It's here! And it's late—again. A bit of recap in this chapter as it is a confusing plot for the writer. Thanks to all those faithful reviewers! I'm glad the return of this fanfic has been enjoyed. (And if anyone has ideas of how to continue it, please feel free to suggest…)

Nereid Airfield is an imaginary place of my own creation (hey, I actually own something in this fic!). The title "Nereid" was used because, like Triton, Nereid is one of Neptune's thirteen moons. And for some reason, every time I think of Neptune, I think of Sailor Neptune from Sailor Moon…but she can't have Trowa! He's mine! Or, um, Duo's…

After convincing a reluctant Heero to lay down for the night, tucking him in like a child next to Quatre underneath generic cotton sheets, Trowa dragged himself back to the room he shared with Duo. He peeled off the ugly yellow sneakers and half-heartedly shook the gritty cuffs of his borrowed pajama bottoms. Next time we go on vacation and find out we've been manipulated by super-intelligent terrorists, let's pick somewhere with less sand. Or we could really make it easy for the jerks and take a retreat to Venus. Sighing, he tired to dismiss pessimistic thoughts from his head as he reunited with his pillow, but to no avail. Now I'm calling Renovo a terrorist organization. A few years ago the Alliance was calling me a terrorist. What's the difference between a terrorist and a freedom figh—"Ah!"

"Sorry, Heero!" Duo's hand quickly retreated from Trowa's shoulder back to his side of the bed. "Didn't mean to startle you."

Trowa took a deep breath to decrease his suddenly rapid heart rate. He was convinced the worst part of inhabiting someone else's body wasn't the moment when you scared yourself glancing into a mirror, the level of disorientation gained every time you stood up, or even the incredible embarrassment of wiping your friend's ass after you used the toilet. The worst part was relying on someone else's heart to beat for you. The mere idea of using Heero's organs Trowa squeamish—not a feeling he was used to in the least. "It's alright. How long have you been awake?"

"I heard you get up and bolt outside. Looked like you and Heero were discussing something pretty deep out there."

Trowa ignored the dueling concern and jealously evident in Duo's words. "Did you eavesdrop?"

"No! Sheesh, just because I'm a loudmouth doesn't mean I can't respect when two people want a little privacy. And here I was all worried about you and Tro to the point I couldn't go back to sleep."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply anything. It's been a bad night."

"Nah, I'm sorry. You know I'm grumpy when I don't get enough zzz's. Are you alright?"

"Not really, no. Uh, hey, Duo? Do you remember when you and Hilde took me in for a while on L2 when I was sick? Can you sing that song for me again?" A minute passed with no answer and Trowa started to tense. Please be Duo. I can't…What? I can't what? Take any more stress?

"Baby mine, don't you cry. Baby mine, dry your eyes. Rest your head close to my heart,
never to part, baby of mine…"

Good. That's the lullaby. He doesn't have a bad singing voice either, definitely better than Heero's. Or, rather, mine. Trowa wasn't sure if he should stop Duo from continuing to sing, especially since the song held special meaning which he had chosen specifically to pass on to Heero, not to Trowa Barton. But when Duo wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close to his chest, Trowa drank the comfort offered like a drowning man.

"From your head down to your toes, you're not much, goodness knows, but you're so precious to me, sweet as can be, baby of mine…"

Waking up alone again the next morning, Trowa couldn't remember falling asleep. Swallowing past the lead in his throat, he dressed and met the others in the kitchen where they were in the middle of assembling a breakfast of half-blackened toast and completely blackened rice. He caught Heero's visible eye and Heero gave him a tiny nod, which he returned. Well, they are who they say they are. I should be relieved but now we have to let the cat out of the bag.

"We have a problem." At what they believed to be Heero's voice, Quatre stopped scraping burnt bits off the toast, Wufei stopped grumbling about their poor survival skills, and Duo swallowed the rest of his orange juice in a loud gulp. The smiles disappeared and the relaxed postures stiffened. Amazing. They've been waiting for this.

They sat around the table, Heero pulling up the stool so they could join in a tight circle. Trowa waited for Heero to begin, but was only met with his silence and the curious stares of their fellow ex-soldiers. What, does he think I'm able to break it to them any less bluntly? Hi guys, guess what? We're minor characters in some sick author's twisted science-fiction story, except this author plans to take over humanity. "I guess you've all been interested in our last mission, why we've been so affected." Damn, this is hard. "We have evidence suggesting…proving…the genetic-engineering organization based in old Europe has gained enough power to become a global and colonial threat."

"What kind of evidence?" Wufei frowned in a display of mounting tension. "The last we heard, that organization red-flagged for performing experiments on live human subjects. Certainly reprehensible, but not worthy of world concern."

Trowa shifted uncomfortably, brushing back a bang no longer there. "They have successfully created a process that can switch the minds of two individuals." The gawks he received did not help his unease. "No, I'm not kidding and we haven't been dropped on our heads."

Duo scooted closer to him, appearing as if he still expected someone to offer the punch line. "You mean like brain-swapping? Putting Person A's brain in Person B's body and vice versa? Heads in jars and cackling doctors shouting 'It's alive!'?"

"We're not completely sure as to how it's done, as the information we were fed about the procedure did not come from a reliable source." Trowa watched as Quatre's hand flew to his mouth, the aqua eyes above shifting rapidly from Heero to himself. "Tell me what you're thinking, Quat."

"What I'm thinking is impossible." Despite his words, the Arabian leaned over and felt along the curve of Trowa's brow. Trowa closed his Prussian blue eyes and let Quatre's gentle fingers trail along eyebrows too thick, a nose too short, cheeks too rounded, and lips too broad to be his own. He shivered under the calluses still present on Quatre's fingertips despite the years gone by since piloting a mobile suit. And as he had done once on Millardo's Libra, he let down the walls surrounding his heart and reached without lifting his hands. Whatever empathic gift lay in Quatre's soul met him halfway, filling him with warmth having nothing to do with the morning sun beaming through the porch's sliding doors. Found you.

"Oh, Trowa! My Trowa…" Quatre's fingers stilled and his voice wavered, on the border of tears. "It is you."

Trowa opened his eyes and tried to smile. "No need to cry. I may be a bit uglier, but I'm still me."

Taking a brief moment out of his anguish, Heero hit Trowa across the head with Quatre's paperback novel which had been conveniently resting on the table. "Trowa and I were ordered to the base outside of Berlin. After our arrival we quickly and incorrectly concluded the building was unoccupied. We fell into a hidden room where we were shot with darts and where Trowa took out the present scientists. The next morning, I was in Trowa's apartment with his hangover and Trowa was in my house with...he was in my house."

"Who is Renovo? Do you have the darts or any data you retrieved from the base?" Wufei asked, obviously trying not to impolitely stare at his two possibly insane comrades.

"No, everything was handed over to Headquarters. The organization has named itself Renovo. We would have told you sooner, but Heero and I only realized Renovo's true capabilities yesterday. According to a news broadcast shown in the seafood restaurant we ate at yesterday, a teenage girl escaped from Renovo and is trapped in the body of famous German geneticist Emil Baur, previously considered a missing person."

Duo's tone was strangely subdued. "So where's this girl's body if her brains are in Emil Baur?"

"Emil Baur is using Jacqueline Banks' body—" Trowa was cut off at Wufei's surprised gasp. Of course he's familiar with Preventers' head geneticist. His girlfriend practically lives in the HQ labs. "As one of our scientists at Preventers. They've infiltrated and thanks to their methods, we have no idea to what degree. We believe they are after world leaders and prominent political figures. We have suspicions they have already caught and switched Relena, most likely on the night when they switched me and Heero."

Heero stood up from the stool, lips pressed together in a white line. "They toyed with us for distraction. Trowa and I have decided to act against Renovo and rescue those leaders already kidnapped. We could use your help."

Wufei instantly jumped to his feet, glowering up at Heero, not deterred by the new height difference between them. "Yuy, you have vast impudence to assume this battle is yours alone. We all have loved one we've swore to protect who are now in danger." Duo and Quatre nodded their agreement and Heero sat back down on the stool, relief evident on his narrow features.

"You realize we can't trust anyone. Trowa and I had to test you all before we could divulge what little we knew: the orange paint, the doll, the lullaby."

Quatre rubbed at his temples, all trace of playful young man and even triumphant millionaire gone. What was left was the leader they had all followed during the war, the leader who had forged five stubborn, solitary fighters into a team. "We can trust each other and for now, that will be enough. Give me an hour to plan. In the meantime, think of a random codeword so we can test each other's identity in the future."

"So you believe us?"

Duo answered Heero's question. "Hindsight is twenty-twenty. Kinda hard not to now."

Trowa grabbed a few pieces of toast and the last banana, planning to head outside and remove himself from everyone's way. He noticed Heero was doing the same, filling a bowl of rice and starting a solitary walk down the beach. Quatre, Wufei, and Duo have a lot of hard information to swallow. Our presence would only make it harder. It's not exactly settling to look in someone's eyes and see another man staring back.

He sat down on the shore, just out of the reach of the water, and ate his breakfast. I don't like playing the hired gun, but it's a relief not to be in control anymore. It's easier to follow orders than to make them. He didn't envy Quatre his task, but he admired his blond-haired friend even more so for effortlessly taking up the mantle of command again.

Quatre probably knows I love him after playing twenty-questions with him on the beach. Duo certainly knows I know he loves me. Trowa's brain entertained the delightful idea that Dorothy might have been switched with an evil seducer with the sole purpose of winning Quatre's heart and wallet, but his rational training quickly dismissed the notion. He's probably thinking about her now…I should be focused on Renovo. The international threat to mankind. Not my dismal love life.

He watched the morning waves rise out of the ocean to pound at the sand, taking the earth with them a few grains at a time. Humanity could kill itself and the ocean wouldn't notice. It's already seen the rise and fall of a billion species. He waited for the sun to move into the next hour's position. To his relief, no-one tried to disturb him.

Quatre called them back to the kitchen table at ten, which had quickly turned from their dining area to their base of operations. "What we do first is leave the beach house. We may have been sighted here and we need to find a place with quicker access to transport. Heero…" Quatre quickly corrected his gaze from looking at Heero's body to looking at Trowa's. "Heero, you're best with geography. Find us a safe house close to a nearby airfield, preferably one with low security.

"From there, we'll separate. Wufei, you'll go back home and find out what's going on at Headquarters. If there's anyone you think we can trust, get information from them but give no information back. Trowa and Duo, you'll return to the base where Trowa and Heero were shot with the darts. See if you find any leads about the transformation, where Renovo is operating now, and where they might be keeping Relena. Heero and I are going to get Jacqueline Banks from Emil Baur's home in Old Germany. Take a week at most to complete the task and return to the safe house. We'll figure out what to do next from there."

Efficient as always, no matter in what body or under what kind of emotional duress, Heero located Nereid Airfield in a city approximately eighty-five miles inland. Taking only the gear they believed necessary, therefore leaving behind all sun-and-surf playtime equipment and packing all possible weaponry, they filled up the Jeep's gas tank and headed west. On the way they shared their chosen code words, which were to be spoken again only after completing their missions in order to insure identities. Heero's word was kuma, Duo's was Bluebeard, Trowa's was conifer, Quatre's was cavallieri, and Wufei's was lychee.

Nereid turned out to be in an old Romefeller base which had been taken over by the new government after the war. Like many old army bases, the facilities had slowly fallen into disuse. No mobile suits means no mobile suit transport. Bad news for pilots everywhere, but the scrap metal workers are in a booming business. The five ex-gundam pilots camped out in the abandoned overnight barracks while tinkering with two small transport jets, restoring them to safe flying form.

For the three days it took to gather all the necessary information and prepare the aircraft, Trowa kept himself busy. He hacked into the city's property records and created a false document stating a private company bought the airfield for recreational use, just in case civilians in the nearby residential areas started questioning the noise of the aircraft. He helped Heero fuel up the jets and take them for test runs. He broke into the base's kitchen for can foods. He drew up floor plans of the Renovo base from memory. He stole a new tag for the Jeep since Wufei would be driving it back home instead of flying. He kept an eye on Heero's emotional status. He avoided Duo like the plague. He avoided Quatre like a naked female sociopath. The latter tasks were not easy since Quatre and Duo were also keeping watch over Heero's worried heart. Plus Quatre's also got to make sure Heero doesn't jeopardize the mission to rescue his lover. War is an easier game to play when you don't care about the pawns used to play it.

When zero hour arrived, they all said their goodbyes with a fearful warmth Trowa knew could be a weakness if they allowed it. After getting the jet into the air and programming the base's coordinates into the autopilot came the part of the flight Trowa dreaded: hours of sitting next to his no-longer-secret-admirer. He snuck a glance to the co-pilot's chair, where Duo slumped, chewing his lower lip. Don't think of how those lips kissed you a few days ago. Think of something to say. Anything to say. "Been a long time since you spray painted an Alliance jet?" Damn, I sound like an idiot.

Duo immediately brightened at the question. "Yep! Got to tap-dance on the GPS too. Who said flying covert is an act of sophistication?"

"Um…certainly no-one who saw your evil clown face plastered over OZ's lion emblem."

"Thought it might strike fear into the hearts of any plane who'd be tempted to communicate with us."

"What if I'm offended? I used to work in a circus."

"Evil clowns don't rescue poor kitties out of a dirty alleyway. Speaking of, I'm surprised you took her in. Wish I could've. But you know the Preventer apartment rules—no pets unless they have gills and weigh less than five ounces."

"Why not get a goldfish then?"

"Have you ever tried to hold a goldfish? The fish-store owner starts wigging out and yelling at you, then you accidentally splash water on the floor because you're surprised you're getting shouted at in a pet store, then you drop the fishie because you slide on the water on the floor…it's a big, complicated mess. Trust me."

"Ah." Trowa cleared his throat uncomfortably as another long moment of silence settled between them, jumping a little when Duo suddenly started talking again.

"You told me you were going to take the cat to a shelter, but you kept her."

"I didn't plan to. Working for the Preventers doesn't allow for much quality time for a pet—being gone for days at a time, a chance of dying with any mission, early mornings, late evenings."

"Tell me about it. I've been debating with myself whether or not to catch some tadpoles. Hilde had some and they were kinda cute, 'though you had to release them after they sprouted legs and it got kinda boring watching them swim. Which is all they do. Swim and swim and swim. Eat green slime and swim again. Poop while they swim." Duo cleared his throat. "And I'm babbling and babbling. So why did you keep her?"

Shrugging, Trowa checked instruments on the panel which didn't really need to be checked. "The shelter wouldn't take her until she reached a certain age. I had to feed her kitten formula in a miniature bottle every four hours for three weeks." He found himself smiling at the memory of the scraggly bundle of grey fur sitting on his chest, falling asleep with a full stomach. "I ate my lunch at home so I could feed her and took sick leave when I was approached with a mission. A few times I even snuck her into work when I didn't think I could get away during the day. When she got old enough to give to the shelter, I couldn't stand to part with her. She's my baby."

Duo's quick hand laid over Trowa's square one for the briefest of seconds. "You're worried about her, aren't you? You know Lady Une will still check in on her, even with the possibility of war approaching. Something about being obsessed with duty and honor…Wufei's rants get to people after a while."

"Yeah, I know. I mean, I know she'll still care for her, not about Wufei's rants being invasive. Even if they didn't, Mayhem's food and water containers keep enough supplied for a month. But I don't want her to get lonely or trapped up in something. Plus, she's very picky about having a clean litter box." Trowa didn't mention the possibility of Lady Une no longer being the woman he first met while infiltrating Oz.

"Eh, so she'll crap in your shoes instead of in her sandbox. Why'd you name her Mayhem anyway? Surely not in mock tribute to the devastatingly handsome American who bravely rescued her from a short life in the cinema's dumpster."

Laughing out loud, Trowa looked Duo in the eye for the first time since revealing the truth about his identity. "I found out the hard way she loves to rip up tissue paper. I have to hide all the toilet paper rolls under the sink."

Duo laughed with him and his smile lingered. "I can't believe we're having a real conversation. At least having a conversation when I know it's you. It's really nice."

"It is nice and I'm sorry we've never done this before. I want us to be friends." Real friends, not just two unfortunate veterans who are stuck hanging out together because our mutual pals organize it that way. We need more than going to the movies once every blue moon. "Maybe you could teach me how to play video games, if we get out of this Renovo mess intact."

"Well, beating your butt in a virtual world would be fun and all, but…" Duo propped the heels of his boots on the windshield, making his co-pilot cringe momentarily out of respect for cockpit protocol. The smirking blue-and-violet eyed man held up his hand and started counting off his fingers. "You've let me kiss you, you've indirectly admitted to thinking I'm attractive, you've indirectly admitted to possessing an open sexuality, you've popped off a few heart-to-hearts, and you've cuddled with me in bed. Twice. Sorry Tro, but high expectations have been set. I'm not gonna settle for just friends."

Trowa fought down a rising blush and glued his gaze to the clouds streaming outside the plane. "You're not ticked at me for lying to you?"

"Nope! Relieved actually. Thought I was crazy, starting to lust after Heero's flat ass…"

The blush rose and the clouds continued to get more and more interesting. Great. Just great. Now I've got to fight off Renovo AND Duo Maxwell.

Poor Trowa! Wait, do I actually feel sorry for him? Um…nope! ;)