Changes Part 4

Control would not cooperate with his request for an earlier departure. They were very busy, in fact he was lucky to have the time he did- they could always push it back...? Heero thanked the controller politely and ended the connection.

His mind wandered back to Duo. Why was he still trying to find out what had happened? Or... Did he suspect something?

There was one thing Heero could think to do- and he had time enough to do it- if the place wasn't too busy... was it worth the risk?

Getting up from his seat, Heero grabbed the device he needed and stuck it in his pocket. Hair and eyes were already different- he darkened his skin tone too- just in case Duo and Trowa were still here. He secured his ship and headed back into the spaceport.

It took a little bit of time to find an empty booth, but he managed, securing the privacy screen before hooking up his small black box to the computer inside. He'd hacked the Preventers computers before, but usually only to get information of Duo's activities. This time he needed a little bit more information.

It didn't take too long before he found himself in- and accessed Duo's email. It looked like Duo hadn't checked it for a bit, there were several unopened messages.

Heero looked at the old ones first, scanning a few from Quatre and Une. Both commended Duo for capturing the pirates- both wanted him to come back and consider the case closed. Different reasons of course- Une had more things for him to do, but Quatre confined his reasons to 'you know why you need to stop looking and come home'.

There was one from Trowa- arranging to meet Duo at this spaceport - unless Duo had finally gotten sensible and was heading home instead.

There was only one from Hilde- among the unopened messages. It had SURPRISE!! as the header. Heero hesitated for a moment and then clicked it. It had only one line of text: 'When are you going to come home? We need you!' and a picture of a sonogram.

Heero quickly closed the email and changed it to unread again. What the hell was Duo thinking? Running all over the place- when Hilde obviously needed him?

He clicked the sent button. The last email Duo had written was to Hilde- it was short and made Heero frown. 'Sorry I haven't been home for a while. I just need to know what happened to him. I'll come home once I have an answer.'

Damn it, Duo had an answer! What more did he need? He'd heard Heero go down- even Trowa had told him that. Why was Duo pushing for more? He checked his watch. He needed to get back to his ship- no time to look through the rest.

Heero got himself out of the Preventers system, cursing mentally. How could he get Duo off the case and back home where he was needed? Maybe Hilde's email would do it...? He would want to go home when he saw that, Heero told himself, and hoped it was true.

He unplugged his device and stuck it in his pocket. Time to get back to the ship before he was tempted to send Duo an email of his own- and sure, what would that say? I'm dead, isn't that enough? Go home!

Sighing, he opened the privacy screen and was nearly knocked over as someone rushed into the booth. "Sorry! I've been waiting for an open one! Damn portable broke! You're all finished, right?"

Heero blinked at the person who had just dropped down in the chair and started typing.

Duo.

With just the barest hesitation- a quick scan for Trowa- who wasn't visible anywhere- Heero shut the privacy screen and with a thought flipped his colors back to normal.

"Hey- what are you-?" Duo looked up and his mouth dropped open. He turned pale and Heero worried for a moment that Duo was going to fall off of the chair.

"Look- I don't have a lot of time. Duo- you need to go home. No more looking for what happened to me, okay?"

"Heero?" Duo got to his feet and reached out a hand, brushing his fingers over Heero's shoulder. "You're... alive?"

"No." Heero caught Duo's hand with his. "No. Heero Yuy is dead. The pirates killed him. And you need to quit the Preventers and get back home where you belong."

Duo's grip tightened painfully. "What's going on? Why do you have to be dead? Is something happening? Does Une know about this? How did you-"

"Duo- I don't really have time to explain. It's just-" Heero paused for a moment, trying to think of a fast explanation. Why had he even started this? "I just have to do this. Une doesn't know- this is something J planned out for me. You caught the pirates- please, quit the Preventers- you never wanted to join up again- and go home. I'm sorry." He let Duo's hand go, ready to back out of the booth, Duo grabbed hold of him.

"No! You are not going to just vanish on me, damn it! Do you know- do you have any idea-?" Duo inhaled sharply and shook him a little. "You can't just drop this on me with no fucking explanation at all!"

"I have to go- I'm scheduled for a departure-"

"Then I'll go with you!"

"You can't." Heero pulled himself out of Duo's grip. "Hilde needs you."

"She's fine-"

That made Heero's temper snap. "No she's not. I read her last email to you. She needs you."

"That's what you told me last time! Go home! Hilde's waiting! Why do you think-"

"She's pregnant, Duo."

Duo stopped mid rant. "What?"

"I read your email- I'm sorry- and she just sent you a picture-" He gestured at the computer.

Much to Heero's relief, Duo turned to look automatically at the computer. "I don't-"

It was an opening, and Heero took it. The moment Duo's back was turned, he was out of the booth and around the corner. Luckily, there was a busy restroom nearby and Heero ducked into it. A quick color change and a slight clothing adjustment later, he slipped out of the other exit of the restroom and headed back to his ship.

He checked several times to make sure no one was following him, even as he mentally berated himself. What had he been thinking?

He hadn't been, of course. It had just seemed like a good opportunity... Hopefully Duo would read Hilde's email and go home.

Of course, he might do that- and set the rest of the Preventers on Heero's trail... damn it. J had suggested the roving lifestyle, but maybe Heero should rove even a little farther. Maybe Mars...?

Back inside his ship, he checked his cargo one last time, then made the rounds to make sure everything else was secure. He went through the preflight routine and then waited patiently as Control made him delay a little more for an opening.

Finally, he was able to detach from the colony and make his way out into space. He fed the coordinates into the computer, rechecked everything and then engaged the autopilot. It would be three days before he reached the next colony- he could decide what to do from there...

He leaned back in his chair and covered his face with his hands. Duo still had the ability to make him act without thinking- and what he'd done back at that colony was sheer stupidity. But-

"So," Heero's hands dropped away from his face in shock, "now that we're in space and all, I think you have time to explain?" Duo sat down in the copilot's chair beside him, smiling at Heero's expression. "Go on, I'm listening."

TBC...

 

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