Major announcement! Starting next week, this story will be known as Gundam 06 Mirage, and not Pilot 06 Mirage. It's a little more appropriate for the story. Don't be confused, people! Sorry if this chapter is a little short, but I had major computer issues this week, and I wrote most of it right before uploading it. And now, I'll see you at the bottom!

Chapter 6:
Gundams

The house that Rae pulled up at didn't look like much- a small cabin in the woods, the kind you could rent from almost anywhere. It was secluded, securely backed by a cliff on one side, a river on the other, and a forest behind. All in all it was a fairly decent safe house.

There was just one problem.

"There's no place here to store a Gundam," Duo commented as Heero got out of the car. He used looking around at the scenery as a way to try and distract himself from the piercing disappointment of Heero's thigh losing contact with his. All good things must come to an end...

Heero, too, was looking around and trying not to show how much he wanted to prolong the touch. What he could see seemed good indications of a fairly professional fighter- no identifying marks on the cabin, isolated enough to make it secure, good natural boundaries, and several exits and entrances from any given point. It was what he didn't see- a Gundam or space a Gundam could be stored- that worried him. If there wasn't a Gundam or a place it could be hidden, then it might mean that Carrow wasn't as genuine as she appeared.

And she knew too much about them to get away.

Putting off the decision until he could learn more, Heero turned around to start unloading the various car parts from the back seat.

Rae, knowing the gist of what was running through the other's heads at the lack of a Gundam, calmly stretched and jumped out of the Jeep. She didn't blame them for the suspicions- truth be told, she would have been worried and suspicious herself if they had trusted her automatically. They'd learn soon enough that she had told them the truth.

"There's spare rooms and spare beds on the first floor," she informed her passengers, moving to help with the last of the unloading. "Pick any spot you like but the bedroom closest to the front- that's mine. Kitchen's in the back of the first floor, and upstairs is used for storage and workrooms. Bathrooms are fairly easy to find, and if you're desperate, ask. Any questions before I go change?"

"How does Santa Claus get around the world in one night?"

"Any questions?" Rae repeated. "No? Right, I'll be in my room changing." She started to move off toward the front door. "Oh," she added, turning back. "You see that clearing in back of the place? Don't wander there- it could be detrimental to your health."

Without giving the other two a chance to respond, Rae disappeared inside the safe house.

(x)(x)(x)(x)(x)

Duo and Heero quickly began to hide and pack the various car parts. They also took the opportunity to talk while Rae was out of earshot.

"The lack of a Gundam doesn't support her story," Heero stated.

"Not seeing a Gundam doesn't mean it isn't here." Duo countered. "The whole point of a hiding spot is to keep the Gundam out of sight, after all. Otherwise, you might as well paint 'Yo, OZ! Gundam Pilot right here! Shoot at me!' in neon on a huge banner and hang it over your head."

"We know very little about her and her goals. She still could be part of a trap," Heero pointed out, ignoring the asides. They weren't the point of the conversation, and if he let himself be sidetracked, he could very easily get lost in his own rising feelings for the Pilot next to him.

"We know that she's good at what she does, that she's got an ungodly amount of information on us, that she probably has a backer similar to ours, and that she claims to want to help us. Beyond that- not a clue," Duo rattled of cheerfully. "We don't know if she also wants to blow our heads off, if she thinks that OZ has a chance of winning, if she thinks that Relena's pink obsession is wonderful, or even if she thinks that ketchup actually tastes good on all things." He paused to consider. "All that would be horrendously bad of course, but that last would be worst. Ketchup was not meant to go on all dishes. I mean, you're smothering the food that way! Think-"

Heero cut off the long ramble, knowing that it wouldn't stop by itself. "We need more information."

Duo abandoned his train of thought to give the Pilot next to him (the very, very, very sexy Pilot, his hormones interrupted) one of his trademark manic grins. "And we know how to get that, don't we? Go where we're not supposed to."

Pilot 02 immediately set off for the clearing in the back of the cabin, knowing that Pilot 01 would be right on his heels.

(x)(x)(x)(x)(x)

Once Rae had gotten into her room, she'd immediately stripped off the offending skirt and tank top. The top actually hadn't been to bad, but it's style and high quality had brought back memories that she really didn't feel like dealing with. The skirt, now that had just been awful.

She quickly stashed the costume away, and dug out the clothes that made up her usual outfit. This consisted of a deep purple tank top, this one of cotton and with much thicker straps, and black capris. Her shoes were sensible Teva-type sandals that would protect her feet and wouldn't look out of place in most areas.

Finished with her changes, the newest Pilot headed back to the front. Seeing that the other two were gone, she paused. Where would they be?

Where had she told them not to go?

Barely pausing, she turned and headed for the back yard.

(x)(x)(x)(x)(x)

Duo looked over the yard in puzzlement. There wasn't a booby-trap he could find, there weren't any convenient secret doors to an information vault, there wasn't even any worn paths in the grass to say where the girl might go. Why the fuck had she told them to stay away from the area?

From his spot just at the beginning of the cliff's shadow, he watched Heero work his way up the riverbank. Didn't look like there was anything there, either. With a sigh, he turned to go and lean against the cliff.

:KONG:

"What the fucking Hell was that!?" Duo bellowed, rubbing his forehead from his new position on the ground. He'd walked strait into something- but nothing was in front of him.

"What happened?" Heero demanded, having darted to Duo's side when he heard the noise.

"I walked into something," Duo grumbled, glaring at the area before him.

"...there's nothing there." Duo heard quite clearly the idiot that could easily have been tacked onto the end of that statement.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too," he informed the Japanese pilot, getting to his feet. "That's why I tried walking through there in the first place. I don't enjoy repeatedly banging my head against hard walls." -You're denseness non-withstanding,- he added silently.

"I warned you!"

The two male Pilots snapped around as Rae jogged around the side of the house, grinning. "You can't say I didn't warn you."

"You know about this?" questioned Heero, gesturing to the apparently empty air in front of him- but the motion was brought up short as he hand clanged into that empty air.

"Yup," Rae agreed cheerfully. She moved to stand beside the other Pilots, directly facing whatever was causing the problem. Enunciating very clearly, she spoke to the air before her. "Deactivate Chameleon Mode."

Immediately, a large portion of the space in the cliff's shadow began to ripple and waver. Starting at the bottom, and moving to the top, the ripple faded out, leaving behind-

"Boys, meet Gundam 06. She goes by the name of Mirage."

The robot in front of them wasn't built on quite the same lines as Gundams 01-05. It was shorter, and a little sleeker; not so much of the box construction that made up the others. It also was one color, through and through. There were no lighter bits, no brightly painted spots- everything was a deep blue, only a few shades up from black.

Rae watched as Heero and Duo struggled to get over their shock. "That should answer questions about my Gundam, I assume?"

(x)(x)(x)(x)(x)

A/N: Well, that's Rae's Gundam... who likes it? I'll be explaining more about it next chapter, so stick around if you're curious. And who guessed what Rae's name meant? It means 'deer' or 'doe.' I think that isn't a very good description of her, but hey, the name itself fits... Neway, thanks to my reviewers!

chibi luci:
Sorry if I spoiled anything- it's my policy to asnwer questions, if not with anything specific. It sometimes helps me nail down what I want to have happen next. I'll make a note to have you be the exception in the future, but don't stop asking your questions; they help the same way that answering the questions does. The story will have the more specific answers as time goes on. Sorry, but most of my chapters are short- you heard the rant in Kitsune Twins, I think- and the short chapters helps me with the updating time. Thank you about the gadget... it was fun to do. And I'll skip the questions... And your drama fetish should be fed during this fic, don't worry, There's going to be much-much drama of many kinds. I've never watched DBZ, because my house doesn't have cable :gasps of shock: so I don't really know much about it. Your welcome for responding- I'm always glad to talk to a good reviewer! Many, many thanks for the review!

Windy River:
Often as I can, like always. I'm really happy that you like this story! Thank you for reviewing!

kidshcaresh:
Hey, to each their own pace. It's cool. My own computer melted this week... I swear, the thing is infested with evil imp-demons who take sadistic joy in my misery. Thank you for reviewing, and I hope you like the chapter!

gundam06serenity:
No, you've techinicly alrealy had hints. And I told you it was a guy, didn't I? I really like Treize and Zechs, too- when I don't want to smack them upside the head for anything. But the love wins out most often. Rae is going to have much fun messing with Fei-chan's mind :giggle: I've already got the scene layed out in my mind. I think you're going to love with it. Thank you for the compliments on my gadgets- I've got lots more for her, too, her Gundam being a good example. Wait til you see all that IT can do... And I know that she's being talkative- she's trying to get the two to, if not trust her, at least realize that she won't betray them. Only way to do that is to tell them and show them... besides, I think she likes bragging. :giggle: Heero is suspisious, but less so now that there's a Gundam. Hope you liked the update, and I'll see ya next chapter!

crazy-lil-nae-nae:
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you for reading the fic, thank you for liking it, and thank you for reviewing! Not many people like sixth-pilot fics... so I'm always gald to get encouragement with this one! Thanks again, and I hope you liked the chapter!

Well folks, that's all! Catch ya later!