Aishiteru
Chapter Three
Separated
7 Hours Later, December 15th, 7:00 PM Local Time, Winner Resource Satellite SE-IV, Docking Bay and Refueling Station.
With a mute growl, Wu Fei glanced at his watch. Again. Their shuttle was due in an hour ago, and despite lack of evidence and general impracticality, he was inclined to suspect that the Maxwells were somehow to blame for the delay. The docking procedures were taking an ungodly amount of time, and it occurred to him briefly to wish Duo would simply take over the cockpit and lend some efficiency to the damned ineptitude of civilian pilots. When passengers finally began leaking through the boarding gates, he stood up and passed through the security checkpoint to meet them as soon as they emerged. That, it turned out, was a mistake. The first Maxwell to clear the gate, and subsequently spot him, bolted towards him in a blur and vaulted himself at his chest, sending the unprepared Preventer sprawling.
"Uncle Wuffie!"
When Duo and Hilde appeared a few moments later, Wu Fei was back up and in full chastisement mode, with an unfortunate Ezra held by one shoulder.
"That's Wu Fei," Duo informed the little girl curiously watching from behind his leg, "he's one of Ezra's uncles. Quatre and Trowa just spoil him, but Wuffers here thinks it's his sacred duty to oversee and correct his development. In other words, stamp out anything that reminds him of me."
"I've heard of him," Hope offered, "he's the arrogant, pig-headed misogynist, right?"
"I see Sally is your doctor."
"How did you know that? Is she your doctor too?"
"Yes, yes she is. And Azreal's over there." He motioned over at Ezra, and then sighed lightly as Hope looked up at him blankly.
"I thought his name was Ezra."
"Never mind. Let's just go see what Wu wants from us." Duo walked over to Wu Fei, Hilde and Hope in tow.
"So, Wu-wu, what's up? As much as I would like to believe that you came to greet us here at this lowly way-station out of the sincere desire to see your adoring nephew, I have a peculiar feeling that you have ulterior motives." Wu Fei looked up from his lecture with a mask of professionalism that told Duo this was part of a mission. Before responding, he looked down to Hope with a brow quirked.
"Is that her?"
"If by 'her' you mean our mutual friend, who shall remain nameless's daughter, then yes, it is."
"Follow me," he said monotonously to Duo before turning on his heel, "Something has come up." Duo stared at his back for a few seconds, bewildered, and then followed, leaving Hilde and the two children at the security checkpoint.
*
Duo followed Wu Fei into an empty conference room and sat down at one of the chairs, waiting for him to explain. Before Wu Fei could say anything, though, the chair at the head of the table spun around to face them with a familiar blonde Arabian as its occupant.
"Q! What are you doing here?"
"I'm on my way to the Moon, but I've stopped here to assist Wu Fei in delivering a mission."
"Um ... I'm getting a bad feeling about this ..." Duo said apprehensively. "What's going on? Has something happened to Relena?"
"No, nothing. Not yet, anyway," Quatre said, not knowing his aquamarine eyes showed all of his fears to anyone with sense enough to look.
"Another threat on her life?"
"Not hers -- Hope's"
"Hope?! But I thought no one knew about her?"
"So did we. Lady Une's searching for the leak on her end, while we cover our end," Wu Fei interjected.
"And what exactly is 'our end?'" Duo asked tentatively.
"I think it would be better to start from the beginning." Quatre inhaled deeply and slipped into Preventer mode, reminding Duo, somewhat unnervingly, of when he had taken command of the five Gundam pilots during the Eve Wars.
"On the second day of talks at the Lunar Peace Summit, Relena received an e-mail from the very terrorists that gave need for the Summit. A representative of the terrorist organization has issued a threat to take the life of my goddaughter if the Summit participants do not concede to retry the major military leaders of the Eve Wars and have them executed for their war crimes.
"I'm on my way to the Moon, officially as a close personal friend of Relena and a fellow peace advocate, and undercover as Preventer Sandstorm of the Vice Foreign Minister's personal bodyguard detail. Preventers Rain and Snow have been there with her since her arrival, by the request of Lady Une, and the three of us should be able to effectively diffuse any attacks or attempts on her life while the Summit continues. You and Preventer Smoke have been assigned to transport Hope to the nearest Preventer base, on MO-II where she can be safely monitored. Perseph- I mean, Hilde and Ezra will continue on to L2 as if nothing has happened." he finished, slipping back into everybody-loves-Quatre mode. "That's it in a nutshell, as you might say," he said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Well then, what are we wasting our time around here for? Wu Fei and I will head back, I'll explain things to Hilde, and we can get going."
"I'm glad that, for once, you aren't hesitating, Maxwell," Wu Fei said as he reached to open the door leading back to the main spaceport.
"Good luck," Quatre called after them.
Duo turned with his trademark grin on his face and said, "No need. What could possibly go wrong? After all, she's just one kid."
"Still, lets not take unnecessary risks, lest we find ourselves regretting it down the line," Quatre said as the two Preventers left, even though he knew they could not hear him.
*
Duo stood by the gate as Hilde and Ezra prepared to re-board their flight and finish the last leg of the trip to L2. Duo kissed his wife and gave his son a hug before they disappeared down the corridor that would take them to the shuttle. Wu Fei had gone off to get Hope something to drink while they waited for their shuttle to come in, and Hope herself was waiting in one of the many chairs outside the boarding gate, watching the crowds milling past.
Hope sat quietly, engaged in a guessing game she had invented. She studied each person walking past her chair and tried to determine where they were from or going, based on what they were wearing, what they looked like, or how they talked. A tall woman with rectangle glasses who looked so thin, you could thread a needle with her, bustled her way through the crowd, her arms laden heavily with papers and envelopes. A thick manilla envelope slid off the top of the pile onto the tiled floor in front of Hope, where the crowd of travelers and spaceport officials proceeded to walk all over it. Hope hopped off her chair and wrestled the envelope out from underneath a mean looking man's polished dress shoe, and wove between the legs to the set of beige flats five meters in front of her. She caught up with the thin lady and tugged on the skirt of her camel colored suit. When she looked down at the child, Hope handed her the envelope and said, "Excuse me, ma'am, but you dropped this." Her stern face cracked into a smile as she took the envelope from her small hands and thanked Hope before melting back into the flood of people. Hope turned to go back to her chair, only to find that it had disappeared into the thousands of legs visible from her altitude. "Uh-oh..." she said quietly, realizing her grave error.
*
Several meters away, two Preventers were saying that same thing ... more or less.
*
Hope looked around to try and reorient herself, in futility. She then forced her way through the crowd to the safety of the wall and discovered an air locked door before quickly slipping through it. Hope found herself in repair hangar surrounded by small personal space craft. She walked along the wall to explore the nearest shuttle which conveniently enough, had a major panel removed so that the guts were exposed for the maintenance crew. She jumped in the low gravity to the parapet twenty feet above her, landing with a quiet "tap" on the deserted walkway. She was in the middle of trying to count the multi colored wires when she started wondering why the place was so empty. The resounding wail of the warning system signaling that the hangar was about to be exposed to the vacuum of space answered her question. Hope frantically tried to open the door to the shuttle, but it had an electronic lock on it. She closed her eyes and pressed random keys on the panel, praying it would open. Hope heard the hiss of the pressure equalizing as the door slid open. She didn't have time to be amazed at her luck, so instead she just slipped in and hit the panel on the inside wall of the craft to make the door close. When she heard the electronic lock beep its reactivation, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and allowed herself to sit on the floor and let the adrenaline ebb.
After a few minutes, she heard the computer voice give the all clear and turned her attention to getting out and finding her way back to Duo. She looked at the panel she'd used to close the door and pressed it again. Nothing happened. Upon further inspection she realized she needed to re-enter the password she had used to get in, in order to get out. What kind of person would lock people out of and inside his shuttle?
"Oh well," she thought out loud, "I did it once, I can do it again," And with that, she began to press random keys again.
After several minutes of this, and no success, an external activity monitor started beeping. Hope quickly looked around for a place to hide. She opened the door to a small cabin that had been altered into a makeshift sleeping quarters and hid under the cot.
*
Heero tapped the security code into the keypad, only half paying attention, as he went over the list of things to repair in his head. He knew something was wrong as soon as he walked into the shuttle.
The cockpit pressure had lowered, he realized. Which meant that someone had entered the ship before he had and let the pressure equalize. He drew his unloaded gun and began to investigate. He'd stopped bothering to load the gun years ago, since on most of his missions, it was easier and quieter to knock the enemy unconscious. Most people gave up when they found themselves staring down the barrel, if it even came to that. Not to mention, he hadn't killed anyone since the failed coup in 197, and he was rather inclined to keep it that way.
But right now, the intruder had the advantage, and he would take any opportunities to gain the upper hand, even if it was through playing off their fear of death. He heard the sound of breathing from the cabin and walked silently to stand beside the doorway. After counting to three, he pressed the keypad and spun to fill the now open doorframe, training his gun on the sound of the breathing. Whoever it was, they were hiding under the cot.
"I know where you are, and I am prepared to kill you," he said in his cool monotone. "Come out and keep your hands where I can see them." The first thing he saw was the pink overalls, then a mop of blonde hair, and finally bright, unafraid violet eyes. That was only the third person to ever look down his gun without any fear of him. And he wasn't sure if Trowa should count or not. Hell, even Duo would start to waver if you held your ground long enough. A rare look of shock flashed across his face for the first time in years before he regained his composure, and put the gun back in its holster.
"What's your name?" she inquired, unabashed.
"What's yours."
"I asked you first."
"I am the adult, you are a child. Answer me."
"But you want to know what I know so I have the 'vantage."
"Advantage." He continued to stare unwaveringly at her with mounting irritation. She, in turn, kept staring right back, though her lips pursed in something resembling a pout. "Vantage has a completely different definition. Now who are you and how did you get in here."
"Would you like to borrow my comb? I have the whole Pretty-Princess vanity set."
"Excuse me?"
"Your hair's all mussy. You need to comb it. Mommy says presentation is ninety percents of impressions."
"First impressions." Why did he know that?
"Yeah, that. Doesn't your mommy comb your hair?" She held out the offered bit of plastic innocently. It was pink. Very pink. With rhinestones.
"Excuse me?"
"I can do it for you if you like, but you'll have to bend down."
"I do not need my hair combed. I need to know who you are so I can return you to the proper coordinates your identity designates."
"What?"
"You need to go home. Tell me your name."
"I still asked you first." She frowned indignantly as she repocketed the snubbed comb.
"My name is irrelevant. I have no identity, none that I care to share, with you or anyone else. If you do not tell me your name right now I will simply toss you out the airlock and let you find your own way home."
"Mommy'd be mad at you."
"Who is your Mommy."
"Who is yours?"
"I don't have one."
She looked stricken suddenly, staring up at him, "Ohhh ... is that why you're so mean?"
"I am not mean!" Why the Hell was he getting so irritated over this brat?
"You can borrow my Mommy if you'd like, she's real nice."
He sensed a crack in her defenses and changed tactics, "That would be nice, what's your Mommy's name?"
"What's yours?" This was becoming redundant. So what if he gave in to a little kid? It wasn't like there was anyone around to see the perfect soldier beaten by a rugrat.
"You may address me as Duo Maxwell, then."
"You aren't Duo! Duo's hair is much neater looking. And really long. You're mean and you're a liar." The glare she fixed him with was somehow startling and he narrowed his eyes at her. She knew Duo Maxwell? The odds of there being another Duo Maxwell in such propinquity with the tell-tale long hair were minimal to say the least. Well, now they were getting somewhere; her stealthy appearance on his ship was beginning to make more sense.
"You're Duo's daughter."
"I am?" She seemed shocked. Then thrilled. Not necessarily an affirmation. "That's great! I like him. Maybe he'll move in and stay when Mommy goes away so I don't have to see Grandma."
"Hn."
"Pardon me?" There was a touch of aristocracy in her tone. This further wavered his original deduction. He scrutinized her once more, noting the bright blonde hair, fair complexion, and painfully proper posture.
"Zechs'."
"God bless you." Heero frowned harder. Too polite. He studied her hair again.
"Quatre's."
"Nope. But I know who that one is. Mommy says he's very nice, and he sent me a music box for Christmas. It plays Furleese."
"You mean Fur Elise." What was this sinking feeling developing below his throat? The answer was well within reach; in any other situation he would have latched onto it long before he had gotten so far matching wits with a four-year-old. His brain told him this was fear; denial. Hair like Zechs', friends with Duo, and presents from Quatre. His next words were barely more than a choked whisper. "Your mother is Relena Darlian."
"Uh-oh. . . ." He grabbed her by the arm almost roughly.
"You don't belong on this ship, you're going back to your mother." He practically spat the last word.
"But she's on the Moon.... Can we find Duo instead? Or the Wu Fei...? Pleeease?" She seemed on the verge of tears. He found this disconcerting. He stopped and crouched, loosening his grip on her arm and pulling her around to face him with a sort of clumsy gentleness.
"Don't cry." This seemed ineffective as her chin quivered and the beginnings of a wail rose up threateningly from her throat. He was baffled, watching helplessly as her face grew red and her eyes welled up with tears. He had no experience with children. The closest thing to a child he had ever had to deal with was Duo. What would pacify Duo? "Would you like ice cream?" She blinked and stared at him, for the time being, shocked out of her tantrum.
"Okay!" She grabbed his hand eagerly and he looked at it.
*
"Duo, this is your fault. You were supposed to be watching the child, not the woman in the miniskirt."
"Her name is Hilde!"
"That is irrelevant to our present situation. We were entrusted with a precious cargo and your lack of professionalism has put our mission in jeopardy."
"For chrissakes, it's not a mission Wu Fei! It's a little kid! She's lost and probably scared out of her mind!"
"Well then you should have gotten her the hot chocolate and let me hang on to her. And considering her genetic makeup, I highly doubt she is so emotionally weak. Maxwell, where are you going!?"
"Think Wu! Where would a four year old with the single minded objectives of Heero Yuy go? I'm heading for the guy with the snack cart!"
Wu Fei watched him with a begrudging scowl, and then followed. He was rewarded for his cooperation by slamming into Duo's back when he stopped short in front of him.
"Dammit Maxwell! What the hell do you think you're doing?! Don't just stop in front of someone, give me a warning next time!" He paused in his rant as he noticed Duo's slack-jawed stare and lack of attention, then followed his gaze across the room. He sucked in his own breath as he saw what had shocked Duo. It was a scene he could never have prepared for. Their charge was seated calmly at the mobile confections counter, sharing an ice cream cone with one, Heero Yuy.
"Shit," he heard Duo hiss, "Rel's gonna kill us."
"Don't panic. We don't know for sure if her identity has been compromised."
"Why the hell else would Mr. I'm-going-to-kill-you be interacting with a kid?! Haven't you gotten it by now? Heero knows everything that comes within ten miles of him!"
"You're exaggerating and you're giving him too much credit. Heero is not infallible and he doesn't bother with useless information. Besides, she's as obstinate as her mother. She probably hasn't told him anything."
*
"So your birthday is September 5th."
"Uh huh, last year I got my vanity set. The Pretty-Princess one. Mommy says Grandma spoils me rotten, but the Lady says I'm too sweet to be rotten."
"And that was your fourth."
"I'm almost four-and-a-half now."
"No you aren't."
"Am so."
"No."
"Yuh-huh."
"There are twelve months in a year; six is half. There are only three between September and December."
"So?" It was definitely like talking to Duo. Except, she stopped talking once in a while. He grunted.
"What about your father?"
"He's gotta be lots older than four-and-a-half."
"Who is he?" he amended.
"You said he was Duo."
"Then you don't know?"
"I know Duo. . . ."
"September is nine months after January." Hope held out sticky fingers to count off in her head.
"Yep, guess so. And Saturday is after Friday."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"I like Saturday - Mommy stays home all day. Is it Friday yet?"
"It's Tuesday." He paused a moment and she held out the rather messy cone at him. Against his better judgement, he took an obliging lick. Best to maintain her trust until he had completed his interrogation. "What does your mommy tell you about your father."
"He was a white knight who fought valiantly for the good of all mankind," she recited from memory, "he took his mighty wingèd steed off to battle and saved the world, and he loves me very much even though he has to be away protecting the Earth Sphere so it's always safe forever and ever." She considered for a moment before adding thoughtfully, "And ever. The end. He gave me a teddy bear, but it's still in my suitcase. His name is Mister Snuffullufagus. My bear, not my daddy."
He found himself momentarily paralyzed by the word 'daddy' coming out of her mouth, and he didn't know why. This - whatever "this" was - shouldn't be affecting him so much. This was not good. Not good at all. Not in light of the information he'd collected from her. He was startled from his reverie by a tug at his jacket which brought his attention to the sticky hand smearing chocolate on him urgently.
"Mister Not-Duo?"
"What is it."
"I hafta go potty."
"Hn." They regarded each other suspiciously for a long moment. "You can do that by yourself, can't you."
"I'm not a baby."
"Good." They continued to regard each other in silence as Heero concluded what was expected of him. He stood up and nodded at her. "This way." She discarded the remnants of her ice cream and hopped down to follow him, thrusting her sticky hand into his.
"Are we going now?"
He realized he was staring at her, not moving. He grunted again, tearing his attention away from the hand grasping so trustingly at his own and moving at a pace that kept her hopping alongside him. Somewhere behind them Duo tapped Wu Fei's arm and proceeded to tail the pair.
"You can't call me Mr. Not-Duo."
"Mommy says I should always say mister unless its someone I already know. Or a girl," she added after thinking about it.
"Well, you know me now."
"Okay, Not-Duo."
"Stop that."
"Stop what?"
"Call me..." he trailed off in a moment of rare indecision. He couldn't give her the name he'd come to consider his own, even if she was Relena's daughter. Especially if she was Relena's daughter. She would doubtless relay the tidbit of information freely. He wouldn't give up the upper hand on this situation so easily. He was sure that Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum behind them wouldn't be overly forthcoming in their obvious blunder, giving him a satisfactory window of opportunity to act before she could build up her defenses. "Otousan," he finished firmly.
"Is that your name? It sounds funny. Okay, Otousan."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*