Une had agreed to the idea but only as a favor , after all here were six people that she had never even known having been dragged into a war but only after three of their own were taken , not to mention it had been the happiest that she had seen any of the Gundam pilots in a long time , Wufei had finally been disarmed in his approach and demeanor , Heero could smile , Trowa said more then one worded sentences , Quatre was enjoying himself instead of distancing himself from the other pilots and Duo ... well most of the pilots were happier then she had seen in a long time , Duo just never seemed to change.
Most of the pilots had stuck to their own cars , trucks or bikes but a few did double up , Matt drove Relena in the Skyline , Wufei went with Nikita in the Z28 , Savanna and Amy each took their bikes followed by Heero and Trowa in the jeep , Jason showed Quatre the finer points of a Hummer and Duo drove the Accord cause Trel felt safer with 4 wheels under her rather then just two.
It didn't take long for them to cover the ground and find their own room and since this was just a casual party there had been no pressure about wearing dresses which suited the girls just fine and no need for ties or monkey suits to which no one complained about , thankfully it was Quatre's mansion though as there seemed to be a great need for the bathroom which there was more then enough to accommodate the demand.
Although the idea was to keep it casual rather then full dress it ended up as a mixture of both , looking more like a formal dress down , the result was dress shirts with slacks or trousers but occasionally a pair of jeans could be found among the crowd , it almost looked like a meeting from an office building with the exception that there were more colors to it and laughing was definitely not against the rules tonight.
Quatre had more then enough food prepared for it all and even some more modern music in total contrast to the classical music that he preferred and previously hosted in his manor homes.
The girls had the idea to hold off till after the others had gone downstairs to make their entrance but it seemed the males had another idea when they showed up at the doors to accompany them down.
Jason had coaxed Quatre downstairs wanting him to hear a song that was popular , of course he wasn't about to let Quatre know the lyrics in it as they were rather indelicate in their meanings.
Trowa was the first one , wanting away from the cat calls Duo was giving him as he knocked on Savanna's door. he was dressed in a black pair of slacks with a white dress shirt , a dark blue tie and a black unbuttoned dress jacket , he had been afraid he was going to be under dressed.
When Savanna opened the door to answer the knock she was wearing a black shiny pant suit , which complemented his outfit nicely. "Oh , I wasn't expecting an armed escort" she laughed as she took his arm and joined the others in the corridor but continued on down to the music.
They ventured downstairs to find Quatre and Jason greeting the guests. Quatre had on a simple pair of khakis , a blue t-shirt and a white dress shirt that looked to be made of jean material , but Savanna cringed as she saw Jason , he was wearing a pair of blue jeans with a white t-shirt , that looked normal for him but it was what she read off the back that had made her want crawl under a rock, It read 'Hostile , Agile , Mobile' , and at the bottom in brackets was 'and totally fearless'.
Wufei was next , he had chosen a burgundy embroidered silk gea with a his white traditional dress shirt underneath of it , complimented by the burgundy pants to match. He knocked gently on the door and waited a step away as Niki had been known to be a bundle of energy at times but what she came out in was far from what he expected.
Niki took a moment but the door finally burst open , music following her out into the hall way as what looked like a half dressed Niki stepped out. "Time to go already? "
"Oh sorry , I didn't mean to interrupt you getting dressed" he said as he quickly turned away , glaring at the others to even make a noise.
"Oh ... yeah ... I'll be out in a minute" she said despondently as he seemed to mistake her state as only half ready , she ducked back into the room and threw on a white dress shirt in place of the discarded sweater , re-appearing in the shirt and black jeans , having put her hair up in pig tails. "Okay , I'm ready ... sorry about that , I lost track of time doing my hair and make-up"
Wufei turned with a slightly reddened face , having been embarrassed at his own intrusion but being glad his outfit was red to hide the face the color while Duo snickered behind him. "Well getting the shirt on didn't take you to long , less time then watching Wufei turning red"
"Maxwell ... " yelled Wufei but he was intercepted as Niki took his arm.
"Now now , no fighting tonight , can't lose my dance partner to Sally's medical ward" she cooed as she led him downstairs while he glared after Duo.
Heero just shook his head as he knocked at Amy's door , he hadn't really changed much , he still managed to keep his green tank top but had given the spandex shorts a rest and slipped into a pair of blue jeans and covered the tank top with a white short sleeved shirt.
Amy called out that she would be there in a moment but he had not been expecting what she was wearing when she opened the door , she was dressed in black leather pants , a silver silk shirt and a pair of black knee high boots.
"Uh ... I figured I would take you down to the party" was all he managed to mumble out as he looked into her amused face.
"Why I would be honored Mr. Yuy" she replied coyly as she took his hand.
Duo would have laughed at Heero's stunned demeanor but he had already knocked on Trel's door and was waiting to see just what she was going to do to shock him , after all only Trowa had been expecting what he got.
"Door's open" she yelled back.
"You coming , party has already started and I hate being the last one , miss all the goodies" he laughed back , there was no way he was going to just walk into that room.
"Awh man , so much for that entrance ... " she replied as she opened the door smiling back at him. "How am I ever gonna do fashionably late when you wanna be there early?"
They took the time to look each other over , Duo had a blue stone washed silk shirt on with a black t-shirt on underneath and had picked a pair of black jeans while Trel had a blue plaid shirt that was tied at the bottom which showed her grey and black sports bra off followed by her blue jeans.
"Well we're evenly matched , ready to go ?"
At the other end of the hall Matt was knocking on Relena's door and taking a final look over the outfit he had decided on which consisted of a pair of cargo pants and a grey polo shirt. He had been worried he was going to be over dressed and managed to rule out three different outfits before this one.
Relena opened the door , stepped out in the hall and quickly shut it behind her , she'd stuck with a black velvet skirt , a white turtle neck and a black velvet jacket that was trimmed with a deep purple. Her eyes lit up as they registered who had come to escort her down.
"I think I'm a little under dressed ..." he expounded and shrugged away.
"Really , and here I thought it was a casual thing , maybe I should go change into something more as well" she mused innocently , trying to take away from his discomfort.
"I meant ... it is casual but that is elaborate" he managed to get out over his embarrassment.
"Oh , well I can fix that" she giggled as she took the jacket off and set it back inside the room "after all it would be to warm with a jacket on anyway"
The party was well under way . Nikita and Amy had managed to convince the guy who was playing the music to pay a song that Niki had upstairs which was from Mortal Combat , and while it played they did their own rendition of a fight scene.
Trel and Duo sat back laughing at it , they had it well timed but the look on Heero and Wufei's face was almost priceless. Wufei , the one who was so use to solidarity was looking at Nikita like she had lost her mind in her dance with Amy , and Heero was not so sure it was in Amy's best interest to be doing something so straining just after they'd gotten them back.
Matt nor Savanna were anywhere to be seen but Jason just cheered them on , making a note to practice something like that with one of them later as it had stolen the show.
Matt and Relena had gone to the outside to enjoy the slower music as they danced under the stars , it was less crowded and it wasn't like the air had a chill in it , the perfect night to hold something like this.
Savanna and Trowa had found a seat outside and decided to cool their own heels , between the dancing and walking they had covered the mansion five times over.
Sally had dragged Quatre up on the dance floor as he had managed to avoid any other attempt , but she was not the type to take any excuse.
The party had gone on into the night as they entertained the guests and each other , showing off how they had changed and grown while others showed how they hadn't grown so much from the way they were the last time they'd been together.
A bell rang from inside , maybe only a minute before the ground shook and the blast could be heard and seen , those who had been inside ran to the front door to discover what had happened while those that had been out in the fresh air followed the noise to look around the corner , all with questions but seeing very few answers.
From a distance it looked like explosions , big puffs of fire that lasted for a minute or two and were replaced with fresh ones just as quick , hitting what looked to me air in the darkness until one landed on the opposite side , the mountain that they had been using blocking all but the outer edges of it and the whole scene finally sinking in.
Jason , Quatre , Heero and Relena looked out over it from the front doors in horror while Savanna , Trowa , Niki , Wufei , Amy , Trel , Duo , and Matt watched from the back corner in shock as the assault continued to reign down.
"We gotta go , everything is there and there is bound to be a lot of people hurt" said Trel as she turned , only to be stopped by Duo.
"You ain't going no where near that place until it's safe" he said as he grabbed her , holding her to his chest as he continued to watch.
"And they have a choice" she yelled as she tried to get free.
Both Matt and Amy ran to find Heero and Relena as they had not returned from the inside , Savannna slumped back against Trowa and just watched in silence , seeing what looked like the attack that had plagued them all since Sept 11 many years past now , Wufei turned to look for Niki only to find that she too had disappeared into the depths of the house.
"Duo Maxwell , let me go" Trel struggled and did finally manage to get free and although Duo did follow her he had little worry , he had kept the keys from the car so she wasn't going to far.
Matt and Amy found who they were looking for standing at the top step as they continued to watch , Matt had come up behind Relena and put an arm around her shoulder , trying to comfort her while Amy ran up to Heero , happy to have found him in the crowd.
"I wondered how long it would be before they found that one" Heero murmured as he watched a voile of missiles explode along the rocky terrain.
"What , you knew they'd find it?" she asked him , her face showing the disbelief etched in it.
"They found all those others ones , secret or not" was all he told her , not giving away what he was now sure of , someone must have told them.
Matt stood beside Relena , he wasn't about to treat her like some simpering dog that hid under the bed at every storm for he knew she was stronger then that , he just offered her his silent comfort as he watched , wanting to take her inside away from this sight but being glued to the spot.
Quatre had gone inside , first going to shut the bell off as that had been their warning system then he closed his eyes and waited for it all to end , not wanting to see the horror and shock on every ones face and hoping to shut out the pain that seemed to float around the whole crowd.
Jason hadn't waisted any time , where Quatre went one way he went the other , he was not about to just sit around and watch the whole thing , it would be easier just to try to get into the base and kick their back sides with Death Fortress , the old 'bite and ask questions later' strategy.
Niki was already in the garage , having gotten her car started and was waiting for the doors to open and let her out when Jason burst in.
"Hey , you coming along for the joy ride?" she asked , making sure he hadn't come to stop her from going.
"Looks like a hell of a party , and I love crashing them" he grinned back cooly , jumping in the Hummer and was glad he didn't have to wait as the doors had fully opened.
Niki and Jason shot out of their own hiding place and took off down the road , not waiting for the others and not thinking any further ahead then just to get to the base and try to help out.
"Jason , you bloody idiot" yelled Savanna as she finally caught sight in the larger vehicle , drawing her out of her silent reprieve.
"This is not good" said Duo as he picked his own pace up but was to late , Nikita's car had already stopped and the door opened , leaving tons of time for Trel to make it to the opening before he'd ever catch her.
Matt yelled after them but couldn't be heard from the distance he was at , leaving him to regroup those that had stayed behind. He went to Heero , knowing three pilots wouldn't have a chance out there without their machines.
"We need to get our groups ready and go , their moving targets out there" Matt said , not caring who was around to hear.
Both Amy and Heero nodded , moving quickly to round up the other pilots while Mattt turned to face Relena with a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Tell me you will stay here , where it is safe"
"Your not asking anyone else to stay" she replied matter of factly , keeping her calm as she looked at him defiantly.
"No , but I had hoped to keep at least one person safe" he knew it was a loosing battle but still he had to ask in the off chance.
Well he hadn't said she couldn't come and even though she was no pilot she sure was not about to just sit around worrying about what was going on when she could help in some small way. "I know , but I am safest when I am with you"
Heero found Wufei and Quatre inside , filling them in and watching Wufei's face go almost white in his rage at the stupidity of those that had taken off , which Nikita was one of.
Amy had rounded up Trowa and Savanna , helping a breathless Duo up from the ground as they all came to the front of the house , not even bothering to change as they climbed onto or into their own mode of transportation , picking Sally Po up as a passenger and trying to catch the others before this night got any worse.
Niki and Trel sat in silence , just listening to the song that played over and over again , filling the communicator with it so they couldn't receive orders to return , Trel knew if it hadn't been for Nikita's quick thinking and loyalty to others she'd likely not have gotten away so easy and Nikita had really not stopped to think about what they were going into , just that she wasn't about to finally get back to have some moron destroy their party , knowing they'd all be sunk if those Gundams were lost.
It hadn't taken to long to get close to base but with the concern that they'd be found and attacked Niki followed Jason's lead at ditching the cars on the side of the road to get into the base unnoticed the unfortunate part was that it was still under attack so they'd have to move quickly to try and drive it off , they ran the rest of the way to their own entrance that had so far remained hidden and once they'd finally gotten in breathed a sigh of relief.
"Man , that was a fun run , anyone want to try it again" snickered Jason as a blast hit almost directly over them.
Niki's eyes widened as the entrance started to fall around them. "Run" she yelled as they took off further into the base and to the more secure areas.
When the sound of falling rocks finally left their ears they found themselves in the command center for the whole place as an infuriated Midii Une yelled orders out over the growing confusion that the attack had caused.
The trio raced past her and towards the main hanger , having been so focused on getting rid of the ones outside that they hadn't noticed the attack seemed to have stopped , but the sight that greeted them from the main bay was not a pleasent one either , the entire exit had been collapsed making it impossible to get out without notice.
"These guys are really starting to anger me" said Jason as she stared blankly at the collapsed tunnel.
"I think we are definitely going to need more fire power to blow that out" said Trel as she looked it over.
"Ya think so" yelled Niki who did not seem the least bit intimidated as she climbed into Kodiac , giving Jason the same idea.
"Niki , that think is solid rock" Trel yelled back.
"Yeah , just means it'll be a bit of a challenge , but it would be easier with three then just two" she grinned as she sat down and closed the hatch.
"Oh man , why does everyone forget I am not a weapons kind of person" Trel said , almost considering using one of the other Gundams but not willing to face Duo with two holes in her instead of one as she went for Ocasta.
A few moments was all it took before the rocks blew out from the other side , finally opening the sealed hole and releasing the occupants that had been sealed with it.
~~~~oO{@}Oo~~~~
Okay , a long time but then a long chapter too , course with this still in mind it's likely the next one should take little to no time at all , I get way to addicted to an idea and have to plan the whole thing out. To bad I've reached 6 pages cause I had hoped to put more in this one , oh well , more incentive to get started on the next one right away.
Oh , and I don't own any of the Gundam Wings things nor the songs but to put that in every chapter is time consuming so when I remember I will remind every one of this.