Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Duplicity ❯ Chapter 2
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Vinyl-Koneko 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Sci-fi / Fantasy / Cyberpunk / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 11.28.2002 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.5K | Visits: 244 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Sci-fi / Fantasy / Cyberpunk / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 11.28.2002 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.5K | Visits: 244 | Status: Completed
+Title: Duplicity - Part 3
+Author: Vinyl Koneko (Emily), roguegirl@att.net
+Rating: R
+Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5xM, 13x11, 6x9
+Warnings: AU, yaoi, cyberpunk, citrus-y goodness
+Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing at all. If you do own it, please don't sue because I'm not even in college yet and already I'm poor.
+Notes: *Emphasis*, [flashback], // lyrics //. This fic is the sequel to my story "Digital Bath", so definitely read that before jumping into this one.
*~**~*
G had told me to try and keep my mental abilities a secret. I didn't know how I felt about it. I always had been programmed to be able to grasp emotions, but being able to process information so quickly set me apart from my friends. The only real difference between the version of me now was that I was alive, not just a simulation of life. Now I was able to be with Heero for the rest of our lives.
If I had never met Heero, I probably would have preferred being dead. I didn't have much to stick around for, and sometimes being a program you don't feel like you can connect with others. Only Dorothy could understand, and she ended up behaving against her coding. It made me wonder that if on some level I was waiting to snap and kill countless numbers of people. I shivered at the thought. In the system I had called myself the God of Death. I hope it was just a coincidence.
Class seemed like more of a chore than it had been before, only now I couldn't act like I knew the answers. I began to regret reading all those books because I retained every ounce of it. I couldn't tell if my thoughts were original or if they had been regurgitated from somewhere else.
Heero waited for me afterwards, but I told him to go on without me. I needed to talk to Quatre. He seemed to be the only one who could help.
"You feel perfectly normal, Duo," he sighed after I suggested he look for anything that seemed abnormal. "Some are seeing it as a miracle that this is possible at all." The corners of Quatre's mouth quirk up into a smile that reached his eyes. "I'm so happy you're all right. Heero was devastated; he's never cared for anyone this much before."
"Have you known Heero long?"
He shook his head. "I only met Heero a little after I started seeing Trowa. I'm just telling you what I sensed. It's nice to see him this contented, though. Heero was always a little to intense for his own good."
I hadn't known that much about Heero's life before he met me, and I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't eager to find out more. "Does he have family that's been retrieved?"
"No," Quatre said sadly. "Heero always seemed to be alone if he wasn't with myself, Trowa, or Wufei. I don't know much about his family. I think they didn't get along very well and he left, but I could be wrong."
"What about you?"
"I haven't sought out my family on Earth, yet. They won't be hard to miss soon enough. Trowa's found his, including Catherine, and they thought she ran away a long time ago. Trowa and Treize are actually cousins."
"Wow. Wonder why I didn't know that already."
Quatre shrugged. "Treize and Catherine look more related than Trowa. Families can be weird like that sometimes."
"Wish I knew," I murmured. I felt like I was missing out on the concept of family. Closest I really had were the doctors and Dorothy.
"You can share some of my family." When Quatre's happy you can't help but feel happy yourself. I couldn't help but smile as he laughed. "With twenty-nine sisters, I have plenty to go around."
"Thanks, Quat. It means a lot to me."
"No problem. Well, I better get going." I nodded. I knew that Trowa was waiting for Quatre. "I'll see you later." I waved, watching as he ran up the steps to the apartment complex before turning and walking away, no particular destination in mind. "Oh, and Duo?" I turned my head in mid-stride to see what else he had to say. Quatre pointing his index fingers at his cheeks, pushing them up into a grin. "Cheer up!"
I shook my head, chuckling at my friend and silently in awe over how many people really did care about me.
*~**~*
I hadn't expected to see a tall, older man waiting outside my door when I returned to my room. "Excuse me, sir? Are you lost?"
"Are you Duo Maxwell?" his voice didn't match his age, sounding younger than it should.
"Yes... And you are?"
"My name is Dekim Barton. I've been meaning to speak to you, but you've been pretty hard to find."
"Sorry, I've been bus-"
"You don't need to apologize. I understand that you'd be short of time. It's not everyday a computer program becomes the real deal, after all." I don't know why, but I didn't like his tone. "It'll only take a few minutes, if you don't mind."
I agreed wordlessly, motioning for him to sit down. "Are you related to Trowa?"
"I'm his grandfather, yes. Treize's, too. Treize was such a bright boy I thought he was ruining his chance at becoming something great when he decided he wanted to teach, but it looks like I was wrong since now he's running the show."
The older man's attitude caused me to bristle somewhat. "Your grandson is a damn good teacher; it wouldn't matter if it made him 'great' or not. I don't know why you're here, but I'd appreciate it if you just got down to business."
Dekim smiled, but it was more like a sneer, his thin lips set in a firm line. "Very well. I have sources, Duo, that tell me you'd be quite the investment for my little group to make."
"What are you talking about?" I tried to keep my voice steady. I was afraid of what this man could know about me, especially if the doctors had meant for it to be kept a secret.
"You know very well what I'm talking about, Duo. You would be the perfect agent for my cause; especially with all that information stored in that head of yours. You're going to be forced to pick sides sooner or later. Why don't you pick the victor?"
"Pick sides for what?"
"A war, Duo; a war between those who want to stay on Earth and those who would rather go back to the LSOS. Which do you feel will win? Think about it. The Earth has disease, pain, murder... In the system we were free of all those horrors. We were almost immortal. People will learn soon enough that they'd rather have their old lives back than their new ones. Those opposing us will either give in or be destroyed."
"But where would I come in?"
"You would be so perfect, Duo; you have the ability to remember and recall everything that goes on around you. So many people trust you, including the doctors. We could make you a great assassin."
An image of Dorothy as she cut Heero's arm with the sword flashed through my mind. I felt horrified. I couldn't accept that this man would see me capable of being that cold-hearted. Did he just see me as a machine? "You corrupted Dorothy," I whispered, wishing I wasn't by myself with Dekim. "I'm sorry Mr. Barton but the LSOS was only temporary and what you're hoping for is impossible. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like you to leave," my eyes narrowed, voice hardening, "now."
The other's demeanor changed just as quickly as mine had. "This won't be the last you'll hear of me, Duo, and keep in mind that there's nothing you can do about my faction because we haven't done anything illegal." He left, slamming the door behind him in a way that seemed so childish that I couldn't help but laugh out loud. His threats meant nothing to me because I knew he could never sway me to his side. Recreating the LSOS meant a certain doom for humanity, and in thousands of years we would be compared by the new dominating race to the dinosaurs.
It was my job to make sure that would never happen.
*~**~*
End Part 3
A/N: A piece of the Barton family tree for the sake of the story.
Dekim Barton + Marie D'Bleure
------Thomas Barton + Ellie Ringler
------------Luke Barton
------------Matthew Barton + Samantha Thompson
------------------Leia Barton
------Elizabeth Barton + Jonathon Khushrenada
------------Treize Khushrenada + Ann Une
------------------Mariemaia Khushrenada
------Oliver Barton + Julia Bloom
------------Catherine Bloom
------------Trowa Barton
Confused? Dekim and Marie had Thomas, Elizabeth, and Oliver. Thomas (and Ellie) had Luke and Matthew. Matthew (and Samantha) had Leia. Elizabeth (and Jonathon) had Treize. Treize (and Une) had Mariemaia. Oliver (and Julia) had Catherine and Trowa.
+Author: Vinyl Koneko (Emily), roguegirl@att.net
+Rating: R
+Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5xM, 13x11, 6x9
+Warnings: AU, yaoi, cyberpunk, citrus-y goodness
+Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing at all. If you do own it, please don't sue because I'm not even in college yet and already I'm poor.
+Notes: *Emphasis*, [flashback], // lyrics //. This fic is the sequel to my story "Digital Bath", so definitely read that before jumping into this one.
*~**~*
G had told me to try and keep my mental abilities a secret. I didn't know how I felt about it. I always had been programmed to be able to grasp emotions, but being able to process information so quickly set me apart from my friends. The only real difference between the version of me now was that I was alive, not just a simulation of life. Now I was able to be with Heero for the rest of our lives.
If I had never met Heero, I probably would have preferred being dead. I didn't have much to stick around for, and sometimes being a program you don't feel like you can connect with others. Only Dorothy could understand, and she ended up behaving against her coding. It made me wonder that if on some level I was waiting to snap and kill countless numbers of people. I shivered at the thought. In the system I had called myself the God of Death. I hope it was just a coincidence.
Class seemed like more of a chore than it had been before, only now I couldn't act like I knew the answers. I began to regret reading all those books because I retained every ounce of it. I couldn't tell if my thoughts were original or if they had been regurgitated from somewhere else.
Heero waited for me afterwards, but I told him to go on without me. I needed to talk to Quatre. He seemed to be the only one who could help.
"You feel perfectly normal, Duo," he sighed after I suggested he look for anything that seemed abnormal. "Some are seeing it as a miracle that this is possible at all." The corners of Quatre's mouth quirk up into a smile that reached his eyes. "I'm so happy you're all right. Heero was devastated; he's never cared for anyone this much before."
"Have you known Heero long?"
He shook his head. "I only met Heero a little after I started seeing Trowa. I'm just telling you what I sensed. It's nice to see him this contented, though. Heero was always a little to intense for his own good."
I hadn't known that much about Heero's life before he met me, and I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't eager to find out more. "Does he have family that's been retrieved?"
"No," Quatre said sadly. "Heero always seemed to be alone if he wasn't with myself, Trowa, or Wufei. I don't know much about his family. I think they didn't get along very well and he left, but I could be wrong."
"What about you?"
"I haven't sought out my family on Earth, yet. They won't be hard to miss soon enough. Trowa's found his, including Catherine, and they thought she ran away a long time ago. Trowa and Treize are actually cousins."
"Wow. Wonder why I didn't know that already."
Quatre shrugged. "Treize and Catherine look more related than Trowa. Families can be weird like that sometimes."
"Wish I knew," I murmured. I felt like I was missing out on the concept of family. Closest I really had were the doctors and Dorothy.
"You can share some of my family." When Quatre's happy you can't help but feel happy yourself. I couldn't help but smile as he laughed. "With twenty-nine sisters, I have plenty to go around."
"Thanks, Quat. It means a lot to me."
"No problem. Well, I better get going." I nodded. I knew that Trowa was waiting for Quatre. "I'll see you later." I waved, watching as he ran up the steps to the apartment complex before turning and walking away, no particular destination in mind. "Oh, and Duo?" I turned my head in mid-stride to see what else he had to say. Quatre pointing his index fingers at his cheeks, pushing them up into a grin. "Cheer up!"
I shook my head, chuckling at my friend and silently in awe over how many people really did care about me.
*~**~*
I hadn't expected to see a tall, older man waiting outside my door when I returned to my room. "Excuse me, sir? Are you lost?"
"Are you Duo Maxwell?" his voice didn't match his age, sounding younger than it should.
"Yes... And you are?"
"My name is Dekim Barton. I've been meaning to speak to you, but you've been pretty hard to find."
"Sorry, I've been bus-"
"You don't need to apologize. I understand that you'd be short of time. It's not everyday a computer program becomes the real deal, after all." I don't know why, but I didn't like his tone. "It'll only take a few minutes, if you don't mind."
I agreed wordlessly, motioning for him to sit down. "Are you related to Trowa?"
"I'm his grandfather, yes. Treize's, too. Treize was such a bright boy I thought he was ruining his chance at becoming something great when he decided he wanted to teach, but it looks like I was wrong since now he's running the show."
The older man's attitude caused me to bristle somewhat. "Your grandson is a damn good teacher; it wouldn't matter if it made him 'great' or not. I don't know why you're here, but I'd appreciate it if you just got down to business."
Dekim smiled, but it was more like a sneer, his thin lips set in a firm line. "Very well. I have sources, Duo, that tell me you'd be quite the investment for my little group to make."
"What are you talking about?" I tried to keep my voice steady. I was afraid of what this man could know about me, especially if the doctors had meant for it to be kept a secret.
"You know very well what I'm talking about, Duo. You would be the perfect agent for my cause; especially with all that information stored in that head of yours. You're going to be forced to pick sides sooner or later. Why don't you pick the victor?"
"Pick sides for what?"
"A war, Duo; a war between those who want to stay on Earth and those who would rather go back to the LSOS. Which do you feel will win? Think about it. The Earth has disease, pain, murder... In the system we were free of all those horrors. We were almost immortal. People will learn soon enough that they'd rather have their old lives back than their new ones. Those opposing us will either give in or be destroyed."
"But where would I come in?"
"You would be so perfect, Duo; you have the ability to remember and recall everything that goes on around you. So many people trust you, including the doctors. We could make you a great assassin."
An image of Dorothy as she cut Heero's arm with the sword flashed through my mind. I felt horrified. I couldn't accept that this man would see me capable of being that cold-hearted. Did he just see me as a machine? "You corrupted Dorothy," I whispered, wishing I wasn't by myself with Dekim. "I'm sorry Mr. Barton but the LSOS was only temporary and what you're hoping for is impossible. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like you to leave," my eyes narrowed, voice hardening, "now."
The other's demeanor changed just as quickly as mine had. "This won't be the last you'll hear of me, Duo, and keep in mind that there's nothing you can do about my faction because we haven't done anything illegal." He left, slamming the door behind him in a way that seemed so childish that I couldn't help but laugh out loud. His threats meant nothing to me because I knew he could never sway me to his side. Recreating the LSOS meant a certain doom for humanity, and in thousands of years we would be compared by the new dominating race to the dinosaurs.
It was my job to make sure that would never happen.
*~**~*
End Part 3
A/N: A piece of the Barton family tree for the sake of the story.
Dekim Barton + Marie D'Bleure
------Thomas Barton + Ellie Ringler
------------Luke Barton
------------Matthew Barton + Samantha Thompson
------------------Leia Barton
------Elizabeth Barton + Jonathon Khushrenada
------------Treize Khushrenada + Ann Une
------------------Mariemaia Khushrenada
------Oliver Barton + Julia Bloom
------------Catherine Bloom
------------Trowa Barton
Confused? Dekim and Marie had Thomas, Elizabeth, and Oliver. Thomas (and Ellie) had Luke and Matthew. Matthew (and Samantha) had Leia. Elizabeth (and Jonathon) had Treize. Treize (and Une) had Mariemaia. Oliver (and Julia) had Catherine and Trowa.