DISCLAIMER: Gundam Wing belonged to
Sunrise and co. I’m not making any profits out of this, so don’t sue. Oh, those
you think you’ve never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome,
people!☺
TIMELINE: The story takes place after Survival of the Fittest, I’d say almost two years.
By Arayelle Lynn.
“So you’re telling us that Heero
saved your life and fought Kylie,” Duo repeated in disbelief. Part of
him wanted to believe it but the other part warned him that there might be
something fishy behind all that. He watched the girl, Amy, carefully. Though
she occasionally squirmed uncomfortably under their scrutinize gazes, she
seemed calm and well-composed. ‘This is definitely a girl who has seen and
experience everything life has to offer,’ he decided.
Amy nodded. “It’s true. He saved
me from Kylie, only he said that she’s not the real Kylie.” Her face masked
confusion. “Then, he gave me this address and told me I could find Miss Relena
here.” This time, it was she who looked at them for answers. “What’s going on
here?”
“That’s what we would like to
find out,” said Lady Une, watching the girl intently. “Tell me. What did Heero
say to you about Kylie, exactly?” There was a hint of something in her voice,
so everybody turned their gazes on her.
Amy frowned, recalling. “Well, I
believe it was ‘That’s not Kylie, at least she’s not our Kylie’,” she
repeated.
“And before that? What did he
say to her?” Une prompted.
“Uh… it was ‘You may have her face but you’re not her’
or something like that,” Amy quoted.
For a moment Lady Une was
silent. Then, she looked at everyone in the room with her. They all wore the
same expression as hers. “I believe that we’ve all reached the same
conclusion,” she said, finally. “It seems that our enemy has someone posing as
our Gundam friends. And there are at least two Heeros walking around the
street.”
Everybody nodded but it was
Zechs who spoke. “That’s the more reasonable conclusion. We know that the
Gundam pilots would never betray what they’ve fought for. And so, Winteridge
has people disguising as the dead Gundam pilots without knowing that one of
them is still alive.”
“And we know Heero would not let
them get away with this,” Wu Fei put in.
Trowa nodded. “So, now we know
they have someone posing as Heero and Kylie…”
“That would mean they have
someone posing as Quatre too!” Duo interrupted, a little excited. “I know
Quatre would never betray us.”
“No!” Dorothy gasped, as fear
started to overwhelm her. “That would mean… Quatre’s in danger!”
The revelation stunned everyone.
Since Heero and Kylie were dead or supposedly in Heero’s case, Winteridge had
no need to put away the real ones. But Quatre, he would have to take him down
in order to replace him with his own actor.
“Let’s not panic,” said Lady
Une, calming the distressed Dorothy. “We will form a rescue plan once we have
enough information on our enemy. But first, we have to find out where they’re
keeping Quatre Winner.”
“Provided if they haven’t kill him, that is,” Duo whispered to himself but those words
echoed in everyone’s thoughts. Once Winteridge had his actor in place to play
as Quatre, he would no longer need the real Winner’s heir. So, what reason did
he have to spare his life?
>>>@@<<<
Sounds.
Lights.
They were all seemed so far away. He had once tried
to grab them. To hold them in his hands but each time his hands closed on them,
the darkness swallowed him again. And he remembered nothing.
So, why was his world seemed so
dark? Where was the light? Where was the sound? Was he born in darkness? If
yes, how did he know the meaning of light and sound? If he wasn’t born in
darkness, where’s the light? And the sound?
Dream.
He had that once. It was a long
time ago. But now, with the darkness, came the nightmares. He tried to wrench
himself free from the web but couldn’t. He tried to will the nightmares away
but found his will as fragile as glass.
Wait a minute! Was that light
he’s seeing? Did he just hear someone calling his name?
“Quatre!”
Someone was calling him!
It was a light that he saw. Dragging his heavy feet, he made his way
towards it. Though it was slow and painful, he seemed to be making progress.
The light grew bigger with every step he made.
“That’s it, Quatre. Wake up.”
Came that voice again. It was familiar but his thoughts were too numb to place
the face that went with it. “Come on, Quatre.” That voice whispered again. He
quickened his pace, dragging his feet that felt like lead.
Then, the light was within his
reach. Slowly, he lifted his trembling arm and touched the light.
The darkness dissolved. And
light washed over him.
Quatre woke up, gasping. His
head spun as if he’d been on a bad roller coaster ride. His body felt numb and
he’d never been so thirsty in his entire life. “Here, drink this,” said that
familiar voice again as something cool pressed against his lips.
Then, he closed his eyes,
waiting until the dizziness passed off. When he finally opened his eyes, his
vision improved. “Hello, Quatre Raberba Winner,” said that voice again. His
brain finally functioning, Quatre found a face that went with the voice.
“Kylie! You’re alive,” he
rasped.
Kylie smiled. “I’m not dead.
Never was,” she said, putting the glass aside. “I was busy working with my
employer, Duke Winteridge. Yes, you know him, Quatre.” She then continued
dabbing his face with a damp cloth.
Still trying to focus his
thoughts, Quatre glanced around him. “What’s going on?” he slurred. He was in a
small white room. There was nothing else in the room except for his bed, a
small table lamp and an IV that stood by his bed. The room looked like a small
infirmary except there’s a barred door behind Kylie. “Where am I?”
“That’s not important, Quatre.
What’s important is that we achieve what we have started.”
Quatre felt the wheel in his
head turning, sluggishly, trying to process the riddles in her words.
“Achieve?” he echoed, thinking hard. Then his eyes widened as a distant memory
played in his mind. “Y… you shot me!” He looked at where he was shot but found
there was no wound! “Wha…”
Kylie shrugged. “I shot you, so
what? It was a tranquilizer gun. Enough to keep you alive.”
“Keep me alive?” Quatre was even
more confused. What’s going on?
She waved her hand, carelessly.
“Don’t get us wrong, Quatre Raberba Winner. We don’t really need you. All we
need was your resource satellite and whatever riches you’ve inherited. But
having you here is a bonus.”
“You… you kidnapped me!” he
gasped, as his mind was beginning to work. “Why?”
“To replace you with one of our
own,” she answered, trailing a finger along his smooth jaw line. “And thanks to
you, Quatre Raberba Winner, all your resources are now ours.” A glint of pure
evil flashed in her eyes. He shot up from his bed.
“No! You’re not her,” he denied,
feeling torn and betrayed as well. “You’re not Kylie!” So, she’s really
dead, he realized.
But before Quatre could devise a plan to overpower his captor, a wave of great pain shot through him. His chest suddenly felt as if it’s on fire and his limbs and muscles screamed. He found himself gasping as he fell forward. His captor caught him at arm length.
“What’s wrong with me?” he
gasped, praying for the pain to subside. His head was throbbing madly as if
there’s a Gundam war inside it. And he felt nauseous. Even keeping his
breathing steady didn’t help lessen the pain.
“You’ve been drugged, Quatre
Raberba Winner,” his captor answered, stroking his forehead. Her cool hands,
ironically, soothed the pain in his head. Quatre was reminded painfully of the
real Kylie. “In fact, you’ve been unconscious for the past two months.”
“Two months!” he gasped. The
news brought back the pain but the girl gently supported him.
“Yes. We’ve been monitoring the
drug we used on you ‘till this day,” she continued. “We have to make sure that
you won’t cause trouble to our operation.” Then she shrugged again,
nonchalantly. “But now, we have all that we want. Your resource satellite, the
Mars colony and one of our own as the head of the Winner’s family. We will rule
over the Earth Sphere soon.”
Quatre head shot up. “No! My
friends, they will rescue me.”
Smiling crookedly, Kylie wiped
the sweat that trickled down his forehead. His face was very pale, due to the
use of the drug and being inactive for so long. But why should she care? Her
mission came first. “On the contrary, my dear Quatre Winner. Your friends don’t
know where you are. They don’t even know that you’re in danger.”
She drew her face near his,
their noses nearly touching. “Your friends are so taken by the great performance
of our agent in your supposedly betrayal that they’re inclined to believe that
you indeed have betrayed them.” Then, her eyes grew cold. “You see, you’re not
going anywhere. So, stick around.”
Before Quatre could think of a
response, he felt a stab of pain in his right arm. Eyes widened, he looked down
to see a syringe stuck in his arm. As he tried to fight off the drug, his eyes
swam and he began to drown back into the darkness. His last sight was the cruel
sneer on her face.
Kylie caught Quatre Winner as
his head slumped forward on her chest. For a moment, she held him close as
nasty thoughts played in her mind. She would really have fun with this one, she
thought. “Sleep, Quatre Winner. Soon it will be over,” she whispered as she
felt his ragged breathing. “For you, that is.”
She placed his head back on the
pillow and pulled the blanket over him. She then checked the IV that would
supply their prisoner with the necessary nutrient before looking back at him
again. ‘He does look cute when he’s sleeping,’ she found herself thinking.
‘It’s a shame that he’s the enemy.’
She walked out of the room and
locked the barred door. There, she found her partner waiting for her,
patiently. “I still don’t understand why we’re keeping this weakling alive,” her
partner protested, glaring at the sleeping captive.
“Simple,” Kylie simply said.
“He’s our only trump card if anything goes wrong. We could use him if should
the Gundam pilots do something unexpected.” She shrugged. “Besides, I want to
play with him and his friends some more.”
A low chuckle broke in. “Even if
you’re not the real Kylie Rayden, you’re still as heartless as the real one,”
said a voice from the shadows. A Hispanic man came over them with Duke
Winteridge and the false Quatre Winner. “Maybe even more heartless. And
certainly more useful than the real one.”
Kylie came over the man. Her
eyes looked up as if looking at a father. “And that’s why you love my work so
much, don’t you, Instructor?” she said to the man who trained her and her friends.
“Come on, you two,” said
Winteridge. “We’ve just received a contact from our spy inside the Preventers.”
“Oh, goody. More spoiled
surprises,” said Kylie, rubbing her palms together.
Kent Winteridge smiled at her, and
then was serious. “Our spy informed us that the enemy might be close in
figuring out everything. They know that we have doubles posing as three of the
Gundam pilots.” He paused. “And so, I’ve sent our spy to eliminate Relena
Darlian and her friends. We might be having our war sooner than we expected.”
Then, he turned to Kylie. “And
oh, it is confirmed.” He looked at Heero at this point. “The real Heero Yuy is
in the game. He’s alive.”
>>>@@<<<
“The job’s done. Everything’s
secured,” he reported to the face on the screen.
“Acknowledged,” said the face, a
female. “What’s the status, Heero?”
Heero shook his head. “Not good.
We still haven’t figure out exactly what the enemy is planning. Why the
charade?” He looked at her. “Found anything yet?” he asked. The girl on the
other end shook her blond head this time.
“I warned you it would take some
time,” she answered. “Winteridge has his files in tight security.”
“Well, keep at it, Sara. I know
you’re close.”
Then the girl looked at him,
knowingly. “Is there anything else I can do for you, Heero?”
He studied the face of his housemate. Yes, the person who stayed in the second room in his house was her. Well, their house to be exact. Heero found Sara at the end of the Telrhani war, badly hurt and later-found cripple. Unable to leave her alone like that, Heero opted to stay on with her, rewriting their life to a new one. And since Sara was a very good hacker, Heero would usually depend on her to provide him with the necessary information while he was out on his own secret missions. This included.
“I just want you to find out
something,” he told her, relaying what he wanted. Sara listened carefully
before nodding.
“Piece a cake. See ya.”
With the transmission broken,
Heero continued his quest for more answers.
>>>@@<<<
The necessary preparation had
been made. The plan was finally approved, Dorothy Catalonia found herself
standing in the docking bay with Amy Pierson at her side. Relena Darlian was a
few meters away, talking to her brother, reassuring him.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine,”
Relena was saying. “Duo’s the only person who knows the place. If Winteridge
has any spies in the Preventers, he or she would not know where we’ll be
hiding.”
The decision had been made. To
protect Relena, Dorothy and Amy, a plan had been devised to hide them in a safe
house only few knew. This was to ensure that the enemy wouldn’t try to target
Relena for the second time. Though she had protested, Relena finally saw the
wisdom in it.
They also included Dorothy and
Amy in not only to accompany Relena but because of all people, they’re the ones
who ever had close contact with the impostors. Lady Une feared that they might
be a target for seeing too much.
And as a precaution, Lady Une
was willing to suspect a spy in her rank of agents. After all, nobody had known
where Relena’s secret summer house was except for the Preventers. And that’s
why she couldn’t reject the possibility that there might be a spy among them.
So, this plan was agreed as strictly-need-to-know basis. Her agents might know
that the Vice Minister and party were leaving but none would know exactly where
to. This plan was not even recorded. The only person who knew fully of the plan
would be Lady Une herself.
And Duo Maxwell, since he’s
piloting.
“Hey, ladies. We better go now.
Hilde’s waiting in the shuttle,” said Duo, keeping his voice light. He knew
Zechs was a little edgy at not being included in this plan. But it was dire for
them to keep the safe house a secret. Even Relena herself didn’t know where
they’re heading to.
With that, Relena gave her
brother a final hug before disappearing into the shuttle with Dorothy and Amy.
Duo turned to Zechs, Lady Une, Sally and Noin, who planned to see them leave.
Seeing a few missing faces, he inquired. “Hey, where are Wu Fei and Trowa? I thought
that they might want to escort us out.”
“Wu Fei’s on a different
mission,” said Sally. “Though he didn’t say what it was. And Trowa, well, we
all know that he’s trying to find out where the enemy might be hiding Quatre.”
“Got that,” said Duo, in
understanding. He then gave them a mock salute. “Well, see ya later.”
Before he could go, Sally
stopped him. “Be careful,” she said, her face was grim. Duo raised his eyebrow
questioningly. “The enemy has someone dress up as Heero, Kylie and Quatre. It’s
possible that they could’ve someone to dress up as Wu Fei, Trowa or any of us.”
She frowned. “Trust no one.”
Duo shrugged, grinning. “Hey,
don’t worry about me. I know who my friends are.” Though he was saying it
jokingly, Zechs, Noin, Sally and Une could hear the tension in his voice. Duo
Maxwell was worried. He didn’t exactly know who his friends were anymore.
>>>@@<<<
“Got the address?” Heero asked
his informant.
Sara nodded. “Sending it to your
end,” she said, as the small screen on Heero’s left beeped.
“Got it,” said Heero, glancing
at the coordinates on the screen. He nodded to himself. ‘It’s so like Duo to
suggest a place like this,’ he thought. He then deleted the coordinates, as a
precaution. He returned to the other screen, where Sara was watching him
carefully.
“So, you’re sure that the
impostor would be there?” she asked, for confirmation.
Heero nodded. “Deadly. Since we
know the enemy could dress up as one of the Gundam pilots. They could even be
Mr. Maxwell himself.” He paused. “It could be anyone.”
A worried frown creased her
forehead. Heero could read the concern in her eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ll be
careful,” he reassured her. “I’ll make sure they’re alright.” Then wordlessly,
Heero sent another thought to her and the frown disappeared. She nodded.
“I’ll keep working,” she finally
said.
When the transmission was
broken, Sara tore her gaze from the screen. After rubbing her tired eyes, she
swiveled her wheelchair around to face another screen. A glance at a still form
on her bed told her that Heero’s wolf dog, Adin was already asleep.
‘I wish I had that luxury,’ she
thought, ruefully. But she knew that as long as Heero is in one of his ‘secret
missions’ sleep would be a luxury she cannot afford. However, Sara didn’t mind
that at all. Even without one of Heero’s missions, she would never get a good
night sleep. Not after what happened to her over the years. Especially since it
cost her, the ability to move freely.
Shaking away the regret, Sara
turned to the job at hand. Flexing her fingers until they popped, she tapped a
few keys and waited. “Continuing search… for Winner’s last known location,” she
said to herself as a habit.
>>>@@<<<
Wu Fei watched Duo’s shuttle
left, carrying its precious cargo. He knew that he should’ve been there to
escort the shuttle to safety but an escort would only attract more unwanted
attention. Besides, he had something else to do.
He walked along the hallway,
hoping to find Trowa so they could both leave together. As he walked, his mind
contemplated with what Sally had said to him earlier. About Winteridge having
spies posing as them. He still couldn’t think of a way how Winteridge could
make the imposters looked so much like the real ones. Especially since they
could all passed through security and ID checks easily, which they’d to take
whenever they move around the colonies.
Of all, one dangerous thought
came to him like a sledgehammer. It deeply bothered him now that he came to
think of it. What if they’re more of these impostors? What if they had just
send Relena and the girls with an impostor Duo?
He shook his head, tiredly. He’s
getting paranoid. And that’s exactly what the enemy was trying to do. To make
the pilot distrust each other. To break the unity of trust that they’ve forged
since the day they took on the job as Gundam pilots.
‘So, this is the enemy’s way of
fighting us,’ he realized. ‘To break us apart and then destroyed us one by
one.’ That thought didn’t cheer him at all. It only deepened the anxiety he was
starting to feel. He knew that if and when the Gundam pilots started to
distrust each other, they would be easy targets.
‘This must be stopped.’
His musings were interrupted
when he discovered an agent waiting for him outside his quarters. She
straightened herself as he approached her. Her pretty face was a mask of
uncertainty. “What is it, June?” he asked, recognizing the agent. He had worked
with her once.
June ran a sweep along the
hallway. When she was finally satisfied that they’re alone, she turned to him.
“Wu Fei, there’s something I need to talk to you about,” she began slowly, as
if unsure if she should say it or not. “I’m not sure what’s going on around
here and I know Lady Une must’ve a good reason for keeping it as
strictly-need-to-know basis.”
True. Though the Preventer
agents knew about Winteridge and Quatre’s defection, they had no idea of the
people posing as the missing Gundam pilots. All that had been kept a secret as
to avoid a leak. Only the Gundam pilots, Lady Une, Zechs, Noin, Sally and those
involved directly knew anything about it.
Wu Fei kept his face neutral as
to not give anything away. He had to be caution now. June could probably be a
spy too. And so, he opted to listen to her and watch her, carefully.
June chewed her lips. “It’s just
that… that night Minister Darlian and Ambassador
“What! Are you sure?” Wu Fei
asked. Without realizing it, he was shaking her. The girl was saying that Trowa
might be the spy, an impostor. And he wanted to make sure.
“Yes,” June gasped as Wu Fei
released her. “I was on duty that night. When I came to the command room, about
the same time the minister was attacked, I saw Trowa Barton looking over an
information terminal. I thought he was authorized for it but when he saw me, he
left.”
Wu Fei stared at her. “Why
didn’t you tell me earlier? Or Lady Une?”
“I was off duty,” she answered.
“I’ve just got back from colony X15398. An agent told me what happened and I
came straight to you about this.” She looked at him. “Wu Fei, if Trowa had been
in headquarters that night, who rescued Minister Darlian and Ambassador
Before she could even finish her
question, Wu Fei was already on the run. If there were two Trowa that night,
one was likely to be the impostor. And he knew exactly which one.
And he knew exactly where he’s
heading to.
>>>@@<<<
Winteridge watched as the second
shuttle exited from the Preventer headquarters. The first one had been the one
carrying Relena Peacecraft and her company to a safe house, away from harm. And
definitely, away from his very own Heero Yuy and Kylie Rayden. And his spies.
However, Winteridge didn’t care
where they’re hiding the minister. His plan was not to terminate her, not
really. The first phase of the plan was to throw his opponents into confusion.
And when the second shuttle left the headquarters, he knew that his plan was
working.
He smiled to himself, taking a
sip of his very expensive red wine.
“You seemed happy,” someone in
the shadows said. Winteridge didn’t have to spare a glance to know who it was.
His private room was off limits to everyone but himself and his companion. Not
even his impostors had the privilege of being in the room.
“Everything’s going exactly as I
planned, my old friend,” he replied. His eyes glinted evilly. “The Gundam
pilots are now suspicious of each other. If they don’t determine who their
enemies are from now, they will end up destroying each other.”
“And we’ll have all the power
that we want,” his companion chuckled. His eyes expressed the eagerness for
that day to come. For years he had trained the agents to act as the real Gundam
pilots. Now, it seemed to be fruitful.
“Too bad I couldn’t have my
revenge on a certain someone. That would make our victory much sweeter.”
>>>@@<<<
Well hidden, deep in space, a shuttle hovered; its sole occupant was watching the Preventer headquarters, patiently. For years, ever since the end of the Telrhani invasion, she had been watching over them. Silently determined to protect the Gundam pilots from their enemies.
However, she had made a slight mistake. She had thought that the Gundam pilots would be threatened by the remaining Telrhani warriors. Instead, the enemy that was threatening them was actually one of their own. Humans.
As soon as she caught the whiff of the danger at hand, she had been watching, and waiting. Waiting until it would be the perfect time to reveal herself. And watching the pilots’ response to the danger as well as the enemy’s moves just so she could gain useful information over their plans. Information that she could share with the Gundam pilots.
‘And it’s not very encouraging,’ she thought, watching the shuttle carrying Relena Darlian left.
She knew what’s going on alright. In fact, compare to the Preventers, she knew a lot more. And her discovery would surely shock the Preventers and the Gundam pilots. That, she was certain. She herself had the same reaction when she stumbled upon it.
And of course, she knew all about Winteridge’s plan to confuse the pilots. The only thing was, she didn’t know where Duo was taking the Vice Minister and her companions to. So here she was, a few distances away from MO V, hoping to follow Maxwell’s shuttle.
But she didn’t follow him immediately. Expecting a tail, she waited.
“I wonder what’ll their reaction would be when they find out that I’m still alive,” she mused, knowing that she can no longer stay in the shadows. She had to tell the Gundam pilots what she had found out. She knew that the Gundam pilots could not afford to mistrust each other at this point of the game.
So, when she saw the second shuttle left, she powered her thrusters. She was determined to stop Winteridge’s plan. At any cost.
>>>@@<<<
“Who could’ve thought that the
remnant of Libra would be the safest place to hide,” Dorothy mused, as they
surveyed their surroundings. Duo had made the place as comfortable as he could
once the plan was set. He had provided them with enough light and supplies to
last them for quite some time.
She turned to the beaming Duo.
“Good call, Maxwell. I’m very impressed.”
He scratched his head, grinning
wide. “Aww… shucks.” Hilde nudged him with her elbow. He grunted. “Uh… with
Hilde’s help, of course,” he added, pulling his wife in his arms.
Relena turned to them. “So,
you’ve been here before?” she asked Hilde, ruefully. The girl nodded in
affirmative.
“Of course, I had to
bring her along,” Duo muttered. “She wouldn’t trust me alone with girls… oww!”
he gasped when Hilde pulled his ear. Rubbing his throbbing ear, he added. “Of
course, I had to show someone their way around this wreckage. Hilde’s the only
one besides me that knew which part of this wreckage that is accessible. It’s not
much since some of sections are sealed tight to keep the air in.”
Then his face grew serious. “And
of course, she’s the only one who knew the only way out if should something out
of ordinary happen.” He faced the four girls. “And since I won’t be around, you
girls will have to rely on Hilde.”
Silence followed as they
contemplated what he had just said. His words, though reflecting clearly over
his concern for their safety, it also held a distinctive concern for his
wife. Right then, they realized that Duo Maxwell hadn’t voluntarily
involved Hilde. She must have coaxed him somehow. “Don’t worry, I’m sure Hilde
will take good care of all of us,” said Relena, reassuringly.
Amy and Dorothy nodded,
supporting her statement. “And we’ll pretend that we’re having a sleepover,”
Amy suddenly suggested after being silent for a long time. She paused, thinking
over. “I can’t remember when I last went to a sleepover. Usually, we would…”
Duo held his hands forward to
fend off her trail of thoughts. “No, no, no. Don’t tell me what you
girls usually do at sleepovers. I don’t even want to know,” he said, feigning
horror. “Else, you would force me to stay and dress me up like a girl!” He
shuddered at the thought.
An evil gleam flashed in their
eyes. “Are you sure, Duo Maxwell?” Dorothy prompted. She fingered his long
braided hair. “I mean, you do look the part.”
“And if we dress you up in that
pink dress I brought, I’m sure you’ll fit in just fine,” said Hilde, rummaging
through her duffel bag. She held up the dress over to the shaking Duo. The
Deathscythe pilot yelped and jumped out of the way.
Despite of the perilous situation, they all
laughed.
>>>@@<<<
He was studying some information
Winteridge had sent him when the door suddenly crashed open. Much to his
dismay, and thinking it was just one of Winner’s dissatisfied employees, he put
his hand over the papers before they flew all over the room.
It was then he realized that it
wasn’t one of Winner’s employees at all.
“Quatre Raberba Winner?”
He looked up to a twin black
hole aimed between his eyes. He quickly recognized the person who was training
the gun at him. Calmly, he rose to his feet. “The real Trowa Barton, I
presumed. I’ve wondered if you’re truly dead.”
“Where’s the real Quatre?” Trowa
Barton demanded, without exchanging the pleasantries.
But the impostor hadn’t finished.
“How did you get in? Did the real Quatre Winner have other secret means to
enter his own office?” he pushed. The person before him didn’t give any
response to the statement and instead, fingered the trigger.
“Where is Quatre?” he
repeated, his voice sounded deadly.
“I am Quatre Winner,”
said the imposter. Then he grinned. “Except, I’m not your Quatre Winner.
But I can assure you that everything in terms of flesh and blood here belongs
to a young man named Quatre Winner.” He snickered. “And that’s me.”
Trowa’s expression didn’t change. “Where is Quatre Winner?”
Quatre sighed and shook his
head. “You know, Trowa Barton. While you were busy going solo, you ought to
realize that your double is making quite a progress posing as you to spy on
your friends.”
“What do you mean by that?”
asked Trowa, his voice was still deadly but his aim wavered.
“I mean, consider all the damage
he could’ve done while posing as you,” Quatre stalled. “Especially since
the Preventers are trying to hide Relena Peacecraft from us. Who knows maybe
we’ve already been informed of her location and are sending assassins to finish
her off? You’ve met them, I believe.”
“And consider this,” he added.
“Your friends didn’t even know that we have our own Trowa Barton
with them.”
Before he could finish the last
sentence, Trowa dashed out of the office, through the window. Quatre walked
over to the shattered window and looked down. He didn’t see any sign of the
Heavyarms pilot.
“They’re so predictable,” he
mused, chuckling to himself.
>>>@@<<<
Duo was halfway back to the
Preventers. Though he was satisfied that the girls were, for this moment, safe,
there was something nagging him at the back of his mind. So, he tried to
concentrate on the jokes that he and the girls had shared just a few hours
before, hoping to release the tension.
He never got the chance to do
so.
His controls beeped, indicating
an incoming. “Hey, Wu Fei. What are you doing here?” he greeted as soon as he
saw the familiar face.
“Can it, Maxwell,” Wu Fei
snapped, impatiently. “Minister Darlian is on the Libra remnant, confirmed?”
Duo’s mouth hung open. “You’re
not authorized… you’re an imposter!”
“I’m me, you braid-headed freak.
Lady Une told me their location,” he responded. “Come on, the girls are in
danger.”
“I’m not moving until you told
me what’s happening?”
Wu Fei shrugged. “Suit
yourself.” Then his shuttle accelerated.
“Hey,” Duo exclaimed. Cursing to
himself, he followed in pursuit. When he finally caught up with Wu Fei’s
shuttle, he opened the channel. “Can’t you at least tell me what’s wrong?” he
tried again.
His friend didn’t look at him
while he answered. “I’ve just found out something. That night when Relena and
Dorothy were attacked, someone saw Trowa at headquarters.”
“Oh?” Duo responded, nodding to
himself. Then, the words finally registered in his mind. “Wait a minute! If
Trowa was at headquarters that night, who rescued Dorothy?” Then he gasped as he
finally got his answer. “Oh, my god! The girls! He ought to know!”
>>>@@<<<
Amy yawned and stretched. “I’m
beat. I think I better turn in,” she said, making her way over to their
sleeping bags.
“Good idea,” said Dorothy,
stifling a yawn. “It’s been a tiring day.”
“I second that,” Hilde
supported. She turned to Relena, who was watching the shadows. “Relena? What is
it?”
The young minister was startled
and turned to regard her. “Huh?” She shook her head. “Nothing. I just thought I
heard something.”
Hilde frowned. Duo had reminded
her before he left that she should be suspicious at any strange sound no matter
what. And it could be that the enemy knew where they are. Rising to her feet
slowly, she walked over to where Relena was looking, cautiously.
“Where are you going?” Amy
asked, feeling the chills.
“I’m going to check on that
sound Relena thought she heard. It could be anything.”
Dorothy came over to her. “I’ll
come with you.”
Before Hilde could refuse her
offer, the lights went out.
