Disclaimer: I don't own a thing (as sad as that realization is), except for the words I've written.

Warnings: Rated for adult language (Duo's got quite a surly mouth and mind), some violence, and mild adult themes.

A/N: Okay so here's the deal, this chapter's got angst written all the way through it, just a little heads up! As well, much of the inspiration and some of the dialogue from Duo's scenes is pulled straight out of Episode Zero (which I claim no ownership to). It's getting especially good now, can't wait to here what you all think of these latest developments.

Maxwell

Chapter 20: I Never Knew Fear Until He Came For Me

Beast - Mr. Hurricane

The understanding between Heero and Wufei, the common goal at which they had both silently promised to focus all their efforts towards together, the comfortable air that had gathered around them on the balcony was all just as suddenly washed away as the sound of Quatre's voice trickled outside through the previously cracked door.

The conversation he'd initiated with his sister had started out calm and completely innocuous, as most things did with the man. He'd said some words of greeting, discussed things that siblings might discuss, and then with the simple deepening of his voice Quatre had managed to change the entire dynamic in one fell swoop.

Both Wufei and Heero had reentered the small suite to join Trowa in his silent vigil just outside of the small communicator's camera range. Heero leaned against the wall while Wufei took a perch on the arm of the sofa Trowa was still currently occupying. All three could see a distorted version of Iria Winner from their angular viewpoint, her face clearly tight, matching her younger brother's new and sudden expression of utter seriousness. It was time for business to be taken care of.

"I need you to check on any locations that Winner Corp is scouting for the renewal project- specifically Colony L2-V06599." Quatre spoke evenly, probably trying to keep his sister from seeing the amount of stress he was currently under. She would just ask questions if she suspected that anything was terribly wrong. Heero agreed with the tactic; all they needed was another innocent body involved in this spiraling investigation.

Iria stared at him for a heartbeat before smiling and nodding. There was silence interrupted sporadically by the sound of keystrokes coming from the other end. When she spoke next her tone matched that of her brother's.

"There is one- an old Oz run hospital- Medical Facility L2-098. But that location isn't scheduled to be evaluated for months."

She was curious- it was obvious- as to why Quatre was so suddenly interested in a project that he clearly had very little to do with. But if she had wanted to pry, she hid the desire very well and simply waited for any following requests for information.

"There was an employee, a researcher," Quatre began, seemingly changing topics, though his fellow companions knew better of that. "There was an article regarding a grant request- what information do you have on this individual?"

Heero could see from his angled perspective the look of instant recognition in the woman's eyes. There were more tapping of keys, hollow through the silence that had enveloped the four men.

Iria swallowed once. "Name, Sean Davis."

The entire room felt as though it had suddenly frozen over. Quatre leaned forward,his brows furrowing slightly, but still doing his best to hide any emotion from his eyes. "Do you have a photograph, anything from his employee record?" he whispered.

A few seconds later an image had been mirrored onto the screen, replacing Iria Winner's hardening features with a picture of a redheaded man that none of them had ever seen before, his hair flecked with gray and face lined with age. Not the Sean Davis they knew. Fuck, things had jut gotten exponentially more complicated.

Heero found his fist colliding with the wall directly behind him, receiving him a placated glance from Trowa, a look of understanding from Wufei, and the sound of Quatre and his sister abruptly signing off.

His vision was black, his eyelids still closed, the muscles attached to them refusing any orders from his brain to open and assess the situation. There was a presence in the room, or at least the looming idea of someone watching him. He could sense something attached to either wrist even as those tendons chose to ignore his internal pleas for movement just as easily.

Duo could still breath, could still think, could still feel, though his mind was fogged by drugs and the intermittent sensation of free-falling backwards into the abyss. He was light-headed and weak and the minor prickle of something sticking into his immobile arm was not helping with the conclusions his harried mind was scrambling to come up with.

Conserving your blood is very valuable to our experimental duplication process, Mr. Maxwell.

Blood. Goddamn blood. It was something he'd never thought of, just another part of his body- what did they say? A well-oiled machine. He'd seen blood in his lifetime, more than he ever cared to see again. Solo's blood, Father Maxwell's, Sister Helen's. Heero's blood. His own.

But that had been normal, had been an everyday sight during the war. He had blood on his hands just like the rest of the soldiers, of Oz, of his fellow pilots. Never had it been such a substance he thought so vied for. Blood was commonplace, ordinary; it came cheap.

Duo could smell smoke, could feel the soot and ash in the air circling around him like rain thrust about by wind. There was heat and smoldering embers beneath his feet.

No...This can't be...

He could see her lying there on the ground. Back then he'd been so helpless, just a scrawny child with rampant impulses and a skewed view of the world. Now he was older, stronger, wiser. He could save them.

Don't make us worry like that. Father was... worried about you... even to the end.

He could feel the tears welling in his eyes. He was older now, but it still hurt like it had that day. He didn't understand- he couldn't comprehend it. The rubble heaved atop her frail body shifted as she turned to him. Her legs were crushed, her features marred with dirt and soot and blood.

The Alliance came... and attacked. But we... couldn't leave... the church.

Duo could feel himself crumbling, could feel the resolve in his shoulders start to loosen, his throat to ache as he continued to breathe in the smoke enveloping him. He had to be strong, he had to- he needed to- he would.

They took the time to change into nondescript clothing before meeting in the lobby of Vingt et Un. It had been roughly a half-hour since Quatre's conversation with Iria, since they'd gained a lead, but also gained another annoyingly uninformative piece to their puzzle.

Heero stared at the intricate carpet of the elevator designed to imitate a bed of red roses, a flower he'd hated since the war for no truly graspable reason. His only real compulsion to even continue downward to the lobby and then onward to the abandoned hospital in the colony's red-sector was the odd sensation against his fingers of the various scars lining Duo's body, his chest, his back, his skull. It was a memory burned into his subconscious, the way the other man's skin felt against his own, continually resurfacing on his fingertips in an unpredictable and often irritating manner.

The elevator gave a ding as it reached its final destination and Heero moved forward, that compulsion pushing his legs to move one at a time, left, right, left. His feet felt heavy in the worn trainers that had replaced the too-stiff dress shoes from earlier. He'd felt utterly helpless, as he assumed they all had, upon receiving the news that 'Sean Davis' might be behind all of this insanity after all. Or at least some version of the man, perhaps the one they knew or else someone else entirely. It made sense and was completely incomprehensible all at the same time.

He could feel the weight of the Glock against his lower back, stuck into the back of his jeans as shit, at this point he didn't even really care if people knew he was carrying. His three other companions were already there, waiting, standing in a loose circle though none of them were talking or looking remotely like they knew each other. A stranger would have never perceived them as colleagues, much less friends.

Heero nodded once in greeting and then they were walking towards the front entrance. Preventer had made itself scarce by then and they could fairly well assume that nothing conclusive had been found or achieved.

They exited one by one into the colony's night cycle. Neither were sure of exactly what time it was, but of course time had become irrelevant at this juncture. Heading towards the valet stand, Quatre had his arm at Heero's elbow and his mouth near his ear as if to share something hushed with the man when a scuffling behind led both men and Trowa to grab at their concealed weapons simultaneously.

Heero whipped around to see Wufei, left hand clasped around his attacker's wrist pulling the arm taught, his right hand frozen in a strike ready to thrust the heel of his hand forward into the chin of a woman he'd apparently recognized in the nick of time.

Sally Po did not fight back, merely stared first at Wufei and then towards the three onlookers with calm, pale eyes. She actually managed to smile as her opponent began to slowly release his grip on her.

"Nice to see you too," she smirked.

Behind her the body of another familiar woman appeared from within the shadows the four ex-pilots had resided in earlier that day in the aftermath of the attack. Lucrezia Noin had changed just as little as her Preventer partner, none of them having come into any recent contact with the woman save for Wufei. She was older, as they all were now, but her eyes still held that familiar lust for the fire of battle. Heero understood that sensation all too well.

"How- you're- why-" The words tumbled out of Wufei's mouth as his brain struggled to catch up with the events taking place in front of him.

Heero might have smiled if that were something he normally did. "How did you find us?" he wondered softly.

Sally grinned and the group seemed to naturally move into the shadows and away from the watching eyes of casino-goers that had caught the near-violent display. Heero watched out of the corner of his vision as Trowa placed a hand against Quatre's shoulder-blade and he vaguely wondered as to the need for such contact. Maybe there wasn't a need- maybe...he continued to watch them until Noin spoke, her voice as hushed as his own had been.

"We might have a tap on your comms." She almost winced as the words slowly tumbled from her mouth. "GPS doesn't hurt either."

"So you've cut me- cut us- loose and yet somehow you're still using us to get what Preventer needs, is that it?" Wufei sounded nearly amused save for the steely chill of his expression. "You were right before, Barton. Using us like damn bloodhounds," he added in a mutter.

Trowa quirked a brow at that, but Sally was fast on the uptake. "Don't flatter yourself, Wufei. Though I appreciate the lot of you doing some of our dirty work, that's not really the root of why we're here."

That seemed to finally pull at Heero's attention. "It's not?"

Noin turned to him with a soft smile. "Duo's missing."

So diplomatic, even now after everything. Heero grunted in near annoyance, though he wasn't sure why. "You're going to help?"

Sally laughed at that. "You don't sound like you want our help, Heero."

Quatre's palms flew up in a gesture of peace. "Of course we do." His elbow found its way into Heero's side and just as he was turning to glare at the blond he realized how escalated his tempter had suddenly become. His head shook in a nod a few times as he forced his mind to right itself. Stress had never gotten to him like this before. He decided implicitly that he hated it.

Quatre all but beamed, as forced as it obviously was. "We do want your help. I'm afraid that we might just be- disoriented," he explained rather carefully. "Given our recent track record with Preventer."

"Ah." Sally nodded, a smirk adorning her features. Her pointer finger found its way into the air as if she'd had a sudden, but grand epiphany. "But that's why we are here strictly off the record. It might be a few Preventer tricks that got us our intel, but now that we are here on L2- well let's just say we're 'returning a few favors for some old friends.'"

If Duo had been present he would have undoubtably commented on being considered 'old' in any way, shape, or form. In fact, even Heero himself was having a hard time grasping the idea that they had actually known these women for quite a few years now. Had it really been that long since the war- that long since he and Duo...?

Trowa nodded appreciatively in the absence of any response. "I think we can live with that."

Wufei was chewing on something that Heero was unsure of and presumed he would not be made party to anytime soon. The way the man was staring at Sally, with some sort of glow in his dark eyes- perhaps appreciation- was something of an oddity that Heero found himself strangely intrigued by.

"How did you know that Maxwell is missing?" Wufei wondered slowly, his eyes narrowing ever slightly.

Sally- with that look of sly humor they were so accustomed to from their braided companion- stuck out her finger towards each of the men before her. "One, two, three four- it's pretty obvious."

Wufei glowered. "You know what I mean."

Sally shrugged, but Noin decided to take the lead on this explantation. "Your conversation with Iria Winner was- telling. But honestly until this point we were just here to help investigate. A missing persons case wasn't exactly what we'd expected."

"If you heard that conversation then perhaps you can shed some light on Sean Davis for us?" Quatre interjected, a look of anticipation coming across his face.

Noin's expression turned grim. She shook her head. "Our guy checks out through Preventer. Unless he's got the hacking and forging skills of you, Heero, the name must just be a coincidence."

Heero's teeth grit for a second. "A big coincidence." His arms found a comfortable place crossed over his chest.

Trowa's hand removed itself from Quatre's shoulder. "We can't worry too much on that right now. We need to start where our information has led us currently."

The air around them had become thick with tension as their collective minds had gone into overdrive, questioning, decoding, strategizing, compounding, denying, and predicting all at once. But their next venture was unanimous: Medical Facility L2-098.

His mind could register nothing but the painful flames licking at his skin, the hollow orbs staring up at him and suddenly his own eyes were peeling open. He was in the same hospital room as before, but there was something inherently different. It was on fire.

Duo gasped in a breath, his lungs seizing on the smoke slowly trapping him against the bed. He pulled at the metallic straps holding his wrists to the frame at his sides, the stinging sensation of the butterfly needle still stuck in the crook of his arm barely a thought in his sudden, frantic existence.

Father was so noble... he kept preaching peace...

The flames were real and hot and eating away at the white walls and tiled floors around him and yet he could not feel a single sensation in his body anymore. Maybe the nerves had all been killed already, numbed to the pain of flesh melting and lungs collapsing.

That's not noble... that's just dumb! What's the point if he's dead now?

His world was darkening again, that feeling of weakness overcoming his muscles, like no matter how hard he fought to stay awake his body was going to tumble over the edge into oblivion any second. His eyes searched through the flames, but Sister Helen was gone, the Maxwell Church was just a distant memory.

The only thing he could see were those eyes staring back at him through the flames, through the window that was cracking, web-like, under the pressure. They were on fire, their skin charred and black, falling off the bone in sinews and fleshy chunks. The bones were porcelain compared to the gray smoke and golden flames surrounding them.

Duo... May you... have God's blessing...

He watched from his bed, restrained and helpless, the blaze engulfing him, his lungs refusing the let anymore ash into their depths, as the fire tore away the familiar faces only to be replaced with three skeletons, the bones blackened, teeth stretched into smiles and then he succumbed to the darkness.

It was there, right in front of them. The possibility of answers, the possibility of Duo. The structure was just an empty hull of what once might have served as a hospital, though the gold gilded door handles and visible candelabras of the lobby told of it's possible initial use as something much more fitting of the elaborate decor. But in wartime everything became vied for as territory and if Oz needed a hospital, then remodeling this expansive building must have been the best thing they could do in short time.

They stood around their vehicles, Sally and Noin having taken their own car to make the twenty minute trip south, and silently assessed the situation before them. A light glowed from within the few windows and glass entryway of the old medical facility, proving that their initial suspicions might very well be correct. It seemed unlikely that the power or generators would have been left running for an entirely abandoned building, especially on a space colony- always trying to conserve energy where they could. Even with the imminence of renewal, it was highly suspicious.

Heero felt the skin of his gun rough against his own, felt its weight, and tried desperately not to think about all the endless possibilities that could be awaiting them. Best not to dwell on scenarios that would almost one hundred percent be proven false.

There was a presence at his side then. He turned to be met with aqua eyes piercing through the darkness around them. Quatre had wanted to speak to him earlier, but their impending conversation had been cut off by the appearance of their new Preventer aids.

"Heero." His voice was nearly a whisper as apparently this was to be a private talk. "Are you alright?"

Heero felt himself tense. He was fine, of course he was, what would lead the other man to think anything otherwise? His eyes closed briefly and he ran a palm across his face. On second evaluation, perhaps his tells were not as easy to hide as they used to be.

He swallowed. "Yes," he grunted out in final response. It wasn't a lie exactly, the term 'alright' leaving a lot of gray area and room for open interpretation. He was 'alright' in the sense that he was not injured or in serious mental or physical harm currently. The mental part may have been a stretch. Heero inwardly chastised himself for such odd rambling; he couldn't even begin to get his thoughts in order-

Quatre's hand was on his shoulder, just as Trowa's had been on his own earlier. Heero blinked at him and the other man managed a sad smile.

"I think you need him. Even if you didn't know it before," he said.

Heero didn't have to ask, didn't have to do much of anything, as the image of Duo Maxwell flashed across his memory. Quatre was unequivocally correct, as much as he hated to admit 'needing' anyone in his life ever at all.

Heero sighed. "I knew it before, I just didn't acknowledge it before."

That received him a slightly happier grin from the blond man just before the sound of Wufei's voice interrupted their shared understanding.

"Ready? Just a routine grounds and perimeter check. Simple," the Chinese man said, his voice trying for light but coming up just short. It was almost as if he were trying to convince himself that everything was going to be easy and simple just as much as he was trying to convince the other two men.

The group had split up at first, Sally moving off with Wufei, Noin and Quatre taking the left side, leaving Heero and Trowa to watch one another's backs. The two men moved silently, keen eyes on darkened surroundings, searching the building for any signs of weakness in order to gain entry without accidentally tripping any residual alarms- or perhaps newly installed security if someone had in fact set up shop inside the facility.

According to Heero's internal clock it had taken them almost exactly eight minutes to come across an innocuous looking door who's handle pulled easily, no lock, no trip wire, no alarm bells. It had been efficient, but had taken longer than Heero had wanted, but he still gave his equally silent partner a nod of appreciation as it had been Trowa to actually discover the entrance.

They'd received radios from Sally, Preventer issue with an encrypted channel for their personal use, and after a few seconds of determining exact location Heero rattled off the found entry point to his other scattered comrades.

He and Trowa had then spent a total of five seconds staring at the door in front them before wrenching it open and slinking inside. Heero was then once again silently grateful to have 03 with him as his potentially impulsive actions were not argued against, but merely acknowledged with a trusted gun to watch his blind-spots.

The hallway in which they had entered was shrouded in darkness, but a dim light to their left acted as a beacon towards the part of the hospital in need of investigation. Heero took the lead, Trowa following three paces behind. Both had their guns at the ready, unsure of what they might end up encountering.

They made it to the lobby, the large space they'd seen glowing from the parking lot. Heero immediately hated every inch of its existence as the vaulted ceilings leading up to the floors above afforded absolutely zero cover from possible enemies. There were too many pockets for ambush, but he soon found himself having to quell the insecurities that his mind was dwelling on- the teenage soldier creeping to the forefront of his consciousness having to be dismissed with a harsh shake of his head.

The lobby ended up being easily traversed and the thought that someone might be inhabiting the space was slowly dying as still the only signs of humanity they'd come across had been the partial use of electricity.

Reaching a wide corridor he and Trowa each took point at a corner, backs to the wall, in order to assess both the right and left sides at the exact same time. Guns cocked in the stark silence as they each turned their bodies slowly against the edge to peer down the hallway. Both sides were clear.

Not wanting to split off from each other, but understanding the impertinent need to sweep the building faster than they were now, Trowa silently acknowledged Heero's command and they each took to their assignments, walking away from their second pair of eyes in hopes of finding- well Heero wasn't quite certain yet if he actually wanted to find anything at all in the building that proved to be more and more desolate with each step he took.

After creeping along a wall painted with a disgusting scene of rolling hills and sunshine that residents of the L2 colony had probably never even laid eyes on in reality before, Heero came to another corner. He edged around it like he'd done the last only to come across yet more quiet blankness.

By this point he could assume that the others would be making their way inside the hospital ruins now and eventually they would all converge on one another and share their lack of findings. But something within him was stirring again, something pulling him inward to the heart of the building. He couldn't stop replaying the words that Quatre had spoken to him outside- over and over again like an annoying little mantra that he couldn't shake.

I think you need him.

Yes, dammit, he did. It was true and he hated himself for it, but more than that he hated the fact that he'd never admitted the fact to Duo. How had he managed to swallow it down for so long?

Heero's eyes pierced down the hallway, some of the overhead fluorescents flickering as he moved deeper inward. A shuffle sounded from behind him and he spun, gun taking aim only to find nothing to shoot.

In that moment he'd not expected the fingers that slithered onto his shoulder and his entire body twitched, his left hand coming up to grab his attacker by the wrist in preparation of wrestling the arm into an inescapable position, but he'd not prepared for the swiftness of his attacker, the sinewy muscles or the appearance of a braid that only managed to distract him for a single second. But it had been enough.

His gun arm was grabbed and twisted behind his back, the power he'd previously been planning to use now turning against him. Heero was shoved forward, his balance misjudged and he stumbled as the gun was pried out of his awkwardly angled fingers.

Adrenaline kicked in then, and despite not having his weapon, Heero managed to push backwards into his attacker, thrusting a foot back to connect with a shin, sending out a yell that he recognized all too well. For a brief moment he thought he might have been sick if not for the combat still currently taking place.

His wrist was released and Heero spun to face his opponent, prepared to be met with a smirk or else a drugged version of the man, but what he found were the indigo eyes that haunted his sleep, sunken and bloodshot, tears beading against thick lashes.

Duo's arms flung around his neck and Heero found himself in the embrace he hadn't realized he'd been longing for. Instinctively lips pressed against the chestnut head buried against his chest.

His voice was soft and muffled when he next spoke. "Its okay. I've got you, Duo." And I'm never letting go.