Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Missing Pieces ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

Missing Pieces

By Anne Olsen

Author's notes: This fic is sort of a sequel to the flashback scene in "Counterpoint." It's mild AU because

a) It happens after Quatre reclaims Sandrock from the Maguanacs but before Duo spots Trowa at the circus, so doesn't really fit the timeline.

b) It ignores that part of the conversation between Duo and Quatre at the Winner resource satellite in the next episode where they obviously hadn't seen each other for a while

c) Duo knows a lot more about the ZERO incident at this point in time than he did in the series and

d) There's bound to be another reason I'll think of or will be pointed out to me later *g*

Warning: If you are looking for a sappy romantic fic, this isn't it. There is some sap, sort of, but this is story is more the angst/drama/action type. There is also a hint of NCS; you have been warned.

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Bandai, Sunrise and Sotsu Agency. I promise to return when I'm finished, honest.

Thanks to: Bast for beta reading and Jessie for the comments and suggestions on AIM as I wrote this. Also to Megan for her input which is always greatly appreciated.

Feedback to: anneo@paradise.net.nz

******

AC 195

Chapter One

Duo winced as he opened first one eye then the other. His head hurt. On instinct he moved his hand to gingerly check how badly he was injured, but it wouldn't move. What the?

A quiet voice came from his left side. "Duo, are you okay?"

"Quat?" Duo groaned. The last thing he remembered was following Sandrock towards the OZ base they were targeting. There'd been an explosion, and for a moment he'd thought Quatre had managed to destroy the mobile suit plant, getting in a clear shot when they had just about given up hope. That illusion had been shattered when he had realised that the explosion had been in the vicinity of the Gundam, not caused by it. He'd come out of stealth mode, and headed for the blond at speed, readying himself to take on the OZ troop surrounding Quatre, then everything had gone black.

"Yeah. I'm sorry. The mission was a trap." Quatre was blaming himself as usual. One day the Arabian pilot was going to get it through his head that he wasn't the only Gundam pilot capable of cock ups to the nth degree. "You missed the bragging session by Captain McKenzie while you were out. The test run of the new weapon they're developing for OZ and they capture two Gundams for the price of one. If only I'd managed to take out that target before…"

Quatre's voice tailed off as Duo winced again. Last time he'd had a headache like this, at least he'd had the fuzzy memories of a good time the night before. Hangovers he could cope with, but hangovers without good reason, they were a whole different ball game. He rubbed his head against his shirt, his eyes focusing enough to notice the blood. "Crap. I must have hit my head when I blacked out."

"Duo, I'm sorry."

"Stop apologising already. I'm just as sorry as you are, but that's not going to get us out of this mess." Duo shook his head, immediately wishing he hadn't. He forced himself to take in their surroundings. "Four star hotel accommodations," he noticed. "Wouldn't want OZ to tarnish their reputation as hosts now would we." The cell was small, damp and smelly. He sniffed the air. Something nasty had died and decayed in here and not too long ago. Wonder if that smell's the welcoming present left by its last occupants. Gee thanks guys, but you shouldn't have.

Quatre was watching him carefully from his position on the metal bunk on the other wall. He seemed okay, a few bruises to his face and a small amount of congealed blood around a split lip but nothing serious. His hands were bound behind him, the handcuffs attached by a short chain to a ring in the wall. OZ weren't taking any chances; obviously their reputation as Gundam pilots had preceded them.

The American wiggled his hands experimentally before slumping back against the wall. The cuffs were damn tight; he could feel his fingers growing stiff already. He flexed them, trying to get some sense of feeling back. "Did the big mouth Oz guy happen to let slip what this weapon was?"

Quatre shook his head, lacking his usual optimism. His shoulders were slumped, the small smile he gave not fooling Duo for an instant. "Not in so many details, but if we could get out of here and take down their computer system, I think we could eliminate the threat."

Duo laughed. "Good to see you haven't lost your sense of humour. That's one big if, pal." He wriggled a bit further, then swore. "Can't quite reach the damn lockpicks." Eyeing up the distance between himself and the blond, he edged off his own bunk, coming to a sudden halt as his feet hit the floor. His arms screamed out in pain at the pressure of the chain as he tried to force himself forward. With his hands bound at the top of his buttocks, no way was he going to be able to manoeuvre his fingers up to his scalp to reach the picks hidden near the top of his braid. Getting close to his fellow pilot wasn't an option either.

"I've already tried. There's just enough length to be able to move position on the bunk but not enough to go any further." A note of concern entered Quatre's voice. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just peachy." Duo immediately regretted his words. Quatre was already putting himself through a guilt trip without him adding to it by opening his mouth and inserting his foot. "So you weren't lucky enough to knock yourself out on the way in?"

Quatre shook his head. "No, I was conscious enough to be asked all the usual questions. McKenzie was pissed when I wouldn't cooperate." That explained the bruises and split lip. Typical OZ bastard. Back up, did he just hear Quatre Winner use the word pissed? Nah. Duo shook his head. He must have hit his head harder than he thought.

Quatre grinned at his reaction. "What? You don't think I swear? I'm not an angel. Far from it."

Duo matched his grin. "Did I say you were? I bet Tro's glad you aren't." Oh crap. Open mouth, insert foot again.

The silence was louder than any noise Duo had ever heard, broken only by a stifled sob coming from the other bunk. "God, Quatre. I'm so sorry. I didn't think." Poor guy. He feels responsible for the death of his lover and you've just rubbed salt in the wound. Maxwell, you're an idiot.

"It's not your fault." Quatre wiped his face against the collar of his shirt, obviously trying to hide the tears. Even though the light in the cell was dim, there was still enough for Duo to see the track marks signposting where he'd been crying.

"Hey, I still should have known better than to bring it up. Think positive. At least you told Trowa how you felt before it happened." At least you have one up on me. If we don't get out of this, Heero will never know.

Silence.

"Quatre?" He had, hadn't he?

Quatre shook his head slowly, as he wriggled against the cold wall behind him, refusing to meet Duo's gaze. His normally bright eyes were dull as he relived the memories. "I was going to, but the time never felt right. I was so scared of ruining the friendship we had by telling him how I felt. What if he didn't feel the same way? By the time I decided I had to and damn the consequences it was too late. All hell had broken lose and I couldn't risk distracting him. It might have meant the difference between life and death. I couldn't do that to him." His voice cracked. "Then Father died and I built ZERO and destroyed what we could have had more efficiently than declaring my love ever could."

"Trowa loved you. I'm sure he did." Duo for once was at a loss for words. He'd been so sure the blond Arabian would have confided in Trowa. The last time he and Quatre had talked, he'd told him to go for it. He grinned in spite of himself, remembering the wording he'd used. 'Think of it as a tactical manoeuvre. Trowa's your target.'

"He couldn't love me, now. Not after what I did to him, did to those colonies." Quatre indicated the small cell, damp hair clinging to his forehead as he moved his head. "I deserve this. It's repayment for my actions. What goes around comes around."

Duo opened his mouth to protest, then paused as Quatre's words hit home. Why was he talking about Trowa in the present tense? Trowa was dead. Wasn't he? The braided pilot pulled at his chains. Dammit! Quatre needed to be held, to be comforted and he couldn't even get near him. "OZ scum," he muttered under his breath, counting to ten slowly as he tried to decide how to put his next question to Quatre.

Quatre saved him the effort. "Trowa's not dead."

"You suddenly gone psychic on me?" How had he known what I was thinking?

Quatre giggled, his nervousness clear. "I saw the way you were looking at me. I didn't have to be a mind reader to guess what was coming." He lowered his voice, and Duo wondered what the hell was coming. It wasn't like Quat to go all secretive. "Not many people know what I'm about to tell you."

Duo nodded. Uh oh, he thought. Crap meter alert. Steeling himself to expect the worse, he settled himself into what passed for a comfortable position on the narrow bunk and waited.

"I think I'm a newtype."

"Huh?"

"I can pick up on emotions, on what people are feeling."

Duo heaved a sigh of relief. "Is that all?" He'd been expecting something much worse, scenarios flooding his brain at too fast a rate to take in and process properly. It was a definite curse being blessed with an over active imagination. When he'd been a kid, he'd often snuggled in close to Solo and the other kids, trying to believe Father Maxwell's reassurances that the bogeyman didn't exist. Unfortunately as he'd gotten older, those reassurances didn't hold true. Believing in the God of Death was one thing, discovering that you were Shinigami was another.

"Is that all?" Quatre repeated, the tone of disbelief in his voice causing Duo to let out a small laugh.

"Don't ask," Duo frowned. What other surprises did his friend have in store? This day was fast heading towards the Twilight Zone. "Can you like pick up my feelings on your psychic radar now?"

Quatre nodded, looking embarrassed. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I don't have much control over it. But ever since Heero tried to self destruct I'm linked into you guys most of the time."

Most of the time? "Could you…er….pick up on…like if Heero and I were…." His voice tailed off. He couldn't just come out and ask the guy that. Typical. Quatre shares the fact he's got this cool ability and your mind heads straight for the gutter.

Quatre shrugged. "It doesn't work all the time, so I don't know." He coughed, turning a cute shade of pink, before continuing. "So you finally followed your own advice and talked to Heero. Duo, that's wonderful."

Duo looked away momentarily. "Shinigami's not too good at following advice, even his own. Sorry. Heero hasn't a clue. For all I know he could be succumbing to that girl's charms while we're stuck here."

Quatre frowned. "I don't think so." He paused, his eyes meeting Duo's as he continued softly. Those eyes could look straight into your soul, the American figured. How could he handle all those emotions all the time? Duo had enough problems handling his own. "Why did you ask if you haven't….you know….."

"Being prepared. Gotta know what you're dealing with." Duo changed the subject hurriedly. "So you figure you'd know if one of us died, cause you're jacked into us?"

"Something like that," Quatre confirmed, shuddering. "It's not something I want to find out for sure. The feedback and pain I got when Heero attempted to self destruct... I don't know how I'd cope if he'd…if one of you…died."

Duo glanced over at the Arabian, then gave him one of his trademark grins. "Cut with the death talk. So Tro's still alive? That's good news, right?" Quatre answered him with silence. "Right?" He tried another tact. "That Zero system messes with your mind. It wasn't you doing that stuff. Trowa knows that. Stop blaming yourself for something you couldn't control."

Quatre cringed, not looking convinced. "What if I'm wrong about Trowa? What if he is dead, and this feeling I have isn't my spaceheart, it's just me hoping because I can't cope with the alternative?"

He had to help Quatre pull himself together. They were screwed enough without the blonde working a number on himself. "You've gotta trust your instincts. They haven't been wrong before, they're not wrong now. Stick with that thought." Duo took a deep breath, hoping the obvious change of subject wasn't a really bad idea on his part. "Heero. Do you think I have a chance with him or should I cut my losses and run before I make a total idiot of myself. I mean if he's stuck on Relena…"

Quatre gave him a small smile. "Heero doesn't say much but I suspect there's a lot more going on under the surface than you give him credit for. He seemed relieved when he found out that you had escaped from the lunar base." He let out a small giggle. "Relieved for Heero that is."

Duo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, he wouldn't want to let the whole world in on the fact he's human." Heero was concerned about me? Nah, don't believe it.

Quatre edged towards the head of his bunk, narrowing the distance between them. "I think you need to give yourself way more credit too. When Heero and I were in Sanq, I sensed…" He paused, as if unsure as to whether he should continue. "I'm not sure whether I should be telling you this, so it's between you and me. Okay?"

"Sure. Whatever. Now shoot. The suspense is killing me here." Duo offered up a silent prayer to the God he only bothered with the really important stuff. Sometimes he wondered if God listened to those who only prayed when their neck, or in this case their future chances at making it with the person they really wanted, was on the line. Even while stuck in this cell, thinking about Heero, imagining his fingers running through his hair, over his bare…Duo coughed, hoping Quatre hadn't noticed his distraction.

"I sensed a lot of emotional turmoil in Heero, so much so that it took me a couple of days to cope." Quatre shifted uncomfortably, trying to hide a slight grimace of pain as he flexed his fingers. Sitting down flat was nearly impossible with the way they'd been restrained. Duo had finished up holding his hands out to his side, but now his arms were getting stiff.

"Heero? The same spandex wearing, even though I can't understand how he doesn't freeze his cute butt off, Heero Yuy we know and love?" Duo shook his head. "Sorry, I don't buy it. If he's so damned emotional how come I've never seen it?"

"Maybe he doesn't know how to handle his emotions so keeps them inside where he doesn't have to deal with them? I'm just telling you what I picked up on. Only Heero can give you the answer to that question." Quatre shifted again, moving his arms out to his left side, while sliding his back against the wall. "It's impossible to get comfortable in these cuffs. I'm aching already and it's only been a couple of hours."

"I don't think our general wellbeing is top of their list. Have you had any luck reaching your lock picks? I can't get near mine."

The blond shook his head. "I'm working on it but not having much luck. Sorry." He wriggled so that he was half kneeling, his cuffs scraping against the concrete wall, then let out a hiss, followed by a string of words in Arabic.

"I'm not gonna ask for a translation." Duo grinned, watching his friend shift into a lying position, his back against the wall.

"Good, because I'm not going to give you one. I'd like to keep some of your illusions about me intact."

Duo laughed. "So any more revelations to shock me about the great Heero Yuy?" Fifteen year olds with the fate of the colonies riding on whether they succeed - a sure fire way of messing with your state of mind. No wonder they were all screwed up in their own unique way. Even Quatre, whom he'd thought was the most together, was full of surprises.

"He's like us. He's missing the one he needs to become whole." Yeah. Right. It was a given that Quatre and Trowa were incomplete halves without the other, but Duo had trouble believing that the same might hold true for him and Heero. Sure, Duo had feelings for Heero. He'd worked that out way before the suicidal idiot had risked his life to save him the last time he'd been captured by OZ. Strange what your mind comes up with when you're stuck in a cell for hours trying to think about anything but your impending death.

"You need to talk to him, like I should have with Trowa. Don't leave it too late. Don't make the same mistake I did." Duo wanted to believe they were going to get out of here, needed to believe that second chances existed but the longer he was chained to this wall, his body screaming in protest, the less sure he was.

Quatre tilted his head to one side, his brow creasing in concentration. "I think we're getting company."

Duo glanced towards the door, then back at the blond, as he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. "You jump the guy on the right, I'll take the others," he drawled. "We'll show them what happens to bad guys who mess with Gundam pilots."

The remark achieved the result Duo wanted and he wondered, not for the first time if Trowa realised what a lucky guy he was. Just seeing that smile restore some of the inner glow Quatre had lost while berating himself was worth a million of his bad jokes.

The door opened and a tall well built man entered, followed by two others in OZ uniform. "So glad you decided to join us this time around, 02. I'm Captain McKenzie. I'm sure 04 has filled you in on what you missed while you were…catching up on your beauty sleep."

"Yeah, kinda makes me sad I missed all the fun. I'd say pleased to meet you and all except I don't lie." McKenzie was a creep, he decided, definitely not liking the way he was eyeing Quatre. Duo had seen enough to know the signs. If the guy thought he was going to lay another finger on his friend he had another thing coming. He pulled on the chain holding him to the wall, and grimaced as another wave of pain shot through his arms.

McKenzie stepped forward, slapping Duo across the mouth sharply. The American licked his lips, tasting the blood on his tongue "Try and remember that you and your friend are my prisoners. It would be in your best interests to try and keep a civil tongue in your head."

"Thanks for the pep talk. I'll try and keep that in mind." Duo didn't bother to keep the sarcastic tone out of his voice. This guy was fast annoying the crap out of him, and stealing cheesy lines out of bad movies wasn't helping. Keep cool, Maxwell. If you get him mad it might not be you he takes it out on. "Thanks for the hospitality, but my friend and I were thinking we've outstayed our welcome. I hate to run and all…."

McKenzie stared at him for a moment, then rolled his eyes. "Quite the joker. Sorry to be a party pooper but you boys aren't going anywhere just yet." He grinned, his tongue sliding between his thin lips, licking them slowly, as he glanced again in Quatre's direction. "You aren't anyway. I've decided Blondie and I need to become…better acquainted."

Oh crap, not that. Not Quatre. "Release 04 from the wall," McKenzie instructed. "Maybe he'll feel more inclined to cooperate once I've had a little chat with him."

Quatre visibly cringed, pulling away from the touch of the soldier as the handcuffs were released from the chain and he was sent sprawling to land at McKenzie's feet. "Do you want me to restrain him any further for you, sir?"

"No thank you, Corporal." McKenzie bent down and helped the pilot to his feet, his hands tracing a pattern on the pale skin as they lingered longer than necessary. Quatre pulled away, a look of shock on his face, although he didn't make a sound.

McKenzie shook his head. "I would have thought a good looking boy such as yourself would be used to plenty of attention," he commented.

Quatre ignored the jibe, moving closer to Duo as though seeking protection. He brushed briefly against the other pilot then with a sigh of resignation moved away. "I'll be okay. Take care of yourself."

Their eyes met for an instant, Duo shivering at the slight flash of reflected fear before it vanished to be replaced by a coldness he'd never seen in Quatre before. He's trying to distance himself from the situation, he realised.

Oh God. His Spaceheart.

Duo had guessed at McKenzie's intentions because of experience, of what he'd seen on the streets of L2 when he'd been growing up. Quatre would be able to sense them; would be able to feel the filth of the man's lust as he was violated.

'I'm no angel,' his friend had told him. You're more of one than I've ever been. This would kill the part of his spirit that the ZERO incident with Trowa hadn't.

McKenzie grabbed the Arabian roughly from behind, pulling him close. "Don't worry," he told Duo in a leering tone, "I'll take good care of him." Quatre, I'm sorry. When they got out of here, Shinigami would personally send McKenzie to his own private hell. One way ticket, straight down.

"You touch him and I'll kill you." Duo pulled at his chains, but McKenzie and his companions ignored him. "I'll freaking kill you, OZ bastard!" he screamed, wishing he could do something, anything as the heavy door slammed shut behind them.

He was alone, the empty bunk on the other wall a bitter reminder of where Quatre had been. He buried his head in his chest, closing his eyes as he tried desperately to think of a way out.

There wasn't one.

There was no reason to pretend anymore, no audience to hide from. A small sob forced its way from his throat as Duo Maxwell discarded the last remnants of his joker's mask and wept.

******

TBC