Just a Cough

"Wufei." Mae-Lin was showing him again.

"It is a claim by one person RTL is either setting up, or they are purposefully using," Wufei said as he put an article back down again that Mae-Lin had printed. "Your colony will be avenged when we take the Superior out of her role." Mae-Lin was getting tired of the wait. Each day she had to dress up and be seen with Quatre and him out there.

Quatre had to up the ante as time went by, more of his friends were getting suspicious. He was now using full blown curse words, and doing his best to know about Amado's past and business. Especially those he had wronged. So far, he and Quatre had to dissuade two people that had wanted to kill them. Not RTL, but just for being Amado.

The no killing thing wasn't as easy when they needed to stay hidden, and not have witnesses, so their attackers ended up in the hospital with some bad injuries and concussions. At least no one knew their real identities, and it helped cement the fact Quatre was indeed Amado.

Only on the inside of the house was Quatre able to be gentle. Like right now, he just finished a whole cursing bath with his friends outside, and took a breath of relief when he started to make some tea. "Oh, finally, I really need some fucking tea to relax, and so will Miss Dorothy."

In fact, Quatre was saying it so often, sometimes he messed up and cursed inside. He tried to watch it more though when he had accidentally cursed in front of Dorothy. He had to curse outside with her, but the inside was like a sanctuary where they could all be themselves. "Ooh, some lovely Earl Grey for me and some special tea for her. Oh goodness, I just cursed earlier, sorry," Quatre apologized to Mae-Lin and Wufei.

Neither of them cared. It just meant he was doing that much better at his role.

"There is someone gathering information over the Zhang colony, they are trying to find anyone left," Mae-Lin asked Quatre. "Can you find out more about it without actually involving us? Wufei believes it's pointless."

"Wufei, crack open a . . . computer." Quatre almost cursed again. "Please take some time to look into it for her? It will make her feel better."

"I am helping with avenging, I am not seeking out information or communicating in any way to any leftover Zhang's," Wufei insisted. "That is final, woman."

"If there is a big enough number left, they may restart a colony," she told Wufei. "It is not pointless, and this is not final."

"There we go." Quatre ignored Mae-Lin and headed toward Dorothy's room. He knocked on her door. "Miss Dorothy? It's tea time again." He always had a great big smile, he loved sharing his act of drinking tea with others.

"If there will be a colony, then I will not pursue in an act of avenging, Wufei Chang." Mae-Lin was getting more antsy. "There is no reason, all of the gundam pilots are already pursuing RTL, and Duo Maxwell is pursuing them the hardest right now."

"Yes, they have recaptured Hilde, and Duo does not want to become a father," Wufei told her calmly. "This only proves that RTL is getting more desperate, so seeking out some half cocked person with theories and a plan is a lousy idea right now!" He tried not to yell. Yelling is how he handled himself sometimes, but when he yelled, she became more stubborn and hard to control. "RTL is responsible, not someone from an opposing clan. If your colony is rebuilt, when it is safe, I will gladly take you back to your people. Until then, let's play it smart and not be stupid."

"By continuing this charade until when?" she asked. "Dorothy's child is born? Dorothy's child turns one? Dorothy's child goes to school? It graduates college?"

"We will have found RTL way before that," Wufei insisted. "We will not be in this role forever. You know when you agreed, it was the long haul."

"No one can play a role forever." She walked away.

It was true. They couldn't play that role forever. Something would eventually break. It already broke for Duo. He didn't know how Duo's search was going, everyone had cut off ties from Maxwell. It wasn't fair, but Duo could have been compromised. Until he got some X ray of himself to make sure RTL didn't microchip him, no one could say anything.

They changed their numbers to each other so RTL couldn't find them by tracking the numbers. Duo was on his own, but it probably suited him fine. They each got one more call that Heero had to pass on, and none of them were surprised to hear it.

Duo no longer promised not to kill anyone. He said RTL might have corrupted him. Even though killing was pointless and just a wasted life, he was in pursuit not for something intangible like hope or peace. He wanted a person, and his morals didn't care how they got her back anymore.

He just wanted her back, but so far, he still hadn't killed anyone.

Quatre was opposed to it of course. He left Dorothy in his care for a little while to travel far away to a pay phone to call Duo once more, to tell him that's what RTL wanted. To compromise the kind of person he had become now that the mobile suit era had been over.

Duo's brilliant response was he didn't give a shit. This wasn't hope, this wasn't peace, he'd do whatever he could to get Hilde back and as fast as possible. Wufei understood the sentiment. Duo wouldn't all out strike to kill. Many of these women were just mistaken in their pursuit of justice. Another thing Quatre reminded Duo.

They were all responsible for their actions though. He would hurt, maim, and if he thought it was necessary, kill to get Hilde back. Case closed. Duo was resolved in his feelings. He said he would have died for peace, but he wouldn't die for people who weren't killing for any cause except revenge. He hung up and that was the end of that.

Quatre wanted to try again, but it was too risky, and the more time passed? The worse the situation would get. Trowa had tried contacting him one time later too. He hadn't tried to convince Duo not to kill though. Since Trowa hadn't been able to uncover Middie Une for so long, and hadn't been able to get information without at least Duo's interruption? He felt it was necessary to at least watch for any information about Hilde.

Nothing had come up so far. There was a good chance Duo's friend might even be carrying his child now, and there was no way of knowing. That had to burn deep inside for Duo. The truth would be uncovered one day, but how far down the line?

With the way RTL took it's revenge too. There was no way Quatre would be able to reach Duo. The only one who even stood half a chance would be Relena, and Heero would never allow that. No more communication. Duo was a risk until he could get an x ray.

"That cough isn't normal." Quatre came back out of Dorothy's room with their empty tea cups.

"Probably just a cold," Wufei offered. Quatre had made sure he made her fresh tea everyday, three times a day since he had it. He used some from the live specimens, but also preserved the remains of all the others their allies had brought for her. He gave her the best quality he always could. "I have heard nothing suspicious except that cough from her. I wouldn't worry." Even Mae-Lin had a similar cough. "She may have caught it from Mae-Lin, she's just getting over that cold. She even has some sniffling, Quatre."

"I know. I just . . . I don't want to miss anything," he pointed out. "Even the smallest thing." Quatre didn't look so good. "I didn't tell the others."

Wufei stared at Quatre. "What?"

"When I talked to Duo last time. He found the culprit. He almost killed him," Quatre said. "Once he went on that path, it would be harder to get off. I want to reach him, and talk to him. Killing solves nothing, but . . . he's so desperate. I don't know if he's done it since then."

"He's following his own heart right now," Wufei pointed out. "Maybe after this, Duo will find his own way again. Right now, he is entrenched in his own kind of war, and he'd do anything to win it. If he is willing to kill again, then maybe RTL is taking him more seriously. Maybe he has picked up some clues, or had even found her.

"I want to find out more still," Quatre insisted. "It's been a little while since last I talked to him."

"You should have told the others," Wufei told him. "Keeping things to yourself never goes well." He might have new information on RTL, the others might risk contact to get that.

"They broke contact, they aren't even willing to leave a distance for one phone call," Quatre complained. "I didn't have to tell them about Duo's shortcomings. I didn't have to tell them about the call at all."

"They snagged Hilde Schbeiker once while she was taking a shower," Wufei reminded Quatre. "They don't have a setup like we do here, they don't have someone else who is watching over their responsibility for them." Wufei did watch over Dorothy when Quatre wasn't there.

"True. I guess, we are all just in different situations," Quatre compromised. "I'll tell them later, but I want to reach out again."

"Fine. I'll watch Dorothy again," Wufei promised. "Don't talk long." Hopefully Duo did find something, because waiting around in this mess was taking it's toll on everyone. They needed a lead to take RTL down for good. Trowa's tablet helped a great deal, but they couldn't just hand it over to the authorities by just itself. The wrong trust in the wrong person, and that tablet would disappear.

But, something had to break. Soon.