~~* ~~~* ~~* Episode 13: Ingress of the Tiers *~~ *~~~ *~~

A huge red truck, carrying a huge tarp covered object, flew down a snow covered highway. White forests and vcalleys surrounded by low-lying clouds engulfed the vicinity of the truck. The chain wrapped tires sped faster than they should have been going against the slick black ice. Little snowflakes began to drift towards earth once again.

"Uh-oh, looks like another big storm" said the young woman driving the truck. Her long brown hair lay randomly around her shoulders and back. A slick black jacket covered her from the cold inside of the truck-- even though her heater was in fact on. Her bright blue eyes stayed wide open, searching the snowy fields for any sign of a garage or rest stop.

Suddenly, the engine of the truck ceased to run. The low rumbling of the old machine dulled in volume until it wasn't audible at all. Slowly the truck came to a stop in the middle of the wide road.

"What happened?" said the driver of the stopped truck. She tried top start it up, but nothing evolved from the twist of the key but a weak bark from the engine. The gas tank wasn't empty, and it deffinatley wasn't over heating. "Well, I guess this is what I deserve for picking the 'antique'".

The girl grabbed a second jacket and flung it on, tossing on a hat and a pair of gloves. Out the high door she jumped as she decided to check out the situation.

~~*

Over the huge, frozen bay flew the slow carrier. they had been flying for almost a whole day. Duo stood alert at the wheel, flying as carefully as possible while Shanell lay asleep in the co-pilot chair, held up by only the seatbelt. Quatre lay in his chair, reclined, half asleep. His head nodded up and down as he occasionally drifted off into slumber. But Pippa still sat awake, staring out the window with weary eyes.

"So... ah... what's your suit, exactly?" Duo cautiously asked Pippa to try and make conversation.

"Its a gundam, like I said an hour ago" Pippa said a bit annoyed.

"No, I meant, what do you call it?"

"A name? For a mobile suit? Who do you think I am-- Oz?" she then began speaking in a mocking tone: "Oh, watch out Kitty! You almost got hit by one of OZ's PuppyDog's bombs!"

"Eh... no..." Duo sat silent for a moment. "Mine's called Deathscythe. Sounds cool, huh?"

"I guess so"

"Anyways... are we getting any close to your suit?"

"Kind of... Im not totally sure... A few more miles"

"You said that an hour ago!" Duo said a big loudly, waking Shanell.

"So I miscalculated! So what? You're no Perfect Petey either!" Pippa gave him a rather pissed look.

"Well, good morning to you, too" said Shanell groggily.

"Its noon" Duo smiled.

Hearing the words 'Its noon', Quatre shot awake and tried not to look like he had just woke. Pippa smirked when she saw him sit up so fast.

"Are we almost there, Duo?" Quatre said cheerily.

"Oh look who woke up!" Shanell said just as cheerfully. "Its blondey!"

"So? You were asleep too"

"Well, I'm allowed to fall asleep-- I'm a girl" Shanell retorted.

~~*

The girl walked to the hood of her truck and slowly propped it up. The snowstorm was getting stronger. A nice warm cloud of steam rose from the engine, quickly condensing on the hood and on her face. She pulled out the dipstick from the oil. It was fine. She tightened a few bolts here and there, but that still didn't help.

"What is wrong with this thing?" she said as the hood slammed down. She sat back inside the truck to warm up for a moment before heading back out to resume her search for the troubles with her truck. She jumped out once more to check the engine again. Above her a huge carrier began to fly by. She reached under the hood and yanked as hard as she could and moved her feet a bit to help her lift the hood a little, but....

~~*

The carrier flew over a snow covered highway. Pippa noticed a stalled truck on the road. Someone was trying to lift the hood. Pippa kept watching in interest as she desperatley tried to ignore Quatre's friendliness. Suddenly, the person at the truck slipped and flew halfway under the truck! Pippa couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?" Shanell said as she noticed the person struggling to sit up. "Hey! That suit carrier down there is stalled!" Shanell hit Duo's arm lightly. "C'mon, Duo! Go down there! See if they need help! Its freezing out there!"

"Huh?" Duo said looking down at the truck. "Oh, right." he said as he turned the carrier towards the truck.

"Huh? You're gonna go down there, Duo? What if it's an OZ soldier or something?" Quatre came up behind Duo and Shanell's seats.

"Its not OZ, Quatre! OZ only uses planes!"

~~*

Up from under the truck came the girl, covered in snow. She tried to get up, but the ground was covered in slick ice. Overhead the humongous mobile suit carrier flew past her and began to circle over a vast field, right near the highway.

"Huh? Hey!!" The girl began to yell and wave her arms, sitting up. "Hey!!!"

The carrier just continued to descend, blowing snow in every direction.

~~*

"Okay everyone! Get your jackets! We're gonna go help that person!" Shanell excalimed, putting her own jacket on. Quatre jumped up and handed and black jacket to Duo. He put his own on on the way back to his seat. Pippa was still chuckling as she still looked out the window.

"How can you stand staring out a window for 7 hours straight?" Quatre asked Pippa as he tossed her a jacket.

"Oh, when you have nothing to do, anything is better than staring at you" she said, still looking out the window.

"Hey! That wasn't very n-- Aowh!!" Quatre yelped as he fell off his chair. Pippa immediatley burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. The carrier had, afterall, just landed 30 feet away from the truck on a small hill. The truck's driver had just barely gotten out from under the hill and was rubbing her back while sitting in a pile of snow. Quatre stood up against a window, waiting to get outside and regaining his balance. Duo and Shanell stood and stretched, turning the carrier off. Pippa just stroked a tear from her eye while she finished up her laughter.

"Everybody down and out!" Duo said, opening the door and dropping the folded ladder down into the snow. He climbed down very spedily, Shanell following close behind.

"Hurry up, Pippa! Ladies first!" Quatre announced, waiting for her.

"Then go" Pippa said with a smirk.

"Uh... right..." Quatre said as he climbed down after Shanell had already gotten to the ground.

Pippa hopped up, thew on her jacket, and down the ladder she went. But not before slidding closed the giant metal door to the carrier, leaving the ladder dangling out. AS soon as she was on the ground she ran up to catch up with her friends as fast as the snow would allow her to run.

"Welcome back" Quatre said, waving at Pippa.

"I wonder what had happened to the person who fell under the truck... I guess we'll be finding out, huh?" Shanell said, brushing some snow from her shoulders.

"Yah, maybe he... or she... was trying to work on the engine or somethin'" Duo added.

"No, she slipped and fell" Pippa laughed.

Sitting up in the snow, the girl saw the group of people walking towards her. Her eyes widened as they neared. She brushed away some snow from her head and shoulders and tried to stand as they neared.

"Hey! Can you guys help me?" she said, looking back at her truck.

"Thats why we came, lady" Duo said.

Quatre walked ahead of the group and stretched a hand out for the girl. SHe took his hand with a strong grip and pulled her self up close to him. They both turned the lightest shade of pink before taking a step back.

"Thank you" the girl said a little quietly.

"Oh, no problem!" Quatre said gleefully, as he always was. "My name's Quatre Raberba Winner. What's yours?" The girl smiled a bit and looked into Quatre's teal eyes.

"My name is... Chantal Corello" she said a little nervously.

"What? Wait-- Your last name is Corello?" Duo said alarmingly.

"Yes" Chantal replied even mroe nervously.

"Are you by any chance related to the General Corello from the OZ organization?"

"Maybe... Who's asking?"

"I remember hearing about that guy" Shanell said.

"Yah, I heard he was blood thirsty like nothing you have ever seen" Pippa interupted.

"No..." Chantal whispered, looking at the snowy road.

"Well that mean! Trying to make her feel bad when we've just met her!" Quatre said as he put his hand on Chantal's back. Chantal, in turn, blushed a bit. She tried to move a little ways from him, but ended up slipping and falling backwards! Quatre tried to grab her as she fell, but ended up falling with her.

"What was that!?" Pippa said, cracking up.

"Oh, Shut up, Pippa!" Shanell said, as she helped Quatre and Chantal up.

Duo laughed a little at the sight of Quatre falling. "Never mind... Nevermind I asked if it's gonna make you fall!"

Chantal and Quatre got up safely and she started to explain her dilema. ABout the truck just stopping for no reason and her urgent need to get to the Yukon in 4 days.

"Wow! You're heading the same direction as we are!" Quatre said with joy.

"Well, I'll just take a peak at that engine of yours" Pippa said, pulling her pants up a little and heading towards the truck. She popped the hood open and examined the engine.

"You better hurry" Chantal shivered. "Its getting late and the storm isn't gonna wait for you." Everything around them was covered in a new layer of snow, about an inch or so.

"Is it too bad?" hanell inquired of Pippa as she plopped at hat over her golden locks.

"Yah, your spark plugs are shot... and all 6 batteries is as good as dead anyhow" Pippa hopped down as the hood slammed shut.

"Damn... I really need to get this cargo out of here before--" Chantal stopped herself from talking anymore.

"Before... what?" Quatre inquired.

"Before... uh, well...." Chantal looked around to everyone near her. Shivering SHanell, with Duo's arm around her -- he was trying to warm her -- and Pippa checking her watch. And of course smiling Quatre. "Can I... Can I get a ride with you guys? I'll tell you why once we get started, I promise."

Duo, Shanell and Quatre all gave each other a glance. They wouldn't dare ask Pippa; they knew she would just answer no as fast as she could and in as many language as she could. They all nodded a little.

"Sure, but one question first" Quatre said, carefully placing a hand on Chantal's shoulder. "What is on your truck?"

Everyone, excpet Pippa whow as now sitting on the hood of truck fixing her hat, looked towards the bundle on the bed of the truck. Chantal made a thinking sound and looked like it was that that she was doing. Thinking...

'Should I tell them? They did help me, but then... I also just met them... '

"Well?" Duo asked.

"It's umm... a mobile suit. But I'm not OZ! Dont worry!" Chantal said quickly.

"I think we could fit another suit into our carrier... And I'm sure Pippa's will be fine if she stays with us" Shanell looked at Pippa and shook her head as the braided girl struggled to get her braids into the hat, using various curse words.

"Okay! Lets get movin' before we're all snowmen!" Quatre laughed, heading for the carrier. "I'll lower the ramp-- oh wait! How are we gonna get it in there?"

"We could use my truck." suggested Duo.

"I-I'll go get my suit ready to transfer" Chantal said, starting to walk backwards toward her truck. Pippa hopped off the hood and watched Chantal as she herself went to Shanell.

"Why is she going towads her suit?" Pippa looked at Chantal.

"We're giving her a lift to wherever." Shanell replied.

"What!? We need to get my suit! The carrier's only a 4-suit capacity!"

"Well... I dunno then." Shanell said, walking back to the carrier.

"Oh, well that's just spiffy! Another person to go with" Pippa said sarcastically, heading after Shanell.

Chantal pulled the huge tarp off her mobile suit and tossed it aside. She started pulling a few metal plates from in front of the mobile doll, on the platform, revealing a few rollers to convey the suit on.

Soon enough a huge bang came from the carrier as Duo brought his truck to Chantal. The second story ramp was in place. Shanell watched gleefully from her spot on the ramp, who knows why! Pippa just stood on the other side, arms crossed and glaring at the floor. The carrier's engines reved up as Quatre struggled with the cold weather factor.

As Duo's truck neared Chantal, she pulled a lever that made her suit start being pulled towards the edge of the truck, towards Duo's. While her suit did this, she ran to the cockpit of her truck and grabbed a big black duffel bag. Duo got in place as Chantal's suit dropped onto his truck. He drove back to the carrier and he, Chantal, Pippa and Shanell worked on getting it inside the cargo area and finishing up the job.

"This suit looks just like mine" Duo said as he came up into the passenger area and closed the big door to the carrier.

"Yeah, I wonder if it's a... " Shanell began trailing off, looking at Duo.

"Gundam?" Pippa said loudly. "Yah! Looks like one, thats for sure!"

Chantal slowly made her way into a chair, and reclined it. The engines calmed a bit as Duo took control of the steering wheel. Quatre cae back from the cockpit and sat in a chair next to Chantal, hoping to chat. Pippa sat back in her normal seat as did Shanell. Soon the carrier began to rise and flew towards the mountains.

"So. Chantal! Where are you from?" Quatre cheerfully asked.

Chantal just gave him a tired look and didn't respond.

"Well, I'm from L4. Are you from the colonies?"

Once again, Chantal just gave him a look, then returned to staring at the wall in front of her.

"Oh, tired, huh? Okay" Quatre said, reclining his chair to match taht of Chantal.

Back in the front...

"So, Duo, where are you from?" inquired Shanell.

"Huh? Oh, well, I'm not sure. When I was a kid, the Sweeper Group took me off the streets -- I lived in the alleys before that -- and gave me my Gundam a few months ago. They said I was born on L2, though."

"Oh, wow! I was captured by the Sweeper Group, too! I was trained there for 10 years." Shanell squeeled with excitement to find out they had more in common.

"Small galaxy, I guess"

Pippa looked up from her window at Chantal and Quatre. Chantal was alseep and Quatre was dozing off. She smiled evilly. But that didn't last long. Pippa looked down at Chantal's ankle and there, tied under her pant leg, was a knife. And on her belt was a gun in it's holster.

"Oh-my-gosh!" Shanell!" Pippa jumped up. "Come here!"

"What?" Shanell stood and looked back at Pippa.

"Look!" Pippa pointed at the knife and gun. Shanell gasped.

"What's wrong?" Duo asked.

"This girl has weapons!" Pippa said walking to a closet. She returned with a long rope. Shanell nodded and proceeded to help Pippa tie Chantal to her chair.

"You're tying her up?" Duo asked.

"We can't risk it-- she might be OZ" Pippa finished off the final knot.

"Yah, for once you're right" Duo snickered.

"Oh, ha-ha" sarcastically snorted Pippa.

The carrier soared on and Chantal remained asleep, along with Quatre. Shanell was back to her flirting with Duo and Pippa still found amusement in staring out the window. When the carrier hit a little turbualnce, and Pippa whacked her head on the roof (resulting in letting out a string of curses), Quatre woke with a start. He looked over at Chantal and almost screamed.

"What did you guys do!?" Quatre noticed the carefully tied ropes.

"She had some weapons, we were being precautious." Pippa still stared out the window, searching for her Gundam.

"What did she have?"

"A pretty big knife, and a gun"

Chantal slowly opened her eyes, blinked a few times. And when she felt the tightess on theropes on her arms and her stomach, she shot awake.

"What the-- What did you guys do?!" Chantal asked frantically.

"We tied you up" explained Pippa.

"I know that!!" bursted Chantal.

"Well, Pippa here found a knife and a gun on you, girl" Shanell explained. "We're just being precautious."

"Because you wont tell us if you are related to OZ or not" explained Duo.

"I-I'll tell you everything if you just untie me." Chantal said, looking to the floor.

"Okay. Start from the beginning" Duo said as he still looked for the wrecked mobile suit. Pippa, Shanell and Quatre all looked at Chantal.

"Well....I was borne on earth, and grew up here. My father is ... General Corello.' chantal confessed as everyone gasped. "But recently I have found that I do not like Oz's ways. So I stole a prototype Gundam from my father's base. Then, I stole some guy's truck. Now I've been on the run from Oz for a few months." Chantal said, giving everyone a pleading look. "That's why I have my gun and my knife to protect myself from his little minions."

"Oh Chantal, I'm so sorry for trusting Pippa," Quatre said. Shanell grabbed a knife from her pocket and began cutting away from the rope.

"This doesn't mean I trust you, I'm just gonna give you a chance," Shanell said, cutting away the final strand. Pippa gave Chantal an unsure and cautious look. Duo remained quiet, thinking of all the little remarks he gave to Chantal.

Chantal rubbed her wrists, and put her gun and knife back. She sat her chair back up, Quatre did the same and looked at her sympathetically. She looked so violated.

"Well, don't worry. We are almost to the mountains. The other plane says we're not to far away. They're already starting to fix the circuitry, Pippa. The wing'll take awhile," Duo explained, trying not to sound to abrupt.

"Sure, whatever," Pippa said returning to her window and the freezing glass.

"Chantal? After we pick her mobile suit up, we'll take you wherever you need to go, okay?" Quatre said, laying his hand on hers.

She blushed the tiniest bit as she nodded. "As far away from Oz's Denver base as possible is all I ask you, um....pilot..guy."

"Duo Maxwell," pilot guy told her, "No problem. I know exactly where we could go."

For a few mintues the carrier flew softly over the fields until Shanell noticed the wrecked Aries and Leos. She told Duo that the suit was just over the hill in front of them. He slowly landed the carrier in the same spot as Shanell had. A few of the mechanics met them as Pippa and Shanell, and Duo, crawled down the ladder.

"Do you wanna come outside, Chantal?" Quatre asked quietly.

"I don't know, I'd rather stay in here, if that's okay..."

"Okay, do you me to stay?"

"If you want to, I don't care really," Chantal said looking up at Quatre who was hovering above her. Quatre sat down and shedded his jacket. They just sat in silence from the time being.

"We are almost done repairing the controls for the wings and left arm. Then, all thats left is to reshape that wing," said a deep voiced mechanic to Pippa.

"Thanks. Alot. Just don't screw up? No offense."

"None taken m'am," the mechanic said. All of the guys working were still in the trees. They hadn't moved the mobile suit, Pippa had not problem with that. Duo, Shanell, and Pippa just stood a couple feet away staring at the giant humanoid. It's green eyes were bright, having been turned on. The shoulders and head were covered in snow. That poor wing lay off the suit itself being pounded by a giant machine with a hot iron on the end. It wasn't working too well, the wing being reinforced with Gundanium alloy.

"Impressive suit, Pippa! Four wings! Five beam savers and an army knife and lazer cannon?" Duo said surprised.

"Pretty souped up, huh? But, it has it's disadvantages. Like it needs more fuel then you think," Pippa replied.

"Does it have a camoflauge mechanism?" Shanell asked.

"No, I wish though."

"Mine has an invisible cover. Pretty good for sneaks attacks."

"Sounds cool."

~~*

"Quatre?" Chantal finally said.

"Yes?"

"Are you by any chance the son of the Winner family that controls like, all the natural resources in outerspace?"

"Yeah, the only boy in my whole family. I disinherented the whole fortune by coming to earth and fighting Oz."

"Wow. I guess freedom is really important to you."

"You too, Chantal! You don't want your father to capture the colonies right?"

"Yeah, I think that Oz is pointless. The alliance, too. I wish Earth still had the Cinq Kingdom and it ruled. Then we would be in this mess."

They sat together in silence again, feeling OK about Chantal's whole predicament.

"Quatre?" Chantal asked again.

"Yes?"

"Thank you for trusting me. I think you are the only one I can depend on now."

~~*

On the other side of the hill, a long train of huge trucks stopped near the Oz suits. They parked there for the night. Out of a camper, attached to a truck came a tall boy with light brown hair. He walked up to the first truck and talked to someone inside.

"This is where we're staying?" he said in a calm voice.

"Yes, now go rest up! We have a show in two days, Trowa, and you ahve a big act to do," the other man said.

Trowa started walking back to his camper. On the way something caught his eye. Out of the snow coverewd ground stuck the edge of a book. He picked it up and notioced pages scattered around. He picked everything up and headed back. Carefully, Trowa put the pages back. He noticed a page with a picture of a family. Studying all the pages carefully, he looked back at the picture. THe smeared ink caption read "After colony 185" in nice print, but the other caption was too water smeared. Trowa carefully set the book in his small drwaer but kept the picture out. He knew he recognized the older boy in the picture, who was next to a very young girl. Sandy mustard hair and dark blue eyes. But from where?

"Trowa? What's that?" asked a curly haired woman. He looked up at her.

"Nothing, I just found it."

"Well, dinner's on! Better hurry before it gets olds."

Trowa set the picture down and left with the woman. The picture lay face down. On the back of the page, someone had written "For Pippa--I hope you have a great birthday. I'll see you soon. Love, your brother". The name was signed in ink but was smeared from the snow. The date at the top of the note read "October 31, AC 185-Happy 6th!"

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