Cycles

Chapter Three

'I came to return your mobile.'

Quatre stared, first at his friend then at the phone. Duo waited. After a moment, the musician bowed his head. 'I'm sorry, Duo.'

The silence was followed by a quiet sigh. 'Don't be. I said I wouldn't force you, remember?' He stepped forward and offered the mobile again. When Quatre did not respond, Duo placed it directly in his palm. 'You left this at Wufei's office.'

'Thank you,' came the murmur. Quatre pocketed it, then looked up, almost blurting out, 'Did you see everything?'

Their eyes met, and after a moment, the musician lowered his gaze once more. 'Don't apologise again,' Duo said abruptly.

Another silence. 'Alright.' Quatre paused. 'But I've hurt you.'

'No,' Duo replied, all too quickly. A stillness, and deep breath. 'It's okay, really.'

'No. It isn't.' Quatre's eyes suddenly grew older than his years. 'Duo, do you really want to know? I can tell you. I just... don't want to upset you when it's all in the past.'

The artist gazed at him searchingly. 'Is it that bad?'

'It's not very pleasant.' Quatre took a long breath, then gestured at their surroundings with a forced smile. 'Probably not something to be told here.'

Duo regarded his friend and after a moment, he nodded his acceptance. 'Your room, maybe?'

'Yeah.' They proceeded towards the hotel wordlessly. 'Here.' The door closed behind them. 'Take a seat. Tea?' Duo gave another nod, letting Quatre take his time but watching him carefully. After some time, two steaming cups were placed on the table, and the musician sat down, forcing another smile. 'There's sugar in the container.'

'Thank you,' Duo answered. He took a sip then set aside the cup, waiting.

Quatre exhaled. 'Please... don't interrupt. On the day I disappeared, I wasn't picked up. I was in the markets. I'm not sure how everything started, but Steve ¡V that Steve ¡V was picking on Phil... do you remember Phil?' At Duo's nod, he continued, 'I stepped in. I was bigger than Steve back then ¡V I was older, by a little bit ¡V and I managed to hold him off for long enough to let Phil run, but then Steve's older brother appeared.'

The musician looked down, his fingers running absently over the edge of the cup. 'He was huge. Strong. He beat me up, and I couldn't do anything about it. I fainted, and when I woke up again, I was in his flat and I couldn't get out, and then...'

Duo's hand caught his, gently lifting the cup away. A tissue was lowered onto the spilled tea. Then, the artist walked over and hugged his friend silently. His own face was pained.

Quatre closed his eyes. 'It... hurt.' Duo winced, but continued to rub his back soothingly. 'But it was over, and he left and I somehow got loose and broke the window and ran. And got to the hospital. A nurse ¡V Iria Winner ¡V saw me and got me checked in, then later that day, her father came to pick her up and saw me. He told me that I looked like his wife.'

'I didn't speak, or even react, and Iria told him something of what happened. He became angry. I got sent to his house and after a couple of days, when I had become slightly better, the police came and he coaxed me into telling them and Steve's brother ¡V Brock ¡V got arrested. The Winners took me in.'

'And... it grew better?' The question came as a half-whisper.

'Yeah.' Quatre's eyes flickered up. 'Yeah, it did. Duo?'

'I'm sorry, Cat. I... didn't guess. I shouldn't have forced you.' Duo's gaze grew haunted.

'You didn't,' the musician returned. His voice was almost steady.

Duo shook his head, his free hand clenching. 'Dammit, Cat, I should have protected you...'

'How?' Quatre queried softly. The artist fell silent. After a minute, the blonde murmured, 'It wasn't your fault, Duo. I wasn't mine either ¡V it took me years to realise that, but it was Brock's fault. Nobody else's.' His friend still refused to look up, so Quatre reached out tentatively. 'Please, Duo... don't feel guilty. That's why I didn't want to tell you, at first ¡V I didn't want you blaming yourself.'

It was Duo's turn to close his eyes. 'Oh, Cat... I'm sorry.'

'Don't¡V' Quatre took a breath, swallowing his automatic response with some difficulty. 'So am I, Duo.' He sighed, quietly. 'But it's the past. I'm dealing with it. It'll be okay, really.'

After several minutes, Duo gave a slight nod and looked up. 'Come to me if you need, anything, Cat. Please.'

Quatre met his eyes. 'Thank you, Duo.'

A thought struck the artist and he lowered his arm from his friend's shoulder. 'Why is Steve still bothering you?'

Quatre sighed, and picked up his teacup. 'After I became well-known as a musician, he suddenly turned up after a tour and demanded that I give him money for his silence about the past. He... looked haggard. I think life without his brother was hard for him.'

'You felt sorry for him?' Duo stared, incredulously.

The briefest of chagrined smiles. 'I guess so. Then, anyway. But when he did it a few times, I stared to refuse, and he threatened to call the newspapers. So I just paid him again.' He took a sip, his brow knitting slightly at the tea's coldness. 'You need to understand... Father wasn't young anymore. I didn't want to worry him.'

Duo frowned. 'So you're letting the jerk push you around.'

Quatre gave a shrug. 'It's the simplest solution, and I can spare the money.'

'But it isn't right.' Duo regarded his friend for some time. 'Cat, you have another reason for this.' He paused. 'If he leaked and your father found out, he'd end up in trouble, wouldn't he?' Quatre's guilty expression made Duo sigh. 'Cat, he was the one bullying Phil first, and I doubt his brother's presence would have made him better than he is now. I have no right to stop you so I won't, but... be careful. And if he threatens you for anything else...'

'I'll refuse.' The answer was firm.

Duo nodded. 'I'll trust you on that. Just take care.'

'I will, Duo.' Quatre grasped his arm earnestly. 'And thank you.'

***

'Good morning.' The doctor looked up.

Trowa stepped in, and shut the door behind him. 'Good morning.'

'Would you like to begin the hypnosis treatment now?' Heero asked, rising from his seat. ''Wufei will phone at nine.'

Trowa nodded tiredly. 'That's fine.'

Heero regarded him. 'The dream?' An affirmative, and the doctor made a note of it. 'More than weekly, then.'

'Daily.' The man's eye flickered towards the bed. 'Should I remove my shoes?'

'No need. Before you lie down, I will introduce you to somebody.' Heero walked over to the door and admitted a middle-aged woman. 'Marie, Honorary Agent Barton. Trowa, this is Doctor Phillips. She will be running the treatment.' He paused. 'Do you require my presence?'

Trowa considered. 'Will this be recorded?'

'Yes.'

'Then there is no need.'

The doctor nodded. 'Very well. Make yourself comfortable. Doctor Phillips, thank you.'

'Thank you, Doctor Yuy,' Marie returned.

Heero shut the door quietly. Moving towards the counter, he poured himself a glass of water and drank, then rinsed and replaced the cup. For a moment, he considered returning to his office, but a mental recall of his schedule changed his mind; his shift extended to four in the morning and the sudden mental breakdown of a trainee had left him without sleep for the previous night. He chose a chair with armrests and settled onto it, closing his eyes.

Some time passed before a sudden scuffle snapped him awake. The doctor listened for a second, his brow furrowing, then walked swiftly towards the hypnosis room and slammed open the door. 'Trowa!'

The Agent's hands tightened around Marie's throat.

Heero did not wait; he sprang over to Trowa's side and grabbed at his arms, but was immediately flung away. Trowa did not appear to notice him. The doctor paused for an instant then rose and swung his fist, ramming the Agent on the side of his head and moving to catch the Agent as he fell. 'Marie?'

'I'm fine,' the woman replied, rubbing her neck. She offered a grin that shook only slightly. 'I'm glad you arrived in time.'

'As am I,' Heero returned dryly, giving her a small smile. 'Here.'

'Thank you.' She levered herself up then released his hand. 'The recordings have it all but I'll give you a quick rundown ¡V he didn't really respond at all. He dreamed, and the meters all show that, but the computer didn't pick up the details. I moved in to check the wiring and I think I touched him by accident, because before I knew it, he was up and I wasn't.'

Heero's face grew inscrutable. 'Did he say anything at all?'

'Yes ¡V two names, I think. Marcus and Simon. And other exclamations, as though they were hurting him.' Marie gestured at the machine. 'The recordings should have it down, but I'll assume they were attacking him and he was defending himself, and confused me with one of them.' She shook her head ruefully. 'I was careless. The lack of readings distracted me or something. Sorry about that.'

'It's okay.' He glanced at Trowa, then back at her. 'Do you need anything?'

'No, I'll be fine.' She walked over and relooped several wires, asking, 'You can retrieve the data?'

'Yes.'

'And Agent Barton?'

'I can handle him.' Heero paused. 'This remains confidential, of course.'

'Obviously. I'm finished, then.' She wiped her hands on her shirt. 'Call me if you need me.'

'Thank you.'

Marie nodded, then left. Heero thought for some moments, then lifted Trowa back onto the recliner and quickly checked his status. Satisfied that all was well and that the other man would remain unconscious for some time, he returned to his office and picked up his phone.

***

|Private?| asked the digitalised voice.

'Yes.'

|Lawful?|

'Yes.'

|Seconded by?|

'Honorary Agent Maxwell, Doctor Yuy.'

|Request pending.| Wufei waited as the information was processed. After a few moments, he heard an affirmative beep. |Temporary access granted. Code reactivated.|

'Thank you.' The Detective replaced the phone, swiveling towards his laptop and entering the password.

[ Authorised. Warning: all activity will be logged. ]

Wufei dismissed the message and launched the criminal database. Lisa Bennet, female, physical attributes unknown, age unknown, background unknown. Crime: murder. Location: Night Haven, 'pub' and all synonyms.

The results appeared within seconds. He glanced at them for a moment before filtering further, repeating the query to exclude cases that did not happen in the 1980s. One remained. Wufei ran a search on the case, then leaned back and waited.

[ Crime: {murder}. {Lisa Bennet}, on {Robert Grant}. Time: 1700-1900. Location: {Night Haven, external}. Motivations: unknown. Punishment: unpunished. Status: abandoned. ]

His brow knitted, and he quickly forwarded requests for further information regarding the location and the crime details. Wufei scanned the text, his frown deepening as more details corresponded. There was no doubt about it; the crime was real.

The Detective paused, committing the data to memory, then queried 'Lisa Bennet'. The screen flashed. He glanced for a moment at the photo ¡V bright blue eyes, pale skin, sandy hair of approximately waist-length, angular and blatantly emphasised cheekbones ¡V then turned to the text.

[ Name: Lisa Jane Bennet. Gender: female. Height: 152cm. Weight: 47kg. Nationality: unknown. Blood type: O negative. Occupation: sex worker. Birthdate: unregistered. Deathdate: 02Mar1983. Cause of death: suicide. Buried at: Holy Cross Cemetery. Charged for: {murder of Marcus Patt and Simon Greenwich}, {murder of Robert Grant}. ]

Wufei stared at the screen, noting the earlier murders thoughtfully. Then he reached for his phone, dialing Duo's number and leaving him with Lisa's burial details. As soon as he lay it down, the phone gave a ring. 'Agent Chang Wufei speaking.'

'Wufei? It's Heero Yuy.'

The Detective glanced at the clock; there were fifteen minutes until the arranged time. His eyes grew alert. 'What happened?'

'Later. Have you got anything?'

'The crime happened. The details correspond. I will forward them.' He paused. 'And apparently, Lisa is responsible for two other murders. A Marcus Patt and a Simon Greenwich.'

There was a silence. 'Marcus, and Simon?' Heero's voice was carefully neutral.

'Yes.' Wufei's eyebrows drew together. 'What's wrong?'

'According to Trowa, they were the two who attacked him.' The merest hint of trepidation seeped through; Wufei could hear it, but he doubted that anybody else could have. 'The session failed. Trowa began to dream directly. Brainwaves were recorded but nothing else, and those will take time to decode. He confused the doctor with his attackers, and attempted to strangle her.'

Wufei's expression became more serious. 'He's dangerous, then.' The Detective paused. 'Will you tell him?'

'I haven't decided.'

'Aren't you obliged to do so?' The frown returned.

'My duty is to ensure his wellbeing, and I am uncertain whether evidence to support his notions will be beneficial. It may merely serve to reinforce them, while they may otherwise be dismissed.'

A thought struck Wufei and returned to the computer, asking, 'What is Trowa's birthdate?'

Heero's confusion was almost audible. 'First of march, eighty-three.'

Wufei called up Robert's details, scrolled quickly through them, then exhaled deeply. 'Heero, I think you ought to let him know.'

'Why?'

The Detective chose his words carefully. 'Because according to the data, he may well be Robert Grant reborn.'

A silence. 'And...?'

On Wufei's screen, the characters seemed to glow ¡V Robert Grant, Deathdate: 01Mar83. Wufei took a breath. 'And better he find out now, in a relatively calm state... than after something else happens.'

***

The pair moved through Holy Cross Cemetery. Quatre's figure was tense, and his eyes darted back and forth between the rows of tombstones, lingering slightly on those that appeared particularly unkempt. Duo followed closely, but his gaze was fixed on his friend. 'Quatre?'

'Hmm?' The musician glanced over his shoulder, and slowed down slightly.

'Is Lisa... your mother?'

Quatre blinked. 'Pardon?' He stopped. 'Why?'

Duo searched his face for any sign that the confusion was feigned, but failed. 'Well...'

The musician shook his head. 'No. I forgot to tell you ¡V Father did a search for me using that ring with my birthdate. My mother's name was Quaterine, and she died in childbirth. That's why I chose Quatre as a stage name. It was partially for her,' he smiled slightly, 'and partially for the Alleycat.' He hesitated, then murmured, 'But please don't ask me about Lisa.'

'Oh.' Duo paused, digesting the information. 'I'm sorry, Cat.'

'It's okay,' came the quiet reply. 'I just don't like talking about her, that's all.'

Duo regarded him carefully, but nodded. 'Then we won't.'

They continued for a while in silence then Quatre drew to a halt, kneeling beside a tombstone. Duo joined him curiously. Wild shoots peeked out between the numerous cracks, and dirt had gathered in most of the words, rendering them illegible. The musician reached into his pocket and retrieved a brush, easing away at the engravings with a few soft strokes.

'In memory of Lisa Bennet. Rest in Peace.' Duo leaned closer, squinting at the characters. 'Birthdate unknown, date of death ¡V the second of March, 1983.' He glanced up. 'Cat, is this... Cat?'

Quatre's face had turned white. For several moments, he remained staring at the words, then his gaze fell slowly, running over every inch of the tombstone without appearing to notice any of it. In a sudden, abrupt move, he rose and turned away, his entire body looking as though it wished to run.

Duo stood up and touched his shoulder worriedly. 'Cat? Are you okay?'

The musician closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, almost panting. When he finally spoke, his voice trembled. 'Please, Duo ¡V let's just get away from here.'

'Alright, Cat.' The artist's brow knitted in concern. 'Can you walk?'

'Yeah.' Quatre's fist clenched. 'Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go.'

***

A ring interrupted his sleep. Wufei rolled over and grabbed his phone, trying to clear his voice enough to say, 'Chang Wufei speaking.'

'Wufei? It's Duo.'

'Maxwell?' The Detective sat up. 'What is it?'

'Sorry for phoning so early, but Cat only just fell asleep ¡V he spent most of the night tossing and turning.' Duo paused. 'We went to the cemetery.'

Wufei reached to flick on the lights, then decided against it and pulled open the blinds instead. 'What did you find?'

'We found the grave. I don't know why, but Cat suddenly looked like he had been bowled over.'

The Detective slid out from his covers and moved into his office, switching on the laptop. 'What did the grave say?'

''In memory of Lisa Bennet. Rest in Peace,' Duo recited. 'The birthdate was unknown, and the date of death was the second of March, 1983. Nothing more than what you'd given me. But when he saw it, he became white and trembly and downright shocked.'

'She's not his mother?' Wufei doubted it but asked anyway, frowning when Duo indicated negative. 'I know Quatre's an orphan, but would you know his birthdate?'

'No ¡V wait. Maybe. Be right back.' Wufei waited for a while, then Duo returned, his voice bright. 'It was on his ring. Can't believe you thought of that ¡V it's the same. I never thought Cat was superstitious, but I guess it happened over the years... anyway, thanks, Wufei.'

The Detective took a deep breath, consciously keeping his voice neutral. 'Maxwell. Exactly what is the same as what?'

'Oh,' came the rueful reply. 'Sorry. Cat's birthday. It's the day Lisa died.'

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