31-Dec-2003
The alarm came on, a shrill ringing tone. The blankets flipped back and an arm appeared, stretched out, and smacked blindly. A muffled grunt was heard, and the blankets were flipped back as the hand descended, smacking the second person on the forehead.
"Damn it, Winner," Wufei growled. He squinted, catching his partner's hand by the wrist as he reached out, hitting the alarm clock with a solid thwack. The harsh noise suddenly died in mid-ring. Wufei yanked on the wrist in his right hand. "Get up."
"I am up, if you thought to check," Quatre said, rolling over on his side to press up against Wufei. "Want to join me?"
"Only if you're talking about the shower." Wufei sat up, throwing the covers back. A second later he was grabbed around the waist and pushed back down.
"Sure thing," Quatre said, propping himself up on his elbows as he gave his partner a cheeky grin. "Tongue bath."
"We don't have time," Wufei muttered, even as he groaned from a hand slipping down to his hip. "Hey...we don't..."
"We have plenty of time." Quatre bent his head to suckle at the base of Wufei's neck, breaking off the action to run his tongue up to Wufei's jaw. He pulled away with a grin, and rubbed his face against his partner's cheek, enjoying the feel of the stubble against his lips. "You didn't happen to actually look at the clock when you shut it down, did you."
"Of course---" Wufei scowled and turned his head, as he realized the room was considerably darker than he expected. "Quatre, it's four in the morning."
"That's right." Quatre shifted to lay almost on top of Wufei as he continued licking.
Wufei tried to frown and gave up, a crooked smile appearing on his face as he bent his neck to prevent Quatre from continuing. "Stop that. You know that tickles."
"All the more reason to keep going," Quatre murmured into his ear. "Would I lie to you?" He grinned impishly, just before biting down on Wufei' s earlobe.
The only answer he got was a soft cry that melted quickly into a pleased moan.
The shouting could be heard down the hallway, and the Emperor looked up with a grimace. "Go on, let him in," he told his assistant, who grinned, yanking the door open just as Wufei burst through.
"This is absolute nonsense!" The young man waved the palace report over his head before throwing it down on Khushrenada's desk. "I can't believe you 'd fall for that crap." Wufei paused, narrowing his eyes at the older man. "No, wait, I can."
Khushrenada sighed, nodding to Quatre as the young man stepped quietly through the door behind his partner, his eyes on Wufei. The Emperor twitched at the papers until he could identify the source of Wufei's latest tirade. "The Geldart Debates." He sighed and leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers under his chin. "And I presume you're going to tell me why I shouldn't acknowledge their economic proposals."
"Because it's nothing but hot air," Wufei snapped. "The concepts are four hundred years old, and have been thoroughly debunked for the past three hundred and fifty years---"
"Chang." Khushrenada stood up, placing both his hands squarely on the desk. He could see Quatre standing next to Zechs. They had paused in their private exchange, looking up at the Emperor's command. Both looked amused.
"---The Franklin model completely disregards patterns of employment and composition of output---"
"Chang." The Emperor leaned forward until he was almost nose-to-nose with the young Chinese scholar.
"---If you'd read the counter-proposal, you'd know the Leipzig Model demonstrates the dangers of focusing solely on the changes in monetary quantity as concerns the aggregate price level---"
"Chang!"
"Sir." Wufei's tone was suspicious.
"Breathe."
Wufei scowled, waiting for the Emperor to relax, and immediately began again. "The bottom line is that Geldart Debates are conveniently forgetting that their antiquated macroeconomic theory lacks a theory of capital structure. By accepting their proposal, you'll be accepting a model that ignores inflation's influence on misdirected resources, and thus remaining ignorant and unprepared for the unemployment levels which will spike as inflation subsides."
Khushrenada sighed, stepped away from his desk to refill his water glass. Taking several swallows, he turned with a level eye on Quatre. "Will unemployment will go up if the amendments are accepted?"
"Dramatically so." The blond's voice was flat.
"Did you have an alternate plan?" Khushrenada turned his gaze back to Wufei. "I was of the understanding you didn't entirely approve of the counter-proposal."
Wufei frowned, stifling the urge to fidget under the Emperor's cool stare.
"I seem to recall," Khushrenada continued, "that you considered it a sterling example of the last economic bastion of pompous idiots."
"Not entirely." Wufei crossed his arms.
Quatre chuckled. "He said it was a sterling example of the last economic bastion of pompous *inbred* idiots."
"That is," Wufei interjected, "until I read the Geldart proposal." He sniffed. "Now I amend my statement. I consider the counter-proposal the second-to-last bastion."
Khushrenada chuckled slightly, and set down the water glass. "Very well," he said, and glanced at Marquise. "Get Maxwell in here."
"Sir," Wufei started, surprise flashing across his face. Behind him, Quatre stepped forward, his brows lowered. Wufei glanced at his partner, and then back at the Emperor. "This really doesn't---"
The Emperor raised one eyebrow, watching as the younger man bit back the rest of his words. "You say it will undermine the economic peace. I say the proposal looks solid to me."
"I know the Leipzig Models are counter-intuitive, but we can request impartial review by---"
"Why?" Khushrenada's voice was soft. "I don't see reason to waste the time."
"Your Excellency," Marquise interrupted. He gave Khushrenada a pointed look, his eyes darting to the nearby vid-phone.
Khushrenada sighed and shook his head, returning to his seat. "Chang, Winner, go get them. Be here in two hours, and I'll forgive the lack of a dessert last night."
A thin line formed between Quatre's brows, but he merely nodded, heading to the door and pausing as he waited for Wufei.
The Chinese man's face was impassive, but his eyes flashed as he bowed stiffly. Turning on his heel, he strode from the office, his partner at his side. The guards on either side of the door were quick to get out of their way, and Khushrenada covered a grin with his hand as he watched the young men leave.
Marquise stepped forward to collect the papers from the Emperor's desk. His smile was sly as he glanced at the older man. "You just enjoy baiting Ch ang."
"I must have my amusements in peacetime, my dear Zechs," Khushrenada said, chuckling. "They'll be here in two hours precisely, if their track record is any indication."
"Your schedule is---" Zechs paused, with a measuring look at the Emperor. Just a hint of amusement shone in his eyes, however. "Clear for an hour, starting at four-thirty standard. I presume you planned this."
"Indubitably." Khushrenada raised his eyebrows, giving Zechs a private smile. "I have no intention of signing off on either until I hear the eventual outcome."
"I hate economics," Duo muttered, lowering his head until his forehead was against the table.
Quatre grinned. "Granted, it's not nearly as interesting as advanced accounting, but it has its own charm."
Duo groaned, and brought his hands up to cover his head. His voice was muffled when he spoke. "Neither is interesting."
"But advanced calculus is?" Trowa nudged Duo, who sat back, shoving the papers to the side and laying his head back down.
Quatre shook his head and reached across the table for the papers. Shuffling them quickly, he glanced over at Wufei, who shrugged slightly. The blond took a minute to study the latest reports concerning the upcoming mission.
"Trowa leaves tonight," he announced.
Duo opened his eyes, and turned his head quickly to look at Trowa, who looked equally surprised. Duo turned to look at Heero. The dark-haired man was glowering at Quatre.
"I thought tomorrow morning," Heero said.
"Sometimes I wonder about the point of making plans," Duo complained, and dropped his head again.
"We have this afternoon," Trowa replied. He shifted a little in place, and Duo sighed. Beside them, Heero leaned back, an unhappy look crossing his face before his expression fell back into its usual impassive lines.
"Meeting's been moved up several days." Quatre glanced over to see Heero glancing at Trowa, who nodded in reply to the silent question. Duo was still leaning forward on the table. Trowa was on Duo's other side, tilted sideways in his chair, his long legs stretched out under the table. Quatre smiled to himself, knowing he didn't need to look under the table to know all three partners were touching. Most likely Heero's leg was alongside one of Duo's, and Duo's other ankle was resting on Trowa's foot.
"We'll send you two in tomorrow evening," Quatre said. "Have you gone over the diagrams?"
Duo raised his hand, his head still down.
"Yes?" Quatre raised his eyebrows.
"I don't see anything for me to do," he mumbled. "Looks like overkill."
"You didn't read far enough," Quatre replied evenly. He separated one sheet and pushed it towards Duo. "That's the list of what you'll be taking with you."
"I've cleared it with inventory control," Wufei added. "Your bags are packed, I presume?"
Heero nodded.
"Good." Quatre leaned across the table and prodded Duo with the paper. "Have it brought to our quarters, and we'll bring it with us when we pick you up."
Duo lifted a hand, grabbed the paper, and tucked it under his head.
Trowa reached out and poked Duo under the arm. The longhaired man yelped, sitting up, and Trowa grabbed the paper. "Fifteen cubes," Trowa read, his eyebrows going up. "Fifteen? And another twenty-five cylinders?"
"Twenty-five?" Duo stopped rubbing his ribs long enough to snatch the paper back. Heero smirked and leaned back in his chair, his eyes closing halfway as he watched Duo scan the paper eagerly. "Shit, Quatre, this is enough to take out a city block."
"That's the general idea." Quatre grinned and checked his watch. "Lunch, before we meet with Treize."
Heero's smirk shifted to a scowl almost instantly. He glanced at Wufei, who narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything. The dark-haired man stood, his jaw set. "I don't want to deal with the kitchen. Eat in?"
Quatre didn't look up. "Who's cooking?"
"I will," Trowa replied.
"In that case," the blond said, grinning, "I'll set the table."
Heero entered the main room as Trowa entered their quarters. He'd just come from the pantry-kitchen, after drinking the last of the orange juice. Trowa shut the door, looking up as Heero wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"How is he?" Trowa's voice was soft.
Heero shook his head. "Collapsed just down the hallway." His face was haggard, showing the strains of exerting his talent, and Trowa grimaced as he moved to embrace his partner.
"Wufei would have helped," Trowa berated him gently.
"I'm not suicidal anymore," Heero retorted, but his words were missing their usual edge. He sat down on the sofa, and closed his eyes. "I want to kill that bastard," he whispered, then opened his eyes as Trowa joined him on the sofa, propping his feet up on the low table. Heero settled against Trowa, and sighed. "What the hell happened?"
"Complete chaos." Trowa shook his head, and stood up. "If I lay down here, I won't get up for several hours."
"I'm joining you," Heero replied. He was silent as they headed for the main bedroom, where Duo lay curled in a ball, wrapped in several blankets. Trowa kicked off his boots and pulled his shirt over his head as Heero undressed beside him.
"I... " Trowa frowned, scratching at his chest before undoing his jeans. He sat at the bedside chair and pulled the jeans off, tossing them to the side. "I saw my sister."
Heero stopped, his shirt halfway over his head, and gave Trowa a curious look.
Trowa shrugged. "I don't know." He rubbed his forehead. "It was a mess. There were no recognizable threads. It was just a stream of random images flying in every direction."
"Shit," Heero said, as he lifted the covers to crawl into bed beside their partner. "That would explain the extreme reaction."
"Panic." Trowa stood up, stretching lazily before moving around the bed. "And then suddenly, everything slammed into a completely different set of possibilities." He shivered a little at the memory, as he joined Heero on Duo's other side. "Nearly every one went down the same bloody path."
"And the ones that didn't?"
Trowa shook his head, and leaned over to set the alarm clock. "He didn't follow them. He was searching too frantically for something that looked familiar." Trowa lay down on his side, facing Heero, and slipped his arm across Duo's waist. "Damn, he's frozen."
Heero nodded. "He's not pushed that far since Mariemaia was kidnapped."
"And this was hardly as significant a reason," Trowa muttered.
"It's Duo's own damn pride," Heero replied, moving up closer. He shivered at the touch of Duo's cold skin, and smirked. "I think he's known you for too long."
"Likewise, Yuy," the other man replied, his lips twisting into a smile.
The dark-haired man closed his eyes, drifting off into sleep. Trowa watched his partners sleeping, marveling once again at how young they both appeared once sleep began to erase the lines of exhaustion from their faces. Cautiously he reached out, brushing strands of light brown hair out of Duo's face, then reaching over to do the same to Heero. Trowa sighed, and pulled the blankets up closer around them, rolling over onto his back but keeping his body against Duo's. The longhaired man was still cold, but their combined body heat would eventually warm him up.
Not like this in a year, Trowa thought. But even then, it wasn't this bad. What the hell happened in there?
Sighing, he stared at the ceiling, running over the meeting in his head.
The five young men strode down the hallway; Quatre and Wufei had been in the lead. Heero had looked annoyed, and Trowa's eyes had roved over the guards they passed. Between them, Duo was smiling, but his eyes were cold, focused on a point in the far distance.
"He set it up," Quatre was muttering.
"I know," Wufei snapped. "Whatever he thinks of the proposal, he certainly doesn't have absolute faith in it."
Quatre glanced at his partner, and smiled tightly. The group was silent as they came to the doors of Khushrenada's main office. The guards bowed curtly, pushing the doors open before them, and all five swept in as a single unit, spreading out to stand in a half-circle around the desk, with Duo in the center.
"What is it this time?" Duo's eyebrows were raised as he grinned lazily. "You've had a kid. Unless you start getting laid with someone who can actually conceive, it's not going to happen again."
The Emperor raised his eyebrows, and leaned back, motioning to Zechs, who nodded to the two assistants. They brought a chair over, placing it before the desk. A grimace flashed across Duo's face, but he seated himself, slouching backwards as he propped one leg over the arm. He leaned his cheek on his fist, twisted in the chair, and gave the Emperor a cheeky grin.
"Six months," Khushrenada said, his voice bland. "I want economic outlook, focusing on inflation and employment."
Heero frowned, stepping up beside the chair. One hand went down on Duo's shoulder as the dark-haired man narrowed his eyes at Khushrenada. "That's ridiculous. Three months is the limit."
"Hardly. I happen to know that he can stretch as far as a year, if he has proper incentive."
"Sorry, babe, but I don't swing towards aristocrats," Duo drawled, but there was a strange note of trepidation buried in his voice.
Quatre turned from watching the Emperor, to study Duo, and then Trowa. The taller man nodded just once, and Quatre chewed on his lower lip for a second, as he turned to raise an eyebrow at Wufei. The Chinese scholar looked annoyed, and averted his eyes as he nodded, once, as well.
"Very well," Quatre said, turning to the Emperor. "Six months. But we call it, this time."
Duo glared at the blond, before his expression relaxed into an easy grin.
Trowa's voice was calm. "And if we say no?"
Khushrenada leaned back with a smile. "Your vacation."
"Shit," Duo muttered. "Figures."
He sat up straight, glancing at Trowa, who came around to stand behind him. The auburn-haired man gently placed his hands on Duo's shoulders, resting them there as the other three arranged themselves around the chair. Quatre stayed on one side, Wufei on the other, while Heero moved to stand back-to-back to Trowa, their spines aligned and touching.
"Let's do it," the longhaired man said, and pulled his braid around to the front. Gripping it between his hands, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
The room was silent for several minutes, as Zechs quietly collected papers from the Emperor's desk, flipping through several as he continued his own work. Khushrenada continued to sign the documents, glancing up every now and then at the tableau before his desk. When several minutes had passed, he looked over at Quatre.
The blond shrugged, his brows wrinkling as he studied Duo's face. The longhaired man's expression was intent, his eyes closed, and Quatre could see Duo's eyes moving rapidly beneath his eyelids. He was startled when Trowa gasped, his hands jerking in place as his head came up.
"Nothing," Trowa said, his eyes wide. "Nothing."
Duo took a deep breath, never opening his eyes as he focused forward and inward. His hands released the braid to grip the chair arms, white-knuckled as he tensed his entire body. Slowly his chin came up, as he continued to concentrate.
"Chang," Khushrenada said quietly.
The Chinese man turned a confused face towards the Emperor, and shrugged. Khushrenada raised his eyebrows, leaning back as he watched the group with renewed interest. This had never happened before.
Heero twisted his head around to look at Quatre, who gave him a nervous smile. The dark-haired man nodded and returned his gaze towards the office doors, ignoring everything else but acutely attuned to his partners' behind him.
The Emperor leaned forward to rest his elbows on the desk. "Marquise, the most recent Winner request, please," he said calmly. Duo didn't react, and Trowa's head remained down, his eyes focused on his partner's head. Zechs pulled out the sheet and handed it to Khushrenada, who reviewed it, a faint smile playing on his lips. Then, in one stroke, he ripped it in two. "Consider it cancelled. Better luck next year, gentlemen."
Duo screamed, then, arching his back as his entire body stiffened. His eyes remained tightly shut as the scream continued, piercing in its agony. Quatre swayed in place, his face pale, as Heero twisted in place to grab Trowa before he sagged. Wufei didn't move, but his fists were clenched tightly. Along the wall of windows, one of the windowpanes shattered outwards.
The scream died off into panting, yet Duo remained arched backwards, his body bent nearly backwards as he fought against his talent. Trowa was gasping, held up only by Heero, who glared at the Emperor over the auburn-haired man's shoulder. Duo shuddered violently, and Trowa flinched, nearly pulling his hands away. A large oil painting flew off the wall to crash against the desk.
"Enough!" Quatre cried, falling to his knees.
Wufei leapt forward instantly, slamming into Trowa. Heero staggered backwards, guiding the taller man as Trowa sank to his knees. Passing them, Wufei reached Quatre, coming to a protective crouch at his side.
Duo continued to shake, his face contorted in pain. Heero got up from Trowa's side, and stepped forward to slip his arms around Duo's neck, leaning over as he whispered in the longhaired man's ear.
Khushrenada watched, his expression impassive. Only once Heero straightened up did the Emperor react. "Impressive display, Yuy, but not necessary. Your temper can get expensive."
He watched as Heero was shaken off by a pale Duo, who glared halfheartedly at his partner before hauling himself to the edge of the chair. The young man's eyes were glazed, and he shook his head slightly, before leaning over, his head down, his elbows on his knees, his braid sliding down to thump against the floor. Heero remained at Duo's side, his expression cold as Trowa slowly stood, coming to stand next to Heero.
"Instituting the Geldart proposal," Trowa said, "will provoke a strong rise in inflation followed by a steep drop, coupled with widespread unemployment." His tone was flat and his expression calm, but his green eyes were blazing. "The Pan-Pacific stock market will crash roughly five months from now, which will cause a cascade failure in the regional markets closest to it."
"And the other track?" Khushrenada raised his eyebrows.
"Several options, none of which were nearly as clear. The counter-proposal will hike interest rates, but unemployment will remain steady. The raise, however, will stifle some of the growing markets. The regions hit hardest appeared to be South America and the Russo-Siberian markets, due to their reliance on agriculture. Mass starvation may occur in the Russo-Siberian region, but this may be due to independent conditions such as drought."
Khushrenada ignored the last. Weather was notoriously hard to predict. "Anything else?"
"He also followed a third track, based on a compromise suggested by a review of impartial economists," Trowa replied. "Fixed prices will cause market values to fluctuate erratically, forcing several regions to the brink of revolution."
The auburn-haired man fell silent, waiting as Wufei came to his feet, assisting Quatre. The blond's eyes were on Duo, but his grip remained firm around Wufei's shoulders. The Chinese man stared at Khushrenada for a long moment.
"It's true," Wufei finally said.
"Very well," Khushrenada said. "Consider your vacation back in place."
Duo laughed, a barking sound. Slowly he pushed himself from the chair, only staying on his feet through sheer willpower as he curled his lips at the Emperor. Tossing his braid over his shoulder, he turned, striding from the room, flanked by his partners. Before they reached the door, Khushrenada called out to them.
"Barton," he said, raising his voice to be heard easily across the room's expanse. "A question."
Quatre and Wufei separated slightly, following Duo and Heero from the office. Trowa nodded as they passed, and swung his gaze to the copper-haired man studying him intently.
"You said he saw nothing, until your vacation was cancelled," Khushrenada said softly. "Be a little more precise."
"Nothing recognizable," Trowa said coldly. "Nothing, except one thing."
"And that would be?"
Trowa was silent for several seconds, and then shrugged, a casual move. "War," he said, and left the room.
End Part 2
(:./sol/tetra2)
