Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Number 12 ❯ Code ( Chapter 5 )

Warning: No boobies to be found in this place. Seek sanctuary in a Dragon Ball Z-Sailor Moon Crossover if you desire these.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. I have finally come to accept the heart wrenching fact that I probably never will. If I did, none of you would be allowed to see it until you were 18.

Author's note: Okay, I know you guys want me to hurry up and get back to Duo so he can be raped by a big, hairy monster (you sick, sick people...), so I've tried to write this chapter quickly. Thus, it may be a little shorter than the previous three chapters. There have been several suggestions made to me on Number 12's anatomy, and they teeter on the thin, thin line between kinky and disturbing. I would really appreciate it if some of you guys could e-mail/IM me and let me bounce these suggestions off on one of the readers. Anyone? Please?

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Dedication: Nikki, of course. Heather, be happy! Megs, you best haul yo' punk ass to mah hizzouse, biatch! Jamie, I wish you happiness with Bradley!

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In memory, pale eyes devoured his face once more. His heart began pounding painfully in his chest and fury burned the morning's wine away. "This thief's mine! Not theirs, mine!" He had always found the twins' diversions repellent, but the thought of them taking pleasure from the pain of something he considered his own drew his lips back off his teeth and curved his hands into fists.- Tanya Huff, The Fire's Stone (Go read this book! Read it now or I will hunt you down...and cry at your doorstep.)

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Chapter 5

Code

The room was lit only by the harsh light emitted from the screen of a relatively small computer. A solitary figure was highlighted by the glow, tacking away at the keyboard, squinting gravely at the monitor. Every now and then this person would sit back and sigh, a frustrated exhale. Beautiful lips moved in a silent curse, and then this person would attack the keyboard anew, stabbing quickly and viciously at the keys with their index fingers alone.

With slow, almost cautious movements, the figure slid a disc into a slot and returned to the keyboard. She moved the mouse and clicked twice, using another hand to brush back a curl of soft brow hair. Then the computer crashed, leaving Gloria Westham in the, dark. The young woman pushed away with an angry growl. The wheels of her swivel chair squeaked in protest of the sudden motion as she rose to her feet and fumbled for the light switch.

"Shit. What are you bastards up to now?" She paced the length of her living room, pushing her hands through her hair, "They've tightened security again... Maybe they're onto me... Fuck!" In a rare act of violence, the tiny brunette kicked at the cheap plaster wall. She regretted her actions almost immediately when she drew her foot back to stare at the hole she'd made.

"...Well...poopy.." She pouted, startled by her own rage. It had left her now...

`Shouldn't have blown up like that...' She thought to herself.

Gloria Westham had been tracking the Coldmine Labs for just over a year now after she'd uncovered who was responsible for her sister's disappearance two and a half years ago. She never believed the story that Amelia had simply run off someplace. She wasn't like that. So Gloria had begun frantically searching for some word of her sister's continued existence. Eventually, she did, but by the time she had discovered the identity of her sister's abductors, it was far too late. She was dead, and so Gloria's mission had changed from rescue, to revenge. She had known it would be all but impossible to try it alone. Coldmine Labs were far too sophisticated, and she was no fighter. Her best bet then had been with the Preventers, they had inside information and people under their employment that could very well have been crucial to Coldmine's destruction. She could never hope to become a member of the Preventers, that took training she didn't have time for. Instead, she had opted to work undercover, working as a maid to two of the most active members in the organization: Heero Yuy, and Duo Maxwell. The work wasn't hard, Yuy tended to keep a rather neat home, and when she'd taken the job, he'd informed her that he cared less about her dusting the furniture, and more that she kept an eye on Duo, to give him someone to talk to when Heero couldn't be there. And she enjoyed her job, a lot. Duo Maxwell was almost always cheerful, full of energy, and ready to talk about nearly anything. She'd grown very close to him in a short period of time. It was hard not to, something about him was like an irresistible attraction.

Sometimes, it made her feel guilty that she'd bugged their home. Not many, only three. She couldn't risk Heero finding them. even worse for the one she'd slipped into the bedroom, the one where she had caught certain things that should have been private. The blush deepened with the memory. But it had to be done. For Amelia...

Eventually, she'd sent an anonymous tip to the Preventers, when she'd gathered sufficient information. It hadn't been that easy, they'd tried to trace the information back to her, but she managed to divert it. And they investigated it- sent some of their people to check up on the information that had been sent. Her boys had been the ones to take the mission. She'd been ecstatic, it was almost as though she herself were going to destroy Coldmine and all of their monsters- human and not. She'd removed the bugs shortly after they'd returned. There was no need for them anymore, and she really needed to get them out before she became a total hentai...

All had been well for a couple of months. She'd finally felt at peace and she had a job that she enjoyed very much so. Life seemed worth living again.

Then, she found something that had sent her crying into Duo Maxwell's arms. She hadn't meant to, but the night before she'd come across a new chemical trademarked under a man who worked for Coldmine. They were still there! Amelia had not been avenged!

Duo had held her to him and quietly waited for her to calm down. When she had, he asked if she wanted to tell him what was wrong.

`Nothing...Hormones I guess. It's my time of the month.'

Poor thing, he'd taken her word for it and let it drop- made her drink some hot tea and watch Pink Coffee music videos with him. He'd told her dirty jokes until she could laugh again.

She wasn't angry with them though, Gloria didn't think she could ever be angry with them. It wasn't their fault that they hadn't completely destroyed Coldmine. They couldn't know just how big it was.

So, in the end, she had gone back to tracking the corporation down. It was so hard, they must have been terrified of another attack, that the Preventers might find them and finish them off.

Three weeks ago she'd managed to hack into their system. But all she had right now was proof of their continued existence. They hadn't appeared to have done anything illegal yet, or, more likely, they had, but they weren't documenting it. She had to find something she could use against them.

Gloria sighed again in dull weariness and made her way back to the computer and ejected the disk, "I'll need a new computer, I guess..." Falling quiet, she stared down at the small silver disk in her hands. She hadn't gotten much before their defense virus killed her helpless, innocent little Dell, and what she'd managed to dig up was in code.

"I'll need her help, then." She whispered, and headed out the door.

~~~~

"How is Yuy?" Wufei asked Trowa quietly, as he came out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

"On his laptop. He's trying to hack into the security systems of the buildings everywhere for twenty blocks. He's trying to find the course that Duo's kidnappers took." Trowa replied in a carefully even tone, "The problem is the power out. I don't think that he'll be able to get anything."

"It isn't important." Wufei replied, "Watch the video again. Listen carefully to it."

"What?"

"The road they're driving on. The sound of it is familiar, but I can't place it."

Trowa nodded, though thoroughly confused. Picking up the remote, he started the video over again and listened. He fought the whole length of the video, some six minutes long, to hear whatever it was that Wufei could. At the end of it, he shook his head, "I still don't understand. Wufei, what exactly am I listening for?"

"Shut your eyes, you are being distracted by the picture." Wufei insisted calmly.

The banged boy shook his head again, but complied, gently shutting both of his eyes. Wufei took the remote from him and started the video over from the beginning. Perhaps two to three minutes into it, he got a reaction. Trowa's brows knit in something much like concentration and his emerald eyes slid open, ""You're right, it's familiar..."

"But you don't know in what way, either, I'll assume?" Wufei sighed.

"Correct."

Both ex-gundam pilots fell into silence then, neither sure of what else to say. Just before the quiet drew out to an awkward length, there was a faint `click' of the front door as it was unlocked. Both turned to watch as Quatre Raberba Winner stepped through into the living room.

"I got here as fast as I could." Quatre panted, nudging the door shut with his foot and shoving his arm through his jacket sleeve, "The video. Do we know where Duo is yet? Trowa, you said he was shot, right? Do we know how bad it is? Where did he take the bullet? And where the Hell is Heero?"

"Ah..." Wufei managed, ebony brows raised high, before he could regain composure, "You seem much more...focused, since last I spoke with you, Winner."

"I'm back on my feet, all right? Crying my eyes out isn't going to help Duo." Quatre responded sharply, "Now, show me the video, would you?"

Trowa looked at Wufei with his one visible eye when the Chinese boy hesitated, "If you don't want to see it again, you can leave. Get us some more coffee?"

"Tea is far better. I don't know how you can drink that mud." Wufei snorted, but gratefully handed over the remote to the Prussian boy. He nodded once to Quatre on his way out.

The Arabian watched the video in complete silence. He did not flinch or squirm at the sight of Duo's wound. His eyes were distant, his face passive, much as though he were deep in thought. Then the video ended, and Quatre turned to face his lover, "They went right past Preventer's headquarters..."

"How did you-?" Trowa began, but Quatre cut him off

"You drive, I get bored, I notice things. That road is in desperate need of repair." The blond explained bluntly. "Now where's Heero?"

"Bedroom." Trowa replied, nodding his head to the plain white door.

Quatre's expression softened, "Sleeping?"

"No. He's on the laptop, trying to hack into security systems." Trowa sighed.

"He hasn't slept since he came back from that colony, has he?" The blond murmured, running a hand through his hair.

"I don't blame him, I'd be doing the same."

"I don't blame him either, but like you said before, we won't be doing Duo any good without a strong body and a rested mind. Even the Perfect Soldier has his limits. Do you think it would be possible to talk some of that sense into him?"

"No, I don't. Heero is...stubborn, in matters like these." Trowa said gently, placing a hand on the smaller boy's shoulder.

Quatre shook it off impatiently, "You get Wufei and get over to that road, see if you can find anything. I'm going to talk to Heero." He didn't wait for Trowa to reply, but instead walked past him and into the bedroom, silently shutting the door as he walked in.

Heero Yuy didn't look up from the computer screen, "What do you want, Quatre?"

"Heero, have you had any rest whatsoever since we found Duo missing?" The Arabian boy asked, striding up behind the ex pilot of Wing.

"I already know what you're getting at, Quatre, and no, I haven't. I don't need it and the longer it takes to find Duo, the less... the less likely our chances are that we will find him alive."

"You've got to get some sleep, Heero. When we find Duo, he'll need you to be strong and alert. Besides, you don't think he'll want to see you with bloodshot eyes and bags, do you?" Quatre finished with a halfhearted joke.

"Hn."

Quatre took that as an agreement, however grudging. "Thank you, Heero. Take a break. If you like, I can take over for you while you do."

There was a faint grinding sound.

"Heero, that's bad for your teeth." He couldn't help but laugh, just a little, "I'll fix you up a shower, and a snack. Afterwards- bed."

"I suppose you mother hen Trowa like this as well?" The Japanese boy muttered mutinously.

"I do not mother hen!" Quatre shot back, pouting.

~~~~

"So what do you make of it, Pearl?" Gloria asked, leaning over the desk and craning her head to get a better look at the computer screen. After she'd arrived with the disc, the older woman had taken her to the back room, putting up a sign on the front of the door reading, `on break.', before locking it behind the both of them. Pearl was now seated in front of her office desk, fingertips flying over the keyboard and her 50's style glasses balanced precariously on the tip of her nose. Gloria was resting on the side of the desk, chewing on the end of a pen. It was a nervous habit of hers.

"It's very complex, Glor. Ah might have a li'l trouble wit' it, ya know? Yew said yore computer crashed jus' af'wards, right?" Pearl inquired, red hair slowly working itself loose from the bun she kept it in on the very top of her head. She wasn't as young as she used to be, she dyed her hair now, and wore a lot of make up to hide the wrinkles. Ah, what she wouldn't do for her youth again. Pearl paused to rub at aching fingers.

"Yes, that's right. You don't think they'll be able to track it, like last time, do you?" She asked, brown eyes going wide.

"Nah, sugah, dat satellite of t'iers got destroyed, along wit' most dem udder bastards. Yew don' got t' worry `bout dat. Dey gotta stay down low. Dey wouldn't risk de purchase of a whole `nother satellite. Dat's de sort of thang people tend t' notice." The red head soothed.

"Can you figure it out today? Please? Maybe?"

"Ah'll do de best ah can, Glor. An' git mah pen out yore mouth!" She jerked her head around to fix the younger girl with a glare. Her glasses threatened to topple off her nose.

"Oops...um, sorry." Gloria smiled apologetically, and set the pen down on the desk.

"`s all righ', babe. Ah know yore anxious. An' ah cain't say ah blame yew...Oh. Oh, ah think ah've cracked it." Pearl shoved her glasses back up, grinning victoriously, "We'll have dem dis time, ah bet, Glor. `Melia `ll fin'ly be able t' rest in p-oh, good God, Almighty."

"What? What is it?" Gloria asked eagerly, again trying to look over at the screen.

"Glor...Gloria, ah'm not sure ah should let yew see dis." Pearl said carefully.

"Oh, come on, Pearl, how bad can it be?"

The older woman shook her head, a little pale under her thick coat of make up. "Pretty bad, Glor."

"Spit it out, Pearl. Can we incriminate them?"

"Yes, I t'ink we can. Ah jus' wish...dat we didn' catch dem doing dis again. Dis says dey've reinstated de 642 Program."

"No...no no no. Not someone else..." The brunette murmured. Not someone else. This couldn't happen again. Her voice softened to a meek whisper, "Who?"

"All dis information is abou'...abou' Duo Maxwell, hun."

Gloria's trembling hands flew to cover her mouth, "Oh my God...this is all my fault."

Tbc...

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Good for me. Finished ahead of schedule once again. I'm not really satisfied with this chapter though. Ah, well. I did my best. As always, I ask that if you liked my story, please review. Hell, if you didn't like it, and you want to let me know what a sick monster I am, then do it! I am that much of an attention whore.