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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 43
Mars Base Dome Date: 1st March AC 198 16:58 Noin "...word from McIntyre?" "None. The com lines are clear." In the haze of pain the voices swam in and out, loud and soft, rising and falling. Annoying. Some small voice deep inside whispered that she must lie still and listen. If she listened she might learn what she needed to know. She must lie still and react to nothing if she would learn. "Matther. Any word from your Commander?" //Matther. Matther? Familiar name. Where...?// "Last communications received was for Operation Raider to be initiated." //That voice. Evylyn? Evylyn is... Damn. Think Noin. Why the fuck do I hurt so much?// Her mind felt as though it was smothered, deeply resistant to coherent thought. It hurt to breathe and she did not even want to consider the thought of moving. She lay on her side, with something hard pressed against her back. Hard. The hard thing hurt where it touched her and burned, but was it a burn from heat or extreme cold? she could not decide how to describe the pain. Metal wall? //What happened to me? Where am I? God, I ache. Did I have an accident? Where am I and where is Zechs?// "McIntyre has missed her scheduled check in with us." the male voice spoke softly and there was a soft clicking sound near him. "Do you have to play with those bloody things?" "Shove it, Evy." "I will thank you both to recall the current situation. This is not a Sunday outing. If your Controller has missed her check in then you may now consider yourselves under my command, at least until we discover what has happened to McIntyre. Do you have a problem with that? No? Good. Now where would she likely be, given the hour of the day, the emergency situation we currently find ourselves in, and the last commands she issued?" slightly raised male voice. It sounded vaguely familiar. McIntyre? Shanna McIntyre. Red hair, green eyes, sex pot extraordinaire. Sudden flashing view of furious emerald eyes and trickle of blood from swollen lips where she had hit her. Swollen lips? She had hit Shanna McIntyre? Why? Why would she do that? Shanna was her friend. *"Shanna is ESUN security."* the low, husky voice whispered. A voice out of the darkness, somehow removed from the here and now. //Shanna. ESUN Security. I... I was in the control room. Talking to Zechs. He... wanted me to... he wanted me to... A shuttle? Go on a shuttle? Yes. Why?// "At this hour and in the emergency that was called, she should be in the control tower, in the main control room. If not there, then on her way to the sub base to begin preparations for the take over down there." the other male voice. No. She had heard three male voices. That was the... third? "Or she might have met up with our vindictive friend in the corner, in which case I would not give much for her chances of being amongst the living." That had been Evylyn. What were they talking about? "I need this dome locked down ASAP. Where can I find the lock out codes for the entry to the Dome?" Silence. Ten. Fifteen. "Mako would have them, as project Chief. McIntyre too, probably. That Preventer agent, Barker." "Wonderful. Well, then, we need to find Ms. McIntyre, don't we? Let us hope she did not run afoul of our Ms. Noin." The pain was a rising force she was having difficulty dealing with. She was filled with steadily creeping, prickling pain that seemed to want to wrap her lungs in a vice of thorns and shred her. Her head still felt thick, but it was clearing slowly, but in doing so she was made aware that that pain was there, too, in her head. "The main control room would be the most likely place to find her. It will take us time to eliminate the people in the dome." "Frazier. How are you doing at that com board?" "The system is wiped, Sir. No chance of using it without rebooting the entire thing and killing the virus first. It would take hours." "Fine. You can set up our own com system using the Dome power supply?" "Yes, Sir. Take me around fifteen minutes or so to isolate a power junction and secure it." "Do it. I want the message to the Wellington gone ASAP." "Sir." //Wellington. I don't... I can't think straight. God, it hurts.// "Any word on the location of Marquise?" "None. Not since he was last seen by one of our agents. That placed him in the engineering bays, doing his job." "Yes, well, we know he's not there now. You will contact your agents and pass on my instructions that he is to be located, but not approached. Consider him to be extremely dangerous. You may also inform your agents that I want those children in protective custody. Find them." Noin groaned as her body reacted before her mind could catch up with it. Children. Her children. Memory surged back, the fight with Zechs, storming off to take down the ESUN agents on her own, without back up. Finding the massacred staff of the control tower and the fire haired bitch who had delighted in rubbing her nose in her failure. With her physical movement the pain exploded around and within her, threatening to send her right back into blessed darkness. Heavy footsteps stomped towards her, combat boots glimpsed amid the fiery streaks that obscured her vision. Even her ears hurt. What was wrong with her? She remembered that she had been in the control room of the Shuttle Control, talking to Adrian. He had looked behind and beyond her and his eyes had widened. Blood. She remembered seeing his chest explode into blood and a voice. A voice that threatened to use her. A face swimming in and out of blurring vision. His voice. His face. Him. The Enemy. "Well, well. Back amid the land of the living, are we? Faster than I expected, but then you've already proven yourself to be both tough and resourceful, haven't you, Ms. Noin?" The dark shape in the red of her vision resolved itself into a somewhat handsome face with intense eyes and a strong square jaw. He chuckled softly, grinning down at her, an intolerably smug expression on his features. "You think you can win, do you? How? Just how do you think you can defeat the entire ESUN? Think your better than everybody else? You're a fool, woman. A bloody fool." Noin lay in growing agony, every cell in her body screamed at the piercing, consuming pain growing stronger with each passing second. She was tensing her body, half expecting to be hit by the bastard looming over her, but her muscles were screaming with the pain and it was all she could do not to scream in response. She would not give him the satisfaction. "Yes, the shock beam's wearing off. You'll feel it for hours, you know. It won't always be this bad, though. It will get worse before it gets better. However, it will improve. I believe the average time frame for improvement is in the vicinity of about four to six hours before you can move without screaming. That's not to say you're not in pain, you understand, just that most people can tolerate the level of discomfort by then. Of course, I've never felt it myself, you understand, but I have had the pleasure of seeing it before." She sobbed breath into her lungs. It hurt to even breathe. Her lungs felt like they were on fire with every ragged breath she managed to suck in. She could feel the breath travel over her airways as piercing needles, too hot, too cold, too everything all at once. He grinned at her, watching carefully each tiny spasm of muscles and nodded slowly, savoring the moment. This bitch had taken down two of his men without blinking. It was time she got some of her own back. He had heard the report from the agents in the shuttle control when they had removed the bodies from the room. He still did not know about the fate of the other four, but he could guess. "I've seen a man die while coming out of the shock, you know. The pain got so bad his heart could not stand to beat. That's what the doctors determined as the cause of death. Heart failure. Admittedly, he was an older man. All of thirty one, my dear Miss Noin. Ever so much older than you. Still, tell me, Miss Noin. Can you feel it yet? Can you feel every beat of your heart? Can you feel the pain it causes, even in your toes? That's the thing about hearts, Miss Noin. They have an effect on every part of your body. There just is no escaping it. The pain will get more and more intense. This is just the start, what you are feeling now. It's nothing compared to what will come." He studied her for a few seconds, nodding slightly at the very faint noise that escaped her. "I will admit, I could have reduced the setting, but I decided not to bother. I owe you for the death of my men, after all." "Ass... hole." a gasping, shuddering breath. Pain exploded in her throat, feeling as though her vocal cords and throat and the lining of her mouth were on fire. "You've got balls. I'll admit that." Simpson grinned. "Won't do you any good. We have you. We'll get Marquise next. Then it will be time to collect your brats. You'll be pleased to know that your not wanted. My orders only cover your man and your children." "'uck...'ou." the pain spiraled in throat and mouth and she sobbed and that only served to make her eyes burn worse as tears trickled down her cheeks. God. She could feel every bit of that agonizing slow glide over her skin. "I'm quite free to kill you. I'll enjoy doing that. You've cost me, Ms. Noin. You've cost me dearly. I won't forget that. Oh, and let me tell you, I will see to it that Marquise pays for the trouble he has caused me, and especially, I will see that he pays for every bit of the trouble you have caused me, all the way back to Earth. It's a three month flight, remember, Ms. Noin. I'll enjoy that, but I assure you that he won't." "Zechs... take... `ou... dow'." a hissed breath, defying the pain, willing herself to ignore it. Simpson arched an eyebrow. "You think? I'll allow that if his record is accurate that he might just have a chance. Might, bitch, but that's as far as I'll allow. He'll be a little distracted, you see. I think his concern for you will do my job for me." he grinned. "I'll have to leave you to your pain for now. Work to do, you know. I have our back up to contact and our ride out of here to call in. Must have a suitable vehicle to carry my spoils of war away in. Be a good girl now." Now that her mind was working properly she could see that she lay in a corner of the shuttle control room. The bodies of the two controllers had been removed at least, while she was blessedly unconscious. What had happened to the station operators on duty she shuddered to think. Unless they were undercover ESUN. If that was the case, then one of them had likely shot that poor idiot, Adrian. This rising tide of pain was fast becoming the only thing in her universe and that was not acceptable. She was better than this. She could conquer it, but to do so she had to eliminate distractions. The bastard in charge of this raid enjoyed her pain far too much. She would not bite at his jibes. At his throat, Oh God, yes, she could go for his jugular. //You said I could die, Zechs, well, I agree. I could. I might. I probably will, but I'll be damned if I will give these bastards a free show. I've hurt before and conquered. Shit. Oh, shit. Even giving birth didn't hurt like this. I'll not be useless. I'll not be the fabled damsel in distress. We Amazons save Princes, not the other way around.' Focus. Concentrate and focus. That was the key to this horror she found herself in. The old Chinese Master who had worked at Lake Victoria Academy had considered her to be one of his prize pupils, despite her gender. He had been her rock at the academy in her third year, when she experienced her crisis over the career options available to her. She had never wanted to be a combatant in the war, though she had trained as such. Year three had required her to make a decision and she had done so, with the aid of the old Chinese gentleman who chose to disregard his dislike of the female gender and aided her to clear her mind and focus on what she truly wanted out of the instruction modules available at Lake Victoria. Her many talks and meditation sessions under his watchful eye had eventually seen her choose to train as an instructor, and not focus her talents to lead her directly into combat situations, as Zechs had chosen. //And after all of that, after the fight with myself to decide what my direction would be, I end up back in combat.// It had been a long time since she had thought of Master Chen. He had been a strange old man, usually quiet and unassuming in appearance, yet always vocal in his disapproval of women training as warriors. Occasionally an unholy terror and always impossible to please. He had been held in the utmost respect by every cadet at the academy and his death in her fifth year there had been mourned by cadet and instructor alike. He had been an original character, one it was impossible to ignore, despite, or perhaps because of, his unassuming ways. When Master Chen spoke, you listened. When Master Chen instructed, you obeyed. When Master Chen frowned you quivered in your boots. *"Focus, Lucrezia. You do not need distraction. You do not need to feel, only do. This is your task. Until you can complete it, I will not speak with you again."* his voice, wispy and thin, yet commanding for its very quietness. He had never needed to raise his voice to be heard. He had never been ignored. His presence had filled rooms and quieted rowdy cadets by merely walking through a door. Focus, indeed. The situation was different, but the need was the same. More, actually. This was not a training exercise, but deadly serious need. Lives now hung in the balance and she would not allow a little pain to take her out of the picture. She had children waiting for her, to take them to safety and love them. She had a man out there, somewhere, doing Lord knew what to have pissed off Simpson so much. She had to draw a line in the sand, and this was the defining moment. No more distractions. No more delays. There was an obstacle in her path and she would remove that obstacle with all speed possible. She did not like to kill, but she swore silently to herself that she was going to enjoy taking Simpson down. She would get past this obstacle and she would get her children to a safe place where they could live free of the ESUN. //Zechs Marquize or Milliardo Peacecraft, I don't care what you decide to call yourself, but you are going to decide, one way or the other. Just as soon as I get out of this mess and we are free to leave, you are going to find yourself in front of a minister with a ring on your finger and me on your arm. I've had it, Zechs. Your mine and no one will take you from me. No one. Certainly not fat assed politicians who are pissing themselves with fear.//
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