See Part One for Disclaimers

Part Five

***********************
>>dream or flashback<<
***********************


Heero was relieved when their plane finally landed at the old Alliance base in Bodaybo.  He didn't like being trapped in the small craft with the others, having to watch them together.

Ever since Duo had saved Quatre from that terrorist group, the two had been virtually inseparable.  And Trowa and Wufei, well, he never would understand their friendship.  That left him, some kind of pathetic fifth wheel.  With the way I act sometimes, I don't blame them for keeping their distance.

He comforted himself with the thought that the others couldn't possibly understand their missions, understand all the pressure place upon him; but in the end, only one fact stayed with him:  he was utterly and unequivocally alone.  That's the only way it can be.  I can't afford any of the luxuries they allow themselves.  It would put all our lives in danger.

Such logical thinking could not continue forever, and he soon found his mind drifting back to the one place it seemed to dwell these days:  desire.

Desire for friendship, love, laughter, tears:  all the things he'd had to give up for the war.  But the war was over, oppressive government destroyed, order restored.  It infuriated him that he  still, they  all still, had to keep fighting.  The five of them were a sacrifice, made to the very gods in Heaven, to assure a peaceful world.  I wonder if this world is even worth saving anymore.

*      *      *

"Heero, you coming?"  The others were already outside, waiting for him.  Duo paused in the hatch.  He stared at the American for a moment, trying to avoid making eye contact.  Those eyes frightened him; they were so tempting to devour.  Yes, they were one of his many weaknesses.  The world needed him to be strong, and he couldn't even look his comrade in the eye for fear of stirring something inside of himself.

It was so much better to feign disinterest, let Duo think he cared nothing for his presence, even though it was the one thing he desired most of all.  This is getting awkward; he knows I'm staring at him.  "Right, let's go."  His voice sounded so commanding that Heero laughed inwardly at himself.  I can't hide forever.  One day,. . .but maybe by then, this will all be over.  Assuming this will ever end.

The two young men disembarked the plane, joining their companions on the landing strip.

"This base still looks just like it did during the war." Quatre reflected.

"I wonder why The Organization hasn't remodeled it or something."  Duo's face showed his distaste for the base, even though the Alliance no longer existed.

Wufei was a little puzzled by their speculations.  "Why should they?  There's nothing wrong with it."

Quatre, momentarily feeling like a small semblance of his old, gentle self, shook his head.  "This was a place of war, domination, and atrocity.  If we must use it now, for peace, then I would think The Organization would remodel it and let the world forget it's original purpose."

Now it was Duo's turn to shake his head.  "No, we should  never forget the tragedy of this war.  The entire world and the colonies should  always remember.  It's the only way to true peace; if we always remember. . ."

Their conversation was interrupted by a tallish man with salt-and-pepper-colored hair, wearing a light gray uniform, an Organization officer's uniform.  "Mr. Yuy?" he queried, looking to Trowa for his answer.

*      *      *

Has this guy been living a closet for the past six months?  Wufei thought everyone in the entire solar system would have had Heero's face memorized by now.  But this idiot obviously didn't know what he was doing, ignorantly assuming the tallest of the group was their leader.

Before Trowa could respond, Heero took control of the situation.  His tone showed no annoyance whatsoever.  He's more patient than I am.

"I'm Heero Yuy."

The man straightened himself to reveal his full height.  "Forgive me sir."  He then clicked his heels together and snapped his arm up in a salute.  "I'm Lt. Kharik Zima."

"We're not military."  Heero pointed out.

"I know, but. . ."

"You can skip the formalities."  The Japanese pilot seemed to be losing the patience Wufei had been admiring only moments ago.  Kharik relaxed his posture slightly.

"Of course.  I've been instructed to provide you with provisions and what not."

Heero nodded his approval.  "First things first."

Kharik gave him a blank look, then realization dawned.  "Yes, as you wish.  Follow me."

Wufei was puzzled.  What's going on?  Kharik turned on his heel military style and led the way into the rather gloomy base.  Wufei shared a confused look with Trowa, then wordlessly followed the group inside.

It's so dim in here, how do they see to do anything?  The interior of the building was proving to be no more cheerful than the exterior.  It reminded him of somewhere he'd been before, but he couldn't place where.  Probably just one of the other Alliance bases. . .they all look alike.

Kharik led them down dark hallway after dark hallway, until Wufei started to get suspicious.  Where's he taking us?  He tried to get a better look at Lt. Zima, but all he could make out in the darkness was a set of square shoulders.  This could be some kind of trap, like last time.  Wufei put himself on guard then, determined not to fall into another trap.

Turning yet another corner, the Chinese boy cursed himself for not keeping track of where they had been heading; he had no idea how he'd get out of this maze if he had to.  Wufei suspected, however, that Heero knew exactly where they were  and the nearest exit.  He reminds me of my inadequacies.  Finally, Kharik came to a halt outside a gray metal door.

"This is her office."  Lt. Zima moved his hand as if to knock on the door.  Heero protested.

"Has she been notified of our arrival?"

Duo could stand this no longer.  "Who?  Who the hell are we talking about?"  Heero faced Duo, and, for once, smiled, even if it was more of a sarcastic smirk.

"You'll see." He intoned patiently.  Heero turned back to Kharik.  "Well?"

"We've all been expecting you, but no, I don't believe she's been informed."  Heero seemed satisfied, so the Lieutenant lightly rapped on the door.  A feminine voice came faintly from within.

"Yes?"

What the hell are we visiting with some woman for? Wufei wondered.  Kharik opened the door, admitting the five pilots and following in behind them.  Wufei found the object of their interest sitting at a small corner desk.  She swiveled around in her office chair, facing the group.

She wore the same type of gray uniform as Kharik, only with a long white lab coat.  The Chinese pilot took in her appearance.  Long dark hair, done up in a bun, dark eyes, pale skin, no older than Noin; just some woman.  What does she have to do with our mission?

Kharik stepped forward.  "Doctor, I'd like you to meet Mr. Heero Yuy and. . ."  He realized that he had no idea what the other four men were called.  ". . .his men." Kharik finished.  The woman smiled warmly.

"I know who they are."

Lt. Zima frowned.  "Of course.  Gentlemen, I'd like you to meet Dr. Kemerov."  Four surprised faces turned on Heero.  Now Wufei was  really confused.

*      *      *

Dr. Kemerov's face revealed her amusement with their reaction.  And then Heero was bombarded with questions.

Duo was completely bewildered.  "What's going on?  I thought we were supposed to be taking Dr. Kemerov from the underground base.  Why is she here?"

Quatre couldn't wrap his mind around this thing either.  "How did she get here?  Did someone else kidnap her?"

Wufei's confusion only got worse with all the uproar.  "Dr. Kemerov is a woman?"

Even Trowa couldn't remain silent.  "If she's part of some militant group, why isn't she being confined?"

Kharik was uncertain if he should speak, not understanding why none of the pilots besides Heero knew what was going on.  Heero hadn't really thought about where he would start his explanation, so he paused a moment before answering.

Dr. Kemerov's smile only grew larger, and she unintentionally let a small chuckle escape her lips.  Standing to reveal that she was quite a bit taller than all of them, even Kharik, the doctor walked over to join the men.  "My my, I would have never guessed it would be so easy to upset the mighty Gundam pilots."  Her voice held a small amount of condescension.  "I think I can clear things up."  When she didn't continue, Duo took a step towards her.

"Well?"  He never had been able to control his curiosity.

"Was that a demand?  I should warn you, I don't respond well to them."

Duo was apologetic.  "Ah, sorry."  Quatre decided to come to his friend's aid.

"You'll have to forgive him, he let's his curiosity get the best of him sometimes."  She let her gaze descend on the small blonde who looked even shorter standing alongside the amazon doctor.

"Ah, Mr. Quatre Raberba Winner.  I'm so pleased to meet Sandrock's pilot."  She sounded sincere, but Quatre wasn't used to being recognized for anything other than his father's name and wealth.

"Don't be so surprised.  I know all about you, all of you."  She swept her hand in an arc to include all five in her declaration.  Dr. Kemerov pointed to them each in turn as she spoke.  "Chang Wufei, pilot of the Altron; Duo Maxwell, pilot of Deathscythe Hell; Trowa Barton, pilot of Heavyarms, and Heero Yuy, pilot of the Wing Zero.  Boys, your reputations have preceded you."

Duo mumbled "Maybe Heero's has. . .", not expecting to be heard.

"On the contrary, Mr. Maxwell, on the contrary.  I know all there is to know about each and every one of you."  Heero was not amused by her little show.

"Dr. Kemerov,. . ."  She cut him off.

"You can call me Muya."

"Fine, Muya.  We've got a mission here.  We should get going."

Duo wasn't about to take this lying down.  "Oh no.  We're not going  anywhere until someone tells me what's going on!"

Muya, still quite amused with the five young men, began her explanation.  "Certainly.  The group we're after are calling themselves the Vicious Circle.  We first became aware of their presence a few months ago, but it looks like they've been around for a few years."

Trowa was surprised.  "How have they managed to go unnoticed for so long?"

"They're a very patient group, content to lay in wait, like a spider, until the time is right."

"Right for what?"  Duo wanted to know.

"What else?  World domination, it's what all of these little terrorist groups want.  From our reports, however, the Vicious Circle is far too insignificant to cause any real problem."

Wufei was becoming restless.  "Then why bother with them?"

"Aside from the fact that it's a good idea to stop these groups while they're still small, we're more interested in something they have."

"Like what?" the Chinese man snapped.

Heero raised a hand in protest and gave Muya a commanding look.  "We don't need to go into that just yet."  Dr. Kemerov nodded her dark head.

"Ah yes, I am aware of your leak problem.  Very well, suffice it to say that these people have something very valuable to us, and the only way we can get this valuable item is through infiltration."

Duo's face brightened.  "Oh, so we're going to infiltrate their base?"

Muya shook her head.  "No, we've already done that.  We've had someone in place now for three months."

"Who?" Duo, Trowa, Wufei, and Quatre all asked in unison.

"Dr. Kemerov."

"Why do I get the feeling you're enjoying this  way too much?" the American asked, a sly grin spreading across his face.

Quatre, playing the innocent that he no longer was, stared at her with wide-eyed wonder.  "Aren't you Dr. Kemerov?"

"Of course." She chuckled.

"Kharik decided to step in.  "When we first discovered this group, we made the decision to infiltrate their base's research lab.  We needed a top-notch scientist with certain 'talents' and we found one:  Muya Kemerov.  However, The Organization would not allow a civilian doctor to attempt such a dangerous mission.  We found a soldier who roughly matched Muya's features; the biggest problem was finding a woman tall enough.  Our operative successfully joined the Vicious Circle's ranks and has raised no suspicions, despite the fact that her scientific knowledge is rather limited."

Muya continued the impromptu briefing.  "The trick now is to get her out and me in."

Duo hadn't quite gotten a grasp on the situation.  "Let me get this straight.  We're going to replace your look-alike with you?  Unless this girl's your twin, they're gonna' notice!"

"Kharik seems to have left something out.  The girl in question has been surgically altered.  Aside from being 1/2'" shorter than me, we are identical.  So you see, this mission's really very simple."

Wufei understood the swapping part, but something else was bothering him.  "That still doesn't explain your purpose.  Why can't the operative posing as you get whatever it is that The Organization wants?"

"Let's just say that it requires a bit of technical knowledge and expertise that she doesn't have."  Dr. Kemerov let her eyes drop to meet Wufei's in a challenging stare.  "I do."

*      *      *

Once again, Quatre was stuck riding in the back.  At least this time he didn't have to be left alone with Trowa and Wufei.  But all six of them crowded into the all-terrain vehicle was just too much.  He didn't know if he could ride 400 miles like this, crammed between Duo (who, of course, had gotten a window seat), and Heero (who he was  really not happy at having to be near).

Wufei, as usual, was driving, and Muya had  insisted on sitting up front with him.  Quatre suspected that the doctor enjoyed irritating the Chinese pilot.  She's obviously picked up on his negative view of women.  The Arabian reflected on their destination for a moment.  Syul 'dyukar, Syul 'dyukar. . .why does that sound  so familiar?

He could feel something creeping into his consciousness, just barely aware of it trying to find him.  And then it was on him, like an attacker, the horrific scene unrolling in his mind for the thousandth time.

>>>>>The four guards roughly pushed Quatre into the office, two of them coming inside with him, two remaining in the hall.

"Sir, we have brought the prisoner as you requested."

Their leader sat behind a large wooden desk with his back to them.  "That's fine.  Leave us."

"Sir!" the two guards sang in unison, exiting the room.  Quatre's vision was a little blurry, and he had difficulty focusing on the chair before him.

The man behind the desk spoke in the same deep, familiar voice the Arabian had heard earlier.  "As I said before, you're not really the one we wanted.  But any of you little bastards is a good catch."

Quatre didn't know if he could speak, but he gave it a try.  After clearing his throat a couple of times, he managed a reply.  "Why have you brought me here?"  Good, I didn't stutter.  Maybe he won't notice how terrified I am.

The man laughed lightly.  "Chang should be the one here; he's the one who deserves this.  Ah, but you're not innocent, are you?  None of you Gundam pilots are, are you?"  His voice grew in intensity as he spoke.  Although Quatre could not see his captor, he was beginning to suspect the man's identity.  It can't be. . .

"I'll have my revenge. . .if not on him, then on you."  The man finally turned around to face Quatre, a very pained expression flying across his face as he did.

Quatre was truly stunned.  "You, you can't be!  You died; we all saw it.  No one could have survived, it's not possible."

The tall blonde remained seated, face settling into apathy.  "I didn't survive, but I died much earlier than you think."

The Arabian wanted to back up against the wall, get as far away from this man as possible, but he found that when he tried, his legs were frozen in place.  "Z-Zechs, Milliardo,. . ." Quatre began.

"No!"  The man leapt from his chair, moving swiftly towards the boy.  "Those men no longer exist.  I have no form, no identity; I am a shapeless, shifting mass. . . I am Wind."

Next Part

Email the author!
[email protected]

'Gundam Wing' Fanfic Index

Back to Main Library Index         Back to Main Fanfiction Index

Adventures of Sinbad   ~~~     Andromeda   ~~~     Angel   ~~~     Babylon5   ~~~     BeastMaster: The Series   ~~~     Beauty & the Beast
Buffy the Vampire Slayer   ~~~     Charmed  ~~~     The Crow: Stairway to Heaven   ~~~     Crusade   ~~~     due South   ~~~     Farscape
Gundam Wing   ~~~     Highlander: The Series   ~~~     Miscellaneous Fiction   ~~~     Mortal Kombat   ~~~     Mortal Kombat: Conquest
Poltergeist the Legacy   ~~~     Raven   ~~~     (TSAo) Jules Verne   ~~~     The Sentinel   ~~~     Stargate SG1   ~~~     Star Trek: Voyager

I can't fix it if I don't know it's broken, so if you see anything wrong,  please let me know.  Thank you and enjoy your stay!