A/N: I guess this ended up being the best time to do a quick update after the last chapter (sorry all for the tears and trauma as actually that was the hardest chapter of any fic I have ever written so I understand)

Song for this chapter is A Tale of Outer Suburbia by Hands like Houses

Chapter Seventeen

Unleash Hell

I thought this time it was it, you know? The end, my life over, the Reaper walking over with his ol' scythe and taking me away. Or whatever the fuck happened. And yeah, I'd been at this point so many damn times before. Too many fucking times. But this time, it was pretty hopeless. I'd been bleeding out, there had been damn rats crawling on my body and fuck, none of this was pleasant. It was worse than the cell with 'Fei and beginning to lose consciousness as the air ran out. It was worse than when I'd been injected with the goddamn virus and sat in that medical closet. And fuck, it was a ton worse than when Zee shot me. As this time, there was nothing anyone could do, no one knew where the hell I was, fuck if I knew and I was helpless and prepared to die.

But I didn't and when I came to a little, only enough to open my eyes to slits and sense that my body was being moved, I wondered who had come and saved my ass and who had managed to find me. Or how. But I didn't stay conscious enough for long, drifting back into sleep or blackness or whatever the fuck.

The thing was, I was ready for it to be the end this time as I'd done so much and everyone around me had died and I'd failed and I'd never see Heero again so I guess… I'd finally given up hope. Finally just decided that it was my time to step out, to not fight anymore, no more violence and no more pain and no more seeing people hurt because of me. But it wasn't my damn time, guess it never would be, as it was like I always figured, the end of the time it'll be me and the motherfucking cockroaches and no one else.

When I actually opened my eyes, looked up, I realised I was in the back of a car of some kind and my head was laid on something squishy. It became apparent that the squishy something was warm and my eyes, blurry and fogged, could make out the person whose lap who I was laid on, seeing the blond hair haloed in the light and I must've made a noise as I felt a reassuring hand.

"Duo?"

The voice sounded blurry but I damn well knew it was Quat and I made a noise, a little grunt and I moved the slightest amount, feeling the pull of my stomach muscles and I could feel stitches. Least I was no longer bleeding. Though I felt hella weak. I felt a hand run through my hair or something and my eyes fluttered closed again as shit, I could not stay awake, and then I was out again. But that time it felt better as I knew, knew then who had taken me away from that damn shithole and I knew maybe there was a damn chance of finding 'Ro even if it was slim. I didn't let myself think about time or if he could already be dead or how long I'd been out as I let myself drift again.

The time I actually came 'round properly was different as there was no movement then, no rocking motion, no sound of an engine and no squishy body underneath me. Though it was a bed I was in and the room was reassuringly dark and as I opened my eyes, I clocked a few things. A plain ass motel. Cheap covers. Shitty picture of an abstract landscape on the wall. And Wufei asleep on a chair in the corner and Quat asleep in a bed and it was Trowa who was sat at the table, a laptop screen illuminating his profile and he turned, our eyes meeting and he got up, as quietly as he could, which was pretty damn quiet and walked over, his movement so damn silent but waking 'Fei nonetheless. Which woke Quatre. Which meant we were all damn awake.

"Someone gonna fill me in?" I asked, my throat raw as Trowa came over to the bed, lifting up the covers and I would've made a smart ass comment about looking at my body and being a pervert or something if not for the damn fact I felt too weak for my usual quick wit.

Trowa didn't say nothing, instead a hand clinically went to my abs and where the knife had entered my skin, moving aside a bandage to check the stitches. I raised my head a little to see the wound, the room becoming all spinny in the process and I laid my head back down like a sensible person and let Trowa do whatever he needed. I felt the pull of the bandage being removed, the surgical tape pulling away some hair with it and I didn't wince at that as he then went for a med kit, quickly working to reapply a bandage. No one spoke as Trowa worked and hell, I didn't have the energy to do anything.

"How do the bites feel?"

This made me raise my head and I looked to see a few little bite marks of the not to fun kind on my chest, my arms… the little fuckers.

"I'm guessing you gave me some epic painkillers as I don't feel 'em."

"Enough to take down an elephant," Wufei said as he walked over and I gave him a slight smile. "And you've had a rabies shot. So don't worry."

"Who's worrying? I ain't dead… and we're got a chance to get 'Ro so…"

This was when I tried to do something stupid but I guess they anticipated me as the moment I tried to move my ass outta the bed, was the moment I was being pushed back down to the bed by a firm hand.

"No, Duo, you need rest," Quat said and I turned to see his stern blue eyes and I knew he was right as fuck, I'd lost blood and I'd been bitten to shit by nasty little creatures and I was damned tired and achy and sick… but I felt more sick as I knew Roth still had Heero.

"He has Heero," I said, the desperation in my voice audible. Or maybe it was desperation. It was pleading, begging and it sounded fucking pathetic.

"And right now we don't know where he is. We are not running blindly in the dark any longer, we need something more concrete and know Roth isn't playing with us before we act this time."

Wufei spoke so calmly, so reassuringly that it soothed me a little, made me forget that Roth threatened Heero's life as I felt… oh shit, I still felt that he wasn't dead. Stupidly, naively, and somewhat hopefully, I figured Heero was still alive. As he was a stubborn shit – he could jump out of high rise buildings, he could survive self-detonation and you could shoot him how many damn times you wanted but he'd keep coming back. So my theory was not without merit. And Roth had said something… he had use. Use. Use for what I didn't know but use suggested he wouldn't do something dumb as fuck as kill him yet. I laid back, relaxed a little, giving up a little. Some of fire and stupid ass determined cooled. For a little while.

"You gonna fill me in?"

"I went back to the shipping container after… after my anger died down," Wufei said, his eyes downcast, "maybe I didn't agree with your methods but I understood your actions. I have done things in my rage I regretted."

I nodded as I guessed this was a Wufei apology. I accepted it as I didn't blame him for walking away and I certainly didn't blame him for what Roth did to me.

"Your phone," he continued, "it was on you when they took you away. I called Quatre and Trowa to use Winner Corp technology to triangulate the signal. And we found you."

"I guess Roth was long gone?"

"No sign. Only you bleeding and the rats…" His voice died away and I guessed it had been a pretty grim scene. "We thought you might be already dead."

"Not that easy to kill me, right?" I chuckled but it was weak and dead. Only Quatre managed a little half-hearted encouraging smile.

"No but you need rest before… before you go after Roth," Quatre murmured and Trowa gave him a sharp look that spoke volumes. It was like that couple thing, that couple thing that stuff was communicated without saying something. And Trowa must be the king of that kinda thing as fuck, I never was really sure if Trowa said a whole ton but maybe that was just because we weren't tight but I saw the whole silent communication shit and Quatre sighed exasperatedly as though they'd had this conversation before. "Trowa… if it was you. If it was me."

Trowa nodded but didn't look happy, walking away to sit by the laptop again, his obvious irritation at his partner evident in his body language and the way he sat down with an exhale of frustration. Huh. He so didn't need to say shit for his opinion and mood to be obvious.

The room went pretty silent after that and I closed my eyes, suddenly exhausted again, hating that my body was damn weak again. As this always seemed to fucking happen. For once, I wanted to be Heero, genetically altered and easy to recover. As it was, I was damn tired. And trying not to think too much about the situation Heero was in as there was nothing I could do right now.

I don't know how long they let me fucking sleep for – too long or not enough. I dreamt, disturbed dreams of rats crawling over me and crawling over Heero and shit I did not need to think of. I dreamt of a lot of scary shit, rooms filled with blood and 'Ro dying and fuck, it was a damn relief to be woken up the sound of raised voices, by an argument that the three of them were having as fuck, I didn't need to replay the shit that my subconscious had created for me one more time.

"…no, we don't show him… he's too weak and stubborn…"

That was Q's voice, all tinny and weird and odd but full of his usual concern. I tried to remember how to make words as I pulled myself 'round but decided to just damn listen.

"He will kill us all if we don't…" Wufei said and I heard a little amused grunt from Trowa. It was a joke, or maybe it wasn't a joke , but if it was one, it was pretty damn grim.

But then I figured whatever they were talking about was grim so I let my eyes open, seeing the room was bright, and then I felt like closing them again. As fuck, I had a headache and dry mouth anyway.

"You said you'd do whatever if it was me," Trowa murmured, his voice quiet and level, the only one who seemed rational.

There was a loud exhale from Quatre. "Yes but I thought we'd have more time. Duo would have time to heal. He was tortured, he needs time before he attempts some crazy rescue."

"We won't be able to stop him," Wufei said, a slight snort, "I've tried in the past. Unless we drug him and leave him here."

The conversation paused and I opened my eyes again to see them stood at the foot of the bed, looking at each other solemnly, I could see Wufei with his hands folded across his chest, I could see Trowa hands in his pockets, I saw Quatre huff in frustration and run fingers through his blond hair.

"Don't tell me either of you are actually thinking that's an option?"

"It would work," Trowa replied, a neutral tone to his voice and this was when I was sick of doing the whole "I'm not listening thing" and spoke up.

"I can hear you all, you know."

The looks on their faces amused the hell outta me as they looked shocked at having their little chat being disturbed. Quatre looked a little apologetic but neither Wufei or Trowa did. Which I guess was to be damn expected.

I sat up, feeling the stitches, the scratches and bites, every inch of my body aching in a deep bone weary way but still, I was not gonna be laid down and I swung my legs over the side of the bed, getting to my feet, unsteadily, but to my feet. I didn't want the lower ground. Didn't want to be looking up at them. But hell, fighting back with dignity was difficult when all I was wearing was boxers and bandages but still, I folded my arms across my chest, which hurt, and then glared in their direction.

"What's goin' on?"

They looked at one another as though electing who was going to tell me. It was funny to me as I hardly weigh shit when soaking wet, there's three of them, I'm injured and they all don't wanna piss me off. Hey, I didn't even have a knife or a weapon. I must've looked a damn mess, I didn't even wanna know how my hair looked and I'd barely looked down to see the wounds on my body but shit, I've never in my life felt like less Shinigami and more like an ordinary damn person. And they were still a little scared of me. I woulda laughed if it wasn't such a serious situation.

Quatre, of course, cutie Q, stepped forward and I tried to be defiant, tried to not look as though I was going to fall down and crash to the floor in a heap as that was how I felt and I gave him a searching glance. Okay, he didn't look as "put together" as Quat usually did and I guess they all had some stressful few days but shit, they'd not been stabbed, not had their pacemaker disrupted, not had all this damn shit… so I was less sympathetic for him having a few dark circles.

"Roth…" he began then stalled, looked behind him for back up and when he saw he was getting none he plowed ahead. I gave a little smirk at his awkwardness for effect. "He… made a threat."

"To me? We still have my cell?"

"No…" he said and his eyes evaded mine and he sighed, walking over to the television screen in the room, an old damn TV with a large back that I ain't seen since L2. As L2 got the crappola of the universe thrust upon it and people made the best of it so I hadn't seen something as shitty for so fucking long.

And Quatre turned it on and it turned on automatically to a news station with a rolling twenty four hour broadcast of bullshit. I tended not to watch rolling news as fuck, the world was bleak enough already without spending time watching the same story told a million different ways and shown from a million different angles. So shit, my eyes adjusted to the new light source and they narrowed as I saw the banner slide across the bottom of the screen.

Though I guess I didn't need to see the banner. As the image in the corner of the screen was static with a new reporter saying something while dressed in a sharp suit but I didn't pay attention, walking towards the screen, my feet unconsciously dragging me there. It was Heero. Heero, his head bowed, on his knees, at least dressed but cuffed and obviously not looking in the best of health. And I read the banner across the screen.

PREVENTER UNWILLING TO CONFIRM IDENTITY OF MAN. CLAIMED TO BE GUNDAM PILOT 01.

I turned to see three very solemn faces. "Explain," I said, short, abrupt. Damn like 'Ro as I wanted the story from them not some cheesy ass looking overly tanned old dude in a suit on a bad news network.

"Roth made a broadcast an hour ago. He showed Heero – claimed he was a Gundam pilot and threatened to kill him live and then he started to rant about how he would let him live if the ESUN made a deal with him and gave him back L2."

Wufei's summary was concise and I felt my hand start to shake. Roth was deranged. He had never had L2. He thought he had – filled it with drugs, made money off the damn poor but it had never belonged to him, the arrogant fucker. L2 had spirit and L2 would never be owned by anyone. Maybe Zee's death had made him fucking crazy and I did not give a shit. L2 people were survivors and this survivor would get revenge.

"Can I see the video?"

Trowa nodded, walking over to the laptop and pulling it up on some video sharing website. It had been viewed millions of fucking times, thousands of comments underneath it as people debated the validity of Roth's statement and the possibility that Heero had been pilot 01. And fuck, I wish I hadn't glanced down as people said shit about him looking weak, about him looking like he couldn't possibly be someone who fought in the war, that he looked too young or whatever. I almost shook with rage as I realised that yeah, the truth was, we were too young to be fighting but damn, we had and I hated people doubting that. But I guess it was something stupid to get pissed at as Trowa pressed play.

It wasn't Roth I focused on, his smug satisfied grin, the asshole, but it was Heero who was kneeling, who's eyes briefly looked up to meet the camera, bright blue and this time they were not in some darkened room, but they were outside, some rooftop I figured as there was a darkening sky behind him and I took that in rather than focused on the assholes words. When it stopped, I swallowed and turned to see them staring at me and I guessed they were waiting for some kinda explosion but I had nothing but a silent burning anger building in my gut. It wasn't a rage that I'd spin outta control and start shouting or something, it was different. I was calm. And me calm? Hell, that was fuck ton worse than me being in a rage. As shit, I thought of all the things I wanted to do Roth, of the ways I'd hurt him, of all the things I'd do to get my revenge and it felt good. It made me feel better.

"He's in Brussels," I said, my voice calm, level, deadly. "We're gonna damn get him back."

I got up, walked towards the bed and before I heard anything else, I turned. "Tell me, I have some clothes?"

"Duo…" was the only word I let Quatre get out.

"No, that skyline was Brussels and I'm going even if I have to walk outta here butt naked and get Heero back before that motherfucker kills him. Are you guys with me or not?"

Wufei stepped forward and I jerked my fist back instinctively as though to hit him when his hand lightly rested on my shoulder. "With you," he said, and then he smirked slightly, "though you don't have to do it butt naked."

The dry sarcasm made me smirk and I nodded.

"Then let's go get Heero back."