Family
Chapter 41: Fear Gas Part Two
Author's note: Previously on Family, a gas attack on Blue Marine Pub has resulted in a lot of unconscious victims. Caught in the middle of the gas attack are Trowa, Quatre, Wufei, Heero and Fate. Duo must team up with Federick and Lionel to save everyone. Meanwhile we have a peek into some of our characters' greatest fears as their fears come alive in their nightmares. Duo volunteered to be a test subject, allowing the Preventers and the army to know what they were truly up against. It is a race against time to wake the remaining victims from their nightmares.
This chapter will not be broken down into shorter chapters, but it will be a long chapter instead.
Take Note: I will be switching around to different person's point of view as well as the current situation, hence it can be confusing for 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.
Warning: Mature, Very Dark, Violence, Suicidal and Depressing themes throughout the entire Fear Gas Story Arc! You are warned!
Thank you for reading this story and I hope that you will continue to support it. Please read and review, NO FLAMERS! Pairing: HeeroXOC
After Colony 203, 8th August,
VLA, Preventer Headquarters, Basement Laboratory
Early Morning, 2am
Duo had called Lady Une to update her regarding their findings of the gas that was used during the gas attack. A gas that they now call the fear gas. He is now calling Belmont de Camden, Federick's father in hopes that Belmont can help out as well. Meanwhile, Lionel and Federick are interrogating Edmund Colley whose fingerprints were found on the gas tank, making him their number one suspect.
They have already pulled up all records on Edmund Colley, but he had no criminal records, nothing unusual from his profile popped out at them. There were many ways to go about spinning the theory. He could be someone's lackey, merely following orders and knows nothing. Or he could have touched the gas tank during transportation. Either way Duo knew that Federick will get whatever they needed from him.
"I want updates on the antidote, no slacking. Try every method you were taught about! If you want expresso, take it. No one sleeps!" Duo shouted.
"Yes sir." The laboratory staff all shouted back in reply.
Then Duo dialled the phone number as he looked towards the door, aware that Federick and Lionel were somewhere in the building. Belmont was worried about Fate and he looked pale on the video screen when he was told that Fate might be sleeping for 30 days.
"Where is Heero Wingate? I need to consult him immediately." Belmont said.
"Heero was in Blue Marine Pub along with Fate." Duo said softly.
"Damn it! Why isn't anything right?" Belmont cursed.
"What does this have to do with Heero?" Duo asked.
"We have a collaboration project of our own, one which I believe will be able to help everyone if we can get it to work." Belmont said.
"Do you have it with you? Send it to me; I have a large team of biomedical scientists here." Duo said.
"No, it's… a very private research." Belmont said softly.
"Mr. Camden… this is not the time to be selfish." Duo pointed out.
"I am aware of that, but it's still a joint effort. We will talk more when we reach VLA." Belmont said before he ended the video call.
Duo didn't know if he should be angry or not. But he had no idea that Heero was collaborating with Belmont for a project.
Preventer Headquarters, Interrogation Room
The entire interrogation room was made of metal and solid cement walls. The walls were built to soundproof the room, naturally there was a two-way mirror inside it. But more importantly it was cold and quiet. Edmund Colley was sitting at the metal table with his hands handcuffed and chained to the metal bar on the table. Lionel was sitting on the chair opposite where Edmund was sitting. Even Lionel could tell that Edmund was sweating and nervous. His men had mentioned that Edmund had tried to flee, and his men have dealt with him. They weren't rough with him since there were no bruises on Edmund anywhere. But that situation will change very soon, judging from the anxious Preventer Camden who was pacing the room behind him. No one had said a single word yet, but Edmund was watching Federick walk back and forth.
"Preventer Camden." Lionel called out, wanting to stop Federick from pacing.
Federick stopped pacing and slammed a file down on the metal table. It created a loud noise which jolted Edmund, causing him to jump at the noise. Photos of the gas tank came out of the file and were now on the table in front of Edmund.
"Do you know why you are here, Mr. Colley?" Federick asked.
"No, I don't know." Edmund said.
"My men have mentioned that you ran when you saw them." Lionel said.
"Who won't run when they see armed, uniformed man approaching them?" Edmund asked.
"Only those who are scared and guilty run." Federick said.
"That doesn't mean anything!" Edmund exclaimed.
"Do you know what happened seven hours ago?" Federick asked.
"Yeah it was all over the news, the gas attack? Man, it was horrible stuff." Edmund said.
Federick pointed to the photo of the gas tank.
"Do you know what this is?" Federick asked.
"A tank?" Edmund asked.
"Have you seen it before?" Federick asked.
"No sir, this is the first time I am seeing it." Edmund said.
"Then explain why your fingerprints are on a gas tank that you have never seen before." Federick said.
"What?" Edmund asked.
Lionel wanted to roll his eyes; they don't have the time for this. Edmund is a man in his thirties, yet he was acting like an indifferent teenager.
"Dude, I know that this looks bad. But I have nothing to do with it. I don't even know how it got my prints on it." Edmund said.
Federick looked at Lionel before he walked over and took out a photo and placed it on the table before Edmund.
"Do you see this? All of these people are in the hospital because of you!" Federick said.
"I said I had nothing to do with this…"
He didn't get to finish as Federick slammed Edmund's head down on the metal table, asserting enough force so that Edmund couldn't raise his head up.
"Look closer." Federick stressed.
"I'm looking, man! Dude I have rights, you can't use such force on me!" Edmund shouted.
Federick started laughing loudly while Lionel followed as well.
"What so funny?" Edmund asked.
"He doesn't know that in the Colonies, anyone suspected to be a terrorist have no rights." Federick said.
They all saw the colour drained from Edmund's face.
"We aren't America, and do you know what the Colonies hate? Terrorists and people out to start wars again." Federick said.
"We can do whatever we want with them. We can beat them, hurt them, use them as target practice and cut them up if we want to. And no one will care or ask us to stop because they have no rights. After all they lack the conscience to be called a human." Lionel said coldly through narrowed eyes.
"And you must have heard from the news, Mr. Heero Wingate was caught in the gas attack as well." Federick said.
"Who the shit is that?" Edmund asked.
"Wow McKnight, he doesn't know." Federick said, laughing as he used more force to press down on Edmund's head. The man was almost kissing the table's surface.
"He's the heir to the Wingate family and the eldest son of Mr. Carlton Wingate, the President of the Colonies." Lionel said calmly.
Edmund didn't speak but even Federick noticed the slight change in him.
"You must be feeling so smug inside right now. That your little gas prank caught such a big shot." Federick sneered.
"I have no idea what you are talking about." Edmund muttered.
"Let me make things clear to you, Edmund. We have orders to get answers and we are capable of doing anything to get the answers we want. Do you understand me?" Federick asked.
"Yes."
Federick released him and Edmund heaved a sigh of relief. But then Federick suddenly punched him so hard in the face that Edmund fell off the chair. The chain was long enough hence Edmund hits the cemented floor instead.
"Preventer Camden, please show some restraint." Lionel said softly, aware that Federick may kill their only lead suspect as he wants answers to save his sister as well.
"I am in need of a punching bag especially for times like this." Federick said as he cracked his knuckles loudly.
Lionel nearly winced when he thought about what will happen to Edmund. Nevertheless, it was the truth that the Colonies do not tolerate terrorists hence they indeed have no human rights in the Colonies' jurisdiction. But they are still to be treated well unless not co-operating which was in Edmund's case. But Lionel feels that it will take too long and Federick may beat Edmund to death before he spills anything. Lionel stood up and pulled out a small pistol from one of his army uniform's pocket. He didn't want to use this yet but Heero will forgive him for this is an emergency.
"You are going to shoot him?" Federick asked.
"Yeah." Lionel said, walking over to where Edmund was.
"Wait, please don't." Edmund said when he saw the pistol.
"Give me a reason to stop." Lionel said as he turned off the safety on the pistol.
"I…"
Lionel took aim at Edmund.
"Three… Two…" Lionel said, counting down.
"I already told you, I have nothing to do with the gas tank!" Edmund shouted.
"One." Lionel said, firing twice at Edmund.
Federick noticed that the gun fired darts instead of actual bullets. Two darts hit Edmund accurately on his neck and he immediately sank to the floor.
"What did you do?" Federick asked.
He thought that they were going to intimidate Edmund with physical pain, which was the usual plan.
"We do not have the time to beat the answers out of him." Lionel said, walking over as he kept his gun.
He removed the darts from Edmund's neck.
"At the sound of a clap you will obey my voice. And you will tell the truth, only the truth and nothing but the truth." Lionel said to Edmund, before he clapped loudly once.
Edmund sat up on the floor almost immediately after that. While Lionel went back to his seat and signalled for Federick to do the same.
"Sit down." Lionel ordered.
Federick was stunned when Edmund moved and sat down on the chair immediately at the sound of Lionel's order. Edmund seemed to have become a mindless zombie, obeying everything Lionel says. Whatever was inside the dart could allow Lionel to control Edmund like a puppet. It suddenly made Federick wonder what kind of weaponry Heero and his army have at their military base. More like since the war have ended, have the Colonies' weaponry evolved faster than Earth's weaponry had? Then again it caused Federick to question why weaponry research was still being carried out when the wars are already over.
"What is in the dart?" Federick asked Lionel.
"A new type of truth serum, two shots allow them to obey to my commands." Lionel said.
A truth serum is not an uncommon drug that is often used in interrogation but so far Federick knows that none of them were capable of controlling a person like that.
"It's… inhumane and… illegal." Federick said.
"As we said, they don't have rights. And we are running out of time. You want to save your sister while I would like to save my commander." Lionel pointed out.
Federick shuts up and lets Lionel continue the interrogation.
"Why is your fingerprint on the gas tank?" Lionel asked.
Edmund stared ahead at them like a mindless puppet.
"Because it's mine, I filled it up." Edmund said.
Federick rolled his eyes, he knew it.
"Wait, does this count as a true confession even when he's drugged?" Federick asked.
"It's still valid in army rules." Lionel said.
Federick shook his head, they were walking in the grey area now.
"Why Blue Marine Pub? What were you after?" Lionel asked.
"Blue Marine Pub has a lot of people on Friday night and they will all serve as excellent test subjects." Edmund said.
"Test? The gas attack on Blue Marine Pub was just a test?" Federick bellowed.
"Preventer Camden, calm down." Lionel warned.
"Of course, it's a test. Needed to test the gas on people to make sure that it works. What better way than to hit the hottest pub in VLA? What better way than to see the terror and fear on people's face? And it worked very well." Edmund said as he smirked.
Federick was disgusted by the man before him and was holding himself back or he will wallop the man to death.
"How did you get your hands on this fear gas?" Lionel asked.
"I made it, with the help of my father's research." Edmund said.
"Who is your father?" Lionel asked.
"My father is Kevin Vladimir." Edmund said.
Both men frowned at Edmund's answer. Federick signalled Lionel instead and both men decided to take a break to find out who this man was before continuing. Federick got assurance from Lionel that the effects won't wear out until Lionel uses the programmed phrase words on him. Nevertheless, Lionel watched the room while Duo is pulling out information from the database for them. Federick called his father immediately to ask about Kevin Vladimir. Belmont was relieved that Federick is alright but wasn't happy about the subject.
"Kevin Vladimir used to be from France but moved to the Colonies as the war was raging on. Wars to any scientists are the best times ever. Captured prisoners of war were often assigned to scientists as test subjects, allowing scientists to test whatever they wanted. They were expendables during war times." Belmont said softly.
"I take it that this man did very nasty experiments on people?" Federick asked.
"Kevin Vladimir's research like many scientists in the war era were on weaponry but his field was always bio-medical related. All research that he came up with were all inhumane, destructive and troubling. But we all know that bio-medical weapons are useless if there are no antidotes. None of his research came to commercialising stage as they were not stable, and he didn't have antidotes. One major factor that he always overlooked in his research was that these things evolve, sometimes faster than we can come up with antidotes. He soon lost his funding and after using up all his available human subjects, he was left with nothing feasible but theory papers." Belmont explained.
"What happened to him?" Federick asked.
"He tried to sell whatever he had to OZ. But OZ was not interested in a weapon that cannot be controlled as well. Eventually his research caught up with him. People who found out about what he had done to their loved ones came to seek revenge and they succeeded. They killed him and burned all of his research, in hopes that no one will ever see them again. Or attempt to re-create them again." Belmont explained.
Federick was deep in thought, how did Edmund get hold of research that was destroyed?
"Someone has used his research?" Belmont asked, managing to link the points together.
"Yes." Federick said, unable to deny it any further.
"Damn it, Vladimir's research has no cure, Federick! He never discovered it with its ever-evolving nature." Belmont said.
It was depressing news.
"But we still have to try, we cannot let them kill Fate like this." Federick said.
"Federick…"
"I have to go." Federick cuts in and hung up the call before he went back to where Lionel was.
They discussed their findings. According to Duo, no actual records linked Kevin and Edmund together. But indeed, Kevin was involved with very horrible bio-terrorism research. His research had killed many of his human subjects in horrible ways. It was a lot to stomach but eventually Duo had found a link. Apparently, Kevin has a few mistresses and one of them was Edmund's mother who remarried hence making it harder to trace.
"So somehow Kevin left everything he had with Edmund before he was killed, and his research destroyed." Lionel aid.
"It is the only logical explanation, but Edmund said he made the fear gas. Could it be that he improved on it? Maybe he has an antidote." Federick said.
They immediately went back to interrogate Edmund.
"I couldn't believe it as well that the mad scientist Kevin Vladimir is my father. I thought that his research was trash too, until I realised that it worked. But they were all such nasty pieces of work that they require a lot of time, effort and research to improve. And boy was I pleased that I have finally managed to improve his fear gas so much. Father must be so proud of me." Edmund told them.
Federick was resisting the urge to kill this mad man.
"What are your trying to achieve with this fear gas?" Lionel asked.
"Revenge, of course! It was people from the Colonies who killed my father, who belittled his research and thought him dangerous. They will all tremble in fear as they die in their nightmares." Edmund told them with an evil smile on his face.
"Do you have an antidote?" Lionel asked.
"Oh yes, used to have it. But the gas changed so much that it doesn't work anymore. But isn't it more exciting this way? After all it is unstoppable now!"
"We have already stopped you, the gas attack on Blue Marine Pub is the last one. You are already captured; you won't be able to hurt anyone anymore." Federick said.
But Lionel still felt a chill down his spine, especially with the way Edmund keeps on smiling at them. Could it be?
"What have you planned?" Lionel asked.
"Blue Marine Pub is just the test and since it works, naturally we proceed with our plans." Edmund said.
"What plans?" Lionel asked.
"To cause terror on the people of the Colonies as they die from their fears, in their own nightmares. The fear gas makes killing so much easier, no need a thousand bullets to kill a thousand people. You only need a gas tank. And then people will finally acknowledge the fear gas as the greatest bio-terrorism weapon ever!" Edmund exclaimed.
"Who is involved? Who is helping you?" Federick asked.
Lionel repeated the questions.
"I don't know, we never met." Edmund said.
"How can that be?" Federick asked.
Who would willingly participate in such acts of terrorism?
"How did you find these people?" Lionel asked.
"From I-Hate-Colonies Anonymous. Everyone loved my plan."
"It's a forum for people who hates the colonies, but they were mainly IT nerds and keyboard warriors. They don't have the courage to do anything like this." Federick said.
"How did you get them to work with you?" Lionel asked.
"I merely offered a weapon and allowed the geniuses there to work. After all, with just a right push, anyone can be a criminal." Edmund said.
Federick's blood turned cold. There were so many users on that anonymous forum. But if they managed to get their hands on the fear gas… The Colonies were looking at probably hundreds of uncoordinated, unplanned and untraceable attacks. The scale of the attack can range from small to large ones, but it wouldn't change the fact that a lot of people will be hurt. And the people involved cannot give anyone up as they don't know each other at all, nor do they know another person's plan. It was the perfect platform to kick start everything, especially when the forum was filled with people who hates the Colonies. To think that Edmund is actually quite smart.
"This is not good, Preventer Camden. We are looking at something far bigger than the gas attack on Blue Marine Pub. Blue Marine Pub was just a test to prove that the gas works, triggering everything else." Lionel said.
"Ask about the gas tanks, how did he distribute it to so many people?" Federick asked softly, still trying to wrap his head around how to solve this major spider web that was forming around the Colonies.
"How did you distribute the gas to the people on the forum?" Lionel asked.
"I posted the address of a rented warehouse to the people on the forum. I even gave them an encrypted riddle to solve so that the answer will be the password to enter the warehouse. Geeks love challenges." Edmund told them.
"How many gas tanks do you have inside this warehouse?" Lionel asked.
"There are 100 gas tanks, no wait… there were only 80 left when I checked them this afternoon." Edmund said.
Federick felt his blood turn to ice. That meant they have to find at least 20 gas tanks.
"Give me the address of this warehouse!" Lionel ordered.
Edmund started saying an address which Lionel wrote down immediately. Knowing the capabilities of the fear gas, one gas tank is enough to cause many people' deaths. But a hunt for twenty gas tanks or more was nearly impossible. Especially when no one knows where and when the next attack will be at.
"Did you instruct them how to open the gas tank?" Lionel asked.
"Of course, I did."
"Did you request that they co-ordinate any attacks together?" Lionel asked.
"I asked them to aim for the rush hour, but they have their own ideas." Edmund said.
"It's Saturday, there's no rush hour on Saturday…" Federick muttered before he trailed off.
"City Hall." Lionel said almost immediately.
The government officials still work on Saturdays, making the Saturday morning rush hour appearing only at City Hall.
"Carlton Wingate." Federick muttered.
Located at City Hall is L'espoir, which was the principal workplace for the President of the Colonies. Many ministers and government officials work there as well. Even though the security is super tight, no one can protect themselves against a colourless and odourless fear gas that is spread through the air.
"Is there anything else we need to know?" Lionel asked.
"Not that I know of." Edmund answered.
They cleared everything and left the room immediately. Lionel placed one of his men to guard the room, no one goes in expect Lionel and Federick. Then they shared the findings to Duo, Lady Une and General Weller. The gas attack at Blue Marine Pub was merely the start of a plan much bigger than they thought it to be. It was just the tip of the iceberg to come.
Fate's Nightmare
Fate woke up with a gasp and immediately looked around her, wondering if she was still in Heero's penthouse. She was surprised to find herself in a room she had never seen before. She was currently sitting on a small bed and she stared at the unfamiliar room before her. Pushing away what she had seen earlier, she got out of the bed and looked around the room, wanting to find out where she was. It seemed to be someone's room, it was neat and beautifully decorated. She walked over to the desk and stared at the items on the desk. The desk had a lot of things on it and it made the room feel personal. As if she was invading someone's personal space. She left the room and was surprised to find that she was in an apartment house. It was a relatively small house compared to her mansions, it had two more rooms, a living room, a kitchen and a toilet. There were furniture and personal items all around the house. Like the room she was in, the entire apartment was neat and beautifully decorated, making it look cosy. She looked at the items on the shelves, trying to figure out where she was and whose house it was. She picked up the nearest photo frame and was surprised by what she had seen. It was a small family of three people and the woman in the centre looked exactly like her. The two people behind her seemed to be this woman's parents, but they weren't Belmont and Helen. They were two people she had never seen before. The woman in the centre of the photo was smiling happily at the camera yet Fate didn't recognise the place in the photo, nor did she remember ever taking it.
Yet why was she here in this person's house? Why does she look exactly like her yet isn't her? Fate was confused as well and decided to investigate the house. One room was a guest room, but it appears that no one has been using it for a while now. The second room surprised her; it was a work room. A room where she can do painting, art and craft and more. She could tell that this woman loves this room very much and probably spends a lot of time here. She looked at the painted art canvases that were hung on the wall, they were beautiful. And she doesn't think she was capable of painting something like that. Fate used to be an excellent painter, but she hadn't painted ever since she became a singer. There was a large canvas on the art stand and Fate walked over to find out what the woman was working on. She was stunned when she found herself staring into the same Prussian Blue eyes she always sees. She stepped back and realised that it was a painting of Heero. The painting of him looked so life like that it seemed to be a photo instead of a painting. But it was clear that the background was not complete. She stared at it in silence, trying to take in the detail of the painting. She realised that something was off with the painting as Heero was smiling in the painting. Heero rarely smiles and even Fate has never seen him give a wide smile. Yet his smile was wider than usual, and his eyes actually showed emotion as if he were genuinely happy. But even Fate knew that it wasn't real, it was probably an image based on the imagination of the woman. For Heero… had never looked like that even when he was with her. At least not yet…
Eventually Fate found out that while this woman looked exactly like her, her name is Gabriella Jayson. She is apparently living in a shop house, with a flower shop on the first floor whereby she is the owner of it. Fate was surprised as she seems to be living Gab's life, everyone thinks she is Gabriella, but she had no idea who Gab is and doesn't know any of the people who knows Gab. Fate still knows how to do flower arrangement hence it wasn't that bad, but Gab's life was quiet. There were very few customers at the store, she doesn't seem to have a lot of friends and lives alone. Fate was mainly confused most of the time as she doesn't know how Gab will react to things. She doesn't even know her; all she knows is that they have the same face.
She had hesitated, wanting to call the people she knows and loves, to find out if they are okay. Yet when she finally gathered the courage, she called Heero and was surprised that the number was not in use. Days passed by in a whirl and Fate wasn't really concentrating, as she wants to get out of here, but she had no idea how and where everyone else was. Will they even recognise her? Do they know who Gabriella Jayson is? In a moment of panic, she decided to leave the shop and go into the city, to search for Heero personally. He should still live in the same place… The thought of going to his penthouse freaks her out but it is the only place to find him.
She went to the train station that morning and felt different. She is a famous superstar hence usually she cannot go anywhere without being spotted or photographed by people. Yet as she walked to the train station, no one looked her way at all. They merely passed her by, continuing on with what they have to do. Fate was surprised and unused to such treatment. It felt as if she was invisible, no this was what it was like to be a normal person. To not have to constantly be worried about being spotted, to be able to do whatever she wanted to. To be able to be herself even in public.
She knew that she should be happy, this was the freedom she had always wanted since her fame had not allowed her to be able to do this anymore. She's aware that she is now a nobody. She is simply Gabriella Jayson to the world, and no one knows who she is, she is normal… like everyone else. She had been famous for so long that her life had changed drastically because of it as well. And now she found it odd to go back to being normal like everyone else. Was fame that important to her? There were moments when she wished that she could give it all up and be normal again, now she her wish has come true. Yet she still felt empty as if something were missing.
She looked at the train map and tried to navigate how to go to where Heero's penthouse was. She was currently at the far east of the city of VLA, an area she had never been to before. She bought the train ticket and boarded the train to go into the central area of VLA. She looked out of the train's window at the City of VLA, realising that she hadn't taken public transportation in an awfully long time now. It was rather packed in the morning due to rush hour, but Fate decided to just enjoy her moments of freedom, to be able to blend into the crowd and not stand out like she usually did. She alighted at the correct train station and left the train station into the city. She looked around her, trying to spot where Heero's penthouse was located. She spotted the Preventers' Headquarters building and considered going there to see if Trowa could help her. But she realised that she didn't have much money with her hence she couldn't hire any Preventer to help her out. Fate considered her options and decided to head there anyway, hoping to spot a familiar face. But will they recognise her?
She approached the reception counter and asked if she could speak to Duo, knowing that Duo will be easier to talk to. But Duo was out of the office and so she asked to speak to Trowa. They made a call to Trowa, but he was in a meeting. Fate considered if she should wait or leave to find Heero herself. She decided to leave instead. As she was heading towards the exit, she was stunned to see Heero walking towards the building's entrance. She was so relieved to see that he was well. Heero looked as dashing as ever, dressed in a formal black suit. She was about to approach him when she realised that he wasn't alone. He held the door open for someone and a woman dressed in a pink suit entered before him. She was wearing black sunglasses to block out her face but even Fate could tell that it was Relena. Why was Heero with Relena?
Everyone seemed to have spotted them and started whispering about them. Fate could only watch as Heero spoke a few words to Relena before he walked towards the reception counter. Fate took in a deep breath, knowing that he was coming this way. This was her opportunity to talk to him, find out if he was really okay. And find out why he was here with Relena. She was about to speak when she saw Heero look at her as if taking her in before he simply walked past her. Fate was so stunned that she couldn't speak at all. He walked past her as if he didn't know her at all… But why was he acting this way? She was hurt by his actions and was unsure what to do next. She turned and watched as he spoke to the women at the reception counter. He didn't even look back at her. Fate didn't know how to hide her disappointment and considered approaching him again. She lost her chance when Wufei approached him. They spoke a few words before Wufei nodded and Heero walked towards the lift areas. Fate considered running up to catch hold of him but knew that it was far too public. She could only watch as Heero, Wufei and Relena entered one of the lifts together. Fate turned and left the building in silence.
Each step felt heavier as her heart sank, maybe because now the whole world thinks she is Gabriella Jayson that they don't recognise her, but that can't be… if they look exactly the same, he should have spotted her instantly. Surely, he hadn't forgotten about her. After some hesitation, she headed back into the building. She sneaked into one of the lifts and went to the floor where the meetings were mainly held at. Then she waited in the toilet for a while, trying to phrase her words. Eventually she heard sounds and left the toilet to see the Preventers waiting for the lift. Relena wasn't around but Heero was talking to Trowa and Wufei. This was her chance, but she wondered how to reveal herself. The lift came and Fate was disappointed, knowing that they will be gone. The lift doors closed, and Fate looked out to see that no one was around anymore. She came out of where she was hiding at and sighed at herself. She needs to be more courageous in approaching Heero. That's when she felt the cold barrel of a gun being pressed to her back, she gasped in shock and turned her head to see that it was Heero.
"Who are you?" Heero demanded, with cold emotionless eyes.
Fate didn't know how to react as Heero wasn't usually this cold towards her. But his question had taken her by surprise, he didn't know who she was?
"Hands up." Heero said.
She raised her hands up slowly to show that she wasn't holding onto anything.
"Who are you?" He asked again, his tone harsher this time round.
"I'm Fate de Camden." Fate said, not liking how Heero was still aiming the gun at her.
"De Camden…." Heero said softly as if he recognised the surname.
"Why are you here?" He asked.
"I'm here to see you." Fate said.
"Liar, you are here to get a scoop on Foreign Minister Darlian." Heero said.
"No, I…"
"Which news agency are you from?" Heero demanded.
"I'm not from anywhere, I am here to see you Heero." Fate said.
"How did you know my name?"
"Because I am your girlfriend." Fate said.
Heero stepped back instead, allowing her to turn and face him. Their eyes met and Fate wasn't sure how he will react.
"You are not my girlfriend." Heero said coldly as he narrowed his eyes at her.
Fate was shocked to hear him say that, but it confirmed one of her worst fears. He doesn't recognise her; he probably doesn't even know her. She felt her heart breaking yet again. He meant so much to her… but she was simply a stranger to him. Heero seemed to notice the change in her but he didn't lower his gun.
"You don't remember me?" Fate asked softly but she already knew the answer to the question.
"This is the first time we have ever met, and I have a good memory of people's faces." Heero said.
Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, but she held them back, aware that she has to lie her way through to get out of here.
"You are right, I'm here to get a scoop on Darlian. You caught me." Fate said, lying.
Heero didn't move as he continued to stare at her in silence.
"How did you get past security?" Heero asked.
"I snuck in when no one was looking." Fate admits.
Heero took out his cell phone and made a call to get the security team to take Fate away. He didn't handcuff her, and he finally kept his gun.
"You said your name is Fate de Camden." Heero said.
"Yes."
"The De Camden's do not have a daughter named Fate." Heero said.
Fate is stunned to hear that too, it was almost as if Fate De Camden had vanished from the surface of the world, she didn't seem to exist at all. But if Fate doesn't exist, then who is she? Heero stared at her in silence as they waited for the security guards to take her away. But Fate wasn't sure if she could hold it in and not break down. Who is she? Why no one seems to remember Fate? The security guards came and Heero scolded them for not doing their job as well.
"Take her away, get her checked as well. She probably escaped from a mental hospital." Heero told the guards.
They handcuffed her this time and Fate could only look back at Heero as they escorted her towards the lift. Great Heero thinks that she's a mental patient. They entered the lift and Fate continued staring at him, aware that this may be the last time she ever sees him again. Their eyes met before the lift doors closed, she could no longer see him anymore. Tears fell from her eyes but took in a deep breath and knew that she has to get out of the building first. They released her after giving her a stern warning and escorted her out of the building. Fate walked back to the train station and collapsed onto an empty bench along the way.
She used to believe that if she was backed into a corner, she won't mind giving up her fame and all that she had worked so hard for. She won't mind giving up all of the money she had and live a normal life. She knew that she wouldn't mind if she was born in a poor family instead. But the one thing she couldn't lose is Heero and his love for her. But she had just lost everything she ever had. Her fame, her riches, her family and even Heero. For he doesn't even know her. She's a nobody, she's not even Fate anymore. Tears that she had been holding back streamed down her face, it was her worst nightmare coming true. To lose everything in a single day and be forced to live her life alone. She didn't even have the courage to continue moving forward. She just couldn't…
Quatre's Nightmare
"Stop it, Heero!" Quatre shouted, trying to close the gap between Heero and him.
Heero didn't seem to care about what he said, he merely continued to push Dorothy with him, nearer to the edge of the balcony.
"Look, we can talk about this calmly." Quatre said, trying to persuade Heero.
"We are beyond talking!" Heero exclaimed, aiming his gun at Dorothy's forehead while Dorothy can only cower in fear.
"Heero, please just listen. You already killed everyone in this mansion, if the police find out you won't get away scot-free." Quatre said, trying to reason with him.
Heero laughed instead, it sounded like an evil laughter in this cold night.
"As if they can ever catch me. But first, she dies!" Heero declared.
Dorothy closed her eyes as if waiting for the shot to happen, Quatre immediately rushed over to try to stop Heero. But Heero easily knocked him away, causing him to hit the ground.
"Stop this Heero, stop hurting Dorothy." Quatre pleaded.
"Why are you speaking up for this woman? This person had murdered Fate." Heero said, staring at him with his cold silver eyes.
"Look we can talk it out, let the law deal with her properly for her crimes." Quatre said.
"The law? If it worked, I won't be here, she hired assassins to do it. She's the mastermind and she must die!" Heero exclaimed.
Dorothy was in pain from her wounds which are still causing her to bleed but with Heero being armed and dangerous, it was hard to close the distance between them.
"Please Heero, just let her go." Quatre pleaded.
Heero surprised him by throwing him an extra gun instead, it skidded to a stop right in front of Quatre.
"Pick up the gun and save her yourself." Heero instructed.
Quatre stared at the gun in shocked silence. Quatre had given up holding weapons and acts of violence since the war ended, he refused to take any form of arms. He refused to continue to hurt people but forcing him now to take on arms just to save Dorothy is cruel. It was very cruel of Heero.
"Heero you know I am against violence." Quatre said.
"Shoot me or she dies, what will it be?" Heero taunted him instead.
Quatre stared at the gun on the ground but did not move to take it, no it was going against his moral compass. He promised he will not fight like this anymore. But Dorothy is not in a great state, surely there must be another way. Heero took aim and fired at the ground close to where Dorothy is standing, causing Dorothy to shriek in fear as if expecting it to be the shot that is going to kill her. Heero then looked at him again.
"Pick up the gun and have a showdown with me, or she dies." Heero said, point his gun at Dorothy's forehead again.
"Do not force me to do this, Heero!" Quatre exclaimed.
"I will countdown from five. Five…" Heero said.
Quatre's eyes still fell on the gun, no he cannot pick it up.
"Four…"
"Quatre, Help!" Dorothy shouted to him.
But what are the chances he can shoot better than Heero? Does he truly have no choice but to take up arms again?
"Three…"
"Quatre!" Dorothy shouted in desperation.
No, this isn't right. He can't and he won't use the gun.
"Two…"
"Stop this Heero!" Quatre shouted.
A loud gunshot echoed through the night and Quatre's eyes was filled with shock as Dorothy collapsed to the floor, dead from a shot to the head. Blood flowed from her wounds, staining the balcony's floors but Quatre stared down ahead in a daze. She's gone, Heero had killed her… Heero walked to stop in front of him and picked up the gun that he had thrown to him.
"You are nothing more than a coward, Quatre."
Quatre looked up at the mad man in shock, what does he mean?
"You claimed you gave up arms for the sake of peace, but you were merely running away. You should have stayed to fight like all of us did. In the end it only made you weak, for you are not even capable of protecting the ones you love." Heero said, his tone so cold as he stared down at him with cold emotionless eyes.
Quatre said nothing, Heero's words echoed in his brain. He's a coward?
"One cannot undo the stain of blood on their hands Quatre, no matter how much time has passed. You are just like all of us for you were once a Gundam Pilot." Heero said.
Quatre did not respond while Heero walked past him as if escaping after the mess that he had made. Quatre's eyes fell on Dorothy's body, no it cannot be. Surely there must be a better way than continuing to fight. But Heero was right, he couldn't even protect Dorothy because he refused to take Heero's gun. Quatre gave an anguished cry that echoed into the dark night.
Trowa's Nightmare
Trowa's eyes were wide with shock as he is breathing hard. No, it happened again Heero died in his arms again. He looked at where he was and realised that he was back to square one, the same location where the landslide was going to happen. He slowly stood up; this isn't the first time he had gone back in time. In the same past 4 times he had gone back in time and tried different ways to save Heero from the land slide.
Heero was shot by a sniper through the head on the first try. On the second try Trowa killed off everyone hiding out in the woods then he saved them from the landslide only for the ground beneath them to crumple. Heero threw him and his younger self out first before he was taken away by the ground collapsing on them. The third time, he called for backup first and killed off everyone in the woods. Their backup arrived, but Heero forced him and his younger self to get into the helicopter first. The branch snapped, causing Heero to be carried away by the landslide before Heero could even attempt to jump into the helicopter. The fourth time Trowa raced right to the top of the mountain, dismantled the self-destruct sequence in the base to prevent the landslide from happening. But Heero had pushed his younger self out of the way and took a bullet to chest to save his younger self from a sniper's shot.
No, this is the fifth time. Seeing Heero die so many times in front of Trowa was causing him to be mentally unstable. But no, he must save Heero! At all cost and in all ways. Trowa tightened the grip around his gun. This time for sure he will save Heero. He called for backup, raced so fact through the woods and took out all the snipers as they were all standing at the exact same spot. He then raced into the base to try to stop the self-destruction sequence, he was shot by some of the enemies, but he fired back, not caring if he killed them. He was over the no kill policy that the Preventers have now. Heero is his priority, he must save him! Trowa's hands were shaking much more than usual due to the pain from the gunshot wound he got just now. He cuts the correct wire, but the self-destruction sequence was still activated, no, this cannot be! He fired like a mad man at the computers, trying to stop the base from being blown up. But the computer's timer went haywire and the entire base exploded before his eyes. Trowa knew, he didn't mind if he dies, as long as Heero lived.
His eyes opened and he was stunned, why was he back here again? Heero should have survived the last attempt just now. Surely, Heero was saved just now? Then he realised that time was still ticking, no he has no time to rest. He will keep doing it time and time again, no matter what it takes, he will save Heero!
Wufei's Nightmare
Wufei is surprised, where was he? He was standing outside a large mansion gates and he slowly recognised it as Wingate Mansion. There was a long line of cars waiting to go in and everyone was dressed in black. He looked down at himself and saw that he too was dressed in a black suit. He followed the crowd of people walking into the mansion, wondering what was going on. Soon he saw a large stand outside the mansion's main doors. The year was dated AC 220 and it stated clearly that it was Heero Wingate's funeral wake. Wufei's eyes widened in shock, watching how everyone who is walking in looked extremely sad. He reported his name to the staff of the mansion then went in further into the mansion. The wake seems to be held outdoors in the large gardens of the mansion. Everyone was queuing up as if taking turns to pay their respects.
He saw Heero's family members with their loved ones, all of them looked so sad. The females' eyes were red and puffy from the crying. There was a large coffin set up in the middle, the coffin was sealed and a large photo frame of Heero whom looked much older in the photo was on display. People dropped white flowers as a sign or respect or bowed to the coffin. A few people walked out of his view and he saw Fate.
She looks much older than she is now, but she looked depressed and is dressed in a full black dress. She merely bows her head as the guests paid their respect to Heero. Her eyes were red and puffy, but she wasn't crying. That's when he noticed there were children behind her. Four of them to be exact, they looked like they are Heero and Fate's children. The eldest son looked upset, but he wasn't crying. The remaining three children were crying badly, but no one went forward to comfort or stop them.
"What the hell are you doing here, you murderer?"
Wufei was surprised and turned to see that it was Jace.
"I.." Wufei trailed off, remembering how he was the one whom had killed Heero, as Heero had lost himself and was causing chaos and death in his path.
"No one wants you around here." Jace said, the anger clear on his face.
"He was my best friend, surely I can…"
"Your best friend? Then you wouldn't have killed him." Jace cuts in, the sadness clear on his face.
Wufei is shocked silent, of course he was branded the murderer for he had killed Heero himself. His hands tightened into tight fists at his side.
"Give me back my brother, give my niece and nephews their father back!" Jace shouted at him, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.
Wufei merely looked away sadly because he can't bring Heero back. Their commotion was causing a lot of people to stare and are whispering among themselves. That's when Fate came over, stopping Jace. Jace left seemingly in a fit of anger. Wufei turned to Fate instead.
"Fate, I…"
"I think it's best if you leave. I… don't think you should cause anymore disruption here." Fate said almost immediately.
"But…"
"I'm sorry Wufei, but I just can't… not with you here." Fate whispered as tears fell from her eyes.
"Mummy?"
They both turned to see the youngest child of Heero and Fate, who is a daughter that looks like she is only four years old. Fate looked back at him instead.
"Please go, I cannot bring myself to break it to them that Uncle Wufei is the one who ended their father's life." Fate whispered, before she went over to her daughter.
Her daughter is crying too, Fate merely hugged her and cried. But Fate looked up at Wufei as if pleading him to leave. Wufei's heart sank and he walked towards the exit. His feet and heart felt heavy. Was this what it will be like? He may have ended the chaos caused by Heero, but it didn't change the fact that he's still a murderer in everyone else's eyes. Everyone else may hate him but he knew he did the right thing. Yet it did not make the guilt and pain any better. Why did it all come to this? Tears fell from Wufei's eyes as he left the mansion.
Fate's Nightmare
Fate didn't remember what happened next, she was simply in a state of depression. She didn't eat and all she did was stay in bed and cry all day. Heck it wasn't even her house, it was Gab's. She didn't open the flower shop as she was not in the mood to do anything else. Eventually she decided that she has to continue living, which was all she could do now. She forced herself to go through life, but it all seemed to pass by in a whirl as well. She remembered staring at the painting of Heero almost every day, remembering their time together and crying herself to sleep every night. He was indeed an imagination, someone who was out of reach, someone she could never be with anymore.
It was raining heavily one night, and Fate was finishing up a bouquet for a customer. She heard the loud thunder and the sound of the rain falling hard to the ground. She was reminded of a past memory she had with Heero. She looked down sadly before she sighed, forcing herself to concentrate on the bouquet before her. The wind chime behind the front door sounded, signalling that someone had entered the shop. She looked up and was stunned to see that it was Heero. What was he doing here? Wait she doesn't need to panic because he didn't remember her at all, she is just a stranger to him. Heero looked around the shop in silence before he approached the counter she was at. She took in a deep breath and put on her customer service face.
"Welcome, is there anything I can help you with?" She asked, forcing herself to smile at him.
"Yes, I am looking to buy a bouquet of flowers." Heero told her.
Fate nodded and showed him the portfolio she had and asked what the occasion was.
"It's for a wedding proposal."
His words surprised her, and she felt her world shatter left and right. But she continued smiling and concentrated at the task at hand. The familiar ache in her heart was there again, and this time she was certain that he was proposing to Relena. It wasn't her… after all he doesn't even know her. She wished that Heero would make up his mind and leave fast so that she could break down and cry again. Heero did choose a design and had specifically asked for a certain type of flowers. Fate wrote his order down on the order form and Heero paid deposit for the bouquet. After the copy of the order was given to Heero, he left the store. Fate heard the sound of his sports car driving away. That was when she reached out and placed her hands on the counter for support. Tears fell from her eyes, landing on the counter and she struggled to hold them back at the start. But eventually she started crying instead.
Oh God, talk about a horrible nightmare. She is merely his wedding proposal bouquet's florist. He's getting married and it isn't her. It will never be her after all she is just a stranger to him. She sank down to the floor instead, unable to control herself anymore. She cried hard and out loud, knowing that no one else was going to come in. After some time, she dragged herself to stand up. Her vision was still a blur, her eyes hurt from crying so much. But then her eyes fell on the large pair of sharp scissors that she uses for flower arrangement. She felt like she had lost all hope and that her world had just crashed down on her. She had already lost everything and now she will lose Heero forever as he's marrying Relena. There's simply no way she can win him back, it simply wasn't possible. If living was so painful… maybe she should just end it all… After all she couldn't turn back time and make him hers again.
Her hand closed around the scissors and she considered what the fastest way to die was. She could stab herself but that seemed painful. She could slit her wrist and die slowly in this place, aware that no one will find her until she had bled to her death. Maybe she ought to do just that. It would be a pathetic way to die, but… there's no need to hold onto pride in the last moment, is there? No one knows who she is, just a random jane doe accounting for the suicide numbers in VLA. She picked up the scissors and hesitated for a while, afraid to really do it. An image of Heero entered her mind, she immediately used the sharp scissors and slits her own wrist. She gasped in shock at the pain and watched as the blood dripped immediately. It hurts a lot too, but no it's not deep enough. It has to be deeper and so with her shaking hand she made the cut deeper as well. God the physical pain… it was unbearable, but it wasn't as bad as the pain she was feeling in her heart. The blood kept on flowing and Fate was surprised by how much it flowed. Was it supposed to be so much? She hated the stench of it and her hands are trembling. Was it due to the pain, fear of dying or something else? She wasn't sure as well, she tried to slit her other wrist but could no longer hold the scissors steady to do the job. She dropped the scissors on the counter and sank down to the floor. How long will it take before she dies? She doesn't know as well, after all she had never done this before.
She looked up at the ceiling of her flower shop and gave the flower shop one last look. A lonely and sad death in a quiet place… How vastly different from her usual life, filled with so much fame and stardom. Everyone wanted to know where she was, what she was doing, what she is wearing and even who she was dating. To think that she, the famous Fate is reduced to such a state of taking her own life, the irony of it. Tears fell from her eyes as she thought of Heero. Wait, shouldn't she finish his bouquet first before doing this? But it's too late… she had already slit her wrist. Thunder continued to roar outside, proving to her that it was still raining heavily. She closed her eyes and wished that death will come fast. That at least at the end of it she wouldn't feel any pain. She didn't know what happened after that, as her vision soon blurred, and she knew that she was dying. She was losing consciousness… that's good, it's finally here. Yet before she really lost consciousness, she heard someone's voice, but she couldn't make up what the person was saying. Was the person talking to her? She tried to look at whoever it was but could only catch a glimpse of dark brown before she passed out.
Heero's Nightmare
Fate's body has gone cold, but the blood still wouldn't stop. Heero was upset and angry at whoever had murdered all of his loved ones in cold blood. Who was it?
"Are you done?"
Heero immediately turned his head and looked up at who said that. He was stunned when he saw himself standing by the opened door that lead out to the balcony. What was going on? The samurai sword in the man's right hand was stained with a lot of blood and Heero knew that this man was the murderer. He hadn't left! That's when Heero also realised that this man's eyes were completely silver. Initially he thought that this man was another man with his same face but something about him didn't feel right. Heero could sense the slight chill down his spine warning him that this man is dangerous and that he is going to be tough to beat in a fight. He walked closer towards Heero while Heero immediately glared at him in anger. The man looked down at Fate's body.
"She had it coming." That line made Heero's blood boil in rage.
"I have longed to stab her through her heart since the very first day I saw her. She was annoying, constantly pestering you yet still so afraid of losing you if she ever confessed to you."
"What do you know?" Heero asked.
"Oh, I know everything Heero, after all I am you."
Heero's eyes widened in shock before he narrowed them at this man again. He's lying, it wasn't possible for he's right here too.
"No correction, I am the perfect soldier in you. The perfect killing machine you were trained to be, and I am the very same person who you have tried so hard to suppress and kill off." The man declared.
Heero was shocked to hear that but managed to keep the shock off his face. The man started walking around the room and stared at Wufei's body which was near the entrance of the sitting room.
"You thought that you could get rid of me. You thought that I was gone but I have always been here with you right from the very start." He told Heero.
No, this can't be true…. Heero refused to believe it. For if so, it would mean that he was the one who had murdered everyone here. He did all of this…
"I have always been the one protecting you especially when you were unable to do so yourself. And those moments are indeed so rare, for you are so well trained that you don't need my help much. Until the time when you were sent on a suicide mission against those super humans. You survived because of me and you didn't remember any of it. But don't we remember the look on Trowa's face?"
Heero did recall the look of pure terror on Trowa's face and how his hand was around Trowa's neck, strangling him. Trowa was also stunned that Heero remembered nothing about how they had gotten out of that mission. That was when Heero first knew that he had a killer side of himself that was cold blooded, ruthless and merciless. This other side of him had even tried to kill Trowa, one of his best friends.
"I saved you when you were still in a coma and how those idiots came to kill us. I showed them that we are not to be messed with. And I definitely taught those trainees not to mess with us. You rarely lose control like that, but it's all because of that woman's fault." The man told him.
Heero glared at him in anger, so it was him. This man had indeed protected him, saved him from death. But he had killed many people in the process instead.
"I gave up killing a long time ago." Heero declared.
"Oh yes, you did. But you can never forget the thrill of the hunt, how they would all scream in pain and agony. And the shock on their faces as they die."
This man is a sick psycho, making Heero feel sick.
"You crossed the line of no return a long time ago, there is no need to try and cover everything up. To pretend that it doesn't exist. Yes, the entire universe knows you as Heero Wingate and you pass yourself off as that man as well. The great CEO of SilverWings, the well-known commander of your own army. But you cannot deny that you were once a Gundam pilot, a man who massacred so many people at one go!" The man said.
Heero grits his teeth and placed Fate's body gently down on the floor instead. This is going to be a tough physical and mental fight.
"Your body count is so high that even you have lost count."
"Shut up!" Heero remarked.
"I won't, after all I hate the man that you have become in the recent years! Sure, the war has ended, and you think that you can have a normal life like everyone else. You have a family, became successful and even have a girlfriend. But wake up Heero, we can never be normal! Not when our hands are already stained with so much blood. We can pretend to be normal, to go through life like everyone else but we cannot pretend nor hide from the truth. The world doesn't need people like us, people who are only capable of killing and fighting!" The man exclaimed.
"That is not true!" Heero exclaimed as he stood up.
"We were trained since young to be an assassin, there was no way we could fit in with society, nor can we ever rewrite our own history. Carlton seemed to have protected us, gave us a chance at a normal life. But in truth he was only hiding us away, imagine how many people would want to kill us if people knew who we were?" The man asked.
"I believe in humanity and the world that we live in! That we all have a place in this world, we just have to adapt to it." Heero said.
"These are all lies and blind faith, Heero. After all, can you claim that you have stopped fighting? We are still fighting every day! There is no true peace as long as humanity and conflict exist!"
Heero's eyes widened in shock but he was right, he hadn't stopped fighting. He had simply changed the forms of fighting. He still fought to protect the peace between the Colonies and Earth, fought to make sure that everything was alright. That there were no terrorists trying to wipe out the Colonies and Earth, that the war will not happen ever again. He was fighting as a Preventer then and now he is a solider again.
"Be honest, we both felt that the world would not have survived if we wouldn't there to keep things in check."
"That's not the point." Heero said, glaring at the man before him.
"Have you forgotten all the training we had? I never forgot them but watching you having a family, having best friends and getting on with life, I was disgusted by how soft you have grown to be. You were constantly guilty of the people you have killed and even built a graveyard for them. You never forgot them and carried them with you because of kindness. You are far too soft inside! We don't need feelings, emotions and kindness! We have survived very well without them! You let people in, and I hate Fate the most! She completely ruined you, made you believe that we are capable of loving people. That we, the perfect killing machine as we are needed love like everyone else. That we are normal like any normal human being. But we are not, it's all a lie made to deceive us, Heero!" The man told him.
Heero was getting sick and tired of this verbal abuse.
"That's why they needed to go, that's why I killed them. Because we don't need them, we can survive just like we did before." The man told him.
"You had no right to do that." Heero remarked coldly.
"I merely wiped out the things that made us weak, after all they are our weaknesses now. Especially Fate, she will be the reason for your death one day. Might as well get rid of the problem before it happens."
Anger filled Heero and he immediately looked around for a weapon, not wanting to fire his gun as he was aware that the gun won't work if this man is truly who he claims to be. The man started pacing around the room instead and stared down at Fate's body.
"I nearly forgot; Fate was hiding something from us. Something so major that it will tear us apart when we find out."
"What the heck are you talking about?" Heero asked.
"I guess it's too late then since she's dead. Good, that way you will never know." The man said with an evil smirk on his face.
Heero used that short distraction and rushed out of the sitting room. He returned to Carlton's room and grabbed one of the rapiers that was hanging on the wall. Then he returned to the sitting room and immediately started charging at the other him. The other him parried the attack easily and they clashed blows with their swords after that.
"Oh yes, I can feel it. You want to kill me." The other man said.
"It's for all of them, for you killed them!" Heero shouted, this is for revenge!
Their swords continued to clash as Heero attacked fast but didn't manage to injure the man at all, for he was on the defensive. The sounds of their swords clashing against one another filled the room. When Heero was getting ready for the next charge, the man's sword moved so fast and so silently that Heero didn't sense it at all. He jumped back when he felt the pain from a slash to his left arm. How was it possible? Such swift, lethal and silent sword movements, was he capable of such moves? Heero still trains himself regularly in different fighting styles against very tough computer artificial intelligence as he hadn't found a human capable of putting up an actual fight against him until now.
"Oh yes, you have trained yourself constantly to keep up to date in fights. Be it newer weapons, hand to hand combat and new fighting styles. But those training only benefitted me for I know them too." The man declared.
Heero dodged the next attack in time.
"But this is different, you cannot beat me no matter how hard you try!" The man exclaimed.
Heero ignored him and continued fighting.
"Because I am better at combat than you are!" With that Heero received another cut to his right arm.
He ignored the pain and continued fighting. He will not lose to himself, he's better than this. He will not lose to this sick psycho who is only capable of killing people.
"I will defeat you!" Heero declared.
"You will fail miserably Heero." The man remarked.
The two of them continued their sword fight but Heero could feel that his blows were still useless against this man. He was much faster and more skilled than him. To top it off, he was changing his stance to attack as well. Heero tried his best to parry the attack but was pushed back by it. That was when he realised that something was different about the sword. He seemed to have seen it before, but where? Yet as the fight continued Heero couldn't help but feel something again. This familiar yet distant feeling, No… It couldn't be…
"Oh yes, you are feeling it again! The same feeling you felt when you were in a tough battle, the same feeling when your opponent is tough and puts up a better fight than you think they would. You and I are the same, Heero! You can only feel fulfilled as I do when we fight and when we kill!"
"No!" Heero exclaimed, refusing to believe him.
He received a slash to his other arm, and he stepped back to give himself distance from the other him. His blood was dripping down his sword hand and the pain was there, but he ignored it like he always did.
"The bloodlust, the thrill of wanting to win the fight, the urge to kill. The urge to see them suffer before they die." The man said.
Heero refused to believe him, no it wasn't true. He was no longer the man he used to be. He was no longer the perfect soldier anymore! He continued charging at the other him, choosing to go on the offensive again. His attacks were evaded easily, and he had to dodge a fast swing of the samurai sword. Indeed, the rapier and the samurai sword's fighting style are too different. But the other him never left any openings for Heero to thrust his rapier to injure him at all. It will not be easy to defeat this man before him.
"The sword, where did you get it?" Heero asked as they continued to slash blows.
"It's a wedding gift from the De Camden family, an inheritance for Fate's husband." The other him said.
It could only mean that Heero had married Fate in order to have that sword in possession. Then again it would explain why the sword was familiar, Heero caught a glimpse of it at Sakura Mansion one day. He briefly remembered the sad look on Fate's face as she looked down at the sword that she was holding that day. It was odd that the sword was passed down the generations like that.
"You married her." Heero said.
"No, you did. Naturally, I was against it, but you never listened to me."
Heero saw an opening and thrust the rapier directly at the man before him, as Heero caught him in the middle of his swing, he couldn't evade. But Heero merely got off with a cut to the man's left shoulder before he had to duck the oncoming swing.
"You managed to mark me." The other him remarked.
Heero turned to look back at the other him. He can do this; he can defeat himself! Their sword fight continued with many fast blows, parries and dodge. Heero felt the sensation again but refused to give into to it. He concentrated on the fight instead, refusing to back down.
Yes, Heero admits that he had feared this part of himself. Afraid that he would lose control of himself that he would be the killer machine he was trained to be. Killing everyone he loved by his own hands and before his very eyes. But he knew that he could no longer run away from it. He has to face up to his own fears and conquer them. He will not be defeated! He will show this killer side of himself that family and love didn't make him weaker. It only made him stronger for he has more things to protect now, even if they are dead. It doesn't change the fact that he will not give up and he will not lose! He felt his eyes narrowing and he felt the change in himself. No, he was losing control of his body. His body was moving way much faster than he was capable of and it reacted so fast to his brain commands. Dodge, parry, thrust, parry, thrust! Could this be it?
"You cannot defeat me because you hate me and choose to deny my existence! And you are constantly running away from me." The other him said.
He was right but Heero was done running, he will take him on. Be it in direct confrontation like now or if he is forced to admit that he's real. Forced to admit that there is a killing machine, a monster inside of him. He will get rid of it, right here and right now! Heero felt the change throughout his entire body and his rapier moved so fast, thrusting into the shoulder of the man before him. The man clenched his teeth together as if in pain but did not make a single sound. Heero moved back to dodge the oncoming blade, aware that he had wounded the other man. Blood dripped to the floor, but the man didn't seem to care about the wound or about the pain.
"I will kill you right here." Heero declared.
"What ever happened to giving up killing?" The man asked.
"That does not include killing oneself. I will do what it takes to kill you." Heero exclaimed.
"You cannot kill me Heero, for I am you just like you are me. If you kill me, you will die too!" The man exclaimed.
Heero's eyes fell on Fate's body which was lying in a pool of blood. He has no purpose to be alive anymore. If he can take this monster out with him, then so be it.
"Then so be it." Heero declared as he positioned his rapier.
"How self-sacrificial of you, but you will not succeed."
Both of them positioned their swords as if both were going in for the final blow and the final kill. Heero was prepared to charge in for the final blow but then he realised something, killing this man would indeed only kill himself. But what would be the other way out? How can he win without dying?
He was reminded of Fate and how she had chosen to accept him for who he is. Regardless of his past as a Gundam Pilot, his present as a soldier and who he will be in the future. Fate had accepted him without any questions asked. Was it by blind faith alone? No, it was faith in him. And it was probably love that had driven that acceptance she had towards him. But isn't it the same for him? As he stared up at the man who looked exactly identical to him, he knew what he had to do.
Both of them charged towards each other, ready to deal the final blow. Heero parried the first swing of the samurai sword and then as he stepped back, he slowly released his hold around the rapier he was holding. The man didn't disappoint him and used that opening to stab him right through the chest. God the pain was unbearable, he felt his own blood spilling towards the floor. He saw the smirk on his other self's face, as if happy that he had won. But then Heero reached out and hugged the man who had stabbed him instead, taking the other man by surprise.
"You are right, I was running away from you because I never want to go back to be a killing machine again. I was afraid of what we are capable of doing, the harm… we will bring to others." Heero said.
"You gave up fighting me, why?" The man demanded, aware of what has happened when he saw the discarded rapier on the floor.
"Because indeed you are me and I am you. Even though I hate you, even though I wish you didn't exist, I still need you. Just like how you need me." Heero said, tightening his grip around the other man.
He tried to free himself from Heero's hold but Heero wouldn't let him go.
"No, let me go!" The man exclaimed, trying to shake Heero off but Heero merely tightened his grip around his other self.
"I'm sorry for neglecting you, but it won't happen again. Together we can change and make the universe a better place." Heero said.
"The universe will never change, no matter how many people we have killed, no matter how much we do to change it!" The other man exclaimed.
"Even so that doesn't mean we stop trying. You and I are the same, I am sure that you too can change. I am no longer afraid of you anymore." Heero said.
The other man shoved at Heero hard and pulled the sword out of his chest. Heero fell to his knees almost immediately, though he struggled to not fall to the floor. Blood gushed out from the deep wound in his chest and the pain was unbearable but Heero refused to give up. He sees it; this other part of him is hurt and feels abandoned for the universe doesn't need him anymore now that there is peace. That he didn't have a place nor people who accepted him. But even so, Heero believes that they can co-exist.
"I don't need you to pity me, I'm better than you in a lot of ways!" The other man declared.
"I'm not, I don't want to keep on fighting you anymore. There must be a way where we too can… coexist in peace." Heero said, as he struggled to stay awake from the stab wound and the major blood loss.
How many times have he fought and had people seeking revenge for their loved ones coming to find him? Too many times to count, too many times to know that fighting and revenge was never the way out. It was a mere endless cycle with different parties involved. No one truly wins, not the one seeking revenge, nor the one who had killed. Hasn't the Colony Era's history and the many people who have died in the past war already proven it so?
"You are insane to want to co-exist with me, a man who you declare to be a sick psycho!" The man exclaimed.
"It's the only way, for both of us to continue living." Heero said.
He winced internally as he started vomiting blood instead. The man before him stared down at him.
"And you are truly willing to try that?" He questioned.
Heero nodded and reached a shaky hand out as if for his other self to take his hand and they will shake on the agreement as if it was a promise.
"Let's give it a try." Heero said softly.
The man seemed to hesitate for a moment.
"Even knowing that I have killed everyone?" He asked Heero.
"Even that." Heero said, knowing that since he had lost everyone, he only had himself left. And that included the man before him.
The other him seemed to still be hesitating but then he reached out and took Heero's hand. They shook hands for a short moment before Heero fell forward instead, no longer capable of staying awake due to the major blood loss from his stab wound.
Present time,
VLA, Hospital
Night time, 8pm
Heero's eyes opened and he immediately wondered where he was. His eyes took a while to focus and he found himself staring up at a white and plain ceiling. But that's when he heard the familiar sounds of the heart rate monitor and he knew that he was in a hospital. Was it because of the stab wound that he had? He could tell that he was lying down on the hospital bed and he moved his hand to touch where the stab wound was. It will help him to determine if he was treated for it. But he can't find it or feel it which surprised him for a moment.
"He's moving." He heard a female voice and recognised it as Isabelle.
Wait, she's in the hospital with him? That's when he heard movement and before he knew it, he found himself staring at a face that was identical to his. But no, it wasn't the same man he saw a while ago. This man before him was looking at him in concern before it turned into surprise.
"Heero, you are awake!" Jace exclaimed.
Eventually Isabelle joined in to look at him. Heero was still trying to figure out what was going on. Jace pressed the button to call the doctors while Isabelle immediately hugged him.
"Oh Heero, we were so worried about you. I'm glad that you made it." Isabelle whispered.
Heero was disoriented and trying to figure out what was wrong. Isabelle released him and wiped the tears from her eyes. Heero felt a little guilty for making them worried about him again. He wanted to speak but realised that he was wearing an oxygen mask. He immediately reaches out to pull it off.
"What happened?" He asked them.
"You don't remember?" Isabelle looked at him in surprise.
"You were caught in the gas attack at Blue Marine Pub." Jace said.
That's when Heero remembered everything, the gas attack at Blue Marine pub. But how was he going to explain what he saw? How real everything was, including the pain he had felt and the stench of the blood? But he had no time to think about the answers to these questions. He has to get to Fate. That's when the nurses came in and asked Jace and Isabelle to leave the room as they examine Heero. Heero refused to be examined, he wants to find Fate first. But they refused to let him out of bed and Heero was forced to go through the examination. The doctor that came in looked really tired but was stunned to see him awake. They did the basic checks on him and drew his blood.
"What's going on?" Heero asked the doctor.
"The hospital is filled to the brim with patients caught in the gas attack, we were trying to contain them in case the illness or gas is contagious. But the Preventers gave us vital information to the gas that was used on all of you. We have already lost some of the patients, but you are the only one who woke up." The doctor said.
Heero was surprised to hear this as well. After the checks were done, they cleared the room and needed time to wait for the blood test results. Heero immediately sat up and tried to get out of bed.
"Heero, you should rest." Jace advised.
"No, I have to find Fate and find out what is going on." Heero said, attempting to rip the needles out of his hand.
"About Fate…" Isabelle whispered, stopping him in his movements.
Heero heard the sadness in her voice.
"What about her?" Heero asked.
Isabelle looked at Jace sadly while Jace merely shook his head as well.
"A lot of the victims' condition wasn't well. You seemed okay at the start, but you were jerking violently and seemed to be in pain for a while before you calmed down. As for Fate…" Jace trailed off.
Heero immediately pulled the IV needle out from his hand and accepted the plaster from Isabelle to stop the blood from flowing out of the needle point.
"How is she?" Heero asked again.
"Her condition never got better, she's in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) now. They are afraid that they will lose her like how they lost some of the victims." Jace said softly.
Heero felt his blood turn to ice and time seemed to stop in that instant for the fear of losing Fate became very real. But then he clenched his hand into fists and refused to give up. He has to find her. He rushed to get off the hospital bed and Jace went over to support him as his legs were a little numb, probably an after effect of the gas.
"Where is the ICU?" Heero asked.
The two brothers' eyes met and Jace knew that Heero would stop at nothing until he sees Fate. Jace understood what Heero was going through and decided to help Heero instead. Supporting Heero, they left the room while Isabelle followed after them as she made a call to Carlton and Rachel. Heero was not surprised to see so many bodyguards outside the room he was in. They are here to protect him and are probably sent by his father. Jace then pointed out that Wufei, Trowa and Quatre were in one of the rooms nearby.
"How are they?" Heero asked.
His legs are still weak, but he is slowly able to walk on his own again.
"Surprisingly Wufei is considered rather stable with slight variances, Trowa and Quatre are not that well. But everyone is still in a better state when compared with Fate." Jace said.
Heero knew that he will see his friends later, Fate is a priority. They went out of the private area and Heero was surprised to see that the hospital was in chaos. It was flooded with many people, nurses and doctors were all running around while family members of the victims flooded the place. Some were crying, some looked worried and some were at a loss. It was a horrible sight but Heero signalled Jace to lead them on. They took the lift down and went to the ICU level. Heero managed to walk again and Jace directed him to a more private area. The bodyguards let them in, and his presence shocked everyone there. He was surprised to see most of Fate's family in the sitting area. Their presence here was a bad sign for they will not be here if it wasn't crucial.
"Heero, you are awake?" Belmont asked in surprise as he saw him.
"How is she?" Heero asked, ignoring the surprise and shock on their faces.
"She isn't doing so well, and the doctors asked us to leave the room. We have had no updates since." Helen whispered.
Heero immediately made his way towards the room.
"Heero, wait!" Jace exclaimed.
He pushed the door open and saw that the room was flooded with a lot of nurses and doctors. They were all rushing about, busy with something. He could barely see Fate, but he heard that awful yet familiar sound of the heart rate monitor giving off a loud beep. It was the same loud beep that sounded when the heart rate of the patient was zero. No… it couldn't be… Fate… Some nurses moved away, and he saw that Fate was lying unconscious on the hospital bed as the doctor was trying to revive her using the heart defibrillator. Her heart rate remained a flat line even after the shock from the device.
"Again!" The doctor ordered.
But Heero felt his blood turn to ice. This wasn't a dream anymore; he was very certain that this is reality. And while he was no longer asleep, he didn't want to wake up to lose Fate just like he did in the nightmare. No, she will not die on him. The doctor was still failing to revive Fate and Heero knew that he was not going to give up and accept her death like this. He immediately went over, pushed the doctor aside and took over the process instead.
"Sir, you cannot be in here!" A nurse exclaimed but she shuts up when Heero glared at her.
He then turned up the voltage of the heart defibrillator and shocked Fate again in hopes of reviving her. He did it again and again but to no avail, her heartrate is still zero.
"No, you will not die on me, Fate!" Heero exclaimed.
But naturally Fate didn't reply or respond to him. He refused to give up even when the nurses and doctors tried to stop him. He didn't want to hear all the rubbish that they were saying about letting her rest in peace. No, he will not give up! He will not lose her like this! He could hear the females crying as they watched from outside the door of the ICU room but Heero still insisted on trying. He hasn't given up hope that he will revive her. People may think that he was a mad man as he tried to revive Fate with the heart defibrillator over and over again. Eventually even Jace stepped in to pull him away from Fate.
"Heero stop! It's too late…" Jace whispered.
"It's not! I have to save…" Heero said, as he struggled to get past his own brother.
"Heero, please, just stop!" Jace begged.
But Heero attempted to push Jace away, he has to get back to reviving Fate. Amidst all the commotion, that's when they all heard another sound other than the loud beep. Everyone looked up in shock as there was finally something else on the heart rate monitor. It was a very weak and faint reading. The doctors and nurses immediately started doing what they could for Fate while Heero, in the midst of his relief was dragged out of the room as well. Everyone was forced to wait outside while the females were drying their tears and tried to look hopeful. Heero's number one concern is still Fate; he didn't want to deal with anything else until he was certain that she's safe. God, he had almost lost her… The fear had been real, and it was real for the minutes he was in there. The doctor and the nurses finally came out of the room and they all rushed to get an update on her status.
"The patient is still very weak; we will be monitoring her closely. We will do everything we can, but I can only ask that you all be prepared for the worst." The doctor said.
It was indeed the worst news one can hear and even the females were depressed to hear it. Still Heero knew that at least Fate is alive for now. That's when he turned to see a man dressed in the army's uniform approach him. Heero recognised the coat of arms immediately; this man was from his own army.
"Lieutenant Colonel Wingate, we need you to go to the Preventers' Headquarters." The man said.
That was when Heero knew that he could no longer stay here and watch over Fate. He was much needed elsewhere especially amidst this crisis that was causing chaos in VLA. His hands were clenched tightly into fists; it was down to a matter of choice. Heero knew what the right decision to make is, but it didn't change the fact that he hated having to do it. He straightened and looked at the man before him.
"Get the helicopter ready." Heero said.
As they turned to leave, Isabelle tried to stop him.
"But Heero…" Isabelle whispered.
"I know, help me to look after Fate for me." Heero said softly, cutting in before Isabelle could finish what she wanted to say.
Isabelle gave him a sad look before she lets him go.
"I am coming with you, all of you will need help on this as well." Belmont said.
"But…" Helen was shocked to hear this.
"I have to do this Helen, to save Fate." Belmont told his wife.
Helen knew what was at stake and merely nodded her head. She lets Belmont go with Heero.
"Thank you Jace, but I have a favour to ask." Heero told Jace.
"How rare of you to ask for help." Jace said with a small smile.
"Keep me updated about my three best friends." Heero said.
Jace merely nodded his head.
"Get the bastard who did this." Jace whispered.
"I will and he will wish he had never been born." Heero said.
Jace felt the chills at Heero's words and could only watch as they left. It was odd how Heero changed almost immediately to become the commanding officer from his disrupted state. But everyone could tell that Heero was struggling inside too, for the place he wants to be is in the hospital to watch over Fate. Yet there is far too much at stake, and his duty to the Colonies came above personal reasons.
To be continued….
Author's Note: I apologise as this chapter has a lot of triggering, dark and mature themes. As the fear gas forces our characters' worst fears to happen before their eyes, it is naturally going to be a dark story arc. But it is clear that some of them are afraid of similar things. This whole fear gas story arc is extremely hard to write because I was trying hard to convey how the characters really felt as they are going through their own nightmare. And I have to revisit these characters and ask what do they really fear the most? With the depressing emotions that are felt by the characters, it is sometimes hard to bring across as words. It did require me to feel such emotions as well to be able to write the chapters convincingly. Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Do stay tuned for more. Do read and review, but NO FLAMERS!
Trivia: Trowa's Nightmare is inspired by the anime Steins;Gate. The fight between the two Heeros has some reference to Heero and Wufei's fight in the Endless Waltz Movie. Fate's life as Gabriella is one of the many parallel world's storylines that I have once thought of for Fate. Similar to when Heero crossed worlds to the future when he was in a coma.