What the Future Holds

Chapter 31

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Hi and thanks for the reviews.

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 Jake managed to get the screws that held the vent up undone and get the vent off. He stared up and saw about ten faces staring back.

 "You done?" Heero asked, kneeling on the floor with the others.

 "What does it look like?" Jake asked with an annoyed stared.

 "It look's like the vent's off and your standing in the way," Heero said with the same look.

 "Oh, just shut up and get us out of here," Amber's voice drifted to Jake. She wasn't in view. The ones who were kneeling were Heero, Duo, Wufei, Trowa, Quarte, Millardo, Reuben, Hannah, Sally, and Catherine.

 "You shut up," Heero said, turning around to glare at her or so Jake thought. He rolled his eyes and decided that some things weren't ever going to change. Heero and Amber had always fought like a brother and sister would and it always ended up getting on everyone's nerves.

 "How about both of you shut up," Millardo said. Heero turned to glare at him but didn't say anything. He turned back to Jake and said, "Just go stand by the bed for a moment."

 "Sir, yes sir," Jake muttered and went to stand there. He glanced at Janie for a moment but quickly turned his gaze to the vent.

 "Trowa, you go first," he heard Heero say.

 "Why?" Trowa said and Jake was sure he was glaring.

 "Because you where in the circus and can get down there the easiest," Heero said in an exasperated voice.

 "Fine," Trowa said in a frustrated voice. A few minutes later he had jumped into view and landed on the floor in a kneeling position. He stood and looked up.

 "Now what?" he asked.

 "I go next," Heero said. He soon appeared in view. Soon Duo, Wufei, Quarte, and Millardo were in the room.

 "How you gonna get us down?" Reuben asked.

 "I'm getting there," Heero called up and turned to the others and asked, "Anyone got any ideas?"

 "Lord save us," Reuben's voice came moaning.

 "Shut up," Heero called up to him.

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 Michael was done. The explosives through were only strong enough to destroy the control room.  He sighed and wished they were stronger, stronger enough to destroy the whole boat. Now everything wasn't perfect and everything had to be perfect. Perfection was the only way you won any victories without casualties from you side. Yet he didn't have the perfection he so desperately wanted.

 They other men stood waiting for his orders. They didn't seem to care that everything wasn't perfect. Did they even know? Michael wondered. Surely they knew for they were the ones who told him that the explosives weren't strong enough. Did they care? They hadn't seemed very thrilled to use the explosives. They had seemed reluctant. So they didn't want this to be perfect. All well, they'd regretted it if some of the gundam pilots survived. They would care afterwards.

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 Janie sighed and glanced back at Jake or the dream Jake to Janie. He seemed to be able to feel her gaze and looked up.

 "What?" he asked with that annoyed look on his face. She flinched and whispered, "It's nothing."

 She wished he would behave like the real Jake. The one who treated her as if she were the world or some kind of queen who he was fortunate and blessed enough to win the love of. She never realized how much she liked that feeling or how much she would miss it. But this was only a dream and it would end sooner or later. She hoped.

 "I'm sorry," the dream Jake said. Janie looked back at him quickly. He seemed to be struggling with himself and Janie felt sorry for him.

 "It's alright," she said and went back to eating.

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 "We're all goin' to die. Yes we're goin' to die. We're all goin' to die because my father's leading the rescue mission and everyone follows him in submission," Reuben had been singing idly. It was mostly to annoy Heero, something he loved to do when Heero was whined up. And Duo loved to watch because Heero would act more human. But the song was really getting on his nerves as well as everyone else's.

 "Reuben, I'm glad you know how to rhyme but will you please just shut up already," Heero said, aggravation filling his voice and making it rise in volume.

 They were still trying to figure out how to get the others down without killing each other in the process. And Reuben's singing was ruining Heero's concentration.

 "I can sing it in German if you like," Reuben said. Heero didn't know German so this would work and he could drown it out.

 "Then sing it in German," he called back up, his voice never changing its pitch. Reuben did just that and Heero was finally free to think. But one of his first thoughts were 'Where did Reuben come up with that and why did he have to sing it when I'm nervous and scared enough already?' He soon pushed the thought away and refocused on the others.

  "Well, with Hannah-Marie and Victoria, we could have them jump down and we stand there to catch them," Jake said.

 "So who wants to start with giving the negatives and the positives?" Duo asked.

 "I don't care about that anymore. Let's just do as he said," Heero said. The others agreed and went back to the vent and call Relena over and told her what they had decided. She began to look worried but didn't say anything.

 She told Hannah-Marie and Victoria. At first they were too scared to even try but after coaxing them for a while they finally went and where caught by the group down there. Hannah-Marie refused to let Heero go afterwards and kept her arms wrapped around his leg. Victoria sat near the bed and watch but didn't say anything. She still didn't know about her mother.

 "What about the rest of us?" Hannah asked.

 "I'm getting there," Heero said and returned to debate about what to do next. And Reuben never ceased his singing in German.

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Ja ne,

Pinkmoon