Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Going For Gold ❯ Chapter 75 ( Chapter 75 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

“Going for Gold”
 
January 2007 ShenLong
 
Chapter 75
 
To Duo it seemed as if he'd only just closed his eyes when the alarm clock suddenly went off. Groaning loudly, he reached a hand out from under the covers and hit the snooze button. Beside him, Heero began to stir.
 
“Time to get up already?” Heero murmured, his voice husky with sleep.
 
“Yeah, but I'm having a hard time convincing this body to move,” replied Duo.
 
Heero snickered softly and glanced at the clock. It was five-thirty. Stretching his arms out, Heero yawned and then rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “We need to get moving, Duo.”
 
“I know. Just gimme a couple more minutes.”
 
“I'll go feed the nags then come back and start breakfast. That way you can have another ten minutes.”
 
“Thanks, Heero. Knew there was a reason why I loved you.”
 
Shaking his head, Heero got out of the bed and dressed in sweats and a jumper, slipping on his sneakers and heading out into the still dark morning.
 
* * *
 
By seven the horses had all been fed and put out into their paddocks; all except Shini who had been put into the yard. The stables were cleaned, night feeds in and Shini's traveling gear all placed ready by his stable door. Heero had cooked up a quick breakfast whilst Duo showered, taking his own shower once they'd eaten and Duo had done the dishes. Their toiletries were placed into their suitcases and a final check was done to make sure that they had everything.
 
Duo placed the drugs he was taking into the medical box and made sure that he had his prescription pad and formal ID with him. His ID stated that he was a doctor of veterinary medicine and therefore allowed to carry and dispense the drugs and medical equipment. The last thing they needed was for Duo to be pulled up by customs and possibly charged with 'drug smuggling'.
 
Everything was loaded into the car and double checked. Satisfied, Heero hung the haynet inside the float whilst Duo fetched Shini and began to put the floating boots and light traveling rug on. Heero joined him and gave him a hand.
 
Trowa, Quatre, Hilde and Catherine all turned up just after seven to collect keys and receive any last minute instructions from the pair as well as see them off. With all the final formalities dealt with there only remained the goodbyes to be said. Both Hilde and Catherine hugged Heero and Duo, placing a kiss to each of their respective cheeks and wishing them both good luck.
 
Trowa shook hands with both men, promising Heero that everything would be fine with Zero, Angel, and Wing, and for him not to worry but to concentrate on jumping for his country.
 
Quatre started to shake hands and then thought 'what the hell?' and gave both men a hug too; much to Heero's surprise.
 
With nothing more to be said, Shinigami was loaded into the float, the tail gate put up and the pair climbed into Henrietta. Firing up the engine, Heero eased out the clutch and they waved madly as the car and float made their way from the yard to the driveway and out onto the road.
 
“This is it, Heero. We're on our way to London and your dream!” Duo stated, the excitement coming through not only in his voice, but in his shining, violet eyes.
 
“Hai, Duo. We are and no matter what the outcome I'm so happy to have made it this far.”
 
“You're going to be just fine, Heero. Shinigami will jump his heart out and you'll both do Australia proud; you mark my words.” Duo folded his arms across his chest and sat back in his seat to watch the landscape roll past the window.
 
Heero simply chuckled.
 
* * *
 
“Take the next exit on the left,” Duo instructed, studying the road map in his hands. “The airport cargo road should be about three kilometers down on the right. I'll keep an eye out for the sign posting.”
 
“Okay.” Heero continued to drive along the freeway. Noting the sign that announced his exit was coming up, he started to slow down and indicate. They pulled off into the filter lane and onto the road. Sure enough there were signs ahead telling them that the cargo section of the airport was just ahead and to take the next right turn.
 
As they neared so the noise level rose a little, aircraft could be heard taking off and landing. The traffic increased slightly too, mainly trucks and vans which made sense as this was the cargo section after all.
 
Slowing down further, Heero scanned the many signs, looking for the one to direct him to the livestock section.
 
“Up there, Heero.” Duo pointed to a sign that had an arrow indicating the turn off to the livestock area.
 
Almost crawling along, Heero followed the signs and soon found themselves in a large car parking area where other cars and floats were parked.
 
“Isn't that Treize's gooseneck?” asked Duo as he pointed to the large truck to one side.
 
“Yeah, it is. I'll park over by Treize and we can go from there.” Neither Heero nor Duo were too clued up on what they needed to do, the information had been enough, but didn't go into all the finer details.
 
Bringing the car to a stop and cutting the engine, Duo spotted Joe's head peering out of the front section of the gooseneck. “There's Joe.”
 
Seeing Heero's car pulling up next to him, Joe scrambled out of the gooseneck and headed for the pair. “Heero, Duo, good to see you made it okay.”
 
“Hey Joe. Good to see you again too,” Duo replied and shook hands with the young groom. “Are you going with Treize as his groom?”
 
“Wouldn't miss it,” Joe grinned.
 
“Where is Treize?” Heero asked.
 
“He's gone to the counter to speak with the people there and see what's going on. Miss Noin isn't here yet and he's not sure if we should start to get the gear, horses and humans checked in or wait until both Noin and the rest of the team arrive.”
 
“I see.” Heero scanned round and spotted a familiar float driving towards them. “Zoe's here!” he exclaimed.
 
Duo spun around, a smile firmly in place as he waited for their friends to pull up and cut the engine.
 
“Heero! Duo!” Zoe squealed as she jumped from the car and wrapped them both in a bear hug.
 
Both men returned the hug and then shook hands with Michael who had joined them shortly after his wife.
 
“Good to see you both again,” Heero said as he released Michael's hand. “I take it you're coming along with Zoe?” he added, looking to Micheal for confirmation.
 
“Yeah. You don't think I'm going to let her go half way around the world without me, do you?” he replied with a smirk.
 
“Someone's got to keep her in line,” Duo snickered.
 
“Hey! I'll have you both know I'm perfectly well behaved,” Zoe huffed, hands on her hips as she gave the group a glare, but there was a twinkle in her eye.
 
“Here comes Treize,” Heero announce and successfully distracted the group before the bantering got too out of hand.
 
Another round of pleasantries was exchanged before Treize informed them of what was going on.
 
“Miss Noin should be here any moment. Once she arrives we can get the horses, gear and ourselves checked through customs and immigration. Whilst we're waiting it would be a good idea to get everything ready and start to take it down to the check in, leaving the horses in their floats until the last minute.”
 
“Does anyone know who the fourth member of the team is?” Zoe asked before going back to the car to start unloading.
 
“No, I haven't a clue,' replied Heero.
 
“Me either,” said Treize. “I'm sure Noin will let us know once she gets here though.”
 
With that, everyone went back to their own vehicle and began to unload their gear.
 
* * *
 
Noin arrived five minutes later and greeted the team before moving off to the check in area with the appropriate forms, documents and paperwork needed. With that side of things out the way, she returned to the group to let them know all was now ready for them to start the check in procedure.
 
All their gear, including suitcases were checked, x-rayed, tagged and then passed over to the baggage handlers. Once that was done, it was time to bring down the horses and have them and the humans all checked through.
 
Immigration was first, passports being produced and stamped before customs went through their hand luggage. Duo produced his ID to verify his status as a veterinary surgeon and once customs had taken a look through the medical kit he was carrying and were happy that what he had packed wasn't anything illegal and the entire inventory matched with the list of items he'd had to fill out on a declaration form, they allowed the men to proceed.
 
With themselves having cleared customs it was Shinigami's turn.
 
Heero produced all the necessary documents for his horse and handed them over to the quarantine personnel. The passport and photo was matched against the horse, vaccination records checked and the airport vet gave Shini a quick health check. Once all was clear, they were free to move through to another section of the livestock area.
 
This was like a holding area, containing many yards where the horses could be placed until all had gone through the checks and been cleared to travel. Heero stood by the side of the yard he'd been told to put Shini in and waited for the rest of the team to finish and join him.
 
Treize came through a couple of minutes after Heero, Romeo jogging by his side, eyes as wide as saucers. Zoe soon followed with Lion who seemed to be taking everything in his stride. Noin appeared moments after and accompanying her was the man in charge of loading the horses onto the plane. The group was briefed on the loading procedure and the man disappeared to get the traveling 'boxes' ready.
 
Heero led Shini out from the holding area and onto the tarmac. The huge cargo plane stood to one side, belly doors open and exposing the large interior. The eventing team and dressage team horses were already loaded, all that remained was to get the show jumpers on board and the plane would be ready to depart.
 
“Easy, Shini,” Heero soothed as he led the stallion out and towards the large, aluminum crate. The crate itself was built to closely resemble a stable, aluminum sides, padded on the inside and with a thick layer of straw on the base.
 
Shini snorted and shook his head. He didn't like the look of that stable.
 
Slowly, Heero coaxed the stallion forward. Beside them, both Zoe and Treize were similarly bringing their horses out and attempting to get them into their 'boxes'. Lionheart paused at the entry to his 'stable', snorted and then lowered his head to sniff at the strange thing. Deciding it wasn't that scary he obediently followed his mistress inside and allowed himself to be tied up. Zoe slipped out and the door was closed.
 
“Good boy, Lion,” Zoe praised and patted her horse.
 
“See, Shini. There's nothing to be afraid of. Lion's already in his box now be a good boy and follow me into yours,” Heero cajoled.
 
“Here, try one of these,” Duo said and passed over a carrot.
 
Heero took the offered carrot and wafted it under Shinigami's nose. “Come on, boy. You can have the carrot as soon as you enter the box.”
 
The gray sniffed and his ears shot forward. Carrots! He could smell carrots. Eagerly his lips sought the orange treat, only to have it slightly out of reach. To get it he'd have to put a hoof inside that box. Shini wasn't sure about that. He wanted that carrot, but didn't want to step forward to get it.
 
Heero stepped inside the box still waving the carrot and hoping his horse would feel a little more secure about stepping inside if he could see his master wasn't in any danger from the box.
 
Shini was warring with his love of carrots and his instincts.
 
The carrots won.
 
With a soft snort, Shini gingerly stepped inside the box and was immediately rewarded with the carrot and lots of pats. He felt a little better then and relieved when he felt straw and firm footing underneath. He was given several more carrots before the door was closed leaving the stallion inside the box.
 
Romeo watched his fellow horses walk calmly into their stables and then decided he might as well do the same. He carefully picked his way forward as if the floor might give way underneath him at any moment.
 
Once all three horses were in their respective boxes, the ground crew moved in, the boxes being shunted to the ramp that led into the belly of the plane. The undercarriage of the boxes were locked into place on the tracks and the machine hummed into life. Throwing the lever, the tracks on the ramp began to move, pulling the boxes up and into the plane. It reminded Duo of a conveyor belt system and he couldn't help but snicker at the looks on the horses' faces as they were rolled up the ramp.
 
Once the boxes reached the top, they were released from the tracks and pushed into place. Then they were locked down to the floor of the plane. The man in charge came through and did a double check on all the boxes, horses and any supplies that were in the hold, clearing it all ready for takeoff.
 
With that part of the proceedings over with, the human cargo were directed to the front of the plane and climbed up the steps to the passenger section. It was similar in layout to an ordinary passenger plane, only the area was smaller, there only being roughly fifty seats.
 
Duo checked their boarding passes and continued down the aisle, eyes scanning the numbers overhead until he reached their allocated seating. “Here we are, Heero. Row 12, seats A and B,” he said as he reached for the overhead locker to stow their hand luggage.
 
“You want the aisle or the window?” Heero asked.
 
Duo shrugged. “Doesn't make any difference to me,” he replied.
 
“I'll take the window then and leave you with the aisle, that way if you're needed for any reason to see to the horses, you can get out quickly,” said Heero and shuffled in to take the window seat.
 
“Good thinking,” Duo muttered and took his own seat.
 
Treize and Joe were sitting across the aisle from them with Zoe and Michael in the row before them. Noin was seated in front of Treize and across from Zoe. Getting themselves strapped in, they could hear the low drone of the cargo doors as they closed beneath them and all the riders had a similar thought - hoping their horses were okay and not panicking.
 
Sensing what was going through Heero's mind, Duo gave his lover a soft smile and a discreet squeeze to his arm. “Shini will be fine. If there's any problem the crew will come and get me,” he reassured.
 
Heero nodded and gave a grateful smile in return before turning his attention to the window and watching the activity outside. Dusk was settling over the countryside, lights starting to twinkle and his stomach gave a flutter of anticipation.
 
The cabin crew came along the aisle as the plane began to taxi out to the runway, checking everyone had their seatbelt on, seats in the upright position and tray tables secure. That was followed by the obligatory safety demonstration. During the demonstration, Duo whispered to Heero, “Wonder if they have parachutes for the horses?”
 
“But how the heck would they pull the rip cord?” Heero returned. Those thoughts sent Heero into a snickering fit as his mind gave him all sorts of pictures, ones from horses wearing over sized parachutes to horses donning life jackets and sliding down the inflatable ramps.
 
Grinning, Duo shook his head and gazed out the window.
 
The plane taxied down to the end of the runway where it turned and stopped. The engines began to increase their power, the steady rumble vibrating through the aircraft and building in intensity. The pilot eased the stick forward and the plane began to move, slowly at first and then picked up speed rapidly.
 
Gripping the armrests, Duo did his best to quell the sudden rush of fear. He'd never flown in his life before and wasn't sure what to expect. Turning to look at Heero, he was reassured when his partner gave him a soft smile.
 
The plane continued on its way along the tarmac, rumbling and shaking, speed building. Then the nose was lifting up, the rest of the plane following and the earth below falling away. The angle was steep, but not overly so as the plane began to gain altitude. Once it reached a certain height, it began to level off a touch, still climbing to reach its cruising path but not so steeply.
 
The seatbelt sign went off and passengers began to visibly relax. All seemed quiet in the cargo hold and the cabin crew moved amongst the passengers once more, checking everyone was okay and offering light refreshments.
 
Once the plane reached its cruising height and speed, the passengers would be allowed to move around the cabin and into the cargo hold to check on their horses. Heero was eager for that to happen, he was worried about Shini and wouldn't be able to relax and enjoy the flight until he'd been to check the stallion and see with his own two eyes that all was well.
 
Duo accepted a coffee from the stewardess, Heero had a soda. Once they all had some sort of refreshment, Noin turned in her seat as best she could to address her team members.
 
“First up, I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the E.F.A. to you all. I know this isn't easy for any of you financially and the Federation appreciates not only the efforts you have all gone to in paying for this trip, but for being dedicated enough to achieve this level of competition.”
 
A murmur of thanks and nods of heads passed through the group.
 
“I'm sure you're all interested to know who the fourth member of the team is?”
 
“It would help,” muttered Treize.
 
“His name is Kyle Devon and his horse is another stallion, palomino if I remember correctly. He's been jumping on the English and European circuit for the past four years and is currently based in England. He will be joining us at the equestrian facilities a couple of days after we arrive.”
 
Heero searched his memory for any recognition of the rider's name and drew a blank.
 
“I'm afraid I've not heard of him,” said Zoe.
 
“I have,” Michael said. “I met him a few times at some of the shows when I was doing the circuit prior to the Beijing games. He was just starting out with that horse, Wishing I think its name is.”
 
“That's correct, Michael,” Noin said.
 
“From memory, the horse showed a lot of promise so it will be good to see just how far they've come.”
 
“Well, you'll all get your chance to meet him and his horse not long after we arrive. Now, it would appear we can move around the cabin so I'd suggest we go and take a look at those horses of yours and make sure they're all traveling okay.” Noin stood up, the rest of the team following her lead.
 
* * *
 
Shinigami gave a low wuffle when he heard his master's voice. He hung his head over the door and nudged his master.
 
“He looks comfortable enough,” Heero commented as he petted the gray and fed him a carrot.
 
“So far he's quite settled,” stated Duo. “I'd like to check him over though.”
 
“Of course. Better check with Noin first though.”
 
Duo located Noin and informed her he'd like to do a quick check on all the team horses, more for his own peace of mind than anything else and Noin agreed. Grabbing his stethoscope and thermometer from his bag, Duo started with Shini first. The colt's temperature, heart and breathing rates were all within the normal range which comforted Heero. Lion was also calm and in the normal range, but Romeo had a slightly elevated pulse and respiration rate. Duo wasn't overly concerned as the temperature was normal. Duo thought it was most likely due to nerves and suggested to Treize that if the horse still appeared a little agitated in another hour or so he would give him a mild sedative. Treize agreed and Duo informed Noin of his findings and suggestion of a mild sedative for Romeo should the stallion's heart and breathing rates continue to be elevated.
 
Noin seemed happy enough with Duo's findings and left it to his discretion regarding Romeo. It was always a bit unsettling for a horse to be transported by air and it paid to keep a close eye on them. Far better to give a mild sedative and have a relaxed horse than to leave it to chance and possibly end up with a horse panicking and putting them all in danger.
 
Duo sincerely hoped all the horses would remain calm and travel well. He'd heard of a couple of cases when a horse had panicked in mid air and the end result hadn't been nice. The captain of the plane had ordered the animal euthanased for the safety of the remaining animals and crew.
 
Duo was determined that nothing like that was going to happen whilst he was the vet in charge.
 
Over the course of the next couple of hours, Romeo was monitored very carefully by both Duo and Treize. The stallion seemed slightly agitated and restless, but not threatening in any way. Shini and Lion had both settled completely, Shini calmly eating the dinner Heero had given him whilst Lion was dozing.
 
Deciding he wasn't going to take any risks, Treize asked Duo to give the stallion a sedative anyway, the horse would have plenty of time to recover from it before competition started.
 
Duo agreed and the pair informed Noin of their intentions. Noin was okay with it and so Duo went ahead and injected a fast acting but mild sedative. Within a couple of minutes, Romeo had settled, his heart and breathing rates slowed and he began to doze - much to everyone's relief.
 
Joe offered to do 'horse sitting' duty for a couple of hours and leave the others free to relax in the cabin, get a bite to eat and maybe catch a nap too.
 
The cabin crew were more relaxed than those on a fully commercial flight and thus the passengers found they were able to get a meal even if they had missed the 'traditional' meal time service. The crew knew how unpredictable horses could be and that their owners and grooms would be concerned for their animal's welfare and so protocol was no where near as strict as on a normal flight.
 
Heero and Duo both ate and after one last check on Shini and the other two horses, they decided to take a nap and get what sleep they could. It was late, around ten in the evening to them and they had been on the go since early morning. First traveling from home to the airport, then they had to pass through all the formalities before boarding the plane. Add Romeo's little upset and now that they were in the air and on their way the exhaustion began to creep in.
 
Locating a couple of 'pillows' and blankets in the overhead lockers, both men curled up as best they could in the small seats and attempted to get some sleep. Joe was in the hold keeping an eye on all the jumpers, Michael promising to relieve him after a few hours so Joe could get some sleep.
 
The plane flew on into the night, the steady, continuous drone of the engines lulling Heero and Duo into a light sleep.
 
* * *
 
The remainder of the flight passed without incident. Romeo settled well enough and even after the sedative had worn off the bay continued to remain calm. Shinigami was traveling well, as was Lionheart; much to Heero and Zoe's relief. Duo's services weren't needed again either, something for which the vet was extremely grateful.
 
“Not long now,” Heero announced as he felt the subtle shift in the plane's engines, an indication that they were beginning their descent.
 
“Good. I'll be glad to get off this plane and sleep in a decent bed,” grumbled Duo. “I've got aches in places I didn't know I could ache.”
 
“Ah, the joys of sleeping in an aircraft seat,” Treize snickered, unable to help himself as he overheard the conversation.
 
“Not exactly designed for comfort are they?” Duo grinned.
 
“No, they're not,” agreed Treize. “I think I'll go check on Romeo while we can still move around.”
 
“Good idea,” Heero said and got up to join his boss.
 
Duo followed behind.
 
“Is Zechs still coming in time for the competition?” Duo asked as he gave each of the jumpers a quick check over.
 
“Yes. He's due to arrive two days before the showjumping competition starts,” Treize replied as he patted the bay's neck. “He would have liked to have flown with us and be here for the entire duration, but unfortunately he couldn't get that much time off work.”
 
“I can understand that,” Duo muttered.
 
“Don't worry, I'm sure your practice will still be there and running smoothly by the time we return,” Heero soothed knowing that whilst Duo hadn't said anything the vet was uneasy about leaving Hilde to do everything by herself.
 
“I know,” Duo sighed, “but it's a lot to ask of Hilde and Catherine.”
 
“They will be just fine, Duo.”
 
The conversation came to a close then as the captain announced they would be landing at Heathrow airport in twenty minutes and for everyone to take their seats and prepare for landing.
 
~ * ~
 
tbc...