0-0-0 SECTION 20 0-0-0
Quatre was weeping quietly, knees pulled tight to his chest. Duo rested one hand on the blondes shoulder in voiceless comfort though his own violet eyes were practically brimming as well. He breathed in the cool mountain air and glanced about their small campsite in the wilderness. It was midmorning already, the early morning mist having worn itself away unnoticed while they were engaged in their companion's mind.
Trowa knelt, practically cradling Heero's inert form. The color had leached from his wings leaving them pale and unhealthy looking. They were splayed at an awkward angle seeming almost broken as they flopped limply over his forearm. The feathers were already beginning to fall, scattering like autumn leaves in the fitful breeze. "We can't let him get another dose of that chemical. We need to get the injector cuff off him before the timer runs out." the telepath stated the obvious.
"The band is Gundanium and the charge it carries isn't something easily dismissed." Duo looked doubtful but did not hesitate to retrieve the screwdriver from the case as well as a few tools of his own…specially designed for arming and disarming equally explosive devices.
Quatre straightened, forcibly composing himself. "If the device triggers the band will release then we could treat it as if he had been bitten by a snake, A tourniquet will slow the spread of the poison. wnce the band is off we could cut an X over the place where the needle went in and suction out as much as we can ," he suggested retrieving the kit
"I really hope it doesn't come to that." Trowa frowned though he did not object when Quatre did place a tourniquet around Heero's upper arm, just in case. "Make sure to use the little pump in the kit to draw out the serum if you have to. It might not be as efficient but we can't risk accidentally ingesting it ourselves. "
"Yeah, no tellin' how it 'ud effect us. Ro's already molting. Poor Tro's tail might go bald, or worse." Dispite his attempt at levity there was no question that it was the 'or worse' that most occupied their minds. If they did not succeed: everything their comrade had experienced since the first operation meteor would be voided. Heero Yuy would cease to exist except as an undefined echo in the back of the perfect soldiers mind. They could not allow that to happen.
Duo removed the cross father Maxwell had given him. His lips moved in silent prayer of protection for his friend. He was about to replace the chain around his neck when he thought better of it. Instead he carefully slipped the thin metal beneath the cuff hopefully blocking the sharp needle from Heero's already fevered flesh.
"Easy." Trowa whispered to the braided clairvoyant even as he pulled their inert comrade closer to his chest, supporting him so Duo had more room to maneuver. Electricity arched and Trowa and Duo both drew breath through clenched teeth but did not let the pain distract them from the task at hand.
"That jolt almost brought him around." Quatre gasped, one hand touching Heero's forehead now. "I'm suppressing his consciousness but you don't have much time."
"I'm on it Q." Duo nodded and set about attempting to dismantle the device once more. "I'll have him free in no time."
"Heero has lived like this most of his life, What if he doesn't want to be free?" Trowa asked quietly. Of all the pilots he alone could understand what Heero was facing should they fail. He had experienced amnesia first hand. It was frightening to be sure…but liberating too. If the memories they had seen were to be believed, It seemed he had only found his voice after loosing everything else. When reflecting on his past, Nanashi couldn't help but wonder if that is what Heero wanted; to start afresh without the shadow of pain and war tainting his perception of the world. Were they robbing him of his only chance to cast the grief of war aside and learn to be free?
0-0-0-0-0
Dragon arched his back and his hands opened and closed in steady rhythm, claws extended making unconscious kneading motions on the concrete on which he lay. Even his tail curled in pleasure. Treize chuckled softly at the reactions his ministrations caused as he drew his claws carefully across the expanse of his companion's wings.
"So niiice," WuFei purred. "More. Scratch harder!"
"Nothing quite like a good grooming is there." Noble admitted. "A bird uses its beak to keep their plumage in fine condition. Our claws serve the same purpose. Some of the feathers produce a fine dust that makes the wings water resistant. Likewise there is something in our saliva that activates oil glands between our fingers. Just lick your palm then comb your fingers through your feathers when you need to condition them. It works for hair too." Noble pointed out, batting at the trailing ends of WuFei's silky black mane. "It appears I was correct about there being a connection between feather production and hair growth: yours has grown three inches in the past hour or so. See it is past your shoulder blades now. I don't think it will get much longer though." Treize observed combing fingers through the silky ebony strands. Still, I expect we'll have to do take our claws to Miri's mop when he is ready to fledge else we'll be drowning in hair; Prince Rapunzel hmm?"
Dragon didn't respond, in fact he wasn't paying very much attention. His eyes had closed almost completely and he appeared to be dozing. It was enough that the itch had abated some under the other's ministrations. Treize didn't hold it against him though. The technicians had been unilaterally unhelpful when his own feathers had come in. They had been preoccupied with taking samples and measurements and talking amongst themselves while Treize had been practically out of his mind with the itch. It was a wonder he recalled anything they had said.
But now, it was actually quite amazing to watch first the tiny hair-like filo-plumes (1) push their way out from beneath Dragon's darkly iridescent scales. These were indistinguishable from their hair or the 'fur' that clad their nearly prehensile tails. The veined feathers that developed next were more complex and came in several different types. The contour feathers merged seamlessly with the scales that ran in tracks from the junction of the spine and shoulder-blades to the largest joint of each wing. Treize ran his palm over the unbelievably soft downy feathers.
Pyatr might be a sadistic lunatic but there was no denying the man had done something spectacular with them. There was an element of horror that went along with their involuntary transformation, of course; even so, in all his dreams of freedom, Treize never once contemplated having his wings surgically removed. It would be a waste. Granted, he had always been a bit vain and that vanity extended to his wings.
There seemed to be some correlation between feather hue and hair color, his ginger brown hair was only a few shades darker than his golden-brown plumage. While Wufei's ebony hair had resulted in darkly iridescent wings; the Feathers reminded him of a raven's, reflecting scintillating blues, greens, violet and even crimson in the light. If the trend continued than it was reasonable to assume that Zechs platinum blond would result in white almost pearlescent feathers or perhaps they would darken to gun-metal gray or silver hue.
Treize supposed he could understand why there would be those willing to pay a great sum for specimens as beautiful and deadly as they had proven to be. Many more would want to enlist candidates of their own to undergo treatment… assuming process could be duplicated safely. It could mean the birth of an entirely new sub species of humanity - if that can still be classed as human. People like Paytr Dermail would be quick to deny them that. There was a reason splicing was illegal in most parts of the earth sphere.
Public opinion was already against them. And given who they had been and what little he could recall about their activities during the war. Their enemies could easily get the masses to accept Icarins as a slave race, or more likely, a breed of exotic pet if for no better reason than to deny them a voice in policy. His fists clenched, talons piercing the pads of his palm. He frowned at the coppery tang of blood but knew the four even punctures would seal themselves in a matter of minutes. Licking them would accelerate the healing process even more. But humans don't lick their wounds. Animals do.
"Noble."
Treize jumped startled, so lost in his musings he had not even taken note of Dev's approach let alone that the man practically crouched almost at his elbow, a fact he mentally berated himself for. It was dangerous to let your guard down that far in such decidedly hostile environs. "What is it?" he snapped somewhat irritably at his captor.
Dev frowned, a crease forming between his brows but he did not rebuke the onetime general. Instead he removed a folded piece of waxed paper from the inner pocket of his jacket and opened it to reveal several flesh colored adhesive patches. "Do you know what these are?" he asked mildly.
"Medicinal patch, releases drugs to be absorbed into the bloodstream over an extended period." WuFei rolled over onto his side to better regard the other two. "What do you intend on doing with them? Or a better question what is it going to do to us?"
"Such an inquisitive dragon," Dev smiled. "My brother trusts his little devices." He raised a hand to Treize's brow and the other man instinctively flinched away. But he did nothing to prevent Dev from adhering one of the small patches to the side of his neck; and once placed it was almost invisible.
"He wants you as responsive as father's mobile dolls. The device can effectively close off or redirect the higher functioning aspects of your mind. He is certain he will be able to gain access to your mental processes and introduce his own programming. But the instincts I've given you aren't so easily silenced…A fact my brother has remained woefully ignorant of." He placed another patch on the underside of each of Treize's wrists. "You won't remove these." Dev stated firmly.
"Why?" Treize still had enough presence of mind to ask though his eyes were already loosing focus, the pupils constricting to thin slits. Noble could fight the effects and maintain the clarity of his thinking but it took effort. One patch he could likely shrug off with barely a thought, three was a might excessive.
Dev acknowledged his question but clearly directed his response to WuFei. Considering Treize was less than attentive at present. WuFei, in contrast, looked about ready to attack regardless of what Dev had to say.
"For the most part, you want what I want." The man explained "Regardless of what you think, that is not simply an aspect of your training. I care what happens to you and want to keep you as intact as possible.
When the time comes to act, it is my wish that you do so. But, now is not that time. My brother plans to test you dragon. I am well aware of my cousin's protective streak. He would never allow you to be taken without a fight and his response would ruin your plans and likely get him killed."
"So you've used that drug to silence the beast leaving him open to your brother's manipulation?" WuFei crossed his arms over his chest in defiance as he hazarded to guess, "I expect you are about to do the same to me?"
"It is the most prudent course of action," Dev suggested, "Let Pyatr believe he can control you without my help, then you will be able to take him by surprise when he is vulnerable."
"You want us to kill him," WuFei's eyes widened in surprised realization. "We've learned first hand what happens when we use our instincts to kill. The beast becomes impossible to control and divorced of reason we are highly suggestible. We kill him and you will have us all to yourself…weak-minded pawns."
"I am sure you have plenty of reasons to hate me dragon but do not fault me for introducing that particular failsafe." Dev shook his head. "It was a way to ensure you wouldn't go completely wild and slaughter innocents. Some of your predecessors did just that. If you lose the ability to reason, reason can be imposed upon you, yes. The suggestibility only occurs if you surrender to the beast without being given leave; if you are ordered to protect yourself or if someone calls for help and you step in for their defense no ill will befall you."
"You don't want your brother to control us…but don't seem to have any qualms against doing so yourself. If we are commanded to kill I expect your drug will ensure we obey. You say you don't agree with your brother's methods. You sound so sanctimonious" WuFei motioned to the device on his own temple "But from where I sit I don't see much difference. How can I when you are grooming us to be your assassins?" WuFei glared at the man.
"My brother needs to be stopped." Dev admitted. "I despise him but he is family. No one who lives … deserves justice as much as the three of you. I am freeing you to act in your own defense. What is more I give you leave to kill me as well if that is what you deem fitting. I will not lie. Resisting the commands he gives you will cause you great pain but I have seen to it that you are stronger than he suspects. I believe you can win your freedom even with these."
The man made an expansive gesture as if to encompass all facets of their current imprisonment. "You have been conditioned against removing either the devise or the patches but it is not particularly difficult to do so. In fact, the oils in your perspiration are already causing the adhesive to degrade. Anyone could help detach the mind-link device and crush it underfoot. This 'drug' as you call it may be overwhelming especially when paired with the link device but isn't something to fear on its own…" Dev leaned in to place a second patch on WuFei's chest, he hadn't even felt the first one but it was too late now.
Dragon swatted at the hand but something prevented him from putting up anything but token resistance.
"I doubt my brother will even take notice of the patches- but you ought to know," Dev whispered. "It's just catnip."
WuFei gapped at the admission, mouth opening and closing speechless at the indignity and anything so banal could…fill him with such….an overwhelming … sense of warmth… and contentment…he was purring again. He knew it.
In this altered state a crumpled ball of tinfoil, was fascinating enough to distract the former general of the world nation. While Dev unclipped Wu Fei's collar and led him unresistingly from the room.
-=-=-=-
1 In birds, Filoplumes are situated beside other feathers. They are simple, hair like structures that grow in circles around the base of contour or down feathers. Some Ornithologists believe that they are sensitive structures that connect to nerve endings in the follicle, playing a key role in keeping contour feathers in place during preening, display, and flight.