Jammin
***
Part 1
It was a cool windy night. The room was only lit by the greenish glow of the computer screen. The clicking of the keys were a constant sound throughout the past few days. Soon Duo, laying awake in bed for the third time, snapped. "HEERO WILL YOU STOP THAT!!", he screamed at the top of his lungs at his silent partner. Heero only glowered at him and returned to his work. "What the hell are you working on anyway?!", Duo said as he got up to look over Heero's shoulder.
"Doctor J asked for a full report on our last mission. Since our mission was all of last week, it will take a while.", he stated bluntly.
"Well... this is just great.", Duo sighed and sat back on the bed. He stared at the artificial night sky with the shadowy clouds. It looked so painted and dull. The darkness of the streets below concealed the growing poverty in the alleys. Even in a place like L2, there was still the poor and sick. Duo knew and remembered all too well. His private cell phone beeped underneath a pile of clean clothes. Digging through the clothes, he wondered who knew his cell phone number? Flipping it open he hit a button or two and heard a familiar voice.
"Hey Duo, its me."
"G...Greg? Is it really you?", Duo's voice wavered.
"Of course its me you braided baka. I have good news.", Greg said in a deep tone.
"Really what?"
"I found 'her'. 'She's' still in perfect shape. It looks like nobody found 'her' after we all left the rat trap we called home."
"I can't believe it! 'She's' still perfect!!!?!", Duo practically screamed, and drew Heero's attention.
"Yep! I just bought some custom strings. Wanna come down and try 'her' out?", Greg almost laughed at the idea the Duo would pass this up.
"I'm there man! Don't you dare fool around with 'her' till I get there, ja ne!", Duo hung up on his old friend and went into his dresser. He changed into a black tank top and red leather jacket. His pants were also black leather but shone red when the light hit them. A black chain went from his waste down into his pocket where he kept his keys and wallet.
"Where are you going?", Heero asked, trying to feeling out of his voice.
"Going to meet some old friends and bring 'her' back. See ya!", Duo said as he ran out of the small apartment and down the long stairwell. Heero's eyes stared at the closed door. He did not like this 'she' that was taking Duo away from him. Returning his focus to his laptop, he continued his report. After twenty minutes he realized all he was typing was Duo's name over and over. The perfect soldier was supposed to have no feelings, why did he feel this way. Heero shut his laptop down and went to take a shower.
Duo was running down the dark streets on L2. The homeless stared up at the black blur that was Duo. Some reached out to grab him. He quickly dodged and continued on. Their old living quarters were in the worst section of L2. After taking a few wrong turns, Duo eventually found his way and opened the broken wooden door.
"Duo!! You made it!", Greg called from the back room.
"Yep I'm here!", Duo yelled as he scoped out his old pad. Dark clothes were littered around the room. As suspected, some ammo and a few guns were hidden under the furniture. Greg and the others did that just in case they were knocked down in the house. Of course, those weren't normal guns. They were sensitive to who touched them. Each person's DNA was programmed into the guns so they could use them. Another precaution with these guns were the fact that they erased all the DNA of the user from them. Thus, they could never get caught that way. Duo helped in the making of these bioprint weapons as they called them.
The guns weren't the only deliberate setups in the room. Holes and tunnels were in the floors that went all over the city. These helped in getting away from the cops and other potential threats. Solo and Duo had worked on the south eastern set of tunnels and mapped them together. Thoughts of Solo left a sinking feeling of sadness and guilt. Greg promised that he'd help Duo and the others. Unfortunately, Duo was left behind the day of the raid. "Duo!", Greg called as he emerged from the back room with a large bag in his hand, breaking Duo's thoughts.
"I can't believe it still!!!", Duo called to his friend. Throwing his jacket on the brown chair, he ran to the back of the main room and helped his friend with the duffel bag. Duo eagerly unzipped the large black bag and lifted his prized possession out carefully. Holding his breath, he glanced over the item. She was black with a cherry wood neck. Mother of pearl and ebony black inlays were in the shape of feathers down her neck. Black with a red tint was the color of her headstock with a mother of pearl inlay in the shape of angel wings. Her design was called a Gibson Angus Young. This one was definitely a custom shop. Duo's eyes shined like a little child. He took the red pic from his pocket and plucked the strings for the first time in years. She was still in perfect tune and sounded good. "Wow......just wow.....", Duo muttered and then put her back in the bag.
"Duo!", Greg called, snapping Duo out of his daze.
"Ya?"
"I'm putting a band together, I have a bunch of guys, and a girl singer interested. You wanna join to?", Greg inquired.
"Of course!!! Can I sing some of my old songs too?!", Duo said with hopeful eyes.
"No Duo, you can't", Duo's lip quivered and, after a short pause, Greg continued, "Of course you can Duo. You think I'd forget the songs you wrote?"
"Thanks man!", Duo gave his friend a hug and grabbed his coat.
"Where you goin' Duo?", Greg said realizing his friend was leaving.
"I'm gonna take Shimegami back to my safer apartment. I just don't trust this place as much since the last...raid....", Duo hung his head.
The scars of the last raid ran deep. Feds came through the main tunnel in the middle of the room. All the guns had been stolen the previous night. They grabbed everyone. Solo had tried to protect Duo and the rest, but he was shot seven times by a tall red-neck man with pale blue eyes. Duo had held Solo in his arms. Solo told him not to give up, and to try to find his way back. As he passed away, Solo gave him the red guitar pick. The week before the raid, Duo learned how to play Shimegami. This gesture meant the guitar was Duo's now. Taking the pic from his hand, the great leader, Solo died. Two cops took Duo away screaming and crying, at the age of seven.
"I know how you feel Duo. I'll be here when your ready to help set up the band.", Greg said cautiously.
"Ya, sure. I still remember the number. Unless its changed?", Duo said softly.
"Still the same. Take care Duo. See you soon?", Greg said.
"Yep! I'll come in a few days. I just wanna practice before I come back ok?", Duo said
wearing his jester mask again.
"No prob. See ya!", Greg said as Duo shut the door.
Duo bounded away from the building. His run turned into a sprint quickly. He'd be more of a target for the muggers around that part of town with that duffel bag. On his way home, Duo found a fruit stand and bought an apple. It was twenty-five cents, but Duo gave the guy a silver dollar that he found on the street a week ago. The man was jumping for joy after Duo paid him. Silver dollars at this point were worth one hundred dollars.
Arriving back in the apartment building, he opened the door to the room he shared with his partner. Heero's laptop was off, amazingly. The pilot from L-1 was sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at the floor, which was spotless for some reason. Duo's mouth dropped open, but he quickly closed it and remembered his treasure.
"You're back.", Heero stated dully.
"Yep! Didja miss me?", Duo flashed a fake smile.
Duo placed the bag on his own bed and slowly unzipped it. He took out Shimegami and started polishing her, not that she really needed it. Heero lifted his head and saw the black custom shop guitar. The Wing pilot was curious, so he got up and went over to Duo's bed and sat down. Duo didn't even notice he sat down, he was took busy polishing.
"Its nice Duo.", Heero said in a lighter tone.
"You bet she's nice! Wait till you hear her play!", Duo practicly yelled in his excitement. He got up and tightened a few of the strings, so he could get the right sound.
"Do you mind if I play?", he asked Heero.
"Just don't play too loud, ok?", Heero said, as he walked back to his laptop.
"Arigato Hee-chan!", and showed a genuine smile. Solo taught Duo how to play the guitar the day before he died. Heero heard the sadness in Duo's voice as he sang. After he finished the song, Duo zipped up the guitar. Duo went to find his cell phone. Then he placed a call.
"Greg, its Duo."
"You wanna play?"
"Whenever you get the rest of the members together."
"Then, I'll see you tomorrow Duo. I called the others and they all wanna meet at this club. Its called the China Doll. You know where that is?"
"Near the Obsidian Tattoo Parlor right?"
"Yep, be there at 7:00PM. Ja ne!"
Duo turned the phone off.
***
Part 1
It was a cool windy night. The room was only lit by the greenish glow of the computer screen. The clicking of the keys were a constant sound throughout the past few days. Soon Duo, laying awake in bed for the third time, snapped. "HEERO WILL YOU STOP THAT!!", he screamed at the top of his lungs at his silent partner. Heero only glowered at him and returned to his work. "What the hell are you working on anyway?!", Duo said as he got up to look over Heero's shoulder.
"Doctor J asked for a full report on our last mission. Since our mission was all of last week, it will take a while.", he stated bluntly.
"Well... this is just great.", Duo sighed and sat back on the bed. He stared at the artificial night sky with the shadowy clouds. It looked so painted and dull. The darkness of the streets below concealed the growing poverty in the alleys. Even in a place like L2, there was still the poor and sick. Duo knew and remembered all too well. His private cell phone beeped underneath a pile of clean clothes. Digging through the clothes, he wondered who knew his cell phone number? Flipping it open he hit a button or two and heard a familiar voice.
"Hey Duo, its me."
"G...Greg? Is it really you?", Duo's voice wavered.
"Of course its me you braided baka. I have good news.", Greg said in a deep tone.
"Really what?"
"I found 'her'. 'She's' still in perfect shape. It looks like nobody found 'her' after we all left the rat trap we called home."
"I can't believe it! 'She's' still perfect!!!?!", Duo practically screamed, and drew Heero's attention.
"Yep! I just bought some custom strings. Wanna come down and try 'her' out?", Greg almost laughed at the idea the Duo would pass this up.
"I'm there man! Don't you dare fool around with 'her' till I get there, ja ne!", Duo hung up on his old friend and went into his dresser. He changed into a black tank top and red leather jacket. His pants were also black leather but shone red when the light hit them. A black chain went from his waste down into his pocket where he kept his keys and wallet.
"Where are you going?", Heero asked, trying to feeling out of his voice.
"Going to meet some old friends and bring 'her' back. See ya!", Duo said as he ran out of the small apartment and down the long stairwell. Heero's eyes stared at the closed door. He did not like this 'she' that was taking Duo away from him. Returning his focus to his laptop, he continued his report. After twenty minutes he realized all he was typing was Duo's name over and over. The perfect soldier was supposed to have no feelings, why did he feel this way. Heero shut his laptop down and went to take a shower.
Duo was running down the dark streets on L2. The homeless stared up at the black blur that was Duo. Some reached out to grab him. He quickly dodged and continued on. Their old living quarters were in the worst section of L2. After taking a few wrong turns, Duo eventually found his way and opened the broken wooden door.
"Duo!! You made it!", Greg called from the back room.
"Yep I'm here!", Duo yelled as he scoped out his old pad. Dark clothes were littered around the room. As suspected, some ammo and a few guns were hidden under the furniture. Greg and the others did that just in case they were knocked down in the house. Of course, those weren't normal guns. They were sensitive to who touched them. Each person's DNA was programmed into the guns so they could use them. Another precaution with these guns were the fact that they erased all the DNA of the user from them. Thus, they could never get caught that way. Duo helped in the making of these bioprint weapons as they called them.
The guns weren't the only deliberate setups in the room. Holes and tunnels were in the floors that went all over the city. These helped in getting away from the cops and other potential threats. Solo and Duo had worked on the south eastern set of tunnels and mapped them together. Thoughts of Solo left a sinking feeling of sadness and guilt. Greg promised that he'd help Duo and the others. Unfortunately, Duo was left behind the day of the raid. "Duo!", Greg called as he emerged from the back room with a large bag in his hand, breaking Duo's thoughts.
"I can't believe it still!!!", Duo called to his friend. Throwing his jacket on the brown chair, he ran to the back of the main room and helped his friend with the duffel bag. Duo eagerly unzipped the large black bag and lifted his prized possession out carefully. Holding his breath, he glanced over the item. She was black with a cherry wood neck. Mother of pearl and ebony black inlays were in the shape of feathers down her neck. Black with a red tint was the color of her headstock with a mother of pearl inlay in the shape of angel wings. Her design was called a Gibson Angus Young. This one was definitely a custom shop. Duo's eyes shined like a little child. He took the red pic from his pocket and plucked the strings for the first time in years. She was still in perfect tune and sounded good. "Wow......just wow.....", Duo muttered and then put her back in the bag.
"Duo!", Greg called, snapping Duo out of his daze.
"Ya?"
"I'm putting a band together, I have a bunch of guys, and a girl singer interested. You wanna join to?", Greg inquired.
"Of course!!! Can I sing some of my old songs too?!", Duo said with hopeful eyes.
"No Duo, you can't", Duo's lip quivered and, after a short pause, Greg continued, "Of course you can Duo. You think I'd forget the songs you wrote?"
"Thanks man!", Duo gave his friend a hug and grabbed his coat.
"Where you goin' Duo?", Greg said realizing his friend was leaving.
"I'm gonna take Shimegami back to my safer apartment. I just don't trust this place as much since the last...raid....", Duo hung his head.
The scars of the last raid ran deep. Feds came through the main tunnel in the middle of the room. All the guns had been stolen the previous night. They grabbed everyone. Solo had tried to protect Duo and the rest, but he was shot seven times by a tall red-neck man with pale blue eyes. Duo had held Solo in his arms. Solo told him not to give up, and to try to find his way back. As he passed away, Solo gave him the red guitar pick. The week before the raid, Duo learned how to play Shimegami. This gesture meant the guitar was Duo's now. Taking the pic from his hand, the great leader, Solo died. Two cops took Duo away screaming and crying, at the age of seven.
"I know how you feel Duo. I'll be here when your ready to help set up the band.", Greg said cautiously.
"Ya, sure. I still remember the number. Unless its changed?", Duo said softly.
"Still the same. Take care Duo. See you soon?", Greg said.
"Yep! I'll come in a few days. I just wanna practice before I come back ok?", Duo said
wearing his jester mask again.
"No prob. See ya!", Greg said as Duo shut the door.
Duo bounded away from the building. His run turned into a sprint quickly. He'd be more of a target for the muggers around that part of town with that duffel bag. On his way home, Duo found a fruit stand and bought an apple. It was twenty-five cents, but Duo gave the guy a silver dollar that he found on the street a week ago. The man was jumping for joy after Duo paid him. Silver dollars at this point were worth one hundred dollars.
Arriving back in the apartment building, he opened the door to the room he shared with his partner. Heero's laptop was off, amazingly. The pilot from L-1 was sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at the floor, which was spotless for some reason. Duo's mouth dropped open, but he quickly closed it and remembered his treasure.
"You're back.", Heero stated dully.
"Yep! Didja miss me?", Duo flashed a fake smile.
Duo placed the bag on his own bed and slowly unzipped it. He took out Shimegami and started polishing her, not that she really needed it. Heero lifted his head and saw the black custom shop guitar. The Wing pilot was curious, so he got up and went over to Duo's bed and sat down. Duo didn't even notice he sat down, he was took busy polishing.
"Its nice Duo.", Heero said in a lighter tone.
"You bet she's nice! Wait till you hear her play!", Duo practicly yelled in his excitement. He got up and tightened a few of the strings, so he could get the right sound.
"Do you mind if I play?", he asked Heero.
"Just don't play too loud, ok?", Heero said, as he walked back to his laptop.
"Arigato Hee-chan!", and showed a genuine smile. Solo taught Duo how to play the guitar the day before he died. Heero heard the sadness in Duo's voice as he sang. After he finished the song, Duo zipped up the guitar. Duo went to find his cell phone. Then he placed a call.
"Greg, its Duo."
"You wanna play?"
"Whenever you get the rest of the members together."
"Then, I'll see you tomorrow Duo. I called the others and they all wanna meet at this club. Its called the China Doll. You know where that is?"
"Near the Obsidian Tattoo Parlor right?"
"Yep, be there at 7:00PM. Ja ne!"
Duo turned the phone off.
