Previously in MOUNTEBANK

I heard Trowa click the vehicle into gear, and we jolted forward, the old engine roaring back to life from it's gravelly idle.

I was definitely free now.

My eyelids grew heavy, and coupled with the new heat from the fabric around me, I felt myself drift into a dreamless sleep.

...

I was jarred awake by what I could only assume was an encounter with a patch of rough road. After the first impact, I removed the blanket from my face, taking in my surroundings in the event I needed something to latch on to.

"Son of bitch... that one was rough." I heard Duo hiss from the front seat.

As I carefully sat myself up, I caught Trowa's gaze in the rear view mirror.

"My apologies Heero, these potholes are killer." His voice, although even in pitch, betrayed a bit of amusement on his part. His trademark poker face had seemed to skew.

Tall, pale birch trees flew by as we made our way down the road at speeds most cars couldn't handle. Chilly air made for a slight frost that clung to the outside of our windows, the sky a pale blue bathed in the buttery light of dawn.

"No worries... I know they're meant for Duo anyway." I muttered, poking fun at his expense and trying my best to ignore my aching lower back.

I had expected Duo to turn in his seat and glare at me, but instead, he greeted me with an unfamiliar expression.

"When was the last time you ate solid food big guy? Looking like a kid over here."

I couldn't detect an ounce of sarcasm in the question, and sank back into my seat, unwilling to fire back. Duo was expressing his concern over my appearance. I had felt like I had lost a bit of weight, but I supposed his comment made it true.

I put forth my strongest stone wall of a glare, which seemed to satisfy him for the moment.

All too quickly I felt the strength seep from the muscles in my back, and laid back in my seat as if gravity itself willed me there.

I couldn't fight the grunt that escaped me when I landed.

"We are almost at our destination."

A few more miles and potholes later, and I felt the car lurch into a sharp right turn. The crisp bite of gravel kicked up at the undercarriage of the vehicle as we drove down a remote dirt road.

I had finally summoned the strength to sit upright in my seat, confident that I no longer needed to cower beneath a blanket. The new position jostled my stomach, allowing for the occasional gurgle to spring forth from the hollowness that replaced my insides. I was starving.

"Think you could stomach some eggs and bacon?" Duo chided from the front seat, no doubt trying to ease the awkward silence that followed the hungry cries of my internal organs. I chose not to answer him, and felt myself lean against my window, more content than I had felt in weeks.

We pulled up to a small cabin, at least four miles in from the dirt road. It was gated by some type of electronic mechanism, but Trowa appeared to have the key in the form of a remote he kept in the center console.

I was safe with these two at the wheel. I hadn't felt this in a long time.

Even with the danger that surely kissed our heels, I felt an elusive sense of stability.

That war-time camaraderie you can only feel while you're being raised from the dead by a fellow soldier. This was definitely it.

The food smelled so good I wanted to cry. I'm not sure I had ever cried before, and I sure as hell had never wanted to.

The act of chewing, though, that felt foreign.

Trowa only allowed me one egg and two slices of thick cut bacon, if only to make sure I didn't get sick.

To be honest, I probably could have eaten half of that plate and would have been content, but I felt immensely greedy after being locked up for God knows how long.

My stomach seized when it realized I was ingesting something solid, and soon I could feel myself trying to heave. I willed my throat steady and placed a free hand over my abdomen as if to comfort it and ease its fear. Food had never been this scary, nor this scarce before. Not since my days as a child soldier.

It probably took me two hours to finish my food. As soon as my plate was clean, I had wished for more.

Duo chose not to eat, instead making sure each window in the safe house was sealed tightly and locked. There weren't many windows, and each were shielded by heavy black-out curtains.

We entered through the front door, and I was surprised to see a secondary metal door slide over it when we made our way into the foyer. Trowa had then reached out to a pin pad to key in a long security code of some kind. I had been too tired and too hungry to attempt and memorize it, although I supposed I could try to remember it if I needed to.

After I ate I was lead to a plus hunter green couch that sat in a living room of sorts. Trowa built a fire in the cast iron stove and soon I felt my limbs grow heavy once more.

Stomach full and skin warm from the fire, I allowed myself the luxury of sleep.

I was jarred awake sometime later.

As my eyes reluctantly opened I saw Duo's worried face above me.

"Heero buddy... you've gotta wake up." He smiled apologetically.

"Sorry Duo... " I said as I sat up. At some point one of them had placed a thick quilt on top of me, and instantly I felt cold as the fabric fell away from my shoulders. "I thought I would just close my eyes for a second and... "

"And two days just flew by... I know. I know you're tired Heero but we really need you to get with it man." He chided through a watery smile.

Two days?

Had I really been asleep that long?

Probably.

"Is he up yet?" Trowa's voice came from an adjacent hallway. Soon I saw Trowa's six foot frame appear in the living room, lower body wrapped in a towel. "Ah good morning Heero!" He smiled, not a trace of emotion. I couldn't read him.

But something felt off.

"What's going on." I willed my body to move, and surprisingly, it did. I sat up straighter and felt my muscles respond. Its amazing what one plate of solid food could do.

"We're gonna need you to check your e-mail buddy. We are expecting something." Duo reached over to a nearby teak-wood coffee table and grabbed a sleek black tablet, placing a finger on the screen and engaging a sensor lock to release.

It was opened to my work e-mail server. I wasn't sure why they were asking me to open my e-mail, but at that moment I would have done anything for them.

I logged in and pulled up my inbox.

I had a hundred unread messages, all sent from my own address, just like e-mails I had received about Relena.

"Where do we start?" I felt myself say, but barely remember forming the words on my own.

...

a/n: I can't believe its been so long since my last update! It's been a wild and rough year. A lot has been going on, and I just wanted to say thanks for sticking with this story. I've been reading your reviews and they always give me such a boost of confidence! Thanks for your continued support. If you're in the mood for lighter fare, head on over to my story Dossier! (That kinda rhymes oh wowww.. ) Okay that story is pretty angsty as well but there's a lot of fluff going on that makes it worthwhile. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the angst.

~murshmallow