Cake Walk
by Merith
"This is going to be a cake walk," Duo said in a voice just over a whisper.
Heero scanned the external camera relays, checked the monitor feeds before replying. "If this is a cake walk, then I'm your uncle." He circled the mouse in to highlight a feed. "Boogey at ten, count of two on my mark."
"Roger that," Duo's voice went even lower. "If you're my uncle, then I might start believing in incest."
"Mark." Heero blinked, narrowed his eyes and watched the shadow slip into the foliage banking the building. "What was that?"
"I said," Duo started, faint as a heartbeat. "If you're my..."
"Cut the chatter." A new voice broke through. "You two are crowding the device."
Duo's snort was heard but he made no remark. Keying up the next sequence, Heero verified clearance. "Gander, your vector is clear. Target in fifteen hundred feet."
Soft breath and the barest hint of a rustle were heard from the mic. Heero scanned the relays again, checked the security patrol progress and began the overrides for Duo's next leg. A blip that shouldn't be on where it was, made him pause. He enlarged the sector, and sent the signal to Wufei.
"Goose, confirm boogey."
"Verify in process," Wufei acknowledged. "Looks like a flock of birds."
"Do you have visual?"
"Target achieved. Next."
"Hold for my go, Gander. Goose, I need visual confirmation."
"I'm on it Heero!" Wufei's voice was gruff.
"Duckling, I'm going to have company."
"One minute, Gander." Heero scanned the monitors again, cursing under his breath.
"Heero." His name was barely heard.
"Wufei! I need confirmation now!" Heero's fingers were flying on the keys. Command overrides recalling the rogue patrol were being issued. The rapid clicking stilled at the slight pop and zip-wiz of the rip line launcher. "Duo..." he was whispering.
"Visual confirmed." Wufei's voice was sudden and loud. "It is a flock of birds, pigeons, if you want to know."
"Status!" Heero demanded, slamming the override code through for camera by-pass feed on roof security.
"Dangling," Duo said, louder than he had since radio check. "Rather like our relationship at the moment."
"Duo -" Heero flipped his microphone away and let out a slow breath. Override complete, he took a deep breath and pulled the mic back in place. "Gander, you are good to go. Landing secure. Path clear."
"Roger, duckling." A soft grunt and a brief scramble. "Landing complete, I'm at the door."
"Acknowledged." Heero pulled up the specs on door lock. "This should be a six number key-touch soft entry box." He scanned the lines and nodded. "Use the magnetic strip with the by-pass clips."
"Roger, duck."
Heero heard the shift and rustle as Duo readied his equipment.
"Uh, duckling..." Duo had turned on his external camera feed. "Check this out. I think you have old schematics."
Looking at the lockbox sent through the monitor, Heero cussed under his breath again. "Standby, Gander." He pulled his laptop closer and was flipping through make and model indexes when a click sounded in his headset. "Gander?"
"Entrance secured, duckling-babe."
Heero verified Duo was now inside a narrow hallway, light by overhead florescence. "What did you do?" He scanned through the alarm relays, confirmed none were triggered.
"Little ingenuity, lot of moxie," Duo's voice became soft and low once again. "On level twenty-three, lead me in the dance, big daddy."
"Duckling," Wufei's voice cut in. "I hear voices at the target vector."
"Roger, Goose." Heero brought up the interior security camera feeds, flashed through the screens to the twenty-second floor. With a snort, he keyed the command to record. "Gander, find a place to park. You're going to have to wait this one out." He glanced at the building floor plans and added, "There is a janitor's closet two doors to your right."
"Is that what I think I'm hearing?" Wufei was whispering.
"If what you think you're hearing is a male and a female in the midst of mutual sexual gratification, then yes, it is what you're hearing."
"What? And you put me in the closet?" Duo's voice went high.
"He's old and she's too top-heavy for your taste," Heero supplied, already ignoring the feed and working on the next set of override codes. "Besides, I'm recording it."
"Good man." Duo was chuckling softly.
"Is there a way around them?" Wufei's voice was heavy with disgust. "The south corridor sounds clear."
"Acknowledged," Heero said, already pulling the camera feed to the opposite hallway. "It'll add to our time, but..." He loaded the new route into his simulator. "Gander, new game plan."
"'bout time. This place stinks."
"Backtrack to the last east-west junction, and head west," Heero said, switching loop feeds to the south block.
"Roger, duckling."
Duo's dot was on the move. Heero continued to track the blue blip with constant checks on security patrols. At Wufei muttered, "About time," Heero flipped off the recording device, zipped up the video and sent the file to a secured email address.
"Target sighted, ducky-babe."
Verifying exit parameters, Heero paused for executing the program. "Confirm package is secure, Gander."
"Package is wrapped tighter than my dick in latex."
"Exit using east wing to elevator." A click of a key launched his program; the elevator began to rise. "A car will be delivered at your feet." Heero allowed himself to smile.
"Ah, duckling, you shouldn't have," Duo's voice a hint of a whisper. "A Viper, I hope."
"It's a sleek, speedy model, two door, quiet motor. It'll take you places you really want to go." Heero ran another parameter check, stopped the elevator's rise one floor below Duo. "Your chariot awaits."
"Care to open the door, ducky?"
Heero was chuckling silently as he keyed the sequence to override elevator safety controls. "Just get your ass back to the van, Gander."
Short minutes long, Duo was rapping a shallow tattoo on the van's door. Heero let him inside, saying into his mic, "Come to roast, Goose. Gander has landed."
"Time to lay an egg, pal." Duo stripped off his headgear, and dropped his utility belt to the van floor. His hand slipped inside the tight fold of his body suit and he was pulling out a photograph. "There ya go." He was grinning, presenting the picture over his arm.
Heero was letting Wufei inside the van, and glanced back over his shoulder. "Target confirmed?"
The blond sitting off to the side, took the photo with one hand. He traced over the couple holding one another and looked up at Heero. "Target verified." He was shaking his head. "I don't know how you do it, but every time..."
"Ah, don't worry about it, Quatre," Duo was saying, stripping his suit down to the waist. He plopped on the sofa next to the man and threw an arm around his shoulder. "There aren't many teams who could break into your place..."
"I'll have the report ready tomorrow by noon with recommendations to your security staff," Heero interrupted.
Quatre looked from Duo to Heero, giving him a nod and a smile. "So, why is your relationship dangling?"
Duo looked at Heero, his mouth opened. "Ah, well you see Quatre, it's like this..."
"Our relationship isn't dangling," Heero said, lifting and shifting Duo's dropped items.
"Duo asked Heero to move in with him, and Heero hasn't made up his mind yet," Wufei cut in. He was standing at the equipment rack, wrapping and packing away his headset, receiver.
"You did?" Quatre turned to Duo.
"Yep." Duo stretched and scratched the back of his head. "Keeps me dangling like a puppet on a string."
Heero snorted, and began shutting down the electronics equipment. "It's only been twenty-four hours, Duo." He turned and leaned against the short shelf. "And I haven't said no."
"Does that mean yes?" Duo was rising from the couch, flipping his braid over his shoulder.
A half smile and a slight shrug. "It doesn't mean no."
Duo reached forward and tugged on Heero's belt loops, pulling him closer. "And that means yes," he was murmuring against Heero's mouth.
"Guys, not in front of the client." Wufei pushed by them, heading for the cab. "Let's get out of here and go home."
Quatre stood and eased his way around the couple, tucking his photograph into his shirt pocket. "I think I'll join you up front," he was saying sitting on the passenger seat, and waited until Wufei had started the van. "Goose."
Wufei shot him a look. "Shit." Levering the gearshift into drive and pulling out of the empty parking lot, Wufei started to laugh.
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