Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Eyes Cold As Stone ❯ Chapter Sixteen ( Chapter 16 )

Eyes Cold As Stone

Chapter 16

"This better be good, Colonel."

"Oh, believe me, its not." Jezebel glowered at the face shinning on the communications screen.

"Don't test me. I'm not in the mood."

"If you aren't, then I sure as hell ain't."

"Meaning?"

"The pilot. He's driving me up the wall."

"Can't you get anything out of him?"

"Oh yes, I can get plenty of information. Let's see, I know that he is insane, that his name is Asswipe, and a Gundam is a gun that had been damned, hopefully by God because that would be cool."

"Don't be sarcastic."

"I'm not. You want proof?" Colonel Satavich waved a disc in front of the view screen. "Believe me, I got proof. This is the second session. Its not worth showing you any of the other sessions-they're pretty much the same."

______________________________

There was a soft knock on his door.

"Trowa? I have something I'd like you to look at with me." Trowa rose gracefully from his chair and opened the door.

"What?" Heero motioned for him to follow.

"I was scanning all frequencies just for the hell of it-I was bored." Ever since Duo stopped coming to work, Heero had taken to doing stupid and useless things to occupy the resulting silence. "Well, I found something-this." They had reached Heero's office and he was now pointing to his laptop. Trowa moved around to get a better view.

"What is this?" There was a man's visage tormenting the screen.

"It's a one-way video feed, and a two-way voice feed. I believe that it has something to do with HQ." Trowa looked at Heero sharply.

"In what way?"

"I'm not sure where its originating, but its being sent here."

"The pilot." They both turned to stare at the screen. "He's driving me up the wall." The picture was talking.

"Can't you get anything out of him?" A disembodied, female voice asked.

"Oh yes, I can get plenty of information. Let's see, I know that he is insane, that his name is Asswipe, and a Gundam is a gun that had been damned, hopefully by God because that would be cool." Trowa frowned.

"Don't be sarcastic."

"I'm not. You want proof?" The man on the screen waved a disc. "Believe me, I got proof. This is the second session. Its not worth showing you any of the other sessions-there pretty much the same."

"Session? What are they talking about?" Heero whispered, as if the people in the transmission would hear anything louder.

"It's been seven months, Colonel, since you told me that you broke him. You were the one who told me that you could rip the information out of him. How is it that you still have no information?" Seven months? That's how long Quatre has been gone. Trowa noticed Heero's brow wrinkled in confusion.

"Quatre?" Heero whispered. Trowa didn't want to think about that.

"I told you. He's insane." The man snorted. "Actually, he told me that. Look. I have the session on disc. I'll play it for you. Just know this-every single session since this one, seven months ago, has been the same. You'll understand when you see this." The Colonel did something off-screen, presumably making preparations to play the disc. Heero bent to key some information in.

"What are you doing?" Trowa found that he was whispering as well.

"I'm recording this."

"Good idea."

The screen changed to a scene in a decrepit room, most likely an interrogation room or a cell. The Colonel from the conversation was there, looking more refreshed and less stressed-out. Whatever had been taking place in the last seven months had definitely taken its toll on the Colonel. The door opened and a small figure was carried in like a sack of potatoes. The figure's face couldn't be seen, but it was obvious that it was male, and had not been treated well. The soldier who brought the prisoner in set him down in middle of the room. The prisoner's back was still to the camera, but the blonde hair scared Trowa.

That hair was the exact same color and cut as Quatre's. Trowa could feel a cold sweat break out over his body and he clutched at Heero's arm as the prisoner began to look around. His head turned-oh God. Trowa's knees felt weak.

It was Quatre. His Quatre, beloved Quatre. The same Quatre who had been captured seven months ago. The same Quatre who had captured his heart. Quatre.

Quatre jumped up and began to twirl and dance around the room before sticking his tongue out at the Colonel. Trowa surged forward as the Colonel backhanded Quatre. Heero's restraining arm forced him to remember that this happened seven months ago. He leaned over to Heero.

"Can you trace this to its source?" Heero nodded and turned to make some adjustments on some hidden piece of gear. Trowa kept his eyes riveted on the screen.

"The acne that you're trying to conceal with makeup?" Trowa stifled a chuckle. "You know, makeup doesn't prevent breakouts, it just makes them worse. You should try something else. Cause that, in all honesty, looks really bad."

"Are you a Gundam pilot?"

"How can you pilot a gun that is damned by God? Is it a special gun? How big is it? Can I see one?" Trowa began to laugh.

"Shut up."

"But, I want to see one." He felt Heero touch his shoulder and he turned toward his friend.

"Are you okay?" Trowa nodded, numb. "You don't have to watch, you know."

"I know."

"I need your help, if you don't mind." Trowa nodded and bent to help Heero, ignoring the scene unfolding behind him. They immersed themselves in tracing the signal. They were so close when Trowa heard Quatre begin to shout at the top of his lungs:

"I feel good-duh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh. I knew that I would-duh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh. I fe-el good-duh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh. I knew that I would, now-nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh. So good-dunh dunh. So good. I feel good-dunh dunh dunh dunh YEAH!" Both he and Heero looked at each other and burst into hearty laughter, before realizing the situation. They both sobered up and turned back to Heero's laptop. They watched Quatre make another face at the Colonel.

"Betcha you can't catch me!" Quatre taunted and darted away from the frustrated Colonel's grabbing hands. Quatre laughed maniacally as he darted, weaving around the room. "Can't catch me! Can't catch me!" Trowa cried out as the Colonel finally got a hold of Quatre and slammed him up against the wall. He cringed as his anger boiled at the Colonel's words.

"Pet. You've been a very bad boy. I think its time for your punishment."

"Since you seem to get off on it, I guess its long overdue." Trowa's anger rose as the Colonel leered at Quatre.

"I guess that you are right, my pet." He saw Quatre struggling against the Colonel's grip.

"Get your hands off of him!" Trowa shouted, not remembering that he was watching a video. He couldn't think, it was all he could do not to rip the Colonel's throat out.

Quatre screamed. And in that instant something inside Trowa snapped. He bellowed savagely and ran from the room.

______________________________

"Trowa!" Heero raced after Trowa. As he ran from his office, he could hear Quatre's cries and screams from the recording. Shivers ran up his spine and he knew what Trowa wanted to do. "Trowa!" His cries rose in urgency. He came upon Trowa, as he was heading toward the stairs, obviously impatient with the elevators. Heero sprang at his friend. His body slammed into Trowa's and they rolled across the floor, coming to rest at Wufei's feet.

"Get the fuck off of me, Heero!" Trowa shouted. Heero grabbed his friend's shoulders and straddled him.

"No! I'm not gonna let you get yourself killed. We know for a fact that Quatre's alive. Let me finish the trace and then we'll go get Quatre. You can have your revenge then." Trowa struggled against him.

"What happened?" Wufei asked, concerned.

"Go to my office and see for yourself." He didn't even spare a glance at Wufei, his concentration residing solely on a rapidly weakening Trowa. Trowa began sobbing.

"Quatre!" Heero's heart broke with every heart-wrenching cry. He wrapped his arms around his grieving friend.

"He's alive, he's alive." Heero repeated that as a mantra, hoping that it would calm Trowa down.

"Alive." He could feel Trowa quieting under his repeated statement. "Alive." The sorrowful whisper drifted from Trowa's heaving chest.

"Yes. We'll go get Quatre tonight. I promise. We just need to prepare and make a plan." Trowa continued to cry, but nodded.

"Heero!" Wufei's startled cry jerked Heero into soldier-mode. He began to pull Trowa to his feet, not willing to leave Trowa alone, even for a second. Wufei came barreling around the corner.

"What?"

"They're…they're…" Wufei looked at Trowa. "They're going to kill him tonight." Heero tightened his hold on Trowa, expecting him to snap again. Instead Trowa just stood there, unresponding.

"Trowa?" Trowa turned dead green eyes to him. Heero found himself frightened by the lack of life in those eyes. They were like another pair of eyes he had seen just a few months ago-Duo's. Heero closed his eyes-and prayed. He prayed to a God that he had never believed in, a God that was foreign to him, known to him only by Duo's faith. Please, God. Let this be okay-let my friends survive this. Please.

"Heero?" He could hear Wufei calling him from the depths of his sorrow.

"The source should have been traced by now." He said nothing more. He gently led Trowa into his office, knowing that Wufei would follow. "Call the others-but leave Une out of this." He didn't hear Wufei's acknowledgement, he only saw him leave.

______________________________

"He is no longer an asset. Terminate him at once."

"Sir-"

"I want him dead by the end of the day. Colonel, we are fighting a war here, a war which has quickly become one-sided. Those damned Gundams have destroyed over half of our ground bases. Do you realize that we only have two Node bases left? How the fuck am I supposed to fight the Gundams with only two operational Node bases? I want that pilot dead by the end of the day and I want our forces mobilized by the end of tomorrow. I cannot afford to have you wrapped up in the pilot, therefore I want him terminated. Understood?"

"Yes sir. I'll have it done by sundown." The transmission cut off; lines of static crossed the screen before going black. Everyone was gathered in the small conference room just off of Une's office-well everyone except for Une. Zechs looked around the table at everyone. It was obvious that he would be the strategist today. He sighed, his mind racking over possibilities.

"We have until sundown. We need to attack full-force. We need to let these bastards know that they can't fuck with us and get away with it." Wufei, Heero and Sally nodded. Trowa remained passive while Noin agreed with a soft yes. "We send in two Gundams. Heero and Trowa." He looked over at the stony pilot.

"I can follow orders and do what is required of me. I've hidden my emotions before, I can do it again." Zechs looked over at Heero who nodded. Taking that for consent, he continued with his plan.

"Heero and Trowa will be dropped by cargo plan just outside the compound's sensor area. They will proceed from there to destroy the base. Noin, you and I will pilot the cargo planes. Sally, I need you to fly the jet. Get Wufei as close to the base as you can. Wufei, you will infiltrate that base and extract Quatre. Once Quatre is safely on board the jet, contact us for the drop. Sally, you will be there to offer immediate medical assistance, as it will inevitably be needed."

"What happens if I cannot find Quatre, or cannot safely extract him?" Wufei's quiet voice filled the room.

"Without Wufei's consent, Heero and Trowa will not destroy the base. It Wufei is unable to get to Quatre, Noin and I will drop Heero and Trowa anyway. Heero will draw the fire away from Trowa allowing him to enter the base to help Wufei. Once Quatre is safely away, under Sally's care, proceed to destroy the compound." Zechs studied everyone again. "We have until approximately 6:00pm to accomplish our mission. It is now 11:00am. That leaves us with seven hours. Sally, Wufei, get to the jet and get off the ground immediately. We need you there as soon as possible. I know that we don't want Une involved, but I think we need to let her know."

"The red tape. She'll take too long. We don't have the luxury of time." Heero's voice was calculated and cold.

"We need clearance from her regardless. We won't get off the ground without her approval. I understand about the red tape, but we'll just have to risk it."

"Zechs," Sally broke in, leaning forward, "the jet can't leave the hanger immediately, anyway. We won't need clearance until we do leave the hanger. If you can convince Une in 45 minutes, that will give us just enough time to fuel and pre-flight the jet."

"Sally's right." Noin turned to Heero. "Une is our leader, and we can't do anything without her, though I highly doubt we'll have any sort of fuss from her on this one." Heero nodded curtly.

"You have forty-five minutes to get clearance from Une. If you can't, then I will get the jet off of the ground." Heero crossed his arms defiantly.

"And I don't think anyone wants to see Heero's method." Wufei turned to Zechs. "I too don't think that you will have a problem."

"In that case, its settled. Sally, Wufei, get to the jet and be ready to taxi in forty-five minutes. Heero, Trowa, load and prep your suits. Noin, get two cargo planes fueled and assist with loading. I will talk to Une. I want Sally and Wufei off the ground within the hour. The rest of us will be in the air in less than two. Move out." Everyone cleared the table, going their separate ways. He headed to Une's office.

Fifty minutes later, the jet with Sally and Wufei on it cleared the runway, banking heavily to turn on the right course to the compound. Heero and Trowa didn't even look up in their work readying their Gundams. Noin and Zechs watched them leave, wishing them luck. Noin slipped her hand into Zechs'.

"I hope they're not too late." Zechs closed his eyes.

"I do too."