Chapter 2 – Stop the World and Let Me Off
Officer Leary reached to take another bite of his strawberry frosted doughnut with rainbow sprinkles as he sped along in his squad car, the siren blaring. What could he say? When the ladies took the chocolate doughnuts, someone had to eat the pink one. And truthfully, it hadn't taken him long to develop a taste for them. Needless to say, his daughter didn't often receive that which he said was only for her.
He badly needed that sugar high tonight as he and the four other police cars tailed the speeding cars. He checked his speedometer- seventy-eight miles per hour. Definitely a violation, as were those firearms in the rear car. Thankfully, they were headed towards an industrial sector where there would be fewer pedestrians.
***
It happened almost too quickly for Honor to realize. She drove faster and faster, turning occasionally on Heero's command, all the while leading the Buick and the police closer to the wharf. Now, if she didn't turn, she'd drive out onto the pier and into the lake. It made her uneasy that Heero gave no directions. Suddenly, Heero grabbed the wheel and turned sharply. There was the screeching of many sets of tires and deafening gunfire. When Honor regained her bearings, the police car that had been in the lead was almost in between her Mustang and the Buick. A particularly intimidating person in the backseat of the Buick was waving his gun around like a crazy man- which may have been what he was. Honor's car had barely been harmed, but the police, who had less money than her uncle, also had less protection on their vehicles. That officer was toast. The cars would be lined up any second.
"Brake!" Heero commanded. Honor did just the opposite. She was not going to obey him if it meant the death of that man. Sure, he risked his life everyday just doing his job, but Honor didn't have time to analyze that. She floored the gas and grabbed the wheel. Heero did not let go, but because of the positions of police cars there was only one way to turn – to the right, around the middle police car and straight out onto the pier. Heero's eyes almost widened as he reached over and came close to stomping Honor's foot while braking. The car screeched to a stop just under ten feet from the edge.
When Honor grabbed the wheel, the Buick Bunch had paused their firing to get to a better angle. They tried to follow the Mustang, but Officer Leary was able to cut them off. Unfortunately for the Buick Bunch, they had not been wearing seatbelts and the sudden stop was rather uncomfortable. The police easily apprehended them.
Heero considered his options. There weren't too many. If all had gone as it should have, they would be back on the road, speeding away.
And then what? What had his plan been again? Why couldn't he remember?
Duo was watching Heero in the rear-view mirror and saw the look that came into his eyes. It was subtle in difference, but Duo had learned to read him.
"@%*#! I am not dealing with this," Wufei muttered as he leapt out of the car and made a graceful escape into the lake. Duo used this distraction and lunged at Heero, taking his gun and hoping he didn't have another.
"What the- what do you think you're doing, Duo?!"
"You are NOT killing her," he said sitting back down with Heero's own gun aimed at his friend. Heero just grunted. For some reason, he still couldn't remember his plan… it had been a little fuzzy all night. Wasn't it supposed to be their plan to do away with anyone who knew too much? Yes, that had always been part of the gundam pilots' philosophy.
"Now, are you going to be nice on your own or am I gonna hafta keep the gun on you?" Duo said without his familiar smile. Heero quickly reviewed his options. There was no other choice with those interfering police everywhere. With another loud grunt Heero exited the car
"Heero, wait! Aw, you idiot! What the hell's the matter with you?!" Duo yelled.
Completely ignoring the both the police's and Duo's pleas that he stay where he was, Heero dove gracefully into the colony's man made lake and disappeared.
Duo let his forehead fall against the headrest of the passenger seat.
"Shoot," he muttered. This episode was definitely going to cause problems for the Preventers in the PR department, not to mention the Duo's-pay-and-benefits department. He didn't even want to think about what would happen to Heero if any of this leaked to the press. But of course, like most things one doesn't want to think about, he did. The imagined headlines read "Former Gundam Pilot Gone Berserk" and "Protect Your Children From Spandex At All Costs." What could he do that would get the Preventers, specifically Heero, in least amount of trouble?
Run away.
Honor was too overwhelmed to think. She just sat still, waiting to be told what to do.
"So, now that it's just the two of us- why don't I drive?" Duo suggested.
"Hnnh…" she said affirmatively, sliding over into the passenger seat.
"Don't start sounding like Heero, or we're going to have a problem here," he said with that crooked smile that almost helped Honor relax enough to breathe normally. Then he hopped into the bucket seat and left the negative thoughts on the bench in back.
"And now," he paused and glanced over at Honor, who had her eyes closed. "The getaway!" Duo put the car into gear and backed off the pier. The tires screamed as he spun it around.
"New tires, too," Honor moaned.
Now to get past that line of police cars. A new drawbridge was in the works and the parts were lying around. One piece was propped up with some framework so that the builders could weld the underside. In it, Duo saw the way out.
"Hold on tight, babe!" he said. Most of the police were out of their cars and waving at the Mustang to stop. Duo just waved back and hit the accelerator. This should be a piece of cake, he thought. The car climbed the bridge section and sailed over the end, landing conveniently on the leftmost squad car, which was, conveniently, empty.
"Gotta love how these things work out," Duo said.
"I hate roller coasters. This is worse," a pale female voice groaned. "Take me home." Duo drove down the back of the car and out onto the street. The police rushed to follow, but were too slow. Before they could turn their cars around, the Mustang was out of sight.
***
"In the clear," Duo said. "Now, before they call their friends back at HQ, lets get someplace where we can hide. Preferably dark, secluded and with food."
"My aunt lives on Oriole Lane. We have a refrigerator. Do you know where that is?" Unfortunately, Duo had not been in the area long, and half the time he had spent confined with Wufei – definitely not the nicest way to spend time in a space colony.
"Uhh, nope."
"Great. Now I have to direct you," she said, opening her eyes. "Woo, dizziness…"
"You all right?"
"Yeah," she muttered as she blinked her eyes against the darkness. "Okay, um… make a right up here. That'll get us to the main drag of this neighborhood. I'm going to try to avoid the highway, but I don't know any back roads until we get nearer my aunt's place."
"That's fine. Don't worry 'bout it."
"It's a good thing she sent me on so many errands. I guess she knew I'd want a reason to try out the Mustang… my beautiful Mustang…"
"Hey, if you're uncle's so rich, he can fix it for ya. Which brings me to another question – what're you going to tell him?" Honor didn't hesitate in responding.
"There was a drive-by and general chaos. I was in the backseat looking for my manual so I didn't see what happened. And I'm late because it caused traffic problems and I had to try to get home by a way I didn't know." She said it calmly, but she was not happy about the idea of lying to her family.
"You're good at this. Must be used to it."
"Not at all!" she said, very offended. "I never lie." Duo chuckled. It sounded so familiar.
"Well, I hope you're good at it."
"I can act."
"I see."
"Or I could pretend to be so emotionally traumatized that I don't remember anything."
"No, then they'll start asking other people questions, maybe call the police. That's no good. It's best if you just go back to your life with no one knowing you were ever involved."
She sighed. It did kind of make sense.
"Oh, we have to stop! Heero took off the license plates. I have to put them back on before we get home."
"Good old Heero," Duo said gruffly. He stopped the car on a residential drive. "I'll do it. Where are they? The trunk?"
"Yeah."
Duo hopped out and found the plates, bolts and a wrench in the trunk. Honor locked the doors behind him. A thought crossed her mind. She was relying on this Duo to get her home, but what to do once they got there? And what were his connections to Heero and Wufei? The only reason she was trusting him was that he had saved her from Heero. She had seen the look in his eyes –empty, completely devoid of emotion– a definite change from when he had seemed to take pity on her earlier that evening. She would not have liked to have had to deal with Heero on her own. Most likely she'd be dead if she had had to.
Duo worked quickly. Honor knew he'd be back any second. Should I let him back in? I have the keys… he had left the keys in the ignition. That was as good a sign as she could have hoped for. It made her feel like they were really in it together, as partners. Not like she had felt with Heero, who was so cold and commanding and had apparently intended to kill her the whole time. Unless Duo's some kind of psychotic wacko who's just taking advantage of an innocent girl's trust, she wondered. Something told her that wasn't true at all. There was a knock at door and Duo's kind face peering in through the window. She reached over and pulled up the lock. Well… I've done it.
Duo interrupted her thoughts.
"Hey honey, I'm back. Miss me?" he said, clipping his seatbelt.
"Sure," she said, feeling relieved.
"You don't sound too happy," he said, sounding as if there were actual disappointment behind the feigned discontent. She smiled.
"Really. I am." He returned the smile. Honor blushed and had to turn away. Something about that look… something about his eyes. How could she have thought not to trust him?
"So, where to? The moon? Vegas?"
"Home. Keep going straight until you hit Mockingbird Lane."
"Your wish is my command," he said, as if everything tonight were just a game. As he pulled away from the curb, Honor toyed with the idea of giving incorrect directions so they'd be together longer. Of course that would be stupid. What if Duo were some kind of criminal, albeit a very nice one? Besides, she might get them lost, and as much as she wanted to spend time with this explosive personality, she wanted even more to go to sleep
Oriole Lane was just off of Mockingbird, but Honor avoided staying on the street long by going a roundabout way to get them out of the bright streetlights. She had Duo bring the car up to Oriole on her aunt's block.
"Well, this is where I say so long," Duo said. So this was what happened once she got home. Honor wasn't sure what to say.
"Do you have to leave now?" she said, knowing the answer.
"I can't pull into your garage like I live there. I can't let too many people see me these days."
"But I saw you."
"Yeah. Look, I'll tell you the truth. I really don't want to leave you now." Honor's heart leapt into her throat.
"It's not safe. I trust you to keep your mouth shut, but apparently, Heero isn't willing to take that chance."
"So…"
"Okay, here's the plan. I'll get out here, but I'm gonna stay with you a while to make sure he doesn't try anything. Which house is yours?"
"There's a cul-de-sac on the left. Our house is the last before it."
"'Kay. And your room?"
"Upstairs, first on the left from the front door."
"I'll be there."
"I'll unlock the window." She didn't know that a simple window lock couldn't keep out Duo, the "god" of stealth, among many other things.
"Okay, see you later," she said as he climbed out of the car.
"Bye, hon," he replied before disappearing into the shadows. She was glad that she was going to see him soon, but she didn't feel relieved at all. Now she was on her own. Now she had to go home and tell her story.
It's okay to be upset, she told herself. I'd be upset even if it was just a drive by. Woah… "just a drive by"? I'm not even going to analyze that one.
She drove slowly down the street, hoping she would never reach her house. When she did, she paused. She was not looking forward to this at all. After tonight's ordeal, she ought to be glad to be home. So, that was how she'd have to act.
Her uncle opened the door as she pulled in. She knew what time it was, and by the worried look on his face, so did he.
"Uncle Joe," she said, getting tangled in the seatbelt. "I'm so sorry I'm late!"
"Late is an understatement. Are you all right? What happened to your car?" He gave her a hug and led her into the house. "Her car" she thought. It was too bad she didn't have time to appreciate how that sounded.
"There was a drive-by down by the mini-mart."
"Oh my God!" her Aunt Vada said in her distinctive L3 colony accent.
"It's okay, I'm all right. I was in the back seat looking for my driver's manual… the bullets just bounced off. There was some traffic trouble…"
"It's okay, honey," her aunt said, embracing her. "We'll fix the car. I'm just so glad you're all right. I knew that glass would be necessary."
"It's strange – the level of violence has been going down for months. Our city has no mob – no new gangs that I've heard of," Joe said.
"And I'm sure they'd tell you as soon as they had their first initiation," said Vada.
"Well…"
This was going better than Honor had expected. She thought they'd grill her for an hour on all the exact details, but apparently, they didn't care. The damage on the car and her track record was enough proof. Honor began to shake. Now that it was over, she was shaking like a leaf.
"Oh, poor honey! Look at how she's shaking, Joe! I want you to go straight to bed before you fall over, all right?"
"Yes Ma'am."
"Here, I'll help you." Vada held her arm all the way up the stairs and into her room, not knowing that in the shadows, there stood a longhaired young man.
"I'll bring you some water."
"I can get it from the bathroom."
"All right, sweetie. Good night." She kissed Honor's forehead and left, closing the door behind her, but leaving it open a crack.
"I hate it when they do that," she said, slowly rising from her bed and softly -very softly- closing the door. She stumbled as she went back to her bed, but kept her balance. She put her head down as soon as she could. The room wasn't being as still as it ought to have been and was unusually warm.
Duo stepped out from behind the window curtain.
"I was going to ask you how you're doing, but I can see for myself."
Honor looked over at him, which took quite a bit of effort.
"Hey," she said, smiling. "Glad I don't have to get up to let you in."
"Ah, well, I'm pretty good with locks."
"How did you get in?"
"A little climbing, some fancy footwork on the roof and a grappling hook in my Swiss army knife which came in handy… you get the idea." He hadn't answered the question the way she had hoped. How had he gotten in?
"Does the lock still work?"
"Yeah. I'll put a better one on there tomorrow."
"Could he get in?" she asked worriedly.
"Uh, naw. Not with me here," he said confidently. Right, she thought.
"Look buddy, just give it to me straight. There's no need to show off or stretch the truth." Duo was hurt.
"Hey. Hey now – that's the truth. Well, kinda. He isn't as good as getting into places as me…" he paused, thinking of the second part of her instruction and moved on to a more important topic. "If he were to find you tonight, he'd run into me, and I can handle him," he said, twirling his gun on his finger and making Honor a bit nervous – not because he was keen on shooting his buddy… just because it looked cool.
"Yeah, just…" she began. Duo looked at her intently. "Nevermind. I trust you." She wondered if she should regret saying that. Would it make her seem naïve?
"Yeah, I trust you too, kid. I wouldn't be here if I didn't." Apparently not. He crossed the room and took off her shoes, throwing them against the wall.
"C'mon now, head up on the pillow," he said, fluffing the feather pillow. Honor dragged herself closer to it and flopped down, not having the strength to hold herself up any longer.
"Ugh, I can't believe how weak I feel. I guess I'm not too good at this whole…" What? Get away, car chase, evasion of police… "…kinda thing. Sorry," she said.
"Don't worry about it." If there was one thing Duo couldn't stand, it was hearing someone complain about their weaknesses instead of focusing on their strengths. He had gotten enough of that from Wufei.
"Everyone gets a little shaky after their first car chase."
"Even you?" Duo thought back as far as he could. It seemed like he had always been running from someone. He couldn't remember the first time he'd run for his life.
"Maybe. Listen, you get some sleep and don't worry about anything. I know how you feel and believe me, you need all the rest you can get. I'll take care of everything," he said. "'Course, there probably won't be anything to take care of," he added quickly, in the hopes that it would help Honor to relax. She was about to fall asleep when suddenly she wondered,
"Duo?"
"Yeah?"
"Will you still be there when I wake up?"
"Yeah." He said it as if he meant it. She wondered what she would do if he wasn't, not to mention what she would do if he was. She had never had a guy see her as soon as she woke up, except maybe in nightmares. Honor thought about this briefly, until she fell out of consciousness.
***
Duo sat just to the side of the closed curtains and rubbed his finger against the barrel of his gun while he tried to analyze the night's events. Just what was up with Heero? First, he had appeared, the knight in shining spandex (so to speak), come to save his friends. Then, instead of being simply stoic, he'd glazed over and given Honor his best death glare- one truly indicative of his intent. Heero wanting to kill a civilian? That was out of character enough. But it got even stranger – when Duo took his gun, Heero ran off! Since when did Heero Yuy not have a zillion back up plans? And his first plan, driving by the police station (of course Heero must have known where it was, hadn't he? He had probably memorized every street in the entire colony) was completely uncharacteristic. Maybe it was his new post-war philosophy – just let the cops handle it. Duo made a face. No. That couldn't be it. Something was definitely wrong with his buddy Heero – so wrong that Duo knew he had to figure it out as soon as possible. Maybe Honor could give him a clue when she woke up. And maybe Heero would figure out where she lived and come looking for her, in which case, Duo had to be there. He hadn't thought Heero the type to kill teenaged girls, though during the war he had definitely been the type to try it. But circumstances were different now. It had only been half a year since the war against Mariemaia had ended, but each of the former gundam pilots were doing their best to put their soldier sides away and replace them with people who could not only function in a new era but live with themselves. None wanted to relive the past, but tonight it seemed that Heero was having trouble dealing. Duo pulled out his cell phone and dialed quickly.
"Duo?" the stern voice on the other end said. "Where the heck are you?"
"With Honor. You seen Heero?"
"With that girl? What do you think you're doing there? You have a job to do. You should have met me back here," Wufei chided. "The enemy is still out there. Maybe you were too busy flirting and didn't notice that the men in that car that followed us were not those that locked us in that cargo hold."
"Hey, I noticed! But you didn't see Heero! Remember, you bailed on me?"
Wufei did not care to respond, so Duo continued.
"He had this crazy look in his eye. I swear he wanted to shoot Honor." There was a brief silence.
"He wanted to shoot her?"
"Yeah. He got really scary – looked kinda… sociopathic."
"What?"
"I'm serious. And when I challenged him, he didn't deny it. He just followed you into the lake."
"Well, he didn't follow me any further. I haven't seen him since I left the car."
Duo cursed softly.
"I'm staying the night. Maybe two," he announced.
"What?" Wufei exclaimed.
"Heero may track us and come after her."
"You can't seriously believe Heero would do that."
"I know it doesn't sound like him… but I do think he might try something. And I have to be here when he does. I couldn't leave knowing there's a chance…"
"There's always a chance, Maxwell. There's a chance this colony could malfunction and explode before I finish this sentence! Be logical for a second. This is Heero we're talking about."
"And I'm telling you there's something wrong with him. If he comes here, maybe I can… figure it out and help him."
"You were given an assignment. If you neglect it, I will have no choice but to inform Une immediately." Well, now… Duo was slightly angered.
"You know what? You do whatever you want. I'm staying. I'll keep in touch." Wufei knew he could do nothing to influence Duo's decision and had to accept it – for now.
"Fine," he said harshly. Duo hung up without replying and shut his phone off. So what if Wufei didn't like what he was doing? So what if Une got mad, too? The idea of something happening to Honor, or any other innocent person, because he wasn't there to prevent it was unthinkable. No, it didn't matter what anyone else thought. He was sure he was doing the right thing.