{{TRANSCRIPT OF DIALOGUE FROM BASE 231.8
STATUS: SECURITY LEVEL 1
DATE: 35.6.20
TOPIC: NEW MISSION FOR PROJECT TITAN
A: How could you have just LOST two of them?
B: The Phoenix's actions were completely unforeseen, as was One's betrayal.
A: So we know he's joined the Rebels?
B: He killed twelve of our men. I think that's a strong indication of where his loyalties now lie.
A: You fool! He did that because he was running for his life. He had to know that they would figure out who he was, and that then you would kill him. You really jumped the gun, trying to terminate him like that.
B: He had obviously already been tainted.
A: You have no proof of that!
B: He knew of the chameleon-effect genes that Karen put in, damn her.
A: Transcripts of the dialog indicate he was going to tell you the identity of the Phoenix before you tried to kill him. And if that wasn't bad enough, you even fouled that up! You trained them yourself - those boys are arguably the most dangerous people alive, and you only brought along two agents! Idiot!
B: They aren't people.
A: And now another one has run off. That leaves you with what - two? Not a very good percentage.
B: I've already sent them out to recover Three. We know that the Rebels didn't grab him.
A: You know that he left of his own free will, on his own initiative. That tells you nothing about what happened to him after he left the base.
B: They'll find him and bring him back, and then we'll discover what happened to the other two.
A: You think he knows?
B: I'm certain of it.
A: Do you think you will be able to make him talk if he doesn't want to?
B: I've never had any problems with anyone before.
A: But that was because you had those damned creations of yours doing all the work, and now those creations are out running amuck! I think your brain has atrophied, Director. I think you've been relying too much on those boys, and you've gotten lazy.
B: How dare you!
A: Oh, I dare all right. And our superiors are going to dare a lot more when word of this reaches them.
B: It will all be taken care of by then. They will succeed in catching Three, and I will break him personally, and he will tell us everything we need to know to catch the others. Once we do that, they will also be broken, and then we will have the Phoenix! Everything else becomes unimportant.
A: I hope so, for my sake. Wasn't one of the ones who are missing the one with such a tolerance for torture?
B: Yes, Four, but he's weak in other ways. We can break him easily.}}
----------
They made it to the alley with a half-hour to spare. First Rina did a sweep with the scanner she brought along - no one was lying in wait, and there were no explosives, concussion bombs, or any other weapons or traps that Rina could detect. That didn't make her feel any easier, but it meant that they would stay to see if Three - Michael - showed up. After the region scanned clear, Rina climbed one of the buildings that formed the walls of the alley - luckily only two stories tall - and crouched down to wait. She kept one eye on the street at all times.
Twenty-five minutes later, a boy with white-blonde hair that fell past his shoulders and partway across his face came strolling casually down the street. Even if Rina hadn't seen his face in the files, hadn't memorized it years ago so that she knew it as well as she knew her own face, she would have known him. There was a shadow behind his eyes that she could see from here. He slowed a little as he reached the alley, then stopped in front of it. His eyes flicked back and forth across the street, then he quickly stepped into the alley, and walked to its end. Rina followed him with her eyes. He didn't seem at all surprised when both Heero and Arthur popped out of their respective hiding places, covering him with dart guns. Rina had procured a second for Arthur and some more darts for Heero a few days ago. Actually, the second had been for herself, after she saw the effectiveness of the darts on Arthur, but he needed it now more than she did. She had a regular blaster in a holster under her shoulder.
He immediately raised his hands into the air. "I surrender," he said softly.
"What did you say?" Heero asked.
"I said I surrender. I want to talk to you, but they know I've escaped. They've got elite soldiers looking for me, and probably the others, too. We can't stay here."
"What are you doing here?" Heero asked in a flat, emotionless voice.
The boy seemed irritated at the delay, and with a shake of his head threw some of his hair out of his face. "When you disappeared, then reappeared with a death-warrant on your head, I was suspicious. When Arthur disappeared, I did some research of my own, beyond the information they gave us to find and catch you. Then I discovered that the order for your death had gone out before you killed the soldiers, not after. It came even before they could have possibly known whether or not the Rebels had turned you. They lied to us. When the order also came out to find and kill Arthur because he had also joined the Rebels... I did not know if he had truly joined the Rebels, but I knew if he had, if both of you had, there must be reason for it. I have come to hear those reasons, because I think it's true now." His eyes flicked to the guns.
"Arthur?" Heero asked. "Is he telling the truth, or is this another trap?"
"He's telling the truth," Arthur said evenly. Rina noted that neither of their aim wavered, even slightly, as they spoke.
"Hold it right there!" someone shouted, and Rina quickly shifted her gaze to take in the entire alley. Two men stood at the end of the alley, holding guns. Their black and gray uniforms told her everything she needed to know. Elite shock troops. We've really got them scared, to call out the big guns.
Heero and Arthur's reaction was instant. Without so much as blinking, they both shifted their aim to the men and pulled the triggers on the dart guns. Both darts hit the men in the neck, and they both immediately dropped to the ground, unconscious. Elites always hunt in fours, Rina remembered, and saw two more figures at the end of the alley. Heero and Arthur fired at them, as well, but the darts bounced off a force-shield. They're using the force-shield to protect themselves and block off the alley.
"Traitors to the Alliance!" one of the soldiers said in a voice loud enough to be heard but not loud enough to draw too much attention from passerby in the street. It wasn't hard, people shied away from the menacing figures, and often didn't even look at them when they passed in the street. Those who exhibited too much interest in the elite troops tended to end up dead. "We have concussion bombs that will stop even you. We have been instructed not to use them if possible, because they may kill humans nearby, but if you don't throw your guns out here right now we will!"
Heero exchanged a glance with Arthur, and they both sent their weapons flying down the alleyway to land at the bottom of the shield. "Hands on your head! You too, traitor," the soldier said to Michael, who also placed his hands on his head. "Face away from us so we can see your hands, and link the fingers," the soldier added. When they did so, he deactivated the shield and they both walked forward, guns held ready.
Rina's first instinct was draw her gun and shoot them, but if there was one group of soldiers here, there might be more nearby, and the sound of gunfire would almost certainly bring them running. She wished now that she had kept one of the dart-guns, which only made a whooshing noise of released air pressure when fired. Too late now. Going to have to do this the silent way. Rina pulled a mask over her face - they couldn't see her. At least she had worn pants - her body was underdeveloped enough that she might be taken for a boy, if anyone saw her. But she didn't intend to let that happen. She pulled a small flare out of her pocket, set the fuse to one second, and tossed it in the air. There was a flash of incredibly bright white light, which caused the soldiers to turn, then momentarily blinded them.
In that moment, Rina leaped down from the top of the building, hoping her newly healed leg would be up to this. Feet-first she hit the first one in the chest, and she definitely heard bones crack as he went flying backwards. Then she landed on her feet and immediately attacked the second one, who tried to shoot her, but the dart went wide, and her kick hit him right below the ear, and he dropped to the ground, unconscious. By then the first was trying to get back up, despite broken ribs and a host of internal injuries. As he brought his gun up, Heero turned around grabbed the man's head, and with one swift movement broke his neck. He let go of the body and it dropped to the ground.
"Good move, but you would have done better to kill him with the first strike," Heero said dispassionately. Rina only nodded, not letting Michael hear her voice - bad enough that he had seen her body, which was undoubtedly that of a kid.
"Who's he?" Michael asked, nodding in her direction. No one answered, at least, neither Heero nor Arthur answered.
"Yes, who is he?" asked a taunting voice from the end of the alley. Rina spun, reaching for her gun, but even as her fingers closed on it, she saw the barrel of another gun pointed directly at her. "Freeze, kid." Rina instantly recognized Five... Kan, they'd called him, at the end of the gun, and the other boy, Two/Herc, standing beside him, pointing his gun at the others. Herc was the one who had spoken. "Hands on your head. That goes for all of you."
Angry at herself for getting caught, even angrier for thinking that she was invincible just because she'd managed to catch the other two, Rina placed her hands on her head, lacing her fingers together. "So, who is he?" Kan asked. No one responded. Rina glanced at the three boys standing behind her. There was no expression on any of their faces, and except for their slow, even breathing, they might have been statues. It suddenly occurred to her that this was the first time the six of them had been together since they had been created. Some reunion. "Take the mask off," Kan instructed. Rina didn't move. "I'm not asking you again. Take off the mask or I'll break every bone in your hand."
Rina doubted he could do that - her bones were as strong as his were - but she had no intention of letting him know that. Besides, they already suspected her, Rina Krace. She couldn't let them escape knowing who she really was, though, and she couldn't allow herself to be captured. She pulled off her mask.
"A girl?!" Herc exclaimed in surprise and disgust.
"Wait, I know her," Kan said with a frown. "She's Rina Krace, the ambassador's daughter." He gave her a feral smile, one that would have been better suited to some large cat. "Is she the one who turned you all into traitors?" he directed his question at the others. "Or was it the Phoenix himself?"
"Kan, you don't know what you're doing..." Arthur began in a low tone.
"Shut up, you weakling!" Kan snapped. Then he fired a dart at Rina. It hit her in the stomach, and, taking her cue from the soldiers, Rina immediately collapsed. She remained completely awake and aware, though, of the conversation that continued above her. She concentrated on footsteps. Kan had been out of her reach when he shot her, and Herc had been even farther away. The drug he'd shot her with slowed her reflexes slightly, made it difficult to breath, but she could still move. He needed to be closer - she'd only have one shot at this...
"Some things should not be discussed in front of outsiders," Kan said in a superior tone.
"You have no idea what you're talking about," Heero said in a low voice.
"You think we're going to listen to a bunch of traitors?" Herc asked. "And you, Three, you're even worse than they are. At least they have brainwashing as an excuse. Why did you do it?"
"Because the Alliance tried to kill Heero before they knew if he was a traitor. They would have killed him no matter what he did." Michael's voice was as low as Heero's but it had a melodious quality to it.
"Is that true, Heero?" Herc asked, sounding a little uncertain.
"It's true. They betrayed me long before I betrayed them."
"Don't listen to them!" Kan exclaimed, sounding disgusted. "They'll say anything to try to trick us. It won't work." Rina heard a foot crunching on the dirt right in front of her face. Now or never...
With a motion that no true human would be able to duplicate, Rina raised her body just far enough off the ground to give herself some leverage, then opened her eyes and swept her leg out, catching both of Kan's legs and dumping him on the ground. As he fell she grabbed the dart gun and forcefully pulled it out of his hands. As soon as she had control of it, she fired four darts at Herc. The first hit his shoulder, then the second missed as he started to move, but the third and fourth caught him in the side and he dropped to the ground, unconscious. Rina was still lying on her side, but she'd managed to get her legs around so one was on top of Kan's neck, pushing against his windpipe. There was one dart left in the gun, and she shot it into him, but knew that it wouldn't stop him. And the effect of the drugs in her system was growing more pronounced as she tried to move.
Kan managed to shove her leg aside and rolled to his feet, a little more slowly than usual. He was also fighting the effects of the drug. With a look of pure hatred on his face he lunged at her. Rina tensed for the impact his foot was going to make on her face, but before he reached her, he collapsed on the ground. Behind him Rina saw Michael holding the dart gun Herc had dropped. She managed to get up on one knee, watching him intently. Was he really serious about turning against the Alliance on his own, or had it been an elaborate trick? He held the gun on her for a moment, then let it fall to the ground, and raised his hands again. "I already surrendered. Do I have to do it again?"
Relief washed over Rina as she stumbled to her feet. "No, thank you." As Heero picked up the gun Michael had dropped, and Arthur moved to pick up the guns they'd thrown away, Michael just stared at her. She had a feeling he had already guessed the truth.
"We're taking them with us," Heero said. It wasn't a question.
"Yeah, I know. I've got to signal the car. They can be here in under three minutes." Rina took a step towards the street, where she'd seen a payphone, but her left leg gave out from under her, and she collapsed to the pavement.
"Are you all right?" Arthur asked, running over.
"It's the drugs," Heero said. "They work more slowly, but they still work."
Arthur put her arm around his shoulder and pulled her to her feet. "Come on. We'd better get you back before the drug makes you entirely unconscious."
"Wait, what about..." Rina broke off as Michael bent and effortlessly swung Kan over his shoulder.
He glanced at her, then at Heero, who followed suit with Herc.
Arthur started moving towards the street again. Rina concentrated long enough to tan her skin and turn her hair black. She let her head fall against her chest then, trusting her hair to hide her face. Now that it was over, she trembled in relief. That was closer than she'd ever come to getting caught, to getting exposed, and it was closer than she ever wanted to get again.
"Who do we call?"
"Heero knows the number," Rina murmured, feeling herself start to drift off. "Tell them it's the bird, and give them our location. Don't expect an answer." And with that, she faded into oblivion.
---------
{{TRANSCRIPT OF DIALOGUE FROM BASE 231.8
STATUS: SECURITY LEVEL 1
DATE: 35.6.20
TOPIC: DISAPPEARANCE OF TWO AND FIVE
A: Well, now you've done it. You've lost them all. I'm surprised you're still alive.
B: I'm not.
A: Not what?
B: Not surprised. I've taken steps to assure my safety in case such a situation should arise. I've collected particular information, about some of the things we do, and about Project Titan, and I've eliminated all others who possess that information, making myself the sole proprietor of that data. They can't eliminate me without losing the data as well.
A: Well, that doesn't surprise me at all. It makes sense that a slimy creature like you would always think to protect your own behind first.
B: Be careful who you call a slimy creature. Your situation is much more precarious than mine.
A: I trust that our superiors will know who is truly to blame here. I have no fears.
B: Is that so?
A: So what do you intend to do about Project Titan, now that you've lost them all?
B: I intend to capture them again, so I can find out what we did wrong. And I intend to capture the Phoenix. I want to meet the person who managed to turn them against me, before I put them in the chamber.
A: And how do you intend to do all that? The only power, the only force you had within the Alliance was Project Titan.
B: I have my methods.
A: Sometimes you disgust me.
B: Only sometimes, Major?}}
----------
When Rina woke up, she was lying in a bed in the home base. Mike was sitting beside her, a concerned expression on his face. Realizing where she was and remembering what had happened, Rina suddenly sat up. "What time is it?"
"It's ten-thirty in the morning," he said; and anticipating her next question, he continued, "I've already had word sent to your father, and he's called the school. You're home sick with the flu."
Rina relaxed slightly. "And the others? They're all here?"
"Yeah. They've locked up Two and Five in two separate rooms, and last I heard, neither of them has woken up yet. They took Three to another room and they talked to him for hours. They finally left him alone a few hours ago. I think Heero bullied Trish into showing him the file on communication between the Rebels in the different colonies, the one she wanted to show to you. Arthur was here for a while, but then he left. I think he wants to talk to you."
"I'll see him as soon as possible. Heero, too." Rina sat up and felt a throbbing in her head that she suspected had something to do with the drug. "Please get me some aspirin. After I see Arthur, you can tell people that I can start looking after things again. I've been neglecting my duties."
"No one would begrudge you a few hours spent in another pursuit, also working against the Alliance, after all you've done," he said reprovingly for her even thinking that someone would.
"No, but I would. I have a full day, now that I don't have to go to school, and I intend to make good use of it. As soon as I'm through with Arthur, start sending them in."
"How do you feel?"
Rina pulled the pillows behind her so she could lean back but remain sitting up. "My head feels like the entire Alliance army has been performing drills on top of it, and my hands and feet are a little numb and tingling. Other than that I'm fine. Thank you for asking."
"I'll see about that aspirin, and about getting you some breakfast," he said, and stood up to leave.
"Don't forget to start sending people in," she said warningly. It would be just like him to 'forget' to send them in, so that she could get some more rest. Sometimes he was more protective than her own father.
As he walked out the door, Arthur walked in. He sat by the edge of the bed in the spot Mike had just vacated, looking uncomfortable. Finally he asked, "How are you feeling?"
"I've been better, but I'll live. Mike said you were talking to Michael. What did he say?"
"He wants to join us. He came to the decision on his own - no help from either of us. He said... he said that the reason he turned away in the first place was because of me. He didn't like them hurting me so much."
Rina didn't know how to respond to that, so she remained silent.
"Did you know why Michael picked his name? Because of Mike. He wanted to be more like him, because he remembered that I smiled more when Mike was around. It feels strange. I'm glad that Michael left the Alliance, but I feel guilty that it was my fault."
"I think you should tell Mike about Michael. I think he'd appreciate it."
"I think I will." Arthur fell silent for another minute. "You'll order that Michael be released?"
"You're absolutely sure about him? A lot of people could die if what he knows gets out in the open."
"I'm sure. They could never lie to me, even when they can control their heartbeats. He knows who you are, too."
"Well, you'd have to be pretty dense not to know, when I got up after they shot me with the dart. No human could do that, and I don't think a fourteen-year-old girl would be able to jump off the roof like that. I'll order him released. Will you take care of him, show him around?"
"Yes, of course. There was something else I wanted to ask you..."
Here it comes, Rina thought. This is what he really wanted to ask me.
"... I wanted to know if you could let me handle Herc and Kan?"
Rina blinked. Whatever she had been expecting, this wasn't it. "You want to handle them?"
"Yes, I mean... I want to show them the truth, like you did, only..." he trailed off.
"Only not quite the way I did. Maybe with a little less shouting, attacking and pain?" Rina finished for him, and he nodded, looking embarrassed.
"I appreciate what you did for me, but I'd like to spare them that, if I can. I've known them all my life - I know them as well as anyone - I think I can do it. Heero has also offered to help, and I know Michael will, too."
"Yes! Of course," Rina said, wishing she wasn't so glad to be able to hand off that duty to someone else, even if he did ask for it. Dealing with them was more tiring, both emotionally and physically, than anything else she had done for the colonies so far. And it was true that Arthur could probably bring them around more gently than Rina had. "Take as long as you need, and if you ever need something, just ask." That was something else she hadn't been able to buy - more time to deal with them. A few minutes, a few hours each day wasn't enough, and she'd had to hurry. She couldn't afford to hold them for months, the weeks it had taken were bad enough. They had been a drain on the Rebels' resources, to keep them contained, and a drain on her own time and energy. But Arthur could do better, she was sure of it.
"Thank you!" he exclaimed, a joyous expression on his young face. It was so easy, looking at the large eyes, the slender frame, to imagine that he really was a normal boy, excited over something as stupid as a win in a sports game or something else. She wondered how often she looked that way to other people. The path not taken.
"Thank you. I was not looking forward to dealing with Kan."
Arthur's smile faded, and he looked pensive. "The commanders always liked Kan - they said he had the right attitude. He... enjoys his work. Not the killing, just doing a good job. But if the killing is part of it, he has fun with that, too. But he's not a bad person," Arthur quickly assured her.
Rina nodded, although she entertained doubts of her own. "Just let me know before you release him."
"I will. Herc, too. You'll like him, when he's not trying to capture you. He just likes to have fun all the time. The commanders used to punish him sometimes, for not concentrating enough."
Rina nodded again, thinking that he sounded a lot like a normal boy to her. That is, if one ignored the fact that he was a trained killer who had just tried to capture her, and that he wasn't entirely human. But there were differences between the boys, as was already demonstrated by Heero and Arthur. Michael was different, too - it must have taken a lot of guts to go against everything he'd been taught because of his own knowledge. And Arthur said the other two boys were different, as well. It brought Rina a sense of satisfaction to know that even the Alliance hadn't been able to stamp out all traces of humanity in them.
They both turned their heads as they heard steps in the hallway. Heero walked through the doorway, carrying a glass of water and a couple of bottles. He tossed the first bottle to her, a casual toss, but it flew so fast at her head that she could barely get her hand up to catch it in time. "Mike sent you that," he said. Rina opened the aspirin bottle and pressed one of the tabs to her forehead. She sighed in relief as the pain almost immediately died down. She'd read somewhere that in the old days many years before the colonies, aspirin used to come in a pill you had to swallow, and that it took a long time to take effect. She wasn't sure if she believed the story - what good was a pain reliever that didn't immediately remove pain?
"He also sent you this," Heero said, and threw the other bottle at her head. Rina immediately recognized her pills - she usually took one in the morning, but she'd been asleep, so she'd missed her regular dosing schedule. "What are they?"
"Just a nutrient supplement. I don't always eat regularly, and this helps me stay healthy, on top of my game. Even we get sick without enough food," she said with a meaningful glance at Arthur. "It's just like Mike to mother me like that." She took the glass from Heero and swallowed one of the pills. "Arthur wants to take charge of the other two." She left the end of the statement open, so that he could fill in anything he liked.
"Michael and I will help him. This may take a long time, much longer than me or Arthur. They think they've been betrayed, and they won't forgive us for that."
"Take as long as you need."
"What else do you want us to do? You didn't ask us to become Rebels just so that we could only help each other."
"Stay here," Rina said. "Mike will be sending everyone in soon. It's all business that I have to take care of, but maybe you can help with some of it." Just then the door opened and someone came in, carrying a plate of food in one hand and a pile of papers in the other. Rina held back a sigh, telling herself that now was not the time to feel sorry for herself. She'd known what she was getting into when she became the Phoenix.
Well, now we've accounted for all of the boys, although I doubt that Kan and Herc are going to be happy with the situation. It always struck me as strange that Michael would be the one to break free on his own.
Marika
STATUS: SECURITY LEVEL 1
DATE: 35.6.20
TOPIC: NEW MISSION FOR PROJECT TITAN
A: How could you have just LOST two of them?
B: The Phoenix's actions were completely unforeseen, as was One's betrayal.
A: So we know he's joined the Rebels?
B: He killed twelve of our men. I think that's a strong indication of where his loyalties now lie.
A: You fool! He did that because he was running for his life. He had to know that they would figure out who he was, and that then you would kill him. You really jumped the gun, trying to terminate him like that.
B: He had obviously already been tainted.
A: You have no proof of that!
B: He knew of the chameleon-effect genes that Karen put in, damn her.
A: Transcripts of the dialog indicate he was going to tell you the identity of the Phoenix before you tried to kill him. And if that wasn't bad enough, you even fouled that up! You trained them yourself - those boys are arguably the most dangerous people alive, and you only brought along two agents! Idiot!
B: They aren't people.
A: And now another one has run off. That leaves you with what - two? Not a very good percentage.
B: I've already sent them out to recover Three. We know that the Rebels didn't grab him.
A: You know that he left of his own free will, on his own initiative. That tells you nothing about what happened to him after he left the base.
B: They'll find him and bring him back, and then we'll discover what happened to the other two.
A: You think he knows?
B: I'm certain of it.
A: Do you think you will be able to make him talk if he doesn't want to?
B: I've never had any problems with anyone before.
A: But that was because you had those damned creations of yours doing all the work, and now those creations are out running amuck! I think your brain has atrophied, Director. I think you've been relying too much on those boys, and you've gotten lazy.
B: How dare you!
A: Oh, I dare all right. And our superiors are going to dare a lot more when word of this reaches them.
B: It will all be taken care of by then. They will succeed in catching Three, and I will break him personally, and he will tell us everything we need to know to catch the others. Once we do that, they will also be broken, and then we will have the Phoenix! Everything else becomes unimportant.
A: I hope so, for my sake. Wasn't one of the ones who are missing the one with such a tolerance for torture?
B: Yes, Four, but he's weak in other ways. We can break him easily.}}
----------
They made it to the alley with a half-hour to spare. First Rina did a sweep with the scanner she brought along - no one was lying in wait, and there were no explosives, concussion bombs, or any other weapons or traps that Rina could detect. That didn't make her feel any easier, but it meant that they would stay to see if Three - Michael - showed up. After the region scanned clear, Rina climbed one of the buildings that formed the walls of the alley - luckily only two stories tall - and crouched down to wait. She kept one eye on the street at all times.
Twenty-five minutes later, a boy with white-blonde hair that fell past his shoulders and partway across his face came strolling casually down the street. Even if Rina hadn't seen his face in the files, hadn't memorized it years ago so that she knew it as well as she knew her own face, she would have known him. There was a shadow behind his eyes that she could see from here. He slowed a little as he reached the alley, then stopped in front of it. His eyes flicked back and forth across the street, then he quickly stepped into the alley, and walked to its end. Rina followed him with her eyes. He didn't seem at all surprised when both Heero and Arthur popped out of their respective hiding places, covering him with dart guns. Rina had procured a second for Arthur and some more darts for Heero a few days ago. Actually, the second had been for herself, after she saw the effectiveness of the darts on Arthur, but he needed it now more than she did. She had a regular blaster in a holster under her shoulder.
He immediately raised his hands into the air. "I surrender," he said softly.
"What did you say?" Heero asked.
"I said I surrender. I want to talk to you, but they know I've escaped. They've got elite soldiers looking for me, and probably the others, too. We can't stay here."
"What are you doing here?" Heero asked in a flat, emotionless voice.
The boy seemed irritated at the delay, and with a shake of his head threw some of his hair out of his face. "When you disappeared, then reappeared with a death-warrant on your head, I was suspicious. When Arthur disappeared, I did some research of my own, beyond the information they gave us to find and catch you. Then I discovered that the order for your death had gone out before you killed the soldiers, not after. It came even before they could have possibly known whether or not the Rebels had turned you. They lied to us. When the order also came out to find and kill Arthur because he had also joined the Rebels... I did not know if he had truly joined the Rebels, but I knew if he had, if both of you had, there must be reason for it. I have come to hear those reasons, because I think it's true now." His eyes flicked to the guns.
"Arthur?" Heero asked. "Is he telling the truth, or is this another trap?"
"He's telling the truth," Arthur said evenly. Rina noted that neither of their aim wavered, even slightly, as they spoke.
"Hold it right there!" someone shouted, and Rina quickly shifted her gaze to take in the entire alley. Two men stood at the end of the alley, holding guns. Their black and gray uniforms told her everything she needed to know. Elite shock troops. We've really got them scared, to call out the big guns.
Heero and Arthur's reaction was instant. Without so much as blinking, they both shifted their aim to the men and pulled the triggers on the dart guns. Both darts hit the men in the neck, and they both immediately dropped to the ground, unconscious. Elites always hunt in fours, Rina remembered, and saw two more figures at the end of the alley. Heero and Arthur fired at them, as well, but the darts bounced off a force-shield. They're using the force-shield to protect themselves and block off the alley.
"Traitors to the Alliance!" one of the soldiers said in a voice loud enough to be heard but not loud enough to draw too much attention from passerby in the street. It wasn't hard, people shied away from the menacing figures, and often didn't even look at them when they passed in the street. Those who exhibited too much interest in the elite troops tended to end up dead. "We have concussion bombs that will stop even you. We have been instructed not to use them if possible, because they may kill humans nearby, but if you don't throw your guns out here right now we will!"
Heero exchanged a glance with Arthur, and they both sent their weapons flying down the alleyway to land at the bottom of the shield. "Hands on your head! You too, traitor," the soldier said to Michael, who also placed his hands on his head. "Face away from us so we can see your hands, and link the fingers," the soldier added. When they did so, he deactivated the shield and they both walked forward, guns held ready.
Rina's first instinct was draw her gun and shoot them, but if there was one group of soldiers here, there might be more nearby, and the sound of gunfire would almost certainly bring them running. She wished now that she had kept one of the dart-guns, which only made a whooshing noise of released air pressure when fired. Too late now. Going to have to do this the silent way. Rina pulled a mask over her face - they couldn't see her. At least she had worn pants - her body was underdeveloped enough that she might be taken for a boy, if anyone saw her. But she didn't intend to let that happen. She pulled a small flare out of her pocket, set the fuse to one second, and tossed it in the air. There was a flash of incredibly bright white light, which caused the soldiers to turn, then momentarily blinded them.
In that moment, Rina leaped down from the top of the building, hoping her newly healed leg would be up to this. Feet-first she hit the first one in the chest, and she definitely heard bones crack as he went flying backwards. Then she landed on her feet and immediately attacked the second one, who tried to shoot her, but the dart went wide, and her kick hit him right below the ear, and he dropped to the ground, unconscious. By then the first was trying to get back up, despite broken ribs and a host of internal injuries. As he brought his gun up, Heero turned around grabbed the man's head, and with one swift movement broke his neck. He let go of the body and it dropped to the ground.
"Good move, but you would have done better to kill him with the first strike," Heero said dispassionately. Rina only nodded, not letting Michael hear her voice - bad enough that he had seen her body, which was undoubtedly that of a kid.
"Who's he?" Michael asked, nodding in her direction. No one answered, at least, neither Heero nor Arthur answered.
"Yes, who is he?" asked a taunting voice from the end of the alley. Rina spun, reaching for her gun, but even as her fingers closed on it, she saw the barrel of another gun pointed directly at her. "Freeze, kid." Rina instantly recognized Five... Kan, they'd called him, at the end of the gun, and the other boy, Two/Herc, standing beside him, pointing his gun at the others. Herc was the one who had spoken. "Hands on your head. That goes for all of you."
Angry at herself for getting caught, even angrier for thinking that she was invincible just because she'd managed to catch the other two, Rina placed her hands on her head, lacing her fingers together. "So, who is he?" Kan asked. No one responded. Rina glanced at the three boys standing behind her. There was no expression on any of their faces, and except for their slow, even breathing, they might have been statues. It suddenly occurred to her that this was the first time the six of them had been together since they had been created. Some reunion. "Take the mask off," Kan instructed. Rina didn't move. "I'm not asking you again. Take off the mask or I'll break every bone in your hand."
Rina doubted he could do that - her bones were as strong as his were - but she had no intention of letting him know that. Besides, they already suspected her, Rina Krace. She couldn't let them escape knowing who she really was, though, and she couldn't allow herself to be captured. She pulled off her mask.
"A girl?!" Herc exclaimed in surprise and disgust.
"Wait, I know her," Kan said with a frown. "She's Rina Krace, the ambassador's daughter." He gave her a feral smile, one that would have been better suited to some large cat. "Is she the one who turned you all into traitors?" he directed his question at the others. "Or was it the Phoenix himself?"
"Kan, you don't know what you're doing..." Arthur began in a low tone.
"Shut up, you weakling!" Kan snapped. Then he fired a dart at Rina. It hit her in the stomach, and, taking her cue from the soldiers, Rina immediately collapsed. She remained completely awake and aware, though, of the conversation that continued above her. She concentrated on footsteps. Kan had been out of her reach when he shot her, and Herc had been even farther away. The drug he'd shot her with slowed her reflexes slightly, made it difficult to breath, but she could still move. He needed to be closer - she'd only have one shot at this...
"Some things should not be discussed in front of outsiders," Kan said in a superior tone.
"You have no idea what you're talking about," Heero said in a low voice.
"You think we're going to listen to a bunch of traitors?" Herc asked. "And you, Three, you're even worse than they are. At least they have brainwashing as an excuse. Why did you do it?"
"Because the Alliance tried to kill Heero before they knew if he was a traitor. They would have killed him no matter what he did." Michael's voice was as low as Heero's but it had a melodious quality to it.
"Is that true, Heero?" Herc asked, sounding a little uncertain.
"It's true. They betrayed me long before I betrayed them."
"Don't listen to them!" Kan exclaimed, sounding disgusted. "They'll say anything to try to trick us. It won't work." Rina heard a foot crunching on the dirt right in front of her face. Now or never...
With a motion that no true human would be able to duplicate, Rina raised her body just far enough off the ground to give herself some leverage, then opened her eyes and swept her leg out, catching both of Kan's legs and dumping him on the ground. As he fell she grabbed the dart gun and forcefully pulled it out of his hands. As soon as she had control of it, she fired four darts at Herc. The first hit his shoulder, then the second missed as he started to move, but the third and fourth caught him in the side and he dropped to the ground, unconscious. Rina was still lying on her side, but she'd managed to get her legs around so one was on top of Kan's neck, pushing against his windpipe. There was one dart left in the gun, and she shot it into him, but knew that it wouldn't stop him. And the effect of the drugs in her system was growing more pronounced as she tried to move.
Kan managed to shove her leg aside and rolled to his feet, a little more slowly than usual. He was also fighting the effects of the drug. With a look of pure hatred on his face he lunged at her. Rina tensed for the impact his foot was going to make on her face, but before he reached her, he collapsed on the ground. Behind him Rina saw Michael holding the dart gun Herc had dropped. She managed to get up on one knee, watching him intently. Was he really serious about turning against the Alliance on his own, or had it been an elaborate trick? He held the gun on her for a moment, then let it fall to the ground, and raised his hands again. "I already surrendered. Do I have to do it again?"
Relief washed over Rina as she stumbled to her feet. "No, thank you." As Heero picked up the gun Michael had dropped, and Arthur moved to pick up the guns they'd thrown away, Michael just stared at her. She had a feeling he had already guessed the truth.
"We're taking them with us," Heero said. It wasn't a question.
"Yeah, I know. I've got to signal the car. They can be here in under three minutes." Rina took a step towards the street, where she'd seen a payphone, but her left leg gave out from under her, and she collapsed to the pavement.
"Are you all right?" Arthur asked, running over.
"It's the drugs," Heero said. "They work more slowly, but they still work."
Arthur put her arm around his shoulder and pulled her to her feet. "Come on. We'd better get you back before the drug makes you entirely unconscious."
"Wait, what about..." Rina broke off as Michael bent and effortlessly swung Kan over his shoulder.
He glanced at her, then at Heero, who followed suit with Herc.
Arthur started moving towards the street again. Rina concentrated long enough to tan her skin and turn her hair black. She let her head fall against her chest then, trusting her hair to hide her face. Now that it was over, she trembled in relief. That was closer than she'd ever come to getting caught, to getting exposed, and it was closer than she ever wanted to get again.
"Who do we call?"
"Heero knows the number," Rina murmured, feeling herself start to drift off. "Tell them it's the bird, and give them our location. Don't expect an answer." And with that, she faded into oblivion.
---------
{{TRANSCRIPT OF DIALOGUE FROM BASE 231.8
STATUS: SECURITY LEVEL 1
DATE: 35.6.20
TOPIC: DISAPPEARANCE OF TWO AND FIVE
A: Well, now you've done it. You've lost them all. I'm surprised you're still alive.
B: I'm not.
A: Not what?
B: Not surprised. I've taken steps to assure my safety in case such a situation should arise. I've collected particular information, about some of the things we do, and about Project Titan, and I've eliminated all others who possess that information, making myself the sole proprietor of that data. They can't eliminate me without losing the data as well.
A: Well, that doesn't surprise me at all. It makes sense that a slimy creature like you would always think to protect your own behind first.
B: Be careful who you call a slimy creature. Your situation is much more precarious than mine.
A: I trust that our superiors will know who is truly to blame here. I have no fears.
B: Is that so?
A: So what do you intend to do about Project Titan, now that you've lost them all?
B: I intend to capture them again, so I can find out what we did wrong. And I intend to capture the Phoenix. I want to meet the person who managed to turn them against me, before I put them in the chamber.
A: And how do you intend to do all that? The only power, the only force you had within the Alliance was Project Titan.
B: I have my methods.
A: Sometimes you disgust me.
B: Only sometimes, Major?}}
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When Rina woke up, she was lying in a bed in the home base. Mike was sitting beside her, a concerned expression on his face. Realizing where she was and remembering what had happened, Rina suddenly sat up. "What time is it?"
"It's ten-thirty in the morning," he said; and anticipating her next question, he continued, "I've already had word sent to your father, and he's called the school. You're home sick with the flu."
Rina relaxed slightly. "And the others? They're all here?"
"Yeah. They've locked up Two and Five in two separate rooms, and last I heard, neither of them has woken up yet. They took Three to another room and they talked to him for hours. They finally left him alone a few hours ago. I think Heero bullied Trish into showing him the file on communication between the Rebels in the different colonies, the one she wanted to show to you. Arthur was here for a while, but then he left. I think he wants to talk to you."
"I'll see him as soon as possible. Heero, too." Rina sat up and felt a throbbing in her head that she suspected had something to do with the drug. "Please get me some aspirin. After I see Arthur, you can tell people that I can start looking after things again. I've been neglecting my duties."
"No one would begrudge you a few hours spent in another pursuit, also working against the Alliance, after all you've done," he said reprovingly for her even thinking that someone would.
"No, but I would. I have a full day, now that I don't have to go to school, and I intend to make good use of it. As soon as I'm through with Arthur, start sending them in."
"How do you feel?"
Rina pulled the pillows behind her so she could lean back but remain sitting up. "My head feels like the entire Alliance army has been performing drills on top of it, and my hands and feet are a little numb and tingling. Other than that I'm fine. Thank you for asking."
"I'll see about that aspirin, and about getting you some breakfast," he said, and stood up to leave.
"Don't forget to start sending people in," she said warningly. It would be just like him to 'forget' to send them in, so that she could get some more rest. Sometimes he was more protective than her own father.
As he walked out the door, Arthur walked in. He sat by the edge of the bed in the spot Mike had just vacated, looking uncomfortable. Finally he asked, "How are you feeling?"
"I've been better, but I'll live. Mike said you were talking to Michael. What did he say?"
"He wants to join us. He came to the decision on his own - no help from either of us. He said... he said that the reason he turned away in the first place was because of me. He didn't like them hurting me so much."
Rina didn't know how to respond to that, so she remained silent.
"Did you know why Michael picked his name? Because of Mike. He wanted to be more like him, because he remembered that I smiled more when Mike was around. It feels strange. I'm glad that Michael left the Alliance, but I feel guilty that it was my fault."
"I think you should tell Mike about Michael. I think he'd appreciate it."
"I think I will." Arthur fell silent for another minute. "You'll order that Michael be released?"
"You're absolutely sure about him? A lot of people could die if what he knows gets out in the open."
"I'm sure. They could never lie to me, even when they can control their heartbeats. He knows who you are, too."
"Well, you'd have to be pretty dense not to know, when I got up after they shot me with the dart. No human could do that, and I don't think a fourteen-year-old girl would be able to jump off the roof like that. I'll order him released. Will you take care of him, show him around?"
"Yes, of course. There was something else I wanted to ask you..."
Here it comes, Rina thought. This is what he really wanted to ask me.
"... I wanted to know if you could let me handle Herc and Kan?"
Rina blinked. Whatever she had been expecting, this wasn't it. "You want to handle them?"
"Yes, I mean... I want to show them the truth, like you did, only..." he trailed off.
"Only not quite the way I did. Maybe with a little less shouting, attacking and pain?" Rina finished for him, and he nodded, looking embarrassed.
"I appreciate what you did for me, but I'd like to spare them that, if I can. I've known them all my life - I know them as well as anyone - I think I can do it. Heero has also offered to help, and I know Michael will, too."
"Yes! Of course," Rina said, wishing she wasn't so glad to be able to hand off that duty to someone else, even if he did ask for it. Dealing with them was more tiring, both emotionally and physically, than anything else she had done for the colonies so far. And it was true that Arthur could probably bring them around more gently than Rina had. "Take as long as you need, and if you ever need something, just ask." That was something else she hadn't been able to buy - more time to deal with them. A few minutes, a few hours each day wasn't enough, and she'd had to hurry. She couldn't afford to hold them for months, the weeks it had taken were bad enough. They had been a drain on the Rebels' resources, to keep them contained, and a drain on her own time and energy. But Arthur could do better, she was sure of it.
"Thank you!" he exclaimed, a joyous expression on his young face. It was so easy, looking at the large eyes, the slender frame, to imagine that he really was a normal boy, excited over something as stupid as a win in a sports game or something else. She wondered how often she looked that way to other people. The path not taken.
"Thank you. I was not looking forward to dealing with Kan."
Arthur's smile faded, and he looked pensive. "The commanders always liked Kan - they said he had the right attitude. He... enjoys his work. Not the killing, just doing a good job. But if the killing is part of it, he has fun with that, too. But he's not a bad person," Arthur quickly assured her.
Rina nodded, although she entertained doubts of her own. "Just let me know before you release him."
"I will. Herc, too. You'll like him, when he's not trying to capture you. He just likes to have fun all the time. The commanders used to punish him sometimes, for not concentrating enough."
Rina nodded again, thinking that he sounded a lot like a normal boy to her. That is, if one ignored the fact that he was a trained killer who had just tried to capture her, and that he wasn't entirely human. But there were differences between the boys, as was already demonstrated by Heero and Arthur. Michael was different, too - it must have taken a lot of guts to go against everything he'd been taught because of his own knowledge. And Arthur said the other two boys were different, as well. It brought Rina a sense of satisfaction to know that even the Alliance hadn't been able to stamp out all traces of humanity in them.
They both turned their heads as they heard steps in the hallway. Heero walked through the doorway, carrying a glass of water and a couple of bottles. He tossed the first bottle to her, a casual toss, but it flew so fast at her head that she could barely get her hand up to catch it in time. "Mike sent you that," he said. Rina opened the aspirin bottle and pressed one of the tabs to her forehead. She sighed in relief as the pain almost immediately died down. She'd read somewhere that in the old days many years before the colonies, aspirin used to come in a pill you had to swallow, and that it took a long time to take effect. She wasn't sure if she believed the story - what good was a pain reliever that didn't immediately remove pain?
"He also sent you this," Heero said, and threw the other bottle at her head. Rina immediately recognized her pills - she usually took one in the morning, but she'd been asleep, so she'd missed her regular dosing schedule. "What are they?"
"Just a nutrient supplement. I don't always eat regularly, and this helps me stay healthy, on top of my game. Even we get sick without enough food," she said with a meaningful glance at Arthur. "It's just like Mike to mother me like that." She took the glass from Heero and swallowed one of the pills. "Arthur wants to take charge of the other two." She left the end of the statement open, so that he could fill in anything he liked.
"Michael and I will help him. This may take a long time, much longer than me or Arthur. They think they've been betrayed, and they won't forgive us for that."
"Take as long as you need."
"What else do you want us to do? You didn't ask us to become Rebels just so that we could only help each other."
"Stay here," Rina said. "Mike will be sending everyone in soon. It's all business that I have to take care of, but maybe you can help with some of it." Just then the door opened and someone came in, carrying a plate of food in one hand and a pile of papers in the other. Rina held back a sigh, telling herself that now was not the time to feel sorry for herself. She'd known what she was getting into when she became the Phoenix.
Well, now we've accounted for all of the boys, although I doubt that Kan and Herc are going to be happy with the situation. It always struck me as strange that Michael would be the one to break free on his own.
Marika
