Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Waves of Influence ❯ Freedom ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer! Bandai owns GW, not me! So don't sue me!!!

 

Chapter 4

Freedom

 

November 13th, AC 203

Trowa sat at his desk, watching transportation records for any mention of Quatre's whereabouts. Almost a week after the blonde's disappearance, there was no evidence that led them any closer to his captors, and Trowa was starting to lose hope.

An entry blinked suddenly. Trowa eagerly clicked on it.

“Fox is moving,” an unknown voice said.

A group of people mumbled. “Is he going after the traders,” another asked.

“Possibly. He's already lost one of his friends to them.”

“I heard he sold him to them.” The group laughed. “Very becoming of an Underworld leader.”

“Make sure he doesn't succeed. By any means necessary.”

The call ended. Trowa felt his eyebrows rise. Duo was up to something, and the rest of the Underworld was trying to stop him. Another entry lit up, prompting him.

“The L2 and L5 Underworlds are mobilizing. This is Fox's doing.”

“Send his current location to the Preventors. Let the government take care of him, as well as Dragon.”

“It would be easier to establish control of those two Underworlds if they were assassinated in private. We would be able to get our own men, or even the old leaders, in a position of power.”

“True, but it would be easier to cover up our takeover if the Preventors took care of them. Get to work.”

“Yes, sir.”

A click signaled the end of the call. Trowa's telephone rang. The Preventor answered it. “You have a visitor, sir.”

“I'll be down there shortly.”

“Yes, sir.” The secretary hung up. Trowa stood up from his chair and left his office. He ignored the looks of the other lower-ranking Preventors as he walked across the building to the elevators. Trowa pressed the down button. He looked around the office. He noticed Heero sitting in his office on the other side next to his own. The Japanese man was glaring at his computer. The elevator arrived at the door. It slid open silently. Trowa stepped in. He pressed the button for the first floor. The doors closed, and Trowa felt the machine move downwards.

It reached the first floor quickly, and Trowa got out silently. He walked towards the front desk. He was surprised to see Relena Peacecraft standing there. She looked completely normal with no bodyguards around her. He walked over to her. “Relena, what are you doing here?” he asked calmly.

The Prime Minister turned towards him. “Just the person I wanted to see,” she said. “I have information concerning to your precious Quatre.”

Trowa motioned for her to follow him. He knew that several other agents were staring at them, but he didn't care. He led the Prime Minister to the elevator. As they waited for the elevator, Relena turned to him. “What is it?” Trowa asked.

“Well…” she diverted her eyes expertly. “I get the feeling that something's caused a divide between Heero and I, and I don't think I can trust him this information. I can trust you, though, right?” Trowa nodded. Relena smiled. “That's good. That's good…” She looked away slightly. “This will be painful to hear, but my sources say that Duo was a key figure in Quatre's disappearance.”

Trowa froze. “That… That's impossible… They were best friends! There's no way!”

“People change, Trowa Barton. That much is fact, and I'm afraid Duo may have changed for the worse.”

 

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November 15th, AC 203

“All teams, move in,” Heero ordered. The three groups of Preventors charged up to the front door and broke it down. They could hear people yelling inside. Trowa and Heero led the Preventors into the small house.

The Underworld members seemed to have vanished. Trowa noticed the similarities between the disappearances of Wufei from the Preventor office, Quatre from their home, and these Underworld agents.

“Upstairs!” Trowa yelled. The Preventors ran upstairs and encountered the first sign of resistance. Trowa and Heero ducked down; bullets hit the wall behind them. They patiently waited for the gunfire to stop before they dashed for the next safe haven. Both pilots dove through the open door just as the Underworld members started shooting again.

“Retreat! Make sure the three leaders get out!” a member yelled towards the back of the house. Footsteps stormed in the same direction, away from the Preventors. Suddenly the gunfire stopped again, and it didn't begin. Heero ran down the hall and kicked in the door to the far bedroom.

He swore loudly when he saw the empty room and open window. He ran over to the window. He saw a large group of people running down the alley. “Shit!” Heero hit his radio. “They've escaped out the back!” He jumped out the window. His legs screamed at him as they slammed into the ground. He ignored the sensation and took off running after the suspects.

It was obvious the group was familiar with the surrounding area as they led Heero on a long chase through winding streets and alleyways. However, the sudden Preventor attack forced many of the Underworld members into a panic, and they eventually ran into a dead end. Heero glared at the dozen Underworld members, especially the two familiar pilots. “Duo…”

The L2 leader froze. Heero could see that something was wrong. Duo's beautiful violet eyes were unfocused, and long, unbraided hair fell over his pale face. He wore loose clothes over his slender frame.

Suddenly four of the members pulled out their guns. Heero jumped behind a large dumpster. Bullets hit the metal side and ricocheted off.

Heero heard a pain-filled gasp and something hit the ground. The gunfire stopped, and Heero glanced out at the scene. Duo was on the ground, blood pooling around him. “You idiots! Don't shoot!” Wufei yelled angrily at the Underworld members. The Chinese man looked down at his friend. Duo wasn't moving. “Shit…”

“Preventors! Stop where you are!” Trowa yelled, running towards the group. Heero spun around. Wufei jerked back and down towards Duo's body. The Preventors stopped in front of Heero and raised their guns. Heero realized they were prepared to massacre the Underworld members if they even moved.

“Hold your fire!” Heero ordered. Trowa glared at the Japanese Preventor.

“What are you doing?!” he growled.

“I could ask you the same thing!”

“He had Quatre kidnapped!”

Heero snapped. “You have absolutely no proof of that!”

“Sirs!” The two Preventors turned towards the Underworld members. Wufei was bending down next to Duo. The other members moved to stand around them.

“Take him and get out of here, sir!” one of the members said calmly. “We'll cover your escape.”

“Don't overdo it,” Wufei answered as he lifted Duo up. He pressed a button on a device hanging from his belt. The two pilots vanished suddenly. The Preventors rushed forward. The other Underworld members hit buttons on their own machines and disappeared. Heero heard Trowa swear softly.

 

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November 16th, AC 203

Heero and Trowa walked into the laboratory. The scientist turned towards them. “Where did you get this blood?” she demanded.

“From a suspect,” Trowa said calmly. “Why does it matter?”

“Well, your suspect should be dead. His immune system's compromised, and he's extremely anemic. He has to get medical attention immediately. Tell me you caught the guy!” Heero shook his head. “Jesus Christ!! He'll be dead before the end of the week!”

Heero froze. “That's… impossible! He's too strong to die!” he snapped.

The scientist shrugged. “That's what the evidence is telling me, Agent Yuy.” She turned away from the two Preventors.

Trowa placed his hand on the Japanese agent's shoulder. “We should go. We have to find where Duo is. Then we should be able to find Quatre,” Trowa said, stating the obvious.

Heero sighed. He knew that Trowa was right. The more they worked to find Duo, the closer they got to the other three pilots. Somehow, Duo was the key to finding the truth.

The two Preventors noticed a large group of people standing around the news room. They walked over to the back of the group. “What's going on?” Trowa asked.

The agent turned towards them. “That Winner guy is making an announcement.” Trowa looked up at the screens. He could see the missing blonde sitting at a large desk. Quatre looked completely calm.

He took a deep breath before he began. “My name is Quatre Winner, owner of the Winner Corporation. I am also pilot of the Gundam Sandrock. I fought for this new government, as did four other young men, but now I'm afraid I can no longer support Relena Peacecraft and her crimes. I am formally declaring my alliance with the L2 and L5 Underworlds in hope that they can help bring a sense of true peace to this world.” The announcement caused a wave of startled whispers amongst the Preventor agents. Heero and Trowa were frozen in place. The blond Arabian turned suddenly, and an Underworld member came into view. The man bent down and whispered something to the blonde. Quatre's face paled sharply. He stood up and disappeared from view. The camera shut off, and the screens filled with static. The Preventors separated, knowing that orders would be coming in to find the renegade businessman.

Soon, Heero and Trowa were alone in front of the televisions, too stunned to react. Heero recovered quickly; he knew what Quatre was accusing Relena of. Trowa, however, could not understand why his lover was doing this. Heero walked off, leaving Trowa behind.

The brunette turned and shuffled to his desk, dazed. He sat down quietly. He couldn't believe what was going on. His lover's rebellion against the ESUN government so shortly after his disappearance was almost too much for him.

His phone suddenly rang, catching the Preventor off-guard. He hesitated before he picked it up. “Agent Barton,” he said as calmly as he could.

“Ah, Mister Barton,” Relena said cheerfully. “I just heard about your precious Quatre's announcement. It seems Duo has been telling him such horrible things. They're lies, I assure you.” The Prime Minister paused. “I want you personally to find Duo Maxwell and capture him. I'll make sure he becomes the most wanted man in the Earth Sphere. You just do your job, and Mister Winner will not be charged with treason with the excuse that he was manipulated by a very dangerous man.”

Trowa's desperate mind latched onto the request. “I will be sure to find Duo. Just keep your end of the bargain.”

“I will.” He heard the call end with a sharp click. Trowa glared at the phone before he put it down. The Preventor sat silently at his desk, debating whether to betray his friend or protect his lover from political suicide.

The lure of saving Quatre was too overpowering, and Trowa began to hack into L2 colony records. He scanned every entry for any mention of the blonde or the braided leader, but Duo was smart and hid their tracks well. However, the communications between the other colonial Underworlds helped narrow where Maxwell could have fled to.

Trowa allowed himself to smirk slightly. Despite all of Duo's hard work, his enemies had led the Preventor straight to him, and right now, Duo, as well as Wufei and Quatre, was on L5. Trowa stood up and rushed out of the office.

 

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Heero looked up when he saw Trowa run out of his office. He knew that the brunette had found something dangerous. Heero reached over and picked up his phone. He quickly dialed a number that Duo had left him during the file transfer. “Hello?” the Underworld contact asked.

“This is Heero Yuy.”

“Ah, Agent Yuy. How good to hear from you again… What can I do for you?”

“Duo, Wufei, and Quatre are on L5, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

Heero sighed. “Get them to the HOLIC colony. Agent Barton is acting erratically. I'm worried that Relena's gotten to him.”

“I'll be sure to get them moving, sir.” The contact paused. “He wants to see you, sir.”

“How is he?”

“He's recovering from his gunshot wound.”

“Stay under the radar. The other Underworlds are tracking your movements.”

“We'll keep that in mind, sir.”

“Very well.”

“We'll contact you once we're secured on HOLIC, sir.” The contact hung up, and Heero put his phone down. He felt a little better knowing that Duo was safer, but his good mood was reduced by the fact that he betrayed the government and his friend. However, protecting Duo was more important to him than his friendship with Trowa. Heero returned to his work.