Chapter 11: Rescue
The watch alarm went off on schedule, at ten-thirty. Meika shook the others awake and they stood. Coming quietly out of the back room, the trio looked at a flyer in a closed newsstand to try and find out where the others were being kept.
"Well this isn't good. They're being held in the highest security room they have, about three stories up."Meika whispered. Ayame winced, but Katsumi wasn't paying attention. Instead she was looking at a floor map on the wall.
"Hello! Earth to Katsumi! What are you doing?" Meika hissed. Katsumi glanced at her before responding.
"Trying not to look suspicious by whispering. I'm listening though so go on." She resumed studding the floor map.
After deciding the best way to get up to the room the pilots were being kept in the girls stopped cautiously before turning the corner, prepared to pull out their weapons if necessary. But there were no guard in sight.
Meika sighed and pointed to the reason there were no guards. Who needed guards when you had a retinal and ID scan for access anyways.
Meika bit her lip worriedly. "There is no way in without raising an alarm, we can't get past the retinal scan."
Katsumi pulled a laser knife from her pocket and Meika blinked.
"There is always ways around a retinal scan." She shouldered past Ayame and pointed the laser at the retinal scan.
"What are you doing?" Ayame hissed.
"Trying to teach it to recognize my retinal scan as one of the highest ranking officials in OZ, so it doesn't question my entry." Katsumi answered quietly.
"Done." She positioned herself to let the retinal scan check for authorization. The door unlatched and swung open. Pulling their hats to cover their eyes, in case someone was in the room, the trio entered the dark chamber.
Katsumi let her breath escape as the retinal scan accepted her. She had only read about how to fool it, never actually tried it. She couldn't see in the darkness, she was aware however, of Meika ahead of her and Ayame to her right.
Katsumi was glad for the comforting weight of the guns against her shoulder, and the sword on her back. She could detect people in the room, but didn't want to say anything in case this was the wrong room.
Meika quickly check the room for security cameras and windows. Finding that the room was free of both, she flipped on the light.
On the floor were Heero, Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei. They were all mostly without injury. They eyed the three girls with suspicion, unable to do anything because they were bound. Katsumi noticed that Heero was watching Meika with a look of interest, and a lot of suspicion. None of the boys could recognize them because of their uniforms, the way their hair was tucked up, and the fact that the hats were pulled down and covered their eyes.
Meika handed Ayame something, a pocket knife. Meika gestured to the laser knife while looking at Katsumi. Katsumi nodded and flipped it open.
Meika crouched to Heero's bonds, Ayame worked on Trowa and Katsumi knelt beside Quatre.
"Who are you guys?" Quatre whispered as Katsumi began to carefully cut his bonds. Ayame giggled slightly. Katsumi looked up at Quatre and grinned.
"Katsumi!" Quatre exclaimed quickly, amazed. Heero immediately looked up at Meika, meeting her eyes. Katsumi put her finger to her lips to quiet Quatre. Meika helped Heero to his feet. Ayame had already finished freeing Trowa and began working on Wufei. When she stood up her face looked concerned.
"Where is Duo?" She asked.
"The same place the guards took Relena and Hilde when they were discovered." Wufei said bitterly. "Better hope for his sake, that he's even still alive."
Heero looked at Meika.
"Please tell me you all brought weapons." He asked her. She laughed lightly and handed him one of her guns, Katsumi gave her extra to Quatre.
"SHUSH!" Wufei said. Everyone quieted. "Someone's coming."
There was a closet in the room so the girls hid in there. The boys set themselves up to look like they were still bound, hiding their weapons. Meika turned the light off and shut the door on her way into the closet.
A guard entered the room a moment later and flipped the light on. He was holding a bound Duo. Ayame gasped when she saw the bad condition he was in. The guard stiffened at the sound, sensing that someone who wasn't supposed to be there was present.
Tossing Duo roughly to the ground, he walked over to the closet to investigate. As he opened the door, Meika threw her foot against his chest in a hard kick. The guard hit his head on the wall and landed, alive but unconscious.
"Let's go! The guard probably tripped the alarm alerting the other security officers, we should have about five minutes until they get here." Katsumi warned. Ayame unbound Duo and pulled him up, putting his arm around her shoulder so she could support him. The group turned and ran down the stairwell as fast as they were able.
Their progress was too slow however, because Ayame was carrying Duo. Fifteen officers waited at the bottom for them.
"This way!" Meika shouted, dashing down a side corridor. Everybody followed including the guards. Wufei went to the other side of Duo to help Ayame support him so that they could run faster. Meika drew her gun and fired at the guards behind them, taking a few of them out, to help buy them a little more time.
"Where does this corridor lead Katsumi? You were the one looking at the floor plan?" Meika shouted.
"I think it leads to the laboratory facility!" she called back.
"That's where they had Duo taken." Quatre informed them.
"Then we'll head there to see if that's where those other two were taken, Relena and Hilde, right?" Katsumi asked. Heero nodded. The group hid in a side room to allow the guards to pass before making their way to laboratory.
When they reached the facility everyone was shocked to see a mangled body on the floor. The body was covered in blood and obviously dead.
"Hilde." Trowa said quietly. Ayame thought she was going to be sick. They heard a whimper from the other side of the room and turned to see Relena hung on a pole. She was alive, but injured.
"Heero." She muttered. Heero walked over and untied her from the pole as she collapsed into his arms.
"I knew you would come." She whispered.
"Can you walk?" He asked her. He looked her over, she didn't seem to be to injured, just exhausted.
"I- I think so." She replied dropping her arms from around him.
"We should get going." Katsumi stated seriously, glancing at Meika who didn't look too happy at that moment. "I think the ventilation system would be the best way to get out undetected."
Duo chose that moment to regain continuousness. Ayame hovered over him worriedly.
"Uhh… What's going on?" he asked.
"We're getting out of here. Hold on Duo." Ayame answered.
"Lets go!" Meika said anxiously. The group dashed down the hall following Katsumi's directions. Ahead they saw the vent opening. Trowa was the first one in, followed by Wufei. Ayame pulled herself up and, with the help of Wufei, helped Duo up. Heero lifted Relena into the vent as a bullet hit the wall right by Meika's head. She ducked out of reflex and turned to see who the attacker was. It was Blake. He was holding a smoking pistol.
"So you're still alive?" He said laughingly as he raised the pistol. "Not for very much longer." Meika's legs felt like they were lead. Blake fired.
It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Blake's finger hit the trigger and the gun went off. Meika braced herself. Suddenly a dark shape hurtled in front of her, Heero. He took the shots in his upraised arms and his side, and his right shoulder. Then time flow seemed to snap back to normal.
"Heero!" Meika cried as she was shocked out of her stupor. Pulling her gun out almost instantly, she fired at Blake. Blake still recovering from shooting Heero, was unable to dodge. One bullet hit him right between the eyes and he crumpled, dead. Heero sank to the ground against the wall beside Meika holding his side. She pulled him up as Trowa helped to get him into the vent. Meika hoisted herself up as the group began to head back. Supporting their wounded the best they could, they were able to make it back to the jeep without detection.
"Lets get out of here." Ayame said as she got in the driver's seat and drove back to the compound.
