* * * *
Trev bowed his head towards the desk in frustration; he was getting absolutely nowhere. The computer seemed to throw him into an endless loop, the same that had annoyed Heero earlier - although he had no way of knowing that. He stood and stretched, rubbing his eyes. Retrieving his pack, he started for the exit. No help here.
He almost made it out. The flash of an OZ uniform caught his attention and his arm. He eyed the officer warily, preparing mentally to make a break for it if the opportunity presented itself. The girl seemed to grin in satisfaction.
"I've caught you at last."
Trev looked bewildered at that. "Huh?"
"Don't play dumb with me, I know you've been trying to hack into our database."
He looked even more bewildered. But, I just got here a half hour ago. How could she know that I was hacking into their system. I wasn't on for very long. His eyes narrowed as he forced his thoughts to calm down.
"And IF I was trying to hack in, what crime did I commit, pray tell? If I'm the one you're searching for, why have did I only arrive here a half hour ago? And why is it that the computer logs show history as the last files to be opened? I know the last one is easy to do, but still, how could I have even scratched the surface of your network in a half hour?"
The officer shook her head in bewilderment. Trev pressed his advantage. "Ask the librarian, she can tell you. Or maybe you'd like to look through my bag. Feel free." He shoved his pack at her.
TJ was stunned. Never in her career had she ever had to deal with kids like this. These last two were way too assured of themselves, almost like they ran into OZ accusations every day. And they seemed to have a solid alibi - whether they talked, or not. Slowly she released her grip on the boy's arm and took his bag from him. She opened all the zippers and sifted through the compartments, dumping the contents on the table.
Nothing. Just what you would expect from a kid doing his homework. A portable game, notepads, pens, books. Nothing dealing with terrorism or computers. Like he would have let her search it if it did contain incriminating evidence. Sighing she handed him the pack, then searched through the pockets and lining of his jacket. Still nothing.
"Fine. Just try to keep out of the wrong place at the wrong time." TJ stated dully. She turned on her heel and prepared to leave.
"Thanks."
The single word caught her off gaurd and she stared at the kid as he exited the building, leaving her open mouthed.
* * * * * * * *
TJ sat in her room, staring blankly at the starlit sky that showed through her window. Heero had departed quietly and no one really knew when. The other kid had never gotten to the base. Both however seemed similar in some respects, although much different in many others. She pondered as she stared vacantly; What is it?
Sighing, she broke her gaze at the sky to stand and stretch. Maybe a breath of fresh air would help her untangle the intricacies of thoughts and feelings. Feelings? No; When would she have time to develop feelings for such uncomprehendable youths? She reached for the doorknob and opened the door. Still as she walked, the thought bothered her; was she falling for some kid, someone not even in the military?
A shadow caught her eye and drew her from her thoughts. Quickly she focused on it as it slipped around a corner. Rushing into her apartment, she threw on some civvies - she was off duty- and hurried to investigate, not stopping to think of how foolish it would probably be.
* * * * * * * *
Blood. Sweat. Darkness.
He felt them all as he moved along the passage. He hadn't meant to blow the place when he first arrived, and he didn't have many explosives - just enough to blow a few doors - but that was beside the point. Those he'd come to save were dead. His mind still reviewed the unpleasant memories of the past hour.
His body was still wet with perspiration from the effort that it had taken him to crawl through the ventilation shaft. Panting silently, he surveyed the area beneath him, listening for any sound that would betray a guard to him. He'd just prepared to climb down when THEY came. They were arguing as they exited a cell.
"It's not right; it's not what I'm fighting for."
Grim was the reply. "You don't have a choice, so shut up!"
"But we shouldn't murder prisoners. If they are worthy of death, then we should take them out and execute them. You disgust me." The voice continued. "They were brave; I wish I could join them."
A shot rang out and the thud of a body hitting the floor followed. "Then do so." Cruel words from a cruel man. The boy dropped lightly from the air shaft, landing in a low crouch. Stealthily he worked his way to the corner and peered around it. What he saw made him sick.
The young man shuddered at the remembrance. Blood was all over the hall floor; and the knife - he shut out the memory.
The guard had thrown the now mutilated corpse of his comrade into the cell behind him. His radio crackled to life, and he stopped wiping his hands off to answer. "Yes?"
"How's it going?" He laughed, "Went real good, REAL good. Lost Stevens though, he turned traitor on us."
The other voice was silent for a moment. "Alright, we'll send you a replacement for him."
The guard turned down the volume and returned the radio to his belt. He turned towards the cell, "Rip, rip, rip!" he chucked. Trev slipped out of hiding and drew his gun; he didn't have much time. Walking up behind the man, he tapped him on the shoulder. The guard turned, and had only a split second realisation that the shadow in front of him was an enemy before a shot sounded, ending his life. Trev looked away in disgust, and turned to the cell the guards had exited before their altercation. What he saw next was burned into his mind.
The state of the corpses in the room...he shuddered in disgust and tried to think of anything else. Focus; focus on the job at hand. Have to blow up this place!
He slipped into an empty room to look at the floorplan of the base he had managed to get his hands on.
* * * * * * * *
Heero took a moment to view the area outside his ventilation shaft. His gaze fell over the entire open space, hand ever near the ever present gun he carried. His infiltration of this base had gone without a hitch so far, although that was nothing unusual for the "Perfect Soldier". He smirked; this base of fanatical, elite OZ units had been simple to penetrate beyond the outer defenses. The guards were probably sitting secure in their inpenetrable security system.
Well, it would be their loss. They would still be thinking themselves impregnable when they blew up, let them enjoy the delusion while the can. He dropped out of the air shaft and landed lightly on the floor below. Carefully he adjusted the straps of the pack that contained the explosives that he planned to plant inside the building.
Moving with practiced ease down the deserted halway, he soon came upon a large open area filled with mobile suits in various states of repair. As he passed by one suit, he became aware of a dark shadow creeping in his direction. He froze, then dropped slowly to the floor and crawled around the leg of the Leo that was behind him. The other shadow continued on, unaware of his presence until a bullet ripped through his side.
Heero trained his gun in the direction of the fallen soldier. Slowly he approached, eyes narrowed, senses alert to any movement. The silencer on his gun had kept the shot from being heard, so he knew he had hit his enemy, but it was never wise to underestimate any opponent. As he neared, he noted that the figure was dressed all in black, similar to himself. As he reached out to feel for a pulse, the lights snapped on. He whirled and trained his gun on the girl who stood at the wall at the far end.
TJ immediately dropped to the floor and covered her head with her hands. She totally forgot about the gun she had strapped to her side, her mind in turmoil. The two boys she had interrogated today were inside the base. Why? Were they with the resistance movements or terrorists? She couldn't tell, and fear gripped her heart. She knew that she would die today.
Heero watched TJ shaking with dispassionate gaze. Still keeping her covered, he turned the body at his feet over. Raising his eyebrow in suprise, he noted that the boy beneath him, although not much older than him, was still alive. His face was ashen, and he seemed to be unconcious. Heero walked over to the girl and took her gun, stuffing it into his belt. "Get up." He growled in a low tone.
TJ shook as she stood, eyes tightly closed, awaiting her fate. She felt a gun nudge her forward. "Move girl." She moved in the direction of the boy on the floor. Heero opened his pack and took out a clean pad. "Hold this on his side." TJ took the cloth gingerly and pressed it tightly to the wound.
Heero picked up the boy's pack and opened it. It contained medical supplies and explosives, besides extra clips for the gun the boy was wearing. Not usual fare for OZ. They usually don't carry explosives in their own base. Heero glared at the girl. "Is he OZ?" TJ shook her head, her gaze fixed on the cloth she held that was slowly becoming soaked with blood. "No, I caught him at the library today. I thought he was trying to access the database for the base, but he had an alibi, like you did."
The boy began to move feebly and moaned. His lips began to whisper and TJ leaned close to catch the words. Her eyes grew wide. His cousin was murdered? Heero grabbed her shoulder, jerking her around to face him. She winced at the pain in her shoulder and looked fearfully at the silent terror in front of her. "Get him out of here, and I'll spare you." She nodded quickly. He spun around, and emptied the explosives into his pack, then handed her the one that now contained only medical supplies. "You have fifteen minutes to exit the base." He hurried off.
A low moan brought her attention back to her patient.
He was waking up. He winced as he came fully awake. TJ put down the pack
and drew out a long bandage, and a clean dressing, applying the dressing
to the wound, and holding it there. "Can you help me? I need to wrap the
wound to keep the dressing on it." He nodded, and sat up, holding the dressing
in place while TJ wrapped the banage around his side and tied it off. Wearily,
she picked up the pack. "Can you stand? We have to get out of here."
* * * *
Trev gritted his teeth and tried to stand. It took the help of the girl in front of him to get him up and keep him stable. Slowly they made their way through the hanger to the suit nearest the outer door. There they paused, and TJ left Trev leaning against the leg of the Aries suit that stood in front of the door. She climbed up the service stairway to the balcony above and entered the suit, activating the system. Interfacing the operating system, she typed in two commands and then used the cable to descend rapidly to her charge. If everything went right, the suit would provide the distraction necessary to allow them to leave the base unnoticed. She dragged Trev over to the armored truck that sat in the hanger.
Helping him into the passenger side, she ran around
and climbed in, turning on the engine. As she shut her door, she saw the
Aries suit lift it's beam rifle and blast a hole in the door. Then it marched
out of the hanger, suprising the guards patrolling outside. TJ took the
chance and floored it. The truck barrelled outside, heading for the gate
to the base.
* * * *
Heero slipped into the power generating room for the base. The technicians on duty never noticed when he slipped inside, and never even looked twice as he set the charges around the generators. He slipped out and raced for the north end of the base. It contained a hanger with fully operational suits. Running through the darkened halls, he tripped over the body lying on the floor. Turning away in disgust, he glanced into the dimly lit interior of the cell beside him and his eyes narrowed. Heero pushed himself off the floor and continued on his way.
He reached the bay without furthur incident. Climbing into one of the Aries that lined the wall, he had just reached the cockpit when the alarm went off, and several pilots hurried into the room. They scrambled into the suits nearest the door, yelling all the while.
"Move it! Someone got into the the repair bay, and they've taken an Aries!" Heero shut the cockpit door, and strapped himself in. Activating the suit, he fell in behind the others as they exited. The suits formed up and flew to the center of the base, where a lone suit continued its trek across the open space between the buildings. "Fire!" came the command over the intercom, and the sky lit up with beams of light from the rifles, and several brilliant explosions.
First the suit on the ground exploded, followed
by two more in the air. The Aries milled around in confusion, and couldn't
respond in time to intercept the lone Aries that flew to the north. The
commander in the tower banged a fist on the console in front of him. "Damn,
we've been had!" He issued orders to the squadron to form up and search
for the renegade suit the following day.
* * * *
Things are taking an interesting turn in this mostly Heero + Original Characters story. Gundam Wing. I don't own it, it is © to Sunrise, Bandai, and various other RICH entities. All other characters are © to RTS. Thanks for letting me use them. I just write for the enjoyment and to spread Gundam Wing around.
By the way, EMAIL ME
Trevor_X1
