Title: Public School Series
Authors: DarkSaint and Britts
Summary:
Rating: PG-13 (language mostly DS: I mean, BRITTS is doing dialogue...)
His pulse roared in his ears as another barrage of bullets tore through the ground around him. He swung left, the enormous tree providing momentary cover from the never-ending onslaught of firepower. He collapsed against the tree, its rough bark digging into his back as he wiped his brow. Sweat traveled down his body in rivulets as he panted, desperately gasping for air. His head snapped left to catch a glimpse of a black clad figure hurtling forward and turning sharply before it threw them both to the ground a few yards away. As they went down in a tangle of arms and legs, he heard the whistling of an incoming projectile. Seconds later it impacted, the underbrush bursting into flames.
"Missiles?!" He rolled over, shoving the body off him as he stood up. Turning to Duo, he cried, "Since when have they got missiles?!"
"I don't know! But if I were you, I'd stay low. They've got a big range."
"No shit... If you'd asked me, I don't think they've even left the bunker yet." He was met by complete and utter silence. He looked at the other pilot and noticed he had paled considerably.
"Where's Heero...?"
Wufei didn't have time to answer Duo, the deafening explosions to their right answered well enough. The Chinese boy dropped to the ground on instinct as Duo curled up to avoid the smoking, air-born debris. Coughing, Heero stumbled through the smoldering foliage.
"K-kami-s-sama-a..." he gasped as he carefully stood up. Limping to where Duo and Wufei were huddled, he collapsed once again.
Noticing his fatigue, Duo coolly asked, "Anything broken?"
Heero reached up and plucked a stray twig from Duo's hair. "Iie... charred, shattered, or vaporized maybe. But not broken."
"Thank God for small favors," Wufei muttered as he warily glanced out towards the source of the soaring arrows of death [1]. "They're waiting for us to move, aren't they?"
"Aa..." Heero groaned as he crouched next to Duo.
"There's a ravine to the north a bit," Duo said, pointing. "It's got steep sides and rocks at the bottom, but following it east, we'll reach the safe house a lot faster than the way we're going."
After a few moments of silent consideration, Wufei inquired, "Think we could make it?"
"Best escape route I can think of..." Heero muttered.
"Then let's go for it," Duo stated as he rose to his feet, careful to stay in the enemies' blind spot with assistance from the trees. "Stay low..."
"Right...ready?" Silence. "GO!"
The three bolted towards the ravine. No sooner had they left the safety of the leafy giant did the barrage of firepower assail them. Wufei could hear the whistling and replying explosions. Amidst the deafening detonations, he heard Duo cry out. Whirling, he saw the other fall to the ground. He skidded to a halt and headed back. "Duo!" He took four steps before being exposed to a long strand of obscenities.
"Goddamn those motherfucking..." Duo hopped up and proceeded to beat out the small flames that had caught to his braid. "Bastards... I HOPE YOU ROT IN HELL!" he screamed at the soldiers hidden in the foliage. Turning back to Wufei, he ranted, "What the hell you lookin' at? Run Chang! Sweet Jesus...."
Wufei shook his head as they continued towards the ravine. "How far is this thing, Maxwell?!"
"Not much further. Heero's probably already dow-" unfortunately, he couldn't finish the sentence. Distracted, they had misjudged the distance and fell head-over-heals down the sharp slope into the gorge.
Wufei cursed as he struggled to regain his footing, subconsciously noting Duo doing the same. He looked down and saw the rocks rushing up at them. Finding his balance point, he threw himself from the chasm's side to the rocks below. Flying through the air, the teen landed with catlike grace upon a boulder. Looking up, he observed Duo surfing down the slope before sliding to a stop next to him.
"Well that was fun," Duo noted, before glancing around and asking, "Where's Heero?"
"How many times are you going to ask where I am Duo? If you're not careful, people will begin thinking you actually care about my well being."
Turning, the duo [2] spotted the Japanese youth lounging against a mound of stones. Wufei chuckled as he witnessed Duo turn a shade redder than would be perceived healthy.
"Well - I - uh...Shall we get going?"
Heero motioned to the east, "Aa..." and began sprinting along the creek.
Duo and Wufei ran after their friend before they could lose him in the underbrush. Explosions and gunfire continued to echo through the ravine. "How do you think Trowa and Quat are holding up?" Duo asked his Chinese companion.
"Maxwell, the more questions you ask, the less energy you're going to have and the more I'm going to want to strangle you."
"Really...?" Pausing for a moment, the boy thought before saying, "So what's your answer?"
Wufei sighed. "Let's hope the enemy hasn't found the safe house. They have the Gundams but other than that and a few firearms with limited ammo, they're on their own."
"With Trowa in charge...Good God I hope we have enough ammo to satisfy that guy..."
"Probably not," Heero called over his shoulder. "We have to get there soon - the Gundams will be powered up and everything packed. Trowa radioed me."
"Then they're alive and kickin'?"
"Stop asking questions Duo and run, damn you!"
"Alive? Yes, but I'm not sure for how long - they've found the safe house."
"Shit."
* * * * * *
Trowa panted under the gas mask covering his face and shielding him from the noxious fumes filling the building. Running down the dark hallway, he swept the beam of light from his flashlight against the walls looking for the right door. That door would lead him and the bundle that was draped over his shoulder to the trucks...and the Gundams. The bundle coughed, a vain attempt at clearing the gases from his lungs. "Hold on Quatre..." Trowa muttered under the mask, unsure whether or not his message had been received.
Peering through the darkness, he spotted it. /About time.../ Tearing through the gloom, Trowa reached the door and stopped. Slowly, carefully, he let Quatre slide to the floor. The smaller pilot continued to cough and gasp, desperately seeking much-needed oxygen. Trowa took a deep breath and slipped off the gas mask before pressing it against Quatre's face. /Breath, for God's sake.../
Much to the pilot's relief, his friend gulped greedily at the offered oxygen. He glanced up at his friend and said through the mask, "This is the only one we've got. I'm fine. You're stronger and faster - you have to get to the Gundams." With that, the boy took a deep breath and wrestled the mask from his face and pressed it against the taller boy's.
"Quatre..."
The Arab shook his head and, just to be sure that his friend wouldn't try it again, took a stubborn, deep breath of the poisoned air...and promptly collapsed in his friend's arms hacking.
"Damn you Quatre..." Trowa grumbled. "You're a nutcase, God damn you..." He stood up, pulling Quatre over his shoulders once again and bolted through the door.
Once inside, he propped Quatre up against the wall before flicking on the lights and glancing around the hangar. Stooping next to his barely-conscious friend he whispered, "Hang on Quat... The others will be here soon and we'll be out of here..."
* * * * * *
The trio of thoroughly exhausted pilots finally managed to arrive at their destination. The stainless steal gray garage door loomed over them, separating them from their comrades and Gundams. "Alright! We're here. Let's go!" Duo cried, charging forward.
"Chotto matte...[3]" Heero muttered, lifting an arm and halting his ally's progress. "Do you hear that...?"
The Duo and Wufei listened, desperately attempting to hear what the other did. Wind rushing through the trees...far-off explosions...the hissing and gurgling of the stream under them...an ominous beeping... The three started and looked wide-eyed at each other. "Go! Take cover!" one of them shouted. Who it was, they couldn't tell, but they didn't care; they didn't need to be told twice. Diving for the streambed, behind one of the many large boulders, they just barely escaped injury as the doors to the garage exploded, debris flying every which way.
The rumble of an engine.
The trio in the streambed blinked up through the settling dust as a large truck barreled through the smoke cloud. Just as the machine skidded to a halt, Trowa jumped out of the cabin from behind the wheel.
Trowa cried as he threw his gas mask to his side, "The Gundams are powered up and waiting but are still inside. The gas should have cleared by now considering there's a gaping hole where the door used to be. I've got to get Quat out of here - he needs medical attention right away. We'll meet you at rendezvous point beta Zulu." And with that, the Latin teen hopped back into the truck and accelerated, towing the Sandrock and Heavyarms behind him.
Arching an eyebrow, Wufei muttered, "Nice to see you too..."
"Come on Chang! They got out of here in a hurry, which means something..."
Turning, Wufei found Duo already half way up his Deathscythe's armor. Fighting the shock of discovering just how fast his friend could climb, Wufei himself rushed to his Nataku. Finding footholds, he called over as he began to climb, "And what would that something happen to be? Wait - let me guess." He saw Duo pause in his ascent. Wufei continued, "One - Quatre's seriously ill and two - we don't have a lot of time to get our asses out of here and not get caught."
Duo gaped in mock-awe. "Wow Wu-chan! You /do/ have a head on your shoulders!" Wufei glared at the other boy's sarcasm as they reached the entrances to their cockpits. "Albeit a very tiny, vindictive, narrow-minded head..."
"MAXWELL! So help me God, one of these days I'm gonna-"
"Cut the jab. We've got a job to do," Heero's monotone cut in.
"Right," the other two agreed, their dark undertones the only evidence the silent switches in persona a battle of life and death demanded.
* * * * * *
Wings of emerald glory soared up high, creating the calming forest canopy. Thin strips of faint light from the setting sun could be seen shining through the trees. They laced themselves perfectly with the soothing wind which moved the leaves ever so gently.
Quatre was quickly recovering from his experience earlier while Trowa incessantly fussed over him, much to the small Arab's annoyance. Duo lay supine, staring up at the darkening sky and twinkling stars through the treetops. Wufei sat meditating, his serenity mingling with that of the wild. Heero tapped away on his laptop, unaffected by the beauty of nature surrounding him. All was peaceful until...
"We're in." The others instantaneously gathered closer to the Japanese youth with the computer, its screen glowing an eerie green in the forthcoming gloom. Fixing the headset over his brown hair, Heero spoke into the attached microphone. "J?"
At Heero's inquiry, the ancient scientist's face faded into view. A toothy smile tugged at the old man's wrinkled lips and his metallic replacements for eyes gleamed. "Ah, Heero, my boy! How are you?"
Heero's eyes narrowed with suspicion at the old scientist's visage. "A little worse for wear...but then you wouldn't know anything about that...or would you...?"
J chuckled as if being the subject of suspicion of treachery by a weary Gundam pilot was something humorous. "Of course not Heero. But you're alive, aren't you?" Heero didn't respond. "Now, what can I do for you and your friends?"
"We need someplace to hide, preferably somewhere without a lot of lights. Large cities tend not to be the best place to hid a Gundam...much less five of them..."
Duo plopped down beside the Wing pilot. "Yeah, plus large cities attract crowds which in turn attract..." Duo paused. "Who are we fighting again...?"
"Pretty much anyone who shoots at us," Trowa responded.
"Right," Duo nodded. "Those people."
Heero sighed silently as Wufei rubbed his temples. From the back of the group, Quatre pushed his way forward. "Can you or any of the others help us J?" the petit youth asked.
"Well...." the gaunt loon drew out his speech, turning his focus to an adjacent CPU as he quickly ran his clawed hands over the keys, "Give me a series of numbers and I'll see what I can do for you."
Duo's brow wrinkled slightly in thought, "How the hell will that help?!"
"Do you want to live to see the sun tomorrow or not?"
"Shutting up."
"Good. Numbers?"
Heero instantly rattled off a chain of figures, "Forty-one, forty-two, eighty."
The old man paused in his typing, "Another."
"One."
Through the vid-screen, the boys watched as J entered the final code. Staring at the bordering computer, he smiled, "You're going to America."
Duo jumped up, flashing one of his infamous grins. "Alright! ....Wait....Where in America....?"
"Meadville. It's a small town in Pennsylvania. Not many lights, few people."
"Wonderful...dark, secluded places - perfect spawning grounds for other, more rabid Maxwells..."
Duo glared at his Chinese counterpart.
Only paying partial attention to the bickering behind him, Heero commented, "No... Duo's more West Coast material..."
"Good. Your new home is Los Angeles." stated J. "You'll be going to school under the guise of five students in a World-Wide Foreign-Exchange Student program. Each of you will be needing new information about yourselves. And you two," he pointed at Trowa and Quatre, "Will each need a new alias. Barton and Winner are too widely known."
Quatre nodded, accepting the scientist's statement.
"That shouldn't be too hard," began the Latin teen. "I'm sure we can handle it."
"Be sure you do." J adjusted his goggles. "Is there anything else I could help you boys with? The life of a mad scientist gets awfully boring after a while."
"Registration would be nice... And which 'World-Wide Foreign-Exchange Student program' are we part of..?"
"Your registration is already taken care of. As for the program, let _me_ handle the hacking this time, Yuy."
Heero glared at the old man through the screen. Being taunted was _not_ one of his favorite past times... it usually ended up with the opposite party being found dead in a nearby subway.
"What about accomidations?" Duo piped up.
"_That_, I'll leave up to you," J smiled.
"Hn..." Heero minimized the window and started looking for housing.
"Shit... You _DO_ realize J that Heero's idea of suitable housing consists of a cardboard box outside of a pizza parlor!"
"Iya - my lap top would get wet when it rained."
"You mean you haven't tsunami-proofed it yet, Yuy? You're becoming just as much a slacker as Maxwell."
Heero flicked his eyes over his shoulder at Wufei and growled, "Go pack."
"Why? Did you find a suitable cardboard box outside a pizza parlor?" Trowa jested.
"Urusai. I found a two-level house in town. Eight room, two baths, two porches - one on each level, and an attached gazebo on the first floor."
Duo turned and stared at his Japanese comrade. Slapping the other's shoulder, he practically squealed in glee, "That's one _HELL_ of a cardboard box! Let's go!" The braided pilot jumped up and ran off.
Quatre smiled. "Thanks J."
"Anytime, young Winner. Anytime."
[1] - This is DarkSaint's poetic insert in the entire battle sequence. Leave it to her to be poetic in the mist of death and destruction. "Arrows of Death..." Sheesh... DS: ^_^*
[2] - Hey...waitaminute...WORD PLAY! ^_~
[3] - "Chotto matte..." = "Wait a minute..." in Japanese
Authors: DarkSaint and Britts
Summary:
Rating: PG-13 (language mostly DS: I mean, BRITTS is doing dialogue...)
His pulse roared in his ears as another barrage of bullets tore through the ground around him. He swung left, the enormous tree providing momentary cover from the never-ending onslaught of firepower. He collapsed against the tree, its rough bark digging into his back as he wiped his brow. Sweat traveled down his body in rivulets as he panted, desperately gasping for air. His head snapped left to catch a glimpse of a black clad figure hurtling forward and turning sharply before it threw them both to the ground a few yards away. As they went down in a tangle of arms and legs, he heard the whistling of an incoming projectile. Seconds later it impacted, the underbrush bursting into flames.
"Missiles?!" He rolled over, shoving the body off him as he stood up. Turning to Duo, he cried, "Since when have they got missiles?!"
"I don't know! But if I were you, I'd stay low. They've got a big range."
"No shit... If you'd asked me, I don't think they've even left the bunker yet." He was met by complete and utter silence. He looked at the other pilot and noticed he had paled considerably.
"Where's Heero...?"
Wufei didn't have time to answer Duo, the deafening explosions to their right answered well enough. The Chinese boy dropped to the ground on instinct as Duo curled up to avoid the smoking, air-born debris. Coughing, Heero stumbled through the smoldering foliage.
"K-kami-s-sama-a..." he gasped as he carefully stood up. Limping to where Duo and Wufei were huddled, he collapsed once again.
Noticing his fatigue, Duo coolly asked, "Anything broken?"
Heero reached up and plucked a stray twig from Duo's hair. "Iie... charred, shattered, or vaporized maybe. But not broken."
"Thank God for small favors," Wufei muttered as he warily glanced out towards the source of the soaring arrows of death [1]. "They're waiting for us to move, aren't they?"
"Aa..." Heero groaned as he crouched next to Duo.
"There's a ravine to the north a bit," Duo said, pointing. "It's got steep sides and rocks at the bottom, but following it east, we'll reach the safe house a lot faster than the way we're going."
After a few moments of silent consideration, Wufei inquired, "Think we could make it?"
"Best escape route I can think of..." Heero muttered.
"Then let's go for it," Duo stated as he rose to his feet, careful to stay in the enemies' blind spot with assistance from the trees. "Stay low..."
"Right...ready?" Silence. "GO!"
The three bolted towards the ravine. No sooner had they left the safety of the leafy giant did the barrage of firepower assail them. Wufei could hear the whistling and replying explosions. Amidst the deafening detonations, he heard Duo cry out. Whirling, he saw the other fall to the ground. He skidded to a halt and headed back. "Duo!" He took four steps before being exposed to a long strand of obscenities.
"Goddamn those motherfucking..." Duo hopped up and proceeded to beat out the small flames that had caught to his braid. "Bastards... I HOPE YOU ROT IN HELL!" he screamed at the soldiers hidden in the foliage. Turning back to Wufei, he ranted, "What the hell you lookin' at? Run Chang! Sweet Jesus...."
Wufei shook his head as they continued towards the ravine. "How far is this thing, Maxwell?!"
"Not much further. Heero's probably already dow-" unfortunately, he couldn't finish the sentence. Distracted, they had misjudged the distance and fell head-over-heals down the sharp slope into the gorge.
Wufei cursed as he struggled to regain his footing, subconsciously noting Duo doing the same. He looked down and saw the rocks rushing up at them. Finding his balance point, he threw himself from the chasm's side to the rocks below. Flying through the air, the teen landed with catlike grace upon a boulder. Looking up, he observed Duo surfing down the slope before sliding to a stop next to him.
"Well that was fun," Duo noted, before glancing around and asking, "Where's Heero?"
"How many times are you going to ask where I am Duo? If you're not careful, people will begin thinking you actually care about my well being."
Turning, the duo [2] spotted the Japanese youth lounging against a mound of stones. Wufei chuckled as he witnessed Duo turn a shade redder than would be perceived healthy.
"Well - I - uh...Shall we get going?"
Heero motioned to the east, "Aa..." and began sprinting along the creek.
Duo and Wufei ran after their friend before they could lose him in the underbrush. Explosions and gunfire continued to echo through the ravine. "How do you think Trowa and Quat are holding up?" Duo asked his Chinese companion.
"Maxwell, the more questions you ask, the less energy you're going to have and the more I'm going to want to strangle you."
"Really...?" Pausing for a moment, the boy thought before saying, "So what's your answer?"
Wufei sighed. "Let's hope the enemy hasn't found the safe house. They have the Gundams but other than that and a few firearms with limited ammo, they're on their own."
"With Trowa in charge...Good God I hope we have enough ammo to satisfy that guy..."
"Probably not," Heero called over his shoulder. "We have to get there soon - the Gundams will be powered up and everything packed. Trowa radioed me."
"Then they're alive and kickin'?"
"Stop asking questions Duo and run, damn you!"
"Alive? Yes, but I'm not sure for how long - they've found the safe house."
"Shit."
* * * * * *
Trowa panted under the gas mask covering his face and shielding him from the noxious fumes filling the building. Running down the dark hallway, he swept the beam of light from his flashlight against the walls looking for the right door. That door would lead him and the bundle that was draped over his shoulder to the trucks...and the Gundams. The bundle coughed, a vain attempt at clearing the gases from his lungs. "Hold on Quatre..." Trowa muttered under the mask, unsure whether or not his message had been received.
Peering through the darkness, he spotted it. /About time.../ Tearing through the gloom, Trowa reached the door and stopped. Slowly, carefully, he let Quatre slide to the floor. The smaller pilot continued to cough and gasp, desperately seeking much-needed oxygen. Trowa took a deep breath and slipped off the gas mask before pressing it against Quatre's face. /Breath, for God's sake.../
Much to the pilot's relief, his friend gulped greedily at the offered oxygen. He glanced up at his friend and said through the mask, "This is the only one we've got. I'm fine. You're stronger and faster - you have to get to the Gundams." With that, the boy took a deep breath and wrestled the mask from his face and pressed it against the taller boy's.
"Quatre..."
The Arab shook his head and, just to be sure that his friend wouldn't try it again, took a stubborn, deep breath of the poisoned air...and promptly collapsed in his friend's arms hacking.
"Damn you Quatre..." Trowa grumbled. "You're a nutcase, God damn you..." He stood up, pulling Quatre over his shoulders once again and bolted through the door.
Once inside, he propped Quatre up against the wall before flicking on the lights and glancing around the hangar. Stooping next to his barely-conscious friend he whispered, "Hang on Quat... The others will be here soon and we'll be out of here..."
* * * * * *
The trio of thoroughly exhausted pilots finally managed to arrive at their destination. The stainless steal gray garage door loomed over them, separating them from their comrades and Gundams. "Alright! We're here. Let's go!" Duo cried, charging forward.
"Chotto matte...[3]" Heero muttered, lifting an arm and halting his ally's progress. "Do you hear that...?"
The Duo and Wufei listened, desperately attempting to hear what the other did. Wind rushing through the trees...far-off explosions...the hissing and gurgling of the stream under them...an ominous beeping... The three started and looked wide-eyed at each other. "Go! Take cover!" one of them shouted. Who it was, they couldn't tell, but they didn't care; they didn't need to be told twice. Diving for the streambed, behind one of the many large boulders, they just barely escaped injury as the doors to the garage exploded, debris flying every which way.
The rumble of an engine.
The trio in the streambed blinked up through the settling dust as a large truck barreled through the smoke cloud. Just as the machine skidded to a halt, Trowa jumped out of the cabin from behind the wheel.
Trowa cried as he threw his gas mask to his side, "The Gundams are powered up and waiting but are still inside. The gas should have cleared by now considering there's a gaping hole where the door used to be. I've got to get Quat out of here - he needs medical attention right away. We'll meet you at rendezvous point beta Zulu." And with that, the Latin teen hopped back into the truck and accelerated, towing the Sandrock and Heavyarms behind him.
Arching an eyebrow, Wufei muttered, "Nice to see you too..."
"Come on Chang! They got out of here in a hurry, which means something..."
Turning, Wufei found Duo already half way up his Deathscythe's armor. Fighting the shock of discovering just how fast his friend could climb, Wufei himself rushed to his Nataku. Finding footholds, he called over as he began to climb, "And what would that something happen to be? Wait - let me guess." He saw Duo pause in his ascent. Wufei continued, "One - Quatre's seriously ill and two - we don't have a lot of time to get our asses out of here and not get caught."
Duo gaped in mock-awe. "Wow Wu-chan! You /do/ have a head on your shoulders!" Wufei glared at the other boy's sarcasm as they reached the entrances to their cockpits. "Albeit a very tiny, vindictive, narrow-minded head..."
"MAXWELL! So help me God, one of these days I'm gonna-"
"Cut the jab. We've got a job to do," Heero's monotone cut in.
"Right," the other two agreed, their dark undertones the only evidence the silent switches in persona a battle of life and death demanded.
* * * * * *
Wings of emerald glory soared up high, creating the calming forest canopy. Thin strips of faint light from the setting sun could be seen shining through the trees. They laced themselves perfectly with the soothing wind which moved the leaves ever so gently.
Quatre was quickly recovering from his experience earlier while Trowa incessantly fussed over him, much to the small Arab's annoyance. Duo lay supine, staring up at the darkening sky and twinkling stars through the treetops. Wufei sat meditating, his serenity mingling with that of the wild. Heero tapped away on his laptop, unaffected by the beauty of nature surrounding him. All was peaceful until...
"We're in." The others instantaneously gathered closer to the Japanese youth with the computer, its screen glowing an eerie green in the forthcoming gloom. Fixing the headset over his brown hair, Heero spoke into the attached microphone. "J?"
At Heero's inquiry, the ancient scientist's face faded into view. A toothy smile tugged at the old man's wrinkled lips and his metallic replacements for eyes gleamed. "Ah, Heero, my boy! How are you?"
Heero's eyes narrowed with suspicion at the old scientist's visage. "A little worse for wear...but then you wouldn't know anything about that...or would you...?"
J chuckled as if being the subject of suspicion of treachery by a weary Gundam pilot was something humorous. "Of course not Heero. But you're alive, aren't you?" Heero didn't respond. "Now, what can I do for you and your friends?"
"We need someplace to hide, preferably somewhere without a lot of lights. Large cities tend not to be the best place to hid a Gundam...much less five of them..."
Duo plopped down beside the Wing pilot. "Yeah, plus large cities attract crowds which in turn attract..." Duo paused. "Who are we fighting again...?"
"Pretty much anyone who shoots at us," Trowa responded.
"Right," Duo nodded. "Those people."
Heero sighed silently as Wufei rubbed his temples. From the back of the group, Quatre pushed his way forward. "Can you or any of the others help us J?" the petit youth asked.
"Well...." the gaunt loon drew out his speech, turning his focus to an adjacent CPU as he quickly ran his clawed hands over the keys, "Give me a series of numbers and I'll see what I can do for you."
Duo's brow wrinkled slightly in thought, "How the hell will that help?!"
"Do you want to live to see the sun tomorrow or not?"
"Shutting up."
"Good. Numbers?"
Heero instantly rattled off a chain of figures, "Forty-one, forty-two, eighty."
The old man paused in his typing, "Another."
"One."
Through the vid-screen, the boys watched as J entered the final code. Staring at the bordering computer, he smiled, "You're going to America."
Duo jumped up, flashing one of his infamous grins. "Alright! ....Wait....Where in America....?"
"Meadville. It's a small town in Pennsylvania. Not many lights, few people."
"Wonderful...dark, secluded places - perfect spawning grounds for other, more rabid Maxwells..."
Duo glared at his Chinese counterpart.
Only paying partial attention to the bickering behind him, Heero commented, "No... Duo's more West Coast material..."
"Good. Your new home is Los Angeles." stated J. "You'll be going to school under the guise of five students in a World-Wide Foreign-Exchange Student program. Each of you will be needing new information about yourselves. And you two," he pointed at Trowa and Quatre, "Will each need a new alias. Barton and Winner are too widely known."
Quatre nodded, accepting the scientist's statement.
"That shouldn't be too hard," began the Latin teen. "I'm sure we can handle it."
"Be sure you do." J adjusted his goggles. "Is there anything else I could help you boys with? The life of a mad scientist gets awfully boring after a while."
"Registration would be nice... And which 'World-Wide Foreign-Exchange Student program' are we part of..?"
"Your registration is already taken care of. As for the program, let _me_ handle the hacking this time, Yuy."
Heero glared at the old man through the screen. Being taunted was _not_ one of his favorite past times... it usually ended up with the opposite party being found dead in a nearby subway.
"What about accomidations?" Duo piped up.
"_That_, I'll leave up to you," J smiled.
"Hn..." Heero minimized the window and started looking for housing.
"Shit... You _DO_ realize J that Heero's idea of suitable housing consists of a cardboard box outside of a pizza parlor!"
"Iya - my lap top would get wet when it rained."
"You mean you haven't tsunami-proofed it yet, Yuy? You're becoming just as much a slacker as Maxwell."
Heero flicked his eyes over his shoulder at Wufei and growled, "Go pack."
"Why? Did you find a suitable cardboard box outside a pizza parlor?" Trowa jested.
"Urusai. I found a two-level house in town. Eight room, two baths, two porches - one on each level, and an attached gazebo on the first floor."
Duo turned and stared at his Japanese comrade. Slapping the other's shoulder, he practically squealed in glee, "That's one _HELL_ of a cardboard box! Let's go!" The braided pilot jumped up and ran off.
Quatre smiled. "Thanks J."
"Anytime, young Winner. Anytime."
[1] - This is DarkSaint's poetic insert in the entire battle sequence. Leave it to her to be poetic in the mist of death and destruction. "Arrows of Death..." Sheesh... DS: ^_^*
[2] - Hey...waitaminute...WORD PLAY! ^_~
[3] - "Chotto matte..." = "Wait a minute..." in Japanese