~Heero's thoughts~
-Duo's thoughts-
\the Boss's thoughts\
::The Wise's thoughts::

Angel p 9
Pilot02

"These demons are far more powerful than we are prepared to deal with." Heero said to
the figure on the other end of the telepool, his face carefully neutral and his voice even.
"We have talked it over--" ~Among other things...~ "--and decided it would be best for
everyone if we at least attempted to get backup. It would do no good for us to try to take
them on. We would succeed only in getting destroyed and warning them of opposing
forces."

"Ah, good work, Heero. That's the boy I know. Always thinking." The Wise smiled, then
turned serious once more. "Yes, I understand your viewpoint, my boy, and I will do what
I can. Perhaps your...friend's Boss may be able to provide some reinforcements as well."

"What should we do until you contact us again with confirmation?" Heero asked, his eyes
a bit hopeful. ~Maybe... just maybe we'll get some time...~

The Wise noticed the look in his eyes and inwardly sighed. ::This is not good...::
"Well..." He paused slightly as Duo came in view on the telepool. He walked up behind
Heero and wrapped his arms around the light angel's shoulders and rested his head on
one of the aforementioned arms. Heero's expression softened considerably with the
appearance of the chestnut-haired dark angel. ::Not good at all...:: "Try to get a hold of
the Boss, and then if you are not given any orders then, I suppose lay low until
confirmation is sent."

Duo's eyes widened at the last statement from the Wise and he grinned widely. Leaning
close to Heero's ear, he whispered, "You know what that means..." Heero's eyes then
widened, and he turned to look at Duo as he left the room. Heero dazedly severed the
telepool connection.

The Wise, who had at one time learned how to read lips, widened his eyes at the message
Duo sent Heero. ::Very, very not good...:: He groaned to himself. A muted chuckle
caught his attention, and he turned to glare at the offending telepool that had transmitted
the chuckle. "You find this funny, don't you? You are enjoying every minute of this,
you...you..." The Wise gave up, at a loss of words. Instead, he chuckled at the nod of the
other figure. "You have planned all this out very well, though, I give you that. They will
contact you soon. I trust you know what to do?" Another nod. "Good. I'll check back
later."

"I do hope you realize that things aren't looking good for you right now." The Boss
reached out and cut off his side of the connection with another chuckle before the Wise
even had a chance to respond.

* * *

The young mother struggled to hide her child in an overfilled dumpster near the park
where they had been walking when the demons descended. The child bit his lip in an
effort not to cry. As the lid closed over him, he could hear his mother sobbing and
begging for the demons to leave her alone. The crunch and sudden silence told him it had
not worked. From a crack in the dumpster a pair of hazel eyes peered cautiously into the
blood-soaked alley. "Momma..." he whispered, knowing she couldn't hear him, and yet
taking a small amount of comfort knowing that she had gone to a better place. Carefully
he lifted the lid and crawled out, then started to run from the gory mess on the sidewalk.
He slipped and fell, the blood and other bodily liquids staining his auburn hair and small
hands a sickening crimson; a memory of his mother and her unborn child. Then he ran.

* * *

"That was not a very nice thing to do, koi," Heero said, mock-glaring at Duo, who just
grinned.

"I know, but admit it. You enjoyed it." Duo turned suddenly and jumped at Heero,
causing the chair he was sitting in to upset and them both to fall to the floor, Duo
straddling Heero's chest. He leaned down and gave Heero a quick kiss, then laid his head
on Heero's chest, listening to his heartbeat.

Heero sighed and then carefully pushed Duo into a sitting position. "Duo, don't forget,
you have to call."

"I know, Hee-chan, I know..." That said, he got up from his comfortable perch and sat
instead on the overturned chair's legs, from where he established a connection to the
Boss. There seemed to be a bit of interference and as a result of that there was quite a bit
of a wait, and Duo was not known for his patience. "Ring ring ring... Pick up the phone,
ya overgrown piece of--" He stopped mid-sentence and placed a grin on his face as the
connection went through. "'Ello there. Things okay back home? Still hot?"

The Boss answered with a nod and spoke. "What is it that you want, Duo? I don't have
all day to waste with pleasantries."

"I know, but ya see, here on Earth the best way to start a conversation is by stating some
painfully obvious fact about the weather. I suppose it's rubbed off on me, ne?" Duo
chuckled and then got serious. "Okay, yes, I see your point about not having all day. The
demons are really pushing their luck and we can't stop them alone. We need backup, and
I know you can provide something," he said, emphasizing the word 'something.'

The Boss raised an eyebrow, though the movement went unnoticed due to the shadows
over his face. "In my old age it seems that my memory is failing me. I remembered you
taller, Duo."

It was Duo's turn to raise an eyebrow at the sudden change of topics. Ever the quick-
witted one, he was more than capable of following even the most twisted conversation, so
this one was little more than a pebble in his path. "Ah well, last I remembered, on Earth
they actually made chairs that kept all four legs on the ground. It seems that they just
don't make things like they used to," he said, sarcasm and humor evident in his voice.

Heero, during the whole exchange, was still lying on his back, but he decided that now
would be an opportune time to get up. Slowly and silently he stood, making sure it was
totally clear where he had come from. He slid up onto the legs of the chair behind Duo,
causing him to have to scoot forward to make room for the both of them. He wound his
arms around Duo's waist and rested his head on the shoulder conveniently located in
front of him. He looked directly at the Boss and grinned.

"No, Duo, it doesn't seem like they do make anything like they used to. They used to
make angels who told how chairs actually ended up overturned, but I don't know if they
are like that anymore." The underlying chuckle in his voice took the sting out of the
Boss's words. To his credit, a light blush colored Duo's cheeks, but whether that was
from being in such close proximity to the light angel or from being found out, the Boss
didn't know. \This is going better than I had expected it to...I shall come out of this
victorious.\

Duo coughed uncomfortably for reasons unknown to the Boss and he resumed the topic
of discussion from before. "So, can ya help us out?" he said, his words sounding a bit
rushed.

The Boss smiled, and nodded in case the smile was covered by a shadow. "Of course,
m'child. I shall get something together for you," he answered, emphasizing the
'something' just as Duo had. He vaguely noted the fact that Duo was practically
squirming in his seat, and his hand had wandered up to sever the connection quickly. He
then noticed that Heero seemed to be smirking, not just grinning, and he seemed rather
pleased with himself. Realization swept over the Boss and he smiled, a real smile, not
forced or faked, and laughed silently.

Duo looked up at the ceiling, still squirming and with a newly acquired blush reddening
his cheeks.

The Boss took advantage of Duo's distraction and lifted a thin, bony hand to flash Heero
a thumbs-up while the other worked to cut the connection. Heero grinned at the other as
the picture faded.

\My victory is eminent. There is no way I can lose now.\