Chapter Twenty-two: The Lunatics Have Taken Charge of the Asylum*

Cavel paced nervously around the living room. Anna watched him while leaning against a pillar in the kitchen. He looked up at her, started to say something, but changed his mind. He sat and took a sip of his cold coffee. Swallowing carefully, he made a face and put the mug back down.

"What's on your mind, Tiger?" she asked casually. She pulled the gun from her side holster to check the bullet count.

"He's coming, isn't he?" Cavel asked.

"Commander Barton? Yes, he is. Sometime this morning." She replied.

"That's what. I gave up my rank in OWN. He isn't going to be happy."

"You aren't a part of OWN, anymore. He doesn't have to be happy. In fact, I believe he's a rather miserable man." Anna stated.

"Why's that?" Cavel asked.

"Because he was a gundam pilot for what, half a decade? More? And dedicated to the freedom of the world and the colonies. But he's got to be perfectly miserable to be caught up with the likes of OWN." Anna answered.

"You don't think OWN will succeed?"

"Of course not. Nobody who's ever tried for world domination has won. Alexander the Great, Napoleon, the whole Roman empire, later the British empire; granted they did it fairly and not with an iron fist, Germany in World War One, Hitler, Mussolini, Russia, Bin Laden, Treize, the White Fang, Marimeia, tons of others, and OWN. All of them failed. The human spirit for freedom is just too great. No one, and I mean no one, can subdue it permanently. That's why the gundams were finally considered the greatest allies. They meant freedom. Granted, if the pilots had been raised by the faction, Treize might be ruling the Earth and the colonies right now." Anna said.

"I guess. But no one's ever tried by time travel, either." Cavel said.

"It doesn't matter. People loved freedom then, they love it now, and they'll love it in a billion years. I guarantee it. You could get some sleep, you know. He might not be here until almost noon."

Cavel shook his head. "No, I'll be fine. I'm used to it because of night training."

Anna nodded her acquiesce and checked other parts of her magnum. The younger man forced down another gulp of the cold coffee. The doorbell rang. Cavel looked at Anna. She nodded at him, slipped the safety off her gun, and hid behind the pillar.

Slowly, Cavel stood up and went to answer the door. He took a deep breath and undid the chain. There was a soft click behind him. Anna was ready. He pulled the door open.

"Commander Barton." He said, his voice coming out barely above a whisper.

Trowa glared at him for a moment. "Is she here?"

Cavel ushered him into the apartment and shut the door behind him. "Yes, she's here. It's him, Mei."

Anna stepped out from her shadow and returned the gun to its holster. "Ah, yes. The infamous Mr. Barton." She murmured with a hint of malice. She masked her tone to sound semi polite. "Do have a seat. Can I get you a cup of coffee?"

Trowa sat on the couch, never taking his eyes off of her. "No, thank you. Do I know you?"

"My name is Hoshimawari Mei. And no, we've never met before."

"Commander Trowa Barton. My apologies."

"Don't be silly. I have a familiar face, I suppose. Cavel, be a doll and check the downloads." He nodded and left the room. "What can I do for you, Mr. Barton?" she asked, taking a seat across from him.

His gaze moved up and down and then across the room, memorizing and cataloging important details. His eyes returned to her. "Are you married, Ms. Hoshimawari?"

Anna looked down at her hands. She swiveled the gold band around to show the gem on the other side. "Call me Mei. And no, not anymore."

He smiled a small, sardonic grin. "Loved to many men?"

Anna smiled thinly. "Mr. Barton, whatever happened in your life, I ask you not to take it out on me. And to answer your question, I've loved three men in my life. One was elementary, and inconsequential. It was puppy love. The second man I loved I married, and the third man I loved I sometimes wish I had."

He bent his head quickly and lifted it again. "Again, my apologies. Stress often makes me impulsive."

"Understood. I have often faced that problem myself. What about you, Mr. Barton? How many women have you loved?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Two. The first betrayed me, as did the second, although she had different circumstances."

"Forgive me for being presumptuous, but it sounds as if you still love the second woman." Anna said.

"If you also forgive me presumptuousness by saying it sounds as if you still love man number two, and man number three." Trowa replied evenly.

"Well said. But I'm sure you didn't come here at seven in the morning to discuss past romances." Anna said.

"No, I did not. You are not working directly for OWN."

"No, Mr. Barton, I am not. I work for Victor."

"I see. Why did you take Cavel?"

"Victor wanted him to be trained more extensively. I agreed, on the condition he could leave OWN. Victor approved. I don't want people I defuse bombs with to have double standards, Mr. Barton."

"Of course not. How long do you plan on working for Victor?"

Anna smiled darkly. "Until I get what I want, Mr. Barton."

"Oh? What is it that you want, Mei?" Trowa asked.

"Himegoto, Mr. Barton, himegoto." Anna grinned.

"Very well, Mei. What has Victor hired you for?"

"I don't have any idea. We haven't gotten that far in our contract."

"Did you have anything to do with the disappearance of one of our prisoners last night?" Trowa asked.

"Of course not. Why would I work for Victor and then set his prisoners loose?"

"Just checking. I believe that's all, Ms. Mei."

"Fine, fine. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around."

Trowa stood to leave. "Possibly. I'm a busy man."

"As I am a busy woman. But I have a feeling we'll be busy in the same circles. I may even rival for your position if the fancy strikes me." Anna retorted.

He glanced at her sharply. "Why would you think that?"

She smiled coyly. "Why, Mr. Barton, it never occurred to you? Why would Victor hire a professional assassin when he's already got one under his thumb? Perhaps you are slacking in your skill."

"Or perhaps he needed somebody expendable." Trowa countered.

"Let us hope that neither one of us is expendable, Mr. Barton. It would cause problems for many people in the end. How loyal are you really to him? How far would you really go?"

"I will go as far as I need to for the greater good." Trowa said stiffly. "One final question and I will be on my way. Where is your husband now, Ms. Mei? You said you were not currently married."

"My husband is dead, Mr. Barton." Anna said.

"My condolences."

Anna shrugged. "Thank you, but it was several years ago. Life does go on, I'm afraid."

"Might I ask how he passed away?"

"He was murdered." Anna said evenly.

"I understand. A friend of mine had her husband killed as well."

"My condolences to her, then." Anna said softly.

"I'm afraid I haven't seen her in many years. I'm sure she'd appreciate them though. Good day, Ms. Mei."

"Good day, Mr. Barton."

The door clicked shut with his departure and Anna flopped back onto the couch with a sigh. "That was stressful."

Cavel stuck his head out. "Is he gone?"

"Fortunately."

He slowly padded out into the room and sat down across from her. "Did you have to antagonize him? He's a very dangerous man."

"I know it. He just strikes a wrong chord with me somewhere." Anna muttered.

"Stay as far away from him as possible, Mei. He's fine if you don't bother him, but he'll make your life miserable if he gets pissed off at you." Cavel warned.

"I have a hard time seeing that man pissed off at anything. Mr. Ice Block 2.0. He's a traitor, that's all that concerns me." Anna said.

Cavel stared at her. "A traitor? Against OWN?"

She shook her head. "No. Against the gundam pilots. He was with them for almost seven years and then he joins something like OWN? What's the matter with him? He nearly gave his life during the wars to make sure organizations like OWN didn't take over the world. It doesn't make any sense."

"Wow. You know a lot about him." Cavel said.

Anna realized she'd said a little too much. "I studied the gundam pilots after the war with Marimeia."

"I didn't know there was that much information about them released to the public." Cavel said.

Anna grinned at him. "There wasn't."

The telephone rang, shattering the comfortable conversation. Cavel leaned over and picked it up. He offered the phone to Anna. "It's for you. It's Lydia."

Anna took the phone and tried not to roll her eyes. "Yes? Yes, I see. Of course. We'll be there in an hour. Oh, and Lydia? You can talk to Cavel. He'll relay anything important to me." Anna hung the phone up. "Sorry, Slick, I just stuck you with being secretary."

He laughed shortly. "Fantastic. Where are we going?"

"Victor wants us in his office in one hour. So shower, clean up, and look sharp. I want him to think you don't miss being in OWN one bit."

He smiled gently. "I don't."

She smiled back at him. "Good. And he says get ready to play a game."

The man posing as Duo pulled up outside the warehouse. He had rented a car in Columbus, and found out where the Yuy woman's studio was. He knew Quatre was inside but he wasn't quite sure how to go about getting him back. It wasn't the right time to totally blow his cover, but he wasn't sure he could do it without looking completely suspicious. He glanced at his watch and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. He hated things he didn't plan for.

A sound diverted his attention and he glanced in the rear view mirror. Something was moving in the woody area behind the semi-empty studio. He slid down in his seat and watched the area carefully. Another flash of fabric caught his eye. He muttered a curse under his breath.

"OWN lackeys. What the devil do they think they're doing here?" he growled.

Jack Avis stared at the tan LTD through binoculars from the wooded area. "That idiot! What in the name of St. Jude is he doing here?" he muttered.

"Who?" Dana asked by his ear.

"That freak Victor hired to pose as a double for Duo Maxwell is here. He's going to ruin it." He snarled.

"We can take him out, Jack." The soldier named Dan said.

Jack shook his head. "Victor would have us all killed. Son of a gun. Well, there's nothing we can do. If he gets killed in the crossfire that's his problem."

"Are you sure there'll be crossfire?" Dana asked.

"Yes. Once we have Mr. Winner as bait, and the Yuys know we'll kill him, there won't be a problem. But we have to get to him before the Yuys arrive if we want to avoid crossfire." Jack replied. He thought for a minute.

"Dana, Jeffery. Go up the back wall and go through the window up there. Be quiet about it. We don't want to alarm Mr. Winner to our presence, and we don't want to spook Mr. Maxwell in to a hasty action. We'll give you five minutes."

They nodded and disappeared around the back of the warehouse.

Jack motioned for Dan to scoot closer.

"What have we got, boss?" Dan asked.

They were lying prone, shoulder to shoulder; watching the warehouse and the car that the Duo double was in.

"What we have is trouble, my friend. All we had to do before was hold Mr. Winner at gunpoint and convince the lady Yuy to come with us. Now we have to watch this lunatic. If he jumps the shark, he could get us all killed by Heero Yuy."

Dan nodded. "Well, like I said, I could take him out and have it over with."

Again, Jack shook his head to the negative. "It's a tempting offer, Dan, but no. Too much of a risk. I'll tell you what, though. Skirt around through the trees to the rear of his car. If he tries to interrupt proceedings, jump him. Don't kill him just detain him. Sit on him if you have to."

Dan nodded. "No problem." He stood, and helped pull Jack to his feet. Jack gave him a quick pat on the back and Dan was off through the trees.

Jack cautiously moved towards the front of the building until he was in plain sight of the car. He gave a wave to the man, and headed to the door, gun drawn.

The man snarled at him from inside the car, but made no motion to move. He'd just see how this played out. He slid down further in the car, so he was completely out of sight.

Jack disappeared into the front of the building. He glanced around the front office to find nothing. He moved past the desk into the back room where the bulk of the warehouse was. The first thing he saw was Quatre Raberba Winner sitting in an up-righted chair, holding his left shoulder. There was only a minimal amount of blood, and he was glaring lightly at the two soldiers. Dana and Jeffery were shouting at each other in their native language of Polish. Jeffery was standing still, holding Quatre under the gun.

Jack groaned and lowered his gun. "Shut up! Both of you!" he bellowed. "What did you do?"

"He was armed, we didn't know it. Dana got trigger happy." Jeffery mumbled.

Jack turned his glare on the girl. "Do you know what you could have done?" he growled. "The last thing we need is for this man to wind up dead." He knelt in front of Quatre. "Daijoubu desu ka?"

Quatre looked surprised. "Daijoubu, arigato."

"I'm sorry you got injured, Mr. Winner. That wasn't what we planned."

Quatre raised an eyebrow. "Planned?"

Jack nodded. "I don't like people getting killed, Mr. Winner. Mr. Barton doesn't feel comfortable with General Victor's schemes, so he and I have devised a way for you and Mrs. Yuy to be safely...uh... kidnapped. So to speak."

Quatre smiled sadly and shifted. "I don't think Mr. Barton cares much to what happens to me anymore, Mr.?"

"My name's Jack Avis."

"Mr. Avis. And I'm afraid Heero Yuy won't allow you to take Chase without some fight."

Jack smiled. "Well, that's why you're bait, Mr. Winner. It honestly would be safer for everybody, if you'd just play along. Please?"

Quatre stared at him for a moment. "Let me ask you a question. If your friend had not shot me, would you be explaining this to me now? And why should I believe you?"

"If she had not shot you no, I wouldn't be explaining this. And you shouldn't believe me. But," he paused and continued in Arabic. "There's a bigger picture, Mr. Winner. The safety of the world is at stake, not just your friendship with Mr. Barton."

Quatre looked twice as surprised as before. He thought about it. "Very well. It's not as if I have a choice, now do I?"

Jack shook his head. "No, I'm afraid you don't."

"Lieutenant?" Jeffery called. "Another car pulled up."

"The Yuys?" Jack asked.

"No. It's the oriental man."

Wufei had pulled up behind the tan LTD. He'd followed Duo as closely as he possibly could to here. Wufei got out of the car and leaned against the door.

"What in the world is going on here?" he mused.

At that very moment, not too far away, the Baron landed in a field just out of the city. Chase Yuy piled out of the plane in a rush, dragging two duffel bags with her. "Let's move it! If Quatre didn't get that note in time..."

Heero grabbed a bag and followed after her. "Dimitri, hide the plane. I don't care how you do it, just do it."

The old man growled low in his throat. "Guess the tables have turned, kid," he muttered. "You give the orders now." In a louder voice he called, "Be careful, you two! And take care of him, Chase."

"Will do!" the American said with a smirk as she and her husband made a run for the warehouse that was just inside town.

"What did he mean by that?"

"Oh nothing," Chase responded.

"I get the strangest sense of déjà vu around that man. It's almost like I knew him at one time..." He thought a moment. "He reminds me of Odin."

Chase gave a little smirk. "Ya never know who'll turn up in this world."

Heero's eyes grew wide. "That IS Odin?!"

Chase opened her mouth to say something, then stopped when the sound of a helicopter neared. "Drop!"

The Yuys dropped to the ground as the helicopter flew over head.

"It's heading for the Baron," Heero whispered. "We have to-"

Chase grabbed him by the arm. "No."

For a brief moment, Chase saw the little boy that had lost Odin Lowe all those years ago. She had to get him to think reasonably. "What can we do? Odin's a big boy. He can take care of himself."

Heero nodded. "Then let's go."

*Quoted by Richard Rowland