Zodiac, Full Circle
Libra

AN: For all relevant information about this fanfic, read the first bit of the prologue. Thanks to nayloushka_9 for beta-reading.

Err, looks like we let Wufei wait a bit longer than expected. Ooops? :-)



The first thing Wufei heard upon waking up, was his own relaxed breathing. His mind was still a blur as other sensations crept in on him, like the stale, dry air, the soft matter his right hand was buried in, and how his left was dangling downwards in mid-air. Tentatively, he opened his eyes, adjusting to the dim light, and as his vision cleared he saw a metal chain right before him, taut from the concrete wall on his right to the far corner of the wooden bench he was stretched out across. The dark wood was covered in something white and fluffy. It took him a few dazed seconds to realize it was a sheepskin.

Sheep. Ram. That damned beast! Memories of what had happened came back to him - as did a mild headache. Wufei winced, took a deep breath to clear his mind, and slowly got himself upright. He took in the gray walls around him, quickly concluding he was in a cell. He stretched a bit and tried to assess if he'd gotten any serious injuries in the brief ram-ride or consequent tumble down the hillside. His white coat and pants had been thoroughly smudged, torn in several places. He could feel several bruises, a few small scratches, but nothing serious. He remembered the dart that had struck his neck, and immediately searched out the point of impact with his fingers, finding just a faint, tiny bump of a wound, barely more noticeable than a needle mark. He couldn't sense any pain from that, at least - unlike the rest of his battered body.

He looked around to confirm he was alone. All the walls were of concrete, and there was only one exit, a steel door with a small barred opening in it, metal-plate shutter on the other side closed. No windows. He spotted an airduct above him, but it was much too small to even consider crawling through. The draft through it was minimal; most likely the vent system was out of order. Other than the bench he sat on, there wasn't much in the way of furniture in the cell. There was a sink over by the door and some buckets tucked away underneath it. The three unshaded light-bulbs dangling from the ceiling had no shades, but their light was so dim it hardly mattered.

His first thought was that his captors had underestimated him. They had left him in a cell, yes - but his hands and feet were free, and the room contained more than one item he could exploit. The bench he was sitting on could be splintered into crude wooden spears or clubs, the metal chain might become a makeshift nunchaku, if it held on to parts of the wood and concrete. The three unshaded lightbulbs dangling in their wiring from the roof could be fashioned into an electroshock device with limited range, useful provided he could tear down enough of the wiring and stretch it to the door without getting a jolt of his own. The empty buckets next to the sink were possible projectile weapons, and the sink itself- Wufei smirked, and shook his head. Yes, there was enough here to work with to make a tiny, primitive arsenal, since he was unbound. Maybe he could find a way to escape - though the only visible way was out the door. He might be able to tackle a few guards coming to check up on him, but once past that obstacle, what other challenges awaited? Was this part of a huge complex? Was he deep underground? The lack of windows and heavy use of concrete suggested he wasn't at the top of a skyscraper, at least. It was unlikely they had taken him to a colony - and if they had, the walls would probably have been made of metal, not thick concrete. He tapped the wall behind him, dull, flat sound confirming the thickness of the wall. He scratched the plan of finding a spoon to dig out with.

How long had he been out, anyway? He winced again, as the last effects of the tranquilizer injection wore off, making the pain just a little more noticeable. Another quick scan confirmed there were no security cameras in the cell, and there didn't appear to be any microphones either. It was highly probable his captors would come by on an inspection soon, though. Wufei discarded his white coat. It had become uncomfortable in the warm cell, and it was torn in so many places it would do little good as anything but rags in the future. Again he entertained the thought of preparing for an escape, but decided not to - not until he had a fair idea of where he was, and what they wanted from him. In a hazed memory, he recalled the old man saying something about simply wanting to talk. Wufei snorted. That didn't seem very likely, since they went through the trouble of kidnapping him.

All in all, it left him with pretty much one option; waiting. He stood up, stretched, and took one of the sheepskins from the bench, put it on the concrete floor and sat down, legs crossed. For a while, he tried meditation, but restlessness returned. After pacing back and forth across the cell a few times, he climbed up on the bench to study the airduct. There was a very faint drift of air, but nothing that indicated it was more than draft operating beyond the bars.

If this draft came from the outside, it was unlikely he was still at Corsica. The air seemed much too dry, and there was nothing salty about it at all. How long had he been out? He looked at his arms, trying to estimate how advanced his bruises were. He reached for his chin, trying to sense stubs. A day, perhaps. Maybe two. That meant he could be just about anywhere - but given the materials in the cell, he was still on Earth. Wufei ripped a small part of his shredded coat off and walked over to the sink. After clogging the drain with the cloth, he turned the water on. He let the sink fill to about half, then turned the water off, and removed the cloth. The water began draining, forming a whirl as it did so, rotating counter-clockwise at a mediocre pace. Satisfied with the result by testing the Coriolis effect, Wufei could verify he was still on the northern hemisphere given the direction the water spun, and most likely not brought much further north nor south than Corsica's latitude, given the speed of the whirlpool. That still left a pretty large area, though the air narrowed it down a bit further - if that could be trusted.

For a moment, he considered other investigations he could make to determine where he might be, just to keep his mind going. Perhaps he could study the electrical system for clues, or test the water somehow, or check the type of wood the bench was made out of. The bars in the door and in the airduct had some rust, so this place probably hadn't been maintained for a while. Further thoughts along these lines kept coming, but in the end he discarded all of them, opting to sit down again, and wait.

It didn't take long, however. He was torn from his meditation by the sound of the metal shutter in the door sliding open, and a pair of eager eyes wrapped in thin wrinkles and round glasses met him through the bars.

"Ah, I see you are awake. My apologies for the inconvenience, Agent Chang, but I really must speak with you undisturbed. As you can see, there is little to take away from your full attention here."

The man had the audacity to smirk. Wufei frowned back, minutely clutching his fists.

The man twirled the tip of his trimmed, white moustache, and continued to speak in his peculiar British accent. "Now, I give you my word that as soon as we have chatted a bit, you'll be free to leave. We can take you to the nearest airfield, if you wish. I do have to insist, however, that you do not attempt to escape, or try to assault me when I open this door. I assure you, both would be folly. Do you agree to talk? We mean you no harm, we only wish to discuss a few things."

Wufei folded his arms and gave a curt nod, though he continued to glare at the old man. The shutter closed, and he could hear the door unlock. True to his promise, he didn't attack, but waited for the white-haired man to enter the cell, coat and hat gone, revealing a head full of white, a white shirt, red suspenders keeping the brown pants up, and the grimmest red-and-brown-patterned tie Wufei had ever seen. The bad dresser supported himself on his walking cane as he moved to sit on the bench. A big mountain of a man in some sort of dark uniform stood guard by the door, and Wufei could hear it close and lock behind the big guy, leaving the three momentarily trapped in the cell. He refocused on the old man, though he remained sitting cross-legged on the sheepskin he had removed from the bench.

Putting the cane aside, the man sat down on the remaining sheepskin, and let loose a sigh. "Ah... That's better." He chuckled. "I guess I've overexerted myself lately - but we live in exciting times, do we not?"

Wufei didn't answer, merely kept his frown, biding his time.

"I'm not sure if you remember, but I did introduce myself earlier. My name is Berthrand Chauser, this is my assistant and friend, Hector Suente." Out of the corner of his eye, Wufei saw the brute nod. "Now, Agent Chang - as you may already have realized, we have a great interest in finding out about these little trinkets the Preventer Agency has begun searching for - we found one on your person, and we are keeping it, for now."

Wufei smirked, briefly flared his nostrils. "If you think you can kidnap and rob a Preventer agent without consequences-"

Chauser waved him off. "Agent Chang, we have no reason to be hostile to one another. Let me explain first. Is it not better to make up one's mind once one has all valid information, rather than just parts of it?"

Again, no answer, but Wufei returned to his slightly surly frown.

"You have no doubt surmised that my friends and I have eyes and ears within the Preventers - that is how this whole affair came to my attention. Isn't it intriguing how your past can come visiting when you least expect it?" He grinned. "I intend to tell you a few stories, and I expect you to tell me a few things in return. Do you think that would be a problem?"

Wufei paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"Good. Agent Chang-"

"Call me Wufei."

The old man brightened. "Ah, thank you, young man. I shall. Wufei, why are the Preventers interested in Ziegler's legacy?"

"Legacy?"

Chauser smirked. "You know what I'm talking about."

Again, Wufei hesitated. Divulging information was not proper - but this man appeared to know most of it, already. "Our reason for getting the key is to gain access to the mountain vault. We then want to find the passageways to the explosives caches surrounding the factory complex. Most likely, the facility will be demolished after that."

Chauser nodded, and reached into a pocket and pulled out a brown, crooked pipe, a packet of tobacco and a small plastic pocket containing matches. He stuffed the pipe, and prepared to light the contraption. "Oh, forgive me - you don't mind, do you?"

Wufei shook his head.

"Ah, good." The old man lit up - both in expression and pipe - and began puffing away. "We all have our little vices. This is one of mine, I fear. Fortunately, I've suffered little for it, so far." Another puff. "Now, where was I? Oh, the old skunkworks facility. I take it you don't know my name from the sweeps of files the Preventers have made?"

"I didn't help with the paperwork."

Chauser formed a small ring of smoke puff. "I see. Well, I'm sure you will read up on me when you return, safe and sound. I used to work there, along with Herbert Ziegler. I was a lawyer slash accountant back then, mostly going where Romefeller sent funds, keeping records and drafting documents and contracts. In those days, the skunkworks was by far our greatest investment, given how badly we wanted to gain a monopoly over the arms industry feeding the Alliance military. Ziegler was a decent man, devoted to his work, and a fairly apt engineer - though he didn't have the skills to design what we wanted from scratch. We helped him with staff, materials, building permits, all the necessary documents to keep this as secret as we could... In truth, we knew we couldn't keep it secret at all, in the long run. Too many people involved. The skunkworks was set up in what was mainly a natural cave, so that we didn't have to hire too many construction workers. The Alliance contractors built many secret installations, so I'm sure their memories of this specific one are hazy at best. The people who came to work there, on the other hand..." He chuckled, again returning to his pipe.

Wufei used the brief pause to shoot a glance at the mountain-of-a-man Suente still standing patiently by the door. Suente glared back, leant back against the doorframe, and folded his arms. Chauser's voice made him refocus.

"I'm sure you know that skunkworks was the birthplace of the mobile suits - including the Gundams, which I understand you piloted one of. Most impressive machines, those." He paused to exhale a series of small clouds of smoke. "Anyway, when all was said and done, and the team broken apart by desertions, dismissals and relocations, Herbert remained in the mountain for nearly three years, working on a few more projects. I, representing Romefeller's interests, backed up all of them, though only a handful were ordered by us, mostly minor modifications to the versatile Leo design. The remainder of projects Herbert refused to disclose, but he assured me of their usefulness. I had never known the man to be deceptive, so I kept recommending the financial committee of Romefeller to continue funding him. He never divulged anything about his unofficial projects, and in those last few years, he was virtually the only one to set foot in the complex, giving him significant privacy. While he used the skunkworks facility to design and make quick models and mock-ups, he had to go to the Leo factory we built nearby to prototype his design changes, something he was not happy about. Whatever he did in that lab of his, he didn't like leaving it behind, even for a moment. That's when he began tinkering on a new locking mechanism - which you are familiar with."

Wufei nodded. "So, you don't know what the mountain contains either..."

Chauser tapped his pipe to remove some of the ashes. "At present? I'm afraid not, young man."

"What about the nuclear waste barrels?"

The old man shrugged. "I can assure you that is not part of standard Alliance construction plans, nor OZ or Romefeller regulations. I suspect Herbert installed them during those three years, though I do not know for what purpose. Herbert never did anything without good reason, though. The man was far from impulsive, despite how he acted the last few times I saw him."

"And when would that be?"

Chauser grinned. "So, you are set on interrogating me, Wufei?" He chuckled. "Very well, I'll play along, for now. When Romefeller finally had had enough with the vast amounts of funding they sent his way, only to get little to nothing in return, they cut Herbert off completely, despite my protests. Over the years, he had become somewhat of a friend of mine, and I suspect that is precisely why my superiors refused to listen to my objections. They ordered the skunkworks closed and sealed up once and for all, and got me to convince Herbert to do so. He was furious, but complied. Herbert showed me the key he had been working on, and brought me to the skunkworks to witness the sealing of the vault. We never went inside. Stupidly, I presumed he didn't have anything of value in there anymore. Now I find myself far from certain of that." The man paused to sigh, grin fading away. "After we hid the control panel as best we could, he broke apart one of the pieces of the key and offered it to me, asking me to hold on to it for the time being. I thought he did that to reassure me the vault was sealed, given that you needed the entire circle to unlock and open the doors. A few days later, some of the workers at the Leo factory nearby informed me Herbert had been distributing more of these pieces, all to people who had worked at the skunkworks at one time or another, most of which were his most trusted employees. Puzzled, I wanted to confront Herbert about it, only to find out he had taken off to L3. I decided to follow."

Wufei nodded. "Preventer records has that as the last official trace of Ziegler. What happened on L3?"

Another shrug. Chauser emptied the pipe, and placed it next to the matches and tobacco packet resting beside him on the bench. "I found him in a bar, staring into a full glass of whiskey. We had a few heated exchanges, mostly me trying to find out why he had made the trek to L3. Herbert was in a remarkably cheerful mood that night - normally, he had a very grouchy air to him. Another unusual thing was that he wore his full Romefeller regalia - he was an honorary member, but loathed the dress code. Our argument was interrupted when someone asked us to join in on a game of poker. Before I had a chance to decline, Herbert agreed. We played, and lost. Herbert even placed his last key piece in the pool - and lost it. Again, he just shrugged it off, laughed as if he hadn't just played away something immensely valuable to him. He was acting so peculiar I began wondering if he was having a mental breakdown. I dragged him along to the nearest Romefeller chapter, and got a few fellow members to look after him for a while - I got called back to Earth on some urgent negotiations regarding Alliance armament contracts. When I had the chance to return, Herbert was gone. They said he had just slipped out the door one night, without them noticing. I asked if he'd told them anything, but was informed he had either been reading in the clubhouse library, or sleeping in one of the guest quarters. He never spoke to anyone, nor did he leave a message of any kind."

"And you never saw him again?"

Sigh. "No. I searched, but found no traces of him. At first, I assumed he only wanted some time alone, but as weeks, months, even years passed... Well, I pretty much wrote him off. I doubt he got into an accident, or fell victim to a crime, but you never know. As Herbert, the vault slipped my mind. Being a liaison between the Alliance and Romefeller kept me occupied. It wasn't until my retirement some time ago, that I finally had time to look back at such matters. Even after two decades, I still had some hope of discovering what happened to Herbert. With the colonies included in the ESUN, I was hoping to get more cooperation from the colonists in the search. In addition to that, I also reviewed my financial and logistic reports on Herbert's research, and found vast discrepancies in them - which I already knew about, of course - they were a result of the secret projects. It made me wonder just what he had been working on, during those last years. He never brought anything out, not even blueprints, so whatever it was had to still be there. Over the years, I had gotten many contacts, and I called in a few favors, hoping to enlist the Preventers to make the investigation easier. Imagine my surprise when I was informed a search for Ziegler and his secrets was already underway." Chauser grinned, and twirled one tip of his moustache.

Wufei folded his arms, taking a moment to shoot another glare at Suente, whom appeared to grow restless, occasionally glancing at the door. "If all you want is to know what happened to Ziegler, and what's hidden in the vault, why am I here? You could just have waited for us to find the entire key and unlock the vault, and maybe find out what happened to Ziegler - by your own admission, you have enough 'friends' within the Preventers to find that out."

Chauser nodded. "You are correct, of course. Yes, I could have done that. I chose not to. First of all, finding Herbert is not the principle agenda of the Preventers, is it? In addition, I suppose your agency would have destroyed all that might remain of his research before it was properly investigated, just to decommission the skunkworks facility once and for all, and free up Preventer resources." He shook his head. "No, I'm sorry, I couldn't allow that to happen. Plus, I have a sincere wish to investigate Herbert's secrets for myself. At first, I considered finding all the key tokens myself, but my resources are somewhat limited when compared to your agency. I ran into some trouble trying to track down one piece, and came upon a boundary I could not cross. Frustrated, I found a bench to sit on, and began thinking of alternatives. One was of course to let you and your fellow agents find eleven of the pieces, and simply steal those when you came searching for the twelfth - but that was out of the question, for several reasons. Cooperating whole-heartedly with the Preventers, and hope to get what I wanted that way, was another option, but I found that lacking too. When my assistant here informed me you and Agent Po were heading for Corsica, I made up my mind - which brings us... well, here."

Suente looked at his wristwatch before interrupting. "Judge Chauser, we're running out of time. You really should-"

Chauser frowned at him, upset at the notification, before waving it all away. "Yes, yes, yes - we'll be done in a moment."

Suente's words gave Wufei a mental edge. If his captors were on a strict timetable, all he had to do was continue this mindless chatter, indefinitely. The old man appeared loose-lipped enough. "Judge?"

Nod. "Yes, young man. Believe it or not, I am a judge. When Romefeller took control through OZ, they needed a few more of what they considered 'loyal elements' within the judicial system. Given my life-long membership, relatively spotless record and career track, I was granted an appointment - mostly settling disputes over corporate law, of course."

"You said you had one of the tokens. Which-"

With another nod, Chauser went for his left shirt pocket, picked out something small and gilded, and tossed it to Wufei, who grabbed it in one sweeping motion. He flipped it over, and studied the engraved image; a pair of scales - Libra.

"May I have it back, please?"

Wufei looked up, and tossed it back, surprised to see Chauser catch it with far more a smooth motion than he thought a geriatric with a cane could muster.

Chauser tucked it away again. "Thank you. Now, down to business. I've already told you I want to find Herbert, and if failing that, get his unaccounted-for research. Romefeller funded it, so the foundation has somewhat of a claim on it - though I feel I have an obligation to investigate it first. After the sealing of the skunkworks, I was somewhat shunned within Romefeller for nearly a decade. The whole affair smudged my name quite significantly, and it took time to repair the damage. Odd, how they frowned upon using friendships to further your own cause, as Herbert had done, when it remains the most common business practice within the foundation to this day." He grinned.

Grunt. "We can't offer you anything that might be in the vault, you know that. If it is some kind of weapon, which isn't all that unlikely-"

The old man's forehead grew a second set of furrows, as he cut in. "Do you believe in balance, Wufei?"

Taken a bit aback, Wufei momentarily hesitated. "Balance?"

"Yes. An even scale, yin-yang, symmetry, good and evil, war and peace - or however you wish to describe it - do you believe in it?"

Chauser awaited a reply, but got none.

"Well, I do. Fairness is one thing, balance another - but where is the fairness in only having one group of real power? Once, it was the Alliance, then OZ, and so on. Now, the only real power left is the Preventer agency. It is the only organization allowed to remain partly militarized, with a very few exceptions. What is to prevent the Preventers from using whatever might be in the vault to further their own power? With Lady- Colonel Une at the helm, I'm sure you can understand my concern. For all her recent demonstrations of political savvy and management skills, her track record is anything but spotless."

Wufei frowned. Une was many things - but also his commanding officer. Disrespecting her was disrespecting him. "She doesn't control the Preventers in a military fashion. The command structure ends with the ESUN President, not her. Plus, she purposefully keeps those who dare disagree with her close, so she won't make mistakes, or be thought to hold the office just for power. Even on the odd chance the entire agency wanted to support her in a military coup, the people of the ESUN would not tolerate it. They would fight - to be left alone, if nothing else."

Chauser nodded in agreement, and put the pipe, matches and tobacco packet back in their respective pockets. "Perhaps. I'm one of the concerned citizens of the ESUN, however. I'm worried these weapons - if there are any - would fall into the wrong hands - Preventer hands. There is no organization to balance up against the Preventer agency, and-"

"And you wish to form one? Or re-arm the Romefeller Foundation?"

The white moustache ruffled as its owner snorted at the very idea. "I have no interest in aiding Romefeller, whatsoever. I have had to fight them as much as others, over the years. The thought of forming a group on my own is interesting, of course - but I don't wish for power. Like I said, I wish for balance."

"But there already is balance. I told you-"

Chauser nodded, shot a glance over at Suente, who tapped his wristwatch. "Yes, I remember. Look, young man - Whatever Herbert was working on, I fear it was something so potent it should not fall into the hands of any one power group, including the Preventers. I do not trust the Preventers in disposing of it any more than I would trust Romefeller - or any other group to, for that matter. Herbert split the key up, giving eleven of the pieces to people he trusted, and I can only presume that he did so for a good reason."

"But he gambled away his own piece."

Momentarily closed eyes, deep breath. "True. That worries me even more. He knew he would be tied to the facility, as would all the people who had worked there. Perhaps he wanted the last piece to be in the hands of someone untraceable, even to him. If anything, it made the sealing of the vault final."

Over by the door, Suente grew ever more restless. "Judge Chauser, we really have-"

"Yes, Hector, I know. Wufei - we will release you now, but first I will offer you a proposal. You never answered me if you believed in balance or not, but I think you do. I also think you believe in fair play, justice and order, much like myself. Of course, few things in life are fair, and we would undoubtedly be upset if the world was truly fair. Chaos is part of existence, and poor Justitia is as blind as ever. So is luck, which brings us to my suggestion."

Wufei smirked. "You wish to gamble the rights to access the vault?"

"Don't be preposterous. No, what I suggest is a friendly contest. Me, my limited resources, connections and few friends pitted against the vast power of the Preventer agency, racing to get the most of the pieces of the key. Once one of us has the majority of pieces - at least seven - the other side will hand over the ones they have voluntarily. The side that gets the key, holds the rights to Ziegler's legacy, whatever it might or might not be. Of course, we can have no foul play. First one to find the key, holds it until the scale is tipped in favor of one side. If one group arrives a few minutes, or even seconds too late, the key is to be considered lost. We will not steal keys from each other, nor hinder the opposition. It would be a race."

Wufei found himself unable to hold back a short laugh. "You are out of your mind. Why should I trust a word you say? You drugged me, kidnapped me, and are keeping me captive. Why-"

"Young man, I regret having done all those things, but it seemed the quickest way of getting my point through. From the personnel files I've obtained from the Preventer archives, you appeared the most likely candidate not to dismiss my proposal. Unfortunately, you also appeared to be the most likely to resist even a friendly discussion. Therefore, we found it necessary to bring you somewhere where we could speak unhindered, and with your full attention." He glanced over at Suente. "As my assistant here keeps reminding me, we are on a tight schedule. We also had to bring you far enough away from Corsica to ensure we would have enough time to discuss my suggestion. Preventer protocol states all agents are to travel in teams, when possible - and especially in operations of a military nature. I surmised your partner would follow us - and she did, given the reports we got from friends in Damascus. However, Agent Po appears to follow Preventer guidelines a bit more strictly than even you, so we assumed she would not act alone in attempting to free you from us. It would take some time to get more Preventer agents here, and by monitoring the switchboard back at your headquarters, we have been tracking the progress of other agents. As we speak, they are no doubt approaching this compound, if they aren't already here."

"Then it's over. You've lost, and you know it."

Chauser smirked. "Why, we haven't even played yet, Wufei. As you might understand, any harm to my person, or to my friends, could create quite a bit of disruption within the Preventer agency, and other areas of government. Having formed friendships in unlikely places for nearly five decades, I can create quite a bit of trouble, even if dead. I have no interest in doing so, of course, but I can." Chauser reached for his cane, and struggled to stand up, waving off Suente as the big man took a step closer, offering to help. "Inform Lady Une I'll withdraw all my connections within the Preventers, or simply leave them be. Some are mere passive sources of information, they did not know who they were helping, or even that they were helping in the first place. Also, I'll have to keep the Aries token, so that both our groups start with two. Neither side will play dirty - I apologize for bringing you here, Wufei, but it was the most efficient way of getting it done. I can understand if you or your fellow agents do not wish to trust me, but my offer is more than fair, is it not? If we violate the rules, you may approach us as you would any organization you judge dangerous, of course - but until we do, we remain a peaceful faction."

"I already told you - the Preventers can't allow any contents of the vault to fall into the hands of others."

"Ah, so you admit your vast agency could lose to an elderly man and a small set of his friends?"

Wufei gritted his teeth, loathing the idea of passing up such an insult. Of course he trusted his friends to win such a stupid bet, but the minuscule risk of losing it all was still too great - not to mention, it wasn't his call to make.

"If my side should turn victorious, we will of course help in dismantling the bombs and the facility in general, as soon as we have examined the vault for Herbert's research. You would have to allow us to keep what we might find, though. If the Preventers finds the most pieces, we will hand over any we might have found - though I do have one request, in that event."

"Which is?"

"That I and Hector here be allowed to witness the opening of the vault. We wish to find out what Ziegler's legacy might be, even if we cannot exploit it in any way. We would be mere observers, we would not interfere in your work, should you choose to destroy your finds."

Chauser began walking towards the door, and Suente tapped the metal twice. The shutter flew open, and the guard on the outside unlocked and opened the door. Under Suente's watchful eye, Wufei got to his feet. "I can't give you any promises the Preventers will agree to your wager."

The old man looked over his shoulder. "I understand. We will keep our side of the deal, though. If we should gain seven or more of the pieces, or discover you have done so, we will contact your agency again. If we are victorious, and you do not hand over the pieces, however, I might have to resort to other means to gain the full key." He continued out the door. "I would really rather not have to, though."

Suente cautioned Wufei to follow Chauser with a nod. Wufei complied, well aware the assistant was highly alert. No doubt, Wufei could take him down, but given what he had been told - if it was true - there was no need. He opted to bide his time once more.

The little group went through a small series of corridors, several metal doors on either side. Dust, rust and cobwebs permeated the place, and many of the lights along the corridors were out, some of the few still working blinked in spasms, way out of sync. The recently made path in the old dust led them to a staircase, taking them up a floor. Wufei reasoned he'd been right in guessing he had been kept underground. The slow procession went down another hallway, metal giving way to wooden doors, some of the old, rusty nameplates about to come off their hinges and screws, others already resting in the dust of the floor. "Just what is this place?"

Chauser glanced over his shoulder, but didn't stop walking. "It used to be a detention center for the Alliance. During OZ' rule, it was abandoned, judged much to antiquated to use for interrogation and safe-keeping of people potentially dangerous to OZ. It was scheduled for demolition, but for some strange reason, OZ was kept far too busy rebuilding other structures to take the time to tear this one down." The old man smirked; one could be forgiven for thinking he was gleeful for OZ' troubles.

Another corridor and a turn left, and Wufei could see sunlight. Once outside, he could see he had exited one of four buildings closed off by a perimeter wall. Over by the gate, two jeeps were covered in camouflage netting - though whoever had done it showcased a lack of skill for it. Wufei shaded his eyes with a hand, blinking to adjust to the bright sunlight. Once they were in the middle of the courtyard, Chauser stopped and turned, quick hand gesture ordering Suente and the other guard to back off.

"Wufei, where we go from here, is up to you. If you wish, we will escort you to the nearest airfield. That is all I can offer, I'm afraid. Other than that, you're on your own. There should be a working vidphone at the airfield, though you may of course wait here for your friends, if that suits you better. I have no doubt they will be here shortly." A faint smile grew upon his face. "Though I dislike the near one-sided power the Preventers represent, I've learned not to underestimate its efficiency." He paused, waiting for some sort of response. None was forthcoming. Impatient, he tapped his cane to the ground. "So - Staying or going, young man?"

-------

From the hillside lookout, Sally and Duo had monitored the base for some time. There had been no visible activity whatsoever, and they had both grown somewhat restless. Even if there were only four buildings to sweep, a quiet commando raid would still take time, and be quite risky, as they didn't know if they'd meet only a geriatric and his aide, or a platoon of heavily armed troops. Sally had recognized the facility for what it was, but the state of it suggested it had been abandoned many years ago. Through binoculars, Sally's watchful eyes kept scanning the perimeter for any signs of life whatsoever. Lying next to her was Duo, busy assembling a sniper rifle. He began twisting the long barrel into place. "Seen anything yet?"

Sally put the binoculars down. "Not yet. I don't think they have left - the jeeps are still here, and there's nothing to suggest they walked away, or were picked up by someone else. The ground is nearly undisturbed, and the main gate of the compound is at the same angle it was when I left to pick you up."

Duo reached into the rifle case, picked up the telescopic sight and snapped it into place. "You're probably right. Still can't understand why they'd take him here, though. Either they're incredibly stupid, thinking this abandoned place would be enough to hold a Preventer agent captive, or secure from rescue attempts, or they're really, really arrogant, thinking the same." He paused, got the loading bolt from the rifle case, and pushed it into position, closed the breech and opened it again, before searching the rifle case for cartridges. "Or... he could have joined up with them, for some reason."

An angry glare met him. "Wufei wouldn't do that, Duo. Not now."

"Okay, maybe you're right." Duo loaded the rifle, and repositioned himself, sweeping the perimeter of the compound through the telescopic sight. "Wufei isn't the kind who does something for no good reason. Impulsive isn't really a word - hey, what's that?"

"What?"

"Over by the western wall, inside the complex. I think I see smoke."

Sally began following the wall through her binoculars, zooming in as she scanned the concrete wall. "I don't see anything."

"Look about three quarters up towards the northern side, behind the low building."

She did, and she spotted a few faint puffs of gray - much too little to be a fire, barely enough to be noticed. "Maybe there's a window, or an airduct, or some other opening behind that building. In any case, it's a sign of life."

Duo put down the rifle, wide grin plastered across his face. "Well, that narrows it down from four buildings to one. Lovely lady, shall we dance?" He wiggled his eyebrows in a most mischievous manner.

Sally sighed into a smile. "Thank you, good sir, but I think we have to study the ballroom a bit further first."

A shrug. "Whatever you say, my dear. Should I crawl back to the car and get our dancing shoes ready, anyway?"

Light chuckle. "Yeah, that'd be fine, Duo. Just don't start juggling with the grenades."

Duo grinned, nodded, secured the sniper rifle, and headed back towards the jeep. Sally tried finding more signs of activity, but to no avail. The occasional puffs of smoke along the western side of the compound stopped too. The uneasiness returned. Though there was nothing to indicate Wufei had been brought here to be put through what the compound had once been famous for - interrogation and detention, maybe torture - the mere possibility of it was distressing. As Duo had pointed out, Wufei would probably try to escape, if given the chance. From the outside, the place looked almost abandoned, so what was it that kept Wufei from appearing? How many guards could be hiding inside?

Duo returned, more or less plumping down next to Sally, startling her from thoughts. He placed a submachine gun at her side. The weapon was a very old design - but much like the old aircraft that had brought Duo here, it was a solid design. Good weapon designs live for quite a while - and even longer on the black markets. "So, what's the word? Any more signs of life down there?"

"Not really." She picked up her binoculars again, swept the compound grounds again, back to the target building. "Hold on..." She saw a man appear, then another, and then- "I see Wufei."

"Really?" Duo reached for his rifle, scanned the yard with his scope. "Yep, that's Wuffers alright. God, what did they do to him?! Look at his clothes!"

Sally sighed, nodded. "Yeah, they're pretty torn apart - that doesn't mean it's their doing, though - maybe he put up a fight before he was captured. His coat wasn't in mint condition on the photo, either."

"True - hey, what are they doing?"

"Looks like they're talking." She spun the zoom dial. "The old man has his back turned, I can't read his lips from here."

"The guards are backing away, I think..."

"Yes... Wufei just said 'staying' - if I read his lips right."

Down in the courtyard, the smaller guard went to unfasten the camouflage netting. The big one took up position next to the geriatric, both taking a few steps backwards, away from Wufei. Duo lowered his rifle. "Think they're leaving?"

The guard packed away the netting in the rear jeep, and walked over to push the gates open. "Looks like..."

As the man went back to the jeep, Duo readied his rifle again. "Well, we can't very well let them take Wufei away from here - if there's only three of them, one of them being that old guy, we shouldn't have a problem taking them on."

Sally placed her hand on the barrel, lowering it. "Duo, remember Preventer protocol. We don't kill, unless forced to."

Soft grunt. "Hey, I wasn't going to aim at the driver - I have some scruples, you know. I was going for the wheels. Give them a flat tire or three just as they drive through the gate, and they'll stay put. I'm not going to let-"

Sally held up her index finger, silencing him with the gesture. "Look, Duo - I don't think Wufei is going with them..."

In the compound, Chauser and Suente had gotten into the other jeep, and soon drove out the gate and to the right, the other guard following them. Wufei remained standing in the courtyard, coughing a little on the dust the vehicles whirled up, before trotting over to the open gate. He looked to the right, after the cars, then to the left. Then, he began scanning the horizon, freezing just as he looked straight at them. Duo quickly secured his weapon, and put it down, grinning. "I think Wuffers spotted us."

Indeed, he had. The young man was walking up the hillside, slowed only by his complaining body. Sally and Duo stood up.

"Hey, Wuffers - what's going on?"

Struggling to climb the loose gravel hillside, Wufei was not in a good mood; nicknames didn't make it any better. "For the last time - it's Wufei," he growled. "I'm having a bad enough day as it is, Duo - I really don't need you to add insult to injury."

Laughter. "Good old Wuffers."

Another growl, more determined slope climbing. "That's it, when I reach the top, I'm going to-"

Duo snickered, grabbed the submachine gun and the rifle, and retreated to the jeep.

When Wufei had almost reached the top, Sally reached out a hand for him, helped him up the last stretch, put his arm around her shoulders to support him. "Welcome back, Wufei."

Wufei struggled to catch his breath. "Thanks."

"Now, would you please tell us what happened? Why did they just let you stay like that? We thought you were kidnapped."

He nodded. "I was, I-" He looked down, saw Duo by the jeep, disassembling and stowing away their armory. "Is that your vehicle?"

Sally nodded, still supporting Wufei. "Yes, why?"

Wufei coughed again, cleared his throat. "I suggest we get out of here - I'll tell you everything on the way back." He blinked a bit, looked around. "Where the hell are we, anyway?"

"Somewhere between Beirut, Damascus and Hims."

"Oh..."

She smiled. "Glad to have you back, Wufei."

"Good to be back." Smirk. "I'll feel even better when we get back to headquarters. I have a message to deliver."

Sally gave him a puzzled look, but said nothing. The two stumbled down towards the car, Duo meeting them halfway to help.

-------

Though Sally took it easier on the throttle on the way back, it didn't diminish Duo's firm grip of the roll bar. With the freed captive occupying the passenger seat, he was left sitting on the gas cans, white knuckles clutching the rollbar, just in case Sally were to go off on wheelies again. "So," he yelled over the engine noise, "You're saying the old guy issued a challenge?"

"Something like that, yeah."

Chuckle. "Beats me why he'd do that - he has to know he can't win..."

Vague snort. "I don't think he intends to. Chauser just wants to be there when we open the vault."

"Maybe - at least we know the Aries piece wasn't destroyed. That's good news."

Wufei nodded.

The vehicle went over another hill, and the little airfield became visible. Sally stopped next to the runway. "Okay, you two get back to Preventer HQ as fast as you can - and only speak with people you trust. If this Chauser has moles in the Preventers, we have to make sure we avoid them. The switchboard just isn't safe enough."

Wufei unfastened his seatbelt. "What about you?"

"I have to return this jeep to Damascus, and ditch the weapons." Smile. "Wouldn't be proper for a Preventer agent to be caught with a bunch of illegal weapons in a stolen jeep, would it?"

"Are you sure you'll be fine on your own?"

Gentle laughter. "You're one to talk, Wufei - don't worry, I'll be back ASAP. You two concentrate on beating me back to HQ." He was halfway out the car when she gave him a soft slap to the bum. "Off you go, messenger boy."

He jumped out of the car, glared back at her, got a smirk in reply as she floored the gas pedal, launching the old vehicle on another wild ride over the gravel, leaving the two boys in her wake of dust, coughing.

Duo grinned. "Gee, Wuffers - you sure know how to pick them."

Another glare. "You told her, didn't you?"

Feigned surprise. "Told who what?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about - remember when I visited you a while back?"

Faint grin. "Yeah, I remember - and no, I didn't tell her anything."

Frown.

Duo waved a hand defensively. "Hey, I told you back then I wouldn't tell anyone - and I haven't. You needed someone to confide in, and I accepted the job." Arms akimbo, mild frown. "I do have standards, you know. I keep my word."

Grunt, low mumble. "Yeah... Sorry."

Shrug. "Don't worry about it - now, let's head home, shall we?" Duo picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "Oh, and remind me to call Hilde as soon as we get back to HQ - the line here would probably just break up, anyway."

Beginnings of a smirk. "Sounds like you have your own troubles."

Snicker. "Says the kept man."

Throbbing veins in forehead. "I'm not a-"

Grin. "Whatever you say, Wuffers." He began running, an angry Wufei hot on his heels, seeking satisfaction.

-------

A quick investigation revealed there was only one flight leaving the desolate airfield that day, namely the same rickety old aircraft Duo had arrived with, returning to Munich. Upon learning this, Duo had winced. Wufei did the same when he first saw the plane.

"We're going to fly in that piece of junk?"

Shrug, grin, neck-scratch. "Well, it brought me here, safe and sound. I'm sure the old bird will keep together until we land in Munich."

Frown. "I don't think I share your optimism..."

"Well, she might not offer a maiden voyage, but I hear experience is a good thing." Snicker. "Come on, let's see if we can hitch a ride."

With a sigh, Wufei nodded, and followed his hitchhiking guide, but couldn't quite keep up. His body was finally beginning to feel the bruises, protesting to every move he made. He stopped to rest in the middle of the tarmac, while Duo continued over to the pilots, exchanging quick words. Wufei comforted himself with the thought he'd at least have a chance to rest during the flight, and not think any more of the damn ram that had tossed him into this whole mess. He shook his head, determined not to dwell on the memory.

The pilots went in through the rear hatch, and Duo came running back to him. "We just made it - they're about to take off. I bought us passage - Come on!" Duo grabbed Wufei's wrist, and more or less dragged him across the tarmac. The engines of the old aircraft sputtered to life, whirling up dust clouds. Duo let go of Wufei's wrist and tossed his bag inside the fuselage, before climbing up the detachable staircase. Once inside, he reached out a hand to help Wufei inside. Wufei accepted, and followed.

Once inside, he dusted some of the particles that had stuck to his bare arms off. Behind him, Duo pulled up the staircase, put it aside and closed the hatch. "We have seats a bit further in. I think they said they had two free seats..."

Wufei gave a grunt in reply, looked at the stacks of crates placed along either side of the fuselage. With the hatch closed, the smell of the closed room became quite vivid, and not in a good way. He wrinkled his nose. "Just what are they carrying, anyway?"

"I'm not sure - I think he said something about unprocessed sheepskins."

Mighty groan.

Duo grinned, finding some comfort in his friend's obvious discomfort. At least he wasn't alone in hating having to fly with this thing back. "Hey, at least these ones are dead. I flew here with a bunch of really lively chicks. Was a real party, I tell ya."

Wufei's face contorted from short-lived surprise to realization and a frown. "Thank you for that lovely mental image..."

Grin vanishing. "Hey, I meant poultry chicks, okay? Geez..." Duo turned, walked up the fuselage to find himself a seat, and strap down for the bumpy ride.

Wufei followed. "Sorry..." The engines roared again, and the plane started moving. "No, it's okay. Just get yourself a seat and tie yourself down. These guys don't bother with gentle take-offs, even with a live cargo."

Mild snort, but taking the advice.

The aircraft turned, lined up at the end of the runway. The engines revved up. Wufei attached the last of the seat clips.

Duo grinned at him. "Oh, one more thing - you wouldn't happen to have any nose plugs or gas masks handy?"

Soft chuckle. "I'm afraid you'll just have to grin and bear it, Duo."

Duo reached for his bag. "Says you - I think I've got..." He rummaged about in his bag, and pulled out a small plastic box filled with tiny yellow plugs, triumph all across his face. "I knew I had these somewhere." He glanced at Wufei's questioning expression. "They're really earplugs for the gunnery range - but they'll do nicely, I think..." Duo stuffed a pair of the yellow contraptions up his nostrils, took a few tentative breaths to test if they stuck there - which they did - and then tried to dislodge them, wiggling his nose and exhaling through the nasal passage, ending up shooting the two across the fuselage, impacting next to Wufei. Another grin. "Sorry about that. Yeah, I'd say these would do the trick." He reached for another pair.

The aircraft began moving, fast. The two were pushed to the side. Wufei grunted, nearly shouted to be heard over the engines. "I'm amazed the plugs didn't go the other way!"

"Well, they didn't! Now you're the one who has to grin and bear it - the stench will only get worse, you know!"

The wheels of the craft left the ground, and the fuselage shook, wobbled a bit, and after a while, most of the noise died down, allowing for nearly normal conversation volume. Wufei caught another sniff of death and decay. No doubt, Duo was right. He tried assessing if he could manage to breathe through his mouth only for the duration of the flight, and not catch the smell. The conclusion was a negative. Even if he concentrated, he wouldn't be able to block the smell. "Hand me a pair of those, would you?"

Smirk. "And what will you give me in return?"

Wufei nearly grinned. "I won't vomit all over you in mid-flight."

Laughter. "Fair enough." Duo tossed him the box. He flipped his baseball cap to cover his eyes. "Try to rest, Wufei. I'm sure we'll be plenty busy the second we land again. Might as well try to get some sleep."

Wufei rolled his eyes, put the plugs in place, and tried to get comfortable. Who could possibly sleep in this noisy, shaking, rickety old fuselage, even with the smell of the cargo diminished?

The answer made itself manifest in Duo's loud snoring an hour later.



-end Libra-
-TBC-