Disclosure:
As always I own neither Gundam Wing nor any of its characters.
Warnings:
PG-13, 3x4, 1+2 (implied), 5+S (Implied), AU, Angst, Lime, Sap.
(‘*’
Denotes conversation through a telepathic link)
A/N: A big thank you to Anne for beta reading this for me and for sorting out my terrible grammar ^_^
Part
One
Trowa gazed out of Peacemillion’s window, studying the squadron of mobile suits, as they exited the hanger on yet another mission. His gaze wandered from the activity outside to survey the reflection of the room behind him. Heero and Duo sat together reading through various mission logs while Wufei lay sprawled across a chair, book in hand, though he seemed to be having trouble concentrating with Duo’s constant commentary.
All four pilots glanced up as Noin entered the control room. ‘An unidentified mobile suit is heading in our direction. There's only one so it's possible it could be the suit that’s been attacking colonies recently. You should all stand by, if that’s the case…you’ll be needed.’
The boys nodded. ‘Do you have a visual?’ Trowa asked; it always paid to know what you were up against in a fight, and to never underestimate your enemies. It was something the Preventer leadership tended to do far too frequently, in his opinion, especially when it came to recent outbreak of unrest throughout the Earth sphere.
Noin nodded. ‘The troops are attempting to lure it closer so that we can get a visual confirmation on it as well as some read-outs. If it is the new mobile suit the White Fang are using we’ll need the data on it.’ Trowa nodded, moving toward the vid-screen, the others following suit.
They did not have long to wait as a couple of minutes later the screen flashed into life showing the Preventer troops in formation. ‘This is Squad A; target is in sight and closing rapidly. Permission to engage the enemy?’
Noin stepped forward. ‘Permission granted, Squad A. Eliminate the target!’
‘Roger!’ The answer came as the mobile suits moved forward.
Trowa strained to try and focus on the rapidly approaching suit; something wasn’t right, it was fast…recklessly so. Was it a mobile doll? No… something about the erratic way the suit moved said it wasn’t. Trowa went cold -.
‘This isn’t right…’ Duo voiced Trowa’s concerns. ‘That suit is too quick; no ordinary pilot could withstand that kind of speed.’
‘But… it couldn’t be a Gund….’ Noin’s remark was interrupted as the audio came to life again.
‘Holy shit! This is Squad A strike leader to command, I-its a Gundam!!’ The squad leader swore as they watched the suit slam into the middle of the Preventer suits, ‘Command! I repeat we are being attacked by a Gundam, but… I’ve never seen anything so powerful; it's completely different to our suits, wait…’
They all mirrored the pilot’s confusion as the suit came to a stop and allowed the Preventer suits to surround it. ‘What the hell is he doing?’ Duo shouted at the vid-screen. Trowa wondered the same thing; he could see no tactical advantage in allowing the enemy to surround him like that unless…
He took a sharp breath in. ‘Get them to move back!’
Noin turned to him, surprise evident on her face ‘What…’
It was too late.
Trowa winced. ‘He’s going to self-detonate.’
Noin gasped and rushed forward to give the withdraw command when the vid-screen flashed and the picture changed.
The vid-screen showed the inside of a Gundam cockpit, but it was unlike anything they had ever seen before.
The pilot was not seated in a chair as usual, but instead seemed to be strapped to the wall of the Gundam. His body was upright, his arms spread out to his sides, fixed to the wall of the cockpit using metal clasps. His legs were straight out beneath him - again his ankles fixed using the same method. - A silver headpiece to which wires ran from the top of the Gundam’s cockpit obscured his face.
Trowa frowned slightly, trying to make sense of the image before him. The pilot’s entire body was bathed in an almost ethereal blue light, which dimmed slightly as a command was given in a soft tenor voice.
‘Zero system disengage.’
Had he heard right? Feeling Heero stiffen as he heard the reference, Trowa watched, transfixed, as the headpiece moved up and away from the pilot’s head and piercing aqua blue eyes locked onto them.
The pilot was stunning. Pale skin, wide teal eyes, soft lips and unruly blond hair gave him a deceptive aura of youth and innocence. However anyone could see the hardness in his eyes, devoid of any emotion.
‘This is designation 04, pilot of the Gundam Nemesis. You are to surrender or be destroyed.’ The voice held no emotion as he delivered his ultimatum.
‘Who do you fight for? What makes you think we’ll just surrender to you?’ Noin demanded, her fists clenched beside her.
The pilot threw his head back and laughed; it was a chilling sound with no mirth. ‘It makes no difference who owns me.’
'It makes no difference who owns me. You will surrender or perish; those are your only choices." Trowa was struck by the odd choice of words.
Noin growled before turning to the four Gundam pilots. ‘Assist Squad A; try to keep that suit intact!’ They nodded and headed out, Trowa stopping only briefly to catch one last glimpse of the pilot.
Trowa shuddered as he guided Heavyarms out of the hanger; he had a really bad feeling about this. The other pilots seemed to share his views, and even Duo was silent, as they headed out towards the co-ordinates.
As they neared their destination, Trowa could make out the Gundam surrounded by the Preventer suits. Noin’s voice crackled over the audio. ‘Maintain present position and move in on my command.’
Her command was probably the only thing that saved their lives; Trowa had to throw his arm across his eyes as a blinding blue light erupted from the rouge Gundam. /‘So he really did it,’/ he thought. /‘It doesn’t make any sense though; he only took out one squad. He could have done that without self-detonation.’/
As the light cleared Trowa and the others surveyed the wreckage; nothing was left of the Preventer suits, but to their shock, the Gundam was still very much intact.
/Wait! Not just intact,/ Trowa thought, /but heading straight for them!/ He barely managed to pull Heavyarms out of the way as a flaming blue shotel flew past him before arching round and returning to the Gundam. His vid-screen sprang to life once again, giving him another glimpse of the pilot. This time though he did not seem so collected.
The pilot's hands were clenched in their restraints and his body seemed to be shaking uncontrollably, his breathing coming in irregular gasps as he faced Trowa. ‘Y-you can’t beat me!’ his voice was almost pleading, ‘just surrender…p-please don’t make me hurt you.’
The switch of personalities had Trowa totally baffled as he continued to regard the youth. ‘I-I don’t want to fight anymore, p-please!’ the other pilot pleaded. Suddenly the blue energy surrounding the pilot flared and the boy let out a piercing scream of agony. Throwing his head back against the metal of the cockpit wall, he gasped out a command. ‘Zero system disengage, shut down transmission link, voice confirmation 0041983.’
The blond pilot gave another cry as a fresh wave of energy engulfed him. Shuddering, he seemed to be fighting to stay conscious. ‘Nemesis initiate plan Alpha authorisation “Iria”, begin system shutdown.’ Then, as fast as the energy had surrounded him, the cockpit went black, illuminated only by the dim emergency lighting from the sides of the Gundam.
The pilot lifted his head and locked his gaze with Trowa’s. *The Gundam is defenceless, please…kill me!*
Trowa gave a start, not only from the request but from the fact the boy’s lips had not moved once while he'd spoken; he had spoken directly into Trowa’s mind. Taking one last shuddering breath, the boy collapsed, slumping down, held in place by the metal straps covering his body.
Trowa shook himself; he could think about this later. Opening his audio channel to Heero’s Gundam, he relayed that the Gundam Nemesis was inoperative, and together they returned with it to Peacemillion.
Trowa hurled himself out of his Gundam and pushed off from its side to float across to the new suit. /It’s huge/, he thought. It stood much taller than any of the other four Gundams, though it seemed almost devoid of weaponry save the shotels and something that looked like a lance attached to its back.
Trowa pushed those thoughts from his mind; he had to ensure that the pilot was okay. He had no idea why, but he was awash with fear for the other boy. It was totally irrational, but Trowa knew he was an ally, not an enemy. Something inside him instinctively trusted the blond.
Floating up to the entry hatch, Trowa hit the emergency release switch. ‘At least this is in the same place,’ he muttered. As the hatch opened Trowa caught his breath; it was one thing seeing the cockpit on a vid-screen, but quite another to actually be in it.
Quickly climbing inside, he brought his hand up to gently caress the blond’s face; he was quite simply breathtaking and almost…familiar. Turning away, Trowa forced himself to concentrate. Grasping hold of one of the metal straps, he pulled, trying to pry it from the wall. Seeing that it was no use, he began to search the cockpit for a manual release system, spinning quickly when he heard a weak moan issuing from behind him.
Aqua eyes fixed him with an accusing stare. ‘Why am I still alive? I told you to kill me.’ The commanding and arrogant tone was back in his voice.
This boy was the definition of contradiction, Trowa thought. ‘I don’t think you’re in much of a position to make demands,’ he told him.
The pilot whimpered and lowered his gaze. Bring Quatre's dialogue up here ‘I thought you…out of all people, would help me, won’t you help me, Trowa? Y-you promised!’
/Another shift in tone/, Trowa thought, until something struck him. How the hell did the pilot know his name?
The boy chuckled lightly, his eyes closing. ‘Maybe this is how it should be…’ he said cryptically.
Trowa watched in dumb fascination as the blue energy began to gather around the blond once again. Then with a snap, the clasps opened, and the pilot fell forward into Trowa’s arms.
His mind wheeling at the implications of the events over the past few minutes, Trowa strengthened his grip on the blond, and jumped down from the Gundam. Ignoring the calls from Duo, he headed straight though the door and towards the infirmary, the mysterious pilot clasped tightly against his chest. .
Sally looked up with a start as Trowa crashed through the infirmary doors. Crossing the room quickly to lay the blond on the bed. ‘He needs medical attention.’
Nodding, Sally hurried over. ‘Who is he?’
Trowa shrugged, his manner indifferent. ‘He’s a Gundam pilot…’
Sally looked up at him quickly, confusion and curiosity clearly written across her face. Further conversation was cut off when Noin and Lady Une entered, trailed by the other three pilots. Une took one look at the blond before turning to Sally. ‘Before you start, we need to restrain him. We’ve got no idea how dangerous he is.’
Trowa hissed his displeasure at her suggestion and Sally mirrored his feelings. ‘Right now I need to assess his injuries; I can’t do that with him strapped to a bed. Besides, look at the size of him. He’s hardly going to cause you much grief!’
Noin shook her head. ‘As soon as you have seen to his immediate injuries, restrain him. That harmless looking boy just took out an entire squad of Leos in one shot. He’s a Gundam pilot; don’t underestimate him!’
Sally looked displeased but relented. ‘Fine, I can’t work with all these people in here; I will restrain him once I’m done. Now everyone please, get out!’ The others turned and filled out of the room. Trowa however remained. ‘Trowa, I said…’
Trowa shook his head once moving closer to the bed. ‘I’m not leaving.’
Nodding slightly, she sighed. ‘Well if you're going to stay, make yourself useful and get that suit off him while I get my equipment,’
Trowa nodded, turning back to the blond on the bed, his eyes sweeping down the unconscious boy’s body.
He was a little shorter than average; the tight black suit the pilot wore clung to his figure revealed that, although slim, there was a definite strength about him. Contrary to initial appearances, the boy was not soft. /Not by a long way/, Trowa thought, as he ran a gentle hand across firm stomach muscles.
Shaking himself out of his inspection, he gently lifted the blond up, expecting to find the fastenings for the suit on the boy’s back, but to his surprise the outfit was just as smooth on both front and back.
He sat back for a moment. ‘How the hell did he get into this in the first place?’ he wondered, turning as Sally bustled back into the room.
‘Trowa? I though I asked you to get that off him?’
Trowa glared at her. ‘There aren’t any fastenings…I can’t get it off.’
Sally snorted. ‘Of course there has to be fastenings, Trowa. How did he get it on otherwise?’
Trowa growled; a low and menacing sound. ‘Don’t you think that’s what I’ve been trying to figure out?’ His voice was dangerous as he surveyed her.
Sally seemed to have recognised the tone, and stepping forward, she laid a hand on Trowa’s shoulder. ‘I know you're worried about him, Trowa, but don’t let your frustrations cloud your judgement.’
Trowa was about to spit back a retort when the realization hit him. Damn it…he was worried about him, really worried…but why? He shook himself again; he would have time to analyse the feelings later. Right now both Sally and the pilot needed his help.
The doctor was surveying the blond’s clothing in much the same way Trowa had a couple of minutes previously. Perplexed, she ran her hands over the boy’s body to check for seams.
Trowa felt his body tense as he watched her run her hands over the blond. /What the hell/ he thought. /Jealousy/, his mind informed him. Jealous? Of Sally? He mentally shook himself again, barely biting back a snarl of frustration caused by the emotions running unchecked though his body.
Piercing aqua eyes shook him out of his musings as a small pale hand shot up with blinding speed to catch Sally’s wrist, twisting it slightly, and making the older woman gasp in pain.
‘What are you doing?’ The blond’s tone was once again cold and commanding. He regarded Sally slowly for a moment before letting her wrist go and pushing her towards Trowa. Again, cold Aqua eyes were on him, freezing his muscles as he went to move towards the boy. ‘Where am I? What were you doing to me?’ The voice was devoid of any emotion as the pilot watched them expectantly.
Sally swallowed before taking a step forward. The blond quickly held his hand up in front of him. ‘Don’t come any closer…’ Something in his voice made Trowa put his hand on Sally’s shoulder to impede any further movement.
‘You are on the Peacemillion, a Preventer military ship. We were trying to remove your clothing to gauge any injuries you may have sustained in the fight.’
A flicker of doubt crossed the pilot’s face. ‘Why would you do this?’ His eyes narrowed suspiciously. ‘Why don’t you just kill me?’ He looked towards Trowa once again and the now familiar voice sounded again in his mind, the same desperate and frightened tone, as before. *Why didn’t you just kill me, Trowa…?*
Trowa winced at the pain that washed over his mind. He just shook his head at a loss as to what to say; the blonde looked at him sadly before turning back to Sally ‘I am a captive.’ It was a statement not a question. Sally nodded, not trusting her voice, as she warily watched the blond.
He sat quietly for a while seeming to weight up his options before again pinning them with his gaze. ‘Understood, I won’t retaliate.’ Standing up, a slightly amused look crossed his face as Sally took an instinctive step back. He shrugged once again lifting his face to regard Trowa. ‘You wanted to examine me.’ Trowa nodded again, not trusting himself to speak, as he watched the boy. Truly, he was unnerving, his calm exterior belying the panic and fear Trowa could feel stemming from him.
They watched transfixed as the pilot ran his hands across his collarbone, before coming to rest on a small device at the top of the suit. Sally gave a small gasp as an audible click could be heard and the skin-tight suit relaxed, opening at the shoulders. The pilot smirked at their reaction before peeling the suit from his skin and throwing it depreciably on the bed.
‘It is a new design of clothing designed specifically for my Gundam; it protects me from serious injury…’ Trowa saw the boy wince as he pressed his hand against his left hand side. ‘Though seemingly not all.’
Again that laugh, devoid of all mirth, chilled Trowa to his very core.
Sally instinctively moved forward as she caught the slight grimace of pain that crossed the boy’s face, ‘here…let me see that’ she said kindly. ‘By the way pilot…what’s your name?’
The boy looked up at her, confusion evident on his face. ‘N-name?’
Sally nodded as she pressed a gentle hand against his ribs, ‘I can hardly keep calling you pilot, can I?’
Again confusion crossed his features; he looked searchingly up at Trowa, as if he would explain her question to him.
‘What should we call you?’ Trowa prompted, and a slight look of comprehension crossed the blond’s face.
‘My designation is 04,
Sally looked up from her inspection. ‘Not your designation…your name. 04 is even worse than pilot.’
The mixture of pain, fear and confusion that crossed the boy’s face wrenched Trowa’s heart; he caught Sally’s eye and shook his head, his eyes warning her off the subject.
She sighed. ‘You have a couple of broken ribs,’ she told the boy. ‘I’ll need to immobilise them for a while.’ The pilot nodded, seemingly still distracted by the question she had posed, and didn't even react when she returned with bandages to wrap firmly around his chest.
Once she had finished, Sally moved across the room and picked up a syringe from the work surface. Trowa recognised the drug she had selected from the cupboard above the sink to be a mild painkiller and sedative, and therefore thought nothing of it as she approached the blond sitting on the bed.
Later he cursed himself for not taking more notice; he didn’t notice the flicker of pure terror that crossed the boy’s face as he saw Sally approach him with the needle. He also missed the slight tensing of his shoulders as the pilot shifted back from her. What he didn’t miss was Sally’s scream of agony as she reached out to the boy, and instead came into contact with the shield of energy the blond erected around his body.
Trowa reacted immediately, striding to Sally’s side and pulling her away from the boy, who watched them with dead emotionless eyes. Trowa dragged Sally from the bed and knelt beside her. ‘Are you alright?’
Sally nodded her head weakly. ‘Y-yes…it is only painful when you’re in contact with it,’ she explained as she caught her breath and watched the small pilot with awe. ‘What the hell was that?’
Trowa shook his head. He had thought the energy he’d seen on the vid-screen had come from the Gundam, but if it had come from the pilot…He shook his head again, trying to make sense of it.
The blue glow around the blond quickly faded once Trowa had moved Sally away, The pilot's eyes were accusing as he surveyed the pair on the floor. ‘Why did you do that? You're not supposed to be like them!’ His voice was small as he pulled back onto the bed, wrapping his arms round his knees.
‘Do what?’ Confusion was evident in Sally’s tone. The boy didn’t answer but merely laid his head on his knees and shut his eyes; Trowa looked at the syringe on the floor and then back at the blond when realization hit him.
He slowly got up, using much the same technique as he did on the lions at the circus where his sister worked. Moving towards the huddle shape on the bed, Trowa walked confidently towards the blond, laying his hand comfortingly on his shoulder.
Blue eyes snapped open and fearfully locked onto his, ‘W-what…’
Trowa shook his head gently. ‘It's alright; it's just a painkiller, not drugs. We won’t hurt you. Do you believe me?’
The blonde looked confused for a moment before looking down at the syringe. ‘Just a painkiller…? B-but why do you want to take away my pain’
Trowa’s heart broke as he looked down at the boy. ‘If you were injured where you were before, didn’t they help you…I mean didn’t they give you anything for the pain?’
The pilot shook his head. ‘W-what would they do that for? It would just waste resources. The medicine was needed for the troops; w-why would they give it to me?’
Trowa’s eyes flashed as the truth of the boy’s statement crashed down on him. Sally gasped from her position on the floor, her eyes filling with tears. Getting up, she moved slowly towards them, picking up the syringe on the way. ‘It’s alright, you don’t need to worry, we won’t drug you. We just want to ease the pain you must be in…trust me?’
The boy looked confused for a moment before bowing his head. Trowa could see the tears forming at the corners of his eyes, and gently slipped his arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer. ‘It’s alright, you don’t have to hold it in,’ he murmured soothingly, as the blond buried his head in Trowa’s chest. His small body shook but no tears fell. With sudden sadness Trowa wondered if he even knew how to cry.
Sally had tears in her eyes as she gently ran her hand up the boy’s arm before administering the painkiller. ‘From what I can feel, those ribs have been broken for some time. I can’t imagine the kind of pain he must have been in.’
Trowa nodded his head, his eyes burning with barely checked fury. He knew from past experience that if drugs were in short supply it was not always those most in need who received them, and finally the blond’s earlier comments began to make a little more sense.
‘It makes
no difference who owns me…’
The phrase had struck him as odd before, but now he understood. It wasn’t unheard of for boys or young men to be abducted and used as weapons in the war. The blond’s unusual powers would have been of special interest to any militaristic organisation. Trowa also knew that these unfortunate souls were treated very much as machines, and thrown away once they became ineffective.
Pain and drugs were common methods used to control such ‘recruits.’ If the boy was kept either in constant pain or drugged at all times except while piloting, it was unlikely he would be able to retaliate against his captors.
Trowa gently ran his hands across the blond’s back, his heart aching as the boy sighed and leant back into his touch. ‘It’s alright now…’ he whispered, ‘you don’t have to be afraid anymore. I’ll protect you, I promise.’ He felt the blond nod into his chest once before he went limp, his breathing becoming regular as he succumbed to his fatigue and the sedative.
Trowa gently laid him back on the bed, pulling the blanket over his body and running his hand gently across one ivory cheek before turning back to Sally. ‘Can we get a DNA sample? His records may be on the system.’ Sally nodded before leaving the room to get the equipment she needed.
Trowa continued to watch the enigma slumbering peacefully on the bed, /‘I will protect you,’/ he thought.
/'I promise.’/
TBC…
