7-Oct-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: Angst, Suspense
Duo's hands tightened against his controls as they closed with the golden suit, an odd mix of seething rage and calculating calm singing through his veins. 'You knew he'd be "safe" because he wasn't inside, didn't you?' he guessed, aiming his thoughts back at the scythe once again.
On the console, the letters glowed. /"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."/ [1]
Duo shook his head sharply, wanting to believe again, but afraid. Kenny... Heero... The children... None of them could afford for them to be wrong. "Quatre!" he called, hating using an open line that was obviously being monitored by their enemy, but not knowing any other way around it. "Quatre, can you feel him?"
The answer did not come right away. "...no... No, Duo... but I know he's there somewhere. My... my little brother is... certain. It's his certainty I feel."
Duo bit off a curse once again. Taking a deep breath, he recited the words that had appeared on his console, silently praying that Kenny really was listening, somehow, and that the boy, not the thing possessing him, but the boy himself, would understand. That he would know they were going to free him somehow. He spun HellsBane around a little, giving the scythe a whirl that illuminated the black Gundam with a flare of rainbow fire. "I think Arcadia's trying to tell me he'll be okay when Cobra goes down... Faith... has always been a challenge for me, Quatre."
"Maybe we don't need faith," Quatre answered. "Maybe we just need love..."
Somewhere in a cold mind, something was amused by the words transmitting through space. If the machine could not prevail, there would be other machines. Other tools. Other battles, other plagues, other persuasions... The cold mind looked down into the spark held within. It allowed the words to pass through, words intended to give hope, twisting them ever so slightly to the one it held inside.
The Cobra had run to the open bay from which it had come, a slice in the Moon's surface, beside the half-buried remains of an old military base now in the process of dying again. There the golden mecha stopped and turned, regarding its pursuers with glowing red eyes. Its stance was one of defiance and challenge.
The boy's voice came through. Though others had deduced the truth, Kenny could not see it, feel it, he was surrounded by cold and a reality he could not escape, being fed into his mind. "No more... death?" The words were chill and somehow edged with steel for all that lack of emotion. "That's... right... Ma... d-dead... but not... NOT HIM! You said he was dead!! Not him... not me... no more death... we come back.... have to finish... the... the task... can't stop.. can't fail..." There was a soft gasp as if someone were trying to get air but held in tight restriction. Then the Cobra began blasting at the two Gundams that faced it, fiercely.
Duo blinked in confusion at Kenny's shout, his mind racing to make sense of it. A cold hand of dread suddenly gripped his heart as the pieces finally fell into place. Even as he swiftly maneuvered HellsBane, dodging the blasts that were now racing towards them, he berated himself silently for not realizing it sooner, for not *wanting* to realize it sooner. "He *is* dead, Kenny! This is Heero's Doctor, NOT yours! Yours is gone! Remember? Remember how the ground shook and the fireball that lit the sky? He's gone, and we're coming for you right now. We love you, Kenny. We love you and we won't leave you behind. Just like before, we're taking you home. You understand? We're coming for you, and he'll be going away too."
Heero listened to the exchange with a deep scowl. Bringing Zero II around, he watched as the machine prepared and then fired. Dodging the first blast, he brought Zero down, folding the great wings as a shield against the golden machine's attack. "Yeah, well you're not the only one who comes back," he said, landing Zero II to face the Cobra. His fingers tapped in commands as he watched the golden machine prepare to fire on him again. "You've got something I want," he said, softly.
Firing his weapon at the Cobra's head, Heero took a deep breath. "Doctor J," he said evenly. "I know you're down there somewhere. This thing you've built is as pathetic as your ambition. I guess you still find it necessary to hide behind children to get what you want. And to think I thought you were smarter than that."
The blast of opalescent energy struck the Cobra and should have disabled or destroyed it, but the shattered parts of the mecha's helmet pulled back together obscenely. There was another soft gasp, like someone fighting for breath. Then the boy's voice, even as the Cobra tried to strike with one extending arm. "H-heero... it's cold... I don't... wanna fail... you never did..."
Heero felt his chest tighten. There were so many things he wanted to say, but knew he had to keep it focused for Kenny's sake. "Wrong, kiddo," he said. "I did fail. I failed miserably. I failed many times over. I was tricked into killing the pacifists, I tried to kill Quatre, I was led around by Doctor J and the others and failed to kill them as well. In the end, whatever I accomplished didn't measure up to what I had done before. I wouldn't have even been able to save the Earth had it not been for Wufei and a lucky shot. So, yes, I failed, Kenny. And you know what? It's not so bad," he said, parrying the strike from Cobra.
Inside the base, the console in front of Duan began to show erratic readings... Kenny's brain activity and vital signs were becoming irregular. Carter gasped and his hands flew to his head. He seemed to be having trouble breathing.
Duan looked down at Carter, then back at the screen. He saw Kenny's readings and traced them back to a separate system. His fingers flew over the keyboard as he brought that system up on his screen. "Talk about Frankenstein," he said, softly. "Time to free the monster. Exit this." Crossing his fingers, the violet eyed little boy nodded as the systems one by one began disengaging. For a check, he looked down at Carter to see if he was improving.
Carter was panting, his eyes unfocused and turned entirely inward as he struggled to help Kenny.
The mobile suits of Quatre and Trowa had detoured from the confrontation and landed near the base, guided by landing lights that were blazing, finding a bay they could break into. As Carter gasped, Quatre clutched his chest. He banged the communication button and called out, "Take it out, now!"
Instinct took over as HellsBane dove at the golden mecha, scythe leading the way in a vicious, and deadly arch. The only conscious thought foremost in Duo's mind was a small wish that he could be psychic like Carter and Quatre, if only a little, so he could somehow convey to Kenny how much he and the other children meant to him. How much Duo loved them. Wheeling HellsBane around to keep the Gundam out of Heero's line of fire, Duo wielded the scythe in a lethal dance of rainbow light.
Heero fired at the Cobra, his fingers gripping the controls hard. His mind was clear. Whatever the outcome, he was prepared.
Duan turned back to the screen. He smiled as he saw another window pop up with a hidden blueprint. This time, he knew exactly where Kenny was and how to get to him. Jumping down off of the chair, he grabbed Carter's hand and pulled him down the corridors to the sim bay. Once there, he tapped in the access code and grinned as the heavy door moved back, allowing them to enter.
The access door was located in the same position as the hatch for a mobile suit would have been. As the door swung up, he saw the cockpit enclosure, with the pilot's seat in the central position. A small, familiar figure sat there with his hands on the controls. Kenny's face and head were covered by a visor and Duan could hear him gasping for air, even as his hands fought to work the controls. In the screens all around, he saw space and the Moon's surface, saw two big mecha filling the screens and the explosions of colored energy that seemed to come from each side at once.
Duan felt something cold that seemed to move by him like a brief artic breeze, and felt a sense of presence around him that reminded him of one other time before, when he'd stared into a tank where a dying green thing stared back.
Carter seemed to come to life as the hatch opened. "Get him out, get it off his head!" he cried, darting towards the pilot's chair.
Duan jumped at the command and reached out, grabbing the visor helmet from Kenny's head. Pulling it up quickly, he then tossed it to one side. Fisting some attached wires, Duan yanked hard, tossing them away for good measure. He then looked back to Kenny, wide-eyed with concern.
Kenny's eyes were wide and unfocused and his hands gripped the controls convulsively, but as the helmet was tossed away he gasped harder, trying to breath. Carter's hands flew to his temples and Kenny blinked and shuddered. His eyelids fluttered and closed, opened, closed again and he seemed to take a huge breath, as if freed from some invisible constriction. He gasped again, this time more normally, and his eyes opened. For a moment they seemed to glow with opalescent fire. His hands clenched one last time and then he choked, "Kill it, Heero! Duo... kill it, make it die!" Then he seemed to pitch forward into Duan's arms.
"Roger that," Heero replied. "Let's take out the trash, Duo," he added, then fired.
"Ryoukai." If an entire lifetime of pain and struggle and triumph could have been packed into a single word, then Duo Maxwell found a way to do just that. His whole existence stilled into that one moment, before a Shinigami smirk crossed his lips, and the scythe flashed towards Cobra.
The golden mecha seemed to explode into countless pieces, shards of Gundanium and gold scattering in every direction. The rainbow colored energy crackled around as if seeking each last remnant and then stillness fell. The Cobra was destroyed.
The scythe flared a little and then began to change its form, returning to the body of the Gundam and eventually to Duo's hand.
"Quatre?" Duo called over the com, a hundred questions in the pilot's name and a concern so palpable that it need not be spoken.
"We're inside, Duo," Quatre's voice came back a bit breathless. "It looks like... like something happened in here. I'm trying to find Carter. You guys better get in here."
"We're on our way," Duo replied, already maneuvering HellsBane as close to the airlocks as possible.
Heero guided Zero II in HellsBane's direction.
"If you'd stick to your ten point maintenance program, we wouldn't hafta jump start you like this," Duan said, hugging Kenny tightly. He blinked, sniffling a little as he held his best friend. Reaching behind him, he took the end of his braid and wrapped it around Kenny's hand. [2]
After a moment, Kenny's hand closed slowly into a fist around the silky braid. He took a deep breath and he looked up. There were little bruises around his eyes from tiny broken blood vessels there, but his indigo eyes were dark and clear. A little water was blinked away. He swallowed and then said in a low, hoarse voice, "Hey."
The grin on Duan's face broke out like sunshine. "Hey," he said, softly. Then looking up, he announced clearly to whoever was listening, "Moonbase to Gundam pilots! Doctor Destructo here... I got my friend back! And his psychic pal is here too!" Suddenly, Duan's eyes went wide. He reached out and touched a lock of Kenny's hair. "Wow," he said, amazed and impressed. "You've got a werewolf streak, cool! Hey Carter, lookit this!"
Carter blinked and nodded as he reached out to touch it too. Slightly to the left of center, one of Kenny's thick locks of hair had gone white from root to tip.
Kenny looked from one to the other, not really getting it. His mind was still trying to put itself back together. "I dreamed... I dreamed I was struck by lightning," he said, his voice a little husky.
Looking at Carter, he reached out one hand and tried a hug. "Thanks... for staying with me..."
Carter nodded and sniffed, and then tried very hard not to burst out crying now that the worst seemed to be nearly over.
Duan reached around and pulled Carter close to them. "It's ok. We can all scream or something when we get back. I know I am," he said.
Duo's gaze darted about the observation/control room suspiciously. Violet eyes wandered from the spiderwebbing of cracks running through the large bay window to the deep brown splashes of dried blood liberally coating many of the console stations, and then further down to the bodies, many of them sprawled as if they'd been in flight before being killed. Duo imagined he could feel a palpable aura of decay about the room, as pungent as his childhood memories of the streets. He shot a quick look to Heero, his grip settling more firmly upon his gun, which he still hadn't willed away.
Heero glanced around the room, taking in the carnage. He looked at Duo and nodded once in acknowledgment, then moved on. "In there," he said, nodding to a small area off of the one they were in. There was a lone computer terminal with multiple screens up. "I'm checking that out," he said, moving to the monitor.
The monitor he looked at first showed a readout of the station systems and he saw that there had apparently been some random malfunctions in a short period of time, scattered around the facility, like lights in a mess area and some kind of explosion, or perhaps several.
At the next console there was a blank screen and letters saying, "COBRA SYSTEM SHUTDOWN".
Both of their comms beeped with an incoming message.
Duo pulled his out quickly, eyes still absently tracking Heero's attempts with the computer as he flipped the device on and answered.
It was Quatre. "It looks like most of the people here have deserted or something," he said. "I'm heading for Carter. I think he's... Heero! Remember when we were with the Doctors and they were testing Zero's system? I think that's the area where he is, and he's not alone."
Heero looked up at Duo. "I know where that is," he said, moving out.
"On our way, Quatre. Meet you there," Duo replied, following in his partner's wake.
Heero moved down the corridors to the sim bay. He noted the pockets of destruction the kids had wrought with a sense of quiet pride. They weren't stupid. Each of them possessed the skills of someone three times their age, but even so, Heero understood that they were just kids after all. Kids at some point get tired and they get scared. He had to find them because something he couldn't name told him that this was not over yet. J was still breathing. The Crown had not been located and the most compelling fact of all was that neither Jack or Ripper had shown up.
"Too bad we don't have your tracker with us. If they still have the blades, this might be faster," he said to Duo.
Duo snorted derisively as he paused to unfasten the front of his flight suit enough to fish around in one of the inner pockets. Muttering something that sounded like, "Tunnel Vision, Maxwell," he withdrew a slim object that looked like a slightly larger communicator with a flip-up screen. "You mean this tracker, koibito?" he said, glancing at Heero before studying the small screen.
Heero stopped and turned to Duo. "You get extra sugar snacks," he said, moving to stand closer to the braided pilot. Heero rested a hand on Duo's shoulder as he glanced down at the tracker.
Duo snorted again before tossing Heero an apologetic half-smile. "I'd give up sugar forever if I could only go back and keep them safe," he said with a sigh before frowning thoughtfully at what the small device in his hands was telling him. "Well, either they stashed their knives in different places, or they were confiscated. Here's Tryan, Quatre, and Trowa," he said, pointing to one of the two blips that were in motion. "But this one's Kenny's, and this one's Duan's," he continued, pointing first to a stationary mark, and then to the only other one that was moving, "And they're supposed to be together. Are any of these places where we're supposed to be going?"
Heero thought for a moment and then nodded. "What about this. The one's in motion are Tryan and another one. The stationary's could be hidden or confiscated. Wufan's blade seems to be closest to where we need to be and Tryan's is in the general area," he said. Leaning over, Heero kissed Duo fully. "Let's go," he said, moments later.
Duo's eyes fluttered back open after a moment and he offered his lover a small smirk before shaking his head and turning his attention back to the screen for a moment. "Let's retrieve this one along the way," he said, pointing to the moving blip of Duan's blade. "It's not far off our route."
"Hai," Heero said and moved on.
It was unusual, and not really very easy, trying to use his connection to Carter as a directional locator, but Quatre tried to relax and simply let his intuition guide him through the moon base. He carried Tryan, carefully detouring around little areas of destruction.
Coming through a doorway, he almost gasped as he saw the three small boys sitting on the floor in front of the open hatch of a simulator cockpit. "Thank Allah..."
Tryan all but leapt from Quatre's arms and ran to the small group on the floor. "Kenny! Carter! Duan!" he cried out as he hugged them hard in turn. "I'm sorry, I'm late! I brought the guys!"
Duan smiled real big. "Hey!" he said, but didn't relinquish his place next to Kenny.
Trowa placed his arm around Quatre and moved quickly towards the little group. "Hi guys," he said, dropping down next to them. Emerald eyes scanned each one of them, noting what damage he found. Placing his hand on Carter's back, he looked up at Quatre and nodded.
Carter looked up the moment the small group approached and he jumped up and grabbed Tryan and hugged him tightly. He tucked his head close to Tryan's ear and whispered, "I'm sorry, Tryan..." and then, "Thank you... for bringing the guys!"
Kenny submitted to the hug and smiled slightly, looking down. His hand was still clutching Duan's braid, and he seemed to be still trying to connect things together.
Quatre watched all the children closely, even as his hand reached out and found Trowa's.
Pulling out his communicator, he contacted Duo and Heero. "We're here," he said simply. "Carter, Duan and Kenny are here and they seem to be okay."
"We copy," Heero replied, glancing over at Duo. "With any luck, we might be bringing some company."
Duo nodded once with a quick stab of relief at Quatre's assurance, before turning his attention back to the tracking device. He'd reserve judgment on that 'okay' thing until he could see them all with his own two eyes; old street-born paranoias were kicking in again. Giving the device one final deep scrutiny, Duo flipped the screen down and tucked it away before calling his gun back to his hand. Signaling Heero, Duo took up a position beside the corridor where the person in possession of Duan's knife was approaching from. "Ready?" he mouthed to Heero silently.
Heero nodded, watching Duo carefully.
Wufan walked down the corridor with a small frown on his face. He was trying to remain alert to possible traps as they moved. Suddenly, he stopped and raised his hand up towards Treize and Mei. Removing his blade from its confines, he placed his back against the corridor wall. Moving down to the floor, he crept along with blade at the ready.
Treize quirked up a brow at the young boy, watching with a mixture of amusement, alertness, appreciation, and sadness at the youth's skillful stalk. He settled Mei more firmly against his chest, turning slightly to shield her with the bulk of his own body, even as his free hand came up, pistol trained upon the end of the corridor. All wariness faded a moment later when an unmistakable voice called out, "Ollie ollie oxen free! Anyone without the right password gets a long trip out a short airlock!"
Wufan took a relieved breath and relaxed slightly. "Duo," he said, standing up. "Don't shoot."
The braided pilot slipped around the corner and scooped Wufan up into his arms with a sigh of relief. "The actual password was 'Hot fudge sundae', but that's close enough. You two okay?" he asked, hugging the boy tightly even as his eyes sought for Mei's form still curled up against her father.
"Hot fudge sundae," Wufan said, without inflection. He hugged Duo's neck tightly. Looking up, he saw Heero leaning against the other wall and waved.
"You ok?" Heero asked, moving to close the distance.
Wufan blinked and then nodded a lot.
Mei raised her head, letting out a little hiccupping sigh of relief as she saw Heero and Duo. "Kenny?" she asked quietly, watching Heero's face closely.
"Getting him next," Heero said, then looked up at Treize. "Welcome back," he said, simply.
The ginger-haired man tightened his hold on Mei before returning Heero's greeting with a nod. "McCormick has been dealt with."
Duo glanced sharply over at Treize, holding the man's gaze for a long moment. "Then we'd better get going before Quatre and Trowa and Kenny and Carter and Duan and Tryan all get worried."
"Carter and Duan are okay? And Kenny?" Mei asked hopefully. "We got separated and the soldiers chased Carter and Duan a different way..."
"That's what we're going to find out, Mei. But I think they're all right. Quatre just contacted us," Heero said. He tapped Duo on the shoulder. "Ok, my turn," he said simply, lifting Wufan from the braided pilot's arms.
Duo blinked before sheepishly agreeing. "Sorry," he murmured before grinning at Wufan. "You guys play musical knives or something?"
"Carter hid his and after we woke up, Kenny's was missing. Mr. McCormick took Duan's and I... I got it back for him," Wufan said, very quietly, looking down at Heero's suit.
Duo's violet stare bounced up to Treize once again, meeting with the aristocrat's sorrowful blue eyes. "I'm sure he'll appreciate that, Wufan," Duo said encouragingly as he turned back towards Heero and Wufan, "Why don't we go take it back to him now, then track everyone else's down after we finish taking care of everything else, okay kiddo?"
Wufan nodded, then glanced up at Heero with shining eyes.
Heero brushed his fingertips against Wufan's cheek. "We can talk about it later, if you want," he said.
Wufan nodded, then leaned his head against Heero's shoulder.
Looking up at Duo, then Treize, Heero turned and headed towards the bay again.
The hallways of the moon base were virtually deserted. There were no traces of the technicians, the former White Fang soldiers, or anyone else the kids had seen. Only moments later, they emerged into the room where the others were gathered, Quatre and Trowa watching over the children protectively, the four boys sitting on the floor arm in arm or otherwise close together.
Heero took a deep breath, moving towards the group. Sitting, he set Wufan on his leg, then reached out and touched each one of the boys in turn. "We can do this right, when we get back to Earth," he said, "But for right now, I love all of you guys and I missed you."
"Missed you too, Heero," Duan said, "Kenny's got a werewolf streak."
Duo, meanwhile, had simply dropped into a crouch before the small group, eyes avidly wandering over each of them as he remained uncharacteristically quiet. At Duan's announcement, Duo's hand crept out, gently touching the white streaked forelock before trailing fingertips down Kenny's cheek. "I'm sorry, kiddo," he whispered.
When Wufan joined the boys, Kenny looked up and seemed to reflect a bit of relief, which was added to as he saw Mei as well. Then he looked up and saw Heero, and Duo. His eyes seemed to shimmer and he blinked, looking down quickly, then back up to one, then the other, then down again. He was very still under Heero's brief touch, and even more still as Duo's fingers brushed him gently. Scowling slightly at the floor as he tried very desperately to focus on what has happening, and somehow collate the experiences he was still having trouble referencing, he whispered softly, " 'M sorry... It was... I did it, didn't I? The... the big black suit, and the white wings...I know I did things..."
Heero looked up at Duo, then down to Kenny. He felt a slice through his heart, that brought tears to his dark eyes. Leaning over, he slid his arm around Kenny and Duan, pulling them both against him. "You... sometimes you don't have a choice, Kenny."
Duo shook his head quickly, moisture trailing down his cheeks as he leaned in to try and wrap an arm around Kenny as well, with slightly dubious success, given the press of bodies. "Not you, Kenny. It used you. Just like It used Heero once, too. And Zechs. It wasn't your fault. Please believe that. It wasn't your fault."
Kenny seemed to sort of shake a little, then stop as he sniffed hard. Still not quite meeting either of the older boy's eyes, he said softly, "I... tried to protect... Mei and the guys." Swallowing, he leaned very briefly into Duo's shoulder. Then he squared his shoulders and looked up fully. "It's not over yet... the m-mission." He wiped his face with the back of one hand and tried to look ready to go.
Wufan watched the exchange and then did as Kenny had done. Reaching out, he placed a hand on Kenny's shoulder. "Right," he said, looking into Kenny's eyes. "W...we took care of McCormick," he added. "The General did, that is. I just had a fight with him. You weakened him for me."
Kenny looked at Wufan, and then suddenly smiled, a very brief smile, quickly returned to a more neutral expression. "Good for you, Fan," he said, and again seemed to take a tiny bit of relief from the information, or perhaps just the sound of the other boy's voice.
"We also took out big chunks of the base as well. C-4 cuts a lotta corners," Duan added.
"Oh yeah!" Tryan piped up. "We're all Maganacs too! You too, Mei!"
Mei lifted her head from where it had been resting against Treize's shoulder, absently scrubbing a hand over her face. "What's a 'Maganac'?"
Duan chuckled.
"A Maganac is a true, courageous son of Allah who fights for freedom," Trowa offered.
Quatre smiled.
"Yeah and Master Quatre is their spiritual leader," Tryan said with a big smile. "But the neatest part is they ride horses in the desert and wear colorful clothes!"
Quatre blushed slightly at the "spiritual leader" comment. Then he glanced up and his eyes landed on the tall figure of Treize at the edge of the group. Blinking, he tilted his head, but didn't say anything. He simply nodded to the formerly 'deceased' General.
Treize nodded solemnly back, then quirked up a brow at his daughter who'd begun shifting against him to extricate herself from his grip. Setting Mei on her feet, he accepted a brief hug from her before she wandered over to the boys and shyly wrapped her arms around Kenny for a quick embrace.
Trowa glanced over at the ginger-haired man and smiled. "Nothing should surprise me any more," he said, softly.
Kenny was quiet in Mei's brief embrace but just as she let go, one of his arms moved up and pressed her back very briefly. Then he said softly, "Who's the stiff?"
She swallowed, blinking quickly as she replied just as quietly, "He's my papa. He wasn't d-dead."
Kenny's eyebrows lifted slightly and he looked up at Treize. For a moment he scowled at the ginger-haired man. The expression was pure protective antagonism for a brief moment before he dropped his eyes, leaving an impression of withdrawing to reserve judgment. "Ok... not dead just... napping or something..." he muttered with one more flash from indigo eyes which were quickly lidded. Kenny took a breath and patted Mei a touch awkwardly.
Duan chuckled. Now that's more like it, he thought, grinning at his friend.
Treize had the grace to glance away after Kenny broke eye contact, his expression once more sorrowful and laced with some guilt. Giving himself a quick, unobtrusive shake, he vowed to somehow make it up to her, and maybe someday earn the trust of the surprisingly protective little family she'd earned on her own. Wallowing in the past would do neither of them any good.
Mei remained silent, expression thoughtful with hints of uncertainty hovering around her eyes. She blinked again, covering her quick surprise at Kenny's reassuring touch by scrubbing the back of her hand across her cheek. She offered him a smile that was supposed to be a little reassuring as well, but it turned out more grateful than anything. She glanced at Duan for a moment, before standing up straighter and reaching around her to pull the courier pouch into view. "Duan and Wufan and Carter and I made you sandwiches when we raided the mess."
Kenny blinked and then grabbed her hand briefly and squeezed it before letting go. "Not... right now," he said softly. "But... thanks."
Mei nodded before shuffling a little bit out of the way, without leaving the small group.
Meanwhile, Treize felt something and looked across the group to see teal eyes under blond bangs looking at him with and expression that seemed a bit older than the face wearing it. Those eyes held simple, clear compassion.
Treize felt his lips lifting in a small smile, his thoughts silently thanking Carter once again. 'Your name should be Polaris,' he thought to himself, 'since you've been such a guiding star to me, little one.'
Wufan looked up, then tapped Heero's arm. "Where is Wufei?" he asked.
Heero looked over at Treize. "Wufei," he said. "Where?"
"Searching, still," Treize replied. "We split up to find the children or the Crown."
"Come on," Heero said, standing suddenly.
Wufei scowled as he pursued Dr. J, pulled by his knowledge that this man was the one who was the actual 'holder' of the Serpent Crown, the source of the events that had torn the children from them and threatened the peace of the Earth and colonies yet again. He could not be allowed to escape or it would *never* end.
The scientist had the advantage of knowing where he was going, and more than that - he'd become very familiar with the environment in the time he'd been there and had taken extreme precautions to safeguard the thing he was now fleeing towards, his precious Artifact.
Darting into a service shaft, the old man nimbly managed to climb, jump and then float down the shaft to a lower level. Down and down again, until he was crawling through darkened tunnels below the mobile suit and simulator bays.
Emerging into a tiny chamber behind a code-locked door, a single light shown down on a round pedestal, which was ringed with wires, crystals and technical apparatus. The wires and cables were directed upwards, supported by a hanging framework, and disappeared into shafts in the ceiling of the small room. They led to the physical housing for the Cobra system array. Above, an incredibly complex computer and control device, below, a bizarre arrangement designed to collect, focus, and direct the energies from an ancient and incomprehensible object.
Surrounded by all this, It sat on the pedestal under the single light, glittering gold with a patina of age that nevertheless did not obscure its shape and design. A circular crown, of solid metal, carved or rendered into the shape of a nest of serpents, entwined, seething, gems of red and emerald set around the circumference in the place of glittering eyes on many heads, lifted, poised as if to strike. To see It was to imagine one saw movement. To somehow perceive sound... the hissing began as an imagined whisper but the longer one gazed upon it, the louder the sound became until it filled the mind of the viewer, blocking out all other vibrations until the sibilant hissing began to resolve into voices...
In Its presence, Dr J could not remember when it first came into his possession. Time was meaningless. He no longer remembered the ideals of his youth or the defiance of his later years. He knew only that It was potent, amazing, powerful, that it somehow possessed the answers to questions mankind hadn't even evolved far enough to ask. When It spoke in his mind, there was never any question about what It said - not any more, not for a long time.
Outside the room, Wufei flattened against the tunnel wall in the shadows. He heard the old man's voice and nothing else. It was half of a conversation and the tone of it stiffened his spine. He felt his heart beating hard in his chest. The scientist was trapped, he guessed there would be no other exit from the room. He had only to step through the door and end this... but something held him there for a moment. Wufei sensed that what was beyond the door would take all the strength of will he possessed to face. This knowledge came to him in the form of a silent warning from Meiran and he heeded it. This thing... this thing had warped a man of Treize Khushrenada's will, had influenced Heero Yuy. This thing.... it was because of this thing that his clan had been driven from Earth to the Colonies, and which, he believed, had caused their ultimate sacrifice.
Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he reached into a pocket and took out his personal communicator. Silently he thumbed the locator signal, sending it to three other comms, one of which he knew was there on the station, the other two of which might be.
Returning the device to his pocket, he stiffened his shoulders and then stepped through the door.
"You can run from justice, but never evade it, old man," he said.
On Earth, watching the monitor in the back corner of Relena's office, the two women found themselves viewing the signal from a camera inside the moon base. This camera showed a wide angle which included the room outside the simulator, where the pilots were reunited with the children.
Relena had not bothered to hide or hold back the tears that streamed from her eyes as she watched. Squeezing Dorothy's hand, she glanced up suddenly and blinked, for at the back of the room there was a man standing, who could not have entered from any of the doors, which were all at the front of the office.
"Mister Bates," she said, with a touch of surprise.
Dorothy looked up sharply, instinctively seeking out glacier cool eyes as she inclined her head in a polite greeting. "Yours?" she inquired softly, indicating the screen she and Relena had been studying with a tilt of her head.
Mister Bates inclined his head.
"The last act is about to play out, Dorothy," Jack said. "Would you care to see it for yourself?"
Dorothy graced him with a wan smile. "Is that not the commission you entrusted me with?"
"There are always different means to execute a commission," he returned. "This one requires strength of will. It would be easier to observe from here."
Her eyes narrowed slightly, even as she sat up a little straighter and squared her shoulders. "I'm no coward, Mister Bates," she said, "Their trials should not be for nothing."
For an answer, he simply held out his hand.
With the air of a lady accepting an invitation to waltz, Dorothy rose from her seat and rested her fingers atop his own. She paused, turning to glance at Relena.
Relena looked back at Dorothy wide-eyed, but without asking any questions she simply nodded.
"I am at your service, Mister Bates," Dorothy replied with a small sight, though her eyes did not leave Relena until the last.
Heero settled Wufan on his hip just as his comm went off. Opening it with one hand, he looked over at Duo, whose comm went off a second later. "Hn," he remarked. "Think we got him," he added.
Duo nodded, glancing over at Treize as the older man pulled out his own comm unit. The braided pilot waited until he'd scooped Kenny into his arms and had the boy firmly settled against him before fishing his own comm out to check the signal. "Looks that way," he agreed, "Locator signal?" he asked Treize.
The ginger-haired man nodded, stifling a flash of disappointment as Mariemeia chose to hover near Kenny and Duo, rather than returning to him to be carried as well. "From Wufei," he replied, glancing down at the floor for a moment out of reflex, "and apparently almost directly below us."
Wufan squirmed a little in Heero's arms. "I'm ok," he said, getting down to the floor.
Heero nodded, then looked over the small group. "Ok, here's the plan," he said, "I want you guys to guard our flank. Let us big guys do point, got it?"
Duan looked at Wufan and Tryan. "We gotcha, Heero," he said.
Kenny was quiet in Duo's arms at first but his head turned to stay focused on Duan. Without thinking, his hand strayed toward the other boy but couldn't reach him.
Duan moved closer to Duo and reached up, taking Kenny's hand. "Maybe you better put him down here with me," he said to Duo. "I'll guard him."
"I'm too small to carry you both," Duo sighed with resignation as he slowly knelt beside Duan and shifted Kenny so he could stand. His hands hovered near the boy, loathe to part with him, as he asked quietly, "Sure you're not too tired?"
Kenny moved closer to Duo and he tilted his head forward until their foreheads touched. "I know... It's still here... close... we hafta finish the mission, Duo. Then," he took a deep breath. "Then we can all take a nap."
"I'd like that a lot, Kenny," Duo replied, fingertips absently stroking along the boy's back in soothing patterns. "But it's okay to conserve your strength till then..."
"I will," Kenny said. Then he reached out and grabbed Duan's hand.
Duan looked from Duo to Kenny as his hand tightened securely around Kenny's hand. "Duo," he said, "We came from the base. We'll be okay."
"I know you will," Duo replied with a sigh. "I know you will. Sorry. Let's go kill it, okay?"
Duan nodded, watching Duo closely. There was something about him that was not quite normal, but he decided that it probably was the stress from the mission. He made a mental note to talk to the older pilot later.
Tryan grabbed Carter's hand, holding on to the little blond tightly. "You're goin' with me. I'm not getting left behind again," he said, definitely.
Carter hugged Tryan tightly. "Okay," he said softly.
Wufan felt a sense of urgency within him. He walked over to Mei and took her hand. "You wanna take position with me?" he asked. "I mean, if you want to be with your Father, I understand."
Mei made no move to pull her hand away and join Treize, replying only with a soft, "Ready."
Watching the kids pair up, Heero glanced around to the older pilots in the room, then turned and headed out of the bay.
"That's the last of them," Noin sent the message to Lady Une, Relena and Zechs at the same time. "We've got nothing else headed this way. It looks like we did it."
Landing the Taurus, she jumped out of the cockpit, making sure the Preventer agents in the other Tauruses were able to debark and get some minor medical attention. She, the three Preventers, and Zechs had met the incomming controlled mobile suits, keeping them from getting to the Palace. One possible breach of the line had been stopped when the tall redhead from the Palace had somehow managed to get *into* one of the 'enemy' Tauruses and short circuit the programming, taking over the controls. At first clumsy, the new pilot had apparently learned with almost frightening quickness, joining the others to square the line and complete their defense.
The formerly 'enemy' Taurus suit landed also and the tall redhead jumped out of the cockpit, grinning merrily. He stretched and cracked his knuckles. "That was fun," he remarked to no one in particular as the small defense force was met on the steps of the palace by grateful staff and residents.
Taking off his flight helmet on the way to meet the small assembled group, Zechs shook his head, partly in disbelief, partly to free his hair. "I can't say I envy your idea of fun, Mr...."
The redhead sauntered over to Zechs, looking him up and down rather openly. "Ripley, old man, Nigel Ripley. But I prefer to be called Ripper."
He held out a hand.
Taking the other man's hand, Zechs remarked, "So our benefactor in politics is also one in battle. You fight well for a businessman."
Ripper's hand slid along Zechs' revealing calluses of quite a different nature than those of a mobile suit pilot. He lifted Zechs' hand to his lips and kissed the fingertips. "Nah, I fight well for a psychotic maniac... I only do business about average," he said, winking as he released the captured hand.
Zechs' face was blanked from shock, but he drew his hand back rather quickly. Pulling himself together after a flustered moment, he cleared his throat, looking for some start of a conversation after *that*.
Rip didn't seem to expect a clever come-back. He continued to regard the blond Preventer Agent. "There's going to be something happening very soon, that you might want to see. It won't be *all* fun and games. Care to come?"
Zechs glanced, once, quickly around the palace and former site of the battle before following his first impulse. He nodded.
Rip nodded back. "Good choice." He reached for the air at his back and an object seemed to materialize there - something with the shape of a bass guitar. Once again he held out his hand. "Think your lover will be surprised to see you?"
"If he is," Zechs replied, taking the proffered hand with a slight visible hesitation. "It'll be a first."
TBC
[1] The Bible, Revelations 21:4
[2] Eighties movie, "Strange Brew"
End of Part 58
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