I do not own Gundam Wing
First, I must humbly apologize how long it's been…. School has been crazy and it eats into writing time _
(Posters note: this is partly my fault... she gave me the chapter and I kinda forgot about it… it's been sitting on my hard drive for a week or two.. Sorry!)
Second: thanks to amazing beta readers!! White rabbit, Brenda… wonderful people ^_^
Now I'll let you read and try to get the next chapter out sooner
Alright some of you may have thought the transition from chapter five to six was jarring, I'd like to thank Midii Une for pointing this out to me. Somewhere along the way this part of my story was lost, so here it is chapter five (b). Hopefully this will answer all the questions. Sorry for the confusion…and please enjoy
p.s. don't pay attention to and spelling or grammatical errors, it has not been edited.
Une looked down at her watch; "It's time." She climbed to her feet and all those present followed. The older woman moved to the second door and opened it, instantly Midii could hear hundreds of voices all holding separate conversations, Une moved out behind a podium, and instantly cameras began to flash as they all began to shout their questions. Lady Une seemed more than used to this and simply raise her hands for silence, at least three minutes passed before order was restored to the room. "Ladies and gentlemen, your patients has been greatly appreciated, as you all know more than a week ago the Bèovel family was cruelly assassinated. It is not however the fate of the colonies to be forgotten. Ladies and gentlemen of the press I give to you Quatre Raberba Winner."
The men and women present in the room came to their feet with a roar of applause; cameras flashed continuously about the room, Quatre raised one hand for silence, and almost instantly everyone retook their seats. "As I'm sure you already know my family has always had strong ties with that of Bèovel, my late father was very close friends with the late Jason Bèovel. I grieve as much as the people of the colonies for the loss of such a great leader, but I am not without hope. Though we presently do not know who is at fault for the hideous strike against humanity, we will not rest until they have been brought to justice."
Once more the reporters in the room came to their feet in approval of all Quatre said, Midii noticed with some surprise that Quatre had no papers infront of him. He waited patiently for the crowd to calm themselves, and when they had he continued. "A man with high standing in the Bèovel family came to me some days ago, and informed me that Jason Bèovel had prepared for such a scenario, and I proudly present to you this very man, Devon Draken." Quatre gestured to the door and Draken walked out in the view of the present.
"In the end Jason Bèovel's ties to my family were so strong it was his last wish that I should take into my hands his colonies. However it was required that a child of the family be present at the signing, or the colonies could not be passed over. It is with great pleasure that I tell you, those behind the assassination were not able to complete their job." Quatre half turned to Draken as he continued to speak in a clear and full voice. "Mr. Draken was able with the help of inside sources to gain knowledge of the strike, it was however not in time to save the whole family. Only one child was spared a child unaware of all he has lost. I am truly disgusted to be human when I think that not even a baby would have been spared."
Trowa leaned down placing his lips near Midii's ear, "Its time." She nodded mutely and passed Erik into Duo hands, Trowa looked at her puzzled.
"You don't want Kain to know, that you know it was him right?" he nodded, "then I had better stay out of sight, he knew I was looking for Erik." She spoke in low tones and slipped back away from the door, the four Perventers moved out onto the platform surrounding Erik as the cameras flashed widely trying to get a clean picture of the baby. Erik himself was having the time of his life, laughing at all the bright lights and bouncing in Duo's arms.
"And so as you can see the colonies shall not be forgotten, nor thrown into the hands of a man unworthy of them. They are now a part of my corporation though they will retain their own identity. As a trusted confidant of Jason Bèovel it is my decision that the colonies be placed within the care of Mr. Draken, I have no doubt that he will continue with the same ideals that made the Bèovel family so strong." Quatre rested both hands on the podium and looked out over the crowd as they all shouted their questions, finally he pointed to one young woman near the front.
"Mr. Winner do the Perventers have any leads on who was behind the assassination?"
Lady Une stepped forward, "allow me to take that question. As of right now we are investigating all the evidence and perusing all leads, I assure you the ones behind this attack with be found. I'm sorry I can't tell you anything more about them." She then directed the floor to the middle aged man in the back.
"Can you tell us what colony their from and the corporation they work for?"
Une chuckled slightly, "see when I said I couldn't tell you any more I meant everything but the colony they came from and the place they worked." She rolled her eyes as once more the room filled with questions, "Thank you that's all we have for today." With that she turned back to wards the door and re-entered the conference room, "and now what?" Une inquired of Quatre.
The blonde man ran one hand through his hair, "well nothing until tomorrow at least, I think it would be best to let the information filter through the system to Kain. I want to know everything about his corporation and any connections it has to more volatile organisations."
"Keep me updated." Une said as she left the room.
Quatre looked about the room; "shall we head back? For now at least the peace has been secured. My father would be pleased, there was no fighting."
Midii leaned against Trowa where he stood, and he gently placed his arm around her, "I don't know about you but I'd like to relax for a little while." He gave her a half smile, and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Duo when we get back do you mind looking after Erik?"
He gave her his best smile, "not at all pretty lady."
Wufei turned to Quatre, "I'll be by in the evening, there are still some things I need to finish."
As one they left the room and made their way back towards the entrance, somewhere along the way Wufei split off, to complete his errands. Midii walked beside Trowa her hand clasped in his, she already knew how she wanted to spend the rest of her day. They made great time back to Quatre's house and Midii found the day to be even warmer than expected. Trowa watched her silently as they stood alone in the parlour, he had discarded his Perventers jacket, and once more she undid the top two button of his shirt.
"It's too beautiful a day to be inside, why don't you show me Quatre's gardens." He shrugged silently and led the way through the large house. The sun shone bright and strong over the fiery gardens, and for a time Midii simply wandered through them with Trowa by her side. It was not long however until Midii found what she was looking for, a beautifully hand crafted wooden bench sat in the shade of a great oak tree it was just what she had been hoping for.
She gestured for Trowa to take a seat and when he had she sat upon his lap. Midii wrapped her arms about his neck and leaned her head against his chest laughing softly at his surprised look. "You'd think by now that you would at least be used to me."
His arms circled about her; "I never know what to think when you do."
"That's what makes it so fun." She closed her eyes and for a moment simply enjoyed the sun upon her skin, the wind through her hair, and the sound of Trowa's heart beating clearly in her ears. "I love you Trowa." She spoke softly glancing up at him through her long eyelashes.
Trowa pulled her closer to him, and cupping the side of her face with one hand, he leaned down to claim her lips in a passionate kiss. Midii felt Trowa's love flow through he in indescribable ways, she felt him touch her very soul.
***
Draken wandered without a sound through the hall of Quatre's large home his mind so deep in thought that he hardly noticed where it was that he went. With a start He looked up from his deep contemplation, and found himself standing on the third floor of the house at a window that over looked the gardens below. His grey eyes fell upon Trowa and Midii, their attention entirely on one anther as they sealed their love with a kiss. He half smiled at the touching scene, knowing very well what it felt like to love another human being so completely.
He watched through the perfect glass window and the young couple separated for but a moment, still their arms encircled the other. He was about to move away, even though they were unaware of his presence to him it still felt wrong to intrude upon so special a moment, but something however made him stop and continue watching. Midii looked up at Trowa, even from this distance her loved was clear in her eyes, she ran one hand through his hair as she spoke, Draken had never been able to master the art of reading lips and so what she said was lost to him.
But Trowa's reaction he found shocking, the usually silent man actually began to laugh a larger smile than Draken had ever seen dance upon his young face. Even Midii was for a moment shocked by her lovers reaction, but she recovered quickly as Trowa pulled her closer and buried his face in her hair. Draken continued to watch the happy couple, that was the first time he had ever seen Trowa show any emotion other than a half smile. It made him wonder even more what it was that Midii had said, truly she had a great power over Trowa, too incur such a reaction.
Chapter 6
Midii stood in the doorway her long blonde hair pulled up out of her face; she walked in her steps graceful and eye catching. Trowa felt a blush creep up his face and was thankful for the dimness of the room, she walked to stand before him, and Trowa noticed just how small she was. Leaning down he claimed her lips in a soft kiss, his hand moving to the back of her neck, while hers twined about his. When finally they parted Trowa took a seat on the edge of his bed, and Midii sat close beside him, her head resting upon his shoulder. "I need a shuttle," her voice was low barely above a whisper.
Trowa looked at her curiously, "Why?"
She sighed and looked away seeming not to what to meet his gaze. "There's something I must take care of," she said evasively.
"Your not thinking of taking on Kain are you?" he watched her closely and saw her tense ever so slightly.
"He's my problem to take care of."
"What makes you think that you have to go alone?"
She turned back to him; "This is my score to settle."
Trowa shook his head; "Everything is already taken care of, besides it's too dangerous for you to go alone."
"I'm more than capable of taking care of myself." She said defensively, her crystal eyes becoming intense.
"I can't let you put yourself in danger." He responded calmly.
"Since when do you get to decide what I can and cannot do?!" Midii jumped to her feet in exasperation, "besides if you won't help me get a shuttle, I'll leave and get my own!"
Trowa came to his feet as well, "What makes you think you can even get out of this house?" She stared at him for a moment unable to speak.
"How can you deny me this?!" she all but shouted.
"I don't want to see you get hurt."
"That is not your decision to make!" she turned on her heels and left the room slamming the door behind her, Trowa took a step to follow but stopped himself, she may be mad at him but at least she was safe. He made a decision then, walking back to the chair he had hung his shirt over Trowa shrugged back into it, he then took hold of his silenced gun that rested on the near by table. Checking the ammo he slipped the weapon behind his belt and left the room.
Through it was not really late, already the house was silent, he moved down the hall without a sound. His eyes focused on one spot of air before him. Trowa did not take notice of the architecture of Quatre's home as he might have before. He simply walked on face set. He heard the footsteps following him long before he reached the large oak door, it was not until he had the door opened that Quatre spoke.
"Where are you going Trowa?" he asked in his gentle voice.
"I have something I need to take care of." He did not turn from the door.
"Without Midii?"
"Yes."
Quatre lay one hand on his friend's shoulder; "This is about Kain isn't it?" Trowa said nothing but his silence was confirmation on its own. "Trowa it's already been taken care of."
"This is personal." He could not say why he felt he had to take care of this now, but he was not about to risk Midii in any way.
"What connection does Midii have to this man?"
"It doesn't matter, the connection won't be there long." His voice was low and more adamant than he had expected.
"I think you're making a mistake Trowa, this isn't your problem."
"It is now." Quatre withdrew his hand, "Promise me you won't let her leave the house."
"Trowa I…"
"Promise Me!!" Trowa spoke through clenched teeth.
"I promise…" Quatre mumbled his voice no more than a whisper.
Trowa nodded mutely satisfied with his friends promise, as he walked from the silent home he spoke over his shoulder, "Don't tell her where I've gone, I'll be back in a few days." Trowa never looked back as he climbed into his car and gunned it down the driveway into the night.
***
Trowa had caught a shuttle late that night and had rested the next day at a nondescript motel; he now sat within his car once again shrouded by the night's shadows. His hands flew along the keys of his computer, moments before he had hacked his way into Kain's information mainframe and was presently committing to memory the blueprints and security systems that he would have to overcome. For a moment Trowa let his emerald gaze travel up to the building the which stood before him, for all intents and purposes it was nothing more than a regular corporation. But in the deepest shadows Trowa had found armed guards, more than anyone in business need, though not nearly enough to constitute an army.
It made him wonder silently what it was Kain was up to, he shook his head and finished scanning through his information. Trowa reached into his glove box and pulled out a small leather case, inside was every tool he would need to make it past their security systems, which he noticed with a half smile where nothing he could not handle. He stepped from the car and melted into the shadows, as he moved towards the skyscraper his thoughts turned involuntarily towards Midii, by now she would know he was missing. The question was, did she care? He pushed the thought from his mind knowing that it was far better that Midii be mad at him and safe, than beside him and in danger.
Trowa leaned against the wall of the building and pulled forward the small leather case. He carefully removed a small computer, and hooked it up to the security system that guarded the small door he stood beside. Within seconds he was standing inside Kain's organisation, Trowa pulled his silenced gun from behind his belt and made his way forward without a sound. His progress was slow as he was constantly forced to stop and hack into the computer systems to make it by any precautions Kain had put into place. He could easily have shut the whole system down, but that would have alerted everyone within the building to his presence, even if they did not know where he was.
Even with the time it took to disable and restart each system Trowa still made it to the main elevator in under a half-hour. He leaned calmly against one wall and watched as the numbers flashed by above him, every muscle in his body was tense and ready for anything that might come around the next corner. As the elevator slowed to a stop Trowa moved to one side of the door and glanced cautiously out as the doors slide opened. There was no one guarding the elevator, and he could hear no sign of any soldiers moving about.
With a cat like grace, Trowa edged towards his destination, he could not afford to be too careful now, he was deep within the enemy base, and although they were unaware of his presence things could still go terribly wrong. Trowa cursed silently as he heard men moving down the hall towards him, glancing about he found that there was nowhere for him to move to, he was going to be forced to make his presence known. They came around the corner, twelve men in uniforms, completely unaware of the man standing before them.
Trowa dropped into a low crouch, gun aimed on his nearest target, the men hesitated in surprise, and the ex-pilot did not waste a second of his advantage. He exploded forward, firing off five rapid shots and took out the same number of men. He aimed always for the legs wanting only to disable them. By the time the five men were down the others had recovered and surrounded him, trying to overwhelm him with shear numbers. Trowa moved quickly, fighting hand to hand, he brought his leg up and clipped one man in the temple sending him to the ground in a senseless heap. He leg swept another and caught him square in the face as he fell.
Finding that the men were beginning to surround him to close, Trowa vaulted from among their ranks and landed some distance away, as he touched ground he felt a bullet tear across his shoulder. He forced the pain from his mind and dove to the side taking up his gun from where he had been forced to drop it. Trowa took out three more men including the gun man, he trained his sights on what he thought was the last man, as his finger was about to pull back on the trigger Trowa noticed the mans eyes shift to something behind him. The former Gundam pilot swung around but it was too late the last man grabbed him from behind in an iron grip.
The other man came forward and began to pummel Trowa's ribs and abdomen, with a stream of punches his eyes blazing with fury. Trowa twisted within his captors grasp, as he felt his ribs begin to give way under the assault, he caught his captors leg with his own and threw him off balance. As the man began to fall Trowa broke his grip and back flipped over him, as he landed his leg shot out and caught the man in the side of the neck, ending his fight. The last man who before had so ruthlessly attacked him now turned and ran when Trowa locked his emerald eyes on him.
Trowa did not bother to look at the mini war zone around him, he simply took into his hands a gun that one of the men had discarded and charged after the man. Blood trickled down his arm, and pain burned through him, he found it hard to breathe as he raced down the halls, but all of this he pushed away, his mind focused on his mission. He rounded another corner and skidded to a halt, more than a dozen men blocked the hall, all wore guns but none hand drawn them, for a moment Trowa wondered why. His question however was soon answered.
"Remember he has to be taken alive." One man among the ranks cautioned. Trowa dropped back into a defensive crouch and raised his gun, the men came at him at once, he was not sure how many of them he took out. They swarmed over him, slamming him to the ground. Trowa tried to draw in a ragged breath but one of the men drove his knee into the small of his back, as both of his arms where roughly taken and tied behind his back. He was painfully hauled to his feet and he found himself face to face with an officer, the man looked him up and down for a moment, his eyes intense.
"That's quite a fight you put up for just one man." He was the man who had warned, that Trowa was to be taken alive. "Just who are you anyway?" Trowa made no response, the man nodded his head and another soldier began to search his pockets, the only thing they came back with was the small computer and leather case. "Well what have we here?" The man turned the computer on and Trowa silently prepared for the explosion that was to come. As the officer tried to access the files without imputing the proper codes, a warning siren filled the air, Trowa body checked the man that was holding him and drove the both of them to the ground.
The officer threw the item away in shock, the explosion sent a shockwave through the base and knocked every man from his feet. Trowa was once more dragged to a standing position, as the officer climbed shakily to his feet. "Well you're certainly more than any common terrorist." He gestured to the men holding Trowa and began to walk down the winding halls. A band of soldiers who had obviously heard the explosion soon met them, as they moved towards their destination. The officer who led Trowa spoke briefly to them and they soon were sent running back the way Trowa had been led, to help the wounded.
They soon came in sight of two large and carefully carved doors, Trowa had no doubts as to who was behind those doors, he remained quiet, and tried to focus on something other than the pain. He knew that to gain any sort of advantage he would have to be fully alert. The officer entered first, and moments later Trowa was led in. The room was large, the wall opposite the door given over entirely to windows displaying a view of the colony beyond. A heavy mahogany desk sat in the shadow of the window and behind was a swivel chair, the occupant Trowa could not make out; he did however instantly recognise the man that stood beside the desk. He was the small man that had searched Trowa's trailer, in the hopes of finding Midii and Erik. Trowa once more reassured himself that both were safe and would stay that way no matter what happened to him.
Trowa was forced to his knees before the desk, as the men about him snapped to attention. The swivel chair slowly turned, giving Trowa his first look at the man that had killed both Midii's and Erik's families. He was at least in his early forties, with piercing blue eyes that seemed to try and bore through him. "So this is the man that took out fifteen of our men." Kain's voice was low as he studied Trowa's face. Trowa's attention however was more focused on the man standing beside the desk, the small man had taken a great interest in him, and had yet to look away. But upon hearing the charge lain against Trowa his eyes brightened and he seemed to look at Trowa as if he had never seen him before.
"Sir, do not trouble yourself with such a problem, allow me to handle this."
Kain turned to study the small man for a moment, before nodding, "Do what you like, Argile. But make sure you kill him in the end." The small man nodded without a word and with another gesture Trowa was once more drawn to his feet and led from the room.
Nothing was said as they walked down the halls, or at least nothing Trowa could hear, Argile had moved ahead with the officer and was quietly conferring with him. Trowa glanced about mutely his mind racing for a way out, but he could find nothing, two men held his arms, which were also securely bound behind him. He was led into a medium sized room in the centre of which was a chair meant to shackle both the wrists and legs. They forced him down first shackling his legs then untying his hands and securing them to the chair. When the process was complete Trowa found himself alone facing the small man.
"I don't know of many people who could have pulled off what you just did. Breaking through every security system we have, without our knowledge. Then taking on a dozen men and winning without taking one life, in all you have seriously injured fifteen of our top soldiers." Argile paused folding his arms across his chest; "No, I can honestly say that I know of only five men who could possible have pulled this off."
He pushed himself off the wall he had been leaning against and walked towards Trowa, "Who would ever have thought a gundam pilot would actually walk right into our hands?" Trowa remained silent his eyes and face showing nothing, but if anything that only reaffirmed, what Argile believed. "Well you're far too valuable to kill, or to be left in Kain's hands, he would never put your talents to proper use." With one last glance Argile moved from the room.
Now alone Trowa strained against his bonds but found them solid, he did not however stop. He put all his strength behind his left hand, working his wrist this way and that until the leather bit deep into his skin. He was however forced to stop when the door once more opened and a woman walked in. She was in her early thirties with hair the same colour as Midii's though it did not appear to be nearly as soft, she wore a white lab coat, and there was an innocence about her eyes that did not seem to fit with the place in which she worked.
She gave Trowa a half smile before she moved to his right shoulder and slowly rolled his sleeve away from the bullet wound. Trowa tried to pull his arm away but found that there was very little room for him to move, she simply smiled again and gently took his arm, "Hold still I have to clean this." Trowa complied realising that his efforts where futile, he simply sat silently and watched her bath the gash with hydrogen peroxide. Pain burned through him but Trowa did not think about it, his mind was still focused on a way to escape.
"You look too young to be a terrorist." She said softly, as she tied a bandage about his upper arm, Trowa watched her but said nothing, he was fairly sure she had not been made to ask that question but she was safer knowing as little as possible. She carefully unrolled his sleeve all the while studying his face to see if anything changed, nothing had. The woman moved to kneel in front of him and for a moment she simply bore her eyes into his own, her eyes were a soft grey, and they seemed not to know the truth of the world that Trowa's had been born with.
She shook her head and took hold of the top button of his shirt and undid it, she continued on down until his shirt hung opened. Trowa simply watched having nothing else he could do, her hands did not move with the same grace that Midii's did, hers were far more precise. Trowa glanced down at his exposed chest and found it already to be a mass of bruises, he drew in a shallow breath and felt stabs of pain from all around. The woman began to bind his ribs tightly with a rolled bandage, her hands where cool against his skin as she worked. When she had finished she climbed to her feet and moved to a counter across from him.
With her back turned Trowa once more tested his bonds all the while keeping an eye on the woman, when he saw a syringe come into view he redoubled his efforts. He was not so naïve as to believe whatever drug was going into the syringe would in any way help him. Trowa's efforts were rewarded, with a tare of flesh the leather snapped and his arm was free, he instantly undid the bonds on his right arm, and moved to those on his legs. He was standing by the time the woman turned around, she screamed in alarm, her hand shooting back under the edge of the counter to a button Trowa had not even seen.
The room filled with sirens and seconds later a dozen men came rushing in all brandishing their weapons. Trowa remained stock still his mind racing, it almost seemed to him as if they had trained for this exact situation. Moments passed and Trowa could hear the sound of applause, Argile walked slowly into the room, a smile dancing upon his face. "If I had had any doubts before they're certainly gone now." Trowa's face never changed; "You must understand I can't afford to take any risks with you, and since your simply being awake is a risk…" he left the rest hanging and looked to the woman whose eyes still seemed wild when she looked at Trowa.
Argile gestured towards Trowa, and the woman moved slowly towards him, her eyes still unsure. Trowa felt like a caged animal, his mind reeled. They had been preparing for this situation for what had to be years, what really was going on? The woman cautiously took his left arm into her hand; Trowa flexed every muscle in his arm in the hopes that the tip of the needle would break off. But it appeared as though the woman had had experience with difficult patience before; she simply turned his arm and inserted the syringe. Seconds later Trowa could feel the alien drug working its way through his system, and he fought it off.
"I wouldn't waste your time, it will only make waking more difficult, besides we doubled the dose. Not even your system can fight it off." Trowa knew Argile's words to be true but he could not back down from the fight. He felt the pain from his broken ribs begin to recede and he knew that he did not have very much longer. Trowa fell forward into the blackness; he never felt himself touch ground.
First, I must humbly apologize how long it's been…. School has been crazy and it eats into writing time _
(Posters note: this is partly my fault... she gave me the chapter and I kinda forgot about it… it's been sitting on my hard drive for a week or two.. Sorry!)
Second: thanks to amazing beta readers!! White rabbit, Brenda… wonderful people ^_^
Now I'll let you read and try to get the next chapter out sooner
Alright some of you may have thought the transition from chapter five to six was jarring, I'd like to thank Midii Une for pointing this out to me. Somewhere along the way this part of my story was lost, so here it is chapter five (b). Hopefully this will answer all the questions. Sorry for the confusion…and please enjoy
p.s. don't pay attention to and spelling or grammatical errors, it has not been edited.
Une looked down at her watch; "It's time." She climbed to her feet and all those present followed. The older woman moved to the second door and opened it, instantly Midii could hear hundreds of voices all holding separate conversations, Une moved out behind a podium, and instantly cameras began to flash as they all began to shout their questions. Lady Une seemed more than used to this and simply raise her hands for silence, at least three minutes passed before order was restored to the room. "Ladies and gentlemen, your patients has been greatly appreciated, as you all know more than a week ago the Bèovel family was cruelly assassinated. It is not however the fate of the colonies to be forgotten. Ladies and gentlemen of the press I give to you Quatre Raberba Winner."
The men and women present in the room came to their feet with a roar of applause; cameras flashed continuously about the room, Quatre raised one hand for silence, and almost instantly everyone retook their seats. "As I'm sure you already know my family has always had strong ties with that of Bèovel, my late father was very close friends with the late Jason Bèovel. I grieve as much as the people of the colonies for the loss of such a great leader, but I am not without hope. Though we presently do not know who is at fault for the hideous strike against humanity, we will not rest until they have been brought to justice."
Once more the reporters in the room came to their feet in approval of all Quatre said, Midii noticed with some surprise that Quatre had no papers infront of him. He waited patiently for the crowd to calm themselves, and when they had he continued. "A man with high standing in the Bèovel family came to me some days ago, and informed me that Jason Bèovel had prepared for such a scenario, and I proudly present to you this very man, Devon Draken." Quatre gestured to the door and Draken walked out in the view of the present.
"In the end Jason Bèovel's ties to my family were so strong it was his last wish that I should take into my hands his colonies. However it was required that a child of the family be present at the signing, or the colonies could not be passed over. It is with great pleasure that I tell you, those behind the assassination were not able to complete their job." Quatre half turned to Draken as he continued to speak in a clear and full voice. "Mr. Draken was able with the help of inside sources to gain knowledge of the strike, it was however not in time to save the whole family. Only one child was spared a child unaware of all he has lost. I am truly disgusted to be human when I think that not even a baby would have been spared."
Trowa leaned down placing his lips near Midii's ear, "Its time." She nodded mutely and passed Erik into Duo hands, Trowa looked at her puzzled.
"You don't want Kain to know, that you know it was him right?" he nodded, "then I had better stay out of sight, he knew I was looking for Erik." She spoke in low tones and slipped back away from the door, the four Perventers moved out onto the platform surrounding Erik as the cameras flashed widely trying to get a clean picture of the baby. Erik himself was having the time of his life, laughing at all the bright lights and bouncing in Duo's arms.
"And so as you can see the colonies shall not be forgotten, nor thrown into the hands of a man unworthy of them. They are now a part of my corporation though they will retain their own identity. As a trusted confidant of Jason Bèovel it is my decision that the colonies be placed within the care of Mr. Draken, I have no doubt that he will continue with the same ideals that made the Bèovel family so strong." Quatre rested both hands on the podium and looked out over the crowd as they all shouted their questions, finally he pointed to one young woman near the front.
"Mr. Winner do the Perventers have any leads on who was behind the assassination?"
Lady Une stepped forward, "allow me to take that question. As of right now we are investigating all the evidence and perusing all leads, I assure you the ones behind this attack with be found. I'm sorry I can't tell you anything more about them." She then directed the floor to the middle aged man in the back.
"Can you tell us what colony their from and the corporation they work for?"
Une chuckled slightly, "see when I said I couldn't tell you any more I meant everything but the colony they came from and the place they worked." She rolled her eyes as once more the room filled with questions, "Thank you that's all we have for today." With that she turned back to wards the door and re-entered the conference room, "and now what?" Une inquired of Quatre.
The blonde man ran one hand through his hair, "well nothing until tomorrow at least, I think it would be best to let the information filter through the system to Kain. I want to know everything about his corporation and any connections it has to more volatile organisations."
"Keep me updated." Une said as she left the room.
Quatre looked about the room; "shall we head back? For now at least the peace has been secured. My father would be pleased, there was no fighting."
Midii leaned against Trowa where he stood, and he gently placed his arm around her, "I don't know about you but I'd like to relax for a little while." He gave her a half smile, and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Duo when we get back do you mind looking after Erik?"
He gave her his best smile, "not at all pretty lady."
Wufei turned to Quatre, "I'll be by in the evening, there are still some things I need to finish."
As one they left the room and made their way back towards the entrance, somewhere along the way Wufei split off, to complete his errands. Midii walked beside Trowa her hand clasped in his, she already knew how she wanted to spend the rest of her day. They made great time back to Quatre's house and Midii found the day to be even warmer than expected. Trowa watched her silently as they stood alone in the parlour, he had discarded his Perventers jacket, and once more she undid the top two button of his shirt.
"It's too beautiful a day to be inside, why don't you show me Quatre's gardens." He shrugged silently and led the way through the large house. The sun shone bright and strong over the fiery gardens, and for a time Midii simply wandered through them with Trowa by her side. It was not long however until Midii found what she was looking for, a beautifully hand crafted wooden bench sat in the shade of a great oak tree it was just what she had been hoping for.
She gestured for Trowa to take a seat and when he had she sat upon his lap. Midii wrapped her arms about his neck and leaned her head against his chest laughing softly at his surprised look. "You'd think by now that you would at least be used to me."
His arms circled about her; "I never know what to think when you do."
"That's what makes it so fun." She closed her eyes and for a moment simply enjoyed the sun upon her skin, the wind through her hair, and the sound of Trowa's heart beating clearly in her ears. "I love you Trowa." She spoke softly glancing up at him through her long eyelashes.
Trowa pulled her closer to him, and cupping the side of her face with one hand, he leaned down to claim her lips in a passionate kiss. Midii felt Trowa's love flow through he in indescribable ways, she felt him touch her very soul.
***
Draken wandered without a sound through the hall of Quatre's large home his mind so deep in thought that he hardly noticed where it was that he went. With a start He looked up from his deep contemplation, and found himself standing on the third floor of the house at a window that over looked the gardens below. His grey eyes fell upon Trowa and Midii, their attention entirely on one anther as they sealed their love with a kiss. He half smiled at the touching scene, knowing very well what it felt like to love another human being so completely.
He watched through the perfect glass window and the young couple separated for but a moment, still their arms encircled the other. He was about to move away, even though they were unaware of his presence to him it still felt wrong to intrude upon so special a moment, but something however made him stop and continue watching. Midii looked up at Trowa, even from this distance her loved was clear in her eyes, she ran one hand through his hair as she spoke, Draken had never been able to master the art of reading lips and so what she said was lost to him.
But Trowa's reaction he found shocking, the usually silent man actually began to laugh a larger smile than Draken had ever seen dance upon his young face. Even Midii was for a moment shocked by her lovers reaction, but she recovered quickly as Trowa pulled her closer and buried his face in her hair. Draken continued to watch the happy couple, that was the first time he had ever seen Trowa show any emotion other than a half smile. It made him wonder even more what it was that Midii had said, truly she had a great power over Trowa, too incur such a reaction.
Chapter 6
Midii stood in the doorway her long blonde hair pulled up out of her face; she walked in her steps graceful and eye catching. Trowa felt a blush creep up his face and was thankful for the dimness of the room, she walked to stand before him, and Trowa noticed just how small she was. Leaning down he claimed her lips in a soft kiss, his hand moving to the back of her neck, while hers twined about his. When finally they parted Trowa took a seat on the edge of his bed, and Midii sat close beside him, her head resting upon his shoulder. "I need a shuttle," her voice was low barely above a whisper.
Trowa looked at her curiously, "Why?"
She sighed and looked away seeming not to what to meet his gaze. "There's something I must take care of," she said evasively.
"Your not thinking of taking on Kain are you?" he watched her closely and saw her tense ever so slightly.
"He's my problem to take care of."
"What makes you think that you have to go alone?"
She turned back to him; "This is my score to settle."
Trowa shook his head; "Everything is already taken care of, besides it's too dangerous for you to go alone."
"I'm more than capable of taking care of myself." She said defensively, her crystal eyes becoming intense.
"I can't let you put yourself in danger." He responded calmly.
"Since when do you get to decide what I can and cannot do?!" Midii jumped to her feet in exasperation, "besides if you won't help me get a shuttle, I'll leave and get my own!"
Trowa came to his feet as well, "What makes you think you can even get out of this house?" She stared at him for a moment unable to speak.
"How can you deny me this?!" she all but shouted.
"I don't want to see you get hurt."
"That is not your decision to make!" she turned on her heels and left the room slamming the door behind her, Trowa took a step to follow but stopped himself, she may be mad at him but at least she was safe. He made a decision then, walking back to the chair he had hung his shirt over Trowa shrugged back into it, he then took hold of his silenced gun that rested on the near by table. Checking the ammo he slipped the weapon behind his belt and left the room.
Through it was not really late, already the house was silent, he moved down the hall without a sound. His eyes focused on one spot of air before him. Trowa did not take notice of the architecture of Quatre's home as he might have before. He simply walked on face set. He heard the footsteps following him long before he reached the large oak door, it was not until he had the door opened that Quatre spoke.
"Where are you going Trowa?" he asked in his gentle voice.
"I have something I need to take care of." He did not turn from the door.
"Without Midii?"
"Yes."
Quatre lay one hand on his friend's shoulder; "This is about Kain isn't it?" Trowa said nothing but his silence was confirmation on its own. "Trowa it's already been taken care of."
"This is personal." He could not say why he felt he had to take care of this now, but he was not about to risk Midii in any way.
"What connection does Midii have to this man?"
"It doesn't matter, the connection won't be there long." His voice was low and more adamant than he had expected.
"I think you're making a mistake Trowa, this isn't your problem."
"It is now." Quatre withdrew his hand, "Promise me you won't let her leave the house."
"Trowa I…"
"Promise Me!!" Trowa spoke through clenched teeth.
"I promise…" Quatre mumbled his voice no more than a whisper.
Trowa nodded mutely satisfied with his friends promise, as he walked from the silent home he spoke over his shoulder, "Don't tell her where I've gone, I'll be back in a few days." Trowa never looked back as he climbed into his car and gunned it down the driveway into the night.
***
Trowa had caught a shuttle late that night and had rested the next day at a nondescript motel; he now sat within his car once again shrouded by the night's shadows. His hands flew along the keys of his computer, moments before he had hacked his way into Kain's information mainframe and was presently committing to memory the blueprints and security systems that he would have to overcome. For a moment Trowa let his emerald gaze travel up to the building the which stood before him, for all intents and purposes it was nothing more than a regular corporation. But in the deepest shadows Trowa had found armed guards, more than anyone in business need, though not nearly enough to constitute an army.
It made him wonder silently what it was Kain was up to, he shook his head and finished scanning through his information. Trowa reached into his glove box and pulled out a small leather case, inside was every tool he would need to make it past their security systems, which he noticed with a half smile where nothing he could not handle. He stepped from the car and melted into the shadows, as he moved towards the skyscraper his thoughts turned involuntarily towards Midii, by now she would know he was missing. The question was, did she care? He pushed the thought from his mind knowing that it was far better that Midii be mad at him and safe, than beside him and in danger.
Trowa leaned against the wall of the building and pulled forward the small leather case. He carefully removed a small computer, and hooked it up to the security system that guarded the small door he stood beside. Within seconds he was standing inside Kain's organisation, Trowa pulled his silenced gun from behind his belt and made his way forward without a sound. His progress was slow as he was constantly forced to stop and hack into the computer systems to make it by any precautions Kain had put into place. He could easily have shut the whole system down, but that would have alerted everyone within the building to his presence, even if they did not know where he was.
Even with the time it took to disable and restart each system Trowa still made it to the main elevator in under a half-hour. He leaned calmly against one wall and watched as the numbers flashed by above him, every muscle in his body was tense and ready for anything that might come around the next corner. As the elevator slowed to a stop Trowa moved to one side of the door and glanced cautiously out as the doors slide opened. There was no one guarding the elevator, and he could hear no sign of any soldiers moving about.
With a cat like grace, Trowa edged towards his destination, he could not afford to be too careful now, he was deep within the enemy base, and although they were unaware of his presence things could still go terribly wrong. Trowa cursed silently as he heard men moving down the hall towards him, glancing about he found that there was nowhere for him to move to, he was going to be forced to make his presence known. They came around the corner, twelve men in uniforms, completely unaware of the man standing before them.
Trowa dropped into a low crouch, gun aimed on his nearest target, the men hesitated in surprise, and the ex-pilot did not waste a second of his advantage. He exploded forward, firing off five rapid shots and took out the same number of men. He aimed always for the legs wanting only to disable them. By the time the five men were down the others had recovered and surrounded him, trying to overwhelm him with shear numbers. Trowa moved quickly, fighting hand to hand, he brought his leg up and clipped one man in the temple sending him to the ground in a senseless heap. He leg swept another and caught him square in the face as he fell.
Finding that the men were beginning to surround him to close, Trowa vaulted from among their ranks and landed some distance away, as he touched ground he felt a bullet tear across his shoulder. He forced the pain from his mind and dove to the side taking up his gun from where he had been forced to drop it. Trowa took out three more men including the gun man, he trained his sights on what he thought was the last man, as his finger was about to pull back on the trigger Trowa noticed the mans eyes shift to something behind him. The former Gundam pilot swung around but it was too late the last man grabbed him from behind in an iron grip.
The other man came forward and began to pummel Trowa's ribs and abdomen, with a stream of punches his eyes blazing with fury. Trowa twisted within his captors grasp, as he felt his ribs begin to give way under the assault, he caught his captors leg with his own and threw him off balance. As the man began to fall Trowa broke his grip and back flipped over him, as he landed his leg shot out and caught the man in the side of the neck, ending his fight. The last man who before had so ruthlessly attacked him now turned and ran when Trowa locked his emerald eyes on him.
Trowa did not bother to look at the mini war zone around him, he simply took into his hands a gun that one of the men had discarded and charged after the man. Blood trickled down his arm, and pain burned through him, he found it hard to breathe as he raced down the halls, but all of this he pushed away, his mind focused on his mission. He rounded another corner and skidded to a halt, more than a dozen men blocked the hall, all wore guns but none hand drawn them, for a moment Trowa wondered why. His question however was soon answered.
"Remember he has to be taken alive." One man among the ranks cautioned. Trowa dropped back into a defensive crouch and raised his gun, the men came at him at once, he was not sure how many of them he took out. They swarmed over him, slamming him to the ground. Trowa tried to draw in a ragged breath but one of the men drove his knee into the small of his back, as both of his arms where roughly taken and tied behind his back. He was painfully hauled to his feet and he found himself face to face with an officer, the man looked him up and down for a moment, his eyes intense.
"That's quite a fight you put up for just one man." He was the man who had warned, that Trowa was to be taken alive. "Just who are you anyway?" Trowa made no response, the man nodded his head and another soldier began to search his pockets, the only thing they came back with was the small computer and leather case. "Well what have we here?" The man turned the computer on and Trowa silently prepared for the explosion that was to come. As the officer tried to access the files without imputing the proper codes, a warning siren filled the air, Trowa body checked the man that was holding him and drove the both of them to the ground.
The officer threw the item away in shock, the explosion sent a shockwave through the base and knocked every man from his feet. Trowa was once more dragged to a standing position, as the officer climbed shakily to his feet. "Well you're certainly more than any common terrorist." He gestured to the men holding Trowa and began to walk down the winding halls. A band of soldiers who had obviously heard the explosion soon met them, as they moved towards their destination. The officer who led Trowa spoke briefly to them and they soon were sent running back the way Trowa had been led, to help the wounded.
They soon came in sight of two large and carefully carved doors, Trowa had no doubts as to who was behind those doors, he remained quiet, and tried to focus on something other than the pain. He knew that to gain any sort of advantage he would have to be fully alert. The officer entered first, and moments later Trowa was led in. The room was large, the wall opposite the door given over entirely to windows displaying a view of the colony beyond. A heavy mahogany desk sat in the shadow of the window and behind was a swivel chair, the occupant Trowa could not make out; he did however instantly recognise the man that stood beside the desk. He was the small man that had searched Trowa's trailer, in the hopes of finding Midii and Erik. Trowa once more reassured himself that both were safe and would stay that way no matter what happened to him.
Trowa was forced to his knees before the desk, as the men about him snapped to attention. The swivel chair slowly turned, giving Trowa his first look at the man that had killed both Midii's and Erik's families. He was at least in his early forties, with piercing blue eyes that seemed to try and bore through him. "So this is the man that took out fifteen of our men." Kain's voice was low as he studied Trowa's face. Trowa's attention however was more focused on the man standing beside the desk, the small man had taken a great interest in him, and had yet to look away. But upon hearing the charge lain against Trowa his eyes brightened and he seemed to look at Trowa as if he had never seen him before.
"Sir, do not trouble yourself with such a problem, allow me to handle this."
Kain turned to study the small man for a moment, before nodding, "Do what you like, Argile. But make sure you kill him in the end." The small man nodded without a word and with another gesture Trowa was once more drawn to his feet and led from the room.
Nothing was said as they walked down the halls, or at least nothing Trowa could hear, Argile had moved ahead with the officer and was quietly conferring with him. Trowa glanced about mutely his mind racing for a way out, but he could find nothing, two men held his arms, which were also securely bound behind him. He was led into a medium sized room in the centre of which was a chair meant to shackle both the wrists and legs. They forced him down first shackling his legs then untying his hands and securing them to the chair. When the process was complete Trowa found himself alone facing the small man.
"I don't know of many people who could have pulled off what you just did. Breaking through every security system we have, without our knowledge. Then taking on a dozen men and winning without taking one life, in all you have seriously injured fifteen of our top soldiers." Argile paused folding his arms across his chest; "No, I can honestly say that I know of only five men who could possible have pulled this off."
He pushed himself off the wall he had been leaning against and walked towards Trowa, "Who would ever have thought a gundam pilot would actually walk right into our hands?" Trowa remained silent his eyes and face showing nothing, but if anything that only reaffirmed, what Argile believed. "Well you're far too valuable to kill, or to be left in Kain's hands, he would never put your talents to proper use." With one last glance Argile moved from the room.
Now alone Trowa strained against his bonds but found them solid, he did not however stop. He put all his strength behind his left hand, working his wrist this way and that until the leather bit deep into his skin. He was however forced to stop when the door once more opened and a woman walked in. She was in her early thirties with hair the same colour as Midii's though it did not appear to be nearly as soft, she wore a white lab coat, and there was an innocence about her eyes that did not seem to fit with the place in which she worked.
She gave Trowa a half smile before she moved to his right shoulder and slowly rolled his sleeve away from the bullet wound. Trowa tried to pull his arm away but found that there was very little room for him to move, she simply smiled again and gently took his arm, "Hold still I have to clean this." Trowa complied realising that his efforts where futile, he simply sat silently and watched her bath the gash with hydrogen peroxide. Pain burned through him but Trowa did not think about it, his mind was still focused on a way to escape.
"You look too young to be a terrorist." She said softly, as she tied a bandage about his upper arm, Trowa watched her but said nothing, he was fairly sure she had not been made to ask that question but she was safer knowing as little as possible. She carefully unrolled his sleeve all the while studying his face to see if anything changed, nothing had. The woman moved to kneel in front of him and for a moment she simply bore her eyes into his own, her eyes were a soft grey, and they seemed not to know the truth of the world that Trowa's had been born with.
She shook her head and took hold of the top button of his shirt and undid it, she continued on down until his shirt hung opened. Trowa simply watched having nothing else he could do, her hands did not move with the same grace that Midii's did, hers were far more precise. Trowa glanced down at his exposed chest and found it already to be a mass of bruises, he drew in a shallow breath and felt stabs of pain from all around. The woman began to bind his ribs tightly with a rolled bandage, her hands where cool against his skin as she worked. When she had finished she climbed to her feet and moved to a counter across from him.
With her back turned Trowa once more tested his bonds all the while keeping an eye on the woman, when he saw a syringe come into view he redoubled his efforts. He was not so naïve as to believe whatever drug was going into the syringe would in any way help him. Trowa's efforts were rewarded, with a tare of flesh the leather snapped and his arm was free, he instantly undid the bonds on his right arm, and moved to those on his legs. He was standing by the time the woman turned around, she screamed in alarm, her hand shooting back under the edge of the counter to a button Trowa had not even seen.
The room filled with sirens and seconds later a dozen men came rushing in all brandishing their weapons. Trowa remained stock still his mind racing, it almost seemed to him as if they had trained for this exact situation. Moments passed and Trowa could hear the sound of applause, Argile walked slowly into the room, a smile dancing upon his face. "If I had had any doubts before they're certainly gone now." Trowa's face never changed; "You must understand I can't afford to take any risks with you, and since your simply being awake is a risk…" he left the rest hanging and looked to the woman whose eyes still seemed wild when she looked at Trowa.
Argile gestured towards Trowa, and the woman moved slowly towards him, her eyes still unsure. Trowa felt like a caged animal, his mind reeled. They had been preparing for this situation for what had to be years, what really was going on? The woman cautiously took his left arm into her hand; Trowa flexed every muscle in his arm in the hopes that the tip of the needle would break off. But it appeared as though the woman had had experience with difficult patience before; she simply turned his arm and inserted the syringe. Seconds later Trowa could feel the alien drug working its way through his system, and he fought it off.
"I wouldn't waste your time, it will only make waking more difficult, besides we doubled the dose. Not even your system can fight it off." Trowa knew Argile's words to be true but he could not back down from the fight. He felt the pain from his broken ribs begin to recede and he knew that he did not have very much longer. Trowa fell forward into the blackness; he never felt himself touch ground.