30-Jan-2004
Title: Tetractys
Author: Sol, but archived as Zefyr on FF & MM
Chapter 02 "Malkuth, III" --- 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 just like to take them out and play with them. I promise to put them back where I found them.
Some of the 'song quotes' are my own, some are bastardized poetry, and some are excerpts I adapted from Kagemihari's poem, Night Ride. You can find her stuff at kagemihari.tripod.com/shadowrealm/id6. html. Also thanks to Maldoror for helping me get Wufei IC, and to Arithion for helping me get Quatre IC. And particular thanks to Casey, for requesting and poking
(nicely) until she got her birthday chapter. Thanks, all!
"On the banks of the river, run... "
The voice hummed softly against Duo's eardrum, and he scowled as he concentrated, picking out the threads he needed to follow. Satisfied Trowa's intentions were taking them in the right direction, he slipped from the dark perch in the rafters of the warehouse, and began traversing the long beam, heading for the walkway. A second voice joined the first, the combination making the embedded comm. unit in his jaw vibrate a little.
"Left behind nothing but a key and a broken TV," Heero whispered under his breath, but the comm. unit amplified it perfectly.
Duo rolled his eyes and risked the nearly inaudible whisper it'd take to reply. "Yuy, damn it, you have enough ammo. Chill the fuck out." The second song stopped abruptly, and Duo grinned in the darkness. He reached out, clutching a support girder as he poised over the walkway. "02, in place."
Trowa's song modulated into a different one, choppier and faster, the tune a little discordant despite the honey tenor. "And I have miles to go before I sleep, miles to go... "
"01 in place."
The song faded, and Duo frowned, pushing at the comm. link in his jaw with his tongue, flicking it on and off repeatedly. It was a nervous habit, one of the few he'd allow himself. Trowa's voice suddenly came back through, much louder.
"Crazy, you make me crazy... " The voice paused, and the humming began again.
Duo grinned to himself, knowing the repetitive on-off created a feedback loop that irritated his partners to no end. Sighing, he made an effort to stop messing with the link as his mind supplied the words to match Trowa's soft tune. *Darkness everywhere, and I cannot see, but I call my horse, and he comes to me... * Moving into position, Duo told himself, and allowed a feral grin to mask his features. Carefully he dropped to the crosswalk, like a dark shadow disengaging from the corner. *Riding swift, riding sure... *
"Target entered," Quatre's voice interrupted.
"Confirmed," Wufei added. The words were speckled with static from the distance, but Duo found himself nodding as though his partners were present.
"Doors secured," Trowa whispered.
"Blue shirt, glasses, heavyset," Quatre added.
"Clear," Heero replied. "In sights."
"All present," Quatre said. "Go when ready."
Duo took a breath, treading the walkway on cat-soft feet as he moved towards the office doors. His left hand reached down to his boot, pulling out a knife, while a second knife slipped down from the holster inside his sleeve. The blades glittered darkly in the low light, and he took a second to hum his warning.
"I'll come calling, calling, calling," he murmured.
The comm. link was silent.
Duo put one knife between his teeth, and tried the office door's lock. Slowly it gave way, and he rolled his eyes at the delight of being able to rely on human stupidity. Pushing the door open, he was inside before any of the seven men were aware of his presence. Within seconds, the knife in his left hand had slashed the first man's neck. The other knife was across the room, thrown into the second man's chest. Duo spun, ducking out from under the third man's attack, spinning to catch the fourth man across the gut, even as he realized two were fleeing.
"Two out," Duo called.
Grinning at their inevitable fates, he came up behind the third man, burying a knife between his ribs. Blood gushed from the wound, covering Duo's hands. He shoved, twisted, and yanked as the man fell. He spun in time to slice the fifth man from the adam's apple to the carotid artery. The man's eyes glazed over as his blood poured onto Duo, before falling heavily. Duo shook himself like a dog, watching the blood splatter across the floor at the movement.
Two shots rang out in the warehouse. A heartbeat later, a series of rapid shots returned fire. Duo retrieved his knives, wiping them idly on the back of one man's shirt as he checked the exits. "All clear up here," he reported. "And hey, I rhymed!"
"One out," Wufei called. "02, shut up."
There was a rapid burst of gunfire that echoed in Duo's ear, and he winced, putting a hand to his ear.
"One down," Wufei continued smugly.
"Fuck, man, turn it off before you do that," Duo complained softly. Stepping from the office, he ignored the body not far from the office door, and the second halfway down the stairs. Duo shook his head, and focused on Heero's position at the other end of the warehouse. Pulling his gun from the back of his jeans, he hefted the comfortable weight. "02 clear."
There was another round of gunfire, and Trowa's voice came through the line. "Ten," he said, and the line was silent. More gunfire followed.
"Don't run outta ammo, buddy," Duo muttered. He tapped the comm. link with his tongue. "Going down."
"Covered," came back Heero's reply. The comm link cut off just before Heero fired several more shots. They were answered from the ground below with another volley.
Duo took a breath, steadying with one hand on the railing as he crouched halfway across the walkway. The threads were shifting, as each person present made instantaneous decisions that could and would change every outcome. "Clear... clear... clear... " Duo whispered, as he sorted through the possibilities weaving in his vision, overlapping the reality of the walkway, seventy feet above the warehouse floor.
"Six about to move, to A-5," Trowa broke in.
"Shit," Duo gasped. The threads bucked under his touch, falling into place as the rebels made their move. "01, behind---" He took aim and fired at the same instant. There was a shout below him, and Duo grinned. He sorted the threads, and shoved his gun back in the holster at the seat of his jeans.
Three shots rang out, and Heero opened the comm. link. "Shoulder," he gasped. "Scratch. One down."
"02, get---" Trowa's words cut off with more gunfire.
Duo frowned, and sifted quickly through the threads. All ended in fire and death, and he frowned, sorting them out. Don't look so far, he reminded himself, annoyed with the habit. Closer, his mind whispered, as he heard a clatter behind him. Turning, he saw the grenade land near the body on the walkway.
"Bomb," he whispered.
The metallic object rolled, and Duo held his breath, waiting for it to roll over the edge. Instead, it ran into the thumb of the body's outstretched hand. Duo stared, until his feet reacted and he began backpedaling. Twisting in place he ran straight for Heero's position.
A second later, it exploded.
"Doors open," Trowa yelled.
Duo could feel the metal grating dropping from beneath his feet.
"05 in," Wufei called.
More gunfire.
Duo fell, his hands flying out to grab onto the railing. He missed.
"04 in," Quatre reported. "Two down."
Duo rolled sideways as the walkway fell. He grunted as the railing caught him in the ribs, stopping his slide.
"B-4 clear," Trowa shouted.
The support beams groaned, but held, and the walkway shuddered with the stress.
"02, report," Heero ordered.
"C-1 clear. Shit." Wufei grunted, and the shots were loud in the comm. link. "Clear now. 04?"
"Just hanging out." Duo grimaced and began pulling himself along the walkway on his belly; hand over hand along the edge of the walkway.
The office was burning, fire licking up to the warehouse's ceiling.
"A-2, A-1, A-3 clear," Quatre replied.
There was a cracking metallic sound, and Duo didn't need to glance over his shoulder to know. The threads twisting on the edges of his vision told him everything. "Not hanging out for much---"
Another snapping sound, and two support girders gave way. The office end of the walkway began plummeting. Duo grabbed on, shutting his eyes as he waited. The threads crackled in his vision, snapping into focus as the walkway halted. He took a breath and opened his eyes, seeing the ground sixty feet away. The walkway was hovering in the air, one end forty feet above the ground. Duo blinked, and opened his mouth to report just as metal pinged a foot from him.
"Fuck, now I'm being fired on," he barked. "01, what the---"
"Get up the walk, or go down with it," came the response. It sounded like Heero was grinding the words between his teeth.
Flames had absorbed the office entirely. Smoke billowed upwards, curling around and hiding the ceiling.
"Crossfire down here," Trowa added. "Don't come down, 02."
"Don't blame me," Duo snapped, and began hauling himself up the walkway. It shook, and he froze for a second, but it held. "Blame gravity."
"03, cover me. Man in the red jacket," Quatre suddenly said. "He goes, the rest will surrender."
"Roger," Trowa replied.
Duo continued to haul himself up the walkway, the metal grate rubbing and ripping his shirt as he precariously balanced on the edge. Ahead of him, he could see Heero kneeling at the top of the steps, his hands splayed against the walkway's floor. Another two shots rang out, ricocheting off the walkway. Duo cringed instinctively, then braced himself and continued to pull himself up the steep angle. The walkway groaned, metal chafing, and it wavered.
The fire was licking across the ceiling, and the heat was strong against Duo's back and legs.
"I'm almost there," Duo yelled, disregarding his partner's ears. Heero was too far gone to hear any whispers, he knew. "Come on, 01, hold it for me." His right hand slipped as he pulled, the blood and sweat mingling against the metal. Duo slid backwards a foot before he could grab a better hold with his left hand. Grunting, he yanked himself upwards.
The walkway's end fell suddenly, ten more feet. Duo yelped, his feet kicking as he struggled to close the gap between himself and Heero.
"Hurry," Heero groaned. "Too much... "
Another three shots slammed into the metal near Duo, and he nearly screamed in fury. Heero was pushing the bullets away. No wonder he didn't have enough to let everything down gently. "01," Duo hollered, "when I get there, I'm gonna kick your ass!"
"Like to see you try," came the whispered response. It was followed by a choking sound, and Duo raised his head to see Heero slumping forward.
"Red jacket, done," Quatre reported.
"Kick his body out where they can see it," Wufei said. "01, 02, what's going on?"
"01's---" Duo didn't have time to give a better reply, too busy scrambling up the walkway.
The fire was overhead. The walkway gave a metallic complaint. Metal twisted and bent as the far end began to fall. Duo shouted wordlessly in relief as his hands touched the platform. Heero's slumped body lay at the top of the stairs, one shoulder and his side coated in blood. The walkway hit the ground with a crash, sparks flying as the metal impacted the concrete floor. A second explosion rocked one of the warehouse corners.
"01, 02," Quatre yelled. "Down, now. The ammunitions are going off."
"Fucking moron rebels," Wufei said. "03!"
"Almost done," Trowa said.
Duo could hear five rapid gunshots, one after the other. Their reports were muffled as each bullet found its target. Taking a breath, he leaned over Heero, raising the man up and bringing one arm over his shoulder. "Come on, pal, let's go home," he murmured.
"Clear," Trowa said.
Heero moaned, his eyelashes fluttering as he frowned. Shaking his head a little, he rose with Duo's help, and nodded. The two started down the steep stairs, Heero's arm over Duo's shoulder. The fire was spreading across the warehouse and down the side, eating away at the old wood. Two more explosions went off, from near the office, and the stairs shook. Duo grabbed the railing, and tightened his hold around Heero's waist, but the dark-haired man didn't pause. Duo let go, and continued down the steps, trying to keep up with his partner's pace.
"Roof's gonna go," Quatre said. "I want all of you, *outside*, five minutes ago!"
"Not my fault I can't walk in heels!" Duo grinned sideways at Heero, his grin growing wider as Heero gave him an exasperated look. "Almost there, 04." Ahead he could see Trowa, kneeling as he slit the throats of the fallen bodies. "Nice work," Duo said as they came alongside.
"Not my best," Trowa muttered. The comm. link picked up his words more, as the fire roared down the side of the warehouse and licked into another box of ammunition. It exploded, and both men shrugged. "Decent fireworks, though," Trowa commented, strolling from the warehouse as he wiped the knife off on his pants.
"Like 'em better with pretty colors," Duo replied, following.
Heero grunted. "Both of you. Shut up."
Wufei dropped his bag on the bed, sniffing at the bland motel room décor. Quatre followed behind, shutting the door and leaning against it with a lopsided grin. Wufei answered with a smirk of his own.
"Five minutes?"
Quatre nodded. "Or less. Yuy was looking pretty haggard."
"Maxwell was bitching up a storm. Something about bullets." Wufei shrugged and began digging out clean clothes. "You want the shower first? Or you plan to join me?"
"Someone's gotta open the door," Quatre replied. "I'll be right there."
Wufei was unsurprised, five minutes later, when Quatre slipped into the shower behind him. Laughing under their breath at the cramped quarters, they took a few extra minutes to press against each other, until Quatre begged off at the discomfort of having the shower door handle poking him in the ribs. Getting out, Wufei toweled off and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. Opening the bathroom door, he stuck his head out.
"Come on, we left the water running for you," he called. Wufei stepped out, as Duo seemed to melt outwards from the dark corner by the window. He was clutching a handful of black clothing in his arms. Wufei shook his head at the sight, having not gotten a good look between escaping the burning warehouse and the darkness of the car as they left the chaos behind them. Duo was covered in blood, caking into a dark brown on his face and clothing. Wufei sniffed. "Maxwell, what the hell did you do this time?"
"Carotid artery. Kind of hard to miss a fifteen-foot spray when you're right in front of it," Duo replied, shrugging. Quatre stepped out, a towel around his neck and boxers on. Duo gave the blond man a wan smile. "Thanks. Appreciate it."
"No problem. Update on team status?"
"Dunno. Not enough room for all three of us, so I helped him get Heero into the shower, and he said he could take it from there." Duo rubbed his forehead, scowling absently as dried blood flaked off on his hand. "Anyway... "
Quatre nodded, and stepped out of the way. Duo ghosted past them, his head down, and Wufei noticed Duo's hands were shaking. The Chinese man remained where he was, watching as the door shut with a soft click. A minute later they could hear the sound of the water change as Duo stepped beneath the spray.
"Hope he at least took his shoes off this time," Wufei grumbled. "Flip for who stays up?"
"I stayed up last time, so it's your turn," Quatre said, throwing himself down on one of the beds. "Did you see? His hands... This one was hard, I think."
"They all are," came the flat reply, but no malice was meant. It was simply the way things were.
Quatre patted the bed next to him. "Come on. Let's see what the rest of the world watches."
Wufei sighed and stretched before crawling across the bed to stretch out next to Quatre. His lover's scents of sweat, soap, and skin drifted into his nostrils as he breathed deeply. Quatre shifted next to him, moving down until he was leaning back against Wufei's chest as Wufei sat against the pillows. Within minutes Quatre was asleep, and Wufei smiled as he flipped through the channels. Giving up, he left it on some atrocious movie, too disgusted with the lack of selection to care that he was growing irritated.
"No one flies backwards through the air fifteen feet when hit by a damn 45," he muttered under his breath. Quatre stirred in his arms, and Wufei tightened his hold. "Home," he whispered in Quatre's ear, and the blond was still, his breathing evening back out.
Nearly an hour had past before Duo stumbled from the bathroom, dressed in black sweats, his feet bare. His dirty clothing was bundled in his arms, and he paused in the doorway, staring at the couple on the bed. Wufei glanced up from under his eyebrows, puzzled at the look on Duo's face. The open expression seemed... *vulnerable*, Wufei's mind supplied. As though Duo, the most self-confident of them all, was suddenly at a loss for what to say or do.
Quatre shifted against Wufei's chest. "Duo... are you okay?"
Duo's smile was quickly back in place, and he shrugged casually. "I'll be fine. Just need some sleep."
"Ah... " Wufei couldn't think of how to respond. He moved one arm from around Quatre to point at the dresser. "Extra cards there."
"Thanks," Duo replied, in a cheerful tone. He grabbed the key card as he passed, and waved it over his shoulder. "Owe you one."
"You owe me one for every mission," Wufei muttered under his breath, as the door shut behind Duo. Quatre yawned, and Wufei tilted his head to look down at the other man. "Thought you were going to sleep."
"Not with that racket on. What the hell are you watching, anyway?" Quatre stretched, making sure to rub up against Wufei as he did so.
"Tease. Some stupid movie... I could teach them a thing or two," Wufei added darkly, still a bit annoyed. Quatre moved against him again, and Wufei glanced down to see Quatre's eyes on the door. Wufei made a face and moved out from under Quatre, coming up into a kneeling position as he blocked the blond's line of sight to the door. "Someday you'll need to stop going through this," he said.
"I can't help it. It's not right," Quatre said, dropping his gaze. "Other people get---"
"Other people aren't us, partner," Wufei retorted abruptly, turning on the bed to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with Quatre. He reached forward and clicked off the television, and set the remote on the bedside table. "This pre-vacation melancholy doesn't suit you. Just... "
"I know, I know." Quatre leaned forward, bringing up his knees and resting his elbows on them. "It's just... watching Maxwell's hands. His shaking is getting worse, after every mission. And I suspect it'll be a day or two before Yuy speaks to anyone but Barton. And Barton... " Quatre shrugged. "Who knows... . Was Maxwell lying when he said he'd be fine?"
"I wasn't paying attention," Wufei hedged.
"Answer the question." Quatre nudged Wufei gently with his shoulder.
"No idea. I can only tell you that he believes it." Wufei glanced sideways at the blond. "You? Did you... "
"Nothing deep," Quatre replied sharply, caught himself, and sighed. "Sorry. No. Just... the same as always, from any of them: a whole bunch of emptiness." He brightened momentarily. "Maybe they've just figured out how to block me." Wufei shot him a look, and Quatre deflated. "Yeah. Still... if I could convince myself, maybe I'd fool you, at least."
Wufei snorted.
"Do other people go through this?" Quatre's gaze traveled around the room, taking in its brown-and-tan floral curtains, the stained taupe carpet, the fake walnut dresser. "Do they feel sad at the ending of a vacation, before it's even begun?"
"I don't know," Wufei said.
Quatre's hand sought Wufei's, and clutching it tighter than his casual tone might indicate. "I remember what it was like when I was a kid." His smile grew forlorn for a second, but it passed, and his usual brilliant smile was back in place. "Didn't you get to travel as a kid?"
"To the library, and the dojo," Wufei replied sternly. After a second he relented, smiling as he shook his head. "I went to China twice, before the war, but... it was so long ago. I don't really recall how I felt before we left. I remember I didn't sleep much. The trip seemed to take forever."
"Everything does, when you're a kid." Quatre scooted back down to lean his head on Wufei's shoulder. It meant Quatre's feet were hanging slightly off the bed, and the blond frowned. "Beds everywhere are too goddamn short."
"We can just cut your feet off." Wufei settled a patient expression onto his face. "Or cut your head off. That way there might be room for me, you, and my ego, without having to worry about fitting *your* ego through the door, too."
"Oh, feel the love!" Quatre laughed.
The phrase struck Wufei as incongruous, and he frowned, repeating the phrase in his head. "Is it?"
Quatre sobered instantly, his blue eyes searching Wufei's face. "Is what, what?"
"Is it love?"
The other man blinked, pulling back a bit in surprise, before his eyes went distant as he considered Wufei's question carefully. He was silent for several minutes, enough to make Wufei raise his eyebrows. A few more minutes passed, and Wufei began to feel his stomach twisting as he waited. He took a deep breath to center himself, relieved when Quatre's gaze regained its brightness.
"Yes." Quatre turned, capturing Wufei's lips with his own in a quick kiss. "Not saying it's the story-book manner. I'm sorry. I wish I could---"
"It's not your fault if it's not. I just... " The Chinese man shook his head. "It was a stupid question." He frowned, making a disgusted sound. "How long is it going to be before you realize you're not responsible for everything?"
"Me? Oh, don't even try that. *You* used to be the most guilt-ridden one of us all," Quatre informed his lover, his expression somewhere between annoyed and amused.
"Was I?" He shrugged. "I suppose I was. But then," and Wufei gave a bitter chuckle, "that was when I thought I could change the world."
"You still can."
"It was easier when I didn't have anything to lose."
They were silent for several minutes, and Wufei sighed, leaning back against the headboard. The ceiling, he noted, was pockmarked with water stains. Some of the stucco was crumbling in the corner, and he stared at it.
"Do you think perhaps that's why?" Wufei could see Quatre make an odd movement as he registered the words, and Wufei closed his eyes against the bleak scenery over his head. "Why they... won't let it be."
"I thought they were getting better."
Wufei opened his eyes, turning to focus on Quatre. "Is that your hope, or is that what you feel?"
Quatre looked away, his lips twisting cruelly. "Don't make me decide there's a difference."
"If we ever go through with it... " Wufei shook his head. "I don't want to lose someone else that matters to me. Not again."
"I know," Quatre agreed. "But you're all I have left. I'm not going to lose you." He struggled to sit up, moving to straddle Wufei's waist, resting his hands on the Chinese man's chest with a gentle pressure to emphasize his words. "We *will* do this."
"We just have to wait for the right time." Wufei's voice was dull, and he couldn't keep eye contact with his lover. "Sorry."
Quatre leaned forward until his forehead was against Wufei's. "I've worked for years, day in, day out, to keep us together," the man whispered, too soft to be heard except as a caress across Wufei's face. "I'm tired. I won't keep hammering at it. I am contemplating officially giving up," he confessed, and Wufei had trouble biting back a gasp. Quatre shook his head, just a slight movement. "Please, don't say it. Let's just take this vacation. Enjoy it. And then... we start planning."
"We leave, you know who'll be sent to track us down."
"We know all their tricks," Quatre countered.
"And they know ours."
The blond rocked back on his haunches, his weight settling on Wufei's thighs as Quatre put his hands on his hips. "I know there's an infinitesimal chance of success. But if we don't try, there's no chance at all. And even if they do find us," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "At least we'd have a month, maybe two... to be free. Really free."
"If that." Wufei crossed his arms, his lips twisting in a sneer. "Is it really worth it?"
"Look, die slowly or die fast, but we're all gonna die someday," Quatre snapped, moving off Wufei with enough force to make the bed bounce. He paced the room angrily. "We torched eighteen bodies tonight. Two weeks ago, it was five rebel leaders in Angola. A month ago, it was twenty-eight people outside Bangladesh, including two children caught in the crossfire. Two months ago, we successfully sabotaged a fleet of shuttles smuggling people to the colonies. That one misfire cost the lives of three hundred and forty-two people, Wufei!"
"I know the numbers," the Chinese man replied sourly. "You repeat them in your sleep."
"When I was a kid, I wanted to see the world. I did not intend to do it by moving from place to place and killing people everywhere I end up, damn it. *When* does it stop?"
Wufei sighed and got off the bed, moving to block Quatre's anxious pacing. "Now," he whispered, taking Quatre's face in his hands and pulling his lover's face down to his. "You're right. It does have to stop."
Quatre laughed, suddenly, a bright, sharp sound. "Maxwell's Shinigami. What does that make us?"
"The angels of death," Wufei replied.
The plane touched down in Santiago just after dark, and the interior lights came on as Duo bumped shoulders with Heero. The dark-haired man grunted and stood up, ignoring the steward's suggestion that they remain seated. A single glance from Heero, and the steward backed away, letting the five men do as they pleased. They were the first off the plane, and Duo sighed as they stepped into the warm summer evening. He took a deep breath, and cocked his head at Quatre.
"Where to, next?"
"Over there," Quatre said, jerking his head in the direction of a man holding a sign that simply said, 'Five.' "We take a plane from here to Puerto Aisén."
"Another plane," Duo groaned, then brightened. "Who's flying?"
"You can, if you're up to it." Wufei shifted the hiking pack on his shoulders and didn't wait as he headed straight for the man. Duo grinned behind him, and faked a yawn. The Chinese man didn't turn around. "Fall asleep at the controls and I will personally ream you with the gearshift."
"Ooh, Wufei's talking dirty." Duo's smile was sharp, and he glared right back at Heero's glower. Beside Heero, Trowa's head was down. He couldn't sleep on commercial planes, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Duo glanced over. "Hey, Tro... just a little longer," he whispered, trying to be reassuring.
Trowa nodded, and they followed Wufei and Quatre towards the smaller plane yard adjacent to the airport.
"Serena one forty two," Duo said into the intercom mouthpiece, "Puerto Aisén approach. Serena one forty two. We're inbound for a landing. Serena one forty two."
Heero leaned forward; placing his ear next to Duo's to listen to the Tower's response. The voice was scratchy from interference. "Puerto Aisén Tower, say again please."
Duo grimaced and started over. "Puerto Aisén tower, Serena one forty two, we're inbound for landing. We're just, ah, south of---"
"Isla de Chiloé," Quatre supplied.
"Descending out of thirteen," Duo continued without pause.
"Winds zero four zero at one five," the Tower voice responded. "Altimeter two niner niner niner. Just to verify again. Your call sign is one forty - four? Is that correct? Or one forty two?"
"Neither," Duo replied, and punched several buttons. "Stupid antique," he muttered under his breath. "Serena one forty two, that's one forty two."
"Copy that. Serena one forty two, plan to approach straight eleven... "
The sound faded as Heero sat back in the seat, glancing over at Trowa, whose green eyes were watching dully. The auburn-haired man raised one eyebrow, and Heero nodded curtly. Both leaned back, confident that Duo would land them safely, despite crosswinds, lightening, or even partially deaf Tower staff.
"Winner, reporting in," Quatre said quietly.
The gray-haired man at the desk looked up, startled, his eyes wide as he took in the five young men standing in a half circle around his desk. "Ah, pardon?" He scrambled through several papers, tapping a few times on his keyboard and peering at the screen before shuffling his papers again. He took his glasses off, shuffled more papers, and put his glasses back on.
Quatre sighed and crossed his arms, pinning the man with a piercing sky-blue gaze. "Winner, with a complete team. Please inform Khushrenada's main office that we have arrived safely and have checked in."
"Maybe he wants to see our permission slips," Duo interjected. He pretended to dig around his pockets, then stopped, a crestfallen look on his face. "Damn, I forgot to have Dad sign it! Fuck, I hate having to forge the emperor's signature. All those loop-de-loops," he muttered, loudly enough for the imperial representative to hear him clearly. "And impossible to spell. Who picked that name, anyway?"
"Permission slips?" The man's forehead was creased as he stared at Duo. The expression became a frown as Duo's mutterings dissolved into quiet laughter, and the longhaired man shrugged nonchalantly.
"Just messing with ya," Duo told him.
"Messing," the man repeated, still a little confused. He shook his head, and pulled out a sheet. "I was looking for the contact information, so I could send word immediately. Let's see... arrival time, twenty-one hundred hours. And just you five, right?"
"Of course," Wufei answered. "All there ever is. Just sign the paper, we sign as well, and send."
"Right, right." The man pushed the paper across the desk, watching as each of the men bent over to scrawl a quick line. "Ah, and there's something else, too." He pulled his glasses off again, rubbing them nervously with the hem of his shirt before putting them back on. "There's a guide here for you."
"A what?" Duo looked up from the paper, surprised. He twisted to stare at Quatre. "What did you arrange, anyway? We're on a tour of some sort?"
"No," Quatre said, his eyes fixed on the imperial representative. "Well? Are we?"
"Not quite." The man started to take his glasses off, noticed Wufei's stare, and pushed them back up to the bridge of his nose. "She arrived soon after the hikers disappeared, said she was investigating the phenomenon. We told her you five had sent word you'd come, and she said she'd be here when you arrived."
"Is she?" Quatre's expression was bland.
"Right over there," the man said, pointing to something behind them.
Quatre turned nearly simultaneously with Wufei, as Heero, Trowa, and Duo moved into formation instinctively behind them. Duo remained facing the clerk, handing back the paper with a smirk. The man accepted it, and glanced down the list of signatures. Quatre Winner, Wufei Chang, Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton, and Tiny Khushrenada.
The man stared at the last name, and scratched his head. Looking up, he saw the last young man with the braid giving him a flat-eyed stare, and he swallowed hard, managing a weak smile as he bent over to scribble his own name at the bottom.
Quatre waited as the woman stood up, her blue jeans and plain green t-shirt seeming out of place in an office full of suit-wearing administers for the imperial palace's embassy. She was nearly as tall as Heero and Wufei; her body lean but clearly powerful in her graceful, controlled movements as she approached them. Her face was oval, with high cheekbones and arched eyebrows, and her dark brown hair was pulled back in a crisp low ponytail. She looked them over, and a line flickered between her brows before disappearing as she smiled politely.
"Gentlemen," she said. Her voice was soft, with an accent Quatre couldn't place immediately. "I'm Viveka Kholi. Welcome to Chile."
"Thank you," Quatre replied automatically. "But we didn't ask for a tour guide."
"You'll need one, to find the location without getting lost." Her smile didn't waver, and her hands remained by her side. Wufei noted she didn't fidget, but was studying each of them closely. "We've been expecting scientists to arrive. What are your specialties?"
"Chemistry," Duo drawled, appearing around from behind Trowa. "But only the blowing-up kind."
"We're not scientists," Wufei told her, his dark glance jumping to Duo in warning before settling back on the impassive woman before him. "We're... the Emperor's personal guard. This is our vacation. If you're waiting for scientists, I'm sure they'll be along eventually."
"The Emperor," the woman repeated softly, as if savoring the words. She turned sharply, her eyes widening as Duo turned his back on her, bored already. "That... " Her face paled, under her tanned complexion.
"Viveka, is it?" Quatre blinked, then frowned, shaking his head a little at Wufei's questioning glance. "Is something wrong?"
"No," Viveka replied, smiling widely. It was a dazzling change, and the four men watching her could only stare in bewilderment. Beside them, Duo turned around again, curious. Viveka looked at Duo directly, then, her smile widening as she dropped her voice to a whisper that wouldn't carry farther than their group. "You're the Gundam Pilots."
"Were," Wufei corrected. "A long time ago."
Viveka shook her head, and several strands of dark hair fell from behind her ears at the movement, framing her face. "No, never too long," she said, and smiled again. "Please, let's not delay. The sooner we get there, the better."
End Part 3
(:./sol/tetra3)
