Summary; Warning; Disclaimer: See First Chapter.
Well, I haven't gotten many reviews - none for the last chapter - but I still want to keep writing this. Maybe someone will notice it...but I like it, and my writer's block is slowly going away. So, enjoy!
Please review if read. Comments, ideas, suggestions, and helpful criticism welcome.
Impressive was an overstatement of the tunnels' appearance – a small area split into two different directions, with dim lamps lighting the way down each of the earthen tunnels. Resembling something slightly better than mining tunnels, the one on the right was an open passageway, with several curves blocking her line of vision, while the other was sealed at the beginning with two double-thick steel doors.
"Appearances are deceiving, believe me," Noin assured her, seeing Kina's look of incredulity. "Maxwell's down this one," she continued, heading down the right passage. "I'm not sure what's behind the steel doors, but it's just a ruse if we ever get any intruders."
"Because of course they'll go toward the sealed stuff," Kina realized, nodding in approval. "Now I'm impressed. Are you sure they aren't going to fall on us, though?" she asked nervously, glancing up at the earth.
"Nope – the earth is a ruse as well. It covers three kilometers of steel and iron between us and the rest of the earth," Noin informed her. "This is actually a series of metal tubes in the ground, but it's more reinforced than almost anything else you'll ever find."
"I believe it," the other young woman agreed, sighing slightly in relief. "I can't stand underground, to be honest. I hope this won't take long."
"I wouldn't bet on it," Treize said, meeting them further down in the tunnel. Kina had noticed they had passed several doors as they walked, and looked around more closely as they continued the relatively-easy trek. "Maxwell isn't saying a word – not even blinking, in fact. I'm not sure we'll be able to get him to talk."
"Of course you won't," Kina said curtly. "But interrogation is my specialty – and I better be able to do it, or you can send me back to doing laundry."
"I'll take that as a promise," the man agreed calmly, before pausing before another door. "Here's where he is – we'll wait in another room to watch, so if you need anything, signal."
"I'll be sure to do that," Kina agreed, before stepping into the room. It was the usual interrogation setup, with a bare bulb illuminating the gray room, with Duo strapped to a chair beside a small table, another empty chair across from him. Treize and Noin quickly disappeared, locking the door behind her, and Duo looked up in surprise as she entered.
"So, here to let me go?" he grinned, but was ignored as she placed the files deliberately on the table before staring at him for a moment.
"That doesn't look like the most comfortable of chairs," she commented finally.
"Well, it's worse than most," he admitted, and blinked when she began to unstrap him. "Hey, you sure you can do that?"
"What do you care? I thought you were uncomfortable," she replied evenly, finishing setting him loose and sitting back in the chair. "I've got a lot of information about you, Maxwell, but there are some things I'm still curious about."
"I have a feeling you'll still be curious when you're finished," Duo told her with a grin, but the smile didn't meet his eyes, which seemed to penetrate her being. Kina took a second to compose herself before shrugging.
"Probably. But it's my job, or else it's back to prison," she said, having never actually been in prison before.
"What dya mean?" he asked, in spite of himself. She stared at him for a few seconds before allowing herself a small grin.
"I'm a government lab rat, I suppose you could call it," she informed him. "I have to do my job, or else it's bye-bye freedom."
"That certainly sounds like it sucks," Duo commented, and she nodded in agreement.
"Of course. But I'm wondering, if you don't like being told what to do, why were you in the military in the first place?" she asked suddenly, but the abrupt question didn't startle him in the least.
"Nice try – seemed like the thing to do at the time," he shrugged. "I wasn't it for very long anyway."
"No, you weren't – two years," she agreed, allowing herself to glance down as she opened the folder before her. "And then thrown out. But the military won't tell us – and I'll be frank, we're not allowed to hack into their computers," she said briskly. "Or else we'd know why."
"I'm sure you would," Duo agreed, and she felt his eyes resting uncomfortably on her.
"So, why'd you become a mercenary?" she asked conversationally, pushing the folder aside casually. "Really, I'd like to know. Your record doesn't seem to show any reason why you would."
"You don't have the whole record, remember?" he smirked, and she frowned a little.
"Point taken," she agreed easily. "You gonna tell me?"
"Nope."
"I didn't think so," she shrugged, crossing her arms and leaning back to stare at him again. "I have to stay here though – make it seem I'm making an effort."
"Yeah, I guess you do," Duo nodded, folding his arms behind his head and observing her. "If I can ask, what made you become a mercenary?"
"Seemed like the thing to do," she told him, hiding her slight surprise he knew about her past, but not very startled.
"Any other questions?" he asked, and she shrugged.
"If I can think of any."
"Are you sure this is going to work, Boss?" Treize asked, as they observed the room by means of several hidden cameras. "He doesn't seem to care in the least."
"If Kina isn't able to crack him, we haven't lost anything anyway," Zechs said firmly. "So there's no point in not trying, agreed?"
"I guess," Treize agreed reluctantly. "But what's she doing?"
"Nothing," Noin replied. "Does she think he'll talk if she doesn't push him?"
"No," Zechs shook his head. "I'm not sure what she's up to, but she was right – she specializes in interrogation and personality profiling. That's why I'm letting her talk to him."
"Why, what do you think he'd do?" Noin asked.
"No what he'd do – what she might do," their boss corrected. "And I'm not sure. Just like I'm never sure what you two might do."
"Touché," Treize grinned, returning his attention to the screens.
"We're going nowhere fast," Kina said, breaking the silence of almost an hour and a half. "I might as get going," she continued, beginning to stand up and gather her things.
"Hey, do ya have to leave so soon?" Duo asked suddenly, and she looked at him in genuine surprise. "I mean…well, it's damn boring in here," he shrugged. "Might as well have some company."
"I have better things to do," she informed him, but paused as he got to his feet.
"Well…I guess I could tell you some stuff. Can't see how it'd hurt," he said finally, and she slowly sat back down as he watched her.
"Go on, then," she prodded, and he resumed his own seat with a yawn.
"Sorry," he apologized, before smirking. "Well, as for the military – I was out on a mission and we caught some prisoners on the way back. Bunch of slimy bastards, really – fanatics fighting for some god of theirs, murdering whoever they felt like."
"You don't believe in a god?" Kina asked, and he peered at her, apparently serious.
"Do you?" he replied, and continued without waiting for an answer. "I'm the God of Death – so I believe in me," he said, appearing to brood for a moment before shrugging. "Anyway, they really pissed me off. You know the military can't 'abuse' prisoners or any crap like that, so I had to listen to them spout their shit for hours. Finally, I just snapped and bashed their damn heads in. Not that they didn't deserve it, but the military decided they couldn't have bad press image."
"That's why?"
"Yep," he nodded. "That's when I realized I might as well do whatever the hell I felt like, since my ideas of right and wrong don't fit with anybody in this damn world. That's why I decided to become a mercenary – I was a sniper in the military, which comes in handy every once in a while."
"But…" Kina waited, trying to squeeze as much information as she could out of him.
"That's so cowardly," he told her. "And besides, if I'm the deliverer of death, might as well let 'em see who's blowing their brains out, right? Up close and personal, that's more my style. And I'm damn good at it, if I'm allowed to brag."
"Why not," Kina shrugged.
"You don't seem impressed," he said, and she merely looked at him.
"Should I be? If it's the truth, it makes a whole lot of sense. And if it's a lie, there's no reason to be impressed," she pointed out. "And I've heard plenty of stories of before – there're worse people out there, trust me."
"Oh, I know that," he nodded. "I like to think I'm one of them, but I guess I'm not."
"Try harder," she commented, and he smirked.
"Maybe I will."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kina asked, peering at him with narrowed eyes. Something was going wrong, she could sense it, but she realized she wasn't going to be able to find out quick enough. Getting to her feet, she managed to take a few steps toward the door as she backed up before Duo shot out of his seat and grabbed her by the collar, pulling her back against him and his elbow beneath her chin.
"Damn it!" Noin swore, turning to Zechs.
"Two men have infiltrated the base and are making their way through the tunnels, sir," Treize informed him coolly. "They're heading straight toward Maxwell."
"Now what?" Noin demanded.
"Sound the alarm – get the guards ready. Tell them to shoot to kill," he ordered calmly.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kina demanded, having briefly tried to struggle and received a squeeze cutting off her air in return. "You can't get out on your own!"
"I'm not – we all have a tracking device surgically implanted," Duo informed her with a grin. "And they're on their way – can't you hear the alarms? Any second now they'll come through that door. And you're gonna be our hostage."
"Like hell!" she retorted, twisting his arm and going to knee him in the groin. To her surprise, he evaded her attack quite easily and held her at arm's length for a moment before shrugging.
"Sorry – you're too feisty to take like this," he apologized, and she gasped right before he knocked her out cold. In the next moment, Heero and Quatre burst into the room, weapons ready to fire. "Hey, you're late," Duo complained, hefting Kina to his shoulder and taking the offered weapon with the other hand.
"And what do you think you're doing?" Heero demanded.
"Hostage – trust me, she'll be useful," Duo nodded, and Quatre checked his handheld computer.
"We don't have much time before it blows," he said, referring to the several bombs he and Heero had planted on their way down.
"All right – we have a jet waiting," Heero said, glancing over his shoulder as they raced down the tunnel. "It was a bitch to get here, you know. And hacking was even worse – but at least we found another exit."
"Nice," the assassin nodded in appreciation, briefly glancing around with a frown as they made their way out of the tunnel system. "Where's Wufei?"
"Dead," Heero replied flatly. "Her partner killed him before he escaped."
"Damn," Duo muttered, honestly not caring too much but feeling he should show something at his companion's death.
"We're almost there," Quatre commented, checking his timer. "Just a few more minutes."
"That'll be enough," Heero nodded, increasing his speed. The two others easily kept pace, despite Duo's burden, and reached a trapdoor to the surface within moments. "This is it – the other exit we found," the leader said shortly, climbing the ladder. "Our jet's right outside."
"Good – she's heavier than I thought," Duo grunted, following the other two up and out, climbing onto grass and feeling the wind in his face. Quatre was already sprinting toward the jet, while Heero held several more charges in his fist.
"Move," he ordered, and waited until Duo was away before planting the devices and beginning to run. "Get to the jet – now!" he shouted, and Duo quickly followed his lead. Duo tossed Kina onto the floor before hauling himself inside, since Quatre was already lifting off. Heero made an insane leap for the jet, and grabbed onto the side, hanging for a moment before pulling himself in.
"Here comes backup," Duo commented, glancing out and seeing a strange-looking plane heading their way, not knowing it was Une and Trowa, as well as their pilot.
"Let's go, Quatre," Heero said testily, gripping his weapon. "Get ready to shoot, Duo."
"They're landing?" the braided young man realized in confusion, watching it lower to the ground. "What the hell?"
"Hold on!" Quatre warned them, before activating the thrusters and shooting away faster than most planes were able to.
"What the hell was that?" Trowa demanded, jumping out after Une and meeting Treize halfway to the base.
"It seems Maxwell's companions are more resourceful than I thought," the man said dryly, blinking as the plane shot away. "They staged a rescue, and took Kina hostage with them."
"What?" Trowa shouted, clenching his hand into a fist. "We just missed them? Goddamn it!"
"Calm down – Duo mentioned something about a tracking device inside each of them," Noin informed him smoothly. "With luck, we can trace any radar that was coming from the cell and locate its base of location."
"And what if we can't?" the riled young man prodded testily.
"Do you think we have no resources of our own?" Treize asked dryly. "You and Kina are able to sense each other – to an extent, of course, which will be useful. And she has her own locater with her."
"They'll find it," Trowa growled, and then blinked uncertainly when Treize began to laugh.
"Not where it is, trust me."
Here's hoping someone reviews! (toasts) Please review.