Intruder - Part Thirty-six
Microwave Pizzas...
Quatre stood in the corridor, with Duo, who was now digging into his snack, which proved to be a pizza. He ate it quickly, and Quatre started the conversation.
"What was that all about?"
"My pizza."
"Oh. I won't ask further. Do you want me to check now?"
"If you must."
Quatre smiled. That was exactly what Heero had said. He continued it.
"I must."
Duo sighed heavily. "Where do you wanna do it?"
"I could ask you that."
He grinned suspiciously. Quatre regretted his last comment.
"In there."
"Oh."
"We can watch Heero getting a roasting." Duo laughed.
"Ok." ~ Maybe seeing Duo will stop her? ~
Five minutes later, all was quiet. Well, almost anyway. Duo had removed his shirt so Quatre could redress the slash across his chest, and Heero had looked over to see. Hilde had been annoyed that he'd lost interest in her yelling at him, and had followed his gaze, to find Duo sitting at the table with a furious looking red mark on him.
She'd calmed instantly, and had come to see if she could help.
Now it was Heero's turn to laugh as she fussed over him like a mother hen.
Quatre was trying hard to tidy it up, as his fight with her earlier had loosened it ever so slightly, and left a tiny crust of blood in a line just below.
Duo was trying to persuade him it was nothing, but Quatre wasn't having it - he liked things to be tidy, and his medical work was no exception.
"Sit still Duo, I can't clean it if you keep wriggling around like that."
"Yes Duo, sit still so he can fix you up."
"But it tickles! This isn't fair! Heero, you're just gonna sit and watch them torture me?"
"Yep."
"Aw!"
Quatre had managed to get the 'worst' of it off, and was finishing the pad, as Trowa came in. normally, this wouldn't have been a problem, but Charlie, followed by Katherine came in behind him.
The other four in the room immediately spun around, drawing their guns. Duo's bandages and padding fell off as he leapt up with his pistol drawn.
Katherine fainted, and landed on Charlie. Trowa caught her.
"Oops."
When Katherine came around, she saw four people standing over her, and one behind them. She blinked; the light was in her eyes.
"Kathy? Kathy, are you alright?"
"Yeah...What happened?"
"You fainted. You've been out for ages."
"Duo! Is Duo ok?"
"Sure! I'm fine, it's only a scratch."
"Oh. Ok. Can I get up now?"
"Oh, sorry."
Trowa backed away and she sat up. Heero was sitting at the table, trying not to look interested. She smiled at the people around her.
Charlie rubbed his head against her hand, and she stroked him gently.
"So, how is everyone?"
After reassuring Katherine that he was fine, Duo left the others to keep her company. There was something bothering him, he couldn't tell what it was or where it was coming from, but it was there, at the back of his mind. He found himself in the system control room. There was still glass on the floor, but not as much as there had been. He walked over to the seat lying on the floor, where it had landed when had thrown himself to the floor before. He picked it up and knocked the shards off of it, then sat down on it.
He sat there for a while, turning slowly around. He went around one more time, then stopped when he got to the door. Then twisted to the window, the door behind him.
"You can come in if you want babe."
"Wrong one Maxwell."
"Chang, huh? Well, you can come in too."
Wufei walked in, and brushed down the other chair. Then he positioned it just out of the way of Duo, and sat opposite him.
"Y' wanna know what I'm doin'?" Duo asked.
"Yes."
"I'm thinking. Funny, huh?"
"...No."
"Its called sarcasm."
"I know." Wufei looked at his friend.
He was still turning slowly; his eyes focused someplace else. Then he came back.
"...Guess I got it wrong this time, huh?"
"Hilde was outside, but she left when I got here."
"Half wrong then?"
Wufei nodded, and continued. "Why are you here?"
"This is where it all started, I set it off."
"It isn't your fault. I don't think they expected us to find them so soon. Their hand was forced, before they were ready...If they had been ready..."
He trailed off suggestively.
"So, you're sayin' that if I hadn't set them off early..."
"Probably."
"Damn."
Quatre had made Katherine one of Duo's microwave pizzas. She was hungry, as she hadn't had anything to eat for at least five hours, so who could blame her.
"This isn't bad you know." She said, taking another bite. "Have you tried these?"
"Uh, no, I don't think I have actually."
"You should, they're pretty good." She smiled.
"I wouldn't want to deprive Duo. One or two's ok, but-" Quatre was interrupted.
"But you've only made one. So, two's ok. They're almost out of date anyway." Hilde said.
He sighed, he couldn't argue with himself.
Hilde handed him another from the freezer, and he set it up.
Heero had his hand over his mouth, covering the smile hidden there.
~ 'Poor Quatre' wouldn't really be appropriate. ~ He thought.
The pony-tailed pilots sat alone in the smashed system control room. Then Duo had an idea. ~ What if...? ~
He ducked beneath the desk, kneeling carefully on the broken glass.
Wufei raised an eyebrow, and watched as he disappeared under the shelf.
"I found it. They must have left it here when we went out this morning."
"What?"
"Another message. What d'ya say we force their hand again?" he smiled wickedly.
Wufei caught on immediately, and the corners of his mouth rose slowly.
"Oh yeah, we're gonna make some chaos now!"
"I think we should go back to the mess hall. The others will be there. We should all hear it together, incase it set something off, warns them."
Duo held back his retort ~ Why d'ya s'pose I took it out first? ~ And replied with a grin.
Heero looked up as Duo and Wufei came in through the doorway. The others did the same. Katherine looked worried.
"What is it? What have you found?"
Trowa didn't need her worrying about him, or any of the others either. He'd seen the tape in Duo's hand, and guessed.
"It's just a tape, with a message on it. It's not dangerous."
Duo's eyes widened, ~ just a tape! ~ Then he realized what Trowa was trying to do.
"Yeah, a tape from a friend of ours."
He wasn't lying, the intruder had been a friend, but had been enemies too.
Hilde understood that whatever was going on was important, and although she knew that she was one of the team, they were the original targets, and the original pilots.
~ It's up to me. ~
At that moment she lost any chance she may have had of going on this mission.
"Hey Kathy, would you like to come to my room? I'm thinking of redecorating, and I need a female opinion. Will you help me?"
Katherine Bloom was a smart girl, and she knew something was up. However, if this was the way they wanted to play it, she couldn't argue.
"Sure, I'll come help."
"Shall we take Charlie or leave him around?"
"Let's take him, we can't leave him all alone now can we?"
"Ok, lets go." She made for the doorway. "I'll see all of you guys later, alright."
It wasn't a question; it was a date. They had to come back.
"Sure babe, see ya later." Duo called back.
~ Sure as hell I will. ~
After all he'd been through, he wasn't about to give up now.
Microwave Pizzas...
Quatre stood in the corridor, with Duo, who was now digging into his snack, which proved to be a pizza. He ate it quickly, and Quatre started the conversation.
"What was that all about?"
"My pizza."
"Oh. I won't ask further. Do you want me to check now?"
"If you must."
Quatre smiled. That was exactly what Heero had said. He continued it.
"I must."
Duo sighed heavily. "Where do you wanna do it?"
"I could ask you that."
He grinned suspiciously. Quatre regretted his last comment.
"In there."
"Oh."
"We can watch Heero getting a roasting." Duo laughed.
"Ok." ~ Maybe seeing Duo will stop her? ~
Five minutes later, all was quiet. Well, almost anyway. Duo had removed his shirt so Quatre could redress the slash across his chest, and Heero had looked over to see. Hilde had been annoyed that he'd lost interest in her yelling at him, and had followed his gaze, to find Duo sitting at the table with a furious looking red mark on him.
She'd calmed instantly, and had come to see if she could help.
Now it was Heero's turn to laugh as she fussed over him like a mother hen.
Quatre was trying hard to tidy it up, as his fight with her earlier had loosened it ever so slightly, and left a tiny crust of blood in a line just below.
Duo was trying to persuade him it was nothing, but Quatre wasn't having it - he liked things to be tidy, and his medical work was no exception.
"Sit still Duo, I can't clean it if you keep wriggling around like that."
"Yes Duo, sit still so he can fix you up."
"But it tickles! This isn't fair! Heero, you're just gonna sit and watch them torture me?"
"Yep."
"Aw!"
Quatre had managed to get the 'worst' of it off, and was finishing the pad, as Trowa came in. normally, this wouldn't have been a problem, but Charlie, followed by Katherine came in behind him.
The other four in the room immediately spun around, drawing their guns. Duo's bandages and padding fell off as he leapt up with his pistol drawn.
Katherine fainted, and landed on Charlie. Trowa caught her.
"Oops."
When Katherine came around, she saw four people standing over her, and one behind them. She blinked; the light was in her eyes.
"Kathy? Kathy, are you alright?"
"Yeah...What happened?"
"You fainted. You've been out for ages."
"Duo! Is Duo ok?"
"Sure! I'm fine, it's only a scratch."
"Oh. Ok. Can I get up now?"
"Oh, sorry."
Trowa backed away and she sat up. Heero was sitting at the table, trying not to look interested. She smiled at the people around her.
Charlie rubbed his head against her hand, and she stroked him gently.
"So, how is everyone?"
After reassuring Katherine that he was fine, Duo left the others to keep her company. There was something bothering him, he couldn't tell what it was or where it was coming from, but it was there, at the back of his mind. He found himself in the system control room. There was still glass on the floor, but not as much as there had been. He walked over to the seat lying on the floor, where it had landed when had thrown himself to the floor before. He picked it up and knocked the shards off of it, then sat down on it.
He sat there for a while, turning slowly around. He went around one more time, then stopped when he got to the door. Then twisted to the window, the door behind him.
"You can come in if you want babe."
"Wrong one Maxwell."
"Chang, huh? Well, you can come in too."
Wufei walked in, and brushed down the other chair. Then he positioned it just out of the way of Duo, and sat opposite him.
"Y' wanna know what I'm doin'?" Duo asked.
"Yes."
"I'm thinking. Funny, huh?"
"...No."
"Its called sarcasm."
"I know." Wufei looked at his friend.
He was still turning slowly; his eyes focused someplace else. Then he came back.
"...Guess I got it wrong this time, huh?"
"Hilde was outside, but she left when I got here."
"Half wrong then?"
Wufei nodded, and continued. "Why are you here?"
"This is where it all started, I set it off."
"It isn't your fault. I don't think they expected us to find them so soon. Their hand was forced, before they were ready...If they had been ready..."
He trailed off suggestively.
"So, you're sayin' that if I hadn't set them off early..."
"Probably."
"Damn."
Quatre had made Katherine one of Duo's microwave pizzas. She was hungry, as she hadn't had anything to eat for at least five hours, so who could blame her.
"This isn't bad you know." She said, taking another bite. "Have you tried these?"
"Uh, no, I don't think I have actually."
"You should, they're pretty good." She smiled.
"I wouldn't want to deprive Duo. One or two's ok, but-" Quatre was interrupted.
"But you've only made one. So, two's ok. They're almost out of date anyway." Hilde said.
He sighed, he couldn't argue with himself.
Hilde handed him another from the freezer, and he set it up.
Heero had his hand over his mouth, covering the smile hidden there.
~ 'Poor Quatre' wouldn't really be appropriate. ~ He thought.
The pony-tailed pilots sat alone in the smashed system control room. Then Duo had an idea. ~ What if...? ~
He ducked beneath the desk, kneeling carefully on the broken glass.
Wufei raised an eyebrow, and watched as he disappeared under the shelf.
"I found it. They must have left it here when we went out this morning."
"What?"
"Another message. What d'ya say we force their hand again?" he smiled wickedly.
Wufei caught on immediately, and the corners of his mouth rose slowly.
"Oh yeah, we're gonna make some chaos now!"
"I think we should go back to the mess hall. The others will be there. We should all hear it together, incase it set something off, warns them."
Duo held back his retort ~ Why d'ya s'pose I took it out first? ~ And replied with a grin.
Heero looked up as Duo and Wufei came in through the doorway. The others did the same. Katherine looked worried.
"What is it? What have you found?"
Trowa didn't need her worrying about him, or any of the others either. He'd seen the tape in Duo's hand, and guessed.
"It's just a tape, with a message on it. It's not dangerous."
Duo's eyes widened, ~ just a tape! ~ Then he realized what Trowa was trying to do.
"Yeah, a tape from a friend of ours."
He wasn't lying, the intruder had been a friend, but had been enemies too.
Hilde understood that whatever was going on was important, and although she knew that she was one of the team, they were the original targets, and the original pilots.
~ It's up to me. ~
At that moment she lost any chance she may have had of going on this mission.
"Hey Kathy, would you like to come to my room? I'm thinking of redecorating, and I need a female opinion. Will you help me?"
Katherine Bloom was a smart girl, and she knew something was up. However, if this was the way they wanted to play it, she couldn't argue.
"Sure, I'll come help."
"Shall we take Charlie or leave him around?"
"Let's take him, we can't leave him all alone now can we?"
"Ok, lets go." She made for the doorway. "I'll see all of you guys later, alright."
It wasn't a question; it was a date. They had to come back.
"Sure babe, see ya later." Duo called back.
~ Sure as hell I will. ~
After all he'd been through, he wasn't about to give up now.