February 2004
Title: 2 Minutes to Midnight
Author: Ebonydove
Archived: GW Addiction
Warnings: angst, sap, fluff, told in Heero's POV
Rating: PG
Spoilers: vague at best
Author's notes: Thanks to all who have been naggin' for me to do something. This dumped out of my head in the middle of the night.
Says something about the kind of dreams I have, huh? Follows Saturday.
Feedback: Is always welcome in any way and is greatly appreciated.
Back to 'Fall'
I glanced at the clock on the far side of the room and heaved a heavy sigh. I was going to be late meeting Duo; again. It was nine o'clock and I was still at the gunrange and despite my sincere intentions of leaving my class of new Preventer's recruits to practice the use of the standard issued handguns on their own and without my ominous presence influencing their aim, in order to pick him up. It was right about then that I also decided that Duo's bike going in the shop at the same time that my new class was scheduled to begin this part of their training was not very good timing. Eventhough Wufei had reminded me again earlier that week that my "oppressive hovering" over my class was hindering their progress, I was having difficulty blowing off the group for what I would consider as personal reasons. But despite that I was not completely confident leaving my plebs unsupervised in the range for any extended amount of time, it did give them an opportunity to relax and concentrate on the exercises and not on whether or not I approved or disapproved of their marksmanship skills. It also allowed me to spend some time downtime with Duo without the distraction of ensuring my class didn't mistakenly shoot one another. That, and I had made a promise to pick him up and make him some real food tonight that took priority over all else.
We had both been with the Preventers for quite some time and although we all kept close tabs of eachother's activities; it was Duo and Wufei that I spent the majority of my "non-work" time with. Recently that had been a rare thing for us. Wufei was taking a larger leadership role in the organization; recruiting, administrative support groups, diplomatic liaison to many of the world's top aides, and was also our top negotiator next to Quatre who had taken a step back from the Preventors in the last year. I handled the new recruits, our IT groups, data mining and research, all the network and security protocols for the infrastructure of the Preventors impressive system, as well as some of the more sophisticated weaponry classes. All of which I was apparently very well suited for.
The "newbies" as Duo liked to call them didn't seem to like me much, but I was usually able to win their respect at the very least after they finally passed the eight-week Preventer's boot camp. But out of the three of us, it was Duo who tended to pull the high-risk assignments and was often put into the kind of precarious situations that made my blood go cold thinking about. They were called `Black Ops.' And even with my high level of clearance and my security protocols, I was rarely kept informed of what it was that Duo was actually doing from day to day.
Sometimes he'd show up at my apartment looking like he'd just lost a fight with a Grizzly bear and collapse on the couch, leaving after a day or so of me coddling him. Of course with him protesting the entire time. And other times he'd go missing for days on end, without so much as a phone call to let anyone know where or how he was, that tended to make me irritable and impatient for his return. He didn't even bat an eye at the type of risks he was asked to take; claiming it was all part of what he signed up for, but after working for the past year on some of the most volatile assignments both on earth and sometimes taking him to the colonies, I could see him beginning to wear down.
Most recently he had been assigned to work with an anti-terrorist task force from a local sector of the governing body in New Manchester, which set all my nerves on end. It was hard enough dealing with the local governments and police agencies, but trying to combine any of those groups to work together on a project always lead to disaster. In the middle of which was usually Duo. Unfortunately Duo never complained and always saw each assignment through to the bitter end and often in leu of his own well-being.
I was more than glad that tonight was his last night dealing with the bunch of cowboys from New Manchester. Most had never even seen a real battle and I could feel my anger rising at how little respect they showed to Duo, who was in charge of the whole operation. I had fully intended on having that conversation with him after I picked him up. Right after I was going to ask him to take over my classes for a while in order for me to get some time in the field. I knew that if I posed it all right, he wouldn't refuse me. We had grown very close over the past three years and I was not about to stand by and see someone I cared for continue to run himself ragged or even worse get hurt due to someone else's naïveté, when I could have intervened.
I wasn't surprised when my cell buzzed, breaking me out of my spiraling thoughts of Duo. I had asked him to call me as soon as he had gotten to the station and almost didn't even bother picking it up. But a ringing phone is not something easily ignored, so I snapped it open and was surprised hearing Wufei on the other end.
"Yuy."
"Heero, it's Chang. We have a situation."
"Have Martinez take it. I'm picking up Duo in ten minutes at the shuttle port." I replied in my usual manner as I watched Fritz actually hit his mark for the first time in days.
"Heero..." There was a pause that made me sit up from my slouch in the chair and set all my instincts into mission mode. I glanced over to the closest student and watched as she fired a nice shot at the target. "Maxwell's involved."
I heaved a sigh and ran a hand through my hair. I really shouldn't have been surprised. Where there was trouble, you could usually count on finding Duo nearby. "Status?" There was a second long pause and this time I felt my heart lurch and I found myself straightening up from my slouch against the wall. "Chang?"
"I'll break it down for you when you get to the shuttle port. East entrance, cargo bay number twenty-nine."
"I don't like being kept in the dark and you know it." I didn't care that my usual calm tone had hitched a bit and a certain amount of irritation came through. "I assume that Duo's in trouble. He is ok?"
"In a manner of speaking. I can't talk details... "
"Ah." I signed again. It was obviously a big enough situation that Wufei feared his phone being tapped.
"Damn-it Yuy, move your ass and bring your kit." He suddenly snapped and I found myself instantly striding to my closest student Tartaro to leave instruction for the rest of the class.
I clicked off the phone and as I made my way to him I watched as his eyes grew wide and he stepped back from me. I realized then what I must look like; glaring hard and my anxiety pushing me into "work mode" so I tried to keep it short and not alarm them. "Listen up. You are all to return to your barracks at the dorm at 08:00 hours. Not a second later. Bring the results from your target practice for review at the next session." I spun on my heel and began to make my way to the door when I heard Tartaro behind me.
"Commander Yuy, Sir. Do you need any assistance, Sir?"
I turned and found myself acknowledging the bit of pride I felt. He was by far my best student and I was pleased that he had offered to help. "No. Continue with your exercises. I'm placing you in charge in my absence."
"Yes sir!" He snapped to attention and returned to the group as I practically ran to the car.
I made it to the shuttleport in very little time and as soon as I pulled up to the main gate I could sense the explosive nature of the situation. People were crawling all over the place. There was a large shuttle roped off and surrounded by every kind of emergency vehicle I ever knew of. What made my jaw set was the sight of the black vans further down the tarmac around the far side of the bay and Wufei's car tucked near the cargo hold. Wufei being on sight meant it was serious enough, but the presence of black vans meant I was walking into a very bad situation. Those damned vehicles usually transported Duo's team, who shouldn't have been anywhere near the shuttle port on this lazy Tuesday evening.
I grabbed my kit from the trunk of the car and scanned the activity for any signs of Duo and not that I was surprised, found none. I ignored the way my heart was slamming in my chest and knew that it was my manner that usually set the tone for the rest of the team on site. If I seemed volatile, the situation would be soon too. It was a hard lesson learned from watching Duo. I was halfway across the tarmac, flashing my badge as I went to each fireman and officer that approached me, when Wufei jogged up along side me.
"Status." I said calmly as I continued walking toward the shuttle.
I felt Wufei grab my upper arm, stopping my quick march towards the area that seemed to have the most discord and activity. I cocked my head and looked at him as he took a breath and began to fill me in.
"Apparently, a few men attempted to take over the shuttle and divert its flight course to another location. Maxwell was on board returning from his last assignment and was able to neutralize the situation. However, in the process there was a... skirmish. We currently have two men down and nine civilians hurt in the altercation that occurred."
I let the information sink in, reading into the things that Wufei didn't say but expressed with the look in his eyes. It didn't take me very long to figure who "neutralized" the situation, but I was very concerned when I heard that a skirmish had happened and that civilians had been hurt. Regardless of how the whole thing was going to work out, Duo would be... upset. "And the hostile has been neutralized as well?"
"Yes. He's down. Hard."
That meant dead. So as I feared, the situation had escalated quickly and Duo must not have been able to keep it completely contained. It wasn't like him and I could feel the tension in my gut tighten at the crazy thoughts I had about how it was possible for Duo not to be in complete control of any situation he found himself in.
"And Duo?"
"He's still on board the shuttle and that's where it gets bad."
I glared hard at him urging him to get to the point. It was not often I was asked to bring my kit and I knew by the tone he had used that something was very wrong. I had no doubts that Duo was in the middle of it.
"The assailants used a few devises to subdue the craft. Duo volunteered to act as hostage instead of them keeping any of the passengers. He is standing on one of these contraptions and has been for several hours. He's weakening. We have no idea how the device was made and the leader who hooked the damned thing up is dead. It could go at any moment. You need to deactivate the device and remove any additional threat."
It sounded simple enough but I could tell by the worry lines at the corners of Wufei's eyes that there was more to it. I also knew that Duo was the best explosive and demolitions agent we had, so if he was unable to defuse it then it must be very bad. Thus, the insistence for me to bring my kit. We could all go for days without showing signs of fatigue, but for whatever reason Duo was weakening already. I didn't have to think long about it and guessed that it was probably an injury he sustained while on the job he was returning from. He would hide it to keep anyone on his team from thinking he was less than 100%. I could understand why he didn't want to mention it to anyone. It pricked my anger that he'd be so foolish about it, but i really did understand that thing about broadcasting one's weaknesses. I decided long ago that if you're hurt, you're hurt. There's no damn shame in it. It just solidified my acceptance that no man is superhuman.
I shrugged off Wufei's loose hold and waked calmly towards the shuttle, letting his words rumble around in my mind. The bright yellow air slides had been released for the passengers to exit and were blowing slightly in the breeze. I took the steps up the metal ladder to the cockpit two at a time not surprised that Wufei had followed shortly behind me. I eased my way past the uniformed officer in the control area before stepping inside the main cabin. It only took me an instant to assess the immediate and most obvious problem.
Duo was standing on a pressure plate. There was a head wound over his left eye, which was bleeding sluggishly from where he was holding a white handkerchief tightly against it. He looked as if he had sustained a blow to the head in some type of altercation prior to his current situation, and was visibly pale and sweating. His eyes had dark circles underneath them and he was taking slow, shallow breaths as he stood eerily still in place. I could see the very slight trembling in his legs and hand where he held the handkerchief pressed to the wound above his eye and quickly assessed that he had either lost some blood, was suffering from sleep deprivation, fatigue, or worse yet, all of the above. There were no less than six people buzzing around him, taking measurements, peering underneath the nearby chairs, and tossing out ridiculous theories of how to alleviate the entire situation. All the while keeping a very careful and measured distance from touching any part of him. Another ten feet behind him was a gaping hole in the floor that was still smoldering from what must have been a previous explosion. It was then that I noticed the smatterings of blood and other human remains that were covering the floor, the seats, and cabin walls behind him. It was either one of the hostiles setting it off to make a point or perhaps a hostage had not been able to keep up under the strain and set the device off. I quickly swallowed my rising anger and shoved past a medic in my way to get a closer look at Duo.
His eyes snapped up to meet mine the second I entered his view as I came into the cabin completely and made my way around another officer. I watched a wide grin break out over his pale face and he quickly schooled the moment of relief that passed over his face in a most obviously hidden manner in the presence of so much activity in the small space and quickly quipped a lame little joke. "Hey Heero. Class dismissed or did your newbies finally have a coup and overthrow your dictatorship?"
I rolled my eyes at him, knowing the diversion for what it was. I didn't answer him, ignored the slight rattle I heard in his chest and set my attention to what I could see around the crowd of medics and agents. I needed to get all the extra people out of there so I could work and after huffing a little sigh, started barking orders immediately. "Chang, get these medics out of here now and then have someone bring me a cutting torch and a toolbox so I can remove the seats on either side of him. Stand by with a folding chair of some kind so we can get him off his feet."
"Hee-" I ignored Duo's tight voice as I continued clearing the space around me and set my kit on the floor.
When no-one made any sudden change in their positions, I spun and hissed out another command. "Are you all deaf? Move damnit!" People instantly vacated, scrambling out and proceeding with their assigned tasks from Wufei finally leaving me alone with Duo for a few moments.
"Heero, please."
I looked up from studying the pressure plate to Duo's face, alarmed by his apparent exhaustion and the tight expression and that had eased over him with the exit of the rest of the personnel.
"It's a two-stage, magnesium-chromate switch with a hair trigger pin and liquid crystal display, patched to the pressure plate by a collapsible tungsten wire repatch circuit."
Shoving the pride I felt for him aside, I nodded and bent low to look at the scant inch underneath the metal plate. "Time marked?"
"Midnight." He answered quietly and I froze. It was twenty after ten now. I glanced back up to him and he gave me a slow easy smile as his eyes slid shut for a moment. "And I'm really tired, man."
I eased my way up off the floor and stood within two inches of him. I was very careful not to touch him and waited for him to open his eyes again. I felt my heart pounding as I studied every aspect of his facial features and finally whispered my question as not to alarm him with my proximity. "Duo, what is your status?"
He smiled a little broader and opened his eyes again and met my intense look. "Head hurts, bleeding under my left shoulder blade from a bit of shrapnel I took from the guy going boom behind me. Some minor bruises, a small twist in my right knee, but for the most part nothing too bad."
"You look like shit." I muttered back, angry that he was so worn out and was hiding the details of how he really was doing from me. I knew his state wasn't all a result of the most recent predicament he found himself in. I couldn't guess what or why he was keeping quiet about though.
"Gee thanks, buddy. That's very helpful."
I knew that he'd been pushing himself hard over the past several months, and probably hadn't slept in at least a day. I could feel my anger bleeding into sharp worry for him, but quickly shoved it aside to get back to the task at hand. "I need you to stay focused and not to shift your weight at all. Keep your breathing slow and even." He nodded the slightest bit and closed his eyes again.
"Whatever you do, Duo don't fall asleep or this whole thing will be over for both of us." I added.
"My heart's racing too fast to sleep, Heero. Besides, you promised you make me dinner tonight after you picked me up."
He smiled openly again and I felt my heart flutter. Duo very rarely let you see him vulnerable and at that moment as he tried to mask his fear with humor and easy charm, I felt compelled to lean forward in the scant distance between us and kiss him for his efforts. Instead, I stepped away and grabbed my kit. There would be other opportunities to provide him comfort once I disarmed the bomb.
Inside my kit were all kinds of lethal means of causing harm, but it also contained the tools I'd need to work on the fragile, fussy device. I quickly set to work relieved when Wufei and his helper were able to remove the two seats on either side of him to give me more space to work. The two stayed close by and Wufei handed me each item I needed from my kit as it was requested. Scope, mirror, current measurer, and finally my wire cutter. I spent a little time studying the twist of wires underneath the plate and cringed realizing that it was amateur's work. It made it even more dangerous and unpredictable. I was just about to clip the first trigger when I caught Duo's slight sway out of the corner of my eye. In front of my face a tiny red button armed and I froze.
"Duo. Don't. Move." I whispered and sensed everyone instantly tense. "Everyone else, out. Now."
"Yuy, I will he-"
In a tone meaning business even in carefully measured quiet I snapped back at Wufei. "Get. Out." I met his eyes and he nodded sharply. He was not happy, but he'd do what I asked. His assistant slid away and he followed very slowly. As he reached the front of the cabin he gave me a last look of encouragement before disappearing from view.
I very slowly made my way off my belly and stood back up in front of Duo. He looked worse than before; the head wound looked better but was still bleeding a little. His face had turned a shade of gray and the shaking that had started as a mere tremble in his legs was now sending waves of tight shivers throughout his whole frame to which he was despertly trying to contain. His eyes were squeezed tight in concentration and his dry lips were parted as he continued to take the slow easy breaths I had asked him to do before.
"Duo." I whispered softly as not to spook him.
His eyes came open and he smiled at me again. "How we doin' man?" He asked me quietly between soft pants of breath.
"That was my question for you." I was firm, letting him know that I wasn't going to let him blow me off again.
He met my eyes and smiled almost sheepishly. "I think I picked up a little flu bug while I was out on assignment. The dizziness is making it a little difficult to concentrate on keeping still. My lungs are so full of shit that I'm having some trouble breathing."
I eased my hand towards him watching his eyes grow wide at the sudden close movement. "Shh, stay still." I gently lay my palm against his forehead and frowned at the heat I felt there.
"Don't be mad, man. I didn't want everyone to go overboard and do something stupid while I'm standing on a fucking time bomb like jamming me with a needle full of steroids or antibiotics or some shit like that. Or even worse, having me start... "
"Never mind all that right now. I can tell that your strength is waning despite your will to prevent it. I'm going to slide a chair underneath you so you can sit. If you're ill, then it will cause additional risk of movement that I don't think is wise until I can disconnect or at the very least re-route the power flow to stall the trigger."
Panic flooded his face and his eyes took on a sudden clear light. "Stall the trigger? Not a good idea. And besides that, I can't move a damn muscle, Heero. If I even could shift my weight at this point, I don't think I could ease into anything if you paid me ten times my current salary. If you ask me to move, we might as well just say goodnight."
"I'll assist you."
"No man, I'm serious. It's too damn risky. I'm too wound up and tense to try it." The suggestion to move had caused a sudden flood of anxiety and the panic had given a raw edge to his voice as he swallowed hard.
"Trust me." I soothed and ran a finger against his cheek, noting for the first time how flushed his cheeks had become over the last hour.
His eyes slid shut for a moment and when they opened again, he frowned darkly. "Ok."
I maneuvered the chair to the lip of the plate and eased the legs right behind his calves. It cleared the device with plenty of room and now all I had to do was help him ease into it without causing too much movement that would set anything off. He had been standing for hours and I knew that it would be difficult for him to move from the firm stance that he had taken for so long without help, so I came back in front of him to give my direction.
"I want you to close your eyes and relax."
"Riiight. That's gonna be easy."
"Duo, listen to my voice. Close your eyes and trust me."
"I... can't... "
"Yes you can. All you have to do is trust me."
He nodded almost imperceptivity and bit his bottom lip hard as he concentrated on relaxing.
"Now. Close your eyes and listen to my voice. I want you to concentrate and relax your stance." As soon as he did, the trembling worsened in his legs and I heard a shaky whimper escape from his lips despite the tight control and will power he was using to remain silent.
I slowly slid my arms under his armpits to take on his weight. And when I felt his weight finally shift to allow me to take it, I instructed him to bend his knees. His eyes flew open and he instantly tensed again.
"I... I'm trying. They're locked. I don't think this is any good."
Without another thought I silenced his rising alarm by quickly and soundly kissing him. His eyes remained wide and startled, but he was absolutely frozen in place as I teased his lips open and deepened my kiss. After a few moments he finally allowed his eyes to close again as his hand slipped away from holding the handkerchief to his head and he began to return my kisses with tentative ones of his own. I finally felt his whole body relax in my hold. He returned my kisses with a desperation that was making my whole world spin, but despite the rising heat and tension I felt between us I was able to focus on my goal and ease him slowly down by continuing with my distraction the entire time until I had him safely seated in the chair. He still had his feet on the plate which was enough to keep it from triggering, but I kept my mouth on his for a few seconds as I slipped my arms out from under him before moving back. I found my hands hovering over him and my heart slamming harder than ever before as I watched his face relax and a shy smile creep over his face.
"Duo. Status." I finally found my voice and ran a finger against his cheek again and did a quick assessment of the bloody wound over his eye as I tried to get a sense for where his head was at.
His smile disappeared and when he opened his eyes to catch mine I was met with a look I couldn't place. It was as if he was at the end of his endurance and in that look was a plea for me to either save him or end it all.
"We're almost done." I whispered. "I promise, just a little longer."
"Time?" He whispered back.
I glanced to my watch. We had fifteen minutes. "Plenty."
"You're not afraid of anything are you, Heero?"
Now was not the time to wax poetic, but I could sense he was coming around a little after our impromptu kiss and although discussing my fears or lack thereof with him was not really a topic I wanted to pursue right then, I engaged in the conversation anyway because I felt he needed to fill the space that was left by the kiss with something solid.
"Everyone is afraid of something, Duo." I couldn't ignore the slow press of time as I slid back down to the floor and lay on my stomach again to renew my efforts at bi-passing the trigger.
"So what are you afraid of then?"
"I'm not quite sure, really." There was something strange in his tone and I wanted to be able to see the look in his eyes as he questioned me, but knew that it was getting increasingly close to the hour that I feared most. I gingerly pulled the first set of wires away from the trigger switch and rolled them slowly between my thumb and forefinger. Stripping the thin plastic coating and exposing the bright copper twists, I clipped the thickest one and was pleased to see the red button light that we had accidentally armed earlier go off.
"Do you really not know? Or you just don't want to say?"
I was finding it difficult to ignore the blatant need in his voice and how he was speaking made my whole body buzz in response as I pulled the second set of wires away from the repatch circuit and repeated my action. "Disappearing. I suppose."
It was the first time that I had ever admitted that secret fear to anyone. But it just flew from my mouth before I could stop it. I let the weight of it settle in the air between us before I clipped the last group of wires. The circuit collapsed instantly and the crystal display blinked twice then shut off. It had been attached to enough explosive to blow the whole front half of the shuttle apart, but it was now nothing more than a hunk of cheap plastic as I lay on the floor at Duo's feet letting the comfortable silence grow between us.
I finally slid out from under the chair and slowly I knelt in front of him, keeping my eyes trained on his as he chewed over my last response. I took the opportunity to take his cold hands in mine and gave them a little shake.
"It's done?"
I nodded. "Time to go." I watched as the expression he'd been wearing instantly shattered as relief flooded his face. I gave him a moment to pull it together as I snagged my two-way from the kit and hit the call button. Wufei's voice instantly came over the static and asked us where we were at and informing us that it was two minutes to Midnight. He was in progress of clearing the perimeter in case the bomb couldn't be contained and was prepping the medics to stand-by.
"Mission complete. Device is dead. We're coming out. Be sure to give us some damned space, Chang."
Wufei understood where I was going and I knew that he wouldn't let anyone see Duo in a vulnerable position. We both knew that keeping his reputation and integrity intact in the eyes of all the other agents, officers, and medical personnel present was important to him, however unnecessary. Duo had his pride and it would be hard for him to let everyone see him in the shape he was in. I had decided long ago that he wouldn't be able to make it out of the cabin under his own power.
"I've already cleared a path and brought up a car. The Black Ops. Unit has been released and all non-essentials have been removed from the area." Wufei's quick response answered making me smile at my friend's intuition.
"Great, my guys were here?" I heard Duo mutter behind me as he pressed the handkerchief against his head a bit harder than he had been before.
"They're gone now and have not been briefed about the incident. We'll leave that to do you how you see fit."
"Thanks. I appreciate it." He said quietly giving me a sheepish look and glanced past me to see if anyone else was coming into the cabin. "Heero?" I found myself smiling at him as he ducked his head a bit more. "I don't think I can stand up."
With the arrangements outside set I tossed the radio back with the rest of my gear and stood; pulling Duo up with me and drawing him into my arms. His legs began shaking badly again and his fatigue was more than apparent to both of us so I wasn't surprised when he simply wrapped his arms around my neck and allowed me to baby him a bit.
Before I could completely maneuver him to my side he surprised me by leaning into me and kissing me softly. After a few moments he pulled back in my arms and spoke in quiet, even tones. "You could never disappear Heero. You're too damn important to all of us. You're too damn important to me. Not only that but you saved my life... again."
I had to look away from his intense stare and soft words. "You save my life everyday." I said quietly back to him and shrugged.
He kissed me again and I found myself returning it, letting all the fear, anxiety, and worry about possibly losing him bleed away as I held him close to me. I felt him smile against my lips and pulled away from him; arching a brow and asking him a silent query in response to the odd little look he gave right then.
"It's past midnight and unless you want me to turn into a pumpkin right here where I am, let's get the hell outta of here. I want a vacation."
"I thought you wanted dinner?"
"I'll settle for breakfast."
"I'll make you both."
Wufei actually grinned when he saw us come out of the cockpit and down the metal steps to the tarmac. "I see you've landed safely once again, Duo."
"Bite me, Wu." Duo grumbled back with a mock glare.
I helped him slowly get into the waiting car and as soon as he was settled, left him to fetch my kit from the shuttle and grab some medical supplies from Wufei to take care of the head injury and flu symptoms. When I returned shortly afterwards I was pleased to find him fast asleep in the front seat. As soon as I could get him back to my apartment I had every intention of firing off an email to Une making sure he was registered to teach the next batch of my recruits as well as call him in for a full week's worth of sporadic time. As I made our way away from the shuttle port and towards the direction of my place, I also decided to book us a sabbatical on some tropical island somewhere. I'd figure out what to do next later.
The End
(:./ebony/midnight)
