29-May-2001
Sorry about all the crossposting!
Title: Even part 7
Author: Phoenix
Disclaimer: I don't own GW. I am sooooo poor.
Warnings: Mention of NCS, violence, evil Duo, bad people and some things
that may offend....can't deal, don't read.
Rating: R for violence mention of NCS and cussing
Archive: sure just let me know where
Feedback: I will love you forever....in a completely platonic way of course
Fandom: Gundam Wing
Pairings: none in this part
I made it to the park with only fifteen minutes to spare. It took five minutes to get past the guards. By the time I reached the AV set up, my hands were shaking like trees with a tornado coming. An appropriate analogy since what I was about to do would be like setting a tornado loose on the world. Yet it was either that or let the world live a lie; one that would eventually tear everyone apart.
So I began my set up certain my revenge would do more good than harm. Sure pain had to follow the initial shock, but the best healing often begins with some pain. Think of breaking a bone after it sets wrong. You have to hurt the patient to make things turn out right. Basically, I thought of myself as a doctor providing some much needed surgery. Cutting out a black heart from the new Alliance.
Over the weeks I spent in my house, I created a very special disk. One showing all the best of Relena. A best hits album if you will. For it to work though, I had to rig an override device and hook up my system to it. Then, just one little push of a button and a life would be over. And another started. By a man worthy of the role of leadership.
For eight minutes I struggled to complete my mission. The fact that this was my only shot didn't help any. Today, Relena would address the world and the colonies. Only today. Afterwards, nothing I did could really get to her. Even if I managed to take Heero from her, she'd still have the power to take him back, by force if necessary. Wouldn't put it past her.
When the last wire slid into place, my nervousness only increased. Did I do a good enough job of hiding my tampering? What if something went wrong? Did I really want to do this? The second I left, there was no turning back. Could I bare the responsibility for what I was about to unleash? Taking a deep breath, I stepped back. I could do this. I had to. I wanted my soul back.
So dodging guards and arriving personnel, I left the AV stand and found a comfortable, shady place to wait for the show. The guys in charge of the sound system arrived and I was relived; just watching them fumble around told me they weren't the ones who set it up. They just turned it on. Good. Made things simpler.
For hours, I watched security scan for bombs, terrorists, and troublemakers. They roped off the park and only allowed people with special tickets in. Talk about stacking the deck. Nothing could disturb little Miss Relena's grand announcement. No one would be present to say anything the least bit angry or honest. No complaints.
Oh God, I realized with a start; it had already started. Some people were being excluded simply based on what they felt or believed. They weren't going to be allowed to protest. To voice their displeasure.
As I watched, the Preventers arrested more than a few who brought signs with slogans and were doing nothing more than standing. No yelling or being bothersome. Hell, no one even read them their rights. A lesson to the others. Relena, how could we have been so wrong about you?
The day wore on and stands with canopies were constructed, then filled with dignitaries, rich people, and visiting noblemen. The ordinary citizens had to stand or sit under the sun; a subtle reminder of their place in things. It made me sick.
Finally, she arrived. Stepping out of a huge stretch limo, dressed in the same clothes as OZ had crowned her in. Beautiful. Like a poisonous rose. Heero followed behind looking so noble in a navy blue suit. You could hardly see the guns under his shoulders and strapped to his ankles. But, most wouldn't have noticed that. Training showed those weapons to me. A thought flashed through my mind. Would Heero use those weapons on me?
I pushed it aside as Relena gracefully ascended the stairs to the microphone. The AV platform was just big enough to have her and a seated Heero. Again a reminder of status and possession. A huge screen rose behind her and filled with the image of her smiling face. I was going to be very, very sick.
"This is being broadcast live to all the colonies and cities of Earth." Duh you bitch. The news has been announcing that for days. "We are here today to celebrate the signing of a trade agreement that will benefit all peoples." The upper right part of the screen suddenly displayed small pictures of all those who signed the agreement; including my rapists. Well, maybe I didn't have to go after them separately after all.
"The agreement proves that when all people work together, great things can be accomplished. When we all look out for one another and put our own selfish desires aside, peace and prosperity can become a reality."
I kind of drifted after that. Why would I want to listen to hollow words? The words were true, but there was no real emotion behind them. No honest sentiment. I just needed for her to say one thing.
Every speech the Queen made contained a part about "the little people." What she really meant were those who were poor and had no power. Relena would drone on about how important it was to protect them; as if these people were children unable to think for themselves. I hate such condescending shit. But it was that part of her speech I was waiting for. It was the trigger for my little surprise.
What I spent my time doing, while keeping an ear on the bitch, was watching Heero. Damn he looked good. Except for the dark circles under his eyes. Even during the war he never seemed stressed or to have lost sleep. The Perfect Soldier was always in control. So what could be bothering him so terribly? I know the answer my heart wished to believe.
A small cell phone hung off his belt. Instead of scanning the crowd for any dangers to the Sank skank , Heero kept looking at it every couple of minutes. As if he was hoping for a message or call. I tried not to hope. Someone had been frantically searching for me. Someone who knew computers. Could it have been Heero?
I got no further trying to figure things out; Relena hit the right part of her speech.
"We must also never forget those who are often forgotten. Those without money or homes. Those who are thought to be less than the rest of us." Now her face twisted into something I'm certain she thought looked like compassion. "To think such a thing is so wrong. No one should ever be sacrificed for the greater good. For if we value any one individual less than any other, we ourselves are diminished. All must be equal in all eyes."
Oh rich! That was the line I was waiting for. I pushed the button on my remote. The mic went silent and the screen blanked and cleared to reveal my rape. I thought about blanking out my face, but knew that would give Relena plausible deniability. It could have been faked. Looking at my face though, people knew it was real.
So the world watched as I struggled with two men as a third shoved a needle in my arm. Yet, that wasn't all I had planned. There was a soundtrack. One I had carefully pieced together so it sounded like a solid speech. One that was from a twisted heart.
"He's just a little gutter rat. Who cares about him? Sometimes you have to sacrifice people and better to sacrifice a little nobody." Relena's voice came across loud and clear. On stage she was staring at the screen transfixed; everyone was, even me.
The screen now showed me being pushed back onto the desk as the Ruler of Sank continued.
"A person like that is hardly worth our concern. He was a whore before, now he's whore for a better cause. You shouldn't worry about him."
On the screen my struggles weakened as the drugs and sudden haircut stripped me of my will.
"Who's going to care about someone like him? What's important is that the people who count benefit. No one's going to miss him."
The first guy thrust into me and I swear I heard women scream. Relena was shrieking at Heero. I couldn't hear about what, but it was probably to stop the show. He didn't respond to her though. Cobalt eyes watched the video like a bird trapped by a snake's gaze.
"So what if they hurt him? Who can he complain to? Who would listen? I'll see to it no one ever knows. Then we can easily blackmail those men into doing what ever we wish."
The third guy was going at me now. People were booing Queen Relena and a shocked expression came over her face. Here comes reality. Meanwhile the AV guys were frantically trying to find a way to shut the system down.
"We give up one worthless individual and all the money, power, and prestige we could ever want will be ours. I never guessed that Gundam pilot would be so useful."
That did it. Since the war, both the people of Earth and the Colonies had come to respect the Gundam Pilots. We'd become heroes in the eyes of almost all. To have used one of us so cruelly; well it struck a deep nerve. Relena began yelling something at Heero and the crowd, but it wasn't time to hear what yet.
The last part of the video played out in time with the last sentence. The final man came in me and my dead eyes showed I sensed none of it. I was dead inside and everyone knew it.
Then I turned the mic back on.
"Shut up you pathetic cretins," Relena was shrieking at the crowd. "How dare you treat me like this? I am a Queen!"
This didn't make things better. Soon the Preventers were struggling to get to the stage; they could see the way the wind was blowing. If someone didn't get the bitch to safety, she was going to learn all about pain.
"Heero!" Relena's shrill voice made the mic whine. "Do something! Make them behave!" And she actually stamped her foot. Really.
The Wing pilot however wasn't paying her any attention; instead, his eyes were scanning the masses and the nearby buildings. It took less time than I thought for him to find me. Our eyes met. The amount of pain I saw in those blue depths, for just a second, shook me. But it was quickly gone and Heero left the Sank Queen to the care of the other Preventers. His stride was confident and unhurried.
I quickly stuffed the remote in my pocket and took off. I wasn't worried about the disk. There was a small charge on the recorder I used and by now it was a pile of slag. No worries there. No, my biggest problem was a drop dead gorgeous Japanese man.
Now that my former best friend, and object of more than one fantasy, knew I was here, he wasn't about to let me get away. I'd miscalculated how long it would take him to find me and how much the video would affect me. It cost precious get away time. As far as I knew, Mr. Perfect always completed his missions. I needed a lucky break bad. Only instead of a break, I got Rashid standing in my way.
As part of the escape plan, I ducked down an alley. If things went smoothly, the last door on the right would be open and I could lock it behind me. Since it was solid steel, Heero would need a few seconds to break it down; in that time, I'd disappear. But, I never made it to the door.
Once I turned the corner to the alley, I ran straight into Rashid. The Arab is fast for such a big guy. He had my arms pinned in less than a second. At the other end of the alley a car pulled up and seven Maguanacs got out. Trapped between some rocks and a hardheaded Preventer. Shit.
"We meet again, Duo Maxwell," his voice sounded very soft. I wondered what was in store for me. Despair ate at my stomach. Had I come so far to fail now? Gotten so close to my goal only to be imprisoned as insane? A small sob worked its way past my lips.
At which point Heero joined our little group. I still remember the look of absolute shock on his face as Rashid raised a gun and shot him.
"No!" I screamed and the big man let me go. I caught Heero just before his knees hit the ground. I watched as those cobalt orbs searched my face, looking for I don't know what. I watched those beautiful eyes slipped closed.
"Duo," Rashid called me. I turned to find the gun pointed at me. I didn't care. Heero was dead and despite all that lay between us, I loved him. His death was more than I ever wanted to bear. The secrets unshared. Words unspoken. Truths forever hidden. Then the leader of the Maguanacs said the words that rocked my world. "It was only a sleeping dart."
Frantic hands roamed searched for blood and found none. In my mindless panic, the most basic details fell by the wayside. I was getting far too soft. What was Rashid up to? Why drug Heero? The question must have been obvious on my face, for it was answered almost immediately.
"Master Quatre is doing much better. The doctors say any longer before he came to them and the damage to his personality might have been irreversible." The other Maguanacs came to stand by their Captain. "You did not have to arrange for Quatre to get help. After what he did to you, no one would have blamed you for destroying him. Yet you did not. In all the cases, you have only extracted fair and equitable revenge. Making things even between you, so to speak."
So he knew about the others. Did he plan to set them free? Didn't sound like it, but you never can tell. Abdul took over the talking as Rashid motioned the others off to the side and began a whispered conversation.
"We wanted to thank you for what you did to help Master Quatre. Hamed thought if we tracked those close to you, a pattern of contact might arise. Imagine our surprise when our efforts turned up disaster after disaster striking your 'friends.' We had thought you were made mad by the events of your last mission. Master Trowa, however, sought us out and told us everything. Since that time, our entire band has been dedicated to helping you."
I'm sure my eyes must have been the size of saucers by this time. They were going to help?
"Rashid discovered Heero is the one so desperately searching for you on the net. He has spent every waking moment trying to find you since the night you disappeared from the hospital. I believe he loves you, Master Duo. Yet, he does not know it himself. Perhaps he cannot admit to such a strong emotion. Perhaps he does not recognize it. I think you will show him."
Abdul is smart. He pretty much figure out what my revenge on Heero was going to be.
"We have made sure the storage locker is secure. If you like we can also active the surveillance equipment left there. Miss Relena might enjoy the same show you gave Miss Noin."
How the hell did they know all this stuff? Wait, these are Quatre's people. I wouldn't put it past them to have looked up everything recently owned or rented by anyone with a name that had death in it. Dedicated group.
They probably went and asked Noin themselves. I'd have to check with Howard later, but my gut told me I was right. Damn. I'd have given just about anything to see Noin's face when they just left her there. Rashid came back and the future was about to be formed.
"So what happens now?" I wanted to know.
"The car is yours. Take Heero and give life to his soul, Duo. It will be an exquisite revenge," Rahsid purred. I got the impression he knew a thing or two about getting even. The look in his eyes made me shiver. In his own way, this man was just as terrifying as Shinigami.
"How would you get Relena to watch the action?" Well they offered!
"Trust us, Master Duo." God. He gave me the scariest smile. "We have our ways."
I turned to pick up Heero. It seemed as if everything here was done.
"You should know Preventer Wind has taken over the Preventers. Few know what he looks like due to his constant undercover work. Also, if you need to find us, we will be around. It appears a war criminal is loose on Earth. The Maguanacs will find her before she can yet again escape into space; a foolish move as she is also wanted there. Perhaps you have heard of her? She goes by the name, Hilde."
Talk about making my day. Hilde was on the run and most likely trying to get help from the Preventers. A group run by a man on my side. Beautiful.
As I prepared to lift Heero over my shoulder, the Maguanacs did an amazing thing. Each one walked up and hugged me, calling me brother. After their turn, each man walked past me until only Rashid remained.
"Few have suffered as much as you and still remained whole. Duo Maxwell, you have given us back one of our own and proven to be a worthy young man. From this day forward, you are our brother."
So saying, he wrapped me in enormous bear hug, which surprisingly did not set off my panic buttons, and left.
I stared off into space for a few moments; a habit I really should get out of. In two days, my world had been turned on its side. My faith in people was beginning to return. However, before me lay my greatest challenge.
Gently placing my precious burden in the passenger seat, I hurried to reach the storage locker. I didn't know how much time was left before the drug wore off and everything had to be just right when Heero woke up.
Only one revenge left. Thanks to the video broadcast, my rapists would receive justice. Wufei would see to that. If not him, then Wind or the Maguanacs. I never wanted to see those leering, sick monsters again. I'd kill them. Not what should happen to them. Their suffering should last a long time. A long time. A groan focused me on Heero.
Anticipation and dread worked my system. This was the most important one. The one that really counted. It would make me whole or destroy everything. For both of us.
Get ready Heero Yuy. When you wake up it'll begin and may whatever God exists help us.
End Part 7
So? This took two weeks to write. Is it any good? Am I getting
predictable? HELP!
Only one more part to go and then a short epilogue...SO COMMENT or I can't
begin.
Phoenix
Please send comments to: lina.inverse@verizon.net