Part 9

A gentle bump and shudder, as well as the sudden return of gravity, announced the freighter's arrival at L5.

"Now what do we do, Duo?" Treize whispered.

Duo grinned and knelt down beside one of the crates of chickens "Now we hide!"

A sick feeling settled in the pit of Treize's stomach as Duo released the latch and levered open the lid of the crate. "What do you mean, 'hide'?"

Duo's grin widened even further and gestured towards the open crate. "Hurry up, Treize. We don't have much time. Get in!" With much trepidation, Treize moved over beside Duo and peeked inside the crate. Chickens, arranged neatly in rows, slept soundly and peacefully inside the box. "They sedate them for the trip. They'll easily stay asleep until we get a chance to make a break for it." Even as he was speaking, Duo was carefully lifting chickens out of the box and setting them aside, each looking like nothing so much as a large white ball of feathers.

Try as he might, Treize couldn't come up with a good enough reason why he definitely could *not* get inside that box, so when a large enough space for his frame had been cleared, he gave Duo a long-suffering look and climbed inside. As Duo began to replace the chickens on top of him, still grinning widely, Treize gave him his best glare.

"When this is all over, Duo..."

"Yes, General?" Duo asked brightly.

Treize sighed again. "Be assured, I'll spend the entire time in this coffin thinking of something sufficiently dastardly."

"You do that, see you later! Don't do anything until I come for you." Duo replied, then the lid shut with a thud, closing off all light but that which feebly struggled through the holes in the sides. Treize closed his eyes and waited.

A few minutes later, a screech of metal on metal and loud clanging sound heralded what Treize assumed was the opening of the great doors of the cargo hold. Sounds of motors and further clanging ensued for what felt like forever.

Suddenly, the motor sound grew close and the box containing Treize and about thirty chickens was suddenly hoisted into the air. After a few seconds of jostling and shifting, they were set down again, and more boxes were piled around until only the holes at the top of the crate were still open. Still, Treize waited, praying that Duo hadn't somehow ended up in a different truck.

The thrumming of the truck's engine and further gentle rocking told Treize that the truck was heading away from the dock and, presumably, towards a farm somewhere on L5. The air was rapidly becoming hard to breathe, especially since one of the chickens had rolled onto his face during the rocking and he couldn't free his arms to move it.

The combination of rocking motion and excessive carbon dioxide were on the edge of sending Treize to sleep when the lid of the crate suddenly opened, letting in a rush of cool air. Treize sat up, tumbling three or four chickens into his lap and breathed gratefully, glaring balefully at Duo's rumpled, but unrepentant, grin.

"So, what is my punishment?" Duo asked as Treize climbed out of the crate and onto the floor of the trailer.

"Just tell me I don't have to do that again on the way *back*," Treize replied. He turned away to brush himself off, but stopped when Duo started snickering. He turned back and frowned as Duo's snickering turned to full-out giggling and the boy collapsed against the side of a crate. "What is it?"

Duo made a heroic effort to calm down and finally managed between gasps, "You just, look, so cute, all mad, with those, *feathers*, in your hair!"

"Duo!" Treize growled, brushing madly at his hair and discovering that, yes, a chicken's worth of feathers had become embedded there.

Duo finally got himself calmed down enough to climb up on a box to help, though the occasional snicker still periodically escaped his lips. "It's not *so* bad, Treize," he remonstrated. "Nothing to get mad about. I've just not seen you as anything less than your usual, perfect, self."

"And if I have anything to say about it," Treize replied, smiling to take the edge off his words. "You will never see it again." Finally, rumpled but presentable, Treize felt ready to face the world again. "Now what?"

Duo scampered towards the door at the end of the trailer and worked a latch deftly with his fingertips, freeing it and rolling the door up with a flourish. "Thank god they installed these things a while back, so you couldn't accidentally get trapped in the truck," he commented, then he turned to Treize with a smile. "Now we jump."

Duo watched Treize's face shift from incomprehension to disbelief to horror within the space of a few seconds and couldn't repress his glee. It wasn't that he *delighted* in the poor man's discomfiture, it just felt like such a *victory*, even though he'd pretty much forgiven the OZ General for making the mistake of joining up with the wrong army by now.

"What do you mean 'jump'?" Treize questioned, remarkably calmly, considering his facial expressions of a moment before.

"Come on, Treize, where's your sense of adventure?" Duo replied theatrically, striking a pose.

"I think it's still in the crate with the chickens," Treize said ruefully, gazing out the doorway at the way the road and buildings rushed past them at great speed.

"Just be ready to go when I say so," said Duo, taking Treize's hand in a firm grip. Treize nearly pulled back at the last moment, but allowed Duo to drag him over to the very edge of the trailer. Duo let go of Treize and held onto a handle on the wall while he leaned out of the door and look towards the front of the truck. Seeing what he'd expected, he straightened, still holding onto the handle, and grabbed onto Treize's hand again.

"Ready?" he asked. Treize took a deep breath and nodded. Duo counted down the seconds in his head, then. "Set...jump!" As he began to speak, the truck slowed and stopped, just in time for Duo and Treize to jump safely to the ground and walk quickly towards the sidewalk. A few pedestrians glanced at them curiously but without much interest, and then continued on their business. As they reached the sidewalk, the red light turned and the truck rumbled away, oblivious to the loss of some of its cargo and to the fact that the door was still standing wide open.

Duo felt a squeeze on his hand and he looked up to see that Treize was glaring down at him. "Duo..." the General began quietly.

"Yes, Treize?"

"That... that was unfair." A flush was coming to Treize's cheeks as he struggled for words. Duo recognized the signs of an explosion and quickly directed them into a nearby alley while Treize was still fuming. They were barely out of sight when it came. "You are *delighting* in making sport of me. If you don't want me here, why did you come to me in the first place? If you hate me so much, then why did you sleep with me? I don't understand you, but if that's the way you wish things to be-"

Duo tried to defuse the situation the only way he could think of; he reached up and planted a kiss on the ranting Treize's lips. Too surprised to push him away, Treize stood motionless until Duo pulled away a few inches and smiled up at him.

"Treize, I slept with you because I like you, and I tease you for the same reason. If I hurt you, I'm sorry. Please don't be mad at me," he said softly, then he stepped back a pace and clasped his hands in front of him, waiting anxiously for a reaction.

Treize continued to stand stock still for almost a minute, with a thunderstruck expression on his face. Then it melted into an answering smile. "Let's go find Wufei."

Duo's face stretched into a relieved grin and he nodded. "My thought exactly. Now it's your turn, General, lead the way!" he said, grasping Treize's hand again as they headed back onto the busy street.

They headed for the first fast-food restaurant they spotted, as the smells wafting from the small building reminded the pair that neither of them had eaten since the day before. Over eggrolls and fried rice, they discussed their next move. "Wufei is not going to want us to find him," Treize said slowly. "If he is truly being controlled by one of the Bartons, the man controlling him is going to want to ensure that our hold over him is broken."

"That's what I figured," Duo replied glumly.

"So," said Treize, steepling his fingers in front of him. "We shall have to go to the source, rather than attempting to head Wufei off or reason with him. Hopefully if we remove the man who did this to him, Wufei will return to normal."

Duo stared. "You do realize you're talking about killing this guy."

Treize's eyes were blank. "Yes, of course."

Duo grinned. "Great, that's what I hoped you'd say. Just wanted to make sure we're on the same page and you weren't going to pull something high-and-mighty when I got Barton in my sights."

Treize smiled, but didn't reply. After a pause, he said. "Try to use your computer to locate any and all Barton-controlled buildings on this colony. Once we have a list, we may be able to narrow it down, but if necessary we may have to search all of them."

Duo shuddered at the thought. He pulled out his palmtop and began busily hacking the local networks. "Ryokai, Treize-sama. I'm on it."

Treize and Duo stood hand-in-hand, looking up at the intimidating edifice of Barton Genetics, the crèche where Wufei was born, and - after much debate - the most promising lead on where the errant Gundam pilot had gone. Giving Treize's hand one last squeeze, Duo released him and drew his gun.

Treize glanced down at him in chagrin. "Oh what an unbelievable idiot I am!" he exclaimed. "I came all this way and didn't bring a weapon!"

Duo reversed the gun in one smooth motion and handed it to Treize. "Here, you take this one. I've got a backup," he said as he pulled two knives out of seemingly nowhere. "Let's go." Treize nodded and they pushed open the glass doors, headed into the lobby of the building.

The echoing marble entranceway was deserted. Treize and Duo passed a carved oak security desk. As they passed around the other side, Duo turned to look the screens, only to see that they were all showing static. The inert body of a fat, middle-aged security guard was slumped over, his face kissing the keyboard. Blood had pooled under the feet of the stool he sat on. Duo didn't touch him, not wanting to accidentally find out exactly how the poor man had died.

Carefully, Duo holstered his knives and pulled a small toolkit out of another hidden pocket. "Do I try to fix the security grid? See what we're dealing with?"

"No, don't bother." Treize pointed to another display. "See? The cameras themselves aren't functioning."

"Think Wufei did this?" Duo questioned, pulling out his knives again.

"That, or something else is going on," replied Treize.

They continued walking towards the elevators, Duo with his palmtop out and studying the layout of the building as they went. "Okay, there're ten floors to this place. Most of it's offices, but the second floor is all laboratories and the crèche takes over the whole third floor. Where do we go first?"

"There's no basement?" Treize asked in surprise.

Duo blinked. "Nope, not according to the blueprints on the 'net. Not even just for storage or anything."

Treize pressed the call button for the elevator, pursing his lips in thought. "In that case, we should just start at the bottom and search. He could easily have ended up in a laboratory, or one of the offices." Duo nodded, then gasped as the doors to the centre elevator slid aside.

The inside of the elevator was a shambles. The padding on the walls had been ripped to shreds as though clawed by an animal, the mirrors in the doors and rear of the elevator were webbed with cracks, and the floor itself had been torn up. A rent large enough for a man to pass through gaped in the floor of the elevator, ringed by wicked knives of twisted metal.

Gingerly, holding with a death's grip to the doorframe with one hand and Treize's hand with the other, Duo stepped into the elevator and looked down into the hole. "Holy Jesus, Treize," he swore.

"What is it?"

"I think I've found where Wufei went." Duo replied. "There's definitely a basement to this building. I can't see shit, but it seems deep enough to be another whole floor down there."

"Do we try to find another way down, or do we follow Wufei?"

Duo eyed the torn metal around the hole with trepidation. "I haven't the first clue how to get down there *without* following Wufei."

"Then we go down this way."

Duo sighed and nodded. Carefully, hoping the floor wouldn't give way underneath him, he let go of Treize's hand and the doorframe and drew both of his knives again. "All right, I'll go down first and call when I'm sure it's safe for you to jump in after me. If you don't hear me, wait. I'll be looking for a more comfortable way down."

"There *must* be an alternative way to this. I'll wait for your call."

Without another word, Duo took a deep breath and leaped into the blackness. A short fall later, his feet connected with concrete and he folded into a roll, coming out on his feet and staring around himself with his knives at the ready.

With a series of soft clicks, the fluorescent lights flickered to life, revealing the bottom of an elevator shaft. The doors to the shaft had been forced open, the frames twisted to stop them from closing again. A hallway, now dimly lit with widely spaced bars of fluorescent light, led away from the shaft.

His eyes wide open for an ambush, Duo stepped out of the shaft. The hallway continued away for about a dozen meters, then cornered. The Gundam pilot couldn't see so much as a doorway, let alone anywhere for an ambush to take place.

Sticking his head back into the shaft, Duo called as softly as he dared and still be certain Treize would hear him. "Okay, General. Come on down." A moment later, Treize dropped down, landing expertly in a crouch, his gun at the ready.

The General scanned the area as professionally as Duo had a moment ago, then straightened. "Looks like this is the only way down after all."

"Yeah, let's go."

Side by side, their weapons at the ready, Duo and Treize inched down the hallway. Behind them, shadows detached themselves from shadows and followed as they made their way towards the corner. Finally, about a metre from the bend, the pair started as the shadows all around them erupted into life. Where a moment before the hallway had been completely empty, shadows and small variations in the bare concrete walls suddenly resolved themselves into young, Asian boys. All were younger than Wufei, but the resemblance was unmistakable. Without any warning, Duo and Treize suddenly found themselves surrounded by blank-eyed, handsome killers.

"Oh, shit." Duo said calmly.

"Duo," began Treize, staring into the eye of a boy at least five years younger than Wufei, whose lips were peeled back into a fanged snarl.

"Yes, Treize?"

"Run."

Duo launched both of his knives, scoring hits on two of the boys directly between the eyes, and sprang into motion. Treize followed, felling the snarling boy with a single well-placed bullet and leaping over his still-falling body. They rounded the corner, Treize firing shot after shot behind them until his gun clicked empty, while Duo pulled him along by his other hand.

Suddenly, they burst into a huge room and the boys giving chase fanned out to surround them, hardly seeming to be exerting themselves as they closed the net around the pair. Then a voice rang out, echoing in the cavernous space.

"Stop, my children. Don't kill them."

Duo looked up, drawing another set of knives, and Treize followed his gaze. The room they were in seemed to be a gymnasium or some sort of practice area. Weapons and various pieces of equipment lined the walls, and practice mats lined the floor down the centre. At the far end of the room, a man sat in a large, throne-like wooden chair. His copper-coloured hair and fair skin stood out starkly against the black hair and bronze skin of the other occupants of the room.

Kneeling at his feet was another boy, and as the man spoke the boy lifted his head and swivelled it to look at the intruders. At the first glimpse of his face, Duo caught his breath and heard Treize do the same beside him. Wufei's blank, animalistic face was still recognisable, but only barely.

"Well, well," said Barton, reaching out absently to fondle Wufei's unbound hair. "These must be the two you were just telling me about, aren't they, Wufei? The ones who interfered with your programming, and your mission."

"Yes, they are, Master," Wufei growled.

"Treize Khushrenada, and Duo Maxwell, is it? I must apologize for the state of the building. Wufei had some trouble finding me, didn't you, my boy? And he seemed somewhat distressed, when he arrived. I hope you didn't find any unfortunate messes about, that hadn't been cleaned up yet."

Duo growled. "Just let Wufei go, Barton, and we'll let you live. I can't speak for Wufei, but at least *we* won't be responsible for what happens to you next."

"And what if I refuse?" the man responded with a smile.

"You can be assured," Treize began. "That even if you escape this experience alive, that your business interests will be ruined and your illegal operations be dismantled. These boys will be deprogrammed and placed in loving homes, and you will most likely be placed in front of a firing squad."

The man leaned back and laughed. "How civilized, General." He made a gesture and the boys stepped back, forming into a rough semicircle that effectively blocked the exit. "What makes you so sure that *I'll* be the one who doesn't survive. Your bluff isn't going to work. I have you so outclassed that it's pitiful!"

Duo snuck a glance at Treize, whose face was hard, as imperturbable as granite, and smirked at Barton. "Because we have Wufei. He's the best, isn't he? We'd never have gotten this far into your compound with him chasing us."

Barton leaned forward again. "Yes, he is the best, but you don't have him. *I* do."

"That's bullshit," Duo said. "Wufei's broken your programming once, and he can do it again. Besides," he flushed. "We love him, and he loves us, and you *can't* beat that!"

At his words, Wufei seemed to flinch, though it might have been Duo's imagination. Duo clenched the hilts of his knives harder in his fist and said a heartfelt prayer that it hadn't been his imagination. *Please, God, let him come back to us, please.*

Barton had started laughing again. "If you think you have gained *any* control over him by the use of something so primitive as *emotion*, you're deluding yourself."

"It is you who is delusional," said Treize. "And why you have gone to so much trouble is beyond me. If you wished to create weapons, why have you not used more of them, or sold them? If this was simply a scientific experiment, then why create so many, and release Wufei?"

Barton smirked. "Surely the great leader of OZ knows the value of timing."

Duo looked around at the blank faces of the other boys, and then back at Barton, who was stroking Wufei's hair absently. An attitude of utter bliss and adoration had settled over the Chinese boy. "So what," he said, trying to ignore the clenching of his gut at the expression on Wufei's face. "You're waiting for OZ and the Gundams to finish each other off, and then you'll step in and take over? Is that it?"

"Since you and the others refused to take part in Operation Meteor, it has become necessary to wait for that, yes. Very good, boy. You're smarter than you look."

"How original," Duo replied. "You can't even come up with something more creative to do with your life than 'take over the world'? You're just as boring as all the other mad scientists."

Barton stood and took a few steps forward, resting his hand on the top of Wufei's head. Wufei crawled forward, muscles moving in ways that wouldn't work on a human. "The difference, boy, is that *I* will succeed."

"Oh sure! Like I haven't heard *that* before."

Barton's face twisted in anger. "I will succeed, and Wufei is mine. I'll prove it." He tapped Wufei once with his fingers and he looked upwards, his face open, intent. "Wufei, kill them, now," he ordered.

Wufei didn't hesitate, didn't even acknowledge the order with any outward motion, he simply rose to his feet as though pulled by puppet strings and headed towards the nearest wall. He grasped the handle of a huge curved sword and lifted it off the brackets as though it weighed nothing, then he turned to look at Duo and Treize.

He stood still for a moment, his body thrumming with contained energy, and then started walking towards them, the sword held ready in his hand. He paced forward slowly, unhurriedly and Duo couldn't blame him for being so sure they wouldn't run away. The boys behind them drew closer together, blocking the exit, and there was nowhere else to go except deeper into the room. No escape.

Duo glanced up at Treize, who had been so quiet throughout the exchange with Barton, but the General's face was still impassive, betraying no emotion either reassuring or otherwise. He swallowed the fear that was threatening to choke him and looked back towards Wufei.

"Wu-chan, listen," he said, sounding scared even to himself. He heard Barton chuckle and it steadied him. If he was going to die, he was damn well not going do it with the enemy thinking he was a coward. "I know this is hard for you, Wu, but you have to try. Come back to us."

If his words had any effect, he certainly didn't see it. Wufei stopped just outside of arms length from Duo and raised the sword over his head. Duo felt a rush of terror and opened his mouth again - probably to plead or something equally embarrassing, but Treize laid a hand on his shoulder and he closed his mouth again.

"Wufei," Treize said quietly. "We love you. No matter what he makes you do, that will never change. Remember that." Wufei's head whipped around to meet Treize's gaze, his eyes widening.

"Remember, Wufei, remember. We love you." Treize repeated.

"No!" Barton cried. "You are mine, Wufei. Never forget that! Kill them, kill them now!"

There was a long moment as a war battled on Wufei's face, then he lowered his sword, letting it slip from nerveless fingers. Intelligence dawned in his dark eyes again, a fraction of a second before they rolled up in his head and he collapsed. Duo and Treize surged forward and caught him before he hit the ground, supporting his weight between them.

In the stunned silence, Duo caught the sound of Wufei whispering, over and over. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Duo buried his face in Wufei's neck. "It's okay, Wu-chan, it's not your fault," he whispered back, and knew that Wufei had heard him, as he felt the pilot relax against him.

Too soon, Barton seemed to recover from his shock. "Wufei! What are you doing. Kill them!" He started speaking in a stream of numbers and letters and Duo felt Wufei tense. Very slowly, Wufei raised his head, and then pulled away from Duo and Treize.

"You can't do it to me again," Wufei said. "I'm free. It's over."

"That's not possible," Barton said in a tight, frightened voice.

"It *is* possible." Wufei lowered his head, glowering at his former master. "And *I* will prove it to *you*."

"No! You can't!" As Wufei started advancing towards him, Barton threw a panicked look at the twenty or so other boys in the room. "Boys! Kill them! Kill them all!"

The other soldiers surged forward before Duo and Treize had time to react. One grabbed for Duo's arm and he slashed quickly at the hand, eliciting a cry but not doing much damage, then he was knocked off his feet and went down hard on his stomach. Through the forest of legs he caught a glimpse of Treize, still standing, with his gun in one hand and the huge sword in the other, using both like clubs to keep the other boys at bay.

Duo threw his weight to the left, trying to roll over, but hands were grasping at him and someone was sitting on his legs. He slashed desperately at feet with both knives, trying to keep the others from getting close enough to hurt him, but he knew he was in trouble as he felt hands on his right leg starting to twist.

Suddenly he heard a deafening crack and pain lanced up and down his right leg. Despite himself, he screamed, and screamed again as those hands started to twist his left leg. They were going to tear him apart piece by piece.

Simultaneously, both hands were stamped on, and he lost his grip on the knives. More hands started grasping at him, pulling and twisting his arms, digging and punching at his ribs and back.

Then, dimly through a haze of pain, Duo heard a roar and felt the hands being ripped away. Cries and screams of agony were all around him, and there was someone standing over him, with one foot on either side of his body. Duo twisted around and looked up at Wufei, who was tossing anyone who came within arm's reach aside like so much kindling.

"Are you all right, Duo?" Wufei said, grasping the arm of a boy and throwing him casually against the nearest wall.

"Uh, I think my leg is broken, but that's all," said Duo.

"Good. I'll be right back. This will all be over soon," Wufei replied. Without giving Duo a chance to reply, he executed a backflip and sailed back out of the circle of boys, who immediately surged forward again. Before they could close off his vision completely, however, Duo saw Wufei move in a blur of speed towards Barton, who screamed and threw up his hands in a pathetic defensive gesture.

"You will never hurt anyone again," Wufei said. "Die!" He did something Duo couldn't see and blood fountained. As Barton slipped to his knees, Duo saw that his throat had been torn out, and then he fell face down in a spreading pool of his own blood.

As though a switch had been thrown, all motion in the room halted. All of the boys in the room were suddenly just standing there, as if waiting. Wufei walked slowly over to Treize and helped him to his feet, then continued walking. Treize looked around uncertainly, holding his left arm, which looked broken, to his chest, but followed Wufei through the motionless crowd to Duo.

Wufei stooped and lifted Duo gently in his arms. "Jesus, Wu," Duo whispered, almost afraid that if he drew attention to them by speaking, they would be attacked again. "What's going on?"

"I think their orders were cancelled when Barton died," Wufei said, speaking in a normal tone of voice. "I had a feeling that would happen. I guess I was right."

"About what?"

"They didn't want to kill us after all."

"What now?" asked Treize.

Instead of answering, Wufei raised his voice to address the room. "You are all free. You will be given good homes and forget about what Barton trained you to do. Act like normal boys your age and forget you were ever killers."

The boys, almost as one, started moving again, blinking their eyes and shaking their heads as though waking up from a dream.

Wufei glanced at Treize. "I hope you're prepared to back up what you said to Barton."

Treize looked around again at the faces of the boys. "Absolutely."

Epilogue

Duo laid in the acceleration couch and wished for the 47th time that trip that he wasn't tied down. He heard Treize grunt as he shifted position and looked over at him. The General seemed as unhappy about the confinement as he was. What was the good of zero gravity if you couldn't float around? But the doctors who had treated his leg had stated firmly that if the leg wasn't immobile during the trip home, it might not heal properly and he'd walk with a limp, or have more serious problems as he got older.

He'd tried to protest that he probably wouldn't get too much older anyway, what with the war and all, but the cuff from Wufei had shut him up. He looked up - well, sideways - at Wufei, who was fast asleep on the couch opposite him. Maybe growing up wasn't going to be so bad, after all. It might be something to strive for.

The other boys were being relocated to Earth and adopted. Duo suspected that it had been hard to explain to authorities why they couldn't just be abandoned on the colonies, but Treize had obviously managed it. He'd even managed to get them all on a trip home without them having to stow away again. Stowing away on a freighter with twenty-five frightened and unsocialized little boys was probably beyond even Duo's capacities, anyway.

He met Treize's eyes and the General smiled at him. He answered the smile and laid back against the pillow again, closing his eyes. He had no idea what was going to happen when they got back. He didn't know if they would win, or lose, the war. He didn't even know if he would one day be forced to kill Treize, or be killed by him, or see him or Wufei die.

At that moment, though, it didn't matter. He had them, for as long as he had them, and that was enough.

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