Note – this story is an RP collaboration by Sailor Centauri (Dunames), Bakura Millennium Keeper, Ryastarling and in later chapters, Shadow-Assassin (Cheetaramon).
Disclaimer – We don't own Gundam Wing but we do own Cassidy Noin (Dunames), Kaito Barton (BMK), Megan Maxwell (Rya) and Rebecca (Cheetara) and their respective gundams.
Gundam Wing: NG
Chapter 4 – All For None
At the time the others had all gone and picked up something to eat, and found that they were all hungry. Miss. Noin went out with a small paper plate of food, figuring that Cassi wouldn't come in for anything. She found her daughter sitting on her motorbike, testing the gears and the handlebars.
"Troubled thoughts?" she asked. Cassi turned, having heard her approach and shrugged.
"No, just thinking that's all." Her mother handed her the plate, and she leant it on the seat in front of her. Miss. Noin looked her daughter over, and if it were possible in the last few months she seemed to have grown up a little bit. She didn't come across as the quietly rebellious teen she once was, being a Gundam pilot now had probably changed her a bit.
"Did you do anything interesting?" she asked. "I heard about a couple of 'unidentified explosions' on the news you see."
"That's all they are," Cassi told her cryptically and bit into a small radish.
Meanwhile, by this time, Kaito was far from the Sanq Palace and heading back towards the Oz base. In his mind, he wasn't quite sure why he wanted to go back but all he knew was that he had to. He was thankful that his headache was gone along with the rest of the pain he'd been feeling for the last little while.
Back outside the room the guard had decided to check on Kaito, but found the door jammed. Frowning he rammed his body weight against it, until the chair fell away and the door opened. He surveyed the scene hurriedly, and seeing the air vent open and Kaito gone, he ran to the intercom system to alert Sally. She came running instantly, as did the others, except for Miss. Noin and Cassi.
"He got out the air vent?" asked Duo. "Great."
"I trained him too well," Trowa groaned.
"I'll go and tell Miss. Noin and Cassi," Sally told them and left at a run.
She found the two quietly talking by Cassi's bike, whilst still eating the contents from the paper plate. She stopped beside them breathing heavily, and had to take several deep breaths to calm herself down.
"Sally, what's wrong?" asked Miss. Noin.
"It's Kaito, he left the medical bay through an air vent."
"What? When? Why?"
"He's gone, don't know and probably because of the chip in his neck." Seeing Cassi's stunned look, Sally hurriedly explained and was surprised Cassi wasn't muttering several nasty plans against OZ right now. Frowning Cassi picked up her helmet and put it on, hoping to get hold of Meg, but she didn't answer so she tried her wrist radio.
"Yeah Cassi, what's up?" Meg's voice asked.
"Kaito's gone," Cassi responded. "And I think I know where. Think you can get there?"
"I can try," Meg responded. "I'm just leaving the mobile suit base now, and there are fireworks galore here."
"Sounds fun, just get to that OZ base straight away, i'll meet you there." She hurriedly closed her radio link and pulled her helmet back on. Miss. Noin grabbed the food plate as Cassi sat herself onto her bike, and turned the key in the ignition. The engine came to life with a massive roar, and she sped off hurriedly. If her calculations were right, she'd meet up with Meg quite soon.
Kaito walked up to the gates of the Oz base and was greeted by two men who smirked at him and opened the gate. He ignored the men and walked into the base and down the hall, turning here and there. He wasn't sure where he was going but something urged him on.
"Well if it isn't the traitor," a boy chuckled as he leaned on the wall and watched Kaito. Kaito looked at the boy and narrowed his eyes for a moment resting his hand on the gun, which he'd collected from the ground where he'd thrown it at the Sanq Palace. The boy lifted an eyebrow and was about to laugh when Kaito took his hand away from the gun and suddenly grabbed the boy by the collar and threw him hard against the wall.
"Now, now Kaito," Came a cold icy voice from down the hall, "If we start fighting amongst ourselves we'll never win this war." Kaito shoved the boy to the ground and looked over to the man who owned the voice. The Oz leader smirked at the young pilot and walked over placing a hand on his shoulder. Kaito narrowed his eyes at the man still unsure of why he'd come back here.
"What did you do to me."
"Like I said, obedient as a puppy. You belong to Oz now boy. You'll do what I say," he said to him as he led him away. The other boy rubbed his neck and glared at Kaito as he got up from the ground.
Cassi drove down the many wide roads that led to the OZ base, and as predicted she saw Meg coming off a turning to her left. Of course she was wandering what speeds Meg must've been going at to get there at that time, but right now that wasn't important. Meg drove up to her left side, revving the engines of her bike.
"Speed demon of the highways," Meg told her through their helmet radios.
"So I noticed," Cassi chuckled.
"So, care to fill me in?"
"Well, after you left they gave Kaito an antidote to the drugs OZ used on him," Cassi replied.
"However, they had also inserted some kind of a control chip into his neck and it's active now and needs to be removed."
"OZ are going to pay for this," Meg drawled out.
"Yeah, I got a patch through from base saying that Dr. H tried to get through to say our Gundams are up and ready. He's sending them via remote to us right now."
That made both girls happy, they liked having their gundams close by just in case OZ decided to start a suit battle. Not like they couldn't handle it of course, with the new upgraded NG Gundams they were a force to be reckoned with. Meg was a dab hand with her suits energy scythe, and Cassi operated her thermal energy glaive easily. Of course they'd gotten used to working with each other over the last two months, and hoped that Kaito would hang around some time to learn how to work with them too.
Pushing their bikes into the 90MPH speed factor, they revved down a few more wide and partially empty roads, till they arrived in the smaller ones heading towards the OZ base and slowed to 35/40MPH.
"Kaito had better be all right," Meg whispered as they came to a halt a few yards outside the OZ base and lowered their bikes against some trees.
"Don't worry, if he's not they'll suffer," Cassi growled.
Kaito sighed as he aimlessly walked down the halls of the Oz base. They'd finished with him a while back. He still had his memories from his past but for some odd reason he wasn't sure why he had become a gundam pilot and a spy. His family, his friends and those he once new as part of the peaceful world, meant nothing to him now. He sighed to himself as he headed towards the main doors of the complex. He needed to get out of there and get some fresh air.
Cassi and Meg stood hiding outside in the bases surrounding walls and pathetically small gardens. At least now the creepy place was showing it's true colours. They'd beefed up security since the girl's last visit, barely that same day and they'd had to knock two massive teenage guards out just to get into the grounds in the first place.
"Meg?" Cassi whispered as they looked at the building quietly. "Ever get the feeling that you're doing something for nothing?"
"Sometimes, why?" Meg responded as they stalked up closer to the main doors, guns drawn.
"Because i'm getting that feeling right now," Cassi responded.
The girls didn't have to wait long to find Kaito, as he suddenly walked out of the main doors. It looked like he was on a leisurely stroll, like nothing was really wrong at all. Knowing better, the girls both edged closer. They knew Kaito would notice them sooner rather than later, as since he was a fellow Gundam Pilot he had had similar training to their own, only he tended to avoid killing people. Acting now was their only option. Kaito stepped literally out in front of them, seemingly not seeing them as his head was raised and his eyes were closed.
Meg chanced a move first, but of course similar training meant he could sense for attacks like they could. He'd swung around and blocked her move, which was intended to knock him out, but Cassi was only a split second behind Meg. Having worked together for 2 months, the two had come up with team strategies, which they knew Kaito wouldn't be aware of. Cassi being a high degree in martial arts, whipped out with her hand and, with a firm but gentle snap of her hand, hit Kaito hard in his side. It was a specific spot designed to incapacitate someone for at least ten or so minutes because of the area it was in.
Kaito sunk to his knees, groaning as he held his side. The girls helped him around the building and behind some junk piles out of sight, before trying to talk to him.
"Kaito, you have to come back so Dr. Po can remove that thing in your neck," Meg told him. "For your own sake if for no one else's."
Seeing Kaito try to move, Cassi bent down in front of him.
"You can try and move all you like," she told her male counterpart. "But that hit disables a person for ten or so minutes, so without someone's help, you're not going anywhere. Not till you say you're ready to come back with us."
Kaito narrowed his eyes at them, "Go home before you do something you'll both regret." He looked at Cassi coldly then turned to Meg, "I'm staying here."
"What the heck for?" Meg blurted out, then hurriedly calmed her words to a whisper. "You have no reason to. You're a gundam pilot, you're on our side not theirs." It was then she felt a hand rest on her arm, and turning her head she looked directly into Cassi's blue eyes. The youngest and quietest of the three pilots stared back at her, before shaking her head.
"No Cassi, no, i'm not leaving without him. We did not come all this way for nothing. He's our friend above all else, he's..."
"He's not worth it," Cassi interrupted in a whisper. "Let's just go Meg, it's obvious this pilot takes more after Heero than he does his own father. He obviously doesn't care about those who love him either. There's no point us hanging around anymore, let's just go back to OUR home."
Meg gazed into Cassi's eyes, she figured she was saying this because she was the youngest and didn't understand, but after everything they'd been through in the last two odd months, it would be folly to think that Cassi had no deep thoughts of her own.
By this point, Kaito had regained his ability to move. He got up calmly and crossed his arms across his chest as he leaned on the wall, "So what are you waiting for? Get out of here before someone sees you. I won't give you a second chance to get away."
Both girls nodded their heads and suddenly Meg threw her arms around him and suddenly he dropped to the ground.
"Ah the wonders of nerve points. Heh, heh. Yea gotta love 'em. See, we didn't need to leave him behind after all," She said and tossed him to Cassi then they started to look for a way out.
This entire place was like they were walking threw a stupid graveyard. Even the hallways were pretty creepy. However, Meg thought the entire thing was pretty cool. Her father would love this place...and blowing it up would be a real blast. After walking for half an hour they finally stopped to check the map.
"Ok according to the map uh..." Meg said and turned the map upside down and right side up. "We are officially…(throws away the map) lost...Damn this place is a god forsaken maze. Cassi, how the heck are we supposed to navigate threw this. I get lost in those grass mazes in the back of the Sanq mansion for goodness sake... could things get any worst?"
Suddenly the sound of guns surrounded them and the two girls suddenly realized that soldiers surrounded them. Cassi looked at Meg as if she was going to kill the red head braided girl and held Kaito tightly over her shoulder.
"Why did I have to open my big fat mouth?" She asked as the men cocked their guns towards them. "Oh well that's why I have long hair" Her friend raised her eyebrow in confusion as Meg reached into her braid.
"Hmm no that's not it... ah ha!" She cried as she hauled out a tiny metal device and slapped it against the wall then tossed a metal ball to the floor causing smoke to fill the hallways. The two then took their cue, and started to run.
Both girls ran, with Meg giving Cassi a hand to support the unconscious teen she was trying to half carry. They had to leave quickly, thanks to Meg's mini bomb and that gas. When the bomb exploded, it would react with the gas and the whole building would go up in flames.
"Kaito either needs to shrink or loose weight," Cassi muttered crossly as they eventually found an exit. Meg kicked it open with a hard kick, and they were faced with the ending light of the day.
"Come on," Meg hissed as they dragged the unconscious teen out of the building and across the courtyard. No sooner had they got half way, did the timer run out and an explosion rattle the building right to its core.
"That is or was, one hardcore bomb," Cassi said in amazement. Meg simply nodded and assisted her in dragging Kaito out of the grounds and to their bikes.
Once again Cassi tied Kaito's wrists around Meg's waist with her cord belt, and once again the two left on their bikes as the explosions continued. Flames shot up into the already orange sky and the two girls actually thought that it looked beautiful, but then again it was pure and total destruction and to them that WAS beautiful. Both sighed as they drove carefully back towards the Sanq Palace, Kaito would be out for a good while now, thanks to Meg, which was a good thing really. Cassi wasn't so sure though.
"Meg," she called through the helmet radios. "Um, can we just go home after we drop Kaito off?"
Meg turned her head slightly to look at her friend, who was busy pressing a button on her wrist radio.
"Why?" was all she asked her navy haired companion.
"Call it a hunch, but...I doubt he'll like us later and i'd rather not be in company that I can't work well with. I just sent another signal to our gundams, I had intended them to meet us here, but i'm sending them back. The plane will be enough to get us home."
They reached the Sanq Palace not long after, and turned into the back area. They drove towards the runway before stopping and cutting the bikes engines. Their predecessors came to greet them as soon as they saw where they'd stopped.
"Deja Vu," Duo joked lightly as Meg removed her helmet and released Kaito's wrists. The boy was taken off the bike by his father and Wufei and moved to one side as the girls removed their helmets and got off their bikes.
"Nice going you two," said a voice as Zechs appeared with Miss. Noin and Miss. Relena. "We heard you went through quite a few trying tasks today."
Cassi simply snorted in response as she took hold of her bikes handlebars and wheeled it towards their still waiting plane. She tapped in the access code, and the back of the plane opened up so she could wheel her bike up the ramp. She disappeared and with the sound of clinking noises, the others figured she was clamping her bike down for a return flight.
"Something wrong?" asked Miss. Noin as she turned to Meg, obviously hoping she'd get an answer from the red haired teen.
"Yes and no" Meg said as they entered the underground basement base and Noin looked at her.
"Oh really. Well war is a really a terrible thing Meg," Noin said and sat down at a small table as they entered the room. "I've seen a lot threw my years Meg and believe me, what you saw today must have been terrible, but it's not the worst you'll ever encounter."
"No it's not the fighting," Meg said and sat down in her chair, 'Listen can I tell you something but promise you wont tell Cass or Kaito?"
"It depends what is it?" She asked.
"I have these weird dreams at night and last night before we went to rescue Kaito I had another one," Meg said, "I dreamed we were all in a blazing inferno and none of us could escape...then I saw faces in the fire horrible twisted faces of people. I can't shake it off I keep seeing this beautiful mecha with long gorgeous white wings disappearing in the inferno the faces were screaming in agony and I saw my father and the other former pilots in the inferno. Then I wake up…"
"A winged gundam?" Noin asked and her memory awoke to the image of Wing 0 destroying Mariemaya's base. "I don't know what to tell you how long have you been having this dream?"
"A month now. It comes and goes but... " Meg said and suddenly a figure appeared at the end of the stairs.
"You need to relax. I swear your going to over strain yourself then again wouldn't be the worst thing to happen," The person said, 'Reckless as ever now fighting oz. Now how could do you do that without me may I ask...your too weak to do it on your own"
"Mariemaya!" Meg yelled, her fists clutched as she looked at the daughter of Treize.
Outside in the plane, Cassi was busy doing standard checks to make sure the plane was ready to take off. She'd talked Howard into helping her refuel the plane for take off, and whilst that was happening she was doing final checks on the engines. Climbing down a ladder for the second time, she pulled it away and placed it against the tail so she could climb up and check the tail. Satisfied it was in good working order, she climbed down again and removed the ladder completely before returning to the cockpit to check on the controls.
"You leaving so soon?" asked a voice. Cassi jumped as she turned to see Quatre standing at the top of the small ramp at the back of the plane.
"As soon as the plane's refueled and Meg's ready to go," Cassi responded. "Which reminds me, I'll wheel her bike onboard in a minute."
"Why are you in such a hurry to leave?" asked the blonde adult as he approached the chair she was sitting on.
Cassi didn't answer as she flicked on the radar and scanning equipment, scanning for something before she switched it back off, then she busied herself with the gear controls and the piloting joystick, making sure it was moveable and ready to move the tail of the plane. Quatre reached out and placed a hand on the blue-haired girls hand, stopping her as she tried to check the pressure gauges.
"Want to talk about what's bothering you?" he asked.
"Not really, and if you don't mind I would like to have this plane ready within the next half hour," Cassi half growled.
"I'm not moving till you tell me what's wrong." Cassi took a deep breath. Push her enough and she could get just as angry as anybody with a short fused temper.
"I just think Meg and I are wasting our time here that's all," she told him and he released her hand. "We risked our lives saving Kaito twice in the same day, and he didn't even appreciate it. We wasted valuable time going back the second time around. I'm not even sure it was worth going the first time."
"Oh, that's what's bothering you," Quatre chuckled as he sat down in Meg's piloting seat and watched as Cassi carried on with her checks, occasionally turning her back on him.
"He is grateful," Quatre told her. "I guess he's just stubborn."
"No Quatre he's not stubborn," Cassi retorted. "He'd much rather work for OZ and/or himself. I'm sorry but OZ is too powerful to fight alone, and if he won't accept the help offered to him, then there's no point in offering it. If it's fighting FOR Oz then, fine." She swiveled around in her seat and got up, before walking across and out of the plane and down onto the concrete.
She nodded to Howard and the other guys refueling the plane, and went to retrieve Meg's bike and helmet, while Quatre followed her.
"Why don't you hang around at least until Sally's finished removing that chip they placed in Kaito's neck?" he asked. "Then decide whether you're leaving or not." Cassi snorted as she wheeled Meg's bike up the ramp and clamped it down, before hanging her helmet on a hook beside her own.
"Whether I hang around till then or not," she told him. "I'll still go back anyway, mine and Meg's Gundams are back where we took them, so either way I'll be going home." Quatre sighed, he didn't have kids, but he knew if he did, he would pray that none of them where like this.
Sally had asked that the others stay outside while she worked. She'd given him an extra sedative to make sure he'd stay asleep while she operated. The last thing she needed was for him to wake up in the middle. Working so close to his spinal cord was dangerous and any sudden movement could be life threatening.
Meanwhile, outside, the other adults were busy talking, pacing or sobbing in Dorothy's case. Trowa sighed as he stroked his wife's hair reassuringly.
"He'll be fine."
Wufei was busy pacing around. He said it was because he was bored but the others knew better.
Meanwhile, Meg and Mariemaya were having what could only lead to an all out catfight. And before Noin could do anything Mariemaya received a punch in the face from Meg who looked down at the daughter of Treize.
"How dare you even come here!" Meg yelled and Noin grabbed her hand before she could strike the young women again.
"Huh you're still a little vixen," Mariemaya said and whiped her mouth of the blood that came from her busted lip, "But then again, I wouldn't expect much out of you...probably going to kill us all aren't you Maxwell?"
"I'll kill you for what you did!" She cried, "I'll kill you"
"What are talking about, stop this at once," Noin cried.
"What's going on here?" A voice asked and they looked up to see Cassi standing on the top of the stairs. The blue haired teenager made her way calmly down the stairs, till she was standing in the doorframe. She leant against it casually and began toying with the tassel end of her cord belt, which she'd retrieved from Meg's bike earlier.
"Meg, mother… and Mariemaya I believe, unless I'm mistaken," she announced coolly. She then turned her eyes to Meg, cool blue meeting sharp and furious emerald green.
"The plane's fuelled up, checked over and ready to go when you are," she told her.
"Yea I'm ready" She said and started away with Cassi, when Mariemaya started to smirk and Meg clutched her hands into two fists.
"They gave you a gundam and you haven't crashed it yet?" Mariemaya asked, "I respect your father but you couldn't pilot if your life depended on it." With those words Meg swung back and pinned Mariemaya to the ground and they started to roll along the ground biting, kicking, hitting at each other in a total catfight.
Suddenly Duo came downstairs and broke the two apart. Without another word Meg went out to the plane leaving Cassi and the two adults to examine Mariemaya who slowly walked away also.
"What the heck was that all about?" Noin asked.
"Those two hate each others guts ever since they met each other," Duo said, "I don't know why but only Meg and Mariemaya know that." Cassi turned then took off after her friend.
"Hey Meg wait up!" they heard her yell. "Meg for the love of..."
It took a few minutes for Cassi to catch up with Meg, who was just walking up the ramp and into the plane. Speeding up she ran to the plane and up the ramp herself, stopping directly in front of Meg who bumped right into her.
"What?" asked the red head, staring at her friend.
"What is your beef with that girl?" Cassi asked curiously. Seeing her friend wasn't about to answer and having seen that display in the basement, Cassi decided to let it go. Sighing she stepped aside and allowed her friend to continue into the plane, following closely behind her.
Turning to the panel inside the plane, Cassi put in the code and the entrance door began to close up. She waited till it was fully closed, and went to sit in her seat. Buckling up she switched the power to the engines on, and momentarily glanced over at Meg before lifting up her headset and putting it on.
"This is Flight 1 requesting clearance to taxi and take off," she said into it.
"Flight 1, this is Ground control, permission granted," called the feminine voice of none other then Hilde. "Safe journey girls."
"Thanks," Cassi responded as she moved the plane forwards. When it was time she took the plane into the air, and carried on for a while till it was straight and flying back towards their base at Sabel Island. Turning to Meg again after she'd activated the autopilot, she chuckled lightly.
"Meg I may not know what problems you have with Mariemaya and you may never tell me but, nice punch back there." Meg turned and looked at Cassi, and smiled her usual smile.
"Thanks," she said simply. Cassi nodded and the two went back to piloting the plane, it would be good to get back home, for both of them.
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R&R
