Here it is, the next chapter. ^^
It's only a sandwich
*Force of the Future*
Location: New Tower, Saudi
The Tavern smelled like vomit, sweat, stale beer and something else Quatre did not want to find out. He walked into the cavern in a tunic that covered much of his face, in fear that they might recognize him, as well as to block out the stench of the cavern.
Rajdah would be furious if he found out what I am doing, he thought as he made his way through the drunk crowd, looking for the man that Rajdah had described earlier in the day. But with the dim lights and drunkards all around him, it would be difficult.
Did this man drink?
Did this man get drunk?
Is he dangerous?
Quatre clenched his fist to give himself a little more confidence before continuing his search. He finally found a man, all dressed in drab black, sitting on a table at the far end, looking deeply into a candle that was his lamp. He moved towards him.
"Excuse me?" he asked.
The man did not look up.
"Excuse me, may I ask what is your business here?" he stated louder.
The man still did not answer.
Quatre was growing fustrated. Can he talk. "I said---"
"I heard what you said, boy," he snapped sharply, emphasis on boy. "And frankly, I don't give much of a damn what you are thinking or what you are asking because I have no interest of you. Now, beat it."
"I have been looking all over for you and I have risked myself to get here," Quatre said, his impatience boiling with crankiness and the heat in the room. "And I will not leave until you give me an answer." He lifted a gun from beneath his tunic and pointed it at his face.
The man was wide-eyed with surprise. Then, he said calmly, "Outside."
He led the way, with Quatre behind him, the gun still there, but concealed by the tunic. His stomach tightened as a stiff breeze brushed his drenched skin; he felt something suspicious, but he couldn't grasp the concept. Whatever it was was going to reveal itself in due time.
The man had led him to a silent alley at the side of the tavern. The Arabian moon shone brightly, a halo of blue surrounding it, the stars glistening nearby.
"That's enough," Quatre ordered. "Now, you didn't answer my question. What is your business here in New Tower?"
"Simple. I'm a businessman. The tradeworks."
"Yeah right," Quatre said wearily, with a snort. "You're lying between your teeth. No one really comes here for business unless they have something illegal to drop off or maybe...something you don't want the goverment to know about it."
"What do you care?" the man spat. "You ain't no goverment official."
Quatre was boiling, but he did not show it. He was tired, and he had been cranky since he got back to Earth. He did not have the time for this person. "I care enough. Next question; did you had anything to do whatsoever with the bombings of the peace buildings?"
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
"Answer the question," Quatre pressed dryly.
The man didn't say anything. He huffed angrily before saying, "What if I did?" he asked, walking backwards slowly in the alleyway, behind some trash cans. "What would you do about...it?!" He then grabbed some of the trash cans and threw it at Quatre. He was fast; the cans slammed into his belly and his head and threw him back, dropping the gun.
Footsteps racing down the far end.
By the time Quatre got up, he saw the man disappear to the right. Without feeling the pain, he bolted to his feet and started running after him, ignoring the things that were in the way. His eyes were starting to stagger and see double, but he still kept running.
He heard the man laugh a distant, a madman's laugh with words, "Bomb...headed...1200 hours...Washington..." before he stumbled over a brick that had fallen off a building and fell unconscious.
Location: Amsterdam, Netherland
Zechs woke up to a vid call. His hair still a mess as he got up and pulled on a robe over his nude self. He groggily sat up and kissed the frame on his bedside, where a picture of a smiling Lucrenzia Noin was placed. He smiled; was she alright in the hospital?
The vid phone beeped again.
He groaned. "Yah, yah, I'm comin'." He groaned again to his feet and stumbled over to the vid phone. The screen was blinking; private number. He groaned. Surely this couldn't be the hospital...He clicked the accept button and held his head on his hand, bored and sleepy.
The image of Heero Yuy appeared.
"Heero!" He nearly fell over in exasperation. "What the hell--?!"
Heero was looking positively harassed and didn't appear to have much sleep. Zechs clenched his fist and gritted his teeth and told himself to calm down immediately. "Okay, Heero, you roused me out of my bed about six in the morning but you appear to be without sleep. What's going on?"
He gulped visibly. "It's about Relena."
"What happened? What did you do to her?" he demanded immediately.
He looked like he was going to throw up somewhere because he was pale white as a ghost. Zechs wondered how a fighter like Heero could be so pukey about something. "It's not what I did...she's...um, she's...been kidnapped," he said dryly.
Zechs was furious now. "WHAT?!"
Heero visibly flinched; did Zechs see that right?
Zechs sighed audibly. It probably wasn't his fault...all the way, anyways. He would have to deal with that later. Right now, his sister was kidnapped by someone and he would need Heero's help to find her again. Heero would be the only one that could help him right now. "Okay, what was the last thing she said last night?"
"Good night?"
Sweatdrop. "Okay, then what did you do?"
"I went to the kitchen to fix up something to drink," Heero replied, his face twisting to another one of his fiersome scowls, his eyes piercing right into Zechs'. It made him shiver slightly. "Since when was this an interrogation on me?" he demanded.
"Hush it, Heero. I'm guessing the terrorists did this..." Zech stopped for a moment. "Look, this is going to be tough." When he saw another one of Heero's disapproving scowls, Zechs added quickly, "I'm going to call in to that conference of yours tomorrow telling the Russian officials that you two went back here to Amsterdam because she fell ill and that they should keep this under wraps. You, on the meantime, look for her! Keep me posted." Zechs slammed the end transmission button shut.
Zechs sighed heavily in fustration, kicking the vid box. Dammit, I knew something like this would happen! he thought angrily. I knew something was wrong here...I should have never agreed for Relena to leave off with someone as out of touch as...Heero Yuy...
The vid rang again. He accepted the call and barked, "Yes?!"
"Hi...dear..." came a weak response.
Zechs immediately regretted what he had down as he finally got a clear view of the speaker. He found a weak and pale Noin, lying down on a hospital bed with a bandage wrapped around her forehead. Her eyes gazed out with a sense of indirection but tried best to focus on Zechs. He smiled fraily, and said gently, "Hey."
"Hey...you're awfully agressive this time of morning."
He smiled, trying desperately to hide his agrivation. If she noticed the shift of tone, she didn't acknowledge it. "Yeah, I guess I'm just missing you, that's all," he replied sweetly, pinching his thigh below the vid screen. "How are you feeling?"
"Better...much better," she replied. "I wish they'd let me out now."
Zechs smiled despite the situation she was in. Typical Noin. "You should listen to them," he advised gently. "The Preventers need your strength...I need your strength. Stay in bed and reserve all that energy...trust me, you will be needing it."
"You DO miss me, don't you?" she asked teasingly, eyes glistening.
"All the time. Every minute of it," he confessed proudly.
Location: New Washington, North America
"I am the God of Death," he repeated. "I AM the God of DEATH!"
Tap, tap, tap.
Duo mused his chin, leaning back and contemplating the situation in front of his laptop. He was wearing a t-shirt and black pants, his trademark, and had a glass of pop sitting somewhere on the counter. He then yawned before returning his glazed look at the screen.
But his mind wasn't there.
He kept of thinking of that Maureen Hepburn; the way she strode up to him, the way she smiled and the way she cool about the entire situation. She was genuinely model material; everything was perfect on her. She was also quite smart and she demonstrated it quite well in the conference during the tour. And the way she kept on holding close to him...
He was also thinking of Hilde; his Hilde. Her short, boyish hair, her soulful eyes and her playful ways. She wasn't looking for fame or fortune. She was very loyal and very committed. She would never give up and would always try to do what was right in a situation. C'mon, she was even an OZ soldier for a brief time...she loved him...
Duo felt he was at crossroads between two women. Which of them held the key to his future? The best future? The future that was his and his to share with her? He was so confused.
Knock, knock.
Duo groaned to his feet and stradled to the door, his hand absently reaching beneath his loose shirt where his gun sat, waiting for the time when its services would be needed. "Who is it?" he demanded hostily.
"It's me, Preventer Hepburn."
He felt his heart skip a beat as he opened the door. "Hey."
"Hey," she greeted, smiling. "May I...come in?"
"Oh, sure!" he replied, swinging the door back to let her in.
She entered as Duo rushed to shut the door behind her. He watched her flow in, in a trench coat and heels with her hair down from work. At the same time, he realized the shape that his hotel room was apparently in. "Excuse the mess," he said, half-apoligizing.
Hepburn smiled callously. "Oh, that's okay. You should see mine!"
He smiled with slight humiliation, thinking, Oh, would I want to see yours! He walked across his thrown-aside attire and shutting off his laptop. "Heh heh, I was always like this," he told her, "living in a ruckus like this. Why, even my girl---" He stopped when he saw her pick up a frame with a picture of Hilde in there.
"Who's this? Your sister?" she asked innocently.
Duo laughed again, uncertain. "No, no. She's my girl back at L2 colony. Her name's Hilde."
"Oh. I see." She sounded almost disappointed.
He attempted to change the topic. "So...why did you drop by?"
She brightened up again. "Oh! Well, I was on my way to catch a midnight snack...I was wondering if maybe...you could...you know...come along?" Then she quickly added, "I could use some company."
Again, Duo sensed the crossroads between her and Hilde. He would have to choose again.
It's only a sandwich.
~*End of Chapter*~
It's only a sandwich
*Force of the Future*
Location: New Tower, Saudi
The Tavern smelled like vomit, sweat, stale beer and something else Quatre did not want to find out. He walked into the cavern in a tunic that covered much of his face, in fear that they might recognize him, as well as to block out the stench of the cavern.
Rajdah would be furious if he found out what I am doing, he thought as he made his way through the drunk crowd, looking for the man that Rajdah had described earlier in the day. But with the dim lights and drunkards all around him, it would be difficult.
Did this man drink?
Did this man get drunk?
Is he dangerous?
Quatre clenched his fist to give himself a little more confidence before continuing his search. He finally found a man, all dressed in drab black, sitting on a table at the far end, looking deeply into a candle that was his lamp. He moved towards him.
"Excuse me?" he asked.
The man did not look up.
"Excuse me, may I ask what is your business here?" he stated louder.
The man still did not answer.
Quatre was growing fustrated. Can he talk. "I said---"
"I heard what you said, boy," he snapped sharply, emphasis on boy. "And frankly, I don't give much of a damn what you are thinking or what you are asking because I have no interest of you. Now, beat it."
"I have been looking all over for you and I have risked myself to get here," Quatre said, his impatience boiling with crankiness and the heat in the room. "And I will not leave until you give me an answer." He lifted a gun from beneath his tunic and pointed it at his face.
The man was wide-eyed with surprise. Then, he said calmly, "Outside."
He led the way, with Quatre behind him, the gun still there, but concealed by the tunic. His stomach tightened as a stiff breeze brushed his drenched skin; he felt something suspicious, but he couldn't grasp the concept. Whatever it was was going to reveal itself in due time.
The man had led him to a silent alley at the side of the tavern. The Arabian moon shone brightly, a halo of blue surrounding it, the stars glistening nearby.
"That's enough," Quatre ordered. "Now, you didn't answer my question. What is your business here in New Tower?"
"Simple. I'm a businessman. The tradeworks."
"Yeah right," Quatre said wearily, with a snort. "You're lying between your teeth. No one really comes here for business unless they have something illegal to drop off or maybe...something you don't want the goverment to know about it."
"What do you care?" the man spat. "You ain't no goverment official."
Quatre was boiling, but he did not show it. He was tired, and he had been cranky since he got back to Earth. He did not have the time for this person. "I care enough. Next question; did you had anything to do whatsoever with the bombings of the peace buildings?"
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
"Answer the question," Quatre pressed dryly.
The man didn't say anything. He huffed angrily before saying, "What if I did?" he asked, walking backwards slowly in the alleyway, behind some trash cans. "What would you do about...it?!" He then grabbed some of the trash cans and threw it at Quatre. He was fast; the cans slammed into his belly and his head and threw him back, dropping the gun.
Footsteps racing down the far end.
By the time Quatre got up, he saw the man disappear to the right. Without feeling the pain, he bolted to his feet and started running after him, ignoring the things that were in the way. His eyes were starting to stagger and see double, but he still kept running.
He heard the man laugh a distant, a madman's laugh with words, "Bomb...headed...1200 hours...Washington..." before he stumbled over a brick that had fallen off a building and fell unconscious.
Location: Amsterdam, Netherland
Zechs woke up to a vid call. His hair still a mess as he got up and pulled on a robe over his nude self. He groggily sat up and kissed the frame on his bedside, where a picture of a smiling Lucrenzia Noin was placed. He smiled; was she alright in the hospital?
The vid phone beeped again.
He groaned. "Yah, yah, I'm comin'." He groaned again to his feet and stumbled over to the vid phone. The screen was blinking; private number. He groaned. Surely this couldn't be the hospital...He clicked the accept button and held his head on his hand, bored and sleepy.
The image of Heero Yuy appeared.
"Heero!" He nearly fell over in exasperation. "What the hell--?!"
Heero was looking positively harassed and didn't appear to have much sleep. Zechs clenched his fist and gritted his teeth and told himself to calm down immediately. "Okay, Heero, you roused me out of my bed about six in the morning but you appear to be without sleep. What's going on?"
He gulped visibly. "It's about Relena."
"What happened? What did you do to her?" he demanded immediately.
He looked like he was going to throw up somewhere because he was pale white as a ghost. Zechs wondered how a fighter like Heero could be so pukey about something. "It's not what I did...she's...um, she's...been kidnapped," he said dryly.
Zechs was furious now. "WHAT?!"
Heero visibly flinched; did Zechs see that right?
Zechs sighed audibly. It probably wasn't his fault...all the way, anyways. He would have to deal with that later. Right now, his sister was kidnapped by someone and he would need Heero's help to find her again. Heero would be the only one that could help him right now. "Okay, what was the last thing she said last night?"
"Good night?"
Sweatdrop. "Okay, then what did you do?"
"I went to the kitchen to fix up something to drink," Heero replied, his face twisting to another one of his fiersome scowls, his eyes piercing right into Zechs'. It made him shiver slightly. "Since when was this an interrogation on me?" he demanded.
"Hush it, Heero. I'm guessing the terrorists did this..." Zech stopped for a moment. "Look, this is going to be tough." When he saw another one of Heero's disapproving scowls, Zechs added quickly, "I'm going to call in to that conference of yours tomorrow telling the Russian officials that you two went back here to Amsterdam because she fell ill and that they should keep this under wraps. You, on the meantime, look for her! Keep me posted." Zechs slammed the end transmission button shut.
Zechs sighed heavily in fustration, kicking the vid box. Dammit, I knew something like this would happen! he thought angrily. I knew something was wrong here...I should have never agreed for Relena to leave off with someone as out of touch as...Heero Yuy...
The vid rang again. He accepted the call and barked, "Yes?!"
"Hi...dear..." came a weak response.
Zechs immediately regretted what he had down as he finally got a clear view of the speaker. He found a weak and pale Noin, lying down on a hospital bed with a bandage wrapped around her forehead. Her eyes gazed out with a sense of indirection but tried best to focus on Zechs. He smiled fraily, and said gently, "Hey."
"Hey...you're awfully agressive this time of morning."
He smiled, trying desperately to hide his agrivation. If she noticed the shift of tone, she didn't acknowledge it. "Yeah, I guess I'm just missing you, that's all," he replied sweetly, pinching his thigh below the vid screen. "How are you feeling?"
"Better...much better," she replied. "I wish they'd let me out now."
Zechs smiled despite the situation she was in. Typical Noin. "You should listen to them," he advised gently. "The Preventers need your strength...I need your strength. Stay in bed and reserve all that energy...trust me, you will be needing it."
"You DO miss me, don't you?" she asked teasingly, eyes glistening.
"All the time. Every minute of it," he confessed proudly.
Location: New Washington, North America
"I am the God of Death," he repeated. "I AM the God of DEATH!"
Tap, tap, tap.
Duo mused his chin, leaning back and contemplating the situation in front of his laptop. He was wearing a t-shirt and black pants, his trademark, and had a glass of pop sitting somewhere on the counter. He then yawned before returning his glazed look at the screen.
But his mind wasn't there.
He kept of thinking of that Maureen Hepburn; the way she strode up to him, the way she smiled and the way she cool about the entire situation. She was genuinely model material; everything was perfect on her. She was also quite smart and she demonstrated it quite well in the conference during the tour. And the way she kept on holding close to him...
He was also thinking of Hilde; his Hilde. Her short, boyish hair, her soulful eyes and her playful ways. She wasn't looking for fame or fortune. She was very loyal and very committed. She would never give up and would always try to do what was right in a situation. C'mon, she was even an OZ soldier for a brief time...she loved him...
Duo felt he was at crossroads between two women. Which of them held the key to his future? The best future? The future that was his and his to share with her? He was so confused.
Knock, knock.
Duo groaned to his feet and stradled to the door, his hand absently reaching beneath his loose shirt where his gun sat, waiting for the time when its services would be needed. "Who is it?" he demanded hostily.
"It's me, Preventer Hepburn."
He felt his heart skip a beat as he opened the door. "Hey."
"Hey," she greeted, smiling. "May I...come in?"
"Oh, sure!" he replied, swinging the door back to let her in.
She entered as Duo rushed to shut the door behind her. He watched her flow in, in a trench coat and heels with her hair down from work. At the same time, he realized the shape that his hotel room was apparently in. "Excuse the mess," he said, half-apoligizing.
Hepburn smiled callously. "Oh, that's okay. You should see mine!"
He smiled with slight humiliation, thinking, Oh, would I want to see yours! He walked across his thrown-aside attire and shutting off his laptop. "Heh heh, I was always like this," he told her, "living in a ruckus like this. Why, even my girl---" He stopped when he saw her pick up a frame with a picture of Hilde in there.
"Who's this? Your sister?" she asked innocently.
Duo laughed again, uncertain. "No, no. She's my girl back at L2 colony. Her name's Hilde."
"Oh. I see." She sounded almost disappointed.
He attempted to change the topic. "So...why did you drop by?"
She brightened up again. "Oh! Well, I was on my way to catch a midnight snack...I was wondering if maybe...you could...you know...come along?" Then she quickly added, "I could use some company."
Again, Duo sensed the crossroads between her and Hilde. He would have to choose again.
It's only a sandwich.
~*End of Chapter*~