Chapter 12
Zechs and V walked into the club together. Both were dressed causally, unlike some of the guys in uniform. V looked over the room, his eyes hidden behind black glasses that matched his T-shirt and jacket. He didn't see me, which wasn't that surprising. He was looking for a blonde guy, not Alex Yuy. Zechs was dressed quite opposite. Unusually he wore a white tank covered with a white long sleeved shirt along with blue jeans. I smiled to them as I pushed myself from the wall I had been leaning against.
I weaved my way through the crowd as I walked over to them. Zechs turned to see me right as I reached them. He grinned as he looked me over. "Well, well, Alex, you're back."
V looked at me too. He blinked, looking shocked, blinked again, turning to surprise, and then confusion. "Conway? No. Alex Yuy?" he said it accusingly.
I grimaced. "I figured you would do that. Can't say I blame you," I murmured.
"Alex. Alex Yuy? My god. shit," V stuttered. He'd gotten past the shock. "Oh god," he murmured again. Shock was gone, confusion stayed, but I could see as things became clear. "And you joined Oz. And I helped you. God, how can you be Alex?"
I sighed before I began talking. "Sorry," I said meekly, knowing it wasn't enough. "I would have told you if I could. But letting you know on the base wouldn't be smart. At least here I could run if I need to here, and I could get away."
He looked at Zechs. "And you knew, of course, as did your dad. And my dad might know, along with a few other people. God that explains so much, but Alex Yuy... If you were anyone else. How could you be a gundam pilot?"
"Well, Heero was my dad, and Relina was my mom, and they made me a gundam."
"Well no-duh," Zechs said before turning to V. "She went undercover in Oz. Now she's here, telling you. Are you going to go tattle on her to your dad or help us out?" Zechs was mad, well. annoyed really.
I looked at him. He never stood up for me, ever. "What's wrong?"
He avoided my gaze for a moment, but I didn't look away and he eventually looked back at me. "My dad's in trouble. Mathew is putting a lot of things against him. He has too much hidden info that can be used against him and Mathew's found a lot of it. I don't know what to do. Dad is going to get into so much trouble if he can't find the way out of this. And that stupid dick, Mathew, is only going to get stronger because of this."
V looked at him, surprised. I don't know if it was because Zechs actually said what's wrong or if it was the insult to V's dad, but something seemed to hit him. Maybe they'd find away to get along. Maybe.
"So we have to find a way to stop this," V insisted.
Zechs sighed, "Why exactly is he here?" he asked me. "I mean, can we trust him to go against his own dad, working with you? I'm not sure if you remember, but he's been trained to hate you his whole life. You're one of the gundam scum everyone despises. Hell, you're the daughter of the guy they think of as the devil. You're dad's the leader of your whole organization."
I smirked. "And when he's gone Jules will take over, that's for sure. She's always been in charge of us. That's just kind of how things work. Duo should be proud of her, if he every gets out of jail he will be."
V blinked at me. "You're going back to the base, aren't you," he accused. "Damn it Conway, you're going to get yourself killed."
"Is it just me or does he sound like Zero?" I asked.
Zechs nodded, "Except for calling you Conway, yeah, he does."
V glared at the two of us. "You can't go back," he declared.
"Too late, my mind is made up. Julia isn't staying in jail. I'll get her out with or without your help. If you want to stop your dad this is the way to do it, but I can't ask you to come with me. Actually, I'd prefer you don't get messed up in this more than you already are. I asked you here mostly so you'd know the truth. I mean, that's all you really asked for, right?" I was completely one hundred percent sincere about what I had said, and I could tell V knew.
"I can't help you, Alex. I won't get in your way, though, either," V said, "But I can't help you."
I nodded, understanding. I saw Zechs glare daggers at V, but I ignored it. Without saying good-bye I walked past V to the door and left the club with Zechs at my heals. We had an attack to get ready for. Even if I didn't have V's help I had Zechs's, and that was almost as good.
By eleven we were inside the base, hiding out in Zechs's room. He assured me no one would be back, and if they were they wouldn't mind seeing a girl with him. I understood what he meant, and could deal with being thought of as his date, but I wouldn't like it.
We both had weapons. He'd borrowed a few of mine, but kept his own gun. I had a laser gun I'd use, but I'd try to keep it hidden for the most part. By 11:15 he was ready to go and we left the room. Walking towards the prisoner's quarters we didn't pass anyone. He was able to get us through the first few guards to the lower levels of the prison. We didn't have trouble till we tried to get into the heavily guarded place, near where Duo was. Zechs assured me he knew which cell was Julia's, and that he could get into it.
"Look," Zechs said trying to convince the guard to let us by. "If you'd just let us through-" I cut him off before he could finish by shooting the guard. "That works, I would have done it to begin with, but I just wasn't sure how you'd feel."
"I don't know any of these guys, but I need to get through this, anyway I can," I said matter-of-factly. Zechs nodded and we continued through.
Julia's cell was almost as far into the top security prison as Duo's, and we shot several guards to get there. Zechs stopped me from shooting the second guard in front of Jules cell, and asked him to open the door. Of course the guard didn't, so Zechs got rid of him.
"Guard me while I get this door open," he said. I nodded, wanting to go for Duo, but knowing that it would be stupid to take the risk. I watched the corners while Duo got through the locks. I motioned him to stay outside as I went into the room.
Julia attacked me when I walked into the room, knocking me to the floor as she did so. I blinked as I realized she must have been waiting for someone from Oz. "Jules it's me," I said at the same time Zechs asked, "Are you okay Alex?"
Julia got off of me, surprised but glad to have me here. "What're you doing here?" she asked, "and with him?"
"We'll explain later, come on," Zechs hissed, not liking the way Julia talked about him. He almost dragged her out of the cell as I got up and we ran. Now if we could only get out and find a place to hide. Getting her out of the cell was truly the easy part. Getting out of the base would be the hard part.
We were able to avoid most guards, but soon too many got in the way. Zechs held them off while Julia and I discussed a plan.
I suggested, "You go with Zechs, get a suit and get out. I don't care where you go, but leave the colony. I'll create the distraction and you'll be able to get out."
"No, I'm not going to let you do something stupid," Julia insisted.
I shook my head. "No, I have to do this, I'll be okay. I know my way around this base. I'll hide long enough to get out of here. I'm not going to tell Zechs that he has to be the distraction. This is the only way."
"Whatever we do we have to figure it out quickly," warned Zechs.
Julia nodded reluctantly to me, "Go for it, but if you get killed I'm going to yell at you for an hour."
"If I get killed I'll come back to haunt you," I assured her. Then I was off.
I threw a grenade at the group of people firing at us, they scattered as I ran down a different hallway than Zechs and Julia were using. After the grenade exploded people came running after me. I threw a few more things behind me to slow them down, knowing it wouldn't be enough but it might get me out of here.
I turned a corner, throwing a smoke bomb behind me. Suddenly I was pushed into a side room that was barely more than a closet. The door shut behind me, blocking out all light before I could tell who had pushed me into here, but I knew whoever it was was here, too.
"Alex, be quiet for a moment then we can leave," V whispered.
I murmured, "V, what are you doing here?"
"I couldn't let you get killed."
We were quiet while people rushed past the door. We waited five minutes, but it seamed like an hour.
I smiled to myself as I thought about how V had helped after all. "Thanks," I said as the footsteps quieted.
There was silence for a long moment, then the softness of his lips on mine as he kissed me. "No problem," he said. I only blinked, too surprised to say anything. I wouldn't know what to say, anyway. But then we were moving again and I had no time to think, but the words 'He just kissed me,' kept floating through my head.
He led me down a hallway. I didn't recognize where we were, but I trusted V to get us out of here. When we heard footsteps again we snuck into another side room. It was a meeting room, but luckily no one was in it. Two other doors led out and we used one of them. After going through a few more halls I noticed we were near the bridge.
"We should get away from here," I murmured.
V nodded as he agreed, and once again we interred a room. This one led to another hallway that was rarely used. We slowly made our way through it, not sure where to go. I didn't know how to get away and wasn't sure if it would be smart to try to get out.
"Where are Zechs and Julia?" V asked.
I replied, "I told them to steal suits and get the hell out of here."
"So we probably shouldn't try that," V said.
I agreed, "Yeah, we probably shouldn't."
"I don't know if either of you will be trying much of anything."
Both V and I looked to see Max and Nathan pointing guns at us. I took a step back, but stopped when Max shook his head.
"Don't try to leave Conway," Max mocked. I glared at him but he only grinned. Wasn't my best glare, I could unsettle him if I wanted, but I didn't want him trigger-happy. Max turned to V. "V, you disappoint me. I knew you weren't big on helping your dad, but helping her?" he shook his head and maid tisking sounds.
"I have to agree with Max," Nathan said, "you had things going for you V, but hey, if you want to side with the gundam pilots. You're just going to have to deal with it. Mathew wants to see you and let's not keep him waiting." V wasn't looking at them. This was what he didn't want, being trapped between his friends.
For some reason I had a guilty feeling. I hated those, but V was worth it. "We're coming," I said softly as I reluctantly followed Nathan and Max. V followed close behind me, not saying anything. I felt really bad about him, but what could I do?
Mathew was waiting for us in the same meeting room as I had talked to him and Milliardo. There was no lawyer this time, but Mr. Mustache was there.
They smiled in greeting me. Mr. Mustache talked first. "Hello Alex. I'm sorry things turned out this way. I truly hoped you'd get out, and then I could have sided with the Peacecrafts. But now that's over with, you're here, the proof we need."
"Oh, don't I feel special. I don't know you, not even your name, but I already know you're an ass hole. Can I get someone different to discuss things with?" I asked.
"Sorry, but I'm who you've got."
Damn. Ah, well. But what I said was, "And who are you?"
"A distant relative of the Barton's, I'm no one noticeably important," Mustache stated. I just shrugged it didn't seam that important to me at the moment.
He smiled at my indifference then he turned to V and smiled. "You're a disappointment, my boy. It's a sad thing that you had to go all noble and work for the gundam pilots. You'd do so much better in Oz, and we might even let you stay. Maybe."
Mathew stepped in. "He's right, it is a disappointment. I don't know what you could have been thinking."
V was looking at the ground, to ashamed to have a smart-aleck remark ready. What he did say was, "I didn't want my friends to get hurt. And I know she shouldn't be my friend but we all feel for the act, even you."
"Yes and we're all over it," said Mathew, "except you. And that tells us something, doesn't it?"
V couldn't look at him. First I had felt guilty, now I felt sorry, maybe even a little pity. Things weren't getting better, but I wouldn't say anything. Didn't want to upset V anymore then he already was.
"You see Vince, you could have gotten her out of here, but then you'd never get a second chance. Now at least you have that." Mathew stared at V a moment, then turned to Max. "Search her," he said.
Max came over to me. I didn't give up any weapons, but I let loose that glare. He faltered before touching me. I grinned and it was his turn to glare. But I had gotten him irritated enough that he missed the gun at my back, grabbing only the knife. Of course I set it up so that might happen. I let myself look slightly annoyed when he laid weapon after weapon on the table. In the end I had only that one gun, and hoped it would be enough. Nathan had searched V, finding only one gun. I didn't know if he had something else hidden somewhere, but I didn't think so.
"So Alex, you just keep getting yourself into worse situations," Mathew stated.
I shook my head. "At least now Julia's out of the picture, Zechs too."
"Well, I could always use V against you," Mathew stated.
"Couldn't you do that before?"
Mathew shook his head. "Oh, I can't threaten someone's life until they do something wrong. I won't use my son against you unless he's been a problem."
I couldn't hide my surprise. "What a loving dad you are! You shouldn't use your son at all you stupid jerk. Doesn't family mean anything to you? Or friendship, what about that?" I snapped.
Mathew only laughed, as V glared at me. V's glare hurt, and made me wish I had kept quiet, but the hint of sadness hiding behind it made me hurt worse. I wanted to give him a happy family, but I couldn't, and Mathew wasn't going to make things better. Punching him once again seemed to be a wonderful idea.
"So what are we going to do?" asked Mr. Mustache, "Julia's gone, but we have Alex. Should we just lock her up somewhere or what?"
Mathew frowned as he thought about it. "Well, we can't exactly let her talk to anyone. She knows too much for that. We wouldn't want her telling all our little secrets, would we?"
"Zechs knows more than I do," I pointed out.
Mathew nodded. "But will he tell it? You must remember, he's still a loyal member of Oz, just not of the Barton foundation. He's helping you out because in the long run it will help him out. It's not like Milliardo hasn't ever assisted you before."
I hated to admit it, but he was right. Zechs wouldn't say anything, but he'd take care of Julia and get her back to the others, not that Julia couldn't do it by herself. I knew Zechs would go with her and get help from my friends, but I'm not sure what will happen after that. Maybe they'd come back, maybe they'll try to let me find away out. I needed to find a way to tell them I was in trouble, but I didn't know how.
"So where would your friends be?" Max asked me.
I stared at him for a moment. "The other gundam pilots? I don't have a clue. Haven't had a real conversation with them for over a month. You really should have asked Julia, she's seen them last."
"We did," Mathew drawled, "she said they were visiting Disney Land."
"Oh, well then. There's your answer," sarcasm was highly visible in my voice.
V sighed before talking. "We don't know, maybe you should try to track Zechs and Julia."
Mr. Mustache smiled as he walked up to me, "Don't worry, we are." He looked at me, even though he was addressing V. "I'm not sure whether or not Zechs was aware of it when he 'borrowed' the Scorpio, but it has a tracking system in it. We haven't been able to zero in on it yet, but very soon we'll be able to find exactly where he is, and has been."
That would be a bad thing, but I didn't tell them that.
"He got the Scorpio? Gees you guys need a better security system," I muttered.
"Being sarcastic won't help your situation," Mathew growled.
I threw him a no-duh look. "Really? I thought it might make things a little interesting." Mr. Mustache slapped me, taking me by surprise. I took a step back, rubbing my cheek. Jesus it hurt, but no one else seemed to care. Wondering why he hadn't just punched me I said, "Okay, I get the point." I did, but I was getting ticked off. I needed away out of here.
Max and Nathan were to my left. Both had relaxed their guns so chances were I'd be able to shoot at least one of them before they fired back. It was mustache guy was who I was most worried about. He probably had a gun somewhere and he didn't take his eyes off of me. Mathew was armed, too. He had a gun hidden somewhere on his person, I wasn't sure where but it seemed like something he would do. V wouldn't help me, if anything they'd use him against me, which wouldn't be a good thing.
Now if I could just get them to talk amongst themselves.
"So, what're you going to do with me now?" I asked, hoping to inspire conversation.
Mustache turned to Mathew before answering. Bingo.
"We should put her somewhere safe, more secure than this." He suggested.
"Someplace a bit fireproof," Nathan added.
No one was paying attention to me now, so I slowly drew my gun. The cold, familiar metal was a comfort in my hand. I wasn't sure who to fire at, but Nathan looked back at me first, noticing my gun. Before he could aim his own I fired, hitting him in the chest. I didn't pause to mourn his death, but I would later. We may be on opposite sides of the war but we had been friends. I couldn't let my emotions take control now, so I pushed them away, leaving only a calm sense of purpose.
My second shot hit mustache guy in the stomach and the third hit Max's right arm, the one he was using to point his gun at me. He dropped his gun as I dropped to my knees to avoid a shot from Mathew. Mustache was clutching his stomach, trying to stop the bleeding, but he had enough sense in him to draw his gun. Next thing I know I had two guns aimed at my head. Not the best of situations.
"Put your gun down," Mathew commanded.
Staring at Mathew I knew there'd be no way to keep my gun and not get killed. I looked away from him as I threw my gun to the side. Well, at least I did something. Too bad it wasn't enough.
"Max, are you aware that you just got Nathan killed?" Mathew asked. His entire attitude towards this was pissing me off. He acted as if the only problem was that Max screwed up. Sure, Nathan gone is annoying, but it was if it meant nothing more than that. If I had my gun back I probably would've shot Mathew, despite the consequences. Max looked away from Mathew, holding his arm. He didn't say anything but I knew that he felt bad. "Go see a doctor, send in some back up, tell them we have Alex."
Max left, his eyes throwing daggers at me before he walked out of the room. If it had been any other time I probably would have said sorry. Maybe.
Now I was alone with Mustache, Mathew, and V, who was looking very distraught over the whole thing. I don't think he would forgive me anytime soon, which was another thing that would make me feel bad.
No one said anything for a long while, not until the reinforcements showed up. A doctor was with them who quickly went about taking care of Mustache. Turns out he was actually called Merlin, and was the third person in the triangle controlling Oz. Milliardo, Mathew and Merlin. Well, two of them currently hated me and by the looks of it the other was in serious trouble.
To top things off for the day I was sent to another all metal room, this time for a nice little chat with another questioning person. I wasn't sure what Mathew wanted to know this time, but I was pretty sure he was just looking for an excuse to beat me up. V was taken somewhere else, I don't think people were being told he helped me. It wouldn't be good for Mathew's image, or for V's, so I decided not to mention it.
I sat at a metal table, in a very uncomfortable chair. It was the only chair in the room and I felt as if there should be a light hanging over me, leaving the rest of the room in shadows so I couldn't see the people asking me questions. Of course that wasn't happening. There was a very bright light that shined through out the entire room making it rather easy to see Mathew and the two people with him.
One of the two men was very much like Olaf, save one or two inches, but that was about it. He was slightly tanned and a bit too big for me to feel safe. He wore black sweat pants and a white tank top, my guess would be that he was the guy who'd be beating up on me.
The second man was much smaller, five foot six and he didn't look to be in very good shape. He had accusing eyes that took in every detail, which wasn't too my liking because he was focusing on me at the moment. I was cold from the air condition the second man had insisted be turned on, and I had lost my jacket in the search for any other weapons I might have. No one wanted to find a second gun or knife hidden somewhere in that jacket so it was confiscated, much to the approval of the man in front of me. He was freaking me out and I didn't know why, something about him just felt odd, even wrong maybe, but most definitely odd.
Neither of the men had been introduced to me, but I really doubt Mathew cared. He seemed to be waiting for something so I sat somewhat patiently, waiting for him to stop waiting.
"My name is Dr. Samson Lynn," the second man explained, addressing me. "I'm an expert in the control of psychic powers, not to mention being a psychic myself. If I'm correct I'm to take care of you." He seemed to sneer as he talked, as if to show he was better than the rest of the world, but he was genuinely interested in me. I don't know exactly what I was to do with him, but the control thing didn't sound like that bad of an idea.
"Yes, well," Mathew began, "we want Alex unable to use her gift. We want it all out of the way until we think it will no longer be a danger to us."
Lynn smiled cruelly. "Well, is that all. It shouldn't be a problem." He reached a hand towards me and I pushed my chair back to stay out of reach. I knew that touching made psychics stronger, and I had no intentions of letting this guy near me. Unfortunately everyone else did. When Lynn reached for me again a guard, also in the room, there were five of them, held me in place. Lynn's hand rested on my forehead and once again I felt the presence of another mind touching my own. Lynn was surer of what he was doing then V had been, and a lot quicker. I felt him brush through my mind easily, going through it as easily as I might flip through a book.
Anger suddenly boiled up in me. I didn't like this in the slightest, he shouldn't be able to walk through my mind. Lynn felt my power rising too, and paused his search of whatever he was looking for. I felt him put up shields and boundaries between the two of us.
No, I murmured to him, you're not going to just block me out to leave you to look through my head, it doesn't work that way.
I could see Lynn blink in surprise as his face twisted in confusion. I could feel him pull back as I somehow recreated the void I had used on V. Things were suddenly hazy and I couldn't think strait as my mind was being pulled into itself, into safety. I knew it would last only a few moments, but it would create a strong shield. I felt warmth washing over my skin, but I didn't know what was going on. I knew exactly when Lynn left my mind, but I wasn't sure when he had pulled his hand away from me. By the time I had figured things out a little the border that had separated my mind from my body had vanished, leaving me with a room filled with terrified people and an unconscious doctor.
I stood frozen, too confused to do anything else. I didn't know what had happened, but I knew the doctor wouldn't be bugging me for awhile. I slowly got to my feet, working my way around the doctor so I wouldn't touch him. By the time I had scattered across the room the doctor was beginning to wake up.
Lynn moaned as he got to his knees. Taking a moment for the memory to get back of what had happened he slowly became less confused. Then he looked at me, with more interest than before. He seemed curious, almost as if he was considering me as a science experiment. That thought bugged me more than most of the others. I could just imagine myself strapped to a table with scientists poking little metal pointy things at me. It was a disturbing thought.
"You're right, Mathew," Lynn said. "She most definitely has to be kept under control. She has too much power to just be left unattended. She'd be an accident waiting to happen. I hadn't been anticipating that much power else I would have been able to shield from it."
Lynn got to his feet slowly, never taking his eyes off of me. I didn't move, though I didn't know why. I wanted to, but for some reason I couldn't, almost as if something was stopping me. I tried to move backwards, nothing happened. I couldn't even widen my eyes in surprise.
Smiling Lynn once again put a hand lightly on my forehead. Mentally I flinched, pulling my mind away from his as the boundary between physical and mental came back into affect. While the physical room was limited to the room I was in the mental seemed endless, stretching as far as I could sense in all directions. It was cold, deserted, a bleakness filed it with sorrow. And I was standing in the middle of the plain of nothing that made up Lynn's mind.
Some how I knew it was his, and I knew he was here with me, just as I knew it wasn't safe. I tried to look around, but I didn't exactly have eyes. It was more as if I was feeling, searching with an intangible hand that did the looking for me. I didn't have a body, just a being.
I felt Lynn behind me and mentally turned to face him. He was still smiling on the other side of the boarder, but there really wasn't any features were I was. I could feel him though, his feelings, some thoughts. He'd pulled me into his mind where he had control, but he had so many things open for me to see and page through. I probably would have looked around if I hadn't been so confused.
I felt him move around me, study me, until he found what he had been looking for. His hand brushed through my mind, and something vanished. It touched me again and I couldn't remember what was gone. A last touch sent me reeling from his mind, the boarder gone as if it never existed.
My head hit the wall as I fell across the room. I hadn't been pushed or shoved, more as if I had tripped and fallen, and just couldn't stop. I was dizzy, and I didn't know why. Vaguely I saw Lynn grinning at me, but I couldn't make much sense of what he was saying. I couldn't make much sense of anything.
Slowly I felt myself slide to the ground, not really having a way to stop myself. I was too busy trying to figure out what had just happed to pay attention to anything, or anyone, else. I knew that something was wrong. A part of my mind felt. empty, as if something was gone.
Lynn was saying something. I knew it was important, but I couldn't make out what he said. Bits and pieces made their way into the puzzle that was currently my head. I could work out words and phrases, but it didn't make sense.
"She won't be able . . . use . . . gifts . . ."
"I've blocked out that part . . . her mind"
"It's still there . . . just can't . . . reach it"
"She had . . . instinctive ability"
"It's gone."
I became more confused listening than I had been ignoring them, so I went back to ignoring. Strangely enough I didn't pass out. My mind somehow put the puzzle back together and I was able to think. By then Mathew and Lynn had left. I was alone in the room, and locked in. I didn't bother worrying about my abilities, I knew they wouldn't work.
Pushing myself to my feet I tried the door. Unsurprisingly it was locked. There were no other ways out of the room, but I wasn't worried. They'd checked for weapons, but nothing else. I pulled out a set of lock picks I had. They came in handy for sneaking into top security rooms and out of jail. I chose out the one that would work best and went about unlocking the door. My worries about a guard were unnecessary for there wasn't one. I don't know if it was because they'd though I would take a while longer to get my head back together or if they just didn't think I could escape. In either case I was out and once again roaming the halls.
I didn't know where exactly to go, but I had an idea. Somewhere near the training area there would be extra weapons. I just needed a gun or two and I'd be set. I don't thing they kept knifes there, they're a bit old fashion, but a knife to the back would kill you as easily as a gun, and they were easier to hide. I found the supply after avoiding several groups of people. I pulled out a shoulder holster and slipped it on under my over shirt. It was comforting to know I once again had a weapon.
They thought I was locked up, so I could escape if I wanted to, maybe. But first I had to find V. I wouldn't just leave and let him get in trouble. If I managed to find him and he told me to get lost, I would. But other than that I wasn't leaving without him.
I walked silently, not sure where to look first. But the easiest way to figure that out was to find a computer. Knowing Mathew I'd probably be able to find something in it. The computer wasn't hard to get at. There was a computer lab hooked up to the base's entire system. A hackers dream if they were trying to find out about Oz.
After checking the room's schedule I sneaked in and turned on a computer. No one would be in for another hour. I'd be done much sooner than that, though. Immediately I set to work, looking for any room Mathew might be in right now. He'd probably had set up a meeting somewhere. And sure enough there was something about Mathew meeting with the council for this base. I made a note to avoid that room. Next I checked for anything about V. I doubt he'd be in a prison cell, or his room, but there'd have to be a different place to keep him.
I skimmed across a section titled 'private training for Mathew's pilots'. Looking into it I saw that each of the advanced pilots would be training separately sense Mathew was in a meeting. V would be. in the Synz rooms.
Quickly I got to my feet and headed for dock three. Hopefully V was still there, and not just said to have been there. It made sense that they'd be training separately. Max was dead. Zechs was helping Julia. And I was supposedly locked up in a cell. That left V, who had to be watched, and Jet.
Making it to the dock wasn't a problem. When I went in side no one was there, but I heard someone talking with Jet in a side room so I walked quietly past, stopping as soon as I could where I wouldn't be seen.
Strangely I recognized Nickolas's voice.
"We can't let them keep Alex locked up," Nickolas said.
Jet sighed. "And we can't get her out. This is bigger than just saving Milliardo. He told us himself that he could handle whatever Mathew throws at him. He'll be fine for a few weeks at least. We have to deal with what they're making here. We can't let it get out."
"Exactly, and who better to help us than Alex?" Nickolas questioned.
"We're suppose to avoid her, remember?" Jet asked. "But you went out of your way to keep an eye on her."
Nickolas laughed. "True, but it was for a reason. Couldn't let Ashley get too close to Alex too soon. She was the one who gave her away to Mathew. I think if we just got her out of the picture things would be much better."
"True," Jet agreed.
I waited for more of the conversation, but they switched topics. Everything they had said had been very interesting, and I wanted to know just what they were talking about. Who was making what? And what did Ashley have to do with anything? All questions to be answered later. Now I had to find V.
In the room next to the Synz rooms V was talking to Mr. Mustache, or being scolded by him, whichever way you want to look at it.
"Vince, I just don't know what's gotten into you. Helping Alex Yuy?" I peeked past the corner just in time to see Mustache guy shaking his head. "You really should know better than that."
"Like helping you guys is truly better," V muttered.
Mustache glared. "Better than helping the enemy. You might as well be turning yourself over to the gundam pilots, and don't think just because you've helped Alex it will change their opinions of you. In battle even Alex would kill you to save herself. That's the way things work"
"Well, maybe things should be different," V said through gritted teeth. "You have all your opinions, but none of them are helping us. If we could talk to Alex she might find away to settle this peacefully."
"Maybe we don't want this settled peacefully," Mr. Mustache's voice was harsh, and V looked shocked. Obviously not what he had been expecting.
"Why wouldn't you?" He demanded.
Mustache shrugged carelessly. "Because the battle's going to be over within a month. Because our side's going to win and there's not a damn thing anyone can do about it. No one but Mathew, me, and a select group of scientists even know that something's going on."
Can you say stupid? Mustache certainly could. And I had a feeling he wouldn't tell anything else once he realized he just gave some important information away. He already seemed to notice his mistake when V became unusually silent, obviously thinking.
I figured that would be a good time to step in. drawing my gun I walked in. the metal weight was something I was used to, made it easier to be the emotionless killer some people thought of me as. I never really killed without emotion. There was always anger or fear or a blank determination, but there was always a reason, and usually a good one.
Mustache wasn't facing me so he couldn't have known I had come in, yet some how he managed to figure it out anyway. I think it's one of those scenes you'd see in a movie where the good guy is at a computer or something and the bad guy walks in and the good guy say hello to him or her with out even glancing up as if it should be obvious that he had eyes in the back of his head. They just seemed to know.
"Alex," Mustache said as he turned to face me.
I gave him a cheerful smile. Might as well be a little cocky while I had the chance.
"Don't suppose you'd tell me what your big plan is," I said.
He shook his head. "Not a chance in hell."
I nodded with a sigh, knowing he wasn't lying. Number one problem with bad guys, they can be as stubborn as the good guys. I lifted the gun and aimed, not bothering to ask again. Normally I would, but Mustache's indifferent face told me he'd made up his mind. I pulled the trigger and Mustache fell to the floor.
I turned to V still without saying anything. He looked shocked, or at least a little startled. I don't think he expected me to kill him.
"Damn, Conway." he muttered. "Um, I mean Alex." He corrected.
I answered in a neutral voice. "He knew I was going to kill him, and he didn't seam to be complaining much."
"Are you saying he didn't mind?" V asked.
I shook my head. "No, just that he had excepted his death, and understood why I was killing him. He knew he'd have done the same and therefore at least thought it to be somewhat fair." V didn't look convinced so I continued. "How many people do you think he's killed without a backwards glance or a thought of regret?" V didn't answer, simply looked away.
"Did you feel regret?" V asked, turning to face me again.
I thought about the question a moment, not wanting to lie, but not sure that V would understand the truth. "No, I felt no regret for killing him. I might feel regret for those still alive. Killing is easy, living with the death isn't."
V didn't say anything. I'm sure he would have rather found a different way to get rid of Mustache, but no matter what would happen it would get in our way. Now they'd find his body, but he wouldn't be able to tell them anything. One less guy to get in my way. But how do I explain everything to V? He still thought he could talk Mathew into trying peace. It was a nice thought, a hopeful one, but it wasn't realistic. He just didn't like killing and he wasn't going to get used to it.
V stayed silent for about five minutes, near the max of how long I would wait. I had to get off the colony, with or without him. I was pretty sure he wouldn't come with or help me so I wasn't going to wait forever. When I turned to leave he finally looked up.
"No ship's allowed to leave the colony. You can't hide out forever but they're patrolling everywhere in case you get out or someone else shows up. They're hoping to catch a friend of yours in case they're around. It's going to be like this for about a month, longer if you escape. So if you leave you won't make it off the colony."
I turned back to him and grinned. "Thanks for the heads up, I'll manage."
Then I left, carefully checking to see if Jet or Nickolas was around before doing so. I stayed as hidden as I could as long as I could, never going through larger rooms if I could help it. I knew better then to just try to leave, I had to find someone first. Going back to the computer room I found out exactly how bad things were.
V was right, no one could leave, but people could come into the colony. They were checking every ship and person, though. If you came in you were being watched and I.D.ed to the max.
They had another group of five hundred Oz soldiers coming, who would be a problem. Milliardo was on a colony where he was in control, somewhere safe where he wouldn't have to worry about Mathew. He had enough dolls and suits to stay safe awhile, and if the gundams showed up at the fight they'd be on his side. Oz was almost done tracking the Scorpio, and they had two or three units prepared to go after it. Hopefully Zechs knew to ditch it or find away to get it away from the gundams. Of course he didn't really know it was being tracked, but hopefully he would guess.
I heard laughter and stopped reading the info. Someone was pulling out a set of keys. sticking one in the lock. I turned the computer off, hitting the power button even though it was bad for the computer. Messing up one of Oz's computers really wouldn't bug me. By the time I had a chance to dive under a desk near the back of the room the door was opening. I curled into a ball so it would be harder for them to see me and easier for me to push myself further under the desk.
"Did you hear, Ashley, V actually helped the gundam pilot," a girl said with a bit of exaggeration. She sounded like a gossip, and I hoped that meant there wasn't that many people with her.
Soon a reply came, "Oh, I know. It's just dreadful. I mean, why would he help her?" I recognized Ashley's voice. "I wonder why he would do such a thing." There was more than a small hint that she was asking the question.
The first girl hurried to answer. "Oh, she was disguised as one of the guys in Oz. She thought she could make it. Turns out Mathew found out when Julia showed up. They ran to save her and got caught."
"Really," murmured Ashley. "How interesting."
The first girl continued to rattle off things she heard, mostly nonsense, but Ashley listened, giving the required 'mum hum' whenever necessary and asking her friend to go on. There were several rumors going around about what had happened, but some were very close. More than once I had to stop myself from laughing at the outrageous ones. More keys entered the door and the girls grew quite.
"What are you two doing here?" a sharp voice asked.
"No-nothing," the first girl stammered.
The woman huffed. "Yes, well you can tell that to someone else. Now get out."
The girls left, followed promptly by the woman. I peeked around the corner and climbed out from under the desk. Now seemed like a good time to leave. I waited a moment to make sure I couldn't hear anyone out side, then opened the door.
Ashley was waiting, leaning against the wall opposite to me. "If it isn't Alex Yuy, the famed criminal on everyone's lips. How nice to see you again."
I froze not sure of what to do. I could go back into the computer room but there wasn't a second way out, and if I went either way down the hallway she could shout or do something else to attract attention.
Sensing my predicament Ashley spoke up again. "Don't worry, Alex I'm not going to turn you in. why don't you come with me a moment?" I didn't move as she took a step down the hallway. Following a person and just trusting she wouldn't turn me in didn't seem like a very bright idea. "Are you coming?" she asked.
"Give me a good reason why I should."
"Oh, that's easy. The teacher should be back in about a minute and everyone's on the look out for you." Smiling she motioned again.
Silently I followed her, having nothing else I could really do. She said hi to several people as we walked, none of her friends even glanced at me. When we entered the section of the base for the girls' rooms I had a general idea of where we were going. And sure enough, not a minute later I was following her into her room.
"Hello Alex, so glad to finally meet the real you," her voice was soft and polite, but not kind. "I've known of you for quite awhile, but I doubt you've heard of me. My mother didn't make a big deal and I didn't go and make myself famous like Zero."
"Imagine that," I droned, dry humor at its best. "And I care why? I truly hope you have a reason for bothering me. I'd hate to think I've wasted my time following you."
"Well for you caring. would you care about family?" I raised an eyebrow at her question. I wasn't sure I wanted to understand the question, but as long as she was asking I might as well know why. So she continued, "well, if you think about it you could call me a cousin. Julia is with Zero, and if they ever get married, which is highly possible, I'll be her sister in law, and sense you two are like cousins, or even sisters, and often call each other such, wouldn't that make me your cousin in law?"
Oh my god, what a scary thought. Swiftly I replied, "I think I'd have to follow the tradition of hating in-laws if that ever happened."
"Too bad," murmured Ashley.
Casually Ashley walked over to a dresser and picked up a trinket. Fiddling with it she continued to talk. "Zechs is going to come back or go to his dad's colony. My guess is he's already left with the Scorpio, at least guessing it has a tracker."
"And how would you know all this?" I didn't really want to ask, but curiosity got the best of me.
Ashley turned to face me, brushing a strand of hair away from her face as she did so. She wore a small smile that simply shined with laughter and for some reason I think she was laughing at me. "My dear Alex, it's my job to know," she purred.
Immediately my stance changed. Ashley's problem was she liked to talk, and she wasn't too careful about what she said. But she was listening as carefully as I was, and I would be careful. Lucky for me I came up with a lovely theory that worked rather well with people like Ashley; act like I didn't give a damn and that she was beginning to lose my interest. 92% of the time it's worked for me.
Ashley didn't take her eyes off my face. I supplied one of my many easy expressions, mild boredom with a little interest, showing that if she tried I'd want to listen. I could feel her eyes willing me to ask a question, to hint at curiosity. Impatience soon showed itself rather quickly as I held the bored look of growing disinterest.
"Do you want to know what else I know?" Ashley questioned.
I shrugged. "Maybe, if it's important."
"Maybe I should have you talk to Nickolas, he could even show you it."
I blinked. She wasn't trying to be annoying, and if she was she was the best actress I knew. She put down the trinket she'd been fiddling with, picking something else up in its place. She came up to me, holding the object out in front of her for me to look at
Greenish blue liquid slid through the vile as I took it from her hand. It didn't have a label and I didn't recognize it. I could probably figure out what it was if I took it back to Julia's lab. I could at least find out some of the mixture.
Carefully I began to twist it open. Ashley yanked it out of my hand before I barely began. Quickly she tightened the top, making sure it was as securely closed as it had been when she first gave it to me.
"I wouldn't play around with this," she stated, almost sternly, "or at least not here."
"And why not."
Ashley opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, thinking twice. "I. I think you should look for Nickolas. Ask him what it is."
She pushed past me without another word. I was too surprised to move or say anything. The sudden switch to caution had been unexpected. And why did she seam worried about the vial? If it was so important why would she have it here?
Hey all! Sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter out. I didn't know fanfiction was going to shut down right after the last one. Then I left everything at my dad's house so I wasn't able to work on it till now. I hope you're liking the story, please review!
~Rave
Zechs and V walked into the club together. Both were dressed causally, unlike some of the guys in uniform. V looked over the room, his eyes hidden behind black glasses that matched his T-shirt and jacket. He didn't see me, which wasn't that surprising. He was looking for a blonde guy, not Alex Yuy. Zechs was dressed quite opposite. Unusually he wore a white tank covered with a white long sleeved shirt along with blue jeans. I smiled to them as I pushed myself from the wall I had been leaning against.
I weaved my way through the crowd as I walked over to them. Zechs turned to see me right as I reached them. He grinned as he looked me over. "Well, well, Alex, you're back."
V looked at me too. He blinked, looking shocked, blinked again, turning to surprise, and then confusion. "Conway? No. Alex Yuy?" he said it accusingly.
I grimaced. "I figured you would do that. Can't say I blame you," I murmured.
"Alex. Alex Yuy? My god. shit," V stuttered. He'd gotten past the shock. "Oh god," he murmured again. Shock was gone, confusion stayed, but I could see as things became clear. "And you joined Oz. And I helped you. God, how can you be Alex?"
I sighed before I began talking. "Sorry," I said meekly, knowing it wasn't enough. "I would have told you if I could. But letting you know on the base wouldn't be smart. At least here I could run if I need to here, and I could get away."
He looked at Zechs. "And you knew, of course, as did your dad. And my dad might know, along with a few other people. God that explains so much, but Alex Yuy... If you were anyone else. How could you be a gundam pilot?"
"Well, Heero was my dad, and Relina was my mom, and they made me a gundam."
"Well no-duh," Zechs said before turning to V. "She went undercover in Oz. Now she's here, telling you. Are you going to go tattle on her to your dad or help us out?" Zechs was mad, well. annoyed really.
I looked at him. He never stood up for me, ever. "What's wrong?"
He avoided my gaze for a moment, but I didn't look away and he eventually looked back at me. "My dad's in trouble. Mathew is putting a lot of things against him. He has too much hidden info that can be used against him and Mathew's found a lot of it. I don't know what to do. Dad is going to get into so much trouble if he can't find the way out of this. And that stupid dick, Mathew, is only going to get stronger because of this."
V looked at him, surprised. I don't know if it was because Zechs actually said what's wrong or if it was the insult to V's dad, but something seemed to hit him. Maybe they'd find away to get along. Maybe.
"So we have to find a way to stop this," V insisted.
Zechs sighed, "Why exactly is he here?" he asked me. "I mean, can we trust him to go against his own dad, working with you? I'm not sure if you remember, but he's been trained to hate you his whole life. You're one of the gundam scum everyone despises. Hell, you're the daughter of the guy they think of as the devil. You're dad's the leader of your whole organization."
I smirked. "And when he's gone Jules will take over, that's for sure. She's always been in charge of us. That's just kind of how things work. Duo should be proud of her, if he every gets out of jail he will be."
V blinked at me. "You're going back to the base, aren't you," he accused. "Damn it Conway, you're going to get yourself killed."
"Is it just me or does he sound like Zero?" I asked.
Zechs nodded, "Except for calling you Conway, yeah, he does."
V glared at the two of us. "You can't go back," he declared.
"Too late, my mind is made up. Julia isn't staying in jail. I'll get her out with or without your help. If you want to stop your dad this is the way to do it, but I can't ask you to come with me. Actually, I'd prefer you don't get messed up in this more than you already are. I asked you here mostly so you'd know the truth. I mean, that's all you really asked for, right?" I was completely one hundred percent sincere about what I had said, and I could tell V knew.
"I can't help you, Alex. I won't get in your way, though, either," V said, "But I can't help you."
I nodded, understanding. I saw Zechs glare daggers at V, but I ignored it. Without saying good-bye I walked past V to the door and left the club with Zechs at my heals. We had an attack to get ready for. Even if I didn't have V's help I had Zechs's, and that was almost as good.
By eleven we were inside the base, hiding out in Zechs's room. He assured me no one would be back, and if they were they wouldn't mind seeing a girl with him. I understood what he meant, and could deal with being thought of as his date, but I wouldn't like it.
We both had weapons. He'd borrowed a few of mine, but kept his own gun. I had a laser gun I'd use, but I'd try to keep it hidden for the most part. By 11:15 he was ready to go and we left the room. Walking towards the prisoner's quarters we didn't pass anyone. He was able to get us through the first few guards to the lower levels of the prison. We didn't have trouble till we tried to get into the heavily guarded place, near where Duo was. Zechs assured me he knew which cell was Julia's, and that he could get into it.
"Look," Zechs said trying to convince the guard to let us by. "If you'd just let us through-" I cut him off before he could finish by shooting the guard. "That works, I would have done it to begin with, but I just wasn't sure how you'd feel."
"I don't know any of these guys, but I need to get through this, anyway I can," I said matter-of-factly. Zechs nodded and we continued through.
Julia's cell was almost as far into the top security prison as Duo's, and we shot several guards to get there. Zechs stopped me from shooting the second guard in front of Jules cell, and asked him to open the door. Of course the guard didn't, so Zechs got rid of him.
"Guard me while I get this door open," he said. I nodded, wanting to go for Duo, but knowing that it would be stupid to take the risk. I watched the corners while Duo got through the locks. I motioned him to stay outside as I went into the room.
Julia attacked me when I walked into the room, knocking me to the floor as she did so. I blinked as I realized she must have been waiting for someone from Oz. "Jules it's me," I said at the same time Zechs asked, "Are you okay Alex?"
Julia got off of me, surprised but glad to have me here. "What're you doing here?" she asked, "and with him?"
"We'll explain later, come on," Zechs hissed, not liking the way Julia talked about him. He almost dragged her out of the cell as I got up and we ran. Now if we could only get out and find a place to hide. Getting her out of the cell was truly the easy part. Getting out of the base would be the hard part.
We were able to avoid most guards, but soon too many got in the way. Zechs held them off while Julia and I discussed a plan.
I suggested, "You go with Zechs, get a suit and get out. I don't care where you go, but leave the colony. I'll create the distraction and you'll be able to get out."
"No, I'm not going to let you do something stupid," Julia insisted.
I shook my head. "No, I have to do this, I'll be okay. I know my way around this base. I'll hide long enough to get out of here. I'm not going to tell Zechs that he has to be the distraction. This is the only way."
"Whatever we do we have to figure it out quickly," warned Zechs.
Julia nodded reluctantly to me, "Go for it, but if you get killed I'm going to yell at you for an hour."
"If I get killed I'll come back to haunt you," I assured her. Then I was off.
I threw a grenade at the group of people firing at us, they scattered as I ran down a different hallway than Zechs and Julia were using. After the grenade exploded people came running after me. I threw a few more things behind me to slow them down, knowing it wouldn't be enough but it might get me out of here.
I turned a corner, throwing a smoke bomb behind me. Suddenly I was pushed into a side room that was barely more than a closet. The door shut behind me, blocking out all light before I could tell who had pushed me into here, but I knew whoever it was was here, too.
"Alex, be quiet for a moment then we can leave," V whispered.
I murmured, "V, what are you doing here?"
"I couldn't let you get killed."
We were quiet while people rushed past the door. We waited five minutes, but it seamed like an hour.
I smiled to myself as I thought about how V had helped after all. "Thanks," I said as the footsteps quieted.
There was silence for a long moment, then the softness of his lips on mine as he kissed me. "No problem," he said. I only blinked, too surprised to say anything. I wouldn't know what to say, anyway. But then we were moving again and I had no time to think, but the words 'He just kissed me,' kept floating through my head.
He led me down a hallway. I didn't recognize where we were, but I trusted V to get us out of here. When we heard footsteps again we snuck into another side room. It was a meeting room, but luckily no one was in it. Two other doors led out and we used one of them. After going through a few more halls I noticed we were near the bridge.
"We should get away from here," I murmured.
V nodded as he agreed, and once again we interred a room. This one led to another hallway that was rarely used. We slowly made our way through it, not sure where to go. I didn't know how to get away and wasn't sure if it would be smart to try to get out.
"Where are Zechs and Julia?" V asked.
I replied, "I told them to steal suits and get the hell out of here."
"So we probably shouldn't try that," V said.
I agreed, "Yeah, we probably shouldn't."
"I don't know if either of you will be trying much of anything."
Both V and I looked to see Max and Nathan pointing guns at us. I took a step back, but stopped when Max shook his head.
"Don't try to leave Conway," Max mocked. I glared at him but he only grinned. Wasn't my best glare, I could unsettle him if I wanted, but I didn't want him trigger-happy. Max turned to V. "V, you disappoint me. I knew you weren't big on helping your dad, but helping her?" he shook his head and maid tisking sounds.
"I have to agree with Max," Nathan said, "you had things going for you V, but hey, if you want to side with the gundam pilots. You're just going to have to deal with it. Mathew wants to see you and let's not keep him waiting." V wasn't looking at them. This was what he didn't want, being trapped between his friends.
For some reason I had a guilty feeling. I hated those, but V was worth it. "We're coming," I said softly as I reluctantly followed Nathan and Max. V followed close behind me, not saying anything. I felt really bad about him, but what could I do?
Mathew was waiting for us in the same meeting room as I had talked to him and Milliardo. There was no lawyer this time, but Mr. Mustache was there.
They smiled in greeting me. Mr. Mustache talked first. "Hello Alex. I'm sorry things turned out this way. I truly hoped you'd get out, and then I could have sided with the Peacecrafts. But now that's over with, you're here, the proof we need."
"Oh, don't I feel special. I don't know you, not even your name, but I already know you're an ass hole. Can I get someone different to discuss things with?" I asked.
"Sorry, but I'm who you've got."
Damn. Ah, well. But what I said was, "And who are you?"
"A distant relative of the Barton's, I'm no one noticeably important," Mustache stated. I just shrugged it didn't seam that important to me at the moment.
He smiled at my indifference then he turned to V and smiled. "You're a disappointment, my boy. It's a sad thing that you had to go all noble and work for the gundam pilots. You'd do so much better in Oz, and we might even let you stay. Maybe."
Mathew stepped in. "He's right, it is a disappointment. I don't know what you could have been thinking."
V was looking at the ground, to ashamed to have a smart-aleck remark ready. What he did say was, "I didn't want my friends to get hurt. And I know she shouldn't be my friend but we all feel for the act, even you."
"Yes and we're all over it," said Mathew, "except you. And that tells us something, doesn't it?"
V couldn't look at him. First I had felt guilty, now I felt sorry, maybe even a little pity. Things weren't getting better, but I wouldn't say anything. Didn't want to upset V anymore then he already was.
"You see Vince, you could have gotten her out of here, but then you'd never get a second chance. Now at least you have that." Mathew stared at V a moment, then turned to Max. "Search her," he said.
Max came over to me. I didn't give up any weapons, but I let loose that glare. He faltered before touching me. I grinned and it was his turn to glare. But I had gotten him irritated enough that he missed the gun at my back, grabbing only the knife. Of course I set it up so that might happen. I let myself look slightly annoyed when he laid weapon after weapon on the table. In the end I had only that one gun, and hoped it would be enough. Nathan had searched V, finding only one gun. I didn't know if he had something else hidden somewhere, but I didn't think so.
"So Alex, you just keep getting yourself into worse situations," Mathew stated.
I shook my head. "At least now Julia's out of the picture, Zechs too."
"Well, I could always use V against you," Mathew stated.
"Couldn't you do that before?"
Mathew shook his head. "Oh, I can't threaten someone's life until they do something wrong. I won't use my son against you unless he's been a problem."
I couldn't hide my surprise. "What a loving dad you are! You shouldn't use your son at all you stupid jerk. Doesn't family mean anything to you? Or friendship, what about that?" I snapped.
Mathew only laughed, as V glared at me. V's glare hurt, and made me wish I had kept quiet, but the hint of sadness hiding behind it made me hurt worse. I wanted to give him a happy family, but I couldn't, and Mathew wasn't going to make things better. Punching him once again seemed to be a wonderful idea.
"So what are we going to do?" asked Mr. Mustache, "Julia's gone, but we have Alex. Should we just lock her up somewhere or what?"
Mathew frowned as he thought about it. "Well, we can't exactly let her talk to anyone. She knows too much for that. We wouldn't want her telling all our little secrets, would we?"
"Zechs knows more than I do," I pointed out.
Mathew nodded. "But will he tell it? You must remember, he's still a loyal member of Oz, just not of the Barton foundation. He's helping you out because in the long run it will help him out. It's not like Milliardo hasn't ever assisted you before."
I hated to admit it, but he was right. Zechs wouldn't say anything, but he'd take care of Julia and get her back to the others, not that Julia couldn't do it by herself. I knew Zechs would go with her and get help from my friends, but I'm not sure what will happen after that. Maybe they'd come back, maybe they'll try to let me find away out. I needed to find a way to tell them I was in trouble, but I didn't know how.
"So where would your friends be?" Max asked me.
I stared at him for a moment. "The other gundam pilots? I don't have a clue. Haven't had a real conversation with them for over a month. You really should have asked Julia, she's seen them last."
"We did," Mathew drawled, "she said they were visiting Disney Land."
"Oh, well then. There's your answer," sarcasm was highly visible in my voice.
V sighed before talking. "We don't know, maybe you should try to track Zechs and Julia."
Mr. Mustache smiled as he walked up to me, "Don't worry, we are." He looked at me, even though he was addressing V. "I'm not sure whether or not Zechs was aware of it when he 'borrowed' the Scorpio, but it has a tracking system in it. We haven't been able to zero in on it yet, but very soon we'll be able to find exactly where he is, and has been."
That would be a bad thing, but I didn't tell them that.
"He got the Scorpio? Gees you guys need a better security system," I muttered.
"Being sarcastic won't help your situation," Mathew growled.
I threw him a no-duh look. "Really? I thought it might make things a little interesting." Mr. Mustache slapped me, taking me by surprise. I took a step back, rubbing my cheek. Jesus it hurt, but no one else seemed to care. Wondering why he hadn't just punched me I said, "Okay, I get the point." I did, but I was getting ticked off. I needed away out of here.
Max and Nathan were to my left. Both had relaxed their guns so chances were I'd be able to shoot at least one of them before they fired back. It was mustache guy was who I was most worried about. He probably had a gun somewhere and he didn't take his eyes off of me. Mathew was armed, too. He had a gun hidden somewhere on his person, I wasn't sure where but it seemed like something he would do. V wouldn't help me, if anything they'd use him against me, which wouldn't be a good thing.
Now if I could just get them to talk amongst themselves.
"So, what're you going to do with me now?" I asked, hoping to inspire conversation.
Mustache turned to Mathew before answering. Bingo.
"We should put her somewhere safe, more secure than this." He suggested.
"Someplace a bit fireproof," Nathan added.
No one was paying attention to me now, so I slowly drew my gun. The cold, familiar metal was a comfort in my hand. I wasn't sure who to fire at, but Nathan looked back at me first, noticing my gun. Before he could aim his own I fired, hitting him in the chest. I didn't pause to mourn his death, but I would later. We may be on opposite sides of the war but we had been friends. I couldn't let my emotions take control now, so I pushed them away, leaving only a calm sense of purpose.
My second shot hit mustache guy in the stomach and the third hit Max's right arm, the one he was using to point his gun at me. He dropped his gun as I dropped to my knees to avoid a shot from Mathew. Mustache was clutching his stomach, trying to stop the bleeding, but he had enough sense in him to draw his gun. Next thing I know I had two guns aimed at my head. Not the best of situations.
"Put your gun down," Mathew commanded.
Staring at Mathew I knew there'd be no way to keep my gun and not get killed. I looked away from him as I threw my gun to the side. Well, at least I did something. Too bad it wasn't enough.
"Max, are you aware that you just got Nathan killed?" Mathew asked. His entire attitude towards this was pissing me off. He acted as if the only problem was that Max screwed up. Sure, Nathan gone is annoying, but it was if it meant nothing more than that. If I had my gun back I probably would've shot Mathew, despite the consequences. Max looked away from Mathew, holding his arm. He didn't say anything but I knew that he felt bad. "Go see a doctor, send in some back up, tell them we have Alex."
Max left, his eyes throwing daggers at me before he walked out of the room. If it had been any other time I probably would have said sorry. Maybe.
Now I was alone with Mustache, Mathew, and V, who was looking very distraught over the whole thing. I don't think he would forgive me anytime soon, which was another thing that would make me feel bad.
No one said anything for a long while, not until the reinforcements showed up. A doctor was with them who quickly went about taking care of Mustache. Turns out he was actually called Merlin, and was the third person in the triangle controlling Oz. Milliardo, Mathew and Merlin. Well, two of them currently hated me and by the looks of it the other was in serious trouble.
To top things off for the day I was sent to another all metal room, this time for a nice little chat with another questioning person. I wasn't sure what Mathew wanted to know this time, but I was pretty sure he was just looking for an excuse to beat me up. V was taken somewhere else, I don't think people were being told he helped me. It wouldn't be good for Mathew's image, or for V's, so I decided not to mention it.
I sat at a metal table, in a very uncomfortable chair. It was the only chair in the room and I felt as if there should be a light hanging over me, leaving the rest of the room in shadows so I couldn't see the people asking me questions. Of course that wasn't happening. There was a very bright light that shined through out the entire room making it rather easy to see Mathew and the two people with him.
One of the two men was very much like Olaf, save one or two inches, but that was about it. He was slightly tanned and a bit too big for me to feel safe. He wore black sweat pants and a white tank top, my guess would be that he was the guy who'd be beating up on me.
The second man was much smaller, five foot six and he didn't look to be in very good shape. He had accusing eyes that took in every detail, which wasn't too my liking because he was focusing on me at the moment. I was cold from the air condition the second man had insisted be turned on, and I had lost my jacket in the search for any other weapons I might have. No one wanted to find a second gun or knife hidden somewhere in that jacket so it was confiscated, much to the approval of the man in front of me. He was freaking me out and I didn't know why, something about him just felt odd, even wrong maybe, but most definitely odd.
Neither of the men had been introduced to me, but I really doubt Mathew cared. He seemed to be waiting for something so I sat somewhat patiently, waiting for him to stop waiting.
"My name is Dr. Samson Lynn," the second man explained, addressing me. "I'm an expert in the control of psychic powers, not to mention being a psychic myself. If I'm correct I'm to take care of you." He seemed to sneer as he talked, as if to show he was better than the rest of the world, but he was genuinely interested in me. I don't know exactly what I was to do with him, but the control thing didn't sound like that bad of an idea.
"Yes, well," Mathew began, "we want Alex unable to use her gift. We want it all out of the way until we think it will no longer be a danger to us."
Lynn smiled cruelly. "Well, is that all. It shouldn't be a problem." He reached a hand towards me and I pushed my chair back to stay out of reach. I knew that touching made psychics stronger, and I had no intentions of letting this guy near me. Unfortunately everyone else did. When Lynn reached for me again a guard, also in the room, there were five of them, held me in place. Lynn's hand rested on my forehead and once again I felt the presence of another mind touching my own. Lynn was surer of what he was doing then V had been, and a lot quicker. I felt him brush through my mind easily, going through it as easily as I might flip through a book.
Anger suddenly boiled up in me. I didn't like this in the slightest, he shouldn't be able to walk through my mind. Lynn felt my power rising too, and paused his search of whatever he was looking for. I felt him put up shields and boundaries between the two of us.
No, I murmured to him, you're not going to just block me out to leave you to look through my head, it doesn't work that way.
I could see Lynn blink in surprise as his face twisted in confusion. I could feel him pull back as I somehow recreated the void I had used on V. Things were suddenly hazy and I couldn't think strait as my mind was being pulled into itself, into safety. I knew it would last only a few moments, but it would create a strong shield. I felt warmth washing over my skin, but I didn't know what was going on. I knew exactly when Lynn left my mind, but I wasn't sure when he had pulled his hand away from me. By the time I had figured things out a little the border that had separated my mind from my body had vanished, leaving me with a room filled with terrified people and an unconscious doctor.
I stood frozen, too confused to do anything else. I didn't know what had happened, but I knew the doctor wouldn't be bugging me for awhile. I slowly got to my feet, working my way around the doctor so I wouldn't touch him. By the time I had scattered across the room the doctor was beginning to wake up.
Lynn moaned as he got to his knees. Taking a moment for the memory to get back of what had happened he slowly became less confused. Then he looked at me, with more interest than before. He seemed curious, almost as if he was considering me as a science experiment. That thought bugged me more than most of the others. I could just imagine myself strapped to a table with scientists poking little metal pointy things at me. It was a disturbing thought.
"You're right, Mathew," Lynn said. "She most definitely has to be kept under control. She has too much power to just be left unattended. She'd be an accident waiting to happen. I hadn't been anticipating that much power else I would have been able to shield from it."
Lynn got to his feet slowly, never taking his eyes off of me. I didn't move, though I didn't know why. I wanted to, but for some reason I couldn't, almost as if something was stopping me. I tried to move backwards, nothing happened. I couldn't even widen my eyes in surprise.
Smiling Lynn once again put a hand lightly on my forehead. Mentally I flinched, pulling my mind away from his as the boundary between physical and mental came back into affect. While the physical room was limited to the room I was in the mental seemed endless, stretching as far as I could sense in all directions. It was cold, deserted, a bleakness filed it with sorrow. And I was standing in the middle of the plain of nothing that made up Lynn's mind.
Some how I knew it was his, and I knew he was here with me, just as I knew it wasn't safe. I tried to look around, but I didn't exactly have eyes. It was more as if I was feeling, searching with an intangible hand that did the looking for me. I didn't have a body, just a being.
I felt Lynn behind me and mentally turned to face him. He was still smiling on the other side of the boarder, but there really wasn't any features were I was. I could feel him though, his feelings, some thoughts. He'd pulled me into his mind where he had control, but he had so many things open for me to see and page through. I probably would have looked around if I hadn't been so confused.
I felt him move around me, study me, until he found what he had been looking for. His hand brushed through my mind, and something vanished. It touched me again and I couldn't remember what was gone. A last touch sent me reeling from his mind, the boarder gone as if it never existed.
My head hit the wall as I fell across the room. I hadn't been pushed or shoved, more as if I had tripped and fallen, and just couldn't stop. I was dizzy, and I didn't know why. Vaguely I saw Lynn grinning at me, but I couldn't make much sense of what he was saying. I couldn't make much sense of anything.
Slowly I felt myself slide to the ground, not really having a way to stop myself. I was too busy trying to figure out what had just happed to pay attention to anything, or anyone, else. I knew that something was wrong. A part of my mind felt. empty, as if something was gone.
Lynn was saying something. I knew it was important, but I couldn't make out what he said. Bits and pieces made their way into the puzzle that was currently my head. I could work out words and phrases, but it didn't make sense.
"She won't be able . . . use . . . gifts . . ."
"I've blocked out that part . . . her mind"
"It's still there . . . just can't . . . reach it"
"She had . . . instinctive ability"
"It's gone."
I became more confused listening than I had been ignoring them, so I went back to ignoring. Strangely enough I didn't pass out. My mind somehow put the puzzle back together and I was able to think. By then Mathew and Lynn had left. I was alone in the room, and locked in. I didn't bother worrying about my abilities, I knew they wouldn't work.
Pushing myself to my feet I tried the door. Unsurprisingly it was locked. There were no other ways out of the room, but I wasn't worried. They'd checked for weapons, but nothing else. I pulled out a set of lock picks I had. They came in handy for sneaking into top security rooms and out of jail. I chose out the one that would work best and went about unlocking the door. My worries about a guard were unnecessary for there wasn't one. I don't know if it was because they'd though I would take a while longer to get my head back together or if they just didn't think I could escape. In either case I was out and once again roaming the halls.
I didn't know where exactly to go, but I had an idea. Somewhere near the training area there would be extra weapons. I just needed a gun or two and I'd be set. I don't thing they kept knifes there, they're a bit old fashion, but a knife to the back would kill you as easily as a gun, and they were easier to hide. I found the supply after avoiding several groups of people. I pulled out a shoulder holster and slipped it on under my over shirt. It was comforting to know I once again had a weapon.
They thought I was locked up, so I could escape if I wanted to, maybe. But first I had to find V. I wouldn't just leave and let him get in trouble. If I managed to find him and he told me to get lost, I would. But other than that I wasn't leaving without him.
I walked silently, not sure where to look first. But the easiest way to figure that out was to find a computer. Knowing Mathew I'd probably be able to find something in it. The computer wasn't hard to get at. There was a computer lab hooked up to the base's entire system. A hackers dream if they were trying to find out about Oz.
After checking the room's schedule I sneaked in and turned on a computer. No one would be in for another hour. I'd be done much sooner than that, though. Immediately I set to work, looking for any room Mathew might be in right now. He'd probably had set up a meeting somewhere. And sure enough there was something about Mathew meeting with the council for this base. I made a note to avoid that room. Next I checked for anything about V. I doubt he'd be in a prison cell, or his room, but there'd have to be a different place to keep him.
I skimmed across a section titled 'private training for Mathew's pilots'. Looking into it I saw that each of the advanced pilots would be training separately sense Mathew was in a meeting. V would be. in the Synz rooms.
Quickly I got to my feet and headed for dock three. Hopefully V was still there, and not just said to have been there. It made sense that they'd be training separately. Max was dead. Zechs was helping Julia. And I was supposedly locked up in a cell. That left V, who had to be watched, and Jet.
Making it to the dock wasn't a problem. When I went in side no one was there, but I heard someone talking with Jet in a side room so I walked quietly past, stopping as soon as I could where I wouldn't be seen.
Strangely I recognized Nickolas's voice.
"We can't let them keep Alex locked up," Nickolas said.
Jet sighed. "And we can't get her out. This is bigger than just saving Milliardo. He told us himself that he could handle whatever Mathew throws at him. He'll be fine for a few weeks at least. We have to deal with what they're making here. We can't let it get out."
"Exactly, and who better to help us than Alex?" Nickolas questioned.
"We're suppose to avoid her, remember?" Jet asked. "But you went out of your way to keep an eye on her."
Nickolas laughed. "True, but it was for a reason. Couldn't let Ashley get too close to Alex too soon. She was the one who gave her away to Mathew. I think if we just got her out of the picture things would be much better."
"True," Jet agreed.
I waited for more of the conversation, but they switched topics. Everything they had said had been very interesting, and I wanted to know just what they were talking about. Who was making what? And what did Ashley have to do with anything? All questions to be answered later. Now I had to find V.
In the room next to the Synz rooms V was talking to Mr. Mustache, or being scolded by him, whichever way you want to look at it.
"Vince, I just don't know what's gotten into you. Helping Alex Yuy?" I peeked past the corner just in time to see Mustache guy shaking his head. "You really should know better than that."
"Like helping you guys is truly better," V muttered.
Mustache glared. "Better than helping the enemy. You might as well be turning yourself over to the gundam pilots, and don't think just because you've helped Alex it will change their opinions of you. In battle even Alex would kill you to save herself. That's the way things work"
"Well, maybe things should be different," V said through gritted teeth. "You have all your opinions, but none of them are helping us. If we could talk to Alex she might find away to settle this peacefully."
"Maybe we don't want this settled peacefully," Mr. Mustache's voice was harsh, and V looked shocked. Obviously not what he had been expecting.
"Why wouldn't you?" He demanded.
Mustache shrugged carelessly. "Because the battle's going to be over within a month. Because our side's going to win and there's not a damn thing anyone can do about it. No one but Mathew, me, and a select group of scientists even know that something's going on."
Can you say stupid? Mustache certainly could. And I had a feeling he wouldn't tell anything else once he realized he just gave some important information away. He already seemed to notice his mistake when V became unusually silent, obviously thinking.
I figured that would be a good time to step in. drawing my gun I walked in. the metal weight was something I was used to, made it easier to be the emotionless killer some people thought of me as. I never really killed without emotion. There was always anger or fear or a blank determination, but there was always a reason, and usually a good one.
Mustache wasn't facing me so he couldn't have known I had come in, yet some how he managed to figure it out anyway. I think it's one of those scenes you'd see in a movie where the good guy is at a computer or something and the bad guy walks in and the good guy say hello to him or her with out even glancing up as if it should be obvious that he had eyes in the back of his head. They just seemed to know.
"Alex," Mustache said as he turned to face me.
I gave him a cheerful smile. Might as well be a little cocky while I had the chance.
"Don't suppose you'd tell me what your big plan is," I said.
He shook his head. "Not a chance in hell."
I nodded with a sigh, knowing he wasn't lying. Number one problem with bad guys, they can be as stubborn as the good guys. I lifted the gun and aimed, not bothering to ask again. Normally I would, but Mustache's indifferent face told me he'd made up his mind. I pulled the trigger and Mustache fell to the floor.
I turned to V still without saying anything. He looked shocked, or at least a little startled. I don't think he expected me to kill him.
"Damn, Conway." he muttered. "Um, I mean Alex." He corrected.
I answered in a neutral voice. "He knew I was going to kill him, and he didn't seam to be complaining much."
"Are you saying he didn't mind?" V asked.
I shook my head. "No, just that he had excepted his death, and understood why I was killing him. He knew he'd have done the same and therefore at least thought it to be somewhat fair." V didn't look convinced so I continued. "How many people do you think he's killed without a backwards glance or a thought of regret?" V didn't answer, simply looked away.
"Did you feel regret?" V asked, turning to face me again.
I thought about the question a moment, not wanting to lie, but not sure that V would understand the truth. "No, I felt no regret for killing him. I might feel regret for those still alive. Killing is easy, living with the death isn't."
V didn't say anything. I'm sure he would have rather found a different way to get rid of Mustache, but no matter what would happen it would get in our way. Now they'd find his body, but he wouldn't be able to tell them anything. One less guy to get in my way. But how do I explain everything to V? He still thought he could talk Mathew into trying peace. It was a nice thought, a hopeful one, but it wasn't realistic. He just didn't like killing and he wasn't going to get used to it.
V stayed silent for about five minutes, near the max of how long I would wait. I had to get off the colony, with or without him. I was pretty sure he wouldn't come with or help me so I wasn't going to wait forever. When I turned to leave he finally looked up.
"No ship's allowed to leave the colony. You can't hide out forever but they're patrolling everywhere in case you get out or someone else shows up. They're hoping to catch a friend of yours in case they're around. It's going to be like this for about a month, longer if you escape. So if you leave you won't make it off the colony."
I turned back to him and grinned. "Thanks for the heads up, I'll manage."
Then I left, carefully checking to see if Jet or Nickolas was around before doing so. I stayed as hidden as I could as long as I could, never going through larger rooms if I could help it. I knew better then to just try to leave, I had to find someone first. Going back to the computer room I found out exactly how bad things were.
V was right, no one could leave, but people could come into the colony. They were checking every ship and person, though. If you came in you were being watched and I.D.ed to the max.
They had another group of five hundred Oz soldiers coming, who would be a problem. Milliardo was on a colony where he was in control, somewhere safe where he wouldn't have to worry about Mathew. He had enough dolls and suits to stay safe awhile, and if the gundams showed up at the fight they'd be on his side. Oz was almost done tracking the Scorpio, and they had two or three units prepared to go after it. Hopefully Zechs knew to ditch it or find away to get it away from the gundams. Of course he didn't really know it was being tracked, but hopefully he would guess.
I heard laughter and stopped reading the info. Someone was pulling out a set of keys. sticking one in the lock. I turned the computer off, hitting the power button even though it was bad for the computer. Messing up one of Oz's computers really wouldn't bug me. By the time I had a chance to dive under a desk near the back of the room the door was opening. I curled into a ball so it would be harder for them to see me and easier for me to push myself further under the desk.
"Did you hear, Ashley, V actually helped the gundam pilot," a girl said with a bit of exaggeration. She sounded like a gossip, and I hoped that meant there wasn't that many people with her.
Soon a reply came, "Oh, I know. It's just dreadful. I mean, why would he help her?" I recognized Ashley's voice. "I wonder why he would do such a thing." There was more than a small hint that she was asking the question.
The first girl hurried to answer. "Oh, she was disguised as one of the guys in Oz. She thought she could make it. Turns out Mathew found out when Julia showed up. They ran to save her and got caught."
"Really," murmured Ashley. "How interesting."
The first girl continued to rattle off things she heard, mostly nonsense, but Ashley listened, giving the required 'mum hum' whenever necessary and asking her friend to go on. There were several rumors going around about what had happened, but some were very close. More than once I had to stop myself from laughing at the outrageous ones. More keys entered the door and the girls grew quite.
"What are you two doing here?" a sharp voice asked.
"No-nothing," the first girl stammered.
The woman huffed. "Yes, well you can tell that to someone else. Now get out."
The girls left, followed promptly by the woman. I peeked around the corner and climbed out from under the desk. Now seemed like a good time to leave. I waited a moment to make sure I couldn't hear anyone out side, then opened the door.
Ashley was waiting, leaning against the wall opposite to me. "If it isn't Alex Yuy, the famed criminal on everyone's lips. How nice to see you again."
I froze not sure of what to do. I could go back into the computer room but there wasn't a second way out, and if I went either way down the hallway she could shout or do something else to attract attention.
Sensing my predicament Ashley spoke up again. "Don't worry, Alex I'm not going to turn you in. why don't you come with me a moment?" I didn't move as she took a step down the hallway. Following a person and just trusting she wouldn't turn me in didn't seem like a very bright idea. "Are you coming?" she asked.
"Give me a good reason why I should."
"Oh, that's easy. The teacher should be back in about a minute and everyone's on the look out for you." Smiling she motioned again.
Silently I followed her, having nothing else I could really do. She said hi to several people as we walked, none of her friends even glanced at me. When we entered the section of the base for the girls' rooms I had a general idea of where we were going. And sure enough, not a minute later I was following her into her room.
"Hello Alex, so glad to finally meet the real you," her voice was soft and polite, but not kind. "I've known of you for quite awhile, but I doubt you've heard of me. My mother didn't make a big deal and I didn't go and make myself famous like Zero."
"Imagine that," I droned, dry humor at its best. "And I care why? I truly hope you have a reason for bothering me. I'd hate to think I've wasted my time following you."
"Well for you caring. would you care about family?" I raised an eyebrow at her question. I wasn't sure I wanted to understand the question, but as long as she was asking I might as well know why. So she continued, "well, if you think about it you could call me a cousin. Julia is with Zero, and if they ever get married, which is highly possible, I'll be her sister in law, and sense you two are like cousins, or even sisters, and often call each other such, wouldn't that make me your cousin in law?"
Oh my god, what a scary thought. Swiftly I replied, "I think I'd have to follow the tradition of hating in-laws if that ever happened."
"Too bad," murmured Ashley.
Casually Ashley walked over to a dresser and picked up a trinket. Fiddling with it she continued to talk. "Zechs is going to come back or go to his dad's colony. My guess is he's already left with the Scorpio, at least guessing it has a tracker."
"And how would you know all this?" I didn't really want to ask, but curiosity got the best of me.
Ashley turned to face me, brushing a strand of hair away from her face as she did so. She wore a small smile that simply shined with laughter and for some reason I think she was laughing at me. "My dear Alex, it's my job to know," she purred.
Immediately my stance changed. Ashley's problem was she liked to talk, and she wasn't too careful about what she said. But she was listening as carefully as I was, and I would be careful. Lucky for me I came up with a lovely theory that worked rather well with people like Ashley; act like I didn't give a damn and that she was beginning to lose my interest. 92% of the time it's worked for me.
Ashley didn't take her eyes off my face. I supplied one of my many easy expressions, mild boredom with a little interest, showing that if she tried I'd want to listen. I could feel her eyes willing me to ask a question, to hint at curiosity. Impatience soon showed itself rather quickly as I held the bored look of growing disinterest.
"Do you want to know what else I know?" Ashley questioned.
I shrugged. "Maybe, if it's important."
"Maybe I should have you talk to Nickolas, he could even show you it."
I blinked. She wasn't trying to be annoying, and if she was she was the best actress I knew. She put down the trinket she'd been fiddling with, picking something else up in its place. She came up to me, holding the object out in front of her for me to look at
Greenish blue liquid slid through the vile as I took it from her hand. It didn't have a label and I didn't recognize it. I could probably figure out what it was if I took it back to Julia's lab. I could at least find out some of the mixture.
Carefully I began to twist it open. Ashley yanked it out of my hand before I barely began. Quickly she tightened the top, making sure it was as securely closed as it had been when she first gave it to me.
"I wouldn't play around with this," she stated, almost sternly, "or at least not here."
"And why not."
Ashley opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, thinking twice. "I. I think you should look for Nickolas. Ask him what it is."
She pushed past me without another word. I was too surprised to move or say anything. The sudden switch to caution had been unexpected. And why did she seam worried about the vial? If it was so important why would she have it here?
Hey all! Sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter out. I didn't know fanfiction was going to shut down right after the last one. Then I left everything at my dad's house so I wasn't able to work on it till now. I hope you're liking the story, please review!
~Rave