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Okay I'm scum. I admit that I haven't been updating or writing like I'd hoped. The holidays are bad for me since Thanksgiving marks a year since my father passed and I have to make myself get ready for Christmas. Then to top it off the dog he left me decided to go out scouting for a lady friend and was gone for a MONTH! I worked on this off and on all that time but just could not make myself concentrate on it. So while I thought I would get it done in this second part it will have to be three (not that any of you would mind). I want to thank you all for being so patient with me and hope that this is worth the wait- since I almost just put a quick finish on it but I knew I'd be slapped for that. Oh! I almost forgot!

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FYI- the boys are NOT related.

The aforementioned 'streamer' is NOT their father.

He also was not the ONLY experiment in Dekstar-just the only one that worked.

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ponder on my little puppies -hee hee hee-

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21b

There was a surreal quiet that surrounded them. After all the shouting, all the anger, all the dark evil, this was like a reprieve.

"What happened?" Quatre blushed at being the one to break the silence, but he couldn't stop himself.

Duo looked around slowly. "Are we back?"

Trowa held his breath as he listened for the normal sounds that should be there. With a slight shake of his head, he murmured, "I don't know. I can't tell."

"It smells. . . different." Heero whispered.

"But not like a ship." Wufei added.

"Where the hell have you guys been?!" Orah's angry voice came from behind them making them all turn. "It's been like the freakin' twilight zone here."

Orah sighed as the boys surrounded her and took over trying to open the door she'd been trying to get open for the last hour or so.

"Whatever you shadows did put us in the station as near as I can tell, but where in the station I have no idea." She cursed as Heero, Wufei, and Trowa worked on pulled the rusted opening wider.

"What did you see?" Quatre asked quietly.

Orah frowned as she turned to look at the small blonde. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing." Duo interrupted, giving Quatre a quick push toward the others as they opened the door and slipped through.

The other side wasn't as dark as the confined room they'd been in, but it wasn't as open either. They appeared to be between the inner and outer walls of the base; the walkway used by those who had begun the building and kept maintenance on the outer structure. There was a hum here, the white noise of machinery, compressors, and steam.

"We must be between the main structure and the satellite walls." Orah whispered, stating the obvious. "See if you can find a joint number, that'll tell us exactly where we are."

Duo frowned, Quatre ignored her, Wufei glared, and Heero simply placed his hand on a wall joint and rubbed the nearly invisible numbers with his hand.

"Panel A17 12-B16 3." Heero told them before moving forward a few steps to the turn. "We must be near an access hatch."

Duo nodded as did Quatre, but Quatre spoke first, "there should be a hatch about two meters up that next hall way. I'm not sure where. . ."

"It comes out at the environmental controls." Duo rushed to add. "We may met up with a few of the workers there so be extra careful. Who knows who's friend or foe."

Heero nodded as he and Wufei took point, Orah bringing up the rear, Quatre and Duo sandwiched in between. This hatch was easier to open and moved with only a flip of the handle and a spin of the wheel. Silently, they ghosted into the room beyond, momentarily blinded by the brightness of the room.

They hit it lucky, there was no one in the room and the machinery masked any sounds they made as they moved around the room. The systems, when checked had been set on automatic- that was unusual- and made Heero and Wufei exchange a knowing look.

Orah got to the main door first and pressed her ear to it. The machine noise inside the room kept her from being able to clearly hear whether there was anyone directly outside the door, but it hadn't been sealed properly so it stood to reason that someone was scheduled to check the controls. Placing her hand on the handle, she melded with the wall and looked over to the pilots, who all gave her a small nod. Taking a deep breath, she slowly eased a slivered view open and checked the hall.

Cool air touched her face and filled her lungs. It was like being given a taste of air conditioning while still standing in the sun and made her unconsciously shiver. There was no noise beyond the sliver and no one came into view, so she eased the opening wider and checked the area before motioning for the others to follow. They moved through the hallway and beyond in standard form, weaving in and out of doorways, alcoves, and alternating who was point and who was guard until they could hear voices - - - then they all froze.

The words were gruff, the voices obviously male, and they were moving in their direction. Fast looks were exchanged as fingers and hands flew in signal-speak as they worked their way back until they found a door. Duo made quick work of the lock, with Wufei checking the room, before they all slipped in a shut the door behind them.

Six people held their breath as they hugged the wall listening. Footsteps beyond them moved closer before - - - stopping!

'I'm telling ya, boss man is losin' his mind.' this voice was closest to them, almost right outside the door. 'I was havin' a great time w'th that 'lil piece an now we're doin' searches.'

'Will you shut up.' the other voice was farther away, up toward the environmental room, 'the boss says search, we search. You don't want to then you tell him. You're blood means shit to me.'

'Gah, Swiff, don' be a ass.' the first one whined as footsteps began to slowly move away. 'I didn' mean nothin' just wannid to bitch a while.'

There was a silent count to twenty by six minds before Heero cracked the door and checked the hall. He nodded and lead the rest back out into the hall and again they began their sweep toward the main area.

Scene

change

Walls shook as the Commander slammed his fist into his desk again and again until finally the wood groaned and gave. First barely kept himself from flinching as the desk broke into splinters and the Commander change the direction of his fist to the wall nearest him.

"That little slut!" He'd been cursing and screaming for the last hour. No one had seen him leave the office and no one had entered until he'd screamed for First. "I had it all set. A lion first (pound) then I'd move to a centaur (pound/boom) they'd be winded by then!" The Commander's fist continued to hammer one spot until a hole began to form and he was forced to switch to a new target yet again. "He will be mine before I'm done and I'll make him watch as I slowly dismember each one of them!"

First nearly jumped when the Commander seemed to appear before him. The man was panting heavily, his fists bloody, his eyes wild. "Sir?" First swallowed nervously trying hard to slow his heartbeat- which sped up when the Commander smiled.

Evil. It glowed about the man, always had, but in that smile it promised so much more than just destruction. It was the promise of death- slow, painful, and filled with dark glee.

"Order the men to move all the people to the open area of the bay. Make sure there is no escape for them if the doors are opened." The Commander whispered madly. "I want them to see what they will lose if they try to stop us."

First nodded and moved quickly away. The madness that had made the bigger man a great leader was now making him manic - and frightening.

"As you order." He murmured before stepping away from the evilly simpering man.

The Commander knew what he looked like. He was salivating with the idea of having the Phoenix child at his bid, the Dragon at his feet, and the Ethereal Immortal on a stake. A fine meal would have to be prepared as he watched the melee of his men killing the Elf and Warrior slowly before he took the child's body and raped it's mind. Oh- it would be so sweet, so sweet indeed.

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Duo couldn't stop the shiver that worked it's way up his spine. A cold brush of air and the feeling of something evil touching his skin making him shake unconsciously.

"Duo?"

Quatre's hushed voice broke the silence around them and Duo turned to give him a small reassuring smile. "I'm okay."

Wufei frowned at them both from his rear guard position and they fell silent quickly.

The group came to a halt at Heero's motions and waited as he and Orah disappeared around the corner to check their location. It seemed like minutes before Orah stuck her head back around and motioned for them to follow. She lead the group quickly to a hidden door in a dark corner that slid open with her touch. She stepped aside and let the other enter first before stepping in and sealing the door behind them.

"It's an alternate control room." Heero announced.

The room was bright, lights flickered on consoles as monitors streamed pictures from security cameras hidden along hallways and common areas. Trowa joined Heero who had all ready commandeered a seat at the main console and was rapidly typing in commands to enable him to hack the system. Wufei moved to the monitors and began to test out the security controls, while Orah searched the corners of the room to see if there were any other exits.

"Why is everyone being brought to the main docking bay?" Quatre quietly asked.

The center monitor filled with moving people, all heading in the same direction. Any one who moved opposed to that was herded by the military-looking goons who lined the hallways.

"Looks like they are, maybe, taking a head count?" Duo speculated as the people on the monitors were being shoved and pushed to comply. "They can't know we're here."

"Found them." Heero announced. Everyone moved to stand behind him to look at his screen as he scrolled through the information. "The control for the laser is housed in the high portion of the satellite. It's heavily guarded and surrounded by re-enforced walls on all sides. It cannot be gotten to by any other means than the door. The vents are too small, the walls are too thick, and the ceiling is pressed to the outside of the satellite so that there is only a millimeter wall between the inside and the outside."

"Shit." Duo whistled.

"Heero, we have a problem." Wufei said. His eyes had never left the security monitors and now he was glad they hadn't. "The missing agents from Shrohmburg are here and fully armed."

Orah moved over to Wufei and looked hard at the monitors. She recognized many of the faces that were now standing guard around the common area. "Traitorous pieces of shit!"

They all watched as the civilians were herded into the center of the large area while the renegade agents took up the perimeter, guns drawn. The fear could clearly be seen on the faces of the people while a deadly determination sculpted the features of the agents.

"This is getting bad." Duo murmured.

Time is a strange thing. One moment you're sitting at a desk minding your own business, the next you are in the thick of a fire fight. Bullets smoking by you like gnats while you dodge and weave in the hopes of taking the bad guys down. A simple plan made into a complication by something simple. One thing being out of place and before you know it- hell is welcoming you with open arms and a smile. I hate it when that happens.

The group had formed a loose plan and split up after Heero secured a line to Preventor's HQ to give Une a heads up. Oddly enough she had all ready begun preparing a raid on the satellite when she hadn't heard from them. They were half way to their destination and their plan was to strike in a full frontal assault- Une's way. With her, they had come up with a way to free the hostages and take down the armed traitors all in one move and hopefully with as few casualties as possible.

Duo and Quatre came in from the left side, while Heero and Wufei took the back, with Orah and Trowa taking the right. They would flank the group and distract them while the Preventor shuttles moved into the bay. It would be their job to make sure no hostages were hurt and the Preventor's job to get them off the station. It was a good plan, too bad even the 'good' plans rarely work.

First came the guard that neither Heero nor Wufei heard or saw. He was just there in their path ready for them. The shoot out alerted the others and soon there were alarms sounding all over. The hostages ducked and screamed, but none could run while the traitors began shooting over their heads and into the surrounding area. Orah and Trowa were quickly pinned down with no options but to return fire and hope that they would be able to move after the shuttles landed.

That left Duo and Quatre. They snuck up to their chosen position with no trouble except that the traitors were all ready shooting moving in the shadows. They quickly took out four of them before moving forward for better positioning. While they had wanted to keep as many living as possible their aim was deadly and two more fell.

'Shuttles incoming! Prepare outer defenses!'

The announcement caught some unprepared and the few traitors who had positioned themselves near the landing area were swept out when the doors were blown open. Force shields dropped into place, sealing the remaining atmosphere inside but the damage had been done. Those civilians that hadn't panicked when shooting started did panic when the atmosphere vented. It was a natural reaction for those born in space, but the traitor agents, made up of mostly ground-bounders, were not prepared for the reaction. One side was taken out by the wave of people seeking the known safety of the inner hallway allowing Heero and Wufei a clear path to lead most of them to a safe point near them.

Unfortunately those traitors who hadn't been rushed quickly adjusted to the change. They began trying firing on a few of those in the group in the hopes of changing the whole's directional flow. Four were picked off before some of them noticed and pushed more away from the safety of the hallway back toward the walls of the docking area.

"We have to get to the control room!" Quatre shouted. Firing on Trowa's position, he aimed to free up some room for his comrade. "What do you think?"

Duo picked off his three targets before looking up above them and gauging the height. The control room for the defenses was a level above them but going around was not an option with the defenses fully lit. However, since this control room also worked to control the bay it had a large window so that the controllers had a clear view of the floor.

"I got it!"

Quatre nodded and pushed a quick mental message to the others as Duo shouldered his rifle and moved toward the wall.

9

8

and the countdown begins.

PS this is one long freakin' chapter when it's all put together.