Chapter Thirty-two: Chaos Reigns Supreme
Chase jumped slightly at the sound of the cell phone ringing on the coffee table. She blinked in slight confusion, then the day came flooding back to her. Duo was dead, Anna was nowhere to be found, and she had cried herself to sleep in Ryuujin's arms after telling the story to Heero and Quatre.
She unfolded herself and crabbed the phone. "Hello?"
"I'm sorry. I must have the wrong number."
"Meg?" Chase asked, recognizing the doctor's voice. "This is Chase."
Ryuujin watched the petite woman as her eyes grew wider and wider.
She nodded. "Thank you, Meg. I'll see you when you get back." She clicked the phone shut and turned her light brown eyes toward Ryuujin's reflective blue ones.
"What was that?" he asked.
"Duo may be alive," she whispered. "The guy that died was a double. Paid by OWN, more than likely."
Ryuujin blinked.
The blond woman opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the ringing of the flat's telephone. She picked it up, hoping to hear her best friend's voice. "Anna?"
"Where is she?"
Chase paled at the tone of the voice and whom it belonged to. "Who?"
"Maxwell. Where is she?"
"I don't know, actually," she responded calmly and reached for her bag. Ryu gave her a questioning look and then grinned when she pulled a tracking device from it and hooked it to her phone. "How'd you get this number, Trowa?"
"That's not important. Do you know what she did?"
"I'm afraid I've always been the last to know things."
"Quatre's dead thanks to your friend."
"And Duo's dead thanks to you." Chase grinned as she gave a thumbs up to Ryuujin as she tossed the tracking device to him. Suddenly she paled.
Ryuujin stepped forward.
"You wouldn't dare," Chase growled into the phone. "Trowa! Leave innocent people out of all this! Barton!" She growled something in Japanese as she slammed the phone back down.
"What's going on?"
"He's going to kill Hikari."
"Who?"
"My assistant." Chase grabbed her bag took the tracer out of the blue haired man's hands. "I need this to get to Trowa's location by laptop. It makes everything easier and faster." And time could not be wasted.
"I'm coming with you," Ryuujin said as he picked up his sword and its sheath from the couch.
Chase nodded and grabbed a piece of paper, scribbling a note to Heero and Quatre on it. "Let's go."
Chase and Ryuujin watched the light fade around them as they appeared in OWN headquarters. The green eyed woman felt the caster hooked on her belt. "It shouldn't be too hard to find him." She looked at the tracking device and chose a direction to begin in. Ryuujin followed her quick stride with ease.
"How do you expect to find them?"
Chase smirked without answering and slipped into a small room. She sat down at a table, taking the laptop out of her bag. She typed in commands and then stood abruptly. "Found him. He's in the west part of the building and we're in the southwest. C'mon."
"Clever system you have there."
"A gift from a not too friendly mad scientist I use to know. After this is all over I want to go find his old lab and see what else I can find in it. I never liked him very much, but his gadgets were always useful."
Ryuujin stopped suddenly, his hand going for his sword. Chase's eyes darted back, her caster gun in her hand already.
"Keep going," Ryu said. "I'll hold them back."
Chase nodded as she started off in a sprint. Her mind raced to recall every turn that she needed to take to get to Hikari's position.
She turned one last corner and skidded to a stop at a closed door. Locked. This was it. She set a small explosive on the door handle and stepped back. She then kicked the door open, caster in hand.
The room was pitch black and Chase walked in with caution. "Hikari- chan?" she called softly.
She felt the cold metal of a gun barrel press against her back. "I thought you'd be here shortly, Chase," Trowa said.
"Where's Hikari?"
"Where's Anna?"
Chase growled under her breath. "I told you that I didn't know and I meant it, Barton." She turned to face him. "You won't shoot me, Trowa. We both know that."
She watched Trowa's glare darken and then he relaxed. Chase reached up and removed the gun. "Where is Hikari?"
Trowa smirked. "I told you she'd die. I meant it, Chase."
Her green eyes widened. "Omae o Korosu," she whispered as she cocked the gun she had taken from him.
"Just as I would not shoot you, Chase, you could never shoot me. I know how strong your loyalties were – are – to each of the Gundam pilots. Former or retired."
"Loyalties are something you know nothing of. You shouldn't even be able to refer to yourself as a 'retired' Gundam pilot."
"You've lost your touch," Trowa whispered as he moved quickly toward her, taking back his gun.
Her eyes narrowed as he pressed the trigger. He misses as she flipped to one side, landing gracefully on her feet. "Maybe I really don't know you, Barton," she growled as she dodged another bullet. She found her way over to the door, finding it unwilling to open. "Blast you."
Trowa smirked. His smirk faded as the door swished open and closed again when Chase fell back through it. He growled out a curse and slammed his fist against the locked door. He then sunk down to the floor in defeat. For the moment.
Chase looked up to see Hikari and Ryuujin leaning over her. "Hikari- chan!" she nearly screamed. "Daijobou ka?"
Hikari nodded as she helped her friend up. Chase looked at Ryu questioningly.
"She was in a room down the hall. I found her while looking for you."
Chase nodded. "Arigatou. Let's get back to the house."
"What about Barton?" Ryuujin asked.
"Forget him for now." That said, she pulled out the laptop and a white light flashed around them as they disappeared.
Chase jumped slightly at the sound of the cell phone ringing on the coffee table. She blinked in slight confusion, then the day came flooding back to her. Duo was dead, Anna was nowhere to be found, and she had cried herself to sleep in Ryuujin's arms after telling the story to Heero and Quatre.
She unfolded herself and crabbed the phone. "Hello?"
"I'm sorry. I must have the wrong number."
"Meg?" Chase asked, recognizing the doctor's voice. "This is Chase."
Ryuujin watched the petite woman as her eyes grew wider and wider.
She nodded. "Thank you, Meg. I'll see you when you get back." She clicked the phone shut and turned her light brown eyes toward Ryuujin's reflective blue ones.
"What was that?" he asked.
"Duo may be alive," she whispered. "The guy that died was a double. Paid by OWN, more than likely."
Ryuujin blinked.
The blond woman opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the ringing of the flat's telephone. She picked it up, hoping to hear her best friend's voice. "Anna?"
"Where is she?"
Chase paled at the tone of the voice and whom it belonged to. "Who?"
"Maxwell. Where is she?"
"I don't know, actually," she responded calmly and reached for her bag. Ryu gave her a questioning look and then grinned when she pulled a tracking device from it and hooked it to her phone. "How'd you get this number, Trowa?"
"That's not important. Do you know what she did?"
"I'm afraid I've always been the last to know things."
"Quatre's dead thanks to your friend."
"And Duo's dead thanks to you." Chase grinned as she gave a thumbs up to Ryuujin as she tossed the tracking device to him. Suddenly she paled.
Ryuujin stepped forward.
"You wouldn't dare," Chase growled into the phone. "Trowa! Leave innocent people out of all this! Barton!" She growled something in Japanese as she slammed the phone back down.
"What's going on?"
"He's going to kill Hikari."
"Who?"
"My assistant." Chase grabbed her bag took the tracer out of the blue haired man's hands. "I need this to get to Trowa's location by laptop. It makes everything easier and faster." And time could not be wasted.
"I'm coming with you," Ryuujin said as he picked up his sword and its sheath from the couch.
Chase nodded and grabbed a piece of paper, scribbling a note to Heero and Quatre on it. "Let's go."
Chase and Ryuujin watched the light fade around them as they appeared in OWN headquarters. The green eyed woman felt the caster hooked on her belt. "It shouldn't be too hard to find him." She looked at the tracking device and chose a direction to begin in. Ryuujin followed her quick stride with ease.
"How do you expect to find them?"
Chase smirked without answering and slipped into a small room. She sat down at a table, taking the laptop out of her bag. She typed in commands and then stood abruptly. "Found him. He's in the west part of the building and we're in the southwest. C'mon."
"Clever system you have there."
"A gift from a not too friendly mad scientist I use to know. After this is all over I want to go find his old lab and see what else I can find in it. I never liked him very much, but his gadgets were always useful."
Ryuujin stopped suddenly, his hand going for his sword. Chase's eyes darted back, her caster gun in her hand already.
"Keep going," Ryu said. "I'll hold them back."
Chase nodded as she started off in a sprint. Her mind raced to recall every turn that she needed to take to get to Hikari's position.
She turned one last corner and skidded to a stop at a closed door. Locked. This was it. She set a small explosive on the door handle and stepped back. She then kicked the door open, caster in hand.
The room was pitch black and Chase walked in with caution. "Hikari- chan?" she called softly.
She felt the cold metal of a gun barrel press against her back. "I thought you'd be here shortly, Chase," Trowa said.
"Where's Hikari?"
"Where's Anna?"
Chase growled under her breath. "I told you that I didn't know and I meant it, Barton." She turned to face him. "You won't shoot me, Trowa. We both know that."
She watched Trowa's glare darken and then he relaxed. Chase reached up and removed the gun. "Where is Hikari?"
Trowa smirked. "I told you she'd die. I meant it, Chase."
Her green eyes widened. "Omae o Korosu," she whispered as she cocked the gun she had taken from him.
"Just as I would not shoot you, Chase, you could never shoot me. I know how strong your loyalties were – are – to each of the Gundam pilots. Former or retired."
"Loyalties are something you know nothing of. You shouldn't even be able to refer to yourself as a 'retired' Gundam pilot."
"You've lost your touch," Trowa whispered as he moved quickly toward her, taking back his gun.
Her eyes narrowed as he pressed the trigger. He misses as she flipped to one side, landing gracefully on her feet. "Maybe I really don't know you, Barton," she growled as she dodged another bullet. She found her way over to the door, finding it unwilling to open. "Blast you."
Trowa smirked. His smirk faded as the door swished open and closed again when Chase fell back through it. He growled out a curse and slammed his fist against the locked door. He then sunk down to the floor in defeat. For the moment.
Chase looked up to see Hikari and Ryuujin leaning over her. "Hikari- chan!" she nearly screamed. "Daijobou ka?"
Hikari nodded as she helped her friend up. Chase looked at Ryu questioningly.
"She was in a room down the hall. I found her while looking for you."
Chase nodded. "Arigatou. Let's get back to the house."
"What about Barton?" Ryuujin asked.
"Forget him for now." That said, she pulled out the laptop and a white light flashed around them as they disappeared.
