25-Jun-2008
Title: Seasonal Drift Part 18
Author: Ebonydove
Archived: GWAddiction
Warnings: Duo's POV
Rating: PG13 -- for some bad language
Spoilers: not really -- but lots of cheese!
Authors notes: So I took a new job at work and have a lot of time on my hands. Hope that the momentum will keep going...
"Ahh yes, yes, I believe that is my cue!" Dr. Ishikawa noted happily as he entered from yet another door to our right. We all stood up, holding our respective teacups as he made his way into the room. He was nothing at all what I expected. He had a small frame dressed in a white lab coat and was bent over a wild looking cane that he was grasping with long, weathered fingers. His long, white beard nearly touched the ground as he padded his way towards us looking at each of us with dark grey eyes that seemed sharp and clear despite his 80 or so years.
"Dr. Ishikawa." Heero said and nodded his head as was Japanese custom. It was the first time I had heard him speak in hours, and although I was probably being oversensitive, he sounded tense and tired.
"Ah Heero, my boy. Such trouble you've been though! But you are here and none the worse for wear, eh?" Before I had a chance to remark on that he fixed those deep grey eyes on me. "Hmm. And you."
He came so close to me that I could feel his body heat and smell the faint tint of antiseptic. I almost backed up, but held my ground. He was just a little old man after all. "I'm Duo. Duo Maxwell." I came around from behind Heero's chair and stood in front of him, sticking out my right hand in greeting.
"Yes, yes, I know who you are." He waved off the hand and scooted closer. "A remarkable lad from what I've heard. I trust Quatre has explained our timeline, hmm? Not much time for pleasantries, I'm afraid." He smiled cheerfully and raised a hand to cut off whatever it was that Quatre was about to say. "Now then Duo, if you would be so kind and stand here in front of Heero please." Dr. Ishikawa motioned to a spot close to Heero. "I need to try a little experiment before we get you all prepped for your journey."
Wufei's eyes narrowed and Trowa took a few steps closer to me.
"Uh, no." I said plainly shaking my head and plastered a wide and menacing smile on my face. "I'm no lab rat."
He turned to Quatre who, despite my obvious discomfort, was smiling again like a little kid who knew a secret. "He is as you described, my friend." The doctor laughed.
I had just opened my mouth to make a nasty little remark about Quatre's mother, or lack-there-of, when the doctor simply reached up, placed his palms on either side of my face, dragged my face down towards him, and stared right into my eyes. I felt the blush color my ears and a bubble of laughter creeping up from inside me unsure of just what the good doctor was trying to see, but for whatever reason couldn't seem to look away. Only a moment or two passed with us standing there when I heard the sound of shattering ceramic as Heero's cup, still full of dark brown tea, smashed into pieces on the white tiled floor next to me.
The doctor immediately dropped his hands from my cheeks and we all turned to face Heero. He stood staring at the doctor with his fists balled up on either side of him. He looked down right nuke-the-world pissed and was almost grinding his teeth as he stood glaring at us.
Wufei sat up and Trowa and Quatre just froze where they were. No-one moved except for the doctor. It was like we didn't dare, but the doctor seemed completely unfazed. "Oh dear. Let me explain, Heero." He smiled and shuffled his way over to Heero.
I almost warned him not to get that close, but figured it was his funeral. I couldn't seem to manage finding my own voice anyway.
He gently placed a hand on Heero's shoulder and spoke quietly to him; too low for any of us to catch what was being said. The doctor continued to speak to him in soft even tones, but it was a good few minutes before Heero finally seemed to relax. After a long pause in their quiet conversation, Heero finally nodded in what seemed to be agreement about...something. Dr. Ishikawa laughed a bright, little laugh that seemed to act as the signal for everyone else in the room to ease up too. "Ok, then. Quatre, buzz Andrew and let him know we need a mop and bucket please."
"Of course." Quatre flashed Trowa a look and made his way out the door to our right and disappeared on his task.
"No worries, no worries. It's just a little tea." He smiled and gave me a wink.
I diverted my eyes to my rapidly cooling tea for a few moments as movement around me resumed. Heero seemed almost apologetic about the show of temper at what I was embarrassed and presumptuous enough to think was prompted by the doctor putting his hands on me. Wufei sat back again, Trowa leaned casually against the glass wall and started to swirl his tea around in his cup and I just stood there feeling like an idiot.
Quatre reappeared shortly with a young man of about 20 in tow and rolling a bucket with a long, green mop. He motioned to the spill and Andrew made quick work of getting it cleaned up. As everyone else was momentarily distracted by that, I took the opportunity to pull Heero over to me and made our way to the counter where I set down my cup. "Are you ok, Heero?"
"Yes."
"What was that then? You don't just drop things." I whispered. "Is all this...affecting you in any way?"
He just stood there with a suddenly bewildered look on his face. "Do you mean...am I going to lose it?" He cocked his head to one side and just continued to stare at me as if I thought he was going to snap or something right then and there. I guess I had made him defensive after all and immediately regretted giving him the impression that I thought this was all something other than plain reality in front of us. "I'm sorry Heero. About reacting the way I did when you told us all...that before. I'm just still trying to get my head around it. I didn't mean to put you on the defense."
"It's not that. I'm having difficulty accepting all of this as well. I just..." He suddenly gripped my upper arms so tightly I thought they'd bruise. "I just need to be alone with you. Even just for a few minutes. I just need to be near you."
It does something to me when he acts that way. Vulnerable, tender, desperate. I felt my body flushing with heat and wanted nothing more than to drag him off into the nearest broom closet and screw him silly, but once the circumstances just wouldn't allow for that kind of recklessness. I wanted him pretty damn bad, but we had work to do first that was more than apparent by how concerned Quatre seemed to be getting and how often he glanced at his timepiece. "Let's get through this debrief and then we'll find a quiet place to talk, okay?"
"There's going to be more things that are going to be hard for you to accept." He said quietly.
We felt the eyes of the others on us. I gave him my warmest smile and shrugged. "I figured as much, but no matter what, or where, or who, I'll be by your side. It's a promise, remember?"
He nodded and let go of my arms. We turned back to our audience who were all trying not to look like they were watching us the whole damn time. "So. Can we see the damn ship, yet?"
"Of course, of course. However, I do need to test something Duo, before we can do just that." Dr. Ishikawa smiled and leaned heavily on his cane.
"It's okay Duo. I know what he wants to see." Heero said quietly.
"All right." I was not happy, but agreed. This was the same man who had put some kind of subliminal message into Heero's head to keep him from drifting back and forth between two different lives so I was pretty damn skeptical that this was going to be something small. I was also getting pretty damn tired of the surprises and was feeling the stress of the long day catching up to me too fast.
"Good." He waved the young man out of the room and motioned us all over to stand in a circle with him in the middle. "Now then. Quatre has mentioned a key, yes?"
"In a manner of speaking." Quatre noted with a little duck of his head. "I meant to get to that part quicker."
"No matter, I will explain." The doctor began to slowly walk around the circle in front of us, eyes fixed to the ground and his voice taking on a more serious tone. "Every ship has crucial components that make it fly. Navigation, security, power, maneuverability, and so on. You all have vast experience with this, I know. This ship however, is a bit more unique than just metal and fuel. It requires something else to make it...respond." He paused in front of Heero and gave him a little smile. "I have discovered, with the help of Heero and my dear, my poor dear child Naomi, that Heero is the only pilot that can fly this particular ship." Wufei let out a little huff that immediately drew the attention of the doctor to him. "I know it sounds unbelievable, but in this you must understand. The ship has selected Heero to be its one and only master."
It got very quiet as that sunk in. "It chose Heero?" I asked.
He smiled again. "Yes, I believe it occurred when Heero first encountered it on Gamma 16. However, a pilot alone is not enough. This vessel and this task requires talents from each of you. We were also able to determine that Quatre has proved to be able to communicate with it and to that extent to us."
We all looked at Quatre and watched as he quickly blushed and nodded, acknowledging what was said was true.
The doctor then motioned to Trowa and Wufei. "You young men have not yet been exposed to the vessel, but I expect that you will also find your place on it. Co-pilot, navigation and of course, using its weapons."
"What kind of weapons?" Wufei asked curtly.
"That is for you to tell us when the time comes I imagine." He said with a smile.
"And Duo?" Trowa asked carefully. "He hasn't been exposed to the ship either."
"Ah yes, and Duo." The doctor smiled again. "We should take you to the ship. There is something I believe that only you can do."
End Part 18
(:./ebony/drift18)
