On his way back for the last shift of his extra kitchen duty, Trowa intercepted him, rather agitated.
“Where have you been? I’ve been looking all over for you!”
It wasn’t like Trowa to react to furiously, and Heero batted his hand away.
“I’m not an officer, I can’t walk around freely like you do,” he snapped back.
“Never mind. We’ve got to go to the scientists, now.” Trowa yanked at his collar. “Follow me.”
They didn’t speak a word until they reached the relatively safe environment of the prison cells. Carefully ducking out of sight of the cameras, it was again Dr. J who came at the barred windows.
“Any news?”
Heero started. “I met an officer who’s close to Khushrenada. He’s in charge of the mobile dolls program, and he told me something about deploying the new mobile dolls. They’re called Virgos. I figured I can use him for the information.” He didn’t want to inform the doctors that he had spend a great part of the afternoon looking in Duo’s eyes, and succeeded in sounding indifferent. A pang in his stomach reminded him that he wouldn’t be much better than a traitor if he really were to use Duo only for information. We have exchanged such precious words. Am I about to deny everything we said?
J nodded. “Excellent work, Heero. Use him for every bit of information while you still can. What about you, Trowa?”
Trowa had far more shocking news. “A Gundam has been spotted. It was reported at colony VX888, blowing up a resources satellite with one shot.”
“A Gundam? What are its weapons and specifications?” J and Heero asked at the same time.
Trowa smiled bitterly.
“It transferred blueprints of its predecessor before it delivered the blow. It was Gundam 04.”
“Quatre?” A smooth voice, belonging to one of the instructors Heero couldn’t see, resonated through the cell. “That’s impossible!”
“Did you leave the blueprints behind, H?” J snarled at him. “Idiot! Who knows who else could’ve gotten their hands on it?”
“We must act quickly,” Trowa said, interrupting the agitated doctor. “The Mercurius and Vayeate suits are completed, and Colonel Une wants to send them after the new Gundam. I’m appointed to the Vayeate, but they’re looking for another one to pilot the Mercurius. They’re going to look at the top pilots and instructors here.”
“They’d go after Khushrenada’s protégé,” Heero said. “He’s the top pilot of the Specials.”
“Not a chance,” J said grumpily. “If he’s really close to Khushrenada, they’d think twice of sending him into battle.”
“He was commended for his bravery,” Heero shot back.
“I’m not arguing about an OZ officer with you, Heero, we don’t have time for this.” Trowa didn’t hide his irritation. “You are going to pilot the Mercurius, and I know just the way how we’re going to do it. Report to the deck as soon as possible. If it’s Quatre, then it’s two Gundam pilots against one. We don’t know what happened to him and why he’s piloting another Gundam and why, in heaven’s name, he’s blown up a colony.”
“What about Wufei?”
“He has to escape with the Altron suit sooner or later on his own. I trust him to take care of his own problems. We have to keep Quatre from destroying more colonies. Listen to Trowa,” J ordered. “Report to the deck, subdue the chosen pilot for the Mercurius, and get into the suit yourself.”
Heero had no other choice but to agree. While he was scrambling to report to the deck, he wondered what could’ve happened to Quatre, who had seen rather a sane type to him, to go on a rampage with an enhanced Gundam. It also dawned him that maybe he wouldn’t be coming back at the Lunar Base and he wouldn’t get the chance to see Duo again. He looked at his watch. He didn’t have much time to warn Duo, but the mobile suit launch deck was close to the officer’s quarters. Without further hesitation, Heero took the right turn and jogged towards the quarters, with only one question running through his mind. Since when isn’t the mission my number one priority?
------------
Duo yawned while finishing grading a stack of papers. It had been a long day, and he wondered why he even bothered. Odin would be here in another hour or so. He smiled and gazed at the last paper in front of him. Odin Lowe. Strong, silent, determined, just the way he liked it. Duo snickered. Sure, Odin was handsome, but he was also a good soldier and an extremely good pilot. Duo put his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair. There were some things bothering him, though. Too good to be true... God, he didn’t adopt Nichol’s paranoia, now did he? What a day. Duo hadn’t been quite so sure that Odin felt the same about him; it was a risk to come up close to him and... to kiss him, but he didn’t regret it for one second. Duo fondled with his silver cross again. Yes Father, I didn’t forget about you. What a strange moment to think about Father Maxwell. Duo sighed. The priest had taught him to always have faith and look at the positive side of life. Thhere was still a war going on, even though the colonies were pretty subdued at the moment and OZ was still busy cleaning up remnants of the Alliance. It was still a war. They could die any moment, and what meaning did their relationship have… if you could call it a relationship? They merely kissed.
Duo closed his eyes. I don’t want to stay here. I’m sick and tired of OZ and their hypocrisy. I should just resign and see what happens. What could Treize possibly do if I resign anyway? He heard the soft murmur of a broadcasted report on his television and caught the name “Khushrenada”.
“What the…?”
He sat upright and turned up the volume. “There has been confirmation from the Dermail office,” the reporter announced. “According to his latest statement, Treize Khushrenada has resigned from the Romefeller Foundation, as he couldn’t see himself cooperating with the Foundation any longer after the official instalment and deploy of the mobile dolls. However, rumours are that Duke Dermail has stripped Khushrenada of his power and confined him in his Luxembourg headquarters, but there isn’t any confirmation about…”
Duo watched the broadcast with horror. Treize confined? Stripped of his power?It’s been a while since Duo spoke with the man in person, but he dutifully send his reports on the progress of the mobile dolls to Treize’s headquarters. He didn’t know any better than Treize was receiving and reading them-- he never received an answer. Romefeller is in charge... they must be!. Duo clenched his fists. He knew from the beginning of the mobile dolls introduction that Treize wasn’t very happy about it. He recalled his words on the matter. They took away the humanity of battle. God damn it, what humanity, Treize, what?
Something else dawned him. With Treize confined, Romefeller probably came after him… Duo Maxwell!
“Fuck!” he blurted out and jumped. He needed to get out of here, and fast! Duo opened his closet and pulled out a duffle bag. Take it easy. They probably don’t need you after all. He stuffed clothing in the bag. Everybody knew he was Treize’s protégé. OZ would more likely than not split in two camps: pro-Treize and anti-Treize. The Lunar Base, with chief engineer Tubarov in overall command, wouldn’t have to think twice about sending his men after him. Duo quickly zipped the duffel bag and pocketed his wallet. A knock on the door startled him.
No! So soon? He put his hand on his gun. It was a long shot, but if they were after him… the door slid open.
“Odin?” He sighed in relief.
“Duo, I… what are you doing?” Heero spotted the duffle bag in a second, and his heart clenched tight in his chest.
“I’m sorry Odin.. I have to leave. Romefeller has booted Treize and confined him… I have to get out of here, before Tubarov and his men come after me. Who knows what I can provide him if he gets a hold of me.”
Heero nodded. “Come with me, Duo, right now!”
“Whu- what? Where are you going? And..”
“I’ll always follow my emotions,” Heero said and outstretched his hand. “Come with me.”
“You want to elope or something? That’s.. insubordination…” Duo hesitated. Follow emotions? I did once, to get my revenge, and it got me nowhere. I’ve been here for too long, sitting around and doing nothing. Maybe it’s time I take a side- without OZ, without Treize, with only me.
“Where do you want to go? Why are you leaving?”
“Duo, there isn’t much time. Romefeller’s sending mobile dolls to Earth and a new Gundam has been spotted.”
“We’re under attack?” Duo hoisted the duffle bag over his shoulder and eyed Heero. “What do you have to do with Gundams?”
More than you can ever imagine. I’m a Gundam pilot and my name isn’t Odin Lowe. And I’m your enemy. I can’t be your enemy. I don’t want to be your enemy. Why does it have to be so hard?
“Come with me,” Heero repeated and Duo followed him. The hallway was still empty.
“Hopefully the news hasn’t spread itself,” Duo said softly. Heero took him at the wrist.
“We have to hurry.”
“Odin, what’s going on?”
Heero choose to ignore that question. Time was running out fast and Trowa would be furious if he didn’t show up within two minutes; the Mercurius and Vayeate were about to get launched in search for the newly spotted Gundam.
“This way.”
Most of the privates were in the mess hall and the Lunar Base wasn’t all that large, but still they had to duck and hide in several side passages before they reached the shuttle port. Two officers were in the control room, clearing the incoming and outgoing shuttles and crafts.
“Within a few minutes, two mobile suits will be launched from the adjacent deck,” Heero whispered. “While their attention is diverted, you can lift off with a shuttle.”
“How do you know all this?” Duo almost bat away his hand. “I demand you to tell me what’s going on, Odin. I appreciate the help, but…”
“I know you can take care of yourself,” Heero said. “But this is very important to me, Duo. I want to see you safe off this base. Remember what we promised each other?”
“We’ll see each other again,” Duo reminisced, almost sounding defeated. “Odin, this is what happens in a war. Forget about me. It was… too much to ask, I guess.”
Heero felt like he was punched right in the face. This is my easy escape. I can’t… I won’t.. I don’t want to loose him.
“I thought you weren’t that easy, lieutenant,” Heero answered, and let go of Duo’s hands. “I thought you didn’t give up that easy.”
“I don’t give up!” Duo’s eyes flared with anger. “We could both be killed, and now the time is extremely dangerous for us…”
“We’ll see each other again,” Heero simply stated. “Don’t forget our promise, Duo. Don’t ask this of me. I don’t want to live only for missions.”
“Mission? What mission?” Duo’s answered was smothered by Heero’s fierce kiss. He had to gasp for air when they broke off.
“I’ll find you, wherever you are. Trust me, Duo. I’ll find you. I have to go now… but I’ll find you.”
The red alarm lights were flashing, meaning that mobile suits were about to be launched. Heero couldn’t wait for another second. He had to pilot the Mercurius.
“I have to go.”
“Wait… wait a second. Bring...” Duo reached behind his neck and took off his silver crucifix. “Bring this back to me.”
Heero took the jewellery and hung it around his neck. “I have nothing to give you. You already own my heart and soul.”
“Funny,” Duo smiled, albeit wanly, “I thought you were so straight headed and focused, but you’re just a little sap inside.”
“Sap?” Heero caressed Duo’s face. “If being sappy brings this smile on your face, I’ll be happy to be a sap.”
They kissed again.
“We don’t have more time. Remember, Duo, I’ll find you wherever you are.”
“I trust you,” Duo answered and picked up his duffel bag. “We’ll see each other again.” He turned around and made his way to the shuttle port.
It pained Heero that he hadn’t any time left to see Duo leave. The news about Treize was shocking, but not surprising; Trowa had already discussed with Heero about the Romefeller Foundation who had taken over control on Earth. Heero felt suddenly tired and aggrieved by the situation. God, Duo. You have to survive this. I’ll find you wherever you are.
------------
Duo strapped himself in the pilot’s seat and waited. He checked the control panel and everything seemed to be in order. He checked the fuel meter -enough for a flight to Earth- and fed the coordinates in the board computer. He didn’t have a clearance for take-off yet, but he didn’t dare to contact the shuttle control room. Suddenly, the hatch of the shuttle port opened and OZ carriers were taxiing to the take off runways. Duo noticed the two gigantic carriers for one red suit and one blue suit. Gundams? But... how? And how did Odin know they were going to take off? He fired up the engines and moved the shuttle to get in line.
“Shuttle FT-345, acknowledge. Pilot, acknowledge.”
Fuck! Duo pulled the levers for more thrust. The last of the Gundam carriers went through the hatch and it was closing again. He couldn’t miss this opportunity!
“Pilot of shuttle FT-345, you do not have clearance for take-off! Stop immediately or…”
The engines roared and Duo pushed the craft to its limits. The hatch was closing, he estimated that he could make it through if he lifted off now- he ignored the wailing alarms and the flashing red light, he pushed himself forward and the shuttle took a dive into space. Not a second later, the hatch closed.
“Phew!” He released the breath he was holding and quickly re-aligned his course. He was going back to Earth. Earth. He didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. I’ve had so many troubles coming back to space and now I’m going to Earth again. There was no use moping about it. Duo switch over to the autopilot and allowed himself to think it over. He had to find out what was going on with the Romefeller Foundation. The Foundation had always backed up Treize and OZ; it would take something very drastic to sever that connection. Duo had already gathered that it had something to do with the mobile dolls. Romefeller really pushed to use the mobile dolls in war, perhaps just for the main fun of it; the foundation thrived on the sales of war machinery. It all boiled down to fighting for control over Earth, over the colonies, over the whole universe. Fighting with guns and suits that grew bigger with each generation, causing more bloodshed in every battle.
When will people stop fighting? When will people stop using the war as a mere excuse for their instincts to kill?
Duo unbuckled his belt. The autopilot was set, and it would take him some time to arrive at Earth. He was considering a nap when his proximity meters went off.
“What the…” Duo switched on the main external cameras, but one malfunctioned. He glanced at the other one-- and knew enough. Virgos! He knew the same second that he wouldn’t stand a chance with this shuttle, that was used for commercial supply flights only. The craft had no weapons on board, no shields, and would go down with one shot. Duo switched to the main board computer. He was about to re-enter orbit, but it looked like he wasn’t going to make it.
The impact of the blast rocked the shuttle and hurled Duo out of his chair. The wailing alarms of a malfunctioning engine sounded too familiar; it brought back memories of his fight with the Gundam. The shuttle was thrown off coarse and he mustered up all of his strength to return to the command console, checking his stats. The Virgos backed off when he made the re-entry, but his luck ran out nonetheless.
The fuel tanks were running on empty and the main control panel flashed warning lights. One engine down, too many damage to make a proper landing. Duo was morbidly calm as the shuttle went down. He didn’t even pray. He didn’t fondle his crucifix. I gave it away to you, Odin. Would you care? Would you care if I’d die? He felt a wave of self-pity. Another promise I couldn’t keep.
Duo tried to slow down the shuttle, but he had too much speed for a belly landing. Treetops hit the shuttle, thick branches breaking off like twigs. The eject seat didn’t work and Duo strapped himself into the seat belts again.
The nose of the shuttle hit a fairly big treetop and the thing stumbled, jerked up and down and crashed into a hill. Glass cut his face, the seat belts cut in his flesh and he felt his muscles rip of the force of the impact. He was screaming until he deafened himself—then silence fell.
------------
Heero closed his eyes. He was exhausted and his body hurt pretty badly. For once, he was glad he wasn’t behind the piloting controls of this shuttle, scrambling to get off the Lunar Base. Things had gone downhill from the moment they’d set out to meet the new Gundam who had blown up an entire colony. Their suspicion was confirmed: it was indeed Quatre, piloting the suit. Something was terribly wrong with the charming and usually composed 04 pilot. He had gone mad and the confrontation came to an apotheosis when he fired at the Vayeate, Trowa’s suit. No suit, no matter how protected or armoured, could withstand the blast of the improved twin buster rifle. The shock of seeing Trowa sacrifice himself brought Quatre back to his senses. He was distracted long enough for Heero to take him with his mangled Mercurius into a headlock and they crash-dived into the airlock of the colony Quatre intended to blow up. Heero had lost consciousness by then, but when he woke up, he found himself and Quatre captured and reunited with the doctors.
“A penny for your thoughts.”
Heero couldn’t suppress a wry grin. So Quatre had noticed he was still awake. It was so easy to overlook the innocent looking young man‘s talents and skills; he was no less of a Gundam pilot than the others.
“Still thinking about the Zero System?”
Heero frowned. Zero System. A complex battle data computer, with the possibility to tell the outcome of a battle by predicting the opponent’s moves, and enhancing its own pilot’s fighting abilities beyond comprehension. The system could give the pilot a glimpse of the future, but had overwhelming side effects, literally: it warped the mind. Quatre, overcome with grief about his father’s death, was more susceptible than otherwise to the system and went berserk because of the effects.
“Still thinking about your father?” Heero finally retorted.
“My father is... was a good man. He always put the interests of the colonists before his own, no matter what people say. OZ’s campaign of ‘bringing peace to the colonies’ has effectively blinded everyone. He never stood a chance.” Quatre shuddered, emerged in memories.
“You need your rest,” he added, almost sounding casually.
Heero closed his eyes again. So much had happened in so little time. He had been exposed to the frightening Zero System himself. Their captors had claimed to be members of the Treize Faction, but before Heero could ask what was going on; OZ had stumbled upon their hideout.
Together with the five scientists, Heero and Quatre were turned over to OZ and to a certain officer named Trent, who was anxious to test the Zero System himself. He had Heero test it first, however. Wing Zero had unsurprisingly survived the fight with the Mercurius without as much as a scratch. It would take more than a simple explosion to damage the upgraded Gundam. Heero was convinced he would never forget his experience with this system. He wiggled in his seat. He longed for a bed.
“What do you think the Treize Faction is all about?”
Quatre checked the controls. “Obviously, they disagree with Romefeller. They’d kill for Treize Khushrenada. Something must’ve happened that caused OZ to split.”
“That must’ve been something pretty big.” Would Duo know the reasons behind the split? It happened all so fast. Where was he? We’ll see each other again, Duo. He felt cold. Khushrenada was the centre of attention. How long would it take before someone would come up with the idea of using the lieutenant against him?
His body hurt and he still felt queasy about his exposure to the Zero System. It had warped his mind temporary as well, and it had caused him to run amuck on the Lunar Base. Heero moved his lips in a bitter twist. The only good news was that Chang Wufei had managed to escape from the base, after a ridiculous adventure of the air circulation in his prison cell being cut off. Apparently, that Tubarov guy had acted on his own. The air had come back on, but in the confusion, the mobile suits were also released. Wufei had left the Lunar Base, taking the upgraded Deathscythe with him, an extremely high risk, certainly for a pilot that… still didn’t exist?
It was something to contemplate later. The lingering effects of the Zero System had thrown him completely off balance. He also had Quatre to think about, who managed to save him from the mind warping effects. Gentle, noble Quatre who would have to live the rest of his life to come with the burdening guilt and horror of blowing up a colony. It wasn’t in Quatre’s nature to claim he was under the influence of the Zero System, even though he was-- he took full responsibility for his behaviour. Heero felt at ease with him, trusting upon Quatre’s skill to pilot back to Earth. I will find you, Duo. His fingers caressed the silver crucifix around his neck.
--------------
“We can’t stay here forever, Heero.” Quatre put aside his cup of tea. Heero looked up from a small stack of papers.
“Just a minute.”
He was scanning a list of names of people who’d left the Lunar Base in the turbulent mess of recent events. He couldn’t suppress the wave of relief when he saw “Maxwell, D.” neatly printed. Good, he made it out alive. He hadn’t expected anything else from Duo. He was a survivor. Heero touched the silver crucifix he wore, unaware. He felt bad. Duo Maxwell was an enemy.
His enemy. He was supposed to kill any enemy… and now he was thinking about one. Thinking about them together made him feel loved and sad at the same time. Heero wanted to put the list away, but then he saw the note attached to the name.
‘Wanted? Immediate apprehension when encountered’? What the hell...?
He searched through the rest of the papers, but he didn’t found out anything new. Heero mulled over the attachment. Was OZ searching Duo because of his relation to Treize, or did they want to use him for the Zero System, just as they had used him, Heero? He couldn’t care less about himself, but concerning Duo… Duo was well known in the OZ ranks for being Treize’s favoured soldier. There was something bad for him in stock if he was to be submitted to the Zero System. There was a slight chance the system would show him a new insight in his future, but the side effects would probably cause him to go mad. If two Gundam pilots lost control over themselves because of the Zero System, what chance would a third.. Gundam pilot have? Duo?
“Something wrong?”
Heero had forgotten about Quatre, and managed to look indifferent as ever, though it felt him hard to upkeep that look.
“I was just checking on something.”
“We can’t stay here forever,” Quatre repeated.
The Arabian was eager to return to his private army, the Maguanac corps, to claim back his Sandrock Gundam and to resume the fight. Heero wasn’t so sure what he was going to do. Even without a Gundam, he was able to fight, but was it all worth it? New factions sprouted every day and enemies and friends changed sides so quickly he could hardly keep up. He was sure about Relena, who had taken upon herself to rebuild the Sanq Kingdom, not far away. She was undoubtedly loyal to him and that made him feel bad. I still have to kill her. He would laugh hysterically if he could. The girl had matured into the universal symbol of total pacifism, an ideal her ancestors died for. Heero ached to search for Duo’s whereabouts. Duo can take care of himself. We’re soldiers. The mission, remember?
“Romefeller can come any moment now.” Quatre had a similar soothing voice, but missed the deep, rich timbre Duo had.
“I’m coming with you.”
Heero was aware of the difficult situation they were in. After their arrival on Earth, Quatre and Heero had stumbled upon Count Townsend, the man in command of this local OZ patrol. Both pilots were astounded to learn that the Count sympathized with their ideas. Romefeller headquarters had issued universal execution orders for Gundam pilots and the Count, following his orders, had contacted Romefeller to come pick up the pilots; meanwhile, he neglected conveniently to place guards around them.
“There are only two dogs outside. Let’s go.”
“Ever heard of Sanq Kingdom, Heero?”
“Yes, sure. Relena is there.”
Quatre smiled. Heero blushed and Quatre smiled even brighter. He must think I’m feeling something for her. Thank God he doesn’t know about Duo and my love for him. Love?
“We’ll be safe there. I’m positive Relena will let us stay there.”
“It wouldn’t be wise, with those execution orders.”
“No one has to know we’re staying with the princess. Let’s go, Heero. Oh, and another thing...”
“Yeah?”
“I know Sanq has expressed an interest in Gundam 01, currently lying on the bottom of the sea,” Quatre said. “Someone’s trying to raise some line of defence there. I don’t know if Relena knows about it, but it sure is fascinating enough to find out.”
“Let’s go,” Heero nudged.
-------------
They left the camp unseen and commenced their trek to the Sanq Kingdom. Quatre had a map with him with their destination outlined. Walking through the woods, Heero suddenly raised his hand, the sign for silence. Quatre immediately crouched.
“What is it?”
“People are nearby. I’m going to find out if they’re with us... or against us.” Heero quickly moved forward and disappeared in the shrubs. Quatre remained still, but as tight-strung as necessary in case of an attack. Within fifteen minutes, Heero returned.
“They’re members of the Treize Faction,” he said. “We’re technically on Sanq Kingdom territory. There’s nothing we can do about it. They have injured and wounded men, and they’re almost out of ammunition and provision.”
“Romefeller’s going to use them as an excuse to attack this country,” Quatre answered. “Are they friendly, as in pro-Gundam?”
“I haven’t talked to them,” Heero snorted, “but we could always try.”
They moved forward, into the group. Heero had already counted them, fifteen men. Both pilots approached the group without making a sound, still prepared for an attack. People were jumpy these days and it wouldn’t do them any good to get shot at with bullets. Heero stepped into the group, hands held high, and said, “At ease. We’re not here to do you any harm.”
He certainly didn’t show any sign of impression with the fifteen guns pointed at him. Quatre came to stand next to him; apparently, not that impressed either.
“We’re here as friends. We know you’re from the Treize Faction. You’re endangering this country.”
“We know,” one of the soldiers answered. “And who are you to come to tell us this, snotty brats?”
“Names aren’t important. Take us to the one who commands this group.”
“I am the officer in command.” The man answered grumpily. “The name’s Gerich. What are you doing here?”
His head was wrapped in bandages and he looked miserable. Gerich and his men obviously had suffered terribly in fights. The others formed a protective circle around their officer, guns still drawn.
“We’re on our way to the capital. That’s all you need to know.”
“Two boys on their way to the capital. You trek around for fun, without backpacks? What do you think this is, a holiday resort?” He made an impatient gesture with his hand, and the men lowered their guns.
“I don’t know if that’s wise. You don’t know who we are.” Heero remarked.
“I don’t care. I don’t know what to do anyway.” Gerich snorted. “We’re outcasts. We’re not considered fugitives and Romefeller’s only after us because we provide an easy excuse to trample this country.”
“Haven’t you considered going to the capital yourself?” Quatre inquired. “Relena’s bound to give you shelter.”
“Relena certainly would. She promotes total pacifism and I’m sure she will give us food and medications, but we can’t just barge in on her. Like I said, Romefeller’s trying to use us as bait. We don’t know where Treize is and we have someone very important to him amongst us.”
“What do you mean?” Quatre asked.
“Lieutenant Maxwell has joined forces with us, but was injured in battle,” Gerich answered.
Heero almost choked on a breath. Duo?
“Can I see him?”
“Why? You’re not allowed to come even close to him, you,” Gerich snarled, suspicion clearly in his eyes. “We don’t want anything to come over him.”
“You’ll have my word. I want to see him.” Heero insisted.
“Why?” Gerich repeated, and even Quatre looked quizzically at Heero. He couldn’t muster up a plausible excuse and he fondled under his clothing, to show the silver crucifix.
“I have something very important to give back to him.”
Gerich nodded. “All right then.” He motioned to two other soldiers to accompany Heero to the only tent of the camp.
Heero gasped when he saw him lying there. It was Duo, but he wasn’t safe and sound. He was covered in bandages and looked sweaty and feverish. Heero had to restrain himself forcefully not to fling himself into Duo’s arms. He could see he was in great pain and that he needed professional, medical help. Behind him the curtains of the tent rushed; Quatre had followed him. Heero unconsciously licked his lips. He had to be very careful with his attitude towards Duo with Quatre around. Heero cherished those precious little kisses they’d exchanged, and savoured it like there was no tomorrow. If he closed his eyes, he could vividly imagine the tastes, the flavours, everything of those kisses. And now, Duo lay before him and he couldn’t touch him. Quatre went past him and kneeled next to Duo.
“What happened to him?” He carefully touched the bandages, and Heero was amazed that the Treize Faction members let him do as he pleased. It was more than ever that look about Quatre, that ever-deceiving first look that made people think he was innocent and not dangerous. Heero was well aware of his own stern looks and aloof attitude that made people jump or even back away from him. He knew he often looked grim and dangerous, but there wasn’t a thing he could or wanted to do about it, and certainly not now.
Quatre had already opened the top button of Duo’s blouse and read the military dog tags.
“Lieutenant Duo Maxwell, Specials, Aries Force 4. And he is related to Khushrenada?”
“Not related family-wise,” Heero hasted to say, “He’s favoured by him.”
“Favoured?” Quatre put the dog tags back and carefully buttoned the blouse. “What do you mean by that? How do you know?”
“He was my instructor at the Lunar Base,” Heero answered stiffly, quickly thinking up and dismissing possible other answers. “We just talked.”
Quatre shivered. Every time the Lunar Base was mentioned, he got distracted in his own experiences with the Zero System and the period of his madness. He focused on Duo again.
“I think we...”
“Are we there yet, Solo?” Duo’s voice sounded young, but had the same confidence, the same boast Heero had heard him speak with. “We need to get to the young ones, ya know.”
“He’s delirious from fever,” Quatre murmured, and looked at the nightstand. It held a few empty cups of water. Gerich, who had also followed them into the tent, shuffled with his feet.
“We use the water from the nearby creek. We boil it, of course. We don’t have any other medication with us.”
“He needs to get to the capital,” Quatre said. “You don’t have the proper equipment and medication to care for him. We have to ask Miss Relena for support.” He looked strangely at Heero. “We’re good friends of her.”
Gerich looked dubious. “I bet, and that’s why you’re strolling around in the late night?” He shook his head. “For what it’s worth, you could be a Gundam pilot...”
Heero flinched, and so did Duo. He cried out something intelligible in his fevered sleep but quieted down when Quatre placed his hand on his forehead.
“...but you don’t have Gundams with you,” Gerich finished his sentence, a few pitches lower. Heero looked at Duo again. He wanted to sit where Quatre was sitting, so close, still checking for injuries.
“Could you tell us what happened to him?” Heero succeeded in sounding neutral. It was almost second nature to him. Gerich sighed.
“We found him at a crash site. He was already injured from the landing. The shuttle was from the Lunar Base, we already gathered he had to make a hasty escape. Duo’s connection to Khushrenada could be used against him, and he didn’t want that to happen.”
Gerich continued. “As so many fellow Treize Faction soldiers, we were lured into here by means of OZ. They’re probably contacting Miss Relena for a request to wage a war here. The girl is pretty and all, but her ideas on total pacifism are just plain naive. I bet there are a lot of people wanting peace, myself being one of the greatest among them, but it’s not going to happen as long as...” He stared into Heero’s bland eyes and cleared his throat. “Forgive me. I was just expressing my... Well, Duo joined us immediately and fought off the platoon that was sent after us to chase us deeper in the woods, and he would have come out unscathed if a multiple missile attack hadn’t been fired at him at the last moment. He couldn’t get away clearly, not without endangering others. Duo chose to sacrifice his own life rather than make victims under our platoon. He’s an amazing pilot; he just tore through the attack lines. I had already heard about him, now I know all those rumours were true. That’s why I want to hand him over to Treize in person, even if it’s going to kill me.”
“No doubt about it, OZ has split in two,” Quatre said, stretching and getting up. “Why else is there a Treize Faction?”
“We are loyal to His Excellency,” the commander answered proudly. “He chose not to battle with mobile dolls.”
“Mobile dolls... the ones manufactured at the Lunar Base. It’s a new era in warfare: unmanned mobile suits will do the fighting. No more casualties, but no more victories.”
“No more bloodshed, just an ultimate power struggle.” Quatre shook his head, looking sad. “They don’t understand.”
“We can all go to the main city,” he continued. “And we can all ask for support from Miss Relena.”
“Are you nuts?” Gerich asked. “Maybe she’ll hug you two because you’re friends of some sorts, but we... we’re a walking declaration of war! She should sacrifice us instead of offering us shelter. She’ll only inflict the wrath of Romefeller on herself.”
His words echoed in the tent and a silence fell. Heero blinked.
“We’ll help you. What do you have for suits?”
“A few Leo’s, three or four Aries. Listen, kid-” he didn’t hesitate to correct himself, looking at Heero, but was mere floundering for words - “whatever you’re planning to do, or you think you can do, you have to promise me one thing. I want to get Duo to His Excellency, no matter what. I’d rather have you promise to look after him than to try to save us.”
“Show me the suits,” Heero said determined and looked at Duo once again, before tearing himself away and leaving the tent.
Chapter 5 | Chapter 7 |