Title: Exercising an Option
Author: Gina Lin Genre: Romance, Action, Adventure Pairings: 13+6, 1+2, 3+4, 5+S Warnings: AU, Language, Violence, Yaoi (all the good stuff) Rating: R Archived: S_E Updates, GWFF, FF.net
Chapter 20
"Well, Sally was right, there's no lights on," said Duo as they got within sight of the inn.
"Hn," said Heero, looking intently ahead. "Stop at the end of the entrance, turn off your lights and park your car across the road."
Duo gave him a look but complied.
"Okay, fearless leader, what next?" asked Duo jokingly.
"Quiet," whispered Heero in a distracted tone.
"You're freakin serious about this, ain'tcha?" asked Duo in disbelief.
"If you don't be quiet, I'll gag you, baka," said Heero seriously, in a low voice. "Follow me and keep low."
Duo clamped his jaw shut and followed Heero as they made their way up to the inn in a roundabout, stealthy fashion, following the carefully placed landscaping of trees for cover.
Duo had a sudden urge to hum the theme song from "Mission Impossible," but he knew Heero well enough to realize he was dead serious about keeping silent.
He hummed it in his head to distract himself from the unease permeating his gut.
They approached the front door and tried it. "Locked," breathed Heero.
"I have a key to the side entrance," whispered Duo. "Hilde gave it to me, she opens the kitchen earlier than the rest of the staff."
"Let's go," said Heero.
The crept around in the bushes and flowerbeds to the side entrance.
Heero pushed it and it swung inward.
"Here's where they went in," whispered Heero. Duo looked grim.
"Boy, is Hilde gonna be pissed."
Heero reached for his revolver, and they went inside slowly. Heero and Duo both brought out tiny high intensity mag lights from their pockets.
They were tense, looking around in the darkness, shining their lights around into the corners of the large kitchen.
"If you're in here, come out now and I'll turn you over to the cops without shooting," said Heero, raising his voice, which echoed eerily in the empty room.
"Not here," hissed Duo after a few seconds. "Where do ya think they went?"
"Where are the valuables kept?"
"Wall vault in Treize's office," said Duo.
"That's where they went."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Trowa grabbed Quatre with one hand and Wufei by the other and pulled them into an alcove. "Over there," he hissed almost inaudibly in their ears, pointing with his chin.
There was a subtle movement along the wall of the main lobby, barely discernable in the gloom. A metallic glint flashed for a brief second in the darkness in the hands of a stocky, compact form in fatigues, then disappeared.
They froze. "Call the police," whispered Quatre to Wufei, indicating his phone.
"Guys like that eat police for breakfast," Trowa whispered back.
"They're a half hour away," whispered Wufei back. "Nearest incorporated town is that far away."
"Shit," said Quatre. "We don't even have a gun."
"Not that it'd do you any good," Wufei scoffed.
"Hey, just because I wear a suit to work doesn't mean I'm a pussy," hissed Quatre indignantly.
"Cat is quite a good shot," whispered Trowa. "We go to the pistol range twice a month."
"I'll apologize later," said Wufei. "Any of you remember if you saw more weapons around here?"
"There'll be knives in the kitchen," said Trowa thoughtfully.
"There's a gun cabinet in Treize and Zechs apartment," said Quate. "I noticed it when we had dinner there."
"Think we can get over there without being noticed?" asked Wufei.
"I can," said Trowa.
"How?"
"They'll never look up," said Trowa, looking at the crisscrossing beams in the open ceiling of the inn that went from one side to the other.
"Piece of cake compared to the highwire act my sis and I used to do as kids," said Trowa.
"Do it," said Wufei, "Be careful."
"Always, boss," said Trowa.
"Kiss for luck," said Quatre, pressing his lips firmly on Trowa's jaw.
"I never fall, mon amour," said Trowa softly, kissing him back briefly on the lips. "Ruins the performance." Quatre saw a brief flash of white teeth in the shadows.
He nimbly jumped up to the railing of the balcony and from there leapt up pulled himself up onto the crossbeams that dropped down and ran the length and breadth of the high vaulted ceiling. There was no sound.
"He's like goddammed cat," whispered Wufei in awe.
"I can't look," murmured Quatre. But he did.
Trowa walked the 4-inch beams as easily as another man might wind down a garden path, soundlessly. In a few minutes, he had crossed to the other side of the inn and over to the head of the staircase leading to the large apartment Trieze and Zechs called home.
"Makes it look easy, doesn't he," asked Wufei.
Quatre nodded.
"Now he has to get in."
Trowa slid over to the door, and removed a small multifunction knife from his pocket, and picked the lock. In seconds, he had the door opened.
Feeling around in the darkness of the apartment, he attempted to remember its layout from the night they'd had dinner there a few weeks ago.
"I had no idea you had the skills of a cat burglar, Mr. Barton," said a smooth voice in the darkness. Trowa did not see, but felt something prick his neck.
"I'm not here to rob you," he said in measured tones, holding up hands, palms outward. "I'm here to warn you."
"Yes, I'm sure we have uninvited guests," said Treize coolly, lowering his saber.
"So you know the power and phones are out?"
"Yes, but unlike some impetuous people, Zechs and I chose to stay safely in our rooms until help arrives."
"Wufei, Quatre and I saw one of them in the lobby," said Trowa. "They're armed with automatic weapons, loaded for bear and wearing fatigues. These guys are not burglars."
Treize flicked on a small flashlight and looked into Trowa's face, as he grimaced and blinked against the sudden assault on his retinas.
"It's them," said Zechs in a harsh voice, coming up behind Trowa. "Les Noire. They've found us."
"We need to get armed and fast," said Trowa. "The cops are too far away to help us now."
"Come with me," said Treize, walking over to a large carved mahogany cabinet.
He opened it with a key from his jeans pocket, and Trowa looked inside.
"Mostly hunting rifles, shotguns, but there are a few semi-automatic revolvers and plenty of ammunition. And of course, our fencing sabers."
Trowa looked over the array. "Better than nothing, but our friends have automatic weapons. They've definitely got the best of us in firepower."
"Then," said Treize calmly. "We must be their superior in strategy, stealth and swiftness."
"You talk like a military man," remarked Trowa.
"Treize was a Colonel in the Swiss army," said Zechs quietly.
"I was a rich dilettante brat who was sent to military school because I got caught shagging the butler's nephew," said Treize with a laugh in his voice.
"Good enough," smiled Trowa. "Have any small, short bladed knives?"
"Yes," said Zechs. "Why?"
"A thrown knife can be deadlier than a gun at close range," said Trowa. "And much quieter."
Treize smiled a small ruthless smile in the small, piercing light. "By all means, then, Mil, get him a few knives."
The three men removed the guns from the cabinet and began loading them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Estevez realized he'd been seen when he came into the lobby.
"Shit," he muttered to himself. He flipped open his two-way.
"I got some complications roamin' round here," he whispered.
"Take care of it," came the terse reply.
"Right," he hissed.
The Cuban man fingered his long knife. "Party time," he murmured, as he slid his finger lovingly along the blade. He crept up the stairs to where he'd seen the flash of Wufei's katana on the balcony.
TBC
Author: Gina Lin Genre: Romance, Action, Adventure Pairings: 13+6, 1+2, 3+4, 5+S Warnings: AU, Language, Violence, Yaoi (all the good stuff) Rating: R Archived: S_E Updates, GWFF, FF.net
Chapter 20
"Well, Sally was right, there's no lights on," said Duo as they got within sight of the inn.
"Hn," said Heero, looking intently ahead. "Stop at the end of the entrance, turn off your lights and park your car across the road."
Duo gave him a look but complied.
"Okay, fearless leader, what next?" asked Duo jokingly.
"Quiet," whispered Heero in a distracted tone.
"You're freakin serious about this, ain'tcha?" asked Duo in disbelief.
"If you don't be quiet, I'll gag you, baka," said Heero seriously, in a low voice. "Follow me and keep low."
Duo clamped his jaw shut and followed Heero as they made their way up to the inn in a roundabout, stealthy fashion, following the carefully placed landscaping of trees for cover.
Duo had a sudden urge to hum the theme song from "Mission Impossible," but he knew Heero well enough to realize he was dead serious about keeping silent.
He hummed it in his head to distract himself from the unease permeating his gut.
They approached the front door and tried it. "Locked," breathed Heero.
"I have a key to the side entrance," whispered Duo. "Hilde gave it to me, she opens the kitchen earlier than the rest of the staff."
"Let's go," said Heero.
The crept around in the bushes and flowerbeds to the side entrance.
Heero pushed it and it swung inward.
"Here's where they went in," whispered Heero. Duo looked grim.
"Boy, is Hilde gonna be pissed."
Heero reached for his revolver, and they went inside slowly. Heero and Duo both brought out tiny high intensity mag lights from their pockets.
They were tense, looking around in the darkness, shining their lights around into the corners of the large kitchen.
"If you're in here, come out now and I'll turn you over to the cops without shooting," said Heero, raising his voice, which echoed eerily in the empty room.
"Not here," hissed Duo after a few seconds. "Where do ya think they went?"
"Where are the valuables kept?"
"Wall vault in Treize's office," said Duo.
"That's where they went."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Trowa grabbed Quatre with one hand and Wufei by the other and pulled them into an alcove. "Over there," he hissed almost inaudibly in their ears, pointing with his chin.
There was a subtle movement along the wall of the main lobby, barely discernable in the gloom. A metallic glint flashed for a brief second in the darkness in the hands of a stocky, compact form in fatigues, then disappeared.
They froze. "Call the police," whispered Quatre to Wufei, indicating his phone.
"Guys like that eat police for breakfast," Trowa whispered back.
"They're a half hour away," whispered Wufei back. "Nearest incorporated town is that far away."
"Shit," said Quatre. "We don't even have a gun."
"Not that it'd do you any good," Wufei scoffed.
"Hey, just because I wear a suit to work doesn't mean I'm a pussy," hissed Quatre indignantly.
"Cat is quite a good shot," whispered Trowa. "We go to the pistol range twice a month."
"I'll apologize later," said Wufei. "Any of you remember if you saw more weapons around here?"
"There'll be knives in the kitchen," said Trowa thoughtfully.
"There's a gun cabinet in Treize and Zechs apartment," said Quate. "I noticed it when we had dinner there."
"Think we can get over there without being noticed?" asked Wufei.
"I can," said Trowa.
"How?"
"They'll never look up," said Trowa, looking at the crisscrossing beams in the open ceiling of the inn that went from one side to the other.
"Piece of cake compared to the highwire act my sis and I used to do as kids," said Trowa.
"Do it," said Wufei, "Be careful."
"Always, boss," said Trowa.
"Kiss for luck," said Quatre, pressing his lips firmly on Trowa's jaw.
"I never fall, mon amour," said Trowa softly, kissing him back briefly on the lips. "Ruins the performance." Quatre saw a brief flash of white teeth in the shadows.
He nimbly jumped up to the railing of the balcony and from there leapt up pulled himself up onto the crossbeams that dropped down and ran the length and breadth of the high vaulted ceiling. There was no sound.
"He's like goddammed cat," whispered Wufei in awe.
"I can't look," murmured Quatre. But he did.
Trowa walked the 4-inch beams as easily as another man might wind down a garden path, soundlessly. In a few minutes, he had crossed to the other side of the inn and over to the head of the staircase leading to the large apartment Trieze and Zechs called home.
"Makes it look easy, doesn't he," asked Wufei.
Quatre nodded.
"Now he has to get in."
Trowa slid over to the door, and removed a small multifunction knife from his pocket, and picked the lock. In seconds, he had the door opened.
Feeling around in the darkness of the apartment, he attempted to remember its layout from the night they'd had dinner there a few weeks ago.
"I had no idea you had the skills of a cat burglar, Mr. Barton," said a smooth voice in the darkness. Trowa did not see, but felt something prick his neck.
"I'm not here to rob you," he said in measured tones, holding up hands, palms outward. "I'm here to warn you."
"Yes, I'm sure we have uninvited guests," said Treize coolly, lowering his saber.
"So you know the power and phones are out?"
"Yes, but unlike some impetuous people, Zechs and I chose to stay safely in our rooms until help arrives."
"Wufei, Quatre and I saw one of them in the lobby," said Trowa. "They're armed with automatic weapons, loaded for bear and wearing fatigues. These guys are not burglars."
Treize flicked on a small flashlight and looked into Trowa's face, as he grimaced and blinked against the sudden assault on his retinas.
"It's them," said Zechs in a harsh voice, coming up behind Trowa. "Les Noire. They've found us."
"We need to get armed and fast," said Trowa. "The cops are too far away to help us now."
"Come with me," said Treize, walking over to a large carved mahogany cabinet.
He opened it with a key from his jeans pocket, and Trowa looked inside.
"Mostly hunting rifles, shotguns, but there are a few semi-automatic revolvers and plenty of ammunition. And of course, our fencing sabers."
Trowa looked over the array. "Better than nothing, but our friends have automatic weapons. They've definitely got the best of us in firepower."
"Then," said Treize calmly. "We must be their superior in strategy, stealth and swiftness."
"You talk like a military man," remarked Trowa.
"Treize was a Colonel in the Swiss army," said Zechs quietly.
"I was a rich dilettante brat who was sent to military school because I got caught shagging the butler's nephew," said Treize with a laugh in his voice.
"Good enough," smiled Trowa. "Have any small, short bladed knives?"
"Yes," said Zechs. "Why?"
"A thrown knife can be deadlier than a gun at close range," said Trowa. "And much quieter."
Treize smiled a small ruthless smile in the small, piercing light. "By all means, then, Mil, get him a few knives."
The three men removed the guns from the cabinet and began loading them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Estevez realized he'd been seen when he came into the lobby.
"Shit," he muttered to himself. He flipped open his two-way.
"I got some complications roamin' round here," he whispered.
"Take care of it," came the terse reply.
"Right," he hissed.
The Cuban man fingered his long knife. "Party time," he murmured, as he slid his finger lovingly along the blade. He crept up the stairs to where he'd seen the flash of Wufei's katana on the balcony.
TBC