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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 95 Mars 1st March AC 198 Base Dome Time: 22:055 [Approx 20:45 Sanc time] Zechs //I hate dark places but I can ignore that provided I keep moving and don't think too much about it. I hate pain, but it is to be ignored right now since there is nothing at the moment that I can do about it. I hate crawling on my belly for what seems like hours and can't possibly be, since I would be out of oxygen and quite dead by now were it true. There is a lot of things about my life that I hate, but I have no time to address them, or rather I have the time but not the inclination nor energy to address them now. In short, I have to admit that this is not the best day I have ever had.// "Junction, Zechs, connecting vent links on the left." Giles sounded just as tired and fed up with this crawling on his belly through narrow spaces as he, he reflected. Pausing he considered the route, consulting his mental map and reviewing the distance they had already covered since leaving the junction with the ladder. The slope of the vent had been steadily increasing to the stage where he was being very careful not to lose contact with the oxygen cylinders he was pushing in front of him. He could not afford for them to roll from his control and pull the masks from his face or Noin's. He was careful to maintain sufficient pace, despite his exhaustion to keep Giles close enough so that if he did lose control of both tanks they would only roll until they contacted the man's feet. Giles had already offered a choice curse or two to the darkness that suggested his cylinder had slipped on a couple of occasions. They had come so far into the vents largely in silence except for those time when they had reached junctions and needed to talk their way through the correct path to be taken. Not only was it a means to preserve as much oxygen as they could for the remainder of this journey through the ducts, but it was also a means by which they could reserve their personal energies for the arduous crawl. Talking used oxygen and energy and they had limited supplies of both. They had come so far now that he knew that they could not be too far from their goal, that linking plate that would get them into the newer vent system and lead them ultimately to the shuttle bay. He had to rely on his memory for their route and though he seemed to have something of a photographic memory and had forgotten very little he had ever seen, read or heard in his life, he only could marvel that Giles appeared to trust him. There had been no doubtful queries, no awkward questions about whether or not he was sure that a left turn and not a right turn was the way to go. His partner seemed to trust him enough to determine their correct course, but surely the man had to be wondering if they were lost? He knew that he would be at least silently asking himself those same questions had he been the one who had to rely on the directions of another. Or had Giles decided that he had no option other than to go through this cramped, dark, inhospitable crawl to escape the attentions of the agents who must surely be hunting them by now? He could offer no words of encouragement as for too long he had been working off the line the visions had suggested he should take. For better or worse they made their own future now, with no guidelines other than decisions that had to be made spontaneously. At some point they would undoubtedly cross another intersection of event with forecast vision and perhaps gain some advantage, but for now, they were as blind to the future as most other people. He was disturbed that he missed the certainty of knowing where his decisions would take him and once, only this very morning, he had cursed knowing the future. How quickly the human race could change its views. He was wary now that at some point he might become reliant on these visions and afraid to move for fear of changing event at some time. "Not this one, go straight on. We want the next left, Giles. Don't take that turn though. Just past the intersection there will be the plate that connects into the newer systems. That plate is what we are looking for." "Thank God for that." there was very obvious relief in the man's voice. "I don't think that my hips have any skin left on them, let alone my belly." //I can sympathize with that only too well. I need a break-we both need a break, but we don't dare stop now. If we need the oxygen for the newer ducts then we have to save as much as we can. It's just a little further.// He paused, listening to the scrapes of movement as Giles began to pull himself forward again and noted the grunts coming from Giles, knowing the man's ribs must be screaming in pain by this time. With both of them now on the injured list and Noin definitely out of the picture for the duration of whatever happened next, he had to turn to options other than purely physical in nature to deal with this situation. He had known that there was the possibility that he would be injured by the events of the day and accordingly he had made allowances for just such a situation should he need to face Blue Squad in a less than healthy condition. The plans that he had made in response to that vision could not be called exactly honorable, but it was going to prove to be necessary considering that he and Giles were now injured. He had to stop relying on Giles presence to alter events as it was not possible for one man to make so many changes to the ultimate future. Giles had already made changes in that future and Zechs was not going to be fool enough to think that he could continue to do so. What was past was now past and he must look forward to finishing this mess and finishing it quickly, as neatly and efficiently as possible and if that meant he turned to not entirely honorable means, then so be it. He owed the bastards for Noin's condition and if their commander had the audacity to challenge him to a duel he would shove it down the bastard's throat. He had done so to Treize when he had challenged him in the past and he would do so again, to preserve as many of the Terra Formers as he possibly could. He saw no need to resort to chivalrous practices when the people who were his friends were being slaughtered. //We need to gather what evidence we can in the hope that we can make use of it at some later time. There may come a time when someone may be able to use it against those who arranged this farce. The best way to gain information would be for me to confront Simpson face to face and try to get answers out of him and have the interview recorded. If he thinks he has the upper hand then he may just talk a little and give us some answers. I honestly do not expect to get much information from him, but if I can get enough to implicate a person or two - get some names, then it will be worth the risks. Giles may not think so, but I think he would go along with what I have planned, if we can make it work.// Giles grunted ahead of him and he felt the oxygen tanks he pushed connect with the man's feet. Pulling his thoughts back into line with the current difficulties they faced he stopped his laborious inching forward and waited. The feet against his tank did not move, indeed they slipped backwards, toward him and he pulled the tanks back a little, hoping that Giles did not expect him to back up in the vent. It was all he could do to force himself to go forward without having to force his body to move backwards. That was going to result in him having to convince every muscle in his body that they had to reverse the reach, and pull action that was hypnotic and had allowed him to continue on. He was uncertain if he could force himself to reverse direction, especially as it would be reversing up a gradient. Not a steep gradient, no, but going forward was hard enough. He was cut in innumerable places along his flanks and front by jagged edges in the vent seals. Sections poorly connected and welds broken over time were generally the source of the worst of the swords the vent system had wielded and he knew that Giles had to be covered in just as many shallow cuts and abrasions. On their own none of these wounds would be dangerous but taken together they could cause problems if they did not get to that emergency shuttle and make use of its supplies. All manner of nasty infection could result from the cuts and he was not inclined to catch an exotic bug because of this excursion into the past. He wanted himself and Giles injected with broad range antibiotics as soon as possible. "I think… Yes, I have found the cover plate you said to look for. It looks like the cover is screwed on from the far side, but that's okay, not a problem. I have magnetic screw drivers on me that will do the trick. Just … have … to … ow." sounds of movement and the faint vibration in the vent suggested Giles was searching his body for the necessary equipment. "Shit that hurt. Okay, I think I found one that will work. If the screws are not corroded we should be alright." He managed a grunt in response, lowering his head to the cold metal surface under him and took the opportunity granted to simply rest. He was bone aching weary and wanted nothing more that to allow himself a day of sleep, but this day was far from being over. He had preparations to make for his confrontation with the Blue Squad Commander and some of those preparations required he get back into the sub base. He needed to draw Simpson and his tech into the sub base for what he planned, but if the tech was as good as he believed him to be, then they were going to have to take that man out before he dared to try his trick on Simpson. At the least he had to separate the tech from his Commander. Considering that he was Simpson's only remaining resource he doubted that was going to be easy as Simpson would be careful of the man's safety, but it was going to have to be accomplished. Frazier could recognize in an instant what he was going to try to do and he just could not take that chance. //I wonder if Sharnice is managing with my children? I hate the necessity of having to do this, but there is no choice. We are at the stage where I have to take chances. I need to gain control quickly and this may be my best chance to accomplish an end.// "You're quiet back there, Zechs. Everything okay?" It seemed an effort to reply, but it was necessary that he reassure his partner and it was a relief to hear another voice in this darkness. "Just resting." "Two screws down." a soft response and the sound of Giles jockeying for a better position echoed in the vent. "It won't be long now and we can get rid of these tanks. I won't be sorry to see them go." "We may not be able to at first. If they have screwed around with the venting system then we may have a bit of a way to go before we can remove the tanks." The sounds of movement ceased for a long moment and then Giles cursed softly. "Well, Murphy has been kind to us so far, so I suppose it is time he dropped the bundle on us. What do you bet the vents are full of shit?" He could imagine the look on the man's face and could not keep the smile from his own. "No bet. I vote in favor of the shit and I think you do too." The slight sounds of movement were back again, as Giles worked on the screws. "Yeah. You got that right. It just has to start going wrong somewhere along the track and I think we might have hit that point. Last one. Ah, we might have another problem." Just what he needed. He wanted out of this cramped black world and it stood to reason that something would happen to delay that much anticipated exit. "What?" "Well, I've had a good chance now to size up this access plate and it looks to be a pretty small hole that we have to crawl through to get into the newer system." //God, no. Just what I need. The maps did not say how big the access was, just that it was there and marked it with a blacked out area. How small is small?// "Shit." "Hey, it may not be as bad as we think. Which way does the vent on the other side of this seal run? Do we enter it at a junction?" //We could not be so lucky.// "The vent runs North / South and there is no junction point where we enter." "Ah. That means that we have to turn ninety degrees to fit into the vent. Well, at least the newer vents are larger and wider. That will help and I'll be able to help you more than I was afraid might be the case." He was wishing at this point that his father, who had been over six feet tall and would have outweighed him from memory, had not bred his genetics for tall and broad-shouldered into him. In basic language, he wished that he was not big. It was a common fault of architects and engineers that vents were never designed for big people. Even the more recent additions to the vent system were not designed to comfortably accommodate someone of his size, but at least, as Giles said, there would be more room than these original ducts offered. //It's taking too long. Are you alive still, Lu? I hope you are. You are the only one of us with the build for these vents and you'd be laughing your head off now if you could see us bumbling around. I think that you would like Giles. He has a way about him that gets to you and you can't help but like him. Please be alive. You feel warm, but I really can't tell.// "Shit! God, where is all this shit coming from?" Giles sounded disgusted, but in the darkness Zechs could see nothing. "Well, my friend, in the name of Murphy we appear to have won the lottery. I don't know if we are going to even be able to see in there, even with the torch. It's full of smoke and I can't see that it is moving accept into this duct now that it has access." //Meaning they have sealed the exterior air vents and the smoke and toxins have nowhere to go. Wonderful. At least the sub base is on a different vent system and should not be bothered by this residue. We will need to seal the access way when we go into the sub base vents though. We can't afford to allow a toxic build up to pollute the sub base systems.// "Zechs? Are you listening back there? Any chance of you backing up a little for me? I need to do a bit of manoeuvring to get through this hole." He resisted the desire to groan and instead worked at inching himself backwards, slowly and painfully aware that he must not allow Noin to shift with his motion. Noin's dead weight, while slight at first now felt like a ton weight resting on his aching body. His muscles, so long use to reaching and pulling for forward movement now protested the reverse motion needed, but he did manage to edge back what he hoped would be enough and simply collapsed on the floor of the vent, sucking in deep drafts of oxygen before he got his breathing back under control. He listened to the scrapes and bumps and curses coming from ahead as Giles positioned himself and wondered when it was his turn if he would manage to fit through the access. It seemed to be taking an inordinately long time, but he had to be patient and remember that time was relative and while you waited time always seemed longer, never shorter. "I tell you this, my friend, you are not going to get through this hole with Noin on your back. There is no way you can do it." Giles rested in the adjoining vent, after turning himself around and poking his head back through the hole, waving the torch around until he found Zechs. "You are going to have a pretty tight squeeze just to get yourself through it." That was not what he wanted to hear. Taking a deep lung full of the oxygen he forced his body to creep forward to where he could see the faint light of the torch marking the hole, eyeing the clouds of noxious fumes filling the vent with wary caution. It was obvious that they would need to get out of the vent system and into the sealed sub base vents as quickly as possible. Soon they were going to have to find a way to open the exterior vents for the upper dome before the build up of toxic fumes in the vents filled the upper enviro dome and posed a hazard for those still up there. At least the terra formers who were in the buildings with isolated air systems would be safe, but if for any reason they ventured into the dome itself they could be in serious trouble. "How do you want to work this?" Giles grinned at him when he reached the vent, failing to keep the worried frown from his brow. // My God. I'll never fit through that.// "I'll go past far enough for you to work on the knots holding Noin's legs, then inch back again and you can release her chest. You will have to pull her through the hole and I'll help as much as I can, but it will be up to you to guide her body through, then I'll work at getting me through." "Fine. We can try that." Zechs reflected that this must be how a car felt in the hands of an inexperienced driver trying to manoeuvre into a cramped parking place, only the car would not be bothered by sheets of pain. When Giles had freed the ropes securing Noin to his chest he inched carefully back sufficiently to pass Noin's oxygen cylinder through the hole, then inched forward again to allow Giles to take her by the shoulders and ease her into the access hole. It was heaven to have the weight of Noin removed from him as he began to inch forward once again to give Giles the room to manage Noin's slender form through the gap. He used his body to continue to support as much of her weight as possible until Giles managed to ease her into the newer vent system and then he settled to the floor of the vent and waited. He listened in silence to the grunts and curses and to the muttered 'sorry' that issued from the hole, the latter uttered to a woman who could not hear the apology producing a tired smile on his face. It would be his turn soon and he was not looking forward to getting his own frame through that hole. //It's too small. All of this and I never thought that the access way linking the two systems would be too bloody small for me to use. What do I do now? // "Okay. I've put Noin down the vent a ways, to give us some room to manoeuvre. Thought you would like to know that she is still alive, by the way. Reasonably steady heartbeat and her breathing's good. Maybe being on the oxygen has helped her?" "Maybe." // I have to try. I have to get through that hole and to the shuttle bay and laying here thinking the hole is too small is not accomplishing anything. // He began the task of inching himself backwards, considering the best method to get himself through a hole never designed in his opinion for more that the use of imaginary elves. Giles waited patiently, ducking his head back out of the way as he neared the hole and shining the torch through the gap, waiting patiently for him to arrive and roll onto his side, head level with the hole. Zechs eyed the gap with trepidation. It looked disturbingly small, but when he thought about it Giles was fairly broad shouldered though not so long as him and he had made it through. He had heard that it was surprising how small a hole a human body could fit through if the need was there, and he had heard from a group of spelunkers who told stories of fitting through holes half the width of their shoulders, so it had to be possible. If, of course, those spelunkers were not prone to rank exaggeration. "Zechs?" Giles poked his head back through the hole. "You okay?" Taking a fortifying breath he nodded, inching closer to the hole. "Head and shoulders first. Left shoulder first so that it does not have to take most of the strain." Giles nodded and backed away in the other vent, still shining the light on the hole. "I'll pull when needed and I'll help support your weight until you're through." A grunt was all the answer forthcoming as the oxygen cylinder was passed through the hole first and then the blonde head slipped through the hole, arms leading the way. Giles eased the oxygen tank out of the immediate area, careful not to pull the mask from his companions face. Zechs received the impression of a much larger space on this side of the wall and experienced a surge of relief on the heels of that thought. It would be a lot easier negotiating his frame through this larger vent system than the older maze of ducts and that thought lightened his worry. He would get through into this vent system and the larger area would make it a lot easier to bring Noin to the shuttle bay. He felt Giles close to him, hands sliding under his left side and supporting his weight as he wiggled and squeezed his shoulder though the hole. The light of the torch served to illuminated the floor of the vent and little else and he realized that Giles had set it aside to shed light on the scene in an area where they were least likely to knock it and possibly damage it. It also allowed Giles the use of both hands, which he could not deny were going to be needed. "Shit." "What?" Giles slid closer, sliding his legs under the blonde who had managed to work his left shoulder through the gap and was working on the right shoulder to straighten himself out. // No help for it, but please God, don't let him crack a joke about size. // "I'm stuck, of course." a tired, fatalistic grumble. The Raider had the poor grace to offer a chuckle at that and a gleaming toothy smile, but he slid his body under Zechs' head and visible shoulder, trying to get into a position to allow Zechs some support in the effort that was going to be needed to get the blonde through the gap. It was clear that Zechs was going to be leaving some skin behind before he managed it. "Maybe we will have some luck if we twist you a little and work you out slowly?" he grinned, thankful that the man could not see his expression, but he thought it was amusing to have the Prince of Sanc stuck in a hole. Zechs would think it funny too, he was sure. Eventually. "Stop with the laughing and start with the pulling." //Laugh it up, Giles, just don't you dare get mouthy with size jokes.// "'Scuse my familiarity, Your Highness, and I assure you that I am not laughing nor am I getting frisky. Nothing personal you understand, but if you were not so ruddy big we would not be having this trouble." he wrapped his arms around the broad chest, squeezing his hands just under the man's arm pits, pressed his back to the far side of the vent and his feet to the near side. "Okay, I'm braced. Ready to wiggle you when you are." "You are laughing, Giles. This is not funny." He pressed his left hand against the side of the vent, mindful of Giles arms wrapped around him, but his right arm could not reach the vent to help as yet. "Go." "Of course it is. Just think about it." He grunted, exerting building pressure from his legs as he tried to rotate his arms enough to move the body he held. "How many Princes can tell their grandchildren in later life that they had the good fortune to get stuck in a hole in an air vent, on Mars no less? And with such a good looking and likeable fellow as myself, hmm? Rest assured I will be telling my grandkids all about it." "Oh, shut up, Giles." a grunt issued from Zechs, but he felt himself scrape a little further through the hole and if the cost for that progress was Giles getting mouthy, well, it was fair enough. If he survived this day it probably would be funny when he looked back on it. "Can't possibly shut up, Sir. I'm enjoying this far too much. Christ, that hurts." the last a whimper as his ribs reminded him they had so recently been abused and that he was putting unwanted strain on them. "Are you moving at all?" "I think so." he gasped for breath, feeling as though his upper chest was in a vice. Giles relaxed his grip, sucking in panting breaths. "Well, lets try this then. On the count of three, exhale as much air from your lungs as possible and I'll pull. Oh, and don't forget to think small." //He had to. He just could not let it go.// "You know you are dead, don't you? Just as soon as I get out of this hole." "Yeah, yeah. That's what everyone tells me while I'm pulling them out of holes they're too bloody big to fit through. One." He was grinning though his body protested his every breath and his arms felt as though they were going to refuse to work. They had to get the blonde hulk through this hole and quickly, he was only too aware of the constraints of time. When he had checked the oxygen they had less than an hour on all three of the tanks. "You are enjoying this too much." "Not as much as I'll enjoy it later." a chuckle. "Two." "Sadist." He braced his hand as best he could on the vent wall, ready to push. "Thank you. Exhale. Three." Giles forced his body to twist, pressing his feet into the wall of the vent and throwing himself backwards with all of the strength he possessed. He heard the scream from Zechs almost drowned in the scream that tore from his own throat at the pain that pierced him not just in his ribs but in his back and legs. He called himself all kinds of fool for getting himself injured and then, blessedly, felt the blonde move. Panting and moaning in pain they lay in the vent, sucking oxygen into heaving lungs as they each tried to control their own pain. Zechs was lying on Giles whose arms still wrapped around his chest, though they were dead weights right now. Neither was capable of moving and it was some time before Giles managed to speak. "Tell … me … you're out … of the bloody … hole?" "Sort of." a gasp. Giles, from where he was buried under the upper half of the former Lightning Count, panting and staring at the fall of silver white hair just in front of his nose could not resist the shudder. //Sort of? What is that supposed to mean?// "What do you mean, 'sort of?'" "Well, my shoulders and chest are through." he panted, breathing slowly easing to a more normal rhythm. "I don't think I have any skin left on me, of course, but that did seem to work. Sort of." //Sort of. Again with sort of. He's not telling me … Oh no. No, he's not telling me …// "God, don't you dare tell me that your butt's stuck." A suspicious silence responded and grew as the seconds passed and Giles glared at that silken mass of silver white in the dim light that was hanging so tantalizingly close to him. A good hard pull on that hip length mass might just bring him some degree of personal satisfaction. "Zechs." The growl issued from him when it was apparent that no answer was going to be forthcoming. "But Giles, you asked me not to tell you." the blonde was shaking in his arms, small tremors of movement and Giles snorted, realizing that Zechs was trying not to laugh and failing miserably. "How about we tell our great grandkids about this?" the Raider chuckled seeing the funny side only too well but wishing fervently that they were a long way from this duct and standing in a nice big shuttle bay where there was room to move. "I think they would make it a family tradition to tell on holidays and special occasions, for at least the next ten or so generations, don't you?" "Probably." he sighed, thankful that Giles was not cursing under him or pulling his hair out by the roots for his misplaced humor. "Do you know that we did something really stupid, Giles? It would have worked exactly as you hoped, accept for one small detail." "Which was?" "We forgot to take off the whip and the utility belt." With a dull thump he allowed his head to drop back against the vent floor. //I don't believe this.// "So, it's not just that you have a big ass that's the problem then?" "I do not have a big ass! No need to be crass. Can you reach around and unhook the whip at least?" "Just a sec." wriggling and grunting ensued and he pushed the fall of hair out of the way, still tempted to give it a good quick and hard pull, just on principle. "I can't see a bloody thing. Is that the tie holding the whip?" His fingers closed on something that felt like a thin strip of leather. "I can't see either but your hand feels to be in about the right place. If it is, then one good tug on the end should do it, then with a bit of luck you can pull the whip through." "We'll give it a try in a minute, as soon as I can find the end of that loop. Can I get to the catch on the tool belt, do you think?" "I doubt it, not at the angle I'm on. That's still in the other vent and I'm totally blocking it. Do me a favor would you? Remind me never to take up caving." Giles snorted in amusement. "If you do I'm certainly not going to be there to pull you out." a sharp tug on the whip and he heard the hissed breath from the man above him and the loop holding the whip loosened, another tug on the whip itself produced no response. There was no help for it, he decided, getting Zechs through that hole was just going to be an extremely painful process. For both of them. He set his feet once again on the vent wall and braced his shoulders, feeling Zechs tense in response and he pulled for all he was worth on the whip, feeling it resist and then thankfully it moved, not quickly and he had to repeat the process twice, but finally the coiled leather lay on the floor of the vent beside him. "Okay." he panted softly, taking a few minutes to rest. "The whip is clear. Let me see if I can get a better grip on you and we will give this twist and pull routine another try." Zechs groaned, trying to ignore the pain in his back where the strain of his position was mainly felt. He had thought he had hurt crawling on his belly through the vent, but that now seemed nothing compared to the pain he now endured. All of him was one huge pain but of the many aches that visited him it was his back that seemed to think it the biggest outrage at the present time. That soon changed however, when Giles lifted under him to take the strain of his weight, a blessed relief until Giles searching fingers grasped the belt of his trousers, fingers finding some purchase on the material. "Nearly there. Brace yourself and this time you have to think thin." "Not funny, Giles." a panted protest. "I know, but it will be within the week." Again Giles braced himself, setting his feet firmly in place and settling his shoulders. He pushed the long fall of hair out of the way with a twist of his head and locked his fingers around the leather of the man's belt, fingers bunching in the material of his trousers and drew a deep breath. He nodded against Zechs's back, knowing the man would take that as the signal and then he pulled, straining for all he was worth, twisting at the blonde's hips, trying to work him through the gap. He felt his grip on the belt slip as he felt Zechs move and with renewed hope he grasped desperately at material, his ribs screaming at him and he pulled harder until the screaming from the blonde penetrated his efforts. "What in Christ's name do you think you are doing! Giles quit it! Stop with the fucking King of all Wedgies!" He blushed furiously as the words being screamed at him became clear as the pair of them collapsed into a heap in the vent. t.b.c.
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