Hanma Schism Part 4
Duo blinked at the ship. "Are you sure?"
"Pretty sure," Heero frowned. "It means that we have more to worry about in that temple than we thought."
"But we don't know how long its been here," Duo protested.
Heero's frown faltered for a moment. "I suppose so."
Duo blinked at the capitulation. It had been uttered in a softer tone, not the snap that he had expected.
"You are right though," he said. "It might be brand new too. We'll need to be careful. I'll go get Dad and Odin."
He turned back to the ship only to find his father and Master Odin already on the ramp. Odin was frowning at the ship.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," he muttered. "Is there only one Heero?"
"So far as I can see." Heero answered, scanning the other ships.
"But others may not have used one of their school's ships." Odin shook his head. "We need to get inside."
The packs were rechecked, weapons were placed within easy reach. Heero spent some time double checking several pouches on his belt. Duo watched him out of the corner of his eye, wanting to say something, but restrained by the fact that at this moment, Heero needed to focus on what was ahead. He seemed better, less hesitant as his hands rifled his pack, double-checking their supplies, comfort in a familiar task.
Duo shook himself and made sure that his pack and staff were secure before he turned to lock up Scythe. There was still no sign of the salvage ships, but at their slower speed they wouldn't reach the temple until the four of them were inside.
He followed his father as they wound back and forth beneath the silent ships that surrounded the temple entrance. It was nearly like being in a graveyard and that made him twitchy. He kept a hand on his blaster just in case.
Finally, they stood at the dark entranceway. The glyphs surrounding the door looked twisted and menacing, Duo thought, suppressing a shiver.
Apparently he wasn't the only one feeling a little concerned. "I think I'd feel a little safer if we did this," Odin pulled his lightsaber out and turned it on. The blue blade hummed in the air, throwing a faint light into the dark arch before them.
"Light and protection works for me," Maxwell agreed, he pulled out his, purple blade humming in the air. "Duo?"
Heero glanced at the man beside him. Duo had a lightsaber? He hadn't seen one hanging from the other's belt.
Duo pulled the staff off of his back and telescoped it out, flipping a switch as he did so. Out of the top of the staff, a beam of green light curved into a half-moon shape.
"Impressive," Odin smiled. "Build that yourself?"
"Yeah, I wasn't great with swords. I do better with staffs." Duo patted his leg-holster. "And blasters of course."
"Uncivilized," his father sniffed.
"Heero?" Odin prompted.
Heero pulled his double blade out and ignited one side.
"We'll go first. You boys stay right behind us." Odin instructed. Duo rolled his eyes at Heero, who gave him a cautious smile back. "And no matter what happens, remember what we came here for. The information contained in this temple is needed. That is our focus."
They stepped into the darkness, the lightsabers casting light on the walls of the narrow dark hall they found themselves in.
"Lots of droids," Duo commented as they stepped around a few. "That disruptor must be right here."
It took a few moments to weave around the droids. The hallway sloped downward gradually as they continued on. Duo noted the lights set in the walls, when the Hanmas had been here perhaps this hadn't been so bad. Right now though, he was creeped out.
The hallway bent back on itself, and they moved carefully around the corner, watching for another trap.
"Don't touch the walls." Odin cautioned. The walls were much darker in this section and the air had a sickly sweet smell to it; like something had burned, Heero thought as he followed a pace behind Duo...
And then he reached out and yanked Duo closer to him as a jet of flame burst out of the wall in front of them. Odin and Maxwell had already leaped forward.
The jet flamed white hot for a moment before subsiding.
"Well, that explains the crunchiness underfoot here," Maxwell sighed.
"Yuck," Duo made a face as he swept his light scythe by his feet, illuminating the darkened charred bits of bone. "Well, at least they aren't squishy bodies."
"I'm sure some will be," Heero pointed out as they continued even more cautiously on their way.
"Thanks for grabbing me," Duo added in a softer voice.
"No problem. Wouldn't want you to be toasted."
Duo wondered if Heero meant that. If he really was throwing the other man off mentally, Heero might be tempted to throw him off of something physically.
Not that a Jedi would do that.
The hallway made a sudden turn again and they found themselves in a room blazing with light. It was circular, the floor inlaid with large stones in a contrasting pattern, an exit placed on the opposite side.
"This looks like a trap." Maxwell frowned.
"But what kind?" Odin studied the floor carefully. "Duo? Come tap these stones with your staff please."
Duo leaned forward and tapped the base of his scythe against the different colored rocks in the floor. Nothing happened.
"Strange," Odin frowned. "Must be something else then. We'll keep our eyes open."
He stepped out onto the floor, Maxwell a step behind. "Wait a minute before you follow," he said to the two younger men, "just in case."
In case they needed to pull them out of trouble, Heero thought, as he watched his master and Maxwell pace carefully across the floor.
"Heero?" Duo said in his ear. "There's something odd about that floor..."
"I know, I just can't figure out what it is." Heero frowned. The other two were nearly to the middle. Then he saw it.
"Master!" He called out- too late.
The floor gaped open underneath Maxwell and Odin's feet. The two older men vanished downwards and the opening closed up. It happened so fast that Heero and Duo didn't move for a moment, stunned by the suddenness of the disappearance.
"No!" Duo yelled. Heero grabbed his waist, holding him back.
"You can't Duo!"
"That's Dad!"
"He won't thank you for following him! We have a job to do!" Heero didn't let go and Duo realized that Heero was a lot stronger than he was. He couldn't wiggle free. "If they survive they'll find us. We need to keep going."
"You're a fucking cold bastard, you know that?" Duo snapped.
"Yes." Heero didn't let go. "We need to walk around the perimeter of the room to reach the exit."
Duo drew in a deep breath, ready to continue the argument. Then he caught sight of Heero's face. He was pale, sweat beading at his temples, mouth in a thin line.
Duo realized that it was costing Heero a lot to do what Odin would've wanted. They had a mission, they needed to follow it.
"Okay," he relaxed. "You're right. I'm sorry. Dad wanted us to get the information out. We'll keep going. More than likely they're someplace down below. We'll find them."
Heero let him go. He stepped carefully onto the floor, following the perimeter of differently placed stones around the room to the exit on the other side. Duo walked behind him, eyes flicking back and forth between the stones at his feet and the ones in the center where his father had vanished.
The exit led into another hallway- lit this time, but faintly. The walls were black and purple, the floor a dark stone. The hallway turned back and forth on itself, twisting and turning, but still leading downwards.
"I'm beginning to feel like a rat in a maze," Duo said. There had been no sign of any doors or other ways to go. Just an endless hallway.
"I'm thinking this was the guest entrance. The Hanmas had to have another way to get in."
"This would suck on a day to day basis." Duo agreed. He had tried studying his surroundings, trying to reach out with the force to look for traps, but there had been nothing. Nothing to keep his mind off the fact that he might never see his adopted father again. "Heero?"
"Yes?"
"Talk to me?"
"Talk to you?" Heero repeated, giving Duo a puzzled look.
"I'm worried about Dad," Duo admitted. "I can't keep thinking that something bad has happened to him..."
Heero stopped and turned to face Duo. Much to the other's surprise, he put his hand on Duo's chest, right over his heart. "What do you feel here?"
Duo blinked at him.
"Does he feel gone here?"
Duo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "No."
"Master Odin doesn't feel gone to me either." Heero told him, removing his hand. "He's here someplace. We'll find them Duo, don't worry."
"Dad always makes me worry," Duo opened his eyes. "Mom told me to look after him... I know that sounds silly..."
"No," Heero shook his head and started walking again. "Master Odin gets himself into all kinds of trouble."
"Really?"
"Oh yes. Not that long ago we were on Tatoonine- are you familiar with that system?"
"No..."
"It's a desert planet. It's also the home of the scum of the galaxy. Master Odin got into trouble the moment we stepped on the planet..."
Duo listened to Heero's story, letting the other distract him from his worry. He had no idea that Heero could be so considerate.
That wasn't fair of him, he admitted to himself. Just because Heero had not met the mental picture of him that Duo had created from Odin's letters, he shouldn't have been so hard on him.
Besides now he was beginning to see the person Odin had spoke of with such fondness. So it took Heero a bit to warm up to people.
Duo sighed. It didn't help that the longer he'd spent with the Jedi the warmer he had wanted to get with him. Jedi weren't allowed to do that kind of thing.
Heero stopped in front of him, and Duo nearly ran into his back. The hallway had finally ended. They stood at the opening of a large hall, many smaller doors leading off on the sides.
"Great. Now which way?" Duo wondered as he looked at the black doorways.
"I have no idea." Heero shook his head.
TBC...
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