After Dark
Part XI
By Mieren
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Duo sat with his laptop resting on his knees, typing almost frantically. Information and images flickered by so quickly that most people would never have seen anything but a blur. Violet eyes narrowed as they skimmed the data at inhuman speeds. One classified file in particular caught his interest and he stopped to look at the information more carefully. His temper flared.
Tracing back to a well-known computer, he bypassed the security in a matter of seconds, familiar with the system. The endless information poured out across the screen. What he found caused him to grind his teeth audibly. He continued to pick through the files until one of the screens told him something that caused his temper to snap.
"THOSE SONS OF BITCHES!" he roared. "They knew! They fucking KNEW what they were sending me after! They knew what would happen to me!" An eerie calm settled over his soul. Amethyst eyes burned with cold fire. He quickly gathered his meager belongings and his laptop and turned to leave.
Shinigami walked silently out of the hotel room.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
"Shit!" Wufei swore suddenly, collapsing just inside of the small safe house and clutching his head in both hands.
"What's wrong?" Quatre asked softly, kneeling beside the Chinese pilot. He stubbornly ignored the gun Heero had leveled at them.
"It's Maxwell," he gritted out. A slight convulsion ran through his hunched frame and he groaned loudly. "I can feel him again."
"At least he's still alive," Trowa offered drolly. Heero glared at him.
Silently, Quatre placed his hands over Wufei's, his aquamarine eyes sliding shut of their own volition. A frown spread across his face. After another few seconds, he pulled back with a pensive look on his face.
"Fuck," he muttered. Trowa's jaw dropped open, the stoic pilot losing his mask at the shock of hearing the blond swear. Even Heero's eyes widened.
"Well?" the Japanese pilot demanded, forcing himself to ignore his disbelief at the smaller boy's choice of words.
"Duo's constructed several mental walls to prevent himself from being sensed. Whether he's hiding from us or someone else, I don't know."
"Who else would he be hiding from?" Heero snapped.
"I don't know," he answered absentmindedly. He looked up, worry clear on his pale features. "He's furious. And… and he's looking for us."
"And he knows where we are," Wufei muttered from his place on the floor. "Nataku. I never thought anyone could be that angry. It felt like my head was going to explode."
"How long before he gets here?" Trowa asked.
"I don't know."
The sound of a gun cocking echoed loudly in the silence of the decrepit safe house. Wufei lifted his gaze to stare at the muzzle of the large handgun in Heero's hands. The click of a hammer being pulled back followed instantly, Trowa pointing his own gun at Heero's skull.
"He's become a liability," Heero hissed at him.
"You know damn well that if Duo wants to find us it's only a matter of time," Trowa countered. "With Wufei here, we at least know he's coming."
Cursing loudly in Japanese, Heero holstered his gun. Trowa hesitantly followed suit.
"He'll be here within the hour," he ground out.
"What?" Quatre squeaked.
"We were looking for him," Heero elaborated, glaring at the Arabian as though he was being intentionally dense. "We're in the last area that Wufei sensed him. He could be just outside for all we know."
A small creaking noise made everyone jump, guns in hand as they searched frantically for the source of the sound. A violet-eyed face appeared in front of Heero upside down, the American hanging from the rafters by his ankles.
"Ah, but I'm not outside," Duo purred.
Heero attempted to redirect his aim to Duo's skull, hoping the shots would buy him a few seconds of time to locate a stake. He never got the chance. A flying tackle knocked him to the floor and he found himself grappling with a senseless Chinese pilot. Duo shook his head slowly, dropping to the floor. Well aware of the two guns trained on his skull, he raised his arms in unconditional surrender. He was inwardly impressed that his fellow pilots had enough restraint not to try to kill him on sight.
"Release Wufei," Trowa ordered.
"As soon as Heero stops trying to shoot me," Duo countered dryly. "It can't exactly kill me, but it stings a bit, you know."
"Duo?" Quatre asked uncertainly. "Are you still… you?"
Duo nodded sharply. "I just came here to share a few bits of information I've come across before I leave to take Xellos's head."
At that statement, Heero froze, allowing Wufei the break he needed to pin him completely. He stared intently at Duo, cobalt eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"You already lost," he said. Though he tried to keep his voice emotionless, a hint of disbelief and hope filtered through.
"Quatre snapped me out of it when he was doing whatever it was that he was doing to Wufei," Duo responded in a resigned tone.
"What do you want?" Heero asked coldly.
"As I already said, I want to tell you a few things before I go on what will most likely be a suicide run," Duo sighed. "Though I wouldn't object to help in killing that bastard."
Heero nodded slowly. "Speak."
Wufei immediately came out of the trance he was in, blinking several times before releasing the Japanese teen in his grip and scooting away. He looked up at Duo expectantly.
"Where to start," Duo pondered. The strained grin he attempted came out as more of a pained grimace. He looked up suddenly. "Did you know that the Mad Five sent me on that mission knowing who and what Xellos is and exactly what would happen to me?"
"What?" Quatre blurted.
"They knew," Duo growled, eyes blazing. "They wanted this to happen." A strange murderous look flickered across his features and he continued before the other pilots could say anything. "Oh, but it gets better."
"Just spit it out," Heero snarled.
"You know that the scientists have antiviral medications for werewolves but not for vampires," he drawled. "Ever wondered why? It's simple really. They created the werewolves. Set them loose on L3."
Trowa made a strangled noise. "What?" he asked in a small voice.
"They also made it a common practice to experiment with children to test tolerance limits for slightly altered viruses, specifically the one responsible for creating vampires. Rumor has it that there was a survivor. He didn't die. Didn't turn into a vampire. Kind of got stuck halfway between the two forms. Too strong and too fast to be human. Able to recover from any injury or illness. Impervious to all of the things that can kill a vampire. The perfect soldier." He looked at Heero meaningfully. "Would explain why you're so touchy about the whole vampire thing. Never would have had you pegged as a half breed."
Quatre made a strange noise, eyes glued on Heero's face. The Japanese pilot drew a deep breath and exhaled loudly. Sensing the unspoken question, he resignedly opened his mouth. The other four pilots watched in utter silence as his canines grew to an impressive length before he snapped his jaw shut, glaring furiously at Duo.
"Believe it or not, there's more," Duo said, breaking the silence. All eyes returned to him as he continued. "They were the ones that released the plagues on L2. The diseases were similar to the viruses that create vampires and werewolves. They were altered enough that they couldn't turn someone, but they'd kill almost everyone who caught it. The survivors were put on the list as potential Gundam pilots. Afterwards, the survivors were tested to see who could withstand the greatest amount of psychological manipulation." A self-depreciating grin appeared on his face. "Selected because of my immune system and the fact that I'm an ornery little shit. How insulting. That's why they sent me on that mission without telling me anything. They wanted me to be turned. Took the gamble that I'd survive."
"Allah," Quatre whispered.
"All of this was done to fight Xellos," Duo continued. "I agree with the purpose, but not the methods."
"The ends do not justify the means," Wufei muttered.
"Exactly," Duo sighed. "After I deal with that purple-haired bastard, I'm going after the Mad Five. I just stopped by to tell you what's going on."
"You could have emailed us," Trowa said dryly.
"Like you would have read it," Duo groused.
"Fair enough," Trowa conceded, a strained smirk crossing his features. Duo stared at him for a moment, carefully inventorying how upset the banged pilot was over the sudden information he had been given on the scientists they had all been faithfully serving since the war began. He sighed.
"I'm sorry I sprang this on you without warning," Duo offered in a resigned tone. He steeled himself briefly before continuing. "Odds are that there's more to it than this. I was too pissed to research any further."
"Understandable," Wufei murmured, his voice slightly stronger than the last time he had spoken. Duo glanced at him contritely.
"Sorry about… um… using you like that," Duo said, suddenly finding his toes to be very interesting. "I just didn't want Heero to shoot me again. Even if it doesn't kill me, it really hurts, you know?"
Wufei managed a droll chuckle. "I imagine. It's all right, Maxwell. I'm not mad."
"Thanks," Duo murmured. "It's more than I deserve…" He cut himself off sharply, regaining his poise after a clear battle with his thoughts. "I'll leave now…"
"No," Heero cut him off. Duo's gaze snapped to him instantly. "I've been trying to find a way to kill him for years. The only way you'll succeed is if all of us help you." Duo nearly melted where he stood out of sheer gratitude.
"Thank you," he breathed. "I… would appreciate the help."
"So," Quatre intervened. "What are we going to do?"
Morbid glances were exchanged between Heero and Duo for several seconds before Trowa joined the staring match. After a few minutes of silent exchanges, Duo finally looked up at the two lost pilots.
"Considering who we're up against, the best thing to do would be…"
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
To Be Continued…
Sorry for the delay. I had a brain freeze and couldn't decide what to do with the fic. I still don't know exactly, but I decided to get a section out anywho. Please show me you love me for my efforts in writing fantasy into sci-fi. R&R!
