Chapter 8 - Quatre to the Rescue, Part 2
The military
compound was quiet. The only sign of
life was the occasional sentry.
Heero surveyed
the area through a pair of binoculars. Guards at the front gate paced back and forth. Every few minutes, perimeter guards would pass by on full
alert. Turning his head, Heero spotted
a truck coming down the road.
The idea sprang
into existence in his thoughts almost immediately. It was the perfect plan. It was also obvious and extremely dangerous.
Heero turned to
his friends and detailed the plan he had in mind.
"You are
aware that this could be a trap. This
plan is soooo obvious. Even I can see
that!" Duo exclaimed.
Heero glared at
Duo. He was hoping no one would
notice. Leave it to Duo to be the one
to notice the flaw in his plan.
"Maxwell is
right for once. This could be a
trap. But I don't see we have any
choice. This will be the fastest way to
infiltrate the base." Wufei said.
Trowa
nodded. "Time is of the
essence. The longer we wait, the less
chance we will have of retrieving Sarit unharmed."
Everyone turned
to Quatre. He nodded. "Let's do it."
The others piled
into the truck.
"I have a
bad feeling about this." Duo could
be heard saying as the truck sped towards the front gate.
* * * * *
The head guard at
outpost station 0429867 was bored out of his mind. This was probably the most boring post he could ever have
gotten. Almost no one came to this
installation.
Looking up at the
sound of an incoming vehicle, he tensed. There wasn't another shipment due. Stepping in front of the oncoming vehicle, he motioned for them to stop.
* * * * *
Trowa sat in the
driver's seat of the truck, speeding towards the front gate of the military base. Heero sat beside him, ready for
anything. Wufei, Quatre and Duo sat in
the back.
Approaching the
gate, they saw a guard emerge from the guardhouse. "Get ready." Heero told the others.
The guard raised
his hands and the truck slowly came to a stop. As he neared the truck, the guard had his first glimpse of the vehicle's
occupants. The driver and his four
passengers' were all very young men.
Instantly
suspicious, the guard addressed the driver. "What's your business here? This is a restricted area."
Trowa turned to
the guard. "General Kresch sent
for us. We're here to interrogate the
prisoner."
The guard looked
shocked at this news. No one had told
him about any interrogations! He looked
upon the driver with suspicion. "No
one told me of any interrogations. I'll
have to clear it."
Click.
The sound
startled the guard. Turning around to
face the driver, he came face to face with the barrel of a gun pointed at his
forehead. The click he heard was the
hammer clicking. The boy sitting next
to the driver had a Luger pointed at him. His eyes were cold and his facial expression said, "Don't screw
with me."
"You will do
nothing. You will not move if you value
your life." Heero stated. Duo jumped out of the back, along with
Wufei. Wufei pinned the guard's arms
together while Duo tied and gagged him.
Once tied up to
his satisfaction, Wufei dragged the guard into the guardhouse. Pulling the bound guard underneath the des,
he straightened up and hit the gate release. Immediately, the gate began to slide open. Duo climbed back into the truck.
"Good
luck." Wufei said as the truck
sped by.
* * * * *
Kresch looked at
the monitors in the control room with amusement. "So they think they can infiltrate my base without my
knowledge?"
Turning to a
guard, he gave him his instructions. Nodding, the guard left.
Kresch stared at
another screen. Sarit sat on her cot,
looking around. He had allowed her
restraints to be removed. He had other
uses for her. Turning his back, he left
the security office.
He had guests
that needed to be welcomed.
* * * * *
Unaware that she
was being watched, Sarit looked around her prison. She was imprisoned in what was once a storage room. The door was the only entrance or exit. In a strange twist of fate, Kresch had
decided to release her from her bonds. Walking around, she searched for a way to escape.
She had to escape
on her own. She couldn't let Kresch use
her as bait to trap Quatre. Thinking of
her betrothed, she smiled.
Quatre was sweet
and innocent. He had a heart larger
than the sun itself. His goodness
radiated off of him in waves. She
couldn't understand how anyone would want to hurt him.
A sound outside
her door brought her out of her thoughts. Sensing an opportunity for escape, she readied herself. A key could be heard twisting in the
lock. The door opened and a guard with
her midday meal entered. He looked
young. Sarit smiled. A plan had formed. It was almost too easy.
The guard
approached warily and Sarit smiled at him. "Hello. You're new aren't
you? Would you mind helping me with my
foot? Its been hurting awfully
bad!" Sarit bats her eyes
coquettishly at the young guard.
The guard blinks
in astonishment. *Was she talking to
me? * He wondered. Looking around, he
noticed he was the only one present. Looking around, he noticed he was the only one present.
Gesturing to
himself, he asked, "Me?"
She nodded. "Of course you. My foot has been throbbing so terribly! Can you rub it for me?" Sarit asked while batting her eyelashes.
"Uhm…sure. I guess." The guard placed the meal down on the floor and knelt before
her.
Taking her foot
in hand, he began to massage it.
"Oh! That feels sooo good!" she
exclaimed. The guard was completely
taken in. in fact, he was so taken in
by her performance, that he failed to see her other foot.
Slowly bringing
her other foot up, she smacked him on the head with her heel, hard. He fell to the floor, unconscious. Sarit sighed. She hadn't wanted to hurt the young man, but she had to get out
of here. She couldn't let Kresch use
her against Quatre.
She quickly put
her jacket on. Reaching down, she took
the guards keys and dagger. She
hesitated at the gun. She hated guns. She picked it up and left the cell. She closed and locked the door. Taking the gun, she dropped it in a disposal
chute. Walking down the corridor, she
searched for a way out.
* * * * *
"Shut up,
Duo."
Duo humphed. "I'm telling you, Heero. There's somethin' going on here. It's too damn quiet."
Heero said nothing. But the same thing kept running through his
mind. It was too quiet.
"They know
we're here." Heero stated.
"Haven't I
been saying…" Duo stopped in mid-sentence. Up ahead, were four armed guards, heading their way.
Heero motioned
for Duo to follow. They checked the
doors on either side of them. Neither
opened. Duo cursed silently. Pulling out a kit, he began to work on
picking the lock.
Heero checked his
own door. Locked. He gripped the doorknob and with a twist of
his wrist, broke the lock. The door
opened easily.
Shaking his head,
he did the same to the door Duo was working on. "Baka."
Duo just stuck
his tongue out. Both entered Duo's side
and closed the door. They waited for
the guards to pass them by.
* * * * *
Wufei stood at
the guard station, waiting for the others to come back with the girl. Not for the first, he wished Sally had come
with them. He'd never admit it, but he
missed the stubborn onna.
Wufei narrowed
his eyes. a guard was approaching. From the look of him, he was an
officer. Straightening himself, he
stood at attention as the officer approached.
The officer
stopped in mid-stride when he saw Wufei. "Who are you? Where's
Jorkan?"
Wufei continued
to stay at attention. "Private
Chen sir. I was called in to relieve
Sergeant Jorkan, sir."
The officer eyed
Wufei. Something wasn't right
here. "Then why wasn't I
informed?"
"I don't
know, sir. I'm just following
orders."
"I'm going
to have to clear it with HQ…"
He never finished
his sentence. Once the man's back was
turned, Wufei sprang into action. Gripping the man by the throat, Wufei applied his fingers to three
pressure points on the guard's neck. The man went limp. Carrying him
to the shed, he bound and gagged him. He surveyed the shed. He hoped
no more guards would come to check the outpost. He already had quite a few guards stashed ere. Any more and they may realize some are
missing.
Wufei
shrugged. He'd deal with it when and if
the time came. Closing the door, he
returned to the outpost.
* * * * *
Looking down a
corridor, Trowa beckoned to his companion. Quatre came up behind him, waiting. When Trowa nodded, both entered the hallway. Quatre looked around and shook his head. "This place is huge! It's going to take awhile to find her in this
maze."
"We'll find
her."
Both
stopped. They heard shouting at the far
end of the hallway. Trowa and Quatre
crept quietly towards the screaming. Looking down a corridor, they stopped in shock. Around the corner were three guards. They appeared to be trying to contain a
prisoner. A young woman.
The young woman
was Sarit.
* * * *
'Let me go, you
ruffians!" Sarit screamed. She struggled, trying to get away.
One of the guards
slapped her hard in the face. "Stop moving girl! Or I'll
forget you're important!"
"Why don't
we have a bit of fun with her Sergeant? No one will know." One of
the guards suggested, leering at Sarit.
She paled. "No! You can't!"
The first guard
grabbed her by the arm and twisted. "You don't have a say in the matter. All right Private. I
believe you're right. Besides, this
little girl needs to learn some manners."
Sarit closed her
eyes in fear. She could feel the guard
groping her breast in his hand.
Then she heard a
click.
"Don't even
think about it!"
Sarit opened her
eyes in relief.
* * * * *
Quatre and Trowa
watched the guards warily. When the
first guard attempted to rape her, Quatre snapped. Pulling his gun of its
holster (even though it only held blanks) he approached the guard. The
other two had their backs to the entrance, thus they didn't see Quatre's
approach.
Placing his gun
at the back of the guard's head, he cocked it. "Don't even think about it!"
The man
froze. The other two turned and faced
the end of Trowa's rifle. He swung it
in an arch, smacking them across the face. They fell to the floor in a heap.
Quatre's eyes
narrowed dangerously. "Now that
your friends have been dealt with, you're going to follow my every
instruction. Is that clear?"
The guard nodded.
"Good. First thing's first. Let the girl go. Now."
Gulping, the
guard let Sarit's arm go. She stumbled
back, coming into contact with the well. She sank to her knees in terror.
Quatre
nodded. "Very good." He then used the butt end of the gun to
knock the man unconscious. He fell to
the ground, joining his friends in slumber.
Quatre put his
gun away and rushed to the trembling Sarit. "Sarit! Sarit! Can you hear me? Are you okay? Did they
hurt you?"
* * * * *
Heero and Duo
waited for the guards to pass by so they could continue their search for Sarit.
A chuckle was
heard behind them. "You don't need
to worry. They won't harm you. You're not the ones I want."
Heero and Duo
whirled around. Leaning against a desk
was an older man.
"Who are
you?" Duo queried.
The man just
smiled.
Heero advanced,
coming to the man's side in one quick movement. Placing his gun at the older man's temple, his expression was
grim. "Answer the question."
"I'm General
Amar Kresch. I'm in charge of this
facility."
"Then you
must know where Sarit is!" Duo
exclaimed.
"Sarit? Oh, the young woman. Yes. I must say, she's provided to be quite useful."
Click
The cocking of
Heero's gun was audible in the silence of the room. "What have you done with her?"
Kresch
swallowed. This young man was quite
earnest. If he didn't answer, he would
be shot. With little or not remorse
afterwards. "Nothing. I only used her as bait."
"I knew
it! I told you this was a
trap!" Duo glared.
"Hn,"
was Heero's only reply.
Kresch
smiled. "Oh, it wasn't for you and
your gun totting friend here. I could
care less about you." At Duo's
surprised expression, Kresch nodded. "It's true. I have to say,
though, you're ingenious. The young man
at the guardhouse is quite efficient. He's managed to keep his presence a secret, along with taking out quite
a few of my guards."
Heero and Duo
looked at each other in alarm. 'Wufei…'
"Oh, don't
worry. He's perfectly fine. Like I said, he's not the one I want."
"Then who
is?" Heero demanded, placing the
gun deeper into the general's skull.
Kresch winced in
pain. "I could care less about the
rest of you. The only one I want is the
Winner brat."
Duo blinked. "Quatre? But why?"
"Because if
he comes to power, all my plans will be for nothing! The boy must die!"
Rage filled Heero
at the general's words. "No one
hurts my friends."
Duo rushed
forward, pushing Heero's gun out of the way. It went off, the bullet lodged in the wall. Kresch sank to his knees. If not for the braided boy, he'd be dead now.
Duo sank to his
knees in front of Kresch. "I would
advise that you tell me where Sarit is. 'Cause if you don't, I'm not sure I can stop him again."
Petrified, Kresch
gave Duo the location of the cell. Duo
nodded. "I would advise that you
leave the colony. I'm not sure if that
will even keep you safe once my friend gets loose."
Duo took Heero by
the arm and dragged him out the room, leaving a trembling Kresch in their wake.
Outside in the
corridor, Duo fell against the wall, laughing. "It was perfect! He even
bought it!"
Heero shook his
head. He took the magazine out of his
gun and replaced it with one with actual bullets. "I don't know how I let you talk me into this. He could have been armed and those blanks
would have been useless.."
"But he
wasn't and we got our information!"
"Hn."
Duo grinned. "You scared the shit out of him,
anyway. He won't be bothering Q-man any
time soon."
Heero suddenly
grabbed Duo by his braid and pulled him down the corridor.
"Hey,
man! Quit it! That hurts!"
"Come on,
baka! We have to find Quatre and
Trowa! They're walking into a
trap!"
"Shit!"
* * * * *
Sarit huddled on
the floor, still trembling from her near rape. When someone took her by the shoulders, she screamed, thinking it was
her would-be rapists. When the arms
embraced her, she sobbed. Not wanting
to, but feeling compelled, she looked up at her attacker. Her eyes widened in relief. She threw herself into Quatre's arms.
Quatre almost
fell backwards when Sarit threw herself at him. He held her trembling form tightly.
"It's okay,
Sarit. You're safe now."
Sarit looked up
into his deep aqua-blue eyes. For the
first time in years, she felt safe. Protected.
Quatre gazed into
Sarit's tearful emerald eyes. He
couldn't explain it, but he felt very protective over her. He would kill or maim anything that dared to
harm her.
Placing his palm
on her cheek, he drew her towards him.
Trowa stood back
and watched his friend and his betrothed. It was a very private moment for them, he shouldn't be watching. He couldn't seem to help himself, though.
Trowa watched as
Quatre's head descended towards Sarit. Simultaneously, their eyes closed when their lips touched for the first
time.
Watching Quatre and Sarit kiss, Trowa turned away in pain and despair. All his hopes and dreams, dashed by that one kiss.