Duo clambered down the tree. He paused on the bottom branch, eyeing the soldiers right underneath him. They were muttering something amongst them. The one with the computer spoke, "I don't understand it. We're right on top of it…"

"Well, where is it then?" asked another irate soldier.

While they were distracted, Duo leapt off the branch. He landed, knees bent, in front of them before straightening up and sprinting off as fast as his lithe body would allow him.

A chorus of curses and shouts rang out behind him and the soldiers gave chase.

"There it goes! Don't let it get away!"

What's with all this 'it' business? he wondered. I'm a 'him', not an 'it'.

But he gave over all his concentration to running. He was able to gain a decent lead easily. He sprinted down the forest paths.

It wasn't until it was too late that he realised he had run a large loop in the forest paths and was now coming back up on the clearing where the rest of the Oz soldiers were waiting. But he couldn't stop or turn back…

Wufei limped back the quick way to the clearing. An almighty explosion filled the air as he reached it. He flung his arms up in front of his face to try and hold off the shrapnel. The sound of battle tore the air apart. Wing, Heavyarms and Sandrock had returned from their mission. The extremely surprised Oz soldiers were being wiped out easily. Two of the three MS were already in pieces on the forest floor. Wufei looked around. He couldn't see Duo anywhere. No, wait…over there!

Duo had skidded to a halt on the edge of the clearing when the first explosion came. He too had flung up his arms to protect his face. He saw the battle unfolding in the clearing in less than a second before he was seized from behind by two of the soldiers. Then he was on the ground with the wind completely knocked out of him. There was someone kneeling on his back and the muzzle of a gun was pressed against the back of his neck.

"You little brat!" one of the soldiers cursed. "Don't you even dare breathe out of turn or, so help me, I'll bloody well make you regret it."

"Nice to meet you too," Duo mumbled to the vexed soldier.

He was hauled to his feet roughly. The soldiers endeavored to keep a hold of him, but he struggled violently. He broke their grip for a moment and tried to run, but they grabbed a hold of his braid.

"Itai!" Duo shouted. They got a better hold of him by his arms. He still tried to fight them off.

"Keep a tight hold of it!" one of the other soldiers said.

They started to drag him away down the path to an armored jeep parked some way away.

Heero dispatched of the last mobile suit with much satisfaction. He had been surprised and concerned to return to a full Oz platoon waiting outside his front door, so to speak. But they were no match for the Gundam pilots.

The smoke started to clear and something caught his attention on the view screen. It was Wufei, limping out onto the battlefield, dirty and looking beaten about, but with a look of fierce determination on his face as he looked up at Wing.

"Yuy!" he cried. "Quick, they've got Duo! They're dragging him off into the forest!"

It only took a split second for the Perfect Soldier's mind to assimilate the information. It was his heart, however, that told him to leap into action. He opened the cockpit door and jumped to the ground. He ran off in the direction Wufei indicated.

"Let me go you sons of bitches!" Duo cried, once more making a valiant effort to break away from the grip of the two soldiers. He could no longer see the clearing. He half-suspected that this would be the end of him. But they want me alive…why?

"One more peep out of you, laboratory screw-up, and you'll be on the business end of this gun butt," one of the soldiers warned whilst hoisting Duo along.

Suddenly, the grip on Duo's left arm disappeared as one of the soldiers dropped to the ground, dead. Duo and his captor turned around.

"Let him go." Heero did not need to shout for his words to be registered.

The soldier was strong and tall. He clamped his arm around Duo's waist and held him tight and Duo could not struggle. He pressed the muzzle of his pistol to Duo's neck.

Duo barely registered the crushing grip about his abdomen or the cold metal pressed against his throat. Heero had come after him…not Quatre, not Trowa, not Wufei, not a combination. Heero…

"Keep back, kid," the soldier said solemnly. "I'm serious."

Duo noticed that the muzzle was shaking slightly against his skin. The man was scared. He was all by himself and at that present moment in time a very solemn looking young Japanese man was aiming a gun with deadly precision at his head. All he had to do was keep a tight hold of the boy in his grasp and he'd be ok.

"I repeat," Heero said. "Let him go. Now."

Heero met Duo's eyes. The moment in time seemed to freeze. Something passed between them. Duo was unable to bring himself to speak, but words were not needed. But then doubt overshadowed Heero's eyes. Duo glanced away.

"It's not getting away from me, kid," the soldier said. "Just let us go and I won't damage it."

Duo slowly eased his arm forward, then thrust his elbow back sharply into the man's stomach. The man gasped and his grip loosened. Duo broke the grip and ran to Heero. The Japanese boy took the American's hand and pulled him behind his back protectively. He stood in between the longhaired pilot and his would-be kidnapper. Duo relished in the feel of Heero's hand clutching his protectively.

He peered over Heero's shoulder. The man was just recovering his breath and straightening up. Heero still held his gun firmly.

"Now git," Heero said, calmly. "Quickly, before I change my mind."

The soldier complied. He was soon out of sight.

Heero turned to face Duo. They were standing close together. Was that relief that Duo saw in those cobalt depths?

"Duo? Daijoobu desu ka?" he asked, almost tenderly. He still had a strong grip on Duo's fingers.

"Hai," Duo said softly, gazing into Heero's eyes.

Heero pulled the other boy into a possessive and fairly emotional embrace. Duo hugged him back. Tears came to his eyes. He forgot about Relena, he forgot about all the mysteries that had been tearing him apart. Heero cared, he really cared.

"I'm glad you're safe," the words came from Heero's lips awkwardly, but the fact that they came at all was more than enough for Duo.

"Arigatou, Heero," Duo mumbled softly. "For saving me."

Heero pulled away and nodded. He did not smile, but his face had softened in an almost imperceptible way. He did not let go of Duo's hand as they walked back to the clearing together.
When they got back to the clearing, the other three were all standing there, clustered around something. As Heero and Duo got closer Duo saw it was the small computer one of the soldiers had been holding.

"Hey look," said Quatre pointing to the screen. "It's moving."

"It's moving straight towards us," observed Trowa.

"Hey, what's that?" asked Duo walking up to them.

They all looked up from the screen and straight at Duo.

"What?" he asked, slightly concerned.

Heero looked at the computer. "A tracking device?" He looked up at Duo. "Duo, move around a bit."

"Nani?"

"Just do it,"

Duo, feeling slightly foolish, walked up and down in total bewilderment.

"It is him, look," said Wufei. He was pointing at a dot on the screen that moved in unison with Duo. "This is how they were able to find him so quickly. They've stuck a homing device in him somewhere."

"They what?!" Duo squeaked. "Where is it? Where have they put it?" he patted his chest, his legs, fiddled with his hair.

Heero took the computer and walked up to Duo with it. "Hold still." Duo complied. He moved the computer around a bit, seeing how the coloured dot on the screen moved in relation to Duo. The others came forward to watch. "It's in your hand, Duo," Heero stated.

Duo frowned and lifted his hand up to inspect it. He ran his fingers over the back of it. "Yes, here it is," Duo could feel a small bump in the skin on the back of his hand. "Ewww, that is just so gross! They've stuck a computer chip in the back of my hand!"

"We've gotta get it out," said Quatre. "They may have more tracking devices."

Heero got out his penknife.

"Oh no you don't Yuy!" Duo said backing off. "You're not coming anywhere near me with that thing!"

"Duo, hold still,"

"It's almost dark," Duo protested. "You won't be able to see what you're doing! Can we wait until morning…preferably when I'm within dashing distance of a large supply off sedatives."

"Duo," Heero insisted. "They'll find us again by morning."

"You killed them all!" Duo pointed out. "There's no one left from the base to come after me."

"Other ozzies might have similar devices that you might show up on," Wufei observed. Duo could almost swear Wufei was enjoying this.

Heero made a grab at Duo's hand while he was distracted. Duo started to protest but caught Heero's gaze. He was solemn if not slightly scared. "Duo, I don't want to hurt you," he said softly. "I really don't want to cause you pain, but what I want even less is for them to be able to take you back…now look in the other direction."

Duo paused for a second. He stopped trying to pull his hand away. He screwed up his courage, clenched his eyes and teeth and looked away. Heero momentarily marveled at the smoothness of Duo's hand. He ran his fingers over it to find where the chip was. It would be easy enough to get out, but it was going to hurt.

Duo bit down a cry of pain as he felt the penknife cut him. A shooting pain screamed through his hand and up his arm and he flinched involuntarily. Red-hot fire seemed to have exploded in the veins in his hand.

"It's out," he heard Heero say.

Duo looked back. Heero still had a hold of his now bleeding hand and was tenderly wrapping the small wound in bandage.

"Are you alright?" Heero asked.

Duo managed a weak smile. "Yes," he said. "Everything is fine."