::Remember Me::
Chapter Twenty
::Remember Me::
Triton stretched, reveling in the sun and the crisp fresh air that indicated winter was on its way; it had been a grueling workout. He scooped up his water bottle from the bench and took a long swig of it.
It took several weeks to acclimate to earth's gravity enough to do their routines safely; it took time for the animals to settle too. The south of France was the perfect place to do so.
"You think you're going to be ready for next week's opening show?" Sasha asked in her thick accent, coming up behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"I think so." He nodded.
"We should have another go this afternoon."
The banged teen nodded again, "It's my turn to help at the chow line; we can do it after."
"Sounds good." She slipped around to his front and pulled him into a heated kiss.
The sound of gagging made the aerialist smirk against Triton's lips.
"You," He snickered, watching Cathy hurry away, "Are nothing but trouble."
Sasha grinned, "That's what you love about me."
"You're right." He smirked, tugging her close for another kiss.
::Remember Me::
Relena seethed in her office.
Hiiro Yui was gone.
And it was Hiiro that left.
She didn't know how he regained his memory after everything she went through to make sure he was meek and compliant and devoted to her.
HOW THE HELL Did It All Fall Apart!?
Her hands clenched at her side as she paced the room.
Of course she knew where HER Hiiro was going; off to L2 in search of that street filth whore of his.
She could have him black listed; banned from all flights on Earth Sphere and the Colonies…
Though with his skills and determination, Hiiro would probably forge an ID or if he really felt like it, just steal a shuttle; so, what was the point?
She flopped into her chair, sulking.
Her temper faded as a new thought crossed her mind.
A cruel smile spread across her face. "I have Chang Wu Fei."
::Remember Me::
Amethyst eyes blinked sluggishly, wincing in the bright light that shown from overhead. His throat was scratchy. His fingers twitched.
A hospital; he had to be in a hospital.
Then that meant… he made it.
His relief was tangible, escaping in a ragged breath.
Turning his head, he caught sight of the detective hunched over in a chair; Anna was tucked in his side, sleeping.
A twitch of his fingers and a low groan caught the man's attention. "M-Monty…" His voice was hoarse.
"Shini!" He whispered, trying not to wake the little girl. "It's alright; you're in St. Matthews."
"H-How long?"
"72 hours."
"H-How bad?" The boy grimaced; he was becoming aware of the aches and pains in his body.
"You were shot three times in the gut." The detective explained. "Lost a lot of blood. You had some complications during surgery, but everything is alright now. They removed the bullet fragments and stitched you up. You'll be good as new in a couple of weeks." He gave the teenager a look, "What happened, Shini?"
A few moments passed as Duo tried to gather his thoughts; he was on some sort of drug. "What'd they give me?" He grumbled, blinking lethargically. He tried to lift his hand to rub his eyes; he froze, panic throwing him into full alertness past the drugged haze.
"Easy, Shini…" Monty soothed, "You were fighting the doctor's attempts to help you, so they restrained you." He shifted Anna so he could get up; the child cooed and settled, not waking. "If you remain calm, I'll take them off."
"I-I don't do well in hospitals." The braided teen swallowed his nerves.
"I would imagine not." The man smiled, releasing the straps. "I had them do a complete physical on you; I doubt you've seen a doctor lately. Aside from previous injuries, your digestion track was infested with parasites common to street kids with a contaminated water supply. A simple vaccine got rid of those. You had lice, which was taken care of with a treatment of specialized shampoo." He chuckled. "They wanted to cut your hair, but I wouldn't let them." He inhaled sharply, before continuing. "On a more serious note, Shini, you contracted the STD: NX39. It's curable with two weeks of antibiotics, if caught in its early stages. The doctor feels optimistic that you'll respond well to the medications and should be completely clean by the end of next week. A blood test at the end of the treatment period will confirm its success. You shouldn't have sex until you know for certain. Considering your previous occupation, I'd say you're very lucky that's all you got."
"Monty…" The street rat didn't know what to say; he was both grateful and embarrassed.
Alan shook his head, dismissing the need for thanks. "So, what happened?"
Duo met the detective's gaze for a moment before the events of that night refreshed themselves. "You have any family around here, Monty? Brothers? Cousins?"
::Remember Me::
Hiiro hid himself in the corner of the internet café; his back to the wall, eyes on all the exits and windows. If the bitch sent someone after him, he'd see it coming.
Fingers flew over the keyboard of his laptop.
His first instinct was to go find Duo; however, Wu Fei was here in Sanc and Relena had him. He couldn't let his friend, whether Chang remembered or not, stay in her grasp.
He paused.
His friend's cues had worked; he saw Quatre and he remembered… But it seemed as if the Chang and Winner had spent a good deal of time together... Yet there was no recognition in Wu Fei's eyes.
That worried him.
If his friend still didn't know who he was, then he couldn't defend against Relena's schemes against him.
His hands clenched.
What could he do?
With a sigh, he opened up an email account used to receive missions during the war. Typing a quick message, he sent it to the other pilots; if they remembered, they may look there…
As for Fei...
It was a good bet that Relena would try to brainwash Chang again, like she subjected him to the procedure in attempt to control him. He had no memory of where the facility was, but he had an idea of how to find it.
Pulling a trick, he learned from his lover, Hiiro remotely hacked into Relena's phone and the GPS it contained. "I'll find you, my friend."
::Remember Me::
Wén Long struggled against the three men holding him down while a woman in a lab coat approached him with a needle. "You can't do this to me!" He protested. "I didn't do anything wrong! LET ME GO!"
The sharp tapping of heels stilled his resistance.
"Y-You… You're behind this? But… but why do you want me? I'm nobody!"
Relena stared down at the boy. "You really don't remember, do you? You have no idea…"
Wide ebony eyes watched her, fear darkening them, "Wh-What are you talking about!? Remember what!?" He whimpered, before imploring. "P-Please! I-I'm just a student! I have a paper due on Tuesday! M-My roommate will be worried! Please, let me go home!"
The girl sniffed, "It doesn't matter. The procedure will be redone and you will be relocated."
"WHAT PROCEDURE!?" He nearly wailed, resuming his struggles. "PLEASE! I'M NOBODY! LET ME GO!"
"So much for the pride of L5's prince." She sneered, signaling the lab technician to in continue.
"I… I'm begging you…" He offered one last plea that fell on deaf ears and a hardened heart. The frightened teenager flinched when the needle pierced his skin; immediately he began to feel the effects of the sedative. Understanding lit his eyes before unconsciousness claimed him, "Th-This is why… Cat… C-Cat's s-so afraid of… of… you…"
The politician's eyes narrowed, "'Cat'!?" She reached out and shook him, "Do you know where Winner is? Tell me where he is!" She slapped the teen when he didn't respond. "DAMN IT, TELL ME!"
"Milady." The doctor stopped her from striking a second time. "He's unconscious."
The girl seethed, stepping away from her victim. She stalked across the room before coming to a decision. "Alert the local law enforcement of Winner's presence in the area. They are to look under every rock until the little bastard is found. Keep track of Hiiro; he might lead them to him."
"And for this young man?"
"Proceed as planned. Even if he knows where Winner is, there's no way he'd tell me. But there better not be any fuck ups this time." Relena warned. "Or you'll have more to worry about than your job!"
"Y-Yes, milady…" the head tech acknowledged, turning to his machine and adjusting the dials. "We've done some modifications; the procedure should be fool proof now."
"For your sake, it had better be." Relena glared at the unconscious teenager as the technicians did their jobs; a thought popped into her head causing a predatory grin to cross her face. "Wait." She stopped them, "I have a better idea."
::Remember Me::
"Kid, what are you doing?" Monty protested as he tried to stop Duo from removing from removing his IV.
"Tol'ja I don't do well in hospitals." The braided teen grimaced, pulling off electrodes. "Time for me to check out."
"You're badly injured!" The man insisted, "You need at least a few days to recover!"
"Like that's ever stopped me before." He smirked, pulling at the neck of his hospital gown. "Besides, I've got a killer to stop."
"One that has my face." The detective frowned.
"It was dark." Duo dismissed.
Alan studied the boy in front of him, "If you had any doubt, you wouldn't have asked about my family."
Zero-Two sighed, "Just tell me it's not you."
"It's not me." Monty replied instantly, "I swear it!"
He quirked a half-hearted smirk, "I have to believe you; the alternatives are too disturbing to consider." Amethyst yes narrowed, Shinigami peeking out, "But if I find out you had anything- anything- to do with the drugs I. Will. Kill. You."
"Understood."
"Good…" Duo looked around, edging himself to the end of the bed, allowing his feet to touch the floor. "Now, where are my pants?"
::Remember Me::
Quatre swore as he crouched behind a dumpster as red and blue lights flashed by; it was the twelfth patrol to pass by him. Relena must have realized he was in the area. Damn it all.
Adjusting the position of his backpack, Zero-Four darted out of the ally, across the street, to a low hanging fire escape ladder. Jumping up, he caught it, pulling himself up just as another car crept past his vacated hiding place.
With a shake of his head and a stream of curses, in multiple languages, that would make Duo proud, he climbed to the roof; staying rooftop had worked on L4, surely it could work here too?
::Remember Me::
Approaching the underground bunker, Hiiro reached for a gun he didn't have. Cursing under his breath at his lack of foresight, he opened the door.
It was dimly lit with emergency runways, a labyrinth of hallways and empty rooms. He was filled with great trepidation as he crept cautiously towards his destination. While he hadn't remembered the location of the bunker, he had a sick familiarity in walking down these halls. It twisted up in his gut, making him nauseous and shaky. Afraid.
Just how many times had Relena brainwashed me?
Rounding a corner, he spotted a room with a light peeking from under the door. This was it. This was where that bitch played with people's lives; their lives.
He stamped down his anger, drawing on his training to control his emotions and slip into mission mode. He was stupidly unarmed, and he didn't know what he would find in the next room. He hated being unprepared- uninformed, but he wasn't thinking, he just acted- there just wasn't any time to waste…
His friend was in there.
::Remember Me::
Quatre huddled under a bridge, hiding from the downpour of sleet that tore through the clouds, leaving accumulating piles of slushy ice everywhere. His bag, looking tattered and worn after nearly a year of running, was tucked against his side. The river in front of him was furious and wild as it swirled its currents around rocks, tree limbs and trash that lay in its path; it was creeping up the bank, though the blonde was oblivious to its reaching grasp.
He was numb inside and out; so much so, that the frigid weather, his exhaustion, and the incessant rumbling in his aching empty stomach didn't register.
Having been so close to his friends, but not being known was torture and left him feeling hollow where their hearts once touched his. He was eternally thankful that he had not run into Trowa; that meeting would be the end of him. Any and all resolve to continue would be destroyed.
He wondered if he made the right decision to run. Would it be better to turn himself in?
At least I wouldn't be alone.
Tears prickled the back of his eyes and he closed them.
The wind ripped under the teen's meager shelter, stealing what little warmth he had; but he didn't notice. He had stopped shivering some time ago; he wasn't aware that his skin was paling, tinging blue… and truth be told, he couldn't care.
What is the point of hurting like this?
Suddenly, all the exhaustion hit him at once, sapping what little strength he had. He curled on his side against cold, hard, cracked, concrete, clutching his pack desperately to his chest; it contained all that was left of his friends, he'd never let it go…
His eyes grew heavier and heavier until they slipped closed.
"Oh, my friends…" His broken whisper was lost in the rain. "I'm lost."
::Remember Me::