Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Passions ❯ Chapter II ( Chapter 2 )

Passions:
By Uplifted

Chapter Two

 

Duo glared at the moniters in the cockpit of the jet. This expensive piece of crap was the best available?! Someone was pulling his braid, and hard too. This thing couldn't fly to Canada and back, much less the colonies! Heaving a huge breath and slumping into the pilot's sleep, Duo glared daggers at the autopilot, currently yammering on about in-flight movies, coordinates and incoming projectiles. After he heard the last one, he shot up in his seat, and Quatre came into the cockpit, face pale and plastered with small droplets of sweat.

 

“Duo, there's a plane behind us!” He cried, and sank into the co-pilot seat, ready to take defensive actions as soon as possible, waiting for Duo's reaction.

 

The braided boy lept up, and began pressing buttons and flicking switches, dropping the auto pilot and releasing several anti-aircraft missiles as a warning to the other plane. Thankfully, they received a radio transmission not less than ten seconds later, relaying their destination and apologies for following so closely. Duo grimly nodded at Quatre, and the two silently increased their speed, letting the other vehicle eat intergalactic dust. The two stayed quiet until they came in reach of the busy trade colony. Reducing their speed, the two floated into a docking position, and quietly began to argue.

 

“We don't know what the hell this guy looks like. I hope it's a girl!” He said suddenly, and Quatre shook her head silently, wondering why he had been assigned with Duo of all people. It was maddening, listen to his chatter. Quatre wanted to cheerfully throttle his partner, until they reached their exit from the shuttle port. Sighing with exasperation, Quatre dragged Duo away from the food stations, and began walking towards the district this interesting mutant resided in.

 

“Duo, you never stop thinking about girls, do you?” He asked quietly, as the mentioned `stud' drooled over colony residents that caught his eye. The mischevious teenager winked at the girls, who giggled appreciatively, then he turned back to the disapproving Quatre.

 

“Aw, c'mon Quat!” Duo moaned, and braced a hand over his head. “Of course I don't.” He steadily ate the ground up with his long legs, his face tilted to his walking companion. “Except when there's food.” Quatre sighed.

 

The two bickered amicably as they walked to the living district, only to stop in horror as, minutes away from their destination, an explosion flared up into the sky, causing screams and shrieks of pain to erupt throughout the colony. The two spared a glance to each other, then sprinted, running as fast as they could to the scene of the explosion.

 

Coughing from inhaling too much of the stinging smoke, and trying diligently to peer through the foggy haze of the stuff, Duo finally lost his patience.

 

“Quatre, come on!” He said, and grabbed his friend by the hand. In a muted Pouf, and a blast of acrid smoke, the two disappeared, only to reappear in the vortex of the flames, surprisingly smoke-less, and heat resistant. The two were confronted with a vision neither of them wanted to believe in, or see.

 

A tall man wearing a dark burgandy cape and military attire, complete with shiny boots and tailored uniform stood proudly in front of a smaller youth, male with ripped clothing. A forest green tank top was just barely hanging onto his slight frame, though muscles flexed tremendously. The boy was held in the air, arms outstretched by some invisible force. And the youth was a mutant, with steel claws coming from either hand. Quatre stared, terrified, and closed his eyes. A shield of protection surrounded Duo and the blonde boy, blue and radiating power. The tall man noticed the two students now, and laughed as if a good joke had suddenly been told. The man walked to his own helicopter, and the boy in mid-air followed, though his muscles were so taut by then that it was a wonder that nothing had snapped. The beast-like look on the teenager's face made Duo cringe as the helicopter rose into the air, with the laughing man and the captured mutant.

 

“Damn!” he said as he Poufed out of the shield after the helicopter's noise had faded away. Quatre's shield melted away, and he stared at the sky of the colonies mutely, wondering how he could have done so little. He, a desert prince, had done nothing as he had watched his greatest enemy haul an innocent away. Duo stomped over to him, and grabbed his wrist. Blinking, Quatre remembered the communicator on his watch, and gave it over to Duo.

 

“We've got a big problem here, Professor!” Duo said, one hand clasped over his ear that wasn't occupied by the phone. “You-know-who got here before us, and `recruited' that guy you wanted.”

 

“What?” Quatre winced. He could hear Milliardo's enraged voice all the way over here. He pushed a soot-streaked hand through his blonde locks. This would not be good.

 

On the helicopter, a certain conversation was continuing between the master of magnetism; Trieze Kushrenada, and Hiro, the captured victem. He growled as any captured animal would as gundanium restraints were placed on his wrists, though he couldn't move as long as he was under Trieze's control. Trieze smiled an enigmatic smile as he watched young Hiro try to force his way out of the metal gloves that were now encasing his claws into his hands. Hiro's deep eyes never strayed from Trieze's own, and the older man found himself amused by the hatred that rose in those depths.

 

“Come now, Hiro,” Trieze said in his deep, melodic voice, as the guards withdrew, and the pilot of the chopper drew closer to the shuttle port. “Surely you won't relish going to Earth on a free ticket?” He said, his tone cool, though the mockery in it was enough to make Hiro snarl. Something about the man brought out the beast in him.

 

“Let me go, Trieze.” He growled out, an tugged at his bonds. “What happened to your ideas of hospitality?” The words dripped with menace, and Trieze couldn't stop himself from smiling. With a flick of his smallest finger, Trieze could decapitate Hiro with his own hand. The thought was amusing to the man, but he schooled his face into a more impressive image.

 

“Your hospitality will begin when we land. I'm sure you of all people can understand why we leave for earth with you. With your knowledge, and your powers, you could make an incredible asset to our team.” Trieze continued, ignoring the look that promised death for him. “Seeing as you are so important to Zechs, why, I'll just have to keep you out of harms way, and under my care.” He said nonchalantly, as the chopper landed. Guards surrounded the chained mutant, and Hiro was brought to the plane, walking alongside Trieze, who casually smiled, and waved charmingly to a few people. His influence was well known, though his mutation was not. No one bothered to question why a ragged boy of teenaged years in chains was accompanying him. No doubt it was a spared criminal, and that only increased the finer points of his reputation.

 

“I will not join you.” Hiro muttered under his breath, though he was sure that the other mutant had heard him. Trieze simply smiled another of his enigmatic smiles, and pushed Hiro through the door to the shuttle. Once aboard, the dangerously feral mutant was confined to a separate room. There, he began to think, and to wonder. Only scant hours ago he had been planning another room. Then that man had showed up, with his offer. After turning him down, flames had erupted outside, and he had run outside, only to see his neighbors house engulfed in flames. The little girl who lived there had owned a dog, one who was friendly with Hiro often. He had stared, unable to do anything, as their home had burned. Hiro didn't know if they'd been inside or not, but when he had tried to attack the strange man with his claws, they had twisted, turned back on him. And then he had been lifted into the air as if he weighed nothing at all. That had been where the two strangers had come in. Whoever the were, they came from this `Zechs'. Tirelessly, he began to marshal his thoughts, thinking through various plans for only one thing. For one thing mattered most at a time like this;

 

Escape.

 

:::!____!:::

 

Back at the academy, Milliardo slammed his hands down angrily onto the keyboard, figure radiating irrationality and anger. Damn Trieze! Damn him! Milliardo clenched his fists tightly, trying to control himself. He was alone, for the moment, but that would end soon enough. Quatre and Duo were already on their way back, shaken and angry themselves. Cursing silently, he strode out of the room, and groaned when he came upon Wufei Chang, Trowa Barton, and various underclassmen in a fight. In the hallway. Under his nose!

 

“Hey, cool it China-man!” one freshmen said jokingly, and Chang's eyes glared. Trowa sighed, and pushed his hair out of the way, allowing his visor-hidden eyes to watch the scene. No doubt the freshmen would need rescuing in a few moments.

 

“You want cool, freshmen? I'll give you cool!” And with that, the Chinese student slowly incased himself in ice, his skin turning glassy and his features disappearing into the living ice statue he had become. His angry eyes could have melted his new form, and the upraised hands promised icy pain for the younger student, who had gone pale and was attempting to run.

 

“Wufei!” Barked Milliardo, and the raised hands lowered, albeit very slowly. Wufei glared at his teacher before becoming flesh and bone once more. The freshmen collapsed to the ground in a puddle of fright.

 

“Injustice.” Chang muttered under his breath, and behind his sunglasses, Trowa smiled. It looked like the freshmen would live to see another day. The two upperclassmen walked through the crowds of people who had clammored for a possible fight, and made their way to the man who watched the proceedings with undisguised anger in his gaze.

 

Seeing the anger, Trowa's thought pattern faltered. It wasn't often that such an expression was on Milliardo Marquis' features. Livid beyond belief was a new one. After Chang and he reached Milliardo, the professor stalked away, silver-blonde hair following him. Chang and Trowa glanced at one another, then followed quickly, aware that what their teacher was about to say was probably something that concerned the secret team of mutant superheroes; The Mutates. Trowa and Wufei were a part of the team, Ice-man and Cyclops. Their missions included the rescuing of mutants and humans alike from a variety of dangers. But the main goal was to recruit new members, teach these new people how to manage their powers properly, then teach understanding and philosophy. Mutants and humans had to learn to coexist in this war-torn world. It was something Trowa had learned early on.

 

“Meet me at the Briefing Room.” Milliardo flung over his shoulder, then stalked away. Trowa stoicly obliged, Wufei following him, still ranting under his breath of the injustices of the world. The familiar tirade almost brought a smile to his face. Wufei was an excellent warrior in the art of fighting, both with his body, and his powers. There were few others Trowa would want at his back.

 

The silent duo made their way to the room that Silvia had earlier worked in with Milliardo, with Duo watching. Trowa leaned against the wall silently, and Wufei paced as they waited for their Leader to arrive. Trowa was far from the tactition that Quatre was, but his mutant ability was more advanced, so the decisions of missions often fell between the two, with Quatre usually defering to him, unless he knew a better way. There was an amicable friendship between the two, and Trowa felt uneasy without Quatre there. Usually both squad leaders were there, to agree on the decisions made.

 

“Happen to know where Quatre's gone off to?” He asked Wufei, his eyes still closed behind the visor. Wufei paused in his ranting and pacing, but shook his head firmly.

 

“I haven't seen that braided baka either.” Wufei added, wondering silently if they had gone on a mission without them. Trowa shared his thoughts, and mused quietly, until Milliardo arrived, cool and collected once more. At Trowa's questioning gaze, the man known as Professor under this roof obliged him an answer as he sat down in the large chair that was usually reserved for him.

 

“Quatre is with Duo; they're returning from the colonies as we speak. They should be here in less than an hour, unless by some miracle that idiot manages to get past-” his curt explaination was cut off as Duo sauntered into the room, keys hanging from his outstretched finger. It had taken some major abuse of the jet's dual rockets, but Duo had gotten them home in record time.

 

Milliardo scowled.

 

Quatre walked in, tired yet focused. He sat on one of the chairs that faced Milliardo and Duo sat down as well, a cocky grin on his face in the evident display of his piloting skills.

 

“Just what is left of my jet?” Milliardo asked, a bit of strain showing on his face as he thought of the expenses that were piling up, thanks to Maxwell.

 

“Just a few salvageable pieces here and there.” Duo said, thinking idyly about food, and his lack of it. “Did I miss lunch?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Damn.” Duo's mood dropped sufficiently, and both Trowa and Wufei each took a seat, Trowa next to Quatre, Wufei on the other side of the blonde empath. Milliardo frowned at them all, then started talking in a grave tone reserved for the most dangerous of missions. Actually, his tone had been like that far too often since Noin's disappearance. They all knew what had changed this man.

 

“Today, I received thought on a mutant in the L1 colony cluster who had different waves than that of any ordinary human, or any known mutant. It appears that he has information on the colonies movements and plans for the upcoming war. I sent a team, consisting of Duo and Quatre to retrieve him. I underestimated who would be interested in him. Kushrenada arrived before Duo or Quatre could do anything, and they established contact with me. I withdrew them. Now, team, I present our problem. Trieze has collected more mutants by force then us, simply by being there before us. His intelligence appears to be better than our own. Not only that, but I can find no trace of the man, he's cloaking himself from my thoughts. We must find his base. We must free these mutants that he has captured. This mission sounds impossible, but I have faith in all of you. Who volunteers for this?”

 

Every student solemnly raised their hand, staring somberly at Milliardo's countenance. It was a mission to be proud of.

 

“Alright.” Milliardo said, and by his tone, they could tell he was suddenly tired. “Trowa, Quatre, stay and let's talk of strategies. Everyone else? Get some sleep. You're excused from further lessons.”

 

Duo and Wufei left, the braided boy pulling on Wufei's short tail on the back of his head, and Wufei calmly freezing Duo's hair into a block of ice. The three mutants left in the room could hear the boy yelling down the hallway for some time.

 

:::!____!:::

 

When Relena woke up, everything was dark. She squinted at her surroundings, and found herself in an ornate bedchamber. Suspicious to no end now, she stood, and began poking about her prison. The windows were locked and barred, revealing only a bit of landscape; a densly forested area. Fear gnawed at her continuously, until, not long into her poking, she found herself sitting firmly on the floor, legs tucked under her and hands held together in front, as if bound. But if she was, it was the air that binded her. The same cold woman as before marched in, with a charming man behind. The man stared at Relena, and she shivered under his cold gaze. Then he turned around.

 

“See that she is unable to pick his locks.” He said to the guards that filed in behind him, filling the room with their prescence. She gulped as her hands were crudely tied, as if in a leash, then the long part of the rope snaked around one of the posts of her four-poster bed. She remained rigid the whole time, under the telekinesis powers of the cold lady.

 

“Relena Dorlian. Welcome to my humble abode.” He said, and she could hear the mockery beneath his kind tone. “I am sorry for this intrusion of privacy, but we are currently out of space, and another visitor, such as yourself, needs a place to stay. Therefor, he rooms with you.” And Trieze thrust Hiro into the room by a strap of his shirt. Hiro stumbled, then rightened himself, refusing to show any weakness to a man like Trieze. Hiro growled menacingly, and Relena found herself staring apprehensively at the boy.

 

“W-what do you want with me?” she asked, her tone brave but her words weak.

 

Trieze favored her with a harsh smile that sent another wave of shivers down her spine. Hiro glanced causticly at her, then swung his metal encased hands, using them as a bat at Trieze's face. The cold lady gasped, and flung an arm as if to use her mutant ability, but Trieze hardly blinked and flicked a finger away from himself. Hiro toppled head over heels onto the floor, the metal of his body proving his ruin. Trieze smirked one last time, then swept out the door, with Lady Coldness sending a glare before following Kushrenada.

 

The heavy door slammed into place as the last guards filed out, and the two prisoners could hear the sounds of it being barred from the outside. Hesitantly, Relena turned to look at her jail mate, who was currently flexing his neck, working out his taut muscles to a loose readiness. Relena shrank from his harsh glare at her, then began working at the knot that bound her hands together. It was slowly draining her hands of circulation, and the rope hurt, twisted so tightly as it was. As Relena tugged ruthlessly at the rope, she sat down on the bed, pulling at the tether that chained her here. She stopped after some time, weary and hurting.

 

Hiro had done nothing to help her, though he knew he could have. Instead, he formed plan after various plan, trying to escape. Could he? And would he have to bring along Princess there as well? He sighed, but was stirred when he felt her eyes on his form.

 

“Uh…” she said, when he noticed her stare, “M-my name is R-Relena.” She said slowly, stuttering from the look of distaste he wore. “Who are you?”

 

“One of no concern to you.” He said coldly, and returned to his thoughts. Relena sighed, running a comforting hand through her golden tresses as she thought on their prediciment. Would they ever escape?

 

Then she noticed something.

 

“Uh… Mister..” She said hesitantly, looking at his concentrating form.

 

“What?” he snapped, though the question was devoid of emotion.

 

“There's a … hole in your shirt.”

 

[Author's Note: I hope you like! My sister kidnapped my hamster to make me type this. ::Runs to Tao:: She's mine!

Disclaimer: All standard disclaimers apply. I own the plot, and not much else. Besides my hamster!

 

I apologize for any and all grammatical mistakes. Reviews are most certainly welcome, and if anyone's interested in the position, perhaps a beta reader as well would be nice?