Torment of Paradise
Chapter 8
The sound of bullets whizzed past Quatre's head as he peered around the corner.
"Well...how many are there?" came Duo's urgent voice.
"Ten; all armed to the teeth." Quatre looked down at the gun in his hand. "Can't we just ask them to surrender?"
"OK...we can try that." Duo said a bit sarcastically. "Hey!! Are you guys down there willing to surrender to us?" he screamed down the hallway. As if in an answer more bullets and projectiles went flying. "Well Quatre, looks like we're fighting our way out of this one. Know you don't like that but we gave them a chance."
"All right Duo." he cocked the gun, looking at him. "Shall we go out with all our guns blazing?"
"Why not; probably going to die anyways." Duo grinned as he took out a grenade. "I chuck then we run; got it?"
Quatre nodded as Duo pulled the pin and heaved it down the hallway. A loud explosion rocked the ground and filled the air with cries of wounded soldiers. They dashed out from their corner and took off down the hall, seeking an exit. It didn't take them long to run into another troop of soldiers.
"They just keep showing up; it'll take us forever to get out at this rate." Quatre said as he fired the gun down the hall.
"You know...this is a bit ridiculous. Since when had this base decided it wanted to do a decent job of defense? Today of all the bleedin' days!!" Duo muttered as he searched for something in his pocket.
"Whatever you're trying to find hurry Duo; I'm running out of bullets here!" Quatre said as he continued firing into the coming soldiers. "You could pick up the pace a bit!!"
"Touchy touchy!! Now who's starting to act and sound like Jess!!" he muttered as he struggled with something.
Hearing a metallic clink sound, Quatre looked down to see a grenade shaped object. Moving back quickly, he pushed Duo and they started heading down the hall; but not fast enough. Gas escaped from the tiny canister, filling the hallway rapidly. The last thing he remembered was everything going blurry as booted feet on the floor filled his vision; then everything went dark as something hard hit him on the back of the head.
"Quatre! Quatre! Can you hear me buddy?"
"Duo?" he opened his eyes hesitantly, looking around the dark cell. "Where are we?" he asked a bit hoarsely. "What happened?"
"They shot in knockout gas. We are currently enjoying Oz's hospitality...which by the way stinks!!" he yelled towards the indistinct shape of the door. With a sigh he sat back down. "They were nice enough to club you on the head pretty hard and punch me in the stomach."
"Maybe that's why my mouth feels like the bottom of a birdie cage." he groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head gingerly with both cuffed hands. "Is there anything to drink?"
"Yeah; they had pity on us and gave us this dinky little water container. Here, you have it all; I don't need any."
Quatre groped around almost blindly for the container. "Thanks..." he took a drink. "How long have I been out?"
"I don't know; bastards took my watch. Jess gave it to me too. I liked that watch man; someone 's gonna pay for that. It even worked for different time zones."
"Hn." he took another gulp. "You've known Jess for a long time haven't you Duo?"
"Yeah...we grew up together on L2 for a bit." he paused. "Didn't she ever tell you? She seems to like you more than she cares to admit."
"You think so? Every time we head towards a serious discussion about her, she has a tendency to cut it off."
"When she's ready, she'll talk. We went through a lot before she 'lucked' out; don't worry about her."
"What do you mean 'lucked' out?"
"Well...she thinks she got lucky that day...but it was really me and a friend who pulled the strings."
Quatre just shook his head. "I'll just take your word for it." he muttered. "Like she'll ever say anything now."
Duo simply made a sound and leaned back into the wall resting his hands behind his head. "I'm gonna try to get some shuteye all right. Keep watch and make sure that no one comes in here?"
"Sure. Not like much is going to-" he stopped as the door opened, a figure entering the room.
"You two...come with me." the man's voice said in a quiet tone before the silhouette disappeared.
Reluctantly, they rose walking out of the cell, blinking rapidly in the lights as their eyes adjusted. There weren't many guards posted outside their cell, only two. And right down the hall, Quatre could see the way that they had entered the base. Glancing at Duo, he saw the same look in his eyes; they could make a break for it.
'Ready.' Duo looked at him.
'Set.' Quatre's body tensed as he prepared himself to break loose.
'G-'
"All right; in you two go and have a seat."
Startled they looked up to see an open door in front of them. A cross look flashed across Duo's face before he stomped in noisily. With a sigh Quatre followed; they had been so close. It was a basic interrogation room; a plain grey paint job, a couple of chairs and the metal table . Edgy they sat down in the two chairs, trying to not be nervous; something seemed off already. The door swung open again to admit in a tall man who simply stood there and looked at them with a piercing grey gaze.
"The one with the braid; take him to another room; I'll talk with him when I'm done with this one."
"What!? No! I refuse to leave!!" Duo started as two soldiers entered the room and dragged him out kicking and yelling.
"Finally...silence." the man said as soon as the door closed blocking out Duo's vehement protests.
Quatre simply looked at he man, not saying anything. There was something about him, an...aura almost, that said he wasn't beyond doing anything to a prisoner of war. It made him even edgier.
"Now...you're going to be a good little Gundam pilot and tell me everything you know." he said sitting down in the seat opposite Quatre. "For starters...your name would be good."
Quatre simply looked at the man, silent as a rock. 'Don't talk; no matter what he does to you; don't betray your friends. Don't betray Jess.'
"I believe I asked you for a name." came the voice again; it had an angry tone to it.
"How about you start?" he stated.
"Fine; Colonel Samuel Orton." eyes narrowed. "Now yours."
"I don't recall giving a guarantee." he murmured quietly.
"Don't try my patience boy. Your name." Orton snarled.
Quatre looked at him amazed; never had he heard someone revert to such intense anger so quickly. And he wasn't about to blow his cover like that. "No." he said calmly.
A hand came flying at his face, striking him so hard that he toppled to the floor in his chair . Lifting his head up he saw a small spot of blood on the floor; his blood. Struggling, he managed to sit up as Orton came around.
"I suggest," he said grabbing a handful of Quatre's hair and forcing his head up. "that you start talking and tell me the names of your fellow pilots.
Quatre felt like laughing; perhaps Duo was right about him starting to sound like Jess. "Maybe you didn't hear me the first time." he said, blood trickling down his split lower lip. "I said no."
A snarl of rage reached Quatre's ears as he felt his face slam into the floor and bounce back up sharply. The floor moved beneath his body as he was yanked back up viciously and smashed back into his chair. A hand fisted tightly into his shirt and pulled him forward.
"You will talk."
"Never." he managed.
Orton's eyes nearly bulged from his head before he managed to get a tenuous grip on his rage. "We have ways to make you talk and-"
"Why don't you spare me and send me back to my cell while you go and talk to the other one." Quatre said at him feeling his own rage start to stir rapidly.
A fist went smashing into his face making his head reel back and nearly set the chair over again. As he looked back at Orton, he could feel the blood seeping from his nose. "That's really going to make me talk? Man, are you ever the fool."
Orton looked about ready to give him another blow yet he let go of his shirt and sank back into his seat. "There's other ways to get you to talk you know."
"I highly doubt that." he muttered, glaring at the man.
"Really? We have been taking surveillance of you in the company of a certain lady friend upon information from a lieutenant. One with dark hair...slightly curly...tall...about 5'9' or more... goes by the name of-"
"Don't you dare lay a hand on her." he growled, shooting the man daggers.
"And what would a person in your position do to me?" he sneered.
"I'll kill you." he said in a tight voice as the rage kept building and building inside, making him start to see red quickly. "I'll kill you with my bare hands."
"I highly doubt that." he patted Quatre's cheek with a mocking look in his eyes. "Besides, a boy like you couldn't do anything to a grown man."
"Grown? Man? That's a joke. You're probably only 19 at the most. And not a very-" another fist smashed into his face.
"I am a grown man. I am 21 and you are nothing more than a runt who should be cowering beneath me!!" Orton screamed at him.
"Well...looks like someone has an insecurity complex there if you ask me." Quatre mocked.
Orton punched him again, in the eye this time; Quatre lost it. With a yell he flung himself at the man, beating him with his manacled hands for all he was worth. Orton flung him off and Quatre lunged again, responding finally with the same brutality Orton had shown him. He found himself lost in a sea of springing blood and the sound of flesh meeting flesh accompanied with yells. It was for the second time that night when a powerful left jab caught him in the temple that he met the darkness again.
Blinking his eyes, Quatre sat up, looking around his solitary cell. "Man does my head kill." he muttered rubbing it. Staggering up, he walked around for a bit trying to clear his head a bit; it was spinning around so fast like everything else in the cell. Eventually he slid down against the wall, feeling like the situation was utterly hopeless; his talk with Colonel Orton earlier on , seemed to affirm that. There was no way that a man like Orton would have anything resembling a shred of pity towards him now; not after that beating he'd given him.
Rubbing his eyes, he rested his head against the wall. "What the hell came over me?" he murmured, staring away into nothing. "I've never lost it like that before. I have no excuse for my behaviour."
He still wasn't sure what had happened; it was bad enough that the man was threatening his life so blatantly, but he would be damned if he betrayed his fellow pilots like that, simply because the man had been violent. And violent he had been. Even when he'd fallen unconscious, the last thing he remembered was the man kicking him in the stomach very hard; harder than necessary.
"I suppose I provoked him in a way." he gritted his teeth, feeling one jiggle a bit. "Great; now I'm losing my teeth. I just had to come on this mission; I knew it would go wrong, I just knew it."
Before he had set out with Duo, he had this feeling of dread settle in the pit of stomach and he had still gone ahead and left with Duo; and without any of the Maganacs to boot.
"I'm so in for it when I get back. Rashid is going to chew me out to no end; I deserve that too at this moment. I just wish they'd stop treating me like a little kid; I am growing up after all." he grimaced. "Abdul is going to have a field day too."
Rising again, he stared pacing around the cell, feeling a bit of anxiety descend; where had they taken Duo? Had he received the same treatment that he had gotten? Would Orton want to 'talk' to him again? If he did, Quatre still wasn't planning on saying anything to him.
"Allah...I have to get out of here." he muttered, going up to the door and inspecting it carefully. "And not get killed in the process. Jess will yell at me too when she finds out about this."
Feeling along the door, he went along the crack reaching up as far as he could before hunching over suddenly; stretching with injured ribs wasn't a brilliant idea. More carefully, he went through the cell thoroughly, trying to find any way to escape quickly.
'Hello? What's this here?' His fingers grazed against a grill, the vents open. Slowly, he felt around it, looking for the corners. Finding them, he pulled on it with a jerk; nothing. Steeling himself, he gave a strong yank, hands flying free and making him sprawl to the floor ungainly with a painful hiss.
"Found a way." he muttered, standing up and holding his side. "But I'm not yanking on that again. Maybe I have something to unscrew the bolts holding it."
Carefully he went through his pockets, finding a small thin plastic rectangle. Shaking his head he went to the grill and gave it a try; the screw started to come out. 'Father will not be happy when he sees my security card.' He continued until all the screws were loose. Letting the grill down quietly, he crawled in, before pulling the grate in behind him; it should look like there was nothing totally wrong at least. As quietly as he could, he went through the ventilation system, mind working. 'Now where would they put Duo? Someplace where they can't hear him is a start because he's probably yelling his head off right now.' Eventually after crawling through seemingly endless miles of ducts after finding a way out, the sound of Duo's protesting voice reached his ears.
"You call this food?! I call it's awful, that's what!! Think you'd feed your prisoners better in order to get them to talk!!"
'Yup...there's Duo. Yelling as I thought he would be.' Quatre went up to the grate and looked in.
There was Duo muttering darkly to himself and eating the food reluctantly. Quatre felt his mouth start to water; it had also been awhile since he'd eaten anything at all.
"Duo!!" he called in a hiss. "Duo!!"
Duo's head looked up sharply. "Quatre? Is that you? Where are you?"
"Over here!" he stuck a hand through the vent.
"Well I'll be damned. You got into the vents, huh? Smart." Duo gave him a grin. What did you use?"
"My security card. Here." he passed it through the vent. "I want to get out of here and eat something."
"You mean you haven't eaten? Anything at all?" Duo took the card and began working. "They've been giving me meals at least once a day. Go figure." he paused as he went to work on the third screw. "What happened in that room Quatre? I heard noise. Sounded like a fight. A pretty bloody one by the sound of it too."
Quatre's tongue ran over the healing split in his lip with a grimace. "You don't want to know Duo; trust me on this one."
"All right then." he caught the last screw and removed the grate. "Let's get out of here. Did you find a way out?"
"Yeah. I just had to come and find you first. Not that that was too hard." he turned around, heading down the metal sheets.
"Quatre..." Duo asked as they headed down the shaft.
"Yeah?"
"Never mind." Duo said as the fresh air started to reach them. "I just want to get out of here too."
Quatre didn't reply as he reached the outside grate and began unscrewing the bolts. Quickly, he slid out and jumped to the ground, leaning heavily against the wall.
"You sure you're OK Quatre?" Duo asked peering into his face worriedly.
"Yeah yeah." he waved away Duo's concern. "I just want to get away from this hellhole."
"Don't blame you at all. Are you sure you're fine? You really don't sound like it."
"Let me get fixed up, have something to eat and some sleep and I'll be fine Duo." he said wearily.
Duo didn't respond, but gave him a look, before heading for the fence. Finding the metal cutters hidden in his hair, he cut away a small portion of the fence before slipping through it. Quatre followed, trying to not hiss from the pain of his ribs.
"Look...we're going to hide out for a bit until you feel better OK?" Duo said as the left stealthily. "And I'll call the Maganacs for you."
"Thanks Duo."
"Don't thank me; I'm the one calling the Maganacs remember? They'll have my head for letting this happen to you."
Quatre chuckled as they walked in to the trees. "Please tell me you still have the information we came here for?"
"Yup; safe away in my hair. Don't worry about it. Let's just get you patched up all right?"
Quatre didn't reply, focusing all his energy to getting as far away from the base and Orton as much as possible.
Blood...everything seemed to be soaked in it; and it seemed to be coming from him. Then he felt the fists that kept raining down on him as if they would never end. But this time instead of fighting back, he tried to escape them; yet wherever he went they followed, relentless, merciless, like an unending torrent.
"Quatre!! Quatre!! Wake up man!!"
Puzzled, he looked around as the fists started vanishing; where had Duo's voice come from?
"Quatre!! Wake up!!"
His eyes opened to see Duo's concerned face; so he had been dreaming. "Yes Duo? Why did you wake me up?"
"Take a look. For starters you're on the floor and not in bed."
"What?" getting up he looked around to see the bed on the opposite side of the room; and all the things that had been knocked over to the floor.
"I've heard of sleep walking but this is ridiculous. What's bugging you so much Q-man?"
"Nothing Duo. It's all right. What time is it?"
"About three thirty in the morning. Are you going to go...ah hell, you're probably not. Just try to keep it down would you? I would like to get some sleep tonight, eh? Or else I'll have to drink coffee in the morning."
"Sorry Duo. I'll keep it down." he went around picking up all the fallen pieces thinking; there was someone who would understand. "Duo?"
"Hm?" he paused in the doorway, rubbing his head.
"Do you have Jess' cell number?"
"Yeah. It's on the fridge downstairs. Talk to her at least then and get over whatever this is all right?" he yawned. "Night Q-man."
"Night Duo. Sorry about waking you up."
Duo disappeared into the hall, waving off his comment. Picking up all the fallen objects he placed them back in their places before he went downstairs to see the small piece of paper stuck to the fridge with a magnet. Taking it he headed to the living room, turning on the table lamp. His fingers started shaking as he dialled the number; he had faced worse odds in the battlefield; why did dialling her number seem so...monumental? He put the receiver to his ear, half hoping she would pick up.
"Hello?" came a sleep rough voice.
"Jess?" he asked.
"Quatre." bedsheets rustled as she moved. "How you doing? Finish any missions lately? Heard you were with Duo up in England. Is it really nice up there?"
"It's OK; doesn't rain as much as people say it does. Did I wake you up too?" he asked softly.
"Hey, I had to get up in about ten minutes; I'll live. So what's new?"
Quatre remained silent not sure of how to say it in words.
"Quatre? What's wrong? You're like never this quiet. Are you OK?"
"No." he whispered in a slightly trembling voice. "I'm not. Jess...I feel so..." he trailed off, still unsure of how to say it.
"Have you talked to anyone else about this? What ever it is?"
"No."
"Do you just want to talk to me about it?"
"I think you'd understand better."
"Would you like to talk to me in person? Or over the phone?"
"I don't want to have you fly in from..."
"I'm in Japan now."
"I don't want you to fly in from Japan; it's too far and-"
"Quatre...where exactly in England are you?"
"Jess-"
"You think of others far too much Quatre. For once I'm not going to listen to you. Where are you? London?"
"Dorchester." he murmured.
"Ah I liked the Dorchester safe house; all Victorian and moody. I'll see you in two days all right?"
"Jess?"
"Yes Quatre?" she asked.
"Please don't tell Rashid or the others."
"Quatre, I think that they'd be very-"
"Please...don't. Rashid and Abdul would never let me go on a mission again."
Her voice went soft from its stern hesitancy. "All right. This will be between you and me. Not another soul will know."
"Thank you." he said quietly. "You really don't have to-"
"I'll see you in two days Quatre." she had a laugh in her voice. "Let me go now so I can pack and come."
"But your mission-"
"Some things are more important that being V's little puppet; besides I never really listen to her anyways." she paused. "Want a souvenir? I can get you a stupid t-shirt if you want."
He laughed slightly. "Whatever you want to bring me will be fine."
"Knew I could get you to laugh. OK I gotta go now if I'm gonna get there soon, all right? Bye Quatre."
"Bye Jess." he hung up the phone, wondering how he was going to face her when she came.
Weary, Quatre shuffled down into the bright morning kitchen, heading for the teapot to make himself a strong cup of tea; this had been the third sleepless day he had in a row. 'Where's Jess? She should be here by now.' Plunking himself down at the kitchen table, he stared into his cup of swirling heated liquid. Taking a sip, he tried to calm the anxious nerves inside of him. Part of him didn't want to talk but he couldn't keep up with the strange behaviour with everyone not asking questions; it was slowly gnawing away at him.
"I don't think he's up yet. Let me go and see."
Quatre looked up in time to see Duo walk into the kitchen, Jess walking behind him. He ducked his head back down quickly.
"Or he's sitting here having a cup of tea." she smiled at him before looking at Duo. "Off you go Duo. Go have a doughnut down at the coffee shop or something."
"Typical woman. Kicking me out already and it isn't even nine." he paused. "Oh my God...did I just sound like Wufei there?"
"Yes. So go and get some sugar in your system...but not too much all righty?"
"Fine fine. But you two better not be making out when I get back!"
"Out Duo!!" Jess ordered, pointing to the door.
"Bye!" he smiled cheerily before closing the door.
"Aie...I see why Wufei calls him a baka sometimes."
Quatre gave a wistful smile into his cup.
"Quatre...what's wrong? Duo says you've been acting strange ever since the mission. And that something happened when someone was interrogating you."
"He wasn't very nice about it. But I supposed I provoked him in a manner of speaking."
"Quatre...look at me?" she asked quietly.
"I don't really want to." he whispered, still looking into his cup.
"Why not? You have nothing to be ashamed of Quatre." she took his hand gently. "No matter what it may be. You have such a kind heart; if it was violence, then you must have been pushed to the limit."
He simply turned his face up so she could see. Her breath was drawn in sharply. Hesitantly her fingers reached up before they drew back.
"They don't hurt anymore." he said softly. "You can touch them."
"My God...such scars..." her fingers trailed the one down his cheek. "This was...savage..." she shook her head. "How did this happen Quatre?"
"This colonel was trying to get me to talk. When I said no the second time, he got violent." he said quietly.
"How so?" she whispered, hand still on his face.
"He...punched me in the face."
"Did you hit him back?"
"Not right away...after he threatened me again...and you." he paused. "Then I insulted him a bit....and he hit me again. Then I lost it."
"Quatre..." she looked at his with concern. "You have no reason to be ashamed of that. He pushed you and-"
"I'm a pacifist Jess!!" he shot up out of his seat. "I fight in this war yes, but no violence beyond necessary. When I was fighting this Colonel...it was beyond necessary; I wanted to kill the man Jess!! Kill him; with my bare hands!!"
"Then you would say that you were brutal?"
"Allah...I don't think that's even the word for it Jess. He just got me so angry that I lost it." he sank back into the seat, face buried in his hands. "I am such a terrible person Jess... he didn't deserve that."
"Didn't deserve it?!" she looked at him incredulously. "I can't believe you. Come." she took his hand and started leading him upstairs.
"What now Jess?" he asked in a sad tone.
"Here." she dragged him into the bathroom and turned on the light revealing a huge vanity mirror. "What do you see? Tell me Quatre."
"I don't want to look. All I see is shame."
"You want to know what I see? Scars that you should never have, but they are there on your face. I see the work of some sicko in Oz who needed to beat out his frustration and chose you. I swear to God I feel like hunting down the bastard who did this to you and making him pay."
Hesitantly he looked up into the mirror, seeing the scars, the testimonies, for the first time . Tears started running down his face as he gazed at his reflection.
"Quatre...what's wrong?" she looked at him. "Why are you crying?"
"It was just so...brutal Jess. It was so violent...it was awful..." he tried to stop the tears but they were flowing too freely now. "It...was...so..." he stopped in a choked sob. "And I did some of it."
She didn't say anything, just hugging him tightly, stroking his hair, murmuring into his ear softly. Quatre hugged her back, letting it all out; all the guilt and all the anger he still felt towards the man.
"Feel better?" she whispered as he finally stopped.
"Yes. Thank you for not listening to me Jess." he said, looking at her.
"Any day." she looked at him. "Hey you're wearing the clothes you bought at the mall."
"Yeah. These jeans are actually very comfortable; to think I wore slacks all the time."
She smiled. "Look I just want to ask you one more thing OK?"
"Yeah?"
"Would you happen to know the Colonel's name?"
"It was Colonel Samuel Orton. Why?"
"Samuel...Orton...." she said slowly.
"Yes. Why?" he asked seeing the pale look on her face.
"God consider yourself lucky that you just escaped with what you have Quatre."
"What are you talking about Jess?" he asked.
"Please Quatre...promise me that if you see him again, you'll never fight him. Ever." she looked at him, pleading in her eyes.
"Jess-"
"Please Quatre, please. Just promise me...that's all I want you to do." her voice wavered slightly. "Please."
He looked at her, seeing fear, sadness and concern deep in her eyes; that and the feelings emanating off of her. "All right Jess; I won't."
"Thank you Quatre." she whispered, gratefulness in her shimmering eyes.
Her hands went to his face again, touching the scars again, lightly, before she hugged him again tightly, face buried in his neck. "I'm so glad you're alive."
He didn't reply, simply hugging back as response, feeling slightly troubled as her tears slid down his neck. He had seen her expression as she touched the flaws on his face; as if she was recollecting her times with her husband over again. He felt his heart wrench as the relief, sorrow, understanding and pain flowed out of her, washing over him; such powerful emotions he never suspected she could ever posses.
'I won't let anyone hurt you again Jess.' His arms tightened around her almost instinctively. 'I promise you that.'