Author's Note: Next couple chapters are gonna get a bit dark, if this one doesn't count already. We're reaching a crossroads and it's gonna be epic, I promise you that much. Warning, due to the content in future chapters and the fact that I think they become a bit much, I'll be upping the rating to M so if you're used to seeing this in T, that will be changing real soon. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing.
Warning: language, sexual overtones
Fruits of Project Maxwell
Relena was no fool, no matter air headed she might act at times.
She and Heero were prisoners, prisoners of one of the most powerful men on the planet and there was nothing they or anyone else could do about it. The board room in which they had been interrogated in was their physical prison and it didn't help that they had a spectacular view of Los Angeles just outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. They were too high up in the building to reasonable try to climb down to the street below and the only doors into the board room were guarded by Romafellor's heavily armed security guards who had one too many weapons on their persons in her opinion.
She could remember clearly when that horrible man had left and Heero had demanded they be let go.
"Don't think of yourselves as being kept against your wills but as forced guests."
Forced guests her ass! He was just trying to make it sound fancy, that's what! But it didn't do anything to change the situation, now did it?
Heero was pissed and he was busy glaring at the doors to their prison, ignoring her altogether much to her woe. She needed comfort in this time of despair and Heero was just…just…ignoring her! If she had the energy, she would slap him silly for behaving as such. No matter how long he looked at those doors, it wasn't going to do anything to help them…sigh…
She wanted to go home, she wanted to see her parents again, her old friends who used to tease her about being so obsessed with her boyfriend. She wished she could just wake up from this never-ending nightmare back in her room, cuddling with one of the multitudes of stuffed animals that belonged to her. It seemed like a lifetime had passed her by; that her old life belonged to someone else and not her, this tired and wasted shell that she had become…
So much destruction, so much death…and all so that one man could do what, claim supremacy over his two rivals? And if that wasn't all, one of those said rivals was going to try and make a power play of his own, taking advantage of all the conspiracies going on while he was at it.
And these were the people who, in reality, ruled the world.
May God have mercy on them all…
---
"Xavien! Open up this damn door! NOW! I know you're in there!"
"Can't a man make himself presentable in peace anymore?" Xavien muttered to himself as he fixed his beloved brown trench coat, bouncing his shoulders to give himself more of the coat to work with and fixing the collar. He pointedly ignored the ruckus Katsaris was making by banging on the door to his chambers as he added a touch up here and there before nodding his approval and strolling to the exit.
As the metal door opened with a barely audible hiss, the C.E.O. of XAI found himself greeted by the sight of an irate general, the larger man glaring down at him with his dark colored beret on top of his balding head.
Raising an eyebrow, Xavien said, "Feeling self-conscious?"
The jab was received and Katsaris narrowed his eyes but he refrained from answering.
"I don't see why you're so concerned about your appearance," Xavien continued, shrugging his shoulders. "We're just going to be talking with Septum via webcam so you shouldn't be too uptight."
"Decorum may not matter to you," Katsaris growled through gritted teeth, "but some of us around here happen to know when formality is a virtue."
"Ooh, that stings," Xavien mocked, rolling his eyes. "Come along then, General. I have a feeling that you wish not to be in my informal and vice-laden presence any longer than necessary. I assure you, the feeling is mutual."
"Good to know we agree on that," Katsaris snarked, smirking as he got an irritated glance from the businessman.
It was truly fortunate that Xavien had forgotten to take his gun with him and left it in his room; his trigger finger was itchy and he doubted that he would have restrained himself from shooting this infuriating man.
Entering into his office, Xavien took his seat behind his desk, getting comfortable as Katsaris chose to take his place beside the desk, standing at ease instead of sitting. With a deft hand and a few taps on a keyboard, the image of General Septum flashed onto a screen on the opposing wall across from them, the dark haired man scowling at Xavien.
"It's good to see you again, General," Xavien greeted, setting his elbows on his desk and pressing his hands together, fingers intertwining. "I trust we find you in good health."
"Cut the crap Xavien," Septum nearly snarled. "This isn't a social call and you know it."
"To the point as usual," Xavien sighed melodramatically.
"I don't have time for your games Xavien," Septum growled. "Right now we have a reprieve; Noventa's taken one of his retreats so we have some space to work in until he gets back."
"Well that's good," Xavien commented.
"It does now," Septum grumbled, "but he wants me to give up all I have on Project Maxwell and he has his little shadow, Khushrenada, poking around."
"You need not worry about the Colonel," Xavien said, waving the matter away. "He is of little consequence. Especially now that I have some news that you have been waiting for for ten years. Two weapons have been completed and are ready to be utilized at will."
Septum's eyes widened as he stared at the man. "Are you telling me…?" he uttered, still voicing some of his disbelief.
"I am," Xavien confirmed, a wicked smile on his face. "Allow me to introduce you to #13607 and #13892, the first completed, non-malfunctioning weapons to be created under Project Maxwell."
As he spoke, a door hidden in the darkness behind him slid open and admitted the two weapons that he had mentioned. Both of the boys were dressed in the same form-fitting, black uniforms that Xavien seemed to prefer on all of his weapons when they weren't undergoing sessions. However, that was the only similarities the two had as they stopped right behind Xavien, standing at attention with their arms behind their backs.
The first boy was the shorter of the two, a thin lad who looked like he was trying to be an adult even though his face looked childish since he hadn't quite grown out of his baby fat yet. His black hair was cut short yet stood up to give the impression that his head was elongated. His hazel eyes stared blankly out into space, as if he was completely unaware of his surroundings.
The other boy was taller by at least two feet, if not three, over the other boy and was lean and muscular, an obvious sign of strength. He was quite a handsome specimen, his hair a midnight blue, bleached that way as a result of the experiments performed on him, and his eyes continued on that scheme, a dark blue so dark that they could be mistaken for black.
Xavien paid them no mind, preferring instead to keep his attention solely on Septum. "I'll send you the details on them later but as of right now, they will be shipped over to you in Washington to be showboated in front of all your colleagues should you choose to do so."
"What about Noventa?" Septum said gruffly, returning back to his primary concern. "When he finds out about this—"
"Do not worry about that," Xavien interrupted. "Since this seems to be of great concern to you, I'll handle Noventa. I already have some plans drawn up to deal with him and on that note, I'd like to introduce you to #12239."
As he spoke, another boy emerged from the still open doorway and at the sight of him, Septum frowned. "Isn't that—"
"Looks can be deceiving, General," Xavien cut in again, much to Sertum's ire. "Go on, show him what you can do," he said, speaking to the newly arrived weapon.
Septum's eyes widened again as he watched. "This is unbelievable," he gasped.
"But you have to admit, it's not quite shabby either," Xavien said. "Imagine this if you would: you come before your colleagues and show them the fruits of Project Maxwell. Unsure, they turn to the one man they blindly put their trust in. That man, a man that you have been at odds with for years, stands up and gives you his full approval. Not only that, he will retire and give to you his position of authority, a position of power that has always rightfully been yours."
Entranced, Septum nodded. However, he still had some doubts and he all too readily revealed them to his partner in crime. "But what if that doesn't happen?" he demanded. "What if they all decide not to support his decision and turn on both of us? Then what?"
Smirking, Xavien replied, "Then it's time to clean house."
It took a second for Septum to get what Xavien was implying but when he did, an unholy light gleamed from his eyes. Deciding to go for the kill, Xavien added, referring to the first two weapons to arrive, "These two in particular are specifically trained for assassinations. For anyone that decides to say 'nay,' well, let's say they'll be given a fatal reason why they gave the wrong answer."
"You're a genius, Xavien!" Septum crowed as he roared with laughter.
"This is only the tip of the iceberg, General," Xavien continued. "Before this night is out, Noventa will cease to be a thorn in our sides and become a very reliable tool. I will see to that personally."
"I see what you mean but just how are you going to accomplish that?" Septum inquired, his eyes narrowed, looking at a sight just beyond Xavien.
"Let me worry about that," Xavien replied. "If you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself and I am not going to take any chances that this could go wrong. Noventa alive will do us no good and if I have to be the one to pull the trigger, so be it."
Septum nodded solemnly. "You better know what you're doing, Janus. If not, every single one of us will be compromised."
"Like you, I have a stake in all this and I refuse to allow anything to ruin this," Xavien stated. "Since we're all in this together, I might as well do my part to keep this ship afloat."
"Interesting choice of words," Septum said. "Send out those two weapons as soon as possible. I'll send some personnel to assist you in your black op should you need them."
"Your assistance is most welcome," Xavien acknowledged. "Now if you'll excuse me, there's a lot of work for me to do and so little time to do it in. Tomorrow is going to be a big day for all of us."
---
"You're quiet," Xavien remarked as he strolled down one of the many hallways in the underground research facility.
"I thought you'd prefer if I just stand around and look pretty," Katsaris groused.
"Well that's not fun," Xavien replied with a slight pout. "I was just beginning to get use to your charming wit too."
"You and Septum are planning to assassinate Admiral Noventa. Should I be chatty?" Katsaris retorted.
"I take it you're not fully pleased by our course of action," Xavien remarked, turning at a corner, Katsaris right on his heels.
"I'm not a fan of Noventa," Katsaris admitted, "but I don't like all this sneaking around. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth."
"You'd rather we take the direct approach?" Xavien asked. "If we had done that, we wouldn't be talking with one another right now. There are times when you take your opponents head-on and then there are times when you sneak around them and stab them in the back."
"And you would know all about that, wouldn't you," Katsaris stated snarkily.
"Blame Winner and Romafellor," Xavien replied. "They're the ones that set up the rules of the game; I'm just abiding by them."
"Whatever," Katsaris grumbled. "I'll leave you to your little game for now."
"Retiring early?" Xavien said, eyes wide. "I never thought I'd see the day…"
"There's nothing I can do right now," Katsaris shrugged. "All this sneaking around makes me sick. I'll leave all that shit to you."
Shrugging, Xavien said, "If that's your choice, so be it."
Xavien was slightly surprised when the general abandoned his side, willingly, but the businessman took the opportunity for what it was and continued on his way, making a pit stop in one of the labs where a subject was currently being prepped for a session.
Gazing dispassionately through the glass as the giant behemoth that was #14376, a.k.a. Sigmund, he eyed the battered body, not surprised to see the weapon still breathing. The regenerative capabilities that the weapon had were quite an asset; it would have been dead long ago without them.
But it still needed to be…modified, improved even. So a few more sessions wouldn't hurt it, not at all. He watched as little IV needles were inserted into any available veins and tiny swathes of gel were spread on other key locations of the large body where the probes would be attached. He wasn't going to do anything like force his opinion into this; the labrats that he had hired to do such things knew what they were doing. However, before he turned to leave, he did leave instructions to make this an extended session.
The weapon could handle such a thing and he would get results the next time it was sent out, damn it.
---
There was a feeling of anticipation in the air, the kind that always preceded a thunderstorm and Sylvia could feel it in every nerve of her body.
It also helped that there was the dull sound of booming thunder in the distance, giving credence to this anticipation.
But it was preventing the Noventa girl from getting the sleep that she so deserved after a day of doing whatever it is that rich teenage girls do. Glancing at the digital alarm clock on her nightstand, she groaned to herself as it was a quarter till midnight. Just great; and she had gone to bed early too…
She was aware of the creak her door made as it was opened slowly but she already knew who it was that was sneaking into her room. The only person that did that was Kisari and she had grown used to it over the years.
Like all the times before, tonight was no exception.
Her best friend was still approaching her bed when the phone came to life, startling them both with its shrill ringing. Since attempting to feign sleep was out of the question now, Sylvia groaned as she rolled over onto her stomach and checked the caller ID, groaning again when she didn't recognize the number. It must be a call for her grandfather; she'd let him pick it up, God have mercy on the poor soul on the other end of the line.
Her bed rocked as Kisari jumped onto the mattress like she always did when she was still awake, her eyes glinting excitedly in the darkness. It was always a break in her typically dark character when she did this time honored tradition, especially since she looked as giddy as a child…or Duo, from what she could see of her friend.
"What is it now?" she half moaned, half groaned as she twisted around under her bed sheets, not caring if it made Kisari uncomfortable or dislodged her from her perch.
"I want to show you something," the more alert girl whispered in answer, her voice full of energy. "C'mon and get up!"
Not in the mood for this crap, Sylvia turned away from the other girl, her growling, sleep-deprived voice urging the other girl to forget about it and go back to bed. If only she could be tired enough to fall asleep right now…
"Sylvia! C'mon!" Kisari continued to bug her. "It'll be worth it! I promise!"
"Will it get you to leave me alone?" Sylvia sighed as she sat up, her eyes glaring blearily at the other girl.
"Cross my heart and hope to die," Kisari swore with the childish promise.
"Lets get this over with then," Sylvia grumbled as she slipped out of bed and followed after her energetic friend.
Going down the hallway, well Kisari was tiptoeing down it while Sylvia just trudged down it, the two paused near the stairs where they could see her grandfather at the foot of it; the man adjusting his uniform in an unsettled manner, an uncharacteristic scowl on his face. The two girl looked at each other, asking one another silently what was going on. Did it have anything to do with that call?
Not wanting to stick around less they be caught, Kisari tugged on Sylvia's sleeve and coaxed the girl to follow after her. Once they were further down the hallway, both felt much safer as they continued to increase the distance between them and her upset grandfather. However, Sylvia didn't perk up, so immersed in her thoughts as she was, until the two of them stopped in front of a door, one that she noted was the guestroom that was lent to…Duo…
"What are we going here?" she hissed to her friend.
At that, Kisari grinned wickedly and pulled out a can of shaving cream and a feather. "Revenge," the girl whispered. "I've been waiting to get him back ever since he called me ugly! C'mon! You just gotta see this!"
Seeing as she had come this far, she sighed. "Fine, just make it quick."
Eyes lighting up with a wicked gleam, Kisari carefully turned the handle and opened the door, slipping in as quickly as she could and gesturing for Sylvia to follow. Not wanting to get caught out here by her grandfather, Sylvia entered as well, shutting the door as quietly as she could so that her best friend's "plan" wasn't screwed over.
It was needless to say that it was dark in here. Sylvia waited a moment to let her eyes adjust to the lack of light first before she ventured forth towards the bed where Duo was sleeping. The braided boy was fast asleep, much to her envy, and now that he didn't have that curious about everything look… Wow, he was quite a looker actually.
It's amazing the things that you can see about someone when they're asleep…
It was such a shame that Kisari was going to ruin this because of her grudge against him. Just look at him! He looked so peaceful and…and his mouth looked so kissable! Wait, why was she thinking about something like that? What did it have to do with anything? Was it because she hadn't gotten any in a while and was willing to jump the first thing she laid eyes on?
It was possible and maybe because of it, maybe not, she had this feeling that she needed to stop Kisari from doing anything to him. It didn't seem like she needed to, though, since her friend also seemed to be in awe of the braided boy. Hell, she was licking her lips for God's sake! She had to stand up now before it could go any further.
Like Kisari had done to her earlier, she tugged on the sleeve of her friend's nightgown and tired to urge her away with out. Unlike last time when Sylvia had obeyed, Kisari remained rooted where she was standing, her eyes transfixed on the boy and when she did begin to move, it was towards Duo and not the door where Sylvia wanted to go.
Kneeling next to the bed, Kisari leaned over as best as she could from her position, gazing down on the boy that had dared to call her ugly, her hand's grip on the can of shaving cream tightening and loosening every few seconds. Oh how she wanted to get back at this boy by using one of the oldest tricks in the book but she just couldn't bring herself to take the next step. In fact, she hadn't noticed when her brain had given over control to her hormones; she was still a growing teenager after all and one that rarely, if ever participated in anything of the sexual nature due to being the kind of secluded person she was. The opportunity was just too tempting and she had to make a choice immediately before she overloaded.
Much to her surprise, she leant over the sleeping Duo kissed him chastely on his lips. Pulling away abruptly, she pressed her fingers to her tingling lips, the sensation new to her and not unwelcome. Licking her lips, she forgot all about her original purpose as her world became narrowed down to this one boy's now parted lips. She wanted another taste of him, her hormones demanded it of her and she wasn't strong-willed enough to resist them.
So she kissed the sleeping boy again, lingering a bit longer this time before pulling away, watching the boy critically as he stirred and shifted around under the covers. When he didn't regain consciousness, she sighed to herself in relief.
"What are you doing?!" Sylvia unexpectedly hissed into her ear.
Jumping in shock, she nearly rammed her skull against Sylvia's but managed to avoid such a fate just in time. Gathering her wit quickly, she gave Sylvia a smirk and replied, "What does it look like I'm doing?"
"It looks like you're molesting him in his sleep!" Sylvia hissed.
"I'm not molesting him, I'm kissing him," Kisari corrected defensively. "Don't knock it until you try it. Go ahead."
Sylvia blinked at the invitation. Oh hell no; there was no way she was about to do that, especially when the boy in question was fast asleep and so tempting a target…
Damn it.
Peer pressure was a bitch, and after throwing her ex-best friend a glare, Sylvia leaned over the sleeping boy and stared down at his face. Instead of going for the direct approach, instead she aimed just a little higher and pecked the boy on the tip of his nose, pulling back as he scrunched his nose cutely and rolled to a side, inadvertently facing the two girls.
Instead of being appalled by committing such an action, the blonde Noventa actually felt a slight thrill at this. The expectancy for Duo to wake up right now was more arousing than it was terrifying. In fact, Sylvia thought that maybe one more kiss wouldn't hurt anything and pecked him again, this time on his forehead. She pulled away only about an inch away this time before going back in, proceeding in peppering the slumbering Duo's face with chaste pecks. Every peck completed continued to send that addictive thrill through the girl's body that she had to keep giving another one and another one until gave a chaste kiss straight to the lips, nibbling on Duo's lower lip before pulling back this time.
Her breathing was heavier this time as she sought to catch her breath, unable to believe what she had just done. And she wanted more, oh so much more…
Kisari seemed to be of a similar mind as she had circled around the bed to the other side and gently pulled Duo back onto his back, settling herself lightly next to him. Sylvia eagerly pulled herself up to gently rest on Duo's other side and helped her friend in pulling back the bedcovers. With his slight form still dressed in a baggy shirt and sweats, the two girls drank up the sight of the sleeping beauty before looking up into each other's eyes and making a silent agreement.
With experienced hands, Sylvia ran her hands down Duo's clothed torso, fingers lightly grazing the cloth and journeying lower and lower down the boy's body. Kisari was less experienced and thus her touches were more heavy handed and remained focused in a specific area, hardly exploring at all. Sylvia leaned down and began lavishing some attention onto the left side, her side, of Duo's face, paying particular attention to his ear, nibbling gently on the lobe she found there. She soon pulled one of her hands away to balance herself, letting the other continue with its little games as it drifted lower and lower.
It was when her fingers encountered the heated bulge that was Duo's arousal that Duo's violet eyes suddenly snapped opened and took in his surroundings fearfully. What was going on? Who was touching him all over…and down there…?
Temporarily stumped at this, it was Sylvia who took charge, whispering little things into his ear, gently squeezing his hardening self. Kisari took her cue from her friend and began to expand her explorations as she trailed her hands all over Duo's chest.
"It's all right," Sylvia breathed into the braided one's ear. "This is normal, perfectly normal… Just relax and we'll make you feel good…"
Lulled by the promising whispers, Duo swallowed and remained paralyzed, letting the two girls have free reign with him.