Duo's face popped up on the screen and he smiled viscously. "This is for you, love." And he blew a quick kiss at the screen before the camera swung around and jumbled a bit before straightening out and fixing in a location. He was off and moving towards a house that had a few lights on in the downstairs. The camera saw flashes of his arms, making it seem fixed at chest level. Sneaking around the house a drain pipe was easily and quickly scaled taking him to the second level. The wall moved sideways in the view as he swung out from the drain pipe with hardly a squeal. A quick disorienting roll off the window ledge crotch shot and unfolding into a room silently indicated his tumbling quickly and silently through a window into the house. He began moving slower in the darkness of the hallways and rooms of his mark.
Checking all the rooms like a good assassin would for signs of movement and life he moved down stairs. Not one noise could be heard watching the silent and ominous movements on the screen. The light in the downstairs room shot through the screen as the camera adjusted to the new light sources. The television was on and blaring and the figure in the lounge chair seemed to not be moving. Asleep. Duo crept closer into the room pausing, probably scanning for other people in the home. He stepped up behind the figure and pointed a gun at the top of his head and held it there for a few seconds. He was showing off at that point. Saying look at what I can do. Instead the gun retreated out of camera view, probably being tucked away as before. And a chord came into view. A large loop slipped over the chair and over the man's head.
The victim woke with that and there was a short struggle and blurring of the camera as hands tightened the rope and pulled, slowly suffocating the man into unconscious. When he stopped fighting the image began blurring with activity. Lugging the man into the kitchen and tying him up to a chair. Duo swept the ground floor to make sure there were absolutely no other occupants and shut the blinds in many of the rooms, before heading back into the kitchen. The camera was removed from his chest mount and sat on some surface pointing at the man trussed to the chair, unconscious. Duo strolled slowly on screen sideling up to the man, conscious of the camera and trying to give it the best view. He slapped the man twice to wake him up and he came too abruptly and looked pretty dazed.
"Who are you?" He shouted.
"That's not important." Duo stepped closer and pointed a blade at the man's eye and then at the camera. "That is what we are working with today. If you could please state your name for posterity."
The man's gaze shifted from the camera to Duo's thin frame and an arm quickly darted out jamming a knife into the ma's shoulder. He yelled loudly and Duo pulled the knife back out. "Name." Came a deep throated command. It was bordering on the sounds of Shingami about to come loose.
"Alan Scott." The victim groaned out. "My name is Alan Scott. Please. Let me go. Please."
Duo smirked at the camera and leaned down next to the man, "Why do you think I am here?"
"I don't know." He spoke quietly, but let out another loud yell when Duo's knife had once again shot out and slammed into the top of the man's thigh, before pulling the blade free.
"Does the name Wufei Chang ring a bell?" came Duo's haunting whisper "He was very upset to find out he was being held for however long you all deemed he should be because you were under a judge for taking bribes. He was bribing you with keep his job, in order to keep my Wufei in jail. Does that seem right to you?"
"No. No. No it isn't." He rambled out tears were coming down his face either from pain or fear, "Please. I know it wasn't. Please let me go!" He was cringing and blood seemed to be flowing slowly but steadily from his shoulder and knee. Duo was good enough that he would not have hit a main vein or artery.
Duo squatted low and was playing with the tip of his braid, almost sing-songing, "No. I don't think so." He sounded almost giddy. "I wouldn't have gone to all this trouble, if I was simply going to be letting you go. Now would I?" Alan had a strong look of fear break through his tears fixed on Duo.
Duo stood up swiftly and circled around the back of the chair that was holding Alan rigidly upright in bonds and he softly almost caressed the man's face and hooked his left hand around his chin from behind. He turned his mouth to the man's ear and whispered, "Because you admitted you're wrong this will be swift." The man's breathe caught in his throat and his eyes went wide. Duo's gaze fixed on the camera, eyes glittering, a wicked grin on his face as he crooned, "This is for you, Wufei." And he wrenched the man's head backwards and the other came up swiftly and drew a knife deep across his throat, neck gushing from the thin wound. There was choking gurgling from Alan's body and a few bubbles of blood emerged from his mouth. Duo walked back over to the camera and let it run for a good five minutes until the blood stopped pulsing from the gaping neck.
The screen went dark.
"Well?" Wufei said with an 'I told you so' smirk on his face. "Does that show you how Duo is under my control? I have another target in mind if you have further need of proof." Marcus face wasn't surprised at all, but it was more pale than usual. He looked vaguely sick. Wufei had seen Duo at his worst during the war. It sometimes took time for Shinigami to calm himself after battle; the video was nothing to get squeamish about.
Marcus cleared his throat and looked away from the vidscreen that had been playing Duo's surveillance from his job for Wufei, "Well I must say that I am impressed." He admitted, "I thought I caught a lucky break converting you to the cause, but to have Maxwell as well? That's just pure joy for me."
Wufei snorted. "You mean that Maxwell works for me of course. You would not be implying that he works for you."
Marcus nodded and flashed a false smile, "Of course. I think that video just as well proves how dangerous he is and how much he seems to want to work for you. It is magnificent. How did you do it exactly."
Wufei shook his head and got up from his seat, "You know you do not give away your best trade secrets. That would be foolish of me." He stopped his teasing tone, "So he can begin working for the operation."
Marcus nodded, "Yes. I would like to kick some ideas around with you as well, if you give me the chance." Marcus waved him out of the office after Wufei had given him a nod of acknowledging the thought. Leaving the office, Wufei immediately found Duo who had been sitting still under the watchful gaze of Marcus's bodyguards.
"Hey." He got up and slinked over to Wufei, bringing his arms on Wufei's shoulders and loosely letting them intertwine. He smirked and licked his lips, "Did I do good?" He purred. Fucking purred.
Wufei was trying to stop a smile form breaking out on his face, but it was exceedingly difficult. "Yes. You did real good. Come on lets head out for right now. You are going to start working soon and I need to show you the ropes." He pushed Duo's arms off his shoulders and easily stepped out and away. Duo stayed close like he always did. A foot away just behind Wufei's right shoulder, keeping pace.
"Wufei!" Came a sharp call from the end of the hall.
Wufei turned to look back and see Trent moving from around the corner. He paused and Duo turned to face the man approaching as well stood between them till Wufei tapped his elbow. He stepped aside and hovered behind him a foot away. "Hello Wufei." Trent said again. He seemed nervous and twitchy. "How have you been?" Wufei raised one eyebrow at Trent. Just to point out that his time was being wasted. "Yeah, sorry right. Don't know why I asked that just a waste of time." His eyes skipped quickly over to Duo before they slid back to his initial target, "Look. I'm sorry for…You know. Last time. We just… I mean… He told me to -"
Wufei interrupted, "Yes, I know what he told you to do. Is there anything else?" He was attempting a look of complete disdain and if the way Trent was wincing was anything to go by, he was succeeding quite well.
"No. That's all. Glad you're back." His eyes switched to Duo quickly, before Wufei turned away completely. He didn't know how Duo was reacting to all of this. He was a smart boy and Trent had the social ineptitude of a walrus trying to climbs stairs at times. When he started to walk away again at top speed there was no calling voice to stop him and no one got in his way. He and Duo were retreating for the night. Wufei had set up housing near all the main areas that Marcus worked near and had never told him of their locations so he was comfortable with heading back to one instead of finding a new place now that he was working with the infamous gun runner again.
As for Duo knowing, well he had already showed him one of his abodes, and these had all been set up very much in the same way. Might as well take him to this new one. Eventually Marcus would want them to move into housing units in main operations when they were to go full swing into working for him, so they may as well take advantage of knowing they were fine to discuss whatever and at ease to drop their masks for the mean time instead of wearing them full time.
Wufei drove the small vehicle with Duo in the passenger seat away from the three story building that was housing Marcus's operations. It was probably set to be demolished by some bogus construction company soon, that was owned by Marcus. He was very good at seeking out ways to avoid detection. He had survived the war as a dealer to the Gundams, so he was extremely intelligent. Wufei was actually keen to pick up some tricks that he was sure he hadn't thought of or thought to conceive really.
Duo was suspiciously quite on the way home. Wufei was confident that he knew there were no devices that could have been planted, but the stillness was altering his perspective on what was happening with Duo internally. He had been quiet for the majority of the time that he had been around Wufei, sure, he had changed and Wufei accepted that about him, but this was a very contemplative silence rather than a trying not to think silence that had been a part of him.
Wufei decided to leave it alone. Duo would come straight out with what he was thinking as soon as he had thought over what he wanted to ask and say. He was deliberate when he questioned things. He wasn't over analytical like Heero, but he seemed to be able to cut to the heart of most matters quickly. At least when he had confidence in himself. It might be good if he was starting to gain that back, but that didn't mean that Wufei wanted to face a cunning third degree inquisition either.
They arrived at a townhome complex where Wufei had the home furthest from the street. He parked in front of his garage and hopped out of the car with his duffle. Duo followed suit with the new kit of clothes that he had picked up on the way from a general store. No specialties any time soon, not until he knew what he needed for the jobs he was going to commit. He had stealth gear for that first assignment that he had pulled for Wufei on Alan Scott, but other than that it was the usual under wear, tooth brush, hair, brush, hair ties.
Opening the door Wufei quickly keyed in the alarm codes to deactivate his system. It looked as if no one had been there since he had last been here maybe eight months ago, which was a good sign. Marcus was fond of the Mediterranean. It was difficult to find secured lodgings there with all the desire for architecture from civilizations long dead, but Wufei was able to add some of his own security features.
There were three bedrooms, one master suits and two small ones. Wufei had taken the master room and knew that the way Duo began exploring quickly he would be taking one of the smaller ones soon. When Wufei relaxed and stretched his spine for a bit then sat on the couch and gazed out the window. Really though. The Mediterranean. There was a reason that people always thought this was an area for romance. It was beautiful.
Duo came in and sat down on the couch as well. It was smaller than the one they had been on before Wufei noted, when Duo's knee brushed his leg He shifted away from it. "You're in." Wufei said quietly.
"Oh goodie." Duo returned and smiled at him quickly. "When do I start?"
"Some time in the next few weeks. To begin with you will only be working on days that I will be working in the facilities." Wufei added on, "We need to maintain the idea that you are only there because I am there and you'd leave if I did."
Duo giggled, "Yes, because I can't be without my Wufei ever again." He went a little still at that joke before shrugging both mentally and physically it seemed and relaxing back into the couch. "So why can't we just kill the bastard and be done with this again?" Duo asked pointedly.
Wufei grinned at him, "Because I don't know where he keeps his information. I've been gone from his organization for quite some time. Things have probably changed around and he was never really trusting to begin with. We need the information from his rings more than we need him."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Lead us to all the other baddies of the world. I know."
Wufei was silent for a while, before he questioned, "Where did you learn to act the way you did?" With the arms on the shoulders and the words in the camera?" It seemed so real, was left off from Wufei's question. Duo was able to be all over him without being all over him. And the way he said things with a voice that was his, but deeper and…
Stop thinking about it.
Duo grinned broadly, "You like that? Most of the time it's just instinct. But occasionally I'll remember how some of the leading ladies moved from very old movies and I'll try and channel that. Make it interesting. The following close to you that is just Heero when he is focused on someone. Same body language, just a different type of possessiveness seen in new ways I suppose." He shrugged. It obviously made sense to him and Wufei thought he was doing an excellent job, so it wasn't like he was going to ask him to change it any time soon.
They fell quiet and stared out at the ocean view and Wufei felt that he had to ask, "Was it hard to kill him? You looked very… into killing him."
Duo was still for a full two minutes until he shrugged and said softly, "I meant it you know. What I said in the video. I did it for you." Wufei frowned when he looked over at Duo's profile. "He wasn't exactly innocent or anything, not like those kids. He helped tear us all apart. I don't think you quite trust me still… So I did enjoy it a bit. Exacted my own revenge on him in a way. And it was all for you." He looked over at Wufei sitting on the couch and their eyes locked, just looking at each other.
Wufei could feel his blood pumping a little quicker looking at the eyes of deathscythe pilot that had been glittering with bloodlust on the video earlier that day. He could feel a bit of anger that he was holding towards Duo threatened to be soothed away entirely. How did he do it? How could he just cut to the core issue of a problem so easily? How did he know the faint traces of anger still remained in him? And to do something like this, because he asked him to? It was something a friend would do-
No.
"You should message Heero with an update before we eat dinner and sleep for the night. My laptop is in my bag." Wufei got up from the couch and away from Duo as quickly as he could, attempting to put space between them. Maybe he was being honest. Maybe he was attempting to manipulate Wufei as Wufei initially was him to turn him away from the Preventers. What he had said to Marcus was made up of half-truths and half-lies it seemed.
Duo didn't move. Wufei moved away. It would be a good time to take a shower. That would be a good idea. He began leaving towards his bedroom when Duo asked, "What happened between you and Trent?"
"Nothing." Wufei said swiftly and left the room. Duo had always been good at deduction despite the three foot braid weighing his brain down.