13-Mar-2005
Title: Midnight Rider
Author: KwyckSylver
Disclaimer: Neither Gundam Wing nor Midnight Rider belong to me. Gundam Wing is the property of Sunrise, Bandai and Sotsu Agency. Midnight Rider was composed by Gregg Allman and K. Payne Copyright 1970 & 1973, No Exit Music Co., Inc. and Elijah Blue Music (BMI)
Rating: G
Pairings: None
Spoilers: None
Notes: I've had this idea rolling around in my head for about 2 or 3 years now. To me Midnight Rider kind of suits Duo as a character song. Parts of the fic have languished on my hard drive for at least a year, mainly because I'm lazy but also because I just don't have the time to write like I used to. It's more ficlet than fic and I guess it could be expanded if I really thought more on it but that's where some of that laziness comes in.
The Midnight Rider lyrics are denoted by ()
(Well, I've got to run to keep from hidin',
And I'm bound to keep on ridin'.
And I've got one more silver dollar,
But I'm not gonna let 'em catch me, no,
Not gonna let 'em catch the Midnight Rider.)
His braid whipped through the air as he sped down the highway. He glanced up and felt a pang of lonliness, the night sky glittered with stars but there was no moon to keep him company. The motorcycle's engine purred beneath him then roared as he opened the throttle more and sped down the road.
(And I don't own the clothes I'm wearing,
And the road goes on forever,
And I've got one more silver dollar,
But I'm not gonna let 'em catch me, no
Not gonna let 'em catch the Midnight Rider.)
For as many miles as he'd traveled, the road stretched endlessly ahead. The cold wind whipped through the thin jacket he wore, billowing it around him. He shivered, using one hand to button it around him and hoped the gas station attendant he lifted it from wouldn't be needing it. He saw lights ahead, beacons to the tired traveler, and pulled into the parking lot of a small diner. He pulled out his last coin and slapped it down on the counter as he yawned an order for a cup of coffee. He smiled his gratitude as the waittress slid it back to him and told him it was on the house. So was the plate of bacon and eggs that came a few minutes later.
"Eat it up and get your butt out of here, I've got a couple of highway patrol coming in for supper soon," she said as she laid a newpaper next to him. His picture was plastered across the front page.
He thanked her but she shrugged it off, "Just don't disappoint me by getting your ass caught. There's a lot of us who hate Romefeller."
(And I've gone by the point of caring,
Some old bed I'll soon be sharing,
And I've got one more silver dollar,
But I'm not gonna let 'em catch me, no
Not gonna let 'em catch the Midnight Rider.)
He pulled out of the parking lot just as a cruiser pulled in. He waited until the diner was out of sight before he opened the throttle and drove down the highway at full speed. He patted the coin in his pocket, perhaps it had brought him luck. Not that it mattered, he'd accepted the idea of dying the first time he sat behind the controls of his gundam. War and death went hand in hand, it was something every soldier knew.
In a couple of hours he'd reach his destination and he planned on sleeping for at least a week. Once again he looked up at the night sky and found he was no longer alone. The moon was smiling down on him.
The End
KwyckSylver
Please send comments to: kwycksylver@yahoo.com