"Crap!" Duo shouted, looking out from the guardhouse window. Wufei joined
him and through the darkness they looked out over the courtyard. From
their viewpoint they could see the charging armada of prisoners, led by
Zechs.
They could also see the guards waiting, hidden behind a low rising wall. But Zechs and the others could not see these guards. And the guards had guns.
"They wouldn't shoot them." Duo said to himself more than Wufei. "The guards wouldn't dare."
"Wanna bet?" Wufei asked, racing over to where he had dumped his things. He picked up his bags quickly and tossed Duo his own. Duo looked at him blankly. "We have to warn them, or stop them." He explained. Duo nodded and followed Wufei out of the door.
"How?" He asked as they climbed slowly down the stairs.
"I was hoping you had an idea for that." Wufei sighed.
Meanwhile on the ground, the oblivious group were still running forwards, straight into a trap. Zechs led the stampeding faction, with Trowa and Heero brining up the rear, helping Relena onwards. Quatre ran amongst the prisoners, egging them on and encouraging them as best he could.
"Something is wrong." Trowa said, stopping in his tracks and looking around. Heero and Relena were forced to stop too.
"You think so too?" Heero asked, glad that he wasn't the only one who felt that something was amiss.
"I don't think we should be charging so blindly." The normally quiet boy said thoughtfully. "It seems wrong."
"I agree." Heero said. "I don't like this one bit."
Relena pulled herself away from them, the effects of the drug had clearly worn off because she was able to stand unaided. She also no longer saw three Trowas standing where one should be.
"I'll go with the others and send Quatre back to you." She said. "You stay here." And before Heero or Trowa could argue she was gone, hot on the trail of the others.
"This way." Heero led Trowa into the shadow cast by a long wall. They jumped down onto the other side. "Follow me." Heero said, glancing up at the night sky. "I have a hunch that it would be best for us to leave this way."
"Hn." Trowa agreed, back to being the silent one.
Crouching low, they edged along the side of the wall. They could hear the other running on still. If pace making had been left up to Zechs then they would have gone at a flat out sprint and left in seconds. But many of the women were too weak to run, so their pace was slow. Zechs was perturbed by this, but said nothing about it.
They were nearing the little wall that they would jump down to reach the main gates when suddenly ten or so figures were blocking their path. As squadron of guns were pointed at the escapees.
"Stop!" A voice commanded. Seeing no escape, Zechs slowed his pace and stopped, slowly raising his hands above his head. Behind him the others did the same.
"So, you thought you could escape." The officer stepped into a patch of moonlight. Several of the women drew back in fear; this was one of the meanest, strictest officers in The Fort. His name was General Cuarenta. "Don't try anything, we have the guns trained on you all, and we will shoot. And for those of you who don't know, my snipers rarely miss a target."
None of the group moved openly, but a lot of subtle shuffling was taking place. Quatre was moving slowly towards the front of the group, pushing others back. Whispers went through the group and the strongest women also began to shuffle forwards, with the weaker and younger ones moving to the back.
Quatre stood next to Zechs and was aware yet again of how similar they must look. They had such similar hair and eye colours that many people often mistook them for brothers, and this happened now.
"So, is this a family affair?" General Cuarenta asked. "Brothers and sisters united or something?"
Quatre glanced to his right, past Zechs and saw Dorothy standing there. With exactly the same hair as Zechs of course they would look like a family!
"You aren't as clever as you should be General." Zechs said with distaste. "A General who assumes that three people are related just because they have the same hair colour! Goodness knows how you became a General."
"Silence you!" Cuarenta said, pointing his own gun at Zechs. "I'll have no lip from you!" Zechs made to retaliate when he saw something that made him stop. There were shadows moving just beyond the officers. He could see what was going on, and knew he had to keep the attention of the guards on him.
"Fine." He muttered. "But just so you know, these people with me all follow my orders. If you want them to do something you had better get me to tell them what to do."
"They will listen to me." Cuarenta growled. "And you know they will."
Zechs gulped. He wasn't sure how to keep the attention of the guards. If he did it too much they would surely turn around, or shoot him. If he did it too little a guard would probably turn around or they would all be arrested, and probably shot.
Quatre meanwhile, could sense the restlessness of the group behind him. If only he could ask them what they wanted to do. Did they want to go back to living in the prison, or die trying to escape? He couldn't make the decision for them, because he didn't know how they felt.
Meanwhile, a little bit behind the guards, four shadows crouched low. Heero, Trowa, Duo and Wufei conversed in low voices about what they could possibly do.
"Will it work?" Heero asked doubtfully.
"It's worth a try." Trowa said. "At this stage, what have we got to loose?"
"He's right, they'll kill all those trying to escape for sure." Wufei nodded.
"Then we are agreed." Duo looked round. "I wish we had a bit of help though."
"We will soon, I just hope that Treize realises what we are doing and doesn't make a mistake that could cost us." Wufei muttered.
"On three then?" Trowa asked. The others nodded. "One..two.."
AN - oh, a cliffhanger. Sorry guys, I'm sure the waiting is killing you!
They could also see the guards waiting, hidden behind a low rising wall. But Zechs and the others could not see these guards. And the guards had guns.
"They wouldn't shoot them." Duo said to himself more than Wufei. "The guards wouldn't dare."
"Wanna bet?" Wufei asked, racing over to where he had dumped his things. He picked up his bags quickly and tossed Duo his own. Duo looked at him blankly. "We have to warn them, or stop them." He explained. Duo nodded and followed Wufei out of the door.
"How?" He asked as they climbed slowly down the stairs.
"I was hoping you had an idea for that." Wufei sighed.
Meanwhile on the ground, the oblivious group were still running forwards, straight into a trap. Zechs led the stampeding faction, with Trowa and Heero brining up the rear, helping Relena onwards. Quatre ran amongst the prisoners, egging them on and encouraging them as best he could.
"Something is wrong." Trowa said, stopping in his tracks and looking around. Heero and Relena were forced to stop too.
"You think so too?" Heero asked, glad that he wasn't the only one who felt that something was amiss.
"I don't think we should be charging so blindly." The normally quiet boy said thoughtfully. "It seems wrong."
"I agree." Heero said. "I don't like this one bit."
Relena pulled herself away from them, the effects of the drug had clearly worn off because she was able to stand unaided. She also no longer saw three Trowas standing where one should be.
"I'll go with the others and send Quatre back to you." She said. "You stay here." And before Heero or Trowa could argue she was gone, hot on the trail of the others.
"This way." Heero led Trowa into the shadow cast by a long wall. They jumped down onto the other side. "Follow me." Heero said, glancing up at the night sky. "I have a hunch that it would be best for us to leave this way."
"Hn." Trowa agreed, back to being the silent one.
Crouching low, they edged along the side of the wall. They could hear the other running on still. If pace making had been left up to Zechs then they would have gone at a flat out sprint and left in seconds. But many of the women were too weak to run, so their pace was slow. Zechs was perturbed by this, but said nothing about it.
They were nearing the little wall that they would jump down to reach the main gates when suddenly ten or so figures were blocking their path. As squadron of guns were pointed at the escapees.
"Stop!" A voice commanded. Seeing no escape, Zechs slowed his pace and stopped, slowly raising his hands above his head. Behind him the others did the same.
"So, you thought you could escape." The officer stepped into a patch of moonlight. Several of the women drew back in fear; this was one of the meanest, strictest officers in The Fort. His name was General Cuarenta. "Don't try anything, we have the guns trained on you all, and we will shoot. And for those of you who don't know, my snipers rarely miss a target."
None of the group moved openly, but a lot of subtle shuffling was taking place. Quatre was moving slowly towards the front of the group, pushing others back. Whispers went through the group and the strongest women also began to shuffle forwards, with the weaker and younger ones moving to the back.
Quatre stood next to Zechs and was aware yet again of how similar they must look. They had such similar hair and eye colours that many people often mistook them for brothers, and this happened now.
"So, is this a family affair?" General Cuarenta asked. "Brothers and sisters united or something?"
Quatre glanced to his right, past Zechs and saw Dorothy standing there. With exactly the same hair as Zechs of course they would look like a family!
"You aren't as clever as you should be General." Zechs said with distaste. "A General who assumes that three people are related just because they have the same hair colour! Goodness knows how you became a General."
"Silence you!" Cuarenta said, pointing his own gun at Zechs. "I'll have no lip from you!" Zechs made to retaliate when he saw something that made him stop. There were shadows moving just beyond the officers. He could see what was going on, and knew he had to keep the attention of the guards on him.
"Fine." He muttered. "But just so you know, these people with me all follow my orders. If you want them to do something you had better get me to tell them what to do."
"They will listen to me." Cuarenta growled. "And you know they will."
Zechs gulped. He wasn't sure how to keep the attention of the guards. If he did it too much they would surely turn around, or shoot him. If he did it too little a guard would probably turn around or they would all be arrested, and probably shot.
Quatre meanwhile, could sense the restlessness of the group behind him. If only he could ask them what they wanted to do. Did they want to go back to living in the prison, or die trying to escape? He couldn't make the decision for them, because he didn't know how they felt.
Meanwhile, a little bit behind the guards, four shadows crouched low. Heero, Trowa, Duo and Wufei conversed in low voices about what they could possibly do.
"Will it work?" Heero asked doubtfully.
"It's worth a try." Trowa said. "At this stage, what have we got to loose?"
"He's right, they'll kill all those trying to escape for sure." Wufei nodded.
"Then we are agreed." Duo looked round. "I wish we had a bit of help though."
"We will soon, I just hope that Treize realises what we are doing and doesn't make a mistake that could cost us." Wufei muttered.
"On three then?" Trowa asked. The others nodded. "One..two.."
AN - oh, a cliffhanger. Sorry guys, I'm sure the waiting is killing you!