Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out! My life became suddenly very busy and I was having to edit my manuscript at the same time as writing this! Gosh! Here you are, please R&R! If you have any suggestions for what you'd like to happen, please let me know! ;)

Trowa could feel his jaw clench and his back stiffen, already fighting the physical effects of the news. A gundam pilot? How? Who is it? His chest tightened when Quatre's face came to mind. No, please not Quatre.

"The message I received just now was Colonel Treize. He was letting me know that I could let you in on all of this," Richmond winked. "We have just moved the gundam pilot from the medical bay to his cell. The reason I had to leave last night in such a hurry was because of all of this. I really am very sorry I couldn't tell you earlier." His apology sounded so sincere, and so caring. Yet, Trowa could clearly see the sadistic excitement in his eyes. Richmond was a psychopath and he wasn't just going to torment Trowa anymore; he was going to torment whatever poor pilot had been captured. The thought made Trowa sick to his stomach.

"How did we capture him?" Trowa asked, attempting the most even tone possible. It took everything he had inside to keep from smashing Richmond's face into the wall and snapping his neck.

"There was a rather large space battle near L1 a couple of nights ago. There were two gundam pilots there, wreaking havoc on our forces, of course. One of our men managed to get a good shot in and neutralize the gundam. After that, they pried open the cockpit door and took him prisoner. The other gundam had already fled by then."

One of the pilots left another behind? It didn't sound right. Trowa knew all of them, and none of them were cowards. Not the type to leave a fellow soldier behind. There had to be an explanation. Maybe it was necessary for the mission. Even I would do that, Trowa told himself-even though he knew it wasn't true. If Quatre were ever in danger, he couldn't see a single situation where he could stomach leaving the blonde behind; mission or no mission.

"Is he in good enough shape to feed us information?" Trowa asked.

"Yes, he wasn't injured too badly during battle. I think he was just in shock or had a concussion, or something. Thank God, his good looks are still in tact!" Richmond chuckled. Trowa felt the urge to strangle him.

"Which pilot is he? Zero?"

"Unfortunately, no." Richmond shook his head, "Our main target is still out there, bent on destruction. It was the less destructive one... um, 04. I think the gundam is called Sandrock?" Would you like to go see him? He really is quite beautiful." Richmond walked off, beckoning Trowa to follow. Trowa couldn't move for a moment, the news like a punch in the gut. When Richmond reached the door, Trowa forced his stiff legs to carry him forward, following Richmond down the corridor and through the Great Hall. Quatre's been captured... his stomach was turning into a knotted mess the more he thought about it. What am I going to do? From the Great Hall, they took an elevator down into the lower sections of the ship, following more meandering hallways until they finally reached an unmarked door. Trowa had never been in this section of the ship, but he'd heard the nickname from several of the Commanders: the Vault. The area was used for multiple functions: including scientific experimentation, research, and torture.

"Here we are!" Richmond swiped his key-card and the door let out a hiss as it slid open. "You've never been over here, have you Commander? Well, it certainly is a site to behold. We have so many exciting things hidden away." Trowa followed, his throat dry and palms sweating. A glass window to his right revealed an unconscious, unidentifiable human surrounded by white-coats as they probed with metal objects. It wasn't Quatre, but the sight was still made his stomach churn. Further down the hallway were doors leading off to "Live Animal Experiments," and "Specimen Holding," and even a door labeled "Intelligence Research," which Richmond led him through. Apparently, research for intelligence included the torture of prisoners of war.

"We haven't started on him yet. I wanted you to take a look into his gorgeous eyes first. I could hardly believe that something as innocent as he, something so beautiful, could be a gundam pilot. Here I'd been envisioning this big, ugly monster with fangs." Richmond laughed, turning sharply down another corridor. "It's is a pity, that something as gorgeous as he will have to be left to such an awful fate. Really, Commander, I certainly feel regretful. But, I am going to ask Treize if we might be granted the privilege of reveling in his wondrous innocence before we ruin him for information."

Don't you dare touch Quatre! Trowa wanted to scream, but held back, clenching his fist and readying himself to smash Richmond's head in. Don't do it, Trowa. You need time to think this over. Trowa shook his head, But, if I give them any time at all, they might kill him! After a few deeps breaths, he managed to get a hold of himself. I need to be smart about this. I can't go bashing Richmond's head int, no matter how tempting the idea sounds... At least, not yet. Suddenly, Richmond stopped at one of the many doors lining the hallway. It was labeled with plastic number: "004."

"We chose this cell specifically for him. It seems fitting, don't you think?" Richmond swiped his card, pushing the door open and taking a step inside. Trowa followed him, his body stiff with anticipation. The room was around ten feet by ten feet in size with a high ceiling, and completely white: white walls, ceiling, and floors. Quatre was standing with his hands behind his back, leaning against the far wall and dressed in white scrubs, his big blue eyes gazing at them with distrust. Other than a few scrapes and bruises, he appeared to be in perfect physical health. A weight seemed to lift off of his shoulders, and he had to fight a sigh.

"Good evening, 04. How are you doing?"

Quatre's eyes flicked from Richmond to Trowa and then back to Richmond. Suddenly, he looked at Trowa again, his eyes growing wide and mouth falling open. At first, he looked as if he might say something, but he caught himself and dropped his chin to stare at the ground. Whatever was going through his head, whether he saw Trowa as a traitor or an angel in disguise; he'd chosen not to blow Trowa's cover. Smart move, Quatre, Trowa thought, My position here could be the reason you survive.

"I asked you a question boy, it would be wise of you to answer." Richmond shut the door.

Quatre shrugged, "I'm alright," his voice was soft. Trowa felt his heart melt and had to fight the overwhelming urge to cross the room and wrap his arms around the boy.

"We just came by to see how you were doing," Richmond said, smiling, and then turned to Trowa. "Isn't he just beautiful?" All Trowa could think was Yes, of course! But he forced himself to shrug, unsure of what to say. "Don't act like you don't think so." Richmond frowned. "I can understand if I'm not your type, but this boy has got to be!"

"He's fine," Trowa said. Looking at Richmond now with an impatient expression.

"Fine?" Richmond's jaw dropped open, "Well, maybe you just need to get a taste of him, like I have." He pointed to Quatre. "Go and give him a kiss. A good long one."

'Like I have?' Trowa thought, fury welling up in his chest. I'm gonna kill him if he's hurt Quatre! I'll kill him! Suddenly, Richmond's order clicked in his mind and he felt his face heat up. Kiss Quatre? In front of Richmond? Not only was the request embarrassing, it was humiliating and degrading to him and to Quatre.

"Do you really think Treize would approve of the way you're treating me?" Trowa asked, his fists clenched but voice calm.

Richmond raised his eyebrow, "Do you really think Treize will believe your story over mine?"

Trowa frowned.

"Exactly. Now do as I say if you want to keep your coveted position as Commander. There are other individuals in your squadron that I would be happy to promote into your position. Parker is quite capable."

"That won't be necessary," Trowa said. Maintaining his position was his only chance at saving Quatre's life right now, which was worth much more than both of their dignity. Trowa crossed the room, stiff and businesslike, standing firmly in front of Quatre.

"Make it a good one," Richmond said. Trowa could feel his face heating up and did everything in his power to fight it. Think about something else, anything else. Richmond can't see any emotion from you, none! Keep your mind off of Quatre. Think about smashing Richmond with Heavyarms, blowing his body to bits, and letting the spattered remains float away, deep into space...

Quatre's head was tilted down, his shoulders hunched forward and hands behind his back. Trowa was terrified to touch him, not only because he felt it was infringing upon the blonde's rights as a human being, but also because this was something he'd wanted to do for so long; but never under these circumstances. Sure, Quatre had rejected him, but a part of Trowa had hoped the boy would come around. Likely, after this, he would never be able to see Trowa in that way. Keep thinking about Richmond-about killing him; stabbing him in the eyes and watching him writhe in pain. Trowa reached down and touched the bottom of Quatre's chin. Quatre tilted his head up and stared deep into his eyes as Trowa waited for some sort of permission. I'm watching Richmond bleed, writhe, and scream in pain, blood pouring from his eye-sockets, Trowa told himself. Quatre gave a nearly undetectable nod and Trowa leaned in, catching Quatre's lips in his.

Again, Trowa could feel a warm buzz welling up in his chest and into his face. Gently, he places his hand on Quatre's chin, pressing him lightly against the wall and leaning into the kiss even deeper. The fact that Quatre wasn't kissing back made it that much more difficult and awkward, but Trowa had to make it good; for Richmond, whom he was still imagining murdering. After a moment, he pulled away and caught Quatre's eye; the only way he could even attempt an apology. Quatre seemed to be blushing now. God, he's so beautiful... Trowa couldn't keep the bleeding image of Richmond in his mind and allowed it to fade away into nothing. Passionately, he leaned in and kissed Quatre again. The blonde gasped, and Trowa took advantage, slipping his tongue into Quatre's mouth and pressing him harder against the wall. Quatre attempted to pull away, his hands flying up to Trowa's shoulders, and turning his head to break the kiss. Trowa continued his onslaught down the boy's neck, and after reaching his collar bone, ran a hand through his blonde hair and grasped him firmly at the nape of his neck. Catching Quatre's lips in his, he kissed and kissed and kissed as the boy struggled against him. Finally, Trowa released him and stepped back, straightening his uniform as Quatre pressed back even further into the wall, his eyes wide and shimmering. It had been almost too brief, yet, disturbingly wonderful. I'll fucking kill you Richmond, he thought, staring Quatre in the eyes. I promise, Quatre. I'll kill him. I'm sorry.

"That was magnificent!" Richmond clapped, "Please, tell me what you think of him now. I need to hear it." Quatre was trembling, staring at the ground. Trowa looked at Richmond, maintaining his cold, emotionless mask. There was only one way he could respond that might make all of this stop, and it was to tell Richmond what he wanted to hear.

"You're right, he's wonderful."

"I knew you'd come around!" Richmond whirled around and headed for the door. "Now, lets get back to work. We have some cadets to debrief. I'll put in a request to authorize you to come in here with me, when we have to begin extracting information."

'Extracting information...' Trowa glanced back at Quatre, feeling sick to his stomach. Quatre was now hugging himself and leaning against the wall, probably feeling violated. A part of Trowa knew he should feel guilty for what he'd done, but he had enjoyed it too much and was too worried about everything else Quatre had in store now. What I did was nothing compared to what he will go through if I don't do something... Extracting information by torture... it's inevitable. Trowa shook his head as he followed Richmond back through he winding halls of the Vault. It's inevitable, but, I can't let that-no, I won't let that happen. Trowa clenched his fist as a new-found resolution and passion settled over him. Screw this fucking war. Screw my mission. None of that is as important as someone so pure... someone who has so much to offer all the people of the colonies. I have to be smart about this. I have a new mission now: to get Quatre the hell out of here!

Once everyone settled down in Conference Room 48, Trowa allowed himself a moment to relax. Leaving Quatre in that room had been the most difficult thing he'd ever done, and allowing him to stay in there, without any way of defending himself, was almost just as excruciating. Anyone with clearance could go in there and hurt him. Anyone who felt like having a little "fun" with someone who nobody was looking out for. Hell, Richmond already had plans for violating Quatre. What if he goes in there later tonight, after I put the squadron in their barracks? Trowa had seen the sadistic longing in Richmond's eyes. Sure, Richmond had mentioned he'd let Trowa in on the action, but, Trowa worried Richmond would want to take some time to be with Quatre alone. That couldn't happen, and Trowa had to make sure it didn't happen.

"Alright, everyone. Settle down. You've had some time to look over the notes I've left you and you've had time to process them. I'm going to replay some battle highlights and then get your feedback and reasoning before I offer further critiques," Trowa said, hoping his cadets couldn't tell how unhinged he felt. It was difficult to stay present when all he wanted to do was think about how he might help Quatre. How could he discuss basic battle techniques with his cadets, though, when he needed to plan for Quatre's escape?

"This was the beginning of the end for Xeta Two, when Miller left his cover and had Xeta Two chase him through the asteroid field. Sure, Miller ended up dead, but that left Two in a vulnerable place. Miller, please give me your comments on this. Was it purposeful? You hadn't consulted with any of your teammates, so how did you know they would know what to do?"

Miller pushed out his chair and stood up, clearing his throat and shifting his weight back and forth. "I managed to pick up a blurb of communication from Xeta Two's commander about the squadron's location. I knew that if I lead them into the asteroid field just a few clicks away, my squadron would run into them from behind. I hoped maybe I could hide in the field too, but as you can see from the footage, I wasn't so lucky," he shrugged. "Once I arrive among the boulders, I sent Commander Parker here a message informing him of Two's location and was shortly thereafter, disposed of." Again, he cleared his throat and finally sat down. Parker had been sitting beside Miller and pat him heavily on the back.

"Nice work buddy, you're the reason we won!"

"Thanks," Miller said, a smile crossing his lips. Suddenly, he glanced at Trowa, his eyes wide, and then he looked away, a shy look on his face. Trowa frowned, certain that Miller was remembering what he'd seen after his simulated death: Trowa's struggle against Richmond as the man held him in a rough kiss. Certainly, Miller didn't think it had been consensual. Surely, he didn't think Trowa was like that... Not with disgusting people like Richmond, he thought, cringing inside. Just then, an idea hit him-a horrifying, unpleasant, yet unavoidably effective idea. Just the thought of it disgusted him, but the more he considered it, the more he realized that it was necessary; that if he didn't go through with it, there was no way he could protect Quatre.

"Any other comments? Xeta?" Trowa asked, hoping no one could hear the trebling in his voice. The room stayed silent, so Trowa moved on to the next sequence of events. The debrief took over two hours and Trowa spent every extra moment between thoughts attempting to find alternatives to the realization he'd had-anything that would help him in his endeavor to protect Quatre. But there was nothing as effective nor as immediate in effect as his original idea. At the conclusion of their meeting, Trowa found himself relieved, for the first time, that Richmond had sat with him through the entire thing. At least I know where he is-he's not with Quatre.

"Thank you, everyone, for your contributions to your teammates. This type of discussion is invaluable when it comes to real-life scenarios. Now, report to your barracks in 10 minutes for sleep." The cadets saluted and began filing out of the room. Trowa turned to Richmond, who was standing up and placing his tablet into his suit jacket.

"I'll be off now," Richmond said, smiling at Trowa. "I need to discuss a few things with the Colonel, and then I might pay our little pilot a visit." He winked.

Struck with terror, Trowa scoured his mind for something, anything to say to keep Richmond from going to see Quatre. But, there was nothing, absolutely nothing he could say to convince Richmond to leave Quatre alone... unless, of course, he went with the idea he'd had earlier. The thought made him sick, but there was no other way. There's no other goddamn way, he thought, gritting his teeth.

Discreetly as possible, Trowa leaned in and whispered to Richmond, "I've been anxious this entire debriefing."

Richmond gave him a curious look as he folded his tablet, and stuffed it into his jacket pocket, "What ever for, Commander?"

"I can't stop thinking about that pilot," Trowa said, biting the inside of his lip. Richmond's eyes grew wide and a smile spread across his face. Glancing around, he pat Trowa on the shoulder.

"Well, well. You weren't just making it up! You did like him?"

Trowa did his best to appear shy, unsure if he was pulling it off. "Yes. I want to spend some time with you, to ask a few questions about him; whenever is appropriate. I..." Trowa paused, sickened by what he was about to say, "I was curious about his sexual history."

"What ever do you mean?"

"Well, I..." Trowa waited a moment as the last cadet left the room, "...I could tell earlier, that he probably hasn't had much experience. I find that appealing."

Richmind's disgusting smile turned into an even more sickening grin, each and every one of his teeth gleaming in the florescent light. "My my, you little devil. You like getting the innocent one's dirty, don't you?"

Trowa smiled and shrugged, appearing as nonchalant as possible.

"Well, I don't want to be the first to take him, if that is your fancy. That would be so rude of me. But, what would I get out of letting you go first... hmm?"

I can't believe I'm doing this... Goddamn it. Trowa leaned forward, allowing a nearly undetectable smirk to grace his lips as he held Richmond's gaze. "Well, we could discuss that in my room after we check on the cadets. If you have a moment." It was the most terrifying idea he'd ever come up with-but also one of the most necessary. There was nothing more effective than befriending an enemy and giving Richmond the opportunity to have his way with Trowa was the best way to do that.

Richmond gave a knowing smile and nodded. "Of course I have the time Commander. I always have the time for you," he said, winking. "You go put your cadets to bed and I'll go up and have a quick chat with Treize about the gundam pilot. After that, I'll be right over to your barracks. How does that sound?" Trowa felt uneasy about letting Richmond out of his sight. But there was nothing else he could do. He had to trust that Richmond would do as he said he would do, and he had to trust that his plan was going to work. As long as he kept his end of the deal and gave Richmond what he wanted, things would be OK.

Trowa smiled and nodded, fighting the sickening feeling that was sitting like a rock in his stomach. "That sounds perfect. See you in a few minutes."

Thanks for reading guys. What should happen next? ;)