"Dekim went to Cheyenne. Mueller said he got a call from Morrisey before he took off,” Relena told Heero on the phone the next morning. “I’ve sent two extra agents to Cheyenne to see if they can track him down.”

Morrisey again. “I doubt if Dekim’s still there. He would never have left a loose thread like Mueller hanging if he’s thought Mueller could hurt him. Have you found out anything new about Morrisey?”

“We traced one of the calls he made five days ago to a motel in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We sent an agent to see what we could find out and we got lucky. Morrisey charged the room to a credit card. We may be able to monitor his future actions.”

“You weren’t able to trace that last call?”

“No, it was on the portable.”

Brick wall. Dekim was moving and they couldn’t even find Morrisey.

“What do you hear from the CDC?” Relena asked.

“Progress.”

“That’s not enough. The only thing that may save us is an antidote. He should be made available to them.”

“He is available to them. I’m sending them a sample everyday.”

“Which will stop if you get him killed. He was out on the street yesterday for God’s sake.”

“And he’ll be out today.”

“How long do you think I’ll permit this, Heero? He’s too valuable for you to—”

“Call me when you hear about Morrisey.” Heero hung up the phone.

“Morrisey? “ I asked from where I stood in the doorway.

“Dekim took off after receiving a call from him. The last report we have is that he went to Cheyenne.”

“Then what are we doing here?”

“He won’t be there any longer. Our best bet is finding Morrisey and squeezing the information out of him.”

“If he knows anything. You said Dekim seldom confided anything to anyone.”

“Morrisey knows the job he was given. That’s a start.”

“Did you recognize anyone in those photos?”

He shook his head.

“Then I’m going to go out and take more.”

“It may not do any good.”

“And it may.” I grimaced. “At least I’ll feel like I’m doing something. I hate just marking time.”

“You don’t find being bait entertaining? Relena’s very interested in the entire process. She wants to put you in a nice sterile cell and throw away the key.”

“Fuck Relena.”

“My thought exactly.” He stood up. “Twenty minutes. You show yourself, you take a few photos and then we come back.”

“And I make sure no one brushes against me.”

“I’m not as worried about close quarters now that I know its Lowe. He prefers a knife or a gun, and a gun isn’t subtle enough in these circumstances. I’d bet on the knife.”

“How reassuring.” I moved toward the darkroom. “I’m glad you’re not worried. I’ll be right back. I need to get more film.”

Oh no, Heero wasn’t worried. He was terrified and had been every second of that trip to the camera store the previous day. He didn’t know how much longer he could go on with this.

***************

The streetlight cast shadows on the brick wall, shadows that looked vaguely like hunched gargoyles.

Interesting, I thought. I must have stared out this window across the street a hundred times. Why had I never noticed that effect before? Maybe I hadn’t wanted to see gargoyles that close by.

I held the camera up to my eye and focused.

“What are you doing?” Heero asked from behind me. “Do you see someone?”

“A gargoyle.”

“Nani?”

“Only a shadow across the street. But it’s too good to miss.”

“I told you never to stand directly in front of a window.”

“I forgot.” I stepped to one side.

“I would have thought you’d taken enough photos for one day. You were in the darkroom all afternoon.”

“I have to do something or I’ll go crazy.”

“I can sympathize. I’m close to that point myself. You really missed that camera.”

“Hai.” I turned to look at Heero sitting in the easy chair across the room. He was in shirtsleeves, his long legs stretched before him. He should have looked relaxed, but he didn’t. The edge was still there. I had never seen him really relaxed. “But no more than I would my eyes.”

“Or an old friend.”

I nodded.

“Don’t you ever look at anything without seeing it through the lens of a camera?”

“Sometimes. Not often, I guess. Even when I don’t have my camera, it’s not unusual for me to see things as if I were taking the shot. Quatre said—” I stopped. So many things in my life led back to Quatre. “He used to laugh and say I was obsessed.”

“Are you?”

“Maybe. Okay I guess I am. There are times when it’s worse than others.” The gargoyles seemed taller now, more gothic. Had the light changed? I took another shot. “I know I felt naked when I didn’t have it.”

“No armor?”

I looked at him. “Nani?”

“Doesn’t taking the photos distance you from the situation? Keep the pain away?”

“Distance me?”

His gaze was fixed intently on my face. “When do you do it most often, Duo? When do you distance yourself?”

“I don’t know.”

“The bad times? L2? Tenajo?”

“Maybe.” I frowned. “Back off, Heero. I don’t need you to psychoanalyze me.”

“Gomen, it’s just a habit. You’re right it’s none of my business. And I didn’t mean to intimate there was anything wrong with putting up barriers. We all do. I just found it interesting that you use a camera.”

“And what do you use?”

“Anything I can. I improvise.”

“It’s not just a barrier. I like what I do.”

“I know. Forget what I said.”

But I wouldn’t forget what he had said. He was sharp and perceptive and annoyingly right too often. I had the sudden desire to disconcert him. I lifted the camera. “Smile, Heero.”

I smiled myself as I caught the look of surprise on his face. It was deliciously satisfying to catch Heero off guard.

“Again.”

Focus.
Shoot.

“May I ask what you’re doing?”

“Taking your picture. You’re a very interesting subject.”

It was true. Through the lens of the camera his face was fascinating mixture of boldness and subtlety. I wish I had the proper lighting.

“Because I’m so pretty? Or do you feel the need to compare gargoyles?” He smiled sardonically and waved his hand. “Be my guest, if you want to risk that new camera. I’ve been known to break them.”

He was relaxing just a little; the tenseness flowed out of his muscles as I watched. It was odd. I had never been able to look at Heero with any objectivity before. From our first meeting, every moment had been colored with a wild range of emotion—anger, fear, frustration…

The hand he waved was well formed I thought absently. Like the rest of him. Muscular thighs, narrow waist, broad shoulders.

Power and grace and sexuality.

I almost dropped the camera.

Sexuality? Where had that come from?

“Something wrong?” Heero’s gaze had narrowed on my face.

“Nothing.” I hurriedly lowered the camera, turned away and headed for the darkroom.

***************

He was feeling safe. So safe that he was even going out on the street, Dekim thought. And Odin was doing nothing about it. He was only giving excuses.

Duo was trying to show him that his friend’s death meant nothing to him. Dekim knew it had affected him. He had collapsed at the funeral home. Yet there he was, going out, taking pictures, when he should be hiding terrified. He was taunting him. The thought enraged Dekim.

It wasn’t to be tolerated.

***************

The phone was ringing when we walked into the apartment the next day.

“Did you enjoy the funeral, Duo?”

Shock rippled through me. “Dekim.”

Heero moved swiftly toward the kitchen.

“I’m sorry I missed it, but I was represented by one of my employees. He said you held up very well at the crypt.”

“You son of a bitch.” My voice was shaking. “You killed him.”

“I told you I did. You should have believed me. But then I’d have been cheated of the pleasure of presenting you with such an exquisite gift. Unfortunately he was a little worse for wear, wasn’t he? What did you think when you saw—”

“Shut up.”

“You’re upset. But then, what can you expect from Mother Nature? It was hot. We know about that heat, don’t we? You must have gotten very hot running through those hills.”

“But we got away from you. You lost, you bastard.”

“Not because of you. You’re only a boy. I would have gotten you if it hadn’t been for that helicopter. Are you listening in, Heero?”

“Hai.” Heero said.

“I thought you would be. You’re taking very good care of him. But it’s not going to do you any good. I’ll still get him. The boy isn’t going to stop me, but he has annoyed me. However, to show my forgiving nature I’ve sent him another present.”

My hand tightened on the receiver. “Why don’t you come and give it to me yourself?”

“I’m otherwise occupied, and you’re not that important.”

“The hell I’m not. You wouldn’t be calling if you weren’t scared shitless.”

“There’s a trash can one block away. Your present is on top.”

He hung up.

Heero was already out of the kitchen and heading for the front door. “Stay here. I’ll get it.”

“I’m going with you.”

“He may be setting you up.”

“Then you keep me safe dammit. I’m going with you.”

“You put one foot out that door and I swear I’ll knock you down. I’ll send an agent to get the damn thing.”

He ran down the stairs, and the street door was slammed behind him. He was back in seconds. “He’ll be here in a couple of minutes. He’s going to set the box inside then go back to his post. Now, you stay put.”

It was a long two minutes before the agent set the cardboard box inside the door.

I stared down at it.

“Don’t touch it. Back away. It could be a bomb.”

“It’s not a bomb. He knew that’s be your first thought.” I licked my lips. “I made him angry. This isn’t meant to kill me.” I reached down for the box. “He wants to hurt me.”

He knocked my hand aside. “I’ll do it.” He carefully lifted the lid.

Inside was a white mask. I had seen Trowa wear one like it many times when Quatre had taken me to see him perform in the circus. There was a small hole near the top, like a bullet hole. The inside was covered in a dark red stain, several red streaks ran down the front of the mask.

Blood. Fear rocked through me. “Trowa.”

“Steady.” Heero’s hand was on my arm. “This is what Dekim wants.”

“That’s Trowa’s mask.”

“But Trowa wouldn’t have taken it on a camping trip, would he?”

The relief that flooded me was so intense, my knees felt weak. “Iie. He only wore it when he preformed.”

“Then he had someone go in and get it from Quatre’s house. He doesn’t have him Duo. He didn’t hurt him.”

Yet. Dekim’s threat lay between us like a haunting brand. First Quatre and now his lover.

“He’s out of his reach. And we have a man waiting at the ranger station. Dekim won’t be able to get at him.”

But how long would he remain out of his reach?

Heero was urging me gently away from the box. “I’ll send the mask and box out and get the stain analyzed. It’s probably animal blood.”

“No, it’s human blood. He wouldn’t make it that easy for me.”

“It’s not Trowa, Duo. He just wanted to show you that you aren’t out of his reach here. You could let me take you to that safe house and we’d—”

“I know what he wanted me to do.” I said. And he had succeeded. This latest obscenity had frightened and hurt me. “His damn ego is hurt because he can’t manage to kill a ‘mere’ boy.” Anger ripped at me. “Well, fuck him.”

“You won’t go?”

“And let him win? Let him know that he scared me enough to make me run away? I’m glad I’m making the bastard angry. Maybe if he gets annoyed enough, he’ll come himself. You find out why that agent who’s supposed to be guarding Quatre’s house let that mask be taken. And make sure there’s more than one of Relena’s guys at that ranger station.”

“You didn’t have to tell me that.”

“Yes I did. Nothing’s going to happen to Trowa or his sister Catherine.” Oh God, the blood running down that mask… “Do you hear me?”

“I hear you.” He said quietly. “I’ll call Relena and chew her out for letting this happen.”

I nodded jerkily. “Be sure to tell her—”

“I know what to tell her.”

Of course he did. “Gomen, it’s just—”

“It’s just that you’re so damn stubborn, you won’t let me take you away from this town even though you’re scared to death.” He said roughly.

I was scared. Until a few minutes before, anger and numbness had shielded me like armor.

But Dekim had pierced that armor and let the fear come in.

***************

“It’s not Trowa’s blood,” Wufei said when he called the next morning. “We got his blood type from his doctor and it doesn’t match.”

I felt a burst of relief. “Arigatou, Wu.”

“It must’ve been an ugly surprise. Daijoubu?”

“Just mad.” And frightened. I was still a bit frightened. “As you say man, it was ugly.”

I hung up the phone and turned to Heero. “No match.” I put on my jacket and reached for my camera. “Let’s go.”

“You’re going back out there?”

“Nothing’s changed.”

He looked at me.

“He’s not going to know that he upset me.” I headed for the door. “I’m not going to give him that victory.”

***************

More pictures.

He hadn’t singled him out, but he must have five or six photographs of him now.

It shouldn’t matter. Who was going to recognize him? It did matter. He had made sure no pictures had been taken of him since he had become Odin Lowe. Photographs were dangerous. People remembered a face when they couldn’t remember anything else, and all kinds of technical things could be done to photographs these days.

Would he ever stop taking those fucking pictures? He thought he’d be able to take him out sooner, but Heero was always there watching. He hadn’t been able to get near him, and Dekim was getting impatient. He should probably go back to his first plan and hit the apartment.

Regardless of where the hit was made he couldn’t leave those photos behind. He’d have to go in and get them.

***************

“Are you satisfied?” Heero said between his teeth as we walked down the street toward my apartment. “We’ve been out more than two hours. Did you want to make sure they got a nice shot at you?”

I didn’t answer. I had known Heero was tense all the time we had been on the street.

He opened the street door. “Well?”

He wasn’t going to let it go. I started up the stairs. “Nothing happened. He has to know he can’t—”

Rats.

Dozens of rats. Huge rats.

On the stairs in front of me and behind me too, scurrying wildly up and down the steps.

I shuddered as one ran over my foot.

“Out.” Heero grabbed my arm and pulled me down the steps and out onto the street.

The rats streamed out the door onto the sidewalk. Another brushed against my foot.

Agent Walker ran across the street. “What happened?”

“How the hell did they get in there?” Heero asked.

“No one was in the building. I’ve been watching—”

“Get them off the stairs.”

Walker disappeared into the building.

I couldn’t seem to stop shaking. “Dekim?”

Heero nodded. “Considering his background, I’d bet on it. He wanted to give you his one worst nightmare.”

I closed my eyes.

“Are you all right?”

“It was just the shock.” I opened my eyes and moved toward the staircase. “I need to get upstairs. He’ll call me. He’s going to want to know what this did to me.”

I passed the agent who was struggling to shoo the rats down the stairs, and unlocked the apartment door. Heero was right beside me and nudged me aside. “Let me check out the apartment first. That agent must have fouled up.”

The phone rang as Heero was coming out of the darkroom. “Let me get it.”

“No, he wants to talk to me. And I want to talk to him.”

“So, you’ve come home at last. This is the third time I’ve called.” Dekim said when I picked up. “Did you like my little surprise?”

“It was a pretty weak attempt. I knew you didn’t have Trowa.” I said. Be calm. “As for the rats… they didn’t bother me. I like them. I had a pet rat when I was a kid.”

There was a silence. “You lie.”

“He was a white rat and his name was Herman. He had a cage with a treadmill and a little—”

He hung up on me.

“Did you really have a rat when you were a kid?” Heero asked.

“Yeah sure.” I said sarcastically. “And I always kept a goat hidden in my bathroom.” I let my breath out. “But I think he believed me.”

“If he did, he’ll hate you even more. You’re now in league with his nemesis.”

There was a knock on the door and Heero opened it. It was Walker, and Heero said to me over his shoulder, “I’ll be right back. I need to check something out.”

I was glad he was gone. I hadn’t wanted him to see how unsettled that latest attack had made me. I needed a moment to recover. Hell, I needed a year to recover.

First, the mental attack with Trowa’s mask and then the physical one with the rats.

“There’s a hole drilled in the wall that bordered the alley,” Heero said as he came back into the apartment. “It could have been done anytime and Walker wouldn’t have seen him from across the street.” His lips tightened. “From now on there will be a guard in the alley too.”

“That’s the way they came in?”

He nodded. “A length of tunnel tubing was inserted. We went out, the rats were let in to wait for us.”

“Odin Lowe?”

“Or one of Dekim’s other men. Odin’s a specialist and this is small stuff.”

It hadn’t seemed like small stuff to me. It was the stuff in which nightmares were made.

“If you don’t like it, you know what you can do.”

“Shut up, Heero. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Except out in the Quarter tomorrow.”

“Yup.”

“Bright,” he muttered. “Very bright.”

***************

The next afternoon I tossed the new batch of photographs on the coffee table in front of him. “Here they are. See what you can make of them.” He leafed through the prints. “You took enough.”

“Four rolls. I wanted to make sure I got him if he was out there.” I plopped in a chair. “Well?”

“Nothing so far. I’ll have to study them.”

“We could go out again.” I said disappointed.

“No!” He quickly looked down at the photos again. “The streets are starting to get too busy. We may not be able to go out again.”

“The hell we won’t.”

“The hell we will,” he said curtly. “It’s not safe, dammit. We’ll stay here.” Don’t get angry. Try to keep it light. “And what about the missile through the window and the mamba in the drain?”

“I’ll take care of them.”

“We agreed the risk wasn’t that much greater.” I leaned forward, frowning. “You’re not making sense, Heero.”

“I never agreed to anything, and I’m making perfect sense. You wanted me to keep you alive. I’m doing it.”

“We’ve been out on the street everyday and nothing’s happened so far.”

“We’re not going out again.”

“Why are you objecting now? What’s different?”

“I thought he’d make a move and I could take care of him. But he’s playing cat and mouse.”

“Then we’ll play too. And in the meantime, I’ll keep on taking photos and you can—”

“No, it’s too risky.”

“You didn’t think it was too risky before.”

“Goddammit, I do now!” He swept the photographs to the floor. “Just do what I tell you!”

He had erupted like a volcano, taking me completely by surprise, shocking me. I had seen him violent before, but the violence had been cold and controlled. There was nothing cold about this outburst. The guy standing in front of me was nothing like the Heero I had come to know. “What’s wrong Heero?”

“What’s not wrong? Dekim’s trying to feed you to the rats, the strike can come at anytime, Relena hasn’t been able to find Morrisey or Dekim, and Odin Lowe is out there just waiting for me to make a wrong move so he can take you out.”

“Maybe he’s not even here. Maybe the informant was wrong.”

“He’s here.” He nodded jerkily at the photos on the floor. “I just can’t recognize the bastard.”

“You only saw him once from a distance.”

“There should be something… some way.”

I knelt down to gather the photos, and he was immediately beside me. “I did it. I’ll pick them up.”

“Is that another one of your mother’s rules?”

“It’s my rule. You break something, you fix it.” He set the photos on the coffee table. “At least you try. Sometimes you can’t put Humpty Dumpty together again.”

“Well, this particular Humpty Dumpty wasn’t irreparably damaged.”

He wouldn’t look at me. “Gomen.”

Before I could respond, he vanished into the kitchen.