Chapter Seven: The Never Ending Story
Chaos on Wings...
"Hey-ya Hilde!"
The previously blank monitor greets a German girl on L-2, who has been carefully observing the progress of that very smiling pilot whose face flashes on the
screen.
"Duo! How's that new part working?"
"Just fine, babe. . . and I'm just about to test it out!"
"Duo!" Hilde starts, "Do you think that's-"
"Don't worry Hilde!" Duo interrupts, " Remember that I'm a Gundam
pilot! Deathscythe is going to earn its keep! Besides, we've been doing this for weeks
now ; nothing's different about today."
Hilde just smiled wryly. Every day with Duo was different. There was always
some minor crisis to handle, like the time he got his braid stuck in the zipper of his
spacesuit or the day before that when-
"I'm approaching D-244. . . " Duo says, intruding upon Hilde's thoughts as
he details his situation, ". . . the radar's pickin' up. . . ten space Taurus's . . . . a few
Leos. . . . one support carrier. . . they're probably carrying some space mines . . . - I'm
goin' in!"
With that, communications were cut as Duo had undoubtly engaged his
hyper jammers
"Good luck," Hilde whispered to the blank screen.
* * *
"What's this?....." a soldier questions, as if there is anything to inquire. Soon
his worst nightmare is confirmed as he sees for himself the darkness that seems to
mold and take shape. . . "It's . . . A GUNDAM!!!! "
*SLASH!*
The mighty DeathScythe Hell cut clean through the Front Leo, like a
scalding knife slashing through a stick butter.
"Prepare to attack!" a voice edicts authoritatively over the comms as the
disarrayed Cracker Escort team jumbles into battle formation. It was a tangled
configuration that Duo was getting used to dealing with. . . in short, a line to the
grim reaper.
The Shini-gami lunged toward his enemies, the scythe raised above his head,
glaring mightily with a supreme and godly radiance. There wasn't so much as the
slightest chance of a miracle for the Oz soldiers, who were simply dead men
walking as far as Duo was concerned. . . And with that he decided that now was as
good a time as any to let the troops know exactly what they were in for by
identifying himself specifically-
"THE GOD OF DEATH HAS JUST RETURNED
FROM HELL!!!!"
"DAMN IT ALL!" a victim shouts, "IT'S ZERO TWO!"
"I CAN'T CONTACT BARGE. . . " screams another, who is cut short by the
double beamed weapon, "AH-AHHHHHHH!"
Deathscythe Hell ripped through his advisories quicker than a vicious dog
would go through plastic chew toys. The suits were dissected and strewn about the
battlefield, as well as everything they carried with them. Indeed, it seems that
within the shining of an instant, one would not have sworn that this was a
battlefield at all, for it better resembled a slaughterhouse.
"All done!. . ." Duo chirped, "And now to gather the fruits of my labor! . . .
Hey-ya Hilde!" Duo greeted, as he patched his friend through on the
communicators.
"Is everything alright, Duo?" she asked.
"Sure is!" he chimed, "No sweat, I'll be hauling this over in about three
hours. Be sure to have Stan waiting at the junkyard for me then."
"Alright, Duo." Hilde smiles, "I'll see you soon. . . have you secured the junk
yet, or is that what you're working on now?"
"Yeah," says Duo, " I'm gathering it as we speak, then I'll fasten in down it
and dispose of the bodies a s usual."
Duo could see Hilde pause a moment as she contemplated what he was
contemplating now. Talking about disposing of bodies as if it was a regular everyday
chore, not to be bothered with. Just dead men, men that had lost their lives
fighting as blindly as Hilde herself had once fought for the hollow promise of
peace. . . But that's just what war did to you. Duo couldn't help it. Chunking men's
bodies into the recesses of space where it was very possible that no one would ever
find them again, including the families who wished to bury their dead . . . it was an
everyday chore. Besides that, the men weren't going to use them anymore, all they
were was bodies. Their souls, among a thousand others, had gone to Hell to testify
against his so-called 'righteousness' for the day that someone would chunk his dead
body into the never-ending space where not even Hilde could find it.
Another disturbing thought entered Duo's mind as he remembered his
acquaintance 04. . . who was said to be floating about in space. However, after
Heero's miraculous survival, even Duo, who would generally just assume the man
as dead, found himself wondering about Trowa.
"Sure thing, Duo" Hilde interceded upon the braised boys thoughts, "I'll
make sure he's there."
"I'll see you later, Hilde!" Duo smiled as he cut communications, "Good luck
and goodbye!"
"Goodluck. . ."
Duo could always hear Hilde whisper that when the screen went blank. He
rather liked hearing that phrase since he always needed all the luck he could get.
Indeed, if you ever had to say one thing to a gundam pilot, "goodluck" would be
the best phrase, as "be careful" was rather redundant. If gundam pilots were careful,
they really wouldn't be gundam pilots, now would they? Still Duo hated to see
anyone fret too much, especially Hilde since he lived with her and she'd hassle him
till he gave in. So whenever Hilde worried, Duo'd just respond, "Remember that
I'm a gundam pilot," and remind her that he could handle it.
Once he'd collected all the pieces Duo was quick to secure them together and
strap them to his old buddy. Then he cast all the bodies into space, to let the great
heavenly body swallow the men that knowingly or unknowingly caused her
corruption. Until then, he'd just have to keep fighting, even if it was in an
incomplete gundam,"This suit is about 80% complete," he confirmed vocally to
himself, "but the remaining modifications shouldn't be too difficult. . . Oh well,
time to make my getaway!"
* * *
"You need Vernier fuel for mobile suits, don't you?" Stan inquired to a
certain braided pilot.
"Yeah," says Duo, "sorry to bother you. . .Here's your payment. . . Genuine
OZ products!"
"It's in the trailer out front, so help yourself." Stan said, pushing a pad
toward Duo, "Here, sign this form."
"Just a second!" Duo stuttered before scratching his name on the paperwork,
"Don't you wanna check?!"
Stan just climbed gruffly into the green trailer, "We'll never make ends meet
if those guys take over. Until then - I'm counting on you to do whatever you can...
I'm trusting in you." He honks the horn on the large truck before pulling out,
"Let me know if you need bullets, too. Contact me anytime!"
Duo watches as Stan drives off, a bit confused by the kindness. "The old guy
drove off without even taking my payment." He says with a smile.
"Duo!" a familiar voice grabs his attention as he turns toward a running girl.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" she asks, huffing slightly.
"No, it's all under control." he smiles, "wait for me at the trailer out front.
I'll be right there."
"Sure thing!" Hilde consents, running back in the direction that she came.
Duo stares at her running form momentarily, still kicking himself in the ass
for getting that damn sweater that not only doesn't let him see any jiggling, but
also covers up her butt. What kind of idiot was he anyway?-
Breaking himself lose from his thoughts, he turns and runs briskly in the
other direction.
*** * *
Hilde took the longer way toward the trailer, as she wanted to check and see
if her computer had been able to download any of OZ's transport plans. Lately, the
little information that she had been able to squeeze up had really helped Duo turn
this area into the Bermuda Triangle of space. From what she could tell, they had
really hindered the output of Virgo troops for Operation Nova. And any progress
was good progress. Not only did Duo have the satisfaction of fighting again and
not hanging out on the couch all day, but Hilde herself really felt like she was a
part of something special. She really was fighting for true peace now, thanks to
Duo.
She returned to her computer to find, much to her disappointment, that her
usual hacking hadn't proven to be fruitful. With a sigh, she cut her computer off
and left the house, making certain to double- lock all the doors. She really couldn't
afford to forget about 'securing the fort'- not even one time.Though she had yet to
do so, she still had nightmares about OZ turning the handle to an unlocked door
and checking the house over. . . Destroying the gundam in the hanger. . .
ambushing them when they came back. . . torturing and killing Duo. . . burning
her and her allies alive like witches. . .
Once all that was done, Hilde left, satisfied with herself, she sprinted toward
the trailer at the front, ignoring all the clearance signs the stores flashed on their
window the whole way.
"Duo!" she yelled, greeting her friend who was rummaging around in the
piles of junk.
"How'd it go?" he inquired, already guessing by her late arrival that she had
checked up on the routes.
"No luck," Hilde explained, "I couldn't get any new info on their transport
plans."
"Oz isn't that ignorant," Duo replied, "They're just being more cautious. I'd
love to destroy Barge right now, but I'll have to put that off."
"Are you going to keep fighting alone, Duo?" Hilde asked curiously,
wondering if all the pilots would ever reunite to destroy OZ once and for all.
"What choice do I have?" Duo asked, "I don't know where the others are."
He pauses briefly for a dramatic stretch as he gazes at the colonies so-called 'sky', "So
I'll just have to go it alone."
"Let me know if I can help!" Hilde says eagerly, "I'll do anything!"
Of course, even Hilde knew that she'd left herself open for that one when
she said the word anything, and she could see the transformation of features play
across Duo's face. . .
"Ok," he says smiling as he chides his friend, "I certainly wouldn't mind
having a juicy steak for dinner. . ."
"Come off it! I'm totally serious!" Hilde retorted with her hands on her hips,
desperate to do more for Duo now than cook his meals like some goofy maid in a
beret.
"I know-I know," Duo relented. Probably only ceasing the teasing because she
had on her very best 'buddy-you're in-trouble' look and because he already knew
that Hilde had a steak out for dinner . . . again. With that, Hilde's expression
returned to normal as Duo continued, "You're doing more than enough
already. . ."
* * *
Their conversation was cut short by a deafening reverberation from the very
heart of C8923. The monstrous roaring shook every part of the colony, echoing
across the blue steel sky as a large and powerful form closed in on their position. . .
"What's that?!" Hilde exclaimed.
Both the noise and the sight of such an awing silhouetted profile were all
too familiar to Duo, who could hardly believe his eyes. . .
"He-ey waiiiit!" he stammered, "It's. . . a gundam!"
The two watched, equally confused, as a most authoritative gundam landed
directly in front of them. Without any hesitation, it pulled out it's large beam
cannon and targeted the two teens. . .
'Is that. . . Wing Gundam?' Duo wondered in disbelief. Though it strongly
resembled 01 and Duo halfway expected his kill-crazy comrade to pop out within a
few moments simply out of habit, he knew well that this gundam, though similar
in appearance, was not Wing Gundam. It was much bulkier, with bigger wings and
a far more intimidating beam cannon. . . or maybe it was just more intimidating
because Duo was more helpless than usual without his gundam and he had Hilde as
well as the entire colony to worry about. . . The thought had crossed Duo's mind to
shove the his german friend behind his back, but then he remembered that though
he was a God of Death, he wasn't Superman. If that gundam fired, it wouldn't
matter if they were 2 miles away, they were gonna be fried.
Still, who in the hell was out to kill him now?!
"Freeze!"
With that, the cockpit of the gundam opened hesitantly to expose the
identity of its strange master,---- which just so happened to be one of the last people
in the universe Duo would have expected to possess a gundam . . an OZ official.
"Duo Maxwell," states the man flatly in a certain militaristic tone, "I
demand that you come with me. Do it or you're dead."
The comrades looked at each other, and Duo could practically see the worry
play across Hilde's face, like flipping through and animator's flip-book, page by
page. 'He's bluffing,' Duo thought to himself, 'if that thing is half as strong as Wing's
cannon, it still be more than enough to annihilate this place!'
"Do what you have to!" he exclaimed dramatically, camouflaging his
concern with a sort of nonchalant ease, "But remember the power of that beam
cannon! You could demolish the colony. . ."
"I don't care. . ." The man replied, gruffly cutting him off.
"Huh?!" Duo exclaimed, beginning to let some of that worry peep through.
How could anyone just brush off the thought of obliterating an entire colony just
like that?
". . . I have no interest in what happens to this useless colony," he continued
without hesitation, "I'm not gonna remain an insignificant technical officer. Once
I figure out this gundam's system, Colonel Tuberov's MobileDolls will be a useless
tool of the past. What the new Oz needs is a completely new system; I'll do
whatever is required to make that happen. . . Now come gundam pilot! You're the
only one I want!""
Duo glared at the headstrong officer, his teeth clenched and muscles tensed
with an aching desire to retaliate against this overlord of impudence. It was sad to
see yet another man so desperate for stature that he was willing to sacrifice a colony
full of innocent people to raise his rank and better control a mere machine!
"FINE!" Duo yelled, his temper starting to get the better of him, "HOLD
YOUR HORSES, DAMN-IT!!!! . . .You cock-suckin' cheesefucker. . . " With that, he turns
toward Hilde quickly, and holds her shoulders securely as he speaks in hesitant
German, disguising the gesture as best he could to make the officer believe that he
was simply telling an acquaintance goodbye. . .
"Erhalten Siemeinen Freund betribsbereit. Oberwachen Sie meine
Ruckseite. Ich wertraue Ihnen."
He could see that she was a bit started, but compliant, nonetheless, "J-ja. .
Gutes Gluck."
"Es ist O.K., Hilde."
With that Duo turned and walked briskly toward the bastardous officer, with
only one thing one his mind as he climbed into the cockpit, 'what the hell is going
on!?"
"Welcome." Mr. Asshole greeted emptily as soon as Duo hopped aboard.
"Well, thanks for inviting me!" Duo grins, "To what do I owe this displeasure?"
"I'm not here to play games, pilot!" the man spat, "My name is Lieutenant
Trant, and all I care about is right here," he says, patting the control panel for the
gundam, "Wing Zero."
"Wing Zero?" Duo asked, "How the fuck did OZ get it's hands on a gundam,
and a new one at that?"
"It's much more than a new gundam, Maxwell." Trant advised, "and to
answer your question, we took it."
"Shoulda' known."Duo muttered, though he still had plenty of questions to
ask.
"It seems that this gundam has a unique effect on the pilot, one that I
cannot fully decipher. Your friend 04 destroyed an entire colony under this system's
influence. . ."
"Zero four--- was responsible for that?!?!" Duo'd heard about that incident on
the news after his jailbreak as well as the death of prized OZ official Trowa Barton. .
. but he'd had no idea. . . Quatre?!"
"Partially him. . . " Trant confirmed, "and partially the Zero system. . ."
"What in the hell do you want with me then if he couldn't control it?!?"
Duo .questioned incrediously.
"You'll soon see, Maxwell. If had fired on the colony, its power would have
made those people's lives undeserving of the sacrifice."
* * *
Hilde hadn't seen that look in Duo's eyes ever since he saw her house in shambles, and before that at those old church ruins. . . She just had to come through for him! He was trusting her! He'd said so himself. . .
"Get my buddy ready for me, watch my back.
I trust you. . .It's gonna be O.K."
She couldn't punch in the buttons on the mobile suit carrier fast enough! Gundams were very easy to track in space, that is, if they weren't cloaked. Undoubtly, this guy felt like he had nothing to hide, so he stuck out like a sore thumb. Hilde fumbled across the jumbled assortment of buttons on the carrier's controls, and swiftly directed the piece of equipment to prepare for yet another launch into space. . .
* * *
"What's with all this junk you've attached?" Duo gripped, " What do you
want me to do?"
"I want you to fight Mobile Dolls with the Wing Zero," Trant stated simply,
" with real firearms, of course."
"Fine with me.," Duo replied with a smile and without argument,". . . but I
might escape during your tests. . . "
"No you won't," the lieutenant reprimanded, " Wing Zero's functions are set
so that I can take control. Besides, I've programmed the Mobile Dolls to switch
their target to the colony in case you try something funny."
'Party pooper ,' Duo sulked. There wasn't anything he admonished more
than cooperating with dicks.
Trant didn't hesitate any further to start the battle once Duo finally shut his
mouth.
"Alright, commence."
Once Trant pulled the strings, the iron puppets came to life without
hesitation and took their classic firing stance that Duo had seen quite a few times
before.
"If I used the rifle from this position it'd harm the colony. . ." Duo
deliberated aloud, "so, I'll use this instead!"
With that he drew forth Wing Zero's sword and promptly put the mighty
saber to work, slicing one of the mechanized drones in two. . .
'It's not my scythe," Duo thought wistfully, "But it'll do!"
Duo jumped from heartless victim to heartless victim with little problem,
cleaving the metal as if was human flesh. It was just when he started to become
acquainted to the basic functions of the suit that he noticed something odd. . .
"What's this?" Duo murmured, when he noticed that his target was starting
to blur. . .
He overlooked it as a malfunction, and returned his eyes back to the
battlefield, only to find the green ghost of Deathscythe looming ahead of him. . .
"What?!" Duo stammered, "No way!?!?!!"
"So you saw it too!" Trant intervened, "Then tell me, what is Wing Zero
trying to show the pilot?"
"How should I know!?" Duo exclaimed, still a bit shaky after seeing. . . well,
whatever in the hell that was supposed to be!
Glancing at the target again, Duo was relieved to see that it was clear as a
sunny day, "I see," he pronounced with certainty, "that's my enemy!"
He returned his eyes to the battlefield once more, only to witness a scene that
was definitely not that of a Mobile Doll's death. . . Duo was filled with terror by the
sight, staring blankly ahead in dumbfound disbelief as dozens. . . No! Hundreds of
Deathscythes that filled the gaps of space, like a plague of locusts, swarming above
and around him. . .
"AHHHHH!!!!" the pilot screamed in disbelief. It couldn't be! Not ghosts!
Gundam's didn't have souls. . . Especially not green eerie souls seeking retribution. .
. ready to punish the God of Death that could do nothing more to prevent its
death than scream to a careless crowd that watched his annihilation!!!!!
"What now?!" Trant asked, as impatient as any man trying to watch the
toaster for the scorched bread that will never spring forth while the eye lingers idly
upon it.
"NOOO!!!" Duo shrieks, "WH-what have I been doing?!" The pilot suddenly looks out of the cockpit to realize that, as he stares ahead, the only thing mortally wounded was the mobile Doll suspended on the blade of his sword. Jerking it off, he was left with the reality that proudly confronted him. It had never really happened. . . but. . . it had felt so real. . .
"No way. ." Duo whispered in sheer disbelief as reality settled back in from his vivid hallucination, "There's no way! How could a human do this!?"
"It' s possible," Trant assures him, " believe me, it's possible. Yes," he reaffirms strongly, "we can do anything with this outstanding system. It can even alter human consciousness to another level! Anything is possible with this!"
The man's fantastic vision of the possibilities of the Zero system were more like a terrible nightmare for Duo, who still sat rigidly in his chair, gripping reality firmly with every intention of preventing it from slipping away again. In a way, his mind was at war with itself, like a child insisting that the monster under his bed was real while the parent tries to rationalize with it's offspring that such things do not exist. . . could not exist. . .no such thing had actually happened?!?!?!
"Lieutenant Trant! Do you read?" a voice intervenes out of nowhere, "Hand over Wing Zero and surrender yourself! Orders of Colonel Tuberov! . . . I repeat, hand over Wing Zero and surrender!!!"
Duo looks at the consistently bleeping radar. During the confusion, several Space Leos, courtesy of OZ, had managed to sneak up on them. However, fortunately for Duo, it didn't seem like they were interested in him. They probably didn't even acknowledge him. All they wanted was Trant.
"They're here," Trant says grimly, as a hunter's smile played upon his face. Without so much as a warning, he cast Duo out into space. . . like many a dead body the very pilot had shoveled out mere hours before. . .
"You'd better leave that system alone." Duo advised weakly, as he drifted further into nothing . . . He was like a soul with nowhere to go in the universe. . . It was so cold. . . He wondered when he would get to hell, at least it should be warm there. It occurred to him that Hilde may never find his body to bury him, he could drift out aimlessly forever. . .he'd never eat that steak. . . because he had passed away.
He was dead. . . . .Wasn't he???
* * * Author's notes * * *
"Oh, Duo!" Hilde exclaimed. Kneeling beside him, she removed his helmet and took his face into her hands.
"Are you O.K.?!"
She lifted an eyelid to judge the pupil's reaction to light, nearly panicking when it wouldn't focus, "Wake up, Duo!" Hilde demanded, hitting him on the chest, impatient for some trace of that vibrant energy he'd always seemed to have such an abundance of before. . . "WAKE UP!!!!"
Suddenly, she heard a voice wobble forth from the braided pilot's body,"I'm not dead..." Duo sputtered slowly. Then, suddenly, his eyes bolted open as he leapt up with the sheer realization,"I'm not dead yet! - but wait! Am I hallucinating?"
"Wha-" Hilde stuttered.
"Punch me!" Duo demanded abruptly, turning towards her.
"Why?! What's going on!?"
"Damn-it, woman!" he growled, "Punch me!! Hurry up! I haven't got time to talk or hallucinate right now!"
Hilde dutifully punched Duo half-heartidly on the right arm without further hesitation.
'That's no good," Duo murmed, displeased with the girlish swat as he looked aroun, proceeding to beat a few of the walls to confirm their existence.
"No, no, that's no good! I'm still not convinced!!!" Duo languishes, when suddenly his eyes latch on to Hilde, the proverbial light-bulb flashing above his head, 'There's one way to tell if I'm dreaming now or not. . .' he whispers slowly.
'What is he doing!' Hilde panicked, 'Why is he acting like this?! What happened to him?!'
Before she knew it, he turned toward her again, this time seizing her with a bear's embrace and pressing his down upon lips on her own with a kiss that didn't strike Hilde as playful, passionate, or funny. . .
"MMMPH!" mumbled the confused German girl, as she pushed Duo off and abruptly slapped the side of his face. Not that she hadn't dreamt of kissing him before, but there were just too many things wrong with this situation!! And did he actually call that desperate act a kiss?!?! She didn't think so- especially not after yelling at her for no reason! What in the hell did he think he was doing?!?!
"Duo! What's wrong with you!!!" She demanded angrily.
"Good" Duo said, somehow appeased by her reaction. (!???!) "Hilde," he announced proudly, "This is definitely not one of my dreams!"
With that, he stumbled briskly with certain strain, rushing toward Deathscythe Hell.
Hilde shoved that little comment toward the back of her mind, as most women do, to use against Duo - I mean- confront Duo with later. But for now, there were important things to question, such as why he was heading toward his gundam as weak as he was right now. . .
Verdamnt!
He couldn't---
He was.
"Duo!" she called out desperately. . .
"Stay here Hilde." Duo warned, as he ascended his gundam, "Take this thing away from the battlefield! Keep it away from the colony- I'll catch up with you!" With that, he took his leave, jumping into the cockpit without further hesitation.
Hilde gasped when she saw the hurry Duo was in and jammed her hand down on the 'open latch' button just in the nick of time! Duo had almost tore through the cargo door in his rush to get onto the battlefield!!!
'He's going to get killed thinking like that. . .' Hilde panicked, 'He's gone insane!'
She just had to reason with him! Closing the door again and rushing forward to the controls of the carrier Hilde feverously punched in Duo's comm code. . .
"Don't do it, Duo!" she exclaimed, "You can't fight in your condition!"
"Don't worry!" Duo chimed, "remember that I'm a gundam pilot! That system is more than a human can handle." he explained quickly, as if she knew what he was talking about, "I've gotta stop him!"
With that, Duo cut the link and left Hilde by herself to wonder as to where exactly Duo wanted her to go. He said not to go back to the colony and all of space was a battlefield. There was no safe place. . . he wasn't thinking. Just reacting.
"Goodluck. . ." she whispered quietly, knowing full well that he really needed it now. She dumbly piloted the craft a little further off from the explosions of light and mechanical life that Duo targeted, "be careful, Duo. . . I don't care what you think. Gundam pilots can be cautious. They have to be. . . . . . when they're fighting alone."
* * *
"It's expanding!," Duo heard Trant's voice proclaim over the comm, "My
consciousness is expanding! I'm almost there!"
'That bastard!" Duo fumed in his self-deliberation, "He is goin' down! I look
forward to burying his stagnant corpse under the daisies!!!! "
Trant's stagnant laughter filled the cockpit of the Deathscythe Hell just
before Duo reached him. . . angering him more and more. . .
" I want more!" Trant breathed greedily, "I haven't had enough yet!"
"I'll give him more," Duo muttered, disengaging his hyper-jammers. . .
"I haven't had enough!" the lieutenant bellowed manically . . .
It was with that statement that Duo envisioned a heinous thought of this
donkey fucking shit-head predator turning his sick sights to the colony to fulfill his
chaotic taste for annihilation. It was with that warped thought in mind that he
lunged at Wing Zero with all 80% of the power that he could muster forth from
Deathscythe Hell. . .
"STOP IT!!!!!!" the God of Death commanded in a roaring voice,
wielding his double beamed scythe with every intention to tear that accursed thing
a sunder.
But the Wing Zero evaded each threatening slash with a prowess and ease
that made it seem as if he was predicting every move before it was made
"He's incredibly fast!" Duo stammered in disbelief, as he continued his blind
assault on the headstrong gundam.
"I can see!" Trant exclaimed as if all the wonders in the world were being
revealed to him by the great wise man waiting upon the mountain zenith, " I can
clearly see every one of your moves!" smirking, he looked down to his monitor at
Duo, "I can even see you during your death!"
Deathscythe's eyes lit with green fire as Duo's rage pushed him boldly
forward. . .
"In your dreams!" Duo asserted aunguishly, charging into Wing Zero with
tenacious persistence. He swung the scythe forward yet again, but was thwarted
from slicing the gundam in half Wing Zero's powerful beam saber. Blade locked
with blade as the two pressed into each other contesting domination by a show of
strength. After only a few moments of this, however, both men knew the result. . ..
"He's stronger than me!" Duo began to panic as the Deathscythe Hell began
to give in. . .
With a final thrust, Wing Zero was victorious, flicking Duo's choice weapon
straight out of his hands and out spinning uncontrollably into space!
"You're dead!" Trant pronounced, moving in to rip the gundam apart with
his bare hands.
Duo caught the burly fists with open palms and began to grapple with Wing
Zero, a struggle that was short lived when Trant freed one of Zero's hands from
Deathscythe's grip and took the head of Duo's gundam in his hands. . . Wing Zero
began applying a sluggish and lingering pressure, savoring a victory that had yet to
be won as he slowly proceeded to pinch off the head of Deathscythe Hell . . .
"You fool! Haven't you realized that you haven't got a chance against me!"
Trant bellowed.
Duo vainfully endeavored to free Deathscythe as sparks of electricity jumped
all around him, free from the prison the wires confined them in. He was reeking
havoc on the systems. . . At this rate, it would only be a matter of time before Duo
lost control!
'If this keeps up,' Duo thought scornfully, 'I'll have to self-detonate to stop him!'
It seemed that as soon as Duo had finished that thought, he noticed an
immediate change come over. The pilot watched the features of his face change
from ecstatic to contemplative, to absolute horror . . .
'He must be having a hallucination!' Duo realized suddenly, 'now's my chance-'
Duo's thoughts were cut short by Trant's outraged screams. . . Before he'd
even had a chance to act, the hallucination was over and Trant was in control
again...
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" the insane lieutenant yelled with
great desperation and fear, the origins of which remain unknown, as he kicked
Deathscythe Hell away from him, "I WON'T LOSE -" he screamed
resentfully, "AND CERTAINLY NOT TO A PUNK LIKE
YOU!"
"If you lost," Duo began, "it wouldn't be to me! You'd be losing to the Wing
Zero!"
"There's no way I can be defeated!" he declared, aiming the
dreaded beam cannon at Duo. . .
"You still don't get it do you!" Duo raged, flinging
forth his buster shield at that precise moment. . .
The two weapons collided with a mighty explosion that seemed to shake all
of space itself, instantaneously recoiling back after impact to swallow and eliminate
the mighty creatures that spurned them. . .
"FUCK!" Duo exclaimed, punching the gas just in the nick of time to
narrowly manage escaping the beam. . . The power of it left him singed, but
fortunately, he'd stored up plenty of that 'goodluck', and escaped the majority of it.
Since he was relatively safe from harm, Duo scanned the area for Trant,
though nothing remained to be seen except for a slight light shining off in the far
distance. . .
'He must have gotten caught in the explosion. . .'
For a while, no thought wanders across the pilot's mind as he contemplates
nothing more than the silence that trails behind chaos. . . Chaos on wings. . . With
impartial talons that scrape across everyone's life at some point, often more than
once. Like a falcon skimming all of the lake for one fish. And why should the
ripples of the water matter to that bird of prey? For what are our lives but a few
drops of water in an endless sea?
There is no control over Chaos. . . After all, that's what makes it chaotic!
Now, Duo just pitied the fool that believed he could control it. . .
"It's just too much for a human being to handle." he reflects to himself as
the light fades further, "If anyone were capable of it, he'd be superior to the entire
human race."
If Wing Zero could be controlled, humanity wouldn't have to war anymore.