Note: Here's chapter 2! Thanks to everyone who's still with me. Your reviews and visits mean more that you know!


Chapter 2

"I want to know everything. Every number, every name, every detail. We're getting out of here and bringing Heero back."

So that is how I found myself in the slowest, most crowded shuttle in the middle of L2, and I figured that was probably another reason why Une left out the details to this interesting little search and rescue. Tangling with bad guys is part of my job, and I've gotten pretty good at it. Then again, I've also gotten somewhat famous amongst the big drug and crime rings and trust me, when they didn't feel like screwing around anymore, people got dead. So far, I had managed to escape a couple of close encounters with both my braid and my ass intact. Still, growing up in the slums of L2 has given me enough street smarts to know not to push your luck too far; and coming to L2 -- the headquarters and birthplace of all of the big colony baddies -- for a mission was pushing, spitting on, and then kicking dirt on every last bit of luck I had. Guaranteed or your credits back. Unable to count on luck, unless it was bad, all I had left were brains. Brains, determination, and three other pissed off ex-Gundam pilots. No complaints here.

The shuttle screeched to a halt and a few people got off. I gazed out of the cracked, filthy window, recognizing a few vendors near the stop and wondering how they would react if they knew that I was traveling with three of the most notorious people on Earth and the Colonies. I figured they'd either avoid me until they were gone, or lose trust in me completely for being a Preventer. You see, not very many people know that little fact about me, and I'd rather keep it that way since all the people I put away keep their eyes and ears open for the 'P' word, especially on their turf. This really hasn't been much of a problem, though. Since I'm staying with Hilde and tend to help her out on the weekends, everyone just assumed I worked with her. Every time Une needed me, we made up some excuse about me going to visit relatives or friends. Just recently, Hilde did me the favor of spreading around the rumor that I did part-time salvage jobs that took me off-colony for weeks. Since then, people have become less interested in me, so I'm able to slip on and off the colony without too many eyebrows being raised.

The shuttle stopped again and I rose to my feet, motioning for the others to follow. Stepping off, I muttered, "Watch your wallets. This is picking-territory." I jammed my hands in the pockets of the long brown coat I was wearing and sighed wearily. Either the climate control was down or they were making a futile attempt at an early winter here. I shook my head and began leading the others through the other yards and toward the one Hilde and I kept. I saw that the light in the house was on and grinned. Ever the late worker, Hilde makes an awesome workaholic.

"Honey, I'm home," I called out playfully through the screen door. She was cooking something and had left the wooden door open in order for the kitchen to air out. I chuckled when I saw her in her sorry excuse for an apron, which was more hole than fabric, hunched over the cutting board with a determined look on her face. It was all I could do to resist the urge to warn her about popping a blood vessel from effort.

She looked up and grinned from ear to ear. "Duo! It's about time you showed up. I thought you were supposed to be here an hour ago."

"Yea, but the damn shuttle. You know how it is. Makes more noise than necessary for the distance it's traveling." I quirked an eyebrow at her, "But how did you know we were coming today? I don't recall emailing you the itinerary."

"Oh, I saw Stan from the ship terminal today. He said he saw your name on the incoming roster and dropped me a hint, but I didn't know that you were going to bring along the guys." Hilde gave the three men behind me another one of her grins before calling out to them. "Hey guys! Long time no see. Please have a seat. It's still early enough for me to prepare for all of us."

"Aww, Hil, you practicing your maternal skills there?" I poked her in the side and she scooted away from my finger with a little squeak.

"Beware, Maxwell," she warned as she brandished a chopping knife in my direction with a smooth gesture. "I will determine whether you are worthy enough for my specially made dinner."

I stuck my tongue out at her childishly and laughed, "You got it right. 'Special' would be one way to describe your cooking, but I suppose it is better than nothing."

A wooden spoon bounced off my head and I spun around to tackle her, but she shook the knife at warning again, an impish smirk on her face. "I warned you not to insult my cooking, Mr. Maxwell."

I snorted in amusement, "The wrath of a woman is a wrath to be feared, but, my dear, you forget who you're dealing with."

"Uhm, Duo?" Quatre's voice startled me a bit. I guess they'd been so quiet that I had actually forgotten about the three men sitting around our cramped little kitchen table.

"What's up, Quat?"

A slight color tinted his cheeks. "It was a long ride. I was wondering if you could show me where the bathroom is."

"Oh, sure thing!" I signaled for him and the others to follow. "I suppose I'd better show you all where it is. Hey Hilde, we'll be back in a jiff. Try not to burn anything while we're gone, 'kay?"

Hilde placed a fist on her hip and leaned against the counter. "I guess you won't have to worry about that, Duo, because you'll be eating out of the garbage can tonight!"

"Thank God!" I called out and shut the screen door quick enough to see the can opener slam against the screen. Close call. Hilde's aim seems to get better every day. Then again, I suppose I do present her with ample opportunities for practice. She should thank me, really, she should...right?

I turned back to the other three and motioned for them to go around the back. "Our bathroom is a bit separated from the house. I know it's inconvenient, but the truth is that it used to be a storage shed. Hil and I converted it into the bathroom when we got too sick and tired of using that pathetic excuse for a broom closet that came with the house." I opened the door for them. Inside, there was a toilet, a large vanity with two sinks, a stand up shower, a bathtub, and a small corner converted into a sauna.

"Oh, Duo. It's wonderful," Quatre gushed, although I'm sure he was just saying it to be polite. Quatre's a rich man. Very rich. So I'm pretty sure he's accustomed to using facilities that are ten times better than anything I'd ever hope to own.

"Uh, thanks, Quatre. Hilde and I tore apart the bathroom in the house so that we could build our own back here. Oh, don't mind the slight construction," I pointed out the tools and a large hole in a corner of the room, "We're planning on getting enough parts to install a Jacuzzi pretty soon. Hilde's really excited about it. She's the one who got it going after deciding that we needed more privacy. One thing led to another, and now we have this." I felt like I was rambling. Partially because the looks I was receiving were rather odd, particularly when I mentioned Hilde.

"Thank you for the tour Duo, but if you don't mind..." Quatre trailed off and rose a slender eyebrow.

"Gotcha, Quat. Okay, everybody out. Gotta let a man do his business privately...that is, unless you need a little help with that," I tossed back, jokingly. Then again, part of me wondered if there was a possibility if he would accept an offer one day, but the way Trowa silently watched me quashed that idea. I wondered if Quatre already knew about his feelings at that point. Both of them were clearly possessive of one another.

As if on cue, Trowa stopped walking. "I think I'll stay behind. I need to use it as well." And with that, he began to head back to the Schbeiker-Maxwell spa. Damn, I'm proud of that room.

Well that just left me and Wufei. Personally, I was feeling quite a bit uncomfortable at that moment. It was only the day before that Wufei basically called me the scum of the known universe with nothing short of a murderous glare in his eye. Of course, I was falsely accused. Hell, how was I to know that Heero had been captured; that this would be the most important mission of my entire Preventer career, and perhaps, my life? You know, give or take the war effort. When Quatre explained to him about my complete ignorance, he nodded in acknowledgement and apologized, yet the apology didn't seem at all heartfelt. He merely spoke the words, continuing to stare at me with distrust, as if he were completely confident that I would have declined the mission had I known the details. Damn. That hurts.

Thinking about it, I don't ever recall a time where Wufei was this distrustful...well, after we became comrades in the war, that is. Before that, it seemed as if he wanted to single-handedly win the war, though I can't say that we all didn't think the same way at one point. It's just extremely difficult to earn the trust and the respect from the Chinese man, which is why, I believe, it hurt me more to know that I was the sucker who lost it.

That's it. I made it my mission -- second in priority to Heero's rescue, of course -- to regain that trust, and find out what the hell made me lose it in the first place.

The five of us had dinner at last, Hilde made some sort of casserole that didn't turn out half-bad, but I really couldn't help myself when I teased her horribly. She would make threats and throw objects at me and we would laugh. That's how we worked, and apparently it was beginning to help the guys loosen up a bit. I'd even find Wufei attempting to hide his little smirks of amusement. All in all, it was a great evening, that is, until she asked the dreaded question.

"So where's Heero? I'm surprised he isn't here with you guys. Did he go on another mission, Duo?" That's my Hil! A great girl...but not the best timing.

Naturally, the genuinely good mood everyone was in seemed to fall flat and we all shifted back into mission mode. I sighed and raked a hand through my bangs. "Well, Hil, we're trying our best to get him back here."

"Oh," she murmured, understanding immediately that she sullied the mood. After dessert, she cleaned up the kitchen (she's such a doll sometimes) and agreed to go out with a close girlfriend of hers for the night. The moment she closed the door behind her, what little cheery feelings that had been accompanying us for the evening followed her, and there was nothing left but the mission.

"So where do we start," I asked them.

"We were hoping that you would be able to tell us," said Wufei as he crossed his arms over his chest. I was beginning to think that little movement was becoming very annoying.

"You mean you don't have any leads?" I looked at the three of them incredulously.

Quatre sighed, "It appears that whoever took Heero from us has nothing to do with the mission he was on at the time of his capture. The only clue they left behind was that they were from L2. Heero's mission was dealing with a ring that originated, and for the most part, remained within the L1 and L3 bounds. We've already checked the system for known criminals booked in this area. The problem is that none of them have been associated with the Malden Cross."

"Malden Cross?"

"It's the name of the group Heero was investigating."

"I see." I folded my hands together in front of my face and rested my forehead on them. "So you guys think that I might know something you all don't?"

"Duo, you have been the main investigator for all of L2's main crime organizations. If you've noticed something...anything that may be out of the usual..."

"I would have reported it to HQ, Quatre. You know that. Every person, every name, every detail can save a person's life. We all know that," I growled. "So you contacted me because you thought that I was with-holding evidence that you all might find useful?" There was a long silence, but it was the blank stare he gave me that drove the steak home. They didn't contact me because I was a friend and fellow pilot. They didn't contact me because they needed my skills. They contacted me because they thought I wasn't doing my job right, with-holding information about some crazy-ass crime operation ring-leader, probably to save my own hide or make some extra credits. I was beginning to understand why Wufei hated me and I didn't like the red anger that suddenly flooded my vision.

It was Trowa who brought me out of that place, "Get your head out of your ass, Duo. We contacted you because you know these people better than we do. We need you to give us your opinion before making any moves." He leaned forward then, "And besides, we wouldn't trust a fellow pilot's life to just anyone." Now, I'd just like to say that Quatre was usually number one when it came to being the group empath, but I've found out that whenever he missed something, Trowa was all over it, usually eliminating the problem before anyone knew it was there. At this point, I wanted to hug the guy. He sent the red haze right back behind the corners of my vision and I was able to understand...what an ass I was being right then and there. Focus on Heero -- I told myself -- then get personal and narcissistic.

"Sorry 'bout that. Point is, you guys can trust that I didn't leave anything out of the reports...and no matter what," I directed my gaze at the frowning Wufei sitting in front of me, "I would always be prepared to do whatever I can for a friend." Wufei's brows furrowed together slightly, but he just snorted in acknowledgement and adjusted his arms where they were resting over his chest. "Now that we got that out of the way, let's think. What was the objective for the group Heero was investigating?"

"Well, it wasn't too big," Quatre said, eyes shifting side to side in thought, "I don't remember anything out of the ordinary since it seemed like a regular drug-smuggling attempt. Heero did have to stake-out the area for months before he was given enough evidence to pin anyone."

"So you guys did stop it," I asked, my eyes playing a little shifting game of their own, trying to remember all the groups on L2 who would be interested in that type of cargo...the list was long.

"Yes, Heero was able to carry out all orders and make sure everything was taken care of. He was captured shortly after the clean-up crews arrived...or so we assume since we were unable to contact him after he delivered final orders." Quatre balled his hands into fists on the table, "That's when the clean-up crew found the vid."

My ears perked, "Vid?"

Trowa nodded once, "That is how we determined he was missing."

"Well, didn't the fact that he wasn't active at cleanup tip you off?" I couldn't help the bitterness in my voice. Yet, the whole incident could have been avoided if only someone would have been paying attention. They might have found Heero before he was taken off the sight.

Quatre sighed, "Actually, there are times when he doesn't participate in cleanup, Duo. Especially after long stake-outs."

I quirked an eyebrow, confused. "Whaddya mean? That doesn't sound like, Mr. Efficient. Last time I worked with him, he pretty much went over everything with a fine-tooth comb and a magnifying glass. Hell, by the end of the night, I was beggin' to go home."

"Yes," Quatre's eyes shifted away in remembrance, "but now, after particularly long missions, he tends to disappear for days, calling in sick. Personally, I think he's stressed out and needs time to- "

Wufei lifted his head and shot an annoyed look at Quatre, "I don't think we need to discuss this. My partner has always worked with the highest performance and I would like to return him to his desk by Monday morning so that we begin on another case. If you don't mind."

My jaw clenched in frustration. Why did it seem like Wufei was keeping something from me, and where was this sudden hostility coming from? "Anyway," I said, rather harshly, "what did the vid say?"

Quatre took out a small notepad and flipped it open about halfway through. I recalled a time where he wouldn't have needed one, when none of us did; where relying on memory alone was necessary, and I repressed a chill that was beginning to crawl down my spine. After thumbing past a few pages, Quatre handed the notepad to me. "An undistinguishable voice said this while the vid played a still of Heero's Preventers ID."

"It's a shame to waste a good soldier. A good soldier is both a machine and a killer, but true justice has room for neither. Since perfect little soldiers need to be put to use or exterminated, we've decided to put things to right." I took a deep breath. I hadn't heard anyone refer to Heero as the "Perfect Soldier" in a long time and the paper in my hands confirmed that they had him.

"How do you know it's from L2?"

"We don't, but we're going by what the message has given us. When it was found, there was a note card attached to it so that the clean up crew didn't miss it. That note card had a distinct smell to the letter and, when it was analyzed, the results suggested that the ink was, in fact, used oil."

Yes, many people in L2 liked to be creative with their used oil and grease, and ink was a fairly popular choice. You could say it's our little trademark. There were venders that made a nice amount of credits doing paintings at someone's request. Many people thoroughly enjoyed them, but personally, I always thought the idea was stupid and the "ink" made everything smell damn bad.

"Alright, I agree that these bastards are probably on L2. Hmn," I racked by brain for anything at all that could be useful. My list of suspects was long, very long, but I couldn't quite pin anyone with a specific motive to go after Heero. If anything, the bastards would be after me since I'm usually the one that ends up booking them and sending them off to a nice little jail cell. Despite my discretion, some of the bigger bosses know me. Fortunately for me, they know my rep too and decide to just accept the wins and losses that come their way. But when they'd win, they'd win, and there was no descretion in their celebration. Sometimes, they would mock me and leave a note...That's when it hit me. "Quatre, what did the card say? You told me that there was a card left with the vid so that the cleanup crew wouldn't miss it. Who did they want it to get to?"

Wufei frowned again, not liking the question, but relieving Quatre of the duty of explanation. "It was addressed to 'Gundam Pilots.'" He saw my eyes widen in realization. "So, Maxwell, now that you know you're walking into a trap, I suppose you fear for your own life?"

I shot him a glare, but only for a second. Could he really not see it? "Well, 'Fei, sorry to burst that ever growing bubble of yours, but I don't think it is a trap."

"What do you mean, Duo," Quatre clutched his notepad tightly.

"Well, I don't think it's a trap at all. It's a warning. If it was a trap, they would have left us something more for us to go on. L2 can be a pretty big place when it comes to looking for someone, especially if someone with half a brain is trying to hide him...and, knowing our reputations, this guy, he's got brains. Either that or he's got confidence. Both of those things can be dangerous, given that he has the right connections."

"Spoken like a true idiot," Wufei growled. "Why would they leave a warning if they didn't want us to pursue them? Knowing that we're Gundam pilots, they should also know that we've been working with the Preventers for several years now. We are no longer the children we used to be and we have dealt with other, equally crazy people like this before. They really shouldn't take us lightly."

"I'm not saying that they're taking us lightly, Wufei." I bit my lip, my worry, not for myself, but for Heero growing. "I'm telling you that he doesn't sound like a guy who's into the chase. They didn't give us conditions or reasons, they just singled us out and made sure we would informed of Heero's capture. That message sounded like a warning, not a trap, because he seems too confident that nothing could go wrong with his plans. Now, since it was addressed to us, it must mean that Heero isn't his only target." My hands found their way through my bangs again, gripping down on the soft hair near the scalp before continuing their track down my face. "I think...I think this guy knows what he's doing, and I think that his next target is going to be one of us. So if he has another target, there's no reason for him to keep the first one around. Especially if he wants to eliminate all of us."

Trowa sat up in his chair and Wufei stared at a spot on the table, hard. Quatre flipped open his notepad and slowly read the words, "Since perfect little soldiers need to be put to use or exterminated, we've decided to put things to right.' We need to find Heero," He cast a meaningful look at Trowa, "and we need to stop these bastards before someone else falls victim to them."

"Namely, us," I growled, "Since we are the targets, we have to be specifically careful with our actions. Slipping up would be like delivering ourselves to their front step with a pretty, red bow on our asses." I paused for emphasis, but partially from hesitation since I was more reluctant to say these words than anything else. "There's something about this that gives me the creeps. I don't know, but I think we need to be prepared to break protocol." My glance shifted to Wufei, since I felt he would be the most displeased with my suggestion. "Despite what you might believe, I don't feel comfortable with it anymore than you do, but I'm getting a feeling about this one. It's the same feeling that I used to get back in the war and my gut tells me that we need to fight and act accordingly."

Everyone looked at each other. It had been seven, close to eight years since the war, and we each had grown accustomed to the significantly less difficult missions that Une tossed at us. None of them were as heavy or uncertain as even the simplest mission, when armed with a Gundam. I was hoping the guys understood what I was trying to say. The last damn thing I needed was for everyone to think I needed to be stripped from my badge and my ability to help rescue Heero. During the war, and even the three years after during which we still worked together, they wouldn't have second guessed my opinion. Apparently three years of absence can put a lot of strain on the trust built in just about the same amount of time. This was strain we couldn't afford right now, despite their distrust...so you can imagine the look on my face when Wufei was the first to speak up.

"For once, I completely agree with Maxwell. I don't believe Yuy has gotten careless since the war, and it would take someone with careful strategy and manpower to capture him. Although I wouldn't recommend or agree with completely violating Preventer protocol, I'm sure Une will give us some leeway if we give her a heads up on what we're dealing with."

"I agree as well," Quatre said as he placed a long-fingered hand over his heard. "Even before Duo suggested it, something about this triggered something that I haven't felt since the war. We must be prepared and proceed with caution, but we must also act quickly. I can contact Une tonight; she gave me a private line to use to keep her updated with the mission."

"Perfect," I covered a fist with my other hand in satisfaction and grinned, "I know a place where we can begin investigating in the morning. The market by the station is usually best for gossip, so I suggest we start there. At dawn, we head out and try to collect as much information as possible, and report back at noon to share details with the others." My grin faded. "And I mean everything, you guys. We can't withhold anything from one another if we want to get to Heero as quickly as possible, not to mention save our own asses!" I took a breath before continuing, "Now, is there anything else about the mission that you guys forgot to tell me?"

Quatre sighed and ran a hand through his hair before looking up at Trowa and saying, "I'm afraid that's all we know. Sorry, Duo. I guess our lack of knowledge on the situation, coupled with the fact that it caught us completely off-guard, kind of has us all riled up. We didn't mean to keep anything from you, and we won't forget to keep everyone informed of every little detail in the future."

"A message, your only clue, is a pretty big detail, Quat," I grumbled before I stood, murmuring a goodnight to the three, and headed for the couch to feign sleep. After an hour or so of restless tossing and turning on the couch, I figured it would be safe enough to leave without alerting one of the others. I knew that sneaking out of the house alone in the middle of the night wasn't the smartest thing in the world. In fact, I was downright stupid; probably the equivalent of walking into an OZ base with a bright red bull's-eye on my forehead, especially on L2, but I needed answers before news got out that I was the one who brought the "strangers" into town. People tended to clam up when newcomers were around since they were usually Preventer agents set out to shut down some small, illegal business they were running. The fact that the locals were completely unaware of my being an agent, along with the trust that I had earned by living with Hilde, usually had them talking my ear off before I knew what hit me. That, along with my incredible charm, is how I was able to wrap up the cases as quickly as they could hand them to me...not to brag about it or anything. Hopefully, they would be especially talkative tonight, specifically about any newcomers or businesses that had set up while I was gone.

The place I was going was especially well-known for gossip. Then again, what else were prostitutes supposed to do while they waited for a customer to pay for a quick roll in the sack? I had done some undercover investigating in this section before, so some of the girls who already knew me squealed in delight, waving me over. Man, if only they knew the type of equipment I preferred...they'd probably cry or rip my braid off.

"Hey, Ladies," I purred. "Long time no see."

"Duo!" A particularly interested girl, Jamie, who had absurdly large breasts for such a small creature, half-bounced, half-sauntered over to me and put her arms around my waist in a tight hug. "Are you buying tonight? I can give you the best price!"

I gave her a cheeky grin, "Now, now, Jamie. Be patient, how could I possibly choose between all you lovely women? I just wanted to come visit you gorgeous ladies after my trip. Are you all doing well? Nobody's come and tried to cause trouble for my girls, have they?"

The three other women standing nearby decided to join in, getting their own greeting and propositioning done. It was always the same. They offer, I decline, they offer again, I decline again, and then the gossiping begins. Yet, this time, Jamie had other plans. She pouted in a way that, I'm sure, was perfected through practice and her eyes began to get glossy. I wiped a tear from her eye and cooed, "Aww, what's wrong with my Jamie?"

"Humph!" She glared at me and turned to the other women, "Let's face it, we're obviously not pretty enough for Duo. He never wants to--"

"Jamie," I cut in, but she pouted more and began to sniffle.

"Hey!" A voice suddenly rang out. "Quit picking on whores and let them do their job."

I swiveled around, my braid flopping against my back, to see the newcomer and promptly froze at what I saw. My heart stopped and the blood drained from my face in an instant. "He...Heero..."

TBC