Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Lean On Me ❯ As You Wish ( Chapter 22 )

Disclaimer: Don't own Gundam Wing. Ya know, this is getting annoying, so from now on, I'm just not going to bother writing these things. You guys know I don't own GW, so it isn't like I need to remind you at the start of every chapter.

Chapter Twenty-Two

WuFei halted as he neared a corner, slowly approaching it with the siren ringing in his ears. He cautiously looked around the corner -there was no one in sight. He motioned for his wife to come after him, and they hurried down the next corridor. WuFei paused before the control room door and looked back at Meiran. "You ready?" he asked.

She nodded, turning off the safety on her pistol and making sure the silencer was in working condition. "Let's go."

WuFei held his pistol up in his right hand and with his left pushed the door open. They both swept into the room, ready for anything.

"Drop your weapons or you'll be swimming in your own blood."

WuFei and Meiran both froze, looking around at the score of soldiers standing around them, their weapons raised and aiming at them. After a moment's hesitation of assessing the situation, they both found it to be a hopeless cause, and dropped their weapons.

------

Solo stared around in fright as the siren rang through the air. The siren was excruciatingly loud. His heart beat madly and he feared it would pop right out of his chest. He wanted to know what was going on, why their was so much noise. The guard watching over him opened the door and stepped out into the hall, looking left and right as soldiers filed past the door.

Without fully comprehending what he was doing, Solo hurried back over to the bedside table, removed the photograph from its drawer, and tucked it safely into the waistline of his pants, pulling his shirt over it; he had seen Duo do this many times before, always trying to hide something from someone. Duo would always wink at him before telling him to not tell.

Solo plopped back down onto the floor in the corner, and was sitting there just like before by the time the guard closed the door and turned back around.

------

Riley sprinted down the many corridors, following Heero's directions exactly. She had one destination: the emergency escape pods. Anger and resentment were building up inside of her as the realization that she was running from a fight was all too evident in her mind. Heero had instructed her to run, not listening to her excuses.

"They know we're here, and we can't do much about it. The most I can do is make sure you get out of here," Heero had said, looking at her with a fire in his Prussian blue eyes. Riley had tried to protest, but he had silenced her with a glare. "No excuses, Riley. Get out of here while you still can. I've no doubt in my mind that a trap is waiting for Meiran and WuFei, so we can't wait around here for them. You have to get out of here."

"But as soon as an escape pod is activated, they'll know," Riley had said.

"By the time they can do anything about it, you should be in space. The fighter pilots Lady Une sent out will know something is wrong when they see only one escape pod leaving instead of two. They'll take care of anyone that comes after you. Now remember my directions. They're your only hope of getting out of here safely."

Riley had memorized them and left. She had shot at anyone that came in her path, and so far, no one had been able to stop her.

She turned around another corner and smiled in relief as the escape pod hangar came into view. She rammed into the door and it flew open, banging into the wall before slamming shut behind her again. She raced inside, gasping for air. Her eyes widened in shock, and she skidded to a halt, burning a layer of rubber from the sole's of her boots. Her heart beat wildly as she stared at the man that blocked her way.

A satisfied smirk played at the man's lips as he looked at her tauntingly. "Riley Barton. I was hoping you would come," he said. "I've just been dieing to see you again. Too bad it couldn't have been under any other circumstance."

Riley's gaze darkened. She growled, as her pent up rage seemed to broaden. "Jake Rawthorne. A pleasure, I'm sure."

"As always," he replied. He let his eyes wander, his obvious perusal sending an unexpected chill down Riley's spine. She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him defiantly. His chocolate brown eyes met hers again, and she frowned at the coldness of them.

"Jake, why are you doing this?" she asked just above a whisper, her angry expression transforming into a pitying look. "We were friends, remember? What happened to that?"

He snorted, ignoring the emotions rolling around inside of him. "That was in the past, and it's no longer relevant. Don't dwell on it. What happened has run its course, and our friendship seems to have come to a stand still. I can't be a friend with the two people I've been ordered to control." He waited for that to sink in; it didn't take long. For the second time in his life, Jake saw a heart-wrenching sorrow fill those emerald green eyes. He gritted his teeth, his heart speeding up. "It's over, Riley."

Riley clenched her hands into fists and hardness replaced the sorrow in her eyes. Anger and hatred built up inside of her and the sadness was washed away down river. Her mouth twisted as she stared at him. "Don't think I'm going down easily," she growled.

"I don't want to hurt you," he said, "but if it comes down to that, I will."

"So be it."

------

The runway and building came into view as Duo and the others slowed their snowmobiles to a stand still. The back door to the building was pushed open and the Eskimo-looking man came out to greet them as they were climbing off of the snowmobiles. "Hello, my friends. You have returned."

Quatre shook the man's hand and smiled. "Yes, thank you," he said, "for everything."

"No problem," the man replied. "I would do anything for the dear Miss Peacecraft. She is a wonderful lady."

Quatre nodded. "She really is something."

Duo rolled his eyes and butted in. He shook the man's hand roughly. "Thanks, man, but we should be going. "

"Of course. Your older friend is inside waiting for you, and the pilot of your jet is ready and waiting for you in the jet's cockpit."

Duo gave the man a pat on the shoulder and headed into the building. "Howard, buddy, where are ya?"

Howard stood from one of the few chairs in the building and smiled at the braided ex-pilot. "Duo, you made it back alive. I am impressed."

Hilde followed Duo inside and smiled in relief on seeing Howard. "You're okay," she said.

"Of course I'm all right, young lady. You honestly thought something would prevent me from seeing you guys again?"

Trowa and Quatre came up behind Duo. Trowa rested a hand on Duo's shoulder. "We should be going. I want to be at the mansion if something happens."

"So do I; let's get a move on."

The team thanked the man again and went out to the jet. The pilot looked back at them when they clambered aboard. He smiled. "Ya'll ready to get going?" he asked.

Trowa secured his seatbelt and nodded to the pilot. "Ready when you are."

"Yessir. Get ready for take-off." The pilot began flipping switches and twirling gauges, and the flooring beneath the team's feet began to vibrate. The jet moved down to the closest end of the runway and turned around. When it was in position, the pilot called back. "Systems a-go." The jet glided down the runway, gaining speed the further it went until the wheels lifted off the ground and, once a good few feet above the ground were retracted back into the underside of the jet. "It'll be a few good hours, so feel free to fall asleep, people," the pilot said. "I'll wake you if anything vital happens."

------

Riley doubled over as a perfectly aimed punch was slammed into her stomach. She recoiled, sharply sucking in air. That one hurt, she thought absently. She straightened and glared at Jake, gritting her teeth. They circled each other slowly, waiting for the ideal moment to make a move; Jake attacked. He lunged forward and rammed her to the ground. She dropped and he reached down to her daggers pouch. Before she could react, he had nimbly removed a dagger and was out of reach. She growled and jumped to her feet, heading for him. He ducked out of the way of her right hook, spun, and swiped at her left arm with his newly attained dagger.

Riley winced, turning around to face him. Blood came from the open wound, gliding down the smooth length of Riley's arm, dipping into the curve of where her arm bends and then going down to her hand. She wiped most of it away, not touching the wound itself. With her right hand covered in her own blood, she sprinted for Jake and dove at him. They both rolled to the floor and Riley knocked the dagger from his hand; it skidded a foot away from them. They gripped each other's shoulders as they rolled. When Riley got a firm hold of him by sitting on top of him, Jake released her left shoulder and grasped the area of her arm where the bloody gash was. When Riley gasped in pain, he tightened his grip while she loosened her hold of him. He then kicked her off of him. She rolled away and he retrieved his dagger. He turned on her again and dropped on top of her. He grabbed the wound again, and Riley cried out. He held the dagger at her throat and started pressing it down. "Stop screaming or this dagger will do some serious damage." She bit her lip until she tasted blood. "That's better." He stopped pressing the dagger to her throat, but continued to hold it dangerously close. "You know I don't want to keep hurting you, Riley, so don't make me." He let go of her arm, and she released the air she hadn't known she had been holding.

He pulled her roughly to her feet, staining her white sleeveless top with her own blood. He pushed her up against one of the escape pods and stared into her face. "Look at me." Riley continued to stare at the ground, her mouth twisted into a grimace and her breathing coming in uneven gasps. "I said look at me." When she didn't comply the second time, he forced her chin up; her eyes averted so she was looking at the wall to her right. "If you're going to be so stubborn," he growled. He slammed her up against the escape pod again, jolting her.

Riley's head pounded to the beat of an unheard drum as she suffered from loss of blood and the rough handling she was being given. She knew she had to do something, and quick. She was too weak to fight her way out of this now, and no matter what she could do, it wouldn't be enough time to get into an escape pod and get out. But maybe-

With a last surge of adrenaline, Riley lunged forward, surprising Jake, and punched him soundly in the chin. He stumbled backwards, holding his jaw. Riley turned sharply and, ignoring her spinning head and the blurriness of her vision, she stumbled to the side of the escape pod, reached inside and slammed her bloodied hand onto a single red button, followed by a smaller green button. She removed her arm quickly as the glass covering came down over the open top of the pod and the engine came to life. She turned in time to see Jake running at her.

He didn't know her intentions of activating an escape pod without her inside it, but he knew she had a plan, and he had to prevent it from happening. She met him halfway and with a kick to his legs, Riley prevented him from reaching the pod in time. She dropped down onto him as a final attempt to stall him, and watched as the pod shot out of port and into space. She smiled as darkness engulfed her, sending her into a spiraling tunnel of black abyss.

------

Heero cautiously made his way down the stairs with his back pressed up against the wall. He barely breathed, listening for any sign of movement from below. There had been none thus far, but he was still wary.

What am I doing going down here? he thought. All I'm doing is digging myself in deeper. I know there's a trap waiting for me down here. Nobody would be so stupid as to leave Vienna unattended.

He stepped down from the final step and stopped. He stood listening, waiting for any sign of movement. He heard the slight shuffle of someone shifting their position and then a groan mixed with a depressing sigh. Vienna. He started moving forward again, his eyes flicking back and forth, searching for any sign of movement in the shadows of the prison cells. He tightened his grip on the automatic pistol he held in his hand. He looked into each cell, hoping Vienna would be in any of them. He wasn't sure which she was in, but he knew she had to be down here.

He heard the shuffling again and stopped. Silence reigned for the next two minutes as Heero stood as still as a statue, waiting -waiting for anything that would reveal to him that someone was down there.

---

Vienna shifted her position on the uncomfortable cot and groaned as her aching body protested. She sighed and stared up at the ceiling. She was tired, but she couldn't seem to fall asleep. She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of her breathing -and the sound of someone stealthily making their way to her prison cell. She frowned and her eyes narrowed. That isn't Katana or Daryn, she thought. If it were, they would be walking with more determination than that. No, this is someone who isn't supposed to be down here. Maybe Jake? She pushed Jake from her mind. No, it can't be Jake. He seems to have Katana's trust, so he wouldn't be trying to help me. But then who? She moaned, pushing herself into a sitting position. Oh well. Whoever said curiousity killed the cat can bite me; I wanna know who it is, no matter how much it kills me. Groggily, she got to her feet, but instantly stumbled into the wall on her left. She closed her eyes, waiting for her head to stop spinning. Her breathing was coming in short gasps, and her body was slightly shaking. "Darn weak body," she grumbled under her breath. She moved to the cell door using the wall as a crutch. She stopped at the door and stood shakily, waiting. She heard nothing for a few moments, but then she heard it again; they were just around the corner. She held her breath as she saw the head of a shadow come into view. She herself was hidden in shadows, but she wished she could become invisible nonetheless. The head became a body, and before long the person stepped into view. Vienna squinted, trying to make out who it was. Blast the poor lighting, she thought wryly. The person glanced into her cell, didn't see her, and kept going. As they drew further away Vienna was certain that the person was a male. Actually, he looked rather familiar to her. Her eyes widened when she noticed him raise his left hand higher; he held a pistol in that hand.

"Heero?" Vienna gasped out, barely above a whisper. She knew it was wishful thinking that someone was there to help get her out, but still; the outline looked so much like him that she couldn't help but hope.

The figure whipped around, looking left and right, searching the shadows. She could almost imagine his familiar eyes: narrowed, looking into every nook and cranny, searching.

Vienna smiled for the first time in a long while and a quiet laugh of relief escaped her lips. "You really are Heero, aren't you?" she said, louder this time.

"Where are you?"

"Here." Vienna stuck her hand out between two bars and waited for him to see it. He strode purposefully to her, still keeping an eye out for any sign of a trap. When she saw him coming, Vienna let her hand fall to her side and, not being to stand any longer, let herself slump to the floor.

He saw her drop and quickened his steps. He crouched down beside her, faintly seeing the shape of her in the shadows. "Are you seriously hurt?"

"Not really. I have some cuts and bruises, my head's throbbing, and my body aches, but other than that, no; I'm absolutely peachy."

Heero grunted. "I'm glad you still have your sense of humour."

Vienna smiled half-heartedly. "Let me tell ya, it's hard living in these surroundings." She reached up to rub her forehead. "So, how do you plan on getting me out of here?"

Heero hesitated. I don't have a plan, he thought to himself. Not anymore.

"You don't have a plan, do you?" She sighed and crawled away from the wall so she could sit in the dismal available light. She watched as a flicker of concern flashed across his eyes before disappearing. No matter how much you may change, you'll always be the same Heero Yuy, won't you? she thought sadly. She sat Indian-style and placed her hands in her lap. She smiled. "So tell me, I know you didn't come here alone. Are the others here?"

"Some of them, but somehow word of our plan got out and now the Rebellion knows we're here." He straightened and started testing the bars and doorframe. "Are you sure there isn't any weakness in this door whatsoever?"

Vienna shrugged. "I've tried, but you're stronger than me, so maybe you can do something."

Heero pulled sharply at each bar before moving down to the lock on the door. He frowned. The only way the door could be opened was by computer; there was no lock at all. He remembered seeing a keypad near the staircase, but he didn't know the code to unlock the doors. Then again, who ever said trying never helped? "I'll be back."

A sadness engulfed Vienna as she watched him start walking away from her. It had been so long since she had spoken with any of her true friends. She crawled back to the cot and climbed up onto it. Though she didn't lie down, as soon as she rested her head against the wall, she fell asleep peacefully knowing Heero was there trying to find a way to get her out.

------

Katana smirked, staring happily at her older sister and brother-in-law as they stood before her, hands tied and held at gunpoint. WuFei was fixing her with a glare; Meiran's face was unreadable. She turned to one of her soldiers and signaled for him to follow her outside for a moment. He quickly followed her from the room.

"Yes, Commander?" The soldier saluted her smartly.

"I want you to fetch me Jackson, and tell him to bring the M.C.D. with him," Katana said. "I want him to be here by the time one of my teams' return with Vienna and Yuy. Oh, and while you're at it, after you give the message to Jackson, I want you to find out what's holding Rawthorne. He should have been back here with that Barton girl by now."

"Yessir, er, ma'am. I'll get right to it."

Katana rolled her eyes at the soldier's retreated back. "Idiots," she mumbled as she walked back into the control room.

------

Sammy Becker yawned widely, his jaw popping as he did so. It had been a long night sitting there in that small fighter ship. There wasn't much room to move in there, and he had been in there for over twenty-four hours.

A sudden beeping on the screen jerked him fully awake and he looked to the green radar screen before him. His eyes widened in surprise, and quickly turned on the intercom connecting his ship to his friend Carlos Rivera's fighter ship. "Carlos, is your radar screen picking up an escape pod coming from the Granger space station coordinates?

A buzzing sound was all he heard until his friend picked up: "Yeah, but there's only one. We were expecting two, and they weren't to be expected for another half-hour or so."

Sammy frowned. "Do a heat scan of the pod and see if anyone's inside."

Carlos didn't reply for five minutes. "Negative for any signs of a life form. Think it's a sign that they need help?"

"It's as good an SOS as we're ever gonna get. I'm going to contact Lady Une." He disconnected from Carlos and contacted Lady Une at Preventers HQ.

"Lady Une speaking," came the feminine and aristocratic voice of the woman he had come to admire greatly.

"Lady Une, this is Fighter Pilot 0036, Sammy Becker. I think there's been some trouble on the Granger space station."

------

Jake Rawthorne turned sharply around a corner, almost colliding with a lowly soldier who seemed to be in a hurry. "Watch it, kid," he snapped.

The soldier stumbled back a step and looked up into his face. He recognized his superior and jumped to attention. "Message from Commander Rosco, sir." The soldier's eyes traveled from Jake's face down to the unconscious girl in his arms.

Rawthorne walked past the soldier and called to him over his shoulder, "Yes, I know. I'm wanted in the control room with Riley, correct?"

The soldier blinked. "Er, yessir."

"Well, I'm on my way, so you can just go back to your little job or whatever it is you do around here."

The control room was only a short distance away, but Riley was heavier than she looked, and she was weighing him down. He shifted her in his arms and kicked the door. He stepped back and waited for someone to open it for him.

"Stop making all that noise, Duo," Riley muttered, slowly coming awake.

Jake looked down at her, not sure whether to laugh or feel jealous that this Duo guy seemed to be on Riley's mind. Riley's eyes slowly opened and met his. She jumped, almost causing him to drop her onto the floor. Almost instantly she reached up to her forehead and rubbed it. "Let me down, Jake," she grumbled.

The door opened, saving him from answering. A soldier held it open for him, and he could see Katana standing in the center of the room beyond. He entered, noticing the young man and woman standing not far from Katana held at gunpoint. Both of them looked at Riley and worry lines creased their foreheads.

"It's about time you got here," Katana said. She looked at Riley. "Tie her up and make her stand a good distance from these other two. She isn't of any use until Vienna gets here."

Jake frowned, but did as he was told. He tied her hands together behind her back and stepped away, but immediately rushed to her again as her knees buckled and she started to fall forward. "She needs to sit down, Katana."

Katana looked at him sharply. "Why? I told you not to seriously hurt her."

"It was either that or let it her escape. Now will you please call a medic, or if you won't give her that decency let me alt least get her arm cleaned and bandaged."

Katana didn't like the way he was talking to her, but he was one of her best and she decided to let it slide this once. "Fine. Sit her down in a chair and I'll get someone to bring you some bandages and salves."

A soldier brought Jake a chair for Riley, and she dropped into it; she groaned and leaned her head back. The soldier hurried from the room to get the supplies.

Jake watched her worriedly, not sure what to do now. He noticed the look Katana was giving him and he backed away. He leaned against the wall closest to Riley and folded his arms across his chest.

Katana stared at Jake for a minute before turning her gaze onto Riley. He couldn't be in love with her, she thought in disgust. Her gaze went back to Jake. He was watching Riley like a mother hen protecting her chicks. That's just what I need from him: a weakness, she thought grimly.

The door to the control room and Jackson bustled in followed by his young lab assistant carrying the M.C.D and the soldier carrying the medical supplies.

"Put the machine where it belongs," Katana instructed the lab assistant; the young man hurried to do her bidding. She looked at Jackson; his gaze was riveted on Riley.

Jackson turned and took the medical supplies from the soldier and went to Riley. He knelt beside her and began setting out the supplies next to him.

"Get off your knees, Jackson," Katana said, "one of the soldier's can bandage her arm."

Jackson looked at her. "I've had some experience with medicine. Your soldiers we're trained to kill, not heal."

Katana's lip straightened into a thin line at his obvious dismal. "I said, get off your knees," she commanded. When he ignored her, her eyes grew with a furious intensity. "Now!"

He began to wind an ACE bandage around the girl's arm with special care. When he finished, he looked up at Riley with a smile. "All done," he said softly.

Her emerald green eyes met his and she smiled back. "Thank you, uh, Jackson, isn't it?"

He nodded. "You can call me Jack."

"Jackson, get away from her!" Katana shouted. "You have a job to do, now get to it before I have you shot!"

Jackson calmly got to his feet and turned to face her. "You won't kill me no matter how much I bother you. I am the only one who knows how to thoroughly work the machine, so keep your idle threats to yourself." He pushed past the soldier's making their way forward to restrain him. He patiently began to hook the M.C.D to the main computers, feeling the icy stare Katana was giving him.

Katana was seething. How dare he talk to her that way! Angrily, she grabbed a soldier by his collar and jerked him off his feet, slamming him into a wall. "Go and find out what's keeping that team from bring Yuy and Chang to me. I want them here now, and if they aren't here in the next eight minutes, rest assured you will not live to see tomorrow."

The soldier squirmed out of her grasp and stumbled for the door. He rushed from the room, leaving his furious leader behind.

------

The sound of the intercom system built into the jet dragged Trowa from his nap. He looked around through half-closed eyes at the others: Duo was sleeping soundly in the seat across the aisle, beside him Quatre was asleep with a peaceful smile on his face, and Hilde, the only other person awake, was looking out the window in thought.

"Jet 304, come in, please."

The pilot pushed a button, accepting the call. "Is something the matter, tower?"

"I have a message for your passengers from Lady Une of Preventers."

Trowa unbuckled his seatbelt and walked to the cockpit. The pilot looked up at him, and Trowa nodded for him to tell the tower to refer the message.

"Proceed, tower," the pilot replied.

"Roger. They are to contact Lady Une at headquarters. She says it's urgent."

"Roger that, tower. Thank you." The pilot waited for the tower to hang up before following suit.

Trowa sat in the co-pilots seat and dialed the number for Preventers HQ. Une picked it up and her face appeared on the video screen. She smiled in relief seeing Trowa, but he could tell she was worried about something; his heart seemed to skip a beat. "What's the matter, Lady Une?"

She frowned. "One of the two men we sent to keep an eye on the Granger station reported half an hour ago that an escape pod had been ejected from the station. There was only one, and it showed negative for any sign of life. We've come to believe that it was a sign that Heero and the others are in trouble."

Trowa's heart went into his throat. Riley was part of Heero's team. Was she in danger; was she hurt, and what of WuFei and Meiran? "What do you plan to do?"

"We're going to send in back-up, but Noin said that you four would want to go with them."

Trowa nodded. "Yes, we would."

"I believed you would. Tell the pilot of your jet to change his flight plan. Have him fly to headquarters where you and the others will board a shuttle heading for Granger. I'll alert all towers of your flight change, and that you will be allowed to fly at the fastest rate possible. I will make certain nothing holds you back."

"Thank you, Lady Une."

"I'm just sorry I couldn't bring you better news, Trowa. I'll see you all when you arrive." She disconnected and the screen went black.

Trowa sat back in the chair, and after a moment's pause looked at the pilot. He smiled half-heartedly at Trowa. "I'll do as she says. We should arrive there within three or so hours."

Trowa nodded absently and walked into the main cabin of the jet. He would have to report what Une had told him to the others. But as he looked up, he found that his three friends were already awake.

------

"Vienna, wake up."

Vienna grunted irritably, not wanting to leave her peaceful slumber. "Go away, I'm tired," she muttered.

"We don't have time for you to be lazy," the voice said, more urgently this time. The person shook Vienna's shoulders in an effort to wake her.

"Fine, fine, I'm awake," she mumbled. She cracked her eyes open and saw a figure looming over her. She let out a startled shriek and slammed up against the wall, jerking herself fully awake with a painful jolt. She winced and rubbed her forehead. "Ouch. That hurt."

"Am I going to have to carry you?"

Vienna looked up at the person who had startled her and her eyes widened in shock. "Heero!? H-how did you-" She looked past him to see the cell door wide open. She looked back at him. "How did you get the door open?"

He hauled her to her feet and let her lean on him for support. "No time to explain. We have to leave now. It was almost too easy to crack the code." He let her figure out the meaning behind his words. She caught his meaning quickly.

"Then what are we walking so slowly for?" she exclaimed. "Let's get moving." With a sudden burst of strength, she managed to hold her own weight without leaning on Heero and started walking purposefully to the staircase that would lead them out.

Though he didn't show it, Heero was surprised at the strength she had somehow managed to attain in a few short minutes. He easily fell into step beside her, both quickening their steps. He helped her up the stairs, ignoring her protests that she could do it herself, and they reached the top of the stairs within two minutes. Heero held her back and placed his ear to the door, listening for any sound of movement. Hearing none, he cautiously pushed the door open and stepped out into the corridor. He held his automatic pistol in his right hand and with his left held onto Vienna's wrist, pulling her after him.

They started down the corridor keeping their eyes peeled for anything that could signify an attack. There were none, that is until various soldiers dropped out of the air ducts and hidden doorways, surrounding them in a matter of seconds.

"Blast it," Heero muttered under his breath. He counted the soldiers, coming up with a sum of twenty men.

"Look's like we aren't going anywhere," Vienna said darkly. No matter how hard she had held onto that one slim chance of freedom, it had slipped through her fingers, and she knew no matter how hard she and Heero fought, they were outnumbered by far.

"We suggest you drop your weapons," one of the soldiers's said from behind Heero, "and come quietly. We've been given explicit orders to keep you both in one piece."

Heero glared at him. Vienna looked at him and shook her head. "Just drop your gun, Heero," she said quietly. He looked at her, and she could see the anger burning in his eyes. She held his gaze. "I'm not strong enough to fight them, and twenty men will no doubt take you down in less than two minutes. There's no chance of us winning, so why waste your strength?"

The soldier that had spoken earlier watched Heero closely. He had heard plenty of this young man: he had been a Gundam pilot, had a strong will and determination, and didn't back down from fights very often. This was why he was surprised when he heard the sound of Heero's gun dropping to the floor. He looked at the young man in surprise, and a sudden ghost of a chill ran through him at the intense burning hate in the man's eyes. He looked to the girl. How had she, a small girl a few years younger than the ex-pilot, managed to restrain his anger? He hesitated before motioning for some of his men to tie their prisoners' arms behind their backs.

Heero glared at the soldier's that came close. "Lay a hand one me and I will kill you," he said gravely, his tone of voice bring all the soldiers to a halt. "I give you my word I won't run. If you don't believe me, it's your death."

The soldier's looked at one another before falling into a tightly knit line around Vienna and Heero. The procession made their way to the control room.

Vienna looked at Heero. "Try to keep your temper in check, Heero. If you let it get the better of you, you'll only make matters worse," she whispered low enough for him alone to hear. "Promise me that when we get to where ever we're going, you will not make any attempt to protect me. If you do so, you will only make it worse for Riley and me. Promise me, Heero."

He looked down at her angrily, furious that she would ask such a thing of him. She continued to look back at him, unaffected by his glare. How was it he could frighten any grown man, but he couldn't scare a girl not a day over eighteen?

"Heero," she said with a hint of warning in her voice. Her own gaze hardened. "Promise me."

He cursed under his breath and looked away from her. He didn't reply for a few minutes, but soon looked back at her to make sure she was defiant in what she was saying. Her brown eyes showed him she stood firm in what she had said. He growled, but gave a slow nod of consent. "As you wish."

--*--

I know I say this every time, but -I'm sorry this took so long! As it grows closer and closer to the end, it gets harder to write because I have to get every fact down right. I hope you guys enjoyed it!