Surviving on Your Own
No Matter How Far You Stray
"If you believe Heero Yuy is on L2 then I want you to go there and hunt his ass down," Commander Une orders me.
"Yes ma'am." I hang up my cellphone. I knew that would be her answer, so I'm already in the waiting area in the space shuttle terminal, biding my time for the next flight to the L2 cluster.
This whole thing is such a fucking mess. That baggie of shit I found at Andrews apartment came back as heroin. Maybe Yuy doesn't know about Andrews participation in this, but that seems highly unlikely. Heero's a smart guy, it is possible that he's gotten himself mixed up with the wrong people. I'll have to stake out Maxwell's place to be sure he isn't connected to this as well.
My flight is announced over the speaker system. Fucking love the red eye.
Arriving at L2 in the early morning, I make my way to Maxwells' apartment. Very easy to find since he's not on the down low. Unfortunately, all the blinds are drawn, and no one enters or exits the apartment for the three hours I stake it out from the roof top of a neighboring apartment building. I decide to modify my search for Yuy's craft.
Sifting through in logs of docked crafts gets me no where, so I literally visit every port, and every terminal. Racing against the clock, I have no idea when he's planning on leaving this grimy colony, and I need to intercept him before he's gone. I need to know what's going on, what he's doing, before I make the decision to take him in and arrest him.
On the twelfth port, I finally find his spacecraft. Great model, top of the line, wouldn't expect any less. This particular port has the lowest security I've seen yet, postwar. Yuy may have bribed the workers to keep his landing off the report logs. I'm going to have to wait him out. Tomorrow is Sunday and if he wants to be back at work on time he'll have to leave tomorrow afternoon at the latest. I make myself comfortable in a hidden corner of the bunker, and wait.
Slightly sleep deprived and very hungry, I keep myself alert and sit tight for Yuy's appearance. And late in the afternoon, just like I expected, he enters the bunker, alone.
From a distance, I can see that he's thinner, paler, and on edge, constantly looking over his shoulder. Just as he's about to embark onto the craft I call out his name.
"Yuy!" I bellow, emerging from the darkness. I'm ready if he decides to run. But he doesn't. His blue eyes widen as his gaze lands on my form stalking towards him. "We need to talk."
"Wufei, what are you doing here?" He asks.
"Looking for you," I state, stopping at arm's length before him. Looking over my uniform, I'm sure it dawns on him that I'm here for official Preventer business. "I need to ask you some questions."
Shoulders dropping, stance relaxing, he shows all signs of willingness to speak openly with me. "Ask away."
I'm a little thrown by his openness. "Are you and your partner, Noah Andrews, involved in some kind of drug ring?"
He whispers, "Yes."
My eyes widen. I had suspected, but never believed in a million years that he, fucking Heero Yuy, would travel down that kind of road. I should slap the cuffs on him now, but I need to know, so I ask, "Why?"
"I don't sell," he shrugs. "I just help him out for my supply."
"Supply of what?"
I see a deep sadness in the depths his blue gaze. "Heroin."
Nothing comes from my mouth as I think of a million questions to ask. How? Why? When? He sees me struggling and continues, "I'm a fucking drug addict Wufei. A dope fiend. I'm not...I'm not adjusting to all of this." His arms swing wide through the air. I know what he trying to say, he isn't adapting well to this peace time era.
His gaze falls to the floor between us, his posture featuring that of defeat. I want to tell him, reach out and let him, let him know he's not the only one who's struggling, who's fighting himself to be a better person. We were children, still are, who were thrown into war. Told to fight, to kill, to triumph. For the down trodden colonies, for the rights of others, for peace. And though we can out on top, victorious, I think we scarified ourselves for all those battles.
I can't blame him for falling this way.
"You need to leave," I tell him sternly. He looks up at me surprised. "The Preventers are looking for you, they sent me. If you go now, no one will know we spoke. Go!"
"Thank you, Wufei," he murmurs. He marches up the staircase to the crafts' door.
I turn to leave but before I can, a question that has bugged me since the Eve Wars falls from my mouth. "Why didn't you kill me?"
Heero turns to look at me from the top of the staircase. "What do you mean?"
"During our battle in space and over Earth, why didn't you kill me?"
"Why would I have killed you?"
"I turned my back! I betrayed you all!" I yell. "I allied myself with the Barton Foundation but you didn't kill me when you had the chance."
"I was never going to kill you, Wufei," he placates me in a soft voice. "The concept of friendship is still an enigma to me, but you're my friend, my brother, no matter how far you stray." And with that, he boards his spacecraft.
Walking through the port in a daze, I let Yuy's words sink into me. Apart of me feels the forgiveness, the redemption, that I've been looking for. I now know that two of my four comrades have pardon my mistake. A weight has been lifted, knowing that I'm not seen as a traitor in their eyes, but I know I still have to forgive myself. But can I do that? One achieves honor, dignity, integrity by standing by their morals, their beliefs.
Sauntering outside, the cool fresh air - not as fresh as Earth air - hits my lungs at full force. That light, tingling feeling feels even better out here.
Suddenly, I'm hauled backwards by both arms. Whipping my head around, I find myself surrounded by Preventer agents.
I scream, "What the fuck?!"
I'm heaved into the back of a squad car before I can break free. Punching and kicking at the doors and windows get me no where. I'm so fucking pissed, why the hell are they doing this to me?
Commander Une slides into the front seat. I stare at her in disbelief, gazing past the wired mesh that separates us.
Taking deep breaths, I ask, "Une, what's going on?"
She looks solemnly back at me. "We're arresting you, Wufei."
What the fuck? "Why?" I scream.
"We believe you are in cahoots with Heero Yuy in this drug debacle," she explains.
"You're wrong!"
"We've been tracking you since you left Brussels. There's a hidden microphone sown into your jacket. We heard your conversation with Yuy," she elaborates. "And personally, I can't fathom why you would let him go after he confessed unless it was all an intricate plan to throw us off."
"You're insane, you fucking cunt!" My anger gets the better of me.
"We're taking you in Chang Wufei, whether you like it or not."
My fingers lace through the mesh gundanium wire, leaning forward, I hawk a fat wad of spit into her face. My saliva drips from the grate between us, but I managed to hit between the eyes.
"Fuck you," I effervesce, fingers curling around the metal, eyes ablaze, boring holes into her.
She wipes the spittle from her nose bridge. "Lieutenant Change Wufei, you are under arrest for conspiracy to conspire in an illegal drug operative. You have the right to remain..."
I block out the rest of her words as I lean back in my seat. This is fan-fucking-tastic.
I'm cuffed, and transported back to L1 under heavy guard duty. I don't pay much attention to my surroundings or the journey back to the L1 cluster. There's a few options available to me at this point. One, I rat Yuy out, claim my innocence. Two, I deny anything and everything. Three, I don't say shit and let them believe what they want.
At Head Quarters on L1, Commander Reyes drags me into an interrogation cell. He gives me a sympathetic look, and usually that would make me angry, but since it's coming from a former soldier, it doesn't. And I don't care what faction he's from. He knows the life of a warrior.
Seconds later, Lady Une enters the room. Fuck her, she's not my Commander anymore.
"Lieutenant Chang, would you please explain the nature of your relationship with Heero Yuy?" She asks, opening a file on the table.
I don't answer. "Can you explain to us why you let him go free after making contact? After he expressed his guilt in the situation we've been investigating?"
Again, I don't answer. "Chang Wufei, are you going to reply to any of our questions," she asks, glaring daggers into me. I can almost see a glimpse of the Lady Une who worked under Treize Kushranada. My lips stay sealed.
"Alright Chang, we are going to place you in a holding cell until we know what to do with you."
Commander Reyes says not one word to me through the entire interrogation, but his facial expression tells me he knows why I'm keeping quiet. Knows the value camaraderie.
For the first time in the era of peace, I find myself locked in a cell. Sleeping for an unknown amounts of time in a windowless cell, I keep myself numb, not willing to think. I get more rest than I have in a long time, and I'm sure it's been only one, maybe two days. I'll surely go insane locked up like this.
Just as I'm about to drift off for the unknownth time, a person walks through the block way, silent footsteps fall, almost unnoticeable. They stop before my cell. I turn and look, a tall agent stands between me and the bars. I don't care to see his face. Rolling back over, I close my eyes.
"Wufei," a familiar voice soothes. "Would you like to get out of here?"