Canta Per Me

Canta Per Me

Episode Thirteen: Doctor J's Reckoning

Disclaimer: I don't own Noir or Gundam Wing.  So, don't complain to me if you have a problem with either anime…:P

Author's Note: This is going to be another heavy chapter as you could probably tell from the title of this one.  The history of Noir is being revealed slowly, but not all of it at once.  The mission to Japan was more or less a failure in the eyes of Noir because they weren't the ones who carried out the contract.  Look forward to seeing more of Kurai in the future, she's a meld of two of Noir's characters.  Relena and Meia are now watching their backs because they don't only have to deal with the Preventers, but with Kurai.  Who is the mysterious Kurai?  You won't see her in this episode, but she is discussed.  If anyone has noticed, I'm very careful never to use the word "mission" in regards to Noir's "contracts."  They're basically the same thing, but I want to show that Noir is different from Heero Yuy.  "Mission" sounds so much nobler than "contract."  By the way, for one of the best information resources on Gundam Wing try, http://www.shinigami.org .  On an interesting note, the assassin that Meia is modeled after looks like Rei from Evangelion in the actually anime, Noir.  My vision of Meia is that she looks like the little girl from another anime called Figure 17, except older.  I mean the little girl, not the actually, Figure 17.  Gosh, there's just so much anime that I've mentioned that you haven't even heard of yet.  Never mind, it doesn't matter to the story.

*          *          *          *          *          *

"NOIR.

The word designates the name of destiny from a distant time.

The two Virgo reign over death.

May the Black hands over the green field…

Please protect the newly born peace."

- opening from the anime, Noir.

Paris, France

            A day after the attack at the temple, everyone returned to Paris.  The very next morning, Heero and Wufei were debriefed by everyone else.  Zechs was unhappy to hear about the attack on Relena, actually, unhappy was an understatement. 

            "So, someone attacked Relena at that temple.  It was a trap," said Zechs slowly as he processed the information in his head. 

            "We found seven bodies in all.  One of which was Akuma, he was the head of one of the oldest branches of the Yakuza.  The rest were just men working under him.  We left it for the Tokyo Police to investigate because it was safer to get Relena back to Paris," said Heero.

            "The six men were gunned down with a .35 caliber like all the other hits before, but Akuma was deeply slashed across the chest with two sharp, thin daggers.  He died very quickly," said Wufei.

            "Did Relena know who the client was that she was meeting at the temple?" asked Zechs.

            "Relena wouldn't say.  She's very tight lipped about it, and so her assistant, Meia Krane.  She simply said that the job was a mess and that something went wrong," said Heero.

            "Did she know that she was meeting Yakuza there?" asked Sally.

            "No.  At least, that's what it looked like.  We had to leave her unguarded outside the temple, while investigating, but nothing happened to her.  So, it's difficult to tell if Akuma was the client she was meeting or not.  She won't say for sure.  It could have all been a coincidence," answered Wufei. 

            "I want to know who hired her to go out there.  Find out anyway you can," said Zechs as he looked straight into Heero's Prussian blue eyes.  Heero nodded in agreement.

*          *          *

            Relena looked at her laptop screen grimly.  Noir was still trying to figure out what had happened in Tokyo, but there were no really answers in the Interpol reports.  "The rest of the money for the contract was deposited into our account," reported Relena.

            "But, we weren't the ones who killed Akuma," said Meia.

            "I know.  I don't know what to do with the money.  It doesn't matter because we have a larger problem.  We have to find out who took out Akuma before I could do it.  It wasn't Heero and Wufei.  They don't do that sort of thing anymore, so there had to be someone else there," said Relena musingly. 

            "I didn't see anyone when I left," said Meia even though she had mentioned it earlier to Relena.

            "Someone knows who we are are," said Relena quietly.  'It could be the Society,' thought Relena with a frown.  She didn't say it out loud.  The signal for new e-mail sounded on the laptop.  Relena clicked to check what the e-mail had to say.  It was a new contract:

"Noir,

You are here by ordered to come to LaGrange Colony One.

Your target is Doctor J.

Lena Marquise, you are ordered to come alone for this mission. 

Do you accept this contract?

Take a pilgrimage."

            "'Take a pilgrimage'" read Relena out loud as she read the short contract over and over again.  Those were the words that Meia had e-mailed to her before.  The contract was just for Relena.  She looked at Meia who stared back at her.  The target was Doctor J.  Why?  He was the man who essential finished creating Heero Yuy the pilot of the Gundam, not the pacifist.  Heero Yuy's training first began with Odin Lowe.  Meia continued to stare at Relena with her dark blue eyes penetrating through her.   She bit her bottom lip and answered yes to the contract.  She didn't know why, but she had to.

*          *          *

            Heero was on the computer doing a deeper search on Relena's activities, but this time he looked up information on her assistant, Meia Krane.  She was born in L1, or so the records said.  Like Relena, there was virtually no information on Meia Krane.  Heero studied her picture on the screen with interest.  Her parents the Kranes had moved to the United States, but there was no further information on them.  He knew that her identity was fabricated, but who was she really? 

            He looked at the picture of the solemn, waif looking girl with short red hair and dark blue eyes.  There was something about her that he couldn't quite place.  Something that he had to dive deep into his memory for.

*          *          *

            "I'll be going to L1 by myself for a few days.  This job asked just for me, and I won't be taking you along with me.  Is that alright with you, Meia?" asked Relena with concern.

            "It's fine.  Be careful," said Meia quietly.

            "I will," said Relena as she left the apartment and hailed a cab to go to the airport to catch the a shuttle to L1.  What secrets would she find?  She had to get moving before the Preventers realized that she wasn't even on Earth.  Meia said that she could handle them for a few days, so Relena left it up to her.  She boarded the first shuttle to L1 that morning and arrived very shortly.  During her flight, she looked out the window, and recalled things her father, Mr. Darlian, had said to her about how beautiful the Earth looked like from the distance the shuttle was at.  She sighed as she shook those memories away, so that she could focus on her contract. 

            Relena arrived at the shuttle dock on L1, all she had to do was look for Doctor J, but there was no way of knowing for sure if Doctor J was still at the same location he was after the war had let up.  He chose to stay in L1.  Relena went to her hotel and checked in.  While she was there, she looked up information on Doctor J, usually it didn't matter who contracted her, she didn't care.  However, in this case, she wanted to know who wanted to know who contracted her.  Relena knew about Doctor J's involvement in the war, but after the war, Doctor J just slipped into his work in cybernetics.   She knew almost nothing about his back ground other than his expertise in the construction of Wing Gundam and the his work on the plans for the Wing Zero with the Zero system in it.  Relena was a little surprise to find that his lab was still in the same location it was at the end of the war.  The phone in the hotel rang, but Relena didn't pick it up first because she didn't know who it could possible be.  She told Meia that she would call her when she got to L1 and give her the number. 

            The video phone turned on with the output, so that Relena could see who was on screen, but they couldn't see her.  She blinked twice because most people could do that.  "Hello, Ms. Marquise.  I was wondering when you would arrive," said a familiar voice on the line.  A voice that she hadn't heard for a very long time.

            "Doctor J?" she whispered as she scrambled to the video phone and adjusted it so that he could see her.

            "You weren't expecting me," said Dr. J with a slight smirk.

            "What's going on here?" demanded Relena as she betrayed the confusion in her voice. 

            "You are here for me.  Come to my lab," said Dr. J.  The video output stopped and was replaced with a detailed map to the location of Dr. J's lab.  Relena had never been there, so she looked at the map with apprehension.  What was Dr. J doing?

*          *          *

            Meia decided to do some food shopping and take care of other chores while Relena was away in L1.  She went to the market to visit the bakery and candy shop.  Meia never really had a sweet tooth, but she still preferred some treats every once in a while.  Besides, Relena had a fondness for cherry lollipops, and Meia wanted to pick some up for her. 

            "Where's Relena?" asked a voice from behind her.  Meia turned around expressionlessly without reaching for her gun, which as Relena ordered, should be with her at all times.  Wufei stood there looking at Meia.  He was with Quatre and Trowa.

            "She's not here," answered Meia.  She looked vulnerable when she spoke to them.  No one would suspect that she was an assassin just by looking at her.  She was almost two heads shorter than Relena, and she looked too young for her age.  She was soft spoken and almost never shouted.

            "I can see that," said Wufei questioningly.  There was something about her that bothered him.  Something that he could quite place.  The girl was strange, and Wufei didn't know why he didn't like nor trusted her.

            "Where is she?" asked Quatre with concern.

            "She went away for a few days, but she didn't say what she was doing.  I was told to watch her apartment while she was away," said Meia without flinching.  Trowa, who was the only one of the three who could see through someone like her, looked at her, but he didn't know what to say.  She walked passed all of them without looking back at them. 

            Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei looked at each other for a moment.  Quatre sighing, pulled out his portable and called Lady Une to report that Relena's whereabouts were unknown.

*          *          *

            Relena walked along the nearly empty streets that led to Doctor J's laboratory.  The streets were dark and ominous as she walked down the street.  The colonies were so different from Earth.  They didn't have the sun on them like Earth did, and they had an artificial atmosphere that could never match Earth's.  In short, Relena wasn't a big fan of the Colonies.  She wouldn't live in the Colonies by choice.  Besides, almost all of Noir's work was on Earth.  She wore a black leather mini shirt with a slit on the side that came up to her knees.  Her honey blonde hair was up in a bun with some locks escaping out of it.  She wore a leather jacket over her mock turtle neck that was maroon without any sleeves.  She wore her boots that came up to her mid calves.  Her senses were on alert, and she was ready to do anything to defend herself.  She stopped when she came to a large unmarked building that took up a lot of room in the block, adjacent to the warehouse.  She walked up to the door, only for the doors to automatically open for her. 

            "Follow the sound of my voice, Ms. Marquise," ordered Doctor J through a PA system.  She followed the sound of his voice until she found him sitting in an chair with armrests in front of a small table.  There was another empty chair in front of him.  She looked at him with an eyebrow raised.  He gestured for her to take the seat in front of him with his metallic hand.  Relena trusted him for some unknown reason, so she took the seat in front of him.

            "What the Hell is going on here?" demanded Relena in a low and dangerous tone.  Doctor J knew who Noir was and that meant that he knew even more than her.

            "I wanted to see you again, Relena.  Or do you prefer Lena?" asked Doctor J.

            "You know about me," whispered Relena in a shaky voice.

            "Yes.  I knew that Gustave Reinheart trained you.  I never had the opportunity to meet him," said Doctor J.

            "What do you want?" demanded Relena.

            "I want you to kill me," answered Doctor J simply.

            Relena leaned back in her chair in surprise with her mouth slightly opened.  She realized that he was the one who placed the contract.  He contracted her to kill himself. 

*          *          *

            "Quatre's reported in.  Relena isn't in Paris.  She out of town in business," said Lady Une.

            Heero and Zechs looked at her in surprise.  Relena was gone without anyone noticing?  "How did he find out?" asked Zechs.

            "Meia Krane was out in the city by herself and that's what she told Wufei when he asked her," replied Lady Une.

            "We need to find out where she went," said Heero as he started to search his computer.  He knew that he odds of her using her name were slim, but he had to at least try.  He found nothing.  It was starting to really get on his nerves, not that he'd ever show it.  Relena was up to something.  "This all started a lot further ago than we think," he said out loud.

            "What thing?" asked Noin.

            "This thing with Relena.  She's been up to something for a long time now.  Probably ever since the war had ended," said Heero quietly.  The thought never occurred to him until that moment. 

            "You mean Relena's doing something that we don't know about for longer than we think," said Sally.

            "She's been hiding things for years.  No one really noticed because we all assumed that she just wanted to get away from the spotlight, but what if that's not the real reason?" said Lady Une as she caught on to what Heero was saying. 

            "What is she doing then?  Answer me," demanded Zechs.

            "I don't know," answered Heero, but he added, "Yet."

*          *          *

            "You contracted me to kill you?" asked Relena with a tone of disbelief. 

            "Yes.  Why are you so surprised, Noir?" asked Dr. J.  Relena narrowed her eyes, no one called her Noir point blank like that.  Most people never knew who Noir was.  Most people who met Noir face to face were immediately dealt with. 

            "You still haven't said anything more about knowing who I am.  Are you a member of the Society?" she demanded in a whisper.

            "No, I'm not a member of the society.  Just like you.  You and I were given the duties that most people could never do.  I have built machines for ultimate destruction, and I'm indirectly responsible for the deaths of hundreds.  We are some of the people who work for the Society of Night to do their bidding.  The one who planned Operation Meteor is a member of the Society, at least he is now," said Dr. J.

            "I don't work for the Society unless I have to," said Relena.

            "You are a child of the Society.  You are even different from me.  As Noir, you have more power than I do.  More power than you think over the Society.  My time is short now that you have arrived," said Dr. J enigmatically.

            "Don't talk in riddles, dammit," snapped Relena as she stood up from the chair and began to pace around the room.  It felt like she was trapped.  She couldn't believe that she was anything like the man in front of her.  She wanted nothing more, but to leave the lab.  "What about the pilgrimage?  You used the words 'Take a pilgrimage.'  Just like…" she trailed off.

            "Meia Krane," finished off Dr. J.  Relena's eyes widened in surprise as glared back at him with her mouth slightly opened.  "Yes, I know Meia Krane," he said softly with an unknown tone in his voice as he looked at his cybernetic hand which was on his lap.  Relena was breathing deeply as she tried to focus on what Dr. J was saying. 

            "You?  It wasn't a coincidence that she summoned me," Relena gasped as she caught her breath.

            "Are you ready to hear my story?" asked Dr. J quietly. 

            Relena looked at the man sitting in front of her, and she never thought of him as old until that moment.  An old man who wanted to make his last confession to her.  She walked back to the armchair in front of him and sat down.

*          *          *

            Meia looked at the flat around her.  She was sitting on the floor of the flat that had the sunshine beaming into it.  She was leaning against the wall in a white tank top and blue shorts.  It was so quiet.  She closed her eyes for a moment as she recalled waking up in the Kranes' house in Paris.  She recalled finding her identification card in one of the shirts that was hanging in a stand and finding a gun with bullets for her to use.  She opened her eyes and was breathing deeply.  She stood up abruptly and walked over to the drawer to where the watch was.  She opened the drawer and opened the pocket watch.  It was the watch that led her to Relena. 

            'Maybe, she can save me,' thought Meia as she sank to the floor on her knees.

*          *          *

            "My story begins fifteen years before Operation Meteor was launched that was the last time I saw my fellow Gundam mobile suit creators.  As you know the true mission of Operation Meteor was to take over the world for a fanatic.  I cannot give you his name.  You must understand.  His name isn't important, Ms. Marquise.  More than twenty years ago, I was living on Earth, working in my laboratory in Kyoto.  I wasn't even involved in the design of mobile suits at the time.  Rather, I was working with Gundanium.  I was hoping to use it for more uses than just building mobile suits.  I was coming up with things like this for the use of Gundanium," said Dr. J as he raised up his metallic arm. 

            "What happened?" asked Relena, pressing him to continue.

            "One day, the Federation was doing some testing of their mobile suits near Kyoto.  Some accident occurred.  They were never clear on that.  A mobile suit fell right into my lab.  The whole building was destroyed.  I nearly lost my life that day.  Little did I know that the work I was doing would also be for myself," said Dr. J.

            "Is that when you chose to fight for the colonies?" asked Relena.

            "I moved to L1, as you know, L1 is the colony that represents Japan.  I thought that I could make a fresh start here.  I heard the words of Heero Yuy, the pacifist, so I had much hope for the future.  I thought that the real future laid in the Colonies because I had lost hope for the Earth.  Then, Heero Yuy was assassinated by Odin Lowe, who was later killed by General Septum.  When Odin Lowe was killed, I was in a lab working on the Gundam mobile suit.  I met a young boy without a name of his own, other than Odin Lowe Jr.  That wasn't his real name because like many children during that time, he lost his identity.  I offered him a chance to pilot the Gundam, and he agreed, so I trained him," said Dr. J.

            "Heero," whispered Relena.

            "Yes, I thought it was fitting to give him that name because he was fighting for the Colonies.  I didn't know what would happen next because the funding for Operation Meteor paid for the construction of the Gundams.  When we scientists found out about its true mission, we changed the plans, which effectively made us targets.  It was really pointless.  We wanted to avoided killing more people.  It was predicted that two million people would die if the original plan was used, but it didn't matter.  There were still causalities.  Training Heero wasn't that hard; he was eager to learn.  On a particular mission, he blew up a base, but took out innocent lives.  Despite being devoid of emotion, Heero's performance afterwards was effected.  I was ordered to retrain him and rid him of any more emotions.  I disagreed with the plan, but I did it anyway," Dr. J told her.

            "You did it so that he would be able to survive," Relena explained for him.  She understood from her training under her uncle.  Dr. J had an attachment to Heero, even if he wasn't supposed to.

            "I was happy to hear that Heero was able to move forward after war.  I had my misgivings that he would be able to, but when he joined the Preventers, I was relieved.  I didn't have Heero for as long as I had Meia," said Dr. J.  Relena, who was just getting comfortable with the information that she was processing, snapped to attention at Meia's name.

            "What about Meia?  I was wondering when you would get to her.  You keep talking about Heero.  I'm not here for Heero.  I'm here for her," said Relena in an agitated tone. 

            "Meia's history is tied with Heero's.  Most of the children born in space are conceived and grown in artificial wombs because of the risk of birth defects.  One of the labs was decimated during the one of the attacks.  Meia was the only child in the artificial wombs that survived that attack.  I went there to look for spare parts because those labs have some of the best equipment in the Colonies.  I didn't expect to find a child in one of the wombs that survived.  All the records were destroyed and many people had died in the area, so there was no way of locating or knowing about her parents.  I managed to take the artificial womb back to my lab intact.  I waited for three months, and Meia was born.  I didn't know what to name her, so I gave her no name at the time.  She was an healthy child, but too young to train for the Gundam," said Dr. J with a certain amount of fondness in his voice that was just uncharacteristic to Relena's ears. 

            "But, not too young to be trained to kill people," said Relena with a certain amount of frankness in her voice.

            "I didn't know what to exactly do with her.  I thought that if the war would continue, it would be best to use her in that capacity.  I knew that I was getting on in years, and I didn't want to leave her completely defenseless.  When Heero arrived, Meia was only a year old, and I placed her under the care of someone else.  Heero was only about eight years old, when he agreed to become a pilot.  At ten years old, Heero met Meia.  Heero watched over Meia because she was so little, and she was only three years old.  He taught her how to play games with the computer to help with her hand/eye coordination.  He showed her how to do gymnastics.  I thought that it was easier to train both of them together.  The head of the project disagreed, and when Meia was only seven, he ordered that the two children be separated and reprogrammed.  I had to purge their memories of each other.  But, I think Heero still had some residual memories because of the incident when he was fourteen.  The one I had mentioned earlier, and the last reprogramming I had to do to him as a result.  Meia was sent to another lab and continued training as I ordered.  Heero was refocused on his efforts to pilot the Gundam.  When the war started, Meia was sent back to me.  I continued training her myself," said Dr. J.

            "What about when you had to leave?" asked Relena, referring to when he was caught and trapped by OZ.

            "I just left her in the lab.  She used the computer and the holographic programs to practice," answered Dr. J simply.

            "You left her all alone," whispered Relena.  She was getting a better understanding of Meia's personality.  She was quiet because she didn't know how to be with other people.  She had spent most of her life in and out of labs.

            "I'm thirsty, would you like something to drink?" offered Dr. J as he stood up to get some wine for himself.  Relena nodded, her throat felt parched.  Dr J came back immediately with two wine glasses and a bottle of wine.  He poured the red wine into the glasses and took a sip.  Relena followed suit after first smelling the wine.  "After the peace was declared, Meia was only about eight years old.  I didn't know what to do with her.  She was so devoid of emotion," he whispered in a raspy voice as he shook his head. 

            "How many children did you corrupt for the sake of your mission?  How many young minds did you tamper with?  For the sake of peace!" demanded Relena in an angry, loud voice.  She had the choice of being trained. Yes, she was deceived, but she still had the choice.  What about Heero and Meia?  Neither one of them had the choice.  As far as she was concerned, they were also victims of war.  Dr. J looked at Relena with his dark sunglasses with his Gundanium hand, he removed his sunglasses.  Relena gasped in surprise because he didn't have irises or pupils because they were clouded over.  His eyes were completely white; he was blind.  Relena looked at the sunglasses in his hand.  The tints were actually circuits that allowed him to see mostly just shadows.  The tips of the rims interfaced with his brain through patches, which allowed him to see.  It truly was a masterpiece of engineering. 

            "Not only did I lose part of my body, but I lost my eye sight that day over twenty years ago.  I lost my wife in that explosion.  My beautiful wife.  She was so loving, and she believed in the work I was doing.  Meia was my wife's name, and that was the name I finally gave to Meia when I left her in the Kranes' house.  The Kranes were members of the Society, so I thought that she could use the name without any problem.  The Kranes were killed off.  I tried my best to deprogram Meia, so that she could have a normal life, but I couldn't undo all the damage.  She was still like a doll.  Lifeless.  I realized that I couldn't fix her.  I had to find another way," whispered Dr. J.

            "Why did you send her to me?" asked Relena.  Nothing happens by coincidence.  'It explains why her methods are so much like Heero's.  I should have realized this sooner,' she thought. 

            "Because of what you did to Heero.  You were able to wake the humanity in him, and undo some of the damage.  The damage that matters more.  He has emotions that he can feel, even if he doesn't express them often.  You have managed to be Noir without forfeiting most of your humanity to do your duties.  I was hoping you would be able to do the same for Meia.  She needs you.  I made it so that the pocket watch from the Sank Kingdom would trigger her to find you.  That watch belonged to your father.  I leave her in your care," said Dr. J solemnly without putting on his sunglasses. 

            "It's not that simple.  I don't even know how I helped Heero in the first place.  Maybe, he found his way on his own because he wasn't with you from the very beginning.  Besides, Heero and Meia have already seen each other.  How could you just abandon her like that?  I could have very well killed her," whispered Relena harshly. 

            "I knew that you wouldn't.  You see part of yourself in her.  I knew that there was a chance that they could see each other again, but the programming I did on them was extensive.  They shouldn't recognize each other by just seeing and interacting in short periods of time.  I expect you do to your duty as Noir.  I am a threat to peace.  You didn't lift your sword until the war was over.  I am the one guilty of these crimes.  You must not tell Heero and Meia the truth about their past together.  It's best that they don't know.  I cannot predict what will happen if they find out about each other.  Do your duty as Noir," ordered Dr. J.  Relena clutched her hands into fists.  She had her gun and a wide dagger on her.  It was tucked into the sleeve of her jacket.  She took a napkin that Dr. J had placed her wine glass on and wiped the rim of her glass to get rid of any evidence that she was ever in the lab.  She stood up, and Dr. J was aware of it.  "Thank you," he said softly.

            Relena walked behind him to get out of the lab, but she took out the dagger from her sleeve with a flick of her wrist.  She stabbed him quickly and painlessly at the base of the back of his neck, killing him instantly.  She didn't even bother to turn her head to do; she kept her face towards the door.  Dr. J's Gundanium hand fell to his side as his sunglasses slipped out and landed on the floor.  Relena took the dagger back into her hand and wiped the blood off.  She walked out of the lab without looking back. 

*          *          *

            Meia was all alone in the apartment.  Relena had been gone for two days, and she was feel rather lonely.  She wasn't even reading to entertain herself.  The sound of the door being unlock alerted her.  Relena opened the door and came into the flat.  Meia stood up to walk up to her.  Relena looked so tired from the trip.  Her eyes filled with sadness the moment Meia looked at her straight in the eye.  Relena dropped her bag and locked Meia in an embrace.  Meia expressed subtle shock because she couldn't remember ever being hugged before.  Meia kept her arms at her sides because she didn't know what to do.

            "I'm so sorry, Meia.  I'm so sorry," whispered Relena over and over again.  Meia didn't even know what she was apologizing for, so she kept quiet.  Relena released her and took one look in her eyes.  'She is like a doll,' thought Relena because of the expressionless look on her face.  "Oh, God.  I have to help you," whispered Relena as she took a seat on the edge of the pool table.  Meia just stared back at her. 

            'I'll do my best for her,' thought Relena as she kept her silent promise to Doctor J.  He didn't know that she had made the promise to him after she killed him.  She wasn't going to say anything to Meia about what she knew.  Relena understood why Doctor J felt that he need to die.  His work was over.  It was now up to Relena.

Next Episode; Episode Fourteen: A Visit Home…