Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, or any of its characters, so don't sue me!
Pairings: 1x2 3x4 5x6x13 (thanks to the person who reviewed and corrected my number mistake - I don't know french I'm afraid) maybe SxR and HxDxN not sure yet…
Plot: Pretty usual fare. Governments experimenting on people in an attempt to create the 'perfect' agents. Unfortunately for them they aren't quite sure what they've succeeded in creating this time. Their masterpieces complete missions with ease and are more than the governments ever thought they'd get, but…the governments don't know just what the extent of those capabilities really are, and whilst they appear to be loyal at the moment, they don't know how long that will remain to be the case.
}Telepathic speech{
}Comm Link speech{
Chapter One - Mission Underway
Hospital-style green tiles shone under the unrelenting beams of light - freshly polished, and smelling like it. Plain white walls reflected the light back from every direction, giving the whole place the feel that it was under a spotlight.
Lightly stepping across the open space, Number Four found himself shaking his head in disgust at the set-up of the place. Illuminating lights, cameras and keypads everywhere, 'protecting' the building, yet nobody was actually keeping an eye on them. What was the point of having them, if you weren't going to put them to proper use?
A pale slim hand brushed his blonde hair out of his eyes, and he idly wondered if his partner had accessed the computer database yet.
Mutually agreeing to let Number One retrieve and destroy the information, they'd decided to leave any guards and the missing scientists to Number Four, as he was well-known for his ability to handle people. Then, they'd destroy the building itself together, and head back to base, and their cells for debriefing.
}Quatre, I found something in the database which doesn't make any sense. It appears as though this facility is a part of the Romefella organisation we are now owned by. But…I don't understand why Romefella would send us to destroy their own facility?{
Turquoise eyes narrowed in suspicion, and Number Four's strategic mind quickly ran through their possible reasonings. Understanding, as Number One did, that their comm communications were always closely monitored on missions, to prevent rebellion, Number Four responded telepathically, as his partner had contacted him.
}It is possible this is merely a test for us - to see how we'd react to such blatant betrayal. Or, this facility may have started acting independently, which is a rather big possibility, given how small it is, and thus not closely monitored like the others. Do you know what they were last documented to be working on? Our brief said Romefella suspected it to be the procedure used to create our kind.{
}Yes. To all appearances they were attempting to replicate the experiments we were subjected to. But isn't this what Romefella wanted?{
}Hmm, I suspect this facility in particular was told to refrain from such experiments, given it's size and equipment, which is inadequate to host such a thing. Likely, Romefella wanted only their main labs to do it, in order to maintain full control over the subjects. As it is, if the rest of our information was correct, this facility already managed to experiment on two people without Romefella permission, which would not go down very well.{
}Your thesis is sound, but where does that leave these test subjects? We can't allow Romefella to destroy them, yet we are incapable of helping them as of yet.{
}It all depends on what actually happened to them. If they were indeed subjected to the procedure, we need to know how successful it was. It's quite likely Romefella will keep them on if the experiment was a success, and if they do so, then we can protect them from the inside.{
}…you continued your search, and I'll finish my side of the mission.{
Not bothering to acknowledge the last comment, Number Four reached up, and slid the grill panel leading to the air ducts out of the way. Gripping the edge of the hole in the ceiling with both hands, a quick heave enabled him to smoothly swing himself up, and out of the too-bright corridor.
Nimble fingers soundlessly replaced the grill, and peering through the metal squares, his blue-green eyes watched the guard walk underneath him. Arching an eyebrow in rare amusement, he quickly set off down the duct, hands and knees propelling him in the direction the facilities hospital bay should be.
Specks of light eventually indicated another grill up ahead in the dimness, and the sound of nervous voices indicated its possible usefulness. Glancing at the plastic map he'd been issued, in order to assure his instincts were correct, Number Four found it hard to believe it was the hospital bay beneath him.
Empty of beds, or medicines, the bay was filled to the brim with armed guards instead. Bristling with guns and knives, the men and women looked like they were about to go and fight an army, nevermind guard a facility.
Taking in the man in a white jacket who was going around issuing a gun to each of the guards, Number Four traced the source of the new guns to a blank-faced nurse who was filling the remaining guns with some kind of darts. Homing in on a hypodermic needle with a drop of liquid hanging on its tip, Number Four enhanced his sense of smell, until he managed to pick up the mixture. Tranquilliser. Very potent tranquilliser at that, from what he could smell he'd guess it was at least three times as strong as that used on a typical human.
Touching a gentle finger to the comm attached to his throat, Number Four contacted Number One through the 'regular' channels.
}I found the medical bay. Empty of patients. Filled to the brim with armed guards, who are being handed out guns filled with tranquilliser even as I speak. We haven't triggered any alarms yet, and it seems a bit overkill for a few scientists. I'll take them out of the equation now.{
No answer came from Number One, but that was to be expected. He tried to refrain from talking as much as possible, particularly when he knew his 'owners' could hear him. His reticence was such that they'd worried his vocal cords had been damaged by the procedure. When they'd found out that wasn't the case they'd tried to send in speech coaches and therapists, but they'd eventually stopped that after the first ten all ended up in hospital.
Deciding not to let the rest of the guards get tranquillisers as well, Number Four moved into action. Removing the grill and dropping through the opening, feet first.
Landing in a crouch his narrowed eyes took in the guards' stunned expressions, and his training told him to take advantage of it.
Rising up at an angle, he rammed his shoulder into the nearest guard's shoulder, sending him crashing backwards into a wall. A sidekick took care of the next guard, and the swift follow-up of several punches took care of another one. By then though, the rest of the guards had recovered somewhat and decided to put their guns into play.
Turning a quick cartwheel enabled Number Four to dodge the first hail, and the close succession of a backflip put him behind the relative protection of a cabinet.
The roar of the weapons proceeded the bullets themselves, and Number Four couldn't contain his wince at the 'thunk thunk' that was the balls of metal tearing up his source of protection.
Deciding he'd had enough of hiding, and with the justification that people who were so obviously violent deserved whatever pain life dished out, Number Four stole a quick peak around the room. Confirming the lack of recording devices, Number Four rose to his feet, and unleashed his other half.
After that the fight was over in minutes, leaving a glowing figure smiling ferally in the middle of the body-strewn room.
Allowing his other half to revel in the rare feeling of freedom, as well as the satisfaction of a good workout, Quatre quietly soaked up the emotions his other half was picking up from the room and the people in it. Images of children laughing, houses, pets and past jobs all filtered through with the original emotion, and Quatre accepted the knowledge it gifted him.
The sudden image of himself, standing with his head thrown back, eyes closed, and glowing, made him snap his head up. Golden eyes glinting.
Somewhere in this room, someone was watching him. That wasn't what made the hairs on the back of Number Four's neck stand on end though, it was the fact that he hadn't been able to sense their presence, and even now the emotion accompanying the image was impossible for him to filter.
}There's someone here. Why can't we sense them?{
For anybody else, talking to yourself would be seen as a bad thing, and asking yourself questions wouldn't get you any answers. In the case of Number Four, and any of the other experiment subjects though, doing such a thing was often quite helpful. Seeing how their 'other half' was fully capable of answering them, something the scientists and researchers had no idea about, and never would if Quatre and the others had their way.
}He doesn't want to be sensed. So he isn't.{
Number Four's other half - the Empath, was often too gentle to handle the things they were ordered to do, and as such Number Four had to shield him a lot more than most. However, he had a thing against people ganging up on others, and if pushed far enough was perfectly capable of relishing the fight. Unfortunately, he was often rather oblique, and it could take quite a while to get a proper answer out of him if you were anybody other than Number Four. Such a trait wasn't his fault though, he was often too wrapped up in the things he was sensing to realise he wasn't being much help.
}We can sense anything though - and why is it we can't decipher his emotions? I can feel we're receiving them, yet…I can't quite get a grasp on them…{
}I told you. He doesn't want to be sensed. So he turned himself into a void.{
}You mean we can't get a bead on his emotions, because he has, in effect, what? Wiped them clean?{
}Yep. Look for the absence, and you'll find the source.{
A piece of advice that would have confused any other, but Number Four merely began scanning the room with all of his senses. The gold in his eyes melted back into turquoise, as the Empath in him withdrew, and the glow began to be sucked back beneath his skin.
Reaching the corner of the room the blank-faced nurse had once stood, Number Four was unable to read anything from there. There weren't even the normal lingering memories contained in the wall. Stepping over the blood spattered body of the nurse without giving it another look, Number Four walked up to the wall.
Stopping an arm length away, he cocked his head to the side and allowed his curiosity to spill out through his eyes.
"Hi, who are you?"
Not a thing moved, but Quatre picked up on a ripple of emotion, triggered by surprise even if it didn't feel like anything much in particular. Concluding it must be one of the missing scientists, the experiment had been a success, and as such he'd probably been treated badly by his captors, Number Four asked for his other half's help.
Whilst the Empath emanated as much sincerity and friendliness as he could muster, Number Four slowly extended his hand in a non-threatening gesture of friendship. Hoping the other wouldn't pick up that the feelings being broadcast were artificially generated and feel manipulated, Number Four attempted the basic approach again, calling on memories from when he was still human to recall what proper protocol was.
"Pleased to meet you, my name is Quatre Raberba Winner. What's your name?"
Keeping his expression open and friendly was extremely hard to do, as Number Four was more used to having to hide everything he thought and felt from his 'owners', but when an invisible hand cautiously grasped his own, he was distantly surprised to find he was able to dredge up a very real smile.
At his touch, the invisibility encompassing his watcher drew back, revealing him an inch at a time. To Number Four it looked as though the person had just stepped right out of the wall, and he had to admit it did look like a handy skill to have. The fact that it would make him a very valuable asset to Romefella if they were to ever discover it, was bad news, but not insurmountable.
Finally, Number Four found himself looking up, into a single dark green eye, the partner of which was hidden by a lock of rich brown hair. A ring of lighter, creamy green, bleeding out of the man's eye told Number Four that the scientist's other half was backing off.
"My name is Trowa Barton."
Taking in the husky voice, and the hushed tone it was used with, Number Four assumed the missing scientist had adapted to the idea of being under surveillance, which was a good sign for his stay with Romefella.
Looking down at their still-joined hands, Number Four suddenly realised his hands were covered with blood, and yet this new test subject had taken the hand offered and refrained from commenting.
Apologising hurriedly, Quatre dropped Trowa's hand as though it were burning, and took an abrupt step back. Lowering his gold-tinted gaze to the floor, Number Four berated himself for stuttering, something he hadn't done since the experiment had been performed on him.
Unfortunately, the brief amount of time he'd allowed Trowa to see his emotions had been too long, and after having been repressed for years, his emotions jumped at the chance of being unleashed. Gritting his teeth, Quatre closed his eyes and attempted to ride out the onslaught.
Flashbacks of things he'd seen and done tore through him, the accompanying emotions he'd suppressed at the time, tearing through him in quick succession. The impotent rage, and sorrow he'd felt at his situation. The pain and horror from the destruction he'd been forced to inflict. The agony and degradation he'd suffered as they'd beaten the humanity out of him when he'd failed to perform to their satisfaction.
Number Four's mind was incapable of handling such a torrent of images and emotions, for the sole reason that they were his own, and, unable to find a mental outlet, they began to manifest physically.
Wide, curving slashes appeared on both arms, the black material of his jumper gaping to flash pale skin, and blood seeping out. Harsh stab wounds appeared on his upper body, front and back, blood running in a rivulet to join with that from his other wounds. The burning pain wracked Number Four's body, as the Empath huddled in a corner of his mind, ragged scream after ragged scream wrenched from his throat, sounding his agony as he attempted to hold on.
As he crumpled to the floor, the body which had previously only borne splatters of the guards' blood, eagerly soaked up its own. Blonde hair turned a coppery red, and aqua eyes began to slide closed, as the remnants of gold were burned away.
A gentle hand reached out and touched the figure's forehead, a soothing coolness radiating out from the touch.
As the cool washed over him, Quatre flinched slightly, recoiling before he realised there were no images, no emotions, just a cool wind, sweeping the pain away. Relaxing into the touch, the Empath slowly uncoiled, releasing its tight grasp on reality bit by bit. Finding nothing trying to tear him away, he slid open Number Four's blazing gold eyes, and gifted his saviour with a grateful smile, before handing charge back to Number Four.
Slightly dull, turquoise eyes slid slowly open, waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, Number Four frowned slightly, then started to heave himself off the floor.
Helping hands slid around his waist, taking the majority of his weight, and guiding him upright. Wobbling unsteadily, Number Four blearily wondered why he was having such trouble focusing, and cautiously lowered his gaze to the floor, just to check he really was upright.
Vibrant red met his gaze, and for a moment Number Four thought he was standing over a red sea. Finally his gaze focused, memories clicked into place, and he was back at operational level, although there was still a weary cast to his gaze he couldn't completely hide yet.
Ignoring the sticky feeling gained from being drenched in congealing blood, Number Four raised wary eyes to the person the Empath deemed 'saviour'.
Startling green eyes met his own, and the diminishing lighter green colour was in full appearance, blazing in intensity and giving the bearer a slightly blind look, so milky was the tint.
}So, I'm guessing your power isn't just to go invisible, huh?{
Trowa blinked in minor surprise at hearing Number Four's voice inside his head, but since he was already aware he and Duo were able to communicate in such a way it didn't throw him for long.
}I don't go invisible. I become the complete absence of something. It appears I have the ability to share this absence, but it is basically the same thing. I just washed out your system in effect. I've answered your question, so, if you don't mind, maybe you could tell me what you are?{
}I'm one of the original experiments. Since you used to be a scientist here, I'm guessing you are aware of what that means. Unlike you, I am what is best described as an Empath. Whilst I'm capable of handling other people's emotions though, I am not so great with my own. You just witnessed an overload. Anyway, that's not important, though I thank you for your assistance. I was sent here with a partner, by Romefella, to destroy any data on the experiments, find you and the other scientist, then destroy the building.{
Raking his now-deep green eyes up and down the little figure still clutching at his arms for balance, Trowa registered the flicker of amusement going through his mind with an almost indiscernible quirk of his lips.
"Hey! I felt that you know!"
At the indignant look he now found himself being levelled with, Trowa attempted to keep the flicker of amusement from turning into full-blown laughter. Even knowing how dangerous this Quatre was from what little was known about the test subjects, not to mention the demonstration he'd been unwittingly granted, Trowa couldn't help feel the effect of the threat was on a par with that of a enraged chipmunk.
"Look, as amusing as you seem to find it, we do have something of the utmost seriousness to discuss here."
To Trowa it looked as though Number Four had slipped into regular speech in his exasperation, but in reality, he'd just completed a scan for any verbal monitors, and besides his own comm link, which he'd already blocked with his powers, and a phone on the wall, the room appeared to be clear.
"Right, sorry."
"Hmph. Anyway, as I was trying to explain. The people who sent me, Romefella, are the bigger organisation for which this laboratory used to work. We weren't told about this affiliation, but it is our belief that they went against orders to refrain from the experiments, and thus Romefella decided it was time to pull the plug on the operation here."
"We don't know what they have planned for you once we return to base, but as long as they decide to keep you on as agents we will be able to help you. Now, some general words of caution; we never let them know the full extent of our abilities, and we never let them know about our 'alternate egos'. If we act slightly odd on occasion they assume it is what they term the 'battle lust', given how so many of our other personalities are rather…violent. They will no doubt want to examine you, test you, train you and put you to work for them. That's all very well, but we've all decided we don't want to be treated like animals any more. We have a plan to escape. I can't go into details here, as it is we still need to find your partner, my partner, blow this place sky high, and get the hell out of here, but I promise you will find out more later."
"Just…know you can trust any of us who have been experimented on. We all have the same instincts, and the same urge for freedom. We protect each other, and if you agree to join us, you will have the same protection, which extends to death."
Examining the carefully blank eyes pointed his way, Trowa wavered uncertainly. A spark of earnestness shone through, a glint of gold edged around Quatre's eyes, and a shudder ran through his body from the toll it took for him to allow even that much emotion to seep through.
Accepting the boy's word with a silent nod, Trowa held his breath until the gold glow faded, and Quatre's eyes were once more emotionless. Briefly tightening his grip around Quatre's slender waist, Trowa tentatively reached out with his mind.
}Next time I hesitate, I'd rather you not put yourself in that kind of danger, just to allow me a glimpse of your emotions. Particularly when you are as weak as you are now{
}I am not weak! I could take on twice the amount of people I did in here, and still be able to walk away without a scratch!{
}I wasn't questioning your physical strength. I was questioning your mental strength.{ Trowa quickly replied with, another flicker of amusement chasing through him, with Quatre's mental chipmunk impersonation.
}That's all right then. Now, let's go find your partner - I assume he was changed like you, and is somewhere in the building, correct?{
}Yes. I think he went to take out the mainframe, and as a result disengage security cameras and the like. We planned on escaping ourselves, but I think I will help you escape from your own captors first. Most likely Duo will agree with my decision - he is not very tolerant of being imprisoned.{
}My partner was meant to work from the mainframe! He…isn't as good with people as I am.{
}Maybe we should get a move on - just in case something happens.{
}Good idea.{
Sharing a brief look of complete understanding, Trowa moved over to the doorway at Quatre's gesture, agreeing that the direct route would likely serve best. Taking one last look at Quatre's face before going through the door, Trowa almost pitied any guards who tried to stop them. Almost.
I hope you like this chapter - I tried to expand on 'Number Four's' character, and I personally am very pleased with the way I introduced Quatre's split personality (which literally is two people - although they are both a part of him)
Anyway, hope you liked my introduction of Trowa - I put in the action one reviewer requested, although I did make it a bit shorter than perhaps wanted, and I also added a bit to the plot. R&R please? I worked my fingers off, so I think I deserve it! smarties to all who reviewed/review