Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ For Myself ❯ Nine ( Chapter 9 )

Nine

Matty rubbed at his eyes, wiping the tears away with a washrag Jaden had left on the railing. It had been casual enough when the man was leaving, but Matty couldn't help but wonder if Jaden had known he'd end up crying.

Being handcuffed to a bed was wonderful.

He'd been awake for the one night, and well into the next day...but Qingfu had stayed with him in a sitting area while Jaden disappeared. He'd shown back up with three tickets, and had asked Matty to cooperate through the checkpoint. Once they'd gone beyond that, they'd all gone to use the bathroom—Matty had wanted to run, but Qingfu was in the way...and the bathroom had been empty.

At least Jaden had apologized for shooting him up with that fucking sedative.

He had no idea where they were. As far as he'd been able to tell, the airport had been in Rangoon, but he couldn't even remember what country that was.

When he'd woken up again, he'd been in that dingy hotel room, handcuffed to the bed. There'd been a bucket next to it, and he'd puked into it. Not even two minutes later, Jaden had entered and cleaned up that mess and let him off the bed. He'd been allowed to shower, Qingfu had gotten them food, and they'd sat there to talk more.

Qingfu had asked for more details about Lu, and Jaden had been asking him about Heero—not details, but their relationship. He'd been disappointed that Heero hadn't taken him to the ocean like they'd talked about on 27, but on hearing that they'd gone to Pandora's and places like it, the man had approved. It'd had been a sort of nice conversation which had degenerated into laughter when Taofa was mentioned. The pair had been impressed about him moving in with the guy, and when he'd noted that they all just got along really well, they'd been pleased. The conversation had gone over all ends of relationships. It had gone from lovers to friends to siblings before Jaden had noted quietly that he had to go do a job so he could get more money.

Qingfu had noted that he had to go find what resources were available in the city, and they'd both left.

Matty rested his hands over his eyes, listening to nothing. Between the two males they had like, fifty audiobooks, and they'd left him alone in the slowly warming silence.

Matty moved his arm to look at the air conditioner, pushing himself up. He could probably move the bed to turn it on. Jaden probably wouldn't be happy about that, but Matty was pretty sure they were in a desert, and it seemed to be going on the heat of the day.

Would it be worth it? If Jaden thought he might try and make a scene to get away, would he be left alone anymore? Did he want to be left alone anymore?

He missed Heero—he wanted to just sit with Heero...those days when they had nothing to do but be together...was that so much to ask for?

The door opened, and Matty wiped at his eyes quickly.

"Hey," Jaden muttered, looking around the room. "Qing's not back yet?"

Matty shook his head.

"He should be soon, then," Jaden reassured him, not meeting his eyes. He was holding something in his hands...and after a moment, Matty realized it was a phone. He blinked at that as the man got closer, then offered the thing over. "You're not one of those people who has to have your phone to remember numbers, are you?"

"No," Matty muttered, blinking up at him and not taking the thing. "Heero pointed out how futile it can be if you don't know the numbers you need to know."

"I know this is hard," Jaden muttered, sitting next to him. "But Ranger wants you...and I really want to kick Ranger in the balls...keeping you...keeping you from him," he glanced at Matty, "wasn't really my intent. I don't know how busy Heero is in LA, I don't know what he has going on or where he is...but just in case, this phone is a little too basic than to be more than located. I'm not keeping it...we'll never use it again...but you can call him, if you want to."

Matty stared at him.

"I'm working on how to stop Ranger so I can get you back to LA," he added, setting the phone on Matty's leg. "I'm pretty sure he's somewhere behind us, but where is something else entirely. As soon as I can get him actually arrested...once your military gets ahold of him, he won't get out. They won't be stupid enough to leave him with moderate security again. So...you call him, and I'm going to turn on the air," he looked around. "Qingfu will be back soon, and we'll probably be leaving then."

Matty nodded, lifting the phone as Jaden smiled slightly at him, then moved away.

That was something, at least...something.

- -

"Hello?" Heero asked, not sure what to make of the number on his phone.

"Hey," Matty muttered, sounding happy, but tired. "How are you?"

"Matty?" Heero demanded, jumping up. "Oh my god...where are you?"

"I don't know," Matty returned, sounding on the verge of tears. "They sedated me before we got on the plane."

"Did you get away?" Heero demanded. "Are you..."

"No...Jaden just went into the bathroom."

Heero froze.

"He said that we're throwing this phone away when we leave here...and it's hot outside, but I don't know anymore than that. I'm not even sure what time it is."

"Can you get away?" Heero asked quietly, looking around. "If you can get to a base...any base..."

"No," Matty muttered—there was a sound of metal on metal. "He keeps cuffing me to the beds."

Heero's stomach turned to ice.

"When him and Qingfu are around they don't bother having me locked up...but every time they leave, and usually when one of them leaves, they lock me to the bed."

Heero ran a hand down his face.

"I miss you," Matty muttered, tears in his voice. "How is everyone? Is the apartment okay? I know it was totaled, but the building..."

"We're all...we're all fine," Heero reassured him. "Are we safe to talk?"

"He's pissing," Matty agreed.

"I'm in Rangoon," Heero noted. "That's Myanmar."

"Hey, we were there," Matty perked up slightly. "We drove there."

"Do you know where you went? What direction, I mean?"

"No," Matty muttered. "Jaden left me with Qingfu and bought tickets...I went with them through the checkpoint, but they sedated me before we got to our gate. I don't...remember much after that," he went quiet a moment. "I told you...it's hot here. It's a crappy hotel room, but it has built in A/C."

"So a desert," Heero mused. "Anything else?"

"Qingfu is getting what resources there are...so not really." He eyed the receipt in the trashcan from their dinner, shifting across the bed.

The water started running in the sink, and Matty glanced to the bathroom, noticing that Jaden was watching him when he patted the water off his face.

"So...what have they actually said?" Heero muttered. "Are they ransoming you or what?"

"He says he doesn't want Ranger to get me," Matty returned with a sigh, giving up on trying to see the damn slip of paper. "Qingfu said Ranger's been charged with rape before and Jaden said that when he gets bored he does that shit...the torture shit. That's all they're saying. They're pretty sure Ranger is after us and...I guess they went against Gerrange to do all this.

"Listen to you, all knowing what you're talking about."

Heero narrowed his eyes at Timorre's voice.

"You think they kept me stupid?" Matty retorted. "Unlike you, they trust my judgment."

"And what does your judgment tell you?" Timorre retorted sarcastically. "If what I understand is right, it's for you to give him as many possible clues as you can in ways that I won't understand so he can find where we are."

"Which is why I don't know where we are," Matty retorted.

"Exactly," Timorre agreed. "I knew you were smart. Tell that fucker that if he kills Ranger or gets him arrested, we'll let you go no issues."

"So we can do his dirty work for him," Heero noted sardonically. "Anything else?"

"Not that I can think of," Matty muttered with a sigh. "I believe him, though...if you did...get Ranger arrested."

"I wish it were that easy," Heero noted. "From what we've gathered, Hanager disappeared at Hong Kong."

"He says Hanager disappeared at Hong Kong," Matty muttered.

"So where is he?" Jaden muttered.

Heero started to open his mouth to repeat his information.

"L.A.," Matty returned quietly.

"Really?" Jaden sounded surprised. "What's he doing there?"

"Trying to find me," Matty returned, sounding vaguely amused. "GPS navigation or whatever you want to call it."

There was the sound of movement.

"Oh!" Matty protested, sounding hurt.

"I love you," Heero called quickly, hoping the other could hear. "Matty...I love you."

The line cut.

Trowa looked up to him.

"Damn it!" he started to throw his phone, but Jinli caught the piece of equipment before he could let it fly.

"Cairo, of all places," Trowa noted, pushing the laptop to Heero. "The trace went to Cairo. Pre-pay."

Heero swallowed.

"What did he do? What happened?" Jinli muttered, setting the phone down.

Heero laughed a little. "He's...he lied to Jaden," he ran his hands down his face. "It's not a ransom thing, either...and he believes it." He looked up to Trowa again. "Timorre said if we kill or get Hanager into custody, he'll get Matty back to L.A...I honestly think he means it. He's...really...trying to keep Matty from him."

"That doesn't give him the right to drag the guy across...what is that? Six borders? Seven?"

"And sedating him," Heero said quietly, rubbing at his head again. "Shit, I forgot to tell him to focus on Quatre."

"Sedating him?" Trowa demanded as Jinli started to rise.

"He doesn't know they're in Cairo," Heero explained, pulling the laptop the rest of the way to him and clicking into Trowa's browser. "So...how fast can you get Cardle and Raymond back here?"

"I paged them as soon as I realized you were talking to Matty," Trowa returned, studying Heero's face seriously. "As soon as you said his name, I paged them."

The door opened and Raymond moved into the hotel, clapping his hands together. "So, now where?" he asked.

"Cairo," Trowa returned.

"I was going to say that!" the man informed them seriously—he was lying out his ass, but it sounded sincere enough.

Heero smiled slightly at the guy.

"Come on," the guy muttered as Cardle moved into the hotel, looking around. "We're a plane away from Cairo."

"Cairo?" Cardle asked blankly. "That's a little random, isn't it?"

"I'm torn between thinking they're touring and they actually have points," Jinli muttered, moving toward the window with his arms crossed. "Hong Kong and Bangkok are total tourist destinations...but Rangoon isn't all that famous. But then you get to Cairo...and it's Cairo," he looked between them all. "They could have resources there..."

"Well, no," Heero said quietly, thinking back to what all Matty had said. "I guess what they're doing is against Gerrange. That means they've defected. They don't have all those resources—I bet they know where those resources are, though." He drummed his fingers on the tabletop, wondering briefly at the heat that always came when Matty was in danger. Duo had said that was normal. "They'd probably have to avoid those places."

"I wonder if we could use that," Cardle muttered thoughtfully.

"Almost, but you know, so far it's most of the continent of Asia...I'd say ninety-eight percent of it was avoided."

Cardle sighed and dropped into a chair. "I guess."

"How's earth suiting you?" Heero muttered, studying the guy's eyes. He'd ordered their tickets and sent the confirmation codes to their phones. It would only take a moment for that to connect, and then they could go catch their flights.

"Not too bad," Cardle muttered, grinning at him. "Kind of fun to run around like that...it's not like on the colony. The breeze is...fresh."

Heero smiled at that, thinking back to teasing Matty about the air on the colonies.

He didn't think they'd make it to Cairo in time to do anything...but they weren't that far behind.

His phone buzzed, then the others.

They all blinked at him.

"We're going to Cairo, aren't we?" he asked with interest.

"I can't go into Egypt," Trowa noted, a grin splitting his face.

"What?" Heero asked him blankly.

"That's between me and the Egyptian government?" Trowa pouted at him. "You ruined a good line by not asking why not."

"You're so special it hurts me," Heero retorted, rising to his feet. "Let's go."

- -

"We have movement," Quatre noted, studying the screen. "It's a Leo..."

"Wonderful," Duo noted. "I was tired of working on this house anyway."

"You're the one still working," Quatre retorted. "Oh, and the scan confirms. The Leo is the one that you chased already."

"Joyous," Duo noted, pulling away from the wall he'd been leaning against and waving to Reg.

"Yeah?" she called.

"I've gotta run," he noted. "Like...two minutes ago."

She stared at him, moving closer. She'd been pretty dramatic the day he'd told her who he was—but then she'd gotten over it. The news had noted some sort of unconfirmed disturbance at Casto, and she'd been all over where he'd gone.

He didn't wait for her to figure herself out, shedding his vest and hard-hat as he moved. He didn't really want to get in Deathscythe again—he was finding it far too easy to pilot again.

He didn't have time to play around, though. At least the Leos weren't all that powerful, or all that destructive.

Though, if you looked at the apartment, you might not believe that.

It wasn't until he was flying down a sidewalk that he realized he hadn't put his helmet on—that had to look beautiful. Why hadn't the cops stopped him yet?

Duo gunned the engine as soon as the pedestrians had cleared, flying through an intersection in a way that was so highly illegal he nearly caused an accident. He felt bad for that, but he needed to be at the cave.

By the time he turned off the main road toward their hiding place, Wufei came roaring up behind him on his bike. He had his helmet on, and they fell into...stride? The man was just slightly behind him and off to his right. They were enough used to the path they were on that they could take the jumps and dives without hesitation before dropping the bikes to the dirt. He could have saved himself about one second by not having the helmet if the key had come out of the ignition cleanly.

Didn't it figure?

By the time he'd slammed himself into Deathcythe's seat, the alarm light was flashing.

He hit the connect.

"Finally!" Quatre gasped, shoving the man who'd been in front of the screen out of the way. "Duo...there's another suit."

"Okay?" Duo asked, turning the machine on. "We were used to two anyway."

"No!" Quatre snapped, moving even closer. "You don't understand!"

"Two suits is two suits," Duo snapped.

"It's Wing Gundam, Duo. It's Wing."

Duo froze, staring at his lover in absolute disbelief.

"What's going on?" Wufei demanded, connecting their machines as per usual.

"I don't know how," Quatre added, looking almost lost. "I don't know why...but it is."

"What?" Wufei demanded irritably. "What's he so worked up about?"

"Another gundam has entered the field," Duo explained, starting the machine moving and turning on the cloak.

"Like...Epyon?" Wufei asked uncertainly.

"Wing," Duo returned.

"That's impossible," Wufei retorted.

"Gundam," Duo noted, looking down to his friend. "It's Wing Gundam."

Wufei stared at him.

"Get your shield started," Duo ordered the man. "This is no time for us to back down. Wing was only a problem when it was Heero at the helm. I don't know how good Demigod is—so you let me take Wing."

"Are you sure?" Wufei demanded.

"You take that Leo out, Wufei," Duo ordered, getting the machine ready to fly. "That Leo needs to never enter the field again."

Wufei hesitated the briefest of moments before nodding. "Understood."

- -

Ranger dropped the glass he'd been holding as he focused on the screen, staring at the image of Wing fighting thin-air...of Rab fighting thin air.

"What in the world," a woman asked blankly. "What is that machine doing?"

The bartender turned to look at the screen, then guffawed and turned the volume up. That didn't do Ranger any particular good, though, because the anchor was talking in Russian and he didn't know that language.

What was clear, though, was that Rab was getting the worst of the fight.

What was he doing? Was that Qingfu in the other suit? What was he doing?

The Leo went flying across a couple city blocks to slam into a parking garage as the people around him oohed and cried out. A shadow fell across the machine very briefly...before the head got ripped off.

Ranger gaped.

A moment later, the left arm of the machine flew through the air toward the camera, and the focus changed instantly...to Wing.

He'd regained his feet.

Ranger started to back away from the television before Wing moved...pieces started flying from it, though...and something flickered.

So, that cloak of the damn gundam wasn't impervious.

It made him smirk...as Deathscythe flickered into existence, fighting Wing.

Ranger smirked...but the trunk of the Leo went flying...and slammed into Wing.

"Qingfu!" Ranger choked, darting forward to look closer as pieces of the Leo flew and Wing fell forward. "No!" Ranger turned and ran from the bar.

- -

"No! Nonononono!" Heero couldn't help shouting at the screen as Wing fell forward.

Wing was destroyed! He'd left it behind because it didn't work anymore! Wing...Wing was gone!

"Mother fucker," Trowa agreed, his voice choked. "This has got to be a joke!"

"You're making a scene," Raymond hissed, trying to pull Trowa away. "Please, Sir..."

"Look at that!" Trowa ordered, forcing the man around to look at the screen—to look at Deathscythe fighting Wing. "Do you think I care if we're making a scene!"

Raymond mouthed at him.

"This can't be," Heero snarled, backing away from the screen and looking around to Cardle and Jinli. "This can't be!"

"It is," Jinli growled at them, watching the screen. "Maxwell is fighting Wing...just thank your fucking gods it's not Zero," he focused on Heero pointedly.

Heero settled slightly, though his heart was thrumming in his chest.

Wing had been destroyed...how could this be?

But then again...Sandrock had been destroyed, hadn't it?

Heero looked up to the screen, covering his mouth with his hand.

"We have to get Matty, and get back," Trowa noted darkly. "We have no other choice. We have to get back."

There was another flicker as Deathscythe's beam-saber whirled around...and Demigod flickered into existence on top of Wing. The Leo Wufei had been fighting before was scrap metal...that machine would take some major work to repair.

Really, Heero admired the strength of Demigod for that...watching the Leo's head come off had been disturbing in a way—but it was just a machine.

"What is that?" Cardle breathed, staring as Demigod rose. "What the hell is that?"

"That's Demigod," Trowa explained easily. "That's the suit piloted by Chang Wufei."

Cardle looked around to Jinli, staring.

"Things just got complicated, didn't they?" Jinli muttered, looking back to the screen and the three fighting suits.

"Just?" Trowa demanded of him. "Have you been with us the last few days? Really?"

Jinli gave him a very level look.

"It's time to move, Yuy," Trowa noted, looking around. "We don't want to be here when people realize we were gundam pilots...and there's a gundam in full form on screen."

"Right," Heero agreed, turning and starting away at a fast walk, then a trot.

They weren't half a block before they were running.

They seemed to be running out of time.

- -

"What the hell is that?" Jaden demanded, turning on Matty as he pointed at the screen.

"Looks like a mobile suit to me," Matty returned, tearing his eyes from the screen to look at Jaden.

"Don't you lie to me, you littler fucker," Jaden growled, advancing on him.

"Hit me, Jaden," Matty suggested, sitting forward. "Backhand me...sedate me again, tie me to the bed. At this point, it doesn't matter. None of it matters now."

"You say things like that as if this makes a bit of difference," Jaden snapped, gesturing at the screen.

"That machine," Matty pointed at Wing Gundam, enthralled to see it fighting Demigod and Deathscythe both at the same time. "That machine was left in pieces on the battlefield. Heero told me that...and look...there," he pointed at the screen. "The game's done, Jaden. Heero's going to get me. Now."

Jaden narrowed his eyes, moving forward slowly. "He's in LA. You told me he's in LA."

"I also told you that Demigod is a MS, you told me your name, and I couldn't get you added to Pax on my phone."

Jaden drew himself up.

"I don't know if you understand," Matty added in a low voice, leaning forward to stare into the man's eyes. "Yeah, we're in Paris, but Heero was in Rangoon...not L.A.. Yeah, you mean to protect me...but you stole me. I'm here against my will, and that's why this," he yanked at his right wrist, making the cuff rattle against the railing, "is even necessary."

"You could really hurt him," Qingfu protested...but Jaden'd already struck.

Matty's head snapped back, and he let himself fall onto the bed. After a moment, he started laughing, spitting blood so it sprayed across Jaden's shirt.

Jaden dived down at him, his anger getting the better of him...before his chest throbbed. Having kicked, Matty pushed himself up and spun, kicking a second time as he yanked at his arm. The railing hadn't been strong to begin with, and the momentum he employed snapped the bar he'd been attached to free.

That was handy.

Matty spun, putting all his energy into his swinging arm and that stick. Duo'd shown him a few interesting tricks, and though he hadn't quite gotten this one down...all he needed was a moment.

Qingfu ducked the swinging thing and moved faster than Matty would have imagined, coming up under the teen before he could recover his footing...and slamming a hand into his stomach.

Matty gagged, utterly winded, his knees giving from under him as he toppled to the floor.

Qingfu laughed, ripping the pole from his hand and flinging it across the room. "This kitty has claws."

Jaden moved, and before Matty could re-gather himself, he was flying across the hotel room and slamming into the table. Jaden was moving again in a deadly graceful way, and Matty scrambled backwards before the man leaned down and pulled him to his feet by his shirt, tossing him back for the bed.

"You're not gone, are you?" Qingfu demanded in a level voice. "You're still here?"

Jaden ignored the questions, leaning in to press Matty to the bed by the throat with his forearm, glaring down into his face. "You don't want to be doing that," he snarled, grabbing the wrist with the cuff and yanking it hard enough that it hurt. Matty cried out...but something slammed over his mouth painfully, and he stared at Jaden as the man slammed the cuffs around the firm part of the railing...and yanked his other arm up.

"Jaden..." Qingfu started.

The man tore Matty's left arm up and slammed the cuff around it before almost launching off the bed at Qingfu.

Matty stared at his wrists in disbelief, looking back up to the railing as the two men snarled at each other, then looked around to the screen to see Wing Gundam fall hard. Deathscythe and Demigod stepped closer to it...but something started happening. Deathscythe raised his scythe, starting to swing...and Wing Gundam transformed into a jet...and lurched away from the two machines.

The two men started tussling, and Matty looked back to his hands, pulling at the cuffs as pain screamed through his shoulders...he pulled again, feeling almost like a child.

"You're going to hurt yourself," Jaden growled, turning back to him.

Matty yanked more, realizing that he was gasping as he did it...yanking even harder.

"Kid..." Jaden started—he sounded remarkably calm.

Matty burst into tears, watching blood drip down his wrists as he pulled, looking out the window at the freedom he could have had if he'd been just a little quicker...his wrists burned, and he started sobbing in earnest, covering his face with his hands as best he could.

Why? Why? He'd been safe, he had! Ranger had been grabbed, and Heero'd gone to check on him...he'd been safe though!

He realized he'd been shouting when he felt a pinch in his side, looking around to Jaden through tear-blurred eyes.

. . . Why?

"Shh," Jaden muttered, wiping at his eyes. "Shh...it'll be okay, huh? Just relax..."

"I hate you," he whispered—it was hard to say. The words didn't want to come, his mouth didn't want to cooperate with him.

"Shh," Jaden muttered, running his hand through Matty's hair. "Shh..."

Matty did realize, though, that the man wasn't meeting his eyes.

Heero had to find him...he had to...

"Shh..."