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"Crisis"Written By: Artemis Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters are
copyright to Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, and associated parties.
I make no money with this fic. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: yaoi lemon including rimming, angst,
violence, language, reference to past NCS involving a minor, death,
angst. Pairings: 6x2, 3x4 Summary: Sequel to Interfacing: Regained. GAIA
prepares to go into space and announce itself to the world; Duo and
Zechs' relationship goes through its own crisis. "Crisis " (Zechs is dreaming...) 16) "You did it! You took him for your pleasure!" the Death God began to scream at him, the Devil beyond him, smirking. "Never, I never did that..." Zechs, his whole body aching, began his usual protests. He tasted blood in his mouth and knew he was lying in blood as well, his. Suddenly there was a gust of wind, blowing strongly from one side as if from a window that had just been opened. The two tormentors turned to scowl in that direction, then as Zechs was painfully trying to turn to see what they were looking at, the Death God stuck a finger out, pointing with anger at something. "You!" he screamed in fury. Somehow Zechs maneuvered himself up on an elbow and twisted his head around. To his shock, there stood another being who resembled Duo... but a very different one. This one was dressed all in white and bore huge white wings - an angel! But he scowled at his counterpart with just as much venom. What was this? "You!" the angel screamed back at the black-robed demon. "You are not needed here! He is innocent!" "He is not!" the Death God shouted back. "He raped the boy!" Blinking, Zechs realized that the Devil who looked like Treize was no longer there. But to his shock, there was someone else, waiting beyond the Angel, though because of the wings, he could not see whom it was yet. "He did not!" "Prove it!" "I will! Let the boy speak for himself!" The Death God snarled in fury but held himself still while the Angel gestured toward the other person with him. It was Dieter Steinhauser. "Deets!" Zechs gasped sharply, forgetting his pain for a moment, astonished to see the forgotten boy who *had* been raped. The little boy waved at him, grinning. "Hi, Milo!" Zechs drew himself up onto his knees to grasp at the black garment of the Death God, abruptly furious. "But I did not rape *him*! I did not rape anyone! How can you accuse me of this!" "Shh, Milo, I'll handle this," Dieter said matter-of-factly, and went to the angry deity. "I know what you're thinking." "Yeah?" The god sneered. "What's that?" "You think the bad man hurt me because of Milo. You think the bad man hurt me because I was Milo's friend, don't you? He couldn't touch Milo, but he could hurt me." The Death God frowned, then looked back up at the angel. "What's he talking about?" The Angel took Dieter's hand and led him over to Zechs. Together they bent down to talk to the bleeding man. "Milliardo, it's time to remember the man now... you've seen him before. In the front hall. With a gun..." And suddenly Zechs knew... The soldier, his face disfigured from what looked like burn scars, had laughed when General Onnegel's men had killed King Peacecraft and the rest of the family, then the soldier had run from the others to catch the little prince trying to hide. He had touched the prince's face, but the angry boy had struck his hand away. The soldier had laughed and toyed with him further, even to waving a gun in his face while the boy wriggled in his grasp. Then he had said in German that he was going to leave the boy alive here in the burning building so that his pretty face would soon look just like his. And then he had run off. Milliardo, however, had known the hall well and had quickly found a way to the outside. But the soldiers had all been gone. Only Pargan and a few others from the Senate had been there with Relena. And then someone had taken Milliardo away... Now the adult Milliardo looked up into the Angel's face. "He was afraid to hurt me because I should have been burned in the fire... so he hurt Dieter!" "No!" Dieter shouted as the Angel looked on with compassion. "This is not your fault, Milo!" "If you'd never met me..." Milliardo cried. "No!" the Angel and Dieter said together. "You never hurt me or caused me to be hurt," Dieter went on, petting the long fall of platinum hair on his friend's back. "You're innocent, Milo. Just as I was. We were innocent. That's it. You must believe me. I always told you the truth, Milo." Now the Angel was kneeling on one side of the prince, the child on the other, both of them holding the now-sobbing man between them. Beyond, the Death God stood strangely silent, merely watching. "It's over, Milliardo," the Angel whispered, then looked up to his counterpart. "What? Okay, so he's innocent. What do you want *me* to do about it?" the Death God snapped in irritation. "You're a smart boy, you'll think of it," the Angel retorted good-naturedly, then with the boy helped Milliardo to stand up. "Dieter..." "Right..." The little boy slipped his hand into the tall blond man's. "Milo, I have to go back. Everything's just great now! Are you going to be okay... with *him*?" The prince looked over at the black-garbed demon, who looked benignly back. "Yes. Is it... is it really over?" "You bet!" The boy grinned brightly again then gave him a hug. "See ya, Milo!" "Bye," the Angel smirked as he walked the boy away. There was a flash of light, and they were gone. "Deets..." the blond man moaned, but it was no use. Someday he would have to find out what happened to his sweet, young friend... Milliardo, still shaky, tried to take a step, but his knees buckled. Immediately the diminutive figure of his watcher, who was looking a lot more like Duo now, was at his side to help support him. "Damn, you're a piece of work," the God retorted, then laughed. "I guess we both are. Shit, wait until you start taking *me* apart!" "Oh..." "So... you're the prince, eh?" "Yes, it seems so." "Hmmm... well, nice to meet ya!" Milliardo Peacecraft, taking a deep breath miraculously without a stabbing pain, blinked down at the wiry, lithe figure at his side, wondering at his strength. "I'm... pleased to meet you as well... ah..." Treize Khushrenada stepped in front of the pair, looking them both up and down. "Hmmm..." "Treize...?" The prince wondered if his friend was going to resume the tormenting, but the man only nodded in approval. "That's more like it... Milliardo," Treize murmured with a faint smile, then passed them and continued walking. The Death God chuckled, then poked the prince in the middle of the chest. "Okay, time to wake - UP!" Zechs woke up abruptly. His body tensed until he realized he was still holding Duo... [The DREAM!] He stared at... the Death God, the Not-Duo? Or was it truly Duo's God of Death persona? The Angel? No, it was just his Duo, still deeply asleep. [The dream! I remember... I remember it all,] Zechs realized, joy flooding through him. [It's over, it's finally over... oh, God, I saw Dieter! Is he truly dead?] But it was indeed a dream, not a vision. Perhaps one day he could find out what happened to Dieter Steinhauser. One day... Tears filled his eyes as he very gently rolled Duo over onto his back, then put a hand to his cheek, preparatory to waking him. "Duo..." His pager went off. *Beep!* Astonished at the incredibly bad timing, Zechs turned over to glare at the device sitting beside the computer on his desk as if that would stop it from beeping a second time. But it was to no avail. *Beep!* Zechs held his breath; a third beep meant he could spare a couple minutes; surely the other Gundam pilots didn't need him for anything at this hour. It was barely 0500. He wiped the moisture from his eyes. No third beep. It was a call from the control tower. [Damn, that means Treize's Dog Squire has arrived...] He got up to answer the page by calling the tower on his computer. "Yes, what is it?" Federi diRoma's image appeared. Did the man never sleep? "I know it's early, sir, but I waited as long as I could. The shuttle is landing now. I've already contacted Quatre who should already be enroute to the hangar." [Already landing!] Zechs made a mental note to kindly remind his tower chief to call him on first contact no matter what. "I'll be there shortly! Tell Quatre I'm on my way. And call everyone else in the Committee and Dr. Sally to convene for a meeting in about one hour." "Yes, sir." Ending the transmission, Zechs ran a hand through his long hair in irritation. Then he quickly prepared for the day, cleaning up as best he could since he had no time for a shower, dressing in the full GAIA uniform. [It's going to be another very long day, I feel it,] he thought, taking a deep breath as he returned to regard his lover's sprawled form on their bed. [Best not to wake him now,] he thought, remembering the boy was sleeping off a drunk. Zechs bent to brush a kiss against Duo's brow. "So much to tell you, little fox... in just a short while," he murmured, feeling his heart swell with love. "Love you, Dancer..." He straightened. [Time to be the base commander again. Time to set my love aside until the absolute next moment I can steal back to him.] His eyes narrowed, the line of his jaw set. Then Zechs was gone to meet the Dog Squire of Bremen. In the hangar, Zechs grimaced against the chill of the air sweeping through the opened doors as the shuttle had just moments ago taxied in. He looked for and found the diminutive figure of their Committee leader, code name "Thirst". "Good morning, Quatre," he greeted him and nodded toward the shuttle. "His code name is 'Dog Squire', and he already knows ours. I think this may be the man I talked to after the battle when Heero was in my office. Apparently he believes the files he's bringing are critical enough to bring them personally." "Morning," Quatre said with a nod though he was still half-asleep. Getting out of his warm bed this morning and leaving his lover had been one of the hardest things he'd ever done. But Quatre was not one to shirk his duties. "I wonder what the files could be?" he asked with great curiosity. He would soon find out, because the new arrival was now disembarking. Lance duChien scanned the hangar as he alighted from his shuttle. [So, this is the new alliance's base.] He'd been anticipating this moment since he'd received permission from His Excellency to personally deliver the sensitive materials into the hands of the one code-named "Thirst." At this early hour, the base's activity was minimal, but he hardly noticed as his eyes widened with the sight of the five Gundams and the Tallgeese standing in a row. "Amazing," he said, and felt a chill race along his spine. When he spotted Zechs and another young man waiting for him, he straightened his posture and descended the shuttle's steps. He saluted smartly and said, "The Dog Squire, reporting on behalf of the Rose Knight, sirs!" Lance stood ramrod-straight, holding his salute in place as he waited for a response from the famous Lightning Count and his new ally. To the relief of the GAIA personnel, the new officer coming forward wore, not the OZ dark blue and white, but their own dark-green uniform, the long-jacket version that both Zechs and Quatre now wore. Obviously Treize, who'd only seen the uniform on the monitor, had decided to make a visual statement to his long-time friend. [And I suppose he'll wear it himself one day... if he makes it out of Bremen alive, that is...] Zechs thought as Quatre stepped forward to greet the arrival first. "Yes, welcome," Quatre said, giving a hesitant return salute to put the other young man at ease. "I am Thirst and this is White King. We've been looking forward to your visit." [Even if it was very sudden.] "Squire, it is good to meet you at last," Zechs greeted the man, coming to stand beside Quatre. He returned the salute smartly, then put out his hand to shake the other's, smiling. "We're less formal than what you are used to, I'm afraid. I hope you can soon relax among us." "Thank you... I'll try," Lance said, surprised by the warm greeting. The Lightning Count was more at ease than he'd expected him to be... being the controversial figure that he was. [And he doesn't seem to be solely in charge here... interesting.] With the introductions out of the way, Lance trudged ahead with his mission to secure the sensitive files into the hands of Thirst. He turned to the small blond. "I am under strict orders to give the confidential materials only to you." He glanced about the hangar, feeling a bit uneasy. In Bremen there were eyes and ears everywhere. Quatre noted his slight agitation. "You're safe here. There are no traitors among us." [I can't imagine the risk he took to come here. He must be very loyal to Treize...] "As I said, Squire, the atmosphere here is very different from the halls of the Foundation," Zechs added. "You can rely upon our security measures." "Very well, sir," Lance said, and then reached inside his jacket and retrieved a small black leather pouch with a red rose embossed on it. "These files come directly from the Rose Knight to you," he said proudly. He held out the prize possession for Quatre to take. "I can guarantee that no one has seen or touched these files since they were handed over to me yesterday by the Rose Knight himself." The little blond took the diplomatic pouch and nodded his understanding. "Thank you. I'm sure this information will help us in our fight for peace in the Earthsphere." Zechs glanced at the pouch curiously, wondering as its secrets had the power to cause Treize to send someone in person to deliver. "I understand, Squire, that you'll be staying for the time being? At least your uniform indicates this... and we'll *have* to get rid of the code names." He smiled engagingly. "I'm just Zechs now. And 'Thirst' is Quatre Raberba Winner, pilot of the Gundam Sandrock... and just Quatre to all of us." Now that his mission was complete, the young man gave a little grin. "I'm Lance duChien. It's good to finally meet you... in person. And you're right, His Excellency... er, Treize... has requested that I spend some time here. He is most... curious... about all of you," he said, and with that last remark looked to Quatre. [He's fascinated by you Gundam pilots. And I see now you are a bit of a mystery...] "He said you're pure of heart and your cause ordained by God." Quatre smiled. "You must thank him for us. That is high praise and something we pray we can live up to." "Treize and his flowery language," Zechs sighed, wishing his friend wasn't always so damn lofty in his manner of speaking. "It's embarrassing - ordained by God indeed. We're just trying to provide an alternative to the dominating machinations of Romefeller. No ordinations going on here." He happened to glance beyond the visitor. "What, you brought us presents?" For Quatre's benefit, he gestured at the mobile suits being unloaded from the belly of the shuttle - four Tauruses. Since the base opened, more Tauruses had filtered down their way. This group would bring the complement of Tauruses on base up to twenty. "Yes, a token of Treize's great esteem for the new alliance," Lance said, and then ducked his said. "Sorry, his wording... not mine." A chuckle escaped Quatre. "Well, his words or yours, we're very glad to have the extra suits! And now, since you'll be spending time with us, I'd like to show you around the base... though it will have to be a short tour, because we have a meeting planned." "Thank you, I'd appreciate a tour," Lance said. "And a chance to contact His Excellency to let him know I've arrived and transferred the files into your care." He flushed a little; he'd been meaning to stop calling his patron "His Excellency" in this more relaxed atmosphere. "Of course. Oh, and I'll show you to your guest quarters. I think you'll find Barclay Base very civilized... despite the cold," Quatre said, and then turned to Zechs, holding out the "sacred" pouch to him. "I'm sure Heero can help with these." Taking the pouch containing the file disks, Zechs tucked them under one arm. "And we'll need Howard, too, at some point," he agreed, nodding. "Lance, I've got another quick meeting to attend to before the GAIA Committee meets with you. So excuse me, please..." He nodded to each in turn. "Lance... Quatre..." "Thanks, Zechs. We'll see you shortly," Quatre said, and then directed Lance to walk with him toward the base's interior. "I'll take you to our committee office first so that you may make your call." (tbc)
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