Bite Me

Chapter 24: Defection, Declaration, & Detonation

AC 201. 24. June

0330 hours [3:30 am]

Space - Colony L5-A0207

Duo gave Heero a wide eyed look from their position within the room next to where Quatre and Kushrenada were 'having words.' They'd managed to subdue several more guards on their way there, Duo's sarcastic tongue finally being of some use as a distraction while Heero did all the dirty work before the vampire's ever knew what hit them. They made a good team, though neither of them would admit that fact out loud. Ever.

Now they sat atop a long chest of drawers they'd dragged beneath the vent that connected the two rooms, listening intently. Duo's teeth ground together at every word Treize spoke, causing Heero to glare at the sound, but they were so used to each other's idiosyncrasies that it was all quite natural.

When Trowa was finally introduced into the conversation Duo was the first to speak. "That bastard," he hissed, trying his best to keep his emotions a quiet as possible. "Using Trowa to get to Quatre like that, it's-it's-"

"It's Kushrenada," Heero interrupted in a harsh whisper. "At this point what do you expect?"

He had a point. Had Duo still not learned that the man on the other side of the wall was essentially a vindictive sociopath? The braided man's shoulders slumped. "We need to find Wufei."

As if on cue, the door handle to the small room jiggled furiously. They'd locked it in hopes that they'd have time to react if anyone found them out. But within seconds of the initial sound, the door flew open, slamming against its hinges to reveal the emotionless face of Wufei Chang.

"Shit, 'Fei. We were just talking about you," Duo chuckled, a broad smile on his lips. He was trying to forget about the large bruise forming along his neck, courtesy of the overzealous vampire. What was the old saying? Let bygones be bygones?

Wufei continued to stare at the couple, fangs hanging out of his mouth, something neither were used to seeing from the usually discretionary man.

"Wufei?" Heero's voice was hard, but knowing as if he could read what was going through the other's mind.

Within seconds the entire demeanor of the room had changed. Heero flew in front of Duo, his body creating a protective shield. Wufei a heavy pistol cocked in their direction. Duo, trying to gain his bearings, thought wryly that he should have damn well seen this all coming.

"So you defected," the shifter spat out, not holding back his obvious anger at being betrayed for the second time that mission. It was getting impossible to tell who their allies were anymore. "Once a traitor, always a traitor." He spoke snidely, remembering Heero's battles with the seemingly unpredictable man during his stint with Mariemaia's Army, but the roll of his eyes proved to show that he was more or less angry at their situation than anything else.

Heero immediately tensed at Duo's words. He really needed a better filter between his snarky mind and his loose mouth. Still, Wufei said nothing, only narrowed his dark eyes, keeping the gun pointed straight at Duo, right through Heero's ribcage.

"Wufei, you don't need to do this," Heero said, his tone more pleading than Duo had ever heard before.

Wufei furrowed his brows. "I once knew a man full of anger, anger that caused him to lose himself." Duo's stomach clenched at the man's dark words. "I've been angry for a long time, but I've finally found myself," he said quietly. "And now I will get the respect I deserve."

Heero's arms twitched with movement, but Wufei was quicker. He pulled at the gun's safety, cocking it with a quirk of his brow. "These bullets may only hurt you Heero, but they will kill him," he replied to the other vampire's pouncing stance. "I won't hesitate, you know that."

Heero pursed his lips, but could not disagree with the man. He was a warrior first and a friend second, that's how it had been since the beginning; it didn't matter what side he was fighting for in the end, as long as it was the side doing, what he considered to be, "the right thing." Slowly Heero raised his palms upwards in defeat, but only to a wary shoulder height.

"Heero?" Duo hissed into his ear, but the vampire knew there was nothing either of them could do. Even if this were a bluff he couldn't risk Duo's life, not now that they were finally both alive together again.

When the man did not respond, Duo stared at the gun pointed towards them, rage boiling beneath his skin. He could shift, but where would that get him? A bullet in his chest was all he could think of. Slowly, begrudgingly he admitted defeat alongside Heero.

A small, but almost defeated smile found it's way onto Wufei's face. "You're making the right choice," he whispered. "Now shall we?" A gesture of his gun directed them to move forward.

They obliged, walking towards the door, Heero trying his best to still shield Duo's frame from their new captor. Wufei watched them with keen eyes as they exited into the hallway, his hand giving the shifter an odd squeeze to the shoulder as he passed by.

Duo grit his teeth and was about to turn around with a strong fist, unsure of the meaning, but Heero caught his wrist before his emotions could get them into anymore trouble. Wufei guided them next door to the room in which they had been eavesdropping on moments before.

When the door opened they heard Quatre's voice from behind a podium at the end of the room, feigning confidence as he spoke words foreign to him from a paper that resided in his slightly shaking hands. At first site, Duo thought they were quivering out of fear, but upon seeing the determination on the man's pale face he realized it was anger that caused the tremble.

A small, high tech video camera, most likely the one that captured Wufei's fake execution, rested on a metallic tripod several feet from Quatre's fanged form. Trowa, still held in place by a burly vampire in military garb, stood just behind the camera, directly in Quatre's line of site like the vicious incentive he was. They could see the taught muscles in his shoulders and back, their intensity speaking of Trowa's internal struggle not to rip his captor's throat out with his bare hands.

Duo wanted desperately to say something, anything to stop this public profession, but the gun now positioned sharply between his ribs kept him silent. How could he have been so ignorant to think that this mission would be a simple one? Had it been Ray's misleading words, or the emotions he seemed to run on that had gotten them this deep into trouble? A large ice-block of guilt began to settle in his gut.

"...we hereby declare war on the mortality of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. Resistance is not encouraged. Consider this your first and final warning."

Duo could see how difficult it was for Quatre to say these words, but as his eyes kept glued to Trowa, he realized he simply had no other choice. What would he have done if their roles were reversed? Surely Duo wouldn't be able to watch Heero die if he could prevent it with a few words, even if they were lies and treachery. He sympathized so much with the man behind the podium that it began to make his head ache with the unusual exertion.

"Colony L5-A0207 thanks you for your time." He whispered this last part, still loud enough for the camera to pick up, though his voice sounded drained and raspy.

The green, flashing light on the recording device turned to red and Treize Kushrenada brought up two large, gloved hands in applause, three short claps, from his seat at the room's central table. The sound echoed throughout the deadly silent space.

"You know, if you stopped denying that you're in the wrong here, Kushrenada, maybe humankind would be able to learn from the past. This war thing is getting a little played, don't you think?" The words had flown from Duo's mouth before anyone could realize what was happening, especially himself.

Duo pursed his lips and swallowed as Wufei gave him a reprising look, keeping the gun stiff in his side, but doing nothing more. Treize stood from his chair and sauntered over to the braided man. Duo tensed, but there was something odd about the vampire, as if he'd found amusement in what the shifter had just called out.

"You are a very intriguing young man, Mr. Maxwell," Kushrenada said, placing a single gloved finger to the side of his jaw, studying his features with glowing eyes. Duo grimaced, but held his composure. "It's no wonder Heero has such feelings for you. It is too bad you were infected with such an inferior virus as L5-B. You could have made a wonderful asset to us."

Duo stared into the man's deranged vision. He could see through his peripherals the movement of Quatre towards Trowa.

"Get away from him." Heero's voice was low and possessive, though he did not move an inch, knowing that the gun was still in its deadly position. It seemed as though he had also noticed his protégé's movements.

Treize smiled, removing his touch from the shifter's face, and letting out a soft laugh through tight lips. He reached the same fingers toward's Heero's jaw and that's when Duo snapped.

If people thought his words were quick and impulsive, they hadn't seen his impossibly fast skills when rage found it's way into his muscles. In one swift motion he'd elbowed Wufei in the midsection and though it probably hurt Duo more than it did the solid vampire, the distraction allowed him enough time to wrench the pistol from his icy grip, peel the safety back and aim it at Treize's head.

Every presence in the room stopped and stared. Though the many vampires surrounding him could have easily unarmed and subdued him, no one moved.

Treize met the gun with a toothy smile, his sharp fangs glistening. Duo growled. "Don't even think about touching him." His words were full of fury and power that he hadn't felt build within him for a long time.

On impulse, Duo pulled the trigger and let a single silver bullet fly from within the gun's chamber, but Treize was quicker. He dodged the bullet as if it were coming at him in slow motion. Quatre ran towards Trowa's guard and the Vampire King ran towards Duo, who braced himself for the inevitable impact, but it never came.

Within seconds the entire dynamic of the room had changed drastically. Duo still held the gun in his hands, Quatre had attacked the oblivious guard, unhinging Trowa's meager restraints, and Heero had managed to stab both vampires standing behind him, red spattering across his features in a devilish manner. But what shocked the four prisoners the most was the sight of Treize Kushrenada, his arm wrapped around Wufei's throat, his other hand at the back of the man's head in a position to snap the smaller vampire's neck without missing a beat.

"'Fei," Duo whispered out, lowering his gun hand in shock. Had he been on their side all along or was this another one of Treize's tricks?

"Don't act so surprised my young friends," Kushrenada's voice was melodic, but filled with a vengeful undertone. "Chang couldn't betray you. He's too honorable for that." The last part was whispered close to the Chinese man's ear in a taunting manner. Wufei growled in frustration.

"This may not be the best time," Duo said, his voice barely audible. "But sorry for being kind of a suspicious asshole."

"You really believe you could have gotten that gun away from me?" Wufei gasped out. It was almost humorous, the way that he spoke, even with his life on the line. There seemed to always be time for a dialogue between the two.

Treize rolled his eyes. "Enough niceties," he hissed out. "This time I won't hesitate to kill him."

Stepping forward, Quatre finally spoke, keeping Trowa safely behind him, though the taller man seemed more than ready to fight, his muscles still incredibly tense, like he was constantly fighting off the urge to shift. Quatre's brows raised. "Please, Treize. I've done what you asked."

If any of them were going to beg, it would be Quatre Winner. Duo felt sick, realizing that the newborn vampire still thought he could reason with the obviously insane man.

"Why would you want him back?" he spat out referring to his captive, clear disbelieving anger residing in his eyes. "He tried to sell your shifter acquaintances out...he's a traitor to you all!"

Heero shook his head. "You don't get it, do you Treize?" his voice was steady, but filled with emotion. He too had had enough of the man's games.

Treize was about to respond when a thunderous explosion shook the floor beneath them, causing everyone to stumble slightly, even the Vampire King. It gave Wufei the proper amount of leverage and diversion to wrestle out of the man's stranglehold.

Another explosion shook the entire castle.

Another shook the entire colony.

"What's going on?" Duo yelled through the earsplitting explosions. Suddenly the tension within the room had diminished due to the new problem at hand. Even Treize Kushrenada seemed to be surprisingly dismayed by the shattering detonations.

A large communicator attached to the wall next to them crackled to life amongst the destructive blasts suddenly coming in droves. Raymond Noin's smiling face appeared out of the static.

"Greetings Mr. King, ready for a show you'll never forget?" Ray's vision then flicked to Duo's wide eyes. "I told you I like things that go boom."

to be continued...