Starman chapter 11

[wsprs]

?What you suggest is inconceivable! I will not tolerate fabrications, Mr. Barton.?
Trowa stood in front of Une, seemingly made of impenetrable ice. His stature was of no consequence, though, for the Lady?s back was to him.
?I have reported the truth as I perceived it. If you question that truth, perhaps it would be best to acquire a second opinion.?
Lady Une waved at the air as if to dismiss the suggestion as trivial, she knew Trowa spoke with logic and genuine concern, and not flippancy.
?I don?t question you, Trowa. I believe what you saw. I find the news a bit? awesome, that?s all. Please accept my apology.?
She stood and faced him, and looked him squarely in the eye. He nodded his ascent, and it was as though her words were stricken. She looked to the floor, eyes full of disbelief and awe.
?Heero. Alive. Truly amazing.?
?Perhaps not. As you know, I have discussed the events of the last 14 hours with the others here. They have come to the same possible conclusion as I.?
Trowa stepped aside to allow Zechs inside the make-shift tent that had been erected close to the crash site, and Duo trailed after. Une nodded in greeting, and received a similar gesture from the taller man, and an elaborate wave from the other.
?Preventor Wind??
She lowered her head to peer over her glasses to glare at the other sardonically.
??Duo.?
?Here to report, as commanded.?
?Yes. As commanded.?
She looked back to Zechs.
?Carry on.?
Zechs was about to speak, and suddenly peered to his right at the shorter man, who was hopping up and down on the balls of his feet.
?You wish to say something, Duo??
Duo glanced up at Zechs, clearly thrilled. Zechs just rolled his eyes and hoped he didn?t regret the decision to allow the braided fool to speak.
?Ahem. Yes. Well, we ? uh, Wufei and me, I mean ? we checked out Relena?s cabin-?
Zechs whorled to face him with such speed, Duo was nearly knocked flat.
?WHAT!? You were clearly ordered to stay away from there until someone with experience could supervise!?
Sheepishly, Duo grinned and shrugged his shoulders.
?Well! I thought someone everyone could trust should go! Relena?s my friend, too! And we all know I?ve got an eye for detail. I wouldn?t miss something some stuffy forensics guy would miss! Besides! It?s taking entirely too long to get someone qualified up here in no man?s land!?
Zechs turned to glare at Wufei, who had just entered a moment prior. The Chinese man looked properly embarrassed, but he did not lower his eyes. Resigned, Zechs turned to Duo, trying to unclench his teeth. In a way, he had agreed. It was taking too long.
?Continue.?
?As I was saying before I was interrupted.?
Duo glowered at Zechs for a second before turning back to Une.
?Wufei and I found something.?
There he paused for dramatic effect. He looked first to Une, then Zechs. They waited patiently, accustomed to Duo?s lavish tactics. Disappointed, he continued.
?It was a bit of cloth.?
At this, Lady Une cast a disapproving glare at Duo.
?Why is this discovery of significance??
Duo grinned.
?Well, you all know how me and Heero met ??
?Get on with it, Maxwell.?
?Yeah. Um. Well, the dress Relena was wearing that night. She used some material she?d torn from the hem to bind Heero?s bullet wounds. I know that ?cuz I?m the one who shot him.?
Embarrassed, he shuffled his feet and gave a lop-sided grin.
?I?m growing impatient, Duo.?
Duo looked to Zechs, and sighed. His eyes fell to the floor as he collected himself. When he raised his head to look at Une, the mischievousness in his eyes had been replaced by a sobering unease.
?The cloth we found was a piece of that material. We gave it to Sally to be sure. She used some cool medical stuff and found that some of the DNA from the blood cells had been ruptured during some extraction or something. She also said there?s this weird residue that has an energy signature that wasn?t a part of the original DNA. She figures that whatever came out of that pod was able to use the DNA imbedded in it and transmorph into what Trowa saw.?
Zechs, stood as if frozen in stone, eyes wide and unbelieving. Une staggered back as if she suffered a blow. She put her hand to her chest to stay her ragged breathing. She blinked as if unseeing, and shook her head as though trying to dispel a nightmare.
?You?re.. you?re saying that this.. thing? BECAME Heero??

Wufei pushed passed Duo and Zechs and stood at attention in front of his superior.
?No, sir. Duo is suggesting that the? thing? has replicated Heero?s physiology.?
?You mean a clone??
Wufei?s eyebrows drew over troubled eyes, but he did not waiver.
?I am unsure, but I do not think so. It is my belief that it was done because the? thing.. either wishes to blend in, or cannot survive in our atmosphere. Perhaps both. Perhaps neither.?
Une straightened her shoulders, and looked to Zechs, her eyes confused and afraid. She flicked her gaze back to Wufei.
?Explain.?
?It may be that it was Heero who crashed, and that all our discoveries are irrelevant to adequately suggest an alien presence.?
Trowa stepped forward and flicked his eyes toward Zechs before settling his gaze on Une.
?Let us not forget the record from Voyager. If it was truly Heero who crashed, how would he come by such a thing??
Une?s eye?s widened. Again, she looked to Zechs. His body shaking, Zechs cleared his throat in an attempt to speak.
?It is of no consequence who or what it was. My sister has been ? has been kidnapped. The only break in security was the pod. I believe that whatever ? or whoever - was in the pod? has taken Relena, and that what was said by Duo, Wufei, and Trowa-?
He looked to the man who had probably set up this meeting to inform himself and Lady Une of the newest discoveries, and received a careful nod and a look full of sympathy and alarm.
?- Is true.?
Une looked from each man to the next, and back to the first.
?Well, then. I am glad I acquired help from certain members of our correlated pasts to track our Minister and.. and her captor. Hilde and Dorothy are positioned at the only two gas stations within a hundred mile radius of here. As we speak, Cathrine is driving a circus truck on I-80, the freeway Trowa was on when he encountered the Minister last.. If Relena is still in her Mustang, at least one of those girls will see her and report in. They may not be Preventors, but I feel they have more expertise than most five star generals.?
As she spoke, her voice regained its strength and force.
?Trowa. As to your earlier suggestion to a second opinion. Granted. Despite the evidence suggesting otherwise, we still don?t know if this is an alien.?
She shook her head to herself in contemplation, and spoke almost too softly for any outside a few feet to hear.
?Aliens are so outside my understanding it?s beyond my ability to conceive. But no more so than someone coming back from the dead! God only knows if anyone could cheat death and pull this off, it would be Heero. But that doesn?t make any sense! Who is this guy? Why has he come here???
A moment passed, and the Lady realized that everyone was still looking at her. They all appeared as though her words were a reflection of their own thoughts. Instead of dwelling on the questions that made them all nervous, she did what she is best at. Throwing herself into action.
?Trowa. I want you, Wufei, and Quatre to anticipate where they will go and station yourself so that you can observe. Under no circumstance will any of you engage in action of any kind. Your mission is to track their movements only. We don?t know if our interference will be a detriment to the Minister.?
?But what if it really is Heero??
She looked up into the waiting eyes of Duo.
?That is another reason to observe only. If it truly is Heero, the crash might have caused significant brain damage. He might be acting on instinct. However, if it is not Heero??
She trailed off, but the message was clear. Take no prisoners.
?Duo. I need you here with me. Of all of us, you were closest to Heero. I want you to tell me everything you know about Heero, and to be my advisor when the others report back. We will determine the identity of this man, and his intentions.?
Duo nodded and the Lady continued.
?Another thing. The last thing we need is a public uproar. This is to remain confidential in the highest regard. Everyone believes the Minister is on vacation. Let them continue believing this. However, we will need help from local law enforcement agencies because we do not want to alert the public or press by using any of our typical means of putting out fires. I understand this unconventional, but it is the best, fastest way of getting Relena back quietly and without danger.?
Everyone nodded as they assimilated their respective orders, but before any could leave to assume prior duties, Zechs spoke.
?Lady ? I would like to make a request.?
Unsurprised, Une looked to Zechs, his face stricken and eyes full one moment with fear, the next with rage. She assessed him sternly, and pressed her mouth in a thin line. She seemed to come to some silent conclusion, and exhaled.
?Permission granted. If you find them, take care. I don?t need to tell you to be wary of Heero. But he may not be Heero. Keep in mind that regardless of who he is, he?s got Heero?s body, and if that wasn?t enough, apparently he has the ability to control energy and use it as a weapon. Combined, we don?t know what that makes him capable of.?
?Understood.?
Just as everyone was about to disperse, Quatre ran in, clearly out of breath, but smiling.
?Sorry! I came as fast as I could!. I had a heck of a time sneaking by the Magnauts, and I had to ask one of my sisters to cover for me while I?m gone. How is everyone??
He looked from one somber face to another, and slowly his smile faded into one that matched.
?So. How long has Relena been missing??

[kawaiiemogirl]

YAY! Quatre's in the story now.