Relinquish the Soul

A Gundam Wing Fan Fiction by The Manwell

Sequel to Savor the Darkness

- One -

It all goes to shit not a half dozen yards inside the building perimeter.

"Maxwell! We have your team surrounded! Disarm yourselves and surrender immediately!"

Duo Maxwell's soft grunt of amusement doesn't traverse the distance between himself and the Zanoah security force. "Just like the good ol' days, eh guys?" he mutters through and expression that would have been a smile if he'd chosen to show one or two fewer teeth.

"Do you think we've lost our touch?" he continues, tone amicable, into the small comm. piece connecting Heero, Trowa, and himself.

"That depends..." Trowa replies in his ever-mellow voice.

"... on if you're actually considering surrendering to these morons," Heero finishes on a derisive note.

Duo almost laughs. Instead, he inhales an amused breath. "Well, I certainly don't have to ask where you two stand on this one."

"Our preference is fairly obvious," Trowa agrees.

In his usual abrupt and concise manner, Heero contributes his opinion with a simple snort of concurrence.

"Well, then. Let's give these folks their money's worth, gentlemen."

With that, Duo takes a centering lungful of stale, warehouse air around the wide, adrenalin-fueled grin stretching his lips. Precisely thirty-four point eight feet away, the Zanoah security officer starts to repeat his announcement.

He isn't given the chance to complete it a second time.

The officer goes down in an uncontrolled tumble of limbs as the tranquilizer shot finds his torso.

Duo meticulously picks off a second over-confident security officer even as he takes note of two others falling to Heero and Trowa's opening volley. His Owneds' contributions go unnoticed for a small sliver of a moment as the security force instinctively turns their attentions in Duo's direction. He ducks back behind the battered forklift he's appropriated for cover as Zanoah's welcoming party opens fire.

Despite the echoing explosions of gunshots, Duo hears two more bodies hit the proverbial deck via somewhat less-than-graceful swan dives before the remaining resistance wises up and acknowledges the additional active threats from Trowa and Heero.

Unfortunately for the home team, their necessary reallocation of attention distracts them away from Duo's position. Taking his chance, Duo ghosts away from the forklift and takes up a new position several yards away behind a pallet of automotive parts.

Crouching low and aiming up, Duo utilizes his improved vantage point and opens fire once again. Momentarily surprised by the unanticipated shift of enemy fire, two men go down at Duo's insistence and the remaining few are successfully caught by Trowa and Heero's precision marksmanship.

The entire event takes less than seven seconds.

"Not bad, boys," Duo drawls, savoring the flavor of the firefight on his tongue. Still wearing that hard smile, he continues, "Now comes the big question–"

"Crank open the can o' whoop ass..." Trowa affects in a bored tone.

"... or knock politely?" Heero finishes with an audible smirk.

Duo allows himself the laugh this time.

"Right, then," he agrees as he moves toward the next phase of their objective. "Lock and load."

He can sense Heero and Trowa still under cover but moving with him closer to the door they'd previously determined to be their best choice. Pressed against the wall, gun at the ready, Duo works his magic on the control panel and the door whispers open.

Instantly, all three of them are in motion, moving as one into the hall. They can hear the approaching footsteps of reinforcements and begin their soundless race toward their goal.

Consumed with the intensity of the mission, Duo momentarily forgets the mysterious pain and exhaustion of the previous months. He even manages to ignore the suspicion and its accompanying dread that he'd somehow botched the Owning ritual months before. Now there is only the assignment before them. The challenges and the obstacles and the need to exceed and even defy the expectations of the enemy.

It's just as well the United Sphere Disarmament had made deadly weapons illegal because Duo is incapable of holding himself back. He leads his team through the twisting maze of hallways, mindful of the cameras and keeping an eye on Trowa who had been appointed with memorizing their timings. Heero watches their trail while Duo scans ahead and Trowa indicates when it is safe to move into a camera's blind spot.

With a wry grin, Duo wonders how they'd managed to win the war without this kind of teamwork. Looking back, he can see what a bloody miracle it had been.

And if they'd pulled off the biggest cease-fire in history all on their lonesomes, then it's no surprise that cracking this nut of a Preventer base together is almost insultingly easy.

Almost.

Duo can't find it in himself to feel insulted at the improved-but-still-sloppy organization of security. In this moment he's supremely proud of his Owned. Of the connection that they share together. Of the force they can become together.

"Focus," Heero grates into the comm. and Duo acknowledges the accuracy of the dig.

"Have I told you guys yet today that I couldn't live withoutcha?" Duo whispers back on a smile.

"We know," Trowa tells him and together they move forward around yet another corner.

Struck with an inexplicable urge, Duo finds himself promising, "I'll take you both out for ice cream when we win this one."

"Never been in Little League before..." Trowa muses as he gives the signal to halt where they are, just out of camera range.

Heero grumpily declines to comment but Duo doesn't hold it against him. The comment had been pretty stupid. Later, Duo knows he'll blame it on the adrenalin and Heero will moodily roll his eyes but the effect will be ruined by the vanilla ice cream cone clutched his hand.

They're two security cameras away from their objective when Zanoah resistance finally stumbles across them. Heero gives a curt gesture of warning and all three of them dive for separate locations in preparation for the hostile exchange. Heero and Trowa counter the resistance with a gun in each hand as the three of them hasten their pace, the timing of the security cameras now a moot point.

Reserving his own attention and gun for what may come at them from the opposite direction, Duo relies completely on his Owned to handle the force surging through the hall in their wake. He leans around the next corner of a three-way intersection and immediately dodges a shot coming from a soldier in position at the next juncture.

This guy is pretty good for a change and Duo discovers himself held up for more than two whole seconds. Without having to divert his attention, he knows precisely when Trowa's focus switches from the battle he and Heero are winning to this new threat.

Duo doesn't have to ask Trowa to lay down cover fire. Their target is in sight. All Duo needs is three uninterrupted seconds and the game will be theirs. And despite Trowa Barton's unassuming silence, the man thirsts to win just as passionately as Duo and Heero do.

On Trowa's third try, he manages to catch the Zanoah uniform in the shoulder and Duo leaps into the hall before the man's unconscious body can be dragged out of the way by a comrade and his position replaced by reinforcements.

Disregarding the sounds of battle around him, disregarding the fact that he is completely exposed in his current predicament, disregarding the glares he's destined to receive from his Owned when this is all over, Duo falls onto the control panel and with dexterous fingertips, hacks the code.

It takes two point eight seconds.

With a smirk of triumph, Duo slides through the doorway as it whispers open. He can feel the twin presences of Trowa and Heero behind him, laying down cover fire but Duo only has eyes for what lies ahead of him.

He doesn't try to erase the smug, predatory grin from his face. He's earned this moment. And, with a single raised brow, the commander of the Preventer Zanoah Base endures his satisfaction. She regards the barrel of the gun currently aimed at her throat and admits her defeat with a surprising lack of resentment.

"Attention all units: stand down immediately."

The door to the room doesn't slide closed but all sounds of gunfire cease within the second. Duo trusts Heero and Trowa to keep and eye on their recent combatants just as they trust him to deal with the leader of this remote Preventer division.

The moment of heavy silence stretches until a slight twitch of a smile along the woman's lips precedes her smoothly delivered congratulations. "Duo Maxwell. It appears you've bested my security teams yet again."

High on victory, Duo drawls, "Yeah... one might think you're not taking us seriously, ma'am."

"Would I be such a fool?" she inquires with mild amusement.

"It would be presumptuous of me in the extreme to speculate on that one way or the other, ma'am."

She actually smiles at him. "That it would be, Mr. Maxwell." She takes a moment to sweep her gaze down his lean figure and Duo senses the frank appreciation in that look. "You're quite impressive. A credit to your profession."

For an instant, Duo revels in the acknowledgement, but the sensation of his Owned slowly relaxing their guards, coaxes a small hesitation into his thoughts. He briefly wonders why the commander isn't extending her praise to his companions as well but dismisses the speculation. After all, Heero and Trowa don't enjoy playing word games with their contractors. That's Duo's kink.

Gaze shrewd and speculative, the commander inquires in a light tone, "I don't suppose I could interest you and your team in a permanent position here with the Preventers?"

Duo affects a tragic sigh. "I'm afraid we're too enamored of our irresponsible ways."

"And like any other typically idealistic youth, no amount of money could persuade you." She concludes Duo's refusal in a flat tone but her eyes are sparkling.

"Try us again when we hit our mid-thirties," Duo advises. With a roguish grin, he tells her, "I believe this concludes our business today. As always, our services will be available if you feel the need to test security again in the future."

"I appreciate the offer, Mr. Maxwell."

With a nod, Duo starts to turn. He catches the amused gleam in Trowa's green eyes from where the man stands just behind him and to his right.

"But our business has not been concluded," the commander softly corrects him.

And their moment of triumph evaporates in less than a single second.

Duo turns, lifting his own gun even as he catches the gleam of a gun barrel arcing in his direction. Placing himself between the bullet and his Owned, Duo faces down the hardened expression of the commander. Behind him, he knows Trowa and Heero are reaching for their own firearms, but they are cornered and outnumbered. Even as he is determined to face this new twist, Duo knows there is very little he can do.

Still, the sound of the single gunshot is a shock.

When Duo takes his next breath, he finds himself leaning heavily back against Trowa's chest with the man's arms wrapped around him. He blinks down at the tranquilizer dart protruding from his chest. He knows he only has a few seconds before the drug overwhelms him.

"That," he tells her, "was a mistake."

"Time shall tell," she replies without much concern. "But for now, your teammates will cooperate unless they wish to see you receive a lethal dose of sedatives, Mr. Maxwell."

The still-warm barrel of her gun remains trained upon him, steady and sure.

And there is nothing Duo can do. As the sedative begins to weaken him, he leans his head back against Trowa's shoulder. He struggles to keep his eyes open, battles to communicate his apologies. He has failed to protect his Owned. This is unforgivable.

But instead of catching his eye, Trowa gazes fixedly at the commander. From his vantage point, Duo can see the hard lines of Trowa's enraged yet deceptively silent visage. And he can see both of Trowa's green eyes beneath his unruly hair.

And it must be an effect of the drugs, but as Duo starts to go under, he thinks he sees something completely alien flicker from within those eyes. Something bright and dangerous. Something born of infinite power and cruelty.

But Duo's contemplation of it is forced aside as the tranquilizer accomplishes its purpose and drags him under completely.

End of Chapter One