07 May 2000
And finally, Hermes gave Pandora a
beautiful gold box, which he told her,
she must never, never open.
And then Hera gave her curiosity.
"The Story of Pandora's Box"
"Go away." Duo groaned, his voice thick with sleep as he pulled a blue and white flannel blanket up over his head, the thin material doing little to muffle the pounding coming from outside his apartment's door.
"It's Howard."
The braided man sighed deeply, rolled off the old couch, and padded over to the sturdy gray door, half tripping on the blanket that had wound itself around his legs during the night.
"Like I said, go away," Duo replied with a lazy grin plastered on his face as he unlocked and pulled open the door. He blinked as his tired eyes took note of the ex-scientist's rumpled red Hawaiian shirt and dark circle framed eyes. "Old man, you look like hell. Bad night?"
Howard chuckled softly, running a hand over his bald head. "You might say that. Here, I dug this up for you. Probably 'll raise more questions than it'll answer but, oh well," he shrugged absently and held out a tightly sealed military issue container.
"Do I say thanks now or later?" Duo asked as he took the heavy green metal box and turned it over slowly in his hands.
"If you say it now, you might regret it later."
The comment elicited a small laugh from the braided man. "Oi, Howard, I've known you for how long and now you've decided to go cryptic on me?" he teased.
"Gotta keep you on your toes, kid," the old scientist replied, a grin turning up the corners of his lips.
The younger man shook his head slowly, amusement slipping from his eyes. "Who is she Howard?"
The ex-scientist's smile faltered and voice softened at the question. "Look in the box, then ask me."
Duo groaned, frustrated. "Fine, but I'm telling ya, the suspense is gonna kill me."
Howard chuckled. "Oz soldiers be damned, Heero Yuy, take a hike, curiosity is what's gonna kill this boy. How many of your nine lives you got left kid?"
Duo tilted his head to one side, thinking for a moment. "Beats me. I'm pretty sure I'm in the negatives though."
Again the old man's tired laugh tumbled though the cool air. "Figures. I'm gonna go get me some coffee and then get to work on that maintenance robot we got in yesterday."
Duo quirked an eyebrow, a faint smile returning to his expressive violet eyes. "The one that torched off a block of magnesium? You're kidding right? I mean that metal was dripping like melted wax."
"Eh' it'll give me something to do. See you later kid," With a slight nod of his head the older man turned around and left in the direction of the compound's municipal kitchen.
The ever-present smile on the braided pilot's lips faded with startling speed as he closed the door and slid its lock home. Duo sighed deeply and moved back over to the couch he had used as a bed the previous night. With an unconscious boneless grace he sank to the floor, back resting against the padded piece of furniture, legs folded in front of him, eyes fixed on the unadorned container in his hands.
What have you gotten yourself into now Maxwell?
The question slid over his thoughts like oil over water, never dissipating and tinting everything with a surreal glaze. Strong fingers easily released dark green latches and flipped back the lid, eyebrows drawing together at first glance of its contents. A thin layer of dust covered a stack of pictures and a small roll of paper held securely in place with two paper clips. Carefully the braided pilot took the three-inch tall scroll out of the metal container and slid off the rusting fasteners. With a sharp flick of his wrist the yellowing paper uncoiled like a demented party streamer. Instantly Duo recognized the sharp redlines of the EKG read out and tilted his head to one side, intently studying the streamer as he pulled it over his callused fingertips, eyes narrowing at the much too rapid succession of peaks and dips.
His stomach knotted tightly as the thin red line leveled out abruptly for several inches. Quickly violet eyes traced the deadly reading with an unexplainable urgency until a sharp spike broke the dreadful monotony and the patient's heartbeat fell into a normal rhythm. Duo let out a low breath only to have it catch again when his gaze passed over the patient's name and date.
Winner, Blair 03-07-192
"Nani?" he questioned the mute streamer, quickly running numbers through his foggy brain. Seven years. Numbly Duo set the EKG read out down on the beige soft pile carpet as unseeing eyes shifting down the small stack of pictures.
What have you gotten yourself into Maxwell?
Slowly he ran a hand through chestnut bangs while the other picked up the collection of photographs. Quietly he flipped through random shots of people he didn't recognize until he came to an image sharply creased down the center.
Bathed in sunlight, Howard was grinning from ear to ear, fingers ruffling the curly hair of an almost painfully thin girl. Grease streaked along one of her cheeks as honey brown eyes sparkled in the warm summer light. A heart felt laugh pulled up the corners of her open mouth while a green sweater that was much to large for her slight frame tumbled past her fingertips.
The picture was bright and peaceful.
Duo set the abused photo on the black material that covered his thigh while he threw a glance over the back of the couch and down the hall to his bedroom where Blair was sleeping. A fragmented memory of looking into fiery black eyes and the feel of her athletic body pressed against his surfaced to his consciousness. The woman he had met was a far cry from the girl in the photo and that unnerved him.
Duo sighed for the hundredth time that morning as he reached down to the last picture whose condition wasn't much better than the previous. Its edges were bent at awkward angles and the top left corner had been harshly torn off. Finally his eyes focussed on the image and his breath caught, all thoughts ceasing.
This time the picture's sole occupant was the younger Blair, eyes fixed on a view screen, expression set in deep lines of concentration, fingers reaching out to make adjustments on a counsel, all the while oblivious to the cameraman's presence. The arms of the black and red flight suit had been rolled up past her elbows while the restraining harness tightly hugged her thin body to the flight seat. Numbly Duo raised near shaking fingers to the image, recognizing the cockpit that had been his only comfort and safe haven for the better part of the war.
"Deathscythe?" the question was no louder than the exhaled breath it rode on yet it seemed to scream in his ears. Quickly he stood and nearly broke into a run towards his room, a million questions, fears and disbeliefs streaking though his mind and sparking a nervous tremor just under his pale skin.
Duo sat on the edge of his bed, intense gaze fixed on the unconscious curly haired woman. Now that he knew what to look for, he could see the resemblance to Quatre. In fact it was as if she had Quatre's face, only with darker tones and shades of pain. Slowly he took one of her relaxed hands in his and studied her palm intently. Closing his violet eyes, he ran a finger over the rough skin, tracing the callused patterns that were unique to that of an MS pilot. Hesitantly he raised his other hand to her cheek and let it rest on the flushed skin.
"Who the hell are you Blair?" Duo asked softly, unaware of his voce slipping through the cool air. Slowly his eyes drifted down to the pentacle resting just on top of the black loose weave sweater he had dressed her in over six hours ago. Was it just a good luck charm or a religion to her? A passing fancy or a way of life? Duo had met members of both factions. Those who laughed and talked loudly only of power and magick spells were pathetic souls who's only need was a device to rebel against society. The quiet ones who glanced at the moon and spoke evenly of patters and lore were the people who possessed true power. Granted Duo personally did not subscribe to the idea of magick, but he had met a few in his short life that had left him with no doubt of what they quietly confessed to be with their soft words and actions. He was willing to bet Blair fell into the second category.
What have you gotten yourself into Maxwell?
"I don't know. I really don't know," he whispered softly, fingers moving away from her heated cheek while his lips ached to kiss the woman he hardly knew. Duo shook his head in an attempt to push the emotion aside and quiet the frighteningly strong pull that had embedded itself in his muscles.
He need answers, but more than that, he needed the truth.
Erin Johnson
Please send comments to: johnsoel@purdue.edu