Shattered Reality Part 21
Black Fog
by
Sailor Janus
"Dualblade. So you are my destiny," Deidra murmured softly to herself staring passively up at the burgundy, black and silvery white mobile suit. The gundam was primarily white in color followed by a rich burgundy shade for the cockpit and feet with black outlining. What she found most intriguing were the silver butterfly wings, trimmed in black which at the moment were folded.
Duo glanced over at the girl, but she seemed to be almost in a trance. Turning his attention back to Deathscythe Hell, he recognized a few of the alteration which were made. The suit looked almost the same as the last time he used it except the beam scythe appeared to be slightly longer. Oddly, it looked a bit more menacing than the last time he saw it, as if the scientists decided to take the fact that he called himself the God of Death to a new level. The massive black bat wings, interestingly were outlined in silver and a deep red color that was almost the shade of drying blood. Grinning the pilot decided he couldn't wait to hear about the changes made to his old buddy.
Trista could not remove her eyes from the huge mobile suit which was appropriately named for her. It was mostly silvery white like the other gundams and a hunter green with hints of blue. It appeared to slightly resemble Heavyarms, but was fashioned a bit different. The double gatling gun was a contrast as compared to Heavyarms, because it could double as a staff. The L3 girl knew there was much more to the gundam called Timewarp than meets the eye.
Carefully studying his former gundam Heavyarms, Trowa silently nodded at it. It had the same exact blue and white coloring except with a black outlining. Interestingly, it appeared to have more arsenal than he recalled it possessing.
"Sandrock," Quatre gasped out loud. The Arabian's former gundam stood proud along the wall and like Heavyarms and Deathscythe Hell, its appearance was the same with a few modifications. The colors remained dark blue, and white with light gray, but strangely the colors were more prominent.
"Nataku," Wufei said with a tone of disbelief to his voice. The Gundam Altron like the others, looked very much like the one he had self-detonated years ago. The colors remained a dark green, and deep red with white. His twin dragon fangs were there as well, slightly larger and more fiendish looking than last time.
The teens also noted The fact that Wing Zero looked very much like it did two years ago. The colors remained blue, white, and red with large angel wings which oddly, seemed to be iridescent in color. It still had the twin buster rifle which seemed unchanged as well.
Strangely the L4 and L5 girls' gundams were covered up leaving Ultra Violet as the last Mobile Suit they laid eyes on. Deep Purple, blue and silver were the colors of the brilliant suit. It appeared to be well equipped and possessed a rifle of some sort but did not appear to be buster rifle, yet something completely unknown to the three Preventers. They were intrigued to find out what it was.
"We see you seem to approve of our work," Dr. E said, focusing the pilots' attention on him. "We have much to tell you in a very short amount of time."
*~*~*~*
Hotaru allowed the guards to half lead, half drag her down the hallway. Her entire body felt as though it were crying out from agony. Every single muscle and bone ached so much she want to scream, but instead remained silent. Nothing else seemed to matter anymore. She knew she was slowly losing herself, caring less about what happened to others as long as she succeeded. A puppet once again and nothing more.
Closing her eyes, she heard a door softly open and with one sudden shove, she was harshly tossed to the ground. Catching herself on her hands and knees, the teenaged girl slowly picked her head up. Blinking, her eyes widen upon recognizing the form of a teenaged boy lying crumpled on the cold floor. 'Heero,' Hotaru thought moving quickly to his body. "Heero. Heero! Wake up," she said through gritted teeth, lightly shaking him.
A moment later, the Perfect Soldier began to stir, rolling over on to his back. Blankly he stared into the face of a pretty teenaged girl with violet and dark hair with confusion in his eyes. "Who.... are you?" Heero choked out, slightly frowning.
Hotaru's breath caught in her throat, choking her. Shaking her head in disbelief, she fought to swallow. "No.... They-they did not..... How could they?!" Drawing a breath she said, "Heero, don't you recognize me? It's Hotaru Tomoe. Please remember!"
"I don't know anyone named Hotaru."
"Heero! You saved my life, you have to remember! Please.... You were a gundam pilot and a Preventer. You have friends named Duo, Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei. You saved Earth during the Eve Wars in AC195! Remember!"
"My name is Heero Yuy but I do not know of anything else you speak of," he evenly said as he sat up.
"Damn it! I'm going to kill them!" Hotaru tensely pounded her fist on the ground, lowering her head. "How could he? "
"We could not have any emotional ties now could we?" Prof T smirked from the doorway.
Picking her head up, his daughter's eyes filled with a rage. "How. Could. You?" Practically growling she rose to her feet and took off at a run for the older man.
"Heero, stop her," Hotaru father ordered.
Almost with lightning fast precision, Heero grabbed Hotaru from behind and roughly tackled her to the ground.
"No! Heero! Don't listen to him! Please wake up!" the girl shouted struggling against the Perfect Soldier but it was no use. Hotaru knew she was defeated. Dropping her head down to the ground she surrendered. Clenching her eyes shut the girl numbly shook her head. 'It can't be. Heero, you can't be under that bastard's control. I refuse to accept it.... but I have to. I have nothing left and lost my drive to fight. It's all pointless. I'm sorry Heero. I'm sorry.'
"Heero, bring the girl to me," Prof. T said, earning a sharp nod.
Mindlessly, Heero hoisted the teenaged girl to her feet. walking her up to the scientist without even the slightest resistance, he was allowed to guide Hotaru to her father.
"Very good. Follow me." Abruptly the professor turned around and marched out of the room, leading the Perfect Soldier who was escorting Hotaru out of the room and to one of the laboratories down the hall.
Almost heart-broken, the teenaged girl focused her attention on the tiled floor, allowing a single tear to fall from one violet eye. Taking a shaky breath, she choked back a small sob, briefly closing her eyes. Pursing her lips together Hotaru swallowed thickly. Momentarily her memories concerning all the time they had spent together entered her mind. Everything from her suicide attempt and breakdown to working on finding Iron Fist's secrets and comforting each other as they began regaining their emotions. 'This is not Heero Yuy.... he's gone.'
Glancing up, Hotaru realized that she was now in a small lab. Taking a seat in the chair, she felt the iron shackles enclose around her wrists and ankles. As a large helmet was placed her head, the last thing she saw was Heero's impassive face staring back at her. 'At least we can forget each other together.' Finally, everything went black.
*~*~*~*
"Each of the gundams is equipped with a cloaking device. Whether it will prove to be beneficial or not to battling the Daemon Dolls is yet to be determined," Dr. E firmly stated to the teenaged pilots. "You also have a lot more fire power, varying from missiles, to bullets, and even thermal beams." Turning to the four boys he addressed them, "Gentlemen, your suits are almost exactly as they were before you detonated them. Same weapons, and model but still highly powerful."
Speaking up, Prof. I said, "Ladies, we have constructed your respective gundams as according to your abilities. They are exact in comparison to what you fought with in the modules. You should have no problem operating them."
"So can we go rescue Heero and Hotaru now?" Duo asked, with a hopeful tone to his voice. "I mean we have the Gundams again so there should be no problem. Right?"
"There is a problem. A rather large one," a voice said from the shadows, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. "We have made quite an unfortunate discovery." Soberly, George stepped into the let. "Your friends Heero Yuy and Hotaru Tomoe have both been taking under Iron Fist's full control. I fear you will be battling each other."
"What?! But how? That can't be! They would let never themselves to be succumbed by Iron Fists' powers! "That-that's absurd!" Quatre argued, refusing to believe what he was told. It was far too awful to believe.
"How do you know?" Wufei inquired crossing his arms. "You have no methods to confirm what you are trying to tell us to be the truth. Unless..."
Nodding, George said, "Unless I were a double agent. I formally worked with Prof. T as his associate. Once I realized what had happened to him after the laboratory experiment and that he was giving his allegiance to Nitol Stanz I followed along in hopes of correcting our mistakes." Pausing for a moment we took a breath, as the six teens patiently waited. "One of which was presenting Heero Yuy with the antidote. The other is the sabotage of the device used to brainwash both Yuy and Tomoe."
"Sabotage? Does that mean the effects of whatever was done to them will wear off?" Trowa questioned with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"If I performed the actions correctly, then yes. The only problem is I don't know how long that will take. Keep in mind, the safety of Earth of the colonies must come first no matter the circumstances."
"We understand," Trista softly said as the four boys mutely nodded while Deidra stared at her shoes. Everyone felt sorrowful for the two missing team members, even the two girls who had yet to meet them.
Clearing his throat Dr. E said, "Now that unfortunate piece of news has been shared, I suggest all of you relax for the time being. Until Stanz releases the dolls, I cannot let any of you charge into battle because the prospects of being overcome are far too great."
Quietly, the scientists went back to reinspecting the gundams once again leaving the six pilots to stand in an awkward silence.
"Man. This is a lot worse than we thought it was going to be. I don't even want to think about what the hell those two were put through," Duo snorted, feeling both a heated rage and a deep sadness. "How do we even know Heero and Hotaru are going to come out of this the same? They could be permanently screwed up thanks to them!"
Sighing Quatre lightly said, "Let's try to hold on to hope, Duo. Once the brainwashing wears off as George said it would, they may be fine."
"Yeah, well, sometimes life doesn't work that way," the braided-haired teen muttered turning on his heel stomping down the hallway, crossing his arms in front of him. "I need to go and think."
"Duo," Deidra murmured watching him leave. Briefly closing her eyes, she released a sigh. 'You helped me out when my memories resurfaced, now it's my turn to help you.' Opening her eyes she took off at light paced run after him. "DUO! Wait up! I can't run too fast in this damn skirt!"
"Maybe Deidra will help him calm down," Trista whispered as Deidra disappeared around the corner. "I think go I'll outside for some fresh air." Without another word, tall girl left the room in a different direction from the L2 teens.
The Heavyarms pilot hesitated a moment before asking, "Do you mind if I join you? If you do, then that's fine. I understand if you want to be alone."
A tiny smile quirked across Trista's lips as she turned her head to look at Trowa. "No I don't mind. Your company is more than welcomed."
Nodding, The two L3 pilots exited the Gundam storage room in silence leaving only Quatre and Wufei once again with each other.
"I'm going to meditate," the Chinese teen gruffly said heading in a new direction as the blonde merely nodded at him.
With a shrug, the blonde went about the task of searching for weak points in the dolls as well as the task of forming strategies they could use in the fight. They had to be as well prepared as possible. "I hope fate is on our side," he murmured, leaving for the room, wear they had left their bags as well as Hotaru's laptop.
*~*~*~*
"Duo. Duo. DUO! You jerk!" Deidra shouted as she continued chasing after the Deathscythe Hell pilot. She was growing increasingly agitated because of both her inability to catch up to him thanks the slutty disguise she was still wearing and the fact that he was refusing to speak with her. "Duo, closing yourself completely off does not do any good! I have lost countless friends and family too."
Abruptly he froze in his tracks. "Yeah well, you never knew anyone like Heero. The guy set a bone in his leg back in place! He's practically indestructible so the fact that these Iron Fists low life's were able to put him under their control has me quite freaked out."
"I understand, Duo. Really I do, but that doesn't mean we can't save him or the girl. We will all overcome them. We will defeat Iron Fist for good."
Cobalt blue eyes suddenly shone with a new light as he met Deidra's jade green ones. "Babe, I hope you're right." Fixing his gaze to floor Duo rambled, "Deej, I know we kinda moved a bit fast but given the situation if you didn't mean what you said after all and were just the heat of the moment but really didn't mean what you said I understand but I'd like to know if you really meant it because if not then I'll accept it okay but you don't need to feel obligated to saying yes so you don't hurt my feeling and-"
"Duo, you're babbling," Deidra giggled pressing a finger to his lips silencing him. "I meant what I said and doing what I did was a huge risk on my behalf because I didn't know how you would react. I just wanted to save you from those guys since it was partially my fault you got hit on." Removing her finger she thoughtfully inquired, "Did you mean what you said or were you too into the moment to think rationally?"
Raising an eyebrow, Duo grinned. "Honestly? Yeah. Gotta admit you do look damn good in that skirt of yours."
Lightly slapping his arm, she gasped, "Duo! I do plan on changing again before we have to fight."
"Kill my fun," he chuckled.
Smirking, Deidra taunted, "Disappointed, Du?"
"Not at all," he dangerously grinned. Abruptly, he snatched the girl by the waist and pulled her into him. Delicately he tilted her chin up, pressing his lips against hers.
Deidra was slightly taken by surprise but returned the kiss with equal force, encircling her arms loosely around Duo's neck. She truthfully did not want to fall in love before going to war so to speak, but she could not ignore her emotions. Silently Deidra pleaded that they would all survive the battle. From the short time she had to become acquainted with Duo, he was the last person she wanted to see hurt. The little he had told her of his past, she knew he was traumatized by what he had witnessed in all his nineteen years of life.
Gently, Duo broke the kiss off contemplating what the hell he was doing. They were about to fight in possibly a worse battle than the Eve wars with only the six of them and already he was expressing his love. 'Good idea Duo. Fall in love and watch either you or her will end up dead. Brilliant plan!' he thought frowning slightly.
"Duo? What's wrong?" Deidra asked with a tone of concern to her voice.
"Nothing. Don't worry about me," he answered turning away.
Sighing the girl closed her eyes, running a hand through her burgundy curls. "Tell you what. You seem to have a little thinking left to do so I'm going to get changed but I'll return. Okay?"
Mutely, Duo nodded, fixing his gaze on the dirty tile floor, not even noticing the sad smile on Deidra's face as she left the room.
*~*~*~*
Trista calmly stared out into the sky with a hint of wonder in her eyes. She often wondered how they discovered the technology to create the colonies to the point where the living conditions were practically as exact as if they were on Earth. Casually she leaned against the building, enjoying the light breeze that swept through her green tinted hair.
Silently, Trowa watched her, feeling the wind play with his long bangs. Ever sense she remembered her past, he often wondered what she had experienced and if it was nearly as horrible as his own isolated history.
Bowing her head slightly the teenaged girl dropped her gaze to the ground. "Trowa? Do you remember much of your past?"
"Not very much. I had no name and fought along side mercenaries for as long as I could remember throughout my childhood," he admitted, gazing up into the sky. "Then after my squad was destroyed I went to space and became Heavyarms' mechanic. From there I witnessed the murder of the real Trowa Barton, took his name and his gundam suit."
Lifting her head the girl nodded, "Trista Mays is not my real name either. It was given to me." Drawing a breath she began to tell her story. "I can't remember much of my past either." Pushing off the wall, she took few steps forward, bowing her head so her long bangs would mask her garnet eyes. "I was perhaps eight or nine when my two older brothers and I were taken in by some rebels. For exchange for food, shelter and clothing, I was given the task of cooking meals. I was also trained as a soldier after I debated their tactics which would have lead to a suicide mission. They were skeptical at first concerning who well my performance would be, but I never showed fear."
Nodding, Trowa asked, "Then what happened?"
"Then I was sent on a mission to relay information to another squad. When I returned, everyone was dead including my brother. From there, I stowed away on a space craft and went to space only to end up roaming the streets for a while and met a scientist, Professor I. It was pouring down rain, and I was seeking out shelter. He offered give me food and place to stay rather than stay out in the rain. I really had no choice so I agreed. I was thirteen at that time."
"I'm sorry to hear you lost your brothers. Were you close?"
"They watched out for me. The pathetic part is I can't even remember their names. One was fifteen when he died and the other was twelve. I never cared about anything including my well-being after that," the girl partially whispered.
Trowa looked at the ground briefly, pondering what to do or say. He knew she firm emotionless mask on, and had no motivation to let the slightest tear fall. Growing too close practically hours before battle could be a risky decision as well. Taking a shallow breath, the L3 boy stepped forward as well, gently placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Care about your life because I know other people do."
A small hint of a smile appeared across Trista's lips as she looked at the other pilot. Lightly she nodded, turning her attention back to the stars which seemed to shimmer though the sky knowing that Trowa was doing the same thing, his hand still resting on her shoulder.
*~*~*~*
Quietly Duo stared out of the small window, looking at the sky with his arms folded in front of his chest. 'What the hell is happening to me? I've been able to keep that damn mask on for so long and then she appears.' Tilting his head up, he took a deep breath. During Deidra's absence, he took the advantage to get changed himself as well as remove the rest of makeup which persisted to stay plastered to his features despite all the running around he did. Looking more like himself relaxed a bit but not nearly as much as he wanted to.
Suddenly a soft voice turned his attention to the doorway. "Can I come in?"
Turning around, he caught sight of Deidra who was now dressed in her black jeans with a light green long-sleeved top which seemed to match her eyes. The top of her head was crowned once again with the tiny braid which oddly seemed to push the rest of her hair from her face. Duo blinked for a second, but turned back around nodding, "Sure."
Stepping into the room, the teenaged girl flinched slightly realizing what was wrong. "Duo?"
"Hmm?"
Sighing, she flipped the strange of hair from her shoulder and fingered the locket around her neck. "I'm worried about falling too fast also. Especially before we are supposed to fight in what is probably a life and death situation. I've lost a lot of people that care for me as well." Swallowing she whispered, "I'm afraid of getting too close as well, and I can tell you are thinking the same thing."
Hesitantly, Duo frowned for a moment before spinning around to face her. Deidra was now glancing down at the tiled floor, one hand had brought the antique locket up to her lips simply holding it there. "Deidra, if you die out there because of me.... I don't think I can handle another funeral."
Mutely, she nodded. Closing her eyes, she tried to fight for words, anything to say to Duo. "Then why does this hurt worse?"
"Because we are trying to smother our feelings. We've done it so much that's it becoming harder each time."
Raising her head so her eyes met Duo's the female pilot said, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but wouldn't it be worth it to simply give in that way if one of us don't make it back alive.... we don't question what could have been. We just have a moment to remember." Pausing for a moment Deidra smirked, "And no I'm not referring to anything having the removal of our clothing. I know that was exactly what you were thinking, Duo."
"Damn, Deej. You really have gotten know me too well," he chuckled while a smile light up the ex-cat burglar's face as she walked up to him, wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight hug, leaning her head against his chest. Gladly Duo returned it, encircling Deidra in a tight embrace, resting his head on top of hers feeling completely satisfied holding her in his arms. Deep down he hoped this would not be the last time. "Hey Deej?"
"Huh?"
"Thanks."
Smiling she said, "You're Welcome."
Duo nodded, smiling as well. "Hey Deej?"
"What?"
"I'm hungry. Think the scientists have any food?"
Bursting out into a fit of giggles, Deidra playfully yanked on the boy's braid. "I don't know. I'd hope so since we have to fight. Wanna go look?"
Pulling away from the hug, Duo deeply kissed the girl before breaking that off as well, winking at her. "You bet!" Grabbing her hand, he bolted out of the room, with Deidra in tow, laughing as they ran.
*~*~*~*
Wufei was peacefully mediating in a shadowy corner of the living room when the sound of laughter completely killed his concentration. Groaning, he slapped a hand to his face.
"Hey Wu-man? You hungry? The scientists are gonna let us have some soup to eat since canned stuff is all they have. Want some? It's almost ready," Duo babbled practically known stop irritating the Chinese teen.
"Yep! It's chicken vegetable flavor. If we're lucky, it might even have real chicken!" Deidra grinned, earning a look from the two boys.
"Uh babe? Please don't make me lose my appetite! I'm way too hungry!"
"Well, it could have tofu chicken," she shrugged.
Sighing Wufei nodded, "Fine. I'll join you." Slowly he rose to feet with a look defeat.
"Okay, Wuffy! The kitchen is that way. We're gonna go tell the others now, bye!" Deidra grinned, scampering down the hall with Duo now trailing.
Grumbling, Wufei headed in the direction of the kitchen. "Two Maxwells. What did I do to deserve this?"
*~*~*~*
"Hmm, if we used the A formation if it's a spread attack then we should cover more ground. Unfortunately we may end up having to split up. That will prove to be difficult." Quatre said aloud, setting up some strategies for the battle.
"Hey Quatre, hungry? Soup should ready in a minute or so. It's chicken vegetable!" Deidra beamed, startling the blonde with her unannounced presence.
"ACK! Don't sneak up on me!" he gaped, nearly falling off his chair. Sitting up, he nodded, "Sounds good. I'll meet you in the kitchen after I finish this."
"Uh, sorry. We'll leave you now. Still have to find Trowa and Trista," Duo winced slightly. "Do you have any idea where they might be?"
"The last I saw of them, they were headed outside," Quatre thoughtfully answered with a small smile.
"Thanks! Later Q!" the L2 boy said, taking off towards the backdoor as Deidra raced after him.
Blinking, the color slowly returned to Quatre's face. "They are quite hyper at the moment." Shrugging he returned to completing the formations.
*~*~*~*
Trowa and Trista's peaceful moment was suddenly shattered by the high intervals of their two loud-mouthed friends' voices.
"Hey guys! Want some soup? It's chicken vegetable, but don't ask me what it's really gonna taste like," Deidra chirped. Clearing her thought she mimicked a sophisticated world class chef, "A unique blend of oven-roasted white chicken, carrots, potatoes, whole kernel corn, diced tomatoes, and rotini pasta simmered in a savory chicken broth."
"In other words, this might taste like shit but it's not our fault if it does. Care to join us?" Duo smirked, gesturing to the door.
Silently the L3 pilots nodded, following the other two teenagers back inside the building.
*~*~*~*
Hotaru slowly stood up with a blank expression her face. Briefly she allowed her eyes to travel through the room, resting momentarily on the face of a teenaged boy with unruly dark brown hair and Prussian blue eyes. Oddly he seemed familiar but the more she searched for him in her memories, the more he seemed to have little significance to her life. She was a trained assassin, her soul purpose in life was to follow orders and nothing more.
"Heero Yuy and Hotaru Tomoe. Your mission is to destroy the Gundam Pilots, before setting off to destroy the colonies. Do you accept or decline?" Stanz questioned his two new weapons.
"Mission accepted," the teens side simultaneously, their voices completely void of all emotion.
Pleased with Prof. T's success in taking control of Heero and Hotaru's minds, the dark-haired man grinned. "Excellent. You'll be piloting the Perfect Suits. You find them to be quite impressive. They come complete with cloaking, two machine cannons, beam saber, and a buster rifle. Not to mention they consist of gundanium alloy," he explained, walking the teens in the direction of the suits.
Silently Heero and Hotaru faced the large gray, blue, black gundam suits. Slightly resembling the Wing Gundam, the held a great amount of intimidation to them. Without a second thought they approached the suits and got in with a problem, prepared to battle their forgotten friends.
*~*~*~*~*
"Um, maybe we should have gone with the chicken and rice?" Deidra winced, stirring her spoon around in her bowl of soup. Nevertheless she still ate some of it, even though it wasn't exactly too flavorful. After spending much of her life of the streets, she had learned to appreciate whatever food she had, no matter how bad it was.
"Well, it's real food at least," Duo shrugged, spooning some up. He had eaten worse things before, so it didn't really bother him. The others remained quiet, eating slowly as they tried to keep their minds off the battle which could begin any second.
Just as the six pilots had finished eating, a siren shrieked through the building. Exchanging glances they hurried off to the warehouse.
"Iron Fist just released their dolls! You must leave now!" Dr E called out to the pilots.
"Your suits also have the ability to communicate with Heero and Hotaru's as well as with each other. I made for certain that you had that privilege and there is no possible way for it to be turned off. Once you make contact, they have no option but to listen," George firmly explained. "Very important! The suits they are using resemble the Wing Gundam almost to a T. I did a little tampering but I also had to think of their safety as well. Their suits are also equipped with a self-detonation device."
Prof I spoke next. "Once the effects from the brainwashing wear off and they are themselves again, send them here. I included the coordinates in your gundams' memories. They will be far more successful fighting with Wing Zero and Ultra Violet."
"The Perfects almost were equipped with the ZERO, but George removed it, so you have one less thing to worry about," Prof F explained running a hand through his red hair. "However, the Daemon Dolls are programmed with both Heero and Hotaru's fighting skills, but amplified. Take grave caution when fighting."
"One more thing. All of your weapons have been amplified and are much stronger than they previously were. Good Luck. We hope to see you all as well as the L1 pilots return safely."
"Thanks," Duo, Deidra and Quatre said while the others merely nodded before reporting to their individual gundam suits.
"Babe?" the braided-haired pilot said, turning his attention to Deidra.
"Yeah Duo?" she murmured, looking at him over her shoulder. Abruptly Duo approached her, sweeping her into a passionate kiss, wrapping his arms around her small frame. Lightly she ran a hand through his bangs, kissing him back before pulling away. With a small smile, caressed his cheek. "Stay alive for me?"
"You got it Deej, but you better do the same," he grinned. Softly they pressed their lips together before breaking off the kiss for good and began heading in opposite directions for their gundams.
"Better believe it, Du," Deidra she winked. Then with a small sigh she climbed into her mobile suit, knowing Duo was doing the same thing.
Wufei arched an eyebrow at the two, then entered Altron. "Never thought I'd see you again Nataku. Let's put an end to the injustice that is Iron Fist."
Trista glanced at Trowa with a slight amount of tension in her eyes. "Trowa, be careful. We have both experienced much tragedy in our lives but now I don't feel so alone."
Nodding quietly he whispered, "Not anymore." Gently he brushed his lips against hers. "Stay safe. I want to see you alive after this is over."
"I will as long as you will too," she replied, earning an honest nod. Parting from each other, they too got into their gundams.
Quatre watched the two apparent couples with a serene look on his face. 'They deserve happiness for once,' he thought, before turning to Sandrock. Quickly he entered the Gundam and switched on the intercom. "Is everyone ready for departure?"
"Let's kick some metal ass!" Deidra grinned, switching her gundam on.
Snickering Duo said, "Roger that Quatre, my buddy and I are ready to go. We'll teach them to fear the God of Death!"
"Roger that Quatre. System's locked and ready for departure," Trowa confirmed.
Trista nodded her head, "Copy that."
"Everyone is ready, Winner. Let's take off."
Accepting everyone's answer, the blonde announced, "Okay, departure in T minus 5....4....3....2....1."
As he said the last number, six gundam lifted off into the air, with six young pilots inside, each with a look of determination every evident on their faces. They knew their mission. Now the question was, will they survive?
*~*~*~*
Author's Notes: Sorry this took so long but I've been plagued with an extremely bad case of writer's block! Anyway, this chapter I truly find incredible. I actually teared up during the Hotaru/Heero scene. At least I didn't leave you at a tremendous cliff hanger!
I was actually eating the chicken vegetable soup when I wrote that part. It wasn't too good. I should have cooked up some ramen or something. Oh well.
Don't forget to read and review and I hope you enjoyed this.