New Haven

Chapter Eighteen: Part 1 Wufei and Quatre.

A group of two women and five men stood in the shadows of some garbage bins waiting for their colleague to open the doors for their activities. They watched as the doors slowly opened and a face peered out carefully looking in every direction. A hand motioned them forward and one by one they made their way to the doors and the beginning of their separate adventures.

“You all know what to do?” Quatre whispered as they crouched by the door. “We have an hour and twenty minutes.” He nodded as the others melted away on their duties. He looked as Wufei and received a nod. They took off to the stairway. Wufei let Quatre take point as they made their way to the senior officers territory.

They met with little resistance as they went. They were going to get the three heads. The Commander, Second in command, and the medical commander.

They made their way silently and removing any resistible objects along the way. They took down three guards at the entrance to the Officers Quarters. They worked their way carefully taking note of the name plates by each door as they went.

Wufei pointed to the door on his side and nodded to Quatre. ‘Ethan Lassiter, Chief Medical Officer.’ “Convenient of them.” Whispered Wufei as Quatre joined him.

Quatre just grinned and took care of the locked door. They made their way through the outer room to the bedroom.

What they found the man doing nearly sent Quatre into a rage.

Before them tied to the base board of the bed was a child maybe thirteen or fourteen years old. From what they could see it was a girl. There were marks all over the young body showing that the torture the child had endured.

“That’s it sweet heart.” The man who was coming out of what had to be the bathroom called to the girl. “Your Sugar Daddy is here for you.”

If he had looked up from where he was stroking himself he would of seen two very enraged men. As it was he didn’t know what hit him. Wufei being one who knew that something like this may have been possible had moved quickly to take the man out before Quatre could do something he regretted.

“Quatre,” Wufei hissed in anger. “Help her. She’s one of the hostages.”

Wufei’s hissed words broke Quatre from his rage though he was still angry. He moved to untie the child and looked around for something the child could wear. He grabbed one of the man’s boxers and a t-shirt. The child stared up in fear at the new person.

“It’s okay,” He murmured quietly holding out the clothes. “We’re here to get you and the others out and bring this…this…those…pieces of garbage to justice.” His aquamarine eyes watched hope rise on the face of the child as her hands hesitantly for the clothes. “You can help us, can’t you?”

A slow nod answered the question as wide eyes watched Wufei cuff and gag the man who had been about to do terrible things to her. She hesitantly made her way to the unconscious man to stare down at him in hatred.

“Kick him.” Wufei murmured quietly. Hazel eyes met onyx. Wufei nodded to her.

The girl drew back a foot and lashed out with a vicious kick. While Quatre watched the venting of anger. He understood what Wufei was trying to do for her. He stared at her and he winced at the thought of her feet walking the distance through the forest.

He looked carefully around the room he found some sandals that he could tie to her feet. He walked over and hesitantly tapped the girl on the shoulder. When she turned to him slowly he held out the sandals and motioned her to a chair.

While he helped her sandal her feet Wufei looked around the room for other things that would be useful incase they came across any other children on the way. Wufei turned to the child when he thought of the children. He crouched beside Quatre and looked at her. “Sweetheart,” Wufei whispered to the girl. “Do you know who else has children with them?”

“Only the senior officers are allowed and only the commander and his second want anything to do with us.” She whispered. At the sound of such weariness in her voice the two men winced. She sounded almost like Duo. “The commander likes more than one at a time. Usually a boy and a girl maybe another as well. The second likes boys. Usually three or four.”

Quatre growled deep in his throat. “Duo knew!” He hissed at Wufei. Wufei only nodded.

“Do you think they would help us get the lowlifes out of here to end up in a deep dark dungeon somewhere?” Wufei asked her hesitantly.

The hope from before turned to joy at the question. She nodded eagerly to him. “The second likes to take a couple of older boys and a couple younger boys. We should go there next. That way they can help by carrying or dragging them out of here.”

An evil grin spread over Wufei’s face. He nodded and motioned her to follow as he shouldered the dead weight of the unconscious man. Quatre took his position by the door and motioned the girl at his side. “When we say get down, you drop to the floor hands behind your head. We may have to get out the hard way.” When he received a nod he peeked into the corridor and motioned them out. The girl lead the way down the corridor and took a left turn. She knew where she was going. The two men followed behind her quietly making sure that the corridors where empty of possible danger.

The girl stopped and pressed her ear against the door. She pulled back and looked up at the two men. She held up five fingers to indicate how many children she heard on the other side.

Wufei shifted his burden to the floor and motioned the girl to his side. He showed her how to hold the gun he held. “Don’t kill him. We want him to suffer.” The girl nodded as Wufei turned back to Quatre. He grinned at him and motioned him through the door first.

Quatre bowed and took the lock out of commission. He opened the door slowly. If he thought the sight in the medical officers room was bad he had no idea what he would find in this room. While two teenage boys performed to their audience on the bed taking two younger boys. The looks on their faces saying they would rather be anywhere else then there doing what they were doing. To the side the man was fondling another teenager and a younger boy. There were actually six children in the room. From the flushed skin of them they had been given some sort of aphrodisiac to aid and abet their torturer.

Wufei rolled into the room and came up with another gun at the ready held on the naked man in the chair. Quatre watched to make sure that Wufei had the man in order and brought the girl and their first hostage into the room to make sure that nothing happened.

Wufei eyed the man and moved to the boys on the bed. He tapped the shoulders of the older boys. They stopped what they were doing and looked up to see the stranger not really looking at him. Wufei motioned to the bundle of clothes at the door to the room. The two boys that were being fondled by the old lascivious man had broken away and were already pulling on the clothes. The older boys helped the younger boys.

Quatre brushed by the boys and cuffed the man and gagged him. He also redid the man’s pants. He did not want to see the man’s privates no matter that he was happily in love with two other men. He turned back to see the boys in conference with the girl. He looked at Wufei questioningly.

Wufei nodded and approached the boys on silent feet. He caught the tail end of the explanation that the girl was saying.

“And he let me kick him.” She added happily.

“Are you sure Katey?” The oldest boy asked quietly. He was about sixteen years of age with long copper colored hair almost as long as Duo’s. He looked at the curly red head girl in question.

“She told the truth. We are taking you away from this…” Wufei interrupted the conversation. Seven sets of eyes turned to regard him all with varying degrees of cynicism. “We are Preventer agents and when we’re done with this place it will be nothing but a jumble of ashes.” Wufei didn’t know what it was that convinced the boy but he nodded and set everyone jobs. He looked up at Wufei in question to see if anything else was needed. Wufei gave a little smile he held out an elastic to the youth. “Do you know how to braid it?” The boy shook his head no. Wufei had become something of an expert and quickly did in in the braid that would keep the hair out the youths way.

“Do you think that you could carry that ape?” Quatre asked of the youth motioning to the unconscious man. “I think that your two friends there will be able to keep Mister…” Quatre frowned. “I can’t come up with a word for him.” He muttered in distaste. “We have one more stop then we’re out of here.” He made his way to the door and was surprised to see the girl once again at his side. She grinned up at him and copied his motion from earlier. She pulled back and motioned them to follow. Quatre took point with her and Wufei took up the rear of the group.

They arrived at the Commanders room and Wufei motioned them to follow Quatre’s lead. He was the last one to enter and didn’t see what had been going on but by the swearing he knew Quatre needed help. He rushed by the youth carrying the unconscious doctor to find Quatre watching five boys swarming the commander as the girl made sure that the second in command didn’t try anything.

Wufei held back the chuckle he was holding and held out cuffs and a gag to one of the boys. He didn’t like the scars and wounds he saw on any of these children but he wasn’t going to take issue now. He watched as the man was subdued and the boys pulled away.

A little girl sat in the middle of the bed whimpering fresh scratches and bruises all over her body. She couldn’t be older than six. And from what Wufei and Quatre could deduct she was a new one to this unusual fold. Katey motioned to another girl who was now dressed to take her position and rushed over to the girl. Wufei followed her closely. She was a little asian girl. He couldn’t tell where exactly but she was the sweetest little thing he had ever seen. He pulled the top sheet from the bed and calmly started to make a harness to hold the little one in. She wasn’t going to be able to walk out of their.

He looked up at Quatre furiously. Quatre only nodded and got their little group assembled to head out. He gave them orders and the advice that he had given red curls.

Katey looked up at Wufei hesitantly. She didn’t know what he was up to and was unsure of what to do.

Wufei looked down at her and checked his watch. “I have the most adorable boyfriend. He came from the streets of L2. I think he would like to meet you.”

Katey smiled. Someone who knew the streets of L2, the worst colony she had ever heard of. This man could be trusted. She handed over the newbie and smiled in understanding.

Wufei nodded. “I’ll need your help if there is a fire fight. You see this knot?” At the girl’s nod he continued. “Pull it and keep her on the ground with you.”

Katey nodded and made her way to the group by the door Wufei following behind her.

The doctor had come around now. The boys and two new girls surround the prisoners making sure they behaved. Each one had some sort of weapon. The oldest boy held a gun and looked like he could use it. The other boys held chair legs. The way they hefted them said they would use them if they had too.

Wufei nodded to Quatre and Quatre lead the group on their way out of the prison they had lived with for so long. They met with no resistance on their journey.

Chapter Eighteen: Part 2 Heero

Heero made his way to the center of operations. He didn’t know it but he had the easiest job of the group. He knew that there would be people in there and he had a sleeping gas ready to knock them out.

He ducked into a side corridor when he heard the sound of feet coming towards him.

“I can’t believe the guy. He is such a sadistic bastard.” One man muttered.

“Yeah. I mean taking a…” The voices faded away as they moved further from him.

Heero frowned wondering what he had missed in that conversation. Some thing about it wasn’t right. He frowned as he continued on his way to the control center.

When he arrived he threw the tank into the room after he checked the airways into the room. He waited five minutes for the gas to take its affect. He pulled on the gas mask to make sure that he wouldn’t get drowsy as well. He pushed in carefully and took in the scene. He made his way to the main computer and set to work on down loading everything he could on to the disks he brought with him.

As he waited he looked over some of the information files absently.

What he saw was enough to send cold chills down his back. They where working on a beam canon that could take out a whole city with one blast. It would leave nothing but rubble behind. He looked over the schematics and winced at how close they had come to total annihilation.

“Damn.” He muttered. “That IS cutting it too close.” He looked over the full schematics and tried to think of what to do. The computer hadn’t come to downloading it yet. He deleted the files. He knew that the explosion would leave nothing left of the computers. Duo had given him a nice little bomb to put in here. He had even shown him how to set it.

Heero sat back and eyed the men and women that had been in the room. One of them he recognized. For some reason he knew her. He growled and thought over the reason. ‘Oh shit!’ He groaned. ‘She’s Relena’s stoolie.’ He made his way to her and checked to make sure she was alright. ‘Looks like I will have my hands full.’

He went back to his packs and pulled out the cuffs and gag he had there. He also pulled a vile of wake up incense. He put the cuffs and gag on first than waved the contents under the woman’s nose.

Her eyes flew open and took stock of the room. Her eyes settled on the uncompromising mask Heero wore. She rolled her eyes at him.

“You have a lot to explain.” He growled at her. “I’m not taking any chances till we know everything.”

The beep of the computer finishing downloading called Heero from the woman’s side. He pulled the disks from the drives and turned back to see the woman trying to stand up.

“Don’t even think about it.” He stated flatly. He received a glare and another roll of her eyes. Heero looked around and placed the little present he had and activated it.

The woman watched and looked at him questioningly. She didn’t know what he was up to but she had a good idea. She just hoped the children would be helped. She would hate for them to get hurt as well. She looked back up to see Heero eyeing her.

Heero looked up and eyed her eyeballing the bomb. He grunted. She was in no shape to make her own way out. He would have to carry her out. He sighed internally. It was a good thing that he was so strong. It would make him able to carry her one armed easily.

The woman didn’t expect for him to do what he did.

Heero threw her over his shoulder and growled at her when she gave a token struggle. It would be an interesting time getting out. He made his way to the door out. He peeked out and slowly made his way to the exit. He heard some one coming and dived around the corner. Pressing himself carefully against the wall making sure not to hurt his burden.

“Well shit. Are you sure?” He heard the voice from earlier asking.

“Yup.”

“Your telling me that he had some sort of harem of kids down there?”

“Yup.”

Heero growled at the words. He almost wanted to go shot them for just talking about THAT. “Trowa you better find that harem and free them.” He growled softly as he slipped out behind the man and continued his way to the exit.

His burden had stopped all motion at his growled words relaxing in his arms. He rounded the last corner and his eyes widened at the sight that met him. Quatre and Wufei where herding a group of children and three prisoners to the exit from the opposite way.

Quatre shot him a look of rueful anger. The anger seeming to roll off the man as he moved.

Heero looked beyond the group. “Down.” He roared as he raised his gun.

Wufei at the back of the group was already whirling to face the enemy. The girl at his side did something and the burden that Wufei was carrying dropped into her arms as she dropped to the floor.

Three shots rang out and the three guards coming towards them dropped bullets through their heads.

“Move.” Wufei growled as he scooped up the bundle he had been carrying before.

Heero paused to drop a kiss on Quatre’s cheek as the burdenless man passed him to lead the way. He paused outside the door and motioned Heero to lead as he made sure all of them were out. He counted heads and motioned them out. He had told them that the others would be taken care of. They were all tense with fear but they followed the man quickly when he had kissed their blond savior.

Chapter Eighteen: Part 3 Trowa, Zechs, Sally, and Noin

Trowa took point and Zechs took the rear keeping the women sandwich between them. Trowa flowing easily through the shadows. Made the way clear for the others. He knew that Zechs was doing so at the rear of the group. He still didn’t know why his part had so many people. But for some reason his heart quailed at the thought of what may come.

He received a shallow cut from one of the guards on duty to the cells. But it didn’t sway him from his work or his want to free innocents. He searched the guards for the keys and waited for the others to catch up. They would do their search quicker if they worked separately to search the cells.

When the last one of his team arrived he separated the keys into a group of four. He handed the keys out and they set to work.

Sally couldn’t contain a gasp as she opened the first cell. Four girls between the age of eight and thirteen were inside in various stages of dress and fading scars on their bodies.

Noin looked over her shoulder and winced at the sight. “We have to get them out Sally.” She whispered to the woman. “Don’t see the scars or the way their dressed just get them out.”

Sally nodded her head as tears slowly made tracks down her face and anger bubbled within her.

Noin heard a snarl from further down and turned to see Zechs trying to gain control of the emotions running through him. She promptly started opening doors not looking inside. She hoped that none where hurt to badly to get out easily. She noticed some of the older girls and boys helping the younger ones.

She looked down the hall at the roar. She had finished opening the doors to her cells and ran down the hall to see what had caused the roar. She stopped in large doorway and stared at the horror within. Trowa was moving like a whirlwind. Through the room. The keys in his hands opening locks to the apparatus that tortured the poor children.

It was full of torture devices from medieval times. And each device at some child attached in varying stages of pain and consciousness. Children were chained spread eagle to the wall. Others where folded over in the stocks of olden day whip marks and welts all over their bodies. Still others were chained to tables in sexually advantageous positions. Cuts placed strategically over their bodies. Some new, others old. The smell alone in the room of vomit, of human waste and excretion, and blood. Predominately blood. She promptly turned and threw up into the can beside the door and wished she hadn’t. She felt someone brush past her.

“Don’t see what is there just see the children.” A voice murmured.

Trowa freed all the children and turned to get Sally. Sally was already seeing to the worst of them. He looked up to see a small stampeded of children coming to the room. He felt a hand tug at his sleeve. He looked down into a fever ravaged face and almost flinched at the pain he saw there.

“Thank you.” Dry cracked lips broke open at the word coming from the little body there.

Trowa nodded and broke contact to look at the ceiling. He noticed Sally giving the children that were now swarming the room orders to help their friends.

“Sally.” He called hoarsely. “Get everyone out. I’m leaving one of Duo’s little treasures here.” Sally looked up to see the raw anger pouring of the man and nodded. She gave order to the group and placed Zechs on point. She had some of the older children carrying the younger ones. It let the adults keep their hands free in case of trouble.

He looked down as the hand that was holding his sleeve was being tried to pulled off. He looked down at the young girl. No young woman. He shook his head and motioned that he would take care of the boy caught in the most horrific device.

“He bit the commander on his…” She left the rest unsaid. Almost afraid of the reaction of the adult.

Trowa squeezed his eyes shut to hold in the reaction he wanted to let loose. He looked back down and tried to smile reassuringly. “I would never do what that man did to any child.” He finally managed to squeeze out of his tight throat.

She looked deeply into his eyes and nodded. “I’ll help you.” She helped the child up from the rack as he set the bomb in the center of the room and activated it as he checked his watch. They still had forty minutes to get out.

Tears were pouring down the girls face. “I think they used everything on him.” She whispered. “He’s not going to make it, is he?”

Trowa let a growl escape him. “He will if I have anything to do with it.” He scooped the child up and motioned her to the door. He set out at a brisk trot. He made sure that she kept up and shifted his burden as he closed the door on the horror that had been there. He caught up with the group when they were almost at the door.

He knew Quatre would do everything to save the bundle of pain in his arms. He signaled Noin that he was there. And glanced behind him as the sound of alarm klaxons went off. He swore and the children surprisingly picking up the pace. They seemed to know that they had to hurry. They burst through the doors to see a startled Quatre. He handed the child in his arms to the man and pulled a knife and threw it at an object behind the man.

“Go! I’ll cover for you.” He roared as he pulled the semiautomatic from his shoulder.

Quatre nodded use to this side of his lover. The girl that had been running beside his love fell in beside him following beside him closely. He followed the rest of the group. He hoped that Duo would be able to get everything done.

Zechs and Trowa covered the group as the group went out through their escape route. Slowly they followed making sure that no one was alive to follow.

Chapter Eighteen: Part 4 Duo

Duo went back out the door to place the four bombs for the wall in their spots. He knew that he had plenty of time unless something went wrong and that usually did happen. He hoped that that didn’t happen. He finished with the outside points and made his way to the hangers, munitions, and mechanics bays next.

He left one of his little treasurers in everyone of the places that needed it and made his way to the labs. This was were it was important to leave the biggest treasure. He wanted to make sure that there was absolutely nothing left of this building. He would be placing two bombs in this building one on the ground floor and one two floors from the bottom.

“Well the quickest way to the bottom is the air ducts.” He told himself. He wished he was still a teenager. It would have been much easier to get through the ducts if he was. He let himself slide down the shaft till he was sure that he was on the floor he needed to be on. He made his way to the center of the floor and left his present there for the people who were creating such a devastating device. He let himself out into an empty office and checked the halls. He would use the elevator shaft for his return trip to the main floor. He made his way like the ghost he made been named at the beginning of the war to the elevators. He swore when he found three men standing there waiting for the elevator.

‘Wait this might work.’ His mind said. He looked up and saw the ventilation grid. He grinned as the idea formed. He would use the groups efforts to gain a trip to the top. He listened for a moment to see where they were heading.

‘Perfect.’ His mind chortled as he got his answer. He wiggled into the duct and made his way to the elevator. He slid out and made his way to the safety spot at the top of it when it arrived. He grinned at the effort this would save him in climbing. The time it saved was a bonus as well.

The elevator came to a stop and he moved swiftly to the ventilation duct. He hissed in anger when a part of the elevator broke away with a clang to ring through the shaft. “Oh, shit!” He whispered and continued even quicker to the ventilation duct. He just made it when he heard the emergency hatch being opened. He slithered through them as quickly as he could knowing where he could get out safely. He hear d the shouts in the building he made his way across to the spot he had mapped out in his mind left the last device and moved even quicker to the exit point.

Just as he was almost there he heard the shots. Some one was trying to flush him out. He felt a searing pain in his side and knew that he had been hit. He kept moving not letting the pain take hold of him. He had bombs to place. He had two more bombs to place and he wasn’t going to let this stop him.

He made it to his exit. He dropped carefully to the ground and reached into the pack he was carrying with him. He pulled out the emergency bandages and secured them to his left side where the bullet had torn through his body.

When he was done He made his way to each side of the Head Quarters and Control Center. He placed two more of the bombs on either side of the building knowing that Trowa and Heero would know were to place the other little treasures.

He grabbed the ladder of a fire escape and made his way to the roof to place one more bomb just for good measure. He growled as the klaxons went off. He moved quicker and felt the tear in his side widening. He made it to the roof just as a group of troops appeared around the corner. He dived down out of his sight and made his way to the center of the roof he opened the door to the little building that allowed access to the roof and placed his bomb in the center of the floor. They wouldn’t know what to do with it if they found it and only a man who really really really knew his explosives would be able to disarm it.

When he was done he made his way to the opposite side of the building and the escape he knew was there and made his way down the fire escape. He watched as the children he knew was here making there way threw the hole they had made. He saw Zechs and Trowa giving cover fire as they went. He made it to the bottom and snarled as a group of men rounded the corner coming at his team-mates from behind.

He had one choice. He unsheathed his gundanium knives and the look of Shinigami passed over his face. He positioned himself and dropped into the group of ten men. His knifes flashed out to strike anything that was in his way. He received the occasional hit and took some cuts from some one else who liked knives. The man didn’t like them as much as he did.

He looked up and saw the man targeting him and a knife flashed by him to embed itself into the mans chest. He turned to see Trowa motioning him to the exit. Zechs was already standing in it waiting.

Zechs watched as Duo made his way to him and made a hasty decision. “Sorry,” He told the man tersely and threw him over his shoulder and ran through the exit. Trowa a step behind him. They made there way to the helicopters and saw that the last child was being boarded. Zechs passed his burden to the waiting arms of Wufei. Noin was already in the cockpit getting things started. Trowa and Zechs peeled away to there own birds and boarded quickly.

Wufei sighed as he shut the doors and looked at the children and very young adults staring at him. He settled with his burden and gave Noin the thumbs up. The helicopter lifted smoothly off the ground and went into full stealth mode.

Duo pulled on his helmet and made sure his mike was on. “Lulu 1 000 feet above the base please.” He gasped out.

“Affirmative.”

Wufei’s hands were checking out the injuries on his love and hissed when they found the pressure bandage on his loves side. His hands went quickly to work. Two other sets of hands went to his aid and Wufei looked up into eyes that were as old as time. Two sets. “Your coming home with us.” Was all he said. He knew that Une and Quatre would be making arrangements for the others. But these two…somehow he knew that they had nothing left in the world.

They stared in stunned amazement at him. One with a long copper braid. One with red curls surrounding her face.

Duo opened his eyes and looked at the two. He nodded in agreement with Wufei. He knew the signs. He also knew that Wufei had a whole other floor of rooms that could be used in his apartment. These two needed him. Badly.

“Hey Duo.” A voice buzzed in his ear. “I thought 5 000 would be better.”

Duo looked out the window beside him. He grinned slightly and looked at the two in front of him. He put out his hand with the detonator. “Push the button.” He told them calmly. He met dark brown and amber eyes. “Push the button and we get to go home.”

Two evil grins spread across the faces of the children. As one they pressed the button down. Their eyes as well as the other children watched as a slowly forming ball of fire erupted towards them from the ground below. Wondrous smiles slipped onto all the faces. The children in this chopper were all ones that had no major injuries. Laughter and delight ensued as they saw their place of torture disappear before their very eyes. They were free.

Free.

Duo smiled with real joy. He had finally beaten his worst enemy. He had finally won.

He passed out promptly after that thought.

Wufei grunted but knew that there was nothing they could do till they got back to headquarters. That was their destination. They weren’t stopping for anything.