Thanks to everyone that reviewed! Sorry about the cliffhanger thing, just couldn't resist.
Warnings: Language. Duo is very upset in this one.
Please keep in mind that Heero is not in his right mind no matter what it may seem like.
Deliveryman Two Part 6
I clung tight to Heero as we fell, wondering if my life was going to flash in front of my eyes, like everyone says that it does right before you die. Mine didn't. All I felt was pain. Heero's grip on me hurt, his teeth were still scraping my skin, and there was the little matter of the pool of water below us. How deep was it? It was going to hurt like hell when we hit if it was shallow.
Well, I was going to hurt, since I was going to hit it first. Maybe I could cushion the blow for Heero some?
But Heero twisted us slightly in the air, right before we hit the water. We plunged under the surface and it was clear enough for me to see to the bottom. The darn thing was lined in concrete- like a big swimming pool. Oh good lord. I had just freaked out over a rich people's cliff diving spot.
I tried to swim for the surface, but Heero had shifted his grip on me and was tugging me across the bottom. My lungs were beginning to hurt from a definite lack of oxygen and though I tried to break free, he wouldn't let go. Maybe he was trying to drown me since the cliff thing didn't work?
It wasn't worth the effort to fight him. I let him pull me through churning water and up towards the surface. We broke through the top, and I gasped for air, getting a big faceful of water at the same time. He had pulled us behind a small waterfall.
Then he was tugging me out of the water, through a carved rock archway and then into a nook lined with benches. Obviously a place for the tourists to hang out. I was still coughing, trying to get a clear breath, when Heero finally let go of me.
Then his hands were at my throat again, and I tensed. He yanked at my shirt, pulling it off and tossing it out towards the waterfall. What was he doing? His hands continued their circuit of my neck, plunging into the base of my braid and then he was behind me, his fingers going down the rest of my braid, undoing it.
I didn't speak. I was afraid of setting him off again. It didn't seem like he was trying to kill me at the moment, so I just stood still and let him do what he wanted. Which apparently was ridding me of the rest of my clothes. Boots, socks and pants followed my shirt; thankfully he let me keep the boxers. I was grateful that our little area seemed to be heated, and trying to not think of why Heero was taking all my clothes off.
I doubted it was for the usual reason.
He circled around me, and once again I was reminded of a large cat. Had I just made it easier for him to eat me or something? Maybe he didn't like the taste of cotton.
He stopped in front of me, and I kept my eyes on his feet. I was not going to set him off again.
"02." Heero's voice was lower than usual, rough and harsh. It was still good to hear it. My heart rate increased a bit. He could still talk. He knew who I was- or at least remembered that I was pilot 02. Course- he should- if the drugs worked the way J had wanted them to in the first place.
"01," I acknowledged. "You remember me?"
"02, Duo Maxwell, Deathscythe pilot, Second Experiment."
Second experiment? Oh, Heero had been the first- and the third apparently. I waited for a moment, but that was apparently all Heero remembered about me.
Then again, that's all a soldier would need to know.
Shit.
"02. This area is secured." Secured? Oops, should've realized that earlier. He was scanning me for bugs. No wonder he went for my throat- he must've seen the tracer. That would explain the clothes thing too. "Your mission?" Of course- to a soldier, that was the important information. Maybe he wasn't as... damaged as J had thought.
I looked up and met the cold blue of his eyes. He'd understand a mission report-- hopefully. "The pilots discovered that the Preventers had double-crossed us and turned 01 over to the doctors. 04 and 05 took over Preventers HQ. 03 and 02 came here to retrieve 01."
"The doctors?" The words were growled. Whatever the docs had done to Heero had mightily pissed him off.
"O is in custody on L2. J's location is unknown, but 04 is tracking him down."
"G?" I blinked. Uh, maybe he didn't remember? What the hell do I say? "G?" He repeated again. I didn't think he was going to wait for me to come up with a gentle, yet missiony way of relaying that information. Ah hell...
"J indicated that 01 terminated G." Heero's expression didn't so much as flicker.
"That information is false."
False? G wasn't dead? Then where the heck was he? God damnit!
I knew better that to trust J! Why the hell had I listened?
"What?! That fucking bastard! He told us that you had flipped out, killed G, and needed to be eliminated!" J was going to die. I'm sure I've mentioned that before? What the hell else had he lied to us about? And where the fuck was G?
"So the mission is to eliminate 01?" That was said with artic chill, which, at that moment, I missed. I was still pissed.
"Fuck no! I came here to get you! You've been gone for weeks! The Preventers blocked us from finding you! It wasn't until I heard Relena talking and realized that G had given me a hint that I realized they were in on it. I went to Une and intercepted a call from J. He'd been trying to get her to send me here and she hadn't wanted to give up another agent." I snorted. "Quatre and Fei are dealing with her. J told me that if I wanted to see you again that I had to come out here. He said I had the best chance of either bringing you back or eliminating you." Uh, shouldn't have said that...
Heero's eyes had narrowed. I knew that look. I had seen it directed at me before.
He was going to kill me.
Damn it. I really need to learn to keep a leash on my mouth. It's just- here was Heero. In front of me. Alive. And acting like I was the enemy. It hurt. I bent my head and looked at my feet again. He was going to kill me now. I had totally broken out of mission mode and had admitted that J had sent me here to kill him- even if I hadn't planned on it. To a Perfect Soldier that was a good reason to kill anyone.
I wasn't too shocked when his warm hands slid around my neck. I just hoped that he was going to snap my neck, and not strangle me. I wanted to die fast. His grip was firm, but not tight, so the odds were in my favor. I sucked in a quick breath. Heero still needed to know some things.
"J intends to destroy the satellite if I fail. Once I'm dead, get off of here- 03 has a shuttle. Don't kill him though- you don't want 04 mad at you and he wasn't supposed to be here at all. You were my mission, he just came along as backup." I rushed the words out fast. Trowa might've already left, after all, but if he still were here, Heero would need his help.
The hands around my neck tightened.
"So, you are going to let me kill you?"
"Better than me killing you." I closed my eyes.
"Why?" His voice was still flat. The soldier looking for answers. "Contain or destroy was your mission."
"Finding you was my mission. I wanted you back with me. I only played along with the docs to get you back. I wasn't working for them." I opened my eyes and glared at him.
"Yet you came here on their command."
"To get you back!"
"You've worked for them before."
Okay, that pissed me off.
I reached up and broke Heero's hold on my neck, shoving him backwards. "And you goddamned know why!"
I paused, my anger overridden for a brief second.
He remembered!
That fucking bastard! I grabbed his arms and slammed him against the wall.
"Are you accusing me of betraying you, Heero? I told you that the Preventers arranged this- Une was the ringleader. I knew nothing about it! And the minute I found out I came after you! I have not betrayed you! I would not ever betray you and you god damn know it!"
"Probability factored your betrayal at 30 percent." Heero's voice was even. "I could not take that risk. You were under their care for so long... they might have had a way to control you." He lifted a hand to my cheek and I saw my Heero for a brief flash. "I'm sorry Duo. I had to be sure..."
I put him down carefully and stepped away.
"The only way they ever have to control me is you." I was about to say more, ask him what the hell was going on- what had happened to him, when I ran out of time.
The floor rocked under our feet.
"Damn it!" I grabbed Heero's wrist and tugged him back out the archway. Luckily there was a small path around the pool, so we didn't have to go back into the water. "J's decided to destroy the satellite!"
Heero waited until we were away from the pool before he took the lead. He pulled me along, hopefully back towards the ship.
I really hoped Trowa hadn't left yet.
TBC...
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