Relinquish the Soul

A Gundam Wing Fan Fiction by The Manwell

Sequel to Savor the Darkness

- Five -

"Hey, Wuffers. Fancy meeting you here."

Wufei scowls at the image of his obviously exhausted former comrade. "Maxwell?"

"The one and only, dude."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Wufei inquires blandly, "What's the occasion?"

"I need one? When the hell did that happen?"

Wufei feels a frown pull itself deeper into his face. "Is there a point to this little visit?"

Duo snorts. "Yeah, as a matter of fact, there is. You might remember our acquaintances, Heero Yuy and Trowa Barton?"

"Vaguely," he replies very, very dryly. "What about them?"

"Well, they're in pretty deep shit about five klicks north of here and I'm not in any condition to help them out."

"And why the hell is that, Maxwell?"

"Actually, I'm not really sure, but some serious sedatives were involved. Pesky little bastards, those."

A faint tickle of unease teases the back of Wufei's mind in response to those words. "Maxwell..." he begins, feeling his way slowly through his intuition's misty warning.

"Still practicing my name, eh, Wufei? It's nice to know you're such a perfectionist."

"Maxwell," Wufei addresses him, ignoring his comrade's previous comment, "You're speaking to me in another vision, aren't you?"

"You betcha. And if I don't let you get back to driving, you're gonna crash your shiny new babe-magnet."

Wufei stiffens at the jolt of recognition. "Quatre..."

"Is gonna be pissed as hell you almost creamed him all over the desert. Good luck, buddy. But, better you than me, ya know?" And with a wide but tired grin, Duo says, "Later, Wu-man."

oooOOOooo

"Shit!"

The return to the here and now is an ocean of ice-cold water engulfing Wufei Chang. He fights the instinctive urge to battle against the spinning car and forces himself to ease up on the accelerator rather than stomping on the brake. It's an infinite instant of mind-numbing, heart-pounding existence.

And when the car finally rocks to gentle halt, all of its tires miraculously un-punctured by the stones and spines of dead cacti littered across the landscape, Wufei can think of nothing to say to his very, very silent passenger. In the end, it's Quatre who speaks first:

"Have a nice trip?"

Wufei swallows once and forces his own tone to lighten until it matches Quatre's seemingly amicable inquiry. "Yes, thank you. The weather was very pleasant."

"Hm" is Quatre's contemplative reply and in a dangerously conversational tone, continues: "How fortunate for you. I seldom encounter enjoyable weather in La La Land."

Sensing the barely-restrained anger in Quatre's voice, Wufei attempts, "Quatre, I –"

"Should have mentioned the fact that you're prone to spontaneous psychic spells beyond your voluntary control before we found ourselves trapped in a vehicle traveling well beyond one hundred kilometers an hour over a highly unstable surface being tossed about like so much salad nicoise?"

All of this is delivered very, very calmly and therein Wufei discovers a source of easily-distinguishable unease. Preventer Agent Chang chooses his next words very, very carefully.

He clears his throat as quietly as is humanly possible and says, "For your own safety, I would appreciate it if you would drive the remainder of the distance, Quatre."

"It's not my safety you should be concerning yourself with, Chang."

"I am, nonetheless."

Tilting his head to one side, Quatre gathers a breath meant for an angry reply, but then pauses and Wufei's words seem to sink through the haze of shock and fury. And then, unbelievably, Quatre smiles.

"You, my friend, are far more proficient at defusing hostile situations than I had previously given you credit for."

The smile softens until Wufei discovers the breath he'd been holding hostage and, startled at his own tension, releases it in a manner he hopes is unobtrusive.

"You surprise me, Wufei Chang."

"Today seems to be the day for them," Wufei replies dryly.

A soft chuckle vibrates sensually in the back of Quatre's pale throat. "The confirmation of your extraordinary abilities not the least among them."

Wufei blinks. "I beg your pardon?"

With a smile that's too gleeful to be innocent, Quatre leans forward and says, "So it's my turn to drive?"

"I would appreciate it," Wufei acknowledges, knowing his own questions will have to wait until they are underway once more. Swiftly, he steps out of his side of the car and rounds the vehicle to the passenger side. Through the smoky, angled glass of the windshield, he glimpses the lithe motions of Quatre's slender form as he lifts himself over the awkward space between the seats and settles himself in the driver's seat. Wufei tells himself the ghost of a shiver he feels tempting his skin is from the adrenalin-induced sweat still cooling on his skin.

The engine revs hungrily as Wufei slides into Quatre's vacated seat and slams the door shut behind him. "North," he directs. Buckling his seat belt, Wufei watches Quatre's fingers wrap around the gear shift and deftly maneuver it into first. The car manages 0 to 100 in record time. "And the abilities of mine you mentioned. Would you care to finish that thought now?"

"How many kilometers do I have to break the news to you?"

"Five."

"Right. So, blunt it is then."

"I would prefer candor at this point."

"Okay." Quatre grins, glancing momentarily from the terrain to Wufei's face. "You're a medium."

For a long moment, only the sounds of the car's engine and the displaced sand fill the silence. And then:

"What?"

"A medium," Quatre repeats, smiling. "A clairvoyant, a psychic, a seer, diviner, telepathist. Those are all the synonyms I can think of at the moment. Sorry."

"That's ridiculous. I've never –"

"Had a vision of the past or the future and taken steps to circumvent those events from manifesting further?" Quatre shakes his head. "Do I really have to remind you of what happened six months ago?"

Scowling, Wufei grunts, "No, you do not."

"You knew Wufei. You knew something had happened and was happening between myself and Duo: two people who had been you allies but hardly dearest and closest friends. Are you going to tell me that's an ordinary occurrence for most people?"

Wufei runs a hand over his face before pressing the heel of it against the corresponding temple. "I don't wish to discuss this further, Winner."

He senses more than sees Quatre's shrug of indifference. "So be it. We're coming up on five kilometers..."

Wufei trains his eyes to the landscape surrounding them and is surprised to see absolutely nothing aside from the monotonous march of sand, rock, and withered vegetation. Until the land suddenly rolls beneath them, diving into a concealed valley. And what he sees there...

"Well, this day just got a whole lot more interesting, didn't it, Wufei?" Quatre muses beside him, a wide grin stretching his lips.

Wufei Chang blinks once and opens his mouth to reply... only to be interrupted by the purring of his long-silent mobile phone.

oooOOOooo

Rashid has never been so thankful for the United Earth Sphere Disarmament as he is at this precise moment.

Still seated at the data terminal, Trowa Barton does not look up from the screen even as the shuttle door slams open and creaks wearily in accompaniment to Heero Yuy's departing footsteps. "If he'd had a gun, he would have shot you."

Rashid nods in silent agreement.

"You might want to be more tactful in how you break distressing news to him in the future."

"If I am blessed by Allah, then such an occasion will never arise," Rashid replies and senses an almost-grin from the young man. As they subside into silence once again, Rashid contemplates the time. It had been a risk to broadcast a short-wave radio message, but it had been necessary. Otherwise, Heero and Trowa would have disappeared with their debilitated Keeper rather than risk a confrontation with a potential enemy. Like the Preventers.

Rashid still finds it difficult to believe that Heero and Trowa had been responsible for the utter destruction of Zanoah. But when he'd found the words necessary to ask after the event, the edginess in the air between the two youths had only confirmed that impossibility as truth.

He knows that the Preventers will soon discover the ruins of Zanoah – if they have not already – and, with all of the resources at their disposal, will soon determine the identities of their primary suspects. Primary suspects who are now being aided by the Maguanaqs. Rashid knows it is only a matter of time before things will spiral out of control.

He risks a glance in the direction of the young man now laid out, unconscious, on a bunk in the shuttle barracks. He only hopes they have enough time to save Duo's life. The rest will fall into place if only that much is accomplished.

"It's a pretty good strategy," Trowa finally comments on the Bedouins' foiled plan and interrupting Rashid's anxious contemplation. "But it hinges on the fact that they'll need Quatre's and Duo's willing compliance." Trowa shakes his head. "They made a serious tactical error in underestimating them."

"One that proved fatal," Rashid comments.

Trowa tenses in his seat. "What?"

It occurs to Rashid that Trowa Barton has no way of knowing the fate of the Bedouin. He describes the tombs in the desert.

"All Quatre's doing," Trowa finishes in a tone Rashid cannot classify. "If he'd used his abilities a few years ago, there never would have been a war."

"Perhaps, to a certain extent, he did," Rashid counters.

Trowa Barton tilts his head to one side, silently acquiescing the point. After another moment, his gaze finally leaves the screen and Rashid finds himself staring into a single green eye. "If Duo really is a Dreamwalker and if the Bedouin knew he would seek them out for guidance because he's not capable of maintaining an Owning, then how were they planning to right the situation?"

"It is my understanding that you and Master Heero – Master Duo's Owned – must request that the ritual be dissolved. As your Keeper, Master Duo will sense your sincerity in this and will have to respect your request. After that, he'll have to rest a great deal in order to regain his strength."

"Simple expect for the fact that he shows no sign of waking."

Rashid nods. "Master Duo does not have the energy reserves to awaken as of yet. My brothers are working to find an answer to this dilemma."

"Are they also working on the second dilemma?" Trowa inquires softly.

"That being?"

"That Heero and I do not wish to be released from the Oath."

Rashid releases a long breath and lays a hand on the young man's shoulder. "For the sake of Master Duo's life, you must."

Trowa is silent for a customarily long pause.

"In the last twenty-four hours," he finally says softly, "I have realized – for the first time in my life – that there is a great chasm between knowing what is necessary and doing it." On a sigh, Trowa lowers his head to his hands and wonders aloud, "And how do I convince Heero of this when I am not prepared to face it myself?"

There is no answer to that question, so Rashid offers none. He remains mute and watches Trowa Barton pull himself to his feet. The air of resignation surrounding him is palpable and Rashid does not envy this young man the tasks he has ahead of him. No further comments are uttered between them. For these two warriors know there is only one way to deal with things that must be done, and that is to simply do them. No words of comfort exist that might ease the difficulty of necessity.

Still, Rashid does follow the young man to the shuttle door. And upon reaching that threshold, he is surprised to see Heero Yuy standing in the middle of the open dessert, squinting forcefully to the south, with a cell phone pressed to his ear.

oooOOOooo

Agent Riley stares down at the fifth black box to be located since their arrival on the site. He stares and swallows back the rising fist of his disappointment as he regards the remains of twisted steel. These data caches had been constructed to withstand extreme temperatures. Temperatures well beyond what accelerator-fed fires could produce. And yet these containers had been melted. They sit like five wilted pieces of bitter chocolate taffies that have been forgotten and left beneath the rear window of a car for the duration of an entire summer. Riley knows there is no way anyone will be able to salvage the data therein.

What possible explosive or accelerant could have caused such impossible damage? Only the event of a small sun crashing into this base could have produced the amount of heat necessary to accomplish this destruction.

"I thought these boxes were made to withstand even the detonation of nuclear warheads. What's going on here, sir?"

Agent Riley meets the eyes of one of his fellow agents. The man himself is soot-smudged and his emergency uniform looks the worse for wear. "I'm sure there's an explanation, Agent Walker. We'll get these back to HQ forensics and get an answer to that."

The man nods wearily before turning his gaze back in the direction of the felled fortress. Riley knows that bleak look. He knows he wears the mirror image of it himself. This formidable structure had not only been utterly and instantaneously obliterated, but it had also taken every single life within its walls. He knows it will take much more man-power than his team can provide to sift through the debris for human remains, but that is not their job here today.

Riley turns to Walker and says, "You've outdone yourself locating these five boxes by yourself. Take a break."

Walker shakes his head, but the gesture is slow and laborious. "I'm all right, sir."

"I insist, Walker. Arelli and Chrisstoff are giving Morely a hand now. We'll find another box within the hour.

The junior agent hesitates, but nods reluctantly. Just as he begins to move toward the vehicles for a bit of bottled water and shade, one of his fellow agents cries out, "Sir! We've found another one! And it looks to be in tact!"

Relieved, Agent Riley's complete attention is focused on the approaching agent and the sooty but perfectly square black box in his hands. He does not notice the sudden tension that stiffens Walker's shoulders. Nor does he hear the sharp exhalation of frustration expelled from the man's lungs.

End of Chapter Five