Slepa Ulica

(Dead End)

 

by: Niebezpiczny Ksiezyc

 

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own GundamWing or any of its characters.

 

This fan fiction is written exclusively for Kage’s website! You will not find it anywhere else (except my computer, but no hacking allowed!)

 

                There comes a time in everyone’s life when they feel like they have reached their plateau. They get stuck in a rut of broken promises, unfinished business and unsatisfying moments. How does one pull himself out of this heavily dug trench? Do they ever truly heal?

 

                Zechs was stuck in a trench. A mental, but mostly physical trench. His lean body was pressed against the broken, muddy earth of the trench’s side. He was trying to avoid the bullets that whizzed by his head. How was he going to get out of this mess? The low rumble of the Aires mobile suit flying in the distance, grew steadily louder. <<Great!>> Zechs thought, <<I cannot lose this match; my untainted reputation depends on this!>> Zechs closed his icy blue eyes and tried to remember the schematics of the Aires mobile suit. Soon images of the suit flooded into his mind. A smirk was etched across his face, although no one would be able to see this expression. Unless he had X-ray vision... Zechs had three bullets left in his gun, but he only needed one good shot to destroy the energy core of the mobile suit. With the energy core, the suit would not only lose power, but would also experience massive electrical problems, rendering the mobile suit unusable for a matter of weeks, <<At least this is better than my morning,>> Zechs told himself.

 

                This morning’s training session was the hardest Zechs had ever encountered. The academy only allowed the top four students to participate in the war games. Yesterday, the teams were evenly divided, but today was not Zechs’s lucky day. The teams were 3 to 1, or rather 3 to Zechs. When he woke up, which was late, his hair was a knotted mess. Then, he could not seem to find his boots. After that, the mess hall experienced a massive food fight. Glops of unidentified food-like substances were strewn about the room. And when Zechs entered the mess hall, he slide on a pile of what appeared to be applesauce. He almost crashed into a pile of trays that had been used to build a massive, plastic shield. The rest of the morning seemed to jut get worse, but <<finally! Things are going my way,>> Zechs thought.

 

                The Aires suit was rapidly approaching the trench. The massive machine was causing the ground to shake and tremble. Zechs had already taken out one cadet, and was enjoying the odds. His only true challenge was Noin. She was never able to beat him, but she always came so close! Zechs smiled when he saw the zigzag motion of the Aires as it soared through the air. Again, Zechs smirked, that was Noin! She loved flying those mobile suits, and catching Zechs while in a mobile suit would be her crowning achievement. The zigzag pattern was a dead giveaway! <<Poor Noin. She tries so hard, and yet fails to defeat me every time, >> Zechs thought. He almost felt guilty, almost.

 

                What he needed was a brilliant stratagem, and he was just the soldier for thinking of one! He grabbed his gun and shot at a nearby tree. Birds, habituated to the sound of the mobile suits but not to guns, flew screeching from the treetop, obstructing the view of the approaching Aires. “Well, this is my chance, “ Zechs said to himself. He leapt from the bowels of the trench and rolled across the hard ground, making himself a hard target to hit. With his expert aim, he pulled the trigger, and he could almost see the bullet flying from the gun towards the Aires. The impact caused small metal shards to spray from the wound. The Aires began to glow and then the electrical problems began. Blue trickles of lightning surrounded and penetrated the suit. The loud “whoosh” filled the air, and then the telltale sound of the suit powering down was music to Zechs’s ears.

 

                “Sorry Noin, I regret to inform you that you will not be winning the games today,” Zechs said to the suit as the hatch slowly opened. Zechs wanted to see the look on her shocked face. He loved the way anger would flash into her dark eyes, but then quickly vanished as she congratulated him. He was about to begin to explain Noin’s strategic flaws to her when the pilot of the suit flopped to the ground.

“Uhhhh....Commander Zechs, I know I must resemble Noin. What, with my blonde hair and green eyes, but I somehow think that you have the wrong person, “ The pilot curtly said, still angry that he lost.

“When I ask for your comments, I will ask for them soldier, “ Zechs shot back at the boy. The boy mumbled an apology and started to leave the field. A thousand thoughts raced through Zechs’s mind. <<Where is she? Hmmm...just Noin and I, interesting. Oh God,  maybe she was hurt!>> He shook his head at this thought. “Noin is smarter than that, “ he said aloud to himself.

 

                “You are correct Commander Zechs, “ a feminine voice claimed. Zechs whirled around and saw the barrel of a gun. Behind the gun stood Noin. <<She set me up!>> Zechs thought with a smirk, <<I should have known, the suit was too obvious.>> Zechs’s smirk faded as pang of disappointment crossed his face. Noin could sense that something was wrong, after all, today just didn’t seem to be his day from what she heard. Noin lowered her gun, and placed it back into her holster. The “click” from the contact between the gun and its holster struck a Zechs’s heart. He had lost the game! He immediately berated himself for losing, and then for being such a poor sport. Even with his mask on, Noin could still see the turmoil that tortured her friend. “You gave a worthy fight Zechs, “ Noin said placing her hand on his shoulder. “In a true battle, you won’t be able to trace the movements of a mobile suit, and then use that information to identify the pilot and then his level of knowledge. Luck was on my side that you recognized my style,” Noin offered to Zechs, trying to make him feel better.

 

                <<Oh, I hate when I make her feel guilty, >> Zechs thought. He cleared his throat and said, “Congratulations are in order Noin, excellent tactic. You should be proud.” He felt horrible saying those words, but the beaming smile on Noin’s face was almost worth the pain of defeat, again, almost. This was going to be a long day.

 

 

 

 

To be continued.......... Next time: Daleko (Not very far)