Who's Got It?
"Duo! Duo, can you hear me?"
"I think he moved… yeah, look, he's awake!"
"Duo!"
The ceiling above him was an unfamiliar one. Although, more than a ceiling, it was a spinning blur of white. It made him sick and he shut his eyes tightly hoping it would pass soon.
"Duo, can you hear me?"
When he reopened his eyes, the blur was now a combination of golden, rosy and aquamarine. In his still hazy state he couldn't really tell what was the noise he was hearing, but it kept nagging at his mind, and soon he felt annoyed.
"DUO!"
The yell issued from what he could now identify as Quatre made him spring up to a sitting position and his heart raise its speed. The world around began to spin faster than before and he suddenly felt the urge to throw up. Maybe Quatre could read his movements because he already had a bin ready for it. After he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his focus became clearer and the combination of colors was slowly taking the shape of his friend.
"Are you all right?" asked the little blonde.
"I think so" croaked Duo in a very weak voice that even surprised himself.
"That's a relief."
This time it had been a woman who spoke. Turning around Duo saw Noin standing on the doorway, leaning on it and looking mildly worried at the pilot. "We were starting to think you weren't going to wake up for a while."
"What's going on?" Duo asked in the same hoarse voice as before.
"Well, Lady Une asked me and Zechs to go and look for you guys. We found Quatre here and Trowa first, although it took us quite a while to get to them. They were locked in Trowa's bedroom, sleeping like babies" she shot a mischievous look at the blonde who blushed lightly and decided to busy himself with putting the bin away to avoid Noin's stare. Duo noticed this and giggled softly. "We went looking for Wufei next, but we couldn't find him, Zechs's on it right now. I found you in your bedroom made one hell of a mess and with blood dripping from your hands… I must say you gave me quite a fright. What happened?"
"Nothing, I'm fine. I just… had a little disagreement with my room's decoration"
"But…"
"I said I was fine, nothing happened, no one attacked me, I was just in a bad mood!"
"No kidding…" Noin eyed him suspiciously, but she sensed Duo wouldn't want to talk about it at the moment, so she dropped it.
"Where's Trowa?" asked Duo hoping to change the subject.
"He's looking for Heero" answered Quatre this time. "We thought he was going to be with you."
Duo pursed his lips remembering how he'd reacted some hours ago… or at least what he thought were some hours ago.
"What time is it?"
"It's nearly seven, why?"
"Just wonderin'"
So it had been at least a couple of hours… Duo wondered what had happened to Heero. He wanted to get up and look for him, ask for forgiveness, but right now he seriously doubted his ability to stand up and remain up. His whole body felt like it was made of jelly.
He let his vision wander around and he quickly discovered they were at the hospital wing. There were a nice number of beds all around him, and the one he was laying on was the closest to the entrance. The place was empty except for him, Quatre and Noin. For the first time Duo noticed his hands were bandaged and he had some other bandages here and there, mainly along his arms. He hadn't realized how bad he'd really screwed himself until then.
"Why did Lady Une send you to look for us?" asked Duo.
"No idea" Noin made her way to his bed with her arms crossed and sat on the edge, "she just told us it was important to find you, but she wouldn't tell why…"
"NOIN! QUATRE!"
Outside they could hear Zechs yelling. The sound startled them all and it even made Quatre jump. It really sounded urgent and Noin rushed to the door and wrenched it open. On the other side was Zechs carrying an unconscious Wufei. Noin made way and Zechs laid Wufei gently on the bed next to Duo's.
"Call the nurse" ordered Zechs, and Noin rushed to find her.
"What happened?" inquired Quatre.
"I found him like this in one of the east wing rooms. He had his sword next to him, so my guess is he passed out while he was training"
One of the nurses followed closely by Noin entered the room and immediately began the process of reviving Wufei.
XXX XXX XXX
The size of the HQ still amazed Heero, as he found yet another room that appeared to be empty. Never before had he been at that side of the HQ, being so busy and always away as he was. However, he made a mental note to himself of exploring more of it whenever he had the chance. Who knew what else might he find.
Making himself comfortable on the floor, he turned his laptop on, set it right in front of him, and proceeded to get some enlightening lecture. The book he'd grabbed from what was apparently Sixto's room, seemed to be some sort of diary or journal. There were a lot of useless inscriptions, mainly about Sixto's personal life and work at the Preventers. A quick scan through the book proved that all of it was similar, with some odd exceptions here and there. Heero paused his flipping of the pages when he found some more graphics like the ones he'd seen on the disarray of papers back at the first room.
It was some sort of test recording, displaying something's increase. He turned the page and found another graph of the sort, this time showing something's decrease, though. A lot of numbers were here and there making no apparent sense and more hastily scribbled notes. Heero decided to return to the first page and make a proper start, otherwise, he highly doubted he'd understand anything written in there. He supposed he could skip the really unimportant stuff, like real personal stuff.
Day 3, Month 4, Year AC. 198
The experiments have shown no change whatsoever. The labs in the Preventers headquarters made it all easier, quite unlike the one I had back home, where everything was old and even secondhand. I have managed to interest some of my colleagues in the research, Sen so far has proved to be quite efficient and helpful.
I have faith that the product will be exactly what has been asked for.
Day 27, Month 5, Year AC. 198
The experiment is taking way longer than what I had expected. Sen has now started to notice something, so I must be cautious and remain alert. Anything could change now, and if things take any longer, much may be at risk.
Day 18, Month 8, Year AC. 198
There was a large disagreement with Sen. Not even after discussing it for a whole week has he agreed. But his assistance is no longer required. The product is coming as expected and soon it will be completed for its introduction to the market.
Oddly enough, the later stages of its development are quicker than the first ones. The product somehow seems to be evolving on its own and as soon as it's fully mature, no further changes might be needed.
Heero knew beforehand that the Preventers had had the labs for quite some time. He was also familiar with the developing of various experiments meant to help ordinary life. It was almost as if Preventers were just another large company with products of their own. It was all part of their helping people. However, Heero had no idea what kind of product might Sixto have been talking about in this diary of his. As far as he knew, viral research hadn't begun until month 6, and the scientist had been talking about it for at least three months before.
Maybe it was something else, some other product ordered by the Preventers. No details about the research were written so far.
Day 10, Month 9, Year AC. 198
Sen came back once more, but he has lost track of the experiment and I no longer need his presence. It has become a one man's work and in no way will I admit him back. Besides, it might affect the outcome in many ways… the client won't be satisfied and we must remember that the client is always right.
Day 11, Month 9, Year AC. 198
The product is fully mature.
That last entry left Heero wondering. There were no further notes on it, and next came the graph he'd first seen, the one showing an increase. At the bottom of the page were a series of letters that made no sense.
"A-A-S-C-J-M-Y-H" Heero read out loud." Hmm…"
For some hunch he'd had, he began some research of his own in his laptop. He searched for any files related to Sixto and found quite a lot of articles. Doctor Sixto was greatly known in the headquarters for the great amount of research he'd done in so few months of having worked there. Even Heero had heard a lot about him and had been greatly interested for a while in his work after personally meeting him… that was until he was sent away to investigate the virus.
Day 15, Month 9, Year AC. 198
Sudden decrease. Unexplainable. Under close observation.
Another short note appeared right before the second graph. Also, more senseless letters and numbers.
"M6, J12, O28… wonder what that means" Heero typed the letters in his laptop, ready for some serious hacking business. While the computer did its job, Heero continued with his lecture, skipping some useless notes.
Day 17, Month 11, Year AC. 198
No longer safe, different place. Unwanted changes, different outcome…
H I 8 8 A G 1 P 4
"One file found?" The computer beeped to signal the end of the search. Heero was surprised to find something that matched the kind of inscription he'd been looking for. When he tried to open the file, he encountered a few barriers.
"Access denied? We'll see about that…" he turned to look at the rest of the numbers and letters. He typed the last set of letters and numbers in the diary. "Access denied. Well, if this doesn't work then I'll have to do it the hard way"
After entering the first set of letters a small screen appeared at the middle of his computer's monitor. Little by little, a silhouette of what was unmistakably a man formed itself in the screen. Light illuminated it and the man was revealed as no other than Sixto himself. This was a recording he'd done at some point in his life and Heero assumed it was something important to have been hidden and protected the way it was.
"Third month, day 6 of the year AC. 198. Just a week ago I have received word from the buyers. Their demands are complicated, but with the new installation they will be accomplished for sure. Last time, it wasn't efficient and there were complaints, but this time I have managed to obtain certain samples that I had never had access to, that are certain to optimize the results.
"Under the cover of new pharmaceutics, most of my colleagues have cooperated in one way or another. It's not yet too obvious what we're doing, so there's no risk yet, but eventually I'll have to isolate myself and avoid external cooperation. Preventers know nothing yet and information must not leak, it is too valuable and much could be lost."
Heero's suspicions began to rise. Something was definitely not right with Sixto if he was keeping secrets from the Preventers. The screen closed and a few seconds later a new one took its place.
"Seventh month, day 12 of the year AC. 198. The experiment is taking some time, but I trust it will be finished within schedule. Most of the clients have been wondering but they know better than to meddle too much. The contract is done anyways and there is no going back. Just for further reference, I have added here some of the many writings I have made in the past. If all goes well, these formulas will be improved."
The next images were formulas, drawings, graphs and sketches. The familiarity with them made Heero's senses tingle. He'd seen most of them before in his own work for the Preventers, when he was researching some illegal affairs…
"All of these…" the image of Sixto reappeared, "are the most common drugs I could find that will bond with the new element that I'm developing. Clients will be satisfied with it. It will be something never seen before…"
Heero gasped audibly. Now he knew where he'd seen those formulas and other stuff before. The Preventers had entrusted him along with his fellow pilots on a mission to discover the origin of new, stronger drugs in the black market. It had been the last mission they'd been on before the first cases of virus appeared.
No wonder doctor Sixto kept it all well hidden, he was doing something illegal behind his employer's back and even using his own equipment for it. Shame they hadn't caught him before he died. He was the sole creator of these drugs, surely making a great fortune with them.
A new window appeared in his laptop. It asked for a new password.
"Password?" Heero looked back at the diary, smiling darkly when he discovered the answer was all too easy.
ACCESS ALLOWED
What came next made Heero's eyes widen in amazement and his jaw drop to the floor.
XXX XXX XXX
"Nowhere?"
"Nowhere."
"Really?"
"I'm telling you, I couldn't find him anywhere right now. This place is huge in case you hadn't noticed and it'll probably take a whole search team to find a guy like Yuy."
Wufei had slowly revived in the hospital wing. He'd awoken with a groan and after a while he was still dizzy. While he fully recovered, Trowa entered the room with the news that he was unable to find Heero Yuy anywhere.
"Perhaps we should all go looking for him" suggested Quatre.
Duo lowered his gaze and pursed his lips. Noin didn't fail to see this gesture.
"Maybe that isn't such a good idea" she said, "after all, Lady Une wanted you guys together and if you split up to find Heero it will take longer to reunite you once more. Besides, not all of you are well" she nodded towards Wufei who was still laying on the bed, passing a hand before his eyes in an attempt of recovering his lost focus.
"She's right, we'll go and look for Heero, you guys wait here for Lady Une, she'll be here in no time" said Zechs already making his way towards the door. They both left and four of the former gundam pilots were left in there, pondering over their musings.
"Anyone care to explain what the hell is going on?"
It had been Wufei the one to speak. He was now sitting on his bed, apparently not entirely well as he leaning on his arms.
"Well, you passed out, Lady Une sent for us, and I found you in a room I'd never been at and brought you here. I assume we're all waiting for Lady Une now" answered Trowa.
As a reply for his very short speech, the door opened once more and in came the very woman they'd been talking about closely followed by doctor Sen.
"Well, I just met Noin and Zechs and they've told me Yuy isn't here yet. We don't have time to wait for him so we'll just fill him in on what we're about to say later" began Lady Une. The pilots nodded. They had expected Lady Une to say more, but she suddenly fell silent and an awkward pause filled the room. She eyed each and every one of the former pilots before her, swallowed hard, took a deep breath and a seat next to the door.
"I'm afraid that what we're about to tell you is a very serious matter" she continued, "and that it might be hard to assimilate, but nothing's lost yet…"
"Why don't you just go straight to the point Lady, all this foreword is making me nervous" said Duo.
Lady Une exchanged a quick glance with doctor Sen. "The lab tests are almost done…" said doctor Sen.
"Well that's good" interrupted once again Duo.
There was yet another shared glance. "The thing is… some of the information got mixed up…"
"And what's so serious about that. We can just go and do them again."
"Duo, stop interrupting. There is something serious about this," said Lady Une somewhat annoyed. They could all tell she was nervous. "What we're trying to say, without further ado, is that there is a sign of the virus in your tests, but since they got all mixed up we can't tell which one of you guys is the victim…"
Another very awkward silence filled the room. All the pilots were certain that the others had felt the same sensation of their stomachs dropping all the way down to their feet, a very dry mouth and a sudden lack of breath. Not even Duo could say anything this time, staring as he was at nothing on the wall. Quatre's face fell and he looked around at each of his friends. Trowa was almost as expressionless as usual, only now you could tell he was worried, and Wufei just stared disbelievingly at Lady Une.
"So… I really need to know if you guys have felt a headache… or anything unusual?" said doctor Sen breaking the silence.
"Why were you guys brought to the infirmary?" asked Lady Une.
"I… I wasn't feeling so well…" said Duo. "I passed out."
Just as doctor Sen was about to go wild with this piece of information, Wufei interrupted: "Me too."
"What were you doing before?" asked Sen.
"Well…" Duo sighed, not really wanting to tell what had happened between him and Heero, but more important matters were at hand and now was not the time for keeping secrets. "I had an argument with Heero… I got really upset and cried and wreaked mayhem in my room"
"You cried?"
"Yes…"
"And you were really upset?"
"Yes."
"Hmm… I suppose you were really stressed out and all"
"Yes…"
"Well that's a good reason to feel like shit… did your head hurt before or after your tantrum?"
"While I was at it…"
"I thought so… How about you Wufei?"
"I was working out. Practicing my sword moves"
"Did you feel a headache?"
"Yes"
"When?"
"When I was just about to pass out… I really overdid myself… I wasn't feeling right either because of… well some past experience. Don't worry, it was nothing physical, merely ideological, and I took it out on myself practicing till I fainted."
"Hmm… what about you guys?" asked doctor Sen to Quatre and Trowa.
"We…" despite the circumstances, Quatre couldn't help himself and blushed deep scarlet. "Well, we…"
"We were having sex" said Trowa plainly making Quatre's color turn into crimson.
"I see… Did you feel a headache, either of you?"
Both pilots shook their heads.
Sen began to think, frowning deep in concentration. "Well, I've come to a conclusion. It's quite useless, but maybe it will prove helpful in another occasion… We still have a pilot here missing, so there's still the chance that he might be the infected one, but we mustn't leave behind any possibilities.
"Duo was really stressed out, as he told us, and the headache he felt might've been provoked by that or not. Maybe it was just coincidence that he felt it while he was feeling emotionally broken, a matter of perfect timing. Same goes for Wufei. All his training could've caused the headache or not."
"What about Trowa and Quatre? They didn't feel anything" asked Lady Une.
"Well, they said they were having sex at the moment. You see, when you feel pain, such as a headache or whichever other, a certain hormone is sent to your brain to indicate there's something wrong. However, even when there's nothing wrong, these hormones might be sent to the brain on special occasions, and in larger amounts, but to indicate the opposite feeling and produce pleasure. (1)
"What I'm getting at is that while they were having sex, their hormones were too busy indicating pleasure for them to even feel the slightest trace of pain."
"So what you're saying in all is that…?"
"Until we find Heero and confirm he's had a headache for no apparent reason, any of the five could have the virus."
XXX XXX XXX
A/N: HA! I betcha more than one of you guys thought after reading the chapter's title that you'd get to know which pilot has the virus, didn't you? Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm eeeevil and lovin' it. MUAHAHAHAHAHA!
Lately I've become a great fan of evil cliffhangers, don't you think? But come on, give me some credit here, it's not taking me too long to update now, just please be patient and don't forget to submit your reviews once you're done reading.
PS: Akane-chan, remember that if you kill me then I won't be able to finish this fic ;)
(1) Somewhere in my mind I had it registered that something like this happens. I might've read it, might've heard it somewhere, or maybe I just made it up at some point in my subconscious to fit it nicely in the story. Don't take it too seriously as I'm not entirely sure it's right. If anyone would care to correct me then please do so, but I won't change it in the story, 'cause it would be too much trouble to change the whole thing.
