Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Fallen Angels, Broken Hearts ❯ Ch 13 ( Chapter 13 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: dark_liandrin 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Romance / Suspense / Angst / Drama | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 07.10.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.3K | Visits: 143 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Romance / Suspense / Angst / Drama | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 07.10.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.3K | Visits: 143 | Status: Work In Progress
Lou stared at the stone wall. "Good idea. Putting her in a closed off passage. No exit. Sure, they were untraceable, until Heero went all gooshy and told his f girl toy about it all. And guess who turned out to be psycho." Her angry Hebrew mumbles bounced on the walls of the small cell. They had at least put her with the injured Trowa and Wufei. So she could make sure witnesses didn't die.
Kara had Heero though, and Duo was injured somewhere thrown on a side of a road. Yeah, they threw him out of the truck when he fought to see Ryo.
Li was somewhere. And Ryo was in the room next to her. This was just beautifully great. She was stuck with an unconscious man and a man who just didn't move, one of the best soldiers she knew was probably about to become a sexual slave, another was probably being taken by Chinese water torture, her brother was in a ditch, her sister-in-law and nephew were being held, and the one person on the outside was the pacifist, and the other was shot. Who went to the grocery store for formula. And returned after Kara went all psycho.
"Cheng." Lou's eye floated to the door. Psycho was actually addressing her.
"Whore." The returned word was in Hebrew.
Kara smirked, "I just knew you were calculating where your little babies were. Since you seem to be the mother. I wanted to update you. Your boyfriend, well, he is looking for you. You might want to see this."
A small TV crackled to life. And there was Quatre, at the universal peace conference. Making an outcry.
"Typical."
"Oh, keep watching Lou." Now Kara sounded amused.
Lou turned in time to see Quatre fall as a gunshot sounded. The announced freaked out. "Winner is shot! Winner is shot!"
Lou's teary eyes turned back to the wall. Quatre was better than that. He had to be.
"Seems like someone finally broke your little code. No more group. I know you all planned all kinds of heroic stories for the children. What now?" Kara laughed, "Take care of your babies. You won't be with them much longer."
Lou blinked, and listened to the door shut.
This had to be hell.
Beep . . . beep . . . beep . . . on and on, like a second heartbeat, the only thing he was aware of . . . and the pain, pulsing in his chest along with it, caught in some kind of morbid, sick dance with no end in sight . . .
. . . Quatre . . .
He floated in darkness, a thing made of only pain, and emotion. How had he come here? His thoughts were few and jumbled as he fell through space. Every once in a while, an image would flash into his head. It was blurry, but slowly focused with repetition.
. . . Quatre . . .
A woman, it was a woman who occupied the darkness with him, a woman who slowly became his sole haven amongst the pain-riddled darkness that threatened to swallow him whole. In his weakened state he could not reach the part of him that could put a name to her, he could only hold on tight to the memory, a gossamer lifeline in a storm-tossed sea.
. . . Quatre . . .
The pain, the pain that threatened his very existence, would not abate. It became so that he could not distinguish whether the ache in his heart, his core, was caused by something physical, or something else. In the end, it did not matter, and he clutched tighter, desperate to live.
. . . "Master Quatre!"
With a sudden gasp his eyes opened, his mind coming awake as the darkness was banished and filled with flashing light and sound. Above him, face lined with worry and sudden relief, came into focus Rashid, and beyond that the jagged outlines of a white interior.
Quatre's mind caught up with the moment, and he took a slight breath, about to speak, but the pain stopped any attempts to communicate with brutal accuracy, like someone gutting him like a fish. He stayed quiet, focusing on drawing air in and out of his lungs, in and out, as his thoughts raced, trying to make sense of it all. He remembered speaking, at the podium, seeing the faces of thousands watching him. Then, pain, and nothing.
Rashid spoke up then, his voice hoarse, as if he had been more worried than he looked. But, no, he could not have been in tears, not Rashid?
"Master Quatre, thank Allah that you are all right. We thought we had lost you." He took a deep breath, trying to recover his composure. "You were speaking when you went down. It was a sniper. I immediately sent out squadrons in the direction of the trajectory of the bullet. I don't know yet what the outcome of that decision is. Right now we are in an ambulance, headed for a hospital in one of your underground networks. We figured it would be the safest place, considering the circumstances . . . " He looked away, "We have not allowed the press to know anything. For now, they believe you are dead. And, personally, at the moment, I would not wish it any other way."
Quatre nodded, and finally dared to speak, to the ire of a hovering doctor above him, "Have you found out anything about Li?" The others had been taken, but Li was MIA.
Rashid stiffened, "Unfortunately, I have. It is not good, sir. A mere half hour before you went down, there was another sniping at the west end. That was why there were so many medics available on scene. It was her. She's been pronounced dead to the press, but . . . I don't know. The doctor in charge was edgy when I spoke to him. She was taken to the same place we're headed."
Quatre didn't allow himself to think, or speak. He sat there, feeling numb. If Li was dead, truly dead . . . then the only one left was him. Out of 10 pilots, he was their last chance for survival. And, at the moment, he was an invalid, and officially dead as well. Things did not look good.
Earlier>
Bleeping sounds pervaded the sterile atmosphere of the ambulance. The few medics who fit in the small space scurried around in a frenzy, blocking the view of the two onlookers. "One, two, three, CLEAR!" The monitor continued with its ongoing blare, unchanging. "Try again!"
The man sat in the corner next to his fiancé. She rested her dark haired head against his and sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "It's hopeless, isn't it?"
His platinum blonde bangs falling over his eyes, he gazed solemnly down at her, "You should know by now that nothing is ever hopeless."
She thought on that, remembering the years ago when she'd thought she'd lost him in the last battle, in the explosion of White Fang's battle ship, only to have him returned to her a year later, a changed man, but for the better. She'd still loved him. "You're right. Lately, everything has just been so . . . Crazy; I keep losing sight of the truth. The war was supposed to have ended years ago . . . "
"Clear!"
He sighed, squeezing her hand, "It's mankind's nature to fight, we have to treasure the little pockets of peace we are allowed. The cycle seems to be beginning again anew, and we have no choice but to ride this one out like the last. We'll survive, for better or worse."
"Yes, but at what cost, Zechs? We've lost so many lives already . . . and more seem to be lining up . . ." In the background she could hear the fight for one more life, and she couldn't help but think that it sounded like they were losing.
"I can't answer that."
She was left to wallow in her thoughts, unthwarted. Noin pressed a hand to her head, feeling the weight of the pain-filled years pressing down on her like a physical weight, barely staunched by Zechs' hand in hers.
"Clear!" The voices were desperate now, measured, like they had already given up. "Clear!" No response. She'd been gone too long, there was no way to bring her back now . . . but they continued, it was almost sad . . .
"Clear! - Wait!" The exclamation brought her gaze up as there were gasps all around. Against all odds, the monitor had fluctuated, irregular at first, and faint, but there, thank the gods, THERE.
Her breath caught in her throat as she realized that maybe, just maybe, there was still hope. The air seemed clearer now, filled with gladdened relief. They still had a fight ahead of them, but they had the will to go on
When Quatre next awoke, he was in a whitewashed room, and he assumed they'd arrived at the base. He was heavily bandaged, and at the change in pulse a doctor was alerted, and seconds later the door swung open to admit him, followed by Rashid. "Master Quatre, do you feel better?"
"Loads," He replied, voice hoarse from earlier ragged breathing. He had no idea how much time had passed. "What time is it? How long was I out?"
"It's been three days, Master Quatre," Stated the doctor, a well known friend of Quatre's in earlier years. "We considered it unsafe to put your body through further trauma, so we kept you unconscious to give your body time to start the healing process. We've had a very difficult 72 hours, what with you and your friend."
Quatre blinked, "Excuse me, my friend?"
Rashid stepped forward, "It's quite amazing, Master Quatre. So much so, I almost didn't believe it when they told me, so I had to go see for myself. Li Kamiya was pronounced dead on the scene of the shooting, but during the ambulance a very ambitious and caring young doctor and his assistants were on board. Through their determination, they somehow managed to resuscitate her. In other words, they brought her back. Her heart had been stopped for a record amount of time; they were worried that even though they managed to start it again that she'd be brain-dead."
Quatre tried to absorb it all, and finally smiled in relief. It was the first good news he'd heard in a long time. "Go on."
"Well, it's only been three days, and though they've confirmed brain activity, and managed to stabilize her after fighting for the first 24 hours, they still don't know the extent of the damage, and probably won't know until she wakes up. The sniper was a professional; the bullet missed her heart by a little over an inch, due to her quick evasive action. A lesser soldier would have died immediately. As it is, this is a miracle." He sighed. "She is housed in the adjoining room. When the doctors deem you fit enough to move, I will see about letting you visit her. Until then, rest up."
Quatre shook his head. "I can't. They have Lou and the others, we have to help them. It's enough that I'm alive, for that I'm grateful, but I'll never forgive myself if I don't give it my all, employ all my resources, to save them."
"Master Quat -"
"Please, Rashid." The pain and need in his voice was overwhelming.
Rashid nodded, "Very well, I shall see what I can do. But you will get some rest. Mistress Leigh Lou would kill me if she escaped only to find you've abused yourself to death. As it is, she will probably kill the two of us anyways." A rare smile crossed his face, “We can do just as well without your help at the moment, you will be useless to everyone in your current state. The Maganac aren't your men for nothing, Master Quatre. Trust us, as we trust you."
The conversation already draining him, Quatre managed a weak smile before he was dragged off into the darkness once more.
Lou was pissed.
Quatre was dead. And Kara laughed. Damn that . . . just damn her.
Li was gone. Of course, Li didn't die. She was a walking Kevlar vest. She was Superman in woman non comic book form. She didn't die. Lou trusted that.
Wufei woke up enough to smile and then sleep. Trowa coughed. And Ryo cried.
Kara laughed.
Oh that pissed Lou off. She knew she and Quatre would have worked through the last fight and the last period of indifference because he was all focused on finding Li and she was more focused on keeping Ryo okay. Damn Kara. He was dead.
Hopefully Rashid was together enough to save them. Duo was maybe still on the outside. They needed someone. This was just not shaping to be much fun.
Kara had left the TV. It was on a permanent loop of all of the press coverage of Quatre's death and funeral and goodbyes. And the mysterious absence of Lou was covered by a statement made by Rashid of mourning in silence and privacy.
Damn Kara. This was her psycho fault.
"You should die and rot in hell." Lou only addressed Psycho in Hebrew. Only Hebrew.
"Mmmm. This will work out." Kara smiled quietly. "Soon enough there will be nobody to worry about. Soon enough Miss Cheng you will be free from all obligations. Soon."
Heero strained against the steel manacles again, grunting with the effort. He gave up once more, knowing that it was futile, and that knowledge pissed him off. He had never been in such a vulnerable position before. Never.
Worse, he had no idea how the safe house had been found, but he had a sneaking suspicion. He tried to ignore the little voice in the back of his head, the one that ridiculed him for his stupidity. Never trust anyone but yourself, Yuy, that's the rule of a soldier's life. You broke it, and now you're screwed over. One moment of weakness leads to a lifetime of pain. And you dragged your comrades into this one as well. He tried to ignore it, but in the end he couldn't deny it. This whole mess was his fault.
There was a swooshing sound as the door slid open after the click of the coded lock. He kept his head down, ignoring the intruder. Since he had been captured, he had neither seen nor spoke to anyone, nor had he been allowed food or water. But that he could deal with. That was the life of a soldier.
"Hey, honey, missed me?" A familiar voice echoed in the unfurnished steel chamber.
He jerked his head up so fast his neck ached. "Kara . . . ?" He felt woozy from the drugs they'd given him to keep him weak. It had barely begun to wear off.
Kara smiled at him, the same smile that would make his heart leap when they went on dates, the same smile she would flash at him before they kissed. "I suppose I can't blame you for being so slow on the uptake. Despite being the perfect soldier and all, you were in love," She stretched the word sarcastically, still smiling, "Weren't you wondering how they found the safe house? How they found Li? How they knew everything so quickly?"
He stared at her, realization burning straight through his soul as he heard her words as if from far away. "It was you . . . "
"Ding ding! You win the grand prize!" She giggled happily and clapped her hands. "So whatcha think? Am I a good actor or what? You fell hard and fast. A testament to my . . . skills. Though, I must admit, I was attracted to you in the beginning. It made things easier for me in the long run."
He couldn't believe it. They'd dated for three years! "How could you?"
"Easily. You're not my first mark, and you won't be the last." Seeing the look on his face, she grinned, "Aw, cheer up, I've got good news for you. I've decided I like you. You have a certain appeal. So as a reward for me, my boss is letting me keep you alive for as long as I want, lucky you!"
Heero was beginning to grow angry, a hot temper rising in him that he hadn't felt in years. He growled at her, "I'd rather die."
"I figured as much, but it's not your choice." She shook her head mockingly, "Besides, you've got nothing left now. You might as well stay; you made your choice when you chose me over her. But I could tell you were still . . . hesitant about that decision, and it pained me to see you so torn. So I decided to help. Now you have nothing to worry about!" She sounded proud of herself.
His heart froze in his chest, "What are you saying?"
"I helped you make your decision by removing the source of the problem. In this case, your ex, Li Kamiya. You do remember her? Not much of a loss, you didn't really like her anyway. I could see she was hurting you. I shot her myself, but regretfully the killing blow was dealt by Kevin. He's my favorite sniper, he's good." She licked her lips.
Heero sagged in his bonds. "You killed her? You're lying. You couldn't have. She wouldn't let you. She's better than that."
"You doubt my word?" She crossed over to the console on the opposite wall, and switched it on. "It's all over the news. See?" She waited while he absorbed the humongous media coverage on the untimely assassination of Gundam Pilots 07 and 04, also known as a Ms. Li Kamiya and Mr. Quatre Raberba Winner, head of the Winner Corps. They had been shot at the Universal Peace Conference in the opening statements, and police were investigating the seemingly linked crimes with no results so far. When the report was over, she switched it off and watched him with a small smile. "Mr. Winner was a bonus; the silly fool was in the middle of a protest in full view. It was a great way to send a message."
Heero barely heard her; he was still staring at the blank screen in a numb silence. He still couldn't believe her, the press had been wrong before, it had to be a cover-up . . .
She waved a hand in front of his eyes, the cute smile still present on her lips. "Lookie lookie! I brought something for you. I hope you like it." As she fished in her jacket pocket he caught the twinkle of silver in the harsh light of the cell, and suddenly his heart was in his throat. His eyes were following the silver moon when he felt something pressed into his hand. Kara closed his fingers around it, interrupting his view of the stolen necklace when she twiddled it between her fingers. "Like it? I think it looks good on me. I've had my eye on this piece of jewelry for a while on, I know you're not stupid, check out your present!"
Slowly he glanced down at his hand, clenched around a short lock of hair, chestnut strands catching the light and makinbg him close his eyes at the sudden pain of realization.
It couldn't be true, it just couldn't, but he could hear her laughing, and it was all her fault, all his fault, she was dead, dead . . .
Kara had Heero though, and Duo was injured somewhere thrown on a side of a road. Yeah, they threw him out of the truck when he fought to see Ryo.
Li was somewhere. And Ryo was in the room next to her. This was just beautifully great. She was stuck with an unconscious man and a man who just didn't move, one of the best soldiers she knew was probably about to become a sexual slave, another was probably being taken by Chinese water torture, her brother was in a ditch, her sister-in-law and nephew were being held, and the one person on the outside was the pacifist, and the other was shot. Who went to the grocery store for formula. And returned after Kara went all psycho.
"Cheng." Lou's eye floated to the door. Psycho was actually addressing her.
"Whore." The returned word was in Hebrew.
Kara smirked, "I just knew you were calculating where your little babies were. Since you seem to be the mother. I wanted to update you. Your boyfriend, well, he is looking for you. You might want to see this."
A small TV crackled to life. And there was Quatre, at the universal peace conference. Making an outcry.
"Typical."
"Oh, keep watching Lou." Now Kara sounded amused.
Lou turned in time to see Quatre fall as a gunshot sounded. The announced freaked out. "Winner is shot! Winner is shot!"
Lou's teary eyes turned back to the wall. Quatre was better than that. He had to be.
"Seems like someone finally broke your little code. No more group. I know you all planned all kinds of heroic stories for the children. What now?" Kara laughed, "Take care of your babies. You won't be with them much longer."
Lou blinked, and listened to the door shut.
This had to be hell.
Beep . . . beep . . . beep . . . on and on, like a second heartbeat, the only thing he was aware of . . . and the pain, pulsing in his chest along with it, caught in some kind of morbid, sick dance with no end in sight . . .
. . . Quatre . . .
He floated in darkness, a thing made of only pain, and emotion. How had he come here? His thoughts were few and jumbled as he fell through space. Every once in a while, an image would flash into his head. It was blurry, but slowly focused with repetition.
. . . Quatre . . .
A woman, it was a woman who occupied the darkness with him, a woman who slowly became his sole haven amongst the pain-riddled darkness that threatened to swallow him whole. In his weakened state he could not reach the part of him that could put a name to her, he could only hold on tight to the memory, a gossamer lifeline in a storm-tossed sea.
. . . Quatre . . .
The pain, the pain that threatened his very existence, would not abate. It became so that he could not distinguish whether the ache in his heart, his core, was caused by something physical, or something else. In the end, it did not matter, and he clutched tighter, desperate to live.
. . . "Master Quatre!"
With a sudden gasp his eyes opened, his mind coming awake as the darkness was banished and filled with flashing light and sound. Above him, face lined with worry and sudden relief, came into focus Rashid, and beyond that the jagged outlines of a white interior.
Quatre's mind caught up with the moment, and he took a slight breath, about to speak, but the pain stopped any attempts to communicate with brutal accuracy, like someone gutting him like a fish. He stayed quiet, focusing on drawing air in and out of his lungs, in and out, as his thoughts raced, trying to make sense of it all. He remembered speaking, at the podium, seeing the faces of thousands watching him. Then, pain, and nothing.
Rashid spoke up then, his voice hoarse, as if he had been more worried than he looked. But, no, he could not have been in tears, not Rashid?
"Master Quatre, thank Allah that you are all right. We thought we had lost you." He took a deep breath, trying to recover his composure. "You were speaking when you went down. It was a sniper. I immediately sent out squadrons in the direction of the trajectory of the bullet. I don't know yet what the outcome of that decision is. Right now we are in an ambulance, headed for a hospital in one of your underground networks. We figured it would be the safest place, considering the circumstances . . . " He looked away, "We have not allowed the press to know anything. For now, they believe you are dead. And, personally, at the moment, I would not wish it any other way."
Quatre nodded, and finally dared to speak, to the ire of a hovering doctor above him, "Have you found out anything about Li?" The others had been taken, but Li was MIA.
Rashid stiffened, "Unfortunately, I have. It is not good, sir. A mere half hour before you went down, there was another sniping at the west end. That was why there were so many medics available on scene. It was her. She's been pronounced dead to the press, but . . . I don't know. The doctor in charge was edgy when I spoke to him. She was taken to the same place we're headed."
Quatre didn't allow himself to think, or speak. He sat there, feeling numb. If Li was dead, truly dead . . . then the only one left was him. Out of 10 pilots, he was their last chance for survival. And, at the moment, he was an invalid, and officially dead as well. Things did not look good.
Earlier>
Bleeping sounds pervaded the sterile atmosphere of the ambulance. The few medics who fit in the small space scurried around in a frenzy, blocking the view of the two onlookers. "One, two, three, CLEAR!" The monitor continued with its ongoing blare, unchanging. "Try again!"
The man sat in the corner next to his fiancé. She rested her dark haired head against his and sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "It's hopeless, isn't it?"
His platinum blonde bangs falling over his eyes, he gazed solemnly down at her, "You should know by now that nothing is ever hopeless."
She thought on that, remembering the years ago when she'd thought she'd lost him in the last battle, in the explosion of White Fang's battle ship, only to have him returned to her a year later, a changed man, but for the better. She'd still loved him. "You're right. Lately, everything has just been so . . . Crazy; I keep losing sight of the truth. The war was supposed to have ended years ago . . . "
"Clear!"
He sighed, squeezing her hand, "It's mankind's nature to fight, we have to treasure the little pockets of peace we are allowed. The cycle seems to be beginning again anew, and we have no choice but to ride this one out like the last. We'll survive, for better or worse."
"Yes, but at what cost, Zechs? We've lost so many lives already . . . and more seem to be lining up . . ." In the background she could hear the fight for one more life, and she couldn't help but think that it sounded like they were losing.
"I can't answer that."
She was left to wallow in her thoughts, unthwarted. Noin pressed a hand to her head, feeling the weight of the pain-filled years pressing down on her like a physical weight, barely staunched by Zechs' hand in hers.
"Clear!" The voices were desperate now, measured, like they had already given up. "Clear!" No response. She'd been gone too long, there was no way to bring her back now . . . but they continued, it was almost sad . . .
"Clear! - Wait!" The exclamation brought her gaze up as there were gasps all around. Against all odds, the monitor had fluctuated, irregular at first, and faint, but there, thank the gods, THERE.
Her breath caught in her throat as she realized that maybe, just maybe, there was still hope. The air seemed clearer now, filled with gladdened relief. They still had a fight ahead of them, but they had the will to go on
When Quatre next awoke, he was in a whitewashed room, and he assumed they'd arrived at the base. He was heavily bandaged, and at the change in pulse a doctor was alerted, and seconds later the door swung open to admit him, followed by Rashid. "Master Quatre, do you feel better?"
"Loads," He replied, voice hoarse from earlier ragged breathing. He had no idea how much time had passed. "What time is it? How long was I out?"
"It's been three days, Master Quatre," Stated the doctor, a well known friend of Quatre's in earlier years. "We considered it unsafe to put your body through further trauma, so we kept you unconscious to give your body time to start the healing process. We've had a very difficult 72 hours, what with you and your friend."
Quatre blinked, "Excuse me, my friend?"
Rashid stepped forward, "It's quite amazing, Master Quatre. So much so, I almost didn't believe it when they told me, so I had to go see for myself. Li Kamiya was pronounced dead on the scene of the shooting, but during the ambulance a very ambitious and caring young doctor and his assistants were on board. Through their determination, they somehow managed to resuscitate her. In other words, they brought her back. Her heart had been stopped for a record amount of time; they were worried that even though they managed to start it again that she'd be brain-dead."
Quatre tried to absorb it all, and finally smiled in relief. It was the first good news he'd heard in a long time. "Go on."
"Well, it's only been three days, and though they've confirmed brain activity, and managed to stabilize her after fighting for the first 24 hours, they still don't know the extent of the damage, and probably won't know until she wakes up. The sniper was a professional; the bullet missed her heart by a little over an inch, due to her quick evasive action. A lesser soldier would have died immediately. As it is, this is a miracle." He sighed. "She is housed in the adjoining room. When the doctors deem you fit enough to move, I will see about letting you visit her. Until then, rest up."
Quatre shook his head. "I can't. They have Lou and the others, we have to help them. It's enough that I'm alive, for that I'm grateful, but I'll never forgive myself if I don't give it my all, employ all my resources, to save them."
"Master Quat -"
"Please, Rashid." The pain and need in his voice was overwhelming.
Rashid nodded, "Very well, I shall see what I can do. But you will get some rest. Mistress Leigh Lou would kill me if she escaped only to find you've abused yourself to death. As it is, she will probably kill the two of us anyways." A rare smile crossed his face, “We can do just as well without your help at the moment, you will be useless to everyone in your current state. The Maganac aren't your men for nothing, Master Quatre. Trust us, as we trust you."
The conversation already draining him, Quatre managed a weak smile before he was dragged off into the darkness once more.
Lou was pissed.
Quatre was dead. And Kara laughed. Damn that . . . just damn her.
Li was gone. Of course, Li didn't die. She was a walking Kevlar vest. She was Superman in woman non comic book form. She didn't die. Lou trusted that.
Wufei woke up enough to smile and then sleep. Trowa coughed. And Ryo cried.
Kara laughed.
Oh that pissed Lou off. She knew she and Quatre would have worked through the last fight and the last period of indifference because he was all focused on finding Li and she was more focused on keeping Ryo okay. Damn Kara. He was dead.
Hopefully Rashid was together enough to save them. Duo was maybe still on the outside. They needed someone. This was just not shaping to be much fun.
Kara had left the TV. It was on a permanent loop of all of the press coverage of Quatre's death and funeral and goodbyes. And the mysterious absence of Lou was covered by a statement made by Rashid of mourning in silence and privacy.
Damn Kara. This was her psycho fault.
"You should die and rot in hell." Lou only addressed Psycho in Hebrew. Only Hebrew.
"Mmmm. This will work out." Kara smiled quietly. "Soon enough there will be nobody to worry about. Soon enough Miss Cheng you will be free from all obligations. Soon."
Heero strained against the steel manacles again, grunting with the effort. He gave up once more, knowing that it was futile, and that knowledge pissed him off. He had never been in such a vulnerable position before. Never.
Worse, he had no idea how the safe house had been found, but he had a sneaking suspicion. He tried to ignore the little voice in the back of his head, the one that ridiculed him for his stupidity. Never trust anyone but yourself, Yuy, that's the rule of a soldier's life. You broke it, and now you're screwed over. One moment of weakness leads to a lifetime of pain. And you dragged your comrades into this one as well. He tried to ignore it, but in the end he couldn't deny it. This whole mess was his fault.
There was a swooshing sound as the door slid open after the click of the coded lock. He kept his head down, ignoring the intruder. Since he had been captured, he had neither seen nor spoke to anyone, nor had he been allowed food or water. But that he could deal with. That was the life of a soldier.
"Hey, honey, missed me?" A familiar voice echoed in the unfurnished steel chamber.
He jerked his head up so fast his neck ached. "Kara . . . ?" He felt woozy from the drugs they'd given him to keep him weak. It had barely begun to wear off.
Kara smiled at him, the same smile that would make his heart leap when they went on dates, the same smile she would flash at him before they kissed. "I suppose I can't blame you for being so slow on the uptake. Despite being the perfect soldier and all, you were in love," She stretched the word sarcastically, still smiling, "Weren't you wondering how they found the safe house? How they found Li? How they knew everything so quickly?"
He stared at her, realization burning straight through his soul as he heard her words as if from far away. "It was you . . . "
"Ding ding! You win the grand prize!" She giggled happily and clapped her hands. "So whatcha think? Am I a good actor or what? You fell hard and fast. A testament to my . . . skills. Though, I must admit, I was attracted to you in the beginning. It made things easier for me in the long run."
He couldn't believe it. They'd dated for three years! "How could you?"
"Easily. You're not my first mark, and you won't be the last." Seeing the look on his face, she grinned, "Aw, cheer up, I've got good news for you. I've decided I like you. You have a certain appeal. So as a reward for me, my boss is letting me keep you alive for as long as I want, lucky you!"
Heero was beginning to grow angry, a hot temper rising in him that he hadn't felt in years. He growled at her, "I'd rather die."
"I figured as much, but it's not your choice." She shook her head mockingly, "Besides, you've got nothing left now. You might as well stay; you made your choice when you chose me over her. But I could tell you were still . . . hesitant about that decision, and it pained me to see you so torn. So I decided to help. Now you have nothing to worry about!" She sounded proud of herself.
His heart froze in his chest, "What are you saying?"
"I helped you make your decision by removing the source of the problem. In this case, your ex, Li Kamiya. You do remember her? Not much of a loss, you didn't really like her anyway. I could see she was hurting you. I shot her myself, but regretfully the killing blow was dealt by Kevin. He's my favorite sniper, he's good." She licked her lips.
Heero sagged in his bonds. "You killed her? You're lying. You couldn't have. She wouldn't let you. She's better than that."
"You doubt my word?" She crossed over to the console on the opposite wall, and switched it on. "It's all over the news. See?" She waited while he absorbed the humongous media coverage on the untimely assassination of Gundam Pilots 07 and 04, also known as a Ms. Li Kamiya and Mr. Quatre Raberba Winner, head of the Winner Corps. They had been shot at the Universal Peace Conference in the opening statements, and police were investigating the seemingly linked crimes with no results so far. When the report was over, she switched it off and watched him with a small smile. "Mr. Winner was a bonus; the silly fool was in the middle of a protest in full view. It was a great way to send a message."
Heero barely heard her; he was still staring at the blank screen in a numb silence. He still couldn't believe her, the press had been wrong before, it had to be a cover-up . . .
She waved a hand in front of his eyes, the cute smile still present on her lips. "Lookie lookie! I brought something for you. I hope you like it." As she fished in her jacket pocket he caught the twinkle of silver in the harsh light of the cell, and suddenly his heart was in his throat. His eyes were following the silver moon when he felt something pressed into his hand. Kara closed his fingers around it, interrupting his view of the stolen necklace when she twiddled it between her fingers. "Like it? I think it looks good on me. I've had my eye on this piece of jewelry for a while on, I know you're not stupid, check out your present!"
Slowly he glanced down at his hand, clenched around a short lock of hair, chestnut strands catching the light and makinbg him close his eyes at the sudden pain of realization.
It couldn't be true, it just couldn't, but he could hear her laughing, and it was all her fault, all his fault, she was dead, dead . . .