Mistaken Words Chapter 71

[Morganeth]

Mistaken Words

AN: I know it?s been forever I hope none of you think I?ve given up on this story, I?ve promised so many times that I wouldn?t and I really mean that. I don?t want to get into details of what?s been going on in my life at the moment, but sufficed to say it hasn?t been pleasant. And writing and posting is still taking a back seat. At the moment I only have the one chapter for you. But I hope you all enjoy and will continue to be patient with me. I thank you for all your support!!

I want to thank each and everyone of you as I have in the past?but I hope you`ll forgive me with a blanket thank you for your reviews!! I`m going to try and get back into the swing of thing just please be patient with me.

Thanks to Morgansgirl for editing for me!

Disclaimer: I don?t own Gundam Wing.

Go ?splodie?

?What?s your opinion of the situation?? Tony asked, his voice terse in Trowa?s ear as the former pilot watched from the shadows.

?Sol patch me through to Eimz,? Trowa directed his attention first to the techs.

?Just a sec,? the tech replied.

The voice switched for a brief second, ?Hang on,? Eimz said not needing to hear anything.

?Trowa,? Heero?s voice greeted sounding a little thin, though Trowa already knew if he asked he wouldn?t get a straight answer about it.

?What do you see?? Trowa was already sure at where they stood but wanted to have a second opinion. When potentially risking lives you could never be too careful.

?Snipers, and strong fortification?? he drew in a slow breath, ?You won?t get inside in mass, at least not without bloodshed.?

Trowa nodded his head, they had found out about the snipers early on, and it hadn?t taken long to realise this was one of the fortified locations Heero had mentioned three days back on route to the colony. This was all merely confirmation to what Trowa had already been suspecting, ?Tony,? he moved back towards their main position, ?I?m going to go this one alone.?

?I don?t like that, we know they?re heavily fortified but it can?t be safe to just send one person in,? the commander informed immediately.

That was no surprise, ?This is nothing new for me, infiltration is a specialty,? he plainly stated without arrogance behind his words. Trowa had snuck into several organisations and although he wasn?t attempting to gain membership in this one, he would be able to escape immediate notice. People just tended not to give him a second glance, on most occasions dismissing him without thought.

?And just how the hell do you plan to get past the snipers??

?There?s one blind spot I?ll be able to slip in from,? Trowa responded a tiny smirk tugging at the edge of his lips as he came into sight of Tony and the rest of the team.

?How can you be sure they don?t have it covered? You could just walk right into a trap,? Tony countered.
Trowa shook his head closing the distance between them, ?They?re not expecting anyone to make it through.?

?Just where are you looking?? the commander asked motioning over to the printed out schematics they had been pouring over.

That was an encouraging sign, Trowa knew this is what he was going to be doing, but if he didn?t have to argue the point with Tony that would make it all the easier. Running his finger down the edge of the buildings outline. ?There?s no windows on this alley,? he informed looking up from the papers to regard Tony.

?Just where does that get you?? Tony was studying the schematic carefully trying to see something beyond the alley.

?From there I can make it to the roof, and slip inside,? as he spoke he began undoing the coat that he wore, working it off his body.

Tony?s eyebrow raised as he watched the former pilot, ?If you?re going in alone you?ll need all the protection you can get.?

?It restricts my movement too much,? Trowa draped the coat beside the papers on the vehicle?s hood before adjusting the belt he was still wearing that bore his gun, spare clips and a few other useful items.

?How are you planning on getting in??

?There?s a pipe running down this wall, should be enough to give me a grip,? it wouldn?t be easy by any stretch of the imagination, but the practice and strength training he had received working at the circus did make him the best candidate for this mode of entry. ?Not much else we can do with how they have the building defended.?

Tony?s arms folded across his chest as he studied first the schematic and then Trowa, his dark eyes serious. ?What?s your plan once your inside??

?I?ll work my way down and try and clear a path for the men to enter, depending on security in there I might be able to narrow down who?s in charge.? Trowa didn?t hold his breath that it would be that easy, nothing with the Inner Circle had been so far. No doubt the members in the building knew who was giving orders, but the former pilot wouldn?t have put it past them, to have created an obscure chain of command that some how left it all in question.

?Alright but I want constant updates,? Tony agreed finally, and Trowa knew he would. As unhappy as he was about it, he knew this was the only option that they had available at the moment.

Nodding his head Trowa turned back the way he had come, his right hand reaching up to make sure his com piece was securely in place. ?Sol how much surveillance do we have??

?Not much,? the tech sighed, ?They?ve taken care to shield themselves, not enough to draw attention to this building right off however. I guess they had this in mind as well??

?They had just about everything in mind,? Trowa agreed, his long legs carrying him steadily towards his destination. He took a long route around not wanting to risk being seen by any of the snipers watching from the windows. The building itself was fairly isolated on the end of a long row of four story brick buildings it had an old world feel that seemed out of place on a colony. But it fit right in with the houses beside it, and a fair sized park on its other side finished the look of a quiet neighbourhood.

?How long until you?re in position?? Tony?s voice asked, not unexpected though Trowa had half expected to hear from him sooner. It wasn?t that Tony didn?t trust him, more that he was a responsible commander who didn?t like to see any of his soldiers wounded. Trowa actually got on with Tony better than any of the other commanders he had worked with over the years. More often than not Tony saw things in the same way he did, though he was a little more careful when throwing himself into them.

?I?ll be there in a minute,? Trowa returned jogging through the shadows to the alley, his emerald eyes flickering around him to make sure he wasn?t being watched. Reaching his destination Trowa slipped into the deeper shadows, it wasn?t really an alley since there wasn?t even enough room for him to walk straight through, but that would actually help him with the climb. Taking hold of the pipe Trowa began the long climb up. ?Sol have you scanned the roof, are there any sensors there?? he asked softly looking upwards at his approaching goal.

?Nothing that I could find they obviously didn?t want to stand out.? That was a relief, one less thing to try and avoid, but he knew damn well that once inside the building there were any number of things that could go wrong.

Reaching up Trowa took hold of the edge of the roof, and hauled himself up, the rough soles of his boots made griping the equally rough surface of the brick all that much easier. ?I?m on the roof,? he announced once crouched behind the short wall.

?Alright,? Tony?s voice once again sounded terse.

WMWMWMW

Heero wiped the perspiration from his face as he shifted in his seat yet again, he couldn?t seem to relax. Relax, and it was too easy to loose control of Zero, therefore he had to be on constant alert, the system was stronger more determined to show him everything. It hadn?t taken long to realise this was what he had done to try and safeguard the ESUN from a potential attack. He highly doubted anyone from Freedom?s Point or even the rest of the ESUN could handle the stress this system put you under.

Drawing in a slightly laboured breath Heero attempted to gather himself, clear his thinking and push away the exhausting ?pseudo? pain he was feeling. May lives had been saved so far, and not just on the agency?s side, the mission was not yet over which meant Heero?s job was not yet through.

?How are you holding up Sir?? Eimz asked breaking the silence between them.

?I?ll be alright,? he replied knowing already that answering with the word ?fine? wouldn?t do him any favours.

?Can I persuade you to take a break??

?I need to keep an eye on this,? he replied, Trowa had just entered the building and things could easily go wrong. ?There are still agents out there.?

?You won?t be able to keep this up forever sir, nobody could,? Eimz pointed out in a sensible tone.

?Leave it be,? Heero growled feeling the yellow glow of ZERO swell up around him stealing his breath away. ?I need to focus!? he barked trying to fight back, to regain control of the system. Heero felt his chest constricted painfully and he bit back against it. Still fighting the pain that shot down his left arm and he fought to hold back a groan from exiting into the mike alerting Eimz that something was wrong.

It was too late to come back from it, he was surrounded by the system showing him horrific possibilities despite his desperate struggles to claw his way back to the top. He saw the building in front of him go up in flames, and Trowa?s lifeless body laying among the debris. But he couldn?t find the breath needed to call out a warning. Desperately a hand pressed to his chest willing the pain to leave, willing his breath to return to him.

Finally he managed to pull in a staggering breath, his voice shaking and weak as he fought to get out one word, ?Duo??

WMWMWMW

On light feet Trowa made his way down yet another stairwell. It had become clear to him several moments after entering the building that not all the rooms were being put into use. Lessening the number of occupants he had feared might be inside. He had come across one of the snipers shortly after entering and had rendered the man no threat, taking with him the radio he had been wearing. Now with Tony?s voice asking for updates in his right ear, he could also hear the brief bits of conversation from the members of the Inner Circle.

Little of it was actually useful to him, they were aware of their presence outside, but weren?t about to attempt anything. Their position wasn?t perfect, they were well protected yes, and well stocked. But no one if they could avoid it would corner themselves in such a way, it was bound to end and not in their favour.

?What?s your status?? Tony asked again as Trowa edged his way out of the stairwell onto another floor.

?I?m on the third floor,? he informed softly emerald eyes more focused on the structure around him than what Tony might have asked after. ?Sol, do you have access to the records of any construction done to this building??

?What is it?? Tony?s voice was tense.

?Just give me one sec,? the tech returned.

?Trowa,? there was a slight warning note to the commander?s voice.

?They?ve fortified the structure?? he ran his hand lightly over the thick metal, ?From what I?ve seen it doesn?t look like they designed it to keep people out.?

Tony pulled in a breath, ?Meant to keep the people in??

?Looks like they re-did the entire exterior of the building a few years back,? Sol informed.

?That would be cover enough to fortify internally,? Trowa commented moving down the hall.

?Anyone heard from Tyson?? a voice from the Inner Circle asked tersely, and Trowa silently cursed.

?I don?t have too much longer before they discover someone?s inside,? he informed pushing on trying to figure out were the central command of the building would be.

WMWMWMW

?Duo!? Eimz voice sounded near frantic in the former pilot?s ear.

Duo shot forward from where he had been relaxing on a set of stairs, ?What is it?? he demanded. He had been relaxing after clearing the final building, but felt himself shift immediately to high alert at the tone in the tech?s voice.

?Something?s happened to Heero.?

The braided man was on his feet, already making for his bike, ?Where is he??

?Not far from the hanger, I haven?t been able to get much of a response from him,? Eimz sounded truly worried now.

?Alright, have a path to the shuttle cleared, and inform Kahlan that I?m bringing Heero to him. Get me the fastest route to his location, and patch me through,? Duo shot out the orders without thought as he revved the engine on the bike and peeled rubber towards the hanger.

?Consider it done,? Eimz?s tone was clipped as he set to work, ?I?m putting you through right now.?

Duo looked at the small map on the screen in front of his right eye, as he navigated his way through the empty streets pushing the bike as fast as he could. ?Heero?? he called his friends name sharply wanting to get a reply. At first all he heard was soft laboured breathing, and he determinedly called out to Heero again.

?Duo?? the Japanese man breathed finally, ?Wha??

?What happened to you?? he didn?t really expect an answer to his question, but he wanted to keep something between them until he was able to reach the Gundam.

?ZERO?? he hissed.

?Shut it down!?

?Can?t??

?Shit,? Duo cursed pushing for more speed, ?I?m almost there, just hang on!? Not wanting to give into a worst case scenario Duo told himself repeatedly Heero was just over tired, Zero under the best circumstances was seriously taxing. And he had no doubt Heero wouldn?t have taken much of a break besides the one he had forced on him.

Duo could hear Heero draw in a deep breath, coughing as though it had been the first in a while, ?Just?tired?? he breathed at last, though the words weren?t of great comfort.

The bike screeched to a halt as Duo pulled up in front of Zero, and he jumped off without thinking, causing his right leg to nearly buckle under him. Groaning softly Duo straightened and slowed his pace a little, he had taken a bullet to his leg earlier in the day, and although it had been tended too by a field medic, that had only left it cleaned and bound. It still hurt like the devil but he refused to let it slow him down for long. After the first few days Duo had to admit he was feeling a little spoiled so it had come as a shock when the first of the armour piercing rounds had made an appearance, luckily they had only struck his arm and leg.

Pushing that all aside Duo scaled the Gundam as quickly as he could, reaching for the switch that would open the cockpit. Duo held his breath moving the minute he could get inside, ?Heero!? he managed not to shout the name but there was a great deal of urgency in his voice as he dropped down in front of his friend. Heero was slumped in the chair, sweaty hair hanging limp in his eyes but he was breathing that much Duo could clearly see. And if gave a sense of relief, albeit a small one.

?Heero can you hear me?? he asked intently looking for any sort of reaction before he just reached out to touch him. When he received none Duo immediately took hold of Heero?s shoulders and drew him carefully out of the seat laying him out as best he could on both the floor of the Gundam and the open cockpit door. Pressing two fingers to Heero?s neck he felt for a pulse and found it to be irregular, he leaned over Heero then placing his ear to his friends chest just wanting to be absolutely sure. Hearing the heart beat against his ear Duo quickly grabbed him up settling Heero as best he could on his shoulder, it was the only way he could get them both down at once.

He was met by Eimz, Gorren and Kahlan by the time he reached the ground and gently shifted Heero to both arms. ?Was he at all responsive when you got up there?? Kahlan asked immediately checking Heero?s vitals as best he could.

?No already unconscious,? Duo growled concerned and letting it show in his frustration.

?Zero?s been causing him a lot of stress,? Eimz pointed out as they moved into the hanger.

Gorren shook his head clearly sharing in at least a little of Duo?s frustration ?Not that he?d admit it.?

?C?mon lets get him inside,? Kahlan said ushering them through the hanger towards their shuttle.

?Gorren, will you let the others know?? Duo asked back over his shoulder, hearing a grunt of confirmation from behind.

WMWMWMW

?Tony,? Gorren?s voice spoke into the commander?s ear, ?Sol told me Trowa?s tied up at the moment.?

?He?s infiltrated a safe house,? Tony watched the building from their cover, his arms crossed and face firm.

?How?s it looking??

Tony shook his head, ?Not great, I?m concerned they?re going to discover him before he can find the one in charge.?

?Duo wanted me to let you know that Heero?s down, not sure what happened yet. I?m hoping for exhaustion,? Gorren got to the point. ?We?re back at the hanger, Wufei?s coming in so have Trowa make his way here when he can.?

?Will do,? Tony confirmed, wanting to know more about Heero, but at the moment more concerned with Trowa and getting him out of this building in one piece. They hadn?t wanted to open fire on the building wanting to bring in as many men alive as they could. But it was looking more like that?s exactly what they were going to have to do.

?Trowa, what your status?? Tony demanded.

?Fuck,? was the only response he received at first, and it did nothing to ease his concern.

WMWMWMW

Trowa hardly heard Tony asking for another status check as his attention was far more focused on what was being said into his left ear. Tyson had been located and they now knew someone was with in the building. But they weren?t reacting the way Trowa had expected, they weren?t trying to track him down, and kill him. Instead a decision had been made, what it was exactly Trowa didn?t know, but every voice seemed coldly resolute.

?All snipers pull back,? a commanding voice repeated, it was a voice Trowa had heard before but had no name to match too it. ?We?ll pull them in as close as we can, everyone pull back to the main room.?

Trowa had sinking suspicion about this, ?Trowa what?s happening, the snipers have left their positions?? Tony demanded louder into his ear.

Glancing around the hallway Trowa located a section of wires running along one edge of the ceiling, he had noticed them upon entry but hadn?t thought much of them at the time. Like the fortifications they didn?t say to much on their own. ?They?re pulling back,? he responded finally still moving further down the hall.

?Are they looking for you??

?No, they?re trying to draw you in,? Trowa came to an open doorway hearing no voices or sounds of life he looked within, and swore violently. The room was located roughly in the center of the structure and packed with explosives, to which the wires were connected. ?They?ve rigged this place to explode,? he warned moving away from the room.

?Trowa get out of there!? Tony?s voice was commanding, but Trowa was shaking his head reaching for the radio he had been up till now just listening too.

?You can?t honestly be planning to destroy this building while still inside,? Trowa barked into the radio.

?If it means avoiding prosecution at your hands, and taking a few of you with us, than yes.? That same cold voice informed, ?We?re all willing to make that sacrifice.?

Trowa?s long legs carried him out into the hall, emerald eyes darting around searching for options. ?Tony have you pulled your men back?? he asked seeing a window down at the end of the hall, it was his best option.

?We?re back, but where are you??

?I?m making my way out,? he ran down the hall feeling a rumble in the structure, the explosives were going off. Soon it felt as though the floor was nearly falling out from beneath his feet, as the blast erupted from behind him, not looking back Trowa pounded for his target, gun firing at the window as he jumped towards it. Arms up before his face to protect himself from the shattering glass, Trowa could feel the scorching fires licking at his unprotected back, as the explosion reached him throwing him from the building.

He had glanced the tree through the window only seconds before jumping, judging the distance as something he could make, had made in the circus before. This was hardly perfect circumstances, but considering the force of the blast Trowa had no difficulty reaching for the thick branches, the problem came in stopping his momentum. Thrown into the tangle of branches Trowa bit back a cry of pain as his head cracked painfully off one of the limbs and he dropped into blackness, the fire around him fading away.

WMWMWMW

"Alright lay him down over here," Kahlan instructed leading Duo into the small medical room that was on their shuttle.

Duo eased down his light burden and stepped back giving the medic some room. He was seriously concerned and more than a little pissed off that this had happened to Heero.

He wasn't supposed to push himself on this one, this was his first time back. Duo's face pulled down into a glare?not for the first time?as he watched. Kahlan fitted an oxygen mask to Heero face before he cut away the pilot's shirt so he could hook him up to a heart monitor. He then immediately began preparing an IV and Duo stepped in then, not sure how deep in unconsciousness Heero was. Would he react at feeling the prick of the needle? not a risk he was willing to take at the moment.

"Here let me hold his wrist for you," Duo offered taking hold of Heero's left arm, his lavender eyes watching Heero's lax face for any sign of waking as Kahlan inserted the needle.

"Did he say anything to you before he passed out?" Kahlan asked appearing far calmer now that he had Heero comfortably situated and properly monitored.

Duo shook his head eyes not leaving Heero, his face set in a hard expression. "No, nothing really I think he was having trouble stopping ZERO..." Heero?s voice had sounded stressed, and neither Eimz nor Gorren could account for any other breaks Heero might have taken besides the one Duo had forced. His eyes narrowed again, well he had him now, he was going to keep him there!

"Hmmmm...." Kahlan mused continuing his exam, "I don't know much about the system myself, is it high stress?" he asked.

"Extreme," Duo could still clearly remember his first and only time sitting within that Gundam. It had been a lasting memory causing nightmares for weeks to come. "And as I understand Heero had done something too it when he designed it this time, made it stronger, harder to control."

Kahlan looked up a moment later, ?Well he?s dehydrated and clearly exhausted, and although it's only preliminary, he may have suffered a heart attack," Kahlan stepped away from Heero finally moving over to the screen that was displaying Heero's somewhat irregular heart beat.

"Damnit," Duo hissed, his anger boiling up again, and he reached for his handcuff he had attached to his belt securing one end to Heero's right wrist and the other to a bar protruding from the wall designed to help a patient sit up.

"I question the need for that," Kahlan raised an eyebrow.

"If you had been trained properly by Sally you wouldn't," he returned darkly.

"Well now that he's stable, there isn't much I can do until he wakes." Kahlan pointed out looking more closely at Duo, "I'd might as well take a look at you now, I understand you've taken a few injuries yourself."

Duo was immediately shaking his head, knowing already that he couldn't deny his injuries as field dressing on both his right arm and leg gave him away. But Duo had all but forgotten the pain of them the minute word of Heero had reached him. "That won't be necessary just yet, just worry about Heero."

"You know you can't run forever," Kahlan folded his arms across his chest.

"Perhaps not, but I prefer to choose where and when," he smiled his expression relaxing for the first time since he had brought Heero in here.

Kahlan looked unimpressed at best, but simply shrugged, "Worse for you when the time comes..." he muttered moved a few steps away from the bed to over look some tests.

Duo remained standing by Heero's side eyes studying him intently. He had come to know Heero very well over the years that they had fought together and he was pleased to see that even three years apparently hadn't dulled his senses where his friend was concerned. He knew about Heero's ability to wake himself without sounding the alarm, it was a useful gift, and one Duo envied. Kahlan was completely unaware glancing back over his shoulder at the bed, but unable to pick out the subtle changes that alerted Duo.

However even Duo was shocked when the heart monitor suddenly sounded its alarm, seconds before his eyes shot over to the small screen to confirm what he had heard. Duo saw Heero's right arm tense, as the former pilot became aware of the cuff securing him to the bed. Heero eyes had flown open a second later, and Duo hated himself for having not seen this coming and for having not thought how Heero might take to being restrained on waking. There was panic in those eyes, though it disappeared instantly well before Kahlan was at his side.

It was obvious Sally had made several things clear to Kahlan in her training, as the medic didn't immediately lay his hands on Heero but rather made an attempt to get the former pilot's attention. By this point Heero's heart rate had evened out again as much as it had before he woke, and his expression was blank. "Heero--"

That was all Duo allowed Kahlan to get out, "Could you give us a moment," he heard himself asking and was surprised.

"I really need to examine him," the medic protested immediately.

"It'll be alright, he'll still be here when I'm done," Duo wasn't waiting for agreement now, as he ushered the man out of the room and locked the door behind him.

When he turned around he saw Heero sitting up on the bed a dark expression set on his face as he jerked the cuffs a few times before turning his glare on Duo. The braided man winced slightly, he couldn?t believe this hadn?t occurred to him, and he could have killed himself for it. "I'm..." Duo stopped himself a second before he apologized, knowing that wouldn't improve matters with Heero. "Stupid," he chided himself as he pulled the key from his pocket and released the cuff around Heero's wrist, "I blame it on a lack of sleep."

Heero said nothing in respond but shifted further on the bed so his legs were dangling off the edge and he head was down shielding his eyes from view. Duo watched him silently for a while trying to decide what he should do next. There was no way he was going to leave his friend alone, he just got this feeling that that wasn't what Heero wanted. The Japanese man's free hand rose to massage at the bridge of his nose, and he ducked his head a little lower.

"Your head?" he asked even though it was obvious. To have found out these headaches weren't life threatening eased Duo's mind a little, still he would have preferred Heero had seen to them. Heero mutely nodded his head, and Duo reached for the light controls, shutting them off completely so only the monitors cast their meagre glow about the room. He found himself resting against a desk almost across the room from Heero, wanting to give his friend some space.

The words that came out of the darkness shocked Duo, "Does anything scare you?" but the voice was unmistakably Heero's, tired and warn thin. Completely stunned for several moments Duo tried to speak, not wanting to break this moment. He knew Heero had been struggling with something deep since the torture with Luc, they had all known it. And after the call Wufei had received from Jay it became plain that they really couldn't ignore it any longer. But still the matter of approaching Heero on the subject was far from easy.

"Sure," he said tone light not trying to brush the matter aside or belittle it, just keep things relaxed. "I'm scared of loosing my family, down right terrified of my children ever having to defend this peace..." he trailed off slowly, watching Heero intently. Something in Heero's silence, told Duo that wasn't what his friend had been searching for.

And it all suddenly clicked for him, the past year, all that had happened to Heero, all that he had suffered through. They all knew the torture had affected Heero, but Duo didn't think he had fully understood it until now. The reaction he had witnessed when Heero had awoke only confirmed what he had heard from Wufei. Apparently Heero had a similar sort of reaction while staying with Jay. Or at least something like that had to have happened for Jay to have ever found out about the torture.

It hadn't really occurred to Duo that anything could have affected his friend so deeply. The matter had been discussed a few times among the pilots. But Duo didn't think any of them really wanted to admit that any of them could be touched. However Duo could no longer deny it either to them or himself, he too had been cut deeply in the past, though he'd never have compared it to Heero's.

"To be completely honest with you, I haven't been really comfortable in space, since the day OZ shut off the oxygen to the cell Wufei and I were being held in." That had been several years ago, but Duo had woke shaking on more than one occasion, thankfully always alone. Like Heero this wasn't something he wanted commonly known.

There was silence still but Duo saw Heero shift, and he waited not sure if he should actually be expecting anything from his friend but he was certainly hoping for something. "How...did you deal?" he asked finally his voice hardly more than a harsh whisper.

Duo folded his arms across his chest slowly shaking his head, "I'm still dealing," he admitted again finding it surprisingly easy to open up to Heero about this, something only his wife knew. "I don't like waking in pitch black rooms, I don't go so far as a nightlight, but it just reminds me too much of the void of space..."

Heero's head dropped between his shoulders completely hiding his features within the shadows.

"I know it's not easy to ask for help, hell I tried to bury the feelings with alcohol, but you already know that doesn't really do much but let you forget for a short period of time." he sighed at a loss for words, he'd never expected to find himself in this position with Heero. But he was determined to help him he just didn?t know how, none of them really did.

?Who could help?? it was a honest question, and perhaps one Heero didn?t truly want an answer to.

?I know if doesn?t do much to suggest profession help right now, no one would be able to get around the fact that you?ve been dead this last year to offer you real help.? Duo began trying without great success to lighten his voice again. ?Not sure you?d even really want to go for it if you could get it, I never really did. Spent a lot of long hours talking to Hilde though.?

?She understood??

?Not really, but she listened, and tried to comfort, that did help,? he smiled at the memory, not reliving the moments of the fear, but of talking to Hilde and feeling as though he had nothing to be ashamed of.

Heero drew in a breath, ?I can?t??

Duo could understand the reaction, near suffocation was truly a far cry from torture, and Relena wasn?t even aware of what had happened. There had been no occasion to tell her, and it had just been better off that way. ?You know you can always talk to me, I?m no professional, but I know you better than they ever will.?

He felt Heero?s eyes watching him from the darkness, and wasn?t sure if there was appreciation in those cobalt eyes, he hoped so. But wasn?t himself ready to push Heero into this, he knew how that felt. ?We?re all here,? he added feeling a little silly for it, no doubt Heero would have known that, but he wanted his friend to be sure.

Offering Heero a few moments of silence to think it over Duo shifted where he had been leaning and watched his friend as he moved closer to the door. Where Kahlan no doubt was waiting very impatiently. ?Are you up to having Kahlan look at you?? he asked knowing Kahlan wouldn?t wait forever.

?Whatever?? Heero returned pulling a hand through his unruly hair.
?He?s all yours,? Duo greeted the anxious medic, as he lighted the room a little more so Kahlan could complete his exam.

Thanks for reading!

Burned:

The roar in Trowa?s ears was deafening as he unwillingly rose out of the blackness he had fallen into. Unable to think clearly, Trowa had no idea how long he had been out, but he was really beginning to wish he hadn?t come back. His head pounded and that wasn?t the only part of him that ached, though at the moment his mind was far to clouded to make any sense of it. He couldn?t even clearly remember what had brought him here, what he had been doing before the blackness.

Opening his eyes Trowa winced biting back a groan as his blurred vision cleared only so far as double. He tried to move to look around himself, instincts kicking in telling him he wasn?t safe wherever it was that he was laying. Pulling his arms under himself Trowa pushed himself up through the pain so he was resting on his hands and knees, still trying to get his vision to clear.

?..Owa!? a voice shouted in the distance, Trowa barely heard it over the pounding in his ears. ?Trowa!? the name was clearer this time as was the voice shouting to him.

~Tony?~ why was he shouting? Trowa reached for his right ear feeling for the ear piece that should have been there, but all he found was a torn bit of wire. Sitting back heavily Trowa tossed the useless bit of wire away and tiredly fell back against the tree he realised he had been lying under. Pain seared his back and he sat forward suddenly, frustrated that he could make sense of the situation.

?Trowa!? the voice was no longer a shout but an exclamation of relief, as Tony came rushing over to him. The former pilot shut his eyes tight in the hopes that that could possibly clear them, ?Get me a medic over here now!? Tony?s voice demanded and he could feel a hand lightly on his shoulder, ?Trowa, look at me.?

Opening his eyes again Trowa finally only saw one of everything around him, it was a small relief. ?What happened?? he asked the words sounding slurred although he was sure he had spoken normally.

?The building exploded,? Tony informed watching Trowa very closely, his expression worried, ?Bastards did it with everyone still inside. You were right about the reinforcements. All the windows blew out, but there doesn?t appear to be much structural damage.?

Trowa couldn?t seem to make total sense of what he was hearing and it frustrated him, he moved to push himself up wanting to get on his feet, but Tony?s hands stopped him. ?Just wait, you?re burned and bleeding, you need to have a medic look at you.? Trowa looked down at himself really for the first time, his arms were cut and bleeding, he couldn?t see where on himself he was burned but vaguely remembered the pain when he had leaned against the tree.

Closing his eyes Trowa drew in a breath, hearing some commotion rise up around him. His head continued to pound but he was feeling a little more alert, although he didn?t want these people around him at the moment. ?Trowa can you open your eyes for me?? a new voice asked, and he could feel the man kneeling beside him.

Reluctantly he complied knowing the sooner he dealt with them the sooner he?d be alone again, and for some reason he wanted that more than anything. Upon opening his eyes a hand reached out to take hold of the side of his head and thumb his eyelid back further. Before he could react a bright light was flashed across his eye, and he struggled to get away from it, pushing the man away from him.

?Trowa!? Tony sounded surprised as he lightly restrained the former pilot?s hand.

Morganeth Taren?drel

[Morrighan]

Whoo, first review!! (hopefully on FF.N too) XD

It's definitely the beginning of the end for the Inner Circle. Pity that the safehouse blew up. I'd love to see some of those people properly prosecuted in a court of law.

Can't wait to see more!!

[Morganeth]

you were first on both counts ^_^ Thanks so much!

And you will get to see some of the Inner Circle face justice it's all part of the story ^_~

Thanks again!

[lildragonfly]

it was another great chapter. and it was long!

can't wait to see what kind of justice the Inner Circle will have to face.

looking forward for the next chapter!

[matisleonhart]

This fic is like sweet wine, I just get better and better.

[Morganeth]

Thank you both!! I have another chapter, hopefully in a couple of days I can have it up for you. It's going to be a while before you see the Inner Circle receive their justice but it is coming ^_^ neekabe and I have been discussing if for so long there's no way I can not put it in now. It will be good times!!

Thanks again!

[epyon]

they're still alive aren't they? thats why they modified the building so they could blow it up and have the room they're in be ok!

keep them coming!!!!!

[Morganeth]

interesting idea, hadn't actually considered that ^_^ so I'd have to say they're all dead. but here's another chapter for you!