Gundam Wing: Genesis Part 8
It was a generally boring day for the desk clerk- she was actually filing her nails when a nondescript young man walked in and up to her desk-
he took a second look and quickly changed her opinion of him. She had never seen blue eyes like those of this guy, and the fact that he was oriental-looking, as well... She plastered on what she hoped was an intriguing smile. "Good morning! How can I help you?"
He gave her a small smile. "I just need some information, actually. A shuttle landed here two days ago at 1600, pretty redhead on board- do you remember it?"
It was a rhetorical question, of course. This was a small-enough airfield that a real shuttle landing was quite an event! The girl smiled brightly. "Of course I do! Not long after that terrible bombing incident..."
He cut her off. "Do you know where the passengers went? What flight they took out of here? It's very important..."
She bit her lip. "I'm not supposed to give out this information..."
The man leaned closer towards her. "I need to know, Ma'am." He pulled out his wallet and flashed his fake Preventers badge- Wufei would kill him for certain if he ever found out about it. "We believe that the passengers might have witnessed something to do with the bombing and are running for their lives. I just want to help them."
She blinked hard- this guy was a cop? But... She looked him over again. Yes- there was a hardness to his eyes that was all business. "Just a minute, sir. Let me pull up the records." She turned back to her computer and began typing.
Heero was itching with impatience- he could have had all this information already, if only Wufei hadn't insisted that he attempt to do it legally before hacking in... "Got it!" the girl called.
He turned back to her as she hit the [PRINT] key. "One shuttle captain and two passengers- a Miss Mary Millston and Sean Murphy. They had a private plane waiting for them, sir."
"Can you tell me where it went?"
She smiled. "I'm printing all of this out for you right now, sir. Plane markings Delta Oscar November 56281, left here at 2130 for Quito... Oh!"
He gave her a piercing look. 'What is it?"
She stared at the screen in disbelief. "Oh- they never got there, sir! They must have diverted, but it isn't on the records..."
Maybe not on their records, at least! He smiled at her. "Thanks for your help, Miss! If I can have that information, please..."
She blushed and quickly moved to pick up his printout, handing it to him with a smile.
Heero smiled back. "Now- you have to promise that you won't tell anyone about this little conversation..."
She nodded. "Of course, sir! It was my pleasure to help..."
He turned and left without another word, the smile he had been wearing melting from his face as he moved. Heero hadn't expected to get the information so easily... but now it was time to do things his way.
~*~
Wufei sipped at his tea reflectively and with no small measure of relief. Sally had checked out clean.
Not that any of them would have believed that she could be the leak! As with Catherine Bloom, it had truly hurt to run those checks, to force himself to suspect someone so close of treachery. He hoped she never found out about it- he didn't think he would be able to look her in the face if she knew.
"Wu? What are you up to?" Duo asked quietly as he ghosted in, a cup of coffee in his hands.
The Chinese Preventer tried to avoid the coffee smell- he had only recently been successful in kicking his addiction. "Sally's clean. Catherine, too."
Duo let out a heavy sigh. "Thank God, buddy. If there really is someone up there..."
Wufei pinned his friend with a look. Duo had been much quieter since the bombing- it was difficult for the braided pilot to accept that something he had worked on had led to such a tragedy. His project. His responsibility. "We're still checking up on the others, though. I don't want to believe that any of them..."
Duo nodded his agreement- he had personally taken on the process of checking the Sweeper group out, Howard especially, and he hadn't taken a break until he got the answers he was looking for. It had made him feel like a traitor to investigate them, but it had been necessary.
"Anything from Trowa yet?" he asked, changing the subject.
Wufei broke into a slight smile. "Yes- he's down to two possibilities on Madeleine Dumoulin's location. He's checking one and Heero the other- they're both due back in about an hour."
The two pilots snorted- the other two young men had been insistent on carrying out this part of their investigation, since they had been kept from the previous action. That had left Wufei, Duo and Quatre to finish the background checks.
Duo frowned. "If we find her, I want onto the infiltration team. I'm not being left behind on that!"
Wufei nodded his agreement. The smartest thing to do would have been to storm and take out both sites- it would have been expensive, though, and the Preventers were still smarting from the losses in space. Even worse, the Senate was screaming for a full investigation, which would eventually force the pilots to testify and reveal what was going on...
Both pilots jumped as the comm link began beeping and, with a sheepish look, Wufei punched it. Quatre's face flashed onscreen. "Hi, guys! How's it going?"
"Sally and Cathy are clean," Wufei said, in greeting.
Relief flooded the Arabian's features. "Good- we can all breathe easier, then. I'm still flipping through Relena's phone records, but I don't think I'll find anything. I think she's clean."
"Leaving Une and Dorothy on top of our list," Duo said, thinking out loud. "And hell knows that both of them have questionable pasts."
Quatre frowned. "And Relena's secretary, and Une's top aid, Rashid and the rest of the Manguanacs... Let's not jump to conclusions about them yet, okay?"
Wufei interjected, "Heero and Trowa will be in soon- they might have a fixed location for us."
It was a good distraction- Quatre's expression changed instantly to something that made both other pilots feel distinctly uncomfortable. "I'll be there in ten minutes." The connection was cut.
Duo and Wufei exchanged looks. "Uh-oh."
Wufei nodded his agreement. "He keeps it under control, but he's scary when he's this angry."
Duo quirked an eyebrow. "Is there anything we can give him to keep him busy until Trowa gets in?"
The Chinese pilot frowned as he dug through the papers in front of him. "Well, we could put him on Une's bio and ask him to find any inconsistencies. He'll tear it apart quickly, but it should keep him bust for at least an hour."
Duo smiled. "Done- I'll take Abdul's records, you take Rashid, and we'll leave off of Dorothy for the moment, okay?"
Wufei nodded. "Let's do it."
~*~
Heero gave his Manguanac guide a nod of thanks as he paused for a moment outside the Situation Room door- he and Trowa had been warned about Quatre's state of mind before they came in. Steeling himself to facing it, he pushed the door open.
"I disagree! We can stealth our way in and blow the place to hell with her still there!" Quatre was retorting to something Wufei had just said to him. Duo was about four feet away from the other two, leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, trying not to roll his eyes.
The braided young man pushed off the wall, throwing his lover a glance of caution. "Normally, I'd agree, Quatre. Not this time- we need her alive."
Wufei nodded. "If we catch her, we can end this without killing anyone."
The blond sighed as his face fell forward into his hands. "I know- I know! But I just want..."
Heero stepped forward and put a hand on the blond's shoulder. "You want revenge for what she did. Understandable, but predictable. That would be playing the game by her script."
Quatre looked up in surprise. "Heero?"
The Japanese man gave a ghost of a smile. "We make the rules, Quatre. That's how we win. Trowa's on his way."
Wufei frowned. "Where is he?"
Heero shrugged, unconsciously sidling closer to his lover. "Told me to tell you he'd be here in ten." He could feel Duo's hand on his back now, warm and reassuring, and it helped to ground him. I can do this- and he'll be right there with me, like the team we have always been...
Duo ran his hand up Heero's back gently, giving a light push towards the small kitchenette that adjoined the room. "We're going to see about some coffee for the meeting, okay?" Heero allowed himself to be led-
Wufei shouted after them, "Could you put on some water for tea, too?"
Heero chuckled as he shut the door and grabbed hold of his braided lover with both hands, burying his face in the other man's chest. "I suppose we really should make coffee."
Duo's low laugh fell into a broken gasp as lips caressed his throat. "Don't forget Wu's tea... Christ, Heero..." Heero kissed him gently.
Duo allowed the other man to dominate their contact, purring in contentment as Heero's arms tightened around him and pulled their two bodies flush against each other. Pulling back slightly and resting his forehead against his lover's, Duo said, "Q's bad, man, real bad."
"I got that impression," Heero replied dryly. "How about you?"
"Me?" Duo smiled ruefully. "Just point me in the right direction and I'll shoot, partner! I'll be alright. Trowa's found her?"
"Hai," Heero said, brushing a light kiss over Duo's lips. "We should plan it out and leave tonight. All five of us."
Duo took a deep breath, unable to avoid the rush of adrenaline the words brought on. He smiled as he turned to grab a filter from a small cubbyhole next to the hotplate. "Will we need back-up?"
Heero shot him a wounded look. "What do you think?" He grabbed the kettle and filled it with water before putting it on the hotplate.
Duo's grin broadened. "I think Sally's gonna feel left-out."
It was Heero's turn to grin now. "Then I suppose Wufei had better show her some action, ne?"
They shared a smile as the smell of fresh-brewed coffee began to fill the small space. All joking aside, both were ready for it- it was time to become Shinigami and the Perfect Soldier again.
~*~
Duo was humming under his breath as he strapped throwing knives to his forearms. On one hand, he had never wanted to have to go out armed as he was ever again, but the other part of him couldn't deny that it felt good to do it. It didn't hurt that he could clearly envision the faces of the people who had died on that research satellite. He knew that all of them were thinking along the same lines, and it brought a tiny smile to his face. He preferred the word 'retribution' to 'revenge.' No matter what you called it- it was going to feel good.
He mentally reviewed their plan as he began strapping on a double shoulder holster. Heero and I secure the East and South wings while Trowa and Quatre take North and West. Wufei and Sally are taking the air strip and control tower- glad I'm not there- that's gonna be rough! He checked both guns before slipping them into their holsters.
Reaching over, he grabbed yet another pistol- this one armed with armour-piercing rounds, and made sure the safety was on before slipping it into a thigh holster. He was going to be liberally loaded with frags and explosives, as well.
"Think you've got enough hardware, Maxwell?" Wufei teased from the left, where he was similarly outfitting himself.
Duo drawled back, "Just gettin' ready to rumble, Wu."
The Chinese pilot rolled his eyes- he was distinctly nervous that he was being paired up with Sally on this mission! He hadn't wanted her anywhere near it, but she had been so insistent that even Heero couldn't talk or threaten her down... If he could have killed at least one person he threatened with it, back during the war... Dammit, Sally shouldn't be going in with us!
He shot Duo a sour look. "We're not going water-skiing, Maxwell!"
"I'm well aware of that, Wufei." He looked over at the solemn answer- Duo's smile was momentarily missing, replaced by a look of such intense concentration that it was unnerving.
Quatre looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, Wufei. I understand your fears, but you can't do this without backup. It is too dangerous, even for a former Gundam pilot."
You have no idea about my fears, Winner! Wufei clamped down on his anger. It wasn't going to help anything... and the blond was right. Going into this without backup was even more suicidal than some of Heero's self-destruct attempts during the war.
Sally shot him a sad look from where she was finishing her preparations. "I'll be fine, Fei. In case you're forgetting, I was a terrorist once, too."
She glanced around- they looked dangerous. It wasn't just the fact that they were so heavily armed, either. No- Duo's smile as he pulled his long, black leather duster coat on to hide the weapons on his person was what was scary. He's looking forward to catching Madeleine- they all are, even if a few of them hide it better. They want this mission so bad... So much for becoming normal citizens! It's too much a part of them all.
Quatre pulled on his bomber jacket and zipped it closed before he looked up to catch the eyes of each person in turn. It felt as though his heart had to be beating double-time- he was so excited to be going on this mission that it almost hurt. "Are we all ready?"
They all nodded back to him silently.
Quatre's face spread into an evil smile that was reflected back at him off of five faces. "If no one has any further comments, this mission is a go."
~*~
Trowa gripped his weapon tightly in his hands as he followed after the silent figure that was ghosting ahead of him down the hallway. Quatre didn't know, of course. He knew- if Madeleine was on the base at all, she was in the North wing. The area he had deliberately asked Heero to take instead.
It wasn't that Quatre wasn't capable- they all knew how untrue and unjust the very idea was. The thing that bothered him the most was the look on his blond love's face when the young man first woke from his psychic throwback. It had been the Zero system all over again, and Trowa wasn't willing to put either of them through it again, if he didn't have to. Not when Heero and Duo could take care of it, and no one ever had to know that he was so scared of it. No one except Heero, at any rate, and the Japanese man had seemed to understand his fears completely. He had even promised not to tell Duo about it.
Quatre was waiting for him at the next corner and gave him a steady, serious nod as he moved forward to take point. He nodded back, remembering Heero's words when they had discussed it all, a day earlier- "Quatre's the only one of us who's been targeted directly so far. We have to assume that she'd still like to eliminate him if possible, so it is logical to keep him far away from her." Good luck, Heero, Duo. Don't do anything dumb. And don't worry about us- I'll keep him safe, I promise.
~*~
As Sally Po knocked her last opponent unconscious, she caught the glare her boyfriend was sending in her direction and scowled back at him. "What! So I don't have your finesse, Chang! I admit it, so what?"
He grumpily turned back to the man he was tying up and added a blindfold for good measure. "You should be taking it easy, onna, not doing those crazy, gymnastic moves!"
She snorted. "And who taught me those moves, eh? Deal with it. And radio the others- we've got this place secured."
Wufei growled as he reached for his comm link. Why I ever decided to get involved with a damn onna like her... He keyed the small switch. "Air control is secured, over."
~*~
"Air control is secured, over."
Duo grinned widely and turned to make a few quick gestures to his partner. Heero felt a smile tugging at his lips as he watched Duo's hands fly. He signalled back, "Great, but keep your mind on focus, baka."
Both froze immediately, though, as a door opened ahead.
Heero's heart leapt into his throat momentarily as Duo slunk into the shadows- he had almost been at the now opened doorway. He relaxed a moment later as a figure emerged and walked right past the braided pilot, oblivious to his presence. They could hear voices coming from inside- it was the first sign that they were in the right place they had gotten.
Duo caught the door just before it swung shut and looked back to Heero for an okay to go ahead. Feeling both frightened and elated, Heero gave a nod of acquiesce.
The braided pilot's face slipped into a Shinigami smile as he palmed one of his knives and drew a pistol out in the other. Heero joined him, a gun in either hand, and the two exchanged a brief kiss.
Turning with a devilish grin, Duo kicked the door in and dove for the floor.
There were four men in the room- they looked up in confusion, but it only took a short moment for the threat to register. Heero saw it, as if in slow motion- eyes narrowing in anger and fear as four men simultaneously reached for their weapons, their eyes glued on his lover, following his every movement. Duo's arm coming up in a deadly arch as the knife flew, meeting its mark unerringly...
Heero had already sighted on one of the men as he heard someone flipping off the safety on his gun. Duo was already moving as he brought his gun around and fired-
The gunfire was over almost before it began, and Heero was tripping over to where his lover had rolled. "Duo! God- talk to me, Duo..."
He breathed a sigh of relief as the braided figure sat up and shook his head. "Whew! Damn bastards almost put a tear in my coat!"
Heero didn't know what he wanted more- to kill the braided baka or make love to him right there. "Are you alright? Jesus, they didn't actually get you..."
Duo laughed. "Please! I am the God of Death, remember?"
All the same, he clung to Heero as the other man hauled him to his feet and pulled him into his arms. Both seemed calmer as they pulled apart again, and they quickly looked their victims over.
Heero was annoyed. "Guards! They're just guards, dammit."
Duo nodded his agreement. "They must have been off-duty. Damn- we made enough noise... what's the plan now?"
Heero bit his lip. "We need to secure this wing as fast as possible. We split up."
~*~
Quatre cursed under his breath as the transmission came through. "Do you need backup, 2?"
The reply came back, "Negative. Proceed as planned. 2 out."
Trowa clamped a hand down on his lover's shoulder. "Come on."
Quatre turned angry eyes on the taller man. "Don't tell me you concur?!"
Trowa nodded sadly. "They are more than capable. Let's go."
"But Trowa..."
The green-eyed man merely shook his head, and Quatre bit back the words he was going to say. He didn't have to like it, but the fact remained that both Duo and Heero had gone through much worse than this little mission. He nodded slowly.
~*~
The two passages were converging. Heero felt his heart beating madly in his chest. He hadn't seen anyone or anything, and that could only mean that the people they were looking for had been in Duo's hallway. If any of them have harmed a hair on his head...
He froze and slipped into the shadows- there were voices up ahead.
Including a female voice.
The Perfect Soldier's mask fell back over his face- Heero gladly let his training take over as he drew another gun in his left hand to match the one in his right. All they needed was to take her alive...
She was laughing about something in a sexy, exciting voice, alluring. It disgusted him- he had read her profile, and he knew exactly how artificial it was. Not that most men would have cared- all they ever saw was the body.
It was the next door.
Adrenaline was pumping through his veins as he reached the door and gently tried the knob- it wasn't locked.
~*~
Wufei frowned angrily- not only was the airfield practically deserted, but it even looked as though it hadn't been used in over a week! They weren't planning on using it, either- the only plane present wasn't fuelled, and the pilot was off base. They were missing something.
He looked over at Sally to find a similar frown of confusion on her face. It just didn't add up! They must have an escape plan from this place, and it would be stupid to attempt to get away by land. The damned onna isn't stupid, so that can't possibly be her plan...
Sally gave him a hard look. "How would you do it, Fei? I'm thinking the roof."
His eyes widened. The roof? But that would mean... "It's a good possibility- they could store the chopper remotely and call it in only if it was needed- smarter than leaving a plane to be sabotaged."
Sally's eyes panned around the room before they came back around to fix on Wufei. "Do we break protocol and warn them?"
~*~
They all looked up, startled, as the door burst open. A figure was walking through, dressed from head to toe in black, a gun in either hand.
Sirius dove in front of Madeleine as the intruder began firing with perfect aim, cobalt blue eyes completely emotionless as they watched his enemies falling. She was smiling, her eyes going wide in what looked like lust as she watched-
Both guns clicked empty. Heero wore a dangerous smirk as men came flying at him, thinking that the threat was somehow minimised... Idiots should have shot first. His fist slammed into one man's face and nose, smashing the delicate bones on impact, even as his heel met with another man's chest, throwing him backwards into another attacker with brutal force.
He grabbed a gun from another man as he fell and began firing again, his eyes focusing on the smiling redhead who for some reason didn't seem worried by his presence...
It didn't register until too late. He never even saw the blow that rendered him senseless at Madeleine's feet.
~*~
Duo's face was contorted into a snarl as he pulled his knife free from the last of his attackers- he had heard gunfire ahead and he knew what that had to mean. Heero had found her.
But then these assholes had happened! Six of them blocking his way- he wondered vaguely how many Heero was up against as he swung into motion, laughter bubbling in his throat as he attacked, deadly knives gleaming a deep red. The gunfire had stopped, and he didn't want to think about what that could mean...
He wiped the knife on the man's jacket before flipping it into throwing position. Don't kill her. Doesn't mean I can't hurt her, does it? And if they have him...
He angrily chased the thought away as he moved forward.
~*~
Heero didn't open his eyes- he had to hope that Duo would get there soon. Before they realised that he was awake again.
His arms were bound behind him painfully, and he could hear the bitch and the tall, bald man she had been with- the man who knocked him out- conversing nearby. They were discussing him-
"He's our ticket out of here, Madeleine! Think- the others must be here if he is..."
She cut the man off. "Perhaps, but killing him would be a wonderful way of showing Quatre how serious I am about this. One of his best friends! It's too good to pass up."
The man was talking again. "Let's just get to the chopper and get out of here! He can't be alone- someone else will be here soon."
Laughter. "Where is your sense of adventure, Sirius? Hand me my handbag, please."
That was it- Heero had to know what that meant! She wants to poison me, perhaps? Ha- she can go ahead and try! He tried to hold still...
Someone was slapping him roughly, and Heero faked a groggy moan as he slowly opened his eyes- the bald man- Sirius- was holding the machine gun he'd had strapped to his back and glaring at him as he stepped back, and behind him... Madeleine Dumoulin was smiling at him as she put a brand new, gleaming coat of red on her long fingernails. "Est-ce que tu me comprends?" [Translation- "Do you understand me?"]
Heero glared at her. "I don't understand," he lied.
She smiled sweetly. "You and your friends should just have let us be, but now I'm afraid that Quatre has to learn his lesson."
"Go to hell, bitch."
She laughed as she finished applying the coat of polish to her nails, carefully screwing the top back onto the bottle. "I will, I'm sure. But I'm not ready to go yet. It saddens me to inform you that you are."
"Sarcasm truly doesn't suit you." His eyes focused on her hands- there must have been something in the polish... I'm immune to most poisons, but I don't have a clue what this is...
She laughed as she drew her hand back, the wet polish gleaming in the harsh neon lights. "It's been a pleasure."
Her hand descended, and Heero closed his eyes.
~*~
"Madeleine!"
She screamed, and Heero's eyes flew open in shock at the sound-
There was a knife imbedded in her hand, pinning it against the wall, a very familiar knife. Heero yelled, "He's armed, Two!"
There was a blur of movement as the machine gun opened fire on the open doorway, a black-clothed form diving for the ground and pulling a gun as it fell. Violet eyes gleamed evilly as they locked on the huge, bald man and Duo's aim shifted to the redhead, still staring in shock at her hand while Heero began struggling in his chair, pulling at his bindings.
Just as Duo fired, Sirius lunged forward-
Madeleine ignored Sirius' scream as the bullet found its mark, shoving him roughly with her good hand so that he fell on the still bound prisoner, toppling both to the ground. Glaring angrily, she yanked on the knife, refusing the cry out as it came lose and she cradled her injured hand against her chest. She yanked on Sirius' gun and sighted on the braided man-
"Shit!" Duo was forced to dive for cover again as she open fired with the machine gun and bullets flew wildly- she didn't have the strength to fire the weapon one-handed and retain any sort of aim. All the same, he couldn't risk firing, for fear of hitting Heero...
"Madeleine... go!" he heard the bald man yell, and anger welled up in his mind- she was not going to get away, not when he'd had her in his sights. He growled as he surged to his feet and turned his gun on her-
He heard a click from Sirius' direction, and he spun madly, his blood going cold as he saw the man holding a gun to Heero's temple. No! Dear God, anything but that...
The crash of breaking wood was the last thing he expected to hear.
Heero snarled as Duo spun- he could feel the cold muzzle of the gun pressed against his head, and the only thing he could think of was surviving. The chair splintered as his anger exploded in him. The Japanese man's eyes were narrowed into slits of hatred as he knocked the gun away with his left hand, smashing his right into Sirius' chest. The man was falling-
Duo was already on the radio. "Target is running along Western corridor!"
But Wufei's voice cut in, "All hands- approaching chopper! Landing on the roof! God damn it..." Their eyes met and Heero gave a slight nod. "Roger that- I'm on my way. Three, Four, get your asses over here!" Duo responded to the call.
"We're on our way!"
With one last glance to assure himself that Heero was okay, Duo darted for the door.
~*~
Trowa was fuming as he dashed forward, throwing a useless, empty pistol to the side as he moved. For once in my life, I'd like to have enough ammo to finish out a mission! He was down to two clips, and there were enemies literally everywhere!
There was a loud explosion somewhere ahead, and both Quatre and Trowa breathed sighs of relief- that had to be Duo! "Come on, Three! Faster!" The blond darted ahead into the smoky corridor before them, a cursing Trowa bringing up the rear.
He keyed his radio- "Two, Three and I are coming in behind you! Exercise caution in firing back at us!"
"Roger." The uncharacteristically short reply from Duo spoke volumes- the braided pilot was either in deep shit, or someone had tried to harm Heero. Either way, Duo was pissed.
There was another burst of fire up ahead. Quatre slapped another clip into his gun as he rounded the corner and immediately dove for cover, firing from both hands. Across from him, Duo gave a quick flash of a smile as he reached for another grenade. "Fire in the hull!"
Trowa remained behind the corner as something exploded ahead of him- there was a bright flash to accompany the sudden thunder and flying debris, and then- "All clear!" He rounded the corner.
"Where's One?" he asked as they charged down another corridor in a loose, three-man formation.
Duo spat angrily. "Wrapping up a prisoner downstairs. The bitch was about to... SHIT!" The braided man dove for cover as yet more guards opened fire from ahead of them.
Quatre glared angrily. "I don't have time for this crap!" He grabbed one of his frags and threw-
"Four! Be careful- One is still downstairs!"
The blond ignored his braided friend as he dashed out from his cover, weapons spitting death. Trowa and Duo exchanged worried looks as they trailed after the small blond.
~*~
Madeleine Dumoulin was seething as she passed the final doorway. They had gotten past all her perimeter checks and squads, right into her personal domain, and then that kid with the long hair had actually managed to hit her... Her hand throbbed madly, but she refused to stop running, to give in to it. She had to escape, she just needed to get to safety, and then she would show them all what it meant to take her on...
The loss of Sirius was going to pose a problem, but she could handle that.
She could see the chopper on the landing pad just ahead, men with guns rushing to help her... She snarled, "Wait here for the bastards who are following me and kill them, dammit!" She darted past them.
Half-trained pilots or not, we will still have the strategic advantage. I'm done waiting! She swung onto the helicopter.
~*~
There were five men between them and the helicopter- they could see her red hair flying in the wind as she ran for it. Quatre's growl was unlike anything Duo had ever heard from him as he charged forward.
All three hit the deck, though, as the five in front of them were gunned down, a silent, black-clothed form swooping in from the side. "Five! What the hell..."
"Save it, Four! Let's go!" The four pilots ran for the helo pad-
"Hit the deck!" Trowa yelled, throwing himself at Quatre and knocking both of them sprawling as the helo lifted and turned- a steady stream of bullets barely missed them.
"Aw- fuck this!" Duo drew his last gun and sighted for a second before firing three times.
The others looked at him like he was crazy as he grinned widely- it looked like nothing had happened, but...
BANG!
The side-mounted machine gun exploded loudly as the armour-piercing rounds' delayed fuses lit and the shells exploded. All four covered their heads and necks quickly, cursing as they heard the helicopter turning-
Quatre was on his feet as soon as he could manage and chasing out after it, but it was too late.
Madeleine had escaped.
~*~
"Easy, One! It's Sally coming in!" Heero immediately relaxed, his eyes swinging up to meet Sally's as she moved forward into the small room and looked around-
"Dear God! What the hell happened in here?"
Heero glared at Sirius' form, still crumbled in front of him. "It seems we got everyone but the real target. Duo almost had her, but this piece of shit," he kicked the man in the ribs, resulting in a low groan, "got in the way."
She looked Heero over concernedly. "How about you? Was Duo hit?"
He shook his head. "He's fine, and I just have a bump. Nothing life threatening."
"DAMN IT, SHE GOT AWAY! WHEN I FIND HER I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL..." Both Heero and Sally jumped at the sound of Quatre's voice, and the Preventer was alarmed to see her Japanese friend go white as a sheet.
She was at his side instantly. "What is it?! Heero, talk to me!"
"That voice..." Heero rasped, his eyes still wide, "that's what Quatre sounded like while under the influence of the Zero system. He's... he's not thinking rationally."
He abruptly stood. "Let's get this guy out of here- I don't want to know what will happen if Quatre finds him before he gets rational, and we're going to need information from him."
She nodded and reached for a yet unused radio. It was time to call in the Preventers.
~*~
Wufei and Duo both backed away from the irate Arabian, and Trowa felt his mouth going dry- the last time he'd heard Quatre sound like that...
He blocked the thoughts as quickly as he could. Dammit, no! I'm not going to think of that! I can't... "Quatre, look at me."
The blond's chest was heaving with heavy breaths, his fists clenched tightly. "When I catch them, they are dead. I will kill her slowly..."
Trowa's hands were shaking as he took a step forward. "Quatre Raberba Winner, look at me!"
The Arabian continued ranting, never noticing as Wufei began to creep closer to him, reaching into a pocket. "She deserves to die! She deserves to see everything she's done and feel their pain, like I do..."
Wufei knew he would have to act quickly and rely on Duo to hold Trowa back, since the taller man was going to be furious... He drew out a needle and quickly stabbed it into his friend's arm, not giving anyone the chance to react...
Duo jumped into motion as Quatre collapsed instantly and Trowa yelled, "What the hell did you just do?!" He sprang between Trowa and the Chinese Preventer, who was now cradling Quatre's limp form in his arms.
Duo was surprised at how easy it was to hold Trowa back. "Dammit, Tro! He wasn't rational! He was going Zero on us!"
Trowa struggled like a mad cat. "Let me go, Maxwell! Now!"
Duo's grip tightened. "I can't do that, Tro. I'm sorry."
Wufei met the blazing green eyes regretfully. "I'm sorry. Would you prefer to see him go crazy? Would it have been better to let him hurt himself, and us, too, probably?"
Trowa's struggles slowly ended. "No," he replied after a long moment, "it would not. I'm sorry."
Duo released him gently and stood back as Trowa stepped forward to take Quatre's form from Wufei. "How long till he wakes up?"
The young Chinese replied, "Several hours- enough time to get him away from here. We've got to go!"
Their radios crackled. "All pilots, this is One. Status report."
Duo sighed. "Two here- Four under sedation. The rest of us are fine. How about you?"
"Alive, thanks to you," came the reply. "Po is contacting the Preventers. Expect extraction. We are headed to you with the prisoner."
"Roger."
Wufei turned questioning eyes on the American. "Prisoner?"
Duo nodded, a vague glint in his eyes. "You remember the bastard who shot me at the palace?" He waited for a nod from Wufei. "He was there- she left him behind when she left."
"Interrogation?" Trowa asked.
Duo nodded. "Care to play 'Good Cop- Bad Cop' with me, Trowa?"
Trowa cradled Quatre closer against his chest. "As soon as I see that he's okay."
"Fair enough."
~*~
Une scowled darkly at the people descending from the private jet and stalked forward, various people scattering out of her way. "Chang! Po! Yuy! What the hell..."
She stopped short at the look on Wufei's face. "Don't even go there, Lady. You will wait until we have all had a chance to debrief the mission and install our prisoner, and then we will talk to you. Is that clear?"
He didn't wait for a response- he turned back around and gripped Sally's arm, giving her an escort into the building. Une stared after him in shock- he had never spoken to her like that! At least, not since the war...
Duo stopped short in front of her, and she transferred her attention to him. "What is it, Maxwell?"
The boy sighed. "Um... Look- I know it's not normal protocol, but Trowa and I want to be the ones to interrogate this guy. We're gonna need a bit of information to start with, though, and I was hoping that..."
She sighed- she could either cooperate, or he would simply hack into her system and get the information he wanted. Une supposed she should have been grateful to him for at least making this gesture, but she was having a hard time with it. "Did you get his fingerprints?"
Duo just nodded.
She scowled. "Fine. Follow me." She turned and stalked off.
He lengthened his stride to catch up to her. "Listen, Une, we owe you an explanation..."
"Damn straight you do!" She growled back. "If something had gone wrong, you would all have been dead! We don't stand a chance against her without you guys, and you're off playing toy soldiers!"
He shook his head. "I can only tell you so much. Will that do for now?"
She stopped and turned to look at him. He met her gaze evenly. "If I say it won't do?"
"Then I don't tell you a thing and you'll wait until we're damned ready to talk to you!" Duo snapped.
She scoffed, "And why are you going to tell me anything to begin with?"
He snorted. "Because I don't think you're the leak. Now do you accept, or not?"
She stared at him for a long moment, then replied, "Your terms are acceptable."
~*~
Relena quit wringing her hands and dove for the vid phone as it rang. Her face lit up as she recognized the caller. "Heero! You're all alive! We've been terribly worried, since that call came in..."
He nodded to her. "We're all just fine, Relena. We didn't catch her."
The girl waved it away. "You're alive- she can kiss my ass."
The Perfect Soldier smirked. "She's pretty, but I still don't think you'd enjoy that."
She laughed. "What can I do for you, Heero?"
His eyes were guarded. "We need to talk- I can only tell you so much, but you deserve to know."
Her smile faltered. "Why? Why talk to me?"
"Because you need to know and you aren't the leak." He gave her a small smile. "Please?"
Relena smiled happily. "Of course, Heero! When can we meet?"
He looked off camera at something or someone- she could only assume that Duo was there with him. "How does this afternoon sound? Sally will be with me."
Relena nodded. Dorothy will be so excited! They are going to trust us! "Sounds wonderful!"
~*~
Her frown was deep and angry as a doctor finished treating her hand. He backed away from her carefully. "How does it feel, mademoiselle?"
She scowled. "It will heal. I need to get to the Command Center."
He shook his head. "You need to rest first, miss. I must insist..."
She turned her blazing eyes on him. "Don't make me repeat myself, Doctor. I want to go to the Command Center right now."
The doctor swallowed. "Only if you agree to a chair to get you there- you've lost too much blood to be up and about!"
He's not too scared of me to disagree with me. I don't know if I should be pleased or angry. Madeleine gave the doctor a small smile. "Very well." The smile changed abruptly to something far scarier. "Franklin Roosevelt fought a war from a chair- no reason I can't start one from mine."
~*~
Trowa looked up as Wufei entered the room and took a seat next to Quatre's quietly slumbering form. The Chinese man said, "Duo and Heero are setting the trap right now. I hope it works."
"It has to- one of them has to be the leak, and the crap they came up with is too hot to pass up," Trowa said, absently stroking pale hair back from his lover's face.
"Trowa."
The green eyed young man looked up at the tone his friend used. "What, Wufei?"
"What exactly happened back there?" Wufei asked.
Trowa sighed as he averted his eyes. "I don't know what you mean."
"Bullshit," Wufei shot back, reminding himself the control his volume so as not to wake Quatre. "You've been a little too calm about Yuy almost getting himself killed by Dumoulin. You knew she was in that wing, didn't you?"
Green eyes flared in obvious guilt. "And what if I did?"
Wufei rolled his eyes. "Don't you think Yuy and Maxwell would have liked to know?"
"Heero knew."
Wufei's eyebrows shot into his hairline in shock. "And Duo? Did anyone bother to tell him that he was being used as a decoy?"
Trowa hung his head. "We knew he could handle it, and it was too risky that Quatre would find out."
"So it's all about him, is it!" Wufei almost yelled, gesturing at the sleeping Arabian sharply. "I can't believe you two!"
Trowa's voice was tightly controlled. "He's her primary target, even more so than Relena. I didn't want to put Duo in that position, but I had to, and Heero agreed."
Wufei buried his face in his hands. "Are you going to tell them?"
Trowa looked up, startled. "Them- you mean Quatre and Duo?" At Wufei's nod, he blanched. "Not if I don't have to!"
Wufei almost growled back at him, "If you guys don't find a way, I will. That is a promise."
Trowa simply nodded, but both pilots' heads came around sharply as a knock sounded at the door. Sally's head popped in, her eyes blazing. "Both of you- we need you right now."
There was no mistaking her tone of voice- there was a serious problem. Both stood and joined her quickly, and Wufei asked, "What's going on?"
Sally's eyes flashed. "It's started."
~*~
Everyone in the room watched the news footage in shocked, horrified silence.
The reporter's voice was dry and raspy as he narrated the live video. "There are more of them! They just keep coming, and we're... God- explosions everywhere, and the local Preventer forces are being overwhelmed..."
Fire- the strange mobile suits were swarming over the screen, and everyone cried out in outrage as they fired on civilians in the streets, hitting houses and businesses dispassionately. Trowa's fists clenched tightly as he watched, and he was distantly aware of similar reactions in his fellow pilots. We didn't bleed and suffer as much as we did for that bitch to pull a stunt like this! Damn it all and damn her!
Heero's fist slammed down on the table so hard that the wood splintered and crashed. He didn't notice the blood on his fist as his eyes remained fixed on the screen. "Opinions?"
Wufei stood- his chair crashed backwards loudly. "Call Howard- we need our suits now. How soon can he get here?"
Duo's eyes flashed. "Give him five hours to get here, but then we'll need time to do the proper checks and fuelling..."
Heero nodded. "We'll need time to plan, too. Duo, we need information and we need it fast."
The braided man was slightly pale, but he nodded seriously. "Ryoukai. I won't be nice."
The pilots stood to leave, but before he walked out with Trowa, Duo stopped to get a copy of the continuing footage from the Genesis suit attack.
Une shot a questioning look at both Wufei and Sally. "What does he need that for?"
Wufei shook his head sadly- this was not going to be a pleasant experience! "Maybe you should come with us, Lady. It's time for you to see what a real interrogation is like."
She snorted. "I don't need any pointers on that!"
Sally met the other woman's eyes seriously. "You don't, but it would be a shame for you not to see the masters at work."
~*~
Sirius woke slowly, and his first truly conscious thought was that he couldn't see a thing. His next thought was that he couldn't move, either, but that much was expected. His gunshot wound was throbbing, and from the building aches all over his body, he could guess that his captors hadn't been gentle with him. Once again, it was not surprising. He was going to be interrogated and probably tortured until he talked.
The most he could hope for would be to put up a good fight for as long as he could manage.
"I think he's awake. Let's take the blindfold off, shall we?" He recognized that voice- it was the young man he had shot back in Sanc- the one who had shot him... however long ago it was.
He blinked sharply as the blindfold came loose- he could see two people, one being the long-haired man he expected to see. The second was another of the pilots, one he had never before met in person. The green-eyed man asked him, "Is that better?" He refused to answer.
Trowa sat down and pulled the printouts Duo had made into his hands. "Let's see- your name is Michael Roach, but you go by the name Sirius. It says here that you're from Donegal, Ireland? You've got quite a record..."
Sirius' eyes flew to the other man, though, as Duo spun around with the devil gleaming in his laughing eyes. "And you actually managed to shoot me- that I have to congratulate you on! Doesn't mean that I like you, but you have no idea how long it's been since someone was actually good enough to hit me."
The braided pilot stepped closer, the smile fading and leaving a manic gleam behind. "You've been a bad boy..." he said, stalking forward menacingly.
Trowa snapped, "That's enough!" Green eyes flashed angrily at both his comrade and their prisoner. "Now you have a choice, Mr. Roach. You can either answer our questions, or you can resist. I would not recommend resisting."
Sirius snorted- did they honestly think he wouldn't be able to handle their torture? He spoke for the first time. "Bite me."
Trowa's eyes fixed coldly on the prisoner. "We know everything about you, Sirius. I recommend cooperating." The bald man stared coldly at the wall.
Duo stepped forward again, his stance forcing Sirius to look at him- no one doubted that the God of Death was a lethally dangerous person at that moment. "Do you know what's been going on out there? Oh- well no, you couldn't, since we've had you locked up, isn't that right?"
He moved to pull up a chair at the prisoner's side. "Have you ever really been in a mobile suit battle, apart from during your training?" Sirius didn't respond, and Duo continued. "Of course not! I bet those pilots you have on the Genesis suits aren't even fully trained yet, are they?"
Sirius' eyes flashed- how did they know about the suits or, more importantly, about what had been done to the suits to enhance them? Duo saw it and recognized it for what it was- it was working!
Trowa interrupted at this point, "Where are the suits, Sirius? Where is Madeleine?"
There was a definite flash in the man's eyes now as his eyes trailed Duo's menacing pacing. "I will never betray her!"
Duo laughed. "Aw- how sweet! He'll never betray her! Not like her, right? I mean, she left you behind, remember? She was perfectly ready to let you die if it saved her precious hide! I wonder- how'd she win your loyalty? Promises of power? Sex?" Another ill-concealed flash of the eyes. "Oh! Sex? Let me guess- she tells you how wonderful you are and does the most incredible things to you- she probably even told you she loved you, didn't she? Yet another reason to prefer men to women- we don't lie as much as they do! How does it feel to be the ultimate tool?"
Sirius refused to respond.
Duo smiled cruelly. "You see, let me explain how it works." He leaned in closer. "She finds someone tough enough to handle all the crap she needs done, someone dumb enough to believe that she'd actually fall for him, and she does anything she has to. Sex, money, power- what does she care? She pretends that she actually cares for him, while she probably has at least three other men she sleeps with regularly, as replacements for him, in case she needs them. She buys his loyalty with her body and then tosses him aside when it's convenient. Uses him like a whore."
Trowa stepped forward and put a restraining hand on Duo's shoulder as he watched the bound man beginning to show signs of anger. He doubted that anyone short of Heero would be able to escape the way they had attached their prisoner to the chair, but he didn't want to find that they were wrong the hard way! "That's enough, Maxwell!"
Duo eased back. "Oh, I'm just getting started."
~*~
Une stared at Wufei in surprise. "What the..."
Wufei smirked. "He's being very thorough- We've seen him reduce career spies to tears in under ten minutes before. But we need to be certain that he's telling us the truth."
She shook her head. "You could just beat it out of him..."
"No- he's expecting that," Wufei interrupted. "Breaking him mentally is far more effective, if a little more time-consuming."
"So why is Trowa in there?"
Another smirk. "Good cop, bad cop."
~*~
"Battles aren't like flight simulators, asshole!" Duo hissed. "Not even close! Nothing can quite compare to the feeling of several hundred tons of metal and explosives pulling g's while you try to evade enemy fire! Or the rush you feel when the suit you're fighting explodes and you can hear your enemy's screaming cut off abruptly..." He sighed dramatically. "Death, man. It's fascinating! There's nothing quite like the feeling of ending a life like that..."
~*~
Une was horrified as she listened. "He... please tell me he doesn't mean that!"
Wufei looked affronted. "Of course not! Christ, onna, what do you think he is?! Don't you think this little speech is going to cost him in nightmares for weeks?!"
Her eyes were stormy. "He's acting so crazy... like he means it..."
The Chinese man crossed his arms over his chest as his eyes remained glued to the braided figure in the room on the other side of the mirror. "It certainly looks that way, doesn't it?"
~*~
Duo stopped his monologue abruptly as Trowa stood and left the room without a word. I just need to hold it together for a little longer... I have to do this! He whirled to face his prisoner with a manic grin. "I think this will make it easier to understand. Take a look!"
Sirius couldn't help it as he followed the braided man's movements towards a large television.
Duo swallowed hard as he pressed play, and the battle flashed onscreen. He turned- Sirius was watching with wide eyes.
He sauntered over and pulled up his chair again. "Just take a look at that! It's beautiful, isn't it? Those suits you all built- they really are something! Granted, not a thing like my mobile suit, but you can't have everything! Now watch this!"
He gestured sharply at the screen as the cameraman shot a close-up of one of the exploding shops, so you could see the people who were outside of it and the confusion and terror on their faces just before the shot landed. "How many people do you suppose were in there, eh? Quite a lot, I would say. All gone like that!" He snapped his fingers. "Most of them were probably vaporized by the heat of the explosion, so nothing will ever get back to their loved ones. But check this next shot out."
The view changed to center on the beleaguered Preventers. Duo upped the volume, and the sounds of screeching metal and screaming filled the interrogation room. Duo had set the scene well- after everything he had said, he knew that staring at the flames was irresistible, just as he knew that Sirius would feel like an animal to be finding such pleasure in it. They watched in silence as one of the Genesis pilots impaled a Preventers Taurus suit, the explosion following a few seconds later. Duo leaned in close. "Yeah- there's a certain artistry to all this. You do that- it takes a while for the thing to burn through the armour of your suit, and the whole time, the temperature rises and you know that you're going to die... And then the cockpit incinerates, but not before the heat reaches that disgustingly painful level for a few seconds and you're screaming..."
"What the hell is going on in here!" Trowa yelled from the doorway as Sirius fought off a spell of retching. His face was livid with anger as he flew into the room and forcibly pulled Duo back from the prisoner. "What are you doing?"
Duo gave an angelic smile that made everyone watching queasy. "I was showing this dickweed just what it means to control a weapon of mass destruction."
Trowa gave his partner a rough shove as he struggled closer to the coughing prisoner and held out a glass of water for the man to sip from. "Are you alright?"
"Get... Jesus, get rid of him..." Sirius looked up again, but his eyes were invariably drawn to the television screen and the increasingly savage battle taking place.
Duo laughed. "What? Ha- he's a pilot, too! Tell him what it's like, man!"
Trowa's serious eyes bored in on the prisoner. "It is living hell to have that power..."
"Dude! You're no fun!" Duo complained. "Tell him about how cool it feels to be a real killer on a global scale!" Tell him how terrible it is!
Sirius began retching again. "Please, don't..."
Trowa shook his head sadly. "We've been charged to make you talk. I'm afraid I don't have the power to make him stop. Only you have that."
Duo cackled madly as he turned the volume up in time for a huge explosion and a chorus of screams. "This is the stuff nightmares are made of! Just listen to that!" I'm going to Hell for this...
Trowa shook his head sadly. Sirius' eyes flew to his impassive face. "You have to stop him!"
The green-eyed young man leaned closer. "Tell me what I need to know and I will make him leave. Tell me the truth, and I'll make sure he doesn't come back."
A loud explosion made the screen fluoresce like some Nagasaki nightmare, and Duo cursed as he reached for the remote. "Damn- that must be where they shot down the observer's plane- now I'll have to rewind it all back..."
Sirius coughed as he became even paler than he was already. "Please don't..."
Trowa stared at him dispassionately. "I can make him leave if you'll just talk to me..."
Duo punched the air as, on the partially rewound recording, one of the Genesis suits exploded. "Man- that was one of those slow burners I was talking about! Hey- didn't you know that pilot?"
"DAMN YOU! Damn you to hell... Madeleine..."
Duo turned the full force of his manic smile on the bound, helpless man. "It might even have been her, though I wouldn't try to pilot with that hand of hers quite yet..."
Trowa shot his friend a look. "Maxwell..."
"She wouldn't be there- she's at the base," Sirius whispered.
Duo grabbed the remote and lowered the volume quite a lot. "Sorry- could you repeat that?"
Anything, if I can just forget the look in his eyes... "I said she'd be at the base, not at the battle. She doesn't have her suit with her."
Trowa gave the man a small smile as he waved for Duo to turn the recording off. "There- that wasn't so hard, was it? Do you have anything else to say?" Duo's hand hovered over the eject button.
Trowa leaned closer. "Should I send him away so we can talk, or am I going to have to keep him here?"
The man gulped and made a face as he was forced to swallow down the bitter taste of bile at the very thought of facing the braided man any longer. "No- I will cooperate."
~*~
Wufei caught Duo by the shoulders the second the door closed behind him and gently led him to a seat. The braided man's eyes were tightly closed as he struggle to retain control of both his emotions and his body. "Oh God..."
Wufei handed him a glass of water and glared until he began to drink it down in little sips. Duo meekly bowed his head.
Une stared at the pilot- he was even beginning to shake a little, and she'd never seen him do that! My God- what a performance! I was almost sick, myself... "Maxwell?"
Duo looked up at her with red-rimmed eyes and a face that was utterly white. "What?"
"Are you alright?"
His temper snapped. "What do you think? I just gave that man a serious mind fuck, and you think I'm okay?! Do you have any idea how sick that was, how disgusting it feels? Jesus fucking Christ!"
She backed away. "What can I do to help?"
Wufei shook his head as Duo's face dropped forward and dry heaves rocked the young man's shoulders. "Give him time, Lady. Nothing more than that."
She spared the braided man a look of pity. "Very well, Chang, Maxwell." She left quietly.
"Duo?"
The American didn't respond, but he allowed Wufei to pull him into a tight hug. The Chinese Preventer rocked his friend gently, whispering to him soothingly as he watched Trowa through the glass- the ruse had worked. But what a price to pay! Nataku watch over us all... He continued to rock Duo gently.
~*~
Lady Une shut the door to her office and leaned against it with her head in her hands. She had never seen anything quite as disturbing as the look on Duo's face during that interrogation, nor ever heard anything sicker than the tone of glee he used while describing it all in such lurid detail. It was worse than difficult- it had been disgusting. But as bad as it was for the rest of us, it was doubly so for him...
She looked up with renewed fervour and approached her desk with a firm step. Une drummed her fingers as she waited for the line to connect, and sighed in relief as Howard's face came onscreen. "Hi, Howard."
"What's wrong?" the old man asked without preamble.
"How long till you get here?" she asked.
He looked at an instrument reading and looked back up. "Two hours, Lady, why?"
She sighed. "Heero's at the palace, and Duo just finished interrogating the prisoner."
Howard nodded in understanding. "Well, the best thing to do would be to leave him with the others until Heero gets back, but apart from that... The boy has a weakness for mint chocolate chip ice cream that never fails to brighten his spirits."
Une smiled. "Thanks, Howard."
He gave her a return smile. "My pleasure, Une. See you soon."
TBC...
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