01-Apr-2004
Title: Tetractys
Author: Sol, but archived as Zefyr on FF & MM
Chapter 09 "Hod, I" --- ONGOING
Story Started: 21 Dec 2003
Genre: Semi-AU, AU-in-AU, Drama, Sci Fi
Pairings: Wait and see.
Rated: R for the time being
Archived: fanfiction.net and gwaddiction.com
Warnings: Violence, language, adult situations, butchered scientific theory
Archiving: Ask permission for each story separately, please.
Critiques: Always welcome, especially constructive.
"Approaching base from north-by-east, seventeen-sixteen on visual," Wufei reported. There was still no response from Meiran, and he swore under his breath.
"Loading visual," Quatre replied. "Damn it, drag on the left arm, and apogee motor is unstable."
"Compensate."
"Diverting to AMB." There was a pause, and Quatre laughed softly. "Visuals, confirm five Long, two Go, three Ju... "
"Three Ma, nine o'clock." The location was a military base outside Moscow, populated with dark-green barracks and a few low-slung buildings. In the failing light of early evening, the base's flood lamps were lighting up, pinpointing the location for miles around. Wufei twisted the throttle, unable to stop a smirk of satisfaction as the beam saber streaked across his visuals panel. He stomped on the foot controls, leaning into the curve as he manipulated the right-hand controls. A shock ran through the cabin, jolting Wufei's fingers, as the beam saber cut down the Ma. "Two left." A third slice, and the second was down. "One." He angled under the third's attack, and cut it through the belly. "On my way."
"Shit," Quatre gasped. There was an explosion over the link, echoing in the 'com implant. Wufei gunned the throttle as Quatre yelled. "Seven clicks. Move it, 05!"
"Miss Long," the man said, a smirk creasing his face momentarily. "I do so love that charming element of your name." His voice turned harsh, commanding. "Get down from that platform."
Meiran kept her left hand on the winch, but didn't step off the cockpit platform. The explosion from the dying Long rocked Shenlong a little, but Meiran easily kept her balance as the Gundam swayed. She could see more Go and Ma landing nearby, and wished she'd had a chance to warn the two men. Meiran's right hand was clasped around the self-destruction device, a simple button on the inside of a plain silver ring. "My daughter, Lieutenant," she called down to the waiting men, purposefully misreading the military insignia on the man's jacket.
"Colonel," he corrected her, and said something to the man next to him.
A minute later there was movement by one of the bunkers, and Meiran nearly sagged in relief to see Zhiyi walking of her own accord between two solders. Just as quickly, Meiran was furious that the men would have their guns pointed at a girl who obviously was in no condition or training to be a true threat. The overhead lights were angled low; if she were on the ground, Meiran could reach her daughter's shadow in one step, stretching across the tarmac. The men brought Zhiyi to stand alongside the base's commander. Meiran took a deep breath, sliding down the winch to land on the ground, her feet planted squarely between Shenlong's feet.
"Mommy, no!" Zhiyi put her hands to her face, and Meiran knew the girl understood what was going on. Meiran threw her daughter a fierce look, and the girl dropped her hands, balling them into fists as she raised her chin.
The man laughed. "Quite a resemblance. Now, step this way, and we'll take the Gundam."
"I want my daughter," Meiran replied calmly. "And I want to walk out of here."
"I'm not sure I'm in that good of a mood, but I promise she won't be hurt." He glanced to the side at the girl, and shrugged. "She's hardly old enough to be a threat, and we'll make sure she goes to a good home."
Zhiyi paled, but said nothing.
Nataku's jets screamed as Wufei lifted up, powering the beast for a short burst as he sped towards the final location. "Two clicks," Wufei reported. Ahead he could see Sandstone flanked on all sides and fighting hard. The Long, overhead, were in dragon form, but seemed to be holding back. Grinning to himself, Wufei flipped the controls with his thumb and yanked. The scorpion tail shot fire that engulfed one of the Long, lighting up the sky. Nataku flew upwards, slicing into the Long's belly with the beam saber. A second later he was thrown sideways as another Long attacked him from behind.
"Two Go, four Long," Quatre said. "Got the Go---"
"Meiran?"
"No sign. Running scan. Bastard!" Quatre grunted, and another explosion filled the 'com.
"Shotels," Wufei replied, pulling hard up on the sticks to angle Nataku away from the two Long heading for him. "Get in close."
"Easy for---" Quatre cut off. "Meiran sighted. Going in."
"04," Wufei started to call, but was caught by the third Long slamming its tail across Nataku's legs. Wufei blocked the majority of the hit with the shield, and fired the jets. One slice, and the Long's starboard wing was gone, and half its tail. Exposed metal shrieking, the beast crashed into a bunker. Wufei didn't watch its fall. He headed for the second Long. A shockwave hit him from behind, and he checked visuals. Quatre had just taken out the viper-tail on the fourth Long.
Meiran took a step forward, her right hand tightening. The sound of explosions was distant in her ears, too focused on her daughter's stricken expression. Where were those two? She raised her right hand a little, bracing herself, and took another step forward. A split second later, the ground rocked under her feet as a shockwave crashed over her. Meiran grinned, seeing the men's faces go slack as they fell backwards.
"What the hell... " The Colonel's mouth was open in shock, as he stared up at Sandstone. "Reinforcements! Now!" The words were barely out of his mouth when Zhiyi elbowed the man nearest her and took off across the tarmac, running towards Meiran.
"DOWN!" Meiran screamed, seeing one soldier raise his gun.
Zhiyi reacted instantly, throwing herself into a roll, headfirst. The gunshot splattered pebbles from the tarmac. Meiran held up her fist over her head.
"Back off, or I destruct the Gundam," she screamed. "Back off! Do it!"
The Colonel raised his hands, then nodded. A second later, pain in exploded in Meiran's body as the bullet hit her upper arm. She grabbed her shoulder. Blood poured down her arm and she struggled to keep her feet. Zhiyi was up again, holding Meiran tightly. There was a tremendous thud, and Sandstone landed in front of them. Its Vulcan gun was aimed at the small group of soldiers. Instinctively Meiran threw her arm around Zhiyi, twisting to throw her daughter between Shenlong's legs. The explosion made the Gundam shudder. Shrapnel slammed into Meiran's body. Then there was silence, broken only by the sounds of Nataku fighting not far away.
"Meiran!" Quatre's shout was desperate. The winch from his cockpit whirred loudly, and it seemed to Meiran that as soon as he'd shouted, he was pulling her off Zhiyi. "Hey, hey," he said, checking Zhiyi quickly. The girl could only stare at the man, uncertain. "Status," Quatre barked.
"Gunshot to upper arm. Shrapnel, but I wouldn't take the alternative," Meiran said.
"Here," he replied, yanking on the lift bar. He shoved it at her, and then picked up Zhiyi in his arms. "I'll take the girl. You're going to need all your energy to get out of here."
"Yeah," Meiran said. Zhiyi started to protest, but Meiran shook her head. "Go with him. Mommy trusts him," she added. Grabbing the winch, she groaned at the pull on her right arm. The line pulled her upwards, and she was in the cockpit and buckling in as best as she could. Gritting her teeth, she hit the feet controls and started up the Gundam. The cockpit doors closed and the view panels dropped into place. "Shenlong, ready," she announced.
"I'll take lead," Quatre said, and Sandstone's eyes glowed green as the Gundam lifted into the air. "Nataku's point. Don't fall behind."
"Never," Meiran muttered. Twisting the throttle, she felt the jets kick in. "Visual confirmation, three Long," she called. "On my way."
Nataku arched, lower jets whistling as it flipped sideways, and Wufei was stunned at the Gundam's agility. The quick move meant the Long's return fire missed Nataku. The Gundam landed with a shudder on the tarmac, just as Sandstone lifted off. Nataku crouched, saber at the ready. One Long landed, transforming into a mobile suit only a little larger than Nataku. Its right arm swung out, beam saber arcing, and Nataku parried. The sabers clashed, sparks flying across the visual panel as the two suits pressed in close. Abruptly Nataku twisted away and crouched, letting the Long's momentum carry the suit forward. With a quick grab, Nataku flipped the Long over onto its back. One strike, and Wufei cut straight down, splitting the Long in two. A second later he was hit from behind, and Nataku fell forward, onto the burning Long.
"Two Long," Wufei reported, picking his head up from the view panel. He shook his head, and his vision went momentarily white. Wufei grunted at the effort of focusing. He tensed his legs, firing the jets as he forced Nataku up to its knees.
"Meiran's injured," Quatre reported. "I've got the kid."
"Good, pull out---" Nataku was hit from the side by the injured Long. The Gundam fell sideways, slamming into the tarmac, and the beam saber rolled from its hand. Wufei swore and powered up the dragon fang, rolling the Gundam over, face-up towards the Long. Get in close, Wufei demanded silently, gritting his teeth. You want me alive, you have to get in close... The Long moved, its steps uneven from the imbalance of having its tail injured. Its beam cannon brightened, the energy gathering, and Nataku raised the shield arm. The Long moved another step, the beam cannon an arm's length from Nataku.
"Now," Wufei whispered, twisting the joystick as he kicked with his feet. Nataku shot upwards. The dragon fang slammed into the beam cannon. Fire shot outwards, and down the barrel into the base. There was a pause, and Wufei smirked. A second later, the explosion sent Nataku flying backwards, sliding along the ground for seventy feet. The Gundam hit a bunker, its shoulder spike shattering from the impact.
"05, report," Quatre said. Visuals returned, to show Quatre looking worried. There was a girl in Quatre's lap, buckled in with him. Her hands were covering her face as she huddled. Quatre's teeth were bared; he wrenched the stick and hit the thumb-control. In Wufei's viewscreen, a Go went up in flames.
"One more Long," Wufei said.
"I'll take him," Meiran replied. Her visual link flickered to life. There was blood on her shoulder. Her face was creased in fury.
Nataku got to its feet, firing the jets in a burst, moving into fighting position as it swept up the beam saber on its way. Shenlong was dodging the Long's shots while waiting for the dragon to transform and come closer. Behind Shenlong, Sandstone took out another Go. Shenlong's reactions were slowing, as Meiran's left arm went slack.
"Fuck, damn arm," she said. "Zhiyi, don't ever let me hear you swear like mommy, okay?"
"Yes, mommy," a little voice squeaked.
The Long's cannon fired. Shenlong moved, but not quickly enough, and one leg was consumed in flames. Shenlong fell, unbalanced. Meiran grunted, and her 'com went dead again. Blue light crackled over the suit's body, until the flames died back, leaving scorched and peeling paint. The billowing black smoke obscured Wufei's view, and he forced Nataku to its feet, saber in hand. Sandstone ripped through the final Go, then turned and slammed sideways into the Long, sending it hurtling towards Nataku.
The girl screamed.
With one slice, Nataku ripped the Long open, from tail to stern. Landing squarely on both feet, Nataku powered down the saber before lifting the fallen Shenlong to its feet.
"Got her," Wufei said. "Think her systems were shorted." He was proven right when Shenlong's jets powered. The Gundam jumped upwards. Wufei followed, scanning the base below. "I'll cover."
"Roger," Quatre said. On the screen, Sandstone spun, sending a homing missile into the largest concrete building. It exploded upwards, the blast followed by a second as Sandstone took out the building beside it. "I'll be waiting."
Wufei didn't reply, aiming for a building that looked suspiciously like an ammunitions bunker. When the grid turned red, Wufei hit the button. The Vulcan gun fired straight through the door, and a split-second later Nataku shot upwards, away from the shockwave. Twisting as he angled the jets, Wufei could see people fleeing the buildings. Beside him, Shenlong took out several anti-aircraft stations. There was still no word from Meiran, and visual link was dead, but the Gundam powered up to follow Sandstone.
Nataku followed.
"We just got here and you're messing with it already," Lena yelled. "Don't you people sleep?" She stood by the supine Gundam, watching curiously. Duo continued to dig around in Deathscythe Hell's belly, only his feet sticking out. "You okay in there?"
"Small screwdriver," he said, sticking out a hand. Lena perused the racks of tools on the bench, found one, and clambered up on Deathscythe Hell.
"Here," she said.
"Thanks."
"Whatcha doing, anyway?" She leaned back, resting her weight on her hands as she studied Wing and Talon at the end of the hangar, side by side. Heero was discussing something with one of the technicians, while Trowa reviewed statistics on Broadarms.
"Checking out the ECM system," Duo said. "G and I discussed it, years ago, but what you've got here isn't anything like what I thought he'd planned. The frequencies seem all wrong, and besides... " There was a clatter, and a muffled curse. "Anyway, it's something for space. And unless we're taking the battle there, I don't see very well how the stealth capabilities are going to do much good on Earth."
"It'd be useful when fighting at night," Lena pointed out. She scratched the tip of her nose, and watched as Heero shook his head at the technician before riding the winch up to Talon's belly. "Bet he's going to rip everything out and reprogram it," she muttered.
"What?" Duo crawled backwards out of the access panel. "01, you'd better not be dismantling the pretty lady's Gundam," he muttered. Lena raised an eyebrow, and Duo suddenly laughed. "He says there's not enough firepower."
"He does, does he... " Lena frowned. "You've got some sort of intercom."
Duo smirked, and leaned into the access panel again. "What do these circuits do? There's at least ten boards here, and they're not connected to anything."
"On the left, under the stabilizer drives?"
"Yeah."
"Those are the AI system. It was something J and O were messing with, but they kept saying it wasn't complete. They didn't want us using it until it was ready, and we've never really figured out what they're for."
"Artificial intelligence?" Duo's head popped out of the access panel, his eyes bright. "As in... make the Gundams think for themselves?"
"Something like that." Lena shrugged. "We've never had the time or energy to spare to complete the tests. The past few years, it's been all we could do just to keep up, and build the secondary Gundams at the same time. Hilde moved the circuits into Deathscythe Hell, but I left mine in Wing when we were building Talon."
"Heero says Talon's more for your height than his," Duo commented dryly. He made a smacking sound with his lips, and grinned.
"I... I sort of made a few modifications when we built Talon," Lena admitted. "Tell him if he wants Wing instead, I'll trade him. I like Wing, but... " She pursed her lips, not sure how to put it.
"I know what you mean," Duo replied, patting the metal casing around the access panel. "Deathscythe... "
"Was your pal," Lena finished.
"I was going to say my buddy," Duo told her gently. "But I guess it's the same thing."
"Status," came Quatre's voice over the 'com.
"Clear." Wufei groaned, and climbed down from Nataku's body. The shuttle rocked under his feet, and he swayed, one hand on his head, the other on Nataku's arm. The scorched metal was still warm under his hand, but he remained there as the shuttle went airborne. "Anyone following?"
"None so far," Quatre reported, a hint of satisfaction entering his voice. "Get Meiran out of there."
"Yeah, yeah," Wufei muttered.
He made his way to Shenlong, climbing up onto the Gundam's chest and hitting the release panel. Inside, Meiran was unconscious, blood soaking her left arm, and more scratches and cuts on her face and hands. Wufei had to grip the frame of the cockpit tightly, seeing a much younger Meiran flash before his eyes. He felt ill, suddenly, and very much afraid. Carefully he leaned into the cockpit.
"Mei, Xiao Mei," he whispered, then wondered if this Meiran had had a Wufei who'd used her childhood nickname. Meiran stirred, moaning, and Wfuei grimaced, reaching to her stomach to unbuckle her. A quick snap and a twist of his wrist and the straps were out of the way. Pulling on her good arm, he struggled for a minute before getting her over his shoulder. Slowly he made his way to the edge of Shenlong, sliding down the side. His knees buckled under him, and he panted, feeling his head spin before he could get himself under control. "Got her," he whispered over the 'com.
"Bring her on up. Can't do autopilot for another half-hour," Quatre replied. "But I think there's supplies in--- hey, kid! Where do you---" Quatre sighed. "I think someone just volunteered to help."
"Great," Wufei said, sarcastically. Not what I need, a hysterical ten-year-old. He hit the button for the door.
It slid open, and he entered the main cabin behind the shuttle's cockpit. Zhiyi was there, her face pale and her eyes large, but her jaw was set. It reminded Wufei of a much younger Meiran, and he had to focus on what he was doing to keep from laughing, or worse, snapping at the girl to frighten her away. He rolled Meiran off his shoulder, settling her down on the bunk, and unzipped her flight suit. Pulling her upright, her head lolled, and he shook her gently.
"Long," he said, curtly. "Snap out of it."
"Screw you, Chang," she retorted, but her voice was weak. "Goddamn, I lost too much blood."
"Thought your meditation skills were better than that," he told her, and turned her so she was leaning against the cabin wall. He pulled the flight suit down, revealing the gash on her upper arm. Her tank top was soaked with blood, but before he could say anything, Zhiyi was there with an antiseptic pad, pressing it against the wound. Meiran hissed.
"Mommy," Zhiyi said, cringing. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for---"
"Hush, little dragon," Meiran whispered. "It's not your fault, and we're safe, now."
She bit her lip as Zhiyi continued to pat the wound, turning the pad over several times to clean up the blood. Wufei realized Meiran was clutching his left hand tightly, while his right hand remained on her good shoulder, holding her upright. Zhiyi continued to neatly and efficiently clean the wound, finally packing it with several wads of gauze and ointment before wrapping it tightly. The girl sat back with a sigh, worrying at her lower lip, and Wufei realized Meiran had passed out again.
"It's not good that she was knocked out so easily." Wufei felt Meiran's hand slipping out of his, and he reached up to push a strand of hair out of her face before he knew what he was doing.
"Mommy always collapses after missions," Zhiyi said. Her tone was matter-of-fact, and her eyes were way too old for her ten-year-old body. "Aunt Doro says Mommy doesn't conserve herself properly."
Sounds like the Meiran I knew, too, Wufei thought. Sighing, he stood up, and gently moved Meiran to lie down on the bunk, lifting her legs up onto the bed. Pulling a blanket from the cabin's storage shelf, he laid it over Meiran. They'd just have to deal with the bloody flight suit and tank top later, but for now, it was good enough.
"We'll need to refuel at the base in Mongolia," Quatre said over the 'com. "Doro's sending the flight pattern. Sleep for an hour, and then come take over."
"After all that?" Wufei snorted.
"Who're you talking to, Mister?" Zhiyi looked around the room, confused.
"Quatre," Wufei said, not thinking.
"He can hear you from there?"
"Intercom system," Wufei explained. "I'm going to sleep... " He glanced around, realizing the lone bunk was the only location. He shook his head. Figures, he thought. Carefully he lay down beside Meiran, turning her to face the inside so her weight was off her wounded arm. "Crawl over us, and we'll keep her on her side," he instructed. "Or, you can go pilot with Quatre... "
"Not really sleepy," Zhiyi said, and promptly yawned. Wufei twisted to give her a skeptical look, and she shrugged. "I'll just... lie down for a bit," she announced. "Just to keep an eye on Mommy."
"Right," Wufei said, not sure what he was supposed to do or say.
"She's a miniature version of you," Quatre whispered in his ear.
"Winner," Wufei growled.
Quatre chuckled. "Good night. I'll wake you in an hour."
Wufei toggled the switch twice. Zhiyi climbed over his and Meiran's feet, and crawled up until her back was against the cabin wall. He held Meiran's weight back, against his chest, while Zhiyi curled up against her mother. He let his head fall onto the bunk pillow, his right hand still splayed across Meiran's hip, holding her in place. He expected it would take awhile, but he was surprised to find himself drifting into sleep, accompanied by the woman's and the girl's even breathing.
"Broadarms is a variant on Heavyarms, with higher ammunition," Trowa murmured, setting the statistics down on the worktable at the end of the hangar. Duo nodded as he returned his armful of tools to the racks. Trowa leaned one hip against the worktable, watching. "I'm going to have to reconfigure the left arm, though. It seems Cat, or her technicians, balanced the two. When that dual beam gatling runs out of ammo---"
"Which, knowing you, it will," Duo replied, grinning. He raised his eyebrows at Trowa's annoyed look, and shrugged. "Come on, man, it's your signature move. Run out, go down, then nail 'em."
"I had no idea I was that predictable," Trowa replied, a little dryly.
"Part of your charm." Duo smirked and let the last screwdriver drop into place. He turned as Heero approached, a technician in tow. "You made your pick?"
"Wing," Heero said, nodding curtly. "Lena's going to adjust Talon to her exact specifications. I figure I can---"
"Touch my buddy, and you die a slow, painful death, Yuy." Duo crossed his arms with a challenging expression on his face.
"As I don't want my last twenty-four hours to consist of your conversation non-stop," Heero replied, not missing a beat, "I'll refrain from doing so. I don't need to, anyway. What I really want to do is take a look at the circuits they never installed, but the plans are at the base in Marseilles, not here."
"There's one other thing, sirs." The technician, a young man who didn't look much over seventeen, stepped back as all three turned to look at him. "It's about Broadarms, thought you should know. The Gatling cannon has four barrels and fires 70 rounds a second... "
"I read all that," Trowa said, mildly bored. "Depleted uranium rounds followed by incendiary phosphorus. The uranium punches through armor; the phosphorus follows and burns at 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. 70 rounds per second."
"Impressive," Duo remarked.
"The problem is that whenever the cannon fires, it shakes a lot of screws loose. So when it comes back, we have to tighten things up." The technician sighed. "That's why Cat's always used Heavyarms. We've never managed to balance the requirement for firepower over the Gundam's structural strength. The original Gundams, it might've been possible, but with the smaller size... "
"Problem," Duo said, but just raised his eyebrows at Trowa's glance, as if to say, you know it, too.
"How much time do we have?" Heero was looking past the technician, at Wing and Talon.
"Before you leave?" The technician looked startled. "I... I don't know, sir. I mean, I'm just the guy who deals with the weapons systems... "
"About three hours," Lena interrupted, striding up to the group. "I just got word," she said, and glanced at the technician. "Ted, go start on Talon. I'll need that buster rifle balanced before I take it out again."
"Yes, ma'am," the technician said, trotting off with a nervous glance over his shoulder.
Lena watched him go, sighing, before she turned to the three men. "Your reputation precedes you, gentlemen." She waved a hand, dismissing whatever Duo was about to say. "Doro's squadron went down over the Pacific, off the coast of Brazil. She won't be joining us, so we need to move out, now. The Gundams will be shipped across land, and if you head over to the office, someone will find you something more appropriate to wear."
"Appropriate for---" Duo started to say.
"Not joining us?" Heero frowned.
"Across land," Trowa said.
"One at a time," Lena told them. She pulled the bandana from her hair, rubbing her face with it before crumpling it up and shoving it into the back pocket of her jeans. "We received confirmation from Doro's second that Sandrock hit the water about two clicks offshore. The Foundation's moving in, though, and the squadron's depleted. They've had to pull back and get reinforcements, but I've rerouted Meiran's shuttle to the base in Panama. They might be able to get there in time."
"They *might*," Duo interjected, his tone disbelieving. Trowa was silent, his expression troubled and distant.
"Not important!" Lena snapped, then frowned, and pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath. "In Doro's absence, I'm in command. And I say, if she's down, she's down. She'd say the same thing." Lena glanced at Trowa, who nodded shortly, and Lena laughed, a bitter sound. "I'm figuring some stuff out," she muttered, under her breath. "Anyway, get to the office, while I deal with Mike. He'll be in charge of the cross-land movement. We'll be stopping just over the mountains to refuel, and then heading for the shore. We'll be taking a ship to the Jersey Islands, and---"
"Maxwell," Heero said curtly. He ignored Lena's startled look, and crossed his arms.
Duo sighed, and closed his eyes, letting the threads fall around him, stilling them for a second so he could follow them. He felt a hand grip his shoulder, and Duo nodded, chewing his lower lip before going deeper. The images swirled around him, and he struggled to identify and follow Meiran's possibilities. Duo gasped, pulling back with a sharp groan.
"She's not yet made the decision," Trowa said behind him. "If she does, there's a chance of success, but a slim one."
"Fuck," Heero replied. Lena opened her mouth, and Heero shook his head, cutting her off. "Doro?"
"Too open," Duo whispered, putting one hand on the bench to steady himself. "And... " He glanced at Lena, then dropped his gaze, away from her blue eyes, wide and frightened. Duo took a deep breath, and submersed himself in the shifts and swirls moving around Lena. She was in too much of a crossroads, he knew, and the images came fast and thick, overlapping and merging as the seconds passed and her own recognition of his actions altered her range of decisions. Duo's knees gave out, and he barely registered Heero catching him, dampening the impact even as Trowa filtered the awareness and relayed it.
"We'll take the trucks," Trowa said. "Straight through, and no stopping until we're closer to the coast. Get a ship for Marseilles, not Jersey."
"Get a what?" Lena gaped. "You've got to be kidding me. There's no way I'm going to listen to that, not without something a bit more concrete! We've got a routine---"
"---That's the problem, *miss*," Trowa said, rather sharply. "You've got a routine, and if we stop just past the mountains, two of the Gundams will go up in an unexpected explosion while the trucks refuel. And something about chickens," he added, a bit dubiously.
"Chi... " Lena's eyes went even wider, and Duo grinned weakly at her. "Shit," she said, and blinked. "So that's... you two can see the future?"
"Just him," Trowa said, with a sigh, but his tone was warning. "I relay. It's too much to see and talk at the same time." In Heero's arms, Duo nodded, and tapped a finger to his forehead as though he were saluting. Trowa rolled his eyes. "Still don't need your voice to be a smartass," he muttered in Duo's ear.
"Screw you, Barton," Duo replied, and started to stand up. "We've got to move."
"Wait," Lena said. "I need more information about the possible explosion. How? Who would know, to sabotage ahead of time?"
"I don't know," Trowa told her. "I'll keep my ears open, and if I hear anything, I'll let you know. In the meantime, we need to start packing."
"Let me know *before* you shoot 'em outright, this time, okay?" Lena stepped back, letting Heero and Duo walk off, Duo's arm over Heero's shoulder. The two men were talking quietly, too low for her to hear, and she exhaled slowly. "I'm sorry," she said to Trowa. "I... "
"Don't be," Trowa told her, and followed his partners.
End Part 9
(:./sol/tetra9)
