Meeting
Quatre glanced at Trowa questioningly as they came into the area where they Dr. H had told them they could find his candidate, and found the bodies of three people on the ground, two men and one woman. Trowa leaned down and checked the pulse of the woman and nodded up at Quatre, saying that she had one. He checked the two men, blinked, then nodded again. All three were alive, just knocked out.
"I hope they weren't friends of yours."
They both looked over and found the young woman they had seen in the hologram back during their talk with the professors standing there, leaning against a hoe.
Quatre shrugged. "I've never seen them in my life," he told her honestly.
"Are you here for the same reason as them?"
He frowned, and looked down at the unconscious people on the ground. "Miss, I haven't a clue what they would've wanted with you."
"Quatre."
Heeding Trowa's quiet call for attention, he turned away from the girl and crouched down. His friend was holding a necklace up off the woman's chest. "The men have them too," he announced, "though they're not as nice or complex." He snapped the chain holding the one on the woman and took another out of his pocket, holding them up for Quatre to compare.
The head of the Winner Corporation bit his lip. "It looks like some sort of symbol of insignia," he said honestly. He sighed resignedly. "The new enemy, for sure."
Trowa nodded.
"But what would they want with her?"
"The woman said her superiors wanted to talk to me," interrupted Kiana. "When I told her I didn't feel like budging, she said I didn't have a choice in the matter, and I should just come willingly before they made me. When I told her no again she sicked that guy on me." She motioned at the man who was bleeding from the head in two places. "Once I took care of him, I took out the other two." She looked at them expectantly. She smiled brightly at them. "So who are you guys?"
Quatre smiled back and Trowa looked at her blankly. "I'm Quatre, and this is Trowa," announced the former. "I'm sorry that you had to meet them before us." He held out a hand for her to shake. "I wanted to ask for your help in something a good friend of mine told me he thought you could do."
She eyed his hand suspiciously. "And this mysterious task would be…?"
His smile widened to an almost predatory grin. "Being a gundam pilot."
***
"Maxwell, what do you think you are doing?"
"Coming with you," grumbled Duo as he hopped in the truck after Heero and Wufei, who had commented on his action.
"Mind if I ask why?" snapped the Chinese man.
"My target's been kidnapped," announced Duo as Heero started up the engine. "Enemy got him before me, and I have nothing to do. Might as well meet this girl Heero suggested."
Wufei rolled his eyes, knowing that the doctors had been keeping careful watch on their candidates for some time, and would have been accurate in a report. He kept quiet as they drove to the airport.
***
They all three stood at the door of a grand mansion, Wufei in approving contempt, Duo and awe, and Heero in apparent unease. After a moment he reached forward and touched the com talk, saying, "I wish conference with Rhia."
Duo blinked at the formality and respect of Heero's tone. Oh, come off and admit it, he told himself. You expected the guy to just break into her bedroom!
"What business have you with Miss Jemis?" asked a cold voice through the intercom.
"I need to speak with her," replied Heero, just as cold. "It's urgent."
"Miss Jemis accepts no reports, urgent or no, from strangers."
"I am no stranger to her."
There was a pause. "Give me a name to present and I will give it to her."
"Heero Yuy."
There was a time of silence. After a minute or so, the voice returned to say, "She knows no such name. Please leave at once."
Heero muttered darkly under his breath. Then he said, "Give her the name Odin Lowe."
In the following silence as the man presumably went and told Heero's friend the new name, Wufei and Duo shared a look. For once the two were allied and agreed on something. They both knew Heero Yuy was a code name. If he had to give a second name, chances were it was his real name.
As it was, the door opened. A man, whose voice made it clear he was the one they had spoken with over the intercom, stood there. "She will see you," he told them simply. He eyed Duo and Wufei distastefully. "Them too." With that he started off into the house and a quick pace, leaving them to follow. He led them to an entryway of sorts that reminded Duo eerily of the old video game Tomb Raider, with a staircase to the far side of the room, which split in two to reach up and embrace the upstairs halls on both sides of the room. Down in front of the staircase was a sitting area; two couches faced each other with a table between them, and a few chairs sat off to the sides. "Wait here," commanded the apparent butler before walking away. "She'll be with you in a moment."
They all sat down, and sure enough, not five minutes later they heard a feminine voice ask, "Yuy now, is it?"
A girl of about sixteen stood at the top of the stairs. She was dressed in a nice pair of black slacks and a loose black turtleneck and black dress shoes. Her eyes were black as well, sharp and piercing, like a raven's. Her black hair, streaked with neon green, pink, blue, and purple highlights, added a wild flair to her. It came down to roughly chin-length, but was probably longer because it was styled to fluff out and twist upward, a common style here in New Zealand. Her nationality was Caucasian, at least predominantly.
Heero nodded and she made her way down the stairs. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you at first then," she said, moving her hands in a motion as though washing them. "The name Heero has become more popular over the years." Her companion shrugged and she chuckled slightly as she reached the bottom of the stairs. But no emotion touched her eyes. No emotions had touched those eyes since she had come into the room. "Talkative as ever, aren't we?" she asked as she walked up to stand right in front of him. When he only looked away and muttered, "Hn," her pert mouth twisted with distaste. Completely without warning, she ducked down a little and socked him as hard as she could in the gut. Heero's eyes were wide with surprise as he bent over double, and both Duo and Wufei knew their own eyes had to be wide.
"Where in the seven hells have you been, you asshole!" he yelled, kicking up and catching him on the chin, jerking his head back. "I know you're a soldier, God damn it, but the war's been over for a while, in case you hadn't noticed! Didn't you ever think some of your old friends might like to hear from you?!" She stood there, breathing hard. "And then I go and find out that someone's assassinated my Grandfather Jemis!" She smacked him hard across the face. "You're supposed to protect him, you dumbass! He was your mentor, your teacher! Or at least if you weren't going to watch over the old goat you should've told me so I could've done it myself!"
Wufei and Duo traded glances again. Grandfather Jemis? Heero's mentor and teacher? Wait a minute… Jemis… J?! No way! He had kids?!
As it was, Heero tried to reach out a leg to hook her ankle and trip her. However, she saw it coming and palmed him in the chest so hard she knocked him over. "Don't test me, Heero!" she warned. "I hospitalized you once and I can do it again!"
Woah, I thought I was the only one who managed to pull that one off… though Duo, remembering how he had first gotten Heero in the hospital, then realized they should be fighting together and going to rescue him. If this chick managed to pull it off she must really be something!
"Sorry," growled Heero through clenched teeth, not sounding sorry in the least. "I hadn't exactly thought the bastard would be needing my… assistance… once the war was done."
The girl smirked, satisfied with his response, and lay back in one of the lounging chairs in the room, throwing one leg over the arm. Still grinning cockily, she asked, "So, what brings you here anyways, Heero?" Her eyes flickered over Duo and Wufei. "And who are your friends?"
***
Kaiyel woke from his drugged sleep with a start, to find himself in a sitting position, his hands tied together behind his back, a blindfold fitted over his eyes. Where the heck am I…? He wasn't sure whether to feel scared, curious, or angry. Somehow he was all three at once. Quickly though, fear subsided for anger almost total, though there was still some curiosity. Someone had picked him up right off the street, like he was some ignorant little kid.
"Ah, Mr. Braveo, you've awoken. I was beginning to think you might never wake."
He stiffened at the sound of a woman's voice. "Who are you?" he demanded. "What do you want with me?"
She chuckled a little. "It's not so much who you are as who wants you," she told him, her voice sickeningly sweet.
"What?"
"Oh, my poor dear boy, you're bait can't you see?"
"I don't see anyth-"
"Shh. It'll make sense when it needs to."
"But-"
"Farewell, Kaiyel Braveo," she said, her footsteps clanign loudly as she walked away. He heard a door open. "Farewell, until the fish arrive and bite the hook." And with that she was gone.
Hey, I'm sorry this took so long, but here it is now! Enjoy, and tell me what you think, will ya? Thancks! Come again!