19-Apr-2002
Title: When The Bough Breaks
Author: Ebonydove
Warnings: none
Pairings: 1+2/2+1
Author's notes: Some times things just write themselves. This is one of those
things. I have no idea where it's going, or why, so hang in there and we'll see.
This is what happens when I let Wufei take over... just a side note. 'Helo' is
short for helicopter, and is pronounced Hee-low. It's a Marine thing.
*Shrugs*
Wufei saw Duo's bright eyes widen to an impossible size as the helo suddenly dropped out from underneath him. His long, chestnut braid hovered in the air for a moment, as if an invisible thread suspended it, before it too found gravity was working. By the time he had realized that the limb had cracked through, it was too late for him to grab out at Duo's outstretched hand. He didn't even have time to shout out as he witnessed the Deathscythe pilot fall backward into the hollow of the helicopter.
He watched as Duo was pitched out from the side door and smashed into a branch before spinning in the air and bouncing off the side of the tree. He made no sound as he grasped for anything to get a hold of to keep him from falling the forty feet to the unforgiving ground. Heliacious noise roared through Wufei's ears and before he realized, he had shut his eyes to keep from watching his comrade's imminent death as it unfolded before him.
Then as quickly as it had begun, the sound stopped and the air around him stilled. Now the only thing that filled his mind was the rush of blood in his ears and the thumping of his heart in his chest. He opened his eyes and took a tentative glance down at the carnage the wreck had left in its wake. There was no sign of Duo anywhere and he was trying to keep the dark thoughts that were creeping into his brain in the back of his head. But he feared the worse.
"Hnnn... D-Duo?"
Heero's voice snapped him out of his daze. He leaned Heero's head back so it rested on his shoulder and checked the bleeding. It had slowed to a sluggish pace but was still dripping down the side of his face. He ripped he bottom of his already torn shirt into a long strip, and using his teeth and one good hand, wrapped it over the worse part of the gash. "Just rest Heero. We're out of the helo and will be on the ground momentarily." Wufei gritted his teeth. He wasn't sure how he was going to get himself down of the tree, much less Heero. But the crash would be sure to alert Oz to their presence, so he had to figure something out. "Duo! Duo can you hear me?!" He called, but got nothing but silence and the chirping of a nearby bird for his answer. "DUU-OOO!" He hollered again. Swearing softly to himself he adjusted Heero so he was leaning against the trunk as much as possible and very slowly crawled over him.
The camo-net had been pulled, but not ripped when the helo had fallen, and was still tied securely to the trunk where Duo had knotted it. Heaving a worried breath, Wufei gathered as much of it as he could and pulled it up alongside him on the branch. Finding two of the four corners he brought them together and tied them securely in the center. Then he gathered up the longest side and threaded it through his center knot almost making a hammock-like swing. He carefully maneuvered Heero so that he was wrapped securely in it, and began to lower him down.
Beads of sweat were trickling down the side of his face as he steadied the swinging mass of netting down. It was heavy enough itself without Heero's added weight, plus he felt his elbow was going to come out of its socket with the strain. With agonizing slowness, he managed to finally get Heero to the ground. Wrapping his legs around the thickest part of the net, he began to slowly inchworm his way down the side of the tree. Several times he had to swing over broken limbs and pieces of jutting metal. Towards the bottom he saw the larger pieces of wreckage, but still no sign of Duo. He could feel the heat rising up and swirling around him from the helicopter's burnt engine, and crept past a twisted blade as he finally touched ground. Heero was still wrapped in the nest of netting as Wufei quickly dragged him away from the heat of the still smoldering metal.
A soft, raspy voice caught his attention. "Wu... fei... where's... Duo?"
He noted the veiled worry in Heero's tone and wanted to pretend he hadn't heard the question. But there was no reason to lie. He never had before, so it made no sense to now. "He fell." Heero's face grew slightly paler and Wufei winced at the worry his own voice had betrayed. "I'll find him Heero. You just lay still. You took a nasty hit when we crashed."
"Have to... " Heero blinked blurry eyes open and found the world spinning. He couldn't tell where he was, on the ground or still hanging suspended in his chair. Everything had tilted to an odd angle and his stomach rolled with waves of nausea. "Have to... find him. Oz... coming."
"I have enough to deal with Yuy, without trying to keep you standing. So stay here." Wufei snapped.
"I'll go... with you." Heero mumbled, still half-dazed.
Wufei's world was one of pain right now, and arguing with Heero was going to infuriate him more. His arm was going numb, his side ached where he had collided with Duo, and his back was a burning, throbbing mess. "No you will not. I will go and get Duo, and then we will find suitable shelter." Wufei heard the slightest intake of air from Heero who was struggling to sit up from his place on the ground. "I should leave that braided idiot behind for getting us into this mess in the first place."
"My fault. Not his. Can't leave him."
Wufei rolled his eyes and tied a strip of his shirt to cradle his elbow in. He tried to flex his fingertips but found them stiff and tingling. "Damn it." Looking back at Heero he glared, even though he knew the Wing pilot was still seeing cross-eyed. "STAY." He commanded and headed off to search in the debris for their other friend.
If not for the bone jarring crash, the woods would have been a great place to meditate while escaping Oz Wufei pondered as he stepped over a moss covered tree trunk. The air was crisp and fresh; sunlight chased shadows along the leaf-covered ground, and signs of nature abounded everywhere he turned. It was a different world he lived in though. When other people could take the time to revel the beauty of nature, he was trying to find a way to survive in it. Shaking the dark thoughts away again, he continued to look for Duo.
The brush around the oak was extensive, and despite the twisted metal would have been difficult to navigate around. He had finally managed to work his way back around to where the bulk of the helo had landed, but found no sign of Duo. There was nothing on the ground that gave any hint to the location of the other pilot, no blood, no hair, nothing.
He was about to widen his search when he felt a few wet drops hit the top of his head. He ran his hand through his hair and came away with the red, distinct traces of blood. His stomach twisted as he looked up into the dense and mangled branches of the giant oak above him.
Duo hung in the tree, bleeding and dangling like a rag doll, twenty feet above his head.
"Maxwell! Can you hear me?!" Wufei saw no movement at all from Duo and wasn't about to wait to see if he would answer his cries. He worked his way through the thorny brush at the base of the tree and climbed his way up along the metal tail section of the helo to gain enough height to pull himself up to the next closest branch. He tried to ignore the faint sound of Duo's blood dripping onto the leaves below him with soft, plopping noises, and more than once had to clear several droplets from his face as he climbed up underneath the pilots' still form. "Sweet Nataku." He whispered as he finally reached Duo seeing the severely torn shoulder that was bleeding heavily and the unhealthy gray coloring of Duo's skin as he grew near. "You are not dead, Maxwell. If you die on me now after all we have been through I will never forgive you." He carefully crawled over Duo's back and wedged himself in a crotch of the tree's branches. Then he slowly and painfully hoisted Duo over his shoulder. He hadn't intended to fireman's carry Duo down, but dropping him the twenty feet was not an option.
Getting back to the ground was as difficult as getting up, and Wufei for one was getting damn sick of crawling up and down the blasted tree. Gingerly placing Duo on the ground, he assessed his own injuries. If they didn't get moving they could save Oz the trouble and shoot themselves now. It was getting increasingly darker, and he didn't think any of then would survive a cold night with shock and blood loss setting in. Duo had been the most well off before they had crashed, and he was hoping he would be okay enough to go for help. But now it looked like he was the healthiest of the three of them. He repressed a shiver and removed the tattered remains of his shirt to wrap around Duo's head and shoulder.
They were ass deep in alligators with no signs of a raft.
A small moan from Duo brought his attention back to where he was. "Duo? Don't try to move. If you can hear me, squeeze my hand twice." Wufei picked up Duo's cold fingers with his and waited for a response. After a few moments he felt a small squeeze. "Good enough. I'll be right back." Wufei rose from his crouch and took a deep breath before making his way back to where he had left Heero.
Their options were limited, and moving away from the wreckage wasn't one of them. If their luck held... Wufei shook his head, if they had any luck left... they could try to rest up and lay low until morning, then try to find a place to hide until Trowa and Quatre came to search for them. Once they missed their check-in, the two remaining pilots would come looking. It wasn't the best plan of action, but it would have to do for now. Hopefully Oz didn't track their escape route, or see the billowing plume of smoke from their crash.
Wufei almost laughed out loud. And maybe unicorns really did exist.
End Part 2
(:./ebony/bough2)
