9-July-2000
Title: Mission Arcadia
"When do we begin?"
"When you are ready," Jack said, not having even bothered to look over when the vase was demolished.
Rip smiled. "I'll get my chemistry set, shall I? Can't have you walking around too much with that."
He jumped up and disappeared out the door.
"The rest of the supplies...?"
Heero looked at Jack questioningly.
Jack got up and picked up the remote. He pressed a button, and one of the small tables slid back it's top to reveal a keyboard. Jack leaned over it and typed quickly, and the vidscreen showed a series of screens that moved past very quickly. Seemed to be instructions or orders going somewhere to some one.
While Jack was busy typing, Duo wandered over to stand next to Heero again. He silently held out a hand in request.
"My toy?" he finally asked.
Heero looked at his lover, surprised that he was so quiet, and then slid out his original gun. With quick efficient movements, he slingshot the barrel to clear the chamber and handed it to his lover.
Duo took it gratefully and quickly stowed it under his jacket. He set it in the waistband of his jeans for a crossdraw. Not very efficient now, but well hidden. It would do until they got where they were going. Then it wouldn't matter anymore.
Once it was tucked away, Duo nodded at Heero and then wandered over to a window to take in the view.
Heero watched his lover move and tracked his every breath while he stared. He didn't want this to happen. Not again. He didn't want any of this to happen and if it had to happen to anyone he certainly didn't want it to be Duo. But, he had to admit it as he'd been forced to before, there was no one he'd rather have by his side.
Duo glanced behind himself once, uncomfortably gazing at Kenny, before pensively turning back to stare out the window again.
Kenny sat on a large couch, watching everything with huge eyes. Once things got quiet for a moment, Kenny seemed to go into himself. He was preparing to go home. It wasn't something he really knew how to do.
Heero saw the look on the boy's face and his well-buried heart twinged. He'd seen that look before, in the mirror, on his own face, it wasn't a look he would wish on anyone else. He moved closer to the boy and looked him in the eyes. "We will do this."
It was all he said, it was all he could say, this mission promised to be hard and he couldn't afford to lose an inch. But maybe...
Kenny looked up and swallowed. He nodded. "For Ma," he said softly, and looked down, trying to imitate the strength he saw in the Japanese boy's face.
Awkwardly, Heero put his hand on the boy's shoulder, like Duo had done for him so many times. He thought of a little girl with innocent eyes, eyes so much like this boy's, "Hai." he spoke softly. "Hai."
The door opened and Rip came back in. He had a small case the size of an overnight bag in his hand. He placed it at Heero's feet. "Have fun," he said.
Heero let go of Kenny's shoulder and glanced at the bag. He looked over to the window and called, "Duo."
Duo glanced over his shoulder, noting Rip's return and the case at Heero's feet.
"Yeah. Fun. Ya know, it's gotta say something about us that concocting high explosives in an alternate universe would be classified as fun," he sighed, turning and wandering back over.
"Ooh," Rip said. "Getting moody. Too bad. Humans."
Duo stuck his tongue out at Ripper and flashed his normal grin.
"Must be my time of the month," he quipped.
Rip laughed delightedly. "I could give you pills for that," he said knowingly. "And as for the tongue... don't offer... your 'koi' already made it quite clear you weren't up for freebies."
Duo snorted, kneeling down to open the case and inspect its contents. He smiled a twisted, evil smile that anyone who knew him would recognize. It was the one that normally preceded the violent evacuation of the room he was in. Usually accompanied by a loud BOOM.
"It'll do."
"Good." Heero said, shifting his stance just slightly so that he stood over Duo... and between him and Rip.
He glanced over at Jack. "As soon as we get the rest and some provisions, we'll set out."
There was a loud series of knocks at the door and then silence.
"Enter," Jack said.
The door opened and a lean, dark skinned woman looked inside. She picked up two large duffle bags and entered, her eyes sweeping the room to take in each of the inhabitants.
"Grace!" Rip said, grinning.
Grace looked at Ripper and sneered. Then, her face broke into a blindingly white smile and she looked behind her to a small little version of herself. "Sasha, greet your father," she growled and moved further into the room.
The little girl, whose skin was a nice cafe au lait, ran over to Rip and climbed up his body like scaling a mountain. "Rip-daddy," she said, and kissed his cheek.
"Sasha-kiddie," Rip said and picked her up by one ankle, dangling her upside down over the floor. The little girl giggled but didn't look upset.
"Think fast, Sash," he said, and let go. The child flipped in mid air and landed like a cat. She then grabbed one of Rip's knives from his boot and ran over to Duo, pointing it at him. She growled, then giggled, and ran back to Rip.
Duo's eyebrows shot into his hairline again.
"Why am I not surprised?" he asked, rolling his eyes at the ceiling.
Grace walked in front of Heero. "Hi, I'm Grace," she said. "Here are your things." She dropped the bags without preamble, then dropped down to the floor and opened one of them.
Heero looked at the woman and blinked. Then managed to stumble out, "Arigato."
"There are all the things we could find. The closest to listening devices we had were mini-mics from the Alley Theater. The other bag has provisions for you all, as well as bandages and stuff," Grace said, looking from Heero to Duo and back.
Heero recovered from his shock before the first word was finished and nodded as she spoke. "What about the grapplers?" They would be important to his plan.
Grace opened the other bag and pulled the grapplers into view, looking up at Heero.
He nodded concisely. "Good."
"There is also a harness to carry Kenny if he should become tired. It has been reinforced to accommodate him. We usually use them for the babies," Grace said.
Kenny scowled ferociously, biting his lip.
Grace looked over at Kenny and shrugged. "No offense, little one. They just have longer legs than you do," she said with a wink.
Kenny blinked at that, looking at the woman as she stood up... she was about 9 or 10 inches taller than Duo and Heero.
Extending her hand to Duo, she looked at the violet-eyed boy and smiled. "Good luck," she said.
"Who needs luck?" he replied with a grin as he shook her hand. "We've got Heero."
"Hn." Heero grunted. "Baka."
Grace smiled and shook Duo's hand with a solid grip. "Warriors," she said, softly, then pulled Duo against her for a quick, hard hug. "Pretty too."
"Stop pawing the boys, Grace," Jack said, his eyes on Heero, somehow discerning the non-expression deftly.
"Aw... none of y'all are any fun..." Duo said, batting his eyelashes flirtatiously up at Grace.
Rip shook his head. "That's it. I'll wait till you get back and then I take on Shorty."
Grace looked down at Duo and tilted her head, her eyes dropping to his lips then back to the violet pools. She whimpered a little like a cat. "You make it sooo hard," she said, before letting him up.
"Hey! Who're you calling Shorty?" Duo exclaimed indignantly, completely missing the look that passed from Rip to Heero.
Heero's eyes narrowed in a deadly glare as his hand snaked over to Duo's braid, giving it a fierce tug to accompany his grunt.
"EEP! Damnit! Always the hair. I'm gonna cut that damned thing off one of these days... and THEN what will you yank on!" Duo muttered. His face suddenly flushed as he glanced sideways at Heero.
Rip fell on the floor laughing. It made a thump.
"Umm... don't answer that."
Heero didn't bother to speak but let a small wicked smile grace his lips for a second before it fluttered away.
Grace turned to Heero with a smile as well. "Ahh.. A matched set." she said.
Rip was still laughing. Rolling from side to side.
"Grace," Jack said.
Grace turned to Jack with a totally innocent look. "Ah.. mon chere," she purred.
"Grace, va!" Jack said.
Duo glanced down and then toed Rip in the ribs, albeit maybe a little bit more forcefully than the occasion warranted, but he spoke with a small, almost embarrassed smile, "Yo, man... it wasn't THAT funny..."
Rip grinned. He had a wide mouth with a lot of beautiful white teeth - a lot of them. He rose from the floor gracefully, now looking down at Duo. "When you get back...heh heh heh..."
Heero stepped forward, "We haven't left yet." His voice was flat and a warning in and of itself. The slight air of discomfort still lingered around him.
Rip grinned just as blindingly at Heero. "You poor little man. You honestly think I'm afraid of you? I can think of nothing that would make me happier than going one on one with you for any reason at all."
Jack rolled his eyes.
"None of THAT now! One on One??? How terribly Unfun!" Duo said pouting.
Heero growled slightly in the back of his throat but subsided to stand next to Duo. Right next to Duo.
"Alright," Rip said. "Two on one... I'm ready any time you are."
Grace looked up at Ripper and snarled. It was her customary greeting. "Later!" she said, then looked down. "Child!" she commanded and Sasha scrambled forward and up onto her back, holding on like a koala.
"Bye, Sash," Rip said.
Grace nodded once to Heero and left the room.
Jack took a breath, rolling his eyes at Rip. "If you will throttle down a bit, dear," he said.
Rip thumbed his nose and sat on a couch.
As he sat, he took a small package from a pocket and tossed it at Duo. "I'm not allowed to speak now so here."
It was an assortment of lockpicks.
Duo pawed through the packet, sorting the picks into familiar groups and then deftly slipping them into his braid. When he finished, he turned back to Rip and winked at him.
"Thanks... Keepers can be so uncool, ne?"
"You have no idea," Rip said knowingly.
Jack shrugged.
Duo spared the swiftest of glances towards Heero before he winked at Rip again.
"Okay. Now what?"
Everyone looked at Heero.
Heero stood there for a moment, looking at Kenny's anxious face and his lover's expectant countenance, barely sparing a glance for the other two. "Now you tell us how we're getting out there. And we go."
Jack smiled. "No bus. Guess we'll have to take you. Are you ready? Last minute lavatory trips?"
Kenny looked up and blinked, then ran in the other room.
Rip, as they were waiting, said conversationally to Heero. "If he winks at me again, I'm not responsible."
Without changing expressions, Heero glanced up at the taller man, "If he winks at you again, you won't have to worry."
Duo crossed his arms and sighed. "What is it with you guys and fun? Any of you ever heard of it? Damn! Think I had the plague or something..."
Rip shook his head. "Poor boy. Don't you know that Rip spelt backwards *is* fun?"
Heero could only shake his head at that one.
Kenny came running in. "I'm ready."
"Let's go." Heero wanted the mission done. Now.
Jack stood up and reached for the air at his back. In moments the song began. Everything faded, and there was a considerably less intense *twist* of everything. Then the five stood on a very small pocket clearing surrounded by trees and underbrush.
Kenny looked around, his eyes wide, whirling to get his bearings.
"Where?" Heero's single word was succinct and sufficient in and of itself.
Kenny nodded. He took a deep breath. "Back... back that way... about... about... half a day's walk," he said, looking at Heero anxiously for approval.
Heero nodded, shouldering two of the bags and throwing the chemistry kit at Duo. "Let's get moving then."
Duo caught the kit and nodded, all seriousness now.
"You ready for this, Kenny?"
The boy nodded almost frantically. Duo saw him glance at a small spot at the edge of the tiny clearing. The brush had been crushed but was starting to move back. Only the faintest traces could tell that someone might have camped here, perhaps two weeks ago. Kenny saw a ghost in that little spot.
Duo reached out and laid his hand on Kenny's shoulder. He gave it a faint squeeze, his eyes a little far away himself.
Kenny glanced up at Duo and tried to look competent. He took off at a trot. "This... this way," he called.
With an approving look in his eyes, Heero set off behind him, at a pace that would allow him to run all day if necessary. He didn't bother to spare a glance of goodbye. He doubted the two expected it anyway.
"Just don't forget to come get us..." Duo said, turning to follow.
Jack smiled, watching them go. He glanced at Rip who grinned. Then Jack, without touching the instrument, disappeared with a soft pop of imploding air, and Rip darted off to the side, blending into the trees.
Duo came up behind Kenny and matched his pace to the young boy.
"I can carry you if you wanna save some energy for later," he offered.
Kenny shook his head. "Not a baby," he said tersely.
"Never said you were, man... Just figured you might wanna ... eh. Never mind. I figure we can do with two perfect soldiers here today. Gonna need all the help we can get."
"Hn." Heero grunted as he sprinted slightly out ahead of the two. He wasn't about to let them jog into a trap.
"Me?" Duo continued. "I'm just the comic relief. Every action flick needs a 'buddy'."
Heero glanced back briefly, "Comic relief is supposed to be funny."
He turned back to his survey with the faintest of all smiles.
"Hardey har har har... Yeah, whatever."
Duo muttered darkly under his breath, "Keep this up and I'll have your funny right here, Yuy."
The countryside was a bit beyond wild, and Kenny occasionally seemed to forget that they couldn't squirm through all the places he could, but Heero noticed he was moving fairly unerringly in one direction, not running them in circles or anything. He seemed to be following an inner sense rather than landmarks. After about three hours they saw him begin to flag a bit, though he tried very hard not to show it, his steps became slower, very forced.
"Damn... I must be getting out of shape... Can we take a breather, Heero?" Duo called.
Heero turned back to the two and nodded curtly, coming back to join them and setting down the bags. "Short."
The Perfect Soldier never had much of a vocabulary.
Kenny all but dropped where he stood, head down, breathing slowly.
Duo knelt down and opened the bag that supposedly had their provisions, looking for some water and maybe something to snack on.
There were several plastic bottles of water and a bunch of packages of field food, such a survivalists might have. There was also a bundle of wax-paper wrapped bars with a handwritten label that said "Grans Bars".
Clucking to himself happily, Duo grabbed out a couple of bottles of water and some of the mysterious bars and zipped the bag back up. He tossed a bottle and a bar at Heero before plopping to the ground beside Kenny.
"Here," he said, handing the boy an opened bottle of water.
Kenny glanced up and took the bottle, drinking thirstily. He only drank a portion, though, and closed the bottle back, giving it to Duo.
"Good." Heero grunted down at the boy before turning a mild glare on his lover, "Rations. We don't know how long this will take."
"Yeah, yeah... Ya know... I was a terrorist once too."
"Terror is more like it." Heero muttered before taking a swig of his own water.
"Heh. I resemble that remark."
Kenny looked from one to the other but didn't ask any questions.
Heero put the water back in the bag and stood, taking another scrutinizing glance of the land ahead, "How far to the compound, Kenny?"
Kenny's brow furrowed. He was actually rather terrified but hid it as best he could. "I think.... um..." he looked up at the sun which was at 3 o-clock. Then Kenny frowned. "It was... it was later than this," he said suddenly.
Heero nodded. "When Jack transported us here, we jumped some time."
"Thank god," Duo said. "Don't get me wrong, but stumbling about in the middle of the night in some other world's wilds just ISN'T what I'd call... ermmm.... smart."
Heero looked at his lover and judged him sufficiently recovered. "We should get going." Before Duo could move, he slung the bags on his back and held a hand out to Kenny. "Come on."
Kenny looked up at Heero, took a deep breath and jumped to his feet on his own, not understanding the gesture. He weaved around Heero and scrambled ahead into the brush.
Heero shook his head and lowered his hand to grasp the straps of the bag. But something near to affection gleamed in his eyes as he set off behind the kid.
Duo hopped up and sprinted ahead, deftly passing his partner to catch up to Kenny. As he caught up to the boy, he quickly scooped him up and tossed him onto his shoulders.
"Heh... better let Heero go first... He'll never let us live it down if he doesn't get to play 'Trap Springer'," he whispered up to the boy.
Kenny acted like he wanted to get down for a moment, then quieted. "But..." his voice fell to silence.
"Kenny... Heero has to feel needed... If we take all his fun, he... hrm... Trust me. It's not pretty. Ever seen a Perfect Solder pout?"
Kenny went along, quietly clinging to Duo for about an hour. Then suddenly he jerked on the braided boy's jacket urgently.
Duo stopped dead in his tracks and crouched down. "What?" he whispered.
Kenny scrambled down and took off like a weasel, making it to Heero and darting around him. Then he looked up and said urgently, "Stop!" but he kept his voice low.
Heero looked at the boy with an eyebrow quirked, as close to surprise as he got. and then knelt down in the brush. "What?"
Kenny's eyes were wide and he looked rather upset. "I... I... dunno I just know you need to stop!" he said, almost frantically. His eyes darted around the area and he suddenly took off to the left, disappearing almost immediately.
Heero took a step behind the boy but he couldn't catch him. And he didn't dare follow until Duo caught up.
Duo wormed his way through the underbrush until he stood next to Heero. "What was that about?" he whispered urgently.
Heero shook his head negatively, scanning the land ahead for the boy.
Kenny reappeared in moments, and grabbed Heero's hand, pulling him along, but moving through the underbrush like a small wild animal, hardly making a trail. He drew Heero to a spot off to the left of where they were going, and stopped, pointing at the ground.
There was a very clear, very fresh trail made by adult, booted feet. It looked like some kind of patrol, maybe four men, from the depth of the impressions, carrying something heavy, possibly arms. The track was minutes old.
Heero glanced down at Kenny, "Patrol? How regular are they?"
Kenny shook his head. "I dunno! They... talked about it but they didn't do it much before... when we... when we left... but maybe..." he shook his head. He was radiating fear but trying to control it.
Heero glanced at Duo and then jerked his head down the trail with a question in his eyes.
"We could... Be nice to be shy that many more back at their base... But will that tip them off too much?"
"New patrols..." Heero mused. "Probably won't notice too quickly..." Then he shook his head. "Last resort." He looked back down at the boy, "Where do we get in? Can we do it quickly?"
Kenny took several deep breaths. "It's close... " he looked around and pointed to a stand of mesquite. "Past those trees and a little further. I... can I.. can I go look at something?"
"Careful." Heero warned, ears perked for any stray sounds.
"You need help, you whistle or yell or something. Okay? Don't worry about blowing our cover. We can take care of that," Duo promised.
Kenny looked at Duo doubtfully but nodded. The closer they got to the base, the more closed the child got. The solemn boy they'd met in Arcadia was almost a carefree soul compared to Kenny now.
He took off into the trees.
Duo sighed sadly as the boy vanished into the undergrowth. If only they could just scoop all the information they needed out of his head and then leave him someplace safe... But Kenny had his own demons to slay. It just wasn't fair.
Heero could almost feel his lover's unhappiness radiating. He placed one hand on Duo's arm while the other rested on the familiar-feeling grip of the borrowed gun. Its warmth was reassuring as he glanced again at the tracks the patrol had left.
"Awful lot of their force to send out on a patrol..." Duo whispered softly, eyeing the trail.
"Must be almost finished with the work." Heero responded, shifting the gun fully into his grasp. This whole place put him on edge, back into the battle ready state he'd spent most of his life in.
In a short while, Kenny appeared, returning. He was frowning. "I got as far at one of the hatches I knew about. It's blocked," he said, very troubled.
"Blocked? By what?" Heero asked quickly.
"Like... the metal melted... uh... wel..welded?" Kenny tried.
"Are there other hatches?" Heero's mind cycled through a million possibilities, but blowing the hatch didn't seem very productive.
Kenny nodded, pointing to left and to right. "Further that way, and that way. It will take another... hour to get to one of them."
"K'so." Heero swore before glancing at Duo.
Kenny suddenly looked around like he'd heard something, though even Heero had not detected any sound.
"Fifteen minutes and you're in," a young voice called from the bushes. The bush moved slightly and a small heart-shaped face appeared, a bill cap covering the top of his head.
Kenny dived at the face and dragged the other boy, exactly his age and size, out of concealment. "Duan!" he almost yelled, not quite at full volume, then crammed his hand into his mouth. He was about to hug the other boy then suddenly sat down on his heels, his face struggling between sudden joy and the need to be serious.
Duan smiled from ear to ear and threw his arms around Kenny, hugging him hard. "You made it back!" he said, then looked up at the other two and frowned.
Kenny leaned into his friend, catching his breath. "Duan... Ma..." he shook his head, and bit his lip hard to keep tears at bay.
Duan's face tightened and his eyes filled with tears. "It's ok... Mine too...It's ok." he said, brushing at his face quickly. No way was he going to break down... especially in front of strangers.
Kenny nodded heavily. Then he looked up at the two boys. "Duan... this is Heero... and that's Duo. They are going to stop the General and make him pay."
Duan nodded. "They're big. They can reach the pedals. C'mon, there's a way in over here. I got 'em tagged!" he said. Then, he looked up at the two pilots. "Hi," he said.
"Hn." Heero grunted at the boy, taken aback at his resemblance to his partner.
"Don't mind him. He lost the Mr. Congeniality prize a few years ago and hasn't been the same since," Duo said. "Hi."
Duan looked from one to the other and nodded. "Wow," he said, focusing on Duo as he suddenly glimpsed the long braid. "That's big!"
Duo blinked. The corner of his mouth twitched suspiciously, and the too-innocent expression gave him away, but he managed to keep the chuckle stuffed down his throat.
Even Heero's lips twitched at that one.
Duan smiled again. Reaching up, he pulled off the bill cap and a long braid fell down out of it and bounced. "Almost as good as mine," he said, then pointed to Heero. "Caughtcha! You smiled." he said.
"Hn." Heero muttered, his lips falling back into the neutral expression as he turned back to monitor for the patrol. "You said you could get us in?"
Duan nodded vigorously. Reaching down, he grabbed Kenny's hand. "Ya gotta be fast, though!" he said. "C'mon and stay quiet."
Kenny gripped Duan's hand very tightly, holding his friend in place. He bent close and whispered, "Don't fool around. They're not like grownups exactly. They're smart. And fast. Don't show off." Then he let some of the blood return to circulating in Duan's hand.
Duan frowned, then rolled his eyes. "I'm not showin' off! ... much."
"Not yet, so don't." Kenny hissed. "This is important. Come on."
Duan nodded. He looked back at the other two, then moved quickly to the left, making sure they followed.
Heero glanced at Duo with a look that could only be found on a soldier and took off after the boys, staying low to the ground.
Duo shook his head and grinned amusedly as he followed in their wake. He'd have to ask Quatre when they got back if he and Heero were this bad, but he was afraid he already knew the answer.
End of Part 5
bonnejeanne & vonceia present
RavynFyre and Kateri Marie
Please feel free to direct feedback to any or all of the authors!
ravynfyre@hotmail.com,
HematiteSalaris@aol.com,
vonceia@yahoo.com,
bonnejeanne@yahoo.com.