Disclaimer – I don't own anything that you recognise.

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They glanced back at the screens just in time to see the dancing weapons explode.

"And that," Duo spread his arms wide, "Is how we do it."

"Kid," Jack breathed, "I think that might even beat Sam's Sun."

"Brace yourselves." Duo smirked, "I'm not done yet."

Quatre and Wufei's eyes went wide as they realized what Duo meant. Immediately they shifted their stances, so as to have a more stable base. Additionally they clung onto the fixed furniture.

"Hold on!" Quatre snapped at SG1.

SG1 braced themselves, initially not quite sure what was going to happen. But Sam's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to explain as she realized what was going on.

She never got a chance to explain as the satellite shook around them.

The shuddering was sufficient to knock all of those standing to the floor. Duo was the only one still vaguely upright, in his chair.

His hand flew to his headset and he was clearly making a call. However it was in that strange language known only as Sweeper.

"Shin to all Sweepers. We have a new junk field. Plot it. Log it. Spread the word… Then start cleaning it up. There's some prime pieces in all that… Just stay safe. Shiny side up, people!"

Duo's hand then twitched slightly, probably changing channels.

"This is Agent Reaper to all Colonies and Satellites. I apologize for overriding your controls. Due to circumstances we had an incident involving explosives. Please maintain the extra power to the Debris Shields for another half hour. You should have sufficient power for the high priority areas to operate at full power and for the lesser priority areas to maintain sufficient functionality. Any objections are to be sent to the Preventers. Signing off."

Again the hand twitched.

"Shin to all Spacers. New junk field. Check with the Sweepers to update your systems. Also floating are several prisoners. Bag 'em. Tag 'em. Present to the Stetson. Flag for my brahs' eyes. I'm crashing."

Another twitch.

"Rashid, Duo here. Cattie's safe. Now move and round up the prisoners. Watch out for junk. There's a lot more of it now."

Once more the hand twitched.

"Zech-sy. Duo here. Roll out the Battle Taxis. You've got clean up detail. Move out fast. Gonna take ya some time to get to 'em. And your Suits ain't gonna help. Can't carry two. Watch out for junk. We just got a whole lot more of it."

Duo didn't wait for a response.

"Tro? You both alright?" His voice was slower… More tired… He didn't have the false exuberance he'd used in the earlier calls.

"Fine." Trowa was characteristically blunt, "You?"

"Come on back. I'm gone."

Duo cut the connection.

He then slumped in his chair, almost falling out. Only the fact that Jack leapt to his feet and caught the braided boy prevented him from doing so.

"Carter, what just happened?" Jack demanded.

"Shockwave, sir." She replied bluntly.

"Sam," Daniel frowned, "I'm not up on science… But even I know that you need air for a shockwave. There's no air in space."

"I know." Sam sighed, "Shockwave's the best word though. It was the shrapnel to be precise. Large piece, I'd say."

"How come we're still alive then?" Daniel asked.

"Debris Shields," Wufei replied, "Retro-fitted to all colonies and inhabitable satellites after the Wars. Usually they're only powered at a low level. Designed to protect from micro-meteors and small debris. Judging from what Maxwell said, he hacked the power systems and increased the power supply."

"Is that physically possible?" Sam pressed, "I can understand force-fields. I presume it's some sort of variation on some things I've seen and studied before. But increasing the strength? Low level force-fields shouldn't be able to be multiplied to that extent. Not without consequences."

"That may be so," Quatre nodded, "However the Debris Shields are based on the Planet Defensors, part of the Mercurius Mobile Suit. Their original purpose was to deflect blows in combat. Their normal power usage, and thus their strength, was reduced for their adjusted role."

"However," Wufei took over, "Their potential strength was not altered. Only the power supplied to them. It is not surprising that Maxwell was aware of a way to over-ride the limiter."

"Their only limit is their power supply?" Sam queried.

"As far as I am aware," Quatre nodded, "I'm afraid I don't know everything about them. They are a Winner Industries product, so I know more than most; however I was not involved in the development."

"I wouldn't say they're very effective." Jack remarked, "We still felt a lot of that… But we're still alive, so we're alright."

"Poor power source." Quatre shrugged, finding a first aid kit, "This satellite is pretty old and neglected. It might be the law to install them… But no one insists on maintenance."

"And maintaining an old satellite you're not using is stupid," Jack nodded, "Right gotcha. Where do you want the kid?"

"On the floor," Quatre sighed, "We're not going anywhere until Trowa and Heero make their way back. Wufei, can you give me a hand? Colonel, don't put him down just yet."

The two boys shook what looked remarkably like a space blanket out for Duo to lie on. Jack gently laid Duo down on it.

Quatre started inspecting Duo's wounds, cleaning them with what looked like some sort of disinfectant spray.

"How'd you manage to program the Dolls so quickly?" Sam breathed.

"It's actually one of Duo's standards." Quatre replied, not looking away from his task at hand, "He's got a couple of pre-set viruses on the Stream. Just need to download. He created them during the War. Stress relief, he called them. It worked. Never realized what they did though. Perhaps I should have asked."

"Better the programs than the pranks." Wufei sniffed, from where he was using a computer to direct Preventers and Spacers, "And Maxwell has always been particularly creative when bored or stressed."

"True enough." Quatre agreed, "Though he's not alone in being creative. I haven't forgotten hearing about your interesting little manoeuvre to avoid capture, as observed by Heero and Duo, during Heero's rescue of Duo."

"It was a logical solution to my problem. It was also successful." Wufei countered.

"If it's stupid and it works, it's not stupid." Jack grinned.

"Agreed." Trowa remarked from the doorway.

The group turned to face Trowa, who was almost holding Heero upright.

"Oh-Two, status?" Heero almost barked.

"He's stable." Quatre replied, "Needs Sally in the near future. But he's not deteriorating, in any immediate danger or suffering from anything that would mean he wouldn't be mission ready in two to three weeks. Solo flight ready in one. Flight capable now. He's just crashed."

"Oh-One status?" Wufei added.

"Mission capable." Heero retorted.

"Sit!" Quatre pointed at the chair Duo had, until recently, been sitting in, "I'll check you over once I've sorted Duo out. Trowa, put him there. Then give me a hand. I'm going to need to bandage these ribs."

"What does all that mean?" Sam asked, "Flight capable. Fight ready."

"Ready means a doctor would clear us for it." Quatre replied, as he began to bandage Duo's rib-cage, Trowa holding Duo in a sitting position, "Capable means we could, but it wouldn't be advisable by a doctor."

"So you're going to subject Duo to transport when he shouldn't?" Daniel stared.

"A doctor wouldn't advise it." Wufei sniffed, "However there is a great deal of difference between what a doctor would advise under ideal situations and the situations alongside requirements occurring in a war situation.

Sam rooted through the medical kit, quickly locating an injectable pain-killer and a syringe. Loading the syringe, she prepared to inject it into Duo. A hand grabbed her wrist.

"No." Heero growled. Sam tried to move her arm, but it might as well have been restrained by solid steel.

"He's in pain." Sam pointed out, "It's just an analgesic."

"No." The grip tightened, causing Sam to gasp in pain.

"Duo doesn't like drugs." Trowa stated calmly, pulling the needle from Sam's fingers.

"He's in pain." Sam repeated.

"We don't drug people against their will." Quatre declared, "Duo has some bad experience with that. During the war, he never even used the mildest of analgesics."

"He's been beaten up." Jack reminded.

"He's taken worse." Wufei countered, "Sometimes by those on his side. We won't betray his trust in us. That would be dishonourable."

"Not even if he needs it?" Daniel pressed.

"That would be for a doctor to decide," Quatre announced, "Sally knows about Duo's preferences. No drugs."

"Look at his injuries! He needs treatment. Help make him better quicker." Sam stressed.

"I'm with Carter." Jack frowned, "If he needs drugs he should get them. Rather than shrug them off in an attempt to prove how tough he is."

"Duo doesn't like drugs." Quatre replied gently, "We won't go against his wishes."

Quatre laid Duo back down.

"Alright Heero. Suit off." Quatre turned to his friend, "And don't tell me it's not necessary. When we get back, Sally's putting the pair of you through the full load of tests. Zero exposure is not to be taken lightly."

Heero started to remove the space-suit. No-one there missed the small wince and flinch as he pulled the top over his head. Clearly there was some injury there.

Quatre simply gave Heero a once over, then sighed.

"Right, I'll need Sally to clear you completely. However there appear to be no major physical consequences of your actions. So you should be fine after some sleep… You are not driving home, no matter what you think. Trowa and Wufei are driving. Wufei, go start the pre-flight checks for Faran, as I know Trowa skipped them on his way out."

Wufei nodded and left the room.

"Trowa," Quatre continued, "Check that the place is empty or full of surrendered. Then lock them up someplace. Tell Zechs or Noin and they'll come out and take charge of them. I'll put the systems here in freeze and then you can help me move Duo to Faran. No, Heero, you're lucky I let you walk on you own!"

"We could help by carrying Duo." Jack suggested.

"Too risky." Heero cut that thought off.

"He's right." Quatre sighed, "It's far too dangerous right now. Duo's normally one of the calmest among us. And certainly the most docile when half-asleep, if you're a friend. But right now… You don't mess with Zero. He's on edge. I won't have you injured because he doesn't realize you're friends. Help Trowa."

Quatre turned back to Duo, only to find that Heero had gotten out of the chair to kneel next to Duo.

"Get back in the chair!" Quatre snapped, "Allah! You're injured! I know you set your own legs, but do me a favour and just do as I say this once? Please?"

SG1 followed Trowa out of the room.

"He sets his own legs?" Daniel almost demanded of Trowa.

"According to Duo, yes." Trowa nodded.

"And that's as good as the Gospel truth?" Jack raised an eyebrow, "I mean, for crying out loud, I know Heero's slightly tougher than most. But…?"

"Duo does not lie." Trowa chided slightly.

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After all the fighting and the shockwave, it was a relatively easy task to round all the remaining enemy up. Trowa chose to lock them in what had been the throne room, as it was the only intact room large enough to put them all in.

"Carter!" Jack yelled from a room he was clearing.

"Yes sir?" Sam ran in, quickly followed by the others.

"Tell me that's not what I think it is." He pointed at a box on the floor.

"It is a bomb, O'Neil." Teal'c stated.

"I told you not to tell me that!" Jack sighed.

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Please provide feedback, I love knowing what you think.

Just to settle Daniel and Sam's argument… Duo was doing both. Counting and Naming people (though not all the time). In my mind Sweepers count with a mixture of different languages. The language changing sometimes with every number. Depending upon the Sweeper. Duo uses names where they represent numbers and different languages for those he doesn't have names for. No two numbers were in the same language.

Also thank you for all of you who pointed out that last chapter I mucked up with the posting. My only defence is that I was half asleep. So thank you to: StandingOnTheRooftops; moonlightskymist; Misting Rain; The Flea and Redheart85.

I was quite impressed by the fact that I seemed to get all your reviews simultaneously.

StandingOnTheRooftops – I agree with you, Heero's not quite suicidal. I just think that sometimes he doesn't really care if he lives or dies. As long as the mission is completed. However Duo changed all that. And I think with Heero its: Heaven's afraid he'll scare the angels with his glare and Hell's afraid that he won't be scared by the devils.

Kitsune1818 – Enjoy!

Izreina Maxwell – Things went boom! Spectacularly!

SilverDragon-Purity – My mixture of languages. God bless Wikipedia! And if the Suits could do the Tango… My money'd be right behind yours for tickets.

Bookimp – Welcome to the story. Glad you're enjoying.

Mist Shadow – The reason behind the link not being made? In my mind? Jack and the others want the Pilots to be kids. They can just about cope with the idea of the boys being minor roles in the Wars… But key roles? They can't understand why they would be chosen for that.

Major Simi – Glad you enjoyed.

dkAdeena – Hope it lived up to expectations.

Seithr-Kairy – Umi is Hawaiian. I didn't think Duo would be the sort of person to stick to one language or even a handful when counting.

Kidishcaresh – We call it the Chicken Dance… If Duo's second, who's first? Just out of curiosity.

Andy-025 – Fix delivered.

Misting Rain – Well done on beating the system. Hope you liked.

Sora Hoshi – Fangirl away. Makes me feel special. And yes, Duo doesn't lie down and play the injured card to get out of the fight.

TrenchcoatMan – I'm not so sure about your opinion of America. Bearing in mind I've never been there, but it seems that its rather segregated in some cities. You know, the Chinese Quarter, the Japanese Section… Though that could just be the conservatives. But the language mix up, you've got spot on.

HevenSentHellBroken – Now, laughing manically? Was that in public or private? I got in trouble last time I laughed manically in public.

DishyFishy-SnakeandCrane – Glad you liked.

Twillightfairy – Yes, he did say six twice. Once he was counting up the other time he was counting down. Cookies gratefully received, I've got Hell at work tomorrow.

Nebelkind – Simple, yet unique. I think that sums up parts of Gundam Wing… But with all the changing sides it gets complicated really quickly. I wonder if when hashing it out to begin with the author was just going "Okay, so character 1 is going there, while character 2 comes along here."

Mi5tan – Glad you thought so.

Once again than you all for your comments.