April 4, 2001
Title: Crossed Wires
Author: AstroKender
Pairings: faint 2+3, 3+2
Rating: Alternate Timeline
Warnings: foul language. Some minor angst here.
Spoilers: Hmm...nope.
Notes: This is a small fic I've wanted to put out to reflect how much Duo and Trowa seem to clash during the series. Important! This doesn't go along with the series. There may be some similarities, but don't try to pin it to a specific time or you'll get a headache. This is purely a 'what if' kind of thing.
Disclaimers: I own nothing...Don't sue.
"You're one of them aren't you?" Jeremy looked steadily at the floor. "I could tell as soon as we captured him."
Trowa swallowed nervously. "One of what?"
"A Gundam Pilot."
Trowa's eyes narrowed and he quickly began thinking of ways to dispose of this new leak. If word got out that he was a Gundam Pilot; if Trant found out, his life was forfeit. Jeremy raised his gun once more, his brown eyes calm.
"I know you think you need to silence me, but I have no intention of telling anyone your secret." He tossed his gun at the banged boy, who caught it reflexively. "If you kill me you'll never get the help you need to free 02."
Trowa looked down at the gun in his hands. "Why are you doing this?"
Private Johnson stood proudly. "We of the Treize Faction were taught not to regard the Gundam pilots as our enemies, but as our worthy opponents. We believe in none of the backstabbing and trickery prominent in the main body of the OZ organization."
Trowa threw the gun on his bed and sat down. "So you know about the aid Treize and Lady Une have been giving the Gundam Pilots." Jeremy nodded.
"Yes. And I know why pilot 02 is here."
"What?"
The dark-haired man leaned up against the wall. "He's here to get his Gundam, right? The new version?"
The Latin boy stared at him, stunned. "How do you know all this?"
At this Jeremy blushed. "Well, ever since I was little, I've wanted to be a spy. So I learned a few skills here and there, even though I hardly ever get a chance to use them."
Trowa stared at him silently for a long moment, before busting out laughing. Jeremy blushed and ducked his head. His laughter trailing down to a slight chuckling, Trowa stood and approached the young OZ officer.
"I'm going to do what a Gundam Pilot was told to never to." He stuck out his hand. "I'm going to trust you."
Jeremy smiled and took the offered hand. "Thank you sir. I'll do anything I can to help."
Trowa nodded. "Do you think you can find out where they took Duo-I mean pilot 02?"
The young man nodded. "Give me an hour."
It was decided that Trowa would stay in his quarters until Jeremy returned. A young soldier stood unobtrusively outside his door, so that if Trant came by, the Latin boy wouldn't seem unguarded.
So Trowa could do nothing but wait. Sighing, the green-eyed boy gazed around his sparsely decorated room. It was a mess. "Duo...." Trowa muttered as he began walking around, straightening things compulsively.
Walking around his bed, he bent to pick up a towel when something caught his eye. The towel dropped from nerveless fingers as he fell to his knees, staring at his clown mask: broken and spattered with blood.
He reached out to touch it, but his hand jerked back as if burned. He raised trembling fingers to his face, tracing the contours in astonishment. He felt his lips curl up in a small smile as a single tear fell down his cheek.
"He broke my mask...."
Jeremy walked the halls nervously, alert for any approaching footsteps. Casting cautious looks both left and right, he moved over the large red doors in front of him. He swiped a carefully made card through the electronic lock and the light blinked green as the door hissed open. The OZ officer swiftly ducked inside.
This was the moon base's information center, closed to all but OZ's top officials. It had taken the young Private months to discover the layout and work out the shift changes of the guards. This was the first time he had broken into such a classified area and the young man found his palms damn with sweat.
Glancing at his watch he confirmed that he had ten minutes before the next shift arrived. He only hoped that would give him enough time to find where they were holding the Gundam pilot.
"Lets see here...the electronic files would have to many firewalls to break in such a short time, so I'm going to have to look for a paper trail."
He walked over to the nearest filing cabinet and began shuffling through folders. Old battle tactics, MS designs, new weapon proposals...wait! Skimming through the weapons compartment, Jeremy searched for any files on the Zero System. Finding nothing, he sighed in frustration. Time was running out.
Eyes continuously shifting to the door, Jeremy searched through the file names for anything that seemed more than just basic OZ designs and operations. Ready to give up and count his losses, his dark eyes caught on a small folder that he had skipped over the first round. Pulling the file out, Jeremy stared at the foreign word.
"Epyon...."
Giving the folder's contents a quick once over, he paled. He had found what he was looking for. But that something was bigger and more frightening then he had ever imagined. His watch beeped in warning and Jeremy quickly closed the folder, stuffing it in his shirt.
The young man quickly straightened any evidence of his passing and snuck from the room. He had to get back to Lieutenant Barton, and quick.
Trowa frowned at the diagrams in front of him. "This is worse than I thought. I was ordered to infiltrate this base because it was rumored that OZ had developed a new weapon. But I'm sure not ever S new of just how big OZ's plans were."
Jeremy sifted through the papers, grabbing one. "Here is the map showing the location where Epyon was built. I'm assuming it resides there still. I didn't even know these lower levels existed!"
"Damn. This is very close to where DeathScythe is being kept. We have to get Duo-I mean pilot 02 free and out of here as soon as possible. We can't let his Gundam be discovered."
Jeremy leaned back, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. "It says here Epyon was designed by Treize. I can't do anything that would go against his will." He shook his head. "But why would he build a Gundam? And such a sinister one at that!"
"Treize doesn't know what he has created." Trowa spoke softly as he looked over the information in his hands. "This isn't a machine, it's a monster." He looked over at Jeremy, who still seemed torn. "Look, you don't have to do anything else. I know where Duo is being kept now. I can manage the rest."
The young Private shook his head. "No. I want to help, Sir. I never did approve of Trant or his methods. Besides, I want to find out for sure what happened to my comrades."
Trowa nodded. Looking at his watch he jotted a number down. "It's almost midnight. Go and get a few hours of rest then meat me at this corridor at 0400 hours." He handed the paper to the taller boy.
Jeremy saluted "Yes, sir!"
"Please, call me Trowa." The Latin boy begged, sick of hearing the appellation.
"Yes sir-uh, I mean Trowa."
//Hang on Duo. I'm on my way.//
Duo's hand twitched as his eyes moved sightlessly across the room. Sweat poured down his face as his jaw clenched, fighting to break free of the Zero System's powerful pull. Sensors were taped to his temples and chest, monitoring his body's reactions.
//'My enemy...who is my enemy?'// Duo's fists clenched as he tried to ignore the sinuous voice of Epyon. //'You must kill you enemies! Leave none standing! The only way to achieve your objective is through bloodshed!'//
"That's...not true." Duo whispered.
"What isn't true?" Trant leaned towards him, excited. Tell my what the system is showing you Gundam pilot! Tell me!"
Duo shook his head mutely, refusing to talk. Anger, Trant slammed his fist onto the consol, stopping the program. They had been at this for hours and the pilot wouldn't reveal a thing. Trant glared at the figure slumped over Epyon's control panel. He should just kill him and get it over with. But he had to find out Epyon's secrets!
Sighing heavily, the OZ officer walked over and grabbed Duo by the hair, yanking him from the cockpit. Looking around for somewhere to chain him, he suddenly grinned. Who ever said he didn't have a flare for the dramatic?
Duo groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. He was standing, chained with his arms above him to some kind of tube. His eyes wandered the room till he caught site of Trant, twisting some wires together by the room's door.
Trant looked up. "Ah, your awake." He studied his work and grinned. "I think you might want to reconsider telling the secret to the Zero System."
"Why is that?" Duo growled as he stomach did a nervous twist.
The dark haired man grinned and pushed a small button on the consol, causing a small laser beam to shine across the bottom of the door. "Because, if someone accidentally steps through this trigger, that beam saber you're chained to will spring to life and, well, their won't be enough of you to clean up."
Duo's eyes widened. "Your insane! Lady Une would never allow this type of action."
"I don't give a damn about Lady Une's likes and dislikes." Trant glared. "I just want to know Epyon's secret. You tell me what it is and I won't get clumsy and trip over the laser beam."
Duo shook his head. Go to hell, Trant! You could blow the whole base with a stunt like that!"
"All the more reason for you to tell me. You wouldn't want your little soldier boy to get hurt would you?"
The braided boy gritted his teeth. "What? You mean that prick that captured me? I could careless what happens to him." Trant shrugged.
"Nevertheless, I'll be back in the morning. If you don't tell my what I want to know then..." He stepped teasingly over the laser. "I'm locking the door so one of the guards don't accidentally trip over it. We wouldn't want that to happen, would we?" Laughing, Trant left the room, the door sliding shut behind him.
"Arrogant fuck.... Just wait till I get loose!" He tugged on his bindings experimentally and swallowed, hard. "If I get loose...."
End Part Seven
(:./astrokender/crossed7)
