Chimera of Life
Story Six: Wisdom's Harmony
Chapter Ten
By Heartfire
~*~
Onie sleepily opened her eyes and stared directly upon Trowa's face, gauging if he was still sleeping or not. When she was sure he was still under the influence of the herbs she gathered, she yawned and stretched.
It's been five? Six days? Ever since that explosion from the cabin. She wondered if her father had even tried to look for her, then she wondered how she and Trowa were going to survive… Most especially, she wondered about Trowa.
He'd been unconscious for three days, after the cabin exploded. She tried her best to look after the slight burns on his hands and cheek, his bruises, and wounds. For the most part, the external injuries seemed to be healing, but…
Onie turned to look at him again. His face was starting to look normal. Most of the swelling were down in a minimum, and she made sure he was clean.
She thought he'd never wake up, maybe he went into a coma after that explosion… maybe he'd been so near, and bumped his head so badly… but then, on the fourth day, when she woke up from a quick nap and saw him staring at her… She should have been happy. Yet, she wasn't. Why?
Onie shivered as she remembered that day.
It was that look. It was blank… it reminded her too much of her father's newly brainwashed people… it was just so… nothing, and he wasn't moving. He just lay there, head tilted to her side, and she couldn't stand it. She acted quickly and gave him a sleeping pill… Thank God that within a few minutes, he had closed his eyes.
She only had a number of those pills, and she knew she might need them in the future, so she resorted to the reliable plants around the area. She knew where they were, she knew how to handle them… and so far, they've survived because of them. The food she packed for him was not enough and she wanted to save some for when Trowa was finally awake and in his old self.
Until then… they're living on borrowed time.
And what of Tristan and Midii? She could only hope that they were able to escape… if not…
'I don't want to think about it.' Onie stood up and went about with her work. It was time to give Trowa his medicine and right now was the best time to go out and gather more supplies, while the dew is still wet on the leaves.
'Just imagine…' she thought as she walked out of the cave and tried to be as unobtrusive as ever, 'somewhere across the oceans, it is actually late evening or afternoon.'
She faced the direction towards the compound and sighed. "Good morning, papa." She whispered as she imagined her father's face. 'I hope you will understand what I've done-'
An incredulous sound left her lips as a loud explosion resounded in the air coupled with a fierce spark from where she was staring. The spark turned into a high column of flame, and then dark, thick smoke wafted into the atmosphere.
"Daddy…!" Herbs fell from her shocked hands, then she started running. Trees, bushes, and branches faded in a spin of green and brown. Her eyes were only focused upon one place. Her sides ached and she was gasping for air, but giving herself time quick enough for a couple of breath, she started her sprint once again.
And then, she reached it.
She couldn't speak.
She stood, a couple of feet within the forest's border, but with view enough of the place she had lived in for more than half her life… the only place she truly knew, both underground and above. "Papa…" The whispered left her lips as she fell to her knees and stared at the burning rubble in front of her. There were bodies that littered the ground too… innocent lives…
What, or who could have done this?
A sob escaped her lips and her hands went up to cup her mouth, but try as she might to stop those sounds, she couldn't. Her father and she may not have had the best relationship, but he was still her father. Her only family.
Onie lay down on the ground and curled into a ball, silently weeping her father's life, and that of the people who lived in the compound…
…
She didn't know how long she wept or stayed, but she knew that if she didn't get out of the place soon, government officials would be jumping on her back and demanding explanations which she wasn't sure she could give.
Onie dragged herself from the black misery that seemed to want to envelop her and tried to tell herself that there was still Trowa to look after. She was halfway to their hideout, treading through the river water when she heard some scraping noises, followed by… grunts?
She looked down. The river was too clear and if she got out of it, whoever's out there would surely see her wet footprints! She was starting to panic when she remembered that the gun she added in Trowa's backpack was still in place. She instantly reached for it, scared but ready to defend herself.
She was ready for anything but she wasn't expecting two men to stumble out of the forest and fall in a jumble of bodies after taking a few steps. Neither did she expect one of the bodies to be-
"Jessie!"
She got out of the river and, in mere seconds, was beside the two bodies- beside her only friend who was gasping for air and trying to get his upper body up to look at her.
"Onie…?!"
She knelt beside him and embraced him, joyous at finding someone she knew, someone she considered as her friend, someone who came from the same place she did, making her squeeze him-
"Ungh!"
Onie quickly let go and stared down at him. She took in his bruised face and bloodied uniform and her face turned from happy to concern. "What happened to you?!"
Jessie shook his head, cringing in pain at the same time. "The question is- where the hell have you been?! I thought you were dead!"
She frowned, turning this new fact over in her mind. "Why would you think that? I know that I haven't been home, but Trowa needed me."
Jessie didn't appear to hear her as he reached out, though that mere action sent thousands of needles prickling down his arm. Onie stood still as she let him touch her face with his fingers. There was a look upon his face that was so… significant… and then he sighed and pulled back.
"Thank God you're alive… Your father told me that you were dead… killed in that cabin that blew up."
She shook her head while her hands grabbed fistfuls of her trousers. "Jessie… did my father escape?"
Jessie, already at the brink of exhaustion, let his body fall flat on the ground, then he shook his head. "I don't know, kid… I just escaped from your father's jail, stumbled on this guy here, then the whole place started going haywire. Doors started opening, walls started twisting, then I saw this one passage that I've never seen before and just grabbed him and ran. The next thing I knew, we were out here." He breathed in as he finished his story. "Do me a favor, Ons…"
Onie nodded, swallowing. So, there was still no light to be shed upon her father. There were a number of questions she wanted to ask Jessie, such as why was he in her father's jail… when did he get back… how was his vacation… so many, but right now, "What is it, Jess?"
Jessie jerked his hand to the backpack beside him, similar to the one she had given to Trowa. "Grab that for me and help me up. We have to get out of the open. Got any place in mind?"
Onie put on the backpack then with an effort, pulled the still unconscious man with Jessie, briefly wondering why she wasn't familiar with his face, and then helped her friend up to his feet. "I know a place. I just hope you won't mind getting your feet wet."
"Just get me there and I'll be forever in your debt."
She shook her head. He was still the same old Jessie… always making fun. It took quite some time for them to reach her cave. Jessie was in more pain than he made her believe, and they could hear helicopters in the skies. By the time they got to safety, she knew that there were more people out on the land within that instant than there ever had been before, save during history.
Jessie fell down in exhaustion beside Trowa, and Onie, as gently as she could, propped the man she was half dragging against one end of the wall. "I have to clear our tracks," she whispered as she turned and ran..
Jessie nodded before he let darkness invade his sight.
…
He woke up feeling more rested than he had for the past few days, all save if one doesn't consider the time he spent with Dorothy… although one couldn't exactly say that he was fully rested with her.
He moved and instantly groaned in pain. His whole body was sore as hell. He heard a voice and felt a gentle touch on his shoulder. When the throbbing pain of haze left him to be able to think rationally, he saw Onie beside him. "Hey."
Onie half smiled at his crooked grin. "Good afternoon, sleepyhead."
"Heh!" Jessie slowly moved to sit up. "If there's still a sun out there, why'm I a sleepyhead?"
"Because you slept the whole day away yesterday."
At that revelation, Jessie sat up ramrod straight and immediately bit back a howl of pain. "I was asleep yesterday?!"
Onie nodded then glared at him with reprimand. "You didn't even tell me that your patient had two bullet wounds! I could have used your help with patching him up… although," her glare turned into that familiar concerned look as she turned to the other man, "he lost a lot of blood."
"How bad?" Jessie moved to the other man and inspected him. As usual, Onie was quite thorough with her stitching and wound dressings. He almost cried out in surprise when he saw his hands covered with small bandages, showing that Onie had also taken care of him.
"I'm not sure. I wish I studied Medicine instead of Biology, though… if only to help him more than…"
He heard the frustration in her voice and he quickly went beside her to encompass her in a hug. "Hey… you did well. So far, he's still with us."
Onie turned in his embrace, her shoulders shaking, and he felt her tears seep through his shirt. It was no wonder… she has been through a lot, he could tell… and seeing the compound in flames, not knowing where her father was- though he couldn't care less where that bastard was- well… she deserves a good cry.
He looked around him and he instantly recognized Tristan Brigham. What was the story on this? Why was she hiding with Tristan and, what the hell happened to that kid? He looked like he was run over by a bulldozer.
Jessie slowly realized that her crying became soft, and then she breathed in shakily.
"I'm sorry." She pulled away from him and ended up staring at her hands.
"Hey, it's okay… I understand." He saw how she looked at Tristan's sleeping form- funny how that man hasn't woken up yet- then at the man he found lying on the hallway.
"Jessie, I don't know him."
He nodded. He was fully aware of that, which was one of the reasons why he grabbed him out of that compound. "Neither do I, Ons."
"But, he could be an enemy."
"Or a friend."
They both sighed. Regret, misery, and anxiety all rolled into one.
"So," He wanted to make the mood lighter. "What's the story behind you and Tristan?" A wicked grin flittered on his lips. "Eloping, are you?"
Onie shook her head, a small smile lighting her face. "No, Jessie… he isn't Tristan. His name is Trowa." She saw how his eyebrow shot up to his hairline and proceeded to explain. After a while, Jessie looked from her to Trowa and back to her.
"So… you don't know if Tristan survived?" He was beginning to understand why Blake thought she died in that cabin.
"No, and it's horrible, Jessie."
The anger in her eyes showed how she felt, and more. There were some things she wasn't telling him, but she needn't to. He could already tell. "It's going to be worse for him, I think."
The tone of his voice… Onie stared into his eyes and Jessie needn't tell her what happened. Seriously and looking sullenly, Onie nodded.
"You sure it's good to keep him sleeping?"
She looked away. "You didn't see the look in his face, Jessie… At least, when he's sleeping, I could understand… besides," She stood up and then started going through the backpacks, "Sleeping is restorative."
"Not all the time, dear." Jessie whispered in concern. She didn't answer him, but he hadn't expected her to. It was a complicated situation, and there's nothing they could do… not to mention that they have to bring the man-with-no-name to a hospital. The thing was, they have no passport, they're full of questionable wounds, and therefore, no reasonable way out of here unless they do it with a fight.
"Onie, we have to get out of here."
She gave him an incredulous look then shook her head. "Not in your condition. You could barely stand up!"
Jessie snorted, ready to prove her wrong. "I could too!" He forced his body to stand, only to end up sprawled on the floor and eating dust. At least she didn't laugh.
"Gee… I could see that."
All right. So, she's got a point. When did she become so sarcastic? Oh wait… that must have been his doing. He turned to lie on his back. They cannot very well get a fighting chance if he couldn't even move. And with two useless bodies, she's going to need him to be in fully functioning when they make their move. "Fine. We'll stay here one more day, then we move out."
"You can leave whenever you want, Jessie… but I'm staying here." She was afraid of what's out there. She had never been out there before.
He could tell that she was frightened. Of what, he didn't know. But, he sure as hell wasn't going to let her stay out here! Well, if there was one thing he learned from having four older sisters, it was not to charge head on… The trickier, the better.
"Onie," he gave his most urging voice, "Trowa might need medical attention now… maybe that's why he hasn't been responsive." Guilt started eating him, but he pushed it away. "That man over there also needs medical attention. You said so yourself." He breathed in deeply, noisily to make her hear. "Are you going to let the lives of two men stain your hands?" It was bad of him. He could already hear his sisters voices- 'Naughty, Jessie.' Or 'Very bad…' but…
Onie's back went rigid. She didn't speak. Could she do it? Could she leave? She has no one now… Who would look after her?
As if he could read her mind, Jessie spoke. "Don't worry… I'll take care of you." Jessie watched as her shoulders slumped.
Then she nodded.
"All right, Jessie… Let's do it your way."
Jessie nodded, but he didn't feel triumphant. He tried, instead, to focus on a plan. There's a military base somewhere by the borders of the India-reserve, and New India… It would take them a number of days to get there… "Damn! If we only have a vehicle."
Onie turned to him then threw him a packed jerky. She didn't look happy at all.
"One of dad's vehicles was hidden in a cave up the river. I found it a few days ago, but there isn't enough gas in it." She was sure that Midii hid it there.
Jessie whooped in joy. "A vehi- ow!" Jessie went rigid as he tried to alleviate the pain, then a shadow fell over him and he found Onie offering him a glass of water and a pill.
"It's a pain reliever."
He usually didn't believe in easing pain by use of a damn pill. Even though he was a doctor, he trusts his natural pain relievers more, but right now… He was very willing. He drank the thing down and thanked her.
Onie nodded. "So, how about if you tell me what you've been up to, to until why you were in my father's jail?"
He told her and he nearly went berserk with how many times she apologized, but at least… she wasn't mad at him anymore, and his guilt kinda toned down a bit.
…
Catherine anxiously crumpled a handful of her skirt as she waited for the doctor to come out of his lab. He had called her only less than an hour ago, and said that the results for the DNA match came in. Now…
It was the moment of truth.
The knob clicked and the door opened. Cathy's heart pumped faster and her hands left her skirt to find her husband's reassuring warmth. In response, Keith gave a slight pressure to her hands.
"Mrs. Almeida…?"
She looked up at the doctor's gentle face- the latest and last Quatre hired- and gulped. "Yes…?"
The doctor opened the door a bit wider. "You may come in now."
Closing her eyes for a quick prayer, she stood up and hesitantly walked towards the door with Keith's reassuring presence next to her. They followed the doctor to a large monitor at the back of the room. She remembered the swift lesson he gave about DNA's and so forth.
At the moment, the screen was just blank, and she remembered everything he told her, including how they could distinguish if someone was related to another through their DNA samples.
The doctor motioned for them to sit down on the two chairs prepared specially for this occasion then walked to his computer. "Are you ready…?"
Catherine nodded, her neck so stiff she was afraid it was going to snap off her body!
The doctor pushed some keys on the computer then the monitor Cathy and Keith were facing turned on…
A picture with two DNA samples appeared…
Catherine's eyes followed each curve and line that appeared-
Her eyes widened and she took a quick intake of breath…
…
"Jessie…?"
He could hear the panic in her voice as he forced himself to keep his eyes open. They're so close… "What is it?"
A shriek left her lips and the car swerved to avoid hitting another car, skidding on the road. They stopped on the shoulder and they tried to gather their wits about them.
"Damn snow storm." Jessie muttered as he turned on the engine once again, trying to keep his hands from shaking.
Onie gulped as she pushed her body farther against the cushion of her seat. She glanced at Jessie and saw how white he was. The whole arm of his jacket had caked blood upon it, and the side of his head was still bleeding! She may not be a doctor, but she could tell when one was fighting unconsciousness!
"Trust me, Onie… I'm not going to let you down." Dear Lord, but his eyesight was turning on a purple hue! Oh God… please! Just a little bit more longer… they're so close! So very close… just a couple of streets away…
Onie swallowed again then touched his shoulder. "I trust you Jessie." Then she forced herself to sit back and be ready for anything. 'You don't know how much I trust you…' He rammed the hovercraft into the military base's fence late yesterday evening, and knocked out soldiers before they knew what was happening. Lord forgive her, but they stole a helicopter, then set fire to it just outside a city! Then he smuggled them into an airplane, sneaked them out of the airport unseen even with the two unconscious men with them! Then he got them the car and was driving it even when she could see that he was in pain… Oh, how she wished she knew how to drive.
She closed her eyes when they missed another head on collision. The white fluff that kept on falling from the skies- snow- she once dreamt of being near such a thing, but right now, how she wished there wasn't any of it, and that there was a sun out there instead of a dreary old evening sky, if it was going to help Jessie drive safer!
"Jessie?" She was surprised when he pulled off the road again. He had leaned back while he tried to catch his breath.
"Onie…" It was time to face facts… Damn, but what a waste… they were so close, but he knew they'd only get them killed if he kept on driving. "I don't think… I can last much longer…"
"Is it your wound? I told you I wanted to look at it in the airplane!" Onie quickly pulled at his jacket then gasped… She thought he only had an arm gun wound, but there was also one on his shoulder! It was a surprise that he lasted for nearly a full day with it! The way his face was so white, and his eyes turning glazed… "No! Jessie! Stay with me! You promised you'd take care of me!" God, how could she be so selfish at a time like this?!
"Let me take care of your wound now." Her stomach felt queasy, and her hands were shaking like rattlesnake's tail while she grabbed the backpack from the backseat.
"No, don't waste your medicines on me. I just want you to listen to some things I'm going to say."
Onie shook her head as she started to tear his shirt to take a closer look at his wound. "You're going to be okay, Jessie. You will!"
"There's… there's a building," Jessie swallowed his suddenly dry throat. "It's the tallest in the city…" Jessie stopped Onie's swabbing hands and trapped them to make her look in his eyes… She was growing dimmer- or was that his eyesight? "Listen, Onie…"
Onie nodded, telling herself not to cry and that everything was going to be fine. "I'm listening, Jessie."
Jessie half smiled. "Good… Look for someone to talk to…" A stab of pain shot up from his wound even though he thought, only moment ago, that it was already numb. "I… Jess Daniel Callum, A…" Jessie blinked, surprised that the snow was becoming blurry against the windshield. "A78…65I…10, told you to report to them…"
She could feel him tightening his muscles under her hand, making himself numb from whatever pain he was experiencing.
"Repeat it, Onie!" His voice rasped out.
Onie repeated the name and the numbers while she blinked back her tears.
Jessie nodded. "You have to… tell them about your father… please…"
She nodded, anything to keep him talking.
A dry chuckle left his lips as he remembered the women in his life… He knew he wasn't going to see them again… "Look for me… sistwers…"
Onie bit her lower lip at his slurred words. She could tell that he was having a hard time forming those simple words, and keeping his eyes open. "Jessie… Jessie! Keep awake!"
He opened his lips, but he was starting to forget what he was going to say. "… luv them…"
"Yes, yes I know you love them. You'll tell them that." She placed pressure on his hands, and he gripped her back, though weakly.
"… say Dorothy…" He chuckled again. It was as if he didn't know how to talk. "I love… her…"
"Why do you want me to say that? You say that to her yourself. You told me it means much more if one person say it personally to the other." Onie slapped his cheek when he closed his eyes. "Jessie! Don't play this dumb game with me!"
She was relieved when he opened his eyes, but the empty look he gave her made her shiver.
"I'm… sworry, Onei… tried…"
"I know. I know you tried, Jessie." A tear fell. She didn't mean to, but it just fell. And now, the others she was holding back were falling too.
"… take… care…"
His last word was said in a sigh before he went limp, his hand that was just holding hers a little while ago, fell down to his lap.
Onie shook her head. She couldn't believe it. "No! You can't do this to me!" She pushed at him, kicking the space in front of her feet and connecting her foot with the plastic thing that was part of the car. "I don't know anyone here, Jessie! Please!" She slapped his face and tried to wake him up, her chest hurting as she forced herself not to cry. She may be shedding tears, but she is not going to cry! Not yet! Jessie couldn't die!
She closed her eyes then took a deep breath. He said that she had to go to the tallest building in this city? Well, they were going to get there! She opened her car door, levered herself in the best possible position, then hauled Jessie's limp body to her seat. After a few grunts and hitting her head on that damn low cover, she was able to put a seatbelt around him, closed the door, and walked to the driver's seat.
She slipped and had to grab the hood of the car to keep herself from falling. "Dumb snow." She whispered under her breath, imitating Jessie's voice. 'How hard was it to drive?' She had watched Jessie do it. It seemed easy.
Onie looked at the city around her and tried to locate that one tall building Jessie was- "Ah… there you are."
With a nod of her head, she sat inside the driver's car, took a deep breath, then turned on the ignition. So far, so good. Now, all she needs is to get back to the road-
A blaring horn made her jump in her seat, and she nearly screamed. A black car passed her, so close, she could almost touch it! Her hands shook, but she grabbed hold of the wheel and glared at the disappearing car. "Idiot! Look where you're driving!" Jessie had said that a number of times before, and she was quite sure he would say the same things right at that moment!
Gripping the steering wheel, she pushed on the pedal on the right, and jerked as her car zoomed forward. She wanted to close her eyes, but she knew she shouldn't, and instead, she satisfied her fears with a litany of-
"OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGod!"
Her steering wheel seemed to have caught a mind of it's own, making her swerve left then right! A black and white car moved in behind her, and she saw, from the mirror in the middle of the windshield, that a red and blue light flickered on top of that car. Not knowing what it meant, she pushed forward, missing near collisions, and twisting the traffic more than it already was.
She saw the building Jessie had mentioned. It was looming ahead of her. Her destination. She will get there!
Another car with the red and blue lights appeared beside her, but she only had eyes for that building. It was to the right of the road-
"OhmyGod!" Her car went down a steep hill. She was going to miss the building if she continued down this road! She looked to her right and made a quick turn, cutting every other vehicle that was going vertical.
She jerked when the car hit an island that had small bushes growing from it, and swerved around an area with cars that were not moving. The building was in front of her now… a metal rectangle door large enough to fit two trucks looming ahead.
She was going too fast!
Her palms started to sweat from not knowing what to do and she tried to think. If there was a pedal for going, there must be a pedal for stopping.
The metal door was only a few feet away from her now, and she pressed both her feet on the other pedal. Her car squeaked, she held on for dear life as the steering wheel tried to turn, and then she closed her eyes as the metal door loomed in front of her and-
A loud crash of metal against metal made her let go of the wheel and press her hands against her ears. Something pressed against her, soft but firm, and she almost couldn't breathe. There were sirens coming from somewhere in the distance, but- she opened her eyes- they stopped! She was able to make them stop!
There was a white… thing… in front of her and she remembered that Jessie had pushed the tiny lever in the middle of the car up near the stereo whenever they were stopped, so her hand groped for that lever and pulled. When she couldn't pull any more, she wriggled out of the suffocating white clothy stuff and out of the car, nearly falling to her knees.
She looked up and her breath caught in her throat. "Oh no…" Chill seeped into her bones as she stared in front of her in dismay… The metal door was underneath the car and it took a small portion of a large room full of computers and… people standing at the other side of the room.
People…
The sirens were growing louder.
There were people here, at this time! She scrambled up to her feet. "Please! Help me!" She rushed to the passenger's door and opened it, pulling Jessie's body away from the mass of white something. Slipping and falling to her buttocks with Jessie sprawled on top of her. She looked to the group of people who were staring at her as though she had grown mad. 'What are they waiting for?!' Couldn't they see that she needed help?! "Please! Somebody! Help me!"
She squirmed away from Jessie's body, her pleading eyes upon the group of people lined by the other side of the wall. Someone moved. A man with a kind face and neat blond hair. Onie sighed in relief as she stood up and opened the back door.
"Over here! Please!"
Lights started to appear behind her, red and blue. The man kept on steadily approaching. He was halfway through when more people moved from the group by the wall… a man with long braided hair, a woman with short black hair, another woman with long red hair, an exotic looking man with a pony tailed hair, and a woman with blond, curly hair.
She gave tight smile towards them, thankful for any help they might offer. She was able to take away the seatbelt around Trowa's body when she felt a person behind her. She was about to move when-
"Put your hands in the air where we could see them!"
The shout startled Onie, making her slip back. Thankfully, the person behind her stopped her fall. She looked up to thank him, but he wasn't looking at her… he was looking at the people in the backseat- and he looked pale!
"Trowa…!"
Onie's eyes widened in surprise. "You know Trowa?" She whispered. She couldn't quite believe it… How could they know Trowa?
The others reached them and quickly swarmed around her to stare inside the car. She could feel their surprise and astonishment, even without their gasps.
"Holy shit! It's Heero!" the man with a braid cried out, his eyes nearly popping out of its socket.
"Please… could someone get help and look after them?" Onie cried as she straightened to stand up. Her words seemed to have an effect- or at least that now that their shock has ebbed, they saw how badly beaten their friends are!
"Mariemaia! Get Sally here. NOW!"
Onie cringed at how loud that voice was.
Just at that moment, a man in blue uniform approached them, an angry look on his face. "What the hell is going on here?!"
The woman with the blonde, curly hair walked away from the group.
Onie was torn between making sure that the man with the ponytail and the one with the braid was carefully taking both Trowa and… Heero? Out of the back seat, and checking what the woman would say. She ended up staring at the two men at work, and making sure she heard what the woman was saying.
"My name is Colonel Ping Rossi of the Intelligence Alliance. What is the problem?"
"Er… ma'am… I was going to ask you that."
Onie couldn't help take a quick look behind her and saw that there was a line of black and white cars around the building with guns pointed at her…
"There's no trouble here at all."
"But… they crashed into-"
"Are you questioning me? I already said that there's no trouble, or do you want me to take this to your superior, Captain… Taylor?"
Onie nearly shivered at Ping Rossi's voice. She was glad that she wasn't Captain Taylor! She heard the man grumble an apology, then yelled 'Move out!' behind him. In a few more minutes, the black and white cars all rushed out of the area.
"Way to go, Ping!" The woman with the short black hair said as Ping came in.
"You could've done the same thing, Hilde."
"How are they, Quatre?" The woman with the red hair asked the man with a kind face as she bent over the two men, that were now laying on the metal door.
"So far? I don't know, Yvan…"
Onie looked around her, trying to memorize the names… she may need it later, but… was she tired…
"Good grief! What the hell happened here?!" The yell came from the other side of the room and a woman with a long blonde sandy hair flying behind her, wearing in a white coat that almost looked like her laboratory coat, bustled into the group.
"Sally, look!" The one with the braid cried out, waving his hand.
"What is it, Duo?"
'Duo… Sally…' Onie repeated as she watched the woman walk in closer and then falter in her steps.
"Oh my God…! J.D.!"
'J.D.?' Onie asked herself and finally understood when Sally knelt down beside Jessie.
"You know that guy?" the one with the ponytail asked as he walked closer.
Sally nodded, a grim line on her lips. "Yes, Wufei… He was a student of mine… one of the best, but… he's been considered as a deserter."
"He isn't!" Onie cried out just as Wufei muttered-
"Figures."
Duo shook his head. "So, what are the odds that there are three Preventers, together in one car… and two explosions in less than a week?" Everyone turned to look at Onie while Sally talked to a communicator in her hand.
Onie tilted her head up and met their gaze though deep inside, she was quaking in fear. "I am willing to answer any questions, but please…" She gave a desperate look towards the three bodies on the floor.
Sally looked up at her and gave her a smile. "Don't worry, you're in good hands."
Onie nodded, already figuring out that she was a doctor. "Jessie has two gunshots on his right arm and shoulder. This man," She pointed at the one with dark brown hair that Jessie had picked up before he escaped, "You call Heero also has two gunshots, one on the right shoulder, the other on his left leg." She faced the last body, "And Trowa… he…" She looked away. "He's been beaten and has a concussion from an explosion… I think…"
Sally nodded. "Thank you for the input." She stood up then motioned for her staff to come over. "Well?! What are you waiting for?! There are three people down here who needs medical attention!"
Someone in the group snickered, Onie could only surmise that it was Duo, he has that mischievous air around him. They followed close behind, through hallways and elevators, except for Wufei and Ping who stayed to give further orders on what to be done. Onie was nearly swallowed in the middle of the group, until they stopped before a double metal door.
"Well, there isn't anything else to do now but wait." Duo muttered as he turned to the set of chairs lined by the wall and sit down. Hilde promptly sat next to him and Onie felt her chest hurt when Duo wrapped his arm around her.
"Excuse me."
Onie jerked when she felt that tap on her arm. She turned and faced that one man with the kindest face… Quatre. He smiled at her and she knew right then and there that she could trust him.
"Would you like some hot cocoa?"
She nodded stiffly and tried to smile, but ended up looking as though she had grimaced. He seemed to have understood though because he just gave her another soft smile. She watched as he turned to the woman with red hair- Yvan- held out his hand and she twined hers with his. Onie looked away.
She was standing awkwardly by the wall, receiving curious, but sincere looks from the couple that sat at the other wall, when Quatre arrived with Yvan and a tray full of delicious smelling cocoas.
"Hey, thanks Quats!" Duo grabbed two and handed one to Hilde.
"Thank you!" Hilde repeated as she took the cup.
Yvan already had hers in her hands, while Quatre placed the tray on the small table next to the chairs. He turned to face her, two cups in hand and then gave the other to her. "Careful, they're quite-"
"Yeow!"
An amused look flittered over his face while Hilde sighed and Yvan chuckled.
"- hot."
She wanted to smile, she really did, but it seemed that she was too tired to even do that, so she nodded instead.
"Would you like to sit down?" Quatre asked as he motioned to the chairs next to her and studied her. She had waist long hair, an oval face, and a very strained look about her.
She didn't want to… she wants to suffer in her own way, and if that means standing up until they receive word, so be it. She shook her head, and it seemed as though the man understood her yet again.
"My name is Quatre. Quatre Winner." Quatre gave her his most sincere smile instead of reaching out his hand for a shake. He had the oddest notion that she wouldn't know how to shake hands, and he doesn't want to pressure her. That was another reason why he didn't ask if she would give them her name. He has this feeling that she would only give it to them when she's good and ready, and they all need to have questions answered by her… most especially questions regarding Trowa!
Onie nodded to acknowledge him then looked behind him.
Quatre turned to his side and motioned to the others. "That's Yvannyah Matfei."
Yvan smiled at her. She and Quatre had already talked about the girl while they bought the cocoas, and they agreed that they must get her to relax first… She looked like a rabbit ready to jump. "Please call me Yvan. My name is quite a mouthful."
Onie nodded once again.
Quatre was about to introduce the others but Duo piped out before him.
"No need, Q-man." Duo stood up then walked to her.
Quatre saw what he was going to do but before he could tell him no, Duo had already thrust his hand out. Onie leaped back, splashing cocoa onto the floor and banging her back against the wall.
"Hey, whoa there! I wasn't going to do anything!"
Yvan acted quickly as she wiped the floor clear of liquid with some tissues.
There was a tense moment as Duo kept his hand out and Onie stared at it, wondering what in the world this man wanted her to do! She looked up at the braided man's openly smiling face and had the same feeling as the one she received from Quatre. He was someone she could trust.
"This is a handshake. It's what we do around here. See?" Duo turned to Quatre, hand still outstretched. "Hey, my name's Duo, what's yours?"
Quatre grinned and clasped Duo's hand then they showed a handshake. "My name's Quatre. Nice to meet you."
"Oh…" Now she remembered! Jessie told her about this a long time ago! When she first met him! Duo turned back to her and she felt a little bit better.
"Now it's your turn." He held out his hand again. "Hi there, my name's Duo Maxwell."
Aware that everyone was watching her, waiting for her reaction, she slowly reached out and touched his hand. "H-hello… My name is Onie."
"Oh-ny? That's a nice name." Duo commented as he gave a quick handshake then let go to motion to Hilde.
Hilde didn't need any prompting as she moved forward and held out her hand with the same welcoming smile on her face. "Hi there, Onie. My name's Hilde Sch- oops!"
Yvan giggled at Hilde's surprised face while Quatre chuckled.
"Still not used to your married name, Hilde?" Quatre teased while Yvan added-
"I thought you've been waiting ages for that name."
Hilde just shrugged airily then gave Duo an adoring smile. "Slip of the tongue, dearest. I didn't mean it."
"I know you didn't, hun." Duo replied with a quick hug. "But I'mma gonna make sure that you remember we're married."
Onie finally found herself smiling at the little display of affection in front of her. Hilde finally turned to her and gave an apologetic smile.
"Sorry about that. Let's try again." She held out her hand, "Hi there, Onie, my name's Hilde Maxwell."
Onie responded, touching Hilde's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Hilde."
"There now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Duo asked as he sat back where they were at previously.
"I am sorry. I'm not used to the custom." Onie whispered as she gripped her cup then stared at the double doors.
Yvan and Quatre sat opposite of Duo and Hilde.
"Don't worry, Onie," Quatre's calm voice reached her ear. He sounded confident. "Sally is a wonderful doctor."
"I'm sure she is, Quatre…" Onie whispered back. "After all, Jessie was her student, and he is the best I know."
They fell into a comfortable silence, that was… until after some uncountable minutes later when Wufei and Ping appeared and-
"Who are you and what do you know?" Wufei demanded as he stared down at the woman who jerked back into the wall.
"Wufei!" The combination of four shocked and irritated voices made him turn around and glare at them.
"Way to go, Romeo…" Ping muttered under her breath then she gave the woman Wufei was just shouting at a kind smile.
"Well?! She needs to start talking! We need answers, and I've got a feeling she's got them!"
Quatre was about to talk some sense into him when the double doors opened and Sally walked out looking quite tired. She put up her hand to request for silence then she gave her report.
"Heero's lost a lot of blood. It's been touch and go, but so far, he's holding up."
Duo nodded, though his face was grave. "Just like Heero… He'll pull through this, Sal."
Sally gave a tired smile. "I know, Duo… you forget, I've been Heero's doctor before." She turned to look at Quatre. "Trowa's body is badly bruised. He has a bad concussion and a bit of singed skin, but so far, he's in a better shape compared to the others."
Quatre gave a relieved smile but Onie quickly shook her head.
"Doctor… please, could you run an internal scan on him?"
Sally frowned. "I already did. Everything checked out normal."
"But…" Onie bit on her lower lip, not quite knowing how to explain.
Quatre frowned, trying to figure out what she's trying to say.
"There's something wrong with him…"
She was mumbling and everyone had to strain to hear her.
"He woke up one day and he…" There was a catch in her voice as she tried to forget that look. "He didn't look normal… his eyes were blank…"
A number of possibilities ran in everyone's mind, more so in Sally's head, but… "We can't do anything until he wakes up, then… From there we can ascertain whatever damages were made. For now, everything is normal."
Yvan noticed how Quatre's shoulder slumped a bit. Trying to get him to cheer up a bit, she patted his hand. "Quatre, you could give Cathy some good news now."
Quatre squeezed her hand gently, then turned his attention on Sally who was now looking at Onie quite intently.
"J.D… we almost lost him."
Everybody saw how Onie had clutched the base of her throat. Sally quickly touched her shoulder to give comfort.
"It's all right… we were able to stabilize him. He and Heero are both quite the fighter. They don't want to let go of their life yet."
Onie nodded, a smile slowly lighting her face. "Good…" She nodded, straightening her back. "Good…" She looked at Sally, her chocolate brown eyes with an intelligent shine. "May I please see them?" Her voice grew stronger with each passing breath.
Sally almost said no, but what the heck. "Sure." She turned and started to walk to the doors. Onie followed her, her head held high. Sally was about to open the doors when Quatre's startled voice made her turn-
"Onie!"
Sally saw Duo move just before the girl crumpled to the floor. One didn't need to ask what made her black out, the reason clear on her face… The girl was exhausted, an exhaustion beyond endurance. "Duo, can you carry her?"
Duo nodded as he sprang up to his feet. "She's as light as a feather."
"Follow me." Sally ordered as she turned to the other hallway and led Duo out of there. The others followed suit, wanting to know which room Sally had picked. It ended up to be the one next to Relena, making some a bit anxious.
Once Sally had tucked the girl in the bed, she turned to the others. "Quatre, you said her name was Onie?"
"Yes I did."
"Last names?" Sally prompted, as she leaned against the cot.
"She didn't say any." Quatre answered, looking down at the girl's face. "Poor girl. She looks like she's been through hell."
"With Heero and Trowa in the backseat of her car?" Duo shrugged, "Hell might be a light term for it."
"Well, the fact is that she's wearing their uniform… and so was that J.D. guy you know, Sally. Trowa, too." Wufei groused as he crossed his hands over his chest.
Ping nodded, agreeing with him for the first time in days. "We've searched the area. Where could they have hidden after the explosions? Besides that, what does she know?"
"Well, we could wait for her to wake up," Hilde whispered, combing back her hair, "or-"
"Or we could ask that woman named Dorothy." Yvan supplied.
Everyone turned to face Yvan. Ping nodded. "You're right… She was the insider, she might know who this girl is."
They paused when the bed rustled and everyone turned their heads to look at the bed. Onie had turned to her side, a frown on her face.
"Don't leave me… I promise… tell Dorothy…"
"Well, that sums it up! Guess Dorothy made more than an introduction if that girl's making promises to her even in her sleep. Besides, there's only one Dorothy that we know of who's been in that stinking compound." Duo cried as he slapped his palm on his leg.
"That may be true, but who was the other Trowa with that woman named Midii?" Quatre asked in a low whisper. "And, who's Jessie?"
Nobody answered. Nobody could. Although… Sally suddenly looked at the white wall at the far end of the room with a bit more interest than the others.
"And aside from that retrospect, who will tell Relena that Heero is alive?" Quatre added. "I am willing to talk to Cathy. She will be passing by to get the paper works from the results of her gene test tomorrow as a memento, so I'll try to get to her before she comes in-"
Sally sighed. "I'll tell Relena about Heero."
Everyone nodded.
"And what about her?" Wufei asked, not hiding the snarl that left his lips.
"Duo, and I could look after." Hilde suggested as she linked arms with her husband.
"And I will go and find Ms. Dorothy Catalonia." Ping added.
"No."
Sally's quick tone made everyone look at her with a question in their eyes. She looked away. "I need to talk to Ms. Catalonia about a personal matter. I will also tell her to see Onie and warn her that we expect full cooperation."
Nobody questioned her. She may say that she was only a lowly doctor, but everyone in the room, save for Ping and Yvan, owed her their life one way or the other.
"Well then, we all know what we're supposed to do. I believe it's time to act it out." Sally said in a soft but firm tone.
Everybody murmured their agreement, but Quatre asked, "Could we do it tomorrow? It is a bit late for a visit…"
Duo quickly checked his watch and whistled. "You're right about that!"
Sally nodded. "I think we could wait for a couple more hours."
Quatre half smiled as he acknowledged her decision. " I was also wondering if we could visit Heero and Trowa? I know they will be asleep but…"
"Of course." Sally looked down at Onie then at Duo and Hilde. "You two can come along. I don't think she's going anywhere anytime soon." She turned on her heels and she could distinctly hear everyone in the room following her. They were all together at last. Nobody was lost… although… they have yet to see if the three patients are fully there…