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"Regained "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, masturbation, angst, violence,
language Pairings: 6x2, 3x4, mention of 13+11, R+1 Summary: Sequel to Interfacing: Lost. GAIA, the
new alliance, fights its first battle in Antarctica; Duo and Zechs
begin to rebuild their relationship "Regained" Chapter 25
In minutes, he was entering the tower control room. There were only four people there - Federi the control room chief, a radar tech, a communications tech, and Trowa. "Hello, there," the chief greeted him cheerily. "Still waiting, I'm afraid. Your comrades are in their mobile suits already." Federi wanted to ask if the solemn boy had had breakfast or if he intended to fight, but the pilot seemed rather closed up and uncommunicative. The other one - Trowa - was worse, coming over every few minutes to scowl at the radar screen. "They're not my comrades," Heero observed idly, looking Trowa's way. As if aware of the sudden scrutiny, Trowa straightened and turned to look at Heero. "I know this isn't our fight," he murmured, then looked as if he was going to say something else. When Heero joined him beside the large window, Trowa exchanged a meaningful glance with him. "Quatre's going out there." Heero nodded and looked out the window where there was only ice and snow as far as the eye could see... and the rest of the base on the perimeter. "Sandrock was designed for close combat with a limited number of opponents. He'll have his hands full." "Yeah," Trowa replied, miserable. Quatre, earlier, had insisted he was fine and would do fine, but Trowa knew his little blond was always optimistic. It was one of the things he loved about him, and one of the things he needed badly in his own meager life. He changed the subject, not wanting to dwell on thoughts of his lover. "Duo should do all right." "I don't know," Heero replied honestly. "Deathscythe is another close-range suit, though he can fire the wing vulcans. Those little Aries suits are no challenge to us whatsoever in small numbers, but if there was a swarm of them..." He shifted his weight from one foot to the next. "They've got Zechs." "True," Trowa murmured. "Zechs Merquise is the best pilot OZ has ever seen," Captain Federi offered, standing at the window beside them, solemnly gazing out. "I know, I've fought him twice now," Heero muttered. //And should be fighting him again... shouldn't I?// "He has endured a great deal," Federi continued thoughtfully. "We all look up to him. He's right to leave OZ because of Romefeller's new path of total domination, but it's taken great courage to do so." He turned and looked down at the two young pilots. "I don't know if you know this or not, but Zechs is close friends with Treize Khushrenada. Was, that is. I'm sure turning against his friend has been extremely difficult. But it's a matter of principle for Zechs. He sees that Romefeller is wrong and dangerous, and he knows he must fight that. I'm proud to join him in this new alliance." At the mention of Treize, ice filled the veins of the two Gundam pilots. "Treize is our enemy," Heero replied tersely. "And if Romefeller is going the way we've heard it's going, they'll be our enemy, too." //Then why aren't you out there fighting?// Federi wanted to ask. The radar tech suddenly yelled out that he had the fleet on his screen. Immediately the captain hit the switch to sound the klaxons. Trowa's whole body tensed; his kitten was going out there to fight without him! Still he remained where he was, cautioned by Heero's stern visage beside him. Heero didn't move a muscle, though Federi was shouting into the radio to Zechs and the other mobile suit pilots, reporting on the radar sighting. //I'm not involved, this isn't my fight,// Heero told himself soberly. //Though I think they're going to get their butts kicked... eh, Zechs is good, though. But, if he does have a relationship with Duo, isn't that going to affect their fighting? Damn it, Duo, how could you start an affair in the middle of a war? On the other hand, this could be a very good thing... people need something to fight for. And right now, the colonies don't seem interested in listening to us...// "Eh, Tallgeese," Zechs sighed, settling into his pilot's chair with pleasure, strapping himself in. "We've got a pretty piece of work ahead of us!" A feral look that would have sent his subordinates running came into his eyes as he went through his final pre-flight checks. //Now it begins,// he thought, his sharp eyes flicking from read-out to read-out. //This is for the colonies now... and no longer myself. No longer am I merely helping Treize out... or keeping myself in position to take my revenge. I lost the reason to fight when I killed Alex and Mueller... and Duo Maxwell gave it back to me again. Now I fight for peace to make a world where Duo and I can be happy together... where countries can be free from the domination of tyrants and the colonies free from control from the Earth...// Tallgeese came alive in his hands, and Zechs felt the power of this immense machine as if it were part of him. He was finally to the point of mastering this behemoth, exerting his will over its mindless push to overwhelm the pilot. //I've made this mine,// he thought with fierce pride. //Tallgeese is mine...// A member of the ground crew handed Duo a couple of protein bars before he climbed into Deathscythe. "Thought you might be needing these, Pilot Maxwell." "Er... thanks," Duo said, reading the label. //Nutritious... yuck! Hey, wait a minute... chocolate flavored. Not bad.// The young Gundam pilot stuffed the bars into his jacket pocket and then nodded before closing the hatch behind him. Settling into his machine, Duo buckled himself in and quickly began the powering up sequence. "Today's the day, buddy," he said to his Gundam. "We're going to face those bastards again... and send them all to hell!" He grinned at that last image. How he would love to send all of OZ and Romefeller to hell. //Let 'em burn,// he thought as he checked systems and then ignited Deathscythe's engines. Zechs activated his radio to contact the other two pilots. "Duo, Quatre, come in..." "I'm here," Quatre replied, also preoccupied with readying his Gundam. "Ditto," Duo responded after a pause. //We're really doing this, huh, Zechs? We're going to fight together.// "We'll need to keep communications between us open - use channel 49. The enemy will be using channels 27-34." "Understood," Quatre replied, adjusting his radio. "Okay," Duo answered. //But don't mind me talking to myself,// he thought with a grin. "Good luck, gentlemen," Zechs said, all business now. "God be with us in our new path toward peace. I know we will prevail." "Allah, bless us," Quatre added his own fervent prayer. "Good luck to you, too, Zechs, Duo." "Yeah, another walk in the park," Duo muttered. "Just be sure to give me elbow room." "You've got it," Quatre answered with a smile. Then the klaxons sounded. "They're here!" Zechs exclaimed, feeling adrenaline rush through his body in anticipation. Captain Federi's call came through immediately. "They're due west-northwest, 292 degrees, Commander." "Understood." Zechs could hear the Gundams powering up, then all three mobile suits moved to the entrance of the hangar, preparatory to taking off. "Sir!" Federi sounded alarmed all of a sudden. "Estimates are... upward of a hundred mobile suits!" //A hundred!// Zechs felt a stab of alarm; would the Gundam pilots be overwhelmed? "Understood," he responded. They'd be busy. "That's over 30 each!" Quatre exclaimed. //Trowa, where are you?// "Piece of cake," Duo snorted, though the blood had drained from his face on hearing the news. //Crap, we could lose against odds like that. Where the hell is Yuy when we need him?// Gripping the controls, Zechs felt his body and mind move into a heightened energetic state, his true "battle mode", every fiber in his being primed for controlling and directing the immense power of Tallgeese and for the incredibly fast maneuvering and firing in which he would be engaged in the fight. In a way, piloting Tallgeese had intensified this aspect of himself out of sheer survival instinct, and he was aware that not only had his reaction time increased, but that it was still increasing, pushed mercilessly by the mindless demands of this ancient but very maverick mobile suit. "Glory to all the colonies!!" Zechs shouted over the GAIA channel as Tallgeese launched into the air with a tremendous blast from the Verniers. Seconds behind him, the Gundam Deathscythe took off, Duo emitting his own earsplitting battle cry, while the Gundam Sandrock followed, Quatre yelling an enthusiastic, "Let's get 'em!" "What did Zechs say?" Heero Yuy asked his companion, staring at the rapidly vanishing dot in the sky that represented Tallgeese. "Did he say..." "Yeah," Trowa murmured, his own eyes glued to the shrinking image of Sandrock. "That's what he said. Interesting, eh?" Heero frowned. //He's truly changed sides, then. He's fighting for the colonies! So why the hell are we sitting here?// But he remained in his seat, glowering. //Are Duo and Quatre doing the right thing, teaming up with Zechs? Should I be doing that? We haven't heard from any of our contacts - any of us! Dr. J and the others must have been captured by OZ by now... no help there. They're counting on us to continue to fight OZ. But should Trowa and I do it alone as we have been or join this new group?// One thing was dead clear; Heero desperately needed to have a very long talk with one Zechs Merquise. "Shit! Did you see that thing take off?!" Duo said, wide-eyed from the speed at which the Tallgeese had taken off. "Yeah, I've never seen anything like it," Quatre said. Both he and Duo were playing catch up to the Tallgeese now. //What did he say about it controlling the pilot? Will he be able to work with us in this battle?// "We're behind you, Zechs... way behind you," Duo said with a chuckle. Zechs took a quick glance at his readouts, confirming that Tallgeese indeed was already far out-distancing the Gundams. "Understood," he muttered, then added under his breath to his mobile suit, "I know, Tallgeese, you want to defeat the enemy all by yourself. That's not going to happen today..." Gradually his will reined in the massive mobile suit, slowing it until the Gundams caught up. It wouldn't be for long; they were less than a minute from engaging the enemy. "I'll attack head-on, if you would take the west flank, Duo, and the east flank, Quatre." "West flank it is," Duo said, and turned his machine to be in line with the incoming blips on his radar screen. //Limbo,// he thought. That's what he called these last seconds between battle preparation and the fight itself. They were the last moments he had to really think before the fight began and the God of Death and his quick reflexes took over... the battle sometimes becoming a blur. //Zechs, we have to make this work today. I want you in my arms when this is all over, love...// "Affirmative, Zechs," Quatre responded and maneuvered his Gundam into position. //Here we go,// he thought and then checked for the status of any more Gundams leaving the hangar. //Still no Tro. Could I have been wrong about him? But when we made love last night it was so beautiful. Oh, Tiger. Why won't you listen to your heart like you did last night?// //It'll be close work,// Zechs thought, planning his strategy. //I'll use the Dober rifle until they're closer, then switch to the beam saber...// He spared a glance for the mostly black Gundam as it neared, coming up on Tallgeese's left. //Deathscythe... magnificent... and to think I'm fighting with them at last...// The thought gave him an excited tingle. //Together, Duo!// In the control tower, Trowa Barton stood with his forehead against the glass, his hands palms down on the cold, hard surface, his heart hammering in his chest. //Kitten, my dear, sweet kitten...// He thought of lying in bed this morning with his beloved Quatre in his arms, holding the smaller boy close, kissing him tenderly. //I made love to you last night... oh, God, Quatre, the gift you have given me. You're so brave, and you believe in this alliance so much... and now I've sent you into battle alone...// Quatre hadn't been afraid of going into battle, but it had filled him with more fear to be separated from his Tiger. Despite the Arabian boy's seemingly delicate and sensitive nature, he was quite the fighter. //If anything happened to him... if we lost the Gundam... either way I can't bear it. Not another loss... I can't lose you, Kitten...// Abruptly Trowa began to speak, prompting Federi and Heero to look his way. "Deathscythe is a close-combat mobile suit. It's got the hyperjammers for stealth operation, but only the wing vulcans and machine cannons for long range fighting. If he gets room to use them. The number of Aries Duo's facing is daunting..." He pushed away from the glass suddenly and turned to face them, his hands folding into fists, his expression closed and tight. "But Sandrock doesn't stand a chance under those numbers. Quatre has limited long range weapons. If Sandrock isn't free to swing the heat shotels, he'll be overwhelmed. Damn it." "I'll send our own Aries to assist," Federi said, moving toward the communications station. "No!" Trowa said sharply, almost angrily, and started striding toward the door. "I should have gone with them. I'll go." "Trowa?" Heero inquired, intercepting him with a hand on his arm. "Are you sure?" The taller boy looked into the other's eyes, seeing Heero's confusion and distrust. "Yeah, I'm sure. I belong with Quatre... I should be fighting beside him. He trusts Zechs and Duo. And they're right - alone we're just like vicious bees getting in a sting every once in a while. It's no way to win a war." He gave Heero a curt nod. "You told me to act on my emotions. I now know to do that... I have and I will." Turning without waiting for a response, Trowa continued on, walking quickly to go join his beloved in the fray. Federi glanced at Heero, but the Gundam pilot only glowered all the more and sat down beside the radar station to watch as the battle began.
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