Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Pepper & China Roses ❯ Chapter 9 ( Chapter 9 )

1DOUBLE OR NOTHING

To his superior officer, Zechs looked like a doomed man. The casket laid in pieces around them and the blackened remains of an OZ soldier crowned the table, a renegade prince looming over this little horror show of his own design.

Sally Po cleared her throat, it was a lost attempt at civility but she had to say something.

"Feeling better now?"

The blond groaned. He covered his face as he let the crowbar slide to the ground; it was followed closely by his knees.

The test kit in Sally's hand confirmed any doubts they had left. She closed the laptop and narrowed her eyes at the table, the frosted corpse stared up high into the ceiling, grinning impossible wide. It was probably an after effect because of the trauma and the environment change …especially on most of the skin around the mouth.

To the man now sobbing on the ground, this mocking smile had been his undoing. The doctor herself had flinched at the rictus; it was remarkably similar to the former leader's half smile. Everyone new that smirk from press conferences and the pep talks he directed to his troops, for Zechs it was maddening that destiny had seen he kept it to his grave.

As a military physician she understood what she saw as a product of the natural happenings, biological, chemical and physical. One got used to classifying the usual signs of dying in mobile suits… this one was obviously maimed by a thermal weapon from the knees down, matching the death of the former OZ general's.

Merquise probably knew post mortem just as well as any doctor; he was dealing with the dead since childhood after all. From the moment the lid popped off they both could read clearly into the history of this man's death.

The burns evidenced that there was a short, but painful, span of seconds before the deep freeze of space vacuumed all that was in the MS.

"Sometimes…" He whispered "Sometimes the shield around the cockpit doesn't give way after the hit, you don't blow up in pieces immediately and you are trap in eight seconds of exquisite pain like an instant oven. Your skin gets burn off, and then space freezes away your last breath. "

Oh, the general probably deserved the infamous eight-seconds-death in some people's opinion, but Sally was not too keen about it, especially after this little outburst.
She wondered if the man was conscious when it happened.
She doubted it but was now sure Zechs believed the worse had happened to his former nemesis.

Hollowed eye sockets; the absence of hair and scalp, all burned of by fire leaving a shinny skull; hands curled up into the gloved flight suit, legs slightly askew.

A lot of the bones where bare and broken, visible trough the melted parts of the cloth, some arranged neatly into place, probably out of respect, by who ever packed the body.

She lifted a piece of metal and placed it into the container and continued to place the parts of the casket back into place.

From the corner of her eye she saw the large blond squeeze his ankles with shaking hands, then slowly standing, he picked up the piece of broken polymer closest to him and hand it to her. She said nothing… they just kept on going until the body was covered in a half assed box, juxtaposed to fit back into the freezer. Just in time too, had the thing started to melt and stink, she would have faired for his sanity.

"Une you where so right, there was obviously more than camaraderie between the Lightning Count and the general." Sally mused while she drove off.

At her side, the former pilot stared of into the highway, misery scrawled in his face and a barely noticeable hiccupping in his every breath.

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Slamming the door behind him, Wufei marched out of the cabin wrapped in his wrath and nothing else. He was met by the merry eyes and gray forked eyebrows, of Santa Claus's evil twin.

So it was that, yet again, whit another shriek of horror he turned tail and ran straight into the door he closed himself; passed out from the mighty slam (and a fair share of panic he got doused with so early in the day…) got carried trough the threshold like a bride by 'yet again' another Duke of Kushrenada.
Now he lay in bed beside the first Kushrenada he was running from in the first place.

"I heard rumors, Red…"

The old man sipped more of his coffee while his grand-nephew sipped tea …and cradled the little warrior to his chest.

"They came telling everyone you died up there…"

He pointed to the ceiling without lifting his eyes from the cup. Treize nodded as if answering a question and he, also, kept his eyes to his cup.

The wind chimes sounded softly in the summer breeze.

"Bab told us this was to be a lie." He said, nodding to himself and sniffing at the placid steam rising from the beverage.

Treize just placed his cup on the night table and went back to staring at Wufei; the boy would be asleep for a short while more. He feared a concussion but his uncle assured him the boy fainted more from shock than from butting the door with his hard skull. He was the one with two nasty bumps on his head from their earlier scuffle.

He was so groggy when Luddo marched in with Wufei in arms, and propped them up both in the large bed amidst a cloud of pillows. He picked up the broken china, kitchenware and busted up duvets pouring feathers. The later he placed in his lap with a basket of tread and needles to mend while they talked, or more likely Luddo talked and Treize sulked.

"He looks pale, have you fed him?" From the startled rise of his eyebrows the old man could guess the answer. "No wonder he keeps fainting. How long have he been here"

"A day" Treize curled a stray lock around his finger.

"This is not like you Red… humph… That boy need's some cloths and a warm meal. Is the phone working? "

Treize shrugged his shoulders slowly. Didn't know, didn't care.

The old man tsk'd while he abandoned his knitting in a basket by the door. Treize listened to him instructing someone on the phone, his eyes watered suddenly. He ran to the bathroom to dry the tears before someone saw, he didn't even remember the house had a phone. He should have checked Wufei for weapons, at the least feed him something! Who knows how long he had been wondering these woods! His lips were dry, he was probably thirsty. He filled a cup of water but stopped short of waking him, it wouldn't do to aggravate him anymore; better to let him sleep, he look peaceful after all and was in no risk of dehydrating.

Treize sat by the bedside and gentle as breeze, his fingers dipped in the water and moistened the thin lips of the Chinese Preventer. All he saw was the younger man he was so fun of, the fierce dragon.

When Luddo came back he found his nephew curled up in the chair he vacated not five minutes ago. He tucked a blanket around him and combed the long reddish bangs from his forehead. The young man was asleep but he showed no signs of enjoying restful slumber.

"My poor Red, Where have you been? Did you finally have enough of that war of yours? "

The sleeper answered nothing. Meanwhile, Wufei hurriedly closed his eyes. The old man was turning and heading back to the hallway when he cleared his throat and scratched his beard. "My nieces will be by soon with some clean cloths for you, we will speak once you are rested."

Tbc.

Phew!

When my new laptop arrives I will update sooo much quicker. Thank you for your patience.