A Silver Lining Part 10
"Do you believe in God, Heero?" Duo's voice broke through the dimly lit cell as the ex-Gundam pilots lied on their back, preparing for yet another day of questioning.
Ever since their fateful conversation regarding the 'Silver lining Theory', Heero had grown accustomed to these out-of-the-blue inquiries from the braided pilot. Seriously considering the question, the Japanese Preventer answered, "If you had asked me during the wars, I would have told you no. Doctor J never believed in anything but man's will. He made certain that my training did not allow me to make my own beliefs."
Intrigued by his friend's response, Duo rolled onto his side to face the ex-Wing pilot. Even in the thin light that peeked in from under the cell door, his violet eyes shown with their surprise as he asked, "Then you believe in God now? What changed your mind?"
Shrugging, Heero answered, "After the first war, I was a bit curious as to how there could be so many religions and so many beliefs. So, I did my own research on the different faiths to appease my own interest in the matter."
Duo sat up, never taking his eyes from his partner as he waited patiently for him to continue. Taking a deep breath, Heero turned his gaze up to his cellmate as he went on, "While there are some who believe in more than one entity, I found that the majority of the religions believed in one.
"While that alone was not enough for me to come to a conclusion if I believed or not, I came across something else.... I also learned that when you strip down the different ways that each religion celebrates their belief, they all share the same foundation for their religions."
Heero's cobalt eyes filled with an almost... peace in them as he said quietly, "Love and believe in one God above all others, and love your neighbor as yourself. That's the simple, basic law of just about every religion there is out there."
Taking a moment, the Japanese teenager spoke again as he suggested, "I do think that mankind has taken religion into their own hands in many ways, made it something more than what it was intended so people can benefit for themselves." Duo nodded fervently in his own agreement to that statement.
A small smirk tugged the corner of Heero's mouth as he stated, "But for so many to base their faiths on the same law, I can't help but think that someone got it right." He turned his head to look back up to the ceiling again as he concluded, "So to answer your question... yes, I do believe in God."
For a long moment, there was silence between the two Preventers. With small tears in his violet eyes, Duo whispered, "Thank you, Heero. Before now, I wasn't even sure if I believed in God, myself."
* * * * * *
"I don't like this idea," Relena frowned deeply, the first to finally speak after hearing the suggestion given by Lady Une. Along with her, the Gundam pilots, Zechs, Noin and Anna gathered together in the conference room after the head of the Preventers had called on them.
Sharing her concern, Wufei folded his arms as he sighed, "Neither do I. Duo's already been through enough by our interference and lack thereof. I don't think that this would be a very wise move."
Sally nodded, "Heero's kept in contact with me over the course of the last three months. Duo's finally been making progress in his demeanor. If we do this, it may do more damage to him, causing him to retreat within himself more than he had when we found him."
With a deep breath, Lady Une sat up in her seat as she stated, "I understand, and I do agree with all of your concern over this matter. But, we have some new developments in our search for those involved in the White Out Organization." She nodded to the redheaded Preventer sitting across the round table from her.
The moment everyone's eyes fell on her, Anna frowned deeply as she swallowed hard. To her right, Trowa squeezed her leg under the table for support as his lover took up the folder of reports she had gathered. Clearing her throat, she began, "Trowa and I came across some information that is a bit... unnerving and needs to be acted upon as soon as possible."
His attention peeked, Zechs nodded to her and asked, "What information did you find?"
Anna turned to her partner for a moment before looking back to the tall man to answer, "We believe that we have some inside leaks helping the organization." Every eye on her widened in shock at her announcement.
"Y-you mean there are Preventers working for White Out?" Noin breathed. "How are you sure?"
Nodding, Trowa replied, "We found evidence that someone had been tampering with the central communication database that we use to email each other throughout the office. The traces that were left behind were minimal and took quite some time for us to notice that there was any change in the system.
"There is no telling how long ago the database was rigged, but there is reason to believe that the person, or persons responsible have been able to read every message and overhear every telephone conversation made in this office for over three years now."
Still wide-eyed, Sally commented, "That was well before Heero and Duo's mission where they had been captured. Heero did make a remark that it almost seemed like the rebels they were targeting knew they were coming."
Noin's face turned pale as she added grimly, "It also explains why we were only able to intercept four transport ships all together. Those attacks all happened at the same time, the orders to strike given verbally. After that, we resorted to using our office phones and emailing system to follow up."
Zechs fell back in his seat as he rubbed his face with his hands. Lowering his hands again, he said quietly, "Whoever is tampering with our communication here knows everything that we had been planning in locating the leaders of the organization."
With a solemn nod, Lady Une advised, "I have not issued a correction to the problem, as I do not want to have those listening in on us to think that we're aware of what is going on. I have ordered Trowa and Anna to continue their search to find the source of the interference."
The couple nodded firmly to her as Anna reassured her friends, "It'll take time, but we'll be able to trace the strand of missing links in the database. We'll find the parties responsible for this."
Looking back up to his commander, Wufei asked, "But what good would it be in trying to convince Heero to bring Duo back? It could take days, weeks, or more for there to be any real lead to who is leaking information out."
Realization flooding her in now seeing Lady Une's reasoning, Relena answered for her, "Duo's knowing that one of his own is the reason he was captured may trigger him into action."
At the confused and surprised glanced she received, the politician explained, "It's personal now. Someone he trusted is the reason he ended up in White Out's captivity."
A shudder ran up Quatre's spine as he saw the truth in that his lover stated. "Until now, he didn't have a name or a face to focus his rage on. Now he may have that," the blonde Arab added.
"He would have a reason to help in any way he can in finding everyone responsible," Trowa continued. "And in having Duo aiding in the search, we would have Heero back as well. This is just as much his hope for revenge as Duo's."
Still reserved in making a final decision, Lady Une addressed the group as she appraised them all before ordering, "I want to see a show of hands as to who thinks I should reach them. I want to be certain that everyone supports this motion."
For a moment, everyone sat, unmoving, as they dealt with their own thoughts. Finally, slowly, Zechs was the first to raise his hand. Noin soon followed along with Relena, Anna and Trowa. Biting his lip, Quatre moved his own hand up, followed by Wufei and Sally.
At the sight of every hand in the air, the head of the Preventers sighed deeply. "There will no longer be discussion involving our search via phone or email when we are in this building. We will have to discuss these matters in person, or from our personal residences."
When everyone present nodded their understanding and agreement, Lady Une concluded, "I'll contact Heero and Duo tonight from my house. Thank you for your time." And with those words, the meeting was adjourned.
* * * * * *
Sighing deeply, Duo sat back in the chair he had been set up on the second floor balcony just outside the bedroom. A gentle breeze played with his braid as he lost himself in his thoughts. He had now spent over three months at the summer house with Heero.
Over the course of their time hidden from the world, Duo managed to slowly start building his strength again with their long walks and occasional jogs. While he was not at his physical best, he was taking his recovery one step at a time.
Duo had nearly regained the weight that he had lost after nearly starving to death. It was a relief to not have to face the gawking imprints of his ribs whenever he removed his shirt. While there were still a few scars that remained on his chest, he no longer looked sick as well as marked from his ordeal.
The puncture wounds on the braided pilot's elbows had finally healed. Instead of wearing the remainder of Heero's tank top as cover now, Duo had tied them together to make a wide band- similar to a bracelet- that he wore on his right wrist at all times. It served for as much a keepsake, he imagined, as the silver chain and cross Heero wore was to him.
The thought of his best friend brought a smile on Duo's face. The time that he was able to spend with Heero the last few months had been the best times he could ever recall in his life. Along with that happiness, there was also the slightest bit of pain in his being so close to his dear friend.
That pain came from Duo's knowledge that he could never admit his true feelings for the ex-Wing pilot. It was not long before the end of the war when he had realized he had fallen in love with Heero. After being so drawn to the stoic youth, he had to be honest with himself in why he was so attracted to him.
Somehow, it was easier to have those feelings knowing that the Japanese soldier would probably never change and they might never see each other again when the war was over. Now that the war had ended and Heero had not only changed but taken so much time and effort to took after him, Duo was having a more difficult time coping with his emotions, on top of his mental scars from when he was in White Out's captivity.
Heero walked up to the second level of the house after returning from gathering some much needed groceries. Knowing that Duo always liked to gaze out to their scenic view from the balcony, that was the first place he went.
Instead of disturbing his friend when he found him, Heero contented himself to stand in the doorway to watch him for a moment. The small smile on the other pilot's face had an infectious infect on him as he felt his own lips tug upward. After a long moment of silence between them, the Japanese Preventer greeted gently, "Hey."
His braided head snapping up to meet his eyes, Duo smiled back, "Hey." Rising from his seat, he asked, "Need help putting the food away?"
As he raised a hand, Heero shook his head and replied, "No, I took care of that already." With a nod of his head to the chair, he said, "I hope I didn't disturb you from something."
Duo chuckled deeply and shrugged, "Nah. I was getting ready to head in soon, anyway." He looked up to the sky as a span of thick clouds began rolling in. "Looks like we're going to have rain tonight," he observed aloud.
Leading the way back into the house, Heero nodded, "The weather report on the radio said some pretty nasty thunderstorms are on the way." He smirked, "Considering how lucky we've been with the weather up to now, I suppose we can deal with some rain."
"Yea," Duo agreed as he closed the balcony door behind him. He smiled to himself at the sight of the silver chain poking out of the back of his best friend's shirt. Breaking himself from his thoughts, he announced, "And don't think about cooking tonight. You took care of dinner the last two nights, so it's my turn."
Heero knew better than to argue the matter, even though he did enjoy taking care of his partner. Still, he also knew that Duo enjoyed doing the same for him, so he decided to let the matter rest. Duo went into the kitchen right away to look over what foods he could work with.
No sooner had Duo gone off did Heero's emergency contact cell phone ring. His cobalt eyes narrowing a bit, the ex-Wing pilot quickly walked into the living room to answer the call. Why would anyone be calling now after all this time? Opening the flip and placing the phone to his ear, he grated, "This is Yuy."
Lady Une's voice responded simply, "Patch into my personal frequency when you are at your laptop. Code number 598." At that, she disconnected.
Without hesitating, Heero walked up to the bedroom that he and Duo shared. Opening his laptop, which he had not used in over a week, he quickly patched into the signal that had been entrusted to him. He placed the computer on the small desk as he sat before it. The moment the connection was made, Lady Une's image appeared on his screen.
Relief filled the young woman's brown eyes as she smiled, "Hello, Heero."
Keeping his guard up a bit, the ex-Wing pilot nodded firmly but kept his voice in a friendly tone as he replied, "Lady Une." Before he had to sit through any small talk before getting to the matter at hand, he asked, "What is this about?"
For the first time, in all the time that he knew the brunette woman, Heero noted her hesitation. At last, she sighed deeply and answered, "I need to speak with Duo."
His cobalt eyes narrowing, the Japanese Preventer folded his arms and stated, "You can speak with me first. So, I'll ask again. What is this about?" Suddenly recognizing the furniture of the Preventer head's living room, he asked, "Why are you contacting me from your house and not your office."
Lady Une kept her patience, knowing that Heero was only being protective of the other pilot. She decided better to just be honest with him than get him even more upset for her disturbance. "There has been some breaking news in regards to the White Out Organization. It appears that we have a leak, or more than one leak, within the Preventers."
At that news, Heero's eyes widened. His fists clenched tightly as he inquired in a deep growl, "You're certain?" At his Commander's nod, the young pilot covered his face with his hands as he allowed the information to process.
"Whoever this individual or individuals are," Lady Une spoke up gently after a long pause, "they are the same people responsible for the capture of you and Duo on your last mission together.
"Anything that the rest of us have been working on as leads will not pan out now, as they have been warning those leads in advance. There is no telling what else they know, about all of us, since they have been watching us for the last few years," she advised.
Lowering his hands, Heero sat numbly as he looked to the screen. One of their own had been responsible for everything that happened to Duo the last two years. Taking a deep breath, he asked, "You're looking into finding those leaks?"
The young woman gave him a firm nod as she answered, "Trowa and Anna are working around the clock to find the source to the breech in our communication database."
It did not take long for Heero to realize the purpose behind Lady Une's request to share this information with Duo first. His eyes narrowing anew, he stated, "I will not allow Duo to go into this search before he's ready. It'll be his decision if he wishes to return and I won't stand for anyone pressuring him."
Before Lady Une could protest, Heero told her firmly, "I'll tell Duo what you've learned. From there, it's up to him what he wants to do."
Having no other choice in the matter, the head of the Preventers nodded and replied sincerely, "Thank you, Heero. Please send Duo all our best."
"I'll do that," the ex-Wing pilot reassured her, losing the edge in his voice. Reaching up, he disconnected the call. For a while, Heero just stared at the blank screen as the thoughts running through his mind threatened to cause him to implode.
When Heero looked up, he gasped sharply as his cobalt eyes widened on the sight of his best friend standing in the doorway to the bedroom. Concern filled his gaze as he whispered breathlessly, "Duo..."
Quick as a flash, his braided partner turned and made his way to the stairs. Running after him, Heero called, "Duo! Wait!" When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he found the other pilot placing his hand on the knob of the front door.
Placing his hand on the door to keep it closed, the Japanese Preventer begged quietly, "Duo, please look at me... talk to me, something." His heart broke at the sight of the tear-filled violet eyes that looked up at him.
Slowly, a sad smile fell on Duo's lips as he said faintly, "Heero... I..." Shaking his head, he tried again, his voice still little more than a whisper. "Thank you for trying to protect me... But I can't hide from my demons forever." He bit his lip and continued, "I have a lot to think about... alone, if you don't mind."
Heero nodded and replied back just as softly, "Okay. I'll be here waiting, then." Ever since the day they had been separated, it was he same promise they made to each other whenever they had to part again.
Gently, he placed a hand on Duo's shoulder and squeezed it for support. Covering the hand with one of his own, the braided pilot spoke his gratitude without words as he squeezed back before heading outside, closing the door behind him.
* * * * * *
With the thick clouds overhead, Duo was not able to gage what time it was when he finally reached the edge of the lake where he and Heero had spent many a warm day like this swimming. Sitting atop a large rock, the braided pilot shuddered almost violently as he hugged his legs to his body.
There was a low rumble in the distance as the ground vibrated from the distant thunder. A few large drops fell past the tree branches overhead, soon followed by a steady downpour of rain. Lost in his own thoughts, Duo never paid any mind to the fact that he was quickly becoming soaked. His shaking was not on account to being cold or wet.
Lady's Une's message about a traitor, if not more, within the Preventers had wracked the American to the core. Not only was he in danger all this time, his friends, the only family he knew, were also in danger. While there was that to deal with, there was also the possibility of finding a lead to those in charge of White Out.
Running a hand through his wet bangs Duo thought about Michael and Kayla. He thought about the many names and faces he came to know who had been prisoners to the same captors who held him. He thought of countless others whom were no doubt suffering the same as they had at that very moment.
Another shudder ran through Duo as the nightmarish memories of the time he had spent imprisoned. He was still having a difficult time coming to grips with it all, but he knew that he had to. As wonderful as the vacation had been, it really was just an escape from the reality of what had happened, and was still happening.
Large tears fell from the braided pilot's face, melding with the rain that continued to pour down. Closing his eyes tightly, Duo sobbed quietly as he continued to shake. He knew that he had to face his demons. But to have to do it alone...
At that last thought, the American's violet eyes snapped open wide. Raising his right wrist, Duo looked to the band of green fabric made from his best friend's shirt. Gently running his other hand over the band, he whispered, "Heero..." Hugging his legs to his chest again, he reminded himself to never consider himself alone again.
* * * * * *
It was well after dark and still Duo was out in the rain. Heero continued to pace anxiously in the living room. He knew the other pilot was perfectly capable of maneuvering himself through the woods around their house in the dark, but a storm like this would make it difficult. While he had promised to allow his partner his time alone, he was now growing more and more concerned that something may have happened. Another flash of lightning shown through the drawn blinds as the ex-Wing pilot ran a hand through his hair.
Looking up at the time on the grandfather clock, Heero noted that Duo had been out for almost three hours, half that time he had been in the terrible downpour. He blinked his cobalt eyes in shock and disbelief at the realization that that so much time had passed. Knowing that he would be breaking his word, and not caring at that particular moment, he resolved himself to going out to find his friend.
Just as he moved to the closet to find a couple of windbreakers to fend off the rain, Heero heard footsteps making their way up the front porch. Quickly, he ran into the entranceway of the house just as the front door opened. With a small asp, the ex-Wing pilot took in the drenched form of his partner.
As Duo moved to step inside, he stumbled as if he were not even aware he was moving. Heero moved swiftly and gathered him into his arms as he fell forward. Clinging onto his soaked friend, he whispered in a relieved sigh, "Duo." The braided pilot reached up to grasp onto him tightly as he slowly became aware of where he was.
Carefully scooping Duo into his arms after a moment of just holding him, Heero carried him into the living room. Setting the American to sit on one of the couches, he made quick work of removing the sopping T-shirt and sweat pants to wrap a warm blanket around his partner's shoulders. As he rubbed Duo's arms through the blanket, Heero took account that his violet eyes were more alert now.
Once he was satisfied that Duo was safe and warm, the Japanese Preventer sat beside him. Taking the braided teenager into his arms, he sighed deeply, "God, Duo, you had me half scared to death. I was just about to head out looking for you."
With a mumbled 'Sorry,' Duo looked up to the pilot cradling him. When their eyes met, the braided pilot said quietly, but firmly, "We should head back."
Taking a deep breath, Heero nodded and brushed back his friend's bangs as he replied, "All right. We can go back home tomorrow."
Duo bit his lip and frowned, "I'm going to need help... I don't know if I'm ready to handle this on my own yet."
A small, sad smile fell on the ex-Wing pilot's face as he stated gently, "What are best friends for? You know you don't have to face anything alone anymore... not with me around." With those words, the braided Preventer smiled in relief.
Finally, the mental exhaustion from the events of that day caught on with Duo as he fell asleep in the strong arms holding him. With his eyes closed, he mumbled something against Heero's shoulder. Small tears filled Heero's cobalt eyes as he whispered, "I love you, too, Duo." Carefully, the Japanese Preventer carried him upstairs.
Just when Heero was certain this investigation could not become any more personal than it was already, he had been proven wrong.
TBC...
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