The hatch to the Angel opened, and Quatre unlocked the safety harness
he'd strapped himself into over ten hours before. He blinked his eyes at
the bright lights of the hangar before ducking and stepping out of the
cockpit.
Gentle hands grabbed his own and pulled him the rest of the way out and into a strong male chest. Quatre sighed and then smiled up at Trowa.
"Miss me?"
Trowa didn't answer; he didn't have to; the link told Quatre all he needed to know. Instead, Trowa leaned down and planted a firm and passionate kiss on his lips. Quatre wondered just how much sleep the lovers were going to get that night.
Separating, the two moved towards the main entrance. They'd been the last two Angels to take off, so the other pilots had beaten them here. Here was the PeaceMillion2, the battleship that Zechs called home.
Floating softly to the ground, he and Trowa moved quietly and quickly down the main corridor. Quatre let Trowa lead since he'd been on this very ship less than a month earlier. Together they grabbed a hold of the people mover and let the machine do the walking for them.
At the correct door, Trowa grabbed his hand, and they stepped off into the waiting room.
"Jeez guys, what took you so long?" Duo was situated on Heero's lap, his good humor still in place even after ten hours away from Heero's mouth and other body parts.
"Trowa's sub-engines had some problems; I had to tow him in. The mechanics saw it; they're looking into it right now." Quatre tugged Trowa over to one of the chairs and made his lover sit before kneeling by his feet and resting his head in Trowa's lap. Snuggling in to get more comfortable, he sighed as Trowa ran long fingers over his scalp.
"Great, now all we have to do is wait for that blonde haired Goldilocks!" Duo had never liked Zechs much; no one was quite sure why. When asked, Duo just shrugged his shoulders and said he didn't generally like people who tried to kill his lover, blow up the Earth, and then become a good guy; it didn't sit well with him.
"Maxwell, for the love of-just shut up and sit there. I had to listen to you gab the whole way here! Now shut up and keep silent!" Wufei was irritated. It seems that the doctor from L2 had actually propositioned Sally-who adamantly refused; but Wufei still wasn't happy about leaving her behind. All of that, and only his and Duo's coms had worked the entire way there, leaving Wufei to listen to Duo talk for the last ten straight hours.
"Wufei, I wasn't that bad!"
"I seriously doubt that!" Heero smirked behind Duo, who immediately swung around and attacked his offensive mouth with his own.
"I see they're still up to their same old tricks." The group spun around at Zechs's voice. The proud man stood in the doorway, his arm wrapped around his wife-the still very beautiful Noin. But the surprise was in the small boy she carried in her arms-almost an exact copy of Zechs. He was three and half year old Treize, their son.
"Ms. Noin!" Quatre was off his knees and embracing Noin in a tight hug immediately.
"Quatre! It's so good to see you. How have you been? Oh, Treize what do you say?"
The little boy ducked into his mother's neck and gave him a shy smile. "Hi."
"Hello, Treize. How are you?"
Smiling, the little boy only ducked back into his mother, occasionally peeking out to see his "Uncle" Quatre.
"Oh, he's been busy. Why don't you tell Quatre about your new puppy? I bet he'd love to hear about Jumper." But the little boy only shyly hid back into his mother, shaking his head softly.
Quatre smiled at Noin. Since the end of the war, they'd stayed close, and when she'd finally married Zechs, Quatre had been in attendance. A simple wedding for simple people; Noin and Zechs now spent all of their time in the outer space division of the Preventers, which suited them fine.
"Noin, I'll take him." Zechs reached with open arms to take his son. The little boy quickly scrambled into his father's embrace before once again ducking into his shoulder. Zechs only smiled.
Taking the opportunity that was afforded to him, Quatre again embraced the woman who had been like a rock for him towards the end of the war.
"Quatre, I was so sorry to hear about Dorothy. How are you doing?" She smiled kindly at him.
"I'm doing better. She was a dear friend who will be missed."
"Of course. But tell me, how have you been otherwise? It's been so long. Usually Zechs gets all the visitors." She winked at him, and Quatre smiled brightly in return.
"Things have been a little rocky for me lately, but I'm working through them. Actually that's partly why we're here."
"That's right! I heard you had some special agenda about this mission. Treize and I were visiting the zoo on L3 when the com came through. Is it anything I can help you prepare for?"
He shook his head. "No, actually we're all set. Trowa's Angel had some booster problems, but the mechanics are fixing that up right now. Hopefully we'll be up within the hour." He looked to Zechs for confirmation.
"That'll be fine. The faster we get in there, the faster we can take them down." Zechs placed a kiss on his son's cheek before setting him on his feet. The little boy moved quickly to his mother's side and hid behind her leg. "Hard to believe he's a prince, hn?" Zechs smiled, showing his pride for the little boy.
"I'm not a-a prince, I'm a pilot!" That said, Treize ducked once again into hiding.
* * *
"This is Angel 4, target reached, exiting mobile, copy?"
"Copy that Angel 4, proceed to target, outer perimeter secure."
"Roger!"
Once again, Quatre threw open the hatch of his suit and exited. His feet fell hard to the ground as he jumped the ten or so feet to the floor. The hangar was dark. Only the emergency lights were flashing. He knew that the other Angel suits were flying in, but his had left the battlefield first, hoping to have some extra time to find the children.
His entire focus was the little boy. After the debriefing, they'd learned that Trowa's Angel was going to need about four hours worth of work. They were taken to a set of mock quarters and told kindly to rest up. They were barracks, and not at all conducive to the type of "resting" he and Trowa had had in mind. Resigning themselves to actually sleeping, they'd settled into the lower bunk and took a nap.
The images had hit Quatre almost the second he'd closed his eyes. More vibrant and painful now that he was actually in space. The images took on a life of their own as Quatre could only watch. He'd seen the little boy huddled in a corner, his knees tucked into his chest, rocking back and forth. Then from the corner of his eye, he'd watched a metal door slide open, a sign with the word "NEO" on it visible through the open door.
A man in a white lab coat entered and immediately started beating on the little boy, showing no mercy. Quatre had screamed, demanding he stop, but he couldn't be heard in this dreamscape-only witness. He was amazed to see that the little boy fought back, kicking and screaming, seemingly heedless to the injuries he'd already sustained. Finally though, he'd been overpowered and lay defenseless as the man continued to kick and hit him savagely. But it was the boy's eyes that held Quatre spellbound. They seemed to be looking straight at him-as if the boy saw him. It took a moment for Quatre to realize that the boy wasn't looking at him but looking at the person he was in the dream. He turned his head then and saw his warped reflection in a sheet of metal.
A little girl, no older than the boy, with hair the color of white snow and sunshine, but dulled with pain and suffering. He couldn't make out all of her features, but he knew her hair, knew what to look for.
He'd awoken screaming, with Trowa desperately trying to shake him awake; the other pilots huddled around the bunk. With fast paced words borne from fear, he told the others about the little girl, explaining what she looked like. Then he told them about the sign "NEO" on the wall. Heero translated the word "Neo" into "New" and suddenly the idea that these children were perhaps genetics-and weapons-took on a whole new meaning.
After delivering Quatre's find to Zechs, the pilots had boarded the Angels and taken off. Now nearly three hours later, Quatre was running down the hallways of the Tragona faction's headquarters, moving cautiously but with great speed. He wasn't sure how, but he could sense the children close by. All around him people scrambled in panic, too worried about being caught in the terrorist faction than to concern themselves with Quatre.
Long metal hallways with little decoration, and a cold finite feeling of space surrounded him. Quatre had been sensing the foreboding since soon after the dream, but had kept quiet on the short journey to the station. Standard issue satellite halogen lights lined the walls, while that sickening buzzing sound emanated from them. It rattled Quatre's teeth and set his body on edge even more than it was already.
The battle onto the satellite had been difficult, but he'd avoided most of the fighting, leaving it to Wufei and Trowa. Heero had quickly avoided the fifty or so mobile suits to gain access to the complex, while Duo had provided cover and distraction to his lover's progress. Outside the walls, Quatre could still hear the sounds of metal crashing into the outer hull of the satellite and knew that Trowa and Wufei were still fighting. The Angels were far superior to the factions mobile suits, but Quatre still worried for his lover's safety.
Duo had mentioned getting out of the fighting just as Quatre had found an opening onto the satellite; he was sure Duo was already onboard.
He wasn't disappointed as he rounded a corner and nearly collided head on with Duo.
"Quatre! Man, am I glad to see you! This place is a mad house!"
"I know what you mean. But they're close. I can feel them. It's like hearing children calling for help down a well; I can't hear their words, but I can feel their vibrations." He didn't realize he was clutching his heart until Duo reached out to steady him.
"Quatre, are you ok?"
"Yeah, we just have to find them. Remember, look for the sign "NEO"."
"Sure, no problem; my Angel's in the Eastern hangar. Heero's here too. He's in the main control room trying to download as much incriminating evidence as he can. My man and computers," Duo shook his head. "Listen, I'll take that corridor, and you take the other; this place isn't that big we're bound to find them soon."
Quatre nodded. "Alright, but stay in communication. If that little boy has been beaten as badly as I saw today I'm going to need help getting him out of here."
"Got it! I think Trowa and Wufei are still in the zone, but I heard Wufei saying something about getting out soon before I docked. They should be here fairly quickly."
They nodded their understanding and switched to the same com frequency before Duo went one way, and Quatre moved the other.
Suddenly a loud crashing and violent shaking surrounded him, and the lights went totally dead. He'd picked a corridor that hadn't had very many people in it to begin with, but as he stood perfectly still searching for his flashlight, he felt the other people brush past him on their way out. As he finally got the light on, and a thin beam pointing down the hallway, he began to smell the acrid stench of smoke. Reasoning that the last crash had started a fire somewhere close by, Quatre hurried his search, praying that the children weren't down this way.
Door after door revealed no sign of young occupants, and while the smoke began to thicken, he listened for the com to announce that Duo had found them. But static was all he heard, and so he persisted, searching desperately.
At the end of the hallway, he found a service elevator; and knowing he was on the ground floor, pushed the doors open and climbed in. His mind told him he should wait for back up, but when he'd opened the elevator doors, the smell of smoke had only increased; the fire was coming from above.
With years of training under his belt, Quatre climbed the cables before reaching the second floor. Prying the doors open, he was assaulted by a cloud of darkness and blinding heat immediately. Desperate for air, he turned back towards the back draft and inhaled deeply, before charging blindly forward.
He fumbled for a moment, swinging his flashlight back and forth, only to encounter a wall of darkness the light could not slay. He pressed forward, shoving through the heat, searching for the sign that would show him where the children were.
Suddenly over the crackling of the electric wires searing, he heard a voice come over the com.
"This is 01, mission accomplished, returning to Angel."
"Negative on that, 01. I finished with the Northern corridor and it's clear. No sign of the children or anything else for that matter. I'm working my way back towards your position. We'll do a sweep of the Western corridor together."
"Copy that, 02, I'm on my way."
They couldn't find them. Panic sliced through him. He realized he needed to breathe, and he was too far from the elevator shaft to get a clean breath. Staggering into one of the walls, he pushed open a door panel and stepped inside. Thankfully the smoke hadn't reached into the airtight rooms yet, and Quatre took a few deep breaths before he stepped back into the tear inducing smoke.
He swung his flashlight to the left, hoping to see something useful, but again there was nothing.
Suddenly a door exploded outwards directly in front of him, and a wall of pure fire streamed forward. He stepped back, but his arm caught in the blaze, and he struggled painfully to put it out. His arm was burned that much he could already see. The skin was already blistering on top where he'd shielded his eyes.
Using his abilities in a way that would have caused Corinne to have a heart attack, he pushed the pain into the back of his mind. He'd deal with it later. He knew doing this would let Trowa know-wherever he was-that he'd been injured, but he didn't have a choice.
And then suddenly, he heard it-the faint sound of crying. He knew it wasn't a vocal cry; it echoed in his head in a way that couldn't be done in the physical plane. The pleas for help vibrated down his soul, and he pushed through the dying flames to continue forward; they were close.
His com crackled to life again, this time announcing the presence of Wufei. "I'm in the Eastern corridor. This side doesn't have an upper level. I'm moving to meet 02 in the Western."
"Copy that. We'll meet you at the adjunct. There's no one here."
"Roger."
The blue lettering on the wall caught his attention, and with a sense of excitement and gratitude, he read the word "NEO." He turned to his right and saw the doorway, a high-level security system on the door. Quatre reached for the keypad but immediately dropped his hand away; the door was rigged with a new type of security device. If he entered the pass code wrong three times, it would explode, killing him and the occupants instantly. He had to find another way.
"01, this is 04, I've found them. They're on the upper level, Southern side. But the door's got a new Piloco security lock on it. I can't get through. I need the code, and I needed it yesterday!"
"Those things are impossible to crack, at least in under a couple of hours. You'll have to find another way in."
"Negative, there is no other way, repeat, no other way. I have to get in there!" Desperation seeped into his voice, and another explosion and ball of fire sounded as one more door was decimated. He was running out of time.
"Hold on, 04, we're working our way to you."
"Negative, there's a wall of fire right behind me, you won't be able to get by. Get 03 to run his Angel into this side. If he can make us a new opening, I might get out of this one alive."
"Quatre, if you die now, I'm totally going to kill you!"
"Just get me the code!"
The smoke filled his lungs, and he couldn't prevent the coughing fit that over took him. He could hardly breathe, and he knew if he didn't get some clean air into his lungs soon, he'd be in a whole lot of trouble. He was grateful that Trowa couldn't hear their com signals from his Angel. He didn't need his lover being reckless at a time like this.
Thinking perhaps that the children on the other side could open the door without the Piloco code, he banged on it with his uninjured hand and called through. "IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, I'M HERE TO RESCUE YOU! IF YOU CAN, OPEN THE DOOR. IT ISN'T SAFE FOR YOU IN THERE!" He waited for a moment, hoping to hear the latch spring, but after a full minute and one exploding door later, he thought perhaps they couldn't hear him.
Directed panic laced through him, and Quatre settled his mind to the task at hand. Thinking the easiest solution is often overlooked, Quatre pressed into the keypad "NEO." An error message came back to him, and he swore softly to himself. This wasn't going to work; he didn't have time to think this through or to make an educated guess.
Another round of coughing caught up with him, and he dropped to his knees as his vision began to blur; he needed help, fast.
"This is 04, does anyone copy?"
"05 here, we're attempting to find another route to you. Hold on."
He wanted to protest that he didn't have time to hold on, but what could he do? Standing, his legs shook under him as he moved again to the keypad. Deciding to try science instead of blind luck, Quatre pulled out an ultraviolet light and pressed it to the keypad, hoping in the dim light he would be able to make out a set of fingerprints. He cursed himself for typing on the keys before he'd thought of this, for the keys were smeared by his own bloodied fingers.
Suddenly, he heard a soft sound, like a chanting whisper in the back of his mind. He closed his eyes and listened, the sound growing louder. It was the alphabet song, sung for centuries by children to learn the English alphabet. But there was something different in this version; this one didn't start at the beginning, and didn't end with the letter 'z'. Instead it seemed to start at strange places and then end at others.
He strained against the crackling electric wiring, trying desperately to hear the letters, knowing instantly that one of the children was trying to give him the pass code. He didn't let his mind drift to the idea that this type of mental communication was unheard of-that while empathy was a scientific fact, telepathy had yet to be considered real by the scientific community. He didn't care.
"W.X.Y.A.B.C." a pause, "W.X.Y.A.B.C." pause "W.X.Y.A.B.C."
He punched in the letter "Z"
Then the song changed, different letters this time. "A.B.C.D." a pause "A.B.C.D." and another pause "A.B.C.D."
He jabbed at the letter "E"
A new set again. ".S.T.U.V.W.X.Y.Z" again ".S.T.U.V.W.X.Y.Z" and again ".S.T.U.V.W.X.Y.Z"
There wasn't any logic to this one. He just had a feeling, and pressed "R"
A rushing sound then settled into his mind, and it took him a long coughing moment to realize that it was another string of letters, only this one, very much sounded like the way a child would sing them.
"LMNP.LMNP.LMNP.LMNP" He thought at first he'd missed a letter, but then realized what it was. He pressed in the letter "O"
ZERO
The door unlatched. Using strength he didn't know he had left, he used both his injured and uninjured hands to push at the panel before he stepped inside.
Immediately he knew where he was. Everything was familiar, and just as scary as it had been in his dream. There were no lights, so Quatre swung his flashlight around the sterile looking room. With a raspy voice that spoke of smoke damage, he called out. "Don't be-be afraid.I'm here to rescue you. It-it's not safe for you-you here." He coughed, clutching at his chest, in pain. But the movement sent the beam of his flashlight into the corner of the room, and there he saw huddled in the corner a pair of terrified eyes.
Quickly he moved to the small bundle of a child and then hunkered down to appear less frightening. "My name is Quatre. I'm going to get you out of here." He saw it was the little boy and immediately reached out to comfort him, but the boy jerked away at his advance, and Quatre pulled back just as quickly, not wanting to frighten the child more.
He was stunned to see that besides being slightly frightened, the boy didn't look hurt at all. Quatre felt a great sense of relief at the little boy not being subjected to his earlier vision. He was wrapped in a blanket; and it wasn't until it moved slightly that Quatre realized the little girl was lying head down in his lap. Slowly he reached out his hand and peeled the blanket from her tiny face. Large crystal green eyes stared back at him; and Quatre was shocked and frightened by the dead look in them. Her eyes seemed to hold him, forcing him to look at her, to see her agony, yet know nothing.
Another explosion had him blinking and shaking his head. Looking away from those dead eyes, he looked to the little boy. "I know you're frightened, but you have to trust me. I'm the one you've been calling to. I'm going to get you out of here. I'm going to take you to a safe place. But I need you to let me carry you out of here. You won't be able to walk in the corridor on your own. It's very dangerous. Do you understand?"
And then the most amazing thing happened; the little boy turned to look down at the little girl, and it seemed as if they were talking without words. Quatre watched in amazement as the little boy nodded his head to the dead eyes of the small girl, then stone gray eyes were once again looking at him, and Quatre found himself too stunned to press the question again.
Then the girl was sitting up, and the boy wrapped a protective arm around her. Together they stood, and then the boy looked to Quatre expectantly; the little girl seemed lost in her own world, almost not even paying attention to him at all.
He nodded his head and lifted them both into his arms. The pain from his injured arm caused him to shudder, but he pushed it aside again; now wasn't the time. He took a step away from the corner, hoping he could get them safely back down the hallway and to the elevator shaft, when suddenly the boy started to struggle in his arms.
Quatre winced but tried to calmly explain that he couldn't struggle. But the boy continued, and he could hardly contain his pain. And then in a very powerful voice for a five year old, he spoke. "The teddy bear, we can't leave without her teddy bear!"
Quatre's eyes widened in shock, but he bent down low enough for the boy to grab the blanket and the teddy bear Quatre had not at first seen. He watched the boy pass the bear to the little girl before he handed her a corner of the blanket. Again his authoritative voice spoke, this time to the small girl in Quatre's arms. "Stay right there. Don't struggle, and hold onto Teddy." The little girl didn't nod or even acknowledge with word or eye contact that she understood; but she seemed to understand anyway, and he felt her tighten her hold about his neck.
He swung around, two precious and peculiar children in his arms. Racing for the door, he told them to both hold their breaths; and when he felt them both comply, he jetted out into the hallway, and ran as fast as he could down towards the elevator. Twice on the way, another door exploded, but thankfully they were in the direction he'd come from. He held the children close to him tightly, afraid they might slip should he slacken his grip.
At the elevator shaft, he leaned in as far as he could go and told them to take a deep breath; he felt relief when they both followed his instructions. Pulling back, he set them on the floor and knelt before them, ever mindful of the danger they were currently in.
"We have to go down this shaft. I know it's scary, but I promise I'll take care of you both. You have to trust me. I know that's hard, and you're both frightened right now, but I promise I'll take you somewhere safe, where no one will hurt you anymore. I promise, but you have to do as I say now, alright? Can you do that?"
Again he watched the boy look pointedly at the girl-who still barely acknowledged Quatre's presence, but did make eye contact with the boy. A silent communication again transpired between them, and Quatre had just enough time to realize it was happening before it was over. The boy looked at him and then nodded. "Take her first."
Surprised, Quatre nodded his head and then turned back to the shaft, sliding in and then reaching for the little girl. He watched her turn nearly-but not quite-questioning eyes on the boy before she allowed herself to be caught by Quatre. Together they slid down the shaft, Quatre's hands burning at the friction caused by the metal cables. The girl tightened her grip, but didn't say anything, didn't even seem to know where she was or what was happening.
Towards the bottom he suddenly felt his legs grabbed and supported by strong arms, and he felt Trowa's mind brush his own. Relief washed over him as Trowa helped him down and pulled him close.
Quatre struggled in his grip. "Trowa, the boy-" A coughing fit overtook him, and he leaned over the small girl still clutched to his chest. He felt Trowa's indecision filter over the link, but there wasn't time. "TROWA, HURRY!" Again the coughing overtook his burning lungs, and he vaguely realized that he was probably in a great deal of trouble.
Trowa moved quickly, pushing Quatre against a wall before jumping into the shaft and climbing the metal cables. Quatre watched him go as he clutched the little girl closer to him, frightened by her unresponsiveness, but willing to chalk it up to shock. He nuzzled her close as he continued to cough and gasp for breath.
Sudden shouting sounded down the hallway, and Quatre did his best to call out to his friends, "Here-*cough*-we're here!" His voice was hoarse, and he knew he'd given the last of it when he'd yelled at Trowa.
Duo's face suddenly appeared before him, and held an oxygen mask to his face, letting him breathe. After a few breaths, he shook his head and indicated that Duo should hold the mask for the little girl. To his left, he saw Trowa emerge from the shaft before passing the little boy to Heero and moving to kneel beside Quatre. The link flared, and Quatre sensed Trowa's concern. His lover had seen his arm and heard his coughing; he knew it wasn't good.
"The upper levels are completely destroyed. We need to get these kids out of here." Duo's voice was loud, shouting over the sound of explosions overhead. Quatre nodded and with great difficulty, managed to half stand, half lean against Trowa, the little girl still clinging tightly to him. Duo tired to reach for her, but she saw his outstretched arms and pulled even tighter into Quatre. Shaking his head, Quatre allowed Trowa to maneuver them down the hallway and back towards their Angels.
Soon, Duo was beside him, having taken the little boy into his arms so Heero could carry the computer equipment he'd used to hack into the mainframe. He watched in stunned fascination as the boy reached a hand over the space separating them and took the little girl's. He looked for all the world as if he'd failed her, and Quatre realized that was exactly the emotion he was receiving from the brown haired boy. Speaking softly so as not to alarm them, Quatre addressed stone gray eyes. "You did very well. You protected her until I got to you. You did a very good job of protecting her." His voice was still nothing but a whisper, but it was enough for the boy to hear. Stone eyes looked at him before turning back to look at the little girl.
"My suit's this way. Which way's yours, Quatre?" Duo suddenly asked.
He nodded in the opposite direction but felt Trowa nod above him.
"Mine is also this way. I brought it in close to Quatre's. We'll go this way and meet you on the barge." All agreed, and they separated and moved away. Trowa pulled Quatre along, and for the most part all he could do was walk, hold the child and cough, his lungs burning with every breath.
After what seemed like forever, they arrived at the hatch of his suit. Trowa helped him in and managed to situate the child so the safety harness would protect them both. Then placing a light kiss on his lips, he pulled out, and shut the hatch from the outside.
Reaching around the girl, Quatre maneuvered the controls to watch Trowa sprint across the hangar and climb into his Angel. When the com unit beeped and Trowa's face appeared on the screen, Quatre moved his suit forward and towards the exit, Trowa covering him.
Through the now quiet battle zone, Trowa watched for lingering enemies while Quatre fought to remain conscious and whispered reassuringly to the little girl who said nothing and still barely acknowledged his existence. Her eyes wandered around his cockpit, looking at the lights and flashing pictures; and when he talked, she would sometimes tip her head as if she were listening. But she said not a word or even appeared to really hear him; and carefully, he ran his hand through her pure white locks. The blackness was seeping around his vision and he used all of his strength to fight the controls; she needed him.
As the barge approached, Quatre closed his eyes and felt the little girl take his hand. But it was too late. The pain and stress overtook his taxed system, and with a final mental warning to Trowa, he lost consciousness.
* * *
His throat burned. That was the first thing that jumped into his mind as he struggled to open his eyes. Bright lights assaulted him, and Quatre squinted against them. Something wasn't right. There was a loud beeping sound coming from his left and the sound of air rushing to his right. Shifting, he moved his head to see where he was.
"Shhh, Quatre, you're safe now. You're in the infirmary on the barge."
Trowa's face came into view, covering the harsh light and surrounding his face in an almost angelic aura. Quatre tried to sigh, but suddenly realized that he couldn't even take a deep breath; panic followed, and he struggled to sit up.
"Quatre, calm down. It's ok." He felt reassurance through the link and desperately clung to it as his wide eyes met Trowa's. "There's a tube down your throat right now to help you breathe; there's a doctor on the way to remove it. Stay calm for me, Quatre."
Gentle hands ran through his hair, and Quatre leaned into the touch, craving something to ground him again. He watched Trowa move to sit on the corner of the bed before reaching down and taking his right hand. A soft squeeze and then a return; Quatre closed his eyes and tried to relax.
"Good, he's awake." Quatre opened his eyes to see what he assumed was a doctor. The man smiled down at him. "There's a tube in your throat right now. It's directly in your lungs helping you breathe. I know it's painful and hard to know what to do, but try not to fight it for a moment. We'll get it out in just a second, ok?" He winked before turning away, and Quatre tried to offer a weak smile around the tube taped to his mouth.
Then Trowa was leaning in and whispering quietly, a soft smile on his face. "Quatre, stop flirting with the doctor." Humor bounced down the link and Quatre sent a returning mock pout. Trowa laughed.
"Ok, Quatre, I want you too look at Trowa; and when I tell you, I want you to give me a big cough, ok? It's going to hurt, and you'll gag, but just keep coughing and looking at Trowa, got it?" He nodded his head weakly and then looked to Trowa.
Smiling at him, Trowa squeezed his hand. "When this is over with, I promise to kiss you good morning."
Quatre's eyes danced with merriment, and then the doctor was telling him to cough, and he felt the tube yanked hard from his body. Gagging, he doubled over, coughing and trying not to be sick. He felt cool hands caress his face, and the link flared with concern and love.
When the coughing and gagging were brought under control, Quatre leaned back with Trowa's help and offered a weak smile. He tried his voice, but after the initial pain wore off, he closed his eyes and resigned himself to just taking a short nap.
Gentle lips brushed his own, and he returned the pressure lightly, heeding his pain.
"Good morning, Quatre." He smiled in return.
Suddenly, he remembered-remembered a small body clinging to him, white hair, and stone gray eyes. He couldn't rest, couldn't afford to; the children needed him. He struggled, trying desperately to path to Trowa what he needed. But strong hands pushed him back onto the bed, and Trowa's stern voice broached no argument.
"Quatre, stay still!" Then he seemed to understand and again returned to running his cool hands over Quatre's flushed cheeks. "The children are fine. We managed to tow your Angel in without a problem." Trowa paused, a distant look crossing his face. "The girl clung to you, and no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't get her to even acknowledge that we were there. Duo had the same problem with the little boy. Heero tried to take him from him, and the poor thing started screaming. Duo had to carry him into the med. bay. We literally loaded the girl onto the stretcher with you just to get her here."
There was a lost look in Trowa's eyes for a moment and Quatre felt suddenly worried at Trowa's many pauses. When his lover continued, it was with a tone of amazement, awe, and slight fear.
"When the children saw each other, it was crazy. The boy broke away from Duo and grabbed a hold of the girl's hand and wouldn't let go. He kept screaming for us to stay away from them, and at the same time, kept backing up towards the cart you were on." Terrified for the children's sake, Quatre started to struggle, but Trowa shook his head and gently used his hands to tell him to wait. "Wufei finally realized that the children were huddling by your bedside, so we moved away; and then the boy just dropped to the floor, taking the girl with him. She put her head in his lap, and then seemed to fall asleep.
"It was.disconcerting. The boy was rough and gentle with the girl at the same time. They interacted.strangely together." He watched as Trowa ran a hand over his face, and Quatre grew even more worried as he realized that Trowa had not yet shaved. His lover was neurotic about that detail of his life.
"The med. team was concerned about shock. But after examining the little boy-to many threats by the child-they finally decided to sedate him. They did the same for the girl. They've been sleeping ever since." That statement should have caused Quatre some relief, but the haggard expression in Trowa's eyes told of a bit more struggle than his partner was divulging.
"Heero's searching the data files he managed to get, looking for something on them, but he got quite a bit of stuff, and he doesn't know where to start-"
Quatre was shaking his head, trying to speak, but only managing to cough and gag again. "Quatre, don't-" But more violent shaking of his head had Trowa silent and looking worriedly at him.
Knowing suddenly what he needed, Quatre took his hand from Trowa's and mimicked a pen motion. Trowa instantly understood and began looking for something to write with. After a few moments, he found both pen and paper and worked the pen into Quatre's hand, settling the pad on his chest.
Wincing, Quatre lifted the pen to the paper and wrote four letters with shaky penmanship. "Z.E.R.O." His hand dropped with exhaustion after that.
Eyes huge, Trowa turned questioningly to him, but Quatre only shook his head and pointed again to the paper. He had to get Trowa to understand that 'ZERO' was the file he'd find all the information about the children in; he just knew it.
But the word had a history with Trowa, and Quatre could see that he wasn't going to be able to understand. Summoning his will, he forced past his burned throat one word. "Data."
He saw Trowa's eyes shine with tentative understanding.
"Quatre, are you saying the information on the children is in a file marked ZERO?" He nodded his head weakly; he was getting very, very tired, and he hurt, too. "I understand, Quatre. I'll tell Heero right away." Trowa seemed to notice his droopy eyes then. "That's the morphine, try not to fight it. Just rest now, Quatre. They don't anticipate the children to awaken for some time. Just rest."
Darkness filtered around him, and Quatre allowed it to swallow him completely, blanketing him in the peace of mind that at least the children were safe.
Gentle hands grabbed his own and pulled him the rest of the way out and into a strong male chest. Quatre sighed and then smiled up at Trowa.
"Miss me?"
Trowa didn't answer; he didn't have to; the link told Quatre all he needed to know. Instead, Trowa leaned down and planted a firm and passionate kiss on his lips. Quatre wondered just how much sleep the lovers were going to get that night.
Separating, the two moved towards the main entrance. They'd been the last two Angels to take off, so the other pilots had beaten them here. Here was the PeaceMillion2, the battleship that Zechs called home.
Floating softly to the ground, he and Trowa moved quietly and quickly down the main corridor. Quatre let Trowa lead since he'd been on this very ship less than a month earlier. Together they grabbed a hold of the people mover and let the machine do the walking for them.
At the correct door, Trowa grabbed his hand, and they stepped off into the waiting room.
"Jeez guys, what took you so long?" Duo was situated on Heero's lap, his good humor still in place even after ten hours away from Heero's mouth and other body parts.
"Trowa's sub-engines had some problems; I had to tow him in. The mechanics saw it; they're looking into it right now." Quatre tugged Trowa over to one of the chairs and made his lover sit before kneeling by his feet and resting his head in Trowa's lap. Snuggling in to get more comfortable, he sighed as Trowa ran long fingers over his scalp.
"Great, now all we have to do is wait for that blonde haired Goldilocks!" Duo had never liked Zechs much; no one was quite sure why. When asked, Duo just shrugged his shoulders and said he didn't generally like people who tried to kill his lover, blow up the Earth, and then become a good guy; it didn't sit well with him.
"Maxwell, for the love of-just shut up and sit there. I had to listen to you gab the whole way here! Now shut up and keep silent!" Wufei was irritated. It seems that the doctor from L2 had actually propositioned Sally-who adamantly refused; but Wufei still wasn't happy about leaving her behind. All of that, and only his and Duo's coms had worked the entire way there, leaving Wufei to listen to Duo talk for the last ten straight hours.
"Wufei, I wasn't that bad!"
"I seriously doubt that!" Heero smirked behind Duo, who immediately swung around and attacked his offensive mouth with his own.
"I see they're still up to their same old tricks." The group spun around at Zechs's voice. The proud man stood in the doorway, his arm wrapped around his wife-the still very beautiful Noin. But the surprise was in the small boy she carried in her arms-almost an exact copy of Zechs. He was three and half year old Treize, their son.
"Ms. Noin!" Quatre was off his knees and embracing Noin in a tight hug immediately.
"Quatre! It's so good to see you. How have you been? Oh, Treize what do you say?"
The little boy ducked into his mother's neck and gave him a shy smile. "Hi."
"Hello, Treize. How are you?"
Smiling, the little boy only ducked back into his mother, occasionally peeking out to see his "Uncle" Quatre.
"Oh, he's been busy. Why don't you tell Quatre about your new puppy? I bet he'd love to hear about Jumper." But the little boy only shyly hid back into his mother, shaking his head softly.
Quatre smiled at Noin. Since the end of the war, they'd stayed close, and when she'd finally married Zechs, Quatre had been in attendance. A simple wedding for simple people; Noin and Zechs now spent all of their time in the outer space division of the Preventers, which suited them fine.
"Noin, I'll take him." Zechs reached with open arms to take his son. The little boy quickly scrambled into his father's embrace before once again ducking into his shoulder. Zechs only smiled.
Taking the opportunity that was afforded to him, Quatre again embraced the woman who had been like a rock for him towards the end of the war.
"Quatre, I was so sorry to hear about Dorothy. How are you doing?" She smiled kindly at him.
"I'm doing better. She was a dear friend who will be missed."
"Of course. But tell me, how have you been otherwise? It's been so long. Usually Zechs gets all the visitors." She winked at him, and Quatre smiled brightly in return.
"Things have been a little rocky for me lately, but I'm working through them. Actually that's partly why we're here."
"That's right! I heard you had some special agenda about this mission. Treize and I were visiting the zoo on L3 when the com came through. Is it anything I can help you prepare for?"
He shook his head. "No, actually we're all set. Trowa's Angel had some booster problems, but the mechanics are fixing that up right now. Hopefully we'll be up within the hour." He looked to Zechs for confirmation.
"That'll be fine. The faster we get in there, the faster we can take them down." Zechs placed a kiss on his son's cheek before setting him on his feet. The little boy moved quickly to his mother's side and hid behind her leg. "Hard to believe he's a prince, hn?" Zechs smiled, showing his pride for the little boy.
"I'm not a-a prince, I'm a pilot!" That said, Treize ducked once again into hiding.
* * *
"This is Angel 4, target reached, exiting mobile, copy?"
"Copy that Angel 4, proceed to target, outer perimeter secure."
"Roger!"
Once again, Quatre threw open the hatch of his suit and exited. His feet fell hard to the ground as he jumped the ten or so feet to the floor. The hangar was dark. Only the emergency lights were flashing. He knew that the other Angel suits were flying in, but his had left the battlefield first, hoping to have some extra time to find the children.
His entire focus was the little boy. After the debriefing, they'd learned that Trowa's Angel was going to need about four hours worth of work. They were taken to a set of mock quarters and told kindly to rest up. They were barracks, and not at all conducive to the type of "resting" he and Trowa had had in mind. Resigning themselves to actually sleeping, they'd settled into the lower bunk and took a nap.
The images had hit Quatre almost the second he'd closed his eyes. More vibrant and painful now that he was actually in space. The images took on a life of their own as Quatre could only watch. He'd seen the little boy huddled in a corner, his knees tucked into his chest, rocking back and forth. Then from the corner of his eye, he'd watched a metal door slide open, a sign with the word "NEO" on it visible through the open door.
A man in a white lab coat entered and immediately started beating on the little boy, showing no mercy. Quatre had screamed, demanding he stop, but he couldn't be heard in this dreamscape-only witness. He was amazed to see that the little boy fought back, kicking and screaming, seemingly heedless to the injuries he'd already sustained. Finally though, he'd been overpowered and lay defenseless as the man continued to kick and hit him savagely. But it was the boy's eyes that held Quatre spellbound. They seemed to be looking straight at him-as if the boy saw him. It took a moment for Quatre to realize that the boy wasn't looking at him but looking at the person he was in the dream. He turned his head then and saw his warped reflection in a sheet of metal.
A little girl, no older than the boy, with hair the color of white snow and sunshine, but dulled with pain and suffering. He couldn't make out all of her features, but he knew her hair, knew what to look for.
He'd awoken screaming, with Trowa desperately trying to shake him awake; the other pilots huddled around the bunk. With fast paced words borne from fear, he told the others about the little girl, explaining what she looked like. Then he told them about the sign "NEO" on the wall. Heero translated the word "Neo" into "New" and suddenly the idea that these children were perhaps genetics-and weapons-took on a whole new meaning.
After delivering Quatre's find to Zechs, the pilots had boarded the Angels and taken off. Now nearly three hours later, Quatre was running down the hallways of the Tragona faction's headquarters, moving cautiously but with great speed. He wasn't sure how, but he could sense the children close by. All around him people scrambled in panic, too worried about being caught in the terrorist faction than to concern themselves with Quatre.
Long metal hallways with little decoration, and a cold finite feeling of space surrounded him. Quatre had been sensing the foreboding since soon after the dream, but had kept quiet on the short journey to the station. Standard issue satellite halogen lights lined the walls, while that sickening buzzing sound emanated from them. It rattled Quatre's teeth and set his body on edge even more than it was already.
The battle onto the satellite had been difficult, but he'd avoided most of the fighting, leaving it to Wufei and Trowa. Heero had quickly avoided the fifty or so mobile suits to gain access to the complex, while Duo had provided cover and distraction to his lover's progress. Outside the walls, Quatre could still hear the sounds of metal crashing into the outer hull of the satellite and knew that Trowa and Wufei were still fighting. The Angels were far superior to the factions mobile suits, but Quatre still worried for his lover's safety.
Duo had mentioned getting out of the fighting just as Quatre had found an opening onto the satellite; he was sure Duo was already onboard.
He wasn't disappointed as he rounded a corner and nearly collided head on with Duo.
"Quatre! Man, am I glad to see you! This place is a mad house!"
"I know what you mean. But they're close. I can feel them. It's like hearing children calling for help down a well; I can't hear their words, but I can feel their vibrations." He didn't realize he was clutching his heart until Duo reached out to steady him.
"Quatre, are you ok?"
"Yeah, we just have to find them. Remember, look for the sign "NEO"."
"Sure, no problem; my Angel's in the Eastern hangar. Heero's here too. He's in the main control room trying to download as much incriminating evidence as he can. My man and computers," Duo shook his head. "Listen, I'll take that corridor, and you take the other; this place isn't that big we're bound to find them soon."
Quatre nodded. "Alright, but stay in communication. If that little boy has been beaten as badly as I saw today I'm going to need help getting him out of here."
"Got it! I think Trowa and Wufei are still in the zone, but I heard Wufei saying something about getting out soon before I docked. They should be here fairly quickly."
They nodded their understanding and switched to the same com frequency before Duo went one way, and Quatre moved the other.
Suddenly a loud crashing and violent shaking surrounded him, and the lights went totally dead. He'd picked a corridor that hadn't had very many people in it to begin with, but as he stood perfectly still searching for his flashlight, he felt the other people brush past him on their way out. As he finally got the light on, and a thin beam pointing down the hallway, he began to smell the acrid stench of smoke. Reasoning that the last crash had started a fire somewhere close by, Quatre hurried his search, praying that the children weren't down this way.
Door after door revealed no sign of young occupants, and while the smoke began to thicken, he listened for the com to announce that Duo had found them. But static was all he heard, and so he persisted, searching desperately.
At the end of the hallway, he found a service elevator; and knowing he was on the ground floor, pushed the doors open and climbed in. His mind told him he should wait for back up, but when he'd opened the elevator doors, the smell of smoke had only increased; the fire was coming from above.
With years of training under his belt, Quatre climbed the cables before reaching the second floor. Prying the doors open, he was assaulted by a cloud of darkness and blinding heat immediately. Desperate for air, he turned back towards the back draft and inhaled deeply, before charging blindly forward.
He fumbled for a moment, swinging his flashlight back and forth, only to encounter a wall of darkness the light could not slay. He pressed forward, shoving through the heat, searching for the sign that would show him where the children were.
Suddenly over the crackling of the electric wires searing, he heard a voice come over the com.
"This is 01, mission accomplished, returning to Angel."
"Negative on that, 01. I finished with the Northern corridor and it's clear. No sign of the children or anything else for that matter. I'm working my way back towards your position. We'll do a sweep of the Western corridor together."
"Copy that, 02, I'm on my way."
They couldn't find them. Panic sliced through him. He realized he needed to breathe, and he was too far from the elevator shaft to get a clean breath. Staggering into one of the walls, he pushed open a door panel and stepped inside. Thankfully the smoke hadn't reached into the airtight rooms yet, and Quatre took a few deep breaths before he stepped back into the tear inducing smoke.
He swung his flashlight to the left, hoping to see something useful, but again there was nothing.
Suddenly a door exploded outwards directly in front of him, and a wall of pure fire streamed forward. He stepped back, but his arm caught in the blaze, and he struggled painfully to put it out. His arm was burned that much he could already see. The skin was already blistering on top where he'd shielded his eyes.
Using his abilities in a way that would have caused Corinne to have a heart attack, he pushed the pain into the back of his mind. He'd deal with it later. He knew doing this would let Trowa know-wherever he was-that he'd been injured, but he didn't have a choice.
And then suddenly, he heard it-the faint sound of crying. He knew it wasn't a vocal cry; it echoed in his head in a way that couldn't be done in the physical plane. The pleas for help vibrated down his soul, and he pushed through the dying flames to continue forward; they were close.
His com crackled to life again, this time announcing the presence of Wufei. "I'm in the Eastern corridor. This side doesn't have an upper level. I'm moving to meet 02 in the Western."
"Copy that. We'll meet you at the adjunct. There's no one here."
"Roger."
The blue lettering on the wall caught his attention, and with a sense of excitement and gratitude, he read the word "NEO." He turned to his right and saw the doorway, a high-level security system on the door. Quatre reached for the keypad but immediately dropped his hand away; the door was rigged with a new type of security device. If he entered the pass code wrong three times, it would explode, killing him and the occupants instantly. He had to find another way.
"01, this is 04, I've found them. They're on the upper level, Southern side. But the door's got a new Piloco security lock on it. I can't get through. I need the code, and I needed it yesterday!"
"Those things are impossible to crack, at least in under a couple of hours. You'll have to find another way in."
"Negative, there is no other way, repeat, no other way. I have to get in there!" Desperation seeped into his voice, and another explosion and ball of fire sounded as one more door was decimated. He was running out of time.
"Hold on, 04, we're working our way to you."
"Negative, there's a wall of fire right behind me, you won't be able to get by. Get 03 to run his Angel into this side. If he can make us a new opening, I might get out of this one alive."
"Quatre, if you die now, I'm totally going to kill you!"
"Just get me the code!"
The smoke filled his lungs, and he couldn't prevent the coughing fit that over took him. He could hardly breathe, and he knew if he didn't get some clean air into his lungs soon, he'd be in a whole lot of trouble. He was grateful that Trowa couldn't hear their com signals from his Angel. He didn't need his lover being reckless at a time like this.
Thinking perhaps that the children on the other side could open the door without the Piloco code, he banged on it with his uninjured hand and called through. "IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, I'M HERE TO RESCUE YOU! IF YOU CAN, OPEN THE DOOR. IT ISN'T SAFE FOR YOU IN THERE!" He waited for a moment, hoping to hear the latch spring, but after a full minute and one exploding door later, he thought perhaps they couldn't hear him.
Directed panic laced through him, and Quatre settled his mind to the task at hand. Thinking the easiest solution is often overlooked, Quatre pressed into the keypad "NEO." An error message came back to him, and he swore softly to himself. This wasn't going to work; he didn't have time to think this through or to make an educated guess.
Another round of coughing caught up with him, and he dropped to his knees as his vision began to blur; he needed help, fast.
"This is 04, does anyone copy?"
"05 here, we're attempting to find another route to you. Hold on."
He wanted to protest that he didn't have time to hold on, but what could he do? Standing, his legs shook under him as he moved again to the keypad. Deciding to try science instead of blind luck, Quatre pulled out an ultraviolet light and pressed it to the keypad, hoping in the dim light he would be able to make out a set of fingerprints. He cursed himself for typing on the keys before he'd thought of this, for the keys were smeared by his own bloodied fingers.
Suddenly, he heard a soft sound, like a chanting whisper in the back of his mind. He closed his eyes and listened, the sound growing louder. It was the alphabet song, sung for centuries by children to learn the English alphabet. But there was something different in this version; this one didn't start at the beginning, and didn't end with the letter 'z'. Instead it seemed to start at strange places and then end at others.
He strained against the crackling electric wiring, trying desperately to hear the letters, knowing instantly that one of the children was trying to give him the pass code. He didn't let his mind drift to the idea that this type of mental communication was unheard of-that while empathy was a scientific fact, telepathy had yet to be considered real by the scientific community. He didn't care.
"W.X.Y.A.B.C." a pause, "W.X.Y.A.B.C." pause "W.X.Y.A.B.C."
He punched in the letter "Z"
Then the song changed, different letters this time. "A.B.C.D." a pause "A.B.C.D." and another pause "A.B.C.D."
He jabbed at the letter "E"
A new set again. ".S.T.U.V.W.X.Y.Z" again ".S.T.U.V.W.X.Y.Z" and again ".S.T.U.V.W.X.Y.Z"
There wasn't any logic to this one. He just had a feeling, and pressed "R"
A rushing sound then settled into his mind, and it took him a long coughing moment to realize that it was another string of letters, only this one, very much sounded like the way a child would sing them.
"LMNP.LMNP.LMNP.LMNP" He thought at first he'd missed a letter, but then realized what it was. He pressed in the letter "O"
ZERO
The door unlatched. Using strength he didn't know he had left, he used both his injured and uninjured hands to push at the panel before he stepped inside.
Immediately he knew where he was. Everything was familiar, and just as scary as it had been in his dream. There were no lights, so Quatre swung his flashlight around the sterile looking room. With a raspy voice that spoke of smoke damage, he called out. "Don't be-be afraid.I'm here to rescue you. It-it's not safe for you-you here." He coughed, clutching at his chest, in pain. But the movement sent the beam of his flashlight into the corner of the room, and there he saw huddled in the corner a pair of terrified eyes.
Quickly he moved to the small bundle of a child and then hunkered down to appear less frightening. "My name is Quatre. I'm going to get you out of here." He saw it was the little boy and immediately reached out to comfort him, but the boy jerked away at his advance, and Quatre pulled back just as quickly, not wanting to frighten the child more.
He was stunned to see that besides being slightly frightened, the boy didn't look hurt at all. Quatre felt a great sense of relief at the little boy not being subjected to his earlier vision. He was wrapped in a blanket; and it wasn't until it moved slightly that Quatre realized the little girl was lying head down in his lap. Slowly he reached out his hand and peeled the blanket from her tiny face. Large crystal green eyes stared back at him; and Quatre was shocked and frightened by the dead look in them. Her eyes seemed to hold him, forcing him to look at her, to see her agony, yet know nothing.
Another explosion had him blinking and shaking his head. Looking away from those dead eyes, he looked to the little boy. "I know you're frightened, but you have to trust me. I'm the one you've been calling to. I'm going to get you out of here. I'm going to take you to a safe place. But I need you to let me carry you out of here. You won't be able to walk in the corridor on your own. It's very dangerous. Do you understand?"
And then the most amazing thing happened; the little boy turned to look down at the little girl, and it seemed as if they were talking without words. Quatre watched in amazement as the little boy nodded his head to the dead eyes of the small girl, then stone gray eyes were once again looking at him, and Quatre found himself too stunned to press the question again.
Then the girl was sitting up, and the boy wrapped a protective arm around her. Together they stood, and then the boy looked to Quatre expectantly; the little girl seemed lost in her own world, almost not even paying attention to him at all.
He nodded his head and lifted them both into his arms. The pain from his injured arm caused him to shudder, but he pushed it aside again; now wasn't the time. He took a step away from the corner, hoping he could get them safely back down the hallway and to the elevator shaft, when suddenly the boy started to struggle in his arms.
Quatre winced but tried to calmly explain that he couldn't struggle. But the boy continued, and he could hardly contain his pain. And then in a very powerful voice for a five year old, he spoke. "The teddy bear, we can't leave without her teddy bear!"
Quatre's eyes widened in shock, but he bent down low enough for the boy to grab the blanket and the teddy bear Quatre had not at first seen. He watched the boy pass the bear to the little girl before he handed her a corner of the blanket. Again his authoritative voice spoke, this time to the small girl in Quatre's arms. "Stay right there. Don't struggle, and hold onto Teddy." The little girl didn't nod or even acknowledge with word or eye contact that she understood; but she seemed to understand anyway, and he felt her tighten her hold about his neck.
He swung around, two precious and peculiar children in his arms. Racing for the door, he told them to both hold their breaths; and when he felt them both comply, he jetted out into the hallway, and ran as fast as he could down towards the elevator. Twice on the way, another door exploded, but thankfully they were in the direction he'd come from. He held the children close to him tightly, afraid they might slip should he slacken his grip.
At the elevator shaft, he leaned in as far as he could go and told them to take a deep breath; he felt relief when they both followed his instructions. Pulling back, he set them on the floor and knelt before them, ever mindful of the danger they were currently in.
"We have to go down this shaft. I know it's scary, but I promise I'll take care of you both. You have to trust me. I know that's hard, and you're both frightened right now, but I promise I'll take you somewhere safe, where no one will hurt you anymore. I promise, but you have to do as I say now, alright? Can you do that?"
Again he watched the boy look pointedly at the girl-who still barely acknowledged Quatre's presence, but did make eye contact with the boy. A silent communication again transpired between them, and Quatre had just enough time to realize it was happening before it was over. The boy looked at him and then nodded. "Take her first."
Surprised, Quatre nodded his head and then turned back to the shaft, sliding in and then reaching for the little girl. He watched her turn nearly-but not quite-questioning eyes on the boy before she allowed herself to be caught by Quatre. Together they slid down the shaft, Quatre's hands burning at the friction caused by the metal cables. The girl tightened her grip, but didn't say anything, didn't even seem to know where she was or what was happening.
Towards the bottom he suddenly felt his legs grabbed and supported by strong arms, and he felt Trowa's mind brush his own. Relief washed over him as Trowa helped him down and pulled him close.
Quatre struggled in his grip. "Trowa, the boy-" A coughing fit overtook him, and he leaned over the small girl still clutched to his chest. He felt Trowa's indecision filter over the link, but there wasn't time. "TROWA, HURRY!" Again the coughing overtook his burning lungs, and he vaguely realized that he was probably in a great deal of trouble.
Trowa moved quickly, pushing Quatre against a wall before jumping into the shaft and climbing the metal cables. Quatre watched him go as he clutched the little girl closer to him, frightened by her unresponsiveness, but willing to chalk it up to shock. He nuzzled her close as he continued to cough and gasp for breath.
Sudden shouting sounded down the hallway, and Quatre did his best to call out to his friends, "Here-*cough*-we're here!" His voice was hoarse, and he knew he'd given the last of it when he'd yelled at Trowa.
Duo's face suddenly appeared before him, and held an oxygen mask to his face, letting him breathe. After a few breaths, he shook his head and indicated that Duo should hold the mask for the little girl. To his left, he saw Trowa emerge from the shaft before passing the little boy to Heero and moving to kneel beside Quatre. The link flared, and Quatre sensed Trowa's concern. His lover had seen his arm and heard his coughing; he knew it wasn't good.
"The upper levels are completely destroyed. We need to get these kids out of here." Duo's voice was loud, shouting over the sound of explosions overhead. Quatre nodded and with great difficulty, managed to half stand, half lean against Trowa, the little girl still clinging tightly to him. Duo tired to reach for her, but she saw his outstretched arms and pulled even tighter into Quatre. Shaking his head, Quatre allowed Trowa to maneuver them down the hallway and back towards their Angels.
Soon, Duo was beside him, having taken the little boy into his arms so Heero could carry the computer equipment he'd used to hack into the mainframe. He watched in stunned fascination as the boy reached a hand over the space separating them and took the little girl's. He looked for all the world as if he'd failed her, and Quatre realized that was exactly the emotion he was receiving from the brown haired boy. Speaking softly so as not to alarm them, Quatre addressed stone gray eyes. "You did very well. You protected her until I got to you. You did a very good job of protecting her." His voice was still nothing but a whisper, but it was enough for the boy to hear. Stone eyes looked at him before turning back to look at the little girl.
"My suit's this way. Which way's yours, Quatre?" Duo suddenly asked.
He nodded in the opposite direction but felt Trowa nod above him.
"Mine is also this way. I brought it in close to Quatre's. We'll go this way and meet you on the barge." All agreed, and they separated and moved away. Trowa pulled Quatre along, and for the most part all he could do was walk, hold the child and cough, his lungs burning with every breath.
After what seemed like forever, they arrived at the hatch of his suit. Trowa helped him in and managed to situate the child so the safety harness would protect them both. Then placing a light kiss on his lips, he pulled out, and shut the hatch from the outside.
Reaching around the girl, Quatre maneuvered the controls to watch Trowa sprint across the hangar and climb into his Angel. When the com unit beeped and Trowa's face appeared on the screen, Quatre moved his suit forward and towards the exit, Trowa covering him.
Through the now quiet battle zone, Trowa watched for lingering enemies while Quatre fought to remain conscious and whispered reassuringly to the little girl who said nothing and still barely acknowledged his existence. Her eyes wandered around his cockpit, looking at the lights and flashing pictures; and when he talked, she would sometimes tip her head as if she were listening. But she said not a word or even appeared to really hear him; and carefully, he ran his hand through her pure white locks. The blackness was seeping around his vision and he used all of his strength to fight the controls; she needed him.
As the barge approached, Quatre closed his eyes and felt the little girl take his hand. But it was too late. The pain and stress overtook his taxed system, and with a final mental warning to Trowa, he lost consciousness.
* * *
His throat burned. That was the first thing that jumped into his mind as he struggled to open his eyes. Bright lights assaulted him, and Quatre squinted against them. Something wasn't right. There was a loud beeping sound coming from his left and the sound of air rushing to his right. Shifting, he moved his head to see where he was.
"Shhh, Quatre, you're safe now. You're in the infirmary on the barge."
Trowa's face came into view, covering the harsh light and surrounding his face in an almost angelic aura. Quatre tried to sigh, but suddenly realized that he couldn't even take a deep breath; panic followed, and he struggled to sit up.
"Quatre, calm down. It's ok." He felt reassurance through the link and desperately clung to it as his wide eyes met Trowa's. "There's a tube down your throat right now to help you breathe; there's a doctor on the way to remove it. Stay calm for me, Quatre."
Gentle hands ran through his hair, and Quatre leaned into the touch, craving something to ground him again. He watched Trowa move to sit on the corner of the bed before reaching down and taking his right hand. A soft squeeze and then a return; Quatre closed his eyes and tried to relax.
"Good, he's awake." Quatre opened his eyes to see what he assumed was a doctor. The man smiled down at him. "There's a tube in your throat right now. It's directly in your lungs helping you breathe. I know it's painful and hard to know what to do, but try not to fight it for a moment. We'll get it out in just a second, ok?" He winked before turning away, and Quatre tried to offer a weak smile around the tube taped to his mouth.
Then Trowa was leaning in and whispering quietly, a soft smile on his face. "Quatre, stop flirting with the doctor." Humor bounced down the link and Quatre sent a returning mock pout. Trowa laughed.
"Ok, Quatre, I want you too look at Trowa; and when I tell you, I want you to give me a big cough, ok? It's going to hurt, and you'll gag, but just keep coughing and looking at Trowa, got it?" He nodded his head weakly and then looked to Trowa.
Smiling at him, Trowa squeezed his hand. "When this is over with, I promise to kiss you good morning."
Quatre's eyes danced with merriment, and then the doctor was telling him to cough, and he felt the tube yanked hard from his body. Gagging, he doubled over, coughing and trying not to be sick. He felt cool hands caress his face, and the link flared with concern and love.
When the coughing and gagging were brought under control, Quatre leaned back with Trowa's help and offered a weak smile. He tried his voice, but after the initial pain wore off, he closed his eyes and resigned himself to just taking a short nap.
Gentle lips brushed his own, and he returned the pressure lightly, heeding his pain.
"Good morning, Quatre." He smiled in return.
Suddenly, he remembered-remembered a small body clinging to him, white hair, and stone gray eyes. He couldn't rest, couldn't afford to; the children needed him. He struggled, trying desperately to path to Trowa what he needed. But strong hands pushed him back onto the bed, and Trowa's stern voice broached no argument.
"Quatre, stay still!" Then he seemed to understand and again returned to running his cool hands over Quatre's flushed cheeks. "The children are fine. We managed to tow your Angel in without a problem." Trowa paused, a distant look crossing his face. "The girl clung to you, and no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't get her to even acknowledge that we were there. Duo had the same problem with the little boy. Heero tried to take him from him, and the poor thing started screaming. Duo had to carry him into the med. bay. We literally loaded the girl onto the stretcher with you just to get her here."
There was a lost look in Trowa's eyes for a moment and Quatre felt suddenly worried at Trowa's many pauses. When his lover continued, it was with a tone of amazement, awe, and slight fear.
"When the children saw each other, it was crazy. The boy broke away from Duo and grabbed a hold of the girl's hand and wouldn't let go. He kept screaming for us to stay away from them, and at the same time, kept backing up towards the cart you were on." Terrified for the children's sake, Quatre started to struggle, but Trowa shook his head and gently used his hands to tell him to wait. "Wufei finally realized that the children were huddling by your bedside, so we moved away; and then the boy just dropped to the floor, taking the girl with him. She put her head in his lap, and then seemed to fall asleep.
"It was.disconcerting. The boy was rough and gentle with the girl at the same time. They interacted.strangely together." He watched as Trowa ran a hand over his face, and Quatre grew even more worried as he realized that Trowa had not yet shaved. His lover was neurotic about that detail of his life.
"The med. team was concerned about shock. But after examining the little boy-to many threats by the child-they finally decided to sedate him. They did the same for the girl. They've been sleeping ever since." That statement should have caused Quatre some relief, but the haggard expression in Trowa's eyes told of a bit more struggle than his partner was divulging.
"Heero's searching the data files he managed to get, looking for something on them, but he got quite a bit of stuff, and he doesn't know where to start-"
Quatre was shaking his head, trying to speak, but only managing to cough and gag again. "Quatre, don't-" But more violent shaking of his head had Trowa silent and looking worriedly at him.
Knowing suddenly what he needed, Quatre took his hand from Trowa's and mimicked a pen motion. Trowa instantly understood and began looking for something to write with. After a few moments, he found both pen and paper and worked the pen into Quatre's hand, settling the pad on his chest.
Wincing, Quatre lifted the pen to the paper and wrote four letters with shaky penmanship. "Z.E.R.O." His hand dropped with exhaustion after that.
Eyes huge, Trowa turned questioningly to him, but Quatre only shook his head and pointed again to the paper. He had to get Trowa to understand that 'ZERO' was the file he'd find all the information about the children in; he just knew it.
But the word had a history with Trowa, and Quatre could see that he wasn't going to be able to understand. Summoning his will, he forced past his burned throat one word. "Data."
He saw Trowa's eyes shine with tentative understanding.
"Quatre, are you saying the information on the children is in a file marked ZERO?" He nodded his head weakly; he was getting very, very tired, and he hurt, too. "I understand, Quatre. I'll tell Heero right away." Trowa seemed to notice his droopy eyes then. "That's the morphine, try not to fight it. Just rest now, Quatre. They don't anticipate the children to awaken for some time. Just rest."
Darkness filtered around him, and Quatre allowed it to swallow him completely, blanketing him in the peace of mind that at least the children were safe.