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| *** mean time passed/scene change Sister Dearest: Part 9 Stumbling slightly, Alex pulled his tattered coat a little closer to his chilled body. Glancing around the dingy street, he made his way across the street to lean against a doorway. It was too much. Leaving had been hard to do, even with someone to protect. He pushed himself away from the rotting wood to walk down the street. He needed to find out if his contacts were going to pull through. Staring blindly ahead, he finally recognized the shape of a payphone. He could contact them once only without being traced.. but would it be enough? Fumbling in his pocket, he produced the extra credit-strip he had stolen. �Marcos, this is Polo. Have you found the bird?� Mumbling, he watched through the glass around him, not noticing the uproar that sent several people scurrying by. �I have the package with me, and it�s hot here. I�d like to be someplace with better weather soon.� Nodding slightly, he smiled in satisfaction. �We�ll be ready for pickup with the dawn.� Hanging up, he made it about five feet down the road before running into a solid mass of people. Looking up slowly, he couldn�t hide his shock as he recognized the soldier before him �Well, fancy meeting you here, Doc.� Glaring, he pulled the stunned man off his feet. �Strange how you should show up right when we are looking for Lady Une. I think you�d better come with me. The commander will want a word with you, I�m sure.� Shoving Alex in front of him, he marched him off towards the heart of the activity, never noticing the dark shadow that followed them both down the street. *** �Heero, what are you doing with that Onna!� Wufei exclaimed, grabbing him by the arm. �We need to get Duo and get the hell out of here!� Ignoring the figure covered in long, brown hair, he gestured to Michael and set off down the alley. �Hey Wufei!� �Maxwell, where the hell are you? This is no time to be playing games!� Suddenly motionless, Wufei watched as Heero did something incomprehensible�. Heero was laughing. Looking back at the �Onna� he gasped. �Maxwell?� �In the flesh.� Grinning, Duo pulled his hair back from his face and caught up to them. �One of these days, Maxwell�� Michael grinned, his metallic smile full of humor. �Wufei, I think we can talk about this later. We still have to get them back to the house and see if Valdin needs help� besides, I have a photographic memory, literally. And if you don�t get moving, I�ll just have to share this moment with the others.. you wouldn�t want that, now would you?� �You wouldn�t.� �Try me, Lover.� �Fine, let�s get out of here!� *** �Karl� Karl, wake up.� The world swam in and out of focus as he stared up at a strange ceiling. Trying to move, he found himself restrained heavily, a strange weakness stealing over him. Something felt odd inside.. trying to pull up his internal screen, he found only blankness.. it was no longer there. System diagnostics.. gone. Lifting his fingers one at a time, he felt the metal move smoothly as always inside.. he was somewhat intact at least. Feeling a hand run over his stomach, he flinched. He knew that touch, cold as his own flesh. Forcing his lips to form words, he finally got his thoughts together. �One or Three, which of you has done this to me?� Growling, he fought against the straps. �If the doctor wants to toy with me, let him do it his own damn self.� �Relax Karl. I can�t power you back up fully until I know his controls are gone. If any of them are left, you�ll only attack me, and that will get us nowhere.� �One?� With disbelief he raised his head and tried harder to focus on the pale blur beside him. �The name�s Valdin� but yeah. Don�t worry. I�ll get you up and working soon. Michael helped me capture you, and the only one left with him is Four.� �If this isn�t real, I�ll hate you as much as I hate him you know.� �I know, but trust me brother. It is real. I escaped through pure luck, and that luck hasn�t run out yet. So long as we stick together we�ll put that madman out of business.� �I don�t want to put him out of business, I want to kill him, slowly.� Feeling a familiar crawling across his skin, he fell silent as wires snaked their way across his flesh to bury themselves in his neck. �I haven�t spent my life fighting him to see him put in any situation he could potentially get out of. I want his head chopped off.. a stake through his heart. I want to see him bleed.� Grimacing, he finally managed to focus on the dark eyes above him. �Oh.. Dammit.. Don�t tell me I did that�� �You didn�t, some soldiers decided to show up and we had to run for it. I had to take care of a few of them.� Valdin commented, carefully moving around the tubes and wires that slowly repaired the bullet wounds on his chest. Tapping a few more buttons on the console, he looked carefully over the schematics before him. �Ok, I think I�m done here. At least it will be easy to see if I managed to remove your programming. Just try to let me know if you have to try to kill me.� Smirking, he slowly moved his finger up a panel, watching the electronic systems in Karl�s body power up. �Gee, thanks for the warning.� Grimacing, Karl felt his diagnostics come up as his vision cleared. Pulling up his internal screen, he carefully examined it. �Ok.. here goes nothing.� Reaching up, he tore the straps off the table and levered himself into a sitting position. �One. You have betrayed the doctor. And you know what? I�m damned glad.� Forcing his lips into a smile, he grabbed Valdin�s hands and squeezed them tightly. �Now, why don�t we pay a call to the Bastard, and kill him slowly?� �We have to get Four out first somehow. You know if he has her he can use her against us.� �Why do you always have to be right?� �It�s a gift.� Throwing his hair out of his face, Valdin walked slowly to the panel of lights that represented his own health. �Almost done here. Why don�t you go have Michael fill you in, and introduce you to our new partners?� �Ok, but remember, even if you don�t want to help with it, Cat-man and I will tear him to shreds when we get our hands on him.� �Karl.. the situation has changed some. I don�t think Michael will be as bloodthirsty as you are, his new lover gives him other things to think about. Got it Robot?� Grinning, he gave the burly man a gentle shove. Smirking he saluted sharply. �Got it, fearless leader.� *** �Ok, there�s obviously something going on in the area of the lab that OZ is really interested in.� Heero stated, pulling up a map of the area. �We know they hired her to take out our operatives, but the killing has stopped and there�s not a sign of her in the area. Now, what would they be after in the lab, except possibly her? They must have paid for her contract in advance.� Closing the laptop, he put his arm around Duo. �I think our best bet is to let them get her out of the lab, and take her from them.� �That might be a good idea, if she was there.� Walking into the room, Karl interrupted an angry gleam in his eye. �The Bastard took her with him when he was finished putting Valdin in storage, and he hasn�t brought her back since. The only person in there is his newest toy. He took some woman with glasses in there to work on.� Duo raised his eyebrows. �Glasses?� Karl simply shrugged and continued. �I don�t know who the hell she is, but the soldiers could have been after her, since she was wearing some kind of military uniform.� Looking up, he spotted Michael slipping in behind Wufei. �So, There you are Cat-man. I see you decided to go on without me.� Smirking, he raised his eyebrows at the Chinese boy. �As if we had any choice the times we were together, Robot-Head.� Growling, Michael pulled Wufei even closer. �You�re just damned lucky he never made me kill you, or you me. He loved those little power games.� Watching the muscular man carefully, he relaxed at the smile he received. �True, true. But I do want to tell you that I don�t regret being with you. Not now, not ever.� Running his hands over his short brown hair, he grimaced as he noticed the large scars running across his arms. Sighing, he folded them quickly. Looking over at Wufei�s shocked face he winced. �Sorry to break it like that kid� Don�t think it meant anything to him. We were only toys in the Bastard�s twisted power games.� Wufei studied him carefully, finally nodding when seeing the pain on both of their faces. For a moment he even smiled, though it was quickly hidden. Sauntering across the room, he ignored the conversation around him to reach Karl. Grabbing him by the arm, he silently dragged him across the room. Looking at Michael�s stunned face, he smiled again, regaining his seat in front of his lover and pulling the big man down to sit next to him. �Ok, so we know they weren�t after Dyana.. so where is she?� Duo asked, helpless frustration on his face. �We know she�s not at the lab, so where is she? If OZ had her we�d still be losing people left and right!� Heero sighed. �I wish I knew, Koi.� *** Sliding through the shadows, she watched as they took her rescuer through the press of the crowd to the large vehicles they had arrived in. Trying to stay as quiet as possible, she finally found a vantage point over their heads where she could observe the man they finally brought him to. Biting her lip, she dug her fingers into the slates beneath her as they took him into the largest of the carriers. There were sounds of argument.. barely audible over the noise of the crowd. Deciding weather to go in after him, she froze as she heard a shot. No� �Nooooo!� Her hoarse voice screamed, drawing attention. Cursing, she retreated, using every skill at her disposal to stay silent. She would make them pay� make all of them pay. |
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