Duo shoved past Wufei and slipped between Quatre and Trowa, stomping into the living room, his braid swinging wildly across his back. He yanked open the front door, then turned to face his fellow pilots.
"Are we taking our Gundams or not!?" Duo shouted at the three still standing, seemingly frozen, at the foot of the stairs. Indeed Shinigami lived and there was no point in arguing with Duo when he was in this state. They could only hope he was as recovered as he claimed to be.
Finally Quatre shook off his paralysis and nodded.
"Yes, I think we should cover as much ground as possible in our suits." He relaxed even more as he fell easily into the leader role, commenting to Wufei and Trowa now as much as Duo. "We can land a safe distance from the base - not too close to where Heero has Wing, though, just in case they've discovered it already - and take the rest of the distance on foot to scout the place."
"Fine." Duo's voice had calmed down, but his words still sounded ground out. "I'll verify Wing's exact coordinates when we get closer and then send you all the optimal coordinates from Deathscythe for our own landing. Okay!?"
No one would have dared say no anyway.
"Fine," Duo repeated and then turned and stormed out the door, bee-lining it for his Gundam.
The three stood in their place at the foot of the stairs for another moment, not moving, staring at the spot Duo'd just vacated.
Wufei broke the silence first.
"Do you think he'll do something stupid?"
Trowa shook his head. "No, not stupid. Insanely brave, perhaps."
"Yes," Quatre agreed, his shoulders heaving with his long sigh. "I think that worries me more."
They then took off after Duo, running for their own suits. The sound of Deathscythe already coming to life, roared in the distance.
~*~
Zechs had Heero marching down the hall again - a prisoner on display. OZ soldiers lined the corridor, standing at attention, in full salute. Zechs didn't once tell them to ease. They were deep in the gut of this base. Even if Heero could make a break for it, cuffed and shackled as he was - it would be a long pursuit to any possible exit - real or created. Besides, a part of Heero felt he deserved this display. He'd been fool enough to let Zechs rattle him and leak a name of a fellow pilot - Duo, no less - and perhaps rotting in an OZ prison cell awaiting trial or a beaten death would be what he deserved. *He* was a liability now. He should shoot himself! He would do nothing more to betray them - betray *him* - but if some OZ officer decided to beat information out of him, perhaps he should just let the attack kill him. His only regret to that...would be never seeing Duo again. Perhaps that's why he had not made a suicidal run for freedom yet. Maybe he still held hope to what he'd told Zechs - that Duo *would* come for him.
The corridor continued to be eerily silent, sans the soft scuffing of his own shoes and the echoing click of Zechs' boots. With so many soldiers lining the halls - in a heightened state of inspection - there was no need to keep guards at his sides; all these soldiers were sufficient. If he dared to lean the wrong way, it'd be reason enough to shoot him. His body would be easily pelted with a hundred bullets and probably a special one, complete with his name carved into it, shot point-blank into the base of his skull courtesy of his captor.
There was nothing gentle about the hand the Lighting Count placed on Heero's shoulder to halt his progress just then. Such a crushingly strong grip lent itself even more to the deathly success of the pilot of the Tallgeese.
Heero stopped as expected, eyeing the harsh glares aimed at him from the soldiers lined further up the hall. Their bodies blocked every door and junction with other halls - the idea of escape became increasingly bleak.
"At ease, Lieutenant," Zechs said and the tall thin man before him settled into a relaxed, but formal position.
"I need a monitored interrogation room for this prisoner," Zechs continued. His voice had a hard edge to it, almost gravelly in its viciousness. "I want full record-able surveillance, video and audio both."
"Yes, sir," the Lieutenant responded immediately, then added in a meeker tone, "but sir, we don't have anything like that ready. We're not a prisoner facility."
Zechs seemed to growl. "Then I suggest you do whatever is necessary to meet my request as soon as possible. You have a prisoner _now_, Lieutenant!"
The Lieutenant snapped into a salute. "Yes, sir. Of course, sir." The Lieutenant turned as if to start barking orders, but Zechs spoke again, halting him.
"In the mean time, I'd like to use Room 187."
A puzzled look crossed the Lieutenant's face, a lock of his light brown hair falling into his eyes. "But sir, that doesn't have any kind of surveillance or windows."
Zechs paused. "Precisely," he then said.
Heero didn't miss the small gasp of inhalation from the Lieutenant. He almost winced himself. "Y-yes, sir. Immediately, sir," the Lieutenant responded. "Private Morgan!"
Another soldier, stouter and rounder about the middle, snapped to an even more ridged salute. "Yes, sir!"
"Escort the prisoner to Room 187 and stand guard until Colonel Marquise returns."
"Yes, sir!" Morgan replied and broke away from his place lining the hall. His hard grip replaced Zechs' and Heero found himself moving far quicker down the hall than before, vicious glares greeting him as the faces sped by. He could just barely hear the voice of the Lieutenant asking Zechs to specify what kind of equipment he should be making ready for him before it grew too distance to be heard.
After a right, a left and then another right turn, Heero found himself shoved against the wall and held there, gripped at his neck while Morgan keyed a code into the access pad for the room. Room 187. The pressure to his windpipe was enough to let him breathe, but only shallowly. Through all of this, though, shit was pouring forth from the Private's mouth.
"I don't blame the Colonel for wanting a little time alone with you," he said with a salacious grin on his face. "You're pretty enough to be a girl. Who would've thought a mindless killer like you would look so pretty." The man flung open the door and grabbed Heero by the hair, fisting it so tight his eyes stung with tears, and threw him into the room. Heero wouldn't let himself fall; he jerked against his bonds and caught his balance. His shoes slid on the cement floor before he steadied himself in the center of the room. He looked up then, glaring at the Private.
This was his chance, he realized. Subdue this man and he could increase his chances of escape. He had a three-corridor lead on anyone else in the facility. The soldier stalked forward, an ugly gleam to his eyes.
"I'd bet you'd be tight, a pretty little boy cunt like that. I wonder how much time we have before the Colonel arrives." Morgan paused, standing just before Heero and reached out, running his fingers down Heero's jaw line, his fingers rising up just about to brush across his lips. Heero prepared to spit in the man's face and knock him down. Just one more second, the perfect position was coming as the man slowly lowered his face to Heero's, as if to kiss him.
The door flung open suddenly, banging hard against the interior wall, the impressive form of Zechs Marquise filling the threshold.
"Private! What the HELL are you doing in this room?!"
Morgan snapped to immediate attention, his back instantly rigid. "Sir! Nothing, sir!"
"Then get the FUCK out of here and back to your post!"
"Sir! Yes, sir!"
Morgan couldn’t scurry out of there fast enough. Zechs watched him until he must have disappeared down the hall, then he turned and slammed the door, locking both himself and Heero inside.
"Bastard," he growled and Heero couldn't help but be surprised. Logically, he had figured that the Private wasn't too far off his mark as to why Zechs would want him alone in a room like this. Either to take him or beat him. Zechs honestly sounded disgusted.
He turned to face him, his metal mask dull in the dim lighting of the room. "Tell me, Heero. Did he do anything inappropriate?"
Heero just glared and said nothing.
With a nod, Zechs sighed. "I understand. You have no reason to trust me, but please be aware, we are not in this room for any reason you might suspect. We are here so you and I can speak freely."
"Speak freely?" Heero questioned, his gaze narrowing.
"Yes," Zechs answered. "I'm here to make you an offer."
~*~
They'd landed thirty minutes ago and, in silence, had been hiking, waiting for sight confirmation of the base. Trowa, ahead of the spread-out group, whistled from the distance and the rest followed the sound, leading them up a hill to the edge of a small bluff. They stood there, looking down over the sprawling OZ fortress for a moment before they laid down on their stomachs, gathering together to discuss their next move.
"Wing is about thirty minutes from here to the West," Duo whispered, shifting to get, if just somewhat, comfortable on the ground. He paused as he freed a stone from the hard clay that had been sticking him in the gut and sent it rolling back down the hill. Returning his gaze towards the sight beyond, he continued. "This has got to be the base Heero's at." He let out a fast sigh. "Christ, look at it. It's crawling with Ozzies!"
"Someone will need to go down and scout a little closer," Quatre piped up. "We need more information before we can set a strategy."
Wufei nodded. "I'll go."
Duo turned towards Wufei, his motion so quick it dislodged a few more stones and sent them rolling down the hill. "Nuh uh!" he snapped. "I don't trust you. Your idea of recon involves exploding barracks!"
Wufei's face crumpled in anger as he hissed out his words. "Shut your mouth, Maxwell, or I'll shut it for you!"
Duo opened his mouth to grind out another retort when Trowa's soft voice cut through, diffusing the argument.
"I'll go."
Quatre only hesitated for a second. "Okay, Trowa. Gather as much as you can, and... and be careful."
Trowa flashed Quatre a small smile before he shoved off from the ground, vaulting over the bluff and disappearing into the brush below. There was no answering sound or sight to confirm that Trowa had even been there.
"Damn," Duo said after a moment. "He's good."
~*~
"You're going to help me escape?!" Heero couldn't believe his ears, or even his eyes as he still rubbed his now freed writs and stretched his ankles, the cuffs and shackles now a heap on the floor. He glanced back towards Zechs. He could easily overpower him now, but an almost morbid curiosity kept him there as Zechs continued to explain himself.
"I know you don't believe me," he said, "but you don't have much of a choice in the matter. Either you trust me, or you suffer the realities of imprisonment here - and I can't keep Private Morgan from you forever. There is no justice in men like him."
Heero shook his head. "I have no reason to believe you."
"I know," Zechs sighed, turning away. "Everything is changing - nothing is as it was even a few days ago. OZ is not the same," his voice sounded wistful. "But that doesn't matter," he continued, shaking his head and pacing further away from Heero. "All that matters is that I have seen it fit to let you free. My reasons matter only to me."
He waited for any response from Heero, but when none came he continued, telling Heero his plans - what there were of them.
"In a few moments, I will be creating a diversion. You will exit here and head South. The gate at the end of that hall will not be guarded. After that, you're on your own." He paused again, giving Heero the chance to speak, perhaps knowing he'd probably not take the opportunity. "I know you are inclined to question my offer," Zechs said then, "and you have no choice but to trust me. Just know that I wish for you to live so that we may fight another day. My tenure with OZ shan't be much longer."
"Then why would you still want to fight me?" Heero finally spoke and Zechs seemed to be grinning under that mask.
"For the pure adrenalin of it," he answered. "Surely you understand that, Heero? Are these simple Leos and Taurus really any match for you? Don't you desire to fight me again, purely for the sake of the fight?"
Heero nodded, adding, "I fully intend to kill you on the battlefield."
"That's what I like to hear," Zechs said, nodding as well. "Fine, be ready, a distraction is coming. You can decide what to do with it. I'm going to leave now under the guise of checking on that room I requested. I'll leave this door unlocked. You won't miss the distraction."
And with that, he was gone. Heero stood staring at the closed door, knowing that Zechs hadn't lied, he'd not paused to re-lock the door. What an unexpected turn of events. Was there far more to this than a rivalry?
Heero had nothing left to do but wait and see how this played itself out.
~*~
Trowa had returned and Wufei and Duo listened as he briefed Quatre on what he'd seen. After Quatre asked for a little space to trouble out a plan, Trowa turned toward the others and added to his report, "I'd have to say they're under some kind of inspection. That's why the place seems so alive."
Duo scoffed. "They're pretending to be busy."
After a few moments, Quatre snapped back around and waved them closer. "Okay, I've got it figured out. Trowa said there was some kind of delivery taking place at the North end. If we hurry, we can join in on the tail end of that process, blend in with the delivery crew and get access that way, a simple way in." He fixed each of them in turn with a focused stare as he continued to explain his plan. "After that, we'll need to still stay close and scout a bit more, trying to pinpoint Heero's exact location. Having any prisoner - even if they don't realize he's a Gundam pilot - is news enough. The place should be buzzing with more information." Quatre leaned closer then. "Stay near without seeming to be together. We can't lose another of us inside that base." He tilted back then, steepling his fingers under his chin. "Any questions?"
Duo shook his head. "Sounds good, Quat!"
Quatre gave a nod when the other two didn't add any dissent. "Okay then. Check your weapons and then we'll go."
Wufei and Trowa both turned away, pulling out their weapons, checking the ammo, guards and safeties. Quatre caught Duo before he'd started in on his own check.
"Listen," Quatre began, seeming to consider his words before he continued on. "I know you're worried about Heero..."
But Duo cut him off.
"We're all worried about Heero," he said, pulling out his gun and checking the clip, only half paying attention to Quatre.
Quatre nodded, and then added, "But not like you are."
Duo glanced up sharply, his eyes widening with surprise. "What? How can..."
This time Quatre cut him off. "Don't misunderstand me, Duo. Yes, we're all very concerned about Heero, but I..." Quatre paused, again seeming to select his words very carefully. "If it were Trowa," he said finally, "our roles would be reversed."
Duo began to shake his head, his expression tightening. "I..."
But Quatre cut him off again. "All I ask is that you don't try to do this all yourself. We still have to function as a team, no matter how strong our emotions might be about the task at hand."
Duo relaxed then, nodding in agreement. "I get it, Quatre. I'll be a good boy. We've just got to get Heero out of there!" he said, his free hand curling into a fist.
"I know," Quatre said, "and we will."
Wufei walked up to the pair, giving them both a stern glance. "You guys ready?"
Duo quickly gave his gun a final check, and then looked up catching Trowa's attention and confirming readiness. Duo's face twisted in a manic grin as he growled his next words. "Let's kick some Ozzie ass!"
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