HotD08

[Disclaimer]: I do not own the rights to any of the characters in this fanfic, nor do I claim them. The idea, however, is mine.

Heart of the Dragon

Part 8

Meilin spent the next day preparing for her departure, and avoiding the pilots. Not surprisingly, Quatre had offered to help her prepare the Shenlong for the trip back into space. After checking the diagnostics and refueling the Gundam, it was loaded onto the truck to be taken to the transport shuttle, where Quatre's Gundam already was.

When it was almost time for her to leave, Meilin was in her room, gathering all of her belongings - which wasn't much. She carefully packed her laptop into the duffel bag, along with some articles of clothing. Giving the room a once-over, she turned towards the door as a knock sounded. "Quatre," she said upon opening the door. She stepped aside. "Come in."

"That's alright," he replied politely. "Everything is ready for when you want to leave." Meilin nodded and then sighed. She poked her head out the door, looking left and right. Good. The coast was clear.

"Quatre, please, come in for a minute," she requested. He looked down the hallway both ways, and stepped into her room, eyes averted towards the ground. She watched him with a puzzled look on her face, and then shut the door, leaning against it.

"Did you need to speak with me about something," he asked.

"You can just relax," she stated, realizing the reason behind his hesitation. "I am just one of the guys, after all." He looked up at her and blushed slightly, however said nothing. "That's better," she mumbled, turning to the closet.

"We should hurry," Quatre said. "Rashid and Abdul are waiting outside in the truck."

"Quatre," Meilin began, turning from the closet, sliding on a jacket. "You don't have to go along with me."

"Meilin," he stated.

"Please, don't call me by that name," she exclaimed. "Not until Wufei is safe. I don't want to lose my focus."

"Of course," Quatre replied. As she was about to speak, he stepped forward. "You seem like the kind of person who doesn't ask for help. You're so much like Wufei; so just let me say this. I'm going because this is now as much my responsibility as it is yours, especially since OZ is involved." Meilin shrugged.

"As you wish," she stated. "I just don't want you to feel as if I'm forcing you to go. I'm not weak, you know."

"Of course not," he said earnestly. "Please know that I don't feel that way at all!" She smiled and grabbed her bag, slinging it over her shoulder.

"Let's go, then," she suggested. Quatre opened the door, holding it open for her. She shook her head, amused, and then led the way down the hall towards the front door. It was eerily quiet. "Where is everyone," she thought briefly before shaking it off. The two made their way to the truck, and stopped as a voice called out to them.

"Wufei, Quatre, wait," Relena exclaimed, running towards them. Meilin sighed and turned in her direction.

"What do you want," Meilin demanded. She resisted the urge to scream as the girl wore a conflicted expression on her face. "You can't change my mind, I going to do this. So don't waste your breath trying to convince me otherwise."

"I know, Wufei," Relena replied. "I just wanted to wish you luck; to both of you. Please, be careful." Meilin glared reflexively, biting back the snide remark she was going to make.

"Thank you, Ms. Relena," Quatre began. "We'll be just ..."

"Let's go," Meilin interrupted. "We don't have time for this." She looked at Relena pointedly and then turned on her heel, heading towards the truck, where Rashid was waiting patiently.

"Ms. Relena, Mei… Wufei just has a lot on his mind," Quatre stated. "I assure you we'll be careful." She nodded her head in silent acknowledgement and watched as Quatre walked towards the truck. Rashid stepped forward.

"Master Quatre, we're ready to leave whenever you are," he stated.

"Yes, let's go, then," Quatre replied. Meilin climbed into the truck, sitting next to Abdul, and Quatre climbed in next, followed by Rashid.

"Good luck, then," Relena called out as Rashid started the truck. She watched as the truck pulled away from the house, only turning to go back inside once it disappeared through the gates.

"So Master Quatre," Abdul began, looking at the two teenagers with his sunglasses resting on his nose. "This is the young lady you were telling us about? From what you've told us about him, she certainly pulls off Wufei well."

Meilin turned towards Quatre with a shocked look on her face. "You told them," she exclaimed. "Why would you do that!"

"If I expect my Magnuacs to risk their lives for me, I must tell them the entire truth," Quatre replied. "You have my word that I didn't tell anyone else about you, nor did my men."

"I believe you, Quatre," Meilin stated, a tiny smile on her face. "I wouldn't expect anyone to risk their lives for me based on a lie either."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"This is where we'll be launching from Master Quatre," Rashid stated, pulling the truck up beside the awaiting shuttle. He opened the door and Quatre climbed out after him while Meilin jumped out of the truck after Abdul.

"Where are Auda and Afmahd," Quatre asked, looking around.

"We're here, Master Quatre," Afmahd yelled as the two men ran towards the truck.

"Why don't the two of you prepare for the launch," Auda suggested. "We'll handle the Gundam."

"With the utmost care of course, Mr. Chang," Abdul added with a wink. Meilin nodded, and she and Quatre headed towards the shuttle elevator.

"What plan of action are we going to take," Quatre asked as the two entered the shuttle. They walked inside, and Meilin set her bag down. She went to the console and began typing.

"This is where they are," she stated as a map of a compound popped up. "Consequently, this is also where Nataku was built. I know the place back to front, so it shouldn't be too hard to sneak in and out undetected."

"But how many men are there, and where are they stationed," a voice asked from the door. Meilin and Quatre turned towards the sound of the voice and Trowa stepped forward, followed by Duo and Heero.

"Trowa, Heero, Duo," Quatre exclaimed. "What are you all doing here?"

"We couldn't let the two of you have all the fun," Duo stated with a smirk. "It would give the three of us a bad reputation if word got out that only two of the five Gundam pilots went to check out a rumor about OZ still being up and about."

"I don't believe this," Meilin mumbled, turning to give Quatre an accusing stare.

"So, it's true that OZ may be involved after all," Trowa stated, catching the glare Meilin sent towards Quatre. "Why didn't you give us this information, Wufei?"

"Why should it have mattered at all," Meilin demanded.

"Don't be a fool, Wufei," Heero stated, crossing his arms over his chest. "Of course it matters that OZ may be involved. For all we know, all of the scientists may still be alive, and they could be using them to build mobile suits for them. So answer Trowa's question. How many are there?"

"I don't know," Meilin conceded. "All I know is the location."

"So we're going into this blind, huh," Duo asked, zipping up the space suit he wore. "That means the odds may be against us." He smiled, tossing suits to the others. "Just the way I like it!"

"We have our Gundams, so we do have a trump card," Heero stated as he and the others put on their suits. "In a worse case scenario, we'll just destroy the entire compound."

"It won't have to come to that," Meilin stated darkly, shrugging off her jacket. She grabbed her suit and Quatre grew pale.

"Trowa, Heero, Duo," he nearly shouted, turning quickly towards them. "We should see if Rashid needs any help with our Gundams." He ushered them towards the door, throwing a quick glance over his shoulder towards Meilin.

"Sure Quatre," she heard Duo state. "You're very jumpy about something. Don't worry, this mission with go without a hitch."

Meilin sighed as she put her suit on. "You have to stay calm, Quatre," she thought. "Or else you're going to ruin everything." The four pilots returned a few minutes later, the Magnuacs in tow.

"We're ready to launch, Wufei," Quatre stated. She nodded, and everyone took a seat. As they launched into the air, Meilin gave a silent prayer.

Once they were safely in orbit, Rashid addressed the pilots. "Once we're in close proximity of the colony, you five can take your Gundams from there," he began. "After it's clear that you do not need any further back up, we will then return to Earth, as Master Quatre has instructed."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Duo stated, lacing his hands behind his head. "This'll be just like old times, eh Wu-man?" Meilin remained silent; not even acknowledging she had been spoken to.

"Don't worry, Wufei," she thought. "We're coming for you."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

After heading towards the L5 cluster, the pilots hid their Gundams a safe distance from the compound, shedding their spacesuits for better movement. They stealthily made their way across the compound grounds, staying hidden in the shadows. They stayed crouched in the underbrush, following Meilin to a hidden entrance.

"I don't like this at all," Heero stated. "We haven't seen a single person yet." He looked over towards Meilin, his eyes narrowed. "Are you sure this is the place?"

"They couldn't be anywhere else," she retorted, annoyed. "It's not too late for you to go back."

"Will you two stop already," Duo said in a hushed voice. "While you two are arguing, someone might hear us. I thought we were trying to keep the element of surprise."

"We are, Duo," Meilin sighed, rubbing her temples. "Just, listen. I think we should all split up. I showed you the layout to the compound back on the shuttle, so we should all meet up in the main chamber. You got that?"

"That's not a good idea," Quatre exclaimed. "We don't know how many OZ soldiers are in there. And if any one of us are caught, they could alert the others."

"I agree with Wufei's plan," Trowa remarked. "We would just have to be careful, and knock out any soldiers we encounter."

"I don't like the plan at all," Quatre stated. "It could just be a trap."

"We're not going to get anything done arguing," Meilin exclaimed. "The three of you go your separate ways, while Winner and I comb the compound together. There are only four corridors from this entrance anyway, so it's the best plan. We'll take the main corridor."

"If I find Doctor O first, I'll have no choice but to eliminate him," Heero stated, checking his gun.

"Just try to do it without alerting the entire place, Heero," Duo stated. He gave a short wave, and disappeared inside the building. Heero and Trowa soon followed after.

"What was that all about, Quatre," Meilin demanded as soon as she was sure the others were out of hearing range. "You almost blew it!"

"I couldn't let you go in there by yourself," Quatre replied. "Besides, OZ soldiers are highly-trained, and despite the training you've had, you'd be no match."

"I can fend for myself," Meilin stated indignantly.

"You know I'm right," Quatre pressed. Meilin sighed.

"I know," she stated. "And I'm glad you're here. Let's just go and find Wufei and Master O." Quatre nodded in agreement, and the two entered the compound, heading down the main corridor.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Meanwhile, inside of the compound, Wufei sat silently by himself. The sounds of footsteps outside of his door were sporadic, as he had gotten used to the sound. So he paid no mind when the shuffling of feet was heard again. That was, however, until the door opened and closed. He turned to see who had entered the room, and gasped.

"Wufei, good, I found you," Quatre exclaimed. He opened the door again, motioning for someone else to come into the room.

"Quatre," Wufei asked, confused. "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to rescue you, of course." Wufei looked up again, narrowing his eyes as he studied the figure in front of him. His eyebrows shot up in surprise as he recognized who it was.

"Meilin," he exclaimed. Anger quickly replaced the surprised look. He stepped forward, standing in front of her. As he looked down at her, his features softened slightly. "What happened to your face," he asked, noticing the bruise. He brought his hand up, brushing his fingertips past the swollen area lightly before tilting her face up to get a better look.

"It's a long story," she replied. "It doesn't matter right now. I'm glad to see you're doing fine. I was worried."

"What are you doing here, Meilin," he asked, angry once again. "Didn't you get Master O's letter? You were supposed to have returned to your colony!" He looked at her, as if seeing her for the first time. "And why do you look and sound like me? What's going on?"

"I should be asking the same thing," she retorted. She pulled off the voice mechanism from her throat. "This device is why I sound like you, Wufei. And as for the reason why I look like you, it was all part of the plan."

"Plan? What plan," Wufei demanded. Quatre looked between the two, a confused expression on his own face. As Meilin was about to speak, Wufei silenced her. "It doesn't matter right now. I need to get you out of here right away."

"Wufei," Meilin exclaimed as he grabbed her by the arm, pulling her behind him. As he left the room, Quatre quickly followed.

"Would someone please tell me what's going on," the blonde asked.

"I can't give you explanations to questions I don't know the answers to," Wufei remarked. He stopped for a brief second, before pulling Meilin behind him once again.

"Wufei, would you slow down," she exclaimed. "Why are we in such a hurry?" As the three rounded a corner, they collided with another figure.

"Sensei," Meilin exclaimed once she got her bearings. Master O looked at her, surprise etched on his features.

"Meilin," he began, shaking his head. "I told you not to return here."

"What's going on, Sensei," she asked, confused.

"Bring her this way, Wufei," the scientist stated, ignoring her question. Wufei nodded silently, grabbing her arm once again. As they began to follow Master O, Meilin pulled out of Wufei's grip.

"No," she exclaimed in Chinese. "No more lies. You seem to be the one with the answers, Sensei. Why are you and Wufei trying to get me out of here? Why are you walking around as if you're not prisoners at all? Please, explain it to me!" As she finished her tirade, a voice spoke from behind.

"It is you, who has some explaining to do, Ling Meilin," a woman spoke. Meilin stiffened at those words, slowly turning around.

"Madame Yuan," she whispered, suddenly understanding why Wufei and her sensei were trying to get her to leave. "I ... I ..."

"Silence," the older woman exclaimed harshly. Meilin immediately became quiet, bowing her head. The woman wore robes symbolizing her status as head of her clan, and she held herself with an air of authority. She came to stand next to Meilin, peering down at her. "Of all my students, I didn't think that you would be the one to disrespect me in this way." She walked past the girl slowly, deliberately. "Come this way, Ling Meilin."

"Yes, of course Madame Yuan," she spoke quietly in Chinese.

"Oh Meilin," Master O stated sadly. He motioned towards Wufei and Quatre, and they, too, followed the headmistress.

To Be Continued . . .

AN - The Magnuac (Corp.) is the name of Quatre's group of men, correct? I wasn't sure of what it was, so that's what I used. Correct me if I'm wrong. ^_^ Rashid, Abdul, Afmahd, and Auda are all names of the men in the troupe. We all know who Rashid is, and I believe Abdul is the guy with the sunglasses. Your guess is as good as mine as to who Afmahd and Auda are.

Please review!