A/N: New Chapter! I finally wrote a new chapter!!! FINALLY!!! Flops
back onto the couch with exhaustion I guess having a broken foot is good
for _something_!
I had hoped it would be longer, and it kind of jumps around more than I'd
like, but it says what I want it to, so I guess it's good enough (though
the perfectionist in me is screaming in anguish). And it gets me over the
main hump; the next chapter should be _relatively_ short in coming (of
course, considering that this chapter took a year and a half.).
Chapter 5
"Heero?" Relena pushed open the not-quite closed door to Heero's room and peered in. As per usual, the Wing pilot sat at the computer, typing up his mission report; he'd arrived less than an hour ago, several hours after Trowa and Quatre had left on separate missions. "Heero?" Relena tried again. She came in and sat on Heero's bed. "Is something wrong?" There was a slight disruption in the rhythm of Heero's typing. "I know that there is something wrong. Do you want to talk about it?" No response. "I understand; you don't like to talk about your feelings," Her smile contained a bit of a smirk. "Men." "We'll be moving to another safe-house as soon as Duo contacts us." Heero said. "We've stayed here too long." A message came in over the 'net as he said that. After he'd gone through the decryption protocols Heero read the short message, then deleted it and sent a reply. "Get your things together." Heero stated, shutting off his laptop, getting up, and leaving the room before Relena had time to reply.
~*~
"Leaving so soon?" Hilde asked, watching as Duo closed his duffle bag. "You've only been here two days!" "Yeah, well, you know," Duo said, winking. "Got to get back to the office." "Take care, Duo," Hilde said, hugging him tightly. "Now don't you worry about me, Hil'," Duo said, giving her a little squeeze before letting her go and turning to Nate. "You'd better take good care of Hilde; Natey-boy." "I intend to." "Good," Duo replied, with a shit-eating grin. "'Cause I'd hate to have to hunt you down and kill you; you seem like a nice guy." He slung his duffle over his shoulder and started for the door. "I'll come by and check up on you two as soon as I can." Duo waved over his shoulder and was gone.
~*~
Quatre opened his eyes; blinking to clear the haze. What had happened? He winced as several injuries made their presence known, and attempted to lift the hand that didn't hurt to his head, only to find that he couldn't. This, of course, meant only one thing. "Shit," Quatre said, succinctly; and that about summed it up. He remembered now that he'd been ambushed when he entered the base he'd been assigned to set explosives in. The Sandrock pilot calmly assessed his current condition: Badly bruised ribs, possibly broken; sprained or broken left wrist; possible concussion; several bruises and contusions, and he was restrained on a hard surface by metal cuffs on his wrists and ankles. _Not_ a good situation. Then the door opened and it proceeded to get a hell of a lot worse.
~*~
"I don't like it," WuFei said. "It has been three days and we haven't heard anything on the news about a base being destroyed." "There are a number of factors which could have delayed his mission," Heero offered. "What is the base's location?" Duo asked Heero. "What? Are you just going to burst in there shooting?" WuFei said, scathingly. "Hey!" Duo objected. "I can be subtle! Especially when a friend's life is on the line!" "I will go with him." Trowa said. "I'll have those coordinates for you in less than five minutes," Heero said as he left the room. "Trowa," Duo said, stopping Trowa, who was about to leave as well. "I need to talk to you for a moment. Outside." Trowa followed Duo out, and they walked a short distance from the current safe house before Duo spoke. "I would prefer if you stayed out of the way on this mission." "You doubt my objectivity," Trowa replied. "Think what you like.just, stay out of the way." "No." "I'll get him out, don't worry about that." Then Duo sighed. "You're going to be stubborn about this, aren't you?" "I can't just stand by." "Fine, but..fine."
~*~
Duo and Trowa entered Quatre's safe-house cautiously. After a quick sweep of the premises, which proved to be empty other than some supplies that Quatre had left, they settled in. "You can take the bed," Duo offered. "I'm going to be up a while longer anyway." "We should get started immediately." Trowa said. "You can't do anything if you're exhausted," Duo countered. "We don't want to make stupid mistakes." Trowa silently acquiesced. Duo waited an hour, checked on Trowa to make sure he was asleep, then went to open the kitchen window. The amethyst-eyed crow soon landed on the windowsill and cawed once for attention. "Look around the base," Duo told her. "Be my eyes. Find out where he is, if you can."
A/N: Positive reinforcement is warmly received (Trans: Review onegai shimasu!)
Chapter 5
"Heero?" Relena pushed open the not-quite closed door to Heero's room and peered in. As per usual, the Wing pilot sat at the computer, typing up his mission report; he'd arrived less than an hour ago, several hours after Trowa and Quatre had left on separate missions. "Heero?" Relena tried again. She came in and sat on Heero's bed. "Is something wrong?" There was a slight disruption in the rhythm of Heero's typing. "I know that there is something wrong. Do you want to talk about it?" No response. "I understand; you don't like to talk about your feelings," Her smile contained a bit of a smirk. "Men." "We'll be moving to another safe-house as soon as Duo contacts us." Heero said. "We've stayed here too long." A message came in over the 'net as he said that. After he'd gone through the decryption protocols Heero read the short message, then deleted it and sent a reply. "Get your things together." Heero stated, shutting off his laptop, getting up, and leaving the room before Relena had time to reply.
~*~
"Leaving so soon?" Hilde asked, watching as Duo closed his duffle bag. "You've only been here two days!" "Yeah, well, you know," Duo said, winking. "Got to get back to the office." "Take care, Duo," Hilde said, hugging him tightly. "Now don't you worry about me, Hil'," Duo said, giving her a little squeeze before letting her go and turning to Nate. "You'd better take good care of Hilde; Natey-boy." "I intend to." "Good," Duo replied, with a shit-eating grin. "'Cause I'd hate to have to hunt you down and kill you; you seem like a nice guy." He slung his duffle over his shoulder and started for the door. "I'll come by and check up on you two as soon as I can." Duo waved over his shoulder and was gone.
~*~
Quatre opened his eyes; blinking to clear the haze. What had happened? He winced as several injuries made their presence known, and attempted to lift the hand that didn't hurt to his head, only to find that he couldn't. This, of course, meant only one thing. "Shit," Quatre said, succinctly; and that about summed it up. He remembered now that he'd been ambushed when he entered the base he'd been assigned to set explosives in. The Sandrock pilot calmly assessed his current condition: Badly bruised ribs, possibly broken; sprained or broken left wrist; possible concussion; several bruises and contusions, and he was restrained on a hard surface by metal cuffs on his wrists and ankles. _Not_ a good situation. Then the door opened and it proceeded to get a hell of a lot worse.
~*~
"I don't like it," WuFei said. "It has been three days and we haven't heard anything on the news about a base being destroyed." "There are a number of factors which could have delayed his mission," Heero offered. "What is the base's location?" Duo asked Heero. "What? Are you just going to burst in there shooting?" WuFei said, scathingly. "Hey!" Duo objected. "I can be subtle! Especially when a friend's life is on the line!" "I will go with him." Trowa said. "I'll have those coordinates for you in less than five minutes," Heero said as he left the room. "Trowa," Duo said, stopping Trowa, who was about to leave as well. "I need to talk to you for a moment. Outside." Trowa followed Duo out, and they walked a short distance from the current safe house before Duo spoke. "I would prefer if you stayed out of the way on this mission." "You doubt my objectivity," Trowa replied. "Think what you like.just, stay out of the way." "No." "I'll get him out, don't worry about that." Then Duo sighed. "You're going to be stubborn about this, aren't you?" "I can't just stand by." "Fine, but..fine."
~*~
Duo and Trowa entered Quatre's safe-house cautiously. After a quick sweep of the premises, which proved to be empty other than some supplies that Quatre had left, they settled in. "You can take the bed," Duo offered. "I'm going to be up a while longer anyway." "We should get started immediately." Trowa said. "You can't do anything if you're exhausted," Duo countered. "We don't want to make stupid mistakes." Trowa silently acquiesced. Duo waited an hour, checked on Trowa to make sure he was asleep, then went to open the kitchen window. The amethyst-eyed crow soon landed on the windowsill and cawed once for attention. "Look around the base," Duo told her. "Be my eyes. Find out where he is, if you can."
A/N: Positive reinforcement is warmly received (Trans: Review onegai shimasu!)