A Silver Lining Part 17

Rachel never liked the dark. She disliked it even more now.

When her mother was alive, she would keep the scary things away at night. Now that her mother was gone, Rachel was alone. Locked in a secluded cell, the six-year-old girl tried to think of how long it could have been since she was allowed out of the dark room. The men that came to visit her to do those terrible things to her small body liked keeping her room dark when she was finally left alone.

Sitting huddled in the far corner of her cell, Rachel remembered her promise to her dying mother when those men stabbed her. She refused to cry and stayed strong as much as she hated being in the pitch as she was now. Her mother told her that those men wanted to hurt her, wanted to make her cry. Rachel's mother made her promise that she wouldn't be afraid and she wouldn't cry.

When her mother died, so did any hope Rachel had of ever being saved. It seemed like years since the last time she had seen the Colony where she and her mother struggled on the streets. As difficult as those times had been, she would have given anything to go back to that life than the one she was doomed to now.

It wasn't too difficult for the petite brunette to keep her word. At first, her 'visitors' and the things that they did to her frightened her so that she feared her heart would beat out of her chest. Before long, Rachel taught herself to not let those men or those things bother her. She grew numb to everything and at last, she never felt the urge to cry.

Even sitting now in her corner, Rachel knew that the men out in the hall were listening for her to sniffle or cry from her panic of being in the dark. Closing her eyes and hugging her legs to her chest, her voice kept repeating in her mind, 'I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry.'

When she really thought about it, Rachel doubted if she had it in her to cry if she wanted to.

*   *   *   *   *   *

"Goddamn it!" Lady Une shouted in rage as she slammed her cell phone down onto her desk. With a deep growl, she rose from her seat. Covering her face with her hands, she paced before the large windows at the far side of her office. The bright light from the sunset painted her room a warm hue of reds and oranges as her shadow stretched over the opposite wall in her strides.

Mentally, she struggled to sort out where to move on now that her only links to the White Out Organization were dead. Who was the assassin? How were they able to infiltrate the federal prison to pull off the murder of the three captives? Why hadn't she followed her instincts sooner? These and many other questions ran through Lady Une's head. If only she had kept the three leaks in holding within the Preventer headquarters. Now it was too late to go back and correct her mistake. In seemingly the blink of an eye, everything had changed.

After a few paces across the room, the tall Commander lowered her hands and hissed, "They know we're on to them." At that very realization, her brown eyes widened and a chill ran down her spine.

Quickly, Lady Une returned to her desk to pick up her cell phone again. Opening the flip, she dialed and waited as she pressed the receiver to her ear. After the third ring, she murmured, "Please be home."

Finally, the other line picked up before the next ring finished and Trowa's voice answered, "Hello."

With a deep sigh of relief, the tall woman replied, "Barton, it's me. Is Dawson home with you? It is urgent that I speak to the both of you."

Always one of firm composure - even in knowing when there was a matter of grave importance in his Commander's voice- the young pilot's voice answered calmly, "Let me get Anna on the other line."

There was a brief silence followed by a quiet exchange between the two agents before the redhead picked up the other phone in the house that they shared. "Top of the morning to you, Commander," Anna's bright voice greeted.

While she would normally find herself smiling at the pilot's attempt to lighten to mood, Lady Une was unable to do so in this case. Her frown only deepened and she began, "I am sorry to have to disturb you this late. I just received word that while they were being held in the federal prison, Hefner, Rivers and Conner were killed."

Instinctively, the Commander held her cell phone from her ear just as Anna's voice shouted through the receiver, "What!?"

When she placed the phone back to her ear, she heard Trowa's own startled voice ask, "Do you think there are more leaks in the organization?"

"I don't know," Lady Une replied in a deep sigh. "Noin certainly did not take any chances by calling my cell phone as opposed to my office line. Even with the communication links back up and secured, it'll be best to take every precaution." The stunned silence on the other side of the line was proof enough that the two agents were contemplating the disturbing news.

Swallowing hard, the Commander said quietly, "This compromises the upcoming mission that we had planned. I am going to need the both of you to come in as soon as possible to discuss our next move."

"We'll be there within the hour," Trowa stated calmly, with without the slightest hint of reserve. At that reassurance, the other lines disconnected.

Closing her eyes, Lady Une took a deep, slow breath. After slowly releasing her breath, she gathered herself to make the one call she wished that she did not have to make. As the phone began to ring, she frowned deeply and whispered to herself, "Please forgive me."

*   *   *   *   *   *

Duo couldn't keep the smile from his face as he watched Heero enter the living room. Sitting on the couch in the living room, the braided pilot's feet kicked the slightest bit. Beside him, Yuuki was more than happy to lie on her small bed, tuckered out following her long run on the beach.

As he approached, Heero smiled in response to the wistful grin he was greeted with. Sitting beside his partner, he pulled the braided teenager back to lie against his chest. With a contented sigh, the Japanese pilot lied back against the sofa and closed his eyes. The kiss that they shared only moments ago still lingered on the American's lips and he could feel himself blushing at the memory. Closing his own eyes, Duo wrapped his arms around Heero's torso.

As many challenges lied ahead of them in the building of their relationship, Duo found himself looking forward to finally being able to act on the feelings that he had towards the ex-Wing pilot. Since the time they fought the first war, the braided pilot knew that he was attracted to the stoic teenager. Over time, that attraction became more, but he never thought that those feelings would ever be returned.

When a thought suddenly occurring to him, Duo's violet eyes opened. "So what are we?" he asked.

Sitting up enough to meet the other pilot's gaze, Heero frowned in confusion, "What do you mean?"

The braided pilot rested his chip atop his best friend's chest and shrugged, "I mean what do we call each other? Boyfriend? Partner? Significant other?"

"Aa," Heero nodded in understanding, his shoulder relaxing in reassurance that his partner was not already regretting the step further into their relationship. A small smile tugged the corner of his mouth and he suggested, "What about koibito?"

At the title, Duo smiled back warmly, "I like it." Heero chuckled deeply and kissed the top of his koi's braided head.

Just as the two pilots settled back down, the phone rang. They both groaned deeply at the nuisance and reluctantly untangled themselves. "It's strange they're not calling the vid phone," the ex-Wing pilot commented as he rose to his feet. He walked over to the phone sitting atop the coffee table beside the sofa and answered casually, "Hello."

Duo sat up with a deep frown of concern when Heero's back straightened rigidly. There was a long pause before the ex-Wing pilot stated in a grave voice, "I see." Duo rose from the couch to walk around the other Preventer to meet his cobalt eyes. The surprise and worry that he found in them made the braided pilot's blood run cold.

"We'll be right there," Heero concluded before hanging up slowly. At the concern in his partner's violet eyes, the Japanese pilot frowned, "Bad news."

*   *   *   *   *   *

Gathered at the wide, round table in Lady Une's large office, Heero and Duo joined their friends once again. The concerned looks on the faces of all present were only more proof to just how grim the situation of their case had become. With a nod to Agent Fire and agent Water, Lady Une opened the floor to them.

Noin sat up with a deep breath before reporting, "Whomever is responsible for the murder of our leads is very good. Somehow, they not only infiltrated the facility, but they killed the two guards in the observation tower with little to no struggle and without being noticed."

"Once they were in the observation tower, they managed to shot out every camera in the prison," Sally added. "All that we know is that less than an hour before Noin and I got there, the assassin was able to pull off their hit. There wasn't so much as a hair left behind to lead us to who took out the prisoners."

A chill ran up Relena spine and she frowned, "If they were able to get through the building unnoticed, who's to say that this person is not someone who works at the facility. Perhaps the guards in the watch tower didn't put up a fight because they knew the person."

His brow drawn in thought, Zechs rubbed his chin and commented, "Were that the case, it would also explain why this person was undetected. Anyone working at that facility would know where every guard is stationed at any given time of the day. They would know every place to avoid, getting in and getting out as quickly as possible."

With a firm nod, Noin replied, "That very well could be, and we have taken that into consideration. There are several officers that were off for vacation or other reasons. They are going to be brought in for questioning."

"If anything, we were able to get a name out of those bastards," Wufei sighed deeply. He shot a look to the Commander across from him and sensed the turmoil she was going through. Calmly, he reassured her, "Lady Une, don't feel as any of this is your fault. We all thought that moving Hefner and the others was the best idea."

For the first time since receiving word of the incident at the prison, Lady Une gave a small smile. "Thank you, Wufei," she said quietly. While she knew that the loss of their leads was not to be blamed on her, it was comforting to know that her agents still respected her and the decisions they made. They were the very people affected directly by every call of hers.

Trowa spoke up with a nod, "He's right. If anything, now we have more of an idea of how much influence those involved in the White Out Organization actually have. Andrew's suicide certainly was not just a play for dramatics."

It was Anna's turn to shudder. "It's down right creepy," she muttered. "We're going to have to have to work every angle possible in finding this Terry Henderson before we go and lose that lead, too."

"Relena and I are working on that," Quatre stated. The young woman beside him nodded and he explained, "Her access to government records and my experience with the Preventer logs will help in narrowing down any possible aliases to identify their contact." With that matter being handled, there was a long silence between the group as they weighed their thoughts.

Folding her arms across her chest, Lady Une leaned back in her own seat and announced, "I am going to pull the rescue mission that we were going to conduct."

The eyes of those around the Commander widened and turned to her. Frowning, she explained, "Obviously, the members of White Out know that we're after them. I don't want to take any unnecessary risks before we know how to work around this challenge."

Heero could feel Duo's body stiffen beside him. Understanding the concern that his partner had in this announcement, the ex-Wing pilot reached under the table to squeeze his hand in support. There was a small squeeze in return, a sign that the American was lost in his own thoughts and fears for those still trapped by their enemy.

The Japanese Preventer was the first to break the silence and stated, "Lady Une, no one joined the Preventers knowing that there would not be any risks involved. With all due respect, I believe that the rescue mission should be carried out as planned."

"I agree with Heero," Trowa nodded. "As Preventers, our first duty is to protect those who cannot protect themselves. The lives of those people being transported come first."

With a nod of his own, Zechs added, "Along with that, the organization is going to heighten their security in seeing that no one can pick up on their next transportations. We may not have an opportunity like this again, so we should act on it."

Anna spoke up, "Not to mention the fact that we have the chance of getting more information on White Out, were we able to take in some of the crew on that ship, were we not able to just bring the whole craft into our possession."

Biting her lip, Relena asked, "Do you really think that they would still go on with their transport? They obviously know that we would have had ways of deciphering their messages to the leaks that were discovered. They may just change their plans and send the craft at another time, or on another course."

The Chinese pilot sat back in his seat and thought aloud, "There is a good chance they believe that we were not able to get anything out of Rivers and the others before they were killed. They also have no way of knowing what intelligence from White Out had been stored in their computers."

"The bottom line is that there's only one way to find out," Noin commented. "Even if they did feel that we might know about this transporting of prisoners, they most likely will let it go as a ways of finding out just how much we know."

Duo swallowed hard before saying quietly, "The ship will go out as planned." His braided head lowered and all eyes turned to him. "Even if they lost this ship, there are more where they came from, with hundreds, if not thousands, more people they can get their hands on. And after this, we won't have any way of picking up on their next shipments."

Taking all of this into consideration, Lady Une released a slow breath. Folding her hands on the table, she addressed the group, "Very well. We'll carry out the rescue mission. We will have to adjust for the possibility of meeting against heavier resistance when intercepting the transport ship."

All, intent, attention was on the Commander and she continued, "Since the agreement of the President and Council to allow the use of mobile suits was granted to large organizations throughout the world and the Colonies, we should be prepared that this enemy has the resources to fund their own. I will have our defense team prepare a dozen Taurus suits for the teams carrying out the rescue to use."

Both Relena and Quatre glanced at each other. The issue of the allowance of mobile suits to continue to be used was one that they had both fought very hard against in the past. It was still a thorn in their side that the leaders of the world and Colonies still refused to destroy any and all such weapons, claiming that it was a means of protection for those who needed it most.

Gently, Quatre placed a hand on his lover's leg as a means of letting her know that he knew her turmoil over the issue of the law she had agreed to sign. Relena gave him an appreciative smile. While signing the law for the permission to use mobile suits never settled well with her, it did give the Preventers their own allowance to use mobile suits in cases such as this. In the end, it was a give-and-take agreement that finally appeased Relena enough to agree to the terms.

Breaking through the Foreign Minister's thoughts, Lady Une continued, "I had already planned on sending Wufei, Trowa and Anna on this mission with their own assembled teams. Given the circumstances, I am going to ask for further assistance."

Without hesitating, Zechs and Noin both glanced to each other and nodded. "Noin and I will join them," the tall man replied as he looked back to Lady Une. Wufei, Trowa and Anna smiled to the couple as a means of appreciation.

Given the importance of successfully completing this mission, Heero raised his head and announced, "I will go as well." Duo's violet eyes widened and he turned to face his partner. Unable to meet his koi's concerned gaze, the Japanese pilot gently squeezed their hands still joined under the table.

With a relieved smile, Lady Une said sincerely, "Thank you, everyone. It is good to know that I have very reliable people to turn to in times like this." Turing to Agent Water, she asked, "Sally, I assume that you will have a team of medical staff prepared?"

The braided woman nodded, "I personally selected my team and we are ready to go on a moment's notice. I have also seen to it that Quasar is fully equipped with everything that we need when the shuttle carrying the prisoners comes in."

"Good," the Commander replied. She looked to the others watching her and stated, "Heero, Trowa, Wufei, Anna, Zechs and Noin, I would ask that you have the team you assemble together ready to be briefed tomorrow evening before you would have to leave. I will meet with all of you at 1700 tomorrow evening in the conference room on the first floor."

Those said pilots gave their own nods and other gestures of understanding. With that, the meeting was adjourned and those present began filtering out of the office. As they stepped out into the hallway as the last to leave, Heero gently pulled Duo's hand and led him down the opposite way of their friends.

Once they entered their own office, the Japanese pilot closed the door behind them. Leaning his back against the door, he pulled his braided partner into his arms and said quietly, "You know that I have to do this."

Duo held onto his koi and nodded against his shoulder, "I know. I just - I wish I could..." his voice failed him as it cracked in his throat. Small tears of frustration began to fill his eyes. Never one to back out of a mission before, especially a mission that involved Heero, it was killing him to know that he was not ready to see another one of those transport ships, to see the people trapped there in knowing some of the hell that they were enduring.

Placing a soft kiss on his partner's forehead, Heero closed his eyes and rubbed soothing circles along Duo's back. The braided pilot sniffled and dried the unshed tears from his eyes. "This whole thing just sucks, you know?" he frowned after a long pause.

"I'm supposed to be the one watching your back on these missions, not sitting back because I don't think that I could handle being faced with my own demons so soon," he commented with a bitter laugh. "I just feel like a coward right now for opting to staying behind."

Heero pulled back enough to meet his partner's violet eyes and said firmly, "No one, not myself or anyone in that room, would ever think you as weak or a coward for not going on this mission. You shouldn't feel that way of yourself, either."

Gently ran a hand through his partner's bangs Heero spoke quietly, "Duo, even knowing the things that you had to endure, not from the White Out Organization but from your childhood as well, I don't see how you're able to function the way that you are now. And if I asked any of the others, I know that they would agree with me that you're the strongest person that any of us have come to know."

A slight blush colored the braided Preventer's cheeks and he whispered, "Thanks, Heero. I just don't want you to think that-"

"I don't," Heero stated, not allowing his koi to continue that line of thought. "And I never could think that was about you." Sealing that statement with a chase kiss to the other pilot's lips, he returned the warm smile that he was rewarded with.

As he took hold of his best friend's hand, the ex-Wing pilot suggested quietly, "Let's go home." With a nod, Duo squeezed the hand holding his own as they stepped from the room.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Within hours, arrangements had been made that Quatre and Relena would be staying with Duo at his house while Heero was away on his mission. It came as a relief to both pilots in knowing that the braided pilot would not have to stay in their large house alone for the next few days. Considering the timing of the mission just as Duo was still coming to terms with his own demons, it was the best option.

The early afternoon following their meeting with Lady Une, Heero was packing a duffle bag with clothes and other things needed for his stay on Quasar for the next few days. Duo sat on their bed, legs folded under him as he watched the other pilot preparing for his departure. "I have the guest room all set up for Quatre and Relena," he said at last, just to break the silence.

"That's good," Heero replied, looking over his shoulder as he finished removing a few pairs of socks from his drawer. Walking back to the bed to set the socks into the bag, he glanced at the clock on the wall. 3:49 p.m. Noting that he needed to be heading back to headquarters in the next ten minutes, the Japanese Preventer commented, "They should be arriving any minute now."

Duo rubbed his arm and nodded. Looking into the bag, he asked, "Did you remember an extra pair of jeans?" At Heero's affirmative grunt, the braided pilot inquired, "And your razor?" Another affirmative from the other pilot as he tied his white sneakers. "Don't forget to take a sweater or two in case the temperature is pretty cool in Quasar," Duo threw in, looking up from the bag.

With an amused smile, Heero rose to his feet and walked over to the bed. Bending at the waist to meet his partner's eyes, he replied reassuringly, "They're all in there. I've done this enough times that I know how to pack for a mission like this."

"Sorry," Duo frowned, his shoulders drooping. "I'm just worried, that's all." If he meant to say anything further, the lips suddenly pressing against his prevented him from doing so. Closing his own eyes with a small sigh, the braided pilot returned the chase kiss.

Heero removed his hands from Duo's shoulders and pulled back. With a warm smile, he said sincerely, "I know. And I appreciate it."

Zippering his bag closed, the ex-Wing pilot slung the strap over his shoulder. "Will you see me out?" he asked, allowing the need in his voice to reveal his own hesitancy to leave his partner behind. Duo nodded with a forced smile. Together, they stepped from the bedroom and made their way downstairs.

Their puppy ran up to Heero the moment to was downstairs, standing on her tiny back paws to place her front on the teenager's leg. "You be a good girl while I'm gone, Yuuki," Heero smiled to her, patting her head gently. The pup licked his hand excitedly.

Not wanting to make their farewell any longer or more agonizing on either of them, Heero lowered his bag to the floor and wrapped his arms tightly around the other pilot. Duo wrapped his own arms just as tightly around his partner. They pulled back enough to kiss each other in a sound kiss that never moved beyond a firm yet gentle caress.

Finding his back against the wall by the time the kiss ended, Duo looked into his koi's eyes and whispered, "Please be careful, Heero."

"I'll come back to you," his partner breathed. With another gentle kiss, Heero reluctantly broke their embrace and gathered his bag. Just as he pulled the strap over his shoulder and turned towards the door, he froze.

At the sudden, startled look on Heero's face, Duo looked to the door and his own eyes widened. During their exchange, neither pilot realized that the front door had been left open to allow the cooling breeze from outside into the house. On the other side of the screen door, a pair of equally shocked eyes watched the two young men.

Clearing his throat, Duo played with the end of his braid and chuckled nervously, "Um... Hey, Lena."

TBC...

 

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