Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or the wake up song from a local Christian radio station down here where I live. I also don't claim that Quatre ever visited Germany and I don't own that country or any of the millions of caverns there. . .

Chapter 31

"Hey, Heero, rise and shine!" Duo called out from Heero's door rather obnoxiously. Heero didn't move as Duo frowned, glaring at the back of Heero's head. "OZ IS ATTACKING, HIDE!" Duo screamed. Still no response. Duo frowned more now as he tapped his foot on the floor incessantly. Finally, another idea popped into his head and he gasped, saying, "Oh, Quatre, you shouldn't be making out with Relena behind his back, he'll find out! OOP! Did I say that out loud?"

"Duo, go away." Heero moaned. Grinning, Duo strolled over to Heero's bed, saying, "Ah, so you aren't dead, good!"

"No, but I was ignoring you so get a clue and leave me alone."

"I see someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed! Come on, Heero, it's 11 in the morning! Don't you think you've slept enough?"

"11 A.M.?" Heero showed some interest in the time.

"Yes, 11:24 to be exact, so WAKE UP, LAZY BUTT!" Duo yelled. He jumped up onto Heero's bed and began bouncing up and down, singing, "♪Good morning, good morning, good morning, it's time to rise and shine! Good morning, good morning, good morning, I hope you're feeling fine! Get up, get up, get out of bed! Get up, wake up you sleepy head!♪-" Heero growled and swung his leg up, smacking into Duo's leg and tripping him. Duo tumbled off the bed and hit the floor with a thud and loud complaint. Groaning, Heero pulled the covers over his head and turned to the wall. Duo jumped to his feet and glared at Heero, saying, "Sheesh, some people. . ."

"Go away. . ." Heero moaned.

"Awe, come on, wake up! It's a beautiful day today! The birds are singing, the sun is shining!" Duo cheerfully chirped, tugging at the sheets to get them away from Heero.

"Noooo. . .leave me aloooone. . ." Heero whined, grabbing the pillow and throwing it at Duo, whapping him in the face. Duo bopped Heero back and said, "Bum, get up!"

"OMAE O KOROSU!" Heero yelled, his death threat muffled by the bed.

"I don't care, get your bum butt out of this bed now and greet the new day!"

"Hi day, nice to see ya, bye." Heero vaguely waved his hand in the air sarcastically before snatching the sheets back and wrapping up in them.

"You look like an overcooked burrito all wrapped up like that." Duo commented, glaring at Heero wrapped up in his brown sheet and not giving a care.

"Yippee. . ." Heero grumbled.

"A sarcastic burrito, too. Man, you're worse at waking up than I am!"

"That's nice." Heero said, pretending to show interest.

"I'm telling on you if you don't get up!"

"I'm tired, Duo, let me sleep." Heero groaned. Sighing, Duo said, "Well, is it my fault you had to chase after me last night? Noooo. . ."

"Don't mock me, baka."

"Who said I was? Look, we're having breakfast and Rachel told me to wake you up."

"I'm not hungry."

"Liar, you're a guy, you're always hungry. Besides, she made omelets and yummy, crisp bacon with all the ketchup you could want!" Duo said dreamily, licking his lips in anticipation.

"You eat eggs with ketchup?" Heero asked, sounding disgusted.

"Oh, knock it off, it's good! You need to eat to get your strength back and you know it! Now, get UP!" Duo yanked the sheets off Heero and rolled him off the bed by accident. With a thump, Heero landed on the floor. Eyes wide and jaw clenched, Duo said quickly before running out the door, "Uh, see you at breakfast, BYE!" Before Heero could get up to beat Duo into a pulp Duo disappeared out the door.

I wish I would have killed him all those chances I've gotten. . .why did I waste them? Heero thought to himself as he got up, feeling a pain in his side from the fall. He limped slowly out the door and composed himself before anyone saw him coming out. Approaching the table, he saw Relena sitting between Quatre and Rachel, chatting quietly. He stared blankly at her for a moment before taking a seat across from her, not giving her a second glance.

"Hey, Relena stole my seat!" Duo complained as he walked over with his plate.

"Oh, is it really that important? Go sit next to Heero and eat, we have stuff to plan today." Rachel said, putting a forkful of omelet in her mouth.

"But. . ." Duo glanced at Heero out of the corner of his eye. Rachel waved him off and he grumbled over to the last open seat by Heero, plopping down and eating quickly. A few minutes later everyone was finished and ready to start their planning. They gathered in Duo and Quatre's room and sat in a circle to discuss everything in a debate.

"Okay, so we're in agreement that it's not safe here anymore, so does anyone have any ideas of a new sanctuary for us?" Heero started the talk.

"Most of my old hiding spots have been found so I'm out." Chang said.

"I only have one hiding spot." Trowa said bluntly.

"I'm new here." Rachel said with a grin.

"I used to hide out with this guy I know but I haven't seen him around in a while so I guess that's out." Duo said.

"Howard?" Rachel whispered to Duo. He looked surprised for a minute but remembered that she pretty much knew everything, so he just nodded.

"Do you have any places in mind, Quatre?" Heero asked.

"Well. . .not really, I usually just hang out with the Maganacs. . ." Quatre said.

"Someone has to have somewhere to go, anything?"

"Don't ask us, Treize would find us in no time." Zechs commented about himself and Noin.

"I know."

"Wait! I do know of a great place!" Quatre shouted suddenly. Everyone stared at him and he blushed, clearing his throat.

"Well, do tell." Chang said sarcastically.

"There's a cave I found one time. . ."

"We were there earlier, remember?" Heero cut him off.

"No, not that one! There's another in a very remote spot in Germany, it's called the Attahöhle."

"Where in Germany is it?"

"Attendorn, it used to be an attraction about 100 years ago but it's been deserted a long time, I doubt Treize would even think of looking there."

"That's true, I don't think I've ever heard of that place." Noin said.

"How long do you think it should take us to fly there?" Heero asked.

"Uh. . .well, maybe a week?" Quatre said, making a face. Heero stared blankly at him for a minute before turning to Rachel and saying, "You don't suppose you could teleport us there, could you?"

"Maybe. . .I don't think I could because I don't know what it looks like!" Rachel said.

"Have you been there, Quatre?"

"Yes, I visited there about 5 years ago, it's very beautiful." Quatre responded.

"Can you read his mind and use his memories to show you the entrance of the cave?"

"I don't know, I've never tried that before." Rachel said, looking a bit surprised.

"Well, try it, it's our only choice at the moment, seeing that either way, you'll have to use your powers to get us there since we can't stop for fuel."

"True. . .I suppose I could always try." Rachel said, thinking about it.

"So, if there's no objections, we should start out as soon as possible. I'll be in my room getting updated information on Treize's battle plans." Heero said and stood up, walking out of the room. Everyone started talking about the trip as Rachel sat next to Quatre.

"You okay with this? I mean, I am going to be reading your mind." Rachel said.

"If it's the only way then yes, go ahead and do it. Just. . .don't read too much into it?" Quatre said, looking slightly nervous.

"I'll try not to, I've never done this before and I don't know what will happen so. . .hopefully I won't fry your mind." Zechs looked up at her comment and said, "Wait, now I remember where I've seen you before."

"Huh?" Rachel turned to him and saw the shocked look on his face, "Uh oh."

"You used your powers to control me so you could free that boy. . .it was Heero!" Zechs stared at her with wide eyes as his memories came back to him.

"I thought I told you to forget about it. . ." Rachel said, looking innocent.

"I. . .I almost got killed because I didn't know where I was going."

"I was worried that you hadn't made it out but I had no choice, I had to go."

"But you used me like a puppet."

"I'm sorry, it was the only way I could get away from you without hurting you!"

"Physically." Zechs glared at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Ever since that day I've been having migraines that leave me incapable of fulfilling my duties, because of you I can't think too hard about something without my brain throbbing."

"I said I was sorry." Rachel muttered.

"If you're so sorry, then fix it before it gets any worse."

"How do you know if it will get worse?"

"Because, it has been. The first few days it wasn't that bad but it's been getting progressively worse to the point I can't even recall memories without getting a headache."

"I don't know what I can do about that, but I'll try to figure out something to do." Zechs looked away and continued his conversation with Noin. Relena was watching the two argue and said, "Rachel, I was wondering, is this as good as your powers will get?"

"What do you mean?" Rachel said in confusion.

"I mean, you can't do much without passing out eventually, can't you. . .practice or something? Control your energy usage so it goes farther?"

"That's a good idea but I don't think now is the time."

"Attahöhle is the perfect place to concentrate, it has thousands of caves and underground springs for you to find peace in, especially my favorite part of it." Quatre said with a smile.

"Oh? Hmm. . .I'll look into it, perhaps you can show me around so I can find my Yoda spot." Rachel laughed.

"Yoda? Don't you mean yoga?" Duo asked.

"Uh. . .no, nevermind, it's an inside joke." Rachel giggled and sighed.

I guess they don't have Star Wars in their universe, what a shame. . .Rachel thought as she grinned.

The group gathered into the three planes they had; Noin went with Trowa and Chang and Zechs went with Relena and Heero while Rachel, Quatre, and Duo stayed together. All the Gundams and supplies were packed and ready to go while Rachel figured out what to do about the 'going' part.

"Okay, so you're sure you're ready for this, Quatre? I'm not guaranteeing that I won't mess up your mind looking for what I need." Rachel said to her blonde haired friend, looking a little unsure about the situation.

"I understand, I'll try not to make it hard for you by thinking too much." Quatre said with a smile. Rachel laughed and said, "Alright. Just think of the entrance to the cave and I'll take it from there." Quatre nodded and Rachel stepped up to him, placing her hands on either side of his head and closing her eyes. He did the same, looking a bit uncomfortable about it. Duo watched as Quatre's face contorted into a frown of discomfort then slowly melted away into nothing as Rachel searched through his memories, looking for the perfect place to teleport to.

I hope this works. . .Duo thought as Rachel finally took a chance and teleported the three planes. They appeared outside of a large cave opening that was over 60 feet high, big enough for the Gundams to easily get in and hide. The crews of the planes departed in their Gundams to follow Quatre into the caves while Noin piloted Rachel's gundam, since Rachel had passed out.

"Are you sure you're alright, Noin? From what Heero told me that thing has a mind of its own." Zechs said over the comlink, sounding concerned.

Oh, she's really rather nice if you get to know her! We've been having a pleasant conversation about you guys. Isn't that right, Verein? Noin said cheerfully.

Affirmative, Noin.

"You're talking to a computer? Are you feeling well?" Zechs asked.

Yes, I'm fine. All that I had to do was shutoff the automated systems and it was smooth piloting ever since. She's really sweet, I think she's worried about Trowa, though. She thinks she hurt him.

"The computer has emotions? I don't know if that's a good thing."

Well, no, but she knows that her control system injured him, it's not so much concern as a question if he is still alive. Noin said, laughing slightly.

"That's strange, how can it have its own mind? Programming?"

I don't know, Trowa told me that Rachel built it.

"She must be some genius then, Treize would have a field day if he knew about her."

Is that why you decided to stay?

"The last thing this war needs is a fleet of independent Mobile suits capable of making decisions on their own."

Well, she can't do everything on her own, you have to program her first or just tell her what to do, she's not completely independent but close to it.

"That's enough to worry me." Zechs said seriously. Sandrock stopped suddenly in the front of the parade through the caverns and he called back to the group, "Okay, this is one of the largest caverns in the cave, any others aren't accessible with our Gundams. We can set up camp here for the night and explore a bit while we're here."

"Right, line the Gundams against the walls in the shadows and set up camp nearby; I saw a good lookout spot near the entrance I'd like to check out so I'll be back in a few minutes." Heero said. Wing turned and headed back as the Gundams lined up as told and the pilots hopped out. Tallgeese set Relena on the ground after carrying her on its right palm and lowered its left hand to the ground, allowing Duo to take Rachel from its palm where she lay for the trip inside.

"Verein's quite an interesting Gundam, very polite too." Noin said with a smile as she approached the group gathered at Tallgeese's feet.

"It sure didn't seem that way when I piloted it." Trowa muttered.

"She told me that you said to activate the automatic systems, so she just obeyed your order. She didn't mean to hurt you, it's just how she was programmed." Noin explained.

"I never told her that, I might have thought about it in my mind because I figured that's what they were but it wasn't a request."

"She just misunderstood, as long as you tell her to deactivate her mental command system she's a pretty safe suit to pilot, and quite a smooth ride I might add. I think she has shocks in her legs or something. . ." Noin looked back at the still suit towering over the others and smiled.

"Well, how about that camp, let's set up!" Duo said cheerfully, running to his gundam to retrieve the crates he had brought in with them. Quatre stepped forward to help but cringed, a slight pain in his abdomen. He touched it as Trowa walked up and said, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just hungry, that's all." Quatre said with a smile. Trowa nodded and said, "Me too, let's get camp set up then we can work on lunch."

"Right, let's go help Duo before he gives himself a hernia!" Quatre laughed. As Trowa walked away, Quatre moaned quietly, the laughing making the pain more irritating.

"Rachel's been asleep for a long time, is she okay?" Noin asked as she looked over at the sleeping girl lying on a cot a ways away.

"Yeah, I guess the trip really tired her out." Duo said. He yawned and Chang walked up, saying, "The sun has gone down, I suggest we get sleep while we can."

"That sounds like a good idea, I am a bit sleepy." Noin yawned.

"Do you think Heero's going to come back soon? He's been gone for hours. . ." Relena said, sounding worried.

"He's probably on guard at that watch spot he said he saw, don't worry." Duo said, stretching.

"I'm still worried, what if OZ found us again?" Relena asked, looking nervously at the cavern passage.

"I doubt it, this is a very exclusive spot that he never would suspect us to be. We should be reasonably safe here." Zechs said, reassuring his sister. She nodded and walked over to him, leaning into his built frame as she sighed. Zechs wrapped his arms around her and held her as she began to doze off in his strong embrace.

"Awe, ain't that just adorable. . ." Duo mocked, grinning at the siblings. Zechs glanced up at him and back down at his sister, saying, "Relena, you should get to bed, you need your rest."

"Okay. . ." She muttered, still leaning against him. He realized she was half asleep already and bent over, scooping her legs up in his arm and carrying her over to the tent containing the cots.

"Goodnight, Relena." Noin whispered, smiling.

"Well, let's go, Wu-m. . .Chang. Heh, can't help it." Duo chuckled as Chang glared at him.

"Slip up again and you'll be sleeping for an eternity." Chang threatened, walking toward the tent.

"Awe, would you lighten up? You need a nickname, it builds character!"

"The only thing building up his my rage, so shutup, Maxwell."

Those two probably won't admit it but they're close friends, I can see it in how they act around each other. It's almost. . .cute. . .Noin thought with a grin, following them to the tent.

"Quatre, are sure you're feeling well, you didn't eat much for dinner. . .or lunch." Trowa said quietly as he walked up to his friend standing alone by the passage, facing away from him.

"Yes, I'm fine, I just wasn't that hungry after all. Do you suppose Heero will come back sometime?" Quatre finally turned and faced Trowa.

"Probably not until morning." Trowa answered simply. Quatre sighed and said, "I think I might stay up for a little bit before I go to bed, just to clear my thoughts."

"Don't stay up too late." Trowa said before turning to leave. As Trowa reached the tent, Quatre moaned and thought, This isn't hunger. . .it hurts too much. . .what's wrong with me?