I'M BACK! Sorry I couldn't immediately update upon return, my explaination will come at the end of this chapter.
DISCLAIMOR: :sighs: I don't own Gundam Wing, or any other copyrighted materials mentioned in this story. Why can't I just put this up once, I don't know . . . I'll have to ask someone who knows more than me.
Solo stood and streched his muscles, stiff from staying in one position for too long. He took a step back and admired his handy work. The dirt bike was brown with rust, and still in numerous pieces. The back tire was completely deflated and missing several spokes and the front tire was missing completely. Yet pride gleamed in Solo's cobalt blue eyes.
"How's the beast, man?" Shawn asked, strolling in from outside. The garage was only a few degrees cooler than it was outside, but neither seemed to notice.
"Just fine," Solo replied. "Needs some more parts, though."
Shawn looked at the broken down machine. "More than some. A whole lot more than some."
"Shut up," he said, playfully throwing a punch. Shawn dodged it easily.
"What? Can't handle the truth?"
"Come up here an' see if I can," challenged the shorter young man. Shawn tossed a greasy rag at his friend, who caught it deftly. "Well, c'mon!"
"Some other time, alright?" Shawn suggested. He glanced outside, watching sky turn from azure to twilight. "How're things between you and Trinity?"
"Fine," Solo replied, wiping his hands down with the rag. "Why d'you ask?"
The blond man shrugged nonchalantly. "No reason. Just curious."
"She's been kinda depressed about the whole L2 base thing," Solo told him. "But, we all are. It jus' hit her harder than most, I guess."
Shawn nodded, his gaze lingering on the horizon, half-hidden by the steep hill. The crest couldn't be seen, as the roof of the garage was in the way, but he knew that his cousin was still sitting near the tree.
"Wassup?" Solo asked, not entirely convinced his asking of Trinity was merely curiosity.
"Nothing," he replied, shaking his head. He turned back to his friend with a forced grin. "Just thinking."
"Oh, God," the chestnut haired young man groaned. "He's thinking! We're in for it now!"
"Shuddup!" Shawn snapped playfully, attempting to put his friend in a headlock. Gunshots and screams stopped them dead. They were still for a heartbeat, then raced out in the fading light, weapons drawn.
Dressed in nondescript, black clothing, his hair pulled back in a low ponytail, Bane swiftly crept up the hill towards the base. The lights from the base illuminated the night, allowing him to see the thick tree at the crest of the hill, and the silhouette of the young woman sitting beside it.
Behind him, he could hear one of his men cock a tranquilizor gun. A few seconds later, he pulled the trigger. There was a slight hiss of the compressed air propelling the dart and then a hollow thunk when it hit the tree, rather than the young woman. The soldier, Doyle, muttered a curse.
The girl stiffened, hearing the dart hit the tree inches from her head. Bane motioned for his men to drop to the ground, but she had already seen them. Doyle fired another tranquilizor dart, hitting the young woman before she could raise the alarm. She yelped quietly, her body sagging to the ground, leaning soggily against the tree. The soldiers waited a few minutes before Bane allowed them to continue.
Not daring to speak, Bane allowed his glare to reprimand the red haired sergreant, who didn't meet his eyes. Once he reached the crest, Bane knelt beside the young woman and felt for her pulse. It was strong and regular, just as if she were sleeping. He glanced down at the base.
It was set up like a usual neighborhood of Earth, with one-story houses complete with garages. Dirt paths crisscrossed the compound, circling around the "neighborhood" several times. The largest building was a rusted, derelict affair, the glass in its windows long gone. The double doors of the ancient hanger-like building were rusted open, providing little protection against the elements.
Despite the neighborhood setting, however, there were no children or adults over thirty-five. The population seemed to consist of a single generation of youth, ranging in ages eighteen to twenty-seven. The oldest man couldn't have been more than thirty-five.
"Remember," Bane hissed in the microphone near his mouth, "we need prisoners."
The soldiers replied affirmatively, and began to sneak around the perimeter. Bane remained where he was to see what was going on in the "neighborhood." It intrigued, and confused him that his superiors felt threatened by such a tiny base. Shaking himself free of such thoughts, he focused on his orders.
"Is everyone in position?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," Doyle replied. Bane could hear him cocking his gun over the radio.
"Fire at will."
Gunshots rang through the air almost immediately followed by screams.
"Goddamnit!" Solo screamed, tossing the jammed gun to the ground. He snatched another out of his holster, firing at the shadows. The young man could hear the screams of injured people, but he no longer knew whether or not they belonged to his friends or his enemies. He ducked behind an empty, rusted fuel barrel, surprised to find Shawn also using the fuel barrels for cover.
"Did you find Trinity?" he asked, shouting over the gunshots and screams.
"She's up at the oak!" Shawn shouted back. He shot into a shadow, and was rewarded with a scream of agony. "Go! I'll cover you!"
Clenching his jaw against the adrenaline pumping through his bloodstream, Solo made his way to the dirt path, ducking behind buildings, crates, and barrels to evade the bullets. Suddenly, the electricity went out. Momentarily blinded, Solo fell in a prone position until his eyes got accostomed to the darkness.
"God, I'm hit!" screamed a man somewhere to Solo's left. "I'm hit!"
Another gunshot silenced him forever. Relying on memory and instinct, Solo lept to his feet and raced to the path. He felt his boots hit rocks and things that were too soft to be rocks, but just as dead. Just as he reached the crest of the hill, he regained his vision.
Trinity lay motionless against the old oak, her eyes closed. Kneeling next to her was a black clothed, black haired man. He was peering into the darkness at Solo, but he could tell the man couldn't yet see him clearly quite yet. However, the chestnut haired young man was in shock at seeing his lover appearing to be dead, and couldn't react before the man. They raised their guns at each other the same instant.
"Drop you weapon!" the man ordered coldly.
"You drop yours, asshole!" Solo screamed in reply. "You call off your friends and I might let you live a bit longer."
"Empty threats won't get you anywhere," the man told him. "Now, drop your weapon."
"Go fuck yourself!" Solo snarled, ducking to the right as he fired. The man didn't flinch as bullets lodged themselves into the tree, splittering the bark and cutting into his cheek. He fired once, than twice.
Solo cried out in surprise as he felt the projectile rip into his flesh. Grabbing his right shoulder and dropping his gun, he sunk to the ground. Black dots danced at the edges of his vision as pain crashed down on him. He tilted back, but didn't feel himself hit the ground.
Bane stared down at the body of the young man, his skin pale from shock and loss of blood. He had already checked his pulse, finding it faint. The young man would not last without medical attention. Bane turned his gaze from the wounded man to the sleeping woman.
"Major," Doyle said, trotting up the path towards him. "The base is destroyed, sir."
"How many prisoners?" he asked, an unidentifiable edge to his voice.
"Nine, sir, including her," Doyle replied. "Seven men, two women. All of them in their twenties."
"Any casualties?"
"Two of our men are injured, sir. Corporal Devons will probably need surgery once we get back."
Bane nodded, letting it soak in. "Get everyone on the shuttle. We don't want to be here when their reinforcements arrive."
"Yes, sir!" Doyle saluted, turning to do as ordered. Bane glanced back down at the rebels' tiny base. The buildings burned with the bodies inside, erasing the evidence of the attack. All that would be left were ashes, nothing to signify that it was once a human settlement. All according to his orders.
The major lifted the petite, blond woman and carried her to the shuttle, leaving the man behind.
Shawn and a handful of others staggered out of the woods once the shuttle took off. He stared in shock at what was left of his home, burning to ash and cinder. A sense of emptiness filled the survivors. Shawn pulled ahead, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"Trin!" he yelled, hoping to hear her sunny voice reply. "Trin! Trinity!"
The other survivors, three in all, began calling the names of their loved ones as well. Shawn raced up the hill's steep path, not daring to hope, but unable to contain it. He stopped dead in his tracks. He saw the tree, but it was scarred with bullet holes. He saw Solo, lying at an angle, bleeding from his shoulder. He didn't see Trinity, or any sign of her.
"Solo?" he muttered, kneeling at his best friend's side. "Solo, speak to me, man. C'mon . . ."
With a shaking hand, he gently felt for his friend's pulse. Relief shot through him when he found it, yet it was still weak. Clenching his teeth, the young, blond man removed his wife beater shirt, unsheathed his knife, and cut the shirt into strips. Carefully removing Solo's shirt and vest, being mindful of his wound, Shawn wrapped the strips of black cloth around the wound as best as he could. He pressed down on it with both hands to stop the bleeding, and prayed it would be enough.
:evil, villianous laughter: Bane's not such a nice guy, is he? FYI, this chapter is one of the reasons one of my friends now, officiall, hates Bane Marquise. Don't worry, he'll redeem himself . . . maybe. :grins evilly:
Okay, folks. I was unable to post a chapter the Friday before I left, sorry about that. And my brother was moving the day I got back from VA, so I couldn't update then, either. Well, when I finally got back home, I was too tired to do much of anything, so basically, I slept all of Monday. But I'm updating now, and just for your reading pleasure, I'm posting another chapter:celebrates:
Tsukikyo no Yume - Thanks for your awesome reviews! I nearly wept for joy when I read them! That sounds to be the basic plot so far, but it'll go under some . . . rennovations, lol. And since you've complimented my grammer and such, I must confess . . . I wrote all of this on a program that does not use a spell check or a grammar check, so if you spot any mistakes, let me know!
gabrieldarke - AHHH! Yes, you scared me:adopts threatening posture: lol Anyways, glad you liked it so well!
goodbyegirl - :wipes away tear: I'm so glad you liked this chapter. And about the misspelled word . . . I don't have a spellcheck, so I'm relying on myself and other people to correct me . . .:sighs: Well, have fun in Russia! Stay outta trouble, and if you can't, don't get caught:winks:
Rhiw - I can't thank you people enough for the reviews! I really can't. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Bane's my favorite character, too . . . Which is kinda obvious, I guess . . . :sighs: Anyways, glad to be original! I got tired of all the cliche stories, so . . . Yeah.