25-September-2001
Title: An Honorable Enemy Part 8/8
Author: Enigma
Written: August - September, 2001
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: {wait and see}
Category: Angst, Mild Shonen Ai, Friendship, Morality, Squick, OOC
Enigma Story Category: G-Boys High Adventure!
Archive: GW Addiction, Sweet&Sweet
Warnings: Angst, very mild shonen ai, friendship, morality, squick, sermonizing on the treatment of prisoners of war, language, plot-related OOC, etc.
Reference Point: In case you don't recognize the OZ pilot, he appears in Episode 13 teamed with Lt. Alex and while he appears to be a real bastard there, I envision him differently here. The action in this fic fits into the series timeline between Episodes 10 and 12.
Disclaimers: I don't own any of the GW Universe. I'm not making any money off this story. It's written out of love, so please don't sue me.
Notes: When captured and badly beaten by OZ, Wufei's existence hangs in the balance. What could possibly motivate an enemy pilot to risk his own life to save him?
//thoughts//
Almost a week passed for the two mobile suit pilots in their hideout in the Chinese countryside, and as Wufei became stronger they both became more hopeful that everything would work out for the best in the long run after all.
Mueller's threat to expose Tuberov's treachery against Khushrenada had the desired effect but the South African pilot didn't trust the disgusting old man when he'd been "invited" to return to Shanghai to retrieve his Aries. In fact, the scent of deceit was so heavy on all of the communications from him, that Mueller eventually contacted McNeil again to arrange a backup system to insure that Tuberov would leave him and Wufei alone.
The plan was simple enough, Mueller would contact McNeil daily and as long as the OZ security officer felt confident that Tuberov hadn't interfered with Mueller or his unnamed companion, then McNeil would take no additional action. However, should there ever be a day that he did *not* hear from his old gambling buddy, then McNeil would gladly send a copy of the surveillance tapes of Tuberov's rantings to Duke Dermail as well as one to Khushrenada himself with a lengthy note explaining what had happened.
While he wished his friend no ill will, McNeil still hoped for an excuse to do just this so it wasn't much of an imposition on Mueller's part to include him this way. Ultimately, McNeil would be disappointed by the fact that the "Blue Angel" never once missed sending him a message and it became a moot point when the South African pilot returned to duty soon thereafter and asked McNeil to delete the evidence they'd collected.
The embittered security officer was a faithful friend, though, and did as requested, erasing all the files of the damning proof of the man's treachery against Khushrenada. This allowed Tuberov to remain in the position of power he would some day abuse on the moon base where he tried to destroy Duo Maxwell and Chang Wufei despite them both being prisoners, evil tends to repeat itself at times.
Wufei's injuries were slow to heal due to the lack of highly skilled medical intervention, but he never complained about it. The guilt his new friend felt over the situation was all too clear, and the Chinese teen had decided not to encourage the detrimental emotion.
The pair had been quite lucky to have found such a complete first aid kit in the stolen truck and between the broad spectrum antibiotics and constant attention, the gash in Wufei's forehead never became infected. Not to say that the row of stitches didn't hurt, it did, but it would heal without scarring and it was doubtful that anyone would ever even notice it in the future, something that pleased Mueller quite a bit, not wishing to mar the younger man's almost ethereal beauty.
The concussion that resulted from the pistol whipping Wufei had suffered hadn't caused further difficulties after the first few days. A normal recovery indicated that there was no actual permanent damage, something they'd both blindly assumed from the beginning.
Wufei's bruised ribs bothered him enough that the two of them sacrificed one of the blankets in favor of making bindings for them. More than once Mueller had teased his friend good-naturedly about his lack of fashion sense as the Chinese teen tended to not bother with his skimpy tanktop at all after he began keeping the bulky strips tied about his chest. It gave them both something to laugh about at times and that was a welcome distraction, too.
As expected, the worst problem that the ShenLong pilot faced from a physical standpoint was the sprained ankle. Ice packs and Ace bandages aside, it had been a severe trauma for the muscles and ligaments, and the only cure was time and patience, two things Wufei had relatively little of at that point.
Unwilling to wait for his ankle to strengthen enough for him to even try to walk on it, one afternoon Wufei made an ill-advised attempt to join the older teen by the fire they'd come to rely on. Mueller was understandably surprised when he had stepped inside the shed and had found the younger teen leaning against the wall by the door, sweating heavily and smiling sheepishly at him.
"Bored, were we?" The taller teen asked with an indulgent smile as he looped one arm around Wufei's waist and helped him to limp outside where the pair settled down beside the warm flames and enjoyed the afternoon sunshine.
"Afraid so," the ShenLong pilot admitted, then added, "I thought my ankle was healed enough for me to start getting around on my own, but I guess not."
"No. I'm sorry, but without a splint and some crutches, you're stuck I'm afraid," Mueller sighed, a guilty look stealing over his expressive face for a moment before it was replaced with a more contemplative one. He seemed to think something over for a bit then asked, "Wufei, what would you say to my going ahead and setting up something to get you out to the backcountry where you can recover some more? I'd gotten a confirmation that the group I contacted can provide you with some medical assistance and it's just a matter of my getting you to them when you're ready."
"Really?" The injured youth looked at him thoughtfully. "I'm not sure that I can ask you to endanger yourself again by taking me anywhere, Mueller. Isn't there some way for a neutral party to coordinate that? You might still get picked up by Tuberov if you aren't careful."
Mueller simply laughed at this, he hadn't wished to burden his companion with the details of the scheme he and McNeil had in place to keep the maniac away from both of them and Wufei truly had no idea that it was a non-issue at that point. "No, that wont happen, Wufei, trust me! In fact, that's less of a problem than simple logistics. I mean, it's not as if I know the roads around here or can speak the language, but I'm sure we can think of something."
They both paused and looked towards the sky as the sound of a large military transport passed overhead. It looked like a mobile suit carrier and the Aries pilot sighed wistfully as he wondered how difficult it was going to be to get a replacement suit at the same moment that the Gundam pilot was wondering something similar. They looked at each other as the plane flew out of view and almost laughed at their obviously matching thoughts.
"So? Where *is* your Gundam, Wufei?" Mueller asked teasingly. They'd agreed not to discuss the matter so the ShenLong pilot wouldn't be forced to lie to protect the location of Nataku and Mueller would have one less secret to protect after they parted.
"I'm not telling," Wufei smirked, doing his best to act his age for a change, then his expression softened and he added, "But it's most likely not where I left it anyway. The locator system would've been operational and the people who give me my orders probably retrieved it shortly after I failed to return from the mission in Shanghai."
"Ah, I see," the dark skinned youth nodded thoughtfully. "Will it be much trouble to get it back when you want it?" During their many conversations, Mueller had become acutely aware of how much "Nataku" meant to Wufei and he wanted to be certain that he hadn't caused the Chinese pilot to have lost it permanently.
"Probably not," the younger man said with a shrug. "The simple fact that I'm not dead will convince them to trust me with it again. If I'm headed to an area with an active rebellion against OZ, I'm sure that I'll have no trouble whatsoever getting it back as soon as I think I'm well enough to pilot it. Right now, though, they have no idea where I am or my status, so it's neither here nor there."
"You could've used the laptop to contact them any time you wanted to, you know," Mueller pointed out, no anger or annoyance in his voice. They'd discussed this briefly and even though Wufei's personal needs hadn't entered the discussion at the time, Mueller couldn't help but wonder if it wouldn't have been easier on the young man if he'd let at least one particular person know where he was.
Wufei didn't answer, so Mueller added, "I know why you didn't, not wanting to risk leaving a data trace in the hard drive that might be found later, but if you thought it might've worried your Trowa that you were missing, well…?" He left the implication hanging, not wishing to be seen as interfering, but he had come to care for the boy quite a bit and his thoughts often wandered to his new friend's future happiness.
Darkness slid into Wufei's eyes briefly as he shook his head in negation, "No, I don't even know how to contact him, I'm afraid. We were only together for a short period and I have no idea how to locate him without my Gundam's communication systems."
"That's too bad," Mueller remarked, sincerely sorry that his friend would remain isolated from the person he seemed to care about even after Wufei was in a more secure location. "Who knows? Maybe whoever these mysterious people are that give you your orders will let him know where you are after we get you moved to the mountains and he might want to come see you?"
Wufei snorted at this comment and rolled his eyes in annoyance, the idea sounded absurdly romantic and unrealistic.
"Hmph! I sincerely doubt *that*! The last thing any of us wanted was to let them know we even coordinated our efforts in the first place!" Thoughts ran wild and for a moment, Wufei allowed himself to wonder how Master O would react to the knowledge that his protégé had become interested in a fellow Gundam pilot. Fraternization in the ranks couldn't possibly be seen as a good thing, age and sexual preference issues notwithstanding.
Deciding that it wouldn't be a positive reaction no matter how badly he might've wished otherwise, the oriental boy forced himself to calm down a little and he added, "At least, this is true for my own situation. My, er, 'mentor' for lack of a better term, prefers that I operate alone, and while I didn't particularly mind in the past, these last few days have shown me how much I enjoy companionship after all."
A smile touched Mueller's lips as he nodded, "Yes, having a friend nearby can make life a lot more tolerable than being alone all the time."
Mueller had very deliberately never mentioned to Wufei his own rather complicated relationship with his partner. The odd rivalry/friendship he shared with Lt. Alex had no romantic overtones to it, but the South African teen did have to admit he almost missed the blond at times, needing the social contact if nothing else.
Realizing that the conversation had veered away from the area that needed to be dealt with, the Aries pilot apologized and changed the subject entirely. "I'm sorry if I brought up a sore subject, Wufei, but why don't we see about getting you some place that's more suitable for you to recover in? I'm sure that if I had a map, I could get you to that place in the mountains."
Wufei was grateful for the man's offer, but he was concerned about the end result of going their separate ways even though it was clearly the best solution to their current situation and asked, "That sounds reasonable, Mueller. But once you drop me off or whatever, that means we go back to being enemies, doesn't it?"
"I'm afraid so," Mueller admitted, chocolate-brown eyes downcast. "There's no way to really avoid it, though, Wufei. Unless one or the other of us changed our minds about going back to combat, we're destined to remain on opposite sides of the war."
Firming his chin and regaining the tone of voice that indicated that Wufei was as dedicated to his ideals as always, he answered, "This is sadly true, my friend. However, as you yourself suggested, perhaps we can remain on opposite sides of the planet as well and never face one another in battle? I'd never want to find myself responsible for the death of the man that risked so much to save my life out of a sense of honor."
Mueller attempted to make a joke out of the matter by asking, "What makes you so sure that you'd beat me in a fair fight, Wufei? I *am* a Specials pilot, you know!"
To the older teen's surprise, Wufei frowned at him then sighed unhappily, "I know that fact all too well, Mueller. What you've apparently forgotten is that I've already killed several hundred equally accomplished Specials pilots and while I mean no disrespect, in even an 'unfair' fight, I'd have the advantage. My mobile suit is simply that much better than anything OZ can send against me at this point."
"And you're that much better a warrior, too, Wufei," Mueller added honestly, then muted his words with an understanding smile. "You're focused, driven, and have a higher purpose that motivates you, I'm quite sure of it even if you are too modest to talk about it. I only hope that someday we can *both* put aside our weapons and lead the peaceful lives we've been denied for so long."
"One can only hope," the oriental teen commented without much confidence. "There are times when I begin to doubt that humanity even knows how to live in peace with itself and at those points, I only find meaning on the battlefield."
Both young soldiers felt awkward at the naked truth of Wufei's words and neither seemed capable of finding something to say that didn't add to their burdens. Caught up in a war that neither could see past, they shared a sense of integrity that few others could have understood. The concepts of honor and duty meant far more to them than to many others, but there had been enough discussion of such serious matters for the moment.
"Enough philosophy," Wufei finally asserted, a somewhat forced smile on his lips. "Why don't we see what's left in our 'pantry' for dinner and we can figure out a way to get to the mountains tomorrow, all right?"
"Sure thing," Mueller agreed, moving to help Wufei stand and limp back inside the shed, grateful that they had at least one more night of companionship in what had become their home, a place that neither one of them would ever forget.
Afternoon gave way to evening, the sun set, and they once more spent the night in relative darkness since they ran out of batteries for the lantern but not really caring.
The two of them talked until almost dawn, laughing at the random thoughts that came to mind. Both were trying desperately to think about anything other than the horror that brought them together or the fact that once they separated in another day or so, they could no longer be friends for reasons that were beyond their control.
It was sad that these two young men, neither of them even twenty years of age, had to bear such a terrible weight. Yet neither of them would have voluntarily turned their back on those that asked for them to willingly sacrifice their own chance to simply be teenagers. They'd never be free to enjoy the fleeting joys of youth, enslaved to the opposing sides of a conflict that would determine the quality of life for the billions of people on the Earth and in the far-flung space colonies.
Within a few days, Wufei would find himself in a remote location, reunited with the Gundam ShenLong as he had expected, and Mueller would be onboard an OZ personnel transport en route to meeting Lt. Alex and getting his mobile suit back from Shanghai. [6]
However, both were deeply affected by their experiences together.
Mueller had discovered that he could fight against his own superior officers when he felt them to be in the wrong, a discovery that would work against him in the worst possible way in a few short weeks when he and his partner faced off against the Lightning Count himself.
Wufei, however, had gained something far greater. He would have undoubtedly died after being abused by order of the madman Tuberov, and while life itself is a tremendous gift, Mueller had given him something else he treasured more. The young man from South Africa had shown him that he was not alone in his dedication to honor. By risking his own life to prevent the abuse of a single prisoner of war, Mueller had demonstrated to Wufei that he was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, truly an honorable enemy.
OWARI
Author's Notes:
1. In a rare effort to match series continuity, this puts Fei where he is in Episode 12 and sets up Mueller to be "on his mark" for his appearance in Episode 13.
Author's End Notes:
A. This fic is dedicated to Ryoko 03 who single-handedly convinced me that Mueller was a character worthy of a fic. Granted, she likes him since he's "cute as a button," but to me he's a perfect literary foil among OZ pilots for the G-Boys, young enough to understand their lives to an extent but the enemy nonetheless.
B. Muse Credit Union: The Greek Muse of tragedy, Melpomene, is solely responsible for this and she's also the one to blame for me being unable to get started on "Avenging Gifts" since she was too distracted by this idea to let me focus on that one instead.
C. I've been asked by several folks to set up an alert system when something of mine is available, so please feel free to sign up at EnigmaFanficUpdates-subscribe@yahoogroups.com!
Enigma
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