Heart of the Storm

Chapter Nine

Duo's eyes never left the face of Quatre as he studied the expression of immense anger while Heero told him everything he knew about their sisters' implants. He now knew the reason Izreina had omitted certain information about her and her partners' abilities, and he certainly shared the response of his friend as Heero's explanation continued.

"We may even be able to find someone that can remove the damned things without harming the girls…" Heero looked back and forth between his comrades.

Duo met his eyes for just a moment. "Didn't you just tell me earlier that Iz and Kalli have been relying on that mental connection to Trinity to keep their sanity? Wouldn't removing the devices bring more harm than good at this stage?"

"The damage has already been done, Duo." Quatre leaned back in his chair with a flinch and a sigh, the sling really doing nothing to easy the discomfort of his injured shoulder. "It would be better for them to continue to release the emotions rather than bottle them up again. Kalli's heart attack was only minor, but it could have been much worse if she continued to let the emotions build. Sally said Kalli's been having issues with anger management as long as she's known them." He lightly rested a hand over his wounded shoulder. "I think this may have been exactly what she needed to find control." He looked up at Heero. "So where do we start?"

Heero shook his head. "You're in no condition for this mission, Quatre. Duo and I will handle it. I think its best you stay and take care of the girls. They need more emotional support than anything and of all of us you are most capable of offering that." He never moved from his position, leaning against Une's desk. "If we need backup, we can call on Wufei. I think Trowa could help you with the girls. I'm not exactly sure they wouldn't kill Wufei for his disrespect earlier." Though that remark would have been funny in different circumstances, none of them were laughing at the moment. The emotional unbalance of the Storm could very well become a problem if they didn't get help. "Also… Trinity's device was damaged in Maelstrom's detonation. Sally doesn't know what kind of effect it will have on her abilities until she wakes up."

"I guess I sorta understand why they didn't tell us the whole story…" Duo sighed, running a hand over his braid. And why Izreina was afraid to talk to me at all…, he added, silently to himself.

"Fate has thrown us our share of curveballs, hasn't she…?" Quatre sighed, leaning forward in his chair. "Trowa and I will take care of Izreina and Kalli. Trinity seems to have plenty of moral support. The general hasn't left her side since she was brought in…" He gave Heero a questioning look, which was replied with a stone cold glare. Quatre nodded his understanding in interpreting his friend's eyes. His gaze moved up to Duo.

"Thanks, Quat." He gave Quatre a very appreciative smile. "Just make sure you take care of yourself, too," he nodded towards Quatre's injured shoulder before glancing back to Heero. "So, where do we start?"

"Hi Miss Noin," Marimeia smiled at her, looking up from her task of changing Aaron Yuy's diaper as the woman walked through the door. At seventeen years old, she had been deemed the official Preventers babysitter. As a gag, Une, who had adopted her after the war, even had a uniform made for her, complete with official badges, which she wore with pride. She was also listed in the Preventers personnel file. "Alyssa just finished with her snack. She's cleaning up now, if you're ready to take her home."

Noin gave the girl a small smile and a shake of her head. "Not leaving yet. Still so much to do." She received a nod of understanding from Marimeia as she finished with Aaron's diaper and sat him down in the play yard. Noin knew that Une would have informed her on what was going on, because two of the girl's charges (well, one charge and one helper when he wasn't in school) had a mother that was now down in the med center.

"Michael's been asking about her," Marimeia said, pulling Noin off to the side. Her eyes settled for a moment on the boy, about nine years old, on the other side of the room, helping Noin's daughter wash her hands. The boy looked like his mother in the face, including the intensity of his dark blue eyes. But the fine, platinum blond hair that fell to just above his shoulders, was an unmistakable indication of who his father was. "I haven't known what to tell him. He knew something was wrong when he and Nika came home with me and Mom last night."

"I think he's old enough that I can take him down there," Noin said after a moment, having trouble coming to a decision. His father obviously didn't know about Michael, Trinity had never told anyone who his father was, not even the girls. And there were very few people that knew about her children, period. But there was no denying it, as the boy got older. Noin had had her suspicions from the beginning, and it tore her heart up. Michael's younger sister, being the same age as her daughter, though, she didn't have a clue. There was almost no resemblance to her older brother; save for her eyes, which Noin suspected was a dominant trait of her mother's line. Her short curly hair was also blond, but it was much darker, almost light brown in color. "Nika's far too young. I don't think she would understand."

Michael got Alyssa settled with a new project and his eyes met Noin's, a frown on his face. Young as he was, he had the face of a soldier when it was warranted. He was most definitely a Yuy. He walked over to her after she gave an invitational nod of her head. He briefly glanced to where his sister was, now running over to join Alyssa, before he spoke to Noin, making sure Nika wouldn't hear. "What happened?" he asked. "Where's Mom?"

"She's down in the med center, hon." Noin stared down at the boy, a chill suddenly running through her. The kid had a mastery of the Yuy death glare, and he used it when he wanted truthful answers. "So are Aunt Kal and Aunt Iz. I'll take you down and explain on the way if you want me to. But Nika's just too young. She'll have to stay here with Marimeia."

He nodded, not giving it a second thought. "Then let's go." He didn't wait for an acknowledgement from Noin and was at the door before his agreement even hit her ears. His arms folded as he stared at her. "Well?"

Noin looked at Marimeia who returned her glance with a sympathetic smile, and she followed the boy before he prompted a second time. She stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind her. She looked down to Michael a moment before she started walking.

"Does this have anything to do with their devices?" Michael's arms remained folded and his voice remained cool and calm as he walked along side her. He apparently knew more than Noin would have a given the nine-year-old credit for. What was more surprising was that he understood it.

She nodded, sliding her hands into her jacket pockets. "It didn't click at the time I gave her the assignment, that the organization she was infiltrating were the ones responsible for that experiment. And by the time it did, they were already in danger. Turns out the organization had a program that could command those with devices, and they would have no will against it, they would have to follow the order. Your mom didn't include Izreina or Kalli in the mission because I think she knew. That function in their devices was damaged."

"If that part was damaged, that means that they were failed subjects…" He didn't wait for a nod from Noin, or further explanation. Iz and Kal would have been in danger from the very beginning. "But they still had the ability to use Mom… like she was a puppet…" He didn't look at her; he didn't have to for her to understand the strain in the boy's voice. He saw the nod she offered out of the corner of his eye.

"She was still able to complete her mission; he hadn't commanded her not to. She managed to rewrite the program as she stole it and sent it to us. Her gundam was sabotaged, though, and detonated when she made her escape. We weren't too sure she would survive when we got back, but she did, and surprisingly, she's awake. But there were several hours she was unconscious, and without the mental link to Kal and Iz, they were in danger of meltdowns. Kalli had a minor heart attack and Izreina just collapsed from the mental strain…" She stopped as she saw Heero rounding a corner a few feet ahead of them.

Heero met her gaze as he came to a stop in front of them, and his eyes told her what he was planning. Before she could respond, his eyes fell to the boy beside her, and they widened as Michael returned his gaze. He'd seen the boy in the day care room with Marimeia, but never had he looked at him this closely. Marimeia had several children in her care, whose parents served throughout headquarters. He hadn't paid too close attention to the kids that weren't his.

"Heero Yuy," said the boy, receiving a nod as he extended his hand to the man which he tentatively took. "Michael Yuy…" His hand closed around the man's, or rather Heero's closed around his, and he gave it a firm shake.

Heero glanced over to Noin. "Why wouldn't Trinity tell me she had a son?"

"Mom takes great care in revealing information. If she didn't tell you about me and Nika, there was good reason." Michael's voice was unnervingly calm for even Heero.

"Heero, outside of the Storm, only Une, Sally, Marimeia, and I knew she had children. And we were all sworn to secrecy." Sensing Heero's next question before he asked it, she gave Michael a gentle nudge. "You know the way, Michael. I think she'll be expecting you." She held a hand up to Heero, waiting until the boy was out of earshot. "No one knows who their father is, Heero, or even whether or not they have the same father. Trin has told no one, not even the girls."

"I have a feeling you suspect, though," he didn't look to her, watching the boy walk away. The edge to his voice prompted only a nod from her. He nodded in return before forcing his mind off the issue. He looked back to her. "Duo and I are taking off. We're going to track the path of those suits that escaped us earlier. I'm pretty sure I know where they were headed and I think we'll find the actual person responsible for the project." Without another word, he walked away.

Izreina had awoken several moments ago, but her eyes didn't open. Her mind replayed events of the day before, giving her some idea of why she was so damn tired. She'd never felt this worn down before, even after an intense battle. But as the replay reached its conclusion, she realized she was emotionally exhausted. Her mind searched for the presences, which were always constant, comforting, that were now missing, finding neither. She sighed, remembering why, and she felt a soft hand closing around hers. She finally permitted her to open her eyes to gaze upon the owner of the hand holding hers. She offered Quatre a small smile in return for the one he offered her. There was no conversation between them as she relished in his warm gaze, strength slowly returning to her, his own strength that he lent to her. It took her several moments before realize that she was neither at Haven, nor her brother's, where she remembered collapsing. She looked down to her hand in his, noting the IV line.

"Sally wasn't sure how long you would be out. Just standard fluids to keep you hydrated. She occasionally slipped something in to help you sleep comfortably." His voice was quiet, soothing to a point, but she could sense the concern in it, even a strain of exhaustion. Her eyes drifted back up to his face and her brows knitted in concern. Dark circles seemed even darker in contrast to aquamarine eyes that still shown despite his tiredness.

His smile grew in reassurance. "I'm alright. Tired. The last twenty-four hours have been… well… tiring. But you girls are worth losing sleep over." He let go of her hand and reached up to brush strands of hair away from her face. He gave her a soft 'shush' as she started to speak, anticipating the questions clearly seen in her eyes. "Trinity's been awake off and on throughout the day. General Peacecraft hasn't left her side. Sally's threatening to sedate him if he doesn't go get some rest." He paused, his remark earning him a soft smile from her.

"It's about damned time they both came to their senses," she whispered, having a little difficulty finding her voice. "Kalli?"

"Minor heart attack. We Winners have proven time after time to be a stubborn family. She'll live. And I've no doubt she'll be okay, especially with so many people supporting her."

"Shouldn't you be with her?"

"Trowa is with her. Don't tell him I told you, but ever since the Storm first appeared, he's had a fascination with Lightning." He gave her a smile as she laughed hoarsely.

"Well, don't tell Kal I told you, but she has a shrine to Mr. Barton and Heavyarms in her room at Haven. Though, I'm not exactly sure which one she idolizes more. The chick loves guns…"

He found himself chuckling to cover the discomfort. Either that or he was just too damned tired to care. "Well, she's in good hands with him. I trust Trowa with my life, why not my sister's? I felt I might better be of use here." Then his smile was gone from his face as he looked down to her. "Heero told me and Duo everything about your… training… about your mental abilities… They left about an hour ago…"

She frowned. "Going after Lowe…"

"Is that his name? Heero wouldn't give us much information on him. He seemed… This situation seems to have hit him harder than he's letting on…"

"Odin Lowe was responsible not only for our implants, but also for the training that Heero and Trinity went through to become the perfect soldiers… He's their father… but to him, they were nothing more than tools. Something he could use to make a profit. The only value he places on human life is a monetary one… He's a dangerous man, Quatre… The Storm is a living embodiment of what he is capable of creating…"

Zechs' eyes never left the boy that had walked into the room without even a knock. One look from Trinity had shut him up from making any kind of comment. And he stood by the bed as the boy crawled up into his mother's open arms, nestling beside her. He wouldn't have known what to say even if she hadn't shushed him. In turn, the boy's intense eyes remained connected with his as he held on to his mother. His dark eyes were almost black in contrast with the boy's almost white hair. Then Zechs' eyes widened. Trinity has a son… His son…

Trinity's eyes closed a moment as she laid her head against her son's, and Zechs considered leaving the two of them alone but stopped as her eyes opened again and met his. Then she smiled a warm, almost glowing smile that made him weak at the knees, and he felt compelled to stay, sliding back into the spot on the bed that had been worn down where he had sat for the last twenty-four hours, give or take an hour. "Zechs… This is Michael…"

Zechs' eyes remained in focus with the boy's and he was silent for several moments. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

She looked down to Michael, pulling his gaze away from Zechs. "Michael, would you go check on Aunt Iz and Aunt Kal for me?" He gave her an odd look for a moment, and Zechs immediately knew that Michael was aware of the mental connection between the members of the Storm. He was trying to figure out why he would need to go check on them if his mother could sense them, or should have sensed them. After a moment, he nodded and slid off the bed. Trinity watched him disappear through the doorway; his eyes glancing just once back to Zechs.

"What would you have done if you knew?" she asked as she looked back to him. It was an honest question. And Zechs had to admit, he didn't have an answer. But, his silence apparently wasn't the answer she was hoping for. She frowned, leaning back against her pillow. "Let me know when you figure it out, Zechs…" Trinity ran a hand through her hair as she sighed. "Why don't you go on home before Sally actually comes back with the needle she's been threatening? You look like shit…"