Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.
I wrote this a long time ago, and haven't have the time to look over it. If this is a really trashy fic, I apologize ahead of time. I'm going to revamp it sometime, maybe in the summer. Welcome to the wonderful world of laptops, right?
It took less time to ride down to the work complex than up to Artax's house. The youth was almost apologetic as he nudged his Chinese charge into wakefulness. Wufei almost fell off the bike, disoriented from sleeping during the bumpy ride, but Artax caught him and let him down to the ground carefully. "I'm sorry that I had to wake you up so early. You must not be used to this," he said steadying the Chinese youth. Then he dismounted his bike and locked it in the stand and took a minute to ease the tautness out of his right arm.
Wufei walked a little to wake himself up, staggering once or twice before becoming awake enough to walk without tripping. He felt less than coherent enough to talk, so he just nodded. Artax nodded back and took Wufei's hand. Instinctively, Wufei wrenched out of the hold feeling a slight betrayed by himself wishing he hadn't pulled away. Apologetically, he reached out his hand again that the Artax hesitantly took.
-
The complex that Artax worked in, to say it was hideously large would be an understatement. Their first stop was at a conference that Wufei had to wait in the reception office for. It only lasted about thirty minutes. Enough time to find out that the doors locked from both outside and inside, impossible to pass through without key codes. The reception room was like everything that he'd seen so far: plain everything, no sound, no designs on the walls or the light blue carpet. The only piece of furniture in the whole room was the flat, metal bench the Chinese man sat on. The soft click of the door leading to the conference room signaled the end of the meeting, and he stood waiting for his guardian. Artax came out with his head bent over a comp pad. It was hooked up to his wristband. Green lights on the band flickered frantically in time with the computer. Without looking up or uttering a single word, they left the room walking again.
The next place they ended up was a laboratory of sorts. There was a team of people all buried in read outs and in the center of the room was a tank. On the other side of the room were a few people crowded around a very well muscled man who was toweling himself off and talking. Everyone was very serious even though they looked like a bunch of teenagers ready to run off to a party.
"So, this is the outsider?" a longhaired man said. He smirked a little. "I read his physical and…"
He was cut off by Artax, who surprisingly took a commanding tone, "We don't have time for idle chat. His physical condition is not only irrelevant, it is none of your concern or mine. Lets get the tests done. My schedule does not allow for fooling around or mistakes. Someone, please, direct Mr. Chang to a spot where he will be comfortably out of the way."
A woman led Wufei to a room with monitors presumably filming the inside of the tank. He was given a chair to sit in but he chose to stand, feeling in no mood to sit when no one else was. The inside of the tank looked very strange, it was full of wires and looked to not have enough space to be able to acquire a human body. Wufei wondered a momentarily how a person was to make it into the confined space. There didn't seem to be an entrance. Then a scantily clad Artax pushed through the sides of the tank and it closed around him like a bubble. His hair began to drift up and the wires embraced him from all sides.
"What's going on?" Wufei asked thoroughly puzzled.
The woman next to him smiled a little, "He's going to go through a virtual battle, and we get to study the bio information we gather through the wires. Where he becomes weakest, to where he becomes strongest."
"How long will it take?"
"About fifty minutes," she replied looking at her watch. "They should start soon. When the tank appears to be expanding is the beginning. Then, to watch the action, you watch this monitor." She pointed to a blank monitor. "He'll be facing off against Reika today."
"That sounds like a woman's name."
"She's one of our best fighters. Currently, she is in a lab in a different compound. Our 'rivals.'"
"Has either of these fighters ever been defeated?"
"Not once. I'd put my money on Reika, though. She has more fighting experience than Artax. This battle is formatted for experience putting the odds against Artax. We want to see him lose for once."
"Why?"
"Shh…it's beginning," the woman said pointing their attention to the monitor.
The black screen began to fill out, first with straight lines creating a skeleton of a three dimensional virtual world. It began to take on the look of a dojo. Then the players appeared. Reika, a rather attractive woman with her short black hair pulled out of her face with a headband. She wore a traditional white martial outfit, and two swords in her sash. Artax appeared next in traditional Chinese clothing, black with a red dragon snaking up the side resembling a thin stream of fire. He had no weapons.
Reika made the first move almost too quick for Wufei to see, but no sooner had she drawn her sword then it was wrenched out of her grip and flung into the wall of the dojo to the hilt. She made another dash utilizing sheath and sword trying to hit Artax at least once. He easily avoided each strike contorting his body to accomplish such. The other sword hit the wall much in the fashion as the other one. So, Artax had succeeded in disarming his foe, which was only a small victory for now. Now he and his opponent would have to wear down each other's seemingly inexhaustible energy.
It was like watching a dance, it was so graceful compared to the dog fights Wufei had seen before and during the war. And he got the feeling that Artax was holding back, and why, he couldn't understand. Reika was struggling to make contact, and he was avoiding her all together, even without the use of his arm. She was becoming tired while he maintained a steady stream of energy. This tactic seemed oddly familiar.
Then in the haze of early morning, Wufei made the connection. The injury on his arm, the way he fought on the defensive, and a million other factors clicked. He'd damaged the red suit, but how much, he hadn't been sure. How the pilot had ended up with the same injury as his suit, was a mystery to contend with later.
Artax soon decided that he'd dragged the fight on long enough and finished Reika off with a swift kick to the chest making her pass out. Half an hour had passed since the beginning of the match. The woman next to Wufei made a very sad sound of disappointment and led him out of the room to where Artax had been released.
He was pulling on a pair of pants when they approached. It appeared that he hadn't bothered to towel off with the way that his clothing was clinging to his body. People buzzed around him like flies and were talking quite animatedly while he answered questions with his sullen tone. Wufei had been quite furious up to that point on not being told by Artax that he'd been in the red suit, but all his anger evaporated when he saw the pale soldier. Artax, even though he was being bombarded by discussion around him had turned to watch Wufei and the woman approach.
"Leina, are you upset that she lost?" Artax asked. "I didn't kill her."
"You're so full of yourself!" the woman next to Wufei spat, venom in her voice. "My Reika can beat you any day of the week."
To this comment, Artax lost interest in talking to her nodding his head in apology as he began speaking to the other scientists again. Wufei made his way over to his guardian and stood like a statue next to him. Leina's voice boomed over everyone else's, "Don't you dare ignore me, Artax! If that is your real name. I have half a mind to challenge you just to teach you a lesson."
"Why do you express such malice towards me?"
"Because an outsider like you just comes in and takes over! You're some hot shot from who knows where. Why do you get special treatment? Where did you learn to fight?!"
"You can look up my files. It's all there."
"I've seen your files. I don't believe them at all. You have no place of birth, you have no birthplace, you have no parents. Everything in your file is current! You're a fucking bastard!"
"And that means what to you?" Artax asked glancing at his wristband. "It's not imperative that you know my parent's names. Look, I have to go now. We'll continue this some other time."
He took Wufei's hand in his ignoring the chatter from everyone around him. Leina shot him one last hateful look before he left the lab. She also ignored everyone's upset talk about callousness. She did not need to be lectured.
-
"What's the name of your mobile suit?" Wufei asked after a while of almost insufferable silence.
Artax's hold on Wufei's hand tightened a moment before he responded, "Amrita."
"Why didn't you tell me you were the one that fought me?"
"It doesn't matter," Artax half growled as they turned another corner. "You would've found out sooner or later. You're very smart and perceptive."
"It matters to me," the Chinese pilot said irritated. He was not prepared for what happened next. In the blink of an eye, his back was against the smooth white metal wall of the halls they'd been traveling through with a resounding boom. Artax held his arms to his sides and against the wall with little effort and took his time to just stare into Wufei's eyes.
The Chinese pilot didn't know what to expect under the other youth's appraising gaze. At one moment, it seemed like he might kiss him and another it seemed like he'd just tear him apart.
"Please, don't make trouble," Artax said after a while easing his hold on Wufei almost daring him to make a move. Then he added as he stepped back bowing a little, "And, please forgive me, I almost forgot about the dragon clan's strong sense of honor."
After straightening himself out a little, Wufei looked at Artax who had slipped back into his normal, submissive self. His head was bowed, and his body posture had slackened. He looked like a kicked dog. Almost apologetic, Wufei tried to smooth everything out, "I'd like to see Amrita. I didn't get a good look from the monitors in my gundam."
Artax looked at his wristband, "I pilot in thirty minutes. You'll be seeing your friends then. After about two hours, I'll be back. Then you can come see Amrita if you want, but I'll be busy testing. Testing normally takes anywhere from twenty to thirty minutes. By then, it'll be about eleven thirty."
"Is this your everyday schedule?" Wufei asked aghast at how tightly packed his guardian's schedule was so far.
"No, it varies. The only days that are remotely predictable are Fridays and Sundays. Today is Tuesday."
"Where are we going right now?"
"Lunch," Artax replied holding out his hand, which Wufei took already becoming accustomed to the gesture.
As it would turn out, all five gundam pilots went to take a look at Amrita. Artax led them walking fast as if he wished not to be there which he most assuredly was thinking, and then Titien brought up the rear a little glad that she didn't have to deal with everyone all by herself anymore.
Upon entering the mobile suit hangar, Artax was crowded by many people holding computer pads, tools, and various other things. Taking control, Artax abandoned the five pilots and Titien and lead the group of scientists nodding and looking over what was presented to him.
"Follow the leader," Titien said ushering the pilots in the general direction everyone else had gone off in.
After a few minutes of walking around, they stumbled onto Artax working hurriedly with the same group that had dragged him off earlier. He was arm deep in wires and keypads probing deeper into the suit's arm. The suit he was working on was unpainted, definitely not his. Seemingly giving up, he withdrew and stepped back. Then he hurled himself into the small space he'd been working in with a solid kick. Smoke erupted from where his foot had landed and he crawled backwards taking a moment to stomp out the flames that had begun to grow on his clothing. Everyone stood around puzzled at his impulsive show of violence. Then a loud, anguished beep filled the hangar echoing off the walls amplifying the sound until it was almost unbearable. As everyone moved to cover their ears, Artax walked towards the sound coming from the entrance hatch of the suit.
The hatch burst open and a limp body flew into Artax who caught it stumbling back a little. He laid out the sopping wet figure and prepped to perform CPR. The boy laid out looked to be around the age of Artax, maybe a little older. Methodically, Artax went about reviving the pilot and was rewarded, or not, when a pair of arms snaked around his neck. He wrenched himself out of the grip wiping his lips of the thick liquid that oozed off of the now grinning pilot who'd been almost dead a few minutes before.
"My…h-hero…" he coughed turning over to expel the remnants of fluid caught in his throat. Artax recovered quickly from the shock of being kissed and hit the youth's back to help. When the pilot was through upchucking, he thrust himself upon Artax., and dazedly strattled the pale youth's stomach. "I've dreamed of this many times. I'm so happy."
"I'm beginning to think you tampered with your suit for this. You could have died, Anthony," Artax said softly pushing the other pilot off of him.
"And how fortunate I am to have someone like you to save me!" Anthony cried stumbling to his feet and proceeding to wrap Artax into a wet hug.
"I'll carry you to sick bay if you promise to do no more stunts like this," Artax said with the other pilot hanging off of him.
"And you'll go on a date with me?"
Everyone watched the scene, the scientists less than pleased, the gundam pilots thoroughly confused, and Titien rolling her eyes.
"Anthony has been pining for the Artax's attention since day one. Don't worry about this, it doesn't happen everyday. Just…often enough to annoy the hell out of everyone," Titien explained.
"Day one?" Quatre asked.
"Artax arrived here about four years ago," Titien said watching Artax hoist Anthony on his back.
"I was under the impression that people that live here were born here."
"He's the only outsider aside from you five. Already, he has become vital to us and some people resent that. Makes you wonder where he was trained, and raised."
"Does anyone know?" Duo asked before Quatre could.
"I'm sure someone does…but it hasn't been made public. Protecting him, maybe," Titien said thoughtfully watching the soggy pair make their way out to sickbay.
"So, our man gets special treatment, eh? Ah…the benefits of being the best," Duo sighed eyeing Heero meaningfully for a brief moment.
"I don't think so, Maxwell," Wufei said turning to leave.
--
Over in the mess hall, Artax picked at his greens. Everything seemed to serve some sort of a purpose and the food was no exception. Wufei digressed as he ate, that the food was not made for taste, but for nutrition. He looked across at the table at his lunch partner who seemed lost in his own thoughts.
"What does that do?" he asked pointing at the band around Artax's wrist. "You've been constantly messing around with it since we met."
Artax looked a little dazed, then pressed a button on the band. Music began filling the air, not classic works like those that Quatre and Trowa seemed to be addicted to. This music was different and old sounding. Pre-war, but during war. It was in a language Wufei wasn't familiar with. As if on queue, Artax began to explain, "This is Korean music. A long dead genre called 'hip-hop.'"
"Are you Korean?" Wufei almost whispered.
"No, but my friend is."
"You said you didn't have friends."
"I don't."
"That doesn't make any sense! You're contradicting yourself!"
"Hyejin does not speak, does not think, and does not move…"
"Is Hyejin a doll?" Wufei snapped, cutting Artax off. The tedium of the conversation was getting to him.
Artax closed his eyes and pressed the button to his wristband cutting off the sound. He stood up slowly from the table as if he'd fall apart if he were any faster. "It's time to go," he said gathering his things up to go. He looked as if he'd just died and Wufei felt an overwhelming load of guilt press his shoulders.
-
Everyone was very happy to see Wufei make his appearance in the airy waiting room. Artax loomed around the doorway until he saw the guardian approach and shake his charge's hand. Then he left.
Wufei tried to keep Artax in his sights as long as possible, but as soon as he entered the room, his attention was arrested by his little missed pilots. Duo let out a squeal of excitement and hurried to greet his friend while everyone else lounged around the couches in the room.
The stranger that greeted Wufei turned out to be Heero and Duo's guardian. She was fairly tall and slender. "Hello. My name is Titien," she said in a firm feminine voice. She wore a man's business suit that hugged her figure. And her long, wavy black hair was tied over her shoulder flowing to her waist.
"Wufei Chang," the Chinese pilot said ignoring Duo for a moment.
"I know," Titien smiled conspiratorially. "Duo has had many things to say about you."
"How much?" Wufei asked no longer surprised at who knew about him and how.
"Enough," Titien assured him.
-
"Last night, I challenged Titien to an arm wrestling match and you wouldn't guess from her looks, but she's one strong chick! I guess that's the way it is with everyone here. You all look really weird, and that's your cover, I guess. From what I've seen here, it seems that any one person here could kick my ass. Pull their name out of a hat or something," Duo ranted. "What exactly goes on in here?"
Titien had been very quiet for a long time, and took a moment to stand up. "Our goal here is to stretch human ability to the limits. We don't take the time to get dressed professionally for our jobs, because living is our job. Everyone on this colony is a soldier, male or female. And everyone on this colony works on some form of warfare, development, testing, conceptual, political, etcetera. I am in the political sect. As you may have already guessed. And I am thoroughly researched on the gundams from the war. We have already judged you. Evaluating your integrity, credibility, and physical attributes. No disrespect to you, any of you, but we do not find any reason to fear you. Your guerilla tactics wouldn't work in this colony. It would not only be ineffectual, but, you'd bring more harm upon yourselves and your government by utilizing your old infiltrate and destroy techniques."
"I dropped the idea last night," Duo admitted wringing his hands.
"I think you are all good people," Quatre added. "It would be shameless to come here and destroy your natural order any more than we already have. Your colony is beautiful."
"Who is the best soldier?" Heero asked absently leaning against the wall behind Duo.
"I don't think that it's very important," Titien said frowning a little.
Wufei looked around from his perch on the arm of the couch and spoke halfheartedly, "Care to sate a tireless curiosity?"
"Artax," the woman sighed sitting down glancing tiredly at her watch. "Foremost in all of our fields of study."
He'd expected it but then again, he was surprised all the same. Wufei nearly choked thinking about the youth he'd be biding his time with for who knew how long. A cold pair of eyes locked on him and he could feel them. Heero, ever the observant one remembered the name and was looking to his fellow pilot for answers. One by one, the other pilots caught on and fixed their attention on him.
Wufei shifted around a little bit where he sat debating how to explain things. "What do you want me to say?" he asked a little unnerved.
"What is Artax like?" Quatre coaxed.
"He is quiet, shy, and has a great deal of self-discipline," Wufei said choosing his word carefully.
"That's all?" Trowa asked sensing his friend's restraint.
"All that I can understand about him."
"What do you think of him? What does he make you feel?" Duo pried always more interested in the more suggestive side to things.
"I think he's a woman," Wufei snorted. "His manner annoys me."
"That's mean, Wuffie. I could say plenty about you," Duo remarked. "I bet he's not so bad."
"I think he's in denial," Trowa confided to Quatre who nodded grasping his lover's hand while Duo baited Wufei.
"He doesn't want to accept…no…rather impose responsibility upon himself…for another," Quatre whispered.
"Another?"
"I can sense someone faded, floated like a buoy in Wufei's mind awash in a sea if guilt…self-discipline and hatred. I need to explain later."
"I understand," Trowa assured Quatre smiling faintly at him.
"You spoil me," Quatre whispered close to his lover's ear sending puffs of warm, humid air to tickle the skin. A sweet smile graced Trowa's features, and he bowed his head shyly. For some reason, security was not an issue for the majority of the gundam pilots. The colony, in such a short time, had already made them feel oddly welcome, and the good vibes Quatre had been receiving reinforced their comfort. Comfortable enough to smile, talk, and almost forget their main prerogative.
-
Artax debated for a moment on whether to fetch Wufei to see Amrita or rather, just check her over himself and push on in the schedule. In the end, he decided to do as he'd promised earlier and went to get Wufei.
Stealthily, he made his way into the waiting room seeing everyone absorbed in their own respective conversations. Even Titien was speaking animatedly with one of them, Heero. Artax almost felt guilty interrupting them all. He cleared his throat and spoke just loud enough to be heard, "…Mr. Chang." Slowly, all eyes fixed on him and he adjusted the yellow lens glasses wanting to disappear. "Do you still wish to see Amrita?"
Wufei's skin pricked when accusing eyes settled on him. Duo smirked at him, and Wufei glared back. Quatre and Trowa didn't seem too surprised but curious. And Heero waited patiently for something to happen so that he could get back to interrogating Titien.
"Yes…I would like to see your mobile suit," Wufei said making sure that he had the other pilot's attention. He had no idea what thoughts they'd been entertaining, all though Duo seemed a little more than transparent with his sloppy grin. He wanted to make it clear that nothing had sprouted in the past twelve hours and nothing would sprout since he already made it clear that he found Artax to be less than anything but an annoyance to him.
Duo sighed, "Gah, I knew it. You're so square, Wu." He walked past the Chinese pilot nudging him and adding quietly, "It wouldn't hurt. He's pretty."
"I'll keep that in mind, Maxwell," Wufei said icily but inwardly groaning because it was true
I wrote this a long time ago, and haven't have the time to look over it. If this is a really trashy fic, I apologize ahead of time. I'm going to revamp it sometime, maybe in the summer. Welcome to the wonderful world of laptops, right?
It took less time to ride down to the work complex than up to Artax's house. The youth was almost apologetic as he nudged his Chinese charge into wakefulness. Wufei almost fell off the bike, disoriented from sleeping during the bumpy ride, but Artax caught him and let him down to the ground carefully. "I'm sorry that I had to wake you up so early. You must not be used to this," he said steadying the Chinese youth. Then he dismounted his bike and locked it in the stand and took a minute to ease the tautness out of his right arm.
Wufei walked a little to wake himself up, staggering once or twice before becoming awake enough to walk without tripping. He felt less than coherent enough to talk, so he just nodded. Artax nodded back and took Wufei's hand. Instinctively, Wufei wrenched out of the hold feeling a slight betrayed by himself wishing he hadn't pulled away. Apologetically, he reached out his hand again that the Artax hesitantly took.
-
The complex that Artax worked in, to say it was hideously large would be an understatement. Their first stop was at a conference that Wufei had to wait in the reception office for. It only lasted about thirty minutes. Enough time to find out that the doors locked from both outside and inside, impossible to pass through without key codes. The reception room was like everything that he'd seen so far: plain everything, no sound, no designs on the walls or the light blue carpet. The only piece of furniture in the whole room was the flat, metal bench the Chinese man sat on. The soft click of the door leading to the conference room signaled the end of the meeting, and he stood waiting for his guardian. Artax came out with his head bent over a comp pad. It was hooked up to his wristband. Green lights on the band flickered frantically in time with the computer. Without looking up or uttering a single word, they left the room walking again.
The next place they ended up was a laboratory of sorts. There was a team of people all buried in read outs and in the center of the room was a tank. On the other side of the room were a few people crowded around a very well muscled man who was toweling himself off and talking. Everyone was very serious even though they looked like a bunch of teenagers ready to run off to a party.
"So, this is the outsider?" a longhaired man said. He smirked a little. "I read his physical and…"
He was cut off by Artax, who surprisingly took a commanding tone, "We don't have time for idle chat. His physical condition is not only irrelevant, it is none of your concern or mine. Lets get the tests done. My schedule does not allow for fooling around or mistakes. Someone, please, direct Mr. Chang to a spot where he will be comfortably out of the way."
A woman led Wufei to a room with monitors presumably filming the inside of the tank. He was given a chair to sit in but he chose to stand, feeling in no mood to sit when no one else was. The inside of the tank looked very strange, it was full of wires and looked to not have enough space to be able to acquire a human body. Wufei wondered a momentarily how a person was to make it into the confined space. There didn't seem to be an entrance. Then a scantily clad Artax pushed through the sides of the tank and it closed around him like a bubble. His hair began to drift up and the wires embraced him from all sides.
"What's going on?" Wufei asked thoroughly puzzled.
The woman next to him smiled a little, "He's going to go through a virtual battle, and we get to study the bio information we gather through the wires. Where he becomes weakest, to where he becomes strongest."
"How long will it take?"
"About fifty minutes," she replied looking at her watch. "They should start soon. When the tank appears to be expanding is the beginning. Then, to watch the action, you watch this monitor." She pointed to a blank monitor. "He'll be facing off against Reika today."
"That sounds like a woman's name."
"She's one of our best fighters. Currently, she is in a lab in a different compound. Our 'rivals.'"
"Has either of these fighters ever been defeated?"
"Not once. I'd put my money on Reika, though. She has more fighting experience than Artax. This battle is formatted for experience putting the odds against Artax. We want to see him lose for once."
"Why?"
"Shh…it's beginning," the woman said pointing their attention to the monitor.
The black screen began to fill out, first with straight lines creating a skeleton of a three dimensional virtual world. It began to take on the look of a dojo. Then the players appeared. Reika, a rather attractive woman with her short black hair pulled out of her face with a headband. She wore a traditional white martial outfit, and two swords in her sash. Artax appeared next in traditional Chinese clothing, black with a red dragon snaking up the side resembling a thin stream of fire. He had no weapons.
Reika made the first move almost too quick for Wufei to see, but no sooner had she drawn her sword then it was wrenched out of her grip and flung into the wall of the dojo to the hilt. She made another dash utilizing sheath and sword trying to hit Artax at least once. He easily avoided each strike contorting his body to accomplish such. The other sword hit the wall much in the fashion as the other one. So, Artax had succeeded in disarming his foe, which was only a small victory for now. Now he and his opponent would have to wear down each other's seemingly inexhaustible energy.
It was like watching a dance, it was so graceful compared to the dog fights Wufei had seen before and during the war. And he got the feeling that Artax was holding back, and why, he couldn't understand. Reika was struggling to make contact, and he was avoiding her all together, even without the use of his arm. She was becoming tired while he maintained a steady stream of energy. This tactic seemed oddly familiar.
Then in the haze of early morning, Wufei made the connection. The injury on his arm, the way he fought on the defensive, and a million other factors clicked. He'd damaged the red suit, but how much, he hadn't been sure. How the pilot had ended up with the same injury as his suit, was a mystery to contend with later.
Artax soon decided that he'd dragged the fight on long enough and finished Reika off with a swift kick to the chest making her pass out. Half an hour had passed since the beginning of the match. The woman next to Wufei made a very sad sound of disappointment and led him out of the room to where Artax had been released.
He was pulling on a pair of pants when they approached. It appeared that he hadn't bothered to towel off with the way that his clothing was clinging to his body. People buzzed around him like flies and were talking quite animatedly while he answered questions with his sullen tone. Wufei had been quite furious up to that point on not being told by Artax that he'd been in the red suit, but all his anger evaporated when he saw the pale soldier. Artax, even though he was being bombarded by discussion around him had turned to watch Wufei and the woman approach.
"Leina, are you upset that she lost?" Artax asked. "I didn't kill her."
"You're so full of yourself!" the woman next to Wufei spat, venom in her voice. "My Reika can beat you any day of the week."
To this comment, Artax lost interest in talking to her nodding his head in apology as he began speaking to the other scientists again. Wufei made his way over to his guardian and stood like a statue next to him. Leina's voice boomed over everyone else's, "Don't you dare ignore me, Artax! If that is your real name. I have half a mind to challenge you just to teach you a lesson."
"Why do you express such malice towards me?"
"Because an outsider like you just comes in and takes over! You're some hot shot from who knows where. Why do you get special treatment? Where did you learn to fight?!"
"You can look up my files. It's all there."
"I've seen your files. I don't believe them at all. You have no place of birth, you have no birthplace, you have no parents. Everything in your file is current! You're a fucking bastard!"
"And that means what to you?" Artax asked glancing at his wristband. "It's not imperative that you know my parent's names. Look, I have to go now. We'll continue this some other time."
He took Wufei's hand in his ignoring the chatter from everyone around him. Leina shot him one last hateful look before he left the lab. She also ignored everyone's upset talk about callousness. She did not need to be lectured.
-
"What's the name of your mobile suit?" Wufei asked after a while of almost insufferable silence.
Artax's hold on Wufei's hand tightened a moment before he responded, "Amrita."
"Why didn't you tell me you were the one that fought me?"
"It doesn't matter," Artax half growled as they turned another corner. "You would've found out sooner or later. You're very smart and perceptive."
"It matters to me," the Chinese pilot said irritated. He was not prepared for what happened next. In the blink of an eye, his back was against the smooth white metal wall of the halls they'd been traveling through with a resounding boom. Artax held his arms to his sides and against the wall with little effort and took his time to just stare into Wufei's eyes.
The Chinese pilot didn't know what to expect under the other youth's appraising gaze. At one moment, it seemed like he might kiss him and another it seemed like he'd just tear him apart.
"Please, don't make trouble," Artax said after a while easing his hold on Wufei almost daring him to make a move. Then he added as he stepped back bowing a little, "And, please forgive me, I almost forgot about the dragon clan's strong sense of honor."
After straightening himself out a little, Wufei looked at Artax who had slipped back into his normal, submissive self. His head was bowed, and his body posture had slackened. He looked like a kicked dog. Almost apologetic, Wufei tried to smooth everything out, "I'd like to see Amrita. I didn't get a good look from the monitors in my gundam."
Artax looked at his wristband, "I pilot in thirty minutes. You'll be seeing your friends then. After about two hours, I'll be back. Then you can come see Amrita if you want, but I'll be busy testing. Testing normally takes anywhere from twenty to thirty minutes. By then, it'll be about eleven thirty."
"Is this your everyday schedule?" Wufei asked aghast at how tightly packed his guardian's schedule was so far.
"No, it varies. The only days that are remotely predictable are Fridays and Sundays. Today is Tuesday."
"Where are we going right now?"
"Lunch," Artax replied holding out his hand, which Wufei took already becoming accustomed to the gesture.
As it would turn out, all five gundam pilots went to take a look at Amrita. Artax led them walking fast as if he wished not to be there which he most assuredly was thinking, and then Titien brought up the rear a little glad that she didn't have to deal with everyone all by herself anymore.
Upon entering the mobile suit hangar, Artax was crowded by many people holding computer pads, tools, and various other things. Taking control, Artax abandoned the five pilots and Titien and lead the group of scientists nodding and looking over what was presented to him.
"Follow the leader," Titien said ushering the pilots in the general direction everyone else had gone off in.
After a few minutes of walking around, they stumbled onto Artax working hurriedly with the same group that had dragged him off earlier. He was arm deep in wires and keypads probing deeper into the suit's arm. The suit he was working on was unpainted, definitely not his. Seemingly giving up, he withdrew and stepped back. Then he hurled himself into the small space he'd been working in with a solid kick. Smoke erupted from where his foot had landed and he crawled backwards taking a moment to stomp out the flames that had begun to grow on his clothing. Everyone stood around puzzled at his impulsive show of violence. Then a loud, anguished beep filled the hangar echoing off the walls amplifying the sound until it was almost unbearable. As everyone moved to cover their ears, Artax walked towards the sound coming from the entrance hatch of the suit.
The hatch burst open and a limp body flew into Artax who caught it stumbling back a little. He laid out the sopping wet figure and prepped to perform CPR. The boy laid out looked to be around the age of Artax, maybe a little older. Methodically, Artax went about reviving the pilot and was rewarded, or not, when a pair of arms snaked around his neck. He wrenched himself out of the grip wiping his lips of the thick liquid that oozed off of the now grinning pilot who'd been almost dead a few minutes before.
"My…h-hero…" he coughed turning over to expel the remnants of fluid caught in his throat. Artax recovered quickly from the shock of being kissed and hit the youth's back to help. When the pilot was through upchucking, he thrust himself upon Artax., and dazedly strattled the pale youth's stomach. "I've dreamed of this many times. I'm so happy."
"I'm beginning to think you tampered with your suit for this. You could have died, Anthony," Artax said softly pushing the other pilot off of him.
"And how fortunate I am to have someone like you to save me!" Anthony cried stumbling to his feet and proceeding to wrap Artax into a wet hug.
"I'll carry you to sick bay if you promise to do no more stunts like this," Artax said with the other pilot hanging off of him.
"And you'll go on a date with me?"
Everyone watched the scene, the scientists less than pleased, the gundam pilots thoroughly confused, and Titien rolling her eyes.
"Anthony has been pining for the Artax's attention since day one. Don't worry about this, it doesn't happen everyday. Just…often enough to annoy the hell out of everyone," Titien explained.
"Day one?" Quatre asked.
"Artax arrived here about four years ago," Titien said watching Artax hoist Anthony on his back.
"I was under the impression that people that live here were born here."
"He's the only outsider aside from you five. Already, he has become vital to us and some people resent that. Makes you wonder where he was trained, and raised."
"Does anyone know?" Duo asked before Quatre could.
"I'm sure someone does…but it hasn't been made public. Protecting him, maybe," Titien said thoughtfully watching the soggy pair make their way out to sickbay.
"So, our man gets special treatment, eh? Ah…the benefits of being the best," Duo sighed eyeing Heero meaningfully for a brief moment.
"I don't think so, Maxwell," Wufei said turning to leave.
--
Over in the mess hall, Artax picked at his greens. Everything seemed to serve some sort of a purpose and the food was no exception. Wufei digressed as he ate, that the food was not made for taste, but for nutrition. He looked across at the table at his lunch partner who seemed lost in his own thoughts.
"What does that do?" he asked pointing at the band around Artax's wrist. "You've been constantly messing around with it since we met."
Artax looked a little dazed, then pressed a button on the band. Music began filling the air, not classic works like those that Quatre and Trowa seemed to be addicted to. This music was different and old sounding. Pre-war, but during war. It was in a language Wufei wasn't familiar with. As if on queue, Artax began to explain, "This is Korean music. A long dead genre called 'hip-hop.'"
"Are you Korean?" Wufei almost whispered.
"No, but my friend is."
"You said you didn't have friends."
"I don't."
"That doesn't make any sense! You're contradicting yourself!"
"Hyejin does not speak, does not think, and does not move…"
"Is Hyejin a doll?" Wufei snapped, cutting Artax off. The tedium of the conversation was getting to him.
Artax closed his eyes and pressed the button to his wristband cutting off the sound. He stood up slowly from the table as if he'd fall apart if he were any faster. "It's time to go," he said gathering his things up to go. He looked as if he'd just died and Wufei felt an overwhelming load of guilt press his shoulders.
-
Everyone was very happy to see Wufei make his appearance in the airy waiting room. Artax loomed around the doorway until he saw the guardian approach and shake his charge's hand. Then he left.
Wufei tried to keep Artax in his sights as long as possible, but as soon as he entered the room, his attention was arrested by his little missed pilots. Duo let out a squeal of excitement and hurried to greet his friend while everyone else lounged around the couches in the room.
The stranger that greeted Wufei turned out to be Heero and Duo's guardian. She was fairly tall and slender. "Hello. My name is Titien," she said in a firm feminine voice. She wore a man's business suit that hugged her figure. And her long, wavy black hair was tied over her shoulder flowing to her waist.
"Wufei Chang," the Chinese pilot said ignoring Duo for a moment.
"I know," Titien smiled conspiratorially. "Duo has had many things to say about you."
"How much?" Wufei asked no longer surprised at who knew about him and how.
"Enough," Titien assured him.
-
"Last night, I challenged Titien to an arm wrestling match and you wouldn't guess from her looks, but she's one strong chick! I guess that's the way it is with everyone here. You all look really weird, and that's your cover, I guess. From what I've seen here, it seems that any one person here could kick my ass. Pull their name out of a hat or something," Duo ranted. "What exactly goes on in here?"
Titien had been very quiet for a long time, and took a moment to stand up. "Our goal here is to stretch human ability to the limits. We don't take the time to get dressed professionally for our jobs, because living is our job. Everyone on this colony is a soldier, male or female. And everyone on this colony works on some form of warfare, development, testing, conceptual, political, etcetera. I am in the political sect. As you may have already guessed. And I am thoroughly researched on the gundams from the war. We have already judged you. Evaluating your integrity, credibility, and physical attributes. No disrespect to you, any of you, but we do not find any reason to fear you. Your guerilla tactics wouldn't work in this colony. It would not only be ineffectual, but, you'd bring more harm upon yourselves and your government by utilizing your old infiltrate and destroy techniques."
"I dropped the idea last night," Duo admitted wringing his hands.
"I think you are all good people," Quatre added. "It would be shameless to come here and destroy your natural order any more than we already have. Your colony is beautiful."
"Who is the best soldier?" Heero asked absently leaning against the wall behind Duo.
"I don't think that it's very important," Titien said frowning a little.
Wufei looked around from his perch on the arm of the couch and spoke halfheartedly, "Care to sate a tireless curiosity?"
"Artax," the woman sighed sitting down glancing tiredly at her watch. "Foremost in all of our fields of study."
He'd expected it but then again, he was surprised all the same. Wufei nearly choked thinking about the youth he'd be biding his time with for who knew how long. A cold pair of eyes locked on him and he could feel them. Heero, ever the observant one remembered the name and was looking to his fellow pilot for answers. One by one, the other pilots caught on and fixed their attention on him.
Wufei shifted around a little bit where he sat debating how to explain things. "What do you want me to say?" he asked a little unnerved.
"What is Artax like?" Quatre coaxed.
"He is quiet, shy, and has a great deal of self-discipline," Wufei said choosing his word carefully.
"That's all?" Trowa asked sensing his friend's restraint.
"All that I can understand about him."
"What do you think of him? What does he make you feel?" Duo pried always more interested in the more suggestive side to things.
"I think he's a woman," Wufei snorted. "His manner annoys me."
"That's mean, Wuffie. I could say plenty about you," Duo remarked. "I bet he's not so bad."
"I think he's in denial," Trowa confided to Quatre who nodded grasping his lover's hand while Duo baited Wufei.
"He doesn't want to accept…no…rather impose responsibility upon himself…for another," Quatre whispered.
"Another?"
"I can sense someone faded, floated like a buoy in Wufei's mind awash in a sea if guilt…self-discipline and hatred. I need to explain later."
"I understand," Trowa assured Quatre smiling faintly at him.
"You spoil me," Quatre whispered close to his lover's ear sending puffs of warm, humid air to tickle the skin. A sweet smile graced Trowa's features, and he bowed his head shyly. For some reason, security was not an issue for the majority of the gundam pilots. The colony, in such a short time, had already made them feel oddly welcome, and the good vibes Quatre had been receiving reinforced their comfort. Comfortable enough to smile, talk, and almost forget their main prerogative.
-
Artax debated for a moment on whether to fetch Wufei to see Amrita or rather, just check her over himself and push on in the schedule. In the end, he decided to do as he'd promised earlier and went to get Wufei.
Stealthily, he made his way into the waiting room seeing everyone absorbed in their own respective conversations. Even Titien was speaking animatedly with one of them, Heero. Artax almost felt guilty interrupting them all. He cleared his throat and spoke just loud enough to be heard, "…Mr. Chang." Slowly, all eyes fixed on him and he adjusted the yellow lens glasses wanting to disappear. "Do you still wish to see Amrita?"
Wufei's skin pricked when accusing eyes settled on him. Duo smirked at him, and Wufei glared back. Quatre and Trowa didn't seem too surprised but curious. And Heero waited patiently for something to happen so that he could get back to interrogating Titien.
"Yes…I would like to see your mobile suit," Wufei said making sure that he had the other pilot's attention. He had no idea what thoughts they'd been entertaining, all though Duo seemed a little more than transparent with his sloppy grin. He wanted to make it clear that nothing had sprouted in the past twelve hours and nothing would sprout since he already made it clear that he found Artax to be less than anything but an annoyance to him.
Duo sighed, "Gah, I knew it. You're so square, Wu." He walked past the Chinese pilot nudging him and adding quietly, "It wouldn't hurt. He's pretty."
"I'll keep that in mind, Maxwell," Wufei said icily but inwardly groaning because it was true