Chapter 23

A/N: a) I'm now being paranoid my chapters are too short for you guys to really enjoy them... So I would have ended this at 2k, but... b) I'm trying to do 50k words in a month on this (NaNo rebel) so you SHOULD get more chapters... :P c) I'm also worried I'm doing too much PoV switching...

OK, so maybe following 'Fei and Mac in the rain wasn't on the top of best ideas he'd ever had. Actually, he placed it just above letting Heero have any kind of access whatsoever to Deathscythe. And it was cold. And wet. Had he mentioned it was pouring down? His hair, even curled up under the baseball cap, was soaking with the tip directing droplets of water directly down his spine. He had to force himself not to shiver when one reached the small of his back. God, he hated the cold. He was starting to miss L2's lack of weather.

He'd seen them enter the building what seemed like hours ago, each of them presenting a piece of paper to one of the bouncers before being shown into the building. Lipreading had revealed the place as 'Club Duality', and given the fact both his fellow pilot and partner both were carrying swords almost openly, and the bouncers also had them at their hips, the play on words was clear.

Of course, he'd tried to enter the club too, first by approaching the bouncers, who had politely but firmly resisted his request. After a few attempts, when one had started to draw his sword, he backed off. Yep, definitely something to do with Immortals. Then he'd tried circling the building, looking for entrances, or exits that could be used as such, with just as much success. The upper windows of the terrace building were inaccessible, unless he could pull climbing equipment out his rear - the walls looked like they had been smoothed to within an inch of their life, leaving no footholds, even for him.

For a moment he pondered trying to climb the walls of one of the connected houses and get in that way, but tossed the idea away as the rain continued to drip into his eyes. Climbing in the rain was not his idea of fun. Plus even if he did get in, given the number of people he'd seen flowing in and out of the club since he'd been there, and the fact he didn't have any schematics of the layout, it would be hard to hide his presence. And if it involved Immortals, well, regardless of 'Fei's opinion of his attention span, he had actually listened to Mac and Adam's explanation about his supposed pre-Immortal status and the apparent 'buzz' he gave off to certain Immortals.

A few more plans were analysed and discarded until he resigned himself to the fact that he wasn't getting anywhere other than wet. Lifting himself up from the crouched position he'd adopted by a street corner in sight of the club, he massaged his thighs, easing the muscles. Eventually his two friends would have to leave the building, and he could watch Mac's car just as well from the warmth of his own.

God, he was getting old.

It didn't take long to reach his hire car, sitting in shadows in sight of Mac's own black sedan, and he was about to unlock the door when his senses flew on high alert. A barely there whisper of feet, muffled by the torrential water, combined with the familiar sound of a blade being drawn from its sheath, gave him enough warning to duck and roll from the shattered glass that rained down around him.

A moment later, he was fumbling behind him as he flipped himself into a wary crouch, lightly flicking the catches open and letting his own weapons slip into his hands. Bringing one up in front of him as a guard, his eyes found his assailant in front of him. Standing under a streetlight, the light sparking off the rain that fell around him in curtains, the man was watching him with a pleased smile holding a broadsword that glittered with the water running down the wicked blade.

The rain drowned out the man's comment, although it was easy for him to lip-read. "So, the infant has some spunk." The gesture towards a side street didn't need any translation however. Damn. Damn. Damn. If he survived this, then he wouldn't be surprised if Adam took his head for sheer stupidity. He wondered if it was possible for Immortals to commit suicide before facing enraged mentors.

Slowly rising from his crouch, using the movement to settle his grip firmly on the slick handles of his own weapons, he remained where he was as the man began to move into the enclosed space. Maybe if the guy couldn't fight him in a relatively private alleyway, he'd go away. Yeah. Right. Adam's warning about how he'd not be left alone once outed as a supposed Immortal rang in his ears. So, not much choice then. Great.

Shinigami was already lurking at the edge of his control, and it took barely a moment's thought to unleash the darkness, feeling his senses sharpen and expand as the world narrowed to his opponent and the paired swords.

A cold smile touched his lips as the man's sword flew out of the maze of shadows in the alley and he parried it easily, sweeping his offhand round to slice at his enemy's stomach. Snarling silently at the lack of impact he twisted instinctively away from another swing at his neck, catching the blade on one of his own and attempting another swipe at his attacker. This time the blow encountered its target, the shock jolting up his arm.

Pulling the weapon free, he turned to face the Immortal, clinically noting the bleeding gash across the stocky chest. Shinigami growled as the wound began closing before his eyes, and only the remembrance of Mac's hand stopped Duo from resurfacing in surprise and the counter-attack from cutting across his throat.

Darting backwards, he slipped into the shadows, angling himself so the glare of the streetlight was in the man's eyes. His assailant moved forward, eyes searching, and he ducked behind him, bringing one sword up ready to strike.

Except the street had other ideas as his foot found some discarded junk.

Fuck.

He felt his ankle wrench at the same time that one of his swords clanged against the wall as he tried to catch his balance. Only instinct and familiarity with the pain meant that he was able to bring a weapon up to deflect the broadsword that swung towards him, the blade sweeping the cap off his head and letting his braid slip free down his back.

He was almost fighting blind now, the rain dripping off his hair and into his eyes, and his grip on his swords was slipping with every attack from the Immortal. Again, he twisted away, ignoring the throbbing in his leg even as a small part of his brain analysed the weaknesses and compensated for them.

When the Immortal's head flew up, looking towards the entrance to the side street, he risked a feint with his main hand, his other sword sweeping around to target the man's thick neck only to find it firmly blocked and the dance continued.

Thrust, parry, swipe, block. The movements were relentless, weaving in and out of the shadows. A gash that opened on his arm and he retaliated with a slice across his opponent's leg. A cut on his cheek was matched by one on the other man's sword hand. They were both being more careful now; the attacks more thought out and the moves more cautious, each acknowledging the other's skill.

A glint of wet metal in the light gave him a moment's warning, but his ankle slowed his turn. Before he could dodge, the dagger flashed in the Immortal's hand and red agony bloomed in his side.

Shinigami screamed.

«o»«o»«o»«o»«o»«o»«o»«o»«o»

The fatal blow didn't come. Instead, through the crimson pain, he could hear the a clang of swords above him. Duncan. Duncan must have heard the fighting as he left the club.

He winced around wound in his side as he twisted himself into a sitting position. Fucking bloody hell. It was worse than when he'd broken his ribs in 'Sycthe fighting against OZ. Fighting. Swords. Shit.

He groped for his weapons, relieved to find the hilt of one by his thigh. Thank God. He wasn't entirely defenseless. Pulling it into his lap, he forced his eyes open to see a dark figure standing in front of him in full defensive stance. Duncan.

But that didn't make sense - the rules of the Game, if he understood correctly, meant that Mac couldn't interfere, and stopping his head being removed would definitely count as interfering. Even if he wasn't Immortal yet, he doubted that his partner would get involved in a duel, his honour wouldn't let him.

Then the sound of raised voices broke into his confusion, reality crashing back into his thoughts.

"Did someone forget to teach you the rules? The kid's mine."

"He's not in the Game." The smooth cold voice was unmistakable. Adam. What the hell was Adam doing there?

A laugh, "You can't interfere even if he's your student."

And now Mac's voice broke into the madness. "It's not interfering, Seften." The accent, the gorgeous sexy accent, was deep with worry. Worry for him?

"MacLeod, take your whelp and go."

"I'll call for backup," 'Fei. He'd forgotten about 'Fei. The Chinese pilot wouldn't know what was going on, he'd get it all wrong. He had to stop him from calling anyone.

With an effort, he pushed himself to his feet, one hand pressed tightly to his wound, fingers slipping over the blood, the other firmly holding his short sword in a guarded position. The slight adjustment of Adam's position told him that his teacher was aware of his movement and the other Immortal's eyes widened under the harsh light in acknowledgement before narrowing.

"Tough little bugger isn't he? Fine. I'll take your head after I take his."

"'Fei..." His voice failed, but suddenly he felt an arm around him, supporting him as the pain rushed through him and he hunched over in agony. He turned his head to meet concerned black eyes. "'Fei, don't. Don't call... You don't understand."

"Maxwell, you're in no state to argue with anything." The other pilot was suddenly but calmly unknotting a strip of cloth from his arm and wadding it into a pad to pack around the injury. His eyes however were flicking between the now circling combatants and the deep cut in concern. "We need to get you to Sally, and we need to get the authorities here."

Then Mac was there, lifting him in his arms easily, although he could tell all his partner's attention was on the two Immortals. Even in the painful haze, it was clear that Adam had dropped all pretense, the deadly warrior stalking his prey. There was no comparison.

Duncan's arms. He was safe.

Letting his body finally relax, his head lolling onto the Immortal's shoulder and his eyes closing, he barely noticed when Mac plucked the phone from 'Fei's hands, barely noticed 'Fei's angry response, barely noticed the clash of steel behind them, barely noticed the sound of a sword falling to the ground. Barely heard Seften's angry question.

"Who are you?"

And as darkness took him, barely heard the almost hissed, almost lost to the rain that still skittered and splashed around them reply. "I? I am Methos."

«o»«o»«o»«o»«o»«o»«o»«o»«o»

He knew the moment that Duo had succumbed to unconsciousness, his body slumping against his chest. The wound was bad, a deep dagger stab that, from the fact the boy was still breathing, had somehow managed to miss vital organs but that didn't mean the mortal would stay that way.

Ignoring Chang's protest at losing his phone and grabbing him with his free hand, he allowed himself a glance at the kneeling Seften, Methos's sword lifted to strike the final blow, before striding out of the alley with his twin burden. They had at least a few moments before the Quickening would hit and he wanted to get the mortals as far away as possible from the lightning.

Unsurprisingly, Dragon was resisting his efforts. "What are you doing, Cloud? We have a duty! Seften was, is..."

The first crackle of energy flickered in the air and he tightened his grip on the mortal's upper arm, dragging him towards the car. "Seften is dead."

"He was the killer, MacLeod! And I let him go!"

The boy was strong, writhing in his grasp, and only his size and strength enabled him to pull him around to face him. "Our duty is to get Duo to the hospital. Seften is no longer a problem." He knew his voice had frozen, his eyes cold, and he forced himself to soften his tone, although his grip remained iron on Wufei's arm. "Chang Wufei, do you trust me?"

The energy was palatable now, hanging heavy and dense in the air, and the way mortal's gaze flicked behind him told him that the lightning was be starting to be visible. This wasn't what was meant to happen. They should have been in and out of the club without Chang suspecting a thing. He could have avoided Seften. He could have... But there was no time for regrets, the child in his arms needed treatment that he couldn't give, and he'd be damned if his little excursion was the reason for the youngster's Immortality to be released. "Do you trust me, Chang Wufei?"

The sharp shake that accompanied the words seemed to startle the Shenlong pilot into awareness again, the dark eyes tormented above a stubbornly fixed mouth. For a moment he was worried that that stubbornness would prevent an answer, but then the boy looked away, unable to meet his gaze, settling on the pale thin figure he was holding. "We need to get Maxwell to HQ. Then I trust you will explain. Everything."

Grimacing even as he nodded, he released Chang to get a better hold on Duo's slight frame and started running towards the car. Even in the poor light he could tell that his skin was unnaturally pale, and the boy's breathing was hitched. It had been far too long since he'd had to look after a wounded mortal, and he just hoped that his partner would hold on long enough for Water to fix the wound. If it was anyone other than one of the Gundam pilots, he'd be surprised they were still alive. But then, Maxwell was exceptional.

He was at the car door with the sounds of the Quickening erupting behind him when he realised that Dragon hadn't followed him. And Duo's breathing was getting worse.

The choice between protecting his partner and protecting his secret was made without even thinking as he carefully positioned the injured boy on the back seat, shrugging his coat off to cover the shaking body curled into a foetal position, and checking the blood soaked cloth that Wufei had pressed against the pale skin. It looked stable, but he couldn't be sure, he only hoped it would hold until they reached the hospital.

The lightning was dying as he put the sedan into gear, the headlamps flooding the street with brilliant light. If he was injured, if Chang fought him when he was still weak from the Quickening... His foot moved to the accelerator before he finished the thought, the car rumbling into life. No, he couldn't think about that. He had to get Duo to the hospital. If he had told the pilot what was going on, if he hadn't talked to Dragon in the office... Dammit. This was all his fault, and Duo could die because of him. And Chang would need to know about Immortality. He wouldn't be surprised if the Chinese pilot went after his head once he knew the truth. And what if Dragon was going back to the club? If he decided that Kyuushuu knew about Seften? If he challenged Kyuushuu?

He noticed the shape in front of him at the same time with scarcely enough time to avoid it, spinning the wheel sharply, the wheels skidding on the wet road, twisting the car around and only his skill stopped the bonnet impacting with the drenched figures that emerged into the light.

Chang was supporting a boneless Methos, the oldest man favouring his left leg as they approached the vehicle. His sword, blood washed away by the rain, was still held loosely in his hand, while the younger pilot held both of Duo's weapons in his free hand, the other looped under the Immortal's arm.

Before he could recover from the shock, the side door was pulled open and his friend unceremoniously pushed into the seat and the door closed before the other boy climbed carefully into the back seat, gently lifting his own friend's legs onto his own before checking for any injuries the sudden turn could have caused him.

"MacLeod, now would be a good time to drive." For a moment he thought the dry tones were from Methos before he met Dragon's worried eyes in the rear mirror. "He's getting weaker. And your friend needs medical attention too."

"I'm fine."

"You have multiple lacerations to your skin, several deep, you were hit by lightning repeatedly, and I don't know how you're even talking. Now drive, MacLeod."

Obediently, he restarted the car, mentally mapping out the fastest way to the Preventer Headquarters. At least there he could attempt some damage control on Duo's injuries - how he was going to explain the deep dagger wound he wasn't sure, but he trusted Water far more than any normal hospital. If he had to explain Immortality to another mortal, he was pretty sure that Sally Po was trustworthy.

"I said, I'mfine, Chang Wufei. For God's sake MacLeod, can't this thing go any faster?" There was an edge of concern in Methos' voice that only long exposure to him let the Scot recognise it.

"I'm going as fast as I can. In case you hadn't noticed there's torrential rain outside, it's night, and we're in the city centre." He was well aware that his sarcasm was nowhere near the peak of perfection that the other Immortal's was, but the small twist of his friend's lips told him it had hit it's mark. "If you're feeling fine, why don't you look over Duo?"

Before Dragon could voice the protest that he could see forming in the mirror, Methos had contorted himself round to lean between the seats and pulled the long leather coat from the unconscious pilot, his eyes raking over the slight body, fingers darting to the pale throat as he analysed the injuries. "Dagger went in just below the ribs. Avoided lungs. Possibly penetrated the right kidney or stomach. Patient currently in foetal position, suggesting stomach. Worst case scenario is that the knife hit the aorta, but as he's still alive that's unlikely." A grim smile crossed his face as he examined the cloth padded over the wound. "And there's no evidence that there's excess bleeding. Good thinking with the padding. Heart rate elevated but surprisingly low considering the injury. I've trained as a doctor."

Another glance in the mirror confirmed that Dragon was giving the old man a dubious look before he turned his attention back to the road, well aware that he was breaking whatever the current speed limit was and not giving a damn. Even with Methos's reassuring words, he still wanted to get his partner to Sally as soon as possible - he'd had a few stomach wounds in his time and the remembered agony only made him worry more.

And that was another thing. "Wufei, why?"

"Why did I go back for the man who'd just defended my comrade and attacked someone who was quite possibly the murderer to do so? A man who you seemed familiar with and supportive of?"

Well, put like that it seemed rather obvious. "Thank you."

"Yes, thank you Mr Chang, now can we get the hell to the hospital before Maxwell bleeds out all over the car?"

"You still owe me an explanation, MacLeod. That lightning was in no way natural. And this man shouldn't even be alive."

"Great." Methos's mutter was clearly audible as he ignored the searching look, "Well, I'll drop you off at the hospital and leave you to sort this mess out. I'll arrange for Seften's body to get found by the appropriate people."

"And we can't just report it to the police because?" Duncan sighed inwardly at Dragon's accusing glare in the mirror. "Duo didn't want me to call anyone, you took my phone from me, which, I might add, would be useful to call ahead to HQ. I want to know why."

Running his hand over his forehead, the pilot was as relentless as Duo, he gestured behind him, hoping to distract the mortal, "Your phone's in my coat, will Sally still be there?" His eyes flicked to the clock on the dashboard, it was almost midnight, and only a few medical staff would be on duty overnight.

"Sally can meet us there - I'll call her at home." Moments later the Chinese youth was matching his actions to his words as he flipped the phone open, dialing a number from memory.

"Water? It's Dragon." A pause, "Night's injured Knife wound." Another pause. "Not on duty." Pause. "Suspected stomach laceration, field dressed as well as possible. We're on our way to HQ." A glance up at the mirror. "ETA, Cloud?"

"Five minutes max."

The Shenlong pilot nodded firmly, relaying the time before closing the phone with a click. "She'll meet us there."

"Make it three, MacLeod," Methos's face was becoming more anxious as he checked his student's pulse again. "He's going into shock and unless he's stabilised soon, he's going to die." The unspoken words that Duo would wake up Immortal at age seventeen was loud and clear.

Nodding, he pushed the accelerator further, the Preventer building coming into view on the skyline as the rest of the city blurred past.

«o»«o»«o»«o»«o»«o»«o»«o»«o»

Minutes later they were pulling into the rear of headquarters, and Duncan was relieved to see a gurney with people in medical garb and various items of equipment already waiting for them in the covered entryway as he braked smoothly next to it. The doors of the vehicle were pulled open before the engine had silenced and Duo's still body extracted and placed carefully on the stretcher. The makeshift bandaging was secured and a drip inserted before his partner was whisked away into the lift and up to the operating theatre.

Moments later another car screeched up behind him, and Sally almost fell out of it in her haste to get to the three of them. Her usually neat curls were piled up in a messy bun on her head and her doctor's coat flapped open over obviously hastily thrown on trousers and blouse. "Where is he? What happened?"

When Methos stepped forward to shake the ex-soldier's hand, he suspected the surprised expression on Dragon's face matched his own.

"Ms. Po, my name is Adam Unas. Mr. Maxwell has had a stab wound from a dagger to the lower right of his abdomen, probably lacerating the lining of his stomach. Mr. Chang had the presence of mind to field dress the wound with cloth, and there does not appear to have been any internal bleeding from severed arteries. This was approximately thirteen minutes ago and his vitals remained relatively stable until two minutes ago when they began to fluctuate further."

The calm recitation seemed to reassure the doctor and she smiled gratefully as she shook the Immortal's hand. "You're a doctor, Mr. Unas?"

"I've had some training. I was lucky enough to be passing when the attack happened and was able to assist."

"Well, I don't know how you got involved, but I'm grateful and it's Duo who's the lucky one. Wufei, Duncan, I expect a full debrief later, but for now I need to see to Duo. I will let you know when he's out of surgery." With that, Sally gave a sharp nod before turning to rush into the building, her coat flying out behind her.

When Dragon started to follow the woman, Duncan reached out to grasp his arm again, ignoring the angry fire that rose in the mortal's eyes at the sudden restraint.

"MacLeod, my friend is critically injured. I would recommend you let me go."

"And I would recommend you listen to what he has to say before spitting fire young Dragon." Methos's voice was relaxed, but once again he could sense the undercurrent of unease in his friend's tone. Telling a pre-Immortal about Immortality was one thing. Telling a mortal was quite another.

The black eyes flew to the oldest Immortal, his hands forming into tense fists as he jerked out of the confining grasp, "I helped you because you helped Maxwell. I don't trust you Adam Unas, or should I call you Methos? That's the name you gave..."

"Do. Not. Say. That. Name." Cold brown eyes bored into heated black as Methos stalked forwards, thankfully without his sword drawn, forcing the pilot to look up to meet his gaze. "If you do not want to put Maxwell at risk, do not call me by that name."

Clever, Methos. Very clever. Duo's safety was probably one of the only things that could give Chang pause at this moment, although he had to admire the fact that the young man met the other's stare with equal challenge. Granted he didn't know exactly who he was attempting to stare down, but it was still impressive.

"So tell me, Adam, why would your name put Maxwell at risk? And why are you insisting that the police aren't informed about Seften? What in the ten hells is going on here? Why the lightning?" The last was almost a whispered plea.

Silence.

With a sigh, Duncan dug his own phone out of his trousers and pressed the quick dial for Des. The Watcher would be pissed off at being woken up at midnight, but it wasn't the worst time he'd called in a Quickening and it was far better he took credit for it than leave it open. Thank God he had a good enough reputation within the organisation now for Des to trust him to report his own Quickenings. That and he had a feeling his Watcher preferred his sleep to traipsing around the city after him late at night.

"It's MacLeod." Dragon's eyes snapped to him.

"And what time do you call this?" Des's voice was thick with sleep.

"Seften. Alleyway near Rue de l'Est."

"Couldn't you wait until morning?"

He was acutely aware of the mortal next to him taking in every word. "No."

"I'm on it." There was a rustle of cloth and a sleepy murmur that he interpreted as the Watcher getting out of bed.

"Thanks."

Ending the call before Des could say anything else, he ran his hand through his hair tiredly. "There. It's reported."

"That wasn't the police, MacLeod."

"No, it wasn't. Well done Chang. Now I'm going to go home and pack, and you can explain everything after I've left." The sarcasm was back in the older Immortal's voice with a vengeance.

Oh for crying out loud. It was past midnight, he was tired, his partner was currently undergoing life saving surgery, he'd had to verbally dance around Immortals all evening, and now Methos was in full defensive mode and Dragon was matching him in suspicion. He'd had enough. He snapped.

"Get in the car."

"MacLeod?"

"Get in the car, Adam. Now. I am not going to stand here, in the freezing cold, at midnight, while you two circle like a pair of wet alley cats. We will go to my barge. We will sit down. We will discuss this like rational adults. Wufei is as trustworthy as Duo and I am not going to spend another century or so tracking you down again. And you, Chang, I asked you before if you trusted me. I agreed to explain everything, but I'm not going to right here. Now get in the damn car."

For a long second he thought both of them were going to argue, but then the other Immortal's mouth quirked up in amusement. "Really, MacLeod, you only had to ask politely." He had the nasty feeling that the joke was on him as his friend opened the front passenger door, sliding the seat right back against the rear so he could prop his feet on the dashboard. For a moment he debated telling him to put the seat back, before deciding that he wasn't going to provoke another round of sarcastic comments while the Immortal was being cooperative.

Turning to Wufei, he suddenly felt every moment of his years as he looked at the proud teenager facing him with suspicion and challenge in every inch of his stance. Then memory struck and he knew what to say. "Wufei, I can explain what happened to Qian." Shock blossomed on the boy's face. "But I can't here. I promise, I'll explain everything. And as soon as Duo's better, he'll confirm it, but you need to get in the car."

The boy held his gaze, his youth more evident than ever as the arrogant maturity faded to hopeful vulnerability. Then the mortal nodded, almost a bow, and pulling open a rear door slipped into the dark interior.

He allowed himself to collapse into the driver's seat, taking a deep breath to center himself before firmly not looking at his passengers and starting the car. That was the easy part done. He really, really didn't want to think about the hard part.

A/N: Reviews will be met with either naked Duo or naked Methos. Naked Wufei is available on request subject to a danger money payment. Cookies and hugs and much appreciation also available! Hope this has turned out OK - given I'm doing it for Nano, I might've rushed a bit & I'm hoping it's up to standard!