Warnings: Character Death, violence, gore, language, drug use, language, angst, yaoi sex, het sex, language.
Pairings: 2xSolo, 6x3, 1x2x3, 5xM, 5x H, 4x S, 4x R, 13x 6, 13x?, probably a few more as well.
A/N:Think The Watchmen but way darker and with yaoi. I know that some folks want/wanted Deviant to morph into more of a superheroes thing, but that fic is really about ordinary, less than perfect people struggling with something extraordinary. If you are looking for superheroes… this is the fic for you. Except, this is me, so there's no Superman or Spiderman or Aquaman. There are no powers. It's more like Batman and The Watchmen. And there's a fair influence from The Departed in here as well.
Also, unlike pretty much everything else I write, this isn't a good vs. evil kind of story. There are good guys and there are bad guys… and both of them do good and bad things… there's no black and white. Just a bunch of gray.
A/N#2: I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm feeling awfully inspired to write some kind of riff on The Hunger Games trilogy. Anyone interested in reading something like that? After I finish Deviant, Corner, Virtue, Dreams and Revenant?
Without Virtue
Chapter Ten
Heero spent his lunch break reading over the morning edition of The Daily News.
It had surprised him, weeks ago, when Wufei had started to use his position as assistant editor to insert articles and opinion columns that, very subtly and very subversively, started to challenge the dominance of OZ and Romefeller over Sanc.
He hadn't thought much of the Chinese man the night he had met him – anyone who killed that many innocent people with so little provocation was mentally imbalanced or allowed himself to be overwhelmed by his emotions. Heero had little patience for either condition.
But Wufei had proved to be invaluable to Quatre Winner's quest to rid Sanc of the evils that plagued the city. Because of his paper and the articles being printed, Travis Heberfeld, the man who had replaced Ken Tsubarov as City Treasurer, had been removed from office after a popular outcry from the citizens of Sanc. The office was now held by Leia Barton.
Heero wasn't so sure that putting a Barton in power was a step up from an OZ or Romefeller puppet – but it was at least a lateral step.
In the two weeks since Duo had murdered Catalonia and Septum in police headquarters, Sanc had been in an uproar, and Wufei had made every effort to publish as many accounts of police brutality and corrupt judicial processes as he could.
The police had immediately launched a veritable invasion into L2, searching for Duo and trying to cause as much damage as they possibly could to the already decayed quarter. Most of Sanc seemed content to turn a blind eye on the crimes the police had committed as they searched for Duo, but Heero had noticed that more and more there were letters to the editor in The Daily News that seemed to question the morality of the men in uniform just as much as they questioned a vigilante like Duo.
It was bold and dangerous for Wufei to print the letters – but it made Heero respect him, at least a little.
Today's paper was just more of the same – although there was a long article about Ben Noventa, the City Manager, and his plan to reform the L2 quarter. Noventa was something of a wild card. He was a high ranking member of Romefeller, but he didn't share much of their politics. Instead, he seemed focused on trying to reform Romefeller from within – often fighting against Romefeller efforts to divert city resources to criminal activities.
But the fact of the matter was that he was part of Romefeller, and he was on the list that Odin had provided Heero with, years ago, of men who had to be eliminated if Sanc were to ever recover.
Noventa might be the least dangerous man in Romefeller – but he was still a snake and he still profited from the misery of others.
After lunch, Heero returned to his office and spent hours glaring at his computer, until his prepay phone beeped, signaling a message.
I need DM's address.
The text was from Trowa, and it didn't take Heero long to figure out why the cop might want the location of Duo's safe house.
The riots were worse now than they had been the day after Catalonia and Septum's murders, when a group of police had charged into L2 first started to arrest whoever they could find that might know anything about Duo. In the two weeks since there had been multiple causalities each day – almost all civilians – as the Sanc police ransacked the quarter. It had become increasingly obvious that the police was almost as interested in punishing the people of L2 for Duo's existence as they were in possibly finding the escaped criminal.
It made sense that Trowa wanted to find Duo's safe house. Destroying it would not only give the Sanc police a much needed victory but it would help Trowa's shaky footing at the police department after Duo's escape and the subsequent censure Trowa had faced for it.
Still, Heero hesitated before sending him the address. It was necessary, but it also felt wrong – as if Heero and Trowa would be destroying part of Duo with this act.
In the end, however, common sense won out and he sent Trowa the address.
He was leaving the office when his prepay phone rang. The only person who ever used the phones to make actual phone calls was Quatre. Heero had never even heard from Wufei through the phones. Both Trowa and Duo preferred to text – Trowa only ever when there was an urgent matter and Duo, it seemed, whenever he felt particularly lewd or annoying.
"Yes," Heero answered after stepping into an empty office and closing the door to ensure privacy.
"How is Duo these days?"
Heero frowned at the reminder that Quatre was now his keeper and that it was at Quatre's instruction that Duo had been Heero's houseguest for the last two weeks.
"Almost healed," Heero said shortly. He didn't feel the need to extrapolate on Duo's frustration and anger over the backlash his actions had created for L2 or the man's desperation to fight back. Quatre didn't need to know that information, and for some reason Heero felt an urge to protect Duo's privacy.
"Good. Look, we need to meet again soon and start looking at the big picture. These small actions have been useful, but now that Relena is acting as some kind of spokesperson for Romefeller we need to figure out a new strategy."
The day after Duo's reckless acts of vengeance, Relena Darlian had stood on a podium beside Dorothy Catalonia and Treize Khushrenada and declared the entire city of Sanc to be in a state of morning. She had called for the citizens to band together and put an end to the violence and bloodshed that terrorized the city and to trust in each other for the hope of a new future.
It had been a brilliant move – Relena's solemn words, her recent status as an orphan, and her glowing idealism had moved the people of Sanc in a way that Romefeller strong arming never had. She had lent the shady organization a bright spot to focus attention on.
In a dark twist, Duo's actions had served to make Romefeller and OZ stronger now than they had been before – simply because now the people of Sanc had Relena Darlian to look at.
"I'll let Duo know."
"Have you seen Trowa? Will he –"
"He's not interested," Heero interrupted, tired of Quatre's repeated attempts to use Heero to draw Trowa into his schemes. The other man had made it very clear, during one of their run-ins one night destroying Core meth labs that he had no interest in being the slave of yet another master. It had made Heero wonder just how deep Trowa was involved in OZ and Romefeller politics – it was clear that he was close to Merquise, and Merquise was close to Khushrenada, who was at the heart of OZ.
Quatre sighed.
"Not yet," he grumbled. "Tell Duo to sit tight for a few more days. We just need to think of a way to resolve this conflict in L2."
Heero didn't bother to let Quatre know that Trowa seemed to have already found a way to do that.
He could appreciate the blonde man's brilliance and scheming, but he didn't trust him.
It was strange, but Heero found himself trying to build a wall between Quatre and Duo and Trowa, trying to keep the other two men removed, even though Duo was as much a participant in Quatre's plans as Heero himself.
He hung up, not bothering with pleasantries, and headed home to Duo.
Heero opened the door to his apartment and could instantly sense that something wasn't right. He drew his gun and set down his jacket and briefcase, keeping his hands free.
He kicked his door shut and stepped into the hallway leading towards the main living area.
There was just something about the air that made Heero feel tense and wrong.
The low hum of voices indicated that the news scrolls were on. Duo seemed to be as addicted and disgusted by them as Heero was himself. For the last two weeks, Heero had come home nearly every night to find them on – even if Duo wasn't watching them.
But Duo's presence hadn't affected Heero like this – not even that first day, when he had come home and found Duo examining his entire, very hidden and very locked, gun collection. The level of tension Heero felt now was akin to being on a mission.
He stepped into the living area and almost dropped his gun.
Duo was sitting on the couch, his long hair damp and loose, dressed in only an A-shirt and boxers. It was the closest to naked Heero had seen him since bringing Duo home that first night and stripping off his clothes to investigate his injuries. Despite the fact that they had come incredibly close to having sex – close enough that the sensation of Duo's hot mouth sucking his penis haunted Heero's dreams – the long haired L2 native was incredibly modest. Heero doubted it was because he was ashamed of his body – he was in excellent shape, and the scars he bore were a testament to his survival skills – but was sure it had more to do with his tattoos and the reverence L2 placed on them.
His face looked infinitely better than it had two weeks ago. Most of the small cuts where his skin had opened from the force of the punches from Sanc police were nearly healed. The swelling on his face had gone down after the first few days, and now there was only the faintest hint of yellow and violet around his eyes, the last of his bruises to heal.
But it wasn't the sight of a nearly naked Duo that had Heero doubting his sanity.
It was the sight of Odin Lowe sitting in the armchair beside the couch, still dressed in his work suit and tie.
There was a gun on the coffee table between the two men that Heero recognized as Odin's, but it was the only weapon visible.
"What are you doing here?" Heero asked.
Odin arched an eyebrow.
"I was following up on a hunch of mine." He glanced towards Duo, still stretched out on the couch, a sneer twisting his mouth.
Heero's mouth went dry and he felt his heart rate accelerate.
Odin had always despised the L2 quarter. Heero had listened to lectures about the general uselessness of the quarter's inhabitants since his childhood. Odin hated the justice system they created for themselves, hated their isolation and insularity from the rest of the city, hated the weapons manufacturing, hated the low-end prostitution and even lower end drug operations. He also hated tattoos. Heero vividly remembered a day, when he was nine, and Odin had caught him staring at a man sporting the Kanji symbol for fire tattooed on his forearm. That night, Odin had carved the symbol into Heero's own forearm, cutting deep enough that even now Heero could trace the faint outline of it. Odin hated the externalization of anything – especially of emotions and personal opinions. Tattoos were just an extension of that. He despised body modification of any kind.
But it wasn't only that that sent a thrill of terror through Heero.
Odin had to recognize Duo's face from the wanted posters plastered all over the city and on nearly constant scroll. He had to know that this was Duo Maxwell. And to Odin, Duo Maxwell was an annoyance and an obstacle that interfered with his plans for Sanc.
Which begged the question – why was Duo still alive?
Odin had clearly been here for some time – so why hadn't he just killed Duo?
"At least now I have an explanation for your recent distracted behavior," Odin said and crossed one leg over the other in a feigned, casual pose. "Is this diversion going to result in more –"
"He isn't a diversion," Heero bit out angrily.
"I never realized your… tastes strayed in this direction."
Heero swallowed hard and held Odin's gaze.
Of all of the issues to deal with right now, coming out to his father was Heero's absolute lowest priority. He simply wanted to ensure that he and Duo managed to stay alive.
Odin sighed and leaned back in his chair.
Duo was being amazingly silent, and despite the fact that his facial expression conveyed an intense desire to rip Odin's throat out, he seemed content to remain on the side lines of this conversation.
Odin transferred his gaze to Duo and the two glared at each other for a long moment before Odin shook his head and stood up.
Heero watched as his father picked up his gun and tucked it into the back waistband of his pants before smoothing down his suit jacket.
Odin walked over to Heero.
"See to it that your… activities don't pose a threat to your work," he said before walking past Heero.
A moment later the front door closed behind him.
"Who the fuck was that?" Duo practically exploded a second later. He jumped up from the couch in a furious bound.
Heero frowned.
"What happened? How did he get in?"
"The hell if I know – I was taking a fucking shower and all of the sudden there's a fucking gun pressed against the back of my head. Asshole wouldn't even let me put real clothes on," Duo added in an undertone.
Heero frowned at the mental image of his father ambushing Duo in the shower. He had programmed the codes for all of the locks in the apartment himself. There was no way Odin should have been able to get in so easily. His hacking skills were nowhere near as refined as Heero's.
There had to be something else, then. Some kind of override? But Heero had chosen this apartment building both for its security and privacy measures but also because the superintendent hated Sanc politics. He never would have given an override code to anyone –he charged a fortune in rent so bribing him wouldn't change anything.
Heero closed his eyes as he realized that Odin had likely tortured and killed the man. Which meant that Heero would have to move.
He sighed.
"Seriously, who the hell was he?" Duo repeated his earlier question and Heero could see that he was genuinely rattled from the encounter.
"Did he do anything to you?" Heero had never seen Duo express even a hint of fear – not the night they first met, not the night Heero had held him at gunpoint in an alley, not the even the night of his escape from the Sanc police station. He had somehow assumed that Duo was immune to fear.
"Absolutely nothing," Duo responded immediately. It was a firm reminder that whatever relationship they had wasn't strong enough for either to trust the other completely.
"He's the most sadistic man I've ever met," Heero countered. "He had to have done something to you."
"He didn't do anything," Duo insisted.
"Then what did he say?"
Duo swallowed hard and Heero knew he was on the right track now. It made sense – even in his current state and with bruised ribs still slowing him down, Duo was deadly. Odin wasn't stupid enough to engage in a physical fight with a younger, healthier and stronger opponent. But Odin could cut just as deeply with words as with a knife.
Heero sat down and put his gun on the coffee table.
Duo shook his head firmly and Heero knew that he was unlikely to ever hear just what Odin had said to Duo to upset him so thoroughly.
"Who was he?" Duo asked yet again.
"My boss. My father."
Duo arched an eyebrow.
"Family business?"
"Something like that."
"Jesus Christ, I can only imagine how warm and cuddly your childhood was," Duo muttered.
Heero found himself nodding in agreement. He imagined that Duo's childhood hadn't been much better, but he doubted the other man would appreciate the comparison.
"Does he stop by often?" Duo shook his head. "Christ – this definitely means it's time for me to go home."
Heero frowned.
"Quatre said –"
"Quatre can say whatever he wants to. I'm not going to sit on my ass any longer. And I'm sure as hell not going to hang out and wait to get jumped by that scary mother fucker again."
Duo started towards the bedroom, and Heero followed him.
He hadn't even wanted Duo to stay with him at first. He resented having to accept orders from Quatre, now that he had agreed to work for the blonde man, but being told to keep Duo safe while he recovered was worse than any of the other tasks Heero had yet been assigned. It didn't even have anything to do with Duo – in fact, the other man had been just as resentful of the arrangement as Heero – and everything to do with the fact that Heero was a loner and wasn't comfortable sharing his personal space with a near stranger.
It didn't matter that the stranger was someone that Heero wanted to sleep with – it didn't even matter that it was disturbingly easy to get along with Duo as a roommate – it still wasn't Heero's choice.
Now, however, as he watched Duo dress, he felt depression settle on him.
"I'm sorry," Heero said as Duo stepped into a pair of jeans.
"Nope. My fault for letting my guard down." Duo shrugged. "I just kind of got used to this place."
He started to pull on a hooded sweatshirt when the chime of a breaking news story sounded from the scrolls.
Duo frowned at the sound and walked back into the living room and Heero reluctantly followed him.
Between the events that Quatre orchestrated, Heero's own activities, Trowa's activities, and the near nightly news stories about riots and police brutality in L2 the sound of the news chime had become routine.
Still, Heero felt confident he knew just what breaking news story was being displayed on the scrolls now, and he wasn't very eager to see Duo's reaction.
Sure enough, footage of the wreckage of the church in L2, now nothing more than a blackened crater, was flashing across the screens.
Duo's face was pale and slack, his mouth slightly open and a look of surprised horror in his eyes.
The broadcaster started to describe the heroic efforts of Officer Trowa Barton, who had tracked down the 'infamous criminal' Duo Maxwell and managed to destroy his safe house and kill the criminal.
Heero frowned at that, wondering how Trowa had managed to stage Duo's death without raising a few eyebrows at the same time.
The broadcaster went on to mention that Officer Hilde Schebeker, herself a native of L2, had been instrumental in taking out Duo and ensuring that the people of Sanc could, at last, sleep well.
Duo slowly turned to Heero.
"You son of a bitch," he said, his voice nearly breathless. "The two of you planned this, didn't you?"
Of course Duo would figure out that Trowa had to have gotten the address from Heero.
"It will put an end to the riots and the casualties. The police raids –"
"Will fucking continue. All this does is kill me. Do you know what that means? That means that the Sanc police can do whatever the hell they want to L2 now. It means those fucking outsiders can push in and – fuck!"
Duo clenched his fists together and drew in several ragged breaths, his attention focused back on the scrolls.
"Fuck," he said again and angrily zipped up the sweatshirt. He shoved his long, loose hair under the collar and pulled the hood over his head. He started towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Heero followed him.
"To L2. I need to see Howard."
"Duo – you're dead."
"Exactly. No one will be looking for me now." Duo grabbed the spare gun Heero kept by the door, shoved it into the back of his jeans under the sweater, and was gone.
After a long internal debate, Heero texted Trowa his home address.
He hated having so many people know where he lived. But now that Odin knew, Heero had to move – so it didn't really matter if Trowa knew.
Then again, he actually trusted Trowa, just as much as he trusted Duo, not to kill him or betray him.
Almost two hours after Duo had left, he heard knocking on his apartment door.
Gun in hand, Heero opened the door to reveal Trowa, out of uniform and looking haggard.
Heero let him in and locked the door back before setting his gun down.
"Is Duo here?" Trowa asked.
They had met for lunch three times since Duo's escape. Trowa knew that Duo had been staying with Heero and asked, every time they saw each other, how the other man was recovering.
"No. He saw the news."
Trowa winced.
"It had to be done," Trowa said. It was a statement of fact, not an effort to defend himself, and Heero nodded in agreement.
"It was still wrong," Trowa added with a sigh. "He's going to hate me for it."
"Us," Heero corrected. "He knew I gave you the address."
Trowa massaged his forehead.
"There go my fantasies of a threesome, then," he muttered.
Heero laughed at the unexpected joke, until the serious look on Trowa's face made him realize that it hadn't been a joke. He shook his head.
"You too?"
Trowa shrugged.
"Not my fault the two of you look like you do and act like you do."
Which was exactly how Heero felt about Duo and Trowa.
"Hungry?" Heero asked as he started to feel the earlier tug of depression again.
Trowa frowned slightly but then nodded.
Heero led him towards the kitchen and gestured for Trowa to take a seat at the bar counter while he searched through his fridge for something to cook.
"Nice place," Trowa remarked.
"It was," Heero agreed, thinking about how cold and angry he had felt to walk in and see Odin sitting beside Duo. "I'm moving."
Trowa didn't question him, and Heero allowed silence to fall between the two of them. Their lunches were often like this – neither man was particularly chatty or as outgoing as Duo – and Heero was comfortable with the silence and the solid presence of the other man.
He put on some rice and started to sauté chicken and vegetables before he thought to ask Trowa more about the church.
"How did you kill Duo?"
Trowa shook his head.
"Not my idea. It was Hilde's – I never should have let her in on it."
Heero arched an eyebrow, surprised. He had seen the female cop a few times – the most memorable occasion being the day she and the now deceased Meilin Long had eaten lunch a few feet from him and brazenly discussed their plans to save Sanc – and his only opinions of her were that she was idealistic and stupidly naïve.
"It'll hold up," Trowa said. "We're going with the story that we were investigating the premise, were jumped by Maxwell, had a firefight in which he and Hilde were both injured, and just managed to escape before the booby traps he had rigged blew up and destroyed the place – and killed him in the process."
"Is there a body?"
Trowa nodded.
"There aren't any dental records on Duo, so… we just found a body of the right size, weight, and age."
"What happens when Duo decides he doesn't want to be dead anymore?"
"Hilde will lose her job and I'll probably be found dead a few days later." Trowa gave his prediction in a sober voice, as though he had already resigned himself to that fate.
Heero tried to think of any alternatives – but Trowa was right. The Sanc police would know immediately that Trowa had been lying, and no doubt Merquise and Khushrenada would see it as a betrayal. It was ironic that in staging Duo's death, Trowa had in fact signed his own death warrant.
They ate in silence, Heero standing in the kitchen and balancing his plate in one hand while Trowa sat at the counter.
Heero had a dining room, but he didn't use it often and Trowa didn't seem to mind the strange eating arrangements.
The front door opened, and Heero found himself tensing in anticipation.
He doubted that Odin would be back to pay another visit, but then he had never figured him on paying a first visit.
He saw Trowa unobtrusively reach towards his gun and he fought back a smirk. It felt good to be away from the sheep and with his own kind, Heero reflected.
Duo stepped into view. He had taken off the hoodie and was now just in the jeans and A-shirt, his hair still freely hanging down his back.
Heero abruptly realized that he hadn't actually seen it down before – earlier he had been too focused on Odin and then the news to even really notice it – but it was longer than he had thought it would be. It reached down to hips in heavy waves. Heero had always thought that Duo looked dangerous, but the sight of his hair down like that and the grim expression on his features made Heero think of a fallen angel.
Duo looked from Heero to Trowa and shook his head slowly.
"You're an idiot," he said to Trowa.
"I'm an idiot? I'm not the one who turned himself in and then assassinated two people in a police station."
Duo crossed his arms over his chest.
"No, you're the one who faked my death. The minute the cops realize I'm alive you're dead, you get that, right? So what the fuck was it for? To cement your place as Zechs Merquise favorite ass kisser? You're already a fucking hero after the Academy – did you really need to do this too? Did you need a raise or something?"
"This had nothing to do with me," Trowa quietly assured him.
"Oh really? Because it sure as hell looked like it! I saw your face all over the scrolls tonight! Once again, Officer Trowa Barton swoops in to save the day! And don't even get me fucking started on you shooting Hilde to make your story more exciting. I cannot fucking –"
"We did it for you," Trowa interrupted angrily. "Hilde asked me to shoot her. We did this for you."
"How the fuck is destroying my home for me? That was all I fucking had! Everything! That church –" Duo caught himself and shook his head. "This wasn't for me."
"You're the only one of us who doesn't have to finish this," Trowa insisted.
Heero frowned and looked over at the other man.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Duo demanded.
"Heero, Wufei, Quatre – they can't walk away from this city or this fight. I can't either. But you can. You're right, you don't have anything left now. No reason to stay. You don't have to protect L2, you've gotten your revenge for Solo's death. You can walk away from this now. Just walk away."
Heero knew he looked just as shocked as Duo did.
Of all the possible motivations for Trowa destroying the safe house, Heero had never considered that one.
Trowa had been trying to free Duo.
"You're an idiot," Duo said again, with more conviction.
Trowa started to speak, but Duo jumped in, his voice loud and angry.
"You can't save me from this. Solo's death isn't the reason I fight OZ and Romefeller. I don't protect L2 – that quarter protects itself. I do all the dirty work no one else does because I can. Because I have nothing but death in my life. I can't walk away, Trowa. There's nowhere to walk to."
Duo gave a bitter laugh.
"Maybe Wufei has the right idea. The only way this city is ever going to survive is if it's burned to the ground."
He sighed and turned to the windows that looked out over the city.
"I spoke to Howard. I've been excommunicated. They voted last week – if I show my face in L2 again I'm a dead man. An actual dead man," he added with a sneer in Trowa's direction.
"All the more reason for you to go," Trowa said.
"Why don't you go. You're smart, you're determined – and your good buddies on the police force are going to eviscerate you when they find out I'm still alive. Why don't you walk away while you still can?"
"I can't," Trowa snapped. "I'm tangled in this web and I'm going to die – why the hell can't I just save someone from this first?"
Heero frowned at the words and the desperate note to Trowa's voice. He shared a concerned look with Duo.
"Trowa."
The green eyed man looked over at Heero and he had gone from looking haggard to stricken.
"Who are you trying to save?"
"Everyone. No one," he added and shook his head.
The green eyed man swallowed hard and rose from the counter. He walked past Duo and into the living area.
Heero and Duo followed him cautiously. Heero was willing to bet that seeing Trowa like this – nearly unable to control his emotions – was a first for Duo as well.
The tall man sat down on the floor, his back against the floor to ceiling windows, and closed his eyes.
Duo gingerly sat down on his right side, and Heero sat down on his left.
"My parents were with the circus –the first circus, down at the fairgrounds. My sister and I were trained from the days we started walking to become aerialists and acrobats. When the Barton Foundation took over L3 years ago, Deikim decided that the fairgrounds would be the perfect place for a new luxury casino and brothel. But of course no one with the circus would sell, so he burned it down one night during a performance."
Heero vaguely remembered the tragedy. He had been eight or nine at the time, and had seen the news scrolls show the destruction.
"Deikim decided to adopt all of the circus brats. He was very taken with Cathy and I. He decided that I would become a soldier in his private army – he promised that if I obeyed him and pleased him Cathy would live. So I did. I've spent the last nine years as Deikim's favorite mercenary and his most useful whore."
When Heero had tried to do a background check on Trowa, months ago when he first learned his name, he had found all information on the then-rookie cop confidential and protected by firewalls so intricate that he doubted he would be able to cleanly hack them. He could break them – but his snooping would have been traceable, and that wasn't a risk Heero had been willing to take. Still, it had intrigued Heero.
But being a prostitute wasn't a good enough reason for that kind of security.
"Recently, Deikim formed an alliance with Treize Khushrenada. Treize has decided to branch out from OZ and Romefeller and create his own faction. He wants to overthrow the government and create a new order in Sanc, with him at the head, and his lackeys supporting him. One of those lackeys is Zechs Merquise. But Treize and Deikim are both convinced that Zechs isn't committed to the cause, so I was tasked with seducing him and keeping tabs on him. For the past eleven months I've been spying on Zechs for Deikim. I became a cop so that I could keep a closer eye on him. But then he fell in love with me. He confessed his plan to overthrow OZ and Romefeller – and Treize – and asked me to help him."
"Why didn't you let Quatre get your sister somewhere safe?" Duo asked.
"I tried," Trowa said with a sigh. "Fuck, I tried. She wouldn't let me. She insisted that I shouldn't have to serve two masters when one was bad enough." Trowa laughed. "She has no idea – I'm Deikim's slave and I'm Treize's slave and I'm Zechs' slave and Quatre's too, even though I said no, he can still control me. I can't do anything for anyone I care about." Trowa rolled his head to look over at Heero. "I tried to get you fired last week – I told Zechs you were working for OZ and that he should fire you. He actually tried to, but your supervisor, Odin Lowe, wouldn't let him."
Heero was completely taken aback by the knowledge that Trowa had tried to save him.
"You are an idiot," he agreed with Duo.
Trowa's lips twisted into a wry grin and he nodded.
"I know. I keep thinking I'm smart enough to see a way out. You're right. Wufei's right. It all has to burn down and no one is going to be able to escape it this time."
"Fuck that," Duo said angrily. "Fuck that. We can't walk away from this fight but that doesn't mean we don't have a way out. We aren't going to fucking burn with the rest of them."
The expression on Duo's face was fierce, reminding Heero of the night they had met and Duo had defended the store from those street thugs, completely without fear or concern for his own life.
Duo shifted so that he was no longer leaning against the windows and instead pressed his body against Trowa's and took the other man's face between his hands and kissed him.
Heero watched, stunned and jealous and aroused.
Trowa was stiff and resistant for a moment, but then his arms wrapped around Duo, grasping fistfuls of his long hair and pulled him closer.
Heero started to push away from the window, and his movements distracted Duo.
Duo broke the kiss with Trowa and reached over, grabbing the back of Heero's neck and pulling him against their bodies.
"We're our way out," Duo said just before kissing Heero.
When they had kissed before, the night of the Academy bombing, it had been dark and exciting and urgent.
Heero didn't know if it was recent events, the knowledge of Trowa's actions, or the press of both men's bodies against his own, but this time it felt deeper and somehow more right.
Duo's tongue tangled with his and Trowa's warm, calloused hands working under his shirt and running over his chest for more meaningful and more real than anything Heero had ever experienced before.
Heero reached for the hem of Duo's shirt and pulled it up, suddenly desperate to touch his body.
Duo sat back and helpfully raised his arms and Trowa took the opportunity to lean over and kiss Heero.
It was the first time Heero had tasted the other man. He was completely different from Duo. Kissing Duo was like whitewater rafting – exciting and easy to drown in. Trowa, however, was so controlled and deliberate yet no less intoxicating.
Heero found himself wondering if Trowa had been trained to kiss like that and felt suddenly uneasy.
"What?" Trowa pulled away and looked at him, obviously aware that Heero's thoughts had turned dark.
"I'm not going to use you. Either of you," he added quickly with a glance in Duo's direction, hoping the other man would understand what he was trying to say.
"Fuck," Duo muttered and ran a hand through his hair. He turned to Trowa. "I didn't –"
"Did I give either of you the impression that I didn't want to do this?" Trowa demanded. "Or is it because –"
"That answers it for me," Duo interrupted and arched an eyebrow in Heero's direction.
Heero nodded in agreement and before Trowa could protest he kissed him again, burying all thoughts about Trowa's past and instead focusing on making this feel as good for Trowa and Duo as it felt for him.
He could feel Duo's hands start to undress Trowa and he pulled off his own jacket and shirt.
Trowa's hands quickly divested Heero of his belt and trousers and reached into his boxers to fondle his erection.
Heero could see Duo had worked Trowa almost completely out of his clothes as well and he watched as Duo took Trowa's erection in his mouth in one long swallow.
Trowa groaned into Heero's mouth.
Trowa's grip on Heero became more firm, and he stroked Heero almost in time with Duo going down on him and Heero was quickly on the brink of orgasm.
He broke away from Trowa's mouth so that he could breathe, and Trowa regarded him with glazed eyes, one hand still stroking him while the other was tangled in Duo's hair.
The sight of the two of them, naked bodies flushed, Duo's hair spread out everywhere, was perhaps the most erotic sight Heero had ever experienced.
Trowa did something – twisted his hand in some way that sent a primal thread of pleasure through Heero – and he came with a groan.
The auburn man smirked in satisfaction and Heero kissed him again.
Trowa returned the kiss, his control and finesse slipping enough that Heero knew he was close to his own climax.
He swallowed Trowa's gasp of pleasure and felt the other man's body tense and then relax.
Heero eased away and saw Duo sit back on his heels.
The long haired man licked one corner of his mouth, the only evidence of Trowa's orgasm, and smirked.
"You can't tell me that you honestly think me walking away from this makes any kind of sense," he said.
The next morning, Odin called him in to his office.
Heero walked down the hall slowly, trying to quiet his thoughts and force his worry down. He fully anticipated walking into that office and Odin ordering him to murder Duo.
Even before yesterday Heero knew he probably wouldn't have been able to kill Duo, but after last night it was impossible for Heero to even consider it.
As usual, Odin sat behind his desk and passed Heero a folder, silent and waiting as Heero opened it and took out the mission order.
He frowned at the slip of paper in his hand.
"I don't understand."
Odin arched an eyebrow.
"No? It's simple. Events have developed in such a way that the path we have followed is no longer viable."
Heero tried to follow that logic.
"Because of Duo. You think I can't carry out the mission because of him."
"I have no doubts that you are still capable of carrying out the mission. I have trained you well enough that no distraction, however… unique, would keep you from your duty."
"Then what?"
"Heero, I was the chief of security for Alexander Peacecraft. I allowed Dermail's men to kill the mayor, his wife, and it is on my head that his children's lives were ruined. For the past twenty years I have tried to keep OZ and Romefeller from completely taking over the city, and I have seen them grow more powerful with every passing year. You know the plan – you have the list. You can follow your existing orders and continue to eliminate each target on that list, all of the power players in Sanc, until no one is left and there will be a vacuum in this city that, hopefully, someone decent will fill."
"Or I can take this contract?" Heero asked, raising the slip of paper in his hand.
"It's your choice, Heero. Follow your emotions."
Heero looked down at the slip, at the name scrawled onto the thin paper.
Odin Lowe.
Two days later, Heero was camped out on a rooftop across the street from Ben Noventa's office.
He still didn't know whether or not he would kill Noventa, the next name on Odin's list, or if he would kill Odin himself.
It made him nauseous just to think about killing his own father. He would never describe their relationship as loving, but Odin was his mentor.
Not only that, but Odin's plan for getting rid of Sanc's elite and wiping out OZ and Romefeller had been the cornerstone of Heero's existence, ever since he was seven and Odin had given him his first target to eliminate.
Following mission orders – ticking names off the list – was the entire point of Heero's life.
But the day that Heero had come home to find Odin in his apartment had started some fundamental shift in Heero's life, a shift that was given even more momentum that same night from Duo and Trowa. There was more to Heero's life than the mission. There was more than obeying Odin's orders and there was more than following Quatre's commands.
Follow your emotions.
It was almost the exact opposite of everything Odin had ever said to Heero, but that one order affected Heero more deeply than anything else his father had ever said to him.
Even so, Heero had decided to investigate Noventa. His background research had provided scant information – he was a high placed member of Romefeller and had served as the City Manager for the last twelve years. He wasn't as repugnant as Tsubarov, as devious as Khushrenada, or as self-serving as Dermail.
But he had allowed Sanc to falter during his tenure. He had encouraged the corruption of the city, tacitly, by refusing to fight against his colleagues.
Heero had kept up a steady surveillance on the man for the last two days – he had seen him go about his business, enjoy a family dinner with his wife and daughter, Sylvia Noventa, a schoolteacher, and he had seen him meet with Dermail.
He wasn't a good man, but he wasn't evil. His elimination, in the end, wouldn't give much of a benefit to Sanc. On the other hand, neither did his survival.
As Heero sat across the street, watching Noventa working in his office, Odin Lowe suddenly came into view.
Heero watched through the scope on his sniper rifle as Odin barged in to the office, gun drawn, and advanced on Noventa.
Heero almost wanted to laugh. Odin was forcing him to choose.
Odin hauled Noventa out of his chair and dragged him to the windows, so that both men were in plain sight, and pressed his gun to Noventa's head.
The message was clear – him or me.
He focused the reticule on Odin's head, and at this distance, he didn't even need to compensate for wind and angle too much. It was an easy kill, Odin's head looming large in the scope.
Heero closed his eyes, let out the breath he had been holding, and depressed the trigger.
As soon as the bullet left the long barrel of the rifle, Heero opened his eyes and looked through the scope.
It was just in time to see the bullet impact with the side of Ben Noventa's head.
Heero had missed.
Odin stood, completely unharmed, as Noventa's body collapsed onto the ground, twitching.
For the first time that Heero could remember, Odin's face showed emotion – disgust and disappointment.
He watched his father shoot Noventa twice in the head, killing him cleanly, before he turned the gun on himself and pulled the trigger.
Up Next:
Someone falls from power…