Author's Note: I hope you guys are having a happy new year. If not, maybe this can cheery you up. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing.

Warning: language, violence

Chapter 10

"Something's going on over there," the man with the binoculars stated.

"How do you mean?" his partner beside him asked.

"People have stopped going in and out of the place," the first man said. "Look right there, see that small group of people? They all tried to go in over the past ten minutes but instead of doing so, they backed away. Why? I recognize a few of them as employees despite the fact that there's a pizza guy right there with them."

"You think they're on to us?" the second man asked.

"Maybe. I don't know," the first man said. "Just in case, we might want to move. If it's a false alarm, we might be able to come back."

"Hold on a sec, look down there!" the second man exclaimed.

"Who are those two?" the man murmured. "Why do they—wait. That's it! Right there!"

"You mean…?" the second man began to ask.

"Definitely. Don't recognize the short one but the tall one is our man. Tell the guys to get on their trail!"

"What are you doing?" "Solo" asked, the blond watching his near-spastic movements curiously.

"Searching for our unconscious friend's car," Duo replied, his hand rapidly pressing on the clicker in his hand.

"Should I have asked her what it looked like?" "Solo" wondered.

Darting across the street after making sure it was clear, Duo took a left, aiming the clicker at any parked car in sight. "Would've helped but the past is past. Gotta move forward and—"

Beep beep.

Hold on what was that? Let's press this button again and…

Beep beep.

"We're close," Duo reported, ignoring how "Solo" was scanning their surroundings, suspicious of the strange beeping sound that seemed to come from nowhere.

The search led them to a small parking lot. Duo recognized the small donut shop that was there as well as the internet café/coffee shop hybrid that was next door. Go to the café for coffee and the shop for the donuts, that was the rule among all repeat customers.

The headlights of a car flashed as Duo pressed the clicker button once more, smirking as he ignored the beep beep. They had found their ride.

Glancing at the blond who seemed stunned by the development, Duo commented, "For the dumbass consumer who couldn't find the prize in the Cracker Jack box."

Had there been a third with them, Duo would've called shotgun but since he didn't trust "Solo" driving just yet, he took the driver's seat wordlessly, dumping his backpack into "Solo's" lap. Turning on the ignition, he barely waited for "Solo" to close the passenger side door as he backed out but right before he could put the vehicle in drive, he found his way obstructed.

"What the hell…?" he grunted.

They looked like civilians but he could tell from their aggressive pace that they weren't who they appeared to be. Sure they were dressed like any ordinary pedestrians but their eyes were trained on their car and both men were reaching to their sides as if they were about to pull out guns.

Not taking the chance, Duo floored it.

The screech of tires made him wince but they were taking off, practically running down the two men who had been blocking their way. Thankfully for them, they jumped out of his way.

Soon after his suspicions about them were soon confirmed as gunshots erupted from behind. A sharp turn and Duo was heading towards the parking lot exit. Without coming to a stop, Duo pulled out onto the road, taking a left.

It was only now that he remembered that this was a one way road and he was driving in the wrong direction.

"Oh fuck me," he swore as he swerved around an unsuspecting driver who was as surprised as he was at his own stupidity. Of course, that dodge put him in the path of another driver who he had to swerve around as well.

Spying an intersection street to his far left, the complex that was Preventers HQ blocking the entire right side of the road, Duo gritted his teeth and angled the stolen car towards their nearest opening of salvation. He was really cutting it close though he was thankfully as the other drivers whose path he was cutting off were applying their brakes quite liberally.

The car shook as another vehicle scraped the back bumper but they had left the one way road mostly intact. Duo managed to jerk the car into a more stable course though he did not slow down in the slightest. He probably should, though, as he could see the traffic lights up ahead and the building line of cars stopped in front of it.

Before he could make a decision as to follow the traffic laws or put some bystanders in danger, a large, white panel van pulled out behind them and he could see through the rearview mirror that someone was sticking out an arm that held a pistol in hand.

The inevitable shots that were fired pretty much sealed the deal, especially since they were striking the trunk of the car.

With a sharp spin of the steering wheel, Duo pulled the car right onto the sidewalk, blaring his horn at the idiots who hadn't noticed his illegal driving maneuver. Behind him, the van copied his action but the guys in that vehicle weren't as mindful of the pedestrians around as they continued to fire shots at them.

"Think you can do something about that?" he snapped over at "Solo" who had been mostly quiet this entire time, his hand gripped on the overhead handle beside the passenger door. Green eyes darted towards him for a split second before "Solo's" other hand drew out his own gun.

Without pausing to lower the window, "Solo" twisted around in his seat as he smashed his hand through the Plexiglas window, leaning his upper body slightly out of the opening to return some more accurate fire at their pursuers. The backpack that had once rested on his lap had slid down to the floor.

The van's driver veered unsteadily as bullets cut holes into the windshield, the driver trying to at least dodge the shots himself. "Solo" pulled back into the car, conserving his shots for the time being.

It was probably in the nick of time that he pulled back in. Coming to the intersection, Duo swung a hard right, skidding off the sidewalk and back onto the road. The van tried to copy the maneuver but its weight was used against it as its rear end slammed into the back of an innocent bystander's car. Due to its size and weight, though, the van was more than able to resume the chase, its tires squealing against the pavement as it continued its pursuit.

Up ahead, Duo was weaving through traffic, not stopping in swearing at the other cars who seemed oblivious to the chase they were involved in. It was like they were in their own little worlds, ignoring everything around them until it was impossible to ignore. They were probably talking on their cell phones which would have explained it. Duo had stopped blaring the car horn some time ago, hoping that the noise wouldn't attract the attention of their chasers towards them.

He never lost sight of that van though, and he found himself smirking slightly as the vehicle seemed to slow down. Eyes back on the road, he took a left, trying not to bring too much notice to them. Trying to drive as slow as the other fuckers on the road would camouflage them, hopefully long enough for them to get away.

That was where their luck ended because the guys chasing them weren't just using that van. They were also using smaller cars, one of which had pulled up next to them.

His sharp instincts were the only thing that saved him because he had a sudden urge to glance to his right just in time to see someone aiming a gun straight at him.

"Solo's" arm shot out and pushed him back against his seat roughly, discharging his ammo into the other car, shattering the driver side window and hitting the passenger in the other car.

Stepping on the accelerator, they were taking off again, another small car matching their speed.

There was only one way this could get any worse.

A loud siren screeched, red and blue lights flaring as a Preventers' car joined in the pursuit.

Shit. Things just got worse.

Sliding into a government issued car, the three ex-pilots now Preventer agents were joining in on the downtown chase that was happening.

Wufei had taken the wheel, Trowa snatching up the remaining front seat leaving Quatre in the back. The radio was turned on loud and the two in front were debating a route to possibly cut these lawbreakers off.

Whether the intruder was involved, they did not know but it was a possible lead they had. The clues they had found gave an impression that the intruder was going to try and get away via automobile.

By now, they had discovered the abandoned janitor trolley just outside the parking garage. After putting word out to seal the garage or at least get it covered so that anyone fleeing the premise would be spotting, the three had searched the garage themselves and had found the unconscious reporter that had been plaguing their early mornings for quite some time.

Seeing a few items from her purse scattered on the concrete ground, it hadn't taken them long to figure out that their intruder had been searching for her keys. That meant the intruder would be attempting to use her car to escape.

Then the gunshots were heard across the street, a car was seen driving the wrong way on a one-way street, then the reports of a chase in downtown with an unidentified van started coming in.

There was something fishy about this but the three pilots figured they'd get to the bottom of it by capturing these public disrupters.

Once again, the question of whether the intruder was involved was debatable but what were the odds that that someone would fire a gun near Preventers headquarter and a car chase would ensue? Pretty damn low, that's what.

"They're heading east on Athens Boulevard," Wufei stated. "What's the fastest route to the freeway? We can cut them off at that intersection."

"Heights has the fewest lights but would require us to backtrack," Trowa responded. "If we took Tenth Avenue then got onto Banks, it would take us a block past the intersection of Athens and freeway but the lights would back up traffic."

"What about Main?" Quatre asked. "There are a lot of back alleys we could use—"

"All of which are not in good condition and are filled with blockage," Wufei replied. "We'd do better to follow them on their current course than to do—"

All units, be advised, suspects' vehicles have left the main roads. I repeat, the suspects have left the main roads. They are currently in the alleys and gunfire has been confirmed.

"They're heading to Main, it seems," Trowa commented as Wufei swore, adjusting their course.

"Have someone try and get these civilians away," Quatre urged. "They might be harmed by accident."

"I bet someone has already issued the orders," Trowa said. "In the meantime, we have to play catch up."

Duo was scratching up the sides of the car real bad but hey, what did he care? This wasn't his car!

He was jostled forward as their pursuer rammed into their back bumper and he growled at their insolence. He'd gotten off the heavily populated roads for a reason and these assholes were just going to put more people in danger if they did that.

As the alley he was racing down opened up into a much large alley, he was slamming on the break even as he spun the wheel. The guys behind them were pushing them forward as they didn't hesitate to slow down but that would mess them up in three, two, one—

They were out and making an incredibly sharp right, one their chasers couldn't make as they too tried to turn. Because they were going too fast, they managed the crash head-on with a building, the back end lifting off the ground a couple feet before violently smashing back down. The Preventer unit was pulling in on the crash site, slowing down for a second before gassing it and coming after them.

Fuck, those guys didn't know he had "Solo" with him and "Solo" didn't have the same hesitation Duo had at shooting at them.

"Hold your fire!" he ordered the blond. "You don't want to shoot those guys and they're not trying to kill us either."

"Then what do you think we should do?" "Solo" asked calmly.

Coolheaded, just like the real Solo had been when they had been running from the cops back on L2. Of course, Solo tended to get more stressed when guns were used on them but he had never lost his cool.

Pull over the vehicle now! the law enforcers behind them announced at them.

"Sorry pals, can't do that right now," Duo muttered as he spun the wheel sharply, braking again so that he could make the turn.

Though not as experienced as he was, the Preventers were still on their tail though they did have some distance.

Trash and discarded boxes were trampled under their wheels but it did make the ride bumpy to say the least. He barely skirted a dumpster but did lose the driver side rearview mirror in the process. He was going to miss it but at least he had the one on the passenger side and the one overhead to help.

He was peeling out into the busy street just as a couple more Preventer units were showing. Almost cut him off but he was still moving, trying to outrace them.

"Guys just don't know when to quit," he swore as he made another hard turn.

Maybe it was fate or maybe some higher power up there really hated his guts but at that moment, he passed a car in which he got a good look at the driver. For a second he found himself locking eyes with Wufei and just as quickly as it had happened he was speeding away.

"Oh please don't let that be who I thought it was," he prayed out loud but his heart sank as the car he had just passed skidded around, definitely making an illegal U-turn and joining in on the chase. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

"What is it?" "Solo" demanded.

Duo didn't answer as something else had attracted his attention. Up ahead at the intersection, he could plainly see the van they had been fleeing from earlier was making a return and he knew exactly what they were planning. As soon as they entered the intersection, the van was going to ram them and the driver was adjusting the van's speed for such an eventuality.

Duo had only one choice; he spun the wheel, dodging other motorist and making a left, almost touching the van's side. His teeth clenched together and his knuckles were practically white from the pressure he was exerting on them. "Solo" fired on the van's driver, the van veering away unstably into another lane and then another. The blond had probably hit his target but it was a small consolation.

Wufei's car was gaining distance on them and more Preventers had joined in on the chase. The fact that one of the pilots had spotted him was really stressing him out right about now.

Wufei had always been the best driver among them and in a high speed pursuit, he would be unmatched. Even with his skills, Duo knew it was only a matter of time and the last thing he wanted was to get caught.

Now was not a good time for that.

Again, up ahead he could see a car heading in their direction but what caught his attention this time was the fact that the driver of this car was holding their gun out the window, aiming directly at him. He was going to wait until they were close and Duo knew he was going to be eating lead at that time.

Looks like the bad guys were starting to get desperate. They were completely ignoring the Preventers that were at his heels!

Miraculously, the shot at him was never taken but that was due in part from the shot that came from behind him. The enemy driver's gun was shot out his hand, the driver pulling it back in as the gun clattered on the asphalt. Wufei must either be real good at multitasking, driving while aiming a pistol at the other driver's weapon, or he had someone in the car with him who had that kind of accuracy.

The only person or persons Duo could think up who had that kind of accuracy and would be riding with Wufei were the other Gundam pilots. This was starting to get worse and worse.

Passing by his would-be killer's car, Duo was now left with a parade of Preventers' still on him and these guys he couldn't just shoot at. At least, not without a guilty conscience.

Add to the fact that Wufei was really catching up, he didn't have a lot of time to find a way to get out of this mess. The last thing he wanted was for them to get their hands on "Solo" over here and who knew what they would do with him, especially after they figured out what he had.

Spying something up again, he swore to himself (something he was doing a lot more often these days) and pressed on the accelerator. He was starting to put some distance between himself and the Preventers but then made a risky move. He jerked the steering wheel and slammed the side of the car into a parked one. With all the speed he had put into the maneuver, he was able to shove the parked car out of its space and right into a telephone pole.

Pulling away from the intentional accident, he watched through the rearview mirror as the pole began leaning then falling over, landing right in the middle of the road. Sadly, it didn't stop Wufei who had just passed under it but at least it put a stop to the rest of the Preventers. A few of them flipping over the obstacle.

Hopefully those guys would be all right.

Wufei was starting to close in again and Duo knew he would be unable to outrun him. It was only a matter of time now and it would be a shame to be caught. Not only would he have to answer about the shit at that base but also the stunts he had been pulling out here.

"How much ammo we have left?" Duo shot at the blond next to him.

Digging through the backpack, the blond wordlessly pulled out a couple more clips.

"Aim for the tires," Duo instructed him. "Shoot at every tire you see except ours. Do not shoot out our tires. Everyone else is free game."

"Affirmative," "Solo" responded as he reloaded.

Duo winced again as Solo began shooting, this time taking out a few other drivers who began swerving as they lost control. A glance in the rearview mirror told Duo that it was slowing down Wufei but the Chinese colonial was not about to let such a mess stop him.

It was too bad that Wufei was not driving in "Solo's" line of fire or else Duo would have emphasized putting out Wufei's tires.

Alright, what to do, what to do. Their diversion would not last long and they only had so many bullets. Wait a minute, Duo recognized this street now. That would mean…okay, they had one more shot at escape here.

"Stop shooting!" he ordered. "I have an idea."

He began easing them faster but not really taking advantage of the lead he had. He had to go the right speed for this or he would fuck it all up. Wufei was catching up now; he needed to wait for what he was going to do so that he timed this just right…

Okay, Wufei was pulling up to his side. Awesome. This just made things easier. Seeing the hood of Wufei's car come into his peripheral, he looked straight ahead, spotting what he needed.

Then he slammed on the brake.

Not expecting that out of him, Wufei flew by, leaving the two of them behind. Spinning the wheel again, Duo cut through traffic and entered into another alley way, almost causing another wreck.

This was going to be tight.

"Damn it!" Wufei swore as he watched Maxwell's car drive out of sight.

He had almost caught up with him! What was going through that maniac's mind? Didn't he recognize them as help?

"We need to turn around!" Winner exclaimed from his seat, turned around so that he was looking through the rear window.

Seeing another alley coming up, Wufei slowed them down some and made a sharp turn into it, cutting through traffic the same way Maxwell had just done.

The car bounced as it ran over garbage and other items that obstructed their way, Wufei trying to drive as fast as he could but not going too fast. They were entering the back ways again and turning into the large alley up ahead required one to slow down in order to enter without passing through it or endangering yourself.

Making the turn, he found to his surprise that Maxwell's car was parked up ahead, not moving whatsoever. The doors were shut but he couldn't see any movement inside the vehicle from this distance.

Driving closer, he pulled up to the car's front bumper and stopped. No one was in the vehicle, meaning that Maxwell and whoever else was in there with him were probably escaping on foot at this time.

"Look around," he ordered his two partners. "See if you can't pick up a trail. He can't have gone far."

As Barton and Winner did as they were told, Wufei called in their location, demanding for additional back up to help them out. Hanging up a small radio transmitter, he got out to see if he could aid his partners in their endeavor.

"There's nothing," Winner stated. "They bailed, just like you thought."

"Barton?" he asked, looking at the taller agent.

"It looks like Duo tried to back up before abandoning the car," Trowa reported. "Other than that, I can't find any other tracks he left."

"We're so close!" Quatre groaned as he looked up at the sky for a second. "Where'd he go? He couldn't have disappeared!"

None of them thought to check under the car where a manhole was hidden from view. It wouldn't be until after the car was moved from its spot to be impounded that they found out about it as well.

"This is a big step up. I used to be a street rat and now I'm a sewer rat. I'm really climbing that ladder now," Duo grumbled. Behind him, "Solo" followed with the backpack on, not in the least hampered by the weight.

Freakin' super soldier. By now, Duo was striking at any target to appease his frustration and anger. He was pissed that he had to run from the guys now despite the fact that he was not on the best terms with them. He was pissed that they had a bunch of armed wackos chasing them, most likely trying to get their weapon back. He was pissed that he was hiding in a sewer, trekking down the concrete tunnels and surrounded by so much shit. He was pissed off at the moment and yes, everything was a target.

Including himself.

There was just so much shit, both literal and metaphorical, that he felt like screaming and hurting the nearest person. But he was too disciplined to throw a tantrum like that now so he had to settle for just stewing in the middle of the mess he found himself in.

Then, he had to hear it. The question that he least wanted to hear at this point in time. The question that was going to make him lose it just by hearing it.

"What do we do now?" "Solo" asked him.

He screamed. Well, it couldn't really be considered a scream; it was more like a yell yet the pitch was raising by the second. The acoustics of the sewer tunnels only amplified it and let's not get into the echo that resulted once Duo closed his mouth.

Slowly, the reverberations of Duo's aggravated roar decreased until silence settled once more in the sewer. After a moment, it seemed like such a response was not what "Solo" was looking for.

"Was that not an appropriate question?" the blond asked, eyes trained on the braided one.

"More like now is not the time to be asking me anything," Duo growled as his dark blue eyes glared at his compatriot.

"I doubt the people chasing us are going to stop," "Solo" stated. "They will end up finding out where we are, especially if we remain in one place."

"What the hell was I thinking?" Duo bellowed as he planted the palms of his hands on his head, fingers grasping at stray strands of hair. "Why am I here, with you, someone I barely know, hiding from the people who I'm supposed to be working with instead of pissing off? I might have hated it there but at least I had a place to go back to! Now I'm back on the Most Wanted list again, hiding from people who could probably help me, and all for what? You?"

"Solo" was frowning at him now, the most human expression he had had on thus far. Duo paid no attention to it, lost in the sensation of everything he knew starting to fall apart.

It was a legit question. What had he been thinking back there, back in that forest when he had been having a staring contest with this guy? Why had he chosen to not go back to the guys he had fought a war with, saved the world with, and worked with on a near everyday basis? He should have had more loyalty to those guys but here he was making them enemies. And for what? Somebody who just looked like someone who had died a long time ago?

You might as well give yourself up, Maxwell. Time to wake up and smell the coffee. You are in so much shit right now that no amount of excusing or apologizing would help. Things like a downtown chase through Sanc of all places was not something you were given a slap on the wrist for.

He felt like banging his head against the concrete walls and to be honest, that sounded like the best idea he had in years.

So that's what he did.

He managed to bang his head against the wall once but then he was swept up in a bear hug, left to kick his legs wildly like a child as he tried and failed to squirm his way out of the embrace.

"Let go of me! Don't fucking touch me!" he yelled at the blond as he threw his head around, fighting a losing fight against the inhuman strength that "Solo" possessed. It wasn't fucking fair; he had taken this guy down when they had first met and now he was being restrained like this?

"I fear for your wellbeing," "Solo" said. "I do not want you causing yourself self-injury for no logical cause."

"That's all it is to you, isn't it?" Duo spat back. "Logic this! Does not compute that! What the fuck are you, a freaking robot! A fucked up science experiment that's biting me in the ass, that's what the fuck you are!"

"You are acting hysterical," "Solo" grunted.

"Use the fucking contractions you bastard!" Duo howled.

"Getta hold of yer self, ya brat!" "Solo" snapped at him.

Automatically, Duo went limp. "Why'd you have to do that?" he complained softly. "Why'd you have to use that voice again? Why do you keep haunting me with it?"

"'Cause you breakin' down now's gonna get us killed," "Solo" stated again. "Calm down 'fore ya hurt yerself."

"Stop it, please," Duo begged, head bowed as his shoulders began shaking.

"What?" "Solo" asked, blinking at him dumbly.

Ignoring the blond, Duo tried his best to get his emotions under control. "Follow your emotions." Hadn't Heero said something like that? Idiot didn't use them himself so where did he come off telling people that? Emotions were what was preventing him from doing something to preserve himself and the stranger who looked so familiar. He had to get things under control.

He could break down later when he had the chance.

"Kid?"

"Stop using that voice already!" Duo snapped, brow furrowing as he blatantly stared straight ahead of them at the darkness that blocked their path.

"Solo" was silent but at least he wasn't using Solo's voice anymore. Honestly, how did this guy not know that he was speaking differently and not remember it? Didn't make any sense.

Finally getting his wits back, Duo took a deep breath with his mouth. Using his nose would have included the foul stench that surrounded them and he did not want to be distracted by that.

"Alright, you asked what we're going to do now," Duo stated, not asking the blond for confirmation. "First thing, we get out of here and lie low. The city's going to be hot so the faster we can get out of here, the better. Next, we need a long term place to hide. Unfortunately, I only planned to use places that could support just me in case shit went bad."

"So what are you thinking of doing?" "Solo" asked quietly yet loud enough for the brunet to hear him.

Duo let his head lean backwards, his face directed towards the tunnel ceiling above them. "Earth's too unpredictable with its weather patterns. We need to go someplace where it's more stable but if we do that, we'll only be enclosing ourselves in a limited amount of space."

"I don't understand where you are taking this," "Solo" stated.

"I don't think this is the best idea but I think our best bet to hide from the government would be in the Colonies," Duo surmised. "It's all urban and those parts that don't have concrete are metal. We could definitely find a place to stay in even if it's not a building. Plus the Preventers don't have that much reach there; the Colonist governments are very sensitive and would howl up a storm if they tried anything too big."

"The Colonies?" "Solo" asked, perplexed.

"They wouldn't expect that move," Duo continued to say to himself, brightening up to the idea. "Sure they'd be watching the air and space ports but sneaking by that security is easy. Shame we had to leave the other pack behind but we can still get some guns up in the Colony itself."

"Is there nothing I can contribute?" "Solo" asked blandly.

"I think we might have a plan," Duo said, the corners of his lips curled upwards in a slight smile. "Gotta do a couple things first before we can go. Let go of me big guy. We have some errands to do."

"Right," "Solo" sighed as he released Duo who immediately began darting forward, leaving the blond to try and keep up with him.