02-Sep-2000
Title: Mission Arcadia
bonnejean & vonceia *present* RavynFyre & Kateri MarieCategory: yaoi, AU
in The B&V Guest Authors Series!
Duo - words, thoughts, actions - RavynFyre
Heero - words, thoughts actions - Kateri Marie
Rip & Jack, Their World and General Production - bonnejeanne & vonceia
Carter led the way with Tryan. The steps led down into a tiny room, which had a large, thick vault-type door that actually filled the room when it was open, which it was. In fact it looked as if it had been open for a long, long time. Once, however, it had been some kind of serious barrier.
Following Carter, they turned through the vault-like door and into a low, narrow tunnel that continued to grade downwards as they moved along it. There were no lights and there appeared to be no ventilation. The air was stuffy once they got some distance from the entrance.
The trip took a bit longer than it would have taken to walk directly to the buildings above ground, which was explained by the decline.
There was no light at the end of the tunnel, but they could tell when they approached it both from Heero's ability to estimate distance and from the fact that Carter's steps slowed.
The diminutive blond child actually stopped some feet from the end of the tunnel, which was blocked with a vaulted door, closed this time, and released Tryan's hand. His hands crept up to his head as if he were feeling pressure there, or pain.
When Carter stopped, they all stopped. There was silence in the musty darkness.
Duo crept close to Carter, gently reaching out and tapping the boy on his shoulder. He cocked his head and speared him with a concerned, worried look.
Carter jumped when Duo's hand touched his shoulder. He turned quickly, looking up with huge eyes in a pale face. The expression was telling. Fear. Old fear.
He looked at Duo for a moment, then took a breath and shook his head, looking back at the door.
Tryan looked down at Carter. "No way in?" he asked quietly. "You took me another way..."
Carter quivered slightly, then shook his head again but did not look at the boy beside him.
There was a brief feeling, as if the air pressure was increasing.
Then suddenly there was a scraping sound as the massive locks and bolts on the door all turned and sprung suddenly.
The door moved outward, about a foot. Carter swayed and slid down to his knees.
"That's... the best I can do," he gasped softly.
"Oh wow," Duan said, in admiration. "Good thing we didn't have to blow it."
Tryan bent down beside Carter and put his arm around his shoulders. "I can help you. Thanks. You did good." he said.
"Hn." Heero nodded, in agreement and approval. He jerked his head at the door, "Where's our friend?"
Carter pushed back to his feet. "Inside. Under... heavy security."
Kenny went up to the big door, dropping the bag. The door was so thick that there was no opening even with it intruding a foot into the tunnel. Kenny examined it closely. Then he grabbed a bar on outside of the door and gave it a pull. The door moved an inch.
Kenny looked over his should at Heero, and Duan.
Heero nodded for him to continue.
Duo dropped his bag and carefully set the flashlight down to join Kenny at the door.
Duan ran down the tunnel to join Kenny as well. Once there, he grabbed at the bar as well.
They all moved in sync, pulling against the weight of the huge portal. It moved another foot. Then another. Slowly they got the door as wide open as it would go. It left an opening of about three feet for them to go through, with more darkness beyond.
Wufan moved to where Tryan and Carter stood. "Are you all right?" he asked Carter, quietly.
Carter looked at the Chinese boy, his expression changing to reflect some of the astonishment he'd shown earlier at seeing the other boys. He nodded shyly.
"The storm... makes my head buzz," he explained softly.
Wufan nodded and patted Carter on the back. He pushed his glasses back up on his nose, then glanced up at Tryan. "Maybe you should have some green tea, later." he offered.
Carter tilted his head but smiled slightly.
Kenny meanwhile had moved around to get as close to the opening as possible without going through it. He was listening.
He glanced back, and waited for Heero's instructions.
Heero materialized beside the boy, holding his gun most carefully. He cocked his own head towards the opening. He heard the sounds of air moving right away, the metallic noise of ventilation machines whirring in the background. The echo of them took him a moment to figure out. He glanced back at Carter, "Hallway? Perpendicular?"
Carter came forward. "It's a maintenance corridor," he said. "It runs around part of the outer wall. There are ways to get in, in a couple of places, to the right and to the left. And... and access to the air ducts too."
Heero nodded as he absorbed the information. "Are they safe?"
Carter took a breath. "I've been through them," he said simply.
"Lead." Heero said simply. "We don't have time to stumble around."
Carter nodded. He ducked around Heero and Kenny and turned right. The narrow corridor was only about three feet wide. He moved along it for some distance, passing one low panel that might have been an access, and then stopped, and began moving up the wall. Heero could see a set of rungs against the wall that Carter was climbing. At the ceiling, he reached up and pushed at a panel which slid back, giving entry to the ventilation shaft that went overhead and turned into the facility.
Carter climbed up into the shaft and disappeared from view.
Heero followed right on the boy's heels, climbing the shaft quickly, his gun still within an instant's reach.
He followed the boy easily into the air shaft - the golden hair made a nice beacon. Heero glanced back only once to make sure the "line" was intact.
Duo ushered the rest of the troupe up the ladder into the duct work, leaving himself to cover their rear flank. With a snort that was half disappointed sigh, and half gleeful chuckle, he slipped into the darkened gloom and followed everyone else.
Carter led them through the airshafts, and in a little while there were intermittent light sources here and there as they began to pass grates to the left for a while, then to the right, and the shaft turned several times, and branched a few times.
As they passed these grates, they heard voices or movement from time to time.
Carter paused at a juncture of two shafts. He looked back and Heero and whispered, pointing.
"That way goes to the maximum security area," he said very softly.
Heero nodded, "How many guards?"
Carter closed his eyes for a moment, his brow furrowing.
"F-four people in the room with your... friend," he said softly. "And... four outside. There are... people all around us here."
Heero looked over at Duo and gestured forward.
"Heero," Tryan whispered. "I think they're changing guards. Guys with the yellow bands on their arm. Saw them through that hole we crossed over."
Heero nodded sharply and jerked his head towards Duo. He looked down at the kids, "Stay here."
Kenny scowled but nodded.
Duo frowned, obviously torn between himself and something he was thinking. He glanced at the kids, and then back at Heero, and then frowned even harder to himself.
Duan sighed deeply, putting his head on his arm. He was figuring that he'd probably be left to rescue duty.... again.
Tryan glanced from Heero to Duo, but said nothing.
Wufan glanced around. He understood that Heero was trying to protect them all from harm, but felt that something might be awry with them staying in the shaft.
Heero sighed slightly as he caught the look on Duo's face. "What?" His voice was soft but it carried to his partner.
"Hm. Maybe it's just my unabashed love of wanton destruction talking... but... distraction/diversion tactics?" Duo asked nodding at the kids. "I mean... Why bring them if we're just gonna park them in an air shaft?" he whispered quietly.
Heero scowled slightly then turned his blue gaze to the kids. He slipped the bag off his shoulder. With a long suffering sigh, he unzipped the bag and nodded towards the kids. "Remember to leave at least part of the place intact."
Kenny looked from Duo to Heero and back. Then he looked at Duan. "Who guards your back," he said, turning his gaze back to the Japanese boy.
Heero couldn't resist the small smile that appeared. He raised an eyebrow at Kenny, almost amused.
"That would be my job," Duo whispered cheekily.
Kenny looked at Duo and nodded, his expression dead serious.
"We don't have much time," Heero said lowly.
"Then get movin," Duan said, looking at the two older boys.
Kenny grabbed the bag from Heero and stuffed several packages into the front of his shirt. He handed a couple to Duan, and then he began moving back along the shaft to the last grate, gathering the other boys by giving each a brief touch on the shoulder as he went.
Duo grabbed Duan's ankle as the smaller boy passed him and pulled him close.
"Have fun!" he said cheerfully. Then his expression seemed to falter, and a wild, almost panicky look flitted through his eyes. "Don't make me regret this. Come back safe."
Duan watched Duo's expression change and heard his words. He grinned. "Don't get dead," he said, then kissed Duo on the cheek, before sprinting off to follow the others.
Duo sighed, shaking his head as he shuffled up to follow Heero.
"Kids today. Go figure."
"Hn." Heero commented as he moved over their grate, waiting.
Kenny examined the grate closely, noting that it seemed to open onto the ceiling or upper wall of a hallway that went past the room where the prisoner was supposed to be. He could see empty hall in both directions.
Nudging Duan with his elbow, he held out his hand.
Duan sighed deeply, then reached up and retrieved a small pen knife from the confines of his braid. He slapped it into Kenny's hand like a surgical scalpel.
Kenny took the penknife and opened it, using the blade to pry up the edge of the grate. He pulled it back and set it against the shaft wall, returned the knife to Duan, and looked at all of them in turn, simply nodding to Duan first, then Wufan, and then he looked at Tryan and nodded to Carter.
Then he looked out of the open hole and dropped out and to the floor.
Duan moved next and then Wufan. Tryan glanced over at Carter and nodded.
Carter seemed distracted. His head was turned towards where Heero and Duo were, back towards the prisoner's room. He glanced at Tryan, startled and then jumped down from the shaft and into the hall, following the other three boys.
Tryan was the last to go and dropped to the floor from the shaft. He looked down the hall both ways and then back at the others, moving to stand next to Carter.
Waiting at the grate, the two older boys had a few minutes of calm to contemplate what they had set in motion.
Then there was a moderate sized BOOM as something exploded down the corridor.
"Good." Heero nodded to himself, hearing the size of the explosion and the concussion. He hovered over the grate, pausing to wait for the guards reaction.
At the sound of the explosion, the four unfettered people in the room moved around, and voices were raised. Then one left quickly while the other three stayed with the prisoner.
Heero glanced over at Duo and mouthed "Ready?"
Duo nodded, his normal maniacal gleam making his eyes shine almost preternaturally bright in the darkness of the duct.
"You heard the boss, though. Don't get dead."
"Hai." Heero said wryly. "Done that." Then with one sharp blow from the soldier's arm, the grate fell in, Heero coming in right behind it.
Landing easily on his heels, Heero had the gun at the ready before he stood, surveying the room critically with his finger half squeezed on the trigger.
Duo slipped through the new hole easily, landing in a quick crouch at his partner's back and using his own gun to cover that half of the room.
The room was not large and was brightly lit. Gun was slumped on a chair, his arms and ankles manacled to the legs and back. There were two men in uniforms and another man wearing a white lab coat, all of whom were standing around him, but looking back towards the door out of which another uniformed man just exited.
They did not have time to register the two shadows, which dropped from the ceiling before they moved.
Heero saw the uniforms and smiled slightly in a feral sort of way. When Carter had said people, he'd had the passing fear that there were civilians in here. Soldiers he could deal with. He pointed his new toy at the two uniforms and thought two shots at them.
The two uniformed men went down. Heero hardly felt anything except a brief warmth in his hand and there was no sound other than the gurgle of dying breath.
Duo waited the second for Heero to get off his shots, meanwhile assuring himself that the rest of the room was empty and relatively safe. Once he was satisfied, he quickly spun around his partner and ghosted up beside the lab-coated person, seizing the individual in a stranglehold and pressing the barrel of his gun to the person's temple.
"One word outta you I don't like, and you find out why they call me the God of Death."
The older, somewhat heavyset man with the sallow complexion froze, but seemed less startled than he should have been.
He was a dead ringer for Instructor H.
"Then I'll say nothing," the man replied calmly.
Satisfied that his partner had a hold on the lab rat, Heero moved over to gun. "Lock picks." He said to Duo, holding up a hand.
"You know where they're at. I don't trust this asshole."
Heero grinned maliciously for a moment as he went over to his lover. It took him only a moment to dig out the lock pick he needed but he just barely managed to resist the temptation the braid presented.
But time was short and there was the mission. Heero returned to Gun and had the manacles off in less than a minute. He looked over the older man, assessing his condition.
Gun did not look good. He'd been beaten, some hours ago by his condition, and he seemed only half conscious. Heero saw a small table a tray nearby with several implements and an empty syringe.
"What's he on?" Duo asked dangerously, his arm tightening against the scientist's throat warningly.
"Something to relax his resistance to questions... " the scientist answered smoothly.
"Gun." Heero said sharply, testing to see the effect.
Gun blinked, and looked up. He blinked again, and then his brows drew together. Closing his eyes for a moment, Heero could almost see the man reaching for the remaining threads of his will and energy. He took a couple of breaths and then opened his eyes, pushing himself up and to his feet. He swayed, and grabbed the chair back. His eyes darted to the scientist.
"Rotter," he growled. He looked back at Heero and simply nodded, saving his strength.
"You don't seem too damned surprised to see us. Why?" Duo demanded, pressing the gun so tightly to the white-coated man's skull that it was already leaving a bruise.
The scientist winced slightly. "Of course not. He," the man's eyes flickered to Gun, "Had to have had friends. I did warn the commander."
"Commander?" Heero's voice was harsh as he glared at the scientist.
"Of this facility," the scientist answered, his eyebrows raising.
Duo's eyes narrowed dangerously, his gaze darting over to meet Heero's.
The scientist glanced at Heero also, as best he could without moving. His eyes lit on the gun in Heero's hand and he seemed... pleased.
Heero noticed the look and his eyes narrowed, sparking dangerously. "What?" He growled menacingly, losing patience with the lab rat.
"Another one," the man said simply. The attitude was one Heero remembered. The excitement the scientists had regarding any technological advance or new toy.
"So where's the other one?" Duo growled.
"In a vault... in my laboratory," the man answered promptly.
"Which is where?"
"Three levels below," the scientists said.
Heero snorted. "We don't have time for this." He looked to Duo expectantly though with no clear command in his eyes - kill him or drop him, it was pretty much the same thing to him. Or it would be once the storm broke.
Duo nodded at Heero to get Gun out of there, maintaining his stranglehold on his prisoner.
"Don't hurt my little Carter," the scientist said.
"Why should we? I figured you'd already done a pretty good job of that," Duo snarled.
"Unfair," the man said. "I would never hurt my little Carter. He's so very special."
"Unfair? What the hell do you know about fair?"
The scientist shrugged, unperturbed.
Heero growled lowly under his breath and jerked the gun slightly towards the scientist, "Do something with him." He told his partner.
Gun had been listening to the exchange, although he still seemed very out of it, the part about his gun had not been lost on him. He looked at Heero, though one eye was partially swollen with a bruise. "Don't leave it," he managed.
Heero looked at Gun with mild surprise on his face. He had thought him nearly insensible. He cocked his head towards Gun, a silent inquiry, and leaned closer to make sure he heard right.
"Don't... leave it," the older man repeated. He took several deep breaths, pulling a little more together.
"Get him out of here... The good Doctor and I will... go shopping," Duo replied with a malicious grin and a violent jerk on the scientist's neck.
The scientist choked and looked at Duo resentfully.
Heero frowned deeply at the idea of splitting from his partner and looked at Duo for a long moment before sighing. "Hurry. Remember the time limit. If it gets close, forget the gun." His voice was curt and commanding. He was not going to lose his partner, no matter how advanced a toy it was.
Gun growled softly. "Can't... get it... destroy it."
Heero looked down at Gun and lifted a shoulder in an almost shrug. "Jack and Rip are taking care of that."
Gun closed his eyes briefly. Then in a very clear voice, he said, "Don't count on them for anything. Anything. What you get... always a gift." He swallowed and pushed his body towards the door, wavering, then firming slowly as he moved.
Duo nodded to himself and tossed an urgent glance at Heero.
"Go."
Then he turned his attention to his prisoner.
"How bout I let you breathe again if you promise not to make me want to kill you, okay?"
The scientist promptly nodded.
Heero took one last look at his lover. "Don't you dare be late, baka." He muttered under his breath before leaving.
Duo noted Heero's departure briefly before turning his full attention back to the scientist.
"Good. Hope we understand each other, cause I'm not the most stable person on the best of days, man," he replied, his eyes widening in a mad, maniacal grin as he loosened the pressure on his prisoner's throat.
The scientist swallowed, then said, "Of course." He didn't seem discomfited by the crazed expression. "To get to my lab, turn right, fifty feet, there's a lift."
"And probably about four or five guards too, right?" Duo chuckled warningly.
"It's possible," the scientist said. He pointed to an intercom set in the wall. "Punch the yellow button to speak. Tell the sector G guard unit to report to the command station."
"You're being awful helpful... "
"I prefer to keep breathing," the scientist answered calmly.
"Heh... If you mess with me, I'll make sure you breathe for a good long while... I'll make sure you bleed for a good long while, too," Duo warned.
The scientist shrugged and waited for whatever would happen next.
Duo eyed him warily, weighing his options.
"Won't they be suspicious of a strange voice?"
The scientist said, "Shall I do it?"
"I think that's a very good idea," Duo replied, motioning towards the panel with the barrel of his pistol.
Seeing as the less than sane approach wasn't working too well, he let the mask slip a little, settling into a familiar all-business, soldier of death and mayhem.
"No funny shit."
The scientist didn't bother to answer that. He pressed the yellow button and issued the orders in an imperious voice.
A few moments later they heard heavy footsteps as four men went by.
Duo smiled wickedly to himself.
"Shall we?" he asked, tossing the scientist a mocking smile.
The man simply moved for the door, not too quickly, his demeanor indicating he had no desire to test Duo's non-existent patience.
Duo followed right behind the man, weapon cocked and ready to go. His other hand stayed close to the hilt of one of Rip's knives, just in case.
Gunshots were awful low in close quarters after all. Wouldn't want to attract too much attention.
Yet.
End of Part 21 -- TBC
bonnejeanne & vonceia present
RavynFyre and Kateri Marie
Please feel free to direct feedback to any or all of the authors!
ravynfyre@hotmail.com,
nacl3salaris@hotmail.com,
vonceia@yahoo.com,
bonnejeanne@yahoo.com.