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"Lost "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: implied yaoi, angst, violence, language Pairings: 6x2, mention of 4+3 Summary: Sequel to Interfacing: Found. Quatre
has some shocking information for Duo about his new lover; there's
trouble in Cairo... "Lost"
"No, you listen to me, Rashid!" Quatre faced off against the huge Arabian, heedless of the vast difference in their sizes. "You know about my sensitivity, but you're NOT going to protect me from this! I have to talk to Merquise!" He stabbed the other's sternum with a finger. "This whole thing feels so wrong, Rashid. I have to find out what's really going on!" Scowling at the diminutive pilot, Rashid nodded slowly. His people understood such things as seers and empaths who were unusually sensitive to other's emotions and who could read the truth in their hearts. That Quatre Raberba Winner was one such he had no doubt, although he and his friends would prefer to keep this little one from such pains. Quatre, obviously, had other ideas. "Very well, but I will be in the back of the room," Rashid growled. "Go on in." Quatre nodded firmly, then resolutely entered the room. Once inside, he nodded to Rashid who took up a post at the door, folding his massive arms. Then Quatre approached the man huddled in the middle of the floor. "Colonel Merquise," he addressed him formally and quietly as he stooped down, touching one knee to the floor before the handcuffed man. The head of flowing white-blond hair lifted a little at the name, but as yet Quatre couldn't see his face. "Yes?" came the soft reply. "My name is Quatre Raberba Winner," the boy explained. A slight gasp of surprise at the name. "That explains the personal army, I suppose." "You know *what* I am..." Quatre ventured, nodding. As yet, the sensation in his heart was only tingling. It was clear the man felt numb by what had happened. "Yes. A Gundam pilot," Zechs replied quietly. "And Duo's friend." "That's right, Merquise," Quatre affirmed with a sigh. "I'm sorry we had to knock you out back at the inn and handcuff you. I hope you can understand. You're OZ and we have no idea how dangerous you are. Certainly we have no recourse but to consider you our enemy, as we are fighting against OZ." As he spoke, he unlocked the handcuffs and removed them from Zechs's wrists. Zechs suppressed an unbidden protest as he rubbed his chafed wrists. Swallowing, he ventured, "I have told Duo that I am leaving the organization with whom I serve as a soldier. I did not yet tell him it was OZ. *That* I'd planned to tell him over breakfast." He gave an ironic snort at the twist of fate. "You're leaving OZ?" Quatre asked, stunned. This was a completely unexpected development. And he'd told Duo! Internally, Zechs was shaken. [Did they know who I was? What if they didn't? What if they were only seeking to protect Duo? Yet Duo's reaction... I don't know where that hatred came from...] "I must," Zechs sighed heavily. "I can no longer be a part of their schemes. I told this to Duo the first day we were together. I have been on the verge of leaving... for some time." [All I can do from here on in is tell them everything I can.] Quatre studied the bowed head of flowing hair, the bent shoulders. His heart felt acutely the distress sheeting off the man. "I want to believe you, Colonel..." "Please," the man interrupted, "just call me Zechs. I won't be holding that rank much longer." "All right... Zechs." Quatre frowned. [He could be telling me anything...] "Did you know Duo was a pilot? A Gundam pilot?" "No... never. A 'high-tech mechanic', he described himself. I believed him." The deep, husky voice changed at that, and Quatre felt a twinge. [He believes himself just as betrayed as Duo does!] Quatre realized with a shock, beginning to understand. [If he has been sincere all along... then this pain I feel is a true one, and it's coming from him. Oh, dear Allah...] "I assume you've either seen a Gundam pilot in action or at least have heard of them," Quatre continued neutrally. "Worse," Zechs broke in with a note of self-derision. "I witnessed the self-detonation of the one in Siberia - I'd battled him once before as well. If it matters to you, I allowed the other one to remove the body from the battlefield and withdraw. I was, truthfully, as outraged as you must have felt by the threat against the colonies. I had neither foreknowledge of that nor would approve of that. In fact, I'd tried to call Colonel Une to protest, but she cut me off." "That was you?" Quatre exclaimed, stunned. "You were there when Heero self-detonated?" [This could change everything, if it is really true. I told Rashid we needed more information,] he thought with consternation, biting his lip. Zechs straightened a little finally, though he did not as yet look at the Gundam pilot, his face still veiled by his hair. "I was horrified that he would do something that extreme. I could not fight after that - I was sickened to be a part of it, I admit." Then he snorted with self-derision. "I have news for you, Quatre Winner. That pilot is alive." Quatre paled in shock. "What? Heero is alive? How do you know? Does OZ have him?" [This could change everything...] Finally Zechs looked up to meet the wide, blue-green gaze of the blond boy. Quatre noticed immediately that his eyes were swollen and a bit red, his gaze sorrowful. "Of course not," Zechs replied with a heavy sigh. "I cannot explain it. I just know he is. That's why I took possession of what was left of his Gundam. Basically, Quatre Winner, I, Colonel Zechs Merquise, am throwing away my promising career with OZ in order to rebuild Gundam 01." He sighed and looked away. "It's nearly done, too." "You're rebuilding Wing Gundam?" Quatre rocked back on his heels in surprise, nearly falling on the floor. "I... I don't understand..." Behind him, he heard Rashid give a start as well. [They're just children in many ways... and men in others,] Zechs mused, observing the other's shock. [And I'm more determined than ever to help them. Even my... even Duo...] He cleared his throat and ventured to explain. "My own mobile suit, the Tallgeese, was the prototype of all Gundams. We recovered enough off the plain of Siberia to determine that we knew enough from the Tallgeese's design to reconstruct Gundam 01 using the data OZ had collected on its performance... and the pilot's data... since we first encountered it. I was ordered to destroy the Gundam once the OZ leadership discovered I'd retrieved it from the battlefield." He smiled tightly. "I destroyed something, but it wasn't the Gundam. Within days, it will be transported to my base in Antarctica. I have a subordinate looking for the pilot now. My intention is to give it back." "You have a base of your own?" Rashid spoke up. He'd been listening to the OZ Colonel with fascination and could not help but jump in. Zechs snorted again. "Don't go blabbing it around. There are... elements... within the Romefeller Foundation who would just love to smack me down." Quatre nodded, his heart lifting. If what his heart was telling him was true... they'd seriously underestimated this OZ officer. "You're a rebel then yourself, aren't you, Zechs?" "Hmph. You could say that." [Not that it matters to these,] Zechs thought in misery. [These extremists don't understand politics...] Rashid spoke up again. "Tell us... about the mask." [Oh, shit, here it comes.] "So, you've seen a picture of me." Zechs sighed heavily. "I suppose it doesn't matter now. I was hiding my identity from the Alliance, nothing more. Now that they are no longer a military threat I suppose the time has come to resurface. Although I do not intend to use... that name. I have very little right to it anymore." "What name, Zechs?" Quatre asked quietly. "Who are you really?" [Father... is it time? Will these bright spirits lead me back to myself?] Zechs straightened. "I am the heir to the throne of the Sank Kingdom which the Alliance threw over thirteen years ago. My father was King Peacecraft, a proponent of the concept of total pacifism. The Alliance feared his leadership among the nations of the Earth... and killed him." [He's a king!] Quatre realized, astounded. [The blood doesn't get bluer than that... but he chose to become a soldier despite his heritage. He carries deep sorrow with him now. Duo, if only you knew... if only you both could have opened up completely to each other before yielding to suspicion...] "I'm sorry to hear of your loss," Quatre murmured. [And this better all be true or else I think I will let Duo kill him...] Zechs nodded graciously. Now they could see it - the regal bearing of a man born to elegance... and responsibility. Would a man such as this tell lies of this magnitude in order to tell them what he thought they wanted to hear? Had he told Duo of his heritage? Quatre would be willing to bet that Zechs hadn't. "What will you do now?" Rashid spoke up. "What did you plan to do after leaving OZ?" "Keep fighting, of course... against OZ, or rather, against the elements within the Romefeller Foundation bent on domination and control of the colonies or of the Earth." [Do they believe me? Can anyone believe me?] Zechs wondered, knowing how his story must sound: desperate, tinged with fantasy. "Isn't the Romefeller Foundation just the financial support behind OZ?" Quatre asked. Zechs snorted. "Was... but the snooty-noses have been growing increasingly more aggressive, pushing for a wide-spread military build-up to crush any opposition. I am going to learn more about that, you can be sure." He looked intently at Quatre. "You were receiving order from the colonies about specific OZ targets to hit?" It was the first question Zechs had asked them about their efforts against OZ. [He's in our custody, he's clearly not able to tell anyone... it probably won't make any difference,] Quatre thought, regarding the soldier before him carefully. He'd felt and heard Rashid behind him tensing. "I can't answer that yet, Zechs." "Of course, forgive me," Zechs murmured quickly, looking away. "I forget my position. It's just that it may be critical that your sources learn of the changes going on in OZ right now. And they will need to know about OZ's new approach to the colonies. You Gundam pilots have a difficult road ahead of you." Quatre looked startled; he turned to exchange a glance with Rashid, who frowned. Apparently Zechs had no idea that orders from the colonies had completely ceased, that likely OZ had already rounded up the scientists who had sent the Gundams to Earth. The four - possibly five - Gundam pilots were without direction. All they knew to do was to fight OZ... but without intelligence data, they could be digging their own graves. [If this man could help us! He could be the sort of strong ally that could help us get our effort back on track! And I really don't think he knew Duo was a Gundam pilot...] "Zechs," Quatre addressed him, turning back around as he suppressed his growing excitement, "I'm going to go out on a limb here, but would you consider allying with the Gundam pilots - at least as many of them who will agree to work together? I've been thinking for some time that we need to work in concert with each other, and not independently as we have done. Now, more than ever. But we could use your knowledge of OZ as well as your mobile suit." "If we can trust you," Rashid put in hastily. "You've told us a lot, but we need to know you're sincere in wanting to fight OZ. For all we know, this has all been an elaborate plot to take the Gundams down from the inside out, one by one." [I want nothing more than to ally with them!] Zechs thought, his heart aching again. [But how can I gain their trust?] "You give OZ far too much credit, sir. Romefeller only understands military might, not intrigue and psychological pressure." He glanced over at the little pilot, watching him with wide eyes. "Quatre, I would be honored to ally with the Gundam pilots." A thrill and feeling of calm spread through the younger blond. [Yes, this is right! I feel it!] "I'm beginning to think it would be an honor for us as well, Zechs!" He grinned at him for a moment, then his smile faded. "I want to trust you, and I feel that I can trust you. But my comrades won't come around so easily. We were trained to deeply mistrust any who have been associated with Earth's military forces. And you're obviously a military *leader*, accustomed to giving orders." "I would never presume to give orders to Gundam pilots," Zechs interrupted hastily, frowning. Then he bowed his head. "What about Duo?" Quatre held a fist to his heart momentarily, feeling the other man's ache. "He believes with all his heart that he has been deeply betrayed, that you raped and abused him for your pleasure..." He paused, for the man's face had turned ashen at the statement. "I'm sorry, Zechs, we still only have your word that any of what you have told us is true. We will have to do more investigating to verify enough to begin to trust you as a potential ally. I... I don't know how Duo will react if I tell him you could be an ally." [Duo... my Dancer!] Zechs wailed painfully in his heart, aching for the loss of his lover through this huge and unfortunate misunderstanding. [You'll never trust me again...] Rashid spoke up quietly, clearing his throat. "Duo has asked that we kill you when we're done getting all the information out of you that we can." [Duo....WHAT?] Zechs gasped, his senses abruptly spinning, and before he knew what was happening, he'd lurched to the side and vomited on the stone floor. "Zechs!" Quatre cried in alarm, immediately going to the man's side, holding his shoulders and his hair out of the way while he finished heaving. Rashid, too, came to stoop beside them, as much for Quatre's protection than anything. When Zechs was merely shuddering, they drew him up and helped him move over to the cot to sit. After cleaning up, Quatre pulled a chair over to sit in front of him, waiting for the man to regain some composure. "Thank you," Zechs murmured gravely after a long while. He hugged his arms to himself, aching now in gut and heart. "You see..." But he bowed his head and could not finish. Quatre winced at the misery sheeting off the man. "You're truly in love with Duo, aren't you? You two really did fall in love." "I believed so... yes. With all my heart," Zechs replied, a sort of sick bitterness now tingeing his voice. [Duo, where did your love go? You can't even talk to your Wolf about this? You're wrong, Duo, I'm exactly as I said I was...] "Oh, blessed Allah," Quatre sighed. "I can feel the truth in that. Don't worry, we're not going to kill you. All I can say right now is that I hope Duo can come around in time. It won't be easy. I think he could be pretty stubborn." Zechs shook his head. "I don't know. He's nothing like I thought he was." He shut his eyes tightly, frowning, picturing again the enraged young pilot who had nearly shot him. "I've now seen a side of him I wish I'd never seen. He... he's not my Duo." Quatre felt a sharp pang in his heart at the man's hopeless bitterness. If anything, he knew the man was not acting, was not pretending to truly love Duo. His empathy told him that clearly. "Zechs, you must understand something about us Gundam pilots. I don't know that I would say that I myself am a violent person, but I can be dangerous... we are all dangerous. Our situation demands danger, especially now. The other four pilots... they are violent and used to battle, hardened for war and killing for years. The killing... is hard for me. But I do it as well because I have to. We all have to." "Of course," Zechs murmured. "You're desperate. And now even more so, as the colonies are apparently accepting OZ's ploys and will fall under OZ's control... which means they will reject the Gundams, the very pilots who fought for them in the first place." He gave an ironic snort. "We're all betrayed, then, aren't we?" "Yes, I suppose you're right." Quatre sighed and stood up. "Zechs, I think we need to do some verification before we talk further. After that, I will try to talk to Duo." "Don't bother," Zechs muttered, bowing his head. "He won't accept me." Quatre looked at the man strangely. "Do you still love him?" [Until the day I die,] Zechs thought painfully. [The Duo I loved... I will always love him.] "It doesn't matter now. All that matters is stopping Romefeller." "Right," Quatre sighed. He stood up, replacing the chair. "Well. We'll start our investigation, I guess." "You do that, " Zechs murmured, weary. [I wish I were dead,] he thought morosely. [It would be so much simpler.] At the door, Quatre lingered. [He's still in love with Duo, I can feel it,] he considered soberly. [Is that why he's cooperating? Or does he truly intend an alliance? We have to find out what the truth is here!] He glanced back at Merquise. The man was turned away from them, rocking slightly as he hugged his arms to himself, the anxiety of being betrayed by his lover still sickening him, the dim hope of the future not enough to piece his misery. Outside the room, Quatre turned to Rashid and took a deep breath. "If we can verify that Romefeller ordered Wing Gundam destroyed and that what Merquise destroyed was not the Gundam... and maybe even get proof that there is a base in Antarctica where the Gundam has been taken. That would prove that he's telling the truth." He stopped to press his fist over his heart. "Master Quatre, what is it?" Rashid said quietly. Quatre shook his head. "I feel his pain, Rashid," he replied, wincing. "That man is in agony over Duo's belief that he has been used by him. He loves Duo very much..." The big Arabian Maguanac captain shook his head in negation. "He's a Colonel in OZ, Master..." But the Gundam pilot was as vehement as he'd ever seen him. "I know, but he sure doesn't act like one. This is so important, I just know it - he's going to be a key ally, Rashid." "But... Master Quatre..." Quatre waved his hand at the man vigorously. "So go and get that evidence! We can't waste any more time!" Rashid bowed and went out, calling his men on the radio to hastily set out for Lake Victoria again.
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