Chapter 19
It took an hour for me to fight traffic and reach the base. Then it took a half-hour for me to convince Blake to let me see Duo, he must have been on guard duty or something. After I finally got to Duo I lost another hour convincing him. Then the hour drive to the hospital, plus fifteen minutes for parking, and we made it just in time for Julia to show up.
Duo stared around the room as I watched carefully for Julia. Slowly families and businessmen walked out, but Julia didn't appear until most of the crowds receded.
Julia looked tall to me. She could only be 5'6", but I don't care who you are, she looked tall. She was thin, but muscular, and always in possession of the latest trends, even though she'd ditch them in an instant if she felt like wearing sweats. Today she was wearing a yellow sundress. Her brown hair was pulled back into a loose, would be sloppy on anyone but Julia, braid. Several strands of hair had already escaped, framing her face beautifully. Her blue eyes met mine and we both grinned.
Right as I opened my mouth to speak, Zoë ran out from behind Julia, her hair flying out behind her. "Auntie Ax! Auntie Ax!" she cried happily. Her voice caught Duo's attention and he turned in time to see Zoë jump into my arms and hug me. Duo glanced at me, to Zoë, then back to me.
"Who's that?" he asked softly, now focusing on Zoë. I didn't answer, which was okay, because at that moment Duo looked up. His eyes met Julia's and widened.
I wasn't sure who looked more surprised. Julia looked white, as if she had just seen a ghost, vampire, or some other undead creature. Duo's expression was of confusion, amassment, and dare I say it, anger. Someone was mad at me, but I knew that was coming. His body was ridged, as if he was trying not to move. I wasn't if he wanted to run to Julia, or just run away. I hoped it was the first, but I didn't know for sure.
Simultaneously they turned to me. "Alex, I'm going to kill you," it was very freaking hearing them say the same thing at the same time.
I took a deep breath, threatening to find a way out of this. Nicolae provided the perfect idea. "Hey Zoë, you want to help your dad and me pick up the luggage?"
Lucky for me Zoë was in an agreeable mood. Quickly she jumped out of my arms and grabbed my hand. I waved apologetically to Julia as I was pulled towards Nicolae, who was just leaving the plane. He was taller than Julia, broad shouldered and had short brown hair. He didn't look much like his mom, Lady Une, but if you looked close enough you'd see that they had the same eyes. other than that there was no resemblance to be spotted.
Nicolae gave me a very confused glance, but I shook my head, warning him not to ask anything yet. I'd be able to explain later. It didn't take us long to be waiting near the front of the huddle of people waiting for baggage. I knew it wouldn't be long before it started piling out onto the band that traveled in circles so that everyone milling around it could grab their stuff. Zoë instantly started talking about the plane ride, what she had eaten and seen and other things that she found important. When Nicolae saw Zoë's bag pass by he quickly grabbed it, then asked her nicely to find some doll inside of it. Zoë brightened and immediately started searching.
"So who's the guy you brought in and why's Julia upset?" Nicolae asked. He looked very concerned so I figured I'd tell him basically everything.
We a deep sigh I started talking. "To make a much longer story as short as possible, here goes. You remember Duo? Julia's dad? You never met him because he supposedly died, but he didn't, he's in there," I pointed at the room we'd just come from, "and Julia thought he was dead. That not surprising considering that I thought he was dead until about three years ago, colony time, right before I met you, where I saw him while I was in Oz. This and that happened, colony blew up, Duo was supposedly dead again. Then I met up with him a few days ago, compliments to Zechs. We've sort of been working together. I met the bad guy, who's another, just as long, story. Then there was the dreaded virus let loose in public and Julia was the only person I could think of to help with it. Sense she was in town, and hasn't seen Duo in a very long time, I figured I'd bring him over, but if they carry through on the 'I'm going to kill you,' part, which they might, I'll have a problem," I finished somewhat short of breath, having rushed the entire story. Nicolae just stared. I hoped that he caught all of that, because I didn't want to repeat myself.
"Well," he murmured, "that would explain things a little." I had a felling that I had greatly increased his confusion, but his mind was starting to work it out. I helped him grab two more bags before we started back to Julia and Duo. Nicolae just continued to think.
Duo and Julia stood about three feet apart from each other. Neither of them said anything and their silence was more disturbing than if they were shouting. I would at least be able to react to screaming, when silence was a bit trickier. The three of us slowly approached the silent couple, Nicolae going to stand next to Julia. Zoë was still digging in her bag for the doll as Nicolae wrapped his arm around Julia's shoulder, whispering something softly to her.
I had a two second debate on whether or not to break the silence. Noise won. "So, you ready to get to work?" I asked somewhat cautiously.
Julia looked dazed, but nodded. "Where's the jeep?" I was surprised for a moment, and then worried. What if she couldn't concentrate, or had a mental breakdown or something? Maybe I shouldn't have brought in duo. Oh well, too late to go back now.
I helped them carry everything to me jeep and loaded it into the back. I got into the driver's seat and watched as everyone else filed in. Nicolae and Duo were in back with Zoë between them. Julia sat up front with me.
Except for Zoë we were all pretty much silent on the drive to the hanger. She had found the doll that Nicolae told her to get out and was now explaining everything about it to Duo who was patently listening to her chatter on about everything. Even Zoë stopped talking when I finally pulled into the hanger's driveway.
We climbed out of the car and I quickly walked over and unlocked the door. Once everyone had their things inside Julia volunteered to get everyone organized. I waited in the living room while she ran off with Zoë, looking for a room we could use for her. While Julia had her own room, we didn't have one prepared for Zoë. I'd have to change that just in case she showed up. When no one but Duo and me were left in the living room I figured it was time I could start asking her questions.
"So, what'd you tell Julia?" I asked.
He didn't answer at first, but finally spoke up. "The truth. Why didn't you tell me she'd be there?"
"You wouldn't have come," I said simply.
He didn't argue. Several long minutes passed before he spoke again. "Thanks Alex. It was nice seeing her again." He sighed and walked over to a chair to sit down. Duo looked tired. Too many emotions were rolling around in his head and it was starting to get to him. "I didn't even know that she had a daughter," he said more to himself than me.
I grinned at that. "Well, if you ever have time to watch her I'm sure Julia wouldn't mind you taking her for a few hours. Zoë's great and everything, but she's. she's a mixture of Julia and me at her age."
It was Duo's turn to grin. "That must be interesting," he stated, then asked, "Is she married to Nicolae? I never even heard of him. No one told me."
That surprised me. You'd think that with Duo's organization he would have heard something. It made me wonder just who was watching Julia for him. My guess was Zechs. "Um, yes. They've been married for about six months. They got married about a month before Julia turned twenty," I told him. "But technically Zoë is not Nicolae's kid, she's Zero's. That's a really, really long story, though."
"I see," Duo murmured. Then he stood up slowly. "Look, I've got to get back. Tell me if Julia gets anything accomplished. We'll be working on it, too."
I nodded. "Will do." Duo left.
Well, at least I knew that much. Now I had to talk to Julia. I started off for her room, stopping by the kitchen to grab a banana. Nicolae was in there making a couple of sandwiches. I smiled to him, but didn't stop. When I got to Julia's room I saw she wasn't in there. I kept walking, having a guess on where she might be, and there she was. Julia was already getting started in the lab.
I knocked on the door as I walked in. Julia glanced at me as she carefully pulled different jars out of a cupboard. "Hey, can you get into the computer? I don't know any of the passwords," she asked. I nodded and got right to it. It didn't take long to get in, and less time to get into the programs I knew she'd want to use.
"Are you okay with everything?" I asked once I finished.
Julia paused for a fraction of a second, then got back to work. "Kind of shocked, but I'll be fine," she said. I wasn't sure whether or not I believed her, but I wasn't about to say that. "I just need to get working on this. I'll save family problems for later. I know what the virus can do. The news said there weren't any survivors. I can't let another batch to get out with out our side having a way to defend ourselves."
I nodded agreement. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do, though. I can't really help you, and Duo can't use me, either. The only thing I can really hope for is for Matt to call. Maybe he'd know something we don't."
Julia took over the computer as she continued talking. "Okay. Who's Matt?"
I hesitated, "An assassin who was hired to kill me. No big deal."
"Oh, okay," she murmured, knowing I wasn't giving the whole story but not really caring. She continued working and I left.
I needed something to do. I wouldn't be happy sitting around and doing nothing, even if there wasn't much I could do. Quickly I made a mental list of everywhere that I could go to, and just as quickly I crossed most of it off, but the hospital was still there. It would be nice to check on my mom, and to make sure everyone was okay after the explosion. Before leaving I grabbed my bag and told Nicolae that I was heading out.
When I got to the hospital there were even more news vans. Everyone wanted to know exactly what was going on, if anyone who'd made contact with the virus was okay, and why there had been a bomb in the building. The hospital had been for the most part shut down. So, unless you were a cop, doctor, or seriously ill, you weren't allowed in. Of course, I was an exception. Because I was related to Relena I was allowed to go almost anywhere.
I avoided all of the police and reporters as I made a dash for the elevator. Mom had been moved out of the emergency section and was now on a more heavily guarded floor. I think someone had told the cops that the bomb was actually meant for Relena and everyone was being extra careful.
The elevator dinged, showing that I had arrived at the floor I wanted to get off at, and the doors opened. Several men in suits were waiting just outside. I stepped off the elevator and they all turned to gaze at me suspiciously. I waved, just to see how they would react. None of them said anything, but several glared. I shrugged and kept walking. They can guard the elevator all they wanted. It really didn't bother me. Now I just had to find my mom's room. It shouldn't be that hard, though. It would probably be the only one with bodyguards in front of it.
It was. I waved to them, too, and then walked in.
"Mom?" I asked softly, not wanting to bother anyone in case she couldn't hear me. No one was in the room but Relena, and she was sleeping. At least it looked like she was sleeping. With all the wires stuck to her she might have been in a coma, but I couldn't tell. I really should have checked in sooner, when someone might have been here.
I sighed. No use yelling at myself about the past.
Sliding into a chair that had been placed right next to the bed I took my mom's hand. She looked very frail, as if she could fall apart at any moment. She seemed to have trouble breathing and looked too pail for comfort.
Again I found myself wondering if there was something behind the accident.
Maybe it was nothing. Maybe Mom had just been at the wrong place in the wrong time. That was more probably. It was the logical explanation. It was what everyone was expected to believe.
But I didn't know if it was the truth, and that was really bugging me. I couldn't trust Gabriel to give me the real answers. I didn't know much about him, and had no clue on whether or not he lied. Some bad guys you could never tell with, but some of them have strict moral codes. They may be evil, but they still always told the truth. They may have controlled some kid so that he crashed into my mom's car, but they wouldn't deny it. With Gabriel I didn't have a clue.
And, as if it heard me wanting something to interrupt my thoughts, my cell phone rang. I picked it up. "Hey, what do you want?" so what if I sounded like a jerk. I didn't really want to talk to anyone anyway.
"Hello Alex."
I blinked. "Oh, Matt. What's up?" Matt I could deal with. I might actually be able to do something productive.
"A lot," he said. "I need to see you, now." He sounded very urgent.
"Why?" I asked cautiously.
"I know where Gabriel's planting his next attack, and when, and I need to talk to you, but not over the phone," Matt stated.
I raised my eyebrows. "Really? Wow. Um. where can I meet you?" I asked.
"At the base?" he suggested.
I didn't need to ask which one. Paying a visit to Duo probably wouldn't be a problem anyway. "Fine, I'll be heading there now. I'm at the hospital so I might be awhile."
"Why're you at the hospital?" he sounded concerned.
I laughed, somewhat dryly. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Just checking on my mom."
"Okay, see ya there." The phone clicked and Matt was gone.
I looked back to my mom for a second. I really didn't want to leave her alone, but I had to get to the base. Kissing her hand to say goodbye I stood up quickly. I shoved my phone back into my bag and left the room. I ignored the guards as I went back to the elevator. I didn't bother to avoid the masses of reporters. My car was right behind them and it would be quicker to plow through. Even with them asking a million questions I managed to make it through without saying anything. A couple reporters followed me, but when I got to my car they left me alone. Then I was heading back to the base.
I arrived and parked where I normally did. There weren't any other cars there, though. I wondered if Duo had sent people out somewhere or if they just moved their parking spots a lot. Shrugging to myself I kept walking. It didn't take long to reach the fence and climb through the hole. The place, as normal, seemed abandoned. I didn't have to go inside, though. Matt was waiting just outside the entrance dressed in his trench coat and staring at the ground.
"Hullo," I called to him.
He looked up at me and nodded. "Duo's not in at the moment, I've already checked. I need to talk to him before we go anywhere, though. I can't get into where we need to go without raising suspicion, and it's important that no one guesses we're there."
I nodded slowly, pretending I understood everything. "So he can get us in?" I asked.
Matt muttered, "In theory at least."
"Okay," I said. "So where are we going?"
"Heero is having a meeting about what to do about the virus. He plans on telling everyone what he knows, and how to try and fight it," Matt explained, "It'll be very high security, and only certain people are allowed. You could probably get in, but I don't want anyone knowing you're there."
"So Duo can get us in?" I asked again.
Matt nodded. "Undetected," he confirmed.
"Okay," I stated. "When's he getting back and when's the meeting?"
"I don't know when he'll be getting back. The meeting's tomorrow."
"So we're just waiting out here?" I asked.
He nodded. "You could probably go inside, probably. Jack's in charge at the moment and he doesn't like me. I don't think he has anything against you, though, or at least I haven't heard anything."
I walked over to the wall Matt was at and leaned against it so that I was right next to him. "I think I'd just like to wait for Duo," I said. Then on a thought I asked, "Did Jack know that I was coming?"
Matt took a second to think. "No. Dad does, though." Hearing Matt call some one dad seemed weird, but I didn't say anything. Instead I just shook my head and stared out at nothing. Waiting might get boring, but I'd just end up asking Matt something else. "Why were you wondering?" Matt asked before I could think up another question.
"I need to talk to him about something," I explained. And I did. My conversation with Gabriel had brought forth a few new questions, but there will always be new questions. There was also the part where I wasn't sure that I really wanted to ask Jack about his family.
A soft crunch came from the right, showing that someone was coming. Both Matt and I looked up, but Matt frowned. He grabbed my arm and slowly pulled me to the side as he was careful not to make a sound. We ended up behind a pile of rubbish where we wouldn't be seen.
Two men walked up to where we normally entered the base. There was a panel that, when opened, you needed a code for. Duo had the code, and I was guessing Matt did too. These men didn't. They stopped at the panel, uncovered it, and pulled out something they could use to break through it.
"I don't suppose they're working for Duo?" I asked.
Matt shook his head. "Anyone who's with them can get in on their own, only a few people use this entrance. They're not one of those people. Do you still have your cell phone?
I nodded even though I wasn't sure what he was doing. I pulled it out of my bag and handed it over. He dialed in a number and waited for it to ring on the other side. Keeping his voice down he started talking once someone picked up the other line.
"Get everyone out of the base. Now! Someone's breaking in, I don't know who," he paused as someone answered. Then, sounding irritated, but still quiet, he continued, "I don't care what you think, someone's breaking in and you need to get out." Another pause. "Okay, so get rid of everything. This is just one entrance. What if they're in others?" One last pause before he said, "Okay," and hung up.
"So?" I asked.
He glanced back over the pile to see what was happening. "They're leaving the base, but I don't know what's up with these guys."
"Do they have a way out that no one else will know about?" I asked.
Matt shrugged. "Supposedly."
"As a guess, who do you think is behind this?" I asked as the two men got through the code and opened the door.
Matt smiled wryly. "I can only think of one person who'd go to so much trouble to break in and not leave any signs. Not to mention it wouldn't be hard for Gabriel to figure out where Duo was keeping the Missing Persons."
"And it would be the right time to get rid of them. The Missing Persons might just go public to get rid of Gabriel's operation now that he was actually hurting people," I added. Matt nodded agreement.
I was wondering how long we'd be hiding when Matt made a suggestion, "I'm going to follow them in and see if I can do anything. Even if I just slow them down a little it might give everyone time to get out."
I nodded. "Sounds good to me, I'm following you in." Matt shrugged.
Carefully we watched for anyone else as we cautiously followed the two men into the base. We stayed silent, not wanting them to be able to hear us as we branched off to a different hallway. I followed Matt sense he seemed to know where he was going. I didn't recognize anything. Every time we came to a door he paused first, listening, and if he didn't hear anything we went in. Several times he turned and we started off into another hall.
When we finally got to where we were going Matt paused. He reached into his coat and brought out a revolver. Following his example I pulled out my browning and waited him to go through the final door. He paused again, this time to listen. He frowned after a second.
"I don't hear anything," he murmured.
I whispered in a reply, "Is that bad?"
Matt nodded. "Someone should be in there," he said so softly I barely heard him.
"Okay, so if you don't hear them someone's either trying to be quiet or dead. Just open the door, and then we can know," I suggested. Matt took a second to glare at me, showing that he didn't like my idea, but he opened the door anyway.
The door swung inwards silently as Matt held his gun at head level. If anyone were inside he'd make sure they weren't a threat. No one was there, but there were plenty of machines and screens where you could watch the many cameras that were positioned around the base. It must be the control room, and I couldn't help but wonder why it was empty. The MPs didn't seem like the kind of people who'd leave everything up and running.
The door hit the wall and bounced back at us. Instantly I grabbed it, walking into the room at the same time. Matt followed me in, checking the cameras so that he could see who was in the base and who wasn't. I scanned the room and equipment as I shut the door behind us. Matt went strait to the computers and started switching it from camera to camera. It didn't look like anyone was in the base. There was no one anywhere.
Knock. Knock.
I glanced up. Matt did the same.
Knock. Knock.
We turned to the door. Someone was pounding on it.
"That doesn't make sense. There camera shows that there's no one out there," Matt muttered.
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, that obviously means someone messed with them," I stated. I pulled my gun out and aimed it again at the door. We'd locked it before but I doubted that would stop anyone who was truly determined on getting through. It took a few seconds for a click to sound, showing that whoever was on the other side had picked the lock. By then Matt had his gun out and we were both standing somewhat shielded by what was in the room and as ready as we could be.
The door swung in. My frown deepened as I saw the odds. There had to be at least twenty people, all with guns. They seemed to be just standing there, or at least some of them were. A select few were going about doing very specific things while the rest waited, motionless. I gulped as I recognized the zombie like qualities.
"Alex," Matt said softly, "I don't think we're winning this one."
I stared at the men who were carefully going about there business. One was just now starting to enter the room. He turned to me and I stared into bleak, emotionless eyes.
"I'd have to agree with you on that.
I'd like to say sorry about the short length of the last chapter, but this one is longer. The rest should be pretty long, too. Thanks for the reviews! Special thanks to Sir gabs-a-lot for his/her first review. I'm thinking I'll only have three or four more chapters, but I don't know when the next will be up. Again, thanks for reading!
~Rave
It took an hour for me to fight traffic and reach the base. Then it took a half-hour for me to convince Blake to let me see Duo, he must have been on guard duty or something. After I finally got to Duo I lost another hour convincing him. Then the hour drive to the hospital, plus fifteen minutes for parking, and we made it just in time for Julia to show up.
Duo stared around the room as I watched carefully for Julia. Slowly families and businessmen walked out, but Julia didn't appear until most of the crowds receded.
Julia looked tall to me. She could only be 5'6", but I don't care who you are, she looked tall. She was thin, but muscular, and always in possession of the latest trends, even though she'd ditch them in an instant if she felt like wearing sweats. Today she was wearing a yellow sundress. Her brown hair was pulled back into a loose, would be sloppy on anyone but Julia, braid. Several strands of hair had already escaped, framing her face beautifully. Her blue eyes met mine and we both grinned.
Right as I opened my mouth to speak, Zoë ran out from behind Julia, her hair flying out behind her. "Auntie Ax! Auntie Ax!" she cried happily. Her voice caught Duo's attention and he turned in time to see Zoë jump into my arms and hug me. Duo glanced at me, to Zoë, then back to me.
"Who's that?" he asked softly, now focusing on Zoë. I didn't answer, which was okay, because at that moment Duo looked up. His eyes met Julia's and widened.
I wasn't sure who looked more surprised. Julia looked white, as if she had just seen a ghost, vampire, or some other undead creature. Duo's expression was of confusion, amassment, and dare I say it, anger. Someone was mad at me, but I knew that was coming. His body was ridged, as if he was trying not to move. I wasn't if he wanted to run to Julia, or just run away. I hoped it was the first, but I didn't know for sure.
Simultaneously they turned to me. "Alex, I'm going to kill you," it was very freaking hearing them say the same thing at the same time.
I took a deep breath, threatening to find a way out of this. Nicolae provided the perfect idea. "Hey Zoë, you want to help your dad and me pick up the luggage?"
Lucky for me Zoë was in an agreeable mood. Quickly she jumped out of my arms and grabbed my hand. I waved apologetically to Julia as I was pulled towards Nicolae, who was just leaving the plane. He was taller than Julia, broad shouldered and had short brown hair. He didn't look much like his mom, Lady Une, but if you looked close enough you'd see that they had the same eyes. other than that there was no resemblance to be spotted.
Nicolae gave me a very confused glance, but I shook my head, warning him not to ask anything yet. I'd be able to explain later. It didn't take us long to be waiting near the front of the huddle of people waiting for baggage. I knew it wouldn't be long before it started piling out onto the band that traveled in circles so that everyone milling around it could grab their stuff. Zoë instantly started talking about the plane ride, what she had eaten and seen and other things that she found important. When Nicolae saw Zoë's bag pass by he quickly grabbed it, then asked her nicely to find some doll inside of it. Zoë brightened and immediately started searching.
"So who's the guy you brought in and why's Julia upset?" Nicolae asked. He looked very concerned so I figured I'd tell him basically everything.
We a deep sigh I started talking. "To make a much longer story as short as possible, here goes. You remember Duo? Julia's dad? You never met him because he supposedly died, but he didn't, he's in there," I pointed at the room we'd just come from, "and Julia thought he was dead. That not surprising considering that I thought he was dead until about three years ago, colony time, right before I met you, where I saw him while I was in Oz. This and that happened, colony blew up, Duo was supposedly dead again. Then I met up with him a few days ago, compliments to Zechs. We've sort of been working together. I met the bad guy, who's another, just as long, story. Then there was the dreaded virus let loose in public and Julia was the only person I could think of to help with it. Sense she was in town, and hasn't seen Duo in a very long time, I figured I'd bring him over, but if they carry through on the 'I'm going to kill you,' part, which they might, I'll have a problem," I finished somewhat short of breath, having rushed the entire story. Nicolae just stared. I hoped that he caught all of that, because I didn't want to repeat myself.
"Well," he murmured, "that would explain things a little." I had a felling that I had greatly increased his confusion, but his mind was starting to work it out. I helped him grab two more bags before we started back to Julia and Duo. Nicolae just continued to think.
Duo and Julia stood about three feet apart from each other. Neither of them said anything and their silence was more disturbing than if they were shouting. I would at least be able to react to screaming, when silence was a bit trickier. The three of us slowly approached the silent couple, Nicolae going to stand next to Julia. Zoë was still digging in her bag for the doll as Nicolae wrapped his arm around Julia's shoulder, whispering something softly to her.
I had a two second debate on whether or not to break the silence. Noise won. "So, you ready to get to work?" I asked somewhat cautiously.
Julia looked dazed, but nodded. "Where's the jeep?" I was surprised for a moment, and then worried. What if she couldn't concentrate, or had a mental breakdown or something? Maybe I shouldn't have brought in duo. Oh well, too late to go back now.
I helped them carry everything to me jeep and loaded it into the back. I got into the driver's seat and watched as everyone else filed in. Nicolae and Duo were in back with Zoë between them. Julia sat up front with me.
Except for Zoë we were all pretty much silent on the drive to the hanger. She had found the doll that Nicolae told her to get out and was now explaining everything about it to Duo who was patently listening to her chatter on about everything. Even Zoë stopped talking when I finally pulled into the hanger's driveway.
We climbed out of the car and I quickly walked over and unlocked the door. Once everyone had their things inside Julia volunteered to get everyone organized. I waited in the living room while she ran off with Zoë, looking for a room we could use for her. While Julia had her own room, we didn't have one prepared for Zoë. I'd have to change that just in case she showed up. When no one but Duo and me were left in the living room I figured it was time I could start asking her questions.
"So, what'd you tell Julia?" I asked.
He didn't answer at first, but finally spoke up. "The truth. Why didn't you tell me she'd be there?"
"You wouldn't have come," I said simply.
He didn't argue. Several long minutes passed before he spoke again. "Thanks Alex. It was nice seeing her again." He sighed and walked over to a chair to sit down. Duo looked tired. Too many emotions were rolling around in his head and it was starting to get to him. "I didn't even know that she had a daughter," he said more to himself than me.
I grinned at that. "Well, if you ever have time to watch her I'm sure Julia wouldn't mind you taking her for a few hours. Zoë's great and everything, but she's. she's a mixture of Julia and me at her age."
It was Duo's turn to grin. "That must be interesting," he stated, then asked, "Is she married to Nicolae? I never even heard of him. No one told me."
That surprised me. You'd think that with Duo's organization he would have heard something. It made me wonder just who was watching Julia for him. My guess was Zechs. "Um, yes. They've been married for about six months. They got married about a month before Julia turned twenty," I told him. "But technically Zoë is not Nicolae's kid, she's Zero's. That's a really, really long story, though."
"I see," Duo murmured. Then he stood up slowly. "Look, I've got to get back. Tell me if Julia gets anything accomplished. We'll be working on it, too."
I nodded. "Will do." Duo left.
Well, at least I knew that much. Now I had to talk to Julia. I started off for her room, stopping by the kitchen to grab a banana. Nicolae was in there making a couple of sandwiches. I smiled to him, but didn't stop. When I got to Julia's room I saw she wasn't in there. I kept walking, having a guess on where she might be, and there she was. Julia was already getting started in the lab.
I knocked on the door as I walked in. Julia glanced at me as she carefully pulled different jars out of a cupboard. "Hey, can you get into the computer? I don't know any of the passwords," she asked. I nodded and got right to it. It didn't take long to get in, and less time to get into the programs I knew she'd want to use.
"Are you okay with everything?" I asked once I finished.
Julia paused for a fraction of a second, then got back to work. "Kind of shocked, but I'll be fine," she said. I wasn't sure whether or not I believed her, but I wasn't about to say that. "I just need to get working on this. I'll save family problems for later. I know what the virus can do. The news said there weren't any survivors. I can't let another batch to get out with out our side having a way to defend ourselves."
I nodded agreement. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do, though. I can't really help you, and Duo can't use me, either. The only thing I can really hope for is for Matt to call. Maybe he'd know something we don't."
Julia took over the computer as she continued talking. "Okay. Who's Matt?"
I hesitated, "An assassin who was hired to kill me. No big deal."
"Oh, okay," she murmured, knowing I wasn't giving the whole story but not really caring. She continued working and I left.
I needed something to do. I wouldn't be happy sitting around and doing nothing, even if there wasn't much I could do. Quickly I made a mental list of everywhere that I could go to, and just as quickly I crossed most of it off, but the hospital was still there. It would be nice to check on my mom, and to make sure everyone was okay after the explosion. Before leaving I grabbed my bag and told Nicolae that I was heading out.
When I got to the hospital there were even more news vans. Everyone wanted to know exactly what was going on, if anyone who'd made contact with the virus was okay, and why there had been a bomb in the building. The hospital had been for the most part shut down. So, unless you were a cop, doctor, or seriously ill, you weren't allowed in. Of course, I was an exception. Because I was related to Relena I was allowed to go almost anywhere.
I avoided all of the police and reporters as I made a dash for the elevator. Mom had been moved out of the emergency section and was now on a more heavily guarded floor. I think someone had told the cops that the bomb was actually meant for Relena and everyone was being extra careful.
The elevator dinged, showing that I had arrived at the floor I wanted to get off at, and the doors opened. Several men in suits were waiting just outside. I stepped off the elevator and they all turned to gaze at me suspiciously. I waved, just to see how they would react. None of them said anything, but several glared. I shrugged and kept walking. They can guard the elevator all they wanted. It really didn't bother me. Now I just had to find my mom's room. It shouldn't be that hard, though. It would probably be the only one with bodyguards in front of it.
It was. I waved to them, too, and then walked in.
"Mom?" I asked softly, not wanting to bother anyone in case she couldn't hear me. No one was in the room but Relena, and she was sleeping. At least it looked like she was sleeping. With all the wires stuck to her she might have been in a coma, but I couldn't tell. I really should have checked in sooner, when someone might have been here.
I sighed. No use yelling at myself about the past.
Sliding into a chair that had been placed right next to the bed I took my mom's hand. She looked very frail, as if she could fall apart at any moment. She seemed to have trouble breathing and looked too pail for comfort.
Again I found myself wondering if there was something behind the accident.
Maybe it was nothing. Maybe Mom had just been at the wrong place in the wrong time. That was more probably. It was the logical explanation. It was what everyone was expected to believe.
But I didn't know if it was the truth, and that was really bugging me. I couldn't trust Gabriel to give me the real answers. I didn't know much about him, and had no clue on whether or not he lied. Some bad guys you could never tell with, but some of them have strict moral codes. They may be evil, but they still always told the truth. They may have controlled some kid so that he crashed into my mom's car, but they wouldn't deny it. With Gabriel I didn't have a clue.
And, as if it heard me wanting something to interrupt my thoughts, my cell phone rang. I picked it up. "Hey, what do you want?" so what if I sounded like a jerk. I didn't really want to talk to anyone anyway.
"Hello Alex."
I blinked. "Oh, Matt. What's up?" Matt I could deal with. I might actually be able to do something productive.
"A lot," he said. "I need to see you, now." He sounded very urgent.
"Why?" I asked cautiously.
"I know where Gabriel's planting his next attack, and when, and I need to talk to you, but not over the phone," Matt stated.
I raised my eyebrows. "Really? Wow. Um. where can I meet you?" I asked.
"At the base?" he suggested.
I didn't need to ask which one. Paying a visit to Duo probably wouldn't be a problem anyway. "Fine, I'll be heading there now. I'm at the hospital so I might be awhile."
"Why're you at the hospital?" he sounded concerned.
I laughed, somewhat dryly. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Just checking on my mom."
"Okay, see ya there." The phone clicked and Matt was gone.
I looked back to my mom for a second. I really didn't want to leave her alone, but I had to get to the base. Kissing her hand to say goodbye I stood up quickly. I shoved my phone back into my bag and left the room. I ignored the guards as I went back to the elevator. I didn't bother to avoid the masses of reporters. My car was right behind them and it would be quicker to plow through. Even with them asking a million questions I managed to make it through without saying anything. A couple reporters followed me, but when I got to my car they left me alone. Then I was heading back to the base.
I arrived and parked where I normally did. There weren't any other cars there, though. I wondered if Duo had sent people out somewhere or if they just moved their parking spots a lot. Shrugging to myself I kept walking. It didn't take long to reach the fence and climb through the hole. The place, as normal, seemed abandoned. I didn't have to go inside, though. Matt was waiting just outside the entrance dressed in his trench coat and staring at the ground.
"Hullo," I called to him.
He looked up at me and nodded. "Duo's not in at the moment, I've already checked. I need to talk to him before we go anywhere, though. I can't get into where we need to go without raising suspicion, and it's important that no one guesses we're there."
I nodded slowly, pretending I understood everything. "So he can get us in?" I asked.
Matt muttered, "In theory at least."
"Okay," I said. "So where are we going?"
"Heero is having a meeting about what to do about the virus. He plans on telling everyone what he knows, and how to try and fight it," Matt explained, "It'll be very high security, and only certain people are allowed. You could probably get in, but I don't want anyone knowing you're there."
"So Duo can get us in?" I asked again.
Matt nodded. "Undetected," he confirmed.
"Okay," I stated. "When's he getting back and when's the meeting?"
"I don't know when he'll be getting back. The meeting's tomorrow."
"So we're just waiting out here?" I asked.
He nodded. "You could probably go inside, probably. Jack's in charge at the moment and he doesn't like me. I don't think he has anything against you, though, or at least I haven't heard anything."
I walked over to the wall Matt was at and leaned against it so that I was right next to him. "I think I'd just like to wait for Duo," I said. Then on a thought I asked, "Did Jack know that I was coming?"
Matt took a second to think. "No. Dad does, though." Hearing Matt call some one dad seemed weird, but I didn't say anything. Instead I just shook my head and stared out at nothing. Waiting might get boring, but I'd just end up asking Matt something else. "Why were you wondering?" Matt asked before I could think up another question.
"I need to talk to him about something," I explained. And I did. My conversation with Gabriel had brought forth a few new questions, but there will always be new questions. There was also the part where I wasn't sure that I really wanted to ask Jack about his family.
A soft crunch came from the right, showing that someone was coming. Both Matt and I looked up, but Matt frowned. He grabbed my arm and slowly pulled me to the side as he was careful not to make a sound. We ended up behind a pile of rubbish where we wouldn't be seen.
Two men walked up to where we normally entered the base. There was a panel that, when opened, you needed a code for. Duo had the code, and I was guessing Matt did too. These men didn't. They stopped at the panel, uncovered it, and pulled out something they could use to break through it.
"I don't suppose they're working for Duo?" I asked.
Matt shook his head. "Anyone who's with them can get in on their own, only a few people use this entrance. They're not one of those people. Do you still have your cell phone?
I nodded even though I wasn't sure what he was doing. I pulled it out of my bag and handed it over. He dialed in a number and waited for it to ring on the other side. Keeping his voice down he started talking once someone picked up the other line.
"Get everyone out of the base. Now! Someone's breaking in, I don't know who," he paused as someone answered. Then, sounding irritated, but still quiet, he continued, "I don't care what you think, someone's breaking in and you need to get out." Another pause. "Okay, so get rid of everything. This is just one entrance. What if they're in others?" One last pause before he said, "Okay," and hung up.
"So?" I asked.
He glanced back over the pile to see what was happening. "They're leaving the base, but I don't know what's up with these guys."
"Do they have a way out that no one else will know about?" I asked.
Matt shrugged. "Supposedly."
"As a guess, who do you think is behind this?" I asked as the two men got through the code and opened the door.
Matt smiled wryly. "I can only think of one person who'd go to so much trouble to break in and not leave any signs. Not to mention it wouldn't be hard for Gabriel to figure out where Duo was keeping the Missing Persons."
"And it would be the right time to get rid of them. The Missing Persons might just go public to get rid of Gabriel's operation now that he was actually hurting people," I added. Matt nodded agreement.
I was wondering how long we'd be hiding when Matt made a suggestion, "I'm going to follow them in and see if I can do anything. Even if I just slow them down a little it might give everyone time to get out."
I nodded. "Sounds good to me, I'm following you in." Matt shrugged.
Carefully we watched for anyone else as we cautiously followed the two men into the base. We stayed silent, not wanting them to be able to hear us as we branched off to a different hallway. I followed Matt sense he seemed to know where he was going. I didn't recognize anything. Every time we came to a door he paused first, listening, and if he didn't hear anything we went in. Several times he turned and we started off into another hall.
When we finally got to where we were going Matt paused. He reached into his coat and brought out a revolver. Following his example I pulled out my browning and waited him to go through the final door. He paused again, this time to listen. He frowned after a second.
"I don't hear anything," he murmured.
I whispered in a reply, "Is that bad?"
Matt nodded. "Someone should be in there," he said so softly I barely heard him.
"Okay, so if you don't hear them someone's either trying to be quiet or dead. Just open the door, and then we can know," I suggested. Matt took a second to glare at me, showing that he didn't like my idea, but he opened the door anyway.
The door swung inwards silently as Matt held his gun at head level. If anyone were inside he'd make sure they weren't a threat. No one was there, but there were plenty of machines and screens where you could watch the many cameras that were positioned around the base. It must be the control room, and I couldn't help but wonder why it was empty. The MPs didn't seem like the kind of people who'd leave everything up and running.
The door hit the wall and bounced back at us. Instantly I grabbed it, walking into the room at the same time. Matt followed me in, checking the cameras so that he could see who was in the base and who wasn't. I scanned the room and equipment as I shut the door behind us. Matt went strait to the computers and started switching it from camera to camera. It didn't look like anyone was in the base. There was no one anywhere.
Knock. Knock.
I glanced up. Matt did the same.
Knock. Knock.
We turned to the door. Someone was pounding on it.
"That doesn't make sense. There camera shows that there's no one out there," Matt muttered.
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, that obviously means someone messed with them," I stated. I pulled my gun out and aimed it again at the door. We'd locked it before but I doubted that would stop anyone who was truly determined on getting through. It took a few seconds for a click to sound, showing that whoever was on the other side had picked the lock. By then Matt had his gun out and we were both standing somewhat shielded by what was in the room and as ready as we could be.
The door swung in. My frown deepened as I saw the odds. There had to be at least twenty people, all with guns. They seemed to be just standing there, or at least some of them were. A select few were going about doing very specific things while the rest waited, motionless. I gulped as I recognized the zombie like qualities.
"Alex," Matt said softly, "I don't think we're winning this one."
I stared at the men who were carefully going about there business. One was just now starting to enter the room. He turned to me and I stared into bleak, emotionless eyes.
"I'd have to agree with you on that.
I'd like to say sorry about the short length of the last chapter, but this one is longer. The rest should be pretty long, too. Thanks for the reviews! Special thanks to Sir gabs-a-lot for his/her first review. I'm thinking I'll only have three or four more chapters, but I don't know when the next will be up. Again, thanks for reading!
~Rave