25-Feb-2001
Disclaimer: I own not one iota of Gundam Wing, Jurassic Park or the characters involved. The original characters in this fic are of my own creation and although I am their creator, they do have minds of their own. So I refuse to be held legally responsible for what they may say or do, this goes double for Junior.
Pairings: 1+2, 3+4, 5+Sasha
Rating: PG
Thanks to everyone who has been reading and keeping up with this little adventure.
The return trip to Puerto Limon was quiet and uneventful, as if everyone was winding down from the excitement. It may have held true for Treize and the other guests, but for the pilots, the return trip held a different significance.
Heero's mind was on the drug and the teachers, and the effect they would have. Duo was worried about Heero, he knew his partner did not relish the idea, no matter how crucial it was to keep the island secret. He realized neither did he.
//Damn you J, why does Heero always have to be ‘the perfect soldier? Why can't you just let him be and do your own dirty work, for a change.//
Duo looked into Heero's eyes and gently squeezed his knee for reassurance. Violet eyes told Heero everything he needed to hear, the braided pilot would always stand by him. Heero gave Duo a wan smile, letting him know his message had been received and appreciated.
Quatre's and Trowa's thoughts were also focused on the task at hand. Quatre secretly did not agree with what had to be done and regretted going along with it when Heero had explained it to them. Quatre would occasionally sneak a glance at Wufei and worry for his friend. The Chinese boy was suffering, Quatre could see it in his eyes, an almost imperceptible dimming of the fire that was always there. His heart went out to his friend, wishing he could offer him more. Trowa was more pragmatic, he understood that soldiers were often called upon to follow orders they found distasteful. That was the nature of conflict. And he knew Heero was determined to see it through.
Wufei just sat with one arm around Sasha, holding her tight, her head resting on his shoulder. One small feminine hand was enveloped by his larger masculine one. His thoughts were jumbled, full of torment and fear. His dread grew with each mile that drew them nearer to the airport and the flight home.
Sasha could sense there was something wrong with Wufei, but whenever she'd ask, he'd shake his head and deny there was anything bothering him. She assumed it was the upcoming mission that had him preoccupied. As a distraction, she got busy working out a new future for herself. She was going to have to find a place to live as well as a job. She needed to learn to be truly independent, to stand on her own and fend for herself. She could no longer depend on her family. Even if they would accept her decision to quit Romefeller, being involved with a gundam pilot would not sit well at all. She expected to be disinherited very soon, but found she didn't care.
Georgie was making plans as well. He knew his involvement in this whole affair would come to an end as soon as they were home. All trade with the colonies had stopped and with the resulting inflation, the small fortune he had saved would not last that long. No, it would be better to invest it, but in what? He glanced over at Wufei and smiled. The memory of the first day he'd met the lad gave him an idea. He was going to buy the bookstore. He would offer Stefan and Nabor jobs, getting them out of the rackets as well. And he was going to call his son so they could get to know each other again. He pushed his seat back in the recline position and relaxed, he couldn't wait to be home.
Treize sat with his eyes closed, deep in thought. Once they returned, he had a lot to accomplish in a very short time. If there were just some way he could contact Lady Une.
"Is there any way I can get in touch with my office, right now?" he could guess what the answer would be, but it never hurt to ask.
"I'm sorry, but we're maintaining radio silence, except with the airport. But once we're on the plane and we get to a certain point, I'll consider it," Heero replied.
"I understand the necessity," the Oz leader responded, "but I do need to talk to my people soon, I too have preparations to make."
"I know, and once we reach the safe point, you can contact your people," Heero didn't want to lie but if he'd said anything different, Treize might get suspicious.
The final preparations were set, the programs were ready. All they needed were to be delivered and installed into the battleships' computers. But Duke Dermeil felt uneasy, that upstart Oz leader had been ‘missing' for almost two days now. He believed that about as much as he believed the moon was made of cheese.
//I know that blasted boy is up to something!// the Duke fumed internally, //Oz has been too quiet lately, oh yes he is definitely up to something . . . I can feel it//.
They landed at the airport and immediately transferred from the helicopter to the jet. They boarded and tried to get comfortable as the ground crew was still readying it for takeoff. Even the cleaning team was still vacuuming.
"I would have thought we'd be ready for takeoff as soon as we landed," Treize remarked dryly as he lifted his feet for a vacuum to pass under.
"We're not the only ones using this jet, it just got back about two hours ago. I'm surprised they've gotten this far on the make ready. They should be about done," Heero answered.
//Fascinating . . .// Treize thought, // they fly in and out of this airport on a regular basis, shouldn't be too hard to track and figure out just where that island is, after all.//
Duo was standing in the aisle, securing Junior for the flight. He looked at Treize, who was in turn looking out the window. He shook his head, a faint smirk curled the ends of his mouth. Treize was trying so hard to figure out where they were and in a few hours he wouldn't even remember the thoughts he was having right now.
The cleaners were finished and placed their vacuums near the hatch. Instead of leaving, they walked back down the aisle. One placed himself behind Treize and Pulaski, another behind Georgie and the last behind Sasha. They went through the motions of checking the overhead compartments, as if they were looking for any forgotten items, but their eyes were on Heero, waiting for his signal.
Heero stood at the front of the plane, about to speak, everyone's attention was focused on him.
"We'll be taking off in a few minutes," he announced, "we should be home in a few hours."
Heero gave a nod of his head upon saying the word "hours". It was the signal the ‘cleaning crew' was waiting for. They each removed an injection gun from a pocket, the man behind Treize had him and Pulaski sedated before either was even aware of what was going on. The same held true for the ones stationed behind Georgie and Sasha.
They quickly disembarked from the jet and closed the hatch.
"It's time for take off," Heero said to the other four pilots as he fastened his seatbelt.
Heero opened the case, "Let's get it done," he said.
"What comes next?" Duo asked, peering into the case. Inside were four small devices, each not any bigger than a cell phone, each had something resembling electrodes attached. There was also a vial and another injection gun in the case, as well.
"They are merely asleep, right now," Heero explained, "in order for the teachers to work the brain must be altered. The drug does that, it makes the brain much more suggestive to the false memories the teachers are going to implant."
"I will give the injections," Heero continued, "each teacher is marked for each person. All you do is attach the electrodes to their temples and turn them on. The electrodes are self-adhesive."
"Someone else will have to put it on Sasha," Wufei spoke up, "I cannot."
"Why? The only thing we are altering is their memory of the island, that's all. You were the one who made the decision that it should be done to Georgie, and you had no qualms making it." Heero pointed out.
"Intellectually, I understand. Emotionally, it scares me," Wufei protested, "tell me Heero, if Dr. J had told you that you had to do it to us as well, would you feel as comfortable about doing it to Duo as you would the rest of us?"
"I wouldn't feel comfortable about doing that to any of you, but no, I would not want it done to Duo."
"So you understand what I am going through?"
Heero nodded, "I'm sorry Wufei, truly sorry, but we have to. I'll spare you and do Sasha myself, and you can do Georgie."
"No, Heero. You don't understand, I've realized I can't do it to any of them, not even Treize."
Heero sighed, "I guess I should ask all of you. Has anyone else had second thoughts about this? Do any of you think it's something you can't do?" Heero looked at each of them for any telltale signs, and focused on Quatre.
"I'm afraid I feel the same way as Wufei," Quatre admitted, "I don't want to be a part of this either," he turned to Trowa, "what about you?"
"I'm sorry Quatre, but I agree with Heero, we have to do it," he said barely above a whisper, he could see the disappointment in Quatre's face and it hurt.
"I'm sorry too," Quatre said quietly.
" Heero, how do you know that the memory of the island and its existence is all that's going to be tampered with?" Wufei challenged.
"Because I have Dr. J's word," he answered.
"And that's enough for you? You trust him?" Quatre wanted to know.
"It's not about trusting him," Heero answered, "this is something that has to be done. I wish we all agreed on this but since we don't you and Wufei don't have to do it, but you cannot interfere."
Heero removed the injection gun from the case, and inserted the vial. Treize was the first. Heero injected him with the drug and Duo attached the teacher, then turned it on. There was no noise, no sound of moving parts, just a little green light indicating it was on.
"You sure this thing is working?" Duo asked, "the light's on but it doesn't seem to be doing anything."
"It's working, I can't really explain to you how, just that it does," Heero answered.
Heero moved on to Pulaski, injecting him the same as Treize. Duo began attaching the teacher to the Oz colonel as Heero injected Georgie and Sasha , then moved out of the way for Trowa to do his part.
"This is only supposed to take a couple of hours, but the sedative won't wear off until after we've landed," Heero informed them, "the teachers are replacing their memories of the island with an alternate one that explains where they've been and what they've been doing from the time we left Wufei's apartment. When we land, we leave them on the plane. Dr. J's people will be waiting for us and they will take over from there."
"Do you mean I'm going to have to leave her without saying goodbye? Why didn't you mention this part before, Yui? If anything goes wrong . . .," Wufei's tone was not quite threatening, but close enough to make the hairs on the back of Heero's neck stand up.
"I'm sorry but I found out about this when you did. I regret not being more clear about the sedative but I assumed you fully understood," Heero said in a cool even tone. He was trying his best not to let Wufei get to him. He understood Wufei's fear but had no way of giving him any real guarantees that nothing would go wrong.
"None of us like doing this, you know," Trowa added, "so cut us some slack."
"I know and I apologize, but I feel very uneasy about this" Wufei admitted, after allowing himself to calm down and think.
"I believe we all do," Quatre agreed.
"I need to clarify something. The teachers' abilities to alter the memory are limited because that is not their real function," Heero explained, "they were designed to enhance knowledge, that's why they are called teachers. Dr. J isn't even sure this is going to work, although Dino says it should."
"So what happens if this doesn't work?" Duo asked.
"We're screwed," Heero said.
The five pilots were on their way back to the farmhouse. Just as Heero had said, some of J's people were waiting for them at the airport and had whisked the others away as quickly as possible.
Manuel had handed Heero an envelope before they left.
"Dr. J said read this on your way home," he'd said, "it explains what their new memories are going to be. Dr. J was going to tell you himself, but they've been a little busy since we've left. They can't find Spot."
"What did you say?" Quatre had heard Spot's name being mentioned.
"He said Spot is missing," Heero repeated, "Manuel, we've got to go, so make sure the crew searches every inch of the jet. And give Theresa a hug and an apology for me, for not having time to say goodbye."
"They're already looking, but I don't think he's here. There is no way that little scamp could have gotten onboard without someone seeing him, he's kind of hard to miss," Manuel chuckled, "and I will give Theresa that hug and goodbye for you."
Manuel gave Heero a hearty handshake and a slap on the back before he boarded the plane and prepared for takeoff. He waved them one last goodbye and good luck from the cockpit.
Heero sat fingering the envelope while Duo drove. The others were following in Quatre's car.
"Are you going to open it or sit there and stare at it?" Duo grinned.
"I was thinking if we could have done it differently," Heero said, "if there had been some way we could have avoided taking them with us. I don't know what we are going to do if the teachers didn't work."
"Heero, stop sweatin' over it. We had to take Georgie and Sasha with us, Romefeller was looking for them and that microdot. And let's face it, there was no way we were gonna get rid of Treize."
"I know. Just wishful thinking, I guess. We never seem to be able to do things the easy way, you know?" he sighed.
"I think the easy way is very overrated. I, for one, prefer the hard way, it's more fun. Now will you please open that thing?"
Heero tore the envelope from the side, removed the papers and began to read.
"Howard! You ol' son-of-a-gun! How's it hangin'?" Duo greeted his old boss with a yell and a bear hug.
"It's hanging' just fine, and I'm not deaf," Howard grinned as he squeezed the air out of his former shipmate.
"Ooofff!" Duo exhaled, "I forgot you're stronger than you look."
"And sexier too, not that the ladies ever notice," Howard drawled.
"Maybe if you hung out where the ladies were . . .?" Duo suggested.
"So that's what I'm doin' wrong," Howard chuckled, "well anyway, kid, it's good to see you again, and you too Heero."
"Hello, Howard," Heero extended his hand to the former engineer who accepted it with a hearty shake.
"So tell me Duo, does this boy still have a habit of thinking Deathscythe is his personal spare parts bin?"
"Nah, I broke him of that," Duo laughed, "I just threaten to shoot him whenever he gets that gleam in his eye."
Heero's only comment was a smirk and a glare.
Howard turned to the other three pilots, "I don't believe we've ever met in person, I'm Howard, miracle maker extraordinaire."
They each shook Howard's hand and introduced themselves.
"So all of the gundams are now spaceworthy?" Quatre asked incredulously, "how did you get it done so fast?"
"I got some of the best engineers and mechanics you can find anywhere," Howard replied, "plus the docs already had the modification schematics done before the gundams were ever built. They do try to plan for any contingency."
"When can we check them out?" Trowa asked.
"As soon as you get your butts in gear so we can fly to my ship. That's where they're at. I've got a chopper stashed in the barn, ready to go."
"We all have to wash our clothes and repack," Wufei pointed out, "that is if you two don't mind," he added, to Duo and Heero.
"Not at all," Duo answered, "c,mon let's go inside and start getting ready. I need to clean Junior's cage anyway."
"Junior?" Howard asked.
"My parrot . . . which reminds me, Howard" Duo grinned, "you're gonna baby-sit."
Quatre searched through his suitcase but it wasn't there. He searched through Trowa's, it wasn't there either. He looked on the floor, maybe he had dropped it. No, there was nothing there.
"Hm, now where did it go?" he muttered, starting his search all over again.
"What's wrong?" Trowa asked, "what are you looking for?"
"My pink shirt," Quatre answered, "I could have sworn I packed it when we left the island."
"You did, I saw you."
"But it's not here," Quatre scratched his head, confused.
Trowa began going through the suitcases himself, "It has to be, I remember you putting it in here."
He went through every piece of clothing in both cases and turned up nothing.
"I'm sorry Quatre, it's just not here."
"I'm not worried about it, it is only a shirt, after all. It's just that I could have sworn . . .but I guess we're both wrong. Oh well . . . we need to hurry anyway."
"Dr. Ross! Dr. Ross! We found him!" one of the island's techs yelled out.
Dr Ross ran down the hallway, "Where is he?"
"In here sir," the tech bellowed, "he's asleep."
Dr. Ross entered the room, it was the bedroom Quatre and Trowa had occupied during their stay. Spot was curled up in the middle of the bed, sound asleep with Quatre's pink shirt wrapped around him.
"Thank God!" Dr. Ross said with great relief, "I was afraid he'd somehow followed Mr. Winner and stowed away on the helicopter."
Spot woke up from all the commotion, saw Dr. Ross and meekly wagged his tail.
"Let's go Spot," Dr. Ross said gently.
Spot hopped off the bed and followed Dr. Ross to his kennel, with Quatre's shirt firmly clutched in his mouth.
"Heero, when are you going to tell us what Dr. J did to their memories?" Wufei asked.
"Ok everybody, sit down and let me explain what they are supposed to remember, if it worked," he began.
Treize Khushrenada opened his eyes, yawned, stretched and sat up. He immediately fell back onto his pillow as waves of dizziness and nausea washed over him and the room began to spin. His tongue felt too big for his mouth, which was as dry as cotton. Every joint in his body hurt. The commander-in-chief of the Oz Specials had one hell of a hangover, which was odd because he didn't remember drinking anything alcoholic the night before.
Georgie woke up feeling disoriented.
//Where am I?//
He pulled himself to a sitting position and gave his eyes time to focus.
//Ghodz! What a headache!//
He massaged his temples and looked around, his surroundings seemed unfamiliar until the fuzziness cleared.
//I sure hope Wufei has some aspirin.//
He got up off the couch, went to the kitchen and began rummaging through the cabinets.
//I cannot believe I fell asleep during a stakeout.//
Col. Alban Pulaski sat in the SUV, which was in a parking lot across the street from the warehouse.
He checked his log, the last notation had been made two hours earlier. He flipped through the pages of his notebook, no reports of any activity in or around the area had been recorded for over twenty four hours.
He started the vehicle, pulled out into the street and drove to the airport. It was time to return to the base, Romefeller had stopped their search. He'd contact Treize and make his final report.
//I'm getting too damned old for this.//
He spotted a convenience store and pulled in. He needed a strong cup of coffee and some pain killers, his head was pounding.
//This is what I get for falling asleep on the job.//
Sasha padded into the kitchen, wearing a pair of old flannel pajama bottoms and a teddy bear t-shirt.
"Mornin' Georgie," she mumbled as she poured herself some coffee and spied the bottle of Tylenol on the counter, "I have got a splitting headache for some reason."
"I woke up with one too, and good morning," Georgie responded, "I guess it's the stress from waiting to hear from the guys."
"No word from Wufei yet?" Sasha sat at the table and began sipping her coffee and downing a couple of tablets.
"No, but we should hear something soon. Heero did say their trip wouldn't take more than a couple of days, at the most."
"I just wish we could have gone with them," she sighed.
Treize felt much better after liberal amounts of caffeine, a couple of painkillers, breakfast and a long, hot shower. He'd call Lady Une with his orders as soon as he finished shaving.
//I should be hearing from Heero soon, they ought to be back by now. Still wish I could have found out where it was they were going and who it is that could decipher that program so fast.// he pondered.
Col. Pulaski entered his office and began making his final report. Romefeller still had no clue what had happened to the microdots or Sasha. When he was through he was going to go home, give his wife a big kiss and take a shower. He'd miss seeing his children, they would already be in school.
He'd then wait for word from Treize on what their next move would be.
"So it's agreed, you'll come to work for me at the bookstore?" Georgie asked.
"Yes, I think that would be nice, Georgie, and thanks," Sasha answered.
"Well first, I do have to see if they are interested in selling it," he reminded himself, "but I think if I offer them a good price for it, they'll bite."
"And I need to find a place to live," Sasha added.
"If it doesn't make you feel uncomfortable, you can have my spare bedroom at home," Georgie offered, "that is until you get on your feet."
Sasha jumped from her chair and grabbed Georgie around his neck, giving him a tight hug, "Thank you, Georgie. I don't know how I have managed to find such good people as you to call my friends."
"I feel the same way. I think we both got lucky meeting Wufei," he said seriously, "I hate to think what could be happening now, if we hadn't."
"Believe me, you don't ever want to know," Sasha said cryptically, she had never and would never mention the last part of her mission. She had been ordered to eliminate all others who had been involved in acquiring the microdots. She now realized that it was possible she would have been terminated at some point as well, after all dead people cannot tell secrets. She shuddered at the thought as if a chill had run through her.
"Hm . . . I don't think I do", Georgie commented, the look on Sasha's face said it all.
"You know, I think I'm losing track of time here," Duo said offhandedly as he was folding clothes, "when is that scheduled meeting between the colony leaders and Romefeller?"
"The day after tomorrow," Heero said absently, packing each item as Duo handed it to him, "why?"
"That doesn't leave us much time, we're gonna be cuttin' it really close," Duo pointed out.
"I know that," Heero said as he looked up at him, "what are you trying to say?"
"We still have to get to Howard's ship, we need to find a place to launch from and we'll still need to transport the gundams to there once we do."
"Once again, I know that and once again, what is your point?"
"Oz has a base with launch capabilities and it's not far from the ship's location. If Treize is sincere about stopping Romefeller, he'll let us take off from there. Instead of us flying to the ship, Howard can have them deliver the gundams there and we meet them. It will save a lot of time," Duo finished folding the last piece of clothing, Heero's green tank top.
Heero placed it in his duffel bag and Duo promptly took it out.
"You know Heero, that tank top looks pretty worn, it's even getting little holes, why don't we leave it here?"
Heero picked it up, placing it back inside the bag, "What do you mean? It's still got plenty of wear in it."
"I'll get you a new one just like it when we get back."
"I'm keeping it, and no arguing," Heero placed a finger across Duo's mouth before he could say another word, "besides, they don't come in this color green anymore," he zipped the duffel closed, "now let's go tell Howard."
"Tell Howard what?" Duo asked as he followed Heero into the living room.
"Your plan, it will save us a lot of time," he answered, "of course we do need to clear it with Treize first."
Duo began to laugh.
"What's so funny?"
"I was imagining the look on the base commander's face when he finds out he has to let us launch our gundams from there."
"I'm just glad we haven't blown up that base yet," Heero commented.
Duo continued to laugh, "Yeah, me too," then he sobered, "first target after this is all over with?"
Heero picked up the cell phone and began punching in the secured number Treize had given him, "You know it," he grinned.
TBC
End of Act 11
KwyckSylver
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