Written by Talon Harvilicz
Chapter Eleven: Waging War
There was a big crowd. The public, mainly humans, gathered to the podium in which Une planned to do her speech to get more supporters for her election. It was two days away. Une stepped up to the podium, followed by three men. Two were her bodyguards, and the other was her vice President.
Hidden away, Quatre turned to Heero and Duo. "Let's do it."
Heero gave a nod and typed into the lap top, hacking into a nearby oversized video monitor. He waved Quatre over, who scooted closer and took the microphone he handed him.
The speech had already begun.
"My fellow humans," she began. "The time is coming near for the election to take place. I still care about you, all of you, so that is why I am continuing my address to you people."
Quatre's image came upon the video monitor. "I think everyone should be aware of your lies, Miss Une," he said. "All you do is lie. You're lying to yourself and your people." The crowd turned to the monitor, and Une stared up. "Everyone should be aware of how much their soon to be President Une lies. Miss Une is responsible for the assassination of former President Darlin." There were a few murmurs in the crowd. "I know everyone here thinks I'm some sort of crazy Third. That's not the case. I'm special agent Quatre of the Criminal Justice Bureau. I've been investigating Miss Une, and it fits into her being the guilty one. She was not the one who actually committed the crime, but she put a Third up to it. The very thing she wants dead. She planned this. She planned to become President so she could kill every single Third out there."
"Don't listen to this Third," Une said over her microphone in front of the podium. "He's doing this because he knows what's comming to him. He knows if I become President I'm going to restore our world."
"No," he said. "I'm doing this to expose you, as I said I would. Your people should be aware of their President's real actions. She lies to get her way, and she lies to cover up her past. She's a murderer, and she will still be a murderer if she wins this election, but this time it will the the murder of millions of Thirds. You people should be aware that we Thirds are human. We are more human than you think. We have feelings, we feel pain, when someone dies, we feel grief."
"That's because those feelings are programed!" Une said. "You wouldn't be that way if your manufacturer didn't program you without those feelings. They're artificial. They're not real!"
"I am real! When I cry, they're real. I have feelings. More feelings than I want. Sometimes I wish I didn't have so much feelings, but then I wouldn't be so human. You people made me, so after that, you want to destroy me? Why would you want to do that? Would you kill your own child after you've grown tired of having him or her around? Would you kill your own children for making one single mistake? Isn't something you believe in, like forgiveness and acceptance? I thought you people knew about that. What happened to love?"
"You're a Third!"
"I am a Third," he said. "But it doesn't make me a senseless, lifeless machine. I am capable of love, I'm capable of grief, hatred, and fear. When you people do try to kill us, we cry with fearful tears and cry out for help. Haven't you ever heard those cries, Miss Une. Don't they sound just like human cries for help? Have you ever heard a Third cry out before? I witnessed my own friend die. I haven't seen him for three years, and when I finally heard his voice, he warned me to leave before I died like him. Humans killed him. Humans made him suffer. We are capable of suffering. We feel pain! We feel it when you hit us and when you burn us. We are your children, despite that we're made out of metal and wires, and artificial skin.
"We are the companions of lonely widows, and children without true parents. We don't steal their love, we help replace the love other people have rejected to give them. We actually care. We see their tears and return their loneliness with love. Humans have turned bitter towards us, so people in need can only turn to Thirds. You don't understand that we're aren't here to destroy your economy, we're only here because you made us. But that doesn't give you the right to kill us. Killing us is like killing another human being."
"If humans made you without emotions and feelings, and made you look less human, then no one would have any problems killing you."
"We're still alive. We'll still be Thirds, we'll still be there to do your bidding. It's the same as killing a mute and blind child."
"You were made to serve us!" Une said. "You were made to serve humans without complaints, and if we want to destroy you, then we will do so. You are not human."
"We are human, deny it or not. We have emotions, pain, and a spirit."
"You aren't human," she said. "You have no soul."
"That may be," he said. "But it's still murder. If you people don't want to hear the screams of pain and anguish, then don't vote for this woman. She is a murderer. She will be a mass murderer if she is elected."
"You Thirds will be extinguished," she said. "You are not human, and you will stop trying to convince my people that you are. You are what you are because you were programed. You are a machine, and empty machine that needs to be destroyed because it's obsolete."
Quatre narrowed his eyes. "Then expect a war. A war for the freedom and life of all Thirds. My friends and I will be waiting." The monitor went dark. The crowd shifted around uncomfortably and murmured amongst themselves.
Quatre looked at the others. "Come on."
Heero gathered up the lap top computer, and Quatre led the way out of their hiding spot, into the streets, to Trowa. He was waiting by his car.
"What are we going to do now?" Duo asked.
Quatre turned his head. "To my father."
"What?"
"He may not agree with me about my decision," he said. "But he may be able to help us." He got into the car, the passenger's seat. The others got in with him. Trowa started up the engine, and began their journey.
Quatre watched as countless trees breezed by as they traveled down the road to his creator's mansion. There was a bit of him that didn't want to see him, but he was the only one that may help him with the situation he got himself into. He knew about Thirds, he created many Thirds at his mansion.
They were close to getting to their destination. Minute by minute, he got tense. He wiggled a bit and grimaced lightly. He kept his anxiety to himself.
"We're almost there," he said lightly. "It's two miles ahead, on the right. You'll see it. The one with the gates and the garden inside."
Trowa drove on, until they came to the lavishing driveway of the Winner estate, with the metallic gates, like Quatre had said.
He stopped the car before the gates. Quatre got out, and walked to the speaker on the side of the gate. He pressed the button, and said: "It's Quatre." The gates opened a few seconds later, and he returned to the car. Trowa drove down the driveway with the lush green lawn on the sides. "They still remember me."
Trowa drove up to the front of the mansion, parked his car, and got out with the others. Quatre led the way to the front door, where they were let in by a butler Third. Quatre nodded to him, and went in.
"Where's father?" he asked.
"In the lab," the butler Third replied.
"Thanks." He led the others through the mansion, with them gawking at the sparkling appearance of the interior as if they were in a sanctuary. Duo was most impressed, being the street Third that he was. This would be the finest place he will ever see in his life. Quatre walked to one of the labs, where he luckily found his father working. He was in a lab coat.
"Yes, what is it?" he asked, turning around, thinking it was one of the servant Thirds. He looked just the way he remembered when he left, or should he say when he gave him away. Quatre felt extremely nervous when he saw him "Quatre..." They both stared at each other between their distance.
Quatre took a small step towards the light brown haired man.
"Quatre is that you?"
Quatre squeezed his fists, staring at him. What was he going to say? How was he going to approach him? His father was the one who got fed up with him and gave him away to that shelter. How could he forgive him? Quatre was the one who snapped. When he came back after he ran off, getting too curious, he returned bitter and hateful. He remembered shouting, "I'm not your cute little Third anymore!"
Quatre finally snapped.
"Father!" He ran up to him and ran into his arms, hugging him. He wish he could jump into his arms like in those movies, but if he did that, he would hurt him. He weighed about three hundred pounds.
He forgave him. For the moment.
His father pushed his head from his chest to look at him. "Quatre, what are you wearing?"
Quatre let him go and backed up. He looked at himself. This wasn't the attire he last saw him in. It was dressed in neat clothes, a nice vest and all, but now he favored red and black leather.
He didn't know how to answer nicely. "Clothes," he said, a smart-tone working in his voice.
His father grinned down on him anyway. "That's alright. I've missed you anyhow." He held onto his shoulders. "What brings you here?" He looked up to see the three other Thirds. "Are these your friends?"
"The friends." Heero said firmly. Quatre's creator stared at him.
"Oh, them. Why did you bring them here if they've taught you all those bad habits. You know---"
"Father," Quatre said, and backed up. "I'm not here to visit. I'm here on business, sort to speak. Did you hear about the situation with Une and the Thirds."
"Why, of course I have, Quatre. I'm against her because she wants to destroy Thirds."
"Things have gotten worse," he said. "Une has done the unthinkable. She was responsible for the assassination of President Darlin. She used a Third to do it. I tried to fight her, but she's too persistent. I declared war."
"You what?"
"You heard me. I've declared war with humans until she realizes that Thirds aren't just a pointless creation that gives her the right to destroy them. Father, the reason we came is I'm asking you to help us. We've got a far shot at winning. Four Thirds against a whole army isn't much of a match."
"What do you want me to do?" his father asked. "I hope you don't want me to build or reprogram my Thirds to be soldiers. You know I don't believe in fighting."
"I know," he said. "That's not what I'm asking. I was hoping you could do something for us. I don't know exactly what. Maybe make us more stronger, more durable to fighting."
"You weren't made to fight, Quatre."
"I know. I want you to do at least something. Anything that may help our chances."
He looked at him. He held his shoulders. "This is hard, Quatre. I don't want to do it, but if it is something you believe in, I'll try something. Give just me a moment to think of what I can do for you." He gave him a light push. Quatre walked to the others with his father following. His father looked at the group of Thirds. He looked at Duo, noticing the raw metal on his cheek. "What happened to you?" He went to lift his hand to him, when Duo quickly backed off.
"Don't touch me!"
Quatre grabbed his father's arm. "He's not too fond of humans."
He looked at Duo, who eyed him savagely like a cornered animal. "I'm sorry. Maybe I'm starting to understand why you influenced Quatre the way you did."
Duo gave a sneer and walked away, followed by Trowa and Heero. Quatre and his father were left in the lab room. His father looked at his Third. "I hope they can all trust me."
Quatre shook his head. "It's just Duo. He's had a bad life. He's been abused most of his life. He's smart, though."
"Quatre---"
Quatre held a hand to him. "Not now. Can you find a way to help us first before you start asking me questions about them? It's important."
"All right," he said reluctantly. "But later, I want to talk to you."
"I hope you're not going to tell me you want me back," he said. "Because I don't want to stay. I'll visit, if you want. But I don't want to stay. I won't be happy here if you keep me as a pet Third. I'm an agent for Criminal Justice, and I like what I'm doing. Right now, I'm defending my kind's lives. I'll die for them if I have to. I feel it's an obligation. If I don't do anything, then Une will win the election and kill all Thirds. Sometimes actions are louder than words."
His father closed his eyes and gave a light sigh. He put a gentle hand on Quatre's shoulder. "Then we should get to work."
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