Shattered Hearts (type-two)

Chapter 13: Playing Dangerous Games

By Liewe

Standard disclaimers apply, please don’t sue me….

Midii ghosted along the tree line, her golden hair matted to her skin as the fever raged in her body. She had long ago gone numb to the pain of moving with her infected wounds, she could smell death in the air. Christof moved along behind her, his keen eyes watching, waiting for her to be overcome by the laws of nature. He didn’t know her as well as Damien, but their bond as siblings was in full effect, he didn’t want to see her in pain. His strong hands moved out to steady her when she began to sway, her skin cool and moist to the touch.

“Take it easy,” he scolded gently as she swatted his hand away.

“We should be there soon,” she whispered with a glare, completely ignoring his earlier statement.

“Yes boss,” was his chuckled reply, earning him a punch in the arm. And he squinted as his world shifted in and out of focus and his mind began to whirl.

With the agility and ease borne from more than a decade of espionage, she slipped through the chain link fence her revolver in hand. For one moment she stopped and looked to the trees and the hidden form of her unconscious brother, the sleeping pills she had doused his canteen with had finally kicked in. She shook her head sadly as she continued on her journey, she wouldn’t risk his life for something foolish, like her pride. She crouched low to the ground as the sound of footsteps reached her ears and she saw a group of guards troop past Damien and Relena Peacecraft Yuy in the center of the group.

“Time to play, Chamberlain,” she whispered.

She followed them silently, her movement’s cat like, her mind focused on her goal, the pain ignored. She kept low to the ground, and her blue gray eyes continually scanned the area around her searching for hidden dangers. They will not catch me unaware, she thought fiercely as she deftly sidestepped a broken tile.

“What are we going to do,” a voice asked from behind her and she barely managed to stifled her surprised gasp as wide eyes turned to face Trowa’s disappointed gaze.

“Wait for the perfect opportunity to strike,” she hurriedly whispered back before continuing down the hall after her prey.

A pale hand motioned for him to stop as she glanced around the corner before straightening, an audible crack being heard from her back as it protested the sudden change. Shaky fingers brushed back her golden hair as she turned to face him, her blue-gray eyes shuttered, and all hints of emotion hidden as she noted that he was not alone, that Heero and Wufei were accompanying him. She just shook her head before looking to the ceiling, her plan no longer an option as she began to improvise.

“What are you doing woman,” Wufei demanded as she leapt to the ceiling, her hand grasping something as she hung in the air.

“Making the necessary amendments to the plan so that it will work,” she grunted, the pain erupting on her side as she stretched to reach the grate.

“Let me help you,” Trowa asked as he sidestepped her swinging legs.

“Just catch,” she said as the grate fell to the floor, and she disappeared into the vents.

“Woman, we are meant to be working as a team, you need to communicate,” Wufei growled as a pale hand emerged from the darkness and she once more motioned for them to follow her. Wufei just growled beneath his breath as Trowa leapt up into the darkness, the grate put aside, he glanced to Heero before following suit.

“These vent’s cover the base, I know where they were heading with Relena,” her soft voice filtered back to them as they moved in silence. Heero and Wufei could just see her disappearing around a dark corner before they heard the sickening sound of a body thudding to the floor and Trowa’s anguished gasp.

“I know you’re all up there,” came a soft taunting voice.

Damien hung his head in shame as they marched him along with Relena Peacecraft Yuy to the General, he couldn’t believe how stupid he had been, how foolish he was to believe that they would listen to him, a mere grunt in the game. He missed the young woman crouching in the shadows as they passed; he missed the familiar mop of pale gold in his misery. Relena saw the young woman hiding in the shadows, and her heart did a little somersault, she had to restrain herself from yelling at them to flee. She didn’t know who they were, but saving her life was pointless, the risk of another war too great.

She walked proudly in her circle of guards, the strange new comer at her side as she tried to think of who could have been hiding in the shadows. She kept silent as they entered the room, which held the one man she hated with all her being, General Chamberlain. The look in his eyes caused a shiver of fear to run through her body and she desperately tried to hide her weakness from his sight.

“We shall soon be joined by another traitor,” he said to the troops as a body came tumbling from the vent above, the same young woman that Relena had stopped herself from warning.

“Midii,” the young stranger, Damien, cried as he moved touch her still form, the silence brought by his cry answered by the sound of a gun shot and Damien fell to the floor beside his unconscious sister.

“You’re a monster,” Relena hissed through gritted teeth as she moved to kneel beside the young man and woman.

“Why thank you Princess,” the General said with a sneer as he pulled her to her feet, his lips inches from her own.

Heero stopped when he heard Relena’s voice, and he moved closer to the gaping hole only to be pulled back by Wufei and Trowa. His death glares ignored as they dragged him to a more stable section of the ventilation system.

“Falling in there will only make matters worse, do you want them to die,” Trowa said softly, his eyes filled with sadness.

“No, but we can’t leave them,” Heero growled as he glared at his comrades.

Meanwhile Midii lay there, trying to keep her body still as she felt the warmth of her brother’s blood seeping into her clothes. When the shot had sounded she had forced herself to remain still and silent, the plan would fail if they didn’t believe her to have been rendered unconscious by the fall. She inwardly smiled as she heard Relena goad the General into making a mistake. She just needed a little more time and then the timers would activate and confusion would reign, then she could get Relena and Damien to safety. She had planted everything before she had entered the compound, after leaving her baby brother hidden away from the danger.

When the explosions began she moved quickly tossing a hidden canister into the center of the room, and a screen of smoke hid her movements. She moved instinctively as she threw a dagger into the smoke a satisfactory thud answering the move and she smirked as she looked directly into the eyes of Relena Peacecraft. On an unspoken agreement, they hoisted Damien into the vent, before Midii pushed Relena in after her brother. She glanced around the room, and her world spun in and out of focus for a minute before clearing. She glanced up into the dark vent to see the young politician extending her hand, and Midii only shook her head as she began to engage the remaining soldiers allowing Relena and Damien the chance to escape.

“Tricky, tricky,” General Chamberlain scoffed from the disappearing mist as his hand closed around Midii’s slim neck. “Your conscience will be your death,” he spat in her face as his grip tightened, cutting of her air supply.

“At least…. I am… I have… a … conscience,” she managed to gasp as her fingers clawed at his hand, her nails cutting into his flesh.

“So noble you are, my little traitor, you lead them right to me,” he whispered in her ear, his lips brushing her clammy skin.

She closed her eyes against the realization of her accidental betrayal and bit back a silent cry as her will to live lost it’s fight. Her body went limp in his arms, and he allowed her to fall to the floor, as he smirked. No one double-crossed him, he thought victoriously as he fell to the ground, and Trowa appeared at Midii’s side. He cradled her to his chest before nimbly swinging her into his arms.

Relena puffed as she tried to drag the heavy and limp body of Damien Une through the ventilation shaft, a trail of blood marking their progress. As she stopped to rest the sound of hushed voices reached her ears and with a glance towards Damien’s comatose form she moved forward, glancing cautiously around the corner to meet a sight for sore eyes.

“Heero, Trowa, Wufei,” she said softly, a jagged lock of dirty blonde hair falling into her eye.

The just turned in her direction their weapons drawn before Heero recognized the line of her cheek, and the color of her eyes.

“Relena,” he whispered as she nodded before disappearing back down the vent to Damien’s body, her eyes drifting back towards the trail of blood and the room from which they had fled. She jumped as Heero’s hand landed on her shoulder and she glanced curiously at Trowa as he pushed past them, following the trail of blood.

“Let him go,” Heero whispered in her ear, as they moved Damien through the vents, after Wufei had hastily bandaged the gaping hole in the younger mans side.

“They have them,” Quatre said to Sally as he moved past her to take a seat, his face strained as he rested his head in his hands.

“Are they alive,” Sally asked softly her voice holding an ounce of fear as she waited for his answer.

“Alive yes, for how long I don’t know. Wufei said that they were fine, but Midii and Damien had been wounded, they are also bring Christof with them. Relena is perfectly fine, it seems Midii saved her,” Quatre said as he looked up at her, exhaustion etched into every line of his face.

“Anything else I should know,” Sally asked as she looked into the horizon, tears of sorrow falling from her lashes.

Is it the end, she asked herself as Quatre just shook his head, she hadn’t expected any more, she had wished for more, but she knew she wouldn’t get it. And hopefully she would save the lives of her one time protectors, neither sibling deserved to die even for all their crimes, she thought as she absently ran a hand through her loose hair.

“Don’t die on me,” Trowa whispered into Midii hair as he held her close to his heart.

-To Be Continued……