Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Psionic Saga ❯ Chapter Fifteen ( Chapter 15 )

Chapter Fifteen

Professor J was late. Duo was not surprised. He was pleased, perhaps a little too pleased. After meeting Trowa in the hall and learning of Quatre's sudden disappearance, Heero had rushed back toward the higher dorms, telling Duo and Trowa to get to class.

"Who's he to tell us what to do anyway?" Duo grumbled for the tenth time in two minutes, earning a light sigh from Trowa. Duo thumped him on the arm, knowing full well that a Trowa sigh was equal to a Wufei lecture.

Duo wished he knew where Wufei was. He was nervous and was doing his best not to show it, keeping his body still but chewing on his lower lip. Wufei had been avoiding something for days, ever since he had found out it was Milliard Peacecraft who attacked him. Ever since he had visited the senior dorms.

"What's in the senior dorms?" Duo hissed under his breath, unknowingly catching Trowa's attention. Tapping one slender finger against his cheek, Duo's mind began turning, and he simply sat back for the ride.

"Identical rooms, school issue…The space…more space. Wufei has a larger room, so it wouldn't strike his attention…"

Duo's face began to scrunch as he delved deeper, seeking a nagging suspicion that had wormed its way deep into his subconscious. If he could just grab it's tail…

Someone sat silently in the seat beside him and Duo fought all his reflexes not to pay attention. It was just Heero he tried to tell himself, but there was no such thing as `just Heero' in the mind of Duo Maxwell. Still, he held off for a while longer and felt the telltale signs that the nag had reached the surface. It simply needed a prompt to come up for air.

Sighing, Duo breathed in deeply and a familiar scent tickled his nose. He blinked, a small grin formed on his face and he turned to Heero with a sarcastic comment already forming on his lips. Something to do with female perfume…

His voice didn't work. His mouth was hanging limp, somewhat like a fish. Duo's hands rose to make gestures but only sat in mid-air, pointing at the small parcel in Heero's palm.

It was small, wrapped in fine gold paper. There was a small tag attached and Duo could clearly read his name written on one side.

At some point Duo's mind started functioning in a semi-normal manner and he snatched the parcel away before Heero could change his mind. It was a gift from Heero! Duo could not believe it. In all the time he had known him, Heero had never actually given him anything. Duo always needed something, because the orphanage couldn't pay for anything out of the ordinary, so all Duo's birthday and Christmas presents were usually used up with favours throughout the year. Duo did not mind; he had all he needed. But this was extra, and it was from Heero…

Flipping the tag over, Duo's heart slumped a little. It was not from Heero, it was from…Wufei? Duo fell back against the back of his seat, confused. Why would Wufei give him anything? Duo had just blown up…well, just about everything he owned at some point! There was no reason…

Duo looked sceptically at Heero, weighing the small parcel in his hand and analysing the shape in his mind's eye.

"Why did Wufei buy me a phone?"

Heero did not look away. He knew better than to look away.

"Two for one deal. They're connected too, so you can call each other for free. Quatre and I are adding out phones to the deal at the end of the week."

Duo narrowed his eyes. It didn't sound like a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. What was going on? Duo had the sneaking suspicion Quatre hadn't been as pleased with his phone as he had let on. In fact, the present in his hand felt entirely like revenge. Which made Duo very curious.

He studied the gold paper a full minute before getting the courage to tear it away.

The phone was beautiful. Frosted black with a fine silver dragon etched all over it would forever remind Duo of Wufei. Which only made Duo even more curious. It was not unlike Wufei to buy his friends expensive gifts, but an expensive gift that actually appealed to the person he was giving it to? Had Wufei picked the phone Duo knew it would have been red. It was black.

Heero. Heero was in on it? Duo hit the on button and waited as the small green light came to life. A moment before the screen blinked on, a small computerised voice whispered from the small speaker so softly Duo had to pull the phone right to his ear to hear.

"Closer. No, closer still. You'll never see it from there. CLOSER!"

Duo pulled the phone away from his ear as it screamed `closer' right in his ear. The whole class had turned to look at him, but Duo hadn't noticed, because the screen had come to life. It was a strange dark blue colour and there were numbers on it…Numbers counting down…Oh dear…

Three, two, one…Duo tossed the phone in the air and dove under his seat. There was a massive boom followed by a rain of laughter. The phone came down and collided with his head. Duo snatched it and stared at the small screen. There was a grinning Wufei there. As he watched, a little Duo cam onto the screen. Wufei snuck up behind the little Duo and grabbed the braid, brandishing a pair of scissors.…

NO!

Duo stuffed the phone in his pocket, refusing to think about it. He looked around and realised everyone was staring at him, including Professor J, who was standing impatiently at the front of the class.

"Ah, you decide to grace us with your attention at last, boy."

Duo blushed scarlet, scrambling back into his seat. He would get Wufei back, and Heero…Duo had no illusions about who had actually programmed the phone. Heero would pay!

Professor J was speaking about their assignment topic. Duo was not even sure what the topic had been. Something to do with human evolution and your thoughts on where it was headed, at least that was what it sounded like. Duo was busy dreaming up revenge schemes and only let a small part of his mind listen to the lesson.

All that changed about fifteen minutes before the end of class when the topic suddenly struck Duo as strange. Or rather, not strange, but convenient.

"He's one of them…" Duo hissed under his breath.

Heero had gripped one of his wrists almost hard enough to break, and Trowa quickly grabbed the other. Duo took the hint and shut his mouth, but it was too late. Professor J did not halt in his lesson, but his eyes locked on the three boys at the back of the class and Duo would have sworn he smirked.

The last ten minutes were the longest of Duo's life. Professor J didn't look away from him once and there was something about his fake eye that made Duo want to scream. Why was he looking at them like that? What did he want? What did he know?

The bell rang, but Duo did not move. Not that he could have with Heero and Trowa still holding his wrists down. When all the other students had left, Professor J walked through the aisle between the chairs and stopped beside Heero. He just stared at them, his fake eye moving even as the other was still, working its way over their flesh, taking in all the small details of their being.

`One of them. One of them. One of them!' Duo's mind was screaming, but there was no escape. He had to sit it out.

"Your papers?" Professor J asked innocently.

Heero pushed the stack of five papers into the Professor's hands.

The Professor's brows rose in feigned surprise.

"All five? And where are your two friends?"

The way it was asked, Duo felt it was a rhetorical question and immediately knew the Professor knew where Quatre and Wufei were. He wanted to tear the old man to shreds. Most of all, he wanted to snatch back his assignment. The only thing that held him back was the fact he hadn't written the assignment himself. The known facts were all there, but that was nothing Professor J couldn't have looked up in a book for himself. All Duo's work on the subject matter was still locked safely away in his head.

The Professor waved his robotic hand at them and left the room. Duo kicked the chair in front of him and it flew forward, knocking over more defenceless furniture as it tumbled. Duo didn't care. He was mad. More than mad.

"Duo, calm down."

Calm down! Duo glared at Trowa and pulled the phone from his pocket. Wufei was triumphantly waggling Duo's braid on the screen.

"Bloody Heero…" Duo grumbled as he went through the phone book and selected Wufei's number. He held the phone to his ear…

"They're after you, they're coming for you, they're everywhere…." A little voice whispered in his ear….

Duo held the phone out and stared at it. The screen said it was dialing, so he held it to his ear again.

"They're after you, they're coming for you, they're everywhere, look behind you! Watch out. You never know where they are, who they are…" Duo wasn't sure if he was imagining the voice…He had imagined voices before. And he had suffered some serious paranoia in his first year at the boarding school, which all his friends were very much aware of…

"You'll pay!" Duo snarled at Heero as he let the voice continue. Who programs that kind of ring for a person who has had paranoia anyway? Heero…

Heero only grunted in reply. Duo could have sworn he was trying hard not to laugh, except Heero almost never laughed. Correction, Heero only laughed at seriously morbid, deranged stuff.

Someone picked up on the other end. Duo heard breathing.

"You have one minute, Duo Maxwell. Come alone if you can, but do not hesitate. I'm timing you. The cafeteria phone."

Duo was already running and was in the outer hallway when the person hung up. Duo did the same as he let his feet move. No time for subtlety, Duo sprinted through the students, focussed on the quickest way to reach the cafeteria. He did not think it was possible to get there in a minute. He wasn't even on the right floor of the building. He knew he couldn't do it by any normal means.

There was a thunder-like sound at his heels and Duo knew Heero and Trowa were following. He did not tell them to do otherwise. The voice had not said he had to go alone, only to try…No time to try.

Duo turned a corner sharply and glared at the window at the far end. The smell of lunch was wafting through the open space. He was directly above the cafeteria and he knew there was less than ten seconds left.

Nine.

Eight.

Duo ran for the window, very much aware he was six floors up…He leapt onto the window ledge, jumped, turned in midair and as he fell grabbed the edge of the windowsill, flipping himself through the window of the cafeteria.

The window wasn't open.

Glass shattered everywhere. Duo felt the small shards cutting his skin but made no noise as he landed hard and rolled, coming straight to his feet. He stopped, stunned beyond words. His brain failed to function.

There were two more loud thunk's and Duo knew Heero and Trowa had arrived.

Standing among the broken glass, all the three friends could do was stare. Before them, each dressed in black were the Psionicists. Hilde, Relena, Milliard, Noin, Sally Po, Une, Treize. That was not overly shocking, though it was the first time they had revealed themselves as a group, unmasked. Behind them were the five science professors. Again, not so surprising, though Duo was upset to see Professor G, who had always been so kind to him and gave him so many great ideas. No, it was the two newest members of the group.

Beside Treize stood a determined looking Wufei, and besde Milliard stood Quatre, who just looked plain terrified.

"Quat…" Trowa went to step forward, but stopped. It took Duo a moment to realise he had not stopped of his own accord. None of them could move.

"Welcome boys. You did well, Duo. Very impressive indeed," J smirked as he stepped forward. Duo would have snarled if he could move his mouth.

From the corner of his eye Duo could see Professor G reading through `his' paper on Annual complicity and again the relief swept through him that it was not really his.

"It's not here," G said as he stepped forward to pass the paper to J. They both flicked through it, frown's deep on their faces.

Heero suddenly surged forward and pushed J back into the Psionicists. They tumbled together in a mismatched pile of limbs and the pressure that had held Duo still lifted. He raced forward at the same time as Trowa, grabbing Wufei as Trowa grabbed Quatre. Quatre moved easily, throwing himself at Trowa, but Wufei…

Duo looked at him questioningly. There was pain in those eyes, but such determination. The room was starting to grow warm. Too warm.

Heero was on his feet, looking around the room for the source of heat, but there was nothing there…

Fire erupted all around them, a thick ring of heat. The Psionicists were on their feet again and Duo felt the odd pressure on his shoulders that indicated he could not move.

"Tsk tsk." J shook his head at them, his fake fingers working in mid-air, clattering like scissors. Fear gripped Duo's heart and he tried to clutch his braid but failed.

"You're all bright boys…" G said softly, sounding frighteningly like Father Maxwell. The likeness only served to send Duo further into himself. Heero sensed his withdrawal but was trying to concentrate on freeing himself from the Psion hold again.

The two leading professors stepped calmly through the flames, untouched by the heat. J grabbed hold of Heero, his fake arm clamping down on one white wrist while G approached Duo, smiling serenely as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"We can show you who you really are, Duo. We can make you great! All you have to do is trust us. Help us!"

Duo was quaking, trying not to see the overlapping image of father Maxwell and Professor G, but it was a losing battle. G reached out and laid a hand on Duo's face, another on his shoulder and suddenly Duo was spiralling, down, down, down…

`Run away, hide! Run away, hide! Run away, hide! Run away, hide!'

Stop!

Duo halted his decent, listening for that familiar voice.

As he waited for it to come again Duo's fear turned to rage, a rage he had never felt before. It was cold…so very cold…

Death is cold…

Duo snarled as he stared up, aware of that touch burning into his soul, that foreign, unwelcome touch…

Cold rage burned through the nerves in his body as Duo rose, slamming back into his body at full force. The entire building shook under a blinding light, knocking everyone down save Duo.

Silence. Everyone stared at Duo in shock.

Then they started to float.

End Chapter Fifteen