20-Apr-2000
Here's the teaser / prologue for a new fic I'm considering. Will probably be more centered on Trowa - the most neglected GW boy in my fics. He deserves equal time in the spotlight, doesn't he? :)
Feedback appreciated, as always. Technical feedback on gundams, particularly. I'm making things up as I go along (as always... )
"Damn it, stop him!" Duo Maxwell shouted into the open communication line as he wrenched sharply on the controls. Deathscythe Hell leapt into the air in a dazzling feat of aerial acrobatics - barely avoiding a barrage of incoming missiles.
The heat-seeking missiles could not realign their vectors in time, and they ripped up the ground where Deathscythe had stood just seconds earlier, leaving a smoking crater where a lovely neighbourhood park had once been... all life scorched from the soil.
"Hurry, I'm losing power," the braided American pilot spared a glance at the flashing lights on the console, as he twisted sharply to avoid taking yet another missile in the gut.
"Hang in there," the overlying calm in Quatre's voice was a thin facade. Deep within, he was panic-stricken. What in Allah's name was going on, he demanded of the uncaring sky as Sandrock leapt into the fray - trying to draw some of the pressure away from Deathscythe. His own on-board computer screamed a warning. Its near legendary defense system was severely overtaxed - he wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer. "Duo and I will draw his fire away from the city. Heero, Wufei, you have to outflank him and bring him down, but don't hurt him!"
"Don't hurt him?!" Duo's voice was outraged as Deathscythe Hell dropped into a roll, then came up in a battle crouch. The glowing scythe lashed out, slicing with deadly accuracy through a missile headed towards a residential district. "Quatre, you are stark raving mad!" he declared firmly. "I hate to be the one to point this out to you, but he's trying to kill us and you're -still- telling us not to hurt him?!"
"Shut up, baka. Get out of the way!" Heero swore as he tried to maneuver Wing for a single clean shot. How did Deathscythe Hell manage to move -that- fast?! The braided baka and his blasted Gundam were -always- in the way, intercepting all the missiles that would have otherwise taken out whole suburban districts. His finger hovered over the trigger. "Move, Duo... just move," he whispered, almost begging...
Shields... 10%... 8%... 5%... Oh hell! His desperate push for speed was drawing the needed energy from his already weakened defenses. "Heero. Damn it, where are you?!" Duo spared a glance at Wing trying to angle for a clean shot. "Take him down, damn it, just take him down!" he shouted as he spun Deathscythe Hell into a series of brilliantly executed evasive actions.
But not even a pilot as talented as Duo Maxwell could evade unrelenting missile fire indefinitely. A heat-seeking missile slammed into Deathscythe Hell - Duo's scream of agony rippled like shockwaves through the open communication channel.
As did Heero's wail of anguished loss.
A towering shadow loomed over the fallen Gundam, preparing to unleash a series of missiles at point blank range...
"No!!!" Quatre screamed, spinning Sandrock around and opening fire on the man he had called friend... and lover. To hell with love... Oh Allah, what have you done, Trowa... what have you done?!
Shenlong launched itself at Heavyarms, trying to wrench the other Gundam around... trying to do something - anything - to stop the flow of events in their unrelenting, unforgiving march towards an utterly unacceptable end. The Chinese pilot was so close... he saw it all happen as if in slow motion, as if viewed through a dream.
He saw the missile hatches open...
No. Oh God, please no...
He saw the missiles extend for launch...
"Trowa, stop! You have to stop! What are you doing?!"
The missiles streaked from their hatches, trailing death and destruction...
"NO!!!!"
Wing raced through the air... threw itself over Deathscythe Hell and absorbed the full, devastating blow of the impacting missiles...
And the world exploded into flames...
End Part 1
(:./danyale/true1)
