Duo's Child

Chapter 30

"Heero, I" Relena was cut off by Heero, the fourth time that night.

"Relena; it isn't safe for you to stay in your mansion." Heero held both of Relena's hands within his grasp and gripped firmly. For the past two months the security of the area had been losing more and more people; their enemies were locking on, stalking, taking target to their points, and preparing for the kill.

"If you stay with Une, she will take care of things. She commanded Oz, she commanded the Preventers; she can command the defenses of you and your stat; trust me, Relena." Heero bore his eyes into hers, telling her that all will be well.

"Heero…" her voice trailed off as he neared her for their goodnight's kiss.

-

"Good evening, Miss Mareimaia." Dorothy knocked on the door to the young twenty-year-old's door. "I was told to escort you to the safe house in the woods or to remain by your side as a body guard; your choice, of course."

Mareimaia stepped up to the door and curtsied. "How is Relena doing, Dorothy? I hear they're taking security even tighter than before."

"Yes; Heero has released an official announcement to the entire staff of the mansion to be on the look out at all times. He wishes to assign snipers at every angel of the premises, but she won't allow for that to happen."

"Well why should it?" Mareimaia turned and began walking to the window. "After all, Relena trusts that Heero will make the right decision and she knows he will do all that he can to protect her, even if it means to kill her in the process." Mareimaia looked down and held both her hands together at her chest, remembering that fateful night where she had come close to dying.

"You are not afraid?" Dorothy tilted her head some.

"No." Mareimaia turned around and smiled. "If you think it's wise, I would like to stay in my own mansion."

Dorothy nodded and curtsied. "Very well, Miss Mareimaia; I will remain by your side as a bodyguard. I won't let anything happen to you; I assure you."

-

"Hildie, stop…" Duo's mouth was covered by hers once again. "We gotta' stop."

Hildie wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him closer as he tried to push away. Her inner moans and groans rose up and stirred him back to life, back to the way he had felt during the movie they had just watched on the couch, the movie she had watched when he was 'alive.'

"Duo…" His name was a murmur on her lips and Duo wrapped his arms around her back. He knew they had to stop and discuss what they were going to do about her safety, but she was so damn persistent and he was such a horn dog!

-

Une hung up the phone with Zechs and sat back in the chair of her executive desk while her outstretched arms rose above her head to cover her eyes. A low groan escaped her lips as she released a heavy sigh. She relaxed and looked back down at the phone.

All day she had spent on the telephone making phone calls to the mayor and reporting the whereabouts of her crew; the whereabouts of where the crew was found…dead.

Somebody was out to kill them off, one by one, very slowly. Already, several members from the wars had already been killed off or went missing. A few of the decent ranking soldiers have been reported missing for the past few months; all their belongings and valuables have disappeared around the same time.

So much had been going on around her. She had met with Uno again and discussed what the plans where; the little girl knew so much for her age, but cared so little. It was as if she was waiting for something drastic to happen, to tell her that she had no other choice but to fight.

She had spoken to Heero and Duo about the scientists and their needs for shelter of the new mobile suits. Heero told her that they would only need to make one; that they were not going to fight, that Uno was going alone into the war. Une didn't agree with it one bit, but knowing Heero, she knew he had his motives.

She had told him to send word to the two scientists that if they needed a place for anything, tools, or machinery, to name it and they will have it; she had given them an old ware house in the midst of the downtown of the city, deep underground, only accessible through high security methods; Uno's new fake ID, for when she'll need it, will be an official Governmental Program—an assassin.

The Preventers pay will surely be lowered this month, but she wouldn't mind; she wasn't even sure if they would still be alive within the next few days.

-

Quatre sighed when he sifted through papers of the news at his desk. Trowa was sitting in the chair across from him as was Wufei and Sally. His lips were pulled into a tight thin line and he was slowly shaking his head as he scanned the headlines.

"No…I don't see anything about the whereabouts of the Tanner incident." Quatre stated. He pushed the recent paper aside and took out the few past weeks set where Ricky's body was reported found.

"All I've ever seen is the body of a dead young boy, a severe hole in his head, and half the alley destroyed."

"You mean stained." Wufei corrected. "All Heero said he had done is put a hole in the wall because the bullet went straight through his head. His blood splattered across everything." Wufei's blunt way of talking put Quatre in a sickened mind frame.

"But either way, it doesn't say anything about if they found the parents, where the boy was buried; nothing. It's like it was news and just suddenly disappeared." Quatre began in deep thought.

"Perhaps it had." Trowa mentioned, as-a-matter-of-fact.

"I even checked out the morgues. Nobody by the name of Ricky Tanners had even checked in; it was as if the whole thing was a staged attack and the players took their cards and ran." Sally spoke up. "Perhaps Daniel Tanners got there before anything else could be done and took care of it all. Where did it say Johnson was buried?"

Quatre sat back in his chair. "Same cemetery as Theresa." His eyebrows quirked. "But we checked all over there and didn't see a fresh grave."

"Then Daniel's trying to hide something." Trowa reported.

"What happened to his car?" Wufei asked. Trowa stood up and began slowly pacing the office floors.

"I think Daniel took that too." Quatre questioned. "Ricky said he had paid for it, but out of his own money—Ricky's—not Daniel's. Maybe he wanted to do something with it."

"Or check it for clues and items Ricky had picked up that day." Wufei replied; thoughts came fast to Trowa, who froze in spot and snapped his head over to the rest of the group.

"Uno let him borrow the data papers of the Technology Department; the science papers of the chemistry."

"You mean the fail attempts for biohazard weapons and creatures?" Sally turned and faced him with confusion.

"That…yes…what if Synodd will try it and actually succeed?" Trowa mentioned. Everyone looked away in thought. "Who's to say Uno may really need our help in the future?"

-

Uno was sitting at the piano in the Music Room of the Classical Wing. Heero was leaning against the door frame, watching her; he had been watching her since Ricky had died. She never really smiled except a fake look or a pleasant greeting to guest. For the past month and more, she'd been crying constantly and feeling very stressed out. He knew it would be bad to send her to Doctor J like this, but it had to be done; he just wished he didn't have to because somebody like her couldn't be stuck in a closet to lose all her human emotions for hours on end.

It would kill a girl at fourteen.

Uno began to play the piano and swiftly move her fingers across the keys. Music came, but it didn't register in her mind. She was just way too depressed to even think. Heero kept his attention focused on her as he had for the past several weeks. The moment they found Uno drained in the alley up to now he's been close by; no doubt Daniel's going to set up ways to tear her down, it's only a matter of time until he strikes out. But until then, he wasn't going to let anyone get close to her.

Heero wouldn't mind standing besides her during their next war, but he had a strong feeling he wouldn't be around to witness it. After all, they knew that Uno was bred from them; for all he knew, they could be plotting revenge because Ricky had killed himself over her.

Uno's sweet voice began to slowly hum the tunes to the song, warming up her throat and getting ready to sing. She's kept to herself since the incident and Heero had never heard anything so depressing sounding from her music. He hung his head, the music digging it's own sad song into his memory.

Powder Snow is by Ayumi Hamasaki; English translations is in parenthesis

"Mou hitori kiri ni shite oite hoshii no (I want to be left alone.)
dare mo watashi o shiranu basho e nigetai no (I want to escape to a place where no one knows me.)
sonna koto machigatte iru to semerareyou to kore ijou (That I'm wrong about that, that it's my fault,)
kokoro ga mou motanai ashita wa iranai no (is all my heart has. I don't need tomorrow.)

nakitai dake naite mo ii? namida karete shimau kurai (Can I cry as much as I want to? Until my tears wither away.)
ima nara shiroi yukitachi ga nagashite keshite kureru deshou (The white snow flows and muffles my tears.)
nee tasukete (Please help me.)

-

"Wufei…" Sally's urgent voice never faltered from the notice in her tone. She kept her head at the back of the car while loading her gun, cursing herself for not keeping it already loaded. "They're gaining on us!"

Wufei growled as he sped up, the wheels of the car only spinning wildly as the slick roads tossed them around the corners. For a matter of minutes, they've been followed by these huge black vans and struck from all sides. They knew it all belonged to Synodd and Daniel's men.

"Damn it! Can't these people play it the right way and wait until we get out of the car?!" He screamed. Running a red light and signaling a cop to start their car's engine, Wufei turned a corner and fishtailed before picking up speed.

"Here they come!" Sally's voice ended in a high pitch as the back end of their car played sport in a game of bumper cars. Sally and Wufei screamed as the impact flung them at a higher pace and into another black van that came out of no where from the corner in front of them. Both of them flew forwards, thankful their seat belts saved them from flying out of the window, and coughed for air. Sally's whine lasted longer than Wufei's and blood began to drip out of the corners of her mouth. Wufei's head was throbbing when he pulled back and there was a massive bruise on his forehead.

"What in the Hell?" He murmered as his hand came up to his face to feel the bump.

-
sou koukai nado hitotsu mo shite nai no (I don't have even one regret.)
itsu mo donna toki mo ima o ikite kita (I've always been living in the present)
omokage mo ashiato sae nani hitotsu nokoranai kurai (So that I don't leave even a single trace or footprint,)
rousoku ga tokete kono akari kietara (The candle melts down, this light is extinguished.)

-

"I tried to contact him but their line is busy," Une was standing behind the desk of Relena's office as Relena was standing in the center of the room, her fists clutched to her chest. "I'm thinking that it may have been cut somehow."

"Impossible; this entire mansion is a safe hazard from things such as that! Have you tried the other lines?" Relena darted around her gaze to think. Uno lowered her head as a pout reached her face. Relena needed Heero badly for the last half hour but there was no way to get to him. Their computers were down, their phones were cut, and they've been hiding in the office from invaders who have been shooting out all their guards. All that they had left to kill were Une and Relena.

A loud bang against the heavily, locked office door had startled both women and Relena spun around on her heels with a loud shriek.

-
oogoe de sakende mo ii? koe ga karete shimau kurai (Can I scream at the top of my lungs? Until my voice withers away.)
ima nara shiroi yukitachi mo subete yurushite kureru deshou (The white snow will forgive me for everything.)
nee onegai (Please.)
ryoute hirogete kagayaku yuki atsumetai dake na no ni ne (I spread my arms wide. I just want to gather the shining snow.)
doushite... hakanai... (But why? It's so fleeting...)

-

Wufei groaned when he pulled his hand back away from his face and saw all the fresh blood on his fingers. Sally was breathing heavy, herself, and the both of them could definitely use a new plan of action. Sally winced as she tried to move her arms around to her sides and release her safety button, but her right arm felt broken and her left was stuck as is. She groaned and a whimper emerged from her lips.

To Wufei's right, several men with their guns pointed out at them charged up towards the window. He winced and looked over at them; Sally looked at her right where a few more were headed too.

'Wufei…" Sally moaned.

"What in the…?" Wufei's slowly glared as the men pointed at the window. Suddenly, a shot was fired and within moments, the car had exploded.

-

nakitai dake naite mo ii? namida karete shimau kurai (Can I cry as much as I want to? Until my tears wither away.)
ima nara shiroi yukitachi ga nagashite keshite kureru deshou (The white snow flows and muffles my tears.)
oogoe de sakende mo ii? koe ga karete shimau kurai (Can I scream at the top of my lungs? Until my voice withers away.)
ima nara shiroi yuki tachi mo subete yurushite kureru deshou (The white snow will forgive me for everything.)

nakitai dake naite mo ii? namida karete shimau kurai (Can I cry as much as I want to? Until my tears wither away.)
oogoe de sakende mo ii? koe ga karete shimau kurai (Can I shout loudly? Until my voice withers away.)
nakitai dake naite mo ii? (Can I cry as much as I want to?)

-

Une had pulled Relena back behind her forcefully and withdrew her gun. She lifted it up and aimed it at the door of the office, awaiting for the invaders to enter upon her premises. Relena pressed her back against the wall, her lower lip a chew toy for her fright.

"Come on, you fucks!" Une shouted. "We're right here!"

The door busted open and Une immediately began firing away. About a dozen men dressed in black came running in and falling with bullet holes in their bodies, but Une ran out of bullets fast and they still had a dozen men ready to kill. Une continued to click the chambers, ignoring that the clips were empty until a bullet at pierced her right shoulder, getting her in place of Relena's heart.

Relena shot away from Une and tried to run for their secret door, hidden behind a tapestry of her family and through a long, narrow, winding hallway. One of the men ran in front of her and chuckled.

"Come on, Pretty Girl; let's dance!" He stood in a stanza that a football player would have.

Relena brought out her foot and kicked him in the nuts hard, causing him to groan and crouch down. Une had dropped the gun and grabbed at her wound; when she lifted her face from its lowered position, she stared directly into the barrel of a gun and immediately lost all sight of anything more after that moment. Relena used this second of silence to make a run for it between the tapestry and down the winding hallway, taking the correct paths in the human-sized maze.

-
oogoe de sakende mo ii? (Can I scream at the top of my lungs?)

-

The black vans had disappeared soon after the explosion had hit and all there were left standing, besides the burning car with Wufei Chang and Sally Po still inside, were a few bewildered police men, arriving at the scene and expecting to see the speeding vehicle pummeled into a brick wall.

-

Relena finally made it outside of the mansion and began running towards the street where the busiest of all roads in that part of the city were. She raised her hands up in the air and screamed at the nearest car to stop; they slammed on their breaks when they saw the Vice Foreign Minister, covered in sweat, torn clothing, and blood, standing in the middle of the road.

-
yuki yamu made (Until the snow stops.)"

Uno lowered her head the moment her fingers had stopped pressing on the keys and the music had stopped. The pain filling her chest at that very moment was hurting so badly she didn't think she could keep on going as she had been. A small whimper escaped her lips as a sudden flow of tears began to pour out of her face, drenching her skin and spilling down her body. It was too much for her to do; way too much to take on.

Heero had lowered his head yet again. What she sang was sad enough that now, watching her hang her head and sob, had made him want to cry.

Heero's body had never felt like it weighed so much in his entire life at that point. Watching Uno was like watching a child's life being torn away from their soul. It reminded him of his childhood and he was beginning to wish he could turn back the time and stop all the wars from ever happening, to let him have a decent life, to let his comrades have a decent life… to let Uno have her decent life.

Tears stung his eyes as he cried along-side with Uno. He cried for all the pain he'd gone through in his whole life; he cried for everything.

He cried because Uno had to fight this war alone and it was going to be a heavier burden to carry than what he had been through… and she had to do it alone.

-

An hour went by when Heero had finally been able to clear the burden off his chest enough so he could see clearly. Uno had left the music room soon after they both gave each other a hug and agreed that the war was about to begin.

Heero stepped into the living room where everyone else was standing around and discussing a matter that caused them all to bow their heads. He blinked when he stepped up to them and saw Duo slowly lift his head, a massive look of regret painted across his face.

"Heero…" Duo's face broke the silence. Heero looked over and saw Quatre on the couch with Trowa's arm around him. The two of them had been crying. He looked back over to Duo as his comrade stepped up to him; tears had been on his face as well. What happened?

"We just got a call from the police…" Duo's sniffled a little. "They just found Wufei and Sally in a car explosion down Main Street in the Plaza."

The horror wiped clear across Heero's face just then; the Plaza was where their date was tonight. There's no way in Hell that was any ordinary car explosion; it's the same area where that stalker had tried to assassinate Heero several years before.

"They don't know what happened but… we do." Duo stuffed his fists in his pockets and hung his head as another tear fell from his lashes.

The bell rang suddenly and without anybody getting up, it slammed open and Relena came rushing inside, her purse and the mansion keys thrown down to the ground. Heero blinked up at her; she was covered in sweat and blood and her clothing was torn.

"Heero!" Relena cried out his name and quickly wrapped her arms around him. She dug her head into his chest and tightened her grip on his body.

"Relena?" Heero's voice was urgent. By now, Quatre and Trowa stood back up, but knowing what had happened, Quatre sat right back down.

"Relena, what happened?!" Heero urged on.

"They broke into the mansion!" She cried into his chest. Heero's gaze went to Duo, who in turn looked seriously pissed off. "Une managed to kill a few as we locked ourselves in the office, but there was no way to get a hold of anyone." She paused to breath and a squeak had churned her voice. "The computers were down, the phone lines were cut, and all the guards have been brutally slaughtered!"

He wrapped his arms securely around his fiancé's body and held her closely. Tears began to sting his eyes once more and he looked over to see Duo staring back at him, the same seriousness in his own eyes and the same saddened, depressing, flowing of tears threatening to fall.

"Relena… leave right now." Heero surprised himself with his own urgent voice and Duo sniffled a few tears back.

"What?" She lifted her face up to his.

Heero pushed her back and looked dead in her eyes with his old glare from the past.

"They are probably locked onto us right now; head to Hildies this moment and don't leave until you see me again. Neither you or she will leave, promise me, Relena!"

Relena sniffled and blinked in confusion. She nodded her head and agreed, "I promise."

Heero hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Relena; but right now you have to stay hidden. Make sure nobody knows you two are still there, okay? Don't call anybody, don't do a damn thing; just stay put until I come for you."

Relena nodded and began to back away. She turned right then and began to quickly gather her items and run out of the mansion.

"Heero?" Duo blinked at him and wiped the tears from his face.

"Call Hildie from the Security Lines and warn her." Heero turned to head towards the Military Wing and the weapon rooms. "I'm gathering the weapons."

-

Uno sniffled back a few tears as she looked around the room. Singing her song had torn her apart badly, but she sang whatever came to mind; if only Theresa could have been here to hear it, she woulda' said Uno had talent to do standup singing.

"Or even Ricky…" Uno murmured.

She looked around her room and paused upon seeing the CD Ricky had made for her, sitting on the desk. She's had the thing for weeks and never bothered to put it into the machine and listen to the song. Sniffling, she decided to go ahead and play the music.

She stepped up to the desk and when she picked up the disk, it felt as if it had weighed a ton. Ricky had handed this to her right before their very first, real kiss.

Uno touched her lips with her fingers; she could still feel his kiss on her lips, but when she closed her eyes to remember the moment, she saw his glazed orbs instead, covered in his own blood that should have been hers.

The tears began to threaten again, only this time she had full control over herself and shook her head to clear her mind. She went to her stereo and put the CD into the slot.

The sound of guitar began to play and immediately, Ricky's imprint return to her mind and she began to cry once again. Thankfully, her armchair was behind her as she collapsed to the cushions below. She remembered when he first played the few chords in the Rec Room, verifying with Duo and herself if they sounded good enough; she just didn't know what they were supposed to be good enough for.

Now she knew and she wish she never had.

Behind Blue Eyes is by The Who

"No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes
No one knows what it's like
To be hated
To be fated
To telling only lies
But my dreams
They aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be
I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free

-

Relena ran up to Hildie's door and began to pound on it; only moments after did Hildie open it and did Relena rush in. Behind her, Relena slammed the door shut and locked the bolt. She spun around to look at Hildie and explain, but she was cut short.

"Duo told me what happened; I know." Hildie's eyes had told Relena that she wasn't sure either, if any one would make it out alive. She just wished that they wouldn't have to go through another painful experience.

-
No one knows what it's like
To feel these feelings
Like I do
And I blame you
No one bites back as hard

On their anger
None of my pain and woe
Can show through
But my dreams
They aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be
I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free

-

"Miss Mareimaia?" Dorothy curtsied a few of the servants and stepped into the room. Mareimaia lowered her gaze from her stare out of her bedroom window, horror filtering through her lashes.

"It's time… isn't it?" Her voice was low.

"Yes; we must hurry and get into the basement before they find us." Dorothy saw the trucks around the driveway that Mareimaia was watching from her window. "They have already targeted us."

Mareimaia turned around and nodded her head. "Then let us go and hide."

-
When my fist clenches, crack it open
Before I use it and lose my cool
When I smile, tell me some bad news
Before I laugh and act like a fool
If I swallow anything evil
Put your finger down my throat
If I shiver, please give me a blanket
Keep me warm, let me wear your coat

-

"Relena!" Hildie leaped from her stand by the door and pulled Relena down to the floor before a bullet had swiped her clean. Hildie heard the click of the chamber round from outside her window and when she saw the gleam of the gun she knew it wasn't just any noise.

When the two of them had hit the ground they immediately covered their heads expecting a firing of bullets, but nothing happened. Relena looked around the base of the floorboards, blinking in confusion.

Hildie looked up as well and gazed around, but she saw something that didn't take her one bit of being confused to know what it was.

"Those fucking assholes!" Hildie growled. Relena looked over to their left and saw what she was looking at; a plastic box beneath her entry table with a clock and red sensor light on it. All color drained from her face when she realized that she wasn't going to live as Heero had planned.

"They fucking planted my house!"

From a distance in the city, a man dressed in black stood with a grin on his face and a switch in his hand. His fellow assassins near by him were sitting in the van, waiting for their leave, and as soon as he pressed the button and the explosion had hit, they were able to return to the base.

-

The yellow limo sped through the empty streets of the city in search of the nearest back path to lead them away from town. Some explosion that had just hit only seconds ago had cleared the streets and Dorothy had the space she needed to make a run for it.

Mareimaia sat in the set besides her and the two of them were going to hide out elsewhere and wait it out until they were able to show their faces in public once again.

Suddenly, out of no where, a large black van pulled out in front of them and with the fast speed Dorothy was using, the heavy impact caused a massive damage. Both girls screamed out loud as the limo plowed into the black van and glass shattered around them.

Dorothy looked up and darted her gaze around quickly. Mareimaia had noticed, from the corner of her eyes, another van headed straight for their right side.

"Dorothy!" Mareimaia screamed. Dorothy looked over and saw the van coming at their right then saw looked to her left and saw another.

"What in the Hell is going on here?!" Fuming with anger, she looked up into the rear-view mirror and saw a fourth large, black van speeding up in their direction.

"This isn't any way to murder someone and start a war!" Dorothy screamed.

Within seconds, the three vans had plowed into the limo at separated time, crushing the luxury car into a tiny, compact vehicle.

-
No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes."

Uno lowered her head the moment the song had ended and felt another torment of pain flowing through her veins. Something was not right about all this; people don't just die like that! They don't just drop dead like flies!

But here she was… alone… without anyone but her family by her side… and crying. She wrapped her arms around her body and grasped tightly onto her sleeves of her black jersey. The tears had stung and burned badly and finally, they fell.

-

Duo stepped up to Heero with the phone in his fist, his knuckles white as the snow that the weather man said would fall that very night. His chin pressed firmly against the antenna, his eyes fixated on the floor. Everyone was in a bad mood as it were, but he had to tell them what he was just told.

"Duo, who was on the phone?" Quatre looked up. The poor boy had so much agony hitting him the past few hours, Duo wasn't sure if he should say anything.

"Doctor J…" Duo mumbled. Heero looked up from the couch and his laptop. "He said he just received a notice on his screen from Synodd… the bastards hacked his machine."

"You're kidding?" Heero murmered.

Duo shook his head. "Afraid not…" He looked down, pain showing through his eyes. "The message said that they had just killed Relena, Hildie, Dorothy, and Mareimaia…"

Duo's voice trailed off when he saw the tears filling Heero's eyes and felt the same attacking his own. Heero's hands were suddenly weak and his knees could no longer hold his laptop, causing it to fall to the floor with a thud. Duo swallowed hard despite the pain that filled his chest.

"He said that… he received photos of the incident; the fuckers had taken pictures of it all!" Duo was shouting the final words and his eyes were blurry of all sight. Tears poured down his face. "That fucking company is exterminating us!"

Quatre began to sob into his hands and Trowa only hung his head more. He couldn't handle all of this; everyone was gone… dead… and they were next.

-

-

-

AN: Wow… didn't think I'd get this chapter out in time… well, thank God I already had up until Uno beginning Powder Snow already written from months back. ;; Now… one chapter left to go… enjoy the wait! Lol; sorry, but school's ending and as I said before, this is only one of three stories I'm trying to do aside a research paper, helping others with their English, and other hectic school work. At least I got this thing out in time, eh? winks