Chapter 85: Pushing On

Before they made it out of the recovery area, Wufei blocked Duo's path to the door.

"Hey. Are you up for this?"

Duo winced slightly, and Wufei almost didn't catch it. Almost.

"What do you mean?"

Swallowing his nervousness, he clarified. "You've been through so much. No one's going to fault you if you're—"

"I'm fine." His eyes were focused, intense, and sad. "I don't really have a choice to be anything other than fine."

"Come on, anyone facing this kind of trauma—"

"That's not me, Wufei. It's part of my story, but it's not me. I'm the guy who picks himself up and survives. I'm the guy who helps people even when it costs him. That's what defines me. Not the shit I lived through. So step aside. Let me do what I do best."

A search of Duo's eyes showed no signs he was being anything other than honest. While waiting dutifully for the man he loved to awaken after emergency surgery, Duo looked every bit the part of a shattered man. Once Heero was awake, and after they said their version of a goodbye, his entire demeanor shifted. In the seconds between standing up to leave and Wufei blocking his way, he transformed from a broken man into the driven and determined Pilot 02 they were all familiar with.

Except he wasn't sure this was the same Duo they all knew. A nagging worry told him to watch his friend closely.

What ultimately swayed him was how Duo expressed himself. It's part of my story, but it's not me. He wasn't denying his pain. He accepted it, while refusing to allow it to dictate how he defined himself. For the first time in a long while he felt his friend was fully in control. Somehow he seemed to know his place. Duo was lacking that security and self-assurance ever since he returned to them, but he found it now. Whether that was a good or bad thing, he wasn't sure yet.

Without a word, Wufei stepped aside.

They were only a few turns from the recovery room when Duo reached up to his earpiece and took out his phone. He was speaking in a matter of seconds, and as it dawned on Wufei just who he called and how he spoke, it occurred to him that his friend had more pull with the Preventers chain of command than he imagined. Wufei had a hard time getting any information, relying on Sally to find a friend willing to speak against orders. Meanwhile, Duo simply made a call and was barking orders.

"I want access to it, and I want it now!"

Duo was annoyed and walking quickly. It was all Quatre and Wufei could do to keep up and he approached the hospital's exit. They wanted to ask what he was doing and confirm exactly who he was calling, but knew it was not the time.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. I need that data you collected as evidence."

Duo was so fast on his feet the hospital doors failed to automatically open in time for him, and he ended up abruptly stopping until they released on delay.

"We are down two agents right now, Une!" The doors opened and Duo strode through. "I don't care that you sent someone! And I don't care what the analytics team says they found! I want the data so I can run it myself." He paused. "Yes I fucking know that!" Another pause, this time longer. They rounded a street corner and Duo flagged down a taxi, opening the back door for his friends and getting into the front passenger seat.

Wufei wanted to remind him they had a vehicle and the bike, but he was a little afraid to speak up while Duo angrily ordered their boss around. The driver began to protest having someone up front and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the look on Duo's face.

If the blood on his clothing wasn't enough to intimidate the man, his withering look was.

"Shuttle port, and an extra hundred for your silence."

The driver took off. Duo continued his conversation with Une, phone in hand. "Do you trust me?" Another pause, this time short. "I'm asking because if you do, you'll let me do what I need to. You'll let me run parallel point." Wufei caught his friend using the rear view mirror to glance at Quatre. "Thanks. I owe you."

In the back of the car both Quatre and Wufei kept quiet, knowing better than to ask questions in the presence of a stranger. They waited somewhat impatiently for the car to arrive back at the shuttle bay, eager to know what plan Duo had in mind. It was an uncomfortable but necessary silence. In the meantime, Duo was ravenously engaged with his phone.

The time difference between L2 and home was quite a bit in the summer, but even in the middle of the night he knew someone would likely be logged into the system working in his cyber security unit. He signed on and immediately sent a message to the group chat, hoping for a reply.

I need help. Who's available?

After only a few seconds he got a text back.

Santiago! What do you need?

Duo was quickly typing back with his phone, explaining all he could in the time he had.

I'm getting some data from Une and I need it analyzed ASAP. No time to do it myself. We're looking for any sort of tampering. An agent's been accused of divulging secrets and I suspect his security's been compromised.

Aren't you better suited for this job?

I'm busy in the field. This is life or death. I just got the files, I'll send them now.

Is this for real? Are you okay?

Duo didn't answer, he was uploading the data Une sent him. His team member kept texting.

Santiago, are you okay?

You're in the FIELD?

Hey, are you sending it directly to me or to our projects server?

The connection on L2 wasn't bad, but it wasn't what he was used to back on Earth. The load time felt far too long, and for a moment he wondered if perhaps he should have demanded Une upload it to his team's server herself. He suppressed a sigh. It was likely best if she didn't know his team was involved. She was receptive to his demands, but not overly thrilled and he knew her supervisors had something to do with that. The woman cared about the truth, but any fallout would be on her shoulders.

That was fine. If she got in trouble for allowing a secondary unit to use their time searching Trowa's data, a move that could signal favoritism among her agents, he'd take the fall for her. At worst he'd lose his job and maybe get the Preventers' equivalent of a court martial. He could live with that, easy.

When the data was up, he checked his messages and responded.

It's real. I'm in the field. Sent it to the server.

There was a pause in the text thread, and Duo knew his teammate was checking the last files uploaded. It would take a terribly long few seconds to show on his end. When he got a response, he quirked a small smile.

That's a huge file! And you need it now?

Of course his teammate was concerned on time. Half his function while working from home with the cyber security unit was getting other people's tasks done on time. Though a talented group, the team was known for slacking off as much as possible. They had the most reprimands in their personnel files for the entire department. He typed back a reply.

I need it yesterday. But I only need to know if his data was compromised. My gut tells me a third party got ahold of his data and that's what I need to know. Nothing else. Une's team was just an intelligence crew looking for the source of an information leak. They weren't looking for a root cause, just the source. We're cyber security and we can pinpoint if there was tampering. I know it'll take a good amount of time, but I really need this info. DM me the results. I'm off planet and L2's poor infrastructure eats up batteries trying to keep a clear signal. I'm turning off notifications for the group chat.

He paused, then added I owe you before closing the app and looking up to see where they were in relation to the shuttle bay. If there was anything to find, his team would manage it. Une's people were going through massive amounts of data for any clues at all, looking through messages and correspondence and cross referencing Trowa's emails, texts, and calls with the information Chevalier used. They were looking for a leak. But Duo's request was much more focused: Find out who stole Trowa's data.

Whether or not it happened wasn't even a question in his mind. He was confident someone stole it, because Trowa turning on them, now, after all they'd been through? Wasn't an option.

Next, he had to contact an old friend he hadn't spoken to in years.

Quatre quietly watched Duo ravenously typing on his phone in the front seat of the car, tilting the screen so the driver couldn't glance at what he was doing and hiding his screen from his friends. He wasn't sure if their places were switched, and it was Trowa in the hospital and his own traumas thrown in his face, that he could gather the strength to pull the pieces of himself back together and tackle a very real, very tangible threat to the continued safety of himself and his loved ones.

He was glad, for a moment, that he couldn't reach out with his empath abilities and read Duo. Wufei was high strung inside, overflowing with worry he refused to show. But Duo? He wasn't so sure. Part of him expected Duo to be exactly as he looked. Ready.

There was something about that confidence that made Quatre want to volunteer everything he had to support whatever Duo was planning.

He'd forgotten, in the years Duo was gone, how much the man irritated him. But he'd also forgotten how hard he threw himself into improving the lives of people around him, and how it challenged him to be better, too. During the war, when he felt hopeless and wanted to give up, Duo always managed to rally him back into action. The least he could do was support the man and return the favor.

When Duo looked back at him through the rear view mirror a second time, worry and determination in his eyes, he offered a small smile in return.

Once they arrived at the shuttle port Duo paid the driver with his phone and was marching inside before anyone could question him. Departures from L2 had lax security, and Quatre watched as he straight up bribed their way through to avoid questions about their weapons. He worried the blood on Duo and Wufei would cause a commotion, and was horrified when it didn't.

"So what are we doing?"

Duo didn't bother to look at Quatre when he responded.

"We're regrouping and re-arming. Une mentioned sending backup to meet us on the shuttle, but I was too angry to get details. And the ship has better encryption capabilities than our phones and is less susceptible to interference. I need to contact someone, and though I don't think my phone is a problem given how many times I've changed it, using the shuttle is more secure."

Their ship wasn't too far out, and it would be safer to speak aboard the craft rather than in the open. When they approached and keyed in the code to enter, someone was already standing inside. Duo stopped cold.

"Zechs?"

Quatre peered around him to find none other than Milliardo Peacecraft.

Wufei looked, too, and asked "You let him call you Zechs?"

For his inquiry, he received a smile.

"Duo can call me by any name he wants. He's earned that, and I don't mind."

As the door closed behind them, Quatre shot a glance to Wufei, then to their new addition. "Can we call you Zechs?"

A long and suffering sigh was the first response to his question. "I'd... prefer not, but won't hold it against you. Soldiers use aliases, and wartime habits can be hard to shake." The man turned to Duo. "It's good to see you."

"What are you doing here?"

With a knowing smile, he approached the former Gundam pilots. He was dressed in military fatigues, and by all accounts looked ready for battle.

"Une called shortly after you requested a shuttle off planet. I left soon after. Figured you could use a hand. Brought my sniper rifle just in case. I may not be as good a shot as you are on a moving platform in windy conditions, but in the controlled environment of a colony we're evenly matched."

Duo blinked, and subtly shook his head.

"You're on paternity leave, man!"

"Not for however long this takes."

"And what about Noin? And the kids?"

A hand came up to rest on Duo's shoulder. It was heavy, and carried a sense of finality.

"I didn't up and leave them. My wife, your friend, ordered me here. She said I'd set a lousy example for our children if I abandoned their godfather in his hour of need. She also says you're ordered to visit her and the kids while we're still on Earth, and if you don't she'll track you down herself and dump both kids on you to babysit. She specifically said it would be all on your own, including diaper duty." The hand on Duo's shoulder tightened a bit, and he was pulled into a loose hug. In a whisper, Zechs added "You're always there for me and my family. Let me return the favor."

The increasingly familiar tightness in Duo's throat and chest threatened him, but he lifted his arms and returned the hug. When they released each other, he saw there was no room for argument. It was plain as day in his friend's eyes.

"You're serious about this?"

"I wouldn't be on L2 if I wasn't."

"You really brought a sniper rifle?"

"Well, yes. I thought you could use the cover fire and right now I'm the best you've got."

Duo smirked. "For once I'm not the best?"

At the exchange, Wufei got a curious look on his face. "Since when were you the best sniper, Duo?" It was a fair question, his friend was a lot of things back in the war but a sniper was not among them.

Duo and Zechs looked to each other and grinned. The causal air about them was still a little jarring for Wufei and Quatre to take in. They'd not been there when those two formed a bond. Quickly they filled in the other two Gundam pilots, interrupting each other as they explained, which made their dynamic even more intriguing.

"Duo's the best sniper in Preventers!"

"Absolutely!"

"But only out of our branch."

"Which is absolutely the best branch."

"And of our branch, he's the top rank... With a caveat!"

"Absolutely!"

"Just one or two caveats."

Duo nodded, and looked excited to explain. "I'm the best because Trowa told Une he didn't wanna use that particular skill anymore."

"And because five other agents retired."

"Six. You're always forgettin Delgado."

"Right! It's just she was awful when she was in academy with me, so I forget she became great. Six."

"And we're not includin anyone else who, like Tro, took a step back and hung up their scope."

"Barton's a crack shot."

"But he's not officially working in that capacity so Tro doesn't count."

"Still one of highest ranks of skill and proficiency I've ever seen, including in all of Oz. He's a natural."

"But he doesn't count!"

Duo looked a little annoyed that Zechs wasn't moving on from praising Trowa, but Wufei couldn't decide if it was real annoyance or playful. He just couldn't pin down the dynamic between these two men who, by all rights, ought to be enemies rather than friends. It still blew his mind that Duo was able to put behind him the bad blood between Zechs and Heero, given how he always jumped to defend his lover from harm.

"Sure," Zechs soothed, "Barton doesn't count. And Yuy dosesn't, either."

"Yeah, he also told Une he wasn't interested in doin sniper work." With a grin, Duo added "Didn't even bother to get ranked, so naturally I have a higher ranking than him."

"Wasn't he a sniper on that one L4 case?"

"Not by choice, and not officially."

"Right, right. We're only counting officially sanctioned snipers."

The way the words officially sanctioned came out of Zech's mouth were very patronizing. In another lifetime that would be enough to spark another war between the two men. Duo paid it no mind whatsoever.

"Yeah, officially sanctioned only... Except for me."

"Duo here isn't really officially anything for Preventers."

"I mean I exist and all."

"Not officially."

"But I do have a ranking, I took the test. It just wasn't recorded."

"Right."

"So anyway, Ro's out."

"And anyone else who hasn't gotten ranked, as they aren't counted as official, either."

"Yep."

"And we're not counting anyone out on long term disability."

"Right!" Duo snapped his finger. "How's Petrosyan doing?"

"Fantastic. She was on a vid call with Noin just the other day and she thinks she'll be back to work in another month or two. Thought she'd hate the down time, but she's really enjoyed her family doting on her. All in all she'll have been out for nearly a year, but she looks and sounds great. She was worried about keeping her job, but Preventers assured her they don't toss employees out on the street while in treatment and recovery."

No one else knew who this Petrosyan woman they spoke of was, and it slowly occurred to Zechs that he should steer back to the subject at hand. He spoke with a coy smile on his face, and seemed only mildly apologetic to the others.

"Really Duo's just the best of what's left after you take out everyone truly great."

"Hey!"

"He spent a lot of time honing his skills while avoiding actual people. You could call it an unhealthy obsession, since the idiot had no life whatsoever."

"Hey!"

"But you can't say he totally wasted all those years he was gone."

Wufei smirked. Partway through their back and forth he realized that the banter was done for Duo's benefit. He needed to relax a little and take some of his edge off. That Zechs provided such a service was telling of the friendship they'd formed in the years since the war. But he wasn't about to be left out of the fun.

"So you're saying Maxwell trained and practiced for years and still isn't really the best? That he's only even in the top five because of divine circumstance, a narrowed candidate pool, and a series of misfortunes upon others?"

His words earned him a punch to the shoulder and a grumble from Duo about how he was plenty skilled at a lot of things and still not too bad a shot. The three other men shot amused glances between each other.

"So," Zechs began, "what's the plan?"

A switch flipped in Duo, and he became instantly serious.

"After what he did, Chevalier will have alienated the community. Early in his extralegal career he was known as The Mosquito because he flits around, provokes, and retreats. He was always scary enough to merit respect and silence, but this time he went after children and burned down a community center. This wasn't pushing around a few people here and there, or exploiting the vulnerable. This was an assault on the community as a whole. I think folks'll talk this time. No one wants their community threatened like this. There's a good chance we'll get his location putting feelers out on the street."

Quatre chimed in to ask "Do you have anyone in mind for these feelers?" and Duo smirked.

"Yeah. Gonna use the ship to call Erik over at the scrapyard. He owns the place now and knows me from the short time I worked there before signing on with Une, and from my visits to see Hilde. Good guy, lotta connections because of the business. He'll be annoyed I've not been in touch since she died, but I'm certain he'll put that aside because Hilde's kids were attacked." His voice lowered and intensified. "The scrapyard still sends money every year to support those kids. He's a loyal man, even if I haven't had the heart to contact him until now."

"And you think that'll work?"

Duo turned to Zechs.

"Hell yes I do. Chevalier made the biggest mistake of his life going after those kids."

"Then what?"

"Honestly I was hoping to get some ideas from Quatre once we figure out location, and maybe even a head count on these guys."

"Duo," Quatre began with trepidation, "when you call it the biggest mistake of his life, it feels like you're not talking about provoking you. You're talking about provoking the community." Duo nodded. "So wouldn't he, as an L2 native, understand that his plan would make people turn against him? Why would a man like him risk that just to hurt you?"

For a moment it was as though all the air got sucked out of the room. Then Duo responded, his voice quiet.

"I really don't know."

"Do you have a history with him?"

Duo whirled on Zechs.

"If I had a fucking history with the guy I'd have figured it out when they tried to kill Quatre in December!"

No one pointed out that though the attempt was on Quatre's life, it was Duo who nearly died all those months ago.

"What do we do until we have intel?"

A sideways smirk told Wufei he was about to get an obvious answer.

"Maybe get out of these bloody clothes and dress wounds?" Duo pointed to Wufei's chest. "You stopped bleeding, but should still take care of that."

With all that happened, Wufei forgot he'd been slashed with a knife. The wound was shallow, and at the time it didn't seem important to him. Instead of protesting, he allowed Quatre to lead him over to the small infirmary aboard the ship. Once properly cleaned and dressed the cut was less likely to reopen with physical activity. He was expecting an upcoming fight.

That left Zechs and Duo alone in the main cabin.

"You look like hell, Maxwell. Shouldn't you be cleaning up, too?"

"I'm fine."

"You're filthy. And you've been shot? Is that a gunshot wound?" The taller man stepped forward and took hold of Duo's arm, turning it to examine where his sleeve was bloodied. "Yes it is! You're coming with me."

"Hey!"

"Don't protest. Noin will kill me if she finds out I left your wounds untreated."

They both knew he was using his wife as an excuse, but Duo wasn't going to call him on it. Though annoyed, he accepted how it felt good to have someone else looking out for him.

"Gimme a minute to call Erik?"

When he got a nod of approval, he moved in the opposite direction of the infirmary and towards the nearest comm station. The call was quick, and went exactly as predicted. Erik was thrilled to hear from him, angry he'd stayed out of touch, and wrathful upon hearing news about the kids. Rumors were already circling about an event on the colony, but he hadn't gotten details yet. With a promise to call back after leveraging information from his sources, Erik said goodbye.

Duo turned to Zechs and silently signaled he was done. No need to explain the conversation when his friend overheard his half of it. He silently followed Zechs down the same hallway Quatre lead Wufei, and soon they were in the infirmary. Wufei was sitting on the bed with his shirt was off while Quatre applied antiseptic fluid to the gash on his chest. Since the ship was small enough to merit only one sick bed, Zechs grabbed a chair and forced Duo to sit down.

"Shirt off, Maxwell. You do it, or I do it."

With a halfhearted glare, Duo removed his shirt. He watched intently as Zechs fumbled through supplies before asking Quatre where he'd found the antiseptic. There was a familiarity in the way he prepped Duo's arm before cleaning that came with the territory of dressing many wounds in his life, and a gentleness that spoke to the ease with which the two operated together. Like Quatre and Wufei, Duo and Zechs had done this before.

"Since I got shot again, do I get another Pudding Cup?"

Two former Gundam pilots shot one another incredulous looks, but Zechs just smiled broadly.

"Does your rat need company?"

"Nah, I think we're company enough for each other."

"You really like that raggedy thing? Noin hated the idea of throwing it out after all the effort she put into it, but also felt a little guilty giving you a gift that was far from perfect."

"I love how wonky it is." Duo's eyes lifted from their focus on the wound that Zechs was beginning to wrap with a bandage, and instead caught his friend's gaze. "It's like a factory defect. A throwaway, like me. I think every wayward stitch is beautiful."

Zechs fixed the gauze into place and tilted his head to the side, examining Duo. Then he reached out and pushed some of his friend's long bangs out of his eyes. From their perspective, Wufei and Quatre thought Zechs was being overly familiar with their friend. But Duo knew he was tracing a nearly faded scar across his forehead, a wound he'd gotten while bailing Zechs out of trouble on the ill-fated mission that resulted in their friendship. He needed twelve precise and definitely not wayward stitches to close that head wound.

"You're right, Duo. Every stitch is beautiful."

Duo's rich laughter pulled his other two friends out of their scrutiny and lowered their alarm. He swatted the hand away from his face and shook his head.

"What's with the sentimentality? Those poor fools over there have no idea what you're goin on about. They probably think you're hittin on me, and I dunno how open your relationship is with Noin, but I'm spoken for!"

Zechs simply chuckled and turned to face the others.

"Two and a half years ago this idiot" he gestured to Duo, who blew air through his bangs in an attempt to ruffle them back into place, "was in a tough spot with me. We got to talking, and I admitted that Noin and I were trying to get pregnant for a couple years with no luck. After that, every time things went sideways, and it was several times, he put himself in danger for me. When he got a nasty blow to the head, one I just confirmed he still has a scar from, I asked why he was so protective. And you know what this sap said?" They all shook their heads, even Duo, though for him it was more in denial of the importance being placed on what he knew would come next. "What if she's already pregnant? I'm not letting your kids grow up without you."

Quatre's face immediately changed, and he looked incredibly touched. Even Wufei was hiding a smile, knowing that the two men in front of him were doing their best to make things feel not too bleak. It was a smart move to raise morale, and Zechs was spearheading it like a mission unto itself. Duo said he didn't have a choice but to be okay, and it was good to see someone else rallying to help him actually feel okay.

"Kids? Plural? Did he predict the twins?"

Zechs chuckled. "Maybe he did... I distinctly remember his use of the plural. Can you see why this dolt is godfather to my kids? He'd already do anything for them before they were conceived, and he predicted there would be two."

Duo raised a hand to rub his face and hide his nearly invisible scar, a little embarrassed. Everyone took it as the brilliant opportunity it was to poke fun at him.

"I can certainly see why his stitches are beautiful."

"Oh, shut it, Quat!"

"Duo, you really are the sappiest son of a bitch."

"Me?" He sat straight up in his chair and pointed to Zechs. "He's the one who's a sap! I'd have just as well let that story go untold! Don't be hanging this on me, Fei! I'm not a sap! That's so... degrading!"

Wufei smirked. "Don't deny it. I saw you with Yuy earlier. You're certifiably a sap."

"Hey! How come everyone always gangs up on me?"

"You make it easy, Duo."

"A guy can have feelings and not be a sap yanno?"

Quatre smiled.

"It's not a bad thing. It's one of your better qualities."

"Didn't I tell you to shut it?"

"Heero thinks it's one of your better qualities. I'd know. He calls me to tell me about that sort of thing."

Duo turned bright red, and everyone else fell into an easy laughter. If he planned to further protest, any objections died on his tongue. As annoyed as he was, they needed this. Removing extra tension would help them deal with whatever came next.

All too soon, the group's laughter was interrupted by the sound of an incoming call. They got quiet fast, and Duo walked to the comm unit at the entrance of the infirmary.

"Erik? What'd you find?"