Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Preventors' Case #84309: Splicers ❯ Chapter 18
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: bikkothewriter 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Hentai / Romance | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 02.01.2009 | Updated On: 09.27.2010 | Pages: 6 | Words: 6.2K | Visits: 552 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Hentai / Romance | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 02.01.2009 | Updated On: 09.27.2010 | Pages: 6 | Words: 6.2K | Visits: 552 | Status: Work In Progress
Preventors' Case #84309: Splicers
Pairings: Main 1x2, others may show up
Warnings: Yaoi, Language, blood, gore, lemon, lime, angst
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Splicing idea taken from a Batman Beyond episode.
Summary: Heero is working for the Preventors on a case dealing with genetic mutations gone wrong. When he finally manages to make a break in the case he finds Duo, whose been missing for four years, right in the middle of it. Where has Duo been and what has he done to himself?
***
Waking the next morning Heero lay still, cradling Rhys close to his chest, the boy's head tucked under his chin, as he came to term with his emotions. He was not new to emotional overload and had even come to terms with some of his triggers. Children being hurt or threatened, friends in need, cases that ran him around in circles, all put him on a turbulent emotional rollercoaster that took time and patience to slowly work through.
He pulled away from the boy, sitting up, throwing his legs over the side of the bed, scrubbing his face with both hands. He felt marginally better after last night's peaceful rest attributing it to Rhys' comforting touch keeping thoughts of self-doubt and guilt at bay.
He looked back at the boy as he started to wake with a stretching yawn. He blinked large sleepy violet eyes at Heero, absently scratching an ear. Crawling to the edge of the bed, he sat beside Heero swinging his legs back and forth.
"Hi."
"Hi," Heero answered smiling down at the boy.
"Do you feel better now?"
"A little, yes."
"Naps always make me feel better."
"Really?"
"Yep," Rhys answered nodding.
"That's good," Heero replied wishing that all of his problems could be solved so easily.
"Why were you sad?"
Heero paused deciding the best way to answer the boy. He didn't want to rehash the entire events of last night to a three year old who more than likely wouldn't understand half of what he was told.
"There is a bad man hurting people," he told Rhys, "And I can't find him."
"You'll find him," Rhys said confidently, nodding as his feet continued to kick.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Cause you're good at catching bad guys."
"Yeah?" Heero asked taken aback by Rhys' faith in him but was warmed by it nonetheless.
"Yeah."
"What else am I good at?" He asked curious.
"Kissing," Rhys replied with the same sureness.
"Kissing?" Heero asked stunned. "How do you know I'm good at kissing?"
"My daddy told me."
"When?" Heero asked finding it hard to imagine Duo creeping into their shared dorm room in the middle of the night to whisper to his son Heero's kissing abilities.
"Last night in my dream."
"You had a dream that Duo told you I was a good kisser?"
"MmHm. He says all kinds of weird stuff in my dream."
"What does he say?" he asked wondering if it was a coincidence or if Duo and Rhys were somehow psychically connected.
"That cement tastes funny."
Coincidence then, he thought though it made him smile. Rhys had a knack for making him smile, his innocence and naivety shining through in everything he said and did. It was no wonder that he was so precious to Duo.
"I didn't know that your Dad used to be so sad," Heero told Rhys, "I bet having you around cheered him up."
"My daddy thinks you don't like him."
"I like him, very much in fact," he admitted, "But he went away without saying goodbye."
"That's bad," Rhys said, his legs coming to a standstill. "Are you mad at him?"
"A little, yes."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault," he said with a sigh. "It's not anyone's fault. He needed to leave to be
happy. I just wish he would have come to me first."
"Oh."
"Don't worry," he said, rubbing the boy's head. "We'll talk and work things out."
"Okay."
"Let's get cleaned up and get something to eat."
"Okay," Rhys said excited.
Heero rose from the bed, helping Rhys to hop down, who remembering the rules from yesterday immediately set to work, helping Heero to make the bed, tugging a the sheets trying in his own haphazard way to straighten them out.
"Mr. Heero."
"Mm?" Heero called absently as he tried to adjust the blankets and stop Rhys from ripping them completely off the bed at the same time.
"Do you think Mr. Trowa will marry me?"
Heero froze completely caught off guard by the question suddenly imagining both Rhys and Trowa dressed in tuxes standing at the alter, and the dozens of books the boy would need to stand on to reach Trowa's impressive height for their kiss. He couldn't stop the loud laugh that burst from his mouth at the thought.
"I think he's too old for you," he told Rhys although he was reminded of Wu Fei's comment about Rhys having a love of older women. Obviously he had a love for older men too. Not one to miss a good opportunity to embarrass Trowa he added, "Why don't you ask him yourself?"
"Okay," Rhys said giving a very serious nod, his face set with determination and Heero could only imagine the startled look on Trowa's face when he was proposed to by a three year old and wondered if Duo would give his blessing.
After making the bed and gathering clean clothes for Rhys they headed to the showers
where the boy behaved perfectly, standing under his own showerhead without disturbing any of the other agents besides a call of greeting. Dried, with his hair combed neatly he waited in the locker rooms while Heero took his own shower. He peeled away the gauze still wrapped around his chest finding that the busy day of activities had not pulled any of his stitches and that the scratches had already started to scab over. Rhys had let out an emphatic 'ouchies' upon seeing his chest but helped to redress Heero's wound all the same.
Breakfast was a repeat affair with Rhys wanting and getting everything on the cafeteria's menu although this time Heero was able to eat his breakfast as he listened to the child recount his day spent with Lisa and Leslie until they finally went home. He mentioned that both twins had wanted to marry Trowa, which explained the earlier question as Heero imagined that Rhys wanted to get to Trowa before the twins could. He didn't have the heart to tell the boy that Trowa wouldn't be marrying him, or anyone, in the near future.
The next stop was the playroom to deliver Rhys into Joyanne's care and Heero made a note to talk to the woman about how much this arrangement was inconveniencing her and her work. She worked on retainer for the Preventors not as a glorified babysitter and steps would need to be taken to ensure Rhys' safety while letting everyone do their jobs. Upon opening the door to the room he found not only Joyanne but Rains, Duo and Janet all seated around a small table with what looked to be legal documents sat both in front of Duo and Janet. The group as a whole jumped guiltily at his arrival looking away quickly.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing," Rains said gathering the papers from Duo and Janet folding them over twice.
"Judge Carson has granted Mr. Maxwell full custody of his son and we were just finishing up some legal paperwork."
"Such as?"
"Well for starters Rhys is now a legal citizen of L1 with a birth certificate and Citizen ID to prove it."
"I see," Heero replied though he didn't believe that that was all those papers had meant.
They were hiding something from him and although Duo's face looked pleasantly blank his ears were lowered, half-mast, belying the truth. Heero wished the man had had the ears four years ago, it made reading him so much easier.
"Mrs. Hughes as also offered her services to be Rhys' caretaker once again," Rains continued gesturing towards the older woman, "And Rhys will go home with her today."
"Doesn't that sound good Kitten?" Janet asked and Rhys turned away in response hugging onto Heero's leg pressing his face against his dark blue khaki's.
"What's wrong?" Heero asked brushing his fingers across the top of the boy's head.
Rhys shook his head against Heero's leg refusing to answer, clutching tighter.
"Come on, kiddo," Duo said rising form his chair. He circled the table to squat down near his son. "Don't you want to go home with Nana Janet?"
Rhys peeked around Duo looking at the elderly woman. He pressed his face against Heero's leg again before he nodded in answer.
"Then you gotta let Heero go first," Duo said with a chuckle. Rhys only shook his head again. "Come on, Kiddo tell me what's wrong."
"I don't want to leave Mr. Heero. I don't want to make him sad."
"Oh," Duo said his ears further dropping.
"Rhys," Heero said gaining the boy's attention, "I know where you live. You're not leaving, you're just going home."
"You won't be sad?"
"No," Heero said smiling to prove it. "I know that I'll see you again."
"Oh. Okay!" Rhys said instantly perking up. "Can I go now?"
Heero looked to Janet who was smiling in an indulgent motherly way, "Of course."
She rose coming to take the small boy's hand as Duo, too, rose moving to give them space.
"Can we bake cookies?" he asked, all but forgetting his hesitation in leaving Heero alone mere moments before.
"I take it then that you've approved all of this?" Heero asked Joyanne once the pair was out of the room.
"Yes. Janet is very good for him and now that Duo has custody it's really his decision on what is done with Rhys."
"She's just watching him for me until all of this blows over. He doesn't need to be shuffled from one person to the next if it's not necessary."
"I see. Well then I'll let you get back to what you were doing," he said intending to leave the room and to the clinic where the rest of his team would be waiting.
"Wait," Duo called grabbing his wrist. "Um, do you think you guys could give us a minute?" he asked, looking solemnly at Rains and Joyanne.
The two women left failing to hide the knowing little smiles the shared as they passed the two men heading out the door. Heero was embarrassed to see yet another person making assumptions about his feelings and his relationship with Duo. He'd had time that morning to determine that he was not in love with Duo but very much infatuated and would like to spend more time with Duo but that he didn't know him well enough to call it love.
"About last night," Duo started, "I'm sorry about everything Heero. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"It's alright. I needed to know the truth."
"You were pretty upset," duo answered stepping close, running his fingers of his right hand through Heero's hair.
"A lot of things happened yesterday, but I'm fine now."
"That's good," Duo said softly adding his left hand to run through Heero's hair, the pads of his fingers massaging his scalp as he leaned closer bending for a kiss.
"No," Heero said bringing duo up short with his hands on his arms. "Not here."
"Does that mean you'll invite me to your house?" he asked seductively and his tail brushed over the back of Heero's thigh making him shiver.
Heero didn't know for sure where the moment was headed, only that he very suddenly wanted to follow through with whatever thoughts Duo was entertaining in his head but found himself stalled by the ringing of his phone and his body gone cold at the sight of the Director's office number flashing on the screen. He pulled away from Duo, answering the call.
"Yuy, here."
"I want to see you in my office. Now."
The phone went dead before Heero could reply and he knew that things were not good. He didn't fear much in life but being called to the Director's office in such a blunt way left him wary of the conversation ahead.
"Who was that?"
"The Branch Director. I need to meet with him."
"Later, then?"
"Yes."
Branch Director Gordon Yates was a tall and heavy built man but Heero had seen the man in action once when the colony was threatened by terrorists and knew first hand the power and the speed the man possessed. Fifty three years old with salt and pepper hair, weathered skin and piercing blue eyes he was not the type of man to be trifled with and stepping into his office, having that powerful gaze focused on him, Heero worried about the state of his affairs. Yates stood behind his desk, with the blinds shuttered giving the wood furnished office a more intimidating feel.
"Commander Yuy, can you tell me why I found this in my inbox this morning?" he asked turning towards the large monitor inhabiting the right hand wall, where the screen flashed to life displaying the day's newspaper with the headline reading 'Preventor Agent Electrocutes Children'.
"Director Yates the story has been misconstrued. Agent Northman was attacked by Dr. Gabriel Murai and was not able to stop herself from hurting the children."
"It doesn't matter that the story was misconstrued Commander, the fact is that one of my agents hurt civilians and I found it splashed across the headlines."
"I understand Director and my team and I are doing everything possible to capture him."
"You've been on this case for over four months Commander and the death toll is getting steadily higher."
"Director I assure you-"
"One week, Commander. You have one week to have someone behind bars for these murders or I take over this case."
Heero froze at the director's declaration. He had never had a case taken away from and having it even threatened was a blow to his pride. He'd spent months doing everything possible to track the man and he'd be damned if he lost it to someone else.
"I understand, Director," he answered.
"I understand that Major Chang and Lieutenant Po working alongside your team in place of a downed member," Yates said looking down at files open on his desk flipping through different pages.
"Yes, sir."
"I've read over the letter Dr. Gervais had sent to me and you know as well as I do that I
cannot approve this move."
"Director from what he's explained this may be the only way to restore the others. He's already proven his abilities where Agents Gilliam are concerned."
"Commander Yuy I'm willing to overlook the issues here by only so much. Dr. Gervais is not the only doctor specializing in splicing in the Earth Sphere and is under investigation for kidnapping, illegal splicing on both a minor and an adult, unregistered cloning and several other misdemeanor charges. Allowing him to take our agents into his lab gives him the upper hand and puts their lives in danger."
"I don't believe that he means anyone any harm, Director and Duo Maxwell has admitted that he went with Gervais of his own free will," he said defending the two men.
"The topic isn't open for discussion Commander. I've spoken with Dr. Anderson who has been monitoring and learning the procedures done by Gervais and once he feels that he can properly care for his current patients as well as any of those admitted later, I want Gervais in a cell and out of the lab."
"Yes, sir. And Duo Maxwell?"
"While Maxwell may have indeed gone with Gervais under his own power we don't know that he stayed that way. He kept Maxwell encased in a sensory deprivation chamber that have most commonly been used to mentally torture or brainwash victims. Has he had a psych analysis done yet?"
"No sir."
"See that it's done Commander. I also want tests done on both him and his son. I want to know the full extent of their senses and abilities. I want to find out if either of them can generate electricity or spit poison before it's too late to stop them."
"Yes, sir," he said unable to argue with his superior about any of the decisions he was making in regards to Heero's case.
"You are a good agent and an excellent commander, Yuy. You've never failed to solve a case but I believe that this particular one may be over your head. There are too many personal elements getting in the way of things. I don't want to pull you from a case that you've worked so hard on but I will if you force me to."
"I can handle it, Director Yates."
"See that you do. You have one week."
He left the director's office shortly after that more determined than ever to find Murai. Yates was right; he'd never let a case go unsolved and he would not let Murai tarnish his record nor would he let him continue to harm innocent people. He already had several plans in mind for the day as he crossed the concourse heading to the clinic to meet up with his team, the biggest being identifying who Nellie was and if she was a part of Murai's scheming.
Trowa stood waiting for him just outside of the clinic, a look of concern on his face.
"How did the meeting go?"
"Not good. We have a week to find Murai or we're off the case."
"We have another problem then" Trowa said moving through the automatic doors with Heero keeping pace beside him. "I spoke with Greyson this morning and he doesn't believe that Murai was the one to attack Northman. The recombinant used is different for those used with both the twins and Hargrove."
"We can't have a copycat this quickly. Someone working with Murai could have done the attack."
"Nellie, maybe?"
"I think so. No one from the scene remembered seeing a doctor matching his description and we didn't know to question for a suspicious woman."
Heero stepped into the labs interior interrupting whatever conversation the assembled group was having. Around the lab tables sat Gervais, for once not leaning over a microscope, Sally, Price and Duo, while Weber, Hayers and Wu Fei took up space against the walls.
"Heero, my dear boy, should I be packing things away for the return trip to my lab? I already have Dr. Anderson and the staff on standby to move our patients."
"The director didn't approve it," Heero said answering Gervais keeping the rest of what the director had ordered to himself.
"There's not much else I can do for them like this."
"There's nothing more I can do," he said honestly. He turned to the rest of his team gauging their reactions to the situation while Gervais spoke to Duo quietly. "The director has given us a week to find Murai or he'll pull us off the case."
"Shit," Hayers said. "We've been on this case for months. Did he say who he'll give it to?"
"No and I don't plan to find out," Heero said vehemently. "Murai is slipping. He's deviated from his original plan and is using help. It's only a matter of time before he makes a fatal mistake."
"Right now we can only assume that he's targeting agents," Wu Fei said, "Everyone by now knows to be on alert for him."
"We can use that to our advantage, if he tries to attack an agent they should be ready to defend themselves against him."
"So far, the three attacks have been generalized to the same area. We can assume that he's hiding nearby," Price said, looking at no doubt a map on her laptop's screen.
"Did you find anything on Nellie?" Heero asked Wu Fei and Hayers.
"We weren't able to find a definite match, but we have three possibles who all have had some kind of affiliation with splicing, including two women who were spliced and one who currently runs a campaign for the legalization of splicing," Wu Fei answered.
"I'll leave it to you two to bring them in for questioning. We also need to look into Brandon Moore and why Murai would have left his nephew's body in his basement for so long. Price, you and Po can work together to give me a solid history for the boy. The M.E. should call within the next few hours with her results."
"What about me, Boss?" Weber asked.
"You're with me and Barton. I want to do my own search of Murai's practice and canvass the neighborhood to see if anyone has seen anything suspicious."
"Cool," Weber said and from his expression Heero could see that the man was happy to finally be back in the field doing something more productive than babysitting Gervais and Duo.
"Heero," Trowa called and Heero looked to the taller man seeing his attention focused on the doorway to the lab where three unexpected visitors stood.
"Quatre," he said surprised to see his blond friend. He knew it would only be a matter of time before the business man came to see Duo for himself but didn't expect to see him so soon and with such short notice. He looked both regal and powerful in a navy pinstripe suit with a matching tie and baby blue shirt, standing four inches taller than Heero with his hair perfectly styled and a welcoming smile on his face.
"Heero, it's good to see you," he greeted stepping forward to envelope Heero in a hug. He pulled away and Heero was not surprised to note that Quatre's assistant and bodyguard had moved along with him.
Michelle 'Michael' Brennan worked as Quatre's assistant and after many meetings Heero felt as if he had a handle on how to deal the woman. Saying she was neurotic or paranoid was an understatement. She lived and died by her tablet PC, keeping the computer close to her chest when not jotting down every word that Quatre spoke. She kept detailed lists of everything, being so meticulous that she could tell Heero what Quatre had for breakfast six months ago, though she was not inclined to let him anywhere near it for fear that he would steal it from her.
She kept a constant vigil on Heero, staring at him over the rim of her glasses even as she moved with Quatre as he hugged Trowa. While her name was Michelle she insisted on being called Michael claiming that it was the proper way to pronounce her name. Heero had quickly given up trying to explain otherwise to the woman after she had all but browbeaten him into submission. She was small, with thick curly red hair she kept in a messy bun wearing a black skirt suit and low heels and looked as if a strong breeze would blow her over but she was not a woman to be trifled with and didn't hesitate to give her opinion no matter how much it hurt to hear.
Quatre's bodyguard was far less interesting keeping to himself unless needed to defend Quatre and after a very thorough and in-depth background check Heero had come to trust Ken Spears with his friend's well-being. Wearing a black on black suit with no tie and wraparound shades he looked every bit the stereotypical bodyguard but Heero knew that the man wouldn't hesitate to do whatever it took to ensure Quatre's safety.
Heero followed Quatre as he moved to hug Wu Fei next, giving a pleasant hello to Hayers and Weber as he passed them. From the corner of his eye he could see Duo all but bubbling with excitement as he rose coming towards Quatre excitedly with his arms out in anticipation of a hug, calling Quatre's name.
"Don't touch me," Quatre said coldly, twisting away from Duo surprising not only Duo with his actions but the room as well as all the attention was suddenly focused on the pair.
"Quatre, what's going on?" Duo asked, clearly hurt by the other man's reaction to him.
"I came here to see my friend and I find the Duo Maxwell that I knew is no longer here."
"What are you talking about? I'm the same guy I was before."
"No, you're not. The Duo that I knew was never so selfish as to condone making a clone of himself for the sake of an experiment."
"Rhys is my son. He's more than just some clone."
"He's the byproduct of an experiment for your own splicing. Adopting him as your son doesn't change that."
"What the hell? Have you and Heero been having late night chats about my kid?" Duo asked angrily looking to Heero instead of Quatre.
"I never spoke to Quatre," Heero said defending himself.
"I did," Trowa said lending his voice to the conversation. "I told Quatre what you told us."
"And suddenly I'm not the person you thought you knew? I think you guys would have been happier to find me locked up someone's basement, beaten and starving to death."
"That isn't what we wanted but finding you this way isn't what we expected either," Wu Fei added.
"Yeah? Well, people change. We can't all be so goddamned perfect, now can we?" he asked looking back to Quatre.
"Does this make you perfect?" Quatre asked gesturing to Duo's ears and Heero was surprised to hear some his same arguments coming from Quatre's mouth. He'd been sure of a happy hug-filled reunion when the blond decided to visit and instead the man was hostile and on the attack.
"I don't have to answer you. You weren't even fucking here four years ago you don't know what I was going through. You don't know shit about me and if all you came here to do was bitch about me cloning myself then you can fuck off."
"You don't deserve him. He's nothing more than a means to an end for you. You used him like a lab rat."
"I said fuck off," Duo growled taking a threatening step towards Quatre and Spears was quick to intervene forcing Duo to take a step back and away from his charge.
"That's enough, Quatre," Heero said placing a restraining hand against the blonde's arm. Quatre looked Heero in the face before his gaze traveled down to Heero's hand and back to his face again, but Heero did not take the warning in his look instead tightening his grip. "I'll walk you out."
Quatre gave one last look to Duo who'd turned his back on the group, before turning to leave with Michael and Spears beside him and Heero, along with Trowa and Weber following.
"What the hell was that Quatre?" Heero asked once they were outside of the clinic with Weber, Spears and Michael giving the three pilots space to talk.
"I wasn't wrong for what I said. It's the truth."
"You don't know that. You haven't even talked to him for yourself."
"I don't need to. The man in that room is not Duo Maxwell."
"You don't know the full story, Quatre."
"And you do? Or at least you believe that you do."
"Yes," Heero said giving a quick explanation of what Duo had told him last night hoping that Duo wouldn't be angry with him for sharing his secret.
"You believe that?" Quatre asked incredulously. "You think that Duo, the same Duo who wouldn't take pain medication with three broken ribs would get mixed up with drugs that badly?"
"I don't know what all depression could make a person do," Heero said defending Duo although he felt very stupid for not questioning what he'd been told after Quatre's statement.
"Are you saying that Duo lied to Heero, Quatre?" Trowa asked.
"Yes," he said seriously. "Don't trust him, Heero. It's not just him lying to you but the doctor as well. I can feel the deception all around them. They're hiding something from all of you but a lot of it is from you specifically, Heero."
While Heero didn't doubt Quatre's abilities to know certain things, he couldn't bring himself to believe that Duo would outright lie to him. He knew there was more to the story where Duo's disappearance was concerned, that there were more questions that needed to be answered but he also knew that Duo cared about him and wouldn't do anything to hurt him.
"I'll take it into consideration, Quatre."
"If he would go so far as to clone himself for the sake of splicing then there is no telling what else he may be capable of. I want you to do more than take it into consideration. Forget whatever feelings that you have for him because he doesn't feel the same about you."
"Quatre," Trowa said softly trying to dissuade the other man form continuing but he bulled forward.
"He is going to betray you Heero."
"I'll make a note of it," Heero said not happy with the turn of the conversation. He was not sure who he should believe in at the moment. He knew that Duo was hiding things from him, keeping his past a secret but he didn't believe that the other man would betray him not after the night before where he'd finally admitted some of the truth. Duo was not the type of person who would kiss someone he didn't truly care for. If Quatre was right however, and everything that Duo had said and done so far was a lie, then he would need to take steps to find the truth. He had yet to rule out Duo's changes in behavior has a byproduct of Gervais' tank. He needed that psych evaluation done, the sooner the better.
His phone rang stalling any further conversation for the moment as he memorized the address the dispatcher gave him, making a mental map to the destination of the latest incident. He left with only Weber accompanying him, giving Trowa instructions to see to getting the evaluation done and Quatre safely returned to his hotel.
Where the last two scenes involved agents being transformed into mindless animals this one was refreshing in no one being stabbed in the back. The syringe of recombinant lay broken in the middle of the Japanese restaurant's floor, the green liquid seeping into the hardwood floors that Weber set about collecting. The only person hurt was one Shinji Himura, who sat atop one of the dining tables as a paramedic tended to her dislocated shoulder while her husband hovered close by.
"He tried to sneak up behind me but I caught his reflection in the mirror," the agent said nodding her head towards the decorative mirrors against the wall. "I subdued him easily and would have arrested him but his partner came out of nowhere."
"What did the partner look like?"
"A girl. Seventeen, maybe. She had black hair and brown eyes, very nondescript but I'd know her if I saw her again. She didn't look stable."
"What do you mean," he asked wanting her to elaborate.
"She looked crazed," she answered looking to her husband for confirmation.
"The way she smiled," he said, "It was frightening."
"She just appeared in front of me. I trained my gun on her and she just moved and the next thing I knew she was right in front of me. She grabbed my arm with one hand and just sort of tugged. It didn't take her any effort to rip my arm out of place," she said with a wince as the medic applied pressure to her shoulder. "When I grabbed at her she kicked me into the table."
She gestured towards the table that was split down the middle and Heero could only imagine the strength it would take to dislocate a person's arm and kick them hard enough to send them flying into a table. Murai was working with a very serious player who would go to any length to protect the doctor.
"What else can you tell me?"
"She didn't leave unscathed. I ripped some of her hair out when I grabbed her. I had one of the techs bag it when I came to."
Said tech held up the clear plastic bag containing the few strands of black hair and Heero was sure that they had found the mysterious Nellie or at least a piece of her. He passed the evidence to Heero before rejoining the other technicians in scouring for clues.
"Good work, Agent Himura," Heero said sincerely. He had once considered and had even invited the female agent to join his team before but had been politely turned down as she enjoyed her current position. With Hayers leaving, and finding that the woman was just as skilled in her job as she was before, he was determined to get have her on his team.
"Ow," she cried in pain has the medic tried to bend her arm to secure in a sling. "Are you trying to rip my arm off?"
"Shi-chan," her husband chided softly.
"Sorry," she mumbled to the medic. Turning back to Heero she said, "I don't know why they picked me, I'm not even in uniform."
"Commander, we need to get her to the hospital, if you're done?" the medic asked helping her down from the table.
"How often do you eat here?" he asked, suddenly reminded of the twins who often visited the café where they were attacked at.
"About twice a week."
"Sometimes in uniform," her husband supplied.
"They must have seen me here before," she said, the idea dawning on her.
"This means he is targeting agents and it isn't a coincidence. Go on to the hospital, we'll finish up here."
He watched the three make there way through the crowd to the waiting ambulance before giving his attention back to the evidence bag in his hand. As he had predicted, Murai was slipping and with the hair Agent Himura managed to snag from his partner it would only be a matter of time before they found the both of them. If he was lucky he'd find them both long before the week was out.
Pairings: Main 1x2, others may show up
Warnings: Yaoi, Language, blood, gore, lemon, lime, angst
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Splicing idea taken from a Batman Beyond episode.
Summary: Heero is working for the Preventors on a case dealing with genetic mutations gone wrong. When he finally manages to make a break in the case he finds Duo, whose been missing for four years, right in the middle of it. Where has Duo been and what has he done to himself?
***
Waking the next morning Heero lay still, cradling Rhys close to his chest, the boy's head tucked under his chin, as he came to term with his emotions. He was not new to emotional overload and had even come to terms with some of his triggers. Children being hurt or threatened, friends in need, cases that ran him around in circles, all put him on a turbulent emotional rollercoaster that took time and patience to slowly work through.
He pulled away from the boy, sitting up, throwing his legs over the side of the bed, scrubbing his face with both hands. He felt marginally better after last night's peaceful rest attributing it to Rhys' comforting touch keeping thoughts of self-doubt and guilt at bay.
He looked back at the boy as he started to wake with a stretching yawn. He blinked large sleepy violet eyes at Heero, absently scratching an ear. Crawling to the edge of the bed, he sat beside Heero swinging his legs back and forth.
"Hi."
"Hi," Heero answered smiling down at the boy.
"Do you feel better now?"
"A little, yes."
"Naps always make me feel better."
"Really?"
"Yep," Rhys answered nodding.
"That's good," Heero replied wishing that all of his problems could be solved so easily.
"Why were you sad?"
Heero paused deciding the best way to answer the boy. He didn't want to rehash the entire events of last night to a three year old who more than likely wouldn't understand half of what he was told.
"There is a bad man hurting people," he told Rhys, "And I can't find him."
"You'll find him," Rhys said confidently, nodding as his feet continued to kick.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Cause you're good at catching bad guys."
"Yeah?" Heero asked taken aback by Rhys' faith in him but was warmed by it nonetheless.
"Yeah."
"What else am I good at?" He asked curious.
"Kissing," Rhys replied with the same sureness.
"Kissing?" Heero asked stunned. "How do you know I'm good at kissing?"
"My daddy told me."
"When?" Heero asked finding it hard to imagine Duo creeping into their shared dorm room in the middle of the night to whisper to his son Heero's kissing abilities.
"Last night in my dream."
"You had a dream that Duo told you I was a good kisser?"
"MmHm. He says all kinds of weird stuff in my dream."
"What does he say?" he asked wondering if it was a coincidence or if Duo and Rhys were somehow psychically connected.
"That cement tastes funny."
Coincidence then, he thought though it made him smile. Rhys had a knack for making him smile, his innocence and naivety shining through in everything he said and did. It was no wonder that he was so precious to Duo.
"I didn't know that your Dad used to be so sad," Heero told Rhys, "I bet having you around cheered him up."
"My daddy thinks you don't like him."
"I like him, very much in fact," he admitted, "But he went away without saying goodbye."
"That's bad," Rhys said, his legs coming to a standstill. "Are you mad at him?"
"A little, yes."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault," he said with a sigh. "It's not anyone's fault. He needed to leave to be
happy. I just wish he would have come to me first."
"Oh."
"Don't worry," he said, rubbing the boy's head. "We'll talk and work things out."
"Okay."
"Let's get cleaned up and get something to eat."
"Okay," Rhys said excited.
Heero rose from the bed, helping Rhys to hop down, who remembering the rules from yesterday immediately set to work, helping Heero to make the bed, tugging a the sheets trying in his own haphazard way to straighten them out.
"Mr. Heero."
"Mm?" Heero called absently as he tried to adjust the blankets and stop Rhys from ripping them completely off the bed at the same time.
"Do you think Mr. Trowa will marry me?"
Heero froze completely caught off guard by the question suddenly imagining both Rhys and Trowa dressed in tuxes standing at the alter, and the dozens of books the boy would need to stand on to reach Trowa's impressive height for their kiss. He couldn't stop the loud laugh that burst from his mouth at the thought.
"I think he's too old for you," he told Rhys although he was reminded of Wu Fei's comment about Rhys having a love of older women. Obviously he had a love for older men too. Not one to miss a good opportunity to embarrass Trowa he added, "Why don't you ask him yourself?"
"Okay," Rhys said giving a very serious nod, his face set with determination and Heero could only imagine the startled look on Trowa's face when he was proposed to by a three year old and wondered if Duo would give his blessing.
After making the bed and gathering clean clothes for Rhys they headed to the showers
where the boy behaved perfectly, standing under his own showerhead without disturbing any of the other agents besides a call of greeting. Dried, with his hair combed neatly he waited in the locker rooms while Heero took his own shower. He peeled away the gauze still wrapped around his chest finding that the busy day of activities had not pulled any of his stitches and that the scratches had already started to scab over. Rhys had let out an emphatic 'ouchies' upon seeing his chest but helped to redress Heero's wound all the same.
Breakfast was a repeat affair with Rhys wanting and getting everything on the cafeteria's menu although this time Heero was able to eat his breakfast as he listened to the child recount his day spent with Lisa and Leslie until they finally went home. He mentioned that both twins had wanted to marry Trowa, which explained the earlier question as Heero imagined that Rhys wanted to get to Trowa before the twins could. He didn't have the heart to tell the boy that Trowa wouldn't be marrying him, or anyone, in the near future.
The next stop was the playroom to deliver Rhys into Joyanne's care and Heero made a note to talk to the woman about how much this arrangement was inconveniencing her and her work. She worked on retainer for the Preventors not as a glorified babysitter and steps would need to be taken to ensure Rhys' safety while letting everyone do their jobs. Upon opening the door to the room he found not only Joyanne but Rains, Duo and Janet all seated around a small table with what looked to be legal documents sat both in front of Duo and Janet. The group as a whole jumped guiltily at his arrival looking away quickly.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing," Rains said gathering the papers from Duo and Janet folding them over twice.
"Judge Carson has granted Mr. Maxwell full custody of his son and we were just finishing up some legal paperwork."
"Such as?"
"Well for starters Rhys is now a legal citizen of L1 with a birth certificate and Citizen ID to prove it."
"I see," Heero replied though he didn't believe that that was all those papers had meant.
They were hiding something from him and although Duo's face looked pleasantly blank his ears were lowered, half-mast, belying the truth. Heero wished the man had had the ears four years ago, it made reading him so much easier.
"Mrs. Hughes as also offered her services to be Rhys' caretaker once again," Rains continued gesturing towards the older woman, "And Rhys will go home with her today."
"Doesn't that sound good Kitten?" Janet asked and Rhys turned away in response hugging onto Heero's leg pressing his face against his dark blue khaki's.
"What's wrong?" Heero asked brushing his fingers across the top of the boy's head.
Rhys shook his head against Heero's leg refusing to answer, clutching tighter.
"Come on, kiddo," Duo said rising form his chair. He circled the table to squat down near his son. "Don't you want to go home with Nana Janet?"
Rhys peeked around Duo looking at the elderly woman. He pressed his face against Heero's leg again before he nodded in answer.
"Then you gotta let Heero go first," Duo said with a chuckle. Rhys only shook his head again. "Come on, Kiddo tell me what's wrong."
"I don't want to leave Mr. Heero. I don't want to make him sad."
"Oh," Duo said his ears further dropping.
"Rhys," Heero said gaining the boy's attention, "I know where you live. You're not leaving, you're just going home."
"You won't be sad?"
"No," Heero said smiling to prove it. "I know that I'll see you again."
"Oh. Okay!" Rhys said instantly perking up. "Can I go now?"
Heero looked to Janet who was smiling in an indulgent motherly way, "Of course."
She rose coming to take the small boy's hand as Duo, too, rose moving to give them space.
"Can we bake cookies?" he asked, all but forgetting his hesitation in leaving Heero alone mere moments before.
"I take it then that you've approved all of this?" Heero asked Joyanne once the pair was out of the room.
"Yes. Janet is very good for him and now that Duo has custody it's really his decision on what is done with Rhys."
"She's just watching him for me until all of this blows over. He doesn't need to be shuffled from one person to the next if it's not necessary."
"I see. Well then I'll let you get back to what you were doing," he said intending to leave the room and to the clinic where the rest of his team would be waiting.
"Wait," Duo called grabbing his wrist. "Um, do you think you guys could give us a minute?" he asked, looking solemnly at Rains and Joyanne.
The two women left failing to hide the knowing little smiles the shared as they passed the two men heading out the door. Heero was embarrassed to see yet another person making assumptions about his feelings and his relationship with Duo. He'd had time that morning to determine that he was not in love with Duo but very much infatuated and would like to spend more time with Duo but that he didn't know him well enough to call it love.
"About last night," Duo started, "I'm sorry about everything Heero. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"It's alright. I needed to know the truth."
"You were pretty upset," duo answered stepping close, running his fingers of his right hand through Heero's hair.
"A lot of things happened yesterday, but I'm fine now."
"That's good," Duo said softly adding his left hand to run through Heero's hair, the pads of his fingers massaging his scalp as he leaned closer bending for a kiss.
"No," Heero said bringing duo up short with his hands on his arms. "Not here."
"Does that mean you'll invite me to your house?" he asked seductively and his tail brushed over the back of Heero's thigh making him shiver.
Heero didn't know for sure where the moment was headed, only that he very suddenly wanted to follow through with whatever thoughts Duo was entertaining in his head but found himself stalled by the ringing of his phone and his body gone cold at the sight of the Director's office number flashing on the screen. He pulled away from Duo, answering the call.
"Yuy, here."
"I want to see you in my office. Now."
The phone went dead before Heero could reply and he knew that things were not good. He didn't fear much in life but being called to the Director's office in such a blunt way left him wary of the conversation ahead.
"Who was that?"
"The Branch Director. I need to meet with him."
"Later, then?"
"Yes."
Branch Director Gordon Yates was a tall and heavy built man but Heero had seen the man in action once when the colony was threatened by terrorists and knew first hand the power and the speed the man possessed. Fifty three years old with salt and pepper hair, weathered skin and piercing blue eyes he was not the type of man to be trifled with and stepping into his office, having that powerful gaze focused on him, Heero worried about the state of his affairs. Yates stood behind his desk, with the blinds shuttered giving the wood furnished office a more intimidating feel.
"Commander Yuy, can you tell me why I found this in my inbox this morning?" he asked turning towards the large monitor inhabiting the right hand wall, where the screen flashed to life displaying the day's newspaper with the headline reading 'Preventor Agent Electrocutes Children'.
"Director Yates the story has been misconstrued. Agent Northman was attacked by Dr. Gabriel Murai and was not able to stop herself from hurting the children."
"It doesn't matter that the story was misconstrued Commander, the fact is that one of my agents hurt civilians and I found it splashed across the headlines."
"I understand Director and my team and I are doing everything possible to capture him."
"You've been on this case for over four months Commander and the death toll is getting steadily higher."
"Director I assure you-"
"One week, Commander. You have one week to have someone behind bars for these murders or I take over this case."
Heero froze at the director's declaration. He had never had a case taken away from and having it even threatened was a blow to his pride. He'd spent months doing everything possible to track the man and he'd be damned if he lost it to someone else.
"I understand, Director," he answered.
"I understand that Major Chang and Lieutenant Po working alongside your team in place of a downed member," Yates said looking down at files open on his desk flipping through different pages.
"Yes, sir."
"I've read over the letter Dr. Gervais had sent to me and you know as well as I do that I
cannot approve this move."
"Director from what he's explained this may be the only way to restore the others. He's already proven his abilities where Agents Gilliam are concerned."
"Commander Yuy I'm willing to overlook the issues here by only so much. Dr. Gervais is not the only doctor specializing in splicing in the Earth Sphere and is under investigation for kidnapping, illegal splicing on both a minor and an adult, unregistered cloning and several other misdemeanor charges. Allowing him to take our agents into his lab gives him the upper hand and puts their lives in danger."
"I don't believe that he means anyone any harm, Director and Duo Maxwell has admitted that he went with Gervais of his own free will," he said defending the two men.
"The topic isn't open for discussion Commander. I've spoken with Dr. Anderson who has been monitoring and learning the procedures done by Gervais and once he feels that he can properly care for his current patients as well as any of those admitted later, I want Gervais in a cell and out of the lab."
"Yes, sir. And Duo Maxwell?"
"While Maxwell may have indeed gone with Gervais under his own power we don't know that he stayed that way. He kept Maxwell encased in a sensory deprivation chamber that have most commonly been used to mentally torture or brainwash victims. Has he had a psych analysis done yet?"
"No sir."
"See that it's done Commander. I also want tests done on both him and his son. I want to know the full extent of their senses and abilities. I want to find out if either of them can generate electricity or spit poison before it's too late to stop them."
"Yes, sir," he said unable to argue with his superior about any of the decisions he was making in regards to Heero's case.
"You are a good agent and an excellent commander, Yuy. You've never failed to solve a case but I believe that this particular one may be over your head. There are too many personal elements getting in the way of things. I don't want to pull you from a case that you've worked so hard on but I will if you force me to."
"I can handle it, Director Yates."
"See that you do. You have one week."
He left the director's office shortly after that more determined than ever to find Murai. Yates was right; he'd never let a case go unsolved and he would not let Murai tarnish his record nor would he let him continue to harm innocent people. He already had several plans in mind for the day as he crossed the concourse heading to the clinic to meet up with his team, the biggest being identifying who Nellie was and if she was a part of Murai's scheming.
Trowa stood waiting for him just outside of the clinic, a look of concern on his face.
"How did the meeting go?"
"Not good. We have a week to find Murai or we're off the case."
"We have another problem then" Trowa said moving through the automatic doors with Heero keeping pace beside him. "I spoke with Greyson this morning and he doesn't believe that Murai was the one to attack Northman. The recombinant used is different for those used with both the twins and Hargrove."
"We can't have a copycat this quickly. Someone working with Murai could have done the attack."
"Nellie, maybe?"
"I think so. No one from the scene remembered seeing a doctor matching his description and we didn't know to question for a suspicious woman."
Heero stepped into the labs interior interrupting whatever conversation the assembled group was having. Around the lab tables sat Gervais, for once not leaning over a microscope, Sally, Price and Duo, while Weber, Hayers and Wu Fei took up space against the walls.
"Heero, my dear boy, should I be packing things away for the return trip to my lab? I already have Dr. Anderson and the staff on standby to move our patients."
"The director didn't approve it," Heero said answering Gervais keeping the rest of what the director had ordered to himself.
"There's not much else I can do for them like this."
"There's nothing more I can do," he said honestly. He turned to the rest of his team gauging their reactions to the situation while Gervais spoke to Duo quietly. "The director has given us a week to find Murai or he'll pull us off the case."
"Shit," Hayers said. "We've been on this case for months. Did he say who he'll give it to?"
"No and I don't plan to find out," Heero said vehemently. "Murai is slipping. He's deviated from his original plan and is using help. It's only a matter of time before he makes a fatal mistake."
"Right now we can only assume that he's targeting agents," Wu Fei said, "Everyone by now knows to be on alert for him."
"We can use that to our advantage, if he tries to attack an agent they should be ready to defend themselves against him."
"So far, the three attacks have been generalized to the same area. We can assume that he's hiding nearby," Price said, looking at no doubt a map on her laptop's screen.
"Did you find anything on Nellie?" Heero asked Wu Fei and Hayers.
"We weren't able to find a definite match, but we have three possibles who all have had some kind of affiliation with splicing, including two women who were spliced and one who currently runs a campaign for the legalization of splicing," Wu Fei answered.
"I'll leave it to you two to bring them in for questioning. We also need to look into Brandon Moore and why Murai would have left his nephew's body in his basement for so long. Price, you and Po can work together to give me a solid history for the boy. The M.E. should call within the next few hours with her results."
"What about me, Boss?" Weber asked.
"You're with me and Barton. I want to do my own search of Murai's practice and canvass the neighborhood to see if anyone has seen anything suspicious."
"Cool," Weber said and from his expression Heero could see that the man was happy to finally be back in the field doing something more productive than babysitting Gervais and Duo.
"Heero," Trowa called and Heero looked to the taller man seeing his attention focused on the doorway to the lab where three unexpected visitors stood.
"Quatre," he said surprised to see his blond friend. He knew it would only be a matter of time before the business man came to see Duo for himself but didn't expect to see him so soon and with such short notice. He looked both regal and powerful in a navy pinstripe suit with a matching tie and baby blue shirt, standing four inches taller than Heero with his hair perfectly styled and a welcoming smile on his face.
"Heero, it's good to see you," he greeted stepping forward to envelope Heero in a hug. He pulled away and Heero was not surprised to note that Quatre's assistant and bodyguard had moved along with him.
Michelle 'Michael' Brennan worked as Quatre's assistant and after many meetings Heero felt as if he had a handle on how to deal the woman. Saying she was neurotic or paranoid was an understatement. She lived and died by her tablet PC, keeping the computer close to her chest when not jotting down every word that Quatre spoke. She kept detailed lists of everything, being so meticulous that she could tell Heero what Quatre had for breakfast six months ago, though she was not inclined to let him anywhere near it for fear that he would steal it from her.
She kept a constant vigil on Heero, staring at him over the rim of her glasses even as she moved with Quatre as he hugged Trowa. While her name was Michelle she insisted on being called Michael claiming that it was the proper way to pronounce her name. Heero had quickly given up trying to explain otherwise to the woman after she had all but browbeaten him into submission. She was small, with thick curly red hair she kept in a messy bun wearing a black skirt suit and low heels and looked as if a strong breeze would blow her over but she was not a woman to be trifled with and didn't hesitate to give her opinion no matter how much it hurt to hear.
Quatre's bodyguard was far less interesting keeping to himself unless needed to defend Quatre and after a very thorough and in-depth background check Heero had come to trust Ken Spears with his friend's well-being. Wearing a black on black suit with no tie and wraparound shades he looked every bit the stereotypical bodyguard but Heero knew that the man wouldn't hesitate to do whatever it took to ensure Quatre's safety.
Heero followed Quatre as he moved to hug Wu Fei next, giving a pleasant hello to Hayers and Weber as he passed them. From the corner of his eye he could see Duo all but bubbling with excitement as he rose coming towards Quatre excitedly with his arms out in anticipation of a hug, calling Quatre's name.
"Don't touch me," Quatre said coldly, twisting away from Duo surprising not only Duo with his actions but the room as well as all the attention was suddenly focused on the pair.
"Quatre, what's going on?" Duo asked, clearly hurt by the other man's reaction to him.
"I came here to see my friend and I find the Duo Maxwell that I knew is no longer here."
"What are you talking about? I'm the same guy I was before."
"No, you're not. The Duo that I knew was never so selfish as to condone making a clone of himself for the sake of an experiment."
"Rhys is my son. He's more than just some clone."
"He's the byproduct of an experiment for your own splicing. Adopting him as your son doesn't change that."
"What the hell? Have you and Heero been having late night chats about my kid?" Duo asked angrily looking to Heero instead of Quatre.
"I never spoke to Quatre," Heero said defending himself.
"I did," Trowa said lending his voice to the conversation. "I told Quatre what you told us."
"And suddenly I'm not the person you thought you knew? I think you guys would have been happier to find me locked up someone's basement, beaten and starving to death."
"That isn't what we wanted but finding you this way isn't what we expected either," Wu Fei added.
"Yeah? Well, people change. We can't all be so goddamned perfect, now can we?" he asked looking back to Quatre.
"Does this make you perfect?" Quatre asked gesturing to Duo's ears and Heero was surprised to hear some his same arguments coming from Quatre's mouth. He'd been sure of a happy hug-filled reunion when the blond decided to visit and instead the man was hostile and on the attack.
"I don't have to answer you. You weren't even fucking here four years ago you don't know what I was going through. You don't know shit about me and if all you came here to do was bitch about me cloning myself then you can fuck off."
"You don't deserve him. He's nothing more than a means to an end for you. You used him like a lab rat."
"I said fuck off," Duo growled taking a threatening step towards Quatre and Spears was quick to intervene forcing Duo to take a step back and away from his charge.
"That's enough, Quatre," Heero said placing a restraining hand against the blonde's arm. Quatre looked Heero in the face before his gaze traveled down to Heero's hand and back to his face again, but Heero did not take the warning in his look instead tightening his grip. "I'll walk you out."
Quatre gave one last look to Duo who'd turned his back on the group, before turning to leave with Michael and Spears beside him and Heero, along with Trowa and Weber following.
"What the hell was that Quatre?" Heero asked once they were outside of the clinic with Weber, Spears and Michael giving the three pilots space to talk.
"I wasn't wrong for what I said. It's the truth."
"You don't know that. You haven't even talked to him for yourself."
"I don't need to. The man in that room is not Duo Maxwell."
"You don't know the full story, Quatre."
"And you do? Or at least you believe that you do."
"Yes," Heero said giving a quick explanation of what Duo had told him last night hoping that Duo wouldn't be angry with him for sharing his secret.
"You believe that?" Quatre asked incredulously. "You think that Duo, the same Duo who wouldn't take pain medication with three broken ribs would get mixed up with drugs that badly?"
"I don't know what all depression could make a person do," Heero said defending Duo although he felt very stupid for not questioning what he'd been told after Quatre's statement.
"Are you saying that Duo lied to Heero, Quatre?" Trowa asked.
"Yes," he said seriously. "Don't trust him, Heero. It's not just him lying to you but the doctor as well. I can feel the deception all around them. They're hiding something from all of you but a lot of it is from you specifically, Heero."
While Heero didn't doubt Quatre's abilities to know certain things, he couldn't bring himself to believe that Duo would outright lie to him. He knew there was more to the story where Duo's disappearance was concerned, that there were more questions that needed to be answered but he also knew that Duo cared about him and wouldn't do anything to hurt him.
"I'll take it into consideration, Quatre."
"If he would go so far as to clone himself for the sake of splicing then there is no telling what else he may be capable of. I want you to do more than take it into consideration. Forget whatever feelings that you have for him because he doesn't feel the same about you."
"Quatre," Trowa said softly trying to dissuade the other man form continuing but he bulled forward.
"He is going to betray you Heero."
"I'll make a note of it," Heero said not happy with the turn of the conversation. He was not sure who he should believe in at the moment. He knew that Duo was hiding things from him, keeping his past a secret but he didn't believe that the other man would betray him not after the night before where he'd finally admitted some of the truth. Duo was not the type of person who would kiss someone he didn't truly care for. If Quatre was right however, and everything that Duo had said and done so far was a lie, then he would need to take steps to find the truth. He had yet to rule out Duo's changes in behavior has a byproduct of Gervais' tank. He needed that psych evaluation done, the sooner the better.
His phone rang stalling any further conversation for the moment as he memorized the address the dispatcher gave him, making a mental map to the destination of the latest incident. He left with only Weber accompanying him, giving Trowa instructions to see to getting the evaluation done and Quatre safely returned to his hotel.
Where the last two scenes involved agents being transformed into mindless animals this one was refreshing in no one being stabbed in the back. The syringe of recombinant lay broken in the middle of the Japanese restaurant's floor, the green liquid seeping into the hardwood floors that Weber set about collecting. The only person hurt was one Shinji Himura, who sat atop one of the dining tables as a paramedic tended to her dislocated shoulder while her husband hovered close by.
"He tried to sneak up behind me but I caught his reflection in the mirror," the agent said nodding her head towards the decorative mirrors against the wall. "I subdued him easily and would have arrested him but his partner came out of nowhere."
"What did the partner look like?"
"A girl. Seventeen, maybe. She had black hair and brown eyes, very nondescript but I'd know her if I saw her again. She didn't look stable."
"What do you mean," he asked wanting her to elaborate.
"She looked crazed," she answered looking to her husband for confirmation.
"The way she smiled," he said, "It was frightening."
"She just appeared in front of me. I trained my gun on her and she just moved and the next thing I knew she was right in front of me. She grabbed my arm with one hand and just sort of tugged. It didn't take her any effort to rip my arm out of place," she said with a wince as the medic applied pressure to her shoulder. "When I grabbed at her she kicked me into the table."
She gestured towards the table that was split down the middle and Heero could only imagine the strength it would take to dislocate a person's arm and kick them hard enough to send them flying into a table. Murai was working with a very serious player who would go to any length to protect the doctor.
"What else can you tell me?"
"She didn't leave unscathed. I ripped some of her hair out when I grabbed her. I had one of the techs bag it when I came to."
Said tech held up the clear plastic bag containing the few strands of black hair and Heero was sure that they had found the mysterious Nellie or at least a piece of her. He passed the evidence to Heero before rejoining the other technicians in scouring for clues.
"Good work, Agent Himura," Heero said sincerely. He had once considered and had even invited the female agent to join his team before but had been politely turned down as she enjoyed her current position. With Hayers leaving, and finding that the woman was just as skilled in her job as she was before, he was determined to get have her on his team.
"Ow," she cried in pain has the medic tried to bend her arm to secure in a sling. "Are you trying to rip my arm off?"
"Shi-chan," her husband chided softly.
"Sorry," she mumbled to the medic. Turning back to Heero she said, "I don't know why they picked me, I'm not even in uniform."
"Commander, we need to get her to the hospital, if you're done?" the medic asked helping her down from the table.
"How often do you eat here?" he asked, suddenly reminded of the twins who often visited the café where they were attacked at.
"About twice a week."
"Sometimes in uniform," her husband supplied.
"They must have seen me here before," she said, the idea dawning on her.
"This means he is targeting agents and it isn't a coincidence. Go on to the hospital, we'll finish up here."
He watched the three make there way through the crowd to the waiting ambulance before giving his attention back to the evidence bag in his hand. As he had predicted, Murai was slipping and with the hair Agent Himura managed to snag from his partner it would only be a matter of time before they found the both of them. If he was lucky he'd find them both long before the week was out.