Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Born Again ❯ Eternal Flame 2 ( Chapter 12 )

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey. This is the SECOND part of CHAPTER NINE. The third part is still in progress. I hope you're still able to enjoy the fic with all that's going on here...

Naomi

BORN AGAIN

CHAPTER NINE-

ETERNAL FLAME

(PART TWO)

* * *

"God damn it, did you see that? The clerk thought I was your friggin' whore!" Meiran fumed as she helped her drunken uncle step into the small motel room she rented for the night. On Duo's expense, of course.

Settling heavily into the queen size bed in the middle of the room, Duo chuckled. "Consider it as a sign to... change your ways..." He mumbled, collapsing onto the bed in a heavy heap of limbs, hair and leather. He didn't even bother to take his wet jacket off. "Maybe I should advise Fei on sending you to Catholic School or sometin'..." He mumbled against the pillow, already half asleep.

Meiran rolled her eyes. "Don't even JOKE about it, uncle Duo..." She muttered, shrugging her coat off and throwing herself into a small wooden chair so she could take her boots off and free her aching feet.

"Mummm..." Duo slurred into the pillow, having no more strength to move his lips and form words. He was already slipping into slumber.

Realizing that she was speaking to a sleeping person, Meiran looked up towards the bed, and smiled. She studied Duo's form, sprawled over the bed like fallen timber. He was lying on his stomach, his face turned towards her. His lips pouted in sleep, his hair all over the place, tangled around him and obscuring his face. Like this, he looked like a child. He reminded her of her little brother Lynn, sleeping peacefully in his bed, carefree as a ten-year-old should be.

"But you're not half as annoying as Lynn, I assure you that uncle Duo..." She muttered, walking tiredly towards the bed and slumping next to him. "You should have at least saved me some room, you know?" She complained, shoving his heavy form aside so she could lie down comfortably. "You know what Heero would say to this-" She grunted, poking him sharply with her elbow. "Takou!"

* * *

A man in his late forties, dressed in a designer's business suit, stood by a large wall-to-wall window, his arms crossed behind his back as he overlooked the scenery. He was standing in the Arrival's Terminal in the local spaceport, watching the shuttles and planes as they skidded across the runways, some landing and some taking off. The morning sun washed the runways with a blinding light, the shuttles glittering in the sun. Some resembled a falling star as they cut through the atmosphere, leaving a trail of gold in the morning sky. The man hummed silently to himself as he rocked on his heels, waiting impatiently.

"Sir, I've just been informed that the L4-XE101 shuttle has landed." A young voice came from behind him, and the businessman nodded.

"Why won't you go wait for our visitor and escort him here?" He suggested, though the suggestion was more of an order.

"Yes sir." The young man, also wearing a suit, nodded and was about to leave when he stopped, remembering something. "Sir, what about Professor Ulrich? Shall I try calling him again?"

"There's no need." The man by the window answered his secretary. "I will find a substitute for the Professor."

"Yes sir." The younger man nodded in understanding and hurried down the terminal in order to find their guest.

By the window, his boss sighed and pulled out his cell phone. Muttering something about 'nutty' and 'professors', he dialed.

* * *

Playing "Commandos" was one of Eric's favorite games. Sneaking around the house with his toy gun and his other accessories (which all looked pretty real, much to his pride and joy), Eric was the master of stealth and the champion of each game he played. Of course, it was not so hard to play when there were no enemies around. MJ was not interested in his games, just in his books, Aya-chan was too little and mom was always busy. Still, it was fun and thrilling for the little boy to just pretend that the other occupants of the house were all soldiers on patrol, and he had to sneak unnoticed between them until he reached his goal. Today's goal was to get into his parents bedroom, in a sneak attack on his father.

It was ten AM and his daddy was still sleeping. His mommy had woken up hours ago, but daddy was still sleeping like a slob. Eric was planning on pouncing on his prey, aiming his plastic pistol to his head and then hug him to death. It seemed like a good plan to get his attention.

Unfortunately for him, the enemy's commanding officer and second Lt. of this base was patrolling the hallway with a dangerous amount of charges in her hands- dippers. When he tried to sneak past her, the alarms went off. Well, more accurately the phone rang and his mother had to go into the target area- her bedroom. He missed his chance! It was time to retreat and rethink his moves!

The little boy ran back into his bedroom.

Smirking, Sarah walked into the large bedroom, amused by her son's game. She placed the dippers aside and reached for the phone on the side of the bed; careful not to wake her husband in the process, for the phone was on his side of the bed.

"Hello?"

"Yes, hello. May I speak with Mr. Yuy please?" A man's voice, probably forty plus, kindly requested.

"Sure. Just a minute." She answered, putting the phone back on the nightstand for a second. She bent carefully over Heero's slumbering form, wincing in sympathy as she shook him gently awake. Heero had been out all night, searching, and only came back about three hours ago. He was exhausted and it pained her to wake him so early.

"Heero, darling, wake up. Your boss is on the phone."

Moaning in annoyance, Heero cracked half an eye open, looking up at her with sleepy eyes. "Tell him I'll call later..." He slurred, closing his eyes again and turning to face away from the phone.

"I don't think it's such a good idea." She said, picking the receiver up again. She placed it gently in his limp hands. "Just answer him and then go back to sleep." She whispered, bending down to kiss his unshaved cheek.

Sighing deeply, Heero raised the phone, and with his eyes still closed, he answered. "Yes Mr. Axline," He said in a rasping, hoarse voice, "What can I do for you?"

"Yuy, I apologize for waking you up on a Sunday, but I need you here as soon as possible."

"Here? At the office?" Heero asked, turning heavily to lie on his back while rubbing his tired eyes. They refused to come to focus, and he stared up at a blurry ceiling.

"No. Actually not. How soon can you be at the Spaceport?"

"The Spaceport?!" Heero exclaimed, now fully awake. "What for?"

"I cannot discuss this over the phone, Yuy. I need you here. How soon can you arrive?"

"Uh..." Heero let out dumbly, trying to make his sleepy mind work and think. "An hour, I suppose."

"Good. You have thirty minutes."

* * *

He arrived after forty-five minutes and thirty two seconds, panting as he ran into the main terminal. He asked around in order to find the VIP room, where he knew he was expected. Morning traffic had been a bitch and combined with the fact that he was tired and still worried over Duo's whereabouts, Heero was not in a good mood. He was cranky and impatient, brooding over the fact that his boss called him in on a Sunday.

He entered the VIP's room with a heavy sigh, reaching up a hand to adjust his tie. He had been in such a rush to get ready, that he felt a little sloppy. Although, and this he knew well, Sarah wouldn't have let him leave without making sure his appearance was tidy. His boss, Mr. Axline, was very strict about small things like that. Especially while meeting one of the company's customers, which is what Heero assumed he was doing right now.

"Ah, Yuy. You made it." Axline greeted, sounding almost relieved as he rose out of his armchair and approached Heero. The two shook hands and Heero nodded in acknowledgment. However his eyes were set on the back of one of the other cushioned armchairs, which had its back facing him. Behind it, peeked a small blond head. Heero frowned and turned back to his boss.

"Sir? I assume that this has something to do with the project?" He tried to confirm, noting the movement of the blond head from the corner of his eyes.

"Yes, it does." Axline confirmed with a nod, turning around and gesturing at the man who was elegantly getting up from his seat. "Yuy, I'd like you to meet our sponsor, and co-director of the project, Mr.-"

"Quatre Winner." Heero completed the introduction for him, looking up at the thirty-four year old blond standing before him with wide and stunned eyes.

"Hello Heero." Quatre replied with an amused smile, reaching to shake his hand. "It's nice to see you again."

Still quite stunned, Heero nodded stiffly, his mind reeling with thoughts. "Quatre, I-" He began in confusion, meaning to ask something work-related, but then he thought better of it, shaking his head. He looked back at the blond man, and smiled. "It's great to see you!" He called out happily, pulling the man into a tight hug.

Surprised, Axline took a small step backwards, staring at the two in awe. He was about to reprimand his worker for such a blunt display of disrespect, but then his face paled even more when he saw Mr. Winner return the embrace.

"I gather you know each other?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at Yuy.

Heero nodded and Quatre smiled, nodding as well. His face was slightly blushed, giving his mature appearance some hint of the boyish looks he had years ago. Although there was no mistaking, Quatre was no longer a short teen with a childish face. He'd grown taller, thinner and his features were one of a sharp, witty and sophisticated businessman. Heero had to admit that time had been kind to Quatre. He looked not much older than twenty-five, though they were the same age, and it was only his short, elegant haircut that gave him a more mature facade.

"I had no idea that Winner Inc were involved in the Project." Heero finally said, turning to his boss.

"Well, Heero," Quatre answered, "Everything that has to do with this project is kept mostly in the dark. Everything is on a need to know basis. There was not much need for you to know this, I'm afraid."

"Also," Axline interrupted, "There are some great concerns regarding industrial espionage. We had to be careful and control who knows what and why. Today's meeting is also top secret. It is the first time all of the joint executives will be meeting."

"Espionage?" Heero let out, baffled. He turned back to Quatre, his gaze questioning. "By whom?"

"We're not completely sure, but there's been quite a lot of trouble around the Middle East area. Some companies were giving us quite a lot of trouble. I came to Earth to look it over, though it was Preventer who kept an eye on them for me."

Heero's face paled. He felt confused. "The Middle East you say..?"

"Yes." Quatre confirmed with a nod. He frowned as he saw Heero's pale and stunned expression. "Heero? Is there something wrong?" He asked in worry.

"No... no. I'm fine." He breathed, his head spinning. "Just... tired."

"Well, if that's the case," His boss begun, "Lets get going shall we? We've got a limo waiting and a meeting to attend." He picked up his coat from the hanger by the door and the door opened, his young secretary waiting for them to exit.

"Excuse me, sir," Heero spoke as they made their way through the terminal, "But if I may ask, why did you call me here today? I believe that Professor Ulrich is much more capable of providing answers to the executives."

Axline sighed in annoyance. "Unfortunately, I cannot get in touch with the professor. You're his right hand man; I believe you'll be able to provide enough answers. Besides," He added with a snort, "Those people really don't care for the terminology. They just want to hear that everything is going according to plans."

Quatre giggled silently at the remark, covering it up as a cough. But Heero saw past that act, knowing the man as he did, and his eyes twinkled with a smile. Businessman or no businessman, joint executive or not joint executive, Quatre was still that little boy he was ten, twelve, and maybe even fifteen years ago. It made Heero smile.

"How about we'll leave the work related issues for the meeting, gentlemen?" The blond man offered with a kind smile, looking at Heero with a pair of shining aquamarine eyes. "I have much of catching up to do, don't I, Heero?" He winked and Heero felt himself blush. "The last I've seen you was at your son's birth... I apologize for not remembering the name..."

"Eric." Heero informed him, the warm look in his eyes telling the blond that he shouldn't feel sorry for forgetting. "That was six years ago."

Quatre smiled sheepishly. "Eric. Right. I apologize; there are many names a man in my position must try to remember... It's a shame that I keep forgetting all the important ones, though..."

"Don't worry about it. It's perfectly understandable." Heero soothed with a kind smile. "And your husband? How is he? I haven't seen Trowa in such a long time."

Quatre smiled lovingly at the mentioning of his husband's name. "He's fine. He's very busy, but otherwise fine. It's a shame he couldn't' join me on this trip, but I assure you that we will try to find the time to come and see you all. We miss you."

Heero nodded, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "It's unfortunate how we drew apart over the years."

Quatre sighed, nodding his head in agreement. "I agree. Perhaps it is time to try and fix it." He turned to Heero with a bright smile. "For starters, I would like to see your family. I'm looking forward to it, actually." he continued with a wide smile, "It's been a while since we spoke, but Duo tells me that you have a newborn daughter. Aya-chan, was it?"

Heero nodded, his smile faltering despite the fact that his baby girl was just mentioned. His features turned thoughtful and his gaze distant. He turned to look out the terminal's large windows, his gaze worried. Duo was still out there somewhere...

"How is Duo by the way?" Quatre inquired casually. "I was unable to catch him on the phone lately. Is everything all right?"

Heero sighed heavily, turning back to face Quatre. "Not quite." He answered solemnly, his expression miserable.

* * *

The view from the Preventer's building 37th floor was outstanding. The whole city spread at the feet of the tall skyscraper, like a forest of mirror glass covered buildings. Preventer HQ was the guard tower watching over this forest, rising high above any other building. It rose 87 floors high above the ground, and on a winter day like today, clouds could be seen traveling by the top floors.

Standing by the large panorama window that allowed the hallways to be washed by the soft light of the winter sun, was First Assistant Director Chang Wufei, pacing the hallway as he spoke into his cell phone. He was standing outside the main meeting room, the fanciest meeting room the Preventer building had to offer, ignoring the crowd of businessmen walking about the place. He paid them no mind as they slowly walked into the large meeting-hall, like water draining into a pipe. His attention was set solely on his wife's voice that came from the other side of the line.

"What do you mean she's not home yet?!" He whispered harshly, thought his black eyes shone with worry. "She was supposed to be home this morning!" He growled, already thinking of the proper lecture to give his stray teenage daughter.

"Chang, relax." Sally soothed, her voice amused. "I'm sure she just went out with Casey... it's Sunday after all. They probably just went out to have fun. She'll be home soon, I assure you."

Wufei sighed, sending a quick glance towards the meeting room. It was mostly full; the meeting was about to begin. He turned back to the phone, his eyes glaring at the floor as he spoke. "Fine. Let me know the minute she gets home, all right?"

From the other side of the line, Sally chuckled. "Oh Chang! Stop being such an overprotective father... she's not a little girl anymore."

"No, but she's still my daughter and I don't enjoy the thought of her walking around the city all day long. Try to reach her on the mobile phone and keep me posted. I have to go into a meeting now, so I'll speak with you later."

"All right, all right. I'll try to call her." Sally promised. "Just don't worry too much, that's all." She muttered, and he could tell that she was shaking her head.

He relaxed a bit, and smiled. "I'll try." He spoke softly, looking up at pushing his glasses up his nose in a sheepish manner. "I love you. Bye." He hung up quickly and hurried into the meeting room.

* * *

"What are you doing?" MJ's quiet and indifferent voice spoke up as he walked into his and Eric's room, seeing his little brother sitting on the floor with a phonebook and a wireless phone in his hand.

"Nothing!" The six-year-old hurried to say, hiding the phone behind his back.

MJ snorted and walked deeper into the room, snatching the phonebook from his little brother's hands.

"Hey! Give it back!" The little boy whined. His hair bounced up and down as he jumped up to his feet, glaring at his brother. "MJ! Give! It! Back!" He called angrily as MJ raised the little notepad high above them, beyond the little boy's reach. Although MJ was only three years older than his younger sibling, he was nearly a head taller than the little longhaired boy. He used it as an advantage at each chance he got. He might have looked like an indifferent and cold little boy, much too serious and mature for his age, but truth was that he enjoyed playing much as any other kid his age did. Teasing his little brother was definitely one of his favorites.

"Hey! C'mon! Come! Oooon!" Eric whined when MJ jumped on the bed so he was even TALLER now. "Stop being a baka! C'mon! Give it back! Na... MJ! Give it back!!!!" The little boy jumped on the bed as well, trying to reach the phonebook.

"Not until you'll tell me what you're up to!" MJ answered with a smirk, looking down at his brother with amused bluish-green eyes. Seeing the little brat struggle futilely was quite enjoyable. Eric's frustration was turning into tears, his blue eyes shimmering with both anger and frustration. He glared at his brother through a messy mop of long hair, sticking out his tongue at the meanie.

"I don't have to tell you anything! Just give it back!" He grunted, crossing his arms over his chest, still glaring.

The two brothers were still standing on the bed, which shifted and moved under their weight like ocean waves. There was a match of wills between them, a duel of glares, until MJ finally tired of this game and lowered the book with a sigh. "Fine, baka. Have the stupid book." He muttered, shoving the notepad into his brother's arms.

"Ch." He snorted, jumping of the bed and trying to pretend that he was not interested in what Eric was up to. But he couldn't help it. He was curious. Turning on his heels, he went back to Eric, coming to sit next to the little boy. Eric was back on the floor, leafing through the small, handwritten, phonebook. Their quarrel was forgotten already, and they were on friendly terms again by the time MJ leaned closer to his brother and wrapped his arms over his small shoulders.

"Need any help?" He offered, for he knew, as did Eric, that the little boy did not know to read well. He just started first grade this winter, and only a few days ago he came home grinning and telling his family how his class was the first to finish learning all the ABC! Their father smiled proudly at him and promised to take him out for ice-cream later, despite the fact that it was winter. For some reason, their father was especially happy to see his sons learning to read. He was ecstatic when MJ had first started reading books, and he was joyous at every word Eric learned to spell. MJ didn't get why, though. They were just stupid letters, it's not like they were learning how to solve the problems of the universe using advanced analytic mathematics.

"I'm looking for Mei-chan's cell phone." Eric explained. "I don't remember it by heart." He turned another page in the phonebook, turning to the section marked with the letter 'M'.

MJ nodded in understanding and took the phonebook gently out of his brother's grasp. This time Eric didn't protest, he knew that MJ's intentions were good this time. They might have quarreled a lot, but they were still good friends. MJ reasoned that Eric was just too damn cute for him not to love and play with, despite the fact that he was annoying as hell sometimes.

"There it is." He said, pointing at the desired phone number. He turned to Eric with a questioning look. "Why do you want to call Mei-chan?" He asked, watching Eric dial.

The little boy shrugged. "I wanna ask her sometin'." He said, biting his lower lip as he waited for her to answer. "I want her to help me look for uncle Duo."

MJ frowned, having nothing to say to that. He understood why Eric worried so much, the little boy was very close to their beloved uncle, but still, he didn't see any good reason in trying to search for him. Things will work out like they always do in the adult world. MJ was always certain of that.

* * *

Meiran was a little freaked out as first, when she woke up to see a grown man lying on the bed next to her, drooling over his pillow. It took her a few seconds to recognize the mass of hair and leather as her uncle, and she smiled gently at his sleeping form.

"You really are an idiot, you know that?" She whispered to him, brushing a few bangs out of his closed eyes. She smiled as she uncovered his handsome features, petting his cheek gently.

Duo moaned and twitched his nose, as if having an itch. She chuckled playfully and left him be, withdrawing her hand. "But you can't keep running forever, even I know that." She told him as she got up, throwing her legs to the floor. She turned around to look at him, her brown eyes compassionate. "It sucks being an adult, doesn't it?"

Sighing heavily, she rose off the bed and walked to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. The sound of running water soon filled the small room, like a silent lullaby to sooth Duo's sleep. His aching head was trying to sleep the pain away, however nothing but awful dreams, filled with hopelessness and desperation haunted his sleep. He was just caught inside a dream of his own funeral, one which no one has attended and he was left standing by the alter, looking down into his own coffin while a large, empty church stretched into forever behind him. In his dream, there was a sudden scream, loud and so full of dread, that it was almost inhuman. It rung loudly in his ears, shaking the church and breaking the color-glass windows. It also served to jerk him awake, for his mind soon realized that it was no scream, but the sharp ringing of a phone.

The world was spinning when he opened his eyes. His shirt was soaked with sweat and he felt terribly hot in his leather jacket. He was also panting from the impact the dream had on him. The fear of living and dying alone was far too great. There were tears lingering to the corner of his eyes, but there weren't enough to be shed. He was done crying over his misfortune long ago.

Sighing heavily, Duo turned to face the source of ringing, and the world blurred into a colorful smudge of colors. He closed his eyes and reached blindly for the phone, unable to see that it was actually a small, silver, cell phone.

"Hello..?" He slurred tiredly, his voice heavy and hoarse. He ran a numb hand through his messy long bangs, sighing.

"Uncle Duo?!" A surprised voice shouted from the other side of the line, and Duo jumped up in surprise.

Suddenly, his headache grew by tenfold. "Huh?!" He blurted stupidly, opening his glazed eyes. "Eric? Is that you?" He turned to look around, trying to recall where the hell was he and how the fuck did he get there. He was certain that he was home, but now he saw that he was lying on a small bed in some stinky motel room. What the hell happened to him last night?!

"Uncle Duo... is that really you?" Eric's small voice sounded hopeful but yet uncertain. But Duo was too busy to answer. His mind was filled with flashy images of a pretty Asian girl, memories flickering through his mind but providing no answers. What the hell did he do last night!? There was no way he-he-

"Oh God..." Duo whispered, covering his face with his hand.

"Uncle Duo?" Eric's voice was now frightened and worried. "Uncle Duo? It's me, Eric. Are you okay?"

"Where am I..?" Duo asked himself, still holding the phone but paying it no mind. He'd completely forgot about his worried nephew. The only thing he wanted to know was where was he and how did he get there. He turned over to look at the nightstand by the bed, his weary eyes scanning it carefully. There was a small matchbox lying on the night table. He clumsily reached for it, narrowing his eyes in concentration as he read the stylish letters.

"Little Miss Daisy Motel..?" He mumbled in confusion, his brows furrowing. "Where the..?"

"Uncle Duo? Is everything all right?" Eric's worried little voice came to his ears, reminding him that he was still on the phone. How the hell would Eric know the phone number to this place? Was this a... a dream?

"Uh..." Duo moaned miserably, closing his eyes. His head hurt too much for him to think. His eyelids felt heavy even when they were closed. His hand was numb and heavy as well. He wasn't even sure if he was holding the phone anymore...

His arm fell limply on the bed, dropping the stylish cell phone. More images flickered through his fading consciousness, more flashy pictures of that pretty Asian whore and the worriedly look in her pretty eyes... She was familiar somehow, he thought, drifting back to sleep. She reminded him of an angry Wufei... why was she angry at him..? It's not his fault he was gay...

With fresh tears lingering to his eyelashes, Duo fell asleep once again, unaware of the worried little voice calling for him or the sound of the water running in the shower.

* * *

Back in his and MJ's joint room, Eric's face paled dramatically as he slowly lowered the phone. "He... hung up..." He mumbled in a numb voice, turning to look at his older brother with dull and confused eyes. "He... he sounded... bad." The little boy murmured, the look in his eyes showing what awful and dreadful thoughts were running through his head. Tears began to fill his big blue eyes. He looked up at his brother, sniffling like a wounded puppy.

"MJ... something's wrong with uncle Duo!" He cried, his little heart pounding painfully in his chest. "He didn't even know who I was!"

The nine-year-old boy, who usually showed little emotion on his little face, was looking pale and dreadful as well. It took him a few seconds to compose himself and gather his little brother into his arms. "Don't worry..." He mumbled into Eric's soft chocolate brown hair. He rubbed his small back soothingly, all the while gathering his wits together, making room for logical thoughts. "If he answered Mei-chan's cell phone, it means that he's with her." MJ rationalized.

Beneath him, Eric sniffled and nodded his head. "Right. And he also said something about a motel..." The little boy mumbled into MJ's chest, refusing to pull out of the hug just yet. "He said... he said something about Miss Daisy..." He sniffled, turning to look up at his brother with sad blue puppy eyes. "I think... I think... I think something is really wrong, MJ... He didn't sound like uncle Duo at all..."

"C'mon, Eric," MJ soothed, "It's not like you to cry like that..."

"But what if... what if... what if something REALLY bad happened and... and..."

"Shh..." MJ hushed him, petting his head affectionately, something he rarely did. MJ was not a child who displayed his emotions so freely, he was very closed off and introvert, but even an indifferent nine-year-old was all in all, still a nine-year-old boy. A boy who, despite frequent quarrels, loved his brother dearly. He did not appreciate seeing his kid brother cry.

"The first thing we have to do," MJ continued, his tone confident, "Is to find out the motel's name and its location."

Eric sniffled, turning to look up at his brother. "We're... we're going to look for him?"

MJ nodded determinedly. "Of course." He stated and then carefully pulled away from Eric. "C'mon, we'll use daddy's computer."

* * *

Heero looked up from the table in front of him as the doors to the meeting room closed. He was still a bit stunned from the fact that the meeting was taking place at the Preventer building, Duo's former place of work, and he wasn even more stunned to see Chang Wufei walk into the room, closing the doors behind him. The Chinese man nodded towards Heero once, as a greeting, and he didn't seem so surprise to see Quatre was also there. He greeted the man with a small smile and took a seat near the end of the table, where Une was sitting. Opposite to Wufei, sat Heero's boss. The rest of the joint executives, from many companies and regions of the world, sat around the table. Heero sat at the very edge, away from all the so-called VIPs. His job was to be quiet until he was asked something. He was just there for technical support.

Sighing heavily, Heero leaned back into his comfortable seat and turned to look out the window. His cobalt eyes scanned the city wearily as his fingers began tapping silently on the table. He needed to find Duo.

"Well," Une began, "Why won't we start with the surveillance report? Agent Horkenz, why won't you go first?"

Heero listened with half an ear as each agent gave his report regarding the possibilities of espionage. He then tuned the conversation out completely as each company executives voiced his concerns about the matter. That was until the mentioning of those words again. The Middle East affair everyone seemed to be so worried about. Even Une tensed at the mentioning of the matter. It seemed that something dangerous and illegal was going on down there, and the technology Heero was helping to develop had something major to do with it all. He listened carefully as the conversation took an interesting turn, and Wufei reminded everyone that what was being said was "for your ears only". Top secret matters that do not leave this room.

"Otherwise, it will endanger our undercover agents." He concluded, narrowing his eyes dangerously as a warning. It gave the right affect; Heero could see that on the faces of the room's occupants.

It was in that moment that Heero felt his cell phone began to vibrate in his back pocket. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, knowing well enough that he should have turned his phone off when he entered the building. That was one of the strictest Preventer regulations, one he was well aware of. Instead of turning his mobile off, he just put it on "silent mode". It was a silly thing to do because now the annoying device was dancing and vibrating in his pocket and he was not allowed to pull it out and turn it off. He tried to ignore the soft buzzing of the phone and concentrated on what was being said.

"After successfully infiltrating Abu Amir El Habib's main factory, our agents have managed to put their hands on some valuable information." Wufei informed the group of agents and Businessmen. The lights in the room were turned off and a projector was turned on, displaying a certain picture on the wall.

The cell phone stopped dancing in his pocket and Heero gave out a silent sigh of relief. He settled more comfortably in his seat and looked up at what was being displayed on the wall in front of him. It was an extremely high angle view of a building in the middle of the desert.

Using a laser-pen, Wufei pointed the little red dot at the picture and continued his explanation. "This satellite photo was taken three weeks ago..."

Again the devious cell phone began to silently buzz and shudder in his pocket. Heero grunted in annoyance and wiggled awkwardly in his chair. Who was the stubborn asshole!?

"It took a lot of effort for our agent to escape the country. His mission ended abruptly four months before schedule, and thus he could not manage to get close enough to Abu Amir. From what he did gather, Habib's men had already copied most of the basic technology to build the main processor."

Heero winced at this piece of information. It took the professor and he about four years to complete the perfect design for the super-computer's Central Processing Unit. And in short six months those damn fools copied all of their work! His fists clenched and his jaw tensed. And the vibrating cell phone in his back pocket was not helping him to relax at all!

Heero turned his attention back to the meeting, where Wufei was taking a seat and another agent, a female one, rose to speak. She changed the picture in the projector and turned back to the meeting table. The picture on the wall displayed a group of people, most of them wearing either long black robes, fancy black suits and a keffiyeh (an Arabic head cover). They were all standing together smiling, while in the background some great event, a ball or a party, was taking place.

Heero's cell phone stopped shaking and suddenly he felt as if the room was very, VERY, silent. A heavy silence that drowned even the sound of his own breathing. He looked at the picture on the wall, horrified. Among all of the rich sheiks standing tall, proud and smiling in the picture, was another strangely familiar face. Heero's eyes widened slowly, his mouth agape. Next to the person whom the female agent pointed to be Sheik Abu Amir El Habib, stood a young man in a black suit and a keffiyeh. Despite the fact that he was wearing a pair of very thick, black framed, glasses and most of his face was hidden by the long head cover, his identity did not escape Heero's mind.

The cell phone in his pocket returned to buzzing and vibrating with a vengeance, causing Heero to gasp and jump up a little.

A few heads tuned his way in question. Quatre was looking at him worriedly and Wufei raised an eyebrow.

But couldn't he see it?! Couldn't Wufei see it? He couldn't expect Quatre to notice, he'd been out of touch for so long, but Wufei! How could he be so blind?! That man in the picture... that dark skinned, smiling man who was standing by the Sheik's side... he was... he was... he was no other than Ran himself! A spy! He was their spy! It all made sense now! Perfect, clear and twisted sense! His heart clenched painfully at the revelation. His blood boiled with anger. How could this be happening? How could this be happening to Duo? Hasn't he been through enough!? Why must he lose another love? Why was fate abusing him so?! What had he done wrong? Duo... he hadn't done anything wrong! Why must he suffer like this?! Why!?

All the occupants of the room gasped loudly as Heero slammed both his hands on the table. The Japanese man jumped up to his feet, a look of determination and anger on his face. Head Director Une looked up from her notes in bafflement, and then turned to look at Wufei worriedly. The Chinese agent nodded his head slightly. He turned back to Heero.

"Yuy, please sit down." He spoke calmly, but his words only served to ignite more of the angry blue fire in Heero's eyes. The blue orbs were ablaze with anger and frustration. He was torn between pointing out what he'd just discovered, which will lead to Duo's unhappiness, or keep his mouth shut and sit back down. The dilemma was not as easy to solve as it may seem. He might be a law-keeping citizen, a man who cared for his country and the company he worked for, but he cared for Duo even more. He was willing to watch the project go down the drain if Duo will receive his happiness in return. Then again, his rational mind interfered, Duo could never be happy spending his time with a spy. Sooner or later, the fantasy will dissolve into a bitter, black, tragic ending.

The cell phone in his pocket stopped again. His heart was beating frantically.

"Heero, please." Wufei tried again, rising slowly from his seat. "I understand the reason for you being so upset, but I assure you that I had no other choice. This had to be kept a secret."

Heero blinked, confused. Slowly, he turned to look at Wufei. "A... secret?"

"We were keeping a close eye on Ran and Duo," Une interjected, "Through A.D Wufei, and I ordered him not to tell anyone of this. It would have risked the mission, and our agent's life."

This was too much to absorb. He turned stiffly to look at Une. "Your... agent?" He swallowed, trying to process all of this new information. "Ran is your agent? I thought... I thought he was a... He's... not... he's not a spy?"

In his seat, Quatre giggled silently and tried to cover it up as a cough. "Heero, don't be silly." He spoke softly, looking up at his former comrade with amused eyes. "Don't you think we would have known if Ran was working against us? Wufei had been close enough to both parties in order to know."

Embarrassed, Heero smiled sheepishly and nodded his head. "Yeah, I... I suppose so."

His cell phone was buzzing again. He really wanted to be out of this place already. All the gazes were locked on him, he was afraid that they'll discover that his mobile was still on. He turned back to Wufei.

"And knowing this, you let those two come together?" Heero asked, his voice harsh and his eyes burning fiercely. "Knowing what it will do to Duo when Ran leaves him?"

Wufei sighed and lowered his head in shame. "I had no choice. I didn't want this to happen, I warned Ran, but... they were happy together. I didn't want to take that from Duo."

"Gentlemen," Une spoke up again, her tone harsh but her gaze soft. "I understand your need to discuss this, but this is not the time or place. Please, let us continue with the meeting."

"Yes Ma'am." Wufei muttered and took his seat. Heero remained standing a while longer, noting that the vibration of his cell phone was shorter this time, indicating and arriving text message. He decided that whoever was desperate to contact him had something important to say. Perhaps it was Duo who was trying to call him. He couldn't wait any longer. As the meeting recommenced and the gazes were averted from him to the screen, Heero pulled out his phone. There was a message there from Sarah. His eyes widened as he read over the short SMS message:

'HEERO- THE KIDS ARE MISSING!!!!!!!!'

He gasped, nearly dropping the phone. His heart missed a beat and a slight dizziness attacked him. He wobbled a little in his spot, nearly falling. He couldn't' stay here a minute longer! He... he had to find Duo and tell him... he... he had to find him... he had to... he had to find his kids!

Wasting no more time Heero rushed out of the room, bursting out the doors and making a racket as he left. Quatre looked after him stunned, and then turned to look at Wufei. The Chinese Preventer was looking worried as well. There was also regret in his eyes, the honest remorse for lying to both Heero and Duo. However, he will have to apologize for it later. Right now, the meeting was more important. He was sure that Heero would be able to solve things between Duo and Ran. For now, he will leave it all to him. Making short eye contact with Quatre, Wufei cold tell that the blond businessman had understood his thoughts and for now, agreed with them. The two returned their attention the meeting, all the while worrying for their two close friends.

* * *

"Are you sure that this is the right place?" Eric asked uncertainly as he clung to his brother's Jacket. The two just stepped out of the bus and were now standing in one of the more questionable parts of town. The neighborhood looked like all those places the TV showed late at night, when their parents did not allow them to watch television. The buildings were shabby looking, the streets dirty, the cars old and the people uncaring or even hostile. It was nothing like the quiet suburb they lived in their entire young life. The big city was a scary place for the two youngsters, though MJ did his best not to show it. He glared at anyone who looked at him too lengthily for his liking, his cold expression and cool composer suggesting that the little boy, despite his age, was not to be messed with.

There was a certain air of supremacy and strength around the silent boy, his solemn looks and calculated features showing wisdom beyond his age. His icy greenish-blue eyes scanned the streets carefully, always on the lookout for something dangerous. He'd read enough newspapers and seen enough movies to know that he and Eric had no business to be in such a place. Nevertheless, their mission was too important to let this little fact interfere and become a weakness. They had to find Duo, and that's all that mattered.

Eric for his part did not display such courage and determination as his older brother. The six year old was frightened and insecure, clinging to his brother's small jacket like a frightened puppy. Usually MJ would have rebuked him for such behavior, calling him a 'scaredy-cat' and such, but right now he didn't. Eric was thankful for that. He liked MJ when he was like this, a pillar of strength and comfort. He felt safe when he was with him, just like he did when he was around his mommy or daddy. He refused to let go of MJ, his blue eyes looking around fearfully as they walked the streets and narrow allies, searching for the place that was marked on the map MJ was holding.

"It should be around here." MJ's quiet, apathetic, voice spoke up, as the black-haired boy looked down at the map he was holding, and then back at the street. He used his index finger to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose, his fierce green/blue eyes scanning their environment closely. He settled his gaze on one of the street signs that displayed the name of the street, nodded a slight affirmative to himself and returned to the map. "The motel is just a block ahead. C'mon, lets go."

Swallowing hard, Eric arranged his small backpack and hurried to catch up with his brother's footsteps. For some reason, he got the feeling that they're going to get into a hell of a lot trouble for this...

* * *

"Would you like some breakfast? I'm starving!" Meiran asked as she flopped herself into the small armchair facing the bed. She was dressed in the same evening attire she wore the night before, only this time there was a towel wrapped and twisted up on her head. On the bed, Duo was lying as limp as a log, his arm tossed casually over his eyes.

"Uh... wha.. what?" He mumbled, peeking behind a small crack between his arm and face.

Meiran chuckled. "Maybe you should go to shower first. I'll see if I can fetch you a cup of STRONG coffee..."

Duo blinked, surprised. "Meiran?!" He called out, as if seeing her for the first time.

The girl snorted and rolled her eyes. "Ok, make that TWO cups..." She shook her head in amusement. "Did you hit your head last night or something?"

Duo frowned, slowly getting up. He groaned at the effort and reached up to hold his head as if it would fall. "I, uh... no. I just... I thought... well... forget it..." He slurred and blinked to arrange his vision. The room was spinning in slow motion. He carefully placed his legs on the floor, taking a deep breath before trying to get up. "How did you find me here?" He asked hoarsely, stumbling towards the bathroom.

"Don't you remember?" The teenage girl asked, surprised. "I bumped into you in an alley."

"Oh." Duo let out, trying to coordinate his movements in order to properly reach for a clean towel hanging on the shower's door. "So it was you..."

Meiran rolled her eyes. "Who else would it be!? Gosh, just pull yourself together so we can get outta here. I promised dad I'll be home by noon. He's gonna KILL me if I'll be late... He hates it when he doesn't know where I am..."

She wasn't sure if her uncle heard her or not, because usually he would reply humorously to such a comment, but this time he just entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him. It was so odd to see him silent. Too odd. Unnerving. She longed for him to smile again. Things were just not right when her uncle was acting so depressed.

Instead of brooding over her uncle's misfortune, she set herself on the task of getting him some coffee. She hurried to dry her hair; slip into her high-heeled boots and then stepped outside. She made her way to the small lobby, looking for the vending machines. It was in that moment, when she was making her way towards the hot beverages machine in the corner of the lobby, that two little kids entered the motel.

The taller of the two marched determinedly towards the service counter, followed by a smaller, frightened looking boy. The smaller boy was clinging to his brother's jacket, refusing to let go even when the other tried to brush him off.

"Eric, let go for a second!" MJ snapped, whirling around to glare at his little brother. His answer was a pair of large tearful eyes and trembling lips.

"But..." Eric mumbled, so scared he was about to cry. He'd seen on the TV how many psycho murderers roamed such shabby looking motels. He wasn't stupid; he knew that there was some masked, black clad murder with an ax waiting to chop him to pieces. "But..." He whimpered again, looking up at his brother with large blue puppy eyes.

MJ rolled his eyes. "Fine. You can hold my hand." He grumbled and snatched Eric's hand. He then turned back to the counter, and while standing on his tiptoes, he peeked beyond the counter.

In the corner of the lobby, Meiran picked up two paper cups of steaming coffee and turned around carefully. She only took two steps forward when she finally noticed the two. One cup slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor. Her eyes widened impossibly and her jaw fell open. It was just NOT possible that such a thing will happen TWICE in less than twenty-four hours! First Duo... then her two cousins..? What was going on?!

* * *

Heero had started with only one clue as for the whereabouts of his kids. Sarah told him that she found her private hand-written phonebook in the kids' bedroom, and from what she could gather they were calling Meiran. When the two tried to call the girl, there was no answer. They hurried to call Sally and ask her if she'd seen the kids and if they were with Meiran. Sally's answer was that Meiran went to sleep over at a friend's house. The girl was still not answering the phone when her mother tried to call her.

Now it was Sally's turn to be worried. She tried contacting her husband, but his cell phone was closed. She didn't think twice and joined Heero and Sarah in their search. They headed to Meiran's friend house. To their surprise, and Sally's shock, Meiran wasn't there. Her friend confessed, after a lot of persuading from Heero's part, that Meiran and she went out clubbing last night. Meiran disappeared sometimes during the night. She hasn't seen her since.

Sally was about to faint and Sarah was on the verge of crying. Heero was both angry and confused, trying to remain calm and reasonable in this time of crisis. He told Sally and Sarah to make their way quickly to Preventer HQ. In the meantime, he will go and search the area Meiran had disappeared in. Maybe there was a connection between her disappearance and the kids' whereabouts. They could only hope for the best.

He kissed his wife goodbye and did his best to soothe her, promising that everything will be all right. Sarah was holding Aya protectively in her arms, holding onto her so hard as if she was afraid that the baby would disappear as well. With tearful green eyes and trembling lips she nodded her head and tried to smile at him, giving him some sort of reassurance that it's all right to leave her for the time being. Taking a deep breath, Heero nodded in response and bent to kiss Aya's little head. He then ran back to the car, slamming the door behind him. Rocking Aya in her arms, Sarah watched the 4x4 drive off quickly.

Sally wrapped a warm arm around Sarah's shoulders and carefully guided her away. "Come on, I called a cab." She said soothingly, though her own voice was also shaking. "We'll call him when we get to Preventer."

In a matter of minutes, Heero was in the center of town. He broke almost every traffic law there was while driving there. When he arrived at the main entertainment area, he parked his jeep on the sidewalk and jumped out of it quickly. He began scanning the area by foot, looking in ever alley, every bar or club, just like he did the previous night while looking for Duo. He was too tired from last night's search, but he was not willing to rest until he had his kids safe in his arms. The thought that something bad had happened to them was just too much. He would rather go through the Hell he'd been in fifteen years ago than to see any harm come to his children.

* * *

After spending nearly an hour under the hot current in the shower, Duo was ready to step out. His body was still numb and clammy from the shower but his mind was more or less awake. He longed for that cup of coffee Mei-chan had mentioned. He toweled and dressed quickly and then proceeded to drying his shoulder length hair with the towel. The bathroom was very silent and therefore he was surprised when suddenly a very out-of-place sound hit his ears.

"COOL!" A few childish giggles and the clapping of hands followed the cheerful call. The laughter was not hard to recognize. With a gasp, Duo burst out of the shower.

"Eric?!" He called, his violet eyes wide and stunned as they locked onto the small figure jumping up and down on the bed. "What the hell are you doing here?!" He blurted in confusion, his eyes darting to where Meiran was standing by the bed, smiling at her little cousin. She turned to her uncle with a smile.

"They were looking for you." She explained with an amused gaze.

Duo turned to scan the room and all color drained from his face as he saw MJ standing there too, waving a small hello and smirking to his face.

"I think I should sit down..." Duo mumbled, walking awkwardly towards the bed. Eric, who was still bouncing on the bed, hurried to jump at his uncle the minute the man sat down at the edge of the bed. He grinned from ear to ear and launched at him from behind, giving him a big hug.

"Uncle Duo! Uncle Duo! I got you!" The boy chanted happily, continuing to bounce even as he hugged Duo, which only caused the tow to bounce together. Duo was about to throw up and his headache was not getting any better. He let himself fall back on the bed, collapsing onto the mattress just when Eric finally let go of him. He closed his eyes and threw an arm over them, sighing deeply. The bed was moving as Eric continued to jump and the room was too loud for him all of a sudden.

Sighing deeply, he let his hand drop limply to the bed and looked up at the ceiling with dull violet eyes.

"Heero is going to KILL me..."

The last part will be here shortly (I hope). Are you still with me here or am I writing to myself? ^^;;

Naomi

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