Chapter One
"..waste... perfectly good soldier... the war... needed him as their leader.."
"...pull the plug..."
"...not dead, legally. ...refused to give up."
"I love you, Duo."
"...four years... ever wake up?"
"..only friend. Sadly you're the only person I can talk to... don't even respond."
"...Calm down, Duo. ..hurt you..."
"...only person who visits anymore... Yuy boy... did they know each other?"
"...fuckin' vegetable..."
"...walk, "
"..getting better..."
"...different when he finally emerges... may have to learn to speak... his reflexes..."
"Please, wake up."
"..nine years..."
"...waste of a soldier..."
"..ever wake up?..."
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On March 8th, 2186, Duo Maxwell went into a coma.
On June 16th, 2196, he opened his eyes.
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Everything was white. The walls, the door, the curtains on the windows and even the sheets. The sun was out and the glare made the whiteness all the more blinding. Duo winced and closed his eyes again, waiting several moments before he reopened them. Where the hell was he?
He moved his arms stiffly and touched the clothes he wore; coming to the conclusion that they were pajamas of some kind. He narrowed his eyes and took in the room again, this time noting the tray, the chart and the EKG monitor next to the bed. Hospital. He must have been injured during the battle at the OZ base in Siberia.
Fuck. Had he been captured? He wasn't cuffed to the bed or restrained in any way, so that was doubtful. The last time he had been captured, they had practically chained him to the wall. But still... something about this wasn't right. He didn't feel injured. Maybe he was drugged? Duo's eyes flitted around the room wildly and suddenly he was very paranoid.
He forced himself to sit up and began ripping the wires from the EKG machine off of his chest. He stood up and frowned. Something was... different. He felt... taller, bigger. His head felt heavier. He reached up to check for bandages on his head but realized that his hair was longer. His eyes widened and he yanked the mass over one shoulder. A LOT longer. Fuck. What the hell had they done to him?
Duo looked around wildly and saw a thin, silver remote on the small table next to the chair. The cushion on the chair had indents as if someone sat on it often. He grabbed the remote and stared at it. It had directional buttons and numbers, with one larger red button the top. Did it control the door? If so, why did they leave it within his reach? He decided that Oz was getting sloppy. After a brief hesitation, he pushed the button and immidiatley backed away from the door; expecting the worst.
What happened was... not what he expected.
One side of the room changed entirely and several people appeared. They were talking and laughing extremely loudly and didn't seem aware that Duo was in the room.
His eyes widened and he dropped the controller; stumbling backwards as the people began moving around. What the hell kind of place was this? "Who the fuck are you people!?" He demanded. "Answer me!" Why did his voice sound so funny?
They continued to interact with each other and ignored him
"ANSWER ME!" He screamed and ran at them, attempting to push the man against the wall. His hands went straight through the man's body. Duo gasped and jerked away. What was wrong with him?! The people talked and smiled at each other; not even aware that Duo had just tried to attack them.
He heard noises outside of the room and he looked around wildly before grabbing the arm of the chair. He ripped it clean off and held it up like a baseball bat. The door opened and three people came rushing in. The man had on a long white coat and the two women behind him had on pastel colored jumpsuits. They looked like medical staff of some kind.
One woman gasped and looked shocked. "Oh my God!"
The other woman had her hand pressed over her mouth as she gaped at Duo.
The man looked just as surprised but he was looking Duo over and appeared to be trying to decide what to do.
"Where the fuck am I?" Duo snarled dangerously.
The people against the wall continued to talk and laugh loudly. One of the women, nurses he assumed, picked up the silver remote and pressed the red button again. The people and the background disappeared and the room returned to normal.
"Mr. Maxwell, I need you to calm down and put down your... weapon." The man, the doctor, said calmly and patiently. He sounded like he was trying to soothe a wild animal.
"I am Private First Class Maxwell. My serial number is 0221234. I want to see General Peacecraft NOW or I'll fucking kill you all." He growled darkly.
"Mr. Maxwell, I'm afraid that is not possible. Now if you'll calm--"
Duo slammed his make-shift weapon against the wall. "NOW!"
"General Peacecraft is dead!" One of the nurses cried out in a frightened voice.
Duo froze and his eyes widened. He shook his head in denial and stared at the woman. "Wh...what?"
"The war has been over for ten years!" The other nurse shouted. The doctor glared at her and waved his hand violently to silence her.
Duo stumbled backwards and his grip on the wooden chair arm weakened. He shook his head and looked at the woman. "What? What the hell are you talking about?"
The doctor started forward slowly and held up his hands as if to show that he was not a threat. "We aren't here to hurt you, Duo. I'm your doctor and these are nurses. You are at the Peacecraft Memorial Hospital in America and have been for the past ten years. It is the year 2196 and the war ended ten years ago; a couple of months after you were injured."
The chair arm dropped to the floor and Duo slumped against the wall. For some reason he could barely stand anymore. "I... what? Ten years? I don't..."
He looked up at the doctor in such a miserable, confused way, that the man wrapped an arm around him and smiled sympathetically. "You've been in a coma for ten years."
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Ten years. It didn't make sense. He remembered everything that had happened at the last battle. He remembered vividly, all the details from the war. Wouldn't that have faded away over ten years? Why was he able to move around and speak so clearly? Why... Why did he only feel as if he had just woken up from a deep, drugged sleep? Wouldn't he feel different if he had been in an honest to God coma?
Duo stared down at his hands as the doctors spoke in hushed tones on the other side of the door. But it had to be true. His body, his face... his hair. He wasn't a kid anymore. Not physically anyway. He remembered himself being short, scrawny looking but actually sinewy and surprisingly strong with a crewcut and a set of dogtags hanging around his neck. He looked up into the mirror that hung on the other side of the room. The reflection he saw was... entirely different. Broad shoulders, long legs and arms with a mature, angled face. And his hair. Duo scoffed. Who the hell had let his hair grow out to this ridiculous length?
"You're not 15 anymore," He whispered softly and took a deep, shaky breath. Even his voice was different.
The door opened and he jumped slightly at the sudden movement in the room. He closed his eyes briefly and took another breath. "Can someone... just please tell me what the hell happened? How did this happen to me? I need to know. This-- this is not making any fucking sense to me!" He squeezed his hands into fists.
Dr. Meadows closed the door behind him and folded his hands together as he walked over to Duo's bedside. "I know this must be all very confusing to you Mr. Maxwell--"
"Confusing!?" Duo scoffed. That wasn't the half of it.
"But I have specific instructions from the government not to discuss any of the details of your accident unless a military or government official is present." He looked at Duo apologetically.
"Are you kidding me?! Fuck the government! This is my life! MY information! You can't keep it from me! It's against the law!"
Dr. Meadows sighed and spread his hands helplessly. "I know that is usually the case but... there ARE exceptions and..."
"So the government gets to bend the rules when they feel like it. I getcha." Duo glared at the wall for several minutes. "So what can you tell me? Am I allowed to know what the hell happened in the world, or is that classified too? Can I know how the war ended? Am I allowed to know if I did all of that fucking fighting for nothing or if we fucking killed those Ozzie bastards?"
The doctor hesitated. "Ten years ago on April 16th, 2186 the war ended. Thanks to the efforts of the Gundam Task Force, or you, at Siberia a month before, the Oz army was extremely weakened." Dr. Meadow smiled. "Khushrenada was killed by Gundam Pilot Chang Wufei and the other secondary leaders surrendered soon after." He squeezed Duo's arm. "You won. It's all in the history books now."
Duo stared at him in shock. His mouth opened partially but no words came out. He shook his head for a moment and processed that. They won? ...They won! A huge smile spread across his face and he took a deep, shaky breath. "Well Goddamn... we won." He thought about all the battles, all of the other pilots who had been murdered for their cause and all of the pain they had gone through. There had been times when he had despaired; thought that it wasn't worth it, thought that it was a lost cause. But... but they'd done it! They'd won. "Goddamn," He whispered again.
Dr. Meadows smiled warmly but for some reason he looked sad at the same time. "You're really quite a miraculous young man, Mr. Maxwell--"
Duo waved his hand. "Enough with the Mr. Maxwell shit, just call me Duo."
"Okay, Duo." He looked down at his chart and raised his eyebrows. "I'm going to answer as many questions I can without going against the government's orders."
Duo sobered immidiatley. "First of all... if I was really in a coma, why... why don't I feel any different? Is it normal for me to feel so... normal? I mean fuck Doc, I feel like I just woke up from a nap, not a ten year coma."
Dr. Meadows pursed his lips together and nodded. "This is... incredibly rare. In fact, I've never seen anything like it myself. Normally when someone emerges from a coma of this length, he has to learn how to function again. He is quite like a newborn baby in that respect."
"So how the hell am I able to talk and walk and fuckin' act like I'm perfectly fine? I mean, isn't that a little odd?" Duo narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Medicine has improved drastically over the decades, Mr. M--Duo. Coma victims are now stimulated through physical therapy and are able to learn to walk and move before actually emerging. In your case, you have been able to eat, swallow and walk while being guided for the past six years. Your speech, however, is really quite extraudinary. Most coma victims have to learn how to speak again, but there are the select few cases who don't and you happen to be one of them."
Duo stared at the doctor and raised an eyebrow doubtfully. Something didn't seem quite... right with that explanation but he couldn't really question it since he knew next to nothing about this kind of shit. "Why... I mean, I can remember hearing stuff from dreams. I mean... do you dream in a coma? I uh, I guess I thought they were dreams and stuff but I remember hearing things going on around me. Conversations and stuff... is that normal?"
"Oh, yes. It is very normal for a patient to hear the conversations of people around them. That's why it's encouraged for friends and family to speak to the patient and that's why they are warned against saying anything negative."
Duo nodded slowly. "Uh huh..." He thought about the things he remembered hearing. "Who's Yu--"
The door swung open and several black clad soldiers filed in. They lined up against the far side of the wall and blocked the window; holding assault lazer guns and rifles. Duo cocked an eyebrow at them and didn't look impressed.
Three people swept into the room and lined up before Duo's bed. He stared at them blankly and arched an eyebrow. One of the men seemed to be at least seven feet tall. He was heavily muscled and wore old fashioned green military fatigues. The woman had long brown hair and wore eyeglasses. She was wearing a uniform similar to that of the soldiers, but it was designed to look like a dress suit. The last man, who Duo assumed was in charge, had golden blond hair and big blue eyes. He was tall, at least six feet or a little under and was sleekly muscled. He wore a very stylish suit, but had some kind of metal on the upper right hand corner of his jacket.
Once again, Duo didn't look impressed. "And you would be...?"
Dr. Meadows was gripping his chart tightly and looking quite nervous.
The blond guy smiled charmingly. "Duo Maxwell, I'm surprised you don't remember me, but then what can I expect. You have been snoozing away for ten years." He winked playfully.
Duo narrowed his eyes at the guy and opened his mouth to say something rude when suddenly something sparked in his memory.
"We're running out of time!" Quatre screamed as he ran across the metal bridge. "We have to get out of here!"
Duo looked over his shoulder at the soldiers that were swarming the corridor. "Shit! This place is gonna blow soon!"
Duo blinked at the man in the suit. "Shit... HOLY SHIT! Q-Man!" He leapt forward and threw his arms around him. "Holy fucking shit, I didn't recognize you!" He closed his eyes and squeezed tightly. Quatre stiffened at first but after a moment he hugged him back just as warmly. When Duo finally sat back down, the big dude was glaring at him.
"You are to call him President Winner," The big guy rumbled.
Quatre colored a bit and waved his hand. "Oh Rashid, stop. Duo can call me whatever he wants." He smiled broadly.
Duo squinted up at Quatre and tried to take this all in. "President...? Dude, don't tell me you went and became president of the US. You aren't even American." He looked confused and glanced over at Dr. Meadows for help. The doctor looked at him and shrugged helplessly.
The big gu-- Rashid and the lady exchanged amused glances with each other. Quatre sat down carefully on Duo's bed and smiled. "Duo, a lot of things have changed in the ten years that you were... asleep." He reached up and touched the side of Duo's face tenderly. "But we can talk about that later. Right now I just want to talk about you. I know you haven't been aware of anything, but I want you to know that I haven't been able to visit you much. I've regretted it every day but my new duties are very time consuming and this is the first time I'm seeing you in... years."
Duo felt a little uncomfortable at Quatre's closeness but forced a smile. "Ahh, it's okay buddy. It's not like I woulda been great company anyways, right? But look at you! Dude, you're all grown up. And tall! I never thought you was gonna go past 5'3! Damn..."
Quatre grinned. "Me? What about you!" He reached over and touched Duo's hair, threading his fingers through it gently.
Duo turned red. "Yeah, I don't know why they didn't cut this shit. It's so--"
"Oh, that was my fault. I told them not to cut it." Quatre shrugged. "It suits you."
Duo raised an eyebrow. "O..kay. Not very practical for a soldier though, no?"
Rashid snorted at that. "Not at all."
The lady standing next to them cleared her throat and raised her eyebrow a bit. Quatre glanced at her and laughed sheepishly. "Oh! Where are my manners? Duo Maxwell, I'd like you to meet my two closest and most trusted friends and partners." He gestured at Rashid. "This is Rashid. I've known him since I was a boy and he's been looking out for me since then. He's the head of my bodyguards and security team."
Duo blinked. Bodyguards and security team? President? Damn... things sure as hell were different. He began flexing his hands impatiently. Now that the shock of seeing Grown Up Quatre was gone, he needed to talk about more important things. Like what had happened to him, how General Peacecraft had died and what the hell was going on in the world.
"This is General Une. She is head of the US Sector of the NuUN Army." Quatre smiled at Une and she saluted Duo briefly.
Duo's eyebrows shot up. "The who?" Une... why did that sound so familiar?
"I have heard great stories about the famous Duo Maxwell and his deadly, black Gundam. I look forward to working with you," General Une said in a curt, business-like tone.
"Working with me? What the... what exactly is going on here, Q-Man?"
Before anyone could continue, Dr. Meadows approached. "With all due respect, President Winner, Duo just woke up from a very extensive coma. He needs his rest and is not in the condition to be making decisions such as the ones you will be asking him to make. I beg of you, come back in a few weeks when Mr. Maxwell has had time to recover."
Duo looked at the doctor gratefully, but Quatre wasn't having any of it. Something in his eyes changed and he didn't look warm and caring any more. "With all due respect, Dr. Meadows, war is on the horizon and I have come to speak to one of the best soldiers I've ever seen. Please leave us."
Dr. Meadows opened his mouth to protest, but one look from Rashid and he walked out of the door with his head down. Duo frowned deeply and looked at Quatre. "Look Quatre, I'm glad that you think I can help you an' all that... but I just fuckin' woke up from a coma. I have no idea what's going on with the world, I don't even know if I have the ability to BE a soldier anymore and shit, I don't even know half of the new technology thats around now, let alone weapons." He pointed to the silver remote. "Like that. What the HELL is that thing anyway? I turned it on and it scared the hell out of me!"
Quatre laughed and picked up the remote, flicking it on. "It's a digigraph! It came out seven years ago and now everyone has them in place of the regular VidTVs. I don't have time to watch it much myself, but it's a neat invention." He flicked it off. "And you are the best damn soldier I had ever laid eyes on during the war. I have confidence that you will go through physical therapy and be able to work at your full potential in a short span of time. You're strong, a born fighter. Just look at you! Ten years in a coma and you're able to speak and move like nothing!"
Duo sighed heavily. He remembered the war clearly, he remembered fighting and training and killing. They said he'd been in a coma for ten years and although it didn't feel like it, he knew he couldn't argue with it. Did he really want to go back to that so soon? He needed time to recover, time to adjust. He needed to get used to the world once again before he came to decisions like these. "Can you just give me some time?"
For a moment Quatre was silent as he stared at Duo, but finally he smiled. "Of course." He pulled out a small, black palm computer from his pocket and tossed it on Duo's lap. "That's a briefing of all the information you need to know about the war and the last ten years. My contact information is in it and when you feel that you're ready--" He stood and squeezed Duo's shoulder. "Please get in touch."
Duo stared down at the computer and then up at Quatre. "Wait a second, you can't leave yet. You have to tell me what happened in Siberia; how this happened to me." He shook his head. "I have to know! I don't remember anything that happened after we set up the detonators!"
Quatre smiled. "There isn't really much to tell, really. You, me and the others were all escaping the base just as it was about to blow up. There wasn't much time left and there were still soldiers pursuing us. When the base finally exploded, the blast caused the jeep we were in to flip over. We were all injured but you got the worst of it and suffered severe head trauma." Quatre shook his head sadly. "The base was destroyed but not too long later some US troops found us and took us to a hospital."
Duo nodded dazedly and looked back down at the palm computer. "I see..."
Quatre patted him on the shoulder and offered another brilliant smile. "You're right, Duo. You do need some time to adjust. Contact me as soon as you feel the time is right." Une saluted Duo and Rashid nodded at him before they filed out after their leader. The soldiers marched out after them, never saying a word.
Duo stared at the little computer for several more moments before turning it on. For such a small object, the palm computer was rather daunting. In a way, Duo didn't want to know what had happened. In a way, he didn't want to think about any of it at all. He could tell even without reading it, that everything was different. It was scary. He felt like a foreigner in the world that he had fought to protect.
With a sigh he skipped to the post-war stuff.
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Peacemillion Treaty of 2186
Leaders of Oz were put on trial and jailed for treason (infringing upon UN laws)
The NuUN dissolved ALL major borders and declared the globe to be one united nation: the World Nation
The NuUN is the ONLY form of government for the entire World Nation with represenatives from each province
Quatre Rebarba Winner is unanimously elected as the president of the NuUN
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Duo stared at the last bit of information and shook his head in disbelief. What the heck? How had Quatre gone from being a Gundam Pilot to being the president of the freaking world? And what was this shit about a world nation? Did they think that was going to solve any problems? He pressed the small icon next to Quatre's name and read on.
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Quatre Rebarba Winner
Trained as a Gundam Pilot and fought with the rebels until a few months before the end of the war, when his family was killed by OZ spies who were searching for him. He took his father's place as representative of the NuMiddle East in the UN and soon became a leading member. He was only 16 at the time and was considered a brilliant strategist and prodigy. He designed the Peacemillion Treaty and was held in high regard by the other members, who soon after elected him as president.
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..family was killed by OZ spies. ....killed by OZ spies..
Those fucking... murdering Ozzie bastards. Those miserable sons of... Duo growled and slammed his fist against his thigh. Pure, primal anger was welling up inside of him. Anger and frustration. They were animals. They killed innocent people to get to their targets. Innocent women and children. For fuck's sake, Quatre's family had consisted of his father and an ungodly amount of sisters all ranging from ages 10 to 35. They were innocent people and had been killed for nothing.
He tried to tell himself that it was over. That the OZ soldiers had paid for their crimes and that that Khushrenada bastard was dead. But for some reason it didn't help. He hadn't been there for it. He hadn't been at the last battle and he hadn't seen the end that he had fought for. He felt let down, unsatisfied, gypped. He cursed himself, the hospital and everyone around him. He was incredibly angry suddenly. Angry at everyone and everything. He launched the palm computer across the room, but still wasn't satisfied when it shattered and fell to the floor.
He wanted out of this hospital. He wanted out of this fucking strange, foreign world. He wanted this to all be a very bad dream. He wanted to wake up and be back in Siberia on March 8th, in 2186. He wanted to be fighting for his cause and protecting the freedom of people. He didn't want to be the useless longhaired, ignorant moron who knew nothing.
Duo closed his eyes and took long, shuddering breaths; cursing himself when the tears began to come.