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"Endangered"Written By: Artemis Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters are
copyright to Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, and associated parties.
I make no money with this fic. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: yaoi lemon, sap Pairings: 6x2, implied 3x4 Summary: The pilots must separate to talk with
various colonies on behalf of GAIA. "Endangered" 10)
There was only one light on in the place... a single bulb hanging from a long cord from the ceiling. It swung ever so slightly as it illuminated the table beneath it. Several men had sat down at the table, seemingly comfortable with their secret meeting place, the others pacing around them... nervous. Duo spared Heero a glance. The Wing Gundam pilot was the calmest by far of anyone here. He was sitting a few feet from Duo, straddling a chair backwards. Duo had learned that Heero's silence meant he was observing and analyzing these men, but he didn't have near the patience Heero had. He was tired of listening to their crowing about their terrorist activities against OZ. "Small victories don't add up to much when you're dealing with an organization the size of OZ," he said, breaking into their discussion. "You need to branch out... you need a strong ally." "And I suppose you think that ally is you?" one of the more burly fellows asked as he sneered at the slim boy. "GAIA, actually," Duo said, calmly. "GAIA?" the man snorted back. "Frank here tells me you were a Sweeper... and a pickpocket. I suppose that explains how you came by that Gundam." The men laughed and Duo narrowed his eyes at them. "I may have stolen it, but none of you could pilot Deathscythe!" he exclaimed, his face reddening even as his fists curled in rage. Before any of the men could respond to that, Heero, his head bowed, murmured clearly but firmly, "Fellas, you really don't want to piss him off." He lifted his head a little, fixing the burly man with a hard stare. "Take him very seriously. Or do you really want a date with the God of Death?" When the man just glared back, he bowed his head again. "Thought so. Now, can we set the personal suspicions aside and discuss what to do about OZ?" The urge to gape in shock at his friend was tempting, but Duo didn't let his eyes slip from his adversary. The man looked at him a moment longer and then leaned back in his chair, signaling he wasn't interested in a fight. "Yeah, all right," the man said, his expression still hard. One of the men who had been pacing earlier stepped forward. "I saw that broadcast... when GAIA announced itself. Is it true it's an alliance of Gundams?" "Gundam pilots and ex-OZ personnel. We've got a lot of firepower backing us up, but we need your support," Duo said, letting himself relax again. Elsewhere in the same building, a man wearing dark fatigues and sunglasses hunched over a tiny radio receiver, listening to the faint pickup through an earphone. He'd been watching this group of rebels for some time, hoping for a meeting such as this. Luckily, the transmitter in the room where the meeting was taking place was expertly hidden in the high ceiling, away from scrutiny. [So GAIA does involve the Gundams!] the man, whose name was Buncher, mused to himself. [Hestian is going to like this, oh yeah...] "GAIA," Heero spoke up, "is not a military organization, despite what it looks. We do not represent the colonies, but we would fight OZ as if we did. There is nothing GAIA wants for itself; the organization exists only to free the colonies from tyranny. And right now, that's OZ here in space, now that things are different on Earth." "Not military? What about all the firepower he just got through telling us about?" one man asked. "And why should we think GAIA is any different than OZ?" another asked. Duo pushed off from the wall, tucking his hands in his pockets and lifting his chin so they could see his face. He couldn't let their fears stand in the way of a future peace. "The colonies have been under the control of someone else for too long," Duo said, sounding like a true colonial rebel. "As long as I can remember it's been the Alliance or OZ controlling us... killing our friends and families." He didn't need to mention specific incidents. Odds were that each of these men had suffered in some way from the dictatorial rule. "Haven't we suffered long enough? And isn't it time the colonies united? But OZ has seen to it that the colonies have been weakened... that's where GAIA comes in. GAIA can be the backbone of the colonies. The support and muscle it'll need to break free." "And then what? Once we break free, I mean?" A boy, barely the age of Heero and Duo, asked as he stepped in from the shadows. "Self-determination," Heero murmured. "The colonies will decide for themselves how to live in peace, instead of someone telling them. No one, not even GAIA, will tell them what to do. And as for your concerns about GAIA having a lot of firepower..." His dark blue eyes narrowed at the other boy. "We want to be taken seriously. If OZ threatens the colonies again, we will be there to stop them. But when the colonies are at last free of OZ's control, GAIA is not interested in becoming the next master of the colonies. Why else do you think *we* can support an organization like GAIA?" The men considered this. They knew these boys were from the colonies and were freedom fighters. They had risked their lives to face a fierce, well-organized and well-funded opponent. There was no reason to believe that they had been hoodwinked into joining an organization that would only be the same thing all over again... except under a different name. "If you boys weren't from the colonies, I wouldn't believe you. Hell, I wouldn't even have met with you in the first place," the man who had been skeptical was now saying. "You've already defeated OZ once, right? On Earth?" the boy asked. "You bet we did!" Duo said, triumphantly. "But now OZ is focusing on outer space... we can't lose momentum. We've got to keep one step ahead." Heero glanced over, but said nothing. GAIA had not, in fact, defeated OZ at all. Except for the battle against Inspector Acht's Romefeller forces, there had not been any more battles against OZ on Earth. As of that moment, OZ as an entity still existed on Earth, though it answered strictly to GAIA and the new leadership of the Romefeller Foundation. [It's not that they were defeated, but rather that GAIA engineered the *reform* of OZ,] he mused. [But I'm sure as hell not going to remind anyone here of that. They can just think that we defeated OZ if they like.] When Heero didn't chime in, Duo went on. "If we can unite the colonies... ally with them... then OZ doesn't have a chance. They won't be dealing with individual cells of resistance anymore. They'll be dealing with a force!" For added impact, Duo slapped his fist into the open palm of his hand. "Yeah... maybe," one of the former Sweepers said, his skepticism still hanging on. "We're used to working alone. Making our own decisions. We ally with you and then GAIA will be calling the shots." "But you'll have a voice in GAIA. You'll become GAIA," Duo tried to explain. He understood their reservation and their fierce independent nature. He had it himself. But wasn't it time they set that aside for the greater good? [Zechs would be so proud of me...] "And where's your independence gotten you?" Heero spoke up. "We Gundam pilots were ineffective until we teamed up. We've been stronger since we've banded together. Don't you think the colonies will be stronger against OZ if they're united? And if you do agree, how the hell do you think that's going to happen?" It seemed as though at least the boy in the group agreed, but he was afraid to speak up. Then the large, surly man who had been the most suspicious stood. He was near six feet tall, shorter than Zechs to be sure, but broader and thicker. Duo gulped as the man took several steps toward him, getting just a bit too close. "You think you're smart coming here and talking of alliances... as if we haven't tried that before," the man said, looking down at the diminutive pilot. To Duo's credit he didn't back away, instead he straightened himself to his full height... all of five feet and one inch... and looked the man directly in the eyes, his fists curled at his sides. "Brave maybe... but probably not too smart," he said, lightly. The man stared at him a moment longer, seeming to assess the remark, and then burst out in a loud guffaw, his body arching back as he laughed. The other men in the group shared a confused look and then started laughing too, with Duo happily joining them. It had been a joke, after all. [What just happened?] Heero wondered, watching the meeting dissolve into back-slapping and hearty laughter, his black-garbed colleague right in the middle of the whole thing. [I don't understand... but at least it looks like everyone's getting along now...] As usual, Duo had diffused a tricky situation with humor. The joke hadn't been that funny, but it had given everyone a much needed release. When Duo noticed Heero wasn't laughing along with them, he sidled up to his friend, placing his hand companionably on the boy's shoulder. "Don't you get it, Heero? He said I thought I was pretty smart and I said... oh, hell, if I have to explain it, it isn't funny anymore!" And then the boy with the long braid laughed again. After everyone had exhausted themselves from the revelry, the tension in the room was much relieved, and the group was more open to discussion. "So, you say the colonies need to unite. How do you propose to help us do that?" the man asked as he settled back down in his chair. "We can work with you... to arrange meetings with other cells," Duo said, having some more contacts in mind. "Heero and I will act as the middlemen, but it's really up to you and your comrades to make this work." "I don't think we're ready to join GAIA, but I would like to talk with others... see what they're doing. What they think." Duo nodded and then turned to Heero. "Sound good?" "That's acceptable," Heero murmured, crossing his arms over his chest and nodding back. "It's understandable that they want to meet with the others. I think if you contact Conner and Siribi from our last meeting, they'll come along too for the next one. The more we get the cells together, the better." "We'll make the arrangements," Duo said, turning back to the leader of the group. "You should expect a meeting to happen as soon as this evening if we can manage it." The man nodded. "All right. You know how to find us." Duo grinned, pleased that the meeting had been salvageable after all. "All this talk has given me a hankering for a burger," he said and then looked over at Heero. "I know a place just a few blocks from here. You hungry?" "Sure," Heero replied, getting to his feet. He looked over at his friend with new respect. [Should've known Duo would come through... it's that charm of his...] "My treat." In the opposite end of the building, Buncher was already packing up his gear, stowing it in case there would be more meetings here. He had a recording of the meeting - what he could hear of it - tucked away in a deep pocket. [Gotta keep track of 'em,] he was thinking. [Need to call this in... but first...] Quietly he left the warehouse, finding a spot outside where he could watch the exit at the other end. At the door, the agreeable boy from the meeting approached them. "They're all going back to work," he said nodding at the men who were beginning to disperse. "I don't have to... mind if I join you?" "Not at all!" Duo said, smiling at the kid. "What's your name again?" "Wilkes," the boy said, smiling back. "Okay, Wilkes. I hope you're good and hungry 'cause Heero here is treating," Duo said, with an exaggerated wink. With that the two Gundam pilots and the young colonial rebel left the warehouse in search of the burger joint. Moments later, a man with reddish, sandy hair and a
short, dark wool jacket stepped out of hiding to follow the three
young men at a substantial and discreet distance.
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