22-Aug-2000
completed 14-Sep-2000
revised: 12-Jul-2001
R. AU. OOC. Continuation. 4x1/2x1
Side Four
I miss him.
Duo stared emptily into the black glass, his breath softly misting over the cold surface. He blinked slowly, as the door opened behind him and Wufei stepped through, a watchful look on his flawlessly beautiful face as he walked towards him. Duo nodded slightly at the reflection of his friend, not bothering to turn around.
'We have a trace on their location.' Wufei spoke quietly, folding his arms as he leant against the side of the closed door, his black eyes still fixed steadily on the immobile figure at the window. He stood silent, waiting for a response from Duo, wondering what he'd say when he heard the rest of the report from Soryu's agents.
Duo took a deep breath then turned around, a wide beam splitting his face. He grinned at Wufei who merely raised an eyebrow curiously at his unabashed delight, and flung himself down on the sofa, sprawling lazily.
'Well?' Duo drawled arrogantly, his eyes dancing merrily as he indicated the opposite seat with a jerk of his head. 'Where is he?'
He sat up eagerly, unable to sit still for an instant, his voice betraying his impatience. 'How long before I can get to Heero?'
'Is that all you can think about?' Wufei retorted irritably, a frown marring his features, 'Yuy? I didn't spend hours arguing and pleading with Soryu for use of her agents and equipment, just so you could get together with your lover. Damn it Maxwell. Don't you think it's about time you put aside this adolescent obsession with Heero, and focus on more important objectives?'
'More important?' Duo narrowed his eyes to slits, his hands clenching involuntarily into fists. 'Like trying to prevent a war?' His voice turned bitter, as he glared at Wufei.
'This is how I got into this mess in the first place. By listening to you when you first came to me about working with the Foundation.' He swallowed thickly as Wufei sat up, indignant outrage plain on his face, and held up an open hand, forcing Wufei to subside sullenly, his mouth closing reluctantly.
'Look, I'm not trying to blame you for the fact that Heero and I broke up. But the reality is that problems in our relationship only began when I started working for the Foundation. Of course,' the handsome man scowled angrily, 'Quatre made damned sure that Heero and I broke up. If it wasn't for his infernal interference in our private lives....'
Duo shook his head firmly, closing his eyes against the image of Heero cradled in Quatre's arms, his head resting against the blond pilot's shoulder.
'I just want to get Heero back.' He spoke flatly, unable to disguise the tiredness in his voice. 'The rest of the world can take care of itself for once. Is it so wrong of me to want a little bit of happiness? I think we're entitled to that much.'
Wufei chewed his lower lip, feeling a sick twisting in his guts as he saw the naked pain in the violet depths. He held his hands tightly in his lap, trying to organise his thoughts.
'I... it's not that I don't want you to be happy Maxwell.' Wufei started heavily at last, his eyes dropping down to study the swirls and lines in the wooden table as he spoke.
'It's just... hell. It's Heero. He's working with the Titans.' He stopped and looked up, his black eyes betraying his inner turmoil as they rested on the Duo's frozen expression. 'It seems that he's agreed to act as a pilot of one of the stolen Zeta Gundams. It's not going to be that easy to extract him from Quatre's side. Not if he's going to be actively working with him.'
Duo nodded stiffly, his voice brittle with surging emotion, 'so we're going to have to go up against three Gundam pilots if we try to take out the Titans. Damn.' He spoke softly, almost to himself as he smiled sadly. 'Even for us, this is going to be a tough fight.'
Wufei agreed unhappily, 'yes. And don't forget that Zechs is also working on their side too.'
'Not to mention Camille Vidan. He may be an immature dolt, but unfortunately, he's also an outstanding pilot. I can't believe that idiot just waltzed off in the Zeta Gundam and decided to fight for the Titans.' Duo shrugged carelessly. 'Oh well. That's what you get for working with teenagers. Huh. It's not like this is the first time we've had to go up against difficult odds. After all, wasn't that our motto as Gundam pilots?' He grinned mirthlessly. 'To fight against impossible odds?'
'Maybe for you.' Wufei grimaced sourly. 'I was kind of hoping to be on the side of winners for a change this time. That's why I started working with the Foundation in the first place. And I thought that was why you agreed to head the Epsilon project. To make a difference without having to climb into a Gundam? And yet... here we are again. Except this time, the enemy is... our old friends, former allies... I'm not sure if I can do this.'
Duo stared blankly at Wufei's angry outburst then leant back against his sofa and sighed deeply.
'We aren't the ones who started this fight, remember? Quatre and Trowa started this when they blew up my base. And there's a chance that if we can get Heero to listen to us, then he might be able to convince Trowa to change his mind as well. Trowa always did have a soft spot for Heero. As for Quatre,' Duo's eyes hardened as he mentioned his rival's name, 'as long as he stays away from Heero and me, I'll leave him alone. Don't worry too much about our friends. All we're after is the elimination of the Titan's base ship. Once their base ship is gone, our friends will be left powerless to meddle any further in this conflict.'
Wufei shook his head slowly, 'you don't really believe that do you Duo? You know them better than that. You know first hand what Heero is capable of. As for Quatre and Trowa, I wouldn't underestimate them. I'm not too certain that we will be successful in destroying the base ship but even if we are, I doubt very much that Quatre, or the others, will simply give up and stay out of our way, just because they lost one ship. And as for convincing Heero to come back to you... I told you that Heero's agreed to join the Titans. He's not going to change his mind just because you bat your big purple eyes at him. It's over Duo. Accept it.'
'Like hell I will.' Duo snarled furiously, his face flushing with burning rage, 'I'll deal with Heero when the time comes. I don't need your approval or permission.'
'Don't you? Are you sure about that?' Wufei snapped back coldly, 'whether you want to admit it or not, you need my help. You are going to need every resource that you can call on if you intend to go up against the Titans. And you've already lost the backing of the Foundation, thanks to Quatre and his little band of terrorists. This little game of tug you and Quatre are playing over Yuy has gone too far. If Yuy wants to be with you then he'll come back to you. If not... then there's nothing that you can do about it. You can't force him to come back to you. He's a grown man. He'll make his own choice. And right now, it looks like he's choosing to stay with the Titans. With Quatre.'
He added brusquely, his voice roughening with regret at having to inflict such a painful wound on his friend. 'It's time you learned to accept Heero's decision. If you really love him, then at least love him enough to respect his decisions. And understand this Maxwell. If you go ahead with your attempt to eliminate the Titans, you're going to have to treat Heero as your enemy. Can you really live with that?'
Duo's eyes glazed over with icy hatred as he stared back at Wufei's earnest black eyes.
'This isn't a game Wufei. This isn't about winning and losing. The Titans are maverick fools who believe that the only way to guarantee true freedom is to stop both UFC and Imperium from consolidating their position, without seeing that their path leads only to chaos and further conflict. Somehow Quatre has managed to talk Heero into supporting them. Heero always did have a weakness for the underdog.'
Duo's voice softened unconsciously as he spoke of his lover. 'But I know that Heero doesn't want to return to being a killer. You know that too.'
Duo stared accusingly at Wufei who shifted in his chair uncomfortably, remembering the anguish in Heero's voice when he asked him, so long ago as they plunged towards the dark sea in their Gundams, how many times he had to kill the little girl and her dog.
'I know that Quatre forced him into this. I could kill him just for that. Do you have any idea how many nights I spent, holding him in my arms while Heero cried in his sleep? He's suffered enough guilt and remorse over all the deaths that he has inflicted. I don't think Heero can bear the weight of one more death.'
The two men sat and stared at each other starkly, feeling the silence settle over them like a heavy blanket as they both fought churning emotions. Wufei fidgeted uncomfortably, trying not to betray the depth of his discomfit as his thoughts returned unbidden, to the last time he had talked to Heero about his volatile relationship with Maxwell and Winner.
Then and since, many times over, he had been eaten up by doubts about his wisdom in forcing Heero to choose between the CD, containing information that ultimately led to the destruction of Epsilon, and staying with Winner. He knew that if either Maxwell or Winner ever discovered the extent of his meddling in their relationship with Heero, that they'd never forgive him. He couldn't help remembering the look in Heero's eyes when he finally told him to bring the CD. The look of a wounded animal, that's what he'd thought at the time.
Now, looking at Duo, Wufei's heart sank heavily, knowing that the quiet Japanese pilot's feelings for Winner were at least as strong as they had been for the volatile American. Wufei finally realized, observing the taut lines near Duo's mouth, that there was no way the three of them would ever be able to resolve their differences, not without losing one or more of his friends. He also realized that the true tragedy of their situation came from Heero's unwillingness to sacrifice either Duo or Quatre. Unless he made a choice and cast away one of his lovers, the three of them would circle each other endlessly until they all mutually self-destructed in the end. Wufei wondered bleakly if that's what Heero really wanted.
Duo studied his silent friend carefully, wishing that he could read his thoughts. He was worried about Wufei. He knew that Wufei wasn't happy about having to fight against Quatre and Trowa. He wasn't too sure how the taciturn man would react if he knew that Duo had no intention of trying to save either of their old friends in the coming battle. For now, he needed Wufei too badly to risk alienating him any further. His friends.
Duo scoffed silently to himself. Just because they all piloted Gundams once upon a time, they were friends. Their backgrounds were too dissimilar, especially between a lowly war orphan and the heir to one of the largest corporations, with power and influence stretching from Earth to the Colonies.
He remembered the pain he had first felt when he realized that Quatre was in love with Heero and intended to use all the resources at his disposal to steal him away from him. Duo's pupils shrank as rage and bitterness coloured his thoughts, thinking about how helpless he had felt back then, how powerless and unworthy. Quatre Rebarba Winner. The boy who had everything, and he still reached out his hand for Heero.
He shook his head impatiently, deciding that he wasn't going to waste any more time on dwelling on past mistakes. He had trusted the blond Arab once. What was that old saying? His lips twisted in a wry grin, as Duo muttered softly to himself. 'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.'
Wufei blinked and stared at him in confusion, not having fully heard the soft murmur. 'What? I'm sorry Duo, what did you say?'
'Mmm? Never mind.' Duo laughed humourlessly, 'it wasn't important. Lets just get back to our discussion. So where is the base ship anyway?'
'Side Seven.'
Wufei answered simply. 'And that colony has declared itself to be neutral territory. Neither UFC nor the Imperium has any forces in that area. Since the Titans are an independent force, they were allowed to use the spaceport facilities, as long as they don't pick any fights with anyone while at Side Seven. And Soryu has decided to respect Side Seven's wishes, since for the moment, she can't afford to lose the support of the colonies she has by acting harshly towards Side Seven. In the same way, Imonoyama doesn't want to be shown up as the aggressor in this conflict, and so, Side Seven is a safe haven. It's a lucky break for the Titans.'
'I gather, that means that no one will look kindly on anyone, including us, if we start any trouble near Side Seven?' Duo commented thoughtfully, his tone making it obvious that his question wasn't really a question.
Wufei nodded glumly.
'So either we wait for the Titans to leave Side Seven on their own or...'
'Or we flush them out.' Wufei finished calmly. 'The only problem is that only an idiot would abandon their position right now. And unfortunately for us, Quatre, Trowa and Heero are anything but.'
Duo grinned impishly, flashing his white teeth momentarily.
'Yeah, but they made the mistake of taking Camille with them. Remember?'
'Camille?' Wufei asked curiously, looking blank as he tried to place a face to match the name.
'Camille Vidan. Young, reckless, and a major pain in the butt.'
'Hmm... I can think of someone else with that description.' Wufei added quickly, with a sudden grin that lighted up his face. He returned an insufferably smug look as Duo made a face and glared at him.
'As I was saying...' Duo growled in mock protest, 'Camille is one of my trainees from Epsilon. I know how he thinks. And more importantly how he acts. If we lure him out in his Zeta, and engage him, then the base ship just might follow to support the young idiot and as soon as they are out of Side Seven's space...'
'We take them out.' Wufei finished, with an amused glint in his eyes. 'And what makes you think that Quatre would fall for this little trap? He'll see straight through it. I wouldn't count on netting the base ship, no matter how foolish this Camille child is.'
'You forget the Zeta.' Duo shook his finger at Wufei disapprovingly. 'There's no way that Quatre would just sit back and watch while we take Camille and the Zeta from under their noses. They'll come. Don't worry about that. Quatre will bet that his forces could overwhelm any opposition, the way we did when we fought with them in the Peacemillion. The real problem is that he's probably right. And that's where Amuro comes in. If he and the NuGundam is as good as Ikari predicted, then he might just be good enough for what I have in mind.'
'Not even Amuro will be able to take on Camille, Heero and Zechs all by himself.'
Wufei was worried by the sheer recklessness of Duo's proposition, disturbed by his friend's reliance on Rey's so called super abilities. 'And what if Quatre and Trowa also joins in? That's five to one odds.'
'We used to take on fifty to one odds as a matter of fact when we were only fifteen.' Duo scornfully dismissed Wufei's doubts.
'That was when we were going up against mobile dolls. Not other pilots in enhanced mobile suits. Even at our best, we could barely hold our own when going up against each other and that was only one on one. Do you seriously think that Amuro, no matter how exceptional he is, or his NuGundam, can take on five Gundam pilots? After all, this Camille is also from your project isn't he?'
'Don't be such an old maid Wufei.' Duo grinned as Wufei glared indignantly at his words. 'I have no intention of throwing poor Amuro to the wolves as you seemed to think. And as for the odds, you've forgotten to include you and me. We happen to be a couple of pretty hot Gundam pilots ourselves, remember?' He winked confidently as Wufei threw up his hands in surrender. 'And I do have a couple of more tricks up my sleeve still. Don't forget, I don't want to risk hurting Heero.'
'How could I forget?' Wufei grimaced, 'you and your constant harping on Yuy is seriously beginning to get on my nerves. Is there a time when you don't think about him?'
Duo made a show of thinking deeply for an instant, before breaking into laughter and shaking his head mischievously. 'No. Not even for an instant. I think about Heero all the time. So you're just going to have to grit your teeth and suffer in silence. Do you have any idea how much I miss him when he's not next to me? Even if he's in the next room, I still miss him.'
Wufei rolled his eyes and put his hands over his ears. 'Enough already. Fine, you miss him. I promise not to complain any more if you promise not to go on and on about Heero. Fair?'
Duo giggled happily, genuinely amused for once. 'You are such a grouch Wufei. And so prudish. Don't you want to hear how much I miss Heero in the bed... mmph...'
Wufei reached over and placed his hand over Duo's mouth, his face turning a deep red with embarrassment as he glared at the wicked gleam in the violet eyes.
'No more.' Wufei snapped, 'and until you promise, I'm not removing my hand.' When the braided pilot reluctantly nodded, he returned to his seat, tugging at the collar of his jacket uncomfortably. 'You mentioned something about a few surprises?'
Duo shrugged diffidently, his thoughts obviously elsewhere as he spoke distantly. 'It wouldn't be a surprise if I told everyone now would it?'
'So you don't intend to tell me anything.' Wufei stated tartly, feeling annoyed by Duo's continued reticence. 'I am your partner in all this remember? Since I left Earth with you when Quatre attacked Epsilon, my position as the director of Delta has been compromised. I only hope that Nabiki has been able to keep Delta operational in my absence. Officially we're both missing and there's going to be hell to pay if EarthGov and Relena get wind of our planned attack on the Titans. So I think I'm entitled to find out what these surprises are, don't you?'
Duo turned cool eyes on his angry friend and pursed his lips thoughtfully. 'Maybe. But then, you haven't exactly been completely honest with me yet either, have you? If you want me to tell you everything, then I think you should go first. My surprises can wait till then.'
Wufei stiffened at the speculative tone in Duo's voice and wondered exactly how much the American knew of his involvement with the CD, and how much he was guessing. He spread his hands in a gesture of conciliation.
'Okay, so we both have secrets. For now. Why don't we leave it at that?'
Duo nodded, 'of course. That's what I thought you'd say. I wonder... how did Heero get a hold of that CD?'
Wufei stared back impassively. 'I have no idea.' He lied smoothly, 'why don't you ask him? And since I'll get to find out about your ehh... surprises when we tangle with the Titans, it looks like we both get to find out at the same time. Doesn't it?'
'Check and check. For now.' Duo quoted Wufei's words back at him with a cold smile. 'Sometimes I really like you Wufei. You can be so... reasonable.'
'Thanks.' Wufei answered shortly, feeling a prickly sensation behind his back when he looked at the emotionless violet eyes. Sometimes, when he looked at the handsome man, he could readily believe that this wasn't a fellow human but the personification of death itself. He fought the urge to shiver and pasted a polite smile on his face.
'So what do we do now?'
'Well, we are going to have a nice long chat with Amuro. That's if we both agree. Right, partner?' Duo emphasised the last word carefully, holding out his hand.
Wufei nodded silently and took his hand, briefly closing around the cold white hand, before dropping his hand back at his side. He wished that he had been more certain that he had done the right thing in choosing to stay with Duo when Epsilon had gone up in their faces. But, he reminded himself bleakly, if he left Duo now, then there'd be no one left to restrain Shinigami. Whatever happened, Wufei intended to show Duo that at least one Gundam pilot knew how to be loyal to a friend.
Side Seven, White Base
Bridge
An attractive young ensign turned worried brown eyes on her Captain, chewing her soft underlip in uncertainty as she looked up from her station and half twisted in her chair to face Brite, gaining his attention as she tensed nervously.
'What is it Mylene?'
Brite asked politely, a half disapproving frown settling on his brow as the young girl started to tug unconsciously on her long pink locks while she waited. He was careful to try not to be too strict on his too young and half trained crew but sometimes he found his patience wearing thin, particularly around the bridge crew, a number of whom, had an abominable habit to break into giggles at inopportune moments.
'Um.. there was a message for Mr Winner. I think that it might be important, sir. It's from someone called Howard.' Mylene flushed as Brite raised a dark eyebrow at her. 'Um... he said that it was urgent! And that I had to let him speak to Mr Winner immediately. Like right now. Really.'
She finished lamely, sinking backwards into her seat as Brite started to rise from his chair, his black eyes sparking with indignant anger.
Brite swallowed an angry retort as Quatre and Zechs burst onto the bridge, both men wearing grave expressions.
He glared at Mylene who smiled weakly and managed to murmur in a disappearing voice, 'so I patched him into the internal com systems and he's been chatting with Mr Winner for the last ten minutes. Um... I'm sorry. Did I do something wrong?'
The handsome black haired man shook his head in resignation and rolled his eyes as the young ensign instantly brightened up and returned to her station with a satisfied air. The worst part of having left the official military was having to deal with these enthusiastic civilians, who had no idea of military protocol. Brite sighed heavily.
'Well gentlemen?' Brite asked quietly, as he studied the grim and serious visages confronting him. 'I gather we might have a problem?'
Quatre grimaced, 'that might be an understatement. I think we need to retire to the conference room. Something's come up.' He finished brusquely.
Brite raised a curious eyebrow at the blond man's uncharacteristic abruptness and a frown settled on his brow when Zechs simply nodded his acquiescence to Quatre's suggestion, his tight lips betraying his reluctance to elaborate any further until they could talk more privately. Brite stood up, feeling a heavy leadenness settle down in the pit of his stomach as his thoughts began to cast up one unpleasant possibility after another. He called Lieutenant Basara to take over the helm as he left the bridge, falling in behind the two blond men.
An unsettled silence fell in the bridge after the three men had gone. Mylene turned unhappy eyes on her friend, a willowy young woman with light brown hair that fell to her shoulders.
'Did I do something wrong Lisa?' She asked hesitantly as she picked up a strand of her hair and started to nibble on it.
Lisa smiled warmly at the worried girl and shook her head confidently. 'Don't worry, Mylene. It's got nothing to do with you. Something tells me that we're going to be involved in a lot of trouble very soon though.' She finished pensively.
Conference Room
'No way. Absolutely not. I totally refuse.'
Brite gritted his teeth as he glared at the furious blond man who had jumped to his feet at his suggestion.
'I'm sorry Quatre, but this is not your decision to make. And don't forget, you are the one who brought us this news. Now, if you want to do something about this problem, you are going to have to accept that we may have to rethink our priorities. So if you don't mind returning to your seat, maybe we can continue discussing our options?' He waited pointedly until Quatre reluctantly returned to his chair, his green eyes blazing with unspent rage.
'Are you sure that we need to ask for his help?'
Everyone's attention turned to Heero who had finally spoken up for the first time since the meeting had started. He had gone pale when Brite had first raised the possibility of asking for outside assistance and had remained silent throughout the angry debate that had been sparked between Quatre and Brite. Their debate had raged for last twenty minutes, with occasional interjections from Trowa and Zechs, both men also looking very unhappy when it became obvious that Brite had every intention of acting on Hirde's recommendation.
Quatre turned his face away from Heero's white face, not wanting to see the effect of the stress of this discussion on his lover. Zechs looked at the burning flush on Quatre's cheeks and bit back an impatient sigh.
'I'm not sure if Duo will be willing to help us.' He began at last, holding up a hand to forestall the angry retort from Hirde who had started indignantly at his opening remark. 'However, I am willing to concede that if we try to take out Sigma on our own, our chances of succeeding are probably close to nil. So, unless you or anyone else,' he paused and waited while looking around the table, 'have any other suggestions, I don't think we have any choice.'
'And what makes you think that we can trust him if he does agree to help us?' Quatre burst in harshly, his tense body betraying his difficulty in maintaining his control. 'That manipulative bastard will just use this as an opportunity for his own ends. What price do you think he'll set in exchange for his help?'
'Is that what you are afraid of?' Hirde broke in scornfully, contempt in her dark blue eyes. 'That Duo will ask for Heero as the price for his assistance? And what if he does? Are you really going to put your personal feelings before the mission? I thought you Gundam pilots were above that sort of thing.'
'And Heero.' Hirde snapped at the silent man who stared blankly back at her. 'Is that all you are? A trophy? To be won and lost? Why don't you put a stop to this idiotic display of testosterone, or at the very least, develop some of your own, and stand up for yourself? I swear I've had it with this silly nonsense. Well? Why don't you say something!' She glowered at Heero, who had stiffened visibly at her words.
'My relationship...' Heero stopped and swallowed, a faint flush staining his cheeks as he rethought his words, 'is not up for discussion. And the question isn't whether we need Duo's help or not. We need him.' He said simply, fixing his eyes firmly on Quatre when the agitated blond opened his mouth to speak. 'The question is... whether he'll agree to help us to destroy Sigma.'
'Why not?' Hirde responded quickly. 'Just because Duo's been working with the Foundation on Earth, it doesn't mean that he's going be in agreement with what Imonoyama is planning to do with Sigma. Don't forget that we'll acting on Howard's behalf, not on any agenda of the Titans. I know Duo. I used to live with him too, remember? He's going to help us, if we ask... if you ask. I don't think we could take out Sigma without him.'
'We've taken out,' Quatre spoke up quietly, 'two of the Foundation's Projects already. Without Duo.'
'On Earth.' Hirde sniffed disdainfully as she retorted. 'This is Space. You may have forgotten what things were like since you spent almost a decade on your cushy estate back on Earth. But a single mistake can get you killed out here. And you aren't dealing with Earthers now. Sigma is under the Imperium's control. And before we can even get to Sigma, we're going to have to infiltrate their territory. Somehow. Without getting ourselves blasted from here to the Sun by their forces. With Duo's help, this mission may be possible. Without him? It's a suicide run. So you tell me, Quatre. Do you think you can set aside your petty jealousies to the side for the duration of this mission?'
'That's enough Hirde.' Brite called out, deliberately pitching his voice low, and glared firmly at Hirde and Quatre when they both opened their mouths to protest. 'We all agree,' he stared fixedly at the flushed Arab, until he received a reluctant nod in reply, 'that we need Duo's assistance. The question then becomes how we can solicit his assistance.'
'Heero.'
Brite turned to the soft-spoken redhead with a slight start, nodding silently at Trowa to continue.
'He'll come if Heero calls him.' Trowa stated flatly. 'I guess the only thing left to decide is how much we can trust Howard. And whether this mission is worth the risk of contacting Duo to ask for his help.'
Brite frowned as he thought over Trowa's words. When Quatre had first briefed the group on his report from Howard, his first inclination had been to suspect an Imperium trap. But when he had voiced his qualms, Zechs as well as Quatre, had been quite vociferous in their support of the old man. This Howard had apparently been quite instrumental during their battle over the warship Libra. And he hadn't been able to suppress a wry grin when Hirde had reminded them all that in fact, in that battle, it had been Zechs who had been the enemy, and Duo, who had been on their side.
'Haven't we all changed our loyalties at one time or another', Brite mused in ironic amusement, as he had flashed back to his own memories of the time when he had served under Zechs as a young ensign in the Oz.
'I believe it is.' Brite spoke out at last, shaking free from his silent reveries. 'Howard has called Quatre and told us that we needs our help to shut down Sigma. He's already released a virus that will wipe the computer core of the Sigma satellite in another ten days. But he needs our help to destroy the production capabilities of the factory as well as to help him escape from the Imperium. And frankly, we can't afford to let the Imperium hold Sigma without risking the balance of power in Space. We'd have had to hit Sigma with, or without Howard's help. And if.' He paused and stared at Heero who returned his gaze steadily, 'Duo can be persuaded to help us, I think we've got a good chance of succeeding.'
'I don't think we have a choice.' Quatre answered grimly, his green eyes hard and cold as he stared hostilely at Hirde, who stared back defiantly. 'Even if this is a trap, we're still going to have to go in.' He stopped momentarily, making it clear by his expression that he had in fact a great deal of reservations.
'When I was working with Sally Po in the AFM, Sigma was classified as one of the primary projects that had to be closed down. As a weapons factory satellite that could potentially build armies of Gundams, it's just too dangerous a resource to leave in anyone's hands. Let alone a power hungry despot like Imonoyama. So if Howard wants our help in destroying Sigma...' Quatre shrugged, 'that's exactly what he'll get.'
'And Duo?' Brite prompted gently.
Quatre's knuckles whitened as he tightened his clasp before speaking. 'You are right. We could use his help. He and Wufei should be able to tell us exactly what we're up against in Sigma. But I still don't trust them. If they help us...' he avoided looking at Heero as he spoke, 'then it'll be in order to fulfil their own objectives, and not because they agree with what we're fighting for. We shouldn't trust them.'
A breath of relief escaped unconsciously from Brite when he finally received Quatre's assent. He couldn't help wondering whether he had been right to agree with Hirde when she insisted that they get the controversial Maxwell involved in the mission.
Brite rubbed the temples of his brow tiredly as the tense looking men started to walk out of the room. He had a sinking sensation in his stomach when Heero had abruptly stalked off, obviously trying to avoid Quatre who had gone up to him after the meeting. He carefully looked away from the little tableau, anxious not to be caught staring at the disappearing couple, and stared into the calm green eyes of Trowa, who had remained motionless in his seat after everyone else had left.
'So...'
Brite felt his lips twitch into a grin as Trowa simply raised his own eyebrow in reply. The quiet man had a habit of teasing him about his little habit every now and then. Discreetly of course.
'...'
Brite heaved a heavy sigh as he leaned back in his chair and ran his hands through the thick black waves of his hair. 'I'm afraid to think about what's going to happen when they're meet face to face.'
Trowa merely grunted softly in reply, not bothering to ask Brite to clarify who 'they' were.
'Do you think we can trust Howard?'
Brite asked suddenly, his dark eyes searching the calm ivory face in front of him. He had found himself unconsciously relying on Trowa during their time together. There was something very dependable about the redhead, an indefinable quality that made him want to trust him, without question.
'I don't know.' Trowa answered quietly at last. 'But we worked with him in the past. He was a good man. But that's what I used to think about Duo as well.' His voice chilled all of a sudden and Brite fought down an involuntary shiver. 'Maxwell... He betrayed everything that we fought for when he joined the Foundation. He and Wufei. I know that Wufei believes that he can make a difference by working within the system. He's mistaken. But Duo...' Trowa fell silent and Brite felt a sudden stab of fear at the cold distant look in the clear green eyes as Trowa stared emptily away from him.
Brite sat numbly as Trowa got to his feet and left the room. The Gundam pilots. He remembered the shock he had felt when he had first seen a picture of the five youths at the height of their notoriety after the Mariemaia affair. And this was 2 years after they had first been active as soldiers. At fifteen, for god's sake.
The first thing that had struck him had been the ridiculous delicateness of their features, the surprising loveliness that made him wonder if there had been a mistake, that maybe the infamous Gundam pilots were really all girls. Ten years had made a difference to their frames though. The breathtaking slenderness had disappeared from all except Heero and Wufei, as the other three gained more muscle and height, though none of them could be accused of being bulky even now. But the closeness that he had envied... the casual smile, look, a touch that betrayed the friendship, the caring that they shared, captured on frozen images when the five pilots had been cast into the relentless public eye in the wake of their fame...
Brite couldn't help but to feel a deep sense of loss and grief when he saw the gulf that had widened between these youths.
Hanger bay
'So what happened?'
Heero ignored the insistent tugs on his sleeve and continued to look through his files, trying to keep his thoughts focused on his work and away from... he stiffened as a cold wetness slid through his back.
Unable to stifle an involuntary yelp, Heero glared at Camille who grinned back unrepentantly as he sprang away from the cockpit. Heero gritted his teeth and concentrated on ignoring the icy trickle running down his back from the melting ice cube deposited by Camille down the neck of his shirt.
He promised himself silently that he would definitely get even with the annoying brat who had a broad smile pasted widely on his smug face as he waved impishly from the doorway, with the hand holding his drink. After glaring impotently at the rude child who stuck his tongue out at him when Heero wouldn't move from the cockpit, Heero managed to calm down and returned to the cockpit, this time, taking care to lock the hatch securely, so that he won't have to suffer any more interruptions.
Camille glared at the closed hatch and sniffed crossly. Damn. He had been sure that Heero would have reacted to the ice cube. What was that guy made of anyway? Camille thought crankily. Nothing seemed to get to him. Old stoneface.
Camille made a face as he leant against the open doorway of the hanger and tried to think of a way to make Heero pay attention to him. He was dying to know what went on in the closed meeting that Heero just returned from. He wondered if it was worth trying to tease it out of Zechs and then gave up on the idea when he remembered how angry the blond man had been when he had found out that his shampoo had been laced with a perming lotion. Camille suppressed a giggle as a picture of Zechs, red faced and furious, with his pale blond hair frizzed all over, rose in his mind.
Sometimes, he thought resentfully, as he also remembered the way he had been made to scrub both Zeta Gundams, as well as take over the maintenance checks, as a consequence was how Zechs had put it, adults had no sense of humour. And as for Quatre, Camille suppressed a shudder at the thought of those angry green eyes. No. Heero was the safest target. All he ever did had been to ignore him. And ignore him. And ignore him.
Camille's thoughts ground to a halt as he began stewing over his grievances.
'Everyone around here treats me like a kid.' Camille sulked to himself as he continued to glared at the stubbornly closed hatch on Heero's Zeta.
'And your problem with that would be?'
Camille swung around swiftly, his blue eyes wide with surprise.
'Damn.' He blurted out loudly.
'My, what a charming greeting.' Trowa murmured softly, hiding his grin behind the heavy bang as Camille flushed.
'It's your fault.' Camille retorted crossly, feeling off balance. 'You surprised me. Why can't you walk with some sound? Like normal people? I hate the way you creep around.'
'Creep?' Trowa sounded slightly disconcerted.
'You know what I mean. I hate the way you twist things around so I'm always in the wrong.' Camille scowled sourly as he realized that he was only making things worse. What was it about these Gundam pilots anyway?
He had thought that Maxwell had been a pain, but dealing with Trowa was definitely making him change him mind about the arrogant Director. At least Maxwell had felt sort of human, some of the times.
And that Chang guy. He had only met him a couple of times, but Camille had already decided that the slender Asian was a pompous bore. Then there was Heero, who made him wonder if he was really a robot disguised as human, from the sheer lack of emotionless response he got. And Quatre, who he had severely underestimated, with his angelic appearance... Camille sniffed as he remembered how much he really, really regretted trying to pull a joke on the innocent looking blond...
Boy, to think that he had thought that Quatre was a sucker, a soft target no less. Ouch. And as for Trowa, who had an uncanny way of getting him into trouble... Compared to them, Maxwell was a... well, Camille conceded to himself, that the brown haired Director could be kind of cool at times.
'Let's not argue.'
'See what I mean?' Camille simmered silently to himself. 'I wasn't even arguing! Oh brother. I'm not going to open my mouth around this guy.'
'Camille?' Trowa inclined his head slightly as he turned puzzled eyes on the flushed teenager. 'Is there something you wanted?'
Camille blinked in confusion and shook his head vigorously.
'...' Trowa waited for a minute longer than added gently. 'Well? How long do you intend to stand in front of me? Don't you have anything else to do except stand around here?'
Camille reddened further and cast a quick look at the closed hatch for one last time before deciding that his best course of action was in retreat. For now.
Trowa grinned to himself as the annoyed youth stomped out of the hanger. He really shouldn't tease the boy so much. Oh but Camille did make it so very easy...
Trowa laughed softly as he started towards the Zeta where Heero was supposed to be working. He wanted to talk to Heero about the mission. And Duo...
End Part 8
PS. This is totally OT but, is anyone else a fan of Gackt's? I just got introduced to his music last week and I'm totally, I mean totally besotted. What a voice (and what a looker, imagine a RL bishonen. Really.)
Katana
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