Note: Third update in a row I have no buffer and holy crap I was writing this last night. NO DEADLINE MISSED! LET'S DO THIS!

This chapter includes events that may be difficult for some readers. Take care.

Chapter 78: Man Down

Quatre's plan was simple. They'd stay together as a unit for as long as possible, sneaking their way into the building to find the kids. With Duo's expansion there were many rooms large enough to keep hostages while limiting their escape routes, but Quatre seemed confident that the dorms were the most likely place to find them.

The first floor of the main building was entirely open, part of the original church layout. It had too many escape possibilities and was too large of a singular space. Duo went over the blueprints in detail on their flight. He explained that though residents of L2 called it a church, the original building was designed like a cathedral, and those, he said, were constructed in the shape of a cross. To simplify things they were to refer to the building as though it was built Earthside, with the length running east-west and the crossing north-south.

No one understood why that seemed to obvious to Duo, so he clarified that on Earth a cathedral was built specifically along cardinal directions. The top of the cross was always east, the bottom west. He went into further detail about rose windows, and the major stained glass attractions aligning with the rising and setting of the sun, but he lost most of them there. Still, his insistence on using those set directions helped them cement the layout in their minds and to shorthand where things were located.

After the addition was built the building was no longer in the shape of a true cross.

The new secondary building ran along the north side, parallel to the length of the old cathedral. It was a long strip of a building, with full kitchens and living spaces on the ground floor. The structure was designed to give the kids places to craft, build, relax, and study. Above, on the second floor of the new wing, were what he called the dormitories. Each bedroom had a private bathroom, and most rooms were larger, with enough space for two kids to be more than comfortable. They didn't want to separate anyone who came together and were afraid to be apart. They also wanted to allow kids who bonded to stay together.

When Duo spoke of that he was adamant in a way that suggested experience with being separated as a child from those he was close to.

It didn't take long for Quatre to convince everyone that the kids were held in their rooms. They were unlikely to jump out a second story window and a single person patrolling the hallway could ensure they stayed in place. Plus they'd have bathroom access without needing to ask. Hostage takers never liked giving bathroom breaks, it tended to be a logistical and security nightmare.

The drawback to this was additional areas for kids to hide. Closets, bathrooms, under beds... It would take extra time to truly sweep the area and make sure no child was left in danger. Duo gave them a head count, but insisted that only Sister Elise would have the correct number. Still, they were left with 11 possible children to account for, evacuate, and wrangle into vehicles. That didn't even include Elise and the rescue team.

They made sure to rent two vehicles upon arrival on L2 with space for a total of 20 adults, just in case. If they were lucky the children would be crammed into one or two larger bedrooms and they'd have fewer rooms to clear.

Knowing time was not on their side, they parked a few blocks out and went on foot to canvas the area. All was quiet. They needed to stake out the building, unsure if the hostages were even there, but Quatre was on it. When they raided the armory at HQ he'd taken an item that felt familiar and might just be useful. If asked, he chose it because it made him feel battle ready and brought him back to the war in a comforting way, because he felt a little invincible wearing them. They made him feel even more secure in himself than when wearing a standard issue ballistic vest.

He picked up goggles.

And with a practical mind, he'd picked up infrared goggles.

Though they weren't useful for seeing through the walls of the building, he could see fairly well through the windows. Duo said they ordered light filtering shades, not thermal ones. There was little need for the added insulation given the building's design accounted for L2's poor climate control.

Quatre relayed what he saw.

"They seem to be in a couple rooms on the second floor. Maybe two thirds of the way down, to the east. Can't tell if they're using the other side of the hall, too, or how many are there. It's too lumped."

"Should we round and see if there's a view of the other side?"

"No, that's a narrow space, we'd never have the distance to see up that high."

"Anything on the first floor?"

"Nothing I can make out but that doesn't mean it's clear."

He looked over to Heero.

"I trust Duo, but do we trust his intel that L2 doesn't tend to have a lot of gun violence?"

Heero took a second to think over his answer.

"Unclear. Outside of coming here to see Hilde, I don't know that he's spent much time on L2 since he initially left. I don't think he ever really wanted to come back."

"So we go in like Preventers." Trowa's voice was soft, but firm. "Standard procedure, yes?"

Quatre nodded. "Yes. Maximum safety, minimum damage. For Duo. He's counting on us."

They'd gone over that while on the shuttle to the colony. Trowa assured them all that Quatre was up for whatever would come their way, and they believed him. Three months ago, when the witness to events at his cabin was murdered while in custody and the guys became paranoid, Quatre declared his intent to be proactive in his security. He wasn't lying. He'd made use of the Preventers' shooting range, and it didn't take long to regain his skills. He also brushed up on mission protocols and procedures. Given his role helping Preventers with planning missions he had an extensive but theoretical knowledge base about how to implement operations. Trowa went into further detail for him, and Une quietly okayed Quatre to read mission reports.

For this they decided Heero would take point, followed by Trowa and Quatre. They'd made the choice, along with Duo and Wufei, to keep the use of firearms at a minimum. Preventers discouraged excessive force, but Duo was mostly concerned for the children. He didn't want them further traumatized.

None of them grew up in war. A lot of 'em lived fairly peaceful lives with Elise, or have finally settled into that. If we can get them through this quietly, that's what we're gonna do.

Basically they decided to shoot second. If these kidnappers wanted a gunfight, they'd have to start it themselves.

The agreement to shoot second didn't stop them from being prepared. Standard procedure was developed for a reason and it was meant to increase the safety of agents and leave lethal force as a last resort. Being authorized to kill when necessary still carried the weight of necessity.

With guns held low, they quietly ran in a tight single file formation to the entrance of the new building. No one was patrolling the perimeter or out on the street, but they still used silent hand signals, same as they did on group missions during the war. Heero stood on one side of the door, with Trowa and Quatre on the other. Though he was prepared for whatever they'd find, he took a second to breathe and push worry out of mind.

Duo had gone off without much gear, not even a vest, which in Heero's opinion made him a reckless fool. His baka claimed one would be noticeable beneath his street clothes since he was clearly under surveillance and these people knew to look for one. He said they'd shoot him in the head if they really wanted him dead. His words did little to ease Heero's tension. Then Wufei similarly followed with his own lack of gear, citing Duo's choice as valid. They were both fools.

Once they'd decided to have Duo tailed, it felt to Heero like a dress rehearsal for when his baka accepted the job at Preventers and would finally have a partner in the field. He had to trust Wufei to keep Duo safe, and vice versa. He wanted to trust them, but he couldn't rationalize their decisions. Still, he had to put them out of mind while he focused on his own part of their mission.

With eye contact and a small nod, Heero signaled for Trowa to open the western door and fall back.

He rushed inside with his gun drawn high. No lights were on, but colonies were never fully dark with all their ambient and emergency lighting, much like Earth cities. His eyes darted about, checking for the presence of any individuals. They chose to enter a door at the far end of the long building because the kitchen was located there, and they could swiftly clear behind the large eat-in countertop. It was, according to Duo, the only built in structure worthy of hiding behind. There would be furniture to contend with throughout the study and play areas, but the kitchen was the strongest barrier.

Once Heero cleared the kitchen there was little chance of having anyone sneak up behind him as he cleared the remainder of the first floor in one singular sweep from west to east. Blueprints told him that halfway through the sweep he'd find an elevator and a set of stairs. At the farthest wall, to the east, would be another set of stairs and a door exiting to the street.

With Quatre and Trowa behind him, they'd all move together until the halfway point. Then Heero would continue his sweep across the full length of the great hall while the others moved to cover the elevator and stairs.

Heero didn't like how quiet it was, or how vacant the first floor felt. Stalking past tables, play areas, and a few clusters of seating, he couldn't help his growing suspicions with each area cleared.

Something was off.

With a hand signal he informed the others that his search was done, then looked for anything that raised concerns. There were no obvious signs of a struggle. Any mess could be attributed to children simply being themselves. But something still felt wrong.

A proper strategist would have someone patrolling the perimeter or the first floor. He couldn't figure out why no one was here. Was it a trap? Were there trip wires he hadn't seen? Did the plan include a bomb?

Trowa caught on, in tune with Heero's behavioral ticks while on missions, and scouted as well. After a moment he found what he was looking for and signaled to his partner.

Security cameras.

If the people behind this were smart, they'd have access to the feed. Trowa knew better than to actually point them out, but they had a signal to confirm their presence. Duo didn't tell them about any cameras, so it was possible Elise installed them on her own to monitor the children's coming and going, but it was also possible they were installed during the several hours it took them to travel to L2. Once Heero finally saw them it occurred to him they weren't particularly well hidden. He missed them earlier because he was looking for danger, not surveillance.

Quatre, in the meantime, pulled the control panel from the elevator and yanked the wires. Taking it out of operation removed one of the enemy's possible escape or entry routes. Duo let them know in advance that one child was in a wheelchair, but he was young enough that one of the teens, or even Elise, could easily carry him. No one liked the idea of taking away his freedom of movement, but there was no other choice in an evacuation where time was critical and even an able bodied child might freeze up. They could come back for the chair later or get him a new one.

With the elevator disabled, they regrouped at the base of one stairwell.

Silence was still prevalent, and Heero worried perhaps the hostages were already dead. Children were full of motion. They made sound, as far as he knew. With a gesture to Trowa to stay back as his second, and Quatre already taking position to cover their escape route and remain on the first floor, he stalked up the stairs and ascended to the dormitories.

The long hallway was deserted. He listened again, and heard nothing.

Starting on one end of the hall, he began to methodically clear each room. Trowa stayed in the hallway in a similar role to Quatre's and maintained their escape route.

Each room was a window into the children's lives. For Heero it was something very foreign, perhaps only seen in media or advertisements. He had no experience as a child with a designated room of his own for him to keep belongings and decorate with his whims. As a child he was on the move with Odin, or on assignments and in training with Doctor J. The closest he came to having his own room was the bunk assigned to him at J's facility, which included nothing personally identifiable, and the cockpit of his Gundam. Once they settled into their roles at Preventers it took Duo a year to convince him that personalizing his apartment was not a bad thing, and then he placed a single photo of all the Gundam pilots on his nightstand.

None of these kids would live here if their childhoods were truly idyllic, but their rooms were evidence of a good upbringing. They were given the opportunity to be children, and that was precious. It only renewed his desire to preserve their innocence as much as possible.

Halfway down the hall he opened the door where they expected to find the hostages. Inside the room he found children huddled into one corner, and a woman with her arms protectively around as many of them as she could manage. His free hand moved to hold a finger up to his lips and they understood the signal to remain quiet. Several children were staring at a door, which Heero assumed lead to the attached bathroom. Silently he stalked towards it, gun at the ready, and gestured for the children and Elise to stay low.

Positioning himself between the hostages and the door, he knew his biggest challenge would be if his opponent was hiding inside the combination shower and tub. He studied the blueprint of the dorms, and it was likely that a shower curtain could provide visual cover. If taking advantage of that, someone could stay low behind the curtain and shoot recklessly towards the door in the hopes of hitting a target.

It was important he take up as much of the open doorway as possible. He would not risk a stray bullet finding a child.

Heero turned the handle and then slammed the door open in the hopes of catching whoever was inside by surprise. It didn't work.

A metal bat brutally swung into his stomach, but the vest he wore dispersed the energy enough that he hardly registered the hit. When his assailant lifted the bat to hit him a second time, it smashed into and collapsed a shower curtain rod, and gave Heero the opportunity to quickly holster his weapon and engage the man with his hands. Shooting him would only scare the children, but as the bathroom door slowly closed behind him and the kids' line of sight was hindered, everything changed.

Heero could do anything necessary behind closed doors so long as it wasn't too loud.

With one hand he grabbed the bat and pulled it towards himself, yanking the man off balance. Though he was bigger than Heero, he was not stronger.

As the man attempted to assert superior strength he was thrown to the floor and hit his head on the side of the bathtub. Heero chose to toss the bat out of reach and grab the shower curtain that now laid at the bottom of the tub. He wrapped it around the man's neck and pulled tight. There was no way, with his foot pressed into the man's back and his body leveraging his hold on the fabric, that his monster was walking out of there.

He pulled until the body on the floor stopped moving, and held a little longer just in case. With a quick survey he noted a few things.

First, he was silent enough to hopefully not scare the children.

Second, he wasn't dumb enough to think a large man with a baseball bat was threatening enough to keep an entire room of hostages under control.

Things weren't making sense. How long was that man hiding in the bathroom waiting for him? Elise, or one of the older kids, could have easily barricaded the bathroom door while the man was inside. Something else had to be going on.

Drawing his weapon, he once again stepped into the bedroom, making sure the door closed behind him. If anyone saw the body on the floor they didn't react. Heero grabbed a chair and propped it under the door handle. He didn't expect the man to wake up before they evacuated, but it was best to keep him confined.

With purpose, he walked over to Elise.

"Are all of you here?"

His voice was low, and she automatically matched his volume.

"No."

"Stay here until we clear the floor. If you leave before it's safe, or without an escort, I can't promise your safety."

She nodded and continued to cradle as many children as she could.

"How many more kids?"

"Five."

"I'll be back."

"Wait!"

He turned to her, trying to remember not to look so cold. At times he'd slip into mission mode and scare people and he did not want to scare anyone here.

"Who are you?"

"Preventers."

"On L2?"

She looked terribly confused and he didn't blame her. L2 was notoriously against allowing the agency to operate in their colony cluster. He responded the only way he knew how.

"Duo Maxwell has friends in high places."

Instantly he saw the recognition in her eyes, and that was enough for him to turn away to continue his search.

He checked left and right before fully stepping out, meeting Trowa's eyes for a moment. His partner was still in place at the far end of the hallway, and he made a hand signal to inform him of what occurred. If Trowa was still holding his position, he very was quiet when dealing with the man in the bathroom. Had he heard any of the commotion, his partner would advance towards the room to position himself so he could easily offer assistance.

The next room was clear, but in the following one he found four scared children. Years ago he would bark orders at them, but he wasn't the same man anymore. He understood they needed to be handled with firmness but care, he just wasn't sure how to accomplish such a feat. He didn't have much experience with kids. So he considered what Duo might do, and after clearing the rest of the room, and the bathroom, he lowered his gun and crouched down by the terrified little ones.

"My name is Heero, and Elise sent me to get you."

"Elise did?"

"Hero?"

He offered them a smile, remembering all the jokes Duo used to make at his expense about hero complexes.

"Heero. And yes, I'm going to protect you, and bring you to her. Then we're all going to get out of here."

A little boy with eyes that almost looked like Duo's, just with a hint more blue, asked "You'll protek us from da mean man wit da gun?"

"I promise I'll protect you."

"Pinky swear!"

Heero turned to a slightly older girl who was sternly glaring at him, not trusting a strange adult. He liked that. It was smart. Once again he pulled from his early experiences with Duo and extended a hand towards her, making a fist and holding out his smallest finger. Her eyes lit up, and though she didn't smile she mirrored his action and they hooked their fingers together.

"Pinky swear. I'll protect you."

"Can't back outta a pinky swear."

"I know." Then words Duo spoke half a lifetime ago suddenly spilled out of him without warning. "Pinky promise ain't Saint Thomas, doubt their truth and hell's upon us."

A smile finally broke onto the girl's face. It amazed him how easy it was to earn trust, and he couldn't wait to tell Duo how he managed with them. The ritual made no sense to him, but Duo explained once that on the street it was a right of passage, and later the old priest who took him in added the additional phrase. He wondered if these children knew what it meant, if they'd ever heard that phrase, or if it was just the act of affirmation that won them over. Either way, when he gained the favor of the girl the three other children fell into line.

Checking the hallway again, he realized he should probably explain to the kids what they were about to see.

"That tall man is my friend. He's also here to protect you. You can trust him."

Then he quickly lead them to the room where Elise and the others waited. They all seemed incredibly relieved to be together again, but the rescue mission wasn't over. Heero got Elise's attention.

"You're sure there's just one more?"

"Just one."

He gave her a critical look.

"They took Bastien hours ago. I don't know more."

With a nod, he turned to look back towards the hallway.

"That could mean any number of things. I'll clear the rest of the floor and if he's not here we'll evacuate you, then do a thorough search of the old building."

He left without waiting for a response.

The entire situation nagged at him. With hostages largely unsupervised, how had anyone kept control of the situation? Duo was sent to a second location. Did that mean the kids were a decoy, and Duo was walking into a terrible trap? Could Wufei provide adequate backup on his own?

He shook the thought and cleared another room. He trusted them. They'd be okay.

His hand barely touched the handle of the next door when the wood splintered and he was knocked flat onto his back.

Trowa heard the blast before he registered Heero falling backwards, propelled by the force of a shot to the chest. His eyes widened, because he could see this was no standard impact. His weapon was instantly trained down the hall, and when a figure stepped out of a mangled door to loom over Heero he fired without hesitation. His target crumbled, and Trowa got a good look at the weapon that fell from the man's hand.

He recognized the weapon, and his heart sank. He'd used a similar model in the war to shoot armored vehicles.

Trowa felt a surge of animalistic energy, and he desperately screamed his partner's name, hoping for some kind of response. Three more figures dashed out of another door at the farthest end of the hall. They ignored him and Heero, though he did fire at them as well. He wasn't sure if he hit anyone, he mostly concerned for Heero.

His partner still did not move.

In all their years fighting together he'd never seen his friend completely struck down. Even in the wars he didn't see anything like that. Injured? Yes, of course he'd seen Heero injured. But aside from his foray into self-destruction he'd never seen Heero out for the count. He wasn't sure if he was hyper focused or disoriented, but his limbs worked on their own accord once he registered Quatre. He didn't hear his words, but he heard his familiar voice, and that was enough to send him running towards Heero, commanding Quatre to lay cover fire and trusting it would be done.

The blood was obvious before he got to his partner's side. With tightness in his throat, he choked out Heero's name again. It came out as question as he approached down the long hallway. There was no answer. Once by his side, he saw the source of blood was his chest.

Not good.

After a harrowing few seconds, Heero spasmed and coughed. Trowa let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and felt an odd sense of relief when Heero's eyes closed more tightly and he raised a hand to feel his wound. Heero was coming back around, and he'd take that as a win. Seeing his partner move, he felt comfortable turning his gaze away to find cover.

Looking to his left, he saw an open door, grabbed Heero by his ankles, and dragged him into an empty bedroom. The long streak of blood across the floor did not ease his mind, but it didn't look like bleeding out was on the short list of things to be most worried about when it came to Heero's condition. He needed to move him, and fast. But first he needed to remove his vest and dress the wound to give him the best chance of making it to a hospital.

He didn't say a word while he ripped off the velcro holding Heero's ballistic vest in place and tossed the garment aside. Trowa leaned forward and against the backdrop of chaos he could hear a faint sucking sound when Heero breathed.

Definitely a sucking chest wound.

Scrambling in the bedroom he searched for anything that could be of use, listing out possible tools as he went. He learned enough first aid from the mercenary unit he grew up with to understand that a proper dressing might prevent tension pneumothorax long enough for the wounded to receive proper medical care. Their group didn't always have a dedicated medic, so everyone worth their salt was given instructions on how to keep someone else alive. This particular type of wound was one he'd not seen more than a few times in his youth, and he didn't actually know the outcome for those treated.

On the child's desk he found scissors, tissues, and duct tape. He scrambled to find a non-adhesive surface when his eyes settled on a box of trash bags. He realized, belatedly, that he was in a teenager's room and there were a lot of things made with duct tape around him. Incredible luck. It was the first time since arriving on L2 that he felt anything had gone in their favor.

Quickly, he cut open Heero's shirt so his skin was exposed around the wound, cursing at the sight. Then he belatedly realized he should check for an exit. Without moving Heero too much, he shoved his hand under his friend's shirt, between his back and the floor, to feel for signs the bullet went through.

Heero made a pained sound when his fingers found the exit wound. That was good.

He thought.

He hoped.

He didn't know at all.

Trowa started his first aid with the sucking wound on Heero's chest. After wiping it clean as best and hastily as he could, knowing none of this would be sterile and the hospital would need to take precautions for a developing infection, he cut out and applied a square of the trash bag over the wound. It didn't stick to his skin, which was perfect. He duct taped 3 sides down.

It was a primitive flap but in theory it would help, so long as blood didn't cause the bag to stick. He recalled something about this type of dressing keeping extra air from coming in during inhalation and allowing air to escape during exhalation.

That was... right?

The last time he needed this knowledge was prior to Meteor, and he was just glad that somehow it came back to him when he needed it most.

With a quick apology he rolled Heero over onto his side to check the exit wound and ripped his shirt with his hands. The lack of reaction from his partner terrified him, but his back didn't appear to have a sucking wound. Could a back have a sucking wound? Trowa wasn't sure. He really wasn't equipped for this and cursed himself for feeling too comfortable with Preventers provided support, and not enrolling in some sort of coursework to be more effective as a medic.

He'd never missed Sally more. If she'd not been called to cover a shift at the hospital and instead joined them, he'd have a lot more confidence in getting Heero safely to a medical facility on L2.

Without wasting time he applied a regular dressing as fast as he could to the exit wound on Heero's back. He packed it with tissues and held it with tape. If it wasn't sucking in air, it didn't need a flap, right?

Right?

He hoped his lack of skills and subpar medical knowledge didn't kill his partner.

And he really hoped Quatre was okay. When Heero was shot he'd essentially abandoned his lover to take care of the situation in the hall. The realization that gunfire had stopped hit him, and he rolled Heero to face the ceiling before moving to the door to check on Quatre.

The last thing Quatre wanted to hear was gunfire, and the sound caused him to jump a little. With the first floor still clear, he made the choice to abandon his post and rush up the stairs.

What he found was chaos.

He could see Heero lying on the floor in an increasingly bloody mess. An unidentified man was also on the floor, dead. He caught a glimpse of people running down the other stairwell and ignored them because they were no longer an immediate threat. An open door halfway down the hall slammed shut. He heard gunfire, perhaps from downstairs, and wasn't sure what was happening. Trowa was screaming for Heero to respond as he steadily fired towards the men who fled. Heero laid unsettlingly still, and when he didn't answer Trowa's calls, Quatre knew what he had to do.

Trowa's focus was slipping, and he needed to ground him.

"You get Heero, I've got the kids!"

Those words were enough to bring Trowa back into gear.

"Cover me!"

Quatre didn't see any threats left to require cover fire, but he took position nonetheless. It was clear to him that Trowa trusted him to provide cover, to handle Elise and the kids, and complete their mission while he dealt with Heero, who was now coughing and spasming on the floor.

He feared what that meant.

Working hastily, he cleared the remaining rooms without a thorough check, looking not for hostages but for threats. He knew from which direction Heero worked and assumed every room up until the one where he'd been shot was cleared. Elise should know how many children there were and if they were all together there was no need to waste time. As he turned towards the door that slammed shut earlier, Wufei appeared at the other end of the hall. It occurred to him that he must have been the cause of the unknown gunfire. Their eyes met, and then Quatre tried the door.

It was locked.

"Preventers! Open up, we need to evacuate now!"

One of the teenagers opened the door, and Quatre looked past him to catch Elise's eyes.

"Is everyone here in this room? Are we missing anyone?"

Later, when the adrenaline wore off, he'd consider her prompt response and poise while in imminent danger. But in the moment, he was simply grateful to have instant cooperation.

"They took Bastien. I don't know where he is. Everyone else is here."

"Ready to go?"

Elise nodded, and as she designated jobs to the older children, some of whom were picking up the youngest kids, Quatre looked out to the hallway to find Wufei behind him. Though they'd not been in the field together in many years, he knew his presence well and hadn't thought twice when the other man stepped into the doorway.

"Wufei, status?"

"Clear."

"And the escape route?"

"Clear."

"Lead them out of here the way you came. You know where the vehicles are?"

Wufei nodded, he'd seen them down a street on his way into the building because Duo dropped him off further than anticipated.

"I'll check on Trowa and Heero." He paused, realizing Wufei was missing some information. "Heero's been shot, Trowa dragged him into a room to render aid. We'll rendezvous at our rides and head to the hospital."

Something flashed in Wufei's eyes.

"Duo's here. When they're safe and you meet us I'm going back for him. Don't wait for me."

"I'll head down the hall and cover you until you're all down the stairs."

Wufei and Elise organized the kids and began their evacuation. Quatre, on the far side, began to smell something familiar. Just as the last of the children disappeared down the stairwell he heard Trowa's voice asking for his status and turned to see him peering into the hallway.

Heero was in shock.

The vest he wore was insufficient against whatever rounds were fired at him, and the impact not only sent him to the ground but caused him incredible pain. Once downed, he struggled to breathe. He was going through the motions but not getting nearly enough air. In the back of his mind he told himself not to panic.

He heard more shots, a body collapse, and something metal clatter onto the floor. Trowa was screaming, and his brain registered his friend was likely screaming his name. He didn't move, but his eyes tracked the sound as best as they could through his eyelashes. He barely had his eyes open.

He saw Quatre supplying cover fire as Trowa approached him. Why couldn't he get air? It wasn't the first time he'd been shot wearing a vest. Usually he was back on his feet once he got his bearings.

He coughed lightly and felt like he was dying. It brought on a short but worse fit of coughs that left him certain he was. With eyes shut tightly he tried to steady his air intake and felt it a fruitless endeavor. There was a small metallic taste in his mouth and he realized he'd coughed blood. Not a lot, but some.

Did he bite his tongue? No. He felt the offending cut. He'd bitten the inside of his mouth.

Slowly he realized his chest hurt at the site of impact. He moved a hand to feel what happened and opened his eyes again when his fingers found ragged holes in his vest. There was no need to lift his hand in front of his face to see the blood. He felt it.

Finally his brain shifted gears back into soldier mode and he assessed what occurred.

He was shot in the chest with what were clearly armor piercing rounds. It was very likely one lung collapsed. His hand didn't feel immense amounts of blood, and it would have if the impact broke his ribs or any blood vessels, but he could still be bleeding internally. While he could roughly understand the damage caused by the bullet itself as it created a permanent cavity in his body, he had no way to assess shockwave damage from the high velocity round and the temporary cavity left in its wake. Vaguely, he wondered if the round went through him or was stuck somewhere inside.

All he knew for sure was that he was not, under any circumstance, getting out of there on his own strength. He might be able to stand, but he didn't think he could walk.

Worse, he was struggling to get enough air. If only he could get enough air. Every labored breath in and out was fire, pressure, and pain. Then a thought hit him harder than the gunshot.

Duo.

He couldn't die. Not here. Not now. Not in such a pointless way.

There was no way he'd do that to Duo. He promised he wouldn't leave him. He promised just days ago that he'd use everything in his power to stay with him.

He just didn't appear to have much choice in the matter.

Trowa's voice got louder but he wasn't sure for how long his partner was by his side. The gunfire was less frequent. He struggled for a good look at what was happening and he saw Quatre still in position to lay down cover as Trowa grabbed his ankles and dragged him into the nearest room. He struggled with the pain, but didn't close his eyes or make any particular move. Instead, he watched the hallway disappear until he was well inside one of the kid's bedrooms.

He didn't react when his vest was ripped from him, it didn't matter. He didn't pay attention to what Trowa was frantically saying, either. It seemed like he was talking to himself, anyway. All of his energy was focused on breathing. He felt hands on him, and heard cursing. Though he didn't have the strength to turn towards the door he wondered if he left a streak of blood across the floor. Finally, he heard Trowa's voice breaking through his haze.

"Heero! Stay awake! Fuck. FUCK!"

That desperation and full on panic was not something his partner typically let show. And the cursing? Very unusual. Not something he'd typically hear. He knew, by Trowa's reaction, he was in as bad shape as he thought. But all he could do was try to keep breathing. The sound of his own pained groan was foreign to his ears as Trowa checked his back and came into contact with raw flesh.

White hot pain shot through him as his body was turned to the side. He couldn't focus on whatever aid Trowa was rendering, he just needed to breathe. But it was difficult. For an eternity it seemed like he was just being manhandled, and he did his best not to scream. Screaming required the kind of air he was incapable of at the moment. It was mercy when Trowa finally rolled him onto his back and stopped whatever he was doing, stepping away.

Then that desperate voice was back.

"Quatre! Status!"

Another voice from somewhere down the hall yelled back "Clear!" and Heero realized he hadn't heard gunshots since Trowa first grabbed him.

Footsteps approached and abruptly stopped inside the room.

"Holy shit! How do we move him? They pulled back but I smelled smoke when I was down the hall. We need to get out of here. He needs medical attention!"

Heero knew they were losing time. Trowa ordered Quatre to supply cover fire once more if needed, and it became apparent he was about to be moved. Before hands grabbed him, Heero choked out "Kids?" and it cost him. It made him cough and he felt he would lose consciousness. The taste of blood was back on his lips. He felt the cut in his mouth reopen when he ground out that one word.

"Wufei lead them out with Sister Elise. Far as I can tell they didn't pursue."

That was Quatre, again.

Heero mouthed "Wufei?" without speaking the name, not caring about the cut but needing to communicate without risking a breath deep enough to start him coughing again.

"Yes, he's here."

That must mean Duo was in the building as well. He wasn't sure if he was pleased or terrified. Everything had gone wrong, and someone needed to be there for Duo when he found out what happened. His baka was strong, but all he could think about was the fear in his eyes on the trip to L2. The tone of his voice, strong and assertive with what he later realized was an undertone of terror as he confessed I just don't know what I would do if something terrible happened to you. I can't even let myself think that it's a possibility.

Recalling the open fear in Duo's eyes when he admitted I'm really scared, Heero, just about ended him.

He couldn't leave him, but right now all he could do was keep breathing. There was nothing he wanted more than to see Duo's bright eyes again. More than he wanted the pain to stop, more than he wanted to breathe freely, he wanted to see Duo and reassure the braided man that everything would be okay, even if it was a lie. He wanted to hold his hand and let him know he wasn't alone, and that he was loved. But he couldn't do that himself. So he would secure the next best thing.

He mouthed "Duo?" but Trowa wasn't looking at him. Shortly after letting him know Wufei showed up he was back to yelling down the hall, relaying information with Quatre, who was on the move. To get his attention he tugged on Trowa's shirt. His friend turned to him, and he tried again to get his question across.

Green eyes softened, looking at him like he'd grown another head, like he was asking the most obvious thing in the world. From Trowa's eyes he knew his partner understood. They'd been friends a long time. Even if their close relationship was only formed in the last few years, they'd carried each other through tough times, personally and professionally. Trowa knew him well, and it put him at ease.

"I'll look after him. Don't worry about your partner, I'll take care of him for you. But we need to go now. Take advantage of their retreat."

Retreat? That was right, Wufei lead out the kids and the men didn't pursue. But how could that be? Why would that happen? If what Trowa was telling him was true, Heero felt it didn't make sense. Why would they go through all of this only to not pursue their hostages?

Why would—

His thoughts stopped when Trowa put an arm under his and stood, lifting him to his feet and plunging him into darkness.