Dedications:
Burning Shaedows: As of right now I'm slightly leaning towards a R/H pairing, but one thing I've come to realize about myself is that I am a very spontaneous writer, and an impulsive one at that too. But who knows, Heero might just turn out to be like an older brother to her! *gasps* Haha, I really don't know yet, but I do like that idea of having no pairing at all. All the more options to work with. ^_^
Mars Child: Ugh, isn't junior year like the designated testing year? I swear, the number of standardized tests we have to take go into double digits! *Cringes*
Chibi-chan: Thanks so much!! *Smiles happily*
heleo: I'm glad you think it's interesting. I was hoping it wouldn't come out too dull.
WindRider-Damia: Hmm, I hadn't thought of that, but that definitely opens my mind to possibilities. And I like to be open-minded. Should I make Makoto evil?
Riona: Yup, as the chapters go by, more light will be shed on how Heero and Rei know each other. You'll sort of find out in this chappie.
TeNshI nO Hi: Thanks soooo much! It's so hard to compete with other fics out there. I'm really glad you like the way I write! ^_^
Like Cats: Hehe thanks. I hope I didn't make it sound too fake. Let me know if I do!
DragonStar: Well, Heero doesn't exactly follow her. They all run to the same person, Ami, but for different reasons. Rei goes there to get checked up and etc, while Heero drops in from time to time to keep tabs on Rei. So Rei doesn't know that Heero knows Ami and that he's been checking up on her. I hope that clears it up some.
Princess Ren: Hmmm . . . *smiles evilly* You'll find out about the gadget in this chapter. As for the character info, I'll have one after the dedications. Thanks for the suggestions! As for your questions, you could always email me and I could tell you individually if you're really dying to know. Thanks for the R/R!!
Michelle Ann Myst Lady: I'm actually looking forward to college, just not the process of getting into college. Take care of yourself!
IsleofSolitude: Thanks so much for the R/R!
Cris: If you're looking for a fic with immediate T/R romance, than you shouldn't read SWIB, at least not for a couple of chapters. Sorry about that.
Characters Description:
Sanctuary: Think of Sanctuary as an organization that does good in the world. If you must, think of it like the CIA or FBI etc etc. But there are quite a few 'holes' in Sanctuary, like these "corrupt bastards" as Rei likes to refer them to. To clarify that, Rei believes that there are a lot of bad officials in Sanctuary because in her past years, she has had several bad experiences with them before. I won't say more than that, since it's related to the plot, but Rei is under the notion that there are dirty officials, etc in Sanctuary and that the network has been compromised. Overall, however, think of Sanctuary is a do-good organization, minus a couple people. For the most part that is. *grins evilly* But remember, even 'good' organizations have all their covert, black-op dirty secrets.
The "Gundam Pilots" work for Sanctuary. I have that in quotes because in this fic their main occupation is not to fly Gundams but to work as agents for Sanctuary. If you want, you can think of them as retired.
The Alliance: Now as for the Alliance, think of them as the big, bad, shady 'underworld' where 95% of what they do is illicit. I guess you can think of them as the Mafia or whatever other crime organization you would like to compare it to. The Alliance is extremely power-hungry and they have a network of agents that span all across the globe, and they have ties everywhere, even political connections. Their goal, is complete domination, which of course, would mean getting rid of Sanctuary first. Remember, they are extremely ambitious.
Trent Calhoun a.k.a The Hound: Yes, he works for the Alliance, but don't worry, he won't just be an Alliance hit man. He is, however, my character, so please don't steal him! If for some unknown reason you would like you use him, please ask me first. I don't bite! Anyway, Calhoun is as bad as one can get. He's the best agent the Alliance has, and he's relentless at what he does, hence the nickname Hound. I really don't want to give away too much, but let's just say he has a complicated past history as well. He is also a sadistic SOB and an extremely dangerous man. He is extremely ambitious as well and he always has his own best interests in mind.
Rei: Rei is currently a freelance agent, which means she doesn't work for either Sanctuary or the Alliance, but more like she works for herself. At one time, however, she did work for Sanctuary. (That's when she got her notion of them being corrupted.) More light will be shed on her past etc as I get into the plot in upcoming chapters.
Hotaru is indeed Rei's sister and was captured during an operation by who Rei believes was the Alliance. No one came forward to claim credit over the incident, so Rei automatically assumed it was the Alliance, seeing that they are always up to no good.
As for how Heero and Rei know each other . . . well you guys will just have to read to find out. (Hey, I got to get you guys to come back and read my stuff somehow!)
AN: I'm sooo sorry for this late update. I'll make it up to you guys somehow. It's just that I've been totally swamped with AP's and school work, and it has really cut into my writing time. But thank you all for being patient with me and not flaming me or anything. I promise to try to update sooner next time! Once again, I am terribly sorry!
= Yesterdays: Chapter 2 =
by: miyaka
Sunlight filtered through the blinds and played softly across the young Arabian's angelic features. For the past few hours, he had been going over Sanctuary's files on what Geno Inc was working on. Everything he had read in the file appeared to be legit experiments that had already been covered in the news, which didn't make sense because the Alliance surely wasn't interested in legit experiments that the entire world already knew anyway.
Something was wrong, but what? Perhaps all the illicit information was on the laptop Phoenix stole, but even then, there should have been some mention about a covert experiment of sorts in the file he was given. Quatre sighed as he took off his reading glasses and rubbed his temples. Did Phoenix know something about Sanctuary that he did not? These questions had been taunting him the entire night, and he was the type of person who liked to have answers right away.
Then there was Heero to add to the list of problems. Ever since Phoenix showed up, he had been acting strangely, not to mention disappearing much more often. Take last night for an example. Heero had not returned home, and he still was not home. Qautre meant to bring the matter up, but there had not been an appropriate time. Ever since Phoenix had shown up, their lives had been thrown through a roller coaster.
'Phoenix, Phoenix, Phoenix. I don't even know her real name.' Quatre realized as thoughts of the agent filled his head. He had never had the opportunity to meet her, or actually lay eyes on her. He didn't consider the plane fiasco as a count because she was under the guise of a hunch backed attendant. But according to Duo, she was a bombshell, the most gorgeous woman he had ever laid eyes on. He was quite enamored with her it seemed. And all this was concluded from seeing her in army fatigues, her hair hidden under a beanie, and her skin sickly from mal nourishment. Amazing. Just who was she to have so much sway over all of them?
It was still early in the morning when Rei seated herself in front of her laptop. Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder how her laptop never managed to overheat and fry its circuits, especially since it was on the majority of the time. 'But that's why you paid five grand for this thing,' a small voice in the inner most recess of her mind whispered disapprovingly to her. Rei ignored the voice and logged onto the internet, and began searching for a specific site. After typing in a short series of codes, she entered a chat room. There were already several messages left there for her.
A frown creased her features as her eyes quickly scanned over the messages. Apparently Sanctuary had ordered a hit on her, even before the deadline to her ultimatum was up. She had no idea what they were hoping to accomplish; she was more valuable to them alive than dead. Her thoughts rested onto the intel she had stolen from the scientists and couldn't help but wonder if that was the reason why Sanctuary was after her, to get the information on the research. But did Sanctuary actually think she would leave the information lying around for them to pick up after she was dead? If they did, then those idiots at the top of the chain were denser than she could have thought.
First, there way she was going to let them "kill" her, and second, there was no way they were going to find the research. She had already destroyed the laptop, and the only copy of the research was on a disk she had saved it on and safely stowed away. Once again, was Sanctuary stupid enough to think they could find it? Rei quickly typed in a brief response before leaning back into her chair, letting her thoughts take over. And of course, Heero Yuy was the first thing she thought of.
Heero Yuy. She sighed as past memories floated back to the surface, ones that she had kept hidden for so long. She and Heero had been two of the top three students back at the Academy they had been trained at when they were little. Instead of attending kindergarten and elementary school like other kids their age had been going to, they had been learning how to develop their critical thinking skills by completing impossibly hard puzzles in a matter of minutes, how to speed read and retain everything they read, and etc. As they grew older, they entered "elementary school," they were taught to handle a gun, how to fight in several different styles, etc. She, Heero, and another boy were the top three students, with Rei rounding up the top three. Heero and the other boy, Trent, had always been competing for the top spot, and later on, the two boys would be competing for something else, something much more important to them, or at least one of them, than placing first at the Academy.
Rei, of course, was never one to settle for third place. It was already a miracle that she could "hang" with Heero and Trent, but her pride never did leave her satisfied at always coming in third. She remembered the nights she would overwork herself to the brink of exhaustion, to a point where she would collapse on the ground, unable to budge another muscle. She would always wake up and find herself back in her cot, never knowing how she ever got there. One day she had discovered it was Heero, Heero who had always taken her back to her room when she had passed out from exhaustion. It was always Heero who was watching her back, always making sure she was alright.
He never did tell her he was the one who always brought her back to her room, and Rei never brought the matter up. Instead, the two formed a bond, a friendship of the closest kind. Heero helped her excel at what he could, and soon Rei became a serious contender for the number one spot at the Academy. At one point, the three of them had been at a three way tie, the first time in the history of the Academy. But then Trent had thrown a wrench in everything . . .
Rei snapped out of her thoughts as another message appeared across her screen. She really had not expected Minako to reply so soon. The chat room had been designed so that the two women could leave messages there like a normal forum, but also chat as well if they were ever on at the same time. Minako, as always, was concerned about her safety. Apparently she believed that the Alliance was after her as well. That meant two dangerous organizations, all after her. The blonde was insisting that Rei enlist her help.
A rueful smile played across her lips. She typed a quick thank you to her blonde friend, but followed it up with a message that said she worked alone. She knew Minako knew she would never accept her friend's offer, at least not until the blonde was Rei's last chance of survival. The two friends had been through the matter several times, and both of them were clear on the issue. But that still didn't stop Minako from asking. Rei typed a quick good bye before deleting the messages from the chat room for security purposes. Both women knew better than to leave the messages posted for longer than was necessary.
For once, Rei decided to give her laptop a break and turned it off, listening to the small hum from the computer disappear. She would have to be extra careful from now on, especially with both Sanctuary and the Alliance after her. For a moment, she considered what Ami had told her earlier. Should she turn herself into Sanctuary? Surely it was better than being hounded by both organizations, and at least Sanctuary was a shade better than the Alliance. Okay, maybe two shades better. Those money obsessed fools at the top of the chain ruined the whole 'do-good' idea Sanctuary prided itself on. She frowned, contemplating the notion.
If she was going to turn herself in, it would be undoubtedly to Sanctuary. Why? Because they weren't nearly as bad as the Alliance. Still, she hated ultimatums, and Sanctuary had definitely issued an ultimatum.
"There goes your pride again," Rei muttered to herself as she pushed herself off the chair to get herself a glass of orange juice, contemplating the matter some more.
Hotaru took several deep gulps of air to calm herself and regain her composure, all the while resisting the urge to wipe the smirk off of the woman's face. The woman's eyes seemed like they were burning a hole into her, nearly making Hotaru shudder in fear. The young teenager, however, mustered as much courage as she could and stared back, refusing to quail under the woman's searing gaze. She wished Rei was here; Rei could stare anything and everything down.
"Who are you? And where am I?" The question came out a lot softer in tone than Hotaru had expected. Apparently the drugs had mollified some of her spirit and defiance.
"That really isn't important at the moment. You see, Hotaru, your sister is quite the--oh how should I phrase this--pain in the ass. She seems hell bent on finding you."
Hotaru smirked as a surge of hope soared through her. As long as her sister was searching for her, that meant she still had a chance to get out of this blasted confinement. "My sister will find me, and when she does, there is going to be hell to pay. You can count on it."
The woman laughed, letting out a shrill, high pitched laugh that made Hotaru wince. She stood up and pushed the chair away from the bed but did not move closer to the young girl.
"I must say, your faith is admirable, but that should all soon change. You, my dear, will be the greatest thing to come out of this century. You'll see." She headed towards the door, and paused before adding, "You can call me whatever you like, but if you must have a name, I suppose you can call me Naomi." The woman took a moment to survey the room, before continuing, "And you are my guest."
Hotaru scoffed at her words. "A guest?!"
"Yes, a guest." Naomi shot her an irritated look, not pleased with the interruption. "You see, although you don't know it yet, you are going to help us achieve a goal, a very important goal. What that goal is, I really can't tell you right now. All I can say is you should be honored we are conducting this experiment on you."
Hotaru blanched, paling several shades. "E-Experiment?" Oh God, are they going to mutilate me? Amputate me? Feed me to the dogs?
"You could say so." A sadistic smile played across Naomi's features. "Oh don't worry, the process isn't quite that painful. You'll like it." She studied Hotaru for a moment before adding, "Yes, I am definitely going to have fun." With a brief smile, she walked out of the room, locking the door as she closed it behind her and leaving Hotaru to herself once again.
"Rei." Hotaru mumbled, silently praying for her sister to come find her.
It was renown throughout the office that The Hound hated interruptions, any interruptions. When he was preoccupied, unless if it was a life or death situation, no one dared to disturb The Hound. Knowing all this, the young officer felt like he was about to walk into the fires of hell. Beads of perspiration lined his forehead as he stood in front of the closed door, trying to gather his courage to knock on the door. After a few agonizing moments, he raised a trembling hand and barely tapped the door with his knuckles. Silence. The young man licked his lips in trepidation, not knowing whether or not he dared to knock any louder, or again for that matter. He gently tapped the door a few more times.
"WHAT?!"
The officer nearly jumped out of his skin, and for a moment, he lost all train of thought. Fortunately for him, he was able to regain parts of his composure to inform, "The boss wanted me to tell you that Squeak just called. He says the Scientists are being held in a warehouse in an isolated part of town. All five of them."
"Anything else?"
"No sir!" When Calhoun said no more, the young officer assumed he was dismissed and eagerly walked away from the door and away from The Hound.
Inside the office, Calhoun's mind was in overdrive, especially with the recent news. It would not take long to pinpoint the exact location of the scientists, and then in one fatal swoop, he would eradicate them. But wasn't that a waste of five perfectly skilled scientists? Why not make them regret ever betraying the Alliance and have some fun while he was at it?
And this was his operation, so technically, he could do whatever he wanted. And what he wanted was to have some fun because he liked to enjoy himself. Enjoying himself meant watching other people squirm out of fear, out of intimidation. Intimidation that he caused. He leaned back in his chair and eagerly rubbed his hands.
Yes, this should be fun.
"Are you sure the Alliance has no idea about the Plan?" The man asked, his deep baritone voice coming out in a loud boom as he and the woman walked through the florescent lighted hallway.
The female in the lab coat nodded her head vigorously, her brunette curls bouncing around as she did so. "None at all, Mario. None at all. Like you said, all of them don't have brains. They're still chasing their own tails."
"Good. Perfect. And how is everything coming around? I trust you have all the resources you need?"
She nodded again, a pleased expression on her face. "Everything is right on schedule. It's still too early to tell when everything is going to be finalized, but it sure is looking bright."
"I want to be the first to know should a breakthrough be formed." The man ordered as he stepped into the elevator, leaving the woman standing in the hallway.
"Yes, of course sir!"
So that's where she's been staying all this time.
Heero stared up at the second story building while checking the beeping dot that appeared on his tracker. Yup, this was definitely it. The brunette quickly started his car again, made a mental note of the address, and drove off. The apartment was located on the outskirts of town, just the way he thought she would like it, away from all the loud city noise and traffic. She always did hate traffic. But before he returned home, he decided to stop at the local café and order a cup of coffee. Depending on traffic, it would be at least a two hour drive back to Quatre's penthouse. It had been one long trip, but he knew it was well worth it.
The Hound sat at the counter of the local coffee shop, silently sitting his cup of black coffee and waiting. The sound of the doorbell clanging signaled the arrival of a new customer. A middle aged brunette walked in, striding purposefully towards the counter where he was sitting. At a perfunctory glance, he could see that she wasn't too pretty, nor was she ugly, but she did have a nice figure. As she gave her order to the waitress, he flashed her his trademark smile.
"Long day at work?"
The woman turned to face him, confirming his earlier assessment that she wasn't very attractive. If her nose had been any longer, he would have sworn she was the female version of Pinocchio. She managed a meager smile.
"You bet." The waitress appeared with her coffee and offering a small smile to The Hound, she hurried back outside to her car. Trent watched her enter her car before slowly counting backwards from five. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.
BAM.
The explosion triggered several screams from the surrounding area. The windows of the coffee shock for a few seconds before finally ceasing as the explosion died down. The Toyota Camry, which had been in perfect condition moments before, was now reduced to a burning mass of debris. And the person who had been in it . . .
With a satisfactory smirk on his face, Trent lazily stood up from his spot on the counter and tossed a few crumpled dollars on the counter. The waitress was too shocked to even acknowledge his exit, as her eyes were glued to the burning heap of metal. Calhoun ignored the urge to chuckle as he cast one last glance at the car before heading to his own Porsche.
One down. Four to go.
" . . . The Police do not believe that this bombing was a result of terrorist activities. There was only one casualty, the driver of what's left of this Toyota Camry you see behind me. There were no other injuries or deaths in this tragic . . ."
Rei pressed the 'Mute' button on the remote before tossing it down on the couch. She was sitting on the ground with her laptop in front of her and with her back to the leather couch. She typed furiously into her laptop to none other than Minako. Since the two of them were the only ones who knew about the chat room, they had no need for screen names. Instead, what one person typed automatically appeared on the screen as one color, and what the other person typed appeared as a different color.
AN: What Rei says is in italics, Minako is in plain text
What does this bombing have to do with anything?
The Hound's handiwork. The victim was Marie Kent, leading scientist of Geno Inc.
She's one of the missing scientists?!
Yes.
Why would they want to kill her?
I don't know, at least not yet. Maybe they're trying to send a message.
A message? By killing her? What kind of message would that be?
Don't mess with the Alliance? I'm working on it. In the meantime, stay safe.
You too.
Rei watched as the conversation between the two dissipated. Having a friend who still had ties to the intelligence business sure came in handy. According to the news report, the police hadn't even been able to ID the body yet, or even differentiate whether it was male or female, and here Minako was, giving her the 411 and a heads up. Gods she loved the blonde. She made a mental note to treat Minako to something nice once Rei was out in the clear, and especially after she put an end to the Alliance. But that would not be anytime soon.
"Where have you been?" Duo shot off the couch as Heero walked into the front door, looking exhausted.
"Out." He smirked as he realized this same scene had played out a few nights ago. All he had to do was grab some orange juice and it would be déjB vu all over again. Something, however, was different. The penthouse was too quiet. "Where are the others?"
"At HQ, emergency meeting. I stayed behind to make sure you got the message to come. Something big must have come up. We think it has to do with that car bombing."
Heero sighed before tossing the keys to Duo. When was he going to get a moment of peace? He had heard about the car bombing over the radio. It had interrupted his favorite talk show for a good half of the program.
"You drive."
The door to the conference room slid open and Heero and Duo walked in, offered a quick apology, and took their respective seats at the table. Setsuna, who had been in the middle of an explanation, paused for a moment as she lost her train of thought. A few seconds later, she decided to pick off where she left off.
"And now with Maria dead, we need the laptop more than ever in order to complete the research the scientists were working on."
Duo scrunched in nose, completely lost. "Is Maria the victim? And what does this have to do with the laptop?"
Setsuna was expecting his questions and allowed a flash of annoyance to cross her features. She never did like repeating herself. Quatre, sensing her irritation, quickly cut in and summarized the briefing to Duo and Heero, saving all of them a lecture on being on time to a meeting so that time wouldn't have to be wasted repeating already spoken words.
"Maria Kent was indeed the victim of the car bombing, and she just so happens to be the number one scientist at Geno Inc." Duo let out a low whistle, earning a reprimanding look from Setsuna, before Quatre continued, "She also happens to be one of the five scientists that were under out protection. A lot of what she brought to the table was stored on her laptop, which is currently in the possession of Phoenix. With Maria dead, and the laptop missing, the project the scientists are working on has been severely impaired.
"We also believe that the Alliance was responsible for this bombing. It was an ordinary car bomb, and she died immediately. We also have reason to believe that she was specifically targeted and that this was not some random act of terrorism."
"Yeah, if the Alliance was behind the bombing, than you can be sure it was not some random act!" Duo muttered, his disgust for the Alliance evident.
"So why are we here?" Who else but Heero would ask? The brunette had an impassive expression on his face, but there was a dark glint in his eyes, one that hinted at the raging emotions within.
"We need the intel that is on that laptop. As far as we know, it stored in three places: the laptop, Maria Kent, and Geno Inc. Two of the three options won't work, seeing that we don't have a location on Phoenix and that Maria Kent is well--dead. That leaves Option Three, to infiltrate Geno Inc." Setsuna clicked a button and an image of the Geno Inc building appeared on the flat screens that were in front of the five men.
"According to what the scientists told us, the information is stored on the main, central computer that can only be accessed through the central computer, which is located in a vault. However, upon further inspection, we realized that the information can be accessed through another terminal, one that only certain higher-ups have access to. So, instead of breaking into the vault, you will access and download the information from one of these terminals.
"We ran a scan on the employees who have clearance, and a Mr. William Blake seems to be off on vacation. I think it's safe to say his office will be empty. Go talk to Op-Tech for the rest of the details and the necessary items you will need for this mission. That's all for now."
Her magenta eyes watched as the Gundam pilots filed out of the room, her eyes settling on a particular brunette. She knew he was hiding something, and her gut was telling her it had to do with Phoenix. Duty required her to bring up the matter with the pilot, but she would let the matter go until they got back from their mission.
With the number of security guards, Geno Inc could have been mistaken for a citadel. For a moment, Quatre took in his surroundings, automatically memorizing everything he saw. He headed towards the security check in station, handed one of the guards his ID card to inspect, before stepping through the metal detector. The guard handed him back his card and Quatre moved on to the elevators.
As he waited for the elevator to come pick him up, he took a moment to study his disguise. His normal blonde hair was hidden under brunette curls, and his eye color had changed from sky blue to a dark chocolate. A thin, wire rimmed glasses completed his ensemble. He was no Phoenix, but at least no one could identify him as a retired Gundam pilot. A moment later, the doors slid open and Quatre stepped into the elevator.
"Twenty-first floor." Wufei's voice came over Quatre's ear piece. For this op, it was Quatre's turn at point, Wufei at comms, Duo as the driver, and Heero and Trowa as backup.
Quatre gently pushed the button marked twenty-one and watched as it lit up. It took several minutes before Quatre could actually get to the designated floor, seeing how the elevator stopped to pick up and drop off people at every few floors. When he was finally at the twenty first floor, Wufei directed,
"All the way down the hallway and then take a right." The blonde, no correction, brunette, followed his friend's instructions, silently thankful that he had yet to come across anyone on the floor yet.
"Third room on your left." After making sure no one was following him and that the coast was clear, he quickly ducked into the room with the name plaque that read William Blake.
Quatre silently closed the door behind him and hurried towards the computer, grabbed a tissue and used it to turn the computer on. "I'm waiting for the computer to load." He grabbed his diskette and entered it into the drive. As soon as the computer finished loading, he began searching for a file: Simi. Moments later, he was downloading the contents of the file. As predicted, it would take precious minutes, especially since the file was so large. Quatre tapped his foot anxiously against the wood floor, impatiently waiting for the file to finish downloading.
The beeping sound that was emitted from the computer snapped The Hound out of his stupor. He leaned forward in his chair, glancing at what the flashing message read. He turned to the computers expert sitting next to him, waiting for an explanation.
"Someone's accessing the information."
Calhoun all but growled, causing the hairs on the back of the technician's neck to shoot straight up. "I thought you said they couldn't access it any where else but the vault!"
"I-I was wrong, sir! But just give me a moment and I can trace it." The technician began typing furiously, desperately hoping to redeem himself. About an agonizing minute later, he announced triumphantly, "Room 33 on Floor 21. William Blake's office."
Calhoun immediately barked the order into his walkie talkie, and after receiving an affirmative, bolted out of the vault, but not before leaving the technician with a warning.
"You better pray we catch them. Or else."
Quatre strode as quickly as he could towards the elevator with Wufei's warning ringing loud and clear in his head. The Alliance was onto him. He hadn't even bothered shutting off the computer. Instead, he had grabbed the disk and ran out of the office and now he was on his way to the elevator, hoping he didn't meet anyone who would suspect him, and most importantly, he hoped he didn't run into anyone who resembled an Alliance agent.
The elevator took forever getting to the twenty-first floor, and when it did, Quatre nearly sighed in relief to find the elevator empty. No men with guns trained at him. Nothing. He quickly walked in and pressed for the first floor, his heart pounding in his chest. After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator reached the ground floor, and it was all Quatre could do to keep from sprinting to the exit. As he was walking, however, he nearly mowed over a Chinese girl, knocking her to the ground.
"Oh I'm so sorry!" He bent down to help her up, not noticing the quick flick of her wrist as she tucked something in her back pocket. He paused as he stared at her earnest face for a moment, his senses warning him something was off. Dismissing it as paranoia that the Alliance could be on his tail any moment, he apologized profusely again before heading towards the door, not once glancing back. If he had, he would have seen the triumphant smirk on the girl's face before she, too, headed for an exit. Little did she know that her switch-a-roo act had been witnessed.
Rei was still feeling awfully smug about herself as she entered her apartment. She had switched the disks with Quatre, without him knowing it, so now Sanctuary still had nothing. Oh, she had given them a little something that would pique their curiosity, but all that would be destroyed as soon as the virus kicked in. She swung her door open, flipped on the lights, and nearly had a heart attack on the spot. Now I know what Ami feels like when she sees me.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" She mustered the meanest glare she could before closing the door behind her. "And how the hell did you find me?"
Heero smirked as he indulged in her shocked expression. Now that was definitely worth the drive. He motioned to the gadget he held in her hand and watched as her eyes narrowed as she mentally retraced her steps. He knew she knew what he had in his hands. She wasn't an amateur; no explanations were needed. Her eyes widened as her mind finally registered all the clues.
'At least let me take a look at your shoulder.'
Rei involuntarily grabbed her shoulder, where her wound was, her eyes wide and questioning. Heero merely shook his head and muttered two words.
"Radioactive isotope."
How clever of her, Rei silently mused. At least her genius friend was smart enough not to put in a chip. Isotopes disappeared within a day, or sometimes a few days. She frowned as a sudden thought hit her. Heero knew Ami. Ami knew Heero.
"Why are you keeping tabs on me?" Rei asked wearily, knowing full well that it would be futile trying to kick him out of her apartment. She grabbed a drink from the refrigerator before turning around to face him.
"Because I keep my promises."
Rei shook her head, not buying his excuse. "I released you from that promise a long time ago. I'm a big girl now, Heero, and I can take care of myself. I don't need you watching my back. I can cover my own six."
Heero smirked, something he found he was doing more and more often. "I was referring to my promise to Ami. She wanted to make sure you had an extra pair of eyes watching you."
Rei all but growled. She was going to kill her friend. Well no, not literally, but Ami was in for it the next time she dropped by. She gulped down her soda, not knowing what else to do at the moment. Damn him for putting her on the spot.
"Hand over the disk, Rei." Before she could deny the existence of a disk, he added, "I saw that swap you pulled on Quatre. Not bad, but I've seen you do better. You're getting rusty."
Rei scowled at him, the frown marring her beautiful features. "I am not rusty," She retorted hotly. Was she? She had always prided herself on being the best at what he did, or at least staying in top form. And that switch had been pretty damn good.
"The disk." Heero reminded, not allowing her an escape route out of this conversation.
"You know damn well I'm not handing over the disk. Those jack-" She was about to begin on another tirade about how Sanctuary was full of corruption and deceit, but Heero cut her off.
"Not everyone in Sanctuary underhanded, Rei. And they are trying to figure out where the leaks are coming from. More than 99% of the agents are legit, and you know that."
Rei scoffed. "Bullshit. Do you even know what's on that disk? It isn't exactly what you want to fall in the wrong hands. And don't bother wasting your time trying to convince me to hand over the disk. That disk is going to be destroyed."
"Come on Rei, you need to pick and choose your battles. Have you already forgotten what we learned at the Academy? You want Hotaru back, and in order to get Hotaru back, we must destroy the Alliance. Sanctuary, with its huge network of agents, can help you do that. We'll help you do that. But alone, working as a one-man team-"
"Woman," Rei corrected automatically.
He rolled his eyes, something very uncharacteristic of him to do. "-you have less chances of finding Hotaru. And how long are you willing to wait? How long can Hotaru hold out? You know I don't need to tell you what the Alliance is capable of. Let us help you, Rei. Together with Sanctuary's help, you know it'll be much faster."
"Get out of my apartment. Now." Rei pursed her lips into a thin line. When she saw that Heero was not going to budge, she added solemnly, "Leave now, or I will make you leave."
Heero crossed his arms and kicked up feet onto the coffee table, leaning back against the plush couch and making himself at home. The look he sent her was all that needed to be said between the two.
Make me.
= = = = = = = = = = = =
Teaser: So how is Rei going to get Heero to leave her apartment? And what is Rei going to do next? Will the Alliance find her and steal the disk? And is Hotaru going to keep waiting for Rei to come around, or is she going to take action herself? Read the next chappie to find out! ^_^
As always, questions, comments, concerns, etc go to inspirationdrifts@yahoo.com or in the form of a review! Thanks for reading!
-m.