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Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing nor it's characters or setting.

Notes: I thought I mentioned this in previous notes but I guess not. I'm not planning any sort of romance for this; the story is not about that. So no, there will be no 1x5 or 5x1, or 1 or 5 times anything else. It's just not a romance story. Also, I'm sorry if any of you were thrown by the previous chapter, yes that chapter is for Tears of Life I didn't make a mistake. That last chapter is one of the first obvious twists this story makes in its course. I didn't mean to change the feel of the story, the world always looked the same to me I just didn't describe the city much in previous chapters.

Chapter Eleven

(Double, Double Toil and Trouble)

"Haven't you gotten his attention yet?" asked Neon as he limped into the room he shared with the other boys. Jinx stood in a sulking position with his hands in his pockets, glaring at Odin who was sitting on his bed with his nose buried in an old clunky laptop from the library. For all appearances lost to the world.

"What does it look like?" Jinx grumbled back. He gestured angrily at the boy in front of him. His only movement being the steady tapping of his fingers glowing buttons and an occasional flicker of eyes between different open windows.

"Did ya try and lift it?" Neon asked. Jinx turned his glare on him and Neon laughed at the somewhat sulky expression on his friend's face.

"No, you know he'd snap my neck if I did that. Besides I don't see him just letting go, the guy's practically bonded with that thing."

"You want to try those smelling salts now?"

"Did you find any?"

"Nah, but I'm sure you'd could concoct something just as awful," Neon said. Jinx started chewing on his lip. They might as well leave him. If they waited much longer they would miss their window of opportunity. What could he possibly be working on that would keep him so thoroughly immersed? Jinx sidled up along the bed until he was standing against the wall and looking over Odin's shoulder. He blinked and leaned in closer, Neon coming up behind him.

"What is… that?" Jinx whispered, feeling his eyes hurt from staring at the wild symbols slowly decrypting and recrypting themselves on screen. He had meant to ask Neon who was squinting over his shoulder, but it was Odin who reacted.

He almost jumped out of his skin at finding two people leaning over his shoulder where he was sure there had been none before. He mentally swore, fluently and in several languages, at allowing anyone to sneak up upon him. He would end up dead if he kept doing that. He sat up, hastily trying to shut down the computer down. Who did they think they were? They had no right to look at any of this. It was his; it was private, and it technically illegal.

"You, you weren't just hacking?" asked Jinx, his eyes still bugging out of his head. Odin glared briefly through his bangs and continued stashing the machinery under his pillow.

"Yes," he said shortly, daring them to say anything. Jinx shook his head quickly at Odin's defensive answer.

"No, no its great, fine, won't say a word! Its just, well I, uh we, just didn't know you could do something other, then… ah," he gulped nervously and Neon slapped the back of his head, muttering idiot. Odin straightened and turned his full attention on them, his bearing suddenly more cold then they had seen it in some time.

"Other than what?" he whispered in his old blank monotone. Jinx suddenly wanted to swallow his tongue. Surprisingly there was no glare directed at him. Only a blank stare demanding that he finish his sentence. He was very grateful when Neon stepped in to save him.

"Come on man, anybody who spent much time on the streets would recognize you as dangerous. You practically scream professional killer when ya move." diplomacy had never been one of Neon's strong points. He had never had any use for it and since he figured that the only people who would be duped by subtlety couldn't be that smart in the first place, he thought it an insult to ones intelligence. A bit backward thinking maybe, Jinx thought, but then almost everything about Neon was backward in some way. Odin's demeanor softened.

"No," he said a little bit of sorrow sneaking into his voice without his consent. "That's not all I can do." None of them said anything for a time, until Neon glanced at the clock on the wall and swore. He grabbed his jacket from his bed and snapped at Jinx.

"Move it, we're gonna miss our exit!" Jinx took a quick look at the clock and hurried to put on his shoes. He was in such a hurry that he kept fumbling with the laces and losing his knot. He didn't look up from his feet while he spoke to Odin,

"We're going Den hiding tonight, if you want to come," he said. He finally managed to tie his shoes and snatched his own coat off his bed. Odin didn't say anything, but he was waiting for them by the door when they finished grabbing shoes and jackets and they all slipped unnoticed out of the building.

~~~~~

They walked until they got to a transport stop and took the transit the rest of the way into the center of the city. The three walked down the streets, avoiding holograms, drunks and the places covered with warring gang graffiti. Odin couldn't stop looking around. He hadn't paid much attention to the city he was drifting through before the police had found him and he indulged himself in really looking at everything around him. Rather then just noting as much, and as quickly, as possible on his surroundings for future sabotage or escape, now he took the opportunity to stare at all he had missed.

A huge clock tower with a glowing time face rose up to their right. Towering over them, it boomed out the hour in a stately voice. Above them numerous vehicle ramps and pedestrian walkways crisscrossed back and forth in multiple layers. Going from one lofty building to another and winding their way through the city. Lights came from everywhere, people and holograms vying for attention and calling out their wares. An old woman tried to sell them some of the bracelets, watches and other miscellaneous pieces of metal that were hanging along the inside of her trench coat. A large view screen over head was giving the news on the latest murder. Two young gossips stood just below it, trading theories back and forth.

Jinx was in front trying to hurry the other two up. Neon was stumbling along and grumbling for him to give a lame man some peace, or a new leg. Odin was almost walking backwards trying to take in everything at once and Jinx was close to hopping up and down with impatience. Odin looked over at one of the graffiti covered walls that they passed. It seemed to be a border of territory. The gang symbols on the buildings battling for domination.

Eventually they reached their destination. A small alley opening with a large man sitting casually on an iron stool, smoking a joint. His legs were stretched across the archway with his feet propped up against the far wall, blocking their way. He wore dark clothes and a broad rimmed hat that hid his face in shadows, but did nothing to conceal the bulging muscles that made up the rest of him.

With out a word or any sign of alarm Jinx cheerfully approached the intimidating figure. Odin followed closely in case things went sour, with Neon slightly behind. Jinx walked right up to the large figure and swept the man's hat off his head, placing it on his own. A very bald young man with a hard face looked back at them. Odin relaxed in recognition and stepped out of his ready stance, but he did not ease off completely.

Borg grinned at Jinx and made a grab for his hat. Jinx promptly danced out of reach in a somewhat comical fashion, the hat still on his head and falling into his eyes as it was much to big for him.

"What's with the hat Borg?" Jinx laughed. Borg growled playfully and made another lunge for Jinx.

"It keeps my head warm. Now give it back ya little punk." Jinx slipped that hat off and plopped it unceremoniously on Borg's head in mid lunge. Borg straightened up and fixed his hat.

"Com'in down for a little fun Jinx-boy?" He asked, crossing his arms over his expansive chest and looking down at the three boys. "Now you know it's not legal for me to let you in, being minors and all," he mock glared at them.

"Well then I guess you shouldn't tell anyone," Jinx joked back. Borg nodded and looked the three of them over. Jinx and Neon he was familiar with, both dressed in their usual style. Neon's clothes practically glowing in the dark and Jinx in his normal dark, faded colors. People here knew them and that they were not to be played with. The other boy he'd only met once, but remembered well. His appearance said nothing, just a plain white tank top and pocket-covered jeans over a slim frame. It was the way he held himself that proclaimed him a hazardous target. Borg nodded,

"I get off in an hour or so, I'll see you inside," he said to Jinx. He jerked his head in the direction of the alley behind him and let them by. Jinx gave him a thumbs up and led the way through the archway. About halfway down the alley he and Neon stopped and crouched down by a manhole. There was a thick haze and smoky stench coming up through holes in the metal cover along with muted booming sounds. Neon stuck his fingers in a few of the holes and lifted the lid. Music, smoke and light burst forth from the opened manhole and the three of them slipped through the hole, the last closing the lid behind him.

A myriad of sights, sounds and smells assaulted Odin's senses. He stood still on the ladder patiently waiting for his highly sensitive ears, nose and eyes to adjust to the chaos. Below him was a large coliseum like room. A mass of bodies writhed in time to the heart pounding music that blared through speakers on the walls. The light didn't seem quite right. Eyes, skin and clothing glowed under the black lights that hung from the ceiling beneath the street. Every once in awhile a support jutting out from a wall would blink on and send laser beams skittering through the crowd.

The smells were more mixed than should be possible in one place. Odin was able to identify the stench of sweat, frying meat, several different air-born narcotics and alcoholic drinks, some of which smelled sweet, others almost rank. There were male smells and female smells. Then there were the smells he could only begin to guess at. He nearly choked from the smoke and odors that were crowding his lungs. Near the ceiling it was all more condensed before the smog went out of the holes in the roof under the street and out to the night air.

Jinx tugged on his ankle and Odin slid the rest of the way down the ladder into the undulating crowd of bodies. Jinx took a firm hold on his arm and dragged him through the dancing throng to one of the back walls. He shouted something but Odin was unable to hear anything besides the pounding of the music. Jinx stopped after a moment, realizing this. Odin shook his head, gesturing for him to continue and that he could read lips. Jinx grinned and told him that this was only the main room of the Den, known as the Dance House.

He pointed to two different archways leading out of the circular room. The one straight ahead from the ladder went to the Spirits House and the one to the left of that was called the Play House. The Play House was full of entertainments other than dancing and the Spirits House was the official place for liquor. Jinx mouthed that he and Neon were headed for the Spirits House. Odin nodded and followed, not sure what he should do first.

People danced in the Spirits House too, but it was a far more drunken form. There was a large circular fire pit in the middle of the room. Many people were lolling about in the heat around it. An immense slab of meat was impaled on a spike over the flames and turning slowly, giving off a sizzling sound as the meat cooked and dripped fat onto the embers. Odin neatly stepped around the few drunken idiots who had passed out this early in the evening. He didn't really intend to ingest anything, drug or alcohol. Upon entering this place his eyes had honed in on the assorted unsavory characters that were lounging around doing business or just enjoying themselves. Odin found Jinx and Neon who had each gotten themselves a beer. He motioned that he was headed for the Play House and walked out.

He got held up in the Dance House. Every way he moved to he got turned around the other direction. He tried to wiggle his way past several people and ended up caught in the middle. It was very warm down here. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration and just stopped moving. He noticed that even when he wasn't moving on purpose every one around was still carrying him onward with them. He closed his eyes, feeling every other body moving in a rhythmic dance around him and himself being pulled along.

He opened his eyes. Why not? Wasn't that the whole point of this excursion? To do and experience something completely new? To experiment with new circumstances and sensations. He looked around him, watching how they moved and swayed and bounced. Some people just flopped about, letting the music take them where it would. Others made more willful movements, winding back and forth like glowing ropes of human flesh. One of the women to his right was far more flexible then most and made full use of the ability.

Cautiously at first he followed some of her movements. He released the breath he had been holding and let himself fall into the rhythm. The woman he was following caught site of him and smiled. Then she did a more complex move and twist that would have been painful for most people. He paused, then copied and at the end issued his own little challenge. And so it began. He moved and twined; sinuous and winding like a serpent. He moved faster and faster as the beat picked up. Pounding the throb and cadence through his blood. Somebody had been lifted up above the crowd and was being passed from hand to hand. With a jubilant shout the figure howled

"Dance, dance until you die!" And so he danced.

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