Quatre’s face flashed up on the screen. “Come on in!” He invited cheerfully as the lush meadow grass opened up like a huge elevator door.
A mischievious grin flashed on her face. “You asked for it!” She yelled as her suit ran forward, she dived into the pit and just when the floor was inching closer to the viewing screen. She saw Quatre’s face turn white he screamed “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND??” She flipped the suit feet first with the snap of the wrist and hit the boosters and slowly floated down to the ground. She laughed as she saw Junior enter. He flew in like her, face first. She could hear the other original Gundam pilots gasp as Junior’s suit stopped inches from the ground. It slowly turned and landed on his feet.
“Will you guys ever grow up?!?” Quatren asked trying to surpress the big smile at the joke they played. Her suit flew into the hangar properly and set easily on her feet.
“Ahh c’mon Kat…Y’know you liked it…” Hera laughed.
“Yeah but you almost gave poor Quatre a heart attack…” The blond girl admitted, sticking out her lower lip in mock sympathy.
The other two suits did an easy touch down and formed an extended line. The suits powered down and the pilots hopped out all of them yelled across to the next, forgetting about their visors. “I think the water helped her!” Hera yelled to Junior and they all jumped down from thier suits smiling and laughing as they clung on to one another.
“I liked that dive Junior…whatcha call that?” Hera laughed.
Junior put a finger to his mouth and looked like he was concentrating too hard. “I…think…I’ll call it the Hera’s jump to hell!” He said as he waved a fingure in the air. “And what about that one you did? That was pretty cool.” He said as he jabbed a elbow into her side.
“I think I’ll call it the Maxwell’s dive to heaven!” She yelled as she jumped up in the air and plugged her nose pretending to do a cannon ball. She landed in squatting position in front of a flustered and angry Quatre. “Oh hey Quatre.” she said cheerfully as she stood.
“What the HELL were you trying to prove, pulling shit like that! You could’ve been killed, and you probably would’ve taken the rest of us with you for your recklessness!” He yelled, his face turning red as he ranted on. “How you could be so careless is beyond my belief!” He took a deep breath as he continued “How you Could be Heero’s daughter’s is BEYOND my imagination.” He stopped, He looked at Hera who’s face had contorted. Shit I’ve gone to far… he paniked as he looked at Hera who looked like she was going to kill him. She raised her fist and struck him in the face.
“You may be a Gundam Pilot and You may be a great hero but the one thing that I will not stand for is people that say those things about me and my father. You can go to hell Quatre Raberba Winner for all I care.” She yelled at him. She turned her back on him and started to walk towards her suit. She grabbed a hold of the wire to the cockpit and hoisted herself up. She sat in the cockpit and slumped back into her seat. Papa! I miss you so much! She screamed in her mind as she cringed at the headache she was getting. It throbbed and she closed her eyes and waited for it to pass.
“Hera…” She heard a voice say.
“What do you want?” She asked darkly not able to look up from the dials.
“I wanted to ask you some questions.” It was Heero.
“Well, I’m not really in the mood. I have to get some work done.” She said as she looked around at the controlls. She flipped the switch to the fuel line and the screen flashed up in front of her.
“Why’d you hit Quatre after he said that?” Heero asked ignoring her remark.
“I didn’t like what he said. I never like it when people remark about my father and me. I had to do it.” She said flippantly as she squinted to aliviate some pain the headache was giving her. “Laugh if you like.” she added.
“Why are you so proud that you have…er…”
“You as a father?” she interrupted.
“Yeah. I’ve done some pretty regretable things in the past and I know I’ll have more in the future.” He reasoned.
“Yeah I Know. I gotta get to work.” she said trying to message her temples to take the headache away.
“Okay.” He said as he hopped down from the suit. I have only really known her for a bit and still I feel like she knows me. He thought. He walked out of the hangar and down the hallway to the kitchen where all the other pilots where. They gathered around the kitchen table as Quatre held ice up to his already swollen jaw.
“Are you okay?” Heero asked.
“Yeah…I shouldn’t have said those things to her. I think that I deserved that punch.” He whinced as he talked. “Can I go talk to her?” He asked removing the ice pack to show the blue lump on the side of his jaw.
“nononono…” Junior and Duo both said and shook their head at the same time. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” They both said in perfect unision.
Yeah, if she’s anything like Heero, all she needs is a little…um what’s the word?” He looked at Junior msicheiviously. Junior looked dumbly at Duo.
“What?” Junior asked. “all I would do is leave her alone…she’d kick my ass for bothering her.” He added.
“Ohh…really…When Heero is really angry what cheers him up is a little…urm…extracurricular activities…” Duo chuckled. Heero glanced at him and started to give him his murderous glare.
“Ohh no…you’ve got Our relationship wrong…it’s not like that…” Junior said as he recovered himself from almost falling off the chair.
“What, is she a lesbian?” Duo asked bluntly.
Junior gawked at the bluntness that he showed. “Ohh no…she’s much to much a…a…female than that.” He stuttered as he heard his other companions stiffle their laughter. He got out of his chair and walked out of the room and down the hall towards the hangar. He considered what Duo had said. Sex?? Would it do something for her?? He argued in his mind. He laughed as he dissmissed the crazy notion.
“Hey tigger-chan…can I come up?” Junior yelled from the feet of the Black Wing suit. No answer. “Tigger-chan, I’m coming up!” He warned as he took hold of the wire and stuck his foot in the handle as it lifted off. He stepped up inside of the cockpit and looked at the girl who was sleeping in the cockpit. He rubbed the stray hair out of her face. Even in sleep she looks like a soldier, he thought.
Her eyes opened and she stared at him. “I don’t know if I can do this Duo…I…this is our first serious mission and I’m scared that if I fail it…I can never return to my father…imagine the shame. I’ve lived in my father’s shadow too long and I’m sure that if I return unsuccessful then I’ll really be engulfed…and I know I’ll be forgotten…” She put her hands to her face.
She’s never used my real name. Something’s seriously gone wrong here. She’s never this unsure. She was in such a good mood. He thought frowning to himself. What did Heero say? He wondered.
“Tiger-chan…I’ll never forget you…and who said we’re going to fail this damn mission? Because I sure as hell won’t.” He said trying to grab her hands away from her face.
She pushed him away. “Don’t call me that Duo.” She growled.
“Well, don’t call me that and I won’t call you that. I hate it when I’m called by my real name. It makes me feel like I’ve done something wrong…” He said quickly twisting the end of his braid nervously. He glanced at her. She’s smiling! He though happily as a smile went over his own face. “Don’t ever say that again, don’t ever, ever doubt our mission because I’ve got your back.” He said trying not to sound corny.
“But Junior…” She said as she let her hands slump to her sides.
“No…Don’t you dare say anymore or I’ll chuck you off this god damn gundam head first. So shut the fuck up.” Juniour said amusingly as he put a finger to her lips.
She smiled at him. “I think that’s a challenge…” She muttered.
“Really…I didn’t think so but what did you have in mind?” He chuckled.
She got up and walked out of the cockpit and took the wire and scaled down. “Ohh no…” He muttered. She wants to do it…He slapped his forehead for his carelessness.
To be Continued