One on One
Quatre entered through the door to the room, walking in then shutting the door with a light kick so that he didn't give her his back. He wasn't that stupid. She was sitting on the floor with her back to the wall, her eyes never leaving him as she silently watched him. There were three chairs in the room plus a small table but he didn't touch any of them, preferring to sit down at her level. When he was about a meter away he took off his jacket, laid it on the ground then sat down on it without saying a word. When he was settled Quatre spoke. "The cameras and the speakers have been turned off. Anything you say is for my ears only."
"Do you really believe they'd let you do that?" Eve said quietly, her eyes unblinking as she watched him like a cat watches a dog. Smugly but with an edge of weariness. "That they'd let you risk that? They might tell you differently but I've no doubt they lied to you or you're lying to me. Either way this room still has eyes and ears."
"It doesn't." Quatre replied just as quietly then got to the point. "We know Trowa's involved in this so I know you're only here to help us. I just want to know why he didn't tell us there was trouble and who's causing the trouble."
"There was no point in telling any of you that there was trouble as you call it. You're soldiers yes but the kind of trouble you're dealing with was and is out of your scope. You wouldn't have stood a chance and only have been in our way. As to who's causing your problems..well lets just say I want his blood shed more then any of you can imagine." Eve said with a shrug as she lifted a hand as if to study her nails, an excuse not to hold his gaze. "As for Trowa...well I'm afraid I'll be no help to you there."
"He's your friend? There was affection in your tone when you talked to him last night. Even when he was making the dumb blonde jokes." Quatre said evenly, noticing the look of surprise flicker through her eyes before disappearing quickly though not fast enough. "We have your whole conversation with him on tape."
)
"The soldier was bugged..I should have checked. it was careless of me. It's always the little things that can cause you the biggest amount of trouble." Eve said though there was annoyance in her voice now, not at all pleased to hear of her mistake. if Trowa hadn't interrupted her she'd have thought to look but he had and it was her fault for letting her friend distract her, not Trowa's. "I take it he was retrieve with little to no difficulty? The soldier I mean."
"He's in our medical wing being patched up. You worked him over good before you came to the party." Quatre replied, sharper then he'd intended.
"And if I hadn't gone to that party odds were you'd have left that estate in a body bag and on your way to heaven of an entirely different sort." Eve shot back, her eyes flashing dangerously for a moment. She wouldn't be judged by anyone, least of all him. No one but someone who'd walked in her shoes was allowed to judge her. Had any right to. "If you'd listened to me that soldier would be fine. You put him in my path, I removed him. Simple as that."
"Simply as that? You beat the hell out of a man who did absolutely nothing wrong and it doesn't bother you at all? You can do that then calmly show up at a party as though you've just come from a day at the salon?" Quatre demanded, wanting her to show at least some remorse for what she'd done. To show signs that she was more then just the soldier..
"Yes I can. Just as I calmly walked out of that party and shot the man who'd intended to kill you while you were out getting your night air." Eve shot back, her eyes flashing as she forgot to watch her tongue. "And I left that body lying there, the blood draining out of his head and went off with you and you left with me without a thought about the man we left behind on that grass we ended up rolling around on."
"The body..Jesus Christ..I'd and totally...Jesus." Was all Quatre could say as he raked his hands through his already mussed hair. He hadn't given his would be assassin a single thought all day, or at least only in passing. "What happened to the body? it would have been discovered by now."
"It's been taken care of." Eve said with a shrug then seeing the look on his face hissed in irritation. "He had no family and we did a run on him first. There was no one who would have cared so we got rid of it and that was that. What were we supposed to do with it? Turn it over to the police? If we did that we'd spend thousands every year bribing officers to slid the killings under the rug. If they have family we let them have the corpse, if they don't we get rid of them. Simple as that. That's more then some can say."
"Why do you have to kill at all?" Quatre blurted out then wished he could take it back as her eyes went cold and hard, her whole body language giving off the same aura. "I'm sorry..I had..I just don't like the idea. I can't understand why anyone would want to make taking lives their life's work."
Watching him Eve could read him well enough in that moment to understand what he was trying to say. Because he cared for her, Lord only knows why, he didn't want to think of her as a killer. And now he was being forced to which bothered him, especially after last night. And because of last night she owed him a small explanation. "The people I kill..I'm not a killer for hirer and though in a way killing people may be my life's work it's not for money. I hunt the people who were involved in the project that created me, Quatre. I hunt them down and those who think as they did to prevent...to prevent what happened to me and my family from happening to someone else. The project's already been restarted once, I'm trying to see that it can't happen again. If that means killing the sadist minds of those involved then I have no grief or shame. I will never regret it either. I'd rather damn myself to hell then sit by and watch."
)
"Oh." Quatre said quietly and went quiet as he thought that over. Putting himself into her shoes..having seen and been subjected to what she had..he couldn't really blame her much less judge her. If someone had done to anyone he cared about what had been done to her he'd hunt down the evil bastards and killed them himself. He had blood on his hands but had always felt the weight of guilt, perhaps that was why he had a hard time not judging Eve. Because she felt none. Then again he'd never been faced with killing people like the ones she hunted. He didn't like what she did but he couldn't judge her for it. he didn't have the right to. He didn't know if anyone other then God did. "I understand. I don't know what else to say."
"Go on home, Quatre." Eve said softly, humbled by what she saw in his eyes. She hadn't expected him to even try to understand, much less succeed. "You look like hell and you don't belong in here with me."
"You don't belong in here either..Evie."Quatre said carefully, watching her eyes flash once more, this time with sadness at the use of an old nickname used only by one. Two now. "I'll try to get them to let you out. We can't really charge you with anything other then assault anyway and there wouldn't be much of a point. Everything else is circumstantial evidence."
"I know but I've found that laws tend to be forgotten when it suits." Eve said quietly then shifting moved closer and set a hand on Quatre's shoulder, on her knees now in front of him. "Don't get more mixed up in this then you need to. Stay out of this, Quatre. It's not your fight and I don't want you trying to be my white knight. I'm not a princess in need of rescuing, don't think I am."
"I'll do what I want thanks." Quatre said as he took her hand from his shoulder and brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss on the back of her pale hand. "I'll come back later with food. What would you like?"
"You're being annoying, Blue Eyes. I thought you were suppose to be the easy one, not the most dangerous one." Eve said in a voice so low it was almost a whisper. "What am I supposed to do with you." She added with a sigh then turned her head at the sound of the door being knocked on. Hard.
)
"Think of me and remember that you aren't alone, that you won't be as long as I have a say." Quatre replied just as quietly, leaning forward to press a kiss to her forehead before getting to his feet, letting her hand go. "That's the single that my time is up. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Quatre added with a slight bow then turning around gave her his back as he headed for the door. Not even hearing her she was sitting one moment, the next she was across the room and directly behind him, her lips just in front of his left ear.
"Rule number one, Blue Eyes." Eve whispered, her body snug against his back as she whispered into his ear. "Never turn your back on the enemy."
"I know. I never do." Quatre said without turning around to face her, standing still facing the door. "Rule number two, Green Eyes. Trust me."
"If I were capable of trusting someone perhaps I would." Eve whispered back, tilting her head to place a light kiss on his exposed neck. "You forgot your jacket."
"I didn't forget anything." Quatre replied huskily then moving away walked over to the door and opened it, looking back to meet her eyes once before exiting, closing the door behind him.
Hearing the sound of the door opening again a few minutes later Eve lifted her head, expecting to see Quatre or her interrogation team. It was neither. Eyes flashing Eve watched Lady Une walk into the room. Alone. Every nerve coming alive as she watched the woman walk closer and closer it took all Eve had not to walk over and snap the woman's neck like a dry twig.
"Hello, Eve. I would imagine you're thinking I'm a fool to come here much less to come here alone. I can only imagine how much you want me dead." Lady Une began as she took a seat on one of the hard chairs resting beside the table. "I came here because I wanted to apologize to you for my hand in what was done to you. I know an apology is likely worthless and will mean little to you but I wanted to at least say it. I wish I could undo what I've done, I wish I could undo a lot of what I've done in the past but I can't. Neither of us can."
"I have no regrets for the things I've done." Eve said as she looked at Lady Une with eyes filled with blinding hatred and disgust. "You have the blood of thousands of children on your hands. Enough said. Now get out."
"All right then." Lady Une said quietly as she got up and left the room, leaving Eve to her peace and quiet once more though there was little peace.
)
A few hours later Lady Une's assistant hesitantly entered the meeting room where everyone was gathered. "I'm sorry to interrupt, everyone. Lady Une, there's a young man here to see you. I would have told him to make an appointment at a later date but he said it's about the Si Hanta project and I knew you were looking for information on it." The woman said with a nervous smile. "Would you like me to make an appointment with him?"
"Send him in now." Lady Une demanded and everyone perked up at the conversation. When a young man of about twenty four or so was led in they were all seated and watching him closely, wondering what new information he might have. "Sit down please." Lady Une said as she motioned to a chair and when he was seated she began. "So what can I do for you, Mr..?"
"Doctor, Doctor Elliot Finch, ma'am." The man said as he pushed his glasses up his nose in a typical geek fashion. "And I'm here because I've learned that you're showing interest in the Si Hanta project and I came to see if you were thinking of restarting the project. My father, Doctor Elliot Finch senior was one of the senior scientists on the project before it was canceled."
"I thought the name sounded familiar." Lady Une said with a considering look on her face, putting a face to the name though the face was a tad hazy. His son had taken after him. "You're father didn't come as well? I believe I met him once or twice."
"My father is dead. The hantas got him." Elliot said, his eyes flashing with hatred behind the lenses of his glasses. "They've been hunting everyone even remotely related to the project and destroyed every attempt to continue with the research since Oz backed out on the project. If it weren't for them I could come to you now with data to show you the advancements made in reference to the project."
"Hold on. Do you mean to say that the Si Hanta project..wasn't ended?" Relena demanded to know, her face expressionless because it wouldn't do to show her feelings on this matter just yet. Not when she had a good idea exactly what kind of a person this man was.
"Well once the funding was cut off on the original project it stopped for several years but there have been those who've attempted to pick up where the original scientists left off." Elliot said cagily, not so stupid he wasn't aware that he could be dealing with people who would understand his vision. "But there have been attempted to restart it, yes."
"So you have proof that there are Hantas out there right now? How many?" Lady Une demanded to know, leaning forward in her chair slightly to get her point across. She wanted answers and she wanted them now. "I know that the scientists claimed they were all killed but I know that's not true and you confirmed it. Now how many are there and don't even think about lying."
"It's hard to say." Elliot said, a hint of sulk in his voice. "According to my father only five of the specimens kept in China were in any shape to escape, two of them just barely hanging on. The ones in Austria had better luck, six managed to escape that we can confirm so between 8-11 from the original project. We don't know for sure who's alive and whose not from the original experiments. Then there are the seven children from the latest experiments, they should all be alive."
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"Seven..children?" Duo said slowly, crossing his arms in front of his chest, a feeling of dread welling up inside him. "What children?"
"Well a couple years ago the project was started again only this time the specimens were genetically altered as fetuses so that they would stand a better chance of surviving the later alterations. That was only on a small scale though, only ten specimens in total though it was showing remarkable results before the specimens were stolen and the scientists executions. Seven were alive and healthy before they were taken." Elliot said with a look of regret. "I've seen some of their reports and it's quite possible that with a few alterations they might have succeeded."
"Specimens..that's what you call them?" Quatre said slowly, getting to his feet with a look on his face so dark and full of rage that it put Heero to shame. "They were people, children and you can sit there and talk about them like they're rodents? Like they were nothing but disposable organisms to play with? After all your father was eating breakfast with you then going to the lab to murder thousands of innocent human beings. It wasn't you he was injecting with poisons and toxins. It wasn't you he was locking in a room full of the dead and the dying. It wasn't you he was killing and mutilating without a qualm. How can you sit there and regret that these people weren't stopped? My God what the hell kind of a person are you?" Quatre demanded, his eyes flashing even as Wufei and Duo lifted hands to restrain him from walking around the table and strangling the bastard with his own tie.
"Obviously you've never heard of the saying the end justifies the means, Senator Winner." Elliot said coolly, his face impassive though it had paled slightly at the show of violence. "What my father and his colleagues did, what they and others since have striven to do is create the perfect soldier to protect the rest of humanity. You all fought in the war, wouldn't you have rather been able to stay at home with your loved ones and let others fight it for you? Others who won't expect to be paid or rescued? Soldiers who can withstand any type of torture and recover easily from wounds that would kill any one else? Soldiers that will do what they're told and never turn on you? Think how much better the world and the colonies would be with these soldiers to police it. There would never be another war simply because everyone would be too afraid to start one. I think that's worth the death of a few insignificant individuals. Wouldn't you agree, Lady Une?"
"I agree that they are those of us in this world who don't deserve to live because of their lifestyle and the things they've done. You and I are two of them." Lady Une said quietly, her face stark white. "And as God as my witness...I hope the hantas kill ever last person like us."