========================================
Role Reversal
By Sefilin
========================================
Disclaimers: Shin Kidousenki Gundam Wing copyright Sunrise,
Bandai, Sotsu Agency
Dedicated, as always, to Kellryn.
==========
Chapter Nine
==========
DUO'S HOME UNIVERSE:
----------
An ordinary-looking sedan drew to a halt outside the guard booth
at the entrance to the research centre, Pargan rolling down the window
to attract the attention of the guard sitting at the window, his head
bowed. They had decided that the pink limo would be a little too
inconspicuous for their mission and Relena had reluctantly allowed
Pargan to steal them a more appropriate vehicle.
There was no response to Pargan's voice, nor was there a response
when he climbed out of the car and shook the guard's shoulder. The
guard did begin to slide off the chair however, and the small hole over
his heart, rimmed with black powder and blood, rendered any other
attempts unnecessary.
Relena wrinkled her nose in disgust, hating that the pilots found
this sort of thing necessary. What was wrong with a cloth full of
chloroform, or something similar that would mean the player was out of
the game, but not out of life? She sighed. But the Gundam pilots were
soldiers and terrorists so what more could she expect? She had lived
with and accepted it for this long, she would continue to do so and
hope that one day it wouldn't be necessary.
Pargan drove through the gate and parked amongst the centre
employees' vehicles. Without waiting for him to open the door for her,
Relena climbed out and started for the door, knowing that any attempt
at stealth would probably go very badly. Pargan silently fell into
step behind her and she found herself grateful for his presence once
again.
Just before they reached the front door, she heard the sound of
other vehicles approaching and turned to see a few military vehicles
appear at the top of the hill and continue down the road that would
lead them directly to the research centre.
She picked up her pace, sweeping into the main reception area and
bearing down on the hapless receptionist, every iota of command she
possessed radiating from her.
Startled by her aura, the young man hastily and involuntarily
stood, responding to the imperious gesture she made.
"I am here to see Professor Keller. Where can I find him?"
"Uh... Miss Peacecraft..."
Relena made a brief, snapping motion with her hand, "Take me to
him. This is important."
He responded to the order, stepping out from behind the desk,
"Yes, ma'am. This way, please."
Relena sighed in relief, never more thankful for her long
submergence in the political arena of the world than at this moment.
The ability to command had been trained into her from a very young age
and she had mastered it.
She paced down the corridors beside the young man, her impatient
step pushing him to walk faster than usual and her tight lips
discouraging any attempts at conversation. Then he paused at a door
and gestured to it.
"This is it, ma'am."
Relena glanced at the keypad, noted it's less than pristine state
and wrapped a hand around the door handle. She opened the door with a
firm, confidant push and took a step into the room, her head set high
and her eyes hard. Pargan stepped up close behind her, his body tense
in anticipation of action.
Taking in the scene with a glance, Relena strode forwards,
deciding to single her brother out for attention. She stopped in front
of him and stared into the startled pale blue eyes behind the silver
mask. She opened her mouth to speak, but rather than addressing the
man in front of her, she addressed the Gundam pilots standing frozen
behind her.
"Hurry, go. Zechs called in reinforcements and they should be
here by now. Professor Keller," she now addressed the only other
person in the room. "These people and I require your help. Please go
with them and take your invention with you. I will personally ensure
your safe return."
She watched her brother's expression turn slowly turn from
surprise at her appearance turn to anger. He opened his mouth to
speak.
Relena laid her hand on his chest, pushing very lightly against
the red jacket, "No. This is important, Milliard."
Zechs involuntarily glanced down at her use of his real name and
his eyes softened imperceptibly. Behind her she heard a surprised gasp
and wondered fleetingly what that was about before dismissing it as
unimportant in the face of keeping her brother under control. Zechs
shook his head and lifted his hand to brush her arm aside.
"No," she said again, catching his wrist. "Niisan, the machine
that Keller designed, it may be able to gather dimensional energies,
but it can also cause rips between dimensions and people can get sucked
through. It's happened once already and we need to send him back."
A motion in the corner of her eyes as Keller took a few quick,
jerky steps forwards, "What? That's not possible, nothing can break
through dimensions."
"How exactly does your machine work if it doesn't break through
the barriers between dimensions?" Relena snapped, annoyed. "Your
invention may be beneficial, but it is also dangerous."
Zechs' eyes had narrowed through her speech and had become
thoughtful, "Is this true?"
Relena nodded once, a motion completely without doubt. She
turned away from her brother finally and beckoned towards Julian, "I'd
like you to meet Julian Peacecraft, Duo Maxwell's counterpart from one
of these other dimensions."
The masked soldier froze for a second then snorted, "You almost
had me believing you for a moment there, Relena."
Julian had moved, until he was standing next to Relena and he now
reached a hand out towards the blonde, "Milliard? Niisan?"
Zechs frowned at him.
Relena caught his eyes once more, "Why would I lie about this,
Niisan? What reason would I have? And even so, are you willing to
risk it? In Julian's world Treize Khushrenada is an advocate for
Absolute Pacifism, as are you. I am a Gundam pilot and they are
winning."
The frown remained on Zechs face, but he refrained from replying.
Keller, who had been listening intently and studying Julian
suddenly spoke up, "You know, now that I think about it, I guess it
_is_ a possibility."
Zechs turned towards the professor and glared.
Then a group of soldiers burst into the room, past the frozen
receptionist, and trained guns on everyone not wearing a red OZ
uniform.
==========
JULIAN'S HOME UNIVERSE:
----------
Meiran fell back from where she had been standing next to
Dorothy, who had been in the process of arguing furiously with
Lieutenant Noin, when a handful of soldiers rushed into the room. She
froze unwilling to make any sudden moves that would get her killed and
noted her fellow pilots doing the same thing.
It seemed Duo and Relena had been correct about the possibility
of a military presence, beyond the single owner of the vehicle in the
car park. She glanced to where Heero was sitting, his chest bound by
strips of Professor Keller's lab coat. He had decided to attempt
disarming Noin, and had paid the price. The woman was an excellent
shot, rendering the Japanese pilot useless for the time being. Meiran
had been glad when Quatre had assured them that he was still alive,
though she'd spent the next few minutes muttering under her breath
about the baka.
Of course, she had to admit to herself, had Heero not made a
move, it would have been her. And she had still tried, following Heero
into action and ended up with a gun barrel in her face. Noin hadn't
been off balance following Heero's attack and had bought the gun around
before she'd gotten close enough to make a difference.
It had been a standoff since then, Dorothy taking the chance to
try to talk the other woman into sense, without success. Dorothy
wasn't really a talker and Noin hadn't really listened. The capture of
four Gundam pilots was far more important than listening to the
granddaughter of Duke Dermail babble about dimensional energy and such.
Meiran growled in frustration, but still didn't move. She hoped
Relena and Duo knew about this and weren't about to walk into a trap.
At least if they were free there was a chance that they'd be rescued.
Glancing at Professor Keller, who was staring at the soldiers in
astonishment, she also hoped that security around here wasn't going to
be increased, or they'd find it even more difficult to get the machine
and return Duo to his world.
Heero was grabbed unceremoniously by two guards, despite Quatre's
protests, and dragged out the door on Noin's orders. The others
motioned with guns and herded the rest of them out into the corridor as
well, heading back to the front entrance and custody.
==========
Relena swore fluidly for long moments as she watched her fellow
pilots being pushed out into the corridor and Duo found himself
admiring her vocabulary. The words ran through his mind, describing
things for him as well as they did for her.
"This is so not good."
Duo nodded his head in agreement, his mind working fast, trying
to figure something out, "We need to get them back before they leave
the centre if possible. Once they've been put behind bars or whatever,
it's going to be that much harder." As Duo continued he heard his
voice turn harder and colder than most people would think possible, and
he saw Relena looking at him in surprise, "I will _not_ let OZ fuck
things up for me now."
He dropped into silence as he watched the group of people
continue on their way towards the entrance, then he was moving,
wrenching the door open and stalking dangerously, on his way to an
intercept.
"Duo! What are you doing?"
Duo didn't pause or even slow, "Noin will recognise Julian
Peacecraft, correct?"
An imperceptible movement at the corner of his eye indicated
Relena's nod in the affirmative and he smiled unpleasantly, "And tell
me, what do you think those soldiers will do if Noin is held at the
point of a gun?"
Relena remained silent for a few moments, then her lips stretched
in a smile identical to his, "Whatever you say."
"Good. You go get Keller, his machine and whatever else he says
we'll need and meet us out the front."
"But..."
"Do it. I can handle Noin, but without the machine, all of this
is for nothing and I'm not prepared to allow that. Go."
Relena sighed and left at a sprint, leaving Duo to his seething.
This Noin had dared to put his return home in jeopardy, had dared to
take his new friends hostage and, if it was up to him, she was not
going to get away with it. He fingered the gun tucked into the small
of his back, under the black sweatshirt he'd managed to find in the
back of Julian's closet. The small weight of a switchblade in his
pocket and boot boosted both his spirits and his confidence.
Abruptly, he stopped, his eyes on the door in front of him that
would lead him into the reception area. He hoped the others hadn't
arrived yet, but even if they were outside it was time to get ready.
Tacking his newly acquired Julian-persona over the top of Shinigami, he
stepped into the reception area, moving calmly towards the front door
when he found himself alone. Glancing out through a window, he saw no
sign of his friends, though there were two soldiers standing guard just
outside the entrance.
A smile briefly touched his lips, as he turned back to watch the
door from which those he was expecting should emerge.
Sure enough they did, led by Noin, and Duo took a few jerky steps
forwards.
"Lieutenant Noin!" he exclaimed shakily, eyeing the gun barrels
that were digging into the sides of his friends. His eyes rested
briefly on Heero, still hanging limply between the two guards. A flash
of anger moved through him again, but he quickly suppressed it. He
ignored the range of looks on everyone else's faces, choosing to return
his attention towards his main focus.
"Peacecraft. What are you doing here?"
Duo moved closer to the lieutenant, "I-I... Heero..."
An almost imperceptible expression of disgust crossed the woman's
face and Duo decided he had obviously been right about OZ's
intelligence knowing of Julian's obsession with Heero. Noin did not
deign to answer, merely snorting and taking a step around Duo.
Which was a big mistake.
A hand caught her wrist, twisting it around and up, turning her
entire body until it was facing the rest of the group, her arm bent
behind her back. She was forced to her knees, the unexpected attack
giving her no defence against it. A familiar noise broke loudly in her
ear and her eyes widened at the sight of the revolver pointed at her
temple.
"Wha...?"
"I believe Dorothy explained to you why we are here? I need to
go home and I'm not about to let you or anyone stop me. Now let them
go," an icy-cold voice whispered in her ear as the barrel became a
greater pressure against her temple.
Duo kept his eyes on the soldiers holding his friends as much as
on Noin, "Dorothy, keep an eye on the door, let me know if the guards
out there look like they're going to come in."
"Hai, Duo-sama."
The American blinked then grinned.
"Since your superior officer here doesn't seem to want to give
the order, I suggest you let them go. Unless you wish to explain to
Lady Une why her friend ended up with a rather large hole in her head?"
Duo, still grinning, tried a different tack, hoping the Lady Une of
this world was as scary as the one in his.
It seemed so, since a number of the soldiers' grips loosened,
their guns drooping in wrists gone slack. Meiran, Quatre and Trowa
took the chance to turn the tables, relieving the soldiers of those
guns and using them against them. They also retrieved their own guns
and moved towards Duo and Noin, whose expression had turned dark and
threatening.
Duo slammed the butt of his revolver against her head, sending
her crashing to the floor, unconscious. He didn't really want to have
to deal with her hostility for a while yet. A soldier took a step
towards his superior but froze when the gun turned in his direction.
Trowa and Quatre lifted Heero between them and headed in the
direction of the door, preceded by Meiran who disabled the guards still
lounging out the front.
"Where's Relena?" Dorothy asked from beside him, her gun also
trained on the guards, her foot resting against Noin's waist in a
gesture that dared the OZ soldiers to make a move.
"Coming."
"Oh?" Dorothy questioned, but didn't receive an answer as Meiran
came back inside.
"We've got Heero in one of the jeeps, we're ready to go."
An inclination of his head acknowledged her news, though his
attention did not waver, "We'll just wait for Relena, she should be
here any moment."
As if summoned by the words, the blonde pilot pushed open the
doors, Professor Keller marching in front of her, carrying a case in
his arms. His face was pale with high spots of colour brushed along
his cheekbones, in his fear and indignation.
Relena paused at the scene that greeted her and nodded in
approval at Duo before pushing Keller through the guards and continuing
on out through the door. She delivered him into Quatre's custody and
returned to the reception area, taking a hold of Noin's shoulders and
pulling her along also.
Once more a soldier made an aborted move in her direction, "We
won't be taking her with us, but we want t make sure none of you try
anything. We'll leave her out at the guard post for you to pick up."
He backed out the doorway and slipped into the jeep beside his
friends, not relaxing until Noin had been propped up against the guard
post and they were a mile away from the centre.
==========
DUO'S HOME UNIVERSE:
----------
Relena glanced at her brother in the rear-view mirror, sitting
next to a silent Julian in the backseat of the car. She frowned at the
younger Peacecraft, wondering what was bothering him about the blonde
next to him that he would keep sending small uncertain glances at the
masked man. It seemed that Zechs was wondering too, because he
suddenly turned to face the younger boy.
"What?"
Julian jumped, moving down the seat a little, but his eyes went
to those obscured by the mask and frowned into them, "You're Milliard?
Peacecraft?"
Zechs' lips tightened in frustrated anger, likely a little
annoyed that the information was now common knowledge amongst his
enemies. "Yes," he gritted out.
"Oh," Julian continued watching him silently and Zechs gave
another frustrated hiss before choosing to ignore the braided boy.
Relena felt a tug of sympathy for Julian, knowing that in his
world he and Milliard were brothers and fairly close in many ways. To
now be considered an enemy must be had to take.
Pargan pulled the sedan off the road, turning into an isolated
field after the jeep that carried the other Gundam pilots. Heero had
protested the travel arrangements, but had been overruled by Zechs, his
soldiers making sure things went the way he wanted them to, despite his
agreeing to allow them to go and return Julian to his world. That he
had decided to come with them, leaving behind all back up, was a
surprise, but Zechs had looked at her upon entering the vehicle and
spoken, "I expect you to talk them into letting me go too, once this is
over."
Relena had nodded her assurance, wondering how he could think
otherwise, given their relationship. When she thought about it, she
couldn't blame him for wanting to come with them, wanting to find out
if he had been deceived or not. She didn't think he had any real
doubts, but the idea was fantastic enough to warrant the small risk of
going with a group of Gundam pilots.
Climbing out of the vehicle, she gathered with the others at a
point a little way beyond the vehicles her attention focused on Keller
the way everyone else's was. The professor looked nervous, indignant
and excited all at once, much to her amusement.
She only hoped he had some idea of how to fix things so they
could transplant Julian back into his world and bring Duo here.
She watched Heero as he twitched nervously, staring at the
professor with the full weight of his unnerving glare. He was trying
his best not to get his hopes up, without success. His eyes
continuously flickered towards Julian, when he wasn't busy silently
harassing Keller, who had tuned him out and was fiddling with the
machine sitting in the case in front of him.
Quatre was talking quietly to the Professor, offering any
assistance he could while Trowa stood vigil next to him. Wufei stood
apart from everyone, watching Zechs suspiciously, and keeping watch for
unexpected visitors. Her brother had crossed his arms, standing
unmoving across from Wufei, his mask glinting in the sunlight and his
hair moving gently to and fro in the breeze. Pargan stood next to her,
a step closer to the Professor but still hanging back a little.
"If we change the parameters here and here, that might do it,"
Keller was earnestly explaining to Quatre. "You see, if I'm right then
all that's needed is a little more power, so instead of merely breaking
tapping into the vortex between dimensions, it will work it's way
through into another dimension altogether."
"Will it be the right dimension though?" the Arabian asked.
"What?" Keller paused and looked up. He blinked, "I... I don't
know."
Quatre stared at him, his expression freezing into something she
would never have expected from the infinitely kind pilot, "You don't
know. Well, you'll keep trying until you find it then. We want Duo
back."
"Ah..." Keller cleared his throat nervously and bobbed his head
down then up before turning back to the machine, much more comfortable
with it's workings than with the strange blonde child beside him.
No one spoke as they waited for the Professor to calibrate things
as he thought necessary, each pondering their own thoughts. Julian
moved to stand beside Relena and she entwined her arm in his for
comfort, allowing him to draw strength from her as his tension
increased with every second that passed.
"I hate this," he muttered.
"I know," she replied reassuringly, tightening her grip for a
brief moment.
"Okay, I think, maybe, it's ready," Keller spoke hesitantly to
the group, looking around at everyone, who remained in their places.
Julian took a deep breath and stepped forwards, "Okay, let's do
it."
Keller nodded, "Okay, once we're all a distance away, all you
need to do is press this key here," he pointed his finger. "I'm
assuming it works on a proximity basis, that's why we're all going to
move back."
Suiting action to words, he stood and quickly paced backwards
until he was a good fifty feet away. Wufei and Zechs followed without
question, Heero also going, a little more reluctantly.
Relena watched them move and instead of moving away, she moved to
stand in front of Julian. Placing her arms around his shoulders she
hugged him tightly and whispered in his ear, "I'm going to miss you,
but be happy, Julian."
Julian hugged her back and smiled shakily, "Yeah. You too."
Relena nodded and walked away with Quatre and Trowa then turned
to watch as Julian pressed the key indicated.
==========
JULIAN'S HOME UNIVERSE:
----------
Duo depressed the key he'd been instructed to and locked his eyes
with Relena's, smiling his thanks to her as he waited for something to
happen.
A vaguely familiar pressure built behind his eyes and a blackness
deeper than anything he'd known previously rolled over his
consciousness, stretching him and pulling him within it's currents. He
found himself being tossed through streams of painful energies that
sparkled along his nerve-endings and tingled through his memories and
self, twisting and turning, prodding and pricking until his mind
decided 'enough' and shut itself down.
==Owari, Chapter Nine==
http://www.geocities.com/sefilin/
sefilin@yahoo.com
Role Reversal
By Sefilin
========================================
Disclaimers: Shin Kidousenki Gundam Wing copyright Sunrise,
Bandai, Sotsu Agency
Dedicated, as always, to Kellryn.
==========
Chapter Nine
==========
DUO'S HOME UNIVERSE:
----------
An ordinary-looking sedan drew to a halt outside the guard booth
at the entrance to the research centre, Pargan rolling down the window
to attract the attention of the guard sitting at the window, his head
bowed. They had decided that the pink limo would be a little too
inconspicuous for their mission and Relena had reluctantly allowed
Pargan to steal them a more appropriate vehicle.
There was no response to Pargan's voice, nor was there a response
when he climbed out of the car and shook the guard's shoulder. The
guard did begin to slide off the chair however, and the small hole over
his heart, rimmed with black powder and blood, rendered any other
attempts unnecessary.
Relena wrinkled her nose in disgust, hating that the pilots found
this sort of thing necessary. What was wrong with a cloth full of
chloroform, or something similar that would mean the player was out of
the game, but not out of life? She sighed. But the Gundam pilots were
soldiers and terrorists so what more could she expect? She had lived
with and accepted it for this long, she would continue to do so and
hope that one day it wouldn't be necessary.
Pargan drove through the gate and parked amongst the centre
employees' vehicles. Without waiting for him to open the door for her,
Relena climbed out and started for the door, knowing that any attempt
at stealth would probably go very badly. Pargan silently fell into
step behind her and she found herself grateful for his presence once
again.
Just before they reached the front door, she heard the sound of
other vehicles approaching and turned to see a few military vehicles
appear at the top of the hill and continue down the road that would
lead them directly to the research centre.
She picked up her pace, sweeping into the main reception area and
bearing down on the hapless receptionist, every iota of command she
possessed radiating from her.
Startled by her aura, the young man hastily and involuntarily
stood, responding to the imperious gesture she made.
"I am here to see Professor Keller. Where can I find him?"
"Uh... Miss Peacecraft..."
Relena made a brief, snapping motion with her hand, "Take me to
him. This is important."
He responded to the order, stepping out from behind the desk,
"Yes, ma'am. This way, please."
Relena sighed in relief, never more thankful for her long
submergence in the political arena of the world than at this moment.
The ability to command had been trained into her from a very young age
and she had mastered it.
She paced down the corridors beside the young man, her impatient
step pushing him to walk faster than usual and her tight lips
discouraging any attempts at conversation. Then he paused at a door
and gestured to it.
"This is it, ma'am."
Relena glanced at the keypad, noted it's less than pristine state
and wrapped a hand around the door handle. She opened the door with a
firm, confidant push and took a step into the room, her head set high
and her eyes hard. Pargan stepped up close behind her, his body tense
in anticipation of action.
Taking in the scene with a glance, Relena strode forwards,
deciding to single her brother out for attention. She stopped in front
of him and stared into the startled pale blue eyes behind the silver
mask. She opened her mouth to speak, but rather than addressing the
man in front of her, she addressed the Gundam pilots standing frozen
behind her.
"Hurry, go. Zechs called in reinforcements and they should be
here by now. Professor Keller," she now addressed the only other
person in the room. "These people and I require your help. Please go
with them and take your invention with you. I will personally ensure
your safe return."
She watched her brother's expression turn slowly turn from
surprise at her appearance turn to anger. He opened his mouth to
speak.
Relena laid her hand on his chest, pushing very lightly against
the red jacket, "No. This is important, Milliard."
Zechs involuntarily glanced down at her use of his real name and
his eyes softened imperceptibly. Behind her she heard a surprised gasp
and wondered fleetingly what that was about before dismissing it as
unimportant in the face of keeping her brother under control. Zechs
shook his head and lifted his hand to brush her arm aside.
"No," she said again, catching his wrist. "Niisan, the machine
that Keller designed, it may be able to gather dimensional energies,
but it can also cause rips between dimensions and people can get sucked
through. It's happened once already and we need to send him back."
A motion in the corner of her eyes as Keller took a few quick,
jerky steps forwards, "What? That's not possible, nothing can break
through dimensions."
"How exactly does your machine work if it doesn't break through
the barriers between dimensions?" Relena snapped, annoyed. "Your
invention may be beneficial, but it is also dangerous."
Zechs' eyes had narrowed through her speech and had become
thoughtful, "Is this true?"
Relena nodded once, a motion completely without doubt. She
turned away from her brother finally and beckoned towards Julian, "I'd
like you to meet Julian Peacecraft, Duo Maxwell's counterpart from one
of these other dimensions."
The masked soldier froze for a second then snorted, "You almost
had me believing you for a moment there, Relena."
Julian had moved, until he was standing next to Relena and he now
reached a hand out towards the blonde, "Milliard? Niisan?"
Zechs frowned at him.
Relena caught his eyes once more, "Why would I lie about this,
Niisan? What reason would I have? And even so, are you willing to
risk it? In Julian's world Treize Khushrenada is an advocate for
Absolute Pacifism, as are you. I am a Gundam pilot and they are
winning."
The frown remained on Zechs face, but he refrained from replying.
Keller, who had been listening intently and studying Julian
suddenly spoke up, "You know, now that I think about it, I guess it
_is_ a possibility."
Zechs turned towards the professor and glared.
Then a group of soldiers burst into the room, past the frozen
receptionist, and trained guns on everyone not wearing a red OZ
uniform.
==========
JULIAN'S HOME UNIVERSE:
----------
Meiran fell back from where she had been standing next to
Dorothy, who had been in the process of arguing furiously with
Lieutenant Noin, when a handful of soldiers rushed into the room. She
froze unwilling to make any sudden moves that would get her killed and
noted her fellow pilots doing the same thing.
It seemed Duo and Relena had been correct about the possibility
of a military presence, beyond the single owner of the vehicle in the
car park. She glanced to where Heero was sitting, his chest bound by
strips of Professor Keller's lab coat. He had decided to attempt
disarming Noin, and had paid the price. The woman was an excellent
shot, rendering the Japanese pilot useless for the time being. Meiran
had been glad when Quatre had assured them that he was still alive,
though she'd spent the next few minutes muttering under her breath
about the baka.
Of course, she had to admit to herself, had Heero not made a
move, it would have been her. And she had still tried, following Heero
into action and ended up with a gun barrel in her face. Noin hadn't
been off balance following Heero's attack and had bought the gun around
before she'd gotten close enough to make a difference.
It had been a standoff since then, Dorothy taking the chance to
try to talk the other woman into sense, without success. Dorothy
wasn't really a talker and Noin hadn't really listened. The capture of
four Gundam pilots was far more important than listening to the
granddaughter of Duke Dermail babble about dimensional energy and such.
Meiran growled in frustration, but still didn't move. She hoped
Relena and Duo knew about this and weren't about to walk into a trap.
At least if they were free there was a chance that they'd be rescued.
Glancing at Professor Keller, who was staring at the soldiers in
astonishment, she also hoped that security around here wasn't going to
be increased, or they'd find it even more difficult to get the machine
and return Duo to his world.
Heero was grabbed unceremoniously by two guards, despite Quatre's
protests, and dragged out the door on Noin's orders. The others
motioned with guns and herded the rest of them out into the corridor as
well, heading back to the front entrance and custody.
==========
Relena swore fluidly for long moments as she watched her fellow
pilots being pushed out into the corridor and Duo found himself
admiring her vocabulary. The words ran through his mind, describing
things for him as well as they did for her.
"This is so not good."
Duo nodded his head in agreement, his mind working fast, trying
to figure something out, "We need to get them back before they leave
the centre if possible. Once they've been put behind bars or whatever,
it's going to be that much harder." As Duo continued he heard his
voice turn harder and colder than most people would think possible, and
he saw Relena looking at him in surprise, "I will _not_ let OZ fuck
things up for me now."
He dropped into silence as he watched the group of people
continue on their way towards the entrance, then he was moving,
wrenching the door open and stalking dangerously, on his way to an
intercept.
"Duo! What are you doing?"
Duo didn't pause or even slow, "Noin will recognise Julian
Peacecraft, correct?"
An imperceptible movement at the corner of his eye indicated
Relena's nod in the affirmative and he smiled unpleasantly, "And tell
me, what do you think those soldiers will do if Noin is held at the
point of a gun?"
Relena remained silent for a few moments, then her lips stretched
in a smile identical to his, "Whatever you say."
"Good. You go get Keller, his machine and whatever else he says
we'll need and meet us out the front."
"But..."
"Do it. I can handle Noin, but without the machine, all of this
is for nothing and I'm not prepared to allow that. Go."
Relena sighed and left at a sprint, leaving Duo to his seething.
This Noin had dared to put his return home in jeopardy, had dared to
take his new friends hostage and, if it was up to him, she was not
going to get away with it. He fingered the gun tucked into the small
of his back, under the black sweatshirt he'd managed to find in the
back of Julian's closet. The small weight of a switchblade in his
pocket and boot boosted both his spirits and his confidence.
Abruptly, he stopped, his eyes on the door in front of him that
would lead him into the reception area. He hoped the others hadn't
arrived yet, but even if they were outside it was time to get ready.
Tacking his newly acquired Julian-persona over the top of Shinigami, he
stepped into the reception area, moving calmly towards the front door
when he found himself alone. Glancing out through a window, he saw no
sign of his friends, though there were two soldiers standing guard just
outside the entrance.
A smile briefly touched his lips, as he turned back to watch the
door from which those he was expecting should emerge.
Sure enough they did, led by Noin, and Duo took a few jerky steps
forwards.
"Lieutenant Noin!" he exclaimed shakily, eyeing the gun barrels
that were digging into the sides of his friends. His eyes rested
briefly on Heero, still hanging limply between the two guards. A flash
of anger moved through him again, but he quickly suppressed it. He
ignored the range of looks on everyone else's faces, choosing to return
his attention towards his main focus.
"Peacecraft. What are you doing here?"
Duo moved closer to the lieutenant, "I-I... Heero..."
An almost imperceptible expression of disgust crossed the woman's
face and Duo decided he had obviously been right about OZ's
intelligence knowing of Julian's obsession with Heero. Noin did not
deign to answer, merely snorting and taking a step around Duo.
Which was a big mistake.
A hand caught her wrist, twisting it around and up, turning her
entire body until it was facing the rest of the group, her arm bent
behind her back. She was forced to her knees, the unexpected attack
giving her no defence against it. A familiar noise broke loudly in her
ear and her eyes widened at the sight of the revolver pointed at her
temple.
"Wha...?"
"I believe Dorothy explained to you why we are here? I need to
go home and I'm not about to let you or anyone stop me. Now let them
go," an icy-cold voice whispered in her ear as the barrel became a
greater pressure against her temple.
Duo kept his eyes on the soldiers holding his friends as much as
on Noin, "Dorothy, keep an eye on the door, let me know if the guards
out there look like they're going to come in."
"Hai, Duo-sama."
The American blinked then grinned.
"Since your superior officer here doesn't seem to want to give
the order, I suggest you let them go. Unless you wish to explain to
Lady Une why her friend ended up with a rather large hole in her head?"
Duo, still grinning, tried a different tack, hoping the Lady Une of
this world was as scary as the one in his.
It seemed so, since a number of the soldiers' grips loosened,
their guns drooping in wrists gone slack. Meiran, Quatre and Trowa
took the chance to turn the tables, relieving the soldiers of those
guns and using them against them. They also retrieved their own guns
and moved towards Duo and Noin, whose expression had turned dark and
threatening.
Duo slammed the butt of his revolver against her head, sending
her crashing to the floor, unconscious. He didn't really want to have
to deal with her hostility for a while yet. A soldier took a step
towards his superior but froze when the gun turned in his direction.
Trowa and Quatre lifted Heero between them and headed in the
direction of the door, preceded by Meiran who disabled the guards still
lounging out the front.
"Where's Relena?" Dorothy asked from beside him, her gun also
trained on the guards, her foot resting against Noin's waist in a
gesture that dared the OZ soldiers to make a move.
"Coming."
"Oh?" Dorothy questioned, but didn't receive an answer as Meiran
came back inside.
"We've got Heero in one of the jeeps, we're ready to go."
An inclination of his head acknowledged her news, though his
attention did not waver, "We'll just wait for Relena, she should be
here any moment."
As if summoned by the words, the blonde pilot pushed open the
doors, Professor Keller marching in front of her, carrying a case in
his arms. His face was pale with high spots of colour brushed along
his cheekbones, in his fear and indignation.
Relena paused at the scene that greeted her and nodded in
approval at Duo before pushing Keller through the guards and continuing
on out through the door. She delivered him into Quatre's custody and
returned to the reception area, taking a hold of Noin's shoulders and
pulling her along also.
Once more a soldier made an aborted move in her direction, "We
won't be taking her with us, but we want t make sure none of you try
anything. We'll leave her out at the guard post for you to pick up."
He backed out the doorway and slipped into the jeep beside his
friends, not relaxing until Noin had been propped up against the guard
post and they were a mile away from the centre.
==========
DUO'S HOME UNIVERSE:
----------
Relena glanced at her brother in the rear-view mirror, sitting
next to a silent Julian in the backseat of the car. She frowned at the
younger Peacecraft, wondering what was bothering him about the blonde
next to him that he would keep sending small uncertain glances at the
masked man. It seemed that Zechs was wondering too, because he
suddenly turned to face the younger boy.
"What?"
Julian jumped, moving down the seat a little, but his eyes went
to those obscured by the mask and frowned into them, "You're Milliard?
Peacecraft?"
Zechs' lips tightened in frustrated anger, likely a little
annoyed that the information was now common knowledge amongst his
enemies. "Yes," he gritted out.
"Oh," Julian continued watching him silently and Zechs gave
another frustrated hiss before choosing to ignore the braided boy.
Relena felt a tug of sympathy for Julian, knowing that in his
world he and Milliard were brothers and fairly close in many ways. To
now be considered an enemy must be had to take.
Pargan pulled the sedan off the road, turning into an isolated
field after the jeep that carried the other Gundam pilots. Heero had
protested the travel arrangements, but had been overruled by Zechs, his
soldiers making sure things went the way he wanted them to, despite his
agreeing to allow them to go and return Julian to his world. That he
had decided to come with them, leaving behind all back up, was a
surprise, but Zechs had looked at her upon entering the vehicle and
spoken, "I expect you to talk them into letting me go too, once this is
over."
Relena had nodded her assurance, wondering how he could think
otherwise, given their relationship. When she thought about it, she
couldn't blame him for wanting to come with them, wanting to find out
if he had been deceived or not. She didn't think he had any real
doubts, but the idea was fantastic enough to warrant the small risk of
going with a group of Gundam pilots.
Climbing out of the vehicle, she gathered with the others at a
point a little way beyond the vehicles her attention focused on Keller
the way everyone else's was. The professor looked nervous, indignant
and excited all at once, much to her amusement.
She only hoped he had some idea of how to fix things so they
could transplant Julian back into his world and bring Duo here.
She watched Heero as he twitched nervously, staring at the
professor with the full weight of his unnerving glare. He was trying
his best not to get his hopes up, without success. His eyes
continuously flickered towards Julian, when he wasn't busy silently
harassing Keller, who had tuned him out and was fiddling with the
machine sitting in the case in front of him.
Quatre was talking quietly to the Professor, offering any
assistance he could while Trowa stood vigil next to him. Wufei stood
apart from everyone, watching Zechs suspiciously, and keeping watch for
unexpected visitors. Her brother had crossed his arms, standing
unmoving across from Wufei, his mask glinting in the sunlight and his
hair moving gently to and fro in the breeze. Pargan stood next to her,
a step closer to the Professor but still hanging back a little.
"If we change the parameters here and here, that might do it,"
Keller was earnestly explaining to Quatre. "You see, if I'm right then
all that's needed is a little more power, so instead of merely breaking
tapping into the vortex between dimensions, it will work it's way
through into another dimension altogether."
"Will it be the right dimension though?" the Arabian asked.
"What?" Keller paused and looked up. He blinked, "I... I don't
know."
Quatre stared at him, his expression freezing into something she
would never have expected from the infinitely kind pilot, "You don't
know. Well, you'll keep trying until you find it then. We want Duo
back."
"Ah..." Keller cleared his throat nervously and bobbed his head
down then up before turning back to the machine, much more comfortable
with it's workings than with the strange blonde child beside him.
No one spoke as they waited for the Professor to calibrate things
as he thought necessary, each pondering their own thoughts. Julian
moved to stand beside Relena and she entwined her arm in his for
comfort, allowing him to draw strength from her as his tension
increased with every second that passed.
"I hate this," he muttered.
"I know," she replied reassuringly, tightening her grip for a
brief moment.
"Okay, I think, maybe, it's ready," Keller spoke hesitantly to
the group, looking around at everyone, who remained in their places.
Julian took a deep breath and stepped forwards, "Okay, let's do
it."
Keller nodded, "Okay, once we're all a distance away, all you
need to do is press this key here," he pointed his finger. "I'm
assuming it works on a proximity basis, that's why we're all going to
move back."
Suiting action to words, he stood and quickly paced backwards
until he was a good fifty feet away. Wufei and Zechs followed without
question, Heero also going, a little more reluctantly.
Relena watched them move and instead of moving away, she moved to
stand in front of Julian. Placing her arms around his shoulders she
hugged him tightly and whispered in his ear, "I'm going to miss you,
but be happy, Julian."
Julian hugged her back and smiled shakily, "Yeah. You too."
Relena nodded and walked away with Quatre and Trowa then turned
to watch as Julian pressed the key indicated.
==========
JULIAN'S HOME UNIVERSE:
----------
Duo depressed the key he'd been instructed to and locked his eyes
with Relena's, smiling his thanks to her as he waited for something to
happen.
A vaguely familiar pressure built behind his eyes and a blackness
deeper than anything he'd known previously rolled over his
consciousness, stretching him and pulling him within it's currents. He
found himself being tossed through streams of painful energies that
sparkled along his nerve-endings and tingled through his memories and
self, twisting and turning, prodding and pricking until his mind
decided 'enough' and shut itself down.
==Owari, Chapter Nine==
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