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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 74 Mars Colony Alpha Dome Time 19:55 [Approx 17:45 Sanc time] Barker //It will work. We can not afford for it not to work. Those people will die if anything goes wrong now and they don't deserve that.// His gaze moved leisurely across the mass of machinery slowly being gathered and assembled in the big bay. Enviro suits were lined up to one side, carefully being checked over by a safety team and their generators being charged. The suits would be used by the pilots who had volunteered to attempt the flight in the three mobile suits to the Base Dome. While the cockpits of the Taurus suits were designed for one pilot, they had decided to squeeze a second person into each suit. The extra pair of hands would assist the pilots when they arrived at the caves to unload the parcel they would be transporting. He had already decided that two of the three extra people to go would be Preventers, namely himself and one of his agents. He glanced to one side where a mass of wires and circuit boards constituted the new radio array they were hoping to have operational before the parcel was ready to be connected to the suits. Fashioned from spare parts and scavenged materials from the main array, the radio, when they succeeded in getting it operational, should allow them sufficient power to establish communications with the workers outside the Base Dome. If they successfully established that contact it would allow Mako to speak with the maintenance teams and explain the situation so that all could hear. It would also enable them to communicate with the Taurus suits once they left the range of the personal hand sets they were currently forced to use and there was the slim chance that if anyone was capable of rigging a radio not controlled by the computers in the Base Dome, they should be able to speak with them too. Should. If. Might. //God, I hate not knowing what is going on up there. How did he know so much? Well, I suppose it does not matter now. Facts are that things have fallen apart and he said it might happen, but he never explained half of what he needs to. He certainly made no effort to enlighten anyone as to how he learned of the plans to take down the colony. I monitored his confinement here and I never caught even a hint of any communication between him and off world. So how did he know? Strange man, Merquise. Very strange.// The radio looked to be coming along nicely and he had hopes that they would be ready within fifteen minutes or so. Thirty at the latest, he estimated. He sincerely hoped so as very soon now the Martian night would fall and the cold would make it intolerable for anyone to be out of the protection of the great dome, even with an enviro suit. They needed to get to the people on the plateau above them and get them to safety with all speed. Scrubbing a hand over his face he looked down to the surface of the table where maps of the caves in the ridge rising behind the Base Dome were spread out before him. The small table was overflowing with them and he had already discarded half as being totally unsuitable for their needs. Either too small or too large for their very particular requirements. He had been looking for the best place to guide the teams once they reached the plateau and convinced the maintenance teams of the seriousness of the threat. The first three maps had not met with his approval, each cave being too large to maintain a level of heat that would effectively make a difference to the workers. The next four were more in line with what he needed, but the cavern systems were too much of a maze, the caves themselves not large enough to accommodate the people in a close group. He needed a series of caves with small entrances so that they could trap the heat, not have it disperse faster than they could generate it, but also large enough to have the people grouped together. They would need to watch each other through the long night, checking the energy levels and oxygen expenditure of each individual in the maintenance teams. A very unpalatable truth was that no matter what they did they were going to lose people through the night. They were not going to be able to save everyone and that truth pained him, but it was one he acknowledged. So far his investigations had produced nothing that would really aid the people who would spend the night beyond the security of the dome. As one of those people he was determined to find the optimum cave for their needs and he had to find it quickly. Already they were assembling the components of the package. With a sigh he stretched his back, wincing as tight muscles pulled painfully, eyes flicking over the growing pile of heating units and oxygen tanks. As he watched a trolley laden with food tubes was wheeled over to the growing assortment of equipment and he nodded absently. It was all coming together. They just had to load the gear onto the balloons now being laid out in the centre of the shuttle hanger, position the Taurus suits and secure it all together. Then they had to get the suits and the package safely air born and that would require some fancy flying on the part of the pilots. And, of course, find somewhere for them all to shelter. He flipped aside the top map, dismissing it as too high and narrow to gain optimum heat coverage from the heating units and leaned back over the table. His eyes followed the food trolley as it trundle past and his nose caught the aromatic aroma of freshly made coffee. He almost groaned at the rich scent, thinking that he really could do with a cup of the rich brew, but dismissed the thought as a waste of precious time. He had too much to do to take the time to chase the coffee pot that no doubt was making the rounds of the hall and would be dry by the time he found it anyway. He flicked his gaze back to the maps and froze. A series of four caverns, each connected in at least one place by narrow passages lay before him. Not so remarkable in itself, but what drew his attention was the very neat, very familiar writing that was scrawled estimates of energy expenditure to heat the first of the caverns to a nice tropical 5 degrees Celsius. Well, he reflected, tropical for Mars at least. In the side margin was an estimate of the number of lights that would be required to provide illumination and the number of heating units that needed to be used per hour to maintain a temperature that the enviro suits could handle. Scrawled in one margin was a radio frequency with a note that it was not a frequency generally monitored by the ESUN agents. On closer examination, he noted that in smaller script there was actually a 10% chance that the frequency would be monitored by the agents in the Base Dome. He snorted softly, seeing the underlined 'acceptable risk' notation. “Merquise.” a whisper. “Jesus, how do you do it?” He settled into the chair, carefully reading over the notes scrawled over the map, taking particular care in noting down the figures and estimates provided. Comparing their estimates with those on the maps he calculated that they needed more heating units and power packs for the enviro suits than they had originally decided to send. Marquise had been more right than wrong to date and he was loath to go against his estimates in this. The man had been right too often for him to be dismissed as over cautious. There was even a note to use the balloons to cap the cave entrance and the two side passages once everyone was inside and to position the Taurus suits inside the cave entrance, away from easy sight. //Which means he's afraid that we might get unwanted visitors if something goes wrong in the base dome and he can't take them all out. They'll have to look that little bit harder for us.// he scowled shaking his head and noted writing on the bottom right hand corner of the map. It was tiny, done in thin pencil and followed by a series of question marks. //What's this? Chance of Storm, 15%.// “Oh, wonderful. Well, at least he considered everything he could think of. I only hope that 15% stays negligible. If it does storm we are dead if we can't shelter in the base dome.” “Simon? Talking to yourself now?” Mako settled on the chair across from him, stretching and rotating his shoulders to work out an ache. “You would not believe how many tubes of food we need for that many people to keep up natural body heat for up to fourteen hours at the type of temperatures we are likely to face. Have you found a suitable cavern system yet?” Barker leaned back grinning and silently flicked the map of the cavern system to the project chief. He noted that Mako had brought a gift with him and practically pounced on the mug sitting near his elbow. “It appears that Merquise left us a gift.” he murmured after taking a healthy mouthful, savoring the dark brew. “He left us more than a gift.” Mako mumbled, taking note of the listed estimates. “Damn. The man even has marked a natural pit where the big suits can have the sewerage discharged before they go into the caves. Hmm. I think we need to increase the number of lights. He has listed that four in the cavern would be enough but has a higher estimate than we did on malfunctions due to the extreme cold. He has more oxygen cylinders listed as well. We can do this. It will not take too long to make the changes and the Taurus suits could still lift the added weight.” “More food, as well.” Barker nodded watching as a second trolley of food tubes was wheeled past. “He has even listed an estimate on the chances of a storm rising tonight, beyond the usual nightly gale.” “Thorough man. I wonder how long he was planning for this? How long he thought about them coming and what they were likely to do when they got here. Still, his accuracy is almost eerie.” Barker shrugged. “Preventer Earth told me that he was an unusual man. Actually, I don't think she likes him, but I believe there is a grudging respect there. She said straight out that he was a good commander, but I think it goes beyond just that. He's dedicated, that's for certain and he seems to have very good instincts.” “He has that, yes, and he seems to have more, somehow. I kept track of him from the start, Simon, and I swear that he could not have accessed any of the radio systems at the base. Yet he must have, to have gathered the intelligence he has to have to prepare for this as he has. How did he get these maps, Simon? He's not supposed to have access to this type of information, but just look at this. He knows what we have in stores and has made suggestions for other substitute items for what we are short on. How did he find out that information?” A low sigh and Barker chuckled. “Well, did we really expect the Commander of the White Fang to be an idiot?” “I suppose not.” Mako snorted. “Still, I do wonder, Simon. About the man and his reasons for doing what he did then and what he does now. He would not talk about White Fang. Not to me. Not to Noin either, I think. Did he talk to you?” “No. He never talked to me about the war or any of his past. I only know what Lady Une told me when she briefed me. Largely that amounts to do not underestimate him and believe that he always has a reason for what he does. In her own words 'Do not underestimate him. Do not believe for an instant that he is not planning something. Do not turn your back on him and expect to find a halo in place of horns'.” Barker shrugged with a wide grin. Mako laughed, staring at Barker in disbelief. “She really said that?” “Oh, yes. There is not a lot of love between Preventers Earth and Wind. She saw him as a rival in the early days.” “Rival?” Mako arched an eyebrow in query. “Mmm. A lot of smoke and no fire from what I know, especially as he's hooked up with Noin and has kids.” Mako shook his head, perplexed. “I don't follow.” “Well, it has nothing to do with this situation, of course. Just a lot of gossip from before the One Year War. It was rumored that Kushrenada and Merquise were lovers and that Une wanted Kushrenada herself. Like I said, old gossip and nothing much in it.” Mako nodded, setting aside the map. “Well, it does explain why Noin watches him like a hawk, though. She would not consider it safe to leave him in male company any more than female company if there was any question about his sexuality. Especially with the high number of homosexual men that are on the colony.” “As may be, but it's not answering any other questions we need answered now.” “No, its not, and since we want the suits out of here within half an hour its time to get on with what does concern us. I only hope that this is all a false alarm. That when we get there the workers are all inside the dome and we find out that we were fools to consider this atrocity might happen.” Barker turned his eyes to the map in Mako's hands. //Someone thought of it a long time before we did.// he mused, rising and stepping away from the table. //Merquise had thought of this days or weeks ago, maybe even months ago. What would have made him think of it? Well, it just goes to show that I am not suited to lead a large body of men in really difficult situations. He has thought of things I'd not have considered possible, let alone likely and he made provision for them.// “Are you still set on going with the suits?” “Yes. If I can get into that dome I will. I have to try at least. If I can't find a way in then I will just have to shelter with the others in the caves and hope.”
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