Sorry all, I had already written a bunch for this so I guess this gets updated first. However I have gotten a good lot written for the cursed so that's good right? I had a boulder fly at my head, thank you pandora-chan, and it really got me writing. That and pure fear of Abi2 and her undoubtably accurate aim. Here's the next part and the last bunch I've written for this story. You guys are still more than welcome to throw things at me to get me updating but let's make it slightly softer things this time. Like cookies, I like cookies. Thin Mints are preferable.
Maxwell's Demon
Chapter 2-The Wizard of Oz
"I have a job for you." Duo shivered despite himself and gripped the loose end of his braid in nervous habit. He wasn't really keen on taking an offer from this guy, but after considering the empty state of their fridge he knew there was one thing that could persuade him.
"What's the price on the head?" He asked and heard Wufei sigh in the back. He turned to the dark haired boy.
"What? Do you want to eat or not?" Duo asked in a slightly guilty tone. He knew Wufei didn't like taking jobs like this. Duo really preferred to do the work of trustworthy guys that were looking for criminals, not the bloodthirsty men looking for revenge. It was pretty obvious that the old man wasn't interested in upholding the law just getting what he wanted at any cost. Well, at least Duo was hoping about the 'any cost' part.
"Don't take this job you idiot. Something's up, even your feeble mind can see that I hope." Duo frowned, of course he could see that, but his ship wouldn't make it much further and they had no food or place to sleep. What choice did he have? There was a loud crashing sound from somewhere in the back of the ship and Wufei snorted.
"See, even your stupid animal knows that this is a bad idea." Duo sighed loudly and gave Wufei his best stern look.
"We've haven't got a choice, deal with it." Wufei glared icy daggers at his idiot of a captain letting the look speak his displeasure with the situation for him.
"Your disapproval has been duly noted." Duo nodded to his navigator and whipped his chair back around to face the monitor as a static filled 'e-hem' echoed against the ship's hull. Duo grinned apologetically and scratched at the back of his head in slight embarrassment.
"Sorry about that. Ignore the brooding alien in the back." He said and Wufei nearly clocked him one. The navigator snorted indignantly and turned back to his computer where he had been programming the coordinates to the nearest galaxy. He started to erase what he had entered figuring that this new job would probably be taking them to far away places. Places he really had no desire to go to. Honestly, the galaxy he had been programming had the planet Jiria on it with blue-sand beaches. He seriously doubted their Mr. Creepy Metal Eyes' job would require them to visit a planet with beautiful blue-sand beaches. There was another electronic cough from the screen and this time it sounded a little impatient.
"You want to know how much is offered on the head of your target by the authorities?" The old man's eye focused out again, like a periscope. Duo grimaced slightly, but he responded with a steady voice.
"Yeah, I've got to make sure this job is worth my effort." He smirked back at the old man in a dangerously cheeky way.
"I see, well I think I should tell you that the boy is worth nothing to the authorities. There is no price on his head." Duo had to pick his jaw off the floor.
"Piss off old man, I don't work for free." Duo reached forward to switch his monitor off, but the sound of the old man's cackling laughter made him pause as a cold chill ran down his spine.
"It is true that he is worth nothing to the authorities, but they are not who seek him. I want you to bring him back to me and I will pay you. Does 5 billion sound good?" The old man smirked and his metal eyes seemed to gleam. Duo tried not to choke but failed miserably, though even in his coughing fit he still noticed how fast Wufei's chair whipped around. Neither of them had ever heard of that kind of money for a job. That tidy little sum could last them both a quite a while. If done properly the next ten years of their lives could be set, hell maybe the rest of their lives if they invested in sure things. Like Alcohol, cigarettes, and shoes.
"I'll assume this means you'll take the job. The requirements are being faxed to you including the first destination you are to report to." And with that the monitor was shut off before Duo could ask the old man any questions. It was only a few seconds before the holo-fax suddenly came to life and a green light shot out the top displaying the job information on a scrolling electronic page.
"This is wrong, Duo. He must be using an illegal line to contact us for it to come through that poorly. I don't like this one, not at all." Wufei commented after skimming the electronic image with a deepening frown. Duo shook his head and shrugged.
"Maybe he's just some really rich grandpa or something. Maybe he's just really worried about some little kid who ran away or got kidnapped. We'd be doing something good by bringing him home." Duo nodded hopefully despite the scowl growing on Wufei's face.
"Well then, Daddy Warbucks is seriously messed up to be hiring a bounty hunter to find little Orphan Annie. And not just any bounty hunter, the demon bounty hunter." Damn Wufei and his logic, Duo sighed in defeat.
"I know Wufei. Look we'll just get the kid, get paid, and then get the hell out of there, okay?" Wufei still looked doubtful, but he nodded as he saved the fax and walked back to his seat.
"I wonder why he wants us to go to Zarkof? I was expecting someplace shady like Marzeppin, but Zarkof? That's kind of ritzy." Duo commented on the odd job request.
"Zarkof. That's close to my home planet." Wufei said suddenly, his face a rare mixture of emotions before he turned back to his control panel. "I'm going to program the new coordinates, you should go check on that flying disease-host of yours."
"Yeah, he's probably pretty pissed at me right now." Duo wanted to ask about Wufei's home planet but it just wasn't something they ever discussed. Neither of them ever spoke of their pasts and he supposed it was probably that mutual understanding of boundaries that made them work so well together. He didn't know why a navigator that came from a rich planet and the finest pilot academy this side of the known universe would want to work for him, and he knew he would never know. Duo had landed on Wufei's planet about a year and a half ago when one of the smaller heads he had been after had escaped there. It didn't take long to find the guy and the bounty hunter was soon on his way. It wasn't until after he had already collected his reward from the authorities that he discovered the stow-away. Wufei was full of pride and insults even when he was hiding in the corner of another man's ship. Duo, of course had instantly taken a liking to the explosive young man with jet-black hair and sharp angry eyes. He was way too fun to tease and argue with. Not to mention Duo hadn't had company in forever, people tend to avoid someone when they're rumored to be a demon. It made him curious what could be on Wufei's planet that was worse to him than a demon?
Duo smacked the red button next to the shiny metal door that lead out of the control room. He barely waited for it to slide halfway open before slipping through into the short silver hallway. He stopped at the second door he came to and it slid open to reveal the ship's kitchen. This was where his hunting-bat could usually be found even though the cupboards were usually empty. He spotted the little creature rummaging around in the brown grocery bag from the gas station. Duo watched with mild amusement as the animal attempted to chew through a small bag of Gorgian nuts. These nuts were the main staple of the planet Gorga and were cheap but tasted pretty good. And his bat loved the little things like they were a special treat from the gods. Duo laughed and ripped open the bag for his little partner who immediately grabbed it back and yanked out a handful of nuts, which turned out to be about two for his tiny paws. The bat frustratingly began trying to crush the little black things on the counter by slamming each one down with his little paws. Duo chuckled as he grabbed a knife from inside one of the drawers and leaned on the counter next to his animal. He received a very nasty and very furry glare for that, until he used the flat edge of the knife to pop open a nut and handed it over to his hairy companion. The bat took the nut in his dark little claws and shoved it greedily into his mouth. He knew humanoids were idiots, but he had to admit sometimes they were useful. And although he didn't like to admit it to himself he did rather enjoy the company of this particular idiot. The dark haired idiot he hated, even if he did buy him food, that one was more temperamental then his owner without coffee.
"Bomber?" Duo inquired of his furry shipmate. The little black bat continued to ignore him except to nip at him when he stopped crushing nuts.
"You too, eh?" Duo sighed and adjusted the little bat's flight goggles that he insisted on wearing. The bat swatted him away and popped another nut into his already full mouth. He glared at his owner with puffed out cheeks and it made Duo snicker.
"Yeah well, you'll all be thanking me when we have a real meal for once." The bat just shrugged, he really didn't care one way or the other. The dark haired idiot had just assumed that he was getting bent out of shape over the new mission. True his hearing was good enough that he had been listening in, but it wasn't the mission bothering him. You try opening a vacuum-sealed Gorgian nut bag without opposable thumbs.
Duo slipped his hand into his back pocket and grabbed his pack of self-light cigarettes slipping one casually between his lips. He ripped the small tab at the end of the stick and watched it spark to life while smoke began to drift into his face. He took a deep bittersweet breath and looked down at his fuzzy companion before shoving himself off the counter. Gray wisps escaped in swirling tendrils from his lips as he decided to leave his bounty-sniffer alone with his meal. Plus, it wouldn't due to have the smoke affecting his flying hound's sense of smell. He wandered back out into the shiny metal corridor with his cigarette still dangling from his lips. He shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked off a little causing him to float slightly in the light gravity field generated by the ship. Bracing one hand on the wall he used it as leverage to round the corner that lead to viewing deck. He hit another button as his feet touched back down and metal shutters quivered then slowly rose to reveal a wall of thick pained windows and an inky black view. In the distance there were sparse patches of stars that he was grateful for. He hated it when they passed through galaxies where there were no stars or they were too far away to see. The utter blankness of it all got to him. Oddly enough it made him feel claustrophobic, like the darkness was shrinking in on him and he would never know until it was too late.
He shifted the cigarette to one side of his mouth and blew smoke out the other with a practiced ease that made it almost seem careless. This job made him nervous and he couldn't put his finger on why. He had taken plenty of jobs from shady types before he met Wufei and not once did his stomach twist into knots like this. Maybe it was some kind of gut instinct, or maybe it was how the guy had called the 'Demon Maxwell.' It had been a hell of a long time since anyone had called him that to his face.
He noticed his cig was getting low but didn't bother to put it out. Instead he pulled his pistol out from its chest strap under his black jacket and popped its cartridge. It was half empty and one of his last, which meant they would have drop by Treize's for some ammo. Hopefully they could get it cheap, and by cheap he meant free, since the smooth talking Weapons Dealer owed him for saving his ass when the fuzz came a knockin' about some rumors of his under-the-counter dealings. A few silent moments later of watching the last of his cigarette turn to ashes and he was joined by a very agitated looking navigator.
"I've checked the rest of the specs for this mission. I hope you have a clean suit." Wufei said as he cams to stand by his captain who was staring blankly out into outer space. Duo plucked the remnants of his cigarette out of his mouth and stared disappointedly at the burnt end. His gaze drifted curiously over to his brooding companion.
"We're going to one of the most famous restaurants on the planet. And for a rich planet like Zarkof that's saying something." Wufei finally turned from the window towards his taller captain who was looking at his cigarette butt like it was a pet who died. Then his face shifted back to that easy grin Wufei was used to and he flicked the last of his smoke into the waste bin in the wall behind him. A light suction caught it and dragged it down with one last pathetic trail of smoke following it. Wufei had to wonder what his captain had been contemplating moments before to bring such a rare serious expression to his face. He knew he would never know. Duo had many secrets, they both did and they respected each other's privacy, it was one of the reasons he knew he would never leave this ship. Duo had a sense of honor hidden in him that was rare these days and he respected it greatly. The captain of Deathscythe turned to his navigator, his friendly smile taking on a slightly unnerving glint.
"Guess where we're stopping by first?" He said with a suggestive wink that told Wufei exactly where they were going.
"Ah fuck, are you serious?" Wufei asked with his frown that drew his eyebrows painfully together.
"Yep, I'm low on ammo and something tells me we're going to need it for this one." Duo flashed him the half empty clip he still held in one hand along with his gun before he slipped it back into its slot and pounded it once to make sure it was in there tight. His gun was old but it felt like an extension of himself and he never missed with it. He heard Wufei sigh next to him and he smirked.
"Fine, I'll add Treize's coordinates to our flight plan but if he so much as looks at my ass I'm lodging a bullet straight in the death center of his brain." Duo laughed hysterically at the dead-serious tone and look on his navigator's face. Duo had his suspicions that Wufei wasn't as adverse to Treize's attention as he liked to pretend he was.
"Well, if that's all settled then I'll be sackin' out. I suggest you get some rest too Wuffers since you have such a long day ahead of you. Good luck avoiding all the ass pinching." Duo smirked as Wufei groaned and turned back towards the wall tapping the button that closed the giant metal shutters.
"You comin'?" He asked, his jet-black pointy tail shining from the backlighting of the corridor he stood in. Duo shrugged as he pulled another smoke from his pack and stuck it to his tongue, which then drew it into his mouth.
"I'll be up in a minute, you can go ahead and hit the lights." Wufei just nodded to his captain and shut out the lights leaving the man standing alone in the dark. The only light coming when there was a sudden spark and the end of his cigarette lit up.
When Duo finally woke up the next morning he could smell coffee all the way from his room on the upper deck of his ship. He could kiss the navigator for brewing up a pot of liquid life for him. This meant that Wufei was already up and must be in a pretty good mood. Duo smirked to himself, yeah Wufei definitely didn't mind Treize in fact he was pretty sure that Wufei rather enjoyed the man's appreciation of him. He didn't bother to put a shirt on as he climbed out of his bunk and headed to the bathroom for a quick piss. His teeth got a cursory once over with some toothpaste on the end of a brush but just enough to get rid of morning breath. He would brush them again later but he hated the way mint toothpaste made his coffee taste. And morning coffee was a lot higher on his list of importance than personal hygiene. In fact it was third just after his cigarettes and getting the last word in all his mock arguments with Wufei. He took the lift down to the first deck and wandered idly into their sterile blue kitchen. He was happy that they had finally decided to paint some parts of the ship to break up that metallic-clinical feel. He scratched his bare chest and smiled when he spotted the dark percolating brew on the counter.
"So what's on the agenda for today Wuffer?" Duo smiled as he picked up the coffee pot lovingly, not waiting for the stuff to finish brewing, and poured a helping of the steaming ambrosia into the largest mug he could find. Wufei grimaced as he watched his captain suck down steaming black coffee with no sweetener at all.
"We should be arriving at Treize's this afternoon, and if you two don't chat it up for too long or get plastered then we should make the dinner by tonight. The job says that we're to be looking for two guys at this thing. Their pictures are in the fax he sent us. It also says that we're already on the guest list so we won't have to worry about tickets. I guess he just assumed we'd say yes." Wufei frowned both at the presumption of their employer and at his captain as he babied his coffee and paid absolutely no attention to his briefing.
"Duo." Wufei said and waited patiently for his captain to respond. Duo blew on his coffee and whispered sweet nothings to the brew. Wufei rolled his eyes.
"Duo!" He shouted and the braided man started a little, frowning then looking up furiously at his navigator.
"Wufei! I almost spilled my coffee." Wufei had to sigh, Duo looked like he just avoided a mortal wound.
"Look, when you're done with that," the navigator pointed to the large steaming mug in Duo's hands, "I suggest you go over the job and start taking this seriously."
Duo stuck his tongue out and Wufei had to do his best to not grab it and refuse to let go until Duo got serious about the job. But he knew that would never happen, Duo just didn't work that way. Instead he made his way back to the flight deck where he could make plans on how to not get killed on this job. Unfortunately, with Duo there was absolutely no way to account for everything that could go wrong. The man had a talent for getting himself into life-threatening situations. Thankfully he also seemed to have something of a talent for squeaking out of them alive as well.
A few hours later a still half naked but slightly more bright-eyed Duo Maxwell came wandering into the control room just as they approached Treize's home planet. The planet of Oz was a rich looking place but was infamous for mafias and underhanded dealing. Almost the entire population made their money under the nose of the authorities but for some reason it was just overlooked. It had been that way for so long that now even the cops were in on the dealing. The only thing that could really get you in trouble down there was murder. And even then you only got in trouble if you were really sloppy about it. Treize had a mysterious charm about him and a confident gaze that could turn the head of any woman and quite a few men. Including his current navigator who was looking at him like he was mold under the fridge.
"So glad you could join me captain." Wufei's sarcastic voice droned as Duo took his seat at the helm still wearing just his sweats.
"I had to pry bomber off of me. Apparently the pancake I snaked from the plate of extras wasn't from a plate of extras. Nearly took my middle finger off, the wanker. He knows how important that finger is to me. It's how I end most of the jobs we get." Duo rubbed the sore on his finger before he gripped the control sticks of his ship. Wufei couldn't help but smirk since it was finally someone else nearly losing a finger.
"Well now that you're fed and awake do you mind landing us?" Wufei said in a mockingly casual tone considering Duo had just made it to the helm before they hit atmosphere. Duo shot him a sideways glare before flipping a few switches to prepare his ship for full atmosphere entry. This was what he loved. Piloting his ship was like walking barefoot on broken glass, you had to know when to tread lightly and when to crush the big pieces. Flying in spade was dull work except for the occasional meteor field or warring galaxy. Atmosphere entry, however, now that kept you on your toes. Meteorites were constantly burning up in the intense heat all around you and then once you entered you never knew what kind of weather awaited you.
His ship rocked and rumbled as they hit atmosphere. Through the windows he could see bursts of light like small explosions of lava all around him. Meteorites bursting open in the heat, the heat that he could feel leaking into his ships and warming the soles of his bare feet. He reached up through the sudden increase in gravity and smacked the switch that turned off their artificial gravity so the planet's own could take over. Moments later they exited the harsh atmosphere and entered the sky of the planet Oz. Seeing as it looked like good weather and smooth sailing, he let the autopilot take over and instead kicked his feet up on the dash.
"Don't you think you should get dressed?" Wufei commented from his seat as he unhooked his harness. Duo never cared much for the safety devices, he felt they constricted him and took away from the thrill, so he never wore one. He quirked his eyebrow at his prudish navigator but chose not to comment. He sighed and shrugged in concession before heading back towards the upper deck to pull a shirt and some decent pants on.
He had just barely gotten dressed and found his left shoe when Wufei announced they were docking in an empty airfield roughly forty meters from Treize's gun shop. Duo smirked at the way his shipmate tried to keep his voice completely neutral. In the past few months Duo had found that he was surprisingly able to read some of the boy's language. You really had to listen for it but Duo could tell that at that moment Wufei was trying to either not sound nervous, excited, or both. He yanked his shoe on and stubbed his toe on his way to the lift. Cursing he stumbled back onto the flight deck where he saw his navigator lost in thought and staring at a rather welcoming sight. Being the demon bounty hunter there weren't many places that Duo could go and feel comfortable. Treize and him went way back and knew things about each other that had made their bond incredibly strong. Treize's shop was like a home away from home and smiled seeing the familiar tall form step out from the front door and wave at them. The mischievous grin on his handsome face could only be rivaled by the impish smirk that adorned the braided captain's lips. Wufei looked from his captain to the figure of Treize in the distance and, noticing the equally conniving grins, and swore nastily at his cursed fate.
That's all for now. Thanks for reading! And thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and threatened my physical well being for updates. It really makes a girl feel loved. Thank you all again, you guys are awesome.