Aya: Well, vacation is finally here! During my very scary drive through the worst storm my car and myself have EVER seen (Me: Waaa! I can only see five feet ahead of me in this thick rain! We're all going to die!) I came up with some great ideas for this chapter ^_^ There's going to be some boring scene with Gate where we have to do the necessary plot advancement stuff…
Gate: HEY! Don't use me like that! *pout*
Aya: But loyal fans of the X/X pairing who read through the boring plot advancement part will be in for some woo-hoo-till-the-cows-come-home fun at the end! I get shivers just thinking about it! ^_^ So yeah, now would be a good time to bump this into an R rated fic. I mean, nothing happens here that really goes above PG-13 in a movie…
Mob Members: Awww…
Aya: but I think this chapter definitely is one of the more racy ones that I've done. Big Glittering Warning: If you don't like shounen-ai, yaoi, also know as two guys going at it, press the back button now! I mean it this time!
X: Uh… okay…
Aya: This is a long one ^_^ Have fun!
Skew Universe
Chapter 6: Conan?
Gate strolled quickly towards Commander Zero's room, hoping nothing bad has happened to their new visitor, X. Earlier he had gone to check on X again, unable to sleep or keep his focus on working. He was in for a shock when he arrived, for X was nowhere in sight. The computer told him that X had given Zero's own pass code to open the door.
Gate rang the door chime once and waited. Not wanting to rush his commanding officer, if he was in his quarters, Gate only range the chime once, and nervously waited for a response. After a minute, Zero opened the door.
"What is it, Gate?" Zero asked. To Gate's relief, Zero did not seem angered at the late night intrusion. Instead, he seemed to have a cat-who-swallowed-the-canary smile on his face.
"Commander, X is missing." Gate held his breath, waiting for Zero to have a bout of fury, but Zero surprised him again and just shook his head.
"How did he get out?" Zero crossed his arms.
"The computer said he used your codes to open the door from the inside." Gate was becoming more unnerved by Zero's laid back attitude. Zero hated it when things did not go his way, and made damned sure that everyone around him were aware of that fact. Did he want X to escape? "Somehow he got the codes…"
"Why don't we worry about this in the morning, Gate. You go get some rest." Gate watched in amazement as Zero practically twirled around and the doors closed.
"That made absolutely no sense." Gate muttered as he left for his quarters.
Back inside his quarters, Zero strolled back to the bedroom. Sitting on the floor in one corner was X, with his wrists and ankles bound by prison-styled chain and shackles and his neck adored with a thick collar chained to one of the bed posts. A mixture of resentment and fear glowed from his green eyes. The Blue Reploid tried to shrink further away from Zero as he approached.
"Gate is lucky you're a good boy." Zero kneeled down in front of his new toy. "Like I told you, if he knew you were here, I would have to kill him, too."
"Too?" X shook his head then buried it in his arms to avoid looking at the monster in front of him. Memories of happier times with his Zero flashed through his mind. The thought of his Zero's hands gently caressing him only threw him further into despair. I might never see him again. This… this monster will kill me before I can get back. Why can't I remember anything about how I got here? His body shook involuntarily, and hot tears rolled from his eyes.
"Copy, stop crying." It was an attempt at kindness, but X felt no better. He could hear the ugly difference between this Zero and the Zero he knew. This wasn't really a consolation to X, but more like an order. "I'm not going to kill you." X shuddered when he felt a hand stroking his back. "No no, I just can't let you tell anyone what you know. Even though he's in a stasis coma, X still has a hold on this place… if people were to find out that I was the one who shot him… well, I would be dragged out and executed."
"I don't care about you, X or your politics." X said between hiccups. "I just need to get home." Zero's hand lifted from X's back. The Blue Hunter cautiously looked up and found Zero shaking his head in amusement.
"No, no, X." Zero grinned. "You can't go home either. I need you here, to fix X. You're the key to bringing him back."
"Why did you shoot him in the first place if you want him around?!" X exploded. "You're not making any sense!" The back of Zero's hand connected with X's cheek with a loud snap, sending the Blue Hunter to the ground. The next several seconds were a blur to X as he lay on the ground, dazed. A burning pain returned along with his vision, as X sat back up to look defiantly at his captor's eyes.
"You have no idea what you're talking about…" Zero growled. "I love him. Always have, always will. It's just that sometimes… sometimes…" His blue eyes narrowed. "He suffocates me."
"Suffocates?"
"He likes being in control… and as much as I love him, it eventually gets to me…" Zero stood up and turned his back to X. "It's not any one thing. That day, at the base. That was the last straw."
"…but he just told you to wait outside." X looked at Zero's back in disbelief. "You shot him in the back for telling you to wait outside?"
"Like I said. You don't understand at all." Zero stormed out of the room.
"Wait!" X got up to chase after Zero, but the collar around his neck tugged defiantly at his attempt. He sat back down on the floor, sighing. "I don't understand these people at all." He observed his surroundings, and finally came to the conclusion that he couldn't break out without someone's help. The only other person who doesn't absolutely hate me here is Gate… but how do I get a message to him? He thought of the other person he could have contact with. Maybe if I told the other X that it was Zero who shot him, then he would help me escape.
X concentrated to reach the other X. If my other self can contact me and switch bodies at will, maybe I can too! After taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and concentrated on reaching the other X. In the next few seconds, he could feel a strange tingling sensation in his body. A gush of cold air rolled by his face and a wave of pain invaded his body. His reflex to cry out in pain was stopped when he realized his vocal systems were not online. He opened his eyes and found himself inside the capsule again. Oh no! Not this! The rising panic almost became unbearable before a plan suddenly hit him. I can get Gate's attention! Even while in great pain, X could tell this body was stronger than the last time. Against his muscles' protest, X raised his arm and tapped on the glass shield. For a full minute, he tapped on the glass, but no one came into view before he wore himself out. Moving was difficult in this body, and he could not keep this up forever, nor could he stay here until Gate shows up. He could feel something tugging at him at the back of his head, trying to take him back to his own body.
He had to leave a message. With great effort, X raised his finger to his mouth and bit it, drawing blood. Slowly, he wrote the letter T on the glass, then the letter R backwards. He finished writing "TRAP" backwards before he lost feeing in his writing arm. Too tired… hope… he… understands..." His eyelids closed, and he drifted away.
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For four hours, Zero paced back and forth in his office. He ordered that no calls interrupt him for the rest of the afternoon. He would need time and distance from Copy to figure out his feelings.
At the end of the afternoon, Zero got nowhere in his thoughts on his new "companion." He isn't X, but I still have a strange affinity towards him. Also… I feel… protective of him. Zero sat back down and rested his head against the table. Protectiveness towards his love was a new feeling for the Red Hunter. With his X, he was always the one being protected. X would always take care of him.
A surge of regret tugged at him as he remembered hitting Copy and saying cruel things to toy with him. It was new and exciting, seeing the mirror image of X afraid of his actions, his emerald green eyes flashing around, looking for someone to hold. But…
"Damn it, I shouldn't have hit him." Zero marched out of the doorway, thinking of the ways he could apologize as he made his way back to his room.
"Copy?" Zero called as he entered the bedroom. He looked at the corner where he last left X, but no one answered his call. He made his way around the bed and found X lying on the floor, apparently sleeping. "Copy, wake up, I have to talk to you." No movement. "Copy?" Zero knelt down and nudged the blue Reploid. "Wake up. Hey. Oh no… not you too… COPY?!" He scooped up the smaller Reploid in his arms and tried to wake up, calling his name and shaking him urgently. Finally his efforts were rewarded with the Blue Hunter's eyes fluttering open, staring wearily at Zero.
"Hi…" X whispered.
"What's wrong? I tried to wake you for the last minute!" Zero's concerned eyes locked onto X's. "Are you sick?"
"No… no… I'm just tired." X did not want to tell Zero, but he was probably exhausted from the stress of exchanging bodies with his twin in the capsule. He closed his eyes. "Just let me rest for a bit."
"What if you don't wake up? Like X?" Zero's voice was full of desperation. "Wake up, please!"
"I'll wake up again. I promise." X nuzzled closer to Zero. While he really didn't want to be in the arms of this Zero, his similarity to the one from his universe was enough for X at this point. With his eyes closed, he could fool himself that he was safely back home.
Zero's cheeks flushed as X fell asleep in his arms. Gently he rested his chin atop X's head and stroked X's face lightly. Something feels so right about this. He held X in his arms until an internal alarm told him he was needed at the operations room. Zero set X on the bed, and, after glancing at X for a moment, left for the operations room.
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What Gate found when he returned to his lab almost made him drop the files in his hands. Written in red on the capsule was the word "trap" in capital letters. Gate thought of possible suspects as he traced the word with his fingers. "Wait a minute!" Harder this time, he rubbed at the letters. "This is written on the inside! But you can only open the capsule if you're inside or had my code words…" This was the second time in as many days of an unexplained usage of secret passwords. "Unless… X woke up. But why would he write that? He could have easily opened the pod."
An electronic beep interrupted his train of thoughts. "Someone is here to see you, Gate." A voice spoke from the intercom on his desk. "One of Dr. Hilbert's assistants from Hilbert Labs."
"Hilbert Labs?" Gate raised his brow. "I don't know anyone from there."
"He says it's urgent, and it's about Commander X."
"Send him to my office. I will meet him there in five minutes."
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"Thank you for meeting me, Dr. Gate." The young man said as he sat down across from Gate. "I was told you were the person to talk to about X." The young man looked about 25, wearing a standard lab coat with an ID car clipped to his pocket. He ran his fingers through his brown hair as he explored the office with his eyes.
"My time is limited, so if you can get directly to the point." Gate remained standing, ready to send the man back out to the hall if he had nothing of interest to offer. The young man--Conan, from his ID badge--took a moment longer to take in the sights of the room before turning back to Gate.
"What I am about to tell you is of utmost secrecy. As one scientist to another, would you honor the request that you tell as few people as possible, and only out of necessity, about what I am above to say?" Conan looked intently at Gate, waiting for a reply.
"Sure." Gate nodded. "I will honor that request. Now…"
"I am from a different dimension." Conan did not flinch at all from the statement. "There was an incident at Hilbert Labs, in my dimension, and both X and I were sent here from a machine Hilbert Labs was developing."
"What?" Gate sat down. "You're telling me that there is another X from a different dimension here?"
"I should take it as a good sign you haven't already thrown me out of the room." Conan sighed. "Have you seen another X?"
"Well…" Gate studied the young man. Even through the large, almost humorous spectacles, his stare possessed a seriousness that Gate could not dismiss. "Yes, in fact, we have."
"Dear God!" Conan gripped the table's edge tightly. "You mustn't allow him to come in contact with the X in this dimension! There's not telling what could happen!"
"We're a little too late for that." Gate shook his head. "Those two have already come in contact, and strange things have been happening." The look on Conan's face urged Gate to continue. "Commander X has been in a coma for the last two years. Since this new X has shown up… he's shown signs he's waking up."
"Oh..." Conan rubbed his chin, thinking intently. "This could be one of the side effects. When people of two universes come into contact, they shift in and out of sync…acting as one, possibly becoming each other… I'm not too sure exactly what will happen, but the possible side effects proved reason enough for us to take precautions."
"What kind of precautions?"
"I was selected to be the one who crossed over to the next universe with the machine Hilbert Labs created. As a precaution, we've taken measures to alter the target universe's reality slightly by locking out my other self who lives in the target universe. In this universe now, I am the only me."
"So you wouldn't suffer from the syncing…" Gate finished, and got a nod of approval from Conan.
"However, due to the incident, X accidentally came along. We did not plan this and did not make the proper adjustments to lock out his other self. I need to get him back as soon as possible! It may already too late as we spend this time speaking."
"It's not as easy as it seems." Gate sighed, and started to explain about Zero, the disappearing X, and the mystery inside the capsule.
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X yawned, feeing much more energized from the nap. I'm not trying that again anytime soon. He told himself as he massaged his neck, the chains binding him clinking as he moved. I still have to find a way out of here. He heard the doors swish open and closed, but the one walking through the bedroom doors was not who he expected.
"X?!"
"Yes Copy-baby." The other X, clad in his armor and helmet leaned against the doorframe, a satisfied grin on his face. "It's me, in the flesh this time."
"You woke up?!" X gulped nervously. It made sense. If this X was a vision, why would he have to walk through the front door? He could appear just like last time. Now there was really no reason for Zero to keep him alive. X's chest tightened at the thought.
"Just now… did you leave that hideous message on the capsule?" The other X raised his index finger. "And a souvenir on my hand?" X's silence answered the larger reploid's question. "Of course. Don't worry, I'm not going to punish you." He approached the bed with slow steady steps, like a tiger closing in on its prey. "Since you do look so cute in those chains… cuter than when Zero wears them, even."
The mental image of Zero wearing these humiliating chains and collar only distracted X for a moment from the realization of how utterly helpless he was. He couldn't run away, being chained to the bedpost like a misbehaved pet. He couldn't fight, since his arms and legs were still chained in shackles. The only option left was to sit there as the other X descended on him, arms to either side of X's body, boxing him against the headboard.
"I think we'll keep you." The other X picked up the chain leash connected to X's collar and wrapped it around his finger. Slowly he tugged it towards himself, pulling X forwards. A quick, lewd smile was all the warning X got before the other's lips were on his own. Again, X's senses went haywire as the kiss sent shivers through all his limbs. He closed his eyes and couldn't help but return the kiss. When the exquisite moment was over, X leaned back against the headboard, slightly short of breath from the experience.
He felt blood rush to his cheeks when his eyes met the other X's delighted stare. "Are you blushing? My heavens that is so cute!" The other X wrapped one arm behind X's back and the other tugged at X's waist, shifting X's body so that he is lying flat on the bed. "Did you like the kiss?" The other X did not really need an answer, since it was written all over X's face. "You look confused…instead of mad. I guess that means you really did like the kiss." The larger Reploid leaned in and nuzzled his head in the bend of X's neck. "There's a lot more where that came from…" He whispered.
The other grasped X's hands and lightly kissed the back of each hand. In a swift motion, the cuffs were released, and the other tossed them aside. Slowly he spread X's arms aside and cupped X's face before kissing his cheek. The other X's eyes commanded X to stay still. It was frightening and intoxicating at the same time. But when the other X's hand found its way beneath the top X was wearing, he tried to writhe away. The response he got was another breath-taking caress from the other's lips to his.
X laid limply on the bed, feverish from the passionate kiss, while the other X's hands massaged his shoulders. "Now…" The other X smiled. "Who's a good puppy?"
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Aya: WOW! I amaze even myself! I can't believe I just wrote that. It must be the lemon tea I'm drinking! (No pun intended XD I'm really drinking lemon tea!)
Mob Member 1: Nah, it's just your way of staying warm while you're staying at your parents' cold cold house (which doesn't have a functioning heater!). *fans herself* A quite effective way, might I add.
Gate: I'm missing out on all the fun…
Aya: Or maybe it's the dark and stormy night that I'm writing this… Praise be to the storm front! Please tell me what you think of this! I'm kind of new at writing… ahem… intimate scenes beyond kissing. Everyone's clothes will stay on, of course ^_~
Mob Members: Awww…
Aya: But there are so many other fun things to do with everything on. So let me know what you think of it so far… if it's bad, then it's back to plain cuddling for X and X.