Apparently the link to the essay on the breaks didn't work. It should be http://midnightrevolution.org/gundam

Chapter 2- May

18th of June, ac197. Government Center, L1. 1:12pm, L1 Time.

The trio arrived at the expensive-looking buildings, and, managing to get through the gates without too much trouble, easily found the one they were supposed to be in. They were an odd looking trio, Wufei, with his distinctly Chinese features, short, black ponytail, Preventers jacket and white pants, Duo, with his confident, happy face, metre-long chestnut braid, bouncing steps and black priest's clothing, and Heero, with his expressionless Japanese face, messy brown hair, green tank-top and spandex shorts. Hell knows how he concealed his gun, but, miraculously, he did. The three were so different, and came from such different cultures, it was incredible that they had even met.

Wars did that to people.

Presently, they entered the building. The lady from the phone, one Carol Sullivan, was waiting for them. Seeing Wufei's Preventer jacket, she walked over.

"Hi, I'm so glad you could make it –"

"This is Maxwell's operation. Talk to him." She looked surprised.

"Hey, lady! Remember me?" Grinned said maniac. "I answered your call." She looked even more surprised.

"Oh. You-"

"Look different? Of course. Thirteen hours, several dozen cups of coffee do that to people. I, unfortunately," he said, putting on a mournful face, "am in charge of this operation -"

"Stow it, Maxwell. We don't have all day." Said Wufei. Heero was looking around the place, frowning slightly. Duo looked peeved.

"Fine, then! As I was saying, I'm Duo Maxwell, the unfortunate one who has to do all the paperwork, this is Wuffie Chang -"

"My name is Chang Wufei, idiot."

"Same difference. And this is…." He turned to Heero, only to find he had wandered off. He frowned. "Now where did he go? Wufei, have you seen Heero?"

"I have."

"Did'ya see where he went?" Wufei just pointed. Heero was sitting on a window ledge about 3m above the floor, back facing away from the window. Duo just sighed. Carol, however, freaked out.

"What's he doing up there? He could get himself killed!" He just couldn't help it. Duo started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Listen, lady - Carol, wasn't it?" She nodded. "Listen, Carol. That guy is tougher than Gundanium Alloy. I've see him set his own leg! A tinsy 3-metre drop isn't going to hurt him." Quite naturally, Carol looked disbelieving.

"Hey!" Duo looked offended. "I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie!" It was obvious that she still didn't believe him.

"Fine! Be that way! Hey Heero!!!" He yelled. "Whatcha doing?"

"Checking defenses." Came the reply

"Could you get down here? The quicker we get this done, the quicker we can go home!"

"Hnn." He stood up, turned around, and jumped down. The whole three metres. And didn't even look fazed. Carol just stared.

"Told 'ya!" Duo smirked. Heero walked over, face impassive.

"And this," Duo said, a bit melodramatically, "is Heero Yuy, the only guy around here who has any clue about what's going on around here." Carol's eyes widened slightly.

"Not-"

"No."

"Oh." She turned to Duo. "As you're all Preventers,"

"Ah, Heero isn't a Preventer."

"But….But….Why is he here then?"

"Like I said, he's the only one around here with a clue what's going on."

"Then why did the Preventers send you two?"

"We're the best they've got. He's just better."

"Oh"

"Now, can we get on with it? No offence, but L1 isn't my favourite place around."

"Follow me." They left the main building, and went into a smaller one (which was still huge) to the right. It was quite obviously the L1 Police Hq - the security was extreme, there were policemen and policewomen going in and out in a steady flow, and besides, it said so above the door. At the sight of Carol - and Wufei's handy jacket - they let the group straight in. They made their way to the forensics department. Another lady was waiting for them. She had short, blue-black hair, green eyes and a strong personality - you could tell just by looking at her.

"Carol."

"Julia." The two women didn't seem to get along.

"These are the Preventers?" she said, almost jokingly. The three of them frowned slightly, and their eyes glossed over - not a good sign. Just because they were all 17 years old, didn't mean they were children. Each one of them had probably killed more people then all the remaining OZ soldiers combined.

"Yes." said Carol, with a bit of force in it. "Everyone, this is Julia, head of the forensics department. She'll be looking after you, I've got a lot to do - we don't want the public to know too much before you're done. Sorry, I'm really busy, gotta go. And, with that, she left. The three turned to Julia.

"Hi. May I ask who's in charge here?"

"Weeeel…." Duo started "I am, technically, but Heero's the one you should talk to."

"Ok."

"I'm Duo, by the way, that's Wufei and that's Heero."

"Pleased to meet you."

"They don't talk much."

"I noticed. Please, come this way." She lead them into an office. "Please wait here. I'll go and get Rob, he looks after the bodies." She came back with a man who looked like he was in his late twenties.

"This is Rob. Rob, this is Heero, Duo and Wufei."

"Hi." Said Rob.

"Hi!" Said Duo, grinning. Rob looked slightly uneasy at such…. enthusiasm.

"Where was he killed?" Duo asked.

"In his office."

"How did they get in?" asked Heero

"Oh, uh, through the window."

"How did he die?"

"Um, would you like to see?" Heero nodded his consent. They went into another room, where there was a table with something on it, covered with a cloth. The body. Rob seemed more at home here. He drew back the cloth to reveal the torso of Carl Jackson. The cause of death was obvious. There was a burnt 5cm hole approximately where his heart had been. There were cuts all over him.

"Laser." Remarked Heero.

"Yes. Very unusual - I'd though no-one used them anymore. I'm surprised you recognized it."

"I'm surprised YOU recognized it. They're about 300 years out of date."

"Yes. I have to say, it's only my interest in archaistic weapons that lead me to recognize it. You?"

"…."

"Oh, Okay then."

"Have you got any suspects?"

"Yes," interrupted Julia "But it's hard to say, with there being no other evidence."

"Who?"

"Well, because of this mark here," said Rob, pointing to a mark on the neck. It was three parallel gashes, looking almost as if an animal had scratched him. A BIG animal.

"-you think it was Devil and Angel." finished Heero.

"Yes. How did you know?" Asked Julia, surprised.

"Could you get a tapemeasure?" Julia frowned at him, eyes narrowing.

"I asked you a question, young man, and I expect you to answer it!" She growled.

"Uh, I wouldn't -" Started Duo, before Julia rounded on him.

"You stay out of this!" Duo put his hands up in defeat.

"Ok, Ok, but don't say I didn't warn you!" She just glared at him, and turned around to Heero.

"How….did….you….know?" Heero, examining the body, ignored her. Julia was now officially mad.

"Excuse me!" she said, and put her hand on Heero's shoulder. That was when she crossed the line. Heero turned around, and within an instant, she had gun pointed between her eyes.

"I said, could you get a tapemeasure?" Julia was, needless to say, shocked. But, angry as she was, she failed to realize the danger.

"Who are you -" The click of the safety catch gave the woman enlightenment towards the probable path of her life did she not get a tapemeasure.

"Oh, Ok. I'll go get it…." And she left. Heero's gun abruptly disappeared. Duo let out the breath he had been holding.

"I really thought you would kill her."

"I would have." Duo sighed.

"Typical." Julia came back with a tapemeasure, which Heero grabbed. He measured the gashes and frowned slightly.

"Close, but not quite."

"What did'ya find?" Asked Duo.

"It wasn't Devil and Angel."

"How do you know that?" Demanded Julia.

"Devil's claws are slightly smaller in width."

"Prove it."

"You'll need money."

"Why?"

"Why else would Devil come here? For fun?"

"You could get him here?" Her eyes took on a dangerous glint.

"If you guarantee his safety."

"But he's a known assassin!"

"So?"
"He has blood on his hands!"

"So does any soldier who survived the war. Now do you want this case solved or not?"

"Ooooh…." fumed Julia. "Fine. How do we get him here?"

"Leave it to me. Just get the money." She sighed.

"How much?"

"20 thou."

"What!!!" Heero just glared at her. "Fine. Do you want to see his file?"

"No. Just tell those two. They'll be coming with me."

"Ok." She turned to Duo and Wufei. Heero motioned to Rob to re-cover the body.

"Devil and Angel are one of the best assassin groups around. Either one of them is one of the best, but together…. they never leave anyone alive to verify how they fight, just rumors. They say they were genetically modified at birth, to look like their namesakes. They favor daggers above all else, and they've never failed an assignment. Ever. That's all we've heard. There are no pictures. Be very careful." Duo and Wufei digested the information, and turned to Heero.

"Let's go." He said.

18th of June, ac197. Government Center, L1. 08:42pm, L1 Time.

They walked up a derelict stairway to an equally derelict set of apartments. It was obviously a rough part of the colony, even for the Breaks. Many doors were gone completely and almost all the remaining doors had bullet holes of some description on them, and many had scars where a bladed weapon had struck them. One door looked as though it had been hacked at with an axe, which, in all probability, it had. There were stains everywhere - water and booze, it'd seem to the untrained eye, but in fact most of it was blood. It was a very rough place. Only one door was free from any blemish - in the last 10 years, anyway. Even the stains had faded to be nearly invisible for about a metre radius around the door. Except in the precise centre - or at least as precise as humanly possible to detect. There, there were three drops of blood, formed in a triangle. To one unused to the Breaks and their customs and culture, so much as it was a culture that knew what it was doing was probably wrong, but it's occupants either reveled in it, had no other choice, or simply didn't care, it was simply three drops of blood. Uncannily placed, yes, but still just three drops of blood. To a Breaks resident - or former resident - it was a warning. A warning that a master assassin lived inside. Only the best could kill someone with precisely three drops of blood - and only the very best could make it form in a precise design. And the fact that nothing had been touched around it for such a long time was proof that someone had, in fact, been killed, and from the look of the blood, it hadn't been long ago. Breaks residents weren't stupid. This was the door that Heero started towards. Duo and Wufei, not being fully Breaks-initiated, weren't as scared as they probably should have been, but, knowing a little of the Breaks, and just picking up on the general feel of the place, were slightly apprehensive. They knew they could take care of themselves - but even a master assassin was reluctant to enter the abode of another master in his craft. As previously mentioned, Breaks residents aren't stupid. Suicidal, drunk, depressed, drug-dependant were some of the main faults in residents, but stupid? no - the stupid were always dead by the end of their first week. A burly, tough-looking guy - probably a street tough of some sort, came out of one of the other apartments. He was quite obviously drunk. When he noticed the trio, he started to jabber at them, looking at the door with pure, utter animalistic fear.

"Don'…. Don' go in 'ere. 'Ere's a Master 'Sassin in 'ere. Two of 'em! Freaks. They….'ey" At this point he began blubbering.

"'ey killed moi fr'end Raven…. jus' last week…. a….a demon, 'at's wot et is!" He began to cry in earnest. Heero just ignored him, and, not particularly wanting to annoy him, particularly in such a violent place, Duo did likewise. Wufei felt that anyone who abused anything was below even his contempt, and so ignored him naturally. They walked up to the door, careful not to step on the blood - that was bad luck - and Heero knocked on the door.

"Name?" Called a soft male voice from behind the door.

"Dart." Across the landing, the tough jerked up suddenly, eyes wide. The door opened a crack, revealing an eye. A most unusual eye at that - it was a very light gray, with a golden pupil.

"Oh, it is you, Dart!" They eye narrowed, suspicious. "Who are your friends?"

"Just some people I know. They can be trusted."

"Good. Please, come in." The eye vanished, and the door opened slightly, letting them enter. The room inside was old, which was to be expected, but well cared for, which wasn't. There wasn't much in the way of furniture, just a plain wooden table, much scarred but clean, two chairs, one clean, one not, and a seemingly well constructed bench, which seemed to serve as both a food preparation area as well as seating. In one corner, there were several stacks of newspapers, a few magazines, and, rarely, a book. Many didn't seem to be disturbed for years, as if they were to be collected, not read. There was a target on one wall, with the center shot out, presumably by a combination of all the weapons scattered around the room. Standing anywhere you could probably grab three weapons in under a second. Half a second, if you knew where they were. They were mostly blades of some description, daggers being predominant, though there were a few hand-guns, and even an old 'plasma' laser-gun in a corner, and, as antique as they were, it was still in working condition. The three of them took this in in half a second or less. But what really drew their attention was the figure standing in the room, a slight smile on his face. When they had been told they had been genetically modified at birth, they had thought it would just be ordinary guys with a small pair of wings grafted onto their backs. This was not the case. He stood about two meters tall - very tall, especially for a Breaks resident - and was very fair skinned. He was slender, and very fit, unsurprisingly. He had long, slender hands, like a pianist's, but they were badly scarred, the legacy of many battles. Both his wings and his hair were the same shade of gray as his eyes. His hair, nearly floor-length, was very straight, and hung neatly at his back, except for his fringe and two strands that went before his ears. His wings, far from being small, could only be described as majestic. They were, at their highest point, about ten centimeters above his head, and finished just above the floor. They were of the feathery type. He was wearing functional clothes suitable for an assassin, but they were dark gray, instead of the usual black. This was definitely Angel.

"Well, Dart," He said "I have to say I'm surprised to see you. I thought you'd left."

"I had."

"And you're back?"

"One last job."

"Ahh, well I'd tell you to sit down, but…." He shrugged. "You've grown quite a bit since I saw you last."

"This isn't a social call." He sighed.

"I guessed as much. You never make social calls. What do you want?"

"I'm looking for Devil."

"He's not here."

"Obviously."

"I don't know where he is, either. You know Devil, can't stay much more that an hour in most palaces. He'll be back soon, I believe. Why do you want to see him?"
"We need him to do something for us."

"Kill someone?"

"No, prove he didn't."

"Huh? Who died?"

"Delegate Jackson." His eyes widened.

"Shit."

"Yeah."

"So you're with Preventers?"

"I'm not stupid." Angel laughed.

"Typical. But Preventers are there?"

"Of course."

"That's good. I don't think the colony could stand another war. There were good people dropping like flies - on both sides of the fence. So they think we did it?"

"One of the suspects."

"The others?"

"They're convinced it's you. They won't tell anyone anything."
"You're working with them, aren't you?"

"Who?"

"The Preventers."

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"They asked, and we both know what'll happen if the assassination goes unsolved."

"Yes, the destruction of the Breaks. The people would demand 'justice.'"

"That would not be Justice." Interrupted Wufei "That would be senseless killing."

"Yes," said Angel, turning to him "But they would demand it anyway. You are a warrior, are you not?"

"I am."

"Would you fight against us?"

"I do not fight the weak."

"Am I weak?" smirked Angel

"You may not be. But the majority here are."

"And you know this?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because they have no honor, and those without honor are weak." Angel grinned at Wufei.

"You have a good mind…. for a warrior." Wufei grinned back, surprising Duo immensely. Chang Wufei was well known for his antisocial nature.

"You have a good mind also…. for an assassin." Angel just laughed.

"I like you. You have a name, hereabouts?"
"No, just here for the day." Angel raised an eyebrow.

"Really? I didn't think that was possible."

"Things are never as they seem."

"True, but Dart is the only one I've ever heard of to leave." Wufei just shrugged.

"So." Angel smiled sadly, and shook his head. He turned to Duo.

"And have you got a name around here either?"

"A Breaks name? Nah, I'm like him," motioning to Wufei "just here for the day."

"Oh? Two of you? I don't think so. Once the Breaks get ahold of you, you can never get free." He looked incredibly sad.

"So we'll just have to make sure that it doesn't. The Breaks may be strong, but I think we're stronger. We're stronger than we seem."

"Undoubtedly." They just stood there for awhile, waiting, until Angel broke the silence.

"I've questions for you, Dart, but my brother will also want to ask them…. I will not put you through them twice. I had thought he would be back by now. When do you want this job done?"

"Tonight."

"Short notice."

"Short job."

"True. Where."

"…."

"I understand. May I come?"
"Sure." Just then, the door opened. Angel immediately had his hand on a knife.

"Just me, Angel."

"Good evening, Devil." The figure that walked in was similar to Angel - yet totally different. He was slightly shorter, and more muscular, but apart from that they had the same build. He had short, black, messy hair, black eyes with golden pupils and fangs in his mouth. His wings were what most people would associate with a devil - just on a much larger scale, and black. He had a forked tail, black also, that, if let hang would have about 20cm on the ground. He wore black, leather assassin-type clothes, and had skin slightly darker than the usual asian generic. He went visibly armed, and was smoking. This was Devil, and he looked, for want of a better word, evil. Angel sighed.

"You took your time. We have company."

"So we do. Hey! It's Dart! What a surprise. I though you'd left."

"I had."

"So why're you back in this old dump?"

"Got a job for you."

"For me?" He raised an eyebrow. "You've certainly gone up in the world if you want someone killed."

"I don't."

"Wha- What else am I good for?"
"Proving your innocence." He shook his head.

"Dart, you of all people should know that I'm not innocent. I've broken just about every law that this colony has ever had."

"But do you want you - and your brother, by association - to be killed for something you didn't do?"

"How do you know we didn't do it, what ever it is?"

"You're not stupid."

"And you're saying whoever did the killing is?"
"No. They just tried to set you up."

"Ah. One of those. I hate that."

"Yes."

"How much?"

"10 if you're there, 20 if it's not you, 40 if it's you and you talk."

"But you know it's not me."

"No. Easy twenty."

"Yeah. But since when could you afford it?"

"I can't. The L1 treasury can."

"What? You are fucking amazing, Dart. How'd you do it?"

"Comes with the job."

"Nice job."

"Yeah. Will you do it?"

"If you say I'm not going to get killed for other…. indiscretions."

"As long as you don't do anything wrong other than breaking and entering while you're there."

"Where?" Heero handed him a map.

"It's the L1 Police HQ. I trust you can get in?"

"Sure."

"I'll take care of the cameras for you."

"Thanks. When?"

"Midnight tonight."

"I'll be there."

"Good."