Sequel to The Concession Stand: The Chocolate Factor (1/2)
By Tralla
Warning: Lots of conversation and twists and turns. Uhh…hang in there. It’ll make sense…
Quatre leaned forward in his chair. “I don’t understand why I am here.”
The woman sitting opposite him also leaned forward. “Mr. Winner, the first step is admitting you have a problem.”
“A problem?” murmured the blonde while he tried to calm himself and look dignified. He failed, but he kept his voice down as he said, “My problem is how I’m being treated. Why won’t anyone give me a straight answer? And why have I been detained?” The blonde looked down at the restraints around his wrists. He tried to move his legs. There were also restraints at his ankles. He was strapped to his chair.
The woman sighed and then smiled. “I’ve already said that the first step--”
Quatre frowned and leaned back. He managed to sound polite. “I’m aware of what you’ve said, but why am I restrained?”
The woman’s well-meaning smile faltered. “I’m sorry. Given your past indiscretions, telling you would create more problems.”
“My past… indiscretions? Problems? Problems for whom?” The blonde tried not to pull at his fetters. “Is this a kidnapping?”
“It’s an intervention,” replied the woman. “Your friend is trying to help you.”
“Help me?”
At that last inquiring comment, the woman lost her smile and her patience. “With your substance abuse problem.”
“What?” Quatre watched her stand up and leave. The realizations set in, slowly. The white walls, that woman’s white uniform, her ostensibly benign but in reality patronizing words, and the fact that he was restrained…he was in an institution, a drug rehabilitation center that looked and functioned more like an expensive nuthouse. “This can’t be happening,” murmured the blond while trying not to shake. But instead of being fearful and baffled, he was curious. One stark question popped into his head: Who was responsible for this?
Quatre looked down at his pajamas. He’d put them on just before heading to bed. He frowned.
How did he get here?
It had taken much talking, some bribing, and brownnosing, but the blonde had gotten his request. His friends were allowed to visit. “Allowed” is an inaccurate word; they were told to visit and their entry was contingent upon their signing of a gag order, an interesting part of the institution’s protocol.
Quatre sighed as he looked down at his tethered limbs. The orderlies could have at least taken off the wrist restraints. The ties were going to make his interactions difficult.
There was a sudden noise. He looked up and watched the door to his room open.
It was Duo.
“Hey, Quatre, what the hell--”
“You didn’t know,” commented Quatre.
“Know what? That they had you strapped in like you’re going into deep space?” Duo walked in and took a seat. “What the hell did you do?”
“I’m trying to find out.” Quatre paused. He inhaled. It sounded as though he took in a gulp of wet air.
“Hey, relax. Don’t get all emotional on me. I don’t feel up to helping you blow your nose.”
“I’m not going to tear up, Duo. I’m thinking.”
“Sure…and your eyes glisten when you think.”
Quatre sighed before saying, “You seemed genuinely surprised when you came in.”
“So, what’s your point?”
“It means I can trust you.”
“Well, duh. Why are you acting all suspicious?”
“One of you put me in here.”
“Uhhh…what?”
“I was informed that one of my friends was concerned that I had a substance abuse problem. Duo, it’s been 3 weeks since that tabloid photo and I haven’t touched a brownie since.”
“Fear of chocolate?”
“Fear of jelly donuts.”
“Right, gotcha.”
“I’ve only told four people about what happened. The only thing I can think of is that one of you didn’t believe how I came to ingest that brownie.”
Duo yawned. “Is this going to turn into Clue?”
Quatre looked confused. “Clue?”
“It’s a board game centered on a whodunit. No one plays it anymore.”
Quatre smiled at his next visitor. “Heero, thank you for coming. I know you’re busy.”
Heero said nothing as he took a seat. Quatre looked like Hannibal Lecter, but he kept that to himself.
“I want to talk to you about brownies.”
“…”
Quatre began his line of questioning. “Do you have a problem with brownies?”
“No.”
“Do you have a problem with people who have had one bad experience eating them?”
“No.”
“Do you have a problem listening to how people explain--”
Heero interrupted him. “I know what you’re getting at. I didn’t do it.”
“Do what, Heero?” Quatre kept an easygoing smile on, but all it did was make him look slightly off, given how he was bound.
Heero kept silent.
“You know something, Heero. Why won’t you tell me?”
“You can’t be trusted.”
Quatre’s mouth hung open. “Why?” he finally managed to ask.
“Because,” answered Heero, “you had a truckload of brownie mix delivered to your estate.”
Quatre watched his next visitor enter. “Wufei, please have a seat.”
“I’ll stand.”
Quatre tried not to frown. He already realized that dealing with Wufei would be a trial, perhaps worse than dealing with Heero.
Wufei had watched the blonde without saying a word, but he finally lost his patience after 15 minutes of waiting. “What do you want?”
“Your legs aren’t tired?” asked Quatre while looking up at him.
Wufei frowned. “I don’t tire-”
“Easily,” finished the blonde for him. “That’s fine. I can wait.”
“Wait?”
“The doors are locked and will remain locked until I ask for them to be opened. Please, take a seat.” Despite the manipulative words, the blonde sounded chivalrous, as though he had set a place at which he wanted Wufei to sit.
Incredulous, Wufei looked back at him. The blonde was calm, too calm. Grudgingly, Wufei took a seat. He crossed his arms over his chest.
Quatre kept his relief to himself. He was bluffing.
“Wufei, do you respect me as a colleague?”
“Respect?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t respect people who rely on illegal substances.”
At that, Quatre frowned. “Wufei, in all honesty, do you consider me that type of person?”
Wufei thought for a moment before answering, “No.”
“And why is that?”
“You’re a lightweight.”
“A lightweight?”
“You became intoxicated off of cough syrup.”
The blonde flushed red. “Duo told you about that?”
“He told everyone.”
Quatre’s eyes widened at the sight before him. His mouth hung open. He closed it and then opened it again. “Trowa…what happened to you?”
With some effort, Trowa took a seat. He was shaking to such a degree that his butt almost missed the chair. Despite the unrelenting jerky motions, he looked wrecked as though, if given the chance, he could sleep for 2 days straight.
“Jet lag?” asked Quatre as he leaned forward and was suddenly prevented from further movement. He frowned. He kept forgetting about his trussed state.
“I was held hostage,” replied Trowa.
“What? Are you--”
“I’m fine.”
“What did they do to you?”
It took a moment before Trowa responded. He sounded ashamed as he said, “They made me drink coffee, every ounce that was available.”
“I don’t understand,” murmured Quatre as he watched Trowa’s eyebrows twitch.
“A new interrogation technique,” explained Trowa.
“How was that a technique?”
“Between the shakes and having to go to the bathroom, anyone can be broken.”
“Were you?”
Quatre got his answer as he took in Trowa’s expression. Trowa had an expression…that was answer enough.
“Trowa, you can go.”
Duo, Heero, Wufei, and Trowa looked back at Quatre as he spoke.
“I’m sorry to ask you all back again. I don’t belong here and I would like to think this is a big misunderstanding, but I can’t shake the feeling that one of you is lying. And unless that someone comes forward, I can’t get out of here.” When they stared back at him without saying anything, he added, “I have to get out, now. I’m innocent.”
Duo sighed. “Quatre, seriously, no one here thinks you have a substance abuse problem.”
“You’re wrong, Duo. Heero does and I wasn’t able to question Trowa.”
Duo glanced at Trowa. “Why not? He’s sitting right there.”
“I was too distracted by his twitching to formulate any related questions.”
“Distractibility is one symptom of withdrawal,” commented Heero.
“Uhh, Heero you’re not doing anything to prove your innocence,” snorted Duo
“I don’t have to,” responded Heero.
“You’re all wasting my time,” interjected Wufei.
Duo turned to look his way. “You got something to do, Wuffers? Perhaps, planning on how you’re going to set up another friend?”
“Maxwell, save the accusations for someone who cares.”
“Everyone is too loud,” murmured Trowa.
“You have a headache?” Quatre sighed. “Just a few more minutes, Trowa, and you can go.”
Duo looked hopeful. “We get to go too, right?”
“No,” responded Quatre.
“You can’t keep us here,” said Heero.
“You’re right,” said Quatre while looking serene. “But Rashid and a horde of loyal, burly Maguanacs can.”
“Holy shit,” was Duo’s response.
“He’s serious,” mouthed Wufei while sitting up.
“He cracked,” noted Heero.
“Now, which one of you will untie me?” asked Quatre while looking at each former pilot.
They all stared back at him. No one made a move.
“You don’t trust me,” murmured the blonde while looking troubled.
No one responded.
Finally one person spoke up. “They took everything metallic and sharp from us before we came in here. It’s the policy,” commented Heero.
“I assumed as much,” responded Quatre. “I just wanted to see who would try.”
“These mind games aren’t helping,” muttered Duo. “You’re just making everyone nervous.”
“Only the guilty should be nervous,” responded Quatre.
Duo glanced at Heero. He was cool as a cucumber.
“Residual damage from the Zero System,” muttered Wufei. “The stress is affecting Winner’s mind. To think he ever was entrusted with the safety of the Earth.”
Duo scoffed. “Uhh, Wufei, who are you to talk? What was with that Mariemeia army stint and that whole thing about dropping a colony on Earth?”
That shut Wufei up.
“How many times were you captured, Duo?” murmured Trowa.
“Aren’t we talkative all of a sudden? What’s your point?”
“We all have our flaws.”
“What does being captured have to do with being flawed? I was outgunned and overpowered.” Duo snorted. “Don’t start that battle stats shit. It could be only 5 one-legged enemy suits in the way and you’d _still_ run out of ammo.”
There was silence.
“The pressure is getting to everyone but Heero,” noted Quatre. “Why is that?”
“Seriously, Quatre. Maybe it’s being tethered, but you’re acting crazy.” Duo looked around. “Someone has to untie him.”
“That’s not a good idea,” said Heero.
Duo looked back at him. “Why not?”
“He’s dangerous,” responded Heero without further elaboration.
Quatre sighed. “Talking with all of you has given me a better sense of my predicament. And I can now say, without feeling paranoid, that all of you are involved in some way. I just need some time to piece together how.”
The blonde grew quiet for a moment. “I should start with locating the ringleader.” He looked at Duo and seemed to reach a resolution. “3 weeks ago, you were the first to hear the brownie story. Before you left my estate, you mentioned that you wanted to tease Heero…given uhh…what happened to him.”
“Heero, could you glare a little harder?” muttered Duo.
Undeterred, Quatre continued, “Fearing a flesh wound, you decided to leave Heero alone, but you couldn’t drop the issue. You had to tease _someone_. I was the only other target. I didn’t know this until today, but someone ordered a truckload of brownie mix and had it sent to my house. Heero, when was the delivery made?”
“1 week ago,” answered Heero.
Quatre’s gaze did not leave Duo. “I told Wufei and Trowa about the brownie incident 5 days ago. Only you and Heero knew about it before that time. I have no idea why Heero was spying on me, but he isn’t the type--”
Duo leaned forward. “Are you trying to say--”
“I’m not trying, Duo. You’re the only one who could have done it.”
Duo kept his gaze level with Quatre’s before saying, “Fine, you got me.”
Quatre cast his attention on Wufei. “When we spoke earlier, you called me a lightweight…because of that incident with the cough syrup. You said you heard it from Duo. Duo, when did I tell you about that?”
Duo shrugged. “Yesterday, I guess.”
Quatre let his gaze sweep across the room. “Given the fact that Wufei said that Duo told everyone about it, all of you had some form of contact with Duo within the last day.”
Duo sat up. “We’re all here now. I could have told them in the waiting room.”
“Could have?” asked Quatre. “Meaning you probably didn’t?”
Silence.
Quatre moved on. “Trowa was held captive, interrogated, and tortured by means of coffee consumption.” Quatre looked from one former pilot to the next. “We five don’t have many weaknesses. But over the years I have become aware of all of yours. Unfortunately, I was too trusting and told Duo about Trowa’s weak point.” No one looked curious but the blonde continued anyway. “It’s coffee. He can’t handle it,” explained Quatre. “It’s something I became aware of the first time he stayed at one of my safe houses. Although I can’t think of a reason why, I can only conclude that Duo--”
“He wasn’t alone,” interrupted Trowa. After a pause he added, “Wufei helped.”
The blonde appeared surprised but kept it under wraps as he said, “Wufei, this would be your opportunity to explain your involvement.”
Red. Wufei’s face was a red, ripe tomato. He said nothing.
Quatre pressed on. “You’ve already been implicated--”
“Yuy. Blame Yuy,” muttered Wufei.
“I’m not involved,” said Heero.
That comment was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Duo shot out of his seat and stood in front of Heero. “You were earlier,
you bastard! You were just going to sit there and let me take all the blame,
weren’t you?” Duo looked back at Quatre. He cooed and everyone stared
at him as he said, “Fine, I’ll be the dirty stool pigeon. I’m
not taking the fall alone!”