Disclaimer: I really should just make one catch-all disclaimer and use it all the time, but alas, I write a new one every time. So it's gonna be the same old I don't own Gundam Wing or Evanescence, but I did write this story so please keep my name on it if you're gonna pass it along.

Author's Notes: Notes at the end.

Warnings: angst, language, yaoi implications

Away From Me
Chapter 11

*by JeiC

I've woken now to find myself
In the shadows of all I have created

Jumping out of a sound sleep, I have my gun aimed and the safety off before I'm even conscious enough to comprehend that the obnoxious noise that woke me was the alarm clock. So that's what it sounds like. Shutting it off, I slide out of bed. It probably would have been a very bad start to my day if I had put a bullet through it.

Covering up a big yawn with my hand, I pad my way to the bathroom to get my day started. I don't think any of the guys came back last night, but if they did, I might not have woken up for it. You know, familiar, trustworthy presence and all.

My thoughts shift to what information I know as I set about my routine. What's bothering me is that there is one crucial piece of information missing and while I keep wanting to believe it is in the unedited recording, something is telling me that I'm going to be disappointed once I get my hands on it tomorrow.

If nothing else, hopefully it'll turn up something of use…like the bastard that set Heero up.

Ringing the excess water out of my hair, my stomach growls for attention. Well, no superb cooking by Wufei to feed it this time so I guess I'm on my own. I just don't feel all that hungry as much as it sounds otherwise.

After changing up, I head into the kitchen and decide to put some water on to make tea. I don't make green tea all that often anymore. Finishing that task, I take it and my laptop out onto the back porch to enjoy the comfortable morning weather while I once again attempt to tackle the mystery of my missing roommate.

I get pulled back to reality by the sound of wood hitting wood repeatedly. Closing the lid on my laptop, I get up and peer over in the direction of the sound to my neighbor's back yard. I have to blink to make sure that I'm seeing correctly. The two girls, each wearing a gi as well as a hakama faced off in a fluid battle with what might as well have been two sticks…they looked to be about 120, maybe 125 centimeters each.

The only thought that crossed my mind at that point: "My next-door neighbors are weird." But then I remembered my own weirdness so it all evened out.

Turning to go back to what I was doing, I got caught, "Good morning, Duo!"

Facing the two women, I wave, "Good morning, ladies!" I presume the one waving was Sienna. Sierra doesn't strike me as one to be quite so outgoing.

"Want to join us?"

Laughing lightly, I reply with my twisted sense of humor, "Thanks, but I think I'll pass for today. You know what they say about women and weapons…" And oh man is it true. My best students for when I taught improvisational weapons was probably eighty-percent female at the very least, and that was being extremely generous to our poor, fragile male egos.

Sienna laughed, "Yeah, the guys at the dojo tend to try to avoid the female population when we work on weapons techniques."

I couldn't help but find amusement at the mental image. "Well, have a good practice, ladies. It's a great morning for it."

"Thanks! Later, Duo!" Sienna waved and jumped when Sierra poked her in the back with her weapon.

Turning, I return to my own task. I wouldn't have minded joining them, even with the prospect of being hit with a stick, but there are other things that have to take precedence right now.

Rubbing my eyes, I glance at my watch to realize that nearly half the day is already gone. Debating staying out here and searching through newspapers and various information sites, or going inside and checking on my bot, the phone ringing makes a third option.

Tucking my laptop under my arm, I head in to take the call, "Hey there, Princess. What do I owe the pleasure of this call?" It took a few years, but Relena and I have come to understand each other…even so far as to tease each other a bit on the rare occasions that we get to talk. Definitely on friendly terms and getting more comfortable with each other at every encounter. I think the big reason for our sort of butting heads sometimes is the difference in status, but we try to make the most of it.

Smiling broadly, she kicks up the dramatics, "The rigors of the political world are getting to me – I need to talk to someone that isn't a stuffed shirt."

"You mean someone that doesn't have their head up their ass?"

"Yes, that too."

"Sorry to break it to ya, kiddo, but…Heero's out at the moment." What am I supposed to tell her, really? I mean, if she wanted to know about the guy, I'm sure she could charm the information out of anyone.

The young vice-foreign minister's smile turned into a mischievous grin, "That's fine – I'd rather talk to you instead. Heero…doesn't always understand my perspective on the ESUN bureaucrats."

"You just called them stuffed shirts."

"And you better clarified my feelings towards them with your response to that."

Touché. "Point taken." Though something occurred to me that I had to ask about, "What about what's his name? That guy you're dating."

"Jean? He recently decided that his interests lied elsewhere. It was a decision that I supported."

Ouch, and I know Relena was really into the guy. I have a feeling though it wouldn't be a welcome subject if I continued with it. "So what can I do for you, little lady?"

Sighing, she sat forward and looked at something off to the side. It beeped a moment later. "Okay, the line is secure now. It's a new set of protocols that Director Une sent me that should make it a lot harder to tap and if someone does, I'll be notified."

"I'm feeling set up here, Relena…" I warn her, letting the blonde know of my dislike of this. If the General is bringing the Vice Foreign Minister in, this has to be on a much broader scope that I initially estimated. I almost want to laugh at the title that she gave the Preventer head…in the eyes of the government, there was no militaristic ranking system, but on our end, it helped keep things clear.

Rubbing the bridge of her nose, she tries to console me, "I know, Duo, I know. I like this about as much as you do. I mostly called to see how you're fairing through all of this. I really don't have any information yet, but there has been a pressure building slowly in the senate."

My mind bypassed her comment about checking on me and latched onto the political side, "What do you mean by 'pressure building?'"

"I don't know what for just yet. I'm…not exactly in the Senate all that often. That may be why I am also able to notice a difference in the tension levels while everyone else seems to consider it normal." The look on her face tells me that she's been hunting, but turning up empty-handed.

Resting my chin in my hand, my eyes go unfocused as my attention turns inward, "No weird bills or whatever that people want passed lately?"

Shaking her head, Relena remarks, "Nothing yet, which is why I haven't been able to turn up anything. Whatever is going on, they're gathering their supporters first."

"Figures…then people wonder why I tend to try and avoid politicians. Present company excluded."

The smile I get is one of understanding…understanding how much of a pain in the ass they are, "Somedays, I really do wish I could take a break from the political arena." Pausing a moment, my friend restates her previous question, "Really, how are you holding up, Duo? I know how much Heero means to you and with the current situation I can…"

"It's okay, Relena," I cut her off before she makes herself uncomfortable. "I've been keeping busy – taking up some hobbies, doing some work on the vehicles...or I would if Wufei ever left his car here long enough for me to do something with it."

It was good to hear her soft laughter. "That's good to hear. Rumor also has it that you've been looking for him."

She's a lot better informed than she lets on. "I'm always at least ten steps behind finding him though. I haven't been able to make the connection between his movements and his available mission parameters," or in short, I don't know if he's running Black Ops and what that might be, "I'm sure I'll find out soon when I go back to HQ."

Leaning forward, she tried to look at directly into my eyes as she could through the video connection, "You'll find him, Duo. You're the only one I know who can."

Put the weight of the world on my shoulders, why don't you? "This is Heero we are talking about. If the guy doesn't want to be found…"

"You'll find him anyway. He...has told me about various times he went into seclusion, but you somehow managed to locate him anyway."

"I didn't have to follow Preventer protocols and procedures then."

"I think you would do well helping the Preventer Corp in revising their protocols and procedure through a field-tested example."

I couldn't help but laugh at her twisting around of the situation, "Loopholes are my friend. I'm also glad to have you as one as well, Lena."

"Anything I can do to help. It's good to have you as a friend also, Duo, though we may have had our misunderstandings in the past." Grinning from ear to ear, she asks, "So what kind of hobbies does a workaholic like you have?"

We chat amiably for a length of time, mostly about nothing. I think the Vice Foreign Minister seriously needed a break from her political role for a while just to feel like a normal human being again. I don't mind keeping her company, but sometimes things can become strained between us when we run out of common topics.

Realizing what time it was, Relena admitted, "Guess I should get back to work. Sorry to take up so much of your time, Duo."

I shake my head, "It's no problem at all. Sounded like you needed a breather from whatever it is you're working on. Besides, I wasn't doing anything important anyway." My stomach growled in response of having been neglected.

"Are you forgetting to eat again?" beneath the joking tone, I can hear the undercurrent of worry.

Holding up my hands, I defend, "I'm not! I just wasn't hungry this morning and…okay, I did forget breakfast, but it was just today," I hang my head in shame.

Narrowing those blue eyes at me, she debates for a moment before responding, "Okay, I won't tell Heero when you get him back, but you owe me dinner and a movie the next time I'm in town."

"Lena…" I whine. Honestly, I don't mind, but it's more fun to put up resistance.

That mischievous grin on her face lets me know that there is no way she's going to let up, "Well, I suppose if you just let me play with your hair instead…"

"NO!" Letting out a puff of air into my bangs, I relent, "Fine, but the movie is tentative. If there's a good concert going on then, we'll go to that instead."

"Yay!" the wheat-blonde girl jumps in her chair and claps her hands together – completely opposite the image of the Vice Foreign Minister. She usually cons at least one of us into taking her out. We all know there's nothing romantic about it. Relena would be ecstatic if we took her to go play miniature golf or just out for a cone of ice cream. All she really wants to do is hang out with the people who understand her and act her age for a while. It's…just hard to get all of us together at the same time so she often settles dragging one or two of us out at a time. Come to think of it, it has been a long time since we hung out.

Hey, she's the one who voluntarily works with a bunch of old farts, but I suppose that can take its toll after awhile.

Saying our farewells, I hang up with a small smile on my face before the weight of the world comes crashing back down on me. Placing my head on the desk, my stomach growls, demanding attention again, "Fine, fine…I'll feed you."

Getting up, I start scouring the kitchen for something to make for a late lunch. Not finding much interest in making a sandwich or something that was basically heat and serve, I debate the notion of trying to make scrambled eggs. Don't ask me why, but that sounds pretty good at the moment.

The only thing holding me back is the fear of completely and utterly destroying it. I mean, yeah, I've watched Wufei make them before, and it seems simple enough.

Making up my mind, I set about my mission. About ten minutes later, I have edible, though not overly presentable, food.

Taking my breakfast for lunch food I pad my way onto the back porch again, somehow snatching up my laptop in the process. It takes a few minutes of staring at the screen, in which I managed to down my food, before deciding to find out what's new in the underground. Hackers are great when it comes to getting information.

I've just been worried about doing this thanks to my devotion to playing by Preventer rules. I used to break rules without giving them half a thought, but I guess things changed when I was given a chance to be something as long as I kept clean.

Well, blew it already, might as well just add more to it. Though, I don't have to let them know that I'm doing a little of my own digging.

Popping into a fairly popular hang out, I immediately get the text version of an obnoxiously loud squeal followed by, "Is it really you? You haven't been here for AGES."

Smiling to myself, I kick back, "Yeah, work kind of kept me busy there for awhile. How're you doing, Trace?"

"Eh, same old. Not everyone can have an exciting life like you. So what have you been up to? Get in any good hacks lately?"

Trace really doesn't know who I am beyond someone who used to take down some of the pompous pains in the asses that come on without breaking a sweat. See, practicing with Heero was good. "Nothing major. Got into the Preventer network is about all."

"That's one hell of a claim to make. Got proof?"

My attention shifted over to the newcomer, "Sorry, just went in for some information that I needed and left. Unfortunately what I was really looking for is kept on hard copy only." Pausing for a minute, I added, "And no, I'm not sharing how I did it. "

I got a chorus of disappointment before the newcomer, LeftyCatcher, responded, "Too bad, I would have liked to have seen some proof of your claim."

Shrugging to no one I respond, "Maybe next time I'll grab a souvenir."

"I look forward to it." Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into?

Trace made a laughing motion, "Dark, you and Light are the only two that I know that could break into the Preventer network and not get caught. I hear they've got at least two former Gundam pilots helping them keep up ahead of the rest of us. Any of us get close, and they beef up their security protocols. Too bad the Senate hasn't decided to take a few lessons from them."

I bite my tongue about the rumors and latch onto the other part of her comment, "If you guys are playing on the Senate servers, there's got to be something interesting going on there," I try to keep it casual.

"Not really, but there's been a lot of heat building up between the members of the Senate on various budget issues. Seems like the Eurasian Senator has been working with the other European Senators to try and get their portion of the budget increased. They've even motioned for the Colony shares of the budget to be decreased," my hacker friend elaborates, "But that's not the interesting part. Apparently there's something else going on that the rest of us haven't been able to find out yet."

The one that asked me about my claim earlier jumps in, "All we know is that it has to do with the Preventer Corp…they're targeting five specific agents for some reason. That's about all we've ever managed to get."

Raising an eyebrow, things get more complicated as things finally start to begin to make sense. "Got names per chance? It's related to something else I've been working on."

I can almost feel Trace grin through the connection, "Tell me what you're working on and I'll tell you what I know."

Why did I have a feeling I'd have to trade up at some point? At least she didn't ask me to tell her how I got into the Preventer systems. "About all I can say is I'm trying to find Light and I'm pretty sure that this is tied to me being able to find him."

"Trace, just give Dark the info. The guy will probably hack the information out of you before you even realize he's doing it."

"Oh, shove it, Track."

I raise an eyebrow. Very few hackers worked in teams like Heero and I, which is why we chose such corny, semi-matching names. One day I became curious and found out that Track and Trace were actually brother and sister. They make for an interesting pair, though I suppose the same could be said about Light and Dark. The difference between them and us was that individually, my partner and I could each stand on our own and outclass anyone that we came across. Together, well, lets just say that it doesn't happen very often. Mostly we just ran a divide and conquer on information gathering. Man, I miss doing all of this.

"Listen, kid, we owe Dark a lot…he's saved our asses on multiple occasions. Do you know how fast we'd have had Preventer agents at our door if it wasn't for him?"

Oh boy, I really didn't want to start a fight here. "Hey, how about this, Trace…I'll take you out to dinner after I get Light back if you help me out. Sound like a fair deal? Maybe I'll be able to talk him into coming as well." Now that was an offer I knew the girl couldn't refuse. According to her, we're her greatest puzzle that one of these days she'll crack.

"Hm…I don't know…"

Anyone could sense the glare Track gave her. "Dude, if Trace doesn't take it, count me in. A once in a lifetime opportunity has been deposited on my lap. How can I refuse?"

"What? No way, bro – that offer was made to me."

"Hey! I'll take both of you out to dinner if you want, but I really need to find Light. You know, life and death situation here," I try to redirect both of their attentions back to the matter at hand.

"Oh, sorry, man," Track apologizes.

Trace finally elaborates, "We don't actually have names, but the old geezers have been using what looks like OZ's old names for the Gundam pilots. You'd think they'd come up with something more original…"

Not much help, but still a huge clue. I can't guarantee that just because OZ used to call us by those designations that it means us former Gundam pilots. Yeah, it's a pretty good conclusion, but I'd rather not jump the gun, "You guys happen to get proof?"

"No sweat, we've got copies of everything with the names of the Senators involved attached. It's been a puzzle that Trace hasn't been able to put down for months…and you know how short of an attention span she has," her brother joked.

"Hey!" the girl screeched as well as she could in the text-based room. "Just so you know, 01 and 02 have been their main focus as of late. Apparently they think that those two are the most dangerous – particularly 02 for some reason. Something about they thought they had 02 under control, but he or she is going to be becoming a potential problem again soon. Tomorrow I think it was. I can send you what I've got if you want it."

"That would be perfect," I privately sent her the address of where to dump the information.

"Dark," LeftyCatcher spoke up again, "How does all of this involve Light?"

Sighing to myself, I barely have any more answers than they do, "All I know is that he was following some leads on something that the Preventers were looking into. Don't know much more than that. This is the closest I've come to figuring out what he was working on."

"That's weird…it's not usually Light's MO," another piped up. "Aren't you the crazy one that'll physically chase down what you're looking for, Dark?"

I conceded, "Yeah, that's usually the case, but you know how he gets every so often. Can't keep him trapped in the house forever." Though honestly, the last time I came in here looking for information to track someone, it was to track down Heero. Of course it's been months since I last popped in to say hi and see what the latest and greatest is.

"Yeah, that's true. Hey, can I talk to you privately for a minute?"

LeftyCatcher's request was odd, but I played along. Setting up a secure area, I dragged him into the room with me, not patient enough to tell him how to access it.

"Holy shit, man. You really did hack the Preventer network. Only someone of this caliber could do it." I could tell he was looking at how the room was constructed.

Keeping my outgoing annoyance to a minimum, I prod, "You wanted to talk to me privately."

"Listen, I don't know what is going on, but I ran into Light the other night. He was going from one Russian server to the next. Never said what he was looking for though. Seemed to be in a hurry all the same. In any case, I thought with being his partner and all, you'd like to know." There was a short pause before he continued, "This is the list of servers I watched him enter."

Said list was then added and with the sheer amount of servers Heero hacked, I had to question, "Why were you watching him?"

"Whoa, chill, man. I'm not stalking your friend or anything. I've been trying to enter some of those same servers, but I can't find the databases I want. Light happened to bring to my attention a whole list of hidden servers that I wouldn't have realized were there otherwise. I'm man enough to admit his skills are way out of my league."

After I made note of the information, we parted ways. And now back to the siblings.

Trace yelled at me for taking so long, but in short order I got a rather large set of files dumped on me and spent the remainder of my time until early evening working through the information before deciding on another course of action.

Except that definitive course of action was to answer the pounding on my door. Can't say I recalled hearing any of the guys come home, but I was awfully engrossed in my work. I made a mental note to start correlating the gathered data from those two and compare it with the dump from Heero.

Quatre stood there with a couple of pizzas and a bag with soda bottles hanging off his arm. "It's pizza night again."

"So it seems," I got out without any emotional tone behind it. It really was time for a break as my eyes were starting to cross from staring at the screen for so long. Blinking at his meandering towards the coffee table, I realize something odd, "Hey…ain't two of those a bit much?"

Looking up the blond realizes what I'm talking about, "Oh, Trowa and Wufei should be back soon. They left the office shortly after the Senate got out of session, and after listening to the politicians bicker all day long about the budget and various bills, I decided it was pizza night. So what have you been up to today?"

Heading to go get plates and cups, I debated telling him about Relena, but then realized that he probably already knew. "Got a call from the Princess."

A light laugh followed me into the kitchen, "I take it you were the one she was heading off to vent at then. I think if Miss Relena could have, she would have been pulling on her hair most of the morning session."

Now that would be bad. "What the hell is going on in the Senate if it's even got Lena frustrated out of her mind?" Gathering what I had set out for, I head back towards Winner.

"Well…" the blond paused, and the look on his face told me he was trying to gauge his words for the best summarization. "It really boils down to them bickering about budgets. Senator Kuts was being rather forceful about getting a larger portion of the budget for the Eurasian and European sectors."

"Yeah, I heard about as much…" Upon the questioning look from my friend, I added, "Not from Lena. I sort of started doing my own digging." The conveniently timed knock on my door gave me the perfect opportunity to dodge the next question.

Letting a soggy couple of Preventer agents in, I busy myself with taking their wet jackets and hanging them up to dry off for a while, pushing them towards where the other one had plopped himself on the living room floor. I'm so glad our back porch is fully covered otherwise I would have been soaked.

"Maxwell, I hope you weren't digging your own grave with that," Wufei mentioned offhandedly. Damn, I was hoping that these two would distract the former Sandrock pilot.

Reaching for a slice of pizza, I retort, "I've dug myself enough of a nice little hole already. Thought I'd make a little more room."

I should know that sarcasm is a fine line with these guys. Thankfully Trowa caught on faster and diffused a possibly volatile situation I caused for myself. Silence followed for a bit before Quatre's curiosity got the better of him, "So really, what were you doing digging for that kind of information?"

Looking straight into those soft blue eyes, I tell him straightforward, "Looking for Heero." Sighing, I grab my glass and use it to hide behind to give myself a moment before continuing, "Really, the information has basically been dumped into my lap. Civilians know that there's something going on in the Senate. They've been watching it and filing information for months, but haven't made sense of it. I need to compare the data I reviewed earlier with the dump from Heero before I can say that the two are definitely related."

"For once it might be nice to not be part of a world-scale conspiracy," Barton deadpanned. I snorted lightly having not expected the response. He waited for his partner to stop laughing before he continued, "Are you good for tomorrow, Duo?"

Mulling over the details I was given, I toss back, "As much as I can be I suppose. I'm so far behind you guys it isn't funny."

"Actually, you're about as up-to-date as we are. I'm hoping that Une will have gotten through the red tape that is around the Black Ops part of Yuy's mission." Chang's usual demeanor and the information he just dropped was ruined by the slice of pizza dangling from his fingers.

So it was a double mission. Would this have dealt with the government corruption? I suppose the answers that I really wanted wouldn't be answered until tomorrow…or maybe I already have them. Dropping my slice onto my plate, I jump up and run towards my room, starting a data dump to my laptop and dragging it along with me back to where the others were, nearly running Q over in the process.

Well, that's what he gets for trying to follow in the path of my madness.

Sitting back down, I toss the machine onto the sofa behind me. "It's going to be a bit before the files transfer over."

"Duo, I don't think that's going to answer who set up Heero." Pale blue eyes looked at me with something. I couldn't tell you exactly what, but it was more along the lines of pity than following my process.

Practically swallowing the bite I had just taken whole, I try to explain, "No, I know it won't get our mole, but it might find the person who issued the orders. Hate to say it, but I'm pretty much banking on the recording to find that one. Not unless you'll let me try to get Kenyon to tell us more. Either that or you could also go with the 'shit rolls down hill' theory. Seems to work well enough when we've got a higher up who is more concerned about saving his own skin."

Black eyes narrowed as their owner contemplated my last statement. "It couldn't hurt to let you try to get him to talk, though with how much he despises you it could continue to go nowhere."

The tactician turned towards Wufei, "You never mentioned that Kenyon had a problem with Duo before."

"Yeah, but Quatre, the guy seriously looks up to Heero. He wouldn't have put his role model in harms way like this purposefully even if he did decide that he wanted to smite me." Running my hand through my bangs, I use it to cover needing a moment to reorganize my thoughts, "The guy has barely passed any of the courses that I taught, and the only one he failed was run by both me and Heero. Wufei was one of the evaluators. The guy simply is not cut out for field work."

"Even Une agrees with that assessment," Chang tossed out.

"Oh yeah, I forgot he tried to appeal to get reevaluated. That went all the way to the General?" That much I hadn't known before. But then again…

Nonchalantly reaching for another slice of pizza, the Chinese man clarified, "It dealt with one of us. She wanted to personally oversee it before IA decided to step in and accidentally overstepped their bounds."

Purposefully worded. Didn't know we didn't have to answer to IA. That's always a plus. Those guys are creepy I tell you. Not human.

Now that I think about it, maybe in some way I started it all. Kenyon didn't like me, then that class with Heero and Wufei came up. That'd give the guy a reason to not like two more of us despite his hero worship of my partner, after that it might not be too much of a stretch if he could connected Barton and Winner with us.

"Spit it out, Maxwell." Looking away from where I had been contemplating my drink, my eyes lock onto those dark orbs.

Putting my glass down, I try to reword it in a way that doesn't show the shadows that I've cast on the others. "What if…what if Kenyon's dislike of me eventually worked its way out to all of us?"

"Not feasible," a quiet voice toned in.

His partner continued to elaborate, "Kenyon strikes me as the kind of person who will only dislike those that have kept him from progressing to where he wants to be. Everyone else, he either likes or simply doesn't recognize. If nothing else, he's a classic case of someone who wants to climb through the ranks quickly, but he also won't step on toes to get there unless he has to. Yes, the lack of certification for field work was a blow, but his anger will be directed at Duo." Soft blue eyes turn to me, "No offense."

I shake my head to let him know none was taken as I continue to eat. Me, manners? What are those?

The others continue to psychoanalyze the whiny little man, and as soon as I finish, I reach back to find that the transfer has finished somewhere in the interim. This really has the markings of something that Treize might have tried to pull off, but I think I'd be disappointed if it was some other split off faction of something like the White Fang or Mariemaea's army. Especially if it was attached to one of those two.

"What are you thinking, Duo?" Quatre leaned over to see what I was working on.

Exhaling loudly, I leaned back against the couch behind me. "A whole lot of nothing. Mostly just speculation." Flipping through a couple of screens, I toss out, "I mean, yeah, speculation can lead to something, but I'm man enough to admit that I've been way off my game lately."

"Perhaps then we should call it a night," black eyes pierced me and something came out of his mouth that I could not have expected under any circumstance, "If you're going to be the leader of this group again, then you'll need to be back on your game. Rest should help that."

"What do you mean 'leader,' Wufei? I've never taken a lead position and you know it. Either I work solo or provide support of some sort. Isn't that what blondie here is for? Or hell, if Heero was here, he's our unspoken leader." I start to rise to my knees to put myself over them, sliding my now closed laptop underneath the coffee table in the process.

"You've always been. You've just never taken an active role," Barton softly slides into the confrontation.

Putting a hand on my shoulder to try and get me to stop anything that I might regret, the former Sandrock pilot tries to clean up the mess that's been made to some extent, "Duo, please listen. None of us realized it before this incident came up. You may not have seen it as such, but you really are. Just not in the traditional manner. We're not asking you to change that. I'm a tactician, not a leader. I can tell you what I see, but I can't move people like you can. Certainly we can all stand on our own and fight, but we're stronger when we're working together and…"

"You're not going to get through to him that way, Winner. Maxwell can't see what he's capable of because he has always worked in the shadows. It certainly fooled all of us until it came down to this. I had been hoping that he was aware of it." The proud Chinese man took the time to clean up while he spoke. What was the guy getting at? "It seems that our enemies noticed it. That's probably why they went after him more actively than the rest of us."

Pushing forward so I could get in Chang's face, I demanded, "What do you mean went after me more actively than you guys? What about Heero? The guy is currently…"

"He was sent out on a solo mission which provided a prime opportunity for our enemies. They had to create elaborate plans to get at you." Pausing to tuck a stray lock of hair behind his ear, the full-time Preventer continued, "Especially seeing as they thought to try and get at you before you even set foot in the office again. Something they have thought twice about attempting again."

I can't follow their logic at all. "Yeah, well, I see that more as I should be going underground, not standing up with a big target on my forehead. No matter what you say, I'm not any sort of leader. Sidekick is probably a better term at this point. You sure as hell don't see me adding anything to the damn book."

"A leader who is considered a sidekick. Surely that's a bestseller right there," Trowa commented offhandedly.

Smirking I wonder how much from the last time I saw him that he expanded his role as a clown at the circus. "Look, lets just call it a night and argue about it later because this isn't getting any of us anywhere, and I don't know about the rest of you, but I really don't like running in circles."

My best friend there doesn't seem to keen on the idea, but decides against dragging this out further. "Fair enough. Don't forget to bring Archer with you in the morning. Winner will be going to the Senate again tomorrow, and Barton and I will be checking Kenyon's apartment first thing."

"Didn't know we had access to his apartment." Why didn't one of them say this before?

Grinning, Chang corrects, "We don't."

Oh boy, this just went from Special Ops to Black Ops real fast. The remainder of the clean up time is spent silently, which thankfully only lasts a few minutes.

As my first floor neighbor follows the other two out, he pauses to turn, "Oh, and don't wear your uniform. Just bring your jacket. There's a fair chance that we'll be needing to be in civilian attire at some point."

I didn't get a chance to respond before he closed the door behind him. Gee, thanks Wufei. Who is the leader now? Seems like I'm the one taking orders here.

Man, this is so messed up and technically Heero is due back in three days. I feel like I'm on a damn rollercoaster that doesn't know where the end is and I can't see the track to brace myself for what is ahead. Actually, sounds like a few shuttle rides I've had over the years…

Fin
*by JeiC
April 2009

Author's Notes:

I think I seriously need to apologize for taking nearly 2 years to get this chapter out. It first started off as the chapter that I couldn't get to do anything, then, well, one thing after another in real life took control and my being easily distracted led to different fandoms and a lot of one-shots.
I don't know how quickly I'll be getting the following chapters out, but I'll try now that I'm back into it and writing myself into an ever bigger hole with it. Remind me to stop throwing writing exercises into really long fics the next time I try something like this.

On a side note:
It's a pain in the butt to type with 2 of your fingers taped together.

Special thanks to:
Whoever is still reading this fic.