But, that's it for now.
Standard Disclaimers Apply. (Yeah, I'm getting increasingly lazy)
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Human Nature
Chapter 3 - A Reunion
Year: After Colony 199
Day 3
A group of seven men sat leisurely in the small lounge, eating various items and talking of the latest news. Each wore gray pants, a white shirt, and a black vest and cap.
One man with a mop of sandy blonde curls voiced his opinion. "I tell you, Padua, I don't like it!"
"Who are we to question the general's actions?" Simone Padua retorted hotly, rising from his chair.
Slovinsky pounded a fist on the table. "I'm questioning his motives! Since when do we need to take prisoners?!"
"Calm down, the two of you." Sergeant Nemov interjected calmly. "We don't even know if the rumors are true."
"And how are we to know otherwise?!" Slovinsky demanded of his superior, daringly.
"What's going on in here?!" A commanding voice called, as a tall, well - built soldier in black emerged from the entryway.
"Nothing sir!" Slovinsky, Padua, Nemov, and the two other soldiers immediately rose, saluting the feared lieutenant.
Hard-set cerulean eyes glared at each of them. Before he could say another word a beautiful woman entered the room, wearing a white jacket and a long skirt. "Excuse me, Lieutenant. May I see you for a moment?"
The lieutenant glared at them before turning and walking out the door.
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Lucretcia quickly followed Trowa down a sinkhole and closed the lid behind her. Jumping from the ladder, she landed painlessly on the ground. Steel tunnels led in every direction, but only one was blocked off by a 4-rung laser security panel. Next to the opening was a retina-scan device as well as a palm-identifier.
He quickly stepped up to each device.
"Retina Scan Complete." A mechanized voice echoed through the passageway. "Waiting for hand-print identification."
Trowa placed his hand on the scanner. "Verification complete. Code Name: Trowa Barton. Enter." Oddly the laser beams didn?t disappear.
Without warning, he turned to face her and she stepped back. Her eyes widened as she noticed for the first time how much he had changed. He was much taller, towering over her own 5'8 height. His hair was still as wild as ever and his eyes still held the same dark mystery, but his face was more filled-out and the lines of his jaw were more defined.
He seemed unaffected by her gawking stare. "You'll have to wait here. There's a sensor placed just in front of the beams. It'll let me through, but not you. Once, I'm inside, I'll deactivate the mechanism." He stepped through the beams and entered a small code into a keypad on the other side. At once, the beams retracted.
Trowa jumped back out and picked up the bag.
Noin broke the silence. "Where will this tunnel take us?"
"It's a shortcut. I know where Duo, Quatre, and Wufei are. The fastest way to reach them is to contact them from a central location on a secure channel. That way, it won't take us very long to assemble." He immediately turned, carefully placing the bag inside the tunnel and climbed through the hatch.
'Still a man of few words.' Thought Noin. It was good to know that something had not changed. Everything was in such chaos. If the contents of the chamber contain what I think it does, we're in for a lot of trouble. 'I just hope they can do something about it.' She climbed into the narrow tunnel behind Trowa.
A few meters down she stopped and gasped. The walls of the tunnel were coated with smeared pools of dried blood. It sent chills down her spine. "Trowa?what?what happened here?"
He stopped dead in his tracks and scooted around. Their faces were very close. Noin's eyes went wide as she noticed the look in his own - they were swirling with something dark and terrible. He voice was low, but she winced as if he had shouted. "I've seen an awful lot of things, Noin, as I'm sure you have. But this?this is one thing you'd rather not know about. The Alliance did some treacherous things to those who had the power and influence to spawn a rebellion. Those who were caught did not fare well." He pulled back and sat down, ducking his head. "Tell me now. Does this have anything to do with Bartkusonete?"
"Yes. I'm sure you know about the current status of his underground base in the north. Lady Une filled me in on the rest. I also saw Relena. That's when I knew something was wrong. I don't know what's in that canister. But whatever it is, it's dangerous. She's afraid, Trowa. I've never seen her like that before. From the temperature regulation devices and the atmospheric controls, I'd guess it's a biological weapon of some sort. But why stoop so low? That kind of warfare was banned centuries ago. No one will stand for it. Every nation would protest that. It makes no sense."
He regarded her with a cool, collected tone of voice that showed no hint of worry or shock. "That depends on your objective. It's an odd move, true. But not necessarily an illogical one." Without a second glance he turned around and continued crawling through the tunnel.
Lucretcia sat with her mouth agape. That's it?! That's all he has to say?! She felt like kicking the behind right in front of her face and then shaking him, demanding that he give her an answer. At the very least he could tell her he had a plan - an idea of what was going on! But then she stopped. What if he didn't have one? Were the Gundam pilots trained to deal with this type of weapon? Guns, lasers, and machinery were one thing?but?an invisible pathogen? How do you fight something when all knowledge about it had been destroyed centuries ago? She chewed on her bottom lip. 'We all tend to rely on them so much. What would happen if they failed?'
She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. 'I wish Zechs were here. I trust Trowa, but?' She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Her job was to deliver this thing to the gundam pilots. Then she could have time to worry. 'One thing at a time, Lu.'
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"Well?" Heero asked as soon as the door of the lab slid closed. He pulled at his collar of his uniform and undid the first button.
Sally Poe rolled her eyes before quickly pressing the lock on a panel near the door. "You never change. Always right to the point." She hit a switch on her computer terminal and shut down the surveillance system. "The rumors are true." She stated mater-of-factly as she began packing several medical instruments into a small case.
He seemed neither impressed nor the least bit concerned. "I know they are. Dr. J. has been here for almost a week."
"No. I think we do have a hostage. I know you've been monitoring the system, but I think there is a lot we don't know. Bartkusonete is smart - that's one thing in his favor. He knows exactly what he's doing and he's not taking any chances. Dr J. is important for inventing and designing weapons, but in the political arena he has no pull."
Heero gave her a cold stare, but nodded. "Makes sense. Bartkusonete's getting pretty desperate. Although, as you said, it would have to be someone very important to get the Federation's attention."
"Mmm. There're only a few he could possibly get his hands on. Governor Cottrel is in the east, Jamael Atin is still on tour in the southern district, and Baron Adiaz is confined to bed rest after his recent heart attack. That leaves only two - Lady Une and Relena." She said, reaching up to a high shelf to pull more equipment down and threw it into her brown bag.
"Wrong. That leaves one. Our spies reported that Lady Une blasted out of the Highland Spaceport two days ago. Since then, she's been meeting with every official of the Colonial Cabinet. Either we're getting recognition or Bartkusonete's true scheme has been uncovered. In any case, we still have a big problem." Heero's eyes darted back and forth as he watched Sally run from one end of the room to the other. "What are you doing?"
She stopped, her two blonde braids whipping about her, and put a hand on her hip. "What does it look like? I'm packing." Sally immediately resumed her task.
Heero was silent for a long time and then sighed. She was going and that was that. "Go to the hanger." He took out a small slip of paper and handed it to her. "Contact Quatre at this frequency. I?m going to get Relena and Dr. J. out of whatever holding cell they?re in. Then I?ll disperse the soldiers and destroy this bunker, taking as many mobile suits with it as we can."
Sally raised a brow. "Destroying the bunker is an easy task for you, but how are you going to suddenly convince all these soldiers to go home with no pay and no food? Don't forget the entire reason this whole thing started."
"Don't worry. I haven't. Oh, and Sally, give my regards to Wufei." He placed a black cap over tousled hair, unlocked the door and stepped out.
'Of course.' She muttered after turning a healthy shade of crimson. She trusted Heero with her life, and had complete confidence in his abilities, but it was annoying at times ? Heero honestly seemed to be aware of everyone and everything ? almost as if he were not human. 'I wonder if there's anything that would surprise him.' She pondered ruefully.
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"Hilde!" Duo screamed at the top of his lungs, while digging through a heap of junk.
"What?!" Came an exasperated cry, as Hilde Schpiker poked her head out of a small office. She caught sight of him rummaging through bolts, old battery cells, and various other scraps. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Everything was a complete disaster. At this moment it was difficult to remember why she ever agreed to go into the salvage business in the first place.
"Where in the he?"
"Duo!!!!!" 'Uh-oh. Here it comes.' He thought, cringing as he turned around. Her voice was high enough to shatter glass, and his long braid whipped up behind him as 'Hurricane Hilde' went on the warpath.
"Do you even have a clue as to how long it took me to organize everything into separate categories, ready to be put NEATLY into storage compartments for later use?! How do you expect to sell anything if you can't even find it?!"
That did it! After all, he was Duo Maxwell - God of Death. He jumped to his feet, fearlessly facing her 'whirlwinds.' "I had everything arranged just fine before you stuck your hands in everything and screwed up my system!"
"You call 'throwing the newest stuff on top' a system?!"
Duo narrowed his eyes. There was only one way to win this arguement.
Hildie's eyes widened when she saw his wicked gleam. "No, Duo. Please. Not?" She shook her head, backing away ? looking for a quick exit.
The God of Death stalked his prey carefully in a circle, taking care to make sure she would not escape his wrath. Suddenly, he pounced on her, knocking her to the ground, tickling her mercilessly.
::Gasp:: "Duo?" ::Giggle:: "Please?" :: Giggle::
"Do you surrender?"
"Never!"
He began tickling her harder this time.
Finally she relented. "Ok. Ok. I surrender." She fought to keep her breath. They were both smiling now, all traces of anger gone. His arms supported his weight as he still leaned over her. Her smile slowly faded as she gazed up at his face and fell for him all over again. Out of all the Gundam pilots, he was the first to make a joke or crack a smile. Even when things were unbearably difficult, he could make her laugh. His voice was much deeper now, but his face still held much of the youth and boyish charm he had when she first met him. And then there was that braid - she had given up on that long ago. It was past his knees now. But that was a part of his charm too. Her eyes closed as she noticed him starting to close the gap between. Out of the blue a high-pitched beeping noise interrupted them.
Duo grumbled as he leaned his forehead against her's before pushing himself up and stalking off towards the small office, muttering curses the whole way. "This better be good or da?"
As soon as he stepped inside, the view-screen activated. "Yo Trowa! Long time no see, pal! What's up? Tired of circus life and come to join us junk collectors, huh?"
Trowa reluctantly cracked a smile, but quickly returned to his stoic self. "I'm afraid not. Come to the hanger as soon as you can. There's an emergency."
"Sure thing, buddy. I'll be there in a flash." He turned around to leave, but quickly spun back. ?And Trowa??
?Yes??
?You?re losing your power, man. I?ll get you to laugh at one of my jokes yet.?
A rare, broad smile crossed Trowa?s face before the screen went blank and switched off. Duo smacked his hands together and gave a yelp. "Yeeehaaaww! We're back in business."
"Duo?" Hilde's unamused voice came from the doorway. "What was all that about?" She asked eyeing him suspiciously.
"Err?uh?nothing, Hilde. The guys and I are just gettin' together for a little while, that's all. You know?uh?catch up on old times."
She rolled her eyes. "You're a miserable liar, you know that?"
"Hey! I resent tha?"
She cut him off, giving him a quick kiss. "Oh shut up for once. It's a deal. I won't follow you this time. Besides somebody has to clean up this mess." Her voice turned serious, before she slipped out of the office. "But Duo, come back in one piece, ok?"
"Sure thing." He said confidently and winked.
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Quatre hugged Noin and Trowa warmly. ?It?s so good to see you both again. I?m sorry I couldn?t meet you sooner, but there were a few things I had to take care of?? He trailed off a bit at the end, noting Noin?s agitated, nervous stance, but kept a true, genuine smile.
Trowa walked to a dusty table in the old shuttle hanger and placed the bag on top of it. He unzipped it and pulled the bag away from the cold, black surface of the tube. ?This is it.?
Quatre studied each of the gages, wires, and switches. ?The casing itself isn?t a weapon or a part of one. Miss Noin is right though, it?s protecting something inside.?
?Well it doesn?t look very impressive to me.? A new voice answered.
All three of them whipped around to see Chang Wufei leaning casually against the wall on the opposite side of the room. He was dressed in the traditional white garb of his clan and a ponytail hung to mid-back.
He sauntered up to meet the group, leaning over the table to get a good look at the black canister.
"Did you bring the equipment?" Quatre asked Wufei.
He nodded. "Level 1 security. There was a slight problem with getting the Baron's approval, but it was relatively easy to break into the lab."
"Level 1?" Lucretcia asked, shocked. "Are they in that much of a panic?"
Wufei raised a brow. "It tends to happen when a insane fool takes a hostage of political importance."
"No. Not Relena?!"
Quatre nodded. "She's been missing since you left the spaceport. The news took a while to get out since she hasn't been seen in public for a while. But it was formally announced this morning."
"I knew I shouldn't have left her alone! Oh God, what will Zechs say?! I've got to go find her!" She picked up her weapons and made tracks for the underground tunnels.
"Noin."
She whipped around to face Trowa. "Don't go alone. Zechs should be well enough to travel by the time you get through the tunnels. I'll have him meet you there."
"But I just can't?"
"We were being followed. The tunnels are clear for the moment, but whoever it was will be waiting for you. I'll get you through the security check points, but after that, it's up to you."
"Thank you. Good Luck." She said quickly. Lucretcia glanced one last time at the black chamber before running toward the exit.
Quatre eyed Trowa warily. "You know where Relena is. Why didn't you tell her?"
Trowa regarded him silently for a moment, then turned away walking back to the table.
Wufei crossed his arms across his chest. "For one thing, she's too distracted. Focus and balance are needed if we're going to defeat the enemy. Plus, she'll make a good distraction. It may buy us some time."
Quatre frowned and was about to voice his disapproval when Wufei backed away suddenly, his head whipping up to glare at the ceiling. "Did you hear that?" He asked, ready to face any challenge.
"Faintly." Trowa replied, scanning the room for any signs of an unwelcome intruder.
"There!" Quatre shouted, pointing to a shadow on one of the steel rafters, hanging 75 meters above.
"Quick! Split up!" Wufei called, pulling out a gun that had been tucked in his jacket pocket.
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Trowa tumbled across the back of a joint - where two rafters, spanning opposite directions, met. With lighting speed, he stood upright, on his feet once more. There! There's that shadow again! He whipped to the left, running across the beam, a mere 15 centimeters wide. Just millimeters away from the next junction, a figure jumped in front of him, clad in black. Trowa easy did a flip, landing just behind the intruder. He brought his gun to the man's head and cocked the barrel.
A broad smile crossed the face, concealed in shadows. Only the white of his teeth showed through the darkness. The intruder ducked, turned to face Trowa, and swung a swift, circular kick, intending to knock Trowa off his feet - and most likely off the rafter itself.
Trowa inhaled sharply, stunned that he'd been so easily defeated. With the impact to his shins, he wavered and fell. In a desperate act, he grabbed on to beam with his left hand.
"Trowa!" Quatre screamed from the rafter directly across the way and began making his way toward him.
Wufei followed suit, consumed by fear for his friend and anger for this mysterious intruder.
"Well, well, well." The intruder said mockingly. "What do we have here?" He asked, sauntering to stand just next to Trowa's hand.
There was no fear in Trowa's eyes - their dark green almost glowed through the shadows. 'I will not die here. Not now. There is still too much?' He chanted to himself. "Yaaaaaaa!" He gave a cry, mustering all his strength, and swung his body up. He did a back flip and landed with easeful grace just behind the stranger. His eyes narrowed as he reached out and pulled on the long, brown braid.
"Heeeeeeeey! Whadda' think your doin? That hurts!" Duo cried.
"You wine like a woman." Wufei stated. "He let you off rather easy. I would have killed you without a second thought.
"I don't think so, Wu-man. You know, you're all gettin' pretty lax. Seems to me like you needed a little practice to wake you up."
Quatre shook his head. Same old Duo. Making wise cracks and pulling stunts, whether appropriate or not. The God of Death - before he knew him, the words that came with that title seemed to be more mystery and silence. Now they were a constant contradiction where Duo was concerned.
Wufei rolled his eyes. It was amazing that Duo was even able to pilot a gundam, better yet even have a chance at getting the upper hand on Trowa. He was reckless, cocky, and his wisecracks were totally inappropriate. For a moment he considered knocking him out with a swift kick, but decided against it. There was too much to do and Duo's skills, feeble as he thought them to be, were needed. "Enough. We have work to do. There are only 6 hours before the timer runs out."
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A few minutes later, Trowa sat at a computer terminal continuously sifting though classified documents. 'There's nothing here. Romefeller apparently did one good thing.' "Humph." Who was working for Bartkusonete that could reinvent this technological terror? Noin was right. No one in his right mind would. There had to be something else. He turned to Quatre who was seated at the terminal on the far side of the small room. "It's not a biological weapon. Bartkusonete doesn't want death, he wants control."
"You're right. But that still doesn't answer the question of just what is in that canister and why Relena was hiding it in the first place."
Trowa was about to speak, when a cry was heard.
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Duo found himself, soldering a damaged wire connecting to the atmospheric stabilizer, while Wufei ran several logistics tests. "That about does it." Duo sighed, ripping off his goggles. "This baby shouldn't have any more problems!
He jumped down from the table, causing to wobble on its old legs. Suddenly white steam shot off from a release valve causing him to jump. The pressure dials began to fall, the locks released, and a red knob lighted green.
Wufei grabbed his collar and shook him. "What did you touch, fool?"
"Hey! I didn't touch anything! I swear!" Duo cried.
Trowa and Quatre came running down the hall and into the open bay area.
"I thought we had four hours left!" Quatre murmured.
"Obviously not." Trowa whispered as the side cracked open,
with a loud hiss.
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TBC...
Hmm...sorry I can't post more tonight, but I've got a ton of work to do. It'll be coming soon though. After all, the next couple chapters are already written. Hoped you enjoyed this one!