08-Apr-2004
Title: Tetractys
Author: Sol, but archived as Zefyr on FF & MM
Chapter 11 "Hod, III" --- ONGOING
Genre: Semi-AU, AU-in-AU, Drama, Sci Fi
Pairings: Wait and see.
Rated: R for the time being
Archived: fanfiction.net and gwaddiction.com
Warnings: Violence, language, adult situations, butchered scientific theory
Archiving: Ask permission for each story separately, please.
Critiques: Always welcome, especially constructive.
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, in case this wasn't obvious. No malicious
infringement intended.
Duo was leaning against the railing, sunglasses on, his shirt unbuttoned to show off a finely sculpted chest, but the curve of his lips was decidedly glum. Quatre paused on the gangplank, disturbed for some reason, but especially at the fact that Duo hadn't turned around, let alone registered someone else was nearing his personal space.
"Maxwell," Quatre whispered through the 'com.
"What," Duo answered, listlessly. Then his back stiffened, and he raised his head to see Quatre. A brilliant grin lit his features. "Hey, Winner! About time you assholes got here. Barton was just telling them to take off without you."
"You'd be lost without us," Quatre replied, giving Duo a quick hug. "I quake in fear at *your* idea of a strategy."
"Easy. Blow it up, and sort it out later. Where's Chang?"
"On his way. He wanted to see the loading process for the... cargo."
"Yeah, cargo," Duo said, pushing his glasses to the tip of his nose, and rolling his eyes dramatically. "I hear you had fine shuttle transportation. We, on the other hand, had two trucks of chickens."
"Chi... " Quatre blinked. "Did you just say... *chickens*?"
"That's what I said," Duo drawled. "Come on, I'll show you the quarters. We snagged two rooms, and you've got your pick of the other two across the hall. Not the most luxurious, but it's better than sleeping in a cockpit."
Quatre laughed and followed Duo into the hold, and down a flight of metal stairs. "Where are Barton and Yuy?"
"Barton's checking out the ship's library," Duo said, grinning over his shoulder at Quatre as he headed down the ship's main hallway towards the quarters. "Yuy's with Darlian, as usual." Duo's smile faltered, just enough for Quatre to catch it, but then it was back in place.
"As usual," Quatre murmured, but Duo's sharp ears caught the sound anyway, despite the mute on the 'com.
"Yeah, they're like... y'know, inseparable." Duo laughed, and to Quatre it seemed hollow, but perhaps that was simply the echo off the metal around him. He could only sense an aching loneliness from Duo, and it made him feel a little dizzy. Duo shrugged, and continued down the hallway, stopping by a door. "Here's one. Or you can have the next one. They're pretty much identical."
"We'll take this one, then," Quatre replied, opening the door and throwing his bag inside. He didn't look to see where it landed. Instead, he grabbed Duo's arm and tugged the other man into the cabin with him, ignoring Duo's startled yelp. Quatre shut the door and leaned against it, crossing his arms. "Are you okay?"
"Other than sulking 'cause you got to fly a Gundam... twice, I might add... and I didn't?" Duo pretended to pout, then shrugged. "Yeah, other than that, fine. You hungry?"
"Don't change the subject, Maxwell." Quatre narrowed his eyes, watching Duo's shoulders tense. "Are you... is Yuy doing all right? And are you two okay with him not... being around?"
"Don't be worrying for my team," Duo said, his hackles rising. "They're my responsibility."
"And mine," Quatre retorted. "If Yuy's compromised because he's thinking with his---"
"He's not," Duo snapped, and then halted, putting a hand to his forehead. Quatre noticed the hand was shaking slightly, but Duo dropped it, and shoved both his hands into his pockets, hunching his shoulders protectively. "Look... Darlian was in love with the other Yuy, and we all know Yuy had the biggest damn crush on our world's Relena. If they have a chance... well, his talent's different from ours. Maybe he... maybe it'll work."
"And if it doesn't?" Quatre kept his voice cool. "This is *not* the time to be---"
"Then Barton an' I will put him back together, damn it!" Duo's shout was abrupt in the small space. "Winner, butt the fuck *out*. Tro an' I discussed it, and we're willing to let Heero take the chance. He's not said anything, but we know he wants to, and I know... " Duo stopped, his lips twisting. "Never mind. Just... leave it alone."
The two men were silent for several long moments, and Quatre could tell by the set of Duo's jaw that he wasn't willing to discuss it further. With a sigh, Quatre let his shoulders drop, signaling he was backing off.
"Okay, Maxwell. I just... "
"I know, I know." Duo shrugged with only one shoulder, more a rolling stretch, but didn't mean Quatre's eyes. "Just... let him have his chance, wouldya? Don't give Yuy any hassle about it. He's... happy. And might be happier. Don't take that away from him."
He might be happy, but he's also being selfish, Quatre thought; if Yuy self-destructs from the attempt, he risks taking the rest of his team with him. Quatre knew there was no reason to say it out loud; Duo and Trowa were well aware of that. For all their combined talents, some things simply had to run their course.
"Seven days," Doro said, eyeballing the level of the orange juice in the glass. She unscrewed the vodka bottle and poured it in without measuring. Setting the vodka bottle down, she stared at the bottle, then the glass, and took a long swallow off the bottle. Doro made a face, then sighed, pleased, and put the bottle back in the rack. "Lena, your screwdriver."
"I didn't want a screwdriver," Lena replied from where she sat, cross-legged, on one of the galley tables. Heero was watching with a half-smile. He'd moved his chair so he could lean back until his shoulder against her knee. Lena shot him a mock-annoyed look, and turned to watch Doro approaching her with the full glass. "Who made you the bartender, anyway?"
"I did," Quatre said, raising one hand lazily.
"That's not a majority vote," Lena told him, staring at the orange juice and vodka mix Doro was holding out to her.
"Sure it is," Wufei said, sipping his red white. "If you measure the general mass of each ego in this room, Winner's beat us all, even if we combined our scores." He smirked when Quatre rolled his eyes.
"He just learned it from you, Chang," Meiran said, entering the galley.
"Zhiyi asleep?" Doro held up the glass. "Screwdriver?"
"Perfect," Meiran replied.
"Knew I needed to make it for someone. Lena?"
"Long Island Iced Tea," Lena said, leaning back on her hands. "And none of that fruity stuff in it."
Doro leered. "Would I---"
"Yes," Meiran and Lena replied in unison.
Duo and Trowa entered then; Trowa's hair was wet, and the shorter parts in the back stood up at odd angles. Duo looked around, saw the bar, and headed straight for it. "Barton, the usual?"
"Sure. Double it, though."
"Hey, if you drink it all now, there'll be none left by the time we get to port," Doro admonished. She attempted to fight back when Duo guided her out from behind the bar, but he had three inches on her and at least forty pounds. Doro ended up on the wrong side of the bar, watching as Duo moved around behind it.
"Right. We should ration ourselves, not overdo it... " Duo poured two double shots of whiskey, added a few finger-flicks of water, and put the bottle away. "Okay, ladies, you're cut off."
Meiran gawked. "What?"
"It's the only way there'll be enough alcohol for me 'n Barton," Duo replied with a broad grin. "Sacrifice, my dear, necessary for the cause."
"Necessary, my ass," Doro sniffed.
Duo pointedly glanced down as he walked past Doro. "Well, it's cute, but mine's cuter."
"Smart ass," Trowa said, accepting the glass of whiskey. He was coughing a little to cover his laugh. When Doro hit him in the head with the vodka bottle cap, he only laughed harder.
Doro pretended to glare as she mixed up Lena's drink. Delivering it, she collapsed into a chair and took a long drink from the vodka bottle that now lacked its cap. "We're not going to Marseilles," she announced, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "We're heading to the base in the Jersey Islands."
"What about the plans?" Heero ran a finger around the edge of his wine glass. "They're stored in Marseille."
"I'm having someone fly here and do a drop over the ship," Doro replied. "We have the time, and all of us reviewing the AI system may be the only way we can get it to work. We've got the circuits, but we've never installed." She took another long drink. "Frankly, I'm not sure we should. With ten of us, that may be enough."
"Still seems short-range to me," Duo muttered, staring into his drink. He leaned back in the chair, stretching his legs out in front of him, and smirked at Doro. "We get these two other pilots---"
"Cat and Hil," Meiran said.
"Them," Duo said, waving his glass dismissively. "And then what? Go back to taking potshots at Mariemaia's ground troops?"
"Actually... " Doro was quiet for a minute, fingering the paper label on the vodka bottle. She took another long swig. "I was thinking we'd slam everything at Mariemaia's headquarters, in Bremen. All ten of us, combined firepower, we might be able to do it."
"And if not," Quatre pointed out, "then we'll lose everything in one blow."
Doro shrugged. For a moment, she looked tired, and older than her twenty-six years.
"Why Bremen?" Trowa's voice was soft. "I mean... it's a war crimes trial, right?"
"Mostly symbolic." Lena shrugged, and stuck her finger in her drink, swirling it absentmindedly. "I suspect the results are foregone."
"Bremen has no symbolism for war crimes tribunals," Heero said. He glanced at Duo and Trowa, his expression inscrutable. "If there's any place that's symbolic, it's Amsterdam."
"Hunh?" Meiran looked confused.
"The Hague," Wufei explained. "It's where war crimes tribunals have been occurring for nearly seven hundred years."
"Not this time." Doro shook her head. "All the information is that the trial is occurring in Bremen. And we have confirmation that our teammates are on their way now. Visual, eye-witness confirmation."
Quatre's tone was soft, but there was a hard edge hiding within it. "Since when you do believe everything you hear?" He didn't even look around, but dropped his eyes to the glass in his hand. "Maxwell."
"Fuck," Duo groaned. "I just sat down with a drink, Winner. It's not going to change between now and---"
"Maxwell," Quatre repeated. He glanced at Duo, and knew the other man understood perfectly. Duo had asked a favor; Quatre was calling it in.
Duo set down his glass, and reached out, taking Trowa's hand. He closed his eyes, and was silent for several minutes. Trowa's face was pale, and he took a long swallow from his whiskey before raising his eyes to Quatre. His other hand was still locked with Duo's, white-knuckled. Meiran tensed, but remained in her seat when Wufei shook his head at her.
"The Hague," Trowa said, hoarsely. "No trial, simply a review of the Gundam pilots' deeds over the past decade. Death within twenty-four hours, for both... and not an easy death." He finished off his drink, and rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. "Their Gundams will be destroyed at the same time."
"We head for Amsterdam," Quatre announced. Doro started to open her mouth, and Quatre's blue-green eyes were suddenly fixed on her, intent. "Say it," he hissed. "Say it. Make the decision."
"Amsterdam," Doro replied, her eyes wide.
Duo groaned, his body arching as his head fell back. Heero started to get up, but Trowa shook his head. Duo gasped, opening his eyes to look at Heero. To Quatre, Duo looked confused and hurt, then comprehending, and he dropped his eyes from Heero. His whiskey sloshed in the glass as he downed it in one swallow.
"They'll live," Trowa said. He didn't look at anyone. "Too much else is open."
"You mean we'll free them?" Lena's gaze darted from Duo, to Trowa, to Quatre, and then Doro.
"Didn't say that," Trowa told her. "Just that... they'll live through that day. But there's too many other factors."
"Handy skill," Doro murmured.
Duo raised his head, glaring at her. A split second later he threw the glass, aiming for Doro's head. She dodged, but the glass veered off in mid-flight. It came to rest in Heero's upraised hand.
"Fuck you," Duo spat, standing fast enough to make the chair fly forward and fall onto its back. "You want it, you can fucking *have* it. I'm sick of being the trained dog that does tricks when someone's too bored to figure out strategy on their own." He stomped out, his braid flying out behind him as he turned the corner out of the galley.
Trowa stood up slowly, making his way across the small galley. At the bar, he picked up the bottle of whiskey. "I will be in our quarters," he said, calmly, to no one in particular, and left.
In his wake, the room was silent. Doro stared down at her bottle, and Lena took the empty glass from Heero, setting it on the table.
"He's right, you know," Meiran whispered. She didn't look at Quatre or Wufei, but kept her eyes on the floor. "Is it really necessary? It seems like... like it *hurts* him."
"It does." Wufei shrugged. "Our skills don't come for free. But this is the way we do things."
"It's a new world," Lena replied, almost sadly. "Maybe it's time to think about finding new ways to do things."
"It's *war*," Quatre retorted, standing. "As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing new about that. We still battle, we still kill, and we will still require that we each use our skills in any way possible, at any time necessary." He saw Meiran's mouth open, and held up a hand, too angry, inexplicably. "This is non-negotiable." With that, he stalked from the room.
"You three really are good friends," Lena said as she and Heero cleaned up the last of the night's gathering. "It must hurt you to see Duo and Trowa upset."
"It does, a little, but we're used to it." Heero tossed a bottle into the trash, guiding the trajectory a touch to make sure it landed. When Lena tossed two more beer bottles towards the trash, he did the same for her. She looked surprised they went in, but didn't say anything.
Doro had stumbled off to bed, assisted by Meiran and Wufei. Heero had watched them go with the sudden impulse to leave as well. But it was his night to have a room to himself, and now that it was just he and Lena, there was a queasy feeling in his stomach that couldn't be entirely connected to the two or three glasses of wine. He reached for the empty bottle of vodka right as Lena did, and their hands clasped around the bottle's neck. Heero felt his face get hot, and he dropped his eyes.
"Don't," Lena said, gently. She put a hand to his face. "Every now and then, it's like you can't look me in the eyes. Why not?"
"I've... " Heero couldn't think of a way to put it. "You're... I've... for ten years, I've... "
"No," Lena told him, and took him by the chin, smiling as she shook his head for him. "No. Don't say that. I know the Heero I knew... isn't you. But, that's okay, because I like you, too, for yourself."
Heero felt his heart lurch, and suddenly it seemed hard to swallow. Lena hadn't removed her hand, and suddenly he didn't want her to. "Do you," he whispered, his eyes dropping to stare at her lips. He wanted to make sure she really said it, because if he was dreaming---
"Yes," she said. "See... " And then she was pressing forward, her lips against his.
His eyes widened, and he could see the sandy brown of her hair, feel the cool press of her lips against his, the way her breasts were pushing against his chest, her hand on his cheek... and his hands on her hips and how did they get there, anyway? Heero felt Lena's tongue slide across his lower lip, and he nearly groaned.
Trowa had said... oh, damn Trowa, saying so many things but he never said it felt like *this*. All those stories, all those times --- Heero opened his mouth, tilting his head instinctively, and Lena came up on her toes, rubbing against him as the kiss deepened --- Trowa used to smile in such a secretive way and neither Duo nor Heero was quite sure what caused the smiles but it had to be a good thing and --- Lena's hands were in his hair, and his eyes were sliding shut, his tongue running over her teeth and dipping inside her mouth, tasting sweetness and alcohol and lemon --- if this is what Trowa had felt why hadn't he tried again, fought harder to be able to have this all the --- Heero realized Lena was pulling away, and he opened his eyes, terrified she was going to leave.
"Heero," she whispered. "Hey, it's okay. Just needed air." She laughed, a bit self-consciously, and wriggled in his grasp. "You don't know your own strength, do you... "
"I... " Heero could only stare at her lips. He wanted that. He wanted *more*. "Can we... can we do that again?"
Lena started to laugh, then got very still. "Heero," she said, gently. "Have you... have you ever kissed someone before?"
Slowly, still not taking his hands from her hips or his gaze from her mouth, he shook his head. When she didn't say anything, he leaned in for another kiss. Lena leaned back, and Heero froze, uncertain. "Is there... " He noticed her posture, and tried to force his hands to relax, then thought about why she might be backing up, and he knew his face had to be completely red. He let go of her completely, and she stumbled backwards, surprised. He crossed his arms, but that didn't feel right, so he shoved them in his pockets and stared at his feet.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I guess I did it wrong."
He was startled to feel Lena tugging his hands from his pockets, and wrapping them around her waist. She was warm against him, her arms sliding up around his neck, and she chuckled into his neck. "No... Heero, if that was your first kiss, I'd say you're a born natural."
"Really?" Heero's heart was pounding, faster than it ever had that he could recall, even when outnumbered facing enemy troops, even when in solitary in the underground prison and awaiting more tests, even when... he dragged himself back to the present.
"Yes," Lena whispered, her lips moving across his skin, teeth and lips nipping and tickling. "But I recommend practice, even if you're already good... "
"Practice," Heero repeated. Yes, Trowa had mentioned that, that some things needed to --- he forgot all about the nights he and Duo had sat up, listening to Trowa --- because Lena was there, and her tongue was in his mouth, and his hands were on her hips, and she was against him and it was *real*.
That was the last thing Heero thought, as his body took over with reactions and sensations he'd never dreamed possible. The kiss deepened, as though they could crawl inside each other, and his fingers were ranging from her hips to her back and he was---
The vodka bottle shattered.
Lena pulled back with a cry, and Heero stared, aghast. "Did I hurt you?"
"You?" Lena gave him a baffled look, and folded her arm up, poking gently at the glass embedded in the flesh. It was seeping red, and she yanked the glass shard out with a muffled cry. "Fuck, what happened?"
"I... " Heero blinked, then shook himself as the sight of blood pushed him back into working mode. "We should clean that up."
"It was alcohol, so at least there's that," Lena replied, pressing her palm against the slash. "Just need to bandage it. And Heero... my *god*, Heero."
"What?"
He became distantly aware that his shoulder was throbbing, and he glanced down, almost disinterestedly, and dug a three-inch shard of glass from his upper arm. He dropped it on the table and studied the remains of the vodka bottle. Suddenly he had no interest in kissing, anymore. He just wanted to crawl into bed with... but no, it was his turn to sleep separately. He realized Lena had left, and was already returning, a box in her hand. Heero silently took it, unsnapping the lid and grabbing the bandages before pushing up Lena's sleeve and checking the wound. When he was done wrapping her wound, she moved to unbutton his shirt, and Heero pulled back, unexpectedly shy.
"Sorry," she whispered, dropping her hand.
"No, no, my fault," he said. "The bottle... I wasn't paying attention."
"So it *was* you, with the glass, earlier," Lena said, quietly. "I wasn't just seeing things. That's what you do. Telekinesis."
"Yeah." Heero clutched the first-aid kit in one hand, feeling awkward. "I... I don't know why that happened." Trowa would know, he thought. Trowa might... if I could see them, just for a few minutes, and then I'll be able to... He realized Lena was staring at him, and he attempted a smile for her benefit. "I'll get Maxwell or Barton to take care of it," he said.
"Oh." Her face fell, but she smiled gamely. "Then... good night, I guess."
"Yeah."
"I'll... I guess I'll see you in the morning, right?" Lena was staring at the floor.
"Of course, at breakfast... " Heero paused, realizing, remembering vaguely something Trowa had said once. "Yeah, I hope so. I want... I want to see you again."
Her bright smile was all the reward he needed, and it more than made up for the stupid vodka bottle, he decided.
Trowa heard the soft tapping at the same time as Duo, but didn't bother to get up. Instead, he toggled the 'com link. "That you, Yuy?"
"Yeah," Heero replied, as he opened the door. His eyes were bright, but he was carrying a first-aid kit. There was blood on his upper arm.
Duo was off the bed in an instant. "Fuck, Heero, what the hell happened?"
"Vodka bottle," Heero replied, and didn't put up much of a fight as Duo dragged him to the bunk and set him down. Soon Heero's shirt was off and Duo was bandaging the wound, muttering inaudibly under his breath. Heero ducked his head. "I... you two... I... "
"Yuy, stuttering," Trowa observed, leaning back against the head of the bunk. "Never thought I'd see the day."
Heero's face flushed immediately, and Duo paused in his ministrations to goggle openly at their teammate. "Holy fuck, he's blushing," Duo breathed, almost reverently.
"Shut up," Heero growled.
"Oh," Duo drawled in a knowing tone. "I get it. You kissed her, she grabbed the vodka, and fought you off with the broken bottle."
"Idiot," Heero replied. "No. And I didn't kiss her. She... " He smiled, almost shyly. "She kissed *me*."
"Way to go!" Duo nearly came off the bed from the force of punching the air. He settled back down with a huge grin, and finished the bandage. His eyes were shining almost as much as Heero's. "So... what was it like? Was it good?"
Trowa smirked, watching Duo's fascination and Heero's abashed nod.
"It was... really nice," Heero replied, in a soft voice. "I liked it."
"Wow," Duo said, lying back on the bed, his arms behind his head. "That is so *cool*."
"What about the bottle?" Trowa couldn't wipe the smile off his face, but he still needed to know. Heero frowned, and shrugged. Trowa narrowed his eyes and poked Heero in the hip with one bare foot. "You broke it?"
Heero nodded, his shoulders dropping a little.
"How'd she take it?" Trowa leaned forward, putting a hand on Heero's leg. "Did she get hurt?"
"Yeah," Heero whispered. "In the forearm. She didn't seem too upset about it... I think after seeing you two, she was over any shock. But still... I didn't mean to," he added, in a miserable voice.
"Of course you didn't, Heero," Duo replied, wriggling closer until his leg was against Heero's. "Just... guess you need to work on the control. Y'know... find a way to practice. But at least the whole room didn't explode, right?"
"That would be bad," Trowa said, wryly. "I have no interest in going swimming over the Mariana Trench."
"You won't," Duo retorted. "We're in the Atlantic, not the Pacific."
"Well, same idea," Trowa replied. "Anyway, we'll help you work on control."
Heero grinned, looking at Trowa from under his eyelashes, but the smile faded. "It was nice," he said, bending his head to stare at his lap. "But... it wasn't... *earth-shattering*."
Duo struggled to sit up, pressing up alongside Heero in wordless comfort. Duo's look to Trowa, over Heero's bent head, was confused, and Trowa sighed, moving to sit on Heero's other side.
"You work up to that," Trowa said, picking his words carefully. "It's not like you start out with... " He waved a hand, unable to explain it. "It takes practice."
"Practice," Heero repeated, and Duo chuckled as Heero's cheeks pinked again. "That's what Lena said."
"Yes!" Duo grinned happily. "I told you everything would work out. And it will!"
"You know that for a fact?" Heero slanted a sideways glance at Duo, who quieted almost immediately.
"No." Duo sighed, and looked away, pulling his braid around to stroke it absentmindedly. "The minute she started thinking about you all the time, it was like her future started getting mixed with yours... the decisions she was making. Looking at her now, it's almost like trying to read Winner or Chang. Not that bad, but a lot harder than most people."
"Strange," Trowa said. Duo nodded, and then grinned, slapping Heero on the knee.
"It's your night off! Why are you in here, anyway?" Duo didn't quite leer, but Trowa sensed the other man wanted to.
Heero shrugged, and got up, heading for their bags. He dug around, tugging out an old sweatshirt and pulling it over his head. His head popped up through the neck, and his eyes were trained on the floor. "I just... I wasn't ready to have her bandage me, I guess."
"So you can kiss a girl but won't let her dress your wounds." Duo arched an eyebrow. "That's some crazy priorities in intimacy."
"Shut up, Maxwell." Heero sat back down on the edge of the bed. "I wasn't aware I needed an invitation if I wanted to see you guys."
"Nope, but let us know if we need an invitation to see *you*." Trowa smirked, and moved over to make room for Heero on the bed again.
"It won't be right away," Heero replied, lying down so his head was pillowed on Trowa's chest. "I'm going to take it slow."
"Enjoy every part," Duo whispered, moving up on the bed to spoon against Heero, draping his arm across Heero to rest on Trowa's stomach. "Lights, Heero."
Heero made a complaining noise, but dutifully reached out with his mind and flicked the switch. In the darkness, the three shifted around, getting comfortable. Trowa yelped, suddenly, and Duo chuckled.
"Which of you elbowed me?" Trowa poked Heero, who grunted. "These bunks aren't made for three people."
"Just consider it practice," Duo whispered.
The rest of his thought was unspoken, but none of them needed to hear the words to understand: for when we all have normal lives and each get to sleep with someone of our own. Trowa sighed, feeling Duo's arm reaching across Heero to include Trowa in the embrace. Heero murmured something incomprehensible, already falling asleep as his talents faded, buffered by Duo and Trowa. Duo wriggled some more, squeezed against the wall, and eventually fell asleep. Trowa lay awake, however, part for the chance to enjoy the silence in his head, and part to think about his own history.
He truly hoped that for Heero, it would be different. Somehow, he and Duo would do their best to make sure of that.
"It's not an AI," Quatre explained, laying the plans out across the workspace in the ship's hold. Wing and Deathscythe were on either side of the group, as everyone stared at the blueprints. Quatre stabbed a finger at several circuit close-ups. "It's a system designed to map the possibilities faced by the pilot, and narrow them down to the best possible option for success."
"Define success," Wufei replied.
"Not sure, really," Quatre told him. "I would guess it has to do with the Gundam surviving the battle and taking out as many enemies as possible."
"Unless success is purely defined by taking out as many as possible," Duo interjected. "In which case, getting them all to jump on you at the same time and then self-destructing---" He looked up to see Lena's face go pale, and Duo made an apologetic moue. "Uhm... "
"It's okay," she said. "So have you figured out a way to connect it?"
"Yeah." Quatre ran a hand through his hair, and stepped back, looking past the group to Wing's prone shape. "I'm going to install it on Sandstone, first."
"I think---" Heero started to say.
"No," Quatre replied. "I'm the tactician. This is a tactical program, so I'm the one qualified to assess the program's feasibility."
"We don't have a training system aboard the ship," Doro pointed out. "And we can't risk taking the Gundams out of the ship until we get to the Jersey Islands."
"Then we have four more days to get it set up, and test the systems as best we can while the Gundam's on standby," Quatre replied. "I'll run the first tests when we dock. If it works, we'll install it on all the Gundams."
"The doctors kept debating it, for the longest time," Meiran said, softly. "Every time we brought up our need for an edge, they went back at it... and every time, they decided against it. They had the circuits ready, but something was stopping them."
"Did they ever say?" Quatre looked at Doro, who shook her head.
"They just said they didn't think people were ready," Doro replied.
"What people?" Trowa lifted his head from his study of the diagrams. "People in general, or the pilots?"
"Never said. It was like their motto when we asked about it." Doro shrugged, and turned around to lean against the table, her back to the group. "I've never figured out whether it was because they hoped we could win without it, or because they thought their replacement pilots weren't strong enough." She shrugged, her voice tainted with bitterness. "But now that we have the originals... "
"You're not being replaced," Quatre said, calmly. "It's going to take all of us."
"It's nothing like Operation Meteor," Duo added. "Then, we could cut through Leos and Tauruses like they were paper dolls. These new mobile suits are faster, more lethal, and from what I've seen of the records, the pilots are better trained, too."
"We've been hounding them for years," Meiran said, her lips quirking at the edges. "They'd have to have shaped up at some point, or we would've managed to toast them by now."
"That's the first thing," Quatre told her. "We need to stop just hounding them."
"Easy for you to say," Doro muttered.
"Catalonia, you have a problem with this?" Quatre stood up straight, his feet planted shoulder-width apart as he faced her.
"Hell, yeah," Doro answered. "This is *my* team, and you're just---"
"Don't even go there!" Lena's shout surprised everyone. "It's two teams, two leaders. No offense, Winner, but I follow Doro." She glanced between Quatre and Doro, her expression fierce. "Cat's not here to play mediator, so don't push me. I've not got the energy anymore. Just... " Lena sighed and yanked off her bandana, wringing it in her hands before dropping it onto the blueprints. "You two, figure it out between the two of you. Come to a strategic decision that makes both of you happy. We'll follow it."
Heero shook his head. "No. Disagree now. Better now, than in battle. Get it out of your systems."
"We've gone over all the various ideas, time and again," Doro said, her tone dull. "And we've tried them all---"
"Four times, twenty times," Meiran interjected. Lena nodded.
"The only thing we haven't done is shown up with twice as many Gundams, or used this system," Doro continued. "But that doesn't mean I'm willing to use an untested system when we can take the safer chance of twice the---"
"Shown up," Duo interrupted.
"Hunh?" Doro gave him a blank look.
"Shown up," Duo repeated.
"Explanation, Maxwell," Quatre ordered.
"Yeah, yeah," Duo said, nodding. His eyes were darting back and forth across the plans. "The two pilots are Cat and Hil, right? Counterparts to me 'n Barton. And the Gundams are being held, too... where? Do you know?"
"They're being transported by a different route," Lena said. "Our teammates are being brought by train; the Gundams by truck."
"What if Mariemaia's government discovers the captured Gundams were dummy Gundams?"
"Uh... " Meiran blinked. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Deathscythe and Heavyarms are in perfect working---"
"No," Trowa said, catching on, at the same point Heero started, his gaze lifting from the plans to stare at Duo, his eyes widening, then narrowing as he smiled secretively. Trowa returned the expression, and turned to Doro. "We can show up Mariemaia, by demonstrating they've got the wrong Gundams. The ones they captured were mock-ups. Fakes."
"Fakes," Doro said, and frowned. "Wait, no. I don't---"
Duo chuckled, a chilly sound, as he pulled out the blueprints for the Gundams' standard communications systems. "Winner, Chang, Catalonia, we'll need your heads on the electronic interrupt."
"You're shutting them down remotely?" Doro looked completely bewildered. "Cat and Hil will need those Gundams, to get out of there, when we go in and rescue them!"
"But the Gundams won't be there," Trowa said. Even Quatre looked surprised, and Duo laughed.
"You said you've done everything so many times, and there's nothing new... " Duo winked at Lena. "Maybe there's not, and maybe that's a *good* thing."
End Part 11
(:./sol/tetra11)
