Disclaimer: I do not own anything Gundam Wing , anything else Gundam or concepts taken thereof nor am I making any money off of this whatsoever. This fic is meant only for fun, all credit for aforementioned characters go to their various Japanese owners, creators, and companies none of whom I can think to name right at the moment except Bandai.... who all did such a good job that I need more Gundam Wing which is how this fic came into being! See? It's not my fault!:)
PS if things are confusing for you, try reading the prequel 'Catching the Past'. If they're still confusing, email me and I'll try to set you straight. I have no beta reader other than my brother sooooo........
Chapter 1
Phantom Enemies Part A
"Duo, will you please hold still?!" Sally Po requested forcefully as Duo fidgeted yet again. She was trying to examine his eyes but it wasn't going very well.
Duo subdued a sigh and did his best not to flinch as Sally again tried to examine his left eye. He couldn't help it, the light was too strong for his sensitive eyes and he blinked, flinching as his eye watered.
Ever since he'd 'recovered' from that toxin (explained in the prequel 'Catching the Past') he'd had trouble. First the cataracts and now this. The cataracts had indeed cleared up on their own as Sally had hoped but then Duo had slowly started to notice that he could see better than ever in the dark and that light had begun to bother him, often being too bright for comfort. It could be really annoying (like when he was trying to sleep) although mostly Duo enjoyed the increase in his ability to move through the dark.
Hilde didn't seem to think it was so great although who could blame you when your boyfriend seemed to enjoy popping out of nowhere to scare the bejabers out of you. Duo got no end of amusement out of it and in fact he thought Hilde didn't mind as much as she let on seeing as how it had developed into a sort of competition between them; with him seeing how well he could sneak up on her and with her seeing how fast she could detect and clobber him for it. Juvenile maybe but hey, as one wise person said... growing up was mandatory, maturing was voluntary. Duo firmly believed that working a job day in and day out caused your brain to stagnate and Hilde was his partner in many, many things. Which automatically made her his favorite target to her resigned amusement.
Sally sighed and sat back looking at him in frustration. Duo shrugged helplessly in wide eyed innocence.
"I'm trying Sally, really I am." he protested. She gave him The Look and then sighed again in frustration.
"I believe you Duo but I'm not getting a clear look see here. Let's try again. I'll try something different this time." she told him reaching for a special colored penlight cap that she'd laid out just in case.
"Ok, steady Duo." she told him and leaned over his face to try again. They both jumped as the door banged open. And excited and distressed Preventer in a rumpled uniform hung part way in the door.
"Duo Maxwell? I was told to find you on the double sir!" the young Preventer told him slightly out of breath. Sally straightened slowly and with a peculiar look on her face that all the newer Preventers knew to run from, turned towards him.
"Brin Carey is it?" Sally said in a oh-so-nice voice. The young man flinched as his face paled. But he stood, or rather hung his ground and he tried to catch his breath.
Nodding emphatically Lt Carey saluted Sally Po as he straightened up and to attention.
"Yes ma'am! Lady Une sent me to fetch Mr Maxwell! Ma'am!" he barked standing stiffly.
"Well? What's wrong?" Duo asked sharply as he slipped out from under Sally slightly annoyed that although he was the cause of the commotion he had yet to find out what the problem was.
"Uh, Mr Maxwell, sir, Lady Une wants you in her office ASAP... something about Mr Winner sir!" Lt Carey barked out.
Duo slid into his shirt and snatched a pair of sunglasses off the side table with a scowl on his face as Sally growled to herself in disgruntlement. As he passed the young Lt, Sally thought she heard him mutter something to do with being called 'sir'. Sally's lips twitched reflexively to herself, Duo would always be Duo.
Moving through the door to Lady Une's office with an easy, deceptive saunter; Duo spotted a chair and headed for it spinning it around on one leg to sit on it backwards and propping his arms on the back of the chair.
Lady Une and Wufei were already turned towards him as he entered and from the looks on their faces it couldn't be good.
"Well, what did Quatre get himself into this time? Must be bad if he can't handle it himself." Duo tried to get the conversation going.
Lady Une looked at him as Wufei just stood by the corner of her desk stiffly with no expression on his face.
"It's a little more than just Quatre, I'm afraid." Lady Une replied then sat down to clasp her hands in front of her and lean slightly towards Duo.
"We just got word that Quatre was taken by an unknown group of men and that there was a girl with him. The girl was identified as Hilde." Lady Une laid the facts out emotionlessly as she shuffled through some papers and notes on her desk to come up with the one she was looking for.
Duo sat frozen in his chair as he just looked at Lady Une, an unexplainable dread sitting in the pit of his stomach. After the last time, when he thought he was going to die, he and Hilde had just relaxed and enjoyed each others company; taking the time to treasure each other's presence. Thus they hadn't really talked about the one thing most pressing on Duo's mind. Absently he fingered the ring he'd carried around on him since he'd gotten it three weeks ago.
"How did this happen and where?" Duo asked finally in a deadly quiet voice.
Lady Une handed him the report in her hand and he scanned thoroughly.
"So you think this was a case of mistaken identity?" Duo asked finally with a sort of weary irony that fate had once again played him a dirty hand. He looked up at Wufei with something of a plea in his eyes. Wufei looked stolidly back and shrugged.
"Our witness heard them call Hilde 'Vazera'. Once we figured out that there was a connection between Hilde and Quatre's kidnaping, and a case I happened to be investigating, I was able to find a picture of this Vazera. A very bad picture to be sure but it's there. They could be identical twins at first glance." Wufei replied.
"So how did Quatre get caught up in it if they were after Hilde?" Duo asked in puzzlement.
"Apparently, our eye witness said that Quatre walked in on them as they were abducting Hilde. We were wondering why he happened to be there but our witness said he was holding Hilde's handbag. We're guessing it was sheer coincidence." Wufei told him, his face darkening finally.
"And just who is this witness who's being so helpful?" Duo asked with a frown.
"A little street urchin called Kit. Apparently, you two have a habit of giving handouts to certain unfortunates." Wufei said blankly with a ghost of a gleam in his eyes. Duo flushed under Lady Une's raised eyebrow.
"So did you get a fix on their position?" Duo asked determined to ignore the implications of the statement. It wasn't any of their business what he and Hilde chose to do with their surplus of food or other miscellaneous stuff.
"No. In spite of the information we got from Kit, we have been unable to track them down. This has been typical of the people I'm investigating. We think they have been involved in a full dozen suspect operations but we have been unable to pin them down. It's as if they know we're coming. And they leave no trace behind them. It has been most frustrating." Wufei said his evident frustration coloring his tone as he scowled. He never could settle for failure.
"I see. Then I'll need the first shuttle to L2 available Lady Une, and all the information you can possibly get together. I have people to see and places to go where you'd stand out like a green thumb in December." Duo told them levelly as he got up.
"I was hoping you'd say that. We already have you booked for a flight home!" Lady Une said with satisfaction.
"Wufei has been doing an outstanding job but with the new developments, we thought it would be a good idea that you be brought in. This is your home ground, you know it better than anyone here." Lady Une told him even as she got up to usher him out the door.
Duo grunted to himself as he headed out adjusting his sunglasses over his sensitive eyes. Lady Une had played him like a musical instrument. He didn't mind though, in light of what had happened. He couldn't afford to mind and in reality, Duo was just glad she was on their side.
*****
Hilde moaned slightly to herself as she came to. She couldn't figure out what had happened at first, her mind foggy and scattered as she fought to collect herself.
Everything was starting to come back to her... the ambush in her living room (how the heck had they gotten in? Duo had installed that system himself not trusting anyone else to do it, but then he had said often enough that no matter how good the system was there was always someone could figure a way around it), Quatre returning unexpectedly her purse in his hands, watching helplessly as he was taken by surprise and struck from behind by the muscle bound jerk and tossed in the sedan with her, and then the smell of some sort of anesthesia.
She'd never hear the end of this from Duo. But how do you guard against something you aren't expecting and things had just settled down good from the last fiasco. They'd thought that chapter of their lives done and over with.
Quatre... Duo... where were they? Where they ok? What was going on?
Hilde shakily pushed herself up fighting off the after affects of the knockout drug they'd used on her. And just who were these people anyway? She had questions that needed answers and she wanted them now! In perfect timing, she heard the door being fumbled open from the other side. It looked as if she'd get her wish.
A. N. Hello folks. Back again, but this story is going to be a bit of a change of pace I think. I also wanted to know... I can do this story two ways. Post what I have and take forever getting the next part out, or wait until I have the whole/most of it done and then start posting.
I'm slow cuz everything has to be perfect:) or as close as I get anyway and it could take me a LOOONNNGGG time to get this done starting with this which is only the prologue:( Especially if my life doesn't slow down any:( So cheers for everyone who was so kind last time and I hope I can keep up the style!! And I'm going to try harder to keep the boys in character and put more of each one into the story, to me a good Gundam Wing story isn't good unless it's got all of 'em in it, yay!:) Ja na!
