Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Mobile Suit Gundam Wing.


Chapter 2

Recall


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Decoding…

REVMVEENCg0KDQo=

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Delta.

Decoding…

Decoding…

XXXG-03: [attachment linked] Circus schedule updated.

XXXG-01: Will there be food.

XXXG-03: Yes, 01, I will make you soup.

XXXG-04: Decoding... I'll see you all there!

XXXG-05: It better not be borscht again.

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AC 196 July 5

The stale air of the cottage was pleasantly familiar as Remus stepped through the doorway. His home was a decrepit hovel, all things considered, but it was the only place Remus could afford to keep with his spotty employment record and minimal finances. It had to have been just over a month since he'd last returned to his home; he spent most of his time running missions or keeping Sirius from going through a meltdown while locked in Grimmauld Place.

Remus wanted to rest but knew he didn't have much time for luxury. He should take care of the chores while he could, before Dumbledore called on him once more. Perhaps I should just move into Grimmauld Place, Remus thought, draping his outer robes over the headrest of the couch. At least then he would be easily accessible to the rest of the Order, and Sirius would appreciate the company.

Remus picked up the mail scattered about the floor, from where it had been shoved in through his mail slot over the course of the month. It was never much, as only Muggle mail found its way to his abode – just the occasional flyer or neighborhood bulletin, as his utilities were all directly linked to his bank account. He maintained a Muggle bank account, as his Muggleborn mother had taught him prior to her death during the course of the First War with Voldemort. Hope Howell Lupin had held no delusions on how the wizarding world would treat her only child, and was adamant Remus have a back-up in the Muggle world in case of emergencies.

At the end of the First War, with all of his close friends either dead or imprisoned, Remus fell back on his mother's contingency plans. Werewolves had never been treated well by the wizarding world, but after the war, it had practically become a persecution given their former alliance to the Dark Lord. Even Remus had not been spared and was forced to essentially dropped off the radar. He took up Muggle part-time jobs but it became difficult to maintain them with his lycanthropy forcing him to miss certain days. The Muggle world had also taken extreme steps in the fields of science, and many of the jobs were not on-world; Remus, a wizard through and through, could not imagine giving up his magic for even a moment, and so he was confined to the planet.

Remus was likely more aware of Muggle current events than his wizarding peers, but ever since his year of teaching at Hogwarts, he could admit he wasn't as up to date as he would have been a decade ago. He knew about the tension and violence in the space colonies, had heard about the revolts that ended in bloodshed – but he'd been helping Sirius since learning about his innocence, concentrated more on aiding his ex-convict best friend than the Muggle state of affairs. Remus had essentially missed the Muggle war, catching up only when the Daily Prophet had made a passing mention that the Muggle war had officially ended.

First the war with Voldemort's original rise, then the Muggle war, and now Voldemort had rose once more – perhaps they as a species just weren't meant for peace.

Remus perused through the envelopes, wandlessly casting the junk mail into the bin. Just as he'd come to expect, the vast majority was nothing important – but then, just under a lime green flyer from the local supermarket, Remus's hands fell atop the hard white stock of a catalog envelope.

Remus turned it over, staring in surprise at the official print and postage. He didn't recognize the company name – Preventers? – but that was definitely the official British postage reserved only for personal documentation stamped onto the cover. Granted, it was a bit different from a year ago; Remus had heard that the Muggle world governments had dissolved national borders, so technically, Remus wasn't considered a British citizen, but an Earth Sphere citizen. Or something to that affect – how the magical governments worked out citizenship with their Muggle counterparts had never been quite clear.

Remus opened the envelope. He didn't need to worry about Death Eater plots; they'd never resort to such Muggle correspondence, after all. And the text on the envelope was definitely made from a computer printer, which no elitist pureblood would come within a mile of if they could help it.

Remus pulled out a thin sheaf of papers, no more than five in total, and started to read.

Subject: Family Reconstruction Act

Dear Mr. Remus J. Lupin,

This letter comes in regards to the Preventers-mandated Family Reconstruction Act (FRA). As explained across all national media at the founding of the Preventers Organization in AC 196 January, the FRA seeks to reconnect families separated over the course of the devastating Eve Wars.

In order to accomplish this goal, the Preventers mandated all Earth Sphere and Space Colony citizens submit to DNA testing. The FRA was restricted to close familial matches: parents, siblings, and children. We hope, at the conclusion of this phase, to expand our efforts to include aunts, uncles, and grandparents.

As a world and space community taking their first steps into a new time of peace, we know we must rely on each other to accomplish the goal of complete pacifism that we all yearn to reach. Reconnecting families is one of the first major steps in the right direction.

If you have received this letter, then we are happy to inform you that a close familial relation has been found.

Remus's eyes read that one line, over and over. It was as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head, its icy chill seeping into the very fibers of his heart.

It simply wasn't possible. His mother was long-dead; his father was a pureblood wizard, who had died just before Harry's 8th birthday. Both were only children in their respective families, leaving Remus the sole Lupin.

Furthermore, where had the Muggle organization even gotten his- what? DNA? It took Remus a moment to place the term; something related to Muggle science, clearly used to identify family. From blood? Where had Muggle scientists gotten some of Remus's blood?

Remus flipped to the next page. A majority of it was extremely small text, related to medical and legal jargon. What Preventers had deemed most important to the receiver of the letter was put in normal print size, practically jumping out from the page.

Citizen #90X-5L

Name: Remus John Lupin

D.O.B.: AC 161 March 10

Status: Adult

Location: Earth Sphere, British Isles, Yorkshire

Citizen #L28-XD2

Name: Duo Maxwell

D.O.B.: Approximated AC 180

Status: Minor****

Location: L2-V08744

Reference:

* - A Dependent Minor

**** - An Emancipated Minor.

It took Remus another few moments, over his stammering heart, to recognize the location as one of the space colonies. His supposed family member lived in space?

Paternity Test executed.

The papers slid from Remus's hands. Impossible, it's impossible, Remus thought numbly. Paternity test? Paternity – he was someone's father? How- Remus's thoughts cut off, stomach queasy and heart wrapped in a claw of fire. He felt dizzy, using the edge of the table to keep himself steady.

It wasn't possible- When could he have possibly fathered a child? Remus thought back, near hysterics. When had he-? He wasn't the ugliest of blokes, but the scars and his generally disheveled appearance wasn't exactly a hit with women. Not to mention his own reticence when it came to intimate relationships, given his lycanthropy.

AC 180 – and why was it approximated? – so his… Remus hesitated over the word, settling on 'family member', his family member was only 16 years of age. Seventeen years ago, he'd been in the throes of the first war with Voldemort, there was no way-

Remus started, memory whipping to the forefront of his mind. Yes, it had been the first war, and yes, he'd been running missions for the Order – but he'd also been a 19 year old young man. With hormones.

Remus winced. He hadn't been in any serious relationships, he definitely knew that much, but he'd had his fair share of intimate relations. Even then, he'd made sure to use protection, or the girl he'd slept with had their own share of Muggle or magical birth control.

…But there was one.

Remus desperately tried to recall more details about her. Her hair had been a shade or two darker than his, reddish in tint. She had had really pretty eyes, a shade he'd never found in the wizarding world – the closest to violet he'd ever seen in human eyes. She was a Muggle girl, pretty but not one to smile. Remus thought they'd met in a bar, somewhere along the way; he was set to leave the next day for a mission to Scotland, and she-

She'd been on her way to space.

"Can't give birth in space," she'd remarked to him. "Too many complications, I'd likely die. I'll take something tomorrow before I leave."

Apparently pregnancies had been complicated by space travel back in those days, so many women died in the course of child birth. Birth control and Plan B pills were easily accessible to space colonists for that reason. Remus had had no reason to doubt the pretty brunette.

Remus took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He gathered the papers up from the floor, going back to the one he'd been on.

The chart following the 'Paternity test' label was a list of letters and numbers Remus could not hope to understand. All he knew was that he was represented by one column, and this 'Duo Maxwell' by the other. His eyes were drawn to the bottom of the chart, where a box clearly labelled 'Interpretation' converted the mass of Muggle science information into something coherent.

Interpretation :

Probability of Paternity: 99.9998%

The alleged father is not excluded as the biological father of the tested individual. Based on the testing results obtained from analyzation of the DNA loci listed, the probability of paternity is 99.9998%.

There was more fine print after this, but Remus had understood the gist. The paternity was positive: Remus was the father of one Duo Mawell.

Remus forcefully controlled himself. There was more to read. He could have a meltdown later, when he had the full picture.

There was another page of fine print, and then on the last page, there were the contact details Remus had been searching for.

Notes for Recipient :

Citizen #90X-5L submission to the Family Reconstruction Act (FRA) was collected during a hospital visitation on AC 191 May 3.

Citizen #L28-XD2 submission to the Family Reconstruction Act (FRA) was collected during a hospital visitation on AC 196 January 7.

If you believe these results are in error, please contact your Local Preventers branch.

Preventers Branch C-10019X

York

Yorkshire, British Isles, Earth Sphere

Phone: +250-4400-1830

P.O. Box 23471

Remus tried to recall his whereabouts five years ago. He'd been to Muggle hospitals a handful of times in his life, only when magical hospitals weren't feasible or were likely to publicly report his lycanthropy. As most Muggle illnesses did not affect wizards, then it was likely he'd had a minor injury that he felt a Muggle doctor could take care of in lieu of risking detection by wizarding Healers. They sometimes took blood samples if they believed he was under the influence of something, but Remus hadn't realized they'd actually kept the results and put it in their system.

Remus put the papers down on the table, staring into the air.

I have a son.


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WFhYRw0KDQoNCg==

Decoding…

REVMVEENCg0KDQo=

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Delta.

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XXXG-05: Status update. Contact request to all.

XXXG-04: 05, status?

XXXG-05: Status all clear. Decoding… Delta.

XXXG-04: 05, clarification?

XXXG-05: Rendezvous required.

XXXG-04: Accepted.

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The dull glow of the gaudy paper lanterns hung in zig-zagging lines across the street was barely discernible through the sheer white curtains pulled closed over the motel room windows. There was a minimal thrum of crowd noise, barely audible through the walls but more reassuring than irritating. Crowds of people had the curious effect of calming him; it was easier to escape in a crowd of people than to dash across barren fields filled with only the sound of gunfire.

Duo Maxwell sat reclined on the lumpy motel bed, legs crossed as his eyes skimmed over the screen of his laptop. The TV was on, changed to a random channel that had first started as an infomercial but transitioned to daytime drama. Duo had not tuned in long enough to gauge the story, but occasionally one of the characters would burst into tears.

He wasn't doing anything particularly engaging on the computer either. He'd been wandering about for most of the day, and had only recently returned to the motel room to unwind. He'd checked his email – spam for the most part – and toyed with the idea of playing some of the games he'd downloaded. There was also a minuscule alert icon in the corner that he was steadfastly ignoring.

Running and hiding was his thing, after all.

Another alert, this one different from the one he was pretending was not there, dinged into existence. Duo recognized this one: the L2 Preventers system had rung up his name.

It had been in the heat of the moment. The war had ended, the world and space colonies were turning over a new leaf, leaping headfirst into an age of pacifism; Duo would have agreed to just about anything at the time, if it meant peace would last.

So when Sally Po, quite possibly the only doctor Duo would ever trust, took some of his DNA to enter into the system in order to submit to the FRA, Duo was fine with it. He was an L2 orphan – even if he had had family, if the plague hadn't killed them, if they'd somehow managed to survive the colony revolts – then the war definitely had to have killed them.

And it had been mandatory, as Une had so viscerally reminded them. Preventers agents would lead by example, which meant they would submit their DNA to the Preventers system and shut the hell up.

Still, Duo had thought it was fine. There had been war, now there was peace, and the other Pilots had done the same. It had to be fine.

There was peace.

There was peace, everywhere but in Duo.

So he ran, and he hid. He kept a lock on the L2 Preventers system, where his DNA had been submitted, just in case Preventers ever accessed it for any reason. The alert on his laptop let him know someone had.

The FRA was a complex system, combining the databases over the space colonies and Earth Sphere. That was a large amount of data that needed to be analyzed and interpreted, which had made the FRA a slow-going affair. It was why Preventers had broken it into phases, working more on identifying matches for minors. Duo, though considered an adult in all the ways it mattered, had still been identified as an Emancipated Minor to the system.

Duo had never expected a match.

The FRA had an automatic system, the information disseminated to separate but relevant branches. Once a match had been identified, the local branches of the identified citizens would be notified to compose the letters using the standard Preventers template, entering their own notes and interpretation.

If Duo bothered to return to the home address he had listed in the Preventers system – a one-bedroom apartment on L2-V08744 – then he'd soon receive an official letter explaining the findings. The reports he'd hacked into currently was all the information gathered laid bare before him sans professional interpretation, but Duo was not the average person.

He had a father.

In the relative quiet of a semi-decrepit motel in San Francisco, Duo Maxwell dissolved into hysterical laughter.


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WFhYRw0KDQoNCg==

Decoding…

REVMVEENCg0KDQo=

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Delta.

Decoding…

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XXXG-04: 02, status request. Delta.

XXXG-01: 02, take your time.

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End Chapter 2


A/N: Duo's going through a lot...

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