Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Falls the Shadow ❯ Chapter Three ( Chapter 3 )

C H A P T E R 3

For Scott L., who helped me with the idea for this chapter. He gave me the hospital scene; I took it and ran with it. If you're reading, thank you!

Diana wanted to bounce her head off the wall. In the three days since she had last spoken with Quatre, she had worked day and night to find out all she could about the shady order and its former leader. Despite her efforts, she still had nothing to work with.

In the meantime, Quatre had drawn in, and that fact frightened Diana to no end. He rarely talked to the doctors and had refused all visitors since Diana. Out of alarm the hospital had moved him into a different ward to keep a keener eye on him-at least, according to the nurse she had paid to give her the information. If Lady Une ever got wind of the exchange of favors, Diana would surely face suspension, but sometimes investigation, even for a law-enforcing unit like the Preventers, required unorthodox methods.

Sighing, Diana stared blankly at the stacks of papers in front of her, all filled with useless information. "No leads, and things just keep getting worse and worse. There must be something I can do... anything…" Her eyes lit up with a sudden idea. "I can get him out of there. It's not a safe situation for him, with all the antidepressants they're shoving down his throat."

Diana crawled halfway across the coffee table and grabbed some papers on the far end. Half-maneuvering, half-falling into her former position, she looked them over after silently resolving to clean up as soon as possible. " `Quatre R. Winner… Room 47-BL.' I'm on it." With that, she stood and left her tiny apartment behind her, making sure to lock the door.

* * * * * * * * * *

Sneaking into the hospital turned out to be fairly easy. Although pleased with her ingenuity, Diana had to admit that she didn't feel comfortable with the lack of effort required to enter the ward-specifically marked with the words `Hospital Personnel Only.' However, no guards blocked the entrance, and everyone Diana passed seemed to accept the white lab coat she wore as valid proof of a doctor's identity. Shaking her head, she arrived at the door marked `47-BL.' Diana picked up the clipboard from the pocket outside of the door and skimmed over the information, relieved that it sported Quatre's name. Giving up on trying to make sense of the patient's vital signs, she put it back and pulled the door handle.

Pleased to find the door unlocked, Diana ventured inside. Her eyes scanned the room from left to right, then back again. The room looked as though it belonged to the Intensive Care Ward with all its equipment and machinery, but somehow carried the air of a morgue. To make the dismal scene worse, she could hear a soft blip tracking the beating of Quatre's heart. A knot formed in the pit of Diana's stomach, and she tried to breathe against the sudden weight in her chest. `Why is Quatre here? Has he gotten that much worse?'

In careful steps, Diana advanced towards the bed. She could make out the form of a resting body behind the light in the surrounding drape. Time seemed to slow down as her arm reached out and pulled the curtain aside, her figure still struggling for every nervous breath. Consciousness shifted back into real time when her eyes focused on the image before her.

Quatre, barely breathing.

"Holy shit," Diana whispered, leaning down to get a closer look. "Is that really you, Quatre?" In order to get a better view, she reached over and brushed a lock of hair out of Quatre's face. The instant her hand met with his forehead, Quatre shot up, knocking Diana back. Out of reflex, her hand flew to her chest as though it would help her regain breath and slow the acceleration of her heart. She glowered at Quatre.

"Holy shit! Quatre, are you trying to kill me?" This time, the expletive was just short of a scream.

Quatre's gaze, uncharacteristically wild and blank, slowly transferred its focus from nowhere particular onto Diana. She could scarcely see the dark pupils in the sea of maddening blue. He opened his mouth to speak, closed it, then forced words out into void around them both. "Leine."

"What?!"

"That's… your name, isn't it?" As Quatre spoke, the words seemed to come easier, but Diana still had no clue what he was talking about.

No longer bothering to retain any pride in her demeanor, Diana used the standoff as an opportunity to scan Quatre over. He gave the impression of a true madman, from his untamed eyes to his irregular panting. Diana swallowed hard, only breathing when her chest ached from the lack of air. Her `fight or flight' instinct was at the breaking point, only needing some stimulus to set it off. "Who, Quatre? I'm not this Leine person… who is she?"

"Wodahs's wife."

Diana had to grab a chair to keep from crashing to the floor. The name `Wodahs' hit her like a brick wall. The silence threatened to swallow her and Quatre both until she could bring herself to words. "Quatre?" she whispered hoarsely. "I'm not Wodahs's wife. I'm Diana, remember?" The Preventer remained cautious with her words, not wanting to appear hostile and be considered a threat by Quatre. Suddenly, a flicker of understanding passed through her mind. "Oh my God… Wodahs, he's… in your head, isn't he?"

Hardly thinking about it, Diana advanced toward Quatre and smacked him across the face. The Arabian just sat there, so Diana hit him again. Again, she got no response, and, becoming desperate, she grabbed his shoulders and shook him violently. "Quatre Raberba Winner, I know you can hear me… Not Wodahs, not the Sulegna, you. Wake up… Come on, snap out of it… QUATRE! DAMMIT, LISTEN TO ME!!" She gave Quatre one last bone-rattling shake.

Diana heard a soft click directly behind her head. "You will not treat Him so roughly, woman," a man's voice growled. "He is to be treated with respect. The Sulegna shall see it so." A firm hand grabbed her shoulder and whipped her around. She found herself face-to-face with a black-clad figure, complete with cruel black eyes peering out from beneath the mask he wore. He held the gun between her eyes. "Apologize, woman. Now."

"I didn't mean any harm here." Diana raised her hands in surrender, not eager to die. "I just want to-"

"You were commanded to apologize," another male voice barked. Diana turned to realize that the Sulegna with the gun had a companion with him. From beneath the dark folds of clothing, a pair of green eyes counteracted the severe tones of his orders. "I suggest that you get to it."

"Can I… look at him when I apologize, at least? It's only polite." Diana figured she'd use the chance to run. Even if she was shot, it wouldn't be at point-blank range.

Unfortunately, they saw through her plan. "Trickery will get you nowhere," the gun-slinging Sulegna snarled. "We do not approve of such techniques."

"Careful," the other warned. "He did call her 'Leine' before."

"Quiet, you! You're here as a tag-along, nothing else!" The Sulegna turned on his partner, lowering the gun.

Diana saw her chance. She shoved past the two Sulegna and bolted towards the door. Unfortunately for her, the emerald-eyed Sulegna recovered quickly from the blow. He caught up with her easily and, using his left arm, grabbed her around the waist from behind. Wrapping his right arm over her shoulder, he hissed in her ear. "You're making this harder than it needs to be."

"Harder than-?"

The other Sulegna circled around to face Diana. "So, this is the girl with Leine, eh? Thought she was supposed to be some kind of pathetic slut…"

"I am not a slut, you asshole! Who the hell do you think you-?" The dark-eyed Sulegna cracked his hand across Diana's face, cutting her off.

"I don't care who you are, woman! I will not stand to your tongue." He looked from Diana to his accomplice. "Kill her. There's no way that she's the right girl."

The accomplice pulled Diana away from the other Sulegna, squeezing her protectively. Diana, almost out of instinct, reached up to hold onto his right arm, wondering why he, of all people, wanted her safe. "I'll clear it with Wodahs. What he says, I'll do."

"Fine. Just let her go so I can keep an eye on her."

That said, Diana was released and held at gunpoint. Her gaze flitted between the Sulegna duo, more often landing upon the Sulegna next to Quatre's bed. She noticed that, as he spoke with Quatre, he slowly injected something into the Arabian's arm. Diana looked at the other Sulegna and realized that he didn't know what his partner had done. Suddenly, she felt a tug on her arm. A blinding flash followed.

"Run."

Diana didn't care where the order came from; she took off. In the confusion, she managed to get out of the room in one piece, gunshots following at close range. Something landed a hit on her shoulder, but upon realizing it wasn't lead, Diana chose to ignore it and keep pushing.

The hospital fell into instant chaos. Diana ran through the halls screaming for all to clear the way, and the hospital staff did its best to oblige. Anyone who couldn't move fast enough was shoved to the side. After an infinity of twists and turns, Diana found a door. She plowed right through, thankful that it swung half-open when she reached it. Before she knew what was happening, Diana was herded into a small car. She looked into the rear-view mirror and saw Quatre sprawled across the back seat. Then she watched as someone climbed into the driver's seat; the green-eyed Sulegna from before.

He had pulled back his hood, revealing brown hair that mostly fell into his face. Evidently used to the obstruction to his vision, he reached over and started the car. Diana, confused and afraid, cleared her throat and asked, "Are you going to give me a name?" Her companion didn't respond. "If you're helping me, I'd like to thank you. If you're abducting me… well, I think I deserve to know who's doing it." This time, though his body remained face-forward, his eyes looked in her direction.

"It's Trowa."

His foot hit the accelerator.