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 7: Thief and Glass
*
The plan may have succeeded to that point, but there were still a few things that needed to be done. The first task that needed to be done was for all the members of each team to rendezvous back at the suite within a few hours. They knew that they couldn't go back to the suite immediately after committing this robbery; it would be a little obvious to the security people. So, each member of all four teams had split up individually all over the ship. Some going to the theaters, some to the restaurants, bars, and so on. Still, even with the Wizard's Glass and the information on Vincent's mobile suit productions in their hands, they had a way to counter that just in case the security people decided to search them.
For Lupin, he decided to carry the papers on Vincent's mobile suit activities. So he had a special briefcase for this, even when the security people come to look at it, it looks just like any other briefcase. Except Lupin knew that when he pulled on a special strap inside, it'll reveal a secret compartment where the papers were stored.
Johan on the other hand volunteered to carry the Wizard's Glass. For he had a special kind of case for this one special piece, it was a guitar case. Though when a security officer would open it up, they would only see a guitar case, but that was the clever deception. For the face of the guitar only covered the compartment inside. In which the Wizard's Glass was stored among the padding and red velvet.
The time aboard the ship was already 9:00 p.m. and the security people under the leadership under Zenigata were already busy trying to figure out what had just happened. This was the part that was the most brilliant to Lupin which was that the robberies at the other Casinos were only covers. The other teams there wouldn't actually steal anything; they were only there to trip the alarms while Lupin and his crew stole the Wizard's Glass right from under them. Now the security people are seeing that it was only a false alarm. Still there was one other factor that had occurred to them all, which was the fact that Vincent was still asleep because of that drug that Fujiko had slipped him, but it wasn't the time to worry about it.
The prime concern for all of them was to try to slip under the noses of the Security people without being caught. Providing that Zenigata keeps them off their backs, which was Zenigata's role the whole time. To keep the ships security occupied while they made their escape.
There were a few close calls with Lupin and Johan at opposite ends of the ship of being caught with their items. Such as Lupin was asked to show what was in his suitcase by one of the security guards. He showed them what was in it, but he couldn't deny to himself that he was nervous as hell about being caught. That's always the risk about being a thief…being caught…but it's usually an occupational hazard. Sort of like the risk of being hit in the head with a two by four as a construction worker. Thankfully the security people never found anything, and Lupin breathed easily once again.
Even Johan with his guitar case was very nervous that some kind of guitar obsessed groupie would come around asking him to play a song for him. Then…wouldn't you know it…it happened. It was some silly little girl who was head over heels about Latin men and their Spanish guitars. At first Johan tried to tell her that he didn't feel like playing, but she was relentless in pleading with him to play like a Mariachi player. The only way Johan was able to loose this groupie was by going into the men's room and waiting it out until she left him alone. It truly was too close for him. During that whole time that the groupie was pleading with him, his heart felt like it was going to jump right out of his throat. He calmed down when he looked outside the men's room door and saw that the groupie was gone. He looked at his watch and saw that it was nearly time for the rendezvous. So with the guitar case in his hand he headed back to the suite.
* * *
The time was midnight.
Johan walked into the suite with the guitar case in his hand. He came in proudly seeing all his friends and co-workers there with the Lupin crew. There was even the inspector Zenigata. They all welcomed him back, especially his wife Haruka who wrapped her arms around him and kissed him deeply. She was so grateful to see her husband back and in one piece.
"I missed you so much, Johan." Haruka whispered
Johan wrapped his arms around his wife careful not to hit her with the guitar case, "I know love."
"Hey, Johan." Lupin called out, "Do you have it?"
Johan broke the embrace with his wife and set down the guitar case upon the bed. He threw open the lid and shoved down the false guitar face. He pushed it down similar to how some CD players open in stereos in which they need a push in before they can open. The false guitar face opened and Lupin feasted his eyes upon the Wizard's Glass as it sat within all that padding and red velvet. Johan reached down and pulled it out of its haven. He held it in his hands and looked at it for a moment, much like that scene from Hamlet when he looks at that skull in the graveyard.
"It's hard to believe that such a small thing like this could case so much trouble." Johan philosophized about it.
"You'd be surprised at how much trouble Lupin gets into just for Fujiko." Jigen commented
"Hey…" Lupin objected to Jigen
Johan only smiled, "That only proves how motivated he is."
"It's nice to know that I have some voice of confidence in my corner."
As Johan was about to hand the Wizard's Glass back to Lupin…something was happening with the Wizard's Glass. It was beginning to glow…it was happening again. The very same pink smoke that had enveloped, Lupin, his crew and Inspector Zenigata that brought them to this world of Gundams…but there was something different. The Lupin crew started to get worried that Johan might be the one that would be taken to a different world. God knows where he could be taken to. Yet, it still felt different, like seeing a scene in an old movie that was never noticed before.
Johan fell to his knees as the pink smoke enveloped him. He looked down into the pink glass, deeper, deeper, deeper….down, down, down. As he felt himself go deeper into the depths of the Wizard's Glass, he felt a sensation over his body. At first he felt like falling, but then the sensation changed and it was a feeling like flying, like diving off of a high board. Yet, he didn't feel gravity's pull, he felt himself flying through the air, despite the fact that everyone around him saw that he was kneeling with the Wizard's Glass in his hand. His mouth was open, much like his eyes, both as open and wide as could be.
He continued to be drawn into the depths of the Wizard's Glass and he began to see formations in the pink smoke that enveloped him and the glassy surface. He felt himself flying over a land, yet it was a land unlike anything he had ever seen before. Untamed wilderness of the highest kind; there were forests that were so thick that it must have taken decades or even centuries for them to grow. Then he saw mountains, a long range of mountains that must have stretched out for hundreds of miles. He was looking down upon them as if he was Superman flying over Metropolis looking for bad guys. He then looked out and in the distance…he saw it. Like a black spot on a white canvas he saw it standing out, a tower; a dark tower that sat upon a small island in the middle of a lake that must have bordered between a lake and an ocean. Its dark spires stretched up and up to the sky like the skyscrapers that are seen in all major cities. Yet, this dark tower looked almost like a castle with its turrets that sprouted up along its sides.
Johan felt himself being drawn to it; it even looked like he was going to crash into the tower, but only a few moments later he didn't crash into the walls of the dark tower. Instead he flew into one of the windows and landed on his feet as if he was some kind of bird landing on its perch. That's when he heard a voice calling out to him.
Help me…help me…
Then…all was black…
Back in the reality of the suite onboard the Juliet, Lupin, his crew and the rest of the Preventers were trying to pry Johan away from the Wizards Glass. Until at last Johan looked like he passed out much like how a person could faint. All consciousness goes out of their eyes and they collapse like a store mannequin that has no support. All of them tried to revive their fallen friend, even his wife came in like a nurse aiding an injured soldier. She checked his pulse and found that he was just fine. He had only lost consciousness for a moment.
"What the hell happened to him?" Jigen asked
Lupin, who had ripped the Wizard's Glass from Johan's grasp looked into it, "I wish I knew." He answered
* * *
Johan was lying down on the bed in the luxurious suite while his friends were watching over him. Especially his loving wife, Haruka who never left his side since the Wizard's Glass had drawn him in. The shock had worn off of most of them, but it was replaced with confusion as well as fear. No one knew what was going on with that Wizard's Glass…from what they had all witnessed; it had seemed as if the jewel itself had a mind of its own. Choosing when and when not to be active like an earthquake equipped with a dangerous mind.
Frankly, several of them were scared, scared halfway out of their minds. Even Jigen, because it reminded him too much of certain treasures that they looted which should have been left alone. One in particular was the Death Mask of the Egyptian King Tutankhamen. It drove Lupin to the deepest levels of insanity until they had to put it back in its proper place. Except the Wizard's Glass was ten times as frightening. Lupin's crew had reminded themselves of the stories surrounding it. How wars were started for that jewel, people murdered, driven insane, and most of all vanished into thin air.
"And that thing is supposed to take us home?" Jigen asked keeping his gruff voice in front of the fact that he was scarred shitless.
"What choice do we have?" Lupin asked
"None" Goemon answered
"There you have it." Lupin shrugged, "We have to trust the Wizard's Glass to get us home."
"Are you nuts, Lupin?" Zenigata asked, "You expect us to trust something like that?"
"If you have a better way to get home Pops, I'm listening."
Of course Zenigata had no clue of how to get back other than the Wizard's Glass.
Haruka looked down at her husband brushing her fingers through his hair. She smiled when she looked down at him sleeping on the bed. He looked so peaceful to her, if it wasn't for the fact that they were on a mission she would have curled up beside him and slept through the night. It was funny how their marriage was in the realistic sense. A cynic once said that marriage was like communism; it's nice in theory but doesn't work in reality. It seemed that Johan and Haruka's marriage was the exception to the cynics' voice. For nearly 20 years, they had been together, fighting alongside each other, raising their children together, and loving each other every moment of their lives. This was love in its purest form.
As Haruka never left the side of her husband, there was another side to a love story that needed to be concluded. It was in another part of the suite that was cut off from the others who were in fear of being caught on the ship by one of Vincent's people as well as afraid that Johan might never wake up. In one of the bedrooms that were closed off, Quatre met with Fujiko. He had to speak with her, ever since she got back from the operation, he wanted to see her. He wanted to experience her, smell her Chanel No. 5, feel her soft skin, look into her bluish eyes, and hear her soft voice in his ear.
"Fujiko." Quatre whispered
"Yes?" Fujiko answered
"I wanted to tell you something."
"I think I know what it is." Fujiko's voice sounded as if she was dreading what Quatre was about to say.
"I know that I have feelings for you. I know that I love you…"
Fujiko noticed the pause in Quatre's voice as well as the look on his face seeing how it turned away from hers and looked down to the floor. His eyes seemed filled with sadness as well as regret. She wondered if it was regret that he ever met her, or regret for something else. She came closer to Quatre and took his hand into hers.
"What is it, Quatre?"
Quatre took Fujiko's hands into his, feeling her soft skin in his already sweating palms. It seemed so darkly ironic to him, because of all his riches, resources, and power he could have anything he wanted. Still, there was one thing he knew that money couldn't buy and that was love. He knew that in his heart, but at that moment he knew it fully.
"I do love you." Quatre repeated, "More than anything that I could ever feel in my entire existence, but I know that I can't have you."
Fujiko looked down to the floor in the same regretful way that Quatre had done only a few moments ago.
"I know that this is not where you belong" Quatre's voice sounding more mournful than ever, "I know that you also love someone else."
Fujiko's gaze snapped back to Quatre's face, he knew about her relationship with Lupin the Third. A relationship that has had more peaks and valleys than the Grand Canyon itself; the two had been allies, enemies, lovers, friends, and pretty much everything else in between. Fujiko did know in the back of her mind that she had feelings for Lupin, but…but…she could never bring herself to admit it. At least not until Quatre had told that to her face.
"I shall give up for you are free to decide what you want, Miss Fujiko."
Fujiko came in closer and hugged Quatre, wrapping her arms around his neck, while Quatre wrapped his arms around her waist. He wanted to absorb all he could in that one moment, the feeling of Fujiko's body against his, the feel of her hair, and the smell of that Chanel no. 5.
"I know that I will always think of you each time I hold the Ruby Rose." She whispered into Quatre's ear.
"I shall always remember you when I smell Chanel no. 5." Quatre answered back
Fujiko pulled away to look back at Quatre, she leaned in and placed a kiss upon his lips. For the first time in her own life, she felt her heart torn in two separate directions. One to this kind man, the Noble in the Desert, Quatre; and the other was to the Emperor of Thieves, Lupin. Still, she had to bring herself to the reality that the world where Quatre lived wasn't where she belonged. Her place was at Lupin's side.
The door opened and in walked Haruka Tenou, "Johan is awake." She said
Back out in the room, Jigen was already starting to ask questions to Johan about his experience with that devilish jewel.
"What did you see, man?" Jigen asked Johan as he got up from his bed
"I'm not sure" Johan answered, "It was as if the Wizard's Glass wanted me to see it."
"But what was it?" Heero asked
"A tower" Johan answered, "a dark tower, unlike anything I had ever seen with my own eyes."
"Damn." Jigen raised his eyebrows under the brim of his hat, "That is just too damn freaky."
"I agree." Johan stated, "But we've wasted too much time already. We have to start the last phase…exit."
* * *
The time was close to two a.m., and with the information about Vincent Ferer's illegal activities as well as the Wizard's Glass in their hands, it was time to leave. They all knew that with the Wizard's Glass gone as well as that very sensitive information, no doubt Vincent would comb the ship from stem to stern until he found them. He would also more than likely imprison the ones who had it in their possession. So, it went without saying that they had to escape.
They all had arrived at the exit point, which was one of those parts of the ship where a person had access to the lifeboats. Except in their cases they weren't going to use one of them, they had another escape vehicle.
Standing at the guardrail, all of the Preventers and Lupin's crew looked out to the sea. It wasn't as black as anyone might have imagined. It was a full moon that night and it sent its radiant glow down to the water where it sparkled like diamonds sent from Heaven itself. It was out there where the escape vehicles were.
Heero pulled back the sleeve of his suit and spoke into the face of the watch. He looked almost like a cooler version of Dick Tracy with his radio transistor watch that relayed information from headquarters.
"Send out the core landers." He spoke
Within a matter of an instant there were several lights out on the water. They weren't lights like the shinning from the moon's glow. They looked like headlights, like the ones that are seen on the highway when they're at a great distance away and were coming closer with each second. All of them were lined up on the water like the Blue Angels in formation. Lupin and the others squinted as they drew closer. There were about 12 of them, 12 lights all heading towards the ship. In the light of the moon they couldn't see what was coming, though Lupin and the others knew something about these "core landers" that Heero talked about. He only knew that they were like cars, but not quite cars.
"I'll go first." Heero said as he climbed up onto the rail, squatting down like Batman on the edge of a tall skyscraper looking out into Gotham City.
Lupin and the others finally saw the Core Landers, they were all flying cars. All of them coming towards the ship, at first it seemed like they were coming straight at them. Then they diverted course to come up alongside of the ship. That's when Lupin saw them flying through the air like airplanes.
Heero jumped off into the first core lander.
"Let's go, Lupin." Duo said as he took Lupin's hand and they both jumped down into the cockpit of the next core lander.
"Here is ours." Trowa said as he and Jigen jumped into the next one.
Wufei didn't say a word to Goemon, they knew what was coming as they too jumped off the side of the ship into the core lander.
"Madame Haruka?" Johan asked his lovely wife.
"Thank you." Haruka bowed as the two of them leapt for their lander.
"Miss Fujiko?" Quatre asked as he took his position and grabbed Fujiko into his arms and held her like a groom carrying off his bride. Fujiko loved being treated the way Quatre did, she only wished Lupin did some of those things as well. She looked to where Quatre was looking as their core lander was drawing closer.
"Stop right there!" A voice called out
Quatre turned around with Fujiko in his arms and saw Vincent Ferer facing them. His slicked back hair was already messy with it mussed up as if he had been pulling at it. Those beady eyes of his were red with anger along with the bloodshot look that the drug had given him. Even his clothes looked messy as if he was in a bar fight. In the same instant he exhibited both surprise as well as extreme hatred.
"You…" he snarled raising his finger at them like a dying man pointing to the one who killed him, "You…I knew it was you. You stole my Wizard's Glass and my files!"
"Too late, Vincent" Quatre had cackled back at the corrupt business man. "Your time is up."
…and Quatre leapt of the side of the ship down to the waters below. Fujiko hugged Quatre's neck a little harder but she was sure not to choke him. Quatre knew that he had a good grip around Fujiko, one arm around her back and another under her legs. He looked to his core lander as it came closer and closer while at the same time the surface of the water came closer. He kept his eyes open on the core lander while Fujiko had her eyes closed shut as Quatre held her closer. Quatre had landed safely into the core lander, setting Fujiko on the seat next to him, and taking the controls.
"You can open your eyes now, Miss Fujiko." Quatre smiled at Fujiko
She opened her eyes and looked out the window canopy of the core lander, seeing the water speed by them as if they were in some kind of fancy speed boat. She sat back in her seat breathing a great sigh of relief.
"For a moment there I thought we were done for."
"Well, I wouldn't be too relaxed right now." Quatre warned, "He's probably going to notify his troops to come after us."
Fujiko had noticed that Quatre's voice had changed considerably. Just a while ago he looked as if he was ready to weep because he couldn't' have Fujiko any longer. Then while he was driving the core lander he looked as confident as a general sure that his military strategy would work.
"Everyone" Johan's voice came through the COM system, "Looks like we got company. Multiple bogies are coming up from the rear. They look like mobile suits, probably sent by Vincent."
"Sorry everyone." Quatre apologized, "He caught me before I got to my lander."
"That doesn't matter now. Get ready for combat. Call for your Gundams."
"You're going to fight?" Fujiko asked with surprise
"Doesn't look like we have a lot of choice" Quatre said bearing his teeth, "Go Gundam!" He shouted
Up ahead Fujiko watched as another set of lights sped across the water towards the core lander. It was just like before, that time a week ago when she saw the Gundams for the very first time. She remembered her exact moment of fear looking up at those metallic giants. As a little girl, Fujiko did hear those fairy tales of giants and how they always had great strength and terrorized people smaller than themselves. She felt just like one of those people when she first looked at the Gundam. She had even experienced a mobile suit battle from the ground and with the approaching enemies she would most definitely experience it from the cockpit. As the Gundams drew closer Fujiko looked to see Quatre taking off his jacket. When he pulled it all off he set it aside and set his hands to work on the next piece of clothing.
"What are you doing?" Fujiko asked
Quatre's answer was immediate, "I'm going to use the Mobile Trace System, in order for me to use it I have to get into the MTS suit, and to do that I have to be…naked." He seemed embarrassed by saying that word naked. Though Fujiko did feel a little flushed at the thought of even getting a small glance of Quatre in that state. She was told about this Mobile Trace System and how the Preventers had this technology installed when they had visited a different universe. She had to admire the Preventers or at least respect them because they were like herself as well as Lupin and his friends…there was never a dull moment in their lives.
She watched as Quatre took off his dress shirt, taking his hands away from the wheel, Fujiko dove for it keeping the core lander driving straight as Quatre then went to work on his shoes, his socks, then his pants, and the Gundams were within range. The brave Gundam pilot already had his pants around his ankles when he took back the controls and pilots the core lander to his beloved mobile suit, his Gundam Sandrock.
Coming behind the Gundam, the Core Lander had set itself in its place. The core lander had opened its glass roof allowing Quatre to slip into the cockpit. Before he did he slipped out of his underwear and sneaking into the cockpit like a car thief slipping into the drivers seat. Fujiko of course covered her eyes, though she would admit to herself later on in life that she did sneak a small peak at Quatre in that state. She only smiled.
Inside the cockpit, Quatre opened that little panel at the side of the cockpit seat, flipped the switches and pressed the button and on came the mobile trace system. He stood as the MST rings spun and brought their material over his head and covered his body.
"This is Quatre, standing by for battle."
Fujiko was in a safe place while she was inside the core lander that was right behind the MTS system cockpit. Yet, she could see through into the cockpit and watched as Quatre was about to fight. The mobile suits came and the fight had begun. There were so many of them that it was like they sky was raining down mobile suits. Or like all those B-movies where aliens in their super-advanced star ships came down from the skies to reek havoc on the cities below them.
All of the Lupin crew watched in their respective areas, Goemon watching Wufei, Lupin watching Duo, Jigen watching Trowa, and Fujiko watching Quatre. They all were watching them fight. They saw the passion that they had in their craft. It only made each of them have greater respect and admiration for them as they fought. Wufei with his excellent martial arts skills, Heero for his accuracy, Trowa for his great fire power, Duo for his sneakiness, Quatre for his resilience, and Johan for his relentlessness.
It truly was incredible…
* * *
The time had come to say good-bye…
It was true that the Preventers had been victorious in their moonlight battle against Vincent's small army of mobile suits. As far as what happened after that, it was a rather quick and clean deal for Vincent Ferer. With the evidence in their possession, they had brought the case to the courts and Vincent was charged with some very high crimes. Illegal Mobile Suit manufacturing, Mobile Suit Dealing, Money Laundering, and a good number of World Nation Law violations. Preventer had gotten the evidence that they needed, though when the court had asked where they had gotten such evidence, they simply said that they had gotten it from an anonymous source.
As far as the Lupin crew…the time had come for them to say good-bye to their Preventer hosts. Lupin did seem a little saddened by it, but of course he smiled in the end at all of them, raised his arms and said,
"It has been on hell of a ride."
Even the serious Goemon smiled a little bit, "I hope that we may see you all again some day."
"Under better circumstances, I would think." Wufei had added.
It truly was odd how some of Lupin's crew really had hit it off with some of the members of the Preventers. Seemingly eerie, as if they were reflections of each other in different worlds, realms, or whatever term that could be used to describe the gap between them. Still, the time had come to leave….
It was at the Winner Family Mansion inside the great library where Lupin and his crew had gathered around the Wizard's Glass. Lupin held it in his hand staring into its pink surface and deeper into the pink chasms. He hunched over and stared harder and harder into it like a man trying to the hidden image in a Magic Eye poster…nothing happened. He straightened back up, looked at his friends and the Preventers. His look was both frustration as well as an "Oh well" sort of expression.
"Guess it's not gonna work for us today."
Holding the Wizard's Glass in his hand, within and instant the room was flooded with the pink smoke. It spurted out from the jewel like some kind of fancy magic show where the magician is supposed to appear through the mist. Lupin didn't even dare to drop it; he knew in his heart that this was the way home. Despite the fact that there was doubt in his mind about where the smoke would take them, perhaps the paranoia that Jigen had was beginning to rub onto him. He hunched over again, staring into the pink canyons that ranged from the highest pink highlights to the deepest reds from the shadows of his hands.
The pink smoke began to shrink, the Preventers watched as the smoke rapidly imploded upon the Lupin crew. There was the small concern that the smoke maybe…just maybe…take them with the Lupin crew into that insane world that they have to get by in. Yet, the smoke had passed the Preventers and closed in upon the Lupin crew like some kind of odd soap bubble. Then the smoke vanished like sand into the wind leaving behind nothing.
"They're gone." Johan had stated
"They are." Quatre had said with a mournful tone in his heart
Yet the always cheerful Duo came over and slapped Quatre on the back, "Hey, cheer up, buddy-boy! There are billions of women out there, I'm sure you'll find one."
Quatre looked down and said, "Not like her." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle. A small perfume bottle that Fujiko had given him as a parting gift, he looked at its label, "Chanel No. 5" and took in one great whiff of its intoxicating scent remembering everything that Fujiko was.
"I just hope that she'll be happy."
To be continued…