~H~

Why hadn't Maxwell told me he wasn't accepting the appointment as a Preventer?

What was he thinking, why would he go running back to L2?

Was he running from something? Why had he not asked for me to back him up?

I glanced at Wufei. A smirk still hovered at his lips. Smug bastard. He'd caught me off-guard with his comment about 02.

I wouldn't allow that again.

~W~

We landed without incident. I wasn't sure why that surprised me. The war was over. The fighting was over. Why should I have expected to be attacked? But I watched Yuy roll his shoulders as we disembarked. He'd been tense too.

We'd talked casually on the flight. Yuy'd already procured Maxwell's location. A junk yard not far from where we'd docked. I followed Heero from the shuttle bay and onto the street. L2 was much as Duo had described it. Derelict and subdued, like the joy of peace celebrated across Earth had somehow avoided making itself known here.

"This is the location" Heero said quietly as we arrived at a tall fence covered in graffiti. Mountains of scrap could be seen rising behind it. We followed the sidewalk along the perimeter looking for the entrance.

"Yeah, yeah! I'll be back in a minute." I almost bumped into Yuy as he froze in his tracks. Duo flew out of a gap in the fence I hadn't even noticed and smacked straight into him. Duo bounced back, his foot slipping out from under him. Heero's hands shot out and he caught our former comrade, dragging him upright.

"Heero!?" Duo's violet eyes were saucers. "Heero, what are you doing here?"

"An assignment." Was it my imagination, or were Heero's ears red?

I stepped from behind Yuy's back

"Chang! You got drug up here too!" He grinned devilishly, "Did you miss me already Fei-chan?"

"Idiot." I muttered, noting he was still caught in Heero's grip. Yuy seemed to notice at that moment as well as he hastily released Duo's wrists and took a step back.

"So um… What's your mission? Why'd Une send you to L2? I mean, isn't this kind of the boondocks for Preventers?"

I flipped open my phone. What WAS our mission? Une had finally gotten around to sending something.

"Mission: Observe one Duo Maxwell former MS pilot and aquitted-terrorist on the grounds that he failed to pass exams of mental stability. If possible enlist the brat.

–Une"

I snorted a laugh. Heero raised an eyebrow.

"You're our mission Maxwell."

"What?! That bitch. There's no way." Duo made a grab for my phone. Heero flipped his own phone open.

"You're an acquitted terrorists and have been declared mentally unstable."

"If I'm acquitted than I'm not a terrorist!" Duo fumed "And NONE of us passed that psychiatric exam!"

Heero turned towards the hole Duo had shot out of. "It's this way." It was a statement.

"Is what?"

"Your safe house." Heero stepped through the fence.

Duo sighed exasperated, and followed us back through.