For ahsimwithsake.
I don't own this. Don't sue me, pls.
This was done as a gift for as part of the Gundam Wing Christmas Exchange for 2015. 1x3x5 is way out of my comfort zone, but I wanted to make it special since I respect Ahsim's writing. So, here it goes :)
Work Text:
AC 215.
Twenty years have passed since the Eve Wars, the world was seemingly a better place. Conflicts still rose in places, complete pacifism was truly and utterly for the most part, unattainable. But still, the world strived for something close to the notion of peace. Conflict was at the heart of human nature and the romanticized notion of peace, well? What was the right word to describe it? Ah yes, a fallacy. But that was his point of view, the point of view of a nihilistic thirty-five year old who shouldn't have survived AC 195 or 196 for that matter. He held no true name of his own, though documents he found through the years demonstrated he once had a name, one associated with a killer. So he kept his code name, the one he'd spilled blood with but represented a man of peace. A complete dichotomy, in the eyes of Heero Yuy, but something had to give, right?
He could not be Odin Lowe's son, for he looked nothing like the man. Yet, when he saw pictures of the fallen Heero Yuy, he saw a clear resemblance to the man known as the Symbol of the Colonial Peace Efforts. As he sorted through the files, he glanced at the calendar: Christmas Eve, at least in the Americas it was. But to him, it wasn't Christmas, it was just another lousy reminder of the bitter years of his youth.
He would spend it as he did every Christmas, working away in projects that dealt with the peace of the world. These days, Heero's battles weren't at the forefront, his body was far too broken down from years of abuse and war related injuries. Instead, Preventers moved him to one of their upscale office divisions. In reality, Heero was one of the "unknown" chiefs of staff. General Brigitte "Lady" Une was the public face of the Preventers, but many did not know that the ESUN's primary defense forces had grown in such a fashion that they used the former Belgian Armed Forces insignia and that they operated with now various troops.
Their equivalent of an "Army", that dealt in Earth side matters was run by General Une, Lieutenant-general Sally Po and various members of their joint chiefs. Then you had the Space and Air Forces, handling Colonial Affairs, this wing of things had General Lucrezia Noin and Lieutenant-general Cyrene Wind (the artist formerly known as Zechs Marquise), at the helm. The naval component had since been dissolved and merged into Une's division, instead it had been replaced with the technological wing, of which Heero was a part of.
Of course, the Tech Wing and the Bio Chemical Research Wings were one in the same, hidden from the world as a means to keep research and paperwork belonging to the former Romefeller Foundation under wraps. It'd been enough to piss Relena off into losing her zest for doing the greater good. Heero really hadn't had the chance to discuss her findings, as he'd been whisked away from her security detail under orders from General Une and president Mortimer. He, along Trowa and Wufei, the only ones of their group who had elected to join Preventers with the ideal of the greater good in mind, were soon dragged into a room with Une, Sally, Noin and Mortimer.
Visibly absent was Zechs, Heero knew the man had grown disenchanted with Erin Mortimer's dirty politics. Come to think of it, they all felt the same...even Dorothy, who had fled for the Colonies as soon as Mortimer came to power. The meeting was brisk, Noin and Sally were stoic, studying how different Une was from the woman that had started Preventers and it's initiative. He didn't question it, when Sally made a sign for them to meet with her after the fact. Trowa and Wufei player their best poker faces as Mortimer spoke of their new assignments. Heero kept quiet, realizing how much Mortimer fawned over biotech and the mobilization of scientists to experiment on prisoners. Disgusted, Heero understood exactly why Relena was presenting her resignation as the ESUN Minister of Colonial Affairs, Mortimer's plan would be an outright war should it take off the ground.
They were appointed to run the black ops wing of the Preventers, their black out operation would begin at 0345, a fortnight from that day. Two weeks to pack their belongings and move to an unknown base, away from their loved ones.
Their move in date? Christmas.
This brings us back to the current date and time, Christmas, AC 215 – the compound was underground, almost like a hive. It's location was in Kosovo, and Heero was not amused that he would be locked underground for months on end. It was a bitter reminder of those days of old. He pushes the thoughts away as he methodically unpacks his meager belongings. They were allotted a rare few belongings, no contact with the outside world… just each other. Isolation no longer sat well with him, that much he knew. When he worked Relena's security detail, sure, he worked Christmas – but it wasn't miserable. She held a dinner for her staff, graciously cooked and welcomed them with open arms. More often than not, he helped prepare said dinner. Now, he sat in a desolate bunk – a sight he hadn't seen in over twenty years.
"This woman better know what she's asking for," Heero mutters, placing the few keepsakes around his otherwise empty room.
It had killed him to leave his heavily pregnant sister and nieces behind.
How much more of this endless war would one group of people take, was the question nagging at Trowa Barton's mind. His body, racked in scars and still dragging old wounds, could only handle much more. Although Trowa's injury list came short compared to the Evil Knivel known as Heero Yuy, he'd been through some traumatic bullshit himself.
Had it not been for Heero's quick thinking when Quatre struck the Vayeate, Trowa would be smithereens in Space, lost forever. Apparently, The Scientists hadn't just placed a damn self detonator in Trowa's mobile suit to blow up Heero, but they had placed ejectors on both suits that they would activate for one another. When Heero saw Quatre's intent whilst piloting ZERO, he'd slammed the button and ejected Trowa. Still, the effects of lingering in space had done their damage and some times, Trowa had some motor skill issues.
"Have you seen Yuy?" The question throws Trowa off as Wufei's single duffle bag hits the slab like ground beneath their feet. "Not yet," Trowa answered. "He's probably around, it's been especially rough on him."
Wufei sat down in one of the chairs, crossing his legs at his ankles and shaking his head. "Do you honestly believe he can handle this anymore? He's grown used to his security detail work."
Trowa chuckled. At thirty seven, he was the oldest of the pilots, unlike the Scholar Inclined Wufei, he'd been a mercenary and had many parallels with Heero. He'd spent plenty of time in the war with Heero and plenty of time around Quatre. Wufei worked for the most part on his own, sometimes forgetting he truly didn't know the others as well as he thought he did. "Heero is more perplexed by President Mortimer's ideals, after all, they were enough to push Catalonia to join Quatre in space. Seems like the Dove and the Hawk are working the politics game as they best know how. The Romefeller Iron Bitch and the poster boy of Sainthood. One will have Mortimer dead in the air and the other will steer the people into ousting her." It was brutal truth, Wufei nodded to it.
"Is it true that Darlian resigned?" Wufei asked, his wing of the Preventers didn't really handle anything to do with Relena, that much he knew. "My belief was that-"
They hear a loud slam as Heero makes his way out of his bunk, a clear signal from the man to not discuss the subject for much longer. "You can't be serious, Yuy!" Wufei protested, the sign was that the place was certainly not one to discuss Relena. Whilst he had arrived early enough, with a well practiced habit of checking for bugs, he still didn't trust their current predicament. "As serious as that Heart Attack you keep predicting for Duo with the way he eats." Heero dead panned.
"Sally was supposed to meet us here," Wufei acknowledged, watching as Heero leaned against the wall and Trowa paced. There was a nervous feeling in the air.
"She disappeared," Wufei continued, his tone of disbelief. "According to the intel I got before we came here, she was drafted into PsyOps. I was able to get a security dump on her computer before they could grab anything that could put her at risk for treason. Sally has reason to believe that the Lady's medications were tampered with and that General Une is pretty much..."
"Colonel Une, with too much power and no Treize to muzzle her." Heero barked, he'd picked that up from the way Une seemed to subservient to Mortimer. "We need to find a way out of this cell, or a way to let Quatre and Duo know about this."
Wufei and Trowa both shook their heads. "Duo has too much to worry about with the charity work he's been involved in. Quatre already is aiding Dorothy. We need to find a way out of this ourselves, before Mortimer tries anything absolutely stupid. We're not biological engineers..."
"But I was experimented on," Heero interrupts. "And she wants whatever was done to me, so she can build more of me. I think Mortimer wants a war, to what end, I don't get it."
There was silence.
"She could have vested interests, Heero. Mortimer's family were arms dealers during the Eve Wars."
Both Wufei and Heero hissed at Trowa's flippancy. Why did the damn war come to haunt them, time and time again!?
"We have a month to figure this out." Heero warns "Mortimer will likely have her scientists begin working on me as soon as they can get cleared to come here. But, a month tops so we can get her out of power."
Wufei couldn't sleep that night. No amount of meditation could get him to substantially settle on the uncomfortable slab they called a bed. He manages to curse in Mandarin, reaching for the sheets and absently tossing them aside. He pads through the compound, finding his way to the only lit room in all of the underground bunker. Trowa sat, deeply engrossed in paperwork from the files Wufei had pulled. Horn rimmed glasses pulled to his eyes, his bangs swept out of the way into a pompadour-like coif, as he reached for a glass of water. "Find anything of interest?" Wufei asked, as Trowa shrugged.
"Nothing, yet. Have you seen Heero on your way here?"
"I haven't. Do you think he'll be of much help during this?" Wufei adds, running a hand through his messy locks. "Yuy has been quieter than usual."
Trowa sighed. When did they become a guessing agency on Heero's movements? "He could be trying to break out, you know how crafty the man can be." There's silence, Wufei takes a seat and they begin sorting through the paperwork. Revelations aren't very forthcoming, but they hit a stride. No Heero, no thoughts in the way as Wufei finds himself studying Trowa's enthusiasm to find a way out. How was it that they were all a few years shy of forty and none of them had anyone in their lives?
Duo had his charity work, but his relationship with Hilde went to hell due to his inability to cope with life after the war. Quatre was the forever bachelor, the on and off thing with Dorothy and abandoning his faith had been enough of a hit to his family, they didn't need a marriage and children on top of that. Then again, Trowa thought sarcastically of it all. This left the three of them. Heero and Relena were more close friends than anything else, and Trowa had learned recently during a dinner-catch up deal they did, that Heero considered himself to be utterly asexual.
Trowa respected that, realizing that perhaps Relena had known all along and kept the knowledge to herself. Though, the former No-Name also suspected that Heero's experimentation had severe alterations on his hormonal balance and his ability to actually get sexually aroused. Not that it mattered to Trowa, but the lingering notion still remained. Thus, this left him and Wufei. "I found something," Wufei interrupted Trowa's train of thought.
A single sheet is presented in the Colonial man's direction.
"Sally pointed out that during Preventer Mandated Sessions, Une's medications were switched entirely to an experimental drug, developed by one of Mortimer's staunch supporters. Radotech Medical Associates, sounds familiar?"
"They were one of Mortimer's primary Super PACs coming into the electoral period, yes." - Trowa answered. The media had covered RMA's involvement in the electoral process, but had soon been wiped out, leaving Pirate Radio to fully cover and bring to light the events of the 212 Elections to light. Come to think of it, Trowa bitterly realizes, Mortimer had played dirty more than once. Just who was she? "You don't think that RMA had anything to do with..."
"Everything." A third voice comes from the entry. Heero stood there, arms folded to his chest. "We don't seem to miss a beat, do we?"
Wufei raised an eyebrow.
"Never. What did you get that we haven't?"
"RMA put a hit out on Relena. She had to resign from her post as CA Minister, and subsequently, she has left Earth." Heero began, clear lines of worry over his face. Trowa understood and while neither he or Wufei were fans of the woman, for various reasons, they knew she meant to Heero as she was the first person to ever truly show compassion towards him. "With them practically brainwashing Une, giving her this much power, we're sure to witness another Lady Une witch hunt. Dorothy secured Relena's departure from Earth."
"Wouldn't that put the Colonies in danger?"
Trowa swung around on his chair, the question a fair one until Heero addressed it with clinical fashion: "It could. But Relena isn't at the colonies. She's actually somewhere the government has no say in, at least not the ESUN. L4 is an independent colony, always has been. The ESUN realized this too late. L4 was founded by the Winner Family, it never congealed into the Alliance's plans, and it never surrendered it's autonomy to the ESUN."
The plan essentially wrote itself, the trio realized. Wufei smirked, tapping a finger to his temple and ceremoniously tipping his hat to Heero.
"With Relena out of the way, we're free to blow the lid on this?"
"We could, but Mortimer still has the media in her wallet."
"Pirate Radio."
All eyes went to Trowa.
"How secure are we?"
Heero smirked. It dawned on the men that Heero had been doing a full sweep and setting it up. The man was always steps ahead from the rest of the class, clearly.
"Enough that I can get a signal out to Zechs so that he can mobilize the Space Forces to enact the Crux Act."
Wufei was stunned. The Crux Act was a last minute bill signed to law that enabled the Preventer's Space Forces to assume control of the ESUN in the case where visible proof of corruption on Earth Side's behalf was liable to cause a massive war. It had been signed ten years ago and whilst Mortimer was trying to strike down the law, the consensus from the Parliament and the people outvoted her attempts of a full hostile take over.
"This is only a band aid to a major issue. We need to ensure that Zechs can get us out of here, but this is a blacked out location..."
"Once Heero establishes communication, Zechs can always have the signal tracked. It isn't impossible to triangulate once he goes on Pirate Radio, right?"
"Depends… I would need to go on Encrypted and then remove the encryptions once I establish contact with him. I'm also sending relays to Duo and Quatre."
Heero had moved back to one of the other rooms, where he had dismantled the computers and devices. With some rough work, he managed to build something that neither Trowa or Wufei could recognize. They watched as he moved around, tinkering with artifacts here and there.
"Trowa, see those small buds over there? Hand them over. I need that and cotton from the Aid Kit."
"Home made mic?" Wufei asked, retrieving the kit. Heero continued to tinker, whilst Trowa chucked away the things he knew Heero discarded purposely. "What do you need me to do?"
"Can you still rig the electric locks?"
"I haven't in twenty years, but I can try. I saw they were magnets, I just need to yank the cables out of the stove and fry the locks."
"Do that if our signal and communication with Zechs gets compromised. You two will run, get the fuck on out of here and see that this woman gets taken down." Heero instructed. His body was too worn down and with his severe limping episodes, he no longer had the stamina to make a trek like the one they would make if they went on the run. Trowa and Wufei could, he would just buy them time if needed. "Yuy, are you insane!"
"No. I'm prone to severe limping, been like that since Mariemeia. I'm no use if I have to run. Trowa," He turned to his long time comrade. "Help Wufei rip the cords. Here's a screw driver, you'll find rubber gloves in my bags."
"You came prepared."
"I had my suspicions." Heero shrugged and turned back to his project. Was this the right choice? Instead, Wufei motioned Trowa to follow him to the kitchen. While helping Wufei, Trowa's mind slipped back into his earlier assessment of their lives. He'd been thinking about Wufei, the way the man kept to himself. He'd done his research on the solitary man during the war, found about his wife Merian and the events surrounding her loss. He had never asked Wufei, but Heero always said the man had vowed to never remarry. So this left Trowa…
Why was he trying to figure out his friends, when he lived a solitary life as nobody?
"Trowa, we have the rig ready."
"I know."
"Yuy should be ready. Want to say goodbye?"
Did he really want to say goodbye? Why did it feel so loaded?
"No."
A sound begins to distract him from Wufei. It's static and loud, blearing into his ears and throwing him off balance. From a distance, he can barely hear when Heero comes through the door but he sees Wufei, crumpling to his knees. Trowa's eyes close, but the last thing he can read from Heero's lips is an 'I'm sorry.'
Sorry for what!? Trowa wanted to scream, as the man moved and Trowa could barely spot the damned ear plugs. The bastard set them both up!? He doesn't want to give in like Wufei has, but there isn't any strength to move.
"I can't believe..."
Trowa's ears catch a femenine voice, familiar, speaking as he groggily moves an arm. No, not tied. His balance is off entirely, but he can tell he's lying down. When he finally opens his eyes, he's faced with the familiar face of Relena Darlian. Tears washed her face as she placed a hand on his arm. His head buzzed.
He looked over to find Wufei was still asleep.
"What th-" He tries to talk, but the former minister shushes him.
"Heero sent signal to Zechs after placing you two in an outside location where Noin could find you before we could officially hit the Crux Act's Button..."
"Then?"
Relena's tears ran again.
Trowa could only try to hold his back.
"He went back, apparently the compound was rigged to explode once someone tried to use the keypad..."
Everything becomes muffled again. Relena's lips move, but Trowa can no longer hear anything, except for himself – screaming.