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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" Chapter 179 2nd March AC 198 Sanc en route to Palace Time: 05:39 Wu Fei When all was said and done, given his recent past activities, he was extremely fortunate events had worked out so well in his favour. The weather conditions were extreme, atrocious was an apt description, and deteriorating rapidly to the point he thought only Preventers would be mad enough to be out and about. Within a few hours Sanc would awaken to a working day and weather-hardened as they were, the people would continue on as though the blizzard was merely a minor inconvenience. There were sub ground level tunnels and public transport linking the major city center with outlying suburbs. Most city workers would have little difficulty in reaching their work places safely, provided they could reach the subsystem entrances. In weather such as this there would be no school and working parents would be desperately trying to reach baby-sitters, or place their offspring in day care facilities. Sanc, at least New Port City, would not permit a mere blizzard to stop it from functioning. There would be those who would shun the public tunnel system and use their private vehicles. Privately he considered them to be idiots, as they would undoubtedly cause traffic snarl ups from one end of the city to the other. Minor accidents caused by ice and poor visibility would clog the arterial routes of the road system. With the severity of the icy snap he could expect the above ground rail system servicing the main business district to be closed for much of the morning, this due to a build up of ice on the tracks. It was the old sub ground transit system, nursed for centuries with careful and meticulous maintenance, even by the Alliance Governor, which would permit the city to remain active. It would, of course, be packed like a tin of sardines and be stretched to the limit, but it would be sufficient to see commerce and business function. //If they can get communications lines out of Sanc working.// He thought wryly. //The last time we had a major blizzard here the telephone and vidphone communications network were woeful. The vidcom system was out for a week and the cloud cover was so thick the satellite signals penetrated it only sporadically.// He had been told every decade or so the weather would produce a blizzard so bad even the hardy Sancian population decided to remain at their homes and ignore the world beyond their heaters. Lifting a jaundiced eyebrow at the whiteout Wu Fei decided this well could be that one in a decade storm where only those who were utterly insane, or Preventers, would venture out. //Or someone with serious criminal intent.// He had never known a storm yet to stop a determined criminal from performing nefarious deeds. At some point though, even Preventers were going to have to bow to the weather, and surely that point must be fast approaching. It was not likely to be so bad in the more sheltered city, he knew. Here in the exposed countryside there were no tall buildings to break the wind and offer respite. Not that New Port City had particularly tall buildings, but they were sturdily build and broad in design, wonderful for blocking the wind. Many buildings were of a traditional design, with high sloping roof lines so the snow could not lie thickly and crush the building beneath its weight. Buildings here were reinforced against accumulated snow, even the hotels were lower in height and broader in design, some being built partially beneath the surface to take advantage of the all weather transport system. He had given up trying to brush the hair from his face. The wind blew it immediately back, and he was certain his nose had to be frozen. Heavy gloves did little to give his fingers respite and he ached in joints that had never before bothered him. His greatest stroke of fortune had been the discovery of his burned out vehicle by a Preventer team. The discovery saved him a partial thaw by returning to a heated building and then having to leave the welcome heat to expose himself to the elements once again. He wanted to get all of the exterior work out of the way and then thaw himself, perhaps even grab a few hours’ sleep. He had been only a few minutes away from the wreck of the vehicle when the last call from headquarters had come over the radio, hissing a crackling static almost making it illegible. It was worrying that he could not now raise the headquarters or any of the agents at Lady Une’s home. There was a faint hissing and crackling of static almost drowned by the roaring of the wind. It might mean the conditions were improving, though he personally could not see any improvement. He was doubtful Preventer Headquarters had actually received the call he had been trying to send, informing them of his present location, though he had managed to contact the agents babysitting the wreck of the car. That contact had been so faint he presumed only his close proximity to the area had permitted him to pick up on the agent’s response. Lights other than his own vehicles headlights illuminated the snow and he crept off the side of the road, pulling over to the car barely visible as he peered through the windshield. Nothing moved as he brought his vehicle to a stop and he peered through the driving snow, waiting before turning the ignition off. He wanted to enjoy as much heat as he could before he had to leave the car, and he almost groaned as the other vehicle’s door opened. A head popped out of the door, looking back toward the lights of his car and he inched the car closer, unwilling to expose himself to the elements any more than necessary. It was hard to tell if this was where he had abandoned the car or not. For all he knew this vehicle on the side of the road could be a stranded motorist. He supposed he would have to check, though he was loathe to leave the car. As he crept closer he peered at the dark mass that suggested the tree line and one particular area that seemed a little darker. This, he assumed, if he was in the right place, would be where he had set the car ablaze and damaged the surrounding trees. Needing to make his presence here official and noted on record, he hugged his coat tightly about him and decided to leave the engine running and headlights on as he exited the car. He was hopeful the heater would keep the temperature a little above zero for his return. Given the temperature outside the car it would be positively tropical upon his returned, and there was a Preventer agent present to watch the vehicle. He was met by the brave soul who had ventured out of the other vehicle as he rolled to a stop. “Agent Chang?” At his nod the man hunched his shoulders against the wind. “Agent Lynx.” It was impossible to tell what the agent looked like. The man had a fur cap pulled down low on his head and a scarf wound around his face and tucked into a heavy overcoat. A heavily gloved hand reached to shake his hand quickly and then motioned toward the howling trees. “The car is back there. It’s pretty much burned out, nothing much left to see at all.” //Good, just the way I wanted it.// Motioning for the agent to lead the way he shuffled after the dark shape, hoping the man did not get too far ahead of him or he would lose him in the driving snow and darkness. The light from the cars’ headlights did not seem to penetrate too far, and he was not inclined to lose the agent or sight of the vehicles if he could help it. “The car is still hot, cooling fast of course, but it burned well. Someone did not want us learning much from it.” The man’s shout barely reached him. “Forensics might find something.” He shouted in return, knowing if they did much talking he would soon be hoarse and suffer a sore throat for days. “If the storm leaves anything for them to work with.” The man slipped and Chang was quick to step forward and steady him before he measured his length in the snow, almost dropping his torch in the process. For an instant both men tethered on the edge of tumbling but they held their footing and trudged on, trying to ignore the increasing wind and the howling trees. Wu Fei was sure there was more wind now than when he had abandoned the car. It was not going to be so hard to believe, should forensics find anything to indicate his presence here, that it was a result of the storm. A stray hair blown from him to settle in the burned out wreck and char, a little at least from the residual heat, would not be impossible. He poked his head into the foul smelling wreck and looked around the vehicle, barely noticing the residual heat. The burned materials used in upholstering the seats raised a stench even the storm could not eradicate and he pulled his head back quickly, coughing at the fumes and wafting a hand in front of his face. He walked slowly and carefully around the vehicle, pacing the area thoroughly while the agent who had led him here shifted from one foot to the other trying to retain some body heat. //The poor bastard is probably cursing me for being thorough.// He decided finally to call it quits, there was nothing here he could do now. He had marked his presence and there was nothing at all to see. This was a forensic site, though he doubted they would find much given the fire and the blizzard, but forensic units were the backbone of the police forces in this day and age. What others could overlook so easily they would not. He could only hope he had done enough to cover himself. Stumbling back to the waiting cars with the agent he bundled himself into their car, settling on the rear seat and breathing a sigh of relief at the warmer air. “It’s not much, is it?” Wu Fei shook his head slightly, glancing at the radio as it spluttered and crackled and leaned forward as he began to make out faint words. The agent in the driver’s seat fiddled delicately with the dial and the words became a little clearer. He listened to the broken, static filled report that came in, and despite their best efforts to improve the signal he doubted they caught more than one in five or six words. It was alright, though, he knew what it was about. They had found the site from which he had fired off the missile and were asking for information on the arrival of a forensic unit. Headquarters had more powerful equipment but he was uncertain they would be able to receive more than a garbled odd word or two. “You have put in a call for a forensic unit?” “Yes, Sir. We received word before the reception got this bad that they would be sending out a unit. They should be here any time now.” “If they can get through.” Wu Fei remarked softly, listening as the wind howled and the car shuddered to its force. “I will attend the radio call on my way to the palace to report to Commander Une. They will have marked their approximate location, they should not be too difficult to find.” “Any idea how long we are expected to wait out here? No offence, Agent Chang, but its bloody cold and the car will eventually run out of fuel.” A valid fear, he knew. The agents would be safe enough while they had heat but should the motor die they would not last long in these conditions. “I will see about a replacement team. Stay in the car, but if no one comes and the fuel gage is at a quarter of a tank I would advise you to return to headquarters. In fact, I am ordering you to return, if no one has appeared by then.” “Thank you, Sir.” Before he departed their car he tried his mobile phone, but the screen showed no signal and he slipped it back into his pocket. He had a feeling the transmitters were iced over, perhaps even blown down, and in the past it had taken more than a week for Sanc to restore coverage to the service. He could only hope it would not be as bad as that. With words of encouragement, expected for one of his rank to his subordinates, he returned to his own vehicle and after trying his radio gave up the attempt in disgust. Even the global positioning system was breaking up and he snorted in disgust as he flicked a finger at the screen. Pulling back onto the road he sighed and headed for the area of the palace grounds where other agents would be weathering the storm, guarding the evidence of an act of terrorism. He was fairly confident the car he had used in that act of terrorism would not be used against him. It had burned extremely well and added to that the howling winds and the snow fall quickly filling up the cooling wreck, and his noted presence at the scene, he doubted forensics could get much out of the debris to point a finger at him. //Une had better know what she is doing.// He would not take the fall for her. He would not cover her backside if everything went to hell in a hand basket. There was only so far he would be prepared to go, and he had little doubt she would understand where the dividing line existed. He was a Preventer, not a terrorist now, and he had been following orders. That there was no record of those orders he did not doubt, and she would have covered her back using every imaginable means, but she would also protect those who worked for her. He had learned something of her since he had begun working for Preventers, and he understood she had undergone changes since the war. Everyone had undergone changes since the war. He did not know of one person who remained untouched by it. Everyone had gone crazy there for a time and he was no exception. He had probably not been exactly sane to begin with, but the destruction of his home had sent him over the edge, bent on revenge. //Justice.// A voice whispered to him. Never revenge, always justice. He could not avenge the destruction of his home, as those who had caused it had been the very ones he had called his family and friends, his teachers. At the time he had done what they had intended him to do. Strike back and act, not think too heavily on the why. He had been used too often, and he did not like the idea of being used again. Turning the heater to full blast and the fan to high, he longed for an assignment on a tropical sun drenched beach. He doubted he would ever feel warm again and the stupid heater had to be broken, it made next to no impression on the cars interior. It would be wonderful to be assigned a cushy beach surveillance, but he would settle for anything that offered a quiet, boring and blessedly warm assignment. Visibility was atrocious and he was forced to creep along the road, peering into the whiteout and searching for any sign that might indicate the verge and he had come too far to the left or right. If there was a middle to this highway he was probably in it, he could see no line to mark the lanes and no oncoming headlights. Ice and snow was all that glinted in the lights. The vehicle had been fitted with chains before he had taken receipt of it at Une’s residence. He was thankful for that initiative of the mechanics department of Headquarters, as it gave him less chance of having an accident on the ice encrusted roads. Of course, not being on the roads would be better still. It was only the presence of an agent standing on the side of the roadway with flares that permitted him to find the location. There was no denying the snow and wind had increased since his previous visit here and he could recognize nothing of the location. In a copse of trees to the side of the road a second agent was feeding a reasonable sized bonfire set up in the shelter of a rock outcrop. The agents were clearly rotating their positions to share the benefits of the meagre heat. Their car stood at the edge of the forest, dark and abandoned, though not far from the beckoning bonfire. “Agent Chang?” At his nod as he climbed out of his car the voice issuing from somewhere in the oversized fur coat spoke again. “Brian Peters, Agent Centaur, Sir. Paul Cummings, Agent Wolf is over by the fire.” “Would it not be warmer in the car?” “Less than half a tank of fuel, Sir. Given the conditions we were worried about returning to Headquarters so we found shelter and made a fire.” They were all worried about being stuck out in a blizzard, he reflected and realized he had not checked the fuel gage in his own vehicle. He would have to do that and be careful not to strand himself. “Well enough. The cars don’t seem to be holding much heat, I will admit that.” He stamped over to the burning fire and crowded under the rock outcrop with the other two men. It was a blessed relief to be out of the wind and he sighed softly as he enjoyed a breath of air he did not have to fight for. It was also surprisingly warm, and it seemed the two men knew what they were doing when they started this fire. “What do you have?” “There is not much to see, Sir, and the wind is wiping it clean fast.” Agent Wolf tossed a couple of old limbs onto the flame and watched the flames anxiously, obviously afraid of snuffing out the fire. “Have forensics turned up?” “Not as yet. From what we have gathered from radio transmissions, which are practically indecipherable with interference from the storm, I believe the forensic unit is still at the palace. There was mention of sending for a second team from Headquarters, but we lost the signal before we could make out exactly what they were saying.” Wu Fei rubbed at his frozen nose, worrying for a moment about frostbite and pneumonia as a direct effect of this stupidity. “Radio communications are sketchy at best and the roads are near impassable. Is it far into the forest?” “Not… really.” The man hesitated, casting a look at the driving snow. “The footprints were practically gone when we were there and it is snowing harder now. Not as windy as in the open, of course, but still not the best conditions for preserving a crime scene.” “I will look while there is something left to see.” “It’s not going to be pleasant.” Agent Wolf muttered, rising slowly from where he had been crouched near the fire. Wu Fei barked a short, hard laugh. “Nothing about this day has been pleasant. While I am here I may as well see what I may see and get it over with.” Wolf slipped around his partner. “I’ll take you. We had to blaze a trail to make certain we could find the site again. Once we get into the trees it all looks pretty much the same.” “I’ll keep the fire going. Maybe forensics will turn up while you are gone.” Agent Centaur moved closer to the heat and his fur coat began to steam. Glaring at the fire and wishing he did not have to leave its life giving warmth, Wu Fei motioned his guide ahead of him. “Lead on!” He waved a hand toward the tree line and shouted to be heard as they stepped out from under the rocks. Snow shoes might have helped he decided, as he ploughed his way along in the wake of the bigger man. They slid and stumbled every few steps and caught each other, sometimes going down onto their knees before they could catch their balance. The snow drifts were up to the bigger man’s knees in places, even in the trees and Wu Fei cursed as he ploughed through thigh deep drifts. He would have thought the trees would have cut the wind more than they did. He struggled from one snowdrift to another, thankful for the assisting hand pulling at him after he skidded on hidden ice and landed like a sack of potatoes on his backside in the middle of a particularly deep drift. Sitting as he was the snow come up to his shoulders and he could feel the cold increasing as it began to soak through his heavy coat. He shuddered as the chill wetness seeping through, and knew he could not long remain out in these conditions. Not even for Preventer would he kill himself in a blizzard. It was time to go back. “Are you alright?” He nodded impatiently to the man leaning over him and motioned at the trees surrounding them, wishing they offered more shelter than they did. He could not tell if any of them were marked, not that he had been told how the agents had marked them. “How much further?” The head wrapped in an oversized scarf shook slowly from side to side and the man bent close, pushing his mouth close to Wu Fei’s ear to make certain he was heard. “To be honest, I’m not sure. I think we might have been turned around!” Wonderful, lost in a snow storm. Just the perfect cap to a perfect day. //Damn. Well, given the conditions and I can not recognize anything, it is possible we have passed through the area… No, we have not escaped the tree line. I was at the tree line. Ancestors, I want to go home and cuddle my heater. Why did that woman have to pick on me? I need to be able to say we may have passed through the site and that could explain any DNA evidence that might be found at a later time. If I could glimpse the palace lights I could be fairly certain I am in the correct area.// “Keep looking!” He bellowed and coughed, choking on a mouthful of snow blown at him by the gale. “This is getting worse! I need to see the site and then we can get back!” “I’ll be glad of the fire!” The man had a right to protest and call him all the names under the sun for not turning back, but he was a Preventer and Chang suspected he was one of the ex-soldiers, used to swallowing disagreeable orders and simply getting on with the job. Preventer was full of them, old soldiers, though they might be in their early twenties. Veterans of the war who knew their duty, and would not permit something as simple as a bit of snow and wind to deter them. Wu Fei dragged his soggy collar tighter about his neck and shuffled along in the wake of the larger man. He was not too proud of using the agent as a means of shelter or a snow plough. He was nothing if not practical. Agent Wolf would out weigh him by at least a factor of three and therefore was less likely to be blown over, and he was considerably wider and there fore made an ideal snow plough and windbreak. It seemed to him they were stumbling around in circles and the agent was not always in the ideal position to provide him with some protection. His teeth were chattering so madly he feared he might chew on his tongue, not that he was likely to feel the pain. Everything seemed numb and he knew, despite his best intentions, they could not remain out here any longer. He had a responsibility to the Agent ahead of him, and he had a mission to complete. Protocol be damned, he was not going to become a statistic of the storm which undoubtedly would claim a victim or two before it passed. His decision made he cursed softly at the necessity of not knowing he had marked his presence at the incident site, but he was not inclined to freeze to death. As it was he probably would come down with a choking cold, if he was lucky, pneumonia at worst. It was as well Preventer had an excellent health care scheme, because he was assuredly going to need it. Stumbling forward he sought to reach out for the agent walking ahead of him, cursing he had lagged a little further behind than he realized. With a strangled cry he was thrown from his feet by a fierce gust of wind and grunted as he collided with the trunk of a tree. For a moment he lay against the swaying tree trunk, feeling the solid tree tremble in the wind. Even these old trees were shaking to the force of nature and he could hear, above the sound of the wind, the occasional crack of a breaking branch and the constant creaking of trees under stress. Dazed and uncertain if he had lost his guide, he struggled to regain his feet and was thankful when gloved hands grasped him and the wind’s force lessened as a body shielded him. “I think we might have passed the site! I can’t be sure where we are!” He had a sudden piercing fear they would be lost in the woods, dying of exposure, buried beneath the falling snow, or a victim of a breaking branch or tree toppling over. He wanted desperately to find shelter, to stand in the middle of a roaring fire and roast himself. He could not take this cold much longer. “What about this trail you blazed?” “I can’t find any marked trees!” Cursing silently Wu Fei struggled to his feet and peered about him. It was a total white out and he could barely see the tree that stood only a few feet from the trunk he leaned against. His breath seemed to freeze in his lungs and his feet felt like ice and he had already come close to frost bite once today. Shaking his head he nudged his guide. “We get out of here! Try to find a marked tree and get us back to the road. I’m pulling you all out of here until the storm is over!” He should have done it before now, but duty was a driving force integral to his very being. It was duty that saw him make this decision now; duty to his men. No one should be out in this. Gloved fingers caught his hand and moved it to the wide belt of the oversized fur coat. “Hook your fingers in! Don’t lose contact with me! We can’t separate in this!” He nodded, fisting his hand into the belt of the agents coat and stumbled along after him as they staggered from tree to tree. The big man ran his fingers over every trunk, seeking the blazon cut into the trunk to mark their way. Wu Fei was gasping for breath when the agent towing him paused, leaning close to a tree trunk and then they were moving, and it seemed to him they were moving with purpose now. //He must have found the trail. I did not think the storm would be this bad. Une had best not quibble about me pulling the teams out of this. I do not want a trail of dead agents slain by the weather.// He had noted nothing on the trunk, but he had not known what he was looking for either, and Wolf had been checking more than the side of the tree facing them. He had to put his trust in the man whose accent suggested he might be a native of Sanc. Certainly his coat was not Preventer standard issue and seemed far more sensible to these conditions. At the present time he was not concerned with the site and contaminating it with evidence of his presence. With conditions so bad it was doubtful forensics would find any evidence anyway. It would be entirely believable he and Wolf must have passed through the crime scene in the storm and not realized it, given the conditions. Now he was concerned only with evacuating this team. He would have to send messages to the team babysitting the burned out wreck, ordering their withdrawal to shelter and to not bother waiting until their fuel tank hit the quarter mark. In a contest between man and Mother Nature, nature invariable won. //It may compromise the investigation but I do not care. People will not die because of this asshole of a mission.// It had been too long a day and active a night and he was flagging when they stumbled through the trees and he felt hands steady him. He was dragged toward the welcome light and blessed warmth of a fire, and his instinctive resistance to that pull of unknown hands faded. He thrust his gloved hands toward the flames and growled when he felt little difference in the temperature. Someone tugged his gloves off and thrust his hands closer to the flames, rubbing his fingers briskly. “Pull out! Get to the palace and take shelter until conditions improve!” He shouted at the dark shape trying to rub his numbed hands to life. “Preventer Earth sent us to pull everyone back to shelter a little while ago!” The voice was not that of Agent Centaur and Wu Fei looked about him, realizing there were more bodies than had previously been present. “We were only waiting for you to return before we left! There are clothes and thermal underwear in the car, compliments of the Lady!” “Then get moving!” He would be well practised in changing his clothing in cramped quarters by the time this day was done. He did not care about the discomfort provided he could be dry and relatively warm once again, and he was thankful for her foresight in sending clothing. He stumbled toward his car, the strong arms steadying him and he noted his previous guide being led toward a van by other agents. “Preventer Earth is at the palace until the storm eases and snow ploughs clear the roads. She was advised to recall her agents before people start dying!” He slipped and both he and his guide slid across the slick ground, the hidden ice carrying them through the snow drift until they were brought up by a hidden boulder. He grunted at the bruising force of the collision and panted against the shock of the impact. “Damn, this is getting past a joke.” He personally though it had long ago left the status of joke, but he remained silent as he struggled to his feet. His helper struggled to rise and together they crab stepped to the waiting vehicle, where the agent opened the rear door for him before sliding into the front of the car and taking up position behind the wheel. “I’m to drive you to the palace.” The engine started and a burst of static filled the vehicle before the agent, with a shake of his head, turned off the useless radio. “The transmission towers are icing over and I think we have lost at least one.” It was a relief to be out of the wind. In the relative silence he groaned softly and panted, resting his head on the seat back and simply relishing the moment. He felt bruised and battered, no less abused than instances in the war had left him. “Preventer Earth will be waiting for you at the palace.” “Well enough.” He whispered, his voice harsh from the abuse of shouting above the howling wind for so long. At least on this occasion he was not required to change his clothing in the presence of a woman. He rubbed his hands vigorously together, seeking to warm his fingers and regain some feeling. Looking about him he found neatly folded towels and a bundle of warm clothing on the seat beside him. He fingered the heavy woollen jumper for a moment and glanced at his driver, who was shifting the car into gear and peering through the windscreen at the tail lights of the van pulling out ahead of them. “Where did the clothes come from?” “I believe all clothing was arranged by the palace staff. At least the clothes are warm and relatively waterproof. These people know their climate.” The clothing proved to be a little too large for his slender frame, but he was not inclined to quibble. The clothes were dry and blessedly warm, and for the second time in less than eight hours he was climbing over a seat back to take up the front passenger seat of a car in fresh clothing. His hands were beginning to thaw and his feet were throbbing which vaguely worried him, but he would be sure to see a physician. He ached from a myriad of bruises and scrapes that would need checking, though he was fairly sure he had not seriously damaged himself. All he wanted to do was curl up into a ball of misery and sleep. “It could be a while before we reach the palace given the conditions. Radio communications are sketchy at best, and the telephone and vidphone network is down. I heard a report they have lost two translator towers through the mountains, and the tower on the cliff above New Port City is reported to be out of commission. I don’t think it’s collapsed, but I was told it could be at least two days before services are restored to the city itself.” “Wonderful.” he sighed softly. “How far are we from the palace?” “Not all that far, but it will take time because of conditions. An hour, maybe a little more.” “Wake me when we get there.” He was bone aching tired and even a nap would be well received. The agent motioned to the rear seat. “There is a blanket back there. If you are going to sleep use it. It will help keep you warm, especially your feet. Try to prop them near the heater outlet.” It was only sensible after the exposure he had endured to the elements to keep himself as warm as possible, but it seemed such an effort to reach into the back seat and find the blanket. Now that he had the opportunity and had made the decision to get some sleep, all his body wanted to do was give in. As his fingers closed on the woollen cloth and he sat forward in his seat his innate caution stirred. The danger of sleeping, even safely within the car, now bothered him. It was not the storm but the company he now kept that roused his wariness. Sleep was all he wanted to do, but he did not know this man who drove him toward the palace. The instinct that had seen him survive the war, and a dozen serious encounters that might have killed him in his career as a Preventer, now screamed caution. He had not asked for identification and none had been offered. He did not know this man personally and his face was not even vaguely familiar. Even as he settled himself in the seat and propped his feet near the heater outlet, he found himself watching the driver with a critical eye. With the reviving benefit of the heater, warm dry clothing and a woollen blanket his head was clearing, and though he wanted to sleep he found himself alert. Settling back in his seat Wu Fei clipped on the seat belt and covered himself with the blanket, tucking his hands beneath the warm wool. He would pretend to sleep but keep alert and watch until he was safely at the palace… or until his trust was betrayed and he saw what his new companion actually intended. Beneath the protection of the blanket his fingers closed around the hilt of the concealed knife he carried. He would be prepared if there was a need.
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