The Usual Suspects: Chapter Six

5 Weeks Ago

Sanq Kingdom Capitol City

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            We re-grouped in a small storage facility that Quatre had access to. For a kid runnin illegal deals his family sure had a nice amount of funds for him. I guess it was the years of being the youngest in a household of thirty kids that did it to him. And to top it off, the poor kid was the only boy. He didn't get much attention, so he turned to crime, or as I affectionately call it, the "social and economical restructuring of goods and other materials."

             So we all stood around gloating in the fact that we single-handedly took out almost all of the City P.D. in one job. And to make things even better, there was so much chaos goin around that no one even thought to take notice of us. For being a happy crew we certainly didn't show it. Heero was just satisfied that his "one job" was over with, and Wu-Fei was as passive as always. If there was anyone who didn't give a fuck about anyone else, it was Wu-Fei. He just wanted his cut. I was completely delighted by the whole ordeal. I was small time before, so this was great. It's like playing little league and finally, after years of working your ass of and never striking out, you're in the big league. But that doesn't mean you won't strike out with the big guys. I was full of delusional success, but of course I didn't realize it. Trowa and Quatre were busy making further plans that we didn't know about yet.

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            Everyone was doing his own thing. Wu-Fei stood on the sidelines, watching Trowa pack the gundanium back into the briefcase after examining it. Quatre stood nearby, helping Trowa and tallying up the worth of the goods while counting the money from the envelope J had "given" them. Quatre was making five equal stacks of cash; the rest of the payment for the job was to come when they met Trowa's contact. Duo was staring at Heero, and Heero was trying hard not to notice.

            "So when is our illustrious contact coming to get this shit?"

            Trowa answered Wu-Fei without pausing in his work. "Une never comes to see me. I always go to see her."

            Wu-Fei was furious. "So who's gonna go see her?!" he demanded.

            "Naturally, Quatre and I will go to L-3 to see her." As Trowa finished his sentence tension built and everyone was angry.

            "Oh fine! So while you and Quatre are out honeymooning on L-3 we're left to wait for our money! No way!" Somewhere along the way in Wu-Fei's outburst Quatre and Trowa glanced at each other, blushing.

            Luckily, before Wu-Fei could explode any more, Heero casually interjected, "we'll all go to L-3. It'll be good to lay low for a while." He eyed Trowa, "and this way we know we'll be getting our full payment."

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            And that was that. No one would argue with Heero. We booked a flight and were out of the Sanq Kingdom and off Earth within the day. Wu-Fei was satisfied, Trowa and Quatre didn't seem to mind, and I was having a ball. I had never really been so deep in anything – well, that's not entirely true, but… Anyway, Heero's mind was still set on getting the money and ditching us. "A one job deal" he said. Hah. Nothing is ever just one shot. Unless, of course, you're a sniper.

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            Five men, silhouetted by the rising artificial sun of L-3, stood on a hill at an abandoned temple. Each in his own right was nervous as they waited for their contact, Une, to show. Duo was absently kicking the ground, which really got on the other's nerves, but he couldn't help it – he'd never done this before. The rest of the group paced, but were cool, except for Quatre who seemed a little uptight… but then again, when didn't Quatre seem a little uptight?

            They didn't know how long they had been waiting when Une and her disciples pulled up in a large convertible. None of the men wore watches unless on a "timed job." Une and her men were part of what could be called an illegal mob. They had their hands in narcotics, weapons, and rare goods. The Ozzies, as they were called, did anything illegal, but supposedly always kept structure in their organization. This structure was demonstrated now, as the three Ozzies approached dressed identically in white pants, gray shirts, and maroon leather blazers. Heero noted that Une, as a higher member, had some sort of yellow stripes on her blazer. The two men were obviously bodyguards, which didn't say much about their caliber, since a good bodyguard can't be spotted right away. Heero scowled at the thought.

            Trowa and Une greeted each other like old acquaintances, causally handing each other either the "goods" or the money. Une smiled, and Heero immediately felt as though he could not trust her. He hated this already. "Trowa, you boys staying in town long? I've got another job if you want it."

            "No." Heero interjected as Trowa began to reply. "We're here on vacation."

            Trowa glared at Heero, who glared right back. Amused by the conflict, Une walked away, stating, "If you change your mind, give me a call." When she was gone, the entire group seemed to be sending glares at Heero. Even innocent Quatre was giving off his share.

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