The Mysterious Affair at Victoria (or, the Worms' Mistress)



Part 4



Duo's Rooms

"Zeeeechs."

"Hmmpf."

"Oh, Zeeee-eeechs."

"Hmmmmpf!"

"Aw, come on you old fogey, wake up!"

An incoherent sound and a flash of sheets announced the awakening of Zechs Merquise. 
He sat up, eyes half-lidded with sleepiness, platinum hair deliciously tousled, bangs 
in his eyes. He looked around the room once, then blinked at Duo, sitting on the 
bed beside him. "

Who are you calling an old fogey? I'll have you know that I am only *twenty.*"

"Yeah, but almost twenty-ONE," teased Duo.

Zechs tried to glare, but given his state of rumpledness it just made him look more 
adorable to the boy at his side. The sleepy blond leaned in close to the boy and 
growled, "Do you see any wrinkles on this face?"

Duo peered closely at Zechs. "Noooo... No wrinkles, but there *is* something..." 
He leaned in even closer.

Zechs frowned in concern and moved back a little. "What? What is it? What's wrong?" 
he said, brushing at his face.

"You need one of these," Duo whispered, and threw his arms around the tall man, 
taking his lips in a long, cheerful kiss.

Zechs was so startled that he froze for a moment. Then Duo's warm, persistent 
tongue got the better of him. He wrapped his arms around the braided boy and 
fell to the pillows. He rolled over immediately, moving Duo to his back. He 
nuzzled the boy's neck and growled softly in his ear, "I'll show you what an 
old fogey can do..."

Duo cackled and arched up against Zechs. "Bring it on, bunny, bring it on!"

**********

The Lodge at Victoria - Lobby

Behind the registration desk, the night clerk looked at the clock - 7:30 am. Thirty 
minutes until the end of her shift. Thirty minutes until those dreadful letters would 
be out of her hands. It couldn't come soon enough.

She had just finished briefing the day manager about the needs for the next shift 
when a slim, dark-haired woman approached the desk.

"Good morning, miss. May I help you?"

/Miss. How old-fashioned of them. I haven't been called 'miss' since I entered the 
Academy... I'd rather it was madam, thank you. Merquise or Peacecraft, I'm not 
really picky... My, how old-fashioned of me.../

Noin shook her head. No sense going there. No sense at all.

"I'm Lucrezia Noin. Are there any messages?"

The night clerk paled at the name, one of two she had been unable to stop thinking 
of all night. "Yes, miss," she said rather icily. "There *is* something for you." 
She turned away rather stiffly and retrieved the letter from it's pigeonhole.

/Lovely... just what I needed this morning... not only a bout of severe remorse over 
Zechs and a sedative hangover, but now, surly hotel staff. What could possibly make 
it worse?/

"I must tell you miss," declared the night clerk as she passed the envelope to Noin, "that 
the person who delivered this was completely unacceptable. We can't have that sort of 
person in the Club again. I *do* hope you understand."

Noin, still somewhat sleepy and without the courage that a cup of coffee would have 
brought, decided not to even ask and nodded meekly.

Taking a seat in one of the lobby's overstuffed armchairs, she examined the small 
envelope carefully. Her military training had taught her that details should not be 
overlooked and hyper-vigilance had become second nature to her. This time, however, 
there wasn't much remarkable to notice. The back of the envelope was plain but for a 
deep red wax seal across the flap. In the middle of the seal was a large, ornate 
letter 'T'.

Turning the piece of correspondence over, she saw her name, written in a slanting, 
flowery hand that seemed faintly familiar. She stared at it, trying to place the 
writer, but couldn't. She opened the letter and pulled out a small sheet of thick 
paper. Written on it, in the same slanting hand, was a brief note:

My Dearest Lucrezia,

What a pleasure it is to write to you after all this time,

and how glad I am to be able to tell you that the dreams

you fought for in the early days of the Specials are still alive,

as I am. Watch closely, dear lady, for the opening act

in your leader's revenge.

Fondly and respectfully,

T

Noin frowned. She searched the envelope again for any identifying remarks. She re-read the 
note - twice. Completely baffled, but with a growing feeling of unease, she returned to the 
desk and got the attention of the woman who had given her the envelope.

"I'm sorry to bother you again, but I was wondering if you happened to remember the person 
who dropped this off?"

The clerk put on a long-suffering expression. "Do I remember him, Miss? Do I remember him. 
Oh, how I wish I did *not* remember him; how I wish I could forget that particular 
gentleman -"

Noin put up a hand and stopped the clerk before she could venture into full-blown 
histrionics.

"Did he give his name?"

The clerk looked haughty and not a little miffed. "He did *not*, Miss. What he *did* 
do was threaten me if I did not see these envelopes into your hands *personally.* He 
even got somewhat... *physical* in his threats," she remarked, rubbing her wrists at 
the memory. "It was very unpleasant."

Noin frowned in bewilderment. "Is this man a guest here?"

"Heavens, no! I seriously doubt the management would allow someone who threatens the 
staff to be a guest. Especially dressed the way he was."

"And that would be...?" Noin encouraged.

"In an OZ uniform. Quite inappropriate, even though this is a veteran's club. That 
kind of thing is allowed on Decoration Day, but any other time... It's almost as 
though he was *trying* to be outrageous."

"OZ...?" Noin murmured, and looked down again at the wax seal.

"Oh yes, full-dress uniform. A dark blue officers coat, white breeches, and black 
knee boots. And a funny round brooch on his cloak."

/Dark blue... white breeches... a round brooch... a large letter 'T'... "the opening 
act of your leader's revenge"... God, this is crazy! The man's been dead for almost 
two years... /

Noin felt a bit faint. The morning that couldn't get worse just had.

"Are you all right, Miss? Do you need to sit down?" The clerk was peering at her, 
genuinely concerned.

"I'm fine," Noin replied. "But please, if you see the man again, can you let me know?"

"Of course, Miss."

Noin began to walk away, but then turned back to the clerk suddenly. "One more thing. You 
said that he told you to deliver the *envelopes* - plural. Did someone else received one 
of these?"

"Well, I suppose I shouldn't give you this information, privacy issues and all, but... yes, 
someone else did. It was Mr. Merquise, the Duke of Sank."

**********

Duo's Rooms

"Hmmmm... can't we stay in bed all day, bunny?" Duo stretched like a cat and then curled 
up against the long, warm body of his lover.

"People would talk..." Zechs murmured, his arms around Duo's hips, face buried in silky, 
chestnut hair. "Besides, I have plans for you today."

Duo's face lit up in a wicked grin. Zechs opened one eye and identified the expression 
immediately. "Plans that *don't* involve bed, amazing though it seems."

The long-haired boy's grin widened. "Oh, that's okay bunny - it doesn't have to be the 
bed. It could be anywhere..." He leaned over and gave Zechs' earlobe a little bite.

Zechs propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at Duo. "It would appear," he 
began with great seriousness, "that you just want me for sex. I'm wounded, you know. 
Am I really that unpresentable that you can't be seen with me?"

Duo's eyes widened a bit. He had known this man less than a week, and he had yet to 
learn how to tell when Zechs was kidding. "No, bunny! That's not it at all!" He ran his 
hands across Zechs arms and chest, and his voice softened. "I just really love being this 
close, and I know we can't come anywhere close to this in public."

Zechs stretched out over Duo, their noses nuzzling, lips teasing. "Duo... don't you worry. 
I'm not ashamed to be with you. I have no intention of keeping my hands completely off of 
you." He leaned forward to kiss the boy beneath him. White-blond hair fell around them 
like a curtain. "Even in public..." Zechs whispered against Duo's warm lips.

They moved slowly from light nuzzling to deep kisses. Soon the two of them were locked 
together, mouths savoring each other's tastes, breath coming in pants and whimpers. Their 
hands were everywhere, exploring each other's bodies and drawing out the pleasure.

They were lost to the world, joined in a deep, deep kiss when a knock came at the door. 
Zechs growled in frustration. Duo smoothed the damp blond hair away from his lover's eyes. 
"Ignore 'em, bunny. They'll go away..." he whispered. They went back to the kiss.

Again the knock - more urgent this time.

Zechs looked up at the door and called in his deep, rich voice, "Go away, please. We're busy. 
You'll have to clean the room later." He turned back to Duo.

"Zechs, please," a muffled voice came through the door. "It's important!"

His head had turned sharply at the voice, and now he got up, pulled on a pair of sweat 
pants, and opened the door slightly, planning on going out to talk to Noin in the hallway. 
Noin had other plans, though, and, before Zechs could stop her, pushed past him into the 
room.

"Zechs, something is terribly wrong -"

She found herself face-to-face with Duo Maxwell. He was sitting up in the middle of a very 
rumpled bed, wearing nothing but his long, loose chestnut hair for covering. His cheeks 
were flushed, lips full and bruised from Zechs' kisses. Large violet eyes looked warily 
up at Noin from beneath long, thick lashes.

/He's... he's beautiful... Never would have guessed it from the way he dressed, the braid... 
This is a completely different person... exquisite, really. Zechs... did you even have a 
chance...? /

"Duo." She acknowledged him with the faintest nod of her head.

"Morning, Noin." Duo attempted a smile. It almost worked.

/That dream... I let this boy die... I could have saved him, but I... let him die... Is 
that what I really wish would happen? Am I so angry at him for being what Zechs wants 
that I'd stand by and watch him be killed...? Look at him, trying to smile at me... I 
need to rethink things.../

She didn't like the way her thoughts were going. She had no business feeling understanding 
towards either of them right now, so she turned back to Zechs.

/Oh, God, look at *him!* That sleepy, sexy look I remember from Mars. Never wanting to get 
out of bed. Waking up early just to have more time with him that way... Stop it, Noin! That's 
all over now... Other things are more pressing and he's got to know about them... Damn him, 
looking this way! /

He was pulling a t-shirt over the sweats and slipping into sandals. "Shall we step outside 
to talk, Noin?" His face was calm, but his voice held a note of frustration. Noin paused, 
ready to accept the offer, but then looked back at Duo, watching them silently from the bed.

/He really is yours, now, isn't he Duo. He belongs more to you after a week than he did to 
me after years. I can tell by the way he looks at you... and... damn! I'll have his attention 
far better if you're here than if you aren't. /

"Actually," she said softly, looking back at Zechs, "maybe Duo should hear this, too."

She wasn't prepared for the overwhelming look of gratitude in his eyes, and she told herself 
that this would be the way it would happen from now on. She'd better get used to it.

Zechs threw something at the surprised boy on the bed. "Duo, get dressed. We'll be in the 
other room. Hurry."

**********

The three of them were in the sitting room of Duo's suite. Breakfast had arrived and while 
Zechs and Noin were picking at toast and coffee, Duo was on his third helping of eggs and 
potatoes, downing half a pitcher of orange juice with them.

Zechs looked at his long-time friend with concern. "What is it, Noin? What's happened?"

"Duo should be up to speed on this," she said and then somewhat reluctantly recounted what 
she had told Zechs about the disappearing wife that didn't really exist.

Rather surprisingly to Noin, Duo took the matter seriously. He got up at once and began 
pacing around the room, asking questions. "Do you guys know this Admiral-what's-his-name?" 
he asked.

"Trentes," Zechs offered.

"Yeah, Admiral Trentes. I mean, is he's a friend of yours?"

Zechs and Noin looked at each other. It was Zechs who spoke. "I wouldn't call the Admiral 
a friend. He was fairly powerful in OZ, but he and..." Zechs' voice trailed off and Noin, 
watching the man struggle with the words, decided to jump in.

"He and Treize didn't get on at all together. Trentes always felt that Treize was too young 
and too aristocratic for the position and power he held. And he was one of the strongest 
supporters of the mobile dolls."

"Hmm," Duo stopped in the middle of the room and looked at the two of them. "Sounds like a 
nasty guy to me. So, it makes perfect sense that he'd lie to the police. How did that 
program that Zechs wrote help you find out that he *was* lying?"

Noin deferred to Zechs. "It's a database search program - a search engine of a sort - that 
was designed to look at a particular code on documents to determine if they're official 
or not. At the time I wrote it, I used a different coding structure than the official 
record keeping programs use. I did it deliberately because it let me identify changes 
in the documents I was looking at."

Duo looked out the window and frowned. "So, you're saying that because of the way you 
wrote it, you can look at documents now and tell if they've been altered since they 
first put into the system?"

"Yes," Zechs replied. "It can also tell you whether the change was through mainstream 
channels, like medical centers or marriage registries, or through some other less... well, 
*legal* methods.

Noin picked up the thread. "When I did the search on Trentes, all of the information 
about his wife came up as added recently through a coding scheme that I didn't recognize. 
In other words, the information about her was faked. It was actually just added to the 
global database within the past month.

Duo blinked and looked over at Noin. "And you did all that? You found all of this out 
in the last day or so?"

Noin looked at him warily. "Yes..."

"That's amazing! I knew you were a good fighter, but I didn't know you could do all 
this intelligence stuff, too." He smiled hesitantly at Noin, who was still clearly 
amazed that he could smile at her at all. She certainly couldn't return the favor at 
the moment.

"Why don't you sit down, Duo," Zechs said, waving a hand at Duo's chair. "It sounds 
like Noin has more to tell us."

"I'll stand - it's easier to think when I'm moving."

"It would be," murmured Zechs under his breath. "Please, go on Noin."

She held out the small, creamy envelope to him. "This was waiting for me this morning."

Noin watched as Zechs made the same detailed examination of it that she had before 
reading it. She used the excuse of letting him read to allow herself another long, 
bittersweet look at the handsome face. As she did, the thought came completely unbidden.

/We do share that attention to detail, don't we cara? We'll always have that shared 
past, all those years of training together... He can't take that away from me. /

She looked over at her young adversary, standing behind his chair, chin in his hands, 
waiting for Zechs to finish reading. The long braid hung over the top, trailing down 
to where the ends brushed the seat cushion.

/He's staring, too. Can't help himself. We've both got it bad for that man... /

Zechs was speaking to her. "What?" she said, shaking her head as if the clear the 
unwelcome thoughts.

"May I show this to Duo?" he repeated.

Her hesitation was only momentary, probably not noticeable to anyone but herself - and 
Zechs. "Yes, yes of course." She lifted her eyes to the his, ice blue pools to drown in, 
and saw his expression soften as he passed the note to Duo.

She continued staring at her former lover - God, was it really going to be that? - until 
Duo's voice intruded.

The boy was pacing again, looking down at the note. "Who's 'T'? Do you know this guy? 
Do you think it could be Admiral-what's-his-name?"

"Trentes," Zechs murmured, again.

"Yeah, Trentes. Knew it started with a T. Sounds like he's gonna do something bad to 
someone, you know? The way he says 'revenge'." Duo stopped suddenly and looked up at 
the two former OZ officers, his face registering alarm. "It's not gonna be one of you 
guys, is it?" he said in low, urgent voice. "'Cause if it is we should get you out of 
here. I mean, who knows what this guy might do."

"Duo," Zechs tried to break in.

"I'm serious!" Duo continued. He's weird enough to pass someone off as his wife, to fake all 
of her official records, and to lie to the police about it. I don't like the idea of you 
guys possibly being targeted by this creep! But *I* can stay here, you know. I sure the 
guy doesn't know me, so I could stay the rest of the time and -"

Without the American knowing it, Zechs had gotten up and walked over to where Duo was 
standing. He reached out a hand and gently pressed his fingers against the boy's lips. 
The fingers stayed there for a moment as Duo looked up at his lover.

"It means quite a lot that you would be willing to do that for me, Duo, and for Noin," he 
said softly. "But I'm not willing to leave this place with you still here. And that's 
final - understand?"

Duo blinked at him. They stared at each other for a moment, Duo testing Zechs' resolve. 
Then he flashed a tiny smile at the tall blond and went back to leaning over his chair.

Noin took a breath. "One reason I *don't* think it's Trentes is the description of the man 
who dropped this off. The desk clerk said the man was dressed in an OZ uniform: dark blue 
officer's coat, white breeches, knee boots. And..."

Zechs leaned forward. "And... what, Noin?"

"And she said he had an odd, circular broach on the front of his cloak."

Zechs stared at her for an instant, then reached out for the envelope the note had come in. 
He looked again at the wax seal on the back, at the ornate capital 'T' in the middle. Without 
thinking, he brushed his fingers over it. "No... can't be... whose trick is this..."

Duo tried to catch Zechs' eye. Failing to do so, he looked at Noin in bewilderment. "Isn't 
that how Treize - wait a minute! Are you saying that someone came to the Club dressed as 
Treize and dropped this off?"

She nodded, then looked at the man in the seat opposite her. "Zechs." Noin willed him to 
look at her, and he did - slowly. "He left one for you, too." She held up a second envelope, 
identical to the first, and offered it to him.

He did not take it immediately, but sat and stared at it, as if at a ghost from long ago. 
When he did finally reach for it, his hands were trembling. He stood, and two pairs of eyes 
followed his graceful movements as he went to the large windows and turned the envelope over 
in his hands.

On the back was the same wax seal. On the front, someone had written, "Milliard Peacecraft / 
Zechs Merquise. Personal and confidential." Zechs recognized the handwriting now.

/God...dear God... What is happening? Who would do this? Why? /

Duo was getting worried about his lover, who seemed to be doing nothing but standing and 
staring at the envelope in his hands.

/Why is he acting this way? So some jerk got his kicks by dressing up in a Treize 
Khushrenada costume. Why is he shaking? It's obviously some stupid, twisted joke... / 
Duo moved to stand behind his lover.

"Zechs... what is it? Aren't you gonna open it?"

The tall man opened the envelope carefully. The note slid out easily and he turned to 
the light from the window to read it to himself.

My dearest Milliard -

Is this really true? Am I really writing to you again?

I cannot convey how thrilled this makes me feel. I have so

missed you, my lovely boy. Have you missed me?

 

I write to inform you of my return and of the event that will

come to herald it. I ask you to watch and see what I have in store

for our enemies. This is just the beginning.

 

And, I also write to let you know that I still remember every touch,

every kiss I gave you Milliard. I remember your silky hair

caressing me in the most intimate places. I remember your lips

on me, and mine on yours. I remember it all, Milliard. And I want

it all again...

All my love (in fevered anticipation) -

T

He stared at it, unbelieving, for a moment. Then, with a flash of emotion (anger? fear? 
doubt?), Zechs crumpled the note in his fist and turned, putting his fist up to his 
forehead and leaning against the window pane. He was trembling even more violently now.

Duo was at his side before Noin could stand up. "Zechs? Are you all right? What is it? 
What's wrong?"

Not moving from his position at the window, Zechs was murmuring something. Duo leaned 
in close, one hand on Zechs arm. He could just barely make out the words.

"No... no...please not this... He's gone... he's dead. This isn't happening... He can't..
. Noooooo..."

**********

Mr. Georg Koss, formerly Lt. Koss of OZ, walked up to the registration desk and summoned 
a clerk. "The phone in my room isn't working. I'd like it fixed, please. Now, if possible."

The young man whom he addressed seemed to have just stepped out of high school. "Certainly, 
sir, if you would be so kind as to give me your room number?"

Where was the regular staff when he needed them? "109, the New Wing." He glanced around 
with a bored expression as the clerk typed the number into the terminal on his desk.

"Uh... I... that is..." The young man was fumbling for words and staring at the screen 
in confusion. "Can you... uh, give me your name, sir?"

"Koss. Georg Koss." He rolled his eyes at the inefficiency of it all.

"I... don't seem to... um... that is, you're name isn't... And you are a guest, sir, 
you're not just visiting someone here?"

"I checked in not two hours ago! Now what's the problem?" Koss' voice was rising along 
with his irritation level.

The young clerk seemed to square his shoulders a bit. "I... I don't have your name on 
our registration list, sir. It isn't showing a reservation under the name of Koss. Could 
it be under another name?

"No! I told you I just checked in two hours ago, how could you not have my reservation? 
Where is the woman who checked me in? I want to speak with her!"

The young clerk was trembling. "Would you wait here for just one moment?" He gave Koss a 
feeble smile and disappeared to find his supervisor.

Koss sighed in frustration. "Dear God," he muttered, "just want to get the phone fixed... 
what's all this about?"

The supervisor appeared, and nodded politely to Koss. He looked at the screen and 
immediately began frowning. "I'm sorry Mr. uh..."

"Koss! K-O-S-S."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Koss. You say you checked in this morning?"

Koss was fuming now. "Yes. At 8:15. I was checked in by a woman clerk. I ate breakfast in 
the dining room and then went to my suite, where I found the phone not working. That's why 
I came back up here.

"Well, then this is... very odd indeed, sir..." murmured the supervisor, still in thrall 
to whatever was on the terminal screen.

"Well," Koss said impatiently, "When will it be fixed?" He glanced from the desk clerk to 
the supervisor and back again. Both looked extremely nervous.

"How did you make your reservations, sir?" the supervisor asked.

"What? How did I - look here, I'm reporting a *phone*, not changing reservations. What 
does that have to do with *anything.*

The supervisor glanced at his clerk, then bravely faced the angry Koss. "Your phone isn't 
working, Mr. Koss, because we don't show anyone assigned to that room until this afternoon. 
The name of the person it *is* assigned to is not Koss. In fact, I see no evidence of your 
ever having a reservation..." His voice trailed off as he realized the incongruity of it. 
"Let me see if we can locate the staff member who checked you in," he offered.

"It was a woman. She had brown hair and was about 3 inches shorter than I am. And you'd 
better darn well find her!" Koss snarled.

"I'm very sorry, sir, but that would be impossible. We had no female staff members on at 
that time, just our opening manager. There is a woman who works the desk overnight, but 
she would have been off of her shift for at least 45 minutes when you checked in. "

The man's face was becoming red. "Are you saying that I'm lying?"

The supervisor responded quickly. "No, sir, it's just that we have no record of your arrival 
or of your reservation. And there were no female clerks on duty at the time you checked in." 
He looked at Koss coolly. "You must admit that from my standpoint this does look a little 
suspicious, sir."

"Well she gave me a key card," he said flatly, slapping it onto the counter. "What do you 
make of that?"

The supervisor stared at the white plastic card before him. He turned and retrieved something 
from the counter behind him, putting it down next to Koss' card. It was a dark blue card of 
similar design. "As you can see, Mr. Koss, the key cards to our rooms are blue."

**********

Duo's Rooms

Duo was scared. He was in a strange place, a place he knew nothing about, and the one person 
he was tied to seemed to have checked out of reality.

/I thought he was over him. He's *dead* for God's sake! Zechs, please - why are you letting 
this get to you so much? Can't you even look at me? He's gone, but I'm right here! / The 
silence was too much for him.

"Zechs? Noin? Who's T? What did he say, Zechs? What's wrong? Please? Either of you? Tell me 
something? Anything?"

Noin looked at Zechs. He was sitting down now, staring into the distance, the note still 
crumpled in one fist. He seemed to be contemplating something horrible, given the expression 
on his face. Every now and then he shook his head a little, as if saying 'no' to something 
being offered. She was beginning to worry about him.

/Obviously Zechs needs some time to figure this one out. What could have been in that letter? 
Something different from mine? Something worse? Hell - guess I have to tell you-know-who 
*something.* But what?/

"Duo..., the man who dropped these letters off was dressed exactly the way Treize used to 
dress..."

"His handwriting...it's the same as Treize's." It was Zechs' voice, low and hoarse, but at 
least it was *there.* "The seal on the back - he used that on all his personal correspondence. 
It's the same..."

"But it can't really be him," Duo insisted. "Treize's dead. Has been for over a year now. 
What is all this crap?" Large violet eyes sought Noin's dark ones and asked a thousand 
questions with one look.

"Someone is obviously playing a very cruel and very tasteless joke'" Noin reasoned. "Can't 
be anything else. But who would do such a thing?"

Duo began pacing again. "Not just *who*, but *why?* What good does it do this guy to pretend 
he's Treize? What does that get him? Does he think everyone who loved Treize is gonna love 
him now?" Duo said half-jokingly, but with slightly bitter overtones.

Zechs shuddered, remembering the horrible intimacy of the writer's words, and the certainty 
that intimacy would be had again.

Noin was staring at Duo. "What did you say? Just now, can you say that again?"

Duo looked at her, confused, but tried his best to comply. "I said... what did the guy think...,
 that everyone who loved Treize is gonna love *him?* Why? Was that significant?" He sounded 
doubtful.

Noin was deep in thought. "I don't know..." she said distractedly, talking more to herself 
than to either Zechs or Duo. "Maybe... Who would love him...? Who would he be expecting to 
love him...? There's Lady Ann, of course... and Zec- " She stopped herself before she said 
the name, but the impact was there. "No," she whispered. "No, Zechs... not that... "

Duo looked up at her sharply. "Noin?"

Zechs rose suddenly in one liquid, cat-like movement and walked to a large wooden chest of 
drawers that was topped with an antique mirror. He leaned his elbows on the chest, ran trembling 
fingers through his hair, then looked up at his reflection. After several moments of silence, 
he spoke, as if addressing the image in the mirror.

"I know it's not him - can't be him. I know he's dead. What I can't figure out is... why that 
damned letter... is making me... Ah, Hell!!" He buried his face in his hands. The note, which 
had fallen out of his grip when he'd crossed the floor, was at Noin's feet. She picked it up.

"Zechs - may I read this?" Her tone was perfectly flat. He didn't look up at her. "Why not?" 
he whispered. "You'd have found out anyway."

Noin read the message, then turned and walked to the window, letting the paper drop to the 
floor. Duo looked first at Zechs, his head in his hands by the chest, then Noin, now staring 
blindly out the window. Neither of them seemed to know he was there, so he bent down, 
retrieved the small piece of paper, and read it. When he finished, he looked helplessly 
over at Zechs.

/You can't let whoever this is get to you like this, bunny. This shit about him wanting you 
back - it isn't Treize, so whoever this is never had you in the first place! Damn it, Zechs! 
Don't let the bastard do this to you!... I need you... I love you... /

**********

Koss, by now thoroughly disgusted, marched over to a comm unit and angrily punched in his ID 
code. Somewhere in his personal ID file would be the confirmation number he had been given 
when he made the reservations over a year ago. He was given a recording. "This ID number 
cannot be processed, please enter another one." He tried a second code, one he used primarily 
for work. Again, the same recording. He punched in the help code and was transferred to a 
clerk, who smiled cheerfully at him from the vid screen.

"Yes, sir, how may I help you?"

"I want you to look up the status of an ID code for me."

"Certainly, sir, can you give me the code number please?" Koss reported it.

"Now, will you please run the retinal scan check on your comm unit?" Again, Koss obeyed. 
The thin, red line of light passed over his eye and there was a brief delay while the 
clerk waited for the information. When it came, she frowned.

"Sir? Are you from the Colonies?"

"No, from Earth."

"Have you been off the planet for an extended time until just recently, sir?"

"No. I've *never* been off the planet."

The clerk frowned again and told him to hold while she got her supervisor. "Oh, no..." he 
groaned. "Not another supervisor..."

A middle-aged man appeared on the screen. "Ah, sir? May I ask your name?"

Koss closed his eyes and sighed. Ordinarily, he was not a patient man. To remain so in 
*this* situation was taxing all of his resources. "Koss. Georg Koss - good heaven's man, 
you've got it right in front of you! Your clerk just did a retinal scan!"

The supervisor appeared to relay the information to someone off screen. "And, uh, you are 
calling from the Lodge at Victoria, in the African sector, correct?"

"Yes," Koss said wearily.

The man on the vid screen checked again with an off-screen entity then looked back at Koss 
nervously. He cleared his throat. "Mr. Koss I have had another clerk notify the house 
detectives at the Lodge. They should be with you shortly. I am requesting that you stay 
where you are until the police and our investigators arrive. They'll be escorting you to 
the local station for questioning."

Koss could not believe his ears. Did the man really say - "*Questioning?* Questioning for 
*what?* What would I possibly need to be questioned about?"

As he said the words, he could see two large men crossing the lobby, heading straight 
towards him. Several heads were turning in his direction, including the clerk and his 
supervisor behind the registration desk.

"The global ID system is not registering your identity, Mr. Koss. We have no match to 
your retinal information. I hope you understand the seriousness of this."

Koss was absolutely speechless. /Not registering my identity? No match for my retinal scan? 
What the hell is going on here!/

"Mr., er, Koss is it?" One large, burly man reached down and pulled him to his feet while 
the other let the Communication supervisor know that they had the situation under control.

"Y-y-yes?" Koss was trembling now, truly frightened.

"Did you know, sir, that it is a global offense to tamper with the Identification System of 
the World Nation?"

"T-tamper? I didn't tamper w-with it." His voice was beginning to break.

"Sir, I don't what your real name is," the detective growled quietly, "but according to 
official sources, it's not 'Koss.'

"W-what?" Koss stuttered. What was going on? This was absolutely unreal.

"According to the ID system," the other detective said smoothly, "there *is* no Mr. Koss. 
Your retinal scan doesn't match any pattern in the system. We don't know who you are, but 
we do know that you're may be in pretty big trouble, buddy. Someone's gonna need some 
explanations from you. You see, according to the official records, you simply don't exist."

**********

Duo's Rooms

"Why, Zechs?" Noin said weakly, still staring out the window. "Why were you and Treize - what 
did he do-" She couldn't bring herself to say the things she needed to say, things she needed 
to ask about, to understand this man she had loved for so many years. She gathered all her 
strength and looked him in the eyes. /Those eyes! / "Did you love him, Zechs?" She promised 
herself not to look away until he answered her.

Zechs didn't look away, either. Even when he told her the truth. "Yes, Noin. I did. I loved 
him with all my heart."

She tried so hard to stop the tears. She was a soldier, and she had seen more sadness and 
carnage than most people in the world combined. But her soldier's stolidity failed her 
miserably, and they came, without her permission.

Duo was standing behind the chair she sat in, Zechs was in the chair opposite her. Zechs 
looked up at Duo, silently apologizing for everything that was happening. Duo face was full 
of concern. He looked down at Noin, sobbing now, and then back at Zechs. Didn't she know?, he 
mouthed to the tall, blond man. Zechs shook his head, and looked back at Noin.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it, Noin. I should have, I suppose. But it wasn't the kind 
of thing either of us felt safe about discussing with anyone. It was technically fraternization 
on Treize's part, even though it was consensual. We would have certainly been stripped of our 
ranks, and very possibly court martialed if anyone knew."

He paused for a moment, looking down at his hands, still shaking. Then he looked back up - right 
into Noin's dark eyes. "We didn't think we were hurting anyone. I think I... I didn't want to 
admit to myself how strongly you felt about me. I guess I was able to convince myself that you 
were better off not knowing..."

"He was your superior!" Noin cried out suddenly. "And he was... he was a man!! How could I know 
you this well, for this long, and not know something this fundamental about you! Not know that 
you were in love with our commanding officer. That he was in love with you..."

She took a deep breath. Her sobs were quieting and she was much calmer. She continued in a 
hushed voice. "His death... must have meant so much more to you than just losing a former 
colleague... You must have been devastated. How were you able to hide all that from me, Zechs?"

Zechs looked at Noin for a long time. "I'm good at it, Noin. I'm very good at hiding who I 
am, of pretending to be something I'm not. I got so good at it after my parents were killed 
that it became second nature to me. I'm sorry if I hurt you because of that. I never meant to, 
Noin. Hurting you is the last thing I'd want to do... But it was wartime... what we were doing, 
it was wrong. In the perfect situation we would have waited until the war was over to do anything 
about our feelings for each other. But - neither one of us knew if we were going to be alive the 
next day! It seemed so little to ask..."

Noin was calm now, and, despite everything, still in love with the golden man before her.

/Dear God, so much is falling into place. So many strange things he's done and said over the 
years... they all make sense now. He was always so concerned and polite with me. And so sweet 
about the advances I made. Now I know why... Maybe it doesn't hurt as much because of Duo... I 
already went through it with him about Duo... this just another one to deal with, right?... But 
it was *Treize...*/

She cleared her throat. "Let me just get used to the idea, Zechs. I don't think I should talk 
anymore about it now."

Zechs reached out a hand. "Noin -" he began.

"Hey guys," Duo said, gesturing to Zechs and Noin. "Guys, look at this."

They both looked up in surprise, having forgotten all about the long-haired boy. Duo had 
stopped in front of the window.

Zechs got up and walked towards him. He had a terribly feeling of foreboding in his stomach. 
He knew, somehow, that he was about to see the revenge the writer of their letters had spoken 
of, and he didn't want to. Didn't want to acknowledge it's reality.

Noin was already at the window. Duo looked over at him as he approached. "What are they doing?" 
he asked softly.

Several police cars were gathered at the side entrance to the Lodge. As they watched, they saw 
a man being led out of the Lodge in heavy restraints. He was fighting his removal, and yelling 
something they couldn't quite make out. Still, the officers had no trouble putting him in the 
car and soon it was driving slowly away.

"That was Koss," Zechs said in disbelief. "Why would they be taking him-"

Zechs stopped in mid-sentence and stared at something beyond the drive, near the bushes by the 
front garden. To the surprise of both Duo and Noin, he unlatched the window suddenly and leaned 
out of it, peering at something by the hedge.

Noin and Duo looked at each other, then at Zechs. "Uh, Zechs?" Duo ventured. "What is it? You 
see something?"

Zechs' face had gone white. Duo looked out of the window quickly and saw a tall, slim figure 
in a deep blue OZ uniform. He was standing in the drive now, looking up at their window. As 
the three of them watched, he put a hand to his lips, gracefully blew a kiss to Zechs, and smiled.

to Part 5

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