Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, it belongs to Bandai, Sotsu and associated parties. I just borrow the guys from time to time and return them a whole lot happier. I do own the plot and any other characters, especially the equines, that you will find in this fic. Please do not take them without permission. Written for pleasure not profit.
Pairing: 2x1x2, 3x4, 13x6, H+C
Warnings: Yaoi, lemon, sap, angst, vet themes, AU
Rating: NC 17
Betaed by Karina *snugs*
Summary: Set 2 years after Equus and Heero is doing so well in his own business that he's taken June on as a working pupil. The qualifying shows for the International teams are well underway and it looks like it will be a good year for Heero, his pupils and horses... until Mother Nature steps in.
AN: This fic, although a complete work of fiction is based partially on fact. I will add notes at the end of chapters where necessary to clarify events and provide links where needed.
Dedication: To Leslie and Karina. Leslie for giving me the original idea for Equinity and encouraging and supporting me through the writing of all the fics thus far in the arc. And Karina for not just taking over as my much needed beta, (poor woman needs a medal!), but for also poking and prodding Fred until he went on strike, refusing to work on anything at all until I let him start this. Needless to say, we managed to come to a compromise... Fred gets to write a chapter of this one week... the next week he has to write a chapter of 'Bound'... Did I ever tell you all I hate my muse? :-)
Fic 5 in the Equine Intervention Arc.
Commenced December 2013 – ShenLong
Many thanks to all of you for reading and the kind comments!
"Rival Riders"
Chapter 38
"Hey June, Heero around?" Duo asked as he entered the stable block after washing his shoes in the betadine solution.
"He's bringing the other horses in at his stables. I offered to do Nataku for him while I was here doing Orion," June replied as she stepped out of Orion's stable, a wad of used wipes in her gloved hand.
"Ah, okay."
"I can go get him for you if you want?"
"Nah, that's okay. Actually, I need to speak to you too about this, I can talk to Heero afterwards."
"What's up?" June asked as she placed the soiled wipes into a bag ready to be incinerated.
"I spoke with the department a short while ago, seems they're doing their best to cultivate a vaccine for this EI virus but they're having a few problems," Duo related.
"What sort of problems?" June asked as she donned a fresh pair of gloves, grabbed some wipes and prepared to enter Nataku's stable to clean the mare's nose.
"They don't have enough of the virus cells to cultivate fast enough. They asked me if I could approach you and Wufei with the intent of taking some blood from both horses and sending it into the department. That way they can cultivate faster and hopefully have a viable vaccine much quicker."
"I see." June thought on Duo's words for a moment. "I can't speak for Wufei, but I don't mind you taking blood from Orion. If it will help in any way to stop this disease then I'm happy to help out."
"Thanks, June," Duo smiled. "I don't need to take too much. If I can get some from Nataku as well and Zechs can get some from Romeo then it should give the department a bit of a boost."
"When did you want to do it?"
"I'll go down to the other stables and speak with Heero, get him to give Wufei a call and if Wufei is happy to allow blood to be taken from Nataku then I'll do it now and get it couriered through asap," Duo replied.
"Okay then. I'll probably still be up here by the time you've spoken with Heero."
"No worries. I'll be back shortly." Duo turned and went to wash his hands in betadine. Even though he hadn't touched either of the sick horses at this point, he wasn't about to tempt fate.
# # #
"Oh, Shini," Heero murmured as he clipped the lead rope to Shini's halter. Patting the gray neck, Heero opened the gate and began to lead the stallion towards the stable block. "Looks like what Duo said is coming true. All of you are going to come down with this virus," he sighed.
Shini plodded along beside his master, he wasn't feeling all that good and just wanted to lie down in his warm stable and rest.
Once back at the stables, Heero put the stallion in his box, secured the door and went back out to fetch the remaining horses in. It would be easier to treat Shini once all the others were in. Once all the horses were in their respective stables, Heero contemplated what to do in regards to Shini; whether to leave him where he was or move him to the surgery stables. Knowing all the remaining horses were most likely going to come down with the virus too, he might as well leave Shini where he was.
Donning a pair of rubber gloves, Heero grabbed a packet of wipes and was about to step back into the gray's stable when Duo appeared. "What's up?" Heero asked, pausing with his hand on the bolt.
Duo explained about the department and their request for blood, Heero agreeing to contact Wufei and ask if he would be willing to allow Nataku's blood to be collected.
"I think Shini might be coming down with it too," Heero informed his .lover as he removed a glove to fish his cell phone out of his pocket.
Duo sighed. "Damn. Give me a minute to grab some gloves and I'll take a look at him."
"Thanks, Duo." While Duo fetched his gloves, Heero placed the call to Wufei, the Chinese man agreeing to Nataku's blood being taken. Pocketing the cell, Heero put his glove back on and entered the stable, Duo joining him a moment later.
Having checked Shini over as best he could without having his gear with him, Duo turned to Heero. "I'm pretty sure he has it too, Heero, although I'll need to take a blood sample to be certain."
"I might as well leave him here as move him to the surgery stables. Given what you said earlier about the contagiousness of the virus I think it's a safe bet to say that all the others are going to come down with it too sooner or later."
"I happen to agree with you, Heero. May as well move Nataku and Orion back down too," Duo replied.
"I'll do that tomorrow, no point in moving them now as June will have fed them both."
"Good point."
"Oh, Wufei said you're welcome to take blood from Nataku too."
"Thanks. I'll head on back up there and get it done now before evening consults starts. I'll need to contact Zechs too and see if he can take some from Romeo and bring it with him when he comes in for evening consults. I'll stop back down and take a sample from Shini and bring some more Vicks and cough medicine for you."
"Thanks, Duo."
"No problem." Duo left after washing his hands and stepping through the foot bath Heero had rigged up. Fishing his cell from his pocket, he called Zechs as he walked back between the paddocks to the surgery stables.
"Zechs here. What's up, Duo?"
Duo explained the reason for his call and requested if Zechs could obtain some blood from Romeo if Treize agreed.
"I'm on my way there now," Zechs replied. "Seems another one of Treize's horses have come down with it too,"
"Damn! It sure is spreading quickly," Duo cursed.
"Yeah, it is. I'd have to say that in all my years of veterinary medicine I've never seen a virus spread so fast."
"Me either. I really don't like the look of this, Zechs."
"I have to say, it has me worried too. If this virus is spreading at such a rate it is going to be devastating for the entire equine industry."
"I know. I just hope the Agricultural department has a contingency plan they can put into play."
"Good luck with that!" Zechs snorted.
"One can always live in hope. I'll catch you later then at evening consults."
"Will do, Duo."
# # #
"How did you go at Treize's?" Duo asked when Zechs stepped into the surgery that evening.
"Okay. I'm pretty sure the other horse has also caught the virus, but I've got a blood sample with me to test to confirm for sure. Oh, I asked Treize about taking blood from Romeo for the cultivation and he agreed. I've got it with me so you can send it off with the ones you've taken." Zechs handed over a small bag that contained roughly 250ml of blood.
"Thanks," Duo replied taking the donation. "The courier will be here somewhere in the next hour to collect the samples. I'll pop this one in the container in the 'fridge with the other two I took earlier."
"Anything yet from the department in regards to what they plan to do about this virus?" Zechs asked as he moved towards the consulting room and microscope.
Having placed the bag of Romeo's blood with the other two, Duo followed Zechs into the consulting room. "I've not heard anything more from them, but I guess we will just as soon as they know what they're doing."
"I'd suggest they get their asses into gear then and do something. This sample is also positive," Zechs sighed as he leaned back from the microscope.
"I agree," Duo replied, folding his arms across his chest and leaning against the bench. "Shini's come down with it too."
"Shit!"
"Yeah. I'd give the rest of the horses about three days before they all have it." Duo looked down at the floor, locked in thought.
"At this rate I'd say we're going to have an epidemic," Zechs stated.
"Yeah, I agree with you. Anyway, consults start in ten so we'd better shift and get ready for the hoards."
"Nothing like an evening of vaccinations, nail clippings and health checks to make the time pass quickly," Zechs quipped.
"About time we had something calm and tedious to deal with," Duo retorted with a grin.
"You got that right!"
# # #
Stepping into the kitchen after consults had finished, Duo removed his shoes and looked around for Heero. The Japanese man wasn't in the kitchen but he could smell the scent of dinner in the air. "Heero?" he called out.
"In the lounge," came the reply.
Moving into the lounge room, Duo found his husband sitting on the couch, television on and obviously absorbed in whatever was on. Plonking down next to Heero, Duo stole a kiss. "What are you watching?"
"The news," Heero replied and wrapped an arm around the vet's shoulder, pulling him close. "I heard the headlines on the radio earlier when finishing up with the horses and they said something about this equine influenza thing so I thought I'd watch the news."
"Ah, have they said anything yet?" Duo turned his attention to the screen.
"Not yet but the news only came on a couple of minutes ago."
The pair continued to watch as the presenter droned on about some new bill the parliament was proposing. After a few minutes the topic switched and both men listened intently.
"Now to some breaking news. The Department of Agriculture today released a statement concerning a virus that is rapidly spreading and infecting numerous horses within the states of New South Wales and Victoria..." The news reader went on to explain that the virus had only been discovered in the past two days and was believed to have been brought into the country with the arrival of several horses from Japan.
"The Equine Influenza virus is an extremely contagious disease under normal circumstances; given the Australian equine population have never been exposed to it before, it is already spreading rapidly through the equine industry."
"You can say that again," Duo muttered.
The news reader continued to explain the symptoms of the disease advising anyone who suspected their horse might have the virus to immediately contact their vet. "There have already been fifty confirmed cases of the virus within the state of New South Wales and a further one hundred awaiting confirmation. What the figures are for Victoria, is at this stage, unknown. Given the rapid spread of this disease and the implications it can have for the equine industry, the Department of Agriculture along with the Department of Biosecurity has met with the government today for crisis talks. Our reporter, Liam Bradoff, was there for the results of that meeting. Liam?"
The news cast switched to a reporter standing on the steps outside the government buildings. "Thank you, Ray. The Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity met with the government today to discuss this threat to the equine industry in Australia. Given the number of confirmed cases and those under suspicion the government and Departments have issued a complete ban on the movement of any horses within the states of New South Wales and Victoria. This ban is to come into effect immediately. As of six o'clock this evening, no horse is allowed to move off the property it's currently on regardless of whether it has the disease or not. The police, local rangers and the Department of Agriculture will be monitoring the roads and anyone caught transporting a horse will be severely fined. I repeat, there is a total ban on moving any horse from any property."
Heero's eyes widened at that. "Shit! This is a lot bigger that I thought," he said softly.
"I knew it could be bad, but I didn't think it would happen so quickly," Duo muttered. "At least the government is trying to do something to stop the spread of the disease."
"Makes a change," Heero replied.
"It is hoped that by completely restricting the movement of all horses within the states, it may help to stop the spread of the virus." The reporter paused to look at his notes before facing the cameras again. "Shortly after the meeting, representatives from the various departments met with the press and released further information."
The news report switched to what appeared to be an earlier recording. In a press room, three people stood at a podium facing the reporters. One, who introduced himself as the Minister for Agriculture began to address the gathered group, explaining about the virus, their suspicions in regards to how it entered the country, the number of reported cases and the government's plans to try and stop the virus. It was basically a reiteration of what the reporters had already told them.
"I wonder if there's anything else they're doing to stop this virus?" Heero questioned, tuning out the broadcast for the moment. He'd already heard what they were saying.
"We do know they're trying to develop a vaccine, but the ban on all equine movement will also go a long way in trying to halt this virus," Duo replied.
"Those equines that we are aware of that currently have the disease are all quarantined at present. The quarantine also extends to the property they are currently stabled at and any other equine on those properties," the Minister continued. "All vets are being notified as we speak of this disease, the tests they need to do to confirm the disease and what procedures they are required to put into place. Those procedures include quarantining those affected properties and the personnel that work, live or have anything to do with the horses on those properties."
Heero looked to Duo. "Have you had anything from the Department in relation to this?"
"Not as yet," Duo replied. "I have been told to quarantine the properties, that was confirmed verbally when I spoke to the department. They haven't said anything more about it though so I guess I'll need to check the mail or email."
"I can do that after the news for you if you want?" Knowing Duo's hatred for Nrobbuts and the problems he seemed to incur when working with electronic devices, Heero thought it best if he volunteered his services.
"That would be good," Duo replied with a grin.
The news cast had shifted to a questions and answers type segment with the three representatives fielding several queries, all shot at them at once.
"What does this mean for the racing industry?"
"Is the government doing anything else aside from banning the movement of horses to try and stop this disease?"
"How did it manage to get into the country in the first place? I thought there were quarantine rules and restrictions in place to stop this sort of thing from happening?"
"What will happen to those people employed in the racing industries?"
The three behind the podium began to look a little shell shocked with the number of questions fired off at them in rapid succession. Finally one cleared his throat and stepped up to the podium. Raising his hands to quiet the mob, he cleared his throat again before speaking.
"People, if you will all be quiet for a moment we will try to answer your questions as best we can. My name is Darren Coleman and I'm the Director of the Department of Agriculture. This man here is Eric Shaw, our head of Biosecurity." A slightly shorter man stepped forward and nodded to the group. " Now, if you can raise your hands and wait in an orderly fashion, we will endeavor to answer as many of your questions as we can." Coleman took a deep breath and glanced at Eric out the corner of his eye. Seeing the other man grit his teeth and square his shoulders, Coleman looked back to the reporters, most with their hands in the air. "You," he said and pointed to a blonde haired reporter.
"You say the department is doing all it can to halt the spread of this virus; aside from the ban on movement and quarantining of properties, is it doing anything else that might actually stop this thing? Does the department or veterinary science field have anything it can use against it?"
"Hear hear," came the mumbling from several others before another voice interrupted.
"Surely it can be treated with drugs? For that matter, isn't there a vaccine?" The mumblings amongst the press grew slightly louder.
Eric stepped forward and took the floor. "Gentlemen, this equine influenza virus has never been seen here in Australia before and thus our horses have no immunity to it whatsoever; hence the rapid spread of the disease. There are other countries out there that do suffer from breakouts of the disease from time to time and yes, they have a vaccine. However, for reasons I won't go into now as it's too complicated, the vaccine cannot be brought into Australia. My team back at the Department of Agriculture is currently working around the clock to cultivate a viable vaccine for the equine population here. You can rest assured that as soon as it's developed and safe to use, we will be distributing it as fast as we can to vaccinate any and all horses within the country."
"You, ma'am," Darren said and pointed to a dark haired woman.
"If there is a total ban on moving horses, what does this mean for the racing industry? Will the meets still go ahead?" the woman asked.
"At this stage in time we are looking at canceling all race meets for the next couple of weeks..."
There was a loud muttering amongst the reporters.
"Quiet please," the Minister called out.
"If you cancel the race meets what will happen to the people employed in the industry?" a young reported yelled out.
"As much as we do not wish to do so, it will be in the best interests of everyone concerned within the racing sector for the meets to be suspended until further notice. By everyone I mean not just the horses, the trainers, jockeys and stable hands too. As for what will happen to them? That will be up to the individual employer, unfortunately the government can't do much in that area." Darren gave a sigh.
"But that's not fair," an older reporter called out. "These people didn't ask for this disease to strike their horses and now they're being penalized? The government should be held accountable, they're the ones who let this disease into the country after all with their sloppy quarantine practices."
Once again the murmur amongst the reporters started, soon building in volume.
"It's not just the racing industry that's going to suffer," Duo growled. "What about the other avenues of equine sport? Not to mention the pleasure rider."
"I know where you're coming from, Duo, but they also have a point," Heero soothed.
"Seems all they're interested in is the threat to the racing industry; bugger little Susie and her pony who only go out on bush rides, or Tommy who does eventing on weekends."
"You and I know there are more equines and branches of the equine industry than just the racehorses, but think about it, Duo. The racing industry here is worth something like several billion dollars every year. Aside from that, the racing industry is the third largest employer in the country. This won't just affect people like Treize and I who only compete, nor will it only affect the racehorses. The follow on could be catastrophic. There's the owners, trainers, jockeys, stable hands, grooms, Instructors, riding schools, farriers, feed merchants, studs... and that's just the start. There's all the people employed at the race courses, those that tend the track, gardens, food outlets; there's the bookies, the punters, the betting totalizers. It will have a huge, snowball effect and a lot of people could end up going to the wall over this virus." Heero looked to his partner who had been listening carefully to him.
"I knew it would affect a lot of people, I guess I just didn't realize how many," Duo replied.
"Thing is, the virus is here now and regardless of how it got into the country, the fact remains that it did and it's making a lot of horses very sick. The sooner the Department can come up with a vaccine or this disease can be eradicated, the better it will be for all concerned. We should all be working together to try and eliminate it, not fighting amongst ourselves," Heero said quietly.
"You got that right," Duo sighed. "Shame all those reporters can't see the same thing."
Heero turned his attention back to the screen where the question and answer session seemed to have developed into a shouting match.
"Everyone, please," the Minister called out, trying to bring order back to the meeting.
"ENOUGH!" Eric yelled. Everyone in the room immediately went quiet. "Thank you. Now, people, listen up. Yes, we do realize how devastating this can and possibly will be for a lot of people involved in the equine industry, but..." Eric narrowed his eyes as he looked at the reporters. "You can rest assured that the government and all concerned departments are doing everything that they can to try and halt the spread of this virus. It is extremely important that all, and I mean ALL horse owners and people involved with them, be it racehorses or a pleasure pony, are fully aware of this disease and assist us in our attempt to halt its spread. Anyone who has an infected horse is under strict quarantine. No horse is to be moved from the property it currently resides at, regardless of whether that is its normal place of residence or not. The only way to beat this virus is for us all to work together." Speech finished, Eric stepped back from the microphone and took a deep breath. He hadn't meant to go off quite so strongly, but sometimes the press could be completely insensitive and bull headed and in this case they had gotten to him.
"Well said," Darren muttered to his colleague.
"Thanks."
# # #
As promised, Heero checked Duo's email for him and discovered a generic letter that had obviously been sent out to all vets and practices country wide. The letter really didn't state anything Duo didn't already know, just an outline on the Equine Influenza Virus, the symptoms, tests to perform, treatment and quarantine procedures. It also outlined the government's proposed plans to deal with the spread of the virus and the reporting of infected horses and properties.
Over the next few days the newspapers, radio and television kept up a constant stream of information regarding the virus; reporting things such as any new outbreaks, where the current quarantined properties were and how the Department of Biosecurity was coming along with the cultivation of a vaccine.
Duo, Hilde and Zechs were suddenly swamped with work. They still had their usual, daily consultations to do and surgeries booked, but the number of call outs increased by eighty percent. The majority of them were to suspected cases of the Equine Influenza virus.
For every five call outs to horses suspected of having the virus, the vets diagnosed and confirmed on average two horses with the disease.
As Duo and Zechs had feared, the disease was rapidly turning into an epidemic.
The ban on the movement of horses was extended to include Queensland. The states of Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory remained Equine Influenza free for the moment, but they also imposed a twenty-four hour ban on the movement of horses just to be safe. A complete ban on any horses being transported into these states from New South Wales, Victoria or Queensland was imposed; similarly, Tasmania also put a ban on any horses coming across the Bass Strait to the state from any of the infected states.
Any horse that had crossed the borders between States since the outbreak of the virus was tracked down and quarantined just to be safe.
The day after the broadcast saw Jester, Angel, Comet and Lunar all came down with the virus. Heero's stables were already under quarantine so they didn't need to contact the Agricultural society in that regard. Orion and Nataku were moved back from Duo's surgery stables to Heero's and Duo took the precaution of having a professional come in to thoroughly fumigate and disinfect the surgery stables.
Duo wasn't going to take any risks with the surgery stables. Once the ban on movement of equines was lifted there was every chance he would need those stables or the crush section to treat horses for other ailments. The last thing he needed was for any future patients to contract the disease because he hadn't made sure to eradicate it from the practice.
Treize was in a similar situation to Heero. All his horses had now come down with the virus and Treize found himself – along with Otto and Joe – playing nursemaid to the sick equines. With there not being much in the way of work to be done, Treize had asked the other couple of stable hands to take any vacation time they were owed.
#
"I swear, if I use this stuff much more my skin will have a permanent, brown tinge to it," Zechs muttered as he scrubbed his hands in betadine yet again.
"Just think of it as a sun tan," Treize teased, also scrubbing his hands. Although they had both used gloves while treating the horses, they still washed in betadine just to be doubly sure.
"If that's your idea of a sun tan then I think I will do without one," Zechs replied as he toweled off. "I'll get you some more cough medicine from the car and then I'd better be on my way."
"Thanks, Zechs." Treize followed his lover out to the car where he received the promised bottle.
"I'll call back tomorrow and see how they're all doing."
"Thanks, I'd appreciate that. Romeo seems to be a little better today," Treize said.
"Yes, he does. His temperature is down slightly so I think it's safe to say he's getting over the worst of it now. I just wish they'd never contracted it in the first place."
"Same here," Treize replied. "Do you have many more cases?"
"We've had a few. I'd better get moving, I've still got another call to make before returning to the practice for evening consults."
"Any chance I can see you tonight?" Treize leaned in and pressed a kiss to those sweet lips.
"Would you mind if I asked you to come to my place? It's just that once I'm done with consults I'm going to be pretty beat and I don't think I'm up to driving far," Zechs returned, a slightly glassy look in his eyes with the kiss he'd been bestowed.
"Of course I'll come to your place. I'll be there around seven-thirty. I'll bring dinner with me too."
"Treize, you're a life saver."
#
"Do you need any more cough medicine or Vicks?" Duo asked as Heero put on his shoes.
"I'm okay for the cough medicine, still got one and a half bottles," Heero replied as he straightened up. "Another tub of Vicks would be good though. Oh, any chance of getting some more wipes and latex gloves? I'm just about out of both."
"No worries, I'll stop by the surgery stables and grab some for you."
"Thanks." Heero gave his partner a warm kiss. "I'll see you down the stables shortly?"
"Yeah. I'll grab the supplies and meet you there in a few."
Leaving his husband, Heero headed for the stables and his sick horses. Sliding the large door across he was greeted with the sounds of wheezing, coughing and the occasional snort. So far Zero, Wing, Missy, Sandfire and Hyperion had avoided catching the virus, but how long they would remain EI free, Heero didn't dare to guess.
He walked down the breezeway and unlocked the feed shed door. Moments later he was putting the feeds into the various bins, checking each horse as he went. So far all were as he thought they would be – ill and looking sorry for themselves. Reaching Angel's stable, Heero pulled the bolt back and entered.
"Come on, girl, breakfast is here," Heero said to the mare who was standing in the corner of her stable. When Angel didn't move, Heero turned his full attention to the mare. Angel looked miserable, her nose running, eyes watering and a barking cough wracked her form every now and then. When Heero looked closer though there seemed to be something more, something he couldn't put his finger on.
"Heero? You still in here?" Duo called out as he entered the stables, supplies in a bag in his hand.
"Duo? I'm in Angel's stable. Could you come and look at her please? There's something not right and I don't know what it is," Heero replied softly, trying to keep the fear from his voice.
Immediately Duo was across the breezeway and entering the mare's stable. His eyes narrowed as he took in the mare and he swallowed hard.
tbc...