"Stuck"

Written By: Asymphototropic

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam wing.

Author: Asymphototropic (attracted toward the light, but never quite arrives there)

Email: asymphototropic@aol.com

Rating: R

Warnings: Preventers, no warnings at this time.

Summary: None given

Pairings: 1x2

 

" Stuck"

Chapter 1

Heero blamed his Commander.

Of course, being ever the perfect soldier, Heero complained silently, alone in his mind. Still, Peacecraft ought to know better, really. Yuy couldn't
fathom why Milliardo had dragged two of his top Preventers agents out to L1 in the first place.

And then the Commander had done the unforgivable, by dropping Duo right into it. The fact that Peacecraft had no prior knowledge that 'It' existed was beside the point. Being Commander, he should possess more intelligence than his men, Heero reasoned. That was his job.

To compound the discomfort, for the entire duration of their shuttle flight, Heero was treated to Duo's sympathy. The outward show of this emotion consisted in a lack of teasing wit; no hilarious asides in Yuy's ear, rolling of eyes, nudges of the elbow in his ribs, or any other outward expressions of Maxwell's "we must remember to practice being normal" mentality. These were replaced with gentle smiles, soft pats on the back, benign acquiescence and a general concession to Yuy's preferences toward severe military perfection.

In short, his friend's attitude was a bit unsettling.

In fact, Yuy was uncomfortable finding himself again on L1 for the first time after a long absence. His discomfort was especially acute with witnesses to
his weakness. Maxwell sensed it, and therefore was according his fellow Preventer agent a great deal of slack. Heero felt like a horrible curmudgeon,
wishing Duo would return to his usual boisterous approach to the day's events. That would have been more comfortable than comfort.

On the other hand, Peacecraft appeared oblivious to the fact that Yuy was afflicted with pangs of painful reminiscence, re- visiting the scenes of his
boyhood, in the weird absence of war. Likewise, their Commander didn't seem to think Duo's uncharacteristic behavior at all noteworthy. Milliardo's sole response to Yuy's distraction, as they transferred from the shuttlecraft into a sleek multi-fueled ground car, was a peremptory command to pick up the pace.

Perhaps due to the Commander's backseat driving, they arrived at Remand Hospital in a timely manner. The stark outward aspect of the building, gray and grim, was another painful jolt to Yuy's sensibilities, but it did remind him of his duty. A hasty mental lecture, and he found himself back on track, ready to pursue his mission in a soldierly manner. He kept his eyes off one remarkable, glossy braid, as it bounced jubilantly on Maxwell's lean back, lest Heero found himself falling into self-indulgence.

The high security installation did well on its outer perimeter measures. But once inside, Yuy was surprised at what he considered lax containment. This was, after all, a prison facility.

Peacecraft didn't seem inclined to criticize, being intent on his single goal, to question the one inmate who had vital information on terrorist activity, and then be done with the matter.

The patient had other ideas. Excited by the attention of strangers, his psychiatric condition became exacerbated. By the time they all got settled in the
interview room, the subject was so agitated he couldn't sit still in a chair. His irritation rapidly escalated, he progressed from pressured speech to
babbling, to incomprehensible noise, and at last required sedation and physical sequestration.

The psychiatrist supervising the interview was not at all encouraging over the prospect of the patient's resumption of rational speech anytime soon.
Milliardo was silently angry, with no option to vent his rage on the hospital staff, who reasonably could not be held responsible for the lunacy of their inmates, other than for their treatment and basic care.

Maxwell and Yuy exchanged silent wry glances. They were not looking forward to a long flight back to Earth, with their Commander impatiently brooding over his lack of progress. They stood a moment in the receiving area of the building, collecting their thoughts. Then Peacecraft curtly instructed Yuy to see to their exit documentation, turned and ordered, "Maxwell, get the groundcar around to the front so that we can at least leave in a timely manner."

Had Yuy been less on edge, he might have missed the attention this drew. But coiled taut himself, he noticed a tense inmate in the background, and
followed his response to Peacecraft's order.

It was a tall burly man, powerfully built, dark but graying, with a glower carved permanently into his face. He was dressed neatly in prisoner's day
attire. When he moved, it was with the caution of someone experienced with chronic pain. But for all his ill appearance, he had an air about him of overt threat. Here was a dangerous man, and one with all his rabid attention focused upon Duo Maxwell. The pose of predator following prey, waiting to pounce, predominated.

Heero braced for an attack, ready to intervene instantly.

Avidly, the prisoner's eyes followed Duo's progress out the front passage. When the view became obscured, suddenly he swung about, pierced Yuy with a leer, and astonishingly, winked.

Taken aback momentarily, Heero rapidly collected himself. He telegraphed a retort which plainly read, "Hands off, don't even think about it," before
turning pointedly away, returning his attention to Peacecraft. He continued to mark the prisoner's whereabouts, nevertheless, and didn't standdown his
vigilance until he and the Commander followed Duo out of the building.

Peacecraft took a moment to study the nearest gleaming surface of L1's dome. He tossed his head, generating a quicksilver ripple down the length of his precisely groomed hair. "There's an old Earth saying that springs to mind. 'Lost wealth may be replaced by industry, lost knowledge by study, lost health by temperance or medicine, but lost time is gone forever'!' He chuckled and confessed. 'I used to hate it when Treiz would quote that to me."

"Yes, sir," Heero agreed primly, holding the door for his superior, and then hastening around to the front passenger seat. Peacecraft's annoyance lasted
only until they arrived back at the space port. As soon as they were onboard the shuttle, he took a single calming sip of fine old brandy from an elegant
but space-worthy hip flask, sorted some documents on his laptop, and submerged himself in the usual convolutions of interspace bureaucracy.

At Duo's sigh of relief, Heero nodded acknowledgment, then settled in the co-pilot's seat to sleep. On the inside of his lowered lids, he encountered the
unsettling view of a criminal covetously eying his friend. Why was the memory of this brief encounter so disturbing? Duo was well able to defend himself, and no matter how dangerous the prisoner was, incarceration nullified the threat, surely? As usual when anything disturbed Heero's balance, he consciously extirpated it from his thoughts, consigning it to an imaginary trash receptacle, and then spacing the contents. This accomplished, he sank into a light doze.

A thump jolted him, and he looked around in alarm, as well he might, since he recognized his surroundings as Moonbase One Prison. He was locked in an icy cell that had barely sufficient oxygen atmosphere. From the four corners of it came voices, one praying monotonously in Japanese, another groaning and cursing in a thick Sweeper's dialect, and opposite him, a couple chatting calmly in Old English. Yuy shifted, hoping he wasn't sitting on anything too disgusting. Before he could pursue the thought to a practical survey, however, there came a clanking of the lock, the door swung wide, and a guard shoved in another prisoner. Duo stood there, blinking in order to get his eyes adjusted to the shadows, all the while smiling benignly. Heero wanted to call out to the attendant, to explain that Duo didn't belong there, but he panicked when he couldn't decide which language to use.

"No!" he shouted, and jumped awake, confused to find himself in a skillfully piloted shuttle, just re-entering Earth's busy flight pattern. He blushed,
wondering if he'd actually shouted audibly. Peacecraft still appeared to be submerged in his work. But when Heero looked aside, Duo reached over and patted him soothingly.

This answered one question at least. Heero shrugged uncomfortably over the rest of it, hoping time would resolve matters.

And so it did, one way or the other, mostly the other, as it transpired.

~ * ~

[Quotation Notation: Peacecraft's comment about lost time is attributable to Samuel Smiles, a 20th Century Earthling.]

[This is a test. This is only a test. I'm trying to determine whether a fic I wrote for a different fandom can be translated into Gundam Wing. Had this been an entirely new fic, you would have been instructed to critique it. However, under the circumstances, you may wish to cut me some slack. heh.]

~ * ~

Chapter 2

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