Hello everyone. I am a terrible person for the long wait. Thought you out to know that I have 5 more chapters already typed out, but unfortunately I must have been drunk when I wrote them because they are atrocious. I'm editing like crazy, but will hopefully have more within the week.

Thank you to the reviewers from the last chapter! I'm so glad you have stuck with me.

Ch 30

The flight to New Tokyo had been relatively silent and was giving Heero time to think and process more then he actually needed to with the lack of information. He did not like the spare room and time to think after the months of constantly being in overdrive and attempting to plan out every detail on an overloaded plate of missions and demands from Une. It was unnerving. Previously it was only small gaps to dwell on his own personal problems, but sitting on the quiet and long flight with Duo and the Judge Hadeling as company was causing him to over analyze he did not think he should be.

The man had been ornery and filled with contempt since he had arrived on board. It had taken many days of coaxing and operating influences and flexing muscles on the part of Une, Relena and Quatre to get Wufei's immunity signed. He had looked it over after it had been scanned and emailed to him as well just to make sure it was up to his standards of absolute immunity and being legally binding.

Wufei had set up this spot for meeting and organization. They were headed to a dingy club that was operating in the basement of a gambling establishment and a front for prostitution. Heero had done some very thorough investigating before leaving for the mission. Heero had attempted to speak quietly with Duo while they had waited for the judge to arrive in order to establish some sort of plan. Duo had been less than receptive for it, which was both frustrating and confusing to Heero. Even during his recent bouts of quiet and apathy he still paid attention when planning missions.

The violet eyed boy had been slowly shutting down. It was concerning to be sure, but he insisted that he could continue to operate on missions. At first Heero had attempted to compensate for the new found quite that seemed to soak into the being of the group. Without the normal exuberance most of the group's tension had increased dramatically. It was a shockingly tough revelation after so long being a part of such a smooth and cohesive group. To think that Duo's clowning had served a purpose to them was astounding.

After Heero had found his endeavors to not be at all helpful in getting Duo to open up he stopped trying as hard. Stopped speaking of the statistics that Duo undoubtedly knew, the mission outlines that he could repeat to fill the silence despite Duo's knowledge to everything that was being spoken of. He could not handle it. It was oppressing. Even Quatre's attempts had been met with lukewarm acceptance and a lack appreciation by Duo. He simply refused to participate in many conversations. He existed in the missions. Duo was now more stealthy then he had been on any mission before, but in a way that not even the other pilots were able to predict his behavior without his normal cues. It also cause strain in the relationships that made them all such good partners when tackling missions. Injuries began accumulating. It was an unexpected knock on effect that none of them had the appreciation for before it had left them in such a desperate situation

The only one who had made any sort of progress in getting him to open up at all was Trowa and it was still limited. He talked quietly. And seemed slightly less closed up, but it never seemed to last more than a day. The boy who used to seem to have all the answers on how to soothe the souls of the broken boy's during the war had apparently lost his touch. He hadn't changed too much, which was something to appreciate. The lanky boy seemed to take everything in stride, but his recent injuries were still slowing him down. He seemed to be getting into more and more difficult and accident prone situations, because he was leading teams that were not well trained. It was a sacrifice he was willing to make, but he was one of the few who would tolerate doing such things out of the pilots. Quatre still remained more in a managing position, especially since he had influence with the Winner Corporation behind him and many key senate members.

There was a new quality of tension on the shuttle on the way to the meeting; Duo appeared to be actively ignoring Heero almost. It was a unique and strange, but it was raising his tension level. The judge's surly attitude was nowhere near helping matter either. He was disgruntled and angry at being strong armed into giving his position up the day that they got the last signature on Wufei's contract. After this meeting, where he had to grant Wufei his freedom to do anything and pardon him from anything he had been previously accused of, he would be let go as a high ranking judge in the ESUN. Of course he would be upset about it. There was no way he wouldn't be. Wufei was in the lead here and not communicating with Heero. He had sent the instructions to Une and Une had set up the meeting.

The shuttle began its decent and Heero attempted to relax. Dwelling on the issues would help nothing. He was going to help authorize Wufei's freedom. Perhaps he would get to speak with him. To apologize for him being the initial designer of the plan that trapped the proud pilot. Maybe it would help Wufei begin to come back to the group. They were obviously unstable without him. If the rapid downward spiral of the entire groups mental states were any sort of an indicator as to the overall health of the group.

There was a Preventer car waiting for them once they exited the plane without incident. The judge moved swiftly with an edge in every movement of his lanky body, obviously still angered by the developments, he kept his chin up and his eyes only had disdain and anger when they latched onto either Duo or Heero. They had not even bothered to introduce themselves to the man. He was the one that had tried to keep Wufei from them. Heero wanted to shoot the man for what he had done, but he still felt that his own actions were to blame as well. Duo simply refused to have his back to the man.

It was an action that spoke of his growing up in the streets background and the recent hits to his psyche. Duo the pilot would have been confident in his ability to sense what was going on behind him, but the mistrust for this man had him cagey. Even as far as sitting behind him in the car.

The establishment that the meeting was set to be in was a dingy building that was in a ghetto-suburb of New Tokyo. New Tokyo had been one of the areas that had recovered rapidly after the war ended, but the slums surrounding it became worse with the sudden 'clean' push from the city center. Those that could not afford to live in the cleaned up city were shoved into the tightly packed, half dilapidated buildings that made up the rough neighborhoods.

Heero glanced in the mirror and observed Duo staring fixedly out the window scanning over the slums and seeming not appalled or anything of the sort, more knowing. It was the same story just different details to him it appeared. Heero didn't have too much experience with this environment other than operating missions within these types of areas. On L1 he had seen the inside of labs and training facilities. Odin had always made sure they were well provided for as they worked as almost an assassin team together.

Judge Hadeling was sitting staring straight ahead and refusing to acknowledge anything. If he was caught unaware in a cross fire, Heero decided he wouldn't care very much what the outcome would be for this judge. He deserved whatever would come to him.

The address that they pulled up to had a spot out front that was marked for their vehicle. Wufei had made arrangements apparently. The building had neon signs dominating its siding as most buildings in the area had. The signs only advertised the gambling aspects of the club. The prostitution was offered inside. It was illegal activity, but it was so far down on the priority list for most law enforcement the clubs were not concerned about the open knowledge of their services.

Stepping out Heero led the judge by the elbow who attempted to remove his elbow from his grip. It was not released and he winced at Heero's increased pressure. He was their asset here and it was his job to not allow him to get into a compromising situation despite his desire to see a bullet in the man's head. Duo slinked behind them watching their backs.

When they entered the place was overwhelmingly dim from overhead and bright from the strange clicking and beeping machines for slots and new formats to lose money that were being played. Heero could easily calculate the odds of winning on most games and never managed to understand why the majority of the world believed that their luck was better than anyone else's, that they would be the one that would always strike at the correct moment when really it was just a game of the statistics. He wanted to leave the room as soon as they entered the facility. It was a place that could easily leave them open for attack despite the numerous patrons to the facility.

A man in a red sports coat approached them and motioned for them to follow. Heero knew that they were going to be greeted by a man upon their arrival that would lead them where Wufei wanted to meet. Heero had still not seen any signs of Wufei, but at least his plan appeared to set out exactly as he had instructed. He was probably observing them to make sure there were no other agents that would be stepping in to arrest him in the middle of this exchange. He had made it quite clear what the consequences of another betrayal would be and he was not at all trusting of the current government. Or any government really. He never had been. He always worked for principles and ideas in the past. Large political bodies had always been easily changeable he always said. Everything that had happened to him probably proved him right.

The man had led them through a door in the back that descended into a basement. It was also dim and not well lit. Heero nerves were tickling with tension and frustration. Positions like this always seemed overly compromising. But he'd do this. They had to get Wufei back and Heero needed to gain his trust. The room that they were led into off the dim hall had a table and a large leather couch in it. "Please wait here." The man said quickly, before turning and leaving.

"How long is this going to take?" Hadeling hissed. "This is a waste of time and valuable resources! This terrorist should have been left in jail to rot forever."

Duo glared from where he stood near the door, before spitting, "It is that exact frame of thinking that has gotten us into this mess in the first place you arrogant asshole. Because of your idiocy and abuse of the system" The man did not seem all that impressed at Duo's glare, but still he fell silent anyways.

The door opened again and the man in the red jacket had returned. "Wufei is here, he requests that Duo remain in this room and Heero Yuy and the other one follow me to the other room." Heero looked to Duo to see what he thought of this new development and he seemed fine with it. Like he had known that this was going to happen. The disconcerted feelings that he had on the plane returned quickly, but he repressed it. Duo would say something if there was going into a trap. Duo was still his best-friend according to the braided menace, though the last time he had said that was long ago.

Heero moved first down the hall, leading the judge again by the elbow. They came to a door that the man opened for them, but did not proceed into. He simply stood there waiting for them to enter. Heero stepped through and stopped still. It was Wufei.

After all this time, he was here in front of him. Heero did not know what he should feel at the moment: anger at Wufei's actions and never responding, guilt for what he had done to him, happiness at seeing the fellow pilot again? He stood still waiting to see what Wufei would do first. He looked tan almost rugged. He had lost his space born paleness over the last year and what was before him was something strong and seasoned. He had obvious muscles and gained about three inches in height, but his face still looked young. They were young physically if not mentally. It was something Heero often had to remind himself of considering that most people were always shocked when they showed up and someone so young could be their commander. His hair was pulled back and tied at the nape of his neck. It appeared that he refused to lose that custom from his past, but that was the only thing Heero recognized of his former colleague.

Wufei's face was so closed off and not exposing any thoughts going through his head. Nothing of him showed any recognition other than an overall dislike of being in the presence of these people. It appeared to be a necessary evil to him. One that he would not like to participate in again likely.

The judge pushed past Heero slightly, but stopped in the face of seeing Wufei standing there quietly. He cleared his throat and choked out, "You must be pleased to have strong armed us into this position." Wufei's eyes narrowed at the man. Heero could not quite believe the gall of the man. How could he be so ignorant to the way that Wufei obviously wanted to kill him? The certificate that he was about to sign would in fact give Wufei that ability and he had the nerve to speak so angrily against him.

"This is happening. If you will proceed to the desk it has been laid out for you to sign." Wufei spoke stiltedly with guttural undertone. Thinly repressed anger as far as Heero could tell.

"How do we know that you have not altered it in some way?" The man accused, not stepping any closer to the table, defiant.

"I am not the man who is dishonorable and attempted to steal someone's freedom away. That would be you." It was a quiet utterance of fact. Heero backed closer to the wall. Wufei was refusing to acknowledge him. He was only here to make sure the judge signed the document and it appeared as if Wufei was going to get that done regardless.

The judge's face flushed red with anger more than embarrassment, as other people's faces would, and he stepped forward to look over the document lying on the table. Heero had no doubt it was the one that Une had sent ahead to Wufei. He would not change anything in there, not because he was too honorable, that aspect of his personality seemed to have disappeared when he turned on the Preventers. No, he wouldn't have changed it because the contract was already giving him the power to do almost anything he could imagine without consequence and the ESUN couldn't punish him. Quatre had insisted and Une had agreed that they needed him. So it would be signed tonight.

"Why did you do it?" Wufei asked quietly eyes narrowed. The man looked up and glared at the teen. It was obvious he was deciding whether or not to answer the person that he had attempted to seal away into a prison cell for the remainder of his life. Wufei continued quietly, "The two men that brought you here today are also ex-Gundam pilots, ex colonial terrorists. You do not show them nearly a fraction of the anger you have towards me."

"They're heroes." He ground out.

"So am I." Wufei responded with a smirk.

"Not to me!" He spat with vehemence. "You are less the vermin. I don't care that you were one of the Gundam pilots! I lost my son because of you! He was a pilot in training at the Victoria base. You murdered him while he slept!"

Wufei began laughing. It was a deep throated laugh as if he was clearly enjoying it. The judge reared back as if it slapped. Heero stood froze against the wall. He used to sound like that after particularly viscous battles in Wing at the beginning of his missions for the colonies. Wufei smothered his laughter quickly after ten seconds and looked at the man with mirth. "You wanted revenge." He gloated. "Because you couldn't get your petty revenge, you thought to keep me locked away forever." He waited to see if the man would protests as he appeared more and more on disconcerted by the second. Wufei grinned viciously. "Because of your inability to abide by the ruling of a blanket pardon, you now have the strongest illegal gun and drug operations that have been known in modern history. You have a huge number of assassination of political figures, the highest number of civilian deaths since the war, and it's all because of you." He was gloating. Every muscle in his body taunt with adrenaline. "If it wasn't for me you'd have a very strong human trafficking ring and now the entire government that runs the world can't penetrate these rings and is relying on me. All of this because of you. You fucked peace for the entire world over because your son was training to be a pilot in the war and you couldn't forgive his death. He was going into war, you imbecile; what did you think would happen?!"

Heero stood silently in the corner. Watching Wufei's words hit home in the man's silence. He did not seem able to believe the words, but wasn't protesting them at all. Wufei was right in away. And the man seemed hurt by it. Disgruntled and crushed.

"Sign the paper. I'm the only hope you have at redemption now. Ironic really."

The man mustered up the strength to glare at Wufei but turned dejectedly and signed his name at the bottom of the long list of other signatures on the paper. Wufei stepped forward and rolled it up taking it in hand. "When does this go into effect?" Wufei questioned.

The judge stood up looked down his nose at Wufei, "Tomorrow." He stated stiffly

"Good." Wufei replied and backhanded him across the face. "You sealed your death the day you refused me fair trial with council. This just makes it easier." He turned on the spot and left the room not acknowledging Heero's presence at all except for a harsh whisper, "Don't follow me." And he was out the door.

"Aren't you going to do something about that?!" The judge yelled at Heero as Wufei left the room. He was holding his cheek as blood turned his spit pink from undoubtedly lose teeth. Heero shook his head to the accusation.

There was nothing he could do. Hadeling had gotten off easy. He deserved worse.

TBC...

There we go. Longer then ususal, but hopefully entertaining enough. Reviews please!

-Silverserpent