|
"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 " 21) At last Heero opened the final file in the set. This, evidently, was the 'something big' Lance had referred to, but the man had not seen it yet either. Something so important and critical that Treize Khushrenada had felt it essential to have someone hand-deliver. Scanning the physical layout of the mobile suit design, he made a rude noise. "This is it? This is an upgrade design for Wing Gundam, isn't it? At least it looked like my mobile suit." Heero scowled at the screen. "Doesn't look so revolutionary, although that's one hell of a beam cannon on that thing - a twin one!" Lance leaned closer to the monitor. He could feel they were close... very close to something. But what? "Is there more to this file?" he asked, determinedly. "This can't be what we're looking for." "Wait, here's something about the cockpit system... It's called Zero." Heero remembered that the Tallgeese's cockpit system was... unusual. He recalled Zechs telling him that the mobile suit wanted to defeat all its enemies alone, and that it took a strong will to control it. Maybe... Scrolling to the section of the design that dealt with the cockpit, Heero settled in to read. Then he saw... He read. Then he read some more, his eyes slowly widening in shock. The blood drained from his face. "What is it?" Lance asked, becoming nervous when Heero had gone so quiet and pale. "This file... this is from the group of files from Barge?" Heero asked abruptly. "No, it was recovered from L4." L4... Heero wondered what that had to do with anything. If it wasn't from the Space Fortress Barge, it wasn't a current project of the Gundam scientists. From L4 - Quatre's home colony - so it must have been another, abandoned project discovered after Instructor H, as Quatre called his mentor, had been taken by OZ. Abandoned project... and Heero Yuy now knew why. [Damn. OZ has this file... and so does Treize... if the wrong people decide to develop this mobile suit...] Heero turned to look at the other man, his statement filled with horror. "I've got to call Zechs - he has to look at this now!" In Duo's room, the base's communications system was set to monitor all transmissions. If he was going to succeed, the first step of his plan would have to wait until Zechs left his room. Finally the radio beeped and he heard Heero's call for Zechs to join him. Somehow Duo had known it was only a matter of time before those two found an excuse to be with each other again. He growled at the sound of Heero's voice, feeling his resentment for the other boy growing stronger. [And I tried to be friends with him...] His heart was pounding now as he leapt into action. It was one thing to make a plan and quite another to put that plan into motion. He tucked his handgun into his waistband, stuffed the envelope into his pocket and then grabbed his duffel bags. He only needed to wait a moment before he heard the clicking of boot heels heading down the hall. Zechs was on his way. "Okay, it's now or never," he told himself with a deep breath and slipped out into the hall. As he passed Zechs's room, he bent over and slipped the sealed note under the door, giving it a good push, so he couldn't snatch it back. [No regrets,] he thought, biting back more tears. Duo went into mission mode then, and slinked through the corridors, ducking inside rooms and between vending machines to avoid being seen. If he bumped into even one person, questions would be asked and word would get back to Zechs that he had been seen with his bags, heading to the hangar... No, if he was going to get off this base, he couldn't let anyone see him. As expected the hangar was a-buzz with activity, so he nestled himself behind a tool shed to watch. He could afford a little patience since the launch wasn't scheduled for another thirty minutes. If he had to, he would create a diversion to give him the opportunity he needed to board the shuttle, but his chance came soon enough. One of the engineers who was clearing away equipment called out to his co-worker. "Coffee break?" A head popped up from behind the testing panel for the launch mechanism. "Yeah, sure, but just a quick one. I want to run through this launch sequence one more time." Duo licked his lips in anticipation. In just a few seconds the men had disappeared into the nearest break room and he was in motion, keeping himself low and as invisible as possible. Duo darted over to the shuttle and hurriedly climbed its steps. By the time he got inside, his heartbeat was pulsing loudly in his ears. For a moment he actually couldn't believe he had gotten this far in his plan, and then wildly thought that maybe he had been hoping to get caught... "Don't do that," he told himself angrily. [It's over and the sooner I get out of here, the sooner I can leave this fantasy behind.] After a quick assessment of the inside of the shuttle he stowed his bags away and found a spot to hide himself until Trowa arrived. He made himself very small and very quiet between a passenger seat and the food storage bin... his heart still beating fast. "What is it?" Zechs asked, striding into the computer room as both Heero and Lance got to their feet, making way for the commander to sit in front of the computer. "A mobile suit cockpit design called the Zero System, Zechs," Heero muttered, taking up a position at the blond's left shoulder while Lance hovered at his right. "One that should never be developed. And it's in the hands of OZ... and Treize." Zechs felt a chill at the way Heero named his friend in the same breath as their enemy, and he could sense Lance's sudden tenseness as well. But he did not comment on it. [He may have a point...] His fingers were already flying over the keys, accessing every level of the complex design. "Zero System," Zechs murmured. "Human/machine interface? Connects to the pilot's brainwaves... enhances combat abilities to the edge of the pilot's limits... and beyond!" He gaped at the screen, as stunned as the other two. "My God, if such a thing were built..." He looked at Heero. Understanding went between the two pilots. And more... it was as if Destiny itself was tapping on their minds, calling to them... or teasing... "No ordinary pilot can handle such a system... and even then, they might go insane," Heero whispered. "But if one gets beyond that..." Zechs pointed to something on the screen. "The system shows the pilot who his enemy is... and even extrapolates the pilot's future! Extraordinary! If that can be harnessed, enslaved by the pilot..." "Too risky," Heero snapped. "Maybe eventually someone could manage that, but before mastery is achieved, look at the harm that can be done! This thing is capable of destroying a colony!" A shudder seemed to go through the room. Lance swallowed convulsively, barely understanding what they were talking about. Clearly these two were communicating on some other level... for nothing in the designs that he could decipher suggested what they were talking about. But then he was solely a pilot. Obviously Zechs and Heero were capable of the logical leaps the specifications called for. [And that's why they're who they are...] Heero was shaking his head, seeing something in Zechs's demeanor that he didn't like and Lance couldn't discern. "No, Zechs, we can't build this. We just can't..." "There are other applications for this technology," Zechs murmured, his prodigious mind working at breakneck speed. "Think about it, Heero. A good tactical mind can use this to manage a whole fleet at once, able to predict the enemies' moves so that he can give orders that succeed. And do you realize what the response times are going to be? This will consistently defeat mobile dolls!" "Which we're committed to stopping, yes," Heero pressed on, frowning because Zechs seemed to actually think the Zero System might be a good thing. "But we want to stop *production* of them... and our upgraded Gundams can already defeat mobile dolls." He stabbed a finger at the computer screen. "The war is never going to get to the point of needing this, Zechs! We can't let it!" Zechs frowned, gritting his teeth as he wrestled with the explosion of possibilities fighting to get out of his mind. He had a very strong sense of deja vu in regards to what he was seeing, as if he'd seen the Zero System before... or was that in another life? [Wing Zero... no one can defeat such a system. The ultimate mobile suit... but it's not needed... it's... not...] "The war will never get to the point of needing this," Zechs echoed, passing a hand over his eyes, feeling suddenly lightheaded. "This is... not needed..." Heero exchanged glances with Lance; was the commander feeling ill? "Zechs," the boy murmured, patting his arm. "I think we need to have Trowa find the OZ copy of this and destroy it... and perhaps Bronn can do the same with Treize's copy. Then we'll destroy this one. This technology will only bring grief and pain. Zechs?" [I can use it... I've already reached Tallgeese's performance limits, and soon it will be too slow for me,] Zechs was thinking, unaware of the others. [I can use an adaptation of this in Tallgeese...] "Zechs," Heero persisted, shaking his arm a little. "Zechs?" The base commander shuddered, then shook his head, coming back to himself. "All right. Call Howard, Bronn... get them up here immediately..." Wondering, Heero pulled out his radio. Trowa lingered inside the door to their room, his precious kitten still in his arms, reluctant to break the spell though time was ticking away. After a couple bouts of shattering sex, they'd showered and dressed together, never more than a few inches apart. Now it was time to leave for the hangar. "No matter what happens, kitten," Trowa murmured, his lips but an inch away from Quatre's, "I'm glad we loved each other. At least we've had this." Quatre nodded and looked deeply into his lover's green eyes. "Oh, Tro, these past weeks have been the happiest of my life because of you," the little blond said and then reached up to caress the other boy's face. He had cried in Trowa's arms after their second mind-blowing orgasm. Cried tears of happiness for the deep love they shared and sadness for their impending separation. But now as he stood in Trowa's arms with the moment of separation just minutes away he knew he could be brave. And somehow he knew that they would be together again. "I know we'll both keep this time in our hearts no matter where we go." "Yes," Trowa murmured. "Until we are together again..." He bent to kiss his beloved Quatre one last time. They tasted deeply of one another, each memorizing the flavor and feel of the other's mouth, then Trowa straightened, shouldering his bag. "Until we are together." The shuttle that would launch Trowa into space was now ready and waiting in the hangar; a short taxi ride outside would bring it to the launch ramp. After a last touch to Quatre's cheek, Trowa entered the shuttle and moved forward to the front cabin, dropping his bag off in a storage locker. He could feel his mind settling into his usual business mode, focusing on the mission ahead. It would be a long time before he could allow himself the luxury of thinking about his sweet lover again. Reaching the pilot's seat, Trowa paused. [Did I hear something?] He hesitated, then reached over to the panel to flip on the cabin lights. [Gotta do this fast!] Duo told himself as he eased out from behind the passenger seat. He held his gun by the barrel so that he could knock Trowa out using the butt-end of the weapon. He didn't want to hurt the boy, but he'd have to strike him pretty hard to immobilize him. Once he'd gotten within two feet of his victim he held his breath and raised his hand to deliver the blow. [Someone... behind me!] Trowa acted instinctively, turning and ducking just as the butt of a handgun descended, then smoothly twisted until he was behind the person - Duo! It wasn't the ex-mercenary's style to ask questions first, so he rapidly maneuvered the gun out of the other pilot's hand, tossing it aside as he got both of Duo's wrists behind him in a strong grip. "Hey! Let me go!" Duo shouted as he tried to squirm out of Trowa's iron hold. "I haven't the slightest idea what you're up to, Duo," Trowa muttered in his ear as he shoved the boy ahead of him to the shuttle door. "But I think we're going to talk to Quatre about it." [Man, I underestimated this guy!] "Come on, Trowa. Just let me go. No one got hurt... We can be friends!" Quatre's eyes grew wide with shock as he saw the two coming out of the shuttle. "What's going on?" he asked, stepping closer to the plane. "Duo? What are you doing here?" "Hey, buddy," Duo said, trying to make light of the situation. [Gotta talk fast if I'm gonna get out of this one.] "I was just trying to catch a flight out of here and your boyfriend decided to stop me." "Trowa?" Quatre's eyes settled on his lover who did have a very strong hold on his friend. He could feel Duo's panic, but wasn't quite ready to ask Trowa to let the other boy go. "He's got it backwards," Trowa muttered, still holding the other tightly. "He was aiming the butt of his gun at my skull. I decided I didn't want a headache today." "What on Earth?" Quatre asked, immediately walking up and placing his hand on Trowa's arm. His first concern was his lover, then he'd deal with Duo's irrational behavior. "Are you okay, Tro?" "Of course I'm all right," Trowa replied mildly as Duo wriggled against his grip on his wrists. "But I don't know about this guy. Where do you want him?" "What do you mean where do you want me?" Duo asked, struggling to free himself. [Damn, he's strong,] he thought as he was becoming angry with the situation. "Come on, guys, this has nothing to do with you. Just let me go and I'll be on my way." "Duo," Quatre said, shaking his head. "You're not going anywhere. We all agreed that this is Trowa's mission. He's the best one to go undercover." He grabbed Duo by the upper arm and nodded for Trowa to start walking. "Let's take him back to our quarters. We can sit him down and talk some sense into him." "No!" Duo said in continued protest. "You're not listening to me! You can't make me stay!" "I'm sorry, Duo, but you're not yourself," Quatre said, beginning to feel overwhelmed by the strong emotions his friend was emitting. As they walked into the base, Duo became very quiet. An uncomfortable silence settled around them that made the hairs on the back of Quatre's neck stand up. [Even when Duo thought Zechs was his enemy he still talked,] Quatre thought nervously. A non-vocal Duo could only mean one thing... [He's about to blow.] The few people they passed in the halls looked at the trio with raised eyebrows, but made no comment. They probably assumed it was better not to ask what the Gundam pilots were up to. Duo kept his eyes down, watching the floor in front of him... waiting for his chance to escape. Trowa's grip was unfailingly tight, so he'd have to be patient. His mind whirled with possibilities. Not just of escape, but of what Quatre and Trowa were going to do with him. [Talking's fine, but if they call Zechs... I... I don't know what I'll do!] It didn't take long to reach the room. Once inside, Trowa sat Duo down on the sofa and then stood over him with his arms crossed. "Now what?" Duo asked, startling his captors by speaking again. "Oh, thank Allah you're talking," Quatre said with a smile. Duo gave a little snort and turned his face away. He really didn't want to talk. His mind was made up and no amount of words were going to help. Quatre sat down next to him and put his hand on his friend's back. "Duo, please tell me what's wrong." No response. "So now you're not talking again?" Quatre asked, frustrated. "Maybe you'd talk to Zechs." "No!" Duo shouted, his face turning back, his eyes now wild. "What is it? Why are you acting like this? I know Zechs was concerned about you last night... Didn't you guys talk?" Duo shook his head. "No more talking, Quatre." "What are you saying?" The little blond asked, and then suddenly he realized and his heart began pounding in his chest. "You and Zechs... you're breaking up?!" Duo tried to get up off the couch, but Trowa was right there, pushing him back down. "I'm not satisfied yet with your explanation," Trowa muttered. He didn't like how scared Quatre was looking, and he was damned if he was going to let this jerk with a braid cause his kitten so much distress. Finally, Duo looked at his friend again. "I didn't want to get you involved in this... It's over. Now leave me alone." "Over? But that's not possible. You and Zechs love each other," Quatre said, looking between Duo and Trowa as he tried to grapple with the news that was not jiving with his heart sense. "So, that's why you were trying to leave? To get away from Zechs?" "Yes, damn it," Duo said, firmly. "It'd be better for me to go on this mission. I've got nothing to lose but myself now, and you two still have each other." [Even I know this is nuts,] Trowa thought, exchanging a bewildered look with his lover. "You haven't talked to Zechs about this, have you?" he asked of Duo, the tone of his voice faintly derisive. "No, I haven't. But it doesn't matter. I'm doing Zechs a favor by leaving. This way he won't have to be the bad guy and break things off with me," Duo said, looking at Trowa as he rubbed his wrists to protest his treatment by the other boy. "Why would he want to break up with you?" Quatre asked, surprised. [This is ridiculous. I never got any feeling from Zechs that he didn't want to be with Duo anymore,] he thought and then got up from the couch and went over to his dresser. [I know just what Duo needs...] "I think it's pretty obvious what's going on around here," Duo said indignantly as he watched and wondered what Quatre was doing. "You're seeing things," Trowa murmured. "So he's busy a lot. Probably can't spend much time with you. It's not like you didn't know that was going to happen." He crossed his arms over his chest, though hovering close enough to Duo to keep him from bolting. "I don't expect *you* to understand," Duo said, crossing his arms over his chest to mirror Trowa's actions. "You two have been mating like rabbits... there's no way you'd have a clue about what's going on." "Hmmm," Trowa observed impassively, peering down at the black-garbed pilot through his long bangs, "perhaps Duo's problem is that he's not getting enough? Hey, Quatre, I think he's envious that we have more time to get laid..." "Why... you!" Duo shouted as he sprang up from the sofa and shoved into Trowa, trying to knock him down. Gracefully, Trowa slipped aside, allowing Duo to smack into a chair behind where he'd been standing. Once Duo spun back around, the taller pilot was ready for him, grabbing him by the arm and shoulder for an impromptu wrestling match. "Come on, guys, stop it!" Quatre yelled, dropping the photographs he was about to show Duo in order to rush over and pull the boys apart. "This isn't funny, guys," he said as he grabbed Duo by the arms. "We can't be fighting like this!" Trowa released Duo and slid back, brushing at his bangs while the irate pilot tried to swing at him from over Quatre's shoulder. "Yeah, I've got a shuttle to catch," he muttered. [Damn, I can't let Trowa get on that shuttle!] Duo thought in a panic, but then he noticed the scattered photographs on the floor. "What are those?" he asked, finally relaxing his muscles. When Quatre felt the other boy's tension subside he let him go. "Oh, I've been meaning to give these to you," he said, cheerfully. [Maybe this will do the trick.] He walked over and scooped up the black and white photos. "These were taken by Fahad... the Maguanac who followed you in Cairo." Duo stood stunned and blinking at Quatre. "Spy photos?" he asked, grabbing the stack from the other boy's hands. "Yeah, that's what they are. But I saved them, hoping you'd want them." Duo quickly shuffled through the images and realized they documented his and Zechs's last afternoon together when they'd gone out to the market. Images of them holding hands; sitting in a sidewalk cafe drinking coffee; and even tasting samples of fruit from one of the vendors. It was too much for the heartbroken boy to see. Too much to have a visual memory tossed back at him of how happy he and Zechs had been. "Oh, God," Duo said, his grief washing over him again. [I have to get out of here,] he thought and then noted that Trowa was standing several feet away. [I just might make it...] "This is what I can never have again... I want you to burn these!" he said, tossing the photos back at Quatre. Then he turned tail and raced out of the room. "Wait! Duo!" Quatre called out, surprised by the outburst and fumbling with all the photos thrown at him. "Trowa, please go after him! I'll call Zechs." "On my way," Trowa called, starting after Duo, though the long-haired pilot had put on a burst of speed and was already sprinting far down the hall once Trowa left the room. Heero was pointing out the pertinent file names to Bronn on the computer screen when Zechs's radio beeped. Beyond them, Lance and Howard were getting acquainted. Zechs responded, then caught all their attention when he swore abruptly. "Fuck, no! You can't be serious!" Zechs gasped to Quatre on the other end, then his statement turned grim. "I'm on my way!" "What is it?" Heero asked, taken aback by the commander's outburst. "Duo is trying to leave the base!" Zechs called over his shoulder, already dashing out the room. "Excuse us," Heero muttered, then leaped over a table and sprinted after him. (tbc -whooooo, it's getting exciting!)
|
