Ch03

The snipping of scissors was the first noise that made it into his ears as he awoke slowly. Wufei felt a slight tug on his arm and heard the distinct snip again. Around him he felt the distinct, but soft vibrations of a shuttle craft.

So they had succeeded. He was earth bound to his sentencing and imprisonment. He opened his eyes to see Trowa packing up a medical kit. A glance at his upper arm showed stitches. He must have been clipping the ends of the stitches from the glass of the first window at Preventer headquarters. Trying to rotate his ankle proved to make it feel firm with bandages. So they were treating his wounds with care.

Who cared? They were throwing him to the dogs, leaving him to rot. Instead of warning him to start on the run they decided to take him down easily in a trap.

He was a fool to trust anyone.

Trowa was leaving this sector of the hatch. Wufei couldn't help himself, "Good thing I taught you that nerve pinch. Lets you take me down easily guilt free from behind." He sneered putting as much disdain into his voice as he could. That was one good thing his elite socialite upbringing had given him.

Trowa ducked his head quietly and proceeded through the bulkhead door.

Wufei tested his arm restraints quickly- magnetic cuffs from wrist to elbow. He wouldn't be able to get them off. A slight jerk of his good leg proved he was restrained the same way on his legs down below. He leaned back in his seat sullen anger building inside of him. It was Quatre's jet too. All the cushions that luxury could afford. He had loaned out his personal jet for this capture mission. Not only did they do this voluntarily they brought along the best equipment possible to do so.

The hatch door opened and Wufei determinedly looked out the window at the starts and satellites floating around. It was Quatre and Duo. Quatre sat across from him, Duo took the one across the aisle from him. "I know you are angry with us." Quatre said. That was the understatement of the century. "I'm very sorry for you having to go through this, I just know that it is the easier way. Initially they wanted a bounty on you. We convinced them otherwise and said we would bring you in ourselves."

Duo nodded beside him. "Honest Fei. We really didn't want to do this, but all the options were pointing to the fact that this was it. We're your friends. We want to help. Really." He sounded sad and broken. Wufei refuse to acknowledge the fact that they were there.

There was no point. They didn't understand. There could have been countless other ways to help him, but instead they chose to betray his trust and the time they spent in the war fighting with each other. They each got up and moved away after a while when they realized he would not acknowledge them or their apology.

The hatch shut behind them Quatre was gripping his chest.

His stupid empathetic space heart. What trivial bullshit. He didn't begin to scratch the surface of what they did to him. There was no one he could trust anymore. When your closest allies betray you in the most powerful way possible, what was left?

Nothing.

He felt his jaw tighten and any scant ability to relax flow from his mind. He was going to face a military hearing for war crimes. Despite the blanket pardon from before his actions in the previous war would come up. He would not be judge solely on the latest incident it would be all of it. Any hatred towards the Gundams, whether it was him or the other Gundam pilots, would be taken by him.

The hatch opened one more time and Heero entered. Sitting across from him as Quatre had. He must have heard the others got the silent treatment. Buy was he in for a surprise.

"Tell me Yuy. Do you feel anything?"

He started. So they had told him that Wufei was being silent. "Yes."

"I don't believe it. Nothing you have done has shown me any scratch of feeling or loyalty."

He shook his head and looked at his hands. "I was given the mission to obtain you and"

"Well you've accomplished that. You're the perfect fucking soldier. You started this plan of yours three weeks ago calling for my status and having Duo do the same. You were triangulating my position through those calls the whole time weren't you?" Wufei's eyes narrowed. "You didn't even bother to think about what you called a friendship with me did you. Just went right along with your mission. Head in the sand as usual."

"No." He ground out. Shaking his head. "You're wrong. I care for you. I-"

Wufei cut him off again, "You don't care. You don't even know what that means. If you did I wouldn't be here right now I'd be on a mission fighting for what's right. You've betrayed me for your mission, Heero. You're perfect standing as the perfect soldier stays."

He shook his head. Eyes turned inwards Unseeing. "You betrayed me, Heero! You all did! You don't do that to people you care about! You don't do that to friends." Heero stood up backing towards the door. Unable to do more than shake his head back and forth eyes unseeing.

Wufei was screaming from his seat as Heero backed through the door. "You don't plot for weeks against you're friends Heero! You bastard! All you think about is objectives and the pat on the head you'll get from your master when you get back! You betrayed me! You don't care at all!" Trowa grabbed his arm and pulled him fully through the hatch letting it slide shut behind him. Wufei had seen Quatre bringing on the other side holding his chest. Good.

He didn't know what pain was.

Wufei leaned back into his seat and watched out the window solemnly as the earth approached closer, marking his final destination.

Wufei had been in this holding cell for a week with no contact from anyone after he had been marched off the shuttle.

The sentencing was going to be in a couple of hours, but Wufei seemed to feel the press of what was to come already. There was no way the outcome would be good. This was just a preliminary judgment by one man for his holding and future proceedings of trial.

He kept here boots of ESUN guards wandering back and forth outside his cell. On rounds or checking on inmates or taking criminals in to get sentenced. The new system had taken a more streamline approach to justice that wasn't necessarily just.

It used to enrage Wufei to think about. But that was when he still thought some people had a sense of morals. Now he just waited calm and collected. There was no use for his fight here and now. He knew what he was about to face. And if the pilots for a second really thought that he would somehow come out of this without being sent to prison, they were blinded from the truth.

Wufei exhaled and schooled his face to neutral as he heard the locks on his steal cage click open. It was time. He had three escorts two holding his arms leading him with his hands still magnetically cuffed. His legs had the restraints as well but were not activated. At the press of a button they could be though, which kept Wufei focused. There was no escape at this point. No point in trying. They had left him to his fate. Traitors.

He was lead into a well lit room. Which both surprisingly and unsurprisingly held cameras. But not marked by the media insignia. So they were recording it, but not for mass media purposes. There was no sign of Quatre or Relena or the others. Just the three guards escorting, one behind that was heavily armed and the man who was both exulting over his podium and hiding behind it.

The judge. Wufei did not like him at all. Old, wrinkled, with grey hair peering down at him ominously. Wufei saw they hatred and vindictiveness in his skinny viper-like frame and narrowed eyes. No. Wufei doubted that this would go anything like a normal sentencing was supposed to. Fools.

He began immediately in his superior speech, "Wufei, Chang pilot of Gundam 05, you have been charged with an enemy to the governing body of the ESUN, a class one terrorist, a mass murdering vigilante, with multiple counts for crimes against humanity. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty." He spoke clearly and firmly eyes rising to challenge to dare the judge to say otherwise.

Fire rose in the man's grey eyes, "How can you stand there and claim that? With the full body of evidence for the past years of war agains-"

"As you should know" Wufei interrupted, "There was a blanket pardon released for war crimes before the Mariemeia incident at which time I acted to bring peac-"

"There is still insurmountable evidenc-"

Wufei continued speaking uninterrupted. " During the incident I harmed no one and switched to defend against the invasion"

"I will not tolerate…"

"And signed up for work with the Preventers as part of our current governments peace keeping for-

"Silence!" He bellowed. "I will not tolerate you speaking out of turn again."

Wufei glared "I simply seek to establish a defense against this clear violation of my civil liberties under the ESUN charter. One that you should know as well."

"I said be quiet." He glowered at Wufei, trying to melt him in the spot. Wufei would not stand for it. "This is a closed sentencing to prevent media mayhem that goes along with the case and because you had too many evidentiary witnesses," Wufei glared. Too many people wanted to speak for him and he was a public hero of sorts. He could read between the lines.

"Your trial will take place three months from today. Until that time because you are a class one terrorist we will be holding you in a maximum security prison to be decided with limited visitation rights. If you can provide a defense yourself we will assign you a public defender." Wufei stayed defiant glaring at the boney skinny imbecile in front of him. "Get out of my sight."

Wufei turned before the guards could touch him and began walking back the path they came. They would hold him overnight in the cell and transfer him tomorrow.

He was shoved unnecessarily into the cell and the door slammed behind him. He sat down on the cold metal bench that was bolted to the floor. There was no way that was a legal trial setting or prison sentencing. That judge knew what he was doing was wrong in every possible way. He just didn't care. Wufei didn't care. Other than the boiling rage at the judge. And the pilots. And everyone.

Four hours later he heard quick moving steps moving towards his cell. The door spring open and Quatre moved in quickly. "Wufei I'm so sorry! They moved the court and the time. This was completely unknown to me. How could they have done this? It goes against all prisoner rights ever set up!" Quatre seemed frantic. Wufei wanted to pop his head off his shoulders.

Quatre took a deep breath and paused. "I'm so very sorry Wufei. I will have you out of here. There is no way that they can keep you here."

Wufei nodded. "You're right. They can't keep me here. They will be transferring me to a maximum security prison." Quatre's eyes went wide.

"I will get my lawyers on this tomorrow. I can't believe the injustice of this."

"What did you think was going to happen?" Wufei whispered. "That they would trot me in evaluate my performance and let me go. I'm on trial as a terrorist with crimes against humanity from the first war. I'm standing trial in place of all of you."

Quatre shook his head. "They can't do that!"

"Wake up, Quatre! They just did!" Wufei yelled.

Quatre froze in place and collected himself. "I will visit you in a week and Duo may come as well. Heero believes he will see you in three months." Wufei shook his head and closed his eyes. They were all traitorous fools. His closets comrades were idiots. "Trowa wanted me to give you this." Quatre held out a slip of paper.

Wufei took it, but did not look at it. Did he really want to see what else had been written to him to try to appease him? Quatre turned and left saying "I will see you in a week."

The door shut quickly behind him and Wufei sat in his restraints quietly till he unfolded the note.

I'm sorry. I will not be visiting you. I can't see you like this. Please forgive me.

-Trowa

Wufei growled threw the note and slammed his restraints uselessly against the steal walls of his cell. He was in here because of them. He was like this because of them! Forgive him?

Never.

TBC….