09-Jan-2001
Title: Time and Time Again
A Gundam Wing Fanfiction
Author: BarBieBoy
Dedicated to Kav
Feedback: YES PLEASE! :o) (Don't be shy!) Comments, criticisms, ideas etc please mail me at barbieboy000@hotmail.com. Flames and abuse please mail me at techsupport@microsoft.com.
Disclaimer: Mobile Suit Gundam Wing is the property of whomever. I don't own it and I am using these characters without permission (but not for profit). The original portion of this work is mine however so please don't steal it :o)
Category/Warnings/Rating: 1+2/2+1, 3+4, angst, language, R(?)
Final note: I am in Australia. I speak and write English. I know how to spell colour and grey and behaviour. :o)
For the first time in days, Heero was glad to see the date in that tiny corner of the screen on his laptop. It was 6 a.m., the earliest he had been up since the whole affair started, and it was the 15th of January 195 AC. Again.
He looked across the room to the sleeping form of his partner. Duo was there, and they were both in their dorm room. The same dorm room that was destroyed in the explosion of yesterday. If it hadn't been so early on a Saturday, Heero would have gone over to Trowa and Quatre's room just to be sure, but the fact that their room was still there reassured him enough.
The Japanese boy got up from his desk, trying hard not to yawn, and went into the bathroom to wash his face. The cool, refreshing water against his skin helped him to focus his mind for the task ahead. He looked his reflection straight in the eyes and began to go over the facts.
Firstly, he was experiencing today for the fourth time. For whatever reason, Heero Yuy was trapped somewhere between the morning of the 15th and 16th of January 195 AC. It was also most likely that tomorrow would be the 15th again as would the day after.
Secondly, only Heero seemed to be aware of the situation. On the other occasions none of his comrades, or anyone else for that matter, acted out of the ordinary. As far as everyone else in the universe was concerned, today was the first 15th of January 195AC.
Thirdly, every day had been different, but mostly in ways that were directly affected by Heero's own actions. If he did everything today the same as yesterday, then the outcome of yesterday would be pretty much be the same today. The other important consistency between the days seemed to be that a bomb went off sometime at or around 11.30 and that someone close to him died.
The question remained: 'Why?'
Heero walked back into the room and got dressed in the same clothes he had been wearing for three days straight. They were as clean today as they were three days ago. Heero almost found it amusing that he didn't have to wash them.
Almost.
When the party had been cancelled, the bomb had been moved to campus. The only reason for this would be that the bomb was meant for someone here. Whoever planted the bomb obviously knew of the party, but also knew when it had been cancelled.
Heero had already scanned through the files on every student at the school before he started. It was true that the school was exclusive and that there were a few kids with very wealthy parents, but it was unlikely that any of the students here were the target. A ransom or a kidnapping perhaps, but a pointless execution? It was far more likely that one or all of the Gundam pilots were being targeted.
As Heero went over that last fact, something he hadn't realized before suddenly occurred to him. It was so obvious, and its meaning so far-reaching, that he involuntarily said it out loud.
"It's getting bigger."
The first explosion had taken out half a house, but not everyone in the house was killed and parts of the structure remained intact. The second explosion destroyed a decent-sized park, as well as the ambulance parked on the street next to it. The third explosion had completely destroyed the entire campus and even some of the surrounding houses.
Heero did some quick mental arithmetic and estimated that the explosion had roughly doubled in size each time. This detail was definitely worth further research. The bomb itself must be the key to the whole mess.
Heero sat down to his laptop, but before he could begin his search, he noticed Wufei's email requesting money. It took the Japanese boy less than a minute to hack into the bank and transfer the money, after all he had done it enough times.
With that task out of the way, Heero began to cross-reference temporal science with the OZ weapons facility and new experimental explosives. There were no reputable reports on these topics, but plenty of rumours and unofficial information. Heero began to sift through every single report he could find.
Duo lay on his back, hands behind his head, staring up at the unreasonably boring ceiling. Not that he would find ceilings interesting under normal circumstances, of course. But if he were under normal circumstances he wouldn't be staring at the ceiling at all. He'd be bouncing around the room annoying Heero or generally being loud and active.
The braided boy risked a glance at his partner, who stoically continued his typing unaware. He appeared to be doing some sort of research, on a topic that from this distance Duo could not determine. He was supposed to be hacking into the bank and transferring Wufei's 10 000. Perhaps he needed to be reminded. Duo had, in fact, said almost nothing to Heero since that little mission on L2 well over two weeks ago. Perhaps this was the excuse he needed to start up a reconciliation conversation. Not that he was sorry for what he had said.
"Ano . . . Heero," Duo ventured. "Wufei needs ten thousand for the L5 mission, don't forget"
"I did that hours ago, Duo!"
Heero sounded like he was still pissed off. He must have been getting pretty good at hacking if he could do it that quickly. Usually it took him at least a few hours, and even up to half a day. This situation between them was becoming silly, though. The two might have to work with each other and share a room for a long time. Making a point of not talking was not going to be good for their ability to perform.
"Heero. This is stupid! Let's just get this over and done with," Duo began, aggravated.
Heero turned, jumped out of the chair and sat next to Duo, causing the boy to nearly fall off the bed with fright. He reached out his hand and placed it gently on the American's leg, which flinched in surprise.
Duo regarded the hand for a moment, its unfamiliar contact making him nervous. Then he met Heero's eyes, which seemed to contain feelings Duo would have thought were totally alien to the Japanese boy. Warm and reassuring feelings that immediately made Duo more relaxed.
"Duo, of course we are still friends and I'm sorry that I've been so busy lately that I haven't been talking much. I had, and I HAVE lots of work to do. I promise to tell you about it once it's complete, then maybe we can go and do something fun."
Duo nodded dumbly and watched in fascination as Heero got off the bed and went back to his laptop to finish his work. The Japanese boy was definitely full of surprises. Not talking for two weeks and then, in a conversation longer than anything Heero had said since they had met, telling Duo that they were 'friends' and that they would do something 'fun'. Duo felt like asking 'Who are you, and what have you done to Heero?' Instead, he simply stared dumbfounded at his partner.
Then he looked down at his leg and tried to forget the gentle touch of the Japanese boy's hand. It still felt warm and Duo was at a loss to describe the strange excitement it had brought him. He long suspected that he was into guys, but Heero? The guy was just so . . . so Heero!
Then he remembered that he had forgotten to apologize himself. For that coward comment, if nothing else.
"Heero?" he began uncertainly. "I don't think you're a coward, by the way."
"I know," Heero said, turning to smile a little at the braided boy. "And I'm sorry for all the things I said that day too."
That was too much for Duo. This felt like a weird dream or something. He had to get out of here before he suffocated. The Japanese boy was having a really strange effect on him this morning.
"Err . . . no problem Heero-man. Um . . . I think I'll go for a walk, this place is giving me claustrophobia."
"Ok, I'll see you later," Heero called, not looking up from his screen.
Duo left the room in a state of shock. He had to tell the others about this.
Heero sat back in his chair and smiled triumphantly at the report in front of him. Normally he wouldn't have time for anonymous reports claiming bizarre and unsupported things. But this report made more sense than anything else he had read in days. The report's title said it all:
'Temporal Feedback Bomb, a new weapon in the OZ arsenal'
The report was, at first glance, a mindless piece of fantastical propaganda about the perfect assassination device. It was full of boastings about the weapon's genius and unfailing abilities.
The part that had first caught Heero's attention was the description of the prototype. A largely unmarked sphere with no apparent controls or buttons. There was a diagram as well, which unmistakably matched the bomb Heero found in the bathroom on the second night.
The report was very vague on the science of the weapon. Apparently the bomb, once activated, could cause a temporal feedback loop, which would enable it to have infinite chances of hitting its target. The bomb was placed in a position where the target should be; if it failed to kill the target, it would cause the loop, which gave it another chance.
The weapon had been developed at the very facility that Heero and Duo had destroyed recently. It was undoubtedly linked to Heero's current predicament.
Almost everything made perfect sense except two small issues. Firstly, there was no mention of anyone else being able to detect or be aware of the loop. Secondly, there was no mention of the explosion getting larger with time.
However, it was by far the best lead Heero had. The solution was simple: find the bomb and disarm it. End of feedback loops and end of problems.
His mind made up, Heero was actually looking forward to the evening. It was midday already, so he had to wait for several hours. In the meantime, he could adjust his scanning equipment with the new information he had on the specifics of the bomb; that way, he could track it within a greater range. He also thought it wise to stake out Aieka's house again. Perhaps this time he could catch the guy who planted the bomb, and ask him a few questions.
Heero was in much better spirits. A plan, an enemy and a mission. These were things he understood. Infinitely preferable to moving through time and having to grieve for his friends every night.
"Oh Heero," Duo sang as he entered the room.
It was late afternoon and there were wires and strange equipment lying all over the room, but no Heero. The Japanese boy didn't seem to be around. Duo almost left when the bathroom door opened and the boy in question stepped out, fully clothed, hair a little damp.
"Heero, don't hide in the shower, man--I nearly left, thinking you were gone!"
Heero couldn't help but smile at the braided boy.
"You're never satisfied, are you, Duo?" he asked, amused at his own little joke.
Duo was once again put off by Heero's relaxed attitude and friendly ease. It was very much an improvement, if not a little sudden.
"Heero, the guys and I are going to a party at a student's house. Wanna come?" Duo ventured, deciding that it was not necessary to butter Heero up first, seeing as how he was in such a good mood.
"Sure, Duo." Heero smiled, feeling those butterflies again. "I have some things to do first, so I'll meet you there later. I won't be able to stay too long, though, still got to do a bit of work."
Duo was impressed. The boy's sentences were getting longer and longer. Perhaps he was even ready for remedial polite conversation. And all this in one day. The braided boy was about to make a joke, but suddenly felt self-conscious. Heero's smiles and warmth were starting to give him that funny feeling again. He immediately wanted to flee the room but something about the other boy's presence was fixing him in his place.
Heero gathered the equipment he had spent all afternoon adjusting and headed out the door.
"I'll see you later tonight, Duo" Heero said, and flashed the boy a smile.
"Sure thing, man!"
Duo shook his head in wonder as he started to get ready for the party. Sometimes that boy could be almost sexy.
Heero would not have needed a scanner to spot the man who was to plant the bomb. He would have known him a mile off. He was dressed in a plumber's outfit with dark glasses and a suspiciously large bag. He had arrived at the Tanaka's sometime after six, but he had never made it to the front door.
Heero had jumped him, knocked him unconscious and piled him into the back of his own van within moments. So swift and precise were the soldier's actions that not even in the light of the afternoon did anyone notice the attack. Certainly not Aieka or her friends, who were too busy preparing for the party.
Heero drove the van a far way from the town until he found a spot where he was confident he wouldn't be interrupted. Heero opened the van and tied the unconscious man to a nearby tree. He then splashed water on his victim and made sure the first sight he saw was the barrel of Heero's gun.
The man began to shout in terror and beg for his life. Heero was surprised; he would have thought breaking an OZ agent would be a little more difficult. The man was very helpful and he answered every question Heero asked in detail and to the best of his abilities.
Unfortunately, this was of little help to the Japanese boy. The plumber was guilty of nothing but stupidity. He had been paid to place the device in the house. He had picked it up at 5.00 this morning. It was left for him as instructed in a dumpster. He had gotten his orders on where to place it at about 4.30pm, in a phone conversation with his 'employer'. That was all he knew. He didn't know it was a bomb, and he didn't know anything about his 'employer' or even how to contact him.
After finishing with the man, Heero felt a little guilty for his extreme actions, so he agreed not to tell anyone in exchange for the bomb. The man, still terrified, had driven them back to Heero's school. As soon as Heero left with the bomb, the man drove off in terror.
Heero carried the large bag back to his room and all the equipment he had set out in preparation. Unfortunately, this was where things in the plan started to go wrong.
Heero was very much capable of disarming even the most complex of bombs, but this one was beyond him. It had taken him a while to even open the outer casing, and what he saw inside was mind-boggling to say the least. Heero did not even know where to begin. The device was completely alien to him. He did not recognize the parts nor could he identify any explosive agent.
He decided to put it back together and get rid of it. To even try and disarm such a device by himself was suicide. It was clear that he would need help with his task. But first, he needed to go to a party.
Duo was on a couch surrounded by at least five good-looking girls from his class. He loved the way they hung on his every word, as he told them largely exaggerated stories about other people from their class. The girls listened intently and giggled in the appropriate places.
Heero found this even more sickening than the last time he had witnessed it. That braided baka was such a shameless flirt and attention-seeker.
Heero walked into the room and smiled at a few of his classmates as he made his way over to Duo. He didn't really want to stay long, just long enough to complete one little task. He was becoming more accustomed to his feelings and to others, but he was a long way from enjoying large social gatherings.
Duo, to his credit, stopped midway through a particularly fabricated story to go over and make his friend more comfortable. Heero motioned for him to stay where he was, while the Japanese boy came over.
"Hi, Duo. How's the party?" Heero tried, still somewhat uncomfortable.
"Pretty kewl, man, though it's gonna get a lot better once the drinks start flowing." Duo glanced at his fan club and the girls giggled. "Actually, I think it's time to get a drink now, ne?"
"I'll get them," Heero offered helpfully.
After remembering all of the drinks as best as he could, he made his way over to the kitchen and found what he was looking for. Three boys were sitting on the bench smoking and looking 'cool'.
Heero walked up to them with a neutral expression on his face. The boys glared at him, brimming with attitude.
Heero half-smiled, and then punched the fat boy in the middle of the three in the face. The blow was so fast it made a clapping sound as it cut through the air. The fat boy slumped to the ground, unconscious. His friends got up, and were about to advance on Heero when the boy crouched into a combat stance and drew back his fist again.
Heero watched with satisfaction as the other two ran away. Reaching into the unconscious boy's jacket, he took out a sealed plastic bag that contained several pale blue pills. Ripping open the bag, Heero flushed them down the sink with plenty of water.
The Japanese boy then prepared the six drinks as he had been instructed and went back into the dance room. After handing out the drinks, he hung round for a while doing his best to fit in. It was clear that the other girls didn't want him there, and so after fifteen minutes or so he managed to excuse himself.
Duo was starting to get a little drunk, and didn't even notice Heero leave. As the Japanese boy snuck out of the house he managed to startle a couple of girls who were sitting outside smoking. One of them, who was dressed in a black mini-skirt and knee-high boots, was familiar to him. He was about to say hello when he realized that he didn't know her in this loop. Instead he smiled and left.
Heero walked briskly down the street, pausing to glance at his watch. 8pm. He still had a couple of hours or so to work out what he was going to do with the bomb.
Sweat glistened on the Japanese pilot's skin as he worked at a furious pace. His fingers danced across the keyboard so fast they were a blur. Information flashed across the screen and was absorbed at an almost inhuman rate.
He paused for a brief moment to check the clock. 10.30pm. He was running out of time. The light grey sphere next to him hummed ominously. Heero knew he had at most an hour before the thing went off, and he was still no closer to finding out what to do.
There was no information to be found on the device anywhere, except for a few brief reports that were little more than speculative rumours. The report he had read earlier was the most technical of all of them and it had no information on how to diffuse the bomb. In fact, the report stated on numerous occasions that the device was completely unstoppable.
Heero gave up looking for information on the device itself and began to look for information on the developers. When he and Duo had destroyed that OZ weapons research installation three weeks ago, they had taken the time to download the entire database first. Perhaps amid all of that information he could find some names of people that could help him. The destruction of the base had killed all of the scientists working there, but perhaps there was a college from a different lab, or at least a reference to other scientists in the field.
"Hard at work at even this hour?"
Startled Heero spun round, drew his gun in one fluid motion and pointed the barrel at . . . Wufei?
"Wufei? What are you doing here? I thought you were on a mission."
"I was. I finished somewhat earlier than expected, thanks to you. I didn't expect to be transferred those funds so quickly. I guess you are becoming quite adept at hacking, Yuy." The Chinese pilot smiled.
Heero put his gun on the desk and returned to his work.
"What, if I may ask, is this then?" Wufei asked, as he closely regarded the humming sphere on the desk.
"A bomb."
The Chinese pilot raised one eyebrow at the response.
"I see, and what is it doing here?"
"I'm trying to find out how to disarm it." Heero was answering automatically without thinking his answers through.
"Perhaps I could take a look?"
Heero's eyes darted to the clock again 10.48pm. No time.
"No time, Wufei, it's going to go off sometime around 11.30. I think I've run out of time; I'm going to have to get rid of it. Somewhere where it won't hurt anyone."
Wufei regarded the unmarked sphere in confusion; there were no dials or counters. "How do you know it will go off at 11.30?"
Heero briefly toyed with the idea of telling him, but considering how little time was left he decided to give it a miss. He simply ignored the question and got ready to leave.
"I've got to get to Wing Zero. It will take me at least half an hour from here, so there's no time to talk."
"What are you going to do?" Wufei was becoming increasingly concerned.
"Put the bomb in Wing Zero and send it off on autopilot," Heero answered.
"But you'll destroy your Gundam! Isn't there another way?"
Heero was hardly concerned about the Gundam. He was pretty sure it would still be there tomorrow. He wasted no more time on explanations, though. Instead he grabbed the sphere and ran out of the room, leaving a very confused Wufei in his wake.
Later that night Heero was sitting down at his laptop again, working at a somewhat slower pace. He had been up since six, after all, and it had been a tiring day. The Japanese boy couldn't help but feel a little sorry for his Gundam, whose remains were floating on the ocean somewhere. The bomb had gone off at 11.26pm, in a loud and dazzling explosion. Heero was not surprised to notice that the explosion was considerably larger than the one that destroyed campus in the previous loop. If it kept doubling at this rate, pretty soon he would have to launch it into orbit.
There was some good news, however. Heero had managed to cross- reference the names of the relevant scientists who had been at the OZ facility with articles relevant to temporal science, and had found a promising lead. There was no mention of any work being done in the field of temporal science at the OZ facility; after all, they were interested in weapons, not theories. However, there was information on several of the scientists, who had left the institute after it had been converted. Heero was pleased to discover that one such individual, Dr. Nishikubo, lived only an hour away. Although it was too late to go and question him now, he decided that it would be a good idea to ask him for help tomorrow.
Heero was fairly sure that tomorrow would be the 15th again. The bomb would cause another loop, since it hadn't hit its target.
Heero's eyes widened suddenly as he realized something. The bomb would most likely continue to cause the loops in time until it hit its target, at which point things would go back to normal. Assuming of course that the bomb was the cause of the loop, and that it would stop if it hit its target, Heero realized that its target must be someone who hadn't been killed yet.
Quatre, Trowa and Duo had already died in one or more of the time loops. Most of the students at campus had been killed, as well as the ones at the party. There was only one person who came to mind, who could have been present at both locations but who was not. That person was Heero Yuy.
The Japanese boy frowned at this revelation. Not because someone wanted to kill him, he was used to that. What bothered him more was why the person would use such an odd weapon. Perhaps he was a survivor of the attack Heero lead on the OZ base, seeking revenge.
Heero began to wonder about his assailant. The man had to be fairly nearby, because he had placed the bomb in the dumpster for the plumber guy to pick up. He also had to have been able to hear about the cancellation of the party, so he could order the bomb to be moved.
Heero shut down his laptop and went over to the cupboard to look for the electric kettle. He needed a shot of coffee to help keep him awake. Although tomorrow was likely to be a long day, the Japanese boy was determined not to be asleep when the time loop hit. He had to be certain that he was responsible for everything.
Several hours and several cups of coffee later, Heero was sitting on his bed trying to keep awake. It was sometime after 3am that he heard a commotion in the hallway outside his room. Getting up to investigate, Heero was not very amused to discover Duo passed out in the hallway.
"Baka," he said with a hint of fondness.
He picked up the braided boy and took him back to their room. He smiled as he relished the feel of the soft boy in his arms. He could simply not deny how much Duo affected him. Despite the smell of alcohol on his breath, Heero found him absolutely enchanting.
The Japanese boy gently placed his partner on the bed and sat down next to him. He carefully removed Duo's jacket and shoes and tucked him in. The braided boy stirred a bit and began to mumble, but did not wake.
Heero stayed like that for quite some time. He held one of Duo's delicate hands in his own as he watched over him fondly. The American had such a peaceful expression his face that Heero could not look away. Instead, he tried to burn the image into his mind so he could recall it later.
Then and there Heero made a silent promise to himself. If ever he were to escape this mess, he would spend more time with Duo, and learn more about the feelings he had for the boy. A boy he had almost lost.
Well, HAD lost, technically, but . . . best not to think about it.
It was at 4.27am that Heero began to feel something strange. He had left Duo to sleep and was sitting on his own bed. He looked over at the clock to take note of the time the minute the feeling began.
It was a swaying motion that made him dizzy. It was as if the room was suddenly rocking over ocean waves. Then his vision began to distort. His bed seemed to warp and become several kilometres long. All around there was a strange noise in the air. It sounded like a record being played too slowly or in reverse. The experience became quite unsettling as Heero noticed his limbs twisting in on themselves.
Although frightening, to say the least, the entire experience lasted less than a second. Before he knew it, Heero was in his room and everything was as it had been, except for the fact that he was shivering in fright.
Well, almost everything. His room was clean again; no equipment lying about. He was also dressed only in boxers and was now under his covers. The clock read 4.27 still, but it was back on the desk, instead of on the floor where Heero had moved it. Stranger than all of these things was the change in Heero physically. He no longer felt as if he had been up for 22 hours; instead, he felt strangely refreshed.
A few moments later when Heero checked his laptop he was, for the first time in the last few days, not particularly surprised when he saw the date.
15th of January, 195 AC.
End Part 4
(:./barbieboy/time4)
