Author: bonnejeanne (bonnejeanne@yahoo.com) and vonceia (vonceia@yahoo.com)
Archive: GW Addiction (eventually)
Category: yaoi, AU? Epic Saga...
Rating: PG-13 for language but no guarantees on later installments
Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, ?

E.S.O. - by bonnejeanne and vonceia -

Part Five: Confrontation...

The three mobile suits entered the station through the hangar's roof hatchway. Once they were all inside, the hangar was repressurized. Alfa was the first out, dropping from the hatch like a cat. Wufei followed, taking up a position beside and to her left, as if he belonged there. Together they waited for 'Preventer Wind' to debark his mobile suit.

Zechs powered his mobile suit down and opened the hatch to leave. He had no idea what awaited him, but he was willing to give Wufei and the woman the benefit of the doubt. He had been in worse situations not long ago.

Seeing Wufei at her side, Zechs walked over to them. "Wufei, Lady," he said, with a quick nod of introduction.

The woman looked at him with indigo eyes that seemed to smolder, at the same time that they chilled. "Don't call me 'lady'." she said simply. "If you need a name, call me Alfa. I'll call you Zechs Merquise. You interrupted a very important briefing. Perhaps now we can resume it, with your permission," she said, the last part with a slight twist of irony.

Zechs watched the woman as she spoke. There was something about her that was off-balance to him, though he couldn't put his finger on what it was. "Alfa," he repeated, noting her tone, but not allowing it to outwardly shake him. Inside, however, what he saw and felt gave him chills. 'I know those eyes,' he thought.

Someone was approaching from the side of the hangar, the control area. It was an old man with pointed beard, strange, goggle eyes, and a couple of prosthetic limbs. Zechs recognized Doctor J with some surprise, since he was supposed to have been dead for a year.

Alfa looked at the scientist. "Jacob. The left gyro is acting up again. I told you there was a problem with it, when we did the last test. We don't have time for this."

The old man nodded. "I'll see to it," he said, walking past the three of them towards the mobile suit in question. As he passed Zechs, his mouth seems to twist in a slight smirk. "Nice flying, Lightning Count..."

Zechs watched as the allegedly dead scientist walked past him. 'Missing pilots and now dead scientists,' he thought. 'This is getting better.' "Thank you," he replied.

Doctor J chuckled. Alfa threw a look at the old man. "He was being sarcastic," she said shortly, to Zechs. Then she turned to walk to the hangar's inside entrance. "Baka... damned 'gentlemen warriors' with your idiotic notions..." she muttered as she crossed the floor.

Wufei found himself actually trying to cover a smile.

"Hn." Zechs muttered as he followed. One eyebrow arched.

As she reached the inner entrance, the hatches opened and most of the people who had been watching the space battle from the control room poured back in, specifically Oma, the Gundam pilots, the rest of the scientists and a portion of the technical team.

"Let's finish this, people," Alfa growled.

"One moment, Alfa," Trowa said, from behind them. "Is Zechs a part of the team?"

Zechs turned quickly to find Trowa Barton's green eyes watching him. The Gundam pilot's body seemed to be at ease, but that was deceptive. 'He's good.' Zechs thought.

Alfa turned and glared at Zechs, apparently just for existing. "No." she said shortly. Then one eyebrow went up slightly. "Not yet."

Then she turned back to Trowa, giving a look to each of the others, Quatre... Duo... "Any other interruptions?"

Duo crossed his arms over his chest and glared back. "Sure... I'll take one of those. Let's see, as I recall, we were just about to be told that we were all going to jump in your magic chariot and fly out to the edge of nowhere, to have mobile suit battles with little green men... have I got it so far? That was, before we were interrupted by the doughty Preventer agent here - hiya Zechs. Give Noin any good hickies lately?"

Zechs frowned deeply in Duo's direction. 'Damned kids,' he thought. "Heero Yuy was looking for you," he said, simply.

Alfa glared at Zechs as if to wither him where he stood. 'Damned kids.' she thought.

Duo scowled ferociously. "Heero... what do you know about Heero... he's supposed to be coming back from a trip..."

"Apparently, he made it back early." Zechs said, feeling a hand on his arm. He looked down to find Trowa Barton standing next to him.

"K'so!" Duo muttered. Not good, not good. "Well, I guess that means my curfew's up. Love to stay and chat. Great party... too bad I can't go whack aliens with ya... Give Mr. Spock my regards..."

Zechs shook his head. 'Dumb kids,' he thought. "All of you are presumed missing. Heero's left behind. Do the math. You think he's going to wait to find you? I wouldn't." he added, feeling Trowa tug at his arm.

"Allow me," Trowa said, stepping behind Zechs. He quickly patted him down for weapons.

"Trowa!" Alfa snapped. 'Dumb kids.' "I don't care if he is carrying a gatling gun. This is not necessary. Now... every *one* of you - shut - up!" she threw an evil glare at Duo particularly.

Duo stopped in his tracks between one step and the next - he was just about to walk out the door.

Alfa walked up to Zechs, getting within inches of his face... though lower. Somehow, though it shouldn't have been possible, she managed to intimidate him from her stature of five two.

Locking eyes with him, she said, "How did the Preventers know to send someone here?" The tone of her voice did not allow for the possibility of a refusal to answer.

"A tip from a reliable source," Zechs answered, feeling much like being in a meeting with Treize.

From the back of the room, a voice familiar to Duo spoke up.

"You've been infiltrated," said Professor G. "You have a saboteur in your midst."

Alfa spun around. Her face showed the first sign of surprise or uncertainty, quickly masked. "Not possible," she muttered. Then, "Damn. Of course it's possible." She turned, seeking Oma's eyes across the crowd of people. The brown eyes met hers and the contact steadied her. She turned and swept each and every person there with a look that had the feeling of an x-ray. Interestingly, Zechs and the pilots were not included in the scrutiny and it was suddenly clear that she did not even consider them as possible risks.

At last, she turned back, her mind racing. It was too late to change plans now.

"Irrelevant," she said finally. "There's no time to change. We must leave here in less than thirty six hours or we'll miss our window." She turned back, seeing Duo poised literally on one foot. Looking at him with an emotion that was difficult to read, she said, "Go. Leave. You aren't into this, fine. No one comes that doesn't choose to. Anyone else want to opt out, now is the time. The rest of us need to get the ship prepped, and give the suits a final test."

Duo put his other foot down and found suddenly that he did not know what to do.

"Your plan is starting to suck," a voice said from the back, near the mobile suits. "If you want to win, you need some help."

Duo's head whipped around. "Heero!" he whispered.

Quatre started and looked at Alfa, his hand creeping up to his chest.

Alfa turned in the direction of the voice. There stood a slight figure, arms crossed, leaning against the base of one of the Gundams.

Silently, she stalked across the hangar, walking directly up to the dark-haired young man. She came almost as close as she had come to Zechs... within a foot, well inside a normal person's personal space. Her eyes looked into his as if seeing down into the bottom of his soul.

"The plan always sucked," she said quietly, her voice showing only a fraction of the controlled strain. "What are you doing here... Heero Yuy?"

Looking back into the eyes that were like his own, Heero closed the small gap between them. "You brought my friends out here to fight your battle and you left me behind. Why?" he countered.

Alfa's eye blazed, and Quatre's hand on his chest clutched more tightly. "It's. Not. My. Battle," she said tightly. "They chose to come." Her words did not answer the real question and she knew it. Behind the facade which had become still and impenetrable, a maelstrom of turmoil was filling her soul.

"They were baited," Heero said, quietly. "You didn't tell them everything. That happened before. Not again."

Alfa felt her heart, which had formerly been a rumor for that last twenty years, rip into several large chunks. Turning with uncanny speed, she whirled away from him and smashed her hand into the Gundanium plated object behind him. Oma winced, cursing silently.

"I couldn't..." Alfa whispered, not facing him. "No one... believed me..." Forcing air through her lungs, she fought for control of herself. Ignoring the blood dripping from her knuckles, she turned back to him, her movements becoming tight and mechanical, loosing a bit of her customary grace.

"You're right," she said through stiff lips. "I fucked it up. So what now? I'm going. The rest of you can do as you please." With that masterful piece of pure catastrophe, she turned away from the boy, leaving the pieces of her life in ruins on the hangar floor.

Heero watched her. He nodded slightly to himself and then he reached out and took her arm. "We are a lot alike." he said. Taking Alfa's bruised hand, he stepped in front of her. Tearing off a piece of his tank top, he carefully wrapped it around her hand. "Someone did this for me once," Heero said. "It taught me a lesson." He took a deep breath and then stepped even closer. He wrapped his arms around Alfa's shoulders and pulled her against his chest. "I believe you." he said.

Alfa's mouth dropped open and she stared into the face of the one before her, feeling everything she had ever known or understood continue the process of crumbling around her. 'How could I have done what I have done?' she thought over and over. How could I have... Her head moved from side to side in little mechanical jerks of denial. "You don't even know what you are agreeing to believe in," she whispered. The strong young arms around her, burned her body with the cold fire of something good and pure. I don't deserve this, her mind chanted. I never asked for it, I don't deserve it. "I... wanted... you... to be... left out..."

"Doesn't work that way," Heero said, feeling as though all that he had been through has prepared him for this moment. "You can't create the perfect tool and leave it in the box. If you do that, then why make it in the first place." he said. "Don't un-create me," he added as his arms tightened a little harder around her.

His words dropped like quiet bombs into her mind. Unable for a moment to breath, her hands reached up and fastened on his arms, as if to pull them off of her. Then her fingers simply closed around his biceps, tightly, neither pulling him closer nor pushing him away, simply holding him. Closing her eyes for a moment, she said clearly, "I couldn't if I wanted to... child. I thought... I just thought... you had done... enough... been through... enough... so much I never planned... damned... wars... it wasn't to be... child. It shouldn't have been... but I couldn't stop it... I had to wait." Forcing air through her lungs, she released the grip on his arms and reached one hand to touch his cheek... delicately, as if touching something fragile. "So... much more than a... tool," she whispered. Then she dropped her hand, forcing herself back, one unsteady step at a time. Her eyes never left his.

"Stay... then," she said. "Or go. If you stay... I'll use you."

Heero stepped up to stand beside Alfa. "We have less than thirty-six hours to pull this off." he said, scanning the room. "The scientists can check the mobile suits and the mechanics." Heero then looked at each of the other pilots in turn. "We can take care of the rest. Zechs, are you in or out?"

Zechs, who had been watching the strange exchange, looked back at Heero Yuy. "In," he called back.

"No." Alfa said. She crossed the room to face the tall platinum blond again, regaining her grace with each step, until, by the time she faced him, she seemed almost younger than he. "No, gentleman warrior. Unless you want to be a shuttle pilot. Want to do that? I need Tallgeese and you're going to give it to me."

Zechs looked down at Alfa, listening to her words carefully. "I will pilot the shuttle if you need me to pilot the shuttle." he said, simply. "The Tallgeese is yours. Try to return it in one piece."

One eyebrow rose. "For what? War?"

Zechs leaned down to her. "It was meant to be a joke," he said. "I guess I will need to work on delivery."

Oma remarked quietly, but clearly, "Not your fault, Milliardo. She had her sense of humor amputated several decades ago. Too much dead weight."

"Doubt that," Heero said. "It's just buried. That can be fixed."

Oma smiled. "Smart ass kids," she said distinctly.

"Too damn many of them," Alfa added. Backing off of Zechs, she swept the room with a glare of only slightly less degree than before the confrontation. "For the record," she bit off. "Mobile suits were not designed for god damned, fucking *war*," and she spat the last word out as a curse. Then she took a deep breath, shot a glance at the Japanese boy behind her and said, "You heard him didn't you? What are you all waiting for? MOVE, people!"

The technicians scattered, and the scientists retreated to the back of the hangar, leaving Oma, Zechs, Alfa and the pilots.

Duo stood, poised, watching the entire exchange with his heart in his mouth. Now he could only watch Heero, staring, trying to persuade the lump in his throat to go away.

Heero looked up and saw Duo. He walked over to him and stood in front of Duo, folding his arms "Duo." he said, looking up at him through the shock of chestnut hair for a moment. "How are you?"

Duo took a deep breath. "Heero," he said softly. "I was... gonna try to get this... sorted out before you showed up... guess I ran out of time..."

Heero unfolded his arms and stepped closer to Duo. Without hesitation, he slid his arms around Duo's waist and hugged him. "It's ok." Heero said noticing that his muscles were beginning to relax.

Duo put his arms around Heero and leaned his forehead against the other boy's. "What about you... are you... are you okay?" he said softly, his voice concerned. He could not begin to imagine what it might be like to face something like what just happened.

Heero took a deep breath. "I'm holding you and I'm not dead. I'm fine," he said. "This is weird and I'd rather be alone with you drinking tea and talking, so I guess I'm pissed about that. Did I answer you?"

"Uh huh," Duo said, hugging him tightly. "Me too. But... listen... Heero, do you really know what this is all about? Aliens from outside the solar system? Is that even possible?"

Heero shrugged. "I guess it might be," he said. "I've been reading some of the files, after infiltrating her system. She's done her homework.... Of course, she's been doing a lot of other things as well... but that'll be dealt with later... If there is a later. I'm just glad I found you, Duo."

Duo sighed. "Sorry I worried you, man. You don't know how much better I feel, having you here, whatever happens." he laughed softly. "I guess this means I'm in too. No way I'm letting you go without me."

Heero reached up and slid one hand around the back of Duo's neck. "Good." he said, then looked up into Duo's eyes. "We will take some time before we leave. I have few things to tell you... about me." he added. "Maybe a few about you too."

Duo smiled, his face lighting up. "Okay, you're on. There's... um, some kind of living quarters here. Wanna find a room?"

Heero did something that was a rare sight for most people. He laughed, hearing the phrase with all of the implications along with it. "Let's find a room," he said.

Quatre approached the two, and said softly, "We can show you where the quadrangle is... hi, Heero."

Heero looked at Quatre. He reached out taking Quatre's arm and then hugged him hard. "Hi Quatre," he said. " I'm ok," he added next to Quatre's ear. "And she is too, I think."

Quatre smiled. "Us too," he replied in the same tone, indicating Trowa with a look. "Even Wufei seems to be doing pretty good. It might be good if we could all talk, before we go out there. But you two need your time first. Come on, the quadrangle is this way, and there are about five empty rooms down there, you can take your pick."

Heero nodded. "Lead on," he said, and they walked to the quadrangle.

Alfa watched Heero and Duo together, leaning against the wall. Her own arms were crossed, unconsciously, and her eyes were half lidded.

Wufei came over and leaned on the wall next to her.

"They are good for each other," he said quietly.

Alfa nodded. "I can see that," she said. Closing her eyes, she felt as if she were about a hundred years old.

"Are you all right?" Wufei asked quietly.

Alfa opened her eyes and looked at the young Chinese. "I'll live," she said. She studied him, tilting her head slightly. "Thanks for coming out there," she said. "Sorry I yelled at you."

"I didn't notice," he said simply. After a moment, he said, "Did you mean what you said... the part about mobile suits, and that other thing - that we weren't supposed to fight... humans?"

"Yes, I meant it," she said sighing. "My single biggest fuck-up. I never saw it coming. Oz and Romefeller took everything I created, everything all of us created," she said, nodding towards the scientists at the back of the hangar, working on the suits. "And they turned it into a weapon for war. And we let it happen."

Wufei was silent for a while. Then he said, "It's bad that they did that, but I'm still glad to know it."

Alfa looked at him, and felt a corner of her mouth tightening in... something like a smile.

Watching the four other pilots leave the hangar, she turned and called to the back. "Jacob! Modify the Wing Alpha back for *him*," she said, without naming names. There was no doubt who she meant. "And fit the Tallgeese out for me."

"Yes, ma'am," Doctor J acknowledged. Behind his goggle eyes he had many thoughts going through his head, but they were not evident to anyone.

Next... Connecting...

Comments eagerly welcomed!

bonne & von

Comments? Email bonnejeanne@yahoo.com or vonceia@yahoo.com

Back to the Bonne-Von Project page