Chimera of Life
Story Six: Wisdom's Harmony
Chapter Three
By Heartfire
~*~
Silence such as he had never he had encountered before touched them. Not even the gay music from outside penetrated through the thin wooden boards of his trailer. She needs him. How could she just suddenly appear in his life like this and demand for such a thing?
"Trowa… please… I need you…"
Her voice came once again, and a sound left Trowa's voice. Was that a strangled chuckle? He saw her cringe, and he wanted to see more of that pain in her eyes. "To do what? To kill for you? To kill innocent people? Or do you want me to blow this circus up?" Those eyes that had haunted him for so long suddenly filled up with tears, and his sweet taste of victory turned sour.
A sharp intake of breath was heard before she spoke again while memories of the past assailed her. "I tried… to explain-"
"I don't need your explanation." He had seen what he needed to see. The truth.
"Trowa-"
"Midii, you do not need me." He heard the pain in her voice… that was how she had uttered his name that last day he saw her, and just like that day, he turned away from her. "You do not need me at all."
A sigh like that of the wind reached his ears, and he felt his skin crawl from those sharp flashes of remembrances.
"Yes… I do."
A cold hand touched his bare muscled arm, and he quickly jerked it away. Cold hands… She always had such cold hands, not like Cathy.
"Please…"
Thank God for darkness. "Midii, just tell me what you want, then leave." He felt her pain more than he saw it, and then he felt her move away from him. Good.
He would not let her in… She should have expected it. She cannot do anything about that now… but she must do this. "I need your help… I need you to come with me."
An incredulous grunt left Trowa as he turned around to face her. "To where?" His lips quirked in a sinister fashion and he couldn't understand this deep craving to break her.
"To India…"
India? Trowa rolled his eyes uncharacteristically. "Get to the point, Midii. What's in India?"
'My life.' Midii's hand went to her chest as she closed her eyes. "I do not have much time. I can only tell you this… come with me and protect this world you once fought for."
That caught Trowa's attention and he looked back at her, a frown upon his brows. "Go to the Preventers."
Midii looked away. She had worked for the Preventers before, but… they will not trust her any more, at least, she does not think they would. Now, though… her father was dead, one of her brothers shared the same fate through the war, and the other in an asylum unable to withstand the mental strains during the war. Without them, nobody can manipulate her again… unless they find out about… "They won't believe me…"
Trowa's eyebrow rose as though he knew that such a thing would happen. Once the Preventers were deceived, the deceiver will never think to cross their path again. "What makes you think that I will?"
Midii bit her lower lip, swallowing the lump that had caught in her throat. "The thought that maybe… you once knew me…"
Trowa met her gaze and for once let her knew what he thought. "I never knew you, Midii. Never." The tears he saw fell down her cheeks… he could tell, and he could already imagine her trembling lips, but though something in him yielded, he was still spurned by the pain of her betrayal.
Silence encompassed them once again… an eating silence. A detestable one, but he did not cede. He won't.
"I'm sorry, Trowa… for everything."
He heard her move to the door.
"Forgive me."
Her voice held her tears, but his heart was stubborn. She opened his door, and moonlight poured inside the dark trailer. The past haunted him and his hand raced up to his hair to push it away as though by doing so, he was also pushing those memories out of his mind… but they held clear and strong. "How could you expect me to forgive you?" He leaned against his wall, feeling so weak and strong at the same time. Was this it? Was this truly what she came here to do? Why now, after all this time?
"I only ask you this..."
His ears perked at her soft voice, and though he did not look at her, his full attention was snared.
"Do not make the world suffer because of what I did. I can live without your forgiveness, though I would rather not… but can you live with the thought that your loved ones died with something you could have helped me stop?"
There it was… her manipulative part. That part he had seen a long time ago. Her voice was soft but it held a threat and showed the strong woman beneath that frail body and sensitive eyes. He succumbed once… He will not again.
"If you change your mind…"
His head turned, but she had already closed the door. Trowa turned on the light switch and he had to blink a couple of times for the spots to leave his vision. His eyes traveled around the room. She didn't take anything with her… not that there was anything of value anyway. But…
He walked to the dresser and stared at the brochures. She left some things. Cautiously, as if it were a snake about to bite, he reached for them. "Airplane ticket… One way." To India. It was set for today- tonight. He couldn't help but remember her eyes when she said that place. What was so important in India? Why was it that… he felt that he must go there? Granted, he doesn't trust her, but there was just something about this that made him wary. His instincts had always guided him, and this time, it was telling him to follow Midii though he was angry with her.
The sharp rap against his door nearly made him jump. It opened, revealing Cathy with her gray eyes full of concern.
"Trowa?"
He quickly pulled off his mask and placed it atop the ticket. "What is it, Cathy?" the way her quick eyes glanced at the table, at his mask, showed Trowa that she noticed.
"I saw someone running away from here… I was just..." Cathy bit her lower lip, unable to determine that look upon Trowa's face. "Tell me…"
Trowa shook his head before he looked away. "There isn't anything to tell." He saw her move closer, felt her touch on his hand, and couldn't help but follow her gentle touch to move his hand away and let her show the thing he was hiding.
"Is there trouble?"
Trowa moved away from her, walking to the bolted window. He heard the heightened concern in her voice and he mentally cursed himself for adding a burden to her peaceful life. "I don't know yet."
"But you want to make sure… don't you?"
Trowa shook his head. "No." The moment he uttered that syllable, he knew he lied. Midii knew him better than he thought. She dangled the right motivation in front of him- protecting his loved ones. He suddenly felt a touch on his cheek and slowly he turned, meeting Cathy's eyes.
"Yes. You do…"
The way her voice echoed his mind… the way she looked at him… Trowa leaned to her, closing his eyes and touched his forehead against hers. "I don't want to leave you." He doesn't. Not again. He doesn't want to lose this peace in his still troubled heart.
"But you have to, don't you? Just to make sure…"
Her breath touched his cheek, telling him that this was reality. He could hear the crack in her voice. The tears… He could remember stories of his co-workers of how she would wait up for him during the evenings after he left, staring at the sky, willing for him to be all right. He felt her hands cup his cheek, pushing his face away, yet at the same time, caressing it.
"How long?"
Trowa shook his head, his eyes still closed. "I don't know."
"Dangerous?"
He shrugged. Midii didn't say.
"When?"
"Soon." Very soon… Tonight. Why so quickly?
"I guess… there's only one thing to say."
This time, Trowa opened his eyes. Trails of tears trailed down Cathy's cheek, but a hopeful smile shone on her lips.
"Take care, Trowa."
He was suddenly encompassed in a hard embrace and slowly… his hands encircled her waist.
"I don't want to lose you… I don't want to let you go. God! Why does this always happen?" A sarcastic laugh left her before she slowly moved away.
Trowa felt his heart in a jumble. He had a life and Midii just had to show up to ruin it again.
"I had a brother once…" Cathy started before she wiped some tears away. "If he had grown up, I would have loved for him to be like you…"
His throat felt as though a thousand wads of cotton was pushed down into his esophagus. "I probably had a family once…" Tears started to sting his eyes and he had to blink quickly to stop them. "If I had a sister… I wish she was just like you…"
Tearful smiles lighted their faces. Trowa touched her cheek just as she brushed back his hair to look at his face and memorize his features.
"Write to me… even if it's only every month… even if it's just a word. I can't bear not knowing if…" She couldn't end her sentence. The time during the war, she was beside herself, trying to know if he was still alive, or dead.
"I will. I promise."
"No…" Changing her mind, her hands reached for his and squeezed it. "I don't care if you won't write, just promise me that you'll take care, you hear?"
The hard look on her face reminded him of the time when Quatre came to the circus while he had amnesia. He was afraid of her then… of that hard look, but now, he's so pleased to see it. The corner of his lips turned up and his eyes softened. "I promise that, too."
"Well…" Cathy breathed in deeply before she brushed her tears away with the back of her hand. "Let's get you packed." But the moment she said that, she bit her lower lip and looked at the knapsack beside the dresser just as Trowa did the same thing. "Oh…"
He was already packed. Always ready.
Cathy's arms went around him once again, and he wished with all his might that he would only be gone for a little while… just a little while.
…
"You're wrong, Trowa… you don't understand." Hands secured the hood that covered her hair, enveloping her face in darkness. "You never listen." Her hands clutched the cloth tighter, the only sign of tension within. From within the shadows, her sky blue eyes darted here and there, aware of every person, of every shadow, of every thing.
Could she truly blame everything on him, though? She knew… she knew that it was also her fault. Damn her weakness. She had felt so lost without him, so dead. She loved him then… and still does now, but in a different way.
"I wish I could tell you everything…" But now isn't the time for disclosure.
Impatiently, she twisted her wrist and checked the time then sighed, all hope lost. "I should have known…" Her head hung, and she turned around willing her tears not to fall.
"Passengers for flight 102, now boarding."
What should she do, now? Escape? How she wished it would be so easy, but the base will locate her faster than the Preventers could. There was nowhere to hide. Nowhere. "I've failed." Again. What a damnable life she leads!
Someone pushed against her and her head whipped up to glare at that person but something at the far side, near the entrance of the boarding tunnel, caught her eyes. Her hood fell, spilling her long, straight strands of golden silk just as clear blue eyes connected with forest green. His face was a mask, but she didn't care because he came. He came, that was the only important thing.
She reached him, the disbelief in her eyes showing as she uttered his name, "Trowa…" He didn't acknowledge her. He only turned around, waited for her to move then they walked together in silence towards the tunnel. "Thank you…" Midii whispered as they entered the airplane, following the stewardess. From the corner of her eyes, she watched him. He didn't say 'you're welcome', nor did he appear to have heard her words, but she didn't mind. She thanked him all the same.
…
She sat by the airplane window, lovely as always… delicate as a sunflower that looked up to the sun. He felt something stir in him, an echo of his old feelings for her. Though it wasn't the same, it was still something. Was it because she's a link to his past? But… he wants to forget his past. There wasn't much to remember, anyway. His amnesia was a blessing in disguise, though it was just too bad that bits and pieces of it haunted him.
She turned and caught his eyes, nodding her head but not saying anything.
Just as well. If she won't tell him why she needs him so much, it was fine with him. He can wait.
"Aren't you even curious about what you've gotten yourself into?" Midii asked, her head tilting in that way that he knew so much.
"I figured you'd tell me soon enough." Trowa replied, feeling that pang of interest.
Midii nodded, not sure how to start, then she shrugged, finding the words that explained but didn't really say much. "We're going to infiltrate an organization."
Trowa's face remained unusually calm at the news- another organization. Does the Preventers know of this? If they do, Midii and he might sabotage the mission… then again, if they don't… "And you need my help because…?"
Her eyes didn't waver, wanting him to understand. She cannot say anything yet. "Just trust me."
He hadn't expected the sound that left his throat- a grunt that was usually Wufei's trademark. He looked away from her, his fist clenching. 'Trust needs to be earned…' Save for the handful he trusted, he knew no one else that he would willingly write in that list.
Midii sighed silently. She knew she'd hurt him, but he also had hurt her. She was so lost when he left her. She had cried herself to sleep, had given up eating… had given up on life, but she didn't die. She couldn't understand why she didn't, but now she did.
Trowa nearly cringed. He could still feel that ache she had left in his heart with that sigh.
"Trowa…" Midii bit her inner lip, unsure if she should continue, but she pushed those doubts away, knowing that she must. "I know I've hurt you but you hurt me, too. We didn't really listen to each other… that day…" Tears once again started to prick her eyes.
Trowa wanted to turn away. He didn't want to listen. He didn't want to know… but his body stayed, and he let her talk.
"That day, my heart told me that I loved you, but I was too confused." Her hand unconsciously went up to her hair to tensely tug at a strand. "I still love you, Trowa… not in that way, but in a special way… and I still trust you. I am asking from that trust." There, she finally said it. She felt so much at peace- thank the Lord!
Trowa took a deep breath as he felt an invisible hand press against his chest. He tried to turn away from the feelings she evoked and focus on his anger… tried so hard. "Why do you trust me?"
Midii shrugged, turning away from him since he wasn't looking at her anyway. "I just… I just do. You have a good heart, Trowa. You fight for peace. If you won't do this for me, then do it for the people. I need your help, and you're the only one who can do it." Her hand cupped her face as she stared at the clouds outside. "The only one…" She whispered, knowing that this was the best answer she could give.
Trowa couldn't speak. He thought he had buried this feeling for her a long time ago, but now- he chanced a glance back at her- now it was suffocating him. He couldn't think correctly. Should he? Should he help her? Should he trust her again?
…
They traveled in silence, each lost in their own thought. It didn't surprise Trowa that Midii had asked the driver to take them out of the city, that they walked into the woods far away from the lights of civilization's New India, and that she uncovered a camouflaged jeep from underneath wild bushes, meters away from the main road.
The sun was setting, a spray of pink and orange in the sky that gloried in wonder. It was a different setting, as every continent is different. Instead of a cool breeze, the humid air clung to their skin, but it was still a pleasant sunset.
"Get in. We don't have much time." Midii ordered as she jumped into the driver's seat, and turned on the jeep in one fluid motion.
That was when his initial surprise came. Instead of hearing the roar of an engine, he only heard a click, a sudden whirling, and then silence just as his stomach lurched and he found the jeep, hovering. He chanced a glance at Midii and saw that she bit her lower lip. Good. She's nervous. There were more things she hadn't mentioned.
"It's a hovercraft." Midii whispered in apology just as they shot forward with unnatural speed.
"I gathered as much." Trowa answered as he stared forward, noticing that they didn't go back to the main road, but instead were moving deeper into the forest.
"It was stolen technology from the government."
'I thought so.' Trowa mused, wanting to stop the car and inspect the engine. He had kept in contact with developments. Though the government had gone into great strides with various technologies- top secret or not- there had only been sparse accomplishments with hovercrafts, and the expensiveness of such also caused many disinterest from the people. Afterall, the vehicle was only a means of transportation, just like ordinary- and very cheap- cars.
In no time at all, Trowa saw the top ends of wired fences, clearly looming over the tallest trees. The vehicle was fast. He knew that the city they landed in was still a day's travel away from the guarded government project compound… then again, he's in no ordinary car.
"Hang on." Midii muttered while her right hand pushed a button where the radios would have been. It opened and a panel of switches and keyboard blinked in front of Trowa's eyes.
He frowned as he watched Midii punch a word in the keyboard, his quick eyes following the blur of her fingers, then she flicked some of the switches. A feeling of nausea suddenly took over Trowa's body. He thought he saw the front of the jeep shimmer and he had to blink a couple of times, unable to believe what he saw. His stomach churned and the need to throw up made his suddenly sweaty fingers curl over the edge of his seat. He never experienced such a sensation before and he chanced a look at Midii again, who appeared cool and composed.
"It'll pass."
'What will?' Trowa wondered groggily. Why the sudden change that he wasn't able to control? What happened? He tried to regain control of his body, of his senses, staring ahead to show Midii that he did not know what she was talking about- that he was unaffected by whatever it was...
The iron fence loomed in front of them, and then Trowa's fist readied for a fight as his eyes caught sight of the guards who stood by the area a meter away from the fence. Once again, he chanced a look at Midii, but she didn't even give them a glance as her right hand tapped something into the panel and Trowa's stomach was left to the ground in a sudden rush.
A gust of wind blew the guards' caps off. Trowa saw the look of confusion, so clear on their faces, as Midii guided the hovercraft over the fence and into the other side. He looked back and saw one of the guards shrug, and that was when he knew… He should have asked what he was going to deal with before, then again, he was used to walking on a tight rope.
"They didn't see us." He phrased it in a sentence that left room for her to open up.
Midii nodded before she wiped a sweat off her forehead. "No, they didn't… It's part of the technology being perfected within the compound."
A renewed sense of anxiety flowed through Trowa. They were inside Southern India, without the government's pass. He could be quite sure that there were only limited numbers of men within the compound… so… "How are you planning to smuggle me into the compound?"
"We'll integrate. Just keep that stoic mask and that soulless look in your eyes. You'll be fine."
Soulless? It felt as though something stabbed his heart. Trowa saw Midii bite her lower lip.
"I mean-"
He shook his head, knowing that it was an indirect insult. "No need." He looked out at the dense trees, surprised that there was enough space for them to maneuver through.
"You don't need to do anything. I'll do it myself. I just need you to…"
Trowa noticed how Midii's hands tightened on the steering wheel.
"I just need you to be there…"
His instincts rang a sense of danger and he knew that she wasn't telling him everything… but like he said before, he can wait.
She drove recklessly, but he didn't mind. He liked the feel of wind against his face. They covered miles of lands in a short period of time, and then Trowa felt the craft slow down. A boulder of rock loomed in front of them, thick and solid, but Midii didn't pay any attention to it as she stopped the craft beside it.
The sound of flowing water made Trowa look around him and he noticed a stream of water, clear and shimmering underneath the crescent moon. His ears pricked as he heard Midii jump from the craft and then rummage behind him. The next thing he knew, she was beside him, dropping some clothing on his lap.
"Put these on."
He noticed that she had a bundle in her other arm before she turned away and walked into the trees. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she was going to change.
Trowa jumped out of the jeep and peeled off his shirt and jeans, methodically folding them, laying them carefully on his seat, and then he donned on the coarse black jacket and pants. It surprised him that they fit him well, as if they were made exactly for him. He was wondering how she knew his size when she appeared, carrying her jeans and shirt in a messy jumble.
Midii looked up then stopped in mid-stride as she caught sight of him. Her breath caught in her throat, and it took an effort for her to shrug it off casually.
Trowa eyed her carefully. He had seen her reaction clearly. It was shock, surprise… and then it seemed as though she should have known whatever it was that she should have before she looked away. Yet through it all, Trowa felt a sense of pride that he had seen that jolt of appreciation in her eyes.
"I knew they'd fit you…" Midii whispered before she grabbed a sack from the back of the jeep and then pushed her clothes in it.
That twinge of wistfulness made Trowa want to question her, but before he could, she faced him again with her hand outstretched.
"Give me your clothes."
Trowa carefully passed his clothes to her then his eyes slanted in slight anger when she just carelessly crammed it inside the sack.
"I'll be right back." She ran into that clump of trees again, but it wasn't long before she returned. She motioned for him to go to the back of the craft just as she reached him. "We need to hide this over there." She pointed to the curtain of vines that crawled the side of the boulder and Trowa frowned.
"Do you think you could push this in there while I hold the vines?" Midii asked, not even waiting for his answer as she jogged beside the boulder, satisfying Trowa's curiosity when she grabbed the vines and pulled it towards her.
Trowa saw a crevice, large enough to hide the two-seater small jeep within. It wasn't hard to push it into the crack and in no time at all, they finished and Midii let go. The vines didn't even looked as if it were disturbed!
"One last thing." Midii said as she walked up to Trowa.
He stood his place as he eyed her, his anxiety returning, and then, he nearly jolted when she grabbed his left sleeve and pulled it, ripping it. She moved quickly, even tearing his pants at various sides, and then she grabbed a handful of sand and started rubbing it over his arms and legs.
"What are you doing?"
Midii continued, grabbing another handful of sand and patting it onto his face. "It's Thursday. That's the only reason I was able to escape. We have training sessions and we need to look as if we've been through traps, but not tired."
He watched as she poured sand over her blonde hair and then started ripping her clothes, even going so far as adding holes.
"What kind of traps?" Trowa asked cautiously while Midii tangled her hair.
"I'll show some to you later. We need to get going. We're already late. Let's just hope they haven't sent the recovery team out, yet."
Trowa followed her quick steps between the trees when she suddenly stopped. He wondered, as he regained his balance, if she truly knew where she was going. It was only when he heard a sob from her that he followed her eyes, and that was when he saw a man, in the same uniform as their own, sprawled against the base of a tree. His eyes were opened wide, but there was no emotion in them, not of fear or anger… and with the light of the crescent moon, they saw the dark patches of blood upon his chest.
There were vines tangled against the man's right foot and Trowa followed it with his eyes, saw how it ended into a thin rope wrapped around a machine gun that was propped against one of the branches.
There was no doubt, this was one of the tests… booby traps was a better word for them, though.
Midii sharply turned the other side, half walking and half running… running away from that body and Trowa couldn't blame her.
"Your name is Tristan Brigham. Number 0874." The barrage of information came from Midii, wanting anything to keep her mind off that man. "They will always ask for your number so know it by heart. Never look at anyone in the eyes. You will always follow the commands. The head of the medical ward is Lieutenant Matthew, the head of the organization is a Mr. Blake. Sector Nine, Eleven and Fifteen is off limits-"
"Midii." Trowa could feel remorse, anger, and so much more from her. She wasn't calm and collected, and if she was correct, that a person must not show emotion inside the compound, then… she was not in the right state of mind.
"And we have drills at 0600 hours-" Midii shook her head. She cannot look at him right now. She hates dead people… God! She hates it so much.
"Midii." Trowa started once again as he saw her shoulders give a decipherable shake.
"Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner will be heralded by a bell-"
Trowa reached out for her hand, stopping her, and then the next thing he knew, she had turned around and buried her face against his chest.
"Oh Trowa… they don't even know it… They don't even know that they were going to die… They're like puppets. Mindless. Brainwashed."
He couldn't understand her other words, garbled by her whimpers, and Trowa felt her tears dampen his jacket. He could remember a time like this… He was the one crying, confused, and Cathy was the one who had her arms around him. Slowly, his hands curved around her shoulders and he rubbed her back. He felt sympathy for her, compassion, care…but he doesn't love her anymore… not any more.
"I'm sorry." Midii whispered before she pushed herself away and then started her trek. "Thank you, Trowa…"
Trowa stared at her retreating back, following, wondering how she was able to give him a name and a number… she must have been confident that he would help her. He was well aware of her skill with computers and programming, and if she were working in the inside, it would be easier for her to access it.
Well… now he has another name. Tristan. It sounded nice.
He stopped when Midii paused in front of a tree. That was when he received the second shock that night. The tree trunk opened into a panel almost similar to that of the one in the craft.
"Midii Une 0457 and Tristan Brigham 0874, reporting."
A sparkle to his left caught Trowa's attention and he faced the clearing. Slowly, his eyes widened just as the shimmering light appeared, the soft glow enough to be beautiful, but enough not to attract attention.
Right before him, a huge compound of white walls appeared. From the corner of his eyes, he watched a change on Midii's face, as if her eyes became tired and she wasn't herself anymore. She motioned for him to follow her and he knew… he knew that once he walks through those doors, his life would change…