A/N Thankyou to all of you who have been super patient and waited for this - sorry it's been a long time coming, I was hoping to get it sorted sooner. Curse you, damn writers block! Anyways, here we go with Chapter 14. Hopefully the next few chapters won't be too long following it. Thanks again, and please feel free to read and review!

Chapter 14

"Get rid of him!" Pax ordered, throwing the unconscious Du Lac into the arms of the waiting Lady Une. "On my mark!"

"No!" Une's voice rang out clear and loud in the empty hangar. The Shifters stopped their preparations and stared at her.

"Commander, our partners are prisoners of war!" Hilde angrily ground out as her suit opened. "We have to get them back!" Une's eyes hardened.

"They gave themselves up so that you could get out. We have to make a plan of attack and then get them back. You cannot go barging in there like a bull in a china shop. PERIOD!!!" She yelled as the pilots opened their mouths to argue. The girls subsided, looking mutinous. Une's voice softened slightly. "I know you are worried, and we will help them, but we need to gather our wits first. Now, take him to the cells and clean up while I formulate a plan." The girls nodded slowly and hoisted the man up, then carried him away. Lady Une sighed and rubbed her face tiredly.

*****

The five pilots grimaced as they watched their Gundams get winched into the enemy hangar. Their hands in cuffs, their shoulders slumped and their feet chained together, they slowly shuffled into the open cell that awaited them.

"Not so tough are you?" Jeered their guard as he smirked at them. Heero turned a death glare on him and the man backed off. He spat on the ground at Heero's feet, muttered something that sounded suspiciously like the word 'freak', and then slammed the door shut. Duo stretched his bound hands behind his head.

"Man, this sucks." He stated.

"At least the girls got out with the hostage." Quatre shrugged. Wufei leaned against the wall, his eyes closed. The other pilots settled into comfortable positions, ready to wait for whatever their captors had in mind.

*****

Relena slammed her door and stormed over to her bed, flinging herself onto it. She buried her face in her pillow and willed herself not to cry. She never disobeyed an order, but she hated leaving members of her team behind. She hated leaving Heero behind. She flipped onto her back, and stared up at the cold unfeeling metal roof, willing it to give her an idea. It didn't, and she pulled herself up, sitting on the edge of the bed and dropping her head into her hands. She looked up as the door opened, and her friends stood watching, waiting for her permission.

"Come in guys. I need you right now."

"I think we all do." Catherine said, sitting next to her.

"What do you think they are doing to them?" Hilde asked, her eyes concerned.

"I don't know, but Une better think of something quick, because in twelve hours I am going after them, plan or no plan." Relena declared, her face hard.

*****

Une rubbed her temples as she desperately wracked her brains for an idea. None were forthcoming. She groaned and dropped her forehead to her desk, the cool surface calming her raging frustration. She twisted slightly and noticed the small manila file that had appeared on her desk. She leaned back in her chair again and flicked it open, scanning through the first page. Her eyes lit up, and she punched the intercom button.

"Travers! Get in here, NOW!"

*****

The girls were out of the room before Lady Une even started talking. Appearing in her office and hardly out of breath, Une abruptly turned off the vid screen and faced them.

"We have a plan of attack. Your suits have been modified to remotely control the Gundams from up to two miles away. Use them as a distraction, and slip into the compound. Free the pilots, and destroy the base. Use any means necessary, I don't need to remind you that five men's lives depend on your actions. Clear?"

"Yes ma'am!" The girls saluted, and with a nod from Une, ran from the room.

*****

Pax hissed as Tumble shifted slightly, causing small stones to cascade down the ravine that they were perched atop of. Catherine winced on Relena's vid screen, mouthing sorry. Relena shook her head, then turned her attention to the base below them. Beside her, Rebel's head moved slightly as she scanned the base, picking out heat signatures.

"Fifty patrolling, armed. Ten in command centre. Targets in the south wing hangar and north east corridor, seventy two point three metres from the centre." She muttered, feeding the data to the others.

"Perfect." Scorn loosened her shield, and Dorothy smiled, a feral grin that the others mirrored.

"On my mark." Pax murmured, the adrenaline beginning to pump through her veins. The wind scudded the clouds across the sky, and the moon's light began to dim.

"Three." The shifters placed their feet, readying themselves.

"Two." As one, they slowly stood and looked down on the base below.

"One. Mark." Silently, they shifted, leaving darkness in their wake.