Memento (Part Twenty-Three)

Prying open the door short of tearing it down was proving to be difficult. When he'd been assured that all parties involved in Quatre's case were locked up in one room, Trowa imagined a simple lock on an inconspicuous door. Instead, he was greeted with the sight of a steel door whose keypad was intact but useless. He suspected that the device had been smashed from the inside so that it was now inoperable from where he stood. The only conclusion he could come up with was that Heero was in a rather violent mood.

Refusing to ram himself into the locked door, Trowa had called a maintenance team to break it open. In the end, a team of four personnel were required to break the door down with nothing less than a blow torch. Food and appropriate necessities had been prepared for what he knew would be a few irritable prisoners. He'd kept them confined for hours on end, so they were surely livid from unexpected imprisonment.

"Thanks," Trowa said as the maintenance crew arranged their materials and left.

He stood with his back to the open door, a little reluctant to go through with his questioning. He was tired from lack of sleep, emotionally exhausted, and so overwhelmed that he doubted he could process any more information. Still, there was something he had to do. After several moments of unmoving indecision, Trowa faced the now open door. Heero was the first person on his case.

"I told you not to leave him alone," Heero spoke with impatience, blocking his view of the people situated inside the room. With nothing but Heero's voice expressing outward irritation, Trowa suspected that the occupants of the room were more or less too tired to complain.

"Carrying him in here was not an option," Trowa replied calmly, staring at Heero instead of pushing him aside. He was in no mood for any arguments. "He needed a proper bed so I put him in one." Let it be said that he knew how to take care of Quatre on his own. Heero did not move as he entered the room.

The first thing Trowa noticed was Duo who was reclining, half-asleep on a very uncomfortable looking chair. The rest of his captives were seated more appropriately as they greedily consumed their meals. Hunger must have staved off their annoyance for the time being.

"I trust that he's in good hands," Heero spoke again after he moved to stand next to him. Heero made no attempts to get anything for himself.

"He needed medical assistance Heero," Trowa responded, facing his comrade as if to dare him to declare his decision erroneous. "What did you expect me to do? And before you ask - yes, it is that bad."

Looking back at the group of people who were now nothing more than hungry spectators, Trowa blinked, surprised that all eyes were on him. There was no doubt that they heard his unintended proclamation. The pity they felt for him was delivered through sorrowful looks that did nothing but make him feel more exhausted than he already was. Pity, at that point in time, was the last thing he needed. He stared back at them casually.

"We should start now," Wufei's strong voice resounded from one corner of the room where he had situated himself. No food was before him, only an empty glass which he held with a shaky hand. "There's nothing left to do but tell Trowa what you've told us," he addressed the investigation team.

Silence filled the room because nobody wanted to start. Perhaps they felt sorry for Trowa, but he would have none of it. He had gathered them for a purpose and he was resolute not to leave until he was satisfied with their answers. Having no other choice but to take charge, Trowa stepped up to the table and spoke.

"Did you or did you not know of Quatre's intentions?" he started, not caring who would answer.

"We did from the very beginning." Une was the first to reply, saving everyone the trouble of answering him directly. Trowa, satisfied that somebody spoke up, turned to face her. "He was part, if not head, of the operation to infiltrate the organization suspected of targeting you," she clarified.

"Quatre isn't part of the Preventer organization," Trowa responded, eyes hard with accusation. His response was not meant to invalidate her statement, only to state a widely known fact. "He has his own job at his own company."

Still, Trowa was not oblivious. He was aware that Quatre took part in Preventer business occasionally. Quatre had considered it his second job. Trowa had always been vehemently against it because it put unnecessary strain and responsibility on his already overworked husband, but he never stopped Quatre. All of a sudden, it seemed like stopping him while he had the chance was a good idea.

"However, he still works with us," Une said. She returned his stare with one of her own, clearly showing him that she was not afraid. The crowd, captivated by the exchange, did nothing but watch. "You are aware of it, I'm sure. After all, he works as commander of your team during several peace conferences held throughout the year."

"I know," Trowa said, fighting the urge to rub at his eyes. Indeed, Quatre was commander of their team while acting as the representative of L4 and head of his company. If he wasn't arguing with politicians, he was organizing their positions as watchmen over those same politicians. If he wasn't talking business or giving a speech, he was busy watching their backs. Sometimes he was negotiating contracts and making sure Trowa had arrived home safely from an assignment all at the same time. The sound of it alone was already overwhelming.

"It was his decision," Une reiterated. "Therefore, the responsibility became his."

"You could have stopped him," Trowa accused. He knew he sounded like a child because for a moment, he was. Helplessness did that to him.

Une smirked at him knowingly. "You know as well as I do that Quatre Winner can and will use his impeccable speaking skills to get whatever he wants."

Trowa would have hit his head against a wall, but the inappropriateness of the act stopped him from doing so. He felt somewhat proud of Quatre for being great at what he did, but he also felt annoyed that he was as good as he was. It made life difficult for everyone else trying to deal with him. Sometimes you could never win.

"I never noticed he was doing this kind of work. Did anyone else?" Trowa said, directing his question at his three comrades.

"I would have tied him to a chair and put a gag over his mouth because that mouth of his is one hell of a tough opponent," Duo responded as he shook his head in disbelief. Quatre pulling off something that big without their knowledge was unbelievable.

"I was just as unaware," Wufei stated simply, foregoing the unnecessary use of words. The glass in his hand shook once before he finally put it down on the table.

Two answers down and one to go; it was too bad that the only person left was just as difficult as Quatre if not more so. The only difference was that Heero was infuriatingly vague when he gave answers. He was also too damn cautious when it came to Quatre.

"I didn't know," Heero said, causing three sets of eyes to stare at him. Duo and Wufei were giving him the most incredulous looks possible. Heero not knowing anything about what went on was almost absurd.

"Contrary to popular belief, Quatre doesn't tell me everything nor do I know the state of his being at any given moment," Heero clarified, staring back at Trowa as he said it. It was a challenge to question otherwise.

"He speaks the truth. None of you were aware of this operation," was the sudden defense. When Une said it, it sounded like absolute truth. It might have been her commanding voice echoing throughout the room that did the job, but it was most likely the fact that she knew more than any of them on the matter that gave her credibility. "The assignments given to you that took the longest time to complete served their purpose. You would have all been too busy to notice his activities."

"You mean those long surveillance assignments?" Duo said with a sour look on his face. 'Those long boring ones' was left out of the question. If anything, it was a bit too sadistic for his tastes.

"Some of them, yes. You do have to take into consideration that this operation had been going on for almost a year and a half before Quatre was abducted."

"How did he find out who they were and what their intentions were?" Trowa followed up. There were a few more questions he had in mind, but he fought the urge to ask each one without waiting for an answer.

"The ZERO system was a valuable aide."

Trowa froze even as the rest of his friends shook their heads in disapproval. They probably heard the news from her earlier and predicted that he was not going to be pleased with the news. He wasn't.

"The incident today was not the first time," Trowa stated rather than asked. All his awaiting questions were forgotten for the time being. He felt himself shake with barely restrained anger. Watching Quatre on the system a few hours back was enough of a nightmare. The sight of long, angry needles piercing Quatre's skull made him sick. Imagining that same scenario happening several times over was more torment than he could bear.

"He had utilized it several times and requested that he be connected to the system when his condition deemed it necessary as was done earlier today," Une added, confirming just what Trowa had been dreading.

If Une was sadistic then Quatre was masochistic. Several things Quatre did without his knowledge was unacceptable, but voluntarily putting himself through the system whilst knowing its ill-effects was unforgivable. Trowa wanted to walk out, wake Quatre up, and scold him for what he'd done, but it was both impossible and impractical. Quatre was out cold and the very quiet crowd that he'd gathered in the room was willing to tell him everything. It took every ounce of his self-control to continue to stand where he was and act as rationally as he could. The fact that he was livid did not need to be explicitly stated.

He stood stock still at the head of the table where Duo sat swinging around in his chair. Somehow, the carefree movement looked unnatural as if Duo was contemplating rather than fooling around. The squeaks indicating that the chair was protesting the action sounded almost too rhythmic to be reckless.

"I'd like to find out why I was the main target. Anyone can answer," Trowa said abruptly, moving on to the next topic. It was best not to dwell on the subject matter that made him forget everything else. Quatre and his use of the ZERO system would be dealt with later.

"Most of the residents of L3 seem to hold a grudge against you," Noin said, answering the question she seemed to know the most about.

Trowa turned to her, almost forgetting that there were other people aside from their superior able to give him answers. If Noin knew as well, then the rest of the group was probably part of the operation trying to uncover L3's wayward organization. They just happened to be labeled as the same team investigating Quatre's disappearance.

"Most of the citizens of L3 relied on Operation Meteor not because they held a grudge against the Earth but because they'd been influenced by the ruling Barton family. With the downfall of the Barton family, several fanatics of the pre-war era started to come out to form an organization aimed at, simply put, finding someone to blame."

Trowa nodded as he listened carefully. So concentrated was he on what Noin was trying to say that he almost yelped when he was unceremoniously shoved into a chair. A telltale braid whipped up in front of him to reveal that the guilty party was none other than Duo.

"Sit down Tro. You're going to need it," Duo said as he stretched his arms above his head. "Try to concentrate on the topic at hand, folks," he encouraged, cracking his neck before giving Trowa a back massage. The gesture was odd but comforting and did more than make half the people in the room blink. "Noin, as you were saying..."

"Yes, uh," Noin responded, shaking her head to get herself back on track. "The organization discovered a few leads and a few dead ends before finally landing on the mechanic who worked on and eventually piloted Heavyarms. But the first person they found was the direct des..."

"And that would be where Dr. Lara Barton comes in," Une interrupted, forcing Trowa to divert his attention to her. He noticed Noin's discomfort at being stopped but paid no heed to it. "The woman who had brought Quatre in claimed to be a descendant of the nearly extinct Barton family and pinpointed Trowa as the person who had taken Heavyarms. Since Heavyarms was the principal symbol of their glorious past, Trowa was considered the culprit, their primary nemesis."

"I couldn't have been that easy to find me," Trowa said, leaning back into his chair and secretly enjoying the dexterity of Duo's hands on his back. "It isn't easy to find any of us. Quatre made sure of that."

"That is true. Quatre had protected your identities as Gundam pilots very well, but her fanaticism and eagerness to get at you as the person who murdered her supposed brother was far too great. The research we found at her place of residence was more than thorough. It was complete."

"But you let her in here knowing full well who she was. She even had Quatre with her. I would like to find out why she was not accosted upon her arrival."

"We only knew her by codename and nothing more. Add to that the fact that she had willingly brought Quatre into our territory. It was enough of a threat. There was no telling what she would do with him. In addition, Quatre had looked so different that it was difficult to identify him. We needed the four of you to do that for us."

"You had no communication from Quatre after his abduction? It sounds like you didn't know what happened to him afterwards."

"We only received two communications from him, the very last one just a few months before his status had been changed from missing to deceased. He was able to send us valuable information but nothing more. We did not know of his condition or what he was planning to do."

"When did you successfully identify him?" Trowa continued, fairly sure that they knew long before he or any of his friends did.

"The first time you had requested an identity check on him," Sally, who up until then was silent, answered. Une nodded in her direction, encouraging her to go ahead and tell them.

"That's impossible. The results clearly stated that it was not him."

"It's quite easy to falsify documents when necessary," Sally said, pausing momentarily as Trowa frowned. "The reason why we kept the truth from you was because it still wasn't time. We needed more evidence to indict Ms. Lara Barton. If she knew that you were already aware of his identity, then she would have fled, bringing with her all the pieces of evidence we needed."

"He also said it... It wasn't time," Trowa murmured thoughtfully. It sounded like Quatre himself had predicted the turn of events, enough that he tried to control it. Back then, Quatre had refused to go to a hospital to get himself checked. He might have been waiting for them to find something.

"Did you find anything?" Trowa questioned, foregoing the urge to accuse them of keeping the news from him. Sometimes, the most rational course of action was the hardest to accept.

"We found evidences connecting Ms. Barton to the mother organization and we also found several accounts of what they'd done to Quatre while he was in their custody."

Trowa really didn't want to hear any of it, but he didn't have any choice in the matter. It almost seemed like it was his responsibility to find out. He looked toward Heero who was leaning against the wall behind him, asking the silent question of whether he should hear it or not. Heero nodded once and that seemed to assure him that it wouldn't be that bad. Wufei did the same.

"Hell, I want to know exactly what happened," Duo voiced quite loudly as he continued to knead Trowa's back. The crowd of spectators thought him inconsiderate for deciding without Trowa's consent, but Trowa understood that it was Duo's way of showing his support. Receiving an affirmative from all of them, Trowa nodded.

"They purposely induced memory loss," Sally explained. Her hand disappeared under the table where Wufei's seemed to be as well. "Ms. Barton herself had been studying stress-induced memory loss. By keeping Quatre constantly sick, they were able to force his body into high alert regularly. Unfortunately, in this case, the body tries to cope, but the brain overworks itself trying to keep up with the demands. Neuronal damage resulted and that would explain Quatre's current state."

"Dr. Marion, the doctor we confirmed to have attended to him, was discovered to have prescribed simple but harmful enough strains of bacteria and virus that kept him constantly sick. A few other more serious complications developed over time including ulcer and the deterioration of his memory."

"And somehow, this was all meant to piss Trowa off," Duo concluded, stopping in his ministrations before grabbing an empty seat. He shoved the wheeled chair toward Heero before seating himself down on an unoccupied seat.

"Then it was not the physical blow to his head? I noticed a scar somewhere around the back of his head," Trowa inquired, unable to comprehend how anyone could come up with such a thought-out way to destroy another. It may have sounded vicious, but it was brilliant.

"One hit to the head alone, in most cases, may not be enough to cause memory loss," Noin interjected, eager and ready as she explained her discovery. "The injury to his head was probably acquired during his initial abduction. There were, after all, traces of blood on the grounds he was last seen in."

"How about the injury to his lower abdomen?" Trowa asked next.

"Didn't he acquire that during the war, the stab from a sword?"

"No, this one is longer, extending from his frontal midsection all the way to his back," Trowa responded. It couldn't have possibly been the same injury. He was fairly sure of how the stab Dorothy dealt looked like. It was small, almost insignificant compared to what he saw.

"I should be able to explain that," Une volunteered. "According to Ms. Barton, Quatre had forced himself out of his restraints, injuring his wrists and waist in the process. The scar in his abdomen was the only mark left from the escape because it had been the deepest."

Duo grimaced visibly, whispering something about crazy people, Heero, and passing on insane methods to Quatre. Trowa decided to ask Duo about it further when they got the time.

"How about the body parts discovered in the freezers, whose is it?"

"It's his."

Trowa frowned. His heart skipped a beat. It was certainly not the answer he was expecting because it made no sense. It also made him loose all hope. He knew Quatre was in a room down the hall. He had to be. Although they'd never explicitly stated it, they were implying that Quatre was alive.

"...Or rather, the body is a replicate of his, a clone if you will."

"A clone?"

"It was meant to trick us. It does make sense since the torso came devoid of any organs. There were no lungs, heart, kidney, or anything else. At first we assumed they were removed to make way for the tapes stowed inside the body cavity, but the body was too clean. As you probably heard, the cloning of organs has been virtually impossible, but it's possible to clone body parts as we do to replace amputated limbs. They managed to clone a few body parts, but they were unable to replicate his body in its entirety. They also failed to replicate his torso perfectly, causing a slight malformation in the places where the organs should have been."

Trowa sighed audibly, sagging all of a sudden so that his shoulders slumped and his head dropped down. With the confirmation that the discovered body was nothing more than a replicate, Trowa was sure that they had Quatre back with them. It was him and no one else.

"Now that's what I call better news," Duo said, dropping his head flat on the table. A dull thud was the only indication that the action must have hurt, but Duo didn't whine about it. "Does anybody else need to say something important?" he asked, waving his hand above his still down turned face. "Because if there isn't any more you'd like to tell us, I'd like to spend a little private time with the boys."

Satisfied as he was with all the information that had poured out of the responsible parties after so long, Trowa nodded, indicating that they could all leave. He watched as they filed out of the room one by one, most of the people he didn't know offering looks of sympathy. He responded to each one with a sincere nod. They may not have known him well, but they must have worked with Quatre at some point in time.

Both Noin and Sally hugged him instead, silently offering him comfort while asking forgiveness for not telling him about the secret operation sooner. Trowa knew it wasn't their fault. He knew they were following Quatre's orders and that was enough. They stayed true to him and that in itself was a very genuine act of friendship. He thanked them in return before watching the rest of the people leave.

Une was the last to stand, looking like she was unwilling to face him. Trowa sensed a bit of guilt and apprehension coming from her. It made him think back to their earlier discussion. It was then that he remembered that she had purposely cut off Noin's narration. She must have had something to hide.

"They were after Marimeia," Trowa whispered, as if hit with a sudden realization. "They wanted to use her," he continued, fairly sure that Une was only a few steps away from him.

"She's just a child," his superior answered automatically, almost defensively.

"You gave me away so they would leave her alone," Trowa concluded, testing the feel of the argument in his head. He was fairly sure that he hit the right spot. "But Quatre found out and he took matters into his own hands."

"Wouldn't you have done the same if you were in my position?" Une said quietly, her emotions radiating off her so strongly that Trowa knew she was just as shaken as he was.

"Yes, I probably would have," Trowa responded, looking up. The fierce eyes he knew too well were gone, replaced by a look of remorse and sadness that was too hard to ignore. "But know this, Quatre is my life," he continued.

"I'm so sorry," Une said as she looked away from him, leaving the room slowly as if allowing him time to stop her, but Trowa never did. He merely leaned back on his seat, closing his weary eyes. Not a few moments later, he heard the sounds of sobbing which forced him to look around.

"Duo," Trowa could only say as his eyes landed on the form of his friend, Quatre's long-time partner in crime. Duo sobbed hysterically. His face remained hidden from view, his arms tucked under eyes that refused to show his version of misery. "...so damn crazy," Duo kept on repeating as he continued to bawl.

Trowa did not know why the tears finally fell only after years of hopelessness. It must have been the feeling of relief. It must have been the effect of the one good news they were waiting for all that time. Trowa chanced a look behind him to find that Heero, although silent, was tearing up too. Wufei was no different.

"But so damn alive," he heard Duo suddenly say and that was when they surrounded him, suffocating him in their powerful embrace.