Disclaimers:  I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters.

Notes:  G leaves and Duo starts making calls.



Lost Innocence



Part One


Duo frowned as he registered the feeling of something dripping on his face, and he wondered if maybe he had a leak in his roof.  
He dismissed that thought.  He’d inspected the roof just last month, so there shouldn’t be a leak.

Then something cold and wet landed with a slap on his forehead and he yelped as he jerked awake, shooting to a sitting position
as he reached for a gun that he no longer owned.  The soft cackle that Duo recognized as coming from Professor G calmed him
down just in time to see that little boy from earlier dart behind the doctor’s coat.  He looked down, smirking when he saw a
soaking wet cloth on his lap, where it had fallen from his forehead as he had so abruptly risen.  He picked up the sopping wet
cloth and dropped it on the glass coffee table beside him, then looked back at G.

A tiny face peeked at him from behind G before the child apparently decided that Duo wasn’t going to hurt him.  The boy smiled
shyly, moving to stand in front of G.  His little hands twisted in the much-too-large T-shirt that he wore, and Duo noticed that
his jeans were quite baggy as well.  Nothing he was wearing seemed to fit him.

G smiled down at the little boy and affectionately tousled the child’s chestnut hair.  “Daniel?  Why don’t you sit out here and
watch some television while I speak with Duo?”

The little boy’s eyes lit up, but dimmed as he looked at Duo in askance.  “Can I?” he asked cautiously, biting lightly on his
bottom lip.

Duo just couldn’t resist that look.  He knew it well, and never suspected he’d fall for it himself.  “Yeah, go ahead.  Channel
twelve has some good toons playing this time of day.”  He smiled as the boy settled himself in front of the screen and flipped
through the channels until he ended up watching some kids' program with obnoxious music.

Duo turned and walked into the kitchen with G not too far behind him.  Once the swinging door was closed behind them, Duo
whirled around to confront his former teacher.  “Okay, who is he?  At first I thought maybe he was my son, but there is no way
in hell I have a kid that old, and the few times I was with someone, we always used protection and made sure afterward.  Add
the fact that I’m gay . . .”

G held up his hand, stopping Duo’s babbling.  “Calm down, boy.  He’ll hear you and become frightened.”

Duo shut his mouth.  He frowned, and took a breath.  “So who is he then?”

G shook his head, sighing deeply.  “It seems as if Doctor J has been keeping himself busy with some rather interesting
experiments.”

“What do you mean?”

“Cloning, Duo.”  G stated.  “Doctor J has taken an interest in cloning human beings.  Five human beings to be more specific.”  
He reached into the briefcase Duo didn’t remember seeing before and pulled out a file folder.  Handing it over to Duo, he
continued speaking.  “Over the past two years, ever since that upstart girl, Mariemaia, was stopped, J has made a total of thirty-
six functional clones.  Thirty of them are now dead.”

Duo flipped the folder open, scanning the contents.  Paperwork, summaries, lab reports.  It all stared back at him.  He searched
through it, growing more and more disgusted as he read.  J had somehow gotten his hands on DNA samples of all five ex-pilots,
as well as one unidentified individual.  Duo could understand J being able to get Heero’s DNA easily.  But then again it really didn’
t matter where he had gotten the other samples.  It was bad enough that he had them in the first place, even worse that he used
them in these sick experiments.

“He’s using them as prostitutes,” G said with a quiet whisper.

Duo shot his head up, his eyes wide as he regarded G.  “What?!”  He looked down, flipping through the papers more.  A number
of photos caught his eyes, pictures that made Duo feel sick to his stomach.  Children.  J was selling the bodies of these children
for pedophiles to use.

“That’s why there are only six alive now,” G said, his eyes sad.  “Being put under such harsh strain, the clones never survive
for very long.  J always tests them out personally.  It sickens me to know I once called him a friend.  When they become
useless to him, he disposes of them and creates a new batch.  However, there is one boy that has been alive since the first group
was made.  He was a prototype, known only as H-01.”  G smiled.  “Actually, his source material came from Howard.  He acts
as protector, a caretaker to the children.  He’s also the one that contacted me about this atrocity.”

“Howard, huh?”  Duo smiled, if only for a brief moment.  Then he shook his head.  “The kid out there . . . he’s . . . me?  W-
Was he  . . . ?”

G shook his head.  “Yes, he is you.  But he has never been touched.  I arrived just as J was taking the boy out of his tube.  I am
sorry that I could not rescue the other children as well.  I did all that I could.  It was all I could do not to vomit as I demanded
the boy be handed over to me . . . for my own personal use.”

“Thanks, old man.”  Duo sighed, closing his eyes.  “But can’t he just make another?”

“No.  I made sure that he can’t.  I also took all samples of your DNA, destroyed it as soon as I left.  I had my best hackers
search through his files to make sure J didn’t double-cross me.”

Duo knew G meant what he said.  There was no way he’d let J get away with making any more clones of Duo.  But one thing
confused him.  “Why are you here, G?  Why bring the kid here?”

G smiled wanly.  “I am an old man, Duo.  I can’t very well take care of a four-year-old boy.  Even if you don’t wish to take
him, I felt you at least deserved to know about his existence.  I’ve already contacted an orphanage here on Earth and the good
Sisters there are willing to take him in.”

“No!”  Duo blurted out, his heart suddenly pounding.  “No, I don’t want him to have to be raised by nuns.  He deserves a
family.”  He frowned, biting his lip as he thought.  “I . . . I’ll take him in.   I might as well, seeing as I’m as close to family as he’
s got.”

G smiled again.  “I thought you might say something like that.”  He shook his head.  “I’m sure the boy will be in good hands.”  
He reached into his briefcase again, pulling out five more folders.  “I’m also sure you’d like to do something about those other
children.”

“Damn straight.”  Duo nodded, snatching the files.

“While my hackers were searching for files and samples pertaining to young Daniel, they also took the opportunity to download
the schematics and security layout of J’s lab on L-1, as well as the files on the other four boys.”  G smiled knowingly, taking a
breath.  “He wouldn’t have had the time to move his operation yet, but I’m certain he’s making arrangements to do so.  You
have two days, possibly less.”

Duo nodded.  “Yeah, I’ll get right on this.”  He looked up, smirking as he caught G’s eye.  “You named him Daniel?”

G shrugged.  “I couldn’t very well call him ‘boy’ and Daniel seems like a good name.”

“All right, old man.”  Duo smirked.  “I guess you’ll be leaving now?”

“Better to do it now than later,” G said.  “It’ll be easier on the boy this way.”  He turned and walked out of the kitchen.  This
time it was Duo’s turn to follow him.

A smile easily crept across Duo’s face as he entered the front room, his heart filling with warmth at the scene he found.  Little
Daniel was curled up on the floor asleep, clutching his little hands around his braid.  He looked so sweet laying there, simply
adorable.

With care, Duo walked over and knelt beside the boy, gently easing his little body into his arms.  When he stood, Daniel turned,
moaning in his sleep as he curled closer to Duo’s body.  Duo smiled, watching the boy’s angelic face.

“I’ll let myself out,” G said quietly, reaching out to ghost his hand along Daniel’s cheek one last time, a wistful smile on his
face.  “Take care of him, Duo.”

Duo nodded.  “Of course,” he said with all seriousness, watching as G turned and left the house.  As soon as G was gone, Duo
turned and carried the boy up the stairs.  Carefully, he shifted the boy’s weight into one arm, using the other to open his
bedroom door.

He strolled in and pulled the covers back, delicately laying the child down on his back.  Daniel mumbled lightly, turning his head
to the side, raising his arms a little - his right above his head, his left stretched out to one side.  He smacked his lips, a light snore
coming from him.

Duo chuckled, wondering if he had looked anything like that when he had been little.  With a smile fixed on his face, Duo slipped
Daniel’s shoes off, setting them on the floor by the bed.  He pulled the blankets up, tucking them in around the child, slipping his
little arms underneath the covering.  Sweeping his fingers through the boy’s wispy bangs, Duo then backed away from the bed,
turning and leaving the bedroom a moment later.  He left the bedroom door open, not wanting the child to feel trapped should he
awaken when Duo wasn’t there.

As he walked down the stairs and back to the kitchen, Duo’s smile fell.  How could J be such a sick bastard?  To create and use
children like this.  It was disgusting.  Knowing what he had to do, Duo headed straight to his video-phone.  He had the
necessary numbers on speed dial, so it didn’t take much more than a few seconds for the call to be answered.

He placed his manic smile on his face when Heero Yuy’s familiar features appeared on the screen.  Just as Duo thought, Heero
was still at work.  Didn’t the guy ever take a break?  Duo knew for a fact that it was Heero’s day off.  And yet here he was, still
working.  Duo shook his head.

“Hey, Heero!” he chimed.

“Duo, what do you want?”  Heero asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Duo let his smile fall.  “Heero, I need your help.”

Heero sighed, shaking his head.  “Duo, if this is another rouse to get me to do menial labor, like last month when you said it was
an emergency and I ended up helping you paint your kitchen . . .”

“Honestly, I swear, it’s not like that.  It’s a real emergency this time.  Please, I’m gonna call the other guys.  Please come to my
house as quickly as you can.”

Heero said nothing for what seemed like an eternity.  Then he sighed again and nodded.  “Fine.  I’ll be there within the hour,” he
said, then abruptly disconnected the call.

Duo shook his head, deciding just to get on with it.  He dialed the next number, smiling as Wufei answered.  “Hiya, Fei,” he said.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that, Maxwell?”  Wufei groused, glaring.

“Just trying to lighten the mood, is all.”  Duo smirked.

Wufei sneered.  “What is it you want?  I’m quite busy.”

“Okay, okay . . . I’ll get right to the point,” Duo replied.  “I need you to come to my house.  I have something very important to
discuss with you and the others.”

“If this is another trick to get me to help paint your kitchen . . .”  Wufei started.

“The kitchen’s been painted and I’m quite happy with the color,” he said, sweeping his arm around in a wide gesture.  He did
like the job that had been done.  It was a nice cream color with a blue border that ran along the walls.  “I’m being serious, really
I am.”

Wufei narrowed his eyes, then finally sighed.  “When do you want me to come over?”

“Now, Wufei.  Heero’s gonna be here in an hour.  I know you can’t make it here that quickly, but as soon as you can get here,
I’d really appreciate it.”  Duo smiled.

Wufei nodded.  “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Thanks, Wufei.”  Duo said, disconnecting the call.  Not wasting a moment, he called Trowa who was staying with Catherine in
the circus.  After a few minutes of chit chat, and Trowa accusing him of luring him to his house to paint another room, Trowa
agreed to pay a visit.  Although he wouldn’t be able to get a transport to Earth for another two hours.  Which meant it would
take him a little longer to get here than Duo would like.  But as long as he was coming, it was a good thing.

Lastly, Duo called Quatre, already knowing the blonde would agree.  “Q-man!” he called.  “I need your help with something.”

Quatre smiled pleasantly.  “You don’t need to paint another room do you?” he asked, arching one eyebrow.

Duo groaned, rolling his eyes.  “Really, I only used that trick once.  Okay, maybe twice.  Does EVERYONE have to bring that
up whenever I ask for help?”  He smiled innocently.  “But I really do need help this time.  I have a problem.  Actually, we ALL
have a big problem.  I can’t talk about it now, but I need you to get here as soon as possible.”

“Would this evening be too late?  I have a few meetings left, and I don’t want to leave without giving some notice,” Quatre said,
looking to the side, probably sorting through some paperwork.

“No, that’s fine.  Whenever you can get here.  I just need you here as soon as is humanly possible.  This is a matter of life and
death,” Duo said, his voice deadly serious.

Quatre frowned, nodding slowly.  “I believe you, Duo.  I’ll tell you what . . . I’ll cancel my appointments for this afternoon and
ask my sisters to take over the business for a little while.  That should free me up a few hours earlier.”

“Thanks, Quatre.  You’re a pal.”  Duo smiled.  “Oh, and would you mind picking up a couple pizzas on your way?”

Quatre chuckled lightly, shaking his head.  “Of course I will.  I’ll see you tonight, Duo.  Goodbye.”

Duo switched off the video-phone, slumping heavily into his seat.  He eyed the folders on his table, tapping them with his
fingers.  God, how could he tell them what J was doing?  This was going to be the hardest night of his life, he just knew it.  
How do you tell someone that they’ve been cloned and that their clone is being used as a sex toy?

Duo closed his eyes, laying his head on the table.  Suddenly, he felt very tired.  Still, he knew that he had some preparations to
make.  Pushing himself away from the table, he rose to his feet, heading to his computer to do a little research.



To Be Continued . . .