Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Reprieve ❯ chapter 17 ( Chapter 17 )

Title: Reprieve 17/?

Author:Lethanon

Archive: www.geocities.com/lethanon and raygunworks.net

Warnings: AU, ooc, oc, sweepers, evil doctors, gundams, zero system, general mayhem.

Chapter 17

"What the hell was that?" Howard ran onto the bridge with Sally Po on his heels to find Wufei in the pilot's chair ordering the Sweepers. That was not was surprised Hwoard. What amazed the old man was that the Sweepers were following Wufei's orders. They truly had accepted Duo's newest friend as one of their own, as completely as Howard had accepted Sally Po into the fold. It pleased him.

"Epyon," Wufei growled out, eyes not moving away from the screens at the front of the ship. Howard looked that way and saw the outer cameras were revealing the dark red Gundam standing on the right wing. It held a thermal whip in one hand and was trying to pry loose the balance flaps.

"Status?"

"Deathscyhte, Wing and Sandrock are out of commission. Heavyarms is being worked on," Wufei replied coldly.

"Then what are you doing here? Shenlong is the only weapon we have to fight that thing!" Howard was appalled. Were none of them thinking straight? Peacemillion couldn't fight off a Gundam by itself! It was to large; it would only damage itself in the process.

"I am injured. Duo is not"

Howard froze. No pilot other than that chosen by the doctor's had ever been allowed in a specific Gundam. Each was chosen to accommodate the abilities of each machine, each pilot tested and trained to react to the abnormalities built in. That they would even risk putting another pilot in an opposing suit…Had they truly grown that close, that aware of one another? Did they really dare.

A com link opened and Duo's face appeared on screen. Instead of the black, glossy metal of the Deathscythe's cockpit, Duo was surrounded by dark blues and reds, splashes of gold. Howard expected it to look odd, but instead…they appeared to belong together. The same way Howard knew if he saw Wufei in Deathscythe's cockpit it would look right. It was an easier thing to accept than he had thought it would be.

"Let's teach this dragon to reap the corn!" Duo crowed as the bay hatch opened and Shenlong dropped from the ship. "Talk to me Wufei."

"Your speed will be down from what you're used to, as will close range fighting. Shenlong was designed for melee fighting. Make Epyon chase you and you'll have the advantage. Your weapon diversity is increased but your armour is not as strong. Focus on open ambushes. Don't let them get too close. Aim for ways to get under the armour; Shenlong kills best from the inside out."

"Understood…" Duo nodded quietly to himself, still absorbing all the differences between the two Gundams. Howard saw the moment it all processed and the façade of seriousness faded away, leaving only pilot 02; Shinigami. There was little to no sign of Duo Maxwell. The doctors really had done a spectacular job on the pilots but Howard couldn't help wondering whenever he saw the boy who was Duo Maxwell completely devoured by the pilot 02…when would karma bite them on the arse? Considering Heero's recent actions the day of reckoning did not seem so far away.

Seating himself in the co-pilot's chair, Howard let the world around him recede as the screen became his only anchor to the real world.

*

Sally watched the screens, listened to the conversation between Wufei and Duo, and relayed it through a ship com-link Heero and Hilde, who had locked themselves up inside Wing and were waiting for the bay to be repressurised. She didn't like what was happening. The Gundam Epyon was no longer a foreign entity to them, but neither was it well known. It was also piloted by the most volatile woman of Sally's acquaintance.

Sally knew many of the key figures in the military. Before Oz and Romerfeller had split from the Alliance she had even worked with many of them. She had only met Zechs marquise a handful of times, and the one who piloted Epyon once. Lieutenant Une was not a woman to be underestimated. She had for years been the exclusive secretary to Treize Kushrenada, but behind the scenes also took care of his loose ends by any means, acted as a body guard an all but an official sense and destroyed anything that dared try to get closer than she herself had become. While it was easy to see she did her job well, it was a rare person indeed who wondered just how she had obtained such an exclusive position to begin with. Sally Po did not wonder. Sally Po knew.

Lieutenant was the best pilot she had ever seen. Lieutenant Une also hated piloting. She used it as a means to climb as highly though the ranks as she could and then made sure she was given a position where she would not have to get in another mobile suit. That she had suddenly chosen to do so once again…that thought, more than anything in the war so far, terrified Sally Po. What was Treize thinking? It was impossible to know. You either trusted him or you did not. Sally Po…did not.

"Major Po?"

Sally, amused to hear the title after so long, turned to find Harry and a few of her men standing nervously beside her. That Harry was their spokesperson now might have worried her but for their location. It seemed Harry had finally found a place where he could relax and fit in with the other men.

"What is it?"

"We've put together some of the old Leo's…"

"I'll tell the pilots."

"No, wait!" Harry looked decidedly nervous now as he figited with the lapels on his jacket. Sally just raised a brow and waited for him to reply.

"We've emptied them out except for vital systems so they can carry more men…There are just enough to fly our troops over to one of those transports and take it over…"

Sally looked up at the screen Harry was pointing to and blinked. This was completely unexpected, especially coming from Harry was the least likely to confront anyone about anything, let alone suggest they take over a ship. Then again, she had to remind herself, this was his territory. Earth was not.

"To what point?"

"If we take a hacker with us we can reprogram the suits they're using and use them…"

Sally frowned. Was he actually suggesting they go and fight the Epyon? In something less than a Gundam?

"We don't have to fly the suits, Major!" Harry added hastily, apparently sensing her unease. "Look at them. There's no one in them! They're dolls…they're running on a program!"

Sally really did look then and sure enough the troops surrounding their ship and guarding the Epyon Gundam possessed no visible place for a pilot to sit.

"Howard, I'm taking my boys out for a run. You suggest anyone for a hacking job?"

Howard looked over at her, slightly distracted but well aware of what she was asking. He didn't blink an eye.

"Yuy," he replied firmly. "Best there is."

And coming from Howard that was one hell of a recommendation. She clicked the com-link back on and told Heero what was planned. He didn't tell her how, but he would meet her in the appropriate bay, along with Hilde. That amused Sally no end as she imagined what Miss. Pececraft's reaction to Hilde being permitted to accompany them while wasn't would be.

Not really wanting to find out, Sally had Harry and her men lead the way, adrenalin starting to pump, mind slipping into a frame of mind she was all too familiar with. It was time for a little vengeance of her own.

*

"Get off me!" Duo bellowed over the com-link, wondering if the other pilot had even heard him. As soon as Shenlong had dropped from the cargo bay Epyon had been on him and was determined to get as close as possible. Its pilot was obviously not unfamiliar with the schematics of each individual Gundam and was basing their attack on the information specific to Shenlong. She probably knew more about it than Duo, which made him a little nervous though he refused to let it show.

The biggest disadvantage Duo could see was speed. In Deathscythe he knew he would never had had a problem; it was now obvious to him his own Gundam possessed the greatest speed ability. As long as he was hindered by speed the Epyon could continue to get as close as it wished before he could even think to react. And as long as it continued to break that invisible safety barrier, Duo coul not even fight at maximum ability.

Scowling darkly, Duo broke free of the latest hold Epyon had managed to get on him and rushed away, trying to reason a way to match the Gundams. The only viable option he could think of was to do the unpredictable; to not conform to what the doctor's system expected. Oddly enough, the only reason he could do so was because he himself was not restrained by it. It was painfully obvious it was installed in the Epyon and Duo had to show grudging respect for the pilot that had managed to tame it.

That was, he showed respect until the Epyon's whip managed to get a good hold around his ankle and flipped his suit upside down. That was when Duo decided the pilot could go to hell and it didn't really matter if he went right along with them.

Finally silencing his speakers, Duo switched the right console on and fired up the flamethrower, retracting the extended arm completely and then winding up the spring mechanism. Taking a deep breath, Duo pushed Shenlong's thrusters onto full and was thrown up, over Epyon. He slammed the breaks on and released the dragon claw which smashed down, grasping a hold of Epyon's head and releasing a bout of flame. He let the space between them clear a little then blasted Epyon again, reversing the thrusters every time and dragging the Epyon away from the Peacemillion.

It worked for a time, until they were so far away from the Peacemillion that Oz'a ships actually came into range and opened fire. The first hint of it Duo had was a volley of missiles slamming into him from behind, followed by a loud hiss and a small bout of explosions

"Shit!" Duo glanced down at his feet and caught sight of the hatch that led through to the Gundam's lower systems. Slamming the release, Duo staved off Epyon with a wildly flung fist as the steam poured out, causing him to cough. Duo stared through the steam to see the spine. He could smell burnt paste and the steam was evidence the spine had overheated too far and burnt any remaining liquid from the sandstone.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Duo kicked the plate back into place, knowing another hit to the back could very well mark the end of Shenlong. Not to mention Duo himself.

Dropping all inner sensing, seeing no point in keeping an eye on it now, Duo focused everything on the Epyon as he opened a comlink with Peacemillion. He was finding off another whip attack around the legs when Howard appeared.

"Duo? What's wrong?"

"Spinal burn out. Another hit could hit the fuel."

Howard was silent. Duo had expected him to swear. He spared a moment to look at the screen, allowing Epyon to get a hold on one arm and realized Howard was white as a sheet.

"Old man?"

"Retreat," Howard choked out.

"No way!" Duo objected fiercely. "The Peacemillion can't fend of the Epyon!"

"Duo Maxwell, you will retreat this instant!"

"I will not retreat!" Duo bellowed, furious. This was what he was trained to do. If he retreated now…It wasn't just pride. He would be as good as dead when G got his hands on him…

`I won't go through that again' Duo thought to himself…'not again'.

Epyon whipped its tail around Shenlong's body and stabbed the tail into the base of the spine, stabbing through the burnt out defenses and severing the lower body's hydraulics system from the main console. Red lights were flashing wildly throughout the cockpit, the brightness of it in the dark stabbing at Duo's sight. The Epyon was not finished as a massive fist smashed loudly against the outer door of the cockpit. More red lights began flashing and the fist continued to pound, the sound echoing in Duo's head as he tried to decide what to do. To obey Howard or Doctor G…To stand or run away.

"I will not run away!" Duo finally howled, unable to face everything that surviving this battle would mean. Death was ore than preferable. It was the only real option.

"DUO!"

Duo froze, staring at the screen. Wufei looked…pained. Duo didn't blame him. It was an odd sense of dejavu that was filling him now and he was sure Wufei was feeling the same thing. Only…they weren't on earth anymore. This was space. You didn't survive the self-destruct switch in space.

"Wufei…I…" he didn't' know what to say. What were you supposed to say? He wasn't given long to think about it as Epyon's fist broke the Gundanium shell on the cockpit. The next hit would break the inner shell and the end would come.

A volley of missiles appeared on the screens and Duo braced himself.

"I'm sorry Wufei! I didn't mean it!" Duo blurted out as they came closer. "I love you!"

Missiles bombarded the two Gundams but when Duo finally dared open his eyes it was to see the missiles had hit Epyon, not Shenlong and that the other Gundam was retreating. He stared in horror at the approaching horde of mobile suits, a transport ship at their head.

"Duo?" Wufei's voice was hushed, slightly awed. Duo swallowed loudly, tried to speak, but couldn't think of anything to say. He had already said too much; said more than he even knew. "Duo, are you alright?"

He knew he was worrying Wufei, but he couldn't speak. It was like…Duo grasped at his throat by instinct. The Epyon must have managed to crack the inner shell of the cockpit. The air was leaking somewhere. He remembered G saying a hole smaller than a pin prick would empty Deatchscythe of all its air in under two minutes. He was as good as dead.

"Duo!"

People seemed to be saying that a lot lately, in just that tone. Duo looked up to see a second communication link had been established. Odd, he hadn't accepted the feed. Heero must have hacked Shenlong.

"Heero…" he mouthed, knowing Heero would read his lips and understand there was almost no air left. Heero disappeared almost immediately. Duo scowled, jumping into the still-steaming hatch at his feet. His only chance was to find Wufei's spare space suit. He just hoped they were in the same place as in Deatchscythe.

Scrambling through the systems, Duo was stunned by the amount of damage Epyon had wrought. There were cracks in most of the Gunda's casing where the whip had collided and the damage to the spine had splattered just about everything. It was like a sauna, but Duo knew it would all freeze over as soon as space crept its way inside.

Shenlong crashed into something just as Duo found the space suit. He didn't wait to see what had reached him, climbing into the suit and attaching the helmet. It was just as he switched on the air that the last of the air was sucked dry and a loud crash told him someone had entered. Duo didn't really care. Everything hurt from being thrown about during the battle…he wanted to sleep.

A body emerged before him, approaching carefully. Once it was close enough to see the face inside, Duo allowed himself to breathe again and collapsed.

"Heero. Tell Wufei I'm sorry."

Black.