DISCLAIMER: Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺
TIMELINE: The story mostly takes place after Endless Waltz. To be more precise, one year after Endless Waltz. That means two years after my very own Treize's Revenge series.
NOTE: In the recent months, I've asked the golden question: 'Who would Kylie be likely to fell in love with?" Well, from this chapter on, you will find out who. And it would be the most unexpected person. Clue: It's down between Heero, Quatre and Wu Fei. (But then again, I might be trying to mislead all of you ^_^ !) So, guess as you read along, people. You might find the person surprisingly suitable for Kylie!! Caution! This chapter will also reveal something that is so surprising, even I was shocked to find out about it (All because of my ingenious muse) So read on and enjoy!!!
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST V: CAPTIVES!By Arayelle Lynn.
Sweat poured down Wu Fei's forehead as he eyed his opponent carefully. As soon as they were alone, both agreed to continue their duel. It had been two hours but still, neither of them seemed to falter. Now, Wu Fei's taking the moment to study and assess his opponent. Her advances had been lightning quick and her skills had improved over the past two years. Now, both of them were equally matched in skills and the only thing that put a difference between them was the strength within.
As Wu Fei stared at Kylie, he noticed that her fair face flushed by the duel. Her eyes shone like cold fire, making them a beautiful sight to see. She bit her lips and her eyebrow furrowed in concentration. Her hair was matted by the sweat but bounced every time she moved to intercept his swipe. The way her slim body moved to counteract his advances was gracefully amazing, making Wu Fei felt as if he was fighting Treize Khushrenada all over again.
Again he shook the thought away. Treize was dead and he had defeated him. That Wu Fei had established. Right now, he's fighting with Kyle Rayden, Treize's only apprentice. And so, he forced himself to look carefully at his opponent.
Her winter blue eyes were still watching him, trying to sense his next move and at the same time taking the moment to breathe properly. The blade in her hand still raised, her body was in a defense stance. Wu Fei gazed into her eyes, trying to sense her next move too and again he found himself admiring the cold blue eyes. The window to the cold soul of the girl before him.
'What!' he thought, shaking away the strange feelings that had suddenly overwhelmed him. At that very second, she took a swipe at him as he parried. She suddenly dodged and spun but Wu Fei managed to intercept her blow in time. They were locked at a close distance for a moment, as each was trying to push the blades onto each other. At that too close a range, Wu Fei found himself staring into the pair of winter blue eyes again. And again that strange feelings rose inside him.
She pulled away first, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "You're good," she said. "Most of my opponents fell for that trick."
He didn't answer. Instead, he tried to determine what that strange feeling was. He had felt it before, a long time ago, he realized. 'That was when…' Kylie chose that instant to attack. Wu Fei quickly brought up his blade to counter her blow. When he didn't deliver his own blow, Kylie continued to advance as Wu Fei was distracted by the memory long ago. He thought that he had forgotten about it. He thought that he would never found himself feeling the same way again but here he was, experiencing it again! And now he realized that he had been feeling this way ever since she reappeared in Brussels a year ago. And he also knew it was impossible for anything to come out from it.
When Wu Fei found that Kylie was trying to pin him against the door, he quickly feinted left and rolled to the right. As expected, Kylie swiped through empty air as she spun around to face him. She smiled. A rare sight to see that made his heart skipped a beat. "Very impressive, Chang Wu Fei."
He stared at her as he tried to determine what to do next. Suddenly, Kylie saw him threw the blade onto the floor. "There, I've lost," he declared. She was so startled that she took a step back. "I've ran out of tricks and it would be impossible to continue." He bowed. "You won, Kyle Rayden. You won the duel. And my respect."
For a moment the girl was actually speechless. She was going to say something but the look Wu Fei threw at her made her kept her silence. She bowed at him. "If you say so, Chang Wu Fei. The duel is mine." Deep inside she wondered. She knew that between them, Wu Fei's skills were a little more superior than hers and that she knew he had a lot more tricks that he didn't use in their duel. So, why did he gave up so easily?
As if hearing her thoughts, Wu Fei turned to watch her stored the blades. 'I might be the one who could've won this duel but she has unintentionally win my heart,' he thought. 'Whatever a person in this state do next, he could never find himself denying that feeling. She swayed my heart when I thought it was cold and empty.' He shook his head to himself. 'Too bad nothing could come out from it. She is destined for another and all I can do is keep my distance.'
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Heero, Kylie, Trowa and Wu Fei returned to the colony in L3 cluster to help transfer Heero and Kylie's stuff to the Preventers headquarters since it would be likely to be their new home for a long time. The other two pilots were all doing other stuff. Duo was still repairing Deathscythe the last time they check and Quatre had went back to L4 to take care of some business affairs for one last time. He was taking a supposedly long vacation to Earth.
Wu Fei and Trowa decided to help Heero and Kylie packed, after stopping by to see Trowa's circus family to tell them that he's taking a long break. But the circus manager had been an understanding person and knew his employee need to save mankind once again and gave Trowa his blessings. After Trowa had a moment alone with Catherine, they went to Heero's apartment.
Silently, Heero was more worried about leaving Adin by himself. And so he had no choice but to bring the puppy along. While Heero was busy packing, Kylie went to see the tenant to pay the rent. The tenant had been disappointed when she learned that they were moving out. But the old lady wished them a happy life in the new place they're moving in. That amused Kylie a little since Heero and her had made up a story about being newly-weds, but she didn't bother to tell the old lady the truth so she left.
When she returned, Heero, Trowa and Wu Fei were waiting for her downstairs. Heero and Wu Fei were carrying two boxes while Trowa was handling the excited puppy.
"He likes you," said Kylie to Trowa. The circus boy gave her one of his rare smile. "That's what Heero said earlier. Does he bite or something?" Kylie shook her head, taking the box Wu Fei was holding. All her stuff was there. "No, he only bites those he doesn't like."
That made Trowa chuckled. He patted the puppy, which licked him. "Yeah, you and I will be best friends from now on."
Heero and Kylie loaded the boxes into the car while Wu Fei headed towards the driver seat. Trowa was about to climb into the car when Adin suddenly growled. He looked at the puppy. "What is it, buddy?" he asked as the puppy wriggled out from his arms. Suddenly, Trowa saw something glinted from the corner of his eyes.
"Down!" he shouted as he dived onto the pavement. There was a thud and for a moment, the four of them waited for something to happen. But nothing did. Slowly, they got to their feet and saw a pair of daggers protruding on the car top where Trowa and Wu Fei's heads were. Reflexively, they looked above them.
"Look!" said Kylie, pointing at a figure on a rooftop. She tensed. "That's the last assassin."
But before they could do a thing, Wu Fei's comm. chimed. He thumbed the switch and a voice said, "Alien attack on Sector G 250 L4 colony cluster. Require back up." He looked at his three companions and saw a look of horror in Trowa's eyes.
"Quatre is in the colony. He went there to finish up his business and I don't think he has his Gundam with him," he said. Kylie's eyes widened as she look back from the figure that were on the rooftop and then at Trowa, torn.
Wu Fei tossed Heero the keys. "Go to our carrier now," he said. "The colony Quatre's on is too far away from MO V that it would take some time before help arrives. I'll go and handle our assassin." Without waiting for an argument, Wu Fei was off. Heero took the driving seat and drove the car towards the hanger, where the carrier that carried their mobile suit was waiting.
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When the colony was attacked, Quatre busied himself with the evacuation of the colonists, at the same time trying to find a way to contact the Preventers. But when the alien collectors started to herd the remaining colonists towards their ships, Quatre decided not to fight them until the time was right. He waited patiently for any signs of his friends, planning to use that moment to retaliate.
But when he was taken into the slave ship and it started to move, Quatre's heart sank. It could be that his friends would arrive too late to save him and the colonists. And if he started to fight the guards, he would ended up getting himself killed or worse the civilians as well.
He and a few others were approaching a cell when suddenly he sensed something was coming. Something that spelt help. Something that was awfully familiar to him. He reached out with all his heart and started to put his plan into motion. He hit the nearest guard.
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Trowa's heart sank when he saw the slave ships starting to leave the colony. His only thought was of Quatre, probably fighting alone in one of the slave ships or probably hurt or killed. He thrust his throttle forward, bringing up the speed of Heavyarms but his Gundam was not known for its speed. He knew that he would never catch up with the retreating slave ships but he intended to try to prove himself wrong.
That's when the Mican troop appeared, blocking his way towards the slave ships. A moment later, a familiar green suit came at him. "I have no time for you," he growled, trying to get pass Trec'na. But the Mican Warrior refused to leave him alone.
"This is war, Trowa Barton. You have to make time."
Heero and Kylie were also engaged in a furious battle with K'Vai and K'Rin. As they fought, Heero could feel Kylie's desperation to break away, much to his surprise. Sure, he sometimes could read what the former assassin had in mind and sometimes he could sensed her emotions. But this time, it was as if he was feeling it himself. He could clearly feel Kylie's feeling of fear, helplessness, anger and frustration. And he didn't have an answer as to why he could sensed them from her so clearly.
Feeling something was changing between them, Heero flipped the comm system. "Kylie, when you have the chance, break away and help the prisoners," he said, as he dodged K'Vai's blow. His opponent decided that he should fashioned a blade to counter Heero's own beam saber.
Kylie was surprised. "What about you?"
"Don't worry about me. I'll take care of K'Rin. You need to rescue the prisoners because your mobile suit has the ability to move faster than Trowa's. And I'm the only one capable enough to hold off K'Vai and K'Rin as long as it takes."
She looked at him in the eye for a moment and nodded. "Understood."
"I leave Quatre to you," he said, then aimed his buster rifle at K'Rin and fired. The Mican Warrior spun away, barely getting hit, giving Kylie the opening she needed. She gave Heero a good luck salute and flew off, heading straight toward the retreating slave ship.
'Where are you, Quatre?' her mind furiously thought, as if trying to sense his presence among the seven slave ships. She knew it's important for her to rescue Quatre. The human race couldn't afford to lose a Gundam pilot at this early stage. 'Come on, blondie, give me a sign.'
Suddenly one of the slave ship started to smoke and it broke away from the others. 'There you are!' she thought. She quickly flew towards the ship, trying to figure out what to do. Secretly, she had a plan in mind but that plan couldn't ensure the safety of all the prisoners on the ship. But if Quatre played his part right, she would be able to put her plan in motion.
But that would mean one thing. She will have to sacrifice her Taurus suit. And somehow, that thought alone put a dreadful feeling inside her. But she knew she had to do it for the sake of mankind and something else. She pushed away the feeling and decided to go with the plan.
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Quatre led the prisoners toward the hangar where some shuttles were waiting. After a hard battle, he had managed to break everyone out of the holding cell and brought them there so they could escape. Quatre also purposely caused a few explosions on the alien ship just to cause enough panic to the aliens so that they would not notice that their prisoners were escaping.
He also sensed that his friends were out there, fighting to free them. And while he was escaping, Quatre had managed to steal a glance outside and noticed that Kylie's red Taurus was firing at the slave ship, distracting the aliens into combating her and the fires on the ship. He silently thanked her for buying him time to get the prisoners out.
When the last prisoner was inside the shuttle, Quatre leapt onboard. That was when he heard a few of them gasped. He turned to look at the battle outside, noticing that the Taurus was heading straight towards them at an alarming speed. 'Kylie, what are you planning to do?' he wondered. One thought came to him. 'No, she can't be serious!'
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"Let's go, big guy," she said, flying her Taurus straight towards the slave ship at maximum speed. She had seen a few shuttle being launched from the slave ship and immediately knew they were the prisoners. Thinking that the prisoners were all clear, she decided to execute her plan.
She rammed her Taurus into the slave ship.
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"Kylie!" Quatre cried out. The slave ship shook, as he was nearly thrown out of the shuttle. For a moment time seemed to stop. But when everything went back to normal, he noticed that the ship was smoking from the collision, indicating fires coming from the section where the Taurus had rammed into.
Torn between making sure the prisoners were safe and making sure his new friend survive the collision, he decided one thing. He turned towards one of his employee who was supposed to fly the shuttle. "Take the shuttle and escape."
The man blinked and looked at him. "What about you, Mr. Winner?"
"Don't worry about me," he said, running towards the exit. "I'll find another way."
Without waiting for any protests, Quatre exited the hangar.
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Kylie pushed a debris that had fallen on top of her. Her body was sore all over and she felt as if she had just hit a running bullet train, head on. She was in verge of losing consciousness when she heard some running footsteps. She knew the aliens were approaching her location.
"Hey, big guy," she said assessing the damage. It looked like her prediction was right. Her Taurus won't be fighting anymore. It's a total wreck. "Still up for a final fight?" she asked. The Taurus seemed to acknowledge her question when the controls blinked alive.
She coughed. "Good," she said, grabbing the rifle under the seat. "Because it's not over until it's over." She took out something from a panel and pocketed it. Suddenly, she was being fired on. Kylie quickly leapt away from the line of fire and landed on the floor. She fired back, looking for a way out. But there was none. She was totally surrounded.
She took refuge behind a fallen piece from her Taurus. She fired at the aliens every time they tried to approach her. She knew that if she didn't find herself a way out from this situation soon, her plan would fail and she would most likely captured. But as she assessed the situation, she knew there was nothing she could do to put her plan in motion. She could hold off the aliens until she ran out of bullet but she will not let herself be taken prisoner by them.
When her rifle ran out of bullets, she realized that there was only one thing she could do.
"All of this for nothing, big guy," she said, glancing up. "It's been an honor fighting with you." She tried to swallow the lump in her throat. "Maybe it is appropriate that we die together."
She took out the Taurus' self-detonation remote switch and glanced at the incoming aliens. She leapt and kicked two of them and slammed into the third one, making him hit the ones behind him. Kylie dodged a fire and threw a punch at an alien. But still they kept coming.
Kylie smiled and showed them the self-detonation remote switch in her hands. The alien froze, unable to figure out what she had in mind. "Let's see if you can survive this," she said and pressed the button. Seeing the startled look on the aliens' face, Kylie decided on the most desperate thing. She threw the remote switch at them. The aliens jumped away from where the remote landed, giving Kylie the way she needed. As fast as lightning, she began to run.
Then the world exploded.
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When Quatre heard the explosion, he knew Kylie was somehow involved in it. He quickly ran towards where the explosion originated from and saw a crumpled body, lying lifeless in the hallway. Smoke and fires were starting the spread as Quatre struggled to get to the body, fearing that it could be Kylie.
It was. A sudden sadness overwhelmed him as he dropped onto his knees. A tear started to roll down his cheek when suddenly, the body coughed. "Kylie!" he cried, reaching for her. The girl winced. "Please, not so loud. I feel as if Notre Dame's bells were all ringing in my head," she said. Surprised by her first attempt at telling a joke, Quatre forgot to laugh.
"God, I'm so glad you're alive."
Kylie gritted her teeth as she tried to move. "I guess I am too. But couldn't say the same about my Taurus, though," she said. Quatre looked and saw pieces of her Taurus, burning. When he returned his gaze on her, Kylie's face was unreadable and a dangerous look flashed in her eyes.
"We better get out of here," he said, helping her up. But before they could move, they heard footsteps coming from both direction. "Too late," said Kylie.
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When the Taurus rammed into the slave ship, Heero, Trowa, K'Vai and K'Rin were surprised. Neither of them had anticipated what happened. Duo, who had just arrived with Noin and Sally could only watched as the slave ship burned.
"What happened?" asked Duo, clueless. "What did the crazy girl do now?"
"She sacrificed herself," said Trowa, noticing that a few shuttles were heading away from the slave ship.
"K'Rin, we must get back," said K'Vai. "This was totally unexpected."
With that the two Mican Warrior left, followed by their troopers. Heero stared at the inferno before him, wondering why Kylie had done it. Then, he felt something. A tiny hope. "No, she's still alive," he said. "She has a plan of her own."
"Should we go and rescue her?" asked Noin.
"And what?" asked Duo. "We don't know exactly where she is. And the slave ship is too far away for us. Even if we get there, we still have to get pass the alien fighters."
Heero nodded. "Duo's right. Kylie will find a way to escape. One way or the other." He paused. "Besides, we have to protect the fleeing shuttles from being recaptured by the aliens." Noticing that a few fighters had turned around to intercept the shuttles, Wing Zero headed towards them.
"I'm glad someone's agreed with me," Duo said, following Heero. Then noticed something. "Hey, where's Wu Fei?"
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Quatre and Kylie were transferred onto another slave ship as soon as they were chained. The aliens had been rough on them, especially Kylie since she caused a more damaging blow to the aliens. As they were taken to their cell, Quatre spared a glance at her. He noticed that Kylie was in a bad shape. She was limping, her right leg was burned and bleeding. She was favoring her right arm, a slightest movement caused her to gasp though she stifled it. And she looked pale and sweaty.
Seeing her condition made Quatre even more worried. He knew she was entering the state of shock from her injuries but there was nothing he could do for her until they stop. Then as they walked, he began to notice she began to sway. And her feet buckled under her.
"Kylie!" he called out, catching her before she hit the floor. He held her for a moment, only to be kicked by the guards. He cried out, painfully as the guards said, "Keep moving, slave."
Supporting Kylie, Quatre resumed his journey. Once in a while, Kylie tried to take the weight off him, knowing she couldn't depend on him alone but the pain won the battle. When they at last reached their cell, the alien guard pushed Quatre inside. He stumbled and dropped Kylie who groaned. He rushed to her side and propped her up against the wall.
He examined her wounds in the right leg as well as her right arm. Her wrist was bent in the wrong way and she cried in pain when he tried to move her arm. Her injuries told her that the explosion had impacted her right side badly. "Sorry about that," he apologized. "But I think you have a dislocated shoulder and a broken arm."
Suppressing pain, Kylie looked at him. "Set them right, then," she said, gritting her teeth.
"Me?"
"Your sister's a doctor, right? You must've learned something from her," she pointed out.
Quatre hesitated. He had learned a few first aids but never thought he would be using it now. Noticing how much pain she was suffering, he nodded. "Alright, I'll do it." He examined the arm and the wrist, trying to figure out which one he should attempt first. "I'll start with your shoulder, okay?"
"Just do it," she hissed, bracing herself for the incoming pain. Quatre put his left hand on her shoulder and the right on her arm. Saying a silent prayer, he tugged until he heard something snapped into place. Kylie cried from the searing pain and almost lost consciousness but she fought back the feeling.
"I'm sorry," said Quatre. "I should've said something."
Kylie was in no mood for nice words so she snapped. "I know it's going to hurt, Winner! So let's get this part over with."
"But are you sure you can go through that again?" As an answer, Kylie glared at him. The pain from the shoulder was subsiding but the pain in her wrist was numbing her every being. Realizing she rather suffer a great moment of pain rather than a long searing one, Quatre examined her wrist.
He then tugged until he heard a pop. Kylie screamed and went limp. Quatre quickly caught her in his arm and shook her. "Kylie!" he called out. But the former assassin was unconscious. Realizing that this wasn't over for her, Quatre gently placed her on the floor. He covered her with his jacket and tore his shirt to bind her wrist. Then he waited, wondering if she would survive this ordeal.
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The lounge was quiet as each of them was deep in thought. Heero, Trowa, Duo, Noin, Sally, Zechs and Dorothy had just learned from Lady Une that Quatre Winner wasn't in one of the escaped shuttles. Which meant, he's either on the shuttle that was recaptured or he had never left the slave ship. Heero thought it was the latter and a few minutes later a statement from a witness confirmed it. Quatre had turned around to check on the Taurus pilot.
Besides that, they were also surprised by the action Kylie took. Nobody had expected that, not even Heero though he did felt something strange the moment the girl went into the battlefield. Now, they prayed for their friends and hope they would somehow escape from the alien's grasp. Or at the very least, contact them so they could locate their whereabouts.
Trowa and Heero had also told the others where Wu Fei had gone to. Hearing that Wu Fei was facing the assassin all alone, Lady Une had volunteered to send back up. But Heero told her that Wu Fei could handle the assassin all by himself and that they shouldn't be worried about him. His main concern was that they're down with three Gundam pilots.
Suddenly, Heero started to walk away. Duo glanced up. "Hey, where you're going?"
"Break's over," he said. "There's no use for me sitting around here, moping. I'm going to prepare Wing Zero for the next battle." Then Zechs rose from his seat. "I'm coming with you. I'm being useless long enough," he said, looking at his broken arm.
Heero gave him a look that told him that he knew what he's up to. Then he and Zechs left the lounge. A second later, Duo yawned and stretched. "I think I better catch some zs. No telling when you can get enough sleep," he said and left. Then Lady Une, Noin and Sally left, leaving Trowa and Dorothy alone.
Trowa spared a glance at Dorothy. When she had heard Quatre and Kylie were captured, the girl had paled and almost dropped on her knees. By sheer will itself she tried to remain strong and calm but anxiety was clearly written on her beautiful face. As the others were talking, she had left the group to stand near the window, looking out and lost in her own thoughts.
Mixed feelings were raging inside Dorothy as she stared out the window. She heard the others talked but they were all just noises that she couldn't make out of. When she heard Quatre was on the colony, her whole world seemed to have fallen down and when Lady Une announced that he wasn't one of the escapees, Dorothy felt empty.
But now that the news had finally settled in, Dorothy felt fear. A sense of fear she had never felt before in her life. She feared for Quatre's safety and feared that he might be hurt or die. But most of all, she feared that she would never see him again. And that thought alone made her cold.
In her years, she had lost many important people in her life. She had lost her mother when she was small, then her father before she started to live with her grandfather, Duke Dermail. And when he and Treize were killed in battle, Dorothy had felt she lost everything. She felt her life empty and useless. But then Quatre appeared in her life, telling her to live. And she held on to his words until now.
But should she lost him now, would she be able to continue to live?
'Please be well,' she thought. 'I can't live without you, Quatre.'
Realizing what she had just thought, Dorothy was startled. What was she saying? Was she truly in need of his presence in her life? Is it true she can't live without him? When her heart answered yes to both questions, Dorothy realized something.
"I think I'm in love with him," she whispered as her thoughts became cleared. "My god, why didn't I see this coming?" A new feeling started to overwhelm her but it was extinguished by the thought that she might not be able to see him again. That alone gave her the most pain.
"Don't worry," said Trowa, walking towards her. Dorothy turned to him, wondering if she heard what she just said but his face didn't betray anything. He looked out into the stars. "Quatre is a very resourceful person and Kylie is one you cannot lock away for long. They will find a way to escape. Have faith in them," he said, as if trying to convince himself.
Dorothy nodded and returned her gaze on the outer space. "Come back to us, you two," she said but in her heart, she added, 'Come back to me, Quatre Raberba Winner.'
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Quatre woke up, as if hearing someone called his name. He looked down, to see if Kylie had been the one who called him but the girl was still out cold. He reached out to brush her hair from her forehead, only to yank his hand back. Fearing the worse, he felt her forehead again and this time he felt fire.
'Fever!' he thought, scrambling to his feet. The guards had come a few hours earlier, providing them with blankets, water and what looked like food. He had put a blanket on Kylie and took one to wrap himself with since he had lost his shirt. He also tried to force down some water down her throat and been watching her before dozing off.
He put his blanket around her, providing as much warmth as possible and used the remaining water to wipe her face with so her high temperature would go down. But still that wasn't enough. Quatre glanced around, hoping he could find something that could help her but realized there was none. And so he did the most desperate thing. He gathered Kylie into his arms, hoping his body could give her the warmth she needed. Occasionally, he would wiped her face with the cold water in his attempt to cool her down.
As he held her in his arm, Quatre looked around him. The people around him were all either asleep or too frightened to offer him any help. But Quatre understood their fear. He was feeling it himself. These people had been in one of the five shuttle he had helped to release. The aliens managed to intercept it and brought the prisoners to his cell, where they waited their fate to be decided. But Quatre was determined to find a way of escape for all of them so he could find proper help for Kylie.
Then somehow, in between the thoughts, Quatre found himself drifting off again.
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It's been three days since the assault on the L4 colony. There was still no sign of Quatre and Kylie or even Wu Fei. The aliens had attempted to take over a colony in L5 but three Gundams managed to keep the aliens at bay and after a day long battle, they returned to the Preventers headquarters, bone tired.
Zechs watched the three of them rested in the lounge. His heart went out to them. He wished he could fight with them but his arm refused to heal when he wanted to. Secretly, Zechs longed for a good battle and from what he had learned from Heero, the one called K'Rin had his name in her list and he want to see what she was all about.
He looked away, into the unseen. 'Don't worry, Epyon. Our time will come soon.'
Lady Une watched the young people in the room. She could almost feel the Gundam pilots' fatigue and emotional drainage at the loss of their friends. She could also feel Zechs' frustration at not being able to help the Gundams fight the enemy. Not only that, she could also feel Noin and Relena's pain at not being able to give comfort to their love ones. But she knew the Gundam pilots, she knew them well. Wu Fei would come back to them once he defeated the assassin. As for Quatre, he would find a way out somehow and Lady Une knew Kylie would make sure there is a way out. And when they were reunited, the team would be completed and they could take on the aliens anytime.
Suddenly the door slid open and a Preventers agent appeared. "Ma'am," he saluted at Lady Une. She rose to her feet, a little displeased by the intrusion. "What is it?" she asked as the agent scratched his head. "Well, there's someone to see the Gundam pilots," he said, stepping aside to reveal a pale-looking man of middle fifties.
He entered and began to look around. "Who are you?" Lady Une asked. To her surprise, the man waved her question away. "Who I am is none of your concern," he said, his voice rough. His gaze fell on the three Gundam pilots. "I am looking for one of you pilots," he said to them. He looked around the room again, as if still searching. "And I see that person isn't here."
Before any of them could ask who he meant, he walked up to Heero, who was standing near the door. He took out a big manila envelope from his coat. "So I guess I'll just have to entrust you with this," he said. Heero raised his right eyebrow, surprised. "Why give it to me?" he asked, staring at the man's face carefully.
The man stared back at him. A smile played across his lips. "Because I know you'll deliver it safely to that person," he said, turning away. When he was almost at the door, he looked back from his shoulder. "Read it, Heero Yuy. It concerns you too."
Duo, Trowa, Zechs, Relena, Lady Une, Noin and Sally looked at Heero, surprised. What was inside the envelope that had something to do with two of their Gundam pilots? And from the look on Heero's face, he too, was curious. They all then turned their gaze back towards the man to ask him what was inside the envelope only to discover that he was gone.
So, Heero opened the envelope carefully. Inside, there was a folder. He opened the folder and found a few sheet of papers inside. His curiosity peaked as he started to read through. What he read gave him the biggest shock in his life. "What!" he exclaimed, his voice surprisingly soft. "It… it can't be." His hands started to shake.
"Heero, what's wrong?" asked Relena, coming towards him. She had never seen him so upset. Heero, realizing that he had just betrayed his emotion in front of the others, quickly recomposed himself and shove the folder back into the envelope. He knew no one should see the contents of the folder before he decided what to do with it.
"Nothing," he said in his usual monotone voice. "It's none of your business." He turned to regard the others. "If there's anything, you can find me with Wing Zero."
The others watched him left. "Must have been some news," Duo remarked, attempting to lighten the mood. "Nah, don't worry about him. Heero was simply taken by surprise. He'll be fine once he brood around with Wing Zero."
Despite what he said to the others, Duo wasn't convinced at all. The look on Heero's face wasn't the look of surprise. It was pure shock and nothing had ever shocked Heero like this. Nothing. And even when Heero had returned to his usual tough demeanor, Duo could almost see the shock in his eyes. Something in the envelope had given Heero the first shock of his life. And the Great Destroyer wasn't going to dismiss it so lightly. He will find out what had shaken the unshaken Heero so much.
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Kylie opened her eyes and for a moment wondered where she was. The room was a little dark, filthy and cold. Remembering what happened, she pushed away the blanket off her and leaned against the wall. It was then she saw Quatre, sleeping beside her, hugging himself against the cold. She realized then he had made sure to keep her warm without considering his own need of warmth. Gently, as not to awaken him, she placed the blanket on him.
"He took care of ya," said a voice. She looked at the old man before her. "He did all the work. He was the one who took care of your leg and he nursed you until your fever broke. He worked on you tirelessly until there was no energy left in him. Poor lad."
Kylie nodded, noticing that her broken wrist was bound and the burns were healing slowly. Her shoulder was free of any pain though it was a little stiff. Overall, she's still alive. "Yeah, I guess he saved my life," she said, looking back at Quatre. He himself looked pale and tired. But even in his sleep, she knew he was having nightmares by the look at the creases on his forehead.
Gently, she brushed a lock of hair off his forehead. A warm feeling began to crept through her and she stopped. Two mixed feelings started to battle inside her but when Quatre suddenly opened his eyes, she returned to her usual demeanor. Cold.
"Hey, you're awake," he said, rising. For a moment Kylie looked away. "Yeah, that's what the old man over there told me. I guess I owe you my life," she said, not meeting his eyes. "Thanks for taking care of me."
Quatre smiled, looking like a proud little boy who had just saved a cat from a tree. "Anytime."
Then she rose to her feet. "Hey, what are you doing?" he asked, jumping onto his feet as well. "You're not strong enough to move." Kylie glanced at him. "I know what my body can do, Winner," she said, began to assess the cell. There were about twenty prisoners inside the cell and most of them seemed to have make themselves as comfortable as possible. Only a few who were still in shock at the prospect of being a slave to an alien race and the thought of not be able to see their home again. A few of them were young women but most of them were men. And the old man who spoke to her earlier seemed to be the oldest among them.
"What's your plan, Kylie?" asked Quatre, watching her examining the cell door.
Without looking at him, she answered, "Escape. We must get away from here."
He was surprised at her answer. He had planned to stay on the slave ship to find out more about the aliens so they could rescue those who were taken prisoner earlier. And he thought that that was Kylie's plan too. He knew that from the moment Kylie rammed the Taurus into the slave ship, she was executing some secret plan to save the prisoners.
Secretly, Kylie admitted that was her main plan. They had so little information about the aliens that she thought that if she could somehow board an alien ship, she could find out where these aliens came from and where they were taking the prisoners. And most of all, how did they get here so she could make sure that the aliens didn't have any back up fleet coming from their home world.
But now that Quatre Winner was here, she couldn't afford to jeopardize his life. The Gundams were the only hope for mankind and only Quatre could pilot Sandrock better than anyone. His survival was even more important to the fate of mankind than the prisoners and of course, her life.
"We need to get out of here," she said. "The others need us to defend Earth."
Realizing that what she was saying was true, Quatre nodded. Kylie glanced at him. "Try to find anything we can use as a weapon," she told him. He shrugged and shook his head. "Done that. The guards have taken everything that could be use as a weapon."
Frustration started to overwhelm her but still she kept her emotions at bay. She reexamined the cell door, hoping she would find a weak spot but she found nothing but sharp edges. She then moved towards the wall, examining it.
"Mr. Winner," said a voice. Quatre turned to look at the group of people in the far end of the cell. They were his employees, taken prisoners along with him. "What is it, Curtis?" he asked. The man showed him a deck of cards. "Would you and your lady care for a game of poker?"
Quatre smiled. Some people had a strange way in dealing with their current predicament and those men were a few of them. They would either play cards or tell each other stories just to get rid of the sense of helplessness in their hearts. He shook his head. "Thank you but I don't gamble," he said, glancing at Kylie to see if she was playing or not. But the girl had her eyes on the cards.
"Can I borrow that?" she said, grabbing the cards. The men looked at her, surprised and uncertain of her. "Sure, what kind of game do you have in mind?" Curtis asked, curiously. Kylie looked at him and shook her head. "I don't play but I promise you I'll give you a set of new ones once we get out of here."
Quatre came to her side. "What do you have in mind?"
"We can use this to escape," she said, walking back towards the cell door. They then saw her scraped the edge of the cards against the sharp edge on the door. "Treize taught me to use everything around me to my advantage," she explained. "These cards could be the only weapons we need."
Finally able to figure what she was planning, Quatre joined her. "You're right. If we can make the edge of the cards sharp enough, we could use it like a Japanese shuriken." Without further word, he helped her while the others watched the two planned their escape.
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Dorothy walked along the hallway, unable to sleep. It had been five days since Quatre and Kylie were captured and there was still no sign of them. Her hope of seeing them again were deteriorating every hour because each hour the two were onboard the slave ship, they would be approaching the alien's main fleet near Pluto. And too far away from them to receive any help.
But somehow, deep inside, she knew that the two were okay. That Quatre would return safely to her. Suddenly, she heard a noise in the hangar. Curious at who could be up this hour, Dorothy made her way towards it. She secretly hoped it would be Trowa. The Heavyarm pilot had proven to be quite an attentive listener as well as comfort.
To her disappointment it wasn't Trowa. It was Zechs… and something else. "What?" she gasped, seeing the towering figure next to Wing Zero. "That's impossible."
"It is possible. It's Epyon," said Zechs, looking up. "It survived the blast on Libra. After that, I fixed it and hid it, knowing that I would be needing it again." Dorothy stared at the red Gundam, its appearance was still as impressive as ever.
She turned to Zechs. "Does that mean?"
"Yes, I'm going to the battlefield," said Zechs. "My arm has healed and mankind need a pilot to compensate the ones it has lost." He paused. "Besides, Epyon had been calling to me. He wants to fight this war, just like you do."
Dorothy took a step back, surprised. "What do you mean?"
Zechs looked at her in the eye. "Fighting and wars were always in our blood, Dorothy. Which is why you love to see a battle so much. Your family was always involved in a war, one way or the other. And I know that right now you feel like fighting this enemy yourself. You just didn't know it yet."
Before she could say a thing, he walked away. "Follow me, Dorothy," he said, as she obeyed. They walked into the darkness, out of the hangar and into a series of hallway. He then brought her to an area she had never been before and led her towards a room. There, he entered a password on the keypad and the door swung open. He led her into another room and another hallway before finally stopped in front of a door.
"What you will see here would be just between the two of us for now," he said. "There are only a handful of people who knew what is beyond this door." He looked at her. "Do you understand?" When she nodded, he put his palm on the lock as the computer scanned it. Then the door slid open and they entered the dark room.
Zechs then walked over to what seemed like a console and pressed a button. Bright lights illuminate the room as she covered her eyes from the sudden brightness. When her eyesight recovered, she gasped. "What does this mean?" she asked him.
He looked at her. "It's for you to use when you're ready."
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Day seven. Quatre and Kylie had finally laid out their escape plan to the other prisoners. Both had watched and timed the guards' routines so they could use it to escape. The plan was simple. They would attack the moment the guard came to give their early morning meal, since the guard thought the humans would usually appear easier to handle when half asleep. The two planned to use that moment to attack the guard and ran towards the hangar and steal the shuttles.
Quatre even named some of his men to be the pilot of each shuttle because they need to do things swiftly and fast. "What are you going to do then, Mr. Winner?" one of them asked, softly. They agreed to speak softly as not to alert the guards of their plan.
He glanced at Kylie. "Don't worry. Kylie and I will be making sure that all prisoners are safely in the shuttle. Then we'll take a shuttle and made our escape," he answered, knowing he just can't leave Kylie alone to do any of her crazy stunts.
"Alright, we'll cooperate then," said the old man whom they came to know as Wilfred. He looked at the others. "Looks like we'll be going home." The rest of them nodded, excitedly. Each couldn't wait to leave the place.
Quatre nodded. "Let's just act normal for the time being. If the guards saw our excitement, they might think that we're planning something and will try to ruin it." He paused. "For now, we act as if we never heard of this plan and wait until Kylie and I give the signal."
They nodded and then returned to their places. Feeling the chill creeping back at him, he shivered. "Here, drink this," said one of the men Quatre didn't recognized. He extended a bottle towards him, which gave out a strong smell that made Quatre turned away.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Whisky," said the man. "I was keeping my body warm with it and it looks like you could use sip or two."
Quatre shook his head. "Thank you but no. I don't take alcohol," he said, gesturing at the blanket around him. "I think this blanket is sufficient enough for me." The man turned to Kylie, who was deep in thought. "What about you, young lady? You seemed to definitely need this," he said, wondering how she managed to bear the pain from her injuries.
"No. I need my head straight," she said. In all her life she never touched any form of alcoholic drinks. It was always her principle to keep her head clear from that sort of thing. Suddenly a thought came to her and she looked up at the man. "Do you mind if I use it for something else?" she asked. Unsure what to do, the man handed her the bottle. "You smoke, right?" she asked as the man nodded. "Give me your lighter."
After she acquired the items, she kept the bottle and the lighter under a blanket where they hid the cards. She then sat, without explaining her new plan. "What are you planning?" asked Quatre, curious. She looked at him. "Just watch. It's amazing how much these people managed to sneak in at the moment of great crisis."
"Well, sometimes excitement and danger could make people do crazy things," he said but his words were directed to her. If she knew who the statement was for, she didn't show it. Instead she sat there, watching the other prisoners fell asleep, one by one. Soon, the two of them were the only ones awake.
"That night at the New Year's ball, when the first assassin tried to kill me," said Quatre, breaking the silence. "You did saved me, didn't you?" he asked, looking at her. Kylie though startled by the topic, nodded.
"Yeah. Heero was suppose to get the assassin before he hit you. But somehow he got passed Heero and took a shot at you," she answered. "I saw the assassin's reflection on the ice sculpture and knew that he got by Heero. But I couldn't reveal my identity at so early stage and so I purposely spilled my drinks on you." She looked at him. "I apologize for that."
"No, it was okay."
Kylie frowned. "But I totally did not expect the second shot. He must have been aiming at you for the second shot before Heero finally got him," she said, shaking her head. "He was really good. Wish it was me who took him down."
"And the restaurant when we had lunch with Winteridge, Vincent and Relena? You went to the ladies. Were you out there stopping the assassin?"
"No and yes," she said. "I was dropping off the warning letter in a tray. When the assassin took a shot at you, I ran out to give Heero a hand. Then I returned so none of you would notice I was gone for a long time."
Quatre nodded. "I see. So the letters and flowers were your doing." When she didn't answer, they lapsed into deep silence once again. "Kylie?" he said a few minutes later. She looked at him, her eyebrow raised. "What is it?"
"How did you escape the explosion? It should have killed you."
For a moment, something dark flashed in her eyes but then it was quickly gone as she looked away. "Can't wait to get rid of me, can you?" she said. Quatre opened his mouth to explain that it wasn't his attention when a tiny smile played at the corner of her lips, telling him she was just kidding. She answered, "When I was about to climb into the car, I saw a set of footprints that didn't belong to mine on the curb. I checked under the car and saw the explosive device. But I guess I wasn't running away fast enough to avoid the shockwave."
"I see," said Quatre, deep in thought. "Just out of curiosity, who taught you to be an assassin?" he asked. Kylie was surprised by his question. Most people thought Treize had been the one who taught her everything but Quatre Winner managed to figure out one thing that the others were only able to accept or speculate.
"An old assassin," she said. "He was retiring from the business when I convinced him to teach everything he knew. He was one of the best around." She paused. "Treize taught me all the basics of being a perfect soldier but this man taught me everything there is to be an assassin. It took me only a few months to acquire all the skills and knowledge as well as the right motivation to went through it."
"Motivation?"
She looked at him. "Yeah, to kill you Gundam pilots." She looked up as the memory started to replay. "Amy never knew I went through the training. She was so concerned about being in the band." She paused. "Whenever I had a free time I would go and train with the assassin until I find my skills surpassing his."
"What happen to him then?"
Kylie glanced at him and shrugged. "I killed him. Retirement for an assassin means death. And I gave him that as a token of my gratitude." She then yawned. "Better get some rest, Winner. We have to be ready for anything." She lie down on the floor and covered her body with the blanket. In an instant, she was asleep.
Quatre watched her, troubled at what he had just heard. 'Is that how you judge your life, Kylie? Is that why you always threw yourself at the feet of death?' he thought. 'That is so sad. You're living your life under the pretense that your life worth nothing more than a pile of trash. Discarded and easily forgotten.'
That made him even sadder. He didn't know why she always brought out this sort of feeling from him but Quatre was determined to show her that her life was as precious as anyone else's in this universe. That there's more to life than just life and death. And his determination brought a warm feeling inside him that he smiled when he fell asleep.
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The battle was tensed. Without Kylie, Heero had to face the twins alone. But luckily, something else happened and Zechs' Epyon joined the battle, taking on K'Rin. "I heard you were waiting for me," said Zechs to the female Mican Warrior.
"Zechs Merquise or rather known as Milliardo Peacecraft, a pleasure to meet you at last," said K'Rin. "Your skills and actions intrigued me. You lived your early life as a very noble soldier but in the end, you did the most terrible thing by killing more than you should."
Zechs was startled at how much she knew about him. A sudden thought flashed in his mind but he quickly turned his attention back to the battle. "What should I call you now, he-who-have-two-names?" she prompted.
"Call me Zechs Merquise. I've abandoned my real name ever since he died on Libra," he said. K'Rin nodded, a gesture Zechs was expecting. "So, Treize Khushrenada wasn't the only one who died that day. Very well, the name Zechs Merquise will be the one I shall carve on my Trophy of Triumph when I defeated you."
"Then let me warn you, lady that I'm not easily defeated," he said, swung his beam saber in which K'Rin blocked. She laughed. "So it seems, Zechs Merquise. So it seems."
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After a week of tracking her down, he finally found her. He saw her walking among the crowd and then slipped into an alley. Quickly and silently, Wu Fei entered the alley only to find her waiting for him. She was about Kylie's height though her proud demeanor made her seemed taller. Her long hair was blue black, shining beautifully under the glare of the artificial sun. Wu Fei couldn't see her eyes because of the shades but her face looked strangely familiar.
"So, you're still following me," she said, her voice surprisingly soft.
Wu Fei glared at her. "Who are you and why were you trying to kill Quatre Winner?" he asked.
"You're mistaken, Chang Wu Fei," she said. "I was sent not only to kill Mr. Winner but to kill all you Gundam pilots as well."
"What!" he exclaimed, surprised. "Who hired you?" he asked as his mind searched for names.
She shook her head. "I wasn't hired by anyone. I was sent here to destroy you pilots and anyone who have the potential of threatening the Warleader's mission," she said, reaching for her shade.
"Warleader? You mean, you're…"
She took off her sunglasses, revealing a pair of totally dark eyes. But that wasn't what surprised Wu Fei. It was her face. She looked exactly like his late wife. "Long Meirang," he involuntarily whispered. The alien frowned at that. "My name is Mylin. And I will destroy you now."
'No, she's not my wife,' he thought, shaking himself out from reverie. Then, he saw her coming at him with a dagger in her hand. He quickly spun away from the tip of the dagger. 'She's my enemy,' he told himself as the combat resumed.
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Despite having Zechs joining the battle, the Gundam pilots were still outnumbered. Warleader Varishk had decided to send all his Mican Warrior to make sure the Collectors would be able to capture as many prisoners from Sector T 67 LaGrange Point 4 as possible. As it stood, the Gundams were barely able to defend themselves against the Mican Warrior, their troopers as well as the alien fighters. Noin and her team of Preventer agents couldn't even get close to the colony to help the civilians.
Duo fought like mad. Since Quatre wasn't with them, Keil'n decided to team up with S'Irai, quite a tough combination. Trowa was also forced to take in Trec'na and Con'trai but he was doing a lot better than Duo. The Deathscythe pilot then managed a glance at Heero and Zechs in between the combat.
Despite meeting K'Rin for the first time, Zechs seemed to be doing good. He managed to avoid K'Rin's every tricks and on occasions managed to hit her with his chain. Heero, on the other hand, was equally matched with K'Vai, having the Zero System to guide him. He fought K'Vai and at the same time managed to destroy some of the Mican trooper and alien fighters near him, making him more of a target to the aliens.
Suddenly Duo sensed something as he quickly brought Deathscythe down, barely avoided a stray of missiles coming from Keil'n's suit. But as he did so, he failed to notice S'Irai throwing a blow from his staff. Deathscythe was hit as Duo was thrown forward. A second later, Duo looked up, a dangerous look on his face. "Now you really angered the Great Destroyer."
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Wu Fei leapt as Mylin thrust the dagger into where he was standing. He then twisted his body and lashed out with his feet, hitting her hand. The dagger skittered on the road and she flexed her numb hand. She glared at him as Wu Fei put on a kung fu stance. In the distant, the news screen was reporting the news of the current battle. He ignored the news presenter when suddenly he heard his name was called.
"I repeat, would Preventer agent Earth, please report to the headquarters right now?" said the female presenter, relaying the head of Preventers' message. Wu Fei stared at the image before him, seeing the battle at the first time. He saw his friends and comrades in the battle, clearly outnumbered.
He then turned to Mylin. "I have to go. This isn't over yet." He then ran towards the hangar where he kept his Gundam. She picked up her dagger and watched him go. "Count on it, Chang Wu Fei. I'll be waiting for you."
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"This is intense, we'll never get to the colony." Duo gritted his teeth, still trying to break away from S'Irai and Keil'n. But the two wouldn't even let him get an inch away from them. And the worse thing was that the Collectors were returning to its fleet, carrying perhaps thousands of the colonists living on the colony. "We need help. We need a miracle!"
"Somebody called for a miracle?" Suddenly Keil'n's suit was hit by something. A second later, something blue flew overhead and Duo cheered. "Wu Fei, my man. Do you have to cut things very close?" he said as Keil'n recovered and faced Wu Fei.
"I took a little detour to get here. Sorry I was late," he said. Then his face hardened as he regarded the Mican Warrior. "I am Wu Fei. You will suffer the wrath of Nataku." And with that, he engaged combat with Keil'n.
With Wu Fei's appearance in the battle, the balance between the two equalized but still, none of the Gundams could get near enough to rescue the prisoners. Each time they broke free from their respective opponents, they would still need to face the Mican Trooper as well as the alien fighters. They needed to create a strategy but the person who had enough creativity to create a strategy wasn't with them right then.
So, in the end, they only managed to rescue one slave ship through Trowa's clever plan of distracting the warriors long enough for Duo's high speed Gundam to intercept the last slave ship. He and Wu Fei took the initiative to face S'Irai, Keil'n, Trec'na and Con'trai with the help of Noin's Preventer troops, handling the troopers and the alien fighters. Shortly after that, the aliens withdrew having captured a satisfying number of slaves although losing one slave ship.
"Brother, there's one thing I noticed about them today," said K'Rin to K'Vai. He glanced at her suit. "What is it, sister?" he asked, curious. K'Rin bit her lips. "They seemed to be improving. And you know what could happen next, don't you?"
K'Vai thought about his answer before he said it. "I know. They might decide to even the odds." He paused. "That might be challenging enough for us but you know we will come out as the victor."
Not doubting his words, K'Rin nodded.
Tired, the Gundam only managed to watch them go. "Let's go back," said Heero. He was very disappointed that even with the Zero system on, he still couldn't rescue the prisoners. And inside Epyon, Zechs was feeling the same too. While he was impressed by the skills K'Rin had showed, he was angry at his incompetence as a pilot. Silently, he vowed to rescue all the prisoners no matter what it took.
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Again, silence loomed in the Preventers' lounge. The Gundam pilots purposely let the engineers made repairs to their Gundams so they could have a moment alone by themselves. But once they were in the room, all of them fell into a long and deep silence.
Wu Fei studied the faces of his comrade. Already he longed to leave the headquarters and find Mylin so he could kill her. He knew that as long as she was out there, she would pose a threat to them. Her presence among the humans was like having a mine field in your backyard. But he knew that right now, his friends needed him. And only then he noticed why.
"Where's Quatre and Kylie?" he asked, surprised that the two wasn't with them.
Trowa shifted his gaze from the floor to the window. "They're captured in a battle a week ago. We haven't heard from them since." His voice was calm but Wu Fei could detect a distinctive anxiety in his voice. Trowa Barton was worried. Really worried.
"Man, what it takes to get rid of these aliens?" said Duo, expressing his frustration. "Even with Zechs in our team, we're still losing." He shook his head. "We're so weak it makes me sick."
"In my opinion, Zechs and Heero aren't the problem," said Trowa, surprising Heero and Duo. Zechs, Dorothy and Lady Une, who had joined them in the lounge were also wearing the same surprise look. "With the Zero system, they can actually defeat the Mican Warrior anytime." Trowa shook his head. "No, the problem mainly concerns us and Quatre."
"What do you mean?" asked Duo.
Trowa looked at both Heero and Zechs. "While I was fighting Trec'na and Con'trai, I managed to watch you two fight. For many times, you had the opportunity to defeat the two but something else was holding you back. Especially you, Heero."
Heero was startled. He hadn't expected that.
"We're the ones holding you back," said Trowa. "Wu Fei, Duo, Quatre, me and even Kylie." He nodded at Zechs. "And Noin and her Preventer agents. Every time you found an opening to destroy K'Vai and K'Rin, you use it to destroy the other Mican Troopers and alien fighters before they could get close to us. You were worried that they would put a strain in our defenses."
He looked at them. "We are all Gundam pilots. We fought for peace for three years and now we're the only hope for the survival of the human race. Quatre's capture proved to us that we can't afford to lose anyone in this war. We all need each other because we're the only ones capable of stopping this madness."
"What do you propose then?" asked Zechs, interested to know what the silent pilot had to say.
Trowa looked at Heero. "We need something to make us competent pilots."
"What?" said Duo. "Aren't we competent enough?"
He shook his head. "Against any human pilot, we are superior but against the aliens, we're not even close."
It was then Wu Fei realized what he was saying. He turned to Heero. "Do you think it's possible to duplicate and install the system in our suits?" he asked Heero, who was looking at Trowa thoughtfully. Duo, finally realizing what they meant, jumped to his feet.
"No. You guys are not thinking of using the Zero system," he said, fear was clearly written on his face. The first time he had tried the system, he had vowed never to use it ever again. He was afraid that if he used it, he would lose control and destroy everyone at sight as what was shown to him by the system three years ago.
Heero, ignoring Duo's outburst, looked at Trowa and Wu Fei. He nodded. "Howard's already into it."
"Howard? He's here?" said Duo.
"Yeah, he just came." Heero then walked to the exit and stopped. "Truthfully, the Zero system might not be enough to beat them."
Trowa nodded. "Yeah, but we could at least damage them."
Heero looked at him and then gave him a nod. "I'll make sure Howard install the system in each suit, including the Sandrock."
"No way," said Duo. "There's no way I'm going to use that system."
Zechs stood and joined Heero at the door. "In that case, prepare to die, Maxwell. This war is for those who are strong. Weaklings like you would just get in the way." With that, he and Heero left the room. Duo looked at Trowa and Wu Fei.
"He's right," said Wu Fei before Duo could say a thing. "You would just get in our way."
Then, he and Trowa left the room. Duo slumped on the seat and buried his head in his hands. Lady Une and Dorothy could see him, shaking a little. 'I have a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling,' he thought, as images from the past started to come back. He had nearly destroy a colony Hilde was on because of the system. And Quatre had destroyed a colony or two because of it and had nightmares from it until this day on. Duo didn't want to suffer like Quatre did. He didn't want to be responsible for killing thousands of innocent life.
He was so deep in his thoughts, that he failed to hear Dorothy ran out from the room, leaving Lady Une to offer him as much companionship as possible.
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The sound of running footsteps stopped Trowa and Wu Fei in their tracks. They turned to see Dorothy, running towards them. Once she caught up to them, she looked at Trowa. "Are you really going to use the Zero system?" she asked him, her face serious.
He nodded. "Yes, it's the only way we can fight these aliens."
"And are you going to force Quatre to use it?" she asked. "You know better than anyone here how he suffered from it. How it nearly destroyed his life? Will you have the strength to tell him that he has to use the system and see it destroy him every time he use it?"
"I take my leave now," said Wu Fei, sparing her a glance. "This is clearly not my business."
Trowa watched him go and turned to answer Dorothy questions. "I won't force Quatre into doing things that he doesn't want to. But you know he might not have much choice in this matter." Seeing her opened her mouth, he held up his hand. "I would never force him to do things, Dorothy. I care for him more than I care for myself. That choice is entirely up to him."
As he started walking away, Dorothy finally saw the weariness in his steps and realized that he too felt the burden and the pain from being the last hope for mankind. It was then she realized, that he wasn't as strong as he appeared to be. He was actually as weak and human as the rest of them. "Trowa," she called out, softly. "Could you tell me if you could force yourself to use the system?"
For a moment Trowa was silent. He then turned to her and she saw a trace of fear in his eyes. "I have to, Dorothy. I have no choice." He paused. "There are so many people I want to protect." With that, he walked away, leaving her to wonder over this new side of him.
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Duo entered the Preventers' living quarters. He was passing Heero's quarters when he suddenly stopped. He wanted to talk to Heero alone but when the door slid open, Heero's room was empty. He half expected Heero's puppy to give him a growling welcome since Adin seemed to take a dislike of him but there was no sign of the puppy. Thinking that the puppy was with Heero at the hangar, Duo turned around only to catch something at the corner of his eyes.
On a table near a computer terminal, there was a familiar manila envelope. Duo walked towards it, only to discover it was the same envelope that was given to Heero by the strange man. Realizing that Heero hadn't said anything about it to Wu Fei, Duo speculated that it could be for Quatre instead.
Curiosity won him over, he took out the folder inside the envelope and opened it. Inside, he saw Heero's medical reports. "What's with this?" he wondered as he read through the reports. But it wasn't until he read the second set of papers that he found out what had shocked his friend so much.
"Whoa… this can't be," he said, nearly dropping the papers. So shock he was that Duo paled. "This is impossible," was all he managed to say. His head spinning as he tried to digest this new information. 'But it does make sense, in a way,' his thoughts told him. 'It answered so many questions.'
He slipped the folder back inside and placed the envelope exactly where he took it. He then exited the room and entered his quarters. He sat on his bunk and glanced at the empty bunk next to his. That envelope wasn't meant for Quatre after all. Again, he tried to process the shocking revelation, hoping it was just another dream or a nightmare. But to his dismay, it wasn't.
So he decided to say it to himself. To hear if it was really true. "Heero and Kylie are actually twins!"
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Kylie's eyes snapped open. Somehow, something jarred her awake. She glanced at those in the cell with her. Most of them were still awake, looking at her as if waiting for something. The air radiated excitement as well as danger, making them hard to go to sleep. Slowly, Kylie pushed herself up with her left elbow.
Next to her, Quatre stirred and pushed himself up too. "What is it?" he asked, concerned. "Is your wrist giving you trouble?"
She glanced at the wrist. Surprisingly, two days ago, the wrist had started to swollen, indicating that it needed immediate attention. Quatre had done all he could do with the little resources he had but even he can't get rid of the throbbing pain, which was occasionally searing.
Deciding to ignore the pain, she shook her head. "No, it's not the pain," she answered. "Were you able to sleep?"
"Not exactly," he said. "Why?"
Kylie nodded at the other prisoners. "They can't either. It's time."
Quatre looked at her, astonished. Then, he felt the growing excitement in the air and within himself. He turned to look at the other prisoners and nodded. "Get ready, everybody. We're getting out of this place," he said as they nodded. Kylie made the necessary preparation as Quatre placed the prisoners in their strategic places. According to the plan, he and Kylie would be the ones near the door so they could attack the guard. The others will stay at the far end of the cell to give them room to fight if the need should come.
"They're ready," he said to Kylie as they stationed themselves near the door. She nodded and shifted her hold on the makeshift shuriken in her left hand. Quatre nodded at her left hand doubtfully. "Are you sure you could throw them with your left hand?"
As his answer, Kylie threw a card. It planted solidly into the metal door without making any noise. Some of the prisoners gasped at the speed of her wrist others looked on in awe. She took another card inside her pocket and turned to Quatre. "A good soldier is always able to use his left hand as well as he uses his right. Treize taught me how to train my left hand to be as useful as my right so that I won't be caught at a disadvantage should my right hand is rendered useless."
"I see," said Quatre. "That's a good skill to adopt."
They waited silently. "Once we broke the other prisoners free, we need on person to lead them to the hangar and another to hold off the guards," she whispered, watching the door carefully. "I want you to lead them, Quatre," she said. "They seemed to take your every orders well."
Before he could say a thing, there was a noise and the cell door slid open. Kylie's wrist flicked and a card struck the alien's neck as blood spurted. The alien dropped the tray he was holding and screamed. But the sound that came out was a gurgling sound.
More guards came as Quatre pushed down the first one and took his weapon. He leapt above the fallen guard to deal with the ones in the hallway but as soon as he saw the big blaster in their hands, he raised his arm. Suddenly, a flash of red leapt before him as the guard in front was drenched with the contents of a bottle. Kylie gave the aliens a very nasty smile as she took out the lighter.
The aliens looked at each other, not able to figure out her plan. But when the drenched guard saw the fire appeared from the lighter, his face turned to one of horror as he raised his blaster to shoot her. But with a spinning kick, Kylie managed to knock the blaster away and threw the lighter at him.
With a whoosh, the guards were on fire. The other guards tried to help him and at the same time trying to get a hold of the two prisoners but Kylie gave the burning guard a hard kick. He toppled and fell on top of his fellow comrades as some of them caught on fire as well. Quatre then finished the other remaining guards, half surprised by what happened and half disturbed by her actions. He had never thought she could be so heartless.
Kylie turned to him. "The other guards are coming. Go and free the other prisoners," she said, as she picked up the fallen rifle. "Get them to the hangar and get out of here." She turned her attention on the other end of the hallway. "I'll hold them off."
Quatre glanced back, to see that the other prisoners were helping the others out of their cell. He looked back at Kylie who had leapt over the burning bodies and was standing inside the next hallway. "Kylie!" he called out. "We must escape."
She turned back to him. "Go," she said. "I'll catch up with you."
"Mr. Winner!" one of his employee called. Quatre looked back at them to see that all the prisoners were released and looking at him. They were all waiting for his next orders. Torn between helping out Kylie and getting the prisoners to safety, he spared a last glance at Kylie who was throwing the sharp-edged cards indicating the guards were already there.
"Go!" she growled, raising the rifle. He nodded and turned to the prisoners. "Come on, this way."
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Kylie waited until the others were gone from the detention hall. She then counted until sixty to give them one minute head start before she unleashed her plan. Shots rained from both side of the other hallway as she was forced to retreat back into the detention hall and made her stand there. Once her count reached seventy, she ceased her firing and ran towards the other end of the hallway, where the others had disappeared to.
She looked to her right, where Quatre had led the prisoners into and looked back. The alien guards were making their way into the detention hall, quickly but cautiously, fearing it could be a trap. Once she saw one of them poked his head into the hall, Kylie pulled the trigger, blowing his head off.
She then entered the hallway to her left, knowing that she had to lead the aliens away from the others and at the same time, get whatever she was searching for. Her only hope was that Quatre would follow her orders and get out with the others.
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Quatre and the others finally reached the hangar without any trouble. Quickly, he supervised the boarding, making sure that the prisoners were equally divided in each shuttle just to avoid overloading. The pilots he had chosen to pilot the shuttles were already in the cockpit, figuring out how to fly the unfamiliar shuttle and some had already brought the shuttles alive.
As the last prisoner boarded the shuttle, Quatre's gaze turned back towards the entrance, waiting for Kylie. "She isn't coming," said the old man, Wilfred. He stood next to Quatre. "When she told you to go, I could see in her eyes that she was staying on this ship."
"What!" said Quatre. Suddenly, the ship shook as they heard an explosion coming from somewhere in the ship. His eyes widened as he realized something. The scene was all too similar to the incident a few days ago!
"I have to stop her," he said, started to make his way back.
The old man quickly pulled his arm. "No! You must come with us," he said. "That's what she told me to do."
"She told you?" he chorused, disbelief. Then he remembered what she said about being an assassin. What she said about death being her permanent retirement. "No, she can't be planning to destroy herself."
"She is, lad," said the man, nodding sadly. "She's one brave lass."
Quatre frowned. "Well, I'm not going to let her," he said, his voice sounded different somehow. "I'm going to help her see her life's worth something. Even if I had to get myself killed for it."
Shaking his head, the old man released his hold. "I guess you should think like that, lad," he said, as if knowing something that Quatre don't. Wilfred looked at him. "You're a Gundam pilot aren't you?" he whispered. Surprised, Quatre looked at him.
"How did you know?"
"Only a Gundam pilot have enough sense not to leave a fellow comrade to die," he said. "Your hearts are too pure and too kind to let that happen." He looked at Quatre and smiled. "Get her back safely, lad. You would be lost without her in your life."
Not knowing what the old man meant, Quatre nodded and told his pilots to take off. When they were all out of the hangar, he turned and ran back into the hallway, back into the chaos.
TO BE CONTINUED…
