Standing in a dark corner, Heero waited for the guard standing less than
ten feet from him to move away. Heero was on edge. Time was running out.
He had to et to Relena and free her quickly, but this guard wasn't moving.
Eventually he decided to take a chance. He stepped out from the shadowy
recess in which he stood and strode confidently past the guard.
"Hey, where do you think you are going?" The guard asked as Heero walked past. Heero stopped but did not turned around.
"I'm on official business." Heero replied. "It's top secret."
"You do not have authorisation to pass." The guard said.
"Oh yes I do." Heero growled. Whirling around he struck the guard a blow to the stomach that winded him. The guard doubled over and Heero hit him over the shoulders. With a crunch the guard collapsed on the ground. Moaning about lost time, Heero picked the guard up and flung him over his shoulders before continuing up the stairs. He came out onto a landing with a set of bars at one end. Through the dim light Heero could see the outline of Relena.
"Relena." He whispered, dropping the guard and hurrying over to her. He reached his arms through the bar and grasped her shoulders. She didn't move. "Relena!" He said again, more worriedly. He shook her gently. Her shoulders felt like ice. "Come on Relena!" He said through gritted teeth, shaking her more fiercely.
Just as Heero was about to give up hope Relena seemed to stir. She opened her deep blue eyes and stared around blankly. From the dull, misty look in her eyes Heero could tell that she had been drugged, possibly sedated so that she wouldn't give the guards any trouble.
"Heero?" She said blankly, blinking hard. Her vision was blurry and she felt as though she wanted to go back to sleep. She closed her eyes, but Heero would not let her go back to sleep. He knew that he should try to wake her up now. He hit her cheek gently, to keep her awake. "Stop it you bastard!" She said grumpily, pushing his hand away, but she was wide- awake.
"That's my girl!" Heero said as he saw some of the passion and fire return to her eyes. She knelt up and looked around, taking in her surroundings. Realising where she was she stood up, but the effects of the sedative still had power over her. She stumbled sleepily, not yet in full control of her limbs. Heero caught her through the bars and prevented her from falling.
"I'm fine." She said, shaking him off and standing up unaided. Her arms and legs felt like lead and her head seemed stuffed with cotton wool. She edged her way over to the door and fished around in her clothing for the master key, concealed in material. She pulled it out and tried to fit it in the lock.
Without saying anything Heero took the key and unlocked the door. Relena didn't bother to say that she could have unlocked the door on her own, mainly because she wasn't sure which of the seven keyholes that swam before her eyes was the real one, and which were just illusions.
She stumbled out of the door and found Heero by her side, offering her support. She gratefully put one arm over his shoulder and leaned on him, the after effects of the drug that had been force-fed to her still taking their toll.
"Ready?" Heero asked, looking at Relena with some concern in his eyes. She nodded and they began their journey back down the long corridors and passages. Heero was surprised when they met no resistance; Duo and Wufei had obviously done their job of immobilising the guards very well.
Eventually Heero and Relena emerged in the moonlit courtyard. They cowered in the shadows now, Heero straining his eyes to see any of his friends, or the escaped women. They were startled when they heard snoring coming from near them. Leaving Relena well hidden, Heero ran to investigate. He came upon two guards, slumbering heavily.
He thought this strange, but didn't dwell on the reason why the guards were sleeping on duty. He didn't realise that almost all of the guards in The Fort had been drinking coffee that evening, as a rare treat to keep them warm and awake. None of them could have known that Wufei had drugged this coffee with the same sedative used to tranquillize Relena. Their plan was working well.
Suddenly Heero felt someone arrive at his side. He turned around to see Trowa's face shrouded in darkness, as usual only one eye visible.
"We're ready." He murmured. "Did you find Relena?"
Heero nodded. "No problems so far then?" He asked.
"A few, Zechs, Quatre and I dealt with them easily though. So did some of the prisoners." He shuddered involuntarily. "There is one called Dorothy who seems to have a slight obsession with stabbing people, I hope we are doing the right thing releasing her."
"We shouldn't have to worry about that." Heero said.
"Quatre should though, she appears to have taken a shine to him." There was a slight smile in Trowa's voice as he realised the humour in this. If Dorothy stabbed her enemies he wondered what she did to her friends.
"Come on." Heero said, leading Trowa back to where Relena was concealed. They helped her up and walked over to where the others were all waiting, hidden in the shadows of The Fort. They walked either side of Relena, supporting her as she walked.
"OK, we are ready to go then." Zechs began organising the group, explaining the plan one last time. "Quatre, give the signal to Wufei and Duo."
Quatre pulled a strange object from his pocket and put it to his lips. He blew hard through the cone shaped object, and a low note came from it. A moment later a second, slightly high-pitched note was heard from the gatehouse.
"LETS GO!!!" Zechs shouted. The group sprang into action, running forwards. Charging like an army. But if they had thought that they would get away unnoticed they were wrong. Horribly wrong.
"Hey, where do you think you are going?" The guard asked as Heero walked past. Heero stopped but did not turned around.
"I'm on official business." Heero replied. "It's top secret."
"You do not have authorisation to pass." The guard said.
"Oh yes I do." Heero growled. Whirling around he struck the guard a blow to the stomach that winded him. The guard doubled over and Heero hit him over the shoulders. With a crunch the guard collapsed on the ground. Moaning about lost time, Heero picked the guard up and flung him over his shoulders before continuing up the stairs. He came out onto a landing with a set of bars at one end. Through the dim light Heero could see the outline of Relena.
"Relena." He whispered, dropping the guard and hurrying over to her. He reached his arms through the bar and grasped her shoulders. She didn't move. "Relena!" He said again, more worriedly. He shook her gently. Her shoulders felt like ice. "Come on Relena!" He said through gritted teeth, shaking her more fiercely.
Just as Heero was about to give up hope Relena seemed to stir. She opened her deep blue eyes and stared around blankly. From the dull, misty look in her eyes Heero could tell that she had been drugged, possibly sedated so that she wouldn't give the guards any trouble.
"Heero?" She said blankly, blinking hard. Her vision was blurry and she felt as though she wanted to go back to sleep. She closed her eyes, but Heero would not let her go back to sleep. He knew that he should try to wake her up now. He hit her cheek gently, to keep her awake. "Stop it you bastard!" She said grumpily, pushing his hand away, but she was wide- awake.
"That's my girl!" Heero said as he saw some of the passion and fire return to her eyes. She knelt up and looked around, taking in her surroundings. Realising where she was she stood up, but the effects of the sedative still had power over her. She stumbled sleepily, not yet in full control of her limbs. Heero caught her through the bars and prevented her from falling.
"I'm fine." She said, shaking him off and standing up unaided. Her arms and legs felt like lead and her head seemed stuffed with cotton wool. She edged her way over to the door and fished around in her clothing for the master key, concealed in material. She pulled it out and tried to fit it in the lock.
Without saying anything Heero took the key and unlocked the door. Relena didn't bother to say that she could have unlocked the door on her own, mainly because she wasn't sure which of the seven keyholes that swam before her eyes was the real one, and which were just illusions.
She stumbled out of the door and found Heero by her side, offering her support. She gratefully put one arm over his shoulder and leaned on him, the after effects of the drug that had been force-fed to her still taking their toll.
"Ready?" Heero asked, looking at Relena with some concern in his eyes. She nodded and they began their journey back down the long corridors and passages. Heero was surprised when they met no resistance; Duo and Wufei had obviously done their job of immobilising the guards very well.
Eventually Heero and Relena emerged in the moonlit courtyard. They cowered in the shadows now, Heero straining his eyes to see any of his friends, or the escaped women. They were startled when they heard snoring coming from near them. Leaving Relena well hidden, Heero ran to investigate. He came upon two guards, slumbering heavily.
He thought this strange, but didn't dwell on the reason why the guards were sleeping on duty. He didn't realise that almost all of the guards in The Fort had been drinking coffee that evening, as a rare treat to keep them warm and awake. None of them could have known that Wufei had drugged this coffee with the same sedative used to tranquillize Relena. Their plan was working well.
Suddenly Heero felt someone arrive at his side. He turned around to see Trowa's face shrouded in darkness, as usual only one eye visible.
"We're ready." He murmured. "Did you find Relena?"
Heero nodded. "No problems so far then?" He asked.
"A few, Zechs, Quatre and I dealt with them easily though. So did some of the prisoners." He shuddered involuntarily. "There is one called Dorothy who seems to have a slight obsession with stabbing people, I hope we are doing the right thing releasing her."
"We shouldn't have to worry about that." Heero said.
"Quatre should though, she appears to have taken a shine to him." There was a slight smile in Trowa's voice as he realised the humour in this. If Dorothy stabbed her enemies he wondered what she did to her friends.
"Come on." Heero said, leading Trowa back to where Relena was concealed. They helped her up and walked over to where the others were all waiting, hidden in the shadows of The Fort. They walked either side of Relena, supporting her as she walked.
"OK, we are ready to go then." Zechs began organising the group, explaining the plan one last time. "Quatre, give the signal to Wufei and Duo."
Quatre pulled a strange object from his pocket and put it to his lips. He blew hard through the cone shaped object, and a low note came from it. A moment later a second, slightly high-pitched note was heard from the gatehouse.
"LETS GO!!!" Zechs shouted. The group sprang into action, running forwards. Charging like an army. But if they had thought that they would get away unnoticed they were wrong. Horribly wrong.