Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Psychotic America ❯ Sleep Will Do No Good ( Chapter 6 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Alternate Universe, fusion, out of character charas, very disturbing information and scenes and Pairings: 1x4, 2x5 3(?)
Standard Disclaimers Apply: Don’t own Gundam Wing nor X-Men
Notes: Some stuff was changed around, here. I deleted some stuff, added some stuff, so it’s still the long winded, pompous bag that ya’ll are familiar with–just with some differences.
O0o0o0o0o0oO means scene change

Chapter Six:
Sleep Will Do No Good



Almost a week later found the group of mutants at a warehouse that sat between various others on the waterline district. It had been redesigned for the specifications of the five doctors’ desire for a proper training area for their young mutants. Much of the inside was replaced with tall, uneven structures that stretched toward the high ceiling. Around these structures were varying towers of electronics, much of which were able to project holograms and a change of environment. The ground was a mixture of dirt and steel, and as the five stepped in through the security door to enter the Hangar, as it was called, lights flooded on, and windows snapped shut.
The doctors had suggested a training session, as their mutant had suddenly disappeared without any indication of any more victims in the last two weeks. As if he’d dropped off from the face of the Earth. As such, the group was to remain in tip-top shape, and to work together as a team with their combined powers.
It was Duo’s and Quatre’s first visit to the Hangar, and the other three were reluctant to share what had previously been theirs. After much arguing over this matter, J had finally convinced the older three that this was important for their future as a team.
Not very much was explained in way of how things worked, so the two new members were pretty much in the dark over things.
“This is where we train,” Wufei said, looking at Duo and Quatre, who were studying the computer room with interest. The room was the front entrance into the training area, consisting of communication screens, a phone, a computer, and a single laptop that was in control of the hologram projections within the Hangar. “Much of it involves holographic changes of scenery, situations, and all of it is very real. You can get hurt, you can get killed. Every time we step in and program a situation, you are actually fighting a real-life stimulation of what can occur, so you have to take it very seriously.”
“This looks like a fuckin’...I don’t know. Have you guys seen ‘Coneheads’?” Duo asked, frowning as he stared at the scene from behind a large glass window that separated this room from the other.
“Don’t be stupid, Duo,” Heero said, looking at him in irritation as he removed his winter jacket. “Once you step past that doorway, the simulation’s projected and you need to be on your toes.”
“Aw, don’t worry about me, man. I have the reflexes of a cat, the speed of a cheetah, the–”
“The mouth of a monkey,” Trowa snorted as he walked away from them, removing his wool cap and winter coat.
Duo frowned, then flipped him off.
“I saw that!”
“Good!”
“Kids,” Wufei interrupted, stepping over to the small laptap that was hooked into the wall. He quickly began inputting a series of suggestions and commands that had the room shifting. “Let’s get serious, here!”
Duo and Quatre watched as the towers began shifting, the tall structures varying their heights and spaces, creating a similar series of alleys. The lighting began shifting, creating the nighttime visual of the alleyways at night, and the ground stirred, creating holographic images of streets and vehicles, with an occasional person walking about.
“Wow!” Duo exclaimed, hands pressed against the glass, staring at the continually shifting room. “That’s fuckin’ awesome!”
Quatre merely stared at the sight, at a loss of words to describe what he was feeling upon seeing such a thing, and upon what they were supposed to be doing in there.
“Derived mainly of the perverts’ minds and of alien technology, the room provides us with actual scenarios that we can use in real-life,” Wufei continued, pausing in typing. “What level of difficulty should we input, Heero?”
Heero stared out through the glass, lifting an eyebrow. “7.”
“‘7’? Heero, they probably–”
“7. They’re capable of handling themselves on the street. Give it a 7.”
“Is a ‘7’ bad?” Duo asked with worry, looking back at them.
Trowa scowled down at them both, crossing his arms over his chest. “We’re not baby-sitting, are we, Heero?”
“No.”
Quatre fretted, unsure of what was being suggested. Even though he was able to follow through with bits and pieces of the conversation, he came to understand that they were going to venture into that room for some purpose that wasn’t being explained quite yet.
He looked at Wufei with worry, seeing the Chinese rise from the laptop’s presence and move toward the glass doorway. Trowa followed, with Duo moving after them, and he looked at Heero for some explanation, but Heero gestured that he walk in there.
Hesitating, Quatre fiddled with his jacket, but walked forward through the doorway. The instant he did, the smells of the city, as it was in real-life, assaulted him; the smells of garbage, of smoke, of steam, of various restaurant smells... The lighting varied as it did on the streets, as well as the extreme cold. As he took another step forward, he hit a patch of ice and hit the street hard, yelping with pain.
“Jeez! A sniper!” Duo exclaimed, hands on his head, and running off for cover.
“NO! Duo–! Idiot!” Wufei yelled as Duo disappeared into a nearby alleyway.
“What track is this?” Trowa asked as Quatre slowly stood, rubbing his ass with a pained grimace.
“The Shadow Track.”
“Ooh...”
“The Shadow Track? Good one, Wufei,” Heero muttered looking immensely cross.
“Hey, you said a ‘7’! This is as close as it gets to being the most difficult!”
“Trowa, go after Duo. Wufei, you know what our objective is. I’ll head over to the end of the street to try and intercept the subject.”
“What about Quatre?”
“He’ll figure it out. Go!”
Quatre watched with mounting puzzlement as the boys separated into various directions, and he cursed fluidly in his own language, wishing that he knew what was happening. As it were, Heero was running down the street, Wufei was completely missing from sight, and Trowa had merged into the form of an owl, taking flight above the buildings with an eerie call.
Standing in the middle of the street, Quatre stared in wonder at the sights that were displayed so beautifully around him. It was as if he’d stepped out of the warehouse and into an actual New York block. He wandered onto the sidewalk, licking his chapped lips. He heard the various city noises of New York, complete with shouting coming from a nearby apartment building and the cheery bell of a delivery boy on bike.
Frowning, he turned to see which direction Heero had taken so he could move in that direction, but heard a very slight shift in sound to his right. He looked, then froze with stunned shock at the sight of a heavy garbage truck being thrown his way. The immense size of the truck obscured his vision of the surrounding area, the stench of the truck assaulting him.
Moments before the grill and bumper could make contact with him, he held his hands up, stopping the heavy eight ton truck in mid-air. His power caused him to hold the heavy vehicle with some difficulty, but even as he struggled to overcome his surprise and confusion as to why the truck was trying to smash him pancake flat against the sidewalk, he heard another shift of sound to his left. He dropped his hold on the truck, the heavy vehicle smashing with a loud clatter of sound atop of a parked car. The sounds startled him from the other distraction, and he watched as the heavy truck completely crushed the car underneath it. Glass shattered, metal crumbled, and steel bent. It was much like real-life, only...why were flying cars threatening to hit him?
He turned to see another car flying his way, and he realized that he wasn’t going to be fast enough to stop this one from hitting him. He threw his arms over his face with a startled cry, but found himself jerked backward, away from the car.
“Jesus, man! Trying to get yourself killed?!” Duo shouted in tremulous fear, emerging with him from the shadows of a building across the street. Quatre, stunned and utterly confused at what was happening around him, looked at him. Duo saw the hulking figure of a very large man down to their left, lifting another car and preparing to throw it where Quatre was last standing. Quatre saw the man at the same time, gripping Duo’s sleeve in hasty indication.
Duo nodded to show that he knew. The man turned to face them, car above his head.
“Oops, saw us,” Duo muttered, jerking on Quatre’s shirt and pulling him as he teleported back across the street, away from the man. There was a loud crash of sound as car met the side of a building wall, the man shouting in wordless fury. “I have no fucking idea what the hell’s going on, here! Where are those other guys! Argh!”
Duo tripped over the prone figure of a man, and both stared at the man, wondering if he were real. The homeless, faceless figure was obviously in the throes of death, but for what reason, they didn’t know. Quatre dropped to his knees, trying to assess the damage, the man’s death rattle catching the other man’s attention. The shadow hulk of a mutant merged into the alleyway, causing Duo to shout with surprise, rising to his feet. He grabbed Quatre’s arm, pulling him away from the dying man, and the two began running down the alley.
The man shouted once more, moving into a run after them.
Duo gave a startled yell, merging with the shadows, disappearing from Quatre’s sight. The blond gave a confused stare around him, wondering where Duo had gone, then looked back at the man. The man was almost on him, and Quatre was very sure he didn’t want to be anywhere near that thing, so he turned and picked up speed. Shooting out from the alleyway, he ran out into moving traffic, just barely avoiding collision with realistically moving cars. Lights blinded him, horns blared, drivers cursed and shouted, and he was slamming through the various people on the sidewalk opposite the shadowy hulk of a man.
Moving to put more distance between them, his mind frantic with both panic and confusion at what was real and what wasn’t, Quatre quickly scaled a wire fence and searched for a hiding place that was nearby. More horns blared and more drivers screamed, so he quickly lifted his face to the sky, seeing various fire escapes and what looked to be balconies of an apartment building. He scrambled up on the side of a Dumpster, using his power to propel himself upward onto the balcony, and scramble over. Then he looked over the railing to see the man rip the fence from its settings, searching for him.
Holding his breath, Quatre listened to the man prowl the alleyway for him, breathing heavily. There was a fluttering of wings, and Quatre looked up to see Trowa the owl fluttering about, lazily perusing the area.
He wanted to know what was going on! Was this real? Was it fake? How could an entire city reside in a simple warehouse? Only his street-honed instincts had him moving in quick reaction, and he had that to thank as he escaped the shadow man’s intents, whatever they were.
Breathing rapidly in panic, he braced himself against the balcony wall, hearing the fluttering of wings and the creak of metal. Unsure of what to do next, positive that he didn’t want to move, Quatre listened for any other sounds that would indicate the man’s next move.
Trowa the owl gave a warning sound from somewhere near his right, and Quatre looked over in that direction. The man was suddenly crawling over the balcony wall, growling with menacing intent. Quatre jumped up, and threw himself over the wall, using his power to land on the ground below.
The man was already there, blocking his way, and Quatre looked about in fright, realizing that he was trapped!
He knew that those people were much too suspiciously good, providing food and shelter, not expecting anything in return! They were fattening he and Duo up for this thing, whatever it was! They were tricking them! Leading them to think that they were safe, that they were going to be okay! When all in truth, they were really providing this thing with entertainment, food, whatever!
He felt much too frightened to think of anything else to do, and ended up falling to his knees in defeat, hoping for a quick death. The hulking man laughed in amusement, lifting the Dumpster high above its head, moving to crush him underneath its bulk. Without moving to defend himself, Quatre squeezed his eyes shut and tensed, waiting for the moment of death.
The man gave an enraged shout, and the Dumpster fell with a loud metallic sound, causing Quatre to open his eyes to see what was going on. The Dumpster, teetering on a worn corner, threatened to smush him if he didn’t move quickly, so Quatre quickly rolled out of its way as it fell, upending its contents on the alley floor.
“What the hell are you doing?!” Trowa was yelling, yanking him to his feet. “You wanna get killed!”
Quatre pushed himself out of Trowa’s grip, shouting furiously, “You’re trying to kill me!”
“No, you’re trying to kill yourself! Everything here may be projected, but it’s very real when it can kill you!!” Trowa shouted back.
Quatre shook his head, panic clouding his ability to understand what was being said. He looked at the man, who was straightening to stand, and looked for some place to escape, to get far away from here. Trowa turned, seeing the man recover, and quickly changed into an African Bull elephant, taking up the available space within the alley.
Quatre startled, moving hard against the nearby building to avoid being crushed under foot. The man moved forward, gripping the uneven tusks of the elephant that charged him, and shifted his entire stance, throwing the elephant up and down into the pavement with a loud crash of sound. The elephant shifted quickly into that of a mouse, escaping the clutches of the man, and turned into a rhinoceros, spearing upward with the large, pointed horn into the man’s gut.
The man howled in strangled fury, impaled within that horn, and Trowa charged forward with a trumpeting sound, smashing the man against the building wall. Brick and stone cracked slightly, the man gripping the rhino’s face, thumbs digging for delicate eyes. Quickly, before thumbs could make their acquaintance with the blackened orbs, Trowa shifted into that of a pit bull, growling viciously as he made contact with the man’s throat.
Quatre, hearing the defeated screams of the shadow-man, picked himself up from the alleyway floor and made a mad dash through the alley, tearing through the various areas he’d bypassed to get to that doorway that had led to this hell hole. He found the glass door, and slammed against it, clawing at it, looking for a way out. In panic, when he realized that he couldn’t get out, he used his powers to cause it to shake, to bend or break. When nothing occurred, the glass door very much intact as it was before he made contact, he turned, whimpering, wild eyes scanning the streets. He was very much confused and racked with blind panic, and turned to the door once more, to get out of here before anything else could happen.
“GOT IT!” he heard Wufei’s yell of triumph, and the city quickly disappeared, the simulation disappearing to once again resemble the crowding mess of the warehouse once more. The lights brightened, and the other four reappeared with Wufei holding up a simple computer disk in one hand, Duo cowering in a corner of a wide tower, Heero looking immensely cross, and Trowa adjusting his gloves. All of them were in various areas of the warehouse, with Wufei being the furthest away, Duo crouched somewhat precariously on top of one of the towers, Trowa walking through a pair of towers, and Heero moving up a wide open space that indicated a street.
“Eight minutes and ten seconds,” he drawled in annoyance, shifting a sleeve to reveal a watch.
Wufei was suddenly standing before Quatre, waving the disk in the air. “Even so, thirty seconds less than last time....”
“What the fuck is going on?” Duo screamed from his tower, where, when the simulation was in place, he’d taken refuge in an abandoned building, practically trembling with fright over the scenario.
Heero stared up at him, hands on his hips. “You two were the distraction. Shadow loved picking on the weaker mutants he met on the street.”
“WHAT?” Duo screamed once more, in hysterical terror at what had just occurred.
Trowa flipped his bang out of his face, then looked down at a very obviously frightened Quatre, who was still wild-eyed with fear.
“Aw...we scared them half to death, Wufei,” he cooed in disinterest.
Wufei looked worriedly at Quatre, who’d curled into a ball, limbs shaking with terror, looking at every one of them with apparent distrust.
“Shit...” Heero muttered, walking over.
Duo climbed down from where he was hiding, brushing off his newly borrowed clothes.
“Dudes, that was really not cool,” he announced. His voice was filled with dark anger, violet eyes flashing with fury. He found a shadow, and merged within, completely disappearing from view.
“Uh...” Wufei saw this and blinked with apparent guilt.
Trowa opened the glass door, which was activated by a simple press in the upper right corner. The moment the glass door opened, Quatre was immediately on his feet and out, racing for the doorway that would take him out from the warehouse.
“Shit! Wufei! Get them!”
“What? Me?” Wufei protested, looking back at Heero with annoyance.
Heero growled angrily, then shot out from the room, racing after the other.
Trowa sighed, blinking as he walked into the computer room. “Maybe we should have explained to them what was what before we took them in there?”
“Maybe...I thought we did?”
“Duo may have gotten an idea of what we were going to do. He knew we were going to ‘exercise’, but I don’t think Quatre had any idea what was going on. He can’t speak that much English, remember?”
Wufei shrugged as he crossed the floor to the laptop, and inputted the security measures that would keep the warehouse from being disturbed. “Well, that was his first lesson in action. None of us knows what we’re getting into when we step into action,” Wufei said on another shrug, straightening. “Pizza?”
“If you’re buying...”

O0o0o0o0o0oO

Quite disturbed by what had happened, Duo stomped crossly into the living room, startling Sally from her Lifetime as she looked at him in fright.
He’s gotta stop doing that, she thought to herself, hand pressed to her rapidly beating heart from the fright she’d just received from his sudden appearance.
“What the hell was that about?” he demanded furiously, braid flung over his shoulder.
“You guys are back already?” Catherine asked as she emerged from the kitchen, looking around curiously. “Where’s the others?”
“What the fuck was with that bullshit?! No one told me things could be–could be–!”
“Uh-oh...Sally...I don’t think those three explained what they were doing,” Catherine muttered, shaking her head. She then quickly moved back into the kitchen to finish up what she was doing.
Sally rose from the couch, gesturing at Duo to sit down. He shook his head with a furious expression, standing where he could teleport easily if he were in any more danger. Sally sighed, recognizing the stance, and sat back down, hands captured between her knees.
“Duo, that place you went to...it’s called the Hangar. That’s where the doctors had managed to create a holographic imagery of sorts that would simulate an action scene in their preparation for real-life situations on the street. As you know, Heero, Trowa and Wufei take down mutants that want to hurt others because they can. That room helps them train for such scenarios...did it scare you?”
“I’m sure Quatre’s halfway across Manhattan right now. They said nothing about what we had to do! We were basically bait for whatever bullshit they were doing!” Duo shouted furiously. “We almost got killed!”
“Well, Duo, I don’t know what to say. Only that I’m glad you’re both okay...”
“What the fuck, man? That was fucking bullshit! They said nothing of what we had to do, and they made us bait! BAIT! Quatre was almost killed! They did nothing to help us!”
“Sometimes, Duo, they’re a little...I don’t know. They initiated each other in that room, just... throwing each other to the wolves, you might say,” Sally said in nervous explanation. “I...I truly apologize if what they did really scared you! I’ll have a talk with them as soon as they–!”
“That’s not good enough!” Duo interrupted with a shout, fury radiating from him.
Sally grew a little nervous as the very furniture within the living room gave a protesting squeak under some invisible force. When Duo opened his eyes, the violet color was intensified with faint light, his face darkening with fury. Sally felt her heart leap into her chest, a trickle of highly concentrated fear causing her very being to quiver. Whatever else Duo was hiding behind that cheerful personage was something immensely disturbing, powerful, and above all else, very dangerous. The very shadows quivered noticeably, jumbled as if they were simple pictures on the wall. The television flickered violently, and Catherine gave a small yelp from the kitchen.
“We were wronged, Sally! Quatre could have been killed! And I was terrified! I didn’t know what was going on! They explained nothing! NOTHING!”
“All right, calm down, Duo,” Sally said softly, holding her hands up as she felt the furniture quiver again under Duo’s shouts. She swallowed hard. “Look...I can’t explain why they didn’t make sure you understood what was happening. But don’t take your fury out on us, all right? If we were there, we would have made sure that you knew what was going to happen. Since we don’t, it would be unfair to take your anger out on us...”
Duo relaxed visibly, violet eyes shifting back to normal color, entire body slouching.
“Sorry about that, Sally,” he then apologized, frowning. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I shouldn’t take it out on you. You didn’t know.”
With another hard swallow, Sally felt herself relax slightly, but memorized all that had happened whenever Duo was furious. She had to explain to the doctors what had just happened, if Duo had much more power hidden away than he’d mentioned. New mutants were always so unpredictable, especially when they themselves weren’t sure of what they possessed.
“That’s all right, Duo. You were scared, and angry. It’s all right. Is Quatre all right?”
Duo gave a sheepish expression, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck. “I helped him little, but then...I’m so used to watching out for myself that I didn’t...”
“I understand, Duo. It’s all right. You don’t have to explain. He’s probably used to that as well, and...come sit down, okay? Catherine will get you something to eat and drink,” Sally said, soothing over any remaining anger that Duo had with those simple words.
With a slight smile, Duo moved away from his position in the hall and sat down on the couch next to her. With a maternal smile of her own, Sally pulled him into a comforting embrace, a little more giving now that she knew he didn’t possess any lice or anything of the sort since that day they arrived.
Running her fingers with motherly comfort through unruly bangs, Sally shifted back against the couch to make herself comfortable, Duo settling against her.
“Now...tell me what happened,” she requested quietly, running her fingers over his scalp, lightly scratching and noting that the chestnut strands weren’t as greasy as before. “We’ll give those bastards a piece of our mind, all right? You shouldn’t have been treated that way....”
“I don’t wanna sound all...tattle-tale-ish,” Duo muttered against her shoulder, loving this sort of contact, never really possessing such things while he was on the streets.
“You won’t. It’s just a way to vent your anger, sweetie. What those bastards did to you was wrong...it’ll probably help if you talk,” Sally said on a soft murmur.
With a sigh, Duo began telling her what had happened, starting with the confrontation in the room between Trowa and Heero. When he finished, Sally gave a heaving sigh, shaking her head as Catherine walked into the living room, carrying a small tray full of heated food. Duo was up and looking down at it in expectant happiness, and as he dug into the heated food with much appreciation, Sally and Catherine looked at each other.

O0o0o0o0o0oO

Heero frowned as he finally caught up to Quatre’s fleeing figure and had to perform a diving tackle just to get him to stop. Quatre struggled violently in his arms, and before he could think of using his power, Heero wrapped his arms tightly around the thin body and held on, so that if Quatre used his telekinesis, he would have to pry Heero from him first.
“Get OFF me!” Quatre fairly shrieked as he struggled hard to get Heero to let him go.
“No. You listen to me,” Heero growled as he held on, squeezing his arms just tightly enough to have the other gasping for air, and in pain as bones threatened to break. When Quatre stopped struggling long enough for Heero to be satisfied, he loosened his grip slightly. “Look...we’re not going to do anything to you. We should have provided a better explanation to what the Hangar is about, and what our mission detailed. It was a fairly given exercise, designed mainly to show you two what we did to train. Not telling you two about how it was going to be commenced is our fault. It will be no surprise that the pair of you acted the way you had.”
Quatre stilled in his arms, and Heero picked himself up, reaching down to help Quatre to his feet.
“Really? That...that was all?” he finally questioned, thinking over the entire thing now that he was out of danger.
Heero nodded once. “Yes. It’s a training exercise that puts our abilities to the test. Usually, we use them as combined teamwork, but it wasn’t really planned out very well. Rather, just to show you and Duo what we generally do in such a situation. Within the Hanger. Things on the street are more different and won’t be carried out so carelessly...”
Quatre stared at him in silence, shivering. “You could have told us.”
“Yeah. We could have. But we didn’t. Merely, a situation on the street is much different than a simulation. Most times, it doesn’t go the same way. But, of course, we’d handle a situation on the street much different than that one back there.”
“Oh.”
Heero stared at the way Quatre stared back at him, almost losing himself in those distrustful orbs. Reaching out, he gestured for Quatre to join him, but Quatre turned his head, looking away with an expression of stubbornness. Growling, Heero reached out and snagged his arm, yanking him behind him.
“STOP IT!” Quatre yelled, closing the distance in order to hit Heero across the head. Heero didn’t let that bother him, but what bothered him was the sudden explosion of power that had him losing his grip on Quatre’s arm and slamming him hard into the corner of a nearby boating shed. He fairly broke through the frame, lying halfway in and halfway out of the shed. With wood splintering all around him and shingles dropping on the sidewalk, Heero picked himself up and scowled in Quatre’s direction.
“Sorry,” Quatre quickly apologized, lowering his head. “Y–you yank me around all the time...it hurts...”
Heero closed the distance between them, capturing his jaw within one hand, forcing him to look at him. “You didn’t complain the other night,” he growled lowly, Quatre’s face immediately flushing with color, his eyes darkening with arousal.
“That was different,” he replied evenly, face clearly showing his rising desire.
“Oh, really?”
“...Yes.”
Heero stared at the flushing features, the way light eyes darkened with desire. He suddenly smirked, letting go of the delicate jaw. “I understand. Come. Wufei’s treating us to pizza.”
“Heero?” He turned, looking back at the face that begged for him to understand. “You don’t...think that it’s...odd?”
“If I did, Quatre, do you think I wouldn’t have gotten off on it as well?”
Quatre stared at him for several long moments, then smiled slightly. The expression on his face turned cold, light eyes darkening with nothing close to desire, but rather, something else. He nodded slightly, then moved to join Heero as they walked back to the others, to catch a cab back to their house (of course, stopping first for pizza).

O0o0o0o0o0oO

Wufei was awakened sometime in the middle of the night, amidst dreams that held no remembrance or importance. He wasn’t sure what had awakened him, but he held still in his bed, blinking sleepy eyes. Since his bed faced Heero’s, he was immediately able to see that Heero had left his bed, his blanket and comforter strewn aside in a state of haste. Furrowing his brow, he wondered if Heero had to make a sudden late night stop at the bathroom, and closed his eyes once more to go back to sleep. But he heard the shift of blankets coming from another direction of the room, and he lifted his eyes once more, frowning as he recognized the light footsteps of someone trying to be quiet. He wanted to shift to look to see what the hell was going on, but heard nothing more after that.
As minutes passed, he had to look. Seeing that Heero had abandoned his bed in a state of disheveled haste and that there was no indication the bathroom was being used, Wufei sat up to look sleepily around the room. He saw that Trowa was snoring away in undisturbed sleep, Duo had kicked off all his blankets and was lying on his stomach on his bed, and that Quatre’s bed seemed a little...crowded. Wufei’s eyes widened slightly as he realized where Heero had gone, and immediately hid his head underneath his blankets, hoping against hope he wouldn’t hear any telltale sounds of...mischief.
But even so, he found himself straining to listen, his heart racing wildly, both with excitement and disgust. It was so obvious what the hell was going on between those two, and while he cursed Heero for being so unmindful of Quatre’s ‘delicate’ state of being, he had to give his ‘brother’ props for moving quickly. He must be taking Trowa’s challenge a little too seriously, and the poor blond was caught in the middle of their rivalry.
He heard the shifting of blankets once more, a whispered comment that Wufei couldn’t hear, and he heard the obvious sound of a light moan, which was quickly muffled. Wufei felt his skin heat with embarrassment, trying to will himself back to sleep. But even as he squeezed his eyes shut and willed the Sleep Fairy to pop him one with her wand, he heard more shifting, more sounds of pleasure, and more movements that weren’t too sleep-like.
Then there was silence once more, and Wufei was desperately praying that he fell asleep before anything else happened and he could hear.
He woke up that morning completely out of sorts, captured between the state of no-sleep and dreamland. He left his bed to perform his bathroom duties, and went downstairs, stroking his loose hair. He walked into the kitchen for something to drink, and stopped short upon seeing Quatre washing dishes. The blond turned, looking at him.
“Good morning, Wufei!” he said with his odd accent, turning back to the sink and finishing off last night’s dishes.
Wufei stared at him in silence, feeling himself completely burn with his own embarrassment, recalling the night before. Suspiciously, he eyed the way Quatre moved about. Shaking his head wildly, he shifted to the fridge and opened it, rummaging for the orange juice. He brought it out, moving to fill a cup when Heero walked into the kitchen, causing Wufei to freeze in mortification.
Quatre looked up as well, drying a frying pan. Wufei, from his position, couldn’t see what expression was on the boy’s face, but Heero’s turned to something gentle and fond. It was kind of earth shattering and wacky. Wufei froze in place, staring at the expression that should have been banned from that always scowling visage.
“How’s your shoulder?” Quatre asked him, and Heero worked his left arm, giving a satisfied nod.
“Good.”
Wufei managed to swallow his juice. “What happened to your shoulder?”
“I twisted it yesterday.”
Wufei thought of the exercise, and though he couldn’t think of how Heero had managed to do such with his arm, he nodded just for the benefit of knowing. “Oh. Of course!”
Well, I shouldn’t have been too hasty, he thought with an embarrassed frown, turning to his juice to swallow some more. Of course, Heero must have turned to Quatre last night to have that shoulder... massaged, or something.
Then he frowned, thinking of Heero’s self-healing capabilities. “Heero, why didn’t you just–!”
He jumped slightly at the sound of a loud slap, of flesh connecting with cloth-covered flesh.
“Aie! Heero! That hurt!” Quatre exclaimed, and Wufei turned to see Heero grinning quite wolfishly, Quatre rubbing his ass with a pained expression.
Wufei sputtered, choked, and managed to spit out his juice all over the kitchen floor.
“FUCK!” he exclaimed in mortified embarrassment. “YUY!”
“What’s goin’ on?” Duo muttered as he stumbled into the kitchen, blearily wiping at his still closed eyes. He stepped into the orange juice, skid, and shouted in surprise as he fell to the floor. At the last instant, Quatre caught him, preventing him from making contact with the floor. Up righting and setting him away from the puddle, Quatre took the dish rag and moved to wipe up the mess.
“Hey, thanks, man. Anyway, what the hell are you doing, yellin’ so damn early in the morning?” Duo asked Wufei, opening the fridge to rummage about.
Wufei sputtered as he tried to come up with a less mortifying way of describing what Heero was doing. Of course, he couldn’t, so he flushed red and glared at Heero. Heero had resumed his usual scowl and raised a forked eyebrow in his direction, waiting for an explanation.
“NOTHING,” Wufei finally came up with, growling as he finished his juice, Duo glancing at him with a curious expression.
“So...you were yelling for no good reason?”
“Wufei does a lot of things for no good reason,” Heero stated, crossing his arms.
Wufei raised an eyebrow, leering in his direction. “Is that so, Yuy? Well, then, care to explain–”
“Heero, you and Quatre need a room of your own!” Trowa announced as he walked into the kitchen, glaring at Heero. He was wearing a loose pair of sweats only, muscles on display as he stretched. Duo looked away from the fridge for that reason, and then turned back to gathering things into one arm.
Quatre looked up from the floor, a curious expression on his face.
“Huh? Why?” he asked, throwing the rag into the sink as he rose.
Trowa shifted his expression from a glaring Heero to Quatre.
“Not all guys are interested in their own home porn,” he said.
Quatre turned red, but didn’t look away. “Whatever do you mean?”
“Yes, enlighten us, Barton,” Heero growled, shifting away from the counter. “What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“I heard it, too,” Wufei confessed, looking at his empty cup while Duo gaped, looking at everyone in curious surprise.
“All right, I missed it, what the hell’s going on?” Duo demanded, turning away from the fridge with an armful of sandwich materials.
Trowa crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the two before him. “Not everyone wants to hear someone get screwed, you know. It’s fuckin’...disturbing.”
“Trowa!” Quatre exclaimed in mortification, his face turning an interesting shade of red. He suddenly found interest in the sink, running water to clean off the rag.
Heero stepped forward, glaring at Trowa. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Yuy, er, Quatre...this has gone on long enough,” Wufei interrupted, stepping forward. “We all know, er, well, see that you two are...um, attracted to each other, and...uh, see, even late at night–!”
“Oh. That,” Heero rolled his eyes, moving back to lean against the counter. He moved his shoulder around, jerking his head in Quatre’s direction. “He has good hands. My shoulder had a kink.”
“I’ll bet that’s not all that had a ‘kink’,” Trowa muttered.
Quatre picked up the wet rag and hurled it at him, catching his back. Trowa yelped, staggering forward as the cold water splattered all over him. Whirling furiously and turning into a hissing lion, Trowa prepared to pounce menacingly. Quatre merely lifted an eyebrow, and had him pinned against the back wall with nothing more than a glare. Shifting back to human form, Trowa frowned and glared at Heero as Heero gave him a sneer.
“All right, boys, stop it,” Sally said on a sigh, sweeping into the kitchen and stepping into the sticky floor. “HEY!”
“I was going to mop before you came in,” Quatre said, retrieving the thrown wet rag from the floor with a move of his power.
“Who spilled their juice?”
“Wufei!” Trowa shouted.
“Wufei, clean it. Who did the dishes?”
“I did, Miss Sally.”
“Just Sally, kid. Who wants breakfast?”
“I do! I do!” Duo shouted, looking up from his sandwich, of which content had Wufei staring in disgust.
Sally chuckled, plucking out dried frying pans and spatulas. “Pancakes? Waffles?”
“Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, French toast, fried potatoes, some chili, maybe some regular toast, and–”
“The rest of us aren’t that hungry, Duo!” Wufei growled, looking at the offender as he made his way to the hall closet to retrieve the mop and bucket.
“Oh. Well, maybe no French toast, then,” Duo decided, starting in on his sandwich.
Sally giggled, moving to make as much as she possibly could. Quatre moved to help her, but Heero grabbed his arm, yanking him from the kitchen before he could volunteer. Trowa followed, commenting on broken toys. Wufei mopped quickly; then, after he put the bucket and mop away, hurried out because he didn’t want to help out with peeling potatoes or anything of the sort.
Duo snorted, nearly choking on his ham when Sally turned to him with a raised eyebrow. He swallowed quickly, nodding to indicate that he’d help.
“Did you sleep well, last night?” Sally asked conversationally. “Yesterday’s exercise was pretty brutal for your first time...”
“Yah, just a little bit. Kinda, I need to work out a little more.”
“Both of you are gaining weight.”
“Yeah. Look! I’m losin’ all that fuckin’ hair!” Duo exclaimed, lifting an arm to indicate the once thick brown hair that had covered his thin limbs.
Sally shifted to look, frowning slightly. “That’s good, then. Your body’s losing all that lanugo. You don’t look so skeletal anymore.”
“Nah. I think I gained, like, ten pounds. How tall do you think I am?”
“Mmm...about five foot six. Maybe five foot seven. You and Quatre are almost the same size.”
“But I’m taller, right?”
“No. I think he’s taller. Both of you are so tiny! You make Cathy and I look humongous...”
“I would like a few more inches, height-wise.”
“I don’t know, Duo. Years of malnutrition and such during the more crucial periods of your growth spurts might have a factor in your size. You could be that height forever.”
“Well...make sure to add a few inches in my boots, then.”
Sally laughed, dumping some grease into the frying pan. “Okay, Duo! Just make sure you can walk in them!”
Duo grinned, finishing his sandwich, and moved to peel the potatoes.

O0o0o0o0o0oO

Wufei looked at Duo as he bent, brushing his hair out. Seeing that the bathroom, once so large to accommodate three boys comfortably, was suddenly too small, he turned back to the mirror and finished brushing his black hair back into its usual state. Duo was humming as he brushed, squirting Infusium 23 onto the chestnut mass, which was darker at the base and underneath the top layer of strands. It resembled a sort of unruly curtain, one that dripped slightly and tangled with much trouble as Duo worked both his fingers and brush through it.
Gulping, Wufei looked at his reflection, and walked out of the room. He bent to finish tying the laces of his shoes, then headed downstairs, figuring that Dr J and the others weren’t here yet. The house was much too quiet. He was wearing his uniform, as were the other two. Duo had been issued his to wear. He had yet to see how Duo fit his uniform, through, and at the thought of the boy in the black leather-similar material, he quivered.
He stopped before the hall mirror, to check out how his ass looked in the black material, entirely too self-conscious now that Duo had pointed out how ‘delicious’ they all were in their pants. Then, frowning hard at his reflection, Wufei muttered a few curses under his breath and tugged on his jacket, leaving it loose around his blue tanktop.
He made his way into the basement, to see Trowa down there already, sitting on the middle of the table and playing his cursed Gameboy Advance.
“Did they call, yet?” he asked, seeing that Trowa, the taller of the five, looked better (in his opinion) with his far longer legs and leaner frame. Wufei felt a little jealous of the slender form that fit his uniform. Frankly, Trowa shouldn’t be wearing things like that when it showed off his assets in such a way that it would attract Duo.
Duo checking out Trowa was certainly not a good thing, and Wufei felt angry about it.
“Who?”
“The doctors...”
“Oh. No. Why? Were they supposed to?”
“You never pay much attention to anything, do you?” Wufei asked in a droll tone as he took his usual seat at the end of the table.
“No. They’re not that important to me.”
“Why aren’t you bugging Yuy?”
“Huh? Oh...I don’t know. I’m working my way for a Jungle Badge. Heero’s not that important,” Trowa muttered, focusing his attention back on his Gameboy.
Wufei rolled his eyes, leaning forward on the table. “You play that thing entirely too much.”
“So? Whenever you have it, you have that gay-ass Sims on. I hate the Sims...”
“Says the guy obsessed with Pikachu...”
“Whoopers! He’s so cute!” Trowa gushed, leaning back with a wide grin.
Wufei shuddered at the display of emotion. “No, no, no. Go back to being stoic and indifferent. With you smiling, it’s really scary...”
“Minty fresh and with billions of teeth whitening strips for a million dollar smile!”
Wufei sighed, leaning onto his palm and rolling his eyes. “You’re so weird. No wonder S thinks you shouldn’t be released into the land of the living...”
“Says you. I’m perfectly capable of handling my own. Of course, I wouldn’t be happy being by myself, perfectly incapable of annoying others around me. Bugging the public just isn’t as fun as bugging someone like Heero. Which reminds me,” Trowa cut himself off, turning off his game and jumping lightly from the table, “he’s trying to hide a Pepsi in the back corner of the fridge. Excuse me.”
Wufei didn’t bother telling him that he’d seen Heero inject said Pepsi with some liquid laxative, the hole covered with duct tape that had the Japanese’s name on it. As Trowa disappeared into the kitchen, Wufei was left sitting on his own in silence, surveying the war room with a wary eye. The door opened again, and Duo bound down the stairs, his trademark braid slapping against his back as he hurried down to Wufei. Wufei turned away from the table and looked at the boy, who was encased in his costume for the first time.
As Duo revealed himself, turning and indicating his slender form, Wufei felt his mouth water, his eyes widening slightly. The small, round ass that Duo had was perfectly held within the material of the pants, pert and tight. The pants revealed just enough padding for a handful, the legs just slender enough to be considered bow-legged, the jacket tight enough to form a ‘v’ shape from his shoulders down.
“Well? What do you think?” Duo asked him, holding the jacket out, revealing a black muscle-tee underneath, trying to flex what little muscle he had. If he worked out regularly, Wufei would have no doubt that the boy would get some nice muscle.
“Er...you like...nice.”
“That’s all? Just ‘nice’?”
“Yeah...what else do you expect me to say?” Wufei asked in sarcasm, leaning his chin back onto his palm and trying to ignore the fact that his mouth was dripping. He wiped his lower lip and shifted his eyes to the opposite end of the room.
“Dude, no one can resist me in this kinky get-up,” Duo was muttering, zipping up his jacket. “Awesome! I can get any guy I want!”
“We’re not here to pick up guys!” Wufei growled, turning to face him.
“Who says? Quat got Heero...”
“No one got anyone,” Wufei said, frowning at him.
Duo grinned at him, unzipping his jacket and opening it. “Oh, Wu, you say the most charming things imaginable! C’mere! Let’s compare manly bulges!”
“D-DUO!!”
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” Duo sighed, waving his hands about, but walked over to sit down next to him. Wufei shifted in his seat, feeling as if he were sitting much too close to the boy. Duo looked at him, grinning as he leaned one elbow onto the table, resting his chin against his palm. “So, what do you think about those two?”
“Who two?”
“Heero and Quatre...”
“I don’t...I don’t think anything about them,” Wufei muttered, fiddling with his elbow length gloves.
“C’mon, you do...I’ll bet you wish you could watch them. I’ll bet Heero screws hard and good. No wonder Quatre’s always so cheery and happy whenever Heero’s around.”
“DUO!” Wufei then frowned. He couldn’t recall ever seeing Quatre smile.
“Fine, fine, I’m just trying to get you to talk,” Duo sighed again, turning around in his seat. “Personally, I think Quat’s lucky. He gets to fuck and screw whenever he can with that big hunk of a man. Heero’s so buff, he makes my dick hard just reachin’ for the dishes, his arm muscles all–”
“I DON’T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT.”
Duo chuckled at the murderous tone Wufei was using. Leaning back in his chair, he set his hands behind his head, causing his chair to rock back on two legs. “Look, my man. It’s been exactly six months, five days, twenty hours and five minutes since I last got laid, and let me tell you–it’s murder bein’ here with the rest of you hotties, all hot and slick, and me gay as Queer Al and unable to hit any of your asses...c’mon, I’m suffering here...”
Wufei slapped his face with both hands, drawing his fingers over his features as he tried to drown out Duo’s chatter. “God...make him stop...”
“Seriously, if it were me working you, Wufei honey, you’d be saying, God, harder, don’t stop!”
“ARGH!!”
“Wufei, your pillow talk’s simply to die for,” Trowa said, snickering as he walked down the stairs, two other sets of foot falls behind him.
Wufei was glad for the interruption, brief as it may be and looked up to see Heero and Quatre right behind Trowa. Duo leapt from his seat, loudly exclaiming over his new outfit as Wufei faintly noticed Trowa’s new can of soda and Heero’s knowing smirk as the liquid was consumed.
“Quat! Look at my ass!”
“No!”
“C’mon, just look! You’re going to see it, anyway! Just look!”
“NO! Duo!” Quatre ended in a small whine, covering his eyes as Duo thrust his backside in his direction. Then, the violet eyed boy realized that Quatre was the only one not wearing a uniform, dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a long sleeved tee.
Duo stopped bugging him, pulling at the tight pants material. “They’re really fitting...but gives me enough room to adjust comfortably within.”
Wufei looked at him, leaning on the table with an arm. “You get used to it after awhile. Really, the goal is for our clothing to prevent any sort of catch or to have it used against us in any situation. They are a little tight, but...they’re flexible to move in just as we would in a pair of sweats and sweaters.”
“Well, I guess I like it...”
“Brag some more about it,” Trowa snapped in his direction as he picked up his Gameboy and moved to take his seat. Heero cleared his throat.
“You might want this seat, Trowa,” he said, indicating the seat closest to the bathroom nearby.
“Why?”
“I tried,” Heero said on a shrug, sitting down as Duo continued to press Quatre.
The tromping of feet on the stairway brought their attention around, the five doctors coming down into the room with a flurry of their usual insults and drivel that made one’s eye roll. Duo abandoned bothering Quatre, and took a seat next to Wufei, who scowled at him as he tugged on his ponytail. Quatre hurried to his own seat, taking one next to Heero.
J took in the sight of all of them and smirked in satisfaction as the other doctors took their seat. He thrust forward a manila folder, of which multiple pictures spilled out, covering the table top. The boys took a few photos, studying them with variation of expression.
“Hm. Colorful,” Heero muttered as he studied the picture of a woman, her entire front torn apart and exposed. “They aren’t done by the same person, are they?”
“These prints, boys, are evidence that there’s another mutant on the loose. Our last one met with an untimely vacation across the big pond. We have photo evidence of that as well. While he’s vacationing over in London, our boys there are keeping an eye on him,” J began gesturing at another set of pictures. “So, we’re taking a break from that case. This case is much more fun.”
“This is...this is gross,” Duo finally managed, tossing the photos aside. “What’s the guy gettin’ from it all?”
“Our new mutant has a morbid fascination of human livers,” G said, raising an eyebrow. “Either he’s selling them on the black market, or found a brand-new snack.”
“‘Livers’? What’s wrong with cow or pig livers, that shit they sell in the market?” Duo muttered, glancing at the pictures once more.
“Except these aren’t homeless people, children. They’re varying humans and mutants, and so far, the targeted age is their teens. Fortunately, you all are just a year out of that range, so you’re safe,” J said with utter sarcasm.
“Whoop-de-doo. And here I was worried about my safety,” Trowa muttered as he took a drink of his Pepsi, Heero’s name clearly printed on the duct tape.
“You should be worrying which bathroom you’ll be running to,” Heero muttered.
“Ah, our new guys have fit in rather well with the lot of you, haven’t you?” S boomed, looking at Duo and his outfit. “Still more than scrawny...I guess you’ll just have to do.”
“Your actions in the Hangar have yet to satisfy us in that you’ll perform better on the street,” O growled, fists clenched as he glowered down at Quatre in particular.
“Teamwork is of the most importance in our mission,” H said, glaring at Duo.
“What?” he exclaimed, splaying his hands out.
“Much rather, Quatre, your powers in empathic control have not yet been tested, and therefore, your homework will be at least sixty hours of training in that area,” H began, lifting an eyebrow as he looked at his new charge. “I’d forgotten to let you know the other day when we dropped by.”
“But...I wouldn’t know where to start,” Quatre said, shrugging one thin shoulder. “I’ve never used them. Perhaps the most that I had was here that first day.”
“No experience at all?”
“No, sir. I’ve had no use for them.”
“Not even to sense what others are feeling?”
“I feel that automatically, but yet, there are times when...things are different.”
“Such as?”
When he went silent, H sighed in consternation. “Really, this silent bit about your past is getting very irritating. As if we really care what happened to you in the past. There are other mutants out there that have experienced far worse than what you possibly could have.”
“Which comes to the subject of Duo’s special abilities, of which have not yet been explored!” G interrupted, rising from his chair. “Sally has mentioned to me that when you are very angry, Maxwell, you cause much interruption in the electrical and physical field. Care to explain what sets you off in such a rage?”
“Nothin’. Nothing really special,” Duo answered, leaning back in his chair. “Just, when I get real fuckin’ angry, things just happen. I’ve been known to crush cars without really thinkin’ about it. I don’t know what it is. I thought I wasn’t telekinetic, but shit happens when I’m pissed.”
“You have no particular idea what drives you to destroy things?”
“No. Maybe lock me up in a room and set me off to see what happens?” Duo suggested, dropping forward in his seat.
The doctors looked at each other, murmuring their assent. G looked at him with determination. “Great idea! We’ll do just that one day. In fact, Quatre, with your empathic ability, you can sit in on the exercise and try to manipulate Duo’s mood into doing just that.”
Quatre looked at him in horror. “I can’t do that! That’s–that’s wrong.”
“You don’t have any choice. In order to develop your ability, it would be suiting to have you experiment in that manner just to test the waters, so to speak. Causing Duo to react in such a way will have us examining what other talent the boy has, and everyone wins.”
“It’s okay, Q-man,” Duo said, looking over at him. “If that’s what happens, then that’s what happens!”
“But I wouldn’t want to. Manipulating a person to do what I would want in that sense is utterly despicable,” Quatre said, fretting visibly about it.
“That’s it. Duo, attack him. Quatre, see if you can change his mind.”
“I can’t do that!” both of them shouted in unison, looking at the other in worry.
“He hasn’t done anything to me!” Duo said, rising from his chair.
“I only reacted to defend myself!” Quatre protested, shaking his head.
Trowa sighed heavily, leaning on the table and drumming his fingers along the table top. Heero stared at him, waiting for the inevitable to happen.
“It won’t do any good to help develop your powers if the both of you are too fucking weak to even train them!” O roared, rising from his chair. “We are relying on weaklings for our ultimate purpose in preventing senseless deaths from monster mutants? Injustice! These two should be tossed right back into the streets! We have no need for such weakness!”
“O, O, O...sit down, old man. You might damage your pacemaker,” S ordered, waving at him.
H started laughing for no reason, slapping his hand on the table while G looked at him in disgust.
Dr J rapped on the table with his claw, looking cross. “Order, order–!”
“I’ll have a pan-fry chicken with a side of chow mein!”
“I want a double pepperoni-pizza with a side of garlic bread!”
“Really, grow up!” Dr J snarled in disgust, frowning at H and S. “I’m being serious, here. Heero. What have you learned about your objective?”
“Subject is unwilling to engage in proper defensive techniques involving violence. Reacts well with others and shows no signs of strengths or decision making when it involves making quick decisions in the field. Would rather make peace than engage in defensive measures against a threat. His reactions in the Hangar indicate that he would rather operate on flight mechanisms than facing the problem. The running and hiding factor indicates that that is what he preferred, even before engaging in the use of his powers,” Heero recited. “Subject may be a threat to the team in future circumstances...”
Quatre stared at him, things clicking into place as the mindless words caused Dr J to nod gravely, frowning in his direction.
“SEE? A weakling unfit for our operation!! Why are we keeping him?!” O demanded, rising from his seat once more.
“Wufei?” Dr J ignored O, looking at the Chinese youth.
“Sir, he’s loud, he doesn’t shut up, and frankly, while his powers are completely useful in our line of work, I really don’t see why he can be valuable to the team,” Wufei reported. “He has shown considerable potential in the Hangar, but his own life-preserving techniques are solely inappropriate for team effect. If he learns and cooperates with our measures, he can be pretty useful...”
Duo stared at him in silence, his mouth falling open as the words left Wufei’s serious mouth. He looked away from Wufei, looking at Heero, then at Quatre. Seeing the crestfallen expression on the blond’s face, Duo felt anger at the oral reports being given, but said nothing.
Dr J sighed, stroking his chin. “Well, that covers that. Maxwell shows considerable promise, and while...Quatre’s powers are truly engaging in manners of mental strength and potentially useful prospects in empathic ability, we are down to one real potential member of the team. Therefore, Quatre, it is a matter of you striving to prove your worth to the team to be considered a true member. You will not participate in any street activity until we’ve reviewed the next two weeks you spend in the Hangar. Duo, if you continue with your self-engaging activity of saving your own life and hide, you’ll be disqualified as well.”
“Why aren’t you permanently disqualifying the weakling? Have we so much time to waste?” O asked tiredly, leaning back in his seat.
“Seeing that he has potential has saved him from being put away by the others,” Dr J said, nodding firmly.
Quatre looked at him in paralyzed wonder, wondering what he meant by that comment, wondering if he’d just barely escaped a death sentence. Suddenly, being with this team wasn’t something he wanted to do, and he looked at Heero, then at his hands in his lap, swallowing hard as he realized that he’d failed some sort of test.
“Well, now that’s settled, let’s move on. The Hangar has been renovated over the past two days, and since you used it last night, what do you think of it?”
“What renovation?” Wufei questioned, puzzled at the thought. He hadn’t seen any new additions to the Hangar and looked at the other three in curiosity.
O rolled his eyes. “He meant the flower pot in the top upper right corner of the computer room.”
“It makes a rather pleasing addition to the feng shui,” Dr J said on a sniff.
“J, you female dog! I told you the boys won’t notice anything like that!” H cackled. He held an open palm out to S. “You owe me, old man.”
“Bah! You’ll just spend it all on Preparation H, anyway!” S growled, digging out five bucks.
“What can I say? I have truly manly coils of–”
“Dr J, what exactly is this mutant capable of?” Wufei interrupted, shaking his head furiously, cutting H off from his words.
“Oh, yes, nearly forgot about that. See here, notice the ruptured throat. Indications presented to us suggest that the mutant is able to enter bodies through this orifice, ripping through various body organs until a certain point as to which he or she can rip through the carcass and remove the liver safely through this desecration,” Dr J began, tracing a metal prong down one picture. “Which in turn suggests that this mutant either uses victims by intimate manner, or through violence, but violence hasn’t been indicated on any form. Or, perhaps, through mesmerizing ability, such as hypnotism or paralyzation. As of yet, we have not determined the reasoning for this liver-burglarizing...”
“I think it’s through intimate relations,” G interrupted, gesturing at another picture. “Most victims are female.”
“Duo, perhaps–”
“I AM NOT BAIT!!” Duo roared, rising from his chair. “DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!”
“I was going to ask you to merely retrieve me a soda, but now that you suggest it, I think that’s a very grand idea,” Dr J said, stroking his chin once more. “With your hair down and the proper materials, of which can be provided by either Sally or Cathy, you can resemble a teenage girl...”
“Of course, the weakling over there can work as bait until he proves his worth as a team member,” O pointed out, Quatre squirming uncomfortably at the eyebrowless gaze.
“True, true...but Duo can do a better job. Just look at all that lovely hair. A woman for sure!”
“I DON’T WANNA!”
“You have no choice, Duo. Either you do, or you don’t. If you don’t, through, that just gives us fair choice to drop you as a member of our team and have you permanently removed from the area,” G said, narrowing his eyes.
Duo looked at Wufei, who looked at him with indifference, then back at G. Pouting, he leaned back in his chair. “Whatever,” he muttered.
“Excellent! Moving on! Our mutant overseas has since, of to date, consumed nearly thirteen more mutants. I have come to believe that he is addicted, gentlemen,” Dr J announced gravely. “His deaths are more to settle his cravings, and not to sustain him.”
“Like a druggie?” Trowa asked, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. He caught Heero’s proud smirk, and frowned at him as his stomach gurgled with utmost uncomfortable reaction to the soda he’d drank.
“Yes, Trowa, like a druggie. Yuy! What else have you learned?” Dr J boomed, pointing at his boy with his claw.
“There haven’t been any indications of disease or abnormal reaction in the subject, sir,” Heero reported, looking at Quatre, who stared back in puzzled reaction. “He has shown no signs of injuring effects or permanent damage caused by the attack.”
“Or else Sally has healed him just thus,” H murmured, stroking his odd mustache as he stared at the fair haired boy. Then, because he had been practicing since he was gone, he asked in Russian, “Have you experienced anything out of the ordinary, boy?”
Quatre stared at him blankly, frowning in indication that he didn’t know what was being said. H sighed in defeat.
“He’s Czech. I’m positive of it!” O said, waving a hand in his direction.
“No, German. Does anyone know German?” S asked, looking at his partners.
“Did you try Canadian?”
“That would be the French language, dear.”
“Don’t call me ‘dear’, you–!”
“Men!! Men! Calm yourselves!” J roared to catch their attention, waving his arms about. “He’ll reveal himself in due time. In the meanwhile, keep an eye on him, Heero. No other mutant has survived our particular mutant’s effects, and therefore, we have no idea what to expect should any lingering after effects have yet to appear. Now, Wufei. Your mission, should you accept, and you have no other choice but to, is to keep any eye on your boy and make full sure that he is advancing in his abilities. At any time or place, please evoke his rage and monitor the activity displayed. Is that clear?”
“Crystal,” Wufei muttered, sneaking a glance in Duo’s direction.
Duo stared back in slight hurt, but quickly cleared the expression, looking at Trowa suddenly. The banged boy suddenly rose from his seat, muttered a curse, and hurriedly crawled over the table to dash upstairs.
Heero started to laugh, slow at first, then rising with maniacal abuse.
Dr J sighed. “I don’t want to know,” he muttered over the psychotic laughter.

O0o0o0o0o0oO

Sally watched as the older men filed out from the basement, arguing amongst each other about the true meaning of the movie, “Shrek”. When the boys appeared, she looked first at Duo, then a depressed Quatre, who immediately hurried up to their room. Duo looked particularly distraught, moving away from the group to stalk outside.
Frowning, wondering what was said to have the two new members feeling so bad, she looked at Wufei and Heero. Trowa had made his way up to the bathroom nearly a half hour ago, so she guessed that he’d taken Heero’s laced soda. From the way Catherine was fretting, she was sure that was the case.
“Well, my lovely, we are preparing to leave,” Dr J said, looking at her as he passed by to retrieve his coat and hat.
“How did the boys do?”
“Not very well. Duo has managed to eke by our standards and join the rank, but the other has disappointed us. Perhaps you may work on him, as well.”
“Oh,” Sally murmured, frowning.
“He’s perhaps a little too gentle for our needs. In our field, we need boys that can step up to the plate, as you will. Maybe have Trowa work on him. That boy’s so emotionless, he’ll probably end up turning the boy into a psychopath...in whichever way, help the boys work on that one before O decides to perform an honor killing on his gentle soul.”
“Um...sure.”
Sally watched as the other older men began tossing on scarves, hats and jackets, all of them preparing to leave. She opened the door and let them out, dismissing the comments on her preparing small snacks the next time they dropped by. After shutting the door and pulling together the customary locks to keep the evil out, she turned to see Wufei changing her “Golden Girls” and switching to some medical documentary on Hitler.
Heero was making himself a snack, and Trowa had yet to emerge from the bathroom upstairs.
She then sighed heavily, and made her way to her beloved, needing to be comforted. This house, and it occupants were simply too much trouble for her to continue dealing with. While on one level she wanted to go and comfort the two boys, who were no doubt feeling the aftereffects of being downsized and ridiculed, she knew she had to stay strong. Such comforts were useless when the two boys began learning the real story. Dreading that day to come, Sally bowed her head and whispered a small prayer that things would turn all right in the end.













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