There was no sight of Heero during the night, but what Quatre was concerned about was Marilyn's husband. He ran as fast as he could from that house. He slept on the ground when he wore out, waking to early morning; what time was unknown.
He sat up, looking around. In an instant, Heero came to his mind. He could be still out here. With a still achy head, Quatre stood up. He was alone, with cold spots on his body from his slumber on the ground.
Marilyn's husband never came after him, if it was a good thing, he didn't know. He could always call for the OZ soldiers. The only advantage that he had was Heero's gun and that his Gundam was a few miles away, hidden. If he could find where the heck he was, he could get to his Gundam and find Heero.
He had a feeling Heero was going to do the same as he was. Only one thing: Heero knew where he was since the crash. Quatre was taken to a place where he had no idea on where he was and how far he was taken. He had to find that out himself.
He started off his search for Heero. He kept a careful eye out watching the foliage, and looked in the distance for the Japanese boy. He went on for an hour, finding nothing. He called out his name, and listened for an answer, but nothing came, just like before. There was no way he was going to let the OZ soldiers get away with this, breaking up the Gundam pilots like this. He wouldn't let it come true; over his dead body. He liked the other pilots, even if he always wasn't used to them fully, but they had some things in common. They got together once in a while and became a team. He wasn't willing to let a part of the team diminish.
Heero was a friend, even if he was silent and cold sometimes. Quite a few of them were like that.
Quatre soon came to a hill that acted like a wall to his search. It was steep, like the one he had fallen from. It may have been. He looked up at it, trying to remember if he recognized anything from it. There wasn't much to remember from. Colonies and space stations he could remember, but such a small thing as a hill, he had trouble with.
The walked along the bottom of it, searching still. He looked for evidence that showed him if this was the same hill. The motorcycle itself, footprints, blood even would help. The area was rural, which didn't help the space-born boy. He wasn't prepared with a place like this.
Something shinny caught his eye. He walked over to it, by a tree base. It was a mirror off of a motorcycle. It looked like the side mirror off of the one he and Heero were riding. The ground around the site was torn.
Could it be the same spot? Did he actually find the site where they crashed? He hoped so. While studying the area, Quatre heard: "Quatre!" He turned his head and saw Marilyn running towards him.
Quatre jolted. Her husband couldn't be with her! Don't let him follow.
"Quatre, it's okay!" She went up to his side and put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you all right?"
He didn't look her in the face. "Is this where you found me? If it isn't, show me where."
"This is where I found you," she said.
He lifted his head and looked around. "Heero has to be around." He took a step aside, ready to start a serious search.
"I said I was going to help you, so I will."
Quatre looked at her. "You don't have to, please. You will just get into trouble. I don't want you to get involved. It's up to me now to find my friend, thank you anyway. You've already done enough for me." As he took a step to start off, she grabbed his arm.
"Two are better than one while on a wild goose chase," she said to him.
He blinked at her. He wasn't sure if this was a good idea. "You shouldn't," he said. "There are OZ soldiers around."
"OZ soldiers that would love to capture a Gundam pilot. Let me help you, Quatre."
"Why would you?"
"I was once a part of the war, on the Federation's side," she said. "Plus, I don't see you the way others do."
"What do you see me as?"
"A kid wrapped up in a war, with a skill beyond his age. I have a feeling you're different than what people really think of you."
He blinked at her again. He thought that she was a woman smarter than she was credited for. She looked beyond the outside.
"If you want to help, you can." he said finally. "You shouldn't though, but if you insist, go ahead."
She nodded to him. "Heero, is it?"
"Uh-huh."
"Marilyn!" a man's voice shouted. Quatre looked over to see Marilyn's husband running towards them.
Oh no, he said to himself. He kept his hand by his vest and stepped to the side, away from the man. Marilyn's husband grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away.
"Stay away from that Gundam pilot," he said.
"Jason, stop it." Marilyn said, looking back at him.
"He'll hurt you if you go near him," he said. "These Gundam pilots aren't trustworthy. They'll shoot you for being in their path."
"You're wrong," Quatre said. "I would never hurt an innocent person that means me no harm."
"Is that true? Believe it or not, some of the OZ soldiers you killed were innocent, just doing what they were told."
"To attack and destroy the Gundams and their pilots," Quatre snapped back at him. "No one would stand by and let someone try and destroy their very being. There's no other way. They won't listen!"
"That's because you shoot first!"
"No," Quatre protested. "You're just like them. Listen to yourself."
The man glowered at him. "I'm not going to let someone like you run amuck around here. I'll have to turn you to the OZ soldiers, where you belong."
Quatre side stepped. He wasn't listening at all.
Quatre watched as he shoved Marilyn aside. He ran at him, and grabbed him by the arm. Quatre dug under his vest for the gun. He held it up, but the man grabbed his wrist and held it up. They struggled, but the man overpowered him. He snatched the gun from Quatre's hand. With his free hand, he put his arm against Quatre's neck and pinned him against his body. Quatre squirmed to get away.
"Hold still."
"Quatre!" Marilyn called.
"Let go of me," Quatre said, trying to get out of his grip. "Let go!"
"Hold it." The man put the gun to his head.
A few seconds later, to Quatre's good luck, a loud rustle came from the center of the forest in the distance. The three of them looked out, to see the tops of the trees rustling and birds flying off in a hurry. They watched as a giant, humanoid robot erupted from the forest. It was a Gundam. Heero's Gundam! It shot towards them. Marilyn's husband behind him loosened up his grip, being surprised by the machine. He stared in shock at it.
The Gundam landed on the ground, by the trio. The arm of the machine lowered an equally giant rifle and pointed it at the man and Quatre.
"Let him go," Heero's voice said from the machine.
With the man distracted, Quatre bolted to the Gundam, but stopped. He turned and ran to Marilyn, grabbing her arm. He ran with her to the Gundam's foot.
"Drop the gun," Heero said.
He did as told, and put his hands up.
"Quatre, you all right?"
"Yeah. How about you?"
"I've live."
The cockpit of the Gundam's chest opened, revealing Heero Yuy sitting. Quatre looked up at him. "I'm glad to see you." he said.
"Come on, Quatre, I'll take you to you're Gundam."
Quatre looked at Marilyn. "I'm going now. Take care of yourself."
"You too, Quatre." she replied. "Good-bye."
Quatre trotted over to Marilyn's husband and took up the gun. The man was still frozen in fear. Quatre ran back over to the Gundam. Heero shut the cockpit, and lowered the body of it down. The hand of the machine came to Quatre's feet, waiting for him to step on.
Quatre stepped up and then was lifted up to its height. He was carried off into the forest, in the palm of its hand.
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