Adagio
Adagio – musical marking, slow and stately (literally, "at ease")
Disclaimer: This fic may contain misrepresentation of personality disorders and/or psychological conditions. If you notice signs of mental anomalies, please consult a licensed health professional. End of disclaimer.
Chapter 12: Borderline (Kyoukai 境界)
Borderline means 'being in an intermediate position or state', 'a division between two distinct (often extreme) conditions', 'not quite up to, typical of, or as severe as what is usual, standard, or expected'.
The japanese word 'kyoukai' consists of two kanji. The first kanji 境 (kyou) literally translates to 'boundary', 'border', 'mental state'. With its parts 音 (sound, noise) and 土 (earth) respectively. The second kanji 界 (kai) means 'world'. Together 境界 refers to one's mental-state of the world. The somewhat liberal transliteration would be 'the world of the sound that has been erected above the Earth'.
There is a fine line between stubbornness and stupidity, as well as intensity and insanity. — Brittany Burgunder
AC 198 March
"State your business."
"Escort duty."
"Guest name?"
"Classified. You can check our IDs and passes. Here."
"Schbeiker, Second Lieutenant Hildegard. Maxwell, Agent Duo. Class B reservists. Preventers?"
"That's right."
IDENTIFICATION COMPLETED. GATE OPEN.
"I think the guard was giving us a stink eye."
"Maybe we should have worn the uniform."
The clamps latched onto the jet with a jerk. Familiar whirring resounded around her, the sound of machinery anchoring the loading bridge to the shuttle door.
Relena sat still in her seat, watching the view through the triple-paned aluminum silicate glass and fused silica glass windows. The enormous entry gate slid shut, obscuring the view to the outer space.
A few moments later, the glaring bright lights around them dimmed, and she felt the increasing pull of artificial gravity.
The indicator light for the seatbelt turned off with a ding. The AI assistant announced plainly: DOCKING SEQUENCE COMPLETED. WELCOME TO L2.
"That was a smooth flight," she commented, unbuckling her seatbelt. The co-pilot seatbelt was more secure than the typical passenger one, holding both shoulders and fully encircling the waist, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It unfastened fairly smoothly.
"Aa." The flight between L4 and L2 was a short one.
Heero flicked a few buttons, turning on the jet's interior lighting. Relena went to open a secure compartment, pulling out her purse. When she turned, he was already waiting in front of the open hatch, her grey coat on one arm.
She hurried over, slipping it on. "Thanks."
Her link beeped. She pulled it out, swiping to unlock. An image of their jet popped up, along with a message: 'Saw your jet coming in.'
She smiled, showing it to him. "They are already here."
He nodded. "I'll unload the luggage."
She peered out of the connecting bridge's small porthole, noting how the terminal branched out to a few more docking points.
I don't recognize this port, she thought.
It was of the smaller size, and from the look of it, either brand new or newly renovated.
Relena walked along the bridge, into the hallway. The only sound she could hear was her own footsteps. Private. Or semi-private.
Lush carpet covered the floor. Clean, fresh smell. Sparse décor. Luxurious. More than what she was accustomed to. The standard fixed-base operators that the government used were technologically advanced, yet militaristically bare bone. Legacy of the pre-war era.
It was quiet.
Relena went to explore further. There was no other jet visible. It was off season for travel. She figured not many were using the facility.
She snapped a picture of the hall, replying to the message in her link: 'Just landed.'
She was about to turn back to the shuttle, but a movement at the end of the hallway caught her eyes. A friendly figure waved at her, smiling.
Returning the wave, she walked quickly across the hallway, passed several doors to other waiting rooms, other jetway passages.
She didn't notice a sliding door opened, a shadow moved silently behind her.
"Hil-" A hand roughly covered her mouth, cutting off her greeting.
She struggled to free herself, but the figure behind her was much stronger, dragging her forcefully along.
All she heard was urgent footsteps across the hallway, the sound of a door sliding shut, before her vision turned black.
They had stopped moving. Her first instinct was to buy more time.
She held her breath, tensing against what was to come. A prick of sedation in the vicinity of her neck. The sweet smell of anaesthetic gas under her nose.
Neither of them came. Her captor had gone deathly silent.
She felt a movement on the left side of her head. With her eyes covered, she couldn't gauge the distance for an effective foot stomp or reverse headbutt. It might be worth a try regardless…
"Guess who?"
The question stopped her cold.
There was a sound of a sliding door opened. Short, shallow breaths, decidedly feminine. "You-"
"Quiet." The same voice cut in near her left ear, thick with laughter.
Relena stopped struggling entirely, dropping both hands to her sides. The iron hold on her relaxed fractionally.
She blindly ran a hand across the arm in front of her neck, tugging on a sleeve. The hand opened, freeing her mouth.
"Duo."
The other hand immediately fell off her eyes. "Ya got me, princess."
She blinked a few times, getting her eyes adjusted back to the lights. She found herself in one of the passenger's waiting rooms.
Two familiar figures were with her inside the room. Duo was still behind her, leaning over one shoulder, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Hilde stood near the door, her smile weary.
Relena took a breath, turning. Shaking her head, she asked, "Did you have to cover my mouth like that? I couldn't answer you that way, could I?"
"Yeah cuz. One scream from you and I'll have more holes in me than a Swiss cheese."
She gave him an amused look. "You could just say hello, the normal way."
"Naw, where's the fun in that?"
"For the record, I told him it wasn't a good idea."
Duo raised his eyebrows at Hilde, wiggling it twice. "Did ya? Can't seem to recall."
Breathing out, Relena commented, "I was wondering about it."
"It's just harmless fun." One hand on the hip, Duo raised a flippant hand, palm up. Resting that hand on his neck, he shot her a grin. "You could be a lil' more surprised, y'know."
She spun towards him, hands on chest, rounded eyes.
"A bit late for that," he laughed. "But this is why I love ya."
He went to give her a squeeze, lifting her off her feet. Relena realized she was not the only one getting taller.
Patting him on the back, she responded, "Was I ever in danger? I mean, Hilde was right there."
Hilde walked over with open arms, giving her a welcoming hug.
"Told ya a little acting wouldn't hurt."
Hilde whirled to her boyfriend, poking him on the chest. "Your plan, Duo, has more holes than a Swiss cheese."
Turning to Relena, she continued to complain. "Skirting disaster once or twice wasn't enough, apparently."
"Gotta get my adrenaline rush somewhere."
Relena watched them squabble, smiling. It was not the first time the two argued over things, what with his antics and questionable pranks.
Speaking of concern…
Relena looked out the glass windows worriedly. She had left Heero back there.
Noticing that she had gone quiet, Hilde asked, "Should we go report to Agent Yuy?"
"Right." Relena looked up from her link, debating between calling or running back. "He was just getting the bags. Let me check on him quickly."
Pressing on the door handle, she slipped out of the room. Hilde followed her.
"You ladies go on ahead!" Duo shouted after them, one hand on the waiting room panel, undoing the trick on the lock.
Right when the door started closing, he felt the muzzle of a gun on his nape. A hand unceremoniously shoved him back into the room.
Too damned fast, that was.
Holding both hands up, Duo nonchalantly walked all the way in, looking out the windows.
"Nice jet," he said conversationally. "Ain't an ordinary ship, eh? Courtesy of Winner enterprises?"
Silence.
"Did he book the whole terminal too?" he continued on. "Or just good timing? Checked the board, no other arrival is scheduled today."
"Hil and I did some legwork and confirmed the area is clear. So… care to lower the dangerous thing, old pal?"
Heero didn't budge an inch. "I didn't consider the possibility of an insider threat."
A response, at last. "Which I am not, clearly. Our favorite girl will confirm the same, if you ask her."
As if on cue, Heero's link started vibrating.
Hands still in the air, Duo casually asked, "Not gonna pick it up?"
A very frosty second passed.
"Heero?" Relena's voice came in through the wrist link. "Sorry I was… distracted. I saw our bags. Are you-"
"Aa," Heero replied. "I found the distraction."
"Oh."
A pregnant pause.
"Still alive, princess."
That side commentary drew a gasp of breathless laugh and a distinct groan. A mumbled 'he needs to learn to keep his mouth shut' and a shaky 'ssshh' followed.
The cold metal eased off his skin.
Duo sneaked a peek behind. Seeing Heero's murderous scowl, he swiftly averted his eyes back to the front, pretending not to notice. Deciding it was wise to follow Hilde's advice this once, he kept his mouth shut. The gun was still out, after all.
"Stay there. We will head over."
Relena and Hilde stood side by side, a beat up duffel bag between them. They must have fought over who should carry the bags. The bag's shoulder strap sat on Relena's shoulder, while Hilde was holding onto the bag's handles.
Heero strode in, lifting the bag with one hand, efficiently ending the argument.
Duo followed him, grinning.
"Need help with your bags, princess?" Looking around and only seeing one wheeled carry on, he asked, "The rest are still in the jet? Lemme grab 'em."
"Actually," Relena turned to the suitcase, pulling up the handle. "This is all of it."
He whistled, "Packing light?"
Laughing, she replied, "It's just a weekend, Duo."
Standing side by side, they looked like a regular pair of teenagers, out on a weekend getaway. A mismatched pair of a couple.
It wasn't just the choice of luggage that served as a contrast. There were also their attires.
In scuffed hunting boots, worn jeans, a baggy brown-green jacket covering a plain black t-shirt, Heero looked like a cash-strapped backpacker, heading towards the nearest hostel. While Relena, wearing a grey spring coat that looked like genuine wool, a loose knit sweater in pale pink, white skirt with matching white sneakers, was every inch a well-heeled tourist, waiting for a car to drive her to a downtown suite.
If they were in a crowded spaceport, standing a distance apart, no one would guess they were travelling together.
"Alrighty then," Duo said. "I'll go get our transpo."
Stepping forward, Heero threw his duffel bag towards him.
"Whoa!" It was much heavier than it looked. What did that guy pack inside? The entire armory? "Geez. You can just ask for a hand."
"I need a hand," came the monotone voice.
"Normal people ask before dropping things on others, y'know." Wincing at the narrowed eyes, Duo shook his head. "Never mind."
"I'll go with him," Hilde followed up. "Give me your bag too, Miss Relena."
"Well I," Relena started. Heero's hand closed on hers, taking hold of the handle. "We will manage."
"Sure," came the light reply. "Meet up in the lobby?" They nodded.
Duo readjusted his grip on the duffel bag, carelessly slinging the shoulder strap over his head. Turning, he headed out the door, throwing a wave behind one shoulder.
"Back in a jiffy."
Relena and Heero stood behind, watching how duffel's strap caught the pilot's long braid in a wrong way. Duo wobbled a little on his steps, letting out a brief 'ouch'.
Hilde hurried over, muttering 'hold on just a sec', helping him to untangle it.
Relena smiled at her friends.
Noticing Heero's hand still on hers, over the suitcase handle, Relena gave it a light pat.
"I'm fine with this one, Heero."
Instead of letting go, his other hand landed on top of hers. She looked up, surprised.
He caught her eyes and held them, his palm hot on her hand. She belatedly realized how cold her own fingers were.
Duo's little stunt was harmless, but it was an unwitting recollection. Of a past trauma. She must have been more startled than she thought.
Wordlessly, he took both her hands in his, warming them up. The thoughts behind the gesture warmed her up more than the actual heat from his hands.
He noticed how shaken she was. Seeing how she hid it, not wanting to upset their friends, he had held back from saying anything.
"Thanks, Heero," she said. Answering his unspoken question, she added, "I'll be fine with this too."
SCANNING IN PROGRESS…
ALL CLEAR. GATE OPEN.
They drove upwards through the tunnel, emerging on the surface level, to the colony's major roadways.
It was bright and sunny. Relena looked out the car's tinted window, taking in the passing scenery.
Glancing at her from the front seat, Hilde commented, "You know, I was wondering about those."
"What about?" Relena turned. Catching the gesture to her hat and glasses, she replied, "Ah, these? Just in case."
"Ain't it supposed to be sunglasses at least?" Duo chimed in. "Think the guards recognized you."
"I'm not fond of the dark tint. And really?" Throwing a worried look at Heero, she said, "I don't think they did…"
"It is a privately run FBO," Heero assured her. "They aren't supposed to pry."
Relena's interested 'oh?' was buried under Duo's louder crow. "I knew it! Quat's?"
"It's a right-for-use arrangement," Heero clarified. "Winners don't run commercial spaceline. Limited membership, restricted access."
"Same difference," Duo shrugged. "No wonder the location is kinda out of the way."
Relena smiled. "Thanks for coming to get us."
"No prob," he waved her off. "What do you think they peg you as?"
Humoring him, she asked back, "What do you think?"
"Not a lot of people own private jets," he started. "Rich folks, celebrities. Don't cabinet members get to use one? A Falcon 7X. Or is it 8X now?"
"Government vehicles are for official use," Relena easily returned. With the elevated security measures, she did use them almost exclusively. It still felt a bit odd, using ESUN facilities for her own personal use. She continued with, "Honestly, it might just be curiosity. We, some random adolescents, in plain clothes."
"I was just saying that!" Hilde cut in. "Earlier, when we drove in."
"Yeah," Duo conceded. "Sure gave us an eye up and down. The guy scanned our badges, though. Do Preventers escort civilians?"
"I don't know," she said, turning to Heero.
"Some," he answered. "Concerts. Sports events. Instances with inherently high risk, like bank moves."
Duo snorted. "So… an idol, a sports star, or something equivalent to a mountain of gold. Which one are you, then?"
Hilde poked him on the side. Duo shifted away, protesting, "Hey! Driving here."
"Someone with an inherent high risk, apparently."
Lifting both hands off the wheel, Duo made an explosive gesture, complete with the sound effects.
Smiling, Relena caught Hilde's backwards glance, continuing, "I feel like I'm just creating work. It's your day off, and all."
The responses were immediate.
"Are you kidding me?" Duo leaned back, shooting her an incredulous look, prompting Hilde to shout, "Front! Look at the front!"
Done chiding her boyfriend, Hilde turned back to Relena. "It's no work at all. We are glad you drop by."
"Yep," Duo agreeably added. "Being part-time government drone ain't that bad. Wish more assignments are like this though."
"Is that right?" Relena replied amusedly. "I should visit more often then."
Snatching a look at Heero's face through the rear-view mirror, Duo laughed. "See that you do."
This kind of surprise, she didn't mind so much.
Covered in glittery pieces of paper, Relena looked to her side. Heero might think otherwise.
"These poppers really went off!" Duo whooped. Laughing, Relena agreed.
They were in a cozy living room, at Duo and Hilde's duplex, situated within the perimeter of Peacemillion auto and salvage yard that their friends ran together.
Duo had ambushed them with yet another surprise, pulling a party popper as soon as they sat down. The loud noise and explosion of papers took her aback. By the time she reopened her eyes, Heero was in front of her, bearing the brunt of the confetti. Hilde popped hers seconds late, from the other side, so Relena ended up equally covered in streamers.
"That's a lot of papers," Hilde commented. "Good thing we only got two."
"Should we clean up first?" Taking off her hat and glasses, Relena ran a hand over her hair and shoulders, brushing bits of colored paper. "It didn't get on the cake, did it?"
"Don't worry about it, Miss Relena. We'll tidy up later."
"All right," she conceded. "Shall we cut the cake then?"
"What, we haven't sung 'happy birthday' yet." Duo pouted. "Where's the candle? The shopkeeper said she gave us one."
Hilde rummaged through the plastic bag. "It is not here."
"Try the box," Relena said helpfully. "Check the top of the lid."
"Right on." Duo looked at her wonderingly. "So it's usually taped over?"
She smiled. "Yes. So it doesn't break during transport."
"Huh, learned something new today. Set it up, babe. I'll light it up."
It didn't take very long to set up, there was just one candle after all. They put it right at the center of the small, rounded shortcake.
"Sing now?"
"The candle will melt."
"Oookay. After, then." Duo grinned.
"Make a wish, Miss Relena."
She closed her eyes for a moment and leaned forward to blow the candle. A thin wisp of smoke floated up as the flame died. Melted wax trickled down to the tiny plastic holder underneath.
"We wish you a happy birthday," Duo sang.
"Wrong one, that's for Christmas." Hilde corrected. "Happy birthday to you…"
She clapped along, smiling, thanking both of them.
"Whoops, forgot the knife," Duo rose from his seat.
Hilde called out, "Get some forks too."
"Anything I can help?" Relena politely offered.
"I've got it, I've got it." Duo replied, bending over a drawer. "Small knife or big?"
Turning fully to the pantry, Hilde directed, "The big one. Not the cleaver! The regular one."
Relena sat back more comfortably, figuring it would take a bit more time. Heero, still perched on the edge of the sofa, eyed her closely.
She stared back at him, eyes flicking to the other occupants of the room, from Hilde on the other end of the sofa to Duo in the kitchenette.
Lowering her voice, she asked, "Do I still have something on me?"
He nodded, gesturing to the right side of her face. She brushed her fingers over the area. "Is it gone?"
"No." Shifting closer, he extended a hand. She tilted her face, giving him better access.
"Thanks," she murmured. "You have some too. On your hair."
A-HEM!
Duo's cobalt blue eyes twinkled at them from the kitchenette. "Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me?"
Hilde quickly averted her eyes, getting on her feet. "Uh, let me get you guys some drinks."
"What do you want, princess?" Duo asked, still grinning cheek-to-cheek.
Not the slightest bit discomfited, Relena smiled back. "Anything is fine, Duo."
"No, no, don't be shy. You are the guest of honor."
"We have coke, ginger ale, sweetened tea…" Hilde called out from the fridge. "Do we still have some juice?"
Standing on his tippy toes, Duo opened the top cupboard. "Yep. Pomegranate. Huh. There should be some orange juice in the fridge too."
"I'll take the tea," Relena said after a brief thought, signaling Heero to bend down.
He complied. "Coke."
"Gotcha. Ice or no ice?"
"With ice please, if it is not too much trouble."
Slender fingers ran through his hair, lightly brushing off the debris. He didn't have time to revel in it for too long.
With a smile and a nod, she snatched her hands back, folding them neatly on her lap, settling back into the cushion.
He followed suit, sitting straight to the front.
"One coke and one iced tea, coming right up!"
"So whaddya wish for?" Duo asked around a forkful of cake.
Hilde answered for her, "You aren't supposed to ask that. If she tells us, it won't come true."
"Yeah? Sounds kinda silly to me."
"Hm… on the second thought, does it work if it is just one candle?" Hilde wondered out loud.
"Well," Relena said mildly. "It is more for good luck. Different people celebrate differently. I'm supposed to buy my own cake, actually."
"Aha! Now you are just pulling my leg."
"No, really. Reinfeiern, Hilde?"
"In German tradition, that's true." Putting down her plate, Hilde looked at Relena. Pressing her thumbs down into the palm of her hands, she wrapped her fingers around it, forming fists. "I said it in English, so bad luck doesn't apply."
"Don't worry about it," Relena waved her off, smiling.
At Heero's questioning gaze, Relena explained. "It is a good luck gesture, equivalent to keeping our fingers crossed." She demonstrated, crossing her fingers with one hand, pressing her thumb with another.
"Knowledgeable, ain'tcha, princess?" Duo helped himself to another slice of cake. "What bad luck?"
"Celebrating birthdays early," was Hilde's reply.
Duo choked on his strawberry. Heero looked equally shocked. The subtleties around birthday celebration had, unsurprisingly, eluded both men. Having no knowledge of their own actual birth dates meant there had been no reason to make an event out of it. That was the case, at least, until now.
"It is just superstition," Hilde said, a little thrown aback by the reactions.
Seeing the horrified look Duo gave his girlfriend, Relena interjected, "Really. I celebrated birthdays early plenty of times. Or late. It is perfectly fine."
"It doesn't," Duo coughed and gagged, "...shorten your lifespan or something?"
"No, no." Trying to ease the discomfort, Relena continued, "It is just nicer, celebrating it on the actual date. Like wishing someone a happy new year. It sounds better when said on the dot, doesn't it?"
"I guess." Swallowing, Duo turned back to Hilde, "Still, you should've told me."
"You never cared about that kind of unscientific things."
"Not if it will bring you bad luck," he said petulantly. Then, jabbing his thumb in Relena's direction he added, "Or her."
"All right," Hilde soothed, handing him a napkin. "My bad."
[A/N: Reinfeiern is a German word. The prefix rein- means 'into'. Feiern means 'to party' or 'celebrate'. Joined together, the compound verb literally translates as 'to party into'. It alludes to the tradition of toasting at midnight on the eve of important celebrations, like birthdays. It is best not to wish your German friends early birthday greeting, except of course, you do want to see them squirm. Also, the geburtstagkind - the birthday girl or boy - is supposed be the one treating everyone out. Fun, eh?]
"I'm stuffed."
"Anyone want more meatballs? Or pizza?"
"We are good, Hilde."
There was a flurry of movements as they tidied up the table. The sound of water running in the kitchen sink, the rattle of cutlery against the stainless steel. Pieces of conversations flowed by from the kitchenette. Some variations of Hilde's 'leave it there Miss Relena' against her 'just a bit, I'm almost done'.
Having finally been shooed away by Hilde, Relena made her way back to the sofa first.
Duo followed minutes later, coming back from depositing trash outside. Plopping himself down, he asked, "So, what's the plan for the rest of the day?"
"Um, I am just dropping by to say hello. I didn't really make any plans." She turned to Heero, "When is the check in time again?"
"At fifteen hundred hours," he said. "3 PM."
Duo threw him a dry look. "Yeah, about that. Why bother with the hotel?"
"I was hoping we can have dinner together," Relena ventured. "If you are not busy, of course."
"Wouldya quit acting like a stranger already," Duo started. Dropping the dishcloths back onto the counter, Hilde sauntered in, "That's because you asked in a weird way."
"What he meant was, you can stay with us." Hilde sat down next to Relena, thoughtfully added, "If you'd like."
"Yeah. I'll crash on the couch, you guys can take the bedroom," Duo offered, his apparent generosity ruined by an eyebrow wiggle.
Relena's pause was the only sign of her interest. An alarm bell rang inside Heero's head.
She never had a real sleepover. Quatre's place, a literal mansion, was no different than staying at a hotel. She eyed Duo and Hilde carefully, somewhat hopeful and hesitant.
"We can have a pajama party."
Relena went still at the comment. Heero couldn't help doing the same, sending a silent plea.
"Thank you," she began. "Perhaps another time? We already booked the hotel."
Heero found his breath back. Was that a polite refusal or a future proposition? Either way, he ought to prepare a counterplan.
Neither Hilde nor Duo seemed much perturbed by it, easily accepting her reply.
"Question," Duo raised a hand. "About the hotel. Two rooms or one?"
Hilde elbowed him. "It was an honest question!"
"Two rooms," Relena primly said.
The adjoining doors didn't count then. Then again, it was hardly Duo's business.
"I'd like to see the yard, if you don't mind." At Duo's wry smile, Relena rephrased, toning down the formal speech, "Can you show me around? I am curious to see the things you are working on. It all sounded very interesting on the phone."
Duo beamed at her. "Sure thing. You came all this way just to see an ol' yard, though? It ain't exactly a tourist destination."
"He is right," Hilde said. "We've got the whole day. Why don't we show you around the town too?"
"That sounds nice." Keeping her answer non-committal, Relena glanced at Heero.
He simply looked back at her. "Let's hear what you have in mind first."
Duo rubbed his hands, excited at the prospect. "Now we're talkin'."
Heero shot him a measured look.
"Oh ye of little faith," Duo intoned, grinning. "I won't go too crazy. Promise."
"I'll keep him straight," Hilde added.
The way things went so far, that didn't inspire much confidence. Compared to how Duo was, before, it was indeed significantly better.
Still, he never liked leaving things to chance. He was already starting to regret this particular weekend.
"That's a real look of trust right there, buddy," Duo mocked. "You're going about the wrong thing tho. If there is anything to worry about, it's her."
Relena blinked. "Me? I'll behave."
Duo laughed. "Sure is reassuring to hear that, princess, but no. It's how you look."
Relena promptly looked down, checking herself out. Not finding anything out of order, she tilted her head questioningly.
"You think so too, right babe?"
"Don't take this badly," Hilde said with a small smile. "But I'm with him on this one. The disguise. It is a little too light."
"Rather," Duo waved his hands up and down, "Your outfit is too classy."
"That, too." Hilde ran a critical eye over her. "Miss Relena, what do you think of a makeover?"
It was unbearable to watch.
Heero kept turning here and there, alternating between checking his link and looking towards the staircase like a clockwork.
Unable to stand it anymore, Duo finally blurted, "Do you have a tic or what?"
The man just looked back at him. "I am working."
Heero kept his hands moving all right, pulling parts into pieces, sorting things based on its working condition, cataloguing them. They were killing time in the garage, doing mundane yard work, salvaging pieces from vehicles, putting them in storage. With Heero's help, the pile had shrunk a lot more quickly than usual.
It was very unnerving, though, how he worked. Pick a piece up, crack, put parts down. Snap a picture, enter description. Drop it in a box, close, stick a label. Heero moved as if checking things off the list, like a factory worker.
The work being rather boring, Duo himself had occasionally zoned out. Usually, if Hilde was about, he would start chattering. If not, he would turn something on: a vid, a podcast, or a tune. It wasn't bad to multi-task. It really wasn't.
Except that Heero's newly established pastime was to stare blankly at the duplex's entrance. Or obsessively checking his link.
Duo kind of had an inkling already. The torch his friend carried over the years for a certain princess had obviously evolved.
To what exactly, he wasn't too sure anymore.
"Come on mate," Duo called out. "She's just upstairs. You really don't trust my security system, do you?"
"Didn't think you had one."
"Well I do," Duo huffed, throwing him an offended look.
He nodded, figuring the security measures were more for Hilde than Duo himself.
"Does she know she's wearing a tracker?"
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Heero almost dropped the piece in his hands. Duo raised an eyebrow, sneering at the near miss.
"Well, does she?" he doggedly pursued.
"She does," Heero replied, bemused.
That was part of the deal when they planned the trip to the colonies. Fewer personnel. Additional coverage. Of course she knew.
"No wonder you found us so quickly at the spaceport," Duo casually continued. "Didn't get a good look, but it looks fancy. Did you do some tinkering?"
Seeing an opening, he snatched Heero's handheld link from his back pocket.
"Lemme see," he held an arm to ward Heero off. "You know I'm good with this kind of stuff. Portable gadgets, and the like."
That got him the leeway.
He bent his head down to peruse the device's specifications.
Microphone and speaker, for communication. GPS, of course. Accelerometer and gyroscope, typical motion trackers. Barometric sensor, for atmospheric pressure indicator. Huh. Nifty.
What else did he have in there?
His grin slipped upon seeing the rest. The tiny widget packed a ton of digital biomarkers. Electrocardiogram, electrodermal sensor, infrared and photodiodes, radio-frequency bio sensor, SpO2 sensors.
He released the e-link as if it was a poisonous snake. Heero caught it before it could fall down to the ground.
"Buddy, did you tell her what that thing can actually track?" He was greeted with a blank expression that telegraphed 'do I have to?'.
Duo was never big on biomedical engineering, but… That was beyond a tracker or a comm device. With that many sensors, it could monitor her heart rate, glucose level, blood pressure, oxygen level, and practically key indicators of her sympathetic nervous system. Jesus.
"Are all of them on?" He had to know.
"No. The high performance mode is too power consuming."
Duo gaped. Forget the fucking battery, he wanted to shout. It was the principle of things!
He looked Heero up and down, searching for any signs of mental instability, trying to gauge whether there was a need to call for a restraining order.
The man in front of him appeared awfully calm and collected. The very picture of a model bodyguard. Except that his behavior was toeing over the land of overprotectiveness to straight up maniacal. The sad part was Heero probably didn't understand how deranged the arrangement was. Crazy people never knew they were crazy after all.
He had to be the voice of reason here. This was his best friend he was talking with, after all.
"Look here, man," he tried.
I'll be plain, this is the civilian equivalent of getting hooked up to a brain scanner. Yeah, that would go over real nice. Not.
Thinking things through, Duo went with a different tack. "She doesn't like the idea of strapping on a tracker, does she?"
Duo recalled Relena complaining about it to Hilde when her previous security commander proposed it. A shadow of hesitancy crossed over Heero's face.
"It is a risk, too. Hacking." Reading the stubborn line of Heero's mouth, Duo quickly added, "Doesn't matter how you secure it, the potential is still there."
Silence.
He gave it one last push. "Do you really want to risk others seeing this kind of information? Hers?"
"It is only a temporary arrangement," Heero finally said.
Phew, so he could reason like a normal person. All was not lost, then.
"Of course," Duo slapped Heero on the back, getting a scowl for all his efforts. "It is a smart little thing."
And it was. With that kind of device strapped on, plus the entourage of human protection net, he wondered which supervillains could sneak away with the prized mistress undetected.
Girl, you don't know how far this fella will go for you.
Shaking his head, Duo continued, "Just, dial it back a bit. All right?"
Unbeknownst to them, Relena and Hilde were having a somewhat similar conversation.
"I'm not dripping all over your floor, am I?"
"No," her friend assured her. "It is a foam dye, practically mess-free. Now stop moving about… or I will end up making a mess of your hair."
"Well then," she said, smiling at Hilde across the mirror.
This was somewhat fun. Having a girls' day out, playing dress up. Or in this case, dress down.
Sitting there in a chair, with a floor-length mirror in front of them, a plastic cape around her shoulders, she felt like being in an actual salon.
If this were a salon, the beautician would be initiating small talk.
No sooner had she thought of it than Hilde began, "So, speaking about your…"
"Friend," Relena supplied helpfully. Better than calling Heero her security commander.
"You really are not going out?"
"We are not." Needing to keep her head still, she had to settle putting the emphasis through her voice. "What has Duo been telling you?"
"Nothing," Hilde reflexively answered. At Relena's patient smile, she acceded. "All right, so he did. But I already knew that you two have history."
"He told you that Heero pointed a gun at me?" she clarified.
"Well, yes. Among other things."
"We were at war. Pointing a gun at people was not exactly uncommon," she reasoned. If anything, it should serve as a proof. By contradiction. "Hilde, you were a soldier too. How many people you pointed a gun at and ended up dating?"
"In my case, one."
Relena's eyes widened. She craned her neck to look at her friend. "You did? To Duo?"
"Stay put! See now, you got some dye on your face. What did I say?" Hilde wiped the foam away using a towel. On the particular topic, she added, "Long story. Later."
"I'll hold you up to that."
Hilde sighed, "And what do I get from telling you this?"
"I can tell you I never pulled a gun on Heero. Nor do I ever want to."
"That's not a fair exchange," Hilde complained. "I doubt you ever pull a gun on anyone."
There was one instance she did, and actually pulled the trigger. Relena forced a small smile. "You think too highly of me."
Hilde eyed her through the mirror. Relena stared back quietly.
"These days," Hilde said after a pause. "I'm glad we don't need to anymore."
Relena smiled at her. "So am I."
Hilde smiled back, shaking her head. "Though sometimes, a certain someone really makes me want to. I've still got a Preventer issued handgun with me, you know."
Shifting to an apologetic look, Relena said, "Sorry about this morning."
"Don't be. Duo knew what was coming. I told him," Hilde said in a long-suffering tone. "Er ist ein Depp." (That dork.)
Neither she nor Hilde knew what happened between Heero and Duo in those few minutes. Duo was very different than Trowa. If there was a stirring reunion, Relena hoped it was not riveting in a less-than-pleasant sense.
Closing her eyes, she said, "I shouldn't have wandered around on my own."
"You really can't go anywhere by yourself?" Hilde asked sympathetically. "Still that bad, then."
That, she could unreservedly answer. "Compared to last year, I'd say now is better."
"Is it? But he is a bit…"
Already used to that reaction, Relena proffered, "Unsympathetic? Chippy?"
"Weirdly conscientious," Hilde said. "Is he going to go up here to check on you?"
Very astute, her friend.
Relena lifted her left arm, pulling up the sleeve. "As long as I keep this tracker on me, probably not."
"He enlisted us for guard duty and put a bug on you?" Hilde asked incredulously. "That's way overkill."
"You think?" Relena cheered up.
It was heartening, to hear that she was not the only one getting that impression. She wasn't sure if that was actually the case. Heero had a highly organized brain. The random bursts of OCPD-like behavior might have been a byproduct of that. He had broken a few rules for her, after all. At times, though, he did make her worry. Now that she got some objective opinions, she should have a conversation with him...
"Hold on," Hilde's voice broke through her thoughts. "Miss Relena, that doesn't look like a tracker."
"Um, I think it is some sort of all-in-one," Relena replied. "It shows time. It can send messages, make calls. A smartwatch?"
"Thought so!" Hilde exclaimed. "Duo has one too, laying about… somewhere. Does this one work with satellites?"
She tried to recall what Heero told her. "You mean, if the cell connection works on both Earth and the colonies? I think so."
"Can I see?" Hilde asked. Relena nodded, lifting her hand up. "I never knew they make a portable transmitter this small."
"Neither did I," Relena admitted. "Heero picked this one out."
"Is it heavy?"
"Not really. It needs to be recharged often, though. Every day. Just like a regular e-link, I guess."
"It must be pricey," Hilde commented. "Is it a birthday gift?"
"No—" she started. Stopped.
There was a funny look on Hilde's face. "Did you, by any chance, think that it was standard equipment? Because I can tell you it is not."
"You may be right." Relena gave her a wan smile, reluctantly added, "I'm clueless about this wearable technology thing."
Hilde bit the inside of her mouth at that comment.
That was true, she never took much interest in it. Her own wristwatch was analog. Which she only wore out of habit. A discreet, convenient excuse to get herself out of long meetings.
"I actually questioned him whether wearing this was truly necessary," Relena exhaled, dropping both shoulders defeatedly. The tension around her friend's mouth increased, her cheeks quivered. "You can laugh, Hilde."
Hilde finally laughed, and Relena, seeing the humor, laughed along with her.
To understand the whole it is necessary to understand the parts. To understand the parts, it is necessary to understand the whole. Such is the circle of understanding. — Ken Wilber
A/N: Is it a Lima syndrome or a Stockholm syndrome? Now I am getting confused too.