Duo touched Heero’s face gently. This way a Heero Yuy he had never seen outside of their apartment, and only when they were alone. Whoever this ‘Kia’ was she was important to Heero, he just hoped she wasn’t his lover. He would die if Heero no longer wanted him.

Sally ran up just then with a few burly guys behind her, who she ordered to pick up and carry the woman bleeding on the floor. Within moments she had been carried to the medical center and sent straight into surgery, Sally herself performing this event. Lady Une had Heero guided to the waiting room, Duo at his side, whether as a guard or Heero’s lover was unsure. An hour went by with Heero just sitting in one of the chairs staring at the cream walls, white had been too hard to keep clean.

Another hour and Heero had curled in his chair, head resting on Duo’s shoulder, still not having said a word, despite Une’s tries. Duo was gently stroking his hair, knowing better then to say anything by now.

Half a silence filled hour later, Sally walked out, still wearing her scrubs. “Its done, she’ll live. It was obvious that she has been through the grinder before. So getting shot must have been a walk in the park. Bullet one hit very close to her lungs, but didn’t move so no puncture occurred. Bullet two hit above her pelvis, near the bone this time. We either have very bad marksmen, or she has every fate on her side.”

A soft voice broke in then, Duo looked down at the seemingly asleep speaker. “No, she just knew what in hell she is doing, thank Kami-sama.”

Lady Une cleared her throat. “Since you are now willing to talk I have questions, and I want answers now.” “Ask” Duo almost laughed, same old Heero. He always answers with one word when he doesn’t want to do something. If you were lucky you got two words.

“First, what in all things was that thing, and why did it bow to us?”

Heero answered Lady Une, “We call it a Hunter. It is a robot created by Dr. Jared Link, known as J. It’s only thought is to hunt down and kill the Projects, Dr. J’s attempts at creating the perfect soldier. It bowed to you because you shot Kia, it thought you would leave her for dead so it was thanking you for completing a part of its mission. Understand?”

Everyone blinked then nodded. Sally asked the next question. “So the one in there, Kia, is one of the Projects?” Heero only nodded.

Une sat down and folded her hands in her lap. “You all live on a base?” A nod. “Then it must be checked by a team to be sure that no war weapons are stored there or no terrorists are being harbored there.” Another nod. “Then its agreed. When you leave here you take a team with you to check out the place.”

“May I pick the agents on the team?” Heero asked the soft question, not knowing if Une would really agree to this.

Une blinked. “Why?”

“Because some people will not allow us to live for what was done by force to us. We are non-humans in human skin. I am the least modified and I’m off the scale. I have no desire to watch people be killed because they tried to hurt one of ours. We will kill for our own. It has been done before.”

Une nodded and had an underling bring a notepad and pen. Pen posed to scribble, “Alright, who do you want to come with you?”

“Zechs, Noin, Chang, Winner, Barton, Po, Maxwell, and two of your choosing.” Was the reply from Heero, in the tome that there would be no changing it.

“Deal.” A glance at the underling from Une. “Call those agents and tell them to be ready for a mission, a stay over safe mission, in the next half hour. And get them down here. Also call Firg and Diri, they are my choices.” The underling ran from the room to go and call.

Duo looked up at Une. “I’m not going.” Ignoring the almost hurt look on his beloved’s face he continued. “I cannot keep a professional look on this. I will be going as Heero’s lover and nothing more. This is because I will have to kill anyone, even my fellow agents, if they try to hurt him.” Heero nuzzled his shoulder, causing a flash of heat through him. He had to last until they got wherever they were going. He would not fuck Heero on the floor in front of everyone. He would not fuck Heero on the floor in front of everyone. That line kept being repeated, hopefully he could hold out.

The door that Kia was being kept in opened to show one blonde woman, walking out as she was lacing up her tanktop. She was only halfway done which caused a few doctors to start drooling right there over her breasts. In an almost uncaring voice she asked, making it seem like a comment, “So we leave in thirty minutes? Good, that will be enough for Ryu to come and get us.”

Sally, being the doctor she was began fussing. “You shouldn’t be up yet! You shouldn’t even be awake!”

Kia just smiled. In a soft voice she answered, “I was awake halfway through the surgery, you do a nice job. Better then most people out of the Base.”

Sally paled, spluttering, “Halfway?…”

Heero gently tugged on Duo’s sleeve, making him look away from the girl and at him. “Koi? When you go to pack your stuff could you grab my green duffle from under the bed. You know, the one I always kept shoving further back?” At Duo’s nod he smiled and kissed his cheek. “Arigato.” In a much softer voice he said, “I promise we’ll talk once we get to the base.” Heero watched sadly as Duo got up and left, glancing back at the doorway before going on. The blue-eyed boy briefly wondered if his love was going to come back.