Several days passed, and everyone settled into a routine that seemed incongruous in the middle of an inquiry. But the truth was that the leads they could follow had dried up.
Heero had spent a bit more time tinkering with the memory cards before giving up. He was now busy scanning through all the layers of the Winner database to see if an interesting scrap of information on the satellite remained, but to no avail. Quatre had been careful to severe all connections with the central database when he had suggested the place to Instructor H, and it had served whoever had used the place after him right.
For the moment, an ominous calm had fallen on the mansion. With nothing else to do, Quatre's recovery had become the priority again. Every morning, Wufei would go see him and help him get back in shape. Then, Iria would have a session with him to help him rebuild his shields. The rest of his day was spent either with Heero, Trowa, or Duo. Duo had made it his mission to distract his best friend. Quatre was getting bored in his room, but he was not nearly well enough to cope with everyone's feelings without the machinery yet.
Dorothy had visited briefly. She had attended the press conference with Iria and torn more journalists to shreds. The official version had been that the redistribution had not been advertised to avoid a panic among stock-holders, and that it had been planned to reveal it at the next board reunion, which Quatre would preside for the last time. Anyone who had tried to get more had sorely regretted the day they had decided to become reporters.
Iria brought Dorothy back with her, and the blond girl spent an hour alone with Quatre. No one knew what they told each other, but when she left, Dorothy shot an odd look to Wufei, before thanking Trowa for having been patient with her. Iria had insisted for her to stay some more, saying Quatre would be happy to have her around, but Dorothy had declined.
"I am needed elsewhere," she had said. "Miss Relena will not be able to hold the media frenzy back all by herself. But I think we will both be back soon, as soon as we can."
It was too bad that Wufei had been too lost in thought to notice that particular odd look. Or else, he would have seen that another pair of eyes was looking at him the same way, only their owner was apparently far more disgruntled than Dorothy.
~AC 197, March 14th, L4-A001, Winner Mansion, 11:37am~
It took Duo about five days before he finally snapped. He knew something had happened between Quatre and Wufei, Quatre had told him himself. During those long, boring afternoons, Wufei was almost all Quatre was talking about, actually. Duo was used to it. He and Quatre had spent enough time talking to each other about the guys they liked but couldn't seem to get to be comfortable with each other about that. Trowa even occasionally joined in the daily conversations, even if he did more listening than talking. At least, he didn't seem too worried, or if he was, he was hiding it well enough behind that chameleon face that Duo couldn't tell. But he didn't think it was the case. If Trowa didn't look worried, then it probably meant he wasn't. Then again, there wasn't a lot Trowa actually did openly worry about, contrary to some other people. Like Quatre.
The blond was even beginning to wonder if he had done something wrong, which was very un-Quatre-like. But then, Quatre was used to having his plans go smoothly. In Duo's opinion, that was because most of Quatre's previous plans had not included seducing a stuck-up stubborn Chinese with the wrong end of a broomstick up his ass. And said Chinese was really beginning to piss Duo off.
Quatre was being very patient on the whole, far more than Duo would have believed it possible, but the American could understand that getting someone as skittish as Wufei into a three-way relationship required more diplomacy than what he himself could actually show. But this was just stretching too long, and it was beginning to frazzle Quatre's nerves, which meant he was less focused during his sessions with Iria and the rebuilding of his shields was slower than expected. Trowa had noticed that too, but hadn't seemed to want to do anything else than being there for Quatre. Duo had tried to approach him on the subject, but Trowa had just smiled enigmatically and said that now it was up to Wufei.
If you had asked him that day, Duo could have told you that yes, he was actually looking for Wufei to beat some sense into him, literally or figuratively, whatever would work best. He found the Chinese practicing his katas at the back of the house. Not the nice, slow ones he used to do every morning, though. This time, Wufei was kicking the air like it was his worst enemy. He was all sweaty from the exertion, and apparently so focused on what he was doing that he didn't hear Duo arrive. In fact, he was startled enough that he jumped several feet in the air when he realized someone was there and watching him.
"What do you want, Maxwell?" he asked, trying to catch his breath back.
Duo frowned, crossed his arms on his chest and huffed.
"You know, man, you're quite lucky that I'm not one of these two guys, because if you stood me up like you're doing to them, I would have kicked your ass so bad that you wouldn't find it with your two hands and a map!"
"I beg your pardon?" Wufei said, not really believing he had just heard that.
"Beg away, buddy!" Duo snapped back. "But I'm not sure I'm ever gonna give it to you if you don't stop wallowing in self-misery!"
"I am not…" Wufei started to protest, but Duo interrupted harshly.
"Really? Tell me, Chang, just what do you think it looks like from where they stand? You're blowing hot and cold all over the place. One day you're mother hen Wufei for Tro, the next it looks like you can't wait to get away from Cat… Would it be too much to ask for you to take your head outta your ass and just fucking take what's offered to you for once in your life? Is that so difficult to accept that people can love you even if you're not perfect and almighty? Fuck, I don't know why I even bother! You'd think I would know better after all the shit I went through with Heero…"
"Yeah, why do you bother?" Wufei said irritably. "This is none of your business."
"You made it my business when you made my best friend unhappy, Wu, so deal! I'm not gonna watch him lose his heart to a cold bastard, and I'm not gonna stand by and watch you rip both of their hearts apart! And I'm gonna take that stick out of your sorry ass whether you want it or not, because I'm through with watching you lose yourself too!"
If Duo was completely honest with himself, he had to admit that he hadn't seen Wufei move at all until the Chinese's fist connected with his jaw, sending him several feet backwards. Apparently, the little power boost Wufei had gone through the previous week had indeed enhanced his natural ability to accelerate his speed. Rubbing his jaw, Duo slowly got up, head spinning. Wufei was standing there, his arms at his sides, and looking completely baffled by what he had just done.
"Feeling better now?" Duo asked with as much of a smile as he could manage with half of his jaw numb.
Wufei nodded slowly.
"Surprisingly, yes," he said cautiously.
"Good. Cause if you ever do that again, I may have to kill you and I'd hate to make Cat sad because of something I did. Ouch! Damn, you pull a mean punch, man!"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"
"Oi, stop that, okay? Don't be sorry. I'm not. I finally got an honest reaction out of you for the first time ever since this started, so I should celebrate. Now tell me what's wrong."
Wufei sneered.
"I'm fucking scared, Maxwell! Is that what you wanted to hear?"
Duo just smiled cockily at him.
"Tell me something I don't know, man! Hell, just being in love with Heero scares me shitless half of the time! The thing is, are you gonna let that fear rule you, or are you finally gonna stop worrying so much and go for it?"
Wufei flopped down on the ground, and Duo did the same.
"No one has ever cared about me so much," the Chinese whispered. "No one I also cared about that much, too."
"Kinda takes your breath away, huh?" Duo said with a sunny smile.
It was actually that smile that took Wufei's breath away. Sure, Duo did smile a lot, but like all the other Gundam pilots, Wufei had soon realized that most of Duo's smiles were just a mask so that people wouldn't ask questions. Duo hid by remaining in plain sight, playing the fool and making a nuisance of himself. It worked amazingly well. But Duo's smile right now was not one of those guarded smiles who didn't reach his eyes. He was dirty and his braid was disheveled from his fall on the ground, his jaw was actually beginning to bruise, and he was just smiling a quiet smile that said that for once in his life, he had found peace, and was truly happy. And suddenly, Wufei wanted that for himself too.
"You're right," he said under his breath. "You've always been right, all of you, and I never stopped to listen."
"Give yourself some credit, you've had quite a lot thrown your way, Wu. But now…"
"What?"
"What the hell are you still doing here?"
Wufei couldn't help smiling at that. As he got up, he shot a worried look at Duo's cheek. It was decidedly beginning to darken, but Duo waved it away with a goofy grin.
"Don't get your panties in a twist over that, I'll live! Now shoo!"
For a moment, Wufei didn't move, simply looking at Duo who wondered if he would have to physically throw him into that room with Quatre and Trowa. But after a while, the Chinese smiled again, and bowed to his friend, inclining his head respectfully.
"Thank you," he said very low.
And he was gone in a flash. It was only then that Duo actually felt a presence behind. He turned around and watched as Heero calmly came out of the bushes that were surrounding the place, looking perfectly normal and not at all guilty to have been caught eavesdropping.
"How long have you been there?" Duo asked.
Heero shrugged.
"Long enough."
He came closer, and touched the side of Duo's face. Duo winced a bit. Wufei had not held back, and it hurt like hell, actually.
"Was it worth it?" Heero asked in a whisper.
"What? Oh, that… Yes, I think it was more than worth it, actually. If it was the price to pay for Wu to finally get over that stupid 'I can't be loved for myself' complex, then it's given."
"Good," Heero said with a nod. "Because if it hadn't been, then I would have had to hunt him down and give him one to match. Now let's put ice on this."
For once, Quatre was only absentmindedly listening as Trowa and Shannon were talking about his physical recovery. Trowa had been concerned at first that it wasn't going as quickly as it should, but Shannon had assured him that the body did lose a lot rapidly when neglected, and that it would take some time before Quatre would put on weight again. They were both talking in soft voices, and Trowa was looking at him every now and then. Quatre could feel the slight worry his lover was projecting at seeing him like this, but he couldn't find it in himself right now to reassure him.
He was feeling unsettled. Something, someone was there, just at the edge of his power, sending a feeling so strong that it almost managed to go through the lower settings of the special machinery. It was tickling him, coming closer only to be taken away again, and he was trying with all his might to capture it.
Then it poured into him, and he gasped as he recognized the familiar mind reaching out to him.
/wufei/
/coming/
Trowa looked up at Quatre, but the blond young man had turned his gaze to the door, staring it as if he could see through it. Two seconds later, said door slid open, and a panting Wufei appeared, looking exhausted, but also strangely at peace at the same time.
Shannon smiled and quietly excused herself, going out of the room and closing the door.
There was a moment of absolute silence, where none of the boys moved. Both Quatre and Trowa were looking at Wufei and he was looking at them. Then, he took a hopeful step in Quatre's direction.
"I'm here," he said simply.
Quatre smiled, and he could already feel his eyes watering, an immense relief washing over him as Wufei just opened all of his heart to him. He held out his hand, and Wufei took it, coming closer and sitting on the bed.
"I'm here", he said again.
Quatre just nodded, too choked to speak, and embraced Wufei in a fierce hug. Behind them, Trowa smiled too, before putting his arms around them both.
~AC 197, March 14th, L4-A001, Winner Mansion, 8:09pm~
Carter braced himself as he arrived near Quatre's bedroom. That night at dinner, Iria Winner had asked to speak with him in private and told him Quatre wished to see him tonight, if possible. He had accepted right away. He had been waiting for so long to finally be able to talk to Quatre alone. Of course, now, he was nervous. It was true that he had taken care of Quatre during the three weeks he had spent at the Fatimah Clinic, and that he had subsequently witnessed his darker side, but that also meant that he didn't really know Quatre at all. And the glimpses he had caught of a too serious, too caring young man didn't match either with the things he had learnt about the Zero system or the fact that Quatre had been a Gundam pilot.
'But this is my job. I am here to listen and try to understand, not to judge.'
Quatre had spent quite a lot of time with his friends, and his sister had told him that his shields were coming along nicely. Carter had indeed helped them both sooner this week to remove the faulty safe words from Quatre's mind, but a hypnosis session could hardly be termed interaction. Nor the little time he and Shannon had spent trying to help Quatre organize the few memories he had from his time at the clinic.
In fact, Carter was glad that Quatre had asked for him to come. The young psychiatrist remained convinced that all of those boys would have needed years of therapy, but that none of them would ever do it. He also had a suspicion that this first session with Quatre would also be the last. He didn't exactly approve of this, but he had come to accept that he didn't have a say in this. After being warned again and again by Sally Po, he had taken the time to observe the young pilots. And he had come to the conclusion that whatever help they needed he could not bring to them. It had hurt him at first, as a doctor, to be unable to help. But he was a rational young man, and he had not chosen to become a psychiatrist at random. He had soon overcome his own frustration and his feeling of inadequacy, opting to hope instead that those boys would manage to find in each other the solace they were looking for. Feeling sorry for himself in that kind of situation would not help anyone.
With that thought in mind, Carter pressed the button next to the door and came in.
Quatre was not sitting on his bed like he usually did. This time he was standing near the window, a hand pressed against the glass panel, and looking outside at the slowly dimming lights that were quite poorly imitating a sunset. The doctor was surprised to see Quatre up and about. He remembered that he had heard the other pilots growing concerned about the fact that Quatre's recovery was slow. In his own opinion, it was far too quick. Anyone who would have gone through what Quatre had gone through, and suffered the kind of abuse his body had been subjected to during almost four weeks, would have taken months to come back to a semblance of health. But a week after being rescued from the clinic, Quatre was slowly back to eating normally and exercising every day with Chang. The sessions with his sister did tire him, and he tended to sleep a lot, close to fifteen hours a day. But even if he was quite thinner than what he had been at the beginning of the previous month, Carter was sure, from his own recollection at least, that Quatre had retained much more muscle mass than you would expect from someone who had all but refused to eat for three weeks straight, and then been unable to eat anything solid for another week.
Carter didn't say anything, just let the door hiss closed behind himself. Quatre turned around as he heard the sound and smiled at the doctor.
"Good evening," he said pleasantly. "You don't mind if I open the window, do you?"
"Not at all," Carter assured him.
Quatre did just that, and sat on the windowsill much in the same manner he had done while at the clinic. Carter smiled inwardly, understanding where the habit had come from.
"It's not like on Earth," Quatre said a bit sadly. "I will never forget the first time I saw a real sunset. Who would believe that it was less than two years ago?"
"You had never been to Earth before?" Carter asked, taking a seat not far from the window and gazing outside too.
As far as he was concerned, Quatre had to set the pace of this session. The youth did not seem tense, but it was clear to Carter at least that he was on his guard, and that he was probably not even realizing it. Now, Carter had to ease himself under those defenses without breaking them, because Quatre needed them. But Quatre needed to speak too. And he would have to lower his defenses enough for Carter to get closer. Carter was well aware of how much trust Quatre was showing already, speaking to him alone and making the first move, and he was truly proud of his young patient.
"Operation Meteor was the first time I set foot on Earth," Quatre said. "And it was beautiful. But just like Zechs said, the people from Earth don't seem to appreciate their planet's true beauty. We who come from space and have seen it from afar know what a jewel it is."
"I must admit I had my breath taken away the first time I took a shuttle to go to a colony," Carter said softly.
"How long have you been here in space?"
"I moved there just at the beginning of AC 196. A little more than a year."
"And do you like it here?"
Quatre had apparently taken charge of the conversation. He was the one asking the questions instead of the other way around. Yet, Carter could perceive that this was only his way of hiding his nervousness. And probably also the way of someone used to being in charge and expecting to be listened to when he talked. That didn't bother him in the least. If the only thing he managed tonight was to make Quatre understand that he was ready to help and an ally, then it would be more than enough. Frustrating, yes, but enough.
"I like it. The people are… very different. I think that unlike we on Earth, they don't take life for granted. Maybe because colonies are indeed a dangerous place to live in, no matter how well they are constructed."
"Yes," Quatre said in a whisper. "The colonies are fragile. And we fought to protect them, to protect the right of these people to be free. And we made many mistakes along the way."
"Who wouldn't?" Carter retorted. "You were fifteen, and you had the fate of the world in your hands."
"Few mistakes cost the lives of millions of people, doctor," Quatre answered very quietly.
Carter wisely kept his mouth shut. It seemed like they were finally closing in on something important.
"Do you remember, around the middle of the war, a Gundam that was reported to have destroyed a mining satellite and two colonies?"
Carter nodded.
"That was me," Quatre said simply. "I did that. With Wing Zero."
"If I understood everything that was said this last week, the cockpit system was controlling you," Carter said prudently.
"It doesn't change the fact that I took the Gundam out of his hangar. These were my hands on the controls, doctor, my eyes that cried even if I felt empty and could only destroy. My hands that shot Trowa down and almost killed him."
Carter took a deep breath before he next spoke.
"What happened before that, Quatre?"
Quatre blinked, tensing a bit.
"What do you mean?" he asked, voice a bit guarded.
"Heero was adamant on the fact that you could master the Zero System, and that the only way it could override was for you to be in such a state of mental distress that you wouldn't be able to make it obey you. Obviously, something very distressing happened to you before you used that Gundam."
Quatre laughed nervously.
"You're the only person not to shrink back in horror after I've admitted to being the one who killed all those people in cold-blood."
Carter shook his head.
"I hardly think that this was done in cold-blood. I haven't known you for long, Quatre, but if there's something I don't believe you are capable of doing, it's to kill someone in cold blood. I've been told, times and times, that you were more than able to kill, and this I believe. I was treated to some of your skills, after all," he laughed. "But an empath cannot kill and feel nothing."
Quatre didn't answer, petrified. He just stared at Carter.
"I know this is hard for you," Carter said. "But I think you may feel better if you say it out loud."
Quatre nodded, looking a bit unsure.
"I… I saw my father die in front of me," he finally said under his breath. "And after that… I just lost it. I had fought for those people, shed my blood for them, and they rejected me and my fight, and my father died because of them!"
He almost spat the last sentence, and his whole body was shaking now. Carter concentrated on being calm and breathing slowly, not wishing to trouble Quatre's mind any further.
"There is so much I didn't tell him, you know?" Quatre kept on. "I never even had the time to tell my father I loved him before he died. We used to fight all the time when I was a child, and I never told him."
"Then tell him now," Carter said.
Quatre blinked at him.
"Didn't you listen to me, doctor?" he said sarcastically. "My father is dead."
"Does it really matter? You need to tell him that. You don't have to do it in front of me, or in front of anyone. But I think that you should take a moment for yourself to do just that and tell your father all those things that you never could tell him."
Quatre nodded again, more slowly, eyes staring in the void as if he was trying to consider the idea under all possible angles.
"Yes, I… I think it may be a good idea."
Carter smiled.
"You are an intelligent young man, Quatre. And I am quite sure that you know what your main problem is."
Quatre smiled self-deprecatingly.
"I always think that everything is my responsibility, therefore if something fails, it is my fault and I have to take the blame," he recited.
"Very good. Knowing the problem is the only way to the solution. And you know what the solution is, don't you?"
"Forgiving myself, yes, I know. But why is it so damn hard?" Quatre asked, irritated. "Everyone keeps telling me that they understand, that it was not my fault! Even Trowa forgave me! So why do I keep torturing myself over this?"
"Because you are used to being in control, and that you can't really stand that for once, this control evaded you. It is very understandable, and all the more unsettling for a Full New Type like you. Being in control is the essence of your life. If you're not in control, your power could take over and ultimately drive you mad. It is only reasonable for you to fear losing control. In the same way, being an empath made it difficult for you to kill. You could not remain impassive in the face of death."
"None of us could," Quatre said softly. "If we didn't regret every single death, we wouldn't be human anymore."
"I am not here to judge you, Quatre," Carter said calmly. "The only thing I can see here is that you five fought for us and sacrificed everything so that humankind could finally know peace. There can be no thanks great enough for that."
"And how would you feel, doctor, knowing that your thanks will never be enough for us?"
Quatre was smiling again, but it was not a nice smile.
"Do you think we really care about being thanked, doctor?" he kept on. "Do you think we even want to be thanked for having killed so many people? How do you think it makes us feel? We fought because we had to, because no one else would. But the truth is, the people out there don't want to see this. They want to see their heroes, five boys coming out of nowhere and saving the day, giving hope to everyone. They don't want to see the rest. The suffering we went through, the training, the killing itself. They don't want to look at it, because it's too ugly. But no matter how hard they try to deny it, our pain will always be a part of their peace. It was bought in our blood too, and we can never forget it."
Carter froze as he listened to this. He opened his mouth to answer, but Quatre wasn't finished.
"That's the way it is, doctor. In the end, we killed for you. We shed our blood for you. We became monsters for you. We have nightmares because of you. We brought peace to everyone else, but there will never be any peace for us."
Those last words rang in the silence. It took Carter a moment before he trusted himself to speak without shaking too much.
"No one had a right to do this to you," he said. "And you're right. I will never understand what it was for you. I will never even begin to grasp everything you went through because no one can but yourselves. But I can at least try."
This time, when Quatre smiled, it looked sorrowful but more relaxed.
"That's what makes it worth it, doctor," he whispered. "That you try. That people like you, like Sally, won't give up on us even if we feel like giving up on ourselves."
"We can only do so much, Quatre. In the end, the only person that can truly forgive you is yourself. It is probably going to take some time, and it's not gonna be easy."
"I know that."
"You have people around you, Quatre, who care about you and can understand. It's time to let them in."
Quatre glared at Carter, but the psychiatrist refused to look away.
"I know what you're going to say, Quatre. You're going to say that you know your friends are here for you, and that you rely on them. But deep inside, you're still taking it all on you. For you, Zero will always be your mistake."
"It is my mistake! If I hadn't used it…"
"You would never have won the war, and Earth would have been destroyed."
Quatre's mouth shut with an audible clap, and he looked at Carter with wide eyes. Carter just smiled sadly.
"There are two edges to a sword, Quatre. And what was broken can always be rebuilt, as long as the foundations are solid. It's your foundations that you have to work on."
Quatre didn't answer, just turned to look outside again. But Carter had seen the tear that had rolled down his cheek. He shook his head, and got up. He had given Quatre a lot to think about, and he himself was quite shaken. He didn't think they could do anything more. Quatre had to start doing the work himself now. Carter shot a last look to the young man sitting on the windowsill, and began to make his way to the door.
"Thank you."
The two whispered words made Carter jump. He looked back at Quatre, but the young man hadn't turned around. Carter began to wonder if he had not imagined those words, but then Quatre spoke again.
"Iria told me something about Dr. Hewley's New Type project. I promised I would have a look, and this means that I will have to visit the clinic again. Would you… would you mind if I came to see you, too?"
Carter's smile was so wide that it was a wonder it didn't split his face in two.
"It would be my pleasure, Quatre, as long as you're sure you're coming for the right reason. But, yes, if the need arises, and you wish to see me, professionally or not, you know where to find me. My door is always open for you."
Another short silence, before Quatre repeated those words.
"Thank you."
Iria was there when Carter got out of the room, and it didn't surprise the psychiatrist.
"How is he?" she asked anxiously.
"A bit shaken," Carter answered. "But… he hinted at the fact that he might visit me again after I would go back to the clinic."
Iria let out a relieved sigh.
"Good," she said with a smile. "That's good. I'm glad he talked to you. If you will follow me, the boys are in my office, and I think it may be good for you to reassure them, if it doesn't bother you."
"No problem," Carter said.
As they came into the study, the four pilots got up. Carter realized, to his surprise, that they had all been sitting in different corners of the room, and not together like he would have expected them to. They hadn't even looked at each other when they had heard the adults coming in. In fact, Carter thought as he replayed the scene in his mind, they had already been looking at the door before they had come in, as if they knew that they were coming. He frowned and shook the thought away. There were more pressing matters to address right now.
"He's alright," he said rapidly.
He saw the merest hint of tension leaving the four young men, but they kept neutral expressions on their faces. Inwardly, Carter cringed a bit. Quatre may have given his trust quite readily, but it was not yet the case for his friends. Well, that was not exactly true, his mind told him. If they really hadn't trusted him, they wouldn't have let him near Quatre in the first place. In fact, if he took Sally Po's warnings literally, he was damn lucky to be alive at all.
"Can we see him?" Trowa eventually asked.
"It may be better if you left him just a bit of time," Carter answered. "He needs to face himself for a while and to think about the things he told me. But then… I think someone should be there for him."
Trowa just nodded and shot a meaningful look to Wufei, who nodded back.
"I'll be in my room", Trowa said, and he left the office.
Duo and Heero looked at each other too, and they followed, Duo flashing an unnerving smile to Carter on his way out. Wufei was about to do the same, but Iria stopped him.
"Could I have a word with you, Wufei?"
Wufei looked confused, but agreed. Carter was about to apologize and leave, but Iria stopped him too.
"Please stay, doctor. Part of what I have to say may be of interest to you."
They all took seats.
"Is there any particular reason why you wanted to talk to me without having the others here?" Wufei asked suddenly.
Iria smiled and blushed at the same time. She had thought she had been very discreet about this, but of course, you had to trust Wufei to be observant.
"I am not swearing you to secrecy or anything," she said hastily. "It's just that you are the one in charge, and I honestly think that you're the most level-headed of them right now. I prefer talking to you first, just in case. You remain free to share any information I give you as you see fit, of course."
Wufei looked at her as if weighing her every word and said nothing. Iria just took a deep breath, and decided to take the plunge.
"I put several people on the case of those persons who assaulted Quatre at the clinic," she said.
Carter blinked.
"Is that legal?" he asked. "I mean, they are already facing disciplinary measures and a trial…"
"A trial that can't be made public, or things could get out in the open," Iria interrupted firmly. "I appreciate the way you took care of everything while Quatre was under your responsibility. There was nothing else you could have done, and I thank you for having taken the necessary steps to ensure my brother's safety. But now I have to make sure that all that we did will not be jeopardized by people who could easily sell that kind of juicy stories."
"I understand, but…" Carter sighed and shook his head. "I suppose I'd better not ask questions, right?"
Iria snorted.
"Sally is right, you are very intelligent when you want to. But let's go back to the matter at hand. My subordinates found Carl Benson and he has been dealt with."
Wisely, Carter followed his own advice and did not ask what Iria exactly meant by 'dealt with'. He had a feeling he wouldn't like it.
"Unfortunately, they were unable to get a hold of Jay Maleda," Iria continued. "That man seems to have completely disappeared. They managed to reconstruct his moves up until March 6th. Then he vanished."
"Well, this could be a problem," Wufei said quietly.
Carter looked at him with wide eyes. If there ever was an understatement, that was it.
"Now to the next thing," Iria kept on. "You know that we discussed that the person behind this had ties to the family, or may even be one of my sisters. Well, I've been worried, lately… You remember that call I talked to you about, Wufei?"
"Your sister?"
"Yes… I… she called Hakim yesterday, and he told me that she looked scared… as if she'd been forced to call. She almost hung up on him like she did on me. I think… I think she may have gotten into something dangerous."
"You fear that the kidnappers used your sister to get closer to Quatre," Wufei summed up.
"Yes. She is very impressionable, and her husband… I only met him a few times, but let's just say my father didn't approve of him, and neither did I… I was just sick and tired to have to be the one to watch out for everybody at the time too," Iria finished defensively.
"Nobody's saying any of this is your fault, Iria," Wufei said in a soothing voice that very few people had ever heard.
Iria remained stunned for a second, staring at Wufei, then she let out a nervous laugh.
"Thank you, Wufei. I… I think I needed to hear that."
"There's been a lot of pressure on you ever since the beginning and I don't think any of us did thank you for everything you did," Wufei insisted.
"There's no thanks needed, Wufei. I'm only doing what I think is right for my family."
Wufei smiled knowingly.
"So am I," he whispered.
In that fleeting moment, Carter felt like he was intruding on something intimate, something too important to be said into words. He tried to make himself as unobtrusive as possible. Finally, Iria cleared her throat.
"Anyway, I think there's a chance that Neelah might be in close contact with the kidnappers. When she called me, the caller ID couldn't trace her location, and I haven't been able to contact her again. She doesn't answer her cell phone, and her home number is apparently disconnected and redirected to a voice mail."
"This could lead somewhere," Wufei admitted. "Does she live far from here?"
"Her permanent residence is on L4-B321, but her husband always moves around a lot, and I think she follows him most of the time."
"Then maybe we can start with him. I'll put Heero on him first thing tomorrow."
"Thank you. Oh and, Wufei… I know I don't have any right to ask this from you, but… could you please not tell Quatre about Neelah yet? I'd like to be sure, and I don't want to make him worry needlessly. He still needs to focus on his shields, and this wouldn't help."
Wufei gave her a long look, his face carefully expressionless as he considered what she asked of him.
"I can't make any promise," he eventually said. "But I'll do my best. Even if it is proven that your sister is involved, we will have to find how she and the people behind her understood what the Zero System was, and what it could do, and how it gave them the idea to use it against Quatre."
"Thank you, Wufei. I know that if Heero starts looking tomorrow, we will have results soon. Then I'll tell him myself."
"Alright."
The Chinese got up and bowed slightly to Iria and Carter.
"Good night," he said, before leaving the room without a sound.
Iria sighed.
"Well, that went better than I expected."
"You really think that he will be able to hide all this from Quatre?" Carter asked.
"If there's someone who can, then he can. I know I shouldn't be asking that of him, especially not right now, but I need all the help I can get, and so does Quatre. I do not condone lying, but there are times when saying nothing can benefit more than telling the truth. Quatre will not be able to concentrate on getting better if he worries about Neelah. And I cannot find her on my own, I need them. This is the best compromise I could find."
Carter shook his head.
"What?" Iria asked.
"You Winners are something else," the young doctor said, stifling a laugh.
"And you haven't seen it all yet," Iria answered, mirth dancing in her eyes. "But if I were you, I'd watch my back."
"Why?" Carter said, suddenly alarmed.
Iria smiled wolfishly as she got up and to the door.
"I heard there's a Chinese doctor after you, Dr. Carter. And she likes to get what she wants."
Carter felt his face flame, but before he could find something intelligent, or intelligible, to answer to that, Iria was gone with a last laugh. Again, Carter shook his head, this time in disbelief.
'Surely, she didn't mean… no, that would be completely stupid… wouldn't it?'
~Somewhere in the L4 cluster, approximately same time~
"You incompetent morons!"
The men cowered away, Jay Maleda the first. Selim was enraged, and that was not something any of the people in that room wanted to see. Except, maybe, Neelah, who was sitting in a chair and watching the news avidly, and not paying attention to anyone in the least, just giggling madly at the glowing screen.
"Can anyone explain this?!" Selim asked, brandishing a piece of paper.
It was the letter coming from Hakim Law Practice and informing Mrs. Neelah Winner of the new redistribution of stocks in the family.
"Why wasn't I informed of that?" Selim yelled. "What am I paying you for, people? Certainly not lazing around on your ass, and it seems that's what you've been doing!"
The man sneered at his troops, none of them daring to say a word.
"And don't forget that, if I don't get the money, then you don't get it either! We're in that shit together, so I think it's in everyone's best interest to make sure everything goes smoothly. So can anyone explain why the fuck things haven't been going smoothly since the beginning?"
"The bad boy was smart," Neelah sang, eyes still fixed on her screen. "Always was, weren't you, little brother? Smart, smart, too smart for your own good. Been a bad boy again, yes, you have. I will get to punish you again!"
"Shut up!" Selim screamed at her.
She didn't react, not even turning around to acknowledge his presence, and this seemed to infuriate Selim even more. He shot a dark look to the man in the white lab coat.
"And you! You can't even make sure that she remains calm and doesn't disturb us! We still need her, I can't get rid of her before I actually get the money!"
"I've only done what you asked of me," the 'doctor' replied, looking supremely unconcerned with his so-called boss' angry fit. "And if you don't make sure that all loose ends are tied, then we will be in big trouble soon."
Selim frowned.
"What do you mean?"
It was the doctor's turn to sneer.
"Your plan backfired. But you still have gotten something out of it. Granted, it's not what you expected, but it's more than most people will ever see in their lifetime. Why not make the best of it?"
Selim began to look interested.
"Go on."
"I can make sure that she is not a nuisance for some more time, but you will have to admit that what we put her through has definitely destroyed her sanity… or at least what little sanity she had left. But the point is, I can make sure that she won't be able to speak should someone interrogate her."
"I hadn't planned on keeping her around anyway," Selim said, shooting a disgusted glance to the blond woman, who just shot back a brilliant, adoring smile to him.
"That can be done too," the doctor admitted. "But you still have a problem."
"I have far more than one problem, doctor, in case you hadn't noticed," Selim said sarcastically.
"Quatre is your main problem," the doctor continued, unperturbed. "He is now back in a familiar place, and with people who are actually taking care of him. I daresay that he was far from being a balanced young man, but he was also far from being as bad as your wife. Who knows how he could react to a few weeks of adequate treatment?"
"There's no way anyone could find out what was done to him! No one would know what this thing does unless they tried it themselves, and no one could come out of it unscathed. Look at her!"
"I agree that there's little possibility that it could happen, nevertheless the possibility exists. Not to mention that the Winner family issued several press releases saying that Quatre was recovering, even if they didn't actually mention the real reason why he was sick, and that he would attend the next board reunion. Do you think your sister-in-law would be imprudent enough to have said that if there wasn't a bit of truth behind it?"
"Damn it!" Selim snapped. "Why couldn't things go according to plan?"
The doctor shrugged.
"You have to make sure that he will not speak."
Selim smiled evilly.
"I like your suggestion, doctor," he said. "After all, with all those kids, it won't matter if the family loses one or two, right? I have enough of this! Maleda!"
Jay took a shaky step in Selim's direction, painfully aware of everyone's eyes on him.
"Yes, boss?"
"How many men can you spare right now?"
"About… seven, I would say…"
"Good. You choose them and tell them to come here for a mission briefing. I need killers, Maleda."
"Yes, boss. Should I… should I go with them?"
Selim looked the man over from head to toe and shook his head.
"You're still hurt, you'd only be a dead weight to them. And if this fails too, I think I really would like you to be near at hand, in case I need to vent my anger on something."
Jay's face took a nice shade of green. He nodded, only managing to choke out a few unintelligible words, and raced out of the room as fast as he could.
Neelah suddenly threw the remote into the TV, and got up from her chair.
"When do I get to punish him again?" she said, stomping her foot.
Selim went to her and caressed her cheek.
"Soon, pet, don't worry about that. Very soon, you and your little brother will have a lot of time to spend together."