Kracken
Disclaimer:I don't own them and I don't make any money off of this
Warning:Male/male sex, violence, graphic, language, torture, attempted NCS.
Burning Candles
Payback
Heero crouched on the deck, watching the sun go down as he went over his part of Trowa's plan in his head. All of his equipment was already strapped on his body and a small bag of explosives and extra ammo was by his right foot. His hand checked a knife at his boot again and again, a nervous gesture.
Trowa seemed more relaxed, though Heero doubted that he was. He leaned on the ships's rail, staring at the waves and letting the cold breeze toss his bangs back. His green eyes were inscrutable. In black, he looked too tall and too thin, though his large shoulders betrayed his strength. He had throwing knives at his waist and a rifle slung from his shoulder.
Heero started, the knife half jerking out of it's sheathe, as his cell phone vibrated. The way Trowa suddenly straightened, he guessed that Trowa's cell was doing the same. Heero looked at the read out on the tiny screen and didn't recognize the number. When text began scrolling, he brought the phone close to his face so that he could read it on the lighted screen. He was dimly aware of Trowa doing the same to his cell.
"Knock, knock," Heero read aloud.
"Same here," Trowa affirmed. "Duo?"
"How?" Heero wondered and saw more text scrolling.
'Maxwell here. You guys need to come up with better security protocols. A baby could have hacked into it. Anyway, down to business. I tapped into the weapon's array and the platform's main frame. I'm downloading all contents to Une. Mission must not be compromised until confirmed retrieval. Situation under control.'
The screen went blank as the call disconnected. Heero stared at it for a long moment before he gripped the cell in one hand. Trowa felt very warm standing next to him as he said to Heero, "Duo's decision. You will respect it and follow his order."
They had planned to infiltrate; scramble the surveillance devices, and download from the observation array; the same plan Heero had attempted to carry out before his capture. The information first and then Duo's life. That was the list of priorities. Trowa's cold gaze had been a warning, threatening violence if Heero decided to ignore that order. That gaze hadn't changed. Trowa's firm grip on his rifle was almost unnecessary.
Heero straightened and left the deck, cell phone in one hand and his bag of destruction in the other. He went below deck and sat on his cot. Putting the bag down, he cradled the cell phone in both hands and waited.
The cell phone vibrated. Heero unclenched his hands in surprise and read on the tiny screen;
'Hey, just between you and me, Heero, thanks for coming after me. Crazy, but nice. Since I'm probably not making it out of here alive, I think I can say this without being scared as shit that you will get your hands on me to break every bone in my body. I love you. Always have, I guess. This last year was the best. I wanted to get past the partner thing and try for something more, but I didn't work my nerve up in time. I didn't want to ruin what we had if you were straight, or just not interested, and I have a healthy respect for my life. So, there you are; stupid, too late, story of my life. Gotta go. Mr. Sadist isn't happy with me again. I might lose more than my toes this time. I don't think I'm going to be in one piece long enough for Une to confirm that she has all the files intact. I'm going to have to stick with this and keep sending them as long as I can. Just wish Jake hadn't shown up. Stupid kid. Just like his foster father, I guess.'
The line went dead. Heero stood, shoving the cell into a pocket. He hefted his bag onto one shoulder, checked his weapons one last time, and then squared his jaw. Duo needed him. Duo was not going to die for this mission... and neither was Jake.
Getting past Trowa was another matter. The man couldn't watch the entire ship, or the three boats attached to it. Darkness was complete and it was Heero's friend, as was the stiff wind that covered any noise that he might make. He waited until Trowa went into the control room to call Une or the contact boat, and then he lowered a boat and climbed down to it. Setting it adrift, he waited until the waves had rolled him far from the main boat, before he turned on the engine.
He didn't have much time before Trowa realized and tried to come after him. Heero was well aware how swiftly and silently death could come from a trained Gundam pilot. He had to watch for Trowa and the enemy at the same time. He had to foil their security and keep from being stopped by the one man who could stop him. All for Duo, he told himself firmly, and wondered if Duo would hate him for it when he finally did rescue him.
______________________________________________________
"Fuck you!" Jake snarled. "Why did you let them do that? Do you hate me that fucking much? You want me to die, don't you? You want me to fucking die so you can take the kids!"
Duo blinked back into the world, losing his precious thread of concentration. At least Jake had stopped screaming. Curses were better than that. It was hard to remember how many lives were counting on him when his foster son was having his arm broken in two places. He had given Revenant the progress that he wanted, but Duo knew the ultimate price that they were both going to pay in the end. He couldn't allow Revenant's men to really control the machines. He could only pretend. Sooner or later, Revenant was going to figure it out. Duo was surprised that he hadn't already.
"Fucking talk to me, you fucker!!!" Jake howled.
"Jake," Duo replied softly. "Come here."
"Fuck you!!!" Jake snarled.
Duo, feeling cold and nearly at the end of his strength, moved closer to Jake. The chains rattled, but the men were having a break and they wouldn't be back for a few more minutes. Duo stared into Jake's hot glare and saw the fear and pain there as the boy huddled around his broken arm. He was shivering hard, teeth clenched.
"Jake," Duo whispered. "I'm going to tell you like it is. We both grew up on the street. Nothing's ever been sugar coated for us. We're going to die and it's going to be painful and," he glanced at the cable opening, "real messy. That's facts."
Jake reached out with his good hand and gripped Duo's filthy clothes hard. "All you have to do is what they say! How fucking hard is that, you shit?"
Duo touched the hand fisted in his clothes and replied, "Has that ever bought you anything on the street, Jake, doing what they say?"
Jake tensed. He was quiet for a long moment, his eyes hidden behind his long, blonde bangs, and then he replied, "No. Guess it's the same here, huh?"
"Yeah," Duo replied and couldn't keep his voice steady. "Just... Just have a chance to stick it to them, you know? Get back a little revenge. We just have to... hang tough for a little bit more and then... try to spit in their faces when we die... O-Okay?"
Jake's eyes appeared as he raised his head to look at Duo and they were like cold steel. "You crying? What a goddam baby! I'd never let you in my gang."
Duo managed a grim smile. "You would have made one hell of a Preventer, Jake."
"Better than you," Jake sneered.
Duo nodded. "Yeah, I think so."
"Who's going to take care of the kids now?" Jake wanted to know. "Both of us gone, who've they got?"
"Who they always had," Duo shot back. "Sometimes, Jake, you gotta stop think of yourself, or even someone real close to you. You have to... give... until... you've got nothing left."
"Why?" Jake shot back.
"Because it's what's right," Duo replied simply. "Because a lot of other people will have... better lives if we do what we do."
"How do you know that?" Jake wondered viciously. "They could all get screwed and die."
"Can't see the future," Duo replied."Just have to trust that... everything will turn out okay."
Jake raked at his hair and then half turned away. "They're my family. All I've got. I couldn't let 'em go. I would of been... alone."
"I was there too," Duo reminded him. "I know all about that. I was mad when they took my 'family' away from me, but... they were better off. Better than I could give them. Life on the street is short and sharp. It's no place for little kids."
"I made it," Jake reminded him angrily.
"Did you?" Duo retorted.
Jake scowled and he made a pained, huffing sound as he moved too much. "If I didn't have this broken arm, I'd kick your ass," he panted.
"I adopted you," Duo told him patiently. "I'm trying to give you a future. You just have to let me."
"You and Heeero?" Jake mocked.
"Heero?" Duo was perplexed.
"He was looking through your things, looking for you," Jake sneered. "Seemed real upset. Thought he was gonna cry. Didn't know you was a butt boy."
Duo's face flushed. "I... that bother you?"
Jake didn't say anything and then he grunted. "What the hell's it matter? I'm just saying... you want to give me this blow about being daddy when you got plans for locking it up with this guy. I'm sure he don't want 'insta family'. He just wants some."
Duo put chin on fist and sighed. Jake glared at him.
"What?" Jake demanded.
"You are so like me when I was your age," Duo grinned, even though it was weak and sickly. "All balls and no brains."
"Fucker!" Jake snarled.
"Truth is," Duo continued, as if Jake hadn't spoken. "You're too old for this crap. Time to grow up, Jake. Time to get your ass out of the streets and see what you're made of. Doesn't matter if I do sheep and Heero wants to marry me in a white gown, I spent years giving, giving, and giving some more. That counts for something. That means I'm worth more to you than for you to talk shit about not trusting me."
Jake jerked his chin at the cable. "So, I guess I get to grow up and die all in one day? Thanks."
"Most people don't even get that," Duo snorted.
Jake suddenly grinned, fierce and dangerous. "I didn't think I would."
"Me neither," Duo admitted.
So," Jake stared down at his broken arm, cradling it against him, and then he said, "I get to spit in Revenant's face first, got that?"
Duo nodded and laughed, "As long as I get time to spit second."
"Rest time's over," one of the men growled as they approached. "Time to start teaching again, or do you want us to break the kid's other arm?"
"No," Duo replied quickly and let trepidation show on his face. "I-I'll do what you want, just don't hurt him anymore." He motioned to the man to come forward. "We'll start with you first. You actually managed to move a machine's arm last try."
"Did he?" Revenant asked suspiciously as he approached.
"Yeah," Duo told him. "I think you should make him your captain. He has more ability than all the rest of them put together."
The man in question looked pleased, but Revenant was frowning. "I want all of the men to work on their machines at the same time."
"The same time?" Duo's throat went suddenly dry.
"Is that a problem, Agent Maxwell?" Revenant wondered.
He knew. Duo's heart sank. He exchanged a look with Jake. Jake didn't understand, but he knew when he was being warned of danger.
When Duo didn't speak, Revenant's face went red with anger. "My men didn't actually operate the machinery, did they? You were the one moving the machines."
"Uh, yeah," Duo admitted and then grinned. "Took you long enough." He crooked a finger at Revenant. "I need to tell you something... about your men."
Revenant took a step forward, but he was also motioning for his men. "What you have to say now, is of no concern to me. You have failed for the last time. "
"Son?" Duo said, rolling his eyes at Jake.
"Thanks, Dad," Jake shot back derisively and then spat full force. It flew true and hit Revenant square in the face. Duo tried to follow with his own spit and missed as Revenant stumbled backwards wiping at his face.
"You spit like a girl," Jake sneered at Duo.
"Out of practice," Duo lamented.
"You...!" Revenant was so angry, a pulse throbbed in his forehead. "You are both going to die in pieces! Men!"
The men began to come forward, picking up things to use for weapons as they moved. Duo shivered. He reached out and gripped Jake's shoulder. His hand slid up to the back of Jake's neck and he felt the boy shaking., despite his brave face. One jerk to the spine, Duo thought, and he could spare Jake a lot of pain. His hand tensed there and he centered all of his strength into his fingers.
_______________________________________________
Heero shivered with cold as he climbed the struts up to the platform. Two men dead, his boat sunk to prevent detection. He had a wire in his ear that was open to all communications in a narrow, secure channel. He would know when Une sent her received message. He would know the moment when Duo would allow himself to be rescued. Heero intended to be there at that very moment.
Easier said than done. The platform had a very complex security system and Heero spent precious time rerouting their signals so that they showed everything but a lone, black clad Preventer agent scaling into their stronghold. There was also a fierce, chill wind attempting to pluck him off the platform. It shot salt spray into his eyes, the eyes he needed to find the security devices.
Something sharp cut through his glove into his hand. Heero hissed and saw that an array had been damaged. Some of it's casing was broken. The sharp edges had cut him. Heero blocked wind and water with his back, shown his light into the array, and rewired it to send to the mainframe erratic an erroneous reports of communications incoming. Hopefully that would be enough to make them doubt any alerts they received from him.
The hanger was closed, but there were lights shining through windows and cracks. Heero took out a man hunched away from the wind and miserably guarding a door and took out his companion as he came back from a break, but not before the man said, thinking he was talking to his fellow guard, "Hey, they're going to beat the shit out of that Maxwell bastard. Let's go take a look. Nobody but the cold is going to miss us out here."
Heero chopped across the man's windpipe and he didn't stop to see if the guard was alive or dead as he sprinted over the body. As Heero reached the door of the hanger, rifle coming down from his shoulder and into his hands, only one thought pounded through his mind, 'Save Duo.' He shoved with his foot and the door, gliding on salt encrusted railings, slid open with a loud sound. It was then that a voice in his ear said, "Information received, Agent Maxwell." and the hanger exploded.
see Kracken's original, published yaoi fiction, The Angel Within, at amazon.com
under Kracken
Website:http://kracken.bonpublishing.com
Latest updates at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KrackenficsML/
and for general fanfiction talk: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/krackenml/