Chapter 8
They had all made it back down to the lobby, and Rei was leaning against the broken showcase, considering the next move. (We need to go up there... But we still need those.... Where next?) Rei sighed. "This is going to take too long if we stay together." She stated to the group.
They looked up at her. "Split up?" Quatre looked around. "Is that such a good idea?"
Rei shrugged. "I don't think we have much of a choice. If we stay together, doing one thing at a time, then we'll be in here for ages."
"What do you suggest we do?" Trowa asked quietly.
Rei sighed. "We split up. I'm pretty sure of what needs to be done as of now." She turned to Quatre. "Alright. You go in the auditorium. Up the left stairs in the back is a long hallway, on the first door you see, spin the dial to spell Geoffrey. You may have to try a few times to get the spelling right. Go up the stairs and fiddle around with the video controls you find up there until you see that witch doctor room you were just in. Somewhere on the screen should be a bunch on nonsense words. Write them down, and stay up there until everyone comes up."
Quatre nodded. "Is that all?"
Rei bit her tongue. "...Yeah."
"Wait." Heero said loudly, and Quatre halted and turned back. Heero nodded to Relena. "Go with him."
Relena, clearly reluctant to leave, shifted on her feet. "Are you sure I should leave?" She asked somewhat desperately.
Heero nodded solemnly.
Rei watched Relena as she reluctantly obeyed. (She looks so desperate not to be separated from Heero. I should do something to help...) "You don't have to carry that bag; I could, if you don't want-"
"I can handle the bag..." Relena growled. She gave Rei one last glare before stalking off behind a very nervous Quatre.
Rei watched her go. (Great. She's still pissed at me and now I'm stuck regretting I even said anything.)
She shook her head to clear the thought and turned to Duo. He looked up at her perfectly calm. "What's my assignment?"
Rei stopped and looked at him for a moment. "Assignment?"
He smiled and shook his head. "Never mind. What do you want me to do?"
Rei nodded. (Assignment...) "Your job is really important, but kind of long, so make sure you get it all. You and Trowa go in the office." She moved her arm and pointed at the door by the plant exhibit door. "There's a rug on the wall under it is a secret passage. In there is an elevator; you solve the puzzle and it will take you up to a bedroom. On the desk in that room is a journal that mentions several times of the day. Write them down and go to the bed stand. Get everything so far?"
Trowa nodded. "Up the elevator, write the journal times from the desk."
Rei nodded. "Now you go to the bed stand and look at the clock on it. Spin the little key to get to each of the times and remember the one that brings up a dragon's head on the clock. You'll know what I mean when you see it. Then just go up to the clock tower Quatre's headed for."
They nodded in unison and trotted off towards the office door.
Heero and Wufei glanced at each other before Wufei spoke up. "What are our mis... What do we do?"
Rei hesitated before looking back at him. "In the auditorium, up the same stairs as Quatre and Relena went, you go down the hall and turn the corner. There's a set of stairs that lead to a movie room. You go up and into the room. Turn on the movie projector and it'll play this boring black-and- white movie down on the screen in the auditorium. Watch it and the guy will eventually reveal the way to open a secret door. Write the buttons down. You might have to watch it a few times to get them all." She shrugged. "Then just head up to the clock tower and wait for the others."
Heero and Wufei nodded together and they turned to go. Heero glanced at Rei over his shoulder. "Where will you go?"
She blinked. (Oh great. You forgot to find something for yourself.) "I'm..."
"Coming with us." Heero finished. "You shouldn't be out alone."
Rei opened her mouth then shut it. (He has a point.) "Okay."
Duo's P.O.V.
Duo looked around the torn apart office a second before glancing back at Trowa as he closed the door. "It feels weird."
Trowa looked up. "What does?"
Duo smiled and pulled up the blue, decorative rug hanging by the door. "It's like getting missions again."
Trowa allowed a half smile as he pulled out his handgun. "Maybe."
Duo cracked his knuckles before pulling out his own. "Only this time, we're getting orders from a babe in a hot red skirt and not an old guy in a lab coat." He yanked up the rug and thrust his gun underneath. Nothing happened. He grinned and knelt down. "Lucky us. No bad guys." But his smile fell when he saw the small opening under the rug, a small rectangle hole in the wall, no bigger than one by three feet. "I gotta fit through that?"
Trowa emitted a short laugh before nimbly crawling through. "It's not that difficult."
Duo groaned and managed to pull himself through, though with much difficulty. By the time he was up on the other side, Trowa was already working on the elevator puzzle, pressing the arrows along the side of the panel to move the small, grimacing green heads around. After a few short minutes, he had all of them lined up in a diagonal line and the icons spun once and chimed, opening the large, metal gray doors.
"Here we go..." Duo muttered.
They stepped inside and pressed the 'up' arrow next to the door. The elevator chimed and stopped. The door did not open. Duo tilted his head and looked at it. (What, are we stuck in this thing?) He turned to ask Trowa, but left his mouth open as he saw him walking out the door that had just opened behind them. (Duh.)
There was a short hallway leading to a polished oak door. The hall looked as though it had once been decorated; there were several squares in the faded yellow wallpaper where something had once hung, most likely pictures. There were a few boxes here and there, but no place for a creature to hide.
Trowa crept up to the door, Duo silent on his heels. The door swung open with a loud creak and two black blurs darted forward. Duo jumped aside as Trowa stepped back and both fired off at least three rounds. The corpse creatures dropped to the ground and promptly dissolved into ash.
Duo looked at the small pool of dust and stepped around it, keeping his gun out and ready. The room wasn't small by any means, but was only a slight bigger than the office they had just left. There was a large bookcase covering one wall, loaded with books and various objects of interest. A medium sized trunk stood next to the door, an ornate crest covering the lock. The double bed looming on the other side of the room was draped with white sheets, matching the curtains of the single, barred window on the far wall. In front of the bookcase, the desk, covered in papers and books, was placed, squat and dull.
Trowa was already sifting through the various books in the desk. "She didn't mention what the journal looked like.." He murmured quietly.
Duo sighed. (I guess she didn't. Great, now we have to search for it.) He walked over and started to root through the papers himself, not bothering to be as careful as Trowa. He came to a small green book, buried under stacks of what looked like bills. He picked it up and looked at it. "Um..."
Trowa picked it out of his hands and opened it. "Go to the clock, I'll tell you the times to put in."
Duo blinked once, but complied, looking around the bed for the small clock Rei had told them of. He found it, right where it was supposed to be, on the nightstand on the far side of the bed. He knelt down and stared at the small thing. It seemed like a normal, if a bit ornamental, face clock, with gold hands and base with a small key locked into it, and a strange, miniature golden bull's head in an opening under the clock face. It was shielded by a glass cover that showed Duo's reflection as he watched it. He turned his head, looking at himself, and brushed a few loose strands of chestnut hair back into his braid.
"5:30." Trowa read aloud, interrupting Duo's thoughts.
(Oh, yeah.) He reached out and spun the key in the base once, leaning forward as the clock's hands spun rapidly, and the bull's head spun into the base and other head, moving too quickly to be identified, followed it. The clock finally stopped at 4:15, with a golden ram's head beneath it. "Try again..." He muttered and spun the key again. The clock whirled around again, this time stopping at 5:30, but with the bull's head. Duo turned his head and addressed Trowa. "Hey, wrong time."
"I have another one. 3:45."
Duo nodded and spun the key. It spun and landed on 8:20, with what looked almost like a fish head. (Yeah, a fish after some took it and beat it a few times...) He reached up and twisted the key again. (4:15 again... I'll be here forever...) "Not yet." He told Trowa, who he was well aware of standing over his shoulder. Duo twisted the key yet again and watched the tiny heads as they spun around the base, showing themselves for a second, then disappearing behind the side of the clock. It stopped, this time on 3:45. Duo stood up, grinning. The clock had landed on a dragon's head, baring its teeth and seeming to hiss at them.
"The time is 3:45 then. Let's go." Trowa snapped the book shut and tossed it to the desk as he passed it towards the open door. Duo cast one last look around the room before he left. (Maybe after all this is over, Rei and me could come up here for a little investigating of our own...) He grinned mischievously. (Nah. I'm sure she'd end up 'investigating' with Heero...)
Relena P.O.V.~~~~~~~~~
Relena followed Quatre through the empty auditorium to the back stairs, reviewing and assessing every moment she had ever spent with Heero. (I always thought he liked me. I mean, he never insulted me, or brushed me off, or was cold to me... Well, he has brushed me off a few times, but he probably just needed some space! And it's his nature to be cold!) She bit her lip as she ascended the short stairs, the bag starting to rub against the backs of her legs. (And why has he been acting so strangely lately? He can't possibly be actually attracted to that whore... She's so obvious!) Relena ran her eyes along the ground, vaguely noting the dark blue carpet, half hidden in the dim light of the hall. A door opened and shut back in the auditorium, and Relena didn't turn around, even though she knew Rei would be there, walking. With her Heero.
Quatre stopped silently at an oval shaped door with several rings centered on it. "Geoffrey..." He muttered. He squinted and could barely make out letters on each of the four sides of the rings. He nodded and started pushing them around, lining them up according to their letters. He heard footsteps and looked over to see Heero, Wufei and Rei walking up the steps. Heero nodded to Quatre, offering Relena a second glance, but she was busy glaring at Rei, no doubt upset that Rei was walking next to Heero. (She needs to calm down...) Quatre turned back to the door, and lined up the remaining rings. Quatre leaned forward and pushed on the door. He sighed and rearranged the rings. (Of course. It must be spelled Geofrey.) This time, the door creaked open on its own. A black shadow slithered along the wall and he barely managed to pull his gun out and catch the creature nearly three times in the head before it dropped in the doorway and disintegrated.
Relena stayed back, watching Quatre work with only slight interest. She started at the gunfire but merely turned her head away as the creature fell. (That girl didn't even know about these beasts. How can we trust her to anything else?)
Relena stared at Quatre's back as they trudged up the winding stone stairs, only glancing back every few minutes to make sure they weren't being followed. They passed a panel in the wall, a large squared hollow, lined with three chains. A fourth lay on the steps in front of them, broken off.
After more than a few minute's walking, Relena was just about to say something when they came to a landing. It was particularly small, about half the size of the disheveled office on the other side of the museum. A short wooden ladder rose up from the floor to a trap door in the ceiling. Relena stepped forward, the bag swaying on her shoulder. "Ladies first..." She muttered absently, her upbringing getting the better of her for the moment.
Quatre stepped up and put his hand on the ladder ahead of her. "Only if that lady happens to have a gun." He stated, giving her a vaguely respectful look before heading up the ladder himself. Pushing the trap door open forcefully, there was a brief snap of a bullet and Quatre continued up.
"All clear..." He called, and Relena slowly made her own way up the ladder.
The room above was sparsely furnished, with only a very old-looking jukebox in one corner and some sort of control panel, which Quatre was currently sitting in front of, turning a sort of joystick and pressing a button under one over the several miniature t.v. screens. Relena watched him for a second, before turning her head to the other side of the room, and caught her breath.
There was a huge contraption set up, taking up an entire wall, though it looked not to be made of metal, but of the same clay the jars were of, with a few metal chains here and there. It had a large panel covering most of it, clay covered with intricate designs across it. There was a large bull's head next to the panel, also made of clay, with various gears and chains hooked together behind it. (What on earth is this thing?) Relena wondered, running her hands across the panel designs.
Behind her, Quatre glanced over his shoulder to make sure Relena wasn't doing anything she shouldn't. (That panel doesn't look so very dangerous... Well, it shouldn't hurt. Now, to find the video of the witch doctor exhibit...) He pressed the button below the second screen and the video of a camera in the plant exhibit. He moved the joystick around, getting a view of the room from a new angle. Satisfied, he pressed the third button. This time, a nice view of a clock tower came up. (Well, at least we'll know what time it is, if that clock's even right.) He pressed the fourth button, the last on that side of the main screen. This time a dark cavern cam up. There was some sort of black river running through the middle of it, but in all other ways, was unremarkable. The fifth button, the first on his right side, came up with what he needed. The witch doctor's exhibit had lost the green tint he had seen in person, but looked almost the same from the high position of the camera. He moved the joystick to the left and stopped. (What is...)
Written in neon green paint, with many splatters and lines, was written several letters, making no particular meaning or reason. He stared at them for a moment before realizing what they were. (Of course! These letters are just a combination of the letters we found on the drums in the exhibit!) He distinctly recalled the drums; Duo had wanted to play on them, but Heero refused to allow him. On the side of each of the four drums were 'Bo', 'Ti', 'Ka' and 'We', respectively. (We probably have to beat the drums in this order to... solve some puzzle, or something...) He looked at the inscription again. (TIKAKAWEBOKA...TIBOTIWEKAWETI.) He looked down and frowned. (No paper or pen...) He looked back at Relena. "Relena, do you have a pen and paper in that bag?"
She turned away from the machine and opened the bag. "I don't know..." She rooted for a minute and came up with a blue pen and tossed it to him. "No paper."
Quatre frowned. (We'll just wait until the others come up and tell them.)
Heero's P.O.V. ~~~~~~~~~~
Heero listened to Rei's soft footsteps behind him. (She doesn't have any shoes. No, those shoes out in the lobby were probably hers. Say something. No. Nothing to say.) But still, he slowed his pace to walk, not next to, but slightly ahead of Rei. He looked over at her. "Where do you come from?"
Rei pulled her head up, surprised at his question. "Tokyo. You?"
Heero hesitated. "The same."
Rei closed her eyes for a slow moment and smiled slightly. "Now tell me where you're really from."
Heero saw from the corner of his eye, Wufei tilt his head, listening, as he walked up the short set of stairs. Heero focused back on Rei. "Nowhere. I don't have much of a home."
Quatre and Relena stood in front of the clock tower door; Heero nodded a greeting to Quatre and looked at Relena, who was busy glaring at Rei. Rei, who obviously noticed this, kept her eyes calmly ahead of her. (She remains calm even though Relena clearly despises her. Why does Relena act like this? Rei has proven herself to be useful and most likely not an enemy; she has been exceedingly helpful in making our way through the museum, yet Relena regards her as an enemy.) Heero suppressed a frown as they turned the corner, letting his eyes slide past Wufei, up to the stairs ahead of them. A door stood ominously at the top, light shining around it from the room inside.
Three gunshots rang through the air and Heero felt his arm reach out as Rei whipped around in surprise. He managed to stop himself before he touched her, but Rei's silken ebony hair brushed his arm, and he held in a shiver. A few remaining traces of ash sparkled from the darkness. (She will have to wash that out...) A fleeting of Rei carrying out the act passed through his head and he pushed the thought away quickly. (Stop it.)
Rei turned back around and Heero turned his attention to the stairs. Wufei was already at the top of them, looking back at Heero. It was too dark to see his face, but Heero had a slight thought that he had seen Heero's emotions pass unguarded across his face. Heero frowned. (Have to keep better control.)
Rei stayed down at the bottom of the stairs, watching the two as the crept to the door, armed and ready. The door swung open and Heero stepped in, gun first. But there was nothing. The room was very small; two bookcases, lined with movie boxes, stood in front of the door, creating a small alley and a corner to turn, with an antique movie projector on the other side, a hole in the wall in front of it, allowing the sight of the movie screen in the auditorium, and a safe with a pile of movie rolls stacked on it in the nearest available corner, to his left. Giving the room a quick sweep, Heero bent his head back out the door. Rei stood faithfully at the bottom of the steps, looking perfectly innocent and pure in the soft light drifting from the open door. "Clear." He said softly, almost not expecting her to hear him.
Still, she looked up, her lips drawing on the verge of a smile and she started up the stairs. She glanced at him as she passed, almost seeming to force her eyes away from his. Instead, her eyes swept the room, glancing around, taking the familiar room in. Wufei stood, watching the pair from the corner of his eye, leaning on the bookcase.
Heero looked up, expecting him to say something, but Wufei stayed silent.
Rei brushed around the bookcase and Wufei, but halted as he grabbed her arm. "That music you warned about is here."
Rei blinked, then nodded, recalling the music that played when an Ixupi was too close. "It's in the pile of movies on the safe behind me. Just don't get too close and look at them." She smiled vaguely and pulled away.
Wufei half turned his head and looked at Heero. (Hmmm...) "I will keep watch outside." He announced, opening the door, casting Heero a smug side look, and leaving him and Rei alone.
Heero kept a straight face as Wufei shut the door. (He wants me to do something, but I can't. I won't. She is an ally, and we must keep our minds on the mission.) But as his eyes wandered to Rei, who was looking past him at the now-closed door, his mind wandered also. (No one is here. No one to see... Stop it now.) He swept past her, careful not to let them touch, lest he fall into another delusion.
There were two buttons next to the movie projector, one red, and the other green. He felt more than heard Rei walk up next to him. His hands tightened on the table edge as her hair brushed against him. (Her hair again... Why is it so soft? Why can't I think straight? Stop dwelling on this. Now.) His legs, almost moving on their own, took a small step away from Rei, and he watched her reaction carefully. (She didn't even notice...)
Rei looked down at the button. "We should start this now." She whispered. Heero's hand darted forward and almost punched the button. Rei kept her eyes carefully away from his. (Is he angry? What did I do?) She kept her frown precisely hidden.
The gray screen in the auditorium came to life and the dull, black numbers spun across the screen, counting down to the movie.
"For countless years, ancient civilizations have hidden their secrets..." Rei absently tuned out the deep, droning voice of the announcer as pictures of ancient relics passed across the screen. (Oh, paper...) Rei brushed her sides, forgetting she had no pockets. (Well, Heero's mature enough...) Rei lifted her hands, half studying Heero's expression out of the corner of her eye and pulled the folded piece of paper from the front of her shirt.
Heero carefully studied the movie playing on the screen, but Rei's movement to her sides distracted him. (She's probably looking for paper...) He kept his eyes on the screen, suddenly feeling his heart jump as her hands lifted to the front of her dress. (God no...) He felt his full attention pull to her as she slowly dipped her hand down her shirt. He could have sworn his heart stopped. Rei pulled her hand away, the folded piece of paper held between two fingers.
(He's practically staring at me! Come on Heero, not that big of a deal...)
(She did it again... Is she trying to distract me?)
(He's still staring... Just look away. Look like you're concentrating and he'll forget about it.) Rei turned her head away, back to the movie screen through the hole in the wall and feigned interest. (Just don't meet his eyes and you'll be fine.)
Heero felt his eyes fix to her hair once again. (Does she even know what she does to me?) He looked away. (No. The others too. Duo is attracted to this girl as well, but why am I affected so much?) He frowned at the question. (Why?) The sound of scribbling brought his attention back to Rei. On the screen, a gray, heavy set man was pushing in certain portions of a wall behind him. (It must be the secret passage Rei spoke of.) He wondered for a moment where she got the pen, but shut the thought away quickly. (Keep your mind on the mission.) The heavy professor took off his bowler hat and bid a friendly farewell to his audience, and Rei straightened.
Turning to Heero, Rei kept her eyes firmly in the paper. "I think I got the whole thing, but I should watch it again, just to be safe."
Heero was still watching the blank screen behind her. "I'll watch it. To be safe." He felt his hand reach out on its own.
Rei pulled the paper back away from him over her shoulder. "What? Don't trust me?" She taunted, suddenly very smug about catching Heero's attention, even if he may not have wanted it to happen.
He leaned over her and snatched the paper, taking advantage of Rei's surprise at his sudden nearness. "I'll check the sequence." He stated firmly, in his monotonous voice that left no room for argument.
Rei rolled her eyes as she stepped aside, letting him take the foremost place to the opening.
(Stubborn...) She pursed her lips as he started up the movie again, fully aware of his eyes on her back. (Just occupy yourself until he's done.) Rei wandered around the bookshelf into the alley between it and the bookshelf against the wall. (What kind of movies would they have?) She leaned over and peered into the shadowed shelves. (No names...) She turned to the shelf along the wall and focused on the cases. Something in red ink seemed to glare out at her from behind the cases. (What's that?) Pushing aside the movies in the front, she tilted her head forward for a better look.
The red ink seemed to glow fiercely and Rei barely had a chance to snap back as two gnarled, blackened hands reached out and snatched Rei's head. A twisted, ash black head wrenched itself from the depths of the bookcase, its gaping, misshapen jaws wide, exposing black fangs, distorted to seem more like old nails than teeth.
Rei pulled a strangled cry from her throat as the thing tried to drag her head into its maw. Rei couldn't remember bracing her hands against the boards, but she locked her arms, and the thing continued to dig its claws into the sides of her head, mouth gaping in anticipation.
A sudden burst of gunfire burst through the room, jarring the creature down, lifelessly sagging its arms over the bookshelf. Only a few seconds passed before it disappeared into ash with a gasp of air.
Rei's breath rose and fell quickly in her delayed fear. (What? It touched me, I could have died. I nearly did. I could have ended right here...) Her heart slammed against her ribs. (I was just careless...) She felt warmth press against her and something soft against her face. (My eyes, when did I close my eyes...) She opened them to see she was against Heero's chest. A familiar click reminded Rei of the gunshots. "Saved me again..." (Did I say that out loud?) She thought sleepily. His arms snaked around her back and she closed her eyes again, falling into his heat, his sudden familiarity.
A noise from the door prompted Heero to break away from Rei and aim a loaded gun at the intruder. Wufei stood at the door, gun in hand, the nearest thing to a smug grin Heero had even seen on him, spread across his face. A slight shifting at his side reminded him that he still had one arm protectively encircled around Rei's small waist. (Again.) Heero's face betrayed him as a heat rose to color him. Rei's eyes stayed closed, as though afraid if she opened them, this moment would vanish into ashes like the creature. A firm look at Wufei turned him around to stand on the other side of the door.
Rei felt Heero's other arm around her again, and she leaned into him, swimming in her warm darkness. His chest was warm against her and his heart beat steadily there. She smiled softly. (Just forever...)
But, surprisingly, it was Rei who backed away a step. (But we have to keep going.) She kept her eyes to the ground, not trusting herself to meet his eyes. "The others are waiting." She bit her lip and looked towards the door.
Heero nodded slowly. (What came over me? Why did I betray my emotions?) "Yes. Let's go."
Rei still kept her eyes low as he unholstered his gun and moved to the door. She stayed carefully behind him as he opened it and followed Wufei down the stairs towards the clock tower.
After five painfully silent minutes, they made it up to the clock tower. Duo, Quatre, Trowa and Relena stood up in the highest room, everyone but Relena remaining patient.
"Are we ready to move on?" Relena asked in her usual irritated voice.
Rei looked at Trowa. "Do you have the time from the diary?"
He nodded. "3:45."
Rei nodded. "Now, someone has to go down the stairs, and pull on the chains in the wall until the clock tower reads 3:45. I think you can see it from one of the video cameras."
Quatre nodded. "This one." He pressed one of the buttons on the console and an image of a clock tower came up.
Rei nodded and looked around the room at the others. "Who wants to go pull the chains?" Trowa stepped forward and crossed his arms. Rei nodded her head. "Just go down and pull one of the chains. We'll call down what to do next."
Trowa nodded and silently made his way towards the trap door in the center of the room. Wufei hesitated before following, jumping nimbly down the ladder.
Duo stationed himself by the hole and looked expectantly between Quatre and Rei. Quatre turned to the console and brought up the picture of the clock tower. "It says 8:15. It moved fifteen minutes." He looked back over at Rei.
She nodded. "Okay." She turned to Duo. "Yell down to pull the chain furthest from the one they just pulled."
Duo pulled in a breath. "Pull the chain furthest from that one!"
"It moved an hour this time. 9:15." Quatre reported.
"Tell them to pull that same one..." Rei counted off in her head.
"Six more times." Heero stated firmly from the other side of the room.
"Pull it six more times!" Duo once again yelled the command down the stairs.
"It's 3:15 now." Quatre reported.
"Tell them to pull the first chain twice."
"Pull the first one two times!" Duo yelled down once again. A few seconds later, a loud bell chimed through the museum, turning all heads toward the ceiling.
Rei waited a moment before looking back at Duo. "They can come up now."
"Get up here!" Duo yelled.
Rei rolled her eyes. (These guys must live together or something to be able to put up with each other.)
Trowa and Wufei jumped up the stairs, Wufei glaring Duo down, most likely not accustomed to being ordered around. Duo grinned widely and nonchalantly moved out of striking range.
Rei shook her head and looked over at the clock contraption covering the side wall. She was almost surprised to see the giant dragon's head there, hissing at her. (Hm. The thing didn't make a sound when it moved. Strange.) Heero stood next to the thing, looking down at the head. He leaned over and plucked the almost camouflaged jar from the jaws of the dragon. Rei's eyes stayed on the dragon, its teeth and fierce grin seeming to jump out at her. (Almost like the thing in the bookcase.) She shivered and brought her arms together. (Stop thinking about it. You have to concentrate on what to do now.) Rei shook her head and looked up. Heero handed the jar to Relena, who took it without protest and put it in the bag.
Heero watched Rei from the corner of his eye. (Is she cold? It is understandable, considering what she's wearing...) He forced his eyes back to the wall. (Concentrate on the mission.)
Within the next three minutes, the group once again found themselves down in the lobby. Rei stood, leaning against the broken showcase, Wufei a few feet down from her, Duo sitting comfortably on the stairs next to Quatre, and both Heero and Trowa stood silently on the other side of Rei. Relena, apparently resting in perfect calm. Instead, her mind was buzzing in the silence.
(She and Heero weren't talking when they came up. Maybe they had a fight. If I'm lucky. So maybe she won't be hanging all over him.) Her eyes narrowed. (Only if I'm lucky.)
Rei cleared her throat, gathering everyone's attention. "Next, we have to go upstairs. There's a big maze up there, so I think maybe we should get to the storage room up there, so we have a place to meet from. The way is through the library." She straightened and turned towards the library door.
"Then we should get going then." Heero concluded and moved towards the door, the others in trail.
Once again, Rei stayed in the back with Relena, trying not to make eye contact. (Just keep watching ahead. Why do the guys still go first? They got all the creatures the first time around.) Rei suppressed a sigh and stood behind the door while the boys made sure the room was still safe. Quatre nodded to them through the door frame and Rei stood back to let Relena go first. The girl took the action with an airy nod of her head. Rei tried not to roll her eyes behind Relena's back.
The others stood around the room, all carefully avoiding the candles on one side, after noting the music emanating from it. Rei tapped her way along one side of the bookcase, looking for a trigger. (It just opened on its own in the game...) Finally, the case slid open with a loud creak and Rei stepped back to let the boys do their 'job'.
Duo leaned back in through the frame. "There's a hallway out here. Where are we supposed to go?"
Rei poked her head in past him and pointed to the left. "That way. There's an elevator around that corner."
Duo nodded and headed in that direction as Heero and Wufei returned from around the corners at the end of the hall to the right. The hall itself was much different than the rest of the museum. It looked to be made from ordered steel plates fastened together. At the right end of the hall were two halls, going in opposite directions, intersecting with the current one at a large, circle, steel grate, attached to the wall and decorated with a very realistic skull. On the left side of Rei, the hall cut off very short with another grate, without the skull. Just before the grate, however, the hall diverged to a smaller side hall. High on the wall, above the skulless grate, a small black camera was positioned, swerving to capture the entire hall every few minutes.
Trowa leaned out from the smaller hallway. "I have the elevator open." He stated quietly.
Rei nodded. (Then we should move it.) She turned to inform Wufei and Heero, but they were already making their way around Rei, towards Trowa and the elevator. Rei's eyes met Heero's for a second, but she pulled away. (Concentrate. Move it.)
The group all fit in the elevator, though Rei was a little closer to Relena than she cared. (At least she's not arguing with me anymore. I wonder what happened. She couldn't have given up on Heero...) Rei pursed her lips. (Not that I care either way.) She added quickly.
The elevator closed with a clamp and Rei looked around, waiting for the elevator to start up.
"What's this?" Quatre asked.
Rei's head snapped up. "What?" She followed his line of sight to a bunch of barely readable scribbles on the wall. It appeared to be written in red lipstick. Rei nodded. "That's from one of the missing kids. It tells you what to put in that door to the clock tower. You can just make out..." Rei traced her hands along the wall, though not touching the lipstick. "Geofrey. Though it trails off at the end..."
A muffled boom echoed from somewhere above the elevator, starting Relena about two feet in the air. "What was that?!" She exclaimed nervously.
Rei held in the laugh that threatened her voice from the back of her throat. "It's just part of the elevator music. See, the elevator is moving." Rei pointed out, gesturing at the small window above the doors. Layers upon layers of bricks were slowly descending past their car. Several audible clicks brought Rei's attention back down. The boys had their guns out, and Duo, Trowa and Quatre moved over in front of the girls, while Heero and Wufei stepped in front of the door, ready for anything that might pop out when the elevator stopped.
Rei was tempted to roll her eyes, but didn't. (You were wrong about those creatures. That boom might actually mean something more than just elevator music now.)
The doors slid away with a creak, opening to a very blue hallway. The carpet was navy blue; the wallpaper was ripped in several places and a similar color, only a little lighter, more sapphire blue. The hallway split in two directions, both ways veering off around a corner.
Heero and Wufei stepped cautiously into the corridor, each watching down one side. After they concluded all was clear, they nodded to the others, allowing them to follow slowly. Rei slowly crept up to Heero. "We need to go down that way." She gestured to down the left way.
Heero nodded. "This way." He told the others quietly, keeping his voice down, as though not to alert any enemies nearby.
The moved, still very slowly down the hall. This time, however, Rei and Relena were in the middle of the group, protected from both in front and behind. They walked in silence down the corridor, passing several large rips in the wallpaper and turning only three corners. Rei stopped them next to a large pyramid decoration on the wall. It went from the floor to the ceiling, and the realistic sand color made the pyramid seem as though you could reach out and shift the bricks that held it together.
Much to the others' surprise, Rei did just that. Kneeling over, making sure to keep a firm grip on the back of her skirt, much to Duo's dismay, and pulled out a corner of one of the bricks in the wall. She stood back behind the others and turned her head as a whoosh of air accompanied the center of the pyramid rising up to form a very wide doorway.
She only half-hearted looked up at the sound of several clicks, but caught her breath at the sight of two, healthy, living men standing inside the room, both aiming their own guns as Heero and the boys prepared to take their own shots.
"Zechs." Heero said plainly, his voice low.
"Trieze." Wufei openly spat, clearly ready to put a bullet hole in one of the two men.
The two inside, stood stone still, locking eyes with the two anxious youths ready to kill them.
Ooooo... How evil am I??? Yeah, I decided to add a little more stuff to the story. Now Rei is not only going to have to direct the way out, but try to keep everyone from killing each other! Or will she let them have it out on their own? Maybe... Anyway, sorry it took so ling to get this chapter out I got hit with two research papers at once!!! It's a conspiracy I tell you... I managed to get them all done, and I made this chapter extra long to compensate for the long wait! Hope you like it!!!
They had all made it back down to the lobby, and Rei was leaning against the broken showcase, considering the next move. (We need to go up there... But we still need those.... Where next?) Rei sighed. "This is going to take too long if we stay together." She stated to the group.
They looked up at her. "Split up?" Quatre looked around. "Is that such a good idea?"
Rei shrugged. "I don't think we have much of a choice. If we stay together, doing one thing at a time, then we'll be in here for ages."
"What do you suggest we do?" Trowa asked quietly.
Rei sighed. "We split up. I'm pretty sure of what needs to be done as of now." She turned to Quatre. "Alright. You go in the auditorium. Up the left stairs in the back is a long hallway, on the first door you see, spin the dial to spell Geoffrey. You may have to try a few times to get the spelling right. Go up the stairs and fiddle around with the video controls you find up there until you see that witch doctor room you were just in. Somewhere on the screen should be a bunch on nonsense words. Write them down, and stay up there until everyone comes up."
Quatre nodded. "Is that all?"
Rei bit her tongue. "...Yeah."
"Wait." Heero said loudly, and Quatre halted and turned back. Heero nodded to Relena. "Go with him."
Relena, clearly reluctant to leave, shifted on her feet. "Are you sure I should leave?" She asked somewhat desperately.
Heero nodded solemnly.
Rei watched Relena as she reluctantly obeyed. (She looks so desperate not to be separated from Heero. I should do something to help...) "You don't have to carry that bag; I could, if you don't want-"
"I can handle the bag..." Relena growled. She gave Rei one last glare before stalking off behind a very nervous Quatre.
Rei watched her go. (Great. She's still pissed at me and now I'm stuck regretting I even said anything.)
She shook her head to clear the thought and turned to Duo. He looked up at her perfectly calm. "What's my assignment?"
Rei stopped and looked at him for a moment. "Assignment?"
He smiled and shook his head. "Never mind. What do you want me to do?"
Rei nodded. (Assignment...) "Your job is really important, but kind of long, so make sure you get it all. You and Trowa go in the office." She moved her arm and pointed at the door by the plant exhibit door. "There's a rug on the wall under it is a secret passage. In there is an elevator; you solve the puzzle and it will take you up to a bedroom. On the desk in that room is a journal that mentions several times of the day. Write them down and go to the bed stand. Get everything so far?"
Trowa nodded. "Up the elevator, write the journal times from the desk."
Rei nodded. "Now you go to the bed stand and look at the clock on it. Spin the little key to get to each of the times and remember the one that brings up a dragon's head on the clock. You'll know what I mean when you see it. Then just go up to the clock tower Quatre's headed for."
They nodded in unison and trotted off towards the office door.
Heero and Wufei glanced at each other before Wufei spoke up. "What are our mis... What do we do?"
Rei hesitated before looking back at him. "In the auditorium, up the same stairs as Quatre and Relena went, you go down the hall and turn the corner. There's a set of stairs that lead to a movie room. You go up and into the room. Turn on the movie projector and it'll play this boring black-and- white movie down on the screen in the auditorium. Watch it and the guy will eventually reveal the way to open a secret door. Write the buttons down. You might have to watch it a few times to get them all." She shrugged. "Then just head up to the clock tower and wait for the others."
Heero and Wufei nodded together and they turned to go. Heero glanced at Rei over his shoulder. "Where will you go?"
She blinked. (Oh great. You forgot to find something for yourself.) "I'm..."
"Coming with us." Heero finished. "You shouldn't be out alone."
Rei opened her mouth then shut it. (He has a point.) "Okay."
Duo's P.O.V.
Duo looked around the torn apart office a second before glancing back at Trowa as he closed the door. "It feels weird."
Trowa looked up. "What does?"
Duo smiled and pulled up the blue, decorative rug hanging by the door. "It's like getting missions again."
Trowa allowed a half smile as he pulled out his handgun. "Maybe."
Duo cracked his knuckles before pulling out his own. "Only this time, we're getting orders from a babe in a hot red skirt and not an old guy in a lab coat." He yanked up the rug and thrust his gun underneath. Nothing happened. He grinned and knelt down. "Lucky us. No bad guys." But his smile fell when he saw the small opening under the rug, a small rectangle hole in the wall, no bigger than one by three feet. "I gotta fit through that?"
Trowa emitted a short laugh before nimbly crawling through. "It's not that difficult."
Duo groaned and managed to pull himself through, though with much difficulty. By the time he was up on the other side, Trowa was already working on the elevator puzzle, pressing the arrows along the side of the panel to move the small, grimacing green heads around. After a few short minutes, he had all of them lined up in a diagonal line and the icons spun once and chimed, opening the large, metal gray doors.
"Here we go..." Duo muttered.
They stepped inside and pressed the 'up' arrow next to the door. The elevator chimed and stopped. The door did not open. Duo tilted his head and looked at it. (What, are we stuck in this thing?) He turned to ask Trowa, but left his mouth open as he saw him walking out the door that had just opened behind them. (Duh.)
There was a short hallway leading to a polished oak door. The hall looked as though it had once been decorated; there were several squares in the faded yellow wallpaper where something had once hung, most likely pictures. There were a few boxes here and there, but no place for a creature to hide.
Trowa crept up to the door, Duo silent on his heels. The door swung open with a loud creak and two black blurs darted forward. Duo jumped aside as Trowa stepped back and both fired off at least three rounds. The corpse creatures dropped to the ground and promptly dissolved into ash.
Duo looked at the small pool of dust and stepped around it, keeping his gun out and ready. The room wasn't small by any means, but was only a slight bigger than the office they had just left. There was a large bookcase covering one wall, loaded with books and various objects of interest. A medium sized trunk stood next to the door, an ornate crest covering the lock. The double bed looming on the other side of the room was draped with white sheets, matching the curtains of the single, barred window on the far wall. In front of the bookcase, the desk, covered in papers and books, was placed, squat and dull.
Trowa was already sifting through the various books in the desk. "She didn't mention what the journal looked like.." He murmured quietly.
Duo sighed. (I guess she didn't. Great, now we have to search for it.) He walked over and started to root through the papers himself, not bothering to be as careful as Trowa. He came to a small green book, buried under stacks of what looked like bills. He picked it up and looked at it. "Um..."
Trowa picked it out of his hands and opened it. "Go to the clock, I'll tell you the times to put in."
Duo blinked once, but complied, looking around the bed for the small clock Rei had told them of. He found it, right where it was supposed to be, on the nightstand on the far side of the bed. He knelt down and stared at the small thing. It seemed like a normal, if a bit ornamental, face clock, with gold hands and base with a small key locked into it, and a strange, miniature golden bull's head in an opening under the clock face. It was shielded by a glass cover that showed Duo's reflection as he watched it. He turned his head, looking at himself, and brushed a few loose strands of chestnut hair back into his braid.
"5:30." Trowa read aloud, interrupting Duo's thoughts.
(Oh, yeah.) He reached out and spun the key in the base once, leaning forward as the clock's hands spun rapidly, and the bull's head spun into the base and other head, moving too quickly to be identified, followed it. The clock finally stopped at 4:15, with a golden ram's head beneath it. "Try again..." He muttered and spun the key again. The clock whirled around again, this time stopping at 5:30, but with the bull's head. Duo turned his head and addressed Trowa. "Hey, wrong time."
"I have another one. 3:45."
Duo nodded and spun the key. It spun and landed on 8:20, with what looked almost like a fish head. (Yeah, a fish after some took it and beat it a few times...) He reached up and twisted the key again. (4:15 again... I'll be here forever...) "Not yet." He told Trowa, who he was well aware of standing over his shoulder. Duo twisted the key yet again and watched the tiny heads as they spun around the base, showing themselves for a second, then disappearing behind the side of the clock. It stopped, this time on 3:45. Duo stood up, grinning. The clock had landed on a dragon's head, baring its teeth and seeming to hiss at them.
"The time is 3:45 then. Let's go." Trowa snapped the book shut and tossed it to the desk as he passed it towards the open door. Duo cast one last look around the room before he left. (Maybe after all this is over, Rei and me could come up here for a little investigating of our own...) He grinned mischievously. (Nah. I'm sure she'd end up 'investigating' with Heero...)
Relena P.O.V.~~~~~~~~~
Relena followed Quatre through the empty auditorium to the back stairs, reviewing and assessing every moment she had ever spent with Heero. (I always thought he liked me. I mean, he never insulted me, or brushed me off, or was cold to me... Well, he has brushed me off a few times, but he probably just needed some space! And it's his nature to be cold!) She bit her lip as she ascended the short stairs, the bag starting to rub against the backs of her legs. (And why has he been acting so strangely lately? He can't possibly be actually attracted to that whore... She's so obvious!) Relena ran her eyes along the ground, vaguely noting the dark blue carpet, half hidden in the dim light of the hall. A door opened and shut back in the auditorium, and Relena didn't turn around, even though she knew Rei would be there, walking. With her Heero.
Quatre stopped silently at an oval shaped door with several rings centered on it. "Geoffrey..." He muttered. He squinted and could barely make out letters on each of the four sides of the rings. He nodded and started pushing them around, lining them up according to their letters. He heard footsteps and looked over to see Heero, Wufei and Rei walking up the steps. Heero nodded to Quatre, offering Relena a second glance, but she was busy glaring at Rei, no doubt upset that Rei was walking next to Heero. (She needs to calm down...) Quatre turned back to the door, and lined up the remaining rings. Quatre leaned forward and pushed on the door. He sighed and rearranged the rings. (Of course. It must be spelled Geofrey.) This time, the door creaked open on its own. A black shadow slithered along the wall and he barely managed to pull his gun out and catch the creature nearly three times in the head before it dropped in the doorway and disintegrated.
Relena stayed back, watching Quatre work with only slight interest. She started at the gunfire but merely turned her head away as the creature fell. (That girl didn't even know about these beasts. How can we trust her to anything else?)
Relena stared at Quatre's back as they trudged up the winding stone stairs, only glancing back every few minutes to make sure they weren't being followed. They passed a panel in the wall, a large squared hollow, lined with three chains. A fourth lay on the steps in front of them, broken off.
After more than a few minute's walking, Relena was just about to say something when they came to a landing. It was particularly small, about half the size of the disheveled office on the other side of the museum. A short wooden ladder rose up from the floor to a trap door in the ceiling. Relena stepped forward, the bag swaying on her shoulder. "Ladies first..." She muttered absently, her upbringing getting the better of her for the moment.
Quatre stepped up and put his hand on the ladder ahead of her. "Only if that lady happens to have a gun." He stated, giving her a vaguely respectful look before heading up the ladder himself. Pushing the trap door open forcefully, there was a brief snap of a bullet and Quatre continued up.
"All clear..." He called, and Relena slowly made her own way up the ladder.
The room above was sparsely furnished, with only a very old-looking jukebox in one corner and some sort of control panel, which Quatre was currently sitting in front of, turning a sort of joystick and pressing a button under one over the several miniature t.v. screens. Relena watched him for a second, before turning her head to the other side of the room, and caught her breath.
There was a huge contraption set up, taking up an entire wall, though it looked not to be made of metal, but of the same clay the jars were of, with a few metal chains here and there. It had a large panel covering most of it, clay covered with intricate designs across it. There was a large bull's head next to the panel, also made of clay, with various gears and chains hooked together behind it. (What on earth is this thing?) Relena wondered, running her hands across the panel designs.
Behind her, Quatre glanced over his shoulder to make sure Relena wasn't doing anything she shouldn't. (That panel doesn't look so very dangerous... Well, it shouldn't hurt. Now, to find the video of the witch doctor exhibit...) He pressed the button below the second screen and the video of a camera in the plant exhibit. He moved the joystick around, getting a view of the room from a new angle. Satisfied, he pressed the third button. This time, a nice view of a clock tower came up. (Well, at least we'll know what time it is, if that clock's even right.) He pressed the fourth button, the last on that side of the main screen. This time a dark cavern cam up. There was some sort of black river running through the middle of it, but in all other ways, was unremarkable. The fifth button, the first on his right side, came up with what he needed. The witch doctor's exhibit had lost the green tint he had seen in person, but looked almost the same from the high position of the camera. He moved the joystick to the left and stopped. (What is...)
Written in neon green paint, with many splatters and lines, was written several letters, making no particular meaning or reason. He stared at them for a moment before realizing what they were. (Of course! These letters are just a combination of the letters we found on the drums in the exhibit!) He distinctly recalled the drums; Duo had wanted to play on them, but Heero refused to allow him. On the side of each of the four drums were 'Bo', 'Ti', 'Ka' and 'We', respectively. (We probably have to beat the drums in this order to... solve some puzzle, or something...) He looked at the inscription again. (TIKAKAWEBOKA...TIBOTIWEKAWETI.) He looked down and frowned. (No paper or pen...) He looked back at Relena. "Relena, do you have a pen and paper in that bag?"
She turned away from the machine and opened the bag. "I don't know..." She rooted for a minute and came up with a blue pen and tossed it to him. "No paper."
Quatre frowned. (We'll just wait until the others come up and tell them.)
Heero's P.O.V. ~~~~~~~~~~
Heero listened to Rei's soft footsteps behind him. (She doesn't have any shoes. No, those shoes out in the lobby were probably hers. Say something. No. Nothing to say.) But still, he slowed his pace to walk, not next to, but slightly ahead of Rei. He looked over at her. "Where do you come from?"
Rei pulled her head up, surprised at his question. "Tokyo. You?"
Heero hesitated. "The same."
Rei closed her eyes for a slow moment and smiled slightly. "Now tell me where you're really from."
Heero saw from the corner of his eye, Wufei tilt his head, listening, as he walked up the short set of stairs. Heero focused back on Rei. "Nowhere. I don't have much of a home."
Quatre and Relena stood in front of the clock tower door; Heero nodded a greeting to Quatre and looked at Relena, who was busy glaring at Rei. Rei, who obviously noticed this, kept her eyes calmly ahead of her. (She remains calm even though Relena clearly despises her. Why does Relena act like this? Rei has proven herself to be useful and most likely not an enemy; she has been exceedingly helpful in making our way through the museum, yet Relena regards her as an enemy.) Heero suppressed a frown as they turned the corner, letting his eyes slide past Wufei, up to the stairs ahead of them. A door stood ominously at the top, light shining around it from the room inside.
Three gunshots rang through the air and Heero felt his arm reach out as Rei whipped around in surprise. He managed to stop himself before he touched her, but Rei's silken ebony hair brushed his arm, and he held in a shiver. A few remaining traces of ash sparkled from the darkness. (She will have to wash that out...) A fleeting of Rei carrying out the act passed through his head and he pushed the thought away quickly. (Stop it.)
Rei turned back around and Heero turned his attention to the stairs. Wufei was already at the top of them, looking back at Heero. It was too dark to see his face, but Heero had a slight thought that he had seen Heero's emotions pass unguarded across his face. Heero frowned. (Have to keep better control.)
Rei stayed down at the bottom of the stairs, watching the two as the crept to the door, armed and ready. The door swung open and Heero stepped in, gun first. But there was nothing. The room was very small; two bookcases, lined with movie boxes, stood in front of the door, creating a small alley and a corner to turn, with an antique movie projector on the other side, a hole in the wall in front of it, allowing the sight of the movie screen in the auditorium, and a safe with a pile of movie rolls stacked on it in the nearest available corner, to his left. Giving the room a quick sweep, Heero bent his head back out the door. Rei stood faithfully at the bottom of the steps, looking perfectly innocent and pure in the soft light drifting from the open door. "Clear." He said softly, almost not expecting her to hear him.
Still, she looked up, her lips drawing on the verge of a smile and she started up the stairs. She glanced at him as she passed, almost seeming to force her eyes away from his. Instead, her eyes swept the room, glancing around, taking the familiar room in. Wufei stood, watching the pair from the corner of his eye, leaning on the bookcase.
Heero looked up, expecting him to say something, but Wufei stayed silent.
Rei brushed around the bookcase and Wufei, but halted as he grabbed her arm. "That music you warned about is here."
Rei blinked, then nodded, recalling the music that played when an Ixupi was too close. "It's in the pile of movies on the safe behind me. Just don't get too close and look at them." She smiled vaguely and pulled away.
Wufei half turned his head and looked at Heero. (Hmmm...) "I will keep watch outside." He announced, opening the door, casting Heero a smug side look, and leaving him and Rei alone.
Heero kept a straight face as Wufei shut the door. (He wants me to do something, but I can't. I won't. She is an ally, and we must keep our minds on the mission.) But as his eyes wandered to Rei, who was looking past him at the now-closed door, his mind wandered also. (No one is here. No one to see... Stop it now.) He swept past her, careful not to let them touch, lest he fall into another delusion.
There were two buttons next to the movie projector, one red, and the other green. He felt more than heard Rei walk up next to him. His hands tightened on the table edge as her hair brushed against him. (Her hair again... Why is it so soft? Why can't I think straight? Stop dwelling on this. Now.) His legs, almost moving on their own, took a small step away from Rei, and he watched her reaction carefully. (She didn't even notice...)
Rei looked down at the button. "We should start this now." She whispered. Heero's hand darted forward and almost punched the button. Rei kept her eyes carefully away from his. (Is he angry? What did I do?) She kept her frown precisely hidden.
The gray screen in the auditorium came to life and the dull, black numbers spun across the screen, counting down to the movie.
"For countless years, ancient civilizations have hidden their secrets..." Rei absently tuned out the deep, droning voice of the announcer as pictures of ancient relics passed across the screen. (Oh, paper...) Rei brushed her sides, forgetting she had no pockets. (Well, Heero's mature enough...) Rei lifted her hands, half studying Heero's expression out of the corner of her eye and pulled the folded piece of paper from the front of her shirt.
Heero carefully studied the movie playing on the screen, but Rei's movement to her sides distracted him. (She's probably looking for paper...) He kept his eyes on the screen, suddenly feeling his heart jump as her hands lifted to the front of her dress. (God no...) He felt his full attention pull to her as she slowly dipped her hand down her shirt. He could have sworn his heart stopped. Rei pulled her hand away, the folded piece of paper held between two fingers.
(He's practically staring at me! Come on Heero, not that big of a deal...)
(She did it again... Is she trying to distract me?)
(He's still staring... Just look away. Look like you're concentrating and he'll forget about it.) Rei turned her head away, back to the movie screen through the hole in the wall and feigned interest. (Just don't meet his eyes and you'll be fine.)
Heero felt his eyes fix to her hair once again. (Does she even know what she does to me?) He looked away. (No. The others too. Duo is attracted to this girl as well, but why am I affected so much?) He frowned at the question. (Why?) The sound of scribbling brought his attention back to Rei. On the screen, a gray, heavy set man was pushing in certain portions of a wall behind him. (It must be the secret passage Rei spoke of.) He wondered for a moment where she got the pen, but shut the thought away quickly. (Keep your mind on the mission.) The heavy professor took off his bowler hat and bid a friendly farewell to his audience, and Rei straightened.
Turning to Heero, Rei kept her eyes firmly in the paper. "I think I got the whole thing, but I should watch it again, just to be safe."
Heero was still watching the blank screen behind her. "I'll watch it. To be safe." He felt his hand reach out on its own.
Rei pulled the paper back away from him over her shoulder. "What? Don't trust me?" She taunted, suddenly very smug about catching Heero's attention, even if he may not have wanted it to happen.
He leaned over her and snatched the paper, taking advantage of Rei's surprise at his sudden nearness. "I'll check the sequence." He stated firmly, in his monotonous voice that left no room for argument.
Rei rolled her eyes as she stepped aside, letting him take the foremost place to the opening.
(Stubborn...) She pursed her lips as he started up the movie again, fully aware of his eyes on her back. (Just occupy yourself until he's done.) Rei wandered around the bookshelf into the alley between it and the bookshelf against the wall. (What kind of movies would they have?) She leaned over and peered into the shadowed shelves. (No names...) She turned to the shelf along the wall and focused on the cases. Something in red ink seemed to glare out at her from behind the cases. (What's that?) Pushing aside the movies in the front, she tilted her head forward for a better look.
The red ink seemed to glow fiercely and Rei barely had a chance to snap back as two gnarled, blackened hands reached out and snatched Rei's head. A twisted, ash black head wrenched itself from the depths of the bookcase, its gaping, misshapen jaws wide, exposing black fangs, distorted to seem more like old nails than teeth.
Rei pulled a strangled cry from her throat as the thing tried to drag her head into its maw. Rei couldn't remember bracing her hands against the boards, but she locked her arms, and the thing continued to dig its claws into the sides of her head, mouth gaping in anticipation.
A sudden burst of gunfire burst through the room, jarring the creature down, lifelessly sagging its arms over the bookshelf. Only a few seconds passed before it disappeared into ash with a gasp of air.
Rei's breath rose and fell quickly in her delayed fear. (What? It touched me, I could have died. I nearly did. I could have ended right here...) Her heart slammed against her ribs. (I was just careless...) She felt warmth press against her and something soft against her face. (My eyes, when did I close my eyes...) She opened them to see she was against Heero's chest. A familiar click reminded Rei of the gunshots. "Saved me again..." (Did I say that out loud?) She thought sleepily. His arms snaked around her back and she closed her eyes again, falling into his heat, his sudden familiarity.
A noise from the door prompted Heero to break away from Rei and aim a loaded gun at the intruder. Wufei stood at the door, gun in hand, the nearest thing to a smug grin Heero had even seen on him, spread across his face. A slight shifting at his side reminded him that he still had one arm protectively encircled around Rei's small waist. (Again.) Heero's face betrayed him as a heat rose to color him. Rei's eyes stayed closed, as though afraid if she opened them, this moment would vanish into ashes like the creature. A firm look at Wufei turned him around to stand on the other side of the door.
Rei felt Heero's other arm around her again, and she leaned into him, swimming in her warm darkness. His chest was warm against her and his heart beat steadily there. She smiled softly. (Just forever...)
But, surprisingly, it was Rei who backed away a step. (But we have to keep going.) She kept her eyes to the ground, not trusting herself to meet his eyes. "The others are waiting." She bit her lip and looked towards the door.
Heero nodded slowly. (What came over me? Why did I betray my emotions?) "Yes. Let's go."
Rei still kept her eyes low as he unholstered his gun and moved to the door. She stayed carefully behind him as he opened it and followed Wufei down the stairs towards the clock tower.
After five painfully silent minutes, they made it up to the clock tower. Duo, Quatre, Trowa and Relena stood up in the highest room, everyone but Relena remaining patient.
"Are we ready to move on?" Relena asked in her usual irritated voice.
Rei looked at Trowa. "Do you have the time from the diary?"
He nodded. "3:45."
Rei nodded. "Now, someone has to go down the stairs, and pull on the chains in the wall until the clock tower reads 3:45. I think you can see it from one of the video cameras."
Quatre nodded. "This one." He pressed one of the buttons on the console and an image of a clock tower came up.
Rei nodded and looked around the room at the others. "Who wants to go pull the chains?" Trowa stepped forward and crossed his arms. Rei nodded her head. "Just go down and pull one of the chains. We'll call down what to do next."
Trowa nodded and silently made his way towards the trap door in the center of the room. Wufei hesitated before following, jumping nimbly down the ladder.
Duo stationed himself by the hole and looked expectantly between Quatre and Rei. Quatre turned to the console and brought up the picture of the clock tower. "It says 8:15. It moved fifteen minutes." He looked back over at Rei.
She nodded. "Okay." She turned to Duo. "Yell down to pull the chain furthest from the one they just pulled."
Duo pulled in a breath. "Pull the chain furthest from that one!"
"It moved an hour this time. 9:15." Quatre reported.
"Tell them to pull that same one..." Rei counted off in her head.
"Six more times." Heero stated firmly from the other side of the room.
"Pull it six more times!" Duo once again yelled the command down the stairs.
"It's 3:15 now." Quatre reported.
"Tell them to pull the first chain twice."
"Pull the first one two times!" Duo yelled down once again. A few seconds later, a loud bell chimed through the museum, turning all heads toward the ceiling.
Rei waited a moment before looking back at Duo. "They can come up now."
"Get up here!" Duo yelled.
Rei rolled her eyes. (These guys must live together or something to be able to put up with each other.)
Trowa and Wufei jumped up the stairs, Wufei glaring Duo down, most likely not accustomed to being ordered around. Duo grinned widely and nonchalantly moved out of striking range.
Rei shook her head and looked over at the clock contraption covering the side wall. She was almost surprised to see the giant dragon's head there, hissing at her. (Hm. The thing didn't make a sound when it moved. Strange.) Heero stood next to the thing, looking down at the head. He leaned over and plucked the almost camouflaged jar from the jaws of the dragon. Rei's eyes stayed on the dragon, its teeth and fierce grin seeming to jump out at her. (Almost like the thing in the bookcase.) She shivered and brought her arms together. (Stop thinking about it. You have to concentrate on what to do now.) Rei shook her head and looked up. Heero handed the jar to Relena, who took it without protest and put it in the bag.
Heero watched Rei from the corner of his eye. (Is she cold? It is understandable, considering what she's wearing...) He forced his eyes back to the wall. (Concentrate on the mission.)
Within the next three minutes, the group once again found themselves down in the lobby. Rei stood, leaning against the broken showcase, Wufei a few feet down from her, Duo sitting comfortably on the stairs next to Quatre, and both Heero and Trowa stood silently on the other side of Rei. Relena, apparently resting in perfect calm. Instead, her mind was buzzing in the silence.
(She and Heero weren't talking when they came up. Maybe they had a fight. If I'm lucky. So maybe she won't be hanging all over him.) Her eyes narrowed. (Only if I'm lucky.)
Rei cleared her throat, gathering everyone's attention. "Next, we have to go upstairs. There's a big maze up there, so I think maybe we should get to the storage room up there, so we have a place to meet from. The way is through the library." She straightened and turned towards the library door.
"Then we should get going then." Heero concluded and moved towards the door, the others in trail.
Once again, Rei stayed in the back with Relena, trying not to make eye contact. (Just keep watching ahead. Why do the guys still go first? They got all the creatures the first time around.) Rei suppressed a sigh and stood behind the door while the boys made sure the room was still safe. Quatre nodded to them through the door frame and Rei stood back to let Relena go first. The girl took the action with an airy nod of her head. Rei tried not to roll her eyes behind Relena's back.
The others stood around the room, all carefully avoiding the candles on one side, after noting the music emanating from it. Rei tapped her way along one side of the bookcase, looking for a trigger. (It just opened on its own in the game...) Finally, the case slid open with a loud creak and Rei stepped back to let the boys do their 'job'.
Duo leaned back in through the frame. "There's a hallway out here. Where are we supposed to go?"
Rei poked her head in past him and pointed to the left. "That way. There's an elevator around that corner."
Duo nodded and headed in that direction as Heero and Wufei returned from around the corners at the end of the hall to the right. The hall itself was much different than the rest of the museum. It looked to be made from ordered steel plates fastened together. At the right end of the hall were two halls, going in opposite directions, intersecting with the current one at a large, circle, steel grate, attached to the wall and decorated with a very realistic skull. On the left side of Rei, the hall cut off very short with another grate, without the skull. Just before the grate, however, the hall diverged to a smaller side hall. High on the wall, above the skulless grate, a small black camera was positioned, swerving to capture the entire hall every few minutes.
Trowa leaned out from the smaller hallway. "I have the elevator open." He stated quietly.
Rei nodded. (Then we should move it.) She turned to inform Wufei and Heero, but they were already making their way around Rei, towards Trowa and the elevator. Rei's eyes met Heero's for a second, but she pulled away. (Concentrate. Move it.)
The group all fit in the elevator, though Rei was a little closer to Relena than she cared. (At least she's not arguing with me anymore. I wonder what happened. She couldn't have given up on Heero...) Rei pursed her lips. (Not that I care either way.) She added quickly.
The elevator closed with a clamp and Rei looked around, waiting for the elevator to start up.
"What's this?" Quatre asked.
Rei's head snapped up. "What?" She followed his line of sight to a bunch of barely readable scribbles on the wall. It appeared to be written in red lipstick. Rei nodded. "That's from one of the missing kids. It tells you what to put in that door to the clock tower. You can just make out..." Rei traced her hands along the wall, though not touching the lipstick. "Geofrey. Though it trails off at the end..."
A muffled boom echoed from somewhere above the elevator, starting Relena about two feet in the air. "What was that?!" She exclaimed nervously.
Rei held in the laugh that threatened her voice from the back of her throat. "It's just part of the elevator music. See, the elevator is moving." Rei pointed out, gesturing at the small window above the doors. Layers upon layers of bricks were slowly descending past their car. Several audible clicks brought Rei's attention back down. The boys had their guns out, and Duo, Trowa and Quatre moved over in front of the girls, while Heero and Wufei stepped in front of the door, ready for anything that might pop out when the elevator stopped.
Rei was tempted to roll her eyes, but didn't. (You were wrong about those creatures. That boom might actually mean something more than just elevator music now.)
The doors slid away with a creak, opening to a very blue hallway. The carpet was navy blue; the wallpaper was ripped in several places and a similar color, only a little lighter, more sapphire blue. The hallway split in two directions, both ways veering off around a corner.
Heero and Wufei stepped cautiously into the corridor, each watching down one side. After they concluded all was clear, they nodded to the others, allowing them to follow slowly. Rei slowly crept up to Heero. "We need to go down that way." She gestured to down the left way.
Heero nodded. "This way." He told the others quietly, keeping his voice down, as though not to alert any enemies nearby.
The moved, still very slowly down the hall. This time, however, Rei and Relena were in the middle of the group, protected from both in front and behind. They walked in silence down the corridor, passing several large rips in the wallpaper and turning only three corners. Rei stopped them next to a large pyramid decoration on the wall. It went from the floor to the ceiling, and the realistic sand color made the pyramid seem as though you could reach out and shift the bricks that held it together.
Much to the others' surprise, Rei did just that. Kneeling over, making sure to keep a firm grip on the back of her skirt, much to Duo's dismay, and pulled out a corner of one of the bricks in the wall. She stood back behind the others and turned her head as a whoosh of air accompanied the center of the pyramid rising up to form a very wide doorway.
She only half-hearted looked up at the sound of several clicks, but caught her breath at the sight of two, healthy, living men standing inside the room, both aiming their own guns as Heero and the boys prepared to take their own shots.
"Zechs." Heero said plainly, his voice low.
"Trieze." Wufei openly spat, clearly ready to put a bullet hole in one of the two men.
The two inside, stood stone still, locking eyes with the two anxious youths ready to kill them.
Ooooo... How evil am I??? Yeah, I decided to add a little more stuff to the story. Now Rei is not only going to have to direct the way out, but try to keep everyone from killing each other! Or will she let them have it out on their own? Maybe... Anyway, sorry it took so ling to get this chapter out I got hit with two research papers at once!!! It's a conspiracy I tell you... I managed to get them all done, and I made this chapter extra long to compensate for the long wait! Hope you like it!!!