Disclaimer: I never have and I never will own Gundam
Wing. I’m not that fortunate. :P
Rating: PG-13 for the most part
Pairings: Non-yaoi, see Raptures of Paradise and Phases
of Memory for pairings.
Surprises: Enough to make your head spin. ;P
Genres: Sci-fi, drama, horror, some fluff, and other
delightful things.
AN: A shout out to my beta Midii Une, Bryony, and
everyone else who reviewed my fics. You’re my
cheerleading section! ^_^
Gundam Wing: Legend of the Dream Stalker
Part 4: Blue 102
By Sailor Celaeno
Heero and Duo
arrived at the conference room where Hilde was already talking via vidscreen to a tired looking Trowa. “All right, they’re
both here,” said Hilde.
“Right. Midii has a lead for us. When she woke up from her
fever she was very excited because she had finally remembered her old life,”
Trowa began.
“That’s good
for her, Trowa,” Duo said.
Trowa nodded.
“She remembers a great deal more than expected. She remembered receiving an
experimental injection. She said that she wasn’t the only test subject. She
said someone named Doctor Vargas Moritz was in charge. The other test subjects
were other spies in the
“Just how can
we use this information?” Heero immediately asked.
“She was
called into Dr. Moritz’s office several times afterwards for examinations. She
was tested for Newtype abilities,” was his reply.
*****
Wufei waited
patiently as Sally made a final phone call. She was checking on Fiona Laramie
and the other patients. With other than the occasional brain wave spikes, there
were no significant changes, good or bad. Sally wasn’t sure if she was relieved
or not. Wufei knew her frustration as doctor and as a Preventer. Everything
about the situation was frustrating. An invisible enemy was lurking and
attacking people in their dreams, with no clear motive. The worst thing of all
was that the enemy was almost certainly a powerful Newtype.
It was the only conclusion that could be certain, especially with what Quatre
said.
“I just wish
there was more I could do,” Sally said with a sigh.
“We are humans
with limitations. I am angry with this foe as well,” Wufei growled at the dilemma.
“I think I
just want to go home,” Sally said as she put on her bag. It was early July, and
she changed out of her uniform to a more comfortable t-shirt and knee-high
cargo pants.
“Right,”
nodded Wufei. He too was wearing summer-appropriate casual wear. They
technically were off duty since
“Looks like
it’s all up to Quatre to save the day,” replied Sally with some amusement in
her voice.
Wufei was very
quiet at the comment.
“You don’t
doubt Quatre, do you?”
“He’s the one
who doubts himself,” Wufei said straight to the point. “A man in doubt is the
danger. He will be a problem if he can’t pull himself together. He knows that
very well.”
Sally knew
Wufei was right. Quatre had to pull himself together.
*****
Quatre stared
at the sky from the balcony of his penthouse apartment. Liam was sleeping his
room. Mrs. Baines was reading a book in hers. He stood silent and alone
watching the city stretched out before him. Dark thoughts entered his mind. His
power was really strong, stronger than he could have imagined. If he wanted to,
he could have destroyed the buildings just by concentrating. All
the world was at his mercy if it was his true desire. The thoughts
thrilled and horrified him immensely. “Could the dream stalker be thinking this
way too?” he wondered. Cassandra Taylor felt that way. Her sister Kari felt
that way and so did the parasitic Tempest. They had power that no ordinary
human possessed. Their abilities made them goddesses able to destroy at their
whim. It frightened Quatre to know that he almost became like them. He could
kill his enemies with a thought and not have to deal with the consequences. The
only one that could stop him was Sailor Celaeno, but she normally had others do
the work. She had to avoid excessive contamination of ESUN’s
cultural evolution.
Quatre was not
the sort of person who enjoyed violence, but he was a soldier. Regrettably he
killed people. There was no pleasure in killing. It was the nature of war that
made people become killers. It haunted him that he hurt people even though he
abhorred doing so. He thought over the conversation he had with Nova about his
fears.
“Don’t be
afraid the darkness in your heart. All people possess darkness within them. You
must control that darkness, not ignore or suppress it. When you understand the
darkness of your own heart, you will understand the darkness in your enemies’
heart.”
That was
exactly what Quatre was doing. He was trying to understand the darkness of his
heart. He decided that doing much needed telepathy exercises were overdue. He
closed his eyes and breathed slowly. He could hear Nova’s voice in his mind,
guiding him into the meditative state.
“The world is
a ball, spinning in the void. The forces of the cosmos keeps
it from flying away.” His mind drifted and he envisioned the Earth orbiting the
sun as though he was floating in space.
“You are part
of the void. You are part of the cosmic forces that keeps the Earth from
spinning to oblivion. You can control its path if you choose it.” The floating
sensation grew stronger as the remembered words echoed.
“Feel the
beating of your heart. Blood delivers oxygen to your whole body.” Soon, he
could hear the beating of his heart as though his ear was pressed close to it.
His vision no longer showed the Earth, but the blood being pushed through his
blood vessels.
“Now hear the
heartbeats of all people. See their hearts beating as one with yours.” Quickly
his mind could hear many heartbeats along with his own. His eyes flew wide open
as he could feel his mind being pulled. A force so powerful drew him closer.
Quatre
struggled to get away, but to no avail. “What…?”
“Do you think can stop me?”
Quatre
shuddered violently as he awoke from his trance. “It found me…”
*****
Midii was
sitting in a chair on the balcony of her apartment. She watched the sunset with
the sky becoming purple as though she was reminding herself what sunsets looked
like. The stars began taking their places in the heavens. A breeze came in from
the east. She felt a warm blanket covering her. She smiled at Trowa’s kindness.
“It’s chilly
tonight. Don’t catch cold,” he said in his calm way.
“Thank you,”
she said as she leaned further back into her seat. “Trowa?”
“Hm?” was his
reply.
“While I was
away from you… I asked myself lots of questions. I wondered if I really wanted
to get my memories back. I read my military records, but they gave me only
cold, hard facts. They told me nothing of how it felt hearing my father talk to
me… the laughter of my brothers… It was then I knew that I wanted those
memories back.”
“I’m glad to
have you back,” was his reply. He sat in a nearby chair watching her as she
talked.
“Do you really
Trowa? Mira meant nothing to you?”
“Mira was a
shadow… of someone I knew. She was a stranger, and I had no feelings with her.
My feelings… are for Midii,” he reached out and gently touched a wavy lock of
blond hair.
Midii felt
very glad she grew her hair long. There was a comforting feeling when he
touched her hair. It was like father when he tucked her to bed. It was like
those times grandmama sang to her. Midii would lean
on the elderly woman’s side. Grandmama would wrap an
arm around Midii and stroke her trusting, blond head. Midii turned quietly and
watched Trowa observing her. “Did you picture yourself being where you are
right now?”
“No. I
didn’t,” he replied.
“Only in my dreams. I didn’t think I could live when the war
ended. I didn’t think that I’d ever appreciate happiness because I’ve lived so
long without it,” she said as she turned towards the disappearing sun.
“Are you happy
then?” Trowa moved closer towards her.
“Perhaps… I
don’t know. I’m not sure. I can’t say if it’s real happiness, or my illusion of
happiness. True happiness won’t fade in the wind. It lingers on and on… like…”
Trowa watched
her intently. “Lingers like what?”
Midii said
with some deliberation in her speech. “It lingers in your memory like the song
in a music box. It plays the same song when you open it. When find true
happiness it stays with you.”
“But the music
box needs to be rewound after a time,” he reached over and touched her hand.
“Yes, but the
song comes back again. You don’t hear it, but the memory of the song and its
return is special too. Yes, Trowa. Just
maybe… I’m happy now.”
Trowa held her
hand. “Just maybe… we’re each happier now.”
“Maybe Trowa…
just maybe…”
*****
Duo sat in
Fiona’s room. The machines were beeping as they monitored her life signs. His
mind was a jumble as he kept his vigil over her. “Damn it…” he mumbled to
himself. “Why her?”
Hilde stepped
into room. She had a large paper cup with steaming hot chocolate. She walked
over to her husband and offered the cup. “Drink something. It’s chocolate with
a marshmallow, just the way you like it.”
“Thanks, Hil,” he replied. He took a careful sip before putting the
cup down on the small table by Fiona’s bed.
“I’ll stay
with you,” she sat in the other chair by Duo.
“You’re beat,
you should go home,” he began.
Hilde shook her
head. “We’re husband and wife now. When one is in need, the other will be with
them. I know how worried you are for her. I’ll stay.”
Duo nodded. He
knew there was no sense arguing with Mrs. Duo Maxwell when she was determined.
“Thanks.”
Hilde leaned
over and kissed Duo. “It’ll be fine.”
*****
Somewhere, the
Dream Stalker waits to make the next move. Somewhere it waits for the phase of
its plan. Quatre…
Next time: Just what does the Dream Stalker want with Quatre? Hm… can’t tell you. That would be spoiling. :P You’ll have to wait for chapter 5!