Ch 26

The next time he saw Wufei meant a week and a half later. The same routine continued happening, where he received a call from the bartender stating that Wufei had wandered in and so he would come and share a drink with him. The situations were strangely surreal and certain topics were very carefully avoided. The pilots, the Preventers on any specific levels, and anything to do with the many current crisis the Preventers were fighting. It was unspoken more than anything. Not outlined beforehand, there were no guidelines when forging the weird and uncertain relationship blindly. Memories from the war often came up and occasionally personal life. Zechs never really had a problem when the conversations went that way, but Wufei always seemed to leave sooner on those days then on the days where they talked about nothing of consequence.

"What happened to Noin?" Wufei questioned, looking at him out of the corner of his eye. It had been another one of their chats three days after the previous one. Wufei kept him guessing. He never quite knew when he would show up, but it always seemed to be when he was near to the bar area anyways. Or at least not working on anything of consequence. It made Zechs feel like he was being tracked somehow. He didn't think so, but he would not have been surprised if it was true.

"She couldn't handle this environment." Zechs returned trying to school his face to neutral and knowing that he was failing. Wufei stayed quiet but turned more towards him with an eyebrow quirked.

"She struck me as stronger than worrying about taking a shower every three days."

Zechs took a long pull of his whiskey and motioned for another. "She is." Zechs defended. "She didn't come to Mars with the right intentions. I believe she came to Mars to be with me. Since I was not part of the package, she elected to be reassigned. I didn't stop her."

Wufei nodded and began picking up his stuff, getting ready to go again to do whatever it was that he was doing between their meetings. "What about you?"

Wufei paused tensing a little before half shrugging, "I have no one." He pulled his coat on and finished his drink.

"You have me. At least to chat with." Zechs said. Wufei paused and didn't look at him with any particular movements on his face. He could easily hide anything he wanted to, Zechs had been realizing over all their conversations. "How about setting up a time to actually meet up and chat. Like three days from now at eighteen-hundred hours?" Wufei began moving away without committing or down right shooting down the idea when Zechs called out, "When are you going to tell me why you are here?"

Wufei waved over his shoulder and said "Maybe next time." That's how their meetings always seemed to end. Maybe next time. Zechs didn't seem to know if he would ever get the answer out of Wufei.

It was still very much a puzzle of what he was doing on the red planet. Nothing had come through any of his other sources. He had no idea what he did in the days sometimes week and a half that he would be gone for, but he always seemed to show up at the bar. The bartender was the only one who ever found him because he would be sitting at the bar waiting to talk. Wufei was obviously very secretive and still in full possession of his ability to disappear if he needed.

He could hide whenever he felt the need apparently. He was an ex-pilot and despite his short stature and could more than handle himself. He seemed to be a lot older than what his age indicated, but that was applicable to almost all of the pilots.

The hard portion of all of this was in fact the Une and operatives side. He seemed to be getting messages daily from either Commander Une or one of the pilots demanding news of their friend. It was a sad sight for Zechs every time they sent an email asking for news, only to tell them that he appeared to have no desire to talk about them or on them or anything near that. All the conversations they had seemed to have no particularly important information in them either. It was babble and covered nothing of importance, unless of course if there was a subtext that Zechs just wasn't seeing and wasn't understanding.

He didn't think so though. Three days later after deflecting multiple rounds of questions from the pilots that were working on fires and uprisings, Zechs found himself in the bar a half an hour early. He didn't want to be late for this meeting, if Wufei decided to show of course. This would be the ninth time that they would be meeting in this bar. Wufei was a very skittish creature. He ordered his usual and ordered sake for Wufei, his typical choice, and waited. There was of course no guarantee that he was going to elect to show up today. But Zechs could feel himself get hopeful.

It had been a long time since he had company this steadily. It was hard to find out on Mars. He was the only Preventer working in sector eight, and despite the locals' toleration of him that didn't mean they wanted to have a drink with him either. When the stool pulled out next to him and Wufei spent time getting his oxygen vest and jacket off, Zechs was unsurprised to find himself smiling a little. "I'm glad you came." Wufei actually had a small smile on his face that was devoid of its normally fixed sarcastic and almost mean smirk.

"Well we did have an appointment." He set the glass down. "I'd hate to have disappointed."

Zechs turned to look at Wufei and reached out involuntarily. He stopped himself. "You have a red streak on your forehead." You've been outside the dome again I see."

"Are you trying to play investigator, Zechs?

"No, just noticing things." Zechs was tired of playing the quiet soundboard for Wufei, but still knew that he shouldn't scare him off. "You know the others have been wondering how you are. I haven't told them anything but they are very concerned.

Wufei didn't say anything and Zechs sat next to him quietly. He had done it he had brought up the other pilots. It was time to see what would happen. The silence dragged on, and Zechs had a strong urge to shake the teen, but he refrained. Waiting.

"They are not concerned with my well-being. They are tracking my movements." He spoke quietly and cleanly. Detached.

"The others care for you." Wufei scoffed. "They do. You haven't seen the emails they have been sending me." Zechs pressed on determinedly.

"They left me to rot in a prison. They were the ones that put me there in the first place instead of trying to warn me to stay away." Wufei was soft spoken during this short speech. "I only did what I thought was right during the war. I had a code, a system. No innocent people died by my hand. At least not on purpose. Yet I was the only one being punished."

Zechs waited to see if he was going to continue, but Wufei fell silent. So he picked up with, "They have found information about your prison time in an audit. They want to share it with you. But you are unwilling to meet them.

"Why should I?

"Because they care."

"Ha." It was a short sarcastic burst. From Wufei's mouth.

"They do Wufei. They are your friends." Zechs insisted.

"I have no friends." Dark eyes turned on him looking balefully from under lashes touched with sorrow. "I have learned that lesson the hard way. The sooner that people learn the same lesson the better off they'll be in this life." He began finishing off his drink in earnest. Not a good sign.

"I am your friend." That didn't stop him from getting up off the seat and beginning to vest up again. "Wufei, why are you here?"

Thick goggles were once again placed onto his forehead as a final touch. "Maybe next time I'll tell you." He turned and began to leave.

"Will there be a next time?" Zechs called to the back that was moving to the door quickly. There was no response. He hadn't expected one.

There was no sign of him for a long while after that. No call from the bartender, no him showing up mysteriously next to Zechs at a barstool. He had reported that much to Une anyways. By all accounts he was in the wind. The first couple of days Zechs was kicking himself for bringing up the other pilots, but he would come back to conclude, no, Wufei needed to know that he was in fact missed. The boy was misguided. Une enjoyed the knowledge that at least when Wufei was on Mars that likely meant he was not helping out Marcus, which was good. Wufei had become a one of the most notorious people in the ESUN on the Preventer watch list and many other organization's lists after they had figures out it was him giving away the notices of how to get in and out of the weapons depots. Also giving Marcus the information to which operatives were Preventer undercover agents. That had been a brutal day for the pilots. They had connected that those executed on the day that Duo Maxwell almost died, were from Wufei's knowledge when he went into the prison. Anyone that had been undercover before he went in had been murdered that day from Marcus's and Eckpo's group. Anyone who had gone undercover after had lived.

It was two weeks and three days before Wufei appeared again. And this time it was late at night at Zechs's apartment door. He looked very rough all over. Seemed slightly tired and not his normal self as far as the quick witted conversation occasionally dived into. The spark in his eyes and the infuriating smirk was absent as well. Zechs stepped aside and let him in quietly. Wufei dropped his pack in the entrance of the apartment and began to take off his many layers. It was obvious he had been out of the domes, in the open hostile environment of the Martian surface. It was summer so there was temps of about twenty five Celsius but that did not stop it from plummeting to well below freezing as soon as the sun went down.

Zechs went to the bathroom and filled a small bowl with hot water and got a small hand towel for him. "Sorry. It's not my day for a shower." Wufei nodded in gratitude anyways taking his final shirt layer off and began to slowly clean the dirt off of his body. Zechs didn't quite know what to do after watching Wufei's graceful movements for a while, so he turned to his computer to look up emails that were needing to be sent. It was a poor excuse when he had been so obviously sleeping before Wufei knocked on his door. But he needed the distraction. He didn't know why he had even let Wufei in.

It had been a long time since he was not by himself in his apartment. Noin had left a month after arriving and now he had this enigma in his room. One he had grown used to after all of their conversations. One that very much intrigued him.

He jumped as a hand lay on his shoulder and he turned in his chair to see Wufei sitting on the bed in front of him. Quiet and observing. "Why did Noin leave?"

Zechs's throat went dry as he contemplated the question. "Because she wanted something from me I could not give."

"Why?"

"Because she wasn't my type." Zechs continued quickly when he saw Wufei's eyes narrow. He knew what this felt like it was leading to, but he did not yet know if he wanted it to go in that direction, "She was more of a sister to me then Relena feels like. And I prefer other company." Wufei nodded solemnly and shifted forward an inch. "Why are you here?" Zechs whispered.

"Tonight? Or on Mars?" Wufei asked in return.

"Both."

"I'm here tonight Zechs because I am lonely." He leaned closer to Zechs and placed a hand in his long platinum hair. "I'll tell you why I am on Mars tomorrow morning." With that Wufei tugged him in close and there was a warm press of lips against his own. Zechs pressed forward gently meeting the pressure. Matching it. It felt so good after so long of being alone. It took a minute for the rest of his body to catch up but he moved eventually with his body pressing forward to feel Wufei. His shit was pulled off quickly as tongue met. Wufei rolled them over sitting on top of him and slowly kissing his way along his collar bone, licking a long strip of his neck. Zechs could only gasp and stare at the ceiling. Slow and languid appeared to be the pace Wufei was deciding to set and Zechs was fine to follow.

He enjoyed the feel of Wufei's muscles under his fingers, liked the strong pull of fingers in his hair, and enjoyed their tongues playing together. When their hardened groins met and ground together slowly he couldn't help the gasp that erupted from his mouth and enjoyed hearing a matching one from Wufei. He grabbed hold of Wufei's chin quickly as Wufei started kissing his way down Zechs's chest and made Wufei look up at him, "Are you sure you want this?"

Wufei snorted and for the first time smiled. "Yes." And his lips were on Zechs again and his mind went blank except for the feelings and the attempts to make this just as pleasurable for Wufei. Zechs flipped Wufei again and ground their groins together again hard and felt nimble hands dip below his pants gripping him encouraging him on.

It's what they both needed.

The next morning he was not surprised to see Wufei gone. It was disappointing, but not a surprise. The pack was gone, as were his clothes. Zechs laid in bed for a long moment, trying to reflect on the previous night. It had been good and he was more relaxed then he'd been in a long time. But he doubted he would see Wufei again, which caused a slightly depressing feeling start to invade.

He got up determinedly and went to the bathroom flicking the lights on there were several bite marks and bruises formed on his pale skin. He reached back and braided down his platinum locks. Heading towards the kitchen he found a note on the counter.

—

You've been asking me why I am here. Follow the map and you'll see.

- Wufei

—

There was a map on the counter below it. A small X on it outside of the domes in between number ten and number twenty. Zechs sighed and looked at the time. If he left within the hour he'd make it before the temperature began to drop again. Only the domes were temperature regulated and the Martian surface was hostile. Gathering his clothes for the external world he fixed on his respirator and goggles and stepped out on his way.

Taking the Preventer vehicle out the double air locked sealed doors he headed off through rocky fields. It wouldn't take long to get to, but he was concerned about what he would find. What could be taking Wufei's time outside the biospheres? There was nothing of value out here, nothing to be tracked or recorded. He had disappeared between for the last month and a half almost and Zechs still had no clue as to what he had been up to on Mars. Last night… seemed to fit and be out of place at the same time.

On the horizon something new seemed to appear. It was tall rising from the flat ground. The sun was beginning to disappear, which meant that the temperature would begin dropping rapidly with the thin atmosphere of Mars. As he drove up closer it appeared to be a large object attached to a pole of some sort.

He parked the vehicle and looked out the windshield and froze, stupefied at what he was seeing. A man was strapped to a pole upright. His limbs were exposed and blackened. Oxygen respirator was on his face Upper half of his face exposed for the dust storms. Zechs stepped out of the vehicle and moved closer. The man had been left to freeze to death, intestines had been left eviscerated from his abdomen hanging with frozen blood droplets, still intact, but exposed and bloody and alive when he had been left there to die.

When Zechs could finally turn aways from the gruesome sight he pulled a knife from the truck and cut the body down and put it into the back of the vehicle. He needed to make it back before sun down. His mind was carefully blank as he made his way back to biosphere eight. Attempting to think of what needed to happen. The body needed to be identified. The why of it and how the man died needed to be determined. Pulling into the domes airlocks to transport through the truck received it's normal wash down before it was permitted to enter the facility back to the Preventer post. He called the local medic to inform him he would need an autopsy done soon and then his phone rang.

It was the bartender.

When he made it to the bar after showing the medics the body, there was no sign of Wufei. Zechs was relieved at that. How could he have done something so vile to a person? After all these weeks to not see something that horrendous within the ex-Gundam pilot was astonishing to Zechs. He needed to tell Une as quickly as possible, report back that they did not want to use him as an asset.

The bartender handed Zechs a packet with nothing on it. He opened it slowly and a disk drive fell out. Along with a letter.

—

Zechs,

Since I've arrived on Mars I have been tracking the movements of Donovan, who you should know from the most wanted list. The body you may have found if you followed the map is his. You may not be able to tell depending on the weather last night so I thought I would tell you. I found him, beat him, cut him and dragged him out to the place you found him. I tied him up, stripped most of his clothes and cut his stomach open and left him with his respirator on last night. I don't know what he succumbed to first, the wounds, bleeding out from the stomach, or freezing to death. I just know it was a painful way to go.

Before you think I am a monster, what he did to my people made him deserve much more than this. I've been tracking down and killing every member of his crew. On the disk you will find a list of where the bodies are. As well as a list of sex clubs they supplied with children. Do with it what you will. I've had my revenge.

-Wufei Chang

—

Zechs shook his head and took the disk back to his apartment. Wufei had been exacting his revenge these last months, which is why Donovan's group had not been heard from. It was also why Donovan would have been on Mars. People only came here if they had nowhere else to go and Wufei tightening a noose had obviously made it that way for the man. Going over to his laptop he moved to stick the disk in and froze. His email was open. Every email from the pilots over the last few weeks was open. He had not left it that way this morning.

Wufei had broken in again after he left.

He sighed and began uploading the disk data to Une and alerting her to the new information he just learned. He notified Une that anything he had access to may have been compromised by Wufei accessing his terminal. It appeared that Wufei was off the radar again. Next time they saw him would be when he wanted to be seen. He was a ghost, an unpredictable, vindictive, killer.

Still Zechs could not regret last night.

TBC