A few months after the end of GW:

 

A Time to Laugh, a Time to Cry

By Lizy Berger

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Part 1: Destination

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Mr. Winner, there’s a man here to see you,” the secretary said over the intercom.

 

Quatre sighed and pressed the button to reply.  “I’m very busy.  Is it important?”

 

“He says you’ll be glad to see him, Mr. Winner.”

 

Quatre raised an eyebrow.  “Did he give you his name?”

 

The secretary paused, then answered, “Uh… the God of Death, sir?”

 

Quatre stood up.  “Send him in!” he said.

 

A moment later, the door to Quatre’s office slid open, and Duo Maxwell stood framed in the doorway, violet eyes glittering, a big grin plastered on his face.

 

“Duo!” Quatre smiled.

 

“Hey, Quatre!” Duo said, strolling into the office and seating himself on the edge of Quatre’s desk.  “I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d come by to see you!”  Duo leaned closer then and whispered, “No one can hear us, right?”

 

“No,” said Quatre, curious.

 

“Okay then,” said Duo quietly, and handed Quatre a slip of paper.  “I actually came to give you this: the location of the base where the Gundams are being stored.”

 

Quatre folded the paper up and put it in an inside pocket.  “Thanks, Duo,” he said.

 

“So,” continued Duo, “How’ve you been?”

 

“Great, Duo.  And you?”  Quatre sat down and regarded his friend with a smile.

 

“Just great!” Duo answered.

 

“And Hilde?”

 

“She’s great, too,” he said.

 

Just then the secretary entered the office.  “Shall I get your guest a drink, sir?” she asked.

 

Duo smiled.  “Coffee, thanks!”  When the secretary had left, he grinned at Quatre.  “’Shall I get your guest a drink, sir?’” he mimicked.  “You’ve really got it made here, Quatre.”

 

Quatre sighed and smiled.  “Well, it all comes with a lot of responsibility.”  He motioned to the stacks of paper on his desk.  “I’ve been quite busy lately.”

 

“Yeah, I’d guess so!” Duo agreed.  He turned around as the door opened, and the secretary entered with his coffee.  “Thanks!” Duo said, taking the steaming drink from her.

 

The secretary turned to Quatre.  “Will you be requiring anything more, sir?”  She paused, then cried in alarm, “Mr. Winner!”

 

Duo spun around.  Quatre was clutching his chest with one hand and gripping the edge of the desk with the other, his face contorted in pain.  He was gasping for breath.

 

“Quatre!” Duo cried, rushing to his friend’s side.  The secretary ran out of the room and returned a moment later with a bottle of pills.  She began to fill a cup at the water cooler in the corner of the room, but Quatre stopped her.

 

“Wait!” he said.  He took a deep steady breath and seemed to regain his composure.  “I’m okay now,” he told her steadily.

 

The secretary protested, “But sir, you really shouldn’t be working like this.  You need to rest, and the doctor said if – “

 

“I’m okay!” Quatre repeated sternly.  “And I’m not going to stuff myself full of pills at the first sign of –“  He stopped abruptly.

 

Duo looked back and forth between the two of them, and said, “What’s going on here?”  He turned to his friend.  “Quatre?”

 

Quatre sighed.  “Please leave us,” he said to the secretary.

 

The secretary nodded and left the room.  When the door shut behind her, Duo turned to Quatre.  “All right,” he said.  His face was creased with concern.  “What is it?”

 

Quatre swallowed and looked down at his desk.  “Have a seat, Duo,” he said quietly.

 

Duo sat in a chair opposite Quatre and waited for the explanation.  He was silent when Quatre took a minute to answer.

 

Finally, Quatre looked up at Duo, signs of tired pain in his eyes.

 

“Duo,” he said, “I’m dying.”

 

Duo’s eyes widened.  “What?” he gasped.

 

Quatre swallowed and looked away again.  “I’m sick,” he continued.  “Some kind of viral infection in my heart.  They don’t know what it is….  They say I could even have been poisoned – “

 

“Poisoned!”

 

“ – although none of my sisters or the house staff if sick….  Anyway, they say there’s no cure….”

 

Duo didn’t say anything.  He sat in shocked silence, staring at Quatre’s averted face.  Finally Quatre let out a long sigh and looked at his hands.

 

“Quatre, why didn’t you tell us?” Duo whispered.

 

Quatre half-smiled wearily.  “I didn’t want you to worry….”

 

Duo shook his head.  “Didn’t you think we would want to know?”  He paused.  “So none of the others know?” he asked.

 

“No,” said Quatre.

 

“Not even Trowa?”

 

Quatre shook his head, and said softly, “I suppose they’ll have to know eventually.”  He looked away uncomfortably.

 

After a short silence, Duo said, “Do you want me to tell them?”

 

Quatre looked at him.  “Would you?” he asked hopefully.

 

“Sure,” said Duo.  Then he stood up.  “Sorry, Quatre,” he said, “I told Hilde I’d make this a short trip.  But I’ll be back soon,” he added.  He walked slowly to the door, and turned around.  “I’ll call the others when I get home.  And if there’s anything else you need, Quatre, anything at all, you know you can always call me….”

Quatre nodded.  “I know.  Thanks, Duo.”

 

Duo turned to go, but paused, and turned once more to Quatre.  “Quatre,” he began.  He hesitated, and then said slowly, “How long…?”

 

Quatre looked at him.  “Two months, three at the most,” he said.

 

Duo swallowed.  “Right,” he whispered.  His eyes began to sting.

 

The two friends looked at each other a moment longer, then Duo left.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

A young woman sat quietly on the shuttle heading to the L4 colony.  Her hands were folded in her lap, and she stared unblinkingly into the eternal depths of space, the dark curve of the colony looming on the edge of her viewport.

 

Suddenly, she realized that there were tears on her cheeks.  She quickly wiped them away, turning her head to hide her eyes from the other passengers on the shuttle.

 

I’m so sorry, Quatre, she thought.  I was so foolish… why did this have to happen?  Oh, Quatre… can you forgive me?  A poor lost soul?  Will I ever be forgiven…?

 

She sniffed and wiped her eyes.  What had she done this for?  In the time she had been onboard Libra, she now saw, she had been a wretched, misguided fool.  When she had planned to meet Quatre, and fight him, she had tipped her sword with a slow-acting poison.  Even a tiny scratch would have done it… he would have been doomed, even if she had lost the duel.

 

And Quatre had received considerably more than a scratch from her.

 

That was the reason she had continued to cry for him, even after she knew that the wound wasn’t fatal.

 

The wound wouldn’t kill, him, no, but the poison eventually would.

 

She hadn’t told anyone what she had done.  Yet.  How could she?  How could she tell anyone that she was responsible for sealing his fate?  The pain was made all too vivid as she remembered how forgiving he had been.  He had never been the least bit angry with her for what she had done to him.  He had even asked Trowa to leave him behind and help her escape from Libra instead.

 

After the duel, he had seemed to understand her better.  Indeed, he had been the only person who had really understood her….

 

And now he would die.  She hadn’t had the courage to tell him before, but now she was going to see him and tell him the truth.

 

Dorothy Catalonia rested her head against the viewport and let herself cry.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Miss Dorothy!”  Quatre smiled as Dorothy entered the office.  “It’s good to see you again –”  He stopped short as he noticed the grief-stricken look on her face as she stared at the ground.

 

“Dorothy?” he asked gently.

 

She looked up at him, pale and shame-faced.

 

“You don’t have to pretend, Quatre,” she said quietly.  “I know about your illness.”

 

Quatre looked at her, and then said, “I’m fine, Dorothy, but you look awful.  Have you been getting enough sleep lately –?”

 

“Don’t say that!” she cried.  “I know you’re not fine.  I know how serious your illness is.”  I should.   “And no, I haven’t gotten enough sleep lately, because I have had something to confess to you.”

 

Quatre looked concerned.  “Confess?”

 

Dorothy nodded mutely.  How was she going to do this?

 

Better to be brief….

 

“I did this to you, Quatre.”

 

Quatre looked confused.  “I don’t understand.  What do you mean?”

 

“I poisoned you.”  She looked up at him.  “On Libra… my sword… it was poisoned.  I was such a fool!” she cried, and turned away so that he wouldn’t see the tears in her eyes.  “I figured that even if I lost the duel, you wouldn’t live –“  She choked off, and the tears flowed down her cheeks.

 

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.  “I couldn’t tell you before, but now that you’re sick, I had to….  Oh, Quatre….”  Dorothy’s shoulders shook with sobs as she leaned her head against the wall.

 

After a minute, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.  Dorothy gasped and looked around into Quatre’s gently smiling face.

 

“It’s okay, Dorothy,” he said.  She blinked at him, and he continued.  “I know you didn’t mean for this to happen, and it’s clear that you regret what you’ve done.  I couldn’t hold it against you.”

 

She looked at him, too stricken for words.

 

“Thank you for telling me,” he said.  “I know it must have been hard.”

 

Dorothy looked at him for a moment longer, then burst into tears again.  Quatre moved forward and drew her close in a tight embrace.  He let her cry herself out on his shoulder; she clung to him, sobbing.  When she was finished, she looked into his eyes.

 

“You’re so kind, Quatre,” she said, and looked away.  “You’re not even angry….”

 

Quatre just smiled.  “I couldn’t be angry at a friend.”

 

Dorothy looked at him again.  She smiled back wanly.  “Thank you, Quatre,” she said, and drew away from him towards the door.  “I’m so sorry.”  She turned to go.

 

“Thank you,” Quatre said.

 

Dorothy smiled at him, and left.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Quatre….”

 

Where are you?

 

“Quatre….”

 

Please show me where you are….

 

“Quatre….”  The ghostly voice continued to call his name.

 

I can’t see you!  Where are you?

 

“Quatre….”

 

Please….

 

Quatre turned around again, but still couldn’t locate the source of the voice.

 

A butterfly flickered past his nose and lighted on a rosebush next to him.  All around him were trees, and bushes, and flowers, lots of flowers.  A stone path… songbirds….  He was in a garden, but he didn’t know how he had gotten there.  He was lost among the winding paths of the place, a labyrinth of dream-like colors and smells that muddled his senses.

 

There was no way out, but Quatre didn’t want to leave anyway.  It was so peaceful, so quiet.

 

“Quatre….”

 

But who was calling him?  Where was that voice coming from?  It was a gentle female voice, drawing him nearer with every call.

 

“Quatre….”

 

“I’m coming!” he called back.  Some internal instinct gave him the sense that he desperately had – and wanted – to find the woman who was calling him.

 

“Follow my voice, Quatre,” she replied.  Quatre turned.  Was she behind him now?  He was facing a wood, and wandered slowly in among the trees.

 

“I’m here, Quatre.”

 

Quatre looked in the direction of the voice.  Ahead of him there seemed to be a glowing light between the trees.  He headed toward the light, and emerged in a sheltered clearing.  The ground was covered with moss, and a misty haze seemed to hang in the air, pierced by shafts of sunlight.  Quatre realized that there was no birdsong here; it was absolutely silent.  He looked to the center of the clearing, and gasped.

 

There, sitting on a grassy knoll, was the woman.  She was slender and pale, and her hair was blonde like Quatre’s.  She was clothed in shining white raiment that seemed to flow from her body and into the ground itself.  She rose to greet him.  “Quatre!”  Her smile lit up her face, like seeing him was the greatest joy she could ever have hoped for.

 

The woman approached him.  “Quatre,” she whispered, and reached out her hand to him.  He took it, feeling warm inside at the touch of her soft skin.  He looked up into her eyes, and saw the tears welling up in them.  Then the woman reached out with her other hand and ran her fingers through his hair, and, bursting into tears, gathered him in her arms.

 

“Oh, my dear Quatre,” she whispered, and suddenly Quatre knew who this woman was.

 

“Mother,” he whispered back, and buried his face against her shoulder, for he, too, was crying now.

 

They stood in each other’s arms for several more minutes, rejoicing in the comfort of being so close together for the first time.

 

Finally Quatre’s mother drew away to look into her son’s face.  She wiped the tears off his cheeks with her sleeve.  Then she took his hands in hers, and turned them palms up to gaze at them, as though they were beautiful treasures.  “I have waited almost sixteen years to hold these hands,” she said softly.

 

Quatre bowed his head.  “They have taken many lives,” he told her.

 

“I know,” she replied.  Quatre raised his head to look at her.  “These hands may be stained with blood,” she said, and then placed his hands over his chest, “But this heart is as pure as the day you were born.”

 

Quatre smiled, and she smiled too.  “You will be joining us soon, my son.”

 

“Us?”

 

“Your father and myself.”

 

“Father?”  Quatre’s eyes grew wide.  “Is Father here too?”

 

“Yes, he is here,” she said, and smiled.  Then she said, “I wish that… that you could have had a longer life, though.”  She looked away, and Quatre saw that her cheeks were wet again.  But when she looked back, she was smiling.  “But when you come, we will be together.  And no one, not even death, will be able to tear us apart ever again.”

 

Quatre swallowed.  Mother and son wrapped their arms around each other again, and Quatre closed his eyes; he never wanted to let go of her, ever.

 

But then, when he opened his eyes, it was not her sleeve he was gripping, but his bedsheet. 

 

He raised his head.  He had been clinging to his pillow, which was now soaked with tears.

 

Slowly, afraid to move quickly lest the memory of the wonderful dream fade, Quatre sat up in his bed.  The early morning sun’s rays were shining into his room.  Quatre got out of bed and walked to the window.  He opened it, and let the morning breeze blow on his tear-stained face.  He sighed.  He ached to hold her again, to be held by her.  If only she could be here now….

 

But, he thought, he would see her again soon enough, and the next time, it would be forever.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Part 2:Destination Lost

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 Lucrezia Noin walked slowly through the park.  She walked past trees and flowerbeds, and little children playing, all the time watching.  Watching for him.

 

She stopped.  There he is.  He was sitting on a park bench, a bright-looking Husky sitting beside him.  His head was bowed; he seemed to be sleeping.  A light breeze ruffled his blonde hair.

 

Noin walked up to him.  His sisters had said she would find him here.  As she approached, he raised his head to look at her.  She immediately saw how pale and drawn his face had become.

 

“Miss Noin!”  His smile was just as bright and gentle as it had ever been.

 

“Oh…” she stammered.  “I though you were asleep.”

 

“Nope,” said Quatre.  He looked up at the trees.  “I was listening to the birds.”

 

Noin followed his gaze to look at the leafy green foliage.  She hadn’t noticed the birds before, but now she realized that the park was filled with their singing.

 

Quatre looked at her.  “It’s so nice to see you!  Have a seat,” he said, and patted the bench beside him.  Noin sat down, and the Husky trotted over to her and began nuzzling her hand.

 

“He likes you!” Quatre laughed as Noin accepted the dog’s invitation and began scratching him behind the ears. 

 

“His name is Dusty,” Quatre said.

 

“Hello, Dusty,” said Noin.  She drew her hand away, and Dusty sat down in the grass at her feet.

 

“So,” said Quatre, turning to her.  “It’s been a while since we’ve spoken, hasn’t it?  How have you been?”

 

Noin looked at her hands.  “I’m fine,” she said.

 

“Have you been in touch with Miss Relena?” Quatre asked.  “It’s been a while since I’ve spoken with her as well.”

 

Noin swallowed.  He was just making small talk so this would seem like an ordinary social call, so they could talk about other things, anything but –

 

“Miss Noin?  Are you all right?”

 

Noin looked at him, into those deep emerald eyes, filled with such purity and youth.

 

But there was something else in his eyes as well, something strong and consuming that made her want to cry.

 

Pain.  His eyes were filled with pain.  Not for himself, but for her, and for the others who had to suffer with him as they watched him waste away.  As they watched him die.

 

Noin looked away.  “Please don’t cry, Miss Noin,” Quatre said, a tone almost of pleading in his voice.

 

Noin touched her cheek, to find that it was wet.

 

Quatre closed his eyes.  “I’m so tired of people crying for me.  I don’t want them to.”  He gasped and opened his eyes as Dusty unexpectedly began licking his hands.  Quatre smiled weakly at the dog.  “That’s why I enjoy being with Dusty,” he said quietly, patting the Husky’s furry head.  “He can be happy with me.  He can play and have fun and not be sad, because he doesn’t know what’s happening to me.  He doesn’t know that I’m going to die.”  Quatre folded his hands, and Dusty whimpered questioningly.

 

“I’m sorry, Quatre,” Noin apologized, quickly wiping her eyes.  “I didn’t mean to cry.”

 

“That’s okay,” he said.

 

Noin reached into the pocket of her windbreaker and brought out a sealed envelope.  She handed it to Quatre.  “Sally Po wanted me to give this to you,” she said.

 

Quatre took the envelope.  He opened it, unfolded the paper inside, and read the letter.  When he had finished, he was silent.

 

Noin didn’t say anything.  Finally Quatre told her, “She says she may have found a way to save me.”

 

Noin’s eyes widened.

 

“It’s an operation,” he continued.  “Very serious, and with a long recovery period.  But it could save me.”

 

Noin was speechless.  All she could do was smile and try to hold back her tears.

 

“There’s a catch, though,” he said, and Noin’s smile faded.  He explained, “My body might be too weak to handle the operation, and… it could kill me.”

 

The following silence was broken by Dusty’s energetic barking.

 

After a few moments, Noin said, “What are you going to do?”

 

Quatre shook his head.  “I don’t know.”  He stood up, and Dusty barked again, excited that he had his master’s attention.  Quatre turned to Noin.  “I’ll have to talk it over with my sisters.”  Dusty barked once more, and then ran off across the grass.

 

Noin stood up.  “Good luck, then,” she said.

 

“Thank you,” Quatre said, and with a parting smile, he turned and followed after his dog.  Noin stood for a moment longer watching him disappear behind a stand of trees. 

 

I hope you won’t have to suffer much longer, my dear Quatre.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Quatre sat down heavily against a tree, breathing hard.  Dusty trotted over and nuzzled up against him.  Quatre laughed.  “That’s enough for, now Dusty,” he told the panting animal.  “Let me catch my breath.”

 

Understanding that the game was over, Dusty flopped down on the grass beside Quatre, head on paws.  He looked at his master, patiently waiting for the game to begin again.  Quatre smiled and patted the Husky’s head.

 

Quatre closed his eyes and let the sunlight warm his face and the pattern of leaves’ shadows dance across his body.  He breathed in the cool breeze and once again listened to the birds singing.  He sighed in contentment, and before he knew it, sleep had overcome him.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

On a park bench within sight of where Quatre lay sleeping, sat a man.  His face was heavyset and dark, and his hair, already graying despite his relative youth, hung in locks over his forehead.  The man was wearing a trenchcoat.  He reached inside the coat with a scarred hand, and pulled out a handgun to fit a silencer onto it.

 

He’d been following his target all afternoon.  The man could see the kid’s blonde hair moving in the breeze from where he sat, and there was that dog, too.

 

He made sure that there was no one around.  It was a pretty empty part of the park.  Most of the activity in the park was centered around the playgrounds and ice cream stands, not in this secluded area.  He stood and walked towards the sleeping youth.

 

As he approached, the dog’s eyes unexpectedly opened, and the animal growled.  It stood up, baring its fangs and standing between his master and the offending stranger.  The man snarled and drew his gun.

 

Suddenly, the dog lunged at the man.  A startled yell from the stranger… and then a muffled gunshot.  Dusty lay on the ground, bleeding from a wound in his flank.

 

The man replaced his gun inside his jacket and, stepping over the prone figure of the dog, took a plastic bag out of an inside pocket.  He reached inside and drew out a compact needle injector.  But when he reached for the boy’s arm, he was rewarded with a swift blow to the gut.  He doubled up grunting, and Quatre leapt to his feet, ready to fight the bigger man.  He had woken up at the sound of the gunshot, but hadn’t dared move until he himself had been threatened.

 

The man stood up and eyed the boy.  Pathetic.  He reached for Quatre’s arm, but Quatre ducked away.  The man was faster than he looked, though, and Quatre was soon wincing at the man’s strong grip on his arm.

 

“Who are you?  What do you want?” Quatre demanded.

 

The man replied by pushing the injector into Quatre’s arm.  The boy cried out in alarm.  The man sneered at him.  “All your questions will be answered eventually,” he said.  Then he released his grip on Quatre’s arm.  Quatre backed away, but stumbled.  The drug was already taking effect on his weak body.  Soon he lay crumpled on the ground, unconscious.

 

The man pocketed the injector and slung Quatre’s limp body over his shoulder.  The drug had worked pretty quickly.  Perhaps they had overestimated the dosage?  No matter, he thought.  I got what I came for.  He headed off to where he’d let his truck with Quatre draped over his shoulder.

 

Dusty opened an eye and watched his master being carried off by the stranger.  He whimpered and moved a paw feebly, trying to call after the departing figures.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Yreia, Quatre’s nineteen-year-old sister, wandered through the park looking for her brother as the daylight quickly faded.  She was very worried.  Quatre never came home late, especially after dark when he’d promised to be home by five.  She looked across the fields.  Where could he be?  This certainly wasn’t like him.

 

Suddenly, Yreia spotted something white, lying in the grass beneath a tree.  Cautiously, she approached it.  What is that?  Suddenly, she stopped short as she recognized Dusty, Quatre’s dog.

 

Yreia walked over to the Husky, but he lay still and quiet long after he normally would have leapt up barking.  What’s going on here?  Something’s definitely not right….  Yreia drew closer to the dog, but stopped dead in her tracks, a cry of alarm frozen in her throat. 

 

The grass around Dusty was dark with blood.  And, only now visible in the gathering dusk, his side was also stained dark crimson; his fur was clumped together around a nasty wound.

 

Yreia stood for a minute, heart pounding, feeling sick to her stomach.  Suddenly, a cold terror gripped her, and she spun around, crying, “Quatre!  Quatre!  Where are you?  Quatre!”  A frantic sob escaped her.  Where could he be?  She turned once more to look at the animal lying still in the grass.  Something terrible had happened here.  What could have become of her brother?

 

Yreia started as Dusty suddenly let out a low whimper.  He’s alive!  She knelt by the wounded animal’s side and stroked his head.  “It’s okay, boy,” she murmured.  She hastily took her cell phone out of her pocket to call for help.

 

Quatre….   A tear slid down her cheek.  Oh, Quatre.  Where are you?

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Ohh….”  My head….

 

Quatre slowly reached up to put a hand on his head.  He opened his eyes and looked around the strange room, completely disoriented.  Where am I, anyway?  He couldn’t remember how he had gotten there.  He remembered the park, and meeting Miss Noin, and then playing with Dusty, and… had he fallen asleep? How had he ended up here?

 

Suddenly, he recalled an image of Dusty, lying on the ground.  But… bleeding?  What…? Then he remembered a big man… in a trenchcoat and… with a needle injector.  Needle injector?  Quatre looked at his arm.  There was a small hole in his shirt, and the skin underneath was red.

 

The memories slowly began coming back to him.  Now I remember….  The gunshot, and waking up to find a strange man with a needle injector waiting for him.  Then a small struggle, and then, total blackness. It must have been a sedative.  But pretty strong, to work so quickly and effectively so as to temporarily inhibit his memory.

 

Or, thought Quatre, the dosage they had estimated for me was too strong because my body was weak from my illness.  Which means they didn’t know about my illness to begin with….

 

Quatre rubbed his head.  So he had been kidnapped.  But who would want to kidnap me?

 

Quatre sat up.  He had been lying on a bed that was set in the corner of a small room.  There were no windows in the room, and no other furniture besides the bed.  There was a sink and a toilet in the corner.  Looks almost like an old officer’s quarters from the early days of the Alliance, thought Quatre.  Then, could he be in some sort of military base?

 

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted as a wave of dizziness and pain swept through his body.  He quickly lay down again; the drug must have done some damage to his weak body.  He wondered how long he’d been unconscious.  Looking at his wrist, he discovered that his watch had been taken.  Checking in his pockets, he found that his cell phone was also gone.  His pockets had been emptied.

 

Pretty thorough job, he thought.  He closed his eyes.  His sisters must be worried sick about him.  He sighed.  Poor Dusty.  If someone had found the dog before too long, there might be a chance.  If not, though, there wasn’t much hope that he had survived the ordeal.  Quatre couldn’t bare the thought of the once energetic young dog lying alone and wounded, his life just bleeding away into the grass.  Quatre shuddered.  Best not to think about it, and just to concentrate on trying to get out of here.

 

He closed his eyes.  A dull ache had begun to form in his chest.  Maybe a little sleep – natural, not drug-induced sleep – would give his body a little time to start healing.

 

Soon, peaceful rest had overcome him, and he slept deeply.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Sir!”

 

The two soldiers stood to attention as their commander entered the room.  He was a tall, angular man, but with a heavy build about him.  A dark beard obscured the lower half of his face.

 

“At ease,” he said.

 

One of the soldiers stepped forward.  “Commander Aethan, have you reached a decision?”

 

Aethan nodded.

 

“We will keep him alive, and continue with operations as planned.  A medical examiner should make sure that the drug overdose did not do his body too much harm.”

 

Aethan turned and began pacing the room.  The Winner heir had been unconscious for nearly a day now.  He hadn’t awoken during the long flight to Earth, as originally expected.  He had been left in the confinement quarters prepared for him, but Aethan had been worried.  What had gone wrong with the drug?  When the boy’s pockets had been emptied, they had found the answer.  The boy had been carrying a letter from some doctor acquaintance of his.  It provided information that the boy had some kind of deadly disease.  The drug must have been too much for his weak body, and he had staid unconscious for far longer than he should have.  And if the boy died, their entire plan would fail.

 

“Any further orders, sir?”

 

Aethan looked at the soldier.  “Yes.  You may send the message to the Winner family estate.  It is time to set our plan in motion.”  Then, as an afterthought, “And the prisoner’s rations must be taken to him in case he should wake.”

 

The soldier soluted, and was about to leave the room, when a girl’s voice called, “Please, let me go with them!”

 

Aethan looked around.  “Lorri,” he began.

 

“Please, sir,” said the girl.  She was young and pretty, just about fifteen years old.  Her dark eyes pleaded with Aethan.  “I would very much like to see what a Gundam pilot looks like.  Please, Godfather?”

 

Aethan narrowed his eyes.  “Very well.”  He turned to a soldier.  “Please escort her to the prisoner’s quarters.”

 

“Oh, thank you!” she cried.

 

Aethan shook his head.  That girl’s curiosity will be the death of her someday, he thought.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Lorri began feel a bit nervous as she followed the soldier down the corridor towards the prisoner’s room.  She was going to see a Gundam pilot!  The very thought of it made her shudder.  What was a Gundam pilot like?  He must be very different from her godfather’s soldiers, to have earned such a rank of terror.  During the war, she had often seen how terrifying the legendary Mobile Suits were to the soldiers on the base. 

 

So would he be ugly?  Or vulgar?  Would his language be coarse, his body a towering bulk of muscle and strength, able to crush bone with a single fist?

 

These ideas frightened her.  She rather preferred to picture him as the kind of dashing, handsome renegade she had so often seen portrayed in movies: the lone survivor of some lost force, standing his ground and cutting his way through the enemy ranks, fighting bravely to the bitter end….

 

Lorri nearly bumped into the soldier in front of her before she realized that he had stopped.  They were there.  The soldier keyed in the access code, and the door slid open.  Lorri followed the man into the room, and peered around him, her heart pounding.  Then she spotted the pilot.

 

Her first reaction was one of disappointment.  The pilot was not a handsome renegade, nor a vulgar beast.  He was just a boy!  He couldn’t have been much older than Lorri herself.  He was sleeping on the bed, curled up in an almost fetal position, his blonde head resting on the pillow.

 

Lorri’s second reaction was one of pity.  How could this boy, innocent and defenseless, be the target of her godfather’s scheme?  He didn’t look at all like he had had any chance of defending himself against his kidnappers.  He looked so weak and helpless, just lying there.  Lorri then remembered hearing that the boy had some sort of fatal disease.  She clenched her fists.  How could they do this to him?  A poor, innocent boy, already doomed by a terrible illness, suddenly attacked and pumped full of a sedative so that he was out cold for almost a day, and taken away to a strange military base to be held prisoner for God knows how long?

 

Suddenly, the pilot stirred, and his eyes opened.  Lorri gasped.  He looked up at her; he seemed as surprised to see her as she was to see him.  Their gazes locked, and Lorri couldn’t look away.  His eyes were filled with a sort of long-suffering strength, and Lorri’s pity was replaced with fascination and curiosity.  The pilot sat up, and Lorri almost took a step back towards the door.

 

The soldier moved forward, placed the tray of rations on the bed beside the boy, and moved to the door.  “Miss Lorri?” he said.  Lorri drew away from the bed, but didn’t follow the soldier out the door.

 

“Wait,” she said, desperate to know more about the strange prisoner.  “Can’t I stay a bit longer?”

 

“Sure,” said the soldier.  He walked out into the corridor.  “Close the door when you leave.  It will lock automatically.”

 

“But—“ Lorri began.

 

“I’m not here to baby-sit you,” replied the soldier, and with that, he clicked the keypad to close the door behind him.

 

Lorri stood shocked for a moment.  She could feel her heart beating relentlessly against her ribcage.  Suddenly, she was startled by a voice behind her, and she spun around.

 

“Huh?” she said dumbly.

 

The pilot’s voice was gentle and amiable as he replied,  “I said, ‘What’s your name?’”

 

“Lorri,” she said.  “My name is Lorri.”  She paused.  “What’s yours?”

 

“My name is Quatre Reberba Winner,” he said with a smile.

 

Lorri looked at him quizzically.  How could he be so friendly with her?  She was one of his captors, after all.  Unless… unless he was lonely.  Could that be?

 

“What are you doing here?” Quatre asked.

 

Lorri blinked.  What am I doing here?  “What do you mean?”

 

“Well, this looks like a military base to me,” he answered.  “Why are you here?”

 

“I live here,” she stated.  She had never thought it strange that she lived on a military base.  “My godfather’s the commander of this base.  My father used to be, but… he and my mother died in the war.”

 

“I… I’m sorry,” Quatre said.

 

Lorri looked away.  “I’m beginning to feel bad about what my godfather has done to you,” she said.  She somehow felt that she could be very honest with this boy.  “Your parents must be very worried about you.”

 

There was a short silence, then Quatre said, “Actually, my parents are dead, too.”

 

Lorri looked up.  “Oh…” she stammered.  “I’m sorry….”

 

“That’s okay,” Quatre said.  He reached for the water canteen on the rations tray, but halfway to his lips, his hand suddenly spasmed, and the canteen fell to the floor.  He was gripping his chest and gasping.

 

“Oh my God!” cried Lorri.  She rushed over to him.

 

Quatre took several steady gasps, and rubbed his hands together.  “I’m okay,” he told her.

 

“No, you’re not!” she said.  “It’s that drug they gave you.  I heard my godfather say that they had overdosed you.  It’s done something to you!”  She picked up the water canteen and sat down on the bed beside him.  She handed him the drink.  “Are you sure you’re all right now?”

 

He nodded.  “I’m fine.  I just need a little rest, and then I’ll be okay.”

 

Lorri hesitated.  His eyes were looking into hers again; they were so sincere.  She stood up.  “Okay then,” she said.  She moved to the door, and turned.  “You’re sure?”

 

Quatre smiled.  “Yes,” he said.

 

Lorri opened the door to leave, but smiled at him first.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“We called you here because we didn’t know what else to do.  Quatre always said that we could call you for help if we needed you.  The authorities aren’t much help; they don’t really know what they’re doing, or where to look for him.  We thought you’d be able to help us.”  Yreia looked hopefully at the Gundam pilots standing before her.

 

Heero Yuy looked at the woman before him.  She was Quatre’s sister.  He could easily see the anguish and concern in her facial expression.  He still didn’t understand how one could show emotion so easily; he was still having trouble learning to show his own feelings.  Inside, of course, he was extremely worried about his friend.  He just didn’t show it.

 

Duo, on the other hand, was openly displaying his concern.  “Well, what did you think we’d be able to do?” Duo asked irritably.  Heero looked at his partner.  That wasn’t the way to talk to this woman now.  Couldn’t he see how distressed she already was?  Duo had been in quite an anxious state of mind ever since he’d heard about Quatre’s disappearance the day before.  Not smart.  Duo was letting his emotions affect his actions.

 

Yreia blinked.  “I… we didn’t know.  We figured that you’d know how to go about looking for him better than the authorities….”  She looked almost on the verge of tears.

 

Duo sighed. “I’m sorry,” he said.  “I’m just real worried about him.  I didn’t mean to –“  He was cut off as a light blinked next to the message console in the corner of the reception room.

 

Yreia moved to read the message.  After touching a few keys, she turned to the pilots.  “It’s on the private frequency,” she said.  Heero and Duo turned around, even though they wouldn’t have been able to read the message screen from where they were standing.

 

There were a few minutes of silence as Yreia read the message.  Finally, she said, her voice a little shocked, “Heero, Duo, I think you should read this.”

 

The two of them moved over to the screen to read the message:

 

          Winner family

 

          We have captured Quatre Reberba Winner and are holding him prisoner

          at our military base.  We are fully prepared to kill him if you do not

          comply with our demands:

 

All operations onboard the Winner Corporation Resource Satellites of Lagrange Point 4 must be shut down completely for a period of two weeks.  At the end of that time, the prisoner will be released and sent

back to L4 colony on an unmarked shuttle.  You have four days to obey these orders.  That time should be enough to shut down all operations on the Resource Satellites.  Be reminded that if you do not comply with our demands, the prisoner will be killed.

 

Heero and Duo were silent after they read the message.  Finally, Duo said, “That’s a pretty strange request.  What do you think they plan to accomplish by having the Resource Satellites shut down for a couple of weeks?”

 

Yreia shook her head.  “It could do a lot more damage then you would think,” she said.  “Shutting down the satellites for just two weeks could cause a serious shortage of goods on the colony.  Supplies for the colony would have to be shipped in from elsewhere, which would cost a lot of extra money.  And shutting down all of a resource satellite’s operating systems is a dangerous and complicated business.  Something could go wrong, and it might take months to reprogram them.  Even if nothing unexpected happens, it will still take several weeks just to get them up and running at normal capacity again.  During that time, the colonists would be starving.”  She sighed.  “Not to mention the damage it would do to the Winner Corporation itself.”

 

“Oh, man,” said Duo.  “But why would they want to do that?”

 

“Doesn’t matter,” said Heero.  “They’re probably ex-OZ soldiers trying to get revenge because they blame the colonies for destroying OZ.”  He looked at Yreia.  “What are you going to do?”

 

Yreia shook her head.  “I’ll have to discuss it with my sisters and the heads of the company.  I may even have to speak with the leaders of the colony.  This could affect every person on L4….”  Her voice broke, and she hung her head, tears streaming down her cheeks.  “Poor Quatre.  I can’t imagine what you must be going through right now.  But don’t worry… we’ll find a way out of this….”

 

Heero put a hand on her shoulder.  “Try not to worry about Quatre.  He’s strong; I’m sure he can take care of himself.  You have a big decision ahead of you.  You should probably get some rest.”

 

She wiped her eyes.  “You’re right.  I know Quatre will make it out of this….”  She stood.

 

“Do you think there’s anything we can do to help?” asked Duo.

 

Heero sat down at the message screen.  “I can try to track this message, but I doubt it will work.  Its return path has probably been erased.”

 

Yreia smiled.  “Thank you both.  I imagine you’ll be staying here tonight?  Good.  Then when you’re finished here, just ring this bell, and a servant will see to your needs.”  She left the room.

 

Heero began working on the keypad at the console.  Duo sat down in a chair, and closed his eyes.  He wouldn’t be surprised if Heero was still sitting in front of the screen the next morning.  He’d seen it happen often enough.

 

After awhile, Heero grunted.  “What I thought.  The return path’s been erased.”  He leaned forward and typed a few commands.  “Only a military base would have the technology to do this so efficiently.  There aren’t any unmonitored military posts in outer space, so this must have come from the Earth.”

 

Duo opened an eye.  “The Earth?”  He leaned forward in the chair.  “You can’t be any more specific?”

 

“Give me a minute,” Heero replied.  Duo sat back again, and soon had accidentally fallen asleep.

 

He was awakened when Heero called his name.  Duo opened his eyes and saw Heero standing at the door.  “You can’t sleep here,” the Japanese pilot said.  “I’ve rung for the servant.  I suggest you wait until you’re in your room for the night.”

 

Duo stood up.  “Sorry,” he said.  “So did you find anything?”  He followed Heero out into the hallway.

 

“The base is an older one,” Heero said.  “Judging by the encoding commands, it’s probably from the older days of the Alliance.”

 

“Not an OZ base, then.”

 

“Not built for OZ.  But many Alliance bases were converted for OZ’s use.”

 

Duo yawned.  “But I thought that all the OZ bases had been taken over the by the Earth Sphere United Nation at the end of the war?”

 

“If this one is old enough, it might not have been listed in OZ’s records as a current military base.  The Earth Sphere United Nation could have overlooked it when they were taking over OZ’s military forces.”

 

“I got ya,” said Duo.  “So we’re looking for a hidden or abandoned base not listed as an official military post.  Jeez, where do we start?  We can’t very well go over the entire planet looking for this place.”

 

“We’ll think of something in the morning,” said Heero.  “It’s important that we get some rest.  We could have a tough four days ahead of us.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Part 3: New Destination

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

“Godfather,” Lorri said as she entered his office.  “Can I speak with you?”

 

Aethan looked up from the documents he was reviewing.  “Yes, Lorri?”

 

Lorri took a seat in the chair opposite her godfather.  “It’s about the Winner heir,” she said.

 

Aethan raised an eyebrow.  “The prisoner?”

“Yes.”  Lorri fidgeted in her chair.  “Well, Godfather, I’m… worried about him.”

 

“Worried?”  Aethan leaned forward.  “Lorri, what do you mean?  You shouldn’t be getting attached to a prisoner, you know that.”

 

“I know, Godfather, it’s just that… well, I’ve been visiting him when his meals are brought, and it seems to me that he is becoming weaker.”

 

“Weaker?” Aethan asked.  “In only two days?”  Did she mean that the boy’s condition had grown noticeably worse in only the two days he had been there?  Damnit.  It had to be the drug overdose.  If that boy dies before two weeks is up our entire plan will fall apart!

 

Aethan settled back in his chair.  “Lorri, I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do about that.  His worsening condition might be due to the drug overdose, or simply being without his normal medications.  You must try to understand that we don’t have the resources here to help him.”

 

Lorri looked at the ground.  “I see.”  She rose to leave the room.

 

“Lorri,” her godfather called after her. 

 

She turned.  “Yes?”

 

“Lorri,” said Aethan.  “Please try not to become too attached to that boy.  It’s not good for you; try to forget about him.  He will not be with us for more that two weeks, and after that you will never see him again.”

 

Lorri nodded and left the room.  It was true; the pilot would be gone in two weeks.  Gone back to the colonies.  Or gone from this life….

 

Lorri tried not to think about that possibility as she walked down the corridors of the base.  She wouldn’t be able to bear it if Quatre were to die.  Well, she thought, he probably would die eventually of his disease.  But not here, not while she could know.  If he could only escape back to the colonies, she would never have to know whether he had died or not.

 

Escape… he would need my help….  Lorri shuddered and mentally recoiled from those thoughts.  They were traitorous ideas; she must try not to think them.

 

But how could she ignore what her godfather was doing?  It was treason to think about helping Quatre escape, but how could she not help that poor innocent boy?  Oh, Quatre.  Her godfather was not doing the right thing.  She shook her head.  No, it was not the right thing.

 

Ever since Lorri had come to live on the base with her godfather – which had been around the time of the rise of the Treize Faction – she had been learning the truth about the colonies.  Or, at least, her godfather’s truth.  He had taught her that the colony citizens had started the war, that they were evil and only wanted to rule the Earth for their own benefit.  Her godfather had always sought revenge on them, for he had lost his entire family in the war.  Lorri had also lost her family, and quickly took to her godfather’s ideas.

 

Lorri’s godfather had never been able to do anything much against the colonies, however, because the base he had been given command of was so old and obsolete.  As the war was coming to an end, Lorri’s godfather had filed a report that the base had been destroyed in a minor bombing attack from rebel terrorists.  OZ hadn’t bothered to investigate or rebuild such a small and unimportant base, and her godfather had continued to secretly command the base and the troops there, even as all other OZ forces were being taken over by the Earth Sphere United Nation.

 

Lorri hadn’t known much about her godfather’s current revenge plan until the prisoner had actually been brought to the base.  She had heard that his kidnapping would affect the colonies considerably.  She had also learned that he was a Gundam pilot.  She had wanted to see him, for her godfather had often told her that the Gundams were one of the main enemies sent from the colonies that OZ had had to contend with.  But when Lorri had seen the pilot, she had begun to question her godfather’s priorities.  Was revenge on the colonies that important?  Further, was it necessary at all?  If her godfather’s plan incorporated making an innocent boy like Quatre suffer as he was, how could he be doing the right thing?

 

She decided she would go to see Quatre.  She had memorized the entry codes to the cell already by watching the soldiers punch it in.  She had to speak with Quatre, and find out how much damage her godfather’s plan was actually going to do to the colonies.

 

She turned down another corridor, heading for the prisoner blocks.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“We must think of the colonists!  One boy’s life shouldn’t be enough cause for the entire colony to suffer!”  The colony delegate who had spoken stood up.  “Ms. Winner, you must try to understand this.”

 

Another delegate stood up.  “We can understand your concern about your brother, Ms. Winner, but we must think rationally about this.  The colony citizens cannot be used in this way.  We must not comply with the kidnappers’ demands.”

 

Yreia, who was representing her family at the meeting, knew that what they were saying was true.  The colony was… it had to be… more important than just one life….

 

She stood up.  “But Quatre will be the leader of the Winner Corporation!” she protested.  “He will be instrumental in the leadership of this colony.  When he grows up –“

 

“If he grows up.” 

 

Yreia looked at the delegate who had spoken.  “Please don’t bring his illness into this,” she said.

 

The delegate shook his head.  “We must,” he replied.  “All factors must be considered here.  Obviously, this is a very serious situation.  We must take into account everything that could affect our decision.”

 

Yreia sat down.  She knew the delegates were right.  She clenched her fists under the table.  Oh, Quatre, why did this have to happen?  She took a deep breath to steady her voice, and said, “You are right.  The colony can’t be sacrificed in this matter.  We must not comply with their requests.”  She did not say anything further, for she knew she couldn’t trust her voice.

 

The head delegate said, “It is settled then.  The resource satellites will remain operational.”  He turned to Yreia.  “The search for the hidden base will continue in the meantime.”  He banged his gavel.  “This meeting of the L4 colony delegates is adjourned.”

 

Yreia filed out of the room behind the delegates.  I’m so sorry, Quatre, she thought.

 

Yreia turned as she felt a hand on her shoulder.  It was Heero.  “Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ll keep searching.  We’ll find Quatre.”  Yreia could sense the sincerity in his voice behind the usual monotone.

Duo stood beside him.  “Yeah, don’t give up yet!”  He jabbed a finger at Heero.  “You’ve got nothing to worry about with him around.”

 

Yreia smiled slightly.  She knew that they were trying to comfort her.  They would be trying their best to find Quatre.  She wasn’t going to get her hopes up, though.

 

“Thank you,” she said.  “I’m very grateful for your help.”

 

Heero nodded.  Duo cocked his head and said, “No problem.”

 

Yreia turned away towards home.  Quatre, we’ll bring you home to us….

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Two whole weeks?”  Quatre sat up as best he could.  “Are you sure?”

 

Lorri was sitting on the bed beside him.  She frowned.  “Yeah.  But that doesn’t seem so bad to me. Only two weeks!”

 

“No, it’s worse than you think.”  Quatre lay down on the bed again and took a few slow breaths.  “It’s much worse.  The colony’s entire economy depends on the Resource Satellites.  Even two weeks could do considerable damage.  Not to mention the trouble they could have starting the satellites up again.”

 

Lorri was silent.  Then she said, “I don’t think my godfather has gotten their reply yet.”

 

“They can’t do it,” he said, half to himself.  The he looked at Lorri.  “I have to get a message to them.”  He reached out his hand to put it on top of hers.  “I know this is asking a lot, but is there any way you can help me?”

 

Lorri didn’t answer right away.  She looked into his eyes.  The moment of truth.  Where did her loyalties truly lie?  With her godfather, and his ideas of revenge on the colonies?  Or with this boy?  She had hardly just met him, but she felt as though she had known him her entire life….

 

Lorri knew the truth already.  She could see it in Quatre’s eyes: he stood for what was right.

 

“I’ll try,” she answered.

Quatre looked grateful.  “Thank you,” he said.  “Do you think you can get my family a message without being detected by the soldiers?”

 

Lorri nodded.  “I’ve learned a lot about hacking and mechanics while I’ve been living here.”

 

“Good,” he said.  “Then here’s what I want you to do….”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Heero’s eyes barely moved from the screen of his laptop as the message light blinked next to the console in the wall.  “Duo,” he grunted.

 

The American pilot jerked out of a half-doze.  “Huh?  Yeah?”

 

“There’s a message here for Yreia.  Do you think you could get her?”

 

“Sure,” Duo mumbled, and left the room.  He returned a few minutes later with Yreia, who still had her reading glasses on from the paperwork she had been doing.  Heero removed the jack that had been connecting his laptop with the console.

 

“Did you find anything new?” Yreia asked him as she moved to the screen.  Heero shook  his head.

 

Yreia pressed the receiver button and a girl appeared on the screen.  She was just about Heero’s and Duo’s age, with dark hair and eyes.  She cleared her throat, and the message began:

 

“This is a message for the Winner family,” she said.  “My name is Lorri Ansilon and I have a message for you from Quatre Reberba Winner.”  Yreia and Duo gasped.  Heero just narrowed his eyes.  The girl continued:

 

“My godfather is the commander of a secret military base on Earth.  This base is not on record in either OZ’s or the United Earth Sphere Alliance’s main computers because it was believed to have been destroyed during the war.  It is completely hidden, so searching for it will be of no use.

 

“Quatre is being held prisoner here by my godfather.  He knows what my godfather is demanding, and he wishes me to tell you that you should not comply with these demands.  Quatre does not wish the colony to suffer.  Please do not do what my godfather is asking of you.”  Here the girl paused.  “Quatre did not ask me to give this to you, but I am going to send you the coordinates of this base so that you can send help.  My godfather will certainly kill Quatre once he finds out that you aren’t going to comply with his demands.  One person to infiltrate the base should be enough; a full-scale attack is not necessary.  I will help to get Quatre out once the person arrives.”  She leaned forward and punched a few buttons on the console before her.  “These are the base’s coordinates.  Lorri Ansilon over and out.”

 

There was a moment of silence after the console screen went black, and then Duo said, “What the hell was that?”

 

Heero was already reconnecting his laptop to the console.  He punched a few keys, and a series of number coordinates appeared on the screen of the laptop.  He looked at them.  “This is in the upper part of North America,” he said.  “It’s in the Hudson Bay area.”

 

“Wait a sec!” said Duo.  “You’re just going to do what she says?  How do you know that wasn’t some kind of trick?”

 

“What would be the point of a trick like that?” said Yreia.

 

“She’s right,” said Heero.  “It wasn’t a trick.”

 

“But why would that girl betray her godfather like that?”

 

“How should I know?” replied Heero.  He called up a map on his laptop to locate the base more precisely.  “All that matters is that now we can go get Quatre.”

 

“I guess you’re right,” said Duo.  “But we’d better hurry.  The four days is almost up, and then the commander of that base is gonna know we’re not planning on shutting down the satellites.”

 

Heero took a disk out of the laptop and pocketed it.  He turned to Yreia.  “We can leave right away.  We’ll need a shuttle.”

 

“Right,” she said.  “Follow me.”

 

As the three of them walked out the door, Yreia’s heart was jumping.  Quatre, help is on its way, don’t worry.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Aethan sat at his desk and tapped his fingers together slowly.  “So that’s it, huh,” he said.  “They’re just going to leave their precious heir here to die.”

 

The soldier standing before him said, “Your orders, sir?”

 

Aethan frowned.  “Those blasted colonies.  They killed Treize Khushrenada, and caused the downfall of OZ.  They are going to pay for what they’ve done someday!”  He slammed his fist down on the desk, but then sighed and regained his calm.  “They have made a foolish mistake.  And now we must show them how foolish a mistake it was.”

 

He smiled at the soldier.  “Kill the prisoner.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Quatre opened his eyes at the sound of someone moving outside his door.  He blinked.  How long had he been asleep?  It was no longer possible for him to gauge to time of day, except by Lorri’s visits.  So had he actually slept the whole night through this time, undisturbed by nightmares or sudden spasms of pain?

 

The door opened.  He couldn’t see who was there because the corridor outside was completely dark, as was his room.  It’s the middle of the night, then.

 

“Quatre?” came Lorri’s voice.

 

Quatre raised himself on his elbows.  “Lorri?” he said.  “What are you doing here in the middle of the night?”

 

Lorri entered the room and slid the door shut behind her.  “It’s not that early,” she said.  “In fact, it’s almost morning.”

 

There was a click, and the lights in the room went up.  Lorri moved to the bed.  Quatre noticed that she was still wearing what she had been the night before.

 

Reaching into her pocket, Lorri pulled out a small card.  “It’s a shuttle access key,” she said.

 

Quatre took it between his fingers.  “How did you get this?” he asked, astonished.

 

Lorri sat down on the bed.  “I hid in the hangar bay all night,” she said.  “Finally they went to change the watch, and there were a few minutes when no one was in the hangar.  I snuck out and got it then.”

 

Quatre was silent for a moment.  Then he slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed to sit beside her.  He fingered the key quietly.  Finally, he said, “Thank you, Lorri.”  He looked up at her.  “You’re risking everything for me,” he said.  “And you barely even know me.”

 

Lorri blinked.  “But I feel like I’ve known you my whole life,” she answered.

 

Quatre smiled.  “I do, too, Lorri.”  They looked at each other a moment longer, and then he said, “You must be tired.”

 

“You bet,” she laughed.  Quatre smiled again.  He’s so beautiful when he smiles, she thought.  Like his face was just meant to smile.  Then Lorri stood and turned off the lights in the room; she moved to the bed to sit down.  Quatre had lain down again, so she quietly lay down beside him, her heart beating as she felt his breath on her face.

 

Lorri sighed and smiled as her hands found his, and their fingers locked together.  Though she couldn’t see his face in the darkness, she was sure that Quatre smiled, too.

 

And lying beside one another on the bed, they both found sleep more easily than either had in their entire lives.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“You’re awake,” said Heero as Duo entered the piloting compartment of their shuttle.

 

Duo yawned and sat down in the second piloting seat.  “Are we there yet?” he asked.  “I need to use the bathroom.”

 

“We’re just about there,” answered Heero, ignoring the American’s sarcasm.  He called up the coordinates screen.

 

Suddenly the comm system blinked to life, and a man’s voice said, “Unidentified shuttle, we have you on our radar.  Identify yourselves or you will be destroyed.”

 

Heero looked at Duo.  “Remember the plan,” he said.  “And let me do the talking.”

 

Duo mock soluted.  “Yes, sir, Mr. Yuy!”

 

Heero clicked the transmit button.  “We read you,” he said.  “This shuttle is on an unofficial mission for the commander to scout the space lanes and make sure no patrols are getting too close to the base.”

 

There was a pause, then the man said, “I was informed of no such mission.  I’ll have to check it out with the commander.  You will follow this landing path.  Feeding to the computer now.”  The shuttle’s navigation control system blinked and beeped as it received the landing directions.

 

Heero keyed in the autopilot to follow the orders.  He sat back in his seat.  “Didn’t think they’d buy it,” he said flatly.

 

“It doesn’t really matter, though,” said Duo.  “All we wanted was to get inside the base.  Besides,” he smirked, “Security at these bases almost always sucks!”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Heero and Duo came down the boarding ramp of the shuttle, hands behind their heads.  Heero looked around at the soldiers, whose weapons were trained on him and Duo.

 

An officer approached them. Heero eyed him.  “No funny business, now,” he said.  He was the communications officer who had contacted them on the shuttle.

 

The man turned to the guards.  “Search the shuttle,” he said.  Then he said, “Follow me,” and turned away.  Half the guards moved to follow him, and Duo and Heero started walking.

 

“Hey,” said Duo, “Where’re we going?”

 

“We’re going to see Commander Aethan,” the man replied.  “Now keep your trap shut.”

 

“Jeez, sor-ry,” muttered Duo, but after that he didn’t say anything.  Heero sighed mentally at Duo’s antics.  The two of them followed the officer down the corridors of the base, heading toward the commander’s chambers.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Three soldiers marched sullenly down the corridor, weapons at the ready.  When they reached their destination, the one in the lead turned to the others.  “Make this quick,” he said.  The others nodded and prepared to enter the prisoner’s chamber.

 

The lead soldier punched in the room’s entry code and stepped into the darkness.  He raised his weapon, and the others followed suit.  He switched on the light, and looked to the bed, taking aim.

 

Suddenly, he cried out in alarm and disbelief.  “Lorri!”

 

Lorri and Quatre jerked out of their deep sleep.  The soldier rushed to the bed, furiously lowering his weapon.  Before Lorri was fully aware of what was happening, the soldier had dragged her roughly from the bed and was holding her up by her arm.

 

“What are you doing here?” he demanded.  He shook her.  “Huh?”

 

Quatre was raising himself from the bed as the soldier shook Lorri again.  He stared wildly at the scene before him.  “Leave her alone!” he cried in dismay.

 

The soldier let go of Lorri and turned to Quatre.  “You keep your mouth shut!” he growled fiercely, and taking Quatre by the shoulders, dragged the boy from the bed and slammed him violently against the wall.  Quatre slid to the floor limply, groaning and gasping pitifully for breath.

 

“No!” Lorri screamed frantically, starting towards him, but the soldier grabbed her and held her back.

 

“You’re going to the commander,” he said, and dragged Lorri towards the door.

 

She struggled to pull away from him.  “No!” she cried.  “Quatre!”

 

But the soldiers were too strong for her, and they pulled her out the door, sliding it closed behind them.

 

Quatre remained immobile on the floor, choking back sobs of frustration and pain.  Lorri!  He pounded his fists against the floor.  Stupid, stupid….  How had he fallen asleep?  How could he have fallen asleep?

 

“Oh, Lorri,” he whispered, and choked on the words.  What have I done?

 

Lorri….

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Duo and Heero followed the officer through the corridors of the base.  Heero was carefully noting the path they were taking so he would be able find the way back to the hangar and launch fields.

 

“Keep moving,” growled a guard, prodding Duo in the back with the muzzle of his gun.

 

“Hey, watch it!” protested Duo, jumping forward.  “Keep your pants on, I’m going, I’m going.”

 

Suddenly another group of soldiers turned out of a side passage, heading the same way as Duo’s and Heero’s group.

 

“Hey,” said Duo slowly, looking more closely at the group.  There was a girl among them, about his age.  Dark hair, dark eyes turned to the ground, she walked slowly and silently.  Wait a second, Duo thought.  Isn’t that – ?

 

“Lorri!” he yelled.  She turned, stunned.  It is her! he realized triumphantly. 

 

Heero had seen her, too.  Before the guards could react to Duo’s outburst, Heero had laid two of them flat.  Duo joined the sudden attack, and another two guards were down.

 

Heero grabbed one of the fallen guard’s guns and trained it on the communications officer.  Duo did the same, covering the three guards from the girl’s group.  They dropped their weapons, hands raised in a gesture of surrender.  Heero paused for a moment.  Normally, he would kill the men without a second thought, but –  He looked at Lorri.  She was shaking, watching him frantically with a terrified look in her eyes. 

 

So instead of shooting, he said clearly to the guards, “Get out of here.”  He hefted the weapon.  “Get moving!”  The guards needed no second bidding.  They had soon disappeared around the corner, with the comm officer in the lead. 

 

Duo looked at Heero unbelievingly.  “What was that about?” he asked incredulously.

 

Heero didn’t answer.  Instead, he stepped lightly over the guards to stand beside Lorri.  She drew back a little frightfully, but stood her ground.  But all Heero had to say was, “Where’s Quatre?” and Lorri relaxed her guard.

 

“Follow me,” she said, giving them a little smile of relief.  Then she turned and sprinted off down a corridor, back to the side passage.  Duo and Heero followed, carrying their weapons ready to deal with any soldiers they might meet along the way.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The three guards and the communications officer stood uneasily before Commander Aethan.  They waited for his response to their report.

 

The commander was silent as he digested the information just given to him.  Then he said, “Tell me if this is correct.  You,” he said, turning to the comm officer, “Contacted an unidentified shuttle traveling our way in from the space lanes.  They said they were on a scouting mission for me, but you didn’t trust them, so you brought them in to see me.  And at the same time,” he said, and turned to the guards, “You went to execute the prisoner, but when you arrived, you found Lorri, lying in bed with the prisoner.  So you were going to bring her to me also.  But,” he said, and here his voice grew harsh, “When you met in the corridor, the boys from the shuttle spontaneously decided to attack you.  And a couple of kids managed to lay out the other four soldiers.  They then graciously spared your lives.”

 

The men before him nodded.

 

“Actually,” said the comm officer, “It wasn’t completely spontaneous.  One of the shuttle pilots knew Lorri by name.  When they saw her, they attacked us.  We didn’t have time to react.”

 

Another soldier nodded in agreement.  “They were fast!” he added.  “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

 

Aethan turned his back to them.  “This could mean several things.  Either you’re lying to me, which I do not believe to be the case, or we’ve got a traitor and two Gundam pilots on our hands.”

 

“Gundam pilots, sir?”

 

“Yes.  The speed you describe would well befit a Gundam pilot.  You may also be forgetting that our prisoner was once one of them.  His comrades may have come to save him.”

 

“And a traitor, sir?”

 

Aethan narrowed his eyes.  “Lorri.”  He turned back to the soldiers.  “And the colonies are onto us.  They know our location, and have sent the pilots to retrieve the Winner heir.”  He tapped his fingers together. “Makes sense.  I didn’t think they would just leave him here to die.”

 

“Your orders, sir?”

 

“Send a detachment down to the prison levels,” he said.  “And make sure they’re heavily armed.  If those are Gundam pilots, we should be prepared for the worst.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Lorri dashed into the room as soon as the door slid open, closely followed by Heero and Duo.

 

Quatre was lying on the bed, unmoving.  He seemed half-dazed; his face was extremely pale, and his breath came in short, desperate gasps.  The other three ran to his side.

 

Quatre appeared to be dreaming; he was muttering something.  Duo knelt by the bed.  “Quatre?” he said.  He put a hand on the blonde’s shoulder.

 

Quatre’s eyes opened slowly.  “Trowa…?” he murmured, then blinked a few times.  “No, Duo.  Duo?”  He began to raise himself.  “Duo, what are you doing here?”

 

“We’re here to get you,” said Duo.  “You’re getting out of here with us.”

 

Quatre raised his head.  “Heero?”  Then his gaze fell on the third person.  “Lorri?” he whispered.  He strained again to rise, and Duo helped him to sit up.  He was smiling, despite the obvious pain he was in.  “Oh, Lorri,” he said gratefully, “You… you’re okay….”

 

Lorri smiled back.  “Quickly now, they’ll be coming for us soon,” she said.  Duo helped Quatre to his feet; he was shocked as he realized that the Arabian boy could hardly stand.

 

Lorri supported Quatre while Duo and Heero went ahead with their stolen weapons.  When they had made sure that the corridor was clear, the four of them left the small room behind them and made off in the direction of the launching fields.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Damnit, we’re too late!”

 

The small squadron of soldiers who had made their way to the prison levels stopped behind their leader when they reached the open door.  The prisoner was gone.

 

“Quick, this way!” shouted the leader.  “They’ll be making for the shuttles!” 

 

He led the others off in the direction of the launching fields.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Heero and Duo rounded the next corner, aiming their weapons in front of them.  When they saw it was empty, they motioned for Lorri and Quatre to follow.  The four of them made their way up through the levels of the base, Lorri occasionally pointing out a shorter route to the launch fields.

 

Suddenly, the sound of gunfire filled the corridor, and the four of them dove into the nearest side passage.  Heero stuck his head around the corner to fire back at the soldiers who had caught up with them.  Duo did likewise, and Lorri and Quatre crouched behind them.

 

Suddenly, looking at Lorri, Quatre cried out, “My God, you’re shot!”

 

Lorri was looking at her arm, where a bullet had skimmed by her and torn her shirt.  Blood ran down her arm.  “It’s nothing,” she assured him.  “Just a scratch.”

 

Quatre proceeded to tear the sleeve from his own shirt.  He wrapped the wound firmly.  “There,” he said.  “That should stop the bleeding.”

 

Lorri was about to reply, when Duo exclaimed loudly, “Awe, to Hell with it!  We’re almost out of ammo.  And we’re not getting anywhere, shooting at them like this.”  He stood.  “Hold on, Heero, stop firing.” 

 

Heero stopped and turned to Duo.  “Do you have a plan?” he asked.

 

Duo thought for moment.  “Lorri,” he said, “Where does this passage lead to?”

 

Lorri thought for a moment.  “It’s the laundry and linen storage and cleaning facilities,” she said.

 

Duo rubbed his hands together and grinned. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Keep firing!” instructed the lead soldier.  “They’ve only got two weapons, and they’ve got to be running out of ammo.  We’ve just gotta make sure they stay there until they’re ready to give up.”

 

“Sir, they’ve stopped shooting!” exclaimed a soldier.

 

“What?” said the leader.  He stared down the corridor.  “Well, keep firing anyway!  Keep them on their toes.”

 

“Sir, couldn’t they have gone down the passage?”

 

“No,” said the leader, and shook his head.  “That passage leads to the laundry storage areas.  Lorri knows that.”

 

The soldiers kept firing down the empty corridor.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Why do I have to do this?” asked Heero, looking slightly annoyed as he inspected his new attire.

 

“Because,” answered Duo, “The soldiers didn’t get a good look at our faces, and you’d make the most convincing soldier.”

“Right,” said Heero dutifully.  He turned toward the bullet-showered hallway.  “But I don’t think this is going to work,” he said over his shoulder as he prepared to step out into the passage.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Don’t shoot!  Don’t shoot!” came a frantic yelling from down the hallway.  A young man in military uniform with spiky brown hair came limping out into the corridor.

 

“Stop shooting!  Stop!” commanded the leader of the squadron.  He dashed forward and caught the young man as his legs gave way.  He lowered the soldier to the floor.  There was a smudge of blood on the young man’s forehead.  “What happened?” asked the squad leader.

 

The young soldier was out of breath.  “Four of them….” he gasped.  “I think Miss Lorri was one of them… and a blonde kid….  Oh, my head….” he groaned.

 

“You’re not making any sense, kid.  Calm down for a minute.”

 

The young soldier took a few steady breaths.  “I was coming up from the storage rooms,” he said.  “And suddenly, around the corner came this kid… looked about my age… wasn’t in uniform.  Before I knew what was happening, he cracked me over the head with the butt of a gun….  I was on the floor, only out for a couple of seconds.  When I opened my eyes, I saw the four of them heading away down the corridor.  I wouldn’t have been able to stop them, so I came for help.  They must have been heading for the laundry area, God knows why….”

 

The leader of the squadron leapt into action.  “Quick, down that corridor!” he shouted.  “Keep you weapons ready!  They’re desperate, who knows what they’ll try.”  He turned back to the young soldier.  “I’ll send a couple of men to take you to the medical quarters.”

 

The young man shook his head, and then winced.  “No, you’ll need every man you’ve got.  I’m better now, I can make it on my own.”  He stood up slowly and put a hand on the wall.  “I’ll be fine.”

 

The squad leader put a hand on his shoulder.  “You’re a brave man, soldier,” he said.  Then he turned to lead his men away.

 

As the last soldier disappeared down the passage, a side door in the wall opened a crack, and Duo looked out. 

 

“They’re gone,” Heero told him. 

 

Duo quickly opened the door and stumbled out of the linen closet, followed by Quatre and Lorri.  He went to the head of the passage, where Heero was stripping off the military uniform to reveal his old green tank top.

 

“Hey, that was some performance!” said Duo.  “You should go into acting.”  He reached to slap Heero on the back, but thought better of it when he received a glare from his partner.

 

Heero wiped the smudge of Lorri’s blood off his forehead with the sleeve of the uniform.  “Let’s get going,” he said.  Duo nodded. 

 

Leaving their now useless weapons behind them, the four convicts made off toward the launch fields once again.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“They’re not down here, sir,” came the squad leader’s voice over the comm unit.

 

“Are you sure?” demanded Aethan again.  “There’s no other way they could have gone, after all.”

 

“We’ve searched the entire level full over,” replied the squad leader.  “There’s no way they could be down here.”

 

Aethan slammed his fist down on the surveillance system console.  “Damnit!  Where are they?”

 

The surveillance officer looked at the panel.  “Sorry, sir, but they’re not showing up on any of the surveillance screens in the complex.”

 

“Then monitor the launch fields!” Aethan snapped.

 

A moment later, one of the men at the monitoring consoles called, “Sir!  I have them on my monitor screen.  There, in launch field five!”

 

Aethan turned to the man at the weapons station.  “Prepare to fire the laser cannon!  Lock onto them and destroy them!”

 

“But sir,” said the man, “The laser cannon can only be used on objects that are in the air!”

 

“Exactly,” said Aethan.  “We’ll give them what they want: a shuttle.  But when they take off thinking they’ve escaped, we’ll be waiting to blow them to scrap!”

 

The man nodded and turned to the console, but then hesitated.  “Sir,” he said uneasily, “Isn’t Lorri with them?”

 

Aethan considered for a moment.  At last, he said, “As much as I hate to admit it, that can’t be helped.  Lorri chose to betray us; it’s her own fault she is in this situation.  She knew what the consequences of being a traitor were, but she betrayed us anyway.  Besides, we cannot let the Winner heir escape, under any circumstances.”

 

The soldier swallowed.  “Right,” he said hesitantly, and began preparing the laser cannon to be fired.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Lorri ran across the launching field as fast as she could while supporting Quatre.  Heero and Duo followed after them.  They were heading for the shuttle to which Lorri had stolen the access key.  They were making good time, and no one had seen them yet.  If they could only make it to the shuttle, they would be home free.

 

Suddenly, Lorri stopped short.  “Oh, no….” she muttered.

 

“What is it?” Quatre asked.

 

She shook her head.  “The gun turret!  I almost forgot about the gun turret.”

 

“Gun turret?”

 

“Yes,” she said, and pointed to a small building set apart from the main complex.  “There’s still one functional laser cannon on the base.  As soon as they see the shuttle taking off, they’ll shoot it down.”  She stopped, and seemed to be thinking.  Then she handed Heero the access key to the shuttle.  “You go on.  I’ll stay behind and take care of it.”

 

“But you can’t stay behind!” Quatre protested.  “They’ll –“

 

She took him by the shoulders and looked into his eyes.  “Quatre,” she said, her voice steady, “You must go without me.  It’s the only way.  If I don’t stay behind to disable the cannon, we’ll all be killed.”  Her eyes were pleading.  “I’ll steal another shuttle or something.  I’ll follow after you.  There will be a way, trust me.  We will be together again someday.”

 

He looked into her eyes.  They were so sincere.  His heart told him, his mind told him, that he had to trust her.  He had to.  And they would be together again.

 

Then, thinking as one, they slowly drew together and exchanged a soft kiss.  The touch of Lorri’s lips affirmed Quatre’s confidence in what she was telling him.  In turn, his touch affirmed her confidence in what she knew she had to do.  When they drew apart, she said, “I promise we will find each other again someday.”  Then she turned and ran off, back toward the base. 

 

Heero and Duo turned, and supporting Quatre, made their way off to the shuttle.

 

As Lorri ran, she wiped a tear from her cheek.  Poor Quatre, she thought.  He didn’t know that that hadn’t only been their first kiss.  It would also be their last.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Duo and Heero sat down in the piloting seats of the shuttle and began working the controls.  Quatre sat behind them in one of the passenger seats, anxiously watching Lorri’s distant figure out of the viewport.  He shuddered as the laser cannon on top of the building ground to life and began to move, setting itself in user mode.

 

Hurry, Lorri, he thought, closing his eyes.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Sir, the laser cannon is prepared to fire,” said the weapons officer.

 

“Good,” Aethan replied.  “Wait until they are in the air, then destroy them!”

 

“Yes, sir!”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Lorri finished hot-wiring the access panel to the control room in the base of the laser cannon gun turret.  The door slid open, and she dashed into the dark room, hitting the wall switch that lit up the control panel.  She could hear the cannon moving into firing position even as she rushed to the console.

 

Lorri’s hands flew over the controls, rerouting power and signal lines.  Then there was the sound of creaking metal as the laser cannon ground to a halt.

 

She took a deep breath.  This still wasn’t going to save Quatre.  Aethan’s men could – and undoubtedly would – easily regain control of the laser cannon.  And probably in time to shoot down Quatre’s shuttle.

 

She closed her eyes momentarily.  There was still only one option.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Aethan, sir, the laser cannon has shut down!”

 

“What?”  Aethan turned.  “Shut down?”

 

“Yes, sir.”  The man consulted his screen of readouts.  “It looks like it was shut down manually.”

 

“Manually?  Can you reestablish control of it?”

 

“Yes, sir.  I’ll get right on it.”

 

“Good.  Carry on.”  Aethan stood back, crossing his arms over his chest.  Shut down manually.  Who could have shut it down manually?  Who would want to help the Winner heir escape –?

 

He had answered his own question.  Lorri.  He narrowed his eyes.   When they caught her, she was going to pay for this treachery.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Lorri had torn open the access panel to the control console.  She was hot-wiring her way around the safety mechanisms built into the cannon.  After the last connection was made, she once again turned to the control panel, changing settings on the power levels of the cannon’s reactor.

When everything was set, Lorri threw a charge into the mechanical innards of the console.  She stood back, and was rewarded by a rumbling, after which all the lights on the console went dead. 

 

It was done.  There was no way to reverse it now.

 

Lorri stood back to wait as warning lights began flashing in the small control room.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“What’s that?”  Aethan bent over the console as a red light began flashing in a panel of keys and buttons.  He blanched.  “The reactor core of the laser cannon has been set on overload!”  He stood and clenched his fists. 

 

Damn!  The girl was going to commit suicide to save the Winner heir.  He shouldn’t have let her get so attached to that boy! 

 

The thought also crossed his mind that she might be forfeiting her life to avoid punishment for her treachery.  Well, whatever the reason, she would die.  And she was taking the base’s practically only functional weapon with her!

 

Aethan sighed and turned back to the control panels.  You foolish girl, what were you thinking?

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Quatre looked out the viewport, watching the gun turret as his shuttle lifted away from the base.  The laser cannon still wasn’t moving. 

 

Thank you, Lorri, he thought.  We will meet again someday.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Lorri looked up as the final warning alarm began screeching.  She looked out the small window high up in the wall of the control room, watching as Quatre’s shuttle flew away to safety.

 

She stood back from the controls and bowed her head.  The console was completely dead.  There was no way to stop the explosion, just as there was no way to escape it.

 

We will meet again, Quatre.

 

And then darkness took her.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Quatre stared out the viewport in mute horror as the gun turret blossomed into to a hellish inferno below him.  He stared as the flames boiled into the air, and then settled in a steady burning.

 

Lorri!

 

He wanted to scream.  He wanted to look away.

 

Lorri….

 

Finally he managed to tear his eyes away from the horrible sight and slump back in his seat.  His eyes were dry, open and staring, as the flames continued to burn in his mind.

 

She had died to save him.  He knew now that she had decided to die the moment she had remembered the gun turret and returned to the base.  When his initial shock subsided, he found his thoughts drifting back to the kiss.  The first, and the last, he thought.

 

But she had lied.  She had promised him that they would meet again.

And now she was dead.

 

But no.  Quatre shook his head, and then the tears began to flow.  She had not lied completely.  She had said that they would find each other again someday.  And that had not been a lie.

 

Just like his mother.

 

Someday, they would find each other again, and then they would be together.

 

Forever.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Epilogue: Destination Reached

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

A blue mobile suit….

 

It was moving away, crackling and sparking with discharged energy.

 

Moving away, into the depths of space.

 

And there was a voice, coming clear over the radio:

 

“The five of us have become nothing more than the Gundam soldiers, Quatre.  So now, let’s accept it.  Turn back into the nice guy I once knew.  I just hope that something triggers your mind and calms you down.  Something.”

And then, there was an explosion.  Massive, it seemed to shake the whole universe.

 

And the blue mobile suit was gone.

 

“Trowa!” Quatre heard himself scream—

 

“Ah!” 

 

Quatre’s eyes opened.

 

Trowa’s voice responded calmly, “I’m right here, Quatre.”

 

Quatre looked over.  “Trowa?”

 

The spikey-haired pilot was leaning against the wall, arms folded over his chest.  He nodded.  “I’m glad you’re awake.”

 

“What?” Quatre asked dumbly.  He looked around.  A hospital room?

 

“You’ve been here for almost a week now.”

 

Quatre looked at him.  “A week?”

 

“Yeah.”  Trowa walked over and sat in a chair next to Quatre’s bed.  “You were only half-conscious when they brought you off the shuttle,” he explained.  “They said the operation was the only chance—“

 

“Operation?” Quatre said.  Slowly, almost reluctantly, his mind was drifting back.  He remembered the shuttle now.  And he was remembering Lorri’s sacrifice.

 

Trowa’s voice broke his chain of thought.  “Yeah.  They went ahead with the operation.”  He leaned back in the chair.  “We were all so worried about you.  They’d said it was much riskier now because you were so much weaker.”  He paused.  “What did they do to you at that base, anyway?”

 

Quatre blinked, and said, “When they captured me, they gave me a sedative.  But they overdosed me by accident.”

 

Trowa nodded.  “Well, Duo refused to leave the hospital because he wanted to be kept up to date on what was happening.  So he didn’t; he stayed here the whole time.  And I stayed with him.”

 

“You… stayed?”

 

“Yeah.  Heero was busy with you sisters, or else I’m sure he would have been here too.”

 

“My sisters?”

 

“They kind of needed some comforting,” he explained.  “But I wish you could have seen them when they found out you’d pulled through.”  Trowa’s mouth curved into the beginnings of a smile.  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many women crying at the same time.”

 

Quatre smiled.

 

“And I was with Hilde when she told Duo you were okay.  He was so excited, he just kissed her, right there in the middle of the hallway.  He looked like he could have kissed me too, but he didn’t.”

 

Quatre laughed.  “I wish I could have been there!”

 

“Yeah,” said Trowa.  “Anyway, you’ll be happy to know that your dog is going to be fine.”

 

“Dusty?” Quatre asked.  He smiled.  “That’s great!”

 

“And the Earth Sphere United Nation sent a detachment to take care of the hidden base.  It was quite a battle, but the base was destroyed in the end.”

 

Quatre didn’t say anything.  Destroyed….  So many lives, just wiped out….  But it had been necessary.

 

Before he could speak, however, the door to the room burst open, and Duo came striding in, wearing the biggest grin Quatre had ever seen on him.  Hilde followed, holding a bouquet of flowers.

 

“Quatre!” Duo said happily.  He moved to the foot of the bed.  “I’m so glad you’re awake!  For God’s sake, there’s been no one to talk to for the past week, what with Clown Boy and the Perfect Soldier around – ow!”

 

Hilde had smacked the back of his head playfully.  “What about me?” she asked indignantly.

 

“Well, yeah, of course,” answered Duo, rubbing the back of his head.  “But hey!” he said to Quatre.  “We brought you some flowers!”  Hilde walked around him and put them on a table.

 

“Thanks!” said Quatre.

 

“You’re sisters will be wanting to know you’re awake,” said Trowa plainly.  “They’ve been waiting.”  He walked to the door.  “I’d better go see them.”

 

“Good idea,” put in Duo.  “Though I don’t know if you’ll be able to fit them all into this little room – ow!  Hilde!”

 

Hilde turned to Quatre.  “Sorry about that.  He’s been a little hyper these past few days.”

 

“What do you mean by that?” asked Duo, following her to the door.

 

Hilde ignored him.

 

“Do you have to go so soon?” asked Quatre.

“Sorry,” said Hilde, “The nurses said we could talk to you when you woke up, but not for too long.  They said you needed your rest.”

 

“Yeah, sorry,” said Duo as he followed her out of the room  “See ya!”

 

“Bye!” called Quatre after them.

 

When the door had closed and Quatre was alone, he closed his eyes.  So he hadn’t died after all.  The true miracle of it was just dawning on him.  I’m alive….

 

I’m alive….

 

He gasped as he realized that there were tears on his cheeks.  He reached up to wipe them away, and looked up at the ceiling.

 

Don’t worry, Mother, he thought.  I’ll be there someday.  We’ll be together someday, don’t worry.

 

Lorri….

 

And Mother, until I get there, please watch over Lorri for me.

 

He swallowed.  He could hear her voice.  We will be together someday, Quatre.  As sleep closed over him, those words comforted his heart. 

 

The words he knew to be so true, the words that he would never forget.

 

He smiled to himself.

 

We will be together someday.

 

We will be together. 

 

Forever.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The End

~~~~~~~~~~~~~