Title: Chaos Returned
Author: MJRD
Rating: PG-13 for now
Feedback: Please! C&C craved: meghan@zizania.org
Disclaimer: Not mine, both Ranma ½ and Gundam belong to people with more talent and money (and lawyers) than me. This is being written for fun, to get over writer's block and with the possibility of entertaining a few people.
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NOTE: This is set in 199 AC, about two years after the events in Endless Waltz. All five of the pilots are working for the Preventers. The Ranma timeline is the same as canon (manga) except for happening in the GW universe: knowledge if the colonies, slightly higher tech level. Genma and Ranma arrived in Nerima in 194 AC. The fight with Saffron occurred shortly after the formation of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. The GW pilots are about 19 years old, while Ranma is 20. The age difference and passage of time would change behavior patterns somewhat; some characters have matured (I don't think that really counts as OOC)
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Duo flipped through the pages again, then slumped forward, knocking his forehead against his desk. "This just doesn't make sense," he grumbled into the desktop. He banged his head against the desk again in frustration.
Heero didn't even look up from his computer as he commented, "If you break your keyboard again, baka, I'm not fixing it." Then, almost as an afterthought, "What doesn't make sense?"
The braided ex-pilot just slouched forward more and turned his head to level a violet glare at his partner's back. "That was not my fault. Anyway, have you had a chance to read the report on the follow up to the stakeout we did last week?"
Heero half turned in his chair, glancing over at Duo's sprawled out form. "No, did it come in this morning?"
"Yeah, here." Duo sat up and spun his chair, thrusting the sheaf of paper he had been flipping through at the cobalt-eyed boy. As Heero leafed through the report Duo fidgeted, all but bouncing in his seat. Heero reached the end of the report, then flipped back a few pages to reread a segment, a small frown creasing his brow.
"You are right," Heero said as he went over the last few pages again. "This does not make sense."
"Gah! Of course, the one time . . ." Duo threw up his arms in defeat, startling the smaller blond who had just walked into the office. "Oops, sorry, Kat," he apologized with a grin.
Quatre merely raised an eyebrow at his exuberant friend. "The one time what, Duo?"
"The one time that Heero admits I'm right is the one time I want him to call me 'baka' and point out something obvious that I'm missing." Duo stuck his tongue out at his stoic partner, then grinned. "But, since I was right, we're probably going to get a summons from the Lady."
With a slight grimace Quatre admitted, "That is actually why I'm here. Trowa and Wufei have been called in, too."
Heero looked up, "On their day off? Wufei is not going to be happy."
Quatre glanced over at Heero. "Neither of them is going to be thrilled about it."
"No kidding," Duo called over his shoulder as he disappeared out the door, "but 'Fei is going to be a hell of a lot more vocal about it." The others exchanged a look and shook their heads as Duo stuck his head back around the corner. "You coming? I, for one, want to find out what this mess is all about."
~*~*~
" . . . and there better be a damned good reason for dragging us in here in our day off!"
Lady Une sat at her desk, hands folded, watching the irate teen storm around her office. His rant seemed to have died down, for the moment at least. She glanced at the other boy, who was sitting calmly, his visible eye following the pacing figure with an almost amused expression.
Duo burst into the room with his typical manic grin firmly in place and called over his shoulder, "Hey guys, it looks like we missed the rant." Heero and Quatre entered the room behind the braided boy at a more sedate pace.
"Can't you simply walk into a room, Duo?" Wufei grumbled.
Duo seemed to ponder this for a moment, "Nah, where's the fun in that?" He turned to Une, "So, what is actually going on? If this is another attempt at world domination, I'll scream."
Lady Une sighed and gestured for them to find seats. "Nothing that simple this time. It turns out that several of the smaller groups we have been monitoring are all part of a larger underground organization. Our contacts in the yakuza, triads, and mob all seem to be incredibly wary of these guys."
The boys all stared at her, startled. Wufei shook his head. "I'd rather deal with the world domination."
"The triads are scared of these guys?" asked Duo. Une nodded as he continued, "What are they doing that the triads haven't?"
"That is what worries us, we don't know for sure. There is the usual list that we can confirm involvement with: drug labs, prostitution rings, money laundering, extortion, arms manufacture and distribution. The drugs seem to be fairly mainstream so far. The latest intelligence is what is unnerving: one of our operatives just brought something back that leads us to believe they might be tampering with human genetics."
Quatre blinked, then summed up what they were all feeling, "I agree with Wufei's earlier sentiment."
"That's why I'm asking you to deal with this case. You five are my best team." She held out a stack of folders and Wufei, being the nearest, took it. "I'm assigning someone else to work with you on this, his background should be helpful."
The former pilots exchanged looks and Wufei glanced down at the top folder. He didn't recognize the name. "You're assigning a rookie to work with us on this?"
"I'd hardly call myself a rookie," an amused voice commented.
The five spun to find a young man of obvious Japanese descent leaning against the wall, not five feet from Quatre. Bright blue eyes tracked their every movement. Before the boys could fully react Une's voice rang out, "Stand down!" freezing them, Heero's gun already in his hand.
Une sighed and looked over at the dark-haired youth. "Ran, I really wish you wouldn't do that."