Note: I don't own Gundam Wing!!! This message goes for the whole story... Thank you and don't forget to review! =-=
Warning: I've decided not to do an alternate ending to this story. So I'd just like to warn you that the ending I've chosen it REALLY ANGSTY! So there IS death in future chapters.
The Assassins' Lament
Chapter Twelve: Taste Of Freedom
Trowa ran down hallways and past frantic people with the rather angry preventers still following. By now the others were long gone so all he had to do now was loose the preventers and head to their meeting place. His legs were beginning to ache but he'd learnt long ago to ignore physical pain. He kept running as a few more gunshots sounded through the area.
Soon enough, Trowa found himself in the building's parking garage. He smirked to himself as he dashed off into the darkness and jumped up onto the supports on the ceiling.
The two preventers came running through the parking area and quickly began to look around for him, guns still drawn.
"Where'd he go?" one of them said nervously obviously afraid the young assassin was going to jump them. He'd seriously thought about it but decided against it seeing as they were technically still on his side whether they knew it or not.
The two preventers soon left the area, sure that he'd already gotten away.
Trowa smirked as he jumped down and headed towards the exit.
With that done, the assassin was soon on his way to the forested area of the colony to meet up with his comrades.
The group looked over quickly from their hiding spots, the older children drawing their guns, as Trowa walked into sight. Trowa smirked and shook his head and the children lowered their guns.
Dorothy sighed, "Darn and I was hoping they'd shoot you too."
Trowa scowled at her playfully, "You're nice. And after I saved your life too."
Several of the younger children giggled and Hilde chuckled slightly.
Dorothy smirked, "Oh please. Those guys are such idiots they didn't even find the disk."
"Hmm?" Trowa murmured, "But they took your pouch."
Dorothy chuckled as she took the small disk out of her shirt, "Do you really think I'd risk putting it in my pouch?"
Trowa's face went slightly red and Hilde burst out laughing again.
"Anyways… follow me… I know the perfect spot for us to hide," Trowa said regaining his composure as he headed off into the trees.
The group followed behind the brown haired gundam pilot as he quickly untied his hair from the ponytail. He'd have to fix it up later though since he had no hair gel. (And we all know how much hair gel he must use to get his hair like that… lol)
They soon reached an area more thickly covered in trees with a mountain then the rest of the forest and Trowa waved them to follow him to the wall of the mountain where he pushed a rock aside to reveal a small hole just big enough for them to crawl through.
The others nodded as Hilde crawled in followed by the children then Dorothy and Trowa.
"It's so dark," one of the younger children whimpered hugging Hilde around the waist.
"Don't worry…" Trowa smiled as he reached over and touched something. Suddenly the cave lit up and the group looked stunned. Trowa chuckled slightly as he took his hand away from the small battery operated lamp above the hole from which they'd entered. It seemed that someone had chizzled out the rock to make platforms for various things including the lamp.
"Cool!" Alex said then cupped his hand over his mouth when he realized he was acting like a little kid.
"I found this cave when I lived on this colony and kind of made it like a second home after doing a little work on it. Makes a great hiding place if you don't want to be found," Trowa said as he looked around their new sanctuary.
"It's perfect," Dorothy said with a sigh, "Now maybe we can get some rest at last without waking up with a gun to our heads."
Trowa sighed, "We should still have someone keeping watch. I'll be outside, two shots, one after the other if there's trouble."
Dorothy sighed but nodded as Trowa crawled back out the hole and rolled the rock back in place to hide their little hiding place.
Trowa leaped into a nearby tree and sat down on a branch making himself as comfortable as he could.
When Hilde and the children were fast asleep, Dorothy snuck out of the little cave after rolling the rock away and creeped towards the tree were Trowa was.
"You should be asleep," Trowa said calmly seeming to know exactly who it was.
"Shush," Dorothy said as she leaped into the air and into the tree to join him. She sat down beside him and smiled, "I can't wait till this is all over."
"Neither can I," Trowa said calmly placing his hand on hers and squeezing it slightly.
Dorothy smiled and put her head on his shoulder, "I love you," she murmured as she closed her eyes.
Trowa smiled and gently kissed her forehead, "I love you too."
Dorothy soon fell asleep on Trowa's shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her to keep her from falling out of the tree. He gently stroked her hair with the other hand as he listened intently to the sounds of the night awaiting any danger that might cross their path.
The next day Alex and a few of the older children headed for the city to buy some supplies for the group. None of them had had a proper meal for a while since they'd had to leave for the shuttle cargo hold before the meals were passed out so they were thankful for a proper meal when the Alex and the others returned.
They'd spent a few nights there and soon it was Trowa's turn to take watch again. He quietly crawled out of the cave and covered it with the rock again heading for the same tree he'd watched from last time.
An hour or so had passed when he heard the sound of a branch breaking. He narrowed his eyes and looked around for a moment. "Who's there?" He asked pulling out his gun.
He heard someone behind him and turned quickly. A figure stood there, gun drawn. Trowa narrowed his eyes and held his gun to the figure, "I wouldn't try anything, whoever you are. By the time you think about pulling that trigger you'll already be dead," Trowa growled, "Who are you?"
The figure stepped forward, gun still drawn. It was Wufei. Trowa considered bringing his gun down but remembered what Hilde had said.
Wufei narrowed his eyes, "Filthy traitor. You're lucky we were told to bring you in alive."
Trowa closed his eyes for a second and then leapt into the air and past Wufei. He landed behind the other pilot and pointed his gun at his head. A second later, however, he heard someone else behind him. He turned quickly to see who it was but it was too late. He felt a sharp pain and collapsed to the ground dropping his gun.
"Lets go," Heero said as he put his gun away and glanced at his former companion in disgust.
"What about the others?" Wufei asked.
"Forget about them. He's their leader; he's the most important. We need to get him to the base before his traitorous companions find us. We'll send some men back to look for the others after," Heero stated calmly.
Wufei nodded as he slung the unconscious Trowa over his shoulder then followed Heero out of the forest and towards the shuttle that would bring them back to the earth.
Dorothy woke up in the morning and headed out pushing the rock out of the way. She looked around when she didn't immediately see Trowa, "Trowa? Where are you? This isn't funny."
Alex wandered out a minute or so later to a rather frantic Dorothy, "What is it? Where's Trowa?"
"I… I don't know," she said, "Trowa?!"
That's when Alex saw the gun lying near the tree where Trowa was keeping guard. He walked over and picked it up then glanced at Dorothy, "Someone got him. But which side?"
The two head back in and wake the others explaining what's happened.
"I bet it was the preventers. We know they know we're here and this isn't like Zeon to attack just one of us and leave the rest. Not that I see the preventers doing so either but it is more likely since they don't seem to know our true potential yet," Hilde said, "We better be careful. By now there are probably tons of soldiers out here looking for us."
Dorothy nodded, "Alex we need you to stay here and watch over the others. Be ready for a fight or flight situation if they find you. We're going to pay the preventers a visit."
Alex nodded, "Good luck."
The two girls nodded as they crept out and put the rock back in place.
Sure enough, Hilde was right, there were Preventer soldiers everywhere. At least new they could be sure of who had found Trowa.
After a while of shifting in and out of the trees and bushes the two girls made it out of the forest and towards the colonies docking bay. They stole a small shuttle and headed for earth.
(Meanwhile)
"So what do we do with him?" Duo asked glancing over at Lady Une at the head of the table. He looked solemn and couldn't stop thinking about his former companions. He really didn't want to believe that Trowa, and especially Hilde, could be the enemy.
"We'll see what information he's willing to give us then we'll leave him to the court system," Lady Une said calmly. She, just like the others in the room, still couldn't believe that three of their most trusted friends could be the enemy. She knew Trowa to be a skilled spy but an assassin working for Zeon? She couldn't bare to think about it.
"I say we get the information and kill him," Wufei said coldly. He didn't take kindly to traitors of any sort. He knew what it was like on the other side and he could never again forgive anyone else for doing what he'd done.
"Wufei! I can't believe you just said that!" Quatre shouted from across the table. There was no doubt in his mind that his three friends were innocent. He'd trust them all with his life.
"We must leave it to the people to decide their fate once they have all been captured. It is society in general that they have wronged and society should punish them," Heero said calmly. He, too, hated traitors but he also knew that he and his fellow preventers weren't the only people the three assassins had betrayed.
Relena closed her eyes as she listened to this. Another war was the last thing she wanted. She really wasn't sure what to do anymore.
Noin and Sally both sat quietly listening to the others argue. Neither wanted to have to make the choice of what would happen to the three.
