10-Jul-2000
Title: Mission Arcadia
bonnejean & vonceia *present*Category: yaoi, AU
RavynFyre & Kateri Marie
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
The boys led them on a somewhat twisty trail through the woods and brush, and Duan brought them to what looked like another bush. Then he pulled it away to one side and a vertical metal shaft about two feet by three feet seemed to come up from the ground. Heero and Duo both saw what it was immediately - not a hatch but a ventilation shaft. The top had a grid welded across it but something had knocked it loose at some time and it could be pushed away.
There was a rope that looked like it was made of braided material of different colors, anchored to the grid and trailing down inside the shaft. The makeshift rope looked like it could handle the kids' weight but it would be chancy with anything heavier.
Before anyone could blink, Heero had the grapplers out and handed a set to Duo. Slipping his own set on he nodded at the two boys, "Get going."
Duan went over the side and down the shaft in the blink of an eye.
Kenny followed immediately, going down the makeshift rope like a monkey. The boys disappeared into the darkness.
Heero looked expectantly at his partner.
"I'm coming.. I'm coming."
Duo followed the younger boys into the maw of the shaft and vanished.
Taking one last glance around for the patrol, Heero vaulted the edge and joined his partner in the shaft.
The shaft was straight for a good distance, then took a turn, then a couple more. The kids scrambled easily through, the pilots fairly easily, though the space was tight even for the slight pilots.
The last bit was the hardest. Air came up through the shaft suddenly, making the descent harder. There was no proper exit. Duan led them to a place where the side of the shaft had fallen into disrepair, and gapped. He skinned through and dropped about seven feet to the floor below. Kenny waited for the other two, looking at the tiny space they would have to get through. He looked to Heero, his expression showing that he believed the older boy could do almost anything, therefore he could find a way to get through this tiny space.
Heero nodded at the boy, not knowing why he did, and moved towards the opening, dragging the bags. As quickly as he could, he forced the bags through the hole, counting on Duan to catch them below.
Duan let out a 'whuff' sound as the first bag shook his body. He managed to keep it from crashing to the floor and set it down almost immediately. Then he adjusted his cap and looked up again, waiting on whatever else was coming through the hole. Second bag, "Whuff!"
Heero looked at the opening again and then turned to Duo, "I'll go first. Hand me the kit. Then him," He jerked his head towards Kenny, "Then you."
"Well, duh."
Heero sighed ever so slightly and then turned back to the work at hand, grasping onto the edge with both hands. Thrusting his head out the gap first, he pushed his body out, using his hands as the leverage to flip over, and hung there for a moment before dropping to the ground as silently as a cat.
Duo passed the kit through the hole before turning to watch Kenny.
Kenny slid through and dropped almost as silently as Heero, and moved around next to Duan.
Slipping his feet through the hole, Duo exhaled sharply, emptying his lungs and cutting his profile just that much more. He squeezed through the hole with an almost inaudible 'pop' and dropped quietly to the floor.
"Where are we?" Heero asked the boys.
"Top level. It's storage. Nobody uses it though," Duan said. "Um... declassified."
Heero nodded, "We'll use this as a base then. Kenny said the weapons were on the fourth level." A quirk of the eyebrows was all that made it a question.
Duan nodded. "Yes, the weapons are on Level 4. Classified," Duan said. Mentally, he checked out the mostly silent bigger boy, thinking he was pretty cool.
"Classified? Like what?"
"Anything that you aren't supposed to mess with is Classified," Kenny said. "That's the Rules."
"Food is on Level 3," Duan offered.
Duo grinned at Duan. "Kid after my own heart."
"Baka." Heero sighed before turning his intense blue gaze back to Duan. "Do these shafts run all the way up and down."
"Yeah," Duan said. "But some of them stink.... umm some of them are blocked and environmentally unstable." He looked back up at Heero as if he were proud of being able to pronounce the hard words.
Heero nodded, processing the information. "And where are the mecha... the machines?"
Kenny glanced at Duan. "They still on two?"
"Yeah," Duan said, "They're still there. Can they ride 'em?"
Kenny looks from Duo to Heero. He had listened very closely to everything from their first meeting. He nodded. "They have things like that were they came from," he said quietly.
Duan's eyes widened. He looked back at the two and nodded. "You guys are pilots?" he asked, seriously.
Kenny grabbed Duan's braid and jerked it.
"Once upon a time in a galaxy far far away..."
Heero grabbed at Duo's braid and tugged hard.
"Ow!" Duan screetched.
"Itai!" Duo yelped
Duo glanced over at Duan and grinned.
"Keep it down, baka," Kenny hissed, using the new word.
"Why is it always the hair?"
Heero shook his head and turned back to Duan, "Can you and Kenny get the kids out?"
Duan edged over to Duo. "Yeah," he said. "Think so." He then turned to Duo. "They don't have one." he said and winked.
Duo chuckled and winked back.
"Their loss."
"Hn," Duan remarked.
"Duan can get the other kids out," Kenny said in a low voice. "I go with you."
Heero raised both eyebrows in a clear challenge to that statement as he turned his gaze on Kenny.
Kenny ducked his head, not meeting the powerful gaze. "I can help. I know how to make the suits turn on and I know the passwords."
"Yeah," Duan said, crossing his arms. "Well I know how to blow 'em up, so I go too!" he said.
"Duan!" Kenny hissed, grabbing the braid. "Someone needs to get the other kids out. Please!"
Duan looked at his friend for a long moment, his hands balling into fists. Then, he looked down. "Ok," he said.
Kenny's face twisted in anguish. It was the most expression he'd shown. He pushed Duan away from the two boys and put his head close to his friend's.
"I gotta do this.." he whispered. "For Ma..."
Duan nodded. "I know," he said. "They... they got Helen," he added quietly. Then, he wrapped his arms around his friend. "I'm scared. You?"
Kenny closed his eyes for a moment and then his back stiffened. "Yeah," he said softly. "But soon *they're* gonna be."
He pulled away and glanced very briefly at Heero, waiting for doom to fall.
Duo's eyes narrowed sharply, his expression shuttering closed as he peered at Duan.
An almost inaudible whisper fell from his lips as he swallowed uncomfortably. "Helen..."
Duan looked up at the older boy and then walked over. "You got long legs. You can make the machine go. You blow 'em up for me," he said.
Duo's jaw tightened painfully as he gazed down at Duan. He seemed to snap back to himself of a sudden as his eyes focused on the smaller boy.
"You got it," he said, offering his hand in one of his old secret street rat handshakes.
"Solemn oath."
Duan took the offered hand and nodded. "Solemn oath," he said, but did not let Duo's hand go. Looking back up at Heero he said, "They got a button in 'em. Don't touch that button. It's a sucker button. It'll blow ya up."
"I'm familiar with it." Heero said dryly, the closest thing to humor that he knew.
Duo almost choked on a laugh.
"Yeah. Ya could say that."
Heero looked over the three once more, "So it's set?"
"Is there anyone else here who we shouldn't... err... Who needs to get out with you guys?"
Kenny said tightly, "There are women."
"Are they near the children?"
Kenny shook his head. "Not all of em, no. There's a few in the corps. One is the General's second. Lev. She's real serious and strict."
"Now THERE'S a surprise," Duo muttered.
Heero considered for a moment. "Would they follow you out?"
Kenny looked at Duan. "Some..." he said doubtfully. "Not all."
"Not Lev, though," Duan added.
Kenny frowned. "No.. she wouldn't go.. but she doesn't like the General either much. Says he ain't the real general."
Duo frowned at that, eyes instinctively seeking out his partner's.
Heero's eyes mirrored Duo's frown but he refused to budge from the more immediate problem. "Kenny could take most of the women out while we set the charges." He offered.
Duan leaned against Duo's leg. "Ha!" he said. "Kenny is real good at that... We can both do that stuff. No good on the machines though. They don't blow up easily."
"Hn." Heero commented, eyes flickering for a moment with remembrance.
Kenny frowned. He looked at Duan. "Get Sallah. Bring her here. We can get her to help. She'll do it. She likes you. And she... liked Ma..."
"She took care of me, too," Duan said, "Helen liked her. Ok. I bring her back here."
Kenny shot a looked at Heero. "Okay?"
Duan turned to Heero as well, acknowledging the superior authority.
Heero considered for a moment... And though he hated the thought of bringing more people in, he couldn't think of a better way to get all the women and children out. "Can she be trusted?"
"Yeah," Duan said. "She hid me when they were after me. She's good."
Heero took a deep breath. "Fine."
Kenny nudged Duan. "Be careful."
Duan shoved at Kenny's arm. "I'm always careful," he said and then looked at his friend for long moment. Then he turned, resolutely and melted into the shadows.
Kenny sat on his heels, placing his head on his knees.
"Ya okay?"
He glanced up at Duo and nodded. He stole a look at Heero, unsure if he was doing right or not. He simply put his head back down to wait.
Heero's brow furrowed briefly as he looked at the small boy. He remembered all too well that unsurity, though the feeling was long distant, and the boy somehow managed to tug on heartstrings that he wasn't sure he had. After a moment's thought, he reached out a hand and laid it on the boy's shoulder, silent but offering what he could.
Kenny looked up, startled. His deep blue eyes were wide, surprised. "I... if you want me to help with the kids and stuff I'll do it. I shouldn't have... I don't wanna get in your way..."
Heero looked down at the boy and those fathomless young eyes. "You won't be in the way." He ignored the slight huskiness in his own voice.
Kenny stared for a minute, and then nodded, dropping his eyes.
Duo took advantage of this pause to settle down with the chemistry kit and start fixing up a few little quick 'surprises'. Just in case they might need a distraction.
A few minutes and a couple of test tubes later, he had a nice little assortment of smoke and flash type incendiary devices prepared. He tucked them into his pockets and reevaluated the kit's inventory. Apparently satisfied, he settled back against a wall to wait.
Heero shifted and turned his gaze on the room, intent on discovering any secrets it might have.
The room was definitely a storage room and had all kinds of stuff in it, little of it useful. There was a pile of what appeared to be some kind of portable computers stacked in small boxes. Also a lot of crates of uniforms and several shelves of office supplies. A stack of moving pads, like coarse blankets, a couple of which it appeared that Duan had made a nest of.
There was a door in the far end of the room, which was how Duan had exited, and a door on the other side of the room, which appeared to be locked and bolted from the other side.
The door that Duan had used opened slowly and Duan peered around the edge.
Two guns slowly lowered as the pilots saw who it was.
"C'mon," Duan said, pulling the woman into the room and closing the door.
The woman who followed him had Asian features, and seemed to be in her late twenties. Her brown hair was divided into three braids on her shoulders. Her resemblance to Sally Po was startling. She had an expression as if she half expected to see an empty room - one of Duan's jokes, perhaps? When she saw the two pilots, and then Kenny, her eyes widened and her mouth flew open, to be covered by a hand.
"Sallah, that's Duo and that's Heero," Duan said by way of introduction. "This is Sallah."
Duo hopped to his feet and nodded at the woman, "Hiya."
Sallah blinked. "Uh... hi," she said quietly. She looked from one to the other, and then her eyes fastened on Kenny. "Kenny... where is your mother?"
The boy got up and went to her, but stood a couple of feet away. "Ma... is gone," he said, seriously. "Sallah these people are going to do something. It would be a good thing to get all the kids out of the base and as many of the other women as we can get to go. Sallah... there aren't any green monsters out there. I've been, Duan's been... it's safe."
Sallah frowned, but she nodded. "Well... your Mother said so. Kenny... I'm sorry." She wanted to offer comfort but the ring of space around the boy was inviolate. She looked at Duo, nodded, then at Heero.
"When do you need this to happen?" she said simply.
Heero cocked his head at Duo. "We should reach the mecha about twenty five minutes after we leave. Ten minutes to set all the destruct modules... Forty minutes after we leave."
"If it's not out then, It's probably not getting out," Duo finished almost fatalistically.
Sallah's eye widened. "You really are... soldiers... aren't you?" she said softly.
Heero gave a soft snort but refused to answer.
"Nah... but we play them on TV," Duo answered with a grin.
Sallah shook her head, a small smile appearing. "TV... I remember TV... it was a long time ago." She straightened. "I'll take care of it." she said. "I have to get back to the med area, but send Duan to me when you go. Then forget about us."
Heero nodded, something of the darkness in his eyes abating. She would do better than he thought.
Sallah looked at Kenny, and crossed the space around him to touch his cheek gently. Then she turned and made her way to the door. She looked back briefly, and shook her head. "See you on the other side," she said, and then left, closing the door behind her quietly.
End of Part 6
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.