Title: Last Two Standing
Chapter: 3
Story Notes: This is 'technically' version two of this story. It was in great need of some substance to it. I have been doing a bunch of research this time around BUT there will still be some made up factors here. This is a fiction story after all.

Chapter Notes: Finally back into the main storyline I had before! So lets get this party started!

Lady Une was a mess when they contacted her the following morning. Not only did the full details of the four deaths come to the public light during a special morning press conference. But the decoded notes taken from the love letter that had been sitting in their evidence room for three whole years brought another, very deadly, angle to the recent events.
It was the first time Trowa had seen such a distraught look on his commanding officer's face. And it was one he was sure had been mirrored on his own face a few hours prior. As he had read the finished product of Heero's long night over a fresh brewed pot of coffee.

It was not a letter between two people in an affair... It was a formula.

Not even Une knew about the division of military it originated from. But it appeared that there was more to the head scientist of the Water Purification Research Department,... 'much' more. They held a piece of his research notes into chemical warfare. Fully coded and handed off to a middle man to be passed on to his higher ranks in complete secret. It was a war tactic that the Central International Government had forbidden many years before their life times. War was ugly enough without the aid of chemical filled bombs that would melt your skin from you muscles but leave you breathing to be brought in for questioning.

Sally, their head doctor, had taken a quick look at the components in the formula, to see what effects the finished product might have on the human body. "Cathinone and Psilocybin both cause high serotonin spikes. Ketamine is used as an anesthesia. FLN is a drug highly regulated and only used at the highest security psychological wards. Some of these others..." She shook her head. "...even I'm not sure what they are or what they do."

Une could be seen through the vid phone, pinching the bridge of her nose, head lowered and eyes closed. "Sally, if you had to guess what a fully fledged out mixture would do to a human body, what would you say?"

The doctor took a few moments in silence to think. It was only after a slightly deeper breath then normal did she continue. "In simple terms... everything I can identify would cause an excess of serotonergic activity at the central nervous system and peripheral serotonin receptors, while keeping the person asleep, happy, and unaware. Essentially serotonin toxicity on a much broader scale. There is no way a brain could process the extra serotonin, a person would undoubtedly die from this drug."

A murmured swear from their superior. "I want to have four representatives tested for excess serotonin, not matter how small the increase. Who knows what else such a drug might do to mask its more deadly effects, but I have an inkling we found the cause of death for our foreigners." She finally brought tired eyes up to look straight into the screen. "Boys... Good job."

"I'm sure you realize your next course of action in this case. Let me know if there is anything I can do to assist." She knew the information was only half the battle. They would be able to report the new findings to each representative's home kingdom and it would buy them a little more time to bring the source of the terrorist act to light.

Their tasks for the day found their small group split into two in order to cover more ground.

Wufei was off to investigate the lab that the water treatment team used at the time the letter might have been written. The other two were set to track down the head scientist, whom coincidentally, had little on record after the case was dismissed. They spent most of the day following one dead end to another. It seemed that the scientist had fallen off more then just the police's records.

Their final stop was to the current residence of the Baroness whom the letter was originally addressed to. They 'politely' requested any information she might be privy to on the situation. While a bit reluctant, the flash of a Preventer's special forces badge was a very powerful tool when faced with a possible military informant. The Preventer division might have been only a Sank centralized team. But their name was re-noun throughout the entire C.I.G. And the evidence of a decoded letter only served to drive the nail into the coffin. It was cooperation or be arrested and brought in for further questioning.

In the end Heero believed Mieena was still withholding information, but they had received enough. The scientist's name true name was Jacque Frances. Only she and his higher officers knew this. As it was their way of being sure that they were doing business with the correct person. As for the people depositing funds into her and Jacque's bank accounts. Mieena did not know. All exchanges were done in the middle of the night to fully concealed informants. The only identifiable piece that marked them as the correct organization was a small pin worn in the left sleeve cuff.

Mieena was able to draw them a picture from memory. It was a simple crescent moon set on its back in the direction of 'U'. On its widest part where three Greek letters. Delta Delta Delta. The Baroness described the badge being made of pure diamond of the blackest color.

Black diamonds and the commonly used scientific symbol for 'Change'. It was not a known symbol to any organization they knew of. Within the military or outside.

Traveling away from the Estate grounds by motorcycle, mind still unraveling the details, Heero shook his helmeted head, more mysteries.

The radio, custom built into the front fairing of his bike, crackled once before a male voice relayed "Calling all patrols in the vicinity of Colfax and First. Warehouse district. Ten-eighty in progress on river front. Police are on scene and request immediate back up… Repeat. Ten-eighty in progress at Colfax and First immediate back up requested by responding units."

Heero reached up to the side of his full faced helmet, pressing in one of the two buttons located near his ear. "You catch that?" He asked into the visor, checking over his shoulder before tilting his Yamaha R6 into the far left lane on the four lane road.

Again a crackle of static before Trowa's reply from the second two wheeled vehicle following his movements. "Roger. You think we should request approval first. The Preventers might want to stay out of this one and concentrate on the bigger issues at hand."

"Une will understand. We're too close to just ignore it."

"Fine. I'm bored anyway."

At the affirmative from his partner Heero hit the brakes at the very next intersection, planting his booted foot firmly on the paved ground before gunning the engine of his motorcycle enough to swing around the back end. Performing a perfect u-turn on a dime before shooting off in the direction the call came from. He only spared a quick glance behind to make sure Trowa was successfully following despite the commotion they just created on a busy intersection. A quick flip of his thumb and the secondary headlights flashed the traditional red and blue of the city police. He didn't really care to be associated with the police while on his unmarked vehicle but it cleared him an easy pathway to gun his bike into the speed it lived for.

Reaching the riverfront and the large abandoned warehouse on its edge was a washes of emergency vehicle lights and sirens. It looked like a bomb had gone off. A quarter of the huge structure was in ruins, scattered a hundred feet away. The remaining was being watered down by several firetruck hose rigs and didn't look like it would stay standing under tis own power much longer.

Trowa took the lead when Heero pause to observed the scene a moment too long, spotting the only black car in a sea of blue patrol cars. He parked just behind it before removing his helmet and hanging it on the hand grips. "It's Wufei." He stated when his partner pulled up next to him. A quick glance at the plates told Heero this was true.

If the Chinese man was already on the scene then there was already more to a simple arson of an empty building. Wordlessly they both got off their bikes and made their way through the yellow tape that encircled every piece of evidence that might be found.

Wufei was easy to spot in his Preventer issued navy jacket, spouting out orders to the nearby team leads. His soot covered face mirrored surprise when he spotted the two of them coming his direction. In fact he was covered head to toe in the black substance, more so then any of the police that were on scene with him. Once the orders were given and the lead officers on their way to complete their duties the black haired took the final steps to where they waited.

"You're limping." Heero stated the obvious.

Wufei cocked an eyebrow to his hair line. "Injuries can happen when a building decides to explode while you are 'in' it. I appreciate your concern, Heero." He waved a hand to the destruction behind him. "This is the old site to the water treatment plant three years ago. It has since moved several times. About 20 minutes ago an unidentified explosion took out the northwest corner of the building."

Trowa gawked, having a bit more compassion. "You were in it?! Are you hurt?" He was only partially reassured by his partner's jerked nod. Wufei had the most medical expertise out of the three of them. He of all people should know when too much would become a liability in their line of work.

"I wasn't too far from a door. The whole place is empty, apparently it has been abandoned since the treatment plant moved locations. There were a few crates, archaic computers, and a ton of dust." More sirens filled the air as the call for backup was answered by the local agencies. With the Chinese Preventer being the first on the scene, it was not surprising that more black cars sporting the Preventer symbol joined the scene.

Moving away from the destruction and down the west side of the building, the three took note of the structure's durability factor after such a blow to its side. The weakest area was definitely along the north end, none of the crews would be going near it until a bomb squad and excavation crew arrived for safety purposes. Wufei explained the building's layout, along with all notable exits. The largest being near the water edge where it allowed the river to flow into the building through a large channel, then back out a second.

Their interest in that particular building ran deeper the explosion, however. Their own agenda pushed aside the known risks and they unanimously decided to leave the clean up to the local police and continue their investigation. Une could ream them out for it later, if she pleased.

Heero led their way into one of the doors near the water's edge; the farthest point from the damage. It only took a few steps to determine that the interior was exactly what Wufei had described, completely abandoned. The long hallway they entered from was linked out to several small side rooms. Old computer equipment was all that was left in each. Offices, from when the building had been in use. Most likely abandoned for upgraded equipment when they moved locations.

Each room got a scrutinizing look through before moving onto the next. An old wooden desk here, an outdated computer there. Heero tapped a button on the worn keyboard, but like all the rest, the screen remained in a state of lonely black, showing no brain left working in the machine. Dim, flickering lights were the only sign that there was even power in the building.

"It's obviously been deserted for a very long time." Brushing almost annoyingly long bangs out of his green eyes, Trowa again thought that it was time for a haircut. But then he would lose that little bit of awe new recruits took towards him when shooting, technically, with one eye open. "What would cause an explosion then? Especially one of that size? I can't imagine a random kid off the street purposely lighting off that magnitude of firepower."

Wufei's boot tapped the leg to the desk in that particular room, unsettling the old content on its surface. The old fashion mouse fell right off, hanging suspended by the cord that connected it to the unit. It spun in circles, one direction, slowed and stopped, then went the other direction for a while. How could people once be able to stand those things anyway? It limited you range of motion by a great factor, and half the time jerked sporadically when the tracking ball was dirty.

Several silent moments in thought allowed a faint but unmistakable sound to be hear through the faint sounds of the river outside. The familiarity caused the trio to immediately freeze. Heero raised a hand in a silent signal. They waited, holding their breath, to see if the sound would repeat itself. After a minute, it did.

"Gunshots?" Though muffled, it was a sound none of them would mis-identify. Heero nodded his head.

Closest to the door, Trowa un-holstered his sidearm. Flicking off the safety. The name of the game changed drastically in that moment. He cautiously led them back into the hallway, easy stride morphing into a sideways shuffle; back hugging the metal walls of the narrow corridor. Something more then a simple 'ten-eighty' was shaping up in front of them. He trusted his partners to cover the rear without an exchange of words as he continued forward.

There was no doubt that the muffled sirens from the other end of the structure would help mask their movements. But the evidence of police being near would probably also alert whomever was using a gun inside an empty warehouse. Risk taking was part of the job description, and this was far from their first time on the roller coaster. Elite force was not a mere title on a badge after all. Subconsciously they moved into the safest possible formation.

Adjusting and adapting.

Thickly soled boots had a tendency to clomp on a hard surface. So steps evolved to land heel first, then slowly rolling the rest of the way to silence the contact made. Ears worked to filter out the sounds created by their environment, leaving only the ones that might pose a threat. Eyes had already done their part to adjust to the low light surroundings of the warehouse. Not to be out done, taste buds would pick up the different between stale air and a hint of sulfur lingering from a recently fired weapon.

Trowa stopped, back flush to the stainless steel wall and peered over his shoulder through the next open doorway. His weapon, a small but deadly Beretta Storm was held with both hands up to his chest. One quick move and it could be trained with a deadly accuracy. This was the last room in a hallway of about six. A quick scan from his covered location. Checking for any sign of anyone but themselves.

Empty... just like the others. Trowa let out the breath he had been holding to listen from around the corner. He waved his weak hand, signaling his two companions forward. They continue to check corners, moving slowly, deeper into the building's heart. Only splitting up when the need required them to survey several points at once.

They eventually found themselves at the main room for the water channels. Two huge turbines sat in the very center, still moving with the power of the water that rushed through their propellers. The noise in the room was almost deafening. A hindrance. Looking up, strategically placed skylights filtered in large blocks of light onto the fast moving surface of the water.

Using hand signals to convene his movement, Heero stepped forward to take a closer look at the area near the giant fan like wheels. His partners remaining spread behind to watched his blind spot. He could detected smoke in the air now. A fogged state hung around them, making him want to blink his eyes until it cleared the slight haze away. A pair of ladders led from their current walkway, down, almost to the surface of the river running through the middle of the building.

Squinting to clear his long distance view to the bottom, he could make out trails of smoke slowly drifting out of the tunnel that brought the water deeper into the building. Probably to the area that would use a series of filters to clean the liquid before pumping it back out into the main river.

"Heero!" Wufei hissed when the Japanese man nimbly hopped over the railing separating him from the ladder, and began to make his way downward. Checking Trowa's position, the Chinese man cautiously moved to the railing himself and watched the other taking the rungs two at a time, all while keeping his gun pointed downwards. Being caught on the side of the wall would have been the worst possible scenario.

The black haired agent gave a small sigh when his reckless partner reached the landing of the level below theirs. Only to swear heatedly when Heero moved from clear sight to under the ledge that held the turbines, into the area that the smoke was originating from.

"You go down here, I'll take the other side." Trowa's deep voice near his ear did not distract him from the are he kept his eyes trained on. He just nodded.

By the time Wufei got to the bottom rung of the ladder, Heero had come back to the main area, and as much as the Chinese wanted to scold him for moving forward without backup. The serious look in those dark blue eyes told him that the other had found something of value. No words were exchange, instead the Chinese man simply followed the other down the narrow walk way, into a tunnel of echoing water. Across the distance of rushing liquid Trowa followed their example, gun still posed and ready.

The light behind them only offered a dim view of the stainless steel wall that they came to, ending all movement forward. Heero set his hand on the smooth surface knowing Wufei would follow his example. There was more to it then just the flat surface. A barely notable split in material met his calloused fingertips. It was perfectly straight and running vertically from floor to ceiling just out of his reach. It was a door someone didn't want to be found, unless they had knowledge of its existence.

The sound of the river making its way under the final divide and beyond their position couldn't fully mask the raised voices that were yelling beyond the wall in front of them. Pressing his ear to the surface Wufei could not make out what was being said, but at that point he no longer cared. Their abandoned warehouse was obviously housing someone that should not be there. On top of an explosion that took out a quarter of the building and the gunshots they heard earlier, he gave Trowa the signal to call in the possibility of hostels to Lady Une. The reception would probably be weak, but the river would cover up the noise made on their end.

Heero continued to search along the edges of the path. It was a door but there was no handle, no lock, nothing that would give an unknowing viewer the idea that is was more then just a wall. But... they needed to get past it. If worse came to worse, the water flow would take them beyond the barrier, but at the risk being quickly swept into a situation that was dangerous and unforeseeable.

He always had tricks up his sleeve, however. A small round black device was removed from an inner pocket of his issued coat. Given the structure and firm set of the door, it most likely slid on a track system into the wall to their left. Heero motioned for Wufei to take a step back while he placed the item at the lowest right corner, next to the almost invisible seam.

He shielded his eyes and flipped the switch on the front, three seconds clocked by before an almost unbearable heat wash over the front side of his body. It did not last long, however. Dying down to the point that he knew he could look at it safely again. What he was left with was a perfectly round hole melted to a puddle of metallic goo on the ground. It allowed him to get a view of what was beyond the doorway. The area was dark, he could faintly see the outline of stairs descending into pitch black. The voices were farther away, muffled even with the hole through the wall.

Using the sleeve of his coat and the help of his partner, Heero was able to get enough leverage to force the outer door to slide on its track. Giving them just enough room to be able to squeeze through.

Trowa joined them shortly after, having taken the time to back track and make his way over to the other ledge. Seeing the newly revealed entryway and stairwell beyond the last person in line raised an eyebrow, looking between the two in front of him.

Moving forward was their course, and no matter the unknown, they would not stray. Knowing each others habits, strategies, and preferences; they spread in the cramped space to best suit their partners and not hinder movement. Making no mistake that this assignment had evolved into an infiltration of a potentially hostile environment. Which just happen to be a specialty of their specific team.

Voices, one low and sinister, the other loud and slightly angered, reached the three sets of ears near the end of the decent. It seemed to be a heated argument. They stopped and waited; trying to catch what was being said, but instead eardrums were bombarded as two quick gunshots painfully echoed off the stainless steel walls. The tensing of muscle was the only movement from within their hiding area.

The argument, it seemed, was over.

"Fool…" the first voice muttered. "You will be the only evidence they find here." Quiet splashing footsteps distanced themselves from the hidden young men. A quick glance was exchanged as they continued to wait, counting out the seconds before continuing. A swoosh and an unmistakable sound of an airlock resealing gave them the signal of an all clear.

The new room was very well lit compared to the stairwell. Trowa squinted his eyes slightly while sweeping them from one side of the room to the next. With careful steps farther in, he ran right in his companion. The taller man gave the back of Wufei's head an odd glance before looking above the other; to the center of the scene laid out before his team. Green eyes widened to their utmost as his free hand stifled the sounds of his sharp intake a breath. It was, to say the least, unexpected. He turned his head away, an unnatural churning in his stomach, threatening to revolt from the grotesque sight they had stumbled into.

"Monsters... "

Two inches of stale water stood on the floor of the single room. Crimson slowly seeped in wandering tendrils, infecting the blue that spread lazily.

The loser of the earlier argument laid, face up, in a spreading pool of his own blood. Two bullet holes, one in his chest the other in his neck proved that he was most certainly dead. But it wasn't that... no, the death of someone such as that wasn't what bothered the tall Preventer so much. He had seen his share of bodies over his years in the force. It was the four large thickly glassed cylinders that stood in the back of the room that had his chest constricted in moral horror.

A tangle of multi-coloured tubes, wires, and mechanics were hooked to the top and bottom of each cylinder. A four-monitor unit was position facing away from the tubes, allowing whoever operated the computer a clear view of each of them. Now, however, each screen showed dark, only a single flat green line splitting the display into two equal halves

The foundation of the building shuddered with a roar from the next room. They were not alone, shouts found their way through thick walls, gun fire, but none of it able to completely mask the continuous high pitch whine emitting from the electronics.

Inside each tube was a human being... three males and one female. A single, clean, shot dead between the eyes gave clear evidence that they were no longer among the living. Red liquid flowed out of the capsules through the small hole that the metal projectile had created upon entry and exit. Mixing easily with the similar based H20.

Limp, lifeless bodies hung in the lowering element by the immense set of the wires hooked into each victim's chest, arms, and heads. An air mask was still firmly in place over each nose and mouth. Once allowing them to be fully submerged and still be able to breath. By the looks of the pasty bluish complexion; they had been dead far longer then the one laying the floor.

This was proof enough. Of what... none of them were fully sure, but no matter what operation was being held in the basement levels of an abandoned warehouse turned laboratory, they knew beyond a shred of a doubt that it was something they need to put a stop to it.

"Come on." Heero commanded in a deep voice. He had seen enough. "Maybe we'll be lucky enough to find some of them alive."

'Them'... Barely suppressing a shiver, Trowa's body followed the order before his mind could. Just how many would they find?

They walked past the bodies, knowing that no further help could ease the four already lost. The far door of the room separated the three from the sounds of a battle. The question was, between who?

The brown haired Japanese made simple work of the code lock located on the wall next to the door. It slide open in under a minute, rolling a cloud of smoke into the fresh air they occupied. Effectively concealing their positions flanking the opening, behind metal walls. Wufei to one side while Heero and Trowa pressed against the other. They had to assess and secure the possibility of any hostages before backup arrived. Trowa had already made the deciding factor to press the red button on his radio unit. Preventers would flood the building in just a matter of minutes.

Wufei cocked the chamber of his weapon full before taking a quick aim, shouting "Preventers! Throw down your weapons!" A renewed round of yelling followed by a rain of bullets answered back to his position, sending a piece of shrapnel flying next to his ear. "Surrender and no one will get hurt!" His accent gave the words a tinge of malice.

Heero crouched down on his haunches to give both him and Trowa clear sight to fire. The large room they faced was indeed the main water purifying chamber. The river rushed into huge silos at the center to be processed through hundreds of layers natural materials, cleaning away the waste of the city. Now the towering cylinders could barely be seen through the layers of thick smoke that billowed throughout the room. The roar of the water was harmonized by that of fire that ate away at even the metal that predominately filled the space.

Several men, clothed in full black, could be ID-ed brandishing guns, covering others in long white coats as they escaped out a side door. From their position, the three Preventers could not clearly see 'what' it was that they had been shooting at. Until now, their presence had been an unknown conflict and not the reason of the fire fight.

When Wufei's command was clearly ignored by both parties the team carefully move forward at sporadic intervals, using the various machines space out in the room as cover. Watching each other's back and firing only to handicap the ones who were trying to harm them. They would get no information from a pile of bodies on the floor. They would have to be stopped at close quarters to keep witnesses available for questioning later on.

Another massive explosion tilted the world of the underground lab and probably most of the world above. Hands reflexively reached out to steady themselves against the nearest solid object. Two remaining men in black glance away from the door they were covering to see what had caused such a large detonation. Two smaller detonations followed up the first, crumbling large portions of the ceiling. Jagged chunks of metal fell to a solid heap in front of the door that had been the way out before. Taking one of the burly men with it in its decent.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Heero took two huge steps, bringing him up to the remaining guard. A well-aimed sidekick then a hard thrust had the last one down and out for the count.

The smoke continued to fill the cut off rooms as the fires grew, hungrily crawling in to consume any fuel it could find. Heero suppressed the urge to cough as the gray substance entered his lungs replacing the oxygen his body was looking for instead.

The last remaining crackle of flame left the scene feeling suddenly silent.

Fanning out into a half circle, the three Preventers cleared the rest of the large area. Checking that each body was either dead or unconscious and unarmed. On the far side of the central purifying structure, the smoked temporarily parted to reveal three more experimental pods in its wake.

A cough and a hard chuckle. "The mighty Preventers..."

Barrels swung to the speaker. A lone balding man, dressed in a similar white attire leaning heavily against the wall across from the cylinders. His white lab-like coat was splattered in blood, saturated with all his bad deeds. The reason he remained after the rest fled was marked by a fresh mark of blood on the wall. Smeared in a line to the gaping hole in his side.

His voice was recognizable, He was the one who killed his own when they first arrived. Wrinkles deepened into a satisfied sneer. "How many years of hard work, hidden away from prying eyes and you... now... show your face." A wet cough, then a wince. "Those haunted eyes tell me 'much' more then that confident stance you try to portray" Thin lips parted to reveal yellow stained teeth. He was smiling. "You had 'no' id-" The sentence was stopped as a lone bullet disintegrated half of the man's face to deep red. No longer receiving messages from the brain his body slumped fully to the wall and slid down the remaining way to the ground.

Trowa raised surprised eyes, over the arm he had thrown up to shield himself from the death, gun still held out in front of his body with the other. He could hear a rush of booted feet coming in from the other side of the room. But their backup would miss out. Everyone had either escaped or was killed. Including those that had needed to be released from the unknown nightmare.

Behind him, all three of the glass prisons had the same bullet hole piercing their shell. Killing off the occupants within. No... Turning around, Trowa took a dismayed step forward, searching for any signs of life in those floating amongst the liquid before him. They couldn't have failed to save all of those in need!

A clearing of a large wisp of smoke quickly made him halt his forward movement with a light gasp.

A boy, perhaps a bit younger then themselves, stood his ground. Feet shoulder width apart, stock still between the computers and the capsules that had once held life. Dark soot covered his head and bare torso. Loose white pants were torn and stained crimson at the bottoms from the blood flowing past his ankles. Brown hair was disheveled and slightly singed, pulled back into a long messy braid that swung away from his body in the aftermath of the upsurge.

He held his own gun. Barrel lowered to eye level; glaring violet eyes locked the tall Preventer, closest to him, in a gaze of pure hatred.

"Stop..." one word, spoken in a low, rough whispered tone, the emotion behind it made clear of its threat. It dripped with revulsion, determination.

Beep... beep... beep...

The bleak assumption had been wrong. A fleeting glance to the last monitor showed the thin green line spiking with a slow heartbeat.

Trowa swung his wide green eyes back to the boy, then above, to the tube that the other stood directly in front of. A small pale boy floated in the ever-lowering water level. Blond hair drifted around him like a halo. Like the others, a clean puncture hole cleanly broke the thick glass. Giving a passage out for the blue liquid contained within. But with a second, closer look, he could see that this one had missed its target. A thin line of red seeped from a graze on the boy's cheek. The bullet had traveled to the right. Too far right for it to kill this sleeping patient.

Beep... beep... beep...

"I will not let you hurt him..."