A/N: Hi everybody! Are you guys still with me? A big thank you to everybody who is reading this story and especially who bothered to review: Raelyn-Mage (You are awesome. I love your reviews. Thx a lot!), Yasei Raiden (I'm sorry that I always take so long to update. I feel bad about it. I'm thinking about going back to my one-update-every-week. Know what, I'll ask the readers if they want it? Then I'll see if it's worth the effort. Thx for sticking with me anyway.), Lady-Frisselle (Ah, yes. But you'll see what's gonna happen soon.), ZaKai (The problem is that if I don't quit the story after Heero Yuy is back I'll have to write the next part which actually exists in my head. It would be about Heero and Duo getting eventually friends. But if I would do that the story would still not be finished for a long time. I'm not sure if I can do that.), CuriousDreamWeaver (Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!), artgirl150 (I'll try. Hope I won't disappoint you.), Gigglegal (Thanks for reviewing twice. Have fun reading!), helena (Ahhhhh, torture? Sorry, but I've been an aupair twice and I adore kids. I can't torture my little Kenji. Hope you'll like what I write anyways.), skydaybreak (Oh a new reader! Hi there! Hope you'll enjoy reading my story!)

Chapter 17: What to do?

"Holy shit!" Duo exclaimed with a terrified expression on his face. "We've got to get him out of there. Right now!" But before the teen could even so much as get up and run out of the room to his gundam he found himself flat on his face. Scowling he pushed himself up and more or less ripped his precious braid from Wu Fei's hand.

"Don't touch that!" He petted his long rope of hair while checking if it sustained any "injuries" from being manhandled by an irate Chinese who was currently glaring holes into his head.

"Think, Maxwell! If you go blasting in with Deathscythe now. Just what do you think will be left of the kid?"

Duo snorted. "Do you think I'm that crazy? I know myself that Deathscythe wouldn't be of any help. But if we waste anymore time they will leave the safe house and then Kenji will be gone for good."

Quatre who had received the first Morse signals shook his head. "Even if. We could easily track them. OZ can't hide anything from us. We'll just hack into their system and search for Kenji's file." He said rubbing his chin.

But Duo shook his head solemnly. "I - I don't think so, Quat." All eyes turned to him curiously. Duo shrugged. "Well, for once our star hacker is not exactly here to help us nor did he ever share any information about hacking OZ files." He said disgusted thinking about the 01 pilot. "His error will cost us a lot of time and that's something we don't have." The teen crossed his arms in front of his chest daring anyone to argue with him.

But Wu Fei nodded. "I think he's right. Even if Yuy isn't the only one who as expert hacking abilities, Duo does have a point. Yuy never shared such things as passwords, hidden backdoors etc. with us and I think trying to hack into his laptop will be fruitless as well. It's more heavily guarded than Treize's headquarters." He said scowling while thinking about his nemesis.

"Oh. That's true." Quatre crunched up his nose in thought while Trowa kept his silence but at least managed to look thoughtful as well. Silence reigned for several seconds before Duo couldn't hold it anymore.

"Come on guys! You can't be seriously standing around here while the little bugger is in serious trouble. Just let's go already. We've lost precious time already." He waved his hands to the door for emphasis and was as good as gone if Wu Fei wouldn't have hauled him back by his braid again. "Aw, I wish you would quit that 'Fei. I hate it. It god damn hurts." He rubbed his head and send the Chinese a glare.

"I think Yuy was absolutely right. You are a baka if you think you can run off and make a plan as you go."

Duo froze as he heard Wu Fei using 01's special nick name for Duo. "Shut up, Chang. Just try me. Where I come from you usually don't have enough time to think up a nice plan to bust out your buddies. Usually they are dead by then." He hissed at the black haired teen.

Quatre looked uncomfortably from Wu Fei to Duo. He had thought that both teens had gotten closer during the time they had spent together but it looked like Heero - even if he wasn't there - still brought trouble if it was connected to Duo. Quatre was just in time to hear Wu Fei saying. "I didn't know you and Yuy were so close." Before he had to jump between the two. "What's wrong with you two? I thought we're all friends here." Quatre asked accusingly. Turning to Duo he said. "I don't understand what's gotten into you. Sure you're impulsive but being hot headed is his department." He pointed his thumb behind him at Wu Fei who looked irritated at the blondes head.

Duo let out a small grin at the Chinese over Quatre's head. "Sorry Wuffles. You know the name Yuy always gets me riled up."

"Wuffles" glared half-heartily at the long haired teen. "Don't call me that Maxwell." Before Duo could smother Wu Fei with his sugar coated attention Trowa cleared his throat which meant as much that he had something important to say.

"Yes, Trowa?" Quatre smiled sunnily at him.

The tall boy pointed seriously at the Morse machine. "I think we should get back to the matter at hand. I think they are contacting us again."

All boys turned to look at the Morse machine which indeed sprouted rapidly a message stamped on a thin band of paper. Quatre sat at the table quickly analyzing the message with the others reading over his shoulders. "It's not OZ." Quatre said after a moment confirming what Duo had been fearing secretly. "Wait. There's more coming." Quatre said waiting for the message to end.

Wu Fei sent a suspicious glance at 02 who ignored him seemingly busy with staring a hole at the message. "If it's not OZ who is it then? Do you think they know who Kenji really is?" Duo swallowed knowing that Wu Fei was observing him closely. "Spill it Maxwell. What do you know?" The Chinese asked finally.

Quatre and Trowa turned surprised to look at him. "Duo?" The blonde asked raising his eyebrow.

Duo sighed and tugged at his braid. "I was fearing it wasn't OZ."

"Why?" Wu Fei questioned quietly. Trowa only nodded encouragingly.

Duo took a deep breath rattling down everything he had pieced together so far. "I'm being tailed by someone for quite some time now. I received a message on my way to this safe house from G that they were closing in."

"WHAT!" Quatre said shocked. "How could you keep this from us? You endangered us all." The blonde looked outright shocked. Wu Fei was silent. Same for Trowa but that's nothing new.

Duo waved his hand impatiently. "Listen. Keep out of this. I'll take care of it myself. When I was living with the sweepers one of the crew must have recognized me from my former days on L2's streets. Howard had warned me some time ago that someone was tailing me, asking odd questions you know that kind of stuff. I informed G to cover my tracks or well get rid of the problem." Duo shrugged. No one moved a muscle.

"He didn't get the job done." Trowa stated quietly.

The long haired teen nodded. "I guess not. Though I didn't really think he could do something about it. L2 street gang kids are like rats. You can't kill them all. They multiply quicker than you can get rid of them." Quatre frowned at the comparison.

"So basically someone from your old life is keeping track of you and there's nothing you can do about it." Wu Fei muttered darkly. He didn't like it at all if there was an unknown variable. Life as a terrorist was dangerous enough they didn't need any old troubles to mess with their missions now.

"Hey, it's not that I can't get rid of the problem but if you would all use your brains you know who was swamped with missions lately AND then got stuck with a certain someone." Duo said fiercely though he still looked vaguely guilty.

Quatre shook his head. "Well, it's too late now. It looks like they found you at last. Concerning to this message they want to talk to you in person. If you fail to comply well-" Quatre fell silent. They didn't know what could happen to Kenji. The blonde spoke up again. "We have to get Kenji back as soon as possible. If possible J shouldn't even know that we - ugh - lost Kenji. Then we'll think something up to cover your tracks, Duo. Kenji's recovery is priority." The others nodded. Quatre picked up the message they had received from the kidnapers. "I've got the coordinates where they want to meet. I think we should pretend to make a deal with them."

"So we agree to the meeting." Trowa stated a fact.

"I smell a trade here. Kenji for Duo." Wu Fei said darkly. "This is not acceptable." He gripped his katana hard.

Duo shook his head. "I know you're a great strategist, Q-man, but those guys are not soldiers nor working with the usual war codex. If you think they only pretend to harm Kenji then you're wrong. They have no scruple to kill a child."

Quatre looked slightly disturbed but remained firm. "There is nothing else we can do at the moment, Duo. We don't have enough time to do the research and familiarize us with their hide out so an infiltration is out of the question. They give us barely enough time to make it to L2 on time. If we agree to the deal we have to leave early in the morning which leaves enough time to prepare at least some things and still gives us a couple of hours of sleep. All we can do is to pretend to go along with them until we have Kenji back. I know this pretty much leaves you to fend for yourself but I know you can deal with situations like that."

Duo didn't look at all like he agreed but as he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around he saw Wu Fei shake his head. The braided teen let his shoulders slump.

Quatre took this for a sign that everything was settled. "I'll send them our O.K. All necessary data will be transmitted to your gundams. Take off is at 4.30am." With that Quatre turned back to the transmitter and Trowa left to get his things ready. Wu Fei followed Duo upstairs.

"It's a shitty plan, 'Fei."

"I know." Said the dark haired Chinese. "But don't worry I'll watch your back up there. Go to sleep now. We'll need your wit tomorrow." With that Wu Fei vanished into his room and left Duo alone in the dark corridor thinking. He had seen the coordinates where Kenji's captors wanted to meet.

Sector 9 on L2.

His old home.

A dark grin made its way on the usual smiling face as a tricky plan formed in his mind.

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Attention! I've been asked often to update quicker. Anybody who is reading from the very beginning might remember the times when I was still updating every Friday. If there are enough interested readers I might think it over and I'll start updating again every week. You have to see if I make an effort to update weekly I'd like at least get some responses from those who are actually still reading the story. Though I appreciate very much the reviewers who take the time to leave me a message regularly. I love you guys! Anyway let me know what you want.