Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Lean On Me ❯ Bringing Back the Past ( Chapter 15 )

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Chapter Fifteen

The world seemed to spin around her as she slowly gained consciousness. She groaned, pushing herself up against the cold hard wall. She cracked her eyes opened and looked around. Concrete walls, a large iron gate with a lock, a lumpy cot, and no lighting. She sighed. "Great, another prison cell," she grumbled. "My luck gets better and better."

"I see you're finally awake," a cool and collected voice said from the other side of the gate.

Vienna jumped in surprise and looked through the bars so she could see the person on the other side. Her eyes narrowed. "Katana Rosco, I should have known. And how are you? Terrible, I hope."

Katana smirked. "Quite the opposite actually. But if it cheers you up a bit, my two men only found you, not your friend. She wasn't in her guest room that night." She pulled a wooden chair up to the gate and sat down in it. "But now things get exciting. With you on my hands I can get some things done. Our plan can finally be set in motion." She rubbed her hands together in anticipation.

"If I ask you a question, will you answer it truthfully?" Vienna interrupted.

Katana shrugged. "Depends on the question."

"What do you need Riley and me for? We're only two girls who won't be helpful to you at all. Mobile suits are much more effective."

"Wrong. Look at OZ and White Fang. They used mobile suits and look where it got them. They never achieved what they wanted and now almost all of them are dead except for a few stray men. Mobile suits are bulky and are easily seen. They can be picked up on radar quickly and be destroyed within three minutes. Plus, it's hard getting them past security. Now, human assassins are just as effective but not as easily seen and able to locate." Katana waited for Vienna to say something.

Vienna stared at her. "It's not that easy you know. Once the assassins are captured, what then? And how would you be able to take over the earth and colonies with only two people? You aren't making that much sense."

Katana raised her eyebrows. "I didn't say I would answer three questions." She stood up. "I'll be leaving later tonight so you won't be able to call to speak with me. Your dinner will be down in the next hour, so eat it up. You may not get much more food until I get back. I seem to be the only one who actually cares for your well-being."

"My dinner? It isn't still morning?"

Katana laughed. "No. You've been in this cell since this morning, and you spent all of yesterday in a plane that flew you here to the base. So, in total, you have been gone for almost two days. Good-night Vienna, and enjoy your stay." She turned and walked away, leaving Vienna alone.

Vienna sighed and crawled up onto the cot. She sat down on it and rested her head in her hands. She wasn't tired at all and her mind was reeling. She had so much to think about, such as a way out of there. She looked around again. There were no cracks in the concrete, which to her seemed unusual, no windows, no small holes in the wall or ground, and no object she could use to pick the lock of the gate. She rolled her eyes. "Okay, maybe an escape is a bit out of the question. But where am I? I can't be in any space station `cause my cell is made of concrete." Just then, she felt a gust of wind blow into her cell. She shivered, rubbing her arms. Where did that come from? She stood up and walked to the gate. She strained to look through the solid bars down the faintly lighted corridor lined with other cells. She looked down the other way and found she was near the end of the corridor, where at the end it took a sharp turn. "Hmm. Could be coming from there, or it could be-" She glanced up and looked around at the ceiling. She sighed; there were no windows on the ceiling. "Dang it. They certainly have me in a tight bottle, don't they?"

She dropped back into the cot and lay down. She put her hands behind her head and stared up at the ceiling. Her gaze drifted to a far corner of the ceiling, and that's when she saw the security camera that focused into the cell. I better watch what I do and say. If I don't, I could be putting me and everyone else in danger.

**---**

Solo stared at his reflection in the mirror, his eyebrows raised. Riley stood behind him smiling. "It's an improvement from the rags you wore before," she said.

Solo nodded. "Yup!"

Earlier, Riley and Duo had bought Solo some clothes when they had taken him out for pizza, along with other things he would need. They had returned around three in the afternoon, and so far Riley had avoided a confrontation with her brother, but she knew it was only a matter of time before he caught up with her. Now, they were getting ready to have dinner.

Solo tugged on the black t-shirt, smiling. "I like it," he announced. He wore blue jeans with a black belt, a black t-shirt, and gym shoes. He had washed his hair and combed it, so he looked rather nice, and a large improvement than before.

Riley patted his head. "That's good. Now you wait here and I'm going to change in the bathroom. I'll be out in a flash." She turned and headed for the bathroom.

Solo started wandering around the room. It was the room Riley had planned on staying in, only this time the balcony was barred and locked. He came upon Riley's dagger pouch on her bedside table, and he pulled himself up onto the bed and reached for it. He pulled it over and lifted the cover. He peeked inside, his eyes widening. "Wow!" he exclaimed in awe. He pulled a dagger out and admired it. He twisted it this way and that letting the moonlight coming from an open window cast a glow on its sharp blade. He touched the pointed tip of it with his fingertip, and he gasped in shock as his finger was pricked and began bleeding. He accidentally dropped the pouch and the array of daggers fell out onto the floor. The dagger he had been holding was dropped onto the bed as he sucked on his bleeding finger.

Just then, Riley stepped out and saw her daggers on the floor and Solo sitting on her bed. Her eyes widened and she ran over to the boy. She jumped onto the bed and set the dagger on the bed aside. She pulled Solo close and pulled his finger out of his mouth. She inspected it and smiled. "It didn't harm you too much, Solo," she said. "It's nothing a simple band-aid won't fix. Just sit tight and I'll grab one." She reached into her bedside desk drawer and removed a first aid kit. She flipped open the top and took out a band-aid. She wrapped it around Solo's little finger. "All better."

Solo looked at it and smiled at her. "Thanks, Riley."

"It's okay, just don't play with my daggers anymore, okay? No one's allowed to touch them." She grabbed the dagger he had pricked his finger on and looked at it. She smiled softly.

Solo looked at it and shrugged. "Stupid dagger," he stated.

Riley shook her head. "This dagger is special to me, actually."

"Why?" he asked.

"When my mom first started teaching me how to throw knives and daggers, she gave this to me as a present."

Solo looked up at her. "I thought you didn't have a mommy."

Riley smiled. "Both of us did once. Mine died when I was six years old, and my mom started teaching me when I was four, so that's how I got it."

"Oh."

Riley got down on the floor and began gathering all her daggers together. When she finished putting them all back, she set the pouch back on the table. "Come on then. Let's see how much longer it'll take for dinner to be ready."

"Okay!" Solo exclaimed. "I sure am hungry, even if I did eat all that pizza stuff!" He ran for the open door and ran out.

Riley smiled and hurried after him. She walked out into the hall and saw her brother standing across the hall. She frowned. "How long have you been standing there?" she asked.

"Long enough," he replied. He glanced at Solo as he disappeared down the staircase. "You really care about that boy, don't you?"

Riley sighed and leaned against the doorframe. "Yeah. He reminds me of myself, only much younger." She looked up at him. "What is wrong with you guys, anyway? It's as if none of you trust me anymore. The only person who seems to is Duo, and even he didn't when he first saw the boy."

Trowa stared at her. "Riley, I do trust you, but I think you're getting in over your head."

"Maybe I am, but I don't care," she replied. "Solo needs me and I'm willing to help him."

"But you can't always be there for him," Trowa pointed out. "What happens when the World Rebellion do find you and capture you? What will the boy do and think then? You're there one second, totally giving your all to him, and the next your completely gone and he's alone again. All you are doing is making it harder on yourself and him."

Riley closed her eyes and shook her head. "If only you knew how terrible it is out there," she whispered.

"Then tell me, Riley," Trowa said, his voice getting higher. "Tell me how awful it is. I already know how bad it is out there, but obviously you seem to know a ton more than I do, so go on. Fill me in with it all. I would like to know your point of view."

Riley looked at him and he noticed silent tears threatening to fall. He felt his growing anger burn away. She shook her head. "It's funny. You're my brother and yet you know so little about me." A tear ran down her cheek. "Do you even know what I went through on the streets? Or how I survived the rock avalanche that night our parents died? Do you know anything?"

He didn't reply.

She sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "Look, I don't think you want to hear what I went through on the streets, but I will say that the only reason I can stand and talk to you now is because of a boy older than me named Solo, another orphan who lived on the streets while I did. The only reason I lived through the rock avalanche was because our dad moved to the far left where the avalanche seemed to be moving away from and threw himself over me." She cocked her head to the side. "Don't you see? So many people have protected me from harm. Now it's my turn to protect someone else."

Trowa stared at her and began shaking his head. "He can stay, but you are totally responsible for him."

Riley smiled. "That's fine. I already knew that."

"You'll have to tell him what's going on so he doesn't get worried about you," Trowa said.

Riley bit her lip. "He's kinda young, don't ya think?"

Trowa shrugged. "Then explain it in a way he would understand."

"All right." She smiled. "Thanks, bro. I feel better knowing you aren't completely against me now."

He didn't say anything. He looked into her room and then back at her. "I didn't know you still had that dagger that Mom gave you."

Riley smiled. "Of course."

"How do you still have it? I thought it was lost in the fire."

Riley shook her head. "While Mom and Dad were in the arena during the show, and you and Cathrine were practicing for your act, I was outside of the big tent trying to do a trick with that dagger. When the fire began burning and screams filled the air, I stuck the knife in my boot where it would be safe." She glanced at her watch. "We better be getting down to dinner. It'll be starting in a minute or so."

**---**

Vienna drummed her fingers on her knees, waiting. She sighed for the umpteenth time and closed her eyes. She dreamed she was back with her brother and sister-in-law again, and the three of them were hanging out and having fun with Riley and the others. She snorted. Some dream.

The sound of keys clanging together and heavy footsteps on the ground outside her cell brought her back to the present and she waited for the person to step into view. It was a man with a beard; he opened the cell just enough for him to put the tray inside the cell door before slamming it shut. Vienna stared at him as if he was drunk. "I don't bite," she grumbled.

The man sneered at her and stomped away. She rolled her eyes and went to get the tray. She reached down to pick it up and a hand grabbed her wrist. She squeaked in surprise, stumbling backwards and landing heavily on her butt. She took a deep breath as an old man came into view. He was crouched on the floor staying as hidden as he could in the shadows. She saw him motion for her to come closer. She did but kept her guard up. She bent down low so she could hear the man.

"Are you Vienna Chang?" he whispered.

She nodded. "Who are you?"

"A friend. I will help as much as I can. Wait here a second." The man disappeared again and soon reappeared, this time standing and reaching up to the security camera. He did something to it quickly. "You can stand up now," he said.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" she asked again, standing up, carrying the tray.

The man smiled. "You can call me Jack. I'm a friend."

Vienna glanced up at the security camera. "What did you do to the camera?"

"I disabled it. Now it can't record what you say and do, so I can say things to you freely. We don't have to worry about them coming to exchange it because no one dares to come in your cell." He chuckled.

"Why not?"

"All most everyone is afraid of you. They've heard of how strong and smart you are, and so they don't want to get close to you."

"Idiots," she said smiling.

"Yes, they are. I am here to give you and your friends aid. I can't get you out, but I can give you information. If you tell me where your friends are, I can send them all the information they will need on the bases of the World Rebellion and anything else they might want."

Vienna frowned. "How do I know I can trust you?"

Jack hesitated. He reached down into his sock and removed a silver locket. He handed it to Vienna. "I've hidden this secret for the past few years. Don't tell any of your friends about it. Not any of them at all, you hear me?"

Vienna nodded and opened the heart shaped locket. Inside was a small picture of two girls and a boy. Vienna's brow furrowed trying to figure out who they were. She looked at the man. He sighed. "Wait a second." He bent his head, and after a few seconds of waiting, Vienna noticed he was removing contacts from his eyes. When he looked up and stared into her eyes, she gasped in shock. Those eyes- they were so hauntingly familiar.

She smiled, remembering why. "I'm with you all the way, Jack," she said.

He smiled back. "Good." He slipped the contacts back in, causing his eyes to transfer back to brown.

Vienna held the locket out to him, but he shook his head. "You hold onto it and give it to them when you see them again."

She nodded. "My friends are staying in the Peacecraft mansion with Relena. All the boys are there, and so is Riley."

Jack nodded. "Got it. Here is some information you might want to look over. Also, here is a letter to you from me, explaining a matter you may want to know, but I don't have the time to explain it now. Read it and keep an open mind. I've got to go, Vienna. Take care and make certain no one sees the information I'm giving you."

Vienna took the papers he gave her and smiled at him. "You can count on me."

"Good. Take care, Vienna. Oh, and I'll see if I can bring you decent meals from now on." With that said, he disappeared down the hall. Vienna sat there until she couldn't hear him anymore and she then put all the papers on her tray and went to the cot. She got as comfortable as she possibly could and began reading.

**---**

That night, Riley lay in her bed wide-awake. She had been lying there for the past hour, but she just couldn't fall asleep. She glanced at the balcony to make sure it was locked tight. It was. She sighed and rolled onto her right side so her back was to the balcony. She looked down and saw Solo sleeping on a cot a foot from her bed. He looked like a little cub warm in his den. She smiled. "Now he can finally sleep safely," she whispered to herself. "He doesn't have to keep awake so he doesn't get ambushed." Her smile drifted away, and a memory from years ago came to mind.

**-FLASHBACK-**

The dark streets of the city seemed to be completely empty of people, but it was covered in shadows. Riley wandered down an empty sidewalk alone, her green eyes wide with fear. She looked around. The wind blew at a street sign, causing it to creak. She jumped and scurried to the doorway of a shop. She huddled in the corner, watching. She felt her eyes start to droop. They closed and she slept for only a few minutes before another sound met her ears. Her eyes popped open and she looked around again. She didn't see anything. She bit her lip as it began to tremble.

She gasped in fright as she heard the sound of someone breathing close by. She pulled her knees closer to her chest and watched.

A shadow fell across her feet, slowly growing bigger. She whimpered quietly, a tear starting to make its way down her face. She didn't dare look up, afraid of what she may see. The breathing got louder until she could feel it on her cheek. She shrank back against the shop doorway. A hand reached out and grabbed her arm. It slowly began to pull her out from her hiding place.

**-*-**

Riley sat straight up in the bed breathing heavily. She closed her eyes and her head dropped into her hands. Suddenly she felt a hand on her arm and she leapt away. The other person stepped back. She heard it sniff. Riley reached over and snapped on the bedside lamp. The small light lit up the face of the intruder. Solo. His face was wide with fear and worry as he stared at her. "Riley?" he asked hesitantly.

She let out the breath she had been holding. "I'm sorry Solo. I just had a bad dream, that's all."

Solo smiled slightly. "So did I. I dreamed someone was trying to get me and take me away from you and Duo." A tear started to fall down his cheek.

Riley patted the bed. "Come up here," she said. He crawled up beside her and Riley put her arms around him. "I had a dream somewhat like yours. Guess you and I are quite a pair, huh?"

Solo looked up at her and smiled. She smiled back.

**---**

Duo glanced at his watch. It was going on eleven A.M., and Riley and Solo hadn't come downstairs yet. He sighed, looking at the door as if he could conjure them up with a thought. He heard Quatre laughing quietly behind him in a chair by the burning fire. He glanced at him with an annoyed stare. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"You," Quatre replied. "You're acting like a mother hen. I promise you, Riley and the kid are just sleeping. Trowa checked on them only ten minutes ago. You were here when he came in and told us."

He shrugged. "I wasn't really paying much attention."

"What else is new?" WuFei grumbled from across the room.

Duo glared at him. "Who asked you, Wu-man?"

WuFei glared back at him. "Will you stop calling me that? My name is WuFei, not Wu-man, or any other idiotic nickname you can come up with."

Duo looked over at Heero sitting at the table by a window. He had his laptop set up again. "Hey Heero, what are you doing this time?"

Heero ignored him.

"Earth to Mr. Perfect Soldier," Duo called. "I'm talking to you."

His answer was a distinct, "hn". Duo threw his hands into the air. "Fine. Let's just have everyone irritate me today. The only person who hasn't yet is Trowa."

Trowa, who was reading a book, looked up. He looked at Duo, shook his head and went back to reading.

Duo slumped in his seat. "A perfect record."

"What are you complaining about now Duo?" Riley asked from the doorway.

He looked up with a sudden jerk and smiled. "Good morning, Riley." He waved at Solo. "Hey little buddy."

Quatre smiled. "Sure, he gets cheerful and nice when she comes in." WuFei smirked.

Riley ignored their comments and walked right over to Heero. "What are you looking up?" she asked looking over his shoulder.

"Trying to find the whereabouts of where they could be keeping Vienna," he replied.

Riley raised an eyebrow. "All that jumble of numbers and letters is information?" Heero nodded. Riley smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "And that's why I leave the searching stuff up to you. Heaven knows I can't do it." She turned and looked around at everyone. "All of you are bumps on a log," she stated suddenly. "The only person who is actually doing anything to help around here is Heero. Come up, up on your feet you guys. Be useful. Trowa, you're kinda good with computers, you help Heero out. Quatre, I want you and WuFei to see if you can scrape up any information on unusual occurrences, places being built, basically anything that could be significant. Solo, can you stay here with Heero and Trowa and maybe get them anything they may need?"

He nodded, a proud smile on his face. "I can do that. Leave it up to me."

She nodded and gave him a mock salute. "Good job, Captain Solo," she said, feeling as if she had just popped out of a Star Wars movie.

"And what about me?" Duo asked, standing up.

Riley smiled. "You're coming with me."

**---**

Vienna heard people coming long before she saw them. Stowing the papers and such in the small pillow she had been given and putting that under the cot, she stood to wait. Five men came into view; Jack was one of them. He opened the gate and stepped inside. He pulled a pair of handcuffs out and motioned for her to hold her hands out. She did and he snapped them on.

Vienna already knew what his job was in the World Rebellion. He had created the control device that would be used on she and Riley, if they ever caught her. That was what he had explained in the note he had given her. Even though he had created the enemies main weapon against her, she still trusted him because of who he really was. He smiled at her encouragingly.

"What's going on?" she whispered under her breath.

He winced. "They're testing the control device, and you're the person they're testing it on."

Authors note: Hey everyone! Phew! It took me forever to get this chapter done. I've been sick with the chicken pox, and ideas just seemed to fly into my mind as I sat on the couch watching stupid TV shows during the long days.

In this chapter, I know Trowa was rather out-of-character, seeing as he talked a ton more, and he got a bit angry. I thought I would explain this to you guys though. (1) If you haven't noticed, Trowa is much more open and more talkative, which is because Riley (his sister) is back, and he is slowly growing to be his old self, as he was before his family was broken up. (2) Trowa gets angry now because it is dealing with his sister, who is in danger and putting herself in harms way. He lost her once and he doesn't want to lose her again.

Well, I think that about clears it up. Have any more questions, I am willing to answer them.

**Please note that I wrote this story last year, and most of the author notes are old…