13-Jan-2001
Disclaimer: I own not one iota of Gundam Wing or its characters. Nor do I have any connections to a certain book and movie that now has a prominent place in this fanfic plot, but the original characters that appear in this series are of my own creation.
Warnings: No warnings on this one, pairings are implied and there is only one kiss.
Rating: PG for language.
"We will be approaching the airport in about ten minutes," Heero announced, then turned to Treize and Pulaski and said, "The two of you need to re-blindfold yourselves, and Georgie, I'm afraid you will have to wear one too."
Heero handed him the square of cloth.
"The airport is just a stop-over, we will transfer to a helicopter for the last leg of the trip," he added.
Georgie and the two Oz officers complied with Heero's order as he returned to the cockpit and began preparations for landing.
"I'm sorry Sasha," Wufei turned to her holding another blindfold in his hand, "But Heero thinks it would be better for you if you put this on as well."
"I'll wear it, but I won't like it," she answered, a little miffed, as she took it from Wufei and tied it around her eyes.
"I know, but Heero says you'll understand the reasons, once we get there," he laced his fingers through hers, giving her hand a reassuring, affectionate squeeze.
"Has Heero said anything to you about this place we are going or who these mysterious friends of his are?" Quatre whispered to Trowa.
"I was getting ready to ask you the same thing," Trowa grinned, "At least we don't have much longer to wait."
Ernst was still asleep from the injection Heero had given him, he hadn't even stirred much less made a noise during the entire trip. Quatre had checked on him occasionally to make sure he was alright. Whatever it was Heero had given him, it was potent, they didn't expect Ernst to rouse from his sedation for a few more hours.
Junior's cage was sitting in the seat next to Georgie's. He too had been quiet during the flight. Ironically the parrot did not seem to enjoy flying.
"We're getting ready to land in a few minutes everybody, it's time to fasten your seatbelts," Trowa announced, as the 'fasten seatbelts' light came on.
They started their descent and in a few minutes the jet was sitting on the tarmac by a private hangar at the far end of the airport in the town of Puerto Limon, in the country of Costa Rica. Heero was the only one who knew where they were.
Duo opened the hatch as the stairs were rolled into place. The group quickly disembarked and headed for the helicopter that was taking them to Isla Nublar, the boys leading the others who were still not permitted to remove their blindfolds.
They left Ernst on the small jet.
"Heero, why are we leaving him here, he'll go to the nearest Romefeller outpost and report where he's at," Duo questioned his koi, he never knew Heero to make such a mistake.
"Don't worry, Ernst is going to find himself in a Sherpa camp at the base of Mount Everest and be confused as hell as to how he got there," Heero answered, a wicked grin spread over his handsome face.
"Have I ever told you how much I like your style?" Duo chuckled.
"Every night," Heero said as the wicked grin turned into a sexy smile.
Heero wasn't going to have to fly them the rest of the way, the helicopter came complete with pilot, who ushered everyone, except Heero, inside.
"Heero! So good to see you my friend, it has been a long time," the pilot greeted him with a bear hug, "I swear, you've grown at least a foot."
"Hello Manuel, it has been too long," Heero returned the warm greeting, "How is Theresa?"
"As ornery as ever, but she is going to be very happy to see you. Of course she's going to be poking food down you, she always thought you were a skinny little rail."
"She and my partner are going to get along great," Heero chuckled as they boarded the chopper.
The 'copter flight took about an hour and everyone was glad when they sat down on land once again. The winds had been gusty, making the ride bumpy and turbulent. Georgie looked almost as green as Junior. Sasha, Treize and Pulaski didn't look much better, wearing a blindfold seemed to encourage motion sickness.
Manuel led them to a large van, and once again the blindfolded ones were led to their seats. Treize could not help but wonder why they were not yet allowed to see where they were, and voiced his question.
"I'm sorry but I can't tell you that, either," Heero answered, "Just be patient, its only going to be a little while longer."
Heero looked around at the scenery as they rode, the island had not changed much during his absence, except the vegetation was denser. It still looked deserted, just the way the island's occupants wanted it to.
They rode through what once had been a large wooden gate. Only the posts still stood as silent sentries, the gate itself was reduced to shards of wood scattered about. Some pieces gave the impression they had once been a sign but the words had long ago faded away from the constant exposure to the elements.
The island gave the other gundam pilots the creeps. The road barely existed but they could see it had been paved at one time. Fallen and wrecked cyclone fencing paralleled the road on each side. They noticed some very wicked looking barbed wire strewn about, pieces of it still attached to the fence here and there.
It was an eerie sight, in some places the fence looked like it had fallen down out of disrepair and negligence, in others as if something great and powerful had torn it to shreds. This place seemed to have been made to keep something at bay. Either something large or very dangerous. From the appearance of the fence, it looked like it hadn't done its job very well.
The four boys could not shake off their goosebumps, only Heero and Manuel seemed oblivious to the danger that had once lurked there. Whatever it was, they silently hoped it wasn't still around.
The drive was taking forever, the sights around them kept them speechless, the scenery had changed from forbidding to beautiful. It was now alive with flowers of every tint and hue imaginable, and the air was filled with their fragrances. The trees teemed with life. Birds, whose colors rivaled the flowers, flitted from branch to branch and they could hear the chatter of monkeys everywhere.
The four who were blindfolded could only speculate at the panorama the others had no words to describe.
They could just barely make out the top of a roof behind the trees before they slowly rounded a curve into a clearing. They could not believe their eyes, before them was a large building that looked as though it were about to collapse in on itself at any moment.
"Heero, is this some sort of joke?" Duo finally spoke up, "There is no way anyone could survive here much less live here."
"Wait," was Heero's only answer as Manuel pulled to a stop in front of the dilapidated structure.
Heero was the first to get out of the van, the four pilots exited after him, helping their blindfolded companions out as well.
"Follow me inside please," Manuel indicated as he walked up the steps.
Heero guided Treize up the stairs, the others trailed behind him reluctantly. Quatre looked to the side of the building where letters had once been, a shadow of dirt still outlined what they had long ago spelled out.
"InGen, Inc.," he mouthed softly as he entered the building.
//Why does that name sound familiar?//
"Where the hell are they? I want them found and I want them found, now!" Duke Dermeil was livid, tearing the report he had just read to shreds, "You idiots couldn't find your asses with both hands!"
"We're sorry, your Grace, but there was no sign of them at the warehouse. We do have people still staked out there, in case someone does show, but we really doubt it.We searched Miss Cooper's room and there seems to be some clothing missing. It appears she has gone on a trip, sir. That's the only answer we can come up with. And no one has seen or heard from Ernst since his meeting with you. Our conclusion is that they have deserted their assignment, they're AWOL, sir."
"NO!" the duke boomed, "That is not possible, we still have that fifth set of microdots to retrieve. Find out what you can about this Georgie they were working with, find him and you'll find them. Now go, you're dismissed."
The young officer turned tail and left the room as quickly as his feet would allow.
//Gods what a prick// he thought as he closed the door behind him.
The oddly matched group walked through the doors of the old building, inside was a large open area, devoid of furniture or fixtures. Large chunks of ceiling and glass lay here and there on the floor, making them cautious where they stepped. The floor crunched with every footfall and the walls had mold growing on them.
The place smelled bad, way beyond the old and musty tang most deserted building had. This place smelled dead, it reminded Duo of L2 after the massacre and he could almost hear hordes of rats scurrying behind the walls. He didn't like this place one bit, it jarred memories he preferred to keep buried. He reached out and grabbed Heero's hand, the familiar touch calmed his mind and his racing heart.
Heero understood Duo's trepidation. He had always hated walking through here, but he knew the reasons why. He had heard the old stories and rumors about this place. Something terrible and horrifying had once happened here and it was as if the building had soaked up all the terror of the original inhabitants and emanated it outward as a warning to man how pride and stupidity could bring about his own extinction.
They came to an elevator, the clean, shiny stainless steel doors looked out of place with their surroundings. Manuel pushed the button and the doors opened, he motioned for everyone to step inside but the group, except for Heero, hesitated.
"Come on, it's safe," he assured them.
They followed him into the elevator car and once the doors closed, Manuel pushed another button. Duo noted there were only three on the control panel, the emergency stop, and one up and one down button, and Manuel had pushed the down.
They felt the swift movement of the car as it made its descent into the bowels of the building, their stomachs were in their throats and they had that momentary sense of weightlessness as their bodies masses adjusted to the inertia. They then felt the elevator slow down before it jolted to a stop and the doors slid open.
"Follow me please," Manuel instructed them as they stepped out of the car then followed him down a narrow but well lit hallway.
"You may remove your blindfolds now," Heero told the four.
They did not hesitate and removed them immediately, pausing to allow their eyes to adjust to the light.
"Where are we?" Georgie asked.
"In a building, somewhere on Earth," Heero answered, "I'm sorry but that is all I can tell you."
They continued to walk down the hall until they came to a set of large dull grey metal doors, a keypad was imbedded in the wall to the left. Manuel punched in a code and the doors swung open. A small man with long bushy white hair was standing on the other side of the door with his back to them, he turned . . .
"Welcome to Jurassic Park," Dr. J said as he greeted his guests with a warm cordial smile.
"Come in, walk this way," Dr. J gestured for them to enter what appeared to be a continuation of the hallway.
"Heero my boy, I am glad to see you alive and well," Dr. J said as he placed his hand on Heero's shoulder, giving it an friendly squeeze, "The same goes for you too Duo, Quatre, Wufei and Trowa."
"Hello Dr. J," Heero addressed his mentor with sincere warmth,"how have you been?"
"I've been good, things considering," Dr. J answered as he directed a glare at Treize.
Treize did not back down but instead matched him glare for glare. The old man chuckled at that, he hadn't expected to intimidate the Oz leader, not really.
"Excuse me sir," Quatre spoke up, "But how did you know our names?"
"Mutual friends," was all the scientist would say,"but that's enough small talk, you must be tired and hungry. Follow me to the dining room, I believe Theresa has a meal waiting for you. And after you've eaten and rested, I will show you around."
They followed Dr. J down the hall to another door which he opened and gestured for them to enter. It was a fairly large dining room with about twenty tables. Each table was covered with a cream colored Battenburg lace table cloth and was accented by a small tropical flower center piece. The tables and chairs were made from ebony wood and paintings by Matisse, Chegal and Monet hung on the wall. Several small crystal chandeliers provided the lighting for the room. It offered a sharp contrast to what they had seen earlier.
A long table was set up buffet style in the center of the room, almost every inch taken up by large covered chafing dishes, bowls of fruit and deserts. To one side was a smaller table set up with plates, flatware and napkins as well as a coffee urn, cold drinks, cups and glasses.
"Heero, mejo!" Theresa squealed as she came from the kitchen with a small covered dish and placed it on the only open spot left on the table. She grabbed him, hugging him tight to her bosom, almost squeezing the air out of him.
"Look at you, you're still too skinny," she fussed, "Come, I'm gonna fix you a plate and you are going to sit and eat every bite."
"Hello Theresa, its good to see you too," Heero said as he tried his best to squirm out of Theresa's clutches, "Please, let me introduce you to everyone."
Heero started the introductions all around. She was cool but gracious to Treize and the colonel but warm and genial to Georgie and Sasha. When Heero introduced her to the other pilots, she turned into an old mother hen, squeezing Duo and Quatre even tighter than she had Heero. Wufei took a step back, trying to avoid her embrace but her arms were longer than they seemed and he was subjected to the same treatment the others had received. This elicited a giggle from Sasha who got a withering look from Wufei, in return.
Then it was Trowa's turn.
Theresa was about to hug him, then stopped and looked him over from head to foot.
"O Dios mio," she exclaimed, "You are even skinnier than my Heero. I'm fixing you a plate too."
'Theresa, please leave them alone!," Manuel exclaimed,"these are not ninos, they are men, warriors, treat them as such."
"Oh nonsense, Manuel," she rejoined her husband,"all men are little boys at heart. I'm supposed to take care of them while they are here and that is just what I am going to do. Now come and eat."
They each took a plate as Theresa removed the covers from the food and released the trapped steam and inviting aromas from each dish.
Theresa took Heero's and Trowa's plates from them and started filling them with food until they were overflowing.
"I expect those plates to be clean when I get back," she instructed.
"Why are women always trying to feed me?" Trowa asked rhetorically.
"I know," Quatre laughed, "Trowa couldn't even walk near the kitchen without the cook trying to stuff something in him. He had to find other ways to get out of the house just so she wouldn't grab him and make him eat."
"Cathy's no different, she's always making me try her newest culinary feat," Trowa made a face, "Her soup is bad enough."
The others nodded in silent agreement.
Duo had his own plate piled as high as he could, which got an approving smile from the small, dark haired woman. He sat next to Heero and dug in.
Quatre had served himself quite a lot as well, taking his cue from Duo. He didn't want Theresa serving him more than he could possibly put away.
Wufei had to prod Sasha to eat, he'd even had to fix her plate.
"I don't feel comfortable," she explained, "I'm not really an invited guest, you know."
"You wouldn't be here if it wasn't all right with Heero, and Dr. J," Wufei pointed out to her, "Now eat."
Georgie had set Junior's cage down on an empty table and served himself, sitting at the table next to the pilots', where Treize and the colonel had chosen to sit. He had made it his job to keep his eyes and ears open when it came to those two and to stick to them like glue.
"I hope you enjoy my cooking," Theresa said, "I'll be serving scrambled eggs, waffles, sausage and biscuits for breakfast. If there is anything special you want, let me know."
"And as for you two," she pointed to Heero and Trowa,"I want to see empty plates," she turned and went into the kitchen.
"Uh, Heero," Trowa started to ask, "With her around,why are you so thin?"
"She lives and works here, with her husband Manuel. I've only been here a few times since I've been with Dr. J. She does this to me every time I come, and I let her. It makes her happy," Heero said, "I'd suggest you do the same thing."
Heero loved Theresa, hers was the only mothering he had ever received, and he enjoyed every minute of it.
The large dining room was quiet except for the hushed din of conversation going on at the two tables where the group was sitting. The dining room door suddenly flew open and a small brown flash darted around the room, sniffing the varied aromas in the room only stopping when it smelled something interesting and different on top of one of the tables.
That something was Junior who began to flap his wings furiously as he squawked as loudly as he could, warning the others of the impending doom about to be wreaked on his little feathered body.
It jumped up on the table to investigate further.
"*Spot, get down from there and leave that bird alone*," a voice boomed from the doorway.
Spot was torn between inspecting the curious creature trapped in the cage and obeying his master. He looked first at Junior then at the young man who had entered the room as if he were trying to make up his mind.
"Spot, heel! Now!" the young man ordered.
Spot reluctantly answered his master's command and returned to his side.
"Good boy," the man said, giving him a treat and patting him on the head.
"I apologize for Spot's behavior," he addressed the group, "He's not used to guests or other animals."
The group sat silently, they had not gotten a good look at Spot until his master had heeled him. They looked at each other, to confirm they were each seeing the same thing.
They were, in a way. Except what they thought they saw wasn't what Spot was.
"You're Grace, we are halfway finished programming the computers, it will take, at most, one more day."
"Good, maybe we'll have this done in time after all," Duke Dermeil responded, "Any news about Sasha or the missing set of microdots?"
"No sir, nothing at all."
"Damn, where could that girl be?" the Duke was wondering what he was going to tell Sasha's parents about her disappearance.
Was she a traitor or had something happened to her? He wished he knew the answer.
"That is the strangest looking lizard I've ever seen" Duo remarked, "And I don't appreciate him eyeing my parrot like he's lunch."
"He's not a lizard, Duo. He's a dinosaur, right Dr. J?" Heero turned to the scientist with a look that was both puzzled and angry.
"Yes Heero, you are correct, Spot is a dinosaur. A Troodon to be exact," Dr J answered.
"Huh? What did you say?" Duo stuck a finger in his ear and shook it, not believing what he'd just heard, "Dinosaur? You did say dinosaur?"
"Yes," the young scientist spoke up, "Spot is a Tru-o-don, from the Upper Cretaceous period. But he's been genetically manipulated as well as surgically altered. He can't hurt your bird."
"Just who are you?" Heero asked, "I don't remember ever seeing you here before."
"Oh, excuse me for not introducing myself, my name is David Ross and I'm part of a research group that Dr. J invited here. I'm a geneticist."
"And you're cloning dinosaurs? Why?" Quatre spoke up, suddenly remembering why InGen had sounded vaguely familiar.
The tale of John Hammond and InGen was a long forgotten one, except by the descendants of those who had been involved. Quatre knew the chronicle because his family had been investors long ago. His father had used its example to teach him the importance of knowing what you were getting involved with.
If this place was what Quatre thought it was, what was Dr. J's involvement with InGen and the old stories?
"Oh no, we're not cloning dinosaurs, just Spot. I wanted to see how one would come out if you did it the right way."
"The right way?" Heero snorted, "Someone else thought they'd done it 'right' once before, if there's truth to the stories."
"Well, Spot can't get any bigger than what he is now. A Troodon's natural height is around 2.4 meters, he's barely ½ of a meter high. True, he is a carnivore, which explains his interest in your parrot, but we've removed his teeth and his claws. He can eat ground meat but cannot rip and tear. The best he could do is gum Junior."
"I don't care, just keep him away from my bird," Duo threatened, he had already assumed a protective stance next to the cage.
"I'll make sure Spot does not bother your pet," Dr. Ross swore, "Spot, lay down."
The dinosaur lay at the scientists feet with a sad 'what did I do?' look on his face.
"How did you domesticate him? He does seem to mind you," Quatre inquired.
"He has a large brain pan, he's more intelligent than most other dinosaurs, like the velociraptor. But, unlike the velociraptor, the Troodon was not as fierce. They hunted by themselves and lived on small rodent sized animals. His being intelligent and raised from an egg made it easier to domesticate him. Plus we had an old female dog who adopted him as a hatchling, so Spot thinks he's a dog."
Being the center of attention had no affect on the dinosaur. Spot acted as if he didn't care that all eyes were on him and had begun his investigation of all the strange and wonderful new scents that assailed his olfactory senses.
He sniffed out every smell in the room and settled on the one he liked best . . . Quatre.
Spot laid his head on the blond's lap and looked up at him with doleful eyes, as he made a high pitched keening sound.
"He's taken a liking to you and wants you to scratch his head," Dr. Ross informed the Sandrock pilot, "It's ok, he won't hurt you."
Quatre hesitantly edged his hand toward the dinosaur's head and slowly started rubbing Spot between his eyes.
Spot closed his two enormous yellow orbs and the high keening changed to a lower pitched guttural sound. Quatre continued to rub, increasing his strokes to a larger area of Spot's head.
"He doesn't feel hard and scaly at all," Quatre exclaimed, "He feels soft and velvety."
Quatre looked the dinosaur over as he switched from rubbing his head to rubbing his throat and chest. He was a light brown in color with darker brown mottling, hence his name 'Spot'. Quatre giggled, the Troodon was actually wagging his tail.
The other pilots were not as enthusiastic about petting Spot as Quatre, except Trowa. He'd always had a love and an affinity for animals and reached down to pet the Troodon on the head.
Spot froze when Trowa touched him, the low guttural pleasure sounds he'd made with Quatre changed to what seemed like a growl. He snapped, and if it weren't for Trowa's quick reflexes and Spot's own lack of teeth, Trowa would have found himself suddenly missing some fingers.
"*Whoa, heel Spot*!" Dr. Ross ordered the dinosaur. Spot reluctantly obeyed and once again returned to the side of his master.
Trowa was silent, shocked that an animal, any animal had reacted to him that way.
"I'm sorry, man, he's never done that before. You must have a smell on you that he doesn't like," Dr. Ross apologized.
"I think it's time you go put Spot in his kennel," Dr. J said, "This may be too large a group for him to get used to at one time."
"Come on Spot," Dr. Ross ordered, "Let's go."
"Bye Spot," Quatre called out to the dinosaur while Trowa nudged him to be quiet.
"Ssshhh, he'll come back over here," Trowa whispered.
As if he'd heard him, Spot broke away from Dr. Ross and trotted back over to Quatre, once again laying his head on the blond pilot's lap.
Quatre rose and walked to Dr. Ross, the dinosaur following behind and wagging his tail.
"Just keep him away from me," Trowa said as he stepped away, putting a little distance between him and the Troodon.
"Let's go Spot," Quatre called to the dinosaur,"I'll go with you and Dr. Ross to the kennel."
The dinosaur tagged behind Quatre, happy as a clam.
Treize had watched silently, until the door closed behind Quatre and the dinosaur.
"Just what the hell goes on here?" his inquiry held a demanding tone.
"A little bit of everything," Dr. J answered, "The research that goes on here is for the purpose of rebuilding what you soldiers and politicians are so bent on destroying. To keep civilization from collapsing."
"I'm not trying to destroy anything, I'm trying to unite us all in an everlasting peace, to create a world we can all live in without fear." Treize retorted.
"No, you are trying to create a world according to your own ideals, making everyone live under your beliefs. It doesn't work that way." Dr. J shot back.
Treize chuckled, "I think I had this same argument with someone, mere hours ago. Do all of you hold the same opinion of me and what I wish to accomplish? Or are you pilots just, please excuse the pun, 'parroting' what this man tells you?"
"We believe in what we are fighting for, Treize. We are not puppets nor have we been brainwashed. We choose to fight, so the colonies can stay independent." Wufei spoke up.
"I know we will never see eye to eye on what we think is right, so we must be able to overcome our differences and agree to disagree. At least for now," Treize remarked.
"Yes, right now our objective is to stop Romefeller, not to discuss our views on politics or war," Heero commented, "Dr. J, I need to give you those microdots so Dino can get started on them."
He opened his laptop and took out the plastic bag the 'dots had been stored in and handed them to the scientist.
"Does Dino have any idea how long it will take?" he asked.
"None right now, he has to see the program first before he can give us an estimate."
"Is he too busy right now to take a look?"
"No, in fact he's waiting for us, let's go," Dr. J rose from the table and turned to the others, "Manuel will show you to your rooms, I suggest you get some rest while we work on this."
Manuel led them out of the dining room and down the corridor where their rooms were located.
Treize, Col. Pulaski and Georgie were each assigned rooms to themselves whereas the couples were kept together.
"How did they know we are together?" Sasha asked Wufei, "they seem to know things I would not expect they'd know."
"I'm sure Heero filled Dr. J in, during the flight," Wufei said as he pulled her to him for a kiss.
They were still getting to know each other but hadn't had a chance to be alone in hours. Wufei decided to make up for lost time.
"Do you want to take a shower, or lay down with me?" he asked, the question being moot as he had already started undressing her.
Her eyes told him what her answer would be.
Duo took Junior into Heero's and his room and began cleaning the bird's cage and replenishing his food and water. Heero and Dr. J were going to be busy for hours working with Dino, whoever he was.
After Junior was taken care of, Duo decided to take a bath. It was going to be a long and lonely night.
Trowa and Quatre got settled in their room and they too prepared for a shower. To their surprise, the stall was only big enough for one person so Quatre elected to go first.
Trowa laid down on the bed while he waited for Quatre to finish and closed his eyes. As he lay there, the door opened partially and Trowa felt a hard thump on the bed.
He slowly opened his eyes, he already knew what he was going to see, he just didn't want to. The hot, stinking breath gave the intruder away.
Standing over him, almost nose to nose was Spot.
TBC
End of Act 8
Writer's note: A Troodon is a real dinosaur that lived during the Cretaceous Period, about 70-75 million years ago. A Troodon does resemble the velociraptor but is smaller and did feed on smaller dinosaurs and rodent like creatures. Whether or not they were more docile than a velociraptor or just as vicious is anyone's conjecture.
KwyckSylver
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