Domino (5/?)
by Anne
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Bandai, Sunrise and Sotsu Agency. I promise to return the characters in one piece, more or less, when I'm finished, but hold no liability for any broken bones or psychological trauma sustained by them in my fiction.
Summary: Quatre indulges his curiosity in some amateur hacking on OZ. Meanwhile, Trowa is interrogated by Zechs and Victoria Base's chief instructor, Lieutenant Noin.
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Eventual 3x4, 1x2.
Warnings: action, violence, language, angst
Archive:
Notes: Just a reminder, the premise of this canon based AU is answering the question, "What if Quatre had made a different decision and not become Sandrock's pilot?"
Send comments to: anneo
Opening Credits
"It's crowded here," Duo glances around their new premises and frowns. "I still don't see why we had to move again. I kind of liked the Green Room."
"Raletha and Anne have split all their projects," Quatre explains. "And as Anne is writing Domino now, it's easier for her to work from home."
"Hmm," Heero comments from in front of the computer. "Have you seen the new plans for this story?" He shakes his head. "It's certainly different to what I read the last time I hacked into her computer."
"Let me guess," Trowa interrupts with a grin. "Cliffhangers, angst and Quatre in handcuffs?"
"Where?" Quatre pushes Heero out of the way and scans the word document. "Figures," he snorts. "Hmm, you're right, Heero. The plottage for the future episodes is quite different to…"
"Quatre!" An angry shout comes from the direction of the kitchen. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You know that my computer is out of bounds." Anne enters the living room, her eyes scanning the room. "Do I have to remind you boys about my house rules?"
"House rules?" says Duo, giving her an innocent looking smile. "You have house rules?"
Wufei chuckles. "Of course she has house rules. She's a mother. All mothers have house rules."
"Mothers /and/ fanfic writers," Anne mutters under her breath. "It's almost impossible to keep muses under control, but I like to go through the motions anyway." She counts off on her fingers. "No hacking the computer. No touching the halo or the pink stick. No unauthorised trips through the Stargate. No touching Methos's sword. He gets pissy if people touch his sword, and I won't protect you if he finds out."
"But Methos wouldn't…" Quatre protests. He likes Methos and has shared quite a few interesting discussions with both him and Daniel since they arrived. There is a lot to be said for sharing a house with a fanfic writer who dabbles in several fandoms and writes crossovers.
"Methos wouldn't what?" A familiar immortal enters the room, a can of beer in one hand. "You may look but not touch." Methos takes a swig of beer. "Do you want me to give Bast a message?" he asks Anne. "I'm just heading over there now. Seth is expecting me."
Anne gives the Gundam pilots a pointed look.
"Tell her thank you for beta reading," Quatre says. He bends down and picks up three bouquets of flowers. "Wufei and I are going to come with you for part of the journey. I'm going to Ruth's and Wufei is going home to haraamis so we can thank them for beta reading as well."
There is a flash of light and two people appear in front of them. "Hi, Shadow," Anne waves. "Misanagi, did you enjoy the trip?"
"I'm still not getting sucked into your fandom." Misanagi shakes her head. "And teleporting me here for coffee isn't going to work."
Shadow and Anne exchange an amused look. "Right. Sure," says Shadow. She smiles sweetly at Anne and all the muses shudder in unison.
Trowa is the first to recover. "I'll go make the coffee," he announces. "It's the least I can do for you after all your stalking…er…help."
Enjoy the episode!
Previously on Domino
Upon leaving the Indus Supply base, his orders had been straightforward – to destroy the training establishment at Lake Victoria, thus removing the threat of both OZ troops and the suits they were being trained to pilot.
However, before he'd reached Kenya, those instructions had been modified. Wufei was not about to waste his energy figuring out how exactly a Gundam pilot had permitted both himself and his mecha to be captured, but he agreed that the breach of security needed to be dealt with promptly.
The original plan had been simple: plant explosives under the cover of darkness and blow the base before dawn. Unfortunately, the increase in security accompanying the Gundam pilot to Lake Victoria had made it impossible to get close enough to do so.
This new scenario held more of a challenge than the previous one, but Wufei did not anticipate any problems in an enemy consisting of raw recruits with no experience.
A full on attack would at least give them the opportunity to fight like the warriors they had chosen to be. So far, those he opposed had persisted in underestimating him; it was a misconception that would prove to be their downfall.
At dawn, he and Nataku would attack the base and destroy anything or anyone who opposed them.
The human race has ventured out from the Earth, seeking to build a future in the space colonies. But under the banner of justice and peace, the United Earth Sphere Alliance has seized control of these colonies, using its superior military power.
It is the year After Colony 195.
However, a few colonists rebel against this oppression and send new weapons to the Earth, disguised as shooting stars. But the Alliance has discovered the existence of Operation Meteor…
EPISODE FIVE - DAWN AT VICTORIA – Part Two
Quatre rolled over in bed, glanced at the clock again and groaned. Only five minutes had passed since the last time he had looked at it. Reaching a decision, he threw his bedclothes back and reached for his robe. Wrapping it around himself, he walked out to the kitchen to make a cup of tea. If the thoughts chasing each other through his mind were that determined not to let him sleep, he might as well give in to them and at least enjoy a hot drink at the same time.
Turning the heat on under the kettle, he searched the cupboard for the packet of chamomile tea. He needed rest, but he knew that he would have to work through some of what was troubling him before sleep could become a reality.
Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw images of the Gundam pilot surrendering at Corsica and heard himself repeating the words that he had told Relena at dinner.
"I believe in peace. What I don't believe in is rolling over for the enemy."
He had argued against Total Pacifism, believing that he couldn't sit back and do nothing, but wasn't that what he /was/ doing? H had asked him whether he was prepared to help fight to end the war and the bloodshed. Quatre had told him that he wasn't ready, that he wasn't the right person.
Had that changed? Had he changed?
Pouring the hot water over the tea, he waited impatiently for it to draw. His father had always preached pacifism, but although Quatre wanted to be a good son, he couldn't continue to follow his father's ideals in good conscience. But, while he agreed with Relena that, in principle, there should be a way to end the bloodshed without fighting, he wasn't sure what else could be done.
While he would like to believe that peace was obtainable through negotiation, Quatre suspected that mere words would not be enough to dissuade the Alliance to give up their position of power, a position that they had abused for far too long.
Was the aim of Operation Meteor to overthrow the Alliance? The Gundams seemed to be targeting Alliance and OZ bases and weapons factories. They hadn't directly attacked any civilians. Were they acting under orders from elsewhere or working together?
The two pilots he and Relena had seen at the hospital had escaped together, but that didn't necessarily mean that they had known each other beforehand. In fact, from what Relena had described had happened at the waterfront, it seemed very unlikely that they had. The other pilot had shot Heero; why then stage a risky rescue operation? Unless whoever had originally sent the Gundams to Earth had deemed it even more dangerous to leave Heero in the hands of the military?
Taking a sip of his tea, Quatre frowned, thinking again of the pilot at Corsica. He had asked Auda and Abdul to continue monitoring the area; perhaps they had discovered more information by now? He also needed to know the current whereabouts of the Gundam that had destroyed the Indus base. If those behind Operation Meteor had decided that Heero had been a high-risk loose end, how would they view the capture of both a pilot /and/ his Gundam?
Quatre headed back into his bedroom after leaving his cup of tea on the counter to cool. Booting up his email program, he was pleased to discover a message from Rashid. Hmm, the pilot and his mecha had been moved to the training facility at Lake Victoria. That made sense, especially after the damage that had been sustained at Corsica.
Entering more commands, he began sifting through the information that he had hacked from OZ's security system. Although he had downloaded it earlier, he hadn't had time to go through it properly because of his dinner date with Relena.
"Damn it," Quatre muttered half an hour later. The information he had didn't tell him anything that he hadn't already discovered through the Maguanacs. He glanced at his watch; the captured pilot should have arrived at Lake Victoria by now. If the officer in charge had filed a report to his superiors he would have done so either from that facility or via a secure line in transit.
Unable to resist the opportunity to find out more, Quatre typed in several more commands; it had not been that difficult to get a hook into the server used by the base at Victoria. Initiating another application he bypassed several firewalls and found a back door port that didn't appear to be monitored. Gaining access to their system, he began scanning their database for the information he required.
So, Lt. Merquise was the name of the officer who had taken the pilot into custody.
Quatre scanned further.
The captured pilot had given his name as Trowa Barton, but appeared to be suffering from amnesia. Quatre's eyes narrowed, and he re-read the report again. Wasn't Trowa the name of Dekim Barton's son?
Quatre shook his head, frowning as he attempted to remember what he had heard from his father about the Bartons. "Wait a minute," he muttered, scrolling up again as something else caught his eye.
The pilot only /appeared/ to be suffering from amnesia?
While watching the aftermath of the battle, Quatre had seen the pilot, Trowa, wince. If he had been in Trowa's place, he would have used an apparent injury to buy himself time to think of a way out. It was plausible that that could be what Trowa had done.
A red light began to flash on his screen.
Cursing under his breath, Quatre began disengaging the hook and erasing its presence from the server, so that it couldn't be traced. The light kept flashing, and he forced himself to remain calm, fingers moving over the keys rapidly as he left a false trail across cyberspace.
Finally, he was able to heave a sigh of relief. Glancing down at his hands, he noticed that they were shaking. The reaction had only hit him after he had known that he was safe. On some level he had enjoyed the thrill of the chase and the adrenaline rush that had come with it.
With access to this information, and his knowledge and connections to those playing in the political and social arenas, there was a way for him to join the fight after all.
Quatre smiled, his mind already thinking through strategies. Next time he would be more careful and not allow himself to be distracted by whatever he discovered until he was clear of their system. There would be a next time, of that much he was sure. In fact, he was already looking forward to it.
Noin paused at the door to Zechs' office. Despite what Zechs had told her, she found it difficult to believe that the captured Gundam pilot was so young.
Hopefully, someone slightly more approachable might be able to encourage the boy to be more forthcoming with information. Zechs had many qualities but tact wasn't one of them.
According to Zechs, the pilot was stubborn and only giving the barest of information. Surprisingly, he had not denied the name given on his flight recorder, especially as it tied him, and possibly his Gundam, to the Barton Foundation. Noin didn't believe in co-incidences; this pilot sharing the name of Dekim Barton's son was not something that could be dismissed lightly.
The Gundam pilot had suffered a nasty blow to the head, and that could account for some of his confusion, but Noin couldn't help but wonder if he was playing them for a fool. From the reports she had been given of his initial capture, his reactions had not been those of someone as confused as he had appeared to be later on the flight to Victoria. Yes, the reaction could have been delayed, but somehow she was not wholly convinced.
Knocking quickly, she entered the room. "Lt. Noin." Zechs gave her a nod, but didn't rise from his chair. Noin returned the nod with a curt one of her own and shifted her attention onto the Gundam pilot.
He met her gaze coolly, but it was impossible to read any expression on his face. If he was scared or nervous, he hid it well. When Zechs had told her that Trowa was a teenager she had expected someone of at least eighteen or nineteen. She would be surprised if he were older than fifteen or sixteen. While several of her cadets were younger than she would have liked, she was not impressed with whoever would send a child to fight an adult's battle. A momentarily surge of anger flared, but she didn't allow it to take control. What the hell were his superiors thinking? A battlefield was no place for someone his age.
"I'm Lt. Noin," she introduced herself. "And you are?"
"Trowa Barton, but you already know that." Trowa's voice was even, not rude, but not exactly polite either. Of course, being in restraints didn't tend to bring out the best in people.
"So you aren't denying that is your name?" Zechs raised one eyebrow. "Or is it merely the name you wish to use?"
Noin mentally rolled her eyes, but said nothing.
"It's the name on my flight recorder," Trowa replied simply. "Use it if you wish."
Zechs rose to his feet and walked around the desk so that he was directly opposite the pilot. Noin remained standing, although she had a suspicion that psychological games were not going to have much effect on the boy. He seemed too sure of himself, too calm. She wondered what exactly his training had entailed.
"Who are you working for?" Zechs leaned back against the desk and crossed his arms over his chest. "What are the specifics of your mission?"
Not surprisingly, Trowa merely looked straight ahead and said nothing.
"I believe that Lt. Zechs asked you a question," Noin reminded him. "We don't wish to harm you, but co-operation would be in your best interests." She paused. Often changing to another subject could throw a prisoner off balance. "Who is Quatre?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Trowa's face, but he hid it quickly. "I don't know." His initial reaction suggested that he had heard the broadcast too, as did the way he had answered. Also, he had answered this question but ignored the previous one.
"Is he another Gundam pilot?" Zechs didn't change his posture but shifted his balance back and forth on the balls of his feet. He was more than just curious about these Gundams. Noin had seen the look in his eyes when he had described the mobile suit and what it had been capable of before it had been brought down.
"I don't know," Trowa repeated. Either he was lying, or he was not aware of the identities of the other pilots. The latter made more sense; in the event of the pilots being captured, they would not be deemed as high a risk with limited knowledge, if any, of their allies.
"There's a lot you don't know," Zechs commented, his tone suggesting that he didn't believe Trowa's response.
"My apologies." Trowa nodded slightly.
"What is Operation Meteor?" Noin sidestepped the growing antagonism by asking another question before Zechs could respond to Trowa's comment. "You mentioned it on your flight recorder, so denying knowledge of it is a waste of time. I'd also like to remind you, Mr. Barton, that you are under arrest for acts of treason and that you have killed several of our troops and destroyed OZ and Alliance property. There is no reason for us to do you any favours."
"I am fully aware of my present situation." Trowa held up his hands and nodded towards the cuffs around his wrists. "Nor do I expect you to do me any favours. Yes, I did refer to Operation Meteor in my flight recorder; as you've just pointed out, it would be foolish to deny that."
"Extremely foolish," Zechs agreed.
"However," Trowa continued. "As you would have also noted from my flight recorder, Operation Meteor is no more, therefore it is not a relevant topic for discussion."
"I think that's for us to decide," Zechs replied coldly. "As Lt. Noin has already pointed out, you are our prisoner, Gundam pilot. I suggest you keep that in mind."
"If you insist." Trowa leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
"Operation Meteor," Zechs repeated. "What is it? Who built your Gundam? What is your connection to the Barton Foundation?"
Trowa opened his eyes again and met Zechs' glare directly. His eyes were cold, his voice deadly calm. "Operation Meteor has failed. I will not tell you who built my Gundam, and I do not have any connections to the Barton Foundation."
"Look, kid," Noin said. "I know you must be scared, even though you're hiding it well, and I have no idea what you think you're going to achieve by being difficult, but your attitude needs some serious work. If you help us, we can help you." She shrugged. "But if you insist on being uncooperative, our hands are tied."
"So are mine." Trowa's expression softened for the barest moment. "I think this interview is at an end. Don't you?"
"No, I don't," Zechs' eyes flashed. Noin put a warning hand on his arm, but he ignored her. He took a step closer to Trowa and slapped him across the face. Trowa didn't attempt to move away. Either the pilot was very brave or very foolish. "I have been very patient with you, but that patience is wearing thin. If you will not disclose the information to me, I'm sure there are others who will have more success in…"
Several explosions rocked the room, and whatever Zechs had been about to say was lost. Noin grabbed the side of the desk to steady herself. "Shit," she muttered under her breath. They were under attack. Was this an attempt to destroy the new Taurus'? Or another Gundam sent to retrieve their prisoner and his mecha?
Another explosion. Closer this time.
Zechs helped Trowa to his feet; the pilot had been thrown from his chair. "You can't hide behind that attitude forever."
"I suppose you'd know," Trowa replied, dryly.
"I need to get to the control room and find out what's going on." Noin headed for the door. She had not trained her soldiers to die but rather in the art of survival. Human life was too precious and any operation that carried that kind of risk was flawed.
When Zechs had arrived, she had increased security around the base and doubled the amount of personnel on watch. That these measures had not been enough pointed to the possibility that this was a Gundam attack. It was time to see first hand what these advanced mobile suits were like in combat.
"Traitor!"
Howard opened one eye slowly and forced himself out of his bunk. What the hell was the kid going on about now? He made his way out onto the deck and, realising that Duo wasn't there, followed the sound of loud cursing to the hanger. "Could you keep the noise level down?" he groused. "Some of us still like to pretend that we're getting some beauty sleep, you know."
"The bastard stole parts from 'Scythe." Duo spun around to answer Howard's question. His fists were clenched, and he was shaking with rage. "I trusted him, rescued him from that damn hospital, and this is how he repays me?"
"Him?" Howard couldn't resist asking, even though he already knew the answer. The way Duo was acting, he could only be referring to one person.
"Him." Duo nodded vigorously. "Heero. The guy who jumps out of windows without a parachute, and grosses me out by setting his own bones." He sighed. "Obviously that wasn't enough though. He had to go one further."
"Aah," said Howard, trying to hide his amusement. "So he fixed his own Gundam with parts from yours and then left, hmm?"
"Left. Gone." Duo kicked a toolbox and sent it flying. "No one touches 'Scythe but me. No one."
"No one?" Howard raised an eyebrow. "Guess you won't be wanting me to fix him up for you then." G would be very interested to hear of this turn of events. Watching the two kids interact had been very entertaining. He fought the urge to chuckle but was unsuccessful.
"It's not funny, Howard." Duo glared at him.
"Depends on your point of view, Duo," Howard drawled. He shook his head. These kids really didn't have much of a clue of the bigger scheme of things. They had been given the information they needed to get the job done but not much else. The responsibility they were carrying would be enough for someone his own age, let alone theirs.
He and the others had waited too long for this to see it fail now. Work had begun on the Gundams even before the fall of Sanq. Howard could still remember the assassination of the original Heero Yuy, and the resulting chaos. It was something that would be engraved in his memory forever. Damn J and his weird sense of humour, giving his kid that code name. But then subtly had never been one of J's strong points.
Placing a hand on Duo's shoulder, Howard gave him a grin. "We'd better be starting on repairs to your Gundam, I expect. Won't be long before you're needed again."
"Yeah," Duo agreed. "No rest for the wicked." He grinned back, his bad mood seemingly gone, although Howard suspected that it was only hidden. One day that joker's mask was going to crack, and Howard hoped like hell that there would be someone around to pick up the pieces. Although he'd only known Duo a short time, he'd heard enough about him over the years, and had grown fond of him since they had met.
"I think I have some spare parts around here somewhere." Howard scratched his head, pondering, not for the first time, how he'd become repairman to the very machines he'd helped to develop.
"Shame Heero didn't find those instead of stealing mine," Duo muttered.
"Probably didn't know where to look," Howard replied absently. "Though I doubt you've seen the last of him. It's going to take more than one Gundam to bring down OZ, Duo."
The plan had been for five, and they were already down to four. Unless…
Howard realised that Duo had said something. "What?" Howard shook his head and sighed. "Okay, slow down, and repeat it again from the beginning. Just what parts did he take…exactly?"
To be continued
Next on Domino:
EPISODE SIX – RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
Wufei attacks Victoria Base. Trowa escapes, coming across traces of Quatre's hacking while erasing the computers of all data on the Gundam Pilots.