Bourn on White Wings
Chapter 3
At the Safe House
By: Miguela
The three of them crept back to the school grounds through the trails, Heero supported by Mia and Duo at Mia's refusal to let him walk on his own. He limped along, his right leg splinted and bandaged from the knee down.
They snuck into the student parking lot, where Duo had over heard a loud-mouthed jock in class proclaim that his parents had recently bought him a new sports car for his birthday. He also knew that that student was in the room next to his and Heero's and that the keys for the blue Supra were hanging up on the peg board in the teacher's lounge on the first floor of the dorms. Heero had insisted that Duo go and fetch his laptop from his room while he forged a note for the two of them from a non-existent doctor that they were both sick and went home for a little while until they both recovered from whatever virus they had contracted. Duo slipped the forgery on the desk in a pillaged envelope and snatched the keys from the hook and slipped out before someone caught him stealing one of the richest kids' keys right from under their noses, and he was sure not to leave any evidence linking him to the scene.
He came out the lobby doors twirling the key ring on his index finger in triumph. "Piece of cake," he announced, unlocking the doors to the sports car and the three of them piled in. Duo took the job as driver while Heero rode shotgun as navigator. Mia hopped in the back with no complaint, and sat with her large wings obscuring the rear windshield unintentionally.
Duo floored the gas pedal and they shot out of the student parking lot and raced onto the highway, with Heero constantly reminding his friend that they couldn't afford to get a speeding ticket at this point and that the speed limit was eighty. After the twenty minute drive, they found the address to a country farmhouse, the same one that Heero had been informed by Quatre that the rest of the Gundam boys would be if they needed any help of any kind. The driveway was long and muddy from the previous day's rain and trees lined the sides, casting a welcome shade from the newly rising sun. They finally came to the end of the long drive to see a pickup truck parked in front of a large, olden styled country home, which was in good repair from the Maguanac Corps' devotion to their master and the belief that he shouldn't be staying in a run down, old house.
As they pulled up, Heero was almost certain that Maganac Corps' devotion to their master and the belief that he shouldn't be staying in a run down, old house.
As they pulled up, Heero was almost certain that Maguanac troops had been alerted about their arrival by now and that there would be a small army waiting for them.
Sure enough, Rashid was standing like an ominous statue on the front porch, arms crossed over his large chest to bar their way. Though when they stepped out and Duo waved cheerily at the huge Arabian, he relaxed and smiled slightly, calling to the others in the farmhouse that the other Gundam pilots had arrived.
Mia had fallen asleep in the back yet again, though this time she didn't look like she would be waking up anytime soon as she was curled up in a tight ball with her knees to her chest and her wings folded tightly to her body; her head was cradled on her arm.
Quatre soon emerged from the house, smiling widely at the two Gundam pilots that he hadn't seen in such a long time. "Hi guys," he greeted energetically, waving furiously at the pair. "What brings you guys here?"
"We need a place to stay for a while Quatre," Heero said, gesturing to the back of the car where the girl was fast asleep. "It seems that we have found a new ally at the New Star Base."
Quartre gave him a puzzled look until he caught a glimpse of the girl sleeping gently in the back. Staring in disbelief, he turned back to a chucking Duo. "What are we supposed to do with a civilian girl while we're in the middle of a war?" he asked in uncertainty. "She can't stay here with us leaving every few hours to go fight."
"She's been trained as I have," Heero cut in. "She was supposed to be the sixth Gundam pilot but the project was pulled before they could be completed and she was sent out onto the street."
Quatre stared at Heero in shock. "She was the one who was supposed to pilot the Wing Gundam while you were supposed to pilot the Wing Zero?" he asked in disbelief. It was Heero's turn to give Quatre a strange look. "When I made Wing Zero, I remember reading the reports, seeing that this prototype was to be perfected and given to the Perfect Soldier to pilot to Earth and a girl was to pilot the Wing. But the project was deemed to dangerous for even the Perfect Soldier and it was scrapped. It never said what happened to the girl."
"So Quat, are you going to invite us in or what?" Duo said, and just waltzed right passed the Maguanacs standing in front of the door and into the cosy farmhouse, intent on making himself at home.
Heero lowered his seat so that Rashid could gain easier access to the girl who was sleeping peacefully on the backseat. The older man slid an arm in between her body and the seat and eased her up into his arms. She looked extremely small in comparison to the large Arabian, who cradled her small form, wings and all, in his protective arms. She groaned and nuzzled into a nook in his arms where she fell back into a deep sleep.
Following after the bear of a man with a pronounced limp, Heero entered the lavishly furnished farmhouse under the watchful eyes of the Maguanacs who stood watch on the porch. There was a landing at the front door, allowing for the removal of footwear to avoid dirtying the expensive-looking wood flooring. Up a small flight of stairs was a large sitting room adorned tastefully with a rose-patterned rug under a cherry wood coffee table in front of a cushy sofa. There were a couple of maroon armchairs in either corner of the room to allow for the existence of personal space in between.
Down the longer flight of stairs from the landing on which he stood lead down to a subterranean network of caves from which the Maguanacs could plan escapes from almost anywhere in the immediate area. He had heard from Quatre that the farthest any of the caves stretched was ten miles north, under a small lake, to the other side to a prearranged camp that was always ready for an ambush. So far it hasn't been used in case of emergency.
Heero hobbled up the shorter flight of stairs and sank down in the closest armchair and leaned back, the footrest coming up automatically, for which he was grateful. His leg was paining him greatly, and just being able to bring it up and rest was too good to be true. Duo and Quatre sat down on the sofa, Quatre attempting to try and make a civilized conversation with Duo while Duo went on and on about all the hot girls at the school they had been laying low at.
Heero sighed and closed his eyes, sinking into the comfortable chair and letting his tense muscles relax, as the two friends talked about irrelevant things. He was just so tired, and he deserved a break after all the missions that he had done so far. He fell asleep in the armchair, content, while Mia tossed in the bed that Rashid had placed her in at Quatre's request. She dreamt of all the things that had happened to her since she and Heero had been separated. All the beatings that she had endured, all the testes, all the pain, all the loneliness… She gasped, sitting up in bed, shaking from the horrible images. She was unsure of where she was, glancing around the comfortable guest room in confusion. The last thing that she remembered was laying down on the back car seat while Duo and Heero talked quietly amongst themselves, her energy depleted for the day and then some. Her wrists and ankles had been redressed in clean bandages, though there was still a slight red stain appearing through the white.
She slowly swung herself over the side of the bed and used a nearby chair to support herself as she rose on unsteady feet, keeping a firm grip on the arm of the chair to keep from falling. Inching her way painfully to the door, she was about halfway there when she heard footsteps approaching. Unsure if it was a friend or an enemy, she prepared for the worse, picking up a nearby vase that could be used as a potential weapon. Standing with her back to the wall on the side of the door hinges, she waited for the intruder to poke his head in so that she could deliver a good wallop. A head of blond hair poked around the side of the door and she didn't hesitate to ask questions, bring the porcelain vase down on the head as hard as she could without a second thought.
Poor Quatre, who had gone to see if the young girl that Heero and Duo had brought with them was all right, saw stars suddenly, staggering to the side away from the assailant. There was a feminine gasp and a feather-light touch on his shoulder as he fought to stop the room from spinning so fast.
"I'm so sorry," Mia said, watching the blond man blink in confusion. "I thought you were an Oz soldier."
Quatre steadied himself enough to stop the room from spinning, but looked up and saw four white wings, four large yellow eyes peering at him in worry. "Don't worry about it," he replied. "I should've knocked first, my mistake."
She took his arm and helped him over to the chair, though it was more the other way around, with Quatre supporting her weak form, which clung to his arm to keep from falling.
Rashid rushed into the room after hearing the smashing of the vase, and looked around in alarm though blinked a few times to see Quatre sitting and rubbing his head while Mia sat on the edge of the bed and stared at him in worry.
"Is everything all right Master Quatre?" he asked, going to his young master's side.
Quatre waved him away. "Yes, everything's fine Rashid, don't worry yourself about it."
Mia apologized over and over to Quatre as he tried to clear his blurry vision. She brushed the bits of porcelain from his long blond locks, picking up the remains of the broken vase and threw them in the trash and offered to work to pay to replace the broken item.
"Nonsense," Quatre said, waving to the blurry white image in front of him, "It came with the house."
"Still," she said, "I would like to make it up to you some how…"
"If you want to make it up to him in money, you're wasting your breath," Duo called from the doorway. "This guy here is one of the richest kids on the earth and the colonies."
"Duo!" Quatre exclaimed in outrage. "I would've liked to have let my identity remain unknown."
"She would've figured it out soon enough Quat," he said casually, leaning on the doorframe as he usually did.
"So, who are you exactly?" she asked tilting her head to the side in question. "It's been a while since the last time I heard of any news concerning the war or of the wealthiest family of the time."
Quatre was amazed with how polite and refined she was despite the fact that she was filthy, for reasons that she couldn't control he was sure. She held deep wisdom in her golden gaze, and her poise struck him as a mature young lady who hadn't had a civilised conversation in a long while.
"The Winner family is still in charge of most of the natural resource satellites in the L4 region," Quatre explained. "So far, we've been reconstructing some of the severely damaged colonies in the immediate area, while other corporations have come to us seeking aid to gain resources to keep an ailing colonies' citizens alive in time for a repair crew to arrive."
She nodded, "And you are the young heir Quatre Raberba Winner, are you not?"
Quatre lowered his gaze, cursing Duo to have stumbled across them. "Yeah, I am…"
She beamed, smiling widely in excitement. "I've always wanted to meet you in person," she said, "And since you introduced yourself, I'm Migiana Hiten, sixth Gundam pilot." She extended her hand to him and he shook it carefully so that it didn't agitate the lacerations on her wrist.
Quatre nodded, "Heero told us a bit about you while you were asleep," he explained. "He told us how you two became acquainted and such…"
"How is he by the way?" she asked, worry floating to the surface of her golden eyes. "His wound didn't get infected, did it?"
Quatre gave her a confused look. "We didn't know that Heero was injured," he said slowly, "Was it serious?"
She nodded, becoming distressed, "He was shot in the back of his right calf, and it went straight to the bone. I think it was chipped."
Quatre grew grim with this revelation. "He's sleeping across the hall," he said, rising from the chair, "But he walked there by himself; how could the bone be chipped?"
Mia shrugged and held on to Quatre's arm as he escorted her over to Heero's room. Duo was thinking hard on what Quatre had asked. He had seen Heero get shot and stumble himself, he had seen Mia put a temporary brace and bandages on it, but how could he miss the fact that his friend was still injured, and with a chipped bone on top of that. He supposed that he must've fallen asleep before Heero had left the chair in the sitting room after he had fallen asleep on the couch. Cursing himself for being so inattentive, he followed after Mia and Quatre into an adjoining guest room not far away.
Heero lay on the bed shivering when the three entered the room. He had just thought to pass the wound off as a minor discomfort, after having walked on it after it had been examined. He didn't think that he would have to postpone his return to action because of it. His leg was sore; probably with infection due to the amount of pain it was causing him and the heat that was being emanated from his body at this point. The bone shards might also have moved out of place from the amount of activity he had forced himself through. He was sick to his stomach, even after throwing up his breakfast earlier.
Mia frowned at seeing Heero shivering so violently under the covers. She knew that she should've insisted that they take him to a hospital first, even if it would've shown that they were Gundam pilots, it would've been worth the chance if it would be keeping Heero alive. Now he might've added to the chance that the wound was infected after walking on it.
She pulled back a corner of the sheets to expose his injured leg, while Quatre called for someone to call a doctor. Pulling off the bandages, she found that the skin around the wound had turned a bluish colour, and his skin was icy to the touch, but his face was burning with pent up heat. She bit her bottom lip slightly, and asked Duo, who stood gaping in the doorway, to bring her a bowl of very cold water, a washcloth, a couple of rolls of bandage, and a pair of tweezers. She needed to examine his wound now before it was too late to help and he died.
Duo returned shortly with all the requested items in hand, nearly sloshing the water in the bowl onto the floor in his haste to get back to Heero's room in time to aid him. Placing the bowl down on the nightstand next to the bed, he wet the washcloth and handed it to Mia, who, in turn, placed it on Heero's forehead. He groaned and attempted to pull the cold mass off his head, as it was too cold to bear at the moment, but Mia swatted his hand away.
"You brought this upon yourself," she scolded, inspecting the wound. "This is the last time that I let you avoid medical treatment.
Heero groaned again, pulling away from her prodding touch on his wounded leg, but only succeeded in making himself more nauseous than before. He felt Mia begin to wash the wound clean again, trying to pull away from her proved useless when she clamped a firm hand on his leg, above the knee, preventing him from pulling away.
A doctor who lived in the local village, a personal friend of Quatre and the Winner family, soon arrived at the farmhouse to tend to the injured Heero. Quatre, who had come to check up on his friend, escorted the young doctor down to the guestroom. Mia looked solemnly up at the pair from the floor as they entered, taking the washcloth off Heero's wounded leg and returned it to the bowl on the nightstand. Duo sat in the armchair in the corner, arms crossed over his chest and slouching low in his seat. He had a scowl on his face, not pleased with the turn of events.
The young girl, he noted, had large white wings that were folded tightly to her back, and a golden glare that made him sweat slightly as he checked on the youth whose leg was bleeding freely on the sheets. The young man pulled out his instruments out of his handbag and began checking the youth. He had a raging fever caused by the shifting of the splintered bones in his leg, and the slight infection that was slowly growing inside the bullet wound. Pulling out some penicillin, he asked the young girl, "Are there any medications that he's allergic to? Anything he can't handle?"
She shook her head. "Nothing I know of, and I know that he's been treated with almost everything under the sun by now."
He gave her a disbelieving look, but shrugged it off and pulled out a syringe from his bag, injecting the sterile needle into the little bottle of liquid drug and injected it into the young man's arm. There was a soft, surprised hiss that came from him, but nothing else. That done, the doctor went about fixing the bones in his leg. Taking a pair of tweezers, the young doctor went about placing the bones back into place, after injecting some numbing drugs into the immediate area. Once that was done, he strapped the leg tightly, splinting it.
"I'll have someone come by with some crutches for him sometime tomorrow," the young doctor said once he was finished and was cleaning his hands. "He is not to be walking on that leg for a while."
Quatre nodded, "Thank you so very much for coming on such short notice doctor," he said. "I'm very grateful."
"Just make sure that kid takes it easy," he said and left.
Thank you so much, people who reviewed! And now, the part that I've been trying to bring myself not to do before Sunday, answer your burning questions!
Roxie Faye: Thank you so much for your creative criticism. Now, Heero didn't really take an easy class (advanced math isn't exactly easy) but to them it's easy because of their training as Gundam Pilots. Their choice in courses is elaborated on later on.
Next, you commented on the fact that Heero wouldn't hiss in pain if he were shot. I think that when I revise this story after it is all posted, I will change a few things that were said and done in that chapter. I'll have to see. And I'll go into more depth in his analysis of his mission. I'll try not to forget what you've said and I'll look it over once I'm done writing and posting it.
yaeko: Thank you for reviewing! There aren't that many pairings in this fic. I wasn't going to concentrate on pairings as much as I do in Somewhere I Belong, that revolves around Heero and Relena's relationship. There is only the pairing of Heero with my original character that will be elaborated on, but other than that, there aren't any major pairs and no yaoi pairs. You'll see how it all plays out.
Thank you so much people who reviewed! I still need more reviews though... It gets lonely without any feed back.