Author: Sparkle Itamashii Title: Inheritance
Warnings: Respect the "R" rating. Please see my profile for details.
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing AC is NOT MINE.
Chapter Eighteen
"-preparing for the art faire, which is to take place later this week in Winter Park. Volunteers arrived early this morning to aide city officials in preparing the park for what looks like the biggest fall festival in years."
I laid my head back against the back of the couch as the television continued to drone on and on about local events. I knew that I should start dinner before Heero got back but my body wasn't up to moving at all, much less making food. Besides, Mara was asleep on the couch next to me, head resting at an awkward but apparently comfortable position against my thigh. Artemis was sleeping beneath the television in front of the stand; even she was pooped after today.
Mara had woken me at 6:30, tearing around the front room and splattering the floor with dozens upon dozens of videos. Heero had left the house without saying a word to me and he'd cruelly left Mara on the loose. As soon as I got her under control and eating a decent breakfast, I'd given him a call and a piece of my mind. I'd been forced to forgive him when he said that he was in town seeing about a daycare for Mara. Mostly I was just secretly glad he hadn't snuck into work or something; I'd have definitely had to kill him for that.
As it was, I spent the day following Mara around where-ever she decided to go. 'We' picked a movie and watched it- and by watched it I mean Mara watched it while I cleaned up the disks she'd scattered everywhere. There were still two missing when I finished and after searching the entire room and parts of the rest of the house I was forced to conclude that we may not have had the disks to begin with because they were nowhere to be found.
After two more movies and lunchtime, it was time to romp to the park with Artemis and Mara wanted to try holding the leash. I told her no but she was rather insistent; I've never seen anyone throw a hissy fit before and I ended up giving her the leash based on the sheer volume she managed to obtain. How does someone with such little lungs make such a very loud noise? It made me wonder which of her parents she got the ability from in the first place. I wasted several minutes picturing a very small Heero throwing a very large fit in front of Doctor J.
Anyhow, giving Mara the leash was a very bad idea- one about which I later decided I should have known better. Artemis has always been fond of running and that day was no exception. As soon as she realized she was not attached to anyone that could stop her, she took off like a streak of lightning. Of course that yanked Mara forward as well and it was only by the grace of God that she let go and I was able to catch her before she fell. After that it was a good two hours of romping about trying to catch Artemis, who seemed to think we'd invented a fantastic new game.
We'd just finally gotten back from having dinner at a local fast food restaurant, which was the least disastrous event of the day, and I was already ready to just go to sleep for the night. Heero was supposed to be home shortly and with Mara taking a nap on the couch beside me I was taking some time to watch the evening news. I was secretly glad that Heero had gone looking into daycares; there was no way I could keep up with a little kid day in and day out and allowing Heero to try… Well, I wanted Mara to live.
I was just falling asleep thinking about daycares and listening to the news talk about something in the colonies when I heard the front door open. I heard Artemis pick up her head but she didn't bark so I knew it was only Heero. I forced myself back into groggy consciousness in time to see him stepping out of his shoes. From the way he was moving, like each motion was just a little too taxing, I could tell he was tired. I wriggled out from under Mara and laid her head carefully down upon the couch before slipping over to greet Heero.
"Well you certainly look beat," I said in a hushed voice.
He only offered me an exhausted smile. "A bit. How was today?"
"We… went to the park," I said, thinking to myself that it might be better if I didn't disclose further detail on that one.
"Aren't they setting up for that faire?" He gave me a quick kiss as he passed.
I rolled my eyes, dropping back and dogging after him with a grin. "Yeah, it's next week. What do you want for dinner?"
"I don't care. What were you guys planning on having?" He slung open the fridge and stared at the contents as though he'd never seen the inside of a fridge before. I knew he was only doing it out of habit- he never took anything out of the fridge the first time he opened it- but it was still amusing.
"We already ate," I said when he'd closed the door and turned to look at me again. "You can nuke leftovers or I can make you something; up to you."
He made a rather pathetic noise after a moment, obviously resigning himself to fate. "Leftovers means less work for everyone."
Smiling, I shook my head as he busied himself making a quick dinner. It grew curiously quiet as he moved and I found myself thinking that with all the upstart involving Relena and Mara, Quatre and Trowa, and just about everyone else… I'd really come to miss silence. Normally I would be the last person in the known universe to admit to that but somehow I think I'd grown used to peace. I'd grown used to not having to talk just to have noise because the silence wasn't as terrifying anymore. Sometime in the past three years, silence had stopped belonging to misery and death and had become something I could relish.
I could feel my eyelids drooping again as I waited; the microwave was humming so contentedly and everything just seemed so… serene. It was hard to distinguish the words of the newscaster from the buzz of the television and I sleepily thought that maybe it was time to get a better screen. Heero was leaning tiredly against the counter, watching me intently. I could tell that he was listening to the television much better than I was; his head was turned just so and there was that tiny expression of confusion wrinkling his forehead.
"What?" I asked in a last-ditch effort to maintain consciousness.
"Shh." He pushed away from the counter with his hips, stalking into the other room. Surprised at his sudden change, I followed slowly after him.
"What is it?" I asked again, stopping beside him behind the couch.
He didn't respond at first, just stared stiffly at the television. The bluish light flickered over his face; his lips were pressed tightly together and his eyes were narrowed in a very nasty, intense glare. His hands were leaving imprints in the back of the couch from where he clenched it a little too tightly. Mara sleepily looked up at both of us before falling back asleep with her mouth gaping open.
"They haven't gotten in, have they?" he asked tensely.
I tore my gaze away from him, turning it to the news broadcast that was still playing. They were repeating the same information they'd been giving us for a few days now; they'd discovered the labs where the gundams had been created. It was considered fantastic historical news and everyone was treating it as delicately and reverently as if they'd discovered some sort of ancient cultural site. Quatre had already checked, though, and had found nothing… dangerous. Nothing that would bring any of us harm if it was found.
"I don't think they have," I replied after a moment. "The last I heard was that they found they needed a very specific, complex code to get inside." I tried to shake it off as if it were nothing, but it was obviously bothering Heero quite a bit. "You know that's not true though. The entry codes were pretty simple as far as that sort of thing goes. They're obviously on the wrong track."
"They're not," he said quietly, eyes still glued to the screen. "They're using the original lab, the one all five of them used at the same time, as a template." There was no need for me to ask to whom he was referring; there was no "them" that inspired such a cold tone as the doctors.
"Was that one more complex?"
"It was a DNA code," he said simply. "Of course it was."
"DNA," I echoed, trying to think why that concept sounded so familiar. "I think they were saying something about that earlier this week." I dredged up as much as I could remember from the recent news. "Someone… Well, the reporters are saying that a few of the people working to get inside think that the labs had a lot to do with DNA. Weird, since I figured it would have been mostly mechanical stuff- you know, parts or designs for the gundams or-"
"Duo, shut up," he cut me off. "I'm trying to hear what they are saying."
I gave him an offended look that was completely lost on him before turning to view the screen again. The news broadcaster was outside of a dull looking silvery building that seemed to be either very dirty or very tarnished. There was a small crowd but I could imagine it was only small because of the cramped alley that appeared to be the only entrance to where the reporter stood. Police had sectioned off the area behind the reporter, a small cement courtyard that bridged the gap between the alley and a flat wall. There wasn't a door in sight; in fact, the only thing that marred the wall was a small box that looked as though it might contain fuses or outlet plugs.
"-since they discovered the means of entrance. After nearly a week of dedicated work, one of the research teams claims to have produced the correct code to enter the laboratory. Will we finally be able to learn what brought about the creations of our infamous saviors, the Gundams? Here with me now is Doctor Kerith Lee, head of the Rockford team. Doctor, I'm told it was your team that discovered the code?"
The screen flickered and a familiar face appeared on the screen. I felt my nose wrinkle in distaste. Lee was one of the people I liked least in this world; for the past few years he'd been heavily into investigating the creation of the gundams in the name of 'recording history.' Both Heero and I knew that he wanted to get his grimy paws on a clear way to recreate the gundams and there had been at least one occasion where he'd come dangerously close. It looked as though we might have to intervene this time…
"Thank you, Karen. Yes, we have. With the aid of an outside source, we've managed to create a code that is similar enough that we think it will be able to open the lab for investigation."
"Is there a reason you haven't tried it yet?"
Lee made a face that suggested he'd just sucked on a lemon. "Well, Karen, that's difficult to say. We're not entirely sure what lies in store for us behind that door. Quite honestly we want to be sure no one is going to get hurt before we proceed. If you recall, the first attempt at entering the laboratory was… less than successful."
At that, I laughed. Heero gave me a sharp look and I only shrugged, still smiling. "They tried to cut in through the wall and it set off explosives underneath them… They stopped." Raising an eyebrow, Heero turned back to the television.
"-creators of the gundams were very, very careful not to let their research fall into the wrong hands but hopefully tomorrow morning we may get a small window into their world. But as touchy as Operation Meteor was, I think we're just going to have to take it slow and be very careful what we do from here out."
"Well thank you, Doctor Lee. And now-"
I rolled my eyes and shook my head as I straightened from where I'd leaned on the back of the couch. "It's ridiculous. Lee thinks he's going to get his hands on a way to recreate the gundams but a million to one says that the docs destroyed the evidence as soon as they separated and launched Operation Meteor."
Meteor… Meteor… My brain was playing the word over and over again in my mind. Everything had been about Operation Meteor. My life should have been forfeit to that plan and instead I'd been handed… everything and told to do what I thought was right. I'd been handed a chance at changing the world however I thought it should be changed. The doctors had quit the real Operation Meteor and sent us down alone. It wasn't until that whole Mariemaia fiasco that the Meteor project was reborn; until someone wanted Meteor…
They want Meteor.
My eyes snapped to the phone base when I recalled the message. Heero was still listening intently to the news broadcast so he ignored me when I shoved away from the couch and walked over. The little, glowing number two shimmered from the display. One of them was Quatre and one of them… One of them I had assumed was a wrong number and I'd forgotten it. But what if it wasn't? With all this talk of the labs and the doctors… what if it was important?
"Heero…?"
"What," he asked absently, eyes still glued to the television.
"I think someone called for you. They left a weird message."
He spared me a quick glance before settling his gaze back on the report. "What did they say?"
"I still have the message." I thought back to the message and how I'd been interrupted by the call from the doctor's office. That voice had sounded so… familiar. "I think it was important. I think it's someone we know."
He finally turned his attention to me, eyebrow quirked curiously. "You think?"
Behind me I heard Heero reach for the remote to turn down the volume. I could feel that tiny rush of adrenaline, the sort that comes when you know something is happening but you can't quite tell what. I didn't respond to him as I pressed the play button and the answering machine whirred to life. It clicked and stated the date and time of the call in a monotone voice before it played the message.
"They want meteor. Call me."
The machine clicked and whirred again before I pressed the stop button and turned my attention to Heero. He was staring silently at the machine as if it had spoken in a completely different language, eyes narrowed and lips tight. He was frozen to the spot and I could practically see the gears turning in his brain as he processed the message. Hearing it a second time, in the context of this particular situation… even I had recognized the voice.
It was Milliardo.
After the war he'd been slightly involved in the politics of creating a new, peaceful world. He hadn't disappeared off the map until after the Mariemaia incident. We'd looked for him directly after the battle but Noin had taken him and disappeared. No one heard from her for nearly three months and when we did she claimed Millardo was 'gone.' Just gone. She wouldn't say whether or not he was alive or dead and claimed to have no knowledge of anything pertaining to him.
No one believed her but after having not seen hide or hair of him in all this time… I admit that even I had begun to think maybe he really had died and Noin hadn't wanted to let us know. This though- clearly he was alive and well and thought we knew how to contact him.
And you know… Heero didn't look a bit surprised.
In fact, he was beginning to look a little bit angry.
I took a hesitant step in his direction, curious and very concerned at the look of distaste spreading across his features. "Heero…?" I questioned quietly.
"Shit." Without saying anything more, he shoved himself forcefully away from the couch and disappeared into the kitchen.
Alarmed and confused, I switched off the television and followed quickly after him. "What's up?" I asked, watching him toss a quick glance around the room. "Heero? Was that Milliardo? What's going on?"
But he ignored me.
As I watched, bewildered, he roughly yanked open our junk drawer and pulled out a pad of paper and a pencil. What was going on? Heero hadn't acted so strangely in ages. He whirled around to the table and scribbled on the notepad before neatly arranging it. Before I could ask what he was doing now he'd disappeared into the hall again, leaving me standing in the kitchen. Confused and getting a little scared, I leaned over and read what he'd written on the notepad:
Duo- You won't get this until you get home tomorrow morning but as soon as you do I want you to meet at Bronner's Bakery. You know which one. Take this note with you and hurry. See you soon, love. –H
Brow wrinkling, I turned to ask Heero again what was going on only to find him already standing in the doorway. I pushed down the flare of anger that rose when I saw him outfitting himself with his favorite gun. Whatever was happening, he was taking it a little too seriously.
"Heero-!"
"Duo!" He cut me off sharply, giving me a hard look and just like that I knew.
The person staring back at me from behind Heero's beautiful eyes was not my lover. That was not the Heero I'd known and loved for the last four years.
No… the person standing before me was nothing more than a stone-cold assassin; he was the war hardened soldier I'd met when I was fifteen… and for a split second I hated him. Bitterly. I hated that look. I hated that person. I hated whatever had caused that callous, unfeeling part of him to reappear.
But it took only seconds for the solider within me to surface in response and the feeling subsided, forced to the back corner of my mind as I realized that whatever was going on was dangerous. Whatever was happening was not just random or strange; it was a matter of life or death. There was no other excuse.
"I just want to know why you're freaking out and why Milliardo is leaving cryptic messages on our machine," I said quietly, staring at him as calmly as I could force myself to be. "You know I hate being in the dark."
For an instant I could see the debate whirling in his eyes but they hardened again as he spoke. "For right now I need you to trust me and just do what I say. Can you do that?"
Part of me wanted to tell him no.
I wanted to know what was going on.
I wanted to ask why.
But I didn't.
A long time ago, Sister Helen used to tell me that sometimes it was better to obey first and ask questions later. "What if," she'd always said, "you were standing in the middle of the road and I told you to move? In the time it would take you to ask 'why,' the bus that was coming might already have hit you."
Now I got the feeling that this was a road and Heero was telling me to move.
Just because I couldn't see the bus, didn't mean it wasn't coming.
So could I trust him without knowing why?
"Yes," I responded in a whisper. Because as much as I wanted to say no, I knew that sometimes having blind faith in someone was the only way to stay alive; and alive seemed like a good idea right then.
He took a deep, calming breath and nodded. "I have to go somewhere," he told me quite seriously. My skin prickled at the strange note in his voice- it was far too close to fear. "I'll be back in about an hour. Pack a bag for yourself and one for Mara." He paused as he turned to head for the front door. "And… pack lightly."
"What about Artemis?" I hated the way my voice sounded so hollow in my ears.
"We can't take her," he said almost instantly, as though he'd expected the question. "We don't have time."
"Time?" I echoed exasperatedly. "How long are we going to be gone?"
He shook his head and I could tell he was only trying to make up something to placate me. "Just ask a neighbor to watch her for a few days, okay?"
"Days…?" Days? Days? Where exactly were we going to go on an hour's notice for a few days? "You've got a lot of explaining to do the second you have a chance."
For a second I thought he was going to say something else but he merely nodded and disappeared down the hallway. I glanced uncertainly to the note on the table before following suit. I watched him slipping into his shoes, silently wondering if this was really all right. It had been so long since anything dangerous had happened… I'd thought it was all behind us. I'd thought we were done. Now I felt like I'd just been dropped right into the middle of something horrible and I couldn't even see what it was.
"I won't be long," he said quietly, startling me. His eyes flickered briefly over my form before something seemed to give and he smiled regretfully. "I promise I'll explain as soon as I can. Just be ready to go when I get back, all right?"
If there hadn't already been a lump of cold fear in my gut that certainly would have put one there. Heero never did that; he never, in any way, assured people things were going to be okay. He knew better. Even if he thought he was completely certain of the outcome he would rather silently let it happen than offer a reassurance that could be proven wrong or lead someone to think they were all right when they were not.
Words could often mean the difference between life and death.
I cast my gaze to the ground, refusing to answer him. The tension was thick between us as he waited silently for my response but it didn't take him long to see that he wouldn't get one. Ever-so-carefully he leaned forward and grabbed my arm with one hand, pulling me just close enough to kiss my cheek, and then he was gone. The door clicked hollowly behind him.
/End Chapter Eighteen, Inheritance/
