Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Everbody Breaks ❯ The Meaning of Duty ( Chapter 10 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Things continue to get more complicated, and Wufei isn't fully recovered yet - not by a long shot, but what do you expect when he's faced with the undeniable truth that to him duty has to come first and if he has to he will give up his new found lovers and his new-found happiness to do what needs to be done. **Again, sorry this took so long but at least it's finally arrived! I hope you like it, if there are any really big factual mistakes let me know and I'll look into them but be kind, I'm not a policeperson about the closest thing I've got to that is that I was a volunteer firefighter when I was 17. I also know that Cantonelli is more of an Italian-type name and Hinduism is from India but remember, this is the future and I've already said that some things have blurred concerning customs and cultures... I mean, look at Quatre and Heero and that's pretty obvious, don't you think?

Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Drama | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 12.01.2005 | Pages: 7 | Words: 13.6K | Visits: 1.3K | Status: Completed

The Meaning of Duty

By Kai

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Gundam Wing - and trust me - the boys are VERY thankful for that fact.

Ratings: NC-17 (sexual content and language) but not in this part, the rating is staying though because it applies to most of the story.

Warnings: Yaoi, 1x2x5x3x4 but not in this part... next part, maybe...

Special Thanks To Z for taking on the horrible and terrifying job of betaing for me. To think she was actually HAPPY to have the job.

Summary: Things continue to get more complicated, and Wufei isn't fully recovered yet - not by a long shot, but what do you expect when he's faced with the undeniable truth that to him duty has to come first and if he has to he will give up his new found lovers and his new-found happiness to do what needs to be done. **Again, sorry this took so long but at least it's finally arrived! I hope you like it, if there are any really big factual mistakes let me know and I'll look into them but be kind, I'm not a policeperson about the closest thing I've got to that is that I was a volunteer firefighter when I was 17. I also know that Cantonelli is more of an Italian-type name and Hinduism is from India but remember, this is the future and I've already said that some things have blurred concerning customs and cultures... I mean, look at Quatre and Heero and that's pretty obvious, don't you think?

The Meaning of Duty

by Kai

**Oxford Dictionary Definition of

Duty : 1) a moreal or legal obligation

2) a task that must be done, action required from a particular person

Duty-bound : obliged by duty

Honor : 1) great respect, high public regard

& nbsp; 2) a mark of this; a privelege given or received

& nbsp; 3) good personal character; a reputation for honesty, loyality, etc.

Responsible : 1)legally or morally obliged to take care of something or to

& nbsp; carry our a duty; liable to be blamed for loss or failure

& nbsp; 2) having to account for one's actions

& nbsp; 3) capable of rational conduct; trustworthy

**Quotes:

"At fifteen life had taught me undeniably that surrender, in it's place, was as honorable as resistance, especially if one had no choice." - Maya Angelou

"We must recognize that our real duty is always found running in the direction of our desires." - R. Bourne

"Action springs not from thought but from a readiness for responsibility."

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

ON TO THE STORY....

There were only a few Speeders as they were expensive. Each Preventers' Branch had merely one speeder that was used only for emergencies and their use had to be authorized by a high-ranking official in the Preventers' Agency. They only seated two average-sized people with absolutely no baggage, or one person with one bag. The Speeders hadn't been built for comfort but speed.

By the time the taxi pulled out of the driveway, I'd already given the L4 Branch my authorization code to have them begin the preparations for take off. I wasn't as good of a pilot as Duo but, if I pushed it, I could be back on Earth in five or six hours. Duo had once told me a trick to boost the Speeder's overall output after he'd somehow managed to get his hands on the schematics. After reading the e-mail, I checked to see if he was right. He had been. It would make the cockpit chilly and cause the flight to be a bit jarring, but it would undoubtedly work.

On the drive to the Preventers' docking area, I found myself wanting to call the others, but I steadfastly ignored the urge in order to concentrate on the millions of things I had to cover. With the senior ranks out of commission, I was going to be doing the work of nearly five people though Sally's assistant should be able to help me with the forensic and medical side of things. If not, then the headache I could already feel frowning would burst into a full blown migraine that would claim my head as it's new permanent residence.

Once I was set on the Speeder and launched, I quickly did the by-pass that Duo had mentioned and set about ensuring a secured channel to the Preventers' Main Branch. In addition, I had the computer monitoring the news for anything concerning Preventers and the bomb. With a channel secure, I contacted Eric and found myself looking at a group of seven Agents, including Eric. "Agent Warren, do you have the information I asked for?"

"Yes, sir. I'm sending it as we speak. I also gathered the men and women you requested."

On a screen out of view I was pulling up the files from the Preventers' database to match the faces I saw. I wanted them to believe that I requested each of them personally and to do that I needed to know their names and particulars. Eric knew me well enough to have known that and he'd done a fine job in his choices. Most of the men and women he had picked were experts in their fields, ex-soldiers and up for promotion. Lady Une had been reviewing their files before the bomb had gone off, and it was obvious that she had agreed with promoting them so I did just that and went one step beyond. "Congratulations Agents, each of you now have the rank of Captain. Due to this unfortunate event I am Acting Commander and the only person outside of Captain Warren that you need to report to until our injured comrades are well." Eric's eyes showed surprise, but his face remained neutral. He hadn't been up for a promotion so it was understandable that he was taken off-guard by it, but he was the only person in the room that I knew personally and the only one I fully trusted. Reading someone's file didn't mean much, a person could look good on paper but the real person didn't always match the paper version. The information Eric had sent me came up on my last available screen, and I was scanning it while doing my best to look as if I wasn't. There was a reason I didn't care to be in command; it was mostly pretense and acting. You always had to appear as if you knew what was going on and that you had a plan to deal with it. "Agent Mendoza."

A small woman of Hispanic descent gave me a sharp nod. "Yes, sir."

"Your expertise is bomb construction and deactivation."

"Yes, sir."

"Then you're in charge of the current situation. I want you to work with Agent Whitticker. His expertise revolves around the various factions that developed during the war and since the last war ended. Use whoever you need from the Agency to get answers as long as it doesn't cause problems in other areas and double-check anyone you choose. To get as close as they did with this bomb, they had to have had somebody on the inside. You'll have to have someone check on everyone from janitorial staff to agents."

"Already started, sir." I wasn't surprised by Eric's words.

"Who do you have working on it?"

"Agent Sebastian, sir."

I nodded. Agent Sebastian was one of the computer techs. I'd met him when he'd first joined. He was only eighteen but he'd already proven himself, numerous times, as being a genius with computer - nearly on the same level as Heero. He would never be field agent material, but he was a valuable agent none-the-less as he made sure that the field agents came back alive. Proper intel and on-the-job monitoring, among other things, made undercover and field work far safer then they'd ever been for us. "Good. And who is our liaison with the media?"

"That's Agent Jordan." He nodded at the oldest-looking agent in the room outside of himself. According to his file, Agent Jordan was in his late thirties with a good track record which indicated that he was a negotiation expert. He had a little gray in his hair that gave him a distinguished appearance instead of making him seem old or weary. His friendly smile and twinkling eyes - like he was sharing a private joke with you - managed to put even me at ease. Good choice.

"Agent Jordan." I nodded briefly in greeting. "I trust that Agent Warren has instructed you as to how we wish the media to be dealt with."

"Yes, sir. I've got a few contacts in the media circles that could help us with controlling how the story is revealed as well as when, but they would need to have an exclusive interview with someone as compensation."

I'd already expected the need for such measures so I only nodded. "Something will be arranged for those who help us; let them make suggestions and get back to me afterwards so that I can start juggling their requests. Right now just try to keep them satisfied with what you're allowed to say. It'll fall to you to try to stay abreast of what is in circulation; both rumors and truth. Get a team to help you, but run anyone you select past Agent Sebastian and Agent Warren first. I'd also like you to arrange for the personal effects of those who died to be collected, examined, and ready to give to their families. I'll see to telling their families personally if they are on Earth and if not I'll arrange an alternative." I took a breath. "Agent Lee."

A man of mixed decent, Asian and a European country (though it could have been any Anglo-Saxon denomination) answered. "Sir."

"You have the most field experience and the second most command experience. I want you to take charge of current field assignments and evaluate them. I will do likewise and together we'll come up with a course of action for each. In the meantime I want a backup team set up for each assignment when possible and put in place to help our agents should problems arise. Again check with Agent Sebastian and Agent Warren before you select your team." I glanced at the screen with their files when my eyelids were lowered briefly. "Agent Longshadow."

"Yes, sir." I was answered by a man with dark hair pulled into a braid as long as Duo's, and I had to fight back the sudden ache in my chest. It wasn't the time for such things.

"You have less field experience than Agent Lee but more command experience, and because of that I'm putting you in charge of field Ops, or more precisely, any new field assignments." More than one person seemed surprised by that. Since my headache had grown, I rushed forward to prevent any extra arguments or questions. "We're still needed to do our jobs. Crimes won't halt just because it's inconvenient to us, besides, we're not sure of the reason behind this attack or who is responsible. It could be a way of distracting us so that one of our assignments or future assignments will be delayed or aborted. I can assure you, that if there's one thing I don't wish to do, it's to give the people who did this anything they want." I met each of their gazes as I said that and was satisfied to find that they shared my opinion. Their resolve was stronger than Gundanium. "Agent Valois."

The only other woman in the group was Agent Mendoza's opposite in every way when it came to appearance. Mendoza was small, dark and appeared fragile, at least at first glance and second glance too for that matter. Valois was a 6'2" tall, blond Amazon warrior. "Sir."

"You're in charge of training new recruits. You helped train soldiers during the war so this shouldn't be that much more difficult. However, you'll also be responsible for moving the training facility to L4." Again I continued so as to avoid being interrupted. "To have our Headquarters and our training facilities in the same area isn't a good idea, it never was, but due to political considerations that was what happened. Commander Une was making arrangements to create a new training Academy for new recruits the moment our green recruits started to making up 50 % of our new groups. If things had continued as they were, it would have taken years to initiate the move and construction, but I'm going to use this situation to push that agenda forward. To do that effectively, though, I'll need the files Commander Une was working on and your assessment of them. Agent Warren will help you locate them."

"May I ask why you chose L4 sir?"

"Actually, I didn't. It was a decision by the Commander and her Captains because out of every possible location, L4 has the least resistance towards the peace we've obtained and the least amount of aggression and ill-views concerning the Preventers' Agency and their agents."

"Thank-you, sir."

I nodded to her. "You're welcome. Now, before I dismiss you, are there any points that need further clarification or any questions that I haven't addressed." I gave them a minute before I continued. "Very well, Agent Warren, if you could stay a moment I have a few more things to discuss with you. The rest of you are dismissed."

I waited until they had cleared out and the door was firmly shut before I jumped all over what I really wanted to know. "How are they Eric?"

He'd remained composed through out the entire meeting, but suddenly he looked like he'd aged ten years in two seconds. "Not good Wufei. Sally's in a coma, Noin has second degree burns over 30% of her body - mostly her back, Zechs my loose his arm - they're not sure they can save it, Tabitha needs more reconstructive surgery to her face, and Une has severe internal injuries and second degree burns on her left arm. Sally's in the best condition overall, but as I said they don't know when she'll wake up or if she'll wake up. We're looking at a month for sure but that's being optimistic - I'd say you're going to be the Acting Commander for at least six months, if they pull through, if not..."

My stomach flipped angrily at the possibility. "Let's not think about that until we have no other choice." I took a deep breath. "Schedule a meeting with the Politicians for two days from now at about five or six in the evening and try to get reports to me in an hour."

"You think you can do this? Last time I checked you were on sick leave you know."

I just shrugged. "It doesn't matter what I think, what matters is that I do what needs to be done and I will. I'll talk to you in an hour Eric."

*******************************

By the time Eric reported I had gone through nearly all the information I'd been sent. There wasn't much for him to report as no one had claimed responsibility yet and no new information or evidence had turned up which left me with the task of contacting... my lovers. I'd had to put them entirely from my mind because I kept finding myself wanting them there. I would never have believed that in less than a week you could become accustomed to the presence of others to such a degree that their absence was almost a physical thing. I might have had issues with them touching me in casual ways, but I needed and waned to touch them so badly that I'd read the same sentence twenty times after I'd begun to familiarize myself with the information I needed to know to perform the job of Acting Commander. Thankfully I was only truly responsible for the Earth Sphere and only an over-seeing figure where the Colony Branches were concerned or I'd never have been able to manage. I had been right though. I had been doing more work than my original position needed. In fact, I'd been doing about 50% of Une's work which made it easy to catch up, but put me in the unfortunate situation of having no excuse to keep putting off calling the others. I had the feeling that they were going to be, er, displeased with how I had left. I should have told them but... I didn't want to think of the real reason behind that decision. In the end it didn't really matter all that much anyway because it was already done and there was nothing left to do but face the consequences. With that somber thought, I used the Speeder's vid-phone to place a direct call to the house.

It startled me a bit to have my call picked up before the first ring had completed by a 'frazzled-looking' Trowa. I'd never thought it was possible for him to look as if he was unable to handle something but he did, he looked - for the lack of a better term-frazzled. When he saw me he blinked two times and when he finally spoke the pain I heard in his voice caused me to ache in guilt. "Wufei? Are you alright?"

"I'm just fine Trowa." He didn't relax at all as I said that.

"W-where are you?" He stuttered. Trowa had never stuttered before.

From the way he was behaving I had a sudden, dreadful sense of what would happen if I just blurted out right then that I was on a Speeder moving as fast as I could back to Earth, so I tried another track. "What's going on Tro?"

I wasn't big on using nicknames, but they did establish familiarity and it came out a bit softer than I'd intended which gave it a hint of intimacy and affection. It seemed to confuse him a bit, but it was preferable to the way he'd looked so lost only moments before. "We were looking for you. Quatre went to get you for... this morning…and you were gone. I swear Wufei, we didn't mean to push you, I'd thought... I must not have been thinking when I suggested what I did. I'm so sorry, please just-just come home. We can figure it all out together, I know we can."

Someone might as well have used a baseball bat on me because it would have had the same affect that his words had. I hurt inside and out and I wanted nothing more than to turn the Speeder around and go back to him just as he'd asked but I couldn't. I couldn't. I suddenly felt as helpless as I had when Meiran had died, when my Clan had been destroyed, and during countless incidents the length of the war. I hated the feeling, hated it so much. It tore my insides further apart every time I felt it.

"Wufei? Wufei, what's wrong? Love, please don't cry."

I blinked at Trowa's face to see him looking both worried and upset. Dumbly I raised my hands to my face to find my cheeks wet. I'd been crying and with that realization I found myself crying harder muttering "I'm sorry" over and over again as I tried to use my arms to hold myself together when they could not because I was falling apart emotionally not physically. It didn't help that I knew I couldn't, that I knew I had to pull myself together because I was needed, but I wanted them so much and it hurt worse than any torture I'd ever been through to be forced to choose and know that I couldn't choose them. I don't know how long I was like that but soft voices and kind, concerned words brought me back to myself.

When I focused back on the screen they were all there, waiting... I started to talk before they could; I had to or I wouldn't be able to at all. "There was an... incident at Headquarters. I can't tell you much because it's classified. I'm the only one with the rank high enough to be the undisputed Acting Commander at the moment. I left shortly after I received notification from Agent Eric Warren. That was shortly after 5:30 this morning. I should have left you a note or told you before I left, but I'm needed on Earth and I honestly believed you would still be asleep when I called to inform you. I didn't leave because of anything you did and I wish I could come back like you want me to Trowa, but I can't. I'm the only one who can do this, if I don't it'll take days - maybe even weeks to appoint a suitable Acting Commander and by then it might be too late to find the people who were responsible for this... incident." My hands were shaking so I put them below the console, though I knew they'd already seen it.

"We can help..." That was Duo but I shook my head as I cut him off without actually looking at the screen.

"You can't. Your status is that of consultant or temporary agent and there's no way the politicians will allow you to be involved without pushing you to accept positions as full-time agents, and I know that's something you don't want."

"But you can't do it alone." Quatre was frowning and chewing slightly on his full bottom lip.

"Preventers is hardly made up of one man, Quatre. I won't be doing it alone." That wasn't truth, but it also wasn't a lie.

"I know that Wufei, but I also know that if you're Acting Commander now when you were on sick leave for two months only a few hours ago that there isn't anyone else to do it. That means that you don't have anyone who is used to being in a high command rank to help you with any of the things that only high ranking agents can. I run a multi-orbital company with over fifty separate branches, various charities, scholarships, research facilities, off-shoot companies, partnerships and other things that I've probably missed. I know the difficulty of trying to run something as large as Preventers by myself and that's with trained, experienced, loyal, reliable and competent people to aid me."

I dug deep inside myself for the place that I had needed during the war. I hadn't needed to reach into that part of myself since the moment Sally had offered me a place as a Preventers' Agent on behalf of Commander Une. It was a place that was emotionally void and where duty was everything, a part of me that wouldn't accept failure even if I worked myself into the ground. I would not be defeated even if I was killed. Some believed that to die is to loose but that isn't the case. The only way to loose is to truly give up. Not surrender but to give up; quit. Once connected to it I would be able to do what I had to do, even if it meant giving up what I wanted the most. "I can and will do what I must; alone or otherwise."

"Then it'll have to be otherwise because you're not going through this alone."

I hadn't actually been looking at the screen when Heero spoke, but when I looked up there was no doubt as to what Heero meant and it shook me from the place I'd reached for. "But... but you don't want to be part of Preventers."

He shrugged. "I can retire once things have been settled. With the contracts Une gave us signed I'll be a Senior Agent, and I'll able to help you with your work load. I may not want to be part of Preventers, but I do want to be part of your life."

"This situation won't be over for at least six months, maybe even a year or more." My heart was pounding because what he was offering was what I had feared and because no one had ever done anything like it before; not for me.

"Well that leaves Cat out of the recruitment process." Duo laughed slightly. "But the rest of us are still fair game."

"I might be left out of the 'recruitment process' as you put it, Duo, but I am far from powerless in this matter. After all, both Relena and I are on the board and since we each have family involved in this matter the other board members will just have to accept a slight shifting of power."

I blinked at him and then shook my head. "You've never used your seat on the board before Quatre and what about your company..."

His eyes locked on mine and it was like being in the eye of a tornado, safe but watching as everything around you faced an unparalleled fury. "Well, I'm about to take a very active interest in that seat as a few of my sisters haven't been enjoying retirement as much as they thought they would. They're more than capable and willing to take up any slack when it comes to the company. They might even thank you for it."

"B-but..." Nothing came to me, nothing.

"Wufei, it's okay. We'll talk after we get to HQ. In the meantime, Heero, Duo and I will sign the contracts Une gave us so that when we arrive you'll be able to give us our badges and swear us in. Quatre can call Relena and..."

"No!" The word just exploded from me. "I-I h-haven't contacted the families of the injured yet. The situation knocked out some of the chain of command and some things haven't been taken care of as quickly as they should have. I still have to notify Relena, if you call her before..."

Trowa nodded voice soothing. "Alright, Quatre won't contact Relena for two hours; will that give you enough time to contact her?"

"Yes."

Heero nodded, "Then we'll be on Earth in about fourteen hours and ready to assist you in any way we can."

I could have said no, perhaps I should have said no, but I couldn't bring myself to because I needed them with me, I wanted them with me. "I'll have badges for you, and I'll have Agent Warren meet you at the Shuttle Port with them."

"Wufei." I'd been on the verge of cutting the connection but stopped as Duo spoke. His voice held an intensity it usually lacked unless he was using his 'Shinigami' persona. His eyes were flashing as well. "We love you. I don't know what we can do to prove that to you; to prove that we won't leave or abandon you, but I'm willing to spend my whole life attempting to do so."

"As are we all." Quatre's voice held no doubt and there was a strange tenderness in both Heero's and Trowa's eyes.

My throat closed up a bit and I had to force out my words. "You don't have to prove anything to me. I already love all of you and nothing will ever change that. Nothing." I disconnected the link before anything else could be said.

Then I got started on making the calls to all the families of those who had been injured, starting with Relena. The families of the dead I would see personally to explain what had happened, but the families of the injured I wouldn't be able to do that for.

*******************************

Relena took it better than I'd expected when I told her about Zechs, but she had always been stronger than people gave her credit for. She had said she was actually thankful that I was in charge instead of a person selected specifically by the political board. She seemed positively gleeful when I informed her of Quatre's decision to become active in the board. I'd left her in the process of arranging transportation to Earth so that she could check on her brother and Noin. On occasion, Relena could be just as practical as Heero - something that also surprised a great number of people about the former Princess.

Others hadn't handled the news well at all, and the worst part was that I still had to notify the families of the deceased. They were the ones I wanted to meet face to face which would make them the most difficult.

I had about two hours left before I would be docking at Earth's Shuttle Port and my real work would begin.

I used the time to go over possible suspect groups as well as to do preliminary evaluations of current field assignments and those that were about to be executed. I was looking for possible connections. Unfortunately, by the time I had finished I still had about ten groups that might have been responsible, and those were only the ones we knew about. I'd have to have another meeting with the new senior officers soon after I got in, but - realistically - I knew that that wouldn't be possible for at least five or six hours. After all, they had to rest some time. However, that didn't mean that there wouldn't be anything for me to do. I was planning on going over the crime scene myself as well as over the reports that should have been placed on my desk before speaking to the families of the deceased agents, sign some necessary paper work, and visit the hospital. Other than Sally's husband, I was the only other 'family member' listed in her files. It was my duty to be there for her just as much as it was my duty to keep Preventers running and to figure out who was responsible for the bomb.

Carefully I sealed and purged the computer of any and all files that I'd been using, and as I finished I found myself being guided through landing procedures at the shuttle port. Something I could and had done in my sleep. I might not possess Duo's natural abilities in the area but I was far from second rate.

As I exited the Speeder, I found Eric waiting for me looking tired but managing to hide it well. I didn't bother with pleasantries as they weren't necessary between us. Instead I informed him of the others' decisions and requested that he have their badges ready and that he be prepared to meet them in about nine hours. He seemed surprised, but gave me an easy 'of course, sir'. He wasn't so accepting of my order for him to get some rest and a good meal after he'd arranged for the badges to be ready but he didn't argue... much which showed me how truly tired he really was. Tired and worried.

When we arrived at the HQ, I saw that the extent of the damage hadn't reached the outside - probably no small part as to why there hadn't been more than a three sentence blurb on the news about an 'unfortunate incident at Preventers Earth Sphere Branch Headquarters that was currently under investigation'. Unfortunately, I knew that it wouldn't remain just a 'blurb' for long. Reporters were too well-trained not to know that there was far more to it than that. It was just a matter of time.

I quickly made sure that everything had been done properly concerning the crime scene and the evidence. Then, I found a competent-looking rookie and assigned him the duty of driving me where I needed to go, mainly to where Agent Cantonelli and Alisa's next of kin resided. Agent Cantonelli's two children were spending the week with their grandparents on the other side of the city, and Alisa's husband was working shift work as a senior engineer at one of the factories. He would be home in about an hour around 2:30 in the morning.

I made sure to find out if either of Agent Cantonelli's parents had any history of heart problems or anything that could cause any medical problems. Luckily, other than arthritis and some back problems they were fairly healthy. Still, it was going to be a shock for them, no matter how they were told - the only thing I could do was try and minimize it the best I could. I did that by bringing one of the best psychologists the Preventers had with me. After finding out that Agent Cantonelli's parents were devote Hindus, I made a call to the Temple that they regularly attended to make arrangements for Sri Swami Manaja to meet us at their house.

My driver, Agent Damian Russo, had started only a week ago. I remembered him from basic. He was one of the few truly 'green' recruits that Preventers has just started to get more of. He'd been average in everything we'd taught him, and therefore he hadn't been sent to Specials for the training he would have needed in sharp shooting, explosives, undercover work, infiltration or any of the other fields. He was much like all the other rookies who had been assigned to the Branches as regulars or administrative staff. There were about twenty at the HQ that I could have picked, but I chose him. I selected him because the intelligence in his eyes lead me to believe he could be more, and I was going to give him the chance to show me because we were going to be doing a lot of driving together in the future. Knowing my luck, he'd get more than a few chances to show his worth.

He'd already earned a few points by not arguing or questioning where we were going or what we would be doing, though I could tell that he was watching and listening to everything that was happening and he wasn't missing anything. It was a quality that was shared among the gundam pilots as well as every one of the Senior Agents among the Preventers. Only time would show if it would develop into what he would need to get farther in the Agency.

******************************

We pulled up in front of an apartment building after a fifteen minute drive, and it wasn't hard to spot the Swami who was standing at the entrance to the building. The robes were red but I knew that wasn't the case everywhere; it depended on the type of Hinduism that was represented as well as the location among other influences. We were in one of our marked cars, and she must have made the logical deduction that we were the Preventers she was waiting for since she made her way over to the car as we climbed out.

"Hello and peace. I am Sri Swami Manaja." She wasn't very old, maybe thirty or thirty-five at most and from her accent she was of Indian decent, earth-born if I didn't miss my guess.

I bowed slightly to her as she had to us in greeting. "Thank you for meeting us so late Sri Swami Manaja. I am Commander Chang and this is Sargeant Dunahee - one of our top Psychologists at Preventers and Agent Russo."

She gave them both a slight nod. "Please, just call me Manaja. Swami is my calling - not my name. So, is there a way that you wish to handle this?"

"I thought I could tell Agent Cantonelli's parents before the kids are told. I doubt that there is any way to tell someone that their only remaining child has died in a senseless act of violence so that it is easier for them to handle, but if we can help her parents over the shock - they will be the best chance of making it as easy as possible on the children."

Manaja nodded. "Yes, I think that as well."

The four of us rode quietly in the elevator to the fifteenth floor and made our way to room 1509.

I raised my hand to knock on the door and found myself briefly hesitating. I didn't want this responsibility but it was mine all the same - wanted or not - so my hand rapped against the door sharply twice. We waited a few minutes before the door open to reveal a tall man who still looked like a bear of a man even in his late sixties. The only thing he seemed to have in common with his daughter was her intense green-blue eyes. He didn't say anything at first, just looked us over slowly. We were all dressed in uniforms with our names and ranks clearly visible and in the company of a Swami he knew, it wouldn't have taken a slug long to figure our purpose for being there and in less than a second he shook his head and gave us a strained half smile. "Come in and have a seat in the living room, I'll wake Annie. Keep it down the kids are asleep. No need to wake them just yet."

He stepped back into his apartment and left us to settle ourselves in the living room directly in front of the door to their apartment as he moved down a darkened hallway and into a room - closing the door behind him.

The four of us sat in uncomfortable silence in the living room, and waited about ten minutes before Mr. and Mrs. Cantonelli joined us. Their eyes were red and their cheeks were a bit damp, but they were composed. It might have been a surprise that they were able to remain calm but both of them had been involved in relief efforts during the first war and they'd lost two sons to it and had almost lost their daughter as well during the second one.

It was immediately obvious that Agent Cantonelli had gotten her looks almost entirely from her mother, so much so that they could have almost passed as twins. She was dwarfed by her husband but her eyes held a strength of will I'd only encountered in a few men and women - Meiran, the pilots, and Une among them.

I stood up and gave her a slight bow, "Ma'am, I am Commander Chang Wufei and I'm afraid that the reason for my visit is..."

She waved her hand in a dismissive way and I shut my mouth as she got to the point. "My daughter is dead, if she wasn't we would have gotten a phone call and have been on our way to the hospital by now. However, last time my daughter spoke of the 'Smoldering Dragon' you were only a Captain, young man. I understand that you can't reveal details of a case, but if you're Commander when you apparently have no interest in such a position then something major has happened and I want to know three things. First of all was my daughter's death involved in it?"

I saw no harm in answering her question so that's what I did. "Yes."

She took a deep breath and continued. "Is what my daughter and the other Agents said about you true?"

That made me blink. I hadn't known that her daughter had spoken about me, but Mrs. Cantonelli's earlier comment about the 'Smoldering Dragon' suddenly made some sense. I hadn't known that any of the Agents or Agent Cantonelli had spoken of me - good, bad or otherwise. "I don't know what they said so I can't say that what was said about me was true or not."

Her eyes were unnervingly sharp and she seemed to be trying to see something - maybe something to support what she'd apparently heard. "They said that you were like a force of nature, a Smoldering Dragon that was only waiting for his flame to be fanned. They said that you never leave a man down, that not even pain that would knock a veteran solider on his ass could stop you from doing what needed to be done. They said that you not only pushed them to their limits, but that you made them believe they could go beyond that if they needed to. A number of them, including my daughter, told me that you saved their lives at least once. The image they created of you in my mind was of a giant among men; their honorable and focused Captain Chang does not match the person before me."

"Of course not! I make mistakes just..." She cut me off again.

"You're seventeen - maybe eighteen at the most. For all appearances, a child; until I look into your eyes and then I see 'him', a man who has lost and sacrificed everything to do what's right, a man who continues to sacrifice still. And I understand now. I understand why she wanted to earn your respect, I understand why they speak of you in awe, and I understand why they wanted to continue to improve. They wanted to improve so that they could help you with your burden, they wanted to improve so that they could protect and help you as you did and do for them. If what Carla said is true that you don't want to be in command then you are and have been in command by virtue of who you are. You're a true leader and the men and women under you know that and serve you out of love and respect because of it."

I gaped at her. "That's not true Ma'am, I can assure you that they see me as they see any high-ranking Agent that they know nothing about."

Mr. Cantonelli shook his head. "No Sir, they don't. Our daughter told us that there were a handful of people she'd die for...her mother and I, her two children, her partner, her best friend and you."

My brain wasn't really working. "But - but..."

Mrs. Cantonelli clasped my shoulder in a firm grip. "You really didn't realize the loyalty you've inspired in them do you? You truly don't know what you mean to your Agents, but now you've been told. So open your eyes and see it. I believe my daughter and the other Agents spoke true of you so I ask the last thing I feel I need to." Her eyes drilled into me. "See that justice is done and find those responsible."

Everything else had thrown me for a loop, but those words I grabbed onto like a lifeline because I understood them and believed in them. "You have my word that I will ma'am."

"Then I know that you will. Now go your psychologist there and Manaja can help us with the rest." I raised an eyebrow at the mention of the psychologist and she gave me a slightly strained smile. "The wars had an education all their own and some things my husband and I learned well. Now go."

I bowed to them and turned to Agent Dunahee. "Call for a ride whenever you need it."

"Of course, sir."

Then Agent Russo and I left the apartment and went down to the car in silence. Neither of us spoke as we put on our seatbelts, but before Agent Russo turned the key in the ignition he broke the silence and forced my still turbulent thoughts into further chaos. "Sir, what she said about how the Agents feel... well she's right sir."

Then he started the car and we were on our way to speak to Tabitha's husband. A job I was almost thankful for, because at least it made sense. The rest of my life certainly didn't.