04-Apr-2004
Title: Tetractys
Author: Sol, but archived as Zefyr on FF & MM
Chapter 10 "Hod, II" --- ONGOING
Story Started: 21 Dec 2003
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. Many thanks to everyone reading. I know I promised a
chapter of Wolves, but with a hangover...gyah. Put this chapter down as one
that I may revised/expand later, when I've got more brain cells to spare. I
hate doing that, but sometimes, ya gotta get it out there, and let it rest
for a bit before tackling it again.
"So... those are the chickens."
""I had no idea they were so loud... and *stinky*." Duo wrinkled his nose, and caught Heero's look. "I *told* you I saw chickens."
"I believed you," Heero insisted. "I just... " He frowned, and paused, finally concluding, "chickens."
"That about sums it up," Trowa said. "Ted said they'll be loading Deathscythe Hell and Talon onto the next truck."
Duo looked stricken.
"More chickens," Heero declared. "There's no way you're getting out of this, if we have to go through it."
"But my buddy---" Duo shut his mouth at Heero's glare, and sulked, instead.
The three men were standing in the hangar bay of the mountain base, watching the technicians carefully load Broadarms onto a platform above Wing. Somewhat like the skeletal structure used for transporting new cars across land, Wing was lying face-up on the bed of the truck, with the second Gundam suspended over it. As the three pilots discussed the crates of chickens stacked against the wall of the hangar, the technicians began setting up mirrored plates of metal, bolting them to the frame around the Gundams. When that was done, the truck flatbed appeared to be carrying a large metal box.
The technicians then began stacking the chicken crates around the perimeter of the metal box. After twenty minutes of careful loading - amid chicken squawking and some good-natured ribbing between the technicians - the truck's flatbed looked remarkably like just another transport for farm livestock. A few wooden beams were then lifted into place, and burlap was unrolled to cover the chickens. The fabric was light enough that the chickens were still barely visible, behind a farm logo and address printed on the burlap.
Duo made a face, turning to see Deathscythe Hell being loaded onto the second truck. Talon wasn't far behind, and the process began again.
"Mirrors," Duo commented. "I'm not sure I see the point of the mirrors, though."
"Bounces the signal," Ted said, as he trotted past to get another crate of chickens. "I heard it was Lena's idea. Back when the Foundation started introducing radar that could detect Gundamiam into police scanners, we had to come up with something to make us invisible. We figured out live bodies dispersed the laser beam to muddy a reading, but it wasn't enough. So Lena apparently said, why not bounce it back?"
"Lasers will go through a mirror," Duo replied, skeptical. "A majority will be refracted, but enough of a percentage---"
"Assuming there's not a bunch of chickens in the way," Ted said, and grinned.
"He's got a point," Trowa murmured, as the technician walked off. "It's an effective mechanism."
"I'm going to be riding in a truck with a bunch of chickens," Duo retorted, hunching his shoulders. "The only real effectiveness here is in making me feel completely and totally uncool."
Trowa clapped a hand on Duo's shoulder. "Wear sunglasses. That might help." He grinned at Heero and strolled off to help load the rest of the chickens on the second truck.
Duo scowled and turned to Heero, who gave him an implacable look.
"Oh, you're no help," Duo muttered, and stomped off.
"Rerouting now, south to rendezvous point," Quatre said into the 'com. Wufei muttered something impolite, and Quatre chuckled, then sobered. "Doro had base defense to cover our asses, and she's gone down with Sandrock. The Foundation's already started recovery, and the squadron was too depleted to intercept. ETA, four hours."
"Gone down? Where?" Wufei struggled to sit up, and heard Meiran murmur something next to him. He patted her shoulder awkwardly, and sat up, twisting around on the bunk.
"Off the coast, estimated about one or two clicks," Quatre replied. "Take a shower, wake up, and get up here. I'm going to be useless in about another half-hour."
"Roger," Wufei said, with a sigh. He leaned his elbows on his knees, and let the shaking run through his body as the adrenaline from the fight suddenly surged back up again. With a long, low breath, he let it run its course and subside. Behind him, Meiran shifted.
"Chang," she said, quietly, "the least you could do is help me up. I'm pinned here."
Wufei grinned to himself and stood, turning around to help Meiran to a sitting position. Zhiyi was curled up in a little ball, and snuggled down farther into the blanket as Meiran stood up. The woman spared an affectionate glance towards her daughter, and then looked down at the blood-soaked suit and tank top.
"Damn." She swayed for a minute, then straightened. "There's a second flight suit in Nataku's holding box, but I'll need to wash this blood off. Making my skin crawl."
"I can... " Wufei was about to offer to get the suit, and paused. A fellow warrior, he thought, realizing belatedly that he'd never truly respected his own Meiran, only mourned her. My second chance... and then, the words coming out of his mouth were the last ones he expected. "I'll help," he offered. "There's no way you're going to be able to handle the shower with one arm out of commission."
"It's not that bad." Meiran started to cross her arms, but wasn't able to hide the wince.
"You're as bad as Quatre," Wufei replied, taking her by the good shoulder and pushing her in the direction of the small cleaning cubicle.
"I heard that," Quatre whispered through the 'com. He sounded amused, and Wufei ignored him.
Meiran muttered a few more protests, but none were that audible. Inside the cubicle, Wufei gently tugged the suit down her body, leaving her in only her underwear and the tank top. Meiran made one last attempt to stop him.
"I can do this, Chang," she said, but she looked a bit pale from the movement. "And don't you dare tell me you've seen this all before, either. That's hardly going to make me feel better."
Wufei was quiet for a moment, easing her feet from the suit's legs before setting the suit aside. He looked up from his kneeling position, and shook his head just once. "I haven't seen it all before," he told her, gently. "Unless once at the age of fourteen really counts," he added, unable to keep from smirking.
Meiran blushed a bright red. "Oh, that's just not helping me." She reached into the shower and turned the spray on, her eyes fixed on the wall as Wufei pulled off his shirt. "Wait... " Meiran ducked her head, letting the water hit her good shoulder. "You're twenty-six, right?"
"Yeah." Wufei turned her carefully, letting the water soak her tank top and arm. The bandages were starting to soak through, and he cautiously removed them while Meiran continued to stare at the wall.
"I would think... a man like you, you'd have someone else by now." She laughed, a little bitterly. "You don't seem like the type to remain celibate just for memory of your own Meiran."
"I didn't." Wufei kept his voice even as he removed the last of the bandages and blocked the worst of the spray from hitting the wound. The wound was a fierce one, but there were no indications of infection, and he relaxed a little. Gently, he began soaping her arm, shoulders, and upper back.
"You're with Quatre," Meiran whispered. "As a couple."
"Yeah." Wufei turned Meiran around, but she didn't meet his eyes. She shrugged, and only ducked her head when he pulled the tank top over her head. He gritted his teeth, seeing scars across her chest and stomach. A gun shot, two knife-slashes, and an assortment of irregularly shaped puncture scars that looked several years old, perhaps from shrapnel. There were several jagged slashes on either side of her abdomen, and it took Wufei a second to realize they were probably stretch marks from the pregnancy. He soaped up his hands to clean the blood off her chest and side, keeping his pressure firm, but clinical. "Does that bother you?"
"No... Not really," Meiran said, after several minutes' pause. "It's not really my business. But... are you happy?"
Wufei paused, and raised her chin with a soapy hand until her eyes met his. "Yes," he said. He dropped his hand, and turned her in the shower, rinsing off the soap. "It didn't start out that way. Treize matched our talents, decided how we'd work together, and when the barrier became necessary, he set it up based on with whom we'd be working. We soon realized sleeping in contact was the only way to recover from days of dealing with other people... " Wufei shrugged, feeling his face get hot. "It wasn't an overnight thing."
"You decided to make the best of what you had, if that was how your life had to be," Meiran said. Wufei paused, his hands halting in their sweep across her back, and Meiran laughed. "You are so Chinese, Chang. Did you do the same with your Meiran?"
"I suppose," Wufei replied, rather stiffly. "But that was different."
"And the other three... ?" Meiran's voice was contemplative, but Wufei suspected if he balked, she wouldn't press.
"I want her to know," Quatre whispered over the 'com, a little sadly. "But it's not our place... "
"They're good friends," Wufei told Meiran, picking his words judiciously. "But... they resent Treize for doing that to them." Meiran tilted her head to look over her shoulder at Wufei, but he only grunted and stepped back. "You want to clean the rest yourself, or are you done?"
"I'll clean," she replied, and pulled the shower curtain closed. "But you have to finish what you started. Tell me."
"I'm not sure why you want to know," he said, leaning against the wall. She was struggling to remove her underwear with one hand, and he smirked. "Need help?"
"In your dreams, Chang." A second later the curtain was yanked back, and the wet underwear landed with a plop at his feet. The curtain was yanked closed again. "The three of them, when I saw them... I don't know. I guess I feel like you and Quatre are people I can rely on, but those three... they looked so fragile."
Fragile, Wufei repeated, and almost laughed. Those three are the toughest... but he stopped that train of thought, trying to see what she'd seen, and he realized she was right. While the three were strong in some ways, their insistence on keeping up their walls had rendered them fragile in many other ways. He leaned his head against the wall, and closed his eyes against the sight of Meiran's blurry form on the other side of the curtain.
"They didn't want Treize to have the benefit of knowing they had reconciled to his decision by making their partnership include all aspects." Wufei shook his head to clear the melancholy. New world, he reminded himself. Maybe things can be different here. "You going to be long?"
"Hand me a towel, then you can have the shower." Meiran turned off the water, and pulled the curtain back, accepting the towel Wufei got from the storage compartment. She stood still while he packed the wound with antibiotic and gauze, nodding in satisfaction as he wrapped it tightly. Meiran flexed her arm, and gave him an appreciative, almost shy, smile. "I'm going to fix something to eat."
"Will you need me to get the second flight suit?"
"If Zhiyi's awake, I'll have her do it... " Meiran looked up at him through her lashes, as she tightened the towel around her chest. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "If not, then... yeah. I'd appreciate it."
"No thanks necessary. We're team mates now," Wufei said, and meant it.
"I feel like an utter dork," Duo grumbled, and slouched down further in the truck's passenger seat. Trowa merely laughed, and Duo flipped on the radio. There was nothing but static, until he reached a country-western station. After a few minutes of yodeling, Duo shut it off. He stared out the window, watching the fields and trees zip by on the highway, before he broached the topic. "Hey... do you think it's going to be all right, with them? No offense, but I don't want another---"
"You tell me." Trowa's expression was impassive.
Duo made a face and pulled off his jacket, bundling it into a pillow. "Wake me when it's my turn to drive," he said.
Two hours later, he was awoken by the sound of the airbrakes as Trowa pulled the truck off on the side of the road. Duo looked up in time to see Heero's truck go past, with Lena in the passenger's seat waving, and Duo waved back as he scooted over to the driver's side. Trowa climbed in on the passenger's side, and grumbled for several minutes as he struggled to find a comfortable way to sleep. Duo watched out of the corner of his eye as he guided the truck back on the road, and finally reached out, tugging at Trowa's sleeve.
"Come on, lay down," he said, and patted his lap.
"You sure?" Trowa sounded reluctant.
"No one's going to see," Duo said, purposefully misunderstanding. He kept his arm up, out of the way. Only once Trowa's head was on his thigh, and the man seemed to be asleep, did Duo let his arm drop, resting his palm lightly on Trowa's shoulder.
"I don't think we should leave her alone," Wufei said. He finished running the systems check on Nataku, and climbed out of the cockpit. Quatre, standing on Nataku's belly, frowned slightly.
"It's going to take all three of us," Quatre said.
"Maybe. We can send in the third as emergency backup if it comes to that."
"It won't be me," Meiran interrupted. She strolled out of the cabin, and climbed awkwardly onto Shenlong. "Zhiyi knows the way things work. I've set up the auto-destruct mechanism---"
"You'd kill your own daughter," Quatre said, hushed. His eyes were wide.
Meiran stopped, her back to the two men, and they saw the lines of her body stiffen as she bit back her response. After a moment, she climbed the rest of the way up to the Gundam's cockpit, where she turned to stare at the two men. "If those men had touched my daughter, I would have killed every man, woman, and child on that military base. They wanted the Gundam more than her information. The value of my life is the only thing keeping her safe, when she's been in danger."
"Has this happened before?" The question was out of Wufei's mouth clearly without forethought, and Quatre gasped. The sudden flash of pain from Meiran was overwhelming.
"Once," Meiran admitted, but didn't say any more. "Zhiyi and I have an understanding. If anything happens to me, her life suddenly becomes even more dangerous. She knows too much. If she's not with someone who can protect her, and get her to safety... it's the only option we have. Cold, perhaps, but true. I won't sacrifice the mission just so my daughter can end up beaten, raped and tortured for what she knows. That's not a life, and letting her live in those circumstances would risk everything and achieve nothing."
Quatre nodded, slowly, sensing her decision was one that had been hard, but was inevitable. He'd had to make the same decision a few times, in their own missions, knowing that if one of his team mates fell, that man would have to be silenced and left behind. The 'com switch was toggled, and Quatre gave Wufei a quick look, knowing the other man was merely confirming what Quatre already understood.
"Fine," Quatre said. "Who's running?"
"You can," Meiran said, and lowered herself into the cockpit. Her voice echoed through the shuttle's storage bay. "I'm always second, so I'm used to that position."
"Roger." Quatre hopped down from Nataku and headed to Sandstone. "Leave in five-minute intervals. 05, you're final point."
"I thought---" Meiran started to say, but Wufei cut her off.
"Understood. All systems go." Wufei's voice was clipped.
"You need new codenames," Meiran interrupted. "Because in this world, *I'm* 05."
Quatre chuckled, and clipped the restraining belt before closing Sandstone's cockpit. "Fine. Sandstone in lead, Shenlong in middle, and Nataku covers us."
"Getting location from the squadron leads on frequency oh-nine-eight-point-oh-five," Meiran said. "Shuttle doors opening.
"Good luck, Mommy," a small voice interjected. "And good luck... uncles?"
"Uncle is fine," Quatre said. "Zhiyi, maintain radio silence, but monitor oh-nine-seven-point-oh-three."
"What's that frequency?" Shenlong was out of the shuttle, and moving upright. A second later, the jets kicked in and the Gundam lifted off, transforming into bird-shape.
"It's the 'com link," Quatre replied. He browsed the Gundam's controls, finding the mechanism for bird-shape. Sandstone's metallic body shifted around him, and Quatre laughed softly. "Now it seems 01 isn't the only one who can do this," he murmured.
"Location confirmed," Wufei reported. "Let's go."
Duo nudged Trowa, and the man grunted and nuzzled his face into Duo's thigh. Grinning, Duo nudged him a second time. "Come on, Tro, gotta get up. Heero, what's the exit number?"
Over the 'com, Heero chuckled. He flipped the switch to turn off the mute, and Duo could clearly hear Lena's voice in the background.
"Radio the other truck," she was saying. "We'll be pulling off at exit fifteen."
"You realize she's going to think something is even more up, when you don't radio us," Duo pointed out. He was answered with a single grunt, and a click as Heero muted his end. Duo sighed and poked Trowa again. "Come on, man, wake up. We're stopping for food."
"Bring me something, then," Trowa muttered, and went right back to sleep.
Duo snorted and shook his head, and let Trowa be. Up ahead, he could see Heero's truck, silhouetted against the sunset as they turned west off the highway. On the side of the road were a series of little placards, and Duo read them off, idly.
Buy flowers.
Yellow roses.
Out of season.
The last sign made Duo pause and glance over his shoulder as though he could catch another glimpse. He couldn't, of course, and he sat back, a little puzzled as to how roses could be out of season, in June. When they'd left the imperial palace, the Emperor's rose garden had been in full bloom. Duo shoved the nagging feeling out of his head, and focused on finding a parking space next to the other truck when it pulled over into a small diner on the side of the road.
"Come on, Tro," Duo coaxed. "Food."
"Beer," Trowa replied, getting up with a yawn. "Better if it's hard liquor."
"Mission's not over."
Trowa arched an eyebrow, and opened the truck door. "I'm traveling with chickens, Maxwell. I require alcohol."
Inside the diner, Heero and Lena were seated at a booth near the back, by the kitchen. Heero was studying the menu, but Lena looked up and waved, a cheerful smile on her face. Duo slid into the booth, grinning at Trowa's rumbled greeting. Heero didn't reply, and Trowa picked up the menu, staring at it for several seconds before flipping it over and placing it face down.
"Four beers, and a plate of fries with cheddar cheese." Then Trowa put his head down on the table, and appeared to go back to sleep. Duo rolled his eyes and elbowed Trowa, who grunted and sat back up with a yawn. "How much longer until we're there?"
"You sound like Duo," Heero observed. Duo raised an eyebrow at Heero, who shrugged. "Don't kick me under the table, Maxwell."
The waitress appeared, smiling politely as she set plates down in front of each of them. She didn't take their order, but walked off, and after a second, Lena pulled her plate towards the edge of the counter, her hand underneath. Duo stared at her, even as Trowa raised his head, his attention caught. Trowa shifted away from Duo, his eyes fixed on Lena.
"This was planned?" Trowa's voice was cold. "Also part of the routine?"
"No," Lena said, fiddling with something in her lap. When she'd finished reading, she glanced at Trowa, who looked surprised.
Duo frowned. "Let me in on this... oh." He could see the threads dancing around Lena, and was silent for a second as he sorted them out. "No immediate impact," he said, mostly to Heero and Trowa.
"Good," Lena answered. "Can you tell me farther than that?"
"Wouldn't want to, here," Duo said. "It'd just make a scene, and I'll be driving for the next hour, unless you want Mister Four Beers over here to get behind the wheel."
Trowa smirked at Duo, before turning to pin Lena with his intent expression. "Why yellow roses? I'd think with Treize being---"
"Treize is only partly responsible," Lena said, waving Trowa's question away. She lowered her voice, just as the waitress turned the jukebox up a few notches. "Yellow roses have a meaning of 'don't forget me,' and... For all the bad that Treize may have done in your world, his death was the point of no return in this one." She sighed and fiddled with the edge of the menu. "He had a vision, for better or worse, and one that didn't involve abominations like Mariemaia's Foundation. So the rose is to remember him, and to not forget about the idea of peace."
Duo snorted. "This is a completely different Treize than the one I've known."
"Maybe." Lena didn't meet Duo's eyes. "But did your Treize believe in peace, no matter how bastardized it was? Or did he do it all for personal power?"
"For peace," Heero answered. "He just... seemed to conclude at some point that peace would only exist if he were there personally to oversee it."
"He was never there," Duo retorted, hunkering down in the booth. "We did the dirty work. Bastard."
"The yellow rose is also on the crest for Sanq," Lena whispered. "So... there's that meaning, too. We use it as a signal, as an emblem, now. I didn't pick it, but after I was imprisoned---" She stopped, suddenly, as the waitress returned. Once all four had given their orders, Lena was quiet for a minute, writing something out on the paper in her lap, and then she slipped it under the plate again. She leaned back, glancing out the window at the summer evening. "The Foundation had determined that 01 and 04 accompanied 05 to Old Moscow, although they've been buzzing about why 01 wasn't flying Wing. However, the real buzz kicked in when reports came in that 04 was sighted over the Pacific, at the same time that 04 should've been somewhere over Mongolia."
"Sandstone, and Sandrock," Trowa murmured.
"Right," Lena said, grinning smugly. "And right now, the Foundation is positively nonstop yammering that there are not only two 05s, but two 04s, as well. They think I'm flying one of those four, but they're at a loss as to who the fourth pilot must be. Our support sometimes has trouble monitoring, but the Foundation's not even being quiet about this." She laughed, quietly. "They're panicking across the lines from Austria to Zimbabwe."
"Visual confirmed, three o'clock," Meiran stated. "Six Ma, twelve Yang."
"The Yang look like Leos," Quatre replied. "I'll take the Yang."
"Five Ju, coming up from behind," Wufei interjected. An explosion echoed through the 'com, and Wufei grunted in satisfaction.
The open water below them was scored with six ships, two of which were Destroyer class, but their decks were remarkably clear of anti-aircraft armaments, Quatre noted. Instead, hauling rigs were set up, and a Gundam had just crested the water surface. Quatre grinned, and Sandstone flipped the shotels, slicing through two Yang at the same time. Several rounds slammed into Sandstone's chest, but the Gundam continued to press forward. Three more Yang went down, crashing into one of the ships.
"Cutting ties," Meiran called. In the view screen, Quatre could see her slicing through the hauling rigs. Meiran latched onto Sandrock, and Shenlong's jets fired, lifting both up. "Got her. No response on 'com."
"Roger," Quatre said, and twisted in mid-air, shooting upwards. Two Yang ran into each other, below him. "And as stupid as Leos," he muttered under his breath. Another dive and slash, and three Yang exploded in rapid succession. The last two Yang went plummeting to the ocean, their dive revealing Wufei, Vulcan gun at the ready. "Thanks," Quatre told him.
"Two Ju, five o'clock," Meiran yelled. One of the Ju exploded at a hit from Shenlong, falling into one of the ships.
Wufei took out two of the Ju, and spun to send rounds into the ships below. Meiran was behind him, holding Sandrock in Shenlong's claws. Quatre waited until the crosshairs on his view screen turned red, and fired, hitting the other five ships in rapid succession.
"Clear," he yelled. "Move it, before reinforcements show up."
"Damn," Doro's voice came over the 'com system. "I wake up just as it's all over. Who came up with this crazy plan?"
"01," Meiran replied crisply. "How's the power level?"
"Twenty percent operational," Doro said, sounding reluctant. "Figured I'd wait to be hoisted, and then take 'em out."
"Cut the chatter, and move it," Quatre ordered. He waited until Meiran had taken lead, and at a nod from Nataku, fell in line behind.
"Divert to the water tower," Doro said. Shenlong and Sandrock peeled out of formation, heading for the shuttle where Zhiyi waited. "Sandstone, go with Nataku."
"Water tower? What kind of designation is that?" Wufei's exasperated reply came over the 'com.
"Second shuttle is waiting there, just north of the small village," Doro replied. She murmured something, and when she spoke loud enough to be heard, it sounded like she was smiling. "Self-destruct is now off. Take that shuttle, and head for Norfolk Port, on the east coast of North America. Shouldn't need to refuel. We'll be a few hours behind you."
"Why?" Quatre couldn't help sounding irritated. He didn't like the last-minute news. Angling Sandstone, he could see a shuttle up ahead, sitting on a runway. Landing with a thud on the tarmac, Quatre relayed the command string Doro sent him, and the shuttle bay doors opened.
"We have to pick up the doctors," Doro replied. "From there we'll be heading to the Jersey Islands... Wait." She made a disgusted sound. "Heading straight for Marseilles?"
"Are you asking me, or just telling me in a strange tone of voice?" Quatre waited as Nataku was loaded onto the shuttle, and turned his Gundam, powering the jets gently as he steered it inside. Settling it down on the shuttle floor, he began systems operations check as he waited for Doro's response.
"Don't know. Will radio the coordinates. You just get to the port, and get your hairy Gundam asses on that ship."
"I do not have a hairy ass," Quatre muttered.
"Not what I recall," Doro retorted.
Quatre shut off the 'com, and climbed out of the cockpit to see Wufei leaning against Nataku. "What?"
"You're like polar opposites," Wufei said, his expression thoughtful. "She's all heart on the inside, but does her best to only let people see the cold warrior. And you... you've worked for years to fool people with the idea that you're all heart, but inside, you are truly a brutal warrior."
"I'm going to take that as a compliment," Quatre groused. "What's your point?"
"Nothing. Just noticing." Wufei headed to the shuttle's cockpit. "Your turn to sleep first."
"Thanks," Quatre replied, and started lockdown procedures for the two Gundams. Inside, though, he was mulling over Wufei's words. He'd sensed the same thing about Doro's heart, despite the complexity of her emotions and the disassociation between them and whatever she was saying or doing at any one point. He could see how that might be similar to his own tendency to pick up and amplify emotions of other people despite the fact that his own thoughts were running counter.
Doesn't matter, anyway, Quatre thought, and ran a hand through his hair as he headed for the small cabin behind the cockpit. My heart may be façade, but it's still a heart that's all yours, Wufei.
End Part 10
(:./sol/tetra10)
