*--*

Jaime and Trowa had wet their communicators to B-3, and then separated. Jaime went down the left hallway of the first fork they came to, and Trowa took the right.

"Trowa . . . Trowa, are you there?" Jaime asked through her speaker.

". . . yes . . ." Trowa's voice crackled through. "I'm here."

Jaime sighed in relief. "I'm glad they work."

Trowa chuckled slightly. "I acquired them from Howard. You know, Duo's friend. They'd *have* to work. Otherwise he wouldn't give them to us."

Jaime nodded. "I guess so. I *still* feel like something bad is going to happen, and I don't like it. . . ."

*--*

Heero went directly to sector A-4, the boiler room. He then proceeded to shut off the electricity and security cameras there. However, as soon as he left the room, he saw a camera in the corner, a little red blinking light on one edge showing it was still alive and kicking.

"K'so. . . ." He turned the corner only to see maybe fifty armed Mariemaia Foundation officers patrolling the hallway. Unfortunately, he couldn't back away soon enough before a couple of them saw him. He ran all the way back to the boiler room, turning his communicator to channel B-0.

"Everybody! Listen up! Intelligence was wrong! If this place is lightly guarded, then I've got the whole building's security on my ass right now. Duo! I need your help! Get over to sector A-4, now!"

"Right! I'm on my way, 01!" Duo replied.

"Shit, oh, shit," Heero said. "Jaime, Trowa, Kristen, WuFei! Are you guys listening?!"

*--*

"Trowa, I think we should check with the others to see how they're doing," Jaime suggested. "Let's turn to B-0, okay?"

"Roger."

"-guys listening?!"

Jaime almost reeled back in shock. "Heero? What the hell's going on?"

"Jaime? Trowa? Listen carefully. I've got about fifty armed soldiers-" Heero was interrupted by what sounded like gunshots ringing against a metal door. "-armed soldiers in my face right now, trying to get to me. Be careful! This place is loaded to the last person! They're all over! Duo's coming over to help me, but I want you guys to stay together. Do you hear me? I don't want anyone separated. Trowa, Jaime, see if you guys can find Quatre! I haven't heard a word from him since we got here!"

"Alright," Jaime said, on top of Trowa's "Roger that. We'll find him."

"Oh, shit," Jaime said suddenly. "Trowa, Heero, what about Kristen and WuFei? Did you get a hold of them, Heero?"

"Negative. I'm going to try every channel until I find them."

Jaime nodded, then remembered that Heero couldn't see her. "You don't have to check channel B-3. That's what Trowa and I were on."

"Alright. I'll catch up with you later."

Jaime was worried. "Trowa, what if Quatre is dead? If there's as many guards as Heero says there are, then he might be. I hope not! Oh, Trowa!"

"C'mon, Jaime, think clearly! What was his entrance area?"

"C-7. I'll meet you in the main control room with Trowa. Okay?"

"Alright. . . . . I don't like it, but we're already too far apart. Stay safe, Jaime. . . . Please? I. . . care too much about you to lose you."

Jaime blushed. "I love you too, Trowa."

*--*

"WuFei, I think we should split up, now. We're almost there, and there's been no guards."

WuFei nodded. "Yes, I think it is safe to do so, now. We will meet in the main control room, alright? I'll take a right at the next V, and you take the left part of the fork. Got it?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"I'll see you again soon, Kristen." He said as he veered off. "Be safe, please," he whispered.

I stood there, shocked. Did he just express concern for me? "WuFei. . . ." I was touched. Maybe he *did* see me as more than a friend? I shook my head. No. It was impossible. He was about as warmhearted as Heero. Not happening.

I ran off my side of the fork about a minute later, not wanting to stall any longer. I ran for what seemed like hours, but it could only have been minutes, when I found a dead end. "Shit!"

*--*

"Quatre? Quatre, do you read me?" Trowa called through his communicator.

"Nnh. . . ."

"Quatre? Quatre, where are you?"

"C-8. . . . Trowa, help. . . ."

"Quatre? Quatre!" Trowa ran as fast as he could to C-8, where he found a very scared and injured Quatre sitting against a wall. "Quatre, what happened?"

". . . ambush. . . Trowa, they're all. . . over. . . ." He coughed. "I was shot."

Trowa balled his fist in anger. Quatre shouldn't even be here, he thought. He's not the kind of person to be fighting like this. "Where? Where are you hurt?"

"Right. . . right here. . . ." He lifted away his jacket, exposing a bullet wound on the right side of his abdomen. "Trowa. . . we need to get. . . to the control room to the. . . to the others. I can walk, but I'll need help."

Trowa nodded. "C'mon, Quatre, you can make it," he said. "We're almost done. We're almost there."

Quatre stood up with Trowa's help, half running, half stumbling while leaning on Trowa the whole time. "Trowa, where's. . . where's Jaime?"

Trowa frowned. "She went to the main control room. We should be there any second now. . . . There!" He pointed to the open door ahead of them. He could hear yelling and other noises coming from inside. He put Quatre right outside the door, and pushed it the rest of the way open.

*--*