Title: Strength of Heart
Author: Caer
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Eventual Yaoi, Action, Adventure
Pairings: 1x4
Status: Work in progress (part 10)
Disclaimer: This is simply fanfiction. I don't own this anime and I'm not making any money. It's just for fun.
Heero poured over the information that had been sent to Quatre for the second time, this time, paying special attention to any clues as to the dates of when Quatre would have his reported “attacks”. A small knot of tension was building up in his stomach as he realized that Quatre may have always been sensitive in such a way to the other pilots. However, the information was too vague. There weren't many exact dates to go on. Still, there were two or three entries where Heero could distinctly remember a time when he was injured that could possibly coincide with Quatre's attacks. But there was no definitive proof. Was it because they came from the same lab? Or did Quatre's bonds form after he met them?
It bothered Heero to think that Quatre could be so deeply affected by what happened to him. In a way it was annoying. He had never mattered. He was just a soldier. Life was cheap. And yet... now he kept thinking of what could happen to Quatre if he died, or was seriously hurt. It wasn't his fault that Quatre felt what he felt... and yet he felt a deep sense of guilt for possibly hurting the blond however unintended.
However, inside, Heero could also feel a deep stirring of something. It was like a mixture of relief as well as concern. There was something deeply satisfying about the fact that he now had a responsibility for someone else. He realized how desperately he needed a purpose. He felt adrift without an anchor. Perhaps he had always been that way. He had no family and no friends up until recently. He had nothing to hang onto.
His missions had been his purpose and his life. When there were no more missions, it was Relena. Now without her, he wondered if he had shifted that responsibility to Quatre somehow. He wondered if perhaps his recent attraction to the blond was just his way of fooling himself and Quatre. Quatre was solid, holding on to him and keeping him from spinning out of control.
He didn't really know what he was feeling right now. He couldn't expect Quatre to just step in and fill the gap that Relena had left behind. He also didn't want to think he was using Quatre as a crutch. Quatre deserved more than that. At the same time, it was comforting to know that somewhere out there, someone was thinking of him. Quatre cared about everyone, of course, but to know that someone was so intimately connected to you as to feel your pain. There was something ultimately soothing about that. No matter what happened, Heero wasn't alone.
He wondered if Quatre was.
“Are these the new Gundams?”
“Yeah.”
Duo stood behind Howard who was seated at the vid screen in the downstairs lab. His excitement was palpable and Duo suddenly realized that Heero had sent him to talk to Howard for a reason. He knew that Howard would immediately want to come on board, threat or no threat. It didn't matter whether Quatre was right or not. Howard was a Gundam mechanic. It was his raison d'etre so to speak. Howard lived ate and breathed mobiles. Of course he would want to be a part of it. Damn that guy. Just when Duo thought he had him figured out, he realized that Heero knew him better.
“The new designs are amazing. They're a little smaller than I would want them, but the mobility is outstanding.”
“Howard...”
“With a little work I could probably increase the power on each by at least 5-10%.”
“Howard...”
“What?”
“Howard, you're sick. I thought we were supposed to be relaxing and having fun and helping you to get better.”
“This is my idea of fun, Duo. What am I supposed to just lay down and accept it?”
“Of course not, but... I just don't think it's a good idea to stress yourself out that way.”
“Are you kidding yourself, Duo? Even I can tell you're excited. Don't tell me you don't want to fly one of these babies.”
“But it could mean serious trouble. Quatre is playing with fire. We're supposed to be at peace.”
“We are. But someone has to defend that peace. Legally, he's in the clear. The Maguanacs aren't part of ESUN yet. As an outside party, they technically aren't breaking any rules.”
“But if we're harboring weapons, aren't we just going against that peace?”
“Duo, what's wrong? You're a pilot. I can see you're excited about the Gundams. You can't practically be raised in a cockpit and suddenly not be interested in flying again, so what's the deal? It seems like a great opportunity for both of us!”
Duo gritted his teeth and flopped down on the bed.
“I don't know! It's just... I was starting to get used to life with Hilde. I don't think it's our place to get involved in this again, Howard. Part of me wants to fly again, but the other part of me just wants to give the responsibility back to the adults. I guess I just want to be a kid for a while... even if I'm hardly a kid anymore.”
Howard leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.
“Yeah I guess I can see where you're coming from. I suppose, I'm on the opposite side. Getting a chance to work with these new Gundams makes me feel like a kid again.”
“Yeah, I feel that too! I just don't know what to do.” Duo blew some hair out of his face. “I'm worried about Quatre too. He still feels guilty for the things he did back when he built Zero. He's scared to death to let go and I wonder if that's healthy.”
“Duo, If the wars started all over again, and you could have stopped them but you didn't want to get involved, how would you feel?”
Inwardly, Duo cursed Heero again, for knowing what would happen. They all thought that Quatre was the manipulative strategist, but Heero was really the sneaky one. Duo felt ghosts of feelings he had the first time he found that Heero had sabotaged Deathscythe to repair Wing.
“Tricky bastard,” he growled.
“Strange,” Rashid said. Ahmad and Heero were currently on the garage vidcom. “Dr. Ansari is an old family friend. The Winner family has worked with him since before Master Quatre was born. But I've tried to call as well. Master Quatre never ignores multiple calls. Master Yui, do you sense something?”
Rashid's knowing look once again put Heero of slightly, and the boy inclined his head, frowning.
“Maybe. I can't reach him using the Preventor's emergency signal either. He wouldn't ignore that.”
“Very well. I would come there immediately, but I'm days away. We can't risk flying from here for now.”
“We'll contact you as soon as we know where Master Quatre is,” Ahmad promised.
Rashid nodded. “I will continue trying to get through to him as well. Call some of the corps in if you need help.”
Heero clicked off the com. Ahmad immediately punched in another number.
“If we need to move fast, we may need help. I'll also send someone to the hospital to nose around.”
“Hey Heero!” Duo came out from the house, wincing as a wave of desert heat hit him. “You win. It looks like we're going to...”
They both stilled as they heard the sound of a motor. Over the ridge, a motorcycle appeared, a trail of desert dust kicking up behind it. Heero reached for his gun as it neared, but he faltered as he recognized the rider, as well as the erratic pattern of the bike's movement... as if it could barely stay on the road.
They could make out the blond of Quatre's hair as he got off a bike they had never seen. They both squinted as they tried to see him through the waves of afternoon heat. He was obviously not wearing the suit he had left in that morning. Heero and Duo started toward him as he got off the bike. They broke into a run, however when he faltered and began to sway, taking a few hesitant steps away from the bike.
“Quatre!” Duo yelled and they increased their speed, catching him just as his legs gave out beneath him.
He gasped and shook, a hand to his head. He seemed to be in terrible pain.
“Jesus, Quatre, your hands!” Duo held the boys wrists in his own and Heero looked down from where he held Quatre's shoulders to see blood streaming down over Duo's fingers from Quatre's wrists. He tightened his grip on the blond and ducked his head to catch Quatre's eyes, which were closed tightly in pain.
“Quatre, were you followed? What happened?”
Blue green eyes opened, and he looked up at Heero, and then around him shaky and confused as if he just realized he wasn't moving anymore. Immediately, he gripped Heero's shoulder and Duo's wrist.
“Heero?” He whispered and then stronger, “Heero!” he cried almost desperately. He met Heero's eyes, but his own were cloudy and confused. They kept darting to the side, before he looked directly at the Japanese boy.
“Heero, there are voices... I...” He winced in pain.
“Tell us what happened, Quatre.”
Quatre swallowed and his eyes darted for a moment back up the road, but he didn't answer.
“Master!”
Ahmad was running toward them, already on the cordless phone. “Dr. Ansari just called. He says Quatre had some kind of seizure. They want to come see him.”
Quatre whimpered and broke Duo's and Heero's hold on him, running inside. Duo went to follow, but Heero's hand on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks.
“Ahmad, tell him Quatre isn't here but we're looking for him. He's lying.”
“Yeah,” Duo agreed.
“Follow Duo while he dumps the bike. Make sure no one's coming. If it takes you more than ten minutes, check in every ten minutes until you're back.”
Duo gave one last look at the front door, worried, before looking back at Heero and nodding, his violet eyes hardening.
“Right, c'mon Ahmad.”
He climbed on the bike and messed with the wires until it started again. Heero turned to Ahmad,
“If someone were to come this way, how easily could we escape?”
Ahmad licked his lips as he thought.
“The plane is the quickest way out of here. But I wouldn't worry yet. This is Maguanac territory. They can't enter this property without some pretty strong paperwork. You have at least a few hours. Even if someone showed up, you could take off before they could get through the gates at the front.”
“I'll call Rashid and tell him what's happened, set the perimeter security to high and then come find us.”
Ahmad nodded and ran to grab a car to follow Duo. Heero started inside quickly, already dialing Rashid's number.
“He escaped?” Wufei was hardly surprised. Quatre was a Gundam Pilot after all.
“Unfortunately we weren't in time. A Dr. Ansari is trying right now to contact Quatre. The story so far is he had a seizure They're trying to get him back to the hospital.”
“Then there's nothing we can do, except mitigate the damage. I'll see if I can call and keep him in one place until we get there. However, Trowa, Duo and Heero are all supposed to be meeting him in Egypt. If they get wind, I don't think I can keep them there.”
“We'll authorize a small army for you if we have to.”
“Even that may not be enough, but I'll take it if necessary. The Maguanacs wouldn't let Quatre go without a fight. We're better off convincing them to come to the preventors. In the meantime I'll try to convince them to stay put until I get there.”
“Thank you, Preventor Chang. I'll wait to hear from you.”
Wufei sighed as he shut the vidcom off. He and a contingent of doctors and scientists were currently flying one of the Preventor's private space planes down to earth. They were authorized to land right in Abu Simbel, at the hospital's main runway, but even then, they would have to wait for permission to enter Maguanac territory. His only hope was to get in with Quatre's permission and then explain what had happened. If he wasn't able to reach them in time
Heero found Quatre in the bathroom upstairs, the smell of vomit assailing his nose as he entered. He had informed Rashid of what had happened. If the man could have jumped through the phone, he would have. However he was still at the desert base, handling the remaining work on the Gundams. Heero had promised to call again as soon as everyone was back in the mansion. Rashid had also seemed astonished that this Dr. Ansari person might have been involved in any way, but if Heero's suspicion was correct, it was entirely possible.
Quatre was face down on the seat of the toilet, one hand reaching up to flush it weakly before he collapsed, breathing harshly and swallowing painfully, holding his head. Heero quickly wet a towel and knelt down.
“Quatre, what happened?” he asked quietly. He got no response though as Quatre moved off the toilet to throw up into it. At this point he wasn’t bringing anything up. He just continued to dry-heave. Heero put a hand on his shoulder.
“Calm down,” he said quietly, but with authority. Quatre seemed to hear this and took a couple of deep breaths before resting his arm across the toilet, his head on top of it and his other hand clutching his head. He gasped and stared at the side of the sink, his eyes glazed and unseeing. Heero tried again.
“Quatre, report.”
Still nothing. Heero leaned down and grabbed Quatre’s hair gently, forcing the boy to look at him.
“Quatre.” A slight tremor in his own voice belied his worry, surprising him.
Quatre looked at him, his eyes showing a hint of recognition and finally, they locked on Heero’s eyes. He opened his mouth to speak.
“Shit!” Heero exclaimed and reached out and caught the boy as his eyes rolled back into his head and he slid off the toilet, banging his head on the corner of the cabinet. Heero rolled him over and lifted him gently carrying him to the bed, the wet towel still warm in his hands. He carefully washed Quatre’s face and neck off, gritting his teeth every time the boy whimpered at the pain of the motion he was causing. He sat at the edge of the bed and massaged Quatre’s temples gently, watching his friend with concern. The blond lashes fluttered and Quatre opened his eyes. In a panic he tried to sit up, but Heero held him down. Quatre struggled for a minute in his arms, eyes squeezed shut and panicked.
“Quatre! Calm down!” Heero finally ordered. Quatre froze, looking up at Heero and finally seemed to understand where he was. He froze and let Heero lower him back to the bed. The blond closed his eyes again, his chest rising and falling rapidly in pain.
“Breath Quatre.” Heero said, relieved as the blond complied. He stroked Quatre’s forehead a couple of times before sliding his hand to the back of Quatre’s neck and working his pressure points to ease some of the pain. “Now can you tell me what happened?”
Quatre keened softly, then quieted as Heero pressed at his neck, dulling the pain in his head. He shook his head, trying to speak.
“They… gassed the car. Couldn’t get out,” he flung an arm over his head, covering his eyes. “I woke up and… and… I'm not sure.” He sighed in frustration. “There was screaming in my head, but I wasn’t screaming. They had strapped me down. They didn't seem dangerous, but... I finally got out… I came here. I...”
There were noises on the stairs, and Heero pulled his gun just in case, turning to the door. Fortunately it was Duo who appeared in the doorway, his face grim.
“Whoever was after him is long gone if they were even chasing him at all. I checked the roads. There's no one there. Is he okay?” Duo approached and looked at the flushed blond with concern. Quatre’s eyes were closed, but he nodded.
“I’m… okay,” he forced out. Heero ran a hand through the blond hair, pushing it off his forehead. Then he froze, looking closer.
“Duo go find a comb and some sort of container”
Duo complied quickly, also bringing some aspirin and a glass of water. Heero carefully sifted through Quatre’s hair, picking something out. When it dropped into the bowel, it looked like grayish sludge. Duo held the bowl obediently, grimacing as it filled, reaching a shaky hand to comb through the blond hair and pull some of the strange looking material out himself.
“What the hell is it?”
“It’s all over his scalp,” Heero said. “You should take it downstairs. Quatre has a rudimentary lab down there. You can at least take a look.”
“What are you going to do?”
Heero leaned down to whisper to the blond.
“Quatre...” he said gently. The blond shakily looked up, meeting his gaze. He looked crazed and lost and unspeakably tired. “We have to get you cleaned up okay?”
Quatre nodded, wincing as he did. He barely seemed to know where he was. Weaving a supporting arm under Quatre's arms and around his back, Heero helped him off the bed and gently guided him toward the bathroom.
Duo watched them curiously. Remembering that the braided pilot was still standing there, Heero stopped, looking back.
“Duo. Go look at that stuff. I'm going to get the rest of it off. Then I'll come take a look.”
Duo hesitated only a minute, wondering at what he was seeing. He had never seen Heero this way with anyone... even Relena. Quickly, he decided that now was not the time to dwell on it.
“Right,” he said and headed downstairs with the bowl of grayish goop they had picked from Quatre's hair.
In the small garage on L2, Hilde Schbeiker lay underneath an old jeep, draining the oil so she could replace the oil pan. Duo had fallen in love with the piece of junk, but Hilde had grown attached to it as well. It was great for hauling scrap and it had its own charm, even with the holes in the floor and the worn through seats. Duo had been meaning to repair it for months now. She figured it was more likely to happen if she just did it herself so here she was in old overalls and covered in oil and grease.
She wiped her wrench on her pants and had just rolled out from under the vehicle, when she heard a voice.
“Hello? Anybody home?”
Standing, Hilde saw a tall dark man walking up the drive. She assessed him carefully. He was a big guy, but his demeanor didn't seem threatening. Still, she didn't drop the wrench and walked out to meet him.
“Just me. Can I help you?”
The man smiled broadly. “I certainly hope so, ma'am. We're looking for Duo Maxwell.”
“We?”
“It's important we find him,” a soft voice said.
Hilde almost had a heart attack when another man approached her from the side. Apparently he had been at the front door. He looked dangerous, but familiar as well. Hilde tilted her head, before her eyes widened in recognition.
“Mr. Peacecraft?”
He smiled and she relaxed a little. Though now she was curious.
“Duo said you've been missing.”
“The Preventors can no longer be trusted. We're trying to get to him before they do.”
Hilde wiped her hand on her greasy outfit and held her hand out to the other man.
“I'm Hilde Schbeiker.”
The dark man smiled, taking her hand in his.
“My name is Mbeki.”
“Duo's not here. He went to Australia with Howard on vacation. After that he was going to go see Quatre, but I don't know if he's there yet. He called a couple of days ago. Duo said that something strange was going on too. You could just call him.”
“It's not that easy,” Zechs replied. “I can't risk opening a channel to any of them. The preventors are looking for me. They're already scanning all signals the Preventors use. I'm not the only one in danger though. They'll be going for the pilots soon, if they haven't already gotten to them.”
“Already? What do you mean? I want to help!”
“That's good to hear, miss. We fear they may go after you and others soon in order to get the pilots.”
“How do you know about them?” She was completely confused now.
“There's a lot to explain.”
“Then you had better come inside,” Hilde insisted. Mbeki nodded. “I'll check around.”
“Check for what?” Hilde asked. Zechs guided her by the back toward the door. “There are already people watching. We have to be very careful.”
Hilde bit her lip. Now she was worried.
Quatre wasn't able to even hold himself up, so Heero removed both of their shirts and sat him on the floor of the shower, against his legs while he sat on the tile seat. With Quatre's head draped over his leg, he washed Quatre's hair thoroughly, sifting through the strands carefully and removing any trace he could see of the foreign substance. Quatre panted quietly against his leg, fighting back the urge to throw up several times. When Heero was finally satisfied that his hair, scalp and bloodied wrists were clean, he hefted the boy to his feet, taking him to the sink and allowing him to rinse his mouth out before sliding him back into bed.
“Any better?” He asked softly and was rewarded with a nod, though the boy's eyes were still shut tightly. He shut the curtains and lifted Quatre by the shoulders for a minute, making him take the aspirin Duo had left earlier. Returning to the bed, he smoothed Quatre's wet bangs away from his head before turning to leave. A weakened hand grabbed his own.
“Heero. They'll come after me. I have to...” Pain filled green eyes looked up at him.
“Just rest. We'll handle it.
“You believe me, don't you?” He clutched at Heero's arm. His eyes were wild and he seemed very unsure at that moment and Heero immediately reacted by putting a hand on the blond hair and touching his forehead to Quatre's. “I believe you. Don't worry. Just sleep.”
Quatre nodded and his eyes slipped shut. Heero was loathe to break the contact though.
“It was like...” Quatre swallowed. “Heero, it was just like... zero, except...”
“Except what?” Heero almost whispered.
It was no good. Quatre's head fell to the side. He had simply lost consciousness. Adrenaline had probably been the only thing keeping him conscious until now.
Heero left the room, very disturbed. Pieces were starting to fall into place and he didn't like where they were landing. He had a very bad feeling that Duo would confirm his feelings. Duo was in the lab, looking at the screen, Howard beside him. They immediately looked up as Heero entered the room.
“Is he okay?”
“As okay as he can be. He passed out. What did you find.”
“It's not good,” Howard said , typing in a command. The screen zoomed and Heero was able to see organisms in the gray of the sludge. He looked closely.
“Nanotechnology,” he stated, unsurprised.
“Right. And look at how fast they're breaking down. It's biotechnology. Not my league at all. We froze the rest, because they're deteriorating so quickly. We need an expert to look at this. But the way these are breaking down, we'll be lucky if there's anything left. We need someone in the field to...”
The vid screen was beeping and Heero saw Trowa's signature code. He immediately pulled it up. Trowa looked grim.
“Heero, I'm in Dubai. Is everything alright?”
It wasn't really a question. Trowa knew something had happened.
“No. Quatre isn't feeling well,” Heero mouthed the word 'attacked' silently. Trowa nodded. It was an encrypted signal. If anyone was spying, they would most likely be audio only.
“Is he okay?”
“He needs a doctor. But he doesn't trust the doctors here.”
Trowa nodded, understanding Heero's message.
“I have someone here that may be able to help. We can be there in two hours. Can you wait?”
Heero mentally assessed the situation. Deciding they would have to, he nodded.
“Hurry. We may have to leave as soon as you get here. If we're not here, we'll contact you with a new meeting place.
“Understood. We'll be there soon.”
The vid clicked off and Duo met Heero's eyes. There was no more doubt. Whether the Gundams were needed or not, something was now officially up.