Note: Originally I thought this fic would end in 2023. I had a large, several months buffer, and believed I'd write enough to go back to weekly updates around September. Turns out... I was wrong! It'll end in 2024! Also I failed at writing enough and have only one more completed chapter finished before I'm at a 4 chapter gap (and then several chapters after this gap are finished).

Woops.

Haven't missed my own deadlines since I started publishing on January 1, 2022 and I don't plan to now.

But I promise you I'm nearing the end. In fact, I'm hoping to get my shit together and actually finish the story in November when I take an entire week off work to stay home and write as my vacation. If I finish the story then, well... weekly updates will come back until we reach the epilogue I wrote ages ago.

Chapter 75: Play Time

Wufei knew Heero was a little angry with him, and probably a little jealous, but they put their feelings aside once the plan became clear. Duo would follow the instructions of the kidnappers while the others headed directly to the church. They'd take a little time to stake it out, to see if the kids were there, and how tight security was. Once on site they'd decide if they would take immediate action or wait. But he wouldn't go with them. His job was different. He would shadow Duo and provide him backup if needed.

They came up with the plan in secret.

As big of a step as it was for him to call for help, Duo still appeared to be in the mindset of working alone. He was adamantly against anyone partnering with him, but Wufei suspected this choice was solely about the kids. His friend had a kind heart. He was going to put himself at greater risk just to make sure the team on hand to extract the children was as strong as possible.

No one else approved of his plan. Three ex Gundam pilots would be more than enough to rescue the hostages, and if they weren't they'd wait. Duo, however, might not have the luxury of waiting for backup to arrive. He might be walking directly into a trap.

Though they had a long trip to L2 there wasn't a lot of time for them to have any serious discussion without Duo there to overhear. To solve this problem, they discreetly informed one another to mute their phones and then used the group text they had without Duo added as a recipient. That particular thread was used less over time, as Duo became more integrated into their fold. For the few weeks when Duo and Heero were broken up, or fighting, no one dared use it lest it appear like picking sides. Now? Now it was perfect to discreetly make plans.

Heero wanted to be the person to tail Duo, but everyone else disagreed. Duo would have his eye on him more than anyone else, and the Deatchscythe pilot was no slouch. He'd likely notice anyone tailing him, as on edge as he appeared to be. It was Quatre who solved the problem of how to track Duo. Just ask him to tell Wufei where he was going. It seemed too simple. Simple was probably the way to go.

Duo trusted Wufei, they were best friends. If Wufei requested to be informed of his location and promised to only use that data in an emergency, Duo would likely play along. They just needed to figure out how to create an opening for him. When Wufei looked to Heero for his opinion, his friend whispered in an intense voice "The only way I can stand to not be there when Duo needs me is if you're there."

The level of trust Heero placed him in touched him deeply.

For the plan to go down Wufei had to lie to Duo. Or, kind of lie. But he wasn't Duo. He had no problem lying and no moral or ethical hangup to wrestle with. To protect Duo, he'd do whatever was necessary.

Throughout the flight they'd text and discreetly check messages. Everything was kept short and to the point to avoid lengthy reads or long periods of typing. Those would clue Duo into their silent communication. The only part of the plan they wanted to get caught brainstorming was what would become Wufei's part.

"The fuck is going on here?"

Duo looked pissed, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared daggers at his friends. Wufei was partly glad to see that anger. It meant he still had fire in him, and he couldn't wait to see how much fire was still inside when Heero explained their not-so-secret conversation.

"We're talking about you."

Tension in the room suddenly went sky high. Even planned, they knew they were setting off munitions in an enclosed space by purposefully antagonizing Duo. Everyone knew he'd be upset, but none of them knew exactly how things would settle in the end. Heero continued when Duo only intensified his angry stare.

"I know you don't want to hear this but you and I are trying to be open and honest. So yes, we were talking about you. We're all in agreement that it's not safe for you to go off on your own." The use we was intentional, to stack everyone against Duo. "We don't know what kind of trap you're walking into, but it's almost certainly a trap, so we're coming up with alternative options."

He saw that fire flash in violet eyes, just as planned. Duo was a lot of things, and often a little unpredictable, but when it came to his loved ones he was very easy to predict.

"Oh you did not just say I can't handle myself."

Trowa spoke up. "Duo, it's not—"

"You think I don't know it's a trap?"

Quatre was next. "You know we only—"

"I can fucking handle myself with a trap, okay? I've handled a whole lot, things you can't even imagine—"

It was his turn to interrupt. "Duo! We we don't think—"

"—things I'll never fucking tell you because you'll hold it against me for putting myself willingly into those situations. So don't you dare insinuate that I can't handle myself! I'm a fucking Gundam Pilot, same as all of you! But I have a shitload more field experience post-war than any of you."

All eyes shifted to Heero, who kept his calm and held Duo's furious gaze long enough to make everyone else a little uncomfortable. Long enough for Duo to seethe with rage. The man was a pro. He spoke softly and calmly when he felt it was time to make his move.

"This isn't about your abilities, because you're absolutely one of the best Preventers has. You might even be The Best agent, I can't think of anyone who could go up against you in an overall head-to-head competition with odds clearly stacked in their favor."

He saw Duo's tense posture relax a fraction. Heero was certainly a pro.

"But I think I'm allowed to worry when the man I love puts himself in a dangerous situation and leaves me and everyone else in the dark. It would go a long way to making me feel better if someone knew where you were. I'm worried, Duo. I'm scared for your safety in the face of the unknown. And I need your reassurances."

Everyone snapped to attention when he called Duo the man he loved. They all knew that was true, but it was the first time Heero said it in front of the entire group. And he said it so casually to boot. The fact that Heero said all of that, unscripted, was a surprise. They wanted to workshop his sales pitch, but he'd insisted he didn't need to. When they threw out a few ideas in the group chat for Heero, he told them to stop coming up with ways to tell Duo how he should feel. That no one had the right to dictate Duo's emotions.

At one point, very annoyed, Heero waited for Duo to check on something in another room and angrily whispered that if he showed he was feeling vulnerable, it would ignite an instinct in Duo to protect him, and everyone needed to stop telling him how to handle his partner.

Wufei shot a glance to his best friend the moment Heero called him the man he loved, and Duo looked as shocked as anyone. He also looked like he was seriously struggling to find any rational cause to deny Heero's request, and coming up short. It seemed like Heero successfully weaponized his own emotions, expertly getting Duo where they wanted him.

A pro through and through.

Wufei saw the moment Duo broke. It showed in his eyes, and how his features softened. Something about him simply read of giving up. Not from frustration, but from an unwillingness to cause pain. It was actually quite endearing how Heero's show of tenderness flat out obliterated Duo's anger.

"Okay. But I'm not telling you, Ro, because you'll tail me."

The slightest smile on Heero's face was all the evidence he gave up to show how pleased he was with his win. For Heero that was tantamount to broadcasting his victory over the entire Preventers network. He was good at this for a man who avoided admitting his own feelings for so long. Wufei made a mental note never to allow himself the opportunity to be emotionally manipulated by Heero Yuy.

"Deal." He nodded towards Wufei. "Tell him where you're going. You won't tail Duo, will you, Chang?"

It was his move, now. His turn to lie to his best friend's face, and he was prepared to manipulate him into doing exactly what they wanted.

"No. I won't tail him." He looked to Duo and their eyes met. "I promise to keep the info to myself and only use it in an emergency."

The ease with which Duo bought his lie was adorable and upsetting. While it was nice to be so readily trusted he felt terrible violating that implicit trust. In any other situation he'd argue that Duo deserved better than him only just technically telling the truth. After all, how can you be tailing someone when you show up on location before him? Still, it felt a little wrong. But in this situation every part of him screamed that he'd done the only thing he could to protect his friend. He wasn't tailing him. And he was using the information in an emergency. Their entire trip to L2 was an emergency.

There would be time to ask forgiveness later. Right now he had a job to do, and he was not about to fail.

At the shuttle port they all went through customs separately, but Wufei went first to cut his time behind Duo. Once officially through security he headed directly towards ground transport. Halfway to the colony he reserved a bike under an alias and he intended to take it to the location Duo texted him, 33rd and San Leandro. Pickup was a breeze, as he paid a little extra to have the bike at the ready. At most he'd be leaving two or three minutes behind Duo's taxi, and he'd easily make that up with the bike. It was faster than a vehicle and could take shortcuts.

He hoped to beat Duo there and finally relent to tailing him on foot. An intersection as a meeting place could lead to any number of nearby buildings or locations. Tailing Duo was the only way to ensure he'd be in the right place at the right time.

For Wufei, it was his first time on L2. He saw more weaving his bike through the streets than he wanted to see. Some parts looked okay, even with aging infrastructure. But there were blocks of abject poverty and condemned buildings with people clearly living inside of them that loudly stated this is how Duo grew up.

It pained him to see that.

It also made him immeasurably and surprisingly proud. If this was where his best friend came from, the man was an unstoppable force of forward momentum.

He was pretty sure, by the clock in his head, that he'd arrived before Duo. Careful not to remove his helmet in case his friend showed up and spotted him, he parked his bike along one side of a large shopping center and waited. It was the biggest building in the square and provided a good option for cover. Sure enough, in under a minute he saw Duo, just standing on the sidewalk looking at a bus stop. A few seconds passed, and he answered his phone for a very short call. Then he was on the move, and Wufei was surprised to feel his phone vibrate.

Meet me in the food court by the fountain.

It had to be a forwarded text. And Wufei felt a surge of good luck. He'd scouted people walking out of the center holding drinks. They were coming from door not far from him, around the corner from the doors Duo was now walking towards. He glanced at his friend, walking up a long set of stairs, and dashed through the side entrance to find himself the best vantage point possible.

"Duo Maxwell. So nice to finally meet you."

That voice was the one from the phone calls. Duo stood up straight before turning around. Years of training allowed him to keep a neutral expression when he realized he knew nothing about the man standing before him.

"Can't say the same."

"Did you bring the funds?"

Duo didn't like the position he was in. This man stood far enough away from him to eliminate the option to fight him in a brawl, but he also had no immediately visible backup. In a public space filled with civilians he wanted to avoid a fight, but he was certain the location for their meeting was chosen carefully to prevent him from retaliation. A man who took children hostage didn't just show up without playing some kind of game, and the charge in the air between them hinted at what game he was playing.

"Where are the kids?"

"I asked you a question, first."

"And I'm not telling you shit until I know where the kids are and if they're safe."

Duo felt a creeping itch across his skin. It was a feeling he got when he was being watched, and he wondered if behind him, where he could not see, this man had backup. Turning to check was out of the question. If he was going to be shot from above, left to die in the same place as Hilde, there wasn't terribly much he could do about it.

"I'm not authorized to tell you where the kids are."

Patience left Duo instantly.

"Bullshit! Why should I comply with anything you say without getting anything in return?"

"Do you have the funds?"

He did, but he wasn't going to confirm shit. If the funds were transferred electronically via servers they could be traced and Preventers would be on that instantly. Instead, instructions were to download the funds onto a new phone's hard drive and transfer it as cold storage. No security to unlock the phone. No activation to any network. Anyone could quickly verify the money was there and they weren't being cheated. It was that simple.

"Where are the kids?"

Duo watched the man frown, and reach for the side of his head to remove an earpiece. He was a little surprised when the man outstretched his hand and offered it. Duo noticed he was wearing a device in each ear and wondered how much of a puppet he was, but this made it clear the person calling the shots was feeding lines to some lackey. He took the earpiece. Now they'd both hear whomever was on the other side of the call.

"Hello, Mr Maxwell."

"Hello, Laron."

"It's more polite to call me by my last name."

"You don't deserve that."

Duo heard a laugh on the other end, polite and controlled.

"Since you refuse to comply you have two choices, Mr Maxwell. The first choice is to die on the same floor your friend did all those years ago. My man will take the money, which I am certain you brought, and the kids will be safe."

"That's not a great option for me, and I have no guarantees the kids will actually be safe."

"Is my word not enough?"

"It's not."

There was a slight pause before he continued.

"Your second option is to answer a question for me."

"Yeah? And what's that?"

"I want to know how much can a man lose in one day. How much he can suffer."

Duo gritted his teeth. "Neither of those are questions."

"You've got me there, Mr Maxwell." His light and jovial voice fueled Duo's anger. "But there was never really an option one. Prepare yourself. I'm sure you wouldn't want to hold another friend as he dies in the Jalisco Square Shopping Mall."

His blood ran cold.

"Stop with the threats. You're just throwing out threats hoping I'll panic. The kids are in danger, and without proof of life I have no idea if they're safe right now, or if you already killed them."

"No one's ever called me a child murderer."

"But you have been called a murderer."

"I'm tired of this game. Give my regards to Pilot 05, will you? Then meet me at the church and bring my money."

The line went dead.

Duo looked sharply at the man standing before him. Faster than he could process what was happening he heard a series of gunshots.

Wufei.