Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Everbody Breaks ❯ Points of View Nine ( Chapter 22 )

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

If you ever wondered what the other pilots felt when everything was happening in Everybody Breaks, now is your chance. Hope you like this.

Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Drama | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 08.20.2006 | Pages: 7 | Words: 13.0K | Visits: 743 | Status: Work In Progress

Points of View : Part Nine
Companion piece to Everybody Breaks written
from the other pilot's POVs.
By Kai

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Gundam Wing - and trust me - the boys are VERY thankful for that fact. I mean, could you imagine owning the G-boys? *GRINS*

Ratings: NC-17 (sexual content, bondage, yaoi, and language.)

Warnings: Yaoi, 1x2x5x3x4 and variations thereof.

SPECIAL THANKS TO (drum roll please).... Z, for being my awesome and wonderfully talented beta-reader!!!

Summary: If you ever wondered what the other pilots felt when everything was happening in Everybody Breaks, now is your chance. Hope you like this.

Points of View: Part Nine
By Kai

Heero's POV

Even before Wufei had entered the building, I had opened my laptop enabling me to setup a vid-channel with Agent Sebastian and his team to check on how far they had gotten in gaining control of the security and computer systems. They'd made quite a bit of progress - impressive really - but not as much as I would have. He simply didn't have my experience or the programs I had created and installed on my customized laptop.

Ten minutes later, with Rashid and LinXia watching over my shoulder, I had video of the entire building and control over the security and while I received a jolt to my system at what I saw, LinXia actually gasp out loud in unfeigned horror.

"This cannot be..."

But it was. All of the men and women inside were wearing uniforms that were a mix of the traditional outfits the Imperial Guards were wearing and the Preventers' uniform which seemed to indicate that those inside were from the Dragon Clan, the Preventers, or even both.

"Hmmmmm. So I guess you don't need me to tell you about the strange uniforms." A quick glance over my shoulder showed me that Eric, Trowa and Duo had arrived with Dorothy in tow. She smirked at me in what I knew now, from experience with the other ex-pilots, was supposed to be a seductive manner but it had no effect on me except to put me on edge. "Check the cameras on the eighth floor, specifically room 87."

I punched it into the computer and saw that only five people were being guarded and two others - one being Wufei - looked unhappy about being there and fortunately there were no guns targeting him or the older man who appeared to be a monk. I noticed the strangeness of the situation right away. "The bodyguards."

"All of them, except Quatre's two men and Mr. Kioke's guard, were part of the Liberation Front. There are also four Board Members you should detain. Mr. Clarkson and Mrs. Santini may be part of the Liberation Front from what I've under covered during my personal investigation into the matter, and Mr. Fotinos and Ms. Park have some disturbing interests even by my standards; jail will be far too good for them in my opinion." She tilted her head to the side, peering closely at the screen. "You can't really see the man in charge, but he told us that his name is Lee Huang."

"By Nataku, no! We have to get Lord Wufei away from him..."

I spun around to look at her as something finally clicked in my head with the title she'd used, and I wasn't the only one who made the sudden connection. Duo, Trowa, Rashid, Eric and Dorothy were watching her with expressions of disbelief and horror on their faces. "The Lord they were waiting for, the one they expect to lead them... it was Wufei." Not for a moment did I think Wufei was involved, neither did the others, but others might... others would.

LinXia shook her dark head, causing her pony-tail to bounce. "It's worse than that. Lord Wufei wouldn't want to be the leader of a rebellion and this doesn't look good for him but that's not the main concern right now."

Duo's voice was soft, the only time he used this volume was when he was truly angry. Though the anger was directed at himself. "And what is the main concern right now?"

She met Duo's gaze dead on and didn't look away; impressive. "Huang. He's clinically insane and he's obsessed with Wufei. It was the main reason he was sent to a mental institution off-colony. The Elders wanted to have as much space between him and our Lord as possible. The Elders believed that he was the person who was truly behind the attack that Lady Meiran lost her life in."

I glance at her sharply from where I'd been scanning security cameras, trying to gage the size of the forces inside the building. "Why would they think that?"

LinXia straightened her back and squared her shoulders, going from a fairly typical girl to a profession bodyguard in seconds. "Huang didn't believe Lady Meiran was worthy of Wufei or of being the future mother to the leaders of our Clan. He especially disliked the fact that she broke tradition in insisting to fight and ignoring her wifely duties. In the end, the Elders were somewhat thankfully that the relationship between her and Lord Wufei was never consummated because Huangs' infatuation was so intense, that if it had been... well they weren't certain what Huang may have done; not to the Lady, but to Wufei."

My heart froze as I looked at Trowa and Duo. "Does he know about our relationship with Wufei?" Even as I asked the question, I wondered if LinXia would understand what the real meaning of it was. After all, she hadn't been around the five of us for long and couldn't have seen anything that would have been described as more than friendship, but she was more observant than I gave her credit for.

"You mean, about the five of you being lovers." Dorothy snorted in an unladylike fashion while Eric did his best not to look at any of us and Rashid... well he just seemed to beam at all of us happily, like it was his idea for us to get together. "I would say that he didn't. Such things don't matter to the Imperial Guard because we're sworn to protect the bloodline but more importantly - the descendants of the main line. Huang doesn't think like that; he... he thinks of Lord Wufei as if he were a true God - untouched by human desires. As long as Wufei appears uncaring and dutiful, there is little Huang won't do for him but the last time Wufei showed emotion around him... Huang was very cruel."

Trowa's voice was calm but his eyes were not. "What did he do?"

Her eyes drifted back to the computer screen. "Lord Wufei had rescued a kitten before he was married to Meiran. The Elders allowed him to keep it, but Huang was against it. He saw Lord Wufei smiling and laughing with it and he believed that it was making Wufei weak. So, Huang, took it one night, when Wufei was asleep and tore it apart with his bare hands. He then painted the bed and the room with the mangled corpse... but no one was ever able to prove that he was the one who did it. If he knew or found out about the relationship Wufei has with the four of you, when he has Quatre in his possession..."

She didn't need to fill in what could happen; we already had a pretty good idea. Focusing on the task at hand, I started to collect more information. "What about the men Huang has with him?"

She shrugged slightly, still looking at the screen. "Huang wasn't their reason for joining the Liberation Front. Those men and women are doing this because they believe in Lord Wufei and they believe this is what he wants. I'm fairly certain that the members of the Dragon Clan that are in there right now are in there because they believe that Lord Wufei is going to use this opportunity to rebuild both our Clan and our colony. They are there because they are loyal - not to Huang or his cause, but to Wufei."

Eric cleared his throat, and rubbed the back of his neck slightly, "A lot of those faces are Preventer Agents, and I'd have to say that they're there for the same reason. Wufei has saved some of their lives more than once... and, though the boy doesn't realize it, people trust him to lead. It's what he was born to do for all that he fights it. Heck, I naturally look to him for confirmation on some things before I do them and I've got to be nearly three times his age."

Duo scratched his nose as he looked at the building. "Question is, does Wufei realize it yet? If he does, he can turn this around quickly and relatively easily just by taking control and explaining what's happened. After all, if these people were willing to do what they've done for him already, based only on hear say and second hand information, what are they willing to do if it comes from the real thing?"

"In order to give him the chance, Master Duo, he has to be given the opportunity to talk to them without Huang present to interfere. And then, when the time comes, he will actually have to grasp that position of power and hold it. Only, once he does, there will be no turning back. He'll have to become exactly what he's been running from." Rashid looked grim as he said it, and I felt slightly sick at the idea of watching Wufei give us up to do what he believed he had to do.

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Duo's POV

I refused to think about it until I had to. First we had to get Quatre and Wufei their opportunity, and I had a plan just to do that. One that the others might not like, but one that would work so long as we could figure out if Huang had a bomb made from Nextrix somewhere, and if there was then we just had to make sure Huang didn't have a detonation switch on him. It was all depending upon LinXia and Eric's assessments of the members of the Liberation Front, but having known Wufei as long as I had, I didn't think they were wrong. So, if we managed that we could get Wufei and Quatre out of the situation and worry about the consequences later. Though, if Wufei or anyone else thought that I was letting him go, they were going to have a real fight on their hands.

But, first things first, we had to beat the psychotic bad guy before I could indulge in my possessive streak.

"Alright. I have an idea." I knew that my Shinigami-personae was peeking through when everyone but Heero and Trowa suddenly began to eye me cautiously - like a wild animal. Rashid was not quite as bad; just weary. And Dorothy's expression seemed positively gleeful; probably because she was just as blood thirsty as I was when I went into Shinigami mode.

Trowa eyed me a moment, before nodding in understanding and agreement. "Your plan is going to be both unconventional and unexpected. I believe that it may be exactly what we must do."

Eric looked back and forth between us, looking skeptical. "You don't even know the plan yet, how can you suspect that it will be anything that will work?"

My earlier belief in LinXia's potential was proven right when she spoke up. "Because like most of the Dragon Clan, Hunag believes in logic. He wouldn't expect something... rash or unconventional." She gave me a measuring look before nodding almost respectfully. "Lord Wufei's orders were to aid the Maganacs and follow what Lord Rashid commanded, but he didn't say we were to remain idle and stay out of trouble. If Lord Rashid has no objections, the Imperial Guard will help you in any way we can."

I grinned at her and slipped my hands into my pockets. "I might just take you up on that Xia-girl."

"LinXia."

"Sure thing, Xia-girl." I winked at her quickly before turning to Trowa. "You ready to do a little free climbing?"

It took all of two seconds for him and Heero to get what I was talking about, though everyone else still looked clueless. Heero gave me a curt nod. "You want me on coms and intel."

It wasn't a question but I let my grin soften a little as I spoke. "Nobody else I'd rather have on it."

"And us, Master Duo?"

My grin came back full force. "Do what you do best - liven things up a bit and keep everyone's attention on you guys. Eric, we'll need the Preventers to keep the media as far back as we can get them, and they need to be kept to the front of the building. Give them something to focus on, as well. They're just as important to distract as the Liberation Front is and since the Imperial Guard is so obviously the Imperial Guard in their lovely and unique outfits, I want them 'seen'. More to the point, I want them to be 'seen' helping us. When the members of the Liberation Front that are also part of the Dragon Clan notice - and they will notice - they're going to be confused and that confusion will definitely lead to doubt. Doubt for them will only help, Fei."

Eric and LinXia gave me startled looks while Dorothy outright smirked, her eyes flashing with evil deeds to come. Rashid wasn't much better than Dorothy - a sure sign he'd been spending too much quality time with Boardroom Quatre.

Rocking on my heels, I tilted my head to the side as they collected their various thoughts. "So... everyone knows what they need to do right?"

Eric was a smart man. Being a smart man, he didn't bother to ask me what my plan was, just turned and walked away - tossing a quick parting comment over his shoulder as he did. "Don't worry about us, we'll do our part."

Rashid nodded curtly before dragging LinXia after him as he followed Eric. I was a bit startled when Dorothy leaned against the door of the police van Heero was using as his base, looking entirely too comfortable. She looked as if she wasn't planning on moving for quite some time. The look she gave me was enough to convince me that, short of a squadron of mobile dolls armed with buster beam rifles, she wasn't going to be moving anytime in the near future. I was about to say something that would, hopefully, er, motivate her to do otherwise - likely in anger or spite - when Heero took the problem out of my hands.

"She can stay."

I blinked at him in surprise, but I didn't question him on it further. If he could, he would tell me about his reasoning later. "Right! Tro, you ready to go?"

"Yes." He had also given Heero a slightly puzzled look, but let the decision slide without question.

I finally let Shinigami fully slide to the surface and gave Trowa a manic grin in response. However, that disappeared as Imad, one of the Maganacs, came running up with a portable vid and very wide eyes. It took me a few minutes to interpret his panting comments and when I did my blood pressure went through the roof. "WHAT?!"

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Trowa's POV

The second I heard Duo's disbelieving shout I moved over to look at the vid that Imad was holding. On the tiny screen, I could see, not just Wufei; but Relena as well, dressed up in what seemed to be traditional Dragon Clan-styled wedding outfits. In front of them stood a monk and the area was filled with Liberation Front soldiers.

"I was going to tell you about that, but I didn't think they'd begin it this soon. Of course, I also hadn't realized that their 'Lord' was Chang Wufei until only a few moments ago."

Without glancing behind me, I knew that Dorothy had come up behind us so that she could see the vid more clearly. "You knew about this?" My voice was a great deal harsher than it needed to be.

"Yes, Mr. Trowa, I did. It seemed that Mr. Huang gotn the notion into his head that a marriage between the Royal House of Sanq and the Hereditary Clan Leaders of the Dragon Clan would lead to a great deal of benefits for both the Liberation Front and his plans for it. And having dealt with numerous fanatics concerning re-establishing the Kingdom of Sanq and Relena as Princess or worse - Queen of the World - again, I cannot say he is wrong in his assumptions. Though, I daresay, that I hadn't expected Relena to go along with it in such a docile manner - pacifists she may be, but her tongue is a sharper and far more dangerous weapon than any other I've come across. The same goes for Wufei. I do not know him well, but what I do know of him... well, it simply does not fit this meek performance we're bearing witness to, does it?"

"Unless he has a plan of his own." A quick glance at Duo and I didn't doubt that he really did believe that Wufei was up to something. And there was a familiar tightening around Wufei's eyes that convinced me that Duo's assessment was right; the question was, what did he have planned.

The ceremony, though official and traditional, was fairly short but it wasn't the fact that Relena and Wufei were legally married that was so important -but it was the speech that he made just after the ceremony was finished that was important… the speech where Wufei publicly denied Huang had been acting on his wishes. The one where he said he would rebuild L5 and his Clan but would do so without the Liberation Front. He gave the members of the organization a choice though. Once those responsible for the bomb at Preventers were punished and the rest of the Nextrix was turned over, anyone left - who wished to rebuild - could join him and he would lead them.

He'd turned Huang's plan against him and managed to have everyone, both outside and inside the building, hear the truth as Huang had broadcasted the live footage to everyone; the world and the colonies as well as to those inside the building. That's what Huang's speech before the wedding had stated. Wufei had married Relena for that opportunity, more so, he'd accepted the one thing he hadn't wanted to accept; he'd agreed to lead his people but he'd done something…something I personally hadn't expected. He'd agreed to lead them only so long as they followed his rules. It hadn't been in his words, but it had been in his tone of voice and his body language.

I looked over at Duo, Dorothy and Heero - who had joined us just before Wufei's speech. "He's put doubt into the members on his own."

Duo nodded as he stared at the screen that had lost the live feed seconds after Wufei finished his speech, and currently had harried-looking anchors trying to buy time while others gathered information on what had just happened. "That he did, but it'll take a little while before things start to happen and the best way to ensure that they do is to continue with the plan. Especially considering what LinXia told us about Huang. If Wufei handles this well, he won't be in any danger, but if Huang thinks Wufei is less than what he was or less than he should be... well, Wufei just took a pretty big risk doing what he did and the end results could be extremely bad."

I nodded but pushed the turmoil I was feeling as far down as I could, Wufei and Quatre needed us. Once we were all together and safe, then I would be able to let loose the bundle of emotions squirming in my stomach. "Let's go."

Nodding to Heero; Duo and I left, making a slight detour to an outdoor sports store on our way to start our part of the plan.

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

Heero's POV

I was monitoring Duo and Trowa's progress up the wall of the building when Dorothy cleared her throat. "You haven't said anything about the marriage yet, Mr. Heero."

I didn't bother looking up as I went over the blueprints of the building and the positions of the men and women inside the building again. "They can get a divorce later."

"Can they?"

I spared a moment to glance up at her and I could see the uncertainty in her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Relena is the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs. Her political career is her life. If she gets a divorce - even given the circumstances that led to this marriage - it could irreparably damage her career. Many people consider a marriage a binding and sacred union. If they got a divorce after a year or two then the masses would be mollified because it would appear as if they tried to make it work. A divorce after only a few days, weeks or months... it would be too soon."

"Surely, Wufei and Relena both knew that before they went along with the marriage so calmly. Knowing that, we have to believe that they have a plan."

"Neither of us planned on marriage. It's not a possibility until she retires... and considering the way the media is constantly circling her, like the a shark sensing blood in the water, if they had any idea about the true nature of our relationship they would rip it apart in a frenzy. And you know, as well as I do, that Relena would work herself to death if it weren't for my relationship with her. She knows I need her and that's enough to get her to take care of herself. Our relationship is the one true safe haven that Relena has - if she looses that..."

I shook my head decisively. "She won't. As to the marriage... we'll find out their reasoning when they're safe and sound."

Dorothy's eyes hardened, "And after that I'll have a chance to 'talk' with Relena's so-called body guards, not to mention the head of security."

I'd already planned on that but I wouldn't deny Dorothy the opportunity. So they were all just going to have to deal with a couple of 'talks'. Though, if they survived the first set it would be a miracle. Two would quite likely result in regression to kindergarten mentality. I turned back to the screen to monitor Duo and Trowa's progress and also began plotting the positions of the Liberation Front members. I steadfastly tried to ignore the fact that Wufei had disappeared with Huang into a room that had a broken camera. One that Huang had broken the moment he'd entered the room. Since I was certain he didn't know that we could see him - that meant that, whatever he was doing, he didn't want his men knowing about it. And that made me nervous. A feeling I didn't like at all. It was getting difficult to keep my focus on my work but I did my best to bury my emotions and hang onto my calculating mindset. The others needed me.

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Duo's POV

We'd changed out of our uniforms into some clothes that allowed us to blend a bit into the wall of the building, should anyone glance up, but since most of the people on the ground were at the front of the building and the Maganacs, Imperial Guard and Preventers were offering countless distractions; that shouldn't happen. Sill, the grey and tan colored army fatigues were the closest thing to 'blending' that I could come up with.

As I clung to the wall, six stories up, with Trowa a little below me, I wondered if anyone would have expected us to pull a 'Spiderman', I had a strange urge to go back down and grab some of Heero's spandex attire and die it red and blue before climbing back up the wall... I managed to push it aside fairly easily. Still, it would have been interesting to see Wufei's reaction to that. I might have to try it some time in the future.

Carefully, I found another handhold just as my foot slipped. Heart jumping into my throat. "Shit." Going 'splat' on the concrete would definitely ruin the whole, element-of-surprise-thing, we were going for.

My earpiece came to life. "Duo?"

It was Heero's voice and it sounded a bit strained, almost as strained as my muscles felt. Free-climbing wasn't the wisest thing to do - especially when it was on a surface where you couldn't anchor yourself. "Don't worry Heero, it was nothing. A couple more floors to eight but we're going to go to nine because of what you said about the lessened security on that floor."

Besides, both Trowa and I were going to need a slight breather to ease out the aches and cramps and get our fingers to flex properly again. "No one has noticed either of you yet, but the quicker you can get to your designated position the better."

I almost growled at him but stopped myself. Instead, I gently touched the rope at my waist; the one connecting me to Trowa. It was the only amount of safely we were able to give each other on such short notice, especially since the outdoor sports shop had been lacking in equipment. It was a fight not to look down every few minutes just to make sure Trowa was still hanging onto the wall below me. Sometimes, though they always worked, I hated my plans.

The only warning I had to brace myself on the wall was a slight tug on the rope at my waist and a gasped 'Duo' in my earpiece. Then I was gritting my teeth as I was suddenly supporting both my weight and Trowa's. I felt it through the rope as Trowa swung against the wall hard. He was definitely going to be bruised later. "Tro, status?"

The strain on my waist eased as Trowa regained his holds but I didn't move. "Fine, Duo. Just slipped. I'm secure again, you can keep moving."

That was easy for him to say. My muscles were spasming but it was either up or down and down wasn't an option so I forced my body to move upward. Ten minutes later I was next to the window on the ninth floor. "Heero? Clear?"

"Clear."

Slowly I edged onto the window ledge and pulled a suction cup and a glass cutter from an open bag at my waist. It was simple enough to cut a hole large enough for us to climb through, despite the fact that it was reinforced - mostly due to the fact that it was a thermal cutter, one that I'm made myself - but it was going to be very awkward to hold it and climb in the window at the same time. "Okay Heero. We're about to enter onto the ninth floor. Ready?"

"All clear, I'll be monitoring the feed to the security monitors and computers inside the building."

"Sure thing, love." I carefully pushed the glass into the building. It was difficult to hold it with one hand and climb in the window silently but I managed somehow. I set the glass gently on the carpet near the fall wall, so that it wouldn't get in the way, and then I bent to help Trowa inside. As soon as we'd gotten rid of our extra equipment, stashing it under one of the desks we found in the room, I spoke to Heero. "Ready."

"There is a couple of men in the hall outside the room you're in and they're armed with Preventers' issued guns. I ran them. They're Agents but not field... research."

"Roger." I didn't have to tell Trowa what he'd said, because the coms were linked. Instead, I looked at him and he nodded. We were ready. Neither of us bothered to go for our guns because it had to be silent. Either we sent them into La la land or we'd be doing some up and close knife work. We'd brought enough gags and handcuffs to avoid doing too much of the latter; after all, we had to play by the rules since we were Preventers now; so troublesome, but what could you do, right?

We crept to the door without a sound and Trowa's voice was barely a whisper. "We're at the door."

"I've got you on cameras. The men in the corridor will pass you shortly. Get ready to move on my mark."

The two of us were ready. We'd worked together enough that we could read each other well. Trowa would be the first out and go left, I would go right.

"Mark."

We slipped out of the room and into the hall, just after they had passed us. I wrapped mine in a choke hold from behind at the same time Trowa pinched a nerve in the other one and knocked him out. Trowa was as good as Wufei when it came to pressure points, but I missed the right place about forty percent of the time, so I rarely bothered to use it unless I had to. Besides, choke holds - if done right - were just as quick and affective. Unfortunately, my guard was a head taller than I was so it didn't go as quickly or as easily as I would have liked. An elbow caught me solidly in the ribs and I knew I'd feel it later. Once they were out we confiscated their weapons and coms and Trowa showed off some of his engineering skills by tying the Liberation Front's coms into ours and Heero's system so that they couldn't hear us but we could hear them.

Once the two guards were secure and out of sight, we made our way back to the hallway. "Use the elevator shaft to go down to the eighth floor. The stairs have too much security."

Listening to Heero we made our way to the elevator, knowing Heero would have already bypassed the security on it. Once inside we pulled our climbing gloves back on and slowly made our way down the cables. Even with the gloves my hands burned from the rubbing of the metal cable against the material. It wasn't easy, especially with the way my body was aching from the earlier climb, but we got down to the eighth floor and hung there, waiting.

"Hold."

I nearly stopped breathing at Heero's order. I hated not being able to see what was happening. Heero's next words were a bit of a surprise though. "Quatre still has his phone, I'm going to use the back door I installed and use the vibrations to send him a coded message."

So the two of us hung there - about four floors above the top of the elevator and, if you included the garage levels, about eleven floors above the bottom. Unable to stop myself I twisted so Trowa would be able to read my lips. 'So, how do you like hanging out with me?'

His lips twitched and then he mouthed back, 'It's the high point of my day', and I nearly bit through my lip to keep from laughing out loud. It still surprised me when his humor came out - next to his long, wrap-around-me legs; his humor was his best feature.

"Confirmed. Quatre understands what we're doing. He's already been working on those guarding the six hostages."

I frowned at Heero's message. "Six?"

"Huang took Wufei into a room attached to the conference room about half an hour ago. He disabled the camera in the room. I've had no visual since."

My gut twisted slightly at the news and though I knew how good Wufei was, it wasn't much of a comfort.

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Quatre's POV

I'd attempted to use my phone to send a text message to the other pilots a number of times but the opportunities I found weren't long enough to let me finish them. I was just starting to reach for my phone again, when I felt it begin vibrating against my upper thigh from its position in my coat pocket. Carefully I trapped it between my body and my arm as I flashed the few guards watching me with renewed interest a flirtatious leer. The woman shook her head in disgust but the older man by her side looked me over appreciatively.

Loosening my tie I leaned back in the chair, decoding the series of short and long vibrations as I did, while still looking like an airhead playboy - something I'd been building on since Wufei had arrived. Both Samir and Baz were well acquainted with the personae and knew just the right amount of dismay and duty to show in their eyes. It was convincing enough that quite a few of the Front's members appeared somewhat sympathetic. Something that would hopefully help them forget the little fact that I had been carrying a knife at the start of the whole mess.

As I finished decoding the message my heart quickened, both in fear and in anticipation. Wufei had been gone a long time with Huang and knowing he was in danger was hard but also knowing that Duo and Trowa were as well... it'd be worse for Heero though; he had four people to worry about instead of three. He'd apparently gained access to the security grid and computers, thanks to that, he was able to see me... but not hear me. So, very carefully, I used some slight hand and body signals to reply to his inquiries. Our guards didn't know who I really was outside of the CEO of WEI. There were still seven men and woman guarding us and they were heavily armed. Could I provide a distraction, without sever consequence? Yes. Could I get Wufei and Huang back into the room? Uncertain. Was the wedding as binding as it had appeared to be? Yes. Was my condition satisfactory? Yes. Could I fight? Try to stop me. Had Wufei's speech had any affect on our guards? I almost smirked as I answered that question; yes. They doubted. They doubted their cause and they doubted Huang.

I waited for the phone in my pocket to vibrate the go ahead. Then I did something crazy; I stood up and stretched. Not just any stretch either but a sensuous stretch, something I'd actually learned while watching the big cats at Trowa's circus. It came in handy for getting people to think of sex and to get them to focus on my body. I wore suits so often that I knew just how to move to get the fabric to pull teasingly over my better, ah, assets.

Of course, it didn't have the same effect on everyone but looks of disdain or disgust being focused on me were just as good, in there own way. When I finished my little demonstration, I blinked at the guards with a mix of seduction and ditzyness with just a touch of innocence to ease suspicions. "Do you think it'd be alright if I used the facilities? When I began my day today I'd expected the meeting to have finished by now and didn't turn away the extra glass of wine this morning... my sister, Fatiah, just had a healthy baby boy you know... it is bad luck not to drink to the health of a nephew."

I pretended not to hear Baz say 'true, but five glasses' under his breath. He knew his role well. I saw the disgust and disdain grow but what I was aiming for, lust, was also a result. The slightly older man that I'd been flirting with earlier was definitely thinking of things the two of us could do if he could get me along, things my lowered inhibitions would allow me to agree to. Exactly what I wanted.

I beamed at the room sweetly and cocked my head to the side, causing my blond hair to brush across my forehead and cheek in a bare caress, making sure to keep my body fluid and graceful in every slight movement. "I was going to wait until Mr. Lee came out of his, er, conference with your Lord, but I hardly expected them to take so long. Then again, Mr. Lee didn't look very happy about what Lord Chang had to say about your organization, did he? Oh well, I'm sure everything is fine... and if you don't think it'd be too much trouble for me to be taken to the restrooms without their consent, I would greatly appreciate it."

Worry and doubt crept into their eyes - stronger than before and more than one person looked towards the closed door hesitantly, even as the older man offered to take me. The woman who seemed to be in charge of the group nodded a bit absently and I knew before I was ushered out the door that she would be checking in on them within the next ten minutes. In the hall, we passed four guards patrolling the two hallways on the floor. Conveniently, the elevators, where Duo and Trowa were, were located near the bathrooms and out of sight of the hallways when the guards moved down them during their circuits. Their arrangements weren't all that surprising, since they wouldn't expect anyone to get to the eighth floor before they were warned about it. Their real reason for being there was to keep the hostages from leaving.

The moment the guard had me in the bathroom, I slipped my jacket off and lifted myself to sit on the counter between the sinks - legs spread wide. His smile turned smug and he didn't notice, even for a moment, when Trowa appeared behind him and sent him into unconsciousness.

Reading lips was a skill I was thankful Heero had always insisted on us practicing. It made everything flow so much easier.

Smiling at Trowa and Duo I pointed my chin at the guard. "I think his uniform would fit Trowa well, don't you Duo?"

The only word to describe Duo's baring of teeth masquerading as a smile - was evil. And I felt an answering smile tug at my own lips.

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

Trowa's POV

They had been right. The uniform fit unbelievably well and the best part of it was that it had a hat. I could pull it just low enough that no one would look too closely at my face and if they did, they wouldn't be able to make out too many features because of the shadow cast by the bill.

I would escort Quatre down to the next set of guards and at Heero's signal Duo would take out the pair closest to the elevators while we took out the other at the intersection.

It was going fairly well, until one of the guards that Quatre and I were going to meet at the juncture did something unusual; he took a closer look at me. I barely had time to mutter a quick 'Made. Move now.' into the com before I was sliding past Quatre to smash the end of the gun into the side of the man's head, just as he started to open his mouth. Spinning on my heel, I turned to find that Quatre had thrown one fist into the other guard's stomach and a hard right hook into his jaw. As our eyes met I smiled softly at him before glancing over my shoulder to see that Duo had managed his two, despite the short warning. From what I could tell, his left eye was already beginning to purple from a blow he'd been unable to dodge in time. It was a fairly large surprise that we'd managed to avoid gunfire through that. Somehow I doubted we'd be so lucky with the next part of the plan.

Quickly we tied the four up and dragged them into an empty room. Quatre took their weapons and when he was done putting them on he looked like a cross between an accountant, Rambo and a kid trying on his father's over-sized clothes. I didn't say anything to Quatre, but I did exchange an amused glance with Duo over his head when he wasn't look.

"Wufei's out." Heero's clipped, but relieved words caught everyone's attention. "Huang isn't. I can't tell what he's saying to the people in the room but those with the Liberation Front are looking a bit nervous and uncertain." There was a moment's pause and then disbelief. "They're putting their gun's safeties on and holstering them."

Seconds later we heard Wufei's voice over the Front's com system. "If I might have your attention... This is Lord Chang Wufei. As you may have already realized from my earlier speech; until today, I had no knowledge of or input into the actions of the Liberation Front. However, I believe I understand why each of you has joined the organization. Unfortunately, you were misled and the resulting acts hold consequences that must be accepted. No one is above making mistakes but the true worth of a person isn't measured by their mistakes but in their willingness to admit they were wrong and to make up for their errors. I meant what I said earlier; I will rebuild L5 and lead you if you wish, but justice must be served first. Those responsible for criminal actions must accept the punishments of the Courts. Once their time has been served, they will be welcome on L5 and into the Dragon Clan. Now, if you truly meant for me to be your Lord and lead you from this point until my death, then obey me now. Lay down your weapons and surrender. No harm will come to any of you between this moment and the announcement of the Court's punishments. If you agree to this, gather on the main floor of the building and each squad leader report to me as you make your decision."

Seconds later we heard a strong female voice. "I, Chang Lin Mei, of the Dragon's Elite Squad; hear my Lord's orders and obey."

Quatre's eyes widened a little and he quickly spoke to Heero. "Heero, was that the woman in the Conference room with the hostages and Wufei?"

"Yes. They have set their weapons before Wufei and I believe it is safe to enter as long as you do it slowly and with caution."

Over the Front's coms, other men and women were slowly repeating what Lin Mei had. Slowly, Quatre opened the door, speaking careful words as he did so. "It's just me Lord Chang, and a couple of mutual friends."

"Come in, Quatre."

As we entered the room, I shoved my hat off my head and let it fall to the floor without hesitation - I wanted Wufei to know it was me, right away. The relief and surprise in his eyes was more than enough to make up for the lack of being able to blend into the rest of the guards in the room. All three bodyguards had taken up weapons but were diplomatically not pointing them at anyone in particular. The whole situation was a mess and it was far from over but something about the relaxed way that Wufei was wearing his leadership role, told me that it wasn't as large a mess as I had expected it to be. A quick look at Duo and Quatre showed me that I wasn't imagining it.

Wufei was finally comfortable with who he was; good, bad and unconventional. I couldn't keep from smiling but that was okay, too, because so was Wufei. The Liberation Front members actually seemed relieved at the turn of events... and I couldn't help but think what a beautiful mess it all really was.