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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"
Mars Colony Base Dome Date: 1st March AC 198 Time: 16:13 MST [Mars Standard Time] Zechs He had options. He had to remember that at all times. It still was not hopeless. He had tried the base communications system, but that had been disabled. He had suspected that would be the first thing they did, but he had needed to make certain. There had been that one possibility that he might have gotten a message to Noin before they had taken down the com lines. No such luck. They were out of communications, unless she thought to grab a personal com set and set the device for one of the old Oz frequencies they had used. To do so would be daring, in that the enemy would be monitoring the air waves and might stumble on the frequency they might choose. It was a chance he was tempted to take, but of the multiple glimpses of possibilities he had seen of a time that seemed to match the conditions of this time, only one had shown her actually doing that and he was not prepared to take the chance on her giving her location away to the opposition. He had no time to set up the scramblers they would need to secure their frequency and even if he did, he would have to get a secured head set to her anyway. No, it was best if they worked independently of each other just now. Much as it pained him to think of them working apart. They had worked well together in their Academy and Oz days. His first option should be to continue looking for her, not trying to set up a communications system with her before he even knew where she was. The best option would be to track down Shanna McIntyre, as he knew Noin would hold a grudge there. That meant a trip up side, to the control tower. McIntryre should be in the control tower and it was logical that Noin should head there. That was what his heart told him to do. Pursue Noin. His head, however, his experience and training told him it was time to ensure that the commander of this whole mess was taken out, before it progressed to the stage where everyone at the dome would likely perish. Head or heart. He had a choice to make. //Noin. What am I meant to do? I can't just leave you, but if I don't find him and take him out of the equation, we will all go down.// His hand throbbed constantly, a reminder he could not escape that he was not in the best of shape. Between his shoulder and hand he was not in prime condition for a fight, and he had no doubt that Simpson would be a fight he had to win. If he hoped to have any control over this situation and save lives, then he had to gain control of the commander of the invading forces. He needed to either incapacitate or kill him. Nausea threatened to hit him again as he made his way to the airlock and he sucked in a deep, calming breath. Why had he drunk the coffee? God, he was going to pay for that. Coffee was not his preferred beverage, and to have drunk so much of it, so fast was purely an automatic reaction to dehydration. No time now to regret it, just time to act. He had to make up his mind one way or the other what he was to do. He distrusted the elevators to the upper levels of the base. It was entirely too easy for the agents to watch them and eliminate anyone using them. Events were moving if they were willing to blow the dome and that frightened him. He had not foreseen the bombs being used, yet this instance, now with him leaning on the wall, sick to his stomach, felt so familiar to him. No, the elevators were out of the question and besides, he had another means of gaining the upper base without alerting anyone to his presence. The question was whether Simpson was up there, or hiding down here? "Noin" softly. "Why can't you get your butt into a safe place and stay there?" He had to decide and his feet made the decision for him. Without conscious will he found him facing the door to the reservoir room. Here, in this huge room, in four massive tanks, the bases water supply was managed with loving attention. Life was water and they guarded the tanks contents zealously. Huge pipes pumped the water up into the hydroponics domes for the colonies food producing plants and natural filtration system for treatment. The pumps were on hold, during this emergency period and the water pipes empty. Inspection ladders were set within each pipe and that was his ticket to the surface dome. The doors were locked, as expected during this emergency situation. That was not a problem. He had made it his business to learn the recognition codes and the pass codes for strategic places throughout the base, both those that featured in visions as well as those that he considered important regardless of whether he might need to know it or not. Watch him as they might, he had managed to learn the base as they would not believe possible. Much of it was learned through vision, but he had not erred to date on that information and the locks clicked into the disengage position to the first code he punched in. The huge reservoir room was unattended at this time and it was easy enough to disable the number three pump. In two possible futures he had seen the pump activated and watched himself drown in the tube. The first such vision of his own death by drowning had sent him into a choking bout that had Noin convinced that he was having a fit. He had barely been able to convince her it was just a nightmare, though he had had to undergo a physical to convince her he was healthy the next day. Death by drowning. Not a very desirable end. One he took pains to ensure would not happen. Much as he thought he should not now be alive he was not going to offer his life on a silver platter to the ESUN or even an accidental death. He had more to think of than himself. He had children to think of. His own and two others and a colony's worth of people who did not deserve to die, just because they had had the misfortune to work where he was confined. //Freedom, Noin? You want freedom for the twins. How about freedom from stupidity for us all? It's all so bloody stupid. If I had died in the Libra explosion none of this would have happened. I don't understand why I am alive. I should be dead. I was sure I would die.// he sighed. "I wanted to die." Should be and actually being were, however, two vastly different things. He had not died and since he had survive the Libra to come to Mars, he now had to survive as best he could, because he had children to think of. Noin would not abandon him. She had made that abundantly clear to him, refusing the safety of remaining on Earth and continuing as a Preventer agent. It had been her choice to accompany him to Mars. He certainly had not asked her to abandon the life she had made for herself after the One Year War. No, it had not been his choice that she had left that life behind, but he felt guilty for their situation, regardless. He had to stay alive and get her out of this no win situation. Somehow he had to fashion a win option that kept Noin alive for the sake of their children. He knew what it was like to grow up without his mother. Why had she been so stubborn? Why had she ruined the safest option, the one he could have almost guaranteed would keep her and the children free? A new life, protected from the ESUN by either the Sweepers or Quatre Winner. Why had she been so stubborn? //Get past it, Marquise. Done is done. You should know that better than anyone else. Move on and do the best that you can. Scream about it later, when you have time and opportunity. If you have time and opportunity.// The pump system disabled and jammed for added security he opened the inspection hatch and climbed into the big pipe that fed water through out Hydroponics Dome Three. The pipe had a two meter diameter and water splashed around his feet as he stepped into its core, closing the door behind him. If a snap inspection was carried out or if one of the agents checked the room, he did not want it to be obvious where he had gone. The metal rungs of the inspection ladder were slippery with water and the pipe dripped around him, huge droplets of water falling from the darkness above him. Light spilled into the pipe from the reservoir room allowing him to find the rungs imbedded into the wall of the pipe. He dared not activate the lights, but high above him he could just make out the dull glow of the emergency light that marked the inspection hatch above. He had not climbed more than ten meters before he was soaking wet from the dripping water. He had a total of three hundred meters of pipe to climb before he would reach the hatch exiting the pipes before they narrowed into the smaller units designed to process the water. Already his hand and shoulder were screaming in protest to the strain of the climb. He pushed himself forward, knowing it was only going to get worse. His hand more than his shoulder at the present time protested the abuse. Even in the lighter gravity of Mars this climb would not be pleasant. Had he been doing this on Earth, he knew it might well have been impossible in his present condition. The rungs were marked with blood from his abused hand by the time he had climbed fifty meters and he gritted his teeth, focusing on a point above that bleeding mass of abused flesh. He should have searched the lower base for Simpson, but he ignored the nagging voice and continued to climb. There was the possibility that he would find Simpson above ground. In a number of possibilities he had found him to be within the main control tower, slaughtering the base personal. In other possibilities the ESUN Commander had taken up command position in the main hub of the ventilation system for the subterranean base, but other visions had shown him also in the main mess hall, the power generator room and the shuttle control room. Too many possibilities. The ventilation system option had, he admitted, appeared more often than anything else. That was very likely to be the place he would be found, Zechs admitted to himself, but his body continued to climb. It made more sense to the commander inherent in Zechs that the ventilation system hub was the most suitable command position on such an operation as this. He could not get past his fear that Noin could meet her fate in her foolishness. //If she had listened she could have had a life with her children. She could have left Mars on that shuttle and taken the twins to safety.// he growled to himself, blocking out the pain that was a rising tide of distraction. //Both Howard and Quatre Winner would have given them sanctuary, kept them hidden. For Noin's sake. For her they would have protected the children, despite what they might think of me.// For Noin they would have helped and forgiven the children the identity of their sire. He clung to the ladder, panting, sweat as well as water soaking his uniform. He had to rest a moment. He hooked his good arm through the rung, closing his fingers around the railing. He was blind within the darkness of the pipe, and that distant red glow seemed no closer. Cradling his burned, bleeding hand close, pressed close to the rungs to support his weight and not place too much strain on his one working side. He had no doubt that the bandage on his hand would be blood stained. The pain was like a fire and the wetness was warm, not like the ice cold drops that fell on him from the pipes invisible upper echelons. Blood. Like the blood of the thousands who had died in the wars. Blood he had determined would not spill in massive quantities ever again if it was in his power to make a difference. If he could make a difference. Never mind that he would be hated for it. That was unimportant. Never mind that no one would ever understand why he had done the terrible things he had. That too was unimportant. Never mind that he hated himself for the necessity of it. He knew what he had seen. He could not forget the visions that had shaped his decision. He knew that what had shaped his determination to command the White Fang and threaten the Earth was not the demented ravings of an insane mind. It was so much more. So unbelievable. Maybe he was insane. With a grunt he forced himself to move. To resume climbing. He must not doubt. He must never doubt what he had done. That way did lie insanity, as it only increased the possibilities that flowed around him. Doubting himself only made more choices. He had to narrow down the options, not insight more to weaken him. He had to guide events to the best possible solution. The best solution for all. The least amount of blood must be shed. The least amount of destruction of people and property. He had to choose the least bloody but most acceptable resolution and already two people were dead and there were implications for the families of the dead men. Maybe more were dead. Had Noin killed again? Had the Sleepers begun their bloody work? They had set bombs. He had glimpsed the possibilities of whole sale slaughter. Nausea threatened. The coffee threatened to come up and he sucked in air, shaking in every limb. No. Some of the things he had seen... Some of the horrors he had witnessed he had to avoid at all costs. He could not allow the horror to come. Would he be too late? Was it already too late? No. No, he must believe he could stop the slaughter. It was good that he had found the transmitter and destroyed it. That had stopped the visions. No visions of explosions to breach the dome and kill those in the above ground base. The pressure had finally relented, giving him breathing room, even if it had not settled his stomach. Easing his throbbing head. That fate, at least, he was certain they had succeeded at avoiding. Before he had left the engineering bay he had advised Mighty Joe to make himself scarce and secure and to warn his fellow engineers to do the same, warning him that he might not even be able to trust the one he considered his best friend. He knew with certainty that there were five Sleepers in the community, but that there were only five was not so certain. He had seen five individuals and positively identified them amongst the base personnel. There could be more. Most likely were more. Professionals who worked for ESUN security, even other agencies. Private agencies. Just how many people knew he was here? How many people knew that the Terror of Earth was confined on the planet Mars? In Oz he had been taught the intricacies of politics and big business. Mars was not just the latest colony to be constructed. Mars had advantages over the orbiting colonies at the La Grange Points around Earth and her Moon. There was no need to spend huge amounts of credits on bringing resource satellites to the colony. Mars was a planet. It had its own resources. Of course the big companies would have their agents here. Perhaps not immediately the plans were made to found the colony, but they would have filtered in over the course of the supply shuttle runs. When the Base Dome was completed and the construction of the Alpha Dome was under way the big companies would have considered sending their own agents to the planet. The companies would want to know the extent of the resources they could expect to exploit. Good business dictated that it would not suit the big conglomerates to have the citizens who brought their goods know that the boogie man had survived. No, they would not wish the existence of Milliardo Peacecraft to be widely known. That would undoubtedly be considered bad for business. It would explain why his presence here was still a well guarded secret. How likely would it be that they would hold their silence about his presence here if the ESUN slaughtered their agents? For suitable gains they might keep their silence, if they approached the ESUN in a careful manner. On Mars it was not so easy to determine who worked for whom. He was thinking too much. His stomach churned and his headache lifted a degree, intensifying and he cringed away from the thoughts he had been entertaining. If he was not careful he would end up triggering another round of visions and that could not be permitted. Not while he was over a hundred meters up a water pipe. Not now. He had things to do and the visions would only interfere. He had to have his head clear. Only a few more rungs and he would be at the door. Don't look down into darkness and don't look up at that red glow that never seemed to brighten. He must keep his focus. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16:25 Noin "Adrian, have them check on the dome's surface itself, not just the machinery and installations adjacent to it." "Are you sure about this, Noin? We intercepted the message from Shanna and she was screaming about raiders. I can't contact the control tower to confirm, but I think I have heard gun fire." Noin barely resisted the urge to hit the idiot. He was a good enough man in peace time, but in stressful situations like this he turned into a blithering idiot. She could not believe the garbage he was sprouting. "Do you see the ships? Do you see unknown men and women running around the dome shooting anyone who moves? Do you see anyone dismantling machinery for spare parts? Does the radar show any ground troops assaulting the dome? Has the planetary grid picked up any unauthorized craft near Mars that could possibly be Raiders attacking the dome?" He shook his head slowly, unwilling to believe her, gaze creeping to the stations monitoring the dome and the environs of the planet. He could not believe this woman. She charged in here spouting off about bombs and ESUN agents and killing their own people. Did she think him an idiot? It was ludicrous to even think that the ESUN would attack their own people. Yet, he had to admit, she was right about the lack of vehicles in the spatial neighborhood, and yes, there were no figures running around shooting everyone in sight. "No. No, there are no craft near Mars at this time. The nearest is around two hours away, a Ore Carrier on its way to L4. It's just that... Noin, I can't believe we would be under attack by ESUN agents. What ever reason could they have?" //And they call Marquise insane. Did anyone run checks on her?// He was a good man, but he had no imagination, she reflected. "To cover up a balls up, Adrian. They came on a covert operation and they have failed their mission. Now they have to secure their positions and ensure that no word gets out. Look, organize your people to check for explosive devices around the dome. Just do that much. Then you will know if I am insane or not." She had used every trick she knew to gain access to the shuttle control tower unobserved. On leaving the main control tower she had sought out every scrap of cover and made the best use possible of it. The red emergency lighting had disturbed her more that the silence, it made everything look as though it was stained with blood. Since she had not found herself under fire in crossing between the two buildings she could only assume that she had succeeded in reaching the shuttle control unobserved. To her immense relief she had found the foyer occupied with three security guards, the fourth, she was informed, was on his rounds. Had she seen any sign of the Raiders? A broadcast had been received that the base was under attack from the raiders and she was lucky she had arrived when she did, as they were about to lock down the control tower. Now, in front of three of the controllers for the tower she had warned them to check on the security of the dome and to beware the agents prowling in their midst. So why did all three stare blankly at her? "Look, Noin, we have computer problems just now. I heard the alert that has placed us on emergency. It said intruders were loose in the base. Intruders, Noin, not ESUN agents. That backs up Shanna McIntyre's message. The communications computers are down and I have to find out what is causing the disruption so I can contact the sub base and the Alpha Dome." "Anyway, we are a close knit community. Do you honestly thing we could be fooled by anyone posing as a specialist in terra forming..." at Noin's patient, but glaringly intense expression the woman, Evylyn Matther sighed. "I already assigned two men to have a look when you first came out with this nonsense." "Look, you were just sprouting off about McIntyre's warning! Now whether you believe me that it is ESUN agents or her that it is Raiders, don't you think it is patently obvious that something is wrong?" Noin was well aware of the two operators at the main consul watching the four of them with widened eyes. Maybe she should have taken this argument outside, but she had to impress on all of them the urgency of the situation. Those people needed to hear what she had to say. If their controllers would not listen then maybe the people who worked under them would listen and save themselves. "I suppose you are right." a resigned sigh. "Something is definitely wrong here." Adrian nodded, eyes flicking behind her. "We have to do something about it. Can... " Pain exploded in her head as her knees buckled and her vision swam into brilliant light, and then threatening darkness. She swore silently, unable to so much as grunt, let alone scream. She was aware enough to watch as Adrian Myles gaped, his chest exploding into a shower of blood. She dimly heard Celia Petersen, the second of the controllers scream and the low, unmistakable bark of a silenced gun. She was on the floor and had not felt herself fall or the impact of the landing. She stared at the very dead face of the controller lying beside her. She had been arguing with him only moments before and now he was kicked aside, boots filling her vision. Heavy combat boots. Had she been shot in the head? What had happened? //Oh, God. Oh God, I can't move. It hurts...Pain. I've never felt this before. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Zechs. I should... should have had more faith in you. I can't... I can't feel... just pain.// "You'll be useful, Ms. Noin." Military issue boots filled her vision. A hand gripped her shirt just under her chin and hauled her up. The pain in her head blurred her vision before a face swam into focus. An unknown face. Dimly she noted he wore an earpiece and throat mike. He was grinning, an evil leer of unholy satisfaction. The grin turned to a sneer and the blue eyes were dark with malice. "How does it feel to be the recipient of the stun beam, Ms. Noin? Hmm? I believe it is you I have to thank for the deaths of two of my men? Oh, don't try to talk. You won't be able to. The effects will not wear off for some time and when that starts, they tell me you will sweat blood with the pain." Her vision darkened and faded, but sensation and hearing remained a little longer. He patted her cheek, a gentle pat, almost a lovers caress, and laughed softly. "He'll come for you, Ms. Noin. He'll come. When he does, we'll get him. And your brats." ~ * ~
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