Summary: The mission was a set-up. One by one, the pilots had been caught and locked away. They all knew what was coming next; interrogation. And Heero's suddenly decided that his new mission is to keep the others out of it. //Slight 2x1. Non-graphic mentions of torture//

Words: 5,208

Notes: The thing I loved most about Gundam Wing was Heero. I loved how he had a good heart, even though he didn't always show it. Which is where this idea stemmed from. Well, that, and the fact that I also love torturing my favourite characters... (why else would they call it "Hurt/Comfort"?)

*

Interrogation

It had all gone wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong. It seemed like such a simple mission at first; each thought they were going their separate ways to handle a small task before meeting up at some rebel headquarters. Well, they had each done their tasks, as promised, but the entire thing turned out to be a set up, as they soon found out when they arrived at the headquarters.

Duo impatiently paced the small room, much to the annoyance of the other roommates. His braid swung wildly as he turned, nearly hitting the Chinese boy in the face. Amethyst eyes didn't even look up when he heard the other's warning growl.

"Maxwell, if you don't sit down, I swear I'll kill you myself!"

Duo snorted, "Just try it, Wu-man."

Even as Wufei was getting up to "defend his honour", a firm hand landed on his shoulder. Ebony eyes looked up into intense green ones, and he realised that getting in a fight while locked in a cell wasn't the best of ideas. With a sigh to expel his anger, he let himself fall back to the ground.

"Hey, you think Hee-chan's been caught yet?" Duo asked after going in another full circle.

Quatre sighed, his blond hair dirty with cell grime, "I don't think he'd like you calling him that, Duo."

The braided pilot rolled his eyes, finally slumping in defeat against the solid stone wall, "Yeah, yeah, I know. 'Omae o korosu' and all that."

The four pilots sat in silence after that, each running through all of the possibilities. There was one door, but it was solid steel, at least a foot thick with not only an automatic lock but also an instant alarm. They were surrounded by stone walls, or so they assumed. The ceiling went up at least twenty feet and seemed to also be solid steel. It was the kind of room made just for crazy pilots with almost abnormal abilities.

As was to be expected, the blond was doing the worst in captivity. Although his patience was nearly infinite, he was used to freedom. His tired blue eyes were constantly searching the room for something, anything, that might help them escape. Even his normally bright blond hair was pretty much hanging limply.

Trowa often found himself assessing the blond's damage, trying to see if he could help in any way, but there was nothing he could do. He was calm and collected, able to keep his head well. It only helped that he was used to working in cages with animals. Still, the future didn't look too good for any of them, and he didn't think Quatre would hold out forever.

The Chinese pilot was holding his head high, despite the nearly hopeless situation. They had tried to escape whenever the door had opened, but there were always people ready for them, and it hadn't worked yet. Wufei saw it as a failure, and it was not something he tolerated well, but if he gave up, he knew it would be dishonourable not only to himself, but also to his companions.

Even to Maxwell, he thought to himself bitterly.

The braided baka in question wasn't faring too well himself; he had already chatted their ears off, played childish games and attempted to run up the wall, ending only in the terrible silence he hated so much. He hated being helpless and trapped, but he could tell he was seriously annoying his friends, and he didn't want that to happen.

Each caught up in their own thoughts, none bothered to even look up when they heard the tell-tale click of the door being opened. Fresh air flooded in, something they had once taken for granted before a new person was shoved in and the door closed once again.

Quatre was the first to look up, not entirely surprised to see Heero standing there, glaring mutinously at the door. The cobalt-eyed boy seemed calm and impassive, if angry, but his figure told a different story; the clothing was torn in parts, showing that the soldier had not gone down without a fight.

Gathering his energy, Quatre finally spoke, "Hey, Heero. You alright?"

Deep blue eyes blinked once before he turned entirely to face the blond, "Fine."

"We're doing fine as well," the blond smiled, reading the silent question in the other's eyes. A decisive nod was his only answer before Heero went about checking the room for any possible means of escape.

"Already done that, buddy," Duo yawned, looking up from his spot on the ground, "There's nothing. But feel free to check, oh perfect one." An almost-frown was on the other's face but none of the pilots paid it any attention as he went straight back poking around their prison.

A few minutes later, a soft grunt of defeat confirmed that there was no means of escape. The others let go of their final hope as Heero took a place against the cold wall, the only one standing besides Trowa. He crossed his arms, looking at the floor in what they hoped was deep thought.

After another few minutes of silence, Duo finally gave in, whining, "Guys! I'm bored! Can't we at least talk?!"

Surprisingly, it was Trowa who answered, "Blue." Unfortunately, no one had a clue as to what he was thinking.

"Uh, what?"

"Blue." Most of the pilots sat in stunned silence, but Heero looked up, cold understanding in his eyes.

"Water," he answered, his emotionless voice flowing over the others.

When no one else said anything, Trowa continued the cycle, "Fish."

"Group."

"Category."

"Label."

"Stereotype," this time, it wasn't either of the two stoic boys' voices, but Quatre's.

"Injustice," came the Chinese's answer.

"Um, guys? What are you doing?"

Quatre giggled at the American's confusion, "If Wufei says injustice, what do you think of?"

"Uh, freedom?"

Trowa continued, "Bird."

They waited for Heero's turn, but he was completely silent. He had played the stupid word game for the benefit of the others, but now that it was going strong, he preferred his silence. Quatre picked up on this and easily took up the slack.

"Sky."

"Dragon."

"Food." Everyone turned to look at Duo.

"How do you get food out of dragon?" Wufei growled defensively.

Duo shrugged, "If you met one, you'd become its food." This brought a laugh out of the blond, lifting the previously heavy atmosphere.

The game continued, revealing bits and pieces of each pilot's thought process, even as Heero remained silent. Occasionally, when the game hit a rough patch, in which no one wanted to say what they really felt, Heero would step in. But the others knew not to count him in the general flow of things, and thus moved on.

Trowa, though still playing, was glad that his idea worked; not only was the American doing better, but it also helped Quatre to forget where they were, and even Wufei was letting go of his usual stiffness.

They heard the click of the door but decided it would be better to keep playing their game and pretend like it didn't bother them. Each, on his own time, discreetly raised their gaze to take in the newcomer, studying him.

Heero knew exactly what was going on as soon as he saw the twisted grin on the fat visitor's face; interrogation. The others must've realised it too, because they casually started using less informative words.

"Dog," Duo stated with a grin.

Wufei nearly sighed, "You must have the most twisted mind I've ever seen."

Trowa let a fake smile tug at his lips, a mask for their visitor, "Loyalty."

Duo snorted, "I'll have you know my dog wasn't loyal in the—"

"Ah-hem," the fat newcomer asserted, "If you're quite done playing your silly word game—"

"What makes you think we were done, old man?"

Wufei sent a sideways glare at the loud American, trying to tell him to shut up before they got into trouble that would ruin their chances of escape even more.

The 'old man' was red in the face, his bodyguards backing up ever-so-slightly, "Keep that up, boy, and I'll have you go first."

"Go first at wha—" but a sharp jolt in his side told Duo to shut up. He knew exactly what the other was talking about, but he was a natural at playing to his assumed character. If they thought he was dumb, they wouldn't take him seriously.

"As I was saying, we've developed a number of... methods to get you all to talk, though they've never been tested. So if you all continue to refuse to tell us where your superiors are, we'll just have to make you their test subjects. You have an hour to decide." With those parting words, their new 'tormentor' left the room, leaving behind an air of foreboding.

"You think he's serious?" Quatre asked after a while, his nervousness plain as day.

"Yes. But they won't kill us," Trowa tried to reassure the other, though he knew it wouldn't work.

Duo snorted, "Yeah right. Why do they need all of us? Maybe they'll keep one poor sucker alive, and torture him till he speaks, and I'd rather not be that guy."

"If we cannot complete the mission, we will die," Heero's commanding voice broke through their rambled thoughts.

"Hey, buddy? I wasn't trained for no torture handling. If they make me go through pain or whatever, I will die. I won't speak, because I would sooner kill myself! I ain't perfect like you!"

The bitter words brought a stunned silence over all of them. The three bystanders looked between the frightened American and the emotionless Japanese, trying to figure out if they had to step in or not. Then, Heero finally spoke.

"Understood. Mission accepted."

"Wait, what mission?" Duo's amethyst eyes were dark with confusion.

But Heero said nothing more, and throughout all of Duo's attempts at getting him to speak again, he was absolutely silent, his eyes cold and determined. Still, he didn't really need to say anything for the others to understand.

It was almost exactly an hour later, which had been filled with only the soft breathing of five pilots, that the door was opened once again, the same old man making his way in, grinning that ugly grin.

"So, you ready to talk yet?"

Duo was about to answer when Heero cut in, "We will not talk."

"Oh? So you'd rather go through my tests?"

"They will not affect me."

His uncaring tone got on the fat man's nerves, "Oh really? Would they affect your friends then?"

"I have no friends." The cold, almost truthful words sent of stab of pain into each of the other four pilots, but they said nothing.

"Ahh, but they are your comrades," the old one tried.

"No, they are idiots that don't know what they're doing." Still emotionless, if cruel, words.

"Really? Then why work with them?"

"I don't; they only get in my way. They have never even met our superior in person," Heero stated with as much fake anger as he could. The words were completely untrue, he knew, but they had the desired effect on the tormentor.

With an attempt at a casual voice, the fat man asked his deciding question, "Then you have met him?"

"Obviously."

"And you are the leader?"

"I don't lead idiots."

"If you are telling me all of this now, what makes you think you'll even last one second under torture?"

Heero was silent, trying to seem like he just realised his mistake while in reality he'd only said what he wanted the other to know. The maniacal grin told Heero that he'd succeeded.

Mission accomplished.

After a dark look back at the others, telling them not to say a word, he went back to staring down the visitor.

"We'll see just how much you can take."

He put up enough of a fight that it would seem like he wasn't going on purpose, but otherwise let himself be taken pretty easily. Once the handcuffs were on, he slumped, trying to convey defeat as he was dragged out of the room, the door closing behind him with another click.

Duo was wide-eyed, "Did he—?"

Trowa nodded but it was Quatre who spoke, his tone sad, "He'll be alright, right?"

"He's trained to handle torture," Wufei reminded them, "and he brought it on himself."

"Yeah, but this is the guy who tried to self-destruct!"

The frantic, truthful words struck deep, and as the pilots fell into silence, each had the sense that things would not go well. All they could do was wait...

***

Hours later, the door clicked open once again, but to the pilots' disappointment, it wasn't Heero. This time, it was some tall, skinny man with the same twisted smile as the old man. He was wearing what they guessed to be a lab coat, his dark brown eyes glinting.

"You are the ones that escaped torture, huh? I suppose it was for the best; we only had one room, after all," his words were threatening and cold, obviously trying to scare them.

When none of the pilots spoke a word, the not-so-nice scientist continued, "Any of you want to tell me where your superior is now? If only to save your friend more pain?"

Trowa, seeing the wavering faces of Quatre and Duo, quickly spoke up, "He's not our friend." The stoic boy forcefully ignored the angered look of his companions, knowing they would understand later.

"Ahh, I forgot. Funny thing your... ally is. He says the same thing, even though he says nothing else."

Duo, catching on, shrugged, "He never said much in the first place."

The scientist nodded, as if he knew what they were talking about, "Well, it shouldn't be long now. We'll have him back to you in an hour." A cold smile was on his face, making shivers run down the pilots' backs. "Though, I don't know what will be left of him."

And then he was gone, disappearing out the single door and leaving the others alone with their worried thoughts.

***

True to his word, the scientist entered their room again an hour later. The grim faces of the captured boys was like music to his ears, and he smirked when they all looked up at him from their position on the floor—not even Trowa remained standing any longer. Beside the slimy scientist was a buff-looking guy, a bundle in his arms, and Duo had to force himself not to jump them.

"I suppose you want this back now," the decidedly evil man laughed, giving the cue for his bodyguard to drop his charge. The young boy hit the ground with a thud, unable to soften his landing in unconsciousness.

Without saying another word, the scientist and his bodyguards left, allowing the pilots to finally go toward their fallen comrade, no longer having to pretend like they didn't care. The first thing they checked was his pulse, and though not as strong as usual, it was obviously there.

As they looked over the silent boy, they each winced. Physically alone, the Wing pilot was pretty beaten up. The basic burns and cuts that they had all experienced before were present, accompanied by some more elaborate attempts at getting the boy to speak. Still, it didn't look incurable; just painful.

"Let's get him wrapped up," Trowa finally stated, remembering the last time he had helped the other with his injuries; that had been when he'd self destructed.

Quatre nodded and instantly removed his shirt, offering it to the calm boy prepared to get them through their mess.

"He won't, you know, die, will he?" Duo nervously asked.

Trowa was silent for a moment, until finally, "No. He heals fast, so he should be fine."

"You think he talked?" Wufei ventured, already helping Trowa to tear the blond's shirt and wrap the worst of the wounds.

Duo laughed, "Heero? Never. He probably didn't even say it hurt. I bet you that's why they had to keep him so long." It was an attempt at reassurance for both himself and the other pilots.

Silence fell as Trowa diligently worked, taking the American's shirt next. Finally, Trowa removed his own shirt, using it to wrap around the cold body.

"We have to keep him warm," the usually-quiet boy told the others, hoping they understood his silent question.

Duo, at least, caught on, "Yeah, yeah, I'll take him. But if he kills me when he wakes up, I blame you!" Inwardly, though, the braided boy still felt immensely guilty about being the reason Heero was in that condition.

Carefully picking up the unconscious boy, Trowa waited until Duo was comfortably seated before handing him over. Holding the boy tight to his chest, Duo slowly shifted, trying to keep as much of the other warm without bothering his wounds. The other three pilots sat around them, all silent.

It would be a long night.

***

A shudder alerted the almost-asleep American to his bundle's waking. Tightening his grip—he didn't want the other to move around too much and open anything—Duo blinked his tired eyes open. Quatre was sleeping heavily, resting nearly in Trowa's lap. Wufei kept his eyes trained on the door in case anyone came, not even letting himself rest.

Trowa, meanwhile, was as alert as ever, calmly watching Duo and Heero to see if anything was wrong. He noticed the latter's waking as well, but didn't make a move to show it, instead patiently waiting.

"Heero, buddy, you gonna come back to the land of the living yet?" Duo's voice was soft and caring, trying to make sure nothing else would go wrong.

A nearly inaudible grunt was his answer as exhausted cobalt eyes finally opened, a shiver running through the now-awake boy. At first, he stayed completely still, trying to figure out where he was and what was happening, until eventually he relaxed, shivering against the cold air.

"Sorry," Duo whispered, wrapping the boy up tighter, "This place doesn't have a heater."

An almost-smile tugged at the injured boy's lips before he attempted to get even closer to the warmth surrounding him, and therefore closer to Duo. The pain coursing though his body was bearable; all he had to do was forcefully keep his mind away from it, along with the memories of what he'd just gone through. As long as he didn't think about it, he would be fine.

"So, uh, you're not, like, poisoned or something, are you? I mean you won't go dying on us in our sleep, right?"

"'M fine," came the heavily muffled reply, almost too weak to be heard. Wufei, who had turned around as soon as Duo began speaking, couldn't help but snort.

"Sure you are, Yuy."

No reply came.

"Is he asleep?" the American wondered, unable to see Heero's face.

Trowa finally spoke, "I don't think he'll be sleeping for a while."

Two pairs of confused eyes fell on him, "Why not?"

"Because I think the most damage was done mentally," was the quiet answer.

"W-what makes you say that?" Duo asked, eyes wide, but Trowa shook his head. He wouldn't say anything more on the subject.

Shakily, Duo moved his hand from Heero's back to his head, absently running fingers through the soft brown locks. His mental image of the other was of a superhero without the ability to feel pain or to be affected by anything that anyone says. Now, that image was being shattered; Duo didn't want to learn that his idol of sorts wasn't as strong as he'd imagined. It was like being told Santa Clause doesn't exist all over again.

He felt the slight tensing of his bundle, but when he was about to move his hand away, Heero relaxed once more, almost trying to get even closer. Seeing this made the American's heart throb; he had never seen the quiet, almost cold boy accept any form of comfort what-so-ever.

"Heero?" he tried, his voice almost too soft to hear, "We're gonna get you out of here, alright?" He knew it was a pretty empty promise—what could he do, after all—but he wanted to do something, anything, to make everything back to the way it was, before he had found out that the 'perfect soldier' could care after all.

Wufei, seeing the American's display of emotion and guilt, turned away. He didn't need to watch something that would potentially embarrass his friend, even if the other didn't know he was considered one. Trowa simply stayed still, tempted to run his own hands through the blond hair in his lap. But he wouldn't, least not until the war was over. For now, it was best simply to get some sleep himself.

***

When Duo drifted off into sleep once more and his hand stilled, Heero couldn't help the involuntary shiver course through his body. Trowa had finally allowed himself to sleep, having made sure Heero would come out of his unconsciousness, and even Wufei had faded, still leaning against the wall. It had been a very long time since they'd gotten proper sleep but Heero couldn't even bring himself to close his eyes.

Instead, he put his alert mind to use devising a way to escape. Having been taken out of the cell, he knew exactly how many people followed the fat man and the scientist, as well as how strong they were. Though his body was weaker than usual, what with the blood loss and sheer pain, Heero figured he would be able to at least take down five before he fell completely. That would be enough to get the others out, if he played his cards right.

Nodding at his own logic, he tried to wiggle his way out of the braided boy's strong, comforting grasp. He didn't want to get up, but if he didn't, his body would cramp, and then he'd be useless. It had been exactly 4 hours and 35 minutes since he woke up, and he estimated another 3 hours of unconsciousness. He had given his body as much rest as possible without sleeping, but if his calculations were right, the next time someone would come was in 20 minutes.

They would be back to check on things, and thinking the pilots would be asleep, Heero figured there wouldn't be as many people, which was why he had to move now. Unfortunately, his personal blanket was not happy with its bundle moving and amethyst eyes opened tiredly.

"Wasup?" was his intelligent and mumbled greeting.

Heero nearly growled at being unable to get up without Duo knowing; if the others woke up, they wouldn't let him move, and that would be bad. Halfway out of the other's grasp, he had no choice now but to try and convince the American to go along with his plan.

"Heero? S'at you?"

"Quiet," he finally growled, using the other's confusion to get free. With the help of the cell wall, Heero managed to force himself onto his feet, letting his shaky legs get under control.

"What's going on?" Duo was fully awake as soon as he realised he'd lost his bundle, but he chose to keep his voice quiet.

"We're leaving."

Amethyst eyes widened, "Uh, Heero? Buddy? Have you gone nuts? We're trapped, remember?"

Heero grunted, pushing himself away from the wall to properly test his body, "We need to get out, or they'll kill you."

"Wha? Me? Or all of us?"

"All of you."

"Meaning, not you?" Duo was quite confused by that point, but he was getting the gist of Heero's thinking.

Heero shook his head, "They think I'll tell them next time they try that thing on me. They won't kill me."

"So why are you trying to escape?"

Cobalt eyes narrowed in a glare, "Stop asking questions. You need to get out, and you can't do it without me."

"Why not wait till you're healed then?" Duo had stood up by that point, ready to help the shaky boy at a moment's notice.

Heero snorted, "I won't be healed. Not here, anyway. No, better to go when they think we're down."

Duo just shook his head, "Man, you're an odd one, Hee-chan. I think that's the most you've ever said to me."

"Hn."

"Aww, don't go back to that! Hey, how do you think you can help us anyway? You're having enough trouble standing."

With a long-suffering sigh, Heero knew he'd have to explain himself, "The guards will come to check on us in 15 minutes. When they open the door, I'll jump them. With the element of surprise, I should be able to take down at least five before either they kill me or my body gives out. In the meantime, you all need to get out of the room and kill whoever's left. Then leave."

Duo was glaring, "I don't think so. You don't get to kill yourself and leave us alone again, Heero. Oh no, if we're going, we're going together. I promised, remember?"

"Unacceptable. This is the only way."

"I bet that's why you don't want to wake the others, huh. They wouldn't let you do it either. Did you think we'd just wake up and follow your plan subconsciously or something?" Duo was furious with the other pilot for even considering killing himself.

Heero sighed, "I was going to wake Trowa. He's good at staying calm and he would understand."

"Heero!"

The young boy winced at the loudness of the other's voice, "If we don't do it now, they'll kill you. That's what you said, remember? They'll only keep one of us alive, and right now, I'm their best choice."

Duo looked shocked as his own words smacked him in the face, "But—"

"No buts. I can't help you in any other way, Duo. That's why I have to do this. If anyone else tried to single-handedly jump them, they'd die, and you need everyone you have."

That was the final straw for the American, "That's just it, Heero! We need everyone! That means you too! We can't go on without you, why can't you understand that? You think we would live with ourselves if we let you sacrifice your life for our freedom? If you're going to die, we might as well too! This is a damn pointless war anyway!"

Heero stared calmly back, "Always follow your emotions. Your heart. That's what I was taught. Well, this is exactly what my heart tells me to do. To complete the mission is the point of my existence, and that's what I intend to do."

"He~ero!" Duo whined, knowing he wouldn't be able to convince the other soldier, least of all in a situation where he was entirely dedicated to the cause.

"Would you keep it down, Maxwell?" came an angry, tired voice from a once sleeping dragon.

"Not until you convince Mr. Suicide here not to go about throwing away his life!" Duo yelled, turning to glare at Wufei.

"Heero's going to kill himself?!" That was Quatre, jolted awake by the arguing voices only to hear Duo's last sentence.

Trowa, who awoke the instant he felt Quatre move to get up, was shocked to hear the blond's statement. His mind began processing the information, coming out with one thought,

It really did do more damage to him mentally than physically.

Heero, meanwhile, caught in the middle of insanity between four still-groggy teenagers, could only fight to keep himself standing. He knew that the guards should be by at any moment and at least if the others were arguing, he could delay the group and hopefully grant the other's escape. Unfortunately for him, not even the pilots' loud voices would drown out the menacing click of the door opening.

Suddenly, the once groggy teenagers were on high alert, instantly jumping into a pointless argument to once again fool their captors. It was almost habit for them keep the truth a secret. Duo was once again taking on his assumed character, yelling at Wufei for something or other. Quatre was acting as the peacekeeper, though he discreetly made sure to give the two something to argue about. Trowa remained silent, watching Heero to see what his next move would be.

Two guards stepped into the cell, their attention immediately drawn to the three yelling pilots. In the confusion, very few words were actually discernable. If one were to hazard a guess, they'd assume the argument was about what kind of metal worked best. Heero looked over at Trowa and suddenly, he understood. The green-eyed pilot let the slightest bit of a smile form before he lunged for the nearest guard.

It was then, all five pilots would later agree, that all hell broke loose.

***

"That was something, wasn't it?" Duo's soft voice broke the silence of the night. In his lap was Heero, finally sleeping and seemingly dead to the world. Their positions were almost the same as when they sat in the cell only a few hours ago.

Quatre nodded, a tired grin on his face, "Yeah, it was kind of crazy. I can't believe we made it out."

Wufei snorted, "Was there any doubt?" A short silence followed before laughter erupted. Even Trowa nearly cracked a smile when Quatre doubled over clutching his stomach. Duo had to force himself from shaking too hard lest he wake up his sleeping friend.

As the laughter died, a contemplative silence fell over the group. The same thought was being processed by each, their intelligent minds going over the details of what had happened. They had all fought for their freedom and, more importantly, for the life of their comrade.

"It's hard to believe, isn't it?" Quatre finally voiced, not bothering to elaborate on his vague question; the others understood.

Duo looked down at his bundle, "Yeah, he really surprised me. I mean, he's supposed to be the perfect soldier, not..."

"Our friend?" Wufei finished when it became apparent that Duo wouldn't. The other nodded, tightening his grip.

Minutes passed before Duo spoke again, "He'll be pretty mad when he wakes up. I mean, he was ready to give his life for us, and then we went and took away his chance." He was only half joking. In reality, he wondered how things would ever return to normal.

Quatre grinned, "I think he'll be more upset that you ended up carrying him out, Duo."

"It was his own fault! He shouldn't have tried to run on his own! He--"

"It doesn't matter," Trowa suddenly interrupted, "We're out, and that was his mission. He'll be fine."

A final silence fell, sleep drawing closer. In the safety of the forest, far away from the rebel headquarters, the group finally gave in to their body's desires. Single-handedly breaking out of such a secured building, carrying an injured friend and trying to keep him from sustaining even more injuries was a tiring job, after all. They wouldn't sleep for long—no more than an hour or two—but they would be at peace.

Unbeknownst to the other four, Heero smiled softly before unconsciousness truly took over.

Mission accomplished.