AMANUET
Summary:
AU: AC timeline after 196. April AC 197. What's this? An incident that needs answers! A war within their midst! An elusive enemy! The human race is in danger! Where the G-boys are concerned. It's just a ride in the park! Or is it?
Disclaimer: The anime Gundam Wing is not mine. The story and other characters stated are the only things that I considered mine. Hands off please.
Chapter 1"Q-man do you know where we are?"
"I don't know." He looked around, and he noticed that there are no doors or windows that will indicate where they are located. The room is painted only in gleaming white. The white room, that's what this place is; he thought to himself.
"I wonder where are the others?" His companion asked, incidentally hitting him with the edge of his braid, when he flipped it behind his head.
"Ouch!" He touched his right cheek after the impact. "Duo! Watch it!"
"Sorry Q!" Duo replied without even remotely remorseful with regards to his behavior. "Where do you think the others went?" He referred back to his earlier question. "I remember we were walking then something went wrong…and….and….poof…we…we.." He stopped when he noticed that there is something definitely wrong. "Quatre watch out!" The floor where he was standing suddenly heaved and wiggled as if something is underneath it. Both of them sprang out of its way and backed out. They noticed that the thing is moving under the floor and seemed looking for something. They noticed that it is like a worm wiggling under the floorboards and walls. They held their breath and kept still so that the thing will not be aggravated, when it suddenly turned and slowly approaches them. The so-called worm picked up speed and Quatre thought this is the end of his life.
The alarm blared loudly and Quatre opened his eyes. He looked at the clock and noticed it is already six o'clock in the morning. He rubbed his eyes and got up. He went to the bathroom and executed his morning routine.
Dressed and thirty minutes later, the young man of eighteen, looked again at the mirror to check his appearance. Satisfied, he grabbed his briefcase from a nearby chair and walked out from his hotel room. He walked towards the elevator and waited to reach the designated floor where the meeting will be held. He walked out from the elevator when he reached his floor and traversed the well-lit hallway towards one of the conference rooms located in the tenth floor. He opened the door of the room where the meeting will be held and went in.
"Mr. Winner good morning!" Greeted by a balding man around early forties. The two men approached and shook hands.
"Good morning Mr. Grosvenor." Quatre replied with a smile. "Let's proceed with the task at hand. Shall we?" He offered a chair to the balding man.
"A businessman through and through!" Mr. Grosvenor chuckled while his associates looked on with a polite smile. "Yes..yes…we shall." He sat down and waited for Quatre to take his preferred chair in the conference table. The other occupants of the room followed suit.
"Gentlemen, good morning!" Quatre addressed the businessmen sitted behind the table with a smile. "I've read your proposal and I have a few questions to ask." He placed his briefcase in the table and flipped the lid. He removed the file and placed it in the table. He removed his briefcase from the table and placed it in the floor beside his chair. He focused his attention in the folder in front of him and proceeded to open it. "I noticed that…." Quatre began and the meeting for the day commenced.
Quatre came out of the conference room three hours later. He hurried towards the elevator and punched the G button. He emerged from the elevator and briskly walked towards one of the restaurants that are situated in the ground floor. He approached a restaurant named TASTE BUDS and saw at once the person he is meeting. The person who sat behind the table stood up when Quatre approached him.
"The meeting went well?" He inquired. His Chinese eyes surveyed Quatre with swiftness borne only from military training.
"Never better!" He loosened his tie, sat down and placed his briefcase in the floor beside his chair. "What did you order?" He inquired. "I have not eaten breakfast!"
"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!" Admonished his Chinese friend, he too sat down and picked his cup of tea. "You are no longer in war, so indulge yourself a little."
Quatre chuckled and shook his head. "You always surprise me Fei!" He picked up his menu and scanned its contents. "I always thought that you and Heero would never change."
"Hmmphh!" Wufei snorted. He sipped his tea with pleasure and replied, "We are bound to change. Even Heero realized that, given his training."
"And I'm glad." Quatre smiled warmly. "What did you ordered? He asked.
"Their brunch special." He replied.
"You ordered their brunch special?" Quatre raised his eyebrows in an unspoken admonishment.
"I did my usual routine and I forgot the time." He softly snapped at his comrade belied with a ghost of a smile dancing in his lips. "Please order now." He raised his arm and motioned for a waiter.
A waiter acknowledged and approached their table, pen and paper on hand. "What will be your order sir?" He asked Quatre.
"I want to order your brunch special," he told the waiter. "Will it take long?" He added.
"Five minutes sir." The waiter replied.
"Very well." Quatre smiled pleasantly. "I'll wait, and a cup of tea." He handed the waiter the menu and nodded his head. "That will be all, thank you." The waiter left.
He turned his attention back to Wufei and his expression grew serious. "It's been a year." He told him. "Any leads?"
Wufei placed his cup in the table and grew silent for a while. He sighed deeply and shook his head. "None." He told him. "We are left in the dark. Even Heero is clueless." He noticed that Quatre raised his eyebrows. "He told me himself." He reasoned. "Ask him yourself." He defended himself when Quatre's eyebrows rose even higher from astonishment.
"I'll ask Duo instead." He replied. "Even with the changes in his personality, you cannot pry anything from him." He smiled. "Not even a simple greeting." He grinned.
"You cannot drop everything like a hat." Wufei commented. "Even you." He looked at Quatre intently.
"No we can't." Quatre agreed with him. He sighed deeply, "I just hope that we can find the answers we seek before I left to L4." He looked at Wufei hopefully. "We must find closure from what happened." The two of them fell silent, left to their own musings while those around them go on with their daily lives.