***
Chapter 11 : Game Over or Continue...
***

Who doesn't like games? Most people like to play.

\\-100 points\\

Of course, not all games are fun for the participants.

\\-200 points\\

And too bad for the losers you can't always hit
replay, you can't fix everything.

\\-50 points... Game Over or Continue.\\

But sometimes, just sometimes, you can.

***

When he saw them, Zechs tensed. His eyes were blurry
and he was more tired than he would admit to himself.
Wufei was heavier than he looked.

"Zechs!" It was Quatre. Thank God. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, but Wufei needs help."

Trowa gave his partner a cursory examination, his
expression still as stone. Quatre, however, looked at
him. "Are you sure you're okay?" His eyes were glued
to his chest where his and Wufei's blood had dried
into an itching glue on cloth and skin. Zechs looked
down at the remnants of his encounter with Angelique
and Duo. While the flesh visible in the cuts was still
red and raw, the skin around them had turned a pasty
bluish white that spread outwards in fine spider web
patterns.

"I'll be alright."

"I think I know how to get back to the ship. Have you
seen Duo? He was with you."

"Yes, he was the one who did this to Wufei." Among
other things. "We should leave now before he finds us
again."

"Are you sure it was him?"

At first he hadn't been, but now he knew better. It
had been Duo, that had been no deception. He hadn't
wanted to see that Treize had been false, but he
should have known. This time he knew it was true even
when he wished it to be otherwise. Zechs' lips
tightened at the memory and Quatre obviously took that
as an answer. He exchanged a glace with Trowa and
directed them back the way they had come.

***

Quatre felt like all his senses were raw and open.
There was no doubt Zechs thought he was speaking the
truth, anguish rubbing like salt into his already
wounded mind.

There was the promise of soothing calm behind them,
but he knew it for the trick it was. Such was only the
emptiness of the void, the silence of the dead. That
was not where they wanted to go.

But, almost drowned out by everything around it, was
the faint song of normality. He could just catch it,
like a glimpse from the corner of his eye that moved
out of reach when he tried to look at it directly.

Quatre dragged his feet forward, directing his
comrades onwards. Trowa looked at him with concern,
but with a near imperceptible gesture he reassured the
other man, even if he wished nothing more than to give
in. He then trained his eyes on Wufei for a moment.
Trowa nodded. Wufei needed to get out of here as
quickly as possible. Anything that knocked a man
unconscious was usually serious, plus the Preventor
would be unable to defend himself if they were
attacked.

Which brought something else to mind, something he
wanted to avoid, but Zechs' presence made it difficult
to sweep the thought aside again.

**Duo. What happened to you?**

Had Duo been the presence he'd felt? It seemed likely
now.

The worst part was it wasn't as surprising as it
should have been. Duo always had a certain darkness
inside him that he tried to keep hidden. Something
that even Quatre had trouble picking up on and he
wondered if anyone else had even suspected its
existence.

Something he had deliberately ignored. Duo was his
friend and a fellow Gundam pilot. Each of them had issues
like these. Duo was someone he'd trust with his life
and someone he liked to spend time with. The other's
personality couldn't help but captivate and dull one's
senses to the danger Duo presented.

Given a choice between facing Heero and Duo, he'd pick
Heero every time.

***

It was almost anticlimactic. Not that that was a bad
thing. Instead of the expected fight, they had merely
followed Quatre's instructions and walked through that
final door.

The endless walls of stone vanished abruptly, turning
into familiar metal illuminated by emergency lights.

Zechs wasn't able to work up the energy or emotion to
smile. All he was was thankful that Wufei still
breathing, given his condition. His muscles were
strained from carrying his smaller partner, but he
wouldn't let go of this burden for the world. Trowa
had offered, but it was better if Trowa was empty
handed for the sake of defense. Plus he knew that
Wufei was like this because of him.

Because Zechs hadn't been strong enough, fast enough,
good enough. Like always.

One step. Another step. Move forward, onward. Once
again, step.

Don't think, just move. Just keep going.

They had to get to the shuttle. From there, they could
try for the colony.

Step.

The communications had to work. The shuttle wasn't
meant for long distances.

Step.

But the momentum of the ship itself would help push
them in the right direction.

Step.

Momentum...

Step.

Stop.

"Good God. The ship's headed straight for the colony."

***

Zechs had stopped dead still in front of him.

"What is it?" Quatre was asking, but the man didn't
seem to hear him.

"Good God. The ship's headed straight for the colony.
It will get there before we will."

That was not good news. Trowa remembered how the
communications had been strangely knocked out even
when nothing had been wrong with them. If that still
held true, they might be bringing a death trap back
and they couldn't warn anyone. Even with the various
damages to the propulsion system, it had more power
than the small shuttle.

He looked at Quatre. There might not even be any
danger now that they were back in the ship.

Quatre caught his glance and bit his lower lip.
"They're still there, I can feel it."

Zechs was correct, then.

But there was nothing they could do. Perhaps hope that
if they got the shuttle out of range, communications
would again be accessible. There was no protection
from something so vast, they could not destroy it.

He gestured forward. The sooner they got there, the
better the chance that they could get a signal through
in time. That, or make their way to the control room
and try to turn the autopilot off. 

No one moved.

Quatre had his eyes closed, thinking. "I think there's
a way..."

"The box," finished Zechs.

***

The dream. It had not been a nightmare, but a warning.

The sharp point had dug into his hand. He couldn't
hold on to it. And then there was darkness, and
voices. Voices he knew now so much better.

But one voice stood out. //No protections now.//

Duo had given him the box and told him to share, but
he'd lost it and then everything else. If there was no
other way, they had to get the box.

"I think there's a way..."

"The box."

"Yes." But it was obvious that Wufei no longer had the
object. In fact, it was unlikely Wufei had been
carrying it earlier when they had met him. "It's
probably still up in the control room."

Trowa narrowed his eyes. "We could disable the
autopilot."

//The engines are stuck on autopilot.//

"Wufei tried to shut it down already. We'd have to go
to the engine room." Which is too far in the wrong
direction. The direction that would take them back
through all the things they were trying to leave
behind.

"Hm."

Like always, Trowa caught the things he hadn't said as
well.

"To summon the Order of the Gash, solve the puzzle..."
Zechs was murmuring, like the memory of something read
or heard before. "I'll go," he said, much more firmly
than his previous musing.

But Zechs looked exhausted. Trowa would be a better
choice to get there faster. Zechs continued. "It’s not
far to the shuttle bay, but with Wufei like this it's
better if I go. You two can get him and yourselves
there safely."

Quatre looked at Wufei's limp body. He seemed so much
smaller without his fiery personality animating him.

Trowa blinked. He agreed then.

"Alright."

"If I don't get back soon, leave without me."

***

The room was empty. The box was gone. Zechs’ heart
sank into his stomach. Without it, there was no way to
stop this madness.

He searched behind the equipment frantically. There
was so little time. Trowa would be leaving without him
in a few minutes, minutes that Wufei could ill afford.

The door opened, but not as it should have. The
already abused metal warping further out of alignment.
He grabbed for a broken chair leg, the closet thing to
a weapon he could get. 

A chuckle reached his ears as he stood to face the
intruder. "Looking for this?" a voice asked slyly.

***

Duo smiled, cradling the Lament Configuration gently, 
his fingers stroking its sides lovingly as he spun it
around for Zechs to see. His eyes traced over the now
bedraggled form, taking in the blonde's pathetic
attempt at armament. Not that such things could touch
him anymore. No, he was untouchable unless he wished
it otherwise.

Of course, he'd never minded the idea of Zechs
touching him. Quite the opposite actually.

Yes, the man looked bedraggled. Bedraggled. 

And beautiful.

The glare directed his way was fierce, he could
practically feel its scorching touch on his flesh. His
tongue flickered over perfect white teeth. He liked
the killer he saw reflected in those eyes. This was
the man who had managed to match the Gundams, the man
who had brought Earth to its knees.

His. His alone.

He'd been promised and such bargains could not be
renegaded on. Even here.

Especially here.

"What's wrong, Zechsy? Didn't expect to see me again?"

"No."

"As if I'd let something like you get away so easily."

No, Zechs wouldn't leave him here. Not if Duo could
help it. And he could.

//What do you wish for?//

He'd been misunderstood. It was obvious that Zechs
thought he was there to deliver some sort of low level
torment. He would never waste so much potential, a
diamond in the ruff.

But Zechs had no idea of his value, the air about him
buzzing with pain, self-hatred and guilt. And, mixed
among all this, icy rage concealed even from himself,
the swift ability destroy held in check by his shame
and the potential for passionate emotion. Emotion he
was wasting using it against himself. The last three
were like music that sang to Duo, a heavenly chorus.
Like the secret song, the true song, the song that
permitted everything, the beat of particles and atoms,
the burning of stars. The sound of screams, the song
of metal on flesh.

Or it would have been had it not been corrupted by the
first three voices that he might have considered
exquisite with anyone else. No, but without them,
perfect.

***

It seemed that whatever had jammed the main
communications system had also stopped transmissions
from the shuttle. Trowa turned to his lover.

"Keep trying. I'm going to look for weapons."

There were some, he knew. This shuttle should be
equipped for every emergency. Quatre moved into his
former seat, his voice raspy from screaming as he
spoke, calling anyone within range for help.

He went into the back cabin, where Wufei lay,
breathing unsteadily. Occasionally, the Asian man
would twitch away from something only he could see.

Trowa opened the white metal doors in the walls,
revealing storage a small storage area. There were
medical supplies, a primitive first aid kit. He pulled
them out, Wufei would need them. The next was less
useful at the moment, but extra food might be
important later. He closed it with a click.

The third was what he was looking for, though the
supplies were meager. He grabbed extra bullets and the
two hand guns, loading one and slipping it into the
small of his back.

"Any luck?"

Quatre looked at him, saying it all with his eyes.

"We'll try after we get off the ship." Leading the
other threw the door, he handed Quatre the other gun.
"I've found the first aid kit for Wufei." He paused
for a moment, steeling himself. "I'm going to help
Zechs."

Quatre bit his lower lip, but nodded in understanding.
They could not just abandon him, especially not if it
was the only way to stop this from reaching the
colony.

"Be careful."

"I will."

Wrapping his arms around the shorter man's shoulders,
he leaned down and kissed him, trying to put all his
feeling into it. Quatre was his heart and his soul. He
was nothing without him.

"I love you."

"I love you too. I won't leave without you."

Trowa gripped Quatre's shoulders, staring into his
eyes. "Yes, you will if you have to."

"You're all I have."

"What about your family? What about Wufei?"

Tears bunching in the corners eyes, Quatre nodded.
"Only if..." He didn't go any further.

Trowa kissed him again, then turned to the door. "If
anyone besides Zechs or I tries to get in, shoot
them."

***

Cats stalk their prey, not just for food, but for
entertainment, leaving that thin thread of hope, of
escape, until their tearing, rending claws and teeth
ended everything. Duo padded in that same sly way and
part of Zechs knew that there would be no ultimate
escape. Even if he could run, the box was *there*, so
close and so far away.

His throat burned with every breath, but he held onto
the control he knew he would need even as his palms
became damp. And part of him was prepared. No matter
his feelings, he could do what he thought needed to be
done. Just a mission like so many before. This was not
Duo, no matter what the thing said, even if part of
him knew this was a lie. How well had he really known
Duo anyway?

But Duo had never looked at him like this. Maybe with
a bit of lust, but never like he wanted to tear him to
pieces, to reach inside him deep enough to pull free
his still beating heart. No, Duo had never looked at
him that way. *No one* had ever looked at him like
that, something he was now grateful for as a bead of
sweat trickled down his spine. Because he didn't know
if it was figurative or literal.

"Well, Zechs, did you really expect this to be sitting
here waiting for you?"

Twist. Flash.

And was it all so wrong that he had? That he had hoped
it was possible to fix things, to make up in some way
everything he'd done wrong in his life?

"Was that all that you were here for? No, I don't
think so."

The questions were rhetorical. Duo was talking to
himself, his head quirked slightly to one side and his
expression looked familiar, too familiar, faintly lit
up with excitement as he worked out what was puzzling
him.

Violet eyes traveled over where he had vainly
attempted to get the controls working, passed them
onto their location.

"Oh, I see now. We're heading for the colony still,
aren't we?"

Something must have revealed his affirmative, since
Duo smiled and nodded at him.

"Don't worry about it. I don't care about them at all.
I'm only here for you, baby."

"But you're not the only one here, are you?" His voice
was surprisingly steady.

Duo sighed. "Yeah, you're right. I'm not even the one
in charge... yet." The wink that followed would have
seemed impish the day before, but became even more
disturbing for it. "Though I'm sure that the two of us
could change that."

Good God. There was no reply he could make to that
statement and all it implied.

And Duo moved, grabbing his crude weapon and twisting
it out of his grasp as he fell to his knees. One hand
grabbed his throat and he could feel Duo pressing into
his back; metal, leather and flesh trying to conform
to his contours. But while the flesh could, the rest
instead dug into him painfully. There was no chance
for even his reflexes to react in time to escape.
Zechs knew Duo could break his neck or rip his throat
with one move.

"So what do you say? I think we could make a pretty
good team."

Nibble. Teeth delicately, gently, bit his left earlobe
before Duo trailed his tongue down his neck. And he
was cold, so cold, like ice.

"You don't have to be so quiet."

"Why?" Why him? Why this? Why everything?

"Because the look in your eyes when you thought I was
going to kill Wufei was the most beautiful thing I'd
ever seen."

His breath brushed past teeth and hummed in his ears
and his world went still.

Teeth marked the skin of his neck, but just enough for
pain.

"Because you're so close to perfection."

Duo's other hand reached up and pressed against his
abdomen. Part of Zechs wondered detachedly where the
box had gone, but the thought was too far away to hold
onto.

"Because you're not Heero, you could understand if you
let yourself."

The hand on his throat rose and pushed his face
around. Duo moved it and grabbed his hair like he had
done in their previous encounter, twisting around so
he was facing Zechs, bringing himself a mere
hairsbreadth away. The air from his sentence moved
against his lips like butterfly kisses, faint and
ethereal.

"Because you're not going to leave me alone like
everyone else. You're mine."

The grip tightened and Duo was in front of him, his
other hand caressing his jaw line and resting on his
neck, thumb pressing upwards under his chin.

"I'm not going to let you go."

He couldn't look in those eyes. They burned. They
devoured. They threatened to swallow him whole, pull
him in and bury him in darkness.

//"Never let you go, Milliard."

Zechs smiled. Treize's eyes practically glowed. He
wasn't lying, this wasn't one of his many games. This
Treize, this sincerity, belonged to him alone.

"Forever then."

"Forever. I mean it. This life and the next."

He'd never been so happy to drown in that gaze, in
that touch. Never...//

Not again. Don't look, don't look...

Zechs' gaze darted away, working over clean lines and
right angles, following gouges and scratches made with
too much ease in metal. And there it was, out of
reach. So close. So distant. And he knew he couldn't
let Duo know he'd seen it so focused again on the
being in front of him.

But Duo's gaze no longer was on his face, no longer
trying to pull his soul out through his eyes and
consume him utterly until he didn't want to leave,
until this was all and everything. Instead, it had
traveled down to his chest.

Duo hissed an indrawn breath. "Who did this?"

How had he not seen it before? Perhaps he'd been too
busy leaving marks of his own.

"Angelique."

"I'll kill the bitch."

"Too late."

Duo looked up then. "Good," he whispered, his voice
husky and possessive before running one finger down
the painful tear. **I'm not yours,** he wanted to say,
but he couldn't. So much for doing what needed to be
done. He could feel the vibrations in the air.

Give in, give in.

**No.**

Too late, you already have.

**No, not yet, not ever.**

That's what you think. But you aren't fighting that
hard, are you?

**I can't. He'll kill me.**

No, he won't. You can't hurt this one, he's already
dead. But you want to give in.

**God, help me.**

But God wasn't answering so he turned his prayers to
others.

**Treize...**

Someone, anyone. I can't help myself.

**... Wufei!**

Except the last came out not as a thought, but a low
moan.

"What did you say?"

Thunk. His knee wrenched in its socket and Zechs' head
hit the floor and he saw stars.

"Do you think he can help you? Oh no. If you won't
come this way, I'll just have to be more convincing."

And the tone said exactly how he'd be convincing. No
longer seductive, but colored with anger. But Zechs
vision was swimming, things were moving that
shouldn't, like how the doorway shifted into a blur
and seemed to come closer of Duo's shoulder.

"You belong here. You just don't know it yet."

Then that blur came into focus.

Trowa. Who couldn't do anything because Zechs was also
in the line of fire.

**Do it, do it. Because if you don't I'll stay. I'll
stay. Please, don't let me.**

But it was too late. Duo's eyes narrowed and he pulled
Zechs up and over, holding him in front.

"Well, Tro-tro. Nice of ya to join the party too."
Zechs winced as Duo leaned in closer. "Sorry, sexy, we
just can't seem to get any time alone. Always gettin'
interrupted."

Zechs gave the box a pointed stare, but Trowa didn't
acknowledge it. After all, how could he without
alerting Duo?

But wasn't his life nothing compared to the colony
they were trying to save? Nothing compared to his
comrades'? To Wufei's?

//I'm willing to take that risk.//

**So am I.**

He'd planned his whole life to die. Was there anything
different now?

No.

Yes.

But that didn't matter.

He flung his head back and saw stars again as it
connected with Duo. But pain was nothing either. Used
the surprise to pull away, pull down, to move out of
the way.

But the grip was still strong.

One move at it would be over.

A snap like thunder in a small area, echoing off walls
and he was free. Zechs dropped forward onto his hands
and grabbed the box.

"Let's go."

Run, run, and don’t look back. Don't see what just
happened to Duo. Don't think about it. You have to get
back to Wufei... Wufei...

***

"Let's go."

Trowa kept his eye on Duo's fallen form as Zechs
struggled upward. He nodded his agreement.

He moved backwards towards the door, navigating by
instinct and feel. Zechs moved at his back into the
hall.

Duo still wasn't moving. Trowa turned when he reached
the doorway, though he still kept alert for anything
behind him.

Zechs was a few meters ahead. The blond man was
panting, resting his arm against the wall, bent at the
waist as if he was having difficulty supporting his
own weight. Trowa did not know what, if any, injuries
his clothing hid. Clenched between fingers with
whitening knuckles was the box, the thing they had
been looking for.

"Can you walk?"

"Slowly. I'm having trouble with my knee."

Trowa thought for a moment before offering his spare
arm. He wasn't going to leave Zechs behind, but they
had to reach the shuttle as quickly as possible. The
Preventor looped his other arm around Trowa's
shoulders as they started moving as quickly as
possible.

Instants were hours, seconds eternity. They moved
forward, Trowa always keeping half an eye behind them
for danger.

The only sound in the ghostlike emergency lit hall was
footsteps, the shuffle of clothes and rattled tired
breathing.

**Quatre, we're almost there.**

The bay was in sight, a light at the end of the
tunnel. The wide entranceway was an inviting relief. A
few more minutes, that was all they would need.

Snick.

Ting.

Clang.

Three chains sprang from the walls and floor,
attaching to their opposites, creating a spider web
blocking their way.

Trowa turned back. There was a faint blur at the end
of the hall, human shaped, but vague like smoke. There
was only one person it could be. Duo. Duo, who he'd
just shot at close range. There was no way he could
have missed. Duo should be dead.

Zechs pushed chains aside with his hand and tried to
slip between them. His pant caught on the one and tore
down the side, stained red.

"Trowa! Move!"

Trowa followed him as Zechs pulled to give him a
larger opening. It was a near futile effort, the
chains were taunt and buried in metal.

Duo was walking, but he seemed to be gaining on them
so much faster. Trowa paced his steps with Zechs' and
the pair tried to go as quickly as possible, but it
was no good.

The chains dropped at his feet allowing Duo to pass
without stopping. He laughed at their attempt at
escape even as they reached the entrance.

"You're not going anywhere."

Duo reached his hand up and placed his palm against
the wall. For a moment nothing happened, but, like
ripples on a pond, *something* sprang outwards. It was
the stonework that had trapped them earlier. 

They weren't going to make it. It was coming towards
them, faster than they could move.

Zechs let go of him and fell into the wall beside the
door controls.

"Run, get them out of here. Go, go now."

And he ran, to Quatre. Because Zechs was right, he
couldn't make it in time otherwise.

"Tell Wufei that it's worth it," called out Zechs
voice behind him as he ran. Ran to the shuttle,
turning to shut the door.

Zechs stood in the doorway, eyes locked on his. The
darkness had almost reached him.

"Quatre! We have to take off."

The engine roared to life as he ran to the cockpit.
They would have to ram through the bay's outer door.
Trowa flung himself down into his seat as the shuttle
began to move. 

He looked at the outer visuals. Zechs was still
watching them, pleading him to save Wufei, just as he
was to save Quatre.

Zechs turned away, then glanced back quickly. Whether
his face held fear, hope or despair, the cameras
couldn't tell him. One hand reached up to the controls
as Zechs lowered his gaze.

The door slammed shut forever.

***

He allowed one last look at the shuttle before
reaching up and closing the door, which locked in
front of him.

Zechs fumbled with the puzzle. If he could close it,
he could stop this. His fingers played over the
surface, pushing and testing, pulling and prodding.

The corner turned. He could hear noises behind him.
Zechs ignored them, all his concentration on his task.

He pushed, and the center piece moved. He turned it
and pressed it back in. His heart pounded like a
tribal drum in the primal rhythm of fear and
desperation. He ignored the shudder of the ship as the
shuttle plowed its way out.

Almost... almost...

And it was working, things were falling into place
like that was how it was supposed to be.

The air was thick and cloying, it clung to him like
spectral fingers pawing at his body, passing over him
like the cold hand of Death. The door vanished,
replaced by a stone wall.

The final piece clicked into place.

Nothing happened. He shuddered as a hand touched his
shoulder.

"You stayed."

The box fell from numbed fingers.

Click, clack...

It rolled on the floor and came to rest unnoticed.

***

The shuttle turned direction in Quatre's able hands.
He knew Zechs was still down there, but there was
nothing they could do. He took one last look, a
commemoration for a fallen comrade who had given
himself to save them.

It built in the air like a static charge, and *things*
twittered at him. He ignored them, the voices didn't
belong to him.

**Goodbye, Zechs. We'll take care of Wufei. Thank
you.**

The hairs on his arms rose. **What...**

Suddenly, it was all back. The millions of voices,
they screamed at him, they pulled at him, and that one
voice touched him yet again and he felt pain, so much
pain.

The ship itself lit up, like a small sun, the light
that wasn't light swirled around it. It was so bright
and it hurt him. Trowa jerked up from his controls,
but it was too late...

There was a flash even brighter than the rest...

...then darkness as the voices dragged him down again
before vanishing. The blackness was so cold and empty.

TBC...