Torment of Paradise
Chapter 19
With a heavy sigh, Jess gazed out the window as she rested her hand against the sill. 'Goddamn traffic never moves like it's supposed to. I hate rush hour sometimes.' Trying to dissipate the frustration inside, she honked the horn.
"Hold your horses!" came the rough voice from the car in front of her.
"Why don't ya move it and save us all the trouble of being here, you baka!! I have places to get to!!" she yelled back as she stuck her head out. "Goddamn idiots don't know how to drive." she muttered as she pulled her head back in.
She sunk back into the seat, looking up at the fake driver's license stuck behind the flap above the window; the last thing she needed was a cop pulling her over and checking that piece of plastic. 'Now I have to get to Treize and see if he'll go back; this time, if Samuel wins, its going to be over my dead body.' Her hand crept up to her neck to play with the silver chain that should have been there, only now it was gone. Rubbing her neck, she frowned slightly before rubbing the bridge of her nose. 'Please don't be mad at me Q-kun.' Seeing the cars before her finally start to move, she eased her way through the traffic until she was driving down a plain dirt country road.
"Ah yes, here's the part I hate about driving cars." she muttered as she jounced along the rocky road.
Soon enough, the path grew smaller and smaller until was basically a trail in the grass. Coming to a fork in the path, she drove up the left one and continued on. It was when she finally came to a cabin hidden away from the rest of the world. Locking the car behind her, she walked up and knocked on the door.
"Hello?" she called as she opened it and walked in slowly; she hadn't received an answer.
A shadowed interior was filled by only by a few tables and chairs with a bookcase at the side crammed full of tattered old volumes. 'Lara had better be here; I told her she had to watch Treize like a hawk…well… that's basically what I told her.' She looked around once more; the signs that people had inhabited the cabin was evident enough, so why was it as if no one was there? A slightly muffled sound made her turn to see a hallway, a lone door at the end of it. Walking up to it, she pressed her ear to it, voices coming from inside.
"Yeesh, is there a reason why you people couldn't answer me and…" she trailed off as she opened the door and froze at what she saw. Treize was in bed with that one of all people? It took her a full moment before she slammed the door shut and stared down the end of the hall in shock. "I'm really sorry, but no one answered and I didn't know that you were…busy. I'll just wait at the table."
She practically bolted to the chair and sat down, pulling at the end of her shirtsleeve with some embarrassment. A few minutes later, Treize came and sat in the chair beside her at the table with a rather amused expression.
"It's nice to see you again Miss Jess."
"Likewise, Treize." she paused as Wufei came and sat down at the table with a belligerent expression. "And it's been a really long time since I've seen you Wufei. Although…I'd rather not see that particular part of you ever again."
Wufei's face went bright red as he shot Jess a look. "What are you here for onna [1]? And what did you do to your hair?"
"I'm here to talk to Treize, if you don't mind and my hair is none of your business. Do you know what's been happening?" she asked facing him. "Then I'll keep it simple," she said once he nodded his head. "You need to go back and take your position."
"And dispel the rumors of my demise? Perhaps I can do more good if I stay dead." Treize said easily.
"And let Une and Samuel have the time of their lives while they create even more problems?" Jess shook her head. "What can I say to get you to take your job back? And just where is Lara anyway?"
"I sent her off with Zechs." Treize said with a shrug. "Once I found out that someone else was paying me a visit, I told her that she could leave. I believe that they went to the Pacific to get some things done."
Jess watched catching the look passed between Wufei and Treize. "All right, but you're the only one who kept them in line. They're up in the colonies now and all hell is about to break lose unless you go back and I stop them somehow."
Treize paused for a moment as he looked at her. "Where's your necklace?"
"Necklace?"
"That little spider. Just like it, you do weave webs rather well."
Jess paused for a moment. "I gave it to someone for safe keeping. That's all. What is it going to take to get you to go back Treize?"
He rose, looking out the window for a second. "Do you realize the upheaval that will happen if I go back."
"Do you realize the upheaval that will occur in the colonies if Une and Samuel have their way? This will end up in a massacre unless you go back and maintain your position you had before this all started. I don't mean to intrude upon you and Wufei here but I wouldn't ask unless I felt it to be absolutely necessary. "
"True." Treize paused for a moment. "And how would you propose to end their little game?"
"We go into space. And cut them short before they can do any real irreparable damage. I take care of Samuel and you take care if that contract on Oz's end and I'll see to the other end."
"Hmph. And you want to go into space? Just like that?" Wufei rose with a less than pleased expression. "Onna, have you lost your senses?"
"No I haven't Wufei. If I have to fight my way up to space and stop them, then so be it. " Jess rose now. "I know that I am asking a lot of you Treize, but the fact remains that things do have to go back to the way they were for the time being. Because if they don't, everyone will rue the day that Oz decided to meddle in space; Earth, the colonies and the organization itself."
"You're saying that you'll escort me to space and see that I take back my position, right?"
"Yes Treize. That's what I am saying. I don't need Wufei's help on this." she said sliding the Chinese man an oblique glance.
"Onna, I m coming also; you're bound to mess up at some point." he stated.
"I don't need your help Wufei; or the attitude that I can't do anything at all. Just because I am a woman doesn't mean that I am completely defenseless."
"Onna, you can't even make it to your own bed when you are tired; I am coming."
"Fine!" she threw up her hands in mock disgust. "Be that way; just don't tick me off too much all right!? I'm not in the mood to argue with you right now."
"The same thing from you onna!" he retorted back.
"Are you two done? I haven't exactly agreed to anything yet." Treize said quietly.
"I know Treize…but I know that you can't exactly see this pass by so easily and that you'll end up coming at some point." Jess said as she crossed her arms.
Treize laughed, shaking his head; she did have him there in that respect. "Very well. I shall go back. And Wufei…you really shouldn't let yourself be manipulated like that. You just did exactly what she wanted."
"I did no such thing." he looked at Jess guardedly.
"Sorry Wu-man, but you did. I figure two is better than one. I know you would have flat out refused me if I had asked and given me some lecture I didn't want, so I pushed a few buttons. And besides," she repressed the urge to giggle. "We can't have anything happening to your koi [2] now can we?"
'Space…it's so beautiful from here.' Jess looked out the window of the shuttle that was carrying her, Wufei and Treize to MO-6. 'Maybe one day, I'll come and live up here and get away from Earth for a bit.' She looked over at Wufei and Treize working away at their consoles. The jammers she had installed on the ship were delicate and required constant attention if they were to be maximized to their full potential. She shifted her hands on the throttles, making the grip more comfortable. 'Colony XGL4-1256 is coming up; better stop off for fuel and gather some information.'
"All right guys, we're making a pit stop," she said as she glanced back. "A colony is coming up and I want to get some fuel. Did you want anything while we're there?" she shrugged at the shaking of heads. "Suit yourselves. "It's a while to MO-6."
Soon enough, she found herself easing the ship into the fueling port and heading to the small shop. 'It going to be a while now; there's at least five other ships ahead of me. I just hope that they don't decide to search the cargo hold.' She had brought her Gundam with her as a precaution and judging from the amount of mobile suits she saw as they were at the shuttle port and guarding some of the colonies they had passed, it was a good thing she had brought it with her. She stood in the snack aisle, looking through her selections, when she heard two voices talking.
"Yeah, I heard that the Winner Foundation sold out to Oz."
"His son is here too. He's probably in on the whole deal and seeing it through."
'Quatre's here?!' She kept looking at the snacks, edging closer to the conversation.
"They plan to storm the building in a few days and confront the head Winner and his son. They are going to have some explaining to do if what we suspect to be true is."
Grabbing some random packages, she moved to the counter and paid before heading out. 'This is not good.' She paused by the passage door, unsure if what she heard was simply rumor or the truth. Her eyes widened as she recognized the tall tanned figure moving through the small crowd towards a seedy looking motel. 'Quatre must be here; there's Rashid.' Walking into the passage, she bolted back to the ship and plunked herself down in the pilot's seat before she numbly took out something and started to eat it.
"Onna, don't you hear when someone is calling you? And my name is Wufei, not 'Wu-man'." he added after a brief pause.
Looking up, she saw Wufei glaring down at her, Treize sitting in his seat and reading a book. "What?"
"What's wrong with you? You look like you've seen a ghost or something? Lost your stomach and can't fly anymore?"
"Shut up Wufei. And it's not that. Things are coming to a head much more quickly than I anticipated. A rebellion could break out in a few days or less. Things need to be straightened out in Oz as soon as possible."
He frowned before he sat down in the seat beside her. "How can you eat such trash?"
She looked down at the Ho-Ho in her hand before taking another bite out of it and chewed with relish. "I like my chocolate if you don't mind. Are we next for refueling?"
"Yes. What on Earth is the matter with you? You look like you swallowed some battery acid." he paused, with a half-interested expression on his face.
"Not happening anytime soon Wu-man, sorry to disappoint you. Quatre's here as well. I think he came up to reason with his father."
"Let Winner take care of his own problems and you deal with yours." Wufei shrugged. "I suggest you move the ship forward or else we won't be refueling anytime soon."
Nodding her head and ignoring his condescending tone, she shoved the rest of the Ho-Ho in her mouth and guided the ship forward, absentmindedly waiting out the refueling process. After receiving the green go-ahead, she eased the sip away and before long, they were back on their way to MO-6. 'Quatre's problem is my problem and I can't exactly let it pass by like that. This problem may kill the both of us soon enough.'
"Cripes, this seat is hard. The damn spacesuit doesn't help much either…" she shifted herself slightly, as she looked over at the monitors on the console before her. "Why can't they pad these things instead of making them out of such hard plastic?"
"Must you always have some complaint onna? It's driving me insane!" Wufei muttered as he shot her a look.
"Kami-sama [3]…I don't believe it…Wufei admitted something!! To an onna!!" she retorted in a slightly sarcastic tone of voice.
"Don't start with me onna; you won't know what-" he warned in a low mumble.
"Are you two quite done?" Treize asked in a slightly irritated voice. "We have some mobile suits up ahead."
Jess glanced back down at her console, seeing the red blips flashing on the screen. 'And we were only a few minutes away from MO-6. I can see it up ahead. Maybe we can bluff our way through this one.'
"All right guys, let me do the talking and I think I can wing it through."
"Wing it through? I knew this was a bad idea…" Wufei groaned as he sank into his seat. "Why the hell did I indulge you onna and not bring along Nataku?"
"And your suit is best for battles in space? Mine is, so suck it up. I outclass you in speed, which we would need at the moment. And my suit fit into the cargo hold, not yours. Now shut up and let me talk."
She glared at Wufei until he sank back into his seat with a thoroughly disgruntled look on his face. Looking back at the radio, she set up the radio link and called out to the leader of the mobile suits before her. 'Don't let them be dolls, please, please, please…' She waited anxiously as the radio crackled with static from her call out.
"We copy." came the reply. "State your business here at MO-6."
"Bringing in the shipment of gundanium parts." she replied easily. "Are we in the wrong here?"
"No. That shipment wasn't supposed to come until two days from now. Guess you're early then."
"Yup." she said with a mental sigh of relief. "We figured it best to get it here as soon as possible; it wasn't secure lying around the base like that and it could have been compromised."
"All right then. Fill out the clearance forms when you dock at the port."
A wild surge of glee filled her as they eased past the mobile suits and continued on to MO-6. Once they were safely away from the suits and the resource satellite was coming into view, she changed course and swung around to the back, docking at an old unused port. Motioning to them silently, she walked off of the ship and headed to the old docking control room, booting up the power. Moving swiftly, she unloaded Anansi and set her up in the dusty old hangar.
"And what do we do now?" Wufei asked in a slightly mocking tone.
"Why Wufei, do you think I would come all this way and not be prepared?" she asked in a cold voice as she drew the gun out of its back holster and checked it over. "We are going to have a small talk with Samuel and Une…make them see the error of their ways."
Slowly, they walked down the hall, their footsteps echoing off the empty walls. Through winding halls they steadily made their way to the main office, where Samuel and Une set up shop; it was nice to have downloaded a floor plan ahead of time. They ducked into a narrow shadowed niche as a troop of soldiers came tramping past them.
"The office is just up this way. Let's hurry shall we?" Jess said.
Making it to the door at the end, Jess peered at the lock carefully before taking out a pin and bending down to unlock it. A few seconds later the latch gave with a clicking sound; the door swung open to reveal a dark interior. Treize stepped in easily enough, his eyes looking around for the first sign of danger.
"There's no one here." Jess said after a few minutes later as she switched on the dim lights. "I'm just going to get started on deleting all those files of the contract that was made. If you'll excuse me."
Going to the computer, she went through easily enough and started erasing all the files and directories pertaining to the contract. She rose with a smile starting to speak but the door opening made her stop.
"Jess?!"
She looked to see Quatre's figure in the doorway, the little amber spider around his neck. "Nande kuso [4]?! What are you doing here?!"
"Me? What are you doing here? I came to revoke the contract." he said stepping into the room and closing the door.
She paused as she saw some hardness in his eyes. "Revoke the contract? You mean you actually reasoned with your father?"
"In a manner of speaking…"
The words sounded so bitter and twisted…something had happened. "Listen Quatre, you shouldn't be here; that's why I left you on Earth. I am planning to destroy this resource satellite." she blocked out Wufei's loud protests. "Just leave and let me get to my job."
"No. I'm tired of you always trying to martyr yourself."
"Martyr myself?" she looked at him. "Never mind…Samuel isn't here is he?"
"He is. Une isn't." Quatre paused. "Would you really destroy this satellite?"
"And you would let the gundanium stay in Oz's hands?" she asked looking him dead in the eye.
"Don't be so hard on him, Miss Jess." Treize said stepping forward. "I believe it would take a certain amount of courage to do something like this in the current situation."
"I'm being hard on him because-"
"Onna, don't start this again." Wufei groaned.
"Be quiet and let her talk Wufei." Quatre said in an exasperated voice.
"The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated you know. I do find myself to be alive and well at the moment."
She stopped at the sound of Treize's voice to see the door open the light from the hallway illuminating the room. Samuel's silhouette cast in as he surveyed the scene before him and for the first time in her life, Jess saw the one emotion she never thought she would see from him; fear. He bolted down the hallway, slamming the door shut behind him. With a muttered curse, Quatre ran out the door after him
"Wufei, get Treize out of here and initiate the self-destruct!" she said as she ran to the door, her gun drawn.
"But-"
"Do it!!" she ordered as she headed down the hall after Quatre's figure.
Her feet pounded against the metal as she ran deep into the heart of the satellite, Quatre's head drawing steadily closer. Finally she saw him dash into a room, the door closing steadily. 'I'm not going to make it…' She pushed herself, only to reach as the door whooshed shut. With a muttered curse, she pounded against it and looked around, spying the ventilation duct. Ripping off the grate frantically, she holstered her gun and pulled herself in, crawling down the vent. Suddenly the sound of a siren bounced around crazily, making her wince as she went on, coming rapidly to the end. 'At least Wufei activated the self-destruct.' Coming to the end, she turned around to kick the grate out but stopped hearing voices.
"So you decide to come back and pester me again do you?"
Jess gritted her teeth at the sound of Samuel's voice. 'Jackass.'
"I could say the same of you." Quatre's voice was still and accusatory almost. "Why did you do it? I know it was you."
"He was becoming a bother and all; too many questions and he wouldn't stop with them so I dealt with the situation."
She started at the sound of Quatre's growl but stopped again hearing the cock of a gun.
"Now, I wouldn't do that if I were you Winner. I have a gun and you do-"
The sound of the gun being fired made her kick at the grate, knocking it out in less than a second. Slithering to the floor, she saw Quatre and Samuel wrestling for the gun. 'Kami no, this can end up so wrong.' She scrambled to her feet running towards them, when the gun fired again, a river of blood, pudding beneath their feet. Then he slowly slid to the ground, not moving once he landed in a pool of the bright ruby liquid.
"Quatre!" she screamed horrified at what had happened before her eyes.
"Oh, so you're here now too?" Samuel turned the gun on her. "I suggest you come over here like the obedient wife that you're supposed to be so we can go back to our marital bliss."
With wooden steps, she forced herself to walk to Samuel, her eyes never leaving Quatre's body. Once she came close enough, he grabbed her and pulled her close to him.
"Maybe I should leave you her to die with him." Samuel whispered in her ear. "Would you like to die with your lover; that is what he is isn't he?"
"Hai." She said softly. "He is."
She narrowed her eyes at the shock on Samuel's face before she socked him one in the jaw hard and kicked the gun away as she whipped out hers before edging closer to Quatre's body. Samuel staggered to his feet, blood running from a gash in his face now as he glared bloody murder at her.
"You'll pay for that." he spat venomously.
"Will I?" she said in an icy voice. "I think it's time you paid. You've hurt him and me for the last time Samuel; the last time. I want nothing more to do with you and when this is all said and done, I never want to see your face again. Give me a divorce."
"You'll never leave me." he laughed. "There's no way that I'll let you go now. You know too much and are much too valuable as a pilot and in other regards; we need a Gundam pilot on our side." he twitched as if making a break for his gun in the far corner.
Jess cocked the gun automatically. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. I wouldn't hesitate to kill your sorry ass."
"Jess…"
She looked down to see Quatre's bloody hand clutching at the material of her spacesuit. "Quatre!"
"Don't kill him." he paused, breathing hard. "He's not worth it. Don't kill anymore. Please…"
Jess swallowed hard before bending down, her gun still trained on Samuel. "I won't kill him Quatre." she said in a whisper as she touched his face. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of here."
He gave her a faint smile before closing his eyes. Jess looked back up to see Samuel whirling around the gun in his hands. Reacting instantly, she fired, the shots ringing out as the gun clattered back down to the floor from his hands and he curled up into a ball, clutching at his groin. Jess dropped her gun and ripped off Samuel's shirt before going back to Quatre. Pulling him up, she started ripping he shirt into strips and bandaging it around his wound.
"You killed him?" he asked softly.
"No. I just caused him the world of pain Q-kun." she said tears starting to come to her eyes. "Now do you see why I didn't want you rushing up here?"
He closed his eyes again. "Everything will be all right now." he breathed softly. "Peace will come to the universe. For a little bit at least."
Jess paused as she tied off the bandages and he slumped against her. "Q-kun…you've lived here all your life. I wouldn't be surprised if you knew that for sure."
Managing to pull one of his arms over her shoulder, she went to the door and unlocked it, heading down the hallway. 'I have ten minutes to get him out of here and destroy the base myself; I want none of that gundanium to be left floating around when I am done here.' She pulled him along what seemed to be torturously slow until the hangar door came into view.
"Onna!"
She paused as she walked into the old hangar, seeing Wufei waiting by the gangplank door.
"I'll take him. You do what you must."
Jess didn't say anything, giving him silent thanks as she handed over Quatre's inert body. "I'll catch up with you guys on Earth."
"I'll leave him at the house by the sea." Wufei said before he headed up the gangplank to the ship.
Silently, Jess watched as the door shut and the ship soon detached from the satellite, speeding away easily. Walking to Anansi, she opened the cockpit door and settled herself into the familiar seat.
"How have you been my old friend? I know I have been neglecting you lately. Did you have fun spending time with Sandrock?" she asked in a quiet voice.
The Gundam made a small series of noises that sounded almost miffed, annoyed and accepting. With a chuckle she sliced her way through the wall and flew out into the coldness of space. She paused as she noticed the switch by the throttle, just hidden away from view. 'Is this what those soldiers were talking about? If it is…' Her finger hovered around the button before she flipped it. She barely noticed the yellow glow out of the corner of her eyes as she took out the other pike and twirled it around. 'Go for the heart of the satellite…' The thought was followed immediately by Anansi flying out around the corner, banking sharply as the target came into view; the outside power generator. It was big and connected to the main generator inside; hitting the core deep enough would end it all. Deactivating one of the pikes, she snapped the ends together, forming a long staff. Before she twirled it around and plunged it right down into the main reactor, setting off explosions inside that rocked the satellite. 'Done.' Her fingers lingered back to the button, almost hesitant to shut it off. Steeling herself, she flicked the switch, the yellow glow fading away fast. She hesitated for a moment, as the explosions became more evident now, pieces of MO-6 hurtling off into space as the satellite exploded from the inside out.
"Everything will be all right now." she murmured Quatre's words aloud before she turned away from the main explosion and headed after the shuttle and towards Earth. "The one with an unchuu no kokoro[5]…"
Notes
[1] Onna - woman
[2] koi - lover
[3] Kami-sama - God…but that's saying it in a respectful way. Some people just say 'Kami'
[4] Nande kuso?! - What the hell?!
[5] unchuu no kokoro - You know, that thing everyone says that Quatre has. It means 'heart/spirit (whatever word floats your boat) of the universe.'