| Whatever It Takes Chapter 1 Shifting his feet slightly on the tree branch beneath him, Duo Maxwell positioned himself to get a better view of the gated entrance to the suspected Oz facility. One of his gloved hands grasped the rough bark of the fir tree while the other held the binoculars that were trained on the structure. Dressed all in black leather, he blended perfectly with the darkness of the tree. The innocent-looking compound was surrounded by a buffer of trees, a forest really, that made reconnaissance easier. The fir trees were interspersed with deciduous trees, all lacking their leaves at this time of year, and Duo had a clear view of the gleaming white buildings and the fence that encircled them. Easing the binoculars to the left, he saw that the standard precautionary chain-link fence had been supplemented with concertina wire and one of the taller buildings had what appeared to be armed guards on the roof. Definitely not standard precautions for what was advertised to be an "educational research facility." He was surprised that evidently no thought had been taken to employ surveillance of the wooded area around the compound. But he and Quatre had checked the area most thoroughly before getting this close. A slight crunching sound from below let him know that his partner was nearby. He reached out a hand and shook the branch nearest him, causing a few stray needles and icy drops to plummet down upon his friend. Quatre gasped and jumped to the side, whipping out his gun and training it on the tree above him. "Duo!" he hissed and lowered his gun as the grinning face of his friend came into view above him. "I'm almost finished," Duo answered in a stage whisper. "You find anything?" Quatre shook his head and pulled his knit cap down over his ears. He was dressed all in black, and as warmly as Duo was, but the cold always seemed to bother him more than the others. Duo raised the binoculars again. A sudden movement near the gate caught his attention. "Hold on, Q. We may have something here." As Duo watched, a man came to the gate. He was wearing a dark green uniform with a distinctive gold symbol on the sleeve. "Bingo," Duo said under his breath. A second Oz soldier came to the gate. He seemed to be escorting someone. A woman perhaps? Duo eased his feet slightly on the slick branch and refocused the binoculars in an attempt to make out their identities. There! The second soldier had opened a series of locks allowing the first soldier to exit. He seemed to be pulling on the blonde-haired person with him who was dressed in white leggings and a...pink...sweater...it couldn't be! Duo swallowed and flicked the switch on the binoculars to maximum magnification. The girls's face came suddenly into view as if she stood two feet from him. "Shit!" He had to catch himself before he fell out of the tree. Quatre's worried face peered up at him. "What is it?" "It's Relena. Those Oz bastards got Relena!" Duo watched as the two soldiers were joined by another man, obviously a soldier himself, but in civilian clothing. They exchanged some words and Duo saw that the third man held a gun on Relena. Duo's jaw clenched and he watched as Relena's hands were tied in front of her, her chin raised in defiance. "Atta girl, babe. Just hang in there," he whispered softly. The man with the gun grabbed Relena's hands and started to pull her down the road, away from the facility. There was no vehicle in sight and it was about a 30 minute walk to the town. Where in the world was he taking her? "What's happening, Duo? Is she alright?" Quatre's frantic whispers reached his perch. "Hold on, Q. I just want to see what they're up to." Was this man taking her out to shoot her? In that case, why leave the security of their facility? Were they transporting her? Maybe they had a vehicle waiting down the road. Duo's thoughts paused as he observed one of the uniformed soldiers easing out of the gate and following Relena and her companion. At one point the man with Relena turned and made a furtive gesture to the soldier following, whereupon he slunk further into the woods lining the roadway. Hmm...curiouser and curiouser. They obviously didn't want Relena to know that the second man was following. But why? Duo jumped down from his perch, his feet landing lightly on a thick layer of fir branches. He stowed his binoculars and took out a very lethal-looking knife before turning to Quatre. "Here's the deal," Duo said, looking straight into his friend's worried eyes. "There is an armed soldier in civilian clothing escorting Relena down the road towards town. Relena appears to be unharmed, although her wrists are restrained. There is another uniformed soldier tailing them, apparently with the knowledge and support of the man with Relena. If I take out the guy following them, can you take care of the one with 'Her Highness' and calm her until I meet up with you?" Quatre's eyes hardened and he gave a brief quick nod as they turned towards the road. Duo laid one hand on his friend's arm to slow him as they approached their quarry. He silently gestured for Quatre to go on ahead and within seconds his Arabian friend had disappeared into the foliage. Duo eased towards the roadway until he was in a position to observe the furtive movements of the Oz soldier. The man was obviously unseasoned. He kept all his attention on the couple in front of him, nearly oblivious to his surroundings. 'Big mistake, pal,' Duo thought as he crept closer. Duo glanced down at the knife in his hands, made a quick decision and put the weapon back in his belt. He wouldn't be needing it. The soldier never heard a thing. Suddenly there was an arm about this throat and a rock-hard hand pressed up against the side of his head. Duo tightened his arm and pushed hard with his hand against the man's skull. There was a grating crunch from the man's neck and he slumped in Duo's arms. A silvery rectangular object dropped from the soldier's hand onto the soft ground below. Duo made a note to retrieve it after he dealt with the body. He looked around him, speculatively. His decision made, he hoisted the body onto his shoulder with ease. Making his way deeper into the forest, Duo paused and looked around before finding what he was searching for. It was a fir tree, tall and sturdy, but with branches that reached nearly to the ground. Pushing his way through the dense limbs, Duo managed to get to the trunk of the tree with his burden. He looked up, judging the strength of the wet, black branches. Here within the darkness of the tree there was still ice and he would have to be careful. He propped the body against the trunk, and reaching up with gloved hands, caught a higher branch and swung up onto it. After making sure it would hold a good amount of weight, he carefully reached down to the dead soldier and grasped his collar. Duo grit his teeth and strained as he used one hand to pull the weight of the soldier up into the tree. Once the body was draped securely over a limb, Duo moved higher up into the tree and repeated the procedure until the lifeless soldier was nestled about fifteen feet above the ground. Duo looked around. Deep within the canopy of the pungent fir it was as if the rest of the world didn't exist. Only a tiny piece of ground directly under the tree was visible. It would be a long time, if ever, before the soldier's body was found. Duo turned to go, but paused. Something tickled at the edge of his memory. Wasn't this the way some Native Americans used to 'bury' their dead? He leaned closer to the dead soldier. His breath, heavy from his exertions formed a steaming cloud about both of them. On impulse he put his gloved fingers in his mouth and, using his teeth, eased the black leather off one hand. Bringing his fingers to the man's forehead, he made a quick movement in the shape of a cross, then did the same thing over the man's chest. "Requiescat in pace," he mumbled before repeating the sign of the cross upon himself. He carefully made his way back to the ground. It had been seven minutes since he and Quatre parted. [1] Latin: "May he rest in peace" |