-- I am going to note really fast that I have no clue if Noin really has a sister…
Chapter 18

8:52 p.m.

A group of mechanics and pilots were glued to a television set in the office adjoining the hangar.

NBC this time, I noticed, but the pictures were almost identical to the ones aired by CNN.

"Hilde, we have to get out of here," Heero said to the girl in the red windbreaker who I recognized to be the pilot from before. "Are we fueled?"

"Yeah." She didn't look away from the screen. "Did you hear? Six more cases and the CDC is announcing that there isn't enough antidote to go around."

"We have to leave, Hilde." Heero repeated.

She nodded, "We should just go and bomb the bastard."

Heero snorted. "Have they announced who did it?"

"No, we wouldn't want the people knowing a thing like that now would we?'

One sentence Hilde had said suddenly hit home to me. "You said there wasn't enough antidote to go around. Is there an antidote?"

"Supposedly some kind of an experimental one. The CDC pumped blood into a little girl they brought in a couple of hours ago."

"And she's alive?"

"So far." She finally turned away from the set. "You go ahead and get on board Heero. I'll go through the regular checklist. We'll be out of here in no time." She walked out of the office into the hangar.

"An antidote." I murmured.

"Not an antidote," Heero said. "Sounds to me like they used the last blood sample you sent them and injected it into the little girl."

"How could they do that?"

"They culture-expand and activate the cells from a blood sample and then alter the cells with the immune genes. They've been experimenting with the same procedure with HIV patients. Otto's team must have accelerated the procedure."

"And it worked. The little girl is alive. It's a start."

Heero shook his head. "It's a propaganda move. The government didn't want to admit that there wasn't any antidote so they concocted a miracle cure."

"It is a miracle. She's alive."

His gaze narrowed on my face. "What are you thinking?"

I could feel Heero's gaze on me as we boarded the plane and settled into the passenger seats. But he said nothing to me until after we'd taken off. "Well?"

"Tell Hilde to turn west."

"I was afraid of this," Heero said. "Collinsville?"

"Collinsville!" Wufei repeated.

I nodded. "That's where the CDC team is. That's where I have to be."

"You do know there's a quarantine."

"Oh, I think they'll let me in."

"That's what I'm afraid of. You'll be walking right into Relena's hands."

"My blood saved that little girl. There may be other people I can help."

"Most of the damage has been done. The anthrax has been so widely publicized that no one in their right mind would open those sealed packets of money."

"That little girl opened one."

"Look, your blood type would have to be compatible. That narrows the chances right there. And how much blood do you think you can give?"

I shook my head.

"He's right, Duo." Wufei said.

"He's wrong," I said. "Do you think I can hide out somewhere and watch what's happening there?" I turned to Heero. "I'm going. Now you figure out how I can do it and still keep Iris safe and myself out of some isolation ward."

"You don't ask much."

"You owe me," I said fiercely. "You owe me for Tenajo. Now pay up Heero."

He stared at me for a long while and then stood up and headed for the cockpit. "I'll tell Hilde we're going to Collinsville."

***************

Heero didn't return from the cockpit until it was almost time to land at the Collinsville airport. I had heard him talking nonstop on the radio, but I hadn't been able to understand what he was saying.

"What have you been up to?" I asked.

"Buckle up. We'll be on the ground in five minutes." He sat down and buckled his own seat belt. "And be prepared for a welcoming committee."

"Who?" I asked.

"I radioed the CDC, CBS, CNN, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch." He smiled grimly. "They should all be eagerly awaiting you."

I frowned.

"You're about to become a national hero. The courageous, caring man willing to brave the dangers of the quarantined zone to give his life's blood and minister to the sick."
"Very good." Wufei murmured.

"And your sacrifice is all that much greater because you left a sick child to come here, a child you saved from death."

"My god it sounds like a soap opera." I said.

"But it's not a soap opera. It's the truth and can be verified by any enterprising reporter."

"You told them about Dekim?"
He nodded. "I told them about Tenajo. I've shone as bright a spotlight as I could. The media particularly liked the idea of one of their own being the hero of the piece."

"I'm no hero." I said with distaste.

"You are now," Heero said. "You'll visit that little girl who was given your blood. They'll take shots of you and any new victims brought in. You'll go into the riot areas and show that it's possible to survive this mutated anthrax strain." He paused. "And you'll give interviews about Iris and Quatre and Tenajo."

"No!"

"Yes. It's necessary. I want Sally Po to become the most famous surgeon in America because she operated on Iris. I want the head nurse interviewed. I want the hospital to have to put up an army of guards around Iris just to keep away the media."

My eyes widened as I finally began to understand. "And keep away Dekim too."

"I think we can rely on Relena for that. She won't dare let anything happen to America's little sweetheart."

"And with every movement scrutinized, she won't be able to stuff Duo out of sight into a facility." Wufei said.

Heero nodded. "That's the plan."

And it was a sound one, I thought. It could work.

"One more thing," Heero said. "You're to tell the media that the CDC is closer to a permanent cure than their official statement would lead anyone to believe."

"Why?"

"I want Dekim to feel insecure. If he thinks a cure is imminent, he'll try to settle quickly and cut his losses."

"Or distribute another truckload of money."

"No, he won't try that again. Everyone's on guard. He's made his point and scared everyone to be sure of that."

"You can't be sure of that."

"I can't be sure of anything. I just have to cross my fingers and hope I guess right." He added grimly, "One good thing. I doubt if Dekim is going to risk coming to Collinsville and try to cut your throat." The plane bounced as the tires hit the runway. "That might be too bold a move even for him."

"I wouldn't bet on that either," Wufei said. "He may be clever, but some of his tactics are bizarre."

"Then we'll have to keep him safe, won't we?" Heero unbuckled his seat belt and stood up. He glanced out the window. "There they are. Enough cameras to look like Hollywood on Oscar night."

"I'm going to hate this." I said.

"Now you'll see what it's like on the other side of the camera," Heero said. "Come on. Let's get this show on the road."

*************** - (it was easier to write this next little section in 3rd person/Heeroish p.o.v)

Collinsville, Illinois

1:40 p.m.

The reporters flew toward Duo as he came down the airplane stairs.

Heero hung back watching.

Duo might detest being in the spotlight, but he was smiling and answering questions with quiet confidence. Heero hadn't expected anything else. When it came to a pinch, Duo had shown he could handle almost anything.

"You son of a bitch."

Heero turned at the low hiss behind him and saw Relena. "I didn't expect you here this soon, Relena."

"I was already on my way when I got the call from the CDC that you'd pulled this stunt," Relena muttered through gritted teeth. "I'm going to get you for this, Heero."

"I told you I wouldn't let you do it to him."

"I should have ignored you from the beginning. Before you let this mess happen."

"Oh, so Collinsville is my fault? You weren't involved at all?" Finger pointing was exactly the reaction he had expected from Relena. "It won't wash. I'm just a peon. You're the one in the driver's seat." He looked at Duo. "And you'll feel like you've been run over by a truck if you let anything happen to him."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Yes." His gaze shifted back to Relena. "You think you're desperate? You don't know what the word means. I won't lose him and I won't lose Dekim."

"You've already lost Dekim. We're not even close to catching him. He's cutting every tie that would lead anyone to him. Two hours after Treize's helicopter blew up, there was an explosion in a barn outside Waterloo, Iowa.'

Heero stiffened. "The counterfeiting installation?"

"That's what we're betting. We have specialists out there combing through the ashes."

"Isn't that dangerous for them?" Wufei asked. "There's bound to be active anthrax spores in the ink they were using."

"Not if the fire was intense enough," Heero said. "Fire's the great leveler. The CDC uses fire to destroy even Ebola."

"Oh it was intense enough," Relena said. "It melted practically everything in sight including some men who were working in the building. We're not going to find anything of value."

"What about Trey Catalonia?"

"He called his mother about three hours ago and she hung up on him."

Heero went still. "He called her?"

"He was begging and pleading with her. She hung up before we could get a trace. Since then there's been no sign of him. Dekim probably took care of that loose end too."
"When's the deadline for the money?"

"Day after tomorrow." She glanced sourly at Wufei. "The president is taking heat from your government. They keep yammering at him not to give into terrorists."

"My government is right," Wufei said. "There's nothing worse than meeting terrorist demands.

"Having Dekim release contaminated money in New York City is worse."

"Is that what he's threatening?" Heero said.

Relena nodded curtly. "Do you know what another incident would do to the stock exchange?"

"I know I wouldn't want to give Dekim the money and have him walk away with any anthrax still in his possession. What's to stop him from using the threat again?"

"Him." Relena nodded at Duo. "And you took him away from me, you bastard."

"Too bad. I guess you'll just have to concentrate on finding Dekim instead of an innocent man."

"Is that the pot calling the kettle black?"

Heero flinched. "Yes, I guess it is." He stepped forward and elbowed his way through the mob of reporters. "That's enough for right now. Mr. Maxwell's very tired, but he'll be glad to talk to you all tomorrow morning. He still has to go to CDC headquarters in town and give blood."

One of the cameras was immediately trained on him. "And who are you?"

"I'm Mr. Maxwell's personal escort. The government recognizes the extreme importance of his contribution." He turned to Relena. "So Deputy Director Darlian assigned me the job of making sure that his path was as smooth as possible. Isn't that right?"

Relena gave him a lethal glance before she forced a smile. "Of course. It's only sensible that we take excellent care of Mr. Maxwell."

"She was just telling me she's already sent a force to John Hopkins to secure the hospital," Heero said blandly. "I'll let her fill you in on the reasons that's necessary while I take Mr. Maxwell to the CDC headquarters."

***************

The majority of the media people had already surrounded Relena, and Heero had to free me from only two of the more persistent reporters.

"This way." Wufei was at our side. "This is Otto from the CDC."

"We've met." Heero nodded at him. "This is Duo Maxwell. Duo, this is Otto. He took over Zechs's position at the CDC."

"I'm glad to meet you Duo." Otto shook my hand. "Though I wish it weren't in these circumstances. Our team's staying at the Ramada Inn in the quarantine zone. It's right next door to the hospital. I made reservations for your party."

"Have any more cases been brought in?" I asked.

"One. He died an hour ago." Otto ushered us toward a car parked beside the terminal building. A Collinsville police car with blinking lights was parked just in front of it. "You heard we used the last sample for a transfer?"

"That's why I'm here." I got into the back seat. "But evidently not soon enough. I hoped-" I shook my head. "It doesn't matter what I hoped. I'm here now. I'll do whatever I can. How close are you to an antidote?"

Otto shrugged. "We're trying to re-create Zechs's records that were destroyed in the explosion, but it takes time." He got into the driver's seat. "Believe me, we've been working around the clock ever since the mutated anthrax came to our attention. This disaster just put more pressure on us. Everyone wants an answer, and we can't give them one."

"Let's get going." Wufei climbed into the passenger seat beside Otto. "Those reporters will be on him again any second." Heero climbed into the rear seat and slammed the door. "Wufei and I will need cars with CDC stickers so we can move around the quarantine area."

"The mayor's given us the use of his staff cars," Otto said. "We'll get you the stickers when we get to the hotel."

He waved at the police car and the policeman started his engine. "But don't go anywhere without a police escort. This town is too volatile."

***************

The boy was smiling and telling them lies.

Dekim sat in his motel room, watching the news reports of Collinsville. He'd been drinking in the devastation that was going to prove so profitable, when they'd cut to the airport and Duo Maxwell.

He was lying to them. The CDC wasn't close to a cure. He had made sure of that with Marquise's death.

But what if people believed him? What if pressure was put on the president to refuse to pay?

He was saying it again.

Fury tore through him. "You lie. Shut up, bitch. Stop saying that."

He had turned loose the Dark Beast and shown them there was no way to save themselves. Yet they still thought that boy could do something to save them. If Dekim was going to win the game, they had to remain frightened and subdued.

He must remove all hope.

***************

Otto's car encountered a National Guard roadblock two miles from the Collinsville airport but was allowed to pass when the soldier saw the CDC sticker on the windshield.

I had grown accustomed to soldiers and guns in third world countries, but they seemed an obscene abnormality in this small American town. Dekim had brought obscenity down on everyone.

"Lock the car doors," Otto said over his shoulder. "The hospital is in the riot area."

"Can't the National Guard do anything about it?" I asked.

"Right now they're busy keeping the town quarantined, and the governor doesn't want to use force. These people are victims already. He's asked everyone to stay off the streets until morning, when more troops arrive."

A few blocks later we entered the riot zone. Stores with broken windows. People carrying television sets and stereo equipment. Small fires everywhere.

"This is where you want me to show my support, Heero?" I murmured.

"I may rethink that part of the plan." He said.

I shook my head. "No, you're right. It's effective showmanship." I went silent, staring out the window. "Stop the car." I suddenly called out to Otto.

"Nani?"

"Stop the damn car." I unlocked the door and hopped out. The police car screeched to a halt ahead of us.

The old woman reaching into the broken jewelry store window.

Focus.

Shoot.

"Get back in the car." Heero was beside me. "You're giving Otto a heart attack."

"In a minute." My gaze had been caught by something in the alley across the street. Two slender figures silhouetted against leaping yellow-orange flames. I couldn't tell their age or sex, but they were standing before a rusty oil drum like priests before an altar. "What are they doing?" I murmured. I moved closer.

Focus.

Sh-

My God, they were burning money.

But when we see them tearing up or burning money, we'll know we're really in trouble.

It seemed a long time since Heero had said those words. It had been impossible to imagine then.

But it was happening. It was all happening.

So take the picture. Tell the story.

Focus.

Shoot.

I lowered the camera. "That's enough." I started back toward the car. "Do you suppose it was the counterfeit money?"

"They evidently think it is, but I hope not. They had it in their bare hands." He held the car door open for me. "And you're not going back to try and rescue them. They're likely to toss you in that oil drum too."

"Someone should warn them."

"There have been police cars cruising the streets with loudspeakers," Otto said. "We should get out of here. We're attracting too much attention."

He was nervous, I realized. I supposed I would be too if I hadn't been absorbed by the sheer impact of what I was seeing. I nodded, and Otto gave a sigh of relief and started the car.

Heero locked the doors and leaned back.

"You warned me," I whispered as I stared out the window. "I don't think I really believed you."

"I can't blame you. I wasn't a well of sincerity at the time." He paused. "But I told you the truth when I could."

"When you thought it was convenient to tell me the truth."

"Nothing's been done for convenience since the moment I met you. I know it doesn't make any difference to you, but I promise I'll never tell you anything but the truth from now on."

"It's too late."

"It's not too late. Not if-" He drew a deep breath and shook his head. "I know. It's not the time. Forget I said anything."

I would try to forget. Hell, I had been trying to forget Heero. Yet here he was beside me, manipulating, guarding, supplying my needs.

Heero made it very difficult to forget him.

***************

At the hotel, we stopped by Otto's room first so he could take blood samples from me. Wufei decided to check out the building security, and Heero led me to my room.

He unlocked the door and handed me the key. "Wufei's room is next door and Relena has agents swarming all over. The floor is wall-to-wall CIA. Don't open your door unless you know who's on the other side."

"I know that. I've gone through all this before. I'm practically an expert by now."

"This stay shouldn't be quite as dangerous. No one's even allowed in the city without proper credentials, and you don't have Odin Lowe to deal with any longer. Besides, who in Collinsville would want to kill the nation's savior?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "I'll see you in the morning, Heero."

"Actually you won't."

I looked back at him.

"I won't be here until tomorrow evening sometime." He paused. "Maybe not then."

I frowned. "Nani?"

"I'm going to Kansas. Trey Catalonia called his mother earlier this evening. She hung up on him, but I think he'll call back."

"Why?"

"He's scared and in over his head and she's all he has."

"Then Relena can trace the call and get him."

"I don't want Relena to get Catalonia. If Relena picks him up, it will be all over the newspapers. I want Dekim to think Catalonia is still free."

"And what will you do if you get him?"

"I'll play it by ear. I have a few ideas, but it depends on how much he knows and how cooperative I can get him to be." His lips curved sardonically. "I'm very good at using people remember?"

"I remember." I opened the door. "Call me. I want to know what's happening. If there's a chance of trapping Dekim, I don't want to be closed out."

"I'm not closing you out. I'll take you with me if you like."

"You know I can't leave. Otto's team might need me."

He nodded. "Remember when I asked you what you'd do if you had to make a choice between Iris and getting Dekim?"
"This is a different situation," I said without hesitation. "If it was Dekim instead of Catalonia, then I'd come with you." I turned and went into my room. "Good night, Heero."

I leaned back wearily against the door. Heero, as usual, was relentlessly focused on his objective, but life had gone off-kilter for me. I couldn't walk away from Collinsville, not if staying there might keep someone alive. The helplessness I had felt at Tenajo was still too fresh in my memory. I'd do what I could here. Take one step at a time.