|
"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"
Preventer Patrol Cruiser E106 Bounty Date 2nd March AC 198 Time: 11:41 Bounty Ship Time [Sanc time 08:26] Duo //She has to be the pushiest bloody woman I have ever had the dubious pleasure of meeting… and her embarrassing questions! God. What the hell does she have to know if I top or bottom for? Some things should just be private. Taboo subject, that sort of thing. How embarrassing do they have to get?// He could have so easily crawled under the examination table and died. He must have been blushing fit to challenge a bonfire from the heat in his face and the Doc had sat there calm as you please and waited for an answer. Was nothing sacred on this flight? //What do they do, send out a list of names of those who do, those who don’t, who only tops, who exclusively bottoms and those who do both? Do they have a mass pair up on Friday nights or something and an orgy? Crap. What’s it matter if I don’t bend over for anyone or not? Geez, I wish I’d skipped the appointment.// As if he could have avoided the appointment, he mused. On long haul flights there were no exceptions to the necessities of space flight. The examination was required to test for possible allergic reactions and setting the dosage of the subsequently prescribed drugs designed to maintain physical musculature and bone density. The lack of gravity in the short term had little effect on the human body but longer term flight or resident living on zero gravity colonies required medical interference. Unless he wanted to be as weak as a kitten and have brittle bones on arrival in the Mars orbit he needed to take the drugs, as did every man and woman on the flight. Colonies introduced the most common drugs into their water supply much as on Earth they still introduced fluoride into some water supplies to combat tooth decay. Ingesting drugs be it through pills or something as basic as the water supply for the health of the population was not open to debate when in a space environment. //Not that I object to taking the drugs, of course its just that… Gah! I really need to get over this. I’m not a prude, after all, but I’m not an exhibitionist either. I prefer to keep sex firmly in the bedroom.// He really had to get over his snit at the personal nature of her questions and get on with what was important. Unless he found his name on a list of who topped he would have to grow up and stop acting like an embarrassed teenager. Enough of the crew already looked at him with a look he recognized and hated. He might need to make it plain on someone’s body, painfully, that he was not a child playing in an adult world. No doubt the crew would have a resident bully boy who would find some excuse to test him when the officers were absent. There were crewmembers drifting along the corridors as he made his way back to his assigned quarters. His escort was drifting along beside him and chattering on about the afternoon’s agenda. Had Mr Maxwell been notified he had a luncheon invitation with the Captain and the meal would take place in the Captain’s cabin? His escort, Mr Eager Beaver himself would return in time to collect Mr Maxwell and escort him to the appointment at so many hundred hours and please be ready. He remembered to nod in the appropriate places, filing away the commentary for later examination so he did not miss anything important. When he gained the privacy and security of his cabin would be soon enough. He was beginning to wonder if the Captain might not be concerned he may have difficulties with the crew since the executive officers were keeping such a close eye on him. //Or does he not trust the reputation of the Gundam Pilots? That is more likely to be it, I suppose, but he seems level-headed enough, so he may not be the problem. It’s the mixed crew I need to keep an eye on I think. Anyway, lunch with the captain means I will have to do what checking I can in the little time I have. He’ll want to know as much as possible about what is going on and to be honest I don’t know a bloody thing.// His morning had been monopolized by the medical staff and that horrendous woman who headed the section. When had he had the opportunity to check with his sources on the doings of the ESUN? The captain would just have to understand he was as much in the dark as anyone about this Station Alliance. // Well, I can send out a few queries to some contacts but I would not expect to hear anything back from them for a day or two, maybe longer. What are the chances I would learn anything before him? He’s the ship’s Captain and I know his kind have their own information networks. It’s pure survival to have an ear to the ground even out in the furthest reaches of the solar system. Coming back into the hub is always a delicate matter as you try to sort out who is in power. What changed and where during your absence and how it will affect you and your crew… I remember the Sweeper crews talking about the changes on the colonies before we docked. It would be the same for a Preventer ship on a long flight curve out system. The need to know who was now pulling your strings before you put your foot in a pile of shit… or in your mouth.// Another corridor and more crew two giving him more than a casual once over. He would need to remember them and how one of the men looked at his escort with what he identified as speculation. He had noted that look too often before to mistake it and wondered if his escort was amenable to a liaison with another male. For him, personally, there was at this time no interest in either sex. It had been a while since he had had sex but there had been too much happening in his life for him to miss that kind of contact. He did not do casual and he was open to approach provided no one pushed the wrong buttons. His escort seemed nice enough but he could be straight and it was his first voyage with the crew. They had that in common. //Quit it, Maxwell, you have more important concerns at the moment than wondering which side of the coin his fancy falls on. I had best see about sending some messages off. I can at least tell the captain I have my feelers out. I sure as hell won’t be able to tell him anything he does not already know. Am I supposed to know more than him because I’m a Gundam Pilot? Hell. I’m not a fucking Gundam pilot anymore. I’m not. No one is. Yeah, I have connections not readily available to everyone but half of those have dried up since the war ended. When you think about it I’m just another not quite average individual who survived the war. I have been lucky enough to find some sense of stability in my life because I work for Preventers and that’s just about it. One chapter in my life over with the end of the war and another began joining Preventer. We both work for the same organization and he outranks me and despite my checkered past he should have better contacts than a grubby-nosed ex-terrorist.// Turn down the next corridor and a quick check of the number on the wall… yes, right where he thought he should be. He would be able to find his way around the ship and no longer require the escort within a day or two. They might not like it but they would have to get used to the idea of him running loose. He was not going to be coddled nor was he going to permit anyone to know exactly where he was and what he was doing at every minute of the day. //Some days it seems so useless. So boring. The war is over, there are no more Gundams. I’m not a terrorist anymore but a respectable Preventer agent. I’ve still got people who look at me as though they expect me to explode in their face. Will it ever change? Will they forget and I become just another Joe Blow from down the block? Crap. I don’t think I like where my thoughts are going. No more wars. No more killing and thinking nothing of the kill. Killing has become more personal. I look my victims in the eye now and there are not hundreds of nameless faceless enemies. No need for Gundams.// He sighed softly as they turned the final corner into the corridor housing his room. There was one crew woman at a door three down from his room who never even looked up as they arrived. Older than him and rather pretty he noted but seemingly unconcerned with keeping an eye on her surroundings. That marked her as not having been in any of the services during the war. You could always tell the ex-service men and women. They always looked. They always checked. //No Gundams. Miss you, Scythe.// He supposed he should have had more to say to the chatty young man assigned as his guide. He had largely ignored the flow of commentary but he would remember it and replay it in private. He would probably have to apologise later for not paying attention and missing important details. He was not the best of company at the moment, there was too much for him to think on, which was a pity. The Ensign really was a rather attractive man and had a certain wide-eyed innocence that appealed to him. //Relationships may be important on a long flight but I don’t even know how long I’m going to be on board. They may be dumping me on Mars and I might not see them again. Any relationship I develop has to be limited. I’m a sucker for wide-eyed innocence and if he was inclined to lean my way I could get to like him… maybe a lot. Anyway, he may like older men and I’m younger than he is. He might look all wide-eyed and innocent now but he won’t by the time the trip ends. It’s not innocence that really turns me on anyway. // If he showed interest he would have to be honest. The ensign might well be amenable to the idea but there was the simple truth : it would not be a long term relationship. He was only a passenger and he had a mission to carry out. He also had a distinct dislike for flings and he honestly could not see there was much in the way of a possibility of him finding something more. He wanted permanent, not short term. The most he was likely to share with the ensign and anyone else on the Bounty would be a platonic friendship. Hilde had been more… he had been sure there was something there but it had not worked out. It hurt. He’d not dealt with the whole Hilde and his son situation as yet. Now he was out system bound and it would possibly be a year or more before he found himself back on L2. He had not had the chance to get to know his son and it felt more and more like he was fated not to. Aidan was as much his as Hilde’s and up until a few days ago he had not even known he existed. Hilde had never been easy with how he would look at another male. She had had more acceptance for him admiring a passing female than she had had for him noticing another male. He had not often admired men in her presence but sometimes there was no stopping that reaction to a tilt of a head or that momentary eye to eye contact. He had never looked at any of them with more than a momentary interest and his attention had always returned to Hilde. Once she noticed she accused him repeatedly of straying. No, their breakup had not all been about his desire to continue the good fight. //I never got the chance to really clear the air with her or make arrangements about having access to Aidan. Damn. I have to wonder if she will be willing to allow me to see him when I get back.// “Mr. Maxwell, will there be anything else until the noon meal?” Brought back to reality by his companion’s voice he glanced at the ensign and decided he was handsome in a fresh faced sort of way. Handsome but not really his type. In men his tastes ran more towards dangerous; something a little out of the ordinary and that had nothing to do with looks and everything to do with aura. Innocent was not what ignited the flame in him. The ensign stood before his cabin door and was nodding to the crew woman as she walked past them then turning his attention to Duo. “Nah. I’ve got some work to do in my cabin so you can go do what ever you need to do without me bothering you.” “No bother at all, Agent Maxwell. I’ve enjoyed being assigned as your escort.” He wasn’t sure he liked the bright smile that accompanied that comment but Duo nodded. “I’ll see about settling in and getting down to business. Catch you around.” The young man flashed a beaming smile and seemed totally unaware of how Duo ran a careful eye over the lock and door. The single strand of hair was still in place above the average level of line of sight. By its presence Duo knew the door had not been opened and he waved a negligent hand at his companion before raising his hand to the door panel. “I will return fifteen minutes before your lunch with the Captain, Sir.” “Yeah. Right, I’ll be ready.” He waved in acknowledgement and pressed his hand to the keypad. He hesitated a moment, inclining his head to watch the ensign stride away before pressing his palm to the panel. He would change the security features of the lock through the day to make it more difficult for anyone to access the room. He would add an alarm of course and make certain when he was absent from the suite he would be alerted to the presence of any intruders. //I’m a paranoid bastard. At least the Captain’s given me enough time to do some basic checking before I have to meet with him. I suppose the first thing I will need to check is if I have any word from Heero, he’s sure to get in touch with me after that message hit the airwaves. The sudden appearance of this Station Alliance will impact directly on Relena and her office so I can expect to hear a good deal of the reaction on Earth from that source.// Over the years Duo had developed a survival strategy when in questionable surroundings and he fell into the ingrained habits of more troublesome times. With the door safely locked behind him he was quick to assure himself the room was free of electronic surveillance, both audio and visual and yet again chastised himself for his paranoia. With his immediate security assured he assembled the components of his laptop. He plugged the computer into the ship’s power supply
through a filter system he and Heero had designed together. The filter
system provided security against power surges but what was more important
was the protection it granted from unauthorized access that might
be gained through the electrical currents running into the system.
Setting up the security device granted him reasonable security against
his personal system being accessed through the medium of the His first order of business was to pander to his paranoia and run a system check and while waiting he settled back. His arm ached from the first of the injected drugs designed to stabilize his bones and musculature and he wished he could have taken a pill. The doc had informed him, immediately after he had been injected, it was possible he might develop a rash within the first few hours. Unmoved by his glare she had assured him it was a perfectly normal reaction in approximately thirty percent of cases and the rash might last up to forty eight hours. //I wish they made the pills in a high enough dosage to avoid the injection. I hate needles. They bring back memories I’d sooner forget.// He ran an experienced eye over the partial results of the scan and was pleasantly surprised by the security levels utilized by the Bounty’s computer systems. His scan had been detected, assessed, approved and permitted to run as a security feature. He watched the computer log being updated and guessed the Captain might make a comment or two on his accessing of the mainframe. //I’ll check my email first. Heero is sure to drop me a line to inform me of what’s going on and if I’m lucky I might have word from Chang or Quatre. It’s possible Une may have sent me a message avoiding the Preventer channels too. I’m really not sure what she expects me to do on this mission. How am I supposed to be of help to Merquise when we are three months away from Mars? If I’m not here to help Merquise then what the hell am I here for?// The uncertainty surrounding his assignment gave him chills. He had no idea what his commander was thinking assigning him to this ship. There was more going on than he knew, of course, that went without saying really, but he would have liked at least a clue as to what he was really supposed to be doing. //Come on, Lady Une, you are a scary bitch at the best of times but right now you are terrifying me. Just what is it you expect me to do and is it some personal game or are you are up to something that will shake the ESUN again?// A beep from the computer drew his attention and he sighed, settling back to attend to the business at hand. //Well, whatever it is there is some serious shit going down and I’m going to find myself right in the midst of it, I think. Did she know about the Alliance? If I’m not out here for Zechs then it has to be something big and the only big thing I really know about is the Stations appearing out of nowhere. // Duo initiated an isolation screen and filter around his system, effectively cutting it off from the main computers of the ship though he could still monitor the onboard activity. Opening his secured hard drive he accessed his email files. “Okay then. What do you have to say to me, Mr Yuy?” Blue eyes known to reflect a violet tint in the intense heights of temper and the passions of lust widened at the log of entries. Duo huffed in something approaching indignation at the lack of anything he recognized as even possibly originating from his former partner. He had been certain there would be multiple entries from Heero detailing current activities underway responding to the appearance of the Station Alliance. At least there should have been some thoughts and possibly reports concerning the information gained from the Romefeller files. “Nothing? No way, what the hell’s going on? Has someone infiltrated our secured network and intercepted our communications?” Alarmed by the possibility Duo was quick to initiate a security search of the many false trails and names they used to communicate without the governments hounds looking over their shoulders. While the program was running he typed a quick and safely neutral message as a test. The coding he inserted into the message was designed to initiate an automated response from their secured server hidden within the multitude of systems Preventers operated. He would know within minutes, considering the speed the ship was travelling at and the ever expanding distance between himself and Earth if the server was operating. Sending the message off he settled back from the desk and studied the list of mail. “If everything’s okay why the hell would Heero not contact me? There is nothing here I recognize under any code name he has ever initiated for our mail loop. Something’s wrong. He’s always dropped me a line to warn me if he was going to be out of contact for any appreciable time. There is nothing here I recognize as being from Quatre either but… That one and possibly that… I’d say they were from Une but neither is official Preventer mail.” The code he recognized as originating from Lady Une was one arranged between them for private communications. They had agreed it should be used if Une suspected their mail was monitored and she wanted to share more than the time of day. He knew Heero, Chang and Trowa had similar arrangements with the Chief of Preventer and suspected Quate too had private access to the Lady. Being under the ESUN Security Agency’s scrutiny demanded sensitive communications be sent along a convoluted route to reach him and the communication had arrived barely an hour previously. Briefly he hoped she was not hanging on the other end awaiting a reply or by now she would be somewhat peeved with him. //Shit happens and in this business its pretty much guaranteed to be diarrhoea when it hits.// Beep. A hint of violet tinted blue eyes as he glared at the mail return icon flashing in the corner of the screen. A quick flurry of fingers over the keyboard and he growled. “It’s cued? What the…” Scowling now he typed an address and in seconds had brought up a satellite display of the northern European section of the Earth. For a long moment he stared at the screen and whistled softly when he failed to find a hint of the section of continent he was looking for because of the heavy layer of cloud. “Well, I guess that explains the cue. It must be quite a weather system to cause communications disruption despite the grunt Preventer equipment carries. Well, if satellite communications are down in that area of Europe I guess it explains the low key reaction at present to the appearance of the Station Alliance business. The storm pretty much covers most of Europe, not just Sanc’s little bit, though I guess Sanc is copping the brunt of it.” Duo clicked on the storm tracking logo and for a few minutes watched the past track of the storm and then the projected track and duration the weather service estimated. Being colony bred he was still in awe of the massive weather systems that raged over the earth and he could never get enough of watching satellite footage of storm systems. “Awesome.” He breathed. “I suppose if I can’t get email into Sanc then Heero probably can’t get one out to me. It does not seem to have stopped Une, though. So then, boss lady, what do you want from little ole me, hmm?” Feeding the email into the decryption program he settled back to watch the replaying satellite feed of the storm until the program beeped at him. Forcing his eyes away from the tiny window of swirling cloud Duo read the message with narrowing eyes. He knew enough of Lady Une to know she must have secreted this communication amidst other more mundane communications with her agents. She would trust him to fly by the seat of his pants until they could exchange secure communications for detailed instructions, but he fervently wished he could have a decent talk to her about just what he was doing on the Bounty. “What the hell does she mean Heero and Relena are unavailable for communications until further notice? Well, I guess the weather might have something to do with that. Nah, a little weather would not stop Yuy. He’ll think of something to get in touch with me. ‘Check Sweeper involvement with Station Alliance’. Well, I guess I should have seen that coming. Une knows I have ties to the Sweepers and Mr. Mysterious Kushrenada mentioned the Sweepers would be hosting the talks. I guess it won’t be too hard to ask questions but getting answers may be a little more difficult. ‘Stand available for mission change’.” Duo snorted softly and stretched in his seat. He was not exactly pleased with the expectation he was deeply enough in with the Sweepers to learn what dealings they might have with the Station Alliance. “Mission change. Yeah, can’t say I’m surprised to find that included but the rendezvous would have to be along a pretty tightly defined line for the Bounty to break course and attend. There are refueling stations but they are few and far between and I would guess time more than fuel will be the killer here. Distance and the time it takes to cover it.” He sat back from the computer and contemplated the ceiling. Of all his contacts with the Sweepers the only one who might be in a position to be in the know, and who might just tell him something, would be Howard. His few friends his own age were not in sufficient positions of importance to supply him with much in the way of information. The older men and women he was on good terms with would know enough to keep their mouths shut unless otherwise ordered to do so. It would be Howard if anyone would talk to him about any relations that might exist between the two groups. Howard knew he was a Preventer and they had rarely spoken since he had joined the organization. He liked the old man and if he had not remained with Preventers he would have sought out Howard and asked if he would take him on as crew. There were some days he wondered what possessed him to remain with Preventers but he knew the reason well enough. His reasons had cost him his relationship with Hilde and he could not hide from that truth. Sticking with Preventers after the breakup was what had held him together emotionally and allowed him to get over his anger with her. There was still anger but it was now hurt more than anger and he did not understand why she had acted as she had. She was now a part of Preventers, the very thing she had accused him of doing to break them up now kept her and their son secure. “I’ll never understand women.” Perhaps he should reconsider his future? Preventers gave him a sense of worth, a place to know he could make a difference. He’d lost Hilde because of it but his resolve had not wavered. Following the failure of his second relationship he had given thought to leaving the organization and finding something else. The Sweepers had crossed his mind as a possibility but there had been that big case involving the emergence of a terrorist cell which had proven to be substantially more than rumour and supposition. //It wasn’t the right time then for me to make the break and I can’t see myself making it now. Not with an unknown organization out there rocking the boat. Maybe after this settles down. I could have a chat to Howard about it. Test the waters to see if I’d be welcome back into the ranks. I can’t see myself settling on L2, Hilde doesn’t want me there and I can respect that. I don’t like it but I suppose I can respect it. We have a lot to talk about and it all has to wait until I get back. // He fought off a yawn and sighed, stretching slowly until his joints cracked. He needed sleep and not the kind of sleep he had received the night before. He needed deep sleep, undisturbed by the forces involved in heavy acceleration attempting to make scrap of him. Sleep undisturbed by weird-assed dreams about cliffs and long pale hair. He shied away from the memory and rubbed his hands over his face. //I wonder where Howard is now? He’s not the sort to stay down for long and he lost Peacemillion in the war. I wonder if he hopped another ship. Maybe he’s even designing another to replace her? It would cost a fortune to rebuild a ship but maybe he would consider refitting an existing vessel? // He smiled at the memory of the day he had chanced upon Howard and Lady Une in the halls of the Sanc palace. It had been soon after their return to Earth following the destruction of Libra and Duo had yet to decide on his own future. The thin elderly Sweeper in his loud Hawaiian shirt and shorts was so much more than the captain of a salvage barge. The very existence of a ship of the Peacemillion’s class had resulted in some pointed questions being asked. The vessel had been unregistered and totally unknown to military and civilian records at the time and Lady Une had been instructed by ESUN officials at the time to get some answers out of the old man. *“Where did I get the Peacemillion? Where do they think, under a tree somewhere in the middle of a desert? Normally I don’t swear around ladies but I might make an exception if I’m to be pestered about the product of my retirement.” Une had been smiling, a genuine easy smile and it had widened as the old man had continued. “Yes, retirement. You tell those bureaucrats they are fortunate I don’t send them a bill for my ship. I have to start from scratch scrounging enough equipment to make me a ship to replace her, so I can see something besides this ball of mud before I’m too old to enjoy it.” “Perhaps our erstwhile politicians would be more inclined to leave you in peace if you did bill them.” Une smiled, walking at ease beside him. “I do believe they might lose it amid bureaucratic red tape but I would love to see their faces when they received it.” Howard snorted, moustache twitching and he had nodded in passing to Duo. “She was a good ship and I’m none too happy I had to ram that fortress. That bitch of a thing should never have been built.” “I agree, but it was built and it did play a pivotal role in establishing peace. It was not the role its designers envisioned but that happens all too often. We have the chance for peace now and we can’t afford to waste the opportunity squabbling amongst ourselves.” The Lady had stopped by a door and reached for the handle. “Don’t forget to send the bill to the appropriate department and make certain it is in triplicate. It will make it just that little bit harder for them to mislay the paperwork.” * Duo chuckled softly as he considered the communications console. He missed his days as a Sweeper, before he had come to the attention of a certain old man who had sweet talked him into believing he could make a difference. Well, he had made a difference but the world was not as he had thought it would be and he was certainly no better off for the changes. What might he be doing now if he had remained a Sweeper and continued his education? He had dreamed of one day captaining his own ship and amid the Sweepers that had been entirely possible. Did he dare try to contact Howard at this point in time? He could attempt to establish contact without having to use the rerouted communications the government would be trying to set up with the loss of the Dakkar system. He would like to know who it was who took out the communications satellite and endangered the lives of the spacers. No doubt some bastard with too much money and influence and not enough brain had ordered it and Duo hoped he, she or it got their comeuppance eventually. That was just one part of this investigation he wanted answers to. While the loss of the Dakkar system presented the ESUN with a communications problem it was not much of an impediment to the Sweepers. The old communications array, decommissioned on the successful operation of the Dakkar system, had been speedily salvaged by Sweepers and just as speedily converted to their particular needs. //I’ve got the frequencies he gave me before we parted in Sanc and Howie did say he’d like to hear from me.// His orders gave him authorization to command use of the communications console and to do so under a security seal if the situation warranted it. He could justify such use under seal in the interests of following the Captain’s not so subtle hints of finding out what was going on. The ship’s computer would register his use of the system and notify the monitoring communications officer but the signal and contents would be protected. Any questions would be passed on to the Captain who would question him. He would use another of the toys he and Heero had devised to make certain the signal would not be decoded easily or quickly if intercepted after being sent. “Yeah, why not? Why the hell not? It will be good to talk to the old man again.” t.b.c.
|
