Disclaimer: I do not own the copyrights to Gundam Wing, Endless Waltz, Lupin the Third, any movies, books, or any songs that are used in this story. All copyrights belong to their respective owners.
Notice to Readers: To understand certain parts of this story, you'll have to read the other stories before this one. It is recommended by not required.
Gundam Wing and Lupin the Third
The Wizards Glass
Chapter 3: The Lupin Situation
*
Lupin the Third, the master thief, he laid his head upon the glass of the holding cell that held himself and his friends (If Inspector Zenigata could be counted as a friend). It was only about an hour ago that Lupin the Third had taken a jewel that was very valuable to him, at least it was valuable enough to win the heart (and hopefully the arms) of his love, Fujiko. Only after coming to a place that doesn't make sense, he told his friends that the Wizards Glass was gone.
"GONE!?" Jigen rose out from the bunk bed and dropping his cigarette down to the concrete floor. He then dashed across the cell to where Lupin lay, tossed him around, and grabbed him by his shoulders, "How could you loose it?!" He snarled as he shook Lupin.
"Calm down, Jigen." Goemon tried to sooth the anger, "I have a good feeling that we'll be able to get out of this?"
"GET OUT OF WHAT?" Jigen shouted, "We came to a place through freakin' pink smoke and now we're in a place where there are giant robots out there! How in the hell are we supposed to get out of this?"
Goemon simply answered, "We've gotten out of worse."
Lupin was rather devastated because of the fact that he worked very hard to get that prize just to get to Fujiko and all that work had been done for nothing.
* * *
As Lupin and the others were having their own discussion about the situation, the Preventers who were on duty were having their discussion about it. All of them agreed that it seemed too strange. There they were conducting an operation and all the colony citizens had evacuated down to the lower levels of the colony so that if any damage would happen during the operation, no civilian casualties would be incurred. Then while the operation was going smoothly, here come five people, basically out of no where.
"For all we know," Duo offered, "They could just be a few colony citizens that didn't get the word about the evacuation."
"Maybe so." Quatre agreed half-heartedly, "But why would they jump out the window of a 60-story building?"
Heero shook his head, "That's what's most perplexing about this."
"Not only that, but they seem out of place." Quatre offered, "One man was actually dressed in clothes that look very similar to what a Samurai would wear."
"Really?" Duo asked with intrigue
"Yeah, he was even carrying a sword. There was also another man who claimed that he was an officer of Interpol."
"Interpol?" Duo asked with a very confused face
"I've heard that name before." Heero stated, "It's an ancient organization that existed on Earth. They existed in the old times of the Late 20th century through the 22nd. It was then what Preventer is now and this man claims to be a part of that organization?"
"Yes." Quatre answered, "He kept saying that we should call Interpol to verify who he is."
Duo started to twirl his finger around his head, "The guy must really have a screw-loose upstairs, if you know what I mean."
"There was also another man who was dressed…" Quatre seemed to drift off as he searched for some kind of frame of comparison, "he was dressed…like…an old time gangster."
"What do you mean?" Duo asked
"I mean he had this…Dillinger look about him, with the suit, tie, and even the hat and that's not all."
"What else, Quatre?" Heero asked
"All of their weapons are antiques by our standards." Quatre stated
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," Quatre reiterated, "The last time I saw guns like those was in a museum."
Duo shook his head; "We really got a strange bunch this time."
Quatre then volunteered, "I'm going to go down and talk to one of them. Maybe they are just colony citizens, let's at least hear what they have to say."
Duo shrugged, "Ok, buddy-boy. Let us know what you find. In the meantime, Heero and I will head down the hangar to check out that Mobile Doll we caught."
"Right." Quatre smiled as he headed down to the holding cell area
* * *
Lupin and the others heard the door open; it was the very door that they were led to that brought them to those cells. All of them had anticipated hearing that very sound like hearing the numbers being said from a lottery ticket. Next they heard footsteps, and that's what sparked the ever resilient Zenigata to start up his protest again.
"I'd like to speak to the man in charge of this establishment!" He shouted out hoping that whoever came through the door would hear him, "I am an officer of Interpol!"
It was then that all of them saw that it was the very same man who mad the arrests upon all of them, the blonde man named Quatre Raberba Winner.
"Listen." He said as he tried to calm them all down, "I am here to listen to your stories. It does seem strange that all of you would be here despite the fact that all Colony Citizens were given explicit instructions to evacuate to the lower levels."
"Evacuate?" Zenigata grew even more furious as his breath steamed up the glass, "I don't know what the hell your talking about, sonny. Just call Interpol and tell them that Inspector Zenigata is here with the thief Lupin."
Quatre came closer to the glass and spilt what Heero had told him, "Look sir." He said calmly yet firmly, "I don't know who you are, but Interpol hasn't existed for centuries."
"Hey, what kind of crap is that?" Zenigata refuted, "I was just at an Interpol office in Washington D.C. this morning."
Quatre took in a deep breath in order to deal with such an infuriating individual. He took a step back from the glass, "I'm here only to listen to what any of you have to say. Who would like to go first?"
"Me officer." The sweet voice of Fujiko came out
Quatre turned and looked at Fujiko, certainly she did look beautiful in Quatre's eyes, but he had other things on his mind. "Very well, miss?" He asked her implying that she would tell her name to him.
"Oh," Fujiko smiled, "My name if Fujiko Mine."
Quatre turned his head towards the end of the hall, "Open number 2!"
Fujiko did hear well enough to hear Jigen mutter, "Freakin' Fujiko."
Fujiko stepped away from the glass instinctively and the plate glass door opened, just like the automatic doors that the supermarket have. Fujiko stepped out and walked in front of Quatre with a little more swing in her step. The kind of step that very subtlety swished her hips from left to right. She then stopped just a few feet ahead of Quatre but the Preventer Officer kept a good eye on her to make sure that she didn't escape.
As Quatre followed Fujiko he heard a whisper, he turned to the cell at his left and saw a man in a red coat with long sideburns signal to him.
"Hey buddy." He whispered, "If she says anything about us…don't believe her."
Quatre only smiled, "I'm sure that she has a good heart."
Quatre left Lupin and the others to go speak with Fujiko. As he was leaving, there was a little wisp of air, like the kind of wisp when someone is trying to hold back a laugh but only a little air comes out in their effort. When Quatre left it turned into full blown laughter from Jigen, Lupin, as well as Zenigata.
"Oh man!" Jigen rolled on the floor, "Fujiko…a good heart? I think I'm about to bust a gut!"
"That kid doesn't know what he's getting into." Zenigata shook his head
* * *
Quatre had led Fujiko into a small room that had a mirror on one side of it, but Fujiko knew better as to what it was. It was just another one of those two-way mirrors that probably had a camera behind it or someone watching them. Fujiko didn't know that there was no one behind it, aside from the recording equipment that was running, but there was no person monitoring the situation. As with any "interrogation room" that Fujiko had been to, there was a table, a couple of chairs as well as a couple of microphones with a small overhead lamp above them.
"Please." Quatre said showing Fujiko to her chair, "Sit down."
Fujiko did so as Quatre took his seat, he had no papers, pen or any kind of report in his hands. He was only there to listen and that's just what he intended to do in the first place. Still Quatre's eyes did wander about Fujiko when he was walking behind her. He did notice that subtle swing in her hips that really showed off her curves. Quatre didn't exactly develop lustful thoughts about this woman, though he did feel a little flushed when he looked down at her body and sitting at his chair he was careful not to look down at her breasts. He knew that if his eyes even glanced downward he would loose all respectability with her. Quatre may have been a good man, but he was still a man and there were certain impulses that he learned from adolescence that he couldn't ignore in adulthood. Yet, there was one feature that seemed to have struck him the most. It wasn't her hips, legs, breasts, or any of those anonymous body parts. It was her face. That sweet face of hers, her eyes that seemed to sparkly despite the harsh overhead lamp, her full red lips, the long brown hair that graced the sides of her face as it made its way down to her shoulders.
Quatre cleared his throat still feeling the slight flush in his face, "Why don't you start, Miss Fujiko."
"Please." Fujiko asked, "Just call me Fujiko, that Miss part makes me feel older than what I am."
Quatre smiled, "Fujiko then. Why don't you tell me the story of how you got here."
Fujiko looked in comical surprise, "I don't think I want to go into that kind of detail about my parents."
Quatre gave a small giggle, "I meant what brought you here to this colony? And why it was that you didn't evacuate with the other colony citizens."
"I have no idea what that means." Fujiko said with the true sincerity of her ignorance, "Let me tell you what happened."
Fujiko poured out her story to Quatre, about who she and the others were. As well as how she and the thief Lupin stole the valuable gem called the Wizards Glass, and how they were celebrating their victory in their room at Washington D.C. Yet, something happened with the Wizards Glass, it sent out a solid pink color and enveloped them in pink mist or smoke. Then with Inspector Zenigata there, they had to escape and so they jumped out the window and the next thing they knew they were watching those giant robots fighting.
"Gundams." Quatre explained, "Those are our Gundam mobile suits."
"Yes." Fujiko said as she brought her story to a conclusion
Quatre leaned back in his chair and cupped his chin, the sign of how perplexed he was about what was explained to him. Then he muttered "It's happened again, and after all this time."
Fujiko leaned forward and Quatre definitely noticed how she was squeezing her breasts against her forearms as she leaned forward, "What's happened?" She asked
Quatre got up from his seat, "I think I should call the others."
"Wait a minute." Fujiko demanded very sweetly as she rose out of her chair, "Can you at least give me a clue as to what's going on here?"
The Preventer officer took a deep breath and let it out with his explanation, "You've stepped into another universe. That Wizard's Glass has created what we at Preventer call a 'tear'. A rip between two worlds, specifically this one and the one you come from…and this isn't the first time that this has happened." He paused seeing the shock creep up into Fujiko's face, "Best way I can explain it, is that your no longer in Washington D.C., Fujiko. The year is A.C. 216 and you're at Space Colony L-4."
The shock had taken its full effect on Fujiko as she sat back down into her seat. She didn't even have to look at where her chair was or maybe she didn't care since the strength in her legs were lost in the shock. Was this truly real? Was what Quatre had told her what happened to her as well as to the others? It seemed so unreal at the time, but who was she to argue with what was real? She had seen far too many strange and unusual things in her life, she as that time when Lupin had put on the Egyptian Death Mask and started to dance around the room in his underwear. There was even that time when she even saw the Loch Ness Monster with her own eyes. With all that's happened how could it not be real? Fujiko had no answer.
* * *
Fujiko was brought back to her cell and as she sat back down on the bed, Jigen didn't exactly greet her with the greatest of reception.
"You were ratting us out, right?" He asked, "Freakin' Fujiko."
"Cut her a break, Jigen." Lupin pleaded as he leaned up against the glass, "What would she gain for ratting us out?"
"Probably getting out earlier than us, for one" Jigen put out his cigarette as he light another one. His usual chain smoking after this whole event has happened to him, especially when Fujiko gets involved with something, particularly when it involves the authorities. Then again, Jigen was never one to trust Fujiko or women in general.
"I didn't rat anyone out." Fujiko correct Jigen's assumptions as she lay down on her bed.
"What did you tell him?" Lupin asked
"I told him the truth and he believed me."
"Oh, he did?" Lupin listened with interest
"Yeah, he even said that this isn't the first time that this has happened."
"What hasn't happened?" Goemon asked from his top bunk
"According to what Officer Quatre told me" Fujiko began, "The Wizard's Glass created a tear between two worlds, specifically between the one we come from and this one, and we stepped through it."
Zenigata scoffed, "What kind of crap is that?"
Fujiko got up from her bed, "What would he gain from lying to us?"
The distrusting Zenigata raised his finger as if he was about to make some kind of profound point, but then it wouldn't come out. He opened his mouth to voice his misplaced opinion but it wouldn't come out. Finally he brought his finger back under his arm and went to the bed to sit down and silently pout, as most men do when their point isn't made, even more so when loosing the argument to a woman.
"She has a point." Lupin backed up for Fujiko, either out of his genuine love or buttering her up for later on when they would be together alone, "Why would they lie to us flat out like this?"
"They say," Goemon offered his fortune cookie advice, "That a scorpion may sting once with its bluntness, but a spider weaves many webs of deception."
"Very trusting, Goemon." Fujiko said as she lay back on her bed. Secretly she wanted to get Lupin riled up if she told her that Quatre was eyeing her. She did notice how Quatre was blushing a few times during the interrogation or rather the conversation that they had. It wasn't exactly a secret as to where Quatre was looking then again who could blame the name with how low cut Fujiko's dress was? Still, she kept that to herself.
* * *
It didn't take long for the Preventer Gundam Pilots to assemble at the Colony L-4 headquarters…well, some took a little longer than others especially since a few of them were based on Earth, but they arrived nonetheless. Quatre, as well as Duo and Heero had explained everything up to the arrests of Lupin, Zenigata and the others. As well as the strangeness of them all, how they just seemed…out of place.
Johan along with his wife Haruka and everyone else in the room agreed, "We got another batch of visitors."
"The question is," Wufei added, "How did they all get here?"
"From what Fujiko told me," Quatre reported, "they came here by way of a gem that's called The Wizards Glass."
"The Wizards Glass?" Johan asked
"You know of it?" Quatre asked
"Name sounds familiar." Johan said but then creased his brow, "but I can't quite place it."
Trowa then stepped in, "It doesn't matter at this point, what matters is figuring out how to get them back home, we do have a serious investigation going on."
"We nearly had found out the real mastermind behind the operations." Duo nodded, "But the mobile doll we found was just a dummy. It gave us no real clues."
"I'm sure that can wait." Quatre offered, "But since we know that these people aren't involved, let's treat them with a little more hospitality."
"Agreed."
"I'll go." Quatre volunteered, "I'll meet you all back at the mansion."
* * *
More than half-an-hour had passed for Lupin and the others. Most of them had gotten moderately comfortable. Jigen and Lupin both were smoking their cigarettes under the bunk where Goemon still sat cross-legged with his arms across his chest. Across from them was Inspector Zenigata who had taken off his tan trench coat and made it into a makeshift pillow. He lay his head against it and placed his hat on his face. Across the hallway from Lupin's cell was Fujiko was resting peacefully in her cell as all of them had waited for something to happen.
Just then they heard the door down the hall open, immediately all of them had gotten up or at least turned their attention towards that direction as they heard a familiar voice.
"Open Doors 1 and 2." The voice of Quatre Raberba Winner said
Both doors to Lupin and Fujiko's cell had opened as Quatre had walked down in front of them.
"We see no reason to hold any of you here." Quatre explained, "But since you are visitors from a different universe, allow me to extend the greatest hospitality that Preventer can offer."
Lupin took one good look around the cell, "If you treat prisoners like this, guests must be treated better than Vegas High Rollers."
"Please come with me." Quatre asked, "Your weapons will be returned to you."
Lupin and the others followed Quatre down the hall, and yes, their weapons were returned to them. Lupin's Walther P-38, Jigen's M19 Combat Magnum, Fujiko's Browning 1910, and Goemon's Zantetsuken. With their weapons back in hand they followed Quatre out of the Preventer headquarters where a Limousine had pulled up to the curb. Quatre went to the side door that was closest to the rear, opened it up and said simply, please, as if he was the driver sent to open the door for the VIP guests that were to ride in it. At first Lupin and his friends were rather confused as far as what to do, but they couldn't refuse such an invitation.
After they got in, Quatre followed and called out to the driver, "The Winner Mansion."
"Yes, sir." The driver said as the limousine pulled away from the Preventer Headquarters and traveled along the road.
Looking out the tinted windows, Lupin noticed that there were people. There were people walking down the streets, into shops, with their children, and with their pets as if they had always been there. Lupin had to make himself blink twice just to remind himself that he wasn't dreaming. This whole place seems so odd to his eyes, especially since just an hour ago the place was as empty as a ghost town. Now it was bustling with more activity than Manhattan Island on a weekend. He exhaled as he sat back in his seat still looking out at the busy street.
Lupin sat back in his seat still keeping his eyes out on the streets of the colony.
"Hey Lupin," Jigen called in his usual playful mood (when he had them), "Why so glum?"
"It all seems…unreal." Lupin's voice seemed distant or cut off as if his mind was wandering into a different realm.
"I know how this must seem." Quatre tried to consulate the thief, "We've seen it at Preventer many times, and we've even experienced it ourselves."
"You mentioned something called a 'tear'." Jigen reiterated, "What is it exactly."
"We're not sure." Quatre shook his head, "Their cause is unknown. They seem to appear at random times and places. The first was over 18 years ago and the last case was over 15 years ago. In that time we're no closer to understanding them…there is some speculation that some other force is controlling them, be it God, fate, or something that's completely beyond our understanding."
Then Inspector Zenigata stepped into the conversation, "And how do we get back?"
Quatre shrugged, "That's something that I really don't know."
"It's the Wizards Glass, I knot it." Lupin slammed his right fist into his left palm.
"That may be, but since you lost it." Jigen reminded his cohort, "We can't exactly get back can we?"
"I'll have Preventer search for the Wizard's Glass," Quatre stated with promise, "In the meantime you can make yourself at home at my mansion." He then looked out the limo's window, "And here it is now."
Lupin and the others looked to find a gorgeous mansion sitting within what must have been over 12 acres of land. It looked a little like those British "Estates" that are over 3 stories tall and sit on acres and acres of land. They saw the windows that peered out onto the streets like the eyes of some great monster as the limo passed the iron bar gates. The limo drove up to the enormous front door of the mansion in the u-shaped driveway that separated the steps from the luxurious fountain. The limo door opened and Quatre stepped out allowing his guests to step out with him. They all gazed up at the home that this man lived.
"Welcome to the Winner Family Mansion." Quatre introduced as if he was the bellboy.
"This isn't a mansion." Jigen smiled, "its freakin' Buckingham Palace."
"And all this is yours?" Lupin asked with great interest
"Well there's myself, my 25 sisters as well as the servants."
"25 sisters?" Fujiko asked in great surprise to hear such a high number, "Are they all here?"
"Not exactly," Quatre answered, "Most of them are over seeing the resource satellites that we own."
* * *
Colony L-4: The Winner Family Mansion
Quatre led them through the mansion; its inside was just as luxurious as the outside. Just like all those estates and high society places that Lupin and his crew had visited…mostly to steal something there. Sometimes, in Lupin's case he was probably going to seduce the Madame of the house (if she was cute) and the same with Fujiko for the Master of the house.
That was what made the situation feel unnatural to Lupin. He was invited…and the fact that there was nothing to steal…or maybe that he didn't want to steal anything made the whole thing feel like some bizarre and improbable dream. Lupin couldn't help but have greedy eyes when he gazed at the inside of the Winner Mansion. Seeing gold, marble, and other precious looking items everywhere. Still, for the first time, Lupin didn't want to steal, perhaps it was the pure generosity that made him control his own kleptomania.
"Let me show you to your rooms." Quatre said as he lead them up the red carpeted stairway under the yellow light of the chandelier.
Each of their rooms exuberated luxury with mattresses thick and soft. Overhead chandeliers that were made of crystals that sparkled off their yellow light, and bathrooms like no hotel that Lupin and the others (including Zenigata) have been in. It seemed even more unreal since all of this was given purely out of compassion.
It became so much that when Lupin was shown into his room, he walked back down the hall, passed the other rooms where his friends were. Until, Fujiko peeked out from her room and called to him.
"Lupin" She asked, "Where are you going?"
Lupin had his hands in his pants pockets as he looked to Fujiko. Normally, his look to Fujiko was a lustful one but this time his look was vastly different. He looked…sad. A look that Fujiko had not seen in him since…since that time long ago, at time when Lupin had thought he had "Hyde Syndrome". In this syndrome he would turn into an insidious, vicious, murderous madman. Thinking that there was no other way to stop the other personality, Lupin had tried to kill himself. Until Fujiko intervened, perhaps Fujiko had deeper feelings for the cocky, brash, and perverted thief. Yet, she was never willing to admit such a truth, but when she saw Lupin in the hall of the Winner Mansion with that look on his face, she felt…touched in some way.
"I'm going for a walk, Fujiko." He said in a very solemn voice.
Then, trudging down the hall with his feat beating into the floor like a heard of wild elephants came Inspector Zenigata.
"Hey Lupin!" He bellowed shaking his fist, "Get back here, I'm not letting you outta my sight!"
"Let him go…" Fujiko moaned, "Just
let him go."
"Why should I?" Zenigata asked
in fury
"He just needs to clear his head."
Fujiko continued to stare at the direction of the stairs while Zenigata stewed in his anger.
* * *
Lupin walked the streets of Colony L-4 seeing people walking by and catching a few stares from people who noticed his rather "out-of-date-clothes". But Lupin didn't care, his mind was too busy about the prospects of the world that he was in. Could he still be a thief in such a super-advanced universe? Or would he have to be retired at the peak of his criminal career?
"Just great." He thought to himself, "The Master Thief Arsene Lupin the Third disappears without a trace. Interpol is glad to be ride of such a nuisance…what a depressing article for my reputation…I didn't even get a chance to go out with a bang."
The streets below his feet seemed to wind and meander as if he was walking on the back of some great serpent. As he slumped in walking down the streets he noticed a great object out of the side of his eye. His head turned to see the cover of a model magazine called Cosmopolitan. A small grin came across his face as he gazed at the face and especially the body of the model on the cover. His thoughts went to Fujiko again and all the attempts he made to win her affection. How ironic that it was that very same thing that brought him and the others to that world.
As the thief turned his gaze away from the model magazine, his sharp eyes caught the cover of Forbes magazine. On its cover was a young man approximately in his late 20's or early 30's. He had perfectly slicked back hair showing off a little widow's peak like those corporate criminals on Wall Street. On that cover the caption read, "Vincent Ferer speaks about his multi-billion dollar fortune."
Yet, it wasn't the person or the caption that caught Lupin's eye. It was something in the background. The background behind that billionaire was like a library with books that were undoubtedly rare and within one of those shelves was a blank spot…a gap in the books. At first Lupin couldn't' believe it until he blinked several times and rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming or hallucinating. For in that gap, Arsene Lupin the Third saw something round…round and pink.
To be continued…