Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from GW
Note: This was for a contest from Shades of Color. It didn't win and I wanted to post it somewhere.
word = Italics
// word \\ = thoughts
PART ONE
Chapter Seven
"I'm scared." Duo whimpered as he huddled into a ball on the floor. He had broken into a cold sweat and his body was still shaking. // Quatre was wrong to pick me. \\ Duo finally thought coherently, // I'm too weak. \\
"Duo." A voice echoed through his head. "Believe in yourself Duo." It continued to echo. Duo looked passed the monsters to see a bright white light. He was unsure of what it was but he knew that I was safe. "I'm sorry Duo." The voice echoed to him again. "But now do you see why I didn't pick the others? Heero's condition is worse than you know. He was throwing up blood on the shuttle. Wufei may be strong but he's not that level headed and this would surely drive him insane. And Trowa.I would never wish this upon him."
"Quatre?" Duo whispered, squinting at the light. Slowly the spectacle floated toward him, each monster the brightness passed wailed as if in a great pain then melted into blackness. The apparition finally halted directly in front of Duo.
"Yes." The spirit replied. "This is the place I went when I was first on the Zero. I left my fear and anger here once I was taken off. Again, I apologize greatly to you." The brightness seemed to bow.
"Don't worry about it Q. I'm honored that you picked me." Duo shrugged.
"I'm glad Duo, but it is time to leave this place. The others are worried about us." The apparition hovered in front of the Deathscythe pilot until it came close enough so that Duo could touch it. Quatre moved into Duo as Duo closed his eyes, gasping at the sensation of peace and completion.
Duo opened his eyes and came face to face with worried cobalt blue eyes. "I'm okay now." His voice was amazingly weak and he felt tired. Slowly, the American sat up and looked around. Heero was beside him while Wufei sat with Trowa and an unconscious Quatre.
"It's about time you woke up." Heero pulled the boy to his feet. His voice was harsh but everyone could tell that he had been worried.
Duo narrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?" He asked.
"You have been lying there convulsing for over an hour. Every time we tried to move you you'd start screaming and thrashing and calling us monsters." Wufei explained.
"An hour?" Duo was surprised; it had only seemed a matter of minutes. He shook his head and caught sight of the lifeless blonde. "Hasn't he woken up yet?" he asked.
Trowa shook his head. "He hasn't moved at all." He looked down at the beautiful boy in his arms.
Duo bit his lip as an idea entered his mind. // Quatre, I have this incredible feeling that you can hear me. I want you to wake up very slowly and don't jump away from Trowa, then slide from his arms just as slowly, please. // He thought directly.
The body in Trowa's arms stirred and bright eyes opened. They seemed brighter than usual and Duo wondered if it was caused by the Zero or if it was because he was connected to the Sandrock pilot.
Duo didn't have time to ponder his thoughts for when Quatre's eyes focused Duo gasped mentally as he found a part of his mind that showed him what Quatre was seeing. Everything was distinct and a little too focused and as Quatre looked at Trowa, Duo could see the fear in the Heavyarms pilot's eyes. Duo knew that Trowa expected Quatre to jump away from him, but the blonde slowly sat up and slipped off of Trowa's lap.
Duo could feel the Zero system seething from the mind of the Arabian boy and Duo felt that he, himself was irritable and annoyed.
Everyone was still watching Quatre as the boy stood up and faced everyone. At first nobody knew what to say. Finally, it was Quatre who broke the unsettling silence. "We do have a mission to accomplish." His voice sent shivers down everyone's spines, it was exactly like it had been with the first experience of Zero. Too calm and too soft for anyone's liking.
Duo gulped. "He's right you guys. Wufei and I better get going and you better explain the plan to Trowa and Quatre." He said as he turned to Heero.
Heero nodded as Duo and Wufei made their way from the room and to the shuttle where they had left their Gundams. They found that the mechas had been unloaded from the shuttle and were waiting for them. Duo jumped into Deathscythe's cockpit and breathed deeply. Just seeing the controls was enough to make his grip of Quatre's subconscious slip. Quickly, Duo gained the grip back before he completely lost it. Taking a moment to compose himself Duo hoped that nothing had been said or done in the small moment of weakness. He sighed as he grabbed his controls and moved his Gundam. "You ready Wufei?" He asked over the communication line.
"No. But let's go anyway. We only have about five hours before Winner collapses from exhaustion and who knows what condition Yuy will be in by that time." Wufei mentioned as Nataku showed up on Deathscythe's view screen.
"Alright, lead the way! When we reach the earth's atmosphere I'll throw my cloak on." Duo grinned as he watched the other Gundam take off into the dark sky. "Treize won't know what hit him." He whispered.
***
Trowa sighed as he leaned against the back of his chair as he piloted the shuttle. Quatre sat beside him but Trowa knew the distance between them was great. He always took joy in being with the smaller boy, be it talking or in silence. He was always able to watch the younger boy and Trowa liked to do that. But now, as he looked and studied it felt weird to have his koi just sitting there, staring at the screen of stars seemed eerie to the Heavyarms pilot. The Zero stood between them now.
Trowa sighed as he turned back to the view in front of him.
Quatre knew that Trowa had been watching him and he knew how the banged pilot was feeling. His empathetic abilities had been heightened, be it from Heero's tinkering with the system or that the pilot had gotten stronger. The last time he had used the system his abilities had been ignored. But with his ability being that as it was, much, much stronger, it had caused Duo to freak out when they had first been linked.
The fear that Duo had spoken of was from all the pilots, not just Quatre, and the confusion had been from Duo himself and it had been amplified to a greater strength, and it had been mixed with Wufei's confusion. The Shenlong pilot was still confused as to why nobody was angry with him and Duo, yet had thought that he had understood, didn't really understand why Quatre had picked him to be linked with.
In reality, Quatre didn't know why.
In the cabin Heero slept restlessly as his lungs and throat burned. Finally the pain woke him and he sat up, hoping to ease the discomfort, but it was useless. Digging around in the bag he had brought he found a bottle of cold water. Seemingly in one gulp, half the bottle was gone.
The Wing pilot then lay back against he flat pillow and stared up into the darkness of the cabin. He was exhausted now and barely had the energy to move. He could almost feel the strength slithering from his body. The prospect of just going back to Duo and dying in the God of Death's arms was what his dying body wanted.
// Peace comes first. \\ Heero reminded himself. // And I won't leave Duo alone. \\ He remembered the conversation between his partner and the ill Sandrock pilot. It hadn't been Duo's fault that Heero was dying. // That's it, that baka needs a new nickname. \\ He decided before falling asleep again.
***
"What does it feel like?" Wufei broke the silence over the system. The two pilots still had an hour before they reached the earth's atmosphere and Duo had been daydreaming slightly, mostly checking out Quatre's sight, but there was nothing but stars in the line of sight of the Sandrock pilot. But Duo noticed that the stars that Quatre was seeing were distinct and it looked as if he were looking at an obvious 3-D picture.
"Feel what?" Duo asked, slightly confused by the question, distracted by movement in his mind as Quatre moved, passing Trowa and heading for the cabin.
"What is being linked to Quatre like?" Wufei was very quiet, his voice extremely soft. "I mean.he's on the Zero, he's dying.is it difficult to contain his anger?"
"His anger?" Duo mused to himself as Quatre walked into the cabin to find Heero lying in the dark. The dark haired youth was sleeping and Duo felt a little better. "I can feel it, it's like it's ready to explode. When I got into Deathscythe I almost lost control. It's like.just seeing the controls in my Gundam was drawing out the anger. I can't tell that he's dying and he's completely calm right now, except for the anger." Duo then stopped, "That sounded stupid." He didn't know how else to explain then got an idea. "You know how emotionless Trowa is even when he's angry or sad or even happy?"
"Yes." Wufei agreed.
"It's like that. It's like a big secret that Quatre's not showing or telling anyone." He concluded.
There was a slight pause. "I think I understand." Wufei's voice floated into Duo's cockpit.
Duo was silent as he saw Quatre gently shake Heero until the Wing pilot awoke. Heero looked at Quatre, though it looked like he was looking at Duo. Quatre said something but didn't think it so Duo didn't know. He saw the expression on Heero's face soften slightly and he said something.
// He loves you too. \\ Quatre's voice echoed through Duo's mind. Duo smiled and focused on the Earth.
***
"Master Quatre." Rashid stepped forward and bowed slightly. He, along with the other Maguanacs could easily see that their young master was under the influence of the Zero system. They had heard about the first encounter with the nightmarish system and were seemingly surprised that Quatre looked to be so calm.
"Rashid." Quatre inclined his head slightly. "I'm sorry that this has to be so short, but we have to get our Gundams and defeat OZ." He explained.
Rashid was taken aback by the flat tone of the usually lively voice. He was silent for only a moment, but a moment that Quatre noticed.
"Do not be alarmed. I've been told that my voice is very.disturbing and though it sounds like I am devoid of human emotions, as someone pointed out to me," Quatre thought of Duo and he was sent a mental grin from the Deathscythe pilot. "I do feel what everyone around me is feeling, more so than before." He took a breath and let everything sink into the man's head. It might have sounded harsh but the Zero system prevented Quatre from caring. He had a mission and that mission required the Gundams. "Are the Gundams ready?" He asked.
Rashid nodded. "We were able to finish them in the requested time." He said.
"Good. The only thing we'll need is water since this mission won't take very long." He said, mostly to himself. He was too busy calculating how long the mission would take if everything went the way he planned.
// It won't, don't waste your time. \\ Duo's voice piped up.
"Don't tell me what to do." Quatre said as he thought it. Heero and Trowa looked at each other knowing who Quatre was talking to, but then they glanced at Rashid who was slightly confused. Silently the two pilots agreed and began to tell the man the story.
***
Wufei quietly entered the pitch-black room. He knew his way around though so he didn't worry about the lights. As he stepped farther into the room the lights came on and Wufei was left staring at Treize who was calmly sitting in an arm chair and sipping a martini. "Ah, Dragon. I wondered when you'd get here." He said.
Wufei suppressed his anger.
"Do you have anything to report to me?" Treize asked. "What condition are 01 and 04 in?" He asked and Wufei was disgusted. It was so. normal , as if they were discussing the weather.
"They're both dead." Wufei said without much emotion.
Duo heard the cue from the communicator, which had been placed in Wufei's clothes. // We're ready whenever you guys are. Wufei will only be able to stall for about an hour. \\
// Long enough. \\ The reply came quickly.
Duo went back to listening to Treize and Wufei.
"They're dead!" Treize stood up, "That's wonderful! Ah Dragon, you've done a wonderful job and as your reward I will make your punishment for working with the rebels as easy as I see fit." He smiled triumphantly.
Wufei just nodded. // Reward. \\ He scoffed mentally. // I'd rather die a Gundam pilot you foolish man. \\ He all but growled as Treize celebrated his victory.
"Celebrating a little early aren't you?" Wufei asked casually, or as casually as he could muster. "You still have to deal with Pilot 02, 03 and myself." He pointed out.
Treize smiled. "Now Dragon, I don't think you'll be much of a threat. And pilots 02 and 03 won't last long. I can't say that 01 was weak, but the two of them are almost as weak as 04." He shrugged, sipping the sour liquid.
Wufei's hand twitched. // I had wanted to kill you myself, but I will let Quatre pull the trigger you bastard. \\ He thought as he calmed his appearance.
"You have underestimated 04. He was strong. And 02 and 03 are stronger than you believe. They will continue to fight to honor the people they lost and I will fight for the friends that you murdered." Wufei said. He was so calm that he surprised himself. // I can't stall for an hour. This is impossible, I'm liable to kill him soon. \\
Treize laughed, a sound that Wufei used to welcome. Now it seemed harsh and emptier than a Zero infected Quatre. "You are too sensitive Dragon." Treize was too busy sipping his cocktail to notice Wufei cringe at the nickname. "It was only a matter of time before OZ won." The man got up and set his drink down, he then made his way over to Wufei. "Come Dragon, let us celebrate my victory." He smiled and took Wufei's hand, leading him to the bed in the room.
The Shenlong pilot forced himself not to hesitate. Treize would surely know that something was wrong if he did. But this man was his enemy, though he had been before. Wufei had thought him honorable. Now he was just a snake who wanted everything his way. Wufei also knew that Duo could hear what was going on, therefore Quatre probably knew. And while Wufei trusted Quatre Winner with his life he wouldn't trust a Zero Quatre with anything.
But Wufei didn't have to worry. Treize liked to prolong a good thing and foreplay was his favourite part. After some long moments of suffering pleasurably Wufei spotted a glint from behind his lover's shoulder. "Treize." Wufei said breathlessly. "You are so." He whimpered then leaned forward to whisper into Treize's ear. "Gullible."
As the word and meaning registered in Treize's fogged mind he felt something pierce him in the back. "Fuck!" The man growled and pulled a dart out of his body. "What the hell is this?" He looked behind him where the dart had come from. His eyes widened as he spotted the other Gundam pilots, with 01 and 04 in front of them. 04 held a dart gun.
"This is the end for you Treize." Pilot 04 replied coldly as he glared at the OZ leader. Treize couldn't help as a shiver of fear slithered through his spine.
"But.you're dead!" Treize stood up, away from the bed. "Wufei told me that the two of you had died!" He growled.
Pilot 01 smirked. "Maybe we are." He replied.
"But you both look fine! It's been at least four days! You should have some symptoms!" Treize insisted.
"Sorry to burst your bubble pal, but we found a cure for Gemini." Pilot 02 grinned, "And we even formed our own virus, which you have been infected with." His grin turned sinister.
"Virus?" Treize looked at the dart. "What the hell is the name of this so called virus?" He asked defiantly, not ready to believe their word just yet.
"Akab Ahctog." Pilot 03 spoke softly. "It will begin to shut your body down in thirty minutes. You will begin to grow tired until you fall into a sleep that you will not wake up from." He promised.
"Shit." Treize growled then glared at Wufei. "You damned traitor!" he hollered. "I'll-"
"Such obscenities." Pilot 04's grin was anything but settling. "A man in your position shouldn't be making threats. Not if you want to live anyway." He spot. "We have a cure for Akab Ahctog but if you want it, you will follow our orders."
Treize was silent, then he yawned and panicked. Duo took pleasure in seeing the helpless look cross the man's face and he felt that Quatre also took great pleasure in his weakness. "Alright, I'll do as you say." Treize agreed, defeated.
"Man an international speech, admitting that OZ had forfeited the war and that Relena Peacecraft has won." Heero ordered.
Treize nodded. "I'll have to get Zechs Marquise to help me." He sighed.
All the pilots looked at Quatre. "Fine. He gets everything set up but you stay with us and if he so much as sneezes you're a dead man." Quatre growled.
Treize went to a phone to call Zechs.
***
Somehow, the Lightning Count had managed to have everything ready in only four hours. Treize was chugging cups of coffee as if they were oxygen. "We're ready your excellency." Zechs informed Treize.
Treize nodded then took his position. Trowa and Wufei stood adjacent to the man to make sure he delivered the right speech. In a back room Duo held a fallen Heero whose strength had completely give out on him. Duo had also noticed changes in Quatre.
As Duo looked at Heero, he felt a stinging pain all through his body and the blonde gasped, making both Duo and Heero look at him.
"Gemini." Quatre whimpered. "It morphed." He whispered.
"Will the Zero still keep Q alive?" Duo looked at Heero, the braided pilot could feel Quatre's pain and it surged within his body. But Duo was glad that it had been dulled to a minimum.
"I'm not sure." Heero's voice was soft. "Treize is almost done. When the camera is off, inject everyone with the drug, then we have to get out of here." He all but gasped.
Duo nodded and when Treize had finished Duo jumped up and went into the other room. There were only five people not including Treize. The God of Death stood beside Wufei and Trowa.
"I made the speech now give me the antidote!" Treize all but got down on his knees and begged.
"We lied." Trowa spoke calmly. "There is no cure." He said and Duo took this as his cue. He pulled out a dart gun and shot Zechs, then the four other men.
"You son of a bitch." Zechs growled as Quatre and Heero came into the room.
"One of us has to stay until they die." Heero said ignoring Zechs. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Quatre open his mouth. "But not us." The Wing pilot looked at Pilot 04. 04 closed his mouth.
"I'll stay." Wufei spoke. "This is my only justice for what this rat did to us." He said.
"Good." Heero nodded. "Let's get out of here. Wufei, we will wait outside the base."
Before the four pilots left the room Quatre turned and glared an icy glare at Zechs. "I still think that your face is uglier than a horses' ass."
Heero's voice grew fainter as he spoke. "Let's go." He forced himself to step from the room before collapsing. He fell into Quatre's arms and passed out.
Quatre looked at Duo and Trowa. "He's exhausted. I'll get Heero into his Gundam. Trowa, you're strong enough to carry Wing. Duo, you are feeling what everyone is feeling through me and you'll be too distracted to help him." He gave them explanations. "Now, the soldiers in this base have probably heard the announcement and more than likely a lot, if not all of them will probably want to know why. We have to get Heero out of here." Quatre said.
Duo and Trowa agreed and the three of them ran through the base, dodging hallways where soldiers were already gathering. Trowa was carrying Heero's limp body by the time they reached their Gundams, which were waiting, in the only place not monitored. Treize had done this for Wufei. With Quatre's help Trowa got Heero settled into Wing. Then the two boys got into their own Gundams.
Duo watched as Heavyarms took a strong hold on Wing. He hoped that the pilot inside was alright and would survive the last trip back tot he Maguanac base and then the two hour flight to the L1 colony and Dr. J's lab. The God of Death was so deep in thought that he hadn't realized that Wufei had reached them and that Trowa and the Shenlong pilot had already taken of with Heero.
"Duo." Quatre's quiet voice crackled over the system, waking the boy from his thoughts. "Get your mind focused! Our mission isn't over yet. If you want us to get to L1 in time to save Heero than I suggest you move it!" The blonde spat as Sandrock lifted off from the ground and followed the other two.
Duo grinned, knowing that the intercom was on and that all the pilots could hear him. "Ya know Q, you're a lot more fun when you're on the Zero. Have you thought what the sex could be like?" Duo joked as Deathscythe followed Sandrock. He vaguely heard Wufei and Trowa snicker.
"I have actually Duo." Quatre retorted. "I was thinking, when we land, let's say I jump you and you can have your wicked way with me right in front of Rashid and the entire Maguanac Corps." Quatre's face appeared on Duo's screen and Duo could see the evil little smirk he was giving.
Duo blushed. "Damn. Okay, you got me. You are the 'Master Pervert' when you're on the Zero." He inclined his head as if to bow.
Trowa's face appeared beside Quatre's. "You'd be surprised Duo." He said and Quatre only grinned.
"Nani? Quatre was an in closet hentai?" He asked in disbelief.
"Why not? He was out of the closet with everything else." Trowa shrugged then disappeared from the screen.
"Oh." Duo said as Quatre's face also left the screen. The braided pilot decided to be quiet for the rest of the flight. But his silence was shattered when they were traveling across the Atlantic Ocean and Sandrock suddenly shut down and dropped lifelessly from the sky.
Knowing that he had the fastest available Gundam and feeling that Quatre had also passed out, Duo steered Deathscythe toward the falling Mobil Suit. Over the system he could hear both Wufei and Trowa calling out to the pilot in the motionless Gundam. Ignoring them, Duo maneuvered Deathscythe below the falling mass of Gundanium and braced for impact.
It came with a deafening crash of Gundanium against Gundanium. Duo was dragged down with the sudden weight. "Shit!" He cursed at nobody in particular. "Sandrock just had to be the heaviest made!" He clenched his teeth as both Deathscythe and Sandrock hit the surface of the water and were emerged in the blinding blackness.
"Sorry Q, but you're not going to the bottom today." Duo forced Deathscythe back to the surface as he pulled Sandrock up as well. He opened the communication line between him and Quatre and found that Quatre had curled himself into a ball and he was shivering violently. "Q? You okay?" Duo wondered. He couldn't feel Quatre at all and he wondered why.
"I.I cut.you off." Quatre replied slowly, answering Duo's silent question.
Duo was relieved that the boy was coherent. "Quatre, I need you to turn your thrusters on and leave 'em on." He said. "It's the only way we can get out of here."
Quatre nodded and Duo saw him flick a switch. Sandrock's thrusters pushed the white Gundam into black. Duo turned Deathscythe's thrusters on and he was able to pull Sandrock out of the water. After managing to guild Sandrock back to the other three, Duo sighed, feeling the adrenaline leave his system. "Try to rest Q. I have a feeling you're going to need it." He whispered.
***
"Do ya think we'll ever see them again?" Duo asked as they left the earth and their Gundams behind. Now that the war was over, Duo knew that the Gundams wouldn't be needed, but he didn't want to let go of Deathscythe yet.
"The war is over Maxwell." Wufei pointed out calmly as he piloted the shuttle, though he didn't want to let go of Nataku either. He looked over at Trowa who was sitting in the co-pilots seat quietly. With his eyes closed it made it look as though he was sleeping, but Wufei knew better.
He somehow knew that Trowa was also thinking about Heavyarms. // Then again, he could be thinking about Quatre. \\ Wufei realized.
Duo sighed. "Still." He shook his head. "I'm gonna check up on the other two. See ya later!" He waved and went down the hall to the captain's chamber.
"Do you want the energy to at least make it to L1?" Quatre asked Heero quietly. The two boys stared at each other as they lay across the bed. Heero sighed then nodded slowly. "I can give it to you." Quatre whispered and Heero raised an eyebrow.
"How?"
Quatre looked away from Heero's eyes. The Zero system was weakening and Quatre was becoming more like the old Quatre. "You know that I'm an empath, but I have more abilities than that. I can.take energy but I can also give up my own." He said, his eyes closed.
"Is that how you lasted so long after being infected? You used our energy?" Heero wondered.
Quatre nodded, "Not everyone's. Just Trowa's. He told me to do it, I told him of this ability a long time ago and it was actually his idea." He shrugged.
"Now I'm curious how you do this." Heero replied.
"Sex mostly." Quatre shrugged, then continued so Heero wouldn't get the wrong idea. "Not with giving though. Intimacy is the issue and a kiss is all that's need for that. I know Duo wants you to make it to L1 but I also know that it's like.cheating." He shrugged.
"Do it." A voice came from the door and both boys looked to find Duo standing there. Heero gave him a questioning look. "Trowa explained it to me. Go for it please, you'll never survive if we're delayed." Quietly, the braided pilot slipped out of the room.
Heero sighed, "Alright."
***
They reached L1 with plenty of time for Heero. The energy Quatre had transferred into him had been more than enough. Quatre on the other hand was fading quickly, even on the Zero. And though he was almost too weak to stand he wouldn't let anyone help him and pushed everyone, mostly Trowa away.
Dr. J watched as they entered the lab. "The cryogenic cylinders are ready." He said as they five pilots walked over to him.
"The war is over." Heero reported.
J smiled. "Yes, I heard." He said, "Now say your good-byes and get in." he ordered as he went over to two large boxes sitting over in a corner. Duo didn't want to say anything but they looked like coffins.
The braided pilot faced Heero. "I love you, I'll never stop. We'll find a cure." He promised and he held the Wing pilot tightly.
Heero chuckled softly. "I know you will Duo. I love you too." He whispered. Finally the two slowly let go and Heero pressed an envelope into Duo's hand. Heero turned to Wufei.
"I meant what I said Trowa, I do want you to stay happy." Quatre looked at his lover. He handed the Heavyarms pilot a second envelope, then pulled Trowa into a long hard kiss. When they separated Quatre grinned. "Something to remember me by." He whispered.
Trowa forced down a lump in his throat. "I'll never forget you. I love you." He said.
Quatre only smiled.
"Alright, it's time." Dr. J called.
All the pilots seemed to sigh, then Heero and Quatre slowly separated from the group and went over to the doctor.
"Do you think we'll find a cure?" Duo whispered as he watched his lover get into one of the cylinders.
"I hope so." Trowa mumbled as he watched the blonde. "I truly hope so."
To be continued.
Dija like it? Review please!!
Note: This was for a contest from Shades of Color. It didn't win and I wanted to post it somewhere.
word = Italics
// word \\ = thoughts
PART ONE
Chapter Seven
"I'm scared." Duo whimpered as he huddled into a ball on the floor. He had broken into a cold sweat and his body was still shaking. // Quatre was wrong to pick me. \\ Duo finally thought coherently, // I'm too weak. \\
"Duo." A voice echoed through his head. "Believe in yourself Duo." It continued to echo. Duo looked passed the monsters to see a bright white light. He was unsure of what it was but he knew that I was safe. "I'm sorry Duo." The voice echoed to him again. "But now do you see why I didn't pick the others? Heero's condition is worse than you know. He was throwing up blood on the shuttle. Wufei may be strong but he's not that level headed and this would surely drive him insane. And Trowa.I would never wish this upon him."
"Quatre?" Duo whispered, squinting at the light. Slowly the spectacle floated toward him, each monster the brightness passed wailed as if in a great pain then melted into blackness. The apparition finally halted directly in front of Duo.
"Yes." The spirit replied. "This is the place I went when I was first on the Zero. I left my fear and anger here once I was taken off. Again, I apologize greatly to you." The brightness seemed to bow.
"Don't worry about it Q. I'm honored that you picked me." Duo shrugged.
"I'm glad Duo, but it is time to leave this place. The others are worried about us." The apparition hovered in front of the Deathscythe pilot until it came close enough so that Duo could touch it. Quatre moved into Duo as Duo closed his eyes, gasping at the sensation of peace and completion.
Duo opened his eyes and came face to face with worried cobalt blue eyes. "I'm okay now." His voice was amazingly weak and he felt tired. Slowly, the American sat up and looked around. Heero was beside him while Wufei sat with Trowa and an unconscious Quatre.
"It's about time you woke up." Heero pulled the boy to his feet. His voice was harsh but everyone could tell that he had been worried.
Duo narrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?" He asked.
"You have been lying there convulsing for over an hour. Every time we tried to move you you'd start screaming and thrashing and calling us monsters." Wufei explained.
"An hour?" Duo was surprised; it had only seemed a matter of minutes. He shook his head and caught sight of the lifeless blonde. "Hasn't he woken up yet?" he asked.
Trowa shook his head. "He hasn't moved at all." He looked down at the beautiful boy in his arms.
Duo bit his lip as an idea entered his mind. // Quatre, I have this incredible feeling that you can hear me. I want you to wake up very slowly and don't jump away from Trowa, then slide from his arms just as slowly, please. // He thought directly.
The body in Trowa's arms stirred and bright eyes opened. They seemed brighter than usual and Duo wondered if it was caused by the Zero or if it was because he was connected to the Sandrock pilot.
Duo didn't have time to ponder his thoughts for when Quatre's eyes focused Duo gasped mentally as he found a part of his mind that showed him what Quatre was seeing. Everything was distinct and a little too focused and as Quatre looked at Trowa, Duo could see the fear in the Heavyarms pilot's eyes. Duo knew that Trowa expected Quatre to jump away from him, but the blonde slowly sat up and slipped off of Trowa's lap.
Duo could feel the Zero system seething from the mind of the Arabian boy and Duo felt that he, himself was irritable and annoyed.
Everyone was still watching Quatre as the boy stood up and faced everyone. At first nobody knew what to say. Finally, it was Quatre who broke the unsettling silence. "We do have a mission to accomplish." His voice sent shivers down everyone's spines, it was exactly like it had been with the first experience of Zero. Too calm and too soft for anyone's liking.
Duo gulped. "He's right you guys. Wufei and I better get going and you better explain the plan to Trowa and Quatre." He said as he turned to Heero.
Heero nodded as Duo and Wufei made their way from the room and to the shuttle where they had left their Gundams. They found that the mechas had been unloaded from the shuttle and were waiting for them. Duo jumped into Deathscythe's cockpit and breathed deeply. Just seeing the controls was enough to make his grip of Quatre's subconscious slip. Quickly, Duo gained the grip back before he completely lost it. Taking a moment to compose himself Duo hoped that nothing had been said or done in the small moment of weakness. He sighed as he grabbed his controls and moved his Gundam. "You ready Wufei?" He asked over the communication line.
"No. But let's go anyway. We only have about five hours before Winner collapses from exhaustion and who knows what condition Yuy will be in by that time." Wufei mentioned as Nataku showed up on Deathscythe's view screen.
"Alright, lead the way! When we reach the earth's atmosphere I'll throw my cloak on." Duo grinned as he watched the other Gundam take off into the dark sky. "Treize won't know what hit him." He whispered.
***
Trowa sighed as he leaned against the back of his chair as he piloted the shuttle. Quatre sat beside him but Trowa knew the distance between them was great. He always took joy in being with the smaller boy, be it talking or in silence. He was always able to watch the younger boy and Trowa liked to do that. But now, as he looked and studied it felt weird to have his koi just sitting there, staring at the screen of stars seemed eerie to the Heavyarms pilot. The Zero stood between them now.
Trowa sighed as he turned back to the view in front of him.
Quatre knew that Trowa had been watching him and he knew how the banged pilot was feeling. His empathetic abilities had been heightened, be it from Heero's tinkering with the system or that the pilot had gotten stronger. The last time he had used the system his abilities had been ignored. But with his ability being that as it was, much, much stronger, it had caused Duo to freak out when they had first been linked.
The fear that Duo had spoken of was from all the pilots, not just Quatre, and the confusion had been from Duo himself and it had been amplified to a greater strength, and it had been mixed with Wufei's confusion. The Shenlong pilot was still confused as to why nobody was angry with him and Duo, yet had thought that he had understood, didn't really understand why Quatre had picked him to be linked with.
In reality, Quatre didn't know why.
In the cabin Heero slept restlessly as his lungs and throat burned. Finally the pain woke him and he sat up, hoping to ease the discomfort, but it was useless. Digging around in the bag he had brought he found a bottle of cold water. Seemingly in one gulp, half the bottle was gone.
The Wing pilot then lay back against he flat pillow and stared up into the darkness of the cabin. He was exhausted now and barely had the energy to move. He could almost feel the strength slithering from his body. The prospect of just going back to Duo and dying in the God of Death's arms was what his dying body wanted.
// Peace comes first. \\ Heero reminded himself. // And I won't leave Duo alone. \\ He remembered the conversation between his partner and the ill Sandrock pilot. It hadn't been Duo's fault that Heero was dying. // That's it, that baka needs a new nickname. \\ He decided before falling asleep again.
***
"What does it feel like?" Wufei broke the silence over the system. The two pilots still had an hour before they reached the earth's atmosphere and Duo had been daydreaming slightly, mostly checking out Quatre's sight, but there was nothing but stars in the line of sight of the Sandrock pilot. But Duo noticed that the stars that Quatre was seeing were distinct and it looked as if he were looking at an obvious 3-D picture.
"Feel what?" Duo asked, slightly confused by the question, distracted by movement in his mind as Quatre moved, passing Trowa and heading for the cabin.
"What is being linked to Quatre like?" Wufei was very quiet, his voice extremely soft. "I mean.he's on the Zero, he's dying.is it difficult to contain his anger?"
"His anger?" Duo mused to himself as Quatre walked into the cabin to find Heero lying in the dark. The dark haired youth was sleeping and Duo felt a little better. "I can feel it, it's like it's ready to explode. When I got into Deathscythe I almost lost control. It's like.just seeing the controls in my Gundam was drawing out the anger. I can't tell that he's dying and he's completely calm right now, except for the anger." Duo then stopped, "That sounded stupid." He didn't know how else to explain then got an idea. "You know how emotionless Trowa is even when he's angry or sad or even happy?"
"Yes." Wufei agreed.
"It's like that. It's like a big secret that Quatre's not showing or telling anyone." He concluded.
There was a slight pause. "I think I understand." Wufei's voice floated into Duo's cockpit.
Duo was silent as he saw Quatre gently shake Heero until the Wing pilot awoke. Heero looked at Quatre, though it looked like he was looking at Duo. Quatre said something but didn't think it so Duo didn't know. He saw the expression on Heero's face soften slightly and he said something.
// He loves you too. \\ Quatre's voice echoed through Duo's mind. Duo smiled and focused on the Earth.
***
"Master Quatre." Rashid stepped forward and bowed slightly. He, along with the other Maguanacs could easily see that their young master was under the influence of the Zero system. They had heard about the first encounter with the nightmarish system and were seemingly surprised that Quatre looked to be so calm.
"Rashid." Quatre inclined his head slightly. "I'm sorry that this has to be so short, but we have to get our Gundams and defeat OZ." He explained.
Rashid was taken aback by the flat tone of the usually lively voice. He was silent for only a moment, but a moment that Quatre noticed.
"Do not be alarmed. I've been told that my voice is very.disturbing and though it sounds like I am devoid of human emotions, as someone pointed out to me," Quatre thought of Duo and he was sent a mental grin from the Deathscythe pilot. "I do feel what everyone around me is feeling, more so than before." He took a breath and let everything sink into the man's head. It might have sounded harsh but the Zero system prevented Quatre from caring. He had a mission and that mission required the Gundams. "Are the Gundams ready?" He asked.
Rashid nodded. "We were able to finish them in the requested time." He said.
"Good. The only thing we'll need is water since this mission won't take very long." He said, mostly to himself. He was too busy calculating how long the mission would take if everything went the way he planned.
// It won't, don't waste your time. \\ Duo's voice piped up.
"Don't tell me what to do." Quatre said as he thought it. Heero and Trowa looked at each other knowing who Quatre was talking to, but then they glanced at Rashid who was slightly confused. Silently the two pilots agreed and began to tell the man the story.
***
Wufei quietly entered the pitch-black room. He knew his way around though so he didn't worry about the lights. As he stepped farther into the room the lights came on and Wufei was left staring at Treize who was calmly sitting in an arm chair and sipping a martini. "Ah, Dragon. I wondered when you'd get here." He said.
Wufei suppressed his anger.
"Do you have anything to report to me?" Treize asked. "What condition are 01 and 04 in?" He asked and Wufei was disgusted. It was so. normal , as if they were discussing the weather.
"They're both dead." Wufei said without much emotion.
Duo heard the cue from the communicator, which had been placed in Wufei's clothes. // We're ready whenever you guys are. Wufei will only be able to stall for about an hour. \\
// Long enough. \\ The reply came quickly.
Duo went back to listening to Treize and Wufei.
"They're dead!" Treize stood up, "That's wonderful! Ah Dragon, you've done a wonderful job and as your reward I will make your punishment for working with the rebels as easy as I see fit." He smiled triumphantly.
Wufei just nodded. // Reward. \\ He scoffed mentally. // I'd rather die a Gundam pilot you foolish man. \\ He all but growled as Treize celebrated his victory.
"Celebrating a little early aren't you?" Wufei asked casually, or as casually as he could muster. "You still have to deal with Pilot 02, 03 and myself." He pointed out.
Treize smiled. "Now Dragon, I don't think you'll be much of a threat. And pilots 02 and 03 won't last long. I can't say that 01 was weak, but the two of them are almost as weak as 04." He shrugged, sipping the sour liquid.
Wufei's hand twitched. // I had wanted to kill you myself, but I will let Quatre pull the trigger you bastard. \\ He thought as he calmed his appearance.
"You have underestimated 04. He was strong. And 02 and 03 are stronger than you believe. They will continue to fight to honor the people they lost and I will fight for the friends that you murdered." Wufei said. He was so calm that he surprised himself. // I can't stall for an hour. This is impossible, I'm liable to kill him soon. \\
Treize laughed, a sound that Wufei used to welcome. Now it seemed harsh and emptier than a Zero infected Quatre. "You are too sensitive Dragon." Treize was too busy sipping his cocktail to notice Wufei cringe at the nickname. "It was only a matter of time before OZ won." The man got up and set his drink down, he then made his way over to Wufei. "Come Dragon, let us celebrate my victory." He smiled and took Wufei's hand, leading him to the bed in the room.
The Shenlong pilot forced himself not to hesitate. Treize would surely know that something was wrong if he did. But this man was his enemy, though he had been before. Wufei had thought him honorable. Now he was just a snake who wanted everything his way. Wufei also knew that Duo could hear what was going on, therefore Quatre probably knew. And while Wufei trusted Quatre Winner with his life he wouldn't trust a Zero Quatre with anything.
But Wufei didn't have to worry. Treize liked to prolong a good thing and foreplay was his favourite part. After some long moments of suffering pleasurably Wufei spotted a glint from behind his lover's shoulder. "Treize." Wufei said breathlessly. "You are so." He whimpered then leaned forward to whisper into Treize's ear. "Gullible."
As the word and meaning registered in Treize's fogged mind he felt something pierce him in the back. "Fuck!" The man growled and pulled a dart out of his body. "What the hell is this?" He looked behind him where the dart had come from. His eyes widened as he spotted the other Gundam pilots, with 01 and 04 in front of them. 04 held a dart gun.
"This is the end for you Treize." Pilot 04 replied coldly as he glared at the OZ leader. Treize couldn't help as a shiver of fear slithered through his spine.
"But.you're dead!" Treize stood up, away from the bed. "Wufei told me that the two of you had died!" He growled.
Pilot 01 smirked. "Maybe we are." He replied.
"But you both look fine! It's been at least four days! You should have some symptoms!" Treize insisted.
"Sorry to burst your bubble pal, but we found a cure for Gemini." Pilot 02 grinned, "And we even formed our own virus, which you have been infected with." His grin turned sinister.
"Virus?" Treize looked at the dart. "What the hell is the name of this so called virus?" He asked defiantly, not ready to believe their word just yet.
"Akab Ahctog." Pilot 03 spoke softly. "It will begin to shut your body down in thirty minutes. You will begin to grow tired until you fall into a sleep that you will not wake up from." He promised.
"Shit." Treize growled then glared at Wufei. "You damned traitor!" he hollered. "I'll-"
"Such obscenities." Pilot 04's grin was anything but settling. "A man in your position shouldn't be making threats. Not if you want to live anyway." He spot. "We have a cure for Akab Ahctog but if you want it, you will follow our orders."
Treize was silent, then he yawned and panicked. Duo took pleasure in seeing the helpless look cross the man's face and he felt that Quatre also took great pleasure in his weakness. "Alright, I'll do as you say." Treize agreed, defeated.
"Man an international speech, admitting that OZ had forfeited the war and that Relena Peacecraft has won." Heero ordered.
Treize nodded. "I'll have to get Zechs Marquise to help me." He sighed.
All the pilots looked at Quatre. "Fine. He gets everything set up but you stay with us and if he so much as sneezes you're a dead man." Quatre growled.
Treize went to a phone to call Zechs.
***
Somehow, the Lightning Count had managed to have everything ready in only four hours. Treize was chugging cups of coffee as if they were oxygen. "We're ready your excellency." Zechs informed Treize.
Treize nodded then took his position. Trowa and Wufei stood adjacent to the man to make sure he delivered the right speech. In a back room Duo held a fallen Heero whose strength had completely give out on him. Duo had also noticed changes in Quatre.
As Duo looked at Heero, he felt a stinging pain all through his body and the blonde gasped, making both Duo and Heero look at him.
"Gemini." Quatre whimpered. "It morphed." He whispered.
"Will the Zero still keep Q alive?" Duo looked at Heero, the braided pilot could feel Quatre's pain and it surged within his body. But Duo was glad that it had been dulled to a minimum.
"I'm not sure." Heero's voice was soft. "Treize is almost done. When the camera is off, inject everyone with the drug, then we have to get out of here." He all but gasped.
Duo nodded and when Treize had finished Duo jumped up and went into the other room. There were only five people not including Treize. The God of Death stood beside Wufei and Trowa.
"I made the speech now give me the antidote!" Treize all but got down on his knees and begged.
"We lied." Trowa spoke calmly. "There is no cure." He said and Duo took this as his cue. He pulled out a dart gun and shot Zechs, then the four other men.
"You son of a bitch." Zechs growled as Quatre and Heero came into the room.
"One of us has to stay until they die." Heero said ignoring Zechs. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Quatre open his mouth. "But not us." The Wing pilot looked at Pilot 04. 04 closed his mouth.
"I'll stay." Wufei spoke. "This is my only justice for what this rat did to us." He said.
"Good." Heero nodded. "Let's get out of here. Wufei, we will wait outside the base."
Before the four pilots left the room Quatre turned and glared an icy glare at Zechs. "I still think that your face is uglier than a horses' ass."
Heero's voice grew fainter as he spoke. "Let's go." He forced himself to step from the room before collapsing. He fell into Quatre's arms and passed out.
Quatre looked at Duo and Trowa. "He's exhausted. I'll get Heero into his Gundam. Trowa, you're strong enough to carry Wing. Duo, you are feeling what everyone is feeling through me and you'll be too distracted to help him." He gave them explanations. "Now, the soldiers in this base have probably heard the announcement and more than likely a lot, if not all of them will probably want to know why. We have to get Heero out of here." Quatre said.
Duo and Trowa agreed and the three of them ran through the base, dodging hallways where soldiers were already gathering. Trowa was carrying Heero's limp body by the time they reached their Gundams, which were waiting, in the only place not monitored. Treize had done this for Wufei. With Quatre's help Trowa got Heero settled into Wing. Then the two boys got into their own Gundams.
Duo watched as Heavyarms took a strong hold on Wing. He hoped that the pilot inside was alright and would survive the last trip back tot he Maguanac base and then the two hour flight to the L1 colony and Dr. J's lab. The God of Death was so deep in thought that he hadn't realized that Wufei had reached them and that Trowa and the Shenlong pilot had already taken of with Heero.
"Duo." Quatre's quiet voice crackled over the system, waking the boy from his thoughts. "Get your mind focused! Our mission isn't over yet. If you want us to get to L1 in time to save Heero than I suggest you move it!" The blonde spat as Sandrock lifted off from the ground and followed the other two.
Duo grinned, knowing that the intercom was on and that all the pilots could hear him. "Ya know Q, you're a lot more fun when you're on the Zero. Have you thought what the sex could be like?" Duo joked as Deathscythe followed Sandrock. He vaguely heard Wufei and Trowa snicker.
"I have actually Duo." Quatre retorted. "I was thinking, when we land, let's say I jump you and you can have your wicked way with me right in front of Rashid and the entire Maguanac Corps." Quatre's face appeared on Duo's screen and Duo could see the evil little smirk he was giving.
Duo blushed. "Damn. Okay, you got me. You are the 'Master Pervert' when you're on the Zero." He inclined his head as if to bow.
Trowa's face appeared beside Quatre's. "You'd be surprised Duo." He said and Quatre only grinned.
"Nani? Quatre was an in closet hentai?" He asked in disbelief.
"Why not? He was out of the closet with everything else." Trowa shrugged then disappeared from the screen.
"Oh." Duo said as Quatre's face also left the screen. The braided pilot decided to be quiet for the rest of the flight. But his silence was shattered when they were traveling across the Atlantic Ocean and Sandrock suddenly shut down and dropped lifelessly from the sky.
Knowing that he had the fastest available Gundam and feeling that Quatre had also passed out, Duo steered Deathscythe toward the falling Mobil Suit. Over the system he could hear both Wufei and Trowa calling out to the pilot in the motionless Gundam. Ignoring them, Duo maneuvered Deathscythe below the falling mass of Gundanium and braced for impact.
It came with a deafening crash of Gundanium against Gundanium. Duo was dragged down with the sudden weight. "Shit!" He cursed at nobody in particular. "Sandrock just had to be the heaviest made!" He clenched his teeth as both Deathscythe and Sandrock hit the surface of the water and were emerged in the blinding blackness.
"Sorry Q, but you're not going to the bottom today." Duo forced Deathscythe back to the surface as he pulled Sandrock up as well. He opened the communication line between him and Quatre and found that Quatre had curled himself into a ball and he was shivering violently. "Q? You okay?" Duo wondered. He couldn't feel Quatre at all and he wondered why.
"I.I cut.you off." Quatre replied slowly, answering Duo's silent question.
Duo was relieved that the boy was coherent. "Quatre, I need you to turn your thrusters on and leave 'em on." He said. "It's the only way we can get out of here."
Quatre nodded and Duo saw him flick a switch. Sandrock's thrusters pushed the white Gundam into black. Duo turned Deathscythe's thrusters on and he was able to pull Sandrock out of the water. After managing to guild Sandrock back to the other three, Duo sighed, feeling the adrenaline leave his system. "Try to rest Q. I have a feeling you're going to need it." He whispered.
***
"Do ya think we'll ever see them again?" Duo asked as they left the earth and their Gundams behind. Now that the war was over, Duo knew that the Gundams wouldn't be needed, but he didn't want to let go of Deathscythe yet.
"The war is over Maxwell." Wufei pointed out calmly as he piloted the shuttle, though he didn't want to let go of Nataku either. He looked over at Trowa who was sitting in the co-pilots seat quietly. With his eyes closed it made it look as though he was sleeping, but Wufei knew better.
He somehow knew that Trowa was also thinking about Heavyarms. // Then again, he could be thinking about Quatre. \\ Wufei realized.
Duo sighed. "Still." He shook his head. "I'm gonna check up on the other two. See ya later!" He waved and went down the hall to the captain's chamber.
"Do you want the energy to at least make it to L1?" Quatre asked Heero quietly. The two boys stared at each other as they lay across the bed. Heero sighed then nodded slowly. "I can give it to you." Quatre whispered and Heero raised an eyebrow.
"How?"
Quatre looked away from Heero's eyes. The Zero system was weakening and Quatre was becoming more like the old Quatre. "You know that I'm an empath, but I have more abilities than that. I can.take energy but I can also give up my own." He said, his eyes closed.
"Is that how you lasted so long after being infected? You used our energy?" Heero wondered.
Quatre nodded, "Not everyone's. Just Trowa's. He told me to do it, I told him of this ability a long time ago and it was actually his idea." He shrugged.
"Now I'm curious how you do this." Heero replied.
"Sex mostly." Quatre shrugged, then continued so Heero wouldn't get the wrong idea. "Not with giving though. Intimacy is the issue and a kiss is all that's need for that. I know Duo wants you to make it to L1 but I also know that it's like.cheating." He shrugged.
"Do it." A voice came from the door and both boys looked to find Duo standing there. Heero gave him a questioning look. "Trowa explained it to me. Go for it please, you'll never survive if we're delayed." Quietly, the braided pilot slipped out of the room.
Heero sighed, "Alright."
***
They reached L1 with plenty of time for Heero. The energy Quatre had transferred into him had been more than enough. Quatre on the other hand was fading quickly, even on the Zero. And though he was almost too weak to stand he wouldn't let anyone help him and pushed everyone, mostly Trowa away.
Dr. J watched as they entered the lab. "The cryogenic cylinders are ready." He said as they five pilots walked over to him.
"The war is over." Heero reported.
J smiled. "Yes, I heard." He said, "Now say your good-byes and get in." he ordered as he went over to two large boxes sitting over in a corner. Duo didn't want to say anything but they looked like coffins.
The braided pilot faced Heero. "I love you, I'll never stop. We'll find a cure." He promised and he held the Wing pilot tightly.
Heero chuckled softly. "I know you will Duo. I love you too." He whispered. Finally the two slowly let go and Heero pressed an envelope into Duo's hand. Heero turned to Wufei.
"I meant what I said Trowa, I do want you to stay happy." Quatre looked at his lover. He handed the Heavyarms pilot a second envelope, then pulled Trowa into a long hard kiss. When they separated Quatre grinned. "Something to remember me by." He whispered.
Trowa forced down a lump in his throat. "I'll never forget you. I love you." He said.
Quatre only smiled.
"Alright, it's time." Dr. J called.
All the pilots seemed to sigh, then Heero and Quatre slowly separated from the group and went over to the doctor.
"Do you think we'll find a cure?" Duo whispered as he watched his lover get into one of the cylinders.
"I hope so." Trowa mumbled as he watched the blonde. "I truly hope so."
To be continued.
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