Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Chimaera ❯ Chapter 110 ( Chapter 110 )

Please see previous chapters for notes, disclaimers etc.

 

"Chimaera"

 

October. 2003 ShenLong

 

 

 

Chapter 110

 

[Preventer HQ]

 

Heero checked himself over one last time and then turned to face Wufei. "All set?"

 

"I think so," replied Wufei as he felt over his pockets again.

 

Both men were wearing black Preventer combat suits. The suits were made of a material similar to spandex and clung to the wearer's body like a second skin. The suits also contained several pockets strategically placed for carrying various pieces of equipment. Both men had knives strapped to their calves, a pistol and spare clips tucked away and as an extra measure they also carried a second gun, this one was a new gadget produced by the Preventer team; it shot tranquilizer darts. Une had insisted they use them and shoot with the tranquilizers as opposed to the bullets where possible. She wanted these guys alive.

 

The pair also carried another of the latest Preventer gadgets. Being as they would need to scale twelve floors of air-conditioning duct, and some of the sections would be vertical, each agent had a pair of magnetic gloves and magnetic strap-on soles for their boots. The devices were a nifty item, the powerful magnets being sealed inside soft cloth which would enable then to traverse the metallic ducts without a sound. They also had a harness each with a small grappling hook should they need to secure themselves for whatever reason. Une wanted all bases covered. She knew this mission was going to be dangerous and she didn't want to lose either of her best agents through lack of safety equipment or oversight.

 

The pair exited the locker room and headed for the basement of the building where Une was waiting for them. She handed them both a small communications unit, it consisted of a tiny ear piece and a small, flat adhesive disc which was the microphone and attached via the adhesive to the front of the combat suit. The main part of the device was a flat piece of metal, about half the size of a credit card and contained all the tiny circuits and wires that allowed the unit to operate. The entire thing was wireless which was an added bonus.

 

Heero slipped the small ear piece in, pressed the mic to his collar and placed the body of the unit in his pocket. Wufei similarly completed the task and then they ran through a check. All systems were operating.

 

"I will be in contact with you at all times where possible. Keep me informed of your status whenever you can without risk to yourselves. Back up agents are on alert and will be waiting to come in once you have the terrorists disabled. Gentlemen, should the situation take a turn for the worst and one or both of you become compromised, you are on your own. Understand?"

 

Both agents nodded.

 

"Let's get this show on the road then." Une grabbed Heero by the arm as the pair began to walk off towards the vehicle awaiting them. "Yuy?"

 

Heero stopped and looked at the Commander, his blue eyes cold.

 

"I know you don't want to do this mission and I'm sorry I had to call you in for this one. If I had any other choice I would take it."

 

Heero shook himself free from the commander's grasp and fixed her with an icy stare. "I will do this mission and I will do it to the best of my ability. I promised Trowa I would look after his husband for him and I won't break that promise; but... if anything happens to Duo or my child..."

 

Heero didn't have to finish, Une saw the promise in those cold, blue depths. She swallowed and nodded. "I understand."

 

Heero turned and ran across the concrete, vaulted into the jeep and fixed his gaze ahead. Wufei gunned the engine and the jeep left the building. Watching them leave, Une could only hope and pray that this mission would be successful, if it wasn't, she knew exactly what to expect from the former Gundam pilot.

 

And it wouldn't be pretty.

 

* * *

 

[Mansion]

 

Trowa brought the car to a halt outside the front doors of the mansion and raced back inside. He'd contacted Harim whilst getting the car from the garage and the Maguanac was disarming the outer security and heading to open the main gates. Trowa gave the nurse a nod as he arrived back in the lounge room. "How's he doing?"

 

"Blood pressure is a little high; temperature is normal, pulse elevated. Fetal heartbeat regular with no sign of distress at this stage. Could you take his bag, the pillow and blanket and then come back to help me get him in the car?"

 

"Right on it." Trowa grabbed the items and shot out the door again.

 

"Duo? How are you feeling?" asked the nurse as she ran a hand over Duo's forehead.

 

"I've been better," replied Duo. "Cramps have stopped for the moment, which is a relief."

 

"Good. I'm hoping Doctor Po will be able to give you something to halt the contractions once we get to the hospital. Trowa will be back in a moment and then we're going to walk outside to the car. You think you can walk okay?"

 

Duo nodded. "I should be all right. I just hope I don't get another one of those pains."

 

"If you do, you let me know immediately and we will stop."

 

"Okay." Duo tried to distract himself from thoughts of the baby and birth by switching his attention back to the television. There wasn't much happening at all. The live broadcast had been halted for the moment and it was only the anchor news man who was currently occupying the screen.

 

"We apologize for the disruption to the broadcast and hope to have our field reporter back with us very soon..." The newsman went on, recapping the events that had happened thus far but not being able to add anything new. Duo only half listened, his hand was absently rubbing his stomach while the other part of his mind worried about Heero and Quatre.

 

Trowa returned and crouched beside Duo on the couch. "Anything new?" he asked as he inclined his head towards the television.

 

"Nah. Seems they've lost touch with the ground crew."

 

Trowa's slender fingers caressed his cell 'phone again. He'd tried to call Quatre but Heero must have been calling at the same time as he got an engaged signal. The second time he'd tried he'd been greeted by an extremely agitated voice and when he'd asked to speak to Quatre he was promptly told that unless he was calling to confirm that the demands had been met he could go fuck himself. Ignoring the request to perform the almost impossible feat upon his own person, Trowa had asked again to speak with his husband and was told in no uncertain terms that Winner would be the next loser and Trowa a widower if he called again and the call was disconnected.

 

Trowa didn't dare try again.

 

It was up to Heero now. All Trowa could do was wait; and hope that Quatre would stay alive. Meanwhile he had promised Heero he would take care of Duo for him and Trowa wouldn't let his friend down. Only problem was, Trowa wasn't what Duo needed.

 

Duo needed Heero.

 

But Heero was several miles away risking his life to save Trowa's husband and many other noted dignitaries' lives.

 

Some days Trowa wondered why he bothered getting out of bed.

 

"Right. Take it slow and steady now. A little at a time, we don't want you putting any more stress on yourself," said Nurse Brown as she supported Duo's back, helping the pregnant man to move to the edge of the couch.

 

Realizing that the nurse was trying to get Duo mobile, Trowa pulled himself from his thoughts and focused on how best to help. He would have to trust Heero to rescue his husband for him; and trust Quatre's tactical skills to keep him alive.

 

* * *

 

[Outside the Glasshouse.]

 

Jasmine glanced at her watch. It had been twenty minutes since the body had landed on top of their van and Paul had contacted the studio for backup. It was frustrating to say the least. She had the scoop of the month right here in front of her and there wasn't a damn thing she could do. Paul had filmed a little more but the battery pack was beginning to run low on the camera and he didn't want to waste it unnecessarily. Once the replacement van arrived he'd have access to back up power and spare batteries.

 

Nothing more had really happened since the unfortunate plummet to earth of the victim. The police had moved everyone back further, more for their own safety than anything and now people were simply milling about and asking the same questions of each other and the police. No one had anything new to offer though.

 

After half an hour of waiting the replacement van finally arrived.

 

"What took you so long?" asked Jasmine as the van pulled to a stop and the tech got out.

 

"I got here as quick as I could," replied Terry as he marched around to the side of the van and slid the door open.

 

Phil immediately shot inside followed by Paul who hunted up another battery for the flagging camera.

 

"The cops have got this place shut down tighter than a gnat's ass and it was murder trying to get through," continued Terry. "Oh, the boss said good job so far and keep it up."

 

"Thanks. Maybe now we have our equipment functioning again we can do that," replied Jasmine dryly.

 

Terry simply grinned. "What was it like having a stiff almost land on top of you?"

 

Jasmine gave him a withering look. "It wasn't a stiff, it was someone's son, brother, father, uncle..."

 

"Okay, okay," said Terry holding his hands up in the air in surrender. "Geeze, don't get your panties in a twist."

 

"I would appreciate it if you would give this entire situation the seriousness it deserves. Yes, we are here to keep the public informed of what is going on but that doesn't mean we need to be morbid about it. Have a little sensitivity for those whose loved ones happen to be in that building and are being held against their will." With the words said, Jasmine turned her back on the cocky tech and began to converse with Paul.

 

Terry scratched his head. "Since when did she get a sense of morality?" he asked himself under his breath.

 

Jasmine ignored the tech and headed back with Paul as close to the building as they could get. "This is Jasmine Marshall coming to you live once more from the Glasshouse..."

 

* * *

 

[Preventer Jeep]

 

Wufei drove fast through the streets, dodging traffic and trying to get them to the Glasshouse as quickly as possible. He wanted this mission finished almost as quickly as Yuy did. He caught the movement of his partner out the corner of his eye and noted Yuy pressing numbers on his cell 'phone.

 

"Barton? How's Duo?"

 

Wufei tried to keep one ear on the conversation but it wasn't easy to pick up on what was going on with only one side to it. From Yuy's tone and the questions he asked, Wufei gathered that Maxwell was on his way to hospital and in early labor. Chang didn't need a science degree to know that that wasn't good. When his partner cut the call he spoke. "How is Maxwell?"

 

"Trowa didn't tell me much. All he said was they were on their way to Preventer hospital and that Sally had been alerted to the situation. Once they arrive there Sally is going to try and stop the contractions and from what Trowa said there is a good chance she will be able to do that seeing as how he's only in the very early stages."

 

Heero's voice was stilted and Chang knew it was costing the Japanese man dearly to leave his husband in this time of crisis. "Sally will take care of him, she won't let anything happen to him."

 

Heero turned to face the Chinese agent. "I have complete faith in Sally and her abilities, but..."

 

"You will be there, Yuy. I promise you. We will get in, disable the terrorists and have you back at the hospital before Maxwell gives birth."

 

"Don't make promises you know you can't keep."

 

"I have no intention of breaking that promise."

 

Heero took a look at Chang and noted the determined set of his jaw. Chang meant it, of that there was no doubt and Heero felt a little comforted by his friend's obvious commitment to keeping his word. "We'll see," he muttered.

 

The rest of the drive passed in silence, Wufei negotiating the road and Heero running through the building's ventilation system in his mind. It wasn't going to be easy but he'd squeezed through smaller places during the war. For now Heero pushed all thoughts of his husband and their child to the back of his mind and focused entirely on the mission ahead. There wasn't anything he could do about the situation now, he had to play the hand that had been dealt him to the best of his ability. The sooner he and Chang could complete the mission the sooner he would be able to get back to Duo.

 

Both men's com units crackled into life. "Fire and Day, this is Mother Earth. Do you copy?"

 

"This is Day, Mother Earth. We copy."

 

"ETA?"

 

Heero glanced at Wufei who responded. "ETA five minutes, Mother Earth."

 

"Proceed as planned to rear of building. Local law enforcement has been advised to let you straight through."

 

"Roger that."

 

"Confirm once on grounds."

 

"Roger. Will confirm once on foot."

 

"Last contact will be made once you enter the building. Mother Earth will then dispatch F Troop [1] to guard perimeter and await your signal."

 

"Copy that. F Troop will await all clear signal then proceed inside."

 

"Good luck. Heero?"

 

"Can it, Une," Heero growled knowing what the woman was going to say and not wanting to hear it. "Day, out."

 

"Fire, out." Wufei didn't want to get involved in the 'politics' either. He had already formed his own opinions and they weren't what Une wished to hear.

 

"Mother Earth, out."

 

* * *

 

[Inside Duo's Womb.]

 

The little fetus settled itself into a more comfortable position. With the restriction to the available space lately it hadn't been able to move around as much as it wanted to. Now there was a subtle change to its environment and the fetus obeyed the laws of nature and hormones without question. Gradually it had begun to turn in its mother's womb, slowly shifting around until its head pointed downwards. Arms were drawn against the small body while the legs bent at the knees and drew close to the abdomen and chest. The position was quite comfortable even if it didn't allow for much movement of the limbs.

 

The fetus didn't know what was happening or why it had felt the need to adopt this position. Nature dictated that it move in such a manner and it surrendered to the flow of the hormones that guided, nurtured and kept it alive.

 

Soft tremors passed through its watery confinement from time to time, nothing regular though. The strong muscle of the uterus it lay in squeezed a couple of times, pushing the small body down a little only to release it and let it float back up a few seconds later. It didn't hurt the fetus but intrigued it. Somehow the small being sensed there was something on the horizon.

 

A thumb found its way to a tiny mouth and the fetus sucked the digit, gaining comfort from the action.

 

* * *

 

[Duo's Car]

 

"You both okay back there?" Trowa asked as he drove as quickly and safely as possible.

 

"So far, so good," replied Duo from where he was half sitting, half lying in the back of the car. His head, neck and shoulders were supported by the pillow and the blanket was draped over the rest of him. Nurse Brown sat scrunched up on the opposite side, trying to give Duo as much room as possible but staying close should she be needed.

 

"Shouldn't be too much longer now," stated Trowa as he slowed down to make a turn and then accelerated again.

 

Duo let a soft moan escape his lips as a contraction began to make its presence felt.

 

"Contraction, Duo?" asked the nurse as she watched with worried eyes.

 

"Yeah. Tro?"

 

"Yes, Duo?"

 

"Don't hit any bumps for a minute or so, will you?"

 

"I'll try not to," chuckled Trowa.

 

"Thanks."

 

Nurse Brown held onto Duo's hand as the braided man rode out the mild contraction. She couldn't help but worry, these contractions needed to be stopped before they got too established. With Duo's physical makeup, should the contractions continue then the baby would be putting pressure against the small 'cervix' and that wasn't good. Being as Duo's 'cervix' opened up into his lower bowel the force of the baby's head would cause the bowel to rupture. The human body was a pretty amazing thing when you looked at it; and the feats it was able to perform. However, in this case there was no way that the bowel or Duo's rectal section would be able to stretch sufficiently for a baby to pass through.

 

Silently the nurse prayed that the pressure hadn't built up enough yet to cause any internal damage to Duo. Unfortunately they wouldn't know exactly what was going on inside the man until they got to the hospital and could perform an ultrasound scan. The fingers clasping hers began to slacken and Nurse Brown looked up into Duo's worried eyes. "All gone?"

 

Duo nodded. "Yeah. It's eased off again."

 

Nurse Brown tried to give a reassuring smile as she noted the paleness of Duo's skin; the cold, clammy hand in her own and the beads of sweat upon the forehead. "Not far now," she said as she patted his hand. "Doctor Po will soon have you comfortable and the contractions stopped."

 

"What if she can't stop them?" Duo asked in a frightened voice.

 

"She will. Don't you fret," replied the nurse with more conviction than she felt. "We can always do an emergency C-section if we have to."

 

"What about Heero?"

 

The nurse wasn't sure how to answer that question and she thought about it for a moment. "Babies are funny things, Duo. They decide when they want to be born and unfortunately you don't have much say in it. Hopefully Sally will be able to stop the contractions or at the least, slow them down enough and delay the C-section until Heero can get here. I can't promise anything though."

 

Duo sighed and turned his gaze out the window. He knew he was being awkward, knew he should be happy that Sunshine was finally going to be born and he'd be free of the cumbersome belly, the aches, the cravings, the lack of sex... And yet he was scared shitless. "Heero," he whispered softly. "Heero, hurry back to me and stay safe; I need you, Sunshine needs you." He barely managed to hold the sob that wanted to break free; unfortunately a tear escaped and slid down his cheek. Duo knew the nurse had seen it but she passed no comment and Duo was grateful for that.

 

`Boys don't cry.' That was what had always been drummed into him. But he wasn't a boy anymore, he was a man; or was he? Come to think of it, he wasn't sure what he was anymore.

 

* * *

 

[Preventer Hospital]

 

Immediately following Margaret's call, Sally had begun her preparations. The operating room she'd planned on using was checked and prepped. Dr G was informed of the status and he took over organizing Duo's medical records to all be available during the operation. The room Duo would be using during his stay in the hospital was set up, the bed made, a fresh water pitcher brought in and the windows opened to air the room out. Sally had booked the use of the isolation ward, that way Duo would be safe from prying eyes and curious staff. Only those with a special pass card could access the isolation section and Sally had made sure the cards had been issued only to those immediately involved with Duo.

 

Once the theater and ward room were organized, Sally set about the next task; hunting down Une and getting some answers.

 

Sally tried the internal communications system first but was informed that the commander wasn't in her office at that point in time. Undeterred, Sally paged the commander and then sat back to await Une's return call. She didn't have too long to wait.

 

"You paged me, Sally?" Une's voice came over the intercom system.

 

"Yes, I did. Tell me, Commander, are you up to date on the status of Agent Night?"

 

There was a pause for a moment, then Une's voice came over the unit. "I have been informed that he is possibly entering the early stages of labor."

 

"That is correct, Commander. Nurse Brown has contacted me to report that Duo is experiencing mild contractions at this stage and they are currently on their way in to Preventer hospital."

 

Sally's voice was tight and Une knew there was something boiling below the surface of the doctors usually calm nature; she also had a feeling she knew what that was. "I have no doubts that you will be able to look after him," replied Une.

 

"Oh, yes. On the medical side we should be able to ensure his health and that of the baby are well taken care of, but…" Sally took a deep breath. "It isn't his physical health I'm concerned about so much as his emotional state. Une... What the fuck did you think you were doing sending Heero off on an assignment when his partner is going into labor? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Duo needs Heero to be with him for support and Heero needs to be here to help his partner with the birth of their child. Are you that cold hearted you would deny Heero the joy of witnessing his own child being born and Duo the privilege of having his husband present at that miracle?"

 

Une rubbed her temples and sighed. "Sally, I didn't want to send Heero on this assignment, especially as Duo is going into labor but I had no choice. We currently have a hostage situation at the Glasshouse. Five terrorists are holding nine people hostage and demanding the release of former OZ officials currently serving time for war crimes. One of those being held hostage is Quatre Winner. They mean business too, they've already killed two people and God knows how many more are going to become victims if we don't put an end to this now. Chang and Yuy are the best I have and I couldn't send Chang in alone. There's no one else qualified enough to back Chang up, which is why I've had to send Yuy in. I didn't know Duo was going into labor until after the agents had been briefed."

 

"Oh." Sally took a deep breath. "I can see your point. But, Barton is here, why couldn't you send him in with Wufei?"

 

"Barton isn't an agent of Preventer, he's a civilian and despite his skills I cannot simply ask him to perform an agent's task, especially one that could endanger his life as well. There is just too much red tape, Sally, and my hands are tied. Believe me when I say if I could have sent anyone else other than Yuy in I would have done so. Besides, I've already had the riot act read and the death glares sent my way from Agent Day promising a very unpleasant time if anything should happen to Agent Night."

 

"I wouldn't want to be in your shoes then if anything does happen."

 

"Don't remind me," sighed Une.

 

Sally chuckled. "Ever thought of transferring through to the Arctic?"

 

"Resigning would be a more attractive proposition. I think even Yuy draws the line at cold blooded murder of a civilian."

 

"Good luck with the assignment, Une, and thanks for bringing me up to speed."

 

"You take excellent care of Maxwell and the baby. I expect to be celebrating a birth somewhere in the next day or so, not planning my own funeral," replied Une.

 

"I will. Oh, Une?"

 

"Yes?"

 

"If anything happens to Chang, having Heero on the rampage will be the least of your problems. You understand me?"

 

"Loud and clear. Une out."

 

"Po, out."

 

Une let her head sink into her hands for a moment. If she had to choose between a psychotic ex gundam pilot or a demented doctor with sharp pointy things, she'd take the ex pilot any day. After this fiasco was over maybe she should take a vacation...

 

She wondered what the climate was like on Mars at the moment.

 

~ * ~

 

tbc.......

 

[1] F Troop: I suppose there are a few of you out there that would remember this TV show from many years ago but for those that don't, F Troop was the name of a cavalry troop stationed somewhere in the American west and supposedly there to keep the Indian tribes under control. Problem was, half the troop were friends with the Indians and it made for some hilarious episodes.