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"Endangered"Written By: Artemis Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters are
copyright to Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, and associated parties.
I make no money with this fic. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: yaoi lemon, sap Pairings: 6x2, implied 3x4 Summary: The pilots must separate to talk with
various colonies on behalf of GAIA. "Endangered" 16)
Of course Heero wouldn't trust the security to anyone else, though a couple of the rebels who were now working solidly with them had volunteered to help. He'd stationed them as guards, but went over the place top to bottom, spending hours beforehand assuring that no listening or video taps were in place. They'd only seen their shadow one more time, and the man had immediately high-tailed it out of their vicinity once spotted, clearly reluctant to be confronted. That suited them fine. But Heero couldn't help but wonder who the guy's contacts were. People were filing in now, and the colony officials who had promised to attend were already here and sitting on the dais with some of the rebel leaders. Each side still looked wary of the other, though Duo was already working the crowd with his charm and optimism. Duo shot a look at Heero who was scanning the attendees as they came in through the door. The other boy was being cautious, but Duo worried his intensity might be unsettling to their already jumpy guests. He chuckled under his breath, knowing there was no diverting Heero from his mission and turned to greet another newcomer. "Hey, glad you could make it," Duo said, cheerily as he welcomed a young woman to the meeting as she came onto the dais. His friendly tone surprised her, since she had only just met him the day before, and had only briefly exchanged names. But she took her seat with a smile. [Gotta keep 'em happy,] Duo thought and peered around the group. It was ten minutes before midnight and time he got the meeting started. "Well, I know it's past most of your bedtimes, so I'll get right to the point," Duo began, but had enough showmanship to wait for their mild chuckles to dissipate. "Heero and I have met with each of your rebel cells and have arranged for the colony representatives to be here. The fact that you've all agreed to come here is a very good sign." There were agreeable murmurings among those gathered, but the attendees were eager to hear what this boy had to say and quieted down. "I think we all know it's easier to get things done when you have help... that's why we're all here, right? To help each other. It's time we got together... worked together for peace," he said and lifted his chin as he smiled. As Duo addressed the group on the dais and people generally finished getting settled, Heero made a last scan around, then joined him, coming to stand at his side. Resisting the urge to continue to watch for trouble, he turned his attention now to the various representatives rather than the onlookers. [Here we go...] "That's what OZ told us," a man in a tailored blue suit muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. He pushed wire-rim glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I'm Fosterin of the L2 Council." Waving at a woman at his side, he added, "And this is Westhall, also of the Council. Now... we don't have to go into lengthy introductions, but I understand you boys called this meeting? While that's an impressive accomplishment..." His _expression darkened. "Just who are you?" "Maxwell, isn't it?" Westhall spoke up before either of the boys could. "Both of you... and you're from the rebel group? But what could you young fellows possibly have to do with GAIA? Isn't that what we're here to discuss?" "Lots of questions," Heero murmured, looking at the two official-types warily, his arms crossed over his chest. "Yeah," Duo agreed, scratching his head. "Mind if I answer those questions randomly? Let's see... oh, right... yes, I'm Duo Maxwell and I'm from here... from L2." He made a little wave to the group as if he was a returning dignitary and then looked back at the colony rep whose scowl had deepened. "Heero Maxwell here is my cousin," he said, winking at his friend, "from the L1 colony. We're not a part of any colonial rebel group... we're founding members of GAIA. Oh! And we're Gundam pilots." "The Gundam pilots founded GAIA?" Westhall blurted out, but her colleague had a stronger reaction, pushing himself up abruptly, leaning on the table in front of him. "No way! You can't be Gundam pilots!" Fosterin snapped, appalled as he gaped at the two slender young men. Heero caught the look on Duo's face out of the corner of his eye; his partner was heading to a rapid boil. "Yes, we're Gundam pilots," he repeated firmly. "When the Alliance was suppressing the colonies and restricting your control over your very homes, we went to Earth to confront them and OZ directly!" "Prolonging the war..." "That's what OZ would have you believe!" "Please..." a voice called out from the main floor. "Would you like to see the keys to my Gundam?" Duo asked, sarcastically holding up his fist to the colony representative. "Please, stop!" the voice cried out louder. The group on the dais looked out onto the floor. "Who said that?" Duo asked, as he squinted into the crowd. "My grandfather was killed by Alliance soldiers," the boy said as he stood. It was Wilkes, the boy who had so quickly befriended Heero and Duo. "He owned a restaurant and the soldiers didn't want to pay for their meal... he told them they couldn't leave until they did..." The boy started crying and shaking as he talked, but he went on. "That's when they killed him." "Wilkes, don't..." Duo said, holding out his hand to his new friend though he was too far away to touch him. "No, it's all right, Duo. This is why we're here. To remember my grandfather. To remember all the people we've lost." "We've all lost people, but..." Fosterin started to say, but someone else out in the crowd stood up to speak. "We've lost our loved ones and our pride!" another rebel in the crowd said and stood. "We don't even have the courage to come out and fight like the Gundam pilots have!" "That's right!" still another person said. "These boys have put their necks on the line for us... and how have we repaid them? We don't even welcome them home." While the others had been speaking, Heero had hugged his arms to himself, his head slightly bowed. [There's too much independent thinking in the colonies,] he mused. [I used to be like that... before GAIA. Now I understand how important it is to have allies. Even when we were fighting with our Gundams we could have made more of a difference sooner if we'd been working together.] Westhall was looking directly at the boy with the dark, shaggy hair. [They're so young...] Then she shook herself from her reverie. "You're right," she said, getting a look of surprise from her colleague. "Only the Gundam pilots have fought for our freedom. Now they fight for us again, but with words and offers of peace. We have all heard GAIA's announcements. Only hearts who yearn for peace could set aside their former political differences and band together as they have to form GAIA. And... I now see that is what we, too, must do. Only then can we confront OZ who makes deals for peace only to ask us to produce weapons for them!" The woman's words surprised and elated Duo. This was the support and understanding he and Heero had been working toward. He looked to his friend and smiled, relief flooding him. "This is it," he said and then in a louder voice addressed the group, "We all have the same goal... peace and freedom... and GAIA is the organization that will bind us together so that we can make that goal a reality." He thought of his sweet Zechs and the life they planned on sharing after the war. [This is our dream... I wish you were here, Zechs, to see this come together.] "Peace!" a rebel shouted from the main floor, and then others joined his cry. "Peace! Freedom!" Duo stepped over to the colony representative. "Mr. Fosterin, we can work together," he said and held out his hand to the man. "I hope you're right, son," Fosterin replied, shaking Duo's hand firmly, a smile working slowly at the corner of his mouth. "We have a long way to go, but... I think I can see now that we're ready to take that step." The smile managed to form. "Westhall here and I will work with you and the others, then take a proposal back to the Council. Hopefully soon you can report that L2 is on board with GAIA on the way to true peace!" Heero glanced up to see Duo's wide grin. [Zechs,] he thought, [you should be proud of your love. I'll bring him home to you soon...] Out of the corner of an eye, he caught a hint of red hair out in the crowd, far to the right. While Duo and one of the rebel leaders began to discuss particulars with the colony reps, Heero narrowed his eyes and peered in that direction. He was sure... it was their shadow! At the same moment Heero was looking to his right, a group of four men way in the back and to the far left were slipping out a door.
It was nearly one in the morning when the meeting finally adjourned. The colony representatives had taken down notes for their proposal to the Council, and the leaders of the rebel cells were anxious to relay the news of this success. To Heero's surprise, their "shadow" - the red-haired man who had been stalking them for days - left the building. He wondered if he should say something to Duo about him, but decided he could mention it when they left. Nothing else looked amiss. [I'm being paranoid... but I promised Zechs...] As the group dispersed, a few lingered to chat with each other. Duo was especially popular and several of the participants hung back to speak with him before they left. One man in particular hung back and waited patiently to speak with Duo. Each time the boy glanced his way he got a small smile in return. [Oh, God... do I look like I'm in the market for a boyfriend? Isn't it obvious I'm taken?] Duo wondered as the young man finally had his turn and came forward. "I'm Cedric," the brown-haired young man said as he held out his hand. "Hi," Duo said, taking the proffered hand. "You're quite a good speaker," Cedric said, squeezing Duo's hand firmly. "Oh, thanks. Well, I like to talk... but I'm not used to public speaking." "You did just fine," the man said, his smile intensifying. Duo looked down at their hands, still joined in greeting, and felt a shiver of panic race through him. He smiled nervously and pulled his hand away. "Yeah, the meeting went really well." [Damn, I really think this guy is interested in me.] Nervously, Duo looked over his shoulder to Heero. The boy was less than twenty feet away folding chairs with a couple of the rebels who had stayed to help clean up. When he returned his attention to Cedric he saw that the young man had backed off a couple of paces. He breathed a sigh of relief. [Okay, I'm overreacting...] "So you grew up on L2?" Cedric asked. "Yeah, born and raised here," Duo said, relaxing a bit. He noticed Cedric's posture was exceptionally good... or he was trying to appear taller by standing as straight as he could. [And I thought only military guys looked this uptight,] he thought with an internal snicker. "Me, too," Cedric said, and then nodded for Duo to walk him over to one of the exit doors. "It was hard finding work when I was growing up... so I was a Sweeper for a few years." "No way! I was a Sweeper, too!" Duo said, excitedly, following a half-step behind the young man. "When were you with them?" "Oh, it's been years now," Cedric said, coming up to the side door. "I've only been out of it a few years. Sometimes I miss it... don't know why really, it didn't pay much." Across the gymnasium floor, Heero paused in his chair folding to glance over to where Duo was. He didn't recognize the guy talking so intently to the other pilot, but Duo's posture was relaxed. After another second's scrutiny, he turned his back on his colleague and reached for another chair. [He can handle himself...] "Yeah, I knew a few guys who worked two and three jobs just to make a living," Cedric said as they stopped in front of the exit, his eyes flicking to the activity of chairs being folded behind them. Duo looked back over his shoulder again, following Cedric's line of vision to the others who were now about sixty feet away, intent on getting the gymnasium back in order. "I should probably be helping them," he said. Cedric slung his arm over Duo's shoulder companionably. "Yeah, probably... but you know, we Sweepers need to stick together." "Heh, yeah," Duo said a bit nervously, not liking the physical contact. "Well, maybe I'll see you at the next meeting..." The arm over his shoulder tensed. "I don't think so," the young man said, his voice dropping low. "Huh?" Duo asked, surprised by the change in tone. "You're coming with me!" And just as Duo heard those words Cedric grabbed hold of his shoulders and pushed him to the door, Duo's back slamming up against it. "Hey!" Duo called out, his hands going automatically to the hands gripping his shoulders. He tried to free himself from the hold, but Cedric meant business. "What are you doing, man?" he asked, still not sure of exactly what was happening, but then he was being pushed outside... (tbc)
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