Author's Note: I don't own Gundam Wing, if you happened to miss all my
other disclaimers.
~ Skeletons in the Closet ~
Part 11
By Zero's Wings
Varazdin Fog
Trowa stood in front of the mirror of his hotel bathroom, carefully unwrapping his bandaged nose. He finally pulled free the last strip, washing away dried blood and fuzzy bits of cloth. Trowa winced as he rubbed his hand up the bridge of his nose. Damn that Heero, he thought. He always has to have the last word.or the last punch. Trowa groaned a bit as he ran his hand over the crumpled section of his nose.
"Don't worry about it, Tro." Quatre stepped out of the shower behind Trowa and smiled sympathetically. "You still look great to me."
"Thanks, Quatre. I honestly-" Trowa was interrupted by the harsh ringing of his phone. Quatre rushed into their room, still naked and sopping wet, leapt on the bed and grabbed the phone. Duo, who had been lying in the next bed over, nursing a killer hangover, quickly averted his eyes.
"He-hello?" he managed between peals of laughter, as Trowa tried to yank him off the bed by his ankles.
"Is this Quatre?" a stern voice asked.
"Yeah Heero, it's me-Trowa lay off!" Quatre turned the call to speakerphone, then reached back and smacked Trowa over the head.
"Is this a bad time?" Heero asked cautiously.
"Always with these two," Duo groaned before turning over again.
"No, no, it's fine," Quatre said, exasperated. "What do you need?"
"I need you, Trowa, and Duo to get your asses down to Preventer HQ." With that, Quatre fell silent and serious. He sat up in his bed and motioned for Trowa to calm down. Trowa noticed his lover's somber expression immediately and mouthed 'what's wrong?' Quatre shook his head.
"What's up, Heero?" This time, Quatre waited through a long pause.
".Relena's been kidnapped," Heero answered with a catch in his throat.
Trowa looked up in surprise. "What, again?"
*****
Soon Quatre, Trowa, Duo, Wufei, and Zechs were all packed into Lady Une's office. Heero sat behind her desk, running both his hands back through his hair nervously. He wore a mournful expression.
"Emulat contacted me last night," Heero said in a voice that quivered on the edge of grief. "I think it's safe to say he's gone insane. His little uprising in Croatia just gathered funds for his real project."
"And what project would be?" Zechs said impatiently. "And more importantly, how does it involve my sister?"
"His project involves everyone in the world, and the colonies." Heero lifted his head up slowly; then cast his stormy eyes across the room. "His project is the apocalypse." He let everyone absorb that in silence.
"I believe that he is going to make coordinated attacks on military facilities around the world. Those insect-type mobile suits that Zechs and Quatre encountered will be his shock troops. However, I believe that this will just be a distraction. His real plan revolves around something else, some kind of weapon that he calls Ymir."
"And how are we going to prevent this?" Wufei asked skeptically. "The gundams are gone, remember?"
"Zero isn't. It'll be fully operational within the next 14 hours."
The icy blue orb of Zechs' right eye swiveled toward Heero. "Emulat can do a lot to Relena in 14 hours," he muttered.
"I'll make the final adjustments to Zero while we're underway. The suit is actually 80% operational already."
Duo shook his head in wonderment. "You slick sonofabitch. All those visits to the Smithsonian."
Heero ignored him. "Sally Po has been tracking the limo that Emulat had Relena in. The GPS system in her main computer has tracked them to the remains of the city of Varazdin, near the Hungarian-Croatian border. " Just as he had finished his sentence, Une and Sally burst through the door, trailing paperwork behind them in a frenzy.
"We've got their location." Sally said breathlessly. She handed Heero a portable GPS unit.
"Then we've got no time to lose," Heero said. He got up and strode out of the room confidently. The others were soon following him, albeit in a bewildered fashion.
*****
After a quick, cramped elevator ride, the group arrived at the Preventer's underground hangar bay. As the metal-plated elevator doors slid back, Heero's stoic expression nearly broke into a grin, but he caught himself. Everyone else was too busy picking their jaws off the floor to notice.
Noin's unit of Tauruses had been completely revamped. Most noticeable was a new coat of paint for each, removing their tranquil white jackets and replacing them with fierce splashes of red, passionately melding orange, and biting yellow streaks. They seemed to burn from inside with the fires of war. Besides their frightening new appearance, the suits had been outfitted with shoulder-mounted launchers, filled with missiles.
Noin slid down to greet them on a tow cable. "Impressive, aren't they?" she said, looking quite proud of the suits. "They have new, extra-strong armor that's made from a titanium-carbon alloy. Their rifles are also new, filled with 3-meter caseless rounds with explosive tips. They'll easily penetrate a building. Those missile launchers contain the new, high-maneuver heat seekers." Noin paused for a moment, as everyone was still frozen in a stunned silence. "Any questions, boys?" she said with a sexy smirk. Zechs just about died on the spot.
"Sweet!" Duo finally exclaimed.
"Indeed," concurred Wufei, who was similarly impressed.
"Excellent work, Noin," Heero said. "When can we be underway?"
"As soon as you are all ready. I'm going to be finishing up the repairs to Zechs' Tallgeese. Zechs and I will protect Sanc while you're away."
Heero turned to Zechs, surprised. "It's not like you to turn down the chance for a battle," he said.
Zechs simply smiled and put his arm around Noin. "My days of fighting are over," he said. "I have more important things to look forward to. You will as well, Heero, when you get Relena back."
Heero nodded. "Yes, that's why I have to fight again. To kill again."
I will never kill anyone ever again.I don't have to anymore.
Heero shook his head free of the memory. "Zechs, thank you for protecting Sanc for us."
"It's the least I can do," Zechs replied. "Emulat won't get anywhere near us with Noin in charge." He kissed her cheek. She smiled slightly, but was soon serious again, and pulled away from him slightly.
"Enough of this," she said. "You've got a job to do."
Heero nodded. "I'm gonna get Zero." He walked back to the elevator, wished everyone good luck, then descended further into the bowels of Preventer HQ.
*****
The elevator came to a shuddering stop at the final sub-basement. The doors parted and the elevator filled up with darkness. Heero stepped out; felt along the wall for a light switch. He found an electronics panel and flipped every stitch to 'on.'
The huge, overhead arrays of lights opened up, and blazing white light cascaded into the room. Heero looked up, his face whirled with feelings of pleasant nostalgia and newfound awe. The great Wing Gundam Zero knelt before him, its angelic wings spread out to their full berth. But instead of white feathers, its wings now contained silvery, knife-edged metal implants. The sharp, green gems in its eye sockets flashed to life and its arms opened to accept its pilot.
"Hello, old friend," Heero said warmly.
*****
Duo sat at the controls of his new Taurus suit. Its cockpit was a bit more cramped than the one he was used to in Deathscythe, but it still had ample room for all his equipment. On the consoles around him he saw Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei in their own fierce-looking suits, but Duo had not seen Heero since they left him in the hangar. There had been no radio contact either. He scanned the billowing clouds worriedly. That asshole better not be late, he thought. This whole plan is riding on him, and I don't know what kind of a fight we can put up without Zero.
The four Taurus suits descended from the clouds into more clouds, a thick layer of pale, unearthly fog. The skies above had already darkened as they made their final approach on the city of Varazdin. After three hours of flying, their suits passed a first desolate chunk of debris. An entire city, ruined and left barren by firestorms, was slowly approaching them through the fog.
Buildings leaned and bowed crookedly, scraggly brick and plaster hung like loose flesh on bones. Jagged metal supports, stripped bare of the buildings they held, reached up toward the mobile suits like the desperate clutches of the starving. But no one starved in Varazdin. All that was left of the inhabitants was the ash and bone meal that carpeted the ground.
For a moment the fog cleared away from Wufei's viewer. His olive-colored eyes shot across the desolate landscape, searching with cold precision. His tactical mind was built like a steel trap, and it was truly his only mind when he thought about something with interest and passion. Perhaps that was why all his human relationships had suffered awkward, ambivalent fates. In a battle, however, his way of operating could bring him nothing but good fortune. It did once again, as he noticed two large figures in the middle of a clear patch from the surrounding fog.
"Everyone stop!" Wufei yelled, jamming on his air brakes. "Switch to infra- red!" As soon as he switched his viewer mode, Wufei realized they should've had it on the entire time. Their little group had already been surrounded. Heavily surrounded.
Quatre swiveled his Taurus's lead camera, looking in awe and fear at all the suits that had been amassed against him. There were hundreds of the vile, spiny foes slowly marching toward them through the fog. Their glistening whips could be heard thrashing violently through the fog. And sure enough, they were the same demonic, insect-like suits as the one he had faced in that desert, so many years ago. "Brings back memories," Quatre muttered as the suits began to close in, "Bad ones."
End part 11
Varazdin Fog
Trowa stood in front of the mirror of his hotel bathroom, carefully unwrapping his bandaged nose. He finally pulled free the last strip, washing away dried blood and fuzzy bits of cloth. Trowa winced as he rubbed his hand up the bridge of his nose. Damn that Heero, he thought. He always has to have the last word.or the last punch. Trowa groaned a bit as he ran his hand over the crumpled section of his nose.
"Don't worry about it, Tro." Quatre stepped out of the shower behind Trowa and smiled sympathetically. "You still look great to me."
"Thanks, Quatre. I honestly-" Trowa was interrupted by the harsh ringing of his phone. Quatre rushed into their room, still naked and sopping wet, leapt on the bed and grabbed the phone. Duo, who had been lying in the next bed over, nursing a killer hangover, quickly averted his eyes.
"He-hello?" he managed between peals of laughter, as Trowa tried to yank him off the bed by his ankles.
"Is this Quatre?" a stern voice asked.
"Yeah Heero, it's me-Trowa lay off!" Quatre turned the call to speakerphone, then reached back and smacked Trowa over the head.
"Is this a bad time?" Heero asked cautiously.
"Always with these two," Duo groaned before turning over again.
"No, no, it's fine," Quatre said, exasperated. "What do you need?"
"I need you, Trowa, and Duo to get your asses down to Preventer HQ." With that, Quatre fell silent and serious. He sat up in his bed and motioned for Trowa to calm down. Trowa noticed his lover's somber expression immediately and mouthed 'what's wrong?' Quatre shook his head.
"What's up, Heero?" This time, Quatre waited through a long pause.
".Relena's been kidnapped," Heero answered with a catch in his throat.
Trowa looked up in surprise. "What, again?"
*****
Soon Quatre, Trowa, Duo, Wufei, and Zechs were all packed into Lady Une's office. Heero sat behind her desk, running both his hands back through his hair nervously. He wore a mournful expression.
"Emulat contacted me last night," Heero said in a voice that quivered on the edge of grief. "I think it's safe to say he's gone insane. His little uprising in Croatia just gathered funds for his real project."
"And what project would be?" Zechs said impatiently. "And more importantly, how does it involve my sister?"
"His project involves everyone in the world, and the colonies." Heero lifted his head up slowly; then cast his stormy eyes across the room. "His project is the apocalypse." He let everyone absorb that in silence.
"I believe that he is going to make coordinated attacks on military facilities around the world. Those insect-type mobile suits that Zechs and Quatre encountered will be his shock troops. However, I believe that this will just be a distraction. His real plan revolves around something else, some kind of weapon that he calls Ymir."
"And how are we going to prevent this?" Wufei asked skeptically. "The gundams are gone, remember?"
"Zero isn't. It'll be fully operational within the next 14 hours."
The icy blue orb of Zechs' right eye swiveled toward Heero. "Emulat can do a lot to Relena in 14 hours," he muttered.
"I'll make the final adjustments to Zero while we're underway. The suit is actually 80% operational already."
Duo shook his head in wonderment. "You slick sonofabitch. All those visits to the Smithsonian."
Heero ignored him. "Sally Po has been tracking the limo that Emulat had Relena in. The GPS system in her main computer has tracked them to the remains of the city of Varazdin, near the Hungarian-Croatian border. " Just as he had finished his sentence, Une and Sally burst through the door, trailing paperwork behind them in a frenzy.
"We've got their location." Sally said breathlessly. She handed Heero a portable GPS unit.
"Then we've got no time to lose," Heero said. He got up and strode out of the room confidently. The others were soon following him, albeit in a bewildered fashion.
*****
After a quick, cramped elevator ride, the group arrived at the Preventer's underground hangar bay. As the metal-plated elevator doors slid back, Heero's stoic expression nearly broke into a grin, but he caught himself. Everyone else was too busy picking their jaws off the floor to notice.
Noin's unit of Tauruses had been completely revamped. Most noticeable was a new coat of paint for each, removing their tranquil white jackets and replacing them with fierce splashes of red, passionately melding orange, and biting yellow streaks. They seemed to burn from inside with the fires of war. Besides their frightening new appearance, the suits had been outfitted with shoulder-mounted launchers, filled with missiles.
Noin slid down to greet them on a tow cable. "Impressive, aren't they?" she said, looking quite proud of the suits. "They have new, extra-strong armor that's made from a titanium-carbon alloy. Their rifles are also new, filled with 3-meter caseless rounds with explosive tips. They'll easily penetrate a building. Those missile launchers contain the new, high-maneuver heat seekers." Noin paused for a moment, as everyone was still frozen in a stunned silence. "Any questions, boys?" she said with a sexy smirk. Zechs just about died on the spot.
"Sweet!" Duo finally exclaimed.
"Indeed," concurred Wufei, who was similarly impressed.
"Excellent work, Noin," Heero said. "When can we be underway?"
"As soon as you are all ready. I'm going to be finishing up the repairs to Zechs' Tallgeese. Zechs and I will protect Sanc while you're away."
Heero turned to Zechs, surprised. "It's not like you to turn down the chance for a battle," he said.
Zechs simply smiled and put his arm around Noin. "My days of fighting are over," he said. "I have more important things to look forward to. You will as well, Heero, when you get Relena back."
Heero nodded. "Yes, that's why I have to fight again. To kill again."
I will never kill anyone ever again.I don't have to anymore.
Heero shook his head free of the memory. "Zechs, thank you for protecting Sanc for us."
"It's the least I can do," Zechs replied. "Emulat won't get anywhere near us with Noin in charge." He kissed her cheek. She smiled slightly, but was soon serious again, and pulled away from him slightly.
"Enough of this," she said. "You've got a job to do."
Heero nodded. "I'm gonna get Zero." He walked back to the elevator, wished everyone good luck, then descended further into the bowels of Preventer HQ.
*****
The elevator came to a shuddering stop at the final sub-basement. The doors parted and the elevator filled up with darkness. Heero stepped out; felt along the wall for a light switch. He found an electronics panel and flipped every stitch to 'on.'
The huge, overhead arrays of lights opened up, and blazing white light cascaded into the room. Heero looked up, his face whirled with feelings of pleasant nostalgia and newfound awe. The great Wing Gundam Zero knelt before him, its angelic wings spread out to their full berth. But instead of white feathers, its wings now contained silvery, knife-edged metal implants. The sharp, green gems in its eye sockets flashed to life and its arms opened to accept its pilot.
"Hello, old friend," Heero said warmly.
*****
Duo sat at the controls of his new Taurus suit. Its cockpit was a bit more cramped than the one he was used to in Deathscythe, but it still had ample room for all his equipment. On the consoles around him he saw Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei in their own fierce-looking suits, but Duo had not seen Heero since they left him in the hangar. There had been no radio contact either. He scanned the billowing clouds worriedly. That asshole better not be late, he thought. This whole plan is riding on him, and I don't know what kind of a fight we can put up without Zero.
The four Taurus suits descended from the clouds into more clouds, a thick layer of pale, unearthly fog. The skies above had already darkened as they made their final approach on the city of Varazdin. After three hours of flying, their suits passed a first desolate chunk of debris. An entire city, ruined and left barren by firestorms, was slowly approaching them through the fog.
Buildings leaned and bowed crookedly, scraggly brick and plaster hung like loose flesh on bones. Jagged metal supports, stripped bare of the buildings they held, reached up toward the mobile suits like the desperate clutches of the starving. But no one starved in Varazdin. All that was left of the inhabitants was the ash and bone meal that carpeted the ground.
For a moment the fog cleared away from Wufei's viewer. His olive-colored eyes shot across the desolate landscape, searching with cold precision. His tactical mind was built like a steel trap, and it was truly his only mind when he thought about something with interest and passion. Perhaps that was why all his human relationships had suffered awkward, ambivalent fates. In a battle, however, his way of operating could bring him nothing but good fortune. It did once again, as he noticed two large figures in the middle of a clear patch from the surrounding fog.
"Everyone stop!" Wufei yelled, jamming on his air brakes. "Switch to infra- red!" As soon as he switched his viewer mode, Wufei realized they should've had it on the entire time. Their little group had already been surrounded. Heavily surrounded.
Quatre swiveled his Taurus's lead camera, looking in awe and fear at all the suits that had been amassed against him. There were hundreds of the vile, spiny foes slowly marching toward them through the fog. Their glistening whips could be heard thrashing violently through the fog. And sure enough, they were the same demonic, insect-like suits as the one he had faced in that desert, so many years ago. "Brings back memories," Quatre muttered as the suits began to close in, "Bad ones."
End part 11