Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Secrets ❯ How Many Licks ( Chapter 5 )

SECRETS 03: how many licks

 

Duo looked up as Quatre stepped into the room. He'd gotten tired of laying there and asked his friend if he'd find him something to read, but by the look on his face he'd found him something more exciting than the latest Colony Digest.

 

“What's up?”

 

Quatre smiled up at the braided teen. He always knew when something was going to happen. Something that was now some what explained.

 

“The guys are coming in with something that was found at the site. It ate through a suit and made several men sick. It's on several of the targeting components.”

 

Duo frowned. That was odd. Why would something cover the targeting components unless. . .

 

“Did the guys say what it looked like?” He moved quickly off the bed and began pulling on his clothes faster than Quatre could think.

 

“They said it looked like your shadows, but. . “ Quatre smiled as Duo took the offered shoe and began to hop in order to get it on. “Duo, it's going to be just few more minutes before they get here. I'm sure that you have time to put on your shoes.”

 

Duo froze in mid hop almost to give his little friend. “But you know they'll start without us if we're not there.”

 

Quatre laughed at Duo's whine and gave a nod before helping the braided boy with the rest of his clothes. Donning the uniform jacket, Duo grabbed the few things they'd taken out of his pockets and checked his braid as they headed out.

 

“Where do you think you're going?”

 

Both boys froze at the voice. Turning they saw Sally standing with her arms folded over her chest and tapping one foot patiently.

 

“Quatre, I told you to call me when he was ready to leave. There will be no escaping while I run this hospital.”

 

Duo had the where-with-all to look sheepish while Quatre tried to talk their way around it.

 

“We were just coming to look for you, Miss Sally.” He tried to sound whole sweet and somewhat convincing.

 

Sally smiled. “Uh huh, and pigs were tutus on Sunday instead of suits.”

 

Duo burst out laughing while Quatre just looked confused.

 

“Now that I have your attention, let's go sign you out.” She smiled indulgently as the braided youth continued to laugh, dragging a confused blonde behind him to her office.

 

Taking care of the paper work took no longer than ten minutes but Duo was antsy the whole time and kept fidgeting while Sally tried to get in a final examine.

 

“That's it!” She exclaimed throwing up her hands. “Get out! Get out! Go find the rest of the brood and try not to get hurt.”

 

Duo smiled gave Sally a quick hug, grabbed Quatre's hand, and dragged him out the door in a run.

 

“Duo!”

 

Sally shook her head and smiled as she watched them disappear toward the elevators. She knew where they were heading and had all ready warned the science team to be on the look out. Didn't want Duo touching projects so close to completion. Not yet any way.

 

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

 

R&D was housed in an unassuming building that looked nothing like a state of the art facility but a rundown warehouse. Windows on the upper levels were never repaired, still baring the cracks and breaks of past battles. Burn scars were left untouched so as to keep up the disguise. The science wing was kept in the basement. It was done so that if something should escape it would not get far before it could be contained or destroyed.

 

There were several safety protocols that were placed between the ground floor were standard labs and offices were housed to the first four under ground levels where minor experimentation was done to the lowest levels which housed the worst of man's creations.

 

Quatre was dragged quickly toward the building by an almost running Shinigami.

 

“Duo, please slow down.” He was breathing hard from laughing and trying to keep up with the fast moving God of Death. “They aren't even here yet.”

 

“Yeah, but there is other stuff we can look at while we wait.” The manic smile was back laced with the mischievous gleam of the joker. That combination alone made many a grown man shiver. “Sally, would have told the geeks that we were coming and right now they're hiding all the good stuff.”

 

Quatre sent up a feverous prayer that they were indeed `hiding the good stuff'. He cringed as he remember the last time they had come to this building and Duo, ever the curious, had touched an experiment one scientist had left in view. One room on level two was still known as the puke green room because of that. No amount of paint had been able to cover the substance that permanently covered the concrete walls.

 

“Duo, please don't touch anything.” Quatre knew that his words would only be heeded should nothing look especially tempting to the braided boy. “You know what happened last time.”

 

“I promise Kat.” Duo words were said absently as he waited for the elevator after been given a nod by the receptionist.

 

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

 

The truck was pulled into the open loading bay and motioned toward the elevator. None of the pilots stepped out as the floor moved and began to lower them down to the level they had been assigned.

 

“Do you think that Duo talked Sally into letting him out of bed yet?” Wufei asked, all ready knowing the answer.

 

Trowa smirked as a loud curse was heard before a soft boom shook the elevator.

 

“Never mind.” Wufei cringed and sighed as they were greeted by their companions standing between two large guards.

 

Heero stepped out of the truck and waited for Trowa to pull it into the waiting lab before walking over to them. With a raised eyebrow, he looked at the braided menace.

 

“He blew up an inconsequential chemical setup on level two. There was no permanent damage, but Professor Andrews has requested that he be kept busy and away for at least four more hours.” One of the pair spoke with a deep voice as he released his hold on Duo's jacket.

 

“Again we apologize, sir.” Quatre spoke softly as he gave each guard a small bow before grabbing his friend's arm and pulling him over to Heero. “I think this is your's.”

 

“Hey!”

 

Heero grabbed the sleeve offered him with a nod to Quatre. “So you feeling better?”

 

Duo bounced and pouted as Heero pulled him after them. “I didn't do anything.” “I know, Duo.” “ It was all ready bubbling hard.” “I know, Duo.” “All I did was look at it and . . .”

 

“I know, Duo.” He continued the running monolog with each word Duo uttered until finally the braided boy hushed and looked at him with a frown.

 

“We're ready.” Trowa's softly spoken words brought both of their attentions to the unloaded crates placed on the long table. “They offered us suits, but. . .”

 

Duo leaned close to peer into one of the opened boxes. Inside he could see pieces of computer boards and glass, plus parts that were unrecognizable. However, the board that was on top was speckled with glass and black goo that seemed fused to the green board. From what little he could see, it looked as if the majority of it was covered in the dark tar-looking substance. Passing a hand over the top of the box, Duo waited.

 

Secretly, he hoped that nothing would happen, the base had shook him up. He'd never been able to command the shadows as well as he had there or been able to see them so clearly. It was a little un-nerving to know that he could fly without a plane or a Gundam. But as the darkness rose to surround him, he knew that he would not get his wish.

 

The other pilots jerked as Heero grabbed hold of the boy keeping him from hitting the floor as he jerked backwards. His eyes glowed brightly as the hand still held over the open box, quivered. There was a moan that passed from his lips before his eyes slide closed.

 

“Duo!” Quatre shouted as he moved to snatch the shaking hand back, but he was stopped by a force unseen which pushed him away.

 

Heero shouted as he was thrown up and away as the dark wings spread from Duo's back. Wind whipped about the small room pulling on everyone, snapping the band on Duo and Wufei's hair, whipping it loosely about their heads. This lasted until the wings folded around Duo's trembling body like a cocoon. Wufei was only seconds to catching him as he fell back to the floor.

 

“Ok that sucked.” Duo spoke softly as he looked up at Wufei. “Unexpected and painful.”

 

“Are you all right?” Wufei asked in his usual calm manner.

 

Duo sighed as he felt the healing warmth that naturally radiated from the Dragon warrior. He felt his strength being returned and the worst of his previous injuries being mended.

 

“Thanks Wufei.” Duo smiled as he pulled himself to his feet. Looking around, he saw Heero slowly coming to his own feet and giving him his patented look of acceptance. “You okay, Hee-man?”

 

“What happened?” Quatre straightened his clothing and looked everyone over quickly before returning to stare at Duo. “Duo. . . you . . . you're. . .”

 

“I'm okay, little brother.” Duo gave him, what he hoped, was a reassuring smile as he stood on trembling legs. He was almost sure that if Wufei wasn't hold his arm, he would not be standing.

 

“You still have your wings.” Trowa said softly as he brushed some dust out of his hair.

 

Duo turned around and around trying to see the `wings' until Heero grabbed a shadowed wing and pulled it so that Duo could see it.

 

“Whoa.” Duo gasped as he shook them forward. “That's kinda cool.”

 

“Hn.”

 

“Maybe you should try to . . .” Before Quatre could finish the dark wings dissipated. “Never mind.”

 

“What happened?” Heero was looking down at the opened box.

 

Duo wrapped his arms around himself, hoping to ward off the chill that he carried now. It wasn't normal, whatever was going on was all new to him. “I have no idea, man.” His hair moving to fold around him like a shroud as he moved to stand further away from the boxes.

 

Heero frowned as he looked down inside the box, noting that the black had receded deeper into the bottom as if to hide from them. “Hn.”

 

“Maxwell.” Wufei pushed at his own hair out of his face. “I thought you knew all about this stuff?”

 

Duo sighed and tried to still his trembling. “This is all new to me. The wings, the whispers, the evil, I've never felt half this shit. Usually when I touch, it's small almost a whisper of something.” Shrugging, he motioned toward the boxes. “but that stuff, it's just ugly.”

 

Quatre carefully flipped open to box nearest him to look at it's contents. “Then you what is this stuff?”

 

“Don't touch it!.” Duo shouted rushing over to pull Quatre away from the box as some of the black goo seemed to grab at his outstretched hand. “Someone created it to protect that targeting system. Who knows what else it's been created to do.”

 

Wufei frowned. “Why would someone wish to create such a thing?”

 

Duo shuddered again. “Who ever stole that system also must have done experiments with shadows. They must want to control them somehow. Why I don't know, this is the first time I've ever had this much control before.”

 

Heero dumped the containers of the first box on the table and used a glass tube to shift through the broken technology. “Can you control these?”

 

Duo shuddered. Just the one had caused his brain to seize but he knew that given time they would weaken. “Not right now. Give it a few more hours and they'll be weak enough that I can at least figure out who and what they were before.”

 

“This we will have to tell Une about.” Trowa warned. “She's going to want to know what happened on that base to cause two of her agents to be hospitalized.”

 

“So what do we do about. . .?” Quatre waved a hand toward the boxes.

 

Wufei shrugged and glared at the offending items. “Label them as an old OZ experiment gone wrong.”

 

Duo frowned and turned to look at his friends. Behind him the boxes began to quiver and shake. Dark shadows began to rise and surge forward.

 

“DUO!”

 

Duo turned to see the darkness coming toward him, instincts older than time surged up and his wings formed a protective barrier around him. His eyes changed color and a power surged from within him as he parted his wings and shot his hands toward the dark forms.

 

The other pilots had no time to duck or cover as the brightness of Duo's power closed over the room and destroyed the darkness.

 

 

Ok while I do not anticipate a pairing I may have one. The only question is which one. 3X4 is NOT a given. I like variety so I can see Duo with anyone BUT Quatre (I always see them as brothers). While I'm unsure about “scenes” I can do them if they are called for - I just need to know what you think. Let me know. I have about three more chapters all ready written but the story is sorta stuck so I'm working on trying to see where I can get them to go. >_<