Disclaimer: I only own Arianna and Maria. Katherine belongs to Yasha.
Author's note: Moving on.
The four conscious Gundam Pilots had positioned themselves around the room. Quatre stood against the wall, near Arianna's bed. Duo leaned against the wall next to the door. Wufei stood with Heero between Quatre and the door. Katherine leaned against the end of Trowa's bed, arms folded, while Maria stood beside her, leaning against the wall across the room from Heero.
Maria folded her arms loosely over her chest. "So; what do you boys want to know first?"
"The beginning." Heero folded his arms. "How did this all start?"
She nodded once. "A meteor landed near the Tiber River, leaving a deposit of Tiberium crystals in the ground. More meteors showed up, each leaving a small deposit. I'm not entirely sure on how they work exactly, but they spread by either basic self-replication or by mutating trees or other plant life they overtake and make them release spores. They spread quickly. Now they're moving into the ocean, and make travel nearly impossible. It's like a virus, I guess; it's spreading rapidly and mutates everything in its path. What it can't mutate; it destroys."
There was a moment of silence as the four young men absorbed what they were told. Heero and Wufei's eyes had narrowed. A bitter frown had settled on Duo's face, his blue eyes dark. The expression on Quatre's face was of slight shock; the story had surprised him, and yet there was a slight tug in his mind, telling him that there was more to it…
"The war!"
Everyone conscious suddenly looked at him.
"What about the war? How did it start?"
Maria shook her head, again exposing the disturbingly pretty pale green crystals growing at her temples. "I'm not sure on that. But I do know that once the Tiberium was discovered poisonous, NOD showed up. They use Tiberium and make weapons out of them. It's rumored that they experiment on people with it, but no one here is entirely sure. GDI tried to put a stop to them, but it ended up NOD was bigger than first thought."
"GDI?" asked Wufei, wanting clarification on the unfamiliar term.
"Global Defense Initiative," answered Katherine. "According to the history books, it used to be called the 'Preventers'. But with the population growth and increase in members, they changed their name to sound more formal."
Maria nodded once. "GDI and NOD have been at war for a long time now. But it seems NOD is getting more aggressive; they've been attacking GDI-friendly cities without warning and with few- if any- survivors. That's how we got Arianna." Her dark eyes moved from the four boys to the unconscious girl on the bed, her eyes looking distant and sad. "The poor dear was out wandering all by herself; she was the only one to escape the city before NOD destroyed it and killed everyone. I was nineteen back then; I was out with several others investigating the explosions coming from the city when I found her hiding behind large rocks on a cliff top overlooking the city. The poor girl was only six years old, alone, cold and terrified; I couldn't just leave her there. So I took her back with me and raised her as my own."
Quatre's head was bowed slightly, seemingly in thought; his eyes were distant and vaguely frightened. A frown had etched itself onto his face. Sounds distantly familiar echoed around his head.
Duo noticed and his brow furrowed. "Quatre? Hey; you okay?"
The blonde seemed to snap out of it and looked up at his braided friend, the distant look gone but the fear still lingering. "Hm? Oh; I-I'm fine."
The American was clearly unconvinced, but didn't press the matter any further.
"What about the colonies? How have they been affected by the war?" asked Wufei.
"Once everyone knew Tiberium crystals were poisonous, most of the people on Earth escaped onto the colonies, which are now over-populated," explained Maria. "Those that were either too stubborn to leave or couldn't afford to move stayed on Earth. According to the history books; and if you boys are really from AC 197, then there were only five colonies in your time. We're not exactly sure how many there are today, but our guesses would be close to twenty. At about AC 500, more colonies were started, but very few were actually finished. Once the rush for the colonies started, the rest were finished and quickly filled. As far as I know, they're still making more colonies. But they won't allow any form of Tiberium onto any of them. It's the reason no one in the Forgotten can go."
"But why?" demanded the Chinese pilot, feeling his temper flare at the unjust treatment. "Why are your people being forced to stay while others are allowed to escape?"
The woman just shook her head sadly.
"Because," answered Katherine, unfolding her arms. "We're no longer considered 'people'. We're not humans." She pointed to the three green crystals that ran above her jawbone on the right side of her face. The crystals on her left side were a mirror image. "We're mutants. Because of these Tiberium crystals, they won't even let us in the airports." She folded her arms again.
"What about you guys?" asked Duo. "Are you all mutants? Is this the only Forgotten base on the planet?"
"No," replied Maria, shaking her head again. "To both. We've got quite a few humans like Arianna that escaped from cities and needed a safe place to stay. Most rarely ever leave the base. From what I've heard, there's at least ten Forgotten bases in what's left of the continental United States. Our leader is Tratos. I haven't seen him yet, but he's been doing a good job so far." She paused to yawn and stretch her arms above her head. "So, any other questions?" she asked once her arms dropped back to her sides.
"What about us? What will we do now?"
Those two questions in Quatre's soft voice made Maria's heart melt. She could imagine how frightening of a situation they were in; they were lost in a world that was no longer theirs. Everything and everyone they knew has changed to something completely alien to them. Her facial expression softened and she offered him a small, comforting smile. "I don't know," she said gently. "But all five of you are welcome to call this base your new home. And speaking of which, we should probably find a place for you all to sleep for tonight; it's getting pretty late."
"We'd like to sleep here." Judging by Heero's tone, it wasn't a request.
They could have sworn Maria's left eyebrow twitched. Her words were of disbelief. "Excuse me!"
"We want to sleep here. All of us." The other three nodded in agreement.
"Do you have any idea what kind of danger you're putting yourselves in by sleeping in this room! Don't you realize that if either of these two dies; they'll kill everyone in this room! The walls and doors are made out foot-thick steel for a reason!"
Their expressions never changed.
"If they want to take the risk, let them take the risk," argued Katherine mildly, shrugging her shoulders. "Besides, we have to hook them up to the alarm system anyway."
Maria gave the teenage girl a "I thought you were on my side" look, then rolled her eyes and ran a hand though her hair in frustration. She then sighed in defeat and looked at Heero. "Fine. Against my better judgment, I'm letting you all sleep in here. But if that alarm goes off-" she pointed at them, then at the door. "-you leave the room as fast as you can and stay out of the way. Understand?"
All four boys just nodded.
"Good." She turned to Katherine. "Go get them blankets and pillows. They look like they took a long walk across the desert; I imagine they're exhausted."
The girl nodded, then walked out of the room. She returned some minutes later with five sets of blankets and pillows.
"Five?"
"I'm staying here too. I can keep a closer eye on both of them."
Maria opened her mouth to protest, but gave up before she started.
Deep into the night, everyone had fallen asleep. Katherine had positioned herself between the two beds. The four boys had scattered themselves around the room; Quatre and Duo on the other sides of the door, while Heero and Wufei were near the beds. It hadn't taken them long to fall asleep; the trek in the desert had worn them out and they were grateful for the rest. One, however, discovered that sleep would not be without consequence. Quatre's head tossed back and forth, his eyes tightly shut and his expression a grimace. His hands were in tight fists as they clutched the blanket and a slight moan escaped him every few seconds.
It was the girl whose clothes Quatre had taken. She was standing in the middle of the road Quatre had found her, her fists tightly clenched, her entire body tense. Her family was dead; she was the only one to escape when her father and brother pushed her out just before the house collapsed. Now her five best friends had been killed right in front of her, but she just kept on running. But what did it was the sight before her: her boyfriend's house was on fire and crumbling. She knew he was dead; she could see the top of his head, bloodied and burning. Tears poured from her eyes in twin rivers as she stared defiantly at the NOD soldier in front of her.
It was strange. Quatre was there, seeing and hearing everything, yet it was like he had no physical body. He could feel the heat of the flames surrounding him at all sides, he could feel the strong wind that fanned the flames and helped them consume. He could hear the crackling of the fires and the screams of the dying. And yet no one seemed to notice him.
The girl suddenly shook her head, sending clear droplets flying. She then looked at the soldier in front of her, hate, rage, grief, and defiance all reflecting in her eyes and the two streams continued to pour. She then opened her mouth and started to scream.
'YOU WANT TO KILL ME TOO! DO IT! GO AHEAD AND SHOOT ME! I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU! I'LL NEVER HELP YOU! YOU HEAR ME! NEVER! I KNOW YOU WANT TO, SO KILL ME ALREADY!'
'Don't!' Quatre cried, but no words came from him. She was giving up; she had nothing to live for anymore, and she didn't want to live anymore. She was screaming at him to kill her; she wanted to die, just so her pain would stop.
Quatre knew how she felt. After all, it was her pain he was feeling.
Her screaming rant ended and she just glared at the NOD soldier before her, who hadn't moved at all. His gun was still trained on her and even though Quatre couldn't see their face, he was pretty sure they were glaring back at the girl. It reminded him of an old Western standoff; only one had a gun and the other was screaming for the other to kill her. It wouldn't have surprised him one bit if a tumbleweed rolled right between them.
The soldier then opened fire, a short burst of loud noise overcoming the sounds of the dying city. There was four disturbing sounds as the girl was suddenly almost thrown backwards, her feet actually leaving the ground for a moment before she landed heavily on her back. Already her shirt- the shirt Quatre was wearing- was being stained from the red that flowed from the four holes in her chest.
Quatre gasped sharply as he felt it. His entire chest felt like it was on fire, while the pain was most intense at four different places. He looked down to see he now had a physical form; he was back in his body, still wearing the bloody clothes he had found. Only now, he noticed in open-mouthed shock, that new blood- his blood- was pouring over the stains from four newly formed bullet holes in his chest.
'Quatre…'
He didn't know where the voice was coming from, or why it sounded so familiar, but he couldn't focus on it. All he could do was stare at the wounds in his chest that were causing him so much pain.
'Quatre!…'
"Hey Quatre, wake up!"
His eyes suddenly snapped wide open and he sat up, breathing heavily. There was still a slight throb of pain in the four places of his chest. He quickly reached up and felt his shirt, which, much to his relief, was dry.
"Hey; you all right?"
He looked to his left to see Duo crouched next to him, looking worried. It took him a moment to find his voice. "I-I'm fine. Just a nightmare. Did I wake you up?"
The American nodded. "You too, huh? Thought I was having a nightmare, but you woke me up just in time." He grinned slightly. "I owe ya one."
The grin eased Quatre's nerves a little and he looked around the room. It was dark except for light coming though a small widow. He could see the other five forms, but didn't take the time to try to sort out the details. "Did I wake anyone else?"
Duo shook his head. "Nope. At least not that I know of. Try to get some more sleep, okay? We're gonna have a long day ahead of us."
"I guess you're right. Goodnight, Duo."
Duo patted his friends shoulder. "'Night Quatre." As he got up, he stumbled a little bit, nearly falling into Quatre but catching himself just in time, the denim of his jeans brushing against the Arabian's shoulder.
Quatre gasped, but no sound escaped him. Duo was completely unaware of what was happening to his friend as he settled back down on his pillow.
It was happening again. A torrent of pain slammed into him like a wall the second the denim touched him. There was immense grief, as before, only now laden with terror. And plenty of it. There was also the strong urge to scream, and, if he hadn't quickly and quietly clamped a hand over his mouth, he would have.
A few moments passed before the onslaught of emotions subsided and his entire body began to tremble. A tear pushed it's way out and traced a trail down his cheek. He removed his hand from over his mouth and put both of his hands on his arms, holding them closer to his body as he leaned forward slightly, staring down at the blanket over his lower body. It almost looked like he was trying to calm his shaking arms.
The dream; it had seemed so real. It was real; he actually felt everything: the vibrations from the explosions, the heat of the flames- and even though you're not supposed to feel pain in REM sleep- he felt the bullets impale themselves in his chest. He honestly felt like he was shot four times. He didn't know what was happening to him or why. He all of a sudden knew how that girl had died and had felt how she had felt just before her demise…
'God; please, just end it all now…'
… she had a loving family; both parents and an older brother; who did everything they could just so they'd all survive…
'I don't care what happens to my body; just stop this…'
… she had a boyfriend she loved dearly and who thought the world of her; who told her she was beautiful and, even though she didn't always show it, oh how those words made her almost cry…
'… this pain…'
… all this, and yet…
'…please… just let me die…'
… she wasn't afraid of death.
Quatre laid back down, staring up at the ceiling until slowly falling asleep and slipping into a dreamless slumber.
The next morning, Quatre was the first to waken. His eyes slowly opened and he gradually sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His mind was still fuzzy and his back, unaccustomed to sleeping on a hard floor, was sore.
"So; finally awake, are we?"
He blinked in vague surprise as he looked at the source of the voice. Katherine stood at Trowa's bedside, looking down at him with a faintly amused smile. He hastily ran a hand though his hair in an attempt to straighten it before slowly getting to his feet. Being sure to avoid stepping on any of his still-sleeping friends, he made his way to the girl and looked down at his wounded friend.
Trowa was laying on his stomach to prevent unnecessary pressure on his bandaged leg. His eyes were still closed and his arms were at his side. He was hooked up to several wires; one on both sides of his forehead, while the others snaked out from under his shirt- which Quatre assumed were to monitor his heartbeat- and they all lead to a gray box attached to the wall. The box had two screens, both with a jumping green line running across it horizontally. One of them was the heartbeat; he could only guess what the other was. Looking back down to his friend, the platinum blonde Arabian gently put a hand on Trowa's forehead. "He's still got a fever."
"A little," confirmed Katherine. She was changing the bandages on his wounded leg. "It's gone down a bit since last night. He's showed a little improvement, but I'm not sure if it's enough." She gently tied off the new bandage and collected the old ones. "You all would have been dead if Arianna wasn't there."
Quatre looked up at her with a start. "I almost forgot about her!" He was sure to keep his voice down, minding those still sleeping. "How is she?" He turned around and stepped over to the other bed. She was laying on her back with a blanket up to her waist. She too was hooked up to a metal box, similar to the way Trowa was. She also appeared to be sleeping, and the bandages on her hands seemed to be changed recently.
"She's still got a little bit of a fever, but she's improved a lot. She should wake up sometime today, if all goes well. But…"
Quatre looked at her from over his left shoulder, the worry in his eyes pleading for her to continue.
He could tell she really didn't want to say. Her eyes fell to the floor as she ran a hand through her hair and she let out a heavy sigh, then walked over beside the young man and took hold of Arianna's left hand. She unwrapped the bandage before holding up the limp limb for Quatre to see.
His eyes softened sadly as he saw the pale green crystals beginning to emerge out of the back of her hand. "She…"
"Mutated. Yes." Katherine began to rewrap the hand as she spoke softly. "It's the lesser of two evils, I guess you could say. It's either mutate and be unable to ever leave the planet or die and move on to kill other people."
"I… I still don't understand. Arianna told us in the desert that if Trowa died, he would kill us. How can someone die and still kill people?"
Katherine looked up at him, the crystals on her face glittering. Her brown eyes were seemingly cold and indifferent, yet deep in them Quatre could see a hint of regret. "Just pray you don't ever have to see it up close, because it will be the last thing you'll ever see."
She then walked past him towards the door. "I'll be back with Maria." She then shut the door behind herself, leaving him alone in a room of sleeping people.
Quatre looked back down at the unconscious girl in front of him, his eyes sad and sympathetic. She had paid a price for what she had done for him, and he wasn't sure if he could repay her. Money was obviously out of the question; even if he did somehow manage to get his family's wealth back under his name, what use would the Forgotten have for it? Besides, what she had saved couldn't be bought.
He gently took her left hand in both of his, giving it a gentle squeeze in a hope it would give her some amount of comfort. He could feel the abnormal hard bumps under the bandages. She would be trapped on this apocalyptic Earth for the rest of her life thanks to those crystals.
He was surprised when he felt the hand he was holding give him a gentle squeeze in return. It was weak and obviously forced, but he still felt it. He smiled when he saw the girl's eyelids slowly flutter open, gradually focusing onto the ceiling.
"How are you feeling?"
It took her groggy and hazy mind a few moments to identify where the voice came from. She slowly looked to her left to see Quatre standing beside her bed, giving her a gentle smile. Both of her palms throbbed, while the back of her hands seemed to ache. Oddly enough, so did both of her cheeks, right under her eyes. Her voice was hoarse and her mouth was dry. The light from the window seemed glaringly bright. She forced the words from her throat, which made it hurt.
"Q-Quatre?"
"It's me," he affirmed with a bigger smile.
"Ugh… I feel like I got run over by a NOD Buggy… Where's all your friends?"
He stepped back with his right foot slightly and turned halfway to look at the unconscious young man on the other bed. "Trowa's across the room, and everyone else is still sleeping on the floor." He nodded downwards at the sleeping bodies. "Katherine said she'd be back with Maria."
Arianna suddenly groaned and covered her face with her bandaged right hand.
"What?" asked Quatre, slightly alarmed.
"Now I'm going to have to put up with Maria's smothering… Great…"
He smiled again and patted her hand. "You should be thankful you have her. I never knew my mother, and my father was always so busy… I don't think many of my friends ever had a smothering mother-figure in their lives either."
"You're probably right." She lowered her hand onto her waist. Her amber eyes looked up at him, a sparkle of amusement in their depths. "But I'm sure Maria would gladly smother all five of you too if you just asked."
The door to the room suddenly opened and the two women walked in, Maria now wearing dark pants that seemed a size too big and were slightly tattered at the bottoms of the legs. A dirty white tank top and the combat boots from the day before finished her attire.
"They're here," he told Arianna as he released her hand. He stepped back as the older woman made her way to the bedside and smiled brightly.
"How do you feel Arianna?"
"Like I got run over. Can these wires come off now?"
"Alright; alright. Just hold your horses." She pressed a few buttons on the gray box on the wall and the screens turned off. She then removed the wires from Arianna's forehead, then lifted her shirt to reach the wires underneath. It was this time Quatre turned towards Trowa's bed, partly of embarrassment and partly of concern for his friend.
"You're blushing, Quatre."
He quickly looked to his left to see Duo laying on his back with his arms folded behind his head, a large sleepy smile, and his blue eyes- although only half open- sparkled with amusement.
Quatre brought both hands to his face, which was slightly warm. "N-no I'm not!"
A snort of laughter came from Katherine on his right.
Duo's sleepy smile upgraded to a sleepy grin. "Riiiiiiiiight…" Unfolding his arms, the American hauled himself up into a sitting position and rubbed at his eyes. Yawning, he then stretched his arms above his head. His back popped several times before he lowered his arms. "What time is it?" he asked as he scratched an itch on his left shoulder.
"About ten-thirty," replied Maria as she inspected the cuts on Arianna's hands. "You boys have been sleeping for a while."
"And what's our agenda for the day?" he asked as he got up to his feet.
"We'll have to wait for the other two to wake up," Arianna replied, nodding towards the still sleeping Heero and Wufei. "Before we go get breakfast." She was now sitting up on the bed, feet not quite touching the floor. "I know they need as much rest as they can get, considering they carried Trowa here."
Duo carefully avoided stepping on Heero and stood next to Quatre and looked at the still-pale uni-banged pilot. His voice suddenly became much less cheerful and his eyes became worried. "How is he?"
"Hard to say," came Katherine's voice from Quatre's right as she wrote down some notes on a clipboard. "We still can't tell if he's going to live or not. He lost a lot of blood out there, and the toxins had a while to settle in. It's up to him whether he dies or not."
Duo was silent for several seconds, looking down at his injured friend contemplatively and gnawing on his bottom lip. He then looked at Quatre, his eyes looking like those of an innocent child. "Quatre?"
Quatre saw the look in Duo's eyes as he looked at him. Immediately Quatre knew he was going to ask him if he thought Trowa would live. But how could he answer? Yes; he was hoping Trowa would come out of the whole ordeal alive, but they were so unsure at the moment; and they had been though so much in the past 24 hours he didn't know what to think. "Yes Duo?"
The braided American slowly raised a finger and pointed at him. "You're still blushing."
"Duo!"
The food wasn't that great. It reminded them of thick, slimy oatmeal, only with less flavor. But the four boys hadn't eaten anything for the last 1,800 or so years, and they really didn't care what it tasted like, as long as it was food. And they ate a lot of it.
They chose to eat an early lunch instead of a late breakfast, giving them the rest of the day to explore the base, now that it seemed it would be their new home. Arianna gave them a tour of nearly everything inside the walls, excluding the Armory and the two towers guarding the entrance. They had run out of time when dinnertime came, and the boys were so worn out from the tour they went to bed right after the meal. They found it odd they became tired so easily- especially considering the time they had spent sleeping recently- after just a tour of the base. Nevertheless, they wasted no time falling back asleep, still refusing to sleep anywhere else other than Trowa's room. Arianna, however, was glad to go back to her own bed, and said she would return in the morning.
Quatre soon regretted being eager to fall asleep. Once again, he was back in the burning city; not physically there, but seeing, hearing, and feeling everything. This time, he was in a slightly different part of the city, where he saw the girl Duo had taken his clothes from, tears pouring from her eyes as she ran. It was her pain he was feeling. She ran because her fiancé, who she had left half-buried in ruins and bleeding, had told her to. Her red wavy hair flew behind her as she ran as fast as she could, sobs breaking from her every few steps.
A shout from Quatre's right caught her attention and she turned to look. Quatre's vision turned as well to see the girl from his last dream; the one he had gotten his clothes from; standing a little ways down the street. The girl running shouted back and started running towards her friend down the road, but stopped herself short and gasped in fear as a NOD soldier suddenly appeared between them. She quickly turned to run back and find a way around him, or at least draw the soldier away from her friend. However, before she could even fully turn around, her green eyes widened even more.
Another NOD soldier stood to her other side, his gun trained on her.
She felt a scream well up in her throat…
But it never got any further.
Quatre cried out in despair, yet no one seemed to notice him. The young woman still fell limply onto her back, a perfectly round hole formed in the middle of her forehead. Quatre heard the almost inhuman scream coming from his right, but he paid it no notice. Already if felt as though something was drilling though his head, and something red and warm was running into his eyes, making it impossible for him to see. He could still hear the screaming, only now it became accented with his name…
"Quatre!"
His aquamarine eyes suddenly opened, terror and hurt in their depths. Dark, onyx eyes looked down at him from above, the voice of their owner hushed but worried.
"Are you all right?"
Quatre forced himself to slowly sit up, trying to calm his breathing. His forehead ached and felt wet. He quickly put a hand to his head to feel it was indeed wet, but with tiny beads of sweat, and was otherwise untouched.
No hole.
He heaved a shaky sigh of relief and felt his arms begin to tremble.
"Quatre?"
He then looked up at the Chinese youth, who had both hands on his shoulders, concern written all over his face. He was hard to see, considering the darkness of the room.
"I-I'm okay; just a nightmare…" He put a shaky right hand on his friend's shoulder in an attempt to reassure him, and his hand came in contact with his shirt.
He suddenly lowered his head again, looking down at the blanket as he clenched his jaw shut. It was happening again. There was still a bit of emotional pain and a lot of fear, but was far overshadowed by the physical pain. His right thigh and left shoulder throbbed. His grip on Wufei's shoulder tightened.
Wufei's hand suddenly came off of his right shoulder, lifting his head to make him look up at him. He could tell Wufei was really worried about him, judging from what he could see of his expression and his tone of voice. "Are you sure that's all it is?"
Quatre could feel the hotness behind his eyes, but forcefully held it back. He wanted so much to tell him everything; the dreams, the flashes of pain and emotion, how he all of a sudden knew who these girls were and what they were like… But he didn't want to worry them; they had been sleeping for 1,800 years, Trowa was hovering between life and death; they had more than enough to worry about besides him and his problems.
He swallowed hard to clear his throat, then nodded slightly.
Wufei released his friend. "We've all been having nightmares," he said softly as he lifted Quatre's hand from his shoulder. "It's just so overwhelming; knowing how much time has passed and yet having no knowledge of it. We don't know this world anymore." He released the hand, which fell onto Quatre's lap. He turned back towards his bed.
"Wufei, I-"
The black-haired young man turned back to his friend, obviously tired, but patient.
The blonde seemed to hesitate. "… Thank you."
A nod was his response. "I know you would've done the same for me."
As he heard his friend settle back down into sleep, Quatre stayed sitting up, his eyes wandering around the room yet seeing nothing in particular. The dream, once again, had been real; the blood had stung his eyes, but seemed trivial compared to the fact there was a bullet hole in his forehead.
His head rang as the voices suddenly came.
'Go… get out of here…''No! I won't leave you behind!…'
'Don't worry about me…'
'I can't…'
'… You gotta live…'
'Please… don't make me go!…'
'… I love you…'
'… I love you too… No! Please! DON'T LEAVE ME!…'
Quatre held his head in his hands, the final desperate cry ringing in his mind before fading away. After a few moments, he let his hands drop to rest on the floor.
He really didn't want to go back to sleep. As much as he knew he needed it, he was afraid of what would happen; what he would dream next. Of course, he reasoned as he slowly settled himself back into his "bed", maybe he would be lucky like the night before and have no dreams.
He wasn't lucky.
The girl appeared to be fifteen. She had blonde hair that hung straight to her jawbone. She was wearing a white tank top and baggy blue jeans- what Wufei was wearing now. She was running scared; tears obstructed her vision, and as far as she knew, the NOD soldier was still chasing her.
Quatre's heart became heavy. He already knew how the scenario would end; he knew, since Wufei had her clothes, that she would end up with one or more bullet holes and lay bleeding to death- if not already dead. He dearly wished he wouldn't have to watch, but he somehow managed to see the entire thing before being awoken.
A shot rang out and she suddenly fell. At the same time, Quatre felt an incredibly sharp bite in his left leg. He cried out as he felt something warm run down his leg. He didn't need to look to know what it was. The girl fell on her left side as that leg gave out, rolling onto her back. She tried to crawl backwards as the armored figure slowly advanced towards her, weapon leveled. Her heart was pounding in her throat, as was Quatre's in his. She managed to back away a few feet before another shot rang out. Her left arm buckled underneath her as she cried out, quickly reaching over to grab her shoulder in pain. Simultaneously, Quatre felt the stabbing pain in his left shoulder, followed by the rush of warm liquid over his arm. However, he could do nothing but cringe after his cry of pain, watching the girl roll on the ground as she clenched her teeth shut to keep from screaming.
The NOD soldier stopped a few steps away from her and watched. Quatre, now in great pain, couldn't believe what he was seeing. If the girl tried to escape, the soldier would shoot her again.
'Please!' he cried, despite the fact that he knew it would be futile. 'Just let her go!'
The soldier gave no movement to signal he had heard the teen; he just stood there, watching the girl as she tried her hardest not to scream. She squirmed and writhed as she clutched her shoulder, reminding him too much of Trowa when they had met up in the desert.
After a while- Quatre couldn't keep track of the time- the NOD soldier finally moved; walking to the girl's side and lowering his gun. A single shot rang out and with a spasmodic jerk, the girl fell still.
Immediately the pain came to his head, spreading like wildfire through the rest of his skull. The warm liquid flowed down the side of his face and onto his shoulder.
He suddenly woke up; his eyes opening wide and his mouth open from the gasp that he had cut short. His mind, still half-asleep, vaguely registered the sunlight pouring in though the small window. It took him several moments to bring his breathing back to a normal pace and slowly sit up.
None of the other pilots had been disturbed, unlike the previous nights. Duo had curled up under his blanket with his back to his blonde friend. The infamous braid was tucked under his right arm, and, Quatre imagined, being held like a teddy bear. The American was slowly recovering his enthusiasm and seemingly ever-present joy, and was quick to smile when his friends needed it. The day before he had mentioned to Maria after dinner how he wouldn't mind having a smothering mother figure like Arianna had. He was very much surprised when he was suddenly captured in a massive hug, the woman telling him that there would always be room in her heart for one more; even though they may be reluctant to accept her affection and care. Quatre had watched the entire thing, and had, oddly enough, felt some of the comfort and love that had spread though his braided friend as he returned the hug.
Wufei lay on his back, his head tilted slightly to his right. He seemed to be taking things well, despite their current situation-
The door suddenly opened, making him jump slightly as he turned to see who had entered. Amber colored eyes looked down at him and their owner smiled. "Morning," Arianna greeted quietly, slipping in and leaving the door open just a crack. Standing up, he smoothed down his hair in an attempt to look a little more presentable. He then looked up at her and froze, his eyes widening a fraction.
There, sparkling in the small amount of sunlight, were three small green crystals growing under both of her eyes.
Her smile faded and she put both hands to her face, touching the Tiberium as her eyes lowered to the floor. "They're growing here too," she said quietly.
"The lesser of two evils," the Arabian echoed sadly, remembering what Katherine had said the day before.
"I guess you could say that." The hands fell from her face and she looked back up at him. "So, how are you? You look a little pale."
He hesitated before rubbing his eyes in an attempt to hide the fear that appeared with the memory of his "dreams". "Just a nightmare. Wufei says everyone else is getting them too."
"Can't blame you," she replied with a half of a shrug. "Going from 197 to about 2030 would give me nightmares too. And with a severely wounded friend too- which is why I'm here." She walked quietly past Quatre, finding her way around the three bodies on the floor.
Quatre followed, standing beside her at Trowa's bedside. The gray box on the wall still had both jumping green lines. Trowa himself was still pale, but his fever had gone down slightly. However, Arianna gave no clue that he was getting better. She began to gently feel his bandaged leg; Quatre could only guess why. Moments of silence passed- oppressive moments that seemed to last forever- before her voice came, quiet and sad.
"They found a guy last night, after you and your friends went to bed. Looked like he had a bad run-in with a Fiend. Lost a lot of blood before Maria and the others found him. Had at least three shards in him. They don't expect him to last long."
"Is there any way to tell who he is?" he asked, for lack of anything else to ask.
She shook her head slightly. "No id on him. Then again, not many still on earth do. We assume he's a civilian, since he didn't have any armor on when we found him."
The oppressive silence settled in again, and the only thing Quatre could do was watch as she continued to carefully feel around the wounded area, her brow furrowed slightly and her mouth pressed into a thin line.
"Why… are you doing that?"
The question averted her attention slightly, as she glanced at him momentarily as she paused in her work. "Hmmm?"
"Feeling his leg. Why?"
She continued her work as she answered him. "I'm feeling for crystal growth. If he mutates, he'll most likely survive. But… I'm not feeling any." She let her hands fall to her sides as she finished her work. "It's not looking good. If he does survive, it'll be close."
The Gundam Pilot gently put a hand on the unconscious young man's forehead, his eyes tinged with guilt. "It's all my fault. If I had only gone with them instead of Duo, I could have taken Trowa's place…"
Heero Yuy, having been awake long enough to hear it all, slowly got to his feet. The blonde made no move when the 01 pilot stood beside him, but Arianna turned her head to look at the deep blue eyes that ignored her.
He didn't look up from the unconscious form of his comrade. "If you would have taken Trowa's place, we would not have been able to receive Arianna's help. We would have remained in the desert with no idea of where to go or what to do. You would have died out there, Quatre; at least this way Trowa has a chance."
"But-"
"He's right."
Both of the young men turned their heads to look at her.
"For the most part. Except he left out the part where you kill everyone shortly after you die."
Prussian blue eyes narrowed slightly. "Clarify."
She just shook her head, taking a step back from the bed. "You'll see sooner or later, depending on how long John Doe over in 3-13 lives."
It wasn't long before the other two pilots awoke and the five young men and woman went to eat breakfast.
The Mess Hall, located towards the center of the base, was similar to the other buildings in the sense that the building was primarily built out of foot-thick steel, doors included. Inside there were only four rooms: kitchen, cafeteria, and men and women's facilities. The cafeteria took up the majority of the building, the high ceiling making the low buzz of multiple conversations echo. The room was packed from wall-to-wall with people sitting on long metal benches and eating on long metal tables. The food, still the oatmeal-esque concoction, hadn't changed. The group of five found a relatively empty space where the four boys sat on one side while the girl sat across from them. Shortly after they began eating, Maria and Katherine sat on either side of Arianna with their food.
"Good morning!" greeted Maria half-heartedly with a forced smile. "Did you boys sleep well?"
Her question was only given silence and nods from the four boys across from her as they continued to eat.
"Okay… well…" She scooped up some of her breakfast but didn't bring it to her mouth; she instead just looked at the light from overhead reflect off of the slimy mass. Several seconds later she dropped her spoon back into her bowl, sighing as she leaned back slightly and let her forearms rest on the table. She looked up at the four boys, who paused from their eating to raise their heads to look at her. "This is stupid. We haven't even been introduced. I'm Maria Hildayga."
The brown-haired young woman beside her said nothing; just continued to eat. A quick jab in the ribs from Maria's left elbow made her look up at the boys. "Arianna Hildayga." She continued eating.
The dark-haired young woman on Arianna's other side lowered her spoon slightly. "Katherine Johnson."
"Common name, not-so-common girl." Maria smiled slightly, almost as if it was an inside joke. "Anyway…" She propped up both her elbows onto the table and cupped her head in her hands. "So; what about you four?"
Heero, Wufei, and Quatre paused their meal while Duo continued, looking up at the woman as he chewed.
"Heero Yuy."
Katherine removed the spoon from her mouth. "That name sounds familiar. I think I've head it before."
"I'm Wufei Chang," said the Chinese young man with a small nod.
Duo paused in his eating, his spoon hovering between the bowl and his mouth long enough for him to grin and say, "Duo Maxwell," before resuming.
Quatre smiled politely. "I'm Quatre. Quatre Raberba Winner."
The people around them had apparently been listing in on their conversation. Immediately after Quatre finished his name slimy oatmeal spewed everywhere, a spray of grayish-tan goop coming from every other person around them. A glob landed on Heero's right shoulder. There was the sound of some choking. Several had frozen altogether, food falling from their open mouths and dropped spoons. Maria's eyes had suddenly widened. Katherine had a spoonful of breakfast halfway to her mouth, her mouth open as she gawked at the blonde. Several clumps of the slime fell from her spoon as she continued to stare. Arianna was choking on hers, hitting her chest with her fist as she weakly coughed. Heero and Wufei's eyes narrowed slightly as they looked around, noting the reaction of those around them. Duo and Quatre could only stare and blink.
"Winner!" Katherine suddenly stood up, her palms flat on the table as she leaned towards Quatre. "As in; the Winner Corporation up in L4!"
The entire building suddenly became quiet, everyone being able to hear the second of her exclamations. Quatre and Duo looked around; the blonde fidgeting when he realized everyone was staring at him. Heero and Wufei immediately tensed.
"Well… I was the heir back in 197…"
Everyone suddenly began whispering to one another and the buzzing resumed. Incredulous faces looked in Quatre's direction. Katherine suddenly sat back down, her elbows resting on the table and her head in her hands.
"This is just fantastic… We've got a Winner here on Earth, and in a Forgotten base… GDI's gonna shove a Walker down our throats for this one…" Many of the people around them looked at each other nervously when they heard the term "Walker".
Bewildered, the blonde glanced at the near-fearful expressions on people's faces. "What-"
"Right…" Katherine rubbed at her eyes a bit with the palms of her hands. "197. I forgot."
Maria let her hands fall to the tabletop. "The Winner Corporation has been the biggest company in existence for over 600 years; anyone having the family name has been treated like royalty for the past 125. They control everything from transport to home appliances."
Duo blinked and finally set down his spoon. "Well, who's running it now?"
"Andrew Winner. He's been head of the company since his dad retired fifteen years ago. Got the nickname 'Striker' from his business deals. There's a rumor going around that he's also secretly funding NOD-"
Quatre's muscles immediately tightened.
"- and that he manufactures weapons and supplies for them too."
The man sitting next to Heero suddenly hit the table with a fist, fury burning deep in his dark eyes. "I lost my wife because of him! She was going to have our baby girl in a few weeks when NOD attacked the city!"
An immediate uproar started, men and women alike in the entire cafeteria shouting out those they had lost because of Andrew Winner.
"He killed Randy! I lost my boyfriend!"
"I lost my parents!"
"My brother died because of him!"
"Our house collapsed on my fiancé when they shelled it!"
"He's responsible for the death of my entire family!"
"They killed my baby! He was only 18 months old!"
"We lost all three of our children because of him!"
"He built the bullets that killed our son and daughter-in-law! Now we're the only ones left to raise our grandchildren!"
"NOD was able to completely destroy an orphanage in my city because of him- while the kids were still inside!"
Amidst the shouting, Quatre slowly pushed his bowl away, no longer having the appetite to eat. His head had lowered and his bangs hid his eyes from the rest of the people. His words were so quiet they were barely audible over the noise.
"I… I'm sorry…"
He felt an arm move around his shoulders and hold him closer to a warm body. "Not your fault, man," came Duo's voice to his right, soft and reassuring. "You had nothin' to do with this."
"But… my family… the company my father struggled to keep… caused so much…"
"You aren't responsible in any way; you hear me? Besides, it's just a rumor; maybe it's not true…"
The windowless guard tower stood at least twice as high as the walls. The four boys and one girl walked though the door-less doorway; each armed with a pair of black binoculars. The building was similar to the others in the base, walls made of thick steel and a dull gray. The bottom level was huge; it stretched up to the top level where the spotlight and guardsmen were. It was relatively empty, save a steel ladder that went straight up to the top level. Immediately upon entering, Arianna lead the group up the ladder.
A low grumble came from the back of the group, then a momentary silence. "When's lunch?"
The girl couldn't help but smile. "After we're done here. Although by the time we get there we'll have a long line to wait in."
"Aw man…"
Arianna was the first one to emerge from the small square into the top level of the guard tower, followed by Heero, Quatre, Wufei, and then Duo. As soon as Arianna got to her feet the two guards inside turned and smiled.
"Hey kiddo!" greeted one.
"Hey Andy! Hey Jack!"
Once they got up to the top, the four boys saw that the two guards were male and female. They both wore faded, worn blue jeans; the female wore a black tank top that was slightly tattered around the edges, while the male wore a gray tank top that had multiple stains. The woman, average height, appearing mid to late-twenties, had coca-brown hair that flowed from a tight ponytail down to the middle of her back. Her eyes were an amber color similar to Arianna's, only a shade darker.
The male guard was about two inches taller than the female with short, almost spiky black hair and dark eyes. He appeared about the same age as the other guard. His smile widened as he ruffled Arianna's hair. "These must be your friends you told us about; the newbies."
She nodded, smiling. She then turned to the four boys that had lined up before them. "This is Andrea." She put a hand on the woman's arm. "But everyone calls her Andy. And this is Jack." Her other hand rested on his arm. "They've been on guard tower duty together for about five years; it's how they met."
"In fact," added Jack, his eyes sparkling with amusement, "we like it up here so much, we're planning on getting married up here." Andrea just laughed, lightly touching a steel-colored bracelet on her right wrist. Heero and the others noticed a similar bracelet on Jack's right wrist as well.
"Rings aren't easy to find," explained Jack. "You'd be surprised what you can make with some scrap metal."
"Anyway," continued Arianna. "This is Heero, Quatre, Wufei, and Duo."
"You guys must be up here for the view, seeing as how you've got binoculars," commented Andrea.
"Yeah!" enthused Duo, taking hold of the binoculars around his neck.
"Well, then step right on up," smiled Jack, stepping aside to make room for the boys. "Just be careful not to lean on the controls."
The four young men stepped up to the control panel, getting closer to the glass-less window. The panel was full of multitudes of buttons and dials on the plane that was slanted, while the flat top ran all the way to the window was empty except a large gun on Andrea's side and a searchlight on Jack's side. The five young people lifted their binoculars and looked out the window.
Duo whistled. "Wow. That's a lot of sand."
"That's about the only thing we can see," added Wufei.
Andrea pointed out towards the northeast. "If you look further out in the distance, you'll be able to see a city over here."
The five younger people adjusted their viewing direction and saw that the city Andrea was talking about was as ruinous as the first city they had seen. Most of the white buildings left relatively standing had been reduced to first-level shells with no ceiling. The few skyscrapers that were left standing had holes of various sizes blasted into them, soot around the areas where the cement had been charred. One of the buildings had one side completely blown away, the individual levels and rooms visible and exposed to the elements. Sunlight glared in a blinding manner from a window that had managed to remain in one piece, reflecting the brilliant rays towards the observers.
"Yikes," commented Duo. "Those NOD guys don't take any prisoners, do they?"
"Rarely," answered Arianna, not taking her eyes off of the sight of a seagull hovering the buildings. "When they do, we assume it's usually for Tiberium experimentation. I don't know about you guys; but if I was given a choice, I'd much rather be dead."
"We're near the coast," observed Heero, noticing the seagull as it was joined by several more of it's kind.
Jack nodded, even though no one was looking at him. "Yep. West Coast. Arianna said she found you guys in the ruins of Malabu."
"Malabu?" cried Duo, dropping his binoculars and quickly turning to look at Jack, his face nearing horrified. "How could've that been Malabu? We're in the middle of a desert!"
"Malabu was destroyed in the fighting between GDI and NOD a long time ago," explained Andrea. "It was one of the first cities to go. The fighting caused a lot of fires that destroyed almost all plant life. Whenever it rained, the soil was washed away and plants couldn't grow anymore. Eventually it all became a giant desert."
"If that's true, then why were there still people there?" asked Wufei as he lowered his binoculars to look at Andrea.
Heero lowered his binoculars as well, but didn't look away from the ruins. "When we arrived in the Malabu ruins, there were corpses that had been dead for no longer than twenty-four hours."
Andrea shrugged. "Maybe they escaped from another city and decided to take refuge there. Probably thought NOD wouldn't look in a city they already destroyed. I guess they were wrong."
"Well, that certainly explains your clothing…" Jack eyed their attire, which was still the bloodstained clothes from the ruins. They had been so busy touring their new home and worrying over Trowa, they had forgotten about their otherwise gory appearance.
"We're still looking for clothes for them," explained Arianna as she and Quatre lowered their binoculars. "We're having some problems trying to scrounge up some their sizes."
Suddenly a screeching alarm came from the base behind them, making them all jump and quickly turn towards the noise.
"What's that!" cried Quatre. "What's going on!"
"One of the patients died!" Jack quickly turned to the control panel and put his hand on a large dial. Andrea quickly picked up her gun and ran to the other side of the tower, followed by the five younger people.
A male voice came from the speakers that were scattered around the base and sounding the alarm. "Emergency team to 3-13… This is not a drill. I repeat; emergency team to 3-13…"
From their vantage point, the six on-lookers saw that all pedestrian traffic had literally stopped. Everyone crowded around the nearest building, pressing themselves as close to the walls as they could. The roar of an engine soon became audible, coming from the infirmary and moving quickly towards them.
"Here they come! Open the gate!" called Andrea.
Jack turned the dial all the way to the left. A few seconds passed before the low rumbling of the gate lowering itself into the ground almost shook the floor beneath them.
A dark-colored jeep screamed by, the engine's roar escalating to a screech as it was pushed to go as fast as it could. The six returned to the other side of the tower and watched as the dark blur sped away, the four Gundam Pilots just barely being able to make out the four forms inside and the large gun on the top of the roll cage from the massive dust cloud caused by it's passing.
"You guys wanted to know what I meant by 'kill after death'?" called Arianna to the boys. "Watch." With that, she raised the binoculars to her eyes and the four followed, raising their binoculars as well.
The jeep continued on in a straight path for at least a quarter mile before sharply turning left, making a complete U-turn. The body of the dead patent was flung from the back of the jeep during the turn, rolling to a stop several feet away. The jeep didn't slow down; it drove straight for the open gate. The screech of the engine became louder again as sand spewed from underneath the tires. As it came closer, those wearing the binoculars were able to identify Maria as the driver and Katherine as the passenger. The person that had hauled the body out of the jeep was blocked by the large gun.
They didn't slow down once they neared the open gate; the jeep just kept right on going and didn't hit the brakes until they passed over it. As soon as the jeep was inside, Jack turned the dial all the way to the right, and the gate began to close. The five watchers moved their view to the prone form lying out in the sand. Andrea aimed her weapon at the still figure, a sniper scope emerging from the top of the weapon. Her eyes narrowed as she trained the crosshairs on the man.
For nearly twenty seconds, the base was entirely quiet. The alarm and the engine of the jeep had stopped. No one in the base so much as moved. Even the wind had stilled.
Then the body out in the sand suddenly jerked, the man suddenly flopping onto his back and his limbs moving spasmodically.
"He's moving!" cried Quatre in surprise. "He's still alive!"
"No he's not!" warned Andrea, her aim not wavering. "Just watch!"
After several moments, the four boys and two girls could make out a red blob fall from his mouth to the ground. Much to the surprise of the four boys, the blob stretched out with a pseudopodia-like extension and pulled itself onto the man's shoulder.
Several gasps were heard in the guard tower.
Still using the pseudopodia, the red blob seemingly dragged itself to the middle of the man's chest. Once there it moved onto his neck and hauled itself up onto his face. It was at this time the man's jerking became violent, him thrashing about much like the way Trowa had when Arianna was removing the Tiberium shard from his leg. The spectators were too far away to see what had happened exactly, but all of a sudden his entire head was covered in a shiny red substance similar to the blob, which had merged with the rest of the goo. The victim; or host, as it seemed at this point; continued to violently writhe. The red, viscous mass grew, quickly settling on the ground and taking form over the body of the man, which was still thrashing. He was only visible by the darker red silhouette of his body through the mass. Then, his body, starting with his limbs, began to seemingly dissolve, the silhouette of his legs and arms slowly shrinking into unrecognizable shapes until there was nothing left. The more tissue that was ingested by the red mass, the more a silver color came onto the surface of the mass. The man's head was the last to disappear, slowly dissolving into a U-shape before being ingested completely.
"Don't move," whispered Jack to the four boys, his voice low and warning for the first time. "Or you'll attract it's attention."
Silver swirled on the surface of the red mass, a face-less blob looking similar to an amoebae. Using pseudopodia, it moved left, then right, seemingly wandering aimlessly, almost as if it was confused. It then paused, seemingly to think, then moved away from the base without turning around. The speed it traveled at was amazing, considering it's size and mode of transportation. Andrea's crosshairs stayed at it's center, her finger on the trigger.
After it had gotten a half a mile further away, Jack slowly unclipped a hand radio from his belt. "Visceroid is moving east and is a mile away. Will notify when it has reached a safe distance." Then he put the back of the hand holding the radio to his mouth for a moment, his eyes lowering to the control panel. "No matter how many times I see it," he murmured, to the others in the tower as much as himself, "it's still disgusting."
The four Gundam Pilots dropped their binoculars. Duo rested his palms on the edge of the control panel, locking his elbows straight as he leaned over the metal. His head was bowed and his eyes had widened. His entire upper body trembled.
"W-w-wh-what… t-th-th-the… h-h-he…"
Quatre's eyes had also gone wide, and his upper body was trembling as well. His face had gone paler than usual.
Heero and Wufei's arms trembled slightly and their eyes narrowed.
Andrea hadn't moved; she was still tracking the visceroid with the scope of her gun. "Every time. Anyone that dies from Tiberium poisoning- that's what happens to them. Pray your friend gets better, because I've seen people die from less..."
Heero's hands clenched into tight fists as his eyes closed.
Wufei's arms began to tremble more.
Quatre fell to the floor, landing on his behind as his feet slid out from under him. Both of his arms wrapped around his stomach and his head lowered.
Duo also fell to the floor, landing sitting on his knees. His elbows rested on his legs with his face in his hands.
"Maria, this is Jack. We've got some cases of visceroid shock up in tower two."
"I'll be there in a minute…"
None of them came to lunch that day.
Author's note: I'm not responsible for any lost appetite, sleep, or breakfast/lunch/dinner.