Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Reprieve ❯ chapter six ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter Six

"Ah, Howard?"

Howard looked up from the crates of supplies he had been inspecting and glared at the com-unit on the wall. He had specifically requested he not be disturbed yet he had distinctly heard his name. They were asking for him. They didn't even sound sure of themselves! Sighing like a wronged man, Howard straightened, stretched his back and sauntered to the wall unit, hitting the dark red button as he frowned.

"Howard here."

"Ah, Howard…"

"Spit it out man! I haven't got all day!"

"The Kid's in the cargo bay with that other Gudam Pilot!"

Howard's blood froze for only a moment before it turned red hot. He growled into the receiver before turning sharply on his heel and heading directly for the door.

"Miss. Po!" He bellowed over his shoulder as he passed. "Your boy's being a mule!"

Sally's head snapped up, calculating as she watched which door he left through and figured out just where Chang Wufei was. From the corner of his eye Howard saw that same moment when her blood ran hot and she came striding after him, catching him up in less than five seconds.

"Your boy's a bad influence."

"My boy stayed in bed long enough to heal. Your boy only just woke up. Who is the bad influence?" Sally managed to cast a pointed glare at Howard as she brushed past him, taking the lead. Howard felt heat infuse his cheeks, but he couldn't figure out whether it was because Sally was implying Duo was a bad influence, or that the woman had the audacity to move ahead of him on his ship. It was, if he was honest, probably a mixture of the two.

The doors to the main cargo bay were wide open, various items being unloaded from the Shadowdiver's various rounds on deserted OZ bases, and new cargo being loaded for their next trip out. From the corner of his eye, Howard watched proudly as men worked to get the ship ready for another long stay away from the Pacific Sweeper's base. In the distance he could make out the bulk of their primary ship, Earthstar, undergoing repairs. It was a brilliant ship, but Howard rarely found himself onboard for the simple fact the ship lacked one vital mechanism; the stealth cloak Professor G had installed while he worked on the Gundam. Shadowdiver was not the largest ship in the Sweeper fleet, but it was faster than Peacemillion, quieter than Ebonshade and it had everything the Kid required on hand twenty fours hours a day. That, in Howard's opinion, made it worth captaining.

While one eye stayed fixed on the goings on of the cargo bay, a precautionary measure every Sweeper took in case something went slightly wrong and a beam happened to fall on one's head, his attention was primarily on the two hulking forms of the Gundams, and more precisely the wild laughter coming from the open hatches.

Sally Po had already reached the base of Shenlong and was working her way up its leg, face determined, mouth a hard, thin set line Howard did not pity Chang for having to meet. That woman, he decided, was formidable and worth steering clear of. So he did, heading for the massive black feet of Deathscythe.

"Baz?" He squinted, looking up at the stream of orange sparks spraying off the shoulder harness of Deathscythe's wings. The man holding the welder was slight but very tall, all long sinewy limbs that gave the impression of a slim orangutan as it shifted over the dark sheets of Gundanium.

"Yeah, boss!" A grimy face appeared from behind the metal mask and the orange light faded as Baz gave the all clear to climb aboard. When he reached the waist-high platform, a rope dangled beside his head and Howard grabbed hold, waving his thanks with his free hand as Baz hauled him up the last few feet and he was able to step onto the open chest, his eyes falling angrily on the form within.

"Howard! Shit!" Duo dropped the circuit board he was holding on his foot and knocked a small tool box flying with his elbow. His eyes were wide as he tried to catch the falling tools with his one good arm…Howard barely suppressed a smile at the sight. It was rare to see the Kid being clumsy around his suit.

"Shit? Is that all you can say?"

"I thought Baz was talking to Gormen!" Duo replied hastily, and then his cheeks turned the most remarkable red Howard had ever seen as the Kid realized he was caught red handed. This time, Howard did laugh.

"You are not supposed to leave your room until you can walk, unassisted, to the bridge to ask for my permission!" An old rule, but a decent one. The bridge was not far from Duo's recovery room, but it was an uphill walk the whole way, and on the rare times Duo had made it there before his body should have been out of bed, asking Howard's permission always resulted in his being allocated an escort Howard approved of. It was the only way Howard could be sure the Kid wouldn't hurt himself. Well, after hurting himself that is…

"I could have made it on my own…" The words were sullen, spoken so softly Howard barely heard them, but someone managed to hear them loud and clear.

"You most certainly could not! What were you thinking Chang Wufei? You could have killed him! Is this how you repay what he tried to do for you? I thought you were smarter than this! You can barely walk yourself, let alone carry someone else around!" Sally Po's voice was loud, and so very, very clear as it blasted through Deathscythe's com-link. Duo and Howard both stared at the non-suspecting little black speakers, trying to fathom if it was their imagination or some twisted version of reality. Duo eventually reached over and turned the speaker up, moving a little closer, listening. He needn't have bothered.

"ONNA! I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself! I know my own limits, and Maxwell was in no danger from me!"

Duo arched a brow at Howard, but the brow soon dropped as the Kid noticed Howard had a strange look on his face and was moving to the microphone.

"Maxwell is rarely in danger from others," Howard bellowed into the microphone. "He is a danger to himself, and as such should have shown more responsibility and followed the rules of this ship!"

Duo gaped, spluttered, stumbled for an argument.

"But those rules are years old!" Duo shot back, a slight pout marring his otherwise petrified look. Who would have thought Duo Maxwell was afraid of getting in trouble from Uncle Howard.

"Rules only mature with age!" Sally snapped over the coms again. "Maybe I should have made rules for you!"

"I am not your responsibility!" Wufei snapped back. "You have no right to make rules for me!"

"Ah, but you're on MY ship now boy, and you'll pay the game by my rules!" Howard was beginning to enjoy himself a little too much, and he noticed Duo was turning rather pale.

"Then I'll leave your damned ship!" Now Duo looked about ready to pass out and Howard realized he had pushed the game a little too far.

"You will do no such thing and you know it, now get out of this cockpit, let these poor men do their jobs and go back to the hospital wing of this monster so I can check you over! And that goes for you too Mr. Maxwell!"

Howard shook his head made to tell Duo the same thing when the Kid suddenly started shaking, a faint tremor through the arms and legs, but enough to be noticeable.

"Howard…" The lips were too pale, the skin ashen, the voice a mere whisper. Howard lunged forward, catching up the small body just as the muscles gave way.

"Duo? Duo can you hear me?" Howard was lowering the small body to the floor, pushing the sweaty bangs out of the way to look down into cobalt eyes…but those eyes weren't looking at him, weren't really focusing at all.

"It's cold…"

Howard reached over the pilot's seat and grabbed hold of the blanket stored in the back, tossing that over the still-shaking body. He reached up and grabbed the microphone, switching on the outer speakers.

"BAZ! Get Sally Po in here now!"

"Sorry…Just wanted to get out…"

"I know Duo," Howard brushed a thumb over the Kid's forehead, feeling a slight sheen of sweat under his fingertips. Something was wrong, and he feared it was infection. On the inside. "I know…"

"What happened?" Sally Po slung herself in, landing on her knees beside the pair, hands already reaching out to take temperature, pulse, gathering data Howard could not understand. He was too shocked. This had never happened before. Not like this. Sally didn't seem to want an answer, for which Howard was grateful because his tongue was suddenly tied in knots.

Chang Wufei suddenly appeared with Sally's personal med-kit in one hand. He hovered behind the doctor, eyes never leaving Howard's hand where it rested on Duo's chest, just over his heart. Howard found that very interesting and it managed to distract him from the sudden fear that was threatening to engulf his immediate sanity.

"Howard!" Baz swung down onto the platform, landing on all spindly fours before standing, eyes fastened on the ground and something going on below. Something was not right.

"What's wrong?"

"Gundam's sir. They're attacking Sydney."

Howard's eyes narrowed dangerously. Sydney? He had seen something on the network from G about that. It was a Deathscythe mission…so who the hell had taken it? Heero?

"Take my place!" Howard ushered Baz into the small space, confident the man would do whatever Sally Po told him. The captain was needed elsewhere, and even Duo seemed to realize it as his fingers unwound from his Hawaii shirt, letting him go.

Howard was surprised when he reached the rope ladder to find Chang Wufei at his side, eyes fastened on his own Gundam. Howard's first reaction was to say no, but as he looked the boy over he realized he had been telling the truth; he was in the clear. Still injured, certainly, but in the green.

"Only if we need it," Howard said instead and was surprised when Chang nodded sharply in agreement. They hit the floor running, Chang headed for the men working on Shenlong, Howard for the bridge.

"What's going on?" Howard demanded of Harry when he reached the hallway. The man was headed to find Sally, but seemed to change his mind when Howard finally appeared.

"Transmission from Ebonshade came in. She's under fire, damage to the right side engines. Can't get off the water and need's assistance. They were waiting by the Sydney drop off point when two Gundam's attacked the base. From what they can tell the Gundam's did a front on assault and it didn't work. One Gundam appears down, the other refuses to retreat. Ebonshade made to help but got shot down."

Howard was beginning to wonder if he was hallucinating. That wasn't possible, and yet it was. Deathscythe was meant to have that mission. Alone. Which means G expected a full-stealth assault. No one left alive and no one sees a thing. What they had instead was mayhem.

They reached the bridge and Howard's first move was to an isolated computer at the rear of his own desk. The small red light on the monitor was blinking furiously. He had mail from G.

::TRANSMISSION: 07:47: From G: To Network: Download to Shadowdiver at 06:20::

H: Get them out. Salvage the beasts. Send in the dragon. G.

Howard sighed. He could, of course, just not follow through. G would not comment. But the old bastard was right; someone needed to save those pilots and their Gudams; they were too valuable. And only one pilot was available.

"Launch for Sydney. Arrival, ten minutes!" Before the words had left his mouth the crew was alive, firing engines, sending out orders, closing the cargo bay doors. Howard sat down in the captains seat and strapped himself in, wondering just what to expect, images of the ruins he had found Deathscythe in still fresh in his mind.

"Sir!" They were three minutes out. Howard looked over at the communications desk and frowned. What was it? "Chang just connected Shenlong to the network. He has signal. Patching through now."

An image of Shenlong appeared on the left side of the central screen. Chang Wufei was strapped into the pilot's seat, face unreadable, hands moving over the controls as a series of numbers flashed across the bottom of the screen. Howard didn't like it. Even as he watched the numbers changed, but while his men filled the tanks, gave him enough fuel and ammunition, the Gundam was still only at 65% functional capability. Howard was no sure that would be enough, no matter how good the pilot was.

He had no more time to think about it as a second image, re-routed from Shenlong's network base, sprung to life on the screen's right. It was the small blonde, blood leaking from a wound on his head, pale blue eyes weary and slightly out of focus. Concussion Howard recognised immediately.

"Status?" Howard watched Chang's face harden as he slipped into mission mode, saw al the little nuances of his character change into something hard, dangerous…lethal. He saw justice, in its throne, ready for battle and thought that maybe, just maybe they had not lost yet.

"Down. 03 holding, but almost out of ammo. Five minutes maximum."

"Base?"

Howard gaped. Wufei couldn't seriously be considering finishing the mission now? And yet, he was a Gundam Pilot; the mission came first. That was why they were in this mess to begin with.

A third image appeared between the two pilot images. Howard frowned as he got his first look at the Ebonshade's bridge.

"Peter?"

"We're fine Howard. We're gonna sink her and have the Coralblade pick us up. They're on their way."

"Understood. See you at home." Howard logged the image off, confident the Ebonshade would reach the Pacific base before sunset. His attention was once again on the pilots.

"We're a minute from the base."

"Requesting launch!" Chang snapped, eyes still hard and so very dark. Howard nodded and the cargo doors flew open, the Gundam tumbling out.

*

"I'm out of bullets!"

"That's okay Trowa…I think the cavalry just arrived." Quatre grinned at the image on his screens as the base they had been sent to demolish suddenly erupted in flame. The fuel depo on the far side that they had tried everything to get to exploded, scattering smaller explosions throughout the base. There would be nothing left very soon. How the pilot had managed it, Quatre had no idea.

Out of the smoke on the far side a snaking arm emerged, and then another, the head of a mobile suit gripped in each firm, metal fist. It was not what Quatre had been expecting.

Another small window popped up and Quatre once again found himself staring at the man with the Hawaii shirt. He looked…pissed.

"Confirm arrival of Gundam 05 and destruction of base?"

"Confirmed," Quatre replied, smiling as he watched said Gundam emerge from the destruction. Mission complete and they had succeeded in finding the missing Gundams. Well, one of them at least. Now they just had to get out.

The screen split into four windows, one an external view, one his link to Trowa, another his link to the man in the Hawaii shirt, and finally a connection to SHelong was accepted by the pilot.

Quatre studied the pilot, who appeared a little distracted by a team of determined mobile dolls to talk. Chinese, hard, cold like Heero and yet…warm. Afraid, but not of the battle, lonely and…sad. Bone deep sadness. Quatre shook his head, cleared his mind and turned his attention to Trowa, who while out of bullets was not out of options, using his knife to cut down his enemies. Quatre again cursed the luck that had seen his power cells punctured in the opening of the battle.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine Trowa. Ready to go when you are."

Trowa nodded, turning back and reaching an arm out to the powered down Sandrock. A second arm grabbed hold from the opposite side and suddenly Quatre was being tossed about the cockpit and they were flying.

It wasn't long before the large ship came into view and Quatre felt excitement churning in his gut. The mission from hell was worth it; they had reached their true goal. Even Trowa looked less bored than usual.

"05 requesting permission to board." The little pilot image was distracted, hands playing over controls Quatre's own Gundam did not have.

Then they were landing, Gundam's powering down and Quatre reached up to manually open the hatch. By the time he was done Trowa was waiting on a long platform outside and pilot 05 was on the bay floor, striding off toward a side hallway.

"Nice welcome," Quatre rolled his eyes, looking for someone to talk to who knew what was going on. A gangly man appeared, leading a team of mechanics who lunged at the Gundams, hauling boxes back into the bay from nearby hallways where it was apparent they had been stashed while the bay doors were open.

"Should we let them do that?" Quatre asked Trowa as tools began striking Gundanium.

"They know what they're doing," was Trowa's response, which was enough for Quatre, who nodded to the monkey-man as he appeared before them.

"Captain wants to see you on the bridge. If you'll follow me."

"05?"

"Has other places to be."

And that it seemed was all he was willing to share. It wasn't enough for Quatre.

"02?"

The man's back stiffened.

"Also has other places to be." And that really was all they were going to get out of him.