More suspicions fly as more pieces are found.

Enjoy~

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Chapter 9

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"I don't like this..."

Turning his attention from the map layouts on the computer monitor, Wufei became concerned when he saw the deep scowl on Heero's face. "What, Heero? Did you find something?"

Heero continued to flip through the hard copy of old mission reports as his frown deepened. "Possibly... Something seems very wrong..." He lifted his head to the large monitor Wufei was working in front of. "First tell me how your end is going."

Now worried, Wufei returned to his task for the moment. "I've gathered all the available maps on the area Relena designated as the place she wanted to hold the press conference. So far everything looks pretty simple. We really only have to block of three roads around the building."

"What about any underground systems? Sewers, basements, maintenance tunnels."

Wufei readily nodded. "I have everything here..." He was quick to pull up the charts and maps and displayed them side by side. "It shouldn't be any trouble to block these off as well. If need be we could place our own locks on some of the access points and place a team at each one." he explained as he had the computer highlight all possible points of interest.

On seeing how few there were Heero felt a little better about the situation. But it still wasn't enough. "We can't take any chances this time. I discussed it with Quatre and Zechs. They both think we should consider all three of them potential targets."

"That seems logical..." Wufei's eyes kept drifting to the thick file in Heero's hand. "What have you been looking through?"

Heero's frown returned as he regarded the file. "I had a nagging feeling that this seemed a bit familiar. So I did some digging in archives..." He looked to Wufei's dark eyes when he decided to share. "Do you remember that riot that happened two years ago on L-3?"

"How could I forget? Quatre was nearly trampled...." When he noticed the familiar victim Wufei trailed off.

Now that Wufei caught the connection, Heero continued. "That was just the beginning. Then there was that freak train derailment in Canada four months after that. Quatre was on that train escorting another diplomat. Six months after that Quatre was almost run down by a bus during a PR shoot on L-4. This year alone he's been in the midst of two more riots, a car bomb, and when the engine blew on that cruise ship. Every single incident Quatre barely made it out alive."

Once all the occurrences were listed out like that Wufei understood what Heero was saying. "So someone is targeting Quatre... But why? And who? You saw the response from the public. They absolutely adore him."

"Well, I also noticed that Relena had a connection to all of the incidents, but some of them are rather tenuous." After looking over one of Trowa's reports of having to carry Quatre to a hospital for a broken arm, Heero shook his head. "But she seems to make it through every one without a single scratch. It's like they want nothing to do with her, and focus only on Quatre."

Suspicious thoughts slowly worked their way into Wufei's mind, but he was hesitant to even consider them. "Heero... What if it's Relena's supporters that are doing this? They could possibly see Quatre as competition, so they're trying to dispose of him."

The idea made Heero's eyes widen briefly. "It is possible... I have noticed that the press and other political figures are looking more towards his opinion. It would explain how Zechs' security detail was breached... And Quatre said they were humoring the idea of a saboteur being hidden amongst either the preventers or the local police."

Although the words were grim, Wufei found himself smirking slightly. "Hm.. It's nice to see those two finally getting along.

Heero gave an amused hum and nodded. "Indeed. With the two of them finally working together willingly it should prove to increase our strategic and problem solving capacity. I'm actually looking forward to seeing what they come with in the future."

"Heh, same here." Wufei turned back to the computer and began compiling a list for their security teams to work on. "Then I suppose that we should take extra care to ensure that we get to see that future."

"Agreed."

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"I can't believe Relena is insisting Quatre go with her..." Noin muttered loudly as she held the door open for Sally.

Hauling a rather large box into her preventers office, Sally snorted in equal displeasure as she moved towards her desk. "I know what you mean. I'm still hesitant about letting Quatre out of the hospital, but you know how he is. He could get his foot cut off and still insist on running."

Hardly pleased with the imagery, Noin tried her best to focus on something else. "So what was Heero wanting you to do with all these old files?"

Finally resting the heavy box on her desk, Sally heaved a sigh and leaned against the box. "He thinks that there may be a conspiracy after Quatre. Now that I recalled all the times Quatre has landed in emergency over the past two years I'm incline to agree with him." She tapped the top of the box before she continued. "I'm going to look over the medical reports that other doctors and I have written on Quatre for the past two years. Heero's hoping that I may find a connection going the medical route while he looks over old reports with Une."

Now understanding, Noin frowned in concern. "Who would want to do such a thing..? Quatre's done everything he could to be fair and kind to everyone."

"Unfortunately, people that hold out olive branches are considered the most dangerous to those that seek conflict."

Looking towards the open door, the two women saw Zechs walking into the office. "Zechs? So you think there's a possible conspiracy too?" Noin asked with a concerned frown.

"After listening to Heero list all the close calls Quatre has been the focus of lately it's a bit hard to dismiss it as coincidence." He stopped in front of Sally's desk and looked seriously at both the women watching him. "Quatre may be the focus, but we should treat this as a potential threat to all of us. I'm placing everyone on high alert. Any and all suspicious activity is to be reported immediately."

"That only makes sense. Quatre is the good will ambassador not only for the colonies, but for the preventers as well..." Sally mumbled as she opened the box of files. She glanced towards the normally gruff man and couldn't help but feel worried for him. 'He just found out Quatre is his brother.. To be facing a threat against him must be troubling him a great deal...'

Noticing the searching gaze the doctor fixed on him, Zechs was reminded his reason for making the journey. "Noin, would you mind helping Wufei plotting out the needed road blocks? I need to have a word with Sally."

Although she was uneasy about the strange tone in his voice, Noin nodded and headed for the door. "Let me know if either of you need anything." she called out before stepping out of the office and closing the door behind her.

Zechs waited until Noin's footsteps trailed off in the distance before he turned his attention to the curious expression on the doctor's face. "Sally..."

"Zechs... Is there something wrong?" Sally asked as her brow began to furrow.

"Several things seem wrong..." Zechs muttered as he perched himself on the corner of her desk.

Now worried, Sally moved to stand in front of him. "What's bothering you, Zechs?"

Having to pinch the bridge of his nose tightly, Zechs let out a weary sigh before he spoke. "Right now you're the only one that knows what's really going on... So you're the only one I can talk to at this point."

Seeing that this was of a personal nature, Sally tilted her head in confusion. "Is it something you don't feel comfortable discussing with Quatre..?"

"It's not that..." Zechs ran his hand through his hair as he grasped for the words to say. "I don't want to worry him with my paranoia... You know how he is. He takes on the blame for everything. He blamed himself for the animosity I held towards him all these years. With this conspiracy thing going on he'll probably insist that he's to blame for this as well."

Sally gave a soft laugh as she folded her arms over her chest. "Yes, you're probably right. So what's gotten you so bothered?"

Thinking about his problem made him shift uneasily, but Zechs forced himself to speak. "I'm worried that my judgement may be impaired... Since Quatre is my brother, and I came very close to losing him, my mind is getting carried away. The more we analyze the situation the more it's painfully obvious that someone is trying to kill him."

"So you're becoming paranoid about Quatre's safety, and you think it's starting to affect your work?"

Zechs nodded as he looked at the box resting next to him. "I can't get the image of him covered in blood in my arms out of my head. It almost makes me ill to think that it could happen again..."

That made the doctor smile sadly. "You're afraid of losing him... The protective older brother really suits you, Zechs."

A soft snort of amusement left him. "Not really.. I wasn't there for Quatre or Relena when they really needed me."

"Zechs, you're the only reason Quatre's alive."

"That's what everyone keeps telling me." Zechs shook his head and locked his gaze on the floor. "I don't know what to think anymore... What if I can't protect him next time? What if I am too late to save him..."

The fact his tone was so wracked with doubt surprised Sally. "Zechs, I've never heard you this uncertain before. Are you really that affected by all this?"

"He's my brother.. My full blooded brother. Since Relena only really acknowledges me at her convenience, Quatre's the only family I have left." He looked up to Sally's pale eyes and frowned deeply. "He actually treats me like a brother. He cares... I.. I've never experienced that before. Thinking about losing him... I don't think I could handle that."

"Zechs... What are you saying..?" Sally asked suspiciously.

Zechs closed his eyes and bowed his head. "I'm saying... Focusing on my hatred towards Quatre was the only thing that kept me going for years. Now that I know the truth all that has changed. I've found that I'm not alone any more..." His hands gripped tightly at the edges of the desk as he forced out what was really on his mind. "Without Quatre... I don't have anything else. My past is gone... My family is gone... If I can't protect him.. I don't think I could live with myself."

Sally's pale eyes widened in alarm. She quickly moved forward and took hold of his shoulders tightly. "Zechs, you can't think like that. Quatre has proven over and over that he can't be erased just like that. He's strong.. And so are you." She took hold of his chin and had him look at her. "Just think, Zechs... Say something did happen to Quatre... Do you honestly think he would approve of you doing anything to yourself? You said yourself that he cares about you."

"Heh... He would probably blame himself like he always does..." Zechs muttered on a weak laugh.

"Exactly. He would want you to be strong... Be there for the others that are important to him. Duo and Trowa... His sisters and the maguanacs... You saw how devastated they all were." She gently cupped his face and smiled gently. "He's a big part in all our lives... You're not alone, Zechs. Quatre saw to it that none of us would be."

When it was stated so eloquently, Zechs steadily began understanding what Sally was getting at. He placed his hands over the ones on his face and gave a halfhearted smirk. "I get what you're saying... But I still can't help what I feel. It's distracting me. I don't know how well I can protect my own brother when I'm stressing over every possible threat."

That made Sally chuckle despite the grim subject. "Zechs, Quatre's been in the line of fire for a long time... Both of you have. Odds are that the threats will never end."

"You're really great at comforting someone, Doctor Po." Zechs grunted, sarcasm thick in his voice and expression.

Sally lightly smacked the man's cheek before she pulled away. "Just stating facts, Zechs. No need to get snarky on me."

"I know... It also pisses me off that I was the biggest threat to my own brother for so long. All that time wasted..."

"That only means that you should hold on to what time you have now. I know it's not pleasant to think of, but you really don't know how much you have." Sally pointed out calmly.

Zechs knew she was right, but it still left a bad taste in his mouth. "You're right... It would be easier if he hadn't asked me to keep it a secret, but I understand why he doesn't want anyone else to know." He paused for a moment, then chuckled softly. "I guess you're right. I did slip into the protective older brother role quite easily. Quatre's already saying I nag him too much about his health."

"Hey, that's a good thing. He tries to do way too much even when he's injured. If I had my way he'd still be in that hospital bed." Sally shook her head and hummed softly. "Hm... It's really amazing how much alike you two really are and no one ever noticed... Now that I look back you two are too similar for it to be coincidence."

For some reason that pleased him. "Yeah... Anyway, thanks for listening to me bitch, Sally. I better get back to work now. I'm not about to be slack on security this time." Zechs added as he slid off the desk.

As he was about to leave, a thought occurred to Sally that had her instantly frowning. "Zechs.. Before you go, there is one thing that happened that's left me very disturbed."

Zechs paused at the door and looked over his shoulder. "What is it?"

"When Quatre left the hospital I packed a medical bag to bring here just incase he over did things so I could give him quick treatment." Sally's frown deepened when she recalled looking through the bag she brought into her office. "I had packed a syringe and a vial of methohexital... When I looked through my bag this morning both of those things were missing."

On hearing the name of the drug Zechs arched up a brow. "Isn't that a strong sedative?" he questioned, already piecing together what all could be done with such a drug.

Sally nodded and bit at her thumb nervously. "It's one most hospitals and medics use to sedate patients... Through an IV is usually acts within seconds, but just injected it takes around ten minutes to put someone under. At first I thought perhaps I just forgot to pack it, but when I called the hospital they said that one was missing from the inventory..."

"Dammit.. When do you think it could have been taken?"

"That's just it, I have no clue. The bag was with me at all times until I got here. Then I locked it up in a filing cabinet under my desk." Sally felt her own paranoia growing the more she thought about it. "Zechs.. What if there is a traitor here after Quatre? Who could it possibly be?"

Zechs was forced to shake his head. "I have no idea... But we're not going to stop digging until we find this bastard. I'm tempted to just lock Quatre up in an old war bunker until we're certain he's safe."

"Hey, that might not be a bad idea. Mention it to Heero." Sally chuckled to lighten the mood.

"Heh... Trust me. He's already threatened to tie Quatre up and hide him in the archives vault until this blows over." He then turned and headed back for the door. "I'm going to alert the others of the missing vial... See if you can contact the hospital and tell them to increase security around their storage facilities for any medicines."

"Right." Once the man left her office, Sally leaned back against her desk and let out a weary breath. "Of all the things to happen... Quatre and Zechs have lost enough." Her eyes glanced towards the clear skies just outside her office window. "Is it too much to ask for..? That they be able to find peace now that they've found one another?"

Silence was the only thing that answered her.

However that only made her brow furrow deeply in determination. "Fine... If nothing will answer, then I'll just make my own answer."

She pushed off the edge of her desk and returned to the box of files. "I won't stop until I get the answer I want." she grunted, ripping open the box and taking out the top few files.

She then sat heavily in her desk chair and began with the first file. It was going to be hard. Having to relive all the moments that Quatre was nearly taken from them. 'But it won't happen... The ones responsible can try all they like, but I refuse to let him slip away. I'll patch him up every time.' Her eyes glanced over a chart that listed multiple broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder. She remembered the day well. "He was smiling even after I popped his shoulder back into place..." she whispered to herself.

The fact that someone could possibly want to harm Quatre, for any reason, made Sally angrier than she had ever been. "I shouldn't worry though. Zechs... Heero... All of us... We'll hunt the bastards down."

A smirk suddenly curled her lips.

"And when we do I'm going to enjoy watching Zechs and the others rip them apart..."

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TBC

Beware the wrath of an angry Sally.

Scary.

Later~