Chapter Five: To Infiltrate or Not, that is the Question

 

*“Hiiro! Did you get your purse?” Quatre called to him as he came closer to the group.

“Yeah.” He answered.

“Are those men part of your team?” Serena asked him, her voice near to a whisper.

“Hn.” He responded to her.

“Thanks for the clear and precise answer. It was really helpful.” She said sarcastically.

“So Hiiro, who’s the babe?” Duo came up between the two and slung his arms around their shoulders. Serena semi snorted and Hiiro stayed his impassive self.

“I’m no babe. What is with cops and their pet names for women? Even in a crisis I still get hit on. You know, I am really beginning to hate your male species.” She said very bluntly. She watched as the boy who had just slung his arm around her shoulder detracted it and grumbled something under his breath.

“I’m terribly sorry Miss…” A blonde boy stepped forward to speak to her.

“Well!” She flashed him a smile. “At least some one has a few manners around here. Miss. Tsukino. My son is in the building.” Serena said as she stared up at the building. It was only then that Hiiro noticed she carried a rosary in her right hand.

“Yui! You are not supposed to bring the parents inside the yellow tape! Especially the mothers. Women are too emotional.” Said a Chinese boy from behind her.

“Excuse  me sir, but I am not emotional. And, as I recall, last night…mmehehemm…” She was cut off by Hiiro’s hand covering her mouth.

“She gave me her purse in exchange for being allowed to cross the tape. She’ll be staying back here, near my car, as she agreed, am I correct Miss. Tsukino?” Hiiro said for her. He looked down at her and made the mistake of catching her eyes. They were slightly blurry, and he could see the beginning of tears welling up in her eyes. He mentally sighed. She wasn’t as emotionally stable as he had thought. No decent woman cried at being stopped from talking for a few seconds.

Serena listened to how the boys treated her. As of she wasn’t right there in front of them, but over in some long lost and distant corner. Darien had begun doing that a few weeks after they had left Tokyo. She couldn’t help the tears that were welling up. Being ignored, plus being grabbed so roughly by Hiiro, plus her son in a dangerous situation that she  had no control over… it was just all so much at one time to handle. She looked up and straight into Hiiro’s eyes. She saw him roll his eyes at her and that nearly pushed her over the edge. She couldn’t break the gaze, and he was making no move to do so either.

So he was trapped. He rolled his eyes. He couldn’t break his eye contact with her. Were his eyes not functioning properly? He couldn’t tell. He could see fear in her eyes and felt guilty. How could he have possibly made this ‘Moon Goddess’ want to cry? He wanted to hit himself for being such an idiot.

“Whoa! Talk about love at first sight!” Duo let out a low whistle. The other boys snickered at his comment. Hiiro finally gathered enough will power to break the gaze. What was it about her eyes? So clear, so expressive, so wise, so tired…. She seemed as if she knew something he did not, had lived through hell. But that was impossible. He had lived through hell in his childhood. There was nothing worse than the battles he had fought. Was there?

When Hiiro tore his stare from hers, she backed away from him slowly and right into Trowa, who barely flinched. “Oh, I’m sorry.” She contemplated for a second. “Well? What are you just standing there for? Go rescue my son!” She reprimanded them.

“It’s not as easy as it looks Miss. It takes a lot of planning and careful calculations first.” Quatre told her.

“Then go plan!” As she spoke two deputies walked up to the group of six.

“Here’s the ice cream and chocolate the terrorists requested. The helicopter is on it’s way, and the three videos they wanted are here too.” One of them told Quatre.

“Good. When will the copter be here exactly?” Trowa asked.

“Why don’t you come with me and we’ll find out.” The other deputy said. Trowa shrugged and nodded. Quatre stepped out to join them as well, and they left together,

“I’m going to find more information.” Wufei said. He quickly disappeared not the crowd.

“I’m with Wufei on this one. I want more information on who these terrorists are. If they are students there’s bound to be records of them somewhere, and I’m going to find them.” He too slunk out of sight.

“What are you going to do?” Serena asked Hiiro when the others had left.

“Hn.”

“That’s not much of an answer.”

“Hn.” He grunted again. Where had those tears she had held in her eyes gone so suddenly? She was different now, stronger.

“You know… I remember you from last night.” She said in a lower more gentle tone. His head slightly rose to meet her gaze.

“So.” It was a statement, not a question. He wanted to know where she was going with this new topic, but didn’t want to seem too interested.

“You’re different.” She shrugged her shoulders and looked back towards the school. “When do you decide to make a move to infiltrate?”

“When diplomacy fails.” She had dropped the previous subject. But she had said he was different. Great. Just great. What the hell did that mean? He knew he was different, but somehow he doubted that when she had said he was ‘different’ that she had meant his disposition. She had meant something else. Something else all together.

“What is your ‘diplomatic plan?’? To let them blow up the school and then try for a search and rescue of the survivors”? She asked him sarcastically. She hadn’t meant to mention the night before, but she had needed as icebreaker so badly. Now she had done it. Her and her big mouth. She should have shut up, but no. She had to go and say he was ‘different’. What did that mean? Not even she knew. Scratch that. Oh, she knew. She just wanted to burry it deep and forget it.

“No. We’ll give them what they want. Then while they are escaping we’ll take them out.” He grunted. She could be very snippy when she was agitated, he could tell just by this first meeting.

“Oh really? And what happens when these ‘terrorists’ decide to go on a shooting spree before they leave? Hmm?” She prodded him.

“They will regret it.” His eyes narrowed and for a split second Serena could swear she saw a flicker of enraged flames crash through them. Slightly taken back, she backed up, and then smirked. Turning her back to him, she crossed her arms around herself and sent a prayer of thanks to the heavens. This man may not speak a lot, and he may not be the most polite, but one thing was for sure. He cared about his work, and he would get her son out safe. A giant weight lifted from her shoulders. For the first time since she had found out she was pregnant she felt relaxed. Everything would be alright.

“I hope so.” She said quietly.

Hiiro was checking his watch. It was three o’clock now. They had been here for well over four hours. He heard Serena’s comment, and shivered. Something in her voice was gone. The harshness, the sharp tongue he had come to expect from her was softened. What revelation had she had that made her feel better about this situation? Never mind. This was insane.

>>>)(<<<

The situation was becoming increasingly worse. Wufei had just informed him that a new list of demands was being sent to them, as well as the threat that if the demands were not completed within a certain amount of time, they would start killing the rest of the hostages.

Hiiro looked around him. He saw the police sitting and eating chips from a giant bag if food. Quatre was discussing something with the Chief of Police, Wufei was missing, Duo was hitting on a woman in the crowd, and Trowa was bent over a computer researching one thing or another. He turned to the people in the crowd, the ones behind the yellow tape.

Most of them were concerned parents. They were milling about, talking and trying to comfort one another. It appeared that all of the mothers knew each other one way or another. The fathers, too, were talking, some even laughing. Then he looked at Serena, who was sitting on the trunk of his car.

He had placed her up there to keep her out of the way, but she had continually gotten off and bugged him and his teammates with her questions. Earlier in the afternoon, around five thirty, she had left all together. She had returned a mere twenty minutes later with three cheese pizzas, all of which were for him and his friends. Though Quatre had tried to offer her a slice, she had refused each time. Since then, she had stayed on the car and been rather subdued.

It was unusual. She was obviously a young mother, probably closer to his age than the rest of the mother and fathers in the crowd. He wondered how old her son was and where his father was. Of all the mothers behind the tape, not one of them had seen her and called out to her. It was as if they completely ignored her, like she didn’t even exist. What was so wrong with Serena that she couldn’t have any friends or even acquaintances?

            He found himself just standing and staring at her. Her expression had depleted to a barely hopeful one. She held her rosary and was praying silently, oblivious to the happenings around her. She was pretty. She was beautiful. And here she was, near tears. Because of some gang of mislead teenagers. That was the last draw.

“Quatre, Trowa, Duo, Wufei.” He called out to the crowd. Within minutes all of the Gundam SWAT team members had gathered and were looking expectantly at Hiiro for his news.

“It’ s time for action.” He simply said.

“But Hiiro, they haven’t sent any word for over an hour and a half! Don’t you think you’re being a little rash?” Quatre pleaded.

“No. This gang has held the school hostage for over eleven hours. That’s too much time as it is.” His eyes darkened.

“Yeah! You said it Hiiro man! All these people out here are expecting their children in time for bed. Let’s not disappoint them.” Duo agreed.

“Quatre, Hiiro’s right. Sometimes negotiation falls through. This is one of those times. We infiltrate.” Trowa joined in.

“I’m for it too.” Wufei gave no reason, but drew his gun and checked the cartridge.

“Well… if you’re all positive nothing can come of the negotiations…”

“ We are.” Trowa countered quickly.

“ Then let’s get ready. We’re going in.” Quatre left to inform the police. Hiiro walked to his car to retrieve the supplies they had brought with them. He saw Serena looking curious, but she made no indication that she was going to ask her questions. He felt rather guilty for some reason, and decided he had to correct that feeling before he went in.

“We’re going to infiltrate.” He told her quietly, avoiding looking into her face.

“You, you mean you’re going in?” She asked him evenly.

“Hn.” He answered.

“Why?” This time he turned and looked at her. She hurried on. “I mean, what made you decide to take action?”

“It’s been too long.” He answered, checking out the two guns he was holding. Both needed a new cartridge of bullets.

“Here, hand me that.” She commanded him gently. Taking the gun from his hands, she took the cartridge he had brought out for it and loaded it expertly. “There.” She saw his look and had the decency to blush.

“I learned some interesting stuff when I moved to this country…” She handed the gun back to him.

“Hn.” Was his only reply. She looked hurt. He cleared his throat silently. “What’s your son’s name?” He asked her, and  watched as she brightened quickly.

“Ben. Benjamin Tsukino.” He nodded.

“I’ll see that he gets out safely.” He told her. The reaction was instantaneous. She jumped off of the car and wrapped her thin arms around him. She just held him in that same position, holding on for what seemed like dear life. He slowly processed the knowledge that she was hugging him, and slowly raised his arms to return the favor.

Serena felt him finally  move to respond to her hug. His warm warms loosely held her waist and she felt a jolt of faith and trust surge through her veins.

“I trust you.” She whispered into his ear. Then she let go and turned to sit back on the trunk of the car again. He gave her one final glance before going to meet the others in the corner.

Serena sat back on her place on the trunk of his car. Hiiro was definitely different. Of all the people who knew she was a stripper, he was the only one. The only one who had… never mind, forget it. She looked at the other parents of kids in the school. Laughing, talking, comforting each other that the situation would come out right in the end. All of them ignored her.

 At least she knew Hiiro was going to bring her son back, that was the only thing that mattered now. If she didn’t have Ben, there would be no point left to her life. She would be aimless and dead in spirit. Hiiro had to bring him back. She trusted him too, he would.

>>>)(<<<

            “So, Hiiro, what was that all about?” Duo homed in on him when he reached the group.

            “Hn.” Hiiro figured the safest response was the non-existent one. That and the fact that he himself was not quite sure of what it was about.

            “Yes Yui. What were you doing with that weak woman?” Wufei dealt the next blow.

            “Hn. Let’s go, here are the guns.” He distributed the guns and waited for the others to get a feel for their new weapon.

            “Hiiro, you should put on a bullet proof vest like we have.” Quatre advised him.

            “Too much extra bulk.” Hiiro simply brushed it off.

            “But…” Quatre began to argue.

            “We know the gang members have two people on each floor, so we’ll split up and take them out simultaneously. Quatre, you and Trowa take the first two floors of the school. Duo and Wufei, take the third and fourth floors. I’ll take the fifth and sixth.” Hiiro set the operation up.

            “How do we evacuate the children?” Trowa asked him.

            “After we’re sure the entire gang has been completely taken care of, we can let them out floor by floor.” Hiiro responded in a cool and calculating tone.

            “Right then. Let’s do it!” Duo cried. Quatre smiled at the braided boy’s enthusiasm. Both Wufei and Trowa smirked, and Hiiro simply nodded in agreement.*