Just remember that this fic is all of my fic kinks/clichés/themes in one fic- as many as I could make fit anyway! This part has one of my faves... it has to do with Quatre.

Here We Go Again Part 2

Heero hadn't woken up yet. Quatre and the others had been waiting outside the facility for me, and Sally had started working on Heero right away. She had let me go with them to the hospital, let me stay beside him as they bandaged up his wounds, took blood for tests, hooked him up to machines.

I stayed beside him, waiting.

Wufei had come by once to tell me that the Preventers had raided the facility and that Dr. J was now in custody.

I was glad. There was no way I could've dragged both him and Heero out of that building, and my priority was Heero, not that insane old man.

I had to trust that the sleeping gas- and the handcuffs I used to attach Dr. J to the bottom of a tube- were enough to keep him there.

So far of course, the doc hadn't admitted anything. They had him on all kinds of charges- all of the stuff Heero had sent in, and all the rest that was being dug out of the computers of the facility. He'd apparently been there since the war ended- and how had he managed to survive?- doing all kinds of bizarre research.

It bothered me though- Heero had to have known that we'd raid the place when Une had a chance to look through all the evidence. He had to have known that someone would be sent in- thus the gas... but why say that he was as good as dead? Why tell us not to retrieve? That part didn't make any sense to me. He'd obviously resisted being shoved into the tube... maybe he had thought it would take too long to get to him? That he'd already be caught and in the tube before we could get there?

I had to swallow hard at the memory of the tubes.

Wufei hadn't gotten specific about the research, he said a lot of it was being kept under wraps- and he'd hinted that Une was tempted to destroy some of it.

That told me a lot right there. Our good commander wasn't the type to destroy things out of hand- at least not these days. That meant the research was dangerous to the peace somehow.

I watched Heero's chest rise and fall. Why hadn't he woken up yet? Sally promised that she'd fill me in when she figured out what was going on, but I hadn't seen her since she'd vanished off with all those little vials full of Heero's blood.

How long ago had that been? 18 hours? 20 hours? I couldn't keep track anymore.

My eyes were itchy. I wanted to close them, wanted to go home and snatch a few hours of sleep, but I had already let Heero down once by not being there. With my luck he'd wake up the moment I left.

So I waited, watching his chest rise and fall, rehearsing all the things I wanted to say to him in my head. All the things I wanted to tell him when he woke up.

If he woke up.

Sally finally opened the door an hour later and came in. She gave me a faint smile. "I'm waiting for the others," she said. "I'll brief you all at the same time, okay?"

"Okay."

"And then you are going home to rest."

"Sally-" I started and she shook her head.

"Duo, you look like hell."

"I have to be here if he wakes up."

Sally's expression changed for a split second and my heart stopped.

She didn't think Heero was going to wake up.

Before I could speak, the door opened again, and Une came in, followed by the guys.

Quatre looked at me and came right over, one hand closing down on my shoulder in a painful grip. "What is it?" He whispered and I shook my head.

"Doctor Po?' Une asked. "Please update us on Agent Yuy's condition."

Sally gave me a quick glance and I saw the apology in it.

"Not good, Commander. Whatever they injected him with," Sally indicated the cluster of needle marks on Heero's upper arm, "has had some detrimental effects on Agent Yuy's systems. His blood cells are reforming themselves, his bloodstream is filled with foreign cells..."

"What does that mean?" Wufei demanded.

"I can't explain it. It looks almost as if they tried to alter his DNA. His body is fighting it, but the changes are killing him." Sally sighed. "His body can't cope- it's like having dozens of traumatized areas all at once- his white cells can't keep up. They are getting confused and attacking healthy cells."

I let my head drop down onto my hands. No... this wasn't fair! Damn it! I had brought him out of there! I had lost him and saved him, and now I was going to lose him again.

"We can't stop it-" Sally was still speaking. "I can't figure out what was done to him in time to do anything for him. I analyzed the data you sent me, and it doesn't seem to match what's going on inside of him. Whatever they gave him we can't find in the lab- I sent people in to look, as you know. It's like J had something cooked up on the side and was waiting for a test subject..."

"So he's going to die?" Wufei asked what I couldn't bring myself to- and I say Sally's shoulders slump.

"I'm afraid so. His body is fighting a losing battle. I don't expect it to be soon, but I don't know what else to do for him and the only person who could help us isn't talking."

"I'll go talk to him." I got to my feet. "I'll make him tell us what he did."

I saw Une give me a considering look.

"I'll go with you," said Quatre. His hand hadn't left my shoulder. "Trowa- you and Wufei don't mind staying here with Heero do you? You can call us if... anything starts to happen."

Trowa nodded. "Of course."

"Commander?" I asked.

Une nodded, the glint in her eye was chilling. "I'll call and make sure you have clearance and some time alone with the good doctor."

~*~

Quatre was silent on the ride over; I could practically see the gears turning. I hoped he'd come up with a plan, since mine was pretty much 'beat the crap out of J until he talks', and I doubted that would work.

I'd sure enjoy it though.

Une had indeed called ahead. We were cleared through security and taken into a small metal room that contained had a table and three chairs. Dr. J was already sitting in one, his hands cuffed in front of him.

Only Quatre's hand on my elbow stopped me from lunging at the guy.

Heero was what was important here, I needed to remember that.

"Good afternoon," Quatre said as we sat down.

Dr. J merely looked at us.

"I'm sure you can guess why we are here," Quatre sounded for all the world as if we were in one of his business meetings.

Then again, the man was an expert negotiator.

Dr. J didn't answer.

"I suppose you think that you can wait us out, negotiate your freedom, but I have to tell you that you're wrong."

The doctor's lips twitched faintly, as if he longed to tell Quatre otherwise.

"You know that we've seized all of your notes, all of your research, we don't really need you. You and the others may have been brilliant, but there are finer minds than yours out there. They will be able to copy your research, solve your codes."

Silence for a moment as the doctor glowered at us.

"Then why are you here 04?" J said. Quatre smiled and J frowned, closing his mouth with a snap.

Quatre leaned back in his chair.

"I must say, I'm kind of surprised. I know you spent an awful lot of time training 01, I didn't think you'd just out and out destroy him the next time you got your hands on him- he is pretty valuable..."

"Destroy him?" Caught again!

"He's dying, as I'm sure you know."

Doctor J looked shocked for a moment.

"Dying? Impossible!"

So the doctor hadn't meant for that injection to kill Heero. Interesting- but not helpful.

Quatre raised an eyebrow. "Whatever you injected him with is killing him. We're here to find out what it was. Surely you don't want all the time and effort you put into 01 to go to waste."

Dr. J shook his head. "If 01 is too weak to withstand it, then he should die."

That was it.

I had Dr. J pinned against the wall before Quatre could stop me.

"And if he dies, then so should you."

"Go ahead 02, snap my neck. Kill me. Make yourself feel better about failing another friend," Dr. J hissed.

I heard Quatre swear behind me, but I simply leaned closer to J.

"Oh no, you'll die like Heero's dying. I'll take some of his blood and inject it into you!"

Fear blossomed in Dr. J's face and I smiled.

"This isn't wartime!" He protested. "You know I'll have to stand trial in the courts! You won't be able to kill me out of hand!"

"Of course I could. I'd have to pay for it afterwards, but it would be worth it."

Quatre's phone rang.

"That's your commander telling you that you've pushed the limit!" Dr. J said, and his voice shook. He was close to breaking.

Quatre answered the phone.

"Winner...... What?!?"

His hand touched my arm. "Heero has vanished out of his room. Trowa and Wufei were talking to Sally in the hall. They heard some kind of explosion- he was gone when they went back in."

Dr. J was smiling.

"What did you do! Who is helping you!" I demanded and Dr. J laughed. I shook him and he just kept laughing. Disgusted, I tossed him into a chair and looked at Quatre.

Quatre was studying Dr. J intently.

"I don't think you're planning on being much help doctor, so I think we'll take our leave. Next time maybe you'll want to talk to us."

Quatre's hand moved quickly, yanking off Dr. J's goggles. The doctor screamed and covered his eyes with his hands.

"I can't see! Give them back to me!"

"No. You'll get them back when you feel like talking to us." Quatre turned towards the door.

"You can't do this!"

"Just tell your guards when you're ready to talk. In the meantime I have to confiscate anything that might be considered dangerous or that you might use to harm yourself."

Quatre opened the door. "Guard? Take him back to his cell- and remove his mechanical arm while you're at it. We're concerned that he might use it to escape."

The guard at the door, one of Une's handpicked men, saluted. "Yes sir."

I followed Quatre out of the building, watching as he swung Dr. J's goggles around his fingers.

Reminding myself never to have Quatre get mad at me, I climbed into the car beside him and leaned back into my seat, closing my eyes. This whole episode was a waste of time. I shouldn't have left Heero's side.

Guilt washed over me and I felt Quatre's hand brush my knee.

"It's not your fault Duo."

"I keep letting Heero down."

"I'm sure he doesn't see it that way."

"I do. I totally lost it in there- you got more out of him than I did. I should've stayed with Heero..."

I heard Quatre sigh. "You did fine. You managed to scare him."

"I think your goggle trick did it worse."

"No, just enhanced it. Now every time his door opens he's going to be wondering if it's you." I opened my eyes to find Quatre smiling slightly.

"What do you think happened to Heero?"

"I don't know. I suspect the doctor has allies- maybe the other doctors? They must have been waiting for a chance to snatch Heero."

"Because of the stuff J injected him with?"

"Yes. Since Sally can't find it anywhere else, I suspect J made it with him in mind. It wouldn't have been hard to make the Preventers suspicious, and if they knew or suspected who was at that facility, Heero would be the obvious choice to send in."

"So you think we were played."

"I suspect so."

"Damn."

"Exactly."

The Preventers were swarming all over the hospital when we entered. Security tapers were being reviewed, personnel files were being gone through, patients were getting background checks.

Une moves fast when she's upset. Faced with the agents swarming over the hospital, I suspected she was very upset.

Wufei and Trowa were in Heero's room examining the corners, looking for some sign of what happened to him.

I had to blink when I looked at the bed. All the tubes and needles that had been attached to Heero were just lying on the bed. The sheets were only slightly wrinkled. It didn't look as if he'd been moved in a hurry.

"There's no sign of him." Trowa told us when we asked how the search was going. "I know I heard a bang- and yet there's no sign of an explosion, nothing is burned or scorched. He's just gone."

We helped the other two scour the room and then moved on to other parts of the hospital, helping the other agents who were already there.

We found absolutely nothing.

Heero was gone.

Une sent me home hours later, ordering me to get some rest. I didn't know how much sleep I could get, but I didn't know what else to do. Other agents were looking for traces of Dr. J's accomplices- they hadn't found anything yet. Dr. J himself apparently hadn't felt like talking yet either, though Trowa and Quatre were planning on paying him another visit.

I let myself into the apartment, flipping on lights. My adrenaline was gone, the hope that had sustained me for so long was gone, and my anger was wearing thin.

Closing the door behind me I moved down the hallway wearily.

I almost missed the person on the sofa.

I caught the flash of white out of the corner of my eye and had turned my head to look.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

Heero, in his hospital gown, was curled up on the sofa.

TBC...

 

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