Hm. Did we mention this fic is going to be *long*?
Part Eight
“How did it go?”
“Fairly well. We decimated their forces.”
Treize considered this. “Did you capture the leaders?”
“No. They ran away.”
Treize paused. “I see. And the Gundam pilots?”
“Safely within our care.”
“Where?”
“In the infirmary.”
“I think we’d better have them moved to private chambers before any of the guards figure out who they are and decide to take justice into their own hands.”
Une nodded. “I’ll take care of it right away. Where do you suggest?”
Treize thought about it for a minute. “Move them to my estate. With ten or twelve of my most trusted guards - I’m sure you can figure out who we can trust - and some medical staff.”
Une nodded and hurried off down the hall.
****
To: 01@colony.net, 02@colony.net, maganacs@winner.com
From: 03@colony.net
Re: Quatre and Wufei
Quatre and Wufei have been successfully ‘rescued’ by OZ. Currently I cannot find a location for them. They are obviously being guarded with utmost care. I will do my best to find them. Until we come up with a viable plan, I suggest we let OZ take care of any injuries they might have received.
Trowa
****
To: 03@colony.net
From: 02@colony.net
Re: Re: Quatre and Wufei
Hey! That was hardly informative. What happened to White Fang? Did OZ kick their ass all the way out of the solar system? And do you have any info on how Q and Wu are doing? You said they might have injuries. Can’t you snaffle any medical reports or anything? And how are you going to get them once you know where they are??
Duo
****
To: 02@colony.net
From: 03@colony.net
Re: Re: Re: Quatre and Wufei
White Fang’s forces were damaged severely in the fight with OZ. For the time being, I don’t think we need to worry about them. I’ll do my best to get a medical report, but the information on them is extremely well hidden. As for how I’m going to get them, I don’t know.
Trowa
****
“This sucks.” The babbling idiot is announcing the obvious as always. I know it sucks. Of course it sucks. Two of our comrades are bouncing from captor to captor. He doesn’t need to tell me this.
So I ask him why he always feels the need to state the blatantly obvious.
“It makes me feel better. Why’re you still typing, man? Are you writing down every word I’m saying?”
I attempt to not look guilty and respond with my normal noncommittal ‘hn.’
“ARRGGHHH!! You are!!” Duo bounces over and peers over my shoulder. “Heero, you kill me.”
Before I can figure out exactly what that phrase means, he’s off onto a new topic. “C’mon, we need to brainstorm. How’re we gonna get them out of there?”
I remind him that we don’t know where they are.
“Yeah, so?” he asks irritably. He’s been in a foul temper ever since he got back from G’s. I never thought I’d see Duo in a foul temper. Unthinkingly, I ask what’s bothering him.
“Huh?”
I repeat myself.
“Gee, Heero,” Duo says sarcastically, “if I didn’t know better, I’d say you cared.”
It’s entirely possible that I do. Or maybe he’s just irritating the hell out of me. I’m not sure which is the truth.
“After all, it probably doesn’t bother you a bit that our friends are getting hauled off to who-knows-where and having who-knows-what done to them. Not Mr. Emotionless.”
I take exception to that. I’m certainly not emotionless, and I tell him so.
“Never would’ve guessed.” Duo thuds down at his computer and looks pissy.
I ask my question again. I still don’t know what’s bothering him.
“Other than the obvious? I don’t like being helpless. No, scratch that. I fucking hate being helpless. I mean, Quatre and Wu are off in the clutches of OZ and I’m sitting here picking my nose. This sucks.”
I point out that there’s nothing we can do. I am somewhat startled when he chucks a pillow at my head.
“Where I grew up, being helpless meant dying,” he yells. “So shut the hell up!”
And he storms out of the room. I feel stupid. I have absolutely no idea what I said. And I’m sure he would kill me if he knew I wrote the whole conversation in here. Fortunately he didn’t notice that I was typing through the whole thing.
And I wonder yet again why he calls himself Shinigami.
****
Quatre blinked. Then he blinked again and looked over at Wufei. “Are you puzzled?”
“I’ve been puzzled for about an hour while waiting for you to wake up,” Wufei said.
“This is a nice place,” Quatre said slowly. “Oh, but I hurt like hell.”
Wufei rolled his eyes. “Do you have any idea where we are?”
“No clue.” Quatre looked around. No guards, but there had to be some outside the door. “Nice, though. Looks like one of our places. The Winners, I mean. But it’s not.”
Wufei looked down at the bandages and the pale blue blanket. “It’s like a hospital set in a really nice mansion.”
“I’m so confused,” Quatre said, shaking his head, which throbbed. “Oh, shouldn’t have done that.”
The door opened and both of them sat up, hoping to get a few answers. Unfortunately, the person at the door was Treize.
“Ah, shit,” Quatre said.
Wufei simply flopped backwards.
“I must admit I had hoped for a better reception than that,” Treize said smoothly, shutting the door behind him.
“Out of the frying pan and into the fire,” Quatre said with a sigh. “Why us?”
“Bad karma,” Wufei suggested.
“Can I come all the way in, or are you still intent on killing me, Wufei?”
Wufei glared daggers in his direction. “I would kill you if I could move. And when I can move, I will kill you.”
“I know,” Treize said with a sigh.
“Why are we here?” Quatre attempted to interject sanity into the conversation.
“Because I had you rescued from your captors,” Treize said with a smile.
“Of course you did.” Quatre rubbed his temples. Then a thought occurred to him. Trowa. Does Trowa have a plan? Please tell me Trowa has a plan.
“How did you find us?” Wufei asked.
“That’s none of your concern,” Treize told him. “But I suspect your fellow pilots had something to do with it.”
Good, maybe that means Trowa has a plan, Quatre thought. He exchanged a glance with Wufei.
“Oh, I’m sure that means they’re planning on rescuing you from here,” Treize said. “I’m taking great pains to prevent this. For one thing, other than the guards on your door, myself, and my Lady Une, nobody knows where you are. Oh, and the medical staff that’s taking care of you. And they’re all staying right here, unable to contact anyone else.” He ignored their dismayed faces and continued, “Oh, speaking of medical staff. You two might not want to try to move too much. You’ve both received quite a few injuries.”
“Thanks for the news flash,” Quatre muttered under his breath.
“So I assume you have plans for us other than execution?” Wufei asked shortly.
“Of course,” Treize said. “You work for me now.”
“What?” Quatre stared. “Shut up!”
Wufei started to laugh. “You really like that phrase, don’t you.”
“It works well in many circumstances,” Quatre said. “He needs to shut up. That has to be one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard.”
Treize stood. “Oh, I knew you wouldn’t agree. Don’t worry. I’ll give you time to think it over.”
“Your generosity astounds me,” Quatre said.
“And here you looked like such a nice kid,” Treize said.
“It’s always the quiet ones,” Quatre replied.
****
I’m concerned.
It has been three days since Quatre and Wufei were ‘rescued’ by OZ. I have been able to find absolutely no mention of them, other than that the mission was ‘successful.’ It seems as though they have fallen off the face of the planet.
This upsets me. And not only because I’m worried about Quatre. It brings about two concerns: One: I think Treize has something planned for them. Two: I think they suspect that one of us pilots is on the inside. There is no other reason for this much secrecy.
During the night I have managed to sneak around and look for them, but there is no trace of them either physically or electronically. It really is as if they’ve disappeared. I would swear that they are nowhere within OZ headquarters.
Which means that they must be held elsewhere . . .
And it could be anywhere in the world.
I simply do not know where to begin.
****
Heero is such an insensitive jerk. Okay, he’s not really an insensitive jerk, but I feel better having said it. Typed it. Whatever! He shouldn’t ask stupid question. “What’s bothering you, Duo?” As if he can’t figure it out! He’s smart enough to know! Okay, so there was more bothering me than the obvious, but that doesn’t give him the right to ask about it. And he just sat there typing the conversation!
And then I stormed out and felt stupid because he was just blinking at me, like he had no idea why I’d blown up like that.
So now Mr. Inobservant is apologizing! What the hell am I supposed to do with that?! I’ll get him back. I’ll type this entire conversation. And my reply to his apology ...?
“Hn.”
Ha. I feel all impressed with me. Heero’s just sitting there blinking, completely baffled by my monosyllabic response. Now he’s walking off. I guess dealing with people wasn’t part of his training.
Why does my life have to suck so much?
****