Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Eternal Betrayal (Extended) ❯ Ch. 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I don't own GW at all. Wish I did, but I don't.

 

 

Chapter 2

Return of the Eternity

 

December 12th, AC 201

“Receiving a transmission from Earth, sir.”

Duo looked up from his bent position over the radar station. “Earth, huh? Put it on the speaker.”

The sub-pilot pressed a button. The transmission was immediately rerouted to the speaker system. “This is Relena Peacecraft. The ESUN would like to speak with the captain of the battleship that escaped from L2-RD12 three years ago. Please accept our invitation.” The message ended.

The crew exchanged cautious looks. None of the people on the Eternity were willing to trust the government. Duo grinned slightly. “Should we?”

“It's your decision, sir.”

“Alright. Let's prepare to Jump.”

 

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Heero walked into Relena's office. He couldn't believe that the ESUN was ready to open negotiations with the L2 terrorists. No answer had been given to the request, and some of the representatives didn't expect one. “Relena.”

The young woman looked up. In the past five years since the Mariemeia Incident, the naïve girl had developed into a strong leader of the people and an even finer woman. Something had changed in Relena though, and it caused Heero to unconsciously raise his defenses. “Heero? I didn't expect you to be here so soon.”

“I want you to allow me to speak with Duo personally. I want to know why he did what he did.”

“Oh? Of course.”

The door opened, and an assistant walked in. “Ma'am. We have received word from the… Eternity. They will be arriving here from Mars orbit in the hour.”

“What? You can't get from Mars to Earth in an hour!” Relena yelled. “This must be a joke!”

Another assistant ran in. “Ma'am, the Eternity has just appeared in Earth orbit. It came out of no where! A shuttle has already been sent down.”

“They sure don't waste time, do they?” Relena said. “Be sure to escort them here immediately.” She turned towards Heero. “You will have your meeting.”

 

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Duo stepped off of the shuttle. He took a deep breath of fresh air. Even with Sanctuary's advanced technology, nothing could compare to the air on Earth especially in the winter. “It's truly amazing that we could return to Earth after three years, isn't it, sir?” Sanji said calmly.

“…Yeah.” Duo said. He pulled his coat closer to his body. “I'm glad, though, for the new fibers that the Serenity has produced. They are very warm and light. Would have been useful during the war.” He ignored the looks of the ESUN representatives. Sanctuary had developed a fashion all its own, and Duo was proud of the colony's independence.

“It is our pleasure, sir,” Ran said. She grinned slightly.

“We welcome you back to Earth,” an official said. Duo glanced at him. “I'm to take you to Prime Minister Peacecraft immediately.” The three captains exchanged looks at the mention of Relena's new rank.

“Of course.”

 

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Duo froze. His violet eyes watched the chocolate-haired young man. “Heero,” he breathed. He saw the other two captains pause ahead of him. Duo motioned for them to go on. Ran frowned, but Sanji pulled her away. They argued quietly before Ran gave up and followed the other captain. Duo turned his full attention to Heero.

“Duo…” Heero took a step forward. “I want to know why?”

“Why?” Duo knew that, unarmed and unused to the slightly heavier gravity of Earth, he had little chance of beating the Japanese man in even hand-to-hand combat. He held up his hands in resignation. Heero glared at him.

“Why did you rebel against the ESUN?”

Duo flinched. “I never went against the ESUN.”

“Then why did I see you with a gun on L2-RD12? It was the first time any of us knew you were still alive after you disappeared!” Duo couldn't control the urge to snap back to defend himself. “That's pretty damning evidence, Duo Maxwell!”

“We were under attack!!! Would you rather I had allowed almost 5,000 people die?!”

“Attack? Those soldiers were breaking up a rebellion you started! What makes you think otherwise?!”

“It was-!”

“It's good to see you again, Duo Maxwell.” Both pilots turned to the voice.

“Relena? What are you doing here?” Heero asked. He wanted her to leave; his meeting wasn't over.

Relena smiled. Duo's instincts told him to run and never look back. He fought down the almost senseless fear. “I just wanted to speak to Duo.” The young woman looked towards the exiled captain. “In private.”

Heero glanced at Duo. “Don't worry, Heero. I'll be fine.” Heero turned and left. The two enemies waited until the Japanese man turned the corner before they began their discussion.

Duo looked at Relena. “It's been a while, Relena. Almost four years, hasn't it? Last time I saw you was the conference at the HOLIC colonies.”

“Yes, I remember.”

Duo grinned. “Do you also remember what I told you?”

Relena frowned. “No, I don't.”

“The worst kind of monsters are those who come in the guise of kindness.” Duo laughed. “Just. Like. You.” Relena frowned. Her hand snapped out, striking Duo viciously across the face. The braided captain barely flinched. “And here I thought you were a pacifist. I guess even that was just a cover.”

“Do NOT question my power, Maxwell! You're just an exiled captain, and I'm one of the top leaders of the ESUN!” she screamed at him.

Duo smirked. “I guess they're right when they say power corrupts. You may have been able to fool Heero and the others, but I won't be convinced.”

Relena's frown deepened. “You should know your place, Maxwell. In five, ten years, no one will remember you. You will die in history, and I shall only continue to grow.” Her eyes took on a dangerous glint. “The doctor is anxiously waiting for you to come back. I don't expect you to disappoint him for very much longer. He's shown surprising patience these past three years.”

“One day, Relena, no one will be around to save you, and when that happens, I'll be there to send your soul straight to where it belongs. In Hell.” Duo walked around the woman down the hall. He heard Relena spin around.

“Duo! You can't escape from my grip! I'll hunt you down.”

“You forget, Relena. I already have.”

 

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The braided captain laid down on the large bed. He knew that Relena had had the suite remodeled and cameras and microphones hidden everywhere, but he didn't care about that at all. He was tired from his confrontations with both Heero and Relena earlier in the evening. He knew that both Sanji and Ran had been placed in separate rooms scattered throughout the base.

He coughed slightly. The other captains had given him strange looks the first time he had been incapacitated by a coughing fit. He knew he wasn't feeling very good, but Duo refused to lose Sanctuary's one chance to get accepted by the ESUN. He would work to the best of his abilities, even at the cost of his own physical health.

 

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“Duo!” The braided captain stopped walking. He turned towards the voice.

“Quatre?” he said cautiously. The two exile guards moved between their leader and the blonde. “Stand down!” The guards looked at each other and obeyed his order.

Quatre closed the space between them. “Duo, I heard about your talk with Heero. Is it true?”

Duo grinned. “You know I don't lie, Quatre.”

The blonde blushed in embarrassment. “I'm sorry I ever doubted you.”

“It's alright.” Duo laughed.

Quatre looked up at Duo. In three years, the braided captain had grown taller than Quatre. Duo grinned.

Suddenly, Duo's head snapped up. “Get down!” he yelled. He and the two guards pushed Quatre to the ground. Bullets ricocheted off the walls. “Dammit all! I knew this was a mistake! Contact the shuttle! We're leaving!” One of the guards quickly obeyed his orders. “Quatre, sorry to bother you like this, but you've got to come with us.” He pulled the small blonde to his feet and ran down the hall.

“Duo! Wait!”

The braided captain ran into a hard body of flesh. He fell back. He looked up and paled. “H-Heero? Trowa? Wufei? What are you doing here?”

Wufei scowled. “We came to talk to you about L2-RD12, but apparently you're leaving,” he growled.

Duo got up. “I can't talk much.” He pushed past the Chinese man. Wufei grabbed his wrist. “Let go of me, Wufei.”

“You're still a wanted man, Maxwell. As a Preventor, I can't let you leave.”

Duo moved so fast, even Trowa had trouble keeping track of him. He pulled Wufei forward and slammed a fist into his stomach. Wufei gasped as he lost his breath. “Don't fuck with me, Wufei.” The stunned Chinese man released the braided exile. “Batou, grab Wufei.” Duo grabbed Wufei's gun, pointing it at the other two dangerous pilots. “And the rest of them will come along peacefully.” The other three pilots froze, staring at their friend. Duo smirked dangerously.

 

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Duo led the `prisoners' onto the large shuttle. The other two captains were already there. “Ready to leave, sir,” Ran said calmly. Duo helped secure his friends before he sat down in the pilot's seat.

“Are the Jump coordinates in?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. We'll Jump once we clear the ground.”

Duo eased the shuttle off of the ground. “Ten yards to Jump clearance,” Sanji said. Duo nodded. The shuttle lifted up higher. “Jump clearance obtained.”

“Start the Jump.”

“Yes, sir.”

The clouds glowed brightly, and when the light faded, the `prisoners' were surprised to find themselves in space. “What?” Wufei said in disbelief. “How the hell did we get to space?”

“We Jumped. Now shut up, Wufei,” Duo snapped. He focused on contacting the Eternity. “This is Duo Maxwell contacting the Eternity. Please respond.”

“Welcome back, Duo,” Hilde said. “Hanger 4 is ready to bring you back aboard.”

“Prepare to Jump back to Sanctuary.”

“…Yes, sir.”