to take another
step. Now how to go about it? Ah, yes, that would do it…perfect. A low, evil chuckle
rose from the hooded figure. A sudden gust of wind swirled the darkness about him, and
when it cleared, he was gone.
"Ammunition?"
"Check."
"Change of clothes for self and rest of gang?"
"Check."
"Bottle of aspirin that will be needed after convincing gang that they need to
change at least once a week?"
"Check."
"Large arsenal of mostly illegal weaponry?"
"Check."
"Six, bad ass five ton pieces of mecha?"
" Check, check, check, check, check, and check."
" One severely anal chinaman, one stoic and silent Japanese boy wonder, one
unibanged pilot of unknown descent, complete with one blond Arabian pilot connected at
the hip, lips, or whatever happens to be available?"
" Check."
Des looked up with a smile.
"Well, that's about it then, right?"
Duo looked up from the clipboard in front of him.
"Sounds right. Let's get the others and get outta here. I want to be back on
Saturday."
"Oh? Got a hot date?"
Duo threw back his head and laughed.
"Yeah, well I'm sorry to disappoint all my adoring fans, but I've got television
shows to catch!"
Destiny gave him a level glance.
"Duo, isn't it illegal for anyone under 18 to be getting those stations?"
Duo threw his hand to his heart and turned his head away in mock affront.
"Really Des, how can you think so little of me? I'm hurt."
Destiny rolled her eyes, before standing up. Duo stood a moment later, a small
pout still apparent. They walked together to the house, where they found the rest of the
boys in the kitchen. Wufei was lounging in a chair at the table along with Heero, who
was doing some last minute checks on his guns. Trowa was finishing up some last
minute dishes, while Quatre threw together some extra food in case they were kept away
longer than expected. Heero noted them when they walked in with a small nod, before
going back to his guns. Duo winked at Destiny, and evil glint in his eyes before he left to
bother the Japanese boy. Des smiled slightly to herself. It really was a wonder that those
two hadn't killed each other, but they really would make a cute couple once they actually
got over their insecurities.
"Well," she said, to no one in particular, " my stuff is all ready."
"Ready for what?" a voice from behind her asked. A very bubbly voice, Destiny
noticed. Mina, probably. Turning around, she confirmed her suspicions.
"Hullo, Mina." She replied. The other blonde smiled at her, before repeating her
question.
"Ready for what?" Looking over her shoulder, she noticed Quatre who was now
packing the food into individual containers.
"Oo! Are you going on a picnic?" she asked, her eyes alight at the idea. Destiny
blinked at her a few times. She was positive that the other girl could see Heero over her
shoulder, with his impressive assortment of guns. Then again, she thought, was it really
that unusual for Heero to carry at least a gun anywhere? It had taken Duo two days to
convince him that he didn't have to take one to the amusement park( and her a week to
convince him that he needed to go. And Wufei…ooo boy.) .
"Um…no."
The other girls smile faded and a puzzled expression crossed her face.
"Well then…where are you all going?"
From the table, Wufei had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. Really, this girl and
her friends had been living with them for nearly two months now, and she couldn't figure
this one out? Stupid onna…not at all like Des. Of course, he thought with no small
amount of smug satisfaction, he'd had a lot to do with her training.
" I would think it would be obvious." He snapped. Mina's gazed moved over to
him, a small frown starting to form on her brow.
"Oh?"
"Des?" a small voice interrupted them all. Destiny turned to find Rini looking up
at her. ' Oh for goodness sake, why don't we just call the others down here and get it
over with. I mean, c'mon, what is this? A court tribunal?'
As if in reply to her thoughts, the rest of the girls and Darien came down the
stairs. Destiny just stared at them for a moment, incredulously, before shaking her head
and crossing over to where Quatre had placed the food packs. ' What? Do they travel in
packs or something? I don't think I've ever seen them alone.'
"Des?" Rini repeated. Destiny turned to face the small girl.
"What's up, Rini?"
"Why are your clothes all packed up?"
Destiny regarded the girl quietly before transferring her gaze to the rest of the (in
her mind) unwelcome group. They were all now looking directly at her, curious
expressions on her face. Why were they making such a big deal out of this?
" We're on an extended mission for the next few days. And no, I can't tell you
where, why, how, or with whom, though since you all have brains that function relatively
well, I'm sure you can figure out the rest….where are you going?" she asked, for as she
had finished up, Rei and Darien had turned and started back for the stairs. They stopped
and looked back at her.
"We're going with you, obviously." Rei replied. Des stared at her, the beginnings
of a headache forming at her temples.
"Um….no. You're not."
The raven haired girls eyes narrowed dramatically.
"Yes, we are."
" No, you aren't." Heero interrupted. Rei's glared at him, and he glared right
back.
"You're not coming with us. You'll only compromise the mission and put us in
more danger than we already are. You'll only be extra baggage to us."
If looks could kill, the glares he was receiving would have done the job that
multiple self-destructs never did. Unfazed, he returned to checking his gun cartridges,
before deciding that they were satisfactory and placing them in an inconspicuous black
duffle bag.
It was finally decided (after much arguing) that the girls and Darien would stay
behind, even if the reason was a paltry one (there wasn't enough room in the Gundams
for supplies and an extra person). Running her system check, Destiny sighed in
contentment as her Gundam hummed to life beneath her.
Take off and arrival went according to plan, and after a quick email back to the
safehouse to confirm their safe arrival, they turned in for the night.
The next morning, Destiny was woken up by a rough shake on the shoulder. She
blearily opened her eyes to see Heero. She moaned and rolled over to glance at her alarm
clock.
"4:30? Heero, are you trying to kill me?"
" C'mon Des. Get up. We stand a better chance if we attack between 5:00 AM
and 5:30, when the compound is switching security shifts." He moved on to Duo's bunk,
and proceeded to attempt to shake the boy out of a solid sleep. Des watched with sleepy
interest as the boys violet eyes slowly opened and a small smile played across his face.
"Morning, Hee-chan" he murmured, before rolling over, and dozing back off.
Destiny grabbed her pillow and smothered a hysterical laugh at the expression on Heero's
face. If Shock had a face, this would be it, she decided. Taking the pillow she was
holding, she took aim and heaved it at the braided boy's head.
"Rise and shine, ya lazy bum!" she yelled at him. Duo shot up so quickly, he
slammed his head into the bunk above him, before falling off his own bunk in a tangle of
blankets. She hopped off her bed, wide awake now, and plucked up a corner of the
blankets to reveal a thoroughly pissed off looking Duo.
"Morning sweetie." She said in a syrupy voice, " We're outta here in 15 minutes."
Duo glared up at her, and ineffectually reached out to grab her ankle as she jumped
backwards. With a final wink, she sashayed back to her bunk and began to change.
Fifteen minutes later, Des was out at her Gundam, clad in some of her most
comfortable clothes. A pair of dark blue dancers spandex pants, a white shirt with the
sleeves rolled up, and her hair pulled back in its customary braid. Grabbing a cable, she
shimmied up to the cockpit, before hopping in. Strapping herself in, she began her
systems check. Only a quick run through, due to the press for time. With a flip of her
hand, the previously silent cockpit was full of voices.
"Hey guys, I'm online."
"Hey Des! I'm gonna kill you!"
"Aww, what's the matter Duo? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?"
"You two, stop it. We shouldn't be fighting right now."
A grudging silence followed that last statement.
" This is 01 to all other pilots. System checks complete?"
Destiny sighed. Sounded like Heero was back in solider mode.
"Pilot 02, check."
"Pilot 03, check"
"Pilot 04, check"
"Pilot 05,check"
"Pilot 00Lunar, check."
"Hey, why does she get the cool code name?"
"Duo?"
"Yes?"
"Omae O Korosu."
"Love you too, man."
" Duo, Des, and Quatre, you take the left wing and block off any reinforcements.
Trowa and Wufei, you come with me. We'll be circling around to the back and surprising
the enemy while the others keep them busy." Heero's rather nasal, Des noted, voice
instructed over the speakers.
"Got ya, 01. Let's go boys!" she shouted over the wail of the alarms. They had
caught the compound in the middle of security switches, as Heero had planned, but
someone had managed to set off the alarm. The area was now swarming with mobile
suits, but the Gundam pilots still held the advantage, since they were organized and their
enemies were confused and disoriented. Swinging her Gundam around, Des fell in
behind Duo, prepping her Gundam for battle.
In the murky depths of the void, the dark figure chuckled and slowly waved a
skeletal hand over the orb in front of him. The orb glowed a light green, illuminating the
figure's empty hood.
"Now."
Des glanced at her control panel as an alarm went off. 'What's going on?'
"Des? What's going on over there? Your systems are shutting down?"
"I don't know Quatre."
"Don't panic, I'll be right there."
"No, keep going. I'll straighten it out. You gotta keep the diversion going."
There was a pause on the other end, before Quatre's voice, now polluted with
static came back.
"Alright. But be ca-" his voice cut out before he could finish the sentence.
Destiny took a deep breath, fighting down her panic. Panel by panel, she checked her
stats. The mecha bucked suddenly, throwing her hard against her harness, her forehead
jamming roughly against the panel in front of her. When she looked back up, the display
panels were dead. A sudden jump in her stomach made her realize that her Gundam was
falling. She reached for the manual eject, and pulled the lever. A whining noise filled
the cabin, but nothing else happened.
'Oh shit.' Was the last thing that flashed through her mind as she blacked out
from the sudden change of pressure in the cabin.
The dark figure stared moodily into the crystal orb in front of him. Damnit all, his
plans were unraveling and after so much planning! It seemed to be time to take another
step. Now how to go about it? Ah, yes, that would do it…perfect. A low, evil chuckle
rose from the hooded figure. A sudden gust of wind swirled the darkness about him, and
when it cleared, he was gone.
"Ammunition?"
"Check."
"Change of clothes for self and rest of gang?"
"Check."
"Bottle of aspirin that will be needed after convincing gang that they need to
change at least once a week?"
"Check."
"Large arsenal of mostly illegal weaponry?"
"Check."
"Six, bad ass five ton pieces of mecha?"
" Check, check, check, check, check, and check."
" One severely anal chinaman, one stoic and silent Japanese boy wonder, one
unibanged pilot of unknown descent, complete with one blond Arabian pilot connected at
the hip, lips, or whatever happens to be available?"
" Check."
Des looked up with a smile.
"Well, that's about it then, right?"
Duo looked up from the clipboard in front of him.
"Sounds right. Let's get the others and get outta here. I want to be back on
Saturday."
"Oh? Got a hot date?"
Duo threw back his head and laughed.
"Yeah, well I'm sorry to disappoint all my adoring fans, but I've got television
shows to catch!"
Destiny gave him a level glance.
"Duo, isn't it illegal for anyone under 18 to be getting those stations?"
Duo threw his hand to his heart and turned his head away in mock affront.
"Really Des, how can you think so little of me? I'm hurt."
Destiny rolled her eyes, before standing up. Duo stood a moment later, a small
pout still apparent. They walked together to the house, where they found the rest of the
boys in the kitchen. Wufei was lounging in a chair at the table along with Heero, who
was doing some last minute checks on his guns. Trowa was finishing up some last
minute dishes, while Quatre threw together some extra food in case they were kept away
longer than expected. Heero noted them when they walked in with a small nod, before
going back to his guns. Duo winked at Destiny, and evil glint in his eyes before he left to
bother the Japanese boy. Des smiled slightly to herself. It really was a wonder that those
two hadn't killed each other, but they really would make a cute couple once they actually
got over their insecurities.
"Well," she said, to no one in particular, " my stuff is all ready."
"Ready for what?" a voice from behind her asked. A very bubbly voice, Destiny
noticed. Mina, probably. Turning around, she confirmed her suspicions.
"Hullo, Mina." She replied. The other blonde smiled at her, before repeating her
question.
"Ready for what?" Looking over her shoulder, she noticed Quatre who was now
packing the food into individual containers.
"Oo! Are you going on a picnic?" she asked, her eyes alight at the idea. Destiny
blinked at her a few times. She was positive that the other girl could see Heero over her
shoulder, with his impressive assortment of guns. Then again, she thought, was it really
that unusual for Heero to carry at least a gun anywhere? It had taken Duo two days to
convince him that he didn't have to take one to the amusement park( and her a week to
convince him that he needed to go. And Wufei…ooo boy.) .
"Um…no."
The other girls smile faded and a puzzled expression crossed her face.
"Well then…where are you all going?"
From the table, Wufei had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. Really, this girl and
her friends had been living with them for nearly two months now, and she couldn't figure
this one out? Stupid onna…not at all like Des. Of course, he thought with no small
amount of smug satisfaction, he'd had a lot to do with her training.
" I would think it would be obvious." He snapped. Mina's gazed moved over to
him, a small frown starting to form on her brow.
"Oh?"
"Des?" a small voice interrupted them all. Destiny turned to find Rini looking up
at her. ' Oh for goodness sake, why don't we just call the others down here and get it
over with. I mean, c'mon, what is this? A court tribunal?'
As if in reply to her thoughts, the rest of the girls and Darien came down the
stairs. Destiny just stared at them for a moment, incredulously, before shaking her head
and crossing over to where Quatre had placed the food packs. ' What? Do they travel in
packs or something? I don't think I've ever seen them alone.'
"Des?" Rini repeated. Destiny turned to face the small girl.
"What's up, Rini?"
"Why are your clothes all packed up?"
Destiny regarded the girl quietly before transferring her gaze to the rest of the (in
her mind) unwelcome group. They were all now looking directly at her, curious
expressions on her face. Why were they making such a big deal out of this?
" We're on an extended mission for the next few days. And no, I can't tell you
where, why, how, or with whom, though since you all have brains that function relatively
well, I'm sure you can figure out the rest….where are you going?" she asked, for as she
had finished up, Rei and Darien had turned and started back for the stairs. They stopped
and looked back at her.
"We're going with you, obviously." Rei replied. Des stared at her, the beginnings
of a headache forming at her temples.
"Um….no. You're not."
The raven haired girls eyes narrowed dramatically.
"Yes, we are."
" No, you aren't." Heero interrupted. Rei's glared at him, and he glared right
back.
"You're not coming with us. You'll only compromise the mission and put us in
more danger than we already are. You'll only be extra baggage to us."
If looks could kill, the glares he was receiving would have done the job that
multiple self-destructs never did. Unfazed, he returned to checking his gun cartridges,
before deciding that they were satisfactory and placing them in an inconspicuous black
duffle bag.
It was finally decided (after much arguing) that the girls and Darien would stay
behind, even if the reason was a paltry one (there wasn't enough room in the Gundams
for supplies and an extra person). Running her system check, Destiny sighed in
contentment as her Gundam hummed to life beneath her.
Take off and arrival went according to plan, and after a quick email back to the
safehouse to confirm their safe arrival, they turned in for the night.
The next morning, Destiny was woken up by a rough shake on the shoulder. She
blearily opened her eyes to see Heero. She moaned and rolled over to glance at her alarm
clock.
"4:30? Heero, are you trying to kill me?"
" C'mon Des. Get up. We stand a better chance if we attack between 5:00 AM
and 5:30, when the compound is switching security shifts." He moved on to Duo's bunk,
and proceeded to attempt to shake the boy out of a solid sleep. Des watched with sleepy
interest as the boys violet eyes slowly opened and a small smile played across his face.
"Morning, Hee-chan" he murmured, before rolling over, and dozing back off.
Destiny grabbed her pillow and smothered a hysterical laugh at the expression on Heero's
face. If Shock had a face, this would be it, she decided. Taking the pillow she was
holding, she took aim and heaved it at the braided boy's head.
"Rise and shine, ya lazy bum!" she yelled at him. Duo shot up so quickly, he
slammed his head into the bunk above him, before falling off his own bunk in a tangle of
blankets. She hopped off her bed, wide awake now, and plucked up a corner of the
blankets to reveal a thoroughly pissed off looking Duo.
"Morning sweetie." She said in a syrupy voice, " We're outta here in 15 minutes."
Duo glared up at her, and ineffectually reached out to grab her ankle as she jumped
backwards. With a final wink, she sashayed back to her bunk and began to change.
Fifteen minutes later, Des was out at her Gundam, clad in some of her most
comfortable clothes. A pair of dark blue dancers spandex pants, a white shirt with the
sleeves rolled up, and her hair pulled back in its customary braid. Grabbing a cable, she
shimmied up to the cockpit, before hopping in. Strapping herself in, she began her
systems check. Only a quick run through, due to the press for time. With a flip of her
hand, the previously silent cockpit was full of voices.
"Hey guys, I'm online."
"Hey Des! I'm gonna kill you!"
"Aww, what's the matter Duo? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?"
"You two, stop it. We shouldn't be fighting right now."
A grudging silence followed that last statement.
" This is 01 to all other pilots. System checks complete?"
Destiny sighed. Sounded like Heero was back in solider mode.
"Pilot 02, check."
"Pilot 03, check"
"Pilot 04, check"
"Pilot 05,check"
"Pilot 00Lunar, check."
"Hey, why does she get the cool code name?"
"Duo?"
"Yes?"
"Omae O Korosu."
"Love you too, man."
" Duo, Des, and Quatre, you take the left wing and block off any reinforcements.
Trowa and Wufei, you come with me. We'll be circling around to the back and surprising
the enemy while the others keep them busy." Heero's rather nasal, Des noted, voice
instructed over the speakers.
"Got ya, 01. Let's go boys!" she shouted over the wail of the alarms. They had
caught the compound in the middle of security switches, as Heero had planned, but
someone had managed to set off the alarm. The area was now swarming with mobile
suits, but the Gundam pilots still held the advantage, since they were organized and their
enemies were confused and disoriented. Swinging her Gundam around, Des fell in
behind Duo, prepping her Gundam for battle.
In the murky depths of the void, the dark figure chuckled and slowly waved a
skeletal hand over the orb in front of him. The orb glowed a light green, illuminating the
figure's empty hood.
"Now."
Des glanced at her control panel as an alarm went off. 'What's going on?'
"Des? What's going on over there? Your systems are shutting down?"
"I don't know Quatre."
"Don't panic, I'll be right there."
"No, keep going. I'll straighten it out. You gotta keep the diversion going."
There was a pause on the other end, before Quatre's voice, now polluted with
static came back.
"Alright. But be ca-" his voice cut out before he could finish the sentence.
Destiny took a deep breath, fighting down her panic. Panel by panel, she checked her
stats. The mecha bucked suddenly, throwing her hard against her harness, her forehead
jamming roughly against the panel in front of her. When she looked back up, the display
panels were dead. A sudden jump in her stomach made her realize that her Gundam was
falling. She reached for the manual eject, and pulled the lever. A whining noise filled
the cabin, but nothing else happened.
'Oh shit.' Was the last thing that flashed through her mind as she blacked out
from the sudden change of pressure in the cabin.