Chapter 1
"But Duo…"
"I don't wanna hear it Preventer Water." He hissed sarcastically.
"Maxwell… If you'll just listen for a moment…"
"Wufei, enough! Now get out before I throw you out!!" Duo began to walk forward, his long braid swinging threateningly behind him. Sally Po and Wufei Chang looked at him in pure wonder. When he was only a couple of paces away they realised he wasn't joking. His blue eyes seemed to flash dangerously and his chestnut hair framed a face that showed nothing but anger.
"The last war was supposed to be the war to end all wars. It seems it wasn't. That is all I need to know before I continue with my life. I suggest you do the same." Duo's voice had dropped to a low growl and he stopped walking when the he was a few inches in front of them. Neither of the Preventers knew what to do. They stood there in complete amazement. Duo finally brought them back to their senses when he pushed them out of the door, hard, and slammed it in their faces.
"That went well." Commented Wufei sarcastically.
"Don't be too hard on him. He was looking forward to peace so much." Sighed Sally as she picked herself up off the floor. Wufei just snorted and the pair wandered down the corridor and out of the apartment block. They still had another four cards to play in their hand.
~
Duo released his tight grip on the door handle. A fine film of sweat covered his face and beads slid down his cheeks. He tried to slow his breathing, but it didn't work. He was just too infuriated to be calmed at that moment. Slowly he turned and stalked towards the window. Sun poured through, illuminating his small apartment. The low rectangular table that graced the middle of the floor was covered by old newspapers with bits of scrap metal and wiring on the top. A small can of oil stood half empty near the edge and the cool metal glinted in the yellow light. A small TV sat in the far corner and a high backed chair was resting against the far wall. Duo stared at it all and let out a long breath before turning his attention to the outside world. The streets were busy, but everything appeared to move in slow motion. The hot weather had been around for days and the summer was due to get hotter. It made everyone look as if they were battling their way through a heavy blanket. No one could move quickly as the humidity made the world seem sleepy. But the streets were still full and work still continued at it's fast and unrelenting pace.
Duo could see Sally and Wufei getting into their car and driving away. He didn't feel guilty in the least. How could they ask him to kill again? He'd just put that behind him and started his new life. A clean page as a top-notch mechanic. And then along walked the Preventers saying 'Sorry you've enjoyed peace but we want you to commit mass murder again… Please.' Duo couldn't bare the thought. And hadn't they just blown up their Gundams last year? How was he supposed to fight without Deathscythe? The window, the room and the streets below gave him no answers and no comfort.
Just as he was about to get back to rebuilding the junk that graced his living room table he saw a figure moving swiftly through the crowds. It seemed to be unhindered by the intense heat wave and had no reservations about dodging the trolleys and bags that got in the way. Duo rubbed his eyes, he was sure he recognised the person, even from so far away. It seemed to be wearing a pair of denim jeans and a sage green tank top. But it couldn't be. Not after so long and not on L2… It couldn't be Heero Yuy. Could it?
"Nah." Said Duo to the surrounding space. "He'd never come here. Why would he?… Who am I kidding, I know it was him. So being the nosey guy I am I'll go see what he's doin' here… Yeah…" Duo's voice trailed off into a sigh as he mentally berated himself for making the biggest mistake of his life. Grabbing his black jacket from the back of the door he ran out of his apartment, barely remembering to lock it behind him. He slid down the cold metal banister and sped out of the block. Now he was outside he tried to remember in which direction the Heero look-alike was headed. He didn't need to bother though.
"Hn." A grunt came from the alley that took people around the back of the block. It was always dark and shaded because of the oversized building on the other side. Duo whipped around so fast that his braid flew out and the momentum sent it straight around his neck like a scarf. Pulling it off his windpipe, Duo sent it back over his shoulder in one fluid movement.
"What?" He said, squinting into the darkness. Slowly a fairly tall person stepped out. His untidy mass of dark brown hair framed his emotionless face and emphasised a pair of Prussian blue eyes. The eyes seemed to search Duo, as if he was looking for a hidden weapon or dangerous item that could harm him.
"Hello Heero! How're ya doin'?" Said Duo in an overly cheerful voice. He sighed again inwardly; he hadn't been the loud-mouthed joker in a long time.
"What do you want?" Said Heero in his toneless voice. Duo paused stunned. A small part of him was still angry with Wufei and Sally and that part was just intensified as he found himself being questioned outside his own home. Duo snapped for the second time that day.
"I happen to live here, Heero, if it's any of your concern! What do you want? No actually don't answer that! See ya 'round… Oh, and watch out for Wufei and Sally, you're probably next on their list!" Duo turned sharply on his heel and started to head towards the crowds. He had no idea where he was going; he just knew that it had to be away from the people he happened to know. As he allowed the slow rush to carry him in any direction he felt someone catch his arm. It was Heero.
"What do you mean 'watch out for Wufei and Sally'?" Duo didn't answer and Heero tugged him out of the flow. Duo stared at the pavement. His mind was still reeling and his stomach was beginning to lurch as he realised just what Wufei and Sally had said. Now the initial anger was gone the shock and realisation was making him feel physically ill. Heero watched as Duo turned several shades paler. His bangs were plastered to his face as sweat continued to pour out of him. He didn't find this surprising as Duo was still in black even after all this time. Finally Duo spoke quietly.
"I'm not gonna tell you where we can be overheard. I did learn some discretion during the war." Duo started down a side street and Heero followed. Eventually the one time God of Death entered a small park that was deserted. He sat down on a small bench and rested his elbows on his knees. Heero also sat and waited to find out what he needed to know. Duo took a deep breath and then told him of the impending war.
As Duo finished outlining the basic facts that he was aware of Heero's mind began to reel at the prospect. He had sworn never to kill again and now the old Gundam pilots were being rounded up and asked to help. He couldn't do it, but something inside him told him he would. He would because, even after all this time, he was still a soldier. He was a soldier that was being called to war and that was something he couldn't dispute.
Duo glanced up at Heero and saw that the news seemed to have no effect on the ex-Wing Zero pilot. This was not surprising and Duo felt as if he was now only in the way. He stood up abruptly, but found that was a big mistake. The world started to spin and the usually well-defined edges of humanity became a blur of colour. Heero noticed that Duo was beginning to sway and stood to steady him.
"You okay?" Heero asked.
"Sure, fine. It's been nice talking to ya Heero, but I've got to get back to work." Duo made to leave but found that he was falling as the world swam in and out of focus. In a last ditch attempt to stop himself from hitting the ground with unwanted force Duo through an arm in front of his face. The last thing he remembered was hearing someone cursing before he was lost in a sea of shadow.
~
The clock in the hallway struck midnight as a young blonde boy slowly began to make his way to bed. It had been a long day and tomorrow promised to be an even longer one. The Arabian found himself performing his old habit of counting the steps to bed. He hadn't done that in years, he hadn't done it since before his father died. The seventeen year old paused outside his door for a moment and surveyed the corridor. The pictures on the walls showed his various sisters at different ages and a few held images of him as a young child. The clean white walls gave the corridor a neat and finished feel that was softened by the red carpet. A wide yawn forced itself out of the boy and he finally gave in to his need for sleep. He quietly pushed his door open and stepped inside. Fumbling for a few seconds he found the light switch and flicked it on. As he looked up he saw the strangest sight. His window was wide open and two people were in his room. One was perched on his desk and the other was leaning against the window frame. Before he could say anything the female spoke.
"Well Quatre, long time – no see… Eh?" Sally smiled at Quatre's loss for words. Finally he managed a weak statement.
"Er… Hi guys… I guess…" He trailed off and Wufei chuckled slightly.
"We have a proposition to make on behalf of the Preventers. Care to listen?"
"Sure." Said Quatre, shock and a lack of sleep caused him to lose all of his usual eloquence.
"Wufei let him at least sit down first. Sorry to be calling on you so late Quatre but this is important." Sally spoke quickly and didn't miss a beat as she turned from Wufei to Quatre in one swift turn of phrase.
"That's okay. So, what can I do for you?" Quatre pulled up a chair and faced the pair of them. He didn't think they would come all of this way to say 'Hello' and he was right. Even if the details on the new war were the last things he expected to hear.
~
"So, you're awake." The blank voice penetrated Duo's thoughts as he fought to reach an upright position.
"Wha'?" Was all he could manage as the world refocused, showing him his own apartment.
"You passed out." Was the machine-like reply.
"Oh." Duo said. He found that he was facing the window of the apartment and that the sun was setting, casting it's orange glow through his living room. Heero stood looking at the streets below, his shape a silhouette against the slowing darkening sky. Duo stood, shakily and discovered that this was a bad idea. His head throbbed with a lot of force and he felt as if he had just done twelve rounds against Deathscythe. Heero turned to face him, moving his attention from the outside world and back to reality. Duo wanted to know why he had blacked out, but a stubborn streak in him forced him not to ask. Instead he altered the course of conversation and used a different strategy.
"Have you decided what you're gonna do yet?" Duo's voice seemed straightforward. But Heero was sure that there was now more to the boy than met the eye.
"Yes." Heero played his caution card. He was certain that this was no longer the Duo he knew.
"Well, what are ya gonna do?" Duo kept a constant check on his voice and reactions to the statements. 'Frighteningly cheery – check. Sickeningly oblivious – check. Dumb look – check.'
"I'm not going to say at the moment." Said Heero. He knew that Duo was hiding something. A small part of him felt some concern for his one time friend. Unfortunately that was a very small part. The larger part had decided that Duo was to be treated with the caution of an enemy until it was proven otherwise.
"Okay." Replied Duo. And that was his first big mistake. He knew as soon as he caved in quickly that Heero would catch on, but he was too late to prevent this. A year ago he would have badgered Heero until he was either threatened with death or grew exceedingly bored. The former of these seemed to be the most likely. He didn't want to tell anyone that something was wrong until he actually knew what it was. Since he didn't know yet, he decided that Heero would just have to live with a lack of information.
"You've changed." Murmured Heero. Duo heard this and pondered it for a while. Then he carefully planned his answer in his swift mind.
"Yep. I have a mild temper these days, but that's about it." He laughed at the end of this in traditional 'Duo' style and let Heero feast on that for a while. He wandered over to his small table and began to rearrange his junk so he could put it back together in a different order. He was about to start cleaning the corroded mess when he realised he still only had the oilcan and not the cleaning fluid. He quickly rose and fetched it from the kitchen cupboard, not having realised that Heero was still there. He had temporarily forgotten the ex-Gundam pilot's existence.
Heero noticed this and the small part of him that felt concern grew slightly. Duo had seemed as happy as the rest with his new life, so what had gone wrong to change him so drastically? No amount of work could ever do that to the over active, hyper energetic American. Even the news on the impending war couldn't do so much in such a short space of time.
Duo placed a small white bottle on the edge of the table with great care and began to examine one of his 'specimens'. He didn't know what made him look up, but he did and saw Heero observing his work.
"New job." He offered by way of explanation. Heero just grunted.
"You staying anywhere Heero?" Heero turned his attention away from the white bottle that had caught his eye and back onto Duo.
"Hn." He gave a non-committal grunt, the same way he usually did when he was caught not paying attention. Duo looked back towards his work.
"There's a spare room over there if you want to use it." He said and made a vague gesture with his hand. "Oh, and thanks for dragging me back from the park."
Heero just nodded and stalked off in his usual manner. He only hoped the morning would bring him more answers and less questions. He also needed to talk to Wufei and Sally fast.
~
"Thank you, you've been a wonderful audience! Goodnight!" Trowa heard the manager declare to the crowd. He had just finished changing from his clown outfit into his normal clothes and was going to check on the animals when he heard the tent flap crack. Spinning round he saw no one, but there was no wind to move the heavy orange material. He was not convinced that it was his imagination, but continued on his way.
The animals stopped making a fuss as soon as Trowa approached. They had liked him on sight and they knew that he was a friend. Gathering the feed from a nearby crate, Trowa began to prepare everything for that night and the next morning. The night air was cool and the sun was no longer visible in the sky. Countless stars graced the heavens, sparkling like thousands of tiny diamonds in a pool of onyx. Nothing could have been more serene in the ex-Heavyarms pilot's eyes. Trowa had almost forgotten his suspicions concerning the tent flap when he heard a snap behind him and span around in time to see a shadow that moved before blending black on black.
Old reflexes took over and the acrobat placed everything he was holding on top of the now closed food crate. He showed no signs of having noticed the break in the calm atmosphere, but monitored every corner with the utmost care and attention. Trowa was certain that there was someone hiding in the shadows, but hoped that he was wrong. Battle instincts screeched a warning and reminded him of every time he had been in a similar situation. Although he knew it was unlikely, Trowa wished that he had made a mistake, just for once.
Trowa had a lot of patience, unfortunately it seemed that this was something his opponent lacked. Unfortunate for his opponent anyway. The figure made a sudden lunge at Trowa from the far corner, a gun aimed at his throat. Trowa sidestepped and ducked swiftly, catching the other person's wrist and relieving him of the gun. Spinning into a roll, the assassin used his extra momentum to swing round and try to sweep Trowa's legs from under him. This was an extreme error of judgement. Trowa flipped as soon as he saw what his opponent intended and landed behind him. Grabbing his supporting arm, he pushed him to the floor, face down and rammed his arm high up the middle of his back.
"Why are you here?" Trowa said, his voice dangerously calm and calculated.
"I will not fail her." Was all the person replied. Trowa saw his free hand reach out for the gun and deftly swept it up into his own grasp.
"Who do you work for?" Trowa questioned, but began to see the futility of this exercise very quickly. Hauling the person up he backed him against the lion's cage. Then he saw his attacker's face. It was a young man, not much older than himself. He tried to look unconcerned, but a fear was rooted deep into his eyes and seemed to be etched on his soul. Trowa tried to ignore that fearful gaze as he used it to his advantage.
"Do not make me repeat myself again." Trowa's voice turned hard and cold. The young man felt shivers race up and down as spine as the voice grated in his ears and forced him to respond.
"I work for my Lord." His young voice wavered slightly and he fought to keep the uncontrollable tremors out of it.
"What is your name?" Trowa kept the gun trained on the man.
"I am called Dean Farthingale."
"Now we're getting somewhere Dean. Why did you attack me and who is 'my Lord'?"
"I cannot say…"
"Tell me now." Trowa pushed the point, forcing his appearance to be harsh and deathly. He didn't want to press the young man too hard. It was obvious he lacked much field experience, never mind the training that was involved in infiltration and assassination.
"I am a member of the… I cannot say! They will kill me!" Dean's eyes suddenly made sense. He was afraid of Trowa, but the deep fear that penetrated his soul was for his own people.
"No one else is here. Who do you work for."
"I… I…" Dean's voice dropped to a whisper. "I don't want to kill you. I don't want to do this, but if I don't they will kill me… Please believe me. I work for… for my Lord Edward Althelstan. I am a member of the Professor's personal guard… She doesn't want this, but she has no choice!" Suddenly he began to speak in a rush, as if he very little time left.
"Help the Professor, please! She is powerless while she is on the inside… You must help her! You are one of them, go to the person you know well and not at all! Ask him to help Dr. M-!" His voice was cut short as a bolt pierced his chest. Trowa span around, but there was nothing in the night.
"They will be gone… You are safe for tonight… Move quickly, ask for Dr… Dr. Eli… M…" His eyes widened as they fell blank. Trowa found that he was helpless to do anything. Dean was already dead.
"I didn't even hear all of the name." Trowa spoke to the animals around him as they gazed sadly on the sight before them. Trowa knew what he had to do though. He had to talk to Wufei and see if the Preventers knew who this Edward Athelstan was and he had a riddle to solve.
"If it was worth his betraying his own people for, then surely it's worth listening to. They killed him when he told or when he failed, I wonder which. Something isn't right here." The animals seemed to give a silent agreement and Trowa removed the body and all evidence of the fray. That night he disappeared into the background and didn't even leave a note for his colleges; again.
