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"Alternative Directions: Options "Written By: Karina Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the lovely
boys and their girls in the series. Wish I did. Please don't sue me.
I haven't even got a brass razoo to give you. Rating: Deffinately PG in Australia, at the moment,
but probably safer to say R for later chapters. Not sure about international
ratings Warnings: It will be 6x2, even though it does
not start out that way. After all, Zechs and Duo never met in Gundam
Wing and only spoke briefly over a com line in Endless Waltz. I've
tried to keep them in character as I saw them in the series. A bit
of language creeping in under stressful conditions. Pairings: eventual 6x2, past 2xH, 2+H,6x9, 1+R
Summary: Directions is set post Endless Waltz
and roughly 2 years have passed. Zechs and Noin are on Mars and Duo,
after spending some time with Hilde in a relationship leaves L2 to
join Preventers. Hilde was not happy about his decision. I guess enough
said. Here t'is, and I hope you like it. This is also AU for the standard
setting, as well as the series and Endless Waltz. Spoilers: Gundam Wing Series and Endless Waltz Many thanks to Dulin for volunteering to beta this. //... // thoughts
"Alternative Directions: Options"
2nd March AC 198 Colony L1 - 0025 B [La Grange point 1. Serial number 0025 B ] Preventer Building Time: 05:55 [approx Sanc time 04:45] Trowa He could feel Quatre behind him, that warm slender form that was so deceiving to look at. When most people met his soul mate they did not at first see the man he knew Quatre to be. Too many people saw only the young man of extraordinary good looks and a face that you would expect to find carved into a slab of marble. He had heard Quatre likened to an angel more than once and each time he heard it he had wanted to laugh in their misguided faces. His lover was far from angelic. Few people knew the real Quatre and what he was capable of. All too many people, even those in influential positions who should have known better tended to underestimate the quiet voiced youth they saw and it was a misconception that Quatre saw the advantages of cultivating. It gave him an advantage in business negotiations and in personal relationships within his family and amid friends that was, in Trowa’s opinion, decidedly one sided. There was a mind as sharp and as quick as a steel trap lurking under that oh so sweet butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth exterior. *”Because you need to.”* Quatre had said. His voice had been a whisper in the unreal dawn but there had been no denying he recognized that voice. He knew it too well. He loved listening to it. Yet he knew he was alone. He was alone in the artificial dawn of a new day on the colony, standing in the doorway of a Preventer accommodation block with his assigned room at his back and nothing more… yet he could feel the warm hands resting on his back, caressing his chilling skin and bracing him as though Quatre actually stood there, within arms reach. He dared not turn around for fear he might find the man actually standing there, smiling at him and he would either fall into Quatre’s arms and make passionate love to him for actually being there or reality would crumble once again into the chaos of nightmare and he would find himself facing a flaming wall and bloodied burning lover smiling at him from crisping distorting flesh. He did not know which event would frighten him the most. //Quatre? Because I need to?// The hallway was dimly lighted and the lights had not as yet automatically come up to simulate the daylight hours. Strain though he did he could hear no suggestive sound now. All that he could hear was his own still harsh breathing which must be like a beacon to anyone listening for a hint that they were not alone. He was supposed to be a professional yet here he stood in fear of a nightmare breathing harshly and making of himself a perfect target like any rank amateur. “You must steady yourself . You need to find the fire.” He could not help the rippling shudder that traveled up his spine and the skin of his back grew goose bumps in response to that warm whisper. Quatre had to be standing just behind his right shoulder and his breath was warm on his skin and so close that he could almost smell that unique scent that was wholly Quatre. He was alone. He knew he was alone. He would by far prefer to ignore the ‘things that go bump in the night’ and get on with the serious business of reality. Trying to second guess the all too often subtle difference between what was nightmare and what constituted reality left him shuddering with a chill that had nothing to do with the room temperature and everything to do with a healthy fear of the unknown. It was one thing for him to know that Quatre was born with active Empathic tendencies. He had no difficulty helping Quatre keep control on those bad days when the world and its people encroached on his sanity and he needed a strong body and loving heart to lean on. It was entirely another matter for he himself to experience something akin to Quatre’s greatest strength. What gave Quatre the advantage in the majority of encounters with fellow human beings seemed to manifest within him in the form of induced nightmares of fire and he could not see any possible use for such an ability. Quatre seemed to have a broader view. It was Quatre who was fascinated with the dreams that came to tear his nights apart. It was Quatre who insisted they talk about those dreams that all too often left him a shivering wreck barely able to moan when he would insist on examining every facet of the horrors of burning, crisping, blackening flesh. It was Quatre who would investigate every report of a fire that would take place after an incident of nightmare seeking the barest similarity to some element from his dream. It disturbed him that his partner and lover for whom he would do anything to ease the pain when his empathy encroached on every aspect of their life would not leave the matter alone. Why did Quatre push for more and more detail when he simply wanted to forget? Quatre reminded him of a dog worrying a bone intent on cracking the bone to get to the marrow within. He personally did not want to know that the dreams might be more than nightmares brought about by some vague memory of something that happened in his murky childhood. With a low growl of fury at himself for lingering in an exposed position he slipped away from the door to his room out into the hall. While he insisted on calling the dreams nightmares it was not in him to ignore any threat to the other people in this building. He could worry at a dream and an absent lovers fascination when there was proven to be no danger. He did not think the dream was related to his decision to act as long ago he had learned that he must follow up on that itch that had grown between his shoulder blades and told him something was wrong. That itch, that instinct peculiar to professional soldiers had developed during the time he had spent with the mercenaries and he knew its meaning only too well. Something was wrong. Someone might die and it might well be him if he did not investigate. It was not because of a nightmare that his feet glided over the carpet in careful silence. It was not because of the nightmare that he strained to hear the smallest sound that might mean he was not alone in this place. It was not because of the nightmare and for so long as he could tell himself that and make himself believe it he was safe. Exactly what it was that he was safe from he did not want to explore. // Because I need to? Why do I need to, Quatre?// Even as he thought the question, perhaps to his absent lover or perhaps to himself he could feel those phantom hands warm on him, resting against his back. A light and very welcome caress steadying him and there was the hint of that alluring scent so uniquely his lover and soul mate surround and tease him. Words were never necessary between them when the bonds that bound them transcended simple human understanding. When the bonds surrounded them in warm and loving comfort he would know everything that Quatre might say without a word needing to be spoken and Quatre would know his heart and mind as though it were his own. Such times enthralled them both and when it faded and the world became normal once more each would know what it had been like to be of one awareness and find the world to be lacking. It was so much more intimate and satisfying than sex. He sighed softly and withstood the shiver of loss as the feeling of closeness with his lover fell away. He knew what Quatre would say to him and he did not need to hear those words physically spoken. All of the discussions that disturbed him so much about these weird episodes of his were lodged in his memory for all time much as he would wish to forget them. What need was there for them to waste this rare moment on rehashing the old disagreement between them when it made far more sense to languish in the love they shared and to promise with his heart that he would take care. He knew Quatre’s will and determination and he knew his own love for the innocents of humanity. He might be able to stop the fireball. If nightmare should be masquerading as reality. He might be able to make a difference and keep people alive and he had seen enough death in his life. It had happened before. Quatre had shown him the proof. His nightmares had been shown to become fact in the harsh light of a new day with his lovers eyes gentle and sorrowful and yet oddly triumphant. Might this be such a day? The itch between his shoulder blades had progressed to something more. It invaded his mind and demanded action be taken. Something was very wrong and ignoring that sensation was not an option. //It’s quiet. Too quiet. Not a sound to suggest anything is wrong but I’m sure I heard someone moving around out here and I’m certain I heard the door to the stairwell close.// What he had heard might have been an agent returning to base from assignment ahead of schedule and seeking some sleep and a chance to rest in an assigned room. It might have been as innocent as that but there had been something about the sound of that door closing that suggested to him a heavier door than those used to close off the individual rooms. The doors to the stairwell were heavy fire doors and he was certain it had been a solid door. His ‘something is so not right’ itch was driving him to distraction and his gaze barely skimmed over the three doors between his room and the stairwell. The itch said there was mischief and possibly mayhem afoot and before it became mayhem he needed to slip himself into the equation and perchance influence event. Memories of fireballs exploding before his stunned eyes and people screaming and running shoulder to shoulder with him, of the stink of smoke and burning flesh, of plastics melting and overheated metal surrounding him. So many memories of nightmare’s flames. Nightmare would not become reality if he could possibly avoid it. Why was it always fire? Why did it always have to be fire that haunted his sleep? The door to the stairwell was not locked owing to its function as a fire escape but despite this there were security precautions in effect. This was, after all, a Preventer base. The door was equipped with an alarm as a security precaution and there was a key pad so that in emergency situations such as an attack on the personnel it could be locked down and keyed to a specific code. Another feature of the security sensors served to register use ever time the door was opened and the keypad would enable him to access that record. Trowa was quick to slip up to the door and long dexterous fingers flew over the keys bringing up the display on the small screen and his suspicions were confirmed. The door had been used in the last few minutes. He was not alone. Flames danced before his eyes roaring and abusing his hearing and there was heat driving him back from the door… With a low curse he forced the flames to subside and the heat vanished and the roaring became the thundering beat of his own heart. //I don’t have the time for this.// The resurgence of the dream though, especially the modification to it disturbed him. He had never before found himself walking the dream while awake. He had not found himself looking at the dream while awake and aware that he was awake. It was enough to make him hesitate and wonder if perchance he was still locked in nightmare, tossing and turning in bed… No. Enough was enough. He was awake and aware and he would not lose himself to nightmare. There was no time for guesswork and supposition and make believe and he classified dreams in that category. There was no time to hesitate for the wrong reasons. Time was probably of the essence but he needed to opt for caution. Charging into a situation would likely get himself hurt if not killed and he had a blonde lover to return to when all of this was over. He had promised Quatre in that most intimate of moments when two minds became one that he would return to him. That he would take no unnecessary risks. That he would love him and loving him demanded that he stay alive. His fingers skimmed over the keys pressing the keypad for the release of the door. Listening intently he detected the release of the lock and caught the heavy panel before it could swing wide. Holding the door open just enough to press his ear to the gap he listened for any suggestion that someone might be waiting for him on the other side. Silence greeted him and he sighed softly. Of course it would not be so simple as to find his prey so quickly and easily. Drawing a deep breath, fingers flexed around the hilt of a knife while the other hand steadied the door he flattened his back to the wall and checked the hallway before committing himself to going into the stairwell. The hallway was empty the doors to the individual quarters closed and the power to the lights was steadily increasing mimicking the brightening dawn. Time was against him in this endeavor and he needed to move soon. Workers would be arriving now and over the next hour their numbers would amount to a veritable flood of humanity. Preventers was one of the largest employers in the ESUN and this was their headquarters in the L1 Colony cluster. The night staff at the complex was a skeleton staff consisting of some fifty to sixty individuals unless an operation was in the planning. The members of the night staff would be replaced by some four hundred full time day staff, a large number of part time workers and an indeterminate number of civilians transient within the complex. While the daylight hours raised the number of lives now at risk from what he was certain was an intruder he could not simply throw himself through the door. He needed to be careful or impatience and inattention to detail would place more risk on those lives than the few seconds it would take to check at each stage to chase down who ever it was who wandered the building. A few seconds was all he needed though his mind kept telling him that people might die because he delayed. He had learned long ago to ignore that inner voice. Coughing out his own life in a little used stairwell would do nothing for those others. A final touch to check the knives tucked within easy reach before he opened the door sufficiently wide enough to allow himself to slip into the dimly lighted space beyond. He closed the door carefully all too aware that sound echoed extremely well in this confined space and that he wanted his presence to go unnoticed by the intruder. He needed to hear not have himself be heard and marked as a threat. With his back flattened against the door he paused, straining to hear the smallest sound, the faintest hint of movement in the stairwell. The prickles of sensation running up his spine insisted he was not alone despite the silence that greeted his ears. Strain though he might he could hear nothing but the thundering of his heart. He hated this type of situation by far preferring more direct methods of stalking his prey. If he had made a sound on entering the well or closing the door it was possible that whoever was in here with him had heard and was mirroring his caution. Perhaps their back was pressed to the concrete wall or to another fire door and they were straining to hear him move. He trusted the instinct that said not to move, he was not alone more than he trusted the silence and so remained motionless, eyes flicking from the stairs leading up to the roof on his left and then to the stairs descending to his right. Which way? Up or down? How had the intruder entered the building? That he or she had come through the hallway and not climbed the stairs from the ground floor suggested he had managed to bypassed the security checkpoints and not entered from the main lobby. There had been no fire alarm sounded so the ground floor of the stairwell would be under security seal preventing access from that quarter. His thoughts were dragged back to the matter at hand by the faintest of sounds. He flicked his eyes up at the whisper that was more a movement of air than a true sound. It confirmed not only an unauthorized presence within the stairwell but also provided him with the direction he should take to pursue. //Going up, hmm? Now what might you want on the roof?// He ghosted toward the stairs confident that the intruder was heading for the roof of the building. There was nothing on the levels above him other than more accommodation areas, a recreation lounge and gymnasium. He was two levels down from the roof and could not think of a thing his prey might want on those higher floors. The roof offered more potential for mayhem. He set a hand to the wall, hugging the inner side of the stairwell as a precaution in the event that the intruder peered over the railing to attempt to catch a glimpse of anyone he or she might suspect of being where they least wanted them. He set foot to the first step and froze, losing the whisper of movement he had been listening to and he dared not move lest the faintest echo give his presence away. Something high above him clunked. A metallic sound that suggested something fairly hefty and definitely metallic had been placed on the concrete steps. He scowled and he trembled with the effort of resisting the urge to sprint up those steps as fast as his legs could carry him. The unwanted mental image of a man wielding a rocket launcher standing before him sprang to mind and with it the resurgence of enveloping flames. He shook the image from him and mentally snarled not daring to growl aloud. He wanted to scrub at his face and somehow wipe away that mental image but resisted that betraying movement. He would remain still until he could be assured he was not going to walk into a disaster. He had no time for entertaining return bouts of nightmare. There was only sufficient time to ensure nightmare did not become reality. //A rocket launcher?// Somehow he was certain that was what had been rested on the landing two floors above him. Most likely his prey was at the exit to the roof and was working on circumventing the lock and security protocols. That would not be the easiest of jobs but if the man had penetrated this far he was either armed with a great deal of skill or with the security codes themselves. Questions were going to be asked and answers would need to be found as to how the man had entered the complex let alone penetrated an accommodation building. //Why would someone bring a rocket launcher into the accommodation wing of the headquarters? A rocket launcher suggests the target is not too far away but not the block itself. If this wing was the target then I would have expected bombs would have been better laid in the most strategic locations designed to do the most damage in one effective strike. That would be efficient use of time and resources. If they know how to get in and to this point then they should have a fair idea of how many agents are not in the complex.// Trowa tilted his head peering up at the dimly lighted stairs but he could see nothing nor had he expected to. The angle and the steepness of the stairs curving around the stairwell would defeat someone from seeing even to the next landing. By the time one achieved a position where by one could see the next landing and door the one you stalked could see you as well. // To bring a rocket launcher… if that is what he is lugging around and I think it may be…// Some lingering element of nightmare insisted this was his vision turned reality. // It feels right as much as I don’t want to dwell on the nightmare… A rocket launcher would mean the target would have to be one of the high profile buildings surrounding the Preventer’s complex… or another wing of the headquarters itself.// A scraping sound from above alerted him to movement and after a moment the quality of the light in the stairwell altered subtly. The roof access door had been opened and the scrape would mean the intruder was moving his equipment through the door as quickly as possible, possibly sliding the heavy rocket launcher across the concrete. A waft of air made its way past him as a soft thud marked the closing of the door above and he decided it was safe to move. As quickly and as silently as possible he set foot to the steps. He could not afford to allow too much distance to come between them for fear he lost the man and found him again too late to stop what was to happen. For all the speed he now needed he could not afford to relax his vigilance on this approach to the roof access. He could not say with certainty that his target was alone. There might be more than the one intruder and a guard placed on the access door was to be expected in such a scenario but if he was to be effective he would have to take some chances in this situation. //What about his target? What is he after here? He’s managed to gain the roof and is possibly armed with a rocket launcher. The exact type of rocket launcher does not matter at this point in time so much as the weapon itself and what it implies. This wing of Preventer Headquarters is required for him to make the desired impact and he needs a distance weapon to reach his intended target. Now is that just for distance alone or for overall effect?// He knew that from the roof of the building you could clearly see two high rise office buildings, one to the east and the second to the south of the Preventer building. Both of these structures towered over the lower Preventer complex but clearly he needed something the Preventer building could offer him that another vantage point could not. Either of these structures could be the intended target especially considering that both housed government Offices and one housed private business concerns. One was the colonies Administration Hall of Records and if that should chance to be the target then havoc could be created from wanton destruction. Terrorists usually targeted something, be it a building or person with greater visual impact but in a colony any building was important to its structural integrity. He would have expected a larger and higher profile target than the records department but if some organization wanted to cause long lasting damage to the social stability of the colony then the records building was the ideal target. There were back up records stored in central vaults on Earth and in secured locations in the other colonies as a safety precaution should a general failure take place on any colony and threaten the colonies stabilities and perhaps someone was particularly ruthless about intending to remove records they wished to be destroyed. //That’s possible. Everything from the original colony design to the office of the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages is kept there. Then again they may just be in the mood for being bloody minded.// It was a great deal of trouble to go through just to ruin someone’s day, he mused as he ghosted across the first of the landings, pausing only for a few seconds to listen for possible company before continuing on realizing the futility of the effort. The stairwell whispered continually to the sounds of his own movement and all he could do was hope that his target was solitary and at this time was busily engaged in setting himself up on the roof. If he had left a guard… No time now for useless speculation. He was not going to come up off the stairs at a walking pace after all. //The Haverston building is on the south facing side. Some of the biggest corporate offices are there. Many of the big boys in corporate trading and the mining consortiums have officers there including a subsidiary of the Winner Corporation. Why target big business? Considering what Quatre has taught me about corporate espionage and one-up-man-ship that was a dumb question but I suppose it has to be examined. Blowing up a rivals offices could be a warning any number of companies might consider if they felt the need was there. If they had been pissed off enough to emulate terrorist tactics and direct blame to another concern. If they could get away with it they would do it. I swear big business is worse than politics. Okay, there are the two most likely targets either one of which could adversely effect the colony in a multiple of ways but the question remains… Why use Preventer headquarters to launch the attacks? There are multiple and easier access points from the far side of both those buildings than accessing them through this particular building.// Meaning that there was a very specific location being targeted. No the more thought he gave to the question the more he was certain that targeting either of the two buildings flanking the headquarters complex from the Preventer building itself just did not sit right. There was something off about that scenario for all it was possible, even probable one of the two was the intended target. He had to remember that not only he and his fellow Gundam pilots were professionals who had supreme confidence in their own skills. If it was he who was hunting a specific target and he had sufficient confidence in himself and his abilities that he would go for the best possible view of said target despite the difficulties inherent in reaching that vantage point he would walk into the lions den to accomplish his mission. In the past he had done so on numerous occasions when he had infiltrated Oz. Something told him that this intruder was equally skilled and confident. //I need to exercise every care. This infiltrator will be good. Very good.// The office buildings were not the only buildings visible from the roof of the Preventer complex. There were also two wings of Preventer headquarters itself that could be seen from the roof of the accommodation building and both of these structures were vital to Preventer operations within the L1 environment. One of the wings housed the main office section where Preventer staff catalogued, investigated and recorded anything that might become a fire that needed extinguishing. There were always agents in that building and he believed the L1 Supervisor had his office on the side facing the accommodations block. High profile Preventers were always a target. The building also housed an entire floor devoted to the accumulated records of every investigation handled by Preventers since the organization was founded. Personnel records, inactive pending investigations, cold case files and active investigations as well as records listing the resources available to the various departments of this sector including undercover agents and informants identities were housed in the extensive library and vaults. That wing of the complex was a likely target for anyone who might have been or was currently under investigation but considering the size of the records section it would take more than a rocket launcher to be certain specific evidence was destroyed. The exact location of the evidence would be required to make such an assault worth while. An incendiary device would have to have one hell of an explosive charge to do more than blow a hole in the reinforced walls of the vaults to be found there. The infiltrator would have to have the time and the opportunity to perform multiple shots to make any real impression in wiping out select records. // No, I think that is rather unlikely. All of the records are backed up and stored on Earth anyway, in the mother complex in Sanc. The building is reinforced against meteor strike and capable of being sealed in the event of a hull breach to protect the workers. That is a lot of plating the weapon would need to go through to take out records.// It was the opposite wing of the complex in his view that was the more likely target of a terrorists attack considering the nature of the dreams that had haunted him. One thing had featured in that nightmare repeatedly, the same theme recurring and he had to consider it now as it implicated the intruders target. If nightmare should be more than simple nightmare. If Quatre had the right of it and these dreams that shook him to the core were not nightmares brought about by a past filled with death and destruction then this entire episode had to revolve around the body he had found in the alley. That young man’s body had to be the reason for this invasion of the building and for deaths as yet not occurring. His dreams had implicated that incident in the alley in the fires ravaging the building. In dream… vision?... he had witnessed the man with a rocket launcher in hand and the words of that unknown had condemned him because he had not walked away from the sounds in a grungy alley in an unsavory part of the colony. The murder had to be tied up in this if his dream was more than dream and Quatre was right. If. The horrible thing was Quatre was usually right and he knew it. His actions had been implicated and what had he not walked away from other than interrupting that murder earlier in the night? It had to be the alley and the boy whose body on the slab had changed into Quatre in a frightening twist to the nightmare. The building sited to the North of the accommodations block housed the Preventer forensic laboratories and the morgue. He scowled as he considered his scouting of this building before he had retired to gain what sleep he could. He might have been exhausted but even after all this time he could not bring himself to sleep without knowing all of the exits and entrances to the building he occupied should escape be required. It was a caution in earlier years that have seen him survive to this day and it was a caution that now would aid in his understanding of the situation. From the roof of this building a view was offered that was almost directly opposite the freezer storage and the two floors consisting of forensic laboratories. //Shit.// He was suddenly certain of the target. Without doubt he knew what the intention of the intruder had to be. The forensic laboratories worked eight hour shifts in a three point rotation that ensured the department never shut down. There were always staff within the building working on evidence gathered by field agents. His feet fairly flew up the steps and his gaze swept two steps ahead of him in a bid to find any possible trap that might have been placed to delay possible pursuers. In two strides he was across the landing and the door was under his hands, cool against over warm flesh and he swept a glance at the keypad that showed clear evidence of tampering and a green light indicating the lock was deactivated. With a low hissed curse he leaned gently on the locking bar and pushed opening the door sufficiently to press his ear to the gap and paused. Listened. Silence then as his heart slowed and the thunder of its beating eased he could make out the distant fading rumble that was a commuter shuttle train taking the early shift to work and would shortly return bringing home the night shift workers. Beyond that muted rumble of the train he could detect no sound that might suggest he had company watching this roof access. If the killer worked solo as he suspected then he should be clear to exit with little fear of discovery. //It does not take long to set up and fire a rocket launcher. If he came alone… If he didn’t… Damn. I’ve seen no evidence to suggest he is not solo and that means he is confident in his own abilities. He’s confident he will hit the target and its not just a random terrorist act aimed at authority. He’d have to know the exact location of the right laboratory and that screams inside information. If this is what I think it is then he is after the body and any forensic evidence we might have acquired in the interim. To my advantage he may need to do a bit of window counting to be assured of hitting the correct laboratory and take out any and all evidence gathered. That should allow me to stop him.// He could not rely on that though. Some of those labs were working on cases vital to the security of the ESUN and others were working on criminal investigations in conjunction with the local police authorities. Most of the work taking place there had nothing whatsoever to do with a nameless boy murdered in a back alley and no doubt the intruder had no care that his actions might cause a greater disaster down the track if vital evidence was contaminated or outright destroyed. There was the Preventer lives at stake too and his determination to ensure no one died this dawning. He eased the door open, peering quickly around at the roof that was visible from his position. The door faced east and he could see nothing suspicious, everything looked as it should be but considering the clutter on the roof that said little. The air conditioning system that serviced the building was huge, an older design that blocked much of his view and afforded good cover to anyone who might be up to no good. Or who was attempting to sneak up on such a body. Every coin had its opposite face. The door would close automatically behind him once he stepped away from it and he wanted no noise to alert his prey to company. Propping the door open with his shoulder he slipped off his shoes and positioned both carefully against the door frame and slipped from the stairwell and rolled neatly behind the cover offered by the air conditioner. A quick glance allayed any lingering fears that the door might close and possibly alert his prey. He gasped, barely managing to keep the sound low enough not to be heard a few feet from him. The icy remnants of the water lingering from the nightly deluge soaked through his clothing where ever he contacted the roof and silently cursing at the unexpected chill of the water he stretched himself out ignoring the puddle where his knee rested. He had to ignore such trivialities and stick to the serious business of tracking. //Wonderful. I think their new fangled cleaning system sucks.// The pitfalls of the new colony cleaning system were making themselves more and more obvious to him nor was he the only one on the colony who was far from impressed by the system. There were protests from numerous organizations that using the precious commodity of water to clean the colony was wasteful in the extreme. Without water there was no life and in space water was a precious commodity indeed. Colonial health authorities were adamant the new systems were improving the colonists environment and living conditions and that the improvement in sanitation for all was worth the use of a little water. With the discovery of the ice bearing asteroids the water flushing systems were now economically viable and the water was recycled with very little waste generated, reducing the amount of water required to be brought into the colonies. None of which concerned him or bothered him in the overall scheme of things with one exception. That exception was the impact the nightly deluge was about to have on his chances of approaching the intruder undiscovered. The rain had left lingering traces in the form of some reasonable sized puddles and he was going to need to watch his footing. Something as small and insignificant as a splash in a shallow puddle could give away his presence. Wherever he looked on the roof there were puddles just waiting for him. //Well that certainly didn’t feature in my dream.// With a slight shake of his head he considered the visible roof line and which route to take. //Office block or the forensic laboratories? If this proves to be about that boy then we need to reassess the situation. If he is a Romefeller experiment… Would they…? Yes. Yes I think they would be keen on destroying any evidence we might garner from a thorough examination of his body but Romefeller being Romefeller I would have expected something a shade more subtle than this.// He had viewed the records of the past assault by Preventers on the Romefeller laboratories. The complex had had a self destruct mechanism but it was found to be inoperative. He really needed to take a closer look at that report and try to determine just what it was the scientists thought they were trying to create. Perfect soldiers? More Heero’s? Something different? He might need to approach Lady Une over the case files and garner her permission for him to take part in the investigation or at least establish a link between that investigation and the one he was sure was about to be commissioned on L1. If that boy had had a chip… // If this attack is linked to the Romefeller genetic laboratory and that boy proves to be one of theirs then he is far more important than we assumed. Another gene laboratory complex? Or a stray who managed to elude both Preventers and Romefeller agents? They know we have others. That we managed to take some of them alive and that they are willing to talk to us. Why then go to so much trouble over this one dead boy? // Or was his assumption just that? Was he far off base? No time to consider it now. He slipped around the side of the machinery casing currently acting as his cover and after listening for a second or two he moved on, ghosting to the left and intending to peer around the machines bulk and check out that side of the roof. He must be running out of time. A rocket launcher was too large an item to be smuggled easily into the complex so it must have been disguised. Most likely it was a particularly expensive model designed to be stripped down and assemble from pieces quickly. It did not take all that long to assemble a rocket launcher if you knew what you were doing and he had no doubt that his unseen target knew exactly what he was doing. A click, the small sound of metal locking into metal snapped his head around and sped his steps across the roof and he ducked behind a vent. He had to be close. His eyes darted quickly around seeking the source of the sound and his prey. This side of the roof afforded a perfect view of the forensic wing of Preventers and he shook his head slightly. He had to stop what was about to happen and not because it would destroy vital evidence. At this time he could not give a care for the cases that might be ruined as all he cared about were the people working in blissful ignorance. The dark form bent over a long and sinister shape now resting on the roof. There was no mistaking the lines of that weapon and a large open sports bag of a remarkably nondescript dark blue told Trowa clearly enough how the rocket launcher had been carried unseen. Assembly of the weapon was now completed and he knew his time was running out. The dark shape leaning over the bag unfolded into that of a recognizable man who straightened and turned to peer over the roof railing to stare at the forensic labs and Trowa took the opportunity to work himself a little closer. He was surprised to hear the soft chuckle as the man straightened and raising a hand formed his fingers into a gun and ‘shot’ at the building. “Bang.” he chuckled. “No evidence of Washington permitted, I’m afraid.” //Washington?// There was no time to consider the implications of the comment though. His time had run out. He was too far away from his target surely to reach him but he had to try. The man had the rocket launcher in hand and was settling himself, bracing the weapon against his shoulder and taking aim. There was no time left. He could not permit the killer to target the building and he had only seconds to stop the shot. He needed to make the call now. He needed to decide how to tackle this man and whether or not to kill him. If he killed him he might well take out their only link to whatever the boy had been a part of. If he tried for a capture then the killer might succeed at taking out the evidence they had thus far collected and possibly himself as well. Should he call and distract the man and possibly gain them some time or try to cross the distance in silence and bring him down before he could fire? The rocket launcher was settled to the broad shoulder and he was straightening up his attention focused on the building across the plaza and from the small motions Trowa knew he was picking his target. In seconds he would be ready to fire and people would at best be injured and at worst die. Was this about that boy in the alley or was it something to do with another Preventer investigation entirely? Now his curiosity was piqued and he wanted to know more but that would have to wait. He wanted to know why Preventers had to be murdered but first he had to stop the murders from taking place. //Who is Washington? Why do Preventers have to die for this Washington?// No one would die today who wore the Preventer badge. No innocent civilians visiting the complex, no dignitaries present for meetings, no staff… Only one would die this day because he had no choice but to kill before others were killed. Icy cold liquid enveloped his racing feet and the small sound of displaced water was like a thunderclap to his sensitized nerves. It seemed he was not the only one hypersensitive to the sounds or movements around him. The killer stiffened, spinning around with his weapon loaded and ready and swinging to face him… No time for thought only action. He had made a promise to his soul mate and he intended to keep it. His hand closed around the hilt of the knife at his belt and his focus narrowed to the eyes of the man. Those dark brown eyes were widening with shock at his discovery and then narrowing with determination. There was no question now about taking a prisoner to be interrogated at a later time. Now there was only kill or be killed. The perfect balance of the bone handled knife was solid between his fingers then the blade was in place. The man’s throat was open and unprotected and his finger was tightening around the trigger of the weapon he held. No time to think, only throw. Kathy would have been proud of him. t.b.c.
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