Disclaimer – I don't own anything that you recognise.
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After the meal, which Jakeem insisted that Duo didn't need to pay him for, Duo led them back to the Docks. Where he quickly found and entered a bar.
The bar was relatively busy, even though it was still only late afternoon or early evening. But Duo didn't seem to be phased by the crowds.
"Hey!" Duo chirped, hopping up onto a bar stool. "How's it going, Pesole?"
"Shin!" the bartender spun around, a huge grin on his face. "What you doing here? When'd you come up? What you up to? How've you been? What'd you have?"
"Need to do a Call," Duo started to answer, "Came up today. Hanging around the boys. Been fine. I'll have a beer."
"Oh, no you won't, Shin." Pesole almost growled, "You know my rules. No alcohol before twenty one."
"But it's me!" Duo pleaded, "It's me."
"So?" Pesole stared, even as SG1 sat down.
For a few moments the team watched the bartender and Duo had a staring competition.
"I'll have a 'Little Death'." Duo finally surrendered.
"That's better," Pesole smiled, "Who are your friends?"
"Sam, Jack, Teal'c and Daniel." Duo pointed to each in turn, "What do you guys want? The beer's pretty good."
"How would you know?" Pesole glowered.
"I know your rep." Duo smirked.
"Four beers." Jack declared, after a quick unspoken conversation.
"Four beers and a Little Death, coming right up." Pesole grinned.
"A Little Death?" Daniel stared at Duo.
"Technically I'm too young to be buying in here." Duo shrugged, "But I'm a Spacer… So Pesole invented a range of non-alcoholic cocktails for me. I had to try each one and name them. The only one that I really loved became known as Little Death. 'Cos I'm the God of Death. Pesole's an old Sweeper. I introduced myself as Shinimagi to him, he said that that was a big name for such a small kid. Shortened it to Shin. When he learnt the meaning, he started calling me Little Death. It's the only thing I drink here. Even if someone else buys me a drink, he gets it away from me. I've given up asking others."
"Here you go." Pesole placed five drinks on the bar. Duo handed over some credits, before claiming his drink.
"Wonderful as always!" Duo chirped, gulping some of the drink.
"You just here for a drink?" Pesole smiled, "A ride? Transport? Delivery? Job?"
"A ride." Duo answered, "Tonight. Who's in?"
"Ask for yourself." Pesole smirked, "Everyone!" the voice carried to all parts of the bar, "Shinimagi has graced us with his presence tonight."
"Shin!" the cry was taken up by most of the patrons.
Before SG1's eyes, Duo was pulled onto a pair of shoulders and paraded around the bar as if he'd won some kind of award.
"He's popular." Jack blinked.
"You're Grounders, right?" Pesole asked rhetorically.
"So he says." Sam sighed.
"He's a legend in our world." Pesole explained, "We all respect Shin. He's the best tweaker and fiddler around."
"Okay?" Jack stared, "The only tweakers I know, do drugs. And despite how cheery the Kid is, I don't think he does drugs."
"Sorry," Pesole snorted, "In Spacer lingo, tweakers are people who tweak things, to make them work better. Fiddlers are those who fiddle, always working on something. Duo's the best in the sphere. A Shinimagi tweaked engine, will out-perform even the newest engine around. It'll double a ship's selling price. And be the first one sold."
"He's that good?" Sam insisted.
"Look lady," Pesole laughed, "Seventy to eighty percent of Spacers are Sweepers. Not Sweepers are Spacers, though… That means there are about three quarters of all Spacers trained to fix things. And he's one of the best. If not the best."
"But he hasn't got any qualifications!" Sam stared.
"You don't need 'em." Pesole chided, "He don't need 'em. His rep's enough. Sure, no rich Grounder'll hire 'im. But that don't matter. Cause he'll always have work from us."
Duo was deposited on the small podium that would have held a band, if there was live music. He staggered slightly to regain his balance.
"Ladies and Germs," Duo smirked, "I implore of you who soar among the stars, Heaven's messengers, the modern Valkyries, Hermes' chosen ones…"
"Ah get on with it, Shin!" A voice from the crowd called out.
"You always were a flatterer." Another pointed out.
"I need a ride." Duo came to the point, "For me and four others. Sanq kingdom. Tonight. Who's going my way? I'm willing to negotiate rates."
"Your usual four?" The question was asked.
"No," Duo shook his head, "Adults. Fully-grown. Grounders. Not like my guys. Who are half and half."
"You miss your flight, boyo?" A female voice laughed.
"I got distracted, Becks!" Duo seemed slightly ashamed, "The kids okay?"
"Complaining that they haven't gotten to see you for a while," Becks stepped forward, "And my engine needs a tune up. I'm running to Sanq. Leaving in an hour. I put my bid in."
"Leaving in half an hour," A man stepped forward, "Going to Sanq. After a Shin engine. Name of ship: 'Dancing Devils'. Name of Captain: 'Holbrook'. Class of Ship: IG-957."
"Leaving in two hours," A woman stepped up, "Destination Sanq. Payment a Shin engine tune-up. Name of Captain: 'Gibbs'. Class of Ship: TH-834. Name of Ship: 'Doo-hickey'. Shin Number: 27."
"Leaving in an hour and a half," A man with a long brown coat stepped forward, "I'm heading to Sanq. Class of Ship: Firefly. Name of Ship: 'Serenity'. Name of Captain: 'Reynolds'. I need someone to fix the medical bay."
"Ennie meanie, minie, mo." Duo laughed, "If no-one minds, I'll go with Becks. I know her ship. I know her crew."
"You call the chibis crew?" Someone chuckled.
"Hey," Duo protested, "They know more about ships than most rich Grounder shuttle owners. And they got years of experience."
"The oldest is nine!" Pesole protested jokingly.
"He started young." Becks pointed out, "Come on, boyo. Introduce me to these friends of yours."
"You got it Becks!" Duo hopped off the platform. He then bowed deeply to her, "Milady?"
"Milord." Becks curtsied back, "Oy! Jay! Bring the kids. Let's meet our passengers." Becks claimed Duo's arm and they walked towards SG1 together.
SG1 looked Becks up and down. She wasn't a short woman, but not too tall either. Slender without being skinny, well muscled would be the best description. Her light brown hair was short, a common style among Spacer women they guessed looking around at the number of similar styles. Grey eyes sparkled with laughter. She was dressed in jeans and a blue t-shirt. Jack snorted into his drink upon reading the slogan written across the t-shirt: 'If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough'.
Tailing after her was a much taller man, he completely dwarfed Duo. Blonde hair was contrasted by mismatched eyes, one green and one grey. Black slacks and a green slogan t-shirt: 'It's not cheating unless you get caught'. He reached out with one large hand and proceeded to pull on Duo's braid, separating Duo from Becks with one motion.
"Oy!" Duo protested, "Jaaay!"
"My lady." Jay playfully tapped Duo on the nose, "Not yours."
"Awww!" Duo pretended to sulk. Before staggering forward as weight appeared on his legs. "Hello, Hell Hounds." He smirked downwards.
"We not Hell Hounds!" a little girl protested from where she sat on his right foot.
"We little angels," a matching little girl declared, her arms wrapped around Duo's left leg, "Daddy said so."
"Then how do you explain that?" Duo poked their t-shirts, both read the same thing despite the two different colours: 'I've been given sugar! Use this time to prepare for the end of the world!'
"Perfectly accurate." A nine year old boy announced, "I should know. Last time they had sugar, my room got painted. I'd just gotten it right, too."
"You doing alright, Hayden?" Duo tried to ruffle the boy's blonde hair, which was pulled back into a short braid. His t-shirt read: 'Please, for my sanity… Shut up.'.
"Just suffering the Flashbacks." Hayden shrugged.
"Flashbacks?" Jack frowned, worried.
"To when I was an only child." Hayden replied quickly, "I miss those days. I even miss when the brats were too small to do anything. They were cuter then."
"Let me introduce," Duo pointed down at the two limpets on his legs, "Helen and Diana." He then motioned to the boy, "This is Hayden. And the little one hiding behind him is Joy."
A little girl's head poked out from behind Hayden. Short blonde hair on her head and a plain red t-shirt.
"We couldn't find a phrase that fitted on the t-shirt." Hayden stated, at Jack's confused look.
"She's a little shy," Becks shrugged, "She'll grow out of it. She's only three."
"We're five!" the twins chorused still attached to Duo.
"Meet the Chibi crew." Duo smirked, "The marvellous crew of the Gypsy Caravan."
"You sure they've got space?" Jack stared, "And what are the kids doing in here anyway? It's a bar!"
"They're Spacers," Jay replied, "Born in space. Raised in space. This is a Spacer bar. They don't drink. Pesole's fine with it."
"We've got space," Becks laughed, "Gypsy's pretty big. We can run you down."
"Shouldn't they be nearly ready for bed?" Daniel asked, "I mean they're only little."
"They're running off L3 time." Jay countered, "To them it's about three in the afternoon."
"Let's finish our drinks," Duo suggested, "Then show 'em your ship. I'll take a look at your engine and see what it needs."
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Sam frowned slightly as Duo lounged at the bar. He had positioned himself so that he could see most of the bar, especially the entrance using a mirror. Sam was trying to figure out whether it was intentional or accidental, as his posture was very relaxed. It almost seemed as if he had just gotten comfortable and was ignoring the mirror.
Suddenly Duo froze.
"Jay," Duo murmured, "Is the whole of Mal's crew here?"
"Yeah," Jay shrugged, "I think so… Crud. Hayden, take the girls back to the ship. We'll be right after you."
"Da-ad!" Hayden sighed, "We're not in any danger. Serenity's crew is safe."
"Normally, yes." Duo countered.
"But we have strangers." Becks added, "You know what happened last time."
"Five minutes," Hayden declared getting up, and picking up Joy, "Then I send all the Sweepers in the Docks after you."
"Finish your drinks." Duo ordered SG1, "We're leaving. As soon as possible."
"Why?" Jack frowned, "Aren't they your friends?"
"Will they harm you, Duo?" Teal'c asked.
"They won't harm me." Duo sighed, "But Mal's crew is a little… Unstable. It doesn't take much to set them off. Strangers set them off."
"Then how do they meet people?" Daniel pressed.
"Cautiously." Becks declared.
"I need the toilet." Daniel argued.
"I'll go with him." Duo stated, "You take the others to the ship. We'll follow."
"We don't leave Daniel behind." Jack snapped.
"He'll be in more danger if you don't leave." Duo countered, "I wouldn't be worried normally… For some strange reason they like me. But the more strangers there are, the higher the chance… Well, I can't risk it. Either Daniel holds it… Or you leave and I'll protect him. I stand the best chance. I won't let him be harmed. This is not a reflection on you… I would do the same with anyone else."
"Daniel?" Sam asked.
"I can't." Daniel confessed, "I really need to go."
"Follow me." Duo rose draining his drink, "Jay, Becks, get them out of here. We'll meet you either on the way, or at the ship."
"You'd better." Becks growled slightly, "Or we'll bring every Sweeper in the Docks after you."
Daniel trailed after Duo, as Becks and Jay hurried the rest of SG1 out. Daniel tried looking around to spot the fearsome thing that Duo was scared of… Because no matter what the braided boy claimed… He had to be scared of this crew.
But there was no one remarkable. No one who really stood out.
On the way out again, after Daniel's pit stop, he was again scanning the crowd. But this time Duo was much closer to Daniel.
Daniel stopped suddenly as a girl appeared in front of him. She reached up and brushed some of his hair off his forehead.
"So many pretty words." The girl's voice was strange… Lilting, "Thoughts buzz, buzz, buzzing around. Light People. They sent you back. Locked away thoughts in your head. Hid the bees from you. You want them back."
"Yes," Daniel murmured softly, "Yes, I do."
"You won't get them back… Not without help. The Light People don't want you to see those bees again. They're scared."
"Scared I might be like Apophis."
"No. Scared that you'll force them to remember what they were meant to be."
"Easy River," Duo muttered, "Don't confuse the guy."
"No power in the 'verse can stop you." The strange girl whispered, before kissing Duo on the head, "Snakes can't take the sky from you."
Then the girl danced away.
"Move!" Duo pulled on Daniel's sleeve as he stared at the girl's retreating form.
"Maxwell." A tall man in a long brown coat cut in front of Duo and Daniel.
"Mal." Duo nodded, "Your Albatross is loose."
"He didn't harm her?"
"I never would let anyone harm her." Duo protested softly, "I'm taking him and his out of here. Don't wanna upset her."
"She won't harm you."
"I know. But they're strangers. She's… Unpredictable at the best of times."
"You're scared?"
"Cautious, Mal. Simply cautious. She likes me. Though I don't know why. I'm not sure how she'd take the rest of his 'team'."
"See you around."
"Look after her."
"She's my crew."
"I know."
The man stepped out of their way, and Duo caught Daniel's sleeve once again, pulling the older man out of the bar.
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Duo slumped against the wall when he and Daniel had caught up with Becks, Jay and the rest of SG1.
"You alright?" Jay stared at him.
"She spoke to him." Duo nodded at Daniel.
"A girl?" Jack laughed, "You're worried about a girl talking to Daniel? She probably wanted a date."
"Not this girl." Becks shook her head, "She's not right in the head… One thought that disturbs her and she flips."
"She's not stable." Jay agreed, "But Mal's crew keep her level… Usually. And the rest of us know how to be around her… Strangers don't."
"Shouldn't she get medical care?" Sam pressed, "Full time help?"
"Her brother won't let her out of his care." Becks shrugged.
"'Sides," Duo shrugged, "The Alliance did that to her… She was sane before them… Let's go. Leave her be. She's happy. What right do you have to interfere with that?"
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SG1 stared around the ship's interior. They were slightly in shock and awe. Murals covered every solid surface, from the walls to the ceiling and even the countertops. Some looked almost professionally done, while others were obviously childish in nature.
"A little overwhelming?" Becks asked rhetorically.
"The other ships…" Daniel started, "They weren't decorated like this at all."
"What were they?" Jay queried.
"A commercial shuttle," Sam listed, "And a Sweeper ship. The Black Pig."
"That explains it." Becks laughed, "Those are business ships. This is a home."
"We may be Sweepers," Jay shrugged, "But we own our own ship. We are more like contractors than employees. However being Sweeper gives us security. We'll always be able to fly."
"That's not much." Jack pointed out.
"It's enough." Becks countered, "We can decorate how we like, because it is ours. A commercial shuttle has to look professional, sleek and clean. And a Sweeper business ship has to be neutral enough that anyone can be aboard and not have issues with the decoration. We don't have those problems."
"Plus," Jay grinned, "Kids always draw on the walls. We just don't tell them off for it…"
"And they draw on the floor," Duo added, "And the ceiling."
"Ahh, go look at the engine." Becks mock punched Duo, who ducked and grinned, before walking away.
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The trip back was relatively uneventful, apart from the fact that Duo didn't seem to reappear from the engine room, until just before re-entry.
Even the trip back to Quatre's house was uneventful, as Jack insisted that he drove. Surprisingly Duo didn't argue this statement. Seemingly content to curl up in the back of the car, clutching his bag.
"You okay, kid?" Jack frowned.
"Just tired." Duo yawned, "And you didn't let me have any coffee."
"Kid," Jack smiled, "After seeing how long you can run without sleep as long as you get coffee… I wasn't going to let that happen. Now, how do we get back to the Mansion?"
"Car." Duo spoke clearly, "Show home."
SG1 stared as an overlay was projected onto the windscreen, clearly displaying an arrow pointing in the right direction, along with a map to one side with the route plotted out on it.
"You gotta love SatNav." Jack grinned, as he realized what it was, "Just please tell me it doesn't talk."
"Car." Duo spoke again, "Mute… Now it doesn't."
Duo then curled back up, and seemed to fall into a light doze, as Jack pulled out the car park.
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Duo didn't move again, until they were parking at Quatre's place. Quatre was waiting in the garage.
"Duo!" Quatre sighed before the boy got out the car, "Have you slept in the last forty eight hours?… Have you eaten in the last twenty four?"
"Went to Jakeem's." Duo slurred.
"But I bet you skipped breakfast." Quatre was suddenly there at Duo's side as he almost fell out the car.
"Didn't have time." Duo shrugged.
"Bed." Quatre ordered, "You're completely wiped."
"He wouldn't let me have coffee." Duo complained.
"Here," Quatre picked a mug up off a counter, "Drink this. Then go to bed. You can eat in the morning."
"Can't I play with the…"
"No."
"Well can I…"
"No."
"Can't I…"
"No. Bed, Duo." Quatre laughed, "You're dead on your feet."
"Not yet." Duo seemed to have regained some of his life with a couple of sips from the mug, "Why didn't you give me coffee?"
"Because I want you to sleep." Quatre smiled, "You've had a long day. And a stressful one. Go to bed!"
"Can't I get something to eat first?" Duo murmured.
"Go on then." Quatre agreed, "You know where the kitchen is. Just don't make too much mess… And no coffee!"
"Aww!" Duo sighed.
"I mean it, Duo." Quatre stated, "No coffee. I want your word."
"No coffee." Duo surrendered.
With that Duo slipped out of the garage without further comment.
"Sorry about that," Quatre turned to SG1, "Duo sometimes forgets to take care of himself. He gets so wrapped up in his Toys and Projects."
Quatre was leading SG1 to the cosy den, tucked away from the public areas.
"What's the difference?" Daniel asked, "I mean… I get the feeling that they lead to the same thing."
"Projects are what people ask him to do." Quatre shrugged, "Toys are what Duo chooses to do. And he's usually a lot more enthusiastic about a Toy that turns into a Project than a Project itself."
"And you don't mind that he chooses to do his own thing?" Sam queried, "I mean… Wouldn't you rather he created something useful?"
"And miss what he produces as Toys?" Quatre was shocked, "Everything has a use. You just need to find it. He taught me that… And while he may create Toys, they are very useful ones."
"And you don't mind that he creates toys?" Sam pressed, "Childish things? He could do so much more! His mind is incredible! He should be changing the World!"
"Ah," Quatre smiled, "You've seen behind the foolery. Quite a mind isn't it?"
"It's a mind that should not be wasted on childish toys." Sam countered.
"We sacrificed our childhoods for the Sphere." Quatre shrugged, "If he wishes to recapture it now… Who are you to stop him? Or judge him?"
"You don't even know what Duo's gone through." Jack laughed, "You've been surrounded by splendour your whole life. I doubt you've even asked what his life was like."
Later, Jack would reflect that it was a combination of a lack of sleep, a long day and the day spent having the differences between the two cultures shoved directly into his face that caused him to speak without fully engaging his brain.
A gasp sounded from outside the room, swiftly followed by running footsteps.
"Shut up!" Quatre snapped, pulling out his phone. He quickly hit a button, "This is Oh-Four to Odds. Oh-Four to Odds. Oh-Two's done a runner. Our guests found out about Maxwell's Church. He heard. Left less than a minute ago. I'm at base. Move fast."
"You think we didn't know?" Quatre addressed SG1, now that he'd put his phone away, "You misjudge us. We were waiting for him to get the courage to tell us. He's ashamed of his past. He shouldn't be. We all know about it. We all found out about it. And we all accept him for it. You betrayed him. Betrayed his trust. Now, stay out of our way. Duo's just implemented the first part of his motto. If we don't catch him soon, we'll never find him. Despite everything that's happened to Duo over the years, he's still first and foremost a Street Rat.
"And I don't care. The only problem is… that it's hard to catch a Street Rat. Especially our Street Rat. We stand the best chance. But I wouldn't bet against Duo escaping our reach. He's fast. I didn't chase after him, because I know that he can run circles around me. Always could."
"You knew?" Daniel stared.
"Father Maxwell," Quatre's voice was cold now, "Sister Helen. He doesn't know, but he's cried out for them before. I've been called Solo by him, when he was too out of it to remember. I was curious. I wanted to know who this boy was. I did the same for Trowa, Heero and Wufei. They found out on their own.
"And he's scared. He has courage aplenty. There are few people I know who would go into a fire-fight and only seem to worry about the music playing on his headset. I've seen him take a beating and antagonise his guards into hurting him more. He's pushed me out the way of bullets. He broke into my offices, just to check I was okay. I've seen him never lose his cool, while everyone else is losing theirs. He's risked everything for us. And now he thinks he's lost it. The one thing he's scared of is that we'll deem him useless or trash. Thank you. Just what we wanted."
Daniel flinched at Quatre's tone. Jack felt slightly worried, Quatre had gone from his normally sunny disposition to being winter in the artic circle. It brought home the fact that Quatre had been a soldier at some point.
"Now," Quatre broke the silence that his burning cold anger had caused, "I'm going to prepare for Duo's return. Because right now, he needs me. You don't."
Quatre turned and stormed out of the room.
"Anyone else feel like they just got ripped a new one?" Jack gulped.
"I do not understand what you mean, O'Neill." Teal'c replied, "However I feel like I am a young warrior again, and Bra'tac has just told me how foolish my actions have been."
"Yeah, that's the feeling." Jack nodded, "And he tells you in little words, so that you feel like an idiot?"
"Indeed." Teal'c agreed.
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Please provide feedback, I love knowing what you think.
Thanks to my reviewers.
Kidishcaresh – Youtube is a wonderful research tool. Thanks.
Skyflyte12 – I hate abandoned stories. And those that are updated rarely. So I try not to. I probably ought to take down the stories that I can't finish, because I started them so badly.
Toraus – My thanks.
Sympatheticassassin – Thanks. I don't know that much about the Chinese, so I had to base it on what I remember about the BBCs who attended my school. (British Born Chinese)
StandingOnTheRooftops – I'm touched. *Sniffs* I never thought I could win such a prestigious award. I'd put it on my mantelpiece but I don't have one.
2ScarletRibbons – Sometimes I think I should just give my muse free reign. Thank you.
So-kun – Of course there are sub-cultures in sub-cultures. And I agree with you. Bones is awesome.
Seithr-Kairy – Okay, do I ask my muses not to get ideas from you? Or do I just hope you don't encourage them to run around in circles?
Annoying Little Twit – Surprisingly the muse is very keen about touching the plot. Unfortunately it thinks the plot only needs to touched every ten pages or so. And since I use a small font… That's a lot of text.
Reader713 – I'm not stating pairings. And I'm not writing them into this story. But there will be plenty of space for creative interpretation. And reading between the lines.
TrenchcoatMan – Thank you. Glad you liked it.
S. – Hope this was soon enough for you.
Shinigami109 – Thank you for the compliment.
Catra T. L. Heaveno – Thanks. And no stated romance. But creative interpretation is encouraged.
Twillightfairy – Duo? Respect? Bite your tongue!
Nebelkind – Different time zones. It's been longer than a day really. But due to time zone differences it's still the same day.
Carick Of Hunter Moon – You flatter me. Thank you. Your review was very instructive. Could you highlight any weak areas? I'm trying to improve.
Once again, thank you all for reviewing.