December 20, 2000
Sequel to 'Have You Ever...'
Standard Warnings and Disclaimers apply.
Wufei bowed his head, better to study the seven women unnoticed. To his right, Trowa was doing the same thing. 'Of course, that hair of his makes it easier. Maybe I should start leaving *my* hair down...'
One of the women hissed, suddenly realizing the position she was in. 'Yes. That's right. You have just successfully walking into the dragon's lair, woman,' he thought, hiding the smirk that was inclined to show. He looked up, his eyes falling over Duo, gobbling up the site. 'Gods, he still looks good. This last week must have done him good.' Wufei swallowed, onyx eyes darting over and past the small blond. It looked right. It looked like it belonged like that. Those two, standing side-by-side. They *were* partners after all, right?
Wufei swallowed again, and as if feeling the weight of his stare, cobalt blue eyes focused on him. For one, intense moment, those eyes held his, and then they looked away. Wufei nearly sagged against the wall. 'This can't go on,' he thought just as he heard Quatre ask, "Why do you care about White Fang, and more importantly, why did you want those files?"
"Let's just say we have no love for White Fang," Jack said, folding her hands in her lap and leaning back in her seat, mocking Quatre's calm poise.
"I see," Quatre responded, calmly, his lips twitching minimally. "And what were you planning on doing with these files?"
Jack's own lips worked. "Why, sell them to they highest bidder, of course," she replied.
Quatre refrained from laughing aloud. He liked the girl. She had a good head on her shoulders, smart mouth. And she had no intention of selling those files. Well, no, he took that back. She would have sold those files--after all, they would have pulled in a pretty penny--but that wasn't her sole reason for wanting the files.
"Do you know what are in those files?" he asked, his voice cool, in control, the smooth talker. From the corner of his eye he saw both Wufei and Trowa tense--unnoticed by the girls. When the door slid open, he was prepared for it, the girls, however, jumped, startled.
"Quatre? Sally and I were--" Noin's voice fell dead as she eyed the unexpected company. Her indigo eyes narrowed on one of the young woman sitting.
"Hello, Lu-lu," Jack taunted, smirking up at the standing woman.
If possible, Noin's glare grew colder. Behind her, Sally Po drew up short, before gently pushing the glaring woman completely into the room.
"Sally?"
The sandy-haired Chinese woman looked up, scanning the room, before breaking out into a large smile. "Doc!" she called before rushing to embrace the older woman.
"Ooh, look. Another family reunion," Duo commented under his breath, so only Quatre and Heero could hear him. The blond hid behind his hand, bowing his head slightly. The Japanese man just spared a brief glance towards the braided boy before staring steadily forward.
"Well, it seems like you're quite familiar," Wufei replied a bit snidely, eyeing the two hugging woman.
Sally pulled back, still grinning, her arm around Doc's waist. "You could say that." Her head bobbed. "Doce, here, and I were friends in medical school, back when the Alliance was still allied."
Doc laughed. "No one could understand why I would take up with such a rugrat."
Sally just shrugged. "They were just jealous because I was the youngest person to get accepted into the doctorates program."
"You were fourteen!" Doc laughed. "Everyone else was 20! Plus you outranked everyone on the exams."
"Well, is it my fault I knew the stuff? No. I just--"
"This is all touching and all," Duo drawled, cutting into the two's friendly dialogue. "And I hate to interrupt, really I do, but, we *were* talking shop here."
Sally looked up, looked at the gathering, and frowned. "Who's attacking now?"
"You know, a little of this, a little of that... White Fang threatening to destroy the Earth, and all that jazz."
The Chinese woman grimaced. "He's still not retracted that, huh?"
"No," Quatre spoke up. "And it seems like things may have gotten a bit more complicated than we had foreseen."
"Don't see how that's possible," she mumbled.
Quatre opened his mouth to say something, but then decided against it. Instead he looked at the youngest, Carina. Her face was innocent; her soul was innocent, untainted by the war that had affected everyone else in the room. He looked back towards Sally and the older woman, Doce.
"Perhaps," he said, suggestively, "you would like to show your friend around Peacemillion?" He turned back towards Carina. "And, perhaps you would care to join them? It's a very large ship and Howard's done an exceptionally fine job with her."
The girl frowned. "But I want to--"
"Go." Jack turned and smiled, easing the bite from her bark. "Go exploring with Doc and then, when you come back, you can tell us all about it, no?"
"But I want to stay here."
"We're just going to..." Jack smiled, darting a look towards the braided boy, "talk shop. Nothing that you would find interesting." The girl continued to pout but raggedly pulled herself to her feet.
Sally spared a pointed look towards Quatre before ushering both sisters from the room.
"You can stop glaring at anytime," Jack said snidely.
"What are you doing here?" Noin practically growled.
Jack turned in her swivel chair. "*I* have *business* here. What about you?"
Noin's indigo eyes narrowed and then she took a deep breath and looked away. "Hello guys," she said to the three returned pilots. "It's great to have you back again. Howard's already sent crews down to take care of your--things," she stumbled.
"It's alright, Noin," Quatre smiled, motioning for her to take a seat. "I'm actually glad you came. There's something I'd like for you to see as well. Heero?"
The Japanese boy came forward, the disk Quatre had returned to him earlier miraculously materializing in his hand. He slid it into the table port and a holographic projection bloomed to life in the center of the table.
Noin gasped; the other five women made noises. "That's Epyon," Noin whispered.
"Correction," Quatre told her gently. "That's Scorpio." Indigo eyes went flying towards his face and he held her disbelieving gaze. "White Fang's new mobile doll design, based off of Epyon."
End of Part 17: The Road Trip to Hell Continues
Andrea Readwolf
Please send comments to: andrea_readwolf@hotmail.com