15-Aug-2001
Part: 23/?
Warnings: Mild Angst.
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. Blah blah.
Flames to: Anakerie@cinci.rr.com
Notes: Once again, I apologize for the skimpy battle scenes. I'm better at sap and fluff. This hasn't been betaed because she displeased the Gods and she's being punished. She's currently locked in my shed and being reconditioned.
There is a moment when suddenly everything shimmers before you and clarifies; when you look at your life with new eyes, and you look at yourself, and you know that nothing will ever be the same. The person you were lays, a dried husk, under the person you have become, and you cannot go back. In that moment you gain something beyond value, and you lose something irreplaceable.
I sat there, in the cockpit of that little plane, as Linra and I approached the battle, and suddenly, I knew.
I always thought that I hated being called Jason because of Vire, because it reminded me of him, but I realized now that was only a small part of it. I hated being called Jason because Jason was a lie. Jason was a warrior's name, and I was a child. Using that name made me feel like I had as a toddler stomping around in my father's boots; it was far too big, too awkward.
But now, now that I had set out to prove my mettle, I found the child that was Jazz lacking. I was afraid; my hands trembled on the controls. I was afraid of losing my family, but I was also afraid of dying myself. A death in a blaze of glory still left you just as dead, and that's when I had the second epiphany.
This is what my father had been trying to tell me.
He didn't consider his days as a soldier something to gloat about. He wasn't ashamed of what he had done, but nor was he bursting with pride. It had needed to be done, and he had done it, but he did not view it as a great accomplishment that I could never live up to.
He had spent all my life trying to keep me from having to. All thing things I had resented had only been done so that I would never have to look at something like this and be part of it.
And now that I understood, far too late, here I was.
I watched the energy beams whip back and force, and I watched a Wronith ship explode into flames. I should have been overjoyed that some of my enemies were dead but instead I felt sick. Maybe that pilot hadn't wanted to be out here any more than I did; maybe he felt like had had to be. Maybe his own father was out there fighting and he had come here to help.
Maybe a lot of things.
Linra and I were at the back of the line of Setan ships. The battle was going on way too fast for us to count who was winning. Were any of us winning?
I saw then a Setan plane, away from the protection of the others , dart around a chunk of space debris like a humming bird, a Wronith plane right on his tail. The Wronith fired left and right, and the plane dodged the beams easily, looking like it was mocking the other ship.
My hands stopped shaking and I accelerated toward them. I could still feel Jazz within me, feel his fear, but in that moment I was the Argonaut. I was Jason. And as Jason, I was able to put my fear aside.
The Setan ship was a thing of beauty to watch, making the Wronith pilot look clumsy and foolish. He was distracted, trying to figure out how he was going to get in a hit, when I opened fire.
His ship was still for a minute, and then went up in flames. There was a flash of something in my mind, the knowledge that I had killed someone, but there wasn't time to dwell on it.
My comm beeped. "Thanks, pal." The other pilot told me.
I didn't reply, and changed frequency quickly. There was no way my own father wasn't going to recognize my voice, even with all the interference.
"Shinigami, come in." I heard Heero say.
"Shinigami here. I'm fine. Thanks to that Setan pilot. That was some flying he did; I thought I'd had it."
"Who is he?"
"Darned if I know. He wouldn't answer me. Maybe his comm is down.
"More fun." My father said suddenly and I saw three Wronith planes headed for them. I flew forward, flanking them.
"He's got some guts, too." Heero remarked, and I couldn't help grinning like an idiot.
It was then that I remembered Linra.
I quickly hit the comm button. "Aria, this is Argonaut. Come in."
"Hello, this is Aria's refrigerator. Her answering machine is on vacation. If you speak slowly and clearly, I'll write your message down and stick it to myself with one of these little magnets. Thank you."
I burst out laughing, her unexpected joke making even the battle around me seem dim. "Sorry for taking off that like that. I get a little testy when people try and use my father for target practice."
"No problem. I'm on my way over."
A second later I saw her ship clear the debris and join us. There wasn't a whole lot of time to think because suddenly the beams were everywhere again and we were having to use all the tricks my father had shown us to avoid being turned into more debris.
I flew higher, above the battle to get a better view, and that's when I saw it.
It rested on a chunk of rock, the same dull grey-brown shade, making it very easy to miss if you weren't looking. And it was huge.
"What the?" I heard Linra say.
"A Wronith ship. But it doesn't look like a fighter. What do you want to bet that that's where they're keeping the girls? It's a long trip home; they wouldn't want to head back without a full collection so they have to be keeping them somewhere near by.
"I think you're right."
I stared at the ship, hearing the battle below me. My father and Heero and the Setan pilots could take care of things. I had a different mission now.
I had vowed to do whatever I needed to do to free those kids. Now it was time to put up or shut up.
"We're going in, aren't we?" Linra asked.
"I'm going in. You head down to the planet and..."
Silence.
"You're not going to head to the planet are you?" I asked glumly.
"And let you have all the fun?" Osmar barked out an agreement next to her.
"Okay, but I want you to know that I don't have a clue how we're going to do this." I warned.
"We'll figure something out." She said cheerfully. "I remember Heero telling me that once a bunch of guardian angels were cast out of your heaven for being too wild. He said they threw loud parties, got drunk, and that your God was tried of having the cops show up. So he pitched them out on their butts..."
"Yeah?" I hadn't heard this one, but I could hear Ojisan's voice behind hers.
"But being guardian angels was all they knew how to do, besides get wasted. All the easy jobs were taken, so they ended up having to protect the craziest, stubbornest people in the galaxy. He said these people ran them ragged all day and night, but the guardian angels knew that they were being tested and that if they let anything happen to their charges they'd never be allowed back into Heaven."
"And?"
"And." Linra giggled. "He said those angels still get drunk at times, but now it's only to forget about the trouble those damn Maxwells are always causing for them."
"Ha ha ha. Real cute. You're going to be a Maxwell yourself in a few years, you know."
"Well, then, I need to start learning to live up to it. Wouldn't want those angels to get bored."
We moved toward the Wronith main ship.
The first thing that Wufei saw as he and Macus flew over the farm was the smoke. It was thick and black, making it almost impossible to see far below them.
They went lower, and the next thing Wufei saw made him question his sanity. Two Wronith men were running out of the farm house as fast as they could, pursued by a dark-haired young woman in Chinese clothing. The girl was waving a sword above her head as she chased after them.
"Sir?" Macus's voice came over the comm. "Is that your wife?"
Wufei stared at the girl in shock, feeling the blood drain from his face. "That's not Denea." He said shortly.
They had flown over the house looking for a place to land, and the third thing Wufei saw nearly sent him over the edge.
The flames were devouring the fields, moving faster and faster toward a small group of people trying to outrun them. The smoke was too thick to see much of them, but he could make out Denea, carrying the twins, and the older children running behind. Someone was guiding Denea, but he was unable to tell who.
He seemed to be leading them toward the lake, however.
"Come on, baby." He whispered, searching frantically a place to set down the plane. "You can do it."
Now he could see that Luke was limping, and that he was being half-carried by Rosemary, who appeared ready to collapse herself. There, behind the lake, was a small clearing.
Wufei landed the plane quickly and hopped out, the smoke clogging his nose and making his eyes water. He watched Denea stumble into the lake, choking, and finally put the twins down in the shallow depths.
He ran toward them, unmindful of anything else, jumping into the water and wading out to where they were huddled.
Meishel's scream of terror brought him up short. "Mama! Bad person!" She cried out, and he remembered that he was still wearing the helmet.
Before he could react Denea sprang into action. Her face contorted in rage and she reached into the water, scooping up a handful of large stones and flinging them in his direction. Meishel cheered as one bounced off the helmet.
"DON'T YOU TOUCH MY CHILDREN!" the woman shrieked.
"Damn it woman!" Wufei yanked off the helmet. "They're my children too. I'll touch them all I want!"
"BABA!"
The twins broke free of their mother and splashed over to him.
"Wu?"
Denea felt strong arms around her and she knew that she was both laughing and crying at the same time. "Is it over?"
"No. But soon. Very soon. Heero and Duo are up there fighting, but I had to come..."
Denea turned her head, cursing once again her damaged eyes. "Are your friends okay? The ones you sent?"
"Huh?"
"The man, and the girl. They saved our lives. Are they alright?"
"Mulan." Shan said helpfully.
"And the pretty man." Meishel added.
"Mulan..." Wufei was shaking his head, blinking quickly. "I bet she loved that." He kissed Meishel's cheek. "What pretty man?"
"Him, Baba." She pointed a small, pudgy finger.
Wufei turned to look, and he saw the man standing on the edge of the lake, the flames at his back, but not touching him.
"You have a beautiful family." He said softly. "Take care of them."
"I don't know how to thank you." Denea called over to him.
"A long time ago, your husband protected my child. I couldn't let anything happen to his."
He turned and walked back toward the flames and Wufei came to life, stumbling after him.
"TREIZE!" He yelled out, and the man turned around.
"Thank you. For everything."
Treize's smile widened. "Your little dragons have quite a life ahead of them. You don't have to worry about them; they're well protected."
The flames closed around him.
"Wait a minute." Denea had made her way toward Wufei. "I thought you said your friend Treize was dead."
"He is." Wufei glanced up, where Macus was still circling. "There's no time to talk about this now. We have to get out of here before the Wronith come back."
"What about the girl?"
Wufei shook his head, the tears falling and splashing into the lake. "Mulan can take care of herself." He told his wife, kissing her deeply. "Come on. We have to get the kids away from this smoke; Luke is about to pass out."
He guided them back toward the small ship. Nothing was settled yet; nothing was solved, but he felt a strong sense of peace come over him. His family was safe.
He felt strong enough to move mountains right now.
End Chapter 23
(:./lasha/dragons23)
