***
Chapter 6 : Dreams and Nightmares
***
There was once a man who found himself in a place
where dreams came true. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it?
\\I dream of you.\\
You would think he would be happy, but he wasn't. He
went mad.
\\Do you dream of me?\\
For what can you do then if dreams become nightmares?
Nightmares you can't wake up from.
***
Duo ran. His frame slim from malnutrition, he had no
trouble darting between people into the alley.
"Thief! Stop that damn kid!"
As if that would help. He knew they were already too
late, this was his home territory. There was an exit,
a crawl-hole at the end of the alley to aid his
escape. Not that many would follow him in here.
Matted hair streaming behind him, he splashed through
puddles and dodged piles of garbage and rotting
refuse, prize safe in hand. It's not like its previous
owner would care about it as much as he would. His
fingers looped about the purse possessively. This
would mean he would eat this week.
When it became obvious that no pursuit would be
forthcoming, he slowed his pace. Without the pounding
of his feet, he noticed the eerie silence. There were
no drips of water, no rustle of garbage, no vehicles
humming and screeching. He stopped and looked around.
Everything was as still as death.
His heart beat in counterpoint to every breath,
unnaturally loud, but it was not from fear. With no
one around he was safer than he had ever been.
A door creaked. The sound was so sudden, Duo jumped,
trying to locate it. He noticed the door to his right,
a pealing layer of red paint revealing the faded gray
beneath. Duo wondered how he had not noticed it
before. His thoughts were cut off, however, as it
swung open, moved by an invisible hand, beckoning him
inside. Beyond was blackness, but if he got just a bit
closer...
He should leave. Whatever was behind that door was
none of his business. But, then he'd never know what
he missed. The purse in his hands was forgotten in
spite of his crushing grip.
He walked closer.
At first he saw nothing, eyes blinded by the relative
brightness outside. There was nothing to focus on,
nothing to draw his attention, except the pull to
know. A guttural moan reached his ears. Suddenly, the
world became clear.
A man swung, suspended from the ceiling above, his
arms pulled outwards in mockery of the crucifixion,
head lolling to the side. His eyes begging, painfully,
pleading for help. The other figures were vague
outlines, barely lighter than the surrounding
darkness, all save one. Pale skin stood in stark
relief, dark eyes turning towards him, the void of
space without stars, the draw of a black hole.
"This is not for you to see."
Invisible hands jerked him backwards and the door
slammed shut inches from his face. The door wouldn't
open. The purse fell from aching fingers.
As if a signal, the quiet nothingness ended when it
struck the ground. Noises buzzed. They pushed inside
his skull.
Duo's eyes narrowed. The chipped red paint was still
there, mocking him, secrets locked on the other side.
He reached a hand out. But that hand was larger,
fingernails clean and cut. His hair now pulled back
from his face in a familiar braid. The passing years
had also brought him greater strength. He pushed.
At first there was nothing, then the door inched open.
Something fought to keep him out, but he would not
allow it. He would get inside.
It swung open and, surprisingly, he did not fall from
the lack of opposition. Triumph surged threw him as he
stepped inside to the scents of blood and fear.
The man's face was shadowed now, but his outline
seemed different. Some strands of long hair shimmered.
He moved towards them.
The cool, impassive face turned once again towards
him. Silver glinted, not from the light of the
doorway, but from the blue radiance that emanated from
no where he could sense. It outlined the glittering
pins.
"What do you want?"
What did he want? There were so many answers, too
many. He settled on the one that came closest to the
truth. With a smile that held too many teeth to be
considered friendly, he replied.
"Everything."
The smile was returned, a smile that should have been
frightening, but seemed strangely fitting in this
place of shadows.
"There are such things we can show you."
Behind him, the door began closing. The room darkened.
The man looked up at him, bloody and white, pleading
in his eyes clearly evident. To escape before his only
exit was cut off forever. The face faded from view as
the room was filled only by the vague illumination of
moonbeams and dreamscapes.
Duo stepped forward again. It was no surprise that the
face was his own.
"Show me, then."
***
It was dark, but voices twittered like overactive
birds. Their noise, however, was not so beautiful or
pure.
"Murderer."
"I've been waiting for you."
"Wouldn't your father be so proud?"
"Killer. Bastard."
"See how you like it."
"For OZ!"
"For the Alliance!"
"For Trieze!"
"Are you any better than the rest of us?"
Quatre looked around. If there were people, they
blended in well with the surrounding shadows. He bit
his lower lip.
"We're here thanks to you."
"You'll join us soon."
"Yes, soon. Too late for you."
"Too late for everyone."
"No one can help you here."
"Not so tough without your Gundam."
A faint light caught his eye in the distance. He ran
towards it, ignoring the sounds around him and the
occasional brush of questing hands and fingers and he
rushed by. They were all so cold. The light grew
bigger.
It was Duo. He was alone. The object in his hands
shone, creating a halo of golden color, a sanctuary.
It was too bright too look at directly. There were no
voices to torment him here. Relief flooded him. Quatre
walked forward and touched his shoulder. Duo shifted
and looked towards him smiling.
"Hey, Quatre. What are you doing here?"
It was a good question. He wasn't entirely sure,
but...
"I think I was looking for you."
"Oh, that's good. I'm glad you found me, Q-man. I've
got something for you. Here."
Duo offered him the light, the light that seemed to
ward off his demons. He took it.
The sharp square edged dug into his hand. Now he could
see, it was the box Duo had found, the box that had
given him such dark premonitions.
"Thank you," he replied for the sake of politeness.
"Now, remember, you'll have to share."
"I will."
"Good." Duo's smile turned into a sneer, his face
draining of color. In his hands, the box twisted like
a snake, but he hung onto it as dark wings sprang from
Duo's back. They were like those of demons, and his
eyes were cruel. A drop of blood dripped from the
corner of his mouth.
Pain flared in his hands. The box was no longer,
instead it formed a perfect diamond, one spike of
which dug into his palm. It fell from his limp
fingers.
The light went out.
Duo was laughing at him.
"Ours."
"No protections now."
"Mine."
"Mine."
Hands grabbed at him from all directions. Cold hands,
dead hands, tearing at him, touching him.
"Join us."
"Like us."
"Murderer."
"Killer."
"Monster."
Another hand brushed his cheek gently, lingeringly.
Duo's voice spoke above all the others. "I'm glad you
saw things my way. I'll give your best to Trowa."
And Quatre knew just what he meant. And screamed.
***
"Sh. It's just a dream." Trowa stroked his hand
comfortingly threw Quatre's hair as the blond clung to
him.
Duo remained oblivious to the commotion, smiling and
digging even farther under the covers of the other
bed.
"We can't let him near that puzzle. Something bad is
going to happen."
Remembering how upset Quatre had been by it earlier,
the statement wasn't surprising.
"We'll ask him when he wakes up."
Quatre smiled at him. "I don't know what I'd do
without you. How do you put up with me?"
Trowa just looked at him. How could he not? Quatre was
the best thing that had ever happened in his life.
"Go back to sleep. I'll be right here. Nothing will
happen."
"Alright."
Quatre cuddled into his chest and closed his eyes.
Trowa glanced over at Duo, who was murmuring in his
sleep. **I wonder what he's dreaming of.** Whatever it
was, it was certainly more pleasant than Quatre's
nightmare.
***
"You want me to what?"
"Just don't touch it."
Duo looked at Quatre in disbelief. What harm would
touching it do? It wasn't like he was planning on
solving it.
"Duo, I'm serious."
Quatre gave him a LOOK. No one could resist Q when he
was in one of these moods. It must come from years of
practice manipulating his large family. How else could
one survive twenty-nine sisters? He could feel himself
crumple.
"Fine, fine. But what do you want to do with it?"
Another voice spoke up. "Some people are trying to get
some sleep!"
Wufei was apparently in a huff again, though even Duo
couldn't blame him given how long he'd gone without
sleep. Zechs had already nodded off. The argument was
not enough to keep him awake.
He contemplated going out of the room to finish the
conversation when Wufei raised an eyebrow at them. "If
you're that worried, I'll take the blasted thing. Just
make Maxwell stop yapping."
Quatre smiled and Duo dug the box out. He gave it to
Wufei. A part of him screamed, **Mine! Mine!** but he
ignored it.
"Thanks."
"Hm..."
Quatre turned and left, waiting with Trowa just
outside the door. Wufei glared at him again and Duo
soon followed suit as Wufei set the box down beside
his bed. He cast one last look at it, then at where
Zechs' face was relaxed in repose. It was time to get
to work.
***
Days had passed since the box had first been
discovered. Duo had almost succeeded in repairing the
computer, in spite of delays when the last engine of
the ship had broken down and it had taken all of them
to repair it enough to continue on there way to the
colony. Of course, since they couldn't go as fast, it
would take even more time to reach it. They had no
other trouble on the ship, and now were often working
by themselves, though they still slept in shifts with
someone always in the main control room. Duo himself
was thankful for the breakdown. It would give him more
time to investigate other things. There had been no
news of other attacks or anything out of the ordinary
elsewhere. He was certain that the secret lay on this
ship. Plus, the sleeping schedules had switched so he
was on shift with Zechs.
As if the thought of his name was a summons, the door
opened and the blond Preventor entered. Duo smiled up
at him.
"Hey, Zechsy."
"Hello, Duo. How is it coming?"
"Not too badly. In fact, I'm almost done."
"Do you want some help?"
He hated to say it, but he had to. "Well, actually..."
Zechs smiled instead of the taking offense. "I
understand completely. I'll just get in the way."
"Sorry, man, but an extra pair of hands..." Duo
shrugged, but was glad the man had understood. "So,
what are you doing here anyway?"
"I've just finished going through things in their
medical wing. Hopefully, it will allow us to identify
people. I actually recognized a few." At this there
was a sorrowful sigh.
Duo raised an eyebrow at him, before going back to
connect the last few wires.
Zechs continued. "There were some ex-White Fang
members, as well as OZ soldiers. I just didn't want to
be by myself for a while. I can't concentrate anyway.
You don't mind, do you?"
**And turn down your company? I don't think so,** he
thought, but didn't speak it aloud. Instead, he said,
"Not at all. Can't have you moping all by yourself."
Duo stood up and brushed himself, stretching out
kinked muscles. "Anyway, I'm finished... I hope. This
had better work."
"I have utter confidence that you have succeeded, or
will eventually."
He swallowed. "Thanks a bunch. Here goes nothing."
He closed his eyes, scrunching them shut and flipped
the power on. There was a pleasant hum in response.
Quirking open one eye, Duo was relieved to find that
everything appeared to be in working order. He also
noticed Zechs smiling at his antics. The man really
did have a nice smile. He should do it more often. And
he would, if Duo had anything to say about it.
"Well, we're now done the easy part. Now we just have
to break past his security."
"If we can't get it, the Preventors have some of the
best computer experts around."
"Yeah, we're two of them."
Zechs gave him a quizzical look.
"They've asked me to do stuff like this before, and
I'm sure you've done it a time or two yourself."
"I'm sure you have, I just don't know why you were
including me in your assessment."
"You mean they don't! Idiots." Zechs was obviously the
brains behind many of the very advanced systems that
had been salvaged from the lost White Fang base. Some
that were still not fully understood and Duo wished he
could get his hands on to study.
"I'm generally considered more... an action taker."
"So, you mean to tell me that you are a complete ditz
when it comes to computers? Come on. I have friends in
the Sweepers and they've got stuff from your old base.
I know the scientists had nothing to do with the
improved Zero System and mobile doll deployment and
somehow I don't think that other guy... Quinze, had
the brains to do it."
Zechs' eyes shadowed and Duo mentally yelled at
himself for bringing up more old, bad memories. He had
to say something, anything, to distract him.
"So, I was wondering if you could help me?"
He smiled his most winning smile, willing the pain to
vanish.
It didn't completely, but he could see Zechs fold
under the assault.
"If you're sure."
"'Course I'm sure. I mean, you know I can't get enough
of you. It's the perfect excuse to have you locked up
all alone with me." He shook his finger at the
ex-soldier, speaking with mock sternness. "It will
probably be very difficult, we might be in here for
days."
Zechs held up both hands in surrender. "I can't win
with you."
Duo responded by sticking his tongue out. He was sure
that the next few days would be pleasant ones.
"Incorrigible. Absolutely incorrigible."
"Oh, you know you like me the way I am."
Pause.
"Yes, I suppose I do."
***
"I'm leaving."
"Heero? You're leaving. Why?"
There was no reply. Heero simply walked away from him
and picked up his bags. There were few. Without a
second glance, he walked out the door. Duo stared for
a moment, then ran after him.
"Heero?!?"
He went out the door. Heero was gone, no where to be
found. He ran aimlessly, searching for him, but there
was no trace.
He spotted Hilde on the corner. "Hilde, have you seen
Heero?"
"He's left you, has he? I told you he would."
"But..."
But he knew she hadn't. She'd encouraged him at every
turn with the silent boy. Hadn't she?
"Didn't you know? Everyone leaves you. I'll stay as
long as I can, but I can't promise anything. I have
things to do too, you know?"
He studied his best friend. She was staring out into
the distance, not even looking at him.
"Hilde, you can't leave me."
"You haven't been listening. It's just a matter of
time."
Then she simply wasn't there any more, like the earth
had swallowed her up. He knew that he'd never see her
again. Tears ran down his cheeks. Wiping them off with
his sleeve, he looked around. There was something
familiar about this street, though it was not one that
should have run outside his home. He needed help, but
didn't know where to get it.
There was a church at the end of the road. If he ever
needed guidance, or familiar surroundings, it was now.
He made his way towards it.
"Hello, Duo. Come in."
Sister Helen opened the door. His eyes widened, but
she seemed unsurprised at his presence.
She handed him a handkerchief. "You look a right mess.
Would you like me to fix your hair?"
"Sure."
He sat down in the empty church and she pulled out a
brush, seemingly from nowhere.
"You always used to hate this," she reminisced as she
pulled through the brown mass. "But you have to look
your best. Your young man is coming over for dinner."
"He is?" Duo hid his confusion with the question.
"Yes, of course. You didn't think I wouldn't like to
meet him?"
"Well..."
"Don't be silly." She tied off the braid. "You have to
make the best of it."
"What?"
"I mean, you can't expect him to stay, can you?"
The doorbell rang. Funny, he didn't remember the
church having a doorbell.
"That should be him now." Sister Helen rose to her
feet and answered the door.
Zechs was there in formal wear, holding a bouquet of
roses, red ones. He looked good, really good. The suit
was obviously tailored just for him, accenting his
height and his broad shoulders.
"Hello, Sister. Is Duo here?"
"Yes, he is indeed."
Duo came to the door. "Zechs?"
"Hello, Duo." Zechs reached into his pocket and pulled
out a letter. "This is for you. I have to run, Wufei
is expecting me."
He grasped the paper tightly, it threatened to crumple
under his fingers.
Zechs bowed. "It was nice to meet you, Sister."
"You too, Mr. Merquise."
The door closed as Zechs hurried off, intent on his
date with Wufei.
"Well, wasn't that nice?"
Duo didn't answer her, he looked instead to the
letter. It was from Heero.
//Maxwell,
Relena and I are getting married.
Heero//
He balled the paper together and tossed it to the
ground. Duo looked around, but the church was now
empty. He stepped outside.
Blackness covered him, with only a faint sliver of
moon. He wondered why he was on Earth.
"Do you want to see?"
He searched for the voice, calling out after it, but
there was no trace of the speaker. Nothing, no one,
anywhere. He was alone.
The darkness was there for a long time. He couldn't
find the way out.
***
Duo was crying in his sleep. Wufei thought about just
leaving him to suffer, but he couldn't be that cruel,
even if it was Maxwell. Even if he didn't like the way
Maxwell hung off Zechs, how he wanted to growl at the
other man and tell him to back off. But he had too
much experience with nightmares to condemn him. Still,
waking him might be dangerous, as he also knew from
experience.
"Maxwell, wake up," he called as loudly he dared with
Zechs also asleep. "Maxwell..."
Well, it wasn't like the other was armed. He'd just
have to be careful. Wufei got up and walked to the
other bed, putting his hand on Duo's shoulder and
shaking him, alert for any adverse reaction.
A hand shot out, but he grabbed Maxwell's wrist he
could do anything. "Maxwell, it was a dream."
Duo was blinking sleep from his eyes. "A dream? Thank
God."
"So you aren't going to try to kill me?"
"No, sorry, 'Fei."
"Humph. I'm going back to bed."
He went back across the cold floor, and pulled the
covers back up. His breathing became more rhythmic as
he got closer to sleep. He may have been
hallucinating, but he swore he could hear something
just before drifting off.
"Thank you, Wufei."
***
"Are you alright, Duo?" Zechs asked with concern.
"I'm alright. I just didn't sleep well. Had a
nightmare."
Zechs nodded his understanding. He'd had his share of
nights like those. The past had haunted him since the
age of six when he'd witnessed his parent's
assassination firsthand. Still, it was disturbing how
Duo kept looking at him like he expected him to
vanish.
They had worked hard on cracking the security system
for the past few days. It was taking longer than
anticipated. Whoever had done the coding was both
brilliant and creative. And, whoever owned the
computer was very, very paranoid.
**Didn't want us to be able to get evidence off it in
case something like this happened.**
Which was why the two had spent the past few days in
each other's company. Not that this was a bad thing.
Duo interrupted his train of thought. "I'm such an
idiot. Of course."
Zechs watched him act on his inspiration, fingers
flying. Comprehension dawned. It really was so simple,
it was amazing they hadn't seen it before.
They looked at each other as the computer welcomed
them.
"Good morning, William," it said in an artificial
female voice.
Duo proceeded to make the computer recognize both
Zechs and himself as 'William', whoever he was.
Zechs watched as Duo's face animated in delight at
their accomplishment.
"Okay, sister, let's see what you've got."
***
"Information unavailable."
"Damn."
"Physical abnormalities detected."
The screen lit up with a schematic of a part of the
ship, damaged areas showing in red. It seemed that one
of those areas was where the data storage for the
surveillance was.
Zechs leaned over his shoulder. "Search for backup."
"Unavailable. Physical abnormalities detected."
Duo shook his head. All that work wasted. They might
never know what really happened.
"Where would we need to fix to get the information?"
he asked the computer.
"Damage is to surveillance data storage areas. It is
likely irretrievable."
Zechs looked down at him with a half-smile. "Well, so
much for that idea."
"Yeah." He resisted the urge to kick the machine.
"You'd think he'd have had more than one back up."
"We'll just have to do without. I'm sure there's other
information on here. It's not a total loss."
"Yes, you're right. We'll just have to see what else
is on this baby."
"Especially what was recently accessed. That's more
likely to tell us something."
"'Kay. Display recently accessed files."
A list scrolled down the screen of the last hundred
files the previous owner had used. Some of the names
looked familiar.
Duo clicked on one of them, the one that read 'Midas
Mining Station'. "I've never heard of this place."
Zechs nodded his agreement. "Neither have I, but there
are so many small stations springing up all the time
now."
"Maybe it was their next target. A mining station
might have valuable minerals as well as equipment."
The location was coded unfamiliarly, but beneath were
the regular 3-space coordinates. It was almost right
on top of where they'd found the ship.
"Well, it looks like it's not there anymore."
Duo had obviously read down farther than he. "Common
Era? Wow, that station was old. It was pre-colony."
"Pre-colony? Why would anyone be interested in a
pre-colony station?"
"Good question."
"Well, here's your answer." Zechs said, as he read
further. "It was designed by Merchant, the genius
behind the first colonies, though he didn't live to
see his designs put to use. No one gave them any value
for almost a hundred years after his death."
"Computer, display station specs."
"Certainly, William."
Duo smiled as the computer answered politely. "Do you
think I can keep her?"
Zechs gave a small laugh, before looking at the screen
again. He froze.
Duo leaned backwards in shock. "Well, that certainly
looks familiar, doesn't it?"
***
Most of what Duo dug up, he already knew. Damien
McNeil had given him a lot of information. But the
station fascinated him. It was clearly built to mimic
the box now in Wufei's possession.
Merchant had been a genius, like the history books
said. The use of continuous laser light in such a
way... Duo ran his simulation of it again. He wondered
again at its purpose. Why would someone go to so much
trouble, what was it meant to accomplish? He wished
again he hadn't promised not to touch the box. If only
he could make a comparison between them, he could
discover its secret.
Zechs had long since gone to bed, but the excitement
of discovery kept Duo from joining him in slumber.
That and avoiding the strange dreams that had been
plaguing him. Watching the simulation, as replicas of
the delicate beams played before his eyes, an idea
struck him. Duo smiled, there was a way to do this.
He'd just have to wait until Wufei woke up, or the
irritable Chinese man would never agree. They had been
getting along much better. Duo was grateful that Wufei
had rescued him from his nightmare, something he might
not have done in the other direction.
**I should be nicer to him.** With that resolution, he
continued to watch the screen.
***
It had started that morning. Wufei was ready to
throttle Maxwell if he didn't stop pouting in his
direction. The other had obviously not slept at all
and was running on the manic energy that drove Wufei
crazy. Now, he was taking a break for lunch, and he
was getting no enjoyment out of his meal.
He took another bite and looked up. Maxwell still had
that pleading look in his eye. He could take it no
longer.
"What do you want?"
The question seemed to startle his annoyance, but he
quickly recovered.
"Well, 'Fei, I have a favor to ask."
"Yes?" he said, tapping his foot impatiently. Couldn't
he just get on with it? At this point, he would have
done almost anything.
"Could you come down with me to the medical wing and
scan the box into the computer? Please?"
Wufei blinked for a moment. "Pardon?"
"Could you scan the box?"
"That's what I thought you said. Why?"
"Well..." Duo cleared his throat. "I promised Q that I
wouldn't touch it, but I want to check out a theory so
I have to know how it works. So, I want to create a
sim."
Wufei shook his head. There were times he wondered
about Maxwell. In fact, he did most of the time. "If I
do that, you'll stop with the bad puppy eyes
impression?"
Duo nodded, smiling.
"Fine. Just let me finish my lunch in peace."
"Sure, Wu-man."
Inside, Wufei cringed. He hated that nickname.
***
It was perfect. He wanted to wait for Zechs first, but
with this new data, he'd been able to figure out how
the box worked. Strangely, though he had not run it
completely through, he'd already noticed discrepancies
between the station and the box. Like they'd been
created as complements rather than identical copies.
"You said you wanted to show me something?"
He smiled as Zechs entered.
"Yup, I've got some new data on the box."
"Really?" Zechs' expression was curious. "Where?
Didn't we go through everything?"
"Yes, well, I had Wufei scan it down in med. I've
created a sim of it, though I haven't run it yet. I
wanted to wait for you. I think the station is a
complement to the box in some way."
"You got Wufei to scan it for you?" There was evident
disbelief.
Duo chuckled. "No one can resist my charms forever."
And was that a blush? Maybe, he could always hope.
"Well, you've seen the one of the station. So, here we
go."
"Dim lights," he ordered the computer, whom he'd named
Cindy for some strange reason. It just seemed to fit
her.
"Play complete simulation, real time."
Now here was the moment of truth. He would see if
Zechs agreed with him.
The gold and black object filled the screen, beginning
to twist and turn. All the pieces moved silently, as
blue lines showed the inner workings turning like
clockwork. The box was obviously an exquisite piece of
workmanship.
A star shape rose from the box, turning and slowly,
ever so slowly, turned and pushed itself back into
position.
The floor shook.
"What, what was that?"
Zechs pressed the com, "Wufei, what's going on?
Wufei?"
There was no answer, only static.
***
Wufei was in the main control room, monitoring for
outside activity. As per usual, there was nothing
untoward. He wished silently that Zechs were here to
keep him company, instead of with Maxwell. Hopefully,
he would be gone once this mission was completed.
Turning his face from the status reports for a moment,
he looked at the box that so fascinated Maxwell and
his partner. He didn't see the appeal, really. Sure,
it was pretty in its own way, but to spend so much
time on it instead of the real culprits was
ridiculous. It sat on top of the computer in front of
him, away from Maxwell and his designs on it. The
braided boy had gotten him to scan it in the medical
center, by the Ancestors. This obsession was obviously
interfering with his real work.
He was so intent, that he nearly fell out of his chair
when it moved.
**What?!?**
At first he thought something had struck the ship, but
there was nothing. The box, it wasn't just shaking, it
was moving itself, turning inside and out.
Then, the ship did shake and the lights went out, the
only illumination provided by the various computer
displays. A thousand thoughts echoed through his mind,
all centered around what could happen if Duo had been
right all along. **Ancestors! What did you do,
Maxwell?**
He may not have believed, but he'd read the
information about the Order of the Gash.
**We're going to die.** And that was the least of his
worries. For though he knew what they could do, he
didn't know how to stop them. There were some things
worse than death.
***
The lights went out completely, all save the screen,
which continued the simulation, pieces moving faster
and faster towards completion.
Blue light came from behind cabinets, shining in
cracks in the walls, under the door, in places where
no light should be found. Zechs face was outlined in
shadow and Duo shivered. He grabbed his hand to break
him out of his trance.
"We have to get up to the control room."
They moved for the door and into the hallway. The
conditions there were no different. He didn't let go
of Zechs' hand in case the man disappeared in the
strangeness.
Behind him metal clinked. They turned as one. A
familiar face stared out at him, one he knew only too
well from dreams. The metal that chimed like demented
bells were chains that were silhouetted in the doorway
they had just left.
"You called us..."
TBC...
NOTES
The man from the intro was based on a scene from
Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis. I haven't read
it in a long time, but I grew up on these books so I
don't think I'm too far off with it.
Quatre's dream was inspired by the ending scene of
When True Night Falls by CS Friedman. I always found
the voices talking over each other creepy.
Station Midas and Merchant were taken from the forth
movie, which I doubt many people have seen. The
station was designed by Merchant, decendant of the
original box creator, as a counter to the box in an
attempt to destroy its evil. The descendants of the
orginal Merchant the Toymaker have been closely linked
with the Lament Configuration.
Chapter 6 : Dreams and Nightmares
***
There was once a man who found himself in a place
where dreams came true. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it?
\\I dream of you.\\
You would think he would be happy, but he wasn't. He
went mad.
\\Do you dream of me?\\
For what can you do then if dreams become nightmares?
Nightmares you can't wake up from.
***
Duo ran. His frame slim from malnutrition, he had no
trouble darting between people into the alley.
"Thief! Stop that damn kid!"
As if that would help. He knew they were already too
late, this was his home territory. There was an exit,
a crawl-hole at the end of the alley to aid his
escape. Not that many would follow him in here.
Matted hair streaming behind him, he splashed through
puddles and dodged piles of garbage and rotting
refuse, prize safe in hand. It's not like its previous
owner would care about it as much as he would. His
fingers looped about the purse possessively. This
would mean he would eat this week.
When it became obvious that no pursuit would be
forthcoming, he slowed his pace. Without the pounding
of his feet, he noticed the eerie silence. There were
no drips of water, no rustle of garbage, no vehicles
humming and screeching. He stopped and looked around.
Everything was as still as death.
His heart beat in counterpoint to every breath,
unnaturally loud, but it was not from fear. With no
one around he was safer than he had ever been.
A door creaked. The sound was so sudden, Duo jumped,
trying to locate it. He noticed the door to his right,
a pealing layer of red paint revealing the faded gray
beneath. Duo wondered how he had not noticed it
before. His thoughts were cut off, however, as it
swung open, moved by an invisible hand, beckoning him
inside. Beyond was blackness, but if he got just a bit
closer...
He should leave. Whatever was behind that door was
none of his business. But, then he'd never know what
he missed. The purse in his hands was forgotten in
spite of his crushing grip.
He walked closer.
At first he saw nothing, eyes blinded by the relative
brightness outside. There was nothing to focus on,
nothing to draw his attention, except the pull to
know. A guttural moan reached his ears. Suddenly, the
world became clear.
A man swung, suspended from the ceiling above, his
arms pulled outwards in mockery of the crucifixion,
head lolling to the side. His eyes begging, painfully,
pleading for help. The other figures were vague
outlines, barely lighter than the surrounding
darkness, all save one. Pale skin stood in stark
relief, dark eyes turning towards him, the void of
space without stars, the draw of a black hole.
"This is not for you to see."
Invisible hands jerked him backwards and the door
slammed shut inches from his face. The door wouldn't
open. The purse fell from aching fingers.
As if a signal, the quiet nothingness ended when it
struck the ground. Noises buzzed. They pushed inside
his skull.
Duo's eyes narrowed. The chipped red paint was still
there, mocking him, secrets locked on the other side.
He reached a hand out. But that hand was larger,
fingernails clean and cut. His hair now pulled back
from his face in a familiar braid. The passing years
had also brought him greater strength. He pushed.
At first there was nothing, then the door inched open.
Something fought to keep him out, but he would not
allow it. He would get inside.
It swung open and, surprisingly, he did not fall from
the lack of opposition. Triumph surged threw him as he
stepped inside to the scents of blood and fear.
The man's face was shadowed now, but his outline
seemed different. Some strands of long hair shimmered.
He moved towards them.
The cool, impassive face turned once again towards
him. Silver glinted, not from the light of the
doorway, but from the blue radiance that emanated from
no where he could sense. It outlined the glittering
pins.
"What do you want?"
What did he want? There were so many answers, too
many. He settled on the one that came closest to the
truth. With a smile that held too many teeth to be
considered friendly, he replied.
"Everything."
The smile was returned, a smile that should have been
frightening, but seemed strangely fitting in this
place of shadows.
"There are such things we can show you."
Behind him, the door began closing. The room darkened.
The man looked up at him, bloody and white, pleading
in his eyes clearly evident. To escape before his only
exit was cut off forever. The face faded from view as
the room was filled only by the vague illumination of
moonbeams and dreamscapes.
Duo stepped forward again. It was no surprise that the
face was his own.
"Show me, then."
***
It was dark, but voices twittered like overactive
birds. Their noise, however, was not so beautiful or
pure.
"Murderer."
"I've been waiting for you."
"Wouldn't your father be so proud?"
"Killer. Bastard."
"See how you like it."
"For OZ!"
"For the Alliance!"
"For Trieze!"
"Are you any better than the rest of us?"
Quatre looked around. If there were people, they
blended in well with the surrounding shadows. He bit
his lower lip.
"We're here thanks to you."
"You'll join us soon."
"Yes, soon. Too late for you."
"Too late for everyone."
"No one can help you here."
"Not so tough without your Gundam."
A faint light caught his eye in the distance. He ran
towards it, ignoring the sounds around him and the
occasional brush of questing hands and fingers and he
rushed by. They were all so cold. The light grew
bigger.
It was Duo. He was alone. The object in his hands
shone, creating a halo of golden color, a sanctuary.
It was too bright too look at directly. There were no
voices to torment him here. Relief flooded him. Quatre
walked forward and touched his shoulder. Duo shifted
and looked towards him smiling.
"Hey, Quatre. What are you doing here?"
It was a good question. He wasn't entirely sure,
but...
"I think I was looking for you."
"Oh, that's good. I'm glad you found me, Q-man. I've
got something for you. Here."
Duo offered him the light, the light that seemed to
ward off his demons. He took it.
The sharp square edged dug into his hand. Now he could
see, it was the box Duo had found, the box that had
given him such dark premonitions.
"Thank you," he replied for the sake of politeness.
"Now, remember, you'll have to share."
"I will."
"Good." Duo's smile turned into a sneer, his face
draining of color. In his hands, the box twisted like
a snake, but he hung onto it as dark wings sprang from
Duo's back. They were like those of demons, and his
eyes were cruel. A drop of blood dripped from the
corner of his mouth.
Pain flared in his hands. The box was no longer,
instead it formed a perfect diamond, one spike of
which dug into his palm. It fell from his limp
fingers.
The light went out.
Duo was laughing at him.
"Ours."
"No protections now."
"Mine."
"Mine."
Hands grabbed at him from all directions. Cold hands,
dead hands, tearing at him, touching him.
"Join us."
"Like us."
"Murderer."
"Killer."
"Monster."
Another hand brushed his cheek gently, lingeringly.
Duo's voice spoke above all the others. "I'm glad you
saw things my way. I'll give your best to Trowa."
And Quatre knew just what he meant. And screamed.
***
"Sh. It's just a dream." Trowa stroked his hand
comfortingly threw Quatre's hair as the blond clung to
him.
Duo remained oblivious to the commotion, smiling and
digging even farther under the covers of the other
bed.
"We can't let him near that puzzle. Something bad is
going to happen."
Remembering how upset Quatre had been by it earlier,
the statement wasn't surprising.
"We'll ask him when he wakes up."
Quatre smiled at him. "I don't know what I'd do
without you. How do you put up with me?"
Trowa just looked at him. How could he not? Quatre was
the best thing that had ever happened in his life.
"Go back to sleep. I'll be right here. Nothing will
happen."
"Alright."
Quatre cuddled into his chest and closed his eyes.
Trowa glanced over at Duo, who was murmuring in his
sleep. **I wonder what he's dreaming of.** Whatever it
was, it was certainly more pleasant than Quatre's
nightmare.
***
"You want me to what?"
"Just don't touch it."
Duo looked at Quatre in disbelief. What harm would
touching it do? It wasn't like he was planning on
solving it.
"Duo, I'm serious."
Quatre gave him a LOOK. No one could resist Q when he
was in one of these moods. It must come from years of
practice manipulating his large family. How else could
one survive twenty-nine sisters? He could feel himself
crumple.
"Fine, fine. But what do you want to do with it?"
Another voice spoke up. "Some people are trying to get
some sleep!"
Wufei was apparently in a huff again, though even Duo
couldn't blame him given how long he'd gone without
sleep. Zechs had already nodded off. The argument was
not enough to keep him awake.
He contemplated going out of the room to finish the
conversation when Wufei raised an eyebrow at them. "If
you're that worried, I'll take the blasted thing. Just
make Maxwell stop yapping."
Quatre smiled and Duo dug the box out. He gave it to
Wufei. A part of him screamed, **Mine! Mine!** but he
ignored it.
"Thanks."
"Hm..."
Quatre turned and left, waiting with Trowa just
outside the door. Wufei glared at him again and Duo
soon followed suit as Wufei set the box down beside
his bed. He cast one last look at it, then at where
Zechs' face was relaxed in repose. It was time to get
to work.
***
Days had passed since the box had first been
discovered. Duo had almost succeeded in repairing the
computer, in spite of delays when the last engine of
the ship had broken down and it had taken all of them
to repair it enough to continue on there way to the
colony. Of course, since they couldn't go as fast, it
would take even more time to reach it. They had no
other trouble on the ship, and now were often working
by themselves, though they still slept in shifts with
someone always in the main control room. Duo himself
was thankful for the breakdown. It would give him more
time to investigate other things. There had been no
news of other attacks or anything out of the ordinary
elsewhere. He was certain that the secret lay on this
ship. Plus, the sleeping schedules had switched so he
was on shift with Zechs.
As if the thought of his name was a summons, the door
opened and the blond Preventor entered. Duo smiled up
at him.
"Hey, Zechsy."
"Hello, Duo. How is it coming?"
"Not too badly. In fact, I'm almost done."
"Do you want some help?"
He hated to say it, but he had to. "Well, actually..."
Zechs smiled instead of the taking offense. "I
understand completely. I'll just get in the way."
"Sorry, man, but an extra pair of hands..." Duo
shrugged, but was glad the man had understood. "So,
what are you doing here anyway?"
"I've just finished going through things in their
medical wing. Hopefully, it will allow us to identify
people. I actually recognized a few." At this there
was a sorrowful sigh.
Duo raised an eyebrow at him, before going back to
connect the last few wires.
Zechs continued. "There were some ex-White Fang
members, as well as OZ soldiers. I just didn't want to
be by myself for a while. I can't concentrate anyway.
You don't mind, do you?"
**And turn down your company? I don't think so,** he
thought, but didn't speak it aloud. Instead, he said,
"Not at all. Can't have you moping all by yourself."
Duo stood up and brushed himself, stretching out
kinked muscles. "Anyway, I'm finished... I hope. This
had better work."
"I have utter confidence that you have succeeded, or
will eventually."
He swallowed. "Thanks a bunch. Here goes nothing."
He closed his eyes, scrunching them shut and flipped
the power on. There was a pleasant hum in response.
Quirking open one eye, Duo was relieved to find that
everything appeared to be in working order. He also
noticed Zechs smiling at his antics. The man really
did have a nice smile. He should do it more often. And
he would, if Duo had anything to say about it.
"Well, we're now done the easy part. Now we just have
to break past his security."
"If we can't get it, the Preventors have some of the
best computer experts around."
"Yeah, we're two of them."
Zechs gave him a quizzical look.
"They've asked me to do stuff like this before, and
I'm sure you've done it a time or two yourself."
"I'm sure you have, I just don't know why you were
including me in your assessment."
"You mean they don't! Idiots." Zechs was obviously the
brains behind many of the very advanced systems that
had been salvaged from the lost White Fang base. Some
that were still not fully understood and Duo wished he
could get his hands on to study.
"I'm generally considered more... an action taker."
"So, you mean to tell me that you are a complete ditz
when it comes to computers? Come on. I have friends in
the Sweepers and they've got stuff from your old base.
I know the scientists had nothing to do with the
improved Zero System and mobile doll deployment and
somehow I don't think that other guy... Quinze, had
the brains to do it."
Zechs' eyes shadowed and Duo mentally yelled at
himself for bringing up more old, bad memories. He had
to say something, anything, to distract him.
"So, I was wondering if you could help me?"
He smiled his most winning smile, willing the pain to
vanish.
It didn't completely, but he could see Zechs fold
under the assault.
"If you're sure."
"'Course I'm sure. I mean, you know I can't get enough
of you. It's the perfect excuse to have you locked up
all alone with me." He shook his finger at the
ex-soldier, speaking with mock sternness. "It will
probably be very difficult, we might be in here for
days."
Zechs held up both hands in surrender. "I can't win
with you."
Duo responded by sticking his tongue out. He was sure
that the next few days would be pleasant ones.
"Incorrigible. Absolutely incorrigible."
"Oh, you know you like me the way I am."
Pause.
"Yes, I suppose I do."
***
"I'm leaving."
"Heero? You're leaving. Why?"
There was no reply. Heero simply walked away from him
and picked up his bags. There were few. Without a
second glance, he walked out the door. Duo stared for
a moment, then ran after him.
"Heero?!?"
He went out the door. Heero was gone, no where to be
found. He ran aimlessly, searching for him, but there
was no trace.
He spotted Hilde on the corner. "Hilde, have you seen
Heero?"
"He's left you, has he? I told you he would."
"But..."
But he knew she hadn't. She'd encouraged him at every
turn with the silent boy. Hadn't she?
"Didn't you know? Everyone leaves you. I'll stay as
long as I can, but I can't promise anything. I have
things to do too, you know?"
He studied his best friend. She was staring out into
the distance, not even looking at him.
"Hilde, you can't leave me."
"You haven't been listening. It's just a matter of
time."
Then she simply wasn't there any more, like the earth
had swallowed her up. He knew that he'd never see her
again. Tears ran down his cheeks. Wiping them off with
his sleeve, he looked around. There was something
familiar about this street, though it was not one that
should have run outside his home. He needed help, but
didn't know where to get it.
There was a church at the end of the road. If he ever
needed guidance, or familiar surroundings, it was now.
He made his way towards it.
"Hello, Duo. Come in."
Sister Helen opened the door. His eyes widened, but
she seemed unsurprised at his presence.
She handed him a handkerchief. "You look a right mess.
Would you like me to fix your hair?"
"Sure."
He sat down in the empty church and she pulled out a
brush, seemingly from nowhere.
"You always used to hate this," she reminisced as she
pulled through the brown mass. "But you have to look
your best. Your young man is coming over for dinner."
"He is?" Duo hid his confusion with the question.
"Yes, of course. You didn't think I wouldn't like to
meet him?"
"Well..."
"Don't be silly." She tied off the braid. "You have to
make the best of it."
"What?"
"I mean, you can't expect him to stay, can you?"
The doorbell rang. Funny, he didn't remember the
church having a doorbell.
"That should be him now." Sister Helen rose to her
feet and answered the door.
Zechs was there in formal wear, holding a bouquet of
roses, red ones. He looked good, really good. The suit
was obviously tailored just for him, accenting his
height and his broad shoulders.
"Hello, Sister. Is Duo here?"
"Yes, he is indeed."
Duo came to the door. "Zechs?"
"Hello, Duo." Zechs reached into his pocket and pulled
out a letter. "This is for you. I have to run, Wufei
is expecting me."
He grasped the paper tightly, it threatened to crumple
under his fingers.
Zechs bowed. "It was nice to meet you, Sister."
"You too, Mr. Merquise."
The door closed as Zechs hurried off, intent on his
date with Wufei.
"Well, wasn't that nice?"
Duo didn't answer her, he looked instead to the
letter. It was from Heero.
//Maxwell,
Relena and I are getting married.
Heero//
He balled the paper together and tossed it to the
ground. Duo looked around, but the church was now
empty. He stepped outside.
Blackness covered him, with only a faint sliver of
moon. He wondered why he was on Earth.
"Do you want to see?"
He searched for the voice, calling out after it, but
there was no trace of the speaker. Nothing, no one,
anywhere. He was alone.
The darkness was there for a long time. He couldn't
find the way out.
***
Duo was crying in his sleep. Wufei thought about just
leaving him to suffer, but he couldn't be that cruel,
even if it was Maxwell. Even if he didn't like the way
Maxwell hung off Zechs, how he wanted to growl at the
other man and tell him to back off. But he had too
much experience with nightmares to condemn him. Still,
waking him might be dangerous, as he also knew from
experience.
"Maxwell, wake up," he called as loudly he dared with
Zechs also asleep. "Maxwell..."
Well, it wasn't like the other was armed. He'd just
have to be careful. Wufei got up and walked to the
other bed, putting his hand on Duo's shoulder and
shaking him, alert for any adverse reaction.
A hand shot out, but he grabbed Maxwell's wrist he
could do anything. "Maxwell, it was a dream."
Duo was blinking sleep from his eyes. "A dream? Thank
God."
"So you aren't going to try to kill me?"
"No, sorry, 'Fei."
"Humph. I'm going back to bed."
He went back across the cold floor, and pulled the
covers back up. His breathing became more rhythmic as
he got closer to sleep. He may have been
hallucinating, but he swore he could hear something
just before drifting off.
"Thank you, Wufei."
***
"Are you alright, Duo?" Zechs asked with concern.
"I'm alright. I just didn't sleep well. Had a
nightmare."
Zechs nodded his understanding. He'd had his share of
nights like those. The past had haunted him since the
age of six when he'd witnessed his parent's
assassination firsthand. Still, it was disturbing how
Duo kept looking at him like he expected him to
vanish.
They had worked hard on cracking the security system
for the past few days. It was taking longer than
anticipated. Whoever had done the coding was both
brilliant and creative. And, whoever owned the
computer was very, very paranoid.
**Didn't want us to be able to get evidence off it in
case something like this happened.**
Which was why the two had spent the past few days in
each other's company. Not that this was a bad thing.
Duo interrupted his train of thought. "I'm such an
idiot. Of course."
Zechs watched him act on his inspiration, fingers
flying. Comprehension dawned. It really was so simple,
it was amazing they hadn't seen it before.
They looked at each other as the computer welcomed
them.
"Good morning, William," it said in an artificial
female voice.
Duo proceeded to make the computer recognize both
Zechs and himself as 'William', whoever he was.
Zechs watched as Duo's face animated in delight at
their accomplishment.
"Okay, sister, let's see what you've got."
***
"Information unavailable."
"Damn."
"Physical abnormalities detected."
The screen lit up with a schematic of a part of the
ship, damaged areas showing in red. It seemed that one
of those areas was where the data storage for the
surveillance was.
Zechs leaned over his shoulder. "Search for backup."
"Unavailable. Physical abnormalities detected."
Duo shook his head. All that work wasted. They might
never know what really happened.
"Where would we need to fix to get the information?"
he asked the computer.
"Damage is to surveillance data storage areas. It is
likely irretrievable."
Zechs looked down at him with a half-smile. "Well, so
much for that idea."
"Yeah." He resisted the urge to kick the machine.
"You'd think he'd have had more than one back up."
"We'll just have to do without. I'm sure there's other
information on here. It's not a total loss."
"Yes, you're right. We'll just have to see what else
is on this baby."
"Especially what was recently accessed. That's more
likely to tell us something."
"'Kay. Display recently accessed files."
A list scrolled down the screen of the last hundred
files the previous owner had used. Some of the names
looked familiar.
Duo clicked on one of them, the one that read 'Midas
Mining Station'. "I've never heard of this place."
Zechs nodded his agreement. "Neither have I, but there
are so many small stations springing up all the time
now."
"Maybe it was their next target. A mining station
might have valuable minerals as well as equipment."
The location was coded unfamiliarly, but beneath were
the regular 3-space coordinates. It was almost right
on top of where they'd found the ship.
"Well, it looks like it's not there anymore."
Duo had obviously read down farther than he. "Common
Era? Wow, that station was old. It was pre-colony."
"Pre-colony? Why would anyone be interested in a
pre-colony station?"
"Good question."
"Well, here's your answer." Zechs said, as he read
further. "It was designed by Merchant, the genius
behind the first colonies, though he didn't live to
see his designs put to use. No one gave them any value
for almost a hundred years after his death."
"Computer, display station specs."
"Certainly, William."
Duo smiled as the computer answered politely. "Do you
think I can keep her?"
Zechs gave a small laugh, before looking at the screen
again. He froze.
Duo leaned backwards in shock. "Well, that certainly
looks familiar, doesn't it?"
***
Most of what Duo dug up, he already knew. Damien
McNeil had given him a lot of information. But the
station fascinated him. It was clearly built to mimic
the box now in Wufei's possession.
Merchant had been a genius, like the history books
said. The use of continuous laser light in such a
way... Duo ran his simulation of it again. He wondered
again at its purpose. Why would someone go to so much
trouble, what was it meant to accomplish? He wished
again he hadn't promised not to touch the box. If only
he could make a comparison between them, he could
discover its secret.
Zechs had long since gone to bed, but the excitement
of discovery kept Duo from joining him in slumber.
That and avoiding the strange dreams that had been
plaguing him. Watching the simulation, as replicas of
the delicate beams played before his eyes, an idea
struck him. Duo smiled, there was a way to do this.
He'd just have to wait until Wufei woke up, or the
irritable Chinese man would never agree. They had been
getting along much better. Duo was grateful that Wufei
had rescued him from his nightmare, something he might
not have done in the other direction.
**I should be nicer to him.** With that resolution, he
continued to watch the screen.
***
It had started that morning. Wufei was ready to
throttle Maxwell if he didn't stop pouting in his
direction. The other had obviously not slept at all
and was running on the manic energy that drove Wufei
crazy. Now, he was taking a break for lunch, and he
was getting no enjoyment out of his meal.
He took another bite and looked up. Maxwell still had
that pleading look in his eye. He could take it no
longer.
"What do you want?"
The question seemed to startle his annoyance, but he
quickly recovered.
"Well, 'Fei, I have a favor to ask."
"Yes?" he said, tapping his foot impatiently. Couldn't
he just get on with it? At this point, he would have
done almost anything.
"Could you come down with me to the medical wing and
scan the box into the computer? Please?"
Wufei blinked for a moment. "Pardon?"
"Could you scan the box?"
"That's what I thought you said. Why?"
"Well..." Duo cleared his throat. "I promised Q that I
wouldn't touch it, but I want to check out a theory so
I have to know how it works. So, I want to create a
sim."
Wufei shook his head. There were times he wondered
about Maxwell. In fact, he did most of the time. "If I
do that, you'll stop with the bad puppy eyes
impression?"
Duo nodded, smiling.
"Fine. Just let me finish my lunch in peace."
"Sure, Wu-man."
Inside, Wufei cringed. He hated that nickname.
***
It was perfect. He wanted to wait for Zechs first, but
with this new data, he'd been able to figure out how
the box worked. Strangely, though he had not run it
completely through, he'd already noticed discrepancies
between the station and the box. Like they'd been
created as complements rather than identical copies.
"You said you wanted to show me something?"
He smiled as Zechs entered.
"Yup, I've got some new data on the box."
"Really?" Zechs' expression was curious. "Where?
Didn't we go through everything?"
"Yes, well, I had Wufei scan it down in med. I've
created a sim of it, though I haven't run it yet. I
wanted to wait for you. I think the station is a
complement to the box in some way."
"You got Wufei to scan it for you?" There was evident
disbelief.
Duo chuckled. "No one can resist my charms forever."
And was that a blush? Maybe, he could always hope.
"Well, you've seen the one of the station. So, here we
go."
"Dim lights," he ordered the computer, whom he'd named
Cindy for some strange reason. It just seemed to fit
her.
"Play complete simulation, real time."
Now here was the moment of truth. He would see if
Zechs agreed with him.
The gold and black object filled the screen, beginning
to twist and turn. All the pieces moved silently, as
blue lines showed the inner workings turning like
clockwork. The box was obviously an exquisite piece of
workmanship.
A star shape rose from the box, turning and slowly,
ever so slowly, turned and pushed itself back into
position.
The floor shook.
"What, what was that?"
Zechs pressed the com, "Wufei, what's going on?
Wufei?"
There was no answer, only static.
***
Wufei was in the main control room, monitoring for
outside activity. As per usual, there was nothing
untoward. He wished silently that Zechs were here to
keep him company, instead of with Maxwell. Hopefully,
he would be gone once this mission was completed.
Turning his face from the status reports for a moment,
he looked at the box that so fascinated Maxwell and
his partner. He didn't see the appeal, really. Sure,
it was pretty in its own way, but to spend so much
time on it instead of the real culprits was
ridiculous. It sat on top of the computer in front of
him, away from Maxwell and his designs on it. The
braided boy had gotten him to scan it in the medical
center, by the Ancestors. This obsession was obviously
interfering with his real work.
He was so intent, that he nearly fell out of his chair
when it moved.
**What?!?**
At first he thought something had struck the ship, but
there was nothing. The box, it wasn't just shaking, it
was moving itself, turning inside and out.
Then, the ship did shake and the lights went out, the
only illumination provided by the various computer
displays. A thousand thoughts echoed through his mind,
all centered around what could happen if Duo had been
right all along. **Ancestors! What did you do,
Maxwell?**
He may not have believed, but he'd read the
information about the Order of the Gash.
**We're going to die.** And that was the least of his
worries. For though he knew what they could do, he
didn't know how to stop them. There were some things
worse than death.
***
The lights went out completely, all save the screen,
which continued the simulation, pieces moving faster
and faster towards completion.
Blue light came from behind cabinets, shining in
cracks in the walls, under the door, in places where
no light should be found. Zechs face was outlined in
shadow and Duo shivered. He grabbed his hand to break
him out of his trance.
"We have to get up to the control room."
They moved for the door and into the hallway. The
conditions there were no different. He didn't let go
of Zechs' hand in case the man disappeared in the
strangeness.
Behind him metal clinked. They turned as one. A
familiar face stared out at him, one he knew only too
well from dreams. The metal that chimed like demented
bells were chains that were silhouetted in the doorway
they had just left.
"You called us..."
TBC...
NOTES
The man from the intro was based on a scene from
Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis. I haven't read
it in a long time, but I grew up on these books so I
don't think I'm too far off with it.
Quatre's dream was inspired by the ending scene of
When True Night Falls by CS Friedman. I always found
the voices talking over each other creepy.
Station Midas and Merchant were taken from the forth
movie, which I doubt many people have seen. The
station was designed by Merchant, decendant of the
original box creator, as a counter to the box in an
attempt to destroy its evil. The descendants of the
orginal Merchant the Toymaker have been closely linked
with the Lament Configuration.