* * * *
Two days later, TJ sat silently watching as groups of Aries flew over the area, searching for any sign of rebel troops or the missing mobile suit. The commander seemed to be pressing the search with great vigor. It was understandable; after all, the base had been infiltrated, and mobile suits "disturbed". If no one was caught, the CO could have a lot of trouble on his hands with his superiors.
After disposing of the truck inside the hideout where they were now holed up, she had finally heard the story from Trev about what happened to his cousin and the men with him. A disgust had grow within her at the blatant disregard for the ideals she had believed OZ to stand for. Now she was stuck out here, with nowhere else to go. If she returned to the base, she'd be taken for a traitor in an instant, and having heard all the gory details of what had occurred before, she had no doubts about what might happen to her in such a situation.
Besides, she had an obligation to fulfill; after all, one couldn't abandon an injured person, could they? Especially when playing doctor meant food and shelter; things that TJ had gotten very used to having. A slight rustling behind in the doorway of the shelter made her stiffen slightly, and she turned around to find Trev walking slowly outside. She glared at him. "You are not supposed to be up! I told you it would be another two days before you could start wandering around and here you are, not paying any attention to what I say."
Trev eased himself into a sitting position beside the agitated girl, wincing slightly on the way down. Gently he took the pistol from his belt and set it in her lap. "And I recall warning you to take a gun with you when you went outside, which," he replied quietly, "you seem to have ignored as well. Besides, I thought you might need someone to talk to."
At first he thought she might stand up and walk away, but then she sighed lowered her gaze. "I suppose." Another moment of silence followed as TJ struggled to organize her thoughts. "I guess you could say that my career in OZ is over. If I go back, I might be viewed as a traitor for helping you, and... I know now what happens to anyone marked as a traitor; at least at the base where I was stationed."
Trev sat silently as she continued. "But what if I don't want to be a part of the rebellion? What can I do? I don't have my family anymore, and I never learned a marketable skill. I feel almost worthless." All the pent up tension now released itself in a torrent of tears.
Trev put his arm around her and let her bury her face in his shoulder, even though he felt slightly awkward comforting someone older than himself and his side ached. She seemed to feel embarrassed at her outburst, for she quickly drew back when the tears had subsided. She started to murmur an apology, when he suddenly signaled her to be quiet. Instant silence ensued, and in a few moments, both were able to make out the sounds of someone coming through the forest in their direction.
Trev pushed TJ behind a tree and took up a post opposite to her, shooting cautious glances in the direction the sound seemed to come from. In a few moments the bushes parted and two OZ soldiers stepped out, guns aimed casually ahead of them. Their casual attitude dropped away a moment later when a voice called to them to halt.
"Drop your weapons and put your hands in the air. I don't want anyone to get hurt, but I will if I have to." TJ could hear the pain that was laced in Trev's voice, and she could see the stick that he was holding around the tree. Unsure what he was intending, she stayed still. The two soldiers stopped and looked at one another, then glanced cautiously at their surroundings. Spotting the branch that was pointed at them, they started forward, guns at the ready.
"Don't worry, they're OZ!" came a voice from behind them, and they whirled about, to confront a young woman peeking out from behind a tree. She was disheveled and looked as if she'd been crying recently. Stepping forward hesitantly, she glanced at the tree where her companion had taken shelter. He was either unwilling or unable to come out. Judging from the sounds that came from that direction, the latter was more probable. Quickening her step, she moved around the trunk, followed by the two, now curious, soldiers.
Trev lay curled up at the base of the tree, eyes closed. TJ knelt down and lifted his shirt to check on bandage underneath. She gasped at the blood soaked cloth. "I told you to rest!" she murmured. Turning back to the soldiers, she pulled out her I.D. card. "He needs transport to the nearest medical facility pronto."
They snapped to attention and saluted. "Yes ma'am!"
* * * * *
TJ was alone with her thoughts. After arriving at the small clinic, she'd refused to leave the side of the wounded boy, and to the amazement of all military personnel present, announced her intentions to resign. She'd signed all the forms while waiting for Trev to wake up, and would be a civilian again as of one week. Sighing, she glanced mournfully at the boy on the bed. There was no movement except the rise and fall of his chest, showing that he was alive.
Images played through her mind. The base as it was three days ago, before she had known of the horrors that had taken place there; full of life, and brimming with activity. The base, as of two days ago; dark and with little light, hiding in darkness deeds that were indescribably horrid. The base of today; a blackened, burned out crater, nothing left except memories.
Then came the feel again, of the gun in her back; her life flashing before her eyes. The horror of driving through unknown territory, a battle blazing overhead. Of living in hiding, not knowing whether you were a traitor or not. The fear, when the soldiers came, that they were seeking to destroy you. The relief, as they became the means to spare not only your life, but the life of a...friend?
Hesitating on the last word, TJ recalled the story that she'd told the soldiers on the way into town.
The jeep bounced roughly over the unpaved road, and TJ needed all the concentration she could muster to hold the injured boy still. The need however, didn't stop her from pouring out the rather simplistic tale; she'd been taken off of base by several intruders in dark clothing. The boy had tried to help her and been shot, after which the terrorists left them out in the forests. She didn't have a clue where they had gone afterwards, but she guessed that they planned to lay low before striking again in this region.
A light touch on her arm startled TJ out of her musings. Blue eyes stared questioningly up at her, as the patient stirred from his sleep.
"So, what happened while I was out?" Relieved, TJ began to tell him of the events of the past five hours.
* * * * *
Heero gazed at the piles of broken down Leos that lined the underground hanger that he had discovered. A few were in good shape, but judging by the fuel tanks that lay further in, there wasn't fuel enough to power the suits, most of which contained modified engines for use of fossil fuels; understandable, as rebels generally didn't have the qualified technicians required to service the reactors normally installed in the suits. Although this left them without a means of recharging the beam saber standard with the Leo types, it would be no great loss to troops who had no experience piloting.
His gaze traveled on and rested briefly on the Aries suit that he'd taken two days ago; it was in decent condition and would afford a good cover if he needed to fly into a base again. Other than subversive missions, it was utterly useless, being outclassed by the Gundams. Wing stood in a corner, silent and almost glaring out of the dull green eyes. Heero's own eyes narrowed. He'd take Wing in a fight any day.
He continued to walk into the interior of the building, and noticed a dark shape in the recesses of the hanger. Quickening his pace, he soon came up to the mobile suit that showed promise of a good pilot. It was, or originally had been, a Leo; but now was modified almost beyond recognition. The whole suit was painted black and the armor appeared to have been strengthened. Walking closer, Heero gripped the line that descended from the cockpit overhead and ascended to the interior of the suit.
Upon reaching the cockpit, he sat in the seat and gripped the controls as the door sealed with a steely hiss. The system came online, all check came in as positive, and the suit apparently waited for his instructions. Placing his fingers on the console, Heero typed in commands, and brought up the specifications for the suit.
Weapons check:
1. Beam sabers; ready
2. Vulcan canons; online
3. Buster cannon; charged
Hnn, interesting. Heero scrolled down through the systems diagnostics, his eyes glowing as he took in the specs. This would be a suit to rival his own, if whoever was working on it could have had the resources and help to match the heights of their plans. As it stood now, it was just a modified Leo, heavily modified, but nothing else. In any case, he realized it had potential. Powering down, he exited the suit and headed further into the underground complex to where he had made his quarters.
* * * * *
Several days later, in a nondescript hotel room...
Trev scrolled through the information on the screen in front of him at a rapid pace. TJ sighed and stretched her arms above her head. Getting him his laptop hadn't been as hard as springing him from the hospital ward. The doctor had insisted on keeping the 'boy' - and she used that term lightly - for yet another two days for observation. The patient had firmly vetoed that move, insisting that he felt alright, and confiding as an aside that "he didn't want to use up all her year's earnings on him."
After locating the small motel where he'd registered, TJ had moved them in and headed out to do some shopping for herself. She'd returned to find him typing away over an internet connection, apparently oblivious to everything else.
Now however, Trev had stopped typing and was running through information at the speed of light, most of which made no sense to her at all. With nothing to do she had almost decided to take a walk in the small park just across the way when a sharp intake of breath sounded behind her. She whirled around and found Trev staring pale faced at the laptop screen.
Upon the display a claw clicked together three times, then an image appeared and began to speak.
"Heero, I have a mission for you," the voice intoned...
* * * * *
To anyone out there wondering, this fic is not strictly about the Gundam guys/gals. I'm trying to deal with others in the world and how they fought and reacted to the Gundams. Especially those on earth who fought against OZ, but were mostly just faceless people, because it was the colonies who were 'oppressed'. There were myriads of reasons for fighting, and enough people to use them all; I'm trying to portray some of these in this work of fiction. Let me know how what you think (and yes, I understand some parts of this may be hard to believe, but I'll try to give a rational explanation for nearly everything).
