NOTE: When you see something written in / / then it is a character's thought. Ex. /Terrible shot/ I will use this every now and then. Oh and the language and subject matter gets a bit more harsh starting in this Episode. Got a problem? No didn't think so.

Twisted Destiny
Episode 5: Carnage in Space
by Masamune


The lobby of the San Francisco hotel was dark and deserted. Quatre Raberba Winner sat on a couch near the bar working at his laptop. The other pilot was late; Quatre had decided to pass the time by researching more on his next mission. Conference at New Edwards base, the entire OZ big shot trust was supposed to be in attendance. It would be the ideal opportunity to take down OZ in one swift blow. It was such a great chance. Security would be tight however. He frowned, /The Magnacs would have been a great help/, he thought sadly to himself. A figure entered the lobby. He was wearing a dark black outfit and had a baseball hat pulled down over his head. He looked around the lobby until he noticed Quatre looking at him. Switching his carrying hand he walked over to Quatre, suitcase swinging behind him.

Duo looked his blonde comrade over. /Sort of cute, in that preppy, sweet kind of way/ he thought to himself. He put his bag down and took a seat near Quatre.

"So you're the guy I'm supposed to do the job with?" he asked, keeping his voice down.

"Yes. My name is Quatre Raberba Winner. You are the pilot of one of the other Gundams, I assume." He paused. "It wouldn't happen to be a red one would it?"

"Psh, I would never pilot anything red. I'm the pilot of Deathscythe. I destroyed that search fleet near Japan. It's good to meet you, Quatre." The two shook hands.

"We are going to be here for a little while, the conference isn't for another two days."

Duo leaned back in his seat. "Yeah. Listen I'm going down to the bar, want anything to drink?"

"Like alcohol you mean?" Quatre asked in a semi- stunned voice.

"Well yeah, what did you think I meant?"

"No thanks. I'm fine," the Arab pilot responded. Duo got up to find the hotel bar. "By the way, what's your name?" Quatre asked.

"Duo Maxwell," the American replied. "But you can call me Shinigami."

"Any questions? Kaiser? Zechs?"

The two OZ soldiers looked at each other. They each had their fair share of questions but only some were appropriate to ask Treize. Zechs had flown in to Luxembourg early that evening and it was now closing on midnight.

"How did you manage to create the Zodiac mobile suit from those Mirage blueprints?" Kaiser Soldat asked. "I thought the blueprints were incomplete. And neither of us are psychics."

Treize leaned forward and put his hands to his side. "Major Soldat. I know that only the pilot who calls himself Shadow and his four friends are capable of piloting that suit. But the Zodiac is based on the rough blueprint OZ recovered. What was lacking we added the very best that OZ could offer. The suit has a speed of a Taurus, the fire power of many Leos, underwater capabilities, all terrain and weather compatibility as well as incredible defense."

"So you basically threw in parts from the existing OZ suits?" Zechs asked inquisitively.

"Hah, of course not!" Lady Une's voice cut the air like a knife. "The Zodiac is state of the art. We just didn't throw a mish-mash of things onto an old design."

"Lady please. There is no need to use such a tone with either one of these men. By the way, whom did you send to take care of that ambassador?"

Treize's rebuke caught Lady Une off guard. To her it seemed that lately Mr. Treize was getting more upset at her frequently. "I'm sorry sir," she replied dejected. "I sent a subordinate of mine, Lt. Nichol, he is quite reliable. I'm sure he will get the job done."

"So when are the suits going to be ready?" Kaiser asked as he shifted in his chair. Long meetings had never been his idea of a good time, especially when Lady Une attended. "I think I'll end up with that Shadow fellow after what he did to the London dockyard."

"Sorry Kaiser," Treize said. "You'll have to wait another month or so before the Tallgeese is ready. But you will be able to get your revenge."

Kaiser frowned. /I don't want revenge/ He just knew that as soon as he got his new mobile suit he would be sent out to destroy the masked man. In fact he only fought as a soldier because it was his only real skill.

Treize turned to Zechs, his old friend. "The Zodiac is waiting near Nairobi, you will rendezvous with Lt. Noin and Lt. Otto there."

"Noin?" the masked pilot seemed stunned for a moment.

"Hm. My dear Zechs, you seem surprised. Remember that Lt. Noin graduated from Victoria Academy second in her class, next to you."

"I actually spoke to Noin just before this meeting," Kaiser added. "She was the one that caught the Gundam pilot at Lake Victoria. She told me to give you her regards, Zechs."

Lady Une stood up and opened the door. "Lt. Zechs, your flight is departing shortly," she said in forced humility.

Zechs stood up and walked to the door, not giving the men in the room a chance to speak.

Chang Wufei awoke to the sound of gunfire and the smell of smoke. He had a throbbing headache and felt bruised and beaten. Slowly he got to his feet and glanced around his cell. Sounds of people running and an occasional far-off explosion reached him through the cell door.

"Sounds like someone has come to rescue me," he muttered, removing the dirty bandage that was wrapped around his head. "But I'm sure that in this confusion it'll be easy for me to get out. In drastic situations the weak do not react well." He lay on the floor of his cell, placing the still blood stained cloth on his back. He lay and waited.

"You do know that those guys that attacked you at Corsica were on our side?" Alex asked the ever silent Trowa.

It had been a quiet, and boring drive. Trowa had been at the wheel for almost thirteen hours straight. It was beginning to show. The young pilot had bags under his emerald eyes. Alex could tell that he hadn't gotten sleep in quite some time.

"It doesn't matter," Trowa said, his voice was hoarse. "They threatened me first. And besides, my orders are to destroy anyone the sees Heavyarms or me. I'm sorry that I did it but - "

"But an order is an order? Taking vague orders from vendetta crazed old men justifies nothing." The hazel eyes glinted in the night. "I seem to be still alive you know."

"..."

The guard opened the door to the prisoner's cell. Even in the confusion Instructor Noin had forced him to go to check on the prisoner. He had looked through the porthole to see the prisoner's body lying on the floor. The clothes on his back were bloody and a long ponytail snaked across the floor. The guard had yelled at the boy for a minute, but when no response came he opened the door. He turned to pull the keys out of the lock, lest the prisoner try something funny.

A figure ran through the Lake Victoria base. He was low on bullets and had been scraped in the shoulder by an acute soldier's shot. The figure spun as two OZ soldiers came bursting out of an elevator. Heero Yuy dropped to the floor and fired, sending one of the soldiers to the floor. The other took cover inside of the elevator. He waited for a moment and then stuck his head out to find the enemy. Heero brought his hand down, instantly snapping the surprised soldier's neck. He got onto the elevator and rode it to the 3rd floor, the prison block.

Trowa Barton grimaced as he saw Alex Vendetta emerge from the highway rest area. The young fighter was holding a bag of fast food and sipping from a huge soda container. Trowa was tired and although he attempted to hide it he knew his new found partner noticed. After almost ten minutes of non-stop badgering Alex had succeeded in making Trowa stop at a rest area for some food.

"You really look like shit," Alex said as Trowa got in the passenger side door. "Have some food." Trowa caught a wrapped up, greasy burger. He put it down on the dashboard as Alex started the truck.

"Sorry I don't like American food," he said quietly.

"Oh come on have a bite," Alex persisted.

/He is being a real pain in the ass now/ Trowa thought. "Man has to eat to live ya know. Come on lighten up a bit. How do you expect guys to like you if you're always so stone cold?"

"I really think I should have just left you back at that rest area," Trowa said. He grudgingly took a bite of his food and a tomato fell out the other side and onto his lap.

"No seriously," the hazel eyed boy said, taking a drink of soda. "If you want to get a boyfriend ever then you gotta do something different. Just cause you have great looks doesn't mean you'll be able to get a boyfriend. Maybe a one night stand or - "

"I thought you were straight?" Trowa asked. He was suddenly feeling sleepy.

"Oh I am. Seriously. But the way those old perverts were looking at you when we were back at that rest area. I could just sorta tell that you have - the kind of looks other guys like."

Trowa's head began to nod. "Huh? What?" he asked while his head began to swim.

"The guys back at that rest area," Alex repeated. "They were checking you out while you were waiting for me to come back with the food. I think they assumed we were…a couple. Whoa! They probably did think that you and I were together!"

"What - are?"

"Ah forget it. Those sleeping pills are really working fast on you."

Trowa bolted upright. Sleeping pills?!? Damnit, of course, the hamburger. He fought to stay awake but the medicine was overpowering. "You - you bastard," he muttered.

"Hey don't be mad at me," Alex replied. "It's for your own good, I doubt you've slept in weeks. This way you'll be out for almost twelve hours whether you like it or not. Don't worry, I'll keep watch."

And with that Trowa fell asleep.

The bar was almost empty. Duo took down another shot of vodka and put his shot glass down for more. The bartender pretended like he didn't notice. Duo had shown him a fake ID claiming he was 21 but the bartender was no fool, he however didn't care either. Through semi blurred Prussian eyes he spotted Quatre walking towards the bar. He offered the platinum blonde a seat, which he quickly took.

"I got a little worried about you," Quatre said. "You never checked in, I thought you might have gotten into trouble. I see you have just been getting plastered instead."

Duo glared at Quatre. "Hey! I'm just tryin' to have a little fun here," he slurred.

Quatre took the shot glass from the braided boy and moved it out of his reach. "I think you've had enough," he said.

"Agreed," the eavesdropping bartender nodded.

Duo was about to tell the man to mind his own business when a sudden news bulletin interrupted the soccer game on TV.

"This is Late Breaking News with Cid Kramer."

"Just moments ago the GHT news center received word that Vice Foreign Minister Jordan Darlian was assassinated while at a peace meeting in the D1-20 Colony."

"Hey isn't that the guy that gave the doctors information on OZ?" Duo drunkenly asked.

"Mr. Darlian and his daughter Relena Darlian had arrived in the colonies earlier today. With us now is Capt. Montage of the Specials Space Forces."

"Holy shit," Duo whispered. "Specials, this wasn't a terrorist act. The damn OZ wiped out our informant!"

"Not so loud," Quatre hissed at him. "We don't want the bartender to hear."

"Too late," the bartender chimed in, while putting away a glass of brandy. "You know something? You guys are the 2nd gang of terrorists I've had tonight!"

"This was clearly a violent attack by the colonies aimed at the peace oriented Alliance. We - "

"What are you talking about?" Quatre asked the strange bartender. He had a bad feeling.

"I can tell you more for some $" he rubbed his hands together. Quatre threw him a $100 bill, which the man put into his right pocket. "Ahh. Ok so these five weird looking guys come walking in here around noon or so got it? They were weird man. One had this fucked up hand and the other had a nose like you wouldn't believe."

Duo sat upright. "Long nose and a mushroom cut?"

"Yeah, yeah that's right. And this Italian dude, and a big tough looking hick and some guy with a face mask on or something."

"It is obvious that the colonies do not wish to cooperate with us - "

Duo looked at Quatre. They were both wondering how in the world the scientist managed to make it to Earth. This was definitely a change. They hadn't even been contacted about it. Both were about to speak but then the newscast flipped to footage of the Corsica fight. Heavyarms was once again destroying the Magnacs. Duo noticed Quatre wince and make a fist. So that was the red Gundam he was after so badly.

The cell had been empty. Although Heero had done substantial damage to the base and killed some guards he felt angry that he had once again not finished the mission. He was waiting outside of the base now. Wing was nearby; he could make a dash for it at any time. But he wanted to make sure Wufei made it to his Gundam. He looked at his watch.

"If he doesn't arrive in - Oh there he is." The ponytailed martial artist limped from a thicket. He was bleeding pretty badly in the leg and looked banged up.

"Stay right where you are!" Heero yelled as he stepped out from his hiding pace. He leveled his automatic at the Chinese boy.

"Damn," Wufei sputtered. "Caught again?" He staggered towards the Shen-long, but stumbled and fell to the ground.

/He's hurt pretty badly/ Heero realized. He dashed towards the boy and tried to shake him.

"Come on," he encouraged the now unconscious boy. "Wake up, you need to get this damn Gundam out of here before anyone finds it."

Heero let the limp body fall to the ground again. Damn another stumbling block in his way. It would be nearly impossible to get both of the Gundams away from the base without alerting the Victoria troops. He lowered his automatic at Wufei's body. He put his hand on its trigger. /This is the only sure way/



Go to Episode 6!!! Previous