Survival of The Fittest
By Minerva Blue
Caught only to fight or die, Duo is 'recruited' into a
neo-gladiatorial game, where the infamous Gundam
Pilots are everyone's favorite event.
Disclaimer: (now in poetry form!)
Justice is blind,
Money is Green,
I don't own Gundam Wing,
so don't sue me.
===================================
Duo just hurled the shirts into his suitcase. He took one of the neatly folded ones from the dresser drawer, wadded it up and tossed it like a basketball into the suitcase on the bed. "And the great Shinigami does it again."
"And the great Shinigami is making a mess."
Duo turned around, grinning innocently as he stuffed a wadded up shirt behind his back. "Hello Hilde"
Hilde looked at Duo and then stepped through the door over to the suitcase, pulling out one of the wadded, wrinkled t-shirts Duo had packed. "Have you ever heard of packing correctly?"
Duo grinned, tossing the shirt he was holding over Hilde and into the suitcase. "I thought it was just a myth."
Hilde sighed, making an attempt to fold the shirts and put some order into Duo's packing. "Going somewhere?"
Duo nodded. "To Earth."
"To Earth? What for?"
"Well I don't know yet, it has to be important. I'll be meating the others there."
Hilde knew what the others meant, the others always meant 9 out of 10 times it was the other pilots. "How do you know?"
"Hm?"
"How do you know it's important?"
Duo grinned. "Well Wufei sent the letter and I'm not sure we're exactly blood brothers. If he sends a letter theres a reason."
"Well there have been a lot of prison escapes lately."
"Hm. Good point. No offense to Wufei or Sally, but the preventers havn't been doing a good job with prison security."
"Preventers arn't in charge of security Duo, at least not on prisons."
Duo nodded, pushing the lid of his suitcase down and then jumping up and down in an effort to get it closed. "Okay you have a point." He finally just sat down on his suitcase as hard as possible. "Well I'll find out what's going on soon enough. Uh, little help here?"
Hilde rolled her eyes and helped push the suitcase down, locking it into place. A few socks and sections of shirts were still seing daylight but neither had the desire to open it up again and stuff everything in. "Okay, but when you come back, promise to let me teach you the proper way to pack a suitcase?"
Duo smiled, picking up the luggage. "Will do."
He then waved a casual goodbye and walked out the door.
************************************
Wufei threw the stack of paperwork down on the desk. "I don't believe it! Does every prison from the colonies and back want us to look for their escaped inmates?"
Sally picked up one of the sheets, skimming it through. "There has been a jump in the past year. Many are blaming the lack of security, they don't have enough manpower to find them all."
"So there asking us for help?"
"Obviously they never met Wufei."
Sally looked up and Wufei turned around, both had no trouble recognizing the long chestnut braid and indigo eyes that was the former pilot's trademark.
"Duo Maxwell."
Duo grinned. "It's Duo now? I didn't know we were on a first name basis."
Sally stood up, nodding to the two pilots and leaving the room. "I'll let you two catch up."
The braided boy approached Wufei, setting his suitcase down where the locks finally gave way and clothing flew everywhere. Duo blinked, then retrieved a pair of underwear from Wufei's head and dropped it back in the suitcase. "Actually I was a little surprised about being invited here after so long."
"Sally must think this is a joke."
"Yea, maybe. So when are the others coming?"
"The others are coming?"
"Well I assume so, unless I'm completly mistaken and you really do enjoy my company."
"Trust me Duo, there is no need to worry about that."
"So where do I stay?"
"Sally must have told you."
"What?"
Wufei didn't get a change to reply because at that moment Sally came back in, interupting the reunion. "Wufei, we got a lead on one of the inmates. It's not far we can reach it in less then a minute."
Wufei nodded. "Fine." He followed Sally out then paused on a second thought, turning back to Duo. "I suppose you want to help."
Duo grinned. "How did you know?"
"Just keep up."
*****************************
Sally was right and it didn't take long before they reached the location where the prisoner was sighted last. The streets were busy, everyone was going about their business and nothing out of the ordinary could be detected.
Duo shrugged. "Looks like the guy split."
Wufei was less willing to give up. "We'll look around, see if we can find out anything from the people here."
Duo nodded, glancing around again at the suroundings. His eyes fell on one figure in a brown trenchcoat and hat. Obviously out of style and highly suspicious, which made the person stick out like a sore thumb. The person in question was actually talking to another, who looked a lot more like he belonged then his companion.
"Hey Wufei."
"Hm?"
"Who wears a long coat and hat in the middle of summer?"
Wufei followed Duo's gaze until he too noticed the figure. "Someone who has something to hide."
Wufei was obviously right because at the next second the figure pulled a gun and shot the other man. He put the gun away, glanced at Wufei and Duo and then began to run.
"Shit!"
Wufei drew his gun and began to chase after the assailant, Duo did the same, keeping up stride for stride. The figure's hat blew off and the trenchcoat was discarded for more speed, revealing that the figure was no more a man then the gundams were children's toys. The discarding of the extra garments seemed to help because both pilots eventually lost sight of the woman.
Duo lowered his gun. "She could be anywhere."
"We had better start looking then." Wufei indicated the right side of the street. "You check that side, I'll check the left."
Duo nodded and started off with the ruins of an old building. Years ago the office building had been destroyed in an attack, nearly everyone died. There were so many bodies they couldn't find enough graves to bury them all. The alternative was suggested and the rubble was transformed into a tomb. Duo hated tombs, he had seen too many as a pilot. As Duo walked down through the old building, he looked around, searching for any trace of the criminal, hopeing to get out as soon as posible. All of that hope went down the drain when he heard the click of a gun behind him. Duo turned around slowly, expecting to see his quarry and wasn't disapointed. Standing in front of him now was a woman with long black hair and Hawaian features pointing a gun at him.
By Minerva Blue
Caught only to fight or die, Duo is 'recruited' into a
neo-gladiatorial game, where the infamous Gundam
Pilots are everyone's favorite event.
Disclaimer: (now in poetry form!)
Justice is blind,
Money is Green,
I don't own Gundam Wing,
so don't sue me.
===================================
Duo just hurled the shirts into his suitcase. He took one of the neatly folded ones from the dresser drawer, wadded it up and tossed it like a basketball into the suitcase on the bed. "And the great Shinigami does it again."
"And the great Shinigami is making a mess."
Duo turned around, grinning innocently as he stuffed a wadded up shirt behind his back. "Hello Hilde"
Hilde looked at Duo and then stepped through the door over to the suitcase, pulling out one of the wadded, wrinkled t-shirts Duo had packed. "Have you ever heard of packing correctly?"
Duo grinned, tossing the shirt he was holding over Hilde and into the suitcase. "I thought it was just a myth."
Hilde sighed, making an attempt to fold the shirts and put some order into Duo's packing. "Going somewhere?"
Duo nodded. "To Earth."
"To Earth? What for?"
"Well I don't know yet, it has to be important. I'll be meating the others there."
Hilde knew what the others meant, the others always meant 9 out of 10 times it was the other pilots. "How do you know?"
"Hm?"
"How do you know it's important?"
Duo grinned. "Well Wufei sent the letter and I'm not sure we're exactly blood brothers. If he sends a letter theres a reason."
"Well there have been a lot of prison escapes lately."
"Hm. Good point. No offense to Wufei or Sally, but the preventers havn't been doing a good job with prison security."
"Preventers arn't in charge of security Duo, at least not on prisons."
Duo nodded, pushing the lid of his suitcase down and then jumping up and down in an effort to get it closed. "Okay you have a point." He finally just sat down on his suitcase as hard as possible. "Well I'll find out what's going on soon enough. Uh, little help here?"
Hilde rolled her eyes and helped push the suitcase down, locking it into place. A few socks and sections of shirts were still seing daylight but neither had the desire to open it up again and stuff everything in. "Okay, but when you come back, promise to let me teach you the proper way to pack a suitcase?"
Duo smiled, picking up the luggage. "Will do."
He then waved a casual goodbye and walked out the door.
************************************
Wufei threw the stack of paperwork down on the desk. "I don't believe it! Does every prison from the colonies and back want us to look for their escaped inmates?"
Sally picked up one of the sheets, skimming it through. "There has been a jump in the past year. Many are blaming the lack of security, they don't have enough manpower to find them all."
"So there asking us for help?"
"Obviously they never met Wufei."
Sally looked up and Wufei turned around, both had no trouble recognizing the long chestnut braid and indigo eyes that was the former pilot's trademark.
"Duo Maxwell."
Duo grinned. "It's Duo now? I didn't know we were on a first name basis."
Sally stood up, nodding to the two pilots and leaving the room. "I'll let you two catch up."
The braided boy approached Wufei, setting his suitcase down where the locks finally gave way and clothing flew everywhere. Duo blinked, then retrieved a pair of underwear from Wufei's head and dropped it back in the suitcase. "Actually I was a little surprised about being invited here after so long."
"Sally must think this is a joke."
"Yea, maybe. So when are the others coming?"
"The others are coming?"
"Well I assume so, unless I'm completly mistaken and you really do enjoy my company."
"Trust me Duo, there is no need to worry about that."
"So where do I stay?"
"Sally must have told you."
"What?"
Wufei didn't get a change to reply because at that moment Sally came back in, interupting the reunion. "Wufei, we got a lead on one of the inmates. It's not far we can reach it in less then a minute."
Wufei nodded. "Fine." He followed Sally out then paused on a second thought, turning back to Duo. "I suppose you want to help."
Duo grinned. "How did you know?"
"Just keep up."
*****************************
Sally was right and it didn't take long before they reached the location where the prisoner was sighted last. The streets were busy, everyone was going about their business and nothing out of the ordinary could be detected.
Duo shrugged. "Looks like the guy split."
Wufei was less willing to give up. "We'll look around, see if we can find out anything from the people here."
Duo nodded, glancing around again at the suroundings. His eyes fell on one figure in a brown trenchcoat and hat. Obviously out of style and highly suspicious, which made the person stick out like a sore thumb. The person in question was actually talking to another, who looked a lot more like he belonged then his companion.
"Hey Wufei."
"Hm?"
"Who wears a long coat and hat in the middle of summer?"
Wufei followed Duo's gaze until he too noticed the figure. "Someone who has something to hide."
Wufei was obviously right because at the next second the figure pulled a gun and shot the other man. He put the gun away, glanced at Wufei and Duo and then began to run.
"Shit!"
Wufei drew his gun and began to chase after the assailant, Duo did the same, keeping up stride for stride. The figure's hat blew off and the trenchcoat was discarded for more speed, revealing that the figure was no more a man then the gundams were children's toys. The discarding of the extra garments seemed to help because both pilots eventually lost sight of the woman.
Duo lowered his gun. "She could be anywhere."
"We had better start looking then." Wufei indicated the right side of the street. "You check that side, I'll check the left."
Duo nodded and started off with the ruins of an old building. Years ago the office building had been destroyed in an attack, nearly everyone died. There were so many bodies they couldn't find enough graves to bury them all. The alternative was suggested and the rubble was transformed into a tomb. Duo hated tombs, he had seen too many as a pilot. As Duo walked down through the old building, he looked around, searching for any trace of the criminal, hopeing to get out as soon as posible. All of that hope went down the drain when he heard the click of a gun behind him. Duo turned around slowly, expecting to see his quarry and wasn't disapointed. Standing in front of him now was a woman with long black hair and Hawaian features pointing a gun at him.
