25-Sep-2001
Title: Chasing the Crown, an Extended Family Fic
ExFam Authors:
RavynFyre - ravynfyre@hotmail.com
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: 1+2+5, 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.
WARNING THIS SECTION: Kid Angst, Suspense
Kenny woke up first. He was actually awake for a few moments before opening his eyes and looking around. First objective: find Duan, Wufan, Carter and Mei. A quick visual inspection showed him all four of his objectives, lying in little heaps on the floor of the large, empty room. By concentrating, he determined that they were all breathing. This gave Kenny enough strength to unfreeze a little. He noted that each of them were wearing a set of odd metal bands around their wrist and upper arms. He was wearing some as well, and they were joined together. Some form of restraint.
He filed away that the enemy was scared of little kids.
Getting to his feet, he walked over to Duan and sat down beside him. He was glad to see there were no signs of bruises or marks on his friend. Lifting both hands together, he massaged Duan's temples.
"Wake up," he said in a low voice.
Violet eyes blinked open and Duan saw Kenny next to him. He yawned a little, then noticed that his wrists were bound. "You okay?" he asked.
Kenny nodded. "You?"
Duan moved around a bit. "Yeah, I'm ok. At least, they didn't kick us around when we were out. And they used some good gas, too. No headache."
"Yeah real nice of 'em," Kenny growled. "C'mon, help me wake up Wufan and Carter."
"Ok," Duan said and moved to stand.
Kenny went over to Carter as Duan moved to Wufan. In a few moments, both boys were blinking awake.
"My chest hurts," Wufan said, sitting up. He noticed the cuffs on his arms, which matched Duan's. "Cool," he said, then looked around, with some alarm. "Where's Mei?"
Duan smiled. "She's right over there. We'll get her up next, prisoner Po," he said.
"I'm ok," Carter was telling Kenny, raising his hands together to scrub over his face. The blond focused on the floor for a moment and then nodded slightly to himself. "Far away," he murmured. "But still there."
Kenny looked sharply at Carter but didn't ask. He helped the blond boy to his feet and they walked over to Wufan, who knelt by Mei.
Wufan looked Mei over for a moment, then touched her face gently. "Mei, wake up," he said. "It's Wufan and you're okay."
Blinking groggily for a moment, Mei's eyes finally focused on Wufan with relief. She let him help her sit up, covering a wince by frowning down at her shackled wrists. "Remind me to apologize to Miss Relena when we get back," she said quietly, "This kidnapping thing sucks."
Duan chuckled and Wufan smiled, as he leaned Mei back against him for a rest.
"You got beat up pretty bad, so take it easy for now," Wufan said.
"I'm okay," she replied, although she didn't pull away, "I won't let you guys down Is everyone okay?"
"Yeah," Duan said, looking over at Kenny. "I think we need to try and figure out some stuff though. Make a plan."
Kenny looked back. "Ok, here's a plan: step one, get out of here. Step two, sabotage. Step three, call the guys."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Duan offered.
"I wonder why they kidnapped us? To get to the guys?" Wufan said, watching Duan inspecting his shackles.
"Hn," Kenny remarked, shrugging slightly. He didn't care why. He was busy examining the room minutely, now that they were all awake and seemed to be ok for now.
"Well, if that's what they want, we'll have to take care of that by escaping," Duan said, wiggling his eyebrows as he placed his hands on the top of his head.
Wufan sighed. "Where are we, anyway?" he asked. "We're not moving."
"Space," Kenny muttered.
"The moon," Carter corrected softly.
"The Moon! For real?!" Duan asked, excitedly. "Now, I wonder if this place has a window!"
"Uh, Prisoner Duan... duh," Wufan said.
Mei smirked as she shook he head in disbelief. "They're watching us," she finally murmured quietly, eyes straying to one of the several cameras hidden in the shadows.
Kenny look sharply over to where Mei was looking. Scowling, he stalked over and then somehow began to shimmy up the corner of the wall to reach the first of the cameras. He looked directly into it and then brought the heavy metal cuffs down on the lens.
"Sugoi!" Duan called out. "Is that one over there, too?" he asked Mei.
Mei nodded before adding, "For every one you can see, there's probably others you can't. That how I did it, before."
"Ok," Duan said, working the zipper of his pants. "Wufan, I think you better cover her eyes."
Kenny snickered as he dropped lightly to the floor.
"Duan no!" Wufan called out, knowing what was about to happen. He managed to cover Mei's eyes as Duan's pants hit the floor and he *mooned* whoever manned the cameras.
"That's *my* contribution to the Moon trip!" he called out, then shot the bird for good measure. Reaching down, he worked his pants back up his legs and got them zipped up. "I'm decent, now," he said to Wufan.
"No you're not," Wufan countered.
Meanwhile Kenny proceeded to reach the second camera and with a softly growled, "Since nothing could top that," he obliterated the lens of that one too.
In a control room adjacent to the monitored cell, Marcus stroked one fingertip over the wound just under his jaw, his eye twitching as the second screen fuzzed out into darkness. "I'm going to shave that little brat bald before this is done," he growled before stabbing a button on the control panel before him. "Sir, they're awake now," he said tightly into the open comlink.
"Excellent," the familiar, almost too-jovial voice answered. "I'll be right there."
Kenny managed to take out two more cameras before the white-coated scientist arrived outside the cell.
"Monitor malfunction?" he inquired.
"More like systematic destruction," Marcus replied through clenched teeth. "I think you chose excellent raw materials."
The mad scientist's eyebrows rose. "How like Heero," he said almost reminiscently. "Better make sure your weapon is visible and at ready when we enter."
"Absolutely," Marcus replied a touch too eagerly as he withdrew his sidearm and flipped the safety off.
Kenny had just finished hawking a wad of spit at one of the lenses he couldn't reach when the click of the door unlocking was heard.
Duan dashed towards the door and flattened himself against the wall.
Kenny placed himself in front of Wufan, Carter and Mei.
The door slid open, revealing four out of the five prisoners to the men at the door. With a scowl, Marcus drew a bead on Kenny with the gun in his hand. "All five of you out in the open, or the other four get shot," he warned.
"That's kinda drastic, isn't it?" Duan said, peering around the corner of the door. He saw the gun in Marcus' hand and screamed, "He's got a gun!" He came out with his hands on his head and walked to Kenny's other side. "Ok, you win," he said.
Kenny fixed cold indigo eyes on Marcus and then said in a soft growl, "Omae o korosu," pronouncing each syllable carefully, as he had heard Heero say it.
Marcus snorted, well aware that in the space of a breath he'd been mocked and then threatened. Not diverting his eyes or attention from the group, he tossed a comment back to J, "As I said."
There was a rusty chuckle and the white-coated scientist walked into the room and stood next to Marcus.
"Uncanny," he commented, his voice almost gleeful.
The moment Dr. J appeared in the room, Kenny's eyes widened and his face went as white as a sheet. He took a step back... swallowed, and then something inside him stopped the backward movement. But the defiance in his posture had become frozen.
Duan's violet eyes widened as well. "Kick me," he said, softly. Glancing over at Kenny, he felt something twist in his chest. Instinctively, he moved closer to his friend, keeping his eye on the apparition.
Wufan moved in front of Mei. He looked at the scientist for a long moment, then nodded to himself. The face he recognized. "Who are you and what do you want with us?" he said, raising his chin a little.
The old man was observing his primary subject's reaction almost curiously. The goggle eyes focused on Wufan as the Chinese-American boy spoke.
"I am Dr. J," he said, and a second wave of cold shivered down Kenny's spine and settled in his stomach. "And what I want is to make one of you a great weapon." He turned his mechanical gaze back to Kenny. "You're named Kenny, isn't that correct? It's going to be difficult not to call you Heero. Listen closely, young man. Cooperate with me, and your friends will be safe. If you are difficult, you may force me to use unpleasant methods of persuasion. Don't cause me any trouble - it will be easier for you that way."
"Dr. J he is *not* your Heero Yuy and you should know that we would all die first before we let you use us to make Kenny tame. This is wrong. It goes against all you worked for before. Weapons are not needed for Peace," Wufan said, watching the old man.
The goggle eyes shifted one more, regarding Wufan with an inhuman regard. "You appear to be an intelligent boy," he commented. "But you are in error. I am no longer interested in Peace. And you won't all die... you will die one by one... while your friend watches... but he won't let that happen, will you, Kenny? You want to protect your friends, don't you?"
"...yes," the word was almost whispered through Kenny's stiff lips. He swallowed again, the convulsive way one does when fighting nausea. He wanted to reach out for Duan's braid but his limbs felt cold and frozen. Dr. J was dead. Heero and Duo had blown him up. Dr. J was dead.
No. Ma was dead. J, it appeared, was alive. He hadn't escaped the old man at all.
Duan moved in front of Kenny, taking him by the shoulders. He shook his friend a little, then hugged him hard. "It's not him," he whispered urgently. "He's dead. This is another guy, Kenny.. Kenny, please... " Duan tried. Taking Kenny's hand, he put the end of his braid into Kenny's palm and turned to the scientist. "You are evil and you'll be defeated," he said, clearly.
Dr. J nodded as if he hadn't registered a single word.
Kenny's fingers curled slowly around the soft tassel of hair. He swallowed again, the force of it hurting his throat.
Then he said, very very softly, turning his face so that Duan blocked him from the men's view, "He... means it. I have to. That way, you stay alive." His fingers tightened even more and he added, "If he kills you all, there won't be anyone to get me out."
His eyes sought Duan's and locked on, willing him to understand and acknowledge. It was the only thing he could think of to hold on to.
Duan blinked. Scowling fiercely, he nodded in acknowledgement of the way it was. His hands on Kenny's shoulders tightened as he looked back. "We... go out together," he said, "...in a shower of bullets. Otherwise, I'm working on the problem. You stay alive. Me too. Ok?"
"Hn," Kenny managed, his throat closing, but his eyes conveyed his desperate agreement. He tugged once at Duan's braid and then let it go. Reaching up, he placed his hands on Duan's shoulders and then moved him to one side. He stepped forward.
"Kenny!" Wufan called out. "We'll be watching. Take care."
Kenny forced himself to nod curtly. He took another step forward.
Suddenly Carter, who had been standing quietly behind the others, gave a cry that sounded as if it came from a young child... or more accurately, like someone his actual age. He threw himself at Kenny and wrapped his arms around him, his appearance hysterical. Kenny froze, as the blond boy held him tightly.
Only the children, who were watching with complete attention, noticed that for a second, both boy's faces seemed to go blank. Then Kenny reached up and pushed Carter away, his movements stiff and robotic. The blond boy seemed to collapse to the floor.
Kenny took another step. With each step, his face became more and more immobile.
Dr. J reached out and his mechanical claw closed over Kenny's shoulder. The boy did not even shudder, neither did he look up.
"Good boy," J said. He smiled. Then he guided Kenny out of the cell.
Wufan's arm tightened around Mei's waist as he watched the scientist take Kenny away. His eyes turned and locked on Marcus McCormick, marking areas on the man's body.
The man noted Wufan's regard with narrowed eyes as he slowly backed out of the cell, pausing at the threshold to lean in once more. "I almost hope he decides not to help after all," he said quietly enough so that it didn't carry beyond the door.
"We don't talk to the targets," Duan said, clearly enough to be heard.
McCormick simply smiled as he straightened and the door slid shut, locking once more with a click.
Duan was angry. He hadn't been that angry in a long time. He moved to where Carter was on the floor and sat down beside the blond boy. Without thinking, he pulled Carter's body up on his lap and looked over at Wufan. "We gotta get out of here," he said, without a trace of his former merry self.
"Shh," said the blond figure in his lap. Carter sat up slightly, closed his eyes, and then suddenly there was a short series of soft pops, from different places in the room. The smell of electrical circuits fusing was detectable.
Carter sat up slowly and crossed his legs, breathing deeply. "Ears closed, eyes blind," he said softly. His eyes were wide and slightly dilated, but his face showed none of the emotional distress of before - it had been a cover. "Here's the plan. Duan, you, Fan and Mei have to figure out how to escape from this room. Soon. Then we hide. The guys are coming for us. When they get close, there will be a fight. That's when sabotage will be most effective."
Duan looked from Carter to Wufan and Mei. "Got it," he said, hearing the logic in the plan. "And what about you?"
Carter nodded. "I'm watching Kenny."
Duan looked at Carter, then grinned a little. "Good," he said, feeling a small measure of relief.
Wufan looked over at Mei. "You have some knowledge about how these bases are set up, right? I mean, if we're really on a base, that is," he asked.
Mei peered around the room again, examining everything as she had when she'd spotted the cameras before. "Probably one of the old ones left from the first war. There were a few of them that the... the pilots blew up. No one goes there anymore. It'd make sense," she offered. "But I've never really been in any of them."
"Guess we just gotta work with what we find," Duan said, closing his eyes a moment. Raising his hands to his head again, he slid his fingers into his hair and retrieved a few of his tools. "First things first. Time to unlock the prisoners," he said, moving the lockpicks into the arm cuffs. A few moment's later, the lock snapped open and Duan freed his arms.
"Fan you're next, then Mei," he said.
"There is so much you guys have got to teach me when we get back," Mei said wonderingly as she watched Duan's deft fingers free her after he'd taken care of Wufan.
Duan nodded. "You bet," he said. "In fact, you're probably going to be getting some crash courses as we go. Like why not right now? Take this," he said, handing Mei the pick.
She blinked but quickly accepted it, eyes darting between his face and his hands for instruction.
"Time to free Carter," Duan said, then instructed her on how to trip the lock on the cuffs. Moments later, the lock opened and the cuffs around Carter's wrists and arms fell to the floor.
Mei bit her lip, stifling her soft cry of triumph before gravely handing Duan back his tool. It was, after all, just one set of cuffs. But it was a start.
"Good stuff," Duan said, giving Mei a pat on the arm. He re-planted the pick in his hair and smiled at her. "You have the touch. I'll work you up to wallets in no time. Walls first though. Those doors are electronic. Let's see how far we can get with 'em," he said, moving to the door.
Mei smiled at the compliment, and then slightly wider as she suddenly found herself wondering what Une would make of her picking locks and pockets. Or, even worse, if her father could see her now, on the road to becoming a hooligan. Despite herself, she giggled softly, liking that image.
Duan moved to the door and looked it over. Reaching in the place he'd stored his knife, he shook his head. "Damn, they nicked me. The dick got my knife. Fan, do you still have yours?"
Wufan dropped to one knee. Raising his pant leg, he reached for and produced the knife that Duo had given him. "Here," he said, handing it to Duan.
"Lousy security around here," Duan said, then took the blade and scratched a patch of the finish away. After a few moments, he saw a code underneath. He nodded. "Ok, we're on the moonbase where the pilots were captured. This is the code. That means we have a plan of the building. I read about it and got the schematics. It's all in the head," he said, tapping his temple and winking at Mei.
"You can remember all that stuff like that?" she asked, wide-eyed.
"Duan's got what was once called a photographic memory. He's good at remembering stuff he reads," Wufan explained.
"Blueprints are my favorites. I used to use 'em to get around our base back home. Found all of the hidey places that way," he said.
"And alarm codes too," Wufan said, remembering the times when the emergency fire drill would sound without being scheduled.
Mei grinned with admiration. "You guys know and can do the coolest things."
Violet eyes looked at her with a certain measure of seriousness. "Yeah, well we'd better be supercool today. We gotta get Kenny outta here. Welcome to the club, Mei. You're officially in," Duan said, ending the dire stuff with something softer.
Her grin faded as she nodded, once again silently regretting that she'd been selfish enough to ask Wufan to be her friend. Swallowing, she vowed to herself that she'd help them get Kenny back, and then never be a liability to them again. No matter what.
The next moment, Mei felt a warm kiss planted on her cheek from Wufan. He shrugged. "You were looking a little too serious there," he said, by way of explanation.
Blinking in surprise, she ducked her head to hide the sudden flush to her cheeks. "I.. uh... Moonbase," she coughed softly, returning her attention to Duan, though she sidled close to Wufan and grabbed his hand.
Duan turned his attention to the wall and the door. He placed his ear to the cool surface and began listening for where the mechanism had been implanted to operate the door.
Upon returning to the Sanc Mansion, the Vice Minister and her Attaché were besieged with people wanting to know what had happened and what it meant. Pargan only permitted a few such queries to be answered before chasing off most of the curious or the concerned. Relena insisted on making a short broadcast and a brief statement to the media to minimize any rumors about threats to her well being. Thanks to a change of clothes and a quick makeup job, she managed to come across looking as if she had not just been through a frightening and life-threatening ordeal.
Even as the broadcast wrapped up, Dorothy was contacted by the head of the Preventers.
"We've making progress but the setbacks are serious," the brown haired Lady informed Dorothy grimly. "I can't find a Preventer shuttle or transport that can get off the ground sooner than many hours from now. Time is our enemy. I'm asking if you or Miss Relena have any contacts or resources that you can call on to help."
"We may, indeed, Lady Une. I won't be certain until I make some inquiries, however. Will that suffice for now?" Dorothy asked briskly, her mind already thumbing through a list of possibilities.
"Yes, thank you and pass along my thanks to Miss Relena as well," Une replied. Her eyes softened at the sight of the bruising on Dorothy's face. "And please send my regards and apologies to Miss Relena. I hope that you both can forgive me. I feel as though I've let you both down in not providing adequate protection for you."
"Lady," Dorothy said quietly, "Don't give in to thought unbecoming a woman of your strength. The enemy is not the fool we took him for. Let me make my inquiries, and then I will contact you again. Regardless of the results, I will have information for you. No remorse, Lady. You are not to blame."
Lady Une nodded once, then smiled sadly. "Thank you again and I look forward to your call. Une out," she said, breaking the connection.
Clearing the screen, Dorothy quickly called for Pargan.
"Yes, ma'am," Pargan said, a few moments later on the vid.
"Pargan, have Mister Bates and Mister Ripley left already, and if not, would you know where they are?" Dorothy asked the retainer.
"Hmm," the old man replied, his brows knitting slightly. "I do not know their whereabouts, but Mister Bates left you a private message. I'll bring it right up"
"Thank you very much," Dorothy replied, ending the transmission.
A few moments later, there was a discreet knock on the Attaché's door.
"Come," she called, curbing her instant reflex to place herself between her door and the door to Relena's office, only because she was expecting the knock.
Pargan opened the door and presented Dorothy with the note from Mister Bates. He then, left quietly.
Flipping open the paper, Dorothy scanned the contents quickly.
'Tell the Lady that Gemini is sending five shuttle class transports. She won't need more than that for now. And prepare for hard rain. -Jack Bates'
"'Prepare for hard rain'?" Dorothy repeated aloud before a small frown creased her brow. "I feel the winds of war rushing upon us." Folding the note again, she tucked it into her pocket and headed for Relena's office, knocking quietly at the door.
The door opened quickly. Relena had been pacing, instead of resting.
"Any news?" she asked quickly.
"Lady Une said that they are short on shuttles, as well as sending her apologies and regards to you. Gemini is sending her five shuttles, and I believe I was supposed to explain some things for you?" Dorothy answered just as quickly as she steered the Vice Minister to a chair and guided her to a seat. "And you're not resting," she finished sternly.
Relena looked at Dorothy, her blue eyes steady. "Something's happening, and it's... big, a major threat," she said, watching Dorothy. "And I think... I think Heero knew about it before the rest of us... but you knew about something too, didn't you?'
Dorothy sighed, nodding with an air of guilt as she moved around to Relena's vid screen. "I'll explain it to Une as I explain it to you. Forgive me, Miss Relena. I'd hoped... I'd hoped that It need never concern you." Without waiting for a response, she quickly input Une's comm code.
"Yes," Une said, responding to the call.
"I've managed to track you down some aid, Lady Une. Five shuttle class transports are on their way to you, courtesy of Gemini Ltd.," Dorothy said to the head of the Preventers. "And I have some limited information about what you may be up against."
The relief in Lady Une's eyes gave way to concern as she listened and watched Dorothy. "Please," she said, preparing herself.
"Throughout human history, conflict has shadowed our evolution. It wasn't merely human nature that made it thus, but outside forces which have been acting upon the human consciousness throughout our embattled past. There is an artifact known as the Serpent Crown which can be closely tied to most, if not all major conflicts throughout history. As difficult as it may be to believe, this object has the ability to worm its way within the human mind, twisting our fears and doubts, perverting our desires, and blackening our hearts. Tell me, Lady, didn't Mister Treize's actions ever perplex you?" Dorothy asked quietly.
Lady Une frowned deeply. Puzzled at first at Dorothy's words, she followed along attempting to grasp their significance to present events. Her last question was a surprise. "Yes," Une found herself answering.
Dorothy turned to glance at Relena for a moment. "Or Milliardo's when he attempted to 'purge' humanity from the Earth?"
Blue eyes widened. "Are you saying... are you saying my brother was... somehow affected by this thing you are describing?" she asked, her voice dropping to a soft, hesitant tone.
"Your brother, Mister Treize, Heero," Dorothy said, watching Relena's face as she listed off names, "my grandfather, Dekim Barton, and apparently, Marcus McCormick, to name a few. There are more. Many more. It came into Mister Treize's possession before the first war. Near then end, as he finally began breaking away from It's influence, he built a mobile suit named Epyon, and placed the Serpent Crown within it. The same mobile suit piloted by first Heero, and then your brother. After the destruction of the Libra, Milliardo entrusted the remains of the Epyon to me to dispose of, not wishing it to fall into the wrong hands again. Even I was not immune to the Serpent Crown. Fortunately for me, though not so fortunately for the Earth, someone found where I had hidden Epyon and removed the Crown before I could return to it. Since then, I'm guessing it fell into Barton's hands, and then at his death, McCormick's," she explained, turning once more to face the vid screen. "I cannot tell you exactly what he plans, or what resources he has at his disposal, but I can say that the Serpent Crown is an embodiment of all that is evil. It seeks the destruction of humanity. Prepare for the worst."
Relena listened with a soft gasp, leaning back into her chair. After a moment, she looked up at Dorothy.
"Not Heero," she said softly. "Heero could not have..." she stopped before finishing, suddenly remembering the boy who had defended her Sanc Kingdom, and the darkness that had haunted his eyes the last time she'd seen him before her arrest by Romefeller.
After a moment she looked up. "No... I'm sure what you are saying is true as far as you know. But... the violence and destruction that turn into war - those are a part of us, a part of our human nature. As is our need and desire for peace. This... this Crown, if it exists... must simply be a mirror that reflects our weaknesses. We can overcome them if we work at it together."
"Reflects, amplifies, intensifies. Working together is a noble cause, but until the Crown has been destroyed, it will continue to plague us," Dorothy corrected with a small shake of her head.
"Then Heero and the Gundam pilots will destroy it," Relena said, her voice steady and calm again. "But the job of making sure we overcome that destructiveness is going to be our own."
Dorothy's eyes rested upon Relena's face for a moment, her hand absently reaching out for the Vice Minister's. "You will show us the way. If It reflects our baser natures, then you will be Its antithesis."
Relena squeezed Dorothy's hand.
"Sometimes, Dorothy, you are just a little bit... silly," she said, smiling to give the words an affectionate warmth.
Dorothy merely smiled a familiar little half-smile, neither refuting, nor qualifying Relena's response. "I'm afraid there isn't much more I could tell you right now, Lady," Dorothy said apologetically as she turned her attention back to the screen.
Une nodded, taking in all of the information. She looked back up at the screen. "Thank you for the information. It... helps. Take care. We'll do what we can from this end," she said and closed the connection.
The drive back to the Preventer's Headquarters began in silence. Both women were locked in their own swirl of thoughts and feelings. Sally watched the play of emotions on Sallah's face with a mixture of profound regret and guilt. It had been reassuring not to see condemnation in Wufei's eyes. His opinion of her had come to matter to her since their meeting at the beginning of the war. She had seen Wufei in his darkest hour and felt honored to have provided encouragement and sanctuary to him until he was able to get back on his feet. She had thought of him as a younger brother and someone who had been placed in an impossible situation and asked to do the impossible himself. Sally admired and held a great deal of respect for Wufei and felt relief that he had made it through and faced what she hoped was a bright future. His recent declaration of love was startling but made sense. In fact, it seemed to make more sense than her marriage to Marcus McCormick.
Sally shook her head. What was I thinking, she asked herself for the hundredth time. Every time the answer was the same. I was lonely and he paid attention. Thinking back on that time, Sally recalled the almost hypnotic affect Marcus seemed to have on her. Alongside that, she recalled the quiet talks over tea with Wufei at Preventers Headquarters or on patrol. Frowning slightly at the memory, Sally shook her head once more. No, she thought. Flattered at the attention, perhaps, but there was something else.
Thinking hard, Sally remembered feelings of intense loneliness and displacement after everything was over. No, that wasn't quite correct. She remembered being at the Preventer's Headquarters with her friends and literally running into Marcus McCormick while rounding a corner. As Sally's hand moved to her temple, she recalled not thinking much of the
man at first. Then, later... he had sent her flowers. A short time later, they were married.
She grew accustomed to his frequent trips away and came, in time, to look forward to them. It meant a break from having to pretend that their lovemaking was satisfying and complete. Marcus had enjoyed himself, but Sally sometimes felt as though something were crawling
over her skin when he touched her. Noin was right, Sally thought. I should have let him months ago.
Yet, thoughts like those had only produced stress-headaches and confusion. In the end, it had become easier to simply stay.
Glancing over to Sallah, Sally sighed. 'And all of this is what your complacency has wrought, Sally Po,' she said to herself.
Sallah looked out of the window with unseeing eyes as the beautiful scenery of Sanc passed by. Her fingers gripped Wufan's small notebook as she, too, met herself in silence and regret. Suddenly, the sight of a bird soaring through the sky caught her attention and Sallah watched
it for a long moment. "That bird," she said without realizing she had spoken aloud, "It's small, yet it has such a strong flap."
Sally smiled as she tracked Sallah's gaze in the sky. She felt relieved to have the distraction. Her smile widened as she caught a brief glimpse of the bird in question.
"Oh Sally," Sallah said, suddenly. "I can think of a million reasons why I should have been prepared for something like this and why my life and my training should be enough to hold these emotions in check, but it's not. I have always, in the past, reminded myself over and over again that something could happen and I could lose Wufan or die myself. At the base, it was a very real prospect. Sometimes people... disappeared.
The kids were treated with less regard than a lab rat. And what did we, their mothers know? Less than nothing. We were military personnel. I was lucky to have medical training and even so, it only helped marginally when the births came." Sallah looked over at the young woman
so much like herself, unable to stem the flow.
"Those of us that made it through, were terrified. I managed to get through the first year, by acting as a guide for the others. Even so, Wufan didn't become a reality to me for many months. I mean, when he was first born and I saw him for the first time, I did wonder about him and the feelings I was having. But it wasn't until I was reading something aloud one day and he reached up and took my finger and looked up at me making these sounds, that I realized he was trying to communicate with me. I was amazed. He became more than a mark of something I'd done wrong. Wufan was a person and he needed my help to survive."
Sally smiled as heard Sallah speak. The brief glimpses she had gotten of Wufan were brought back to mind as she listened.
Sallah dabbed at the corners of her eyes and sniffled. "After that moment, I understood what the books were saying, even though I didn't believe I was equipped to be all that they implied a mother should be. The group of us did all we could to keep the children as safe as possible, but it wasn't easy. By their very nature, they got underfoot and into places. Sometimes they were punished or hurt physically," Sallah said, shaking her head. "I guess what I'm trying to reconcile is this deep sense of loss I feel. It's not like I don't believe Wufan and the other kids won't be found and brought back, it's just that I feel as though a part of me is not here. I don't think I've ever felt like this in my life," she said.
Sally reached over and patted Sallah's leg. "Well, of course not," she said. "Your child is missing. Frankly, I'm astounded at your relative calm. Most women, well, here at least, would be well past hysterical by now and I guarantee I would be the last person they'd be speaking to. Seeing as it was my husband who perpetrated the crime."
"This wasn't your fault, Sally. Sometimes men... people do horrible things. It's the individual who has to answer for their actions," Sallah said, as she looked down at the notebook in her hands. She hardly realized that she had opened it until she saw the words on a page facing her. They were written in Wufan's neat handwriting and decorated with a picture of colored lightening. The words read: "Keep Your Happy Thoughts!"
Sally heard Sallah's words and answered, "Yes, I know. But Marcus is now a part of my family and his actions, no matter how shameful are those I must bear as well."
"Perhaps not," Sallah said, turning slightly in her seat. "Sally, there are a few things I need to tell you... about where I came from. After you hear them, you'll have other choices to make, but suffice to say, whatever you're feeling or whatever has happened to you, could very well be explained and are certainly *not* your fault entirely."
Sally frowned, deeply. She looked into the eyes which matched her own, searching for some meaning. "Hn," she remarked.
Heero landed the Gundam and powered the systems down. Thoughts rushed through his mind, but he tried to remain focused on his mission. He only had one ... retrieve his kids. He opened the hatch and climbed down, looking around the hangar for his exit off the planet. The previous frustration he felt had somehow melted into a cool layer of ice.
He was aware of eyes on him and the Gundam, but paid little attention. Moving to a nearby wall, he took up position there and waited for Duo.
A moment or so later, boots could be heard echoing across the hangar floor.
The brisk footsteps slowed as the approaching person turned a corner and caught sight of the huge form of Wing Zero.
"Holy...." Noin's voice echoed. She looked around. "Um...." Then she spotted Heero leaning against the wall and a look of relief crossed her features. She came over to the young man.
"Heero, I know that nowadays it's an assumption that a Gundam pilot can do almost anything including the impossible but..." she indicated the huge machine. "How the heck did you manage to get that through customs when you came to Earth...?"
"I didn't," Heero replied. "I just got it from... an interested party."
Noin's eyebrows lifted. "Interested party? Who happened to be holding onto a Gundam....? Heero... it was destroyed... wasn't it?"
Heero looked up at Noin. "That's what I thought," he said.
Noin grimaced. "Like that, huh? Ok, ok... whatever. Zechs is finishing the check of Tallgeese. And we've been contacted by another, um, interested party, that should be arriving ASAP. Got any other surprises up your sleeve?"
Reaching out, Heero placed his hand around Noin's wrist. "I'm not ... no. I don't have any surprises, Noin," he said, softening his tone. None of this was her fault. "I can't tell you where I got it, because it's not mine to tell. If you're curious, ask Zechs. Believe me, I'm as surprised as you are to see this machine again. Another thing. Be prepared for more surprises."
Releasing her arm, Heero then asked, "Could you tell me how long before we're ready to launch?"
"As soon as the shuttles get here," Noin said, a little absently, "Now what did you mean, more surprises?" Before she could press for an answer, however, a communicator at her waist beeped, and a voice informed her that there was a large transport truck trying to enter the facility.
"The guy says he's a friend of..." the Preventer cadet coughed embarrassedly, "Cowgirl Lucretia..."
Noin grinned. "Is he wearing sunglasses and a loud shirt?"
"Um, yes ma'am."
"Let him in! Now what the heck could Howard be showing up with on a large transport tru..." She stopped and darted a suspicious look at Heero. "More surprises, eh?" Turning, she trotted off to meet the truck, deciding she better see what was on it before anyone else on the base got a look at it.
A small ghost of a smile played across Heero's lips for an instant, then he looked up listening for the sound of a helicopter.
TBC
End of Part 52
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