Summary: AC 202, Duo disappears. AC 204, a new artist called Violet Vendetta emerges onto the art scene. Will a newly identified threat reveal the connection between Duo's disappearance and Violet Vendetta's art?

Disclaimer: I don't own it. The end.

Violet Vendetta
CaramelAriana
Chapter 5

Duo watched from his hiding place as the miners continued to pick at the ore. According to the conversation he was hearing, they'd already made some transactions. Apparently one of their clients had several addresses around the world. That information suggested if they got enough ore it would surely be used to start a rebellion.

He frowned. He was surprised they'd gotten so much done in so little time. If the Preventers didn't move quickly they'd be too late. Duo had sent his last clue to Une yesterday morning. If she was as smart as he hoped she was, she'd put the former Gundam pilots on the case. If they worked together they'd be able to crack the code quickly. If not, Duo was going to have to take matters into his own hands.

He was jolted from his worries by the sound of approaching footsteps. Quickly but quietly he backed into the shadows, letting the crevices of the cavern's walls hide his escape. After climbing up the tunnel and scaling the cliff, he hopped on his bike and quickly rode away.

-o-

By the time Heero and Wufei reached Salt Lake City, Une had already arrived. Amazingly enough, Quatre was handling business in the city and offered his and Trowa's hotel room as a base of operations. The five of them got together in the suite to study the newest painting: an intricately detailed canyon. By the coloring of the canyon it was obviously painted in the late afternoon. Written across the painting were the words "Under The Azure Haze."

Wufei frowned. "I keep trying to find the hidden meaning but the painting is so obvious."

Une nodded. "That's exactly what I thought. I'm starting to believe this painting was done for the sole purpose of giving us a clue."

"All of his other paintings have some dark theme to them," said Quatre, agreeing with Une's analysis. "This looks like your everyday painting. The kind people buy at stores to decorate their homes. His paintings are usually a lot deeper."

"Under the azure haze," Trowa mumbled. "That's not much of a clue."

Quatre stared at the phrase in concentration. "That's it!" he cried suddenly. The others turned to him. "Duo and I used to play this game all the time. You see how all the first letters are capitalized, even 'the'? The clue is in the first letters. U-T-A-H…Utah!"

"Well, at least we're in the right place," said Une. She smiled at Quatre. "I'm impressed."

Quatre blushed.

Heero pulled open his laptop and began a search. Wufei glanced over his shoulder to see his partner looking through pictures of canyons. "There it is," he said, pointing to a picture.

Heero nodded and enlarged the photo. He turned his computer to face the others. "Smith's Canyon," he said.

Une nodded. "Excellent."

Trowa frowned. "So we search the canyon cave by cave. That could take weeks, at the least."

Heero flipped his laptop back around and started another search. After a few minutes he found something. "There's a section of the canyon that people around there claim to be haunted. There are also rumors of unmined ore deposits. Supposedly no one has mined the area because of the ghost stories."

"Well gentlemen," said Une. "That's our spot. Who wants to go ghost hunting?"

-o-

Heero, Trowa, Wufei, and Quatre squatted behind a large boulder. They had just finished searching the area and had found only three possible entrances to the cavern. There was one far above to the left that looked to be an emergency exit created a while back. There was also the original entrance that was now partially blocked by rocks. Then there was the newly made entrance that the current miners used to transport the ore.

"I'll take the old emergency exit," said Heero. "Wufei and Quatre, go in through the blocked entrance. Trowa, you wait by the main entrance. Once they know we're here they'll try to escape. Don't let them. No one acts until after my signal."

They nodded. "Just remember we'll be in a cavern," warned Quatre. "Any explosion could bury us under several tons of rock."

"Noted," said Heero. "Let's go."

The pilots separated and moved toward their positions. Heero quickly scaled the cliff to his entrance. He slipped in and cracked a glow stick. With the soft glow lighting the passage, he quickly but silently crept through the tunnel. A few meters into the tunnel he noticed something. There seemed to be footprints in the dirt on the floor, going in both directions. Someone had been here, several times. Alarmed, Heero took out his hand gun. There was no where to hide in this tunnel. If he met anyone, he would have to shoot to kill.

-o-

Wufei and Quatre scrambled through the entrance and hopped down to the floor. The tunnel was wide enough for a person carrying something to walk through. "I guess these aren't the first miners," said Quatre.

"Where do you think the stories came from?" asked Wufei. "This was probably mined centuries ago. Something happened to cause them to abandon the project. It's no wonder they chose this spot. Easy access and no one for miles to know what they're doing."

Quatre nodded and allowed Wufei to take the lead. He cracked his glow stick and held it over Wufei's shoulder. If necessary, he could hide the light behind Wufei. It didn't take long for them to reach the cavern. The sight that greeted them made Quatre's eyes widen and Wufei frown.

"It's a full-scale operation!" Quatre whispered. Even at this late time men were sending picks into the rock, throwing pieces of ore into wheelbarrows. The cavern was lit with flashlights and kerosene lamps.

Wufei slowly backed up, forcing Quatre to do the same. He stopped when they were a few feet from the entrance. "Hide the light," he told Quatre.

The blonde slipped the glow stick into his pocket and they were enveloped in darkness. Quatre frowned as he noticed something. He moved to Wufei's ear. "They didn't put guards at any of the entrances."

He felt Wufei nod. "They feel too secure. There are no large cities around here and what people are around honestly believe this place is haunted."

Quatre sighed and settled against a side of the tunnel. It would take Heero a while to reach the cavern. Until then, all they could do was wait.

-o-

Heero had started to hear the sound of drills a few minutes earlier. He increased his speed. He rounded another corner and found himself staring at a large cavern. It looked like this tunnel entered the cave above the floor. He flattened himself along the floor of the tunnel and inched forward for closer inspection. Sure enough there was a twenty foot drop at the end of the tunnel. His earlier fears were quelled. It would have taken quite the acrobat to reach the tunnel from the cavern. Perhaps this was the route their informant had been using.

He looked around the rest of the cavern. There were about twenty men picking and drilling at the rock. At the other end of the cave a man stood with a hardhat, surveying the activity. He looked along the perimeter and found the entrance where Quatre and Wufei were undoubtedly hidden. There were no guards at that entrance. This was going to be too easy.

He glanced down to look for the best way to get down. He noticed a boulder six feet down. Realizing that no one was looking in his direction, Heero sat up into a crouching position and launched himself at the boulder. He landed with minimal noise and slid down the hidden side of the boulder. Peeking from his hiding place, he looked for something he could use as a signal. Normally he would just use a small explosive, but Quatre's warning rang clear in his mind. He spotted a group of tools leaning against the rock wall.

Gun still in hand, he crept along the wall toward the pile. The shadows cast by the lanterns did well to hide him as he traveled. Finally he reached the tools and with a well aimed kick he sent the tools crashing to the ground. This earned the attention of the nearest miners. They shouted and Heero took off to the other side of the cavern.

-o-

Quatre and Wufei heard the sound of metal crashing against each other followed by several shouts. "That's Yuy," said Wufei before moving forward. Quatre followed close behind. They entered the cavern at a run. They waited until their presence was known before stopping, guns pointed. "Preventers!" said Wufei sternly. "Hands in the air."

This was where the group could be separated. The smart ones dropped their tools and placed their hands in the air or behind their heads. The stupid ones took off running. Heero bolted after them, leaving Quatre and Wufei to round up the more docile ones.

"If you do everything we say, no one has to get hurt," said Quatre. He helped Wufei gather them into a group, knowing Heero and Trowa could handle the others.

-o-

Trowa crouched near the entrance. The nice thing about canyons was there were plenty of rocks and crevices one could hide behind. It helped that it was late at night. The moon cast a shadow over Trowa's hiding place while highlighting the activity of the men he watched.

He had been waiting for a while when suddenly he heard shouts from the entrance. He looked over to find all the men leaving their stations and running inside. It wouldn't be long before they came running back out. He emerged from his hiding spot and took out his phone. He dialed a familiar number and waited for Une to answer. "Send them in," he said before hanging up. He then readied his gun and waited patiently in the middle of the entrance.

As he predicted, he soon heard the sound of approaching footsteps. The group of men came to a sudden stop in front of Trowa. Most civilians usually reacted that way when a gun was pointed at them.

Out the corner of his eye he noticed a man on the edge of the group lift his pick as if to throw it. Trowa was about to redirect his gun when a shot rang out. With a cry the man fell and grabbed his leg. "Preventers!" he heard Heero shout. "Hands in the air!"

The sound of several vans alerted Trowa to the approach of their back-up. As the other Preventers exited the vans, all hands went into the air.

-o-

Two hours later found the former pilots and Une back in Quatre's hotel suite. They were all reclined with their drink of choice, staring into nothing at all. Finally Quatre spoke up. "What are you going to do with the paintings?"

Une took a sip from her glass. "Well the first five rightfully belong to the Preventers. Of course, seeing as they really only concern you four, and Duo, I'll let you handle them as you see fit."

"I'd like to keep them in our office," said Wufei, looking at his partner. Heero nodded his consent.

"And the others?" asked Trowa.

"I consider those gifts from Violet Vendetta," she answered evenly. "I'd like to keep the one that I have back in my office, as a reminder that help can come from unconventional sources."

"If you don't mind," said Quatre, "I'd like to keep this painting." The others looked at him questionably. "It reminds me of Duo," he explained with a sad smile.

Une finished off the last of her drink. "Well, tomorrow morning we should head back to headquarters," she said to Wufei and Heero.

"We need to return the rental," said Wufei.

"I'll do it," said Heero. "I have some business to attend to anyway."

"In Utah?" asked Une. By his glare she knew not to push the question. "Alright. Wufei and I will leave tomorrow morning. Heero, call me to let me know when you're done. I'll get a flight for you from the Pagosa Springs Airport." Heero nodded. "Well," said Une standing up. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you all in the morning." She looked at Trowa and Quatre. "Of course the Preventers could always use more agents. The invitation is still open."

Quatre smiled but shook his head. "I'm still needed in other places."

"And I go where he goes," said Trowa.

Une smiled. "Of course. Well, it's always open."

As if Une were the catalyst, soon the others said goodnight to each other. It had been a long day for all of them, and there was still work to be done. The Preventers had to find all the recipients of the ore and Quatre had to make sure his business wasn't associated with any of them.

-o-

Duo looked around the cavern with wide eyes. Not even a single pick remained of the miners. He could still smell gunpowder in the air. The Preventers must have come in late at night and rounded them all up. Duo grinned. Looked like his faith in his old employer was well placed. With a sigh he sat down and took in the dark silence of the cave, the light from his lantern glittering off the ore still in the rocks. This would be a perfect subject for some of his paintings.

Yay! The line's working again! I'm soooo sorry for taking so long to put this chapter up. I really don't have an excuse... So, that's the end. There is an epilogue after this though. So look for it. I promise it won't take as long as it did to post this one. (Runs away)