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Black Flecked Snow	By : tinyvoice Category: Gundam Wing/AC > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 660 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing/AC, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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There was
a point upon approaching the colony that all the power in each gundam suddenly
gave out. The only programs left online were for life support.

The pilots did not see the brilliant light flood into space from inside the
colony, or the people that swarmed the dock to inspect their mobile suits.

When time and space seemed not to matter any longer, all at once, the pilots
were ejected from their gundams into bright white nets.

It all happened too fast for any of them to register. One moment, they were in
complete darkness, and then, the next, they were enveloped in shocking white
light. Hands gripped their arms and legs, restricting their movement. They were
all besieged, cuffed, and led out of the docking bay before all the sparks of
awareness could fire off in their minds.

Everything was gray and sterile looking, much like a laboratory. Compact halls.
Cool air.

No one said a word, nor was there really a burning need to.

Their captors were all clad in t-shirts and faded jeans, but despite their
attire, they carried themselves like soldiers. It was a little perturbing.
Their hair ranged from, interestingly, from normal styles, to colored spikes.
They looked like a pack of highschool delinquents even thought their collective
body language suggested otherwise. They passed by very few people, men and
women, all similarly attired and strong in appearance.

The pilots were beyond worry. Everything seemed so surreal. After a while of
walking, they came to a large green door with a multi-character set keypad. One
of the escorts ambled up to it, his fingers flying across the keys like a
dancing spider. As he stepped back, the door soundlessly opened, and the odd
entourage continued onward. The floor was carpeted now, thick and green.

They passed many closed doors.

They stopped at one, waited until it opened, and then proceeded inside.

There were seven chairs lined up in front of a large metallic desk. A young man
sat squarely behind it patiently watching them enter. He wore a faded blue
t-shirt and black rimmed glasses that emphasized his bright blue eyes. His hair
was the color of the sun, the bangs curled slightly as if he had been tugging
at them. He looked extremely hawkish and [almost obnoxiously] alert.

"Sit," he said, and promptly, the five pilots were forced into their
pre-destined seats.

Their cuffed arms were brought out behind them, preventing them from leaning
forward.

The room was very plain and furnished with a dozen or so objects that the
pilots could not put a name to.

The man behind the desk leaned forward, "I guess�It would be proper that I
start off with introductions. Don't bother to tell me who you are, I already
know. My name is Erriji." He gave no pause as he plunged on forward.
"I promise that no harm will come to any of you as long as you follow some
simple instructions that I will explain in a little while. Presently, I will
ask you a few questions, and please answer them honestly, and to the best of
your ability." He didn't wait for a response as he continued on, tugging
absently at an errant lock of hair. "Who made your mobile suits?"

Quatre frowned, "What will you do with the names?"

Erriji looked surprised as if the question were incredibly stupid, "Keep
them for reference, ofcourse. Now, please�"

Sighing slightly, Quatre complied, "Sunshine."

"Ryoukai."

"Ash."

"Canine."

"Fair."

"Any others?" Erriji asked, seriously, unfazed by the names.

"Three, but�we never got their names," Quatre said quietly.

"Great�next question, how did you find out about us?"

"Earth Sphere Alliance sent us to see what you guys're up to," Duo
piped up helpfully.

"What d you think we're up to?"

"Thought you might want to tell us that," Duo grinned humorlessly.

"You'll have plenty of time to investigate, I'm sure. Next, how
challenging did you find the fight?"

"Hey! Don't rub it in! S'not very sportsman-like of you," Duo chided,
squirming in his chair.

"It's nothing of the sort. Honest. I would just like to know."

"Your pilot is very skilled�" Quatre almost whispered, shuddering at
the thought of facing the red m.s. again. "How did you train him to be
so�good?"

"Came that way," Erriji said impatiently. t;Ant;And you?" he
gestured towards Heero.

"I want to fight him again."

Erriji nodded, thinking about it a moment, before turning his attention to
Wufei.

"He was holding back," he offered annoyedly.

"You ought to put a leash on him," Duo smirked.

"He seems to be extremely intelligent," Trowa finished.

"�Funny, how you assume that the pilot you fought was male. What say you
to the proposition that you all had been defeated by a woman?"

Five sets of incredulous eyes locked on the man behind the desk, who chuckled
lightly, "Don't worry. It was a guy. Your manhood is safe."

Wufei lacked the state of mind to find humor in the joke.

"Thank you, gentlemen, for your cooperation. Now, I'm sure that you are
all anxious to find your way back home. Our administration will negotiate the
terms to return you to ESA. I hope you all won't mind it here since it may take
a while to hack through all the red tape. Think of it as a vacation, if you
will, except, chaperoned." He drummed his fingers energetically on his
desk. "Elzia, find these gentlemen rooms."

A very slender man that had been among he few to escort the pilots to the
office answered in a very female voice, "Sir."

With that, she dug into one of her sizeable pockets and extracted a handheld.
Typing with nimble fingers, she made a small noise of disappointment. "I'm
afraid�there are only three rooms open. Titien's father got released this
morning. Bijoe has been in need of a roommate for quite some time now, and Adra
just got started with his simulators. It's be a real crime to saddle Adra with
a roommate just yet, so�that leaves Titien and Bijoe�"

"Go on," Erriji sighed.

"It'd be really unfair to make one of them have to look after three guys,
so, that leaves me with the only guy I can think of that didn't show up on the
list�"

"I know," Erriji frowned. "He's busy, though, chickita."

"I'd hardly call that corpse anything worth looking after," Elzia
puffed irately.

They continued talking like this as if they were the only people in the room.
Finally, they seemed to reach some sort of a resolution after they looked about
ready to smack each other.

That being Erriji adjusting an earpiece and dialing on a desk-integrated
character board.

"Jivehn!" he said after a long silence and began to speak in a
foreign tongue that none of the pilots even attempted to understand.

Satisfied, Elzia faced the pilots, "Alright. You guys need to pair
up."

"Trowa," Quatre asked, stealing a quick look at him.

"Next," Eliza ordered.

"I'll bunk with Heero," Duo offered helpfully.

"That leaves Chang," the woman affirmed, writing on her notepad. She
looked at him sympathetically before launching into more talk, "I don't
think I need to warn you, but I will anyway�All actions have reactions. Please
ensure that yours are favorable." She eyed each pilot critically.
"Under the provisions and guidelines of GC, we are resolute in making sure
that you are in phenomenal health and suffer no unnecessary psychological or
physical abuse. The GC may potentially be subjected to suspension if there is
probable cause to warrant such an action�yadda yadda. You get it."

"He's on his way," Erriji said, falling back into his chair.

"He's coming, so�I'll be going," Elzia said and nodded to her
subordinates to follow her.

Erriji and the pilots waited in silence for what seemed like forever. Then, in
a swift and surprising movement, the man behind the desk slammed his palm down.
A thunderclap in a cloudless room. All the pilots jumped at the sudden motion,
then slumped a little when the door opened.

Stepping tentatively into the office was a youth, undoubtedly albino.

His hair was styled, one half combed down and the other half spiked up. His
gaze to the floor, preventing everyone from seeing his whole face.

"Erriji," the youth said softly, bowing at the waist. He had on the
baggiest clothes of anyone the pilots had yet seen. It hung heavy on his
willowy figure. When he raised himself up, he took a quick minute to adjust the
yellow lens glasses he wore before bowing his head again when his superior
acknowledged him. "You wanted to see me."

"Yes. You'll be taking one of these home," Erriji said waving his
hand at the five pilots before him.

"Sir?" the youth mumbled, turning just enough to get a glance at the
pilots, then turning back.

"You will act as guardian to Chang Wufei until we figure out what to do
with him."

"I'll�collect him after my duties are finished. If you will permit me,
sir."

"Will do�And�Just, how are your duties coming along, Ar&quo"

"Five days, par our allotted time."

"Good to know. Dismissed."

"Thank you, sir," the youth said, bowing once more before leaving,
casting a lingering last look in Wufei's general direction that was
reciprocated in kind.

Immediately, Artax focused his attention to his wrist and pressed a button on
the band there, masking his shyness with indifference.

Wufei was not fooled.

++

"Raise the temperature about one-hundred twenty degrees," Artax
muttered, studying a sheaf of read outs.

"That'll fry it," Heliclos stated, already beginning to process the
command.

"I have a feeling. Please humour me."

"Alright, reaching mark�ten-nine-eight-seven-six�abnormal readings
detected, structural integrity holding�three-two�Hot damn! We have life!"
Heliclos exclaimed. "Amrita is alive again!"

Artax sighed heavily, taking a seat and prepping for direct connection. His
fingers rained upon the keyboard, stringing together thousands of threads of
code.

He could feel his window of opportunity closing, Amrita's responsiveness
weakening.

Just a few more codes, and he'd have free access.

Too slow, all the clocks stopped right before his program could be fully
uploaded.

Amrita was now with free will until he could think of a new way to hold her.
Artax ran his fingers through his hair and ordered everyone home.

His small team bade him their goodbyes and made off for home. Leaving him to
stare at his puzzle for the rest of the afternoon. His hands rested on the
keyboard, hovering, poised over what he's been hammering on furiously only a
few moments before.

Reluctantly, he shut down his workstation and left the room casting one last
glance at his Amrita.

In the hallway, he encountered Heliclos looking anxiously at him. Guilt tore at
him as he strode by, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Heliclos said, his words falling on deaf ears. Artax
disappeared around the bend of the hallway and Heliclos continued back inside
the small lab to retrieve his coat.

++

Wufei sat alone waiting for his "guardian" to "collect"
him.

After leaving Erriji's office late in the morning, he and the other pilots had
been fed-exed to an expansive medical facility. There, they'd been poked and
prodded, given complete physicals. The doctors clucked disapprovingly while
they went about their work, as if the condition the pilots maintained was very
poor.

Wufei had half a mind to thwart the lot of them but controlled himself and let
them do what they would.

The artificial sun was not sitting upon the hills beyond the glass wall.

The landscape of the colony was different from most. It seemed to mirror Earth.
Most colonies had terra tailored solely to their needs. It was practical to
have a place specifically made for a certain type of work.

What had possessed this colony to make a second Earth?

This is what he'd been pondering since getting a good look outside. A high-tech
colony full of health buffs, he figured would be all sky-high buildings and
gyms. But, contrary to his shrewd expectations, almost no synthetic structures
marred the perfection of the land.

"Mr. Chang," someone hailed him, making his insides stir with an
unfamiliar feeling. Slowly, he turned to face the person who had interrupted
his thoughts. It was the boy from before. He looked fatigued on top of his
habitual melancholy. The image he created seemed to just cry out for someone to
hold him and take away all his ills. Wufei nodded at him, and after a long,
uneasy pause, Artax said, "Lets go home�"

Artax stepped forward and took Wufei's hand in his, locking eyes with him.
Feeling almost guilty for his staring and numerous suspicions, Wufei noticed
that through the yellow lenses of the youth's glasses, the iris of his right
eye was white, or nearly white. The pupil bore deep into him like a needle.

He barely registered himself being lead out of the building as he stared
blankly at the back of Artax's head.

Outside, he was lead to a long row of bikes. The surprise must have shown on
his face when Artax lead him to a simple red bike, because he tried to explain.

"I was called on emergency this morning�" Which only served to
confuse Wufei more. Where were all the cars?

It was an ideal time to run somewhere, anywhere and ditch the young man he was
with while he unfastened his bike from the stand. However, he was rooted to the
spot by forces he could not identify.

Trying to make conversation, Artax spoke while he worked, "The crime rate
is almost non-existent here, but it's still prudent to fasten parked bikes to
something. The wildlife likes to come around and tip over, damage anything
people forget to take care of."

"What about cars?" Wufei asked seeing nothing but bikes from where he
stood. Nothing but bikes in the small lot, plant life curled around some of the
less used racks. It seemed to mimic a post-apocalyptic music video dreamscape.

"Cars are unnecessary and present more problems than they would
solve," Artax replied wheeling out his bike. "Dependence on them
makes one weak, or so I've heard�Please sit here," he said indicating with
his finger. Wufei sat on the only seat and flinched a little when Artax got on
behind him. "Hold on tight," he instructed as he leaned gripping the
handles, standing with his feet planted firmly on the ground, holding the bike
up while Wufei got adjusted. Then, in one flued movement, he kicked the pedals
and they were moving.

The terrain was a little rough, but well ridden, and it surprised Wufei how
easily his companion pedaled. Even without an extra person, it was a
challenging ride.

Wufei became so absorbed in thinking about this that he was too distracted to
entertain even a single thought about crashing the bike and making an escape.

++

It was dark when they reached small clusters of apartments, the residential
area. Instead of stopping in there, he rode past into a different cookie-cutter
neighborhood. It was a small area of one-story houses on paved roads unlike the
earthen roads they'd been traveling before. They glided into the drive of one
of them and dismounted the bike much in the same fashion as how they'd gotten on.

Artax had barely broken a sweat, even after all he'd put his body through. He
led his bike up the walk to the front door and hooked it to the face of the
house. Wufei strode ahead to the door and waited for Artax who joined him
momentarily.

"I thought that everyone lived in those apartments we passed by,"
Wufei commented leaving the unasked question: 'what's up with the house?'
hanging in the air.

"This is the residential area for seniors," Artax replied, opening
the door and waving his charge inside. "These have in-home medical
facilities."

"You don't seem like someone with medical problems."

"I'm not," Artax replied as the lights in the main room flipped on
and the door shut behind them.

He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it on the bed to the left of the door.

Immediately, Wufei noticed the reddened bandages on his right arm. He thought
about asking about them, but then, thought better or it and straightened
himself out, feigning indifference.

"What do you want to know?" Artax asked tugging a fold-away bed out
from under his and raising it. Then, he sat on it. Wufei sat next to him.

"For starters, how do you keep a colony like this running? It must be
expensive," Wufei looked around at his stark surroundings as he said this.

"We are self-sufficient."

"Self-sufficient?"

"Self-sufficient," Artax parroted. He wasn't going to continue that
thread of thought.

Wufei took a moment to decide his next question, "What do you do
here?"

"What is expected of me."

Again, in a different delivery, "What is your objective?"

"What is expected of me."

Wufei was beginning to detect a well trodden Q&A format. He felt like a
reporter at a police press briefing. The answer to every question: "I'm
not at liberty to discuss that." "That is not a valid question."
"I disagree." "I can't answer that."

He decided to go the dumb route and save himself loads of unwelcome annoyance.
"What happens to me?"

"Keep in my sights at all times."

"Why?"

"You are a liability."

"What would happen if I were to 'try anything'?"

"You would regret it."

"How do you know?"

"�" Artax stood up and looked down at Wufei coldly for a minute. His
eyes made ice look uncomfortably warm. "Let's continue this in the
morning."

Wufei complied confusedly and lay back on the recently vacated spot that Artax
had been resting on.

++

Well before the sun had risen, Wufei was blinded by bright light.

He forced his eyes open slowly blinking hard. It took a moment to recall his
current situation and reign in his slightly alarmed mind. He raised himself up
on his elbows and had a look around. The spot Artax had slept in was vacated
and neatly arranged.

A murmured, "Good morning," shocked him out of his remaining fatigue.

He turned to face Artax's placid gaze, the clarity and deadness of his eyes
vaguely resembled those of a younger Trowa. It struck a sense of unbidden awe
into Wufei. "Good morning."

His gaze lowered of its own accord in a sort of fascinated submissive fashion.
Artax's hair was hanging straight down, tiny beads of water clinging to the
ends. "If you would like to wash up, the shower is there," he said
indicating with his finger to a glass door facing the front entryway. Perfect
placement for a person completely bushed from work or a peeping tom taking
advantage of easy access.

The mere suggestion of seeing Artax in the shower made Wufei want to leap under
a cold waterfall.

"Isn't there any cover?" he asked hoping for a curtain or something.

"There is a tint program," Artax said making his way to the kitchen.
"You should have no trouble operating it."

++

It was no trouble to operate it. The controls were as straightforward as
controls could possibly get without striking one over the head.

After tinting the door, Wufei shed his clothes, and set them folded just
outside.

It took about five minutes from there, washing with a nameless sand filled
soap, label-less shampoo, and other such things. Things such as that made him
wonder what kind of an economy the colony was based upon. It couldn't be a
capitalist market, could it?

He turned off the spray and grabbed what was outside of the shower within his
arm's reach, a towel and a folded pile of clothing.

The clothes were not his, but they fit him, the pants with the aid of a belt.

He felt a momentary twinge of annoyance at having his personal possessions
tampered with, but was grateful for the clean clothes rather than be angry t
not having his dirty ones.

While dressing, something about the clothes struck him as strange, but he
couldn't really put his finger on it. He turned the shirt over and around in
his hands.

After a while, he gave up and just shrugged it on. Then it hit him. There were
no tags on anything he had just put on. No brand names, manufacturer names,
location of origin, or anything of the sort. He supposed that Artax may have
just simply removed them, but it seemed a rather tedious chore for someone like
him.

The smell of good food wafted its way to Wufei turning his stomach in the
direction of the smell. He walked robotically to the kitchen. Being woken early
always aroused a hideous hunger in him and the smell emanating from the kitchen
was all together far too tempting to ignore.

It was amusing too, for Wufei's tired senses to see Artax with all his stylish,
baggy clothes under a crisp white apron standing in front of a stovetop.

The corners of Wufei's lips curled into a very tired, dopey grin admiring the
sight purely for the gratification of early morning amusement.

"Do they fit?" Artax asked, not bothering to turn around. He messed
with the band on his wrist. He messed with it often like a man constantly
having to reset an out of synch watch. When he was through with it, he set a
cutting knife deftly to a cucumber.

Wufei almost didn�t notice the boy�s soft voice but picked up on it and
answered an affirmative.

"I'm glad," Artax said without sounding it. He continued to cook
seemingly heedless of any other response he may have received out of his
companion. It didn't matter, really, anyway. Wufei's mind was already off the
subject as hunger pushed itself up into his throat. He tried his best to rein
it in.

Rousing himself out of a daze, Wufei asked leaning on the doorframe to the
kitchen, "How early did you wake up this morning?" He tried to look
as apathetic as he could manage even though he really felt like crumpling on
the floor to smother the ache in his stomach.

"I woke at four. It is not five-ten," Artax replied clicking off the
burners and distributing food into separate bowls.

He was fast and efficient like a soldier or a wife, or both. What exactly he
was would be reserved for later judgement.

Artax balanced an array of small plates and bowls on his arms then made his way
to a small table that huddled in the corner of the kitchen. It squatted next to
the wall leaving three sides of available sitting space. It was an attractive
knee-high table made out of lacquered lightwood with a rotating island for
sharing food.

Through breakfast, Wufei attempted small-talk feeling a little uneasy not
knowing anything about his current guardian. He sneaked furtive glances at him
and finally asked, "How did you injure your arm?"

Artax, eating carefully with his left hand, paused a minute, "I was in a
fight."

"You don't strike me as a violent person," Wufei prodded.

"I don't think I am either."

"Then�how did you get into a fight?"

"I didn't want to hurt anyone," Artax replied tersely indicating that
it was all he'd get out of him.

"Oh," Wufei said lamely. He'd begun to pick at his food. His mind was
scattering and a strange emptiness began to pervade his being. He looked up at
Artax, "Does everyone in this colony keep their homes so empty?"

"I once went to another person's apartment. I was very full of things. I
don't know about anyone else, though."

"Where are all your things?"

"I've no want for owning."

Wufei eyed Artax critically.

Showing no patience for further scrutiny, Artax looked away and gathered his
dishes. "I hope you enjoy your meal," he mumbled comically solemn in
his haste to put distance between himself and his charge.

++

For Wufei�s benefit, they took the bike, riding to Artax�s first job. It was
barely six-thirty in the morning, and Wufei felt like dead weight. A little
ways into the ride, he slumped forward on the handlebars not paying any mind to
the rugged terrain that threw him about in his seat.

As soon as he�d done that, a strong arm pulled him back and into the safety of
a warm chest. Sleepily, he fell back into it, feeling blissful in his
half-conscious state.

TBC...
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