Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Alternate Timelines Indeed ❯ Part 5 ( Chapter 5 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Arigatomina 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 07.07.2002 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.2K | Visits: 510 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 07.07.2002 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.2K | Visits: 510 | Status: Work In Progress
Author's Notes: Any corrections on the DBZ history are welcome and should be sent to my email address. Arguments over my portrayal of gundanium will be considered but also countered with my theories.
Category: Yaoi, crossover of Dragon Ball Z and Gundam Wing, TWT, partial AU on DBZ side
Warnings: none, mostly dialog and explaining on both sides, DBZ and GW
Pairings: will be Trunks x 2, Piccolo x 4, 1x2, 3x4
Author: Arigatomina
Email: arigatoumina@hotmail.com
Complete Archive: www.geocities.com/arigatomina
www.fanfiction.net under Arigatomina
Alternate Timelines Indeed
Part 5
"You know," Duo smiled over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off the sky. "You probably could have *carried* them there, right? I mean, you guys are so strong it's ridiculous."
Trunks glanced out the window of the shuttle, taking note of his mother's position as she flew her small craft near them, making sure the boy didn't get lost. Actually, he was sure she just didn't want to be left at home since he could easily have seen to it that they found their destination. This was the largest shuttle she had, and he fought the urge to look back to where the two suits lay in the hold as he thought about Duo's words. "I probably could have, but they *are* heavy, and it would attract attention. I really haven't tried to *carry* things, mostly it's the power that we use, not our actual strength. Unless we're fighting hand-to-hand."
"Yeah, I can see how that is," Duo nodded. "We generally do a lot of fighting hand-to-hand, I mean, Deathscythe isn't really made for long-distance fighting. Mostly, I have to get pretty close to do *real* damage. Same with Sandrock."
Quatre nodded, turning to look at the lavender-haired boy standing between his and Duo's seats. "There are five Gundams, and of them only two were really made for long-range combat. I know Trowa's lost when he runs out of bullets, not that he doesn't have something to fall back on, but his Gundam was designed for that style of fighting. Each of them is designed differently so we each excel at a certain skill."
"So there are three more suits like yours?" Trunks asked, finally giving in and glancing back to the two Gundams. "How long did they take to make? I would think you'd want to make more of them if they're powerful enough to defeat your enemies."
"That's an idea," Duo muttered, "but unfortunately, not just *anyone* can be trusted to pilot a Gundam. Besides, they aren't easy to use. I don't think the average pilot could handle them." His eyes narrowed as he remembered his brief stint in Wing Zero and he shook his head, ridding himself of the image. "But we can't just make an army of them. If OZ got a hold of them, we'd be finished. Our biggest advantage is in our suits and the fact that they're more advanced than what OZ has. Especially since they're equipped for battle in outer-space now."
"In space? Are they like shuttles then, made so they keep a supply of oxygen on board?" Before either boy could answer, Trunks' eyes widened suddenly and he looked to Duo. "You two *do* breath oxygen, right?"
"Of course." Duo laughed for a second, but he understood why the boy would ask since they *were* from a different planet. For all he knew, Trunks and Piccolo didn't breath oxygen. He didn't know much about them at all, so the question had merit. "Yeah, they're made so they're air-tight. That's why we can take them under water although," he smirked proudly, "Only *my* thermal weapon works underwater so we don't fight much like that."
"Duo." Quatre shook his head, a tolerant smile gracing his face as he saw the violet-eyed boy's proud smile. "You're horrible." Glancing at Trunks, he gave a helpless shrug. "We tend to grow attached to our suits, they're like friends to us."
"Are they thinking, then?" Trunks asked, his eyes flying back to the suits again. "I thought they were just machines."
"They are," Duo said quickly. "But sometimes I wonder if the computer systems installed in them don't come close to artificial intelligence." His eyes moved to Quatre, and he smirked as he remembered how the blonde boy's gundam had moved on its own. "That would explain why they seem more like beings than machines. I admit, I talk to Deathscythe all the time."
"And Sandrock...he's more than just a suit." Quatre flushed a bit as he looked at his folded hands, but he couldn't help but smile. "He's saved my life more times than I'd care to count."
"Yep." Making sure he had Trunks' attention, Duo nodded his head toward Quatre. "This guy here actually tried to self-detonate and his gundam...wouldn't let him. I mean, it actually waited until he'd gotten out and had made it to safety before it detonated on its own. If that isn't some kind of intelligence, I don't know what is."
"Self-detonated?"
"All of our gundams are equipped to destruct," Quatre said, his expression growing somber despite his fond memories of how Sandrock had spared him. "We can't risk letting them fall into the hands of the enemy, so if we're going to lose anyway, we can take out both the gundam...and the pilot..."
"You're talking about suicide," Trunks nearly whispered, his pale blue eyes widening in shock as he looked at the two boys. "You would kill yourself just to keep these suits away from your enemies? Are they really that valuable?"
"Well, there's also our knowledge as pilots," Duo said. He was beginning to regret the discussion, but he was also marveling at the fact that he'd yet to be told to shut up. It felt like he'd talked more in the last ten minutes than he had since the war had started. "As Gundam Pilots, we tend to know the location of the other pilots. Also," he grimaced slightly, staring straight ahead. "It sucks being captured alive. Trust me."
A quick glance at the boy leaning between the seats showed that he was nodding, and Duo sighed as he realized Trunks was actually interested in what he had to say. //Here I am, finally with someone I'm free to talk to and I'm running out of stuff to say. It doesn't make sense.// His grip on the controls tightened suddenly as a harsh voice ran through his mind and he glared at the white clouds that looked so nice in front of him. //"Why do I tell you to shut up? Because you say nothing important. You talk for the sake of talking! I don't have time to listen to you!"// His jaw hurt, and Duo slowly relaxed himself. //I had something important to say...it was important...//
"Tell me, couldn't your enemy...this OZ, couldn't they make their own gundams?"
Duo blinked for a second, broken from his thoughts, and he smiled as he glanced back at Trunks, grateful for the distraction. "Nope. Actually, they could try, and they did try once. See, each of our gundams was made by a doctor. There were five of these guys, and they're the ones who designed them so no one else really knew how to make suits like ours. Of course, OZ eventually caught them and made them make suits for them, but we took care of that. Actually," he threw a glance to Quatre as he hesitated, but the blonde boy nodded. "Quatre here got rid of the two suits they made for OZ. And the doctors ended up dying so that was the end of any hope of OZ having their own gundams. But they didn't mind too much since they're mostly sticking to mobile dolls now."
He knew Trunks would have no idea what those were, and he hurried to explain. "See, there are lots of suits, sorta like ours but much less powerful. And OZ found a way to have them piloted by remote control, like robots. That way they don't have to worry about finding good pilots and losing men if the suits are destroyed. It wasn't *too* bad an idea, since the dolls are much faster than most manned suits. You know, humans can only react so fast and their suits have to wait for them to react first. Luckily for us, once we got our gundams modified for space combat, we're just as fast as the dolls, and we're much better than them."
"Why do you fight in space?" Trunks asked, thinking of his own battles and how they'd always taken place on a planet. Even Goku fought on planets.
"Well, we have colonies, like...floating cities up in space. And that's where us Gundam pilots are from, each of us is from a colony and we decided to fight OZ since they were controlling the colonies. At first OZ was mainly on earth, but they eventually moved to space and we followed them." Duo snorted softly as he smiled at the boy. "It's a good thing it wasn't the other way around, with OZ in space and us on earth. See, our suits are made of gundanium alloy, a type of metal that can only be manufactured in space. That's why they're so much stronger than other suits. Of course, that's *also* why we call them Gundams."
"Then the strength of your suits is in defense, the metal they're made from?" Shaking his head, Trunks frowned. "Then how can you defeat the other suits?"
"Well, we also have our weapons," Duo said. He glanced at Quatre, wondering if the boy was bothered that he was doing all the talking, but the blonde boy was gazing off as if lost in thought and he let out a soft sigh. "See, our suits aren't just resistant to attacks, the weapons are also stronger. Myself, for example," his head rose, and he smirked at Trunks for a moment, "Deathscythe has his thermal scythe that's much stronger than most of Oz's stuff. Plus the fact that I have my cloaking device."
The long-haired boy didn't seem to need any prodding, so Trunks held back his question. He was a bit surprised by how much the boy had told him, but he didn't mind learning about the two boys and the world they'd come from. It was becoming apparent to him that they really *were* fighters, just different from them. Also, he was interested in this technology. He may not have had his mother's desperate need for science, but her blood was in him and he couldn't ignore the suits and the thought of such possibilities. Smiling a bit, he saw the boy take a breath as he got ready to speak again. It reminded him of his mother a bit, the way Duo was talking. She often got caught up in her work, and if asked about it she would happily explain for hours, mindless as to whether or not her audience was as interested as she was. But Trunks was interested, and he nodded when Duo glanced to him, encouraging him to continue.
"Well, like Quatre said earlier, each of us specialize in a certain thing, and I'm good at infiltration. I mean with my suit, though I can be pretty sneaky on foot, too. Anyway, Deathscythe has the technology to make itself invisible." Pale blue eyes widened and he smirked, nodding slowly. "I know, that's how I felt when I first heard about it. But it's true. There are plenty of nets that can hide a suit from radar, but I'm sure Deathscythe is the only suit in the world with the ability to become invisible. It's like with the klingon ships in star trek." He knew neither understood the reference, but it didn't matter too much as Quatre was used to his fetish for the twentieth-century. "Not only is my suit undetectable on radar, but I can be feet from a ship and they'd never see me until it's too late."
A beep interrupted, and Duo pressed the button Bulma had shown him, smiling when he heard the excitement in her voice. He was still worried a bit about her interest in their suits, but he enjoyed having someone else appreciate them for the wonders that they were.
"We're almost there, just follow me and I'll show you were you can land."
* * *
When they exited the shuttle, both Quatre and Duo received a shock as they were met by a tall man, a third eye staring out of his forehead. They managed not to stare much, but it was a hard thing.
"It's about time you got back," Tien said, nodding to the two shorter boys. He'd been told about them by Bulma's father as he'd waited for them to return, but now he had more important things to think about. "Goku and Gohan are going to be coming out any time now. We need to get to the chamber if you guys want to be there."
"Right," Trunks said, his eyes eager. He had almost lifted off when he suddenly wanted to smack himself for being inconsiderate. Judging by Bulma's smile, she thought the same, and he turned to look at Duo and Quatre. "You two are coming, aren't you?"
"Yeah," Duo said quickly, his violet eyes sparking. "I *have* to meet this Goku I've heard so much about."
"Where *is* this...hyperbolic time chamber?" Quatre asked, managing to keep his expression clear as he glanced at the tall man with three eyes.
"Well, you have to fly to get there, but I'm sure Bulma'll be going." Tien smirked when the woman nodded quickly, "You can ride with her, if you want."
"Aww, man. And here I was thinking I'd get to fly with you guys," Duo said, his tone disappointed as he fought a grin. With a pout, he gave an exaggerated sigh and hid his glinting eyes as he looked to Bulma's shuttle.
"You can come with me," Trunks offered quickly. He didn't like the way the boy's face had dropped, and he could understand why he'd want to fly. It was something he tended to take for granted, himself.
"Oh, I was..." He'd been about to tell the half-saiyan that he'd just been kidding, but Duo smiled suddenly as he changed his mind. There was no way he'd miss such an opportunity and if the lavender-haired boy offered, then he'd definitely take him up on it. "Thanks, Trunks. You're so nice."
Tien raised an eyebrow at his friend, and smirked when Trunks turned his eyes away quickly. He looked a bit uncomfortable. Glancing down at the blonde, he shrugged his shoulders. "Do you want to fly, too?"
"Me?" Quatre looked at the man with wariness, then gave a quick smile. "That's okay, I think I'll just ride with Bulma. Thank you, though."
"No problem, come on, Trunks." Nodding when Bulma waved, Tien took off, leaving them behind.
* * *
"This is so cool!" Grinning, Duo let out a laugh before ducking his head a bit at the wind that hit his face. "I feel like Lois Lane!"
"Who?" Trunks asked, raising his voice a bit so the boy in his arms could hear him.
"Well, it was like a series on television. And there were movies, too," Duo said loudly. "See, there was this guy from another planet and he crashed on earth when he was a baby. He had these powers so he could fly and stuff and he was always going around saving people. Mostly this girl reporter he worked with named Lois Lane. In almost every episode he ended up rescuing her from something and flying her home." Thinking of the fact that Trunks was from another planet and that he too had powers, Duo laughed. "It's a good analogy!"
Trunks smiled as he nodded in agreement. He couldn't help but marvel at the boy's good spirits, he smiled so much and so easily it was nice to be the cause. Of course, it wasn't as if he was doing anything difficult by carrying the boy, since with his strength Duo's weight was nothing. Actually, this wasn't exactly true, since he had noticed that the long-haired boy wasn't as small as he'd originally thought. While he *was* much more slender than any fighter, his grip on Trunks's shoulder wasn't that light. Obviously, his muscles were smaller but they were still there. He had to remind himself that the boy was young, and he thought Duo was probably considered strong enough where he came from.
Still thinking about Trunks's powers, Duo turned to look up at the lavender-haired boy, smiling when those pale eyebrows raised in a questioning manner. "Tell me, if you guys, saiyans, I mean, if you aren't from this planet then what are you doing here? And did you guys have your powers on your own planet?" He couldn't help remembering how the fictional superman had supposedly gained his powers from the yellow sun of earth, and he wondered if it wasn't something like that with Trunks. It would be neat to learn that there was some truth to the fantasy.
"Our powers...we're born with them," Trunks said, nodding as he had Duo's rapt attention. "I don't know all there is to know about saiyans," he admitted, "Just what my mother told me, but Goku was actually the first saiyan to come to earth. He may fight to protect it *now*, but he was supposed to conquer the planet in the beginning. He was just a kid then, but he was stronger than you'd believe. But Goku's really easy-going most of the time."
Duo almost frowned at this, but he didn't since it might make Trunks not say anymore. He had compared this much-talked-about-Goku to Heero, but it was obviously a different case if Goku was 'easy-going'. No one would *ever* say that about Heero. But still, he'd thought this man that they all seemed to depend on would be some sort of champion and now he found himself wondering if he'd been wrong. "Hey, Trunks, do you saiyans have any weaknesses? The reason I ask is because superman, you remember, he got really weak when he was around a certain stone that came from his planet. I'm just curious, do you have anything like that?" Trunks frowned slightly, but Duo's gaze didn't waver. //Surely they aren't all-powerful...//
"No," Trunks said, shaking his head. "Nothing like that. When we're young maybe, but once we've reached the level of super saiyan, it's different. Even if we're injured or worn out after a battle, we have these sensu beans that can rejuvenate us. They restore our energy and heal us at the same time."
"Oh." Frowning, Duo shook his head. //And they *still* get beat by Cell? He must be a real monster.// "Trunks, I've been meaning to ask you, what was with the blonde hair earlier? Do you just change color at will or something?" While he wasn't that curious, he had wondered and if he could keep the boy talking, he wouldn't be stuck in silence.
"I was a super saiyan," Trunks said, his eyes glinting as *he* was now the one who got to do the explaining. "See, we're born with our powers, but they get stronger when we train. I started off as a saiyan, but when I become a super saiyan my hair turns blonde. It's like...a marking of the change. My eyes also change color." Duo's violet eyes were wide, and he enjoyed the way the boy was watching him curiously. "They turn a dark greenish blue. My mother says they turn regular blue, but I think they're more green than that. But anyway, when I got here I took my own turn in the hyperbolic time chamber with my father before Goku and Gohan went in. I was hoping to ascend *beyond* a super saiyan. Although," he shrugged, "I didn't really think it was possible at first."
"Did you do it?" Duo asked, his eyes very wide. He couldn't imagine how strong the boy must be, and he was vaguely reminded of the upgrades he'd done to Deathscythe and the way it had not only gotten stronger, but the name had changed as well. Now it was Deathscythe Hell, not the same as super saiyan as apposed to saiyan, but close enough in his mind. "Did you get stronger, then?"
"Yeah..." Trunks glanced away as he remembered how foolish he'd been. Having reached the next level along with his father, he'd decided to surpass even him, powering up until he was even stronger than Vegeta. It had been a stupid mistake, and he still cursed himself for having acted so rashly as to do such a thing. In the end, his strength had increased but he'd slowed himself down to the point where he couldn't even touch Cell, little use his strength was *then*. "I did it, all right. So did my father."
"So, a super saiyan is a lot stronger than a saiyan, right? And then you ascended to an even stronger form. And you *still* can't beat Cell?" Shaking his head, Duo sighed. "What kind of creature *is* he?"
"He's an android," Trunks said. "He was created by Doctor Gero. Gero was the main scientist behind this army, the Red Ribbon Army, and Goku defeated them all. He was just a kid then, but he did it and he left Gero alive." Frowning for a second, Trunks finally shrugged. "I guess Goku can be too soft-hearted and lenient for his own good, letting Gero live long enough to get revenge. And that's what he did. He took cells from all of us, and then made Cell out of them. That's why he's so powerful, he has the powers of all of the Z fighters, not to mention Piccolo's healing ability." This brought an eyebrow up on Duo's face, and Trunks nodded. "Piccolo can regenerate himself if he's hurt, if he loses a limb or something he can grow it back, given enough time. Anyway, Gero didn't just create Cell. See, Cell took years to grow and in the meantime Gero made these two androids, Seventeen and Eighteen. They're the reason I came to this time in the first place."
"That's right," Duo nodded, "You aren't from this time."
"No, in my future all of the Z fighters were killed by these two androids and that's why I came back to the past, to try and make a difference. Unfortunately, I found out that my actions here won't change *my* time, but I still hoped to save the future of *this* world. But the timeline shifted when I went back, the two androids here were much stronger than they were in my time. Not to meantion the fact that Gero made a third, android Sixteen. He's the one in my mother's lab. In the end, I wasn't any help at all. Then, when the androids were already beating us, Cell showed up. Gero made him so that he has a final form, and he absorbs people through his tail to gain energy and strength. His objective...was to absorb the two androids...and he did..."
Duo frowned as those pale blue eyes narrowed suddenly, and he caught the boy's barely concealed anger. "I'm sorry," he offered, knowing there wasn't anything he could say that would help, but he had to try.
"It was..." Trunks stopped suddenly as he realized he'd been about to tell the boy how his father had allowed Cell to reach his final form. He'd never told anyone how that had infuriated him, but he wanted to now. Staring at Duo's sympathetic gaze, he realized the boy was easy to talk to. His manner was so open. "It was my father who let it happen," he said softly, his words barely reaching the boy. "We'd just come out of the time chamber and we were both stronger than Cell. But Vegeta...he wanted a worthy opponent and Cell didn't stand a chance against him as he was. So...he *let* him absorb android Eighteen and complete his evolution. Now, he's unstoppable. Our only hope is that Goku somehow has managed to become even stronger than that. If only Vegeta hadn't been so completely pig-headed. All he thought about was his own pride. I tried to stop him, and he actually turned on *me*."
Duo blinked warily at the fury that obviously consumed the boy, but then he calmed slowly as he let Trunks vent his frustration. It was bad to hold in such anger, and he was reminded of how Wufei would let out his justice rants, cursing the fools in the world. Sighing as he felt a pang of sadness, he admitted he missed his comrades...all of them. Trunks had fallen silent and he glanced around, blinking sharply as he made out something in the distance. "Trunks, is that it?"
"Wha...yeah," Trunks said, smiling as he cleared his mind. Soon, Goku would be out. "We're there."
* * *
TBC
Category: Yaoi, crossover of Dragon Ball Z and Gundam Wing, TWT, partial AU on DBZ side
Warnings: none, mostly dialog and explaining on both sides, DBZ and GW
Pairings: will be Trunks x 2, Piccolo x 4, 1x2, 3x4
Author: Arigatomina
Email: arigatoumina@hotmail.com
Complete Archive: www.geocities.com/arigatomina
www.fanfiction.net under Arigatomina
Alternate Timelines Indeed
Part 5
"You know," Duo smiled over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off the sky. "You probably could have *carried* them there, right? I mean, you guys are so strong it's ridiculous."
Trunks glanced out the window of the shuttle, taking note of his mother's position as she flew her small craft near them, making sure the boy didn't get lost. Actually, he was sure she just didn't want to be left at home since he could easily have seen to it that they found their destination. This was the largest shuttle she had, and he fought the urge to look back to where the two suits lay in the hold as he thought about Duo's words. "I probably could have, but they *are* heavy, and it would attract attention. I really haven't tried to *carry* things, mostly it's the power that we use, not our actual strength. Unless we're fighting hand-to-hand."
"Yeah, I can see how that is," Duo nodded. "We generally do a lot of fighting hand-to-hand, I mean, Deathscythe isn't really made for long-distance fighting. Mostly, I have to get pretty close to do *real* damage. Same with Sandrock."
Quatre nodded, turning to look at the lavender-haired boy standing between his and Duo's seats. "There are five Gundams, and of them only two were really made for long-range combat. I know Trowa's lost when he runs out of bullets, not that he doesn't have something to fall back on, but his Gundam was designed for that style of fighting. Each of them is designed differently so we each excel at a certain skill."
"So there are three more suits like yours?" Trunks asked, finally giving in and glancing back to the two Gundams. "How long did they take to make? I would think you'd want to make more of them if they're powerful enough to defeat your enemies."
"That's an idea," Duo muttered, "but unfortunately, not just *anyone* can be trusted to pilot a Gundam. Besides, they aren't easy to use. I don't think the average pilot could handle them." His eyes narrowed as he remembered his brief stint in Wing Zero and he shook his head, ridding himself of the image. "But we can't just make an army of them. If OZ got a hold of them, we'd be finished. Our biggest advantage is in our suits and the fact that they're more advanced than what OZ has. Especially since they're equipped for battle in outer-space now."
"In space? Are they like shuttles then, made so they keep a supply of oxygen on board?" Before either boy could answer, Trunks' eyes widened suddenly and he looked to Duo. "You two *do* breath oxygen, right?"
"Of course." Duo laughed for a second, but he understood why the boy would ask since they *were* from a different planet. For all he knew, Trunks and Piccolo didn't breath oxygen. He didn't know much about them at all, so the question had merit. "Yeah, they're made so they're air-tight. That's why we can take them under water although," he smirked proudly, "Only *my* thermal weapon works underwater so we don't fight much like that."
"Duo." Quatre shook his head, a tolerant smile gracing his face as he saw the violet-eyed boy's proud smile. "You're horrible." Glancing at Trunks, he gave a helpless shrug. "We tend to grow attached to our suits, they're like friends to us."
"Are they thinking, then?" Trunks asked, his eyes flying back to the suits again. "I thought they were just machines."
"They are," Duo said quickly. "But sometimes I wonder if the computer systems installed in them don't come close to artificial intelligence." His eyes moved to Quatre, and he smirked as he remembered how the blonde boy's gundam had moved on its own. "That would explain why they seem more like beings than machines. I admit, I talk to Deathscythe all the time."
"And Sandrock...he's more than just a suit." Quatre flushed a bit as he looked at his folded hands, but he couldn't help but smile. "He's saved my life more times than I'd care to count."
"Yep." Making sure he had Trunks' attention, Duo nodded his head toward Quatre. "This guy here actually tried to self-detonate and his gundam...wouldn't let him. I mean, it actually waited until he'd gotten out and had made it to safety before it detonated on its own. If that isn't some kind of intelligence, I don't know what is."
"Self-detonated?"
"All of our gundams are equipped to destruct," Quatre said, his expression growing somber despite his fond memories of how Sandrock had spared him. "We can't risk letting them fall into the hands of the enemy, so if we're going to lose anyway, we can take out both the gundam...and the pilot..."
"You're talking about suicide," Trunks nearly whispered, his pale blue eyes widening in shock as he looked at the two boys. "You would kill yourself just to keep these suits away from your enemies? Are they really that valuable?"
"Well, there's also our knowledge as pilots," Duo said. He was beginning to regret the discussion, but he was also marveling at the fact that he'd yet to be told to shut up. It felt like he'd talked more in the last ten minutes than he had since the war had started. "As Gundam Pilots, we tend to know the location of the other pilots. Also," he grimaced slightly, staring straight ahead. "It sucks being captured alive. Trust me."
A quick glance at the boy leaning between the seats showed that he was nodding, and Duo sighed as he realized Trunks was actually interested in what he had to say. //Here I am, finally with someone I'm free to talk to and I'm running out of stuff to say. It doesn't make sense.// His grip on the controls tightened suddenly as a harsh voice ran through his mind and he glared at the white clouds that looked so nice in front of him. //"Why do I tell you to shut up? Because you say nothing important. You talk for the sake of talking! I don't have time to listen to you!"// His jaw hurt, and Duo slowly relaxed himself. //I had something important to say...it was important...//
"Tell me, couldn't your enemy...this OZ, couldn't they make their own gundams?"
Duo blinked for a second, broken from his thoughts, and he smiled as he glanced back at Trunks, grateful for the distraction. "Nope. Actually, they could try, and they did try once. See, each of our gundams was made by a doctor. There were five of these guys, and they're the ones who designed them so no one else really knew how to make suits like ours. Of course, OZ eventually caught them and made them make suits for them, but we took care of that. Actually," he threw a glance to Quatre as he hesitated, but the blonde boy nodded. "Quatre here got rid of the two suits they made for OZ. And the doctors ended up dying so that was the end of any hope of OZ having their own gundams. But they didn't mind too much since they're mostly sticking to mobile dolls now."
He knew Trunks would have no idea what those were, and he hurried to explain. "See, there are lots of suits, sorta like ours but much less powerful. And OZ found a way to have them piloted by remote control, like robots. That way they don't have to worry about finding good pilots and losing men if the suits are destroyed. It wasn't *too* bad an idea, since the dolls are much faster than most manned suits. You know, humans can only react so fast and their suits have to wait for them to react first. Luckily for us, once we got our gundams modified for space combat, we're just as fast as the dolls, and we're much better than them."
"Why do you fight in space?" Trunks asked, thinking of his own battles and how they'd always taken place on a planet. Even Goku fought on planets.
"Well, we have colonies, like...floating cities up in space. And that's where us Gundam pilots are from, each of us is from a colony and we decided to fight OZ since they were controlling the colonies. At first OZ was mainly on earth, but they eventually moved to space and we followed them." Duo snorted softly as he smiled at the boy. "It's a good thing it wasn't the other way around, with OZ in space and us on earth. See, our suits are made of gundanium alloy, a type of metal that can only be manufactured in space. That's why they're so much stronger than other suits. Of course, that's *also* why we call them Gundams."
"Then the strength of your suits is in defense, the metal they're made from?" Shaking his head, Trunks frowned. "Then how can you defeat the other suits?"
"Well, we also have our weapons," Duo said. He glanced at Quatre, wondering if the boy was bothered that he was doing all the talking, but the blonde boy was gazing off as if lost in thought and he let out a soft sigh. "See, our suits aren't just resistant to attacks, the weapons are also stronger. Myself, for example," his head rose, and he smirked at Trunks for a moment, "Deathscythe has his thermal scythe that's much stronger than most of Oz's stuff. Plus the fact that I have my cloaking device."
The long-haired boy didn't seem to need any prodding, so Trunks held back his question. He was a bit surprised by how much the boy had told him, but he didn't mind learning about the two boys and the world they'd come from. It was becoming apparent to him that they really *were* fighters, just different from them. Also, he was interested in this technology. He may not have had his mother's desperate need for science, but her blood was in him and he couldn't ignore the suits and the thought of such possibilities. Smiling a bit, he saw the boy take a breath as he got ready to speak again. It reminded him of his mother a bit, the way Duo was talking. She often got caught up in her work, and if asked about it she would happily explain for hours, mindless as to whether or not her audience was as interested as she was. But Trunks was interested, and he nodded when Duo glanced to him, encouraging him to continue.
"Well, like Quatre said earlier, each of us specialize in a certain thing, and I'm good at infiltration. I mean with my suit, though I can be pretty sneaky on foot, too. Anyway, Deathscythe has the technology to make itself invisible." Pale blue eyes widened and he smirked, nodding slowly. "I know, that's how I felt when I first heard about it. But it's true. There are plenty of nets that can hide a suit from radar, but I'm sure Deathscythe is the only suit in the world with the ability to become invisible. It's like with the klingon ships in star trek." He knew neither understood the reference, but it didn't matter too much as Quatre was used to his fetish for the twentieth-century. "Not only is my suit undetectable on radar, but I can be feet from a ship and they'd never see me until it's too late."
A beep interrupted, and Duo pressed the button Bulma had shown him, smiling when he heard the excitement in her voice. He was still worried a bit about her interest in their suits, but he enjoyed having someone else appreciate them for the wonders that they were.
"We're almost there, just follow me and I'll show you were you can land."
* * *
When they exited the shuttle, both Quatre and Duo received a shock as they were met by a tall man, a third eye staring out of his forehead. They managed not to stare much, but it was a hard thing.
"It's about time you got back," Tien said, nodding to the two shorter boys. He'd been told about them by Bulma's father as he'd waited for them to return, but now he had more important things to think about. "Goku and Gohan are going to be coming out any time now. We need to get to the chamber if you guys want to be there."
"Right," Trunks said, his eyes eager. He had almost lifted off when he suddenly wanted to smack himself for being inconsiderate. Judging by Bulma's smile, she thought the same, and he turned to look at Duo and Quatre. "You two are coming, aren't you?"
"Yeah," Duo said quickly, his violet eyes sparking. "I *have* to meet this Goku I've heard so much about."
"Where *is* this...hyperbolic time chamber?" Quatre asked, managing to keep his expression clear as he glanced at the tall man with three eyes.
"Well, you have to fly to get there, but I'm sure Bulma'll be going." Tien smirked when the woman nodded quickly, "You can ride with her, if you want."
"Aww, man. And here I was thinking I'd get to fly with you guys," Duo said, his tone disappointed as he fought a grin. With a pout, he gave an exaggerated sigh and hid his glinting eyes as he looked to Bulma's shuttle.
"You can come with me," Trunks offered quickly. He didn't like the way the boy's face had dropped, and he could understand why he'd want to fly. It was something he tended to take for granted, himself.
"Oh, I was..." He'd been about to tell the half-saiyan that he'd just been kidding, but Duo smiled suddenly as he changed his mind. There was no way he'd miss such an opportunity and if the lavender-haired boy offered, then he'd definitely take him up on it. "Thanks, Trunks. You're so nice."
Tien raised an eyebrow at his friend, and smirked when Trunks turned his eyes away quickly. He looked a bit uncomfortable. Glancing down at the blonde, he shrugged his shoulders. "Do you want to fly, too?"
"Me?" Quatre looked at the man with wariness, then gave a quick smile. "That's okay, I think I'll just ride with Bulma. Thank you, though."
"No problem, come on, Trunks." Nodding when Bulma waved, Tien took off, leaving them behind.
* * *
"This is so cool!" Grinning, Duo let out a laugh before ducking his head a bit at the wind that hit his face. "I feel like Lois Lane!"
"Who?" Trunks asked, raising his voice a bit so the boy in his arms could hear him.
"Well, it was like a series on television. And there were movies, too," Duo said loudly. "See, there was this guy from another planet and he crashed on earth when he was a baby. He had these powers so he could fly and stuff and he was always going around saving people. Mostly this girl reporter he worked with named Lois Lane. In almost every episode he ended up rescuing her from something and flying her home." Thinking of the fact that Trunks was from another planet and that he too had powers, Duo laughed. "It's a good analogy!"
Trunks smiled as he nodded in agreement. He couldn't help but marvel at the boy's good spirits, he smiled so much and so easily it was nice to be the cause. Of course, it wasn't as if he was doing anything difficult by carrying the boy, since with his strength Duo's weight was nothing. Actually, this wasn't exactly true, since he had noticed that the long-haired boy wasn't as small as he'd originally thought. While he *was* much more slender than any fighter, his grip on Trunks's shoulder wasn't that light. Obviously, his muscles were smaller but they were still there. He had to remind himself that the boy was young, and he thought Duo was probably considered strong enough where he came from.
Still thinking about Trunks's powers, Duo turned to look up at the lavender-haired boy, smiling when those pale eyebrows raised in a questioning manner. "Tell me, if you guys, saiyans, I mean, if you aren't from this planet then what are you doing here? And did you guys have your powers on your own planet?" He couldn't help remembering how the fictional superman had supposedly gained his powers from the yellow sun of earth, and he wondered if it wasn't something like that with Trunks. It would be neat to learn that there was some truth to the fantasy.
"Our powers...we're born with them," Trunks said, nodding as he had Duo's rapt attention. "I don't know all there is to know about saiyans," he admitted, "Just what my mother told me, but Goku was actually the first saiyan to come to earth. He may fight to protect it *now*, but he was supposed to conquer the planet in the beginning. He was just a kid then, but he was stronger than you'd believe. But Goku's really easy-going most of the time."
Duo almost frowned at this, but he didn't since it might make Trunks not say anymore. He had compared this much-talked-about-Goku to Heero, but it was obviously a different case if Goku was 'easy-going'. No one would *ever* say that about Heero. But still, he'd thought this man that they all seemed to depend on would be some sort of champion and now he found himself wondering if he'd been wrong. "Hey, Trunks, do you saiyans have any weaknesses? The reason I ask is because superman, you remember, he got really weak when he was around a certain stone that came from his planet. I'm just curious, do you have anything like that?" Trunks frowned slightly, but Duo's gaze didn't waver. //Surely they aren't all-powerful...//
"No," Trunks said, shaking his head. "Nothing like that. When we're young maybe, but once we've reached the level of super saiyan, it's different. Even if we're injured or worn out after a battle, we have these sensu beans that can rejuvenate us. They restore our energy and heal us at the same time."
"Oh." Frowning, Duo shook his head. //And they *still* get beat by Cell? He must be a real monster.// "Trunks, I've been meaning to ask you, what was with the blonde hair earlier? Do you just change color at will or something?" While he wasn't that curious, he had wondered and if he could keep the boy talking, he wouldn't be stuck in silence.
"I was a super saiyan," Trunks said, his eyes glinting as *he* was now the one who got to do the explaining. "See, we're born with our powers, but they get stronger when we train. I started off as a saiyan, but when I become a super saiyan my hair turns blonde. It's like...a marking of the change. My eyes also change color." Duo's violet eyes were wide, and he enjoyed the way the boy was watching him curiously. "They turn a dark greenish blue. My mother says they turn regular blue, but I think they're more green than that. But anyway, when I got here I took my own turn in the hyperbolic time chamber with my father before Goku and Gohan went in. I was hoping to ascend *beyond* a super saiyan. Although," he shrugged, "I didn't really think it was possible at first."
"Did you do it?" Duo asked, his eyes very wide. He couldn't imagine how strong the boy must be, and he was vaguely reminded of the upgrades he'd done to Deathscythe and the way it had not only gotten stronger, but the name had changed as well. Now it was Deathscythe Hell, not the same as super saiyan as apposed to saiyan, but close enough in his mind. "Did you get stronger, then?"
"Yeah..." Trunks glanced away as he remembered how foolish he'd been. Having reached the next level along with his father, he'd decided to surpass even him, powering up until he was even stronger than Vegeta. It had been a stupid mistake, and he still cursed himself for having acted so rashly as to do such a thing. In the end, his strength had increased but he'd slowed himself down to the point where he couldn't even touch Cell, little use his strength was *then*. "I did it, all right. So did my father."
"So, a super saiyan is a lot stronger than a saiyan, right? And then you ascended to an even stronger form. And you *still* can't beat Cell?" Shaking his head, Duo sighed. "What kind of creature *is* he?"
"He's an android," Trunks said. "He was created by Doctor Gero. Gero was the main scientist behind this army, the Red Ribbon Army, and Goku defeated them all. He was just a kid then, but he did it and he left Gero alive." Frowning for a second, Trunks finally shrugged. "I guess Goku can be too soft-hearted and lenient for his own good, letting Gero live long enough to get revenge. And that's what he did. He took cells from all of us, and then made Cell out of them. That's why he's so powerful, he has the powers of all of the Z fighters, not to mention Piccolo's healing ability." This brought an eyebrow up on Duo's face, and Trunks nodded. "Piccolo can regenerate himself if he's hurt, if he loses a limb or something he can grow it back, given enough time. Anyway, Gero didn't just create Cell. See, Cell took years to grow and in the meantime Gero made these two androids, Seventeen and Eighteen. They're the reason I came to this time in the first place."
"That's right," Duo nodded, "You aren't from this time."
"No, in my future all of the Z fighters were killed by these two androids and that's why I came back to the past, to try and make a difference. Unfortunately, I found out that my actions here won't change *my* time, but I still hoped to save the future of *this* world. But the timeline shifted when I went back, the two androids here were much stronger than they were in my time. Not to meantion the fact that Gero made a third, android Sixteen. He's the one in my mother's lab. In the end, I wasn't any help at all. Then, when the androids were already beating us, Cell showed up. Gero made him so that he has a final form, and he absorbs people through his tail to gain energy and strength. His objective...was to absorb the two androids...and he did..."
Duo frowned as those pale blue eyes narrowed suddenly, and he caught the boy's barely concealed anger. "I'm sorry," he offered, knowing there wasn't anything he could say that would help, but he had to try.
"It was..." Trunks stopped suddenly as he realized he'd been about to tell the boy how his father had allowed Cell to reach his final form. He'd never told anyone how that had infuriated him, but he wanted to now. Staring at Duo's sympathetic gaze, he realized the boy was easy to talk to. His manner was so open. "It was my father who let it happen," he said softly, his words barely reaching the boy. "We'd just come out of the time chamber and we were both stronger than Cell. But Vegeta...he wanted a worthy opponent and Cell didn't stand a chance against him as he was. So...he *let* him absorb android Eighteen and complete his evolution. Now, he's unstoppable. Our only hope is that Goku somehow has managed to become even stronger than that. If only Vegeta hadn't been so completely pig-headed. All he thought about was his own pride. I tried to stop him, and he actually turned on *me*."
Duo blinked warily at the fury that obviously consumed the boy, but then he calmed slowly as he let Trunks vent his frustration. It was bad to hold in such anger, and he was reminded of how Wufei would let out his justice rants, cursing the fools in the world. Sighing as he felt a pang of sadness, he admitted he missed his comrades...all of them. Trunks had fallen silent and he glanced around, blinking sharply as he made out something in the distance. "Trunks, is that it?"
"Wha...yeah," Trunks said, smiling as he cleared his mind. Soon, Goku would be out. "We're there."
* * *
TBC