Unpredictable
Chapter 5: A Daring Rescue
The lock finally clicked, relief washing over him. He had been inside the storage unit for twenty minutes trying to figure a way out. He had decided to try using skills he had put back in his past, but they had become useful in his current situation.
Duo flung the door open and raced out, throwing the fish bone on the floor as he dashed past waiters and waitresses who moved out of his way quickly. He made it to the elevator safely without being asked questions, just a few curious looks. He slammed down on the level 7 button several times.
"Come on, come on, move!" Duo hissed quietly, bouncing on his feet.
After several agonizing minutes, the doors opened as he bolted out, racing down the long, lovely hallways, only watching for the right door number. Duo halted in front of the room door number 504, his heart pounding in his chest. He knocked roughly on the door, glad that there was no peep hole on any of the doors. No answer came.
Oh no...Quatre...If they did anything to you I promise they will pay.
Duo knocked harder but there was still no answer. He knew he had to somehow find Trowa or Heero and make a deal with them, if they had Quatre. It was the only thing he could think of and he hoped that Heero wasn't the violent type to just shoot Quatre on the spot. Duo took deep breaths as he opened his and Quatre's room, now that the woman had left, and rushed inside closing the door. He needed to find some kind of subtle weapon to bring with him. Just as he ran to go find any pointed object he could find, Duo froze in his spot as his eyes locked onto the bed.
A figure lay gently on the bed, one arm draped over the head and the other spread out. The sunlight highlighted the golden strands as they were tossed around a smooth face. From a distance it looked like he was sleeping, but it was clear that he was unconscious.
"Quatre!" Duo exclaimed, knocking over some clothes as he ran to the bed.
Feeling for a pulse, Duo was relieved when he found one. There were no marks on him, nor blood, which meant that he was unharmed, with the exception of being unconscious. Duo shook his shoulders roughly, Quatre's head moving with the motion. His hair fell into his eyes as his head lolled back onto the water bed. Duo sighed and grabbed a glass, filling it with cold water, and pouring it on Quatre's face.
Almost instantly Quatre was awake and coughing, shaking his head from the daze. He blinked several times, wiping water from his eyes. His confused blue eyes finally locked onto Duo's.
"Duo?" he asked confused, "Where am I?"
"In our room," Duo answered, sitting on the bed beside him. "Are you all right?"
Quatre nodded slowly, "Yeah, I feel fine. How did I get here?"
Duo's eyes narrowed, "That's a good question. What's the last thing you remember?"
Quatre's eyebrows furrowed in thought as he sat trying to remember.
"Well...I went to go see Trowa, and I got him started with talking. And then...," Quatre's eyes widened as the memory came back, "then Heero came, and...and he demanded to know what we were up to. Then he...," Quatre unconsciously put a hand to his throat.
"He choked you?" Duo asked loudly, his anger growing. "Heero has some nerve! First he locks me in that dark, smelly storage room and then he attacks you! That guy is going to pay..."
"No, Duo, don't get upset at them," Quatre said.
Duo wheeled around, staring at him with a dumbfounded look on his face, "Quatre, listen to yourself! They could've hurt you, or worse...killed you."
"Could have, but they didn't. And I don't think they would have no matter what," Quatre said, looking up at him. "I got a feel of Heero right before I passed out. I didn't sense any evil, and there was no malice of any kind. He didn't want to even hurt me, so he wouldn't have killed me."
Duo slumped into a chair, folding his arms, "Then why is he after us?"
"I don't think he is. I think he thinks we're after them. I have a feeling they have us mixed up with other people they're after," Quatre said, stripping off his wet shirt to replace it with a dry one.
Duo shook his head, "It still doesn't make them good. I don't know what's going on, but something is and I don't think it's just with those two. The French woman who gave us this room has disappeared."
"What?" Quatre's eyes widened.
"Yeah, she just all of a sudden said we were friends she had given her room to, so she's not coming back. It may just be she went someplace else, but all her clothes are here, which makes it a bit suspicious," Duo said, his eyes narrowing.
Quatre sighed heavily, sitting back down on the bed, "So, what do we do?"
"We figure this out."
"What?!" Quatre turned to him surprised. "I thought you said when this gets too complicated we could call the police."
"And tell them what, Quat? We don't have anything, which means that we've got to find some proof. What if Heero and Trowa are up to something that could threaten people's lives? Or what if they're really not bad? Either way, we don't who is involved or what's going on and I say that we find that out."
Quatre's mouth opened slightly, but he closed it, finally nodding.
"I guess you're right. I am a little curious to see if Heero and Trowa are the good guys or the bad guys. But where do we start? We're not even sure if they're still around."
A smile crept on Duo's face as he stood up, "Don't worry, I think I've got an idea. Right now I have to go pick a couple things up. You stay here and look around to see if you find anything suspicious-looking. I still don't trust that woman. I'll be back soon."
Quatre nodded, standing up just as Duo walked out the door. He glanced around and decided to start with the belongings in the closet. He searched through the endless piles of clothes, not seeing anything of interest. She hadn't left anything that would even give him a clue of who the woman was. Quatre sighed, having reached the end of the clothing line on the hangars.
His hand pushed the clothes back, and his eyes darted to the last piece of clothing that was a furry white jacket. Quatre's eyes studied the bulge in the pocket and slipped his hand inside. He pulled out a small black notebook, and upon opening it he saw there were names that he didn't recognize. Most of them were initials, which wouldn't be helpful, but he also noticed names that were definitely not human. They seemed more of a species, like a type of fish or sea creature. There was an endless list, most of them falling under the section of the Caribbean.
Hmm...I wonder if that means anything, or perhaps she studies these creatures.
Quatre flipped through the pages, going to the last one that had been written in. There were dates set up with times that were no doubt plane rides, scheduled for the Cayman islands. From the dates it would've seemed the woman had been there a little over a month. Beneath the schedule of times and dates there was something that was scribbled in cursive. Quatre squinted to read the writing.
"Cayman...Castle," he read, after some difficulty. "I wonder if that's some type of hotel that she was planning on staying at."
Quatre closed the book and pocketed it in his shorts. Not more than a moment later, Duo walked in the door carrying a bag. He had gone shopping yet again, only this time Quatre realized the outfits weren't to stand out. He glanced in the bag, eyeing the tight leather material. Duo instead pulled out skin-toned clothes and handed a pair to Quatre.
"We want to just blend in, but even this can't hide us fully if they spot us. The goal is not to be spotted," Duo said, slipping his clothes on.
"What do you mean? What are we planning to do?" Quatre asked as he changed into his.
Duo slipped on the tight skin-colored tanktop, looking at him, "We're going to spy on them and follow them wherever they go. Hopefully we'll be able to find something useful out."
"But how will we know where to find them?" Quatre asked.
Duo grinned, "That's the next step of the plan. Come on."
Quatre tilted his head in question but followed him out, unsure of what his friend was thinking. They went down all the way to the first floor and approached the lobby. Duo took a deep breath and then ran up to the younger man that was now sitting there.
"Hurry! You have to send out a message to two lifeguards for me, it's an emergency!" Duo said, widening his eyes.
The man stared at him startled, "What's the problem?"
"Just do it!"
The man nodded quickly, fumbling with the microphone.
"Their names are Trowa and Heero, tell them it's code blue," Duo said in a panic-stricken voice.
"Attention lifeguards Trowa and Heero, code blue, I repeat, code blue," the man said on the announcer.
Duo thanked him quickly and ran back to where he had left Quatre standing. They hid out of view and Quatre stared at him in question.
"Code blue?"
Duo shrugged, "I just guessed at something that would sound good."
"Are you sure this will work?" Quatre asked skeptically.
"Pretty sure, but there's only one way to find out."
The two of them walked out of the entrance way, approaching the beach. Duo had bought binoculars and was staring through them.
"There they are."
Quatre spotted them without the binoculars, his eyes catching sight of both of them running toward the beach from their boat clad in only Speedos. Quatre tried not to but couldn't help examining what he could make out of the muscles along Trowa's abdomen, catching sight that Heero was just as well defined. He glanced at Duo who too seemed to be watching them carefully and Quatre thought he had seen a glint in his eye before it vanished.
They waited, hidden behind a palm tree and watching. Trowa and Heero approached a couple other lifeguards there. Some words were exchanged and soon Trowa and Heero began their journey back across the beach toward the hotel at a much slower pace. Quatre and Duo waited quietly, watching them.
Quatre was too scared to breathe as Duo nudged him and they followed at a large distance. They followed them into the hotel where Trowa and Heero split up without a word. Duo gestured for Quatre to follow Trowa and he would follow Heero. Quatre nodded and began following Trowa as he entered a hot tub room, filled with fake plants and wildlife. Quatre's eyes kept locked on Trowa, following a minimum of ten feet behind. He watched as Trowa looked around, turning his head from side to side. People were staring at him but he didn't seem to notice as he approached the customer counter nearby.
Quatre couldn't hear what they were saying, but no sooner had he stepped a bit closer, still hidden by a large plant, when the customer service woman nodded her head and walked away, most likely going to retrieve something she really didn't need to get for him. Trowa wasted no time and Quatre watched in fascination as he slipped behind the counter unnoticed by any of the tourists sitting and laughing together.
Very cautiously, Quatre slipped by unsuspecting tourists and managed to get at an angle where he could see what Trowa was doing from behind the counter. Trowa pulled out something that resembled a palm pilot, at least from the distance Quatre was looking, and used a cord that hooked into the back of the hotel's computer. He punched in several things, waiting for something to happen. Quatre felt a nervous feeling grow. Even though Trowa appeared to be doing something wrong Quatre was more nervous he'd get caught. He was shocked when Trowa unplugged it and slipped back over the counter just as the woman rounded the corner. She smiled at him, apologizing for the wait and then shook her head about something. Trowa nodded politely and walked off.
What was he doing? Was he hacking into their computer system?
Quatre's weariness grew as he continued to follow at a distance, his curiosity increasing even more.
Meanwhile, down past the spa area, nearby the hot tub area, Duo was following Heero into a bar-type room. There were games like pool, ping-pong ball, and other various games that he passed by, keeping hidden by the people. Heero approached the bar tender and took out a picture that had been in his hand. The bar tender scratched his chin and nodded slightly. The bar tender began telling him something, but Duo couldn't catch it so he moved closer. He found a spot right by the bar and took a seat, hidden by a couple. There, he could finally make out some of the conversation.
"She asked me about it and I told her it was abandoned. It's only used to take people on a tour but right now they haven't been showing people around," the bar tender said to Heero.
Heero nodded, "Anything else?"
"Well, I told her that it's one of the most beautiful spots on the island. One of Cayman's best, in terms of visiting places. It's got a gorgeous bunch of trees surrounding it and the ocean is just behind it a short distance. I told her not many have stayed there because they're reconstructing the castle again, but it should be open for business soon," the bar tender continued.
"Did she say anything to you after that?" Heero asked quietly.
The bar tender nodded, "Yeah, she said she'd love to stay in a place like that sometime. And I told her to check in a couple weeks to see how it's doing."
Heero nodded, "Thanks."
"No problem."
The bar tender walked away as Heero sat sipping a glass of water. He pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled something down. He left a tip on the counter and got up to leave without finishing his water. Duo quickly snuck over to the counter, downing the water before following Heero at a short distance.
Duo hadn't understood any of the conversation, but hoped that following Heero would give him more of a clue. He followed him into a sitting room that had beautiful statues of dolphins nearby the window. Heero approached the dolphins, slipping the piece of paper into the dolphin's mouth unnoticed, pretending as if he were examining it. He then glanced around to make sure no one had seen. Duo made sure to duck around the corner, waiting several minutes.
When he turned back Heero was all ready leaving the room. Duo made sure to wait a little more before he quietly stepped over to the dolphins, looking in the mouth and picking up the piece of paper. He opened and read the message.
'Meet me at the place we suspected at 10. ~H.Y.'
Duo frowned, disappointed that he didn't know what the note was talking about. He slipped it back inside and mouth and went back to the corner he was hiding behind to watch. Not more than five minutes had passed when Trowa stepped into view, heading straight for the dolphins as if he had known all along. He had taken the note to craftily that Duo wasn't sure he had even seen him do it. Upon reading it, Trowa kept it in his hand and walked away. Duo held his breath, up against the wall, until Trowa left.
Duo's eyes locked onto a bright golden head as he saw Quatre peering out from behind a large statue. Duo waved his hand to get his attention and when Quatre saw him they approached each other normally.
"Did you find anything out?" Quatre asked as they sat down in chairs.
"A little. I didn't understand much. Only that Heero asked about some female, probably the French woman. The bar tender told him something about an abandoned place that was getting fixed up that she had wanted to go to, but that's it," Duo said, folding his hands.
"And you're sure Heero asked about the French woman?"
Duo nodded, "yeah, because the day you borrowed Heero's clothes I told them the French woman gave us her hotel room and Trowa asked me to describe her. So," Duo said, turning to him, "did you find anything out?"
Quatre sighed heavily, "No. I did see Trowa hack into the hotel's computer but I couldn't get close enough to see what was being processed on his electronic device."
Duo sighed, "yeah, looks like we're missing pieces of the puzzle."
Quatre nodded, his eyes lowering, "I wonder what Trowa was doing over by the statue."
"Oh, he was picking up a message Heero left him," Duo said as Quatre looked up at him. "It said 'meet me at the place we suspected at ten.' And it was signed H.Y., which I'm guessing are Heero's initials."
Quatre's eyebrows furrowed, "At the place they suspected...I wonder what that could mean."
"You got me," Duo shrugged. "Looks like we're getting no where now."
"Hmm...are you sure you didn't get any other clues?" Quatre asked, eyeing him.
Duo sat back as he thought, "Well...let's see. The bar tender said something about that place. That it was one of Cayman's best sights. Oh, and he also said, 'they're reconstructing the castle again'," Duo mocked. "Whatever that means."
"Reconstructing the castle...," Quatre repeated. "The castle! That's it!" he jumped up suddenly.
Duo stared at him in surprise, blinking slowly, "What do you mean?"
"In the notebook! The notebook I found while searching through that woman's clothes," Quatre said pulling out the small black notebook. "In the last page it said Cayman Castle, that must be it! That's the place they're talking about."
A large grin appeared on Duo's face as he stood up as well, "I bet that's where they're meeting at ten."
Quatre nodded, his eyes shining with excitement, "And that's only a half-hour cab ride from here! I remember seeing something about it in the brochure."
Duo grinned, "Then tonight we leave. Good thing I bought those other outfits and a camera. It's time for us to do some detective work."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The clouds drifted slowly in the sky as the sun's rays began to descend back toward the horizon. As the sky darkened the hot air cooled down, letting a soft breeze chill the humid summer. At the hotel, tourists began filing into their rooms as the clock struck ten. Two rooms in the hotel, that had occupants, were currently empty.
Miles away, a cab was driving in the dark to reach a destination point. He was told to head for one of the islands' attractions, which was currently being redesigned. The car stopped by the edge of the path leading up to the glorious building, and the taxi driver turned to the two passengers.
"The Cayman Castle, this is it," he announced.
"Thanks," a bright-eyed boy smiled politely, handing him money.
The two boys got out of the car as the cabdriver drove away almost instantly forgetting them as he went to find his next payment. The two figures, now blended in with the night, crept quietly toward the structure, keeping by the tall trees and plants. They headed toward the back of it, keeping low and one of the figures pointed toward the top of the structure toward the roof in which there was a hole big enough to squeeze one person through.
Carefully, they were able to climb the tree nearest to the roof and jump down without making too much noise, though the roof tiles creaked slightly under the sudden weight. They crept quietly toward it without a sound and separately climbed through the hole, slipping inside the castle building.
Just as planned, through research and careful planning, there was a staircase nearby that led to the attic. They climbed silently toward the attic and slipped inside. There on the side of the room, as hoped, was a vent big enough to fit a person crawling through. One of the figures dressed in black, leaped onto a bureau and, with a screwdriver, removed the vent and was able to slid inside. The next figure followed, leaving the vent open for their return trip.
The vent systems were created specifically for the castle, being an important building and highly used, as emergency exits able to lead people into rooms or toward a way outside. Over the years they had kept the building in the same design it was generally supposed to be, only making minor modifications like instead of marble tables there'd be glass. The castle was three stories, not counting the attic, and had several spiraling staircases to each level. It was designed mainly for the incredibly rich owner of the Mirage Hotel, who didn't really use it except to earn more money by renting it out occasionally.
Once inside the vents, flashlights were turned on as familiar faces came into view. A pair of violet eyes studied the surroundings before leading the way to a much larger compartment in which there was more space because there were other passageways leading off straight and to the right. In the center of both of the passageways, the figure stopped and turned around to glance at his companion.
"Well, we're inside," Duo whispered.
A head of blonde hair came into view as the light from the flashlight shined on him. Two aqua-blue eyes blinked, a hand coming in front of his face.
"Duo, stop shining that in my eyes," Quatre whispered back.
"Sorry," he said, turning the flashlight down to face the vent floor.
Quatre was able to see again and glanced at the two passageways.
"What do we do now?"
Duo looked to where he was looking and then turned back to him, "We split up."
Quatre's eyes widened in protest, but Duo clasped a hand on his shoulder.
"Quat, as long as we're up in the vents and quiet, if anyone is here they won't suspect us. We have our walkie-talkies on low so if you need anything let me know. Remember, record anything if you hear voices, even if you don't understand what they're talking about."
Quatre nodded, revealing the small portable video camera he had brought with him to record their vacation.
This has turned out to be some vacation.
"All right," Duo said quietly, breaking his thoughts. "I'll go straight and you go right. We'll meet back here in ten. If we find anything we'll tell each other when we meet back, got it?"
Once again Quatre nodded as Duo took off crawling through the passageway leading straight. With a sigh, Quatre turned on his own flashlight and began crawling swiftly through the passage veering off to the right. He inwardly hoped that they weren't getting too over their heads this time. The incident with Heero and Trowa had been enough for Quatre. If there were other bad guys, or more dangerous people, Quatre didn't want to bump into them.
As he crawled through the vent, there were occasional spaces where another vent would be so he could peer into other rooms. So far he didn't see anything, nor hear anything.
What if this wasn't the place and that woman had just asked about it because she really did want to stay in it when it was finished. Then we'd be sneaking in here for no reason.
Quatre's thoughts were immediately forgotten as something caught his ear. A muffled sound that sent shivers up his spine echoed through the vent nearby. No sooner had he frozen on spot, but realized that the sounds were voices. He tried to convince himself that it was just some people working on the reconstruction, but somehow the fluttery feeling in his stomach didn't agree.
Quatre approached the vent he heard it coming from and peered through, careful he didn't make any noise. He could see a small candle burning on a desk and from that saw shadows dancing across the walls, which meant that there was a presence occupying the room.
Taking a deep breath, Quatre scooted over slowly to the next vent that was faced differently so he could peer in at a better angle. All he could see were chairs and papers strewn about. Suddenly a figure appeared in front of the vent, causing him to almost gasp out loud in surprise. Luckily, he had covered his mouth before he had let out any sound. The figure was bulky, much taller than he and Duo, making him slightly more nervous than before. He didn't appear to be a worker because he was wearing dark jeans and a t-shirt, to blend in with the dark like Quatre and Duo, only they were wearing black leather, something Quatre never expected Duo would buy.
He seemed to be alone, since he wasn't talking to anyone. Quatre figured he must've been muttering something to himself and it had traveled through the vent. At the moment, the man was pacing the room, his large boot-like shoes clunking against the carpeted flooring. His back was facing Quatre so that he couldn't see, but still, Quatre took out the video camera and turned it on record, trying to zoom in as close as he could without making it blurry.
He saw the man had dark brown hair, almost black, and was trudging almost as if he were angry, or impatient. Quatre let his senses take over as he recorded, feeling that the man was irritable about something. It felt as if he was expecting something to happen, or perhaps someone.
A knock sounded at the door, making Quatre's heart pound loudly in his chest as he bit his lip to keep from letting out any kind of surprise. The door opened and the man stopped pacing, turning toward the door. Quatre got a good view of his face, seeing that his eyes were almost as dark as his hair color. He had stubbles across his chin, showing that a beard had begun to grow back. He looked in his late twenties or very early thirties, at most. He had a grim expression on as the door opened and another figure stepped inside.
Before Quatre could see who it was he felt all the emotions the presence was letting off. There was satisfaction, greed, but at the same time a hint of worry. Quatre could tell the person most likely had a pretty big ego, or thought money was everything. He adjusted the camera to turn toward the approaching figure and let out a small gasp that was quickly stopped mid-way, so it sounded as if air had been blowing through the vents.
A woman, dressed in a short red dress walked in, a smug expression on her face as she approached him. She had long blonde hair that framed her face that had seemed so innocent when she had offered Quatre and Duo her room. The familiar French woman smiled, a smile that Quatre could only figure was what she thought was a sexy smile, but looked more satisfied than anything.
"It's been done," she said, keeping her voice low and smooth. Her voice was different now, lower and without the accent.
The man folded his arms and stared at her grimly, "You better hope so, because we have a deadline," he said gruffly. "Where is Jesse?"
"He's in the other room figuring out how much we'll make," she said with a sly smile, beginning to move closer to him. "We've been planning this for months and finally we get to finish it. We'll make so much even off of the male, can you imagine what we'd make off of the entire family?"
"A lot," the man sneered, "which is why this is very important to me."
"Of course...darling, I understand," she said, raising an eyebrow slightly.
From the feelings that were emitting off of her Quatre could tell she was sexually attracted to the man before her. Quatre couldn't fathom why a younger woman would be attracted to someone who didn't seem like a very nice person. Though Quatre suddenly had the feeling she wasn't nice to begin with either.
"So you say," the man said, unfolding his arms and staring at her with a cold expression. "You said you handled it last time too but you were almost caught. If you've been followed Lola..."
"Of course not, Derak, honey, I wouldn't be so careless," she said waving it off.
"Yeah, but the manager was certainly asking you a lot of questions before," he said gruffly.
A smile curled on her lips as she walked toward him, reaching out a hand to touch his arm.
"Yes, but I've got a back-up plan. You see," she said trailing a finger along his neck, "I happened to give my room to two clueless little teenagers. The brats are ignorant of anything. The little blonde had a bit of trouble and I helped him out...only he and his friend don't realize that if the police do show up at my room, they will be the ones sitting with the stolen jewels hidden in the VCR space," she grinned, pecking his cheek lightly.
Quatre's mouth had dropped open and his hands had begun to tremble as he recorded all of it. The whole time she hadn't been helping them at all, which was why she was entirely "generous" to give them her room. She had done something illegal and almost screwed up whatever else it was they were planning because she had been nearly caught.
So maybe Heero and Trowa aren't bad after all...but what is this woman, Lola, and Derak up to?
Derak's expression didn't lighten as he stared at her, "You better hope those kids don't find it before the police do."
"They're completely ignorant, believe me. The blonde boy seemed like a klutz to me," she smiled.
Above them, Quatre glared as he continued to tape them, trying to figure out exactly what they were up to.
Klutz, huh? Well this klutz is going to be one of the reasons you're not going to get away with this. Too bad she doesn't know the man she lusts over is only using her to get the money. She's going to get nothing in the end.
"You better be right," Derak said coldly. "Now, where's the notebook? I've got to make sure that I have all the species listed."
Lola's eyes went wide as he stared back at him silently. After a minute, Derak's eyes narrowed.
"Lola...where is it?" he asked dangerously.
Lola gulped somewhat but managed to hold her ground, "Well, I...I didn't bring it with me. I kind of...forgot that we still needed it."
His eyes hardened even more, "Please tell me you threw it away, Lola."
"I promise you that it's well hidden! The boys don't suspect anything at all, it'll be safe there," she said, begging him with her pleading gaze to forgive her.
"You left it in the room with witnesses?!" he rose his voice, glaring at her. "How could you be so stupid?!"
"Don't worry...please. They're just like everyone else. They only go into the room to sleep and they think that I'm coming back to get the room sometime. I bet anything they've all ready left the hotel," she said, smiling. "Trust me."
"You'll have to earn my trust, Lola. Now, let's go find Jesse so we can finally get this part over with," he said as he walked past her and out the door, Lola following in toe.
Up in the vent, Quatre turned off the camera and raced as fast as he could on all fours toward the meeting spot. He hoped Duo was there. Just as he reached the spot he saw Duo coming toward him, his eyes widened and afraid.
"Quatre!" he whispered hoarsely.
"Duo," Quatre said, approaching him. "That French woman is involved!"
Duo's eyes widened, "What?"
"She set us up, Duo. There are jewels hidden in the VCR in the room and she just needed some suckers to believe that she was lending us her room, generously, so that if the police came they'd find us with the jewels instead of her," Quatre explained quickly.
"Why that...," Duo clenched his fists. "What a dirty play."
Quatre nodded in agreement, "I know, but Duo we have to call the police. They're planning something illegal...something about a family of something. They also mentioned the notebook. Apparently, we did find something that can be used for proof," Quatre said worried. "We have to stop them. So far it's just that woman, Lola, and that man, Derak who's involved."
"Did they mention a third party?" Duo asked, keeping his voice low.
Quatre blinked, "Yeah...they did mention another guy's name, why?"
"Come here, you have to see this," Duo said quietly, turning around and leading Quatre through the passage he had taken.
Duo stopped in front of a vent and gestured for Quatre to look down. He peered down into it seeing that it was a cellar-type place of some sort with machinery and equipment filling some of the space. Quatre's eyes traveled around until he spotted something. A man was walking backwards with his hands raised. Quatre's eyebrows furrowed in confusion until he noticed that another figure was causing him to back away. Heero had a gun pointed at the man, his face cold and emotionless. Quatre could see Trowa standing only a short distance away as if waiting for Heero to ask for his help.
Quatre looked up and turned to Duo, surprised, "What's going on?"
"Apparently Heero and Trowa are the good guys," Duo said quietly, folding his arms as he stared down to watch. "Heero said something about the guy being involved in something illegal with some other people and told him he wouldn't get away with it. The man asked if they were with some type of soldier project. He asked them if they were perfect soldiers."
"So, Heero and Trowa were just trying to stop these criminals," Quatre whispered softly. "I knew my heart wasn't lying to me. I could feel Trowa was a good person."
Duo nodded, "Yeah, but if you say that the woman and man are here, that means that there's three of them and just Heero and Trowa."
"They're outnumbered," Quatre whispered, his tone expressing worry.
Before either of them had a chance to say anything else, a sound from below caused them to direct their attention toward the room they were watching. The sound had been from the door opening as two other men, dressed in what was a typical thug outfit, walked in. They held machine guns in their hands as they directed the guns toward Heero and Trowa.
"Throw down your weapon or we'll call for more reinforcements," one of the guys said, smirking boldly.
Heero's eyes hardened as he kept the gun pointed at the other man, who was no doubt Jesse, put finally lowered it and threw it on the ground.
"That's right, now put your hands up and don't move," the thug smirked, approaching them slowly.
The other man, Jesse, nodded toward them and quickly left the room in safety as the thugs slowly approached Heero and Trowa. One of them picked up Heero's gun and pocketed it. The other one retrieved wire from one of the tables in the room and ordered them to lie on the ground. Heero's eyes glared at them harshly but the thug kicked him in the legs. Heero grunted and slowly lowered himself to the ground, followed by Trowa. The other thug then wound wire around them to keep them tied.
Quatre and Duo watched in shock, exchanging looks of apprehension. Down below, the thugs smirked toward the tied boys, keeping their guns pointed at them.
"Well, well...and to think the little lifeguard rescuers would try to come and save the day. I think this is a little over your head, boys," one of the thugs smirked.
"You're a little in over your head," Heero replied coldly. "You don't even realize what's going on."
"Hey, shut your mouth!" the other thug glared. "And we do too know what's going on. They're trying to kill some underwater creatures, big deal. Who needs sharks or sting rays, or even dolphins? Heck, if you can get a lot of money for all of them then why not? It's only the dumb animal-lovers who will care. Money will get you far in life, not animals."
Up in the vent, Quatre listened and glared at him while Duo video taped the conversation.
That's not true. I've always had a lot of money I never really went anywhere at all. I'd rather be an animal-lover...which I am. And I am making sure that these people don't get away with it.
Quatre began working again on his own video camera that he was playing back while watching carefully. He held his cell phone in his hand, pressing several buttons as he tried to do the several things at once.
"I got it on tape," Duo said quietly. "I think we've got enough proof."
Quatre nodded, gesturing for Duo to hand him the tape he just recorded on, while handing Duo his. Again he began playing it back while pressing buttons. Duo was watching through the vent carefully, sighing as he lifted his head again.
"They can't get away with it, Duo," Quatre shook his head, while staring harshly at the thugs. "Animals are very important to our world, and they just don't realize how much it'll hurt them in the end. Of course they don't care so long as they're swimming in money. Even sharks shouldn't be killed off because they're important as well. Though I still have a personal grudge against the one that tried to eat me," Quatre added.
Duo let a smile show, "And I thought you couldn't hold a grudge." His expression turned more serious, "Well, we have enough proof to give the police."
Quatre's eyes dimmed, "Yeah...but we can't just leave, Duo. What if they...they kill them?"
Duo's eyes dimmed coldly as he nodded, "I'm betting they will. There's only two thugs right now, so we're even. And we just need enough time to free them. As long as those other people don't come we'll be fine," Duo said, glancing up at Quatre who stared at him uncertainly.
"They've got guns, Duo," Quatre whispered fearfully.
"And they haven't shot them yet, which means they'll be easy to distract. It seems these thugs haven't been filled in on the whole plan, as Heero hinted, so we have a chance. You can distract them," Duo explained quietly.
Quatre's eyes widened, "Me? Why me? This is your brilliant plan!"
"Because you're sweet and captivating. Besides, do you want to be the one to sneak behind one and knock him out?"
Quatre sighed heavily, "All right."
"Just tell them you're there for the bounty. Play the role," Duo said. "And if anything goes wrong, I'll telephone the police and threaten those thugs so that they'll be running away like cowards."
Quatre nodded, "Okay...Help me down."
Duo unscrewed the vent, very carefully putting it aside to not make any noise. He grabbed Quatre's arms and helped lower him toward the floor. Luckily, there was a large desk he could step on to help him get to the floor, and it was off to the side of the room away from where neither the thugs, nor Heero and Trowa could see him. Taking a deep breath, Quatre tip-toed toward the door, hiding in the shadows to pretend he had just walked in. He opened the door and then shut it loudly to get their attention, hoping everything worked as planned. The thugs stupidly wheeled around, one of them glaring while holding the gun threateningly.
"Who's there?" he barked.
"It's me, who else," Quatre said, making his voice sound mocking and cold.
The thugs glanced at him as he appeared from the shadows, walking confidently. He saw Heero's eyes narrow towards him, as well as Trowa. Despite that they really thought him an enemy now, that meant his plan was working.
"Has the bounty been received yet?" Quatre asked.
The thug stared at him in thought, tilting his head, "You know, I haven't seen you around before. Are you the messenger for the bounty collector?"
"You could say that," Quatre said, folding his arms casually, "but I get some of the profit, which means I technically am in on the bounty as well."
The thug lowered his weapon, as well as the other. He had obviously completely convinced them he was one of them.
They must not be very bright.
"Why don't you talk to Derak about it, he's in charge of exchanging bounty," one of the thugs said.
Quatre pretended to sigh, "I tried, but he didn't want to see me. He sounded a bit upset about something. The plan is working isn't it?"
The thugs glanced at each other, obviously not sure if it was or not. Quatre's eyes darted toward Heero and Trowa who were still watching him closely. Quatre turned back to the thugs, hoping his next plan of action would work.
Quatre rose an eyebrow, "So? Do I have to go home to report there's nothing? I just took a five hour plane ride here, you know?"
At that he saw Heero's eyes narrow into suspicion, noting that Quatre had just lied. The thugs wouldn't have known, but Heero and Trowa knew he had been there for more than a day. Hopefully they would understand he was helping them soon enough. Just as Quatre turned back to the thugs he saw Duo out of the corner of his eye, approaching softly and swiftly behind them. He had to keep them distracted long enough.
"Hmm, maybe you all would like to talk to my boss and tell him it hasn't worked out, because I sure don't," Quatre snapped, causing the thugs to look a little uneasy.
"Look, we're doing the best we can, all right?" the thug said defensively.
"I thought this was a well thought-out plan, and unbeatable. Now you're telling me it's not?" Quatre asked, raising his voice just as Duo approached them. "Well I'll tell you what you two deserve!"
WHAM!
Duo hit one of them square in the neck and he fell over instantly unconscious, grunting as he did so. The other one wheeled around sharply.
"Hey! Who are— "
Quatre gave him no time to finish as he used his self-defense teachings to kick the guy hard in the stomach, knocking the air out of him and causing the gun to fall clattering to the floor. Then with his hand in a stiff form he whammed it down on his back causing him to slump to the floor unconscious.
"Nice move, Quat," Duo smiled, turning toward Heero and Trowa. "You two sure know how to get into trouble."
Heero glanced from one to the other, not sure whether to trust them or not. Quatre smiled and approached them, staring down at the gun. Heero's eyes locked onto the gun as well and back up at Quatre. With a swift kick, Quatre kicked it away toward the crowd of boxes and materials in the corner. He smiled back at Heero and took out a pocket knife.
"You're not really lifeguards are you?" Quatre asked, as he began cutting at the wire. "It's a cover-up, right?"
"What I want to know is what is going on here?!" Duo exclaimed, while helping Trowa of his binds.
"You aren't with them?" Heero asked bluntly, turning to look Quatre in the eye.
The binds from around Heero slipped down as Quatre smiled at him, putting away his knife.
"Of course not, Duo and I are just here on vacation."
"Vacation?" Heero asked, slightly surprised.
Quatre was intrigued by the way Heero's eyes suddenly showed emotion as his mask was let down. The shock of how he misinterpreted the coincidences they had with each other, showed in his face and Quatre could sense them.
"You're surprised?" Duo asked, raising an eyebrow. "And I thought Quatre would've looked innocent enough."
Heero folded his arms, "I thought they were recruiting people to look innocent to make the cover better."
Quatre shrugged, "Clever thinking, but we're not involved in anything here. But you don't have to worry, Duo and I taped the conversations so we have enough proof against them."
Heero glanced at them each, "Who are you?"
"Duo Maxwell," Duo replied, smiling brightly. "I'm from colony L2."
"You live in space?" Trowa asked, staring at him with an expression far from cold or indifferent.
It was a change to see the emotions dwelling beneath the surface when they finally realized they weren't enemies. Quatre could feel his heart swell happily.
"Yep, my whole life. This is only the fifth time I've visited Earth. It's Quatre's first time though. Have you ever been to space?"
A soft smile showed on Trowa's face, which was startling. It brought out his eyes and made Quatre's eyes glisten as he saw past the mask.
"Many times, but just for training. I've never gotten to enjoy just living peacefully in outer space," Trowa answered.
Duo turned to Heero, "We may not be enemies now that we know each other, but I'm still not letting you off easy for what you did to Quatre."
Heero's pupils dilated as he recalled the incident and turned toward Quatre again.
"Sorry. I figured if you were working for them you'd bring the warning to them, or go back home."
Quatre brushed it away with a wave of his hand, "Don't worry, Heero. We actually thought you two were the bad guys at first."
Heero and Trowa exchanged glances, and shockingly, a barely noticeable smile appeared on both their faces.
"So...," Duo grinned, "how are you two going to make it up to us? How about, say, a free dinner and you tell us who you are?"
Heero closed his eyes and reopened them, folding his arms, "Nice try, Duo," a small smirk subtly appeared. "Dinner it is, but nothing more."
Duo tilted his head with a grin, "Agreed."
Quatre's eyes lit up as he saw that Duo had meant to do that. If he hadn't made them choose they might not have agreed, which meant that now they practically had a date with them. Heero nodded his head and turned back to Quatre.
"You still haven't told us your full name."
"Quatre Winner," he smiled.
Luckily, Heero and Trowa just nodded, not seeming to realize anything else. Not that it mattered anymore. Quatre was sure they were friends now and they had done it just by relying on each other. Even if they did find out who he was they had all ready liked him for being himself.
"Well, we should probably get out of here and give the police the evidence," Duo said.
"And what's your hurry?"
Duo and Quatre wheeled around in surprise. There, standing and glaring at them, was the man, Derak, with Lola and Jesse, the two others working along side him. There was no doubt Jesse had told them of Heero and Trowa, and now they were all caught. Quatre glared at them harshly, noting the guns Jesse and Lola were pointing at them. He glanced to the side and noted that the guns were hidden, but he didn't want to take any chances.
"It seems we have company," Derak said coldly.
Quatre knew the only way to stall for time was if he caused a conflict. His eyes narrowed and settled on Lola.
"You," he glared. "You really ought to be careful who you try and fool."
Lola opened her mouth, her eyes darting to Derak in fear. Derak turned and glared coldly at her.
"This the klutz blonde boy you were talking about, Lola?" he asked, his tone threatening as he gestured toward Quatre. "Him and his ignorant friend who you said wouldn't find out anything?"
Lola gulped and stared at him with wide eyes, unable to comment. Quatre watched the exchange, hoping that they would take up enough time.
Just a little longer...
"I think you've proved your ability to fail too much now, Lola," Derak said, turning to Jesse. "Lock her into the room."
Jesse made a move but Lola jumped out of the way, "Wait! Please, I-I can help!"
"Help? I think you've proved the opposite, don't you agree?" Derak glared darkly.
"No, wait...you don't understand. I know a way that we can make even more than what we planned," she said desperately. "More than millions but billions!"
Derak stared at her indifferently, "Is this a weak excuse, Lola?"
She shook her head desperately, "No, didn't you hear him?" she said pointing at Quatre. "He is Quatre Winner."
Quatre's heart skipped a beat. No one on Earth knew about him and his recent inheritance of his mother's palace. Only those in the colonies knew, which meant that she must've heard it from somewhere. It was unfortunate that out of all of them, she knew who he was, besides Duo.
Derak shrugged, "So?"
"So?!" she exclaimed. "You've never heard of him? The Winner Foundation? He's worth billions!"
Derak turned toward Quatre, who pale slightly, "You mean the foundation for the colonies? That's a lot of money but hardly billions. We'd get more through this job. Besides, that money is out of reach and hardly something I'd want to trouble myself with, Lola. You're wasting my time."
"Even if he was, say...royalty?" a smile was now apparent on her face.
Derak and Jesse turned toward Quatre.
"Royalty?" Jesse asked, his eyes widening.
Quatre tensed and glanced at Duo who also sent him a look that said it wasn't good.
Lola nodded, her confidence returning, "He is the heir to his mother's throne, so he's half royalty. But they say he's probably richer than the king and queen of England, or at least extremely close. No one on Earth would know that, but my cousin who helped me steal the jewels mentioned him before. As long as we have him, the ransom could be billions of dollars."
"Sorry, but they don't take ransoms," Quatre snapped.
Lola glared at him but didn't comment. Derak unfolded his arms and stared straight at Quatre.
"Interesting. And what is a prince doing out of his palace?"
Quatre glared at him, "I'm on vacation."
Jesse laughed, "Vacation from what? You've got everything!"
Quatre wheeled around on him, "You think money is everything, but it's not! Especially with people like you who steal money. It never works out for crooks. Those who get rich by stealing are barely rich a year before they're caught!"
"Well...it seems that it's true then that those with money wish they didn't have so much," Derak said, cocking an eyebrow. "I never thought that'd be true. I guess these boys will be staying after all."
"I told you they don't take ransom," Quatre said, his eyes staring harshly at him.
"No, but having a prince around to play with would be helpful. After all, you have people's trust, right?" Derak smirked.
"I'm not stealing for you, if that's what you're implying," Quatre said bitterly.
Derak's smirk widened, "We'll see if we can change your mind, pretty boy. Now," he said glancing at Jesse, "search them."
Jesse gave the gun to Derak who kept it pointed on all of them as Quatre and Duo were searched. Jesse reached his hand into Quatre's pants pockets and pulled out his cell phone.
"Hey look, a very expensive cell phone," he smirked, waving it to them.
Quatre glared harshly as the phone was tossed to Derak who examined it and then pocketed it. Once Jesse was done searching them, they were all tied up, but still facing one another, forced to sit on the floor. Heero and Trowa were tied around a large pole that was holding the ceiling up, and Quatre and Duo were tied together.
"We'll be back in a minute, don't go anywhere," Derak smirked as the three walked out, leaving the thugs' bodies unconscious in the middle of the room.
"Great, just great," Duo muttered. "Quat, I thought you were supposed to be overly smart, huh? Why'd you have to say your name aloud!"
"You did too!" Quatre retorted.
"Yeah, but I'm not a walking billion dollars," Duo said. "You know, if you two had been honest with us in the first place we all wouldn't be here right now," Duo glared across at Heero and Trowa.
"It was your choice to come," Heero said calmly.
Duo glared at him, "You owe us two dinners, Heero, if we survive this!"
Heero didn't seem the least bit fazed.
"We are so doomed!" Duo exclaimed, sulking.
"That's where you're wrong, Duo," Quatre said, a smile forming on his face.
Duo lifted his head and stared at him, "What do you mean? Have you got a plan, Quat?"
They all stared at him expectantly and Quatre just smiled.
"Because Duo, they took my cell phone," Quatre answered simply, turning to look at him from an angle.
Duo's eyebrows rose, "Oh great, now I feel better," he said sarcastically. "DUO!" Quatre said, glaring at him. "Don't you remember? Rashid had that cell phone specially made for me."
By the blank look on his face, Quatre sighed heavily and began to explain.
"Didn't you see what I was doing with my cell phone with the video cameras? I was playing it back into the cell phone and sent it to Rashid, telling him everything. Not only has he probably all ready called the police and is on his way, but as long as those idiots have my cell phone our location will be easily tracked."
Duo's face lit up with a wide grin, "Quat, you are a genius."
Quatre smiled at his friend gratefully, blushing from the compliment.
"That was very clever," Heero said, staring at him with respect.
Quatre blushed again, but smiled, "Let's make that three free dinners."
They were rewarded when another smile broke out on Heero and Trowa's faces in a silent agreement. Quatre's heart was all ready pounding, wanting Rashid to come to their rescue right away. Just then, he sat up straight as he heard something off in the distance. Duo turned too, hearing it as well and they exchanged smiles. Rashid had made it just on time.
TO BE CONTINUED...
**Author's note: ^-^ Horrible place to stop, I know. And I PROMISE romance is coming up! Lots of it! And the lemons are drawing closer! *grins* I'm planning on updating this near mid-winter break. Since I have to update some other stories over the break, I figured I'd update this right before. My estimated date is: by Feb. 20th (which is a Friday, right before I leave on vacation on the 21st). Yes, I will be gone until the 26th of Feb (not long!) but I will be writing over break, just not posting. So hopefully I'll have this updated before I leave! That's my goal!
To Reviewers:
Fidan: *grins* Yes, it is amusing that Quatre and Duo are only on vacation, huh? ^-^ No, I'm not giving up on this fic, and I hope to update it by the goal I put in the author's note.
hamadriada5: Yes I know, everyone hates cliffhangers. What can I say? It's fun! ^-^ I'll try to reach my goal so as not to make you wait too long for the next chapter! I made this nice and long though! *grins*
Warped Time: *grins* Yes...cliffhangers, I'm afraid, are what I always do at the end of every story and every chapter. ^-~ You'll get used to it. I don't usually take FOREVER on updating, though occasionally I do get a bit of writer's block. This took longer because I changed a part near the end. I'm really glad you like Quatre! Some people think he's too "girly" or whatever, but I think he's just perfect. Sweet and charming! *glomps chibi-Quatre* Thanks for the compliment! *hands over some cookies* enjoy them while you wait for the next chapter!
Laura: You're very welcome, and thank you for the very nice review. ^-^ I hope to update this asap!
Mariana1: Are you kidding? I love it when people ask questions! It lets me know that my story baffles them. *grins* I didn't want the mystery to be so...I dunno, predictable. That's why the title is Unpredictable (not for the mystery, just everything that's happened, and that's going to happen to them). Did I explain everything, or do you still have some questions? The next chapter may or may not help, depending on what you're still curious about. So, let me know when you review next time and I'll answer! And don't worry, romance is coming, trust me. And of course, eventual lemons, but first they have to fall in love, right? ^-^
R.L.N.: Why thank you! I'm glad you're very patient, but I hope not to make the delay for the next chapter too long. I hope to reach my goal, which is Feb. 20th! *crosses fingers* If you're confused about anything, let me know! ^-^
Ashen Skies: *blushes and huggles compliment* Thank you! I'm glad the story has everything you're looking for in it! Yes, no REAL romance yet, but next chapter is the beginning of it all! And it'll get much more fluffy and romantic, though there still will be some mishaps. This story is far from over! *grins* I hope I didn't make you wait too long. Sorry. I had to change something near the end of it to improve it and make it longer. ^-~
Minako 9: Thanks for getting me back in the spirit of writing Envious Shadow. *grins* I won't give up on that, don't worry, I was just waiting for comments is all. I'll update this again before Envious Shadow, but over break I'll be working on the next chapter to that, so either shortly before break ends or shortly after it'll be updated. (my break ends on Feb. 29th (sunday) I believe). ^-^ That's my goal anyway!
lordpink: I know, poor Quat, he's been through so much. But don't worry, it'll be worth it. *winks* Romance is coming...YAY! It'll be soooooo fun to write! ^-^