After Colony 198

ACT THREE: THE REAL THREAT

Narrator: After Colony 198: After having defeated Revenge of the Lost, the pilots have been dealing with repercussions in different ways. Duo went back to the colonies with Hilde to the Junkyard, and continued life like nothing happened. Wufei took care of Mei-Lin for a little while, until her colony had found enough Zhang to restart on a new abandoned colony, much like his Long clan. Trowa stayed at arm's length with Middie, trying to make sure she was doing okay, but she stayed with Gin Phillip now. Heero took a different approach, choosing to survey his family instead of leaving or joining it. He didn't believe that Revenge of the Lost was done yet, and wanted to be prepared.  Quatre, having lost Dorothy and a little girl three months from being born, didn't always deal as well. He was constantly telling the pilots he was okay, while mentioning their own shortcomings and theories.

Duo and Hilde's Colony

Duo was relaxing on his outdoor furniture outside. Never a real problem with weather when they lived in a colony.

"Duo, look what I got!"

He felt something being shoved into his face. He lowered his shades to look at it. "Really?"

"What do you mean really?" Hilde felt offended. "I think it'd be great."

"I think it'd be stupid." He relaxed back again. "It's your life."

"You got one too." She showed him his letter. "It's from the same address and looks the same."

Ooh. "Now it's not so stupid." He looked at the letter. "It'd be different. Might bring in more than just the junkyard. A lot less mobile suit related stuff means junk tends to be more . . ." Junky. For awhile it was pretty good, but that scrap metal of mobile suits was getting dimmer and dimmer. A sign of the times. "Maybe. It would be kind of nice to be out in the actual space of space again." They were invitations to become shuttle pilots. Back and forth from different colonies or the colonies to the Earth. A good step up. "Not easy jobs to get." They paid nicely too. "Part of the training is on Earth."

"Hey, this is around the area that Gin is at," Hilde noticed. "Are you going to drop in on him?"

"Probably shouldn't." Duo was trying to keep his distance from Gin. The more he participated with the Phillips, the less Gin had to. He almost had that place right where he wanted it. It really wasn't hard to start making it crumble.

He didn't hurt anyone. Didn't out anyone. He just made really bad business decisions. Like proceeding to bug the same people about small business problems all the time, and ignoring the big things. Soon he actually saw something else he could do with the power of the Phillips. Instead of pressuring good people for money, his 'family' was pressuring bad people to do good things. Like when a bank was going to foreclose on a nearby orphanage because someone wanted to buy the area around it for a lot of money. It mysteriously got the bank to change its mind.

His men didn't care who they harrassed or what they did, as long as they got the same paycheck. Oh, Gin's mom yelled at him all the time for that stuff. Ruining reputation and whatnot. She swore if she found him or Gin, she'd kill them both for leaving him control without her input.

So, Gin wasn't with his mom anymore. He never married Middie Une, no reason to force that stupid kind of thing, but Gin did take care of their nephew. "Then again, I should probably go see my nephew again."

"He's probably getting big." She gestured outward. "Babies grow fast. He's going to be talking soon."

"Yeah, that's true. Should I let little Alec call me Duo, or Uncle Duo, or Unc Duo?" Good question. "At least I don't have competition for best Uncle. I'm way better than Gin." Plus, Trowa was out of the running. Not that they ever actually corrected that with him. Probably should have, but Trowa preferred not to let Gin know, so he could see her if she spiraled down in a bad way. She did for a little while after Dorothy Catalonia's death. Trowa told her the truth about it just being a way to hurt her, but it didn't erase the whole feeling. That woman had issues before then too.

Yeah. Revenge of the Lost. That place left a lot of bad taste in their mouths. Even after that whole place's network was demolished, it didn't change the pain they did cause. Relena and Middie were still stuck with babies. Mei-Lin's colony was lost because of them. Wufei lost his mom. Most of all? Poor Quatre. The day Trowa had to tell him wasn't easy.

Quatre dealt with it as he could. He and Wufei actually kind of went to go see him more often in the colonies. He ended up putting a memorial statue for each of them, right next to one he had designed for his father.

"So, yes?" Hilde persuaded him. "I'm signing up either way, Duo. I want to try something different. It feels stagnant here now."

Yeah, he did too. It might be the final goodbye to the Junkyard. But, something new. "Out in space again. Not having to fight out there, just enjoying the ride. Kind of sounds perfect." Yeah. That Junkyard had been part of their whole life for so long. It might be time to switch life up.

Relena's Home

Heero waited for them to be asleep. Relena was working not far away. He wasn't going to stick around for long. He did promise that he would try to come and see it. Actually, them. Them.

Sora and Sophia were both sleeping in their own cribs. He moved closer, still getting a feeling it was a bad idea to see them so close. A promise was a promise though. It wasn't a big surprise, he'd seen their heads before. Both of them had inherited his darker hair. They each were in different PJ's, one in yellow and one in blue. Their size was healthy for how old they were. They were both resting, but one of them was starting to shift around. Did it need something?

And of course, Relena's footsteps were heard. He stayed still, knowing it was better not to run.

When she opened the door, she had been surprised. "Heero. Hello."

"I just came to see them real quick, I am not staying." Right off the bat, she had to understand.

"Of course. Sophia usually wakes up a little before Sora." She smiled at him. No blame or cursing to wait that long to come see them was seen through her.

He noticed the girl was starting to move. Relena picked her up. "Twins with your career. Can't be easy." He always sucked at small talk. He should go.

"This was fine, Heero. I am glad you came to see them." Her words hit right on the mark of what he needed to hear. "I don't have any problems right now, but if anything does happen to me, will you personally make sure they are okay?"

His life wasn't designed for that. "You are better off asking Zechs for that kind of thing."

"My brother isn't that close to me."

"He's always watching you closer than you know, Relena."

"To know that, you would have to have eyes even closer than his," she reasoned. "If anything happens, just make sure our children are safe. What that means is up to you." She said it straighter this time.

"Understood." She had been abducted once and tricked once. Things did happen to her. "I should go."

"Do you want to hold one?" Her voice wavered. He didn't even have to reply. "I know, but what kind of mother would I be if I didn't ask?"

Time to go. This kind of thing wasn't for him. He wanted to try more for her. Especially considering how close they had become. But? "I don't like it, Relena."

She didn't understand. "You don't have to do anything. It's overwhelming. I understand."

"Crystalia and Superior were never found. I don't trust that."

"But if you were still thinking of them though, then . . ." It was starting to click. "This is the first time you saw them up close. Your still watching us."

It probably seemed stupid to her. RTL was practically destroyed, only a handful of members still hadn't been tracked down. He did get away sometimes, but he was watching over them when he could. The babies were seven months old now, but he still felt concerned.

"You are a great father. Thank you for watching over us, Heero." She courtsied as best she could while holding Sophia.

Great father. Did he deserve those words? "Just be careful. Keep your eyes open on your jog more, your trainer isn't looking around for you." Her trainer liked staring at her instead. "Goodbye, Relena." It was time to go.

He wanted to go eat before he'd come back for his nightly surveying of the property.The other pilots could take it lightly, it was unlikely RTL could muster the same support to trick their friends back into a hospital room to be impregnated.

Duo dodged that bullet. He watched out for Hilde so little, that he didn't even care she was dating someone new. Wufei went back to being a Preventor, and let Mei-Lin move on with a new Zhang colony. Trowa was never a father, he was protected by Crystalia. As for Quatre. Well.

He should probably go see him soon. Duo and Wufei had seen him three times since then. Trowa hadn't seen him since that conversation. It would be good to get a good estimate on how he handled everything. He ended up creating the Wing Zero last time something hit him as hard as this.

Now though, he just didn't trust it. To stay away from Relena too long could turn bad. He had taken on smaller assignments, skimmed money off people, and other things to get by. If things got too rough, he knew he was always invited inside.

It would be nice to be back inside with her. But if RTL thought he was out of the picture and she was alone, he'd have a better chance of actually capturing them, instead of just evading them. 

Maybe a brief call would help. Heero dialed Quatre's number on his phone. It didn't take long for their to be a pick up sound. "Quatre. It's Heero."

"Oh. Hey." He sounded better. "Hey, Heero. Haven't heard from you in awhile. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah."

"Are . . . you doing fine?"

"Yeah. Are you?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Really. How's Relena's perimeter, is it sound?"

Yeah, he'd know. "I've got several trip cameras around the property and I keep watch when I can." So far, it was quiet. He brought his study book from his bag.

"What do you do when she takes off for business in the colonies?"

"The nanny is good, but not that good." He flipped through the pages to check the seven-month details. Sora and Sophie seemed about normal.

"Good to hear. I didn't know if you watched over them or her when she had to split."

"She just confirmed to me today that she wanted me to make sure they were safe if anything happened, so I guessed right."

"You actually went into see her? Wow, that's good."

"Not really. I can't watch out as well when I'm next to her." He didn't want to dwell on this with Quatre. Not healthy. "How are things in the colonies?"

"Everything's good. Mei-Lin is on a small abandoned colony that's getting repossessed for the Zhang's. Wufei went back with the Preventers. Trowa sees Middie Une every once in awhile I think. He doesn't really talk about it much. Duo's seen her baby more than Trowa has. I really think they should do a blood test."

"If it is his, then being an unknown is the best place to be."

"Sure. I guess."

This call didn't help at all. Heero was not good at cheering people up. Quatre was reasonably dealing with things. He wasn't going to be trying anything reckless. This should probably be the end of the phone call.

"Hilde's got herself a new boyfriend. I thought you should know since everytime Duo calls, it's the first thing he always says. He said it's to let us know if she does become pregnant, it's not going to be his. It's . . . worrying. Duo was going off the deep end for Hilde, I know there's a lot more there."

"Not everyone can take that leap." It wasn't always an easy leap to take. He closed the book again. "Sometimes it's smarter not to leap."

"I know Duo's past probably crushes him. I don't know anything about Hilde's past, I try to stay out of it. But. Hiding his feelings isn't going to help."

Was he really stuck in a Duo and Hilde conversation with Quatre right now? "I should go."

"How would you feel if Relena suddenly started dating someone else?"

"What are you asking that for?" Maybe Quatre was worse off than he thought. "Your dwelling on everyone else's problems. Is that to help stop thinking of yours?"

" . . . what was Revenge of the Lost trying to achieve with us? They didn't want to kill us, they just wanted to kill our spirits. It would have been better if they just took a gun and shot us."

Okay, not well. He had to make sure Duo went to visit him. Maybe Wufei depending on where the Preventers was stationed. "The past can't be changed, but we go on with the future. We all know this. If you let this hold you down, then it doesn't matter that Revenge of the Lost doesn't exist. They won against you, Quatre. Don't let them have that victory."

"I know. Sorry. Really, I am okay. Really. Everything's fine." Concerned voices were asking about him in the background. "Oh, okay. I have to go. I'll talk to you later, Heero. I hope you feel better enough to be with your actual family instead of just surveying them soon. Or, Revenge of the Lost won against you too. You know?"

Hm. Heero wasn't expecting that last bit. He hung up. Revenge of the Lost wasn't winning against him. He wasn't being over paranoid. Revenge of the Lost got the big budget during the period when Superior and Wufei's mother joined. But.

It was still successful, still able to get in little crevices and reach its goals when it was even just a few people. It had survived for over a decade without being stopped with a small handful of people. With more than twenty people still missing from the records, not knowing how many weren't in the records just like Wufei's mom, and the two leaders themselves never being found?

No. They would strike when everyone's guard was down. One more strike. It would be something else, but it would be devastating just the same. One more time. One more go. This opponent wasn't finished. He would be prepared this time. 

Quatre's Colony

"Hey, Quat."

Oh. That didn't take long. One phone call to Heero and now Duo was suddenly showing up? "Hey there. I'm going to be leaving soon. Sorry."

"No biggie. Just came by to tell you I'm going to be heading to Earth with Hilde for a little while," Duo said. "We are going to become shuttle pilots. Training starts in Earth's atmosphere."

Shuttle pilots. "That sounds great. I'm happy for you and Hilde. She still have a boyfriend?" He didn't mention it up front this time.

"Hm. No." That odd gesture behind the head. Less funny, more awkward. "Nah, which is good, this would be a terrible way to end a relationship. So. Selling the Junkyard. Already got an interested buyer."

"Oh. That's great. Moving on with your life." Quatre nodded. "I think you and she would have been better if she had been pregnant though."

"I don't want any of those things." His voice was sharp. "Imagine me and her with a kid, it'd never turn out. Ever. I just . . . I hate it when you get in my head," he complained. "Look. Off to sunshine and pastures for a bit. Trowa's touring on the colonies with the circus right now. Wufei's on Earth. Heero's on Earth. We are always a skip away on a shuttle though, so keep in touch. Oh yeah, you lived with Mei-Lin too, right? She's not too far away either."

"I know. Really, you guys don't have to worry so much. I'm fine," he said. "Heero is the one that's surveying his own family like a stalker, I don't know why no one is making a fuss over him."

Yeah, wrong words again. "Heero is doing his thing. Whether or not he wants to watch over them from a distance or crawl away on a colony to never see them again, he's going to choose whatever he feels is best. He's is paranoid right now, but he's got every right to be. He's the only one of us pilots who actually ended up with a kid. Hell, two of them. So, a little more compassion from the pilot who has the most compassion would make us feel better about you, Quatre."

Compassion? "I have compassion. It just came out wrong."

"If they had made it through, I can tell what you would have chosen," Duo said to him seriously.

"Hilde made it through, and you still can't choose her," Quatre came right back against him. "You are all being so . . . even if it didn't work, Duo, you can't just ignore your feelings forever."

"Until you can actually breach the subject, you know, of yourself? When you will be able to say her name in general conversation again? As long as you keep deflecting everything back to us? Then we are going to worry," Duo told him. "Flat out, that simple. I'll tell Trowa to watch out for you."

"I think they should do a blood test," Quatre said.

"Stuff like that is not going to make him feel any better either. You know us better than we know ourselves and you are using that as ammo against us so we don't try to help you with your problem. It's not going to work forever."

"I'm serious, Quatre said. "Next time you see your nephew, Duo. Make sure he's lining up with your family and Middie's genes. Check the eye shape. Trowa's eyes are so different than anyone else's."

"Fine. I'm going to see Gin before Hilde and I reach our destination," Duo informed him. "Even if I see something, it doesn't mean Trowa's going to want some blood test though."

"It's only right to know," Quatre said to him. "If it's Trowa's, you'll see something. Trowa is someone so special, you would definitely see it in his child."

"A baby. I'm going to see something special in a three-month-old baby. Sure, Quat." He started to walk away with his hand in the air. "Trowa will be seeing ya soon. If you promise not to breach that conversation with him, I'll check out Alec for you."

"Thanks, Duo." He watched him start to walk away. I'm not deflecting to hurt them. I just wish they could see what they have. Heero has a whole loving family, with someone who really loves him too, if he'd just stop and join them. Trowa might have a son, but he refuses to see even a little logic in it and doesn't see Alec. Duo has the love of his life right there in front of him, and he refuses to make a move because he doesn't want to lose anyone again. The only one I don't have to worry about is Wufei.

It wasn't deflection. He cared about his friends. That wasn't deflection. "I need to get back on the terraforming project." That would be good for him. Getting away from that colony again. With Relena heading up that project, he'd get a good look at how she was handling things too.

Probably better than everyone else.