Chapter 16
The Gundams watched as the base blew sky high. Duo stared, frozen in horror.
"Think they made it out?" Quatre asked. Heero punched in some numbers and lists of computer sequencing scanned in front of his eyes.
"The suits were programmed to lock onto us once the charges were set. They should be here by default."
"We've got to find them." Trowa stated firmly. "Start scanning for anything that could be them."
*****
Sally groaned. She felt like she'd been hit by a ten ton truck. It took her a moment to realise that she was looking at a starry sky with her own eyes, and not her vid screen, and she sat up in a panic, leaving her suit on the floor behind her. She immediately winced as pain lanced through her, stabbing her in the gut. She fought against the wave of nausea that threatened to engulf her, her vision eventually clearing. Dazed, she looked around to find her teammates in various states of disarray, their suits broken and cracked around them.
"Le...Re..Lena?" She gasped as pain ripped through her again. Relena's eyes flickered, and she whimpered as unseen hurts tore at her. Sally lay down again and took stock of what she had left of her suit. Her eyes clouded and became unfocussed as she searched, but she forced herself to find the tiny blue button that she needed. As she pressed it, she breathed a sigh of relief and finally relaxed back into the remains of her suit, throbbing pain echoing through her body.
"Hurry..." She whispered as she passed into unconsciousness.
*****
Lady Une looked at the five young men that stood in front of her desk. She sighed heavily and leant forward, her elbows on the desk.
"I am very sorry it turned out this way. This wasn't supposed to happen." She gauged their reactions carefully, watching for the tiniest flicker of emotion. None of them moved, their faces schooled into perfect masks of indifference. Une sighed again, wishing she could make it better. "You are required to continue the rest of the school year, until graduation. After that, I would be honoured if you would consider joining the Preventors. You have skills that cannot be matched, and you would be a credit to the organization." They men nodded curtly, and Une took it as a sign that they agreed. "Once again, I am sorry." Her voice softened. "I would have given anything to save you this heartache." She shook her head and became businesslike again. "Very well, enough. Dismissed." The boys stood to attention, smartly turned on their heels and left the office.
Une rubbed her face tiredly, then punched a button on her desk and a wall to her right slid open. As she walked through, she gazed upon the five beds that contained her team. As the nurses busied around them, adjusting their various needs, the senior doctor came over to her.
"How bad is it doctor?"
"The shockwave from the blast took out their phase ability, so parts of the suits shifted without them. God only knows where they are, but the shift isn't designed for human bodies, and it had the effect of their molecules being pulled apart and snapped back together like an elastic band. There are breaks, fractures, blood clots, fissures, and ligament damage beyond recognition. They will be lucky if they pull through."
"Will they pull through?"
"Hard to say. The worst off is Ms Darlian. The phase disruption caused an internal bleed in her lung cavity, and it was a race to get it sewn up. She's stable now, but the next twelve hours are crucial, for all of them." Lady Une sighed.
"Very well. Keep me posted doctor."
A/N I know it's only a short one, sorry guys! It just seemed like a really good place to leave it. I am a victim of my muse lol! Anyway, next chapters coming soon!