Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Appleseeds ❯ Episode 11: Jester's Mask ( Chapter 11 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. Never did, never will. Everything else is mine (unless otherwise stipulated)

Episode Eleven: Jester's Mask (January 5, 280 AE)

Quatre trudged wearily into the main office and slumped into his desk chair. Wufei looked up from where he sat in the small kitchenette, reading tablet and the remains of breakfast on the table in front of him.

“Back already?”

“I could say the same for you,” Quatre retorted.

“I never left.” Wufei stood from his seat and stretched languidly before collecting his dishes and placing them in the water-less cleaning unit.

“You left Sally home alone? Why-”

“Noin took her home,” Wufei interrupted his friend. “Sally wouldn't have tolerated my company last night. The damn woman has got some crazy obsession of not appearing weak.”

“Considering your frequent lectures about weaklings knowing their place, I'm not too surprised.”

“Sally knows I don't consider her weak,” Wufei snorted as he jabbed the cleaning unit on.

“Are you so sure? Your attitude towards women and others you deem weak often leaves room for misunderstandings,” Quatre stated.

Wufei huffed indignantly. “A lot of trouble and grief could be avoided if people realized their capabilities and limitations.”

“And where would we be if we didn't push our limits?” Quatre countered. “We would have continued to be at the mercy of the S.A.!”

“Touche Winner,” Wufei acknowledged with a slight bow of his head. “Is everything alright? You're being more confrontational than you usually are.”

“I'm fine,” Quatre quickly replied, “just had a restless night, you know how I am when there's a puzzle to solve.” Quatre smiled but his eyes remained haunted.

“Where's Trowa?”

Quatre flinched visibly but continued to smile. “He's busy covering up Walker's tracks and hiding the UNDIS' survival.”

Seeing Quatre's reaction to Trowa's name, Wufei chose wisely not to comment. “Ah, and I suppose Duo is the puzzle that is keeping you awake at night?”

“You're calling him Duo now too? I know he responded to the name last night, but he seemed to be half-delirious.”

Wufei smiled smugly. “I've been doing a little research of my own, and the evidence clearly points to our UNDIS guest as one Duo Maxwell.”

Quatre's eyes lit up. “Really?”

Wufei nodded, “I think so. Come, Nataku will show you,” Wufei led Quatre over to his desk with its huge array of monitors. “I started doing a search of all the data we have on the UNDIS with the parameters `Duo Maxwell'. I didn't find an exact match to his name, but I did find a `Maxwell Church & Orphanage'.” Wufei tapped a few keys and the image of a dilapidated church popped up on a screen.

“Was it an S.A. Institution?” Quatre asked, his sharp eyes taking in every detail of the building.

“Not originally, no,” Wufei replied as he consulted his tablet. “It was a charitable institution founded by the Maxwell family, a long line of Catholic missionaries. It was later appropriated by the S.A. and became an UNDIS only facility. The Maxwell Orphanage was one of the last UNDIS orphanages to be exposed to the QR145 virus.”

“And Duo was one of the orphans there? I thought there were no survivors from the orphanages…” Quatre wondered out loud.

“According to the records, there were no survivors and all the bodies were accounted for. I did find a discrepancy in the records though.” Wufei replied as he brought up the orphanage's records onto another screen, highlighting a few key areas.

“A discrepancy?” Quatre asked, studying the records intently.

“Yes, as you can see here,” Wufei pointed to the first list, “there was a headcount of seventy-nine UNDIS and seventy-nine bodies were collected after the QR145 attack. However, examining the records further, I found that there were seventy-eight recorded UNDIS and one advantaged.”

Quatre scrunched his forehead in bewilderment. “A difference between the headcount and the official record? But why?”

“I wondered the same thing. It seems as though the headcount was used for rationing food, water and other basic necessities for the UNDIS; these numbers were provided by those running the orphanages. The official records were kept by S.A. officials and contained basic data such as age and a DNA profile.”

Quatre scanned through the list of rations Wufei brought up and scowled. “That was their ration allocation? How could they survive on so little?” Pushing his disgust aside, Quatre returned to the puzzle at hand. “So the S.A. only relied on the UNDIS headcount when they distributed the fake vaccine and collected the bodies?”

“I came to the same conclusion. That means there was one UNDIS unaccounted for. I discovered that the nun running the orphanage, one Sister Helen and also the only advantaged, had started the process of adoption for an abandoned UNDIS child. The application was never completed; it had only been submitted a few days before the QR145 virus was released.” Wufei brought up a copy of the incomplete application and a small photo of a young woman in a nun's habit.

Quatre's fingers began to tap a rhythm on the table, the rhythm getting faster as he unravelled the mystery. “If we assume this child is Duo, then he must have been a street child, with no record of his birth or his existence. But there were seventy-nine bodies… the nun?!” he gasped.

Wufei nodded grimly. “The logical explanation is that the nun took the child's place.”

Quatre scanned the screens once more, re-processing the information Wufei presented him. “Still… I don't see any real correlation between the name `Duo Maxwell' and this unknown child that escaped the QR145 attack…. Oh! The QR145 antibodies! So, the child is exposed to the virus but somehow survived? But I thought there was no cure… unless…”

“Exactly,” Wufei agreed, bringing up an array of lab reports. “I ran a preliminary molecular scan of the plant samples Heero and Trowa brought back from the UNDIS hideout. “None of them had any properties that would have countered the UNDIS virus, but I did find that one of the samples was an exact match to the leaves we recovered at the scene of the altercation at the Krushrenada Gardens.”

“So we've found a direct link between our UNDIS and the hideout on L2…” Quatre mused, “And we can't rule out the possibility that the UNDIS did somehow find a cure. I think you're right, our UNDIS is Duo Maxwell.” Quatre grinned, “I guess we can officially call him Duo now!”

Wufei chuckled at Quatre's enthusiasm before remembering something. “Before I forget, Noin was in here earlier and suggested that you be the first to talk to him when he wakes up. Yuy isn't too happy but the UNDIS has already reacted negatively to him; not to mention Yuy's interpersonal skills… need development.”

“How diplomatic of you Agent Chang,” Quatre grinned.

“Be sure to wear your disguise though, we don't want to take the chance that he might recognize you.”

Quatre nodded. “So what other connections did you find to Duo Maxwell? The more information I have on him, the better I can read him.”

“The search parameters for `Duo Maxwell' didn't come up with anything else so I started sorting through the evidence Heero and Trowa brought back from L2. The name `Solo' immediately had numerous hits.”

“Solo?” Quatre tapped his chin in thought. “Trowa said the mausoleum was named `Solo's Kids.'”

“There seems to be some sort of loose association between this Solo character and the Maxwell Church. The fragmented S.A. files indicated that he was some sort of self-made medicine man…” Wufei typed in a few more commands and his computer beeped. “He's listed as a rebel threat but nothing clear, just mentions of his name here and there in the files. He's more of a ghost.”

A loud beep interrupted their discussion as a red alert flashed across the middle screen.

“What is it?” Quatre asked in alarm.

“Natuka found a hit for `Solo' in the L2 lab's databases…” Wufei muttered as he continued to type.

“He's in the lab's files?” Quatre remarked in surprise. “But I thought he was an UNDIS rebel…”

Wufei let forth a string of Chinese curses. “Still encrypted. Nataku's only found half the key for the encryption. She only recognized the term `Solo' because I had run a search for it.”

“Is Nataku still working on the decryptions?”

Wufei nodded in frustration. “The encryption of the classified lab's databanks is proving to be extremely stubborn. The S.A. may have been a group of dishonourable dogs, but I have to admit that they were brilliant at encrypting their data.”

“I know you don't need or want any sympathy, but I'm having trouble tracing the money trail on the attempted assassination of our UNDIS as well.”

“What bank was the transfer routed through?”

“Sedici.”

Wufei snorted. “Of course, a bank with ties to the S.A. Damned if we can prove it though.”

“True, but if I can link the Sedici Bank to our assassination attempt, it just might be our way in the backdoor. Once we're in, I can take them down easily,” Quatre smiled widely.

Wufei grinned at that. “I'm sure you can Winner, you've eaten larger corporations for breakfast.”

A message alert blinked at the bottom of all the screens, bringing Quatre and Wufei's light-hearted banter to a close.

“That would be Yuy,” Wufei stated as he clicked on the message. “It seems as though Duo Maxwell is about to awaken.”

Quatre nodded as he went to retrieve his disguise from the lockers. “Are you coming?”

“As much as it will displease Yuy, I may have to intervene again,” Wufei answered as he slipped a ring-like object onto his right index finger.

“What's that?” Quatre asked as he jammed the wig onto his head.

Wufei held his hand up so Quatre could inspect the ring with a square of tiny needles. “My method of quickly and efficiently subduing a `no-kill' target: the needles are coated with potent tranquilizing agents. Strike a vulnerable point with this,” Wufei waved his finger, “and the effects are almost instantaneous.”

“So that's how you always managed to disable targets so easily. And here I thought you knew some kind of top secret nerve pinch,” Quatre perched the thick-framed glasses on his nose and shrugged into his Preventers jacket.

“I do,” Wufei arched an elegant eyebrow. “If the strike is not precise, the target would not be disabled for a few minutes at least; long enough to cause trouble.”

“If you say so Wufei,” Quatre replied in good humour. Briskly rubbing his hands together in anticipation, he headed towards the dorms. “Time to make a new ally!” he called cheerfully to Wufei.

Wufei trailed silently behind his sunny comrade with a more serious expression on his face. “I hope so Winner,” he muttered under his breath. “If you cannot connect with the subject, we'll have to treat him as a hostile individual, perhaps even an enemy.”

~*~

“What do you mean you're stepping down?” Mrs. Darlian asked her husband, her soft blue eyes swimming with confusion.

“I've been giving it a lot thought my dear,” Vice-Minister Darlian replied wearily, “I think it is time to take my leave of the political world.”

“But what of Relena?” Mrs. Darlian demanded, “She's still a child and she needs you to guide her through her first years in the political arena.”

Vice-Minister Darlian chuckled softly, “She surpassed me many years ago. And with her Peacecraft instinct to promote peace, she is the best candidate to lead the colonies. It's time for the new generation to take control. Duke Dermail kindly pointed out to me that should I remain in politics, I would be dividing public support between our family and the Peacecrafts. If we solidify public support for Relena, she will be in a much better position to bring about peace and stability.”

“But, she's still so young...”

“Hush darling, I am not abandoning our daughter, I will always be here to support and advise her. Dermail also assures me that he will throw his full support behind Relena, he has already begun to do so by having Dorothy assist Relena in all her public duties. Have faith in our daughter, I believe she can bring the colonies to new heights.”

Biting her lip, Mrs. Darlian bowed her head in acquiescence. “If you truly believe that dear, I will support your decision whole-heartedly. We should go tell Relena.”

The vice-minister gently kissed his wife on the forehead and smiled down at her. “No fears, with our daughter at the helm, the future is bright.”

~*~

Duo stirred sleepily, slowly floating towards awareness. He didn't want to hurry back to wakefulness; he was someplace soft and warm. Scrunching his nose slightly he wondered when was the last time he felt so relaxed and safe as something tickled at the back of his mind. That tickling became more insistent as Duo tried to burrow further into the warmth.

“Duo?” A gentle voice called. “Duo, can you hear me?”

Someone was calling him again. Clawing his way towards wakefulness, he responded blearily. “Lil' mother? Is that you?” Cracking his eyes open, he squinted at the bright light.

“Duo?” A cheerfully smiling face filled his vision. Blinking furiously, Duo tried to focus on the face, noting the shaggy brown hair and thick-rimmed glasses.

“What? Who?” Jolting awake, Duo struggled feebly to sit upright.

“Oh! Here, let me help you,” the smiling figure reached forward to help him, tucking several pillows behind Duo's back.

“Get away from me, don't touch me!” Duo snarled as he tried to slap the offending hands away but found his right wrist firmly encased in a cast and strapped to his side while his left was hand-cuffed to the bed. Viciously yanking at the hand-cuffs, Duo unsuccessfully tried free himself from the restraints.

“Stop! You're hurting yourself!” The figure approached again, gently laying a hand on his left forearm.

“I said stay back! Keep your hands off me!” Duo shouted hoarsely, “Stay the hell away from me!”

“Alright, I'm sorry,” the slight young man slowly backed away from the bed, his hands raised in surrender, “just please stop hurting yourself!”

Seeing that his efforts to free himself were futile, Duo struggled to lever himself into a sitting position where he wouldn't feel as vulnerable. Inch by painful inch, his carefully levered himself up to sit against the stack of pillows at his back. `Why the hell are my ribs so sore?' he wondered to himself.

The young man next to his bed approached tentatively. “I'm going to unlock the handcuffs ok?” he informed in a gentle voice. “No sudden moves or trying to escape ok? You're badly injured and need to rest.”

Turning to face the young man hovering at the side of his bed, Duo noticed the two other men standing quietly against the back wall of the small room and felt his stomach drop. Even if he managed to get the drop on the man in front of him, there was no way he could get past those two; especially since he recognized one as the guy who knocked him out last time and the other as Heero Yuy. `At least Pierrot isn't here,' he thought to himself, although he still couldn't fully remember if meeting Pierrot had actually happened or was another one of his many nightmares.

Bowing his head in assent, Duo held still as the young man reached forward and quickly unlocked the cuffs. Although he couldn't see the other two men, he knew they were watching him like hawks, ready to spring in a restrain him if he made a wrong move.

Tossing the hand-cuffs to the raven-haired man leaning against the far wall, the young shaggy-haired man pulled a chair forward and took a seat next to the bed. Smiling brightly, he extended a slim, pale hand.

“My name is Quatre Magnac, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Duo ignored Quatre's outstretched hand and stared mutely at the man, studying his face intently. Quatre's face was small and slightly rounded with shaggy dull hair brushing his shoulders. His skin tone was very pale, and from what he could see behind the distorting glasses, his eyes were a beautiful light blue.

Quatre withdrew his hand awkwardly. His smile never diminishing, he gestured to the two men behind him. “Behind me are Heero Yuy,” he indicated the blue-eyed man, “and Wufei Chang,” he gestured to the black-haired man. “We're all Preventers agents.”

Duo glanced at their uniforms, noting the matching navy slacks, sturdy all-terrain boots and, navy and olive jackets with the Preventers log. The only difference lay in the shirts they wore under their jackets. Wufei Chang wore a crisp black T-shirt, his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets as he lounged easily against the wall. Heero Yuy stood more stiffly with his arms crossed, a rumpled white shirt under his uniform jacket. Quatre stood out the most with his starched button down shirt, the quality of the fabric far better than both the uniforms and the shirts of the other two agents. Scrutinizing the discord between Quatre's clothes and his scraggly hair, Duo stored away his observation for later use.

Undeterred by Duo's lack of response, Quatre soldiered on. “And if I'm correct, you are Duo Maxwell,” Quatre turned up the wattage of his friendly smile.

Duo flinched. `How the hell do they know who I am?' The shock soon blended into anger as his mind screamed `How dare he call me Duo!”

“My name is Shinigami,” he growled past his scratchy throat. “You have no right to call me Duo Maxwell!”

“Oh,” Quatre faltered. Noticing Duo's dry throat, he reached down to open the small refrigeration unit next to the bed and pulled out a hydration pack. Popping the top open, he held it out. “Here, you must be thirsty. It's orange flavoured!”

Duo glared at the offered can sceptically, his distrust of the strangers outweighing his thirst.

Noting Duo's hesitation, Heero stepped forward and took the can from Quatre's grasp. Duo watched in disbelief as Heero took a long swig from the can, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he drank. Tearing his eyes away from Heero's throat, Duo tensed as Heero fastened him with a steely stare and approached the bed. Smoothly grabbing a straw from a container on the mini-fridge, Heero dropped it into the can and seized Duo's left wrist. Pushing the chilled drink into his hand, Heero curled Duo's fingers around the can.

“Drink,” he urged simply. “You are dehydrated.” With that simple statement, Heero returned to stand next to Wufei against the back wall.

Duo watched Heero warily for a moment but seeing no deceit in his strong face, he threw caution to the wind and quenched his thirst. Taking the straw into his parched mouth, he greedily sucked down a few gulps before slowing his pace and savouring his drink. His mind raced furiously as he tried to discern the situation he was in. He was obviously a prisoner, yet he was in a furnished room rather than a cell. His memories of the few times he was awake during his captivity were fuzzy at best. He seemed to be in the Preventers' custody yet he wouldn't put it past the S.A. to resort to trickery and couldn't push the image of Pierrot from his mind.

`What the hell do I do?' he thought desperately. They obviously wanted something from him, but what?

`Smile,' a voice sounded in his mind, triggering a memory.

“Now listen here squirt,” a deep voice resonated as warm brown eyes crinkled in mirth. “I got a real important lesson for ya.”

The small ruddy faced child blew a raspberry at the teenager kneeling in front of him. “Lessons are boring! Why ya gotta be a bore Solo?”

Solo smiled at the small scraggly-haired youth and clapped his broad hands on the child's bony shoulders. “How about a Golden Rule then?”

The little boy scrunched his face in thought. “A top secret Solo Rule?” he asked.

“Yeah kid, `Solo's Golden Rule to Life', it'll be our little secret,” Solo winked before whispering dramatically: “The Golden Rule is to always smile.”

“Smile? Why's that?” the scruffy child wondered out loud.

“Yeah squirt. Whenever you feel unsure or afraid, even cornered, ya gotta smile. `Cause if ya smile, it makes ya feel better and it makes everyone else wonder what yer thinkin'. Keep `em on their toes. Can ya do that?”

The small child smiled sweetly, his round dimpled cheeks a sharp contrast to his skinny frame. “M'kay!”

“Never forget, alright squirt?” Solo ruffled the child's hair affectionately. “Ya always gotta smile. And not just any ole smile, ya gotta smile like ya mean it!”

“Would you like another can of juice?” Quatre's soft voice interrupted his reminiscing.

Snapping back to the present, Duo realized that he had finished the contents of his can and was now chewing on his straw. Turning his head, he scrutinized the three agents. Choosing his target, he took care to establish eye contact with Quatre and held his gaze for several tense moments before cracking a wide grin.

“Naw, the juice was good thanks, but no thanks!” he answered in a sing song tone.

Taken aback at Duo's sudden change in attitude, Quatre faltered for a moment. “I'm glad you liked it,” Quatre fumbled as he tried to recover from his surprise. “How are you feeling?”

Duo shrugged slightly, hiding his grimace of pain under his widening smile. “Alright I suppose, all things considered. A little sore, but I can't really complain. It's kinda nice havin' a warm bed to sleep in an' all…”

“I see… It must have been hard living on L2, especially with all the hardships created by the S.A.,” Quatre began, trying to see what reactions he could generate.

“Shit happens,” Duo grinned, his happy attitude holding strong.

“The Preventers have sent several investigation teams to L2 and we're appalled with what we've found there…”

“Is that so?” Duo cocked his head to the side.

Despite Duo's outwardly smiling appearance, Quatre could feel that he was building no rapport with the man grinning at him from the narrow bed. At a loss, he continued to search for topics that would bring about some sort of connection with Duo. Deciding to switch his tactics from sympathy to flattery, Quatre forged ahead.

“I have to say, we're all amazed at how you traveled to L1, it takes a great deal of daring to do what you did, hiding in plain sight along with the bodies from L2,” he smiled genuinely at Duo, showing his admiration openly on his face.

“Not really,” Duo responded, “if ya grow up surrounded by death, it doesn't bother ya anymore. I think ya got the wrong reaction there buddy, ya should be creeped out.”

“Tactically speaking, it was brilliant and resourceful,” Quatre declared, his expression sobering a little. “I'll be frank with you Duo. We know it was you who shut down the Liberators base and set the beam cannon to self-destruct.”

Duo tensed slightly but continued to project his easy-going smile. “That so? So are ya chargin' me with some sorta crime? Make me a war criminal along with those S.A. bastards?”

“Of course not!” Quatre exclaimed in dismay, “We discovered what was taking place on L2, the attack on the secret lab was your work as well, wasn't it? We understand that you were trying to destroy the QR145 virus, even at the cost of your own life. That was truly heroic of you.”

“QR145? That's a fancy soundin' name for a virus,” Duo remarked with a curious smile, “An' me a hero? I don't think so, that honour's reserved for Mr. Heero Yuy over there isn't it? He saved L2 from wicked ole' me didn't he?”

“Not true, Heero's the one who discovered your true role on L2, he's given you the full credit. We're on the same side Duo. We want to help you, and we want to bring down the remainder of the S.A. just as badly as you do. Let's work together Duo,” Quatre implored.

Duo's smile vanished as he studied Quatre seriously for a moment. “How do I know this isn't some kind of elaborate S.A. plot?”

“We both want the same things Duo, we're all sworn Preventers agents charged with keeping the peace. You can trust us Duo,” Quatre intoned softly.

Duo studied each of the agents in turn before breaking out his widest grin yet. “That so? Ya know, trust takes honesty. I know I never tell a lie,” Duo locked gazes with Quatre, his violet eyes a serious contrast to his wide grin, “but I can't say that same for you blondie.”

AN: I'm sorry to say this but I don't think I will be posting any more chapters here. My life has gotten very busy and I don't have as much free time as I would like. Sadly, my story doesn't seem to have garnered much interest here. It just doesn't make sense to keep uploading chapters if there are no readers. I know it only takes 5-10 minutes to format and upload a story but that's 10 minutes I could be using to work on my story, go for a jog, talk with friends etc. Sorry for anyone who has been kind enough to read up until now. This story will continue to be updated on fanfiction.net, under the same username. If I find that I have some spare time on my hands again, I may decide to update here once again.

Thanks,

Maririn