Armed with only bombs and her skill, Jess fought her way to an exit. She was far enough ahead of her followers that she had time to plant an explosive on the door on her way out. Grinning to herself as she made her way back to a car she�d �borrowed� from the parking lot of a grocery store. Halfway on the seat, Jess twisted and pressed the detonator in her hand. What remained of the base exploded violently in a shower of sparks and cinders. Unaware of the small blipping devise clinging to the seam of her shirt, she shut the car door and started the engine.
Fang got to his feet and padded to the entryway of the two-bedroom apartment, a familiar smell had reached his nose. His long tail began to fan the air rapidly as his keen ears picked up the sounds of a key sliding into the deadlock. Jess entered silently and put her finger to her lips to silence Fang. The big dog bowed his head, his tail still waging furiously. Amber poked her head into the hall, relief instantly flooding her face, �Where in god�s name have you been young lady, I�ve been up all night�� Her eyes grew wide as she strode to her comrade�s side and plucked a tiny tracker from her shoulder; �Jess, were you aware that this was here?� Pilot seven gaped at the appliance with shock, �Oh shit�� Her words were but a whisper. Amber threw it to the ground and crushed it underfoot, knowing it was already to late, �Go get what you really think you need and let�s get the hell out of here before it�s too late.� They quickly gathered items into a simple blue backpack of Jess�s who flung it onto her back. There were distant sounds of a plane or a mobile suit carrier, either of which meant they had little time to spare. Amber opened the door to the hall and hurried Jess out, whistling for Fang shortly after. The trio dashed down the several flights of stairs and onto the cemented parking lot. Pilot seven twisted towards the direction of the oncoming plane, slowing the speed of her jog substantially; the aircraft was flying low and covering the distance with incredible speed. Amber grabbed the strap of the backpack and yanked Jess into a sprint, �Don�t stare at it until it gets close enough to kill you!�
They had nearly reached the street when the plane released a missile onto what had been home. In an explosion that shook the ground, the apartment complex was reduced to cinders. Both girls dropped to the ground to avoid the shock wave that spread out from the point of impact at a rapid rate. For shielding Jess, Amber�s back was exposed to quite a bit of heat, burning her slightly. Fang stood nearby, seeming unaffected by the blast. The girls sat up slowly and watched what was left burn. Jess�s emerald eyes grew wide when a sudden thought crept into her head, the gas tank! She scrambled to her feet and pulled Amber up as well, �Run, damn it, run!� They had only covered a short distance when the flames connected with the propane tanks that had once fueled the apartments. This blast caught them both surprised and unprepared, Jess flew several feet to land heavily on her hands and knees, sliding to a stop on the gravel. Amber tucked up in response to the blast wave and rolled several yards safely, while Fang on the other hand continued running. For several moments, there was no movement save for the dancing flames that were busy consuming the building. Pilot six uncurled from her uncomfortable position and glanced over at her comrade, �So�ice cream then?� Jess bit her lip to contain her tears as she dug out several large chunks of gravel from the palms of her hands. Her reply was choked but had an air of appreciation, �Sure, ice cream sounds good.� It was an extraordinarily unusual thing to do in response to the explosion of their home, but Amber always had a knack for strange ways to comfort when the worst had happened.
The small ice cream shop had a neon sign glowing in its window that bid all treat lovers welcome for twenty-four hour service. Due to the late hour, the copper chairs and tables were empty and only one man sat behind the counter, fully absorbed in a magazine. A soft bell chimed as the front door opened, drawing his attention to the entrance. Two ragged girls entered the small parlor causing him to raise his eyebrows but say nothing. He hopped off the vinyl-covered stool he�d been occupying and smoothed several wrinkles out of his red and white striped apron. By this time, the girls were examining the flavors of ice cream and soubrette. A large salt and pepper mix breed jumped up and put his front paws on the window outside, apparently interested in coming in. One of the two girls straightened up, her freckled face beamed over the counter, �I�ll have two scoops of mint chocolate please, and a couple paper towels.� The other ordered a strawberry sundae and both took a seat near the back of the small shop. They were curious, this pair, but not as curious as some of the other people he sometimes met on nightshift. So, instead of questioning why they were bloody or getting ice cream so late at night, the middle-aged man took a seat on a stool, picked up his periodical and continued to read about broken peace.
Pilot four hopped out of the black truck before it had reached a complete stop, �Come on Trowa!� The second body to step from the truck�s cab was better built than the first and far taller; Trowa shut and locked the door before following, �Chill Quatre, the ice cream�s not going anywhere.� The lights of the parlor were the only ones on in the deserted square, beckoning the pilots forward as it had two others not long before. A very familiar mutt turned on them, growling fiercely. Quatre stopped in his tracks, Trowa not far behind, �Fang!� Before the silencer could stop him, the noble of the desert had dashed forward and begun to scrub the large dog�s head. When the mutt didn�t bite his friend, Trowa relaxed a little, �If he�s here, then that means that they probably are too.� Peering in the window, he found this to be true, �We can get what we want at the grocery store, let�s go Quatre.� As he looked back down, he found his companion gone, �Quatre? Where did you go?� Fang looked up at him with deep brown eyes, a toothy grin residing on his face. Spotting the blonde Arabian through the shop�s window, Trowa hastily trotted inside.
Amber noticed the approaching pilot quicker than Jess could have ever hoped to. She frowned deeply, �What are they doing here?� Jess drew her attention from her left palm to Quatre, �Um, don�no.� The polite young gentleman made his way to the girl�s table through the maze of chairs and tables, �Hello, it�s a surprise seeing you here!� Amber forced a tight smile, her words dripping with sarcasm, �Such a convenience, isn�t it? Well, we were about to leave so would you pardon us?� Pilot seven glanced at her questioningly, �We were?�
Trowa pulled a small pint of ice cream out of the back freezer, watching their conversation out of the corner of his eye. He paid the man at the front and came quietly to Quatre�s side, �What happened?� Before Amber�s warning glare had a chance to take effect, Jess blurted out the night�s events in a stream of fast words and arm- waving explanations. Pilot four listened with a look of shock on his face, waiting until she�d finished before speaking, �That�s horrible! You can stay at our place if you like.� Amber slapped her head, angrily glaring at Jess through her fingers, �No, thank you. We should be able to manage on our own.� The tall Latino tapped Quatre on his shoulder lightly, �Quatre, could I have a brief word with you?� After receiving a nod, Trowa pulled him aside, �What do you think you�re doing? Heero will have a conniption if we come back with them!� Quatre�s expression collapsed into the gaze of a puppy that was just scolded, �But Trowa, look at them! They don�t have a place to go!� Attempting to ignore the unnerving way Quatre usually got his way, Trowa lowered his voice before saying, �You don�t know that! They could have three other hideouts they could go to.� The angelic teenager shook his head, his blonde hair glinting in the overhead lights, �Then why would they be sitting in a twenty-four hour dessert shop?� Eventually, the puppy eyes got to pilot three and Quatre won the argument. Jess did not fair as easily with her guardian.
�Absolutely not! We can�t trust them!� Jess grimaced as she began prying at the gravel that was embedded in her knees, �What other choice do we have? Come on, we did sign a treaty! Look, I�m going whether or not you come.� Amber slammed what was left of her waffle cone onto the table top, shattering it like glass; �No you are not! I will not have you go there on your own!� The fiery redhead tossed the blood soaked paper towels on the small tabletop, her emerald eyes glinting; �I was safe when I stayed over a few nights ago.� Amber gaped at her, �You what?! When was this?� The answer was postponed as Trowa and Quatre returned to the table, �Well, what do you say? Will you accept?� Jess grinned up at him; �Sure, and we appreciate it, Quatre.� Having a hard time controlling her fury, Amber got up from the table, �I�m not coming.�
Amber crossed her arms and watched as the black truck pulled out of the parking space carrying her companion and her dog. She scowled, muttering under her breath, �Traitors.� It stopped beside her, Trowa leaning out the passenger window, �Are you sure you don�t want to come?� His question was followed by a sad but charming smile, �I swear, the only ones that bite are Duo and Heero and neither of them very hard.� The stubborn German gave a little, a smile barely made its way onto her face but was quickly hidden, �Oh, all right, but this isn�t by my choice you know.� Jess�s cheer was easily audible as Trowa opened the door and stepped out, �Here, you can have my seat, I�ll take the back.� Amber wasn�t sure how to reply, already halfway into the bed of the truck where Fang lay, �I can ride in the back, it�s okay.� He shook his head, �No, that won�t do, take the front.� She hopped of the side off the vehicle and slid into the passenger seat, �Thanks, I guess.�
Amethyst eyes closed briefly as their owner yawned. The dark boy was stretched out on the couch as a cat ready for a long nap, his russet braid sliding down his side to dangle lazily on the carpeted floor. The TV screen his eyes were fixed on went momentarily blank as the programs changed; the speakers sang strange tunes as the intro of a cartoon came on. Duo�s laughter quickly filled the quiet room. He sat up, listening intently to intercept the sound he�d heard only moments before. The sound of another car door slamming came to him from the garage as well as the back door opening. Several voices accompanied this entrance, but Duo didn�t bother listening to the words. He vaulted himself over the back of the couch to meet them; �Did you get my chocolate chip ice cream?� He stopped in his tracks, gaping at the redhead that accompanied them; �You brought more than chocolate chips!� The next to enter was Amber and Fang; Duo�s appreciation faltered greatly, �A lot more than chocolate chips!� Jess smiled faintly at him, �Hey you.� The group split into separate, smaller clusters. Trowa and Quatre went to the base of the stairs to converse quietly. While Amber was attempting to get Fang settled, Duo and Jess slid away to the kitchen secretly.
Trowa pulled several blankets out of a cabinet while informing Quatre of his will, �I�m not going to take the blame for this and I�m not going to tell Heero.� The blonde youth gasped, �You can�t leave that entirely up to me, I�ll never come back from it!� The Latino straightened up, �I didn�t say I wouldn�t stand in between you and Heero to keep him from killing you, I�m just not telling him.� Quatre grinned happily, �Thanks!� The silencer smiled and carried the blankets to the couch. He picked up the controller and flipped off the TV before turning to Amber, �You can eat whatever you find in the kitchen, even though there isn�t to much there. You can sleep on any piece of furniture except the table.�
Duo painstakingly pulled the last of the gravel from Jess�s hands and washed them with peroxide. She watched from the place on his lap as he wrapped them in gauze before tying it off. �There we go, good as new!� His statement was quiet so not to alert anyone of their presence in the kitchen. Jess snuggled against his chest, �Duo, how could I have been so stupid? I let myself be tracked! If only I�d checked�damn it.� The darkly clad teenager smoothed her unruly flame colored hair, �It�s not your fault, it was kind of like me and the bike�� A voice from the doorway caused both longhaired youths to jump, �That�s a bad example Duo, that was your fault.� Amber was leaning in the frame, her arms crossed over her chest, tapping her foot angrily, �I�m going to say two words to you Duo, then I�m going to react to them.� She held up her hand, clenched into a fist, and pulled up her index finger, �Blue,� her other finger came up so that they numbered two, �Hawk.�
By the time someone strong enough came to help Duo�s cause, he was greatly battered with an already swelling eye. Trowa hauled Amber off of pilot two; amidst Jess�s shouts, Duo�s pleas and her yells, the room was anything but quiet. In fact, between the three of them, it wouldn�t have been surprising if the entire household woke up. Which indeed it had. Standing at the base of the stairs was a variety of shocked faces. Quatre was half dressed for bed, the handle of a light blue toothbrush hanging out of his mouth. Heero looked thoroughly groggy, his hair standing up at odd angles, but his gun was leveled and no one doubted whether his aim could be true, sleepy or not. Wufei didn�t seem bedridden in the least despite the fact he was only wearing a pair of silky blue boxers with red dragons crawling all over them. It was quite some time before the mess could be sorted out and all the pilots had a chance to go to bed.
