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Dragon's Lair
Tapping her fingers on the keyboard Keyda stared at the e-mail Darius had sent her an hour ago with a mixture of surprise and amusement. "Well I didn't expect this."
"Didn't expect what?" Trowa said leaning over her shoulder to see what had caused her to look at the screen with such a variety of emotions. They'd just finished dinner when one of the servants, Emily had mentioned that she'd heard Keyda's e-mail alarm go off and Keyda had decided to check it out in case it was important.
"Nothing much." Keyda said turning off the screen before Trowa could read more then a few sentences. No way was she going to tell Trowa about the apparent success in her matchmaking attempt or that it had gone ten times better then she'd expected.
"Who was it from?" Trowa placing a hand on her shoulder, resting his head on top of her head for the moment. The style and flair of writing made him think Darius but one never knew since Keyda likely knew a lot of bizarre people.
"Just Darius. He's having plenty of fun annoying and taunting Milliardo, learning Preventers protocols and annoying the hell out of Eve whenever possible. The usual for him." Keyda said as she tilted her head up to look Trowa with a smirk. "No matter where or what he's doing he has a ball at someone else's expense."
)
"Why Milliardo?" Trowa said not really surprised by the rest of it. Darius loved going after serious people, he viewed them as the ultimate challenge to break. The little brat was usually successful too.
"Apparently Milliardo doesn't appreciate all the attention he's giving Noin." Keyda said with a grin on her face as she pictured the Lightning Baron getting a taste of what it was to be a regular human male. She knew the man was a control freak so Darius must be driving him up the wall to the extreme. "Poor guy."
"That's Darius for you though. Darius and Duo must be getting along really well I would imagine." Trowa agreed as he shook his head at the two men in question and their past exploits that he knew about. Both were trouble just waiting to happen and kings at finding it if they weren't making it themselves. "I'd hate to even think what those two could pull off if they ever put their heads together."
"Well as long as he doesn't get himself killed." Keyda said rising from her chair, raising her arms above her head in a quick stretch before turning around to face him with the chair still between them. "Though why Milliardo thinks he has a reason to worry is beyond me. Noin hasn't looked seriously at another male since she met the guy even though I never really got that seeing as he's always been a human icicle. Defrosting him even a centimeter must be a real challenge."
"She does love him more then anything else in the world." Trowa agreed with a nod of his dark head thinking he understood Noin's love and loyalty very well. Even if the person you loved might cause you harm accidentally you could never pick the ones you love. Fate was never that kind. "Almost as much as I love you."
"Ditto, Handsome. I hope he's careful though...you know what he's like when he's on a roll. Milliardo didn't become a legend by being a nice guy when crossed. Like someone else I know/" Keyda said with a wink as she moved around the chair to go to him.
"Eve will save him if he gets into trouble." Trowa said confidently as he took her into his arms, nuzzling his face against her silky smooth neck. "Any news from J.C.?"
)
"His grades came in the mail, straight A's as usual." Keyda said fondly thinking that the boy had likely passed with flying colors while studying very little. It must be nice to have a photographic memory. The kid never forgot anything. "He wrote that everything's going well at school and he made the baseball team again. He's glad that high school's almost over though and that he'll be able to come here for the summer to stay with us. I think he misses Eve."
"He'll go a long way in whatever he chooses." Trowa agreed as he rubbed her back, content with the world in general. He wasn't surprised that J.C. was doing so well and he was looking forward to seeing the boy again. He was always a positive and optimistic influence where ever he was.
"Yea he will. They all would have if they'd been given the chance. Their drives were what saved them in the first place." Keyda said playing with the hair at his nape as she wondered what her Hantas would have become had they never been touched by the evil hands of Oz..
"Hey, no bad thoughts tonight okay." Trowa said tilting her shin to place a kiss on her lips to wipe the sadness from her eyes.
"Well then I guess you'll have to give me something else to think about won't you, Handsome." Keyda said softly with a brave smile as she pulled his head down for another long kiss that left them both short of breath and wanting more.
"Your wish is my command." Trowa said picking her up and into his arms with a slightly dramatic air which made her laugh, all sadness put away for awhile. Wrapping her arms around his neck Keyda laughed again and holding tight placed butterfly kisses along his neck and chin. Growling low in his throat Trowa caught her head and busied her mouth kissing him back instead while he walked over to the other side of the room. Lying her down gently onto her bed Trowa smiled down at her before allowing her to pull him down on top of her.
"This is definitely better then going to meetings."
)
"Ms. Po, there's a package that just arrived for you." An ensign said as he stopped in front of her holding a package carefully since it had been marked important. Smiling Sally thanked the soldier for delivering it and turned it over curiously.
"I wonder who it's from? I'm not expecting anything and if it were something I'd ordered personally it would have been delivered to my home box." Sally said under her breath as she watched the soldier walk away, turning the box around in her hands.
"What is it?" Wufei asked looking over at it with a touch of curiosity and caution. After all the way things were an unexpected package could hold trouble.
"I don't now. Oh here's a note." Sally said slipping it out of the binding having just noticed it since her mind had wandered trying to guess what it was. "Oh it's from Kori."
"Who the hell is that?" Wufei demanded not liking the affection in her voice.
"A friend of mine. He's sent me some information on the Hunter Project." Sally said excitedly as she read the letter, smiling at the news delightedly.
"Lady Une said the files were all destroyed and pretty much everyone involved is either dead or in hiding. What information could this guy possibly have." Wufei said with a roll of his eyes as he turned back to his work thinking it was a waste of time. Ignoring him Sally walked towards a nearby desk and placing the package on it undid the paper around it. Reaching in she pulled out an ordinary binder. Opening the binder Sally skimmed the first page and then with a sadness clearly visible on her face closed it. "What is it, Sally?" Wufei said placing a hand on his shoulder.
"There's so much pain in his words." Sally said gazing into Wufei's eyes with a deep sadness in their blue depths. "I can't believe something like this could have really happened, Wufei. In this time and age that we could still do things like this. To our brothers and sisters, our fellow man for Christ sakes." Sally finished with such a look of hopelessness that without even thinking Wufei drew her into his arms for a quick hug. Ignoring the people gaping at them Wufei held her while she regained her composure and then reached and held her hand when she drew back. Surprised by the show of comfort Sally squeezed his hand and smiled bravely at him. "We better call everyone together, I think that they all should hear this."
)
"So what is it he sent you, Sally?" Relena asked as she took a seat at the table twenty minutes later as everyone gathered to hear whatever it was that Sally had called the meeting about. She'd said it was urgent and that was good enough for them.
"He sent me an essay that a student who goes to Akira Academy wrote for a history course two years ago that a colleague told him about when he expressed interest in information concerning the project. The paper is all about what happened concerning the Hunter Project and it gives a blow by blow of everything that happened. There's about fifteen pages of information starting with the testing leading up to the Project and all the way to the end results." Sally said having read the whole thing while she was waiting for everyone to arrive. Her eyes were red from crying and she felt emotional drained by what she'd been reading as well as unbelievably heartbroken by the tale and the feelings it gave off. "Whoever wrote this has or had first hand information and was emotionally involved." Sally added trying to keep her voice normal. "He's too young to have been involved in the project since he was a student but I think he had a connection to someone involved, it's the only logical explanation."
"Where did this student get his information is the big question then." Quatre said with a thoughtful look on his face. And what side was the boy connected to.
"I don't know, but well, this kid knows more about the Hunter Project then Lady Une does I'll bet." Sally said motioning towards the binder she'd set on the table. "It's almost like he was there step by step and saw everything that happened, he's that good a writer."
"Will you read it, Sally?" Heero said looking at her with concern since she looked unusual pale and weary.
"I'll read it out loud." Wufei said before she could answer. Picking the binder up Wufei pulled over the cover and began to read the words.
)
Thirty minutes later there was only silence in the conference room as they all sat slumped in their seats. Silent tears ran down Relena, Sally and Noin's faces as they leaned back in their chairs still reeling from the words, Relena and Noin both holding their husband's hands. The males in the room were equally stunned and as angry and were they not who they were they might have very well cried too. Fists clenched under the table Quatre felt an anger he hadn't felt since the death of his father and sister and it was only building by the moment. How could anyone have done such a thing?
"We need to talk to this kid." Heero said huskily as he got out of his chair to stand behind his wife. Holding up her hand Relena grasped his tightly again as she struggled to regain control over her emotions.
"I'll talk to Kori and find out how to get in touch with the boy." Sally said as she wiped her cheek.
"The question is how did he get access to all this information. The most that he should have had access to was a few papers mentioning it and gossip." Lady Une said, the first time she'd spoken since Wufei had begun to read. Unlike the others she'd only been able to listen to the story the essay had told.
"I think I can answer that." Duo said as he rubbed a hand over his eyes. The pain the boy had felt had leaped out of the words and it had really hit him hard. "I accessed the Academy's files while we were waiting for all yous to come in and I've accessed the boy's file. Keyda Yamachi's personal phone number is listed as an emergency number to call if something should happen to him."
"Do you think the boy's one of the four that got away?" Noin said hopefully as she looked up with tears still brimming in her eyes which were only held back by sheer will.
"According to his file he's an orphan except for an older sister, he's eighteen years old and lived on earth. He's involved in a lot of school stuff and if you hold on a minute I'll access the year books and well see what he looks like." Duo said as he clicked through the database with some difficulty, almost as if extra safety precautions had been put up in order to block access to the student's files. After a couple of minutes and some help from Heero they finally accessed a picture of their essay writer and staring at the image Duo couldn't hold the swear words that poured from his mouth.
)
"So you want to know where I got my information? Sorry but no can do." J.C. Angel said confidently as he stared at his inquisitors with a cocky smile on his lips. They'd been questioning him for over an hour now but they still didn't get it. They could perform any torture they wanted on him but he still wouldn't talk. Besides nothing they did could compare with what Oz had done to him.
"And if we were to order you to tell us?" Heero said lifting an eyebrow at the boy's cool manner. The kid did definitely resemble Adam R Tenchi and he was protecting someone, but who? If he was the youngest Tenchi boy back from the dead then he might be able to lead them to his sister but Heero doubted it. Not to mention the fact that they couldn't hold the boy without a damn good reason which they didn't have.
"I think we both know I won't be saying anything no matter what you threaten me with, Mr. Yuy." J.C. shot back looking Heero straight in the eye with a look of pure amusement. It was obvious J.C. knew that Heero wasn't use to people not doing as he told them and that he found it amusing to deny him now.
"Would your refusal to talk have anything to do with your relation to Keyda Yamachi?" Lady Une asked as she looked at the boy who gazed back at her with no emotion. The boy had yet to show her any emotion what so ever which was at odds with the circumstances. Even if he hadn't been one of her victims his essay showed his hatred for her yet he showed none of it now.
"Lets just say that it has more to do with your involvement then who I call friend and leave it at that shall we?" J.C. said quietly as he shot her a gaze not unlike Heero's death glare only with no emotion in it what so ever. They were dead eyes and more frightening then any death glare Heero had ever displayed.
"So you're saying that you're keeping your mouth shut because I'm involved?" Lady Une asked as she tried to ignore the boy's stare.
"I'm saying that you're a psychotic bitch who should have been tortured and executed for crimes against humanity and hundreds of counts of murder in the first degree. As to keeping my mouth shut well ask me how I feel about you and I can talk for hours on end." The boy said with a grin that was scary in it's empty blackness. "In fact talking about what I'd like to have happen to you is one of my favorite past times. Right up there with watching professional basketball."
"Watch your mouth boy." Heero said with a calmness that none the less got his point across loud and clear.
"The great soldier Heero Yuy reduced to her puppet, what a waste." J.C. said sadly, egging Heero on though he really didn't blame the perfect soldier. He had no doubt that Yuy would be the first to take Une out if the need came for it. J.C. could only hope he'd be around to see it when that happened. Or better yet have the pleasure of being the executioner himself. "Look I don't want to be here and if you haven't figured it out I'll state it loud and clear in small, easy to understand words. I won't tell you anything. If you're trying to restart the project you'll all end up dead by someone, possibly me. If you're just curious about where I got my information from then screw you, I'm not talking." Crossing his arms over his chest J.C. waited for them to comment. "And if you're digging around in the past don't...take my advice it only gets uglier the deeper you go."
)
"I give you my word that the Hunter Project will never rise again while I breath." Lady Une said as she watched the boy's face light up with a grin of pure amusement edge with a hint of hatred barely noticeable. Unless you were looking for it.
"Lady, if the Hunter Project ever starts up again I'll make it my personal pleasure to see that you're first in line to be tested on." Instantly the room was silent as the boy's words sunk in. So much hate locked up in that young boy, Heero thought as he watched the boy smile back at them with malice barely hidden, the boy making no attempt to cover it. His eyes struggled to hide his emotions yet he betrays his emotions with his words. He won't tell us anything, he'll die first, Heero thought to himself. "I believe that according to your wife's government you're not allowed to hold me, I haven't done anything illegal and trust me on this, you don't want to mess with me. I make a really bad enemy to have. You already have others out for your blood, why add me to the equation?"
"Heero?" Relena asked walking into the room with Sally close behind, unable to wait any longer to find out what was going on inside the office where the boys and Lady Une were having their chat with the boy.
"He won't tell us anything." Heero stated looking at the boy with a hint of admiration. The kid was good and very loyal. Question was, who is he loyal to?
"Ah the beautiful saviors of the colonies and earth, it's a pleasure to meet you two." J.C. said having stood up when the women entered the room. Bowing slightly at the waist it was as if he'd become a whole other person. In the place of the cold and hate filled boy was a handsome young man with a warm smile and charm to spare. Heero couldn't help but be surprised at the change in the boy's attitude. Gone was the surliness and masked hatred, instead he was all charm and genuine smiles for his wife and Sally.
"The pleasure is ours, Mr. Angel. Your essay was absolutely amazing." Sally said holding out her hand to shake his. He was so young was all she could think even as he beamed at her with good will as he took her hand so carefully.
"Please call me J.C., Miss Po." J.C. replied before bringing her hand to his lips in a dashing move that was seamless. "I have long admired your work during the war and it's a privilege to make your acquaintance. You are as beautiful as you are strong if you don't mind me saying so. The fierceness of the samurai mixed with their women's grace and beauty."
" Thank you and it's Sally." Sally said blushing slightly as he let go of her hand. My but the boy had charm to spare, Sally thought as he winked rakishly at her. One certainly had to admire his way of charming you into forgetting what you were talking or there to talk about.
"Then I will, Sally. Mrs.Yuy, it's a pleasure to meet you as well. I have to congratulate you on your success with the Mia Agricultural Project. I heard your speech and it was quite spellbinding." J.C. said bowing to her as well with a flair that would have put a Shakespearean actor to shame.
"You're too kind." Relena said smiling at him with slightly pink cheeks as well. "I only wish you could be of more help to us."
"Alas, my fair Queen but I'm afraid that helping you would only get you into more trouble then you're already in. What kind of a knight in shining armor would I be if I deliberately sent you into the dragon's lair?" J.C. said looking her straight in the eye with eyes that shone with sincerity and warning. "Perhaps this is one thing you should strongly consider leaving in the past before the dragon catches you and you get burned."