Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Palace of Justice ❯ 31 ( Chapter 31 )

31:

Time he needed and time he received. It took a long time for his chest to heal and he spent it staring at a white ceiling somewhere in Preventers hospital in his own private room with strict orders that no one enter. It had worked for a day or two before Quatre had barged his way in, and then Duo had followed and after that there was an increasingly long list of names for people who were exempt from his orders. Trowa wasn't sure how that worked, but also wasn't in a position to find out so he just went with it. For the moment.

It was a fascinating ceiling. White, just a plain bright white not an eggshell colour at all. With no markings, no even a tiny piece of fly poo to contemplate. It reminded him every time he opened his eyes of the light from the Eye and every time he fell asleep he imagined he was being demolecularized. The pain in his chest and the nausea he felt in waking alone certainly felt that way.

It was exactly two months twenty seven days when he finally tired of just lying in bed waiting for his body to heal itself and he decided to check out, suck it up and go the hell home.

There weren't any clothes lying around so he settled for staying in the track suit pants he had on and his bandages. He didn't feel like wearing shoes anyway. He did steal a shirt from a storage locker, but left it hanging open because buttons just seemed like too much work.

Preventers hadn't changed, for the most part. He managed to stalk the halls without being hassled, and when he got upstairs people stared at him but didn't interfere too much with where he was going. A few people did open doors for him, which was new, but he put that down to his bandages. Denial was great when there was another logical reason for things.

"Trowa!" Quatre called out and came rushing down the corridor to meet him, hands flailing for a moment before he decided Trowa was able to walk on his own. "Should you be up?"

"Yes."

"Okay..." And that was that, because no one argued with a gundam pilot about when they were ready to return to duty, plain and simple.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have an empire to run or something?" Because Quatre rarely stayed in one place longer than a day or two, or when he was hiding out for a weekend at Trowa's and Trowa was sure he'd seen Quatre every day or two since he was brought to Preventers for treatment, as if what was wrong could be treated.

"I'm on sabbatical." Quatre won his laugh, but it didn't last long. Trowa wasn't really in the mood for laughing yet, and doubted he would be for some time.

"Most people don't work while on sabbatical."

"Most people don't get hired to run Preventers by the person who bought it off them."

He'd forgotten about that, wallowing in the memories of everything else that had happened. The smaller details had faded into insignificance, including his buying Preventers and sending Quatre back to deal with the fallout of it and to get the Preventers ships to withdraw from Frank before a war started.

"I don't remember hiring you," he mumbled, sure that would have been something he would recall doing.

"That's because you didn't,"Quatre smirked. "It just looks like you did on paper."

"Huh. Smart decision that one. I have the best ideas." He liked that it would have confused people to, that he bought Preventers off Quatre Winner just to hire him to run it for him. He was of the strong opinion people needed to be confused more often, if they were ever going to find a solution to the worlds problems. He had an invested interest in some of the worlds finer problems.

"Where are you going?"

"Home. I want to go home." Finally, at last, it was time.

"I'll get a car." He was already reaching for his phone and Trowa reached out to snatch it from his hands, shaking his head but s,idling because some things would never change.

"Home Quatre."

"Oh." He was immediately sad and Towa regretted being responsible for that sadness but there wasn't anything he could do about it either. He just waited and after a minute Quatre as smiling again and leading the way to the Transporter.

Trowa sighed, wondering just how many transporters had already been installed on earth for use by world leaders and dignitaries, and how long it would be before every family had one. A while he suspected, as it wasn't a comfortable ride and those higher up would want to spend so,e time having it to themselves first, but eventually. It would happen.

It was the room they had originally commandeered to build the Molecularizer in, but offices and been installed around it, alterations made so it was no longer a random room in an unoccupied sector of the building but instead was the hub of activity for those running Preventers. They even passed Une's office but Trowa definitely didn't want to stop in to say hey.

The room itself had changed as well and Trowa didn't need to ask to know how. The clean, smooth lines and the pure finesse of it all could only come from one person.

"Hatty."

"She was here for a few days. I spoke to her at length, with Une because she wouldn't go in a room with me by herself, but she was eventually cleared for duty."

"What?" Had they lost their freaking minds?

"She wanted to work with us. Wanted a very specific role too. We all agreed it was the best place for her, and she was the best fit for the job."

Trowa was still trying to process Hatty being a Preventer. Though, considering the last conversation they had, it made sense. Preventers was all about preventing loss of life, getting in early and making sure it didn't happen, again and again. It suited Hatty, for the same reasons it suited all of them. They'd all had to make those decisions.

"What position?"

"Currently? She's Overseer for Preventers' newest acquisition."

"Frank," Trowa realised and found himself laughing. "You put her in charge of Frank." it made sense, in no way at all. Put the Artilect in charge of the greatest weapon on in the known universe. That way if it decided to go postal, nothing could stop it. Fantastic idea.

"No!" Quatre seemed offended and amused at the same time. He manoeuvred Trowa into position on the Pad and went to the controls, presumably connecting to Frank and arranging a transfer. But he was grinning when the light started to swirl at Trowa's feet and it was strange enough to draw Trowas attention from the floor.

"We put you in charge of Frank. We made Hatty your partner."

There was no time to deal with the shock. Quatre waved and then he was gone, his words still echoing in Trowa's ears as the Origin Capsule filled his vision.

Everything else faded. His chest ached, but was whole and he walked forward as if pulled by another force, striding to it and collapsing against it, staring inside and feeling the agony anew. Because this was the real wound suffered.

He looked peaceful, floating in his own world, asleep. Trowa barely saw the cables any more, or the ports where they entered Wufei. They were just a part of him now, like fingernails. To Trowa he was the most beautiful thing in the world. The sense of home engulfed him and for a while all he did was sit there, staring, letting it all settle somewhere deep inside.

"I'm home."

The message board came to life on the screen and Trowa just stared at the words that appeared, disbelieving and wondering if it would ever stop hurting so much.

Welcome home, Trowa.

"Wufei?"

What took you so long?

Changes to the system. Improvements to ensure it ran as it was supposed to. Whatever Hatty had done, Trowa could kiss her for it. Wufei was a free entity within the system, working with Frank but also apart. Able to communicate. Able to give Trowa at lest that small piece of himself.

"I'm sorry. I didn't..." Didn't know, hadn't thought to believe Hatty might give him that kind of gift. Hadn't believed, and had underestimated. Again. He really had to stop doing that.

You're home now.

Yes he was, and that was all that mattered.

The elevator ding sounded and he turned just in time to see Hatty sprint out of it, squealing in delight as she launched herself at him.

"TRITON!"

She was light as he snatched her up out of the air and spun to take a momentum and give her a fun ride at the same time. Lighter than a human by far, and so much more delicate. Capable of so much more.

He wondered if they'd ever stopped to think, when they postulated their theories at the turn of the century, about what Artilects might feel. If they ever thought that by giving a machine a human minds capabilities they might also give it emotions, and understanding of those emotions. If they had believed for a second that they could and would manufacture a soul. Probably not.

"You're home, you're home, you're home!" She was so excited by his return it was impossible to be angry at her, but the hurt remained that she could save Wufei, but wouldn't. Because she didn't believe he needed saving. Because she believed she had saved him. That this was the best state for him. For now. And maybe she was right, but that didn't help him forgive her. Deep down, they both knew he would never forgive her, and they had each come to terms with that.

She was wearing black tights under a short black dress with the Preventers logo on the breast, and a Preventers cap turned to the side. Her hair was out, framing her face like dark silk, making her eyes seem bigger than they were and softening the lines if her face. She was moe feminine than Wufei, gentler and smoother and it was easier now to see the differences as she became her own person. Confident and certain of her own dreams.

"Its good to see you, Hatty."

"Did you miss me?" There was a touch of pleading in her voice and he found he had. He'd missed searching for those hints of humanity and the awe he felt in finding them.

"Yes. I missed you." How could he not, when she was a part of Wufei?

"I joined Preventers!" And she was so damn excited about it.

"I heard," he answered dryly, rolling his eyes as he carefully put her down and headed for the elevator, not surprised at all when she fell into step beside him.

"Isn't it great? We're partners!" The next best thing to lovers? Did she really know what it was to be partners? But she'd seen them work together, and apparently that was what she wanted. To be his shield.

"It is Beethoven," Trowa muttered and shook his head. "Why is there elevator music?"

"Research shows it calms people down and keeps them from panicking in an enclosed space," Hatty replied immediately, but she was looking at him curiously. "You don't like it?"

"No, I do. It's nice. It's just...I like it." Because she would never understand why it was strange to have everyday life things in Frank, because he was her everyday life.

"Oh...good. I asked Wufei if we should change it, but he said Beethoven was fine. But that Tchaikovsky was your favourite?"

It made him laugh, imagining Wufei's frustration with her asking incessant questions about Trowa, but his need to agree with her to make Trowa comfortable. To make it feel like home when all Wufei had to do was be there and that was done. He wondered what else they had talked about and wished he had been part of the conversation instead of the topic.

"Tchaikovsky is my favourite," he agreed, and he was grinning because he'd never told Wufei that.

The doors opened and he stepped out into a field of passion flowers. There were hundreds more now. Thousands, even. So many he suspected he was feeling happier than he should and he looked over at Hatty sternly.

"What? The adjustments I made to the system need fresh ingredients to work at optimum capacity!" She meant the changes she had made to Wufei, but he didn't correct her, just glared harder.

"Hatty, did you move things around so that I could give Wufei fresh flowers every morning?"

"Well, maybe that had a tiny bit to do with it," she mumbled, and she was blushing. Hard. "But they need to be fresh, too!" But they could have come from anywhere on the station for that. She had wanted him to give Wufei flowers and he realised she loved Wufei, not in the creepy adolescent way she was infatuated with him, but like a child loves a parent. Or it's creator. Unconditionally.

"That's nice, Hatty. We can both take him flowers, okay? But no more changing things around just to try and help me date my boyfriend, okay?" Because seriously, that was weird and he did not need help!

"Okay." She sounded like a chastised child, but there was glee underneath because he was happy and she knew it.

He caught the shuttle to his room, because he could and because he liked the ride. He suspected Hatty hadn't moved his room because she knew he liked the ride, and because he had a Pad in his shower to take him anywhere if he was in a hurry.

The shrine was a busy as always as hey passed it. He looked for Farrar Paige knowing he wasn't there. He didn't need to know what had happened to the man. Whatever punishment Preventers had dreamt up was good enough for him, because Trowa wanted him to live to see his plans come to naught. For Trowa to make something amazing out of Frank.

"There are still so many people..."

"Lady Une came on board and made sure what happened was explained to everyone and that Preventers now owned Frank, which made you the boss? They were all given the option of relocation. The people from Level 5 all had to go, some were trialled for their actions and imprisoned. But the ones who had a choice to stay all did."

Because regardless of why it was created, the people here were happy. Just like Trowa, they felt the guiding hand behind their lives and they loved it. How could he not love living in something controlled by Wufei? He just smiled and nodded so she knew he understood and he went up the stair into the shrine.

People recognised him, and some nodded their heads and others waved while still more recognised Hatty and came over to say hello and talk softly to her. He realised she came here often and that the locals knew her and who she was. They were friends, and they talked about everyday things like dinner and children.

Shaking his Head, Trowa went and bought a candle and lit it at the shrine, sending out his own quiet prayers and standing in silence for a few minutes. He almost decked the poor monk who dared to come and stand beside him.

"My name is Jay. I am the leader of our small group of brothers. I wanted to apologise, for the troubles one of ours caused you."

"No apology is needed," Trowa assured the man. He hadn't hit him, after all. "one mans actions are never an accurate representation of a people."

Jay smiled and nodded and left it at that, and Trowa knew they wold meet again. Often and regularly, and that they would talk about children and dinner, too. He smiled and went to fetch Hatty from her gaggle of followers before moving on.

His Room was thankfully right where he had left it, but it was bigger than it had been. He went in and fetched a fresh set of white from the closet and went to have a shower, leaving Hatty in the kitchen with the blender and hoping it wasn't a bad idea. It had to be a better one than taking her in the shower with him.

The shower had been expanded and the Pad now rested over in the corner, separate and thankfully where no one would molecularize while he was trying to bathe. It had its own small cubicle and everything. The shower was larger as well, much more comfortable and he didn't miss that you could now easily fit two people in there. It hurt, because why make it bigger, unless...

"Hatty!"

"Yes?" She was blushing as she stuck her head around the door and he didn't even car, standing there naked in front of her, water spraying hard on his back and keeping his head clear while his temperature soared with elation.

"Why did you expand the shower?"

"I thought it would be weird to have someone molecularize next to you while you were naked?"

"I figured that, but the actual shower is big enough for two now. Why did you make it like that?"

"For when miss Po and Duo finish upgrading Nataku."

"Miss Po and Duo?" He was missing things, obviously, but she was gone so he finished his shower quickly and got dressed, amused when he realised his whites had the Preventer logo on the breast. She was holding out a Preventers hat when he went back into the main room and he laughed as he put it on.

"There are jackets too! But Duo said they would have to make one in my size, so I don't have one yet. Yours is in the closet though."

"Thanks." Because else could he say? She had been taking care of everything while he wallowed. She'd even made him a juice. He sipped at it while he thought bout what she had said.

"Sally and Duo are here? And they're working on Nataku?"

"In the workshop," Hatty agreed.

"Which means Heero is here."

"In charge of Level 1," Hatty grinned.

Of course he was. Trowa would have laughed but wasn't sure he would stop if he started. Instead, he went back into the bathroom and got on the Pad, not surprised when Hatty got on and knew exactly where he wanted to go. The light swept up his leg and Trowa didn't even brace himself this time. There was no nausea, no hint that his body had been broken down into particles in one place and reassembled in another.

"Trowa!" Duo ran over and hugged him hard, slapping him on the back and grinning. "Finally! I was starting to think you weren't coming back..." And maybe Duo was the only one who really understood how hard it had been, to leave in the first place. To get up and let them take him back for treatment when he'd been ready to die, sitting there bleeding out against the capsule in the silence no one dared to break.

"You're trying to finish Nataku?" Was it even possible, could it even work? Harrison hadn't thought so, had he? Or had he just moved on because it hadn't been his goal to begin with? He'd wanted to make an Artilect, and he'd realised that wasn't going to be Frank or Nataku, so he'd moved on to making Hatty. But that didn't mean Nataku couldn't replace Wufei, with the right upgrades.

"Making some good progress too. Step one is getting Wufei out and functioning wirelessly at this current capacity. Step two is moving everything running in him onto Nataku instead."

They were actually going to do it. They were going to save Wufei after all. He was going to have him back.

"How long?"

"Years. A few of them," Sally interjected, and it was clear she was trying to be harsh and realistic to not get his hopes up.

"But it can be done?" He didn't care about the time frame.

"It will be done," Sally and Duo replied together and the hope they birthed in him was worth more than any of the wealth and power he had accumulated over the years. It would happen. He just had to be patient and one day he would have Wufei back again and they would have the life they wanted. Together.

"Everything's going to be okay, Tro. Just trust us, and give us some time." It was still weird that Duo had apparently made it his self appointed mission to assist Sally in freeing Wufei, but Trowa had to admit he would suit the job. Where Sally was good with the human machine, Duo matched her with mechanics. Together they had a good chance of figuring it out, and he knew neither would stop until it was done.

"What can I do?"

"Go rule over your kingdom and stare longingly into Snow Whites time capsule foot pass the time." Duo smirked and Trowa wanted to punch him in the nose but he was valuable now.

Maxwell.

"Sorry, Fei." He even looked sheepish. Trowa looked from him to the words on the computer screen and was grateful he was so damn good at hiding his emotions. He s going to have to be with Wufei literally in the walls.

"Oh, and don't forget to feed Shelley!" Sally added, but she was distracted by something she was working on and Trowa was left standing there, staring.

"Hatty. Take me to Shelley?"

"Okay!"

He stepped back onto the Pad and the next thing he knew they were in the elevator again and Beethoven was playing. Maybe he would make up a playlist or something. Apparently he was going to have the time. The doors opened with the familiar ding and he followed Hatty out into the field of passion flowers again.

Hatty pulled a small tablet out of her dress and handed it over. The screen was a simple message board and he looked at her curiously.

"I can talk to him any old time, but you'll need that."

I want you to have everything you want.

He blinked at the screen because it seemed to him he had everything he had ever wanted, and eventually he was going to have more. He would have Wufei, it was all going to work out, so the message didn't make a whole lot of sense.

I love you.

A familiar trumpet sounded and Trowa looked up and just stared. For a long time. And then he laughed. So hard he cried. And after a while he went over and got to know Shelley, and gave her peanuts so she could eat the shells, and helped Hatty up to ride on her back around the field of passion flowers. And didn't give a moments thought to the logistics of how they had gotten an elephant on board.

I love you too.