Trowa barely registered when his feet touched the ground, catching
him automatically. Breaking the kiss, he moved his head back a few inches so he
could look at Quatre's flushed face. His eyes were closed, mouth open as he took a
shaky breath. Letting out a soft sigh, Trowa brushed his lips over Quatre's closed
eyes, then moved so their foreheads touched, breaths mingling.
"Umm, are you guys finished?" A voice broke the silence, causing both boys
to jerk back, eyes snapping open. "Can I turn around now?"
Turning, they saw Duo standing across the field, back to them, black cap covering his
head. Trowa's eyes narrowed in sudden anger, then he saw Quatre's dark blush and his
anger left him. Smiling slightly, Trowa looked at Quatre's lowered eyes, and slowly
set him on his feet. Still not meeting his gaze, the blonde boy started to
move away and Trowa reached out to catch his hand. Quatre glanced up, still
blushing, and Trowa squeezed his hand. Dropping his gaze again, Quatre glanced at
Duo, but Trowa could see a small smile turning the corners of his mouth.
"Well?" Duo called, not looking in their direction. "I guess I can
come back in five minutes, but it's kinda important."
"Now's fine," Trowa called as he and Quatre walked toward the other boy.
"What is it?"
Sneaking a quick peak over his shoulder, Duo turned, large grin firmly in place as his
eyes went immediately to their clasped hands. "A mission. About time if
you ask me. Not that anyone did," Duo continued as they walked back toward the
path that led to the safehouse. "Heero got a call and decided that we should
attack as soon as possible. He's so commanding, he already figured out what everyone
should do." Duo continued to talk as they made their way down the path, missing
the glances the two boys beside him were exchanging.
* * *
//This is almost too easy.// Watching over the soldier's
shoulder, Duo memorized the code, moving silently to press himself against the wall as the
man turned and passed him on his way down the corridor. //My part is a cinch, just
hope theirs goes as well. Checking for soldiers, he moved to the panel, centering
his thoughts. //Quatre, Trowa, if either of you can hear me, I'm about to open the
door.// Typing in the code, Duo couldn't help but smirk. //As if I don't talk
to myself enough as it is.//
Opening the door, he flattened himself against the wall again, and waited. He let
out a relieved sigh as Trowa and Heero entered silently, glancing up and down the hall.
Trowa turned to look in his direction, sensing him, then nodded his head toward the
door. //Got it! You guys get going.// Trowa nodded again, gesturing for
Heero as he went down the hall. Duo watched them for a moment, then hit the sequence
to lock the door again. //Well, on to phase two.// Running as quickly as he
could without his steps sounding, he took off down the hall, taking the branch opposite
the one the other two boys had taken.
* * *
From the dark corner where he crouched, Heero could see three men
guarding the weapons. This was Trowa's and his part of the mission. To destroy
the new weaponry which included improved guns as well as, more worrisome, paralyzing nets.
OZ was stepping it's war against the mutants up a notch. The nets worried
Heero, and Doctor J, the most though, since they were proof that OZ now wanted to capture
mutants--alive.
Glancing slowly around the surprisingly poorly guarded room, Heero latched on to Trowa's
figure. The other boy was flattened in the shadow of a heating duct near the
ceiling. While good guards might find Heero in his corner, even the best seldom
thought to look up. Especially since there was no catwalk and no way for a person to
get near the ceiling. Unless he was a mutant who could fly, that is. Touching
his gun with impatience, Heero watched Trowa, waiting for the signal
The plan was simple, really. Duo would sneak to the main computer and download the
virus Heero'd made, effectively destroying all the records stored there as well as the
programs. Once he'd exited the base, he'd give word to either Quatre or Trowa.
Quatre was outside with Wufei who was prepared to deal with any soldiers who
followed Heero and Trowa during *their* escape. Since they were going to make alot
of noise when they blew the weapons up, they were waiting for Duo to get out first.
With the programs destroyed by the virus, the locks on the doors wouldn't work, so
there was no reason for the American to wait for them. Glancing at Trowa again,
Heero gripped his gun tightly as the tall boy gave the signal.
* * *
Duo ran as fast as he could away from the base, screaming in his mind for the others to do it. He knew that Wufei was hiding in the nearby forest, and he had no intention of getting caught in whatever storm *that* boy brought up when Heero and Trowa made their get-away. Entering the woods, Duo moved to where Quatre was supposed to be, calling out in his mind for the boy, telling him who it was. //I'm never going to get used to this. I'm not psychic, I have enough problems without that.// But he had to admit to himself, this was a much better way of communicating than vocal communication. Even if it *was* one-sided for him.
* * *
Wufei watched the door to the compound that Heero and Trowa were
supposed to exit. Crouched at the base of a large limb in a tree tall enough to give
him a view of the area in front of the compound, he watched for troop movement. If a
large number was called, it was his job to stop them from getting to the base and
reinforcing the soldiers facing the two boys. Scanning the black sky, Wufei called
up a thick cloud cover, readying a fog bank that would mask their escape when they got
out. Not if, he wouldn't even think of that, not with a mission as simple as this
one. No, they'd planned it out too thoroughly.
Suddenly, he spotted movement near the designated door. He recognized the forms as
the two boys sprinted out the door, Heero turning to fire even as he ran. Then they
were clear of the door and Heero threw an arm around Trowa's shoulders, gripping him
tightly as the tall boy lifted into the air, taking them into the cloud cover.
Immediately, Wufei dropped the fog bank low enough to mask their progress toward
the forest even as he began to take care of the soldiers pouring out the door.
* * *
Quatre stared around him, eyes wide to increase his sight in the
dark forest. Since he'd never attacked OZ, his was not a task that required being
close to the base. Instead, he'd taken position far enough away to be out of harm,
and close enough to keep in easy contact. As humbling as it was to be protected like
that, he knew he would be a liability to the others if he were to go closer. Eyes
still wide, Quatre searched for Duo, having heard the boy's exuberant mental cries.
//I'll have to explain to him that there's no need to scream. I can hear his
thoughts just fine when he whispers them. I feel sorry for Trowa.// Quatre
suddenly blushed as he thought about the tall boy and what had transpired earlier that
afternoon. //I hope *he* knows what he's doing//, Quatre thought, disgusted by his
naiveté, //because *I* sure don't.//
Suddenly a hand gripped his shoulder and it was all he could do not to scream with shock.
Turning, he stared around, then sighed as he realized who it was. "Duo,
I swear you're trying to give me a heart-attack."
"Thought you heard me coming," Duo said, appearing abruptly with a grin on his
face. "Guess you were pretty deep in thought there, huh? Anything wrong?
With the others?"
"No," Quatre said quickly, "Heero says they're back at the safe-house and
that we should go there as soon as possible. I was just waiting for you."
"Sorry, Quatre," Duo said, suddenly chewing on his lip. "I can't
leave without Wufei. Think Trowa'd come get you? I'd wait."
Quatre's eyes went wide, "Oh, I forgot about him." He looked stricken.
"I feel so horrible, how could I have forgotten him..."
"Don't sweat it, Quatre," Duo said lightly, putting a hand on his shoulder
again. "You're mind was miles away. On a certain mutant if my guess is
right." Duo grinned as Quatre abruptly blushed. "Call Trowa."
He turned to look back the way he'd come. "And you really should work on
that blush," he teased, not turning, "It's *very* revealing."
Glaring at the boy's back, Quatre sought Heero out and thought hard about what was going
on, seeking Trowa even though he knew the boy's mental block was too strong for him to
read through. A thought of Heero's confirmed the reception of the message, telling
him that Trowa was on his way. Quatre frowned slightly at the anger in Heero's mind,
but abruptly forgot about it as he realized he'd be alone with Trowa again. //At
night.//
"Well," Duo said, cutting through his thoughts, "Do you sense Wufei around
here anywhere?"
After concentrating, Quatre faced the boy. "He's still blocking me out, but I
know he's over there somewhere," he pointed, "I can't tell if he got my message
or not, but I don't think he's moving right now. I can't pinpoint him, but I get the
impression that he's taking a break. I think his power wears him out."
Duo nodded at his words. "It does. He said that's why he doesn't do
missions faster, needs time to get his breath back and when he does too many missions in a
short space of time, they get wise and follow him. Too dangerous for him.
That's why I'm going to get him. I'm sure he's fine, but there's no reason
for him to make his way back on his own."
Quatre smiled. "You worry about him."
Suddenly defensive, Duo frowned. "He's my friend. Look, Quatre," Duo
wrapped an arm around Quatre's shoulders, leaning close to him. "I haven't had
any friends in years. Now I do. I'm not about to let anything happen to one of
you."
Eyes wide, Quatre's smile softened. "That's right, friends should take care of
each other."
"Now you got the idea," Duo turned away and took a couple of steps in the
direction Quatre'd pointed. "So, I'm going to let your tall *friend* take care
of you," he laughed at the return of the blush, "and I'm going to take care of
Wufei. Heero..." he stopped suddenly, eyes going unfocused for a minute before
he smiled widely. "Well, I'm sure he'll be fine." //I wonder if I
could get his attention if I hung all over Wufei.// Duo smirked, but shook his head.
//No, that's a bad idea. Besides, it'd be a shitty thing to do to Wufei. He's
too damn sensitive.// He laughed at the idea of telling Wufei he was sensitive.
//Even if he doesn't admit it.// Seeing Quatre's questioning look, Duo waved
his actions away. Then his eyes spotted something in the sky. "Looks like
he's here. I'm gone." Waving to Quatre, he took off in the direction
Wufei was in, giving in to an urge to glance behind him, smiling at the solemn expression
on Trowa's face. //They are simply too much.//
* * *