Chapter One: We are building a religion...
"I'm glad I found you."
The voice was smooth but young. Duo was reminded of gasoline in a puddle. Murky and oily. The owner of the voice and words stepped closer and Duo flinched. Her hand on the knife she had tucked in her skirt's waistband, hidden by the school jacket, in a flash. She disliked it when men, especially ones bigger than her, got too close. From where she was leaning against the computer terminal's wall divider, she could smell the boy's cologne. Duo relaxed her grip mildly on the knife when Heero didn't blink or pause in her typing at the computer. If the other girl didn't think he was a threat… She trusted the other girl's judgment but still kept wary. She kept her eyes on the blonde boy and her hand on the knife handle.
He looked vaguely familiar. Someone she had seen before. He wore the blue jacket with the school's crest, marking him a student at the current school they were hiding out at. His stance was tall and proud, hinting that he was used to being noticed and noted. He had wheat blonde hair tied into a loose ponytail at the base of his neck, thick eyebrows framing watery blue eyes. He didn't have the muscular body of a soldier, but Duo remained cautious. Strength was easy to disguise and something about this boy, despite his youth, reminded her of the men that would prey on the streets of L2.
The boy took a step forward; the boy's blue eyes trained on Heero alone.
His resemblance to a predator propelled her and Duo moved from leaning against the terminal's wall divider to standing directly behind Heero's chair. One hand resting on the back of the chair, the other hand on the knife. The Perfect Soldier paused momentarily, but Duo didn't notice. The blonde's eyes were on her now that she stood between him and his prey.
She wondered what the boy saw. Did he see what everyone else did? The girl in the blue school uniform with a long pretty cinnamon braid and easy smile? Or did he see the street rat from L2? The half starved little girl with a dirty face and greasy hair? She wasn't striking or curvy like the other girls her age. She didn't have a feminine figure due to the starvation she endured as a child, her body convinced it was still starving. She was small in stature from the same malnutrition and Dr. G preferred it that way, so he didn't fix it even though he could have. Over all, she presented the world with the image of a girl with too long hair that a hard wind could blow over. Unappealing to most men and boys unlike Heero.
Heero was beautiful. She had the striking eyes most girls would die for, framed by a chocolate pixie cut that Duo knew the girl cut without looking in a mirror (and Duo was beginning to suspect she didn't brush it either). And her figure was perfect for a fifteen year old girl. A reasonable chest compared to Duo's almost nonexistent one, the gentle curve of hips Duo didn't have enough fat on her frame to obtain, tan legs and strong arms both sculpted from running and push-ups. Someone men and boys looked over twice and remembered. Someone men and boys wanted.
A boy like the blonde glaring at her.
"Can you excuse us?" the boy asked with cool politeness.
"Sorry," Duo shrugged with an easy smile. "Buddy system. She's new here and I've been put in charge of her."
An expression flashed over the boy's face, an expression Duo was more than familiar with: irritation.
"I've known Heero for awhile. We're friends. I'll walk her back to the dorms, so she won't get lost." The boy said.
Duo hid her surprise at Heero's name but remained firm.
"Well, obviously you have her mistaken for someone else. This is Ayame." Duo said cheerfully. Her grip on the back on the chair tightened, the metal beginning to mold in her hand due to her strength.
"No, it's not." The boy said angrily, due to his confusion.
"Ren," Heero said flatly. "Enough."
Duo looked at the blonde boy with new eyes but no less hostility. Ren Darlian. Son of the murdered politician. Famous in his own right for his expressive views about the war. A boy used to getting what he wanted.
No wonder she hadn't recognized him. She had only met him once. She smirked at the memory of him throwing himself between her and Heero. Like that would have stopped her from killing Heero if she had really wanted to. It looked like Heero had an admirer. Duo smirked slightly.
"I just want to talk to you." Ren beseeched. "Alone."
"Amy is within her rights to remain." Heero dismissed. Duo glanced from Ren to the Japanese girl in surprise. She hadn't expected Heero to agree. "If you wish to use this terminal, we are done now." She scooted the chair back with her legs and Duo moved quickly to give the girl room to leave the terminal.
Heero didn't spare a glance at the blonde boy, but Duo did. His expression was dark – hurt and anger mixed in one. The braided girl made a promise to protect her partner's back. Heero might not understand the evil such a boy could be capable of, but Duo did. She didn't want her partner to befall the same fate the less fortunate girls on L2 did. Even though, Duo thought with more cheer, Heero is more than capable of kicking Superman's ass. It never hurt to have an extra set of eyes, right?
"Did you get what we needed?" Duo asked.
Her braid swung side to side while they walked down the hall towards their dorm room. Heero walked besides her, leaving a foot between them. With an inner cackle, Duo closed the distance down to an inch. Heero's azure eyes flickered at the closing distance – the only sign of her unease – before looking forward once more.
"We'll check it out tonight." Heero confirmed.
"Around when?" Duo asked.
"2330 hours." Heero answered.
Duo calculated the amount of time would take to do their homework and prepare for the mission. She nodded happily when she was able to fit a nap into the schedule. She hated staying up all night and then attending class on three hours of sleep. It was hard to pretend to be cheerful and happy when you wanted nothing more than to crawl in a hole and die.
The mission this time was to investigate a government operated lab and safely destroy it. The scientists were vague on what the lab was creating, but they had given this mission the high level of security. All five of the Gundam pilots were to be involved.
Duo and Heero had been sent undercover at the private school across from the base. Their part in the plan was to investigate the lab and learn what was the military scientists were creating if possible. Hence the reason Heero had been hacking the computer at the terminal with Duo guarding her back. They needed more layouts and building plans than Trowa had been able to provide.
Trowa was already stationed at the lab as a secretary, faxing files to Quatre to figure out what was being developed as well as supplying the two masquerading students with as much information as she could get away with. Wufei was in charge of transporting the Gundams so they could effectively destroy the lab and whatever weapon they were trying to develop. A fun mission all in all.
The Japanese girl unlocked their door and left it open for Duo to follow.
The room was the standard for these boarding schools. Two beds, two dressers, two desks and a nice view. This school though was also fancy enough to supply private bathrooms. A total perk for the long haired girl. She didn't particularly like washing that much hair in public showers. It left her vulnerable for too long.
"What do you think about the mission?" Duo asked for the sake of filling the silence.
Heero graced her with an irritated look before sequestering herself in the private bathroom.
Good God.
The other girl's attitude left a lot to be desired, Duo thought grumpily. Every since the fateful day they had met, the scientists had paired them together. Dr. G had mentioned something about their methods being compatible. Secretly, Duo believed it was because Dr. G had bet Duo could give the other girl a personality. Not that she had succeeded yet, besides the bastard deserved to lose the bet for playing with her life this way. She preferred working alone over working with Miss Perfect.
The shower started, the water hitting the tile in a sound similar like white noise.
Huffing, Duo threw herself on the bed.
Except Duo's very nature was poking her to teach the other girl about being normal, or at the very least teach her to be capable of more than two key expressions.
That was probably the reason Heero had broken her wrist and gave her strange looks whenever she penetrated the girl's zone of comfort, Duo mused. It was probably a really, really good thing Duo didn't back away from challenges. And that she had an outlier way of thinking. And was most likely masochistic.
She giggled and then her giggle exploded into laughter.
That would explain why she crawled into a cockpit the size of a closet and always had bruises decorating her skin like mismatched quilt when she could be playing dolls or whatever normal fifteen year old girls did.
Later, after night had fallen and Heero left the bathroom in a cloud of steam, they dressed in their mission clothes and infiltrated the base. If boys were drooling over Heero in the school uniform that covered a majority of their skin in long-sleeves, skirts to their knees and high socks, Duo could only imagine what they would do if they saw Heero in the spandex black shorts and a tight green tank top. Maybe they would combust? She snickered, ignoring the confused and exasperated look Heero sent her. She would have to arrange a completely random sighting of Heero in the get up; then again, Heero could end up with another Ren.
Duo compared the pros and cons while waiting for Heero to cut through the chain link fence.
Compared to the other girl, Duo was dressed conservatively. She wore an imitation of a priest's outfit including the flash of white around her throat. Nothing like what Heero wore. Ruefully, Duo wondered if that was another thing that separated her from the rest of her sex.
"Duo." Heero prodded.
Duo started and gave the girl a sheepish smile before following Heero through the hole in the fence. The moment she passed through the metal barrier, she became all business. Mostly.
Heero lead the most of the way, having studied the layout more intensely. Not that Duo minded. If being the leader in this little expedition made Heero happy, then she could lead. Duo didn't mind. Heero had to wait for her in the end, so she could unlock the doors. Heero could break down doors without breaking a sweat. Heero's skill with a lock pick? Not even close to Duo's. Something the thief was immensely proud of.
Flashing a hand to her braid and back again, Duo began to work on the door. Heero stood a few feet away, eyes surveying the area, gun in hand. The door clicked and Duo pushed it open slowly, her gun in hand and ready to shoot if need be.
The mission demanded no one know of their presence and dead bodies usually screamed intruder. The guns were only a precaution.
She scurried down the hall, Heero glaring at the back of her head. Duo smirked to herself while she mentally drew the maps in her head. The door leading to the labs was further down the hall down the stairs. Tonight, however, they would be investigating the rest of the building. Duo didn't really want any surprises when the sneaked into the lab.
Wonder if I can leave Trowa a surprise tomorrow without Miss Perfect getting on my case? Duo glanced at the office Trowa had informed them she worked in thoughtfully, perhaps for a moment too long, because Heero pushed her forward with an small growl. Duo could just hear the insult the Japanese girl didn't dare utter, "Stupid." Duo scowled at her mental Heero. She was such a bitch.
Duo held back her laugh at her silliness and followed Heero. It looked like Miss Social Inept would be rediscovering her emotions, if she spent enough time with Duo. Sadly, their mission would be over within the week. Duo would have loved seen the changes occur in the girl.
They entered the first door and found another office. Duo left Heero to accessing the computer. Even though her own hacking skills weren't exactly bad, Heero's were definitely better. Too bad no one else could read her mind or else she would have so gotten maturity points for admitting that. Duo watched the computer screen illuminate the Japanese girl's face in a pale light and for a moment, Duo forgot herself.
The blue light had cast the Japanese girl in a softer light. She had looked gentle for a moment, softer. Heero had looked so unlike the fierce girl she really was that Duo forgot to breathe for a moment. It was like she was looking at a completely different girl.
She hated it. She hated how the light tried to bend Heero into something else, into someone she clearly wasn't. Heero would always be strong, wild, vicious. And she would kill whoever made Heero otherwise.
The sudden clack of the keyboard broke Duo from the spell the blue light had cast. She began to rummage through the folders, careful to put everything back in its original place. Most of what she gleaned from the files was requests for more medical supplies and rats. Duo cocked her head to the side as she thought. They're making something, but what? A virus? A vaccine? Another way to build super humans like Heero? Or was it something completely unrelated to the lab's true purpose?
After thirty minutes of thoroughly snooping through the office, Duo left Heero to check out the office across the hall. She found nothing except for medical files. Duo gave the office a doubtful glance. So far, all the "lab" seemed to be was a free clinic. To be sure, Duo opened a file at random and read it.
Nothing out of the ordinary. No military background. No bizarre injuries. It only had records for flu vaccines.
Grabbing another file, Duo skimmed it. More of the same. Only records of vaccines.
She grabbed another file and it wasn't until she read a sixth file she realized the pattern. They all received the different vaccines for the same flu.
That wouldn't have been so odd on its own, but the medical records contained nothing else. Just records of what vaccines each person took.
"Duo, time to go." Heero whispered in the still room.
Duo nodded absent mindedly and put the files away hurriedly.
There wasn't anything terribly sinister about a clinic giving vaccines, was there? The worry nudged her, memories of a time sickness stole lives.
"Heero, I think I found something." Duo hissed to the girl on their way out.
Heero nodded to confirm she head Duo and continued leading the way, locking doors as they went. They went out the same way they got in, through the chain link fence. Heero waited patiently as Duo twisted metal wire around the disconnected wires of the fence to give it the appearance of being whole. A trick she had learnt from her old gang.
Glancing at her watch, Duo winced at the time. It would take at least thirty minutes to get back to the school on foot and an hour for debriefing if Heero was feeling especially chatty. If she was lucky, she will be crawling into bed while the sun peeked over the horizon.
Lady Luck must've been smiling because Duo found herself tucked into bed even sooner than she had estimated. The sound of Heero's typing lulled her into a half slumber, a place between sleeping and waking.
The next two days passed without incident, but on the fourth day of their mission, problems arose.
"Hey, Ren." Duo greeted the blonde at her dorm door cheerfully. "Ayame isn't in right now. She's getting us lunch."
"Actually, Amy, I wanted to talk to you." Ren smiled and pushed himself into the room.
Duo's teeth were instantly on edge. Ren closed the door to a sliver with the strange smile on his face.
"You see, I've wanted to talk with Heero for a long time," Ren said. He spoke quietly and the hair on the back of Duo's neck stood up. She grabbed her knife from her waistband and spun it in her hand, making sure he caught the glimpse of metal. "I just know if she talks to me, she'll realize we're meant to be together." Duo stared at the blonde. He hadn't even noticed her knife! Worry flooded her.
In a fight, she wouldn't hesitate to wiggle the knife in between his ribs. The only problem was he was a civilian and for all intents and purposes, on their side. He was too valuable of a resource to kill. She could maybe take him in hand to hand combat; she was no doubt stronger and knew more moves than he did. It was his size that worried her. Her ninety-five pounds to his estimated one hundred-eighty… all it would take would be one lucky hit for him to pin her. She shuddered slightly at the memory of what happened the last time she let herself get pinned and then blondie began speaking again.
"I want you to leave Heero alone." Ren ordered. "She's mine. I don't care what she is to you. She's mine."
Duo recalled Heero's cold dismissal of Ren the previous day and knew what the boy was saying was untrue, but he seemed to believe it.
"If she wants me to, I will." Duo said instead. She couldn't lie or else she would have. She wanted the bastard to leave.
"She will." Ren said smugly. "I don't know if you've noticed "Amy," but she doesn't exactly like you."
Yeah, have you looked in a mirror? Duo shot back mentally. She ignored the sting the words carried. Duo had known Heero didn't like her, but it was a work in progress! Better than where Ren stood anyways.
"Fine, now go." Duo agreed.
I agreed to leave Heero alone, only if she says so though! Take that!
Ren invaded her space and without thinking, Duo step back and fell into a loose defensive stance. She could smell the mint from his toothpaste and mouthwash. Entirely too close for comfort.
"Good girl," he breathed and turned to leave.
Duo dimly heard the door click shut. Ren's breath had been hot and sweaty on her face. Like that man's from before. He had breathed on her cheek and breathless said those very same words, "Good girl." She squeezed her eyes shut hard and tried pulling herself back from the edge.
She didn't know how long she spent holding her knife tightly, breathing in deep. Just breathe, just have to breathe, she kept reassuring herself. Lost in her breathing exercises, she didn't hear the door open and close a second time. The floor creaked and Duo looked up sharply and right into Heero's azure eyes.
"Heero!" Duo greeted with some instant cheer. Kind of like instant oatmeal. "I didn't expect you back so soon!"
Heero stayed silent for so long, her head tilted in confusion that Duo thought for a moment Heero would pushed the subject. Thankfully, the girl dropped her line of thinking and showed Duo the plastic bag of take-out.
"I got you extra," Heero informed Duo curtly. "You need to eat more."
Duo smiled slightly, but more real than she had been. "Thank you."
Yes! She was slowly growing on Heero, like mold on a bathroom wall.
"Trowa encountered problems at the lab." Heero told Duo quietly. "She had to leave. "
Duo blinked, her fork in the air. That shouldn't have been possible. Trowa was amazing at infiltration. She could pretend to be an OZ soldier no problem, she could pretend to be some politician's girlfriend and when she tried to be a secretary it just didn't work? What the hell?
"What happened? Is she okay?" Duo asked with some worry.
"Quatre looked into the formulas for the vaccines like you suggested," Heero began grimly. "Quatre found some discrepancies. She ordered Trowa not to get the injection under any costs and today the lab tried forcing all of their employees to take the drug. She got out safely and is on her way out of the city, but it is safe to say whatever plans the lab had are now in effect."
Duo hissed, "Biological warfare."
"It's the general census that the lab was developing a virus to –"
"To gas out the colonies." Duo finished for Heero. "They were going send people infected with the drug to the colonies and watch them all die." The image of Solo flashed in her mind before she pushed it away. Today was not a good day for memories. No day was.
"We will return to the lab tonight and see if we can find the original formula and data to send to Quatre and the scientists. Perhaps they can make a cure." Heero said.
Duo looked at her food, her appetite vanishing. Another plague…
Heero didn't comment on her sudden loss of appetite, but did give side glances that Duo couldn't place.
That night, they were armed with heavy explosives along with their guns. The mission had changed, gather more data and destroy the remains of the virus. They ripped through the mended fence like it was butter. Their footfalls were silent and when they encountered life in the building, Shinigami efficiently killed the man or woman. The men and women Shinigami's eyes didn't spot first died by the Perfect Soldier's hands.
The threat to their colonies was too great for the playful atmosphere from the previous nights. The colonies would be quarantined. The military would refuse to allow anyone off until the virus killed everyone. There would be no hope. There would be no point to the Gundam pilots, except as vengeful angels.
Heero shot the door keypad next to the basement door and it fried. The door didn't budge. Heero grunted very unladylike and kicked the door twice, her kick pushing the door right down. Duo followed the girl down the stairs, her gun at the ready to kill anyone daring to threaten her partner.
Three shots rang in the air; three dead bodies hit the ground.
Heero immediately began searching the papers and Duo began wrapping vials in her school jacket so they wouldn't break. It would be easier for a cure to be developed if they could see it in its purest form. They worked together like a well oiled machine. Heero went to the computer and began searching the computer as well. She saved the files she could find, or so Duo presumed if the small portable machine Heero had linked to the computer meant anything.
That's when Duo allowed the unforgiveable to happen.
Two scientists had hidden under a table, feet from rows and rows of the vials containing the virus and previous models of the virus. Duo only saw one of them for the corner of her eye before a scientist ran right at the vials, shaking the vials unto the floor and breaking open. The other went towards the back of the room were the computers were, swift to type in a command.
A classic diversion: I'll go kill myself. You set the lab to explode.
Duo felt like laughing until she cried, but she viciously crushed the bubbles of laughter. She shot the scientist that had entered the denote command and turned to Heero. Heero who had been standing directly under the vials and was now drenched in fluid. Heero blinked twice at Duo and crumbled.
"Shit!"
Duo hurried to her partner's side while the computer counted down from sixty. She situated the other girl so she could pick her up with some sort of ease and moved on quick feet to get out of the basement and lab, uncaring that the virus was seeping through her clothes. She had to save Heero first, and then she'd worry about what may or may not happen to herself.
Taking a grenade out from her side pocket, Duo pulled the pin and tossed it into the lab. What she had managed to read was the virus wasn't airborne. The scientists hadn't reached that stage yet, the reason they had been injecting it unsuspecting people and government agents. It had to pass through body fluids. Like blood and sexual fluids.
How it got to those places however…that was the scary part.
Duo only worried that Heero had gotten it in her mouth or if it had been absorbed through her skin. She didn't know what she could or would do if that was the case…
Shinigami reared her head once more, another bomb taking care of some soldiers marching down a hall. Duo went the opposite way and gazed at a window with some interest. Using her gun, Duo broke the glass and climbed out. As a farewell present, she sent the rest of her bombs rolling.
She rushed to get further from the lab, the detonation and bombs likely to make a big boom.
She wasn't let disappointed. Duo was hardly clear of the fence before the force of the explosion threw her and Heero down.
Duo began to laugh, clutching her unresponsive partner.
Don't you want bang bang bang bang? Running through her head.
Any errors are my own. I've tried catching them all, but my errors seem natural to my brain. If you catch any, I'd appreciate if you inform me! Hopefully this fic will live up to expectations. I will try making the chapters all long or at the very least decent and the relationships believable along with developing unique characterizations that come with pilots being female. Don't freak if they aren't immediately apparent. This fic should be a pretty decent length.