Death: The Big Game
By the Kitsune-yasha
Notes: a major action scene. God, I suck at major action scenes, but that's my opinion. You be the judge of my major action scene.
*********************
Chapter Three: To Become the God of Death Once More
Duo scrambled to get out of the pyramid alive. A group of men were following him, well, chasing him now. Without warning, they had tried to attack Duo, but he was quick and had escaped into one of the passages. Luckily, it was a passage that led outside.
Dammit! He cursed. The words the strange Egyptian-goth fanatic had spoken to him were coming back to him now. She had given him a warning, one for his life. Why hadn't he heeded it? Why did he have to be so cocky? Now, his life was in danger through some strange men who seemed to be content in trying to kill Duo. Must warn the others! He thought. Hadn't the lady mentioned something about delivering a message to Wufei, Quatre, and Trowa? He needed to contact them, to tell them that the chick was serious. But right now, he needed help getting away from the goons following him.
The lady had said something about seeing him sometime soon. Maybe she would assist him if he could find her. How hard could it be? How many gothic chicks were there in Egypt?
"Shit!" he hissed as he clambered over the entrance and landed in the sand. His ankle had twisted an odd way when his feet hit the sand. He was sure that it was sprained. There was no stopping now, though. The pain would have to be ignored.
Behind him, he heard the shouts of the strange men. They were getting closer. He ran (or rather hobbled) into the night. He was almost halfway up the first dune when the goons came pouring out. He gathered all his energy and began to run as fast as he could, putting the pain of a sprained ankle in the back of his mind. He nearly fell as he ran down the dune. He continued to run, though.
When he was halfway up the fourth dune, a voice made him stop cold.
"Freeze!"
He looked up. A man stood at the top. He had a gun leveled at Duo. Duo could hear other men encircling him. He took a fighting stance.
"C'mon!" he yelled. "If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get! Nobody can beat me! I am the God of Death!"
The men laughed. Duo scowled some more. The man with the gun stepped forward.
"Perhaps you don't understand what this is all about, Mr. Maxwell," he said. "We have orders to execute you."
"Orders? From who? And why the hell didn't he come out here to fight me?" Duo screamed.
"We have our orders."
Suddenly there came a loud, slightly earth rattling sound. A dark shadow loomed over the small group of people. Duo recognized its shape immediately, though the size was off.
"Duo Maxwell, meet your executioner," said the man.
All in front of the shadow stepped aside. Duo saw it clearly now. He laughed. He laughed like a maniac to the night.
"So this is how it's gonna be?" He stepped forward. "Nothing can beat me; not even your little toy."
He brought out his hand held thermal scythe that he used for cutting up impossible objects. Holding it high above his head, he made a mad dash at his executioner, whooping loudly a typical American catch phrase.
****************************
Duo had lost. What an embarrassment. And now he was dying. He, the self proclaimed God of Death, was lying in the sand bleeding his life out. His neck was broken along with some ribs (more than he imagined). A large nasty wound that ran deep in his abdomen was bleeding profusely. There were many other injuries, but there was no need to assess them all. He was dying.
"I wonder who will meet me," he murmured to the night stars above him, his speech slurred.
"I will," a familiar voice said beside him.
Duo didn't need to move his head to know that it was the gothic Egyptian fanatic lady. He just smiled to himself and continued to look at the stars and the moon.
"So you are the true God of Death," he said. "Makes sense. But I always imagined you as being bigger, stronger, and scarier than Quatre when he went Zero."
Death shrugged. "I try not to be like that. People really don't want some skeletal figure in robes taking them away."
There was silence. Really there was nothing more to say. There was something to wait for, though. Duo waited for those final moments in his life to see what he would see. He wanted to be conscious for those moments; he didn't want to miss them. He had heard many accounts of near-death experiences where the dying person saw everyone they loved whom had already died. Maybe I'll see Father Maxwell, Sister Helen, and Heero, he told himself. A thought then occurred to him.
"It was Heero who sent that message, wasn't it?" he asked Death.
"Yes. It was a last request that he asked for before I sent him off."
Duo laughed. "Baka. He always had to go first, didn't he?"
Death shrugged. "I suppose."
Duo sighed and continued to look at the sky. "Y'know what, Death-lady? I'm going to miss the moon. In space and from the colonies, it never looked like this. Earthers are lucky. They have the best view of the moon."
"That's true," Death replied with a nod. "It's almost time, Duo."
"I know."
Duo left a series of shocks and spasms run through his body. His eyes went wide with shock as he felt his organs fail one by one. He had no idea dying would be like this. It almost hurt and sent him into a panic. He didn't want to die now. But you reap what you sow, Maxwell, a familiar voice in his mind seemed to say. It belonged to Wufei. Great! The last voice I imagine when I die belongs to Wufei! This sucks!
When he felt his heart fail, he knew he could not turn back. Oh well…Wu-man was right… Not long after, he closed his eyes, the image of the moon remaining imprinted on the back of his eyelids. He let his brain stop completely.
"I look bad," Duo commented as he looked at his body lying in the sand.
"Can't always look good when you die," Death told him.
"Yeah. You're right. So where do I go now? Hell, right?"
Death shrugged. "You'll go wherever you see fit, Duo."
Duo's violet eyes brightened. "Really? In that case, can I go to the moon?"
"If you're led there when we reach my lands."
Duo smiled. "Can't wait to get there." He looked at her. "I'm ready to go."
Death wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her back. "Have a nice afterlife, Duo Maxwell," she whispered.
All around him, things went dark. Somewhere in the distance, Duo heard the distinct sound of wings flapping. He smiled.
**************************
Wufei crumbled the telegram from the embassy in Egypt. Duo was dead. He had died of massive blood loss and injuries from what looked life a thermal weapon of sorts. How he had obtained these injuries was a mystery, but US agents in Egypt were investigating it. They won't find anything, Wufei told himself. They didn't find anything when Heero had died, either. He would never know who or what murdered both boys and who was after him and the other remaining pilots. We are the prey, the big game, Wufei summarized. We'll never know who the hunter is until it's our time to face them.
With that summary of what was happening, Wufei came across another revelation; there was a pattern. Why did Heero die when Wufei or any of the other pilots could have been killed? Well, first, he was the strongest of the group. It was a strategic move to pick off the strongest in the group. Then why was Duo killed? Wufei was a stronger fighter than Duo. If they were going in order of strongest to weakest, surely either he or Trowa would have been the next victim. So why was Duo killed before Trowa or Wufei but after Heero? What else was there?
His number. Duo was designated the second Gundam pilot, pilot 02. And Heero was designated 01. That could be the pattern. It made a lot of sense.
Assuming that was the pattern, then who would be next? Pilot 03. And who was pilot 03? Trowa Barton. I have to warn him. But where was he? With Quatre. Where was Quatre? The last Wufei had heard, Quatre was in California for a conference. Surely Trowa would be there.
"Oh shit," Wufei muttered.
If Trowa was the next target and Quatre was with him, who was to say that their hunter would try to kill him too. A double assassination. This wasn't good. I have to warn them.
Wufei grabbed him jacket and headed out of his apartment. He would have to take a plane over there, which shouldn't be a problem. Before he and Duo had parted, Duo gave him a hefty sum of money to help him. That should cover a round trip plane ticket from New York to California. When he reached California, he would need a mode of transportation that was fast and agile, like a motorcycle. Not a problem. He could fly his motorcycle over there or get a rental.
"Hey Wufei!"
Wufei closed his eyes and groaned. He had not stepped one foot outside his apartment building and he was already being harassed by rock magazine journalists. It was the guy from the bar last night. He didn't look so happy either.
"You gypped me out of an interview with you," the man said. "I want one right now."
"I have no time," Wufei growled. "I'm in a hurry."
"One question then! Surely you can answer just one question."
Wufei sighed and stopped. "What?" he asked.
"How do you feel about the recent death of former Gundam pilot, Duo Maxwell? I heard you two were an item."
Wufei whirled around and glared at him. "Where the hell do you assholes get this stuff?! It's none of your business what I think or who I was involved with! Will you just leave me alone?!"
Before the man could answer, Wufei had already mounted his motorcycle and was in the process of riding away.
"We have our ways," the man said under his breath. "We have our ways…"
@~~~`~~~`~~~~~~~~~~~~Okay. I've already killed off Heero and Duo. Will I kill off Trowa next or will he be spared? Um, I honestly don't know. I haven't written that far yet.
Oh well. You can review now if you wish :)
