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"Out of the Blue"Written By: Honor Disclaimers: Gundam Wing does not belong to me.
Technically. Untechnically…*grin* I’ll give them back when
I’m through playing with them. In the not-to-foreseeable future.
Maybe. Pairings: 1x3, 4x5, 2xH Warnings: Lemon, action, twisted and dry humor,
EWWT (Eternal Waltz, what’s that?) some Relena bashing (sorry,
she’s just easy to pick on!) Rating: NC-15 or NC-17 Author’s Notes: Nyx actually can be blamed
for this. She emailed me, requesting that I write a 1x3. So here it
is. *huggles* Thanks for pouncing on me! I wanted this idea out and
done with. It was beginning to bug me. Summary: Heero calls Trowa in for help in order to protect the Gundams, but keeping the Gundams out of dangerous hands isn't the only thing on his agenda. "Out of the Blue "
“Switzerland.” Heero agreed sourly. “That’s the best we can do. He covered his tracks too well.” “Damn.” Duo glared at the computer, but the laptop was used to this and bore it stoically. He slouched down in his chair next to me, toying with the end of his braid absently. I rubbed a tired hand over my eyes. “I’m going to give my report to Une on this. She’ll want to know what we found.” “Hn.” Duo yawned and stretched in the chair. “It’s about time that I go pick up Zechs.” Zechs? Oh yes. I remembered now that Duo had contacted him and let him know—in a very sideways manner—what was happening. Zechs had then informed Une that he was on ‘sick leave’ and handed his impromptu mission to someone else. “I’ll see you guys later, alright?” I waved him on and got up as well. “I’ll make the report from the Dungeon.” “I have something to do there as well.” Heero told me, unplugging his laptop from the wall. “Go ahead, I’ll do the lockdown here.” “Fine.” + Une hadn’t been happy with my report. That seemed to be something of a habit this week. But she had given the information we found a quick look and promised to put someone on it. That was the most that we could do for now. Now Heero and I were watching a security camera as Relena made a brief speech on her standing when it came to the Preventers. The first fiscal year for the Preventers was coming up in two months, and already politics were entering into it. The whole thing made my head hurt. Heero and I watched as Relena ended her speech. Since she was doing it from her office, we hadn’t bothered to supply her with live bodyguards. But I knew what would happen as soon as she could escape from the reporters. Relena was nice that way…nice and predictable. “Heero.” “Hn.” “I feel the urge to eat dinner Elsewhere.” A slow smile took over his face. “Ryoukai. O’Malley’s serves an excellent plate of steak and fries.” I stood and snatched my jacket from the back of the chair near the door. “Lead on.” + O’Malley’s was a marvel of dark wood, pleasant lighting, and delicious aromas. There was soft Irish music playing in the background and a decent crowd inside. Heero led me to a back corner table without missing a beat, putting his back to the wall and the back exit to his right. Some habits die hard, I suppose. But his ease with the place told me louder than words that this was a favorite haunt of his. There was a simple menu already on the table. Ever since Heero had suggested steak, my taste buds had been watering for just that. So when the waitress came and saw Heero, she nodded to him in greeting. “The usual?” “Yes.” I nodded. “Same.” I deliberately looked around, taking in my surroundings before looking at Heero. “Soothing.” “Hn.” A suspicious lilt to his mouth accompanied his next words. “And Relena wouldn’t dare step into a bar.” I carefully *didn’t* smile. “It wouldn’t be an appropriate place for a Lady, after all.” We shared tight grins, saluting each other with our glasses of water. A young man—he couldn’t have been more than three or so years older than we were—approached, weaving his way unsteadily toward our table. I tracked him out of the corner of my eye, watching as he almost stumbled over his own feet on more than one occasion as he staggered between the tables, customers, and chairs. Amazingly enough, he managed to reach us without killing himself. “Ociffer!” Damn. I was in Preventer uniform. Habits are nasty things. I put it on this morning without thinking twice about it. “Ociffer!” His voice went up another octave. “My tar was cowed.” The expression on Heero’s face was classic. He was obviously wondering just what he was supposed to do about it. Propping my chin on one hand, I fought to keep my face straight as I deadpanned, “He’s home, take him drunk.” Something that could have been a snort of amusement came from Heero, and he rubbed a hand over his face roughly in order to get it back into its usual calm lines. “Don’t worry about it, sir.” Heero managed, voice even. “Just go back and have another drink.” That took a few moments to actually penetrate through the haze of alcohol. I had to wonder what he was drinking. “Mmm-kay!” The drunk staggered his way back around and headed… sortof, for the bar. Maybe I’ve spent too much time in Duo’s company. It was hard for me to keep my laughter subdued. “You’re not helping.” Heero growled. But he was fighting down a chuckle or two as well. “Hn.” Our meal passed in relative peace. Well, the drunk did come back three times and inform us that his ‘tar had been cowed’. But he passed out after the third repetition, and was carted away by two bouncers. We paid our bill and walked back outside. I tilted my head back slightly, feeling the chill evening breeze against my skin and smiled a little. A pleasant evening, all around. My cellphone gave a little ditty. Pulling it out, I read the text message that I had received. 05 Wufei was text-messaging me? “What is it?” “Wufei. He wants me to call him.” “Hn.” I waited until we were back on Palace grounds, and I was in my room before I called him. It was safer that way. I knew that my room wasn’t bugged. The ‘phone barely rang before Wufei answered it. //Barton, what the hell is going on?// What, had he been pacing near the phone? Actually, I wouldn’t put it past him… “Explain.” //Quatre is rearranging the next three weeks on his schedule to clear it. He doesn’t do that unless there is a damn good reason. And he’s had four shuttles on shifts, waiting on the pad with their engines warm.// “Have you spoken to him?” //He’s out right now. I overdosed him on the medicine so that he would actually sleep.// It was hard, but I managed not to laugh in Wufei’s face. He’d probably been finding everything out ever since Quatre had fallen asleep. And by his own hand he had removed the nearest person who had all the answers. Oops. “Ah. Did you perhaps catch the news on the Lochness Monster and the Abominable Snowman?” For a split second it didn’t connect. Then he growled. //That’s not funny.// “It’s not meant to be. Duo went and picked up a friend of mine, but the other two came in under their own power.” //And our other ‘friends’?// “Are still where we last saw them. I think they’ll stay put for a while.” I was definitely getting better at this double talk. In fact, I was showing oral talent that I had never suspected I had. //I see. We’ll be there in a--// “Wufei.” I leveled a patient look at him. “There is absolutely nothing that your presence can do at the moment. We are at a complete standstill. You can at least wait until Quatre isn’t attached at the hip with a box of tissues and a wastebasket.” He blew out an irritated breath. //Fine. Keep me updated. Chang, out.// Did I look suicidal? If something happened to either Sandrock or Nataku and I didn’t warn their masters, they’d never find my body. The day had been too long for me. Without hesitation I shut off the lights and fell into bed. + The time was precisely 2:06 am. It’s an ungodly hour of the morning, and one I try to avoid being awake for. “Barton.” Instinct had me snapping awake at the urgency of Heero’s voice. Rolling onto my back, I looked up in the dim lighting to see his face. “Situation?” “Nataku. The bastard has found Nataku.” “Shit.” I continued the roll until my feet hit the floor, only pausing long enough to jerk a pair of jeans up over my boxers before reaching for the vidphone. It was roughly 6:00 am Wufei’s time, but I didn’t even think twice about calling him. “How did he do it?” “I don’t know.” Heero growled. “But I’ll find out.” And then probably shoot whoever was responsible for the leak. If he could beat Wufei to it. *ring* *ring* *ring* *rin--* //There better be a damn good reason for this—Barton?!// I didn’t even need to say anything. Wufei took one look at my face, noted the hour, and started cursing steadily under his breath. //We’ll be there in five hours.// “Acknowledged. Barton, out.” + I have a suspicion that Quatre took the controls. The blond might not look it, but he has a lead foot. The shuttle actually got there in four hours and some odd minutes. I hadn’t bothered going back to bed. I was up now, and antsy for answers. Heero tackled the problem from the computer angle, and I handled getting both Nataku and Sandrock to the palace. Since they were sitting fifty stories underneath a Maguanac base, this didn’t take much more than a phone call to Rashid. He swore that he would deliver them himself before the day was out. Then I updated Une again. Oh joy. She really wasn’t happy about this. But to her credit she didn’t lose her temper at me, just went to yell at some helpless underling out of my hearing. Now that I had finished calling everyone, I went over to where Heero was sitting, looking over his shoulder to see where he was. “Well?” “It wasn’t through the database. He has some other source.” “Damn. Any ideas?” “None. We have a leak somewhere.” Heero’s fist slammed down on the table next to the laptop, leaving a depression behind roughly the shape of his hand. “Shimatta. I can’t stop him.” “Rashid should be here in the next ten hours or so.” I told him softly, laying a restraining hand on his shoulder. “Once they’re here, they’re safe. No one can go through us.” “Hn.” Tension seeped out of him slowly. “You’re right. Is Duo back yet?” “No.” Duo had been woken up as well as Zechs, then sent out again to retrieve Epyon from the Gulf of Mexico. We weren’t taking chances with any of the Gundams. “Let’s get something to eat.” “Good idea.” Heero admitted, getting up and shutting the lid to the laptop. + Quatre didn’t look like a clown this time around. In fact, he seemed to be mostly over the cold. He came through the door in a whirlwind of energy, Wufei right behind him. “No, they haven’t taken one yet. Sandrock and Nataku are being brought by Rashid himself, and should be here within the next two hours. Duo and Zechs went to retrieve Epyon. And we still don’t know who is behind this or how they found out where Nataku was. We only know that the hacker was in Switzerland.” I ran my own words back through my head to see if I had missed anything. “And Une has been updated. Any questions?” Quatre and Wufei shared a look. “And Relena?” “Has been told as little as possible.” Heero filled in, a brief tightening of his mouth accompanying the words. “She won’t be happy about more Gundams in the hangar either.” “She’s already shown her unhappiness earlier.” I told them, trying to clarify. “Ah.” Quatre shook his head, resigned. “I should have expected that. Where’s our suite?” “Next to mine. Four doors down from Relena’s.” Wufei scowled at me. “Do we have to be stuck near the onna?” “Yes.” I told him flatly. Misery likes company, after all. He glared back. “I’m going to pull some other people in.” Quatre announced, heading back out of the room. “I used them during the war for information, so they’re safe. Call me when Rashid gets in.” Wufei threw up his hands and followed his lover out the room. Mentioning Relena had brought up a point. No one had warned her that we had called in Wufei and Quatre. I looked over at Heero, brow cocked. “Did you warn Relena?” “No.” “Fine. Call her.” Heero gave me a look that clearly said ‘no way, you do it.’ “I’ve called Une. Twice. Your turn.” After a brief battle of wills—or glares, it depends on how you look at it—Heero gave in and went to the vidphone. I prudently moved to where I was out of sight and out of hearing. Surely there was something that needed doing…*elsewhere*. ~*~*~*~ Honor: Ugh. It’s 10:30. My brain is dead. Oyasami,
guys. Oyasami, Shigeki.
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