Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Everbody Breaks ❯ The Bite of Betrayal ( Chapter 21 )

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

His personal life is going well (*GRINS* REALLY well!) but with the investigation things start to click and Wufei doesn't like where they're going.

Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Drama | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 06.28.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.1K | Visits: 853 | Status: Work In Progress

Everybody Breaks Part Thirteen: The Bite of Betrayal

By Kai

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Gundam Wing - and trust me - the boys are VERY thankful for that fact.

Ratings: NC-17 (sexual content and language)

Warnings: Yaoi, 1x2x5x3x4

Special Thanks To Z for taking on the horrible and terrifying job of betaing for me. To think she was actually HAPPY to have the job.

Summary: His personal life is going well (*GRINS* REALLY well!) but with the investigation things start to click and Wufei doesn't like where they're going.

The Bite of Betrayal

By Kai

I sat tensely in the car as Duo drove towards the Conference Building. I'd turned the radio to a news station the moment we'd gotten in the car. So far there had been nothing about Preventers or the Board and if it stayed that way there would likely be nothing to worry about, except that I'd over-reacted.

Unfortunately, it didn't stay that way. We were only a few minutes away when the weather report was interrupted by a Breaking News Broadcast. My chest felt tight as everything I'd been fearing became a reality.

"This Dara Lynn reporting for OBC News. We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you Breaking News. A little over an hour ago in the Government Conference Building where the Preventers Board was holding a meeting regarding a recent bombing at the Preventers Headquarters that resulted in the deaths of two people and severely injured five others, Preventer Board were taken hostage. Among the Board Members being held hostage are the CEO of WEI, Quatre Winner, and former Princess of Sanq and Queen of the World, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Relena Darlian. Preventers Agents have already surrounded the building but have had no communication from those responsible for this situation. According to officials, Acting Commander Chang Wufei has been running Preventers since Commander Une was severely injured in the attack on their Headquarters about four days ago and he has yet to arrive at the scene. Sources indicate that he was the one that deduced the danger to the Board minutes before those responsible sent out recordings to Earthian and Colonial news and media stations. The following is a message from a group calling themselves the Liberation Front." The female voice cut out, replaced by a male's voice that was extremely familiar, but my mind couldn't quite place it.

"The Liberation Front is responsible for the bombing on Preventers and the capture of the Preventers' Board Members. If the Preventers wish the return of the Members safely, we will exchange ten hostages for the Acting Commander of Preventers.

You may or may not understand yet, why such measures are necessary. If you don't, it is only because you have been blinded by your ill-placed trust; that is not your fault but the fault of those who were running Preventers. They led you to believe that they could protect you that they could maintain peace, but in only two simple acts the Liberation Front has proven that they were capable of neither. However, once our Lord has finally joined us, the Liberation Front will do both."

The female reporter's voice came back on, but I wasn't really listening to it. My mind was moving in my head like some sort of caged animal that desperately wanted to get out. Ten hostages in exchange for me. Most of the Board, heck - all of the Board, outside of Quatre and Dorothy, had no fighting experience at all. So they'd be exchanging low-risk hostages for a high-risk one. Why would they do that? It couldn't be to kill me; if they'd wanted me dead, they could have done it a number of easier ways. The only thing that seemed to make me a good exchange was the power of my position in Preventers, and I could easily relinquish that to Eric before I went in... What good would I be to them? But perhaps it was another way to make Preventers look bad or foolish. If I refused and one or more of the Board Members died, I'd look incompetent as well as uncaring and through association so would the rest of Preventers. If I went in and one of the two remaining Board Members or their bodyguards were injured or killed or I wound up dead, I would look like a fool. In the end though, even if I had no idea what they wanted me for, it was my duty to make the exchange. Not just for the innocent people involved, but for Quatre.

Even if Quatre was one of the two they kept, it would be beneficial to both of us because we'd worked together enough in the past that we knew what the other would do. We knew what the other would be able to handle and we knew each other's limits.

Duo reached over and shut the radio off, glaring at me angrily as he did. The glare only lasted a few moments because he had to put his eyes back to the road, but it was enough to know he was really angry. But not at me, at the situation. Somehow I was certain of that. "I don't like that look Fei."

I just sighed, shrugged and leaned back in my seat. "I don't really have a choice Duo and you know it'll go smoother if there are two of us inside."

From behind me I heard Heero clear his throat. "It isn't the most conducive move he could make. Politically, you aren't as important as all of the Board Members, even if you remove Dorothy, Relena, and Quatre. If L5 and your Clan had survived you would be. The Dragon Clan was politically and financially tied to every government in the colonies and on Earth in some way, something they likely did on purpose. A great deal of those governments and members of some very powerful families as well, still owe your Clan a great deal of favors - both officially and unofficially. Favors those people and governments wouldn't mind keeping to themselves as long as you chose to do the same; effectively ensuing that few people would be aware of how truly valuable you could be to them. That's also providing they didn't know you well enough - meaning, your reputation - because anyone who knows of that would automatically know that you wouldn't be one to co-operate with people like that. Of course, if they knew about your relationship with Quatre, they might think that they could use him against you... Still, considering it's been a year since the last war and that no one even attempted to try to take you after L5 was destroyed - to use you and the political strength you would have had back then - to gain some leverage for their causes during the war, it seems unlikely that they'd found out in the last couple of days. You were shot at only a few days ago; they didn't try to kidnap you or take you alive. True, the incidents could be unrelated but since nothing else has occurred yet to suggest it, the possibility that they're separate is unlikely. Sir."

Duo frowned as he wove around cars on the street. "So that eliminates the only really good reason for them wanting him. Of course the guy on the recording only said that they wanted to have the Acting Commander. So it might not be about Wufei at all, it could just be about the Preventers. If it is, it could very well be just another way to discredit the Preventers in an attempt to increase the people's lack of faith in the one Organization set up to make them feel safe and confident in the peace and the security that's supposed to go with that. The thing that got me, though, was the part about their Lord finally joining them. I mean, what the heck is that supposed to mean exactly?"

Trowa's quiet voice filled the sudden silence, and I turned so I could look behind Duo's seat and watch him as he spoke. "Perhaps he's going to go to the Conference Building or it could mean that he'll soon identify himself to the Earth and Colonies. What is obvious is that it implies that the leader of the Liberation Front, or at least the figurehead, is not with the group that has Relena, Dorothy, and Quatre. If that is the case and we find him..."

Duo smiled darkly. "We get leverage."

Seeing the Building only a few blocks away, I shrugged, "In order to do that though, we need information - something to lead us to him. And the only place to get that information is inside the Conference Building."

Out of the corner of my eye I could see that both Trowa and Duo looked grim but resigned. They didn't like it, but they both had come to the same conclusion that I had. And though I couldn't see Heero I had a feeling that he had as well.

Taking a slight breath to steel my resolve I continued. "I'm going to make Eric the Acting Commander until this situation has passed. When I do, though, I'll make sure that he knows to support any and all of the decisions or actions you choose to take. I know better than most, just how good Preventers Agents are, but even though they're skilled, they're not you. They might have a chance at pulling this off without unnecessary bloodshed, but neither Quatre nor I would know what to expect from them. I have no doubts that the three of you can do this without it becoming a slaughter. I can trust the three of you to do what's necessary - no matter what it might be. Just remember that they have to be alive at the end of this; note that I didn't say unharmed."

Duo chuckled in a dark and dangerous way as he stopped the car just outside the police barricade. "Oh, it's noted. It's definitely noted."

***********************

It took Eric's help, but in the end we managed to get both the Maganacs and the Imperial Guard past the barricade. No one in Preventers had ever worked with the other pilots before but the Maganacs had. I didn't imagine the Imperial Guard would be much help in the situation, but I wanted all of them to be where the Maganacs were and I needed the Maganacs with the others.

Things were going as well as could be expected. The Liberation Front had the building sealed off, the doors and emergency routes were heavily guarded, but Eric had people investigating alternate routes inside. He had sharpshooters positioned in the various large buildings around the Conference Building, and he had Agent Sebastian working on trying to gain access to the building's security and computer systems without anyone inside noticing. He seemed fairly content with the direction things were progressing until I told him what I planned to do.

They had managed to establish contact with the Liberation Front and there was a negotiator working on trying to get the hostages released, but the demands were always the same. They wanted me and they wanted to be left along until they got me.

Eric was far from happy about that, mainly because he didn't know what was going on inside or why they wanted me so badly. He also hated the fact that I made him Acting Commander. To be fair though - he, surprisingly, wasn't the only one who didn't like my decision to go through with the exchange.

The pilots I expected but the general disapproval of all the Agents present, the Maganacs, and the Imperial Guard left me slightly unbalanced.

LinXia had stood quietly at Rashid's elbow as I was explaining to Eric, the other Captains, and Agent Russo what I was going to do. No sooner had I finished did she began to argue, beating everyone else. They all seemed quite happy to let her though, as they nodded in agreement with things she was saying. "Commander, you can't do that! You have no idea of their numbers, weapons, or positions. They could have any number of things planned for you. If you go in there there's no way to guarantee your safety. And none of us even know why they would want you as of yet..."

I turned to look down at her but my words were for everyone present, not just her. "So I should stay safe and let innocent people die. Not out of fear for my own life but because of the fear others have for me? What makes me more important than ten other people?" I waved my hand between us to cut off her protest. I already knew what she would say. "I was once the Heir to the Dragon Clan and I am currently the Acting Commander of Preventers. Both of those positions have taught me is that the people must always come first. That is what being in charge is all about. Your life only has meaning in that position if the people give it meaning. Blood, privilege, skill, and promotion mean nothing without the people. Would you want to work for someone who could so easily discard lives in favor of his own? Because I know that I not only wouldn't; I couldn't."

Her mouth snapped shut audibly but there was no doubting the concern in her eyes, and though I wanted to ignore it - because I wasn't sure how I should feel about it - there was pride there as well. "Then the Imperial Guard and I will add honor to your courage by doing all that we can to help the Preventers and the Maganacs with ground support. We might be young, sir, but we've been trained for this sort of thing since we were born. We won't fail you. I give you my word, on my honor."

The fierce determination in her eyes and words forced me to acknowledge that we shared more in common than I was comfortable with. I nodded to her before turning to Eric, Rashid, Duo, Heero, and Trowa. "You'll find a way to get to us and get us out, I wouldn't trust it to anyone else. Now I'd like to speak with the Negotiator, the sooner we start the sooner we can all go home." I really hoped I was right about that, but my words did nothing to make the knot in my stomach disappear.

***********************************

I waited near the front door; without weapons and wearing a bulletproof jacket - though, if they wanted to kill me, all they would need to do was aim for my head - and watched as the ten Board Members came through the door one at a time and made a mad dash for cover, all except Dorothy, who walked as if daring someone to just try and shoot her. I couldn't help but note that none of the others were Quatre or Relena.

As soon as the last was pulled to safety by Preventers Agents, I held out my arms to my sides and above my head to show I was unarmed and then I calmly walked through the door. As I passed the door jamb someone grabbed my arm and shoulder, pulling me inside as the door shut behind me. It was difficult not to automatically lash out at the unwanted touch, but I managed to restrain myself and keep my body fairly relaxed as I was tugged further into the building away from the covered windows. Slowly my eyes adjusted to the darkness and I wished quickly that they hadn't because, I noticed that the building was literally filled with the enemy, but the enemy wasn't strictly the enemy. I recognized people. And those I couldn't recognize, I knew the all too familiar styles and designs on their look-a-like Preventers Uniforms. I wasn't sure what made me sicker: knowing that a great deal of the Preventers Agents I'd trained were part of the Liberation Front or knowing that a large number of my Clan's survivors had to make up almost half the force that was present in the building.

The man pulled me into the elevator without a word and about five other men joined us before the doors closed. I briefly remembered Eric telling me they'd been unable to cut the power to the building because it had it's own generator. Too bad, if we'd been able to shut off the power we would have been able to gain some form of control over the situation.

We went to the eighth floor and I was escorted down a hallway. We stopped outside the only guarded door in the hallway and one of the men motioned me to go inside the room. The first thing I noticed was that Quatre, Samir, and Baz seemed to be fine. Relena, on the other hand, was so white she looked like she might faint, but her jaw was clenched stubbornly and her eyes were sending off sparks that would have made a forest fire look tame; so I doubted she would faint. The next thing I noticed was Master Xiang, the monk that had married my parents and blessed Nataku.

The moment he saw me he bowed, face grim. "My Lord."

Just behind him, as I automatically bowed to Master Xiang in response to his greeting, was Huang. Last I'd seen him he'd been taken away to a special hospital for the mentally unstable. He'd been very charismatic in his youth and fanatically loyal to my family, with an almost uncomfortable fascination with me, but under that lurked a very disturbed mind. He smiled at me and I barely stopped myself from backing away. "Huang."

"My Lord, I'm honored you could finally join your army!" He bowed low and then turned sharply to glare at Relena. "Bow to your future husband, woman, or must I show you your place."

I looked from Huang to Relena and her panicked and confused eyes bore into mine as my mouth formed a word I never thought it would after Meiran's death. "Wife?"

Huang seemed to forget about Relena for a moment as he beamed at me proudly. "Of course. The line must continue my Lord and with the Princess as your bride, everyone will see what I have always known. That you are meant to lead us."

No sound passed my lips but my screams echoed in my mind none-the-less. This couldn't be happening...