Author's Note: Be very, very glad. I almost put the first few pages of this chapter into the last one, leaving you with a very nasty cliffhanger. But knowing how I hate them myself, I couldn't in good conscience torture readers that way...especially when they've been so supportive and kind. Hope you like this very climactic chapter! (Please forgive errors...I was hurrying to post it!)

Boot Camp Part 58
The Trap Closes

Duo froze, turning to face the icy voice from the shadows, while his brain screamed at him to run or yell or do anything but stand still and wait for death. "Kushrenada. How'd you know?" he asked, trying to sound shocked...betrayed...clueless...and less terrified than he felt.

"While I'd like to say it was merely my keen instincts and powers of observation, I have to admit, I had a little help. Mainly from you." The warden's voice was coming from a shadowy cluster of trees, and Duo could almost make out his shape against the darkness.

"Me?"

"Yeah. You fucked the wrong person's boyfriend, Maxwell."

"Winner!" Duo gasped, sounding genuinely startled and accusing. He shifted his weight and heard the click of a gun's safety. At the same time a hand-held spotlight came on, pinning him in a raw shaft of light, and making him squint against the brightness.

"Twitch and you're dead," warned the warden. Then he gave a short bark of laughter. "Actually, you're dead either way. But surely you'd like a moment to make your peace with whatever God you pray to."

Duo gave a wry laugh. "I only believe in the God of Death, K. I've never seen much evidence of another one." He slowly raised his hands in the air, recalling Wufei's instructions. "Are you really gonna kill me?"

"Gladly."

"I'm not armed."

"I don't care."

Duo's mind was racing, trying to guess at where Wufei and Trowa might be. Had they waited in the right place, or were they hopelessly far away--too far to be of any help? Were they even hearing any of the conversation? And could he keep Kushrenada talking long enough to get some sort of confession out of him?

"What happened to throwing me in an L2 prison to be beaten and raped some more? I thought that's what you wanted for me," Duo muttered with a bitter edge to his voice.

"As entertaining as that would be, my patience with you has run out." The warden walked a little closer, or at least it sounded that way. But with the harsh light blinding him, Duo couldn't be sure. "Don't worry, though. I've planned a fitting end for you. It'll give the phrase 'gone to the dogs' a whole new meaning...and I'll enjoy every minute of it."

Duo was too busy thinking of ways to buy time to even try to follow the man's convoluted logic, or wonder what, exactly, he was talking about. Hoping to drag things out any way he could, Duo tried to muster a husky, pleading tone of voice. "Y'wanna enjoy something, K.? I'm not without--talents." He sank to his knees in the position Wufei had described, but in light of his words, it took on a whole new meaning. He licked dry lips, unintentionally adding to the suggestive mood in the dark clearing.

There was a hiss of indrawn breath, and the light wavered for an instant, before the warden cursed under his breath. "Fucking L2 whore."

"Yeah, but I could be your whore," Duo suggested, trying to keep his voice from cracking with the strain of maintaining a calm exterior when his heart was pounding so hard he thought it would burst out of his chest. "C'mon, K. I'm good. Really good. An' I can do whatever you want--whatever you like--"

"Not in this lifetime, Maxwell," sneered Kushrenada. "You might've gotten to me with the whole seduction thing if I didn't know you were a fucking murderer."

"Are we back to that again?"

"We never left it!"

"You never left it. I moved on a long time ago." Duo shook his head, knowing it was a waste of time to debate the murder of Kushrenada's brother so many years ago. "Well, as they say, it takes one to know one, K. How'd you manage Lowe's murder? All the way on L1--that must've taken some doing."

"Not as much as you'd think," came the smug reply. "All it took was a single phone call." He gave a self-satisfied chuckle. "Even Merquise was easy to set up. But Chang--now he was a bit of a challenge."

Duo's jaw dropped in unguarded shock. "Chang? What do you mean?" His blood felt like it had suddenly turned to ice in his veins.

The warden laughed coldly.

"What do you mean?!" Duo demanded, his voice rising with mounting panic.

"I mean your precious Chang is dead at the bottom of a ravine on the way to town."

"You lie!" Duo accused, trembling with dread at the man's smug tone. Kushrenada seemed so sure of himself...so sure that Wufei was dead. But he couldn't be!

"Yes, I do lie...but not about this. Not now." The warden's hand was steady on both flashlight and gun. "When the good Captain left this afternoon, he was intercepted and forced off the road, into the ravine. Chang is dead, and soon you will be, too."

Duo leapt to his feet, forgetting everything but his fury and grief, and he made it two steps towards Kushrenada, fully intending to launch himself at the hated man, before the gun went off.

Three shots burst quietly from the silenced weapon, slamming Duo back into the fence he'd so recently breached, before he slumped to the ground.

"No!" screamed Trowa, leaping recklessly from his position in a tree about twenty yards away. Having seen the light come on, he'd been watching the scene play out, unable to hear much of the conversation, as he worked his way closer so that he'd be able to take action when the time came. But it came too soon, and now Duo was down, lying motionless against the chain link fence, and all Trowa could think to do was go after Kushrenada and make sure the man didn't get away.

As the warden spun, bringing the gun to bear on the sprinting boy, and squeezing off a quick shot that brushed so close to Trowa's cheek it drew blood, another shot rang out and K. jerked aside, blood blossoming on his left shoulder. He staggered and went to one knee.

"Drop it Kushrenada!" Wufei yelled, stalking from the shadows. He'd been closer than Trowa, but hadn't anticipated the warden goading Duo into an attack like that.

"Chang! You're supposed to be dead!" snarled the man, struggling to bring his weapon around in time to fire before the officer reached him.

But a sound kick from one of Trowa's booted feet sent the gun spinning off into the darkness, and the boy from the circus literally threw himself on the hated man, raining punches on any part of him he could reach.

"Fucking, goddamned murdering--!"

"Barton! Stop!" Wufei ordered, trying to catch his arm and pull him away. "Stop it!"

Trowa turned a tear-streaked, bloodied face to the Chinese officer. "But--Duo! He fucking killed Duo!"

"That doesn't mean you can kill him, Barton!" Wufei warned, pushing the boy back.

While his attention was focused on the grief-stricken boy, Kushrenada surged to his feet, making a grab for the officer's weapon. They grappled momentarily, and another gunshot split the still night air.

Wufei staggered back with a hand clasped to a bleeding arm, as Kushrenada smiled triumphantly and raised the gun to take point blank aim at his enemy's face and Trowa launched himself to intercede.

~*~

As the first unsilenced shot rang out, Heero leapt to his feet, forgetting the computer, their nearly-completed download, and everything except Duo. "Fuck, Quatre! Something's gone wrong!"

Quatre clutched his chest, gasping and nearly sinking to his knees at the wave of pain that lanced through him. "Ah, shit! We have to go! Trowa..."

The team leader dropped his gaze to the monitor in time to see the download complete, and he hastily pulled the last disk from the drive, shoving it into a pocket with the rest. "The hell with stealth, Quat! We go out the front!" He slammed through the office, flinging open the door in time to see spotlights coming on and soldiers dashing from their barracks.

As promised, the boys from Team Chase poured out of their barracks into the compound, calling for the rest of the recruits to join them, and heading in the same direction as the soldiers.

Then another shot rang out, and Heero cursed louder, sprinting for the distant perimeter fence. Quatre pounded along behind him...ignoring the shouts of soldiers and guards alike as yet a third shot rang out and then sirens began to sound.

"Duo! 'Fei! Trowa!" Heero screamed as he ran, hoping for any kind of response. When he nearly slammed into the perimeter fence, he turned and ran parallel to it, looking for the break where Duo would have gone through.

But when he and Quatre finally reached the opening, they could see almost nothing of what was happening outside.

"Trowa! Duo!" Heero called, pulling the fence back to allow Quatre to go through.

"Over here!" came Trowa's choked voice.

"Thank Allah," gasped Quatre, throwing himself through the fence, mindless of the scratches and scrapes he received along the way as his shirt snagged on the wire ends, tearing loudly. "Trowa!"

Heero was right behind him, homing in on a light lying on the ground, its beam haphazardly illuminating a blank stretch of open ground. He snatched the lantern, turning it in the direction of his teammate's voice, only to stop and stare in horror at the scene before him.

Kushrenada was lying on the ground, a hand pressed to a bleeding shoulder and blood seeping down the side of his face from a fresh gash along his brow.

Wufei was standing over him, one hand clenched around a bleeding bicep, and a gun in the other, held steadily on the disabled warden.

Trowa was huddled with his back to the fence and a limp form pulled up against his chest, sobbing helplessly and murmuring over and over that he'd failed and it should have been him.

"No," Heero breathed in horror, everything else forgotten when he realized who it had to be clad all in black and clutched in Trowa's trembling arms. "Oh, no. No!"

"Yuy, wait!" Wufei cautioned, trying to catch his friend's attention.

He might as well have saved his breath, for Heero walked numbly past and sank to his knees beside Trowa.

"I'm sorry!" Trowa burst out immediately. "I wasn't fast enough. I didn't know he'd-- It's all my fault!"

Quatre let out a pained whimper, sinking to the ground with his teammates, and wrapping his arms around them both.

Then soldiers were pouring into the clearing, and Captain Chang was snapping out orders, having Kushrenada hauled to his feet and securely handcuffed, shoulder wound notwithstanding.

And even as Heero reached to brush the untidy bangs from Duo's pale face, tangling his fingers in a limp, lifeless hand, the Chinese officer shoved his way into the group on the ground by the fence.

"Goddamnit, Yuy! Back off and give him air!" he snarled, beginning to unbutton Duo's shirt.

"Air? He's--he's--" Unable to say it out loud, Heero simply buried his face in his hands, allowing the tears to pour from between his fingers.

Duo moaned, drew a long, shuddering breath, and began coughing and gasping, his hands coming up to clutch at his chest. "Fuck! Hurts like hell--!" he ground out weakly.

"It'd hurt worse if you hadn't worn the Kevlar, like I told you!" Wufei said curtly, pulling open the shirt to reveal a liner made of thick, dark fabric. "Thank God you finally decided to obey orders, Maxwell."

The three other boys from Team Wing were struck speechless, watching slack-jawed as Wufei deftly stripped off Duo's shirt, revealing dark, spreading bruises across his chest.

"K-Kevlar?" Heero managed, finally able to bring his gaze back to Duo, now that he knew he wasn't looking at a dead body.

"'Fei made me wear it," Duo groaned, wincing as the officer's slender fingers probed at his injuries. "Didn't think it'd matter--but I gotta admit--he was right."

"Not the highest grade body armor," Wufei said absently. "But it was all I could get on short notice."

Quatre reached over with a trembling hand and pried a misshapen bullet from the thick, but dented fabric of the liner. "Kushrenada shot you?"

Duo nodded, coughing again, and grimacing at the ache in his chest. "Three times--th' fucker--" He managed a pained smile. "We got him for attempted murder, 'Fei?"

"More than that," came the warm, relieved reply. "I got him on tape admitting to Lowe's death, the attack on Merquise, and even an attempt on me."

Duo's eyes widened, and he looked up at Wufei in sudden recollection. "He said you were dead! I thought--" His voice choked up, and he had to look away, blinking back tears. And then he gasped and cursed as he was pulled up against a strong, solid chest and held in a desperately tight embrace. "Fuck, Yuy--y'gonna kill me!" he wheezed, even as he snuggled his head under the Japanese boy's chin.

But from that position, he could feel his lover's trembling, and hear the heart-wrenching sobs coming from the boy. "Aw, 'Ro," he sighed, ignoring the stabs of pain from his bruised chest, and wrapping his arms around the familiar waist. "I'm so sorry," he soothed. "Should've told you about the gear--but there was no time--" He pulled the other boy closer, shifting so that he could bury his face in the side of his neck and murmur reassurance, even as his fingers stroked the back of Heero's dark, unruly hair.

Trowa was still slumped against the fence, his face buried in his own hands, as Quatre wrapped him, too, in a comforting embrace, murmuring gently that Duo was all right, and he was all right, and that everything would be fine.

Wufei pushed himself to his feet, finding himself surrounded by soldiers and recruits, most of who were subsiding into an almost transfixed silence as they watched the four boys huddled against the fence. "Show's over," he said gruffly, waving his men back.

Austin gestured to some of the other recruits that had come along to help. "Hey, Ben, can you and your boys gimme a hand here?" They approached Heero and his teammates, but then just stood loosely circling them, turning their backs to make a sort of human "privacy fence" around their friends, until some of the crowd abated.

And they stayed there until Doctor Po arrived and shooed them all away, ordering a stretcher for Duo, and throwing blankets around the shoulders of his teammates, clucking worriedly over Trowa's gashed cheek and the scratches down Quatre's side from his frantic crawl through the cut fence.

As soon as the doctor got there, Wufei headed off with his soldiers, yelling commands about rounding up Kushrenada's guards, contacting headquarters, and making sure "that goddamned murdering warden" was thrown in solitary.

~*~

It was nearly sunrise by the time the four boys reached the infirmary along with Doctor Po and her orderlies. Duo was lifted from the stretcher, protesting loudly that the babying was unnecessary, but it did him no good. He was unceremoniously deposited in a bed, hooked up to an intravenous drip, and tucked under several layers of blankets.

The other three boys took positions around the room, Heero at his lover's bedside, clinging firmly to one of the boy's slim, long-fingered hands, and Quatre and Trowa on a couch against the wall.

Trowa was huddled in a blanket, Quatre curled up against him, both apparently unable, or unwilling, to take their eyes off Duo, who was propped up in his bed muttering imprecations at Doctor Po's "fussing".

"Jeeze, doc. I'm fine! Just bruised as hell," insisted the braided boy, trying to slap her hands away as she put one on his forehead and shined a light in his eyes.

"Maxwell--you've got a bruised or possibly cracked sternum, severe contusions, and a possible concussion. If you don't lie still and let me examine you, I'll have a sedative added to your i.v. drip and look you over while you're knocked out." Her expression was somewhere between teasing and scolding. "D'you really want some woman pawing you while you're unconscious?"

Duo blushed, opening his mouth to argue, and then subsiding into sulking silence.

A while later, after taking his blood pressure, temperature and respiration, and checking every inch of his upper torso for additional injuries, the doctor sighed. "Well, I suppose you're not that badly off," she concluded, looking very relieved. "But a few hours of rest could do wonders for you. Expect to stay here until supper."

"Aw--doc--"

"Listen to her," Heero said firmly, shifting his grip so he could lightly stroke the back of the hand he was holding. "If you'd seen how you looked--" His voice cracked, and he looked away uncomfortably, until he felt Duo take a firm grip on his chin, bringing his face around and reaching up to brush a gentle kiss across his lips.

"I'm fine, 'Ro. Ya gotta just let go of what might have happened...it didn't."

Heero nodded, not trusting his voice, and then jerked his head around sharply as the doctor put a blood pressure sleeve on his arm. "I'm not hurt, doctor!"

She leveled a stern glare at him. "All four of you are getting complete exams, Yuy, as well as a day of rest. And once I track down Captain Chang, his ass is mine, too!"

Duo laughed aloud at that, coughing and grimacing at the pain. "I can't wait till she corrals Wuffers! That I've got to see!"

Quatre and Trowa didn't escape the physician's ministrations any more than their teammates had. Both were examined thoroughly, and Doctor Po hissed in concern at the deep graze on Trowa's cheek, before applying antiseptic and then a liquid bandage to help heal the burned skin.

She also applied ointment to Quatre's scratched ribs, and put three of the four Team Wing members on a course of antibiotics to prevent infections. Only then did she relax, allowing the weary boys to rest, while she sent an orderly to bring them something nutritious back from the mess hall.

~*~

While Doctor Po was tending her young patients, Captain Chang was making his way through the chaos in the compound. He'd seen that Kushrenada was locked up, with MSC troops standing guard over him, and he was on his way to his office to contact Colonel Une about the situation.

Lieutenant Wolfe walked at his side, taking long strides to keep up with his superior. "Sir--are you sure you should be here?" he asked, gesturing to the wounded arm. "You're bleeding."

Wufei glanced at his blood-soaked sleeve. "Have someone grab a field first aid kit and bring it to my office." He continued his brisk pace, waving Lieutenant Lareau to his side. "Contact headquarters and ask for a security team to be sent down. I want every one of Kushrenada's employees confined, interviewed, and charged with at the very least, complicity in attempted murder." He snapped his fingers. "And get a legal team on it as well."

Another uniformed man jogged up, falling in step with Wolfe and Chang. "Sir--we found the warden's car--parked on the access road near the break in the perimeter. You ain't gonna believe what kind of stuff we found in the trunk."

Wufei paused, turning and regarding Corporal Wade with raised eyebrows. "Do tell."

"Looked like tools from a--a butcher shop, sir," said the rather shaken corporal. "Cleavers, knives, bolt cutters, an axe, a coupla buckets and some heavy tarps and garbage bags. What the hell would he want with that stuff?"

Wufei's face went pale, his jaw working as he fought back a touch of nausea, recalling Kushrenada's reference to "going to the dogs". Drawing a sleeve across his mouth and swallowing hard, Wufei grabbed Wade's shirt front. "Tag every item in there as evidence, Corporal! Don't miss a single thing--understood?"

"Aye, sir," came a slightly baffled reply. The soldier saluted and went to obey the instructions he'd been given.

"You know why he had that stuff, don't you?" Wolfe asked, fixing a searching gaze on his superior.

The Captain nodded, turning a bleak look to his second-in-command. "He was planning on disposing of a body."

"The sick fuck!" Wolfe spat in disgust. "Y'mean--hack it up like so much meat?"

Wufei just nodded again, resuming his walk towards his office. He didn't want to dwell on the gruesome details until some of the horror wore off, and he could stop picturing what could have happened to Duo.

It was nearly noon before the MSC officer felt the situation was under control enough that he could head to the infirmary to check on his star team.

Of course, the fact that Lieutenant Wolfe had threatened to declare him unfit for duty, take over command, and assign soldiers to haul him to the infirmary if he didn't go voluntarily to get his bullet wound properly tended, might also have influenced the Captain's decision.

He was on his way there when Austin Pritchard intercepted him. "Sir! Captain Chang! What happened out there last night? Everyone wants to know...we're all pretty worried about Yuy's team."

"First formation tomorrow, Pritchard. That's when I'll explain it...to everyone at once. I don't care to go over the story multiple times."

"Yes sir." Austin shifted uneasily, scratching his head.

"Something else on your mind, Recruit?"

"We--some of us--were pretty hard on Barton and Maxwell the past few days. Um, most of us, I guess."

"I know. I heard."

"Are they okay sir? All of them?"

"As far as I know," came the noncommittal reply. "I'm on my way to the infirmary now." He studied the boy's tense face for a moment. "I'll let you know how they are at supper this evening, okay?"

"Thank you sir!" came the earnest reply. "And tell 'em we'll all be waiting for them to get back on their feet."

"I will." Smiling to himself, Wufei continued on his way.

~*~

When Duo looked up to see Captain Chang leaning in the doorway of the infirmary, arms folded across his chest and a field dressing wrapped around his injured bicep, he yelped in delight. "Wuffers! You made it!"

"Call me that again, and you'll pull KP until you graduate the Academy," came the stern warning.

Duo just laughed. "Whatever you say, Dad!" He tried to get up, only to have Heero and the doctor forcibly restrain him.

"Bed rest!" snarled Sally. "That means you don't...get...up!"

With an adorable pout, he slumped back onto the pillows, holding his arms out to the Chinese officer. "C'mere and gimme a hug, since they won't let me go to you."

Shocking them all--no one more than Duo--Wufei walked over and wrapped the boy in a firm hug.

"Don't get used to this, Maxwell," he growled in the boy's ear. "Once you're on your feet and at the Academy, I'll expect you to act like any of my other students. There'll be no favoritism, just because we're family."

Duo pulled back, blinking hastily to hide the mistiness in his eyes. He hadn't called anyone "family" since the orphanage...at least not until recently. And even thinking about it choked him up a bit. "Shit, Chang," he said gruffly. "Don't get all mushy on me."

"Never," asserted the officer, straightening and turning just in time to have his injured arm grabbed by Doctor Po.

"It's about time, Captain! You get your butt in that empty bed and take your shirt off."

Duo all but howled with laughter at the blush that spread up Wufei's cheeks.

"Oh, for Heaven's sake!" Sally huffed in exasperation. "I'm not propositioning you, Chang! But that field dressing isn't adequate for a bullet wound, and you aren't leaving this room without a full exam and some rest."

Reluctantly, the MSC officer submitted to the doctor's care, letting her fill him in on the boys' condition while she worked. Within the hour his arm was cleaned, stitched, bandaged, and in a sling. He was sitting on the edge of the bed opposite Duo, still wearing his uniform slacks, but without the regulation shirt and boots.

"You look like a kid," Duo commented from his nest of pillows, smirking at his guardian.

"Perhaps," Wufei conceded. "But you are one." He allowed his gaze to sweep over each of the boys, assessing their condition for himself, based on what the doctor had told him and what he could see on their faces.

Heero looked a bit haggard, if uninjured, while his three teammates all sported bandages or bruises. His was mainly emotional pain, in Chang's estimation, rather than anything physical.

Trowa appeared to be a bit shell-shocked, and the shallow gash on his cheek promised to leave an interesting scar, unless he had it surgically repaired.

As for Quatre, his anxious gaze traveled from one teammate to another almost constantly. He seemed most intent on Trowa, but it was obvious that he felt the distress and exhaustion of the others as well.

Of all of them, Duo was the most upbeat, having been spared the stress of seeing what appeared to be the death of a teammate and friend. Wufei noticed the other three kept glancing towards the braided boy as if to reassure themselves he was real and alive.

"I guess it's time for a bit of mission debriefing," he suggested gently, thinking that he might ask Doctor Po to arrange for Doctor G to meet with each of the boys the next time he visited.

The four boys exchanged glances, and then nodded their assent. "Could you go over exactly what happened out there?" Heero asked quietly, turning a somber look to his long-time friend. "Quatre and I missed a lot, and what Duo and Trowa have told us is sketchy, at best."

Wufei gave a wry smile, knowing he'd have the same desire to know details if he'd missed so much of the action. "Fair enough." He told the boys about the attempted ambush along the road to town, and how he'd dealt with the hapless ambushers. Of course, that reminded him he should send someone to retrieve them for interrogation before they really did starve to death. But that could wait until later.

First he needed to fill in gaps for the boys, which he did as concisely and emotionlessly as possible. There was no need to fuel their fears or insecurities by stressing the myriads of ways things could have turned out worse.

Besides, they more or less already knew, especially when Trowa added his part of the tale to Wufei's.

Quatre turned worried aquamarine eyes towards Trowa when the auburn-haired boy glossed over the shot Kushrenada took as he rushed him. The attempt to downplay the danger didn't fool the blonde Arab for a minute. "You mean that gash was from a bullet?" he demanded.

"I guess." Trowa shrugged, touching the cheek reflexively. "After K. shot Duo--" His voice caught slightly, and he swallowed hard at the haunting memory before continuing. "When I jumped down and went for him--he got off a shot about the time Chang's bullet hit his shoulder." The green eyes darted a grateful look at the officer. "I'm glad you were there. He wouldn't have missed if you hadn't shot when you did."

"I'm glad I was there, too," said the officer warmly.

Quatre was still horror-struck, putting his hands on either side of Trowa's face. "D'you know how close you came?" he demanded with tears in his eyes. "Another inch to the left..." He closed his eyes, burying his face against the front of the boy's shirt as Trowa's arms wrapped around him.

"It's okay, Quat," murmured the former circus performer, patting his lover's back soothingly.

"Look at it this way," Duo added, trying for a light tone despite the concern in his indigo eyes. "If it'd been an inch to the right, it would've missed altogether."

"Duo!" came three voices in unison, as Heero, Wufei, and Trowa all cast scathing looks his way.

"That's not even something you should joke about!" Quatre scolded.

Duo met his friend's glare steadily. "I have to, Quat." He let his gaze sweep the room. "You all are more than serious enough. Someone has to keep things light." He sat up a little, barely wincing any more, as he was getting used to the soreness in his chest. "I mean, yeah, sure, we can all sit here and dwell on what could've happened, or we can just be fucking glad it didn't. We got Kushrenada, damn it! And I'm not gonna let a little thing like nearly getting killed ruin the moment!" He took hold of Heero's shirt front, pulling the boy closer to stare into the deep blue eyes. "I've got you here...and Tro' and Quat. Chang, too. All the people I care the most about are alive and well and right in front of me. And the bastard who wanted to harm them is locked up for good. What more could I want?"

Heero finally seemed to shake off his somber mood, even managing a slight smirk. "We did get Kushrenada, didn't we?"

"We own him," Duo crooned happily, darting a mischievous glance at Wufei. "Right, sir?"

"Completely," the Captain said firmly. "He's going away for a long time, and that's before we process the data from his computer. Once we have proof of the drug dealing, it'll just keep adding years to an already lengthy hitch in the toughest prison in the Earth sphere."

"Oh!" Heero exclaimed, sharing a sheepish look with Quatre, as he pulled several disks out of his shirt pocket. "I almost forgot. We got tons of data off his hard drive, Chang...decoded and downloaded."

Wufei took the stack of disks, smiling to himself. "Of course you got it," he said, shaking his head. "That was the whole point of the setup, wasn't it?"

"Kinda sad we don't really need it, huh?" Duo mused, lying back on his pillows and looking up at the ceiling with a serene expression on his face.

"Not at all," murmured the MSC officer. "I'm delighted that there's so much evidence against Kushrenada that we'll barely be able to fit it all in a trial." He gave an evil smile. "We can't lose."

"Not any more," grinned the braided boy. "Now all we need to make the day perfect is a call from your lover boy in the hospital to let us know he's feeling better."

"Maybe later," Wufei said, not even protesting Duo's choice of words, as he muffled a yawn. Since the adrenaline rush and tension had been all that was keeping the officer going, he found himself drooping with exhaustion as it faded, suddenly too weary to stay upright. He couldn't even muster the energy to protest when Doctor Po came back into the room and walked over to stuff a pillow behind him and push him back to lie down.

"Like I said," she murmured with satisfaction. "You all need some rest. Doctor's orders. There'll be time enough tomorrow to sort out the details."

TBC...

 

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