Disclaimer: Don't own Gundam Wing, don't own the song Duo starts to sing in this chapter…hehe…

Chapter 2

"Oh, I hear the com in my Gundam, it must be Heero. . ." Quatre said as he jumped up and rushed off to answer the call. Duo smiled and said, "Well, now that we're alone for a second, I had a question I wanted to ask you. . ." Rachel looked up from the ground at the sudden attention turned to her and said, "Um, ok. . ." He grinned more and said, "Well, after hearing all about you being from an alternate universe of Earth and our world only being a cartoon. . .I was just curious. . .do you have a favorite, um, character? Don't tell me, you go for the cute and adorable type like Quatre. . ." Rachel giggled and said, "He is cute but. . ."

"I knew it!" Duo said, shaking his head in sarcastic shame.

"BUT" Rachel said again, "he's not my favorite."

"Oh? Who is? If you have a crush on Heero I think I'm gonna have to barf. . ." Rachel burst out laughing and composed herself enough to say, "Well gee, you're so nice to your friends!"

"No offense to him but. . .the guy's a stiff, from what I've seen so far." Duo whispered as if Heero were right behind him. Rachel giggled again and slyly grinned.

"Maybe I don't want to tell you. . .after all, you may blow my cover and then I'll be all embarrassed. . ."

"I wouldn. . ." He paused to think about what he was going to say, "Well, yeah, you're probably right. . .but hey, you gotta let me have a little fun!" She laughed again and Duo did as well, just as Quatre came back to rejoin them.

"What's so funny?" Quatre asked as he sat down in his chair across from Rachel and Duo, whom had scooted his chair closer to Rachel as Quatre noticed with a grin. Duo held back his laughs for a moment and said, "Oh, I was just asking her a question. . .nothing important." Feeling left out, he looked over at Rachel who was trying to compose herself again.

"What did I miss?" She smiled and said, "Duo asked me who my favorite character was." Duo stifled a snort of laughter.

"Oh really? Uh. . .who might that be?" Quatre asked.

"What's wrong, hard up for a date?" Duo teased, winking. Quatre blushed and said defensively, "No, I'm not looking for a girlfriend at the moment. Seeing my current situation, I wouldn't have time to give a proper relationship. . ."

"Right. . .you couldn't get a date if you tried. . ." Duo taunted.

"That's not nice, Duo. . .he could very well have a girlfriend if he wanted to!"

"I could?" Even Quatre doubted that happening.

"You wouldn't believe the amount of girls in my dimension who would just die to go out with a guy like you!"

"Die is right. . ." Duo mumbled, then got a glare from Quatre. Quatre then turned back to Rachel and said as he blushed, "Really? My. . .I never imagined having a fan club. . ." He chuckled and Duo's eyes brightened up.

"Hey, does that mean we all have our own fan clubs?" He asked.

"Oh yeah, tons. . .believe it our not, even Mr. Anti-Onna has girls fawning after him. . ." At that comment, Duo burst out laughing, collapsing to the floor as he held his sides. Quatre even laughed at this comment. Just then they heard the light sounds of rocket boosters echoing through the cavern and they all looked toward the entrance to see the Wing Gundam enter the chamber, gracefully landing next to the other Gundams. Duo grinned and jumped to his feet, running towards the Gundam as it powered down, heat exhaust vents steaming as it cooled the engines. The cockpit's hatch door opened and out walked Heero, looking somber as usual. He leaned against the edge of the hatchway and stared down at the jolly Duo below.

"Hey, didn't think you'd make it tonight!" Duo shouted up to him, "Hope you don't mind, we have a visitor."

"Who?" Heero asked, looking over at the bonfire where Quatre sat talking to a girl. As he jumped down from his gundam, Duo said, "It's a girl I found while I was fighting. I didn't want her to get hurt cause I was battling right over where she was hiding."

"Did you tell her anything?" Heero asked, making sure his friend hadn't been the usual talkative idiot he saw him as whenever he was around girls.

"Didn't have to, she already knew." Duo said.

"What?" Heero looked at Duo in confusion.

"Come on over and meet her, I'm sure she can explain it better than I can." Duo walked back to the fire and Heero followed him at a steady pace. Duo tapped Rachel on the shoulder and whispered, "Soldier boy is coming, don't get scared if he pulls a gun on ya."

"Huh?" Rachel looked up at Duo then behind herself at the approaching boy. He stopped a few feet away, facing the whole group as he said, "I hear you know something. . ."

"Well, I wouldn't call it just something." She stood and smiled, "Hello, Heero." He didn't change his expression as he said, "I see I've already been introduced."

"Oh no, we haven't said a word." Duo remarked.

"They don't need to, I. . .well, I'm not sure if I want to say this in front of you, I might get shot before I can defend myself." She said sarcastically, yet a little serious.

"Depends, what do you mean." Heero said, not yet reaching for his gun.

"Well, I'm sure you'll think I'm out of my mind but. . .I'm from another dimension."

"Really. . ."

"In my dimension your lives are all part of a TV show called 'Gundam Wing'. . ."

"I see. . ." She could tell he already thought she was a few fries short of a happy meal.

"It's a well known anime on my Earth and, well, millions have seen it. I personally love the show and I've watched almost all the episodes. Though the library never seemed to have any episodes beyond number 22. . ." She began to muse to herself but got back on the subject, "Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is. . .I know about everything. From your pasts to your futures. . .every last detail I know, even things you don't." At that comment, Heero's eyes tightened a little and he looked down at Duo. Duo stood and said quickly, "Now look, don't kill her, she's telling the truth! She couldn't possibly be lying, I mean, she knows things that couldn't possibly have been recorded by OZ or anyone else for that matter!"

"And why should I let her live?" Heero said, looking from Duo to Quatre to the fearless girl standing before him.

And why isn't she afraid of me if she knows me so well. . .Heero thought to himself.

"She may know everything about us but she also knows everything about OZ as well. It could be a great tactical advantage on our part." Quatre stated, trying to get Heero to find her life of importance. He seemed to think about it for a minute before he said, "And you trust her?"

"Well, she convinced me! I mean, the stories she can tell!" Duo said with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. Still looking a bit unconvinced, Heero said, "Fine, she can live. . .for now."

"Thanks. . ." She responded sarcastically. They all sat back down and Heero began to give his report on the current battle situation outside.

"I haven't gotten any responses from Trowa but I know he's been trying to contact me. I think he must be out of range because it always cuts out two seconds after it's sent." Heero said monotonely.

"Hmm. Hey, I wonder, would you know where he is, Rach?" Duo asked their new ally.

Goody, I have a nickname already. She thought with a slight grin.

"Well, I might but I have no idea what's going on, so I can't pinpoint his location by the episode. I'm guessing we're sometime before you all journey to outer space. . ." Rachel began to recall the show.

"Hmm, outer space? What are we doing there?" Heero asked nonchalantly.

"Um, I forget, I think it's because the war had shifted to the colonies more than Earth at that point, I could be wrong. All I know is Quatre loses his Gundam in a frontal assault by OZ as him and Duo are trying to highjack a ride to outer space. The Gundam self-detonates to save his life. Later, Duo is ambushed in outer space and is severely damaged and captured, then the Gundam is later destroyed by Trowa in front of the colonies as a sign of peace." Duo had a look of insult and concern on his face as he looked over at his Gundam.

"Why would Trowa do that?" Quatre asked, shocked that his friend would do such a thing.

"He was trying to get on the inside of OZ, joining as a pilot and 'friend' of the military organization. He had to do it, or else they would think he was what Lady Une's lackey always secretly thought he was: a Gundam pilot. Sadly, you witness the brutal destruction, Duo. . ." Rachel said in a sympathetic tone. Duo looked more shocked than ever and Heero said, "Should we know this, it may change our futures."

"Your futures changed the minute Duo picked me up." Rachel pointed out, "I'm guessing that if I wasn't here, the battle would have continued-" Suddenly, she froze as a thought crossed her mind.

"Wait, were you trying to ambush an OZ base just when you found me?" Rachel asked them.

"Yes, we got ambushed ourselves by-" Quatre tried to explain their situation.

"By OZ mobile suits hiding in a train car?" Rachel finished for him.

"Yes." He said, somewhat surprised by her knowledge of something that had just happened a few hours ago.

"Now I know what's going on. . .oh no, Heero's battle. . ." She just realized something major that would have shaped the entire course of the Gundam series.

"My battle?" Heero was a little curious.

"With Lieutenant Zechs Merquise. By coming here instead of continuing the ambush. . .it never happened." She said, looking a bit worried.

"With who?" They all seemed a bit confused.

"You never met him before, that's when first introductions were made. Oh no, and you never self-detonated!" Rachel said, looking at Heero. He blinked and said, "And? How does that change the future?"

"After your Gundam exploded, Trowa picked you up and left the battle, returning to his home with you to help you heal. You were unconscious for I think a month or more. When you woke Trowa filled you in on everything you missed. That's when you two first talked, and made Trowa laugh. . ." She remembered the episode clearly. "You told him to act on his emotions, so he did, and almost killed himself as well but was stopped by his si-uh, friend, Catherine." She said, almost giving away too much. Heero looked like he was deep in thought after what she said.

"So the whole timeline of our lives has already changed?" Quatre said.

"Most likely. While Heero never 'died', Trowa didn't rescue him and who knows what would have happened to him if he didn't. And since I got in the way, Duo and Quatre never returned to the Maganacs to rest and talk for a while about things and they weren't there to help them when OZ invaded."

"What!" Quatre jumped out of his chair and stared at Rachel in shock. Duo looked confused himself.

"Troops stopped by and planted bombs throughout the city and at midnight, they blew but the Maganac people had all evacuated to lower levels by that time. But the Maganac armies only attacked OZ to cover for you as you escaped, who knows what will happen now. . ." Quatre's eyes were wide with fear as she told him this.

"I have to go help them!" Quatre said quickly as he desperately ran toward his Gundam.

"Quatre, wait!" Duo called out, getting up as well.

"You won't have a chance if you go now! They've planted the bombs by now, and they're stationed just outside the perimeter of the city, you'll never be able to get in alive!" Rachel shouted. Duo turned back to her and said, "Then what do we do?"

"Well. . ." She wasn't really sure. Heero looked up from his thinking and said, "I know where there are some cargo planes near here, we can fly over to that and head over as a group. My Gundam's low on fuel but I could give you two cover fire while you attack the OZ battalion." Heero said, offering his help. By now Quatre was in his Gundam and pressing buttons to get it started.

"Come on, we don't have time to waste! Midnight is only 3 hours away!" Quatre yelled before he closed his cockpit door. Duo ran toward his own Gundam but paused and turned to look back at Rachel, still standing by the fire looking a bit lost in the scramble. He grit his teeth and called out to her.

"Rachel, come on! You can fly with me!" She blinked in confusion as she yelled back, "But your Gundam only has room for-"

"Just COME ON!" He yelled back. She decided now wasn't the time to argue so she just went along with it, running as fast as she could to the Gundam. Heero watched them from his own suit as Duo helped her up into the cockpit. She ended up sitting on his lap, which neither of them seemed to mind, and Duo closed the hatch door, as did Heero after mentally laughing at how awkward it looked to be doing that.

"Alright, hold onto me, I don't want you to get hurt if we hit some rough spots." Duo said as the Gundams all took off and headed for the open air. Rachel held onto his harness first but Duo let go of the steering for a second and moved her hands up to his neck, saying, "I said hold onto 'me'." With a wink, he grinned and returned to his piloting. She did as he said and got comfortable for the ride.

"Down there, that's where the planes are being stored." Heero said. They were approaching what looked like an abandoned OZ station, still being cautious in case it was a trap. Heero landed first and jumped out of his Gundam, racing toward the building to scout around for any unwanted company. Duo and Quatre landed together just as the hangar door to the station opened and out came a cargo plane, piloted by Heero of course. He stopped the plane by the two Gundam pilots and opened the loading hatch, allowing them to get their Gundams settled in for the trip. Heero ran back inside, getting a plane for his own Gundam, and came back out, loading it up inside.

"Heero, can you read me, over? Testing, testing, one two three. . .abc. . .one two three. . .♪do re me, abc, one two three, baby you and me♪-"

Duo. . . Heero responded.

"Yeah?"

Shutup. Duo laughed and said, "Okay, the comlink works."

"We should hurry, we don't know how much time has changed, anything could have happened by now. . ." Quatre said as he ran up and jumped into the pilot's seat, starting the system and engines. Duo sat down in the co-pilots seat and said, "All systems check; you may want to take a seat, Rachel."

"Oh, right." She snapped out of her trance and sat down in a chair across from Duo, watching them get the plane ready for take off.

"Alright, and we're off!" Duo said as the plane took off into the air. As the plane leveled off to a steady flight, Duo got out of his seat and smiled at Rachel.

"So, you enjoying the ride? I'm sure you've never been in one of these." Duo said cheerfully.

"Yeah, it's okay. Actually, I was enjoying the ride as soon as I got into your Gundam!" She admitted, "That thing is so awesome! I wish I knew how to pilot one. I've always wanted to fly a Gundam!"

"You wanna learn the controls? I can show you!" He said, and then grabbed her hand. She quickly unbuckled as she was dragged out of the cockpit and into the hangar.

"Deathscythe, say hello to Rach, you gave her a ride earlier!" Duo said, his voice echoing joyfully in the vast compartment holding the two mobile suits. Rachel smiled as he ran up to the suit and jumped onto it, running his hands over its armored body. She watched him happily until he called to her.

"Hey, come on up, he won't bite!" Duo winked. Rachel walked toward the suit and started to climb up when a hand appeared in front of her face. She looked up into Duo's smiling face.

"Here, let me help you." She took his hand and he pulled her up. Stumbling, she fell forward and he caught her.

"Oh, heh, I'm so clumsy. . ." She said, fighting the urge to blush as she stood on her own. Duo just grinned more, looking very willing to catch her anytime. She looked down at the suit in embarrassment and said, "So, you gonna show me how this baby works or what?"

"Oh, right!" He jumped up onto the suit's chest and pushed a button by the hatch. The door opened and he said, "Okay, so I guess you pretty much figured out the seating arrangements already. How much do you know from the, um, show?" Duo asked, still not used to the fact that his life was a cartoon. She joined him and said, "Not much, I never really paid attention to the controls when you used them."

"Ah, watching the pilot and not the piloting?" Duo said. She smiled shyly and said, "Something like that."

"Okay then, let me start with the basics. . ." Duo went on to explain the controls and all the buttons on the panels inside. Rachel just listened intently and made comments now and then to get him to explain more.

Even if I do already know most of this, it's always better to let the guy tell you. Makes them feel intelligent, hehe. . .Rachel thought to herself as she watched the boy happily babble on about the system. Finally, he looked up at her and noticed her staring at him. He blinked and said, "What, did I say too much? I'll explain it a little simpler. . ."

"No, I got it." She said quickly, not wanting to hear it another time.

"Okay. Hey, pop quiz! I'll jump out and you tell me what all of it is!" He said, climbing out and helping Rachel in.

"If you insist. . ." She said, settling into the seat.

"Right, now what's that?" Duo asked, pointing to one of the buttons.

"The comlink."

"And that?"

"Radar."

"Right, and that?" The Q and A session went on for several minutes as Quatre sat in the cockpit of the plane worriedly thinking of his friends.

I hope they're all right. . .Quatre thought as he checked his fuel level. Just then, the comlink buzzed and he looked up.

"Hmm? Oh, Heero." He said to himself. Pressing the red flashing button on the panel in front of him, a visual popped up on the screen to his left and he said, "Is there a problem, Heero?"

No, I was just checking on you. How are things over there? The morbid face responded.

"Well, systems checked out fine; fuel levels normal and all is stable."

And your company?

"Oh, Rachel went into the hangar with Duo. He wanted to show her his Gundam."

I'm sure he did. . . Heero snidely remarked.

"Huh?" Quatre said, not understanding Heero's crude humor comment.

Nevermind. According to the coordinates you gave me we should be coming up on the city in about an hour. Keep your scanners on in case there's any OZ troops out this far, we don't want to be ambushed ourselves before we get a chance to ambush them, like last time. . .

"Right, I'll keep my eye out for anything."

10-4, over and out. Heero's face disappeared and the dark sky outside reappeared.

We're coming, Rashid, hold on. . .