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"The Road to Hell is Paved With Second Chances "Written By:Jewel of Hell Disclaimer: Don't own nothin' but these words Rating: NC 17 Warnings: Yaoi, lemon, angst (sort of), abuse, torture, memory loss, mental instability, character death, violence, dark Pairings: 1x2 Summary: The war ended, and Duo disappeared. Heero
never stopped searching. When he found his love, locked in a research
facility with devestated memories, he swore he would destroy the one
responsible. "The Road to Hell is Paved With Second Chances "
Chapter Four When Trowa arrived with the promised equipment, it became apparent within a few days that Heero would not be able to hack Brighton-Glewhyn remotely. Which meant he would have to establish a connection from inside the building. That would prove a little more challenging. He eventually decided on setting up a remote terminal with local access. "I want to download all of Isenger's material," Heero told Trowa as they began setup. "I'm not going to give up on restoring Duo's memories." It took four days. It felt like a painfully long time. Every day twice a day he went and checked on Duo, and his love only remembered him half the time. Heero only maintained his sanity by holding tightly onto his anger. And when that started sliding too closely into homicidal rage, he had Trowa to quietly remind him of his ultimate goal. Eventually he had his remote terminal set up, and he placed a small bug in the local system so he could hack into it from his room in the town. The only thing that continued to be a problem was that damned security system. Finally, he started considering other options than directly attacking it. "I could use your skills," he said to Trowa. The green-eyed youth sat up a little straighter from his graceful, boneless sprawl. "I need to know what kind of backup generators this place has," Heero said, "and take them out. I've drawn up blueprints for the building, but I can't get into any details. Think you could get in?" For the next few hours Trowa and he poured over the schematics. Then Trowa nodded. "I'll need a few days to scout, figure out their routines." Heero bit back the immediate urge to protest. He would have to be patient. "All right. Be thorough. But as fast as you can." Trowa's eyes were filled with understanding. At the first sound of footsteps down the hall, he sat up and watched the door. The tattered edges of his sanity were fraying. His mind felt like a battlefield, gaping pits and burning holes. All bordered by mind-numbing, gut-gnawing fear. The door opened. An unfamiliar person entered. He blinked, pressing back in alarm and ignoring the screaming protests of his well-abused body. Blue eyes. Smooth as glass. Warm as a molten pit. Gentle and smouldering. No, not quite unfamiliar. He'd never seen this face before, but it was familiar. Very, very dimly. Almost as if he'd seen it in a dream from long ago. A soft smile-one almost sad. "Hey," the stranger said. "How are you feeling today, Duo? My name's Heero." He blinked. Oddly, it felt as though he'd expected the youth to say that. He realized he had seen this person before. Many times? He could not be sure. Time had practically no meaning to him, since most times he couldn't recall its passing. He just had the vague impression that it had been a very long time since coming here. Something about that face was comforting. This person monitored his health. That was right. And had he told him before his name was Duo? Yes, that was familiar, too. This person had brought him chocolate for the first time. What an experience that was. It was hazy, but he could remember. "I . . . know," he murmured. Heero, Heero. It feels more than familiar. It feels . . . right. Cobalt eyes blinked in surprise. "You remember." His smile turned a tad more genuine. "Sometimes you don't." He knew that, too. He fell silent, allowing Heero to approach with far less alarm than usual. For some reason, something about him assuaged the vast majority of his fears. As if he knew on some intrinsic level that Heero would not hurt him. He couldn't ever remember feeling that way before. Apparently, Heero noticed too. He reached out and threaded his fingers through Duo's hair (his name, and he would not forget it again, no matter what it took), a surprisingly intimate gesture that made Duo's eyes flicker to half mast. Heero's hands felt familiar. Had he done this before? Many times? Those fingers moved with confidence, as though this experience had been repeated before. It felt nice, pleasant. Soothing. Duo realized his eyes were shut, and he was leaning into the touch without fear. Damn, when had he lowered his guard? Heero was smiling. The sadness was gone, replaced with affection and determination. That level of emotion did not come from a person who has just meant someone. Heero knew him. And knew him well, apparently. Maybe from before. From before I was here . . . He reached up and captured Heero's hand, pulling it down so he could nuzzle it. Heero watched as Duo's eyes slid shut, expression softening into peaceful bliss. His best friend had always liked Heero touching his hair. Claimed it felt wonderful. And for the first time since finding Duo here, his love had completely lowered his guard. No more tension in his frame, no more fearfully alert eyes. Perhaps something remained of Duo's memories, still. He'd seen Isenger's 'experiments,' and that level of instilled fear did not give way to trust in the space of a handful of days. It restored his hope and faith. Duo would get better, and he would help him all the way. When those indigo-violet eyes met his again, he smiled. Reassuring and determined. Duo grabbed his hand and lowered it to his face to nuzzle his palm. For a tiny, tiny eternity that drew out into forever in an eyeblink, Heero literally couldn't breathe. That, that was something Duo had done all the time. In stolen moments together, in quiet hours alone, when feeling playful or affectionate or just plain happy, Duo brought Heero's hand to his cheek and nuzzled it. Claimed he like Heero's smell and the warmth of his skin. An unconscious gesture? Part of Duo still intact? Or something so deeply ingrained in his psyche it could not be found from the surface? His heart stuttered in his chest. Just like that, all his doubts vanished. His feelings for me are too deep for you to reach, Isenger. He didn't deny the savage surge of poisonous glee and satisfaction. He's far, far stronger than you think. Leaning forward, he pressed a soft kiss to Duo's forehead. He sat with his beloved for as long as he possibly could, talking and keeping Duo in contact with him. And was it his imagination that when he rose to leave, Duo clung for just a moment before letting go? He-Duo-could not believe how quiet his mind felt. Heero's departure left him feeling oddly calm, no pent-up fear making his body so tense he was going mad. It lasted even when he heard the approaching footsteps. He blocked it out, focusing solely on his time with Heero. The youth's face, voice, touch, scent. Nothing else could reach him. Only Heero had that kind of power over him. If only Heero was with him, he was not afraid. Nothing could hurt him. Huge, oafish hands closed around his arms, dragging him up, bruising his tender flesh. Familiar. Hated. Heero's touch was gentle and brought only pleasure. Comfort. They hauled him out of the cell. Heero never forced him to do anything, never directed nor controlled him. They shoved him down on the frigid steel table. Every time Heero touched him he warmed Duo, thawing some of the perpetual chill taken residence in the marrow of his bones. They locked the iron restraints in place. Heero never made him feel trapped or scared or panicked. Heero made him feel safe. "The subject displays surprising calm," came that hated voice. Duo loved Heero's voice. He loved it when Heero said his name, because it made him feel human again. Special. Wanted. It was so strong and sure and confident. A sharp cry ripped from his throat when a wave of icy-hot pain tore through him. Every muscle seized, tightening to breaking point. He could see bright flashes of blue-white behind his tightly-closed eyelids as electricity burned through his body. He clenched his jaw shut, trying desperately to hang onto the images of Heero. Nothing else. Nothing else was real. Here. But it hurt. It hurt until Duo was screaming behind his teeth, kept from thrashing only because the electric shock paralyzed him. Electrodes. He recognized the feel of them, the stickiness adhering to his skin. The strange pulse that always heralded memory loss. No. No. He did not want to forget Heero again. As it began pulling him down into that inky, smothering blackness, he clung to that face as hard as he could. I don't want to wake up and you're not there anymore, Heero. Heero . . . Silent as a cat Trowa slunk into the room, not a whisper of sound. Most of the lights were off, only a soft illumination provided from Heero's computer. The boy himself was slumped over the keyboard, head resting on his arms, asleep. Reaching out, Trowa approached him like he would a sleeping lion. Heero may not have claws and fangs, but he was every bit as dangerous. Now he let his feet scuff the carpet. The noise would register to the subconscious before the actual touch so it came as no surprise, and when Trowa's hand landed on a toned shoulder, he immediately applied pressure meant to relax and reassure. As a result, Heero started out of sleep looking momentarily disoriented instead of murderous. He blinked at Trowa. "When did you get back?" "Just now," Trowa said softly, moving to sink down on the bed. "Did you get in?" "Yes." It hadn't been easy. Trowa didn't recall any OZ facility being so impenetrable and tightly guarded. "The basement has two enormous backup generators. They could keep the place fully powered for up to four days. There are also two power grids the system is set up to switch to in the case of a blackout on the main grid. All three grids have a backup grid in the nearest city, approximately two-hundred miles from here." Heero listened intently, then rubbed his temples. Trowa could practically hear the wheels of his mind turning. "All three grids have a backup grid. The same one, or all three separate?" "The same." Turning once more to his laptop, those skilled fingers began to fly. "All right. I can download a virus to that grid that will keep it blacked out for two days. Even if they manage to get it up and running before then, it will still take them hours. The three local grids will be easier. Do you think you could get into the buildings and plant the virus in all four?" Trowa merely nodded, not wanting to upset the train of Heero's thought. "Last, we'll plant explosives to take out the two big generators in the basement. If we set them to go off within a few minutes of the virus, they will all go offline at approximately the same time. The power outage will trigger the disaster response. I've studied it all extensively, so I should be able to predict where most individuals will be when." "And the rest that you can't predict?" Trowa inquired. "That's where you come in." Trowa nodded his understanding. "I'll watch your
back." A promise and a guarantee.
tbc |
