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"Alternative Directions: Options "Written By: Karina Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the lovely
boys and their girls in the series. Wish I did. Please don't sue me.
I haven't even got a brass razoo to give you. Rating: Deffinately PG in Australia, at the moment,
but probably safer to say R for later chapters. Not sure about international
ratings Warnings: It will be 6x2, even though it does
not start out that way. After all, Zechs and Duo never met in Gundam
Wing and only spoke briefly over a com line in Endless Waltz. I've
tried to keep them in character as I saw them in the series. A bit
of language creeping in under stressful conditions. Pairings: eventual 6x2, past 2xH, 2+H,6x9, 1+R
Summary: Directions is set post Endless Waltz
and roughly 2 years have passed. Zechs and Noin are on Mars and Duo,
after spending some time with Hilde in a relationship leaves L2 to
join Preventers. Hilde was not happy about his decision. I guess enough
said. Here t'is, and I hope you like it. This is also AU for the standard
setting, as well as the series and Endless Waltz. Spoilers: Gundam Wing Series and Endless Waltz Many thanks to Dulin for volunteering to beta this. //... // thoughts
"Alternative Directions: Options"
Mars Colony Base Dome Date: 1st March AC 198 Time: 16:10 MST [Mars Standard Time] Noin //Damn. I can't get anything out of this unit. What ever they used to corrupt the data it was efficient. I can't get word out to let anyone know what is going on here. I can't even raise an internal system.// Taking deep measured breaths she forced calm. Now was not the time to lose control. Adrenaline highs were great, when you needed action, but now she needed calm, measured thought. From her behavior McIntyre was obviously expecting something in the way of a bomb to go off. From their past modus operandi Raiders would strip the base of everything useful and blow the remainder apart. Four mining settlements in the asteroid belt had met their end in such a manner and it was likely such would be used to cover this operation. Not all raids had been destructive. She had viewed reports that had come in over Preventer channels of Raiders relieving ships of their cargo but ships and crews being allowed to depart intact. It was suggestive that there were factions or... //Not now, fool. No time to waste.// Bombs had to have been set throughout the dome and from McIntyre's reaction, she suspected they should have gone off by now. So, perhaps a mechanical glitch or a timing error, which could mean the explosions could come at any time. She needed to know how many devices there were, where they were located and the means by which they would be detonated. Considering her options Noin turned and knelt beside the unconscious woman. She's hit her just a shade harder than she needed to, but she had really pissed her off. Now, however, was not the time for personal pleasure to be indulged. Time enough for that later, when matters had been dealt with. Lifting her head by means of fisting that flaming red mass she slapped her sharply, seeking to wake her. No success, though she might well be faking, biding time, Noin mused. Waiting. There were other means to accomplish the same ends, and Noin strolled over to the water cooler, filling a large jug and sauntering back, glaring balefully at the red head. "Bitch. You've ruined my nice perfect world." a hiss. "Now I have to start all over again, and its all because of you. Traitor. Traitor to all of us, not just to our friendship." The jugs contents were unceremoniously dumped over that bright red cap of hair. Gasping and choking in shock the woman roused, blinking furiously in the light, water soaking her face and blouse. Smirking Noin knelt down, just beyond arms reach of the ESUN agent. Darkened violet eyes glared from a face few people had had the misfortune to see, making it plain that she was an unhappy lady and it was McIntyre's misfortune to be the object of her ire. In truth, Noin was uncertain when she had last felt this unhappy with a situation. Certainly not since the Libra battle, when she had worked against her Zechs, not understanding his aims. She had not been able to understand what he had thought he was doing and she was certain she could turn him away from the path of madness and destruction. Even when she had gone to him she had not understood his intentions, only chosen to stand by, near him, not interfering. Not working against him, no, but not aiding him either. Not really trying to understand what was in his heart. Perhaps not even then had she felt this degree of rage. Then it had been more confusion and despair that they were seemingly on opposite sides. This was a very different situation to that war. //This ability of his. I never asked him if it had something to do with what happened with the Libra. That is something I have to do. It might help me to understand why he joined White Fang. Ah, we look just about ready for question and answer time, Shanna my friend.// To begin with, there had been no formal declaration of war on this occasion. Until just a few hours ago, that was. War had been declared between the ESUN and one Lucrezia Noin. A very personal declaration of war declared between some power hungry old farts who thought they owned the ESUN and one extremely aggravated Lucrezia Noin, who had had her world disrupted once again by an act of terrorism. This kidnapping she classed as terrorism. In the same league as Chang Wu Fei's assault on the Lake Victoria Academy. "Now, then, lets have a little talk, shall we, Shanna dearest? Let's talk about your plans for the people you have worked with for more than a year now. Lets talk about how many of them you were planning to kill in cold blood." fiery violet eyes bored into sullen green. "Lets talk about how you were going to cover up the ESUN's actions. Oh, and while we are at it, lets talk about how you were planning to get my babies off this planet." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shanna "Its too late. For you. For them." While she admitted to herself her newly acquired fear of this woman, Shanna also had confidence in herself and the planners of this entire operation. She had taken the time to pour over Noins psych records, well aware of the vital nature of her role in befriending the woman. She was confident while Noin might rough her up, she would not kill her. All the reports and her association with her for the last year plus assured her that Noin was not a killer at heart. "Look at the time, Shanna. Yes, that's right. Your bombs have not gone off. Doesn't that tell you something, hmm? Doesn't that let you know you have a little glitch in your plans?" Time was worrying her, she need not hide that fact, which should be obvious. Give the clock quick nervous glances, work the bitch up and work on her. Make her make mistakes. Yes, time was a factor, it was true, but all the time in the world was not going to help Noin. It was already too late. Yes, she had expected something to have happened by now and while Noin could well guess that it was a couple of well placed explosives she could have no idea of the extent of the plan. She had no idea that the dome itself was the target, not a few buildings within it to cause wanton needless destruction. The question now was, how well the woman had been trained. Noin would put pressure on her, pushing for answers, trying to make her fold under interrogation. Time was all on Shanna's side. She could afford to wait where Noin must act. "Do what you like. It will make no difference. No difference at all. Mars base will be destroyed, whether from the ground or the air, it makes no difference. No difference at all how it happens or when. You have no one to help you, Noin. No one. You were defeated before you even began to fight." "Odd. I'm not the one looking down the barrel of a gun." Noin smiled. This woman was not what she had expected. Noin had a cold streak in her that had not even been hinted at in the reports. It was not in her voice or even her in her attitude, or stance. It was the eyes, Shanna decided. Those eyes that shone with an utterly unholy light that shook her to the core. Eyes somewhere between amethyst and deep blue. There was a look in them that would make the arctic of Mars look tropical. McIntyre resisted the urge to shudder. She was a professional. She had long ago learned to have faith in her information. The Psyche reports said that this woman was not a killer. "It's the endgame that matters, Noin. Not the beginning, or the middle. Only the endgame matters." Noin smirked. "Still no booms, Shanna. Your bombs seem to have a problem." A careless toss of fire bright tresses and she shrugged, allowing her eyes to flick to the clock, continuing the play. It was all about time, after all. She was playing for time. "For which you should be thankful, Miss Noin. If they had gone off, there would be no one alive up here now." "Ah, so you have one or two on the Dome, do you? Thank you, Shanna dearest. No, it will kill a few people, that is true, but you forget. It will kill you too." Noin grinned. "If we go down, so do you." "I don't matter. As a whole, Noin, we don't matter in the scheme of things. Only the mission matters. Your ex military. You should appreciate that. I assure you that the mission is well in hand. You've lost." Noin sighed. "You are so full of it. Just like so many who can't see the whole picture." "Oh, I see the picture. Certainly I see more of it than you do." //Let us see just how well the bitch can play games.// "You just wanted to get in his bed, didn't you? You couldn't wait to claim that blonde stud you pursued to Mars. Got him in the end, didn't you? Did the poor bastard have a chance? Did you give him a chance to tell you to go to hell? Did he have a say in it, Noin? Just how much about his past don't you know, Noin? I know things you don't. I know things about him that would make you sick." //Let's see how well you play the game when we play on the personal level. God, woman, you made a fool of yourself over that man. You will be so easy to play.// "We are not discussing Zechs or my relationship with him. I was Oz Specials, Shanna." Noin smirked. "There is no interrogation technique that I don't know. No interrogation technique and no evasion. I know all the psyche outs. I've used them. It won't work on me. So, will we get to the real topic, hmm? My children." "Your children? They are ESUN citizens." Shanna laughed "The government has the right to remove them to safe custody in the event of a threat, Miss Noin." //Just a little subtle influence on the Miss.// "Well, guess what? You and that man of yours are considered a threat. No. No, that's wrong. I have to be more exact here. We have received orders to remove the twins and Milliardo Peacecraft from Mars to safe ground, because of a threat to their security. Do you know what, Miss Noin? The orders did not say to remove you, my dear friend, to safety. So I guess that places you as unimportant in the scheme of things. Or it places you as a threat to their safety. Resisting the best intentions of the government leads me to believe you are a threat to the children and the man himself." "Twisted bitch." a soft hiss. //Ah, so sensitive. Good. I can work with that.// "I'll take that as a compliment, coming from you. All Peacecrafts are to be placed under ESUN protection, Miss Noin. Ah, Miss Noin." a low, sultry laugh, emphasis placed on the `Noin'. She shook her head slightly, resisting the urge to smirk. "That's your name, isn't it? Noin. Miss Noin. Not Peacecraft. You got to bed him, but not wed him, eh? Not got him quite under your heel, have you?" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Noin She was getting to her. To her disgust she could feel herself rising to the bait and that she could not afford. Noin knew it and lashed out, dropping the agent again into the darkness of unconsciousness. Damn. She was good at the psyche outs. She knew just where to go to exploit Noin's weakness. For a moment she buried her head in her hands, shivering. Damn psycho bitch. She knew too much about her and her dreams. Shanna had been her friend. Her confidant. Marrying Zechs had been what she had intended. Court the man. Win him to her suit. Show him how much she loved him. Teach him that he was allowed to be loved and that he could love her in turn. That had been her plan. The plan she had confided in Shanna one night over a shared half bottle of whisky. The plan she had abandoned when the first chance to get him into bed had presented itself. Hearing her failure from this bitch hurt. "Not now, Noin. Later." a sigh. "Time for regrets later. Time to start again later, when this has all been resolved. Too much to do. What next, hmm? Bombs. Bloody bombs. Blow the dome, will they? Something's already gone wrong there, but I guess I should check out the dome, just to make sure. I'll need help to do that and that means I need to trust people. Damn, this would be so much easier if Zechs had told me who not to trust. If I go to the wrong people... Don't go there, Noin. Just don't go down that path, not here and not now. Comes a time when you have to trust someone. There should be enough people in the shuttle control tower to check the domes integrity. That's if there were not agents there who have slaughtered everyone. Yes, I'll just go check that out. I can't take a chance with the domes security. I need to set people to locating any bombs that might be set, just to be sure." Noin glanced down, considering the unconscious woman for a long moment. "If the dome was to blow, were you really so willing to sacrifice yourself? I wonder. Anyway, we need to keep you secure, so you can't warn any of your friends. Now how to do that, hmm?" Some minutes later a softly humming Lucrezia Noin closed the door to the stairwell and slipped to the head of the stairs. No need to advertise her presence by using the elevator. No need to chance her safety or freedom by being careless now. Shanna was not the only one she needed to be wary of. There were others out there who meant to take her down. It was easier to check ahead of her using the stairs. While she did not expect to find anyone alive in this building she would not be stupid enough to make assumptions. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shanna Shanna McIntyre slowly regained consciousness, groaning in pain. Her shoulders screamed at her and she found breathing difficult, her body seemed to hurt all over. Her wrists were a source of burning agony and her head throbbed. It was agony to open her eyes, but she needed information. When she did she grunted, unable to even move her legs beyond a useless flailing. Useless because she could not force her legs to separate and there was nothing near her for support anyway. She was strung up over the main computer consol, her hands cuffed together with standard issue Preventer hand cuffs. A chain was suspended from the cuffs to run up and over the overhead beam of the ceiling, leaving her dangling from the ceiling a good distance above the computers, unable to support her own weight. Her wrists and shoulders were one huge ball of pain, taking the strain of her full weight. Her mouth was sealed shut with some type of tape, muffling her protests and her ankles were tied together tightly. She could not see her feet to determine what the bitch had used to incapacitate her. The full stretch of her body placed pressure on her lungs, making her short of breath, as though she was stretched on a rack, and the gag did not help her draw breath. //God! My head. That bitch. That bloody bitch. It's not over, Noin! It's far from over between us.// On the wall opposite her position the clock display changed by the second, inexorably taking them closer to the final conclusion. Despite her predicament she smiled under the gag. Though she was down just now she knew who would win this, and it was not one Lucrezia Noin. Down she might be, but not out. They would face each other again. Noin had made a mistake keeping her alive, but the very fact that she was alive proved her point. Noin was not a killer at heart. If Noin was not in her death throes when next they met, then she would be by the time Shanna was through with her. ~ * ~
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