Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Burnout ❯ Chapter 21A ( Chapter 24 )

A/N Konnichi wa Minna!

Burnout has received 100 reviews!
::Flying Tackle Glomp on everyone::

THANK YOU-THANK YOU-THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

I never thought I would get such a turnout for any of my stories!

::Huggles::

Thank you sooooooooooooooooooo much!

(If you can't tell, I'm really excited!.)

Getting down to business. . .

This is the last chapter that I actually need to finish before I can post my ending chaps.

I have a lot that I want to go on in this chapter, so I'm breaking it up into three parts.

I've also changed the timeline slightly, but that's okay because it is AU.

Anyways. . .

I hope you enjoy this and please keep reviewing!

^-^

Weissangel24

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+ ~

Chapter twenty-one A

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+ ~

"Isn't the Earth beautiful?" Dorothy cooed.

"It is." Quatre agreed, reaching out to touch the sapphire sphere.

"Watch it as it's destroyed, My dear little brother!" The blonde girl crowed.

"WHA-!"

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+ ~

"WHAT!?"

Quatre bolted awake, the exclamation ringing in the darkness. His bangs stuck to his sweaty forehead. Shaking, the blonde tried to calm his breathing. `It was so real. . .' He thought, as he peered out of the window towards the magnificent sphere.

"Quatre?" A voice murmured from beside him on his bed.

The smaller boy glanced down at the banged boy, slightly surprised to see him there, "Trowa?" He questioned back.

"We talked for so long; I guess we fell asleep. . ." The boy offered, as he stretched, yawned, and sat up.

"Right. . ." Quatre nodded, the events of the previous evening coming back to him. His talk with Duo, running away, bumping into Wu Fei, Hilde's suicide, Trowa taking care of him. . . Carefully he touched the light, gauzy bandage on his neck, and a slight blush colored his cheeks as he recalled that. . . Trowa remembering. . . catching up on old times. . .

"Are you okay?" The banged boy asked, placing a hand on the smaller boy's shoulder.

"I. . . I'm not. . . sure. . ." He replied uncertainly, "Where's Hiiro?"

"I imagine either in his quarters or on the bridge." Trowa frowned, "Quatre, what's the matter?"

"I think White Fang is about to make their move. . ." The blonde said as he pulled on his shoes and vest.

"What makes you say that?" The banged boy asked, pulling on his own shoes.

"Dorothy."

"Your sister?" Trowa called as the boy ran out of the room and down the hall, "Quatre!?"

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+ ~

They were watching on a huge screen, listening to the communications in a tense silence as the blonde and banged pilots burst into the room.

A horrified gasp escaped the smaller boy, as he took in the scene. Treize had risen a massive army of Mobil Suits from Earth, and was now challenging the Libra and Zechs to a duel to determine the end of this war. They were stationed between Libra, a colony and the Earth.

/. . . My answer. . ./ Zechs' voice was booming, /. . . Is NO!/

/I see./ Treize's voice responded, /That is of course the correct answer, Millardo. . ./

/FIRE THE CANNON!/ Zechs ordered as Libra began to turn.

"THEY'RE FIRING ON THE COLONY!" Duo exclaimed, shaking his head in denial. "THEY CAN'T DO THAT!" The braided boy turned to Hiiro as if he had the answers. The Perfect Soldier didn't look away from the screen. "We've got to stop them, Hiiro!"

"How can they be so weak, as to attack the defenseless colony?" Wu Fei glared.

"They're not. . ." Quatre grimaced, his hand at his chest, tears evident in his eyes.

"Explain." Hiiro demanded, frowning slightly at the smaller boy.

"It's not. . . the colony they're attacking. . ." Quatre shuddered, as he tried to steel himself for what he knew was coming.

"It's the Earth." Trowa finished, stepping forward and resting a supportive hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"They're out of their freakin minds. . ." Duo shook his head, backing away from the screen.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Quatre screamed as a brilliant light erupted from the center of Libra, filling the screen, blinding the onlookers.

Helpless, all the pilots could do was watch as the light narrowed into a large laser and hit the Earth with an unforgivable fury.

"QUATRE!" Trowa called, as the blonde doubled in upon himself and collapsed to his knees. The banged one was at his side, offering meager comfort.

"They're gone. . ." The blonde whimpered, the pain in his chest agonizing. Each screaming death resulted in a pinprick of pain followed by an inescapable void. There were millions of them, each one demanding to be heard. "They're all gone!"

"Easy, Quat. . ." Trowa tried to soothe.

"We need to destroy Libra." Wu Fei stated, "I'm going out. Whoever is coming, let's go."

Duo immediately began to follow, just to be halted by a hand on his wrist. Blinking, confused, the boy met Hiiro's eyes. "Let go, Hiiro. . ." The braided boy asked tensely.

"Be careful, Duo." The soldier wished, releasing the boy's wrist.

"You're not coming?" The boy frowned slightly.

"I need to do something first." Hiiro smiled faintly.

Duo nodded, and continued to where the Gundams were being kept.

"Quatre?" Trowa frowned as the smaller boy struggled to get to his feet.

"I'm going, Trowa. . ." the blonde insisted, "This is unforgivable. . ."

"Are you sure you are able?" The banged boy whispered, worriedly.

"He can do it." Hiiro said.

"Thank you, Hiiro." The boy offered before following the braided boy out.

Trowa glanced at the stoic soldier.

"Don't worry." Repeated Hiiro, "He can handle it."

"I never said he couldn't." The banged boy said also heading towards the hanger, Hiiro following behind him.

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+ ~

Quatre absently rubbed at his chest as he prepped Sandrock for battle. The images that plagued his subconscious were near driving him insane. . . and the pain. . .

The blonde squeezed his eyes tightly shut as he stifled a whimper.

"Quatre?" A stoic voice called, as a hand came to rest on his shaking shoulder, "Daijoubu ka?"

Grimacing, the boy opened his eyes, "Hiiro? . . Hai. . . Daijoubu. . ."

"Quatre, I installed the Zero system into Sandrock."

"N-NANI!?" The smaller pilot exclaimed, momentarily forgetting his pain. "Doshite!?"

"Because I believe it will help." Hiiro explained.

"B-But, Hiiro. . . after last time. . . I thought I had proved that it didn't work. . .?" The blonde whispered, frowning at the cockpit floor.

"Quat, when you built Zero, you already weren't in your correct frame of mind." The soldier pointed out. "And your empathic abilities weren't as strong as they are now. I believe that H knew that your sense would grow, and that he built Zero to help contain it so that you would be able to fight. You just got a hold of it prematurely."

"Hiiro. . . I can't. . . What if that wasn't just a freak accident? What if that's the way the system works on me?" The boy shook his head. "I couldn't bare the thought of hurting anyone I care about again. . . of hurting Trowa again. . ."

"But you can do it, Quatre." A new voice encouraged, as someone reached out and took his hand. The blonde looked up to meet a single emerald eye, and the smallest of smiles. "You're strong enough to conquer the system. You just can't let it control you."

"Trowa. . . I. . ."

"Just type in the letters Z.E.R.O. and it will activate." Hiiro said disappearing from the hatch and going to his own Gundam.

"Hiiro!" Quatre called after him.

"Quatre. . ." The banged boy began, hesitantly. "I know it's a lot to ask. . . but. . . Just. . . Just promise me. . . you'll try to make it out of this alive?"

"I will not die today, Trowa. . ." The smaller boy vowed.

The boy's smile broadened slightly, as he squeezed his hand. "Be careful." He ordered before disappearing from the cockpit and making it over to where Heavyarms waited.

"You too. . ." Quatre whispered, slightly dazed. Shaking his head, to clear it; he finished the pre-flight inspections and prepared to exit the hanger.

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+ ~

Space was in absolute chaos.

The forces of the UESN were battling against the White Fang's Mobil dolls; and it didn't appear as if they were winning.

/"Zechs will be waiting for me."/ Hiiro announced, his face popping up on everyone's screens. /"Take your orders from Quatre. Destroy Libra."/

The faces of Wu Fei, Trowa and Quatre all nodded in agreement. Duo, however, appeared really nervous, /"Okay, Hiiro. . ."/ He began. /"Just. . . Please, no suicide missions?"/

/"No worries, Duo."/ The other boy assured, /"I've got a reason to live."/

A smile crossed the braided boy's face, /"See you soon."/ He whispered.

/"We've got to get closer to Libra. . ."/ Quatre's pained voice commanded, /"Trowa, Wu Fei- fly right through the dolls, Duo and I will fire at where they just were."/

/"RIGHT!"/ Three voices confirmed before the orders were followed.

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+ ~

The blonde wiped at his sweat mopped brow before gasping sharply as another death pinched at his soul. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried not to vomit. 'I can't do this. . .' He thought to himself, `I'm not strong enough. . .'

Another death, and the boy whimpered, 'At this rate, I'll get us all killed. . .'

Another death, and the blonde swallowed his fear, "I will not allow that to happen!" He told himself fiercely as his fingers flew across the console typing: Z. E. R. O.

The cockpit hummed, and a bright yellow light surrounded the blonde.

*He had felt it yet again, the overpowering wall of ice that threatened to force his heart into the darkness of insensibility. Gritting his teeth, the blonde unleashed his resistance; beginning a battle of his own in that raging chaos.*

A battle for the control of his fragile mind.

And then it was quiet.

Quatre opened his eyes. The raging storm of emotion, which he had been constantly sensing to the point of driving him to the brink of insanity, was calm. He was able to sense everyone on earth, on Libra, in Treize's army, and his friends. . . and it wasn't overwhelming. He was actually able to breathe without feeling strangled.

And he knew that he had conquered the system.

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+ ~

To be continued. . .

A/N: The part designated by *'s was written by Free Skylark.

::huggles::

Thanks Girl! I wouldn't have been able to get this done without your help!

^-^

Weissangel24