Mistaken Words chapter 69

[Morganeth]

Mistaken Words

Disclaimer: I still don?t own Gundam Wing

Zero

?Alone?!? Duo demanded softly lavender eyes narrowing, ?Why the hell do you think we came down here?!?

?To arrest the members of the Inner Circle,? he responded calmly, ?I need to get to Zero.? He wasn?t going to let them hold him back from pulling his fair share on this mission.

?There?s got to be a better way we can do this,? Ash countered.

Heero shook his head, ?We want this done fast it?s the best way,? glancing down the hall to his right Heero knew that would lead him towards the main hanger were Zero was kept.

Although it was clear he wanted to argue with that at least a little Duo finally nodded his head, seeing the sense in Heero?s plan of attack. ?Alright, but keep in touch,? he motioned towards the other side of the hall, ?I?ll go left you take right with Ash. Once everyone?s been secured we?ll bring in more troops to take everyone back up.?

?I?ll go first,? he told Ash softly, watching as his friend attempted to protest, but he spoke over him, ?You?ll need to secure any members in the rooms, I can take anyone I find, it?s the best way.?

?Alright, I?ve got your back,? he nodded once and waited just beyond the corner as Heero shifted down the hall.

Heero?s progression down the corridor was slow and cautious, his ears straining to hear anything that might come from one of the rooms. Knowing Ash had his back was a relieving thought, allowing him to focus one what came beyond this hall. To his right a door suddenly opened and Heero was plastering himself against the wall ?Ash,? he spoke his friends name pausing but a second, knowing Eimz would patch him directly through, ?Hold your position.?

The man was unaware of his presence behind him, and Heero took complete advantage of it, striking the man across the base of his neck with the butt of his gun. While his left arm reached out to catch the man as he silently fell. Making as little noise as possible, Heero dragged the limp man back into his small quarters and stretched him out in the center of the room. Kneeling down beside him, Heero fished through the satchel he had slung across his chest and removed a pair of zip cuffs which he quickly used to secure the man?s hands behind his back. Heero didn?t even bother checking to make sure the man bore the phoenix brand, the fact alone that he was within this extensive bunker was proof enough.

He made a quick sweep of the quarters before returning to the hall, signalling Ash with his hand before continuing down to the next bend. Now that he was out of sight he knew Ash would begin his room by room search. It would take a painstaking amount of time, and perhaps they should have brought more men with them but as it was Heero felt confident. ?Duo,? again the pause, ?Status?? he whispered softly.

?Five hostils detained,? he returned just as softly but chuckled sardonically, ?They didn?t see this one coming.? Heero could clearly hear the vicious grin in his friends voice.

?I?m proceeding to Zero,? he rounded the corner and hung close to the left wall as he inched his was towards the very solid metal doors that were the last barrier between himself and the Gundam he had been forced to help them build. When he was about three quarters there, the door suddenly opened and Heero dropped into a defensive crouch gun training in on the man who had unexpectedly walked out into the hall. ?Don?t make a sound,? he warned in even tones, the man had frozen on the threshold and Heero motioned for him to step towards him.

The man reluctantly complied the heavy door finally closing behind them, protecting them if only for a few moments. Heero closed the distance quickly gun never wavering from its target, a fact the man standing before him?arms half raised away from his body?hadn?t missed. ?How many are in there?? he demanded, watching as the man took a closer look at his face blue eyes going wide in surprise.

?You?re dead?? he blurted before he could thing better of it, and paled visibly when he saw Heero finger tighten on the trigger.

?How many?? he pressed again.

?Three??

?And how many down here altogether?? that was info they could all use if neither Duo nor Ash had extracted it yet.

The man appeared to consider not answering, but his defiance only lasted a moment before an obvious tremor could be seen running through his limbs. ?Twenty-six?? he mumbled.

?Turn around, and get down on your knees,? Heero instructed right hand remaining steady on the gun, while his left sought out another pair of zip cuffs. ?What?s the code to open the door?? he asked then noting the mans reluctance to comply, but the barrel of the gun pressed into the base of his neck was enough to get him moving

?Pound?842?? he grudgingly explained. Heero nodded to himself securing the man safely, Heero ended the ordeal exactly as he had the one before, dropping him into the blissful darkness of unconsciousness. Placing the body securely in the corner by the door Heero proceeded to the keypad.

?Eimz, did you get that?? he asked referring to the number of Inner Circle in the bunker.

?I did, and both agent Maxwell and Ash know,? Eimz confirmed, ?According to info from the both of them, there?s eight more still unaccounted for.?

?Are you including the three in the hanger??

?No I heard about them too,? an observant agent, that pleased Heero.

Refocusing himself Heero leaned close to the wall and pressed the necessary buttons on the keypad, raising his gun up before him. He would have liked to handle this as quietly as possible but knew there was a good chance someone inside had become aware of his presence. The doors slid apart revealing the massive room beyond, making a quick scan of his immediate area, Heero ducked into the room securing himself a position behind a massive crate. No one had seen him enter but by the same token he had not idea where the men inside were.

In the huge room Heero could feel the looming presence of Zero, but kept his eyes focused on the area around him, not wanting to be caught off guard. He could hear voices speaking off to his left and he moved towards them remaining in cover until he could lay his eyes on them. The closer he came to the location of the men, the more their conversation became clear to Heero.

?Fuck,? one male voice obviously concerned.

?What is it?? another rougher voice asked.

?Dante just made a general announcement,? Heero leaned around the corner to see if all three men were standing there, he was in luck.

?Has the curfew been lifted?? a blond man asked.

?Hell no!? the first barked, ?The Earth Defence Corp, has taken over the colony in order to weed us out.?

?Shit! When did this happen?!? the first a brunnet asked, sounding immediately cagey.

An older man with grey touching at his temples wore a headset on one ear his right hand pressed against it, ?About an hour ago,? he informed darkly.

?How the hell did they find out about us?? it was a rhetorical question, but Heero didn?t decide to give any of them a chance to answer.

?Through me?? he ground out stepping from his concealment, now that he was positive all three men were in close proximity to each other. ?Don?t move,? he warned taking a few steps towards them, the older man turned towards him both hands moving away from his body, as his eyes went wide with shock.

?You?re supposed to be dead,? the other two looked at him a little confused obviously not immediately recognising him, not that he would have answered their comments if they had.

He nodded his head towards the wall, ?Move, hands in plain sight.? Apparently that was too difficult a concept for the blond, as he made to reach for something on the desk beside him. Heero didn?t wait to see what it was, but fired aiming for the edge of the man?s arm. He wanted to make his point but not cause serious damage. The man cried out in pain, and the other two jumped in shock, ?Against the wall,? he growled. This time they complied shifting to the wall and placing their hands on it.

Taking a few minutes to cuff their hands, Heero scanned the room just to be sure there was no one else. ?Eimz, let them know the three are secured,? he commented striding towards the cat walks that crossed before the Gundam. He hadn?t yet let himself look at it, and he wasn?t entirely sure why, in no time he was going to be seated within it, and would no doubt be there for sometime.

Heero climbed the stairs and ladders with determined strides making his way up to the cockpit, it wasn?t until he reached his destination that Heero finally looked straight at the object his mind had created. There was with a strange sense of excitement as Heero looked upon the closed cockpit of Zero, the smooth Gundanium reflecting the lights with a brilliant shine he wouldn?t have expected them to be concerned with. It felt vaguely wrong to Heero, to be excited to see the tool of war, a weapon he had created against his will. A Gundam that could well destroy the peace he had given so much to bring about.

His eyes narrowed as he reached a hand out towards the closed hatch of the Gundam, he was going to take this weapon they had built to destroy the ESUN, and use it to destroy them. Without needing to look Heero triggered the switch that would open the Gundam and moved aside taking a moment to glance down on the men he had secured. ?Eimz has everyone been secured?? he asked pulling his attention back to the darkened cockpit.

?Yes Sir, Ash just secured the last man, they?ve called in for more troops now,? the tech confirmed.

Ducking inside Zero, Heero turned around and lowered himself into the seat, settling back as the hatch closed behind him and he began to turn systems on. ?Let them know I?ve secured Zero,? he informed, more of his attention directed at what he was doing. Duo had mentioned that the controls of the first Zero he had built had been screwed up, try as he might to remember anything from that time, it was just all too vague, but he wasn?t about to dive blindly into this, he wanted to know how the systems had been configured. Everything was so familiar beneath his fingers, just as an unknown ache left his chest when Relena came into his arms, so too did an emptiness feel a little fuller sitting within Zero.

WMWMWMW

Wufei swept the cold water from his face taking a brief moment to refresh himself after the few hours of sleep he?d allowed himself once the mission had begun. The first few hours had been more than a little tentative for all the troops, the were basically walking into a mine field with no way of knowing at a glance who the enemy was. It had slowed things down more than many agents had expected, but Wufei had known it would be an up hill battle the entire way, and they had met a fair deal of resistance to that effect already.

He certainly didn?t blame the citizens of Freedoms Point for being outraged by this ?invasion? not even Dante?s near constant reassurances were enough to beat down the fires threatening to ignite everywhere. The minute Zero appeared on the colony?s surface however, matters shifted in their favour. That they held control to a working Gundam didn?t really leave anyone with an argument against the continued search. Wufei didn?t believe for a minute that Zero would stop the Inner Circle from burying deeper and fighting against the destruction of their organization. He would have been shocked if it had.

Wufei stepped from their ?base?, the main hanger had become the agency?s central command centre but each sector had a base of operations, they had found reasonable facilities in a reception hall. Defendable if the need should arise and had enough space to house?if not comfortably?their equipment and personnel so they could find some rest between shifts. Stepping out into the artificial light, Wufei looked around at the men moving about the troop transport vehicles. Their orders in hand, they moved off to the next target where the numbers would go down a little more. With each building they cleared a few agents were left behind just to maintain the peace so a riot wouldn?t form behind them that the Inner Circle could use to their advantage. To minimize the risk to the agents Dante had set the lights of the colony, never allowing them to turn off completely, they dimmed slightly to signify the end of a day, but there wasn?t really a night.

The ground beneath his feet rumbled in a familiar way as Wufei slipped his earpiece into place and turned around to see Zero take up position in the center of the street. It had taken Heero several hours to get Zero working properly before he had been able to bring it to the surface as a very useful backup. Arguments against the occupation had gone down drastically at the sight of the Gundam. ?Kevin,? he spoke the name of his tech softly knowing he didn?t need to raise his voice to be heard, ?Patch me through to Gorren,? the two techs working as a cover for Heero had switched off in the late hours of the night.

?Right away sir,? Kevin answered immediately.

And after a momentary silence, ?What can I do for you sir??

?How?s he doing?? he asked knowing there was no need to use names as he stared up at the imposing Gundam.

?He configured the systems and has everything up and running,? Gorren informed.

?This includes the ZERO System?? Wufei asked, feeling a little concern at that, he could see how the program could well help them, but he was also familiar?if not first hand?with what it could do. It was a stress he?d prefer Heero to avoid considering this was his first time back out, though he wasn?t about to make that public knowing exactly how Heero would take the suggestion.

?Yes sir, he?s already been putting it to use.?

?Great,? Wufei didn?t bother trying to disguise his sigh, ?Can you patch me through to him??

?Yes sir,? Gorren did so immediately.

?Wufei,? Heero?s voice greeted smoothly and from where he stood the Chinese man knew his friend was watching him.

?You taken a break yet?? he doubted the question would be well appreciated but asked it all the same, covering his ass as much as his friends?, for when they returned to Sally.

There was a brief moment of silence, ?I?m not exactly doing much,? Heero contended answering without really saying so, that he hadn?t.

?You have supplies up there?? he had been pretty sure Heero had left the shuttle with rations and water enough to cover a couple of days, but wanted to be sure.

?Stop worrying,? was the dry reply.

Wufei raised his hands in a sign of peace, ?Just watching your back for you,? he placated with a smile Heero no doubt could see from his high vantage point.

?Hn, that?s supposed to be my job.?

?Fair enough,? Heero?s attention was divided between all sectors of the colony, he could be called at any moment to a critical area and either defuse a boiling situation, and using Zero search out the best outcome for the confrontations. Despite what Heero claimed Wufei knew it was a lot of work.

Turning back to the transport Wufei saw that most of the agents had moved off to continue their work, all that was left were the men who would be accompanying him to the apartment complex they were to clear next. ?Let?s move out,? he announced climbing into the passenger side of the lead vehicle.

Ty quickly moved the truck into drive and pulled away, his brown eyes on the empty street before them but Wufei could feel his attention was not entirely on it. ?Who?s in the Gundam sir?? he asked after a moment his eyes flickering to Wufei before returning to the road.

?One of the men who built it,? he answered keeping it vague, ?Why??

?I understand no ones heard from him, just Eimz and Gorren??

?And that seems odd to you?? Wufei returned with a raised eyebrow, now was not the time to drop Heero?s name around the agents, it would be too much of a distraction to all of them. With Eimz and Gorren running interference they could relay any information Heero had to the people who needed it while keeping his name and voice out of it.

Ty straightened a little at the questioning tone, ?Just seems like an unnecessary extra step, sir.?

?Hmm,? Wufei mused quietly, his onyx eyes glancing at the building they passed with numerous eyes watching them from their windows, constant patrols of agents maintained the peace through areas already searched, and those that were waiting. If the Inner Circle were doing anything to prepare themselves or put a stop to this they hadn?t seen any evidence of it. A fact Wufei wasn?t exactly comfortable with, somehow he highly doubted they were prepared to just roll over and be taken down. Keeping that in mind they had found a surprising number of member from the Inner Circle in just the first day, although it wasn?t entirely a shock considering what the Inner Circle had managed to do in under a year. ?Keep yourself focused on the task at hand, Eimz and Gorren make it easier to contact more people at one time if the pilot has important news.?

Whether or not Ty was satisfied with the answer he didn?t get a chance to say, they had reached their destination and it was now time to focus on the task at hand. The apartment complex the stood outside was one of the largest, and Wufei saw the greater part of their day being spent clearing all the people living within. Climbing from the truck Wufei spoke into the mike by his mouth, ?I want all exits surrounded, Team B what?s your status?? he asked already hearing their approach.

Dante had given them the use of the colony?s helicopters offering them easy access to rooftops to stop potential escape of Inner Circle members. ?We?re taking the roof now,? Cole answered over the roar of the rotors.

?Let me know when you?re all in position,? was the order that had been directed at all his men.

Wufei looked up at the complex feeling the energy radiating from the men behind him as they waited to enter. ?Back exits covered,? a crisp voice announced.

?We have control of the roof,? Cole confirmed.

?We?re in position in the side alley,? the last of his men checked in, and Wufei nodded to those standing behind him, with a gesture of his hand they ascended the stairs pushing their way into the lobby.

?Kevin, shut down the elevators,? he ordered moving towards one of the two service staircases.

?It?s already been done, I?ve locked down each floor, the emergency escapes won?t be opened until you reach them.?

?Good,? his team split into three groups, two large and one small who would remain behind for the time to watch the lobby. Wufei took his men towards the right staircase, while Ty took the left, ?Cole,? he spoke the man?s name giving Kevin a second to directly connect them.

?Sir,? was his answer, the man completely ready.

?Start your men down keep me informed,? he ordered, moving quickly up the stairs out of habit securing each landing not that they expected to find anyone. But it was the minute they left themselves open that tragedy would happen.

WMWMWMW

Heero shifted within his seat, it was larger than he remembered it being back during the war, but still just as hauntingly comfortable. He was not nearly so relaxed as he had once been sitting within Zero. At that time he had been facing impending battles against other suits and mobile dolls. Heero wasn?t entirely sure if this wasn?t at least as dangerous if not more so. There was something different about the ZERO system than what he remembered, and there were moments where he had vague flashes of memory? Where he had changed something in the programs?

He wasn?t at all sure, but how the system behaved was dangerous and harder to maintain, to control, and with so many small ?skirmishes? taking place all of the colony, the system was still insistent on winning them all. Heero did what he could with the information to predict the safest outcomes for the agents putting their lives on the line. His eyes scanned over the three screens in front of him, one directly before his cobalt eyes the other two on either side. They were entirely lit tracking the progress of just about every agent out there.

Despite what he had said to Wufei, this was hard work, but he knew he could handle it if he could just remain in control of ZERO, not let it over run him as it had once or twice in the past. Eimz and Gorren had proven themselves indispensable in the short time he had worked with them, both competent and fast acting they almost predicted his needs. Through them he delivered the necessary information to protect the agents lives. If there had been any confusion caused by this, Heero hadn?t heard anything about it.

He hadn?t had too much contact with the others since he had attained Zero, leaving them to focus on their part in this mission, so long as they weren?t obviously worrying over him, he was fine with all of it. Taking a drink from one of the water bottles he had brought with him for his extended stay in Zero, he refocused his attention on the men entering buildings all over the colony, fighting to remain in control of the system.

WMWMWMW

Wufei walked cautiously into the apartment, the occupant a young woman with long brown hair, and been immediately cooperative the moment they knocked upon her door. She watched Wufei with large eyes from the wall he had ordered her to stand against, as he made a thorough sweep of her home. What he found were plants and flowers on just about every available surface, the air smelled rich with their scent, and it vaguely reminded Wufei of a certain field from his childhood. The thought was immediately pushed aside as he and his men finished the sweep returning to the woman.

?You?re the only one who lives here?? Wufei asked watching her face closely.

Her eyes flickered over all of them expression remaining pleasant, and he had to admit it was a breathe of fresh air, not just counting the flowers. It was unexpected to be greeted with warmth rather than a ?Fuck Off.? ?Yes I live alone,? she confirmed with a voice more mature than her young features gave credit.

?Lana Aeris.?

?She on the list?? Wufei asked knowing Kevin had immediately begun his search.

?That?s confirmed,? Kevin said a second later, ?Lana Aeris has lived in this apartment for the last two years.?

She smiled at Wufei, slender fingers moving to the buttons of her pink blouse, ?I am no member of this Inner Circle, but I can prove it to you if you like?? There was a sparkle in those eyes that again didn?t match the look of her age, as one of the button slipped open.

Not for the first time Wufei wished Dante hadn?t told the colony everything that they knew about the Inner Circle. It wasn?t so much that the general population of the colony knowing about the brand was a problem, more a few of the women he had encountered were, ?That won?t be necessary,? he assured quickly. They had never found any evidence that there were any women among the Inner Circle, in fact it had been a known fact among the members that it wasn?t an option. And not just for the awkwardness of the brands location.

Aeris gave him a small pout but her fingers left the remaining buttons closed as Wufei moved towards the door, ?You?re being asked to remain in your home until we?ve finished the searching through the colony.?

?Any idea how long that could be?? she asked innocently.

Wufei allowed himself a tiny smile as moved towards the opened door, ?As long as it takes.?

Back out in the hall Wufei nodded to his men who had been guarding keeping a careful watch both back the way they had come and in the direction they still needed to go. They had slowly made their way through the first three floors of the apartment complex and had yet to single out a one member of the Inner Circle, a good thing Wufei figured. Nodding to his men Wufei lead the way slowly down the hall, as they came to a corner that would lead them to the next apartment. As he neared the end of the hall a woman came around the corner suddenly, her limbs trembling and her hands raised to either side of her shoulders. She was white as a sheet looking pleadingly in Wufei?s direction, and he knew their luck had just run out.

?You think you can just invade out homes?!? a harsh male voice shouted from around the bend.

?If you aren?t Inner Circle you have nothing to fear from us,? Wufei explained calmly guessing by the woman?s reaction that she was being held at gun point, the cocking of a shotgun was is confirmation.

?Who said a damn thing about fear?!? he barked back, ?We have rights! Get the fuck out of here!?

?Please?help me?? the woman whispered and Wufei attempted to ease her mind by stepping a little closer remaining back from the intercepting hall. From where she had been made to stand she was out of his reach, but no doubt in perfect range of the gun aimed at her back.

?Kevin, where?s Ty located? Any of his men close enough to ambush?? he asked very softly.

?What are you waiting for?!? the man demanded.

?Don?t you think this woman has rights too?? Wufei returned calmly all the while waiting for Kevin?s response.

?Ray?s on his way, should be there in a minute,? Kevin informed.

Wufei?s eyes narrowed, it was the best the could do but might well be two late the man was clearly at a breaking point. Silently Wufei signalled to his men indicating he was going to make a dive for the woman, in the hopes that Ray would make it in time, if not they were to offer him cover fire, shoot to kill if necessary.

?You come one step closer and I?ll kill her!? he warned obviously unnerved by the silence he was being met with, ?Her blood will be on your hands!!?

Taking in a breath Wufei lowered himself coiling his muscles ready to dash out into the hall and grab the hostage. It was a risk, one Sally would probably have fits over if she was to ever find out, but the body armour that he wore out to protect him will enough from any stray pellets. Hoping he had timed Ray?s approach right, Wufei threw himself forward catching the woman and the gunman both by surprise. She screamed in fright, he shouted in rage the blast of his shotgun reverberating down the halls.

Putting himself between the woman and the gunfire Wufei could feel some of the pellets pepper his calf, but they caused him no pain the Kevlar standing up without difficulty. No the pain came from another part of his body, his right wrist more precisely. His momentum and the weight of the woman worked against him, and as he reached out to catch himself he landed hard feeling his wrist bend at an awkward angle. He remained down over the woman his right arm pinned between the floor and her body as gunfire exploded around them a cry of pain barely rose above the din, before the was near silence.

Slowly pushing himself up off the woman Wufei glanced down the hall to where the gunman had fallen clutching at his leg. Ray came around the corner a second later, ?Sorry I?m late?? he voice spoke into Wufei?s ear.

?No problem,? The former pilot turned his attention to the woman still shaking a crying having not moved and inch from where he had tackled her. ?Are you alright?? he asked eyes scanning over her to see if she had been hit. She mutely nodded her head confirming what the lack of blood had already been telling him.

?Shit man! You?ve got the devil?s own luck!? Nic commended coming over to them, his eyes scanning Wufei over briefly before looking to the woman. He was their medic, a fully trained agent he was comfortable in most any situation and could at times be disturbingly observant. Wufei wondered if Sally had had a hand in which group they had ended up with, he didn?t know how though since the pilots hadn?t really decided until they had arrived. Wherever they were needed that?s where they intended to be.

Wufei moved to get up primarily using his left hand to support himself as Nic sat the hysterical woman up to get a better look at her. He felt comfortable leaving her in the medic?s care, but Nic seemed to have other ideas, ?Where do you think you?re going?? he asked with a raised eye brow glancing back over his shoulder at the former pilot.

?I have to take care of this,? Wufei responded motioning down the hall to where the gunman had been pinned with several agents kneeling around him while others had taken up guard position in case anyone else were to appear.

?Well what I need to do will only take a second so get back over here,? he said tone cheerful but Wufei didn?t miss the cool undertone that broke no room for argument.

Not that that was enough to stop Wufei, ?I?m fine take care of her, we need to keep going.?

?That?s something Sally told me to never listen too,? Nic chuckled passing the woman off to another agent who would take her statement and bring her somewhere safe. ?She?s fine no injuries, which means?? his eyes looked Wufei over up and down in slow sweeps.

?I didn?t take any either,? he countered making a show of his body, arms held out as he turned to prove his point. ?Kevlar?s an amazing thing,?

Nic just shook his head, and knelt down beside the former pilot eyes and hands scanning over his leg where the pellets had hit, ?This wouldn?t have been enough to get me jumping in front of gunfire and hurt or not I doubt Sally?s going to be too happy to hear about it.?

?Good thing she?s not here,? Wufei regarded the man as he stood up again dusting off his hands.

?Keep in mind we have to report back to her,? Nic?s expression looked pained at the very thought.

?Don?t worry about it, she?s used to it,? and with that said Wufei walked away, down the hall to where the gun man lay cuffed and moaning. Nic was not even a step behind him, as the agents parted to make room for them. ?Is he Inner Circle?? Wufei asked immediately, onyx eyes looking down to see for himself.

?Yes sir,? a man answered his question pulling open the gunman?s shirt to reveal the phoenix brand.

Wufei regarded the man seriously this was the first members they had discovered who had attempted to use a civilian as a hostage. If this was a sign of things to come or at least the methods they were willing to sink too Wufei could see this getting a lot harder. ?Who were your contacts?? he demanded, taking the offered ID cards and wallet with his left hand, ?Mr Nguyen.?

?Go to hell,? the man spat venomously, eyes clouded with pain, as Nic applied a field dressing to his gunshot wound.

He?d lost count of the number of times he?d heard that, and so didn?t dignify it was a response, ?Cline, Brookes, take Mr Nguyen back to base, and get what information that you can.?

?Yes sir,? the men said in unison waiting until Nic was finished with him to haul him to his feet and back down the hall. Wufei passed the material over to them, and refocused his attention on the hall and the apartment the man had apparently come from. Ray stood outside the still open door along with two other agents waiting for him to arrive to enter. He nodded his head, and without thinking gestured with his right hand for them to go ahead. Wufei realised immediately that that had been a mistake.

His wrist and hand were both incredibly sore, not to the point where he thought anything might have been broken. But definitely sprained, he could already begin to feel it swell. He would need to do something soon to stabilise it if he didn?t want to have it draw attention. Taking a firm grip of his gun, in his right hand Wufei was relieved to see at least that wasn?t going to be a problem. Stepping into the apartment a second later Wufei began a visual search of anything that might possible be related to the Inner Circle. They weren?t exactly keeping their hopes up for that considering what they knew about the organisation. But if one of them could take potentially sensitive information to a home computer?such as the footage of Heero?s branding?there was no telling what else they might possibly find.

Stepping into the decent sized bathroom Wufei found his attention searching for something not at all related to the Inner Circle, and within a matter of seconds he had found it. Pulling the bound tensor bandage from the cabinet Wufei quickly stripped his glove from his hand and took a moment to push back the sleeve of his coat. He worked fast to tightly wrap his wrist and hand, eyes flickering to the door to make sure no one was watching. Once it was tightly secured he worked his sleeve back down and pulled his glove back on. It was a bit more of a tight fit, but the joint felt a little better, and it would do until he could get some ice on it.

Walking back into the living room Wufei was met by Ray, ?Did you want me to stay here or head back over??

?You?d might as well stay here,? he stepped back out into the hall, ?Kevin patch me through to Gorren.?

?Right away.?

?What can I do for you sir?? Gorren asked immediately.

?Anything new?? he asked wondering if Heero were still in their sector.

?He avoided an ambush, and discovered a residential section ridged to explode, Trowa?s on his way to it now,? Gorren informed.

?And he didn?t feel the need to warn me about the gunman waiting around the corner?? Wufei asked tone dry sarcastic.

Gorren chuckled a little, ?He was confident you could handle it.?

?Thank him for me will you??

?No problem,? Gorren continued to chuckle to himself.

Wufei shifted his wrist again, feeling out it?s limits trying to decide what he could and couldn?t do. It irritated him to have to deal with this restriction, but considering what other sort of things could have happened?potentially sideling him for the rest of the mission?this wasn?t really that bad.

Thanks for Reading!

Morganeth Taren?drel

[takisha16]

GAWD, Wufei is just as reckless as Heero!
Nice chappy, very action packed!