Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ After Colony 198 ❯ No Rest for the Wicked ( Chapter 10 )

"Here's your pay, peacock man. Don't drink it all in one day."

Zechs accepted the credit chips. Flush of rage and embarrassment, that this toad of a man could see his soul. After a week onboard without a drop of alcohol to be found, his detoxification was nearly complete. He'd already noticed five of the nearest bars and one liquor store in the space dock's vicinity, stuffed with travelers waiting for their flights and quite possibly addicts like himself tossing the coin between oblivion and eventual death. `Perhaps I am on my way to becoming as much human garbage as this man, and that allows him to see me clearly. Once upon a time I would have been above such a statement.'

Containing his violence, he drew himself up to his full height. With a regal and disdainful look, a wan reflection of his former strength, he spun around and stalked off in the direction of Duo Maxwell's mechanic shop... leaving the pilot to stare after him in concentration, wondering, not for the first time, where he'd seen the tall, blond man before.

*****

For a moment she was fooled. Feeling his hands upon her, and hearing that whisper of her name, for an instant she nearly opened her eyes. But then she remembered. Just in time, she recalled that there was a strong and cunning invader outside her wall, just waiting to insinuate itself into her mind once again, and it would no doubt use Heero's voice just as well as it had used Dorothy's to get through. But then she found the illusion too strong. There was the electrified scent of him filling the air, and unmistakably she felt his callused fingers lightly touch her face. He began to speak.

"I knew this would happen. I tried so hard to hate you, and now look what's happened. You're weak and confused and now I can't even reach you. Why didn't you leave me alone? Why couldn't you just stay away, Relena?" His voice stopped and she found herself reaching to hear more, hoping that there was more to it than just confusion and accusations.

"This gift of yours... you give it whether we want it or not. You make each of us feel a greater destiny is waiting somewhere for us. We can't all be gods for you, Relena. You ask too much. I can see a world full of angels in your eyes. But it can't really be that way. When you look away, when you squeeze those eyes shut, I'm just the devil himself again. So whatever you think about me, about the world, about people, it must be a lie. We just can't be that good for you. When you look away, the world will return to war and each of us will return to our small and pointless lives of hatred, fear and battle. I tried so hard to keep away from you, Relena, but in the end I just wanted to see my wings in your eyes." There was a pause in which she tried to digest his meaning. The final words he spoke were, "I'm sorry."

She could feel him withdrawing, pulling away... his scent, his touch, his very presence. How could he not understand? How could he fail to see that her own life was petty and small without him? How could he fail to understand this? She needed his strength, his determination. Where had his intensity gone? Who was this broken man? Where was his strength?

"No! Don't go." She felt an old fury rise inside her as she clenched her fists against this further disappointment. "Don't you leave me again, Heero! Don't you leave!"

Relena stepped blindly forward, still clenching her eyes shut to reach for what was most likely the latest in a series of illusions meant to drive her insane. For better or for worse, the wall got in the way.

*****

"You're staying here? We could use you, man."

Trowa was unmoved by Duo's need. He was surprised really that he had the nerve to ask, but then Duo had never been one to leave any thought unsaid. At least those bubbling at the surface.

Heero's body could not be moved, and Quatre would stay by his side. Knowing Quatre, as Trowa certainly had tried to do over the years, the psychically gifted man would make another foray into Heero's unstable mind whether Trowa tried to prevent him or not. He could be quite stubborn at times. The only choice for Trowa was to stay on L4 and be there to guard his partner.

"Duo, leave him alone. He's got to concentrate on Quatre now. Besides, we can handle it." Hilde gave Trowa a shy and conspiratorial smile and non-verbally offered him her sympathy. He appreciated his new friend's emotion and returned the small smile before he handed them two guns.

"Quatre doesn't allow guns on the property. I got these from my own storage area."

For an instant he registered a wave of revulsion pass through Duo's frame before the braided man accepted his weapon with a familiar grin and tucked it inside his jacket.

"Thanks. Knowing us, we'll be needing them. No rest for the wicked, or so they say."

Trowa eyed the couple passively, feeling an odd protectiveness come over him as they stalled slightly, obviously not ready to make the inner transition necessary to be willing to kill another human being, no matter how just the reason. They had no idea what could be waiting on L2.

"Be careful. She is a formidable adversary."

Trowa watched the transformation complete itself in Duo's face.

"Yeah. Well so is the God of Death."

*****

"How pathetic. I knew you were unworthy." Dorothy had felt herself on the verge of violence as she watched Heero caressing Relena's impenetrable shell and whining about his weakness. Now as he began to turn away, and she could see Relena reacting behind him, she had to use all of her control not to ruin her plans and kill him herself. `No. She will kill him. She will see how unworthy he is. Then she will be perfect.'

And so with a smile of confidence and the knowledge that she was in control, even though Relena had finally found a way to block her even with the system at nearly fatal levels, Dorothy calmed herself and saw the boy before her in the proper perspective. `He is crucial. It is crucial that he die in the proper manner, otherwise our futures will be meaningless.'

Dorothy contemplated the pulsating wall of fleshy material that had grown suddenly around Relena since their last session. According to the scientists and medical team in the laboratory each of the feeds into Relena's brain and body had been encased in thick layers of inert scar tissue that were capable of insulating against high levels of electric current. They had grown suddenly and the scientists and doctors had explained that they could not ensure that an invasive procedure to remove the tissue would not cause permanent damage. Apparently what Dorothy was looking at now was Relena's mental image of the defensive barrier she'd created. She resisted the exasperating urge to slice through the disgusting stuff and force Relena to open her damned eyes. But Relena had proven to be far more difficult to handle in the past month than even Dorothy had expected. The use of force often produced unexpected and annoying results. Besides, it was quite likely that damaging Relena or her little wall here could also result in real, physical damage to her body back in the lab.

`She's no good to us as a vegetable. But luckily, I know someone who can get past that little wall of hers if he'd just try a little harder.' What had happened to the Heero Yuy she'd battled during the war? She looked closely at the 18 year old boy standing before her and saw an unguarded moment of pain pass across his normally stoic features before he looked up at her wearily and said, "Aren't you going to kill me?"

Well, at least he was prepared for his fate, but such weakness was sickening, really. He was going to have to become a beautiful, fighting animal again if this was going to work.

"Oh, that won't do at all, Mr. Yuy. You're going to have to be a lot angrier than that if you want to rescue the princess."

To her dismay, he ignored her and sat down cross-legged on the ground and promptly closed his eyes.

*****

`What the hell is going on here? Where am I, and why is Dorothy here…if that really is Dorothy? Could she be a projection of Relena? Is it just a projection from a part of her mind that looks like Dorothy? Is there really a part of Relena that she equates with Dorothy? What if it is Dorothy? How can she be here? She says she doubts I understand where "here" is, but if Quatre was right, then I should be in some non-physical realm where Relena and I are connected. How could Dorothy be here? Unless Relena feels herself to be just as connected to Dorothy as she does to me.'

A flutter of something akin to jealousy passed through Heero's heart as he sat on the "ground" contemplating the situation.