AN Hello, sorry this chappie took a little longer than others. I had a big test on Friday. Bummer.
Anyway, next update will also take a week, I think. We're getting to a really seriously difficult
subject now. The nerve system. I will be staring at brains and spinal cord for four hours straight.
Twice! Lab research blabla. Don't know.
I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Under Pressure
Chapter 13
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Duo looked sadly at the limp form of the young woman in the chair across the aisle. Relena
looked far too pale for comfort.
Six years. She had been fighting her own battles for six years, constantly protected by
Heero and the other pilots, but mostly by Heero.
And now she was hurt. She was dying.
Duo shook his head. It wasn't fair. She had worked so hard. Why would anyone want to
disrupt what she had created? The woman had dedicated her life to peace. Nothing in her life held
a greater priority. Even her own health was irrelevant, compared to her work.
He glanced out of the small window on his right. They were nearing headquarters. Good, the
sooner Relena got some help, the better. He just hoped the doctors wouldn't be completely helpless
in this case. Aside from the fact that he would lose a very dear friend and the world would lose
one of the most important in influential people in the political field, Heero would kill the doctor
who refused to treat her.
Duo sighed and fastened his seatbelt. Heero had taken his seat in the cockpit, so he was
now stuck looking helplessly at the frail young woman in the seat across the aisle.
The plane touched the ground and came to a halt. Duo unbuckled himself and moved to do the
same for Relena and then pick her up, but someone beat him to it. Unsurprisingly, that someone was
Heero. The lanky young man picked her up and carried her outside without a second glance at Duo. He
understood Heero was upset about Relena, but he was downright uncivil. Then again, when was Heero
ever civil?
He suddenly remembered the time when he had thought he was saving Relena from certain death
at the hands of the pilot of 01. She had stood up for her would-be killer. He shook his head in
disbelief. That act had stopped him from killing the one man who had proved to be the worlds savior.
Duo followed Heero out with Trowa at his side. The only ones waiting on the rarely used
runway were Quatre and Lady Une. Even from that distance Duo could see both of them heaving a sigh
of relief when Heero came into view. Or more over, when Relena came into view.
Quatre ran towards them, followed by Lady Une at a more dignified pace.
"Thank god, there you are!" the sandy-haired pilot exclaimed. "Is she alright? What
happened? Where are Wufei and Sally?"
"Let's just get her inside first, shall we?" Trowa answered.
Heero hadn't even bothered to stop. Lady Une fell in next to him. "Will she make it?" she
asked the stoic pilot.
"I don't know, I'm not a doctor," he answered curtly.
Duo frowned. Heero knew something of medicine. Enough to set his own leg when it was broken,
as Duo remembered shuddering. Shouldn't he be able to tell if Relena would live or die? This was
bull. Angrily he stomped after Heero.
It took them barely five minutes to get inside and in the ER. Doctors were swarming around
them like insects, but Heero refused to let Relena go. Lady Une told the doctors the precarious
situation and finally convinced Heero to give Relena over to the medical staff.
It was the first time Duo had ever seen Heero look lost. As the people in hospital uniforms
wheeled a stretcher with Relena's form down the hall, Heero seemed to slump. Duo reached out and
placed a hand on his friends shoulder. The other man turned and looked him in the eye.
Duo felt like crying. The look Heero gave him was one of utter loss and helplessness. And
Duo understood. Over the years the world had been safe, but before that, during the wars of 195 AC
Heero had sworn to protect Relena. Never had he broken that promise. But now he had failed. The
price was too high. Relena was close to death, Duo could read it in those Prussian blue eyes. Eyes
that could frighten the most hardened soldiers and make people leap to obey his orders, were now
empty of all emotion save one.
Despair.
Never, ever, had any Gundam pilot despaired, no matter what situation they had gotten
themselves into. And now that Heero, the strongest of them all, was in such a state, Duo was beyond
worry. He was ready to panic.
Lady Une led them to a small conference room. They waited in silence.
Duo fidgeted as he sat slumped in one of the chairs. Heero leaned against the wall,
unmoving. Trowa stood close-by, occasionally glancing at the other pilot, as if he was looking
over him. Quatre looked sad, sitting on the floor, leaning against the table leg. Lady Une had
a worried frown on her face. If the Lady was showing emotions like that, things were serious.
Duo sighed. He hoped Relena would be alright. If she had survived Heero carrying her
around, then she would make it. She was tough, that one was. But he didn't know if she was tough
enough.
What had happened anyway? He had heard it had something to do with a suspicious group
Preventers were watching in Canada. It was also where Heero and Wufei had suddenly showed up,
acting upon a different source than the Preventers. It must have been Wufei to have found that
information, because Heero was out cold at the time.
Duo rubbed his face. There was no point in aimless wondering and he wouldn't get a straight
answer from Heero, not considering the state he was in now. Best to wait for news about Relena's
condition.
He settled himself for a long wait. As he occasionally glanced at Heero, he saw what he
had missed earlier. Heero wasn't just worn out emotionally, he was also very tired. He figured it
was only willpower what kept the Perfect Soldier standing.
He looked in front of him again and diverted his thoughts to more pleasant plains. His
fiancé who was currently with his child. He closed his eyes and called her before his minds eye.
The way her eyes glowed as she looked at him, the way her body curved just right when he held her.
He hoped she was alright, not too scared by what was happening.
He missed her. He missed the way she smiled at everything that pleased her. And he hadn't
been gone for that long. Yet, he had this nagging feeling he wouldn't see her in a long while.
He sat there, silently, until a man in a surgery uniform came down the hall.
"How is she?" Lady Une asked, before anyone else could speak.
"Her wounds are of a serious kind, but there is a chance she will pull through."
Duo put his head back and sighed in relief. So, she wasn't out of danger yet. At least
there was a chance of her healing. He hoped she would recover. He glanced over at Heero. And found
him sound asleep on the floor, back against the wall, head resting on his knees.
Looked like the Perfect Soldier had given in to his fatigue, now that he knew Relena was
in capable hands.
~~~~~~
Zechs sprinted out of the aircraft without bothering to leave orders for his men. They
would know what to do. Relena! How could his baby sister have gotten hurt like that? He should
have gone with Heero and the others to help her. Maybe he could have done something.
He couldn't have, he knew that, but he felt such a waste, right now. Instead of helping
his sister, he had done something else and left the job to others. Could he blame them?
No. Heero had risked his own life, getting Relena out of the burning palace. And whatever
had happened to Wufei and Sally, it couldn't be good. But he wanted someone to pay.
Dreading the upcoming sight he walked through the hospital at Preventers headquarters. He
knew what room she was in. Quatre had told him over the radio. The knowledge that the blond-haired
Arabian was watching over his sister strangely comforted him. Quatre was a sensitive, but
responsible young man who could calm people down. He just hoped the boy could handle it.
Two men in Preventer uniform tensed as he neared the last room in the corridor. When they
recognized him they relaxed, a little. Zechs was grateful for the security around his little
sister. He didn't want whoever had done this to her, to finish the job. He left his coat on a peg
outside, washed his hands and entered.
He could barely see Relena, due to all the equipment around her. Everything was monitored.
Screens bleeped and showed unexplainable lines and figures. One he understood. The heart monitor.
Her pulse and blood pressure were stable. A breathing mask covered her nose and mouth.
"Colonel Zechs?"
He looked behind him. A physician was standing in the doorway, fingering a folder nervously.
"Yes, doctor?"
"I saw you entering and I figured you would like to know your sister's status so I brought
her charts."
Zechs smiled a little to try and ease the nervous man. "Thank you, doctor..."
"Winter, doctor Winter. Shall we go to my office and sit down. I can assure you your sister
is quite safe."
With one last look at the unconscious Relena on the bed Zechs followed the doctor out. They
went to a little office close-by. Doctor Winter sat down behind his desk, while Zechs took the
visitors chair. He realized he had left his coat at Relena's room, but he didn't care.
"Well, Colonel, I hope you understand, that nothing is certain at this point. Miss Relena
is stable at the moment. However, that doesn't mean she's out of danger. She suffered severe
abdominal trauma. Some kind of metallic debris had lodged itself in her spine. Upon entering her
body it went straight through her abdominal and unfortunately, damaged one of her kidneys beyond
repair. We managed to get it out without further injury to her internal organs, but we cannot
establish the harm done to her spinal cord until she has woken up."
"So she could be paralyzed for the rest of her life?" Zechs asked, his heart a lump of ice.
The doctor nodded. "It's possible, but from what we saw, her spinal marrow has not been
severed. There is a good chance the damage is minimal and all she will need is rehabilitation. But
as I said, we just don't know."
Zechs nodded. "What else is wrong with her?"
"Considering what has happened, surprisingly little. A superficial wound to her shoulder and
her arm and some mild burns on her legs."
He sighed. "Could you tell me where Lady Une is now?"
"I suppose she's in her office."
"Thank you, doctor Winter."Zechs stood up and shook the man's hand. "Take good care of Relena."
"I will, Colonel."
Zechs nodded and left. He racked his brains to remember where Lady Une's office was. In a
slight daze he headed for the fifteenth floor. Never in all his life had he ever thought Relena would
get hurt. He was her older brother. He was supposed to protect her. During his days with OZ, he
hardly had the chance to do that and later as leader of the White Fang he sure hadn't looked like a
protective brother, but he had started that war so that afterwards she could do what she was so good
at, giving the people of Earth and the colonies a chance to live in peace.
And now that she had realized her dream, she was struck down by an unforseen force.
He would kill them, peace or no peace. Nobody touched his sister.
The elevator stopped and he got off. Down the hall, a right turn, passing the great conference
room, a left turn and then he stood in front of a door which said, 'Colonel Une', in gilded letters.
He fleetingly wondered what the Lady's first name was. He had never heard it. Even Treize had always
called her, 'Lady Une' or just plain 'Lady'.
Without knocking he entered. Lady Une looked up in annoyance that quickly faded to relief and
then anxiety as she recognized him.
"Colonel Zechs, how are you? I'm so sorry about what happened," she said as she raised from
her chair.
"It's quite alright, Lady, there's no need to feel sorry. No-one saw this coming." He
slumped against the door.
"You'll be pleased to know your wife is on her way here. Quatre contacted her right after you."
He was thankful for that and he smiled tiredly at her words. "How are the boys anyway?"
The Lady shrugged. "Fine, I guess. Heero is blaming himself horribly for what happened. He
feels like he should have done more, acted faster, whatever. The other seem okay. We're a little
worried about Wufei and Sally. From what Heero told us, the only conclusion we can come to, is that
they have been kidnaped. It takes a lot of force to take a Gundam pilot against his will. And then
they also highjacked the airplane so Heero and Relena were stranded."
Zechs pushed his bangs out of his face. This was troubling indeed. "Do we know how big a
group it is that we're dealing with?"
She shook her head. "No, but it's bound to be large. Heero reported to have seen three dorms
for eighty occupants each. All bunks seen, seemed slept on, which means any guards came from somewhere
else, as well as the team sent after Relena."
"What do we know about that team?" he asked as his heart sank. This was big. No, this was
terrible. He wasn't sure if the Preventers had enough men to fight them. He had heard Sally had
ordered the evacuation of the Preventer's base in Canada. Lady Une had told him when she had sent
him to a Preventer's base in Central America to report personally on the happening in Canada and
bring some sensitive documents to the people there about what they were working on. He wasn't sure
if the two were connected, but considering the size of the encampment in Canada, it was possible
the organization was even bigger.
"Heero took out six men, who tried to scare him out of his hiding and to give Relena over
to them, by telling him that part of the team was waiting for him downhill and that they would never
reach the hospital. I must say, it could have been bluffing, but I'm not so sure anymore. There are
also the ones who took out Wufei and Sally and highjacked the plane. I estimate twenty to twenty-five
men of whom Heero killed six."
Zechs bowed his head. After five glorious years of peace war was eminent. When would people
ever learn that war was the most hideous thing ever devised by the human race? He didn't know, but
he wished mankind would learn.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN And that was it. Not much action, but it's gonna take some time before that comes. I'm still
trying to be exact in my describtion of the peace threatening organisation. Next chapter lots of
Wuffie and Sal (torture). I really like that pairing. Oh, and please review?
Till next time
Dannee
Anyway, next update will also take a week, I think. We're getting to a really seriously difficult
subject now. The nerve system. I will be staring at brains and spinal cord for four hours straight.
Twice! Lab research blabla. Don't know.
I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Under Pressure
Chapter 13
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Duo looked sadly at the limp form of the young woman in the chair across the aisle. Relena
looked far too pale for comfort.
Six years. She had been fighting her own battles for six years, constantly protected by
Heero and the other pilots, but mostly by Heero.
And now she was hurt. She was dying.
Duo shook his head. It wasn't fair. She had worked so hard. Why would anyone want to
disrupt what she had created? The woman had dedicated her life to peace. Nothing in her life held
a greater priority. Even her own health was irrelevant, compared to her work.
He glanced out of the small window on his right. They were nearing headquarters. Good, the
sooner Relena got some help, the better. He just hoped the doctors wouldn't be completely helpless
in this case. Aside from the fact that he would lose a very dear friend and the world would lose
one of the most important in influential people in the political field, Heero would kill the doctor
who refused to treat her.
Duo sighed and fastened his seatbelt. Heero had taken his seat in the cockpit, so he was
now stuck looking helplessly at the frail young woman in the seat across the aisle.
The plane touched the ground and came to a halt. Duo unbuckled himself and moved to do the
same for Relena and then pick her up, but someone beat him to it. Unsurprisingly, that someone was
Heero. The lanky young man picked her up and carried her outside without a second glance at Duo. He
understood Heero was upset about Relena, but he was downright uncivil. Then again, when was Heero
ever civil?
He suddenly remembered the time when he had thought he was saving Relena from certain death
at the hands of the pilot of 01. She had stood up for her would-be killer. He shook his head in
disbelief. That act had stopped him from killing the one man who had proved to be the worlds savior.
Duo followed Heero out with Trowa at his side. The only ones waiting on the rarely used
runway were Quatre and Lady Une. Even from that distance Duo could see both of them heaving a sigh
of relief when Heero came into view. Or more over, when Relena came into view.
Quatre ran towards them, followed by Lady Une at a more dignified pace.
"Thank god, there you are!" the sandy-haired pilot exclaimed. "Is she alright? What
happened? Where are Wufei and Sally?"
"Let's just get her inside first, shall we?" Trowa answered.
Heero hadn't even bothered to stop. Lady Une fell in next to him. "Will she make it?" she
asked the stoic pilot.
"I don't know, I'm not a doctor," he answered curtly.
Duo frowned. Heero knew something of medicine. Enough to set his own leg when it was broken,
as Duo remembered shuddering. Shouldn't he be able to tell if Relena would live or die? This was
bull. Angrily he stomped after Heero.
It took them barely five minutes to get inside and in the ER. Doctors were swarming around
them like insects, but Heero refused to let Relena go. Lady Une told the doctors the precarious
situation and finally convinced Heero to give Relena over to the medical staff.
It was the first time Duo had ever seen Heero look lost. As the people in hospital uniforms
wheeled a stretcher with Relena's form down the hall, Heero seemed to slump. Duo reached out and
placed a hand on his friends shoulder. The other man turned and looked him in the eye.
Duo felt like crying. The look Heero gave him was one of utter loss and helplessness. And
Duo understood. Over the years the world had been safe, but before that, during the wars of 195 AC
Heero had sworn to protect Relena. Never had he broken that promise. But now he had failed. The
price was too high. Relena was close to death, Duo could read it in those Prussian blue eyes. Eyes
that could frighten the most hardened soldiers and make people leap to obey his orders, were now
empty of all emotion save one.
Despair.
Never, ever, had any Gundam pilot despaired, no matter what situation they had gotten
themselves into. And now that Heero, the strongest of them all, was in such a state, Duo was beyond
worry. He was ready to panic.
Lady Une led them to a small conference room. They waited in silence.
Duo fidgeted as he sat slumped in one of the chairs. Heero leaned against the wall,
unmoving. Trowa stood close-by, occasionally glancing at the other pilot, as if he was looking
over him. Quatre looked sad, sitting on the floor, leaning against the table leg. Lady Une had
a worried frown on her face. If the Lady was showing emotions like that, things were serious.
Duo sighed. He hoped Relena would be alright. If she had survived Heero carrying her
around, then she would make it. She was tough, that one was. But he didn't know if she was tough
enough.
What had happened anyway? He had heard it had something to do with a suspicious group
Preventers were watching in Canada. It was also where Heero and Wufei had suddenly showed up,
acting upon a different source than the Preventers. It must have been Wufei to have found that
information, because Heero was out cold at the time.
Duo rubbed his face. There was no point in aimless wondering and he wouldn't get a straight
answer from Heero, not considering the state he was in now. Best to wait for news about Relena's
condition.
He settled himself for a long wait. As he occasionally glanced at Heero, he saw what he
had missed earlier. Heero wasn't just worn out emotionally, he was also very tired. He figured it
was only willpower what kept the Perfect Soldier standing.
He looked in front of him again and diverted his thoughts to more pleasant plains. His
fiancé who was currently with his child. He closed his eyes and called her before his minds eye.
The way her eyes glowed as she looked at him, the way her body curved just right when he held her.
He hoped she was alright, not too scared by what was happening.
He missed her. He missed the way she smiled at everything that pleased her. And he hadn't
been gone for that long. Yet, he had this nagging feeling he wouldn't see her in a long while.
He sat there, silently, until a man in a surgery uniform came down the hall.
"How is she?" Lady Une asked, before anyone else could speak.
"Her wounds are of a serious kind, but there is a chance she will pull through."
Duo put his head back and sighed in relief. So, she wasn't out of danger yet. At least
there was a chance of her healing. He hoped she would recover. He glanced over at Heero. And found
him sound asleep on the floor, back against the wall, head resting on his knees.
Looked like the Perfect Soldier had given in to his fatigue, now that he knew Relena was
in capable hands.
~~~~~~
Zechs sprinted out of the aircraft without bothering to leave orders for his men. They
would know what to do. Relena! How could his baby sister have gotten hurt like that? He should
have gone with Heero and the others to help her. Maybe he could have done something.
He couldn't have, he knew that, but he felt such a waste, right now. Instead of helping
his sister, he had done something else and left the job to others. Could he blame them?
No. Heero had risked his own life, getting Relena out of the burning palace. And whatever
had happened to Wufei and Sally, it couldn't be good. But he wanted someone to pay.
Dreading the upcoming sight he walked through the hospital at Preventers headquarters. He
knew what room she was in. Quatre had told him over the radio. The knowledge that the blond-haired
Arabian was watching over his sister strangely comforted him. Quatre was a sensitive, but
responsible young man who could calm people down. He just hoped the boy could handle it.
Two men in Preventer uniform tensed as he neared the last room in the corridor. When they
recognized him they relaxed, a little. Zechs was grateful for the security around his little
sister. He didn't want whoever had done this to her, to finish the job. He left his coat on a peg
outside, washed his hands and entered.
He could barely see Relena, due to all the equipment around her. Everything was monitored.
Screens bleeped and showed unexplainable lines and figures. One he understood. The heart monitor.
Her pulse and blood pressure were stable. A breathing mask covered her nose and mouth.
"Colonel Zechs?"
He looked behind him. A physician was standing in the doorway, fingering a folder nervously.
"Yes, doctor?"
"I saw you entering and I figured you would like to know your sister's status so I brought
her charts."
Zechs smiled a little to try and ease the nervous man. "Thank you, doctor..."
"Winter, doctor Winter. Shall we go to my office and sit down. I can assure you your sister
is quite safe."
With one last look at the unconscious Relena on the bed Zechs followed the doctor out. They
went to a little office close-by. Doctor Winter sat down behind his desk, while Zechs took the
visitors chair. He realized he had left his coat at Relena's room, but he didn't care.
"Well, Colonel, I hope you understand, that nothing is certain at this point. Miss Relena
is stable at the moment. However, that doesn't mean she's out of danger. She suffered severe
abdominal trauma. Some kind of metallic debris had lodged itself in her spine. Upon entering her
body it went straight through her abdominal and unfortunately, damaged one of her kidneys beyond
repair. We managed to get it out without further injury to her internal organs, but we cannot
establish the harm done to her spinal cord until she has woken up."
"So she could be paralyzed for the rest of her life?" Zechs asked, his heart a lump of ice.
The doctor nodded. "It's possible, but from what we saw, her spinal marrow has not been
severed. There is a good chance the damage is minimal and all she will need is rehabilitation. But
as I said, we just don't know."
Zechs nodded. "What else is wrong with her?"
"Considering what has happened, surprisingly little. A superficial wound to her shoulder and
her arm and some mild burns on her legs."
He sighed. "Could you tell me where Lady Une is now?"
"I suppose she's in her office."
"Thank you, doctor Winter."Zechs stood up and shook the man's hand. "Take good care of Relena."
"I will, Colonel."
Zechs nodded and left. He racked his brains to remember where Lady Une's office was. In a
slight daze he headed for the fifteenth floor. Never in all his life had he ever thought Relena would
get hurt. He was her older brother. He was supposed to protect her. During his days with OZ, he
hardly had the chance to do that and later as leader of the White Fang he sure hadn't looked like a
protective brother, but he had started that war so that afterwards she could do what she was so good
at, giving the people of Earth and the colonies a chance to live in peace.
And now that she had realized her dream, she was struck down by an unforseen force.
He would kill them, peace or no peace. Nobody touched his sister.
The elevator stopped and he got off. Down the hall, a right turn, passing the great conference
room, a left turn and then he stood in front of a door which said, 'Colonel Une', in gilded letters.
He fleetingly wondered what the Lady's first name was. He had never heard it. Even Treize had always
called her, 'Lady Une' or just plain 'Lady'.
Without knocking he entered. Lady Une looked up in annoyance that quickly faded to relief and
then anxiety as she recognized him.
"Colonel Zechs, how are you? I'm so sorry about what happened," she said as she raised from
her chair.
"It's quite alright, Lady, there's no need to feel sorry. No-one saw this coming." He
slumped against the door.
"You'll be pleased to know your wife is on her way here. Quatre contacted her right after you."
He was thankful for that and he smiled tiredly at her words. "How are the boys anyway?"
The Lady shrugged. "Fine, I guess. Heero is blaming himself horribly for what happened. He
feels like he should have done more, acted faster, whatever. The other seem okay. We're a little
worried about Wufei and Sally. From what Heero told us, the only conclusion we can come to, is that
they have been kidnaped. It takes a lot of force to take a Gundam pilot against his will. And then
they also highjacked the airplane so Heero and Relena were stranded."
Zechs pushed his bangs out of his face. This was troubling indeed. "Do we know how big a
group it is that we're dealing with?"
She shook her head. "No, but it's bound to be large. Heero reported to have seen three dorms
for eighty occupants each. All bunks seen, seemed slept on, which means any guards came from somewhere
else, as well as the team sent after Relena."
"What do we know about that team?" he asked as his heart sank. This was big. No, this was
terrible. He wasn't sure if the Preventers had enough men to fight them. He had heard Sally had
ordered the evacuation of the Preventer's base in Canada. Lady Une had told him when she had sent
him to a Preventer's base in Central America to report personally on the happening in Canada and
bring some sensitive documents to the people there about what they were working on. He wasn't sure
if the two were connected, but considering the size of the encampment in Canada, it was possible
the organization was even bigger.
"Heero took out six men, who tried to scare him out of his hiding and to give Relena over
to them, by telling him that part of the team was waiting for him downhill and that they would never
reach the hospital. I must say, it could have been bluffing, but I'm not so sure anymore. There are
also the ones who took out Wufei and Sally and highjacked the plane. I estimate twenty to twenty-five
men of whom Heero killed six."
Zechs bowed his head. After five glorious years of peace war was eminent. When would people
ever learn that war was the most hideous thing ever devised by the human race? He didn't know, but
he wished mankind would learn.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN And that was it. Not much action, but it's gonna take some time before that comes. I'm still
trying to be exact in my describtion of the peace threatening organisation. Next chapter lots of
Wuffie and Sal (torture). I really like that pairing. Oh, and please review?
Till next time
Dannee