Chapter Four: The Paths to Battle
Act One: The First Mission
By: Alexandria the Great {SOOOOOOOO sorry for not updating sooner! L Please forgive the Great!}
Heero, of course, was on his guard. They still had a good two hours before they reached their destination, but Heero was standing near the hatch, Koch MK23 in one hand, the other in a fist. Saori approached Heero from the side. He looked at her.
"Hot chocolate?" she offered. Heero refused.
"No thanks," he turned back to the window and thought about Relena. Saori shrugged and sipped the hot liquid.
"So," she started, trying to break into conversation with the legendary warrior, "You and Peacecraft are an item, but Peacecraft isn't crazy about it?" Heero nodded without looking at her. She tried again:
"This is like a nice little refresher for you, huh?" Heero gave an upwards nod, barely acknowledging her. She moved in for the kill:
"Must have killed your woman to have to let you go and die again."
"Relena understands. I have a responsibility to keep the peace. If I don't, everything I've ever done is a waste."
Lance jumped in from nowhere. "Do you suppose that Vincent is the one that started all this?"
Heero took on a sudden fury. "What I wanna know is who the hell taught Vincent Bangotti to pilot a mobile suit?!"
"Anyone can learn," Saori said, "any living war vet can teach you; maybe not very well, but the capability is there."
Heero breathed a heavy sigh. "How are we supposed to keep the peace if the people we're trying to protect keep reviving the war?"
Six complete loomed like a shadow in the distance. The few lights that were installed in the first place were dim. It was eerie, even from a distance, the largest graveyard in existence, as Quatre insisted. Heero tightened the grip on his gun. He didn't want to set foot in that place.
Saori and the guys unloaded at the first dock and wandered over to the entrance of the colony. A strained beeping echoed around, the sound of computer tests and the occasional call to comrades on the job. Heero started off, followed close behind by Saori. They entered the graveyard.
Heero wasn't the least bit spooked being surrounded by dead bodies, but it did make him remember all the unnecessary sacrifices made by his fellow men. Heero felt somewhat exiled by Saori and Lance—he'd noticed the crest on both of their hands and wished his were more obvious. After Trieze was brought down, he and the guys made a pact to stay friends and got tattoos only available to soldiers and special ink that would fade but you could still see it well. Then it seemed to fade completely. Heero didn't understand how Lance even knew about the tat, but he learned to never ask Lance questions about what he knew. Saori stopped. Heero and Lance stopped.
"Ssh, listen." she whispered. Heero and Lance stopped and looked around. They were alone, except for the hidden men fixing up the place, and Saori's paranoia. Lance was quick to pull out his own handgun, and he held it parallel to his head. Heero looked around. They were still alone. Lance relaxed.
"You're just being paranoid," Lance muttered, lowering his gun and taking a few steps. Saori followed. Lance stopped.
"Damn, we passed it," he looked around. Heero looked around, too. He was standing in front of a tomb. A banner at the top of the tomb read: KHUSHRENADA, TRIEZE. GREAT WARRIOR AND POLITIAN. Heero found it.
"I found it," he muttered, loud enough for them to hear. The doubled back and came to his side.
"You sayin' it's on there, Yuy?" Saori asked.
"I'm positive. It makes sense that Trieze would want to take that thing to the grave." Heero tried to open the door to the tomb. It was welded shut.
"It'll probably stink like Lance's cooking in there," Saori commented.
"My cooking doesn't stink," Lance defended, insulted, "You distracted me so it burned!"
"Can you guys argue later? We have to get this thing." Lance and Saori stopped arguing.
"Oh, yeah," Saori said, fidgeting with a pip-like instrument at her side. She put it together. It was a blowtorch, a portable one.
"The colonel said I would need this." Heero and Lance looked at each other. Saori cut through the door quickly. The door fell in, crashing to the floor of the tomb and jogging the coffin that held Trieze's body. An abomination of a stench filled the air.
"Oh, God," The three muttered. Lance pulled out a handkerchief and gave it to Saori.
"Thanks," she said, covering her mouth. Heero winked at Lance.
"Just being a gentleman," Lance insisted through his shirt. They followed Saori in.
The tomb wasn't unlike any other; just a coffin on a platform in a stone room. But in this case the coffin was open. And Trieze wasn't in his coffin.
"Uh, guys," Saori called, "It smells like death in here, but there's no body." The guys looked over. The coffin was empty. Lance took hold of the top of the coffin and flipped it over.
"Lance--!" Saori cried, but cut off when she saw him pulling at something on the cap of the coffin. The material ripped. Lance pulled out a minidisk.
"Nice work, Yuy—" The floor in the tomb collapsed and Saori, Lance and Heero fell through the floor.