18-Sep-2001
Title: Chasing the Crown, an Extended Family Fic
ExFam Authors:
RavynFyre - ravynfyre@hotmail.com
von - sablexo1@yahoo.com
bonnejeanne - bonnejeanne@yahoo.com
*Special Guest Writer! Nixie the Pixie!*
Nixers - Nixerchan@aol.com
Category: yaoi, AU
Rating: NC-17 for now, that will change
Pairings: 1+2+5, 3+4
Spoilers: Series, Endless Waltz, Mission: Arcadia
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing characters and universe are the property of the copyright owners.
Kenny, Duan, Wufan, Tryan, Carter, Jack and the Ripper, and everything relating to Rip & Jack's universe are ours. No money being made here.
Feedback: Any and all comments, feedback, critiques welcome, be they short or long.
Please feel free to direct feedback to any or all of the authors!
WARNINGS: AU (Alternate Universe), Original Characters, LEMON in some sections. Kiddie-Angst.
SPECIAL NOTE: The next 10+ parts are complete and ready to go. They were completed before last Tuesday. Some of them contain sections which may be emotionally stressful if you happen to have a low tolerance, which some of us do right now for obvious and sad reasons. I will make a point to warn for angst, for kiddie-angst in particular, and if you feel too tender right now to deal with something like that, please don't read. Everything will go up on GWA and it will be there when you are ready for it.
For those who are looking for some escape or distraction, and don't find the peril of the characters too upsetting, I think I can promise a bit of a roller coaster ride.
I will be posting every other day, and in some cases on consecutive days, to reduce suspense, if I can manage it.
Each part from here on is dedicated to those affected by the tragedy of Sept 11, 2001.
As Wufan and Mei approached the pilots' suite, they saw a staff person with a large food cart entering ahead of them. After setting the large breakfast spread out in the main room, the young man smiled and left, nodding to the two young boys who had let him in.
Carter beamed happily and thanked the young man as he left.
"Oh hi!" he said, seeing Wufan and Mei outside the door. He held the door open for them.
"Hi," Wufan said, "Did you order breakfast?"
Carter nodded with a grin. He nudged Tryan and glanced towards Kenny and Duan's door, which was just then opening.
"Mmmm," Duan said, walking out into the main room. "Foooood...Must have fooood."
Mei giggled cheerfully at the braided boy, waving a good morning to everyone with the hand not held by Wufan as she followed him into the suite.
Kenny nodded in acknowledgement to Mei and Wufan, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly as he watched Duan. "Who foraged?"
Carter giggled.
"Why it was the great and powerful team of Carter and Tryan who bring you lovely folks a breakfast feast the likes of which you've never seen before today. We thought we'd beat you guys to it, this time," Tryan said, taking Carter's hand and leading him to the table.
"Thanks!" Duan said, focused on the food. "Hi Mei," he said, grabbing a plate.
"Morning, Duan," she replied, watching the boy with a grin. "Everyone looks like they got some rest last night."
"I don't remember a thing past sliding into the covers," Duan said, biting into a piece of bacon. He handed Kenny an apple and took one for himself.
"Did you know I slept in the bed with you guys?" Wufan asked.
Kenny accepted the apple and filled the rest of his plate efficiently. "M-hm," he said. He glanced at Wufan and a little smile appeared briefly. "I knew. If you want to sneak in - or out - you need to be quieter."
Wufan smiled. "I was too tired to be quiet," he said, as he took a plate and handed one to Mei.
"Well, I didn't hear ya," Duan said, then moved to sit down and start on his food.
Kenny looked down for a minute and then said softly to Wufan, "I just meant... I knew you were there... so you were safe. I wouldn't let anything happen to you while you're sleeping in our room."
Wufan walked over and gave Kenny a brief hug. "Thanks, Kenny," he said, then went and sat down next to Mei.
"I slept very well, pretty lady. Carter here doesn't snore or anything," Tryan said, with a wink to Mei. "And you?"
"I don't think I snore," she replied with a wink in return, "But I slept great. Probably the best ever."
"Good stuff," Tryan replied, diving into his food.
"Has anyone seen the guys, yet?" Duan asked, sipping some of his juice.
"No," Wufan replied. "But I heard voices this morning. Couldn't sleep, so I got up and went to go get Mei."
The door opened and Sallah came in, looking a little sleepier than usual, with Wufei behind her.
Carter jumped up. "Good morning, Sallah!" he said. "I made sure they brought coffee for the adults... can I get you some?"
Sallah walked over and hugged Carter. "Have I told you lately I love you?" she said, gratefully. Brushing his hair back, she kissed Carter on the forehead. "You eat your food, dear. I can get the coffee, thank you," she added, then headed for the coffee pot.
"Hi Ma!" Wufan called out.
"Morning, sweetie," Sallah called back, feeling the hot liquid soothe some of the rough places in her slightly hung over brain. "Hi kids," she said, in general.
"Good morning, Sallah. Good morning, Wufei," Mei chirped happily.
Wufei smiled at the little redhead with a slightly restrained expression. "Good morning, Mei," he said. He found a place to sit in a chair slightly off to one side.
Wufan wiped his mouth with a napkin and then stood. He bowed to Wufei, respectfully. "Good morning, sifu. Is there anything I can get for you?"
"Thank you, Wufan, no," Wufei answered. He smiled slightly at the boy. "Please finish your breakfast."
Wufan bowed again and then went back to his food.
Just as he did, the door to Heero and Duo's room opened and Heero stepped out. He stopped short taking in everyone, then said, "Hn. I was going to see if anyone was awake. Seems like everyone is and eating besides. Good morning."
"Hi Heero," Duan called, putting his plate away. "We saved you guys some, too."
"Arigato," Heero said, and moved to the table as well.
"Smells great, guys!" Duo said as he slipped from the bedroom in Heero's wake, holding a robe tightly around him. "I'd better go make myself presentable," he said with a cheerful wink as he headed towards the bathroom, "before I'm allowed to join you. Back in a sec!"
"Duo?" Tryan called out, looking towards the long-haired pilot.
"Yessum, Tryan?" Duo replied, pausing on the threshold and glancing back at the boy.
"No need to rush. Just take your time. It'll all be here when you come out," Tryan said, with a nod.
Duo's grin widened as he nodded in return. "Yes, sir," he said with another wink before vanishing.
"Well, some of it anyway," Kenny murmured with a slight curve at the corner of his mouth.
"So are we gonna have another briefing today?" Duan asked.
"No," Heero said, beginning his meal, "Right now, we're still waiting for the Preventers... so same as last night," he added.
"Cool," Duan said.
"So what will we do today, then?" Mei asked.
"Enjoy our time together, until we have a better idea what to do," Wufei murmured. He stood up. "I'll pay a visit to Preventer Headquarters. I'll call back here if there is anything to report."
"Hai," Heero replied, watching Wufei.
Mei nodded to herself at Wufei's answer, feeling much better since he was the one to vocalize what she'd been hoping, although there was a surge of disappointment that he wouldn't be staying as well.
"Could you tell Lady Une that I said good morning, if you see her?" she asked hesitantly.
"Of course," Wufei said, and then he knelt beside where Mei was sitting. For a moment he simply looked into her face, as if imprinting something he held very precious. "Mei..." he said quietly, with barely perceptible hesitance. "Whatever happens, I want you to know something." He paused and then continued, "I love you. You are brave and beautiful and wise." He rested his hand over hers for a brief moment. "That's all," he said, and stood up to leave.
As he spoke, her expression flitted between confused, surprised, pleased, and back to confused again. Before the Chinese youth could move too far away, Mei sat her plate aside and hopped from her chair to catch up and halt Wufei by grabbing his hand. She peered up at him for a moment, her blue eyes thoughtful before she broke into a sweet smile. "It'll be okay, Wufei. I love you too. We'll find It, Mister Rip and Mister Jack will kill It, and everything will be okay again." She released his hand long enough to hug as much of him as she could reach before looking up again and repeating, "It'll be okay."
Wufei knelt and hugged her for a moment.
"I know it will be," he said calmly, brushing her hair back. He hesitated for a moment, and then said, "It will be better than it has been. Better for you, I believe that. But there might be a time when... when things I've done don't seem right. If that happens, I just want you to know that I love you. And that whatever you feel about it is ok."
She frowned at him, her brow creasing slightly as she listened to him with ear and heart. "I trust you," she whispered slowly, the frown deepening stubbornly. "You... You helped me."
"I'm glad I could do that," he said softly. "And I will always be here for you. Always, Mei. I swear it."
She hugged him fiercely again, resting her head on his shoulder for a long moment. "I'll remember. I promise. Me too. For you. Okay?"
He smiled and brushed her hair back again, even though it wasn't out of place. "Okay," he said, and touched his forehead to hers. Then he stood up and left the room.
Mei returned to her seat, sliding close to Wufan so that their legs just touched, her expression quiet and attention turned inward.
Wufan watched as Mei returned and Wufei left the room. Reaching down, he took her hand in his and held on without words.
Tryan glanced to Carter, then went and created a plate for Duo. This was going to be a strange kinda day.
Carter watched the exchange but simply stayed calm and quiet.
A few moments after Wufei left, Duo appeared, once again wrapped in his robe, but with a pair of towels added. He snatched a piece of bacon as he sailed past the table on his way back to the bedroom, vanishing only long enough to replace the robe with a pair of black jeans and a blue t-shirt. "Hiya, Sallah," he said as he gratefully accepted the plate Tryan had thoughtfully prepared. "Have fun last night?"
Sallah closed her eyes and curled up on the sofa a little tighter. "Oh yes," she said, downing more coffee. "Lots."
Duo grinned before finding a seat near Heero. "Where'd Wufei go?" he asked as he dug into his breakfast.
"To the Preventer's office," Heero replied, putting his dishes away. Walking over to Mei, he knelt down beside her chair.
"I don't know how long we'll be staying on Earth," he said, "But you're welcome at our house anytime, ok?"
Mei blinked, snapping out of her thoughts as she cocked her head and listened to Heero. A slow smile spread over her face, and she nodded gratefully. "Thank you."
Heero sighed deeply, looking at the little child he'd met before under much different circumstances. It was good to see her being a child. She deserved so much more. "You are most welcome," Heero said, leaned forward and gave her a brief hug.
She echoed his sigh, and the hug, before reaching for Wufan's hand again and unconsciously pressing close to him.
Standing, Heero looked around the room again. "I'll see what I can arrange in the way of some exercise or entertainment while we wait," he said. "Translate that as something fun to do."
"We could always go wake Quatre and Trowa up by caroling their room with cheesy holiday songs," Duo offered.
"Go right ahead," Heero said. "Just don't mention my name."
"Duo, would you like to meet the ponies?" Carter asked.
Duo brightened even more than his normal morning high wattage chipper. "Yeah! You guys can show me all the stuff Trowa taught you yesterday," he replied. "I'd like to see Tiger. He sounded pretty cool."
Mei looked up at Duo, the shadows of the earlier conversation clearing as she began to nod. "He likes people," she offered.
"Then it's to the stables with us," Duan called out. "But Duo, you're gonna have to lose the towels."
Duo grinned at the braided boy, kicking one foot up in the air to wiggle his bare toes at Duan with a smirk. "Shoes might be good, too, huh?"
Carter giggled. He nodded. "Ponies have hard feet.. er, hooves!"
Duo nodded, hopping to his feet to put his now empty plate with the others. "Just a sec, guys, and I'll be ready to go," he said before bounding off to the bedroom again, humming something that sounded suspiciously like the theme song for an old 20th century character named "Tigger."
Wufei was not surprised not to find Lady Une at the Preventer's office. However, enough people there knew who he was, and he took advantage of the fact to question the senior staff about their search for Marcus. Unfortunately the answers were not reassuring. They were *almost* certain he had not left Earth, but that was about all they could contribute.
Wufei found himself scowling, but didn't notice the somewhat intimidated looks he was getting from the people in the office. He found a free console and began doing some searching of his own, following some obscure impulses. He was so intent on the information he was trying to track down that he did not notice the time passing. Eyes narrowing, he rose from his chair finally and looked around, pinning the first person he saw with a steel-eyed look.
"Agent... Noin, or Po... have they reported in?" he asked in a tone of command.
"Both sir," a young Preventer replied.
"Well, where are they?"
The young woman blinked, then sat a little straighter in her chair. "Agent Noin is in Operations with Agent Po, sir," she replied. "Should I have them paged?"
"No, I'm going there," Wufei snapped and headed for the aforementioned room.
Lady Une tapped lightly on the door to Mariemeia's room. She took a deep breath, feeling more than a little anxious. How to proceed, she thought to herself, wondering how she was going to break the news. Lady Une smiled as she remembered the General's words from what seemed and eternity ago. "With grace," she said, then opened the door.
Walking inside the room, Lady Une, frowned slightly, then remembered that if Mariemeia had gotten up early, she would most likely be with the other kids. She looked towards the mirror and a found a little note folded with her name on it.
Retrieving the note, Lady Une left the room and walked down the corridor towards the pilot's suites. The contents of the note were what she expected. In it, Mariemeia explained that she would be with the others.
A light tap on the door of Heero and Duo's suite was met with a still silence. Lady Une tried once again and then gasped slightly as the door to the suite across the way opened. Turning, she smiled at Sallah Po.
"They left a little while ago," Sallah said. "Mei was going to show the boys her pony. Is everything ok?"
Lady Une shook her head. "No, nothing wrong. I just need to speak with her. Thank you, Sallah."
Sallah shrugged. Then, she winced. "It's been quite awhile since I've indulged. Thanks for being designated driver last night."
"Not at all. I had fun," Lady Une replied. "I can have some coffee sent up, if you'd like?"
Sallah shook her head, then regretted it. "Ouch," she said, quietly. "No, thank you. I already have a pot. Think I'm just going to crawl back into bed for a nap."
"Good thinking," Lady Une said, watching Sallah slowly retreat back into her suite.
"Nite," Sallah said, closing the door carefully.
Lady Une shook her head a little, then turned to head for the stable. The fresh air would do her good and it would be a pleasant place to speak to Mariemeia.
Before she was able to make it further than the first floor, Lady Une's personal communicator gave out a very specific alarm. It was something she had not heard in a while - the Preventer's highest alert signal.
"What the..." Lady Une began, then accessed the comm. "Yes," she said, immediately.
"Lady Une, we have a situation with the Vice Minister!" an excited and distressed voice answered her.
Lady Une felt her chest tighten. "Report. I'm on my way!" she said, urgently.
"You've done this before, Duo!" Carter exclaimed admiringly, as they all greeted the ponies and horses and began gathering tack to prepare for a short ride out into the Estate grounds.
"Quatre taught me how once when I had to stay with him for a while," Duo agreed, his eyes darting unconsciously towards Heero for a moment before his grin brightened up again. "It was fun."
The kids all worked quickly, and the small group was on the verge of riding out when the little blond, who had been murmuring softly to the little palomino Shetland he was now fast friends with, suddenly closed his eyes, and then gripped a handful of the pony's mane tightly. She tossed her head and then turned to nuzzle Carter. "Oh no...."
Heero stopped suddenly and frowned. He glanced over at Carter, then heard a sound which drew his attention away, sharply. He pulled his comm from his pocket without thinking. His frown deepened as the picture focused on his screen.
Dorothy's face swam into view, a murderous look in her blue eyes, and a curse of black thunder directed towards someone off screen where she was. Most of the left side of her face was puffy and red, deepening towards purple near the temple and around that eye, and there was a smudge of blood, as if she'd wiped more away, trailing from a split in her lip. A tanned hand ghosted into view, diffidently offering an ice pack, which she snatched and promptly applied to her temple.
"Heero," she said tersely, voice tense as she forgot her customary use of surname in her obvious distress. "Relena's been taken. I need your help."
Cobalt blue eyes flared with fire, but when Heero spoke, it was in a measured and quiet tone. "Where... are... you... " he said, simply.
Irritably waving aside the young Preventer hovering near her, Dorothy shifted the ice pack out of view again. "Noventa Field. The rededication ceremony she was performing today. Marcus McCormick attacked her while I was retrieving some notes for her," she replied tightly, clearly using every ounce of her self control to restrain her impulse to either break something, scream, or burst into tears. "The perimeter has been secured by the Preventers," she began before whipping around and shooting a poisonous glare at her attendant who was still nervously hovering nearby. With conscious effort, she returned her attention back to Heero. "But there has been no progress in locating either McCormick, or Miss Relena. And I think that might be a better use for you, don't you think?" she hissed at the hapless Preventer beside her.
"Dorothy," Heero said, "I'm on my way." Not breaking the connection, Heero turned in his saddle and looked up at Duo.
"Marcus has attacked and kidnapped Relena. Contact Pargan and have him get a van ready for us," he said, then glanced around at the children.
Carter looked extremely distressed.
Kenny's attention had sharpened and he'd tracked each and every word from Dorothy's conversation on. His hand had found Duan's and was clasping it tightly as a slight scowl began to take over his features.
Duan held on to Kenny's hand tightly, his own attention focused and sharp.
Heero guided his horse around to Carter's pony. Without a word, he reached down and plucked Carter from the pony and set the little blond boy down in front of him on his own horse.
"Give us about twenty minutes, Dorothy," he said, glancing at the battered young woman.
"Understood," she replied with a quick snap. "I'll warn the local authorities that you're on your way."
"Hai," Heero replied.
Duo glanced over at Heero, snapping his communicator closed. "Pargan says to leave the horses in the barn, he'll meet us at the gates with the van," he informed.
"We'll meet him at the gates with the horses," Heero said, looking down at the kids. "Ok, everyone, let's move out. Hold on tight and let the horses take you, ok?"
Wufan took a deep breath and nodded.
"Got it, Heero," Duan said.
Kenny turned his little pony around and took off for the gate without another word, followed closely by the rest of the kids.
Heero settled Carter against him and headed off as well.
Duo brought up the rear, biting off a quick curse as he caught up with Heero. "Think anyone's called Zechs yet?" he asked, splitting his attention between the horse and Heero with Carter in his lap.
"He'll know shortly. Une will tell him," Heero called, focusing on the van ahead.
Duo nodded, adding, "Wufei should meet us there, then. Quatre and Trowa?"
His question was answered as they arrived at the gate to see the two aforementioned pilots pulling open the van doors.
Duo snorted, grinning over at Heero for a second. "Love it when a plan comes together."
"Hn," Heero replied, dismounting seconds before the horse stopped. He grabbed Carter and settled him on his hip as he glanced up at Quatre and Trowa. "Knew you'd beat us," he said.
Trowa gunned the engine with a small smile as he watched the kids board the van.
"Wufei called us," Quatre said, helping the kids settle and lock seat belts down. "He says he'll meet us there."
"Good," Heero replied, holding Carter on his lap.
The little blond boy was almost white-faced, his teal eyes wide and his expression a mixture of distress and attempted concentration.
"All in," Kenny reported as the door closed.
Moments later, Trowa headed the vehicle out into the street.
Wufan reached over and took Mei's hand. "Are you all right?" he asked, softly.
She nodded in reply, a scowl of concern etching her features. "Yeah. I'm fine. Gotta find Miss Relena. She's important."
"We will," Wufan said, squeezing Mei's hand slightly. "Try to keep your mind clear. That way you don't miss any clues."
Mei nodded again, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, she was calmer, though her expression never lost the concentrated concern.
Lady Une contacted Zechs on his comm. She frowned at the device for not being more prompt, then reminded herself to remain steady.
After a few seconds, the line fuzzed and opened, Zechs expression immediately turning more somber at Une's harried appearance.
"Zechs, we have an emergency. It's Relena. Marcus McCormick attacked Relena and Dorothy at Noventa Field. From all indications, he's still on Earth. The Preventers have sealed the area, but McCormick and the Vice Minister have not been found," Une said, forcing herself to concentrate.
Zechs remained still for a long moment, before he spoke again, the unnatural calm in his voice offset by the too careful pronunciation of every syllable. "Any leads at all?"
Lady Une looked into the ice blue eyes. "They think he might still be at the space port. I'm on my way there now," she said.
"Permission to be assigne..."
"You're activated," Une interrupted, "Preventer Wind.. go!"
The communication cut immediately.
Back at the manor, Zechs opened the top drawer of his desk, pushing aside a few papers and the journal that lay within and found the grip of a hand gun, a standard issue, then a jacket. "McCormick is a dead man," he growled distinctly, loosing a layer of the calm he'd shown in front of Une. With a slightly deflated glance at the other occupant of the room, he said, "I'm sorry..." trailing off.
Treize forestalled him with a bare wave of his hand. "No need, Milliardo," he assured the Preventer even as he shrugged on his own dark coat. "Let's go."
As they moved from the room, a small, concealed communicator on Treize's person gave a discrete vibration to alert him to an incoming message. Pulling the small device out and scanning it as they walked at an urgent pace, his eyes picked up a scrolling text message sent on a secret access code that only one person in the world had. The message was simply a brief but informative précis of information about Marcus McCormick that Wufei had put together quickly and sent before leaving Preventer HQ. It lacked any specific information about McCormick before his tenure with the Preventers other than the statement that he was reliably reported to have been with Dekim Barton, and in a higher level capacity, the information coming from Mariemeia Khushrenada herself.
Quelling a surge of frustration at the new delay in establishing his relationship with the girl, Treize quickly relayed the information as it scrolled along, adding a silent thank you to Wufei for his quick thinking once again.
Then something in the brief précis caught Treize's eye for a second. Using a character next to the sentence to give it subtle emphasis, there was a note that during his time with the Preventers, McCormick had been one of the small group of agents who had set up the agency's own security codes and procedures...
Treize paused a second, absorbing that fact before relaying it, too, to his lover.
The scowl that was forming on Zechs' face deepened by another degree. "He'd be an idiot not to be monitoring them now," the Preventer sighed, quite a bit of frustration edging into it. "He has to know nearly anyone of rank is going to be around that port."
"Then we find him quickly, and render it a moot point," Treize replied evenly. "Wufei will notify Une as soon as she gets there. Perhaps it could be used to our advantage."
"With luck," Zechs replied.
Condensed water pooled on the desk around the forgotten ice pack as Dorothy flipped through a sheaf of papers the beleaguered Preventer had just delivered to her. Reaching the opposite wall of the small conference room that the Noventa Field security agents had moved her to, she turned and paced back the other way, ignoring the slight limp that marred her step. The door cracked open and a Preventer with what was becoming a familiar hang-dog expression peeked in.
"Did you get the complete blueprints for the spaceport yet? I want them here before the Gundam pilots arrive," she instructed in a cold, and deadly calm voice.
"Yes, ma'am," the Preventer replied, handing over the com card to the Vice Minister's attaché, quickly. "I can have duplicates made in two minutes."
"You have one minute," Dorothy replied before returning her attention to the printouts clutched tightly in her hands. "And the *instant* they arrive, they're to be escorted here, to hell with what these damned local yokels say. Understood?"
A tiny smile lifted the corner of the Preventer's mouth. He nodded curtly, then saluted. "Yes, ma'am. Consider it done. Will there be anything else?"
"Forty-five seconds, Preventer," Dorothy replied, although there was the barest hint of a quirking smirk upon the woman's lips as she glanced up at the young man. Between that and the flicker of desperate relief for the agent's patience with her demands, it almost made being in the same room with her bearable.
"Ma'am," the Preventer replied. He then saluted and turned to leave the room, barking orders as soon as the door was closed.
Once alone again, Dorothy allowed herself a trembling sigh as she paused her pacing to slump against the wall. Shaking fingers rested briefly against her brow before she gave herself a shake and pushed away from the support to begin pacing once more. White knuckled fingers firmly clutching the papers, she continued scanning the information there and waited for the Pilots to arrive.
Trowa stopped the van at what appeared to be a check point. The local police had blocked off an area and were diverting traffic away from the scene.
"One chance and if we're not cooperative, I'm crashing the party," Trowa said quietly as he saw a local approach.
"You're giving them a chance?" Duo asked wryly. "Boy, have we gotten stale, or what?"
"A brief nod to peace," Trowa replied, with a wry grin.
"Yeah, I 'spose," Duo replied with a small sniff.
"After the scare they've had," Quatre pointed out, "I'd expect the authorities to be more cautious than ever. It will slow us down to get into any conflicts."
Tapping the side of the van, the officer made eye contact with the young man behind the wheel. He paused for a moment and then nodded. "Through there," he said, waving the van through. "They're expecting you."
Trowa nodded once, then moved on in the direction the officer pointed towards. "See, a little diplomacy and planning goes a long way," he said, checking out the scene in front of them.
"Hn," Heero replied, looking down at Carter in his lap.
The little blond was frowning in concentration, all his attention focused on some unseen point ahead. It was hard to tell if he were reaching out with known senses or unknown ones.
The area ahead contained the new wing of the spaceport, that the Vice Minister had been attending a dedication ceremony for. The uniforms of Preventers, local police officers, and spaceport security mingled in a near-boil of activity.
At a side entrance, a local police officer waved the occupants of the van to disembark and enter, avoiding a hastily established check point where each person entering was being questioned and searched.
When the young men piled out of the van, accompanied by six small children, the officer blinked and frowned slightly, but waved them to follow him.
"Ministry security?" he asked, more as a formality, using the code designation indicated by Attaché Catalonia's explicit instructions. Without waiting for an answer, he walked ahead, leading them into the building and down a near-deserted hallway.
At the end of the corridor, they passed through a door, and into a small waiting room area with several exits. There was no one in it apart from other officers, talking on comms or performing other tasks.
"The kids can wait here," the officer said, indicating the waiting room chairs. Again he did not wait for a reply, considering the matter a simple one, and extremely aware that he was to get these men to the Attaché very quickly.
Kenny's eyes narrowed and he scowled.
Duan frowned deeply as well.
"No," Heero said, simply. "They are a part of the team."
The officer smirked, then frowned as he realized the words were not an attempt at humor.
"Excuse me, sir," he answered stiffly. "I was instructed to give you full cooperation, but that does not circumvent basic crime scene procedure. We can not have small *children* wandering around the area and disrupting the evidence. They can wait here. They'll be safe, this is a secure room, authorized personnel only."
"Seems to me that the Vice Minister's briefing room was supposed to have been authorized personnel only, too," Duo observed dryly.
The young officer threw a look of pure dislike at the braided young man. "The Vice Minister was making a public appearance. Mistakes obviously were made, probably by someone *not* following procedure, and I do not intend to have it happen again on my account!"
"Officer, your men are making mistakes as we speak. Has the Vice Minister been located?" Heero asked.
"You will get your briefing directly from the Attaché, sir," the officer said through stiff lips.
Kenny tugged on Heero's shirt.
Heero glanced down at Kenny, ignoring the officer for the moment.
"Wasting time," Kenny muttered. "Go see Miss Dorothy, and get her to bust us out."
"Hai," Heero said, setting Carter down.
Glancing around at all of the kids, he said, "Watch them and make notes."
"Got it," Wufan replied, with a small bow, then withdrew a small pad and pen from his pocket.
"You bet, Heero," Tryan replied, moving closer to Carter and taking his hand.
Carter clasped Tryan's hand tightly and simply nodded. He could feel something wrong about the situation, but could not tell if this wrongness was from the incident that had happened, or something else.
Duan just frowned, and glanced at the officer with a scowl.
"Let's go," Heero said, moving.
The officer scowled again, put off balance by the sudden capitulation, and then turned smartly and led to way to one of the exit doors.
A few moments later, the pilots walked into the room where the Attaché was being kept. Cobalt blue eyes narrowed as Heero took in Dorothy's condition. He moved to her without a word and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Sit," he said, simply.
Dorothy's eyes narrowed in a fierce scowl as she opened her mouth to refuse. Noting the determined gleam in Heero's eyes before she'd uttered a single syllable, she closed her mouth and allowed him to steer her to a seat. "Here," she said, voice tight with anger, desperation, fear, and a hint of relief as she held out the sheaf of papers and other assorted items she'd been holding, "Blueprints, schematics, surveillance, and what few security details I could wrest from them."
Heero took the papers and glanced at them briefly before handing them to Duo. "We'll find her," he said, looking into Dorothy's light blue eyes.
Dorothy took a calming breath, gaze locked firmly on Heero's, before nodding once although she still refused to relax. "That's why I called you," she replied simply. "Because you will."
Heero nodded, watching Dorothy closely. "Hn," he replied. "She's not dead. I'd know," he said.
Dorothy flinched slightly, having not even allowed herself to consider that possibility for fear of losing what tenuous grasp on her unraveling composure that still remained. "But he is. He just doesn't know it yet."
"Definitely," Heero said, brushing his fingers against Dorothy's cheek, briefly. "Anything you can tell us, before we start?"
"Unfortunately, not much," she replied with a defeated sigh. "Relena was already unconscious when I returned from discussing something with the coordinator. I'm not even sure how he'd managed it. When I attempted to stop him, he got violent. When I woke up again, Relena and Marcus were both gone. I'm not sure which way he went, he didn't say or demand anything, and he was dressed in non-descript workman's coveralls that have likely already been disposed of." She raised one hand to her unbruised temple, eyes unfocusing as she glanced to the side, lost in thought. Clenching her jaw in frustration, she shook her head sharply once before frowning darkly at the floor. "I don't know."
"We'll take care of the details. You take care of yourself," Heero said, glancing up at Duo.
Dorothy growled testily as she shook Heero's hands off. "I'm fine," she snapped before gazing suspiciously around the small room. "Where are the children?"
Before Heero or anyone else could answer, the door opened and Wufei stepped inside. He had thrown a Preventer jacket on to cut down on the challenges. He quickly inventoried the room, nodded to the pilots and then to Dorothy.
"I've been catching up with local security. There is a full out, station-wide level five search in progress but unofficially, they believe he managed to get off the premises. I do not agree with that assessment."
Dorothy snorted indelicately as she rose to her feet again. "Those bumbling imbeciles couldn't secure their own asses with both hands and a tube of super glue," she observed through clenched teeth.
"The kids are keeping an eye on them," Heero said, quietly. There were many things he didn't like about the situation and Dorothy's words about Relena being unconscious did not get by him unnoticed. "I agree, Wufei," he added.
Wufei frowned slightly at the mention of the kids. "Mei?" he asked quietly. "And Wufan?"
"Exiled with the others," Trowa said, handing the sheaf of papers back to Duo.
"Hn," Wufei muttered, though it would have been hard to sift a meaning from the soft grunt.
Dorothy's eyes flashed dangerously. "We'll see about that. I'll have someone escort them to join you as soon as the Chief of Security and I discuss the matter," she replied tightly.
Duo ducked his head for a moment to hide the slight smirk that sprang to his lips as Dorothy finished speaking. Oh to be a fly on the wall for that... "discussion". He cleared his throat softly before turning his attention back to Wufei. "Find anything on your end?"
Wufei nodded but did not elucidate. "We need to get moving," he said simply.
TBC
End of Part 48
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