12-May-2001
Title: Chasing the Crown, an Extended Family Fic
ExFam Authors:
RavynFyre - ravynfyre@hotmail.com
Diane Davis - fenwyck@radiks.net
von - sablexo1@yahoo.com
bonnejeanne - bonnejeanne@yahoo.com
*Special Guest Writer! Nixie the Pixie!*
Nixers - Nixerchan@aol.com
Category: yaoi, AU
Rating: NC-17 for now, that will change
Pairings: 1x2, 3+4
Spoilers: Series, Endless Waltz, Mission: Arcadia
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing characters and universe are the property of the copyright owners.
Kenny, Duan, Wufan, Tryan, Carter, Jack and the Ripper, and everything relating to Rip & Jack's universe are ours. No money being made here.
Feedback: Any and all comments, feedback, critiques welcome, be they short or long.
Please feel free to direct feedback to any or all of the authors!
WARNINGS: AU (Alternate Universe), Original Characters, LEMON in some sections. Kiddie-Angst.
Faint but shrill squawks and calls of seabirds echoed off in the distance as Sallah strolled through the darkened gardens, choruses of insects chirping and buzzing a closer natural serenade around her. Almost-unseen somethings occasionally flitted past as they circled around the glowing lanterns along the walkway in fluttering, humming orbits. Pausing for a moment, Sallah closed her eyes, smiling slightly as she luxuriated in the feeling of the cool night breeze whispering over her skin, teasing wisps of hair that had escaped her hairclip back from her face.
She wasn't sure how long she'd been out wandering the winding garden path, though in truth it couldn't have been that long yet. However much time had passed, she was enjoying the chance for a moment of peace and serenity before the inevitable chaos that the next day would bring. Her eyes opened and she resumed walking, remembering the odd expression on Wufei's face earlier when she'd chosen to go outside instead of back to the suite. After the young Chinese man had left the dining room, it had belatedly occurred to her that she could have asked him along--him or Zechs, who had earlier mentioned perhaps talking after dinner. But the allure of being alone with her thoughts had won out. It wasn't often that she had time purely to herself; even when she retreated to her bedroom at home, there was almost always other people around in the house, other activities going on, and sometimes it was difficult to fully disengage her "mom radar". Consequently, when the opportunity had presented itself, she'd been unable to let it slip by.
It had occurred to her that, from the other parents she'd encountered in the time she'd been in this world, she would be regarded as odd, if not a bit daft--or worse--for being so willing to let a child of Wufan's age wander about without her as she was doing now, not to mention as she had earlier that day. But the fact of the matter was that she trusted him. For a boy, he was unusually responsible and mature, not to mention intelligent... and that wasn't just because he was her son. It was simple truth; if he hadn't exhibited these qualities, if he weren't as capable as he and the other boys had proven to be, she would definitely treat him differently.
But beyond that, the fact that he was with the other boys reassured her. Alone, each of the boys was already special, incredible even--but together, they were able to do such *amazing* things. Her early fears for his safety had quickly turned to wonder, and, predictably, to pride while back in Arcadia. Now, she took comfort in the brotherhood that seemed to exist between the children; she hadn't ever seen a group that was so unified, so devoted and willing to protect and aid each other, even amongst the adults she had known on the base. Because of this, she could trust that Wufan was safe, even if she wasn't nearby.
As she pondered, Sallah realized there was more to it than just his immediate safety. As fantastical as it sounded, she could truthfully say that because of the strength of the bonds between the boys, she had faith that they would be able to do whatever was needed to aid Arcadia, whenever that time came. Admittedly, it would be some time off in the future, once they had grown and been raised and trained by Duo, Heero and Wufei... but still, she *already* was sure that they would be ready.
Duo, Heero and Wufei... Sallah's thoughts drifted to the older youths while she walked. Those three were definitely another case of young, and yet not. She remembered being seventeen, once upon a time; all right, it hadn't been *that* long ago in the grand scheme of things, but still... She knew that at that age, she would not have been able to raise a child, much less *five*. Yet the three had proven themselves remarkably adept and patient at it, even with their age and inexperience. Despite their fears and insecurities, from her vantage point they were doing a more than excellent job. Parenting skills that had taken her years to learn, and that she would probably be refining for a decade to come, the three were already grasping after a matter of months. From what she was learning about the ex-pilots, it figured that they'd be prodigies even at raising children. At the thought, she laughed softly to herself.
Catching the tang of salt and seaweed on the breeze over the scent of the flowers, Sallah took the fork of the path that straightened and led to the oceanfront, heading towards the destination she had originally intended. The call of the gulls grew louder as she strode up the slight incline, the sound joined soon by the rhythmic crashing and hiss of waves striking a beach. As she finally crested the rise of the hill, the breeze strengthened into gentle gusts, and... --
For a moment, she didn't even breathe. It took a bit before a tightness in her chest overcame her awe and clued her in on the necessity of oxygen. Swallowing hard and blinking like she was stunned, she gave an almost audible gasp as her breathing kicked again. "Wow... " she finally whispered at the sight before her.
It was magnificent, even more so than she had imagined possible. The grass of the estate gradually gave way to a wide expanse of sandy beach that stretched on to her left and right nearly as far as Sallah could see, ending only as the coastline curved out of her line of sight. And beyond that... the sea. Rippling in the wake of the gusting winds and shining blackly under the night sky, the ocean dominated the view, an endless expanse of water that surely sprawled past the horizon out to infinity. In the distance, she could barely see an island or two interrupting the flat sea--but save for that, if the winds were still, it would have been like a immense mirror, reflecting all above and around it. As it was, the twinkling stars of night still sparkled on the whitecap-dotted sea as if it were dark, cracked glass; the moon that now shone in the blue-black sky washed everything--the water, land, herself--in tints of silver-white.
Sallah removed her barrette, freeing her hair to be tossed about by the whims of the wind. A radiant smile spread over her face, and she lifted her arms, holding them out wide so the wind could catch at the silk of her blouse. As if answering her unspoken request, a gust surged through the air, snapping her clothing and hair as it whipped by. She whooped, tossing her head back and giving a deep, throaty laugh. She couldn't help herself... it was just such a deliciously free feeling, almost like she could just take off and fly if she tried hard enough. It reminded her, ever so slightly, of a time long ago when she had encountered a Storm in a far-off place...
At the thought of the World Storm, memories of Arcadia wrapped around her, and for a breath of time it was as if she were back. Inevitably, remembrances of the base where she'd spent so many of her young adult years followed, drawing her into the past. Life on the base... had been rough. And that was putting it incredibly, incredibly mildly. There had been so much fear, and the general had definitely been quick to use brute force to keep the corps and civilians alike under control.
Brute force? Sallah snorted to herself. Make that *lethal* force, she thought bitterly, remembering Dori and Helen, and so many of her other friends. People originally fled to the base to hide from the terrors that had once walked the surface, but at times it hadn't been any safer to be below ground in the base; the general proved that monsters came in more forms than green and reptilian. Fighting back the sudden surge of emotion, she took a deep calming breath, then another. There had been some happier things in Arcadia. She just had to think of those parts... the Storm, the city at the surface, all the people and children there. Those parts she could remember with fondness, at least. The good memories made it easier to accept how the land of her birth seemed to call to her still, even if only softly, despite all that had happened there.
Because of the second chance they'd been given, Wufan and all the other boys were now free to *be*, to let what was within themselves shine through, and become more than non-entities that were ignored or tools that were used. They were free to explore their talents, honing them to the fullest extent as they so chose... and yet at the same time still be children and make the most of what they had left of their youth and innocence. Sallah smiled to herself a bit sadly as she looked out over the blackly glimmering water. Perhaps there wasn't much of that left in the children--they'd been forced to mature far, far too fast--but when she looked into their eyes, she thought could still see it there, though admittedly more so in some of the boys than others. At times, she even imagined that the three pilots, through their kindness and love, were even helping the boys rediscover and reclaim some of that lost innocence.
Of course, it wasn't just the boys who'd found freedoms in this dimension. So much here that the natives here took for granted simply had been impossible in her life on the base; Sallah greatly valued minor, almost meaningless things like windows and lighting that wasn't fluorescent, not to mention being able to choose if and when she left a building. There was a small part of her that marveled even now at being able to be outside at all, much less to be walking along the beach without fear that some Crown-spawned horror like the "greenies" would emerge from the fathomless depths of the sea. It was perhaps why the mansion had seemed so grand to her when they'd arrived--as Wufan had noted, the Hyatt had indeed had more windows, but at that time she'd been too distracted by their recent rescue, as well as her worries about what was going to be happening with her son, to notice. Here... she had the chance to enjoy it all, to savor it.
With an almost regretful sigh, Sallah turned around and began to head back the way she'd come. Her musings had kept her out a while, and she'd covered a fair distance as she'd strolled through the gardens and down the beach. However, it was time for all good mothers to head back and verify the status of their sons. But as she walked back, her mind continued to wander, mulling over the changes in her life, bringing her up short as one very potentially major freedom hit her out of the blue, causing her to grin.
It wasn't as if Sallah had lived her life hoping for dreams of romantic fairy tales to come to life--even if she was having just a bit of a second childhood these days, she was a fairly practical person. Yet there was still a... hope?... a desire?... something within her that wanted someone to be a part of her life, to share in it. And that hope which had been shelved, so to speak, for quite some time, had reawakened recently as if recognizing that she now had the freedom to seek companionship, even love, again.
Not that she'd ever been prevented from doing so while on the base, Sallah shrugged to herself as she started walking towards the path again. And it wasn't as if she hadn't been in relationships, even back then--her son was rather obvious proof of that. Perhaps it would have been different if Seyan Hui, Wufan's father, hadn't died while outside the base on maneuvers. They may not have been in love, exactly, but he had been a very close friend, someone she'd known since she was young. He'd *understood* Sallah, and was someone she could spend time and joke around with--and while he wasn't out of the ordinary like the young men she knew now, he'd been honorable, courageous, admirable... maybe, with time, something more might have developed between them.
She had grieved for some time after Seyan's death, and she still missed him sometimes. But it was more than friendship, really; she was human, she had hormones--neglected but still there none the less. She couldn't help but miss physical contact, whether it was something as simple as a hand to hold, a hug or kiss--from someone who wasn't 6 years old that was--or even having a lover. It was just... for so long, there had been more than herself to consider. She'd been totally unwilling to consider anyone who didn't treat Wufan right, much less those who'd only ignored him.
Of course, it didn't help that there simply hadn't been that many choices amongst the limited population of the base in the first place, and it was a grim reality that its population had been shrinking with regularity as the years passed. But now... she couldn't help but give a quiet laugh. Now, she had options again! Her unconscious had realized it, even if she hadn't fully--it had hit her a little bit ago, just after turning around, that she'd begun to *flirt* again. Okay, so it wasn't much... but it'd been a while. Just becoming aware that being alone was no longer the default for her life was a start.
Options indeed... It was interesting, she mused as she reached the stairs leading up to the garden path. A universe with a world and colonies brimming with people she hadn't met yet... and already she'd encountered someone whom she wanted to get to know better, who might... maybe...
She couldn't lie to herself--she was attracted to Wufei... rather attracted to him, in fact. Whether he returned the interest... truthfully, she couldn't tell for sure. While he showed a rather intriguing streak of protectiveness and responsibility towards Wufan as well as herself, she certainly couldn't make any assumptions based off that. After all, it was more likely than not a simple matter of honor, if not the way he was brought up to treat those who were... like family. And her resemblance to Sally Po, considering how... important the woman had been to Wufei, as he had commented back on Halloween night, only made the situation more complex. Frankly, if she were perfectly honest with herself, she really didn't understand him very much at all.
Understanding, though... something like that really could only come with time. And with time, if she truly made the effort to get to know him, she could at least have a friend, even if nothing else ever came of it. As far as romantic interests were concerned, there were... what was the phrase... other fish in the sea? Other shuttles in space? Other mobile suits in the underground bays? Shaking her head, Sallah smiled wryly, laughing at herself and her odd thoughts. Hanging around this group had definitely encouraged her unusual sense of humor to come to the fore.
As she finally turned away from the beach and started up the stairs to the path, she steered her thoughts to another good-looking gentleman, a blond this time. With a brief nod to herself, Sallah resolved to ask Zechs for at least one dance at the reception the next evening. From the short time she'd been around him, she knew he would be charming company; even if some of his mannerisms were certainly due to etiquette, he was... well, just a nice guy. The concept seemed a bit incongruous considering his roles in the military conflicts of the past, but then again, Wufei... Sallah blinked, a bit startled as the thought struck her at how similar the two were in some ways, how much they had in common. Perhaps that explained why they occasionally struck sparks off each other...
Then she blinked again, realizing that thinking about Zechs had led her right back to thinking about Wufei.
Damn.
Perhaps if she thought about... Duo and Heero. No, scratch that... it was *not* a good idea to ponder Duo and Heero, and the things that could sometimes be heard in the middle of the night.
Determination squaring her jaw, Sallah forced herself to think about the intricacies of the Library's cataloguing system as she walked the path back to the mansion. And nothing else.
Heero opened the door to the suite. He smiled as he found the room was quiet. "We beat them back," he said, softly. "Probably not by much though."
Duo nodded and then considered Heero for a moment. "Correct me if I'm wrong... but I did see her start a game of tag with Kenny, didn't I?" he asked with amusement.
"Yes," Heero said. "She seems to be less formal around them."
"You know," Duo observed wryly, "It's a good thing she's over that whole world domination thing. With the five of them on her side... We'd never stand a chance."
A small chuckle escaped Heero's lips. "Hai," he agreed, moving inside and retrieving his laptop. Sitting it down on the table, he accessed the file he'd been working on.
"I should go get Wufei before we get too far," Duo said, returning to the main suite door, "Back in a second."
"Hn," Heero remarked, getting everything set up.
Duo crossed the hall as the door shut behind him and knocked softly on Wufei's suite door.
Wufei opened the door and looked out, dressed in a pair of simple black pants and a dark tank top.
"Change of plans. Mission briefing. You in?" Duo asked simply, nodding towards his own door over his shoulder.
Wufei nodded. He ducked back into the room for a moment and then crossed the hall to the other suite.
The two of them walked into the suite and joined Heero near his laptop, Duo peering over Heero's shoulder as he clicked away at the familiar device. "The kids are walking Mariemeia back to her room. They should be back anytime now, Wu," Duo remarked as he kicked his boots off again.
Wufei assented and found a spot to sit, cross-legged, to wait.
"We're gonna need the kids in on this, but here's what I have so far," Heero said, glancing up briefly. "First, the grounds are secured by the Preventers and a small security company." Heero's eyebrows drew together and his attention turned towards the windows.
Suddenly two of the large windows opened and five little boys suddenly appeared.
"Ok, that worked," Duan said, brushing his clothes off.
"Hn," Kenny remarked.
Carter was very wide eyed and perhaps a tiny bit pale. "Thanks, Tryan," he said breathlessly. "You're good at this stuff!"
Tryan pulled a few leaves from his hair and shrugged.
Wufan readjusted his glasses and took a deep breath.
"No body saw us," Kenny remarked to Heero and Duo.
"Good... I'm guessing if Une catches you guys doing anything like that, that she won't let Mariemeia hang out with you any more," Duo replied blandly, although his violet eyes danced with amusement.
"Then she won't be able to hang out with them anymore," Heero said. "Good work guys, come over here."
Duan ran over and hugged Duo hard. "You miss me?" he asked, with a smile.
"Always, kiddo," he replied with a huge smile as he returned the smile, "Nice work," he said with a wink.
Duan winked back and looked over towards the laptop, without relinquishing his hold on Duo.
Kenny settled on the back on an armchair where he could see. Carter flopped onto the carpet, while Tryan sat cross-legged next to Carter.
Heero turned his attention back to the laptop as Wufan walked over and settled next to Wufei.
"Ok guys, this is our target," Heero said. "As I was telling Wufei and Duo, there are two main security forces which guard the estate. One of them is the Preventers and the other is a part-time security agency. For the most part, the grounds are secure, but not as tightly as the mansion here. What I've been able to determine is that the Preventers are there as an honor guard. They have more important things to handle than guarding an old house. The security company sends over three guards, two to walk the perimeter and the third to man the security cameras inside. Personally, I think we stand a good to excellent chance of penetration. Our main obstacle seems to be the motion detectors and sensors in the main four sectors."
Wufei listened with his arms folded over his chest.
"What if we bypass the system here, here, and here," Duo said, leaning over to point at three spots on a couple of the diagrams Heero had called up on his laptop. "With a little creative circuitry and some inventive hacking, we can convince the system that it's watching the whole house, when it's actually just watching that last sector..."
"Hn," Heero remarked. "Hai," he said. "That's good. There are blind spots, here and here," Heero continued, pointing to two places on the screen. "Too narrow for us, but perfect for the younger members of the team. We disable those spots and that gives us enough room to work the sensors and cameras."
"Looks doable. Time frame?" Duo asked, reaching down to give Duan a quick squeeze.
"For disabling the security system or for the entire operation?" Heero asked.
"Both," Duo replied, eyes scanning over the plans again.
"It will take us an hour and twenty to get there. Twenty maximum to get past the system and get inside. I figure a half-hour search and intel and ten to extract. We're looking at three, three and a half at maximum. How does that sound?" Heero asked.
Duo looked around that the boys. "Thoughts, concerns, ideas, rancid fish?" he asked.
"What are we looking for?" Kenny asked.
"Good question," Duan said.
"Information about where the Epyon might be, or anything concerning either it, or the Crown," Duo replied, "Anything that might help us find it. Anything else, Heero?"
"Hn," Duan said, glancing at Wufan. "Ok, so can we talk about what it might look like or what the Crown is? We've seen pictures of Epyon and its stats, but does anybody know about the Crown?"
"Honestly, kiddo, I don't know what it looks like. I've never seen it, or even heard of it before Rip and Jack told us about it back in Arcadia. I guess that's some of what we're looking for, too. Information on it," Duo replied with a sigh of defeat.
Carter sat up and looked from one to the other at each person in the room.
Wufei uncrossed his arms and stood up, and then took a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. It was a digital photocopy of a drawing. The original of the drawing must have been faded. It showed signs of wear which implied age and the style of the drawing was very distinctive and reminded Duo of pictures he seen from old museums of artifacts from ancient Asia.
The subject of the drawing was a man, dressed in ornate robes. The line drawing showed his stature and a scene surrounding him of a wide courtyard. He was elevated on a high platform but below, there were many soldiers in ancient uniforms, on one side, throwing items into a huge pit of fire, and on the other, the soldiers seemed to be beheading many kneeling captives.
The man on the platform was wearing a very unusual headpiece, which looked like a crown of many entwined serpents.
"This is a copy of a drawing made more than three thousand years ago of the Emperor Qin, the man who was credited with being the first Emperor of China. Very few descriptions or images of this particular possession of his remain. The original of this drawing was once in the possession of my family and was destroyed along with my colony during the war."
Placing the paper across the keyboard of Heero's laptop, Wufei turned and leaned his back against the wall.
All of the children moved to get a look at the drawing.
Heero looked up at Wufei for a long moment. He had not missed the significance in Wufei's few words. "Hn," he remarked, glancing up at Duo.
Duo had looked up at Wufei as the Chinese pilot explained where the picture had come from. His expression was carefully neutral, showing neither pity nor shock, although the expression in his eyes mirrored how they'd looked earlier in the day after the two of them had sparred. There was compassion in the violet depths, as well as a willingness to be there for Wufei, should the other pilot desire it. He nodded once before turning back to peer at the drawing intently.
Wufan's onyx eyes suddenly grew wide and round. Slowly, he lowered his eyes and turned to look up at Chang Wufei. Moving closer, he knelt on the floor in front of him and bowed with his forehead touching the floor in the manner of his people.
Wufei bent down quickly and lifted Wufan to his feet. Kneeling, he faced the boy eye to eye. "Why are you acting that way?" he said sternly. "That is not how a warrior bows."
Wufan felt his heart race in his chest. He blinked many times, looking into the eyes before him. "I... I know," he said, quietly. "You are no ordinary warrior."
Wufei shook his head. "I am no one to be bowed to in such a fashion, Wufan."
Wufan blinked again. "Yes you are!" he whispered intently. "You are not... inferior like me. I am part American. Y...you are the last of your clan, but you are of the first Dragon's blood."
"You are *not* inferior, Po Wufan!" Wufei said, and his voice cracked slightly. He took a breath and worked to calm himself. "Is Duo inferior? The answer is no. Heero? No. It is correct to honor the ancestors but that does not mean to bury your mind in the past."
Wufan blinked a few more times, then nodded. He raised his arms tentatively, then dropped them as he attempted to calm himself. He found by making a very tight fist, he could concentrate on the tension in his arm. "Xie xie," he said, quickly, then took a step back.
Wufei stayed where he was. Then suddenly he said, "Wufan, I lost my family, all of them. I've been thinking of you as a little brother..." he trailed off, unable to think of the right words.
Wufan pushed his glasses back up on his nose. He looked up at Wufei, then stepped forward. He slid his arms around Wufei's neck and held on. "Ok," he said softly, "I can do that."
Wufei embraced the little boy. After a moment he sighed and moved back. "The briefing is not over," he said quietly, and gave Wufan a little pat on the back to send him back to the others.
Nodding, Wufan moved to stand very close to Duo. He leaned against the older boy's leg, making contact as he felt himself calm.
Duo reached down and rested a hand on Wufan's shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. "So. Anyone else have any questions or anything?" Duo asked the group at large.
"Nope," Duan said, "We just look for a scary crown with snakes, a big red machine, and think about the Storm and we got it made."
Duo glanced down at the boy and quirked up an eyebrow sardonically. "Well why didn't you say so before, professor?" Duo joked cheerfully.
"Insufficient data," Duan replied.
"Ah," Duo nodded, "Hn. Think about the Storm?" he asked.
"Yes," Tryan replied. "The World Storm. It made everything better, back home."
Wufan tapped Duo's leg. "We thought that since the Storm isn't here, we might try focusing on it and that will help."
Duo blinked as he considered that for a moment. With a smile, he reached down and hugged as many of them as he could reach without falling over. "Have I told you how smart you guys are lately?"
Carter giggled.
"No, but we'll take the compliment!" Duan replied gleefully.
"Good, cause you guys are pretty darned smart!" Duo said, looking around to include them all, "Okay, no more questions? Anyone?"
"So we get into this guy Treize's place," Kenny said, by way of confirming. "He had the Crown once and he's the one who put it in Epyon, right? So we look around his place to see if there are any clues or intel about the Crown or about how to find Epyon, like a homing frequency or something? Or like maybe he wrote notes about it or something? And if we find anything, then we know what to do next?"
"Hopefully. Or at least have a better clue of what to do next," Duo agreed.
"Hn," Kenny said, by way of indicating his understanding of the mission.
"Heero, anything more to add?" Duo asked, peering down at the laptop and its contents again.
"Once we get inside, I'll be taking the downstairs area. Treize had a hangar he kept the mobile suit in. I think I might be able to get in. Communications equipment is ready. Kenny you're going to be K-1, Duan is D-2, Tryan you are T-3, Wufan, W-5 and Carter... C-4. Next briefing tomorrow night following the party. If we're too tired, then the next morning at breakfast. Any other questions?" Heero asked.
"So, at no time are we allowed to blow up Carter... our C4 guy right?" Duan asked, with a wry grin.
"Groaner," Duo sighed, leaning down to snatch up Duan from the floor, "Five minute tickle penalty!"
Heero turned to the little group. "You guys get dressed for bed, then," he said.
"Sir!" Duan said, giving Heero his best salute.
Heero saluted back.
Duo let Duan go, setting him back down again with a mock-glare, "Guess the Captain has given you a reprieve... I'll get that penalty from you later."
Duan nodded. "Close call," he said, moving to take Kenny's hand.
Duo knelt down and picked up Wufan for a hefty hug. "Guess that means you too, short stuff," he said with a small smile, "I'll say good night to you now so you don't have to scamper back over here in your jammies."
"Good night, Duo," Wufan said, giving he older boy a hug back.
"We'll walk ya back," Duan said, taking Wufan's hand. "We'll be right back!"
"All right, fellahs. See you in the morning, Wufan," Duo said.
The three little boys moved out of the room and across the hallway.
"You okay, Wu?" Duan asked.
"I am fine now," Wufan said.
"What was up with that bowing thing?" Kenny asked.
Wufan took a deep breath. "That picture... Wufei said his family had the original. Maybe it doesn't mean much anymore, but his family was very important. If it's what I was thinking, his family is as important as the Vice Minister's family."
Duan sighed, then gave Wufan a hug. "It's ok, Wufan. I know they're important and all, but you're gonna be so much more important than they'll ever know."
Kenny rolled his eyes slightly.
"I don't think so, Duan. But thanks for the thought. I'd rather be one of us. There are many things I am learning, here," Wufan said. He then moved a little closer to the other two. "I'm going to try and talk to a couple more people. Hopefully, I can get more information for us to use."
Kenny nodded. "That's good, Wufan," he said.
Duan nodded. "Yes," he said in agreement. "We'll see ya tomorrow, then."
"Right," Wufan said, then slipped into the suite.
Heero handed the drawing back to Wufei. "Thank you," he said. "It helped."
Wufei accepted the paper and returned it to his pocket. He looked directly at the Japanese boy. Carter and Tryan had gone to wash up and get ready for bed and it was just the three ex-pilots in the room at the moment.
"There are some stories in my clan about this object," Wufei said. "Not many, for to speak of it was supposed to draw ill luck, and it was whispered that such ill luck caused us to be sent out to the first space colony. The government of China at that time said that my clan were too warlike and would not accept peace, so they sent us to exile in the colonies. But those few whispers... they speak of this object as if it were the vessel of an evil spirit, one that promises power to those who accept its domination."
"Hn," Heero remarked.
"I have never believed in evil ghosts or spirits," Wufei said. "But if this object was placed inside Epyon, it would be a very odd coincidence, considering what took place in the war."
Heero nodded, looking up at Duo. "If Treize had this object before he built Epyon, then it might explain a lot of his actions during the war," he said.
Duo frowned suddenly, his expression thoughtful. "Would that make a difference to you? I mean, some of the stuff that happened?" he asked quietly.
"It could explain his choices during the war, yes," Heero said, then recalled his time with Treize Khushrenada in his exile.
As hard as he could try, Heero never quite understood the former General's mind. He then said, "When he asked me to pilot Epyon, I thought I understood some things. He talked about the mobile suit as if it were a god. I think he told me that he did consider it as such. Working with the Zero System, I understand the concept of being taken over. Yes, it would have made a difference, however, I don't think that the actions taken were wrong. We were dealing with things as they came up. Why?"
Duo blinked again and smiled down at his partner softly. "Getting things straight in my head. Laying some demons to rest," he replied with a small shrug.
Wufei listened with his arms again crossed over his chest, his dark eyes moving from one to the other.
After a moment, Duo sighed again and then tossed a smirk at both of the other pilots. "Well, I guess it doesn't really matter if this thing was God's own chamberpot... It's still going down, some way, some how. Simple as that," he said with a trademarked cock to his head.
Heero studied Duo closely. "Yes, it has to," Heero said, feeling the words as true. "We all got a shot at the Zero System. I traded suits with Zechs... Somehow, he managed to work through what Epyon was telling him."
Wufei frowned. "He did not work through anything until you defeated him, Heero," he said quietly. "You took Epyon's arm instead of his life."
"Hai," Heero responded. He looked up at Duo again. "If he were alive, I guess Treize could answer you, koi," he ended with a little shrug.
Duo snorted mirthlessly. "Fair enough," he replied before glancing back to Wufei, "Anything else?"
"What about 03 and 04," Wufei said. "That's something we should talk about, if not tonight then soon."
Duo nodded, his violet eyes unfocusing as he became thoughtful again. "Very true. Something tells me that by the time this is all done, we'll need all the allies we can get," he mused as he absently reached down to rest his hand on Heero's shoulder.
"Then we should definitely talk to them. Soon," Heero said.
"What about after the mission? By then, we should have something a little bit more concrete to take to them," Duo offered.
Wufei nodded briefly. He unleaned from the wall. "Then I'm done." He inclined his head in a brief bow to the other two.
"Sounds like a good start," Duo said, looking up to meet Wufei's dark gaze, "Rest well, Partner. Guess we'll all see each other tomorrow."
The corner of Wufei's mouth twitched slightly. "Yes," he said. "Rest... well. Good night."
And he left to return to the other suite.
Heero watched the exchange with interest. "I'm going to check on the kids," he said, standing.
"I'll join you, if you don't mind," Duo offered, taking Heero's hand in his own.
TBC
End of Part 21
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