Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Delusions of Normalcy ❯ String Us Out ( Chapter 2 )

Author: Arithion/Arithkenshin

Email: arithkenshin@yahoo.co.uk

Title: Delusions of Normalcy

Rating: R (PG13 this chapter)

Warnings: language, mild Angst, slightly AU

Disclaimer: I don't own them, I don't get any money from this… just a time-sink

Set: End of Series

Summary: When the war ends, just how much of the peace that they fought for have the pilots won for themselves?

Notes: If you wish to Archive, please ask. Thanks to Sol for betaing. /salute War Room

I'd really like to thank all the people who responded to the first chapter. Gave me the guts to slog through this chapter and make the thousands of corrections needed since I shelved this a while ago. Anyway… enjoy…

Delusions of Normalcy

String us Out

Early the next morning there was a knock at the door. Standing with a cup of strong coffee in his hands and gazing out the window thoughtfully, Duo realised he was probably the only one in the house in any state to go and answer the door, being fully dressed as he was. Frowning, he opened the door, and looked blankly at the express postman.

"Yes?" Duo's tone was barely polite, but then, Duo considered seven in the morning a crass time to be knocking on someone's door.

"Express delivery, sir!" A package was placed in Duo's spare hand and a clipboard shoved under his nose. "Sign here, please!"

"I may be a lot of things, but I do not have three arms." Duo placed his coffee cup on the table next to the door and signed the space allocated for him. Without a `thank you' or even a `have a nice day', he shut the door in the postman's face and turned to peruse the package in his hands, absently picking up his coffee on the way to the lounge room.

Seating himself on the couch, he sipped at the drink as he opened the package, noting mentally that someone else had just woken up and was moving around the house. If he was not mistaken, it was either Trowa or Heero. Their footsteps were always deliberate, but somehow in a different way to Wufei's and Quatre's, which were lighter and more staccato in nature.

Ahhh, Duo told himself, think of the devil.

"Morning, Quatre," Duo didn't even look up from rifling through the contents of the package as Quatre entered the room. What might unnerve normal people was only something that sought to relax the former Gundam Pilots.

"Morning. Who was at the door?"

"Ahh, so you heard?"

"Obviously. Who was at the door?"

"You're the psychic, why don't you tell me?"

"Oh, just tell me, Duo. It's too early for me to keep up with you today!"

A chuckle escaped Duo's throat. "Postman… here. " And he threw Quatre a letter addressed to him.

"What is it?"

This time a slightly exasperated sigh escaped Duo. "Open it and find out Quatre, I haven't opened mine yet either, I've just read the sheet that tells us to give one envelope to each of us, and have been trying to juggle my coffee as well…"

"Oh."

Duo's eyes narrowed as he scanned his own letter.

/Mr. D. Maxwell

Due to the stresses involved and nature of your previous `employment' we will need to ask you to our offices for a professional evaluation, in order to determine which level of training will best suit your special circumstances and current abilities.

Your presence is requested at

Preventers Headquarters

1 - 31 Peacewalk Haven

12th Floor, Room 1202

at 1pm today

Sincerely

Dr Arden B. Mathews/

"Well, that's just fucking great. So what time do you have to be there?" Duo was, to say the very least, not impressed.

"Um, at three pm…guess we have a long day ahead of us, don't we?"

"Apparently so." An evil grin began to spread over Duo's face. "Hmm, methinks that some certain other ex-pilots also need to be woken up." Coffee cup on the small makeshift table, he vaulted over the back of the couch and headed into the downstairs bathroom, ignoring the fact that someone was obviously showering over head, and turned on the hot water, fully.

The result was a strangled cry, and a hurried exiting of the shower, revealing a dripping wet, towel clothed Trowa who was glaring over the railing at the violet-eyed teen below. Duo clutched at his stomach, laughing at the results.

A voice near his shoulder almost made him jump. "I am glad I had chosen to have a short shower. Your sense of humour does not seem to be wearing off now, that the war is over, Maxwell."

Still laughing Duo walked into the kitchen, putting yet another pot of coffee on the machine. "Heh, /Chang/, very funny. The war is over. Now I actually have a reason to have a sense of humour."

"You just had to get him started, didn't you?" Heero, came to rest next to Wufei, arms crossed and partial scowl on his face. "Why are you in such a good mood anyway?"

"Toss them their little invitations, Quatre! We should all know how undeniably lucky we all are."

"Invitations?" Trowa ducked into the bathroom, calling out behind him. "I'll be right down."

Another chuckle escaped Duo's throat. "You can give him his, Quatre. I don't want to be the one who disappoints him."

"Great, I get to do all of the dirty work." Quatre mumbled as he went to try and find the package from wherever Duo had let it fall.

"Really depends on how you define dirty, Quatre." The longhaired youth grabbed his coffee and stole out to the back yard, taking some time to unwind before facing the day.

#*#

"This is kind of stupid, really. I mean, we all had to be at least partially insane to be doing what we did during the wars anyway. Just how does this guy think that he is going to be able to psychoanalyse us, anyway?" Duo stopped babbling out loud and let his thoughts take his attention. It wasn't really making Duo jittery that they were going to see a `shrink,' as he termed it. But it annoyed him that there was this apparent need to test and see if they were, well, fit to take on the roles that the Preventers had laid out as their only real viable option.

"Did your battery run out?"

Duo blinked. "Did someone clone Heero Yuy, add a touch of humanity, and forget to tell us?" His voice was joking, but the tone didn't quite make it that far, and the violet-eyed boy could see the slight frown cross the Japanese boys face. It almost made him feel a little guilty, but he stopped that train of thought right there and continued on. "Occasionally I do actually stop speaking of my own accord. You should know that, Heero. I mean, after all I do have that one little brain cell that reminds me that it can be used, and then - watch out! Because I can actually think!"

"I never implied that you could not." The answer was stiff.

"You didn't? Wow, could have fooled me, you must be a better actor than I thought, but anyway, I at least am glad that you are the first one into that room. I hate people analysing me. I'm hoping the guy is fucked in the head from trying to figure you out. That way he won't have energy left to concentrate on me."

Trowa chuckled. "Then I think that Wufei has the best chance here out of all of us. He goes in last."

A smile spread across Quatre's face. "I actually feel sorry for this poor guy. If only he knew…"

And although there was a brief sharing of smiles amongst all five of them, there was an underlying sense of `he is so right' to it all. It was going to be very interesting, for all of them.

#*#

Heero was fidgeting. Well it probably didn't look like fidgeting to anyone else, but he knew that he was, so that was all that really counted. And it was pissing him off that he was fidgeting.

Another habit, he thought grimly, picked up from spending too much time around other people.

"Are you comfortable, Mr. Yuy?"

"As comfortable as I will get, until I may leave this room."

The doctor looked a little taken aback, and took a drink of water before he continued. "Well, then, I guess we had best get the questioning underway then."

"Sounds like a plan." Blue eyes flashed a little, his impatience already setting in as the questioning began.

"How do you feel that the war has ended?"

"A war is not fought to be there constantly. It is fought to achieve an aim; in this case the aim was peace. Therefore I am satisfied that the war has ended. Its objective was completed." Heero thought the question was a little superfluous as it was, but hey, it was the doctor's session. Let him ask what he wanted to. Allowing his awareness to drift, Heero simply answered the questions as they came to him, studying the room for any signs of surveillance.

#*#

As the Japanese youth stepped out of the office, he nodded at the others. Heero sat down in one of the chairs in the office, waiting for when the rest of them would be finished so they could all go home.

"Well, Heero? Is it bad? What do I have to prepare myself for? Will I come out alive?" Duo was peering over at the dark-haired teen, and it was all that Heero could do to control himself and not throw Duo against the opposite wall for invading his personal space.

"Depends on whether you can actually talk sense or not, Duo. I have yet to see this from you, but perhaps you will surprise us, and the good doctor." Heero went back to flipping through a magazine.

Duo's mouth was doing a very good impression of a fish. "Wow, look at that, forty-five minutes with a therapist and the perfect Heero Yuy develops a sense of freaking humour. Gotta watch this guy, boys." His banter was briefly interrupted by the receptionist who motioned him in. "Ahhh, looks like I'm in for it now. Wish me luck." And he darted into the room, closing the door behind him.

#*#

Doctor Mathews watched the longhaired man closely as he walked into the room. Glancing down at his notes, he looked up to find startlingly violet eyes looking back at him, waiting. The grin spread over the face didn't quite reach the eyes.

"What's up, Doc?" The young man laughed, and his eyes softened slightly. "Heh, I have always wanted to say that." Folding himself onto the couch, Duo looked through his bangs at the man sitting at the table. "Well, Doc, we don't have all day, you know. You have other appointments, so let's get this crap over and done with, shall we?"

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "This crap, Mr. Maxwell?"

Duo, shrugged. "Yeah, this crap, these questions, this interrogation." The tone of the youth's voice left the doctor with no doubt as to how literal the boy meant that last comment.

"Well, then, I guess we'll begin." Shuffling papers the Doctor spoke. "How do you feel that the war has ended?"

"Kinda bored, don't ya know? I was born, raised, and bred in war. Trained too, I guess. Never really thought what it was going to be like if there was ever no war anymore. Not really sure what to do with myself now, but hey, I guess the Preventers are going to find something for us to do, don't you? Hmmm yep… so… next question, I guess. You do have a time table to keep to all the same, don't you?" Duo's brain was bantering out the answers, trying to figure out just what it was that the government hoped to garner from these interviews. He was trying to decide if it was too dangerous to be himself.

#*#

"And thanks for all your wonderfully stimulating conversation, Doc, old pal! Guess I'll be seeing you around!" Duo closed the door behind him, turning to see the alternately flat or curious gazes directed to him by his teammates in the waiting room. "What? It wasn't that bad. It was just boring and invasive as hell, but he's a shrink, what do you expect?" Duo heard the receptionist laughing and trying to stifle it, and a grin passed over his own face as he sat down next to Heero.

He plucked the magazine out of Heero's hands, and received a glare for the action.

"Give that back, Duo."

"Nope, I don't think I will. I'm bored and we have another three hours to sit here and while away the time, so I thought you could talk to me." The magazine was held successfully out of Heero's way. Resigned to his fate, Heero sat back and crossed his arms, eyes not leaving Duo's face.

"I don't have a choice in this."

Heero hadn't asked a question, but Duo treated it as such. "No, old chap, I would say you don't."

A slight look of suffering crossed Heero's face, as he settled down to switch his brain off a little, partially listening to Duo, and partially trying to figure out the current situation in his life. Trowa was beckoned into the room, and Duo launched into a rather animated discussion.

"So, Heero, just what do you think we're all going to get stuck doing in this place?" Sadly for Heero, the lack of response didn't put him off…" Yeah…I guess…"

Trowa smiled briefly as he closed the door behind him, shutting out the noise that was Duo.

#*#

Nodding to the Doctor, Trowa sat himself down. It wasn't that he was a silent person. He just didn't feel the need to waste words when it seriously wasn't needed. The doctor, looked up a little perturbed, not used to having someone not even greet him verbally.

"Mr. Barton?"

Trowa nodded, assuming the nod would be sufficient.

"Have you always responded without words Mr. Barton, or is this a direct result of the war?"

The youth couldn't help it. He laughed.

A bit disgruntled, the doctor tried again. "I fail to see how this is funny, Mr. Barton."

Those green eyes narrowed. "And I fail to see how this is necessary. However, if you persist in insisting that it is required for me to speak a simple greeting, rather than simply and respectfully inclining my head, then I do so. Good day to you, Doctor Mathews. How are you this fine morning?" Pausing for a second, Trowa observed the Doctor, taking in his reaction. "Is that satisfactory, Doctor? I am sure that I could probably adapt something else to your needs, but I may need a few moments in order to do so, if that is what you would prefer."

A little startled, the doctor began shuffling through his notes. "Um, no, I do believe that we can carry on from here."

"Oh, that is delightful to know." Trowa just knew his good mood was gone for the day. The least the doctor could do for ruining his mood was provide Trowa with a source of less intelligence to gloat over. From what he had seen, Trowa did not think that finding mirth in the doctors' lack of knowledge was going to be hard.

"How do you feel now that the war has ended?"

"Relieved, and suspicious. Relieved that the fighting will stop and maybe people can actually live in peace, and suspicious that perhaps this is all an illusion and perhaps the situation is not really all it seems to be." Trowa wished he knew what the ulterior motives were behind all of the questioning. For some reason it didn't just seem to be that they were going to be trained, that they would be fit enough to be trained. He had an ominous feeling that they were about to be used…again.

#*#

Quatre was feeling a little…nervous. No, that wasn't it. Perhaps a little frustrated and apprehensive about the whole situation. His empathic ability was screaming at him that something was not quite right, but since he couldn't quite put his finger on it, he wasn't entirely sure just what it was. Though he did have to occasionally smile as Duo's incessant banter filled the room. The suffering Heero made appropriate noises in the right places, although obviously not quite paying full attention to Duo.

Privately, Quatre thought that Wufei had brought those earplugs with him deliberately. Though he had been discreet about their use, he probably hadn't wanted to cause a scene in telling Duo to shut up.

Trowa had just exited the Doctors room, and Quatre's tension grew.

"Hey, Trowa," Duo called out. "How did it go?"

The taller teen shrugged. "Not too sure. He didn't like that I didn't verbally greet him, but I think I explained that well enough."

Duo chuckled and glanced over at the blonde. "Hey, Quatre. It's not that bad, seriously. Just go in, and be yourself. No one can help but think you're great. Hell, you even won the Maguanacs to your side. Don't forget that."

Flashing a grateful smile at Duo, Quatre answered his summons. He closed the door behind him, and blocked out the fact that Duo had just begun to drag poor Trowa into a conversation with him, momentarily relieving Heero of that obligation.

#*#

Taking a deep breath, Quatre turned around and smiled a shy smile at the doctor. "Hello, Dr. Mathews. I'm Quatre Winner."

The doctor stood and took the proffered hand, observing the obviously well bred youth in front of him. Of course he knew the Winner name, and had known that one of the pilots was a Winner, but it was still amazing to see that it was all actually true. "Hello, Quatre. I hope you won't mind answering some questions for me?"

The deceptively innocent eyes narrowed slightly as the blonde's strategist part pushed to the fore. "Of course not, Doctor. However, I have to confess it might depend on the questions, I will still try to see how I can help you." Sitting down carefully, Quatre's brain didn't miss a beat. He would answer truthfully, all the while trying to figure out the real reasons behind the questions. For some reason the blonde couldn't simply accept the fact that they were being `given' such a chance, there had to be a catch. There just had to be.

The doctor seemed relieved. "Well, let's see." And again, he shuffled through the papers, ignorant of the scrutiny he was receiving from the blond on the couch in front of him. "How do you feel now that the war has ended?"

Quatre sighed. He was pretty sure he could handle this. "Relieved, almost peaceful…It's a weight off my chest…"

#*#

As the blond stepped out of the office, he glanced over the room to see Wufei still oblivious to everything behind his earplugs, and the other three actually all embroiled in a discussion.

"I don't know what the living arrangements will be Heero."

"You're the one that made the smart comment in the judgment about knowing the place better than them by the time we moved in." Heero scowled at Duo.

"Oh hell, it's been what, a day since then. Give me a break. No war, there should be no rush."

"Rush is all relative, Duo. But you do have a point." Trowa looked at Heero. "Just what is bothering you about this, Heero?"

Heero looked a little confused. "It's all so unplanned!"

Quatre bit back a chuckle. "Of course it is, Heero. This is a government organization after all."

"I just like knowing what I am going into ahead of time. I need to know…"

"How many escape routes there are? Just what type of security systems they have?" Trowa looked at the Japanese boy knowingly. "I know exactly how you feel, Heero."

Duo smirked. "I would admit that too, if I didn't think it was a scary thought, so I'll just pretend I don't." Looking at the receptionist, Duo noticed that she had called Wufei at least three times, and was starting to get a little embarrassed. Not one to let a lady be embarrassed, Duo stood and walked to stand in front of Wufei who was still engrossed in the reading material in front of his nose.

"Chang! Time. For. You. To. See. The. Doctor."

Calmly Wufei reached up and removed one of the earplugs. "There is really no need to yell, Maxwell, I can hear quite well." Placing his book on the chair he had occupied, Wufei made his way over to the door.

The American was spluttering. "He had… earplugs! That is so unfair. And I thought he was being nice to me for once by not telling me to shut up! Of all the…"

But Wufei didn't hear anymore. He closed the door behind him with a grim look on his face and turned to face the doctor, assessing if he should show the man some respect or not.

#*#

Deciding that a brief nod would suffice, Wufei made his way to the couch and sat down, looking at the doctor. "If you don't mind, I would like to start as soon as possible and perhaps get this out of the way before my teammates drive your receptionist crazy. I have been waiting for 4 hours, and am not in the best mood myself."

"Team mates?" The doctor was intrigued by the word choice. "Not friends?"

Wufei shrugged. "I do not know them sufficiently well enough to classify them as friends. Comrades, perhaps?"

"Do you all think of each other that way?"

Wufei took a breath, and taking in the way the man's body language came across, he decided that he didn't like the man who was analyzing them. "I'm not sure. Perhaps you should have thought to ask them these questions when they were in here. As it is, I would prefer to continue with this interrogation."

Blanching a little, the Doctor found the sheet he had for Chang, Wufei and cleared his throat. "How do you feel now that the war has ended?"

"Satisfied that justice has been served." Wufei settled back in the couch, arms crossed. He was pretty sure that he wasn't going to like where this game was leading.

#*#

As Wufei left the room, the doctor leaned over to his phone and dialed a number. "Lady Une, I have just finished with the interviews. It would be a good time to have you and Mr. Gray come over, and peruse the documents for what we need."

"We shall be there in half an hour."

Sitting back, the Doctor sighed. None of those young men were normal. He just hoped that none of them ever turned on him in anger.

#*#

Wufei stepped out of the room quietly, his ears picking up the sound of the doctor moving. Holding a finger to his lips, Wufei motioned for the others to be quiet. Listening carefully, he nodded once, and then moved away from the doors, motioning that the others follow him.

In a low voice, he spoke to the other four ex-pilots as they walked to the parking lot. "Not everything is as it seems," Wufei told them. "We should talk when we get to the house."

So as not to be too conspicuous, Duo began talking about absolutely nothing again, though his expression belied the carefree voice he was using. There was just too much to think about right then.

#*#

Lady Une swept into his office, causing Dr Mathews to look up, a startled expression on his face. "Well met, Arden. I trust you came away from the interviews unscathed?"

"Oh, ahh, yes I did. Though they are young they have quite formidable countenances, do they not?"

The white-haired judge, from the day before, closed the door behind him, and made his way over to lean on the mantle in the office. "That is the entire point of this exercise, Arden. These boys will play key roles in maintaining the peace. Although the acquisition of the skills that they have may be a little suspect, they are vital to our continued efforts, especially given the factions that still exist."

"Yes, Malcolm. We know these things. Let's get down to seeing exactly where it is that we can slot the boys. They are due to be here in thirteen days, and I for one need to prepare certain things for their reception."

Hazel eyes surveyed the woman. "Do not forget /your/ place, Une."

"How could I, when you remind me of it on a daily basis."

As usual, her tone was cutting, just to the right degree. Malcolm got the feeling once again that there would never be a way they could hold her against her will. If at any stage she did not like what was going on, he was fairly certain she would be gone without a trace.

And the thing was, he thought, it was the same with the Gundam Pilots. If they did not like what was being offered, they too would leave, and he knew there was nothing he could do to stop them. He just had to pretend he could. It was a thin and difficult line to tread.

"So what do we have?" As always Une's approach was brusque and efficient. Malcolm let himself relax as he leant back to watch the woman work. There were reasons they had recruited her.

"Hmmm, where to start? Pilot 01 seems logical." Rifling through his papers, the doctor pulled a sheet out. "Heero Yuy?"

"Yes. His specialties are sabotage, destructive weapons, computers, and espionage and to be honest, probably following orders that do not conflict with his instilled training. What are your views, Doctor? Will we be able to use him for any - or all of these - still?"

"It is a little sketchy. Mainly, I asked questions which would lead indicate if they are against killing anymore."

/How do you feel about the people that you killed?

I do not like to kill, and I hope to never have to again. I regret that people lost their lives, and further regret that innocents were sometimes caught in the crossfire. But it is sadly a necessary cost of war. And having obtained peace I would have to say that it was an indispensable sacrifice./

"In Heero's case, I would say that he could complete any task you set him, as long as he has other options than killing. It seems he has been killing for a very long time and has grown a little weary of it." The doctor took a breath, and looked at Une.

She frowned a little. "Heero Yuy is an amazing marksman, but if he has no will to kill, then that is no position for him. However, in certain cases an expert in sabotage will be required. Provided his parameters allow for as little life loss as possible, I think it should be ok." She looked at her own notes. "So we need to expand, maintain and improve his training in sabotage, and perhaps his hacking abilities. His espionage abilities need no work. He has no rival when it comes to those… but perhaps we should concentrate on him at least maintaining the high standard that he has. Those always come in useful and he managed to trick a lot of people, a lot of the time." She nodded to Arden, indicating that she was ready to go onto the next subject.

"Pilot 02…"

Une cut him off. "We leave Duo until last. He's a little … complicated."

"What difference does it make if he is decided now or later?" Malcolm thought it was a stupid differentiation to make.

"I will not decide a fate like that in a hurry. Leave me to do my job. You know I will do it well." Her glare silenced him, but didn't stop him from wondering.

"Pilot 03, then. Trowa Barton, who I might add, is rather insolent."

Une raised an eyebrow. "Trowa? Insolent? You must have offended him. That boy is one of the most concise, well-spoken people I have ever met. He never does anything without thinking it through, except in rare circumstances. I always got the feeling he was older than the others."

The doctor blinked a little. "Well, yes…I…"

Dismissing the rest of what he was saying with the wave of her hand, Une glanced at her notes. "Trowa's specialties have always included an amazing ability to analyze a situation and get exactly which he needs from it. He also is a destructive weapons expert, and I know first hand that his ability to infiltrate is excellent. Will he be suited? Can he still kill?"

"He calls himself a pragmatist… you be the judge." The doctor read Trowa's response out loud.

/How do you feel about the people that you killed?

I am saddened that they had to die, but am content that we now have peace. Does this make me a barbarian? I think not… it makes me a pragmatist… There are too few of us nowadays./

"I would say this boy could easily still kill," the doctor concluded. "If given enough reason to do so, a valid enough reason, that is."

Frowning, Une scanned her forms again. "Well, that's at least some relief. He will be fine for undercover work then. I need him. On top of that I would say that we could use him on project analyses."

Malcolm nodded. "Sounds good from here."

She motioned that they move onto the next pilot.

"Pilot 04, "The doctor began. "He is probably the one that made the most impression on me. That boy has a gift that should be trained."

"Yes, I am fully aware of this. He has talents that would help us a lot in certain situations. How are his sensibilities? Will he be able to deal with situations that could prove to result in loss of life?"

"I think so, as long as he isn't doing the killing himself."

/How do you feel about the people that you killed?

I just wish I hadn't had to. I wish I could turn back the clock and give back those lives… but I can't change the past. I refuse to let it dictate my future./

"Apart from that, he seemed to be fine with the fact that the war had to be fought, because we needed peace. He is not as naive as he first appears and I got the distinct feeling that he was keeping something from me. But he did it in such a way that I have no idea what it could be."

Une let her gaze rest on the doctor for a moment, almost making him squirm. "Yes, well…We'll probably find out, eventually. But I get the feeling that what Quatre Winner doesn't want you to know, you will not find out until he wants you to. We will need to train his empathic abilities. Are these options open to us, Arden?"

"We should be able to accommodate that. Might take me a week or two to arrange it, but I can do it."

"Then do it. We need him for diplomatic and hostage negotiations. His empathic ability is going to be invaluable in those situations. Now move on to Chang. I do not have all night to spend doing this. There are other things that require my attention." Une glanced at the doctor to make sure he understood before she proceeded. "I need Chang to be a part of the Centre's staff, at least eventually. His ability to face opponent in hand-to-hand combat is uncanny, as well as his experience with placing explosive devices without detection. I need to know if he first would have any compunctions killing, and second if his temperament will allow him to teach effectively without killing his pupils due to his impatience."

"I am not too sure about his patience, Lady, but his ability to kill should not have been hampered as long as it is sought for a just reason."

/How do you feel about the people that you killed?

They died to see justice bear fruition. They died for a good cause. Though it is regrettable that some innocents suffered, it was a war… death happens./

"Considering his strong need for a sense of purpose, I would also say that training would be something he could actually see himself doing, and something he could take pride in." The doctor placed his notes down, watching the woman in front of him as she perused her notes.

"Good. That's it, then. He will be trained to teach hand to hand combat, since we have no one who is decent and he will also receive instruction that will either further progress his demolitions capabilities or else will find out that he does not need to have those capabilities furthered." Writing something down, she picked up another piece of paper and looked at the doctor over her glasses. "Now we come to Duo Maxwell."

"That man is not quite sane."

"Yes, we know this, we actually are acutely aware that all of them have slight hang ups, and Duo's are no worse than the others. It's just that his are more obvious. Will he be able to kill? Out of all of them, for Duo, this is amazingly important."

"Quite definitely, Lady. He feels no remorse. It's … quite unsettling.

/Do you feel the war could have been carried out with less cost of life? If so, how? If so, how could that have been achieved?

Sure it could have…but it wasn't, so why bother about what ifs? Live in the now, I always say… Never know when the end will come

How do you feel about the people that you killed?

It's war. In wars you kill or be killed. I feel nothing about it. We got what we set out to achieve./

"His view is almost…" The doctor searched for the right words to explain it. "As though everyone dies in the end, so it doesn't make a difference if he does it or not."

"Excellent, Arden. That is exactly what I needed. Thank you for your time."

Standing to leave, Arden was a little puzzled. Nonetheless, he was rather glad the meeting with the two high-ranking Preventers was finally over.

#*#

On the way back to their offices, Malcolm Gray ventured to interrupt Une's train of thought. "You think he will be able to do what you've picked for him?"

"Of course he will. His specialties will technically be infiltration and hacking, and will probably have to work with Yuy a fair bit, but they are used to that. His other abilities will definitely suffice for what it is we need him for. And he is the only one out of the five that I think can successfully pull it off."

#*#

Standing in the makeshift living room, Duo put his hands on his hips, violet eyes flashing a little. "Okay, Chang, spill it."

Calmly, Wufei raised an eyebrow at the American. "The doctor has now called Lady Une and Mr. Gray, who I can only surmise is that man who gave us our `verdict' yesterday as to our futures." He shrugged and took his book with him, over to a chair, and sat down.

"No, you don't, Chang. You know, or are thinking something. Talk to us." Heero had the book in his hand and was glaring down at the seated Chinese youth.

"Oh, fine, Yuy! Talk about what?"

"Whatever is going through that damn brain of yours!"

"The doctor just seemed to think it strange that I called you all teammates instead of /friends/." Grabbing for his book, Wufei glared at Heero when he didn't get it back. "Can I have my book /now/?"

"No," but it was Quatre who spoke. "Are we friends?"

Four sets of eyes turned to look at the blond.

Duo rubbed his nose uncomfortably. "Gee, I'm not sure. Comrades definitely, but, none of you really know me well enough to call me a friend. Though I kinda trust and have trusted you with my life so…"

"Exactly what I said, Maxwell. I said we were comrades. Now give me---"

"Can it, Wufei!" Quatre's fingers were clenched. Taking a deep breath, he continued to speak. "Now, I don't know about you, but I have been through hell and back with you four, and I feel a sense of friendship for you. Perhaps not quite the best friends I have ever or will ever have, but it's a connection. We better figure out damn fast what it is we are, mean to each other, and how we stand with each other, or else they are going to eat us alive. One thing is for certain. Whatever we are, we need to trust each other like we have before, because I for one do not like the feeling this whole thing is giving me."

Trowa blinked. "Feeling, Quatre? It's giving you a feeling?" Everyone was paying attention, because Quatre's feelings were usually fairly informative.

Quatre sighed. "Yeah, a feeling. It… none of it feels like the way things should have been after we worked our butts off to help win this stupid war. It's like… I feel like we're being used all over again, and I don't like it."

"That settles it, then."

They all looked at Heero.

"I am not very experienced with…friendship, but I do realize you are my allies, my comrades and people I have trusted with my life, and other's lives, before. I will continue to trust you, and see where this all takes us."

Duo almost bounced with glee. "Wow, Heero /is/ starting to grow a personality. Maybe there's hope for Chang yet!"

Wufei scowled at Duo's parting shot, and wrestled the book back from Heero. He sat down to read, glaring one last time at the Japanese boy.

Glancing at his watch, Duo wandered over to the kitchen and fished around in the freezer. Duo took a while to figure the oven out. Giving a small cry of triumph, he pushed the two frozen pizzas into the oven, after making sure the plastic was removed. He had made that mistake before.

Duo returned to the living room.

"Soooo, we kind of have a truce between us then?"

"It appears so." Trowa looked thoughtful.

"Excellent! Pizza for dinner, guys. And yes, this time I took the plastic off. We won't have extra flavour."

~~**~~

Wellllll there you go. Second chapter! Third will be out relatively soon… so sorry about the delay on this one.

Hope it doesn't disappoint!

~Arith