Shades of Grey by Laekin and bonnejeanne

Part Nine

Sally looked up meeting Wufei's infuriated gaze, her blue eyes deeply troubled but she shook her head. From the speakers of the transmitter the battle continued to play out.

"Duo, cover me, I'm going high."

"Right." Again there was little doubt the braided boy laid down a hell of a fire line. A second set of voices suddenly interrupted.

"Captain, we can't get into the hanger."

"Damn it! ... Alright.. abort the mission, pull everyone back. Extract now."

"But we're out of position, the mission... sir?"

"Pull us back now!"

"Sir we have people in there."

Sally looked away, biting her lip.

Wufei's eyes narrowed and he grabbed his communicator from his hip. He punched in a call to Heero on their emergency frequency emergency.

"Yuy."

"Sally's, now." Wufei bit off the moment Heero acknowledged.

He looks at the woman, releasing his grip and dropping her to the floor. "I won't hit a woman, Sally, you know that. Heero will be here in two minutes. I'll let him deal with you. Now WHERE ARE THEY?"

Sally caught her balance and turned reaching towards the receiver, her intent obvious to turn it off.

Wufei grabbed her wrist in a grip of iron. A series of words flew out of his mouth... in Manadrin, Cantonese and several other dialects, he described to her exactly what he wished for the rest of her life and it didn't involve a pleasant old age.

Duo's voice interrupted the string of cruses.

"Quatre.. for the record.. I'm running outtah bullets. Whatever you're planning.. hurry up!" Duo's voice was battle calm.

Still holding Sally's wrist, Wufei reached over and hit the send button on the communicator console. "Two and Four," he pitched his voice to be heard over the gunfire. "You're being left. This is Five. Backup is coming. I repeat, backup is coming, I swear it."

Duo's cursing was just... a true mastery of the art. Quatre was a little more coherent with his response.

"Copy that Five. Not unexpected...."

"Not UNEXPECTED??? BY whom was it NOT unexpected??" Duo howled.

"DUO! LEFT!"

"Shit!!" More gunfire was laid down drowning out Duo's voice. Quatre adjusted his radio and continued.

"Repeat, not unexpected. Most of primary team is extracting beneath cover fire. Attempting to finish primary mission target."

"Abort primary mission," Wufei sent. "Primary mission is now survival, copy that!"

His gun silent for a moment, it was Duo who answered. "We're in too deep Wu-man. This can work, his blondness has a plan... I hope. If we can lay the charges it should also cover our own extraction."

"Whatever gets you out alive," Wufei said. "We are coming."

Wufei turned to Sally as the sound of two other motorcycles pulling out could be heard outside. "Where. You answer now or Yurst is dead by morning."

Sally heard the other bikes. Giving a deep sigh she closed her eyes for a moment before divulging the information. "They're about 20 miles to the south at the abandoned Alliance airfield in Ketz.

Wufei nodded. "Get your jacket, you are coming." He pushed her ahead of him out the door, pausing only to retune his communicator to the mission frequency.

Heero and Trowa met them at the front door. As Sally pulled on her jacket and grabbed a gun out of the closet, Trowa looked between the subdued woman and Wufei a desperate concern written in his green eyes.

"Where are we going?"

"Ketz. The mission went sour and they've been left." Wufei answered. He looked at Heero and nodded approvingly, seeing the Japanese boy kitted out. "Good you brought weapons."

Wufei took the gun Sally was about to place on her person and pushed her out the door handing his communicator to Trowa. "This is mission frequency. Monitor it."

He ran towards his bike, dragging Sally with him. "You ride with me. Duo or Quatre die, so do you."

Trowa automatically reached to take the communicator. Jogging back towards his own bike he heard Wufei's words to Sally and his face became locked in an expressionless mask of anger. Throwing his leg over the bike he took a moment to listen to the communicator, relaying the information to the others.

"Ruffin has all his people and they're pulling back. Someone challenged him about Duo and Quatre, he's saying to leave them."

Wufei shoved Sally onto the bike climbing on in front of her. Equally silent Heero moves to his own motorcycle and fires off without waiting to see if he is followed. Trowa waited till Wufei and Sally were in motion before bringing up the rear.

Back at the airfield, Duo ducked behind a couple of crates and looked up towards the large pipe that Quatre was currently wriggling along. For what felt like the hundredth time in a minute Duo hurried the little blonde along.

"Come on Quatre.. stop dawdling."

In truth Quatre was moving as quickly as he could along his precarious perch. The pipe ran along the hanger roof just below two smaller pipes, obviously an air conduit of some sort. He was trying to get over and behind the men who had Duo pinned down. He was badly exposed and often had to stop and tuck himself up into a small ball, hoping that the bullets hit the pipe and went no further.

'It's a good thing I am of the small.' Quatre thought to himself as he unfolded from one of these tucks and wriggled on. He did a mental count and figured that Duo was running out of ammunition. He'd left his machine gun behind with the braided boy along with his other handgun but they would not last indefinitely.

Duo cursed and sent an emptied weapon flying across the hanger. He needed to change position. Taking stock of the situation, the American grabbed Quatre's machine gun and launched himself over the top of the crates he was behind and made a quick dash for a secondary spot. Bullet's twanged off the concert floor and Duo cursed as he felt the sensation of white hot iron land against his arm and the appendage went numb.

Diving into a quick roll, he made the rest of the distance up without mishap. In a better position now he began to strafe his attacks hearing, with satisfaction, the cries of dying men.

Above it all, Quatre reached the end of his pipe and cursed. He couldn't get down behind them. The pipe narrowed to tightly even for his small form, he'd have to drop off to the side, completely out of position to be useful as anything but crossfire fodder. Wriggling back he was taking stock of the situation when he heard Duo's 'voice' shifted from the machine gun rat-tat-tat to the single handgun.

Time had just run out.

Quatre's quick mind ran over his options. There weren't many. He had to buy Duo some time so he squirmed back till he was positioned to the left and above a small nest of gunmen. Reaching back into his pant's pocket he pulled out a couple of the explosive devices. Toggling them active, he sent them down into the men he lurked over. The resulting explosions rocked his precarious perch but helped to clear out the nest that Duo's position could reach.

It also did something else. Something loosened and knocked against Quatre's head.

Quatre flinched and felt blood beginning to trail along his cheek. Reaching up he swatted, irritated, at the item that had struck him. A small metal plate dropped into his hand. Dusty but across it the words read.. "Gas line." Quatre blinked and looked above himself... then down and the idea quickly locked into place.

Reaching for his com unit he quickly contacted Duo. "Duo.. extract.. now."

"Are you out of your mind?!?!"

"Trust me.. get out NOW!"

"Quatre... "

"NOW DUO. That's an order!"

Behind his crate Duo looked up to where he could see bright blonde hair. Muttering.. "I may run and hide but not right now."

Quatre wasn't listening. He had in fact flipped himself around onto his back and was working at a loose joint in the pipe above his head. The lights in the place were active.. he only hoped the gas line was as well. Cursing as he skinned his small knuckles fighting with the bolts, Quatre struggled with the weak joint. It seemed to take forever and beneath him he heard Duo run out of ammunition.

Duo calculated his chances of being able to fight hand to hand. Finding them much too low, he did the only thing he could think to do. He darted out into sight, letting the enemy see his wounded arm, acting more hurt then he actually was before he took off in quick flight. Hoping to draw them into giving chase.

Sure enough he heard the pounding of feet behind him. Duo sneered. "People's arrogance never ceases to amaze me." Though it was against his initial desire he began to lead them towards the hanger exit.

In the hanger, Quatre worked the joint open enough to be able to smell the gas, then he twisted about and dropped down off his perch. Somersaulting in a neat acrobatic move Trowa had taught him, though no where near as graceful as the taller boy, he staggered upon landing. Peering around, the little blonde spotted a narrow exit door. Using what cover he could, Quatre ran towards the door. Opening it, he turned in the doorway and drew his gun, aiming at the small break he'd made in the line.

"Haul ass Duo." Quatre whispered softly.

Then he sighted and fired the entire clip. Sparks flashed as the bullet's struck the metal pipe and with a whoosh of air, the gas ignited.

End Part 9

Laekin and bonnejeanne

Please send comments to: seregill@aol.com or bonnejeanne@yahoo.com

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