11: Arrival to the Corsica Base
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Duo let out a huge yawn bring his hand up over his mouth as he indulged himself in the fact that he was sitting in the front seat of the jeep after winning a short-lived game of rock-paper-scissors against Quatre. He sighed running his hand through his hair still contemplating over his sudden fit of rage aimed toward Eriol and Heero.
It was indeed a stupid thing to do but as his would-be foster father Dr. G would tell him there was no point in fretting over it now, what's done is done. Get over it, Duo Added the mental and haunting voice of Dr. G ringing his head. Duo winced at the harsh reminder of the sitched-faced elderly man, he began to mutter incoherent swears about him before returning his attention to the passing beltway the rode across.
Heero sat behind the steering wheel his hands gripped the round leathered object tightly as he began to worry more and more about Relena's well-being with each passing minute. The wind tousled his wild out of place bangs Heero's eyes watered against the strong winds he blinked the moisture away and stared to complain mentally about the windy whether in an attempt to take his mind of the one person he decided to protect rather than kill just because she knew his dirty little secret.
"Heero, are you still gonna kill me?" Relena asked as they waltzed around the massive ball room. He stared at her for a good while trying to figure out what she was getting at before he finally answered her. "Yeah," Heero replied.
Heero snapped himself out of his stroll down memory lane bringing his attention back to the now winding road ahead of him. He jerked the steering wheel to the right barely missing the wall as he sped down the road as fast as he could giving the other's a scare. Duo gripped the door handle in surprise fully awake as turning his gaze toward his friend who looked a little more than pleased about something.
"Heero, is something bothering you?" Trowa asked leaning forward toward Heero a bit to get a good look of his facial expression. Heero shifting his Prussian blue eyes toward Trowa for a brief second then turned them back to the road as he made another sharp turn causing Wufei to collide with Trowa knocking the Latin American against the passenger's door, the Chinese teenager grunted in annoyance gritting his teeth to contain his temper.
What does Yuy, think he's doing? He thought climbing off of Trowa fixing his jacket. Trowa groaned pulling himself back up again noticing his bangs were in bent and twisted poses instead of their straight and flawless appearance, masking his irritation the young man proceeded to fix his hair while glaring partly at Heero.
Duo on the other hand was more worried about falling out of the jeep despite the door being locked, the mad look in his friends eyes did more than unsettle his nerves it disturbed mentally. Another sharp turn occurred Duo winced at the screeching of the tires against the concrete, Heero was officially loosing his cool not to mention there was too many turns on this blasted highway.
"How about I drive, Heero?" Trowa offered calmly. Heero shook his head. "No need, I'm doing just fine," Heero replied coolly. Duo scoffed throwing his arms up into the air. "Fine at what? Trying to kill us all by throwing us off the beltway?!" Duo snapped angrily.
"Sush Duo!" Quatre hissed from behind. Duo rolled his eyes he fell against the car-seat's back folding his arms across his chest praying that they wouldn't die before they could prevent a disaster from befalling a defenseless ESUN. Heero kept his eyes on the road ignoring the awfully rude remark aimed at him by his comrade as he came to a fork in the road and turned to the right which would lead them off of the beltway.
Duo always did have a tenancy to speak a little too much when it came to his emotions or feelings. It was going to get him killed one day or worse shot through the heart. Heero grimaced at the grim would-be prediticions of the trouble Duo's mouth would get him in and silently prayed it wouldn't happen.
Because I don't want to be responsible for a death I thought up ... nor do I want to tango with the German girl he lives with. Whatshername..... Hilde Schbeiker. Heero rolled his eyes at the simpleton thoughts he was having as the jeep continued down the road.
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"Achoo!" Noin's sneeze echoed through the deathly silent corridors of the MS factory as she followed Zechs toward the exit of the of the building. "Bless you," Zechs muttered tiredly as he managed to maintain his grip on one of the many unconscious rebels that he dragged out of the building.
Noin brushed her long bangs out of her face tucking them behind her ear as much as she could dragging two unconscious rebels of her own. "Is this the last of them, Zechs?" She asked curiously not wanting to pick up another one of those fowl men.
Zechs looked to his comrade with an inquiring look before smirking, Noin gave him a confused look. "You know this is first time in year's that I've seen both your eyes, Noin. They're pretty," He asked avoiding her question. Noin bit down on her lip a faint red appeared on her cheeks as she looked down at the floor bashfully. "Your just saying that," Noin said cocking her head to the side.
"No, really, they're beautiful," Zechs laughed turning the corner. Noin followed and sighed trying her best not to giggle like a popular schoolgirl pretending to be impressed by a cute boy. "Thank you for the complement Zechs," Noin replied bashfully pushing the front door open with her foot.
Zechs scooted through the doorway and Noin followed him as soon as she got her two unconscious rebels through the door. They dragged them all the way over to a pile of rebels they created one at a time until it looked like a sliding pile of corpses which was a pretty good distance away from the building and near their jeep as well. Zechs laid the man against the other hopping the sleeping gas wouldn't wear off too soon.
He looked to the empty factory and all that was around them with a melancholy expression. Its' not so hard to believe that I used to command a group of rebels like this..... its Ironic that I would be fighting to put a stop to their plans. His blue eyes narrowed in dissatisfaction. Maybe not Ironic.... But strange all the same. I wonder how Noin feels about this.
Zechs brushed a few stray stands of his long platinum blond hair out of his face and tucked it behind his ear with a sigh just as Noin came up to him with the detonator in her hand.
He stared at her for a moment wondering what was going on through her mind before he was aroused from his pondering by the poking of Noin's fingers. Blinking he stared down at her in question. "Where'd you go? Outer space?" Noin asked just as she pressed the detonator's button. Zechs did not answer right away instead he looked to the MS factory just as a ball of fire rose from behind it igniting everything it touched Noin jumped back in surprise and watched the entire facility and its surrounding area go up in flames before glancing to her partner. "Well?" She asked.
Zechs stared at her with an impassive expression. "Maybe I did. Who knows," He replied humorously with a smirk. "Your impossible sometimes, Zechs!" Noin replied rolling her eyes before pulling out her T-mobile cell phone. She flipped the top open and pressed the redial button on the small object. Zechs shrugged and followed the dark blue eyed-woman toward their jeep with a ghost of a boyish smirk on his face.
Noin brought the cell phone to her ear and listened to the sound of dail-tone ringing until someone picked up on the other line. "Hello, preventers headquarters, Jennie speaking, how may I help you?" Came the pilot business reply. Noin groaned at the sound of Jennie's voice before speaking. "Jennie, it's Noin," She began. "I want you to inform Lady Une that we've completed our mission in destroying the MS factory and detained the rebels. We've informed the authorities of their presence and they're on their way to pick up the packages."
There was a groan from Jennie followed a pause and then a deep intake of air. "All right, I'll tell her. But you better hope those rebels stay in one place or Une will have your hide!" Jennie warned. Noin rolled her eyes as she hopped into the passengers seat of the jeep. "Just tell her!" Noin snapped before turning off her cell phone, never giving Jennie the chance to reply. Zechs gave her strange look but she managed to ignore it. "How long will the gas' effect last?"
Zechs started the car with an uncertain shrug. "A whole day and a half to say the least, depending on how much you used and what methods one uses to wake them up." He explained briefly. Noin sweatdropped at his reply and hopped they didn't wake up before then.
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"So this is the Corsica base eh? It certainly has changed," Duo grumbled peering through the binoculars intently. He sat on the hood of the jeep that resided upon a hill shrouded in the bushes. Heero nodded with a serious expression upon his face as he scanned the huge base's area with interest watching the black specs he knew were people stride across the ground completely on guard and alert.
Trowa leaned upon the front of the jeep beside Duo taking a peek through the binoculars himself, the tension in the air troubled Trowa's thoughts as he sized up how many rebels were present outside the base. Duo leaned toward his friend with curiosity. "So how is it Trowa, do you think we can sneak inside?" He asked.
Trowa lowered the binoculars from his eyes a look of dismay shadowed his features. "No, not at the present moment," Trowa said calmly. "There appears to be over 60 rebels outside the base, and it would make our job a lot harder with them alert and on guard."
Duo groaned in defeat. "But--- I never said it was impossible. Just difficult Duo. Which is something neither of us need right now." The Latin American stared calmly into Duo's eyes with a look of worry. Especially you Duo, he added mentally.
Wufei remained in the back seat with his feet propped up on shoulder of the driver's seat unfazed by the report Trowa gave them. "I see no reason for concern," Wufei yawned. "The homing beacon on Jin's motorcycle lead us here did it?"
Quatre (who stood beside Heero) turned to his Chinese friend with an inquiring look wondering where he was taking this. "Yes, why?" He answered. "Whatever he's looking for inside that building is bound to be important," Wufei finished tiredly. Heero turned to meet the unworried face of Wufei with a scowl.
"I'd like to know where your going with this Chang," He said icily. Wufei snorted in amusement remembering how impatient Heero was when he spoke cryptically when making a point. All eyes turned to him awaiting his answer. Shrugging his shoulders Wufei decided to put his message in terms they all understood.
"What I'm saying is, wait until nightfall. That's when Jin will make his move and we should do the same," Wufei explained in annoyance. "That's where I was going with my so called 'cryptic' speech." Heero simply grunted in response with nothing left to say and turned his back to the Chinese warrior.
Duo stared into the distance with a pondering look about him the wind whipped through his chestnut brown hair getting his braid to move a bit to the right slightly as his mind wandered off someplace else as the other's argued over their strategies.
"I agree with Wufei completely," Quatre spoke up. "We should wait until night to carry out this mission. We just might be able to sneak past what remaining guards outside and get inside the base with little or no problems!" Heero shook his head in disagreement.
"I'm not so sure that's a wise idea Quatre. They may be expecting us to do something like this," Heero implied. Quatre's spark of hope was shot down in an instant.
"Its possible that the rebels or whomever is in charge of this entire operation will expect us to do something like this. But given the sheer number of guards out here..." Trowa paused turning to peer into the binoculars for a moment. "They aren't expecting us to be strike here, they're stronghold. And as strange as that seems, I think the rebels were expecting us to go after their leader..... whoever that is." His voice was full of uncertainty. "Perhaps it would be better to head out at night after we've rested Heero."
"Fine. Nightfall it is." Heero replied firmly before shutting his eyes. He needed to clear his thoughts of all distractions before their mission officially began.
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Hilde sat on the side Relena had formally sat in after slapping Phareil in the face throwing a fit of rage that almost got her shot in the chest. Relena sat in the middle of the enraged women to prevent Hilde from hitting the Catalonia girl again if she through a bout of anger again.
Relena couldn't understand why Hilde couldn't control her temper, especially at a time like this. Yes, Dorothy's sister had arraigned their kidnapping, yes she planned on targeting the ESUN, but there was no plausible reason to hit their kidnapper unless the mistaken.
Hilde wasn't someone Relena knew as well as she would like to but she could just by looking at her that Hilde was short-tempered and easily angered it pushed in the right direction. Sighing she looked to Hilde who had her gaze shifted outside the window at the clouds that surrounded them.
The 16-year-old sighed before glancing briefly at Phareil; her face was bruised from the slap Hilde dealt her and rage danced in her eyes. Relena wasn't so sure that they would be treated with the same courteously as they were given before thanks to Hilde's slap. Heero if you can hear me, please come soon. Relena thought direly gripping her left arm.
Hilde watched the clouds in the night sky pass them by as she wondered what her braided-shinigami was up to while she sat here in a helicopter with a maniac and a pacifist beside her. She had slapped Phareil because she a began to gloat calmly and not much as arrogantly about her easily won victory over the ESUN and the execution of the Gundam pilots (who she knew would get in her way).
Hilde was so enraged at the foul comments she making about the pilot of the Deathscythe Hell that before she knew it her hand came in contact with Phareil's face and had knocked her against the helicopter's wall. Relena held her back just in time as Phareil regained her composure looking as though her pride had wounded beyond repair..... she had stopped her in mid-sentence and for Hilde it was enough to satisfy her anger.
Surprisingly Phareil pretended that her slap in the face never happened and warned her that if she ever tried anything like that again she order the rebels to open fire on her when she gave the word. Hilde snapped herself out of her train of thought as she felt the Helicopter land atop of a building she grunted slightly as she felt herself sliding off of the passengers seat at a gradually speed.
Relena grabbed her friend by her collar pulling her back up in the seat just in time. "Thanks," Hilde breathed whipping imaginary sweat from her forehead. Relena nodded in response before being yanked up to her feet by the one named Stanley while Hilde was dragged out of the man she didn't even know the name of. "Leggo of me!" Hilde shouted before he threw her over his shoulder ducking the helicopter blades in the process. "Shut up!" The man bellowed.
Relena stepped out of the helicopter followed by Phareil who was still rubbing her cheek. Hilde must've hit her hard, she's got quite an arm..... Relena made sure she wasn't smiling at her freshly aroused thought and continued toward the rooftop's door way entrance/exit.
The strong wind emitted from the helicopter blades took on a sudden chill causing Relena to jump in mid-step almost knocking Stanley down. "Watch your step m'lady," He said callously yanking her toward the exit. Relena looked behind her for a brief moment scanning the area around her. If she didn't know any better she would've swore someone was watching her in an unseen place.
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Trowa and Wufei peered though each lens on the binoculars with a look of disdain setting atop of the jeep's hood. Lowering the binoculars Wufei turned his head toward seats within the jeep finding Duo asleep and snoring with his legs flung over the passengers seat's shoulders his arms were folded across his chest and back laid against the bottom of the seat while his braid laid crumpled on the ground curled in a snake like way.
Heero sat in the drivers seat with his head bowed and his arms folded across his chest, and Quatre laid sprawled across the back seat with his arm under his head. "All seem to be sleeping still," Trowa whispered to his comrade.
Wufei blinked agreement before turning his head toward the base again. "I think it would be best to keep this from Heero and Duo; they might do something very stupud.....," Wufei trailed watching the helicopter rising from the rooftop and take off.
Trowa pondered on the decision thoroughly wondering if he should just tell Quatre that Hilde and Relena arrived with their captors just a second ago and was dragged into the base or just tell Duo and Heero about it despite the fact that they might do something brash.
He didn't think Heero would. Duo would probably do something extremely stupid he couldn't put that passed him but Heero..... it just didn't seem to be in his personality or in his or Relena and Hilde's best intrest to go berserk. Closing his eyes unsure of what do in that particular area he nodded his head decided to go along with Wufei's idea instead.
"I agree with you in some ways Wufei, but we should at least tell Quatre about it. I trust him to keep this secret from the other two," Trowa explained. Wufei turned to the sleeping Arab-teen examining his facial features intently.
Trusting Quatre was never the problem.... his tenancy to blurt while talking is the problem..... Wufei thought. "Perhaps. We'll wait until he's------," He was stopped in mid-scentence by the sounding of an alarm. Duo, Quatre, and Heero were jerked out of their slumber by the shrill sound of the alarm echoing throughout the base and beyond. "What's goin' on?!" Duo shouted sleepily jumping out of the jeep rushing to the front of the car.
Heero jumped out after him on Trowa's side (the left) rubbing his eyes briefly before he tried to figure what was going on below them. Quatre rose from his sleeping position and climbed into the front of the jeep catching a glimpse of a spot light scanning the area, his breath was caught in his throat when he realized it was coming toward them.
"Duck!" He hissed under his breath. Quatre crawled in reverse and ducked into the small space between the back seat and the two front seats, the other four took cover behind the bushes. The light went over them pausing only for a moment then continued passing though the area. Duo glanced over at Heero who was peering though a crack in the bushes with a intent gaze.
"What is it, Heero?" He whispered. "It's Jin," He whispered harshly. "He just came riding into the mobile suit hangar out nowhere." Duo's coalbolt eyes widened in surprise acting quickly he scooted over beside Heero and peered though the bushes; he watched as several men went rushing into mobile suit hangar. His eyebrow's raised in exclaimation as propped himself up on his knees and peered his head over the bush, through all of the comotion he couldn't tell what was going exactly. Wufei was right! Duo thought smirking.
"My, my. So my dear sister has returned from dead after all these years," Came a voice full of mirth. Quatre's heart leapt realizing who it was, rising from his hiding place and gazed upon the blonde beauty known as Dorothy Catalonia. Her hair went as far as her waist, she wore a Preventer's skirt and jacket uniform accompanied by black stockings and scuffed hiking boots with a pair of fingerless gloves to match her wardrobe.
Trowa's eyes widened in totally shock, Wufei appeared to be unfazed by her sudden appearance, Duo smirked at her giving a breif wave while Heero just stared at her. "What are you doing here Catalonia?" Heero asked only half-curious as to why she decided to grace them with her presence at this particular moment.
Dorothy smiled at him before walking over to the jeep and leaned her body up against the jeep's door. "Why Heero is that any way to greet a former classmate? I'm hurt," Dorothy pretended to hurt by his comment. "Une sent me if you want to know."
Heero nodded in agreement before returning to peering out through the bush. Duo cocked an eyebrow at him before climbing off of his bottom. "Good to see you again Dorothy, where ya been?" Duo asked curiously. Dorothy turned her gaze toward the braided shinigami and smiled slyly.
"Hong Kong, visiting their hotels and spas," Dorothy replied smoothing her eyebrow over. Duo grunted in response before turning his attention back to Heero who was fiddling around with his gun before he put it back in its holster hidden in his jacket.
Standing up he caught everyone's attention in an instant. "We should get going while their distracted. Duo and I will take the mobile suit factory in front us, Wufei & Trowa take the one behind us." Heero turned to Dorothy. "Your with Quatre Dorothy. Head to the MS factory on the right." With that said he and Duo dashed toward the bush and leaped over the foilage and slid down the steep hill. Duo kept his braid in front of him while Heero tried to balance himself as though he were riding on a sufboard (He noticed Duo wasn't having any problems with balancing himself). Show-off......
Trowa sighed and guestured to Wufei, the Chinese preventer nodded and followed him passed Dorothy leaving Quatre alone with the shimmering platinum blonde. The Arab boy jumped over the door of the jeep careful not to bump into Dorothy.
"It's good to see you again, Dorothy," Quatre said bashfully rubbing the back of his neck. Dorothy blinked at him as her eyes traveled toward his abdomen remembering the scar she left witht he fencing sword. "Likewise," She replied in a dull tone of voice.
Quatre looked at his feet as she turned away and started through the bushes. She's still the same ol' Dorothy I know with a few changes in her personality. Quatre thought when he noticed Dorothy was half-way through the bushes wearing a annoyed expression.
"Are you coming Quatre?" She asked impatiently. Quatre snapped himself out of his thoughts followed her into the bushes. "Sorry about that," He said apologetically. Dorothy shrugged. "Its okay, I've got alot on my mind as well." She muttered looking up at the stars.
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Meanwhile Duo and Heero traveled as the fastest pace they could across the massive base toward the MS factory hoping they wouldn't be caught in the process. They kept themselves huched over and their heads low as they ducked behind a well-shadowed corner against a wall.
They in turn stared at eachother in bewilderment glancing toward their hiding space amongst the bushes. Duo was first to speak. "If I didn't know any better. I think whoever is behind this is a girl," Duo huffed as he caught his breath. Heero nodded watching the rebels racing pass them. "And Dorothy's sister," He said between breaths furrowing his eyebrows. Duo rolled his eyes wondering what other unexpected surprises they should be aware of but weren't to come their way.
(TBC)...... More coming soon. Promise!