Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Family Ties ❯ Chapter 31 ( Chapter 31 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

A/N: Thank you to Kai-Li for beta-ing!

You are the best!

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Chapter Thirty-one

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“Hiiro!” Duo called as he climbed a set of pipes that crawled up the back wall to a vent near the ceiling, “I think I found an exit!”

Giving the opening an objective evaluation, the Japanese boy nodded, “Open it.”

“I need your knife.” Duo replied, as he balanced himself against the vent grating. “My tool isn't going to work with these latches.”

“Here.” Hiiro threw his knife to the other boy.

“Thanks…” Duo grinned, catching the blade, as he went to work. In less than a minute, each latch was opened and he was passing the grating down to his partner. “I don't think some of the hostages will be able to climb up here.”

“Then I'll boost them up to you.” The perfect soldier responded as he watched as Duo's ass disappeared into the vent.

“That'll work.” The braided boy agreed, stretching his arm downward to accept the first person's hand.

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The walls rumbled as an unseen power pressed against them. The ceilings cracked as the strain on the structure increased. Debris crumbled and rained down below filling the air with choking dust.

The cause of it all let out a piercing howl of anguish as she drew her diminishing power for one massive assault.

“Isis… You've got to control your anger!” Quatre pleaded as he wrapped his arms around himself in a feeble effort to protect his weakened psyche from the violent emotions, “I know that you've been used! You've been treated Unfairly! But that's not-!”

“YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING, QUATRE!” His sister screamed back, her eyes burning with a violet hue.

“NONE of this is going to HELP her!” The blonde tried to reason. “IF you WANT to find your daughter then you've got to CALM down!”

“SCREW YOU, QUATRE! YOU'RE JUST LIKE THE REST!” She spat, “ONLY WORRYING ABOUT YOUR OWN AGENDA!”

“That's not true!” The boy shuddered, grimacing at the pounding sensation drilling into his mind, his heart, his soul. “Please… stop this… we mustn't fight… it isn't right…” He echoed words from long ago, as his eyes blazed a vibrant blue hue.

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“QUATRE!” Trowa shouted as he threw a punch at one of the assaulting Nicholais.

“WATCH YOUR BACK, BARTON!” Wu Fei growled as he shot one of the images between the eyes, just as it was about to drive a knife into his unprotected back. “You can't help him if you're dead!”

“I don't need to be lectured by you, Chang!” Trowa snapped as he shot the Nicholai he was fighting against, while dodging a burst of flame from one of the Russian's lackeys.

“I'm not going to explain to Winner why you didn't live to take him home!” The Chinese boy bit back, driving a disabling chop to yet another clone and then spinning to kick the air-weaver, rendering her unconscious.

Growling, the banged boy delivered two quick shots to the remaining attackers. “You won't have too.”

“We hate to interrupt…” the Nicholai began in unison, each seemingly unharmed. “But did you really expect that to disable us?” The five images began to laugh mockingly as they each split in half. “You'll have to do better than that, Preventers…”

“Injustice…” The Chinese boy swore, taking a defensive position. “I Hope you're ready to concentrate now.”

“…”

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“That's the last of them, 02.” The perfect soldier stated as he handed his braided partner a small child.

“I got `er…” Duo said pulling the little girl into the vent.

“Get them out of here, 02.” 01 ordered as he took out his gun and checked the ammo.

“Y-You're not coming, Hiiro?” Duo frowned, “You've got to come!”

“Negative.” 01 denied, “I must complete the mission. All enemies must be eliminated. No one sees a Gundam Pilot and lives to tell.”

“NO! Hiiro! The war is over!” Shaking his head, Duo leapt from the vent, landing on the perfect soldier knocking both of them to the ground. Struggling against the perfectly honed soldier's instincts, the braided boy fought to keep his lover from throwing him off; knowing that if 01 succeeded, than Duo was as good as dead. “HIIRO! SNAP OUT OF IT!”

“I must complete my mission!” The boy strained. “02, GET OFF!”

“You did!” Duo desperately insisted, tears in his eyes. “Mission complete! It's time to come back now… Hiiro, it's time to come back to me…Please, koi… It's me. Duo… Baka? Remember?” He leaned forward placing a chaste kiss on his lover's lips, “Remember me…” He prayed.

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“I will crush him!” Isis snarled, releasing her fury.

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All struggles came to an abrupt halt as a shockwave ripped through the building, the structure falling in its wake.

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“DUO!” Spotting near danger, Hiiro snapped out of his soldier persona; gripping the braided boy's arms and rolling them over to the side. Using his own body to shelter his startled lover, the ex-pilot grimaced as ceilings and walls fell on top of him.

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“WU FEI!” Trowa pushed him back before jumping to the side of a large support beam that would have crushed the Chinese Preventer.

“That baka onna is going to kill us all!” Wu Fei swore.

Looking around, the banged boy swore, “Shit! Where's Nicholai?”

“What!?!” The pyro-kinetic frowned, looking around for his master, but only seeing his unconscious partner.

“Hn.” Chang scoffed, “Looks like he's abandoned you, kid.”

“No!” TJ denied.

“Then where is he?” Wu Fei demanded, his obsidian eyes hard as stone.

“I-I… H-He…”

The teenager's protests were silenced as another wave of energy knocked everyone off of their feet. Looking up, the boy could only watch as the ceiling came down on him.

Besides that of the falling debris loudly impacting on the ground, the only other sound heard then was the agonizing “CRACK!” of bones being broken and a life extinguished.

The boy never got the chance to scream.

Swallowing down a sudden sense of queasiness, the Preventers exchanged a glance, “We need to get out of here.”

“NOT BEFORE I DESTROY YOU!” the Nicholai shouted, as they seemingly lunged out of no where, each brandishing a knife.

“Another illusion.” Trowa growled, somersaulting backwards out of the Russians' range.

“I do not like being toyed with.” The Chinese boy complained, emptying his pistol's clip into the mirages.

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“Hiiro?” Duo's hopeful eyes met with caring Prussian.

“Daijoubu ka, koi?” the Japanese boy grimaced against his heavy load. Swallowing, the braided boy nodded. “Good… Can you move?”

“I think so…” The boy said easing his way from under his lover and the debris that he was being protected from. Once free, Duo moved to push the heavy rubble off of his love. “Are you alright, Hiiro?” He asked, scanning the other boy, searching for signs of injury.

“As long as you're safe, I'm fine.” The Japanese boy whispered, pulling the other boy in for a kiss.

“HEY!” Wu Fei interrupted, “DO YOU THINK YOU TWO CAN COME OUT OF YOUR OWN WORLD LONG ENOUGH TO HELP THE REST OF US?”

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Like a hungry predator, Nicholai watched his prey. Cautiously, he inched his way closer and closer in order to devour the unsuspecting boy.

`Things were going perfectly until he destroyed them!' Furious thoughts swept through his mind stirring madness in his soul. `I'll make the little bastard pay… then I'll destroy his sister… Let my illusions occupy the Preventers' minds… they'll be too late… He's unprotected… He's vulnerable… He is weak… He Will DIE!'

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A small gasp escaped the blonde as a dark hunger haunted his soul. Squeezing his eyes shut as he drew his arms tighter around himself, he repeated the silent mantra, `It's not real… It's not real… It's not real!'

“Oh, but it is real…” The Russian's voice sneered, as he crept up behind Quatre, a long thin blade appearing in his hand.

A look of fear crossed the younger new-type's eyes as they flew open.

It was happening too fast.

Images and feelings surrounded him, some of them real, most only illusions. Overwhelmed with the sensations that threatened to bury him, Quatre did the only thing he could do.

He screamed.

A vibrant blue sphere engulfed the empath as his eyes shone brightly. It grew as he suffered to encase those he loved, the ones he desired to protect. It grew to stop the cause of this suffering, and crush it into oblivion.

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Once inside the shield, Isis's power vanished; leaving behind an exhausted, grief-stricken girl who thought she was alone in the world.

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Traditional weapons weren't working and they had no clue as to how to defeat something that wasn't there. So it came as a great relief to the ex-pilots when the clones could no longer attack them.

Surveying the area, the four Preventers looked at the source of their salvation.

“Quatre…” Trowa whispered, worry in his voice.

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Faced with the empath's shield once again, Nicholai cursed and pounded on it like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum. So consumed with his fit, he failed to notice that the telekinetic's power had ceased to expand; that the walls and ceiling had nothing holding them up.

He never knew what hit him.

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A pained whimper tore at the empath's throat as Nicholai's death surged through his weakened body.

And then it was gone.

The pain, the danger, the shield.

It was gone, Quatre could breathe once again.

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To be continued…