Companions of a kind – Gundam
Heero closed his eyes, the chemicals in his brain and body shifted and rushed in all different directions as room around him lost gravity. With no gravity in the bay, his body had no sense of where to orient and the rush of it trying to find its center was a sickening but fascinating experience.
You just gona float there with your eyes closed?Duo asked sarcastically in Heero's head. Heero's eyes fluttered opened as his body centered itself on his stomach... like Cassandra had taught all of them.
Heero glanced at Duo, who was floating near the ground, kept in place by a hand on the Deathscyth's outer control panel. His eyes skimmed the dull silver room, it was well lit and the walls the same metal that the ship was made out of. Duo nor Quatre had even attempted to paint the vast space that they had built their Gundam's, and their Gundam's still remained. Wufei was also with Duo and himself in the bay. Quatre was manning the bridge while Trowa was in the little shuttle handling targets and running interference.
Although they wanted to give the ships a good idea of their power they didn't want to give it all away. Heero looked back at his Gundam. The small bit of movement that he had made earlier had him still moving in the vacuum of space and he called upon a small portion of his pure power in his staff to change his direction toward this cock pit.
The dark blue door opened only after he had given both a hand print and a magic ID. It slid opened with a small hiss; the main outer door became a platform for him to walk on while the inner shielded him above from attacks.
The interior of Wing was much the same as its counter parts. A large slightly padded brown chair was bolted down to the center with several padded straps to help keep him in the seat as the Gundam moved. Right behind the seat was a hole in the floor with a carved diamond funnel coming out of it, the exact shape of his staff. He carefully placed the staff it is appointed place. He removed his leather jacket and tied it down next to his chair before strapping himself in.
The controls for the door (which was powered by auxiliary power) were on the arm of the chair and his fingers rand over the small keys like a spider crawling on its web. Within a minute the double gundamium doors to Wing were shut and the three monitors lit up the interior in an almost eerie glow. It combined and meshed with the dirty yellow power that diffracted as it came out of the crystal. Anyone who would see them through the monitors would see a person seemingly surrounded in arterial light.
"We will convene outside the ship, remember this is just a demonstration," Quatre's voice came over the com systems. The com systems had two levels; Quatre was talking over the level allowed them to communicate with the Enterprise, Companion and any other non-magical communications device. The other level was powered by the mind part of each of their staffs. They both looked the exact same on screen; however the magical on could not be eased dropped on.
"Damn, you're ruining all my fun!" Duo said sarcastically. His upper body and face, surrounded by a grey light that sparkled and swirled, suddenly appeared on Heero's left monitor and winked at Heero. Although he could choose to accept or block out the messages from non-magic forms of communication he could not do the same with the magical.
"Understood," Heero dead panned. He changed the left monitor to show the world around him, Duo's form disappearing as he also began to work the controls of his Gundam. Cassandra had opened the bay's outer doors, Shenlong was already out.
"Race ya?" Duo questioned. Heero glanced to his right, Duo's black Gundam had come up along side his and Duo's image was in the upper left hand corner of his screen.
"Don't even think about it Maxwell! If you bust through the bay door where only one Gundam can fit at a time, than the Companion will be damaged before a battle even begins!" Wufei bellowed. Heero tuned both Wufei's order and Duo's retaliation out as he used his muscled legs to start the Gundam walking.
Although flying was all controlled by commands and a 'joystick' as Cassandra named the contraption Wing's motor powered functions required more thought and muscle control. The arms guided the body, the legs following suit unless the legs were locked in place, allowing the controller to spin the upper half of the Gundam's body around in a full circle to shoot at things at its back. The big difference in Wing, was that it could change it's from, loosing the Egyptian style human form in place of the sleek fast fighter.
Heero moved his Gundam into formation. Shenlong was in the center, with Deathscyth and Wing on either side. Although it wasn't a discussed formation, it was an obvious one that Quatre had decided upon when they had put together the demo. Heero closed his eyes for a moment, Quatre was waiting for conformation to start, and it was taking longer than expected. Heero's mind went back to one of the sudo- meetings they had discussed strategy in months earlier.
Heero glanced over at the bridge from his work in the top level of Engineering. Quatre was on duty and the blonde seemed so board that he was falling asleep. Heero narrowed his eyes but turned back to his work, letting one of the self diagnostic's run while he swung down his mess of netting to the level below. He immediately felt a presents and unconsciously wrapped one had around his staff, the other loosened a throwing knife in the sleeve of his leather jacket.
"Chill out bud, it's just me," Duo's voice called out unthreateningly. Heero turned, hand not leaving his staff, as Duo came out of the doorway his hands in the air. It took a moment for Heero to calm his muscles, but the throwing knife eventually went back into its seethe and both hands moved to begin typing on the consul in front of him.
"What a wonderful welcome!" Duo said sarcastically, taking Heero's actions as a come on in. Although Heero could still feel that Duo would keep his distance, it hadn't been that long ago that Heero had thrown him hard enough against a wall to knock the thinner man out.
Sense they had started working out together though, Heero had found that he was getting accustomed to Duo's feel. His body no longer reacted as violently to Duo's occasional step into his personal space. And reactions like the one he had just had were becoming farther between as Heero learned Duo's magic signature. However the necromancer was very good at hiding it, as he had been doing. Heero wanted to ask why Duo had been hiding his magical presents but could not bring himself to voice the question. Showing interest in things such as that was a weakness.
"So what are you doing?" Duo asked. Heero glanced at Duo who was leaning against the railing, one of his fingers traced the pattern of the netting absently as his big violet eyes took in the world around him.
"Maintenance," Heero dead panned. He missed the face Duo made as he turned back to the consul screen.
"What kind of maintenance?" Duo questioned his voice an odd mix of annoyance and playfulness at the same time.
Heero once again glanced at the braided man. Duo had stopped tracing the netting and was now flicking it impatiently. The motion sent small ripples up his muscled bare arm and Heero followed a ripple to Duo's extremely well put together chest. Something inside Heero began to stir and Heero immediate looked back to the consul.
"I am reconfiguring the input of one of the ships minor power lines to optimize its use of the warp core," Heero stated. He didn't really know why he was answering. Suddenly he tensed as Duo's body came up right next to him and slightly behind, he could almost feel the heat from Duo's body, that feeling once again entered his body and Heero made an effort to bury it.
"So the warp core powers the entire ship? Is it magic?" Duo asked. Heero stepped away from Duo. He didn't understand this new feeling he was getting or Duo's sudden interest.
"Yes, No," Heero answered Duo's questions in order. Duo looked at Heero confused and Heero ignored him, he easily grabbed a hold of his netting that hung down from the level above him and pulled him self up to check on the self diagnostic. A moment later Duo was up the netting as well.
"That's tuff, you must get a work out just moving around here," Duo puffed, in imitation of being out of breath. Heero watched Duo's shapely leather clad legs as they tumbled over the railing and then shook his head, focusing on the diagnostic in front of him.
"Q-ball! You awake?" Duo called out suddenly behind Heero. Heero didn't pause in his reading as he heard Quatre's foot steps join them. Duo's excited voice began trying to tell Quatre about what Heero had just told him about the warp core. Quatre tried to follow but it was a little jumbled, although Duo did get the jest of it.
"Trowa some times tells me about these things, he is doing something with combining the warp core energy and magical energy to make a weapon... oh I can't explain it," Quatre said. Suddenly the mind ball on his staff gave off a low glow. "Trowa will be here in a moment to help!" Quatre said.
"Mov'in fast, aren't you too?" Duo asked, a bit of husk to his voice.
"Duo," Quatre said, his face turning bright red. Duo elbowed Quatre, which only made the blonde blush more. By the time Trowa arrived, Quatre entire face was on fire and Trowa's concern only made it worse.
"Baka," Heero dead panned. Heero watched as Duo's laughing face turned to him and slightly fell. But it was laughing again before Heero could even register the change of emotion.
"Right," Duo said, gaining control of him self. Heero turned back to his consul and began typing the necessary calculations the diagnostic would need to complete. He half listened as Trowa began to explain what he was doing with the warp core and water magic.
"Has anyone seen..." Wufei's voice interrupted Trowa's explanation. He seemed slightly surprised to see the four men all in engineering. "Do you still want those conversions I found?" Wufei asked Trowa after taking in the seemingly harmless situation.
"Yes, thank you," Trowa said quietly. He took the hand held computer from Wufei with a nod.
"I would also like to talk about those ideas I had about the Gundams with you later," Wufei stated. Trowa nodded.
"What ideas?" Duo asked. Heero's eyes glanced over at Duo as his hand finished entering the commands on the control panel.
"Strategies and such, Maxwell. Nothing that concerns you," Wufei stated.
"Well, CHANG, I only pilot on of those Gundams that your strategies seem to be about so let's all hear it," Duo said, accenting the appropriate words.
"I need a computer screen and there aren't any at hand, so I guess it will have to wait until later," Wufei began to brush off, trying his hardest not to react to Duo's banter.
"Jeeze, Wu-brains, were in a fucking ship. In engineering and a two second walk to the bridge," Duo stated. His hands were on his hips just above where his almost indecent pants came up to. Heero averted his eyes.
"Look, stop fighting you too," Quatre said. The attention of the remaining four turned to the blonde. "Duo is right, in order for any strategies to work everyone should be part of them. Besides, no ones knows anyone else's Gundam better than the builder. To the bridge... as long as Heero can leave what he is doing," Quatre added at the end.
Heero didn't like the attention on him and quickly nodded. Quatre led them all to the bridge where Wufei started his ideas of ways that the Gundams could work together. The conversation grew long and at times heated but the end result was amazing and that day they started practicing, connecting each person in turn with the bridge.
"Heero, you in there?" Duo's voice broke Heero out of his memory.
"Roger, what is the situation?" Heero stated.
"There isn't one, chill. We are just giving a demo. Let's'c we, as in me you and the Wuffers, are still waiting in formation. Trowa has several targets set out waiting for you to blow up and Q-ball is waiting for conformation from Assandra to begin," Duo stated.
"Roger," Heero dead panned.
"Man I wasn't giving a report, there are more words in the English language than Roger and Confirmed ya know," Duo muttered. Heero briefly wondered why Duo was still on his com. He turned his head and studied Duo's image, the black sparkles seemed to have enhanced the violet intensity of his eyes and the lack of gravity had sent his untied down braid floating off to one side.
"Do I have something on my face?" Duo asked. Heero narrowed his eyes and looked away.
"Your hair will get in the way," Heero dead panned. He made Duo's window as small as possible his mind drifting back to his memory. That had been several months ago, when he had still not been able to pinpoint what the strange feeling was. Although it was Duo that brought out the feeling it was Quatre who had pinpointed it.
The empath had talked to him right after that sudo-meeting that he had just remembered. He said the emotion Heero was experiencing was attraction that could lead to love. Heero had tried to rap his mind around the idea but the most he had been able to reason out was logical. He felt comfortable with Duo, sometimes Duo's presents was even soothing.
But neither love nor attraction was emotions that Heero knew how to deal with. They were both weaknesses that would hinder his abilities. Dou had told him that the emotions Heero was feeling were unwanted because of fear and because they were new. But know they were months old, no longer new, and as far as Heero could tell he did not fear the emotions.... He just didn't want to deal with them.
Duo's advances toward Heero had become less aggressive and more passive. Heero found Duo with him a lot. They worked together so well, almost to the point where they could read each others mind during scrimmages with the Gundams. Duo had told Heero that he was going to solve his aversion to emotions. Heero didn't believe that it was possible; there was nothing wrong with being strong.
"I've gotten conformation, all three ships are in position to watch us," Quatre's voice came over the com and broke Heero from his thoughts. He glanced at the side of the screen; Duo's face was watching him with an almost peaceful expression.
"Duo and Wufei you are to do light sparing – do not break each others Gundams! Oh and stay in side mini-sectors 18-24. Heero, Trowa's got targets set up for you, you are to seek and destroy them in order. It's a bit of an obstacle course... don't get hurt... I don't know what it is exactly," Quatre muttered at the end.
"Roger," Heero dead panned. Cassandra must have set it up for him.
"You may begin at any time," Quatre finished. Heero glanced to see if Duo's face was still watching him, but it was gone. For some reason there was a pull on his chest but ignored it. The light from his staff brightened as his sensors told him where the first target was. His mind easily dropped the little bit it needed to concentrate completely on the task at hand.
mtc