Mel: The second to last chapter! And, ANOTHER DEMONIC CLIFFHANGER!!!!! Gomen, but I don't think you'll be able to get out of this story without suffering through another two…

Tsuru: Two? But, there are only two chapters left…

Mel: *grins evilly*

Tsuru: Oh no….

Mel: Bwa ha ha ha ha!!!! Power! Yessss! Lovely….

Daichi: *hides behind Tsuru* Can we go on to the story?

Tsuru: That's probably a really good idea….

"Midii? Are you ready?" Quatre looked to the side to see if Midii's computer was set up yet. She nodded slightly, signaling Quatre to continue. The blond boy smiled and took hold of Duo's hand. "This is it, Duo. We're getting you out of there." Duo lay unmoving on the bed, save for the slow rise and fall of his chest.

Midii hesitantly set to work. The moment she hit the first button, Quatre and Duo moaned in unison.

"Quatre? Are you alright?" Trowa reached to put his hand on Quatre, but resisted the temptation. He couldn't risk tampering with the process.

"Fine…" Quatre replied. Duo's mouth moved slightly, half-forming the same word. Heero watched in awe as Quatre and Duo settled into the same breathing pattern; Trowa, in fear. Midii couldn't help but stare at the display of Duo's vitals on her laptop.

"I don't believe it… It's actually working…" She jumped as the laptop beeped angrily at her, demanding her attention. She felt cold metal press against her neck and heard a low growl. She didn't need to turn around to see who it was, nor did she want to.

"Don't screw this up." Heero's low voice sent shivers down her spine. She risked a quick glance up to see what had happened, and instantly understood what had angered Heero so much.

Quatre had let go of Duo's hand, and had both of his own wrenched tightly in his hair, a look of sheer pain twisting his face. Duo was looking much the same, and both the boys' breathing had quickened to a frightening pace. Midii quickly went back to eradicating the virus. The relief Quatre felt was so great that he lost his balance, falling back onto Trowa. The impact forced the air out of his lungs, so he began breathing faster to replenish his supply of oxygen.

Heero nervously looked from Duo to Quatre. When the blond boy fell, he exhaled while Duo hadn't. Now, as Quatre's breathing became more frantic, the braided boy was hyperventilating. Each exhalation only released half the air in his lungs, while each violent breath pulled in more than he could hold.

Quatre began to panic as he realized this, unable to figure out how to fix the rapidly worsening problem. As the pain worsened, he twisted his hands in Trowa's shirt, Duo did the same with the sheets.

"Quatre, you have to calm down. If you relax, you can fix this." Quatre heard the words of his lover, but couldn't comply. It was too difficult. He couldn't help but panic at the pressure he could feel building up in Duo's chest, and his own inability to fill his lungs.

"I-I can't!" Quatre cried out loud before continuing to fight his body's need for oxygen. "Hurts… hurts…"

"Midii, stop it!" Trowa's anxiety increased as Quatre and Duo squirmed in place, twisting in ways he didn't think possible.

"I can't. I'm too far into it. If I stop now, it'll kill them both." All Midii could do was work faster. There was no hope in thinking she could complete it in time to save the boys. That was something they had to do on their own.

As a last resort, Heero came up beside the braided boy and struck him violently on the chest. Quatre gasped from the impact he felt, and desperately tried to catch his breath. This time, he succeeded.

Heero let out a slow shuddering sigh, running his hand through his bangs, and sat down on the edge of the bed. There had been too many close calls during this escapade. The sooner it was over, the better.

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

Himitsu growled, and began to rip the patches off of his skin. Nakushita stood up to help, wondering what was wrong.

"Damn it!" Himitsu didn't have the ability to stand upright, and leaned over on Nakushita as the helmet was taken off of him.

"What's wrong?"

"We're in trouble now…" Nakushita slowly lowered the blue haired man to the ground, then squatted down beside him. "We have to move faster. We're being followed."

"By who?"

"Our late teem mates…." Nakushita looked at his lover quizzically, but didn't need to voice his question. "We disobeyed strict orders by leaving our base without permission. I tapped into a radio signal, and they're after us. We're fugitives now…."

"Guess Midii was lucky to get out while she still had the chance…" Nakushita carefully placed the patches onto his own body, then turned to his lover. "How fast can this thing go?"

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

The next few fifteen minutes went by without any troubles. Quatre seemed to have fallen asleep in Trowa's arms, pressing up against him for warmth. Duo lay still on the bed, eyes open and unmoving, but he was breathing steadily. Midii continued to work, making sure the virus was leaving the way it should, not leaving anything out of place. At last, after what seemed like an eternity, she closed the laptop and looked up.

"It's finished." Trowa gently shook the blond Arabian awake. Quatre opened his eyes slightly and mumbled something, then shifted his weight slightly so he could see Duo.

The American sat up slowly and stretched, looking around the room. Heero was the first to ask what everyone was wondering. "How do you feel?"

Duo smiled and put a hand on his stomach. "I'm a little hungry, and the damn headache still hasn't gone away, but I think I'm fine." Quatre smiled at this and relaxed against Trowa.

"Oh good…" The words were barely loud enough to be heard. The boy was completely out of energy, and was having trouble moving his mouth to form the words he wished to speak.

"Hey, Q? Are you alright? I mean, I can still feel you in my head, so I was wondering…" Quatre's eyes shot open at the sound of his name. He looked very much like a rabbit in the middle of a room filled with people, scared to death because he didn't know what was going on. It took him a moment to process the question in his mind, and a minute more to find an appropriate response.

"I… I'm sorry… I-I'll fix that…" Quatre focused as hard as he could to separate himself from Duo's mind. He hadn't realized he was still there, and it was taking him a long time to find his way out. "I did…. I did it…" Quatre looked up at Trowa and smiled. "Trowa?" His smile faltered, and his eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm cold…" Trowa leaned over and gently kissed him on the forehead.

"You are cold… are you sure you're alright?" Quatre didn't respond. Trowa had a sinking feeling that he couldn't. He pulled back to look at the formerly blond boy. His eyes were closed, and his face passive. He looked like he was finally getting the rest he had needed. Words failed Trowa as he stared at his lover. Duo on the other hand…

"He's just exhausted. Right? I mean, something like that takes a lot out of you. He'll be fine. He'll wake up in a few hours, right? Right?" Everyone in the room wanted to believe it, and wished that that were the case.

"Quatre….."

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

"Damn it… we're surrounded…" Nakushita closed his free hand into a fist, angered that he didn't know how to fight in Ukiyo.

"Let them take us. Ukiyo's in no position to fight."

"I don't give a damn! Now tell me how to fire!" Ukiyo jerked slightly at Nakushita's last word. The two men watched on as the MS directly in front of them were blown to bits. The others immediately reacted, returning the fire. Nakushita screamed with pain as he felt shocks of electricity through his body. Himitsu vainly tried to tear the patches off before it could become any worse.

"I told you not to talk!" He was thrown off his feet as Ukiyo was hit again. Nakushita moaned in agony, but there was nothing Himitsu could do for him any more. The blue haired man lay on the floor, his head against the wall. A thin line of blood trickled down from his hairline, curving as it slowly moved down his cheek. Nakushita soon joined him in the world of unconsciousness, unable to withstand the electrical shocks to his head.

End of part 17

Mel: Gomen… I had to add some action from Himitsu and Nakushita. Otherwise, this chapter would have been out sooner. Oh, and for those of you who are raving mad at me, *grins* guess what, I didn't kill Duo! Just like I promised!

Tsuru: *sighs* Oi…

Mel: *glares at Tsuru* You know, you have been nothing but 5 letters on a piece of paper lately! Why don't you give me a hand writing for once?

Tsuru: *yawns, obviously bored* You never want to write when I'm around…

Mel: -_- I give up on her…

Tsuru: *smirks*