07-Apr-01
Title: T'ien Lung Ge (Celestial Dragon Song)
Authors: Laekin and bonnejeanne
Category: Action, Adventure, Romance, ANGST
Pairings: 1x2, 3x4x5 (Combinations there of)
Rating: R (Adult Situations)
Disclaimer: Not mine, no money being made or sought here.
WARNINGS: LEMON. Angst. A very young Original Character and at least one heartrending scene with dying children.
NOTES: What is being posted here was written by myself and Laekin together, just as everything else in the Companions of Fate series. The plot is hers, with a few small contributions by moi; she writes for Quatre, Trowa, Duo and T'ien. My contributions are confined to Wufei and Heero and some brainstorming. The writing sessions for this were between October 19 and December 6, 2000.
Laekin also writes for Dorothy.
Wufei, who had been leaning against a table with his arms crossed during most of this, nodded. The nature of Quatre's fury was not lost on him. Although Wufei was truly tired, no, sick to death of killing, there was a matching fury in his own heart, as cold as a glacier, and a calm inner voice weighing Dorothy Catalonia on the scales of his implacable justice.
For the moment, Trowa just drifted like a graceful shadow next to Wufei and stayed out of the way as Quatre began to tear through his own back yard. For the next half hour, papers were brought to the little blond, he looked through them, matching them up to the information on the computer and then moving on. His usually impeccable desk became little more than a disaster area as hard copy print-outs were left unfolded and sitting up at odd angles.
Quatre finished up with the last of the papers and then threw it aside, laying his hands down on the desk top. His shoulders rose and fell rapidly as he fought to calm himself down.
'How could I have been so fucking stupid. Idiot... idiot!' Quatre indulged in a moment to mentally berate himself. 'Quatre Winner you are an Allah forsaken fool.'
The little blond closed his eyes and straightened, rubbing his hand across his lips. "There's nothing of any use here. No idea where it could be located. No actual coordinates were used. Materials were simply delivered to a central location and I'm guessing, picked up from there."
Quatre turned and paced automatically towards one of his windows, leaning his forearm against the cool pane of glass. Trowa stood with his arms crossed, eyes cast down for a moment. Then he pushed away from his lean against the wall and walked to the desk. He began to fix the papers into some sort of order, saying softly but firmly, "Heero, at least, should see all this. He and Duo have actually seen this facility. They might be able to recognize something that we missed."
Wufei nodded. He glanced from Quatre to Trowa and back. "I'm going to call Sally."
By the window, Quatre just nodded. At the desk, Trowa looked up, meeting his lover's dark eyes for a moment, before he went back to organizing the chaos of paper.
Going to a com unit at a secondary desk, Wufei punched in Sally's personal code.
There was only a split second of delay before the head of the Preventer's sharp blue eyes and pretty face came on the screen.
"Po here."
"Sally," Wufei said. "I need help."
Sally's eyes focused on Wufei and she leaned closer to her com. "What do you need, Wufei?" Her tone said clearly that if it was in her power, he would have it.
"I need to know why Dorothy Catalonia was allowed to slip through the Preventers' fingers during the raid on my cousin's satellite," Wufei said calmly. He did not allow any of his rage to color his tone. He blamed himself far more than Sally or anyone.
Sally blinked, her eyes lowered and then she nodded. "I'll pull the reports from the agents involved and send them to you ASAP. Where would you like them delivered?"
"This office," Wufei answered. "Are you going to make me read them? What happened?"
Sally took a deep breath. Once again, she felt like she had failed Wufei Chang. "It was a younger agent. One who was not directly involved in the war. Dorothy presented herself as a secretary who had been hired from outside to do some computer work but who had no idea about her employer. She was debriefed, her story was corroborated by someone higher-up in the system your cousin had in place, and she was released. It wasn't until Noin was going over the statements that we realized it was Dorothy Catalonia."
Wufei listened, restraining himself from a show of rage similar to the one Quatre had earlier displayed mainly by sheer will.
"Once you realized it, have you been trying to find her?" he asked, knowing that he was just going through the motions.
"Noin and Zechs themselves have taken on the case. They're spearheading the search and handpicked their team from our best agents, Wufei." Sally looked up, directly into Wufei's face. "I know it's not much..."
Wufei shook his head. "I was not here to help," he said, biting it off. "It would be unfair of me to find fault. But I need to know any and everything they may have turned up, and if they've turned up nothing, I need to know as soon as they do."
Sally nodded. "I'll contact Noin and get a progress report from her then contact you back. Do you need anything else, Wufei?"
Wufei glanced up at Trowa to see if the green-eyed boy had thought of anything that he hadn't.
Trowa had finished getting the papers straight and was looking through them himself. There was still more that he wanted to learn from what they had in front of them, in particular, he wanted to hear Heero's reaction to the information before he moved forward so he gave his head a little shake.
"Nothing further. Xie xie."
Sally paused for a moment, then said softly. "I'll have that information to you immediately, Wufei." Then she disconnected the call.
Quiet seemed to fall throughout the office. Trowa studied the back of Quatre's head, then the back of Wufei's head. Straightening the papers on the desk, he walked over to stand just behind Wufei. Reaching up, the green-eyed boy laid his hand on Wufei's shoulder.
Wufei turned around and leaned forward, resting his forehead on Trowa's shoulder in a concession to the pain of momentary defeat. His shoulders were rigid with tension.
Trowa slid his arm around Wufei's shoulders, holding the Chinese boy gently against the warmth and solid strength of his lean body. He reached up with his other hand and brushed his palm soothingly across Wufei's hair and cheek. Trowa didn't try to say anything. He just offered the wordless comfort of his arms and his stalwart strength.
After a moment, Wufei took a breath and stood straight, brushing his cheek against Trowa's briefly. Then he began sending the information they had to Heero's terminal.
Trowa returned the soft nuzzle, then he stepped back as Wufei turned to work again. Trowa looked over to where Quatre stood. The little blond seemed lost in his own world and experience had taught Trowa that trying to bust into that world usually did more harm than good. Moving back to the desk, he began to fit the papers into a travel envelope so that they too could be sent to Heero.
Trowa was finishing up his task, when the office door suddenly blew open and Alexis darted in, her pretty blue eyes dancing with excitement.
"Master Quatre!"
Trowa frowned and spoke softly but clearly. "Alexis.. not..."
The secretary looked at Trowa apologetically. "Yes... yes now... someone is accessing the Hera account."
Quatre turned from the window and looked at his vibrating secretary, then he wheeled towards his desk. Trowa was a step ahead of him, pulling up the account and starting a track.
"It's coming from a terminal on this colony," Trowa said softly, looking up towards Wufei.
Wufei's eyes widened.
Quatre hung over Trowa's shoulder as the green-eyed boy worked magic on the computer. The soft clicking of keys was the only sound that filled the office for a moment, then Trowa gave a nod.
"I've got it. It's a small shuttle hanger on the bow end of the colony. It looks like whoever is accessing the file is trying to get hold of some funds. We might be able to get there in time. Alexis! Call down stairs, have the car brought around."
Alexis nodded and began to move. She would respond to Quatre's orders, Wufei's orders and Trowa's orders without question.
Trowa stood up, looking to Wufei.
The Chinese boy nodded. He noted the location over Trowa's shoulder. "I'll meet you there," he said, intending to grab Heero's bike. If they hit a traffic snarl or other obstacle, they'd have a better chance if they weren't all in one vehicle.
Trowa nodded, then looked towards the door through which Quatre was disappearing, pulling his coat on as he went. Trowa frowned darkly. He knew he shouldn't, but the green eyed boy couldn't help wishing the Arabian would stay behind.
Wufei saw the look, as he headed for the door. "Stay with him," he admonished, more in the tone of a shared responsibility than advice.
Though Trowa would deny it later, perhaps Wufei's sharp hearing caught the word...'leash' softly muttered as the green eyed-boy strode out the door behind him.
The limo was sitting waiting for them as they exited the building. Quatre was already within the vehicle and as soon as Trowa's first foot hit the running boards the big car was in motion.
Wufei took a shortcut through the stairwells and as the limo came out of the garage, it was cut off by the big bike, speeding ahead.
The limo driver was one of the men handpicked by Wufei and the big car managed to dodge the quicker bike without having to brake. Though the bike was obviously faster and more maneuverable, the limo managed to keep pretty good pace with it. Nothing like having the tags, 'Winner 1' on a car to keep the colony peace-keepers at bay, no matter how many speed violations you were racking up.
Traffic was light, most people at work, which gave them good time getting to the small, relatively sparse shuttle pad. It was one of the older ones, that had been in use mainly before the colony had been finished. It was used now to bring in cargo shuttles, not passengers. The limo had barely come to a halt when Trowa was jumping out of it. The green eyed boy had a handgun in his left hand and was stuffing a second clip into his tight jeans.
He was also, obviously, in the midst of a heated discussion with the other occupant of the limo.
"One gun, there is only the one gun. We don't know who this might be so just stay put. I promise, we'll take whomever it is alive and you can *discuss* the matter with them to your heart's content."
In the limo, Quatre was sitting there with his jaw almost on the floor. He simply could not believe what he was hearing from Trowa. How dare he... Quatre dove out of the limo as Trowa turned to locate Wufei. A slight breeze from the open launch field ruffled his blond hair as he studied the location.
Trowa gave Quatre a firm, glare and then turned, trotting towards Wufei.
"I can't see anything from this side of the hanger."
"Circle around," Wufei said briefly, indicating a direction with his chin. "I'll go that way."
Trowa nodded and gave a wry grin. "Quatre will take the exit up on the second story." An acknowledgement that the little blond was no more likely to stay behind now, then he had many years ago when Trowa had tried to get him to stay away from the New Edwards base.
Trowa then slipped off in the direction Wufei indicated. Quatre was standing by the limo, fuming. Trowa had grabbed the one gun they kept in the limo and without a weapon, Quatre puzzled over his best move. If it wasn't such a blind approach, he wouldn't have concerned himself with going in unarmed but without knowing who or what he might face, such an action was foolhardy in the extreme.
Quatre drummed his fingers on the top of the limo, then he blinked. Ducking into the car, he toggled on the intercom. "Open the trunk!"
Scrabbling out of the back seat, Quatre quickly darted around to the trunk of the big car and pulled it up. Ah, Allah was with him. Reaching in, Quatre carefully folded back the protective coverings and exposed Wufei's sabre. Drawing the weapon from its scabbard with a softly spoken...
"Forgive me, koi..."
Quatre turned and trotted towards the building with the naked blade in his hand.
Within the small hangar, a shuttle sat waiting. Four men stood around the shuttle, talking amongst themselves by the lowered stairs. They seemed to be waiting for someone but the way the building was designed it was hard to tell for whom. The hanger had only been partially finished. It had none of the aesthetically pleasing attributes of a passenger hanger, like... walls. Open scaffolding and metal framework lined the building as a whole. Stairways were little more than enlarged ladders and the control tower was up on the second level, leaving the main floor open for all sorts of storage and the moving of cargo crates.
Across the open expanse, Trowa could clearly see the door that Wufei would be headed for as he stepped silently through his own entrance way. There was not much cover but somehow Trowa managed to fold himself behind a bit of piping.
Wufei circled the unfinished structure and moved silently towards the small entrance, taking in the layout and the four crewmen or whoever they were. He ducked inside and placed the shuttle between himself and the men, and began working his way closer.
Trowa studied Wufei's approach, then began to move in to cover his flank. Trowa's green eyes burned brightly as he focused on his enemy. The gun was a firm presence in his left hand but he didn't want to have to rely upon the weapon. Wufei's skills in the martial arts were becoming legendary and Trowa set himself up as back up to his Chinese lover.
Wufei spotted Trowa coming from the other side and felt secure in the knowledge that his partner would strike as he did. Slipping silently around the edge of the shuttle, he selected his first two victims and struck, landing a spinning kick to the side on one man's head and striking a sharp blow with a stiffened hand to the other, fractions of seconds later.
Trowa glided forward with Wufei, coming out of the young dragon's shadow like a wisp of smoke. A wisp of smoke wielding a gun. Trowa neatly pistol whipped one of the men still standing, before ducking a hastily thrown punch and then delivering a devastating solar plexus blow to the other.
From up on high, Quatre stood just inside the upper level door, looking down at the hanger floor. His lips quirked with pride as he watched his two lovers move like one entity, taking out their enemies with speed and grace. He then turned his attention to the clicking noises he could hear coming from the room just ahead of him on his left. He couldn't see through the walls but his ears alerted him to the presence of one more enemy.
Quatre flattened himself to the wall and stepped lightly along the open grated scaffold. He balanced the sabre in his right hand, laying his left against the wall as he approached the open doorway. Risking a quick peek around the edge of the door frame, he felt his heart sink as he recognized the waterfall flow of platinum blond hair.
Dorothy.
Taking a slow calming breath, Quatre stepped around till he stood framed in the door.
"Enough, Dorothy." His voice sounded almost tired, even to his own ears.
The figure sitting at the consol, didn't turn around but her hands rose off the keyboard. "Good afternoon... Uncle Quatre."
Quatre frowned at the use of the word *Uncle*. "Get up, Dorothy."
"Anything you say." Dorothy answered in a careless tone. She stood up slowly and turned around. Steel blue eyes fell on the sabre in Quatre's hand and Dorothy's forked brows lifted.
"Feeling a little more confident with bladed weapons these days, Uncle?" She asked with a condescending smile.
Quatre just kept his eyes on her, refusing to rise to the bait.
Dorothy's smile grew. "I'm surprised it took you so long to find the Hera files. I would have thought you were a little more alert than that but I guess you've had your hands full."
Quatre knew she was trying to make him jump and he took long slow breaths to keep from giving her the satisfaction. "Come along, Dorothy."
"Of course, of course. I guess, though, that since you found them... you are looking for that satellite? The one Heero and Duo infiltrated? It really is a wonderful piece of work. Totally mobile and self sufficient. Not only did you pay for it but a lot of WEI's best research and development went into creating it. I guess I should be saying, thank you, Uncle, for your generosity."
Quatre's fingers closed around the hilt of the sabre and he found himself thanking Allah that he didn't hold a gun in his hand. Dorothy, took a step towards Quatre, smiling.
"Yes, yes indeed, it is a wonderful design. I don't think you'll find it, unless you're told where to look. Which... which I guess is what you think you're going to get from me. How delightful." Dorothy clapped her hands together, as gleeful as a young child being allowed to sit at the grown-ups table.
Quatre took a slow breath and shook his head. "Dorothy... I wish you would give up this constant need for conflict. It's an exhausting and wasteful use of emotional energy."
Dorothy laughed. "An exhausting and wasteful use of emotional energy? So are tears, Uncle dear... tears like the ones I shed for my father, tears like the ones my mother, *your* sister shed for her husband. Lost in a war that you then came along and said was meaningless. That Grandfather denounced as barbaric, making our sacrifices meaningless."
Quatre shook his head. "Dorothy... Dorothy... you're looking at it all wrong. You and Frecilia. Why won't you listen? Why can't you learn?!"
Dorothy's pretty eyes now flashed with fire and rage. "It's not I who needs to learn his lesson. I know my path and believe in my decisions. Can you say the same, dear Uncle?"
Quatre's jaw knotted and he hefted the weapon. "Enough, come on... we need to talk."
"Talk... talk? Don't you mean torture? Drugs to make me be truthful? All those barbaric relics of war? Going to be hypocritical and use them on me in the search for the truth? You are laughable, Quatre Winner. Two sets of standards, it's a wonder you can keep track of it at all."
"Dorothy..."
"No. I'll tell you what. I'll give you an out. We'll fight for the information."
"Dor-Thee."
"Oh that's right, you don't like to fight. Well if you want anything from me, without having to use... unpleasant interrogation tactics, then we fight. However, if you'd rather... force the information from me... well..." Dorothy got a far away look in her eyes then she smiled maliciously. "I must admit... I did wonder how Trowa felt in the hands of those two men."
Quatre howled and lunged forward, the razor sharp blade coming to rest against Dorothy's throat, where it trembled. His turquoise eyes burned against hers and it was only by force of will that Quatre made himself back away from the kill.
Dorothy's eyes never left Quatre's face as she spoke. "I have my blade right over there... it's the same one I bested you with last time we met. It holds sentimental value for me."
"Pick. It. Up." Quatre's voice came from deep in his chest.
Dorothy's smile widened and she moved towards her pack, drawing the slender rapier free of the cloth it rested within.
Down on the hangar floor, in the middle of tying up hands, Trowa's head snapped up and around as the sound of steel ringing against steel echoed through the open building.
Wufei looked up at the same time. He glanced at Trowa and began to move towards the sounds of conflict.
Trowa set down the man he was binding and also began to move towards the end of the hanger. The two boys had crossed no more than half the distance when Dorothy and Quatre came into view. Dorothy was moving backwards but whether she was retreating, or leading, it was hard to discern. Quatre attacked with open fury, driving or following... it didn't seem to matter to the Arabian boy.
The two weapons flashed at an almost inhuman speed, cut, parry, cut, cut, parry, thrust. The blows were being executed as near killing strikes, blocked only by the speed of the answering sword.
Trowa slammed on the brakes and snapped the gun up, trying to draw a fix on Dorothy.
Wufei clamped a hand on Trowa's shoulder. "Not to kill," he hissed. "Not unless there is no choice!"
The split second that Wufei's words took to register, put Quatre in Trowa's line of fire. The green eyed boy made a helpless noise of anger in his throat, not directed at anyone, just frustration at having his aim thrown off. Dorothy's guard lowered a fraction and Quatre lunged in hard, slamming into her. The two rocked back into the lower railing of the scaffold they were on and pitched over the edge.
The fall carried them both about ten feet down to the next level of scaffold. Both jumped quickly to their feet, Quatre a little quicker than his niece, tumbling out of Gundams did have its uses. Dorothy, already off balance, could not get her legs under her as her uncle attacked. Though both were about even in body mass, Quatre suddenly had the advantage of height as Dorothy was pushed back to one knee and he pummeled her guard with a series of brutal over head swings, moving so fast that she didn't have time to get her rapier anywhere but up to defend her head.
Trowa's shoulder trembled beneath Wufei's hand and he whispered. "He's not going to stop." There was a soft click as the safety came off.
Wufei scowled ferociously and moved towards the structure. As quickly and silently as possible, he made for the two.
Trowa was aware of Wufei's movements though he never lost his sighting on a spot just behind Quatre where he would fire if the need arose. He could feel the little blonde's rage like a living force washing over him much as he'd felt the rage coming from Quatre when he was flying Zero.
On the scaffold, Quatre brought the sabre down and across in a wicked movement that allowed the better weapon to catch and snap the rapier like a twig. The razor edge of the blade once again came snaking around till it lay against the exposed white throat of Dorothy Catalonia.
Wufei made the level and came up behind Dorothy. In a calm, clear voice, he said, "Keep my weapon clean."
Quatre's whole body trembled and his eyes flashed fire but his hands were rock steady where they held the hilt of the sabre. Never taking his eyes away from Dorothy's face, Quatre stepped back, lowering the threat of the sabre. On her knees Dorothy smiled and tilted her head to the side, her voice thoughtful.
"Interesting. In our last encounter, I disarmed you... but I always felt that you won. Now... why do I feel the unarmed victor?"
Wufei wrapped his hand in Dorothy's long hair and twisted it tightly, pulling her head back, back... He looked down and smiled. "Because you are a stupid onna who doesn't realize that the next person you will be talking to is Heero Yuy."
Dorothy leaned back into Wufei's tight hold and she smiled. "A meeting that will prove... most fascinating."
Quatre took a long slow breath and ran his hand through his hair, resting the sabre up along his shoulder. Seeing that there was no longer a threat, Trowa was coming up the stairs, following Wufei's path and silently appearing at the Chinese boy's shoulder. Without speaking, Trowa hunkered down and began to tie Dorothy's hands behind her back, just like her crewmen down on the hanger floor below.
Wufei left her and went to Quatre. He looked into the blond's eyes. "It was a good fight," he said softly.
Quatre lowered the sabre and turned, laying his face against Wufei's chest. "I let her bait me." His voice was calm, matter of fact and the little blonde's shoulders heaved with a deep breath. "She said things..."
Wufei stroked Quatre's blond hair gently. "It doesn't matter," he said. "It's almost over."
Quatre nodded a little against Wufei's chest. "I'm going to help Heero in this... then, then I've got to make a decision about how I mean to go on."
Quatre reached up and closed his hand around Wufei's forearm, gripping it tightly.
Wufei traced the line of Quatre's jaw. He nodded.
Quatre rested there for a moment, then fought off the urge to burrow into Wufei's arms and hide. He looked up into his lover's dark gaze and gave him a gentle smile, before pushing back and straightening his shoulders. He looked down at the sabre ruefully.
"Sorry," he said and turned it about, offering it hilt first back to its master.
Wufei shook his head. "You brought it, you carry it back and sheathe it," he said in a tone reminiscent of a martial arts instructor.
Quatre gave a small nod, stroking the weapon through the soft cloth of his suit coat before turning and looking down to where Trowa had corralled everybody.
"Right... Heero's going to want to talk to these people, specially Dorothy. What do you think? Preventer headquarters?"
Wufei shook his head. "I called them as we left. They'll be here..." he stopped, hearing the sound of an approaching motorcycle.
Duo aimed the big bike up next to its mate just ahead of the limo. He stopped the motor and lay down the kickstand, looking around.
"Hail, Hail the gang's all here," Duo said with dry wit. Tilting his head, he listened closely for a moment. "I don't hear the sounds of butts getting kicked, I think we're too late for the party, Hee-koi."
Heero shrugged, tightening his hands around Duo's waist for a brief moment. "Maybe we can revive it," he said thoughtfully, swinging his leg over the back of the bike to dismount, with T'ien against his chest.
T'ien's bright eyes were darting all over the place and the little boy wriggled imperiously. Things to do!!! People to see!!! Aw come on!!!! The boy twisted over Heero's arm, trying to get down. Duo stepped off the bike and gave T'ien a firm glance.
"Not until we know what the situation is."
T'ien's little fingers flew. ~But, if things are bad you'll both need your hand's free.~ Ssssquuuuuiiiirrrrrrrrrmmmm.
Heero held on to the active little body as tightly as he had the first time they met. The Japanese boy had hands of glue. "Duo takes point," he said. "Settle down."
T'ien gave one more attempt at escape, trying to go over Heero's shoulder but as he found himself held tight, he subsided, flashing an indignant look between the two boys.
~Well... fine then. Let's go.~ T'ien gave Duo a little nod of his chin in the direction of the warehouse. Duo rolled his eyes and turned, shaking his head.
"Why am I doomed to take orders from shrimps. First Winner, now Heero in a smaller package."
Heero's lack of response to the quip was standard issue. The only betrayal was a quick flash, almost a twinkle in the Prussian blue eyes as he followed his braided lover.
Duo still snorted. "I heard that, Yuy." Then the braided boy went silent as he approached the warehouse carefully, his slender body tensing in case things were not taken care of yet.
In the hangar, Trowa stood watch over the prisoners. His stance was loose, yet attentive, ready to quell anybody's idea of escape. Quatre had retreated a little distance away from the group after returning Wufei's sword to the back of the car. He knew that he should probably keep a weapon on him, just in case but found he didn't trust himself with sharp objects at the moment.
Both boys' heads turned when Duo came careening through the hanger side door.
"Aw damn! You didn't leave any for me. I haven't had a good workout in ages." Duo leered at one of the bound men, rubbing the knuckles of one hand against the palm of the other, letting that edge of insanity glitter in his violet eyes till the man shrunk down a little.
Trowa's expressive brows quirked a millimeter into his hairline and his deadpanned. "Not at all, Maxwell. We left the toughest nut in the tree for you and Heero."
Trowa nodded to where Dorothy sat. Though she sat on the concrete floor on her knees, Dorothy Catalonia still maintained a certain aristocratic air about her. As if she were above it all. Her steel blue eyes flickered dismissively across Duo, panned for a moment with malicious intent across her uncle, then settled on the form of Heero Yuy.
Dorothy's head cocked to the side. The waterfall of platinum blonde hair cascading over her shoulder as she studied Heero with an obvious interest. Not romantic but more the way someone might watch a phenomenon that they found particularly fascinating, awe-inspiring even.
"Well, well. Hee-ro Yuy. A pleasure to see you again, after all this time. Peace has been wasteful for you."
Heero inclined his head fractionally. "Dorothy. I have a question to ask you. I'm looking for the satellite. You know the one I mean."
"Of course. You want the location of the satellite from which you stole one of the experiments. I've been looking forward to this." Dorothy's smile grew. "No. No, I'm not going to tell you." Something in her tone, something in the inflection speaking to the fact that she was giving the answer simply for the pleasure of seeing the response it would provoke.
"Hn," Heero remarked, with no surprise. "As I thought. I'm not really interested in torturing you. So are drugs okay?" he said, pulling a small zippered pouch out of his pocket.
Dorothy's eyes widened then seemed to look almost disappointed. "I am, of course, at your mercy but aren't drugs just so... common? They lack a certain sense of style, finesse. They can't be as satisfying as torture, now can they?" Dorothy took her eyes of Heero and looked around quickly towards Trowa, smiling. "What about you Trowa? You had the benefit of both. Wasn't the actual torture much more satisfying to... resist?"
Across the hanger, Quatre wheeled, looking about ready to back over Dorothy with a forklift.
Trowa's face remained impassive, to anyone who didn't know how to read the very subtle signs. The shudder of the eyebrows, the slight paling of the features and the way his skin seemed to tighten across his chiseled features until his cheekbones became prominent.
Wufei moved behind Trowa and placed a hand on the small of his back silently.
Heero's eyes did not move from Dorothy's face. "Go ahead and get your fun in now," he said, but the tone was matter of fact - deadpan, almost literal. "It may not have finesse, but Dr. J had several drugs which were extremely effective. If you wanted to be tortured, you should have opposed Kuang instead of joining up with him."
He walked over to Quatre and placed T'ien in his arms without any further ado, exchanging a look with the small boy as he did so. It was as much for Quatre's benefit as to keep T'ien safe.
Quatre was forcibly keeping himself as far from Dorothy as he could. His arms reached and closed around T'ien's little body automatically as he settled the child against his hip. T'ien gave Heero a curious look for a second, then read the intent in those cobalt blue eyes and he gave a little nod before laying his head down on Quatre's shoulder and going boneless, making certain Quatre really did have his hands full.
Duo had also dropped back a few paces, putting himself between his little brother and Heero's work. The braided boy waited till he could catch Heero's eye, then gave his lover a grave nod. Trowa was taking short, careful breaths. Keeping his face calm, even as he subtly leaned into Wufei's touch.
It felt like that touch was the only spot of warmth on his whole body.
Dorothy, watched the settling of T'ien against Quatre silently, then as Heero turned back she focused back on his face. "Ah, but you see, joining Kuang gave me a second shot at fulfilling my own goals."
Heero opened the pouch and took out a syringe and filled it from one of three small bottles in the pouch. "But you lost."
Her eyes flickered back towards Quatre. "Not in the least." She whispered. "In fact... I'd say I was quite... successful."
"Then you don't need to continue," Heero murmured.
As Heero moved to lean over her, Dorothy turned back to him and whispered just soft enough for him to hear. "The experiments, on the satellite? Kuang was not the first man to attempt them. You'll find the satellite at LeGrange point 88-C57. It's holding an orbit near the asteroid belt, hiding from radar."
If her whispered words were intended to prevent the insertion of the needle into her arm, it did not have that result. Heero made a mental note of everything she said but his smooth action completed, injecting her with precision.
Dorothy looked a little perplexed as she felt the sting of the needle. A little surprised that he'd gone ahead and injected her. She rocked back and looked at Heero in an expression that said 'I still don't understand you... curious.' Still, she knew enough to remain very still, trying to slow the spread of the drug through her system. "Aren't you ever curious?"
Heero continued to maintain eye contact with her, timing the drug. "I know all about experiments like Kuang's," he said quietly.
Still whispering so that only Heero could hear, Dorothy pushed out the words even as her eyelids began to drop a little. "Then you know that 76% of the experiment is based off the work of my grandfather."
Heero leaned down and gently lifted her head, looking at her pupils. "No, Dorothy. I didn't know that. Why don't you tell me more about it."
Dorothy's pupils were blown, large and dark though the steel blue of her iris was still very prominent. Her head rested heavily in Heero's hold as she focused on him, still whispering.
"Master Winner was every inch the pacifist. He abhorred conflict in any form. But you don't usually amass a fortune like the one my family enjoys without a certain amount of conflict. A certain... ability... ruthlessness? 30 children, born from test tubes, except the last, from different women. Master Winner was trying to rid his line... his heir of that agressive trait."
"I don't believe you, Dorothy," Heero said softly, calmly. "I don't suppose you have any proof."
Dorothy smiled almost peacefully. "Do you think Kuang Chang just welcomed me with open arms? No no no... I had to bring him something. He was already trying to perfect the *Perfect Solider* but was going about it the wrong, wrong way. I brought him all of the work done by my grandfather's scientists. It was easy to get hold of while Uncle dearest and most of my aunts were busy settling all the court issues about his taking over WEI. I brought all that work to Kuang. You'll find it... at LeGrange Point 88-C57."
"Why do you want me to find it, Dorothy?" Heero asked softly.
Dorothy's voice still remained perfectly pitched to carry only to Heero's ears. "Because it will destroy *him* and prove that ultimately my grandfather failed, despite tossing aside his other creations like my mother." Dorothy snarled the last word weakly, which given the presence of the drug in her system spoke of just how much venom she had for this issue.
Heero leaned back, looking at her for a moment. Without moving a muscle, his expression changed subtly, though only Dorothy could see it. The slightest hint of weariness flickered in his eyes for a moment and then was gone as if it had never been there.
"I'm betting you are wrong," he said quietly. "I don't think it will destroy him. You never did understand the strength your uncle possesses. Now tell me if there's anything else I need to know about the satellite."
Dorothy rocked back and forth a little tilting her head to the side. "I wanted to add defensive devices but Kuang wouldn't let me. He wanted the room for his project. He said that the ability to run and hide was the satellite's strength. You'll still find all the proof you want, just be sure the scientists don't destroy it all first."
Heero nodded. "All right, I'll be careful," he said. Then he tilted his head. "Relena was worried about you."
For the first time, Dorothy's expression switched from something aggressive or defensive. The pretty features softened a little and she looked down. The effects of the drug still strong in her system, she shuddered a couple of times, fighting it before the drug won out and she miserably admitted softly, "I miss her."
Heero nodded. "She'll want to see you. Try not to give the Preventers too many problems. You might feel sleepy. Go ahead and sleep. I'll make sure nothing happens to you."
It really was too much work to try and recapture the venom that had been burning through her veins, so instead Dorothy let herself sink into the memories of the Sanc kingdom and the thoughts of Relena that Heero's question had raised as her chin settled against her chest and she fell into a light, drug induced sleep.
End Part 5
Laekin and bonnejeane
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