Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Purrfect Houseguest ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

Rikkali : when I said feline personality, I didn't mean feline behavior. I was referring to the way cats are very independent, proud and self-serving creatures that like to dominate, rather than to serve and please in the way dogs do. ___________________________________________________________________________ _______________

The Purrfect Houseguest

Part 4

A pair of pale blond ears twitched, as he listened to the sound of approaching voices. He kept his eyes closed and his breathing deep and even, well aware that he was possibly being watched. There was no reason to give away that he was already awake.

He could hear two different people speak, but he didn't recognize their voices or their scent. No, they were definitely not any of his handlers. Who are they, and where am I?

When he had woken up only a short time ago, he had found himself in the back of a moving truck, locked into a large cage. There were no windows, and no way for him to tell where they were taking him.

His handlers had transported him before, but he was always sedated and never woke up before they reached their destination. What happened this time, he wasn't sure. Perhaps somebody made a mistake when mixing the drugs, or maybe he had been drugged so many times that he had developed some kind of resistance against the sedative.

He had still been pondering about it, when the truck had suddenly stopped. Since then he was lying in the dark, listening, waiting for something to happen…

#####

The phone on his nightstand rang in the middle of the night.
Sleepy he gazed at the illuminated numbers on the clock radio, as he reached for the receiver. It was a quarter to one. "Tubarov here."

"This is Alex."

"Do you realize what time it is?" the doctor asked his assistant, sounding more than just a little disgruntled.

"Yes, I do," the other man replied. "But this can't wait till tomorrow. Zechs has gone missing."

"What?" Tubarov was bright awake in an instant. A bucket of ice water poured over his head couldn't have had a better effect than Alex's statement. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure. The truck that was taking him to the airfield has disappeared."

"How is that possible? Where were you and Mueller?"

"We were following the truck just like we always do, but after stopping at a traffic light we got boxed for a moment in by another car. We lost sight of the truck but continued to the airport, thinking that we would eventually catch up with it. When we didn't, I tried to contact the driver but he never answered. That was almost an hour ago. They still haven't shown up at the airfield. What do you want us to do?"

"Damn it," Tubarov cursed. "Who was driving that truck?"

"Parker."

The doctor frowned. Jim Parker had been working for Gentec for a long time, nobody could have expected that he would do something crazy; especially something as crazy as stealing a neko. "Call the lab and have them send out a security team to look for the truck. I'll contact Romefeller."

"As you wish, Dr." Alex replied. "I'll call back if there is any news."

Tubarov groaned as he hung up the phone. Just when he had thought things could not get any worse."

#####

"So, you are really trying to tell me that you have a neko in there, do you?" The small, corpulent man with a reclining hairline, gestured toward the steel gray vehicle with the Gentec logo, that stood between dozen of other trucks in a large parking structure.

The other man snorted. "You don't even believe your own brother?"

"Oh I believe that you have some kind of rare animal in there, but a neko…? That sounds a little farfetched, don't you agree?"

Jim Parker gave another snort. "Let me prove it to you then, Mr. Skeptic."

"Hey, wait a second," his older brother raised his hand and took a step back as Jim headed toward the back of the truck. "You are not going to let it out, are you?"

"Of course not. How stupid do you think I am? It is caged in," the trucker told his brother, as he ran his keycard through the automatic lock. "Besides, it is asleep. I talked with one of the people that work with the thing. He said it won't wake up for hours." He pulled open the heavy metal doors. "There it is our ticket to riches. Take a good look, Frank."

Frank stepped cautiously closer, relieved when he saw that the inside of the truck really was divided into four large cages. Three of the cages were empty. In the fourth lay, stretched out on a makeshift bed and partially covered with a blanket, what looked like a tall human; a human with long silvery blond hair, a pair of catlike ears and…
"Holy shit, look at those claws," the man exclaimed. "I would not want to get into a fight with that thing. I bet he could rip your throat out in a heartbeat."

You better believe it. Zechs didn't move. Through half-lidded eyes he watched the two men wearily. Neither of them seemed to realize that he was awake.

The shorter of the two squatted down by the iron bars regarding the neko for a few moments wordlessly, before asking: "Can you open the door? I want to touch him."

Don't even think about it. Do I look like some kind of stuffed animal that wants to be petted? Keep your greasy paws to yourself.

"No, I can't," Jim replied. "My keycard only works on the truck itself; it won't let me open the cage. So, let's just wait, alright. The buyer should be here any moment now."

"Who is that guy anyhow?" Frank asked as he rose to his feet and turned toward his brother. "I mean the guy has to be filthy rich if he can afford to cash out a million credits to buy himself a neko. What does he want with that thing anyway; keep it as some kind of pet?"

The younger man, leaning against the side of the truck with his arms crossed in front of his chest, shrugged. "I really couldn't care less, to tell the truth. Once he pays me he can do whatever he wants with it. The only thing that matters to me is that you and I will be rich soon."

"How did you find the guy?"

"I didn't. He found me. He contacted me several months ago. For some reason he knew that I was working as a truck driver for Gentec." Jim grinned. "I always knew that this job would provide for a comfortable living, I just had no idea it would be that comfortable.  - Ah, there they are now." He gestured toward a group of vehicles, a small truck, followed by two black BMWs, which had just entered the parking structure.

Zechs eyes narrowed as he watched the two men walk away and out of his sight. He had heard enough to figure out what was going on, and he couldn't say that he liked it. It was not as though he was very attached to Gentec, the scientists there or his handlers, but he liked the idea of being sold to somebody else even less. But perhaps he could do something about that. Perhaps, this was the chance he had been waiting for for a long time.
The silver-haired neko moved slightly, rearranging himself into a more comfortable position. He had been lying like this for a long time now and he could feel the strain on his limbs. He didn't want them to fall asleep, he needed to be able to move, and move quickly when the time came.
It was also getting colder, and he could barely stop himself from shivering. He was dressed only in a tee-shirt and a pair of sweat pants. The thin blanket that somebody had thrown over him did little to protect him from the cool night air.

###

Jim Parker recognized Roberto Ventuno right away, even though he only met the man once before. He was tall, black-haired; broad shouldered, and wore a grey, tailor-made suit that made him look like he had just stepped out of a fashion magazine. Ventuno was accompanied by several guys who appeared to be his bodyguards, and a skinny, nervous looking man who was clutching a black leather bag in his hands.

"Everything went as planned, Mr. Ventuno," Jim informed the man eagerly.

The Italian nodded in acknowledgement before turning his head toward the older of the Parker brothers.

"This is my brother," Jim answered the unspoken question. "He helped me getting rid of your escort."

"I see," Ventuno gave another nod. "What about the neko? Has he been behaving himself?"

"Oh yes, no problems at all. They sedated him before we left. He is still out."

"Wonderful, that will make things a lot easier." Ventuno turned toward the skinny man at his side. "Won't it, Dr. Schwartzberg?"

"I suppose it will," the doctor agreed.

"Well, I guess that's it then. You got your neko; here is the key to the truck. Now, if you'd pay us we will be on our way." Jim parker was eager to get his money and leave. There was something about Ventuno that made him feel very uneasy and intimidated.

"Not so fast. I want to see him first. You don't expect me to buy "the cat in the sack" do you?"

Jim forced himself to smile at the Italian's cheap joke. "Of course not. But I don't have the key to open the cage he is in."

"No problem. I expected that much. Diego!"

One of Ventuno's men retrieved a small handheld device from one of the cars. He disappeared into the back of the Gentec truck to do something. A few moments later he re-appeared and nodded at his boss. "It's open."

"Well done!" Ventuno turned toward the doctor. "He is all yours. We need a blood test and a DNA test. How long do you think it will take before you get the results?"

"I should have the blood analyzed for you by tomorrow morning. The DNA will take a little longer," Schwartzberg replied.

"That sounds acceptable." Before the Italian climbed onto the truck behind the doctor, he turned to his bodyguards. "Keep the tranquilizer guns ready. I don't want any surprises whatsoever."

###

Zechs pressed his teeth together to keep them from chattering. He was freezing now. With his chin tucked against his chest he watched from beneath long, silvery fringes as two more strangers climbed onto his truck. He struggled to keep his breathing under control, trying hard not to give away that he was awake.

The two strangers looked down at him for a few moments before the taller, dark-haired man spoke.

"Go ahead, Dr., take the blood sample. We don't have all night."

"Right." The other man opened the unlocked cage door and stepped hesitantly closer. When he set the bag he was carrying down next to the neko and bent forward to open it, Zechs decided that it was time to act.

The doctor let out a rather undignified yelp and stumbled backward when the neko suddenly snarled at him, exposing a set of intimidating fangs.

Zechs moved like liquid lightning. In one fluid movement he was on his feet, grabbed the retreating man on his shoulders and hurled him toward his companion like a rag doll. The impact knocked both men to the ground. Without hesitation Zechs leaped over the two bodies and out of the truck.

"Stop him," Ventuno yelled at his men, as he pushed away the still shocked doctor, and scrambled to his feet. "Don't let him get away!"

The blond neko scowled as two of the bodyguards tried to block his path. Out of my way, you fools. He pushed one of the men aside with his shoulder, while at the same time lashing out at the second, slashing him across the face with his claws. The man screamed in a mixture of pain and shock as he stumbled backward, and covered his bleeding face with his hands.

Zechs dashed over the parking lot, trying to find cover between parked cars and trucks. Behind him he could hear yelling and then a few low popping sounds, just before something hit him at the right shoulder. The neko hissed in pain as he reached up and pulled out a small arrow-like object. He had seen those projectiles before. They were the same kind of tranquilizer darts the scientist at Gentec used to sedate animals.

Although Zechs managed to remove the dart almost instantly, the damage was already done. The projectiles were designed to release their sedatives on impact. It didn't take long before he could feel the effects. His legs started to feel like lead, and it became difficult to even keep his eyes open. The neko stumbled more than he walked. At one point he tripped over a curb and was barely able to break his fall. The sudden stab of pain in his knees and the sounds of his pursuers closing in on him, sent another jolt of adrenalin through his body.
Zechs struggled to push himself up, fighting drowsiness and the temptation to just curl up and go to sleep.

###

"Where exactly are you planning on keeping him," Dr. Schwartzberg asked, while he watched as Ventuno's men combed the parking lot for the escaped neko. "My laboratory is too small, and in no way equipped to …"

"Don't worry about it," the other man replied. "We won't need to keep him alive for a very long time anyway."

Schwartzberg's jaw dropped. "Wait a second. You never said anything about killing him. I thought the plan was to sell him."

"Oh, I'm still intending to do that," Ventuno replied with a dark grin, "just not in one piece. Can you even imagine how many research centers out there would pay a fortune to get their hands on a fresh tissue sample of a real neko?"

The doctor shook his head. "This isn't right. If I had any idea that that's what you are planning I would have never agreed to help you."

"Cut it out, Dr. Don't give me that kind of crap. You are in on this for the money as much as I am, so don't get all mushy on me now. This thing isn't even human. Besides," the man's grin turned sarcastic. "He might be doing something good for his own kind. Who knows, he might become the ancestor of a new generation of nekos."

"Still I don't know…"

"That's enough, Dr," Ventuno interrupted him sharply. "If I wanted your opinion I would have asked for it. All I want from you is to examine him and analyze his blood so that we can offer proof to any potential buyer that we have a pure bred neko in our possession. Did I make myself clear?"

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T.B.C.

Author's Note:  I realize I said that Treize and family would go on their weekend trip in this chapter, but that never happened yet. But don't blame it on me; it's all Zech's fault. He insisted that he deserved a whole chapter for himself. Nekos! *shakes head* You offer them your little finger and they take your whole hand.

For those (mainly the readers at ff.net and mediaminer) who haven't seen the picture of Neko Zechs yet, check it out on my website at: http://www.gundam-wing-universe.net/fanfiction/graphics.php?id=1172&gra phic=1