That's Childish, So Childish…
Chapter Twelve: And Now You Can't Pretend…
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Disclaimer—I do not own Gundam Wing or any characters thereof. Don't tell me that surprises you!
Warnings—Things blow up. People die. Of course, not the ones we like… Minor wearing. Upset characters. Mental anguish. High stress. Probably higher blood pressures, but nobody's taking them, so who'd notice? Too much other stuff going on.
Yep, Zechs took the Tallgeese finally, so gotta backtrack slightly. Things could be easier. Things could be worse, too… And maybe they get worse? Duo and Quatre are pulling their hair out. Treize is… well, you'll see.
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Miri stared up at the white behemoth a long moment, legs shaking from the strain of all he'd brought along. It weighed a lot.
//I can do this. I have to do this. They won't scream for help if I show up—because they know I wouldn't stay after such a battle. And the Maganacs need help. He's got reinforcements—I know he's /that/ intelligent.//
He shivered, and lifted a lightly-bandaged hand to stare at it, memories of blood staining him. Despair trickled with the sweat tickling his spine under his blue shirt.
//I HAVE to do this.//
That hand slapped the control for the pilot's line, and he leapt up to grab it, swinging his foot expertly into the stirrup for the ride up.
//There's nobody else…//
The open cockpit beaconed like a warm embrace of a friend. Hopping onto the landing, Zechs swung the heavy bag from his shoulders and ducked inside.
//They live in peace… They aren't stained yet by blood… Like I am.//
Duct tape was spread with expert efficiency. Clay bricks were taped up. A heavy book found itself bound to the seat. Two wooden backscratchers found themselves adhered to unusual positions. Then, taking a deep breath, the boy jumped into the seat, tucking the empty sack into a crevasse between the seat cushion and the armrest, and using his belt to bind the roll of duct tape to his side.
Belts clipped into place, echoing in the silence of the cockpit.
Then expert small hands flew over the buttons and switches, powering the mammoth white suit up and closing the cockpit. The Tallgeese rumbled, engines whistling softly as they began to warm up. A faint vibration, like a heartbeat, thrummed through the cockpit, drawing a sad smile.
//I have to do this!//
Icy blue eyes closed slowly, painfully.
//I'm sorry, Duo, Quatre. But I have to. I'm better suited to help them than you. But you won't forgive me for it. The two of you care… I've noticed that much. And I care for you. But I'm more expendable. And you know it.//
Miri lifted the cracked mask up off his lap slowly, and placed it over his head firmly, tucking his long hair about so it fit snugly and stayed out of his way.
"My beloved Tallgeese… You've served me faithfully. Let it be so until the end…"
It hurt to say it. It hurt to admit that he was facing death. Yet it brought a sense of peace with it, a sense of immortality, a mixture of helplessness and limitless power. Suddenly, he knew—this was what Heero, the pilot of Gundam 01, must feel. It was why the Gundams won every battle against Oz.
Zechs growled under his breath, suddenly defiant—to the Alliance, the Gundams, to Fate itself. //I'm not dead YET!//
A nudge, and the Tallgeese walked heavily through the hanger towards one of the desert exits from the underground base. He could hear gunfire ahead, and paused the heavy suit a bit behind the Maganacs' line, building the engine-power up…
//Time to move the White Knight on the chess-board!//
Expert hands flicked over switches and buttons, aided by the back- scratchers taped firmly to his forearms to reach the most distant controls. Feet weighted down by bricks abruptly lifted, taking the suit's feet up with them—and Zechs slammed hard on the engines' throttle.
The Tallgeese blasted out over the heads of the Maganac Corps's suits, paused for the briefest instant just outside the doors, then roared straight for the stars like a silvery flare, twirling through the crossfire like a ballet dancer prancing through a minefield.
Zechs's yell was half determined adrenaline, half amazed triumph, and a fair dose of excited panic. The G-forces were incredible! Pinned to the seat, he couldn't help but wonder, //Can I even /stop/ this thing?!? Oh God, don't doubt yourself /now/, Miri—it's too late!!!//
He knew he'd have to. There was no choice.
"Zechs!" Rashid's voice was a bellow of anger over the coms. "What do you think you're doing?!?"
Struggling to breathe against the pressure on his chest, the boy reached a shaking arm for the throttle and eased off, almost gasping in relief as the pressure eased enough for him to talk. Bringing the Tallgeese to a hover well above the fighting, he brought the beam rifle to bear with a wicked grin, and flicked up a visual for Rashid.
"Taking the high ground." Zechs couldn't help pausing a little between the words, as he was still getting his breath back—but it made his voice almost a good octave closer to normal, he noticed. //Thank God. I don't like being so high-pitch…// "First checkmate—which should shake him up a little. Commander Girald's no fool, Rashid…"
The older man frowned, almost glowering, and stayed silent a long moment. Then he nodded slowly. There was pain in those dark eyes. "You shouldn't be in this," he rumbled firmly, reproachfully.
//Should /you/?// Miri whispered to himself sadly. //I'm not the only one who shouldn't be forced to fight.// "No, you're right. But the Tallgeese should. Better she kills me than one of them…"
Those dark eyes stared into him, hearing unspoken, //Otherwise, a Gundam pilot would have done it. And they don't know the Tallgeese. It would kill them as surely as it will me. I at least know her—maybe I can avoid her worst—or at least save them, so they can continue. Because they can fight Romefeller, and I can't… The way my body is now, I'd never manage it.//
"Allah be with you," the older man whispered. Then, louder, "Bring that museum reject back in one piece, or I'm locking your rollerblades up for good!"
Zechs's eyes grew damp, and he smiled shakily, lifting a hand in a mischievous salute. "I'll do my best, sir," he answered, cutting the connection.
The beam rifle began blasting Alliance suits on the ground like a cannon taking out lined-up targets in a carnival stall. Zechs could hear the confusion among Commander Girald's troops over the Oz channel even before the first shot hit.
"It's the Tallgeese!"
"But—he's on our side, isn't he?"
"Ahhhhh!!!!" That one was cut off quickly.
"Commander! Commander! What's going on?!?"
Then, a colder voice, more of a growl of rage than words. "Kill him!"
"Yes sir!"
As one, weapons lifted towards the gleam of a suit in the sky…
//Don't fail me, Tallgeese…//
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Duo dashed through the corridors, wishing he /was/ wearing rollerblades because then he could be moving faster. Tears blurred his eyes. //Oh God, oh God, it's going to kill him! That monster's too violent—he said it himself! Why, damn it why? Why did he take it up?!?//
He knew, though. Because either he or Quatre would have likely done it. The Alliance wouldn't roar as much over the Tallgeese's appearance as a pair of Gundams! And if it nearly killed Zechs on /his/ first try…
//It would've maimed whoever took the bloody thing up—face it, Duo! He did it to spare you and Quatre! But damn it—damn /him/—he /promised!//
Duo tore into the communications room, to find Auada choking on a mug of coffee. Before the man could finish recovering, Duo attacked the controls, switching over to the Tallgeese…
Just in time to see Zechs grit his teeth, bracing best he could against the G-forces trying to make him into a pancake on the left sidescreen of the cockpit.
"ZECHS!" Deathscythe's pilot hollered, half in panic.
The boy winced at the sheer volume, coughed, and suddenly jerked at the controls before firing the beam rifle again, barely managing to fight next rush of G-forces enough to tap it in time.
A blip on the radar that marked an Alliance mobile suit winked out.
Desperately, Duo sought a visual of the activity outside, ignoring a spluttering and protesting Auada. //He hasn't /time/ to answer! God, how bad is it up there?//
Bad. The Maganacs were outnumbered—the radar said that loud and clear. The visuals arrived in time to show the Tallgeese practically dancing between bullets and beam shots, trying to get a few blasts in to help. Dodging and whirling and… /dancing/. Zechs handled the thing like a fighter-plane as well as like a part of his own body—a combination Duo had never seen anyone do before, not even Heero. Trying to hit it was like trying to punch a carp underwater—it just slid out of the way in the last second.
But the toll showed on Zechs's face and body. The sudden leaps and whirls were practically flinging him around the cockpit like a rag toy. The mask's long crack had already branched from the violence, practically blinding the boy's left eye.
//It'll kill him!// "Get back down here!" Duo screamed desperately. "Zechs—you /promised/…!"
"I'm /not/ flying it—I'm hanging on for dear life, Duo!" the boy protested gaspingly.
There was a bellow from Rashid, and the Maganac Corps rained a wall of bullets onto the enemy troops from a new angle, cutting down the fire attacking the Tallgeese by giving the shooters something new to think about.
A number of blips vanished as if pretending they never existed on the screen.
//A respite! Thank God!// Hoping for a response, Duo yelled, "Get your rear back down here /now/!"
Breathing heavily, Zechs pulled the Tallgeese to a different vantage point, hands flying to aim to beam rifle again. If he'd heard Duo, he wasn't answering…
//Listen to me! Damn it, don't ignore me!// Duo grabbed the microphone and shouted, "Damn it, get back down here, Zechs! That thing's killing you! You can't take more of that!"
"I—I have to!" the pale youth answered desperately, pounding the firing button as fast as he could. "They'd /know/ it was you rather than me, don't you see?!? Had to be Tallgeese—had to be /my/ style!"
He was right… But even knowing that tore Duo's heart. //God—I'm going to watch him die, and I can't DO anything about it!//
Return fire attacked the Tallgeese's new position, forcing Zechs back into silence with another round of dodging.
Auada was hurriedly conferring on his headset to Rashid and other Maganacs, even as blips moved about…
It was then that Duo realized what was going on, and his jaw dropped. //Their gameplan… He's part of Rashid's plan! He takes their attention, blasts them down, and Rashid moves with the rest to somewhere better while they're trying to shoot Zechs down… Then the Maganacs get a barrage in, and Zechs moves somewhere else… And it's working—it's WORKING!//
They were starting to /win/.
"Hang in there, kiddo! Hang in there!" Duo began yelling. //You might just make it! And when you get your butt back down here, kid, I'm giving you a damn /spanking/!!!//
The Tallgeese's radar beeped shrilly at that moment.
Zechs paled, eyes widening behind the glass of his mask until all Duo could see was pale blue…
"Shit," breathed Auada in horror, drawing Duo's gaze to the radar. "Aries… A whole /lot/ of Aries!"
Blips. Two waves of blips. Waves was right—there were too many. /Way/ too many! Oh, the first wave had maybe ten suits, but they were the fore guard to what looked like a damn army, stretching beyond the range of the radar…
//Oh shit… We're /all/ dead.// "Quatre! Get your Gundam!!!" Duo hollered, though his own feet were riveted to the ground.
A patter of buttons, a click—the Tallgeese discarded the beam rifle, letting it drop between two of the Maganacs to be a spare for them.
Duo could only stare as Zechs activated the beam saber, turning the Tallgeese to face the rushing wave.
"No, Zechs, don't—get out of here, get out of here while you can!" Duo breathed softly, a plea for deaf ears. He knew the boy wouldn't. //He won't. He'll take them with him… Like I would. Like Quatre would. Like Rashid, like Heero… Like all of us. Because he's one of us…//
Briefly, ice-blue eyes behind cracked glass looked up into Duo's own, damp with pain and tears.
"I'm sorry, Duo," Zechs whispered hoarsely. An apology for his behavior. For giving them any pain or anguish, even with his death. For things that might have been.
Those eyes fixed on the tide of Aries, and shoulders straightened, that chin lifted… Zechs took a deep breath…
With a building roar, the Lightening Count slammed the throttle as far as it would go, sending the Tallgeese rocketing straight for the heart of the enemy.
Duo could only stare, eyes full of tears, unable to move his numb body. It would be quick, he knew. He could wait that long before grabbing his Gundam. It was all a friend could offer—to be there when all ended…
//I'm sorry, too…// Deathscythe's pilot could only mouth the words.
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The pain was gone—only his determination remained as the Aries zoomed closer. The Tallgeese was a silver-white arrow at the heart—and Zechs intended to make it a deep wound. Hands poised over the controls for a slight swerve, a flash of beam saber, and touched at the right instant.
Two Aries in the vanguard exploded in his wake as he whipped between their positions, pretending to ignore them as he aimed for those amassed beyond.
//I won't let you repeat Sanc,// Miri resolved in silent despair. //They're peaceful people—they'll stay in peace, free and safe!//
Aries loomed closer. Unlike those first ten suits, this main wave apparently bore white bands on their suits, one a bit to the fore with a gold streak crowning the head. The Tallgeese angled for this prominent leader…
The com beeped cheerfully.
Zechs didn't even glance at the com. It was too late for chatter. He was going to die… //Can't they see I'm /busy/?!?//
"That is hardly the way to greet an old friend, Zechs… Or should I call you by your other name?" A familiar, calm, even /amused/ voice.
Miri gaped at the screen a long moment, hands still ready to act, the seconds before contact ticking down swiftly…
//It can't be… But how…? Why…? Oh shit—watch OUT!//
Eyes wide, Zechs hauled on the controls desperately, dragging the Tallgeese into a sudden swerve upwards in the last moment to evade the gold-marked Aries. The move smashed him into the seat, cracking his arm against the throttle—it took a moment's struggle for Zechs to lunge past the pain and bring the machine to a slower speed, then down to a hover. Coughing and gasping for breath now that the G-forces let him breathe, he let the Tallgeese sink down slowly to the level of the amassed white-marked Aries troops.
A lightly-bandaged hand hit the com controls, bringing up a familiar face…
"Treize?" Zechs whispered in almost disbelief.
"I didn't think you need the Tooth Fairy," came a sly reply as the gold- marked suit came forward to meet the Tallgeese. "Aries troops seemed enough."
//It's him. And I'm kicking his shins as soon as he touches the ground for that remark! Is he… Is he on /our/ side, or with Commander Girald?// "Treize," the boy growled hoarsely, to notify the former Oz leader that he had neither time nor patience at the moment for teasing. "Are you expecting us to surrender?"
The tidy former general smiled slowly, his suit waving his troops onward… The surge overran the unmarked Aries and turned them into fiery shrapnel within seconds. "Hardly… Once we're done, /we're/ the ones surrendering… To you and your new allies, my friend. We have left Oz /and/ Romefeller."
Relief flooded Zechs's body and he could feel his adrenaline fading under its impact, taking his strength with it. Suddenly he felt like human silly putty, and sore putty at that. Nothing felt broken, but by God, some of those bruises were probably permanent, and his hands were wet—old burns blistered and rubbed raw by the controls despite the bandages.
//Thank God… I only hope they don't kill you, Treize…// Miri nodded slowly, and reached a hand to get a visual with Auada below. "They're with us, Auada… Tell Rashid and the rest…" He knew he sounded tired.
Duo was there, at Auada's shoulder, quiet, hopeful, eyes sharp and wary. "You know each other…? Who is it?"
//I owe you this much, Treize… You can escape them, if you want.// Turning his gaze back to Treize, Zechs paused, thoughtful, before offering—in what he knew was in vain, "Treize… You are putting your life at risk with this…"
Treize's head dipped in aquiesance and mute acceptance of the risk. "I know. Tell them that I shall surrender even as my men help clean up."
//Thought so. But thank you, Treize. I won't forget this.// Sighing softly, Zechs nodded slowly in silent sympathy, before offering Duo, "Treize…"
"We heard," Deathscythe's pilot answered swiftly, smiling cheerfully. The cheerful smile hardened slightly after a moment, however. "Ground's clear below you… Now get your butt down here, or I swear, I /will/ spank you like the little kid you resemble!"
Treize must have caught that, because he was laughing even as Zechs cut the connection—/all/ the com connections!—and sent the Tallgeese down in a descending hover.
//I /will/ kick his shins…//
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Duo pulled Auada's land rover up just in time to see the Tallgeese's engines cut off, the massive white suit slumping in a semi-kneeling position. He ignored the other mobile suits converging on the area, and ran up to the tab for the descent line, slapping it harshly, urgently.
Silently, the dark line came down, and Duo leapt up, riding it up as the cockpit's landing came open.
//Be okay—come on, kid, please, be okay? Please, Zechs… If you're half dead, I'll… I'll never forgive myself.//
The braided Gundam pilot opened the hatch, ducking his head and shoulders inside—
And blinked, sucking in a breath.
The throttle, switches, and buttons were sticky, smeared with red blood. Oh, not a lot, but it was frightening to look at. The boy was slumped, breathing heavily, sweat trickling from under the mask and making his hair damp. Bruises were already darkening his bare arms and one side of his jaw. The mask displayed a couple cracks radiating from the first—which had widened—leaving one eyeglass a blinding array of shards. The light bandages covering the burns on Zechs's hands were bloody, rubbed raw by his struggle flying the stubborn mobile suit. But as Duo looked on, that fair head lifted, and a tired smile touched those visible lips.
"I'm still alive," Zechs whispered hoarsely, eyes gleaming with gentle mischief.
//Thank God! But if you think I'm not disabling this monstrosity so you can't ever repeat this again, you've got another thing coming!// But it was all bluster, sheer relief. Duo knew he wouldn't be able to do that. How could he ground a Gundam pilot? And was Zechs any different from the rest of them? No. No, Duo understood now. He understood a great deal.
Duo just sighed and pulled out his pocketknife to attack the duct tape on the boy's forearms and legs. "You did it… because of the people…," he murmured quietly, not so much a question as a statement. //I'd have done it for them, too…//
Zechs winced as the duct tape was ripped off his fair skin, and occasionally taking scabs from older injuries with it. But his head dipped in surrender. "Yes."
Shaking his head over how Zechs managed to loop the duct tape about the calves of his legs as well as the clay bricks, Duo considered the answer silently. //In his dreams… "The people come first…!" Protecting the people. His family was responsible for people… so he is, too. Were they part of a peaceful government? If so, and it's gone, that explains why he feels he failed, like Quatre said. So he did this—to protect the village…//
The boy waited passively as Duo freed him from his modifications, silent. But after Duo pulled the last of the tape off, he asked quietly, shyly, "Are you still going to spank me?"
//He actually /believed/ that?// Duo snorted, rubbing the back of his head as he straightened. "No. but the threat got you down here, didn't it?" Grinning slyly, Deathscythe's pilot winked.
Zechs groaned, and slid down off the seat, almost staggering on the platform, stiff. Even as Duo reflexively grabbed the boy's belt to keep him from tumbling off, Zechs's hands moved to ward off his help. But Duo was less tired, stronger, and the ex-Oz pilot's reaction was more a reflexive motion than anything, without much will or force behind it.
//You're not in the best shape, kiddo. But at least you're alive!// Duo chuckled, shaking his head as Zechs sighed and rolled ice blue eyes at him. "You need a steadying hand, it seems. Come on—you know I'm not going to hurt you, and your hands are in no shape for holding onto the line anyway."
Silently, the boy nodded.
//We'll need that doctor again… I hope the Maganacs are all right, though.// Duo reached for the line, sipping his foot into the stirrup, and taking a grip on the back of Zechs's blue shirt to support the boy where he was least likely to be bruised and battered.
Carefully, Zechs stood on Duo's foot, and trustingly let the Gundam pilot support him on the way down. Neither stepped off until it reached bottom, and then it was the boy first.
"You're going to have to see the doctor again about those hands," Duo sighed, though he couldn't help a slight smile as he looked down at the pale boy. //You're very lucky, Zechs. That could have ended up a /lot/ worse!//
"I know." The cracked mask didn't look up at him, but turned slightly…
"Perhaps you should have started in the Academy a lot earlier than we thought," drawled an amused voice not far behind Duo. "Though we were pushing the age limit at thirteen at the time, I'm sure starting you a couple years younger wouldn't have caused any more uproar."
Duo stiffened, hand itching to grab the gun at the back of his belt and turn it towards that voice. He forced himself to turn slowly and face the ginger-haired young general of Oz.
//So… This is the famous—or is it infamous?—General Treize Kushrenada? The one obsessed with roses? I hope we don't have to get him any during his stay…// The man was faintly smiling—in a superior sort of way that seemed natural on the nobleman and rubbed Duo a bit the wrong way. //Arrogant guy, huh?//
"Treize," Zechs greeted tonelessly, voice still rough and hoarse from yelling earlier. The mask hid whatever the boy was feeling, and what little of his face that showed offered no expression. "Thirteen was early enough."
"Hm," Treize demurred, still slightly smirking, neither agreeing nor arguing with the sound.
Duo eyed the taller man warily, wondering where he hid his gun. //Under the jacket, I bet… Those boots are a bit tight-fitting for it—pants, too.// "You /are/ surrendering, right?"
A mischievous light touched the older man's eyes and twitched his mouth into a slight /genuine/ smile. "As soon as I know who to surrender to."
Duo grinned sharply, and held out his hand. "I'm as good as any. The name's Duo Maxwell. Gun please."
Treize barked a laugh, clearly amused by Duo's boldness and blunt attitude. "Just like that?"
"Yep. We don't hold much on ceremony out here," Duo answered, dark blue eyes gleaming with sly amusement. //Just like that. You have /no/ idea what you're up against!//
From the corner of his eyes, though, Duo saw Zechs smile slowly, almost evilly, an expression that made the ex-Oz general's mirth dampen and falter. //I take it Zechs doesn't smile that that very often…//
"He forgot to add, 'Pilot of Gundam 02,' Treize." Zechs's voice was cool, calm, and carried a wealth of quiet amusement that echoed his slowly growing smirk.
//We make /such/ a good team!// Duo crowed to himself, trying not to laugh at Treize Kushrenada's stunned expression as the man swiftly handed the ornate weapon over.
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To be continued.
A thing I noted when watching the series was that only Zechs uses that fighter-plane style of flipping and rolling through the air when dodging shots with a mobile suit. Not even Heero does it in the show, just Zechs (can't say about Noin or Treize, though, as we don't see them fighting enough). Though it makes sense—likely Zechs learned to pilot planes before suits, and it carried over. And Quatre, the only one we see use a fighter plane, doesn't have a mobile suit that flies… Just something that hit me during the show.
Chapter Twelve: And Now You Can't Pretend…
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Disclaimer—I do not own Gundam Wing or any characters thereof. Don't tell me that surprises you!
Warnings—Things blow up. People die. Of course, not the ones we like… Minor wearing. Upset characters. Mental anguish. High stress. Probably higher blood pressures, but nobody's taking them, so who'd notice? Too much other stuff going on.
Yep, Zechs took the Tallgeese finally, so gotta backtrack slightly. Things could be easier. Things could be worse, too… And maybe they get worse? Duo and Quatre are pulling their hair out. Treize is… well, you'll see.
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Miri stared up at the white behemoth a long moment, legs shaking from the strain of all he'd brought along. It weighed a lot.
//I can do this. I have to do this. They won't scream for help if I show up—because they know I wouldn't stay after such a battle. And the Maganacs need help. He's got reinforcements—I know he's /that/ intelligent.//
He shivered, and lifted a lightly-bandaged hand to stare at it, memories of blood staining him. Despair trickled with the sweat tickling his spine under his blue shirt.
//I HAVE to do this.//
That hand slapped the control for the pilot's line, and he leapt up to grab it, swinging his foot expertly into the stirrup for the ride up.
//There's nobody else…//
The open cockpit beaconed like a warm embrace of a friend. Hopping onto the landing, Zechs swung the heavy bag from his shoulders and ducked inside.
//They live in peace… They aren't stained yet by blood… Like I am.//
Duct tape was spread with expert efficiency. Clay bricks were taped up. A heavy book found itself bound to the seat. Two wooden backscratchers found themselves adhered to unusual positions. Then, taking a deep breath, the boy jumped into the seat, tucking the empty sack into a crevasse between the seat cushion and the armrest, and using his belt to bind the roll of duct tape to his side.
Belts clipped into place, echoing in the silence of the cockpit.
Then expert small hands flew over the buttons and switches, powering the mammoth white suit up and closing the cockpit. The Tallgeese rumbled, engines whistling softly as they began to warm up. A faint vibration, like a heartbeat, thrummed through the cockpit, drawing a sad smile.
//I have to do this!//
Icy blue eyes closed slowly, painfully.
//I'm sorry, Duo, Quatre. But I have to. I'm better suited to help them than you. But you won't forgive me for it. The two of you care… I've noticed that much. And I care for you. But I'm more expendable. And you know it.//
Miri lifted the cracked mask up off his lap slowly, and placed it over his head firmly, tucking his long hair about so it fit snugly and stayed out of his way.
"My beloved Tallgeese… You've served me faithfully. Let it be so until the end…"
It hurt to say it. It hurt to admit that he was facing death. Yet it brought a sense of peace with it, a sense of immortality, a mixture of helplessness and limitless power. Suddenly, he knew—this was what Heero, the pilot of Gundam 01, must feel. It was why the Gundams won every battle against Oz.
Zechs growled under his breath, suddenly defiant—to the Alliance, the Gundams, to Fate itself. //I'm not dead YET!//
A nudge, and the Tallgeese walked heavily through the hanger towards one of the desert exits from the underground base. He could hear gunfire ahead, and paused the heavy suit a bit behind the Maganacs' line, building the engine-power up…
//Time to move the White Knight on the chess-board!//
Expert hands flicked over switches and buttons, aided by the back- scratchers taped firmly to his forearms to reach the most distant controls. Feet weighted down by bricks abruptly lifted, taking the suit's feet up with them—and Zechs slammed hard on the engines' throttle.
The Tallgeese blasted out over the heads of the Maganac Corps's suits, paused for the briefest instant just outside the doors, then roared straight for the stars like a silvery flare, twirling through the crossfire like a ballet dancer prancing through a minefield.
Zechs's yell was half determined adrenaline, half amazed triumph, and a fair dose of excited panic. The G-forces were incredible! Pinned to the seat, he couldn't help but wonder, //Can I even /stop/ this thing?!? Oh God, don't doubt yourself /now/, Miri—it's too late!!!//
He knew he'd have to. There was no choice.
"Zechs!" Rashid's voice was a bellow of anger over the coms. "What do you think you're doing?!?"
Struggling to breathe against the pressure on his chest, the boy reached a shaking arm for the throttle and eased off, almost gasping in relief as the pressure eased enough for him to talk. Bringing the Tallgeese to a hover well above the fighting, he brought the beam rifle to bear with a wicked grin, and flicked up a visual for Rashid.
"Taking the high ground." Zechs couldn't help pausing a little between the words, as he was still getting his breath back—but it made his voice almost a good octave closer to normal, he noticed. //Thank God. I don't like being so high-pitch…// "First checkmate—which should shake him up a little. Commander Girald's no fool, Rashid…"
The older man frowned, almost glowering, and stayed silent a long moment. Then he nodded slowly. There was pain in those dark eyes. "You shouldn't be in this," he rumbled firmly, reproachfully.
//Should /you/?// Miri whispered to himself sadly. //I'm not the only one who shouldn't be forced to fight.// "No, you're right. But the Tallgeese should. Better she kills me than one of them…"
Those dark eyes stared into him, hearing unspoken, //Otherwise, a Gundam pilot would have done it. And they don't know the Tallgeese. It would kill them as surely as it will me. I at least know her—maybe I can avoid her worst—or at least save them, so they can continue. Because they can fight Romefeller, and I can't… The way my body is now, I'd never manage it.//
"Allah be with you," the older man whispered. Then, louder, "Bring that museum reject back in one piece, or I'm locking your rollerblades up for good!"
Zechs's eyes grew damp, and he smiled shakily, lifting a hand in a mischievous salute. "I'll do my best, sir," he answered, cutting the connection.
The beam rifle began blasting Alliance suits on the ground like a cannon taking out lined-up targets in a carnival stall. Zechs could hear the confusion among Commander Girald's troops over the Oz channel even before the first shot hit.
"It's the Tallgeese!"
"But—he's on our side, isn't he?"
"Ahhhhh!!!!" That one was cut off quickly.
"Commander! Commander! What's going on?!?"
Then, a colder voice, more of a growl of rage than words. "Kill him!"
"Yes sir!"
As one, weapons lifted towards the gleam of a suit in the sky…
//Don't fail me, Tallgeese…//
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Duo dashed through the corridors, wishing he /was/ wearing rollerblades because then he could be moving faster. Tears blurred his eyes. //Oh God, oh God, it's going to kill him! That monster's too violent—he said it himself! Why, damn it why? Why did he take it up?!?//
He knew, though. Because either he or Quatre would have likely done it. The Alliance wouldn't roar as much over the Tallgeese's appearance as a pair of Gundams! And if it nearly killed Zechs on /his/ first try…
//It would've maimed whoever took the bloody thing up—face it, Duo! He did it to spare you and Quatre! But damn it—damn /him/—he /promised!//
Duo tore into the communications room, to find Auada choking on a mug of coffee. Before the man could finish recovering, Duo attacked the controls, switching over to the Tallgeese…
Just in time to see Zechs grit his teeth, bracing best he could against the G-forces trying to make him into a pancake on the left sidescreen of the cockpit.
"ZECHS!" Deathscythe's pilot hollered, half in panic.
The boy winced at the sheer volume, coughed, and suddenly jerked at the controls before firing the beam rifle again, barely managing to fight next rush of G-forces enough to tap it in time.
A blip on the radar that marked an Alliance mobile suit winked out.
Desperately, Duo sought a visual of the activity outside, ignoring a spluttering and protesting Auada. //He hasn't /time/ to answer! God, how bad is it up there?//
Bad. The Maganacs were outnumbered—the radar said that loud and clear. The visuals arrived in time to show the Tallgeese practically dancing between bullets and beam shots, trying to get a few blasts in to help. Dodging and whirling and… /dancing/. Zechs handled the thing like a fighter-plane as well as like a part of his own body—a combination Duo had never seen anyone do before, not even Heero. Trying to hit it was like trying to punch a carp underwater—it just slid out of the way in the last second.
But the toll showed on Zechs's face and body. The sudden leaps and whirls were practically flinging him around the cockpit like a rag toy. The mask's long crack had already branched from the violence, practically blinding the boy's left eye.
//It'll kill him!// "Get back down here!" Duo screamed desperately. "Zechs—you /promised/…!"
"I'm /not/ flying it—I'm hanging on for dear life, Duo!" the boy protested gaspingly.
There was a bellow from Rashid, and the Maganac Corps rained a wall of bullets onto the enemy troops from a new angle, cutting down the fire attacking the Tallgeese by giving the shooters something new to think about.
A number of blips vanished as if pretending they never existed on the screen.
//A respite! Thank God!// Hoping for a response, Duo yelled, "Get your rear back down here /now/!"
Breathing heavily, Zechs pulled the Tallgeese to a different vantage point, hands flying to aim to beam rifle again. If he'd heard Duo, he wasn't answering…
//Listen to me! Damn it, don't ignore me!// Duo grabbed the microphone and shouted, "Damn it, get back down here, Zechs! That thing's killing you! You can't take more of that!"
"I—I have to!" the pale youth answered desperately, pounding the firing button as fast as he could. "They'd /know/ it was you rather than me, don't you see?!? Had to be Tallgeese—had to be /my/ style!"
He was right… But even knowing that tore Duo's heart. //God—I'm going to watch him die, and I can't DO anything about it!//
Return fire attacked the Tallgeese's new position, forcing Zechs back into silence with another round of dodging.
Auada was hurriedly conferring on his headset to Rashid and other Maganacs, even as blips moved about…
It was then that Duo realized what was going on, and his jaw dropped. //Their gameplan… He's part of Rashid's plan! He takes their attention, blasts them down, and Rashid moves with the rest to somewhere better while they're trying to shoot Zechs down… Then the Maganacs get a barrage in, and Zechs moves somewhere else… And it's working—it's WORKING!//
They were starting to /win/.
"Hang in there, kiddo! Hang in there!" Duo began yelling. //You might just make it! And when you get your butt back down here, kid, I'm giving you a damn /spanking/!!!//
The Tallgeese's radar beeped shrilly at that moment.
Zechs paled, eyes widening behind the glass of his mask until all Duo could see was pale blue…
"Shit," breathed Auada in horror, drawing Duo's gaze to the radar. "Aries… A whole /lot/ of Aries!"
Blips. Two waves of blips. Waves was right—there were too many. /Way/ too many! Oh, the first wave had maybe ten suits, but they were the fore guard to what looked like a damn army, stretching beyond the range of the radar…
//Oh shit… We're /all/ dead.// "Quatre! Get your Gundam!!!" Duo hollered, though his own feet were riveted to the ground.
A patter of buttons, a click—the Tallgeese discarded the beam rifle, letting it drop between two of the Maganacs to be a spare for them.
Duo could only stare as Zechs activated the beam saber, turning the Tallgeese to face the rushing wave.
"No, Zechs, don't—get out of here, get out of here while you can!" Duo breathed softly, a plea for deaf ears. He knew the boy wouldn't. //He won't. He'll take them with him… Like I would. Like Quatre would. Like Rashid, like Heero… Like all of us. Because he's one of us…//
Briefly, ice-blue eyes behind cracked glass looked up into Duo's own, damp with pain and tears.
"I'm sorry, Duo," Zechs whispered hoarsely. An apology for his behavior. For giving them any pain or anguish, even with his death. For things that might have been.
Those eyes fixed on the tide of Aries, and shoulders straightened, that chin lifted… Zechs took a deep breath…
With a building roar, the Lightening Count slammed the throttle as far as it would go, sending the Tallgeese rocketing straight for the heart of the enemy.
Duo could only stare, eyes full of tears, unable to move his numb body. It would be quick, he knew. He could wait that long before grabbing his Gundam. It was all a friend could offer—to be there when all ended…
//I'm sorry, too…// Deathscythe's pilot could only mouth the words.
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The pain was gone—only his determination remained as the Aries zoomed closer. The Tallgeese was a silver-white arrow at the heart—and Zechs intended to make it a deep wound. Hands poised over the controls for a slight swerve, a flash of beam saber, and touched at the right instant.
Two Aries in the vanguard exploded in his wake as he whipped between their positions, pretending to ignore them as he aimed for those amassed beyond.
//I won't let you repeat Sanc,// Miri resolved in silent despair. //They're peaceful people—they'll stay in peace, free and safe!//
Aries loomed closer. Unlike those first ten suits, this main wave apparently bore white bands on their suits, one a bit to the fore with a gold streak crowning the head. The Tallgeese angled for this prominent leader…
The com beeped cheerfully.
Zechs didn't even glance at the com. It was too late for chatter. He was going to die… //Can't they see I'm /busy/?!?//
"That is hardly the way to greet an old friend, Zechs… Or should I call you by your other name?" A familiar, calm, even /amused/ voice.
Miri gaped at the screen a long moment, hands still ready to act, the seconds before contact ticking down swiftly…
//It can't be… But how…? Why…? Oh shit—watch OUT!//
Eyes wide, Zechs hauled on the controls desperately, dragging the Tallgeese into a sudden swerve upwards in the last moment to evade the gold-marked Aries. The move smashed him into the seat, cracking his arm against the throttle—it took a moment's struggle for Zechs to lunge past the pain and bring the machine to a slower speed, then down to a hover. Coughing and gasping for breath now that the G-forces let him breathe, he let the Tallgeese sink down slowly to the level of the amassed white-marked Aries troops.
A lightly-bandaged hand hit the com controls, bringing up a familiar face…
"Treize?" Zechs whispered in almost disbelief.
"I didn't think you need the Tooth Fairy," came a sly reply as the gold- marked suit came forward to meet the Tallgeese. "Aries troops seemed enough."
//It's him. And I'm kicking his shins as soon as he touches the ground for that remark! Is he… Is he on /our/ side, or with Commander Girald?// "Treize," the boy growled hoarsely, to notify the former Oz leader that he had neither time nor patience at the moment for teasing. "Are you expecting us to surrender?"
The tidy former general smiled slowly, his suit waving his troops onward… The surge overran the unmarked Aries and turned them into fiery shrapnel within seconds. "Hardly… Once we're done, /we're/ the ones surrendering… To you and your new allies, my friend. We have left Oz /and/ Romefeller."
Relief flooded Zechs's body and he could feel his adrenaline fading under its impact, taking his strength with it. Suddenly he felt like human silly putty, and sore putty at that. Nothing felt broken, but by God, some of those bruises were probably permanent, and his hands were wet—old burns blistered and rubbed raw by the controls despite the bandages.
//Thank God… I only hope they don't kill you, Treize…// Miri nodded slowly, and reached a hand to get a visual with Auada below. "They're with us, Auada… Tell Rashid and the rest…" He knew he sounded tired.
Duo was there, at Auada's shoulder, quiet, hopeful, eyes sharp and wary. "You know each other…? Who is it?"
//I owe you this much, Treize… You can escape them, if you want.// Turning his gaze back to Treize, Zechs paused, thoughtful, before offering—in what he knew was in vain, "Treize… You are putting your life at risk with this…"
Treize's head dipped in aquiesance and mute acceptance of the risk. "I know. Tell them that I shall surrender even as my men help clean up."
//Thought so. But thank you, Treize. I won't forget this.// Sighing softly, Zechs nodded slowly in silent sympathy, before offering Duo, "Treize…"
"We heard," Deathscythe's pilot answered swiftly, smiling cheerfully. The cheerful smile hardened slightly after a moment, however. "Ground's clear below you… Now get your butt down here, or I swear, I /will/ spank you like the little kid you resemble!"
Treize must have caught that, because he was laughing even as Zechs cut the connection—/all/ the com connections!—and sent the Tallgeese down in a descending hover.
//I /will/ kick his shins…//
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Duo pulled Auada's land rover up just in time to see the Tallgeese's engines cut off, the massive white suit slumping in a semi-kneeling position. He ignored the other mobile suits converging on the area, and ran up to the tab for the descent line, slapping it harshly, urgently.
Silently, the dark line came down, and Duo leapt up, riding it up as the cockpit's landing came open.
//Be okay—come on, kid, please, be okay? Please, Zechs… If you're half dead, I'll… I'll never forgive myself.//
The braided Gundam pilot opened the hatch, ducking his head and shoulders inside—
And blinked, sucking in a breath.
The throttle, switches, and buttons were sticky, smeared with red blood. Oh, not a lot, but it was frightening to look at. The boy was slumped, breathing heavily, sweat trickling from under the mask and making his hair damp. Bruises were already darkening his bare arms and one side of his jaw. The mask displayed a couple cracks radiating from the first—which had widened—leaving one eyeglass a blinding array of shards. The light bandages covering the burns on Zechs's hands were bloody, rubbed raw by his struggle flying the stubborn mobile suit. But as Duo looked on, that fair head lifted, and a tired smile touched those visible lips.
"I'm still alive," Zechs whispered hoarsely, eyes gleaming with gentle mischief.
//Thank God! But if you think I'm not disabling this monstrosity so you can't ever repeat this again, you've got another thing coming!// But it was all bluster, sheer relief. Duo knew he wouldn't be able to do that. How could he ground a Gundam pilot? And was Zechs any different from the rest of them? No. No, Duo understood now. He understood a great deal.
Duo just sighed and pulled out his pocketknife to attack the duct tape on the boy's forearms and legs. "You did it… because of the people…," he murmured quietly, not so much a question as a statement. //I'd have done it for them, too…//
Zechs winced as the duct tape was ripped off his fair skin, and occasionally taking scabs from older injuries with it. But his head dipped in surrender. "Yes."
Shaking his head over how Zechs managed to loop the duct tape about the calves of his legs as well as the clay bricks, Duo considered the answer silently. //In his dreams… "The people come first…!" Protecting the people. His family was responsible for people… so he is, too. Were they part of a peaceful government? If so, and it's gone, that explains why he feels he failed, like Quatre said. So he did this—to protect the village…//
The boy waited passively as Duo freed him from his modifications, silent. But after Duo pulled the last of the tape off, he asked quietly, shyly, "Are you still going to spank me?"
//He actually /believed/ that?// Duo snorted, rubbing the back of his head as he straightened. "No. but the threat got you down here, didn't it?" Grinning slyly, Deathscythe's pilot winked.
Zechs groaned, and slid down off the seat, almost staggering on the platform, stiff. Even as Duo reflexively grabbed the boy's belt to keep him from tumbling off, Zechs's hands moved to ward off his help. But Duo was less tired, stronger, and the ex-Oz pilot's reaction was more a reflexive motion than anything, without much will or force behind it.
//You're not in the best shape, kiddo. But at least you're alive!// Duo chuckled, shaking his head as Zechs sighed and rolled ice blue eyes at him. "You need a steadying hand, it seems. Come on—you know I'm not going to hurt you, and your hands are in no shape for holding onto the line anyway."
Silently, the boy nodded.
//We'll need that doctor again… I hope the Maganacs are all right, though.// Duo reached for the line, sipping his foot into the stirrup, and taking a grip on the back of Zechs's blue shirt to support the boy where he was least likely to be bruised and battered.
Carefully, Zechs stood on Duo's foot, and trustingly let the Gundam pilot support him on the way down. Neither stepped off until it reached bottom, and then it was the boy first.
"You're going to have to see the doctor again about those hands," Duo sighed, though he couldn't help a slight smile as he looked down at the pale boy. //You're very lucky, Zechs. That could have ended up a /lot/ worse!//
"I know." The cracked mask didn't look up at him, but turned slightly…
"Perhaps you should have started in the Academy a lot earlier than we thought," drawled an amused voice not far behind Duo. "Though we were pushing the age limit at thirteen at the time, I'm sure starting you a couple years younger wouldn't have caused any more uproar."
Duo stiffened, hand itching to grab the gun at the back of his belt and turn it towards that voice. He forced himself to turn slowly and face the ginger-haired young general of Oz.
//So… This is the famous—or is it infamous?—General Treize Kushrenada? The one obsessed with roses? I hope we don't have to get him any during his stay…// The man was faintly smiling—in a superior sort of way that seemed natural on the nobleman and rubbed Duo a bit the wrong way. //Arrogant guy, huh?//
"Treize," Zechs greeted tonelessly, voice still rough and hoarse from yelling earlier. The mask hid whatever the boy was feeling, and what little of his face that showed offered no expression. "Thirteen was early enough."
"Hm," Treize demurred, still slightly smirking, neither agreeing nor arguing with the sound.
Duo eyed the taller man warily, wondering where he hid his gun. //Under the jacket, I bet… Those boots are a bit tight-fitting for it—pants, too.// "You /are/ surrendering, right?"
A mischievous light touched the older man's eyes and twitched his mouth into a slight /genuine/ smile. "As soon as I know who to surrender to."
Duo grinned sharply, and held out his hand. "I'm as good as any. The name's Duo Maxwell. Gun please."
Treize barked a laugh, clearly amused by Duo's boldness and blunt attitude. "Just like that?"
"Yep. We don't hold much on ceremony out here," Duo answered, dark blue eyes gleaming with sly amusement. //Just like that. You have /no/ idea what you're up against!//
From the corner of his eyes, though, Duo saw Zechs smile slowly, almost evilly, an expression that made the ex-Oz general's mirth dampen and falter. //I take it Zechs doesn't smile that that very often…//
"He forgot to add, 'Pilot of Gundam 02,' Treize." Zechs's voice was cool, calm, and carried a wealth of quiet amusement that echoed his slowly growing smirk.
//We make /such/ a good team!// Duo crowed to himself, trying not to laugh at Treize Kushrenada's stunned expression as the man swiftly handed the ornate weapon over.
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To be continued.
A thing I noted when watching the series was that only Zechs uses that fighter-plane style of flipping and rolling through the air when dodging shots with a mobile suit. Not even Heero does it in the show, just Zechs (can't say about Noin or Treize, though, as we don't see them fighting enough). Though it makes sense—likely Zechs learned to pilot planes before suits, and it carried over. And Quatre, the only one we see use a fighter plane, doesn't have a mobile suit that flies… Just something that hit me during the show.