He goes running

Woot! Enter new character! Guess who.

Duo POV

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The glitch was a cover-up attempt. Someone had hacked my program, had gotten in and taken a nice look around, had stalled my spyware from getting any important information other than a general area (about a three square mile radius) of where the signal came from.

But the weird thing was, as sophisticated as this guy was, the cover-up was sloppy. It was almost as if…no, I’m pretty damn sure he wanted me to know he was there. And yes, its gonna be a ‘he’ until I’m proved otherwise. Yes, there are chick hackers out there, but the majority of the population are dudes. The cover-up “glitch” is what actually caught my attention, that was practically signing his name.

And weirder still, after all the trouble this guy took to get past my program, he didn’t do anything. He didn’t access any restricted or confidential information, didn’t upload any destructive programs, or copy any financial records. So why the hell would he take the time? It unsettled me.

I looked for the back window he had used to get in, but I couldn’t find how he got in. What the?! Really unsettled. So I backed up the program as best as I could on such short notice, added a few more spyware traps, some obvious, some much more subtle. There was one in particular that was set to alert me personally by text message to my cell phone the instant someone tripped the system.

He’d have to shut down the entire system to prevent that one.

I packed up my equipment and headed home. Call me a coward, but I was almost, but not quite, sneaking down the hallways, praying to whatever deity would hear me that Heero and Peacecraft would stay in their own damn offices. Maybe they did, maybe I was a good sneak, either way, I didn’t see them.

I got home, sat on my ass, and sulked a little. Then I picked up the phone and called Quatre. He was still at work, but it was after hours and he was completely understanding about me venting to him about what happened. I voiced my rage at Zechs and his sleazy comments, Heero and his selfish disregard of my wants. I recounted the entire ordeal as the Winner heir listened patiently.

Q asked about my interactions with Heero, and I gave him a quick recount of my vacation visitations with him. He was a completely sympathetic ear until I finished, then he decided to join in the conversation with a pointed, and completely unappreciated question. “You’re still completely hung up on him, aren’t you?”

“I don’t want to be. God, I wish I wasn’t! But it was really good, ya know?” I had been arguing with myself for weeks, and Q cut through all the crap with one swipe. He wouldn’t have been able to hurt me so much if I wasn’t so caught up by him.

“The sex?” Q’s tone was flat, like he was disappointed in me or something.

“No! Well, yeah, the sex was great, but that’s not what I meant. I meant that day. Shit, it was only just one day, but it was a great day. We fit together on so many different levels. His humor and wit, he actually caught me off guard several times. Do you know how hard that is to do? I was so unbelievably excited while I was pseudo-stalking him. I’m talking almost giddy, and now I feel guilty when I revisit those thoughts because I should hate him. I do hate him, most of the time.” I let out a frustrated sigh, almost growling into the phone.

Quatre laughed. “I would feel bad for you, Duo, but ‘its better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all,’ so I guess I’m worse off than you.”

I almost swallowed my tongue. “Q, you’ve never had a crush?” I was simultaneously astonished and grateful. This way I could change the topic safely from my Heero confusions to the blond fellow.

“Of course I’ve had a crush, just never one that was returned.” His voice was dismissive, trying to play it off as nothing, but there was a lining of longing in that statement.

“Who?” I had to know, and it was nice to be able to change the subject away from me.

“Just an old boyfriend of Iria’s when I was very young, but that’s of no consequence now. My point is, you still have pretty strong, unresolved issues with this guy, and it sounds like he regrets his mistake. Why don’t you accept his dinner invitation?”

I made a noise of protest, but he cut me off. “You might get a romantic companion out of it, or maybe, you’ll find those feelings you’ve been hung up on were too hasty, fooling yourself into how much you liked him. Then you won’t feel so lost, and will find some closure. At the worst, you’ll be in the same position you were in a week ago, and you’ve already found some resolution to that depression.”

I growled. There was no other description of the sound. He had logic behind him, but logic did nothing for my jaded pride. But I also didn’t want to shoot off some smart ass comment that hurt Q’s feelings. He’s a bit of a sensitive soul, and I was in a foul mood, not wanting to admit he was probably right. “I’ll think about it, Q.”

We said our goodbyes. In all honesty, the only reason I call him was because I wanted to avoid my computer. Weird, because its usually home base for me, but that hacker had gotten under my skin. I was shaken, and I was timid about going back to technology for a bit.

Then again, my computer was a lot less scary than Winner’s advice to give Heero another shot.

So I booted up again, holding my breath for some reason unbeknownst to me, and logged onto some of my computer forums. It was a half-assed attempt at finding out who and what tagged my program. It was a long shot, but maybe someone would post a brag about their latest hack, not mentioning specifics of course, and how it was done.

There wasn’t anything, so I surfed some random sites, checking the newest viral vids sweeping the net, but then my cursor stalled.

I moved my mouse, but the cursor was unresponsive for the slightest second. I waited a moment to let the screen catch up with my actions thinking that, maybe, there was some adware being fought off by my blockers, and the screen was taking a second to adjust, but it never did. My cursor started moving on its own, independent from my actions.

Shit! Someone had hacked my computer remotely. I started punching in commands to find and fry the bastard, but it was already late in the game if they had bypassed my security features. And then I just stopped and watched.

Whoever was running my machine opened up my word processing program. What the hell? There wasn’t anything of worth there. I mean, I was expecting him to go for my circuit board to kill the machine or into my internet banking sites for financial information. The only thing in my processor was shipping conformation receipts on my internet purchases.

But he didn’t go into in any old files. A blank page popped up and the cursor started typing.

Meet me at 7th and James tomorrow at 3:00 p.m.

What.the.fuck. Seriously?! He hacked my laptop to communicate with me? Seriously? What the hell happened to Messenger? I mean I shouldn’t be completely in awe because my laptop is much easier to crack than a desktop. The defenses and speed of my desktop set-up would fry him. I’m not the best hacker, but I’m no pushover either.

But seriously? This guy is fucked in the head if he thinks I’ll respond favorably to this method. Control of my cursor returned to me, graciously allowing my written response.

Are you crazy?!

No. We both know I didn’t do enough to be convicted in a federal court. Safe on my end. You’ll come because you want to know how it was done.

Overconfident bastard. He was completely right, but he was still a bastard. Why do you want to meet with me? You’ve proved that you could beat the program, what else do you want?

That’s my business. There’s a coffee shop there, do you know it?

Yeah, but I was in an obstinate mood. I can find it. How will I know you?

I know you; that’s all that matters.

And then my computer was my own again. What a prick! But what choice did I have. If I wanted to be able to stop others from using the same entrance, hell, if I wanted to have a chance of keeping him out, I had to know how he got in. Well, shit.

So I scanned my computer for any spyware or virus he may have left within, beefed up my security the best I could, and went to bed. I didn’t sleep well at all but at least I was in bed.

The next day I was a ball of anxiety. I couldn’t sit still for more than two minutes at a time, and three o’clock was a really freaking long time when you wake up a seven a.m. panting and sweating with dream images of Heero and me running from a fifty foot computer trying to kill us haunting my mind. Suck.

Somehow, anxiety didn’t kill me, my computer didn’t grow through my roof and start using its cords to whip me to death, and I got through the day without chewing my fingernails to bleeding nubs…somehow.

The trip to the coffee shop was a complete blur. The taxi could have turned into Megatron and went on a deathmatch rampage, and I would not have noticed. My stomach bottomed out as I pulled the door open. I expected…I don’t know what I expected, but the coffee shop looked completely normal, like today was just a normal day. And I guess to anyone else, it would be.

But for me, today was the day I met with the man that determined my future. Sounds dramatic, doesn’t it? Not really because this guy had the key to my system, could walk in and trample my defense network when no one else had been able to…meaning he could keep his method a secret and blackmail me so I can keep the corporate contracts. He could break in and steal financial info from those billion dollar companies, run up a huge bill, and leave me with the consequences, since I’m supposed to be preventing such actions.

I don’t know why he wanted to meet with me, and it was driving me nuts.

As I scanned the room, I saw the norms for such a shop. Men and women in business attire looking hurried as they stop for a quick shot of caffeine between meetings, kids about college aged with their laptops in front of them, books and papers scattered around them, and a few tables with smartly dressed housewives chatting and looking completely unhurried as they met with friends.

My eyes slipped to the back of the room and locked with the most brilliant green eyes I’ve ever seen staring straight at me.

Those eyes were set in a flawless face. He was beautiful in a bland sort of way; nicely-shaped bone structure with tan, even skin, it lulled you into a serene attraction until you reached his eyes. Then you just got sledge-hammered with the gut-wrenching appeal of him. This guy was a knock-out.

I still thought Heero was more desirable to me, more interesting with the subtle Asian traits hidden in his features. Plus, I’ve always been a sucker for blue eyes.

His lips smirked, and a long-fingered hand gestured to the empty seat across from him. I had to slow my breathing, suddenly so nervous. I’ve heard of the term ‘shark’ before in various settings: card shark, pool shark; the term meaning someone very good at going for the kill. For some reason, the term hit me as a description for this guy. His eyes were shrewd, moving quickly and cataloging everything. Smart. I had no doubt in my mind that I was looking at the guy who hacked my system.

I sat down in front of him, and he slid a cup toward me as he spoke. “I wasn’t sure how you took it.” His voice was a deep tenor. Heero’s was deeper, but this guy’s was smoother. His eyes flicked to a little bowl with creamer piled up and there were several kinds of sweetener on the table.

I nodded in thanks but made no move to take the cup. “I appreciate it, but I’ve never liked coffee.”

He sat there in silence for a few moments while he studied me. I tried to be patient, but I was starting to itch. Right as I was about to break the silence in frustration, he smirked as spoke. “Duo Maxwell, its good to meet you.”

I could have said the same; it wasn’t a lie. If he had used ‘nice’ or even ‘a pleasure’ in the phrase, it would have been, but there was some benefit to me meeting him as long as he kept his end of the bargain. But then again, I didn’t really feel like being amiable to the guy that cracked my system and my personal comp just for kicks and giggles. “I wish I could say the same, but technically, I have met you, yet.”

That damn smirk seemed like a permanent feature. “My name is Trowa.”

No last name. Sweet of him. I could feel the scowl take over my face. “How did you get past my system, Trowa?”

“Not yet. I need to make sure you don’t walk away when I tell you why I wanted to meet with you.” His face was now completely blank, and I wasn’t sure whether I preferred the smirk or not.

“Alright, I’ll bite. Why did you want to meet with me?” This guy had it all planned out it seemed. Even the conversation was completely controlled. He was a formidable enemy to be sure, but he was annoying as hell.

“I’ve heard your name a lot lately; it made me want to meet you.” He was playing word games, teasing me tiny amounts of information but not giving me anything of worth. Odds are he heard my name due to the increase of advertisement of my company; maybe he was a friend of Q’s. Hell, for all I’ve talked to the girls, he could be Noin’s new boy toy. Probably not, since Noin seems to be pretty into the femslash stuff now, but who knows.

I didn’t respond; I was getting tired of this shit. I had been put through psychological hell the past week. I was irritated; I was impatient, but I was tired, too. So I just sat there with what was probably a ‘bring it on’ type facial expression.

“You destroyed my friend, Heero.” There was no emotion on his face, but there was a slight accusation in his voice that he couldn’t quite hide.

My eyes widened, and it felt like my stomach plunged into my bowels for an instant before I recovered and stood, glaring for all I was worth at the messenger. That bastard had done it again. Did he really get someone to hack my program, my livelihood, destroy my job, just to get my attention? Really, how far is he willing to go to get what he wants? Obviously, he doesn’t care if he gets me fired in the process of getting what he wants. Bastard. As I turned to leave, he called after me. “This is the only time I will offer information on how I got past your program. You can leave if you want, but I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Bastard. He was right; I couldn’t leave, not without the information I needed, but damnit! So I sat back down, still glaring daggers at him.

“I wanted to meet the man responsible for ending Heero’s year-long obsession with Zechs only to drop him on his ass.” His voice was calm but fierce.

Mine was anything but calm. “Fuck you, man. He’s the one that dropped me, so you can just go screw yourself with your accusations.”

“And he’s suffering for that mistake, I assure you. Heero’s always been his own worst enemy when it comes to being hard on himself.”

That made me take a step back. Yeah, as disciplined as the beach god seemed, I could totally see him punishing himself beyond belief for tiny mistakes. But at the same time, who was this guy to Heero? They seemed pretty close. Really close, I didn’t like it. “So what’s your point?”

He leaned in closer to me. “My point is, you’re still wound tighter than spring about all of this, obviously you still have some pretty potent feelings for him as well.”

I snorted. “Potent is a good word.” I was being sarcastic and petulant.

He saw right through me. “You can joke all you want, funny man, but there’s a very thin line between love and hate. As strong as your reaction was, I’m betting your desperately clinging to hate to protect yourself from the other.”

I felt completely naked in front of this guy after that sentence. I hadn’t really thought of it in those terms, but he was exactly right. Son of a bitch. What do you say to something like that? I wanted to deny it and tell him to fuck off…again, but remember that whole ‘I never tell a lie’ thing? Yeah. “So what? Yeah, I’m still hung up on him? Big freakin deal, Trowa. That still leaves the fact that he’s a selfish prick who’s willing to get me fired and ruin my livelihood just to get what he wants. What a winner.” I was worked up good, sarcasm spitting from my mouth, face twisted in a scowl.

He rolled his eyes. “Excuses. But if it makes you feel better, it was all my doing.”

I continued glaring at him. “And I’m supposed to believe that?”

Trowa shrugged. “It depends. If you think I’m not intelligent enough to match up the name Heero’s been bitching about to your tech company, go ahead, don’t believe me. But what does that say about your program if someone as ignorant as me broke through.”

Ass. I didn’t respond, and I’m pretty sure my glares are useless against him.

He broke the staring contest going on between us, dropped his head for a second, then looked hard at me. “Look. I’m no matchmaker, and frankly, I’m only doing this because I don’t want to listen to Heero self-destruct over you anymore. How hard is it for you to just pick up the damn phone? He’ll beg for another chance; he’s to that pathetic point, but you’ve got to give him that chance.”

Something clenched in my chest. I didn’t see Heero begging, and, as pissed as I was, I didn’t really want to. It seemed too degrading for someone I had placed so high on that pedestal. I had reduced him to that, and Trowa was right, damn him. How hard was it for me to hold the phone to my ear and listen?

Then that sick feeling hit me again as I realized he hadn’t called me today. He hadn’t called me since I blew him off yesterday at Peacecraft and Peacecraft. Had he given up? I was really disappointed. For someone who said he’d do whatever it took to make me give him another chance, he gave up really fucking quickly. “Fine, I’ll pick up the phone next time he calls. Happy?”

He just smirked, took out his cell phone and sent off a text message.

“What was that?” I still raw and pretty snappish, but I was curious, too.

“Heero’s still under the impression that you want him to leave you alone, so I encouraged him to call you tonight.” He put his phone back in his pocket.

Things clicked then. Heero had done as I asked and stopped calling. Maybe he wasn’t giving up, just honoring my wishes to some extent. It made me feel a bit better, and something fluttered in my stomach knowing that Heero and I would be talking sometime soon. Damn, but I still had it really fucking bad for that guy.

“Now didn’t you have something to ask me?” His voice was patronizing. After all the shit he just put me through, he’s going to be condescending to me now? He’s going to regret this; I don’t know how, but he will.

“How did you get in?”

Trowa sat back in his chair. “Don’t look so worried, Duo. Its actually a very good program. I was impressed; it took me about a week to break through.”

Condescending prick. “What is it you said you do again?” I was a little too unconcerned with how he got in as to how to bring him down a notch.

“I didn’t say.” He shrugged one shoulder and took a sip of his coffee. “I’m just your normal IT guy.”

I fought the smirk off. Point for me! I’m making my own hours peddling my humble program to billion dollar corporations, and he’s sitting behind a headset trying to talk clueless office workers through how to reboot. Ha! I guess he got my point because he started explaining how he got through.

When I started questioning certain techniques, he pulled his laptop out of a bag he had sitting next to him. I watched him break through with my own eyes. This guy was so fucking smooth. Then he showed me how he used my own spyware in the Peacecraft setup to record my laptop’s settings when I hooked into it. That’s how he cracked my personal computer’s settings so quickly.

Really frikkin smart, really frikkin good.

Something started itching in the back of my mind, a suspicion and an idea. “What’s your call name?”

He just looked at me for a moment. “Who says I have one?”

“Please, credit me with some of the intelligence you spoke of earlier.” My voice was dry.

He pursed his lips for a moment. “Triton.”

Holy. Fucking. Shit. Triton?! This guy was still on the government’s most wanted list for breaking into the FBI’s database. That was years ago, but he’s still a god among hackers. I wanted to call bullshit, but I really believed him. The way he cut through my firewall like butter, I really believed him. It was one of those awe-inducing, ‘am I really talking to The Triton?’ moments.

He sent me a pointed look. “Don’t look at me like that. I’ve been underground for years because of those stunts. It wasn’t worth it. I liked it better when you had an attitude.”

I shook myself out of the stupor. Yes, it was really him. Anyone donning the name for recognition purposes would be bragging and going on, this guy actually regretted what he did because it forced him into anonymity; otherwise he would be in jail. Holy Shit. A really formidable enemy to have.

“I’ve got a question for you, Trowa.” He seemed relieved and wary at the same time. I think he liked that I didn’t call him by his pseudonym, but he was anxious about me asking how he blasted one of the top security clearances on the planet.

He nodded but gave me no other indication he was listening.

“How would you fix the problem, how would you prevent others from getting past my program?” I was testing him; I wanted to know if what I was thinking was a viable option.

Trowa looked less than impressed. “I told you how I got in, isn’t it your job to prevent it?”

This time it was my turn to smirk. “Yeah, but I was just wondering if your programming skills were anywhere close to your hacking skills.”

He was studying me now. “Its easier to hack through a program than to build one, but I can code well enough when the need hits.”

I already knew that because he wrote up a nice little ‘alternate instructions’ code to trap security information from my laptop at Peacecraft’s computer mainframe. Its always said, keep your friends close…

“I’ve been expanding my clientele, and its getting to be a bit much for me. I’ve been interviewing help, but haven’t found anyone that I really thought knew what they were doing.”

He cut me off. “I’m fine where I am, thanks though.”

Ha! I fought to keep the triumph off my face, looks like the shoe is on the other foot now. I’m controlling the conversation, and he has very little say in how its going. I’m loving this. “Really? I don’t believe you. IT sucks, I know; I spent years in college reading protocol off scripts to clueless people, stuck in a cubicle with no way of actually improving anything because the companies were running huge programs on outdated or insufficient machines. I hated it; the hours were too long, and the pay was minimal.”

Trowa was glaring at me with those brilliant, green eyes. I’d have to say it was a pretty good glare. I’d be more intimidated if I hadn’t been exposed to Heero’s glare several times.

“Work with me. We’d split the companies. All you’d have to do is make a monthly on-site check at the companies, which you could schedule how you wished. Otherwise it’s a daily check of the data reservoir to ensure there hasn’t been any tampering, which can be done remotely and takes about ten minutes per program. Think of it, Trowa, an hour a day, one day a month, and with one or two more companies, your salary would be about triple digits a year. How is what you’re doing now better?”

He was still glaring at me. “Because I don’t think I would enjoy working with you.”

Now he was just being too sensitive. “Bullshit. You’re just too much of a control freak. You’ve taken so much care to be in absolute control of this situation, and me offering you a job blows that. You’re scared that I’m bitter about you hacking into my program. You’re figuring that this is some revenge trick; that’s why you’re turning the offer down. And, frankly, you’re screwing yourself over.”

Its true, I was upset about him hacking my software, but, hey, this guy is a god in the hacker community. If I chose to take it that way, its actually a compliment that he had to take a week to get through it. And, honestly, it sucks to know that one of my idols in the online community is stuck with a ‘road to nowhere’ job. Not if I can help it.

And, yeah, there was a lot of ‘this guy is my enemy’ feelings earlier, and maybe he still is if his friendship is based on whether or not Heero and I can make amends, but I’d rather see if I can win a little bit of his respect. He’d be a lot less likely to destroy my little program and job if he was a part of it. And if, in his mindset, he is my enemy…keep your enemies closer and all that jazz.

“No thanks.” He still looked like he had no intentions whatsoever of joining my payroll. Obviously money was not the key motivator with him. Okay, Duo, time to play your full hand. The one no computer nerd can resist…

“Alright, Trowa, I know there’s really no way I can convince you that I’m on the level, so let me leave you with this to think over. You’re right to be somewhat suspicious; I essentially told you there wasn’t a lot of time needed for upkeep. So I should be able to do it all on my own with no need for help, but the real reason I needed the additional help is not the load of the companies. Its because the Winner empire has recently asked me to be a tech advisor for them.” I watched him closely, he was very wary of what I was saying, but interested at the same time.

So I continued. “You’re familiar with the fact that NXS has gone under, right?”

He nodded. That was a well known fact of all who had even the slightest geek sensibilities.

NXS was a huge computer and technology company a few years back. They were THE company for tech geeks. They had the most cutting edge tech parts, the best ranked paraphernalia for most everything. You wanted a graphics or sound card, you went to NXS first. New hard drives? The best cases? The coolest ways to pimp out your computer? NXS. They were big in the game and development circuit, too. Anything that had to do with anything of importance they were one of the top companies…until about five years ago when another major corporation bought them out. According to Quatre, the new owners went in and completely rearranged the managerial structure. Efficiency dropped, quality dropped, and the public noticed.

The new owners were more concerned with profit than development, so they took the cheap and easy way out. But nerds talk, people were outraged in the lack of care. Forums buzzed about how crappy the new products were, and NXS lost its good reputation. The new owners killed the company…until Quatre took over.

He spoke to me at length, and we’re pretty sure we can turn things around…with the proper help, of course.

“Well, the head of Winner Corp happens to be a good friend of mine. He wants me to essentially overhaul what’s left of the original company. I get to stick my grubby little fingers into the plans and designs of the original NXS designers, figure out what’s good and what’s crap. Collaborate with the research and development department to see who’s interested in rebuilding the reputation and who’s in it for the cheap, easy way out.” Trowa looked interested now.

Very interested. What geek’s dream isn’t to be a part of developing for the company you’ve respected above all else?

I looked him dead in the eye. “I could definitely use the help. NXS was a huge company with massive amounts of products. But my first computer was built mostly with their products. If it can be saved, I want to help. And whether you trust me or not, friend or enemy, I can’t think of anyone better suited to check the quality of a program than Triton.”

He was excited by the offer, but he reigned it in and actually managed to look a bit disgusted. “Sap.”

“If you’ll let me check my email on your computer, I’ll leave a copy of the contract of employment on your desktop.” He glared hard at me, and I added quickly. “You can watch my every keystroke as long as I get to watch you while I change my password from my phone afterwards. You can have your lawyer friend look over it, and you won’t even have to fill out any background forms for references.”

I doubt I would find anything any way. What skilled hacker hasn’t wiped his record clean of any discrepancies?

Those green eyes scanned my face for a while before he pushed his laptop toward me. I tried not to be nervous as the Triton watched my fingers pull up my email account, save the contract onto his desktop, and log out of the account. I grabbed my cell and changed my account info. This way he had access to the documents needed, had a record of my email address, but I had essentially no information on him except that his name was Trowa and he was a fairly close friend of Heero’s.

Hopefully it would make him feel safe enough to consider my offer.

Trowa looked a little troubled. “I don’t really know what to say.”

“Then don’t say anything. Look over the contract. It just says you won’t try to steal my program and sell it as your own, but look over it. Research what I’ve said; if you think there’s any chance that I’m trying to screw you over, don’t take the offer. Simple as that. My only stipulation to all of this, is for you to stay out of my relationship with Heero. I told you I’d answer the phone when Heero calls, and I will. Outside of that, I make no promises.” And I meant that with every fiber of my being. The last thing I wanted was to have to deal with this shit every time Heero and I had a fight.

Because, at least for now, its gonna happen a lot because I’ve got some righteous amounts of rage built up that’ll need to be blown off somehow.

He nodded. “I understand.” Those green eyes were a bit kinder now. Perhaps I had achieved my goal, or maybe just surprised him enough to throw him a bit offguard. Either way.

I stood up. “Thanks for the coffee, Trowa.” I could feel the little smirk on my face as I said it.

As I walked away, he spoke. “Barton.”

I stopped and turned. “What?”

“Its my last name, Trowa Barton.” He stood and held his hand out.

I shook his hand, and the smile that overtook my face was a big one; I couldn’t help it. Things looked a lot sunnier now. “It was good to meet you, Trowa Barton.”

He nodded in return, and I walked out with a bounce in my step that I hadn’t had in a long while. This had been a pretty good day for all my earlier anxiety over it.

Now I just had to figure out what the hell I would say to Heero when he called. Shit.

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Sorry it took so long, this was a long chapter. Phew, but you know Trowa's mah fav pilot, I had to make his entrance a good one. ^^

My thanks to all my reviewers, ya'll are just freakin awesome, and I'll respond to everyone individually on my author's page cuz I luvs yas. I'd like to hear how you think Duo should respond to the call. Ya know, play hard to get? Be a ball buster? Skip the jargon and get to the smut? lol Lemme know.

A