Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ III. Nocturnal State ❯ Pretty Winged Things ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Pretty Winged Things

I blinked tiredly at the lights ahead of me, wishing my wrist would stop aching. I could tell I was near the end of the alley, but I wasn’t sure if that was where I needed to be or not.

My eyes followed the progress of a handful of stray cats running away from me, and I watched them curiously, wondering if they’d ever known a home, if their homes had been uprooted…if maybe they’d been pets before the wars.

The dancer giggled cutely at me, brushing my cheek with her scarf as the others circled me similarly. It was such a stereotypical display…like those movies they made about Persia where the ruler was surrounded by beautiful dancing women…lots of scarves and skin.

Actually, I’d seen a few of those shows…they were very entertaining.

Another girl giggled at me, and they turned it that same line and disappeared down a hallway as the men at the table laughed at me…but I wasn’t embarrassed this time…just so damn tired.

It was cold…like hiding in those mountainous forests in early fall…

“Mr. Winner!”

I turned tiredly toward the voice, stumbling slightly and catching myself against a wall…and crying out in pain as my wrist throbbed.

“Mr. Winner! Please!”

It was time to run again, wasn’t it? If they caught me they wouldn’t let me sleep.

“We’re here to help,” the man persisted. “We have…we have Mr. Barton on his way…and Mr. Yuy…please…”

I considered that a long moment.

What were the chances of Heero and Trowa being here? Were they lying? Was this some elaborate farce meant to lure me into a false sense of security?

“Tell me!” I shouted, turning to look at them. “Tell me!”

“Tell him what?” the second asked darkly. This was the same one who’d made the comment about white boys before.

“It’s a code,” the speaker muttered dubiously, running his hand down his face. “I don’t know…I don’t know what I’m supposed to say, Mr. Winner…if you can wait while I call…”

I turned and started moving again, looking for my escape.

“No! They told me to call them! Mr. Barton insisted I called!” he protested, moving closer to me. “Please, Mr. Winner…they’re worried about you.”

“Mr. Scott said…he told me to tell you that it’s awfully wet,” the other man noted.

“Who?” I asked blankly, noting an offshoot alleyway.

“Mr…Mr. Maxwell!” he exclaimed quickly. “Mr. Maxwell said!”

Duo?

It was a lie.

I stared backing away faster.

I didn’t know how they’d gotten Duo’s safe-code, but Duo was gone. Duo’d run away from us…these men weren’t safe.

“Mr. Winner?”

They might have caught Duo…maybe they were torturing him…maybe they were coercing the codes from him in some way.

I turned, and started to run.

“Mr. Winner!” the first shouted.

x x x

“Oh great,” Trowa muttered irritably, moving back to the now silent group. Duo’d joined them, and Heero was doing anything but meeting eyes.

“What?” Duo asked darkly.

“They told him your code and he ran,” Trowa snapped at him. “He was over by Chandler…I told them to call me,” he added in irritation.

“I told them only to say it if he asked about me specifically,” Duo retorted.

“Duo,” Wufei sighed. “Quatre knew we were coming looking for you, but he disappeared before Heero found you. He…he could ask about you easily.”

“Hey, I was just trying to help,” Duo snapped at him.

“Don’t get angry with me,” Wufei soothed quickly. “I’m not saying it’s your fault.”

“But it’s mine?” Heero snapped. “You rip me and Trowa’s heads off, but shush, Duo, don’t be mad?”

Wufei gave him a very level look.

“What are you all on about this self pity shit?” Duo snapped irritably.

Heero glowered at him. “I never expected a thing from you.”

“But god forbid I cross you,” Duo retorted.

“Disciplinary actions…”

“My ass!” Duo shouted back, angered again. “I don’t have to answer to you…or to anyone!”

“You can’t just…”

“Just what? You kept me locked up in the rooms all day and…”

“You didn’t have to do anything!”

The pair stared at each other as Duo really started to comprehend the extreme lack of understanding Heero actually had about interactions with other human beings.

“The point is,” Trowa cut them off before either could say more, “that Quatre heard Duo’s pass-code and ran instead of letting them help.” He looked between them. “They lost him at that point and can’t say one way or the other if he went to the roofs or if he kept on the streets.”

“We need to split up,” Wufei noted, looking between them. “We need to get a taxi or something to that vicinity and split up. If he sees one of us, he’ll listen to us. Duo, stay with me…you two stay together,” he met Trowa’s eyes. “Or can I trust you with that?”

Trowa gave him a disgusted look, then indicated for Heero to start in a certain direction, hesitating to follow. “Screw you, Wufei,” he muttered quietly…too quietly for Heero to hear. “When we get Quatre…don’t come back to Brazil. Just get your things and be on your marry little way, stay with Duo, for all I care…I’ll ship your shit.” He cast Duo a dark glare before turning and walking off.

“Is it just me or is he not realizing something?” Wufei muttered, looking back to Duo.

“What?” Duo asked blankly.

“You said they had you in psycho-therapy until Nas was pregnant with Cam, right?”

Duo nodded, moving to signal another taxi as Trowa and Heero took off in one of their own.

“So Trowa doesn’t realize that we’ll all be put under evaluation.”

“I still don’t understand why they weren’t watching us,” Duo agreed darkly, sliding into the machine.

“Because Heero was scared you’d run, so he drugged you and we all followed him to the Amazon,” Wufei returned. “We need to get to Chandler Avenue,” he added to the cabbie.

The man nodded and they started off.

“But…they should have had someone on us.”

“Heero only told them it was a base in South America,” Wufei countered. “He said we’d set up our own little outpost to help the populace, and for some reason no one wanted to journey to our backwaters, so they did some shit over the vids for a while, but you were always conveniently ill when it came up.”

Duo blinked at him in a sort of sick amazement.

“If I ever spoke up against Heero they’d all back me down,” Wufei noted, looking away. “If I ever tried to get real authority out there, they’d dismiss it as unnecessary and wasting funding. It didn’t take too long for the higher-ups to dismiss us as too expensive.”

Duo looked out the far window, shaking his head.

“They’ll take Heero in for a retraining,” Wufei reassured him. “Trowa will get a thorough evaluation and Quatre will get on medication…it’ll be fine. I can hang out here somewhere with you, right?”

Duo nodded.

Wufei sighed in some relief at that. He’d been somewhat worried the request would be denied.

None of it really mattered, though, until they found Quatre.

x x x

I blinked at the flicker of light above me to the right, scared for a minute that it might be a tracer beam…it wouldn’t be the first time I’d had one pointed at my head, but when I studied the area seriously it was nothing.

Why were they gone?

I rubbed at my neck with my good hand, studying the swollen bit of my left wrist.

One of’em was going to lecture me…Wufei or Trowa…about not calling…but my phone was in my jacket. This jacket wasn’t mine, and had nothing in the pockets. Besides that, I couldn’t keep focused long enough…

Something was wrong.

I slid down a wall, taking a few heaving breaths. I felt like I’d been running…it was all a dream, right? Stupid inane things kept getting mixed up with reality, and I couldn’t track a thought from front to end without getting distracted in the middle of it.

Maybe I needed to sleep…I was so tired.

I sighed heavily, leaning my head forward against my knees. It would have possibly been comfortable if my pants weren’t soaked…but the majority of the storm had passed. The lightning wasn’t coming nearly so often, and the thunder took longer to roll.

So where was I?

London, sure…but I was supposed to be looking for…Hines? Minuet? Addler? The man had given me directions but fuck if I could remember them.

I looked toward the end of the alley a long moment, wondering if maybe…maybe they’d found Duo. It’d been…a long time…all day.

I’d been running around since ten, and I hadn’t slept…or eaten.

That could explain the slight dizziness and dry lips.

I rubbed at my lips a moment, then looked up to the lack of rain in mild consternation. I could have had some water…like the floods.

I shuddered slightly as thoughts and ideas washed through my mind connected to the floods, mainly the yearly flooding of our home base and the fears that Duo had been drug out to sea. I knew that wasn’t very likely, but my thoughts didn’t stay clear long anymore. It was hard to keep on track. …Like the race cars drove on.

I leaned forward, pressing my face into my legs as I tried to…directions…he’d said…he’d said…

What had he said?

Wet denim was cold…

I swallowed, shivering very slightly and pulling my throbbing wrist into the semi-warmth.

Maybe they’d feed me…or maybe they’d make me more wet…maybe they’d kill me.

Maybe it didn’t really matter what they did…or maybe I’d get lucky.