Title: Resistance is Futile
Authors: Zanna & Laren
Disclaimer & warnings: see previouse chapters
A/N: Wow, again we're totally overwhelmed by all your reviews - please keep it up! We're addicted now! ;-)
Chapter 25 – I, Borg
"What?" Heero blinked. Although Seven had warned him Duo's statement had surprised him nevertheless.
"We are Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile," Duo repeated patiently.
"Oh," Heero said helplessly. So he hadn't heard wrong after all. Heero sighed. That really wouldn't be easy.
"Duo... I mean, Two of Five, you can't assimilate me," Heero tried to explain.
"Why?"
"Because you're not a Borg any more – we freed you from the collective."
Duo seemed to think over these words for a moment and Heero held his breath anxiously. Would Duo accept that he wasn't part of the collective any more?
"We have to return to the collective," Duo announced at that moment.
Heero sighed again. "Who is 'we'?" he then asked. For sure he should be able to argue Duo into a corner!
"We are Borg."
"But – you're only one." Satisfied Heero crossed his arms. Apparently Duo didn't know what to answer because he simply stood there and looked at him seriously and a little bit confused. When the silence continued Heero realised startled that now he couldn't rely on Duo starting the conversation like always – as unbelievable it sounded, just now Heero himself was the more talkative of them.
Sighing Heero pushed away from the door and went to Duo. He stopped directly in front of him and looked at him seriously too and hoped that Duo would react somehow.
"It is quiet here," Duo said suddenly.
"What do you mean?"
"There are no other voices."
"Other voices?" Heero asked confused.
"On the cube we hear the thoughts of the others. Thousands of voices are always with us," Duo explained to him.
"Do you want to say that you're lonely now?"
Duo frowned and seemed to think hard.
"Heero is not Borg," he said finally.
"Damn right – and I really hope that it will stay that way," Heero answered.
"You will be assimilated soon. Resistance is futile."
Heero groaned frustrated. Somehow he and Duo seemed to go around in circles. If it continued like that they would still stay here and discuss if Heero would be assimilated or not come morning. Apparently it was no use to try and convince Duo with arguments. Sighing he took Duo's hand again, pulled him towards the bed and sat him down on it.
"Stay here. I'll be back soon," Heero said and turned away from Duo to go into the adjoining bathroom. One could say about Relena what one wanted – and Heero could think of a lot concerning that subject – but she knew how to spoil guests. The rooms that she had given to the – meanwhile again – five pilots, Seven and the Doc were really luxurious furnished and equipped with everything necessary – and unnecessary. Of course, the biggest advantage of Relena's guest rooms was that they contained only little to no pink at all.
Heero grabbed the hairbrush that lay in the bathroom and stepped out into the bedroom again. And really, Duo had followed his order and hadn't moved a millimetre. Heero sighed disappointed. The old Duo would have never obeyed his orders just so – he would have sat down somewhere else on purpose, just to irritate Heero. And secretly he had hoped that Duo would fall back into his old behaviour patterns automatically.
With some quick steps he reached the bed and kneed on it that he came to sit behind Duo. Carefully he opened the ribbon that held Duo's hair in his neck and started to brush the long strands gently.
"Don't move," he warned Duo, who tried to turn around.
"Why?"
"So that I won't hurt you by mistake," Heero explained while he pulled the brush concentrated through the hair.
"What is Heero doing?" Duo seemed to be seriously confused.
"I'm brushing your hair."
"Why?"
"I'm removing the knots – and then I'm going to braid it so that they won't knot again," Heero said absent-minded. He didn't really follow the conversation because the feeling of running his hands through Duo's hair was simply too wonderful. How long had he been wishing for it? And now he finally could play with that marvellous hair. Heero sighed happily.
"Why is our hair that long?"
"You always had hair that long – since I know you," Heero said.
"It is inefficient. We should cut it," Duo announced.
"What? No! You won't!" Heero had startled abruptly out of his daydreams. Duo wanted to cut his hair? Only over Heero's dead body!
"Why?"
Heero rolled his eyes. Didn't Duo know any other words? He was really like a toddler, always 'why', 'why', 'why'.
"You can't remember right now but your hair is really important to you. It's a memory of people that meant a lot to you. If you cut it now you will regret it bitterly later! Promise me you won't cut it!" Heero had stopped to brush and moved a little bit to the side so that he could look into Duo's face.
Duo said nothing for a while and just returned Heero's intense look. But then he nodded. "We promise."
Relieved Heero climbed back on his place behind Duo and started to braid. Since he had never done it before the braid turned out a little bit marred – slightly crooked and absolutely irregular – but it would be enough for the time being. And for a first try it wasn't that bad, Heero thought. With time he would get better – and the idea that he would be responsible for Duo's hair in the coming days made Heero smile contentedly.
Apparently he had been simply sitting there and smiling blissfully for a while because suddenly Duo turned around and looked questioningly at him. Heero braced himself, fastened quickly a ribbon on the end of the braid and finally let go of the braid hesitatingly.
"I'm glad that you're back again. I missed you," he said still smiling.
"Why?"
"Because it's not the same without you."
Duo didn't seem to be able to say anything to that and so again they simply sat there and stared at each other – Heero with a little smile on his face and Duo completely serious. Exchanged roles so to speak. Heero's smile got a clearly sad undertone at that thought.
Slowly he let his gaze wander over Duo. Heero still couldn't really believe it. Duo was back again. Heero almost feared that he would wake up any moment and find out that everything had been only a dream. He wanted to take Duo into his arms and never let go of him again – just to make sure. But he also didn't want to frighten him and so Heero left it at simply eyeing him thoroughly.
Thoughtfully he let his gaze rest on the metallic eyebrow. Although he had been disappointed at first that the Doc hadn't removed this implant too he nevertheless had to admit that it looked good on Duo. He looked – exotic. Sexy.
"When you will be assimilated you will get the same device," Duo said at this moment and tore Heero out of his thoughts. Apparently the braided boy had noticed Heero eyeing the ocular.
Heero groaned. So they had reached that point again. Alright, he wouldn't avoid a discussion this time. "Don't you understand that we don't want to be assimilated?"
"Why are you resisting?"
"Because the loss of my individuality would be almost worse than death to me," Heero said and looked insistently at Duo.
Again Duo tilted his head a little bit and seemed to think hard. "Heero doesn't want to be assimilated?"
"No, but that's what the Borg want, don't they?" Heero said with a bitter snort.
Duo nodded confirming. "Resistance is futile."
"It's not. The humans in the home dimension of the Borg did resist and beat the Borg."
"Resistance is not futile?" Duo asked and seemed to be completely amazed.
Heero shook his head. Duo frowned and seemed to think hard again, and Heero kept silent to not interrupt him. Maybe now they would get to some results and could free themselves from that 'resistance is futile'-cycle.
After a moment Heero noticed that he was really tired. A look on the clock confirmed that it was really late – he hadn't noticed just how long he had been sitting there and talking with Duo. Yawning he stood up and went to the door.
"Where is Heero going?" Duo's voice sounded behind him.
Heero turned around and said, "It's late and I'm tired. I'll go sleeping."
"Will Heero leave us alone here?" Duo asked.
Heero looked at him and his heart clenched. Duo seemed to be so lonely and lost sitting there on the big bed.
"Do you... shall I stay? So you won't be alone?" Heero asked carefully.
After a second Duo finally nodded hesitating.
Heero smiled at him and went to the bed. "Lay down," he said and pressed Duo on his shoulders down into a lying position. Then he pulled the blanket over him – although Duo still was fully clothed. Heero wouldn't make the effort this evening to go and fetch some pyjamas for him and Duo. He didn't want to leave Duo alone, not even for the short time he would need to go into his own room.
Finally Heero put out the light and climbed also fully clothed on the bed beside Duo. For some time it was completely silent and the only thing Heero could hear was Duo's regular breathing. He had almost fallen asleep when the voice of the Deathscythe pilot tore him out of his doze.
"There aren't any other voices in Heero's brain when he sleeps?"
"No," Heero murmured.
"Had Heero ever been – lonely?" Duo asked with a forlorn voice.
"Yes, sometimes," Heero said quietly, "But that's what we have friends for."
"Friends?"
"Exactly. Someone you can talk with, who helps you when you're lonely. Someone – someone who cheers you up." Heero smiled sadly. It was really ironic. Duo was the one, who had shown Heero what friendship was – and now Heero had to explain it to Duo.
Duo seemed to think a while over Heero's words and then he said. "Friends. Like Heero – and Two of Five."
Heero's expression turned into a beaming smile. "Yes," he said. "Like Heero and Two of Five." And with these thoughts Heero finally fell asleep.
Quatre ran through the house searching for Heero. He urgently had to speak with the pilot of Wing, and the reason for it was Duo. Or rather Heero's behaviour concerning Duo.
Surely, when Heero and Duo had come down to breakfast this morning Duo had seemed much more – human than the evening before. Yes, he still had been speaking of himself in the first person plural but he hadn't wanted to assimilate everyone within reach after all. Whatever Heero had said to Duo the evening before, it had been effective. If Quatre was honest he never would have thought that Heero would manage it. But the Wing pilot had surprised him several times during the last days; he really shouldn't be surprised about it.
But still he had to speak a serious word with Heero. He behaved way too – possessive towards Duo. It was exactly that. He seemed to be downright obsessed by Duo. That couldn't be healthy, could it?
For example this morning. Quatre had caught Heero carrying several things into Duo's room. At first he hadn't thought anything – after all, Duo's entire property had been in Heero's possession still – but then Quatre had noticed that Heero wasn't only carrying Duo's things but his own as well. On Quatre's question Heero had only answered that Duo felt lonely and had asked him to stay with him.
On the one hand Quatre couldn't think that Heero had lied to him – but that Duo had asked Heero to stay with him? He could believe that even less. Since his assimilation Duo seemed to be even colder and more emotionless than Heero had ever been. Would he really allow or even admit such a weakness?
And then during the breakfast. Relena hadn't been able to stop and had made a lot of sharp comments about Duo – something in the line of bad weeds grow tall and so on. Duo hadn't reacted to it – Quatre doubted that he even understood that he had been insulted.
But Heero – Heero hadn't even heard Relena. At least, that was what Quatre thought, because if Heero had heard her then Relena surely would be decorated with some finger-shaped bruises on her neck now. Heero had seemed to be too busy to watch Duo and so he hadn't even noticed Relena's snappy remarks.
Quatre opened the door to the Green Parlour and cast a look inside. Heero didn't seem to be in there but he saw Duo standing at the window and watching something out in the garden. Quatre pulled his head back and wanted to close the door again when Heero appeared beside him.
"Is Duo in there?" the Wing pilot asked him and wanted to push past Quatre inside the room.
Quatre grabbed Heero's arm and said, "Wait. I want to speak with you."
Heero stopped and frowned. "What about?"
"About Duo. I think..." Quatre was interrupted by voices inside the room. One of the voices belonged to Duo; the other one was that of Seven. Unconsciously Quatre leant closer to the ajar door so that he could understand more of the conversation.
"... Seven of Nine, tertiary adjunct of unimatrix 01," Seven's voice sounded. Quatre widened his eyes and looked at Heero surprised. Unimatrix 01? Seven had been reporting directly to the Queen during her time in the collective? Curiously he kept on listening, and Heero too leant closer.
"Why is Seven of Nine here?" Duo asked just now.
"This is a primitive culture. I am here to make their integration easier. Identify."
Quatre gasped appalled. Seven wanted to make the integration of the humans into the collective easier? But the next moment he already noticed that Seven had lied. He could feel it. Apparently she wanted to test Duo somehow.
"Two."
Quatre smiled slightly. They all had already get used to calling Duo just 'Two' because the name 'Two of Five' was simply too long and complicated. And it seemed as if Duo had already taken over that name.
"That is not a Borg identification. Identify!" Seven's piercing voice sounded.
Heero frowned angrily and tried to enter the room but Quatre stopped him with one hand and shook his head. "Let her continue," he whispered almost soundless, "She's purposing something. Let's wait a little bit."
Heero kept on frowning but he gave in and kept on listening on the door together with Quatre.
"Two of Five, tertiary adjunct of unimatrix 47," Duo answered Seven's request.
"This culture will be assimilated," Seven announced emotionless.
"They don't want to." Duo sounded insecure.
"That is irrelevant."
"They will resist."
"Resistance is futile."
"Resistance is not futile," Duo said and now his voice sounded a little more firmly and securely than a short time ago.
"Everyone will be assimilated," Seven pushed forward.
For a moment there was silence then Duo asked, "Has Heero to be assimilated?"
"Yes."
"He doesn't want to. He would prefer dying over being assimilated."
Quatre raised one eyebrow and looked questioningly at Heero but Heero simply ignored him and pretended to have to fully concentrate to keep on listening at the door.
"Then he will die," Seven said absolutely cold.
"No – that would not be right. Heero is a friend."
"You will help to assimilated these people. You are Borg. You will support us," Seven cornered Duo more and more.
"No, I will not!" Duo called.
For a moment silence reigned, then Seven asked, "What did you say?"
"I won't support you! Heero is not to be assimilated!"
"But you are Borg."
"No. I am Two."
Quatre bent back with a smile. He understood now what Seven had purposed with that confrontation. She had wanted to get Duo to notice himself as an individual – and she had succeeded. Duo finally was speaking of himself in the first person singular!
Though it didn't seem to be only Seven's merit because Duo's answers clearly showed that his relationship with Heero and the wish to protect him were playing a big role at it too. Therefore Quatre would allow Heero to continue his handling of Duo for the time being. But he planned to keep an eye on the Wing pilot. Only to make sure. But now he would go and search for Trowa and Wufei to tell them the good news.