Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Mission Complete ❯ Caught ( Chapter 43 )

Chapter Warning: 'Nother PG-13 sequence, for blood, gore, and death.  Sorry, but I couldn't help but go into detail on that part.  And just as a note, the parts that are written as 'thoughts' but are between two people is unspoken conversation, probably taking place in a split second.

Caught

"Just keep running!" you order Duo. "We'll try to get out of here as fast as we can, and we'll blow the place then.  It doesn't matter if we don't destroy the whole thing."

He sends you a worried look. "If you're sure…"

You nod grimly. "Hey, do we have much of a choice at the moment?" Before he can answer, you pull out another one of the bombs and toss it to the side, where it'll blow when you hit the switch. "We just have to hope we can outrun them…"

Following your example, Duo grabs another bomb and tosses it down a hallway. "And if we get cornered?"

You grin coldly. "Then we hit the switch and watch as everything and everyone, including us, gets blown sky-high."

Duo returns the grin, his eyes glinting with a slightly evil light. "Sounds like a plan to me."

"If you two aren't suicidal, I suggest you run," Wufei's voice comes out of the comm. unit, sounding slightly anxious. "Just try to get out of there before you hit the switch."

"Is it just me, or do you seem worried?" you wonder. "Don't worry 'Fei, we'll get out alive… or at least try to." He doesn't even bother to correct you about his name.

"Where exactly are you?" Heero asks.

Duo takes a look down one of the hallways as you pass. "Near the barracks.  Why?"

There's silence for a moment before Quatre answers. "And you're moving away from the control room?"

"…Yeah."

A sigh."Um, just for the record… the exit's in the other direction.  The two of you are about to hit a dead end."

"…Oh."Duo curses loudly, and you groan as you realize that you left the grenades at the safehouse.  Now the only way to get out is past all the soldiers behind you.  You haven't checked for the last few minutes, but you're sure there are a lot of them.  Nevertheless… You and Duo share a meaningful look, and you toss the last few bombs ahead of you.  At an unspoken signal, the two of you whirl around, pull out your guns, and start shooting.  OZ soldiers go down left and right, but the bullets keep flying around you, and you're making very little progress towards the exit.  Beside you, Duo winces and stumbles as a bullet hits his leg, and you have no time to check if he's okay before another one buries itself in your right arm, almost making you drop your gun.  Not much else occupies your thoughts until Duo yells, "Now's as good a time as ever, ya know!"

It takes you a moment to figure out what he's talking about, but when it clicks, you back up against the wall. "Cover for me!" you command, and Duo moves in front of you as you reach into your pocket, pulling out the switch.  He backs up slightly, and the soldiers get a good view of your evil smirk as you hit the button… and chaos breaks loose.

The closest bombs to you are the ones you threw last - and luckily, there's now a huge crowd of soldiers between you and them.  It doesn't matter too much, though, since more than half the base is rigged - you and Duo were the only ones who didn't completely finish your section.  But since you've been dropping explosives randomly left and right, it doesn't matter too much.

Immediately, the sound of explosions almost deafens you and the whole building rocks with the blasts, causing the ground beneath you to have something of the effect of a Richter 7.0 earthquake.  Everyone struggles to stand up, the battle forgotten for the moment, as large chunks of the ceiling start falling, crushing the soldiers beneath.  Rubble from the closest bombs is flying in all directions, deadly to some but only causing minor cuts on others.  You wince slightly as a bit of debris flies past your cheek, leaving a thin trail of blood in its path, a smaller counterpart to the large puddles of blood now forming on the ground because of all the men trapped beneath the fallen ceiling, their limbs splayed out and bodies contorted.  The occasional snap of bones being crushed mingles with the screams and loud yells, and you have the slight satisfaction of knowing that you were the one who caused it.  Beside you, Duo grabs your hand and holds it tightly, and you squeeze back, not caring what he might think.  If you're both going to die, you'll do it with a friend by your side.  You two share a quick look of something between relief and resignation.  And at your backs, the wall starts to crumble quickly, small chunks raining down on the two of you and the soldiers nearest you, becoming larger and still larger chunks as they fall.  Above you, the ceiling weakens because of the deterioration of the wall.  And as someone hits the fast-forward button on the movie and practically everything starts collapsing all at once, you take a quick glance at Duo and smile. 'This is it…'

He nods. 'The end.  See ya later?'

'If we go to the same place.'

'Meet ya in hell, then.'

Above you, the ceiling and wall finally crumble completely, spilling large chunks of heavy concrete on you.  And the two of you stand there, just waiting… waiting until the broken pieces strike you, knocking you down and covering you in rubble and debris, waiting until everything goes black.

Your head strikes the ground hard, sending stars flying everywhere and causing a gargantuan headache to form.  You yelp quietly, feeling the rocks and everything else piling up around you.  Something soft hits your back hard, and you suddenly feel pressure building up around you - probably from the rocks and stuff that's falling.  The worst of it's being absorbed by something, though, you think vaguely.  Your brain still feels as if it's about to explode along with the base, and you give into its complaining. 'Sleep… just for a few minutes… if you'll die, at least it won't hurt anymore…'

---

You come to after a while, but how long it is, you can't really tell.  It might as well be hours for all you know, but from the headache that still exists, it might be minutes or even just a few seconds.  You groan softly, then realize that everything is quiet.  Apparently, the base is done exploding.  Shifting slightly so that you're lying on your back, you open your eyes to find that your face is surrounded by threads of some dark color, but you can't tell because of the lack of light. 'Interesting… wasn't it daytime?'

The events of the past few minutes catch up to you, and you realize that you probably can't see anything because of all the rubble - either that, or the base didn't completely explode, but the electricity went out.  The next thing you remember is that you felt something soft, and your brain takes a good ten seconds to put two and two together and come up with an interesting answer - another two.  A 02, in fact.  You blink - not like much changes, anyway, since you can't see either way.  Well, that would make sense of the dark-colored threads. "Duo?"

The hair shifts slightly, and you're very suddenly face-to-face with the Deathscythe pilot. "Hey," he says wearily. "Interesting position we're in, wouldn't you say?"

Your face flames suddenly, realizing that you are indeed lying underneath him.  You're glad of the darkness surrounding you, so he can't see that little detail. "…Are we dead?"

Duo takes a moment to answer. "I'd say yes, except for the fact that my back, legs, and pretty much everything else exposed to the rocks feels like they're burning.  You?"

"I dunno.  Do dead people get headaches?" Duo shakes his head slightly, and you get the feeling that he has a slight smile on.  You continue, "How'd you end up on top of me, anyway?"

"…I guess I at least wanted one of us to survive," he answers. "Decided to get in the way…"

"Oh." You contemplate that for a moment. "Would I get to pilot Deathscythe if you died?"

"Maybe…"

"Too bad you're still alive, then." You close your eyes, smirking as you imagine Duo's pout. "Just kidding, Duo-kun.  So how do we get out of here?"

"No idea," he answers, sounding tired. "I already tried the communicator.  Mine broke in the explosion.  How about yours?"

"Hm…" You think for a moment. "Chang Wufei, if you ever want to see your precious katana again, you'll come down here and rescue us right this moment.  Heero, I'll paint ZERO purple and green.  Trowa, you might wake up to find that your hair's been cut and dyed white.  Quatre, I swear I'll hack your company's database and use all your money to buy pocky.  Get down here RIGHT NOW or else!"

Nothing.  Duo sighs and sweatdrops. "Obviously, yours isn't working either, or else you'd be receiving a bunch of death-threats."

"Has it occurred to you that we'll die anyway if we don't get out of here soon?" you ask him softly.

Duo's silent for a second. "Yes… but I won't mind this time around.  At least I get a semi-decent funeral."

You smile half-heartedly. "That's nice, but I'd like to see what the others would come up with to put on my gravestone."

"Mm… no idea.  But we wouldn't want to find out, now would we?" Duo's breath tickles as he whispers in your ear, and you shiver slightly.  He gives your hand a squeeze, having been holding it this whole time.

"How long has it been?" you ask him.

"I don't know… I blacked out too," he confesses. "Though I'm sure the others would've come looking if it's been that long…"

You give him a concerned look. "You sure you're okay, Duo?  With the hundred pounds of rubble lying on top of you?"

Duo chuckles slightly. "I'm sure it's a lot more than that.  But yeah, I'm fine… for the moment…"

The two of you fall silent after that, each of you lost in your own thoughts.  After a few minutes, however, the sounds of movements outside and muted voices reach your ears, and you and Duo share a look. "Should we risk it?" you half-whisper.

Duo sighs. "Why not?" he answers. "It's better than being trapped here forever, and it might be the others…"

You suppress a snort. "What're the chances of that?" Without letting Duo answer, you raise your voice and yell, "Hey, if you don't mind, there are people under here who really want to be dug out!"

The voices above you come closer, and soon enough, the pile of collapsed wall/ceiling above Duo starts to shift, revealing the half-collapsed hallway above.  Duo groans slightly as the last pieces of building are moved away, sitting up with some effort.  After he's off you, you follow his example, looking around at your rescuers… only to notice the OZ uniforms they're wearing.

Obviously, they too have taken note of your clothing, which is peeking out under the remaining shreds of the uniform.  One of them glares at you, mouth half-curling into a sneer. "Well, look what we have here.  It seems our little attackers are alive after all.  Pity them, boys.  They're going to be stuck here for a while." The others laugh cruelly, and before you can react, they grab you and Duo by the arms, haul you upright, and drag you off - presumably in the direction of the cells.  Seems that part of the base is still intact… unfortunately.

Almost an hour later, the same man walks in, smirking as he sees you and Duo.  You raise an eyebrow at him. "Dude, I'm happy to see you too.  I'd like to file a complaint, actually.  Your accommodations leave much to be desired, and in all actuality, we'd like to see more hospitality.  Do you know how much we've been through before getting here?  I was hoping for a nice hot bath and a soft bed, but it seems your guest rooms have somehow or another been demolished.  I've no idea how it happened; do you?" Behind you, Duo is doing his best to hold back fits of laughter, and failing miserably.  He quickly turns it into a hacking cough that fools no one.

The OZ guy's expression quickly turns into a scowl. "Has it never occurred to you that you're in no position to be insulting?" he snaps. "You're on enemy territory, and if I were you, I'd keep my mouth shut."

You point a finger at him. "Two things to say to that, pal.  One: you've come here to question us, haven't you?  And then you tell me to shut up.  Makes no sense at all to me.  Two, I'm not you and you're not me, luckily, so you can't get me to be quiet.  Now, what else did you want if not to hear recommendations on how to improve this place?"

He leans in close to you, running a finger along your jawline, and you recoil slightly in disgust. "You're a feisty one, aren't you?" he whispers. "Pretty, too.  The boys would have fun with you."

Suppressing the almost-overwhelming urge to sock him in the face, you give him a level glare. "What would be in it for me?"

"More time to live?" the soldier whispers.

You smirk. "Nice try.  I think I'll pass."

Mr. OZ guy sneers, his eyes sliding over to Duo.  You also half-turn to look at him, to notice the pilot giving the man a death-glare that could rival Heero's.  You frown, wondering why, before dismissing it as unimportant.  The OZ guy glances back at you. "Just tell us what we want to know."

"Haven't we been over this already?" you ask. "I'll say this slowly, so as not to overwhelm your puny mind.  Give me a good reason why I should."

He smirks. "Oh, I will.  The reason's over in that corner." He gestures over, and you once again look back to see Duo, whose face shows a mixture of anger, hatred, and worry. "Your friend seems to be in very bad condition over there.  A little more, and who knows what'll happen.  He might not live to tell about your little escapade." His grin grows wider as you call him all sorts of inappropriate things, and he continues, "Well, what'll it be?"

You make a split-second decision, hoping that it's the right one. "Actually… how about none of the above?" you ask.  Seeing the confused look on the soldier's face, you elaborate, "Obviously, I don't want him to die and you want the information out of me.  So what I'm suggesting is a comprise of sorts."

"Oh really?" He looks interested, and you flash a small smile before continuing.

"Really.  Well, since I obviously won't tell you anything without a fight, here's how it goes." You take a deep breath. "You leave Duo over there out of this for one week.  During that week, you get to do anything you want with me to try and make me talk - torture, starvation, etc… though I can't promise that I won't retaliate.  After one week, if I haven't said anything, you can bring him into the mix.  But!" You hold up a hand before the guy can say anything, "If you kill me before the one week is over, before Duo is allowed to become part of our 'bargaining,' he gets to leave this place, free and unharmed.

"The only problem is," you finish, "Can I trust you?  If you kill me, and then go on to Duo, then you won't have kept your end of the bargain.  Now, I'm pretty good at reading people's emotions, so if you agree and I so much as suspect that you'll go back on your word, I'll smash your windpipe here and now.  Don't say anything," you add, "I'm perfectly capable of doing it bare-handed, and I know you know it.  So what'll it be?"

You hear a sharp intake of breath from the corner, but ignore it, your eyes on the man in front of you.  He seems to be considering your offer, and a slow smile spreads across his face. "Anything?"

"Anything short of killing me or hurting him within the first week, yes," you say softly. "Think you can break me?" The challenging light in your eyes practically commands him to take your offer, which is just what he does.

"Fine.  I accept." You study him for a moment, looking for anything suspicious that would suggest he'd break the agreement, but find nothing.  The soldier holds out his hand for you to shake. "I promise not to touch the kid over there for the first week, if I get to do whatever I want to you in return.  If you die, he goes free.  I'm a man of my word, and I won't break this promise.  Do you believe me?"

You stare at him thoughtfully for a few seconds before reaching out to take his hand.  You hear Duo hiss a soft "No!" behind you, but you ignore him. "I do… but if you go back on that promise, I will hunt you down after my death and make your life a living hell."

He grins. "Fair enough." The two of you shake on it, and he pulls you upright. "Say goodbye to your friend.  You'll see him later, but we're starting now."

You glance back at Duo, whose eyes are overflowing with guilt and anxiety.  He mouths a silent "Why?" and you shake your head. "Sorry…" you whisper to him, before turning and following the soldier out the door.

-----

"Little brat, just give it up and cooperate already!"

You send the guy a dry look. "Now really, if I would, don't you think I would've done so already?" you ask, your voice slightly cracked from exhaustion and pain.

The dagger comes down again, slicing open your arm from shoulder to wrist, and you wince but don't cry out.  The blood drips down onto the table slowly, but you're creepily used to the feeling by now and it's slightly numbed.  It comes down on your back next, drawing a diagonal slash from your shoulder to your hip, and you can't help but cry out slightly.  The blade is drawn out forcefully, red liquid coming from the tip in little drops and splattering onto your skin.

The man wielding the blade walks forward, bending down so he's talking into your ear. "Now will you talk?"

You close your eyes for a brief moment, enjoying the rest as you have it. "I've been talking for the past few days, bakayarou.  It's your own problem if you choose not to listen."

He growls, dragging the dagger across your back slowly in a demented spiral pattern, making you wince.  Someone else walks up, switching the old blade for a new, longer one - one with a blade that's glowing red.  You wince upon seeing it.  'This is gonna hurt.'

And indeed it does, creating long gashes in your skin and searing it a moment later, all the while being moved about in a painfully slow manner.  You've long since given up on not screaming, and just try your best to ignore the pain - not like it really works.  Footsteps approach quickly, and the blade's drawn out, leaving you breathing hard as you listen. "Hey, be careful.  We're not allowed to kill her, remember?  If she dies of blood loss…"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," your tormentor mumbles. "What did you want?"

"I came to tell you it's time," the second person answers. "Let's see if she's up for a little 'fun…' "

---

The floor of the cell is practically drenched in blood by this time, three days after the botched mission.  You're thrown rather roughly onto said floor, and you wince as it stretches at least twenty of your wounds.  Duo makes his way over to you, pushing a few strands of hair out of your face in worry. "You really shouldn't have-"

"I'm fine!" you interrupt with all the energy you can muster, although everyone within hearing range knows it's a lie. "I can take this…"

At the doorway, one of the guards chuckles. "You sure have a strong friend there, kid.  They didn't think she'd have the strength to fight them off this time around, and yet she managed to keep most of her clothes on around the boys."

Duo eyes him in disgust. "Go to hell." The soldier merely laughs again before closing the door, and Duo turns back to you.  Pillowing your head in his lap, he whispers, "This was never a good idea."

You laugh for a second, wincing as it jars a couple broken ribs. "It seemed like it at the time.  This way, I could buy us a week, and there'd still be a chance one of us could get out alive…"

Duo plays absentmindedly with a strand of your hair. "The others know we're here, and they won't just leave us.  They'll be here."

You think of Y for a fleeting moment, then dismiss it quickly.  It's not like he'd care if you died; he'd only view it as the death of his best soldier. "But can I really believe they'll come?" you ask him quietly. "Duo, you're the only one I fully trust out of the five of you.  Will they be here?"

Duo hesitates for only a moment before he continues stroking your hair. "Yeah.  They will.  I've been in tighter situations than this and they've always come through.  There's not much more we can do at this point, anyway."

"Actually…" You push yourself upright with a lot of effort, wincing in pain, and Duo slips an arm around your waist to support you… not like you really mind it. "There's a chance we could get away…"

Duo stiffens. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

You lean into him, resting your head on his shoulder and closing your eyes. "It never would've worked earlier.  They'd have been suspecting it, but now they think we won't be able to even make it out of here." You smile slightly as you feel Duo's question.  You've gotten pretty good at reading his emotions over the past few days. "Don't worry, I think I have enough stored energy to run if we really have to."

"Do you think we should?" he asks you, pulling you closer.  You sigh.

"I dunno… it's risky, and I don't want to try if we're sure that the others will be here.  But if we put it off for much longer, I'm not sure it'll work…"

"Well, what do you want to do?" Duo whispers in your ear. "It's your plan.  Do you think we can carry it out?"

Choice time!

You wait for the others… with the condition the both of you are in right now, there's too much of a risk that you'll be recaptured or killed.  Either way, it's not a very good idea. - go to page seventy-eight

You choose to try and get away on your own.  Who knows when the others will show up - they don't know about your little bargain.  And besides, you don't really want to rely on anyone else… - go to page seventy-nine