Heero leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. "Try the satellite views again."
"They are easy to tap into. You won't find anything that way." The A.I. replied even as the screens flickered to life.
"They've got to be here somewhere. Was there anything about the location of Doctor Odd's lab in the data banks?"
"Nothing."
Heero sighed. "Damn it JAYS. What in the hell good are you? Maybe I should donate you to that community college."
"I was programmed to think for you, not to out think an insane genius scientist."
"Remind me to program you for that too when I have a minute-"
"I don't think you do," the AI interrupted and one of the screens flipped to show an emergency news broadcast. "Should I get the suit ready-?"
Heero watched, heart sinking. "Yes, I think you should."
~*~
Duo stood in the shadows of the bridge, trying not to think about what was going on above him and trying to ignore the panicking people fleeing around him. He frowned at the silver box in his hands. Hopefully this worked the way Trowa thought it should.
"Wraith, I believe? I didn't think you were a henchman," said an all too familiar voice behind him and Duo did his best not to shiver. He turned slowly, making sure his lips were curved in a joker's smile.
"Odds are that my nemesis is going to show up to support Mindseye, oh Fearful Leader," he said lightly. "I don't think it's fair for the good Doctor to have to take him on too."
"Ah," the head of the Evil League of Evil nodded thoughtfully. "So, what are you planning to do?"
Duo waved the silver box slightly. "I'm going to teach him that he shouldn't rely on that metal suit of his."
"What is that? A magnet?"
Shaking his head, Duo tapped the box, smile firmly in place. "No. It's a remote control."
"And what does it control?"
Duo looked upwards. Sure enough, there was a bright spot over the city, heading their way.
"Let me show you."
Please let this work, he added silently.
~*~
Swirling chaos- nothing he could seize- nothing he could pull towards himself- Quatre shook himself and pulled his mind away from Trowa's with a sick feeling in his chest. What had he done? Had the head of the Evil League done something to him-?
They were getting closer to the bridge, the overturned cars and fleeing people illuminated by the bright bursts of light that originated from the top of the bridge.
"It doesn't look like he's hurt anyone yet," Heero said over the comm unit and Quatre heaved a faint sigh of relief.
"Even if he's not trying, someone is going to get hurt in that crush- can you get down there and do something? I'll go up-"
"Of course," Heero responded. "Just let me- oh hell-" Heero suddenly altered course, heading off the side of the bridge. What was he doing? Had he spotted Duo?
"Heero?"
"My systems! Something's hacked them- I'm trying to regain control!"
Quatre scanned the bridge, trying to sort through the panicked minds...There!
~*~
Duo watched his nemesis vanish over the side of the bridge and leveled off the control just enough. He didn't want to send Heero under the water- he just wanted to get him safely away from the man standing beside him.
"Going to drown him?"
"The suit is pressurized with its own oxygen supply, Evil One," Duo replied easily.
"You can't override that?"
Duo shrugged. "The good doctor only mentioned the flight override. I'm not sure what the other buttons do."
His Leader held out his hoof for the box, but before Duo could think of an excuse, the box jumped out of his hands and threw itself at the side of the bridge. It smashed into a shower of shards and Duo sighed in relief. About time!
"That's enough of that," said a familiar voice.
"Mindseye." The Head of the Evil League of Evil sneered. "Aren't you in the wrong place? Isn't your nemesis on top of the bridge?"
Quatre's answering glare made Duo very glad that it wasn't directed at him. "Evil Pony," he returned in a voice that sent a shiver down Duo's spine. "What a surprise to find you here."
~*~
Trowa looked down. He could see Duo, Quatre and his Evil Leader right where they were supposed to be- and Heero was no doubt halfway out to the ocean by now. It was time for the finale.
He flipped a small switch on the side of his ray gun. It should only take a moment... He reached up and yanked the small set of wires off of his forehead and pulled his goggles down over his eyes.
Counting softly under his breath, he took careful aim at the small group nearly hidden in the shadows by the bridge.
Three...
Two...
One.
He pulled the trigger. The gun shot out a bright beam of light- and then exploded. The force of the explosion pushed him backwards off the small platform that he'd set up on.
Damn, he thought hazily as he fell. I should've thought of that part...
~*~
Duo looked relieved to see him. Quatre hoped Evil Pony didn't notice. "Evil Pony, what a surprise to find you here," he said and once again tried to make mental contact with Trowa.
Nothing- just that swirling chaos that he couldn't find a grip in...
Quatre wanted more than anything to simply flip Evil Pony off the damn bridge and get up to Trowa quickly.
But the forms needed to be followed- and heroes couldn't just toss the villains off of bridges- even if they really deserved it.
"Well, you went through all the trouble of getting a new nemesis- I thought I should see if he was up to the task," the Head of the Evil League sniffed. "So far I'm not terribly impressed-"
Before he could finish the sentence, the ground in between the three of them burst into a bright blue flame. Evil Pony scrambled out of the way, but Quatre's attention was caught by another flare of light on top of the bridge.
Damn, he caught. I should've thought of that part....
Trowa?
Fainter now. Trying to put on a good show... Sorry...
What? Quatre squinted at the top of the bridge, trying to see through the smoke that Trowa's blast had caused. What had happened? Was Trowa hurt?
He caught the glimpse of white, falling fast past the other side of the bridge, out of the corner of his eye.
"NO!" Quatre lunged towards the side of the bridge. He could catch-
Something brought him up short, nearly knocking him off his feet. He turned with a snarl to find Evil Pony standing on the edge of his cape.
"Oh no, you aren't running away, now are you?" Evil Pony smirked and then swallowed hard as Mindseye's expression turned dark.
Good guys weren't supposed to look like that....
~*~
There was something very cold under his cheek. Trowa roused and blinked at the blue and silver blur above him. What was....?
"Are you okay?"
Trowa blinked again. Oh. Solid Steel. "Huh?"
"I'm going to take that as a no." He heard Heero sigh. "We're almost back to the bridge. Good thing I saw you fall, though why Mindseye didn't... you didn't hit him with that device of yours, did you?"
"No," Trowa managed, reaching up to adjust his goggles. "I know I didn't. I heard him when I fell. He was okay. Are you?"
A snort. "Fine. Nice override of my systems, by the way. How about you tell me how you did it in exchange for the save?"
"I'll even tell you how to block it." Trowa promised as they reached the still-smoking surface of the bridge. Duo was there, and Trowa couldn't even guess at what the expression on his face meant.
"There you are." He said as Heero put Trowa down. "I don't remember you falling off the bridge being part of the plan."
Trowa swayed for a moment before finding his balance. "It was a surprise to me too. Where's...?" Had Evil Pony done something to Quatre?
He better not have....
"Oh no you don't!" Quatre appeared out of the smoke and nearly tackled him. "No swirling!"
"Are you hurt? Where is... he? Did he leave?"
"I'm fine." Quatre waved a hand back towards the smoking crater that Trowa's gun had left. "He's over there. Don't worry about him."
Don't worry about him? What happened? "Did I hit him?"
"No, unfortunately. Otherwise I would've gotten to you in time." Quatre gave Heero a warm smile. "Thanks for grabbing him."
Heero shrugged. "All in a day's work, but what happened to..." His voice trailed off as the smoke cleared and he got a good look at Evil Pony. "Oh."
Trowa blinked at the sight of his leader. "Is he... I mean...? What happened to him?"
Duo chuckled and shook his head. "He made the mistake of stepping on Mindseye's cape to stop him from rescuing you," he said to Trowa.
"Stupid things, capes," Quatre muttered. "I blasted him so he'd let me go, but-"
Heero interrupted. "Cops are beginning to head this way-"
"Time for us to make an escape then!" Duo grabbed Trowa's elbow. "See you at home," he muttered and they both vanished.
Quatre blinked in surprise. "He can take people with him?"
"Guess so." Heero sighed and gestured toward Evil Pony who was placidly chewing on a weed sticking out of the cement. "How are we going to explain him?"
Frowning at the former Ungulate of Unpleasantness, Quatre was silent for a moment. "He was too close to the blast. The Doctor hit him instead of me. Friendly fire and all that. Reverted him back to his former state before he was turned to evil."
"Brought down by one of his own," Heero smiled behind his mask. "Will he ever... go back to normal?"
"Haven't got a clue." Quatre snorted. "Doubt it. We'll find him a nice petting farm somewhere maybe?"
Heero considered it for a moment. "I don't think they'll want him around kids- even if he is... like that."
"We could-"
A blast of air interrupted them. "Greetings fellow do gooders!" Rose Garden hailed them from the side of the bridge. "My fearless partner and I saw that you were in trouble, so we hurried over- oh, my a little pony! But why is it on the bridge? It's just the sort of pony I need for my estate, don't you agree Golden Dragon? Golden Dragon? Where did he go...?"
Solid Steel and Mindseye exchanged a look.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking...?"
"Yes. A perfect solution."
"I got this," Heero said to Quatre. "You deal with the police." He turned his attention to Rose Garden as Quatre moved to meet the officers that were hurrying towards them. "Well, since you mention it, this pony does need a really good home...."
~*~
"So- you turned him over to Rose Garden?"
"Who better?" Quatre settled himself comfortably on Trowa's shoulder. "I'm sure even Rose Garden will notice if his pony turns evil."
"This is Rose Garden..."
"Golden Dragon then. Heero said he'd have a word with him. Stop worrying."
Trowa sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I think I'm more worried about who will replace him-"
"You could always switch sides."
"But I'm a Mad Doctor- you don't really have those on your side."
"Sure we do. Genius Scientists. Eccentric Engineers. Crazy Inventors."
"You are so making those up."
"Someone has to have the experiments that result in superpowers."
"I wouldn't want to give up my goggles."
"Who said you had to? I like the goggles."
"You could always change sides. You'd even have a sure shot at the top slot."
"Me?"
"You did take out the Leader of the League- usually that guarantees you the job."
Quatre looked thoughtful. "Hm... Being head of both would be useful..."
"Quatre!"
OWARI
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