* * *
"Heero, what the hell is all that?!"
The computer screen flashed brightly as one line after another of information opened up under the heading "ZERO."
"I don't know."
"Maxwell, sit down. No one can see the screen with your fat head in the way!"
"Wufei, shut up!"
"You shut up!"
"Both of you shut up!!!"
Turning his trademark glare on them both, Heero returned to his computer monitor. This couldn't be right. Half of this information was medical in nature. He saw literally thousands of files that were designated med. Files, and it seemed each one had its own password.
"Damnit."
"What's wrong?"
"Didn't he tell you to shut up?"
"Wufei, I'm gonna tie this braid around your throat and send Sally a 'Dear John' letter in your name if you don't let me talk in peace, got it?!"
Heero smirked as Wufei snorted and turned away from the two situated by the computer. Duo was a pain in the ass sometimes, but when it came to Heero, he got even worse.
"Heero?"
Turning in his chair, he looked to his partner both in crime and in life. Neither one had slept in the last twelve hours, and it showed in the drooping bangs and falling sections of Duo's braid. Lightly, Heero brushed the bangs from his eyes and watched contentedly as Duo leaned into his touch.
"The files are half medical. I don't know how to read them. We'll have to take them back to the base. They're all password coded-each and every one. Whoever did this didn't want anyone getting into these files."
"Did you say medical files?" Heero broke his gaze from Duo's violet eyes and nodded to Wufei. "Are they something Sally could read?"
He nodded. "They seem to be standard medical files. I just don't have the medical training to know what's in them. Someone will need to crack the codes though; like I said, each one's different."
Duo shifted into his lap and swiveled the chair to look more closely at the files.
"Heero, not all of these are med. Files. What are the rest?"
Pulling Duo close, Heero nestled his chin on Duo's shoulder. It wasn't good.
"Their combat files."
"Combat files?"
"Yes, from the ZERO system."
"What do you mean, from the ZERO? I thought the only copy was in the Wing and Epyon, and both of those got blown up a long time ago."
Heero shook his head. "There were two more copies. One was loaded into Quatre's Gundam during the battle he had with Dorothy. The other was the one Dorothy used to battle him with. Since all of our copies were destroyed, the only other possibility is that her copy survived."
"But if those are the combat files, that means-"
"It means they know exactly how each of us fights. If what Dorothy said is true, and these children really are weapons.then they could have been created to kill us."
Duo shivered in his arms, and he wrapped them more securely around his partner. He didn't know what was going on, and the idea that these terrorists-that barely registered with Preventer Headquarters as being a priority at all-could have the ZERO combat files, had him very nervous, and Heero Yuy hated to be nervous.
* * *
Gently he brushed his hand along her small face. She was so tiny and far too thin. Her long curly hair was white with a hint of what would have been sunshine if not for the dull dead quality of it. Both the children were dirty-hair and bodies that looked as if they hadn't been washed in weeks. Quatre cringed, knowing from personal experienced what it felt like to be locked up and have no access to the baser comforts of a bathroom.
The little boy wasn't much better. Like the girl he was dirty, but he also had dark bruises that ran across his body that Quatre had not seen in the darkness of the room he'd rescued him from. Quatre couldn't help but wonder at the suffering he'd been through. The girl looked untouched, but the boy was riddled with healing bruises and scabs from some unknown source. Softly, he ran his hands over his little face that seemed, even in sleep, to remain hard and cold.
He heard the door open behind him and prepared for the lecture he knew he was going to receive.
"Quatre! What are you doing out of bed?" Duo was beside him in an instant, and with a firm grip, led him back towards the bed. A quick shake of his head gave his friend pause before settling on a compromise and maneuvering him into a chair by the children's bed.
Looking up, he saw Heero and Wufei drag three more chairs over before sitting in them; they both looked worried.
He'd fallen asleep about seven hours ago, and his throat and arm still hurt, but another round of morphine-in a lesser dose-had him at least able to move around even if he wasn't suppose to. His dreams had been silent, and he wasn't sure if it was due to his drug-induced state or the fact that the children finally thought they were safe.
Trowa, he knew, was down in the hangar, readying a transport to take them back to Earth. Until a few minutes ago, he hadn't known where the other pilots were, but now that they were here, he hoped to have a few of his questions answered.
"Duo-" he gasped, biting back the scream of pain and turning it into a cough. His throat was still raw; he'd been told that the heat from the smoke had actually blistered the inside. He didn't care; all that mattered were the children.
He felt a light brush against the link and knew Trowa was checking up on the pain he'd sensed. He smiled faintly when he sensed comfort and anticipation through the link; Trowa was coming to see him.
Still coughing a little he offered a weak nod to Duo and again motioned with his hands for pen and paper. Wufei got the suggestion and brought it to him immediately. Duo just smiled sheepishly. "I never was good at charades." Quatre just shook his head.
Quickly, and with his good hand, he scribbled down a message and handed it to Heero, who quickly read it.
"Yes, the file name worked. But every single file inside is individually coded. It's going to take a while until we can get at the information. I'm going to take it back with me to the base and let the tec.'s figure it out. Once they get their hands on it, we should have the information in a few days."
Quatre nodded, happy with the answer. He looked back to Duo and gestured to the children lying quietly asleep.
"Oh they're fine-just taking naps like good little kids. The doctors are worried about the boy's bruises, but under the circumstances it seems only logical that he'd be a little banged up. Besides that, they've done a surface scan and determined that besides being incredible dirty, and kinda smelly, they're fine. But I'm thinking bath time when we get back."
"Maxwell, show some consideration!"
"Have you smelled that kid? He reeks!"
Quatre tried to laugh, but it just hurt too much. Instead he watched Wufei and Duo fight it out while Heero tried to separate them. He couldn't help the raspy laugh that did escape his lips as Trowa walked through the door, just as Wufei managed to push Duo against it; effectively knocking both him and Duo over and into the hallway.
His throat had him coughing again, this time accompanied by dry heaves as he couldn't stop. Cool hands brushed against his heated skin, and he leaned into the touch.
"It's alright, Quatre, try to breathe normally. Here, drink this," a glass of water was lifted to his lips and he drank greedily from it when his coughing subsided for a moment. The liquid burned its way down but left a measure of relief in its wake, and Quatre was grateful. "That's it, Quatre, try and relax."
Nodding his head that he'd had enough, he tried to clear his throat as best he could before looking at Trowa and trying to smile.
"Aren't you suppose to be in bed?"
Quatre winced and offered Trowa a sheepish smile.
"Nope, not going to work. Let's get you back in bed." Strong arms helped him up, and together they moved towards the soft bed Quatre had abandoned in his search for the sleeping children.
When he was tucked in, Trowa leaned down and softly kissed him. "Sleep one more time for me, Quatre. When you wake up we should be on base, alright?" Quatre tried to nod, but a slight prick in his arm had him looking at a nurse he hadn't seen enter. He closed his eyes as a wave of drowsiness washed over him, Trowa's voice lulling him to sleep.
"It'll be alright, Quatre. The children are going to be fine; we'll get them home. Just rest."
Again he closed his eyes, and again he felt peace knowing that soon they'd be home, and he could finally care for the children.
* * *
Trowa watched his lover slip into sleep and then turned to address his friends.
"Did he ask about the files?"
Heero nodded. "I just told him that I'd found them, and they were encoded. He didn't seem surprised."
"Then he doesn't know about the ZERO combat data yet?"
"Not yet."
"Good. He doesn't need to worry about that right now." He knew he sounded commanding but reminded himself that the last thing Quatre needed right now was to be revisited by the ZERO. His lover had been through so much over the last two months-over the last five years really-and he couldn't see the value in worrying him when they themselves had no answers.
"We are going to tell him though, right?" Duo looked at him, half-worried that he'd say "No".
"Yes, but not now. Quatre's in a lot of pain due to his injuries, not to mention his concern about the children. Let's just get them all home and then worry about the rest when we've had a good look at it." They nodded at his logic, and he silently asked Quatre to forgive him for withholding information.
"How long until we can leave?" Wufei stood by the door, arms crossed. Space wasn't his favorite place, especially since Sally was still on Earth.
Trowa offered him a small smile. "They're loading the Angels onto a transport now. I came to get Quatre and the children loaded on as well. The doctors have to administer one more round of tranquilizers for the children, and then we'll be ready. An hour tops."
Wufei and the others nodded.
"I have to get back to the meeting room and copy the files for Zechs. I'll meet you at the launch pad in an hour."
"I'll go with you, Heero. While you're cleaning up the computer stuff, I'll get everyone's things from the barracks; we wouldn't want to be messy guests, now would we?" Smiling to himself, Duo and Heero left the med. lab.
"I'll tell Zechs about our departure. Are you going to be able to get them onto the transport?" Wufei looked on in concern as Trowa turned to look at both his lover and the two sleeping children.
"It shouldn't be too difficult. They're going to put them into medical transport pods for the trip; that way their vitals can be monitored. The pods aren't hard to move. I'll manage."
Wufei nodded and then turned to the door. "Let me know if you need any help." And then he was gone, leaving Trowa to turn back to Quatre.
Trowa hadn't wanted Quatre to even come on this mission, but he'd quickly figured out that there would be absolutely no stopping his beloved. These children had become an intricate part in Quatre's life, and Trowa found himself worrying about his lover more and more.
It seemed only logical to him that Quatre could easily confuse these children with his own hurt at not being allowed to have ones of his own. He knew the problem with the will often had Quatre wondering if he'd ever be able to have children with a clear conscience. He was fearful that his partner would push too hard and too fast with his own healing, trying to help these two children.
Quatre had only just recently conquered some of his more destructive demons, but he still went to sessions with Corinne everyday, trying to work through the others. He knew Quatre wasn't in danger of suicide anymore, but he also knew that he tended to over-extend himself while helping others, and he couldn't allow that to happen this time.
He'd expressed his concerns to Corinne before they'd left, but she'd seemed to think that after his joyous reunion with his niece Securra, Quatre was actually in better shape then ever before. She'd sympathized with his concern but had told him that at this point, Quatre seemed able to handle the mission.
That, however, was before Quatre had stupidly charged the base without sufficient back up and gotten hurt. Still fresh in his mind, the need to surround Quatre with a measure of control was still on the surface of his thoughts. His love usually called him the reckless one, but this mission had Quatre primed for the role.
Shaking himself from his thoughts, Trowa brushed a kiss over Quatre's forehead. Then, turning, he looked to the bed the two children were lying in and froze, stunned. A pair of impossibly clear green eyes looked at him, holding him in place with their intensity. The doctors had placed her at four years old, but her eyes seemed to hold infinite amounts of knowledge-far too much for a four year old girl.
Blinking his eyes, he broke the spell she had over him before taking a very slow and steady step towards her; she didn't react. Not wanting to scare her, Trowa moved cautiously, opening his hands to show they were empty. He watched her eyes drift from his hands back to his face; she was watching him closely without seeming to-like a panther and its prey.
Carefully, he knelt down before her bed, letting his own body become lower than hers; using an old lion trick to show that he was the submissive one. He dropped his eyes before looking back into her face.
The small thing hadn't moved a single muscle-only blinked her eyes, not daring to move or wanting to. Trowa found himself confused by her. It was as if she were in another world but occasionally stepped back into this one when something caught her attention. He decided to try where the others had not succeeded-he tried speaking to her.
Softly, "My name is Trowa. I know you're scared right now, but you don't have to be. The others and myself are going to take care of you. You're going to be alright."
Suddenly he saw her shift her eyes from him to behind him, and he turned following her gaze to Quatre's sleeping form. Remembering that the girl had not wanted to leave Quatre's side, he turned back and addressed her again.
"That's Quatre. He's the one who saved you from that awful room." Her eyes were back on him, focused this time, listening to his voice if not his words. "He was hurt when he saved you, but the doctors are taking care of him, just like they're taking care of you and your friend." He lifted his hand slowly, indicating the boy beside her. "Quatre's going to be ok, and so are the two of you. The doctors are going to come in a moment and give you something to help you sleep. When you wake up, Quatre should be awake as well, and we'll try to explain things a little better for you then. Don't worry, you're going to be just fine."
Carefully, he lifted his hand again, and slowly, so she could watch his movements, brought a finger to lightly caress her cheek. She closed her eyes at the contact, but made no move to either lean in or back away from the touch. Trowa took it as a neutral sign.
He heard the door open and saw one of the doctors step inside, followed by a nurse. The sound of shifting sheets caught his attention, and he turned back around to see that the little girl had turned away from him and was instead curled into the boy beside her. He watched in stunned fascination as the boy seemed to sense her presence and wrap a protective arm around her. It was such an adult act, but here it was being played out by a five and four year old.
Earlier when the boy had pulled the girl painfully behind him screaming at the others to leave them alone, Trowa had been certain that he was just in a panic, scared by so many people and new situations. But now as he looked at him, fully asleep, Trowa had to wonder whether it was panic or something far less normal.
"Mr. Barton, we're prepared to move Mr. Winner to the shuttle now." Trowa nodded and then moved to his lover's bedside.
Turning, he addressed the doctor. "The little girl is awake. Be gentle with her. She seems almost afraid." Nodding, the doctor retrieved a syringe and moved slowly towards the children's bed. He watched him lift an unresponsive hand and gently maneuver the tip of the needle into her arm. There was no flinch, no child-like cry of pain, just silence.
"Alright, Mr. Barton, we've given Mr. Winner the last round of sedatives and hooked up the last of the monitors." The nurse reached up and pulled the top of the medical transport pod down and over Quatre's body; the faint click and hiss of the seal letting him know the pod was functional.
He nodded his head and then looked over to the children. "I'll be back for them in a moment. Please have them ready as well." At her nod, he gripped the edge of the pod and pulled it from the room. He'd get Quatre's pod situated and then return for the other two. Then they'd go home and try to unravel the secrets of two very small, very hurt children.
* * *
Frustration wasn't even the right word, he was downright pissed. Struggling to open his eyes, he realized right away that he was drugged, the hazy feeling around his thoughts and senses alerting him to the obvious. He'd been at this for what seemed like forever, desperately trying to push the tranquilizers away so he could open his eyes; but he knew with heavy medication like he was on, it could have been seconds or hours.
He pushed against the darkness, searching for the link but finding nothing. Panic laced through him then, but his mind quieted it; Trowa couldn't reach him through the morphine.it was ok. But still he pressed forward, searching for a way out of his quiet and dark mind.
Around him, he could hear soft sounds, but they seemed to fly by or be too slow to understand. Nothing was helping, and Quatre was slowly working himself into another panic. He wanted out, and he wanted out now!
For a second he paused, recognizing a word from the jumble of sounds around him, but when the word didn't come again he continued his struggles. Then again the word jumped out, but he couldn't hear it, couldn't recognize it completely. He could hear his heartbeat all around him, and as the word continued to hover just out of his reach, he felt the vibrations of his heart drum faster.
Again and again, over and over, the beating of his heart continued to grow louder and stronger. He thought he heard the sound of a machine beeping, but he was too worried about the haziness, the sound of his heart, and the fact that he wanted to know what that damn word was. He continued to struggle.
"..qu.e.tr.e.tr.qua."
Then it dawned on him, someone was calling his name; at least that's what he thought it was. A sudden fear gripped him and it took him a moment to realize the voice that called him was not that of a child's. The children weren't calling for him. They were alright; Trowa had said he'd take care of them.
Deciding to let Trowa worry about the children for a moment, Quatre concentrated on pushing past the drugs and stepping into the real world.
"Quatre!"
A bright light flashed before him and he was opening his eyes. He saw Trowa leaning over him, his hands pressing him firmly into the mattress of the hospital bed. Duo and Heero were by his legs, and Sally was on the other side of Trowa, equally trying to hold him down. What was going on????
Slumping back, he released all the tension in his muscles and felt a rolling pain from his arm. He winced and bit back a cry.
The others let go of him, slowly as if afraid he'd try something. Quatre opened his eyes and turned towards Trowa, begging to understand what was going on.
"Quatre, can you hear me?"
Of course he could hear him, what kind of question was that? He nodded his head, remembering what had happened the last time he'd used his voice.
"You were fighting the drugs. They gave you too much on the barge. You couldn't wake up. Do you remember?" Trowa's voice was soft, concern now fluttered through the link.
He nodded again, trying to force the images of darkness from his mind.
"Jeez, Quatre! Next time we're not taking you any place!" Duo had moved up next to Trowa and offered him a huge smile.
Quatre closed his eyes and smiled back. He was out, thank Allah.
"Quatre, open your eyes for a minute. I need to check something." He did as Sally's voice instructed. Opening his eyes to a blinding flashlight being stuck right into them, he winced. "Didn't I tell you to open your eyes? Good, now follow the light.that's right.ok, now left.up..up..good. Ok, now open wide and say 'awwwwww'..good, good.great! Ok, blisters have gone down, but no tonsil hockey, you're still on the injured list." She winked at him, and Quatre had the decency to blush.
Trowa touched his nose and Quatre turned back to look at him. "Too bad. Guess we'll have to think up something else, hm?" Quatre tried to bury his head in the pillow.
Then Sally was vying for his attention again. "One more thing, Quatre. Does it hurt to breathe?" He shook his head. "Good, ok, I want you to repeat after me, we're going to test your vocal range and make sure there isn't any damage to your voice box. Say "aaaaaaa".ok, 'bbbbbb'.good, 'cccccccc'-yeah, that one usually hurts. I'm sorry, Trowa, stop looking at me like I'm your next target. I need to make sure he's ok. Now, Quatre let's continue, 'dddddddd'."
Through the alphabet they went, sounding every letter, until they reached the end. "Ok, now let's hear you try a simple sentence, ok?" He nodded. "Alright, repeat after me-'My name is Quatre.'"
His voice was raspy as if he had a terrible case of laryngitis. "My name is Quatre."
"Good, ok-'Trowa, is my friend."
He smiled looking at Trowa. "Trowa is my friend."
"Ok, that sounded ok. A little trouble with the 'w', but that's again to be expected. Let's try it again this time-'Wufei, is my friend.'"
"He can't say that! Wufei isn't his friend!"
"Duo no baka!"
"But Heero-*smack*-Hey! What was that for?!"
"Just shut up."
"Fine-see if you get any tonight."
Quatre couldn't help the laugh and was thankful when it only hurt a lot.
"Quatre?" Sally was waiting for him.
"Wufei is my friend."
Sally smiled.
"Oh, wait, I got one!" Duo's wildly frantic voice called attention to him, and Quatre looked at his best friend with a mixture of humor and dread. "Ok, Quatre, repeat after me-'Trowa is a sex god, and I will humbly worship him.' Now you try!"
Quatre shook his head and laughed. Leave it to Duo. But then Trowa was looking at him, a mock pout on his lips, and Quatre's eyes widened when he realized what was coming.
"You don't think I'm a sex god, Quatre?"
Again he was shaking his head and laughing, not truly believing that Trowa had actually asked that question. It was times like these that Quatre really saw the changes in their relationship.
Knowing his voice was raspy and therefore much deeper, Quatre batted his eyes at Trowa. "You'll always be my sex god, Trowa." He laughed as Duo whooped it up, and Trowa just ran a light hand over his face, giving him a wink.
"Alright, no more of that! He's supposed to be resting! Duo, Heero, don't you have somewhere else to be? I have to attend to my patient."
Taking the out, Heero grabbed Duo's arm and pulled him from the room, smiling and trying not to laugh the whole way. Sally shook her head and then turned her attention back to him.
"How bad's the pain?"
He shook his head, indicating that it was fine. It was a lie, but hopefully this way he wouldn't have to take any more medication.
But Sally wasn't born yesterday, and the completely disbelieving look she gave him let him know in no uncertain terms that she knew he was lying. "Ok, for real this time."
Knowing he was caught, he lifted his uninjured hand and separated his index finger and thumb about a half an inch.
"Uh..." She drew the sound out, letting him know again that he'd been caught.
Trowa's hand suddenly took his, and he turned his head slowly, knowing Trowa would not be happy that he was lying about the pain. He was right.
Stern eyes glared down at him, and Quatre felt like a reprimanded child. Then he remembered the children.
Taking his hand from Trowa's, he addressed his lover. "The children?" Again his voice was scratchy, and he winced at the pain from too much talking.
But Trowa just shook his head. "How much does it hurt, really?"
He managed to look annoyed before he decided it would just be faster to tell the truth and find out about the children. Knowing he was going to be in a lot of trouble, he answered the question with his eyes closed.
"A lot."
"Quatre! Why didn't you say something sooner-like before I had you perform the alphabet in twenty minutes or less?! You ridiculous-never mind! What hurts more, your arm or your throat?"
"Throat."
"And exactly how much does your arm hurt?"
He looked at her sheepishly. "A lot."
"Good God-no wonder you all drive Wufei mad!!" Turning around, Sally reached for a vial of clear liquid and plunged a syringe into the rubber top. Quatre was protesting in a second.
"No, Sally, please!"
"Quatre!"
"I-I don't-want anymore."
Cool hands again drifted to his face, and Trowa gently tugged until he was looking at him again.
"I thought you wanted to hear about the children?"
Nodding his head he looked to his partner expectantly, happy that the problem of a drug induced stupor was over.
"They're fine and still sleeping. The girl woke up before we got you all onto the transport, but I spoke to her for a little while and she seemed.alright. The boy has not yet awoken. Heero sent the data files to the tech.'s, and they're currently decoding each file. Last time I heard they were about ten percent through. Beyond that, we don't know anything else. Satisfied?"
Quatre closed his eyes, relief washing through him. The kids were still alright. A sudden prick on his injured arm had his eyes wide and staring at the syringe slowly emptying its contents into his arm. He looked up at Sally, a stunned expression on his face. She'd hit him with another dose of morphine!
"Just relax, Quatre. This isn't too much. You'll be fine. Actually, you're just going to float for a while." Her voice was calm. He wasn't.
He swung his head around to look at Trowa, sending accusations through the link. He watched Trowa visibly flinch. "You're going to be ok, Quatre. I'm going to stay right here. Don't worry."
And then the dizziness was washing over him again, and he was fighting to stay afloat.
"Don't fight it, Quatre."
Oh, he hated this part!
"Heero, what the hell is all that?!"
The computer screen flashed brightly as one line after another of information opened up under the heading "ZERO."
"I don't know."
"Maxwell, sit down. No one can see the screen with your fat head in the way!"
"Wufei, shut up!"
"You shut up!"
"Both of you shut up!!!"
Turning his trademark glare on them both, Heero returned to his computer monitor. This couldn't be right. Half of this information was medical in nature. He saw literally thousands of files that were designated med. Files, and it seemed each one had its own password.
"Damnit."
"What's wrong?"
"Didn't he tell you to shut up?"
"Wufei, I'm gonna tie this braid around your throat and send Sally a 'Dear John' letter in your name if you don't let me talk in peace, got it?!"
Heero smirked as Wufei snorted and turned away from the two situated by the computer. Duo was a pain in the ass sometimes, but when it came to Heero, he got even worse.
"Heero?"
Turning in his chair, he looked to his partner both in crime and in life. Neither one had slept in the last twelve hours, and it showed in the drooping bangs and falling sections of Duo's braid. Lightly, Heero brushed the bangs from his eyes and watched contentedly as Duo leaned into his touch.
"The files are half medical. I don't know how to read them. We'll have to take them back to the base. They're all password coded-each and every one. Whoever did this didn't want anyone getting into these files."
"Did you say medical files?" Heero broke his gaze from Duo's violet eyes and nodded to Wufei. "Are they something Sally could read?"
He nodded. "They seem to be standard medical files. I just don't have the medical training to know what's in them. Someone will need to crack the codes though; like I said, each one's different."
Duo shifted into his lap and swiveled the chair to look more closely at the files.
"Heero, not all of these are med. Files. What are the rest?"
Pulling Duo close, Heero nestled his chin on Duo's shoulder. It wasn't good.
"Their combat files."
"Combat files?"
"Yes, from the ZERO system."
"What do you mean, from the ZERO? I thought the only copy was in the Wing and Epyon, and both of those got blown up a long time ago."
Heero shook his head. "There were two more copies. One was loaded into Quatre's Gundam during the battle he had with Dorothy. The other was the one Dorothy used to battle him with. Since all of our copies were destroyed, the only other possibility is that her copy survived."
"But if those are the combat files, that means-"
"It means they know exactly how each of us fights. If what Dorothy said is true, and these children really are weapons.then they could have been created to kill us."
Duo shivered in his arms, and he wrapped them more securely around his partner. He didn't know what was going on, and the idea that these terrorists-that barely registered with Preventer Headquarters as being a priority at all-could have the ZERO combat files, had him very nervous, and Heero Yuy hated to be nervous.
* * *
Gently he brushed his hand along her small face. She was so tiny and far too thin. Her long curly hair was white with a hint of what would have been sunshine if not for the dull dead quality of it. Both the children were dirty-hair and bodies that looked as if they hadn't been washed in weeks. Quatre cringed, knowing from personal experienced what it felt like to be locked up and have no access to the baser comforts of a bathroom.
The little boy wasn't much better. Like the girl he was dirty, but he also had dark bruises that ran across his body that Quatre had not seen in the darkness of the room he'd rescued him from. Quatre couldn't help but wonder at the suffering he'd been through. The girl looked untouched, but the boy was riddled with healing bruises and scabs from some unknown source. Softly, he ran his hands over his little face that seemed, even in sleep, to remain hard and cold.
He heard the door open behind him and prepared for the lecture he knew he was going to receive.
"Quatre! What are you doing out of bed?" Duo was beside him in an instant, and with a firm grip, led him back towards the bed. A quick shake of his head gave his friend pause before settling on a compromise and maneuvering him into a chair by the children's bed.
Looking up, he saw Heero and Wufei drag three more chairs over before sitting in them; they both looked worried.
He'd fallen asleep about seven hours ago, and his throat and arm still hurt, but another round of morphine-in a lesser dose-had him at least able to move around even if he wasn't suppose to. His dreams had been silent, and he wasn't sure if it was due to his drug-induced state or the fact that the children finally thought they were safe.
Trowa, he knew, was down in the hangar, readying a transport to take them back to Earth. Until a few minutes ago, he hadn't known where the other pilots were, but now that they were here, he hoped to have a few of his questions answered.
"Duo-" he gasped, biting back the scream of pain and turning it into a cough. His throat was still raw; he'd been told that the heat from the smoke had actually blistered the inside. He didn't care; all that mattered were the children.
He felt a light brush against the link and knew Trowa was checking up on the pain he'd sensed. He smiled faintly when he sensed comfort and anticipation through the link; Trowa was coming to see him.
Still coughing a little he offered a weak nod to Duo and again motioned with his hands for pen and paper. Wufei got the suggestion and brought it to him immediately. Duo just smiled sheepishly. "I never was good at charades." Quatre just shook his head.
Quickly, and with his good hand, he scribbled down a message and handed it to Heero, who quickly read it.
"Yes, the file name worked. But every single file inside is individually coded. It's going to take a while until we can get at the information. I'm going to take it back with me to the base and let the tec.'s figure it out. Once they get their hands on it, we should have the information in a few days."
Quatre nodded, happy with the answer. He looked back to Duo and gestured to the children lying quietly asleep.
"Oh they're fine-just taking naps like good little kids. The doctors are worried about the boy's bruises, but under the circumstances it seems only logical that he'd be a little banged up. Besides that, they've done a surface scan and determined that besides being incredible dirty, and kinda smelly, they're fine. But I'm thinking bath time when we get back."
"Maxwell, show some consideration!"
"Have you smelled that kid? He reeks!"
Quatre tried to laugh, but it just hurt too much. Instead he watched Wufei and Duo fight it out while Heero tried to separate them. He couldn't help the raspy laugh that did escape his lips as Trowa walked through the door, just as Wufei managed to push Duo against it; effectively knocking both him and Duo over and into the hallway.
His throat had him coughing again, this time accompanied by dry heaves as he couldn't stop. Cool hands brushed against his heated skin, and he leaned into the touch.
"It's alright, Quatre, try to breathe normally. Here, drink this," a glass of water was lifted to his lips and he drank greedily from it when his coughing subsided for a moment. The liquid burned its way down but left a measure of relief in its wake, and Quatre was grateful. "That's it, Quatre, try and relax."
Nodding his head that he'd had enough, he tried to clear his throat as best he could before looking at Trowa and trying to smile.
"Aren't you suppose to be in bed?"
Quatre winced and offered Trowa a sheepish smile.
"Nope, not going to work. Let's get you back in bed." Strong arms helped him up, and together they moved towards the soft bed Quatre had abandoned in his search for the sleeping children.
When he was tucked in, Trowa leaned down and softly kissed him. "Sleep one more time for me, Quatre. When you wake up we should be on base, alright?" Quatre tried to nod, but a slight prick in his arm had him looking at a nurse he hadn't seen enter. He closed his eyes as a wave of drowsiness washed over him, Trowa's voice lulling him to sleep.
"It'll be alright, Quatre. The children are going to be fine; we'll get them home. Just rest."
Again he closed his eyes, and again he felt peace knowing that soon they'd be home, and he could finally care for the children.
* * *
Trowa watched his lover slip into sleep and then turned to address his friends.
"Did he ask about the files?"
Heero nodded. "I just told him that I'd found them, and they were encoded. He didn't seem surprised."
"Then he doesn't know about the ZERO combat data yet?"
"Not yet."
"Good. He doesn't need to worry about that right now." He knew he sounded commanding but reminded himself that the last thing Quatre needed right now was to be revisited by the ZERO. His lover had been through so much over the last two months-over the last five years really-and he couldn't see the value in worrying him when they themselves had no answers.
"We are going to tell him though, right?" Duo looked at him, half-worried that he'd say "No".
"Yes, but not now. Quatre's in a lot of pain due to his injuries, not to mention his concern about the children. Let's just get them all home and then worry about the rest when we've had a good look at it." They nodded at his logic, and he silently asked Quatre to forgive him for withholding information.
"How long until we can leave?" Wufei stood by the door, arms crossed. Space wasn't his favorite place, especially since Sally was still on Earth.
Trowa offered him a small smile. "They're loading the Angels onto a transport now. I came to get Quatre and the children loaded on as well. The doctors have to administer one more round of tranquilizers for the children, and then we'll be ready. An hour tops."
Wufei and the others nodded.
"I have to get back to the meeting room and copy the files for Zechs. I'll meet you at the launch pad in an hour."
"I'll go with you, Heero. While you're cleaning up the computer stuff, I'll get everyone's things from the barracks; we wouldn't want to be messy guests, now would we?" Smiling to himself, Duo and Heero left the med. lab.
"I'll tell Zechs about our departure. Are you going to be able to get them onto the transport?" Wufei looked on in concern as Trowa turned to look at both his lover and the two sleeping children.
"It shouldn't be too difficult. They're going to put them into medical transport pods for the trip; that way their vitals can be monitored. The pods aren't hard to move. I'll manage."
Wufei nodded and then turned to the door. "Let me know if you need any help." And then he was gone, leaving Trowa to turn back to Quatre.
Trowa hadn't wanted Quatre to even come on this mission, but he'd quickly figured out that there would be absolutely no stopping his beloved. These children had become an intricate part in Quatre's life, and Trowa found himself worrying about his lover more and more.
It seemed only logical to him that Quatre could easily confuse these children with his own hurt at not being allowed to have ones of his own. He knew the problem with the will often had Quatre wondering if he'd ever be able to have children with a clear conscience. He was fearful that his partner would push too hard and too fast with his own healing, trying to help these two children.
Quatre had only just recently conquered some of his more destructive demons, but he still went to sessions with Corinne everyday, trying to work through the others. He knew Quatre wasn't in danger of suicide anymore, but he also knew that he tended to over-extend himself while helping others, and he couldn't allow that to happen this time.
He'd expressed his concerns to Corinne before they'd left, but she'd seemed to think that after his joyous reunion with his niece Securra, Quatre was actually in better shape then ever before. She'd sympathized with his concern but had told him that at this point, Quatre seemed able to handle the mission.
That, however, was before Quatre had stupidly charged the base without sufficient back up and gotten hurt. Still fresh in his mind, the need to surround Quatre with a measure of control was still on the surface of his thoughts. His love usually called him the reckless one, but this mission had Quatre primed for the role.
Shaking himself from his thoughts, Trowa brushed a kiss over Quatre's forehead. Then, turning, he looked to the bed the two children were lying in and froze, stunned. A pair of impossibly clear green eyes looked at him, holding him in place with their intensity. The doctors had placed her at four years old, but her eyes seemed to hold infinite amounts of knowledge-far too much for a four year old girl.
Blinking his eyes, he broke the spell she had over him before taking a very slow and steady step towards her; she didn't react. Not wanting to scare her, Trowa moved cautiously, opening his hands to show they were empty. He watched her eyes drift from his hands back to his face; she was watching him closely without seeming to-like a panther and its prey.
Carefully, he knelt down before her bed, letting his own body become lower than hers; using an old lion trick to show that he was the submissive one. He dropped his eyes before looking back into her face.
The small thing hadn't moved a single muscle-only blinked her eyes, not daring to move or wanting to. Trowa found himself confused by her. It was as if she were in another world but occasionally stepped back into this one when something caught her attention. He decided to try where the others had not succeeded-he tried speaking to her.
Softly, "My name is Trowa. I know you're scared right now, but you don't have to be. The others and myself are going to take care of you. You're going to be alright."
Suddenly he saw her shift her eyes from him to behind him, and he turned following her gaze to Quatre's sleeping form. Remembering that the girl had not wanted to leave Quatre's side, he turned back and addressed her again.
"That's Quatre. He's the one who saved you from that awful room." Her eyes were back on him, focused this time, listening to his voice if not his words. "He was hurt when he saved you, but the doctors are taking care of him, just like they're taking care of you and your friend." He lifted his hand slowly, indicating the boy beside her. "Quatre's going to be ok, and so are the two of you. The doctors are going to come in a moment and give you something to help you sleep. When you wake up, Quatre should be awake as well, and we'll try to explain things a little better for you then. Don't worry, you're going to be just fine."
Carefully, he lifted his hand again, and slowly, so she could watch his movements, brought a finger to lightly caress her cheek. She closed her eyes at the contact, but made no move to either lean in or back away from the touch. Trowa took it as a neutral sign.
He heard the door open and saw one of the doctors step inside, followed by a nurse. The sound of shifting sheets caught his attention, and he turned back around to see that the little girl had turned away from him and was instead curled into the boy beside her. He watched in stunned fascination as the boy seemed to sense her presence and wrap a protective arm around her. It was such an adult act, but here it was being played out by a five and four year old.
Earlier when the boy had pulled the girl painfully behind him screaming at the others to leave them alone, Trowa had been certain that he was just in a panic, scared by so many people and new situations. But now as he looked at him, fully asleep, Trowa had to wonder whether it was panic or something far less normal.
"Mr. Barton, we're prepared to move Mr. Winner to the shuttle now." Trowa nodded and then moved to his lover's bedside.
Turning, he addressed the doctor. "The little girl is awake. Be gentle with her. She seems almost afraid." Nodding, the doctor retrieved a syringe and moved slowly towards the children's bed. He watched him lift an unresponsive hand and gently maneuver the tip of the needle into her arm. There was no flinch, no child-like cry of pain, just silence.
"Alright, Mr. Barton, we've given Mr. Winner the last round of sedatives and hooked up the last of the monitors." The nurse reached up and pulled the top of the medical transport pod down and over Quatre's body; the faint click and hiss of the seal letting him know the pod was functional.
He nodded his head and then looked over to the children. "I'll be back for them in a moment. Please have them ready as well." At her nod, he gripped the edge of the pod and pulled it from the room. He'd get Quatre's pod situated and then return for the other two. Then they'd go home and try to unravel the secrets of two very small, very hurt children.
* * *
Frustration wasn't even the right word, he was downright pissed. Struggling to open his eyes, he realized right away that he was drugged, the hazy feeling around his thoughts and senses alerting him to the obvious. He'd been at this for what seemed like forever, desperately trying to push the tranquilizers away so he could open his eyes; but he knew with heavy medication like he was on, it could have been seconds or hours.
He pushed against the darkness, searching for the link but finding nothing. Panic laced through him then, but his mind quieted it; Trowa couldn't reach him through the morphine.it was ok. But still he pressed forward, searching for a way out of his quiet and dark mind.
Around him, he could hear soft sounds, but they seemed to fly by or be too slow to understand. Nothing was helping, and Quatre was slowly working himself into another panic. He wanted out, and he wanted out now!
For a second he paused, recognizing a word from the jumble of sounds around him, but when the word didn't come again he continued his struggles. Then again the word jumped out, but he couldn't hear it, couldn't recognize it completely. He could hear his heartbeat all around him, and as the word continued to hover just out of his reach, he felt the vibrations of his heart drum faster.
Again and again, over and over, the beating of his heart continued to grow louder and stronger. He thought he heard the sound of a machine beeping, but he was too worried about the haziness, the sound of his heart, and the fact that he wanted to know what that damn word was. He continued to struggle.
"..qu.e.tr.e.tr.qua."
Then it dawned on him, someone was calling his name; at least that's what he thought it was. A sudden fear gripped him and it took him a moment to realize the voice that called him was not that of a child's. The children weren't calling for him. They were alright; Trowa had said he'd take care of them.
Deciding to let Trowa worry about the children for a moment, Quatre concentrated on pushing past the drugs and stepping into the real world.
"Quatre!"
A bright light flashed before him and he was opening his eyes. He saw Trowa leaning over him, his hands pressing him firmly into the mattress of the hospital bed. Duo and Heero were by his legs, and Sally was on the other side of Trowa, equally trying to hold him down. What was going on????
Slumping back, he released all the tension in his muscles and felt a rolling pain from his arm. He winced and bit back a cry.
The others let go of him, slowly as if afraid he'd try something. Quatre opened his eyes and turned towards Trowa, begging to understand what was going on.
"Quatre, can you hear me?"
Of course he could hear him, what kind of question was that? He nodded his head, remembering what had happened the last time he'd used his voice.
"You were fighting the drugs. They gave you too much on the barge. You couldn't wake up. Do you remember?" Trowa's voice was soft, concern now fluttered through the link.
He nodded again, trying to force the images of darkness from his mind.
"Jeez, Quatre! Next time we're not taking you any place!" Duo had moved up next to Trowa and offered him a huge smile.
Quatre closed his eyes and smiled back. He was out, thank Allah.
"Quatre, open your eyes for a minute. I need to check something." He did as Sally's voice instructed. Opening his eyes to a blinding flashlight being stuck right into them, he winced. "Didn't I tell you to open your eyes? Good, now follow the light.that's right.ok, now left.up..up..good. Ok, now open wide and say 'awwwwww'..good, good.great! Ok, blisters have gone down, but no tonsil hockey, you're still on the injured list." She winked at him, and Quatre had the decency to blush.
Trowa touched his nose and Quatre turned back to look at him. "Too bad. Guess we'll have to think up something else, hm?" Quatre tried to bury his head in the pillow.
Then Sally was vying for his attention again. "One more thing, Quatre. Does it hurt to breathe?" He shook his head. "Good, ok, I want you to repeat after me, we're going to test your vocal range and make sure there isn't any damage to your voice box. Say "aaaaaaa".ok, 'bbbbbb'.good, 'cccccccc'-yeah, that one usually hurts. I'm sorry, Trowa, stop looking at me like I'm your next target. I need to make sure he's ok. Now, Quatre let's continue, 'dddddddd'."
Through the alphabet they went, sounding every letter, until they reached the end. "Ok, now let's hear you try a simple sentence, ok?" He nodded. "Alright, repeat after me-'My name is Quatre.'"
His voice was raspy as if he had a terrible case of laryngitis. "My name is Quatre."
"Good, ok-'Trowa, is my friend."
He smiled looking at Trowa. "Trowa is my friend."
"Ok, that sounded ok. A little trouble with the 'w', but that's again to be expected. Let's try it again this time-'Wufei, is my friend.'"
"He can't say that! Wufei isn't his friend!"
"Duo no baka!"
"But Heero-*smack*-Hey! What was that for?!"
"Just shut up."
"Fine-see if you get any tonight."
Quatre couldn't help the laugh and was thankful when it only hurt a lot.
"Quatre?" Sally was waiting for him.
"Wufei is my friend."
Sally smiled.
"Oh, wait, I got one!" Duo's wildly frantic voice called attention to him, and Quatre looked at his best friend with a mixture of humor and dread. "Ok, Quatre, repeat after me-'Trowa is a sex god, and I will humbly worship him.' Now you try!"
Quatre shook his head and laughed. Leave it to Duo. But then Trowa was looking at him, a mock pout on his lips, and Quatre's eyes widened when he realized what was coming.
"You don't think I'm a sex god, Quatre?"
Again he was shaking his head and laughing, not truly believing that Trowa had actually asked that question. It was times like these that Quatre really saw the changes in their relationship.
Knowing his voice was raspy and therefore much deeper, Quatre batted his eyes at Trowa. "You'll always be my sex god, Trowa." He laughed as Duo whooped it up, and Trowa just ran a light hand over his face, giving him a wink.
"Alright, no more of that! He's supposed to be resting! Duo, Heero, don't you have somewhere else to be? I have to attend to my patient."
Taking the out, Heero grabbed Duo's arm and pulled him from the room, smiling and trying not to laugh the whole way. Sally shook her head and then turned her attention back to him.
"How bad's the pain?"
He shook his head, indicating that it was fine. It was a lie, but hopefully this way he wouldn't have to take any more medication.
But Sally wasn't born yesterday, and the completely disbelieving look she gave him let him know in no uncertain terms that she knew he was lying. "Ok, for real this time."
Knowing he was caught, he lifted his uninjured hand and separated his index finger and thumb about a half an inch.
"Uh..." She drew the sound out, letting him know again that he'd been caught.
Trowa's hand suddenly took his, and he turned his head slowly, knowing Trowa would not be happy that he was lying about the pain. He was right.
Stern eyes glared down at him, and Quatre felt like a reprimanded child. Then he remembered the children.
Taking his hand from Trowa's, he addressed his lover. "The children?" Again his voice was scratchy, and he winced at the pain from too much talking.
But Trowa just shook his head. "How much does it hurt, really?"
He managed to look annoyed before he decided it would just be faster to tell the truth and find out about the children. Knowing he was going to be in a lot of trouble, he answered the question with his eyes closed.
"A lot."
"Quatre! Why didn't you say something sooner-like before I had you perform the alphabet in twenty minutes or less?! You ridiculous-never mind! What hurts more, your arm or your throat?"
"Throat."
"And exactly how much does your arm hurt?"
He looked at her sheepishly. "A lot."
"Good God-no wonder you all drive Wufei mad!!" Turning around, Sally reached for a vial of clear liquid and plunged a syringe into the rubber top. Quatre was protesting in a second.
"No, Sally, please!"
"Quatre!"
"I-I don't-want anymore."
Cool hands again drifted to his face, and Trowa gently tugged until he was looking at him again.
"I thought you wanted to hear about the children?"
Nodding his head he looked to his partner expectantly, happy that the problem of a drug induced stupor was over.
"They're fine and still sleeping. The girl woke up before we got you all onto the transport, but I spoke to her for a little while and she seemed.alright. The boy has not yet awoken. Heero sent the data files to the tech.'s, and they're currently decoding each file. Last time I heard they were about ten percent through. Beyond that, we don't know anything else. Satisfied?"
Quatre closed his eyes, relief washing through him. The kids were still alright. A sudden prick on his injured arm had his eyes wide and staring at the syringe slowly emptying its contents into his arm. He looked up at Sally, a stunned expression on his face. She'd hit him with another dose of morphine!
"Just relax, Quatre. This isn't too much. You'll be fine. Actually, you're just going to float for a while." Her voice was calm. He wasn't.
He swung his head around to look at Trowa, sending accusations through the link. He watched Trowa visibly flinch. "You're going to be ok, Quatre. I'm going to stay right here. Don't worry."
And then the dizziness was washing over him again, and he was fighting to stay afloat.
"Don't fight it, Quatre."
Oh, he hated this part!