Fandom: Gundam Wing
Title: The Agent - Epilogue
Pairings: 1x2x1, and other pairings inbetween
Warnings: AU, fluff, angst, post-apocalyptic, violence.
Genre: Drama, Romance, Angst
Rating: R (for language and graphic descriptions)
Disclaimers: Main characters are properties of Bandai and Studio
Sunrise. I make no money off them.
Final Notes: My sincere thanks to
everyone who has read and left a comment on this story. This was a pet project
I never thought I’d get completed, but your kind words of encouragement made
this possible and for that, I am eternally grateful. Thanks so much again for
reading and enjoy the final installment.
Epilogue:
On a clear, blue, crystalline
Saturday morning, the huge bells of the Cathedral tolled its mournful dirge
signaling the official end of an era.
They had to bury an empty
coffin in her place.
The funeral ceremony was attended
by every dignitary, or high powered political and military personnel from Earth
and the Colonies. The casket was draped in white silk from
Duo had barely been able to
sit through the ceremony, let alone attend. But he had felt it was the
honorable thing to do despite the guilt and Relena’s last words which haunted
him whenever he closed his eyes. The State Room – although ostentatious and
quite spacious – seemed claustrophobic to him, and his tailored black suit felt
constricting and uncomfortable. He got to his feet and paced to the large
window, looking out to the people still milling about the streets below. They
looked like tiny ants from his vantage point, like toy soldiers tuned to move
at a single command. Peace had finally come to them, and they could walk about
freely with no fear of a sudden attack. It was a miracle how many could take
that word ‘peace’ for granted. It brought a rueful smile came to his face.
“All of that can be yours and
more,” came the low voice which had Duo turning around quickly. He tried to
remember the name of the white bearded man dressed in military attire and
failed. He had been introduced to so many people lately, it was a miracle he
could even remember his own name.
“Major General Adley McKeen,”
the man said as he extended a gloved hand to Duo for a handshake. Duo returned
the gesture, gaze darting towards the door as four other men walked into the
room. “Please allow me to introduce Colonel Tom Allison and Lieutenant Briggs
of the Earth’s Forces. On my right, Colonel Masataka Yanagi
of the L1 Colony Cluster and Chancellor Jean-Pierre of the L3 Colony Cluster.
Gentlemen, this is Duo Maxwell – the man responsible for the end of that
terrible war.”
Duo gave a polite bow at the
applause he received, wondering what they’d say if he blurted out that he was
the one responsible for their Queen’s death. He sat as McKeen motioned for him
to do so, trying not to look too uncomfortable at the intense scrutiny he was
receiving from the older men. He did have a reputation to uphold, and despite
his vehement refusals to attend this meeting, Sheldon,
“I will not beat around the
bush, Maxwell,” McKeen began quietly. He placed his hands on the polished table
and leaned forward, dark brown eyes glinting with eagerness. “You know why you
have been called here. Earth needs a new leader and with the passing of Queen
Relena, we feel it is right that you take over the role.”
“The people trust you,”
Yanagi piped in. “Stories of your exploits as the leader of the Opposition have
traveled far and wide. Your fights for good and the restoration of power to the
right hands have been well documented and you are almost seen as a hero to
many.”
“We only ask that you lead us
to the next millennium,” Jean-Pierre added. “With your guidance, we are assured
that the Earth and Colonies will maintain a peaceful alliance that will last
for many generations to come.”
“We know of your concerns for
L2, L4, and L5,” McKeen said quietly. “L4 has gone through tremendous progress
so far, and as you know, Quatre Winner is in the running to become the new
leader of that colony cluster. I have no doubt he will win many votes, since he
is pouring the most money and infrastructure into its redevelopment. L5 has
already kicked off rebuilding as well with help from the several volunteers and
former Organization units recruited. I also hear that you have managed to
convince the Chang head family to take over once construction is over. Quite an
admirable job considering how reluctant they have been with their involvement
in world affairs. L2 has been under your supervision for the past few months,
and it goes without saying that you have done a fantastic job so far. I have no
doubt they’d want you to rule as their leader, but I believe you gave the role
to Officer Sheldon.”
Duo nodded slowly.
“Excellent. It then leaves
you with Earth,” McKeen said with a smile. “You can also help us here. There
are many programs that we wish to have reviewed or re-instated. Take for
instance the shipment of gundanium. If we can have access to that, we can begin
work on creating an army that will be at the ready in the case of another
uprising. What we need is a--”
“Puppet,” Duo finally replied
with a small smile.
The officers looked stumped.
It was finally Yanagi who broke the silence. “I’m afraid we do not understand,
Maxwell. What do you mean…?”
Duo lifted his gaze from the
table to pin cool violet depths on his rapt audience. “What I mean is that I
have no interest in becoming anyone’s puppet. Even if I were to agree to this,
what would stop you from imposing your will upon me to satisfy your various
demands? That’s the way it is with power amongst you elite, isn’t it?” His lips
curled into a small sneer, his gaze now flints of irritation. “I wasn’t just
fighting Treize Khushrenada and his ideals, gentlemen. I was fighting something
so much bigger. I was fighting against the prejudice and corruption that goes
on behind closed doors, against the favoritism that seemed to leak through your
cabinets and officials as you all sought for your own greed and--”
“Enough!” Allison roared as
he rose to his feet, pounding his fist hard upon the table. “We do not have to
listen to his bullshit!”
“Colonel!” McKeen barked
curtly. “Please sit down! Remember we called him here for help. We should at
least listen to what he has to say.”
The Colonel did as he was
told reluctantly, still glaring at Duo who had a smirk on his visage. The
younger man leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs, a gloved hand cupping
his chin as he eyed the military might before him. It could be so easy to say
yes and have it all at his fingertips, but when he thought of the smiling faces
of children he had met in the past few months all excited to begin new schools
and live in new homes on L2, or the sight of Hilde smiling again as she joined
Noin and Sally in the rebuilding of their homes, or of Sheldon laughing
heartily over a game of cards, or Antonio looking sheepish as he introduced his
new girlfriend, or of simply staring at a beautiful sunset with Heero by his
side, Duo knew he couldn’t trade that for anything else in the world. His
rebellious days were over. All he wanted was a peaceful life with the man he
was beginning to love more and more with each passing day.
“Do what you have to do,”
Heero had muttered to him earlier. “I know you’ll make the right choice.”
“Well, Maxwell?” McKeen
asked, even though there was a tone of resignation in his voice. It was as if he
knew that the young man would refuse his offer anyway. “What will it be?”
/Go…build a better world for everyone…with…my
brother…/
Duo closed his eyes for a
moment, wishing he could tell Relena that he was so sorry for not finding Zechs
yet. Although he had sent his best detectives to search for the elusive man, it
seemed as if the blond soldier had simply vanished off the face of the earth.
I’m so sorry, Relena. I really, really am, but I’m
going to do things my way. The only way I know how.
He opened his eyes to look at
the officials again, a small smile on his lips as he tried to frame his words
just well enough to get his point across.
“I will decline the offer,
gentlemen,” he began slowly. “As tempting an offer as it is. Perhaps I’m doing this
for purely selfish reasons. That is something I’m yet to find out. I didn’t
grow up wanting to become a rebel leader, believe it or not. All I wanted was a
peaceful colony, with food and water for myself, my friends and my future
family. To me Earth was a beautiful place that I felt should not be tarnished
in any way. I held on to my naďve dreams despite never knowing the love of a
real father or a mother. However, things changed – our leaders changed. They became so enticed by the promise of wealth
and power that they forgot about the people who elected them to office. Now,
tell me, is that fair, gentlemen? Is it fair to live in a luxurious castle
while a kid walks in front of your building every day begging for food? Is it
fair that many are dying from lack of medical attention, good water or proper
supply of oxygen just because the prices were rising higher and higher to beef
up our so called leaders’ pockets? Tell me how fair it becomes when brothers
attack brothers just to survive, when children steal and sell their bodies for
money just to get by. Tell me how men and women and children begin to get sold
to an Organization, or kidnapped never to be heard from again, only to hear
that they’ve become fucking robots for some goddamn program!”
By this time, Duo’s cool
demeanor had long been forgotten. He was leaning closer to the table now, angry
eyes meeting and challenging each leader as they lowered their gazes as if in
shame. Even Allison couldn’t bear to stare at Duo’s face for too long. The
power the younger man exuded at this very moment was almost choking. He could
see why many had feared him in the past.
“I had to watch this
everyday, gentlemen,” Duo continued in a dangerously low tone. “I had to watch
my colony reduced to a shadow of its former self, and at the ripe old age of
fifteen, I became a ‘rebel’ – going underground, risking my life every day and
night to find like minded individuals who wanted freedom. You see, we were in
hell, gentlemen, and I wanted out of it. Or better yet, I wanted to drag those
assholes we called leaders into the
pits of filth, decay and death and rub their noses in it!”
He laughed – a short, almost
barking sound of derision - and sat back in his chair. He closed his eyes and
rubbed a hand across his forehead. When he opened them again, it was to stare
longingly at the window, watching the golden hues of sunset bathe through the
thick curtains.
“I just want to live a normal
life for once, gentlemen. A life free from obligations and the weight of others
on my shoulders. For ten years I carried this burden and it was becoming way
too heavy for me. Perhaps a part of me was even grateful I became a unit.” He
smiled bitterly. “I was ‘free’ for a while at least. I could remember nothing
and didn’t want to at some point. Perhaps a part of me still knew what awaited
out there and didn’t want to go back. It wanted to remain in that sterile
environment where it was treated like a thing and liable to be exterminated if
it fucked up just one time. But then…” His smile became wistful. “I met someone
who made me re-think my priorities again. The more I lived, the more I knew I
was doing so for him. He was trapped in his own world and needed someone like
me to break him free from those chains. I guess we both helped each other in
that regard. I thought I knew what real strength was until I met him. For you
see, gentlemen, true strength isn’t running around and waving weapons, or flashing
a military badge here and there. True strength isn’t just being the leader of
thousands, no millions all over the solar system. True strength comes from the
heart. It comes from knowing that you are willing to accept your mistakes and
to change, to become better for it. It’s facing hopelessness and death and
beating it with your will to survive. True strength comes in giving another a
second chance to live and to love, and with him, I finally found what I have
been lacking for so long. ”
If the officers were shocked
at Duo’s admission of being in a relationship with another man, they did their
best to hide it with polite masks of interest.
“The bottom line, gentlemen,
is that I cannot be the leader you want me to be anymore,” Duo said, folding
his hands. “I will work on L2 and do my best until the colony is back to what
it was before the bullshit began. After that, I will be retiring to an
undisclosed location with my significant other. If you feel it’s absolutely
necessary to contact me, then you can speak to Officer Sheldon. Otherwise, I’d
appreciate you all pretending I do not even exist once my job is done.”
He smiled and rose to his
feet in a move that was nothing short of graceful. Bowing politely to the
stunned men, he left the room, closed the door behind him and sagged wearily
against it. Phew. That had taken away
five years of his life.
“How did it go?” came the soft
question from the dark-haired man waiting for him outside the building. Duo
eyed Heero in appreciation, the doctor no longer limping thanks to a leg that
was now made out of gundanium like his partner’s. Heero’s new hospital on L1
was booming thanks to this new development and talks of creating another one on
L2 was in the works. Doctors J and G had been found, and now worked
(reluctantly) under Heero’s supervision. They had been captured by the Earth’s
Forces, but were released after a sworn deposition from Heero and Duo in court.
Patini, on the other hand, hadn’t been so lucky. He had died during the raid.
“They’ll live without me,”
Duo replied with a chuckle as he wrapped his arms around Heero’s waist,
nuzzling him gently. “I told them they could take their position and shove it
up their asses.”
Heero blinked in surprise,
although flushing at the public display of affection. “You didn’t.”
“Well, I could have,” Duo
replied with a wink.
He stopped and turned back to
look at the Peacecraft crest upon the grand building. With its marble columns,
designed to look like the Pantheon, as well as the hundreds of flags from
different nations that hung from its rooftops, it really was an impressive
piece of architecture.
“Regret?” Heero asked,
sinking hands into the pockets of the brown tailored pants of his suit.
“Nah, just thinking this
might be the last time I see this place. Might as well enjoy it while I can.”
They began to walk down the
remaining flight of stairs, neither saying anything as thoughts and words they
so longed to say seemed trapped within their minds. Heero stole a quick glance
at Duo’s profile, savoring the man he had had to himself for the past few
weeks. Every day with Duo was a pleasure in itself, and it just wasn’t because
of the great sex they had every now and then. With Duo he was exposed to things
he had never known before. He made more friends than his twenty-five years on
earth combined. The beauty of Earth…no, of life in general had been revealed
with Duo, and Heero realized just how shrouded and closed his world had been
from birth to his stint with the Organization. With Duo he felt he was alive
again. Duo’s kindness, gentleness and determination reminded Heero of just how
much he—
“…love you, you know,” came
the low mumble that had Heero freezing in his tracks. Duo’s face was a bright
red as he continued to walk down the rest of the steps quickly, perhaps
embarrassed at his moment of weakness.
Heero’s lips formed a small
but beautiful smile at the confession, feeling his heart leap with an emotion
he was no longer going to try to hide. He knew without a doubt that he was
ready for his new life with Duo Maxwell, and no matter where it led him, the
young doctor was willing to follow until his dying day.
Addendum:
The End