Family
Chapter 40: Fear Gas Part One
Author's note: Previously on Family, Fate met up with Heero in secret where she revealed how she had spent most of her time hiding when the war was raging on. Yet there is something that she still hasn't told Heero. Fate met up with Kimberly who is getting married soon and they talk about Fate's career and her changes in the span of seven years. Trowa sets up Arabella and Catherine in hopes of wanting both women to get along. But things got out of hand before everything ended off well. Trowa met up with Heero at the pub where the two of them chat privately. Heero knows that Fate is hiding something from him.
This chapter will not be broken down into shorter chapters, but it will be a long chapter instead.
I have been on a writer's block for an exceedingly long time, trying to find a way to piece important plot lines together and cover all the loose ends that I have left all over the story. It puzzled me for a long time and finally I was able to come up with an idea that allows me to fit most parts together. It may not be a logically sound idea or may not even seem realistic to others, but to me it is really the best way I can think of to make everything fit together.
Take Note: I will be switching around often to focus on different characters as well as the current situation; hence it can be confusing to the reader. Please do take note of this as it will allow me to focus more on different characters and find out how they are really feeling. This story arc is inspired from the episode Over The Edge from The New Adventures of Batman. Fans of Batman should know what a fear gas is and what it does, but I am going to alter its properties.
Warnings: Mature, Violence, Very Dark and Depressing Themes throughout the entire Fear Gas Story Arc! You are warned!
Thank you for reading this story and I hope that you continue to support it. Please read and review, NO FLAMERS! Pairing: HeeroXOC
After Colony 203, 7th August,
Colony L1, VLA, Blue Marine Pub
Night time, 7pm
It was a normal Friday night like every other day. The ex-Gundam pilots have agreed to meet up at Blue Marine Pub tonight. It was turning into something that they would do every fortnightly or once a week if they had the time. They would meet up, chat about how their week or life has been. Sometimes they will tease, challenge and provide each other with advice, or simply hang out like anyone would with their friends. They knew that they were connected to each other through the war and had helped to bring peace to the Colonies and Earth, ending the war that had lasted for so long. Others may find them weird for they could have chosen to live their own separated lives, yet they still chose to be a part of each other's life.
They know that they are each other's best friend and they care about each other in their own ways too. It wasn't always obvious, but that's how some of them are. It could have easily been a clash of five different personalities, but it was amazing how they managed to get along with each other so well. There will be times of giving and taking. Yet as one watched them from far, one can't help but get curious as to how they met each other and what had happened to make them such good friends now. Then again that was a story that was sealed off and labelled classified with a lot of red tapes involved. Maybe it no longer existed on records be it soft copy form or not. And the only ones who knew were the people involved in the war back then. It was a story that was so important yet so unknown, one that the five of them will refuse to tell anyone.
Fate de Camden was almost certain that the four men at their usual table at Blue Marine Pub hadn't noticed that she had been analysing and watching them through the empty champagne glass in front of her. Duo was running late, hence he was the only one missing from the table. Yet the four of them seem to be having such a good time. Fate couldn't help smiling before she noticed how Heero was looking at her. She looked up from her champagne glass and smiled at him. It was like that between Heero and her too. She would always know that he's there and that he's looking at her. Same way how he could sense her presence and knows that she's looking at him.
Heero signalled her to join them with a nod of his head but Fate shook her head, choosing to stay at the VIP section instead. While the news of them being together has finally died down, she thinks it was best if they weren't spotted together in public yet. She didn't want to risk it especially since the pub was really crowded tonight. Maybe this was because it was Friday night. Fate was silently watching the crowd, taking in what everyone else was doing when a waiter came to serve her a glass of rose champagne.
"I didn't order this." Fate said.
"Compliments from the gentleman." The waiter said and he left before Fate could reject it.
That's when Heero joined her at the table she was at.
"Is this from you?" Fate asked.
Heero nodded his head before he gave her a small smile. Fate picked up the glass of rose champagne, it was a beautiful pink colour. She smiled at him; it was a nice surprise. Heero clinked his whisky glass with her champagne glass as if to signify a toast. With that Fate took a sip of the champagne. She noticed how Heero was checking her out even though he was drinking his whisky. They set their glasses back down on the table.
"The dress suits you." Heero said softly as he leaned in closer towards her.
Fate smiled at his compliment but was wary of their surroundings.
"White suits you, Fate." He whispered.
Fate blushed at his compliment and at how close he was to her since he was moving even closer to her.
"Heero, we are in public. We wouldn't want to be spotted." Fate whispered.
Their hands touched and Fate could feel the familiar warmth his touch causes.
"Fate." He said softly, whispering into her ear.
Fate merely continued blushing, since Heero hardly flirts openly with her like this.
"Heero." Fate whispered, and their eyes met.
His Prussian blue eyes were cool as they usually were, but they carried a hint of tease.
"Oh Heero, you have to stop this." Fate said, putting some distance between them, aware that he was teasing her.
"You looked bored." Heero said.
"You aren't helping." Fate pointed out.
Heero gave her a small smile before he studied her legs, making Fate a little self-conscious. He looked up at her and Fate caught a glimpse of something else before it totally disappeared.
"Shall we go over?" Heero asked her.
"I wouldn't want to interrupt your time with them." Fate said.
"It's alright, we are merely passing time as we wait for Duo." Heero said.
Fate considered for a moment before she stood up to go with Heero.
That's when they heard a loud crash and Heero turned almost instantly, locating the source of the crash. A waiter had collapsed on the floor, breaking all the glasses he was holding on his tray. People were slowly going over to find out what was wrong with him. The waiter didn't wake up, nor did he get up. Heero then knew that something was amiss. He immediately turned to look back at Fate. Then there were sounds of more gasps and screams as customers suddenly dropped motionless to the floor. Even as some of the pub's staff went over, they couldn't wake the customers up. Heero looked around the pub, scanning for any threat but there were no bullet holes signalling that there was no sniper. He immediately grabbed Fate's hand and they rushed over to join his friends' table.
"Something's wrong." Heero said.
"You think?" Trowa asked, just as a woman in the next table collapsed to the floor, breaking the wine glass she was holding.
It wasn't likely that the drinks were poisoned for everyone was drinking a different beverage, yet Heero could see that many of his customers were dropping like stones to the floor. It happened so suddenly while some had screamed and tried to leave the pub in a panic. Yet some of them slowly fell to the floor motionless as well.
"Heero, what's going on?" Fate asked.
Heero could see the shock and fear in Fate's eyes and knew that he has to protect her, but from what? That's when Quatre knocked over his own wine glass off the table, drawing their attention.
"Quatre!" Trowa exclaimed.
"I… feel weak…" Quatre whispered.
Trowa held onto him but could feel Quatre's consciousness slipping away. Trowa then shifted Quatre so that at least he was still resting on the chair, yet people around them continued to drop like stones to the floor. Sound of crashes and glass shattering filled the pub but Heero couldn't see any visible threat. What was causing this to happen?
"Gas attack." Heero concluded.
The confused look on Trowa's face was replaced with shock.
"Get out, get as many people as you can out of this place." Heero said, before he turned to run off.
"Wait, Heero!" Fate called out, wanting to go after him, but Wufei held her back.
"We have to get you out." Wufei said.
"But Heero…"
Heero was disappearing from their view, amidst the chaos of people fleeing and suddenly dropping to the floor. Trowa was on his phone giving an emergency call to the Preventer Headquarters. Wufei suddenly felt as if he was losing energy and knew that he had been affected by the gas as well. Fate easily shook him off and raced after Heero. Wufei wanted to go after her but he suddenly lost strength of his legs and fell to the floor. He struggled to stay awake, crawling a little forward before his limbs felt completely numb. He turned and saw that Trowa was struggling to reach for the phone which he had dropped as he fell to the floor. Wufei looked around him, he has to do something, or even more people will be affected. He needed to warn others. Seeing the broken wine glass nearby, he cuts his finger with it and wrote letters on the floor with his blood. His finger was shaking but he knew that it was the last thing he could do.
"Get help… Gas attack… a lot of casualties…" Trowa struggled to say before he completely blacked out.
Wufei drew an arrow pointing to the direction Heero went before he too lost consciousness.
Heero had wasted too much time trying to run through the crowd of panicking customers and trying not to step on anyone who was lying on the floor. He was currently making his way up the enclosed staircase that leads to the rooftop. He didn't think that he was affected by the poisonous gas until his legs felt weak and he nearly fell from the stairs. Gripping onto the staircase's handle, he pushed himself up. He has to get up there, up to the roof and stop this gas attack from getting any worse. That's when he felt someone supporting him, he turned to see that it was Fate.
"Fate, you should have left." Heero remarked.
"How can I leave when the situation is already as bad as it is?" Fate asked.
Fate supported him as they climbed the stairs together.
"You aren't affected by the gas." Heero concluded, realising how she hadn't weakened at all.
"I guess Meteor's shield protects me from harmful air particles as well." Fate said softly, she had not been aware of this fact until now.
Heero stared at her for a short moment, before he stopped in his tracks. He immediately turned and pressed her against the wall, taking Fate by surprise.
"Fate, lend me Meteor's shield. I have to stop this gas attack from getting any worse. I don't know what it is, but the more we are exposed to it there is a chance that everyone in the pub may die from it." Heero said.
Their eyes met and Fate knew what Heero was asking for. She was a little surprised that Heero hadn't asked her to go check the situation out, to save everyone since she was the only one unaffected by the gas. Yet maybe to Heero, it was a burden far too heavy for her to carry. There was a sense of seriousness in his eyes and she knew that this was a critical situation.
"I…"
"Please Fate, I'm running out of time too." Heero said, as he leaned closer towards her as he was losing energy in his legs.
Fate can order Meteor to protect someone else instead, but it would leave her vulnerable to the gas attack. Especially since she had no training beforehand, she would definitely be affected faster than Heero was. Yet in a race against time, Heero is still a much better choice than her.
"Meteor, protect Heero instead." Fate said.
Meteor disabled its invisibility, appearing before them.
"But Fate, the gas is toxic." Meteor advised.
"Do it." Fate said, with determination in her eyes.
"Transfer done." Meteor said.
Fate nodded at Heero and Heero immediately turned to run up the stairs, but his legs were still weak. Fate supported him and helped him to go up to the roof of Blue Marine Pub. Heero immediately made his way towards the rooftop air ventilation units, while the effects of the gas was slowly hitting Fate.
"Heero." Fate called out as she slowly sank to the floor.
Heero turned back and saw her but forced himself to deal with the problem at hand instead. He hated how he had to abandon Fate like this, but this was more crucial. He has a few minutes as well, given to him by Meteor's shield. As he was already exposed to the gas for a longer period of time, the effects were kicking in, wearing his body down. He saw a large red gas tank right in front of the ventilation unit. He immediately rushed over as fast as he could manage. He saw that there was a pipe attached to it, leading to the air ventilation unit. The gas valve was opened, signalling that the poisonous gas was indeed flowing into Blue Marine Pub from here.
Heero's vision is getting blur and he was experiencing double vision. He knew that his time was up soon. He reached out for where he thinks the gas tank valve was but missed it due to his double vision. He struggled to feel it with his shaky hands and eventually found it. He immediately turned it shut with as much force as he could master in his weaken state. He didn't know if he had closed the valve as he fell to the floor next to the gas tank, no longer feeling his legs. No… he can't fail now. He still has to save everyone else; he still has to protect Fate and his friends. He reached out to the gas tank in a miserable struggle to stay awake. But his eyelids felt heavy and he knew he was going to black out soon. He has to destroy the gas tank but doing so he would affect even more people. There must be a way to contain this harmful gas.
"Fate!" It sounded like Meteor.
Heero turned to look back at Fate, but he could no longer see her with his blur and double vision. Where was she? Forgetting the gas tank, he crawled towards where he remembered where she was. He still felt nothing in his legs but soon even his arms felt numb.
"Fate." Heero called out, but he didn't get any reply.
Must stay awake, need to get help… He thought to himself, but he was losing the mental fight.
"Heero, Fate has fainted!" Meteor told him.
"Save Fate…" Heero managed to say out before he completely blacked out, unsure if anyone was able to save Fate in his place.
2 hours later, 9pm
Duo was busy driving through the streets of VLA to get to Blue Marine Pub. He checked the watch on his wrist and knew that he was already two hours late. He was supposed to meet the guys for a drink at Blue Marine Pub tonight. But he had to rush elsewhere to run errands hence he's late now. He can only hope that they are still there, waiting for him. He couldn't find a parking lot near the pub hence he parked at a building some distance away before he made his way towards the pub. But he was stunned with what he saw when he was near the entrance of the pub.
There were many police cars and ambulances outside the pub. A huge crowd has also gathered behind the police barricade tape that the police have set up, closing off the entire Blue Marine Pub instead. Duo squeezed through the crowd and saw many medical staff were busy sending people to the hospital in ambulances. The medical staff were dressed in anti-contamination suits as well. He had no idea what had happened but there were a lot of casualties. He also noticed how some of the casualties were shaking badly despite being strapped down to the ambulance bed.
He made his way nearer to the front of the crowd and tried to get permission from a nearby policeman to enter. But they refused to let him in as the entire area is closed off to everyone. That was when Duo spotted Federick standing some distance away, talking to a medical staff.
"Hey Camden!" Duo shouted, managing to get Federick's attention.
Federick nodded at a nearby policeman who lets Duo into the enclosed area. Duo noticed that many people were still being rushed to the ambulances.
"What happened here?" Duo asked softly.
"A gas attack happened at Blue Marine Pub about an hour ago." Federick said.
"No, it can't be!" Duo exclaimed in shock.
"Look around you Maxwell, can you still choose not to believe what's before your eyes?" Federick asked.
The situation definitely looked bad with a lot of casualties. Duo was suddenly worried about his best friends; they must have been in the pub when the gas attack had happened. He can only hope that they have received medical attention.
"We received an emergency call from Preventer Barton about two hours ago, but he passed out before he could give us a concrete answer as to what was going on. We are sending all casualties to a nearby hospital. It would be good to group all of them together. If it is a bio-gas, it is likely to be contagious. We wouldn't want anyone else to be affected by it." Federick explained.
Duo watched the sight before him in silence, everyone seemed busy.
"It's a Friday night, there were many people in the pub." Federick said softly.
"How many casualties are there?" Duo asked.
"We are still counting but we are running out of ambulances to help transport them to the hospital. Helicopters are called in to help out. There are approximately two hundred casualties." Federick said.
Duo's eyes widened in shock.
"It is likely to be a terrorist attack, but we have not received any tips, threats or claims that it was done by anyone." Federick said.
"Bastard of a man! Attacking so many people at once." Duo muttered.
"They wouldn't be terrorists if they are sane." Federick muttered.
"Sir, there are still too many of them, the helicopters are coming." Another Preventer said to Federick.
"Make arrangements to transport some of them to the nearest helicopter landing area." Federick said.
The Preventer nodded and left immediately to get work done.
"It might still be too late for some by the time we get them all to the hospitals." Federick said, aware that it is taking too much time to get two hundred people to the hospital.
Federick puts on his gas mask and handled Duo one, signalling to him that they are going inside Blue Marine Pub. They also put on anti-contamination gloves. As they still have to figure out where the source of the gas came from, find out what gas it was and find a cure for it. It was a race against time to save the lives of all these causalities. Duo put on his gas mask and they slowly made their way into Blue Marine Pub. There were many staff, all dressed in anti-contamination suits inside. But Duo was shocked to see that a lot of people were lying down, unconscious throughout the entire pub. Some of them were shaking very violently but Duo had no idea what was going on as well. It was a sad and depressing sight to take in, as if something had swept right through the entire pub, leaving all these people for death. But Duo's eyes were also searching through the people to look for his best friends. He wanted to make sure that they were alright.
They proceeded slowly, trying to be careful and not step on anyone. Eventually they made their way further into the pub. Everything that Duo saw only depressed him further. He noticed how some of these people were shaking terribly, some seemed to be having problems breathing. The worst of all, he saw how a few of them shake so violently before they suddenly stopped moving. Duo didn't like the sight of that, but it was pretty obvious that these people had died for they no longer breathed anymore. How many people have died in this gas attack? The numbers were piling up before these victims could be sent to the nearby hospital for treatment or confinement.
Just then, Duo spotted his best friends who were near their usual table. He rushed over instantly, worried that something bad had happened to them. Quatre was leaning against the seat, but he was trembling really badly as if something bad was going on. Trowa was lying on the floor some distance away from the table, with his hand stretched out towards his hand phone that was lying on the floor in front of him. It was obvious to Duo that Trowa was still struggling to finish the emergency phone call before he passed out. As for Wufei… Duo noticed how Federick was frowning down at Wufei. Duo went over and was surprised that Wufei was bleeding. There was a cut on his finger, but it was obvious that Wufei had deliberately cut himself. Especially when they saw the message that Wufei had written on the floor for them, in his own blood. The words read "Gas attack, find Heero", followed by an arrow that pointed to the back of the pub.
Duo knew that his friends were still trying to leave clues for them or help them out even down to the last second. He can only hope that they will be alright. Duo ordered some medical staff to tend to his friends first, but everyone is really busy and up to their maximum capacity as they still have far too many people to save. Duo is worried that they are wasting far too much time before they could send the victims to hospital He could only hope that his best friends could last till it was their turn to be sent to the hospital. Federick looked awfully calm even when he's in the middle of a major crisis. While Duo is panicking and affected by the horrible sight before him.
"Let's move on Maxwell, we have to find the source of the gas attack." Federick said.
"How can you remain so calm?" Duo asked, snapping at Federick.
"Because panicking won't save anyone and there are already too many causalities involved. I have a bad feeling that Heero is here somewhere." Federick said.
"Of course, he's here, all of them were meeting here tonight." Duo said.
Federick shook his head.
"Things are about to get a lot worse if Heero is caught in this gas attack." Federick muttered.
"How so?" Duo asked.
"He's the President of the Colonies' eldest son, how do you think it will look? It will look like an indirect attack on the president." Federick said.
"Heck." Duo muttered, sometimes forgetting that Heero's father is the President of the Colonies.
They continued moving slowly to the back of Blue Marine Pub, trying their best not to step on anyone. Federick was looking around the area while Duo knew that by logical deduction, the gas will have to come through the air ventilation system. It's the only way to spread the gas fast enough. The gas will also fill up the place as it's an enclosed area. The air conditioner will cool the gas and make it sink down to where the customers are. Duo recommend that they check out the rooftop, and so they climbed up the stairs that lead up to the rooftop. They pushed open the door and Federick looked shocked. Duo knew why as some distance away from the door was Fate who was lying unconscious on the rooftop. Federick immediately tended to her but Duo noticed how pale Fate looked. Her entire body was trembling as well, it looked as if she wasn't in a good state.
As Federick tended to Fate, Duo continued walking and was surprised to see Heero lying face down some distance away from the air ventilation unit. Duo immediately rushed over to check on him, he is still alive but also unconscious. Next to him was a large red gas tank, proving to Duo that this was the source of the gas attack. He also noticed that the gas valve was closed. He looked down at Heero and knew that Heero must have closed the valve, making this his priority over Fate first. Overexposure to toxic gas could lead to death hence Heero must have tried to stop the gas from spreading further in Blue Marine Pub. Damn it, all of his best friends still tried so hard to save others or leave clues even when they are caught in the crisis! Duo clenched his hands into tight fists, if only he wasn't late maybe he could have helped out too. But now that four of his best friends are down, he was left alone to solve this whole situation. Or rather, he's forced to team up with Federick, whom he dislikes. But Duo knew that he had to put personal issues aside especially when faced with a crisis as large scale as this.
"Why didn't you protect her, Meteor?" Federick asked, questioning Fate's security robot.
"Fate wanted Meteor to protect Heero." Meteor explained.
"Damn it Fate, you fool!" Federick exclaimed.
Duo looked down at Heero and was glad that at least Heero's condition wasn't as bad as some of the victims that he had seen.
"They wanted to buy more time for Heero to stop the gas from spreading even further in the pub." Meteor explained.
"At least it allowed Heero to close the gas valve on this gas tank." Duo said.
Federick looked at the red gas tank.
"We should get it back to the laboratory, we will need to find out what gas it is and if we can get an antidote for it. Then we have to find out who planned this gas attack." Federick said.
Duo could hear the anger in his voice and knew that indeed they have a lot to do. Federick still looked down at Fate in concern.
"She feels cold and is barely breathing." Federick said.
Duo looked over and knew that Fate's in a worse state than Quatre.
"I am getting her out first. Grab the gas tank, Maxwell." Federick said.
Duo was about to argue that his priority should be returning to the laboratory first. Yet he saw the worried look on Federick's face and shut up, for indeed Fate looked far too pale. Federick carried Fate and immediately made his way down the stairs slowly. Duo looked at Heero and could tell that in the last second, Heero had been trying to look for Fate, since his hands were outstretched towards where Fate was. But she was too far away from him.
"I will find out who did this and save all of you, I promise." Duo whispered to Heero.
Duo carried Heero down to the Blue Marine Pub so that the medical team can send him to the hospital. But they have a long night ahead of them as they start to investigate the gas attack.
Quatre's Nightmare
It was a cold and dark night in Colony L4. Quatre was in his family limo as his chauffeur was driving him from the airport back to Winner Mansion. He flies almost once every week from Colony L4 to Colony L1, VLA to meet his best friends. Sure, flying around was tiring but it was worth it to see each other again and be a part of each other's lives. He looked down at his own hand and knew that time had changed them. They all have their own commitments, dreams and goals. Quatre had never expected them to stay together as best friends for so long. Nevertheless, sometimes Quatre was afraid that something would happen to pull all of them apart. Pushing such negative thoughts aside, he looked out of the limo's window.
He has a huge mansion and Dorothy had moved in right next to his mansion since AC 197. He had initially found the idea of having Dorothy as a neighbour strange. He had tried to get along with her, but Dorothy was always capable of bringing out the worst in him. They get into fights often. She always shows up uninvited and ruined his dates, nights and probably his life at times.
Yet despite all of that, he couldn't deny that he had fallen in love with his polar opposite. He didn't know how it happened as well and was in denial for a long time. But he had accepted the fact a long time ago. He had tried to confess his love, but there simply wasn't a right time. He had tried to move on to someone else, but things didn't work out as well. Maybe because he couldn't lie to himself that no matter who he was with, she wasn't Dorothy. She had disappointed and hurt him in more ways than one can describe. He had tried possibly everything, but he could no longer deny that he still loves her. It was a secret love, yet it was unrequited and painful. Everyone asked him to move on, everyone said that he deserves better. But he couldn't bring himself to. He never told her how he felt, because he had come to accept that this love would always remain this way.
He was surprised to see that no lights were switched on at Dorothy's mansion, which is fairly odd since it's already night time. The skies were overcast, and it was going to rain soon. Quatre was getting a little concerned about Dorothy. He asked his chauffeur to drop him in front of Dorothy's mansion. Since they are neighbours, he could do his part and check in on her.
They hadn't spoken for a while and recently all they fight about is Fate and Heero being a couple. He hated it when she insulted his best friends like that. Sometimes he reacted in anger and insulted her in return. She would always brush his insults off like they didn't even hurt her, yet there were times when Quatre knew she was lying. For there was a flash of hurt before it was replaced by the cold, calculating exterior she always had. It was a mask that she puts on and one that he hated very much. It was a barrier that she puts up to protect herself. He had always wanted to tear off this mask and know the Dorothy behind it. He knew that she was hiding a nicer and much kinder side of her behind it. She wasn't always the evil, scheming and cold woman she is, if only she would let him in.
He rang the doorbell for the second time, yet no one came to the intercom. That's when he noticed that there was gap in between the mansion gates. With that he went into her mansion grounds and walked towards the main mansion. Something was amiss, he had no idea why he was feeling this way. Maybe he was just mistaken, yet he cannot deny the fact that it was his gut instinct telling him so. He called out the head butler's name, but no one answered him. The entire mansion was covered in darkness and he wondered why no one turned the lights on? He had no idea where the light switches were and tried to look around the place. Yet there didn't seem to be anyone around. Using his mobile phone, he turned on its flashlight to act as his torch as he walked further into the mansion. He called out another staff's name but still no one answered him. He has been here quite often hence he knows the layout of the mansion and is aware that Dorothy's room is on the second floor. He headed towards the main staircase and he wrinkled his nose as he was hit with the stench of something really strong. It wasn't the stench of food garbage it was… something relatively familiar. He seemed to have stepped onto something wet, he flashed his mobile phone's light downwards and was stunned that he was stepping on a pool of blood. Blood? He flashed his mobile phone upwards and was stunned at the sight of dead bodies lying all over the large staircase.
He stared in shock and horror; everyone he knew was dead. Some of them were stabbed through the heart, slashed at with a sword and many seemed to have lose their limbs as if the murderer was a vicious killer. Their blood had stained the entire carpet red and it was still overflowing downwards, forming large pools of blood. The stench of blood was horrible and Quatre nearly gagged. But he ran off towards where the light switches were and switched them all on. The mansion was immediately lighted, and he couldn't believe this… They were all brutally murdered. Why will anyone do something so cruel? But then he was hit with a feeling of dread, what about Dorothy?
He immediately hurried up the stairs, trying hard to ignore the horrible sight of her servants' bodies lying all over the staircase. The bodies continued like the murderer had purposely left a trail of bodies behind. He tried not to focus on the dead bodies and to focus on finding Dorothy. But the body count was increasing as he continued on. The door to Dorothy's room was opened and he immediately went in, fearing the worst. But he was slightly relieved to see that there was no blood in the room, and nothing was damaged. Maybe she wasn't home hence the murderer didn't get to her?
That's when he heard a loud piercing scream. It was one belonging to the woman whose voice he is familiar with. All colour drained from his face as he immediately ran towards the source of the loud scream. It was coming from the highest floor! It could only mean that the murderer is still around, and he has Dorothy! He made it to the attic and threw open the door. But there was no one in the attic, he looked at the opened door to the balcony and went out on it as well. The sky outside was completely overcast, making the balcony rather dark as well. But he can make out two people outside. He was stunned by the sight before him for indeed Dorothy was being held hostage next to a man who is holding onto a sharp samurai sword. The man's back was facing him, but Dorothy was definitely in pain and bleeding.
"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" Quatre called out.
The man turned to face him and Quatre could not hide the shock on his face. For the man standing right before him was not only the murderer behind the deaths of all of Dorothy's servants, but was one of his best friends as well.
"Heero?" Quatre said as in in disbelief.
He found himself staring into cold silver eyes and felt himself freeze up completely under the icy gaze. This man wasn't the same man he knew, it was as if he was a man without a soul. He definitely looked like his best friend, but the vibe that he was giving was of someone totally different.
"Quatre, help." Dorothy gasped out.
But before Quatre can take a step forward, Heero's arm moved so fast and brought the blade down onto Dorothy's left arm, slashing her with a deep cut. That fast slash caused Dorothy to scream in pain as blood flowed from the wound. It was clear to Quatre what Heero was doing, he was torturing Dorothy instead of killing her straight away. For he was marking her with cuts, but they were not deep enough to dismember her limbs, these cuts were meant to hurt and cause bleeding.
"Heero, stop! Why are you doing this?" Quatre asked.
"Why don't you ask what she did?" Heero asked.
"What do you mean?" Quatre asked.
"Tell him, tell him what you did!" Heero said, pushing Dorothy hard so that she fell to the floor on her knees.
Despite the pain that Dorothy was feeling, she still clenched her teeth and said nothing.
"Why are you so silent now?" Heero shouted before he kicked Dorothy hard in the sides, causing her to gag.
"Heero, stop this! You are hurting her!" Quatre shouted.
"That's the whole point. Tell him!" Heero shouted, but still Dorothy refused to speak and that earned her a few kicks to her sides from Heero.
God, he had never seen Heero acting so violently to anyone before, but he was kicking her like she was a miserable prisoner and he was simply toying with her before he kills her. Like a cat toying with its prey before it goes in for the kill.
"Heero, stop this at once!" Quatre said, wanting to go over but Heero aimed a gun at him, causing Quatre to raise his hands up in surrender.
"Okay, I won't come over." Quatre said softly.
"Tell him or I will shoot him." Heero threatened.
Surely Heero won't shoot him, right? Dorothy still refused to say a single word, Heero removed the safety of the gun and fired immediately in Quatre's direction. Quatre expected a bullet to hit him, but it whizzed right past him, breaking some of his hair and landed in the wall of the room in the attic. Quatre was stunned, Heero had nearly shot him.
"That was a warning shot, I won't miss the next shot." Heero said.
The horror was clear in Dorothy's eyes as she had witnessed Heero shooting at Quatre. She seemed to hesitate.
"What will it be?" Heero asked.
"I…" She looked away, unable to finish her words.
Quatre was confused, what had Dorothy done to make Heero this angry? That he will lose control and kill everyone in Dorothy's household?
"Plotted to kill my wife, Fate! And she succeeded, to think she was gloating in victory before this. So, I came in and hunted all her servants down, to prove a point." Heero said, his words as cold as ice and sent chills down Quatre's back. But shock overtook him as well, at Heero's words.
"You killed Fate?" Quatre said in shock.
Dorothy looked away from him but said nothing.
"How could you…"
"Precisely, how dare you kill her? How dare you kill the only woman I have ever loved? How dare you laugh and gloat in her death?" Heero bellowed at Dorothy,
Dorothy said nothing while Heero laughed evilly instead.
"I will drive my blade into your sick, wretched heart and cut it up into pieces. For you are a heartless woman and you don't deserve to live! Why must Fate die and you live? I will have my revenge even if I have to cut you down to your last finger!" Heero shouted at Dorothy.
Still Dorothy said nothing as if she had already resigned to her fate of death in Heero's hands.
"Remember all your servants? Don't ever forget their screams and look of shock! For they have all died because of what you did." Heero sneered.
"Enough of this Heero! You know that revenge achieves nothing!" Quatre shouted, hoping to dissuade Heero from his revenge plan.
"Nothing? Tell that to Fate who is in her grave!" Heero yelled out as he brought his sword swiftly down on Dorothy again, this time earning a loud scream from her.
"Yes scream!" Heero shouted.
Quatre couldn't believe his eyes, he was like a sick manic who wanted nothing but revenge. And he seemed like the type who will stop at nothing until he gets it.
"Heero please stop! Killing her won't bring Fate back!" Quatre pleaded.
"No, it won't for she made sure of that, didn't she?" Heero asked as he kicked Dorothy again, sending her flying till she hits the balcony's fence.
"Heero, stop this! This isn't you!" Quatre shouted, taking one step closer towards him.
"I am not the man you knew anymore! For he died along with Fate!" Heero yelled back at him as he walked towards Dorothy who was lying on the ground.
"Get up woman, I said get up!"
Dorothy struggled to move in her injured and bleeding state. Quatre was in a dilemma, he knew that he cannot win Heero in a physical fight. To top it off he was unarmed without any weapons. He had given up arms, weaponry of any kind ever since the war ended. For he had chosen peace and refused to support violence. He had never held any weapon since the war ended and had none now to defend Dorothy from Heero. Heero was like a merciless killer out for blood and nothing will stop him in his path of vengeance. What can Quatre do to stop Heero?
Trowa's nightmare
Trowa was shocked to realise that he was standing in a dark forest. It was cold from the heavy rain. Where exactly was he? He looked down at his watch and was shocked to find that the date was 5th August, AC 201. How was it possible that he was back to this day again? Could it be that he was in the same forest as back then? He stared at his watch and realised that it was 7pm. If he wasn't mistaken, they should still be in the building on top of the mountain. With his gun raised, he ran towards where he remembered Heero had chosen to sacrifice himself so that Trowa could survive the landslide instead.
Trowa knew this place far too well, for he had nightmares about it time and time again especially when Heero was in a coma. He knew that even after two years had passed, he still blamed himself for what happened that day. And while he tries his best to make it up to Heero, he knew that somehow it would never be enough to repay him. Heero never did blame him for what had happened, but Trowa wished he had. Time was supposed to heal wounds but even Trowa knew that he was simply hiding the fact that he still blamed himself for what had happened. He had run away from the truth; he had tried to forget it. But it still haunted him, like a burden that he couldn't shake off. He felt its effect more when Heero fell into depression, tried to commit suicide and even went missing. The guilt he felt then was still here even though he had secretly buried it deep inside his heart.
But if he's given the chance to go back in time, he will save Heero this time round! He knew that he would have given up everything including his own life to save Heero that night, to prevent him from suffering so much after the landslide. He won't allow Heero to sacrifice himself for him, not anymore. He will also get rid of this burden and guilt that he had been carrying around with him for so long.
He waited patiently in the heavy rain for Heero and himself to appear before the landslide happened. He will save Heero, this time for sure! The explosion of the base on the top of the mountain proved that they were probably on the way down the mountain. As the ground shook due to the loose soil caused by the explosion and the heavy rain, the landslide was starting to happen. He saw it then, the two of them running down the mountain trying to outrun the landslide rushing towards them. Trowa moved, he's much stronger than he was in the past. He started running towards the both of them, his past self and Heero. Both men were shocked when Trowa charged towards them, grabbed hold of them and ran towards where he knew it was safe, away from where the avalanche was flowing. All three men were catching their breaths as they rested on the ground, watching as the landslide destroyed everything in its path. Trowa looked at Heero and is glad that he is alive, until the sound of a loud gunshot surprised him. Trowa' eyes widened in shock as Heero fell to the ground with a bullet to his head. No, this didn't happen back then. Who shot that bullet? Trowa found the sniper and fired at him wildly, chasing the sniper away. Then he went over and held Heero's unconscious body. No Heero. Don't die on him. No! This was not supposed to happen!
Wufei's Nightmare
Wufei found himself in a black space. There was no one around him and he started walking ahead for approximately ten minutes, but the environment of black space didn't change around him. There was no one here, there were totally no sounds but pure silence in this place. Where was he? Why can't he get out?
That's when he saw an old man walking over towards him with the help of a walking cane. Wufei was on high alert, could this man be the enemy? The old man started coughing and even Wufei winced, he sounded really sick. The old man slowly came closer towards him and Wufei was stunned when the old man looked up at him. The man looked similar to him, except that he was much older, and his face was full of winkles. But without a doubt in his mind, he knew that this old man was him, still he needed to make sure.
"Who are you?" Wufei asked, pointing his gun at the old man.
"I am the future you, Wufei."
"I don't believe you." He said in disbelief.
"Are you going to keep pointing your gun at your older self, young man?" The older man questioned.
Wufei slowly lowered his gun but was still in disbelief with what he saw.
"Let me show you something." The old man said.
The black space cleared and Wufei found himself standing in a cemetery. Wufei knew that the place was familiar as he had been here before. He knew that he was in Evergreen Cemetery, the Cemetery that Heero owns. The older man pointed to a row of tombstones before him. Wufei walked over and was stunned to see his friends' names on them, along with their spouses' names. Somehow in the future, Quatre had married Dorothy, but she had died before Quatre passed on. Trowa had married Arabella and Trowa had passed on before Arabella. Meanwhile Duo had married Hilde and both of them had died on the exact same day. He continued walking along the row of tombstone and saw a rather large one, dedicated to Heero Wingate. Wufei couldn't believe it, all of his best friends were dead.
"They are all gone." Wufei said softly.
"Who knew that I would be the only one left?" The older man asked.
"What happened to Heero?" Wufei asked, noticing that Heero died in AC 220, where he was only forty years old.
"We killed him." Wufei said.
Wufei stared at the old man in shock.
"What the hell do you mean?" Wufei asked, hoping to get a clearer explanation.
"We all knew that there was a monster inside of Heero. He tried everything to suppress himself, but he lost control in AC 220. He caused a lot of chaos and murdered a lot of people in cold blood. Trowa was seriously injured in the fight to stop Heero and was never the same again after that fight. Left with no choice, I did what Heero asked me to do. I killed him to save everyone in the Colonies. Of course, Carlton Wingate made everything go away, hence Heero was still recognised as a hero to the entire Colonies. Fate hated me for what I have done, and I fell into a state of depression for a while. Eventually she forgave us, and I went back to the Preventer Force." The old man told him.
Wufei was silent, all of them was aware of the monster that they were talking about here. While Wufei hadn't seen it happen right before his eyes but Heero had already snapped thrice. Yet he seemed to have no idea what had happened. It was a side of Heero that everyone was afraid of, a side of him that no one wanted to talk about. Yet it appears that even Heero had lost the mental fight within himself.
"How did Fate handle the monster inside of Heero?" Wufei asked.
"She was our shield in the final fight. She wanted Heero to live, but it just wasn't possible. She knew about it and have been helping Heero to stop the killer side of him. But somehow Heero snapped and went to a place of no return." The old man said.
"Why are you telling me this?" Wufei asked.
"To prepare you for what is to come, for everyone to face their fears. For the monster inside Heero is terrifying and chaotic. And for you to be prepared for the day where you will kill Heero with your bare hands." The old man said.
Wufei looked down at his own hands and he couldn't stop his own hands from trembling. It didn't seem possible as Heero's combat abilities have evolved so much beyond their levels over the years. To top it off, this killer side of himself was even more powerful than the Heero they know. There was simply no way he can win Heero in a fist fight.
"We are all scared of Heero, Wufei. We just didn't want to admit it." The old man said, noticing his trembling hands.
"I don't want to be the one to kill him." Wufei whispered.
The old man sighed.
"Heero is still the genius he always is, he knew that we would do anything to stop him from hurting more people. You will rise up to do the right thing Wufei, even if you don't want to do it." The old man said.
Wufei clenched his hands into fists at his sides.
"He was a great man; we cannot deny that." The old man said.
No, Wufei didn't want to be the one who murdered one of his best friends. Even if his actions will be justified in the name of peace, it did not make him feel any better.
Fate's Nightmare
Fate opened her eyes and was surprised to find herself standing in the middle of a corridor. The corridor was empty, but she could see closed doors from her angle. The corridor led to different rooms, yet somehow, she felt that this place was familiar. No wait, what was she doing? She remembered the gas attack on Blue Marine Pub and how a lot of people had passed out. She needs to go and get help. She took a step forward and realised that something was amiss. She had been here before as this place was really familiar. She turned and back tracked only to find herself staring at a staircase that led to a large living room. Her eyes widened in shock when she found herself staring at the living room of Heero's penthouse.
Why was she here? She felt her heart starting to race faster and her body started to tremble almost instantly. She reached out to touch the wall next to her, to support herself as her legs suddenly felt numb and weak. No… this isn't happening. This isn't real… She was at Blue Marine Pub when she passed out, there was no way she would be here. Not when she had deliberately avoided this place for more than two years now.
She was trembling badly out of fear, but she shook her head and started to take in huge breaths, to try to calm herself down. No, she cannot be so selfish and worry only about herself now. She still needs to get help, regardless of where she is. She calmed herself down a little and pushed herself to continue walking down the corridor, in search for anyone who could help her. She felt her steps slowing down and how her hands were all shaking uncontrollably as she walked on. She knows that there were four rooms on the second floor. Two of them were guest rooms which no one uses, one of them was Heero's home office and the last room was his master bedroom. She opened the first door which led to Heero's home office. Everything was positioned neatly and almost untouched, the way Heero always kept them. Yet there was no one in the room. She continued walking slowly, wanting to avoid opening the last room if possible. No one were in the two guest rooms as well.
She felt her heart almost leaping out of her chest as she slowly makes her way towards the last door. She didn't want to open it, she wanted to turn and run out of the penthouse instead. There was a sickening feeling in her stomach, and she wanted to throw up, but refrained from doing so. Now is not the time Fate, pull yourself together! She thought to herself. Yet as she looked down at her trembling hand, she knew that she was lying to herself. She was really scared and wants to leave but she can't. Her feet felt heavy with each step that brings her closer to the dreaded room.
How many times have she went through the events that took place in this room over and over again? How many times she had nightmares about it? They forced her to wake up in the middle of the night, breaking out in cold sweat and tears. She thought that if she didn't think about it, didn't mention it to anyone and pretended that it didn't exist she will eventually get over it. But even she knew that she had been lying to herself all these times. Time hadn't made things better; she was merely running away from the problem. The fear and problem hadn't faded through time; in fact, the problem had only escalated.
She had deliberately avoided going to Heero's penthouse again since that night happened. Even when she misses him terribly and wants to see him but knowing that she has to go to his penthouse to find him scared the hell out of her. She knew that she was deliberately holding Heero back as well. They have been together for nine months now and she used "wanting go slow" as an excuse, but the truth was that she is afraid of being intimate with him again. Especially when she hadn't dealt with her fear properly at all. A part of her wanted to be close to Heero but another part of her always called her back, to be more careful and to not take things any further. She had noticed the way Heero looks at her sometimes and knows that he wants her, but he didn't mention it. He was always thoughtful to not take things any further out of consideration for her, yet even she knows that she was only making it tougher for him.
She found herself standing right outside Heero's master bedroom. The door was closed, Fate knew that her trembling hands were giving her fear away. She slowly reached towards the door handle yet was afraid to push it down. She wasn't mentally prepared to face her fears yet. Nor was she prepared to remember what had happened that night all over again. But she needs to get help, for all the people in Blue Marine Pub. This wasn't about her, it's for the people still stuck in the pub! She took in a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. It's alright, she can do this. She pushed down the door handle and pushed open the door.
She hadn't expected the fear to hit her so hard the moment she saw the same familiar room right before her eyes. Heero's room hadn't changed at all, the way everything was arranged and almost left untouched. But she heard sounds and she turned her head to take a better look.
All colour drained from her face as her eyes widened in shock when she saw Heero and her younger self on the large bed. It was almost as if she was reliving what had happened here that night all over again, except she was in the third person's point of view. Her legs couldn't move no matter how much she wanted to leave the place. No… No, she doesn't want to watch this again. She doesn't want to relive the whole horrible experience again! Stop, make it stop! She didn't want to hear the sounds, didn't want to know what was going on at all. Stop, make him stop! Fight him!
Her vision started to spin before her eyes. Fate didn't remember what happened next, but she remembered hitting the cold marble floor as if she had fainted. She blacked out completely after that.
Heero's Nightmare
Heero knew what was going on the moment he had opened his eyes. He was here again, in the same nightmare that he always had. The same nightmare that woke him up in the middle of the night, causing him to have insomnia. He had never mentioned the contents of his nightmare to anyone, yet somehow Jace knew of it as he had experienced the same nightmare that Heero had went through. Fate knows that he hadn't been sleeping for many days, but she didn't know why.
He had been having the same nightmare over and over again that he already knew what was going to happen. He was already numb to what will happen before his eyes. He was currently standing in the living room of Wingate Mansion. The electricity of the mansion wasn't cut, hence the entire mansion was still brightly lit. But it wasn't the lighting that was the issue, it was the smell. The distinct smell of blood flooded the entire hall. And it must be a lot of blood for it to smell this bad. He slowly walked towards the stairs and wasn't even surprised by what was in front of him. Servants, security guards, bodyguards were all lying all over the floor and all over the stairs. All of them were dead, their blood was forming a huge pool on the floor, soaking the carpet red on the stairs. A lot of bodies were dismembered, cut off body parts were lying all over the entire place. Heero didn't need to be a genius to tell that they were all brutally murdered in cold blood by a mad man with a very sharp sword.
Judging from the compressed and split bullets all over the floor, this man was capable of dodging bullets and even splitting them. The bodyguards must have emptied their entire gun magazine and was still shocked that not a single bullet had hit. Heero felt nothing at the sight before him, he was too used to seeing it that he no longer felt anything. The first few times he had this nightmare, he had panicked, ran up the stairs to the second floor to check on his family. But now… he didn't need to rush up to know that the results are the same. Nevertheless, he made his way up the stairs, careful not to step on any corpse or their body parts. The entire mansion was too quiet, yet he could see that the sky was dark outside through a window. Lightning flashed dangerously across the skies while thunder rumbled loudly. It was going to rain heavily, Heero was certain of that.
He slowly made his way to his siblings' bedrooms. He didn't even need to prepare his gun in case the murderer was still around, for he wasn't, at least not here. He opened the door to Angel and Aaron's room and wasn't surprised to see that they were murdered on their beds, probably still asleep when it had happened. The smell of blood filled the room but at least the mad man only killed them with a single stab to the heart. He then proceeded to the next room. He opened the door to Joshua's room and stepped inside. Joshua was lying in a pool of blood on the floor. He seemed to have put up a fight judging from the bullets in the walls, but still he had lost. Heero then left Joshua's room to go to Felicia's room next. He opened the door and stepped in, switching the lights on. Felicia was lying on the floor, very much dead due to the stab to her heart. She seemed to be reaching out to something, judging from how her hand was. But even so, Heero had no idea what it was. He then went to Isabelle's room. Isabelle had the same fate as Felicia, it was clear that she hadn't struggled at all before she was murdered.
He then walked towards Jace's room and hesitated a little. Then he reminded himself that he already knew what awaited him inside. He opened the door and stepped into the room. The lights were still on, but the entire room was in a mess. There were bullet holes on the walls, everything was overturned or broken. He found Jace leaning against a wall, blood traces on the wall showed that he must have slid down to his current sitting position after being attacked. Jace had put up a stronger fight than Joshua, but he still lost. Judging from the deep X cut on his chest and his dismembered hand, even Heero knew that it was too late to save him. Heero knew that all of his siblings were already dead. He then moved to the next room, opening up his own room to find that strangely everything was in its perfect neat order, as if the murderer hadn't gone after him at all. He then opened the door to his parents' room only to find Rachel's body on the sofa. It was a clean stab through the heart and judging from the broken teacup on the floor, it was a surprise attack from the murderer. He then went into his father's study, in search for his father.
The entire study was in a mess, scattered papers were everywhere, followed by broken furniture and there were bullet holes in the walls. But more importantly Heero didn't even flinch when he saw that the murderer had dismembered Carlton's entire head off. It was clear to Heero that the murderer clearly hated Carlton. For there was no need to take someone's head off when he could just stab him cleanly through the heart. No, this was probably due to a personal grudge. Heero's eyes fell on the two well-polished rapiers, hanging on the wall mounted behind Carlton's seat at his desk. Heero knew that those rapiers were real weapons, they weren't merely decoration. Carlton hadn't drawn any of the rapiers at all. Meaning that he probably didn't have the time to do so or he didn't want to draw the rapiers when fighting against the murderer. Which could only mean that they knew each other.
Heero found it hard to believe as well but his entire family and servants were all wiped out by a single madman's work. Why was he after his family members? Why kill all of them in such cold blood? Heero didn't know the answers to these questions. He merely continued on his way, knowing that he needed to head up to the highest place in Wingate Mansion and that was the attic. He continued making his way, taking note that there were no more bodies lying on the hallways.
That was when he spotted two familiar people lying on the floor near the staircase which leads to the attic. He immediately went over and saw that they were Duo and Quatre. Quatre had died from a deep slash to his chest while Duo seemed to have gotten a more painful death. Heero knew that it was too late, they were already gone. The sight of their dead bodies still made him feel something, no matter how numb he already was to the same repeated nightmare. He went up the stairs and found Trowa lying on the staircase landing. Trowa seemed to have tried to stop the murderer but again have failed to do so. He was already lying in a pool of blood, wounded by three stabs to the chest. No, not Trowa too… Heero took in a deep breath and readied himself for what is to come. The hardest part is just ahead of this. He continued up the stairs until he reached the highest level. There was a sitting room that led out to a balcony at the attic. But then he saw Wufei, sitting down on the floor and leaning against the wall for support at the entrance of the sitting room. He was still alive, but barely as he was losing too much blood. Heero came over to stand before him.
"You finally came." Wufei said weakly.
Heero could tell that it was too late for Wufei for he had been stabbed through the chest and slashed in many places.
"What happened?" Heero asked softly.
"Tried to kill us all… tried to fight him off…" Wufei said as he coughed out blood.
It was still painful to watch one of his best friends like this, he was in so much pain but still on the brink of death.
"Don't speak anymore." Heero said.
"Fight him, Heero… before it's too late." Wufei said.
"Rest assured, I will." Heero said.
"Good…"
Wufei's eyes closed slowly and his head dropped to the side. Heero clenched his hand into a fist instead, Wufei had just passed on. He had just lost his entire family and all of his best friends; the murderer will pay for what he did! Yet he told himself not to act hastily as there is still more to come. He forced himself to calm down and then turned to enter the sitting room. The room's light was left on and he could hear that it had already started to rain heavily outside. He looked around the sitting room and was still stunned no matter how many times he had convinced himself that he was already numb to everything. He found Fate lying in a pool of blood at the back of the sitting room. His nightmare will always end here with him waking up abruptly in cold sweat as he loses his mind at the sight of Fate's body. Yet this time round, something was different. He noticed that she was still alive, but barely. He immediately rushed over to her side. Not caring about how her blood will stain his suit and his shoes, he lifted her gently so that she was sitting up slightly.
"Heero…" She managed weakly.
No… this can't be happening. Not to Fate. Not like this… Heero thought to himself as he looked down at her.
She was stabbed through the heart as well and Heero could feel her blood flowing down his arm. No, she needs medical attention immediately. He's not going to let her die in front of him.
"Hold on Fate, I will get help." Heero said, but even he knew that she had lost too much blood.
He tried to reach for his phone.
"No… it's already too late." She whispered.
Her words hit him hard, but he was still in denial.
"It's not too late, we will get the best surgeon…"
"Heero…" She whispered, reaching out a trembling hand towards him.
He immediately held onto her hand with his free hand as he continued to support her.
"You will be alright Fate." Heero told her, but both of them knew that she wasn't going to make it.
"I'm glad that you came." She said giving a very weak smile.
"Of course, I will come for you." He said, giving her trembling hand a tight squeeze.
"I… love you… Heero." She managed weakly as tears fell from her eyes.
"I know and I love you too." Heero said.
It was tearing him apart to see her so weak and on the brink of death.
"I'm sorry… for the times we fought…"
"Hush, it's not important now." Heero said.
"Promise me…."
"Anything." Heero said as their eyes met.
"Don't blame yourself for what happened, it's… not your fault." Fate whispered.
Heero wasn't certain if he can promise her that he won't feel guilty about letting everyone that he had ever cared or loved die.
"Please…" She whispered.
"I promise." Heero said.
She gave him a very weak smile.
"Fate." Heero whispered.
"Don't cry and… miss me…too much." She whispered.
He didn't promise her that.
"Find someone else… to settle down with." She managed.
"No Fate, you are and will forever be the only one I love." Heero insisted.
"Don't be… too… stubborn."
He ignored her request and hugged her close to him. He doesn't want to lose her.
"Hey Heero… we were good together…weren't we?" She asked him.
"We were the best." Heero said, reassuring her as he broke their hug so that he could look at her.
"Naturally… right?" She asked as tears continued to fall from her eyes.
Her eyes were losing focus, yet she reached out her free hand as if in search for his face. She managed to cup his cheek with a blood-stained hand and gave him a very weak smile. Heero was helpless as he watched her eyes slowly close.
"No Fate, stay with me!" Heero exclaimed.
"I will… always…" She muttered before her eyes closed completely.
Her head rolled to the side as the hand on his cheek dropped to the ground almost immediately.
"Fate?" He asked, shaking her gently but she wasn't waking up at all.
"No Fate… NO!" He said out loud to no one.
He moved to hug her as his body trembled. He had lost her… he was too late to save her. He wanted to cry, as the pain of the loss was too unbearable yet still no tears came out. No, he had just lost everyone he had ever cared or loved... The sense of loss was too much for him to handle.
"No… everyone is gone…" He said to himself.
With that he gave a loud and painful cry of anguish. Yet no one heard him, for there was no one alive in the mansion anymore. He vowed that he would murder the man who did this to everyone he loves. And he won't back down until he gets his revenge!
Preventer Headquarters, Basement Laboratory,
Night time, 11pm
It had been the most hectic night for everyone. The worst gas attack had happened in VLA in one of the most crowded and popular places to go to on a Friday night. Police, ambulances and helicopters were all called in to transport the victims to a nearby hospital where all of them will be quarantined. About thirty people have already died in the first three hours and a lot of the victims' condition was not stable at all. The doctors have no idea what was going on as many victims were trembling in their unconscious state, their heart rates kept on climbing higher. Some of them have died of a heart attack instead. No one really knows what the toxic gas was, was it even contagious? But it was clear that it was causing people to die.
Lady Une had it tough as well for she has to handle the entire situation and report it to Carlton Wingate who is the President of the Colonies. It didn't help matters that Heero was caught in the gas attack and even the media knew about this. They were all reporting it on the news as if it could have been an indirect terrorist attack on Carlton Wingate. This was definitely adding fuel to the fire that the Preventers were trying to put out.
Duo got an update that his friends were all transported to the hospital and the medical staff were looking after them. He could only hope that he gets to the bottom of this before more people die from the toxic gas. Duo was now in the basement laboratory of the Preventer Headquarters. They have brought the gas tank back and immediately called back all laboratory staff back to carry out an investigation on the gas. Lady Une had ordered them to find out what the gas is, what its function was and to make an antidote for it. Meanwhile, Duo and Federick are to lead the investigation, find out who was behind the gas attack and stop them from killing anymore people. So far Duo did not get much of an update from the laboratory staff, hence he was pacing back and forth trying to think of a way to kick start the investigation. Federick came into the room and from the grave look on his face, Fate doesn't seem to be in a good state.
"How is Fate?" Duo asked.
"She's not in a good state but there are medical staff watching over her. While we have to get started on our investigation." Federick said.
That was when they received a call from Lady Une. They immediately connected the call and a projected image appeared on the large main screen.
"Preventer Maxwell, Preventer Camden." Lady Une greeted.
"How did the talk go?" Duo asked.
"Not good, President Wingate wants the matter resolved as soon as possible. Any updates since the last time we were in contact?" Une asked.
"We managed to pull a few fingerprints on the gas tank and are running through our database for a match. Naturally, we have excluded Heero." Duo said.
"Hospital wise?" Une asked Federick.
"Not good, we have already lost thirty people so far, the numbers will only increase if we don't give them an antidote soon." Federick said.
"I have good and bad news for you. The President has assigned Major General Weller to help resolve the matter as quickly as possible before more terror and panic is caused. Major General Weller have decided to deploy the 61st Special Forces Regiment of the United Colonies Army. We will be working closely with them to resolve the entire matter." Lady Une said.
"That's Heero's regiment. But their commanding officer is down." Duo pointed out.
"Which is why the second in command officer will be leading them. He is already on the way to the Preventers' base." Lady Une told them.
Duo sighed, more people in such time of crisis may be a bad thing.
"Who will be leading the investigation?" Federick asked.
"It's a joint effort, Preventer Camden."
Federick frowned at the sound of that.
"Keep me updated, I am on the way to L'espoir. Don't make me remind all of you that the clock is ticking." Lady Une told them.
"We are aware." Duo said.
"I don't need to remind you that if Heero Wingate dies, we may have a matter of national security on our hands." Lady Une said.
With that Lady Une ended the video call. That was when the door to the laboratory door slides open and a security staff was trying to stop people from entering.
"What is it?" Duo asked.
"Sir, these men want to enter…"
That was when a man dressed in a United Colonies Army Uniform sidestepped the security guard. Duo realised that one of the coat of arms on the man's uniform was identical to the one seen on Heero's uniform. This man was from Heero's Regiment.
"Who is the man in charge here?" The man asked.
Federick and Duo came forward and excused the security guard away. The man standing before them was tall, handsome and muscular in build. He has short light brown hair and ash grey eyes. He gave them a smile which was odd for someone in their current situation.
"Major Lionel McKnight, from the 61st Special Forces Regiment." The man said, introducing himself and holding his hand out for a handshake.
His name was ringing a bell in Duo's mind as his name was really familiar.
"Preventer Federick de Camden." Federick said, shaking Lionel's hand.
"Ah, Miss Fate de Camden's older brother. I have heard a lot about you." Lionel said.
Federick frowned while Duo came forward to introduce himself.
"Preventer Duo Maxwell." Duo said, as they shook hands.
Duo then remembered where he had heard of McKnight. His name was on the report that Heero had filed, allowing them to find him when Heero had gone missing.
"How did you know Heero? He didn't mention that he had a second in command." Duo said.
"I was transferred to the new regiment during June. I have known Lieutenant Colonel Wingate for a while now. I was serving under him in Colony L10, St. Annecy." Lionel explained.
"Yes, that would explain it." Duo said.
That's when more people came into the laboratory.
"I brought some of our own laboratory staff, hope that you don't mind." Lionel said.
"It will speed things up if they can help us to come up with an antidote." Federick said.
"Very well, update me on the current situation and your progress. Major General Weller has given me a brief update of the situation at hand." Lionel said.
Duo nodded and was going to suggest that they move to a private room when something caught his eye.
"Hilde, what are you doing here?" Duo asked in surprise.
Federick looked up and saw that Duo was talking to a woman wearing a laboratory's white coat. The woman looked relieved to see that Duo was okay, but it was clear that she was holding herself back as they have a lot of people in the laboratory with them.
"I volunteered to help out when I heard about the gas attack." Hilde explained.
"This is not a job for a civilian." Duo said, sounding serious for once.
It was clear to Federick that Duo cared for this woman too. Nevertheless, regardless of their history, their priority is still the same. They have to save the people in the hospital, all the victims that were caught in the gas attack.
"She's not a part of us but she has helped us before. I have given her permission to help us as we need as many people on board as possible." Lionel explained.
Duo didn't seem happy to hear that.
"Maxwell." Federick said, hinting that they have more urgent matters to consider.
Duo joined them and they went into a private room to discuss matters and strategize. Soon after an overly excited laboratory staff came knocking on their door.
"What is it?" Federick asked.
"We found a match for the print!"
Lionel and Duo looked surprised. They went out to the main area whereby they saw the results of the match in the large screen. The thumbprint belonged to a man named Edmund Colley. There was a photo of the man's face as well as all of his details.
"I will go get the man." Federick said.
"That won't be necessary." Lionel said as he was already on his phone.
Duo was surprised that Lionel was already one step ahead of them.
"Bring me Edmund Colley to the Preventer Headquarters. Use force if you have to. He's a wanted man now." Lionel said into the phone before he hung up.
Then Lionel checked his watch.
"They should get him here in two hours if there aren't any complications. Let's get back to our discussion." Lionel said.
Federick frowned at the way the army had just hijacked their operations, while Duo was impressed.
"Wow, I didn't know that the army can get things done that fast." Duo commented.
"You forget Preventer Maxwell, who our commanding officer is. He trains his men to get things done by a snap of a finger and he's forever a few steps ahead of everyone else." Lionel said.
Duo looked surprised to hear that; he had never thought that Heero was capable of so much more. He was an excellent Preventer, solving many cases, saving the world and many people all the time. But for once Duo understood why Heero had tried so hard to train his men well for if his army were used properly, they were capable of doing much more than what the Preventers couldn't.
"Is this your first time leading the regiment?" Federick asked.
"Not my first time, but it's the first time without Lieutenant Colonel Wingate around. I have to say we will drop in our efficiency levels without him, but we will manage fine. After all we have to save our commanding officer as well." Lionel said before he gave them a small smile.
"Get started on the research! I want to know what the gas is made of. While you are at it, come up with an antidote on the double!" Federick shouted out loud.
"Yes, Preventer Camden." The laboratory staff all exclaimed as they rushed to work.
"Looks like he's running the show here." Lionel said.
"Not if I let him." Duo muttered under his breath.
"I will do the interrogation." Federick stated flatly.
"We will do it together." Lionel suggested.
Duo was in agreement with that. They strategize for a while more and got more updates from the hospital regarding the victims' condition. Federick is clearly worried about Fate but he forces himself to focus on the task at hand. Meanwhile Lionel was dealing with the arrest operation. Duo knew that it was going to be a long night as no one is getting any rest until they have answers that they need. After an hour, the laboratory head called for their attention to tell them about their findings. It was odd to see that the laboratory staff from the Preventer Force were already working with the laboratory staff from the army.
"We have analysed the gas as found in the gas tank; this is what it looks like under the microscope." The laboratory head explained, showing the image on the large screen.
Duo wished that he could just get to the point.
"We all agreed that we have never seen such complicated gas form before. It was clear that it was made artificially by the forceful bonds seen here and here." The man explained to them, highlighting which areas he was talking about from the molecular structure of the gas.
Federick and Lionel were paying attention while Duo was simply waiting to hear if there was anything important he should know about.
"The gas is totally colourless, odourless and light making it mix well with normal air. We have found traces of other gases in its structure, but we are unable to fully understand what it does and why it's killing people. However, with it being made in such an artificial manner, its bonds are weak." The man explained.
"What does that mean?" Duo asked.
"It means that it may get into contact with something that is already present in the air and merge with it. It may even evolve and change into something completely different due to a chemical reaction. It's fascinating to see what it can become…"
"Let's get back on track." Federick said, noticing that the man was already trailing off point.
"Right, it means that it's unstable at its current state, but still enough to cause harm."
"How is the antidote looking?" Federick asked.
"As it has such an artificial and complicated structure it will take time for us to come up with an antidote to cancel it out." The man told them.
Which meant that their research's results were not conclusive enough.
"What about the lock and key method?" Federick asked.
"We are working on it, but it will still take time to find a match as many different compounds were used to forcefully make this gas." The man explained.
Federick frowned at the sound of the answer for time was simply not on their side. Lionel seemed to be thinking of something. Meanwhile it was clear to Duo what he had to do.
"That's it, I don't want to hear anymore. If the research is not progressing due to the lack of experiments, we might as well do them." Duo said.
"But who will be willing to subject themselves to such experiments?" Federick asked.
Duo knew that Federick was right, everyone was scared, and no one will be willing to subject themselves to such experiments. His hand clenched into a fist at his side, he doesn't have time for this. They have far too many people to save and every second that ticked by was time wasted. Honestly, Duo was scared too, scared that he was left alone to deal with such a major crisis without his best friends around. He had always felt that they were much better Preventers than he ever would be. They would have handled everything better than what he's doing now. Still he wanted to be of some use, he wasn't going to stand by and be someone who simply followed orders.
"I will do it." Duo said.
Lionel and Federick looked surprised to hear him say that.
"You could die, Maxwell." Federick reminded him.
"I know, but we need to know what we are up against. And like they always said, sometimes we have to do things ourselves in order to get things done." Duo exclaimed.
There was some hesitation from Federick, but Duo was determined to see this through.
"I will volunteer for the experiments, gas me." Duo told the Laboratory head.
"Duo, No!" Hilde exclaimed almost immediately.
Duo know that Hilde was worried about him.
"It's okay Hilde, I know what I'm doing." Duo said.
Hilde didn't seem convinced, but she didn't object any further. With that they prepared Duo for the tests. They placed him in a large glass tank that doesn't allow any gas to escape. They strapped wires to him to monitor his vitals. Lionel was coordinating the arrest operation again and Federick was getting the laboratory staff to hurry up with the preparation work. Soon everything was set up, and they sealed the entrance of the glass tank after Duo went in. Oxygen will still be passed into the tank, so Duo won't have to worry about suffocating inside.
"Preventer Maxwell, we are ready for you." The Laboratory Head told him.
Duo gave a thumbs up sign and prepared himself for what was to come. He picked up the small gas tank where they have transferred some of the toxic gas inside. He was scared too, but this was for his best friends! He opened the valve and felt a blast of air rush out towards his face.
"Enough, close the valve!" Federick ordered.
Duo immediately closed the valve on the small gas tank. The gas concentration was high from that short blast of gas alone. That was when his legs suddenly fell weak and his vision was blurring. He held onto the glass tank's wall to support himself.
"Duo!" He heard Hilde's voice.
But then he felt his consciousness slipping away. He hadn't expected it to be like this, probably because the gas was right in his face and he had inhaled the gas directly while it's still concentrated. Soon he could no longer stay awake and dropped like a stone to the floor of the glass tank.
"Vacuum the glass tank then input oxygen in." Federick ordered.
They did exactly as Federick ordered, to remove the harmful toxic gas so that Duo was not exposed to it anymore. Then oxygen was pumped into the glass tank.
"Monitor his vitals, I want to know everything!" Federick shouted orders.
Immediately Duo's body started trembling like the victims that they have seen.
"His heart rate is rising a lot faster than usual!"
Federick frowned, what was going on?
"Stop it Preventer Camden, can't you see that he's not in a good condition?" Hilde asked.
"Get back behind your desk and do not make me ask twice!" Federick ordered.
"But Duo…"
"He volunteered himself to help us discover what the gas' effects are. Don't let his sacrifice go to waste." Federick said, cutting in before she could say anything else.
Hilde looked down sadly before she returned to her desk. As they continued to monitor Duo, the more senior laboratory staff were discussing the current results, trying to figure out what Duo was experiencing.
"Preventer Camden, it's done. We have Edmund Colley in custody." Lionel said.
"Good, get him here." Federick said.
"They are on the way." Lionel told them.
Federick looked towards Duo and knew that indeed they have far too much to do against a ticking clock. He could only hope that the laboratory staff were able to find out what was really going on. No one knows if Duo will wake up as well.
Duo's Nightmare
Duo's eyes snapped opened and he was surprised to find himself in a hallway. He frowned, why was he here? This place looked really familiar as if he had been here before. Wait a minute he remembered volunteering to be an experimental subject, to take the harmful gas in. The hallway was dark and there was only a light coming from the room at the front. The door was slightly ajar, hence allowing light to stream in. Duo frowned and slowly walked towards it. Where exactly was he? His hand was about to touch the doorknob when he heard voices.
"He's doing it again." He heard Wufei's voice.
What was Wufei doing here? Wasn't he unconscious at the hospital? Has he woken up? Duo was about to open the door and step in when he heard something else.
"Yeah, Duo's quite hopeless without us around."
Duo froze, that was Trowa. But why were they talking about him like that?
"Guys, please we shouldn't say such things about our dear friend." Came Quatre's voice.
"Come on Quatre, you must have realised it as well. I have almost had it with him." Trowa said out loud.
Quatre didn't answer while Duo heard Wufei sigh rather loudly.
"He's a grown up now yet sometimes he still behaves like a kid." Wufei said.
"Wufei!" Quatre scolded as if in disapproval.
While Duo feel his blood freeze, aware that they were talking bad about him behind his back. Was this how they have always thought of him?
"More like he's useless without guidance." Trowa added on.
"Enough both of you! Duo is our dear friend. We should not badmouth him like that." Quatre said.
"What do you think, Heero?" Wufei asked instead.
There was a short silence in the room and Duo wasn't even sure if Heero was in the room.
"He relies a lot on others for support. He will only go on a downward spiral without us. Messing up his life and everything else in it." Heero said.
His voice was soft, yet his words hit Duo at his core. Was this how all of them thought about him?
"Yeah, he will be a failure without us here to keep him in check. Yet he doesn't realise that he won't be who he is today without us." Trowa said.
"I don't think he can even survive one month without us." Wufei said.
"All of you, stop this!" Quatre exclaimed.
Looks like at least Quatre was on his side.
"Be honest Quatre, we all know that you are merely holding back your opinion on Duo. Deep down inside you feel the exact same way as we do." Trowa said.
Quatre didn't answer but Duo felt depressed by their true opinion about him.
"He will only get himself killed in the mission field." Heero said.
"Which would explain why he takes so long to close a case if he's doing it solo and how we always give him the easier cases." Wufei said.
"He's messing up his relationships as well." Trowa said.
"I pity Hilde." Quatre said very softly.
"Yeah, being dragged around by a useless man like that. Even she is embarrassed to bring Duo to meet her friends and family. Lying that it isn't the time yet." Trowa said.
Duo didn't know what he should do but he felt depressed yet a part of him knew that they were right. He was nothing without them. He had always been relying in them, that's why he always freaks out when he has to take on tough missions alone. He took so long to complete them when the rest of them could finish it in one day. It was also why he was so afraid that he will screw up this important mission now, when all of his friends are down, and they have to rely on him for help.
What if he fails? What if they die because of his incompetency? Won't he regret it all his life? That he despite being an Ex-Gundam Pilot and Preventer, he still fails to save his best friends. Even if that was how they honestly thought of him. He knew that at times he acted like a coward and he wondered when he started reacting this way. He didn't used to be like this. Was it because when he looked at his best friends around him, he saw and experienced his own lack?
Trowa found his actual sister, has a girlfriend and is doing very well as a Preventer. Wufei is doing so well as a Preventer that rumour has it that he will be promoted to replace Lady Une soon. Quatre gave up on fighting and started to rebuild the places that were destroyed or damaged in the war. He's helping a lot of non-profit organizations to make the Colonies a better place for people. And Heero was definitely the overachiever among them. He found his real family, started his own company and is now ever richer than Quatre. To top it off he has the most understanding girlfriend who knew of his background yet still loves him the same. He always felt that Heero was incredibly lucky. Yet when he looked at himself, he felt that he didn't have anything to compare with them. And Duo never had the courage to give up fighting and pursue his own dreams. Heero could do both, why couldn't he do it?
"Because you are useless." Came Wufei's voice.
Duo was stunned and saw his four best friends all surrounding him while he was in a black empty space.
"You are a coward who only relies on others. You are a leech, leeching on the good of others!" Trowa exclaimed, shouting at him.
"No, that is not true! Quatre, tell them that it's not true." Duo said, looking at Quatre for support.
But Quatre was looking down at the ground sadly.
"You are nothing without us!" Wufei remarked, looking arrogantly at him.
"You are a failure in our eyes!" Trowa exclaimed.
"Stop it, both of you!" Duo exclaimed as he fell to the floor, trying to cover his ears from those painful insults.
Yet deep down he knew that they were right and that made him feel so awful and horrible inside.
"I'm sorry Duo, but they are right. You are nothing but a mess on your own. We always have to look out for you. I am sick and tired of having to always keep you in check." Quatre said.
"No, not you too…" Duo said, feeling his heart sink at Quatre's words.
"I can't even look at you anymore." Quatre whispered as he turned to look away from Duo.
Duo felt that his pride was crushed by this head-on confrontation by his best friends. Then he looked up at Heero who was staring at him with cold, piercing eyes.
"I am sick and tired of you using me as your money bag. I have enough of keeping you out of danger. If you seek danger so much, then rot in hell on your own." Heero said.
"You are worse than garbage, at least some of it is recyclable." Trowa said, with a smirk.
"We don't want to be your friends anymore. You are an embarrassment to us." Wufei said.
With that Trowa and Wufei turned to walk away from him.
"No! Trowa come back! Wufei please!" Duo shouted after them.
But they faded into the black space and were gone from his sight. He turned to look back at Quatre.
"Wufei's right, you embarrass me in front of others. I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore. You are toxic and you corrupt people. I have to end things before I fall to your level, Duo." Quatre said softly.
Quatre looked down sadly before he turned to walk away.
"Quatre! No, not you too!" Duo exclaimed.
Duo knew that he was only left with Heero and Heero was glaring down at him as if he looks down on him. Yet Duo also felt fear under his gaze, aware of what Heero was truly capable of.
"You can't survive without us, but we will do great without you." Heero said.
Then Heero turned to leave as well.
No, I will not let this happen to me anymore! Duo thought to himself.
So, he reached out and grabbed onto the back of Heero's suit jacket.
"You are wrong, and I will prove all of you wrong!" Duo exclaimed.
Heero merely smacked his hand away from his jacket. He continued walking and Duo wanted to stop him yet again when Fate appeared suddenly before them. Duo could only watch as Heero went over to hug Fate who smiled happily at him in return. Duo was reminded of how envious he was of Heero having a girlfriend like Fate. Yet Duo knew that even if his best friends leave him, Fate never will. For she is much kinder than Quatre and she will understand the pain that he is going through.
"Tell him Fate, how you really feel about him." Heero told her.
Duo was surprised when Fate turned to looked at him instead.
"Are you certain? It will… hurt him." Fate whispered to Heero.
"Tell him so that he will know as well." Heero told Fate yet again.
Fate seems to be struggling internally with herself and Heero surprised both of them by kissing her passionately. Fate blushed after the kiss but stared deeply into Heero's eyes. Heero merely nodded at her.
"I'm sorry Duo, but there were times when I wished that you would grow a backbone and try harder before giving up. Stop relying on others so much." Fate said.
Duo was stunned, even Fate… was capable of hurting him.
"Even you…" Duo whispered before he fell to the ground on his knees.
He cannot believe that his best friends and even Fate have abandoned him.
"Let's go, Fate." Heero said.
Both of them walked off without even looking back at him. Tears threatened to fall from his eyes, but he held them back. No, he had been alone for a long time now, he didn't need them. He must learn to survive on his own.
"I cannot take this anymore, Duo."
Duo looked up in surprise and saw that it was Hilde, standing some distance away from him. She was looking down sadly at him.
"Hilde…" Duo whispered, surely if everyone else abandons him, Hilde will still choose to stick with him.
After all that they have been through…
"I have tried really hard to make this work, to make us work." Hilde whispered and Duo saw the tears in her eyes.
"But I really cannot take this anymore! You are an embarrassment to my family and my friends. I cannot even bear to have you around me. Everyone says that I can do much better than you and they are right, I deserve so much better than you!" Hilde exclaimed as tears fell from her eyes.
"You are breaking up with me?" Duo asked.
"Yes, I never want to see you again!" Hilde exclaimed and she ran off before Duo could react.
"No… This isn't happening to me, this isn't real..." Duo muttered to himself as he stared at the black ground in front of him.
He was surrounded with nothing but darkness, and all he felt was the sadness and loneliness inside of him. Snap out of it! He told himself but he couldn't pick himself up. He had lost everyone he ever cared about. His best friends and the woman he has always loved. Was he really so worthless, useless and hopeless like everyone said? No! He will deny it, deny it with everything that he got, he refused to accept it as the truth. He's not what they say he is. He will survive and prove all of them wrong. And when he rises above them, he will no longer accept them as his friends anymore. Yes, they weren't his friends they were merely…
That's when he heard the sound of a loud gunshot. He looked up and was stunned to see Heero pointing at gun at Hilde. And Hilde's clothes were staining red as blood continued to flow from the wound in her chest. Did Heero just shoot at Hilde? He pushed all that depressing thoughts aside and stood up to rush over to Hilde's side as she fell to the floor, but another gunshot sounded. Duo felt the unbearable pain as the bullet shot through him. He fell to the ground instead, unable to reach Hilde at all. He stared ahead in shock, was his life going to end just like this? He remembered seeing Heero walking towards him, staring at him with the most terrifying eyes. His eyes were soulless, there was nothing in them. They were bright silver orbs that glowed in the night, sending a terrible chill down his spine. He's not Heero… Duo was certain of it or he wouldn't have killed Hilde and him.
"Stop… please." Duo begged as he tasted blood in his mouth as well.
But whoever he was flipped him over to face upwards, he then reached out to touch his chest as if he wanted to rip his heart out. There were no emotions on his familiar face, yet the silver coloured eyes terrified him.
"No, don't touch me…" He tried to say but his words didn't come out.
Duo didn't know what the man was up to. But he remembered screaming very loudly in pain as the man dug into his chest to try to rip his heart out.
The next day, 8th August
Preventer Headquarters, Basement Laboratory
Early Morning, 1.30am
Duo's eyes snapped open as he gasped for air. His vision was blur and he was disorientated. What was going on? Yes, the man was about to dig his heart out. The man… He continued to gasp for air when he realised that it was really bright in here. So different from the black space he was in. He tried to calm himself down and turned to the side just as his vision cleared. He saw the familiar laboratory belonging to the Preventer Headquarters in front of his eyes. Wait, what was going on? He realised that he was wearing an oxygen mask and he was no longer in the glass tank anymore.
"Vitals are stabilising." He heard someone saying out loud.
He tried to reach around him and felt the cold floor instead. But then he felt someone closing their hand around his outstretched hand. He felt the warmth from the person's hand and knew that he is still alive. Yet he was still a little disorientated, what was going on?
"Preventer Maxwell can you hear me?" He heard Federick's voice some distance away.
Duo nodded, just as Hilde entered his field of vision.
"Duo, are you alright?" she asked him with concern in her eyes.
He barely answered her.
"What happened, Preventer Maxwell?" Federick asked.
"Give him some time to catch his breath first, can't you see that he's still in shock?" Hilde snapped at Federick.
Duo couldn't see Federick, but he must have been displeased. Nevertheless, he reached out to pull the oxygen mask off him.
"I had a really horrible nightmare. I… saw my worst fear coming alive. Everything was so… real." Duo said.
"You were screaming." Federick said.
"Who wouldn't when someone is trying to… rip your heart out?" Duo asked.
Hilde winced as if in understanding.
"But it's a dream, it isn't real. Can't you tell?" He heard Lionel's voice.
"No, it felt too real. The people inside my nightmare, the emotions, the tears and the pain. Everything was very real… to me." Duo said softly.
There was silence that followed after what he had said.
"This must be it! It's a gas that causes the victims to have nightmares. Feeling their worst fears coming to life. And it must have felt so real in the nightmare that the victims think that it's real." Duo heard the man's voice and the man seemed to be some distance away from where he was.
"Nightmares that are so real that it causes high blood pressure, panic attacks, heart attacks and eventually leads to death." Federick said as if coming to a conclusion on what gas they were up against.
"That would explain why Preventer Maxwell's vitals were unstable as he was experiencing the nightmare, feeling the pain and emotions in it. He thought that everything was real." Lionel said.
"But he woke up, while everyone else didn't." Federick pointed out.
They raised a valid point.
"How long was I exposed to the gas?" Duo asked.
"About five seconds, ten seconds if we count air diffusion." A woman faraway said out loud.
"How long was I unconscious?" Duo asked.
"An hour, sir." Someone shouted out.
"The nightmare didn't feel that long." Duo said.
"If Duo woke up an hour later after being exposed to the gas for ten seconds, it must mean that the victims are all not waking up because they have been exposed to the gas far longer than that." Hilde said.
What Hilde said made sense. As Blue Marine Pub is a large place, it will take more time for the toxic gas to be concentrated in the air before the victims became unconscious. Meaning that they were probably exposed to it much longer than Duo was. But it could also mean that they were all having much longer nightmares than Duo did.
"Woah, I cannot imagine having a nightmare where I cannot wake up from." Duo exclaimed.
"If ten seconds of the gas is enough to trigger such a horrible nightmare, imagine the victims being stuck in a very long nightmare with no chance of waking up at all." Lionel said.
"I did a simple mathematics calculation. If the victims at Blue Marine Pub were exposed to the gas for an estimate of two hours, they will be sleeping for a total of 720 hours which can be approximately… 30 days!" Someone shouted.
"Thirty Days?" Everyone exclaimed in shock.
"As humans we have many different fears, but thirty days is more than enough time for the nightmares to run through our entire fear list. And surely there will be one fear that will trigger a heart attack or something worse down the list. They will all die before the thirty days are up!"
It was a horrible piece of news and discovery that they have made.
"I want everyone working on an antidote now! I don't want anyone to stop until we have something usable!" Federick ordered.
Duo heard a lot of scrambling sounds as the laboratory staff all scrambled to get an antidote done up fast. He struggled to sit up.
"Miss Schbeiker, get to work. We will watch over Preventer Maxwell." Lionel said.
Hilde gave Duo a concerned look before she left his side, as research for the antidote comes first. Meanwhile Lionel offered Duo his hand and Duo grasped onto it. Lionel then helped to pull him up so that he was standing. Duo was still a little giddy, but he managed to keep standing.
"At least we know what we are up against now. Thank you for volunteering yourself, Preventer Maxwell." Lionel said.
"Somebody has to do the task that no one wants to do." Duo said.
"True." Lionel muttered before he moved away to pick up a call.
"Maxwell, I want you to report your findings to Lady Une. She will report it upwards to the President of the Colonies." Federick said.
"Yeah sure, but what about you?" Duo asked.
"I am going to play the father card as well." Federick said.
Duo knew that Federick is referring to Belmont de Camden who is a genius scientist as well, judging from Meteor which was one of Belmont's invention that follows Fate around. But Federick is right. They need as many genius scientists and capable brains working on the antidote to save all the victims from a nightmare that they couldn't wake up from.
"But he's in Japan?" Duo asked.
"He's already on board a space shuttle flying towards VLA once he found out about Fate's condition. But he won't reach here till the afternoon and every minute counts." Federick muttered.
Duo nodded meanwhile Lionel approached them.
"We have our suspect; he's coming into the building now." Lionel said.
"I guess interrogation comes first." Federick said.
Duo sighed; it was definitely going to be an exceptionally long day. But they have to work together to get through this crisis. Many people were still trapped in a nightmare, having their worst fears come to life before their very eyes. Many will die as minutes continued ticking by. Duo doesn't know how many people he will save and he's aware that he's not as capable as his best friends. But he will not give up this time, he will try his hardest to save everyone! He will not let them die as they are trapped in a 30 days long nightmare.
To be continued…
Author's Note: This arc is indeed dark, depressing and touches on quite a lot of mature themes. As humans we all have our own fears and weaknesses and this Fear Gas Arc was created to address the fears our characters feel deep inside of them. The deep dark secrets that they are hiding, that they don't want anyone to know. Some of them have been running away from their fears for a long time. Yet as they race against time to save those who are unconscious, will they be able to save everyone? I do want to point out that their nightmares do not really tell what happened in the future, but it consists a part of what they believe will happen and it shows up in some of their nightmares. Do stay tuned for the next chapter. Do read and review, but NO FLAMERS!