A/N: Thanks to those that reviewed – a point was made that I should have
clarified in the first chapter but didn't! Quatre referred to Heero as
'Odin' because I figured that when everyone's favourite G-Boys went to
school they probably wouldn't use their real names – for obvious reasons.
I've read a few fics that agreed with this theory and the most common 'code
name' for Heero was Odin – after the man who trained Heero and died in
'Episode Zero'. My apologies – I made the assumption that it was a GW
fandom based thing – obviously not! Please keep reviewing and I'll try to
clarify any points that might cause issues!
Disclaimer: (Cut and Paste your favourite witty disclaimer here!)
Nothing Gold Can Stay – Chapter 2
"What were we thinking, Quatre?" The white ceiling of the hospital swung crazily and the Heavyarms pilot recognised the symptoms of a blackout before letting go and falling into ebony arms.
Heero pulled out a pen and indicating towards a stack of paper on the desk behind Duo, Duo reached behind himself clumsily and his hand alighted on the stack and he grabbed a handful – the majority of the pile floating to the floor with a hiss. Grinning Duo handed the half- crumpled handful to the Wing pilot, who took it without a word. Instead he walked towards the others and knelt on the ground, picking up a folder from a nearby pile to lean on as he did so. Clicking the pen to life the Japanese boy quickly sketched out a map – labeling the school, the surrounding roads and pathways and the quarry.
Tapping the map Heero said,
"There's three possible routes we can take to get to the quarry – each, naturally with pros and cons."
He flicked blue eyes up to check for comments, when there were none he continued, indicating to the map,
"We can take the main highway which runs to the west of the school and then 34 miles down the highway we cut off and go through this scrubby area here for a mile or so. I'm also assuming there'll be some kind of fencing and probably some sort of surveillance equipment. The pros to this one is it's direct and will take the least amount of time – cons; we'll need some form of transport for the 34 miles and then when we leave we'll have to go back the same way – through the fence and down the highway. With 34 miles they'll have time to catch us, particularly since that part of the highway is virtually dead straight."
"Aw yeah! Bring on the drag race, baby!!" Duo said with a laugh and got glared at for his trouble. The braided boy stuck his tongue out sarcastically at the Wing pilot and Heero continued,
"There's also an abandoned sewer system that runs beneath the school and meets up inside the quarry – they used to use it to remove the waste from, the quarry. Pros – its discreet and it's a vast system that we have a chance of losing them, if they give chase, in. Cons – we don't know if they've blocked their end or if they're using it instead of the new sewer system so they can't be detected as easily, also if they do catch us we've got little room to move, there's also the problem of us getting lost."
They all nodded and took in Heero's map before Wufei asked,
"Where's the opening to the sewer from our end?"
Heero tapped the map and Duo peered at it before starting to laugh,
"The girls bathroom! Wufei – you're good at getting into bathrooms! Let's do that one!"
Wufei glared at him and Quatre held out a hand and said,
"Guys! Let's hear the third option and then we can discuss this properly – we're wasting time by debating it now."
Quatre turned his gaze to Heero who nodded in thanks before he continued,
"The third option is to take a back route out of the school to the north and then cutting across the highway to go through the scrub and forest area on the other side and head east along the highway. Pros – it's discreet, cons – it'll take us forever to get there. However I figured if we take that route we can always leave by the sewers..."
"That could be risky," The quiet Heavyarms pilot spoke up, "Considering we don't know if it's been blocked from their end we might find ourselves blocked in."
"True – but we might also find that they don't know about the old system. Where did you find out about it, Heero?" Quatre asked, aquamarine eyes serious and contemplative as he looked first at Trowa and then at Heero.
"School records – a few years back they stopped using it out of a public protest to the quarry. The sewer system was ultimately removed and the quarry created a new one on a new line and the school created it's own on a separate one."
"So what makes you think they might be using the old one?" Wufei asked, his ebony brows lowered a little as he thought. Heero shrugged and commented,
"It's a possibility, that's all. It's also possible they don't even know of it's existence or don't want to use it, for whatever reason. It's a possibility so I included it."
Wufei nodded and Quatre asked,
"Why don't we use the highway to get there and then we have the option for our escape route – we can either take our transport back to the school and dump it somewhere or we can use the sewer system?"
"That's an idea..." Duo said, his violet eyes sparking before they settled and he asked Heero,
"So we've got a vague idea of how we're getting there and leaving, what's the plan for when we're there? Are we destroying files or their production line? Or are we just sussing it out and coming back later?"
Trowa shook his head and said,
"It's too closed in. There's no easy way to access and leave that we've found. We have to destroy something. I'd suggest the production lines and their Leo and Aries supplies rather than the files, we can hack into the files at some later time so it's not in our best interests to destroy them. We can't survey it and come back later, we won't have the chance."
Quatre nodded and said,
"I agree – it'd be nice to be able to survey what we're up against, especially in terms of the sewers but we're not going to get that chance."
"So, we're taking some form of transport along the highway and then getting into the base on foot, destroying as much of the Leo and Aries production system as we can and then leaving either through the transport down the highway or through the sewers?" Duo asked, his violet eyes' searching the others faces for some sort of confirmation. Heero nodded and asked,
"Any ideas on transport and weaponry? We'll also need more information on the base's layout and what we should expect to come up against in terms of guards and machinery."
Trowa nodded before commenting, his emerald eyes calm,
"I'd suggest some form of firearm for us to carry on us, a pistol of some kind, not for any heavy machine fire – just in case. Some rifles and heavier firearms in the transport vehicle, in case we use that as our escape and need to cover ourselves. Small explosives, the quick-set kind," He looked at Heero, "You know the kind I mean?"
"The 'Stick-It-On-A-Wall-Press-The-Button-In-10-Seconds-It-Explodes' kind."
Wufei chuckled and Trowa nodded,
"That's them."
"We can get those, no problems." Heero said, "I agree with the need for a personal pistol of some sort – only for emergencies, we're not there to kill everyone in the vicinity. The heavier artillery in the vehicle's a good idea as well, my only concern is we need something that travels reasonably fast – what did you have in mind?"
"Something reasonably big – the bigger the target the less accurately they feel they have to shoot, just to hit it is a victory. The smaller the target the more they have to aim and the more likely it is that they hit something vital. I doubt we'll be able to find any armoured vehicles near- by but a normal truck might hinder our chances speed wise..."
"They'll most likely give chase in an armoured vehicle of some description – a truck, perhaps. So we might be able to get away with that..." Wufei said thoughtfully.
"How about a Ute?" Quatre asked, a glint in his innocent seeming eyes, "That Physics teacher drives one. We could stick two of us in the tray to shoot over the tail, one driving, two more in the cab – one shooting out the window. If they come up on the drivers side the third person can take the wheel while the driver shoots."
Heero nodded and Trowa asked,
"What about the glass panel behind the cab, the rear windscreen? That won't hold up to many, bullets and we'll have a problem if the driver gets shot in the head..."
"I'm sure we could whip up some sort of armoured board to cover that, the driver would have to use his wing mirrors exclusively, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem..."
Trowa nodded at Quatre with approval that passed from emerald depths to aquamarine,
"Let's collect the information on the base and firearms as we can and then we'll meet back and go finalise everything."
Heero nodded and said,
"I've got the codes to the files where I found the original information, the base blueprints shouldn't be too far from that."
"Good, I'll check into firearms and artillery," He turned to look at Quatre, "Can you look into the sewer systems? See where they travel to and from?"
Quatre nodded,
"Sure."
Heero looked at Duo,
"I want you to contact Dr J and tell him the change in plans," He glanced at Wufei, "I'm trusting you know how to create a bulletproof plate for the Ute."
"Easily." The Chinese boy said with a smug grin. Heero nodded and glanced at his watch,
"Meet back here in three days – 2030."
Disclaimer: (Cut and Paste your favourite witty disclaimer here!)
Nothing Gold Can Stay – Chapter 2
"What were we thinking, Quatre?" The white ceiling of the hospital swung crazily and the Heavyarms pilot recognised the symptoms of a blackout before letting go and falling into ebony arms.
Heero pulled out a pen and indicating towards a stack of paper on the desk behind Duo, Duo reached behind himself clumsily and his hand alighted on the stack and he grabbed a handful – the majority of the pile floating to the floor with a hiss. Grinning Duo handed the half- crumpled handful to the Wing pilot, who took it without a word. Instead he walked towards the others and knelt on the ground, picking up a folder from a nearby pile to lean on as he did so. Clicking the pen to life the Japanese boy quickly sketched out a map – labeling the school, the surrounding roads and pathways and the quarry.
Tapping the map Heero said,
"There's three possible routes we can take to get to the quarry – each, naturally with pros and cons."
He flicked blue eyes up to check for comments, when there were none he continued, indicating to the map,
"We can take the main highway which runs to the west of the school and then 34 miles down the highway we cut off and go through this scrubby area here for a mile or so. I'm also assuming there'll be some kind of fencing and probably some sort of surveillance equipment. The pros to this one is it's direct and will take the least amount of time – cons; we'll need some form of transport for the 34 miles and then when we leave we'll have to go back the same way – through the fence and down the highway. With 34 miles they'll have time to catch us, particularly since that part of the highway is virtually dead straight."
"Aw yeah! Bring on the drag race, baby!!" Duo said with a laugh and got glared at for his trouble. The braided boy stuck his tongue out sarcastically at the Wing pilot and Heero continued,
"There's also an abandoned sewer system that runs beneath the school and meets up inside the quarry – they used to use it to remove the waste from, the quarry. Pros – its discreet and it's a vast system that we have a chance of losing them, if they give chase, in. Cons – we don't know if they've blocked their end or if they're using it instead of the new sewer system so they can't be detected as easily, also if they do catch us we've got little room to move, there's also the problem of us getting lost."
They all nodded and took in Heero's map before Wufei asked,
"Where's the opening to the sewer from our end?"
Heero tapped the map and Duo peered at it before starting to laugh,
"The girls bathroom! Wufei – you're good at getting into bathrooms! Let's do that one!"
Wufei glared at him and Quatre held out a hand and said,
"Guys! Let's hear the third option and then we can discuss this properly – we're wasting time by debating it now."
Quatre turned his gaze to Heero who nodded in thanks before he continued,
"The third option is to take a back route out of the school to the north and then cutting across the highway to go through the scrub and forest area on the other side and head east along the highway. Pros – it's discreet, cons – it'll take us forever to get there. However I figured if we take that route we can always leave by the sewers..."
"That could be risky," The quiet Heavyarms pilot spoke up, "Considering we don't know if it's been blocked from their end we might find ourselves blocked in."
"True – but we might also find that they don't know about the old system. Where did you find out about it, Heero?" Quatre asked, aquamarine eyes serious and contemplative as he looked first at Trowa and then at Heero.
"School records – a few years back they stopped using it out of a public protest to the quarry. The sewer system was ultimately removed and the quarry created a new one on a new line and the school created it's own on a separate one."
"So what makes you think they might be using the old one?" Wufei asked, his ebony brows lowered a little as he thought. Heero shrugged and commented,
"It's a possibility, that's all. It's also possible they don't even know of it's existence or don't want to use it, for whatever reason. It's a possibility so I included it."
Wufei nodded and Quatre asked,
"Why don't we use the highway to get there and then we have the option for our escape route – we can either take our transport back to the school and dump it somewhere or we can use the sewer system?"
"That's an idea..." Duo said, his violet eyes sparking before they settled and he asked Heero,
"So we've got a vague idea of how we're getting there and leaving, what's the plan for when we're there? Are we destroying files or their production line? Or are we just sussing it out and coming back later?"
Trowa shook his head and said,
"It's too closed in. There's no easy way to access and leave that we've found. We have to destroy something. I'd suggest the production lines and their Leo and Aries supplies rather than the files, we can hack into the files at some later time so it's not in our best interests to destroy them. We can't survey it and come back later, we won't have the chance."
Quatre nodded and said,
"I agree – it'd be nice to be able to survey what we're up against, especially in terms of the sewers but we're not going to get that chance."
"So, we're taking some form of transport along the highway and then getting into the base on foot, destroying as much of the Leo and Aries production system as we can and then leaving either through the transport down the highway or through the sewers?" Duo asked, his violet eyes' searching the others faces for some sort of confirmation. Heero nodded and asked,
"Any ideas on transport and weaponry? We'll also need more information on the base's layout and what we should expect to come up against in terms of guards and machinery."
Trowa nodded before commenting, his emerald eyes calm,
"I'd suggest some form of firearm for us to carry on us, a pistol of some kind, not for any heavy machine fire – just in case. Some rifles and heavier firearms in the transport vehicle, in case we use that as our escape and need to cover ourselves. Small explosives, the quick-set kind," He looked at Heero, "You know the kind I mean?"
"The 'Stick-It-On-A-Wall-Press-The-Button-In-10-Seconds-It-Explodes' kind."
Wufei chuckled and Trowa nodded,
"That's them."
"We can get those, no problems." Heero said, "I agree with the need for a personal pistol of some sort – only for emergencies, we're not there to kill everyone in the vicinity. The heavier artillery in the vehicle's a good idea as well, my only concern is we need something that travels reasonably fast – what did you have in mind?"
"Something reasonably big – the bigger the target the less accurately they feel they have to shoot, just to hit it is a victory. The smaller the target the more they have to aim and the more likely it is that they hit something vital. I doubt we'll be able to find any armoured vehicles near- by but a normal truck might hinder our chances speed wise..."
"They'll most likely give chase in an armoured vehicle of some description – a truck, perhaps. So we might be able to get away with that..." Wufei said thoughtfully.
"How about a Ute?" Quatre asked, a glint in his innocent seeming eyes, "That Physics teacher drives one. We could stick two of us in the tray to shoot over the tail, one driving, two more in the cab – one shooting out the window. If they come up on the drivers side the third person can take the wheel while the driver shoots."
Heero nodded and Trowa asked,
"What about the glass panel behind the cab, the rear windscreen? That won't hold up to many, bullets and we'll have a problem if the driver gets shot in the head..."
"I'm sure we could whip up some sort of armoured board to cover that, the driver would have to use his wing mirrors exclusively, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem..."
Trowa nodded at Quatre with approval that passed from emerald depths to aquamarine,
"Let's collect the information on the base and firearms as we can and then we'll meet back and go finalise everything."
Heero nodded and said,
"I've got the codes to the files where I found the original information, the base blueprints shouldn't be too far from that."
"Good, I'll check into firearms and artillery," He turned to look at Quatre, "Can you look into the sewer systems? See where they travel to and from?"
Quatre nodded,
"Sure."
Heero looked at Duo,
"I want you to contact Dr J and tell him the change in plans," He glanced at Wufei, "I'm trusting you know how to create a bulletproof plate for the Ute."
"Easily." The Chinese boy said with a smug grin. Heero nodded and glanced at his watch,
"Meet back here in three days – 2030."