Mistaken Words chapter 68

[Morganeth]

Mistaken Words

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing

The Inner Circle

Dante sat quietly in front of his desk, eyes watching the vid-screen as it flickered on, responding to his touch. It was late at night, and he had been expecting this call from Une, the mission had already commenced on Earth it would only be a matter of hours before it began here too.

?The last shuttle has just left the Earth?s atmosphere,? Une announced, her voice serious but her face relaxed if only for him. ?The rest have been disguised as freighters bringing in the constructions supplies that you ordered.?

?Good that should keep this quiet at least for a little while,? he replied. This was not going to be an easy mission, they had discussed all their options many times, but it always came back to the fact that there was simply no easy way to root out the Inner Circle at least not without a house by house search. Une had sent enough troops to accomplish this, and with the help of Zero, Dante doubted it would go smoothly but hopefully they could avoid too much bloodshed.

?When do you plan to round up the members that we?re sure of?? Une asked him then.

Dante leaned back in his chair, ?I have a special group taking care of that, Ash has been overseeing it for me. They?ll be held in containment, until you arrive,? at which time Dante knew?

?We?ll be more than willing to take them off your hands,? it was as though Une finished his thoughts for him. ?What sort of resistance are you expecting when you place the colony in lockdown?? This tactic would be the easiest way to keep innocent people out of harms way, but they all knew it wouldn?t go over well with the general populus.

?With your agents arriving in the early hours of the morning, I don?t expect any immediate problems,? he responded, know that they?d have to move quickly. ?I?ve never had to do this before, the people could very well revolt, they?ve become accustom to a lot of freedom.?

?Zero ought to help with that,? Une spoke in a sardonic tone.

?If Heero can pilot it,? Dante shook his head remembering back to the trouble they had had when Heero had built on for them. It amazed him at how long ago that had actually been, and how much everything had changed in that time.

?Although he doesn?t remember much from that time, he sounded fairly confident that it wouldn?t be a problem,? she shifted in her seat folding her fingers together before her. Dante noticed the slight wrinkle to her brow that wasn?t usually there, it seemed to him a sign that she was concerned even if she wasn?t willing to voice it aloud.

Dante leaned a little more closely to the screen wanting to offer some comfort without making it too obvious, he knew that wasn?t what Une wanted, ?He?s amazed us before.?

?How has the citizenry reacted to the lock down?? Une asked, quickly changing subject, ?Has there been any problems??

?Nothing serious so far,? Dante stroked his chin, ?Over the last few weeks I?ve put the colony through the lockdown several times to get them used to it, in case of a catastrophic failure of any of the main life support systems the lockdown could well save thousands of lives.?

Une?s lips turned up a hair at that, ?Put it like that and no one can refuse.?

?For the most part, I wouldn?t say it?s particularly gone smoothly, but at the same time my citizens haven?t been rioting in the streets either.?

?Always a good sign,? Une agreed softly.

?Indeed,? he nodded his head a thought occurring to him that he hadn?t thought to ask before, ?Do the pilots intend to be here until the mission has ended?? Knowing how hard it could be to route out ever last member of the Inner Circle Dante hoped that wasn?t the case. With the agents Une had sent after the initial assault they?d be able to rotate them, but Dante had a feeling the pilots were a little too ?hands on? to go along with that.

?They ought to be there until the first assault is complete, this being Heero?s first mission back, recovered fully or not, I don?t want him gone the entire time. And neither does Sally.? They hadn?t actually brought this up with the pilots, but both Tony and Kahlan knew when it was time to send the pilots back to earth. ?Although I don?t have an exact idea for the time, I imagine it?ll be a few days.?

?When are you planning on making the announcement?? No doubt the news of the strike on the Inner Circle would catch the ESUN by surprise, they had all done their best to keep it out of the news. ?When the mission commences I?ve arrange for the lines of communication to be tied, to keep this from becoming common knowledge before you?re ready.?

Une smiled, ?I was planning on waiting until the pilots had returned, around that time the mission ought to be all but cleaned up, seems the best time to let the ESUN know we?ve saved their peace again.?

?Have you thought at all about what you?re planning on saying?? Dante knew immediately that this announcement no matter what form it came in or however well worded was going to cause a media frenzy.

?Yes I?ve been working on it,? she confirmed though that crease in her brow returned, ?I?ll want heavy security in the media room I think. The announcement of the attack on the Inner Circle won?t stir things up as much as the news that Heero Yuy is in fact alive, and not a traitor.?

?No doubt,? Dante could still remember clearly how he had felt when the news had been delivered to him, it had been a stunned couple of minutes. What helped?however little?was the fact that Heero lay before him in the bed, alive and surrounded by his friends. ?Are you planning on having Heero present for the conference??

The female commander shook her head, ?I?d like him back on earth but I doubt he?d agree to such publicity for anything.?

?He?s a very private man, I wonder what he thinks of having his name cleared?? to Dante?s way of thinking it would certainly be something Heero would want, to feel free of those last four years of his life, to know he had walked away and won.

?From what I gather from the other pilots, he doesn?t seem to care all that much, I hesitate to think he might actually want to remain dead.?

?You think he might fight against the releasing of your statement?? that didn?t seem entirely rational to Dante.

Une shrugged, ?I don?t really know yet, I haven?t bothered to bring it up with him directly.?

?I suppose leaving him less time to think about it might be better?? Dante didn?t sound entirely convinced he knew but he trusted Une?s judgment.

?John?s proven to me, when dealing with Heero less time to think and fight actually works rather well,? the curve to her lips appeared ever so slightly evil and Dante wished she were literally as close to him as she looked right now, he desperately wanted to kiss those lips. ?I fully intend on having him present when I tell Heero. That ought to help a little.?

Dante chuckled softly, ?You can hope at least,? he made no pretences to knowing Heero as well as any of them, but it sounded to him as though no matter how they approach this it wasn?t going to go over well.

WMWMWMW

Heero stood from the co-pilots seat, his muscles feeling a little tight from the ride over but the kinks quickly worked themselves out as he moved into the main body of the shuttle where the others were beginning to prepare. One of the main troop transports had landed a head of them, the agents inside were already busy securing the personnel in the port. This would be one of their four main bases of operation, three other troop transports had been sent to the other ports on Freedom?s Point all disguised as cargo ships carry necessary repair supplies Dante had ordered to repair some major systems on the colony.

?You sleep at all?? Trowa asked softly as he came to where his gear had been placed, no doubt by his taller friend.

?Yeah a little,? it had been hard to relax his mind enough for sleep, his body already wanted to go into mission mode. That meant spending six hours where he could do nothing but feel like perching on the edge of his seat ready for absolutely anything, the adrenaline already flowing into his system though it wasn?t a constant rush. But it was enough to make sleep near impossible. He didn?t feel at a disadvantage to have not slept most of the way over, he had gone far longer times without sleep, this wouldn?t be a problem.

?I understand you?ll all be splitting up?? Kahlan spoke up then eyeing each of them intently as they got into the gear they had been issued.

?Sooner or later,? Duo confirmed his tone light as he pulled the end of his braid loose from the Kevlar coat he had just shrugged into.

?Sally thought as much,? he continued leaning casually against the wall, ?Which is why she asked me to wait here for any of you to return injured, there are more than enough medics out there as is. None of them are really equipped to deal with you pilots, so if any of you are hurt during the mission you?re to be brought directly back here, if that?s possible.?

Heero studied the man silently through the corner of one eye, feeling like he was seeing the young medic for the first time. Truth be told he didn?t look quite so young just now, his expression remained friendly but there was a distinct authoritative tone behind that half smile. That almost reminded Heero of Sally, perhaps she had taught him better than any of them had first given credit.

?And just what makes you think you?re better off? Duo asked with a crooked grin, buckling a gun to his thigh.

?Now telling you that might well remove my advantage so just try and not get injured and we?ll get along just fine.?

?Sounds like Sally?? Wufei muttered under his breath.

Kahlan laughed clapping his hands together as he did, ?She taught me well,? he confirmed.

?But you?ve not been able to try any of it out yet?? Trowa pointed out while straightening out his gear making sure everything was settled into place. Heero noted the slight grimace that passed across the taller man?s face. Trowa was used to complete freedom of movement, and although this new body armour was more flexible than what they had had to use in the past, Heero didn?t think Trowa really liked it all that much. He wondered how long it would be until his friend had shrugged some of it off.

The medic merely shrugged at that, his expression losing none of it cockiness.

Placing the com device into his ear and securing it into place, Heero flipped the small screen down over his left eye testing to see if it would interrupt his vision. They had originally been intended for the right eye, but Heero hadn?t wanted to risk what that might do for his headaches if they became particularly rough. So he had done a little rewiring and managed to set it for his left side, the distance was good, able to easily see what was being projected into his eye. He switched the system on completely as he moved to walk out of the shuttle.

Greeted with an instant of static before the signal cleared, a welcoming voice spoke into his ear, ?Good morning agent Yuy, I?m agent Eimz I?ll be your central point of communication during the first stage of the mission.?

Heero cobalt eyes glanced around the hanger that was now fully secured by the Earth Defence Corp. Already they had several members of the Inner Circle detained those that Ash had rounded up, and the ones they had discovered from their search of the port?s personal. ?How many of you will there be?? he asked gruffly jumping down from the shuttle.

?Two sir, myself and agent Gorren will be taking shifts,? Eimz?s informed immediately.

That was acceptable, Tony had assured him he?d keep the knowledge of his presence to as few members as possible. ?Eimz,? he spoke the young man?s last name softly, ?Try to avoid using mine,? the last thing he wanted was to have him slip up and tell someone who wasn?t supposed to know.

?Of course sir,? the agent agreed immediately, ?Tony has informed me that you intend to secure Zero. I?ve already hooked into the colony?s main system Dante gave us free reign, just let me know what you need.?

?Unless the location of Zero has changed I won?t be needing anything for a little while,? he informed his eyes searching out Ash?s location, Duo had said he would be there. Heero was half surprised he hadn?t been pounding on the shuttle door when they first landed. Flipping the screen away from his eye Heero started making a more detailed sweep. Trying to tell himself he wasn?t disappointed by the fact that Ash hadn?t been at the exit the minute he appeared.

?Hey!? a familiar voice shouted from behind, and had the sense enough not to call his name, ?Wondered where you were hiding,? Ash chuckled coming up to him. His usual large smile was plastered on his face, it was only diminished a little by the dark rings under Ash?s eyes, he had already been at this for a while.

?How long have you been at this?? he asked, walking with Ash back towards the shuttle where Duo and the others were emerging.

?What?s this?? Ash barked a laugh, ?Is that concern I hear in your voice??

Heero?s eyes narrowed as he grunted deigning not to give that an actual reply.

Ash?s hazel eyes sparkled, ?I?m touched! No one?s going to believe me.? His mirth subsided slowly, as he took a closer look at Heero, eyes scanning up and down him slowly, ?That?s quite the uniform you?ve going there.?

?We?ve got one for you too,? he said silently glad at the change of subject, ?It?s on the shuttle.?

?Duo told you I?ll be coming with you to get Zero?? Ash asked, his mind changing subjects as quick as some people flipped channels, at least in this case there was some small connection to follow.

?If you can stay awake,? Heero returned evenly.

Ash stopped walking looking rather hurt, but the former pilot could see he was fighting a smile from breaking through. ?Says the man who refuses to sleep, and still thinks he can finish a mission.?

?I?ve got precedence to say I can,? he countered an eye brow raising slightly on his forehead as though to dare Ash to come up with another argument.

His friend just laughed however, ?It?s good to have you back,? he said face taking on a slightly more serious cast. ?You?re looking a hell of a lot better, just about the way I remember you,? his lips turned up again then, ?Could stand to put on a little more weight though.?

Again Heero choose not to answer nor did he even bother shaking his head in reply, knowing ignoring Ash was the most effective strategy available. Duo was waiting outside the shuttle when they finally arrived. He greeted Ash with a jovial smile and extended his hand, ?C?mon in we?ve got some nice toys for you.?

Ash rubbed his hands together in glee, as he followed the braided man into the shuttle. Trowa and Wufei exited a moment later and Heero stepped up to them, ?Which sectors are you heading to?? he asked.

?I?ll be going to sector four with Kaylan?s group,? Wufei answered adjusting the slash proof gloves he wore, ?It?s a heavily residential area, ought to be slow going.?

?I?ve got sector one I?ve worked with Tony before,? Trowa told him simply.

?Duo?s covering sector three, once you have Zero,? the Chinese man continued, ?That?ll basically fill in the rest.?

Heero wasn?t so confident as he outwardly showed, he had little to no memory of the creation of Zero. And wasn?t even sure it would be a functioning unit, according to Zechs when he had come to get him out, the Gundam had consisted of numerous boxes. Which meant they hadn?t even had him in their possession while trying to assemble the Gundam, that left any number of variables completely unaccounted for. But despite that Heero was determined to be an active part in this mission, and the best place for him to be was in control of Zero.

?Eimz, do you have a reading on the number of people on this colony??

?I?ve got heat reading for roughly ten thousand,? he responded immediately, ?Not including our troops.?

?Do you have any readings on the bunker connected to this port?? he doubted it, but it couldn?t hurt to know how many they were up against.

?No?? Eimz breathed, ?I can see it on our schematics but I?m not getting anything from it.?

?Too well shielded?? Heero wasn?t surprised by that, ?It?s not even listed on the normal schematics for the colony

?That?s were you?re heading sir??

?Yeah,?

?Do you think the radios will work in there?? Wufei asked.

?Not much we can do if they don?t,? he shrugged his right shoulder without thought.

?These radio?s ought to work in there,? Ash confirmed stepping out of the shuttle now fully dressed in the same combat gear they all wore. He placed the ear piece into his right ear smiling at the screen that flipped down over his eye, ?I hope you know you?re not getting this stuff back,? he chuckled.

A ghost of a smile lit Trowa?s face faintly as he looked over to Tony who was approaching their group. ?Is everything in place?? he asked receiving an immediate nod of confirmation from the commanding officer.

?Alright, keep in touch,? Wufei said firmly flipping the screen down in front of his eye as he moved off towards his transport that would take him to his sector. Trowa did the same a brief nod to the others before he headed back with Tony.

Heero drew in a quiet breath, and without a word to the two standing on either side of him strode towards the hatch that would lead them into the Inner Circle?s bunker. He felt energy ignite within him, a traveling shock that awoke every part of him, bringing him to a higher state of alertness. He wouldn?t have been able to stand around for a moment longer, if Tony hadn?t been ready Heero knew he would have just left on his own determined to get this mission underway.

?Is Dante planning on making a statement to the colony?? Duo asked as they rounded a series of cargo boxes to find the unassuming hatch shut tightly. ?That would alert the Inner Circle, but it might be safer for the rest of the civilians.?

Ash nodded his head, ?He?s got a statement prepared, I doubt it?ll help a lot, but it?ll look better when the rest of the ESUN catches wind of this.?

?Got to keep on the up and up,? the braided pilot chuckled as he crouched to help Heero with the heavy trap door.

?Unfortunately, takes more time that way,? Ash knelt beside the opening looking down inside, ?Been a while since I?ve been here?? he glanced at Heero, but the Japanese man didn?t bother meeting his eyes. Hearing the slight undercurrent of guilt in his voice, he didn?t want to dwell on the past.

Heero stepped onto the metal rung latter and quickly climbed down dropping the last of the distance so he wouldn?t be caught off guard. He crouched low gun drawn in his hand aiming steadily down the hall as both Ash and Duo followed behind. Despite the realism the agency attempted to put into the Warehouse, there really was no comparison with reality.

?Eimz, do you read?? he asked softly.

?Loud and clear,? came the reply.

Nodding silently to himself he cast a brief glance to the others before starting forward down the hall, his feet carrying him silently towards the first intersection. ?How do you want to play this?? Duo asked softly.

?I?m heading for Zero,? Heero responded confidently.

Thanks for Reading!

Morganeth Taren?drel

[takisha16]

AHHHHH...OH THE ANGST!!
Exciting chappy!
Heero is wayyy too confident!