Wufei and The Shanghai Terror
Chapter 3
All Work and No Sally
"I am not looking forward to this weekend," thought Wufei as he drove to work after delivering Sally to the shuttle port.
His wireless rang and he pushed a button. "Hello?" Some part of him hoped it was Sally calling to tell him to come back for her.
"Hey, Wu-chan!" said a familiar voice.
"Maxwell," said Wufei. "What do you want?"
"Your phone etiquette sucks," said Duo.
"What do you want?" Wufei repeated, his finger hovering over the "end" button.
"Well, I know you're playing bachelor this weekend, and as luck would have it, so am I," said Duo. "Hilde is going to a spa this weekend with Relena and Noin. So, I was thinkin' maybe you and me could, you know, hang out."
Wufei frowned at the instrument in his hand. "Hang out?" he asked rhetorically.
"Yeah, you know, do some of that male bonding that's so important for one's emotional health."
"Have you been reading bogus self-help books again, Maxwell?"
"Uh, no," Duo lied, feeling embarrassed, then remembering that he never lied, said, "Well, yeah, actually."
Wufei made a sound of exasperation. "Very well, you may come over and we'll 'hang out'."
"Great!" said Duo enthusiastically. "I'll bring grub."
"You'd better," warned Wufei. "I have nothing you'd consider edible, since I don't eat anything I can't pronounce."
"That's just wrong on so many levels, Wu-tang," replied Duo. "What's the point of life if you can't put cheese in a can and fizz in candy?"
"I always knew your philosophy of life was something terribly profound," said Wufei sarcastically, "and with that, I'm hanging up."
"See you tonight!" said Duo gaily.
"Great," thought Wufei. "Now I must entertain the ben dan as well as be stalked by a psychopathic, spoiled rotten cat all weekend."
He was feeling slightly sorry for himself as he pulled into his parking spot.
He heard Sally's voice reminding him that he actually liked and even respected Duo, even though they were about as opposite in personality as two individuals could be and still be of the same species. It had been a while since he'd had 48 hours of Duo at once though.
"Hilde must have the patience of a saint," thought Wufei. Then he grimaced as he remembered Noin saying the same thing to Sally about him, once.
Duo pulled in 10 minutes after him, a bit late, as usual. He looked around briefly and having decided that no one was around, tried to sneak into the Preventors headquarters side entrance.
"Lieutenant Maxwell." Came a familiar voice as he slipped inside.
"Colonel Une, what a pleasure, first thing in the morning!" said Duo cheerfully, giving her a snappy salute.
"Can the crap, Maxwell," said Une, looking at him over her glasses. "You're late again. The 3rd time this week."
"Uh, there's road repairs being done near my house," Duo said quickly. This was true, although it had nothing to do with why he was late.
"No excuse, if you know this, leave earlier," she said to him, folding her arms in a no-nonsense manner.
"Yes, ma'am," said Duo, "May I go now, ma'am?" he said, avoiding her eyes.
"Yes, but one more time, and I'll have you cleaning my desk with your tongue, mister!" she stalked off, leaving Duo rolling his eyes and dancing impatiently in place until she went into the elevator. He took off running for the stairs.
"You're late, again," said Wufei, as Duo dashed past him in the hallway and darted to his office door, which adjoined Wufei's.
"Time slaves," Duo groused as he put his finger on the I.D. padd, which opened the door to his small office and clocked him in at the same time.
"Its called being conscientious," said Wufei, standing just outside the door. "Get a dictionary and look it up."
Duo gave him the finger. "Look this up," he said, and activated the door mechanism, closing it in Wufei's face.
Wufei walked into his own office, feeling slightly better having gotten under Maxwell's skin so easily.
He slid behind his desk, cleared his mind and began to work on some encryption codes Une had given him to decipher. It was engrossing work, for which he was grateful, since it gave him little chance to think about Sally, Duo or a certain despised cat that was probably shredding his favorite chair just for the hell of it until lunchtime.
At noon, Duo stuck his head in Wufei's doorway.
"Sorry about the rude gesture, Wu-man," he said. "Une had just finished reaming my ass about the late thing and I was a little testy."
"Forget it," said Wufei, waving a hand dismissively. "You know how I enjoy pissing you off."
Duo grinned at him. "Wanna grab some lunch?"
"Well," began Wufei, "I was going to finish this last encryption...."
"Ah, all work and no lunch makes Wufei a grumpy boy," said Duo, wagging his finger at Wufei. "Besides, your ass is probably numb from sitting there all morning, not healthy."
"I suppose you're right," sighed Wufei. "It's not as though there's any hurry."
"Yeah, I know, being temporarily sans female companionship stinks," said Duo. "I've actually got more work done this morning than I have all week, just trying to not think about Hilde being gone."
"Don't tell Une," said Wufei. "She'll arrange to have Hilde exiled to a distant asteroid just to get your production up."
Duo laughed. "I bet. Come on, get up and have lunch with me. Bad enough having to brave cafeteria mystery food without eating alone."
Wufei nodded, and closing his laptop, rose and walked out of his office with Duo.
"Hee-chan!" he yelled, seeing Heero's retreating form heading for the elevator.
Heero looked around, and seeing Duo with Wufei, began to impatiently push the buttons on the elevator again.
"Geez, you don't have to look so desperate," said Duo, affecting a hurt look. "I'm not going to attack you."
Heero looked around at Duo and frowned. "I'm late for an appointment," he said pointedly. "Not everything is about you, baka."
Wufei grinned faintly and wondered if Duo would ever learn to accept the fact that Heero was simply not a very open person. That didn't mean he didn't like you, or care, but he was never going to be the tactile and dramatic person Duo was.
"Oh," said Duo simply as they all stepped onto the elevator.
"Did you finish those encryptions?" asked Heero, looking at Wufei.
Wufei frowned slightly. "Une told me there was no rush," he said, "but, I finished them all but the last one."
"I could use them by this afternoon," said Heero. "Things have suddenly heated up with the syndicate on L-4 we're investigating. That's what this meeting is about."
"Really?" asked Duo. "I thought they were just some little punks trying to muscle in on the local crime scene."
"I'll fill you both in later in full," said Heero, "but I got a call from Winner Enterprises this morning. A shipment of a prototype weapon we've been developing in conjunction with them for the Preventors was hijacked last night."
"What kind of weapon?" asked Wufei.
"A weapon that targets a specific individual based on their specific body heat signatures."
"What the hell good is sumthin' like that?" asked Duo, grimacing.
"Actually, it was developed to prevent innocent bystanders from being killed by friendly fire," explained Heero.
Wufei nodded, seeing the implications.
"But, in the wrong hands, this could be used to assassinate a specific individual, correct?" asked the Chinese man.
"Exactly," said Heero grimly.
"In fact, Quatre himself may be the target they have in mind," said Heero. "There are factions that still don't want the peace that people like he and Relena have worked hard for."
"It's much easier to profit from crime during the chaos of war," said Wufei, shaking his head.
Duo bit his lip. "Quat is okay?" he asked Heero.
"He's doubled his personal security," said Heero. "And don't forget, he knows how to take care of himself. Peacetime hasn't made him soft, from what I can tell. He or Trowa."
Duo nodded his head. "Quatre never was soft, just hates killing."
"Don't we all," muttered Heero, as the elevator finally deposited him on the correct floor.
"Duo's going to be at my place this evening," said Wufei. Heero nodded. "Convenient, I can keep you both updated." He took off a jog down the hallway.
Wufei was still frowning in thought when he and Duo walked into the cafeteria.
"Suddenly, I'm not so hungry," said Duo. He proceeded to grab a tray and began to load it up.
"I'd hate to see what you eat when you are, then," said Wufei, looking at the food Duo was piling on.
He grabbed a chicken salad with sesame dressing and iced tea, and they sat down.
Wufei pushed some lettuce around on his plate in a disinterested fashion.
"Something buggin you?" said Duo, between large bites of his cheeseburger.
"Sally is on L-4," said Wufei.
"She's fine," said Duo. "This has nuthin' to do with some medical conference."
"Still, it makes me uneasy."
"Call her if it makes you feel better," suggested Duo. He slid a french fry through a puddle of ketchup and licked it off, then ate the fry.
Wufei looked up at him and nodded briefly, trying not to wince as Duo made love to his food. "I will," he said. "Excuse me for a moment."
He turned around. "Don't touch my food," he warned, as Duo drew back his hand, trying to look innocent.
Wufei went over to a public vidphone connection outside the cafeteria and pushed in the number Sally had given him of her accomodations on L-4.
"Hello?" said a familiar female voice after a few buzzes.
"It's me," said Wufei, wishing he were on the vidphone in his private office.
The visual came on and Sally smiled at him. "Miss me already?" she asked, raising an arched brow.
"Listen," said Wufei, ignoring her teasing. "There might be some trouble there on L-4, having to do with Winner Enterprises. I want you to be careful."
"Is Quatre involved?" asked Sally, now serious.
"Yes, he might be targeted by a crime syndicate we're investigating," said Wufei in a low voice, looking around.
"I'll be careful," promised Sally. "I am a trained soldier, you know."
"You're a civilian now," said Wufei. "Don't get any ideas about being a hero."
"Quit coddling me," said Sally, sounding a bit irritable. "I know what my limits are."
"I'm just making sure you know what's going on," said Wufei defensively.
"I know," said Sally. "I'll be a good girl," she said, giving him a reassuring smile.
Wufei looked around for eavesdroppers. "I miss you."
Sally's face softened. "Me too, ai-ren," she said quietly.
"Wo ni ai," Wufei said and put a finger to his lips.
Sally did the same. "Take care of my kitty," she said.
Wufei rolled his eyes disgustedly. "I assure you, that spawn of hell is living in her usual state of undeserved luxury."
Sally laughed. "Make sure it stays that way. She's my baby."
"Your baby attacks people and will only sleep on silk sheets," said Wufei.
"I know, she takes after you," said Sally.
She left Wufei with an indignant look of denial on his face as the connection was ended.
"How's Sally?" asked Duo when Wufei rejoined him.
"Worrying about the stupid cat," said Wufei.
"Then she's fine," said Duo. "That the kitty Relena gave her last year for her birthday?"
"The very same misbegotten beast," grumbled Wufei.
"What's the matter?" asked Duo. "Don't like cats?"
"No, the cat doesn't like me," said Wufei.
"Ah, what's not to like, Wu-tang?" Duo teased. "You're grumpy, have almost no discernible sense of humor, and perfectionistic."
"Then why to you want to 'hang out' with me?" countered Wufei.
"Because you need someone like me to pull that stick outta your ass occasionally."
"Pardon me while I get all sloppy with gratitude," humphed Wufei.
Duo laughed. "See what I mean?"
Chapter 3
All Work and No Sally
"I am not looking forward to this weekend," thought Wufei as he drove to work after delivering Sally to the shuttle port.
His wireless rang and he pushed a button. "Hello?" Some part of him hoped it was Sally calling to tell him to come back for her.
"Hey, Wu-chan!" said a familiar voice.
"Maxwell," said Wufei. "What do you want?"
"Your phone etiquette sucks," said Duo.
"What do you want?" Wufei repeated, his finger hovering over the "end" button.
"Well, I know you're playing bachelor this weekend, and as luck would have it, so am I," said Duo. "Hilde is going to a spa this weekend with Relena and Noin. So, I was thinkin' maybe you and me could, you know, hang out."
Wufei frowned at the instrument in his hand. "Hang out?" he asked rhetorically.
"Yeah, you know, do some of that male bonding that's so important for one's emotional health."
"Have you been reading bogus self-help books again, Maxwell?"
"Uh, no," Duo lied, feeling embarrassed, then remembering that he never lied, said, "Well, yeah, actually."
Wufei made a sound of exasperation. "Very well, you may come over and we'll 'hang out'."
"Great!" said Duo enthusiastically. "I'll bring grub."
"You'd better," warned Wufei. "I have nothing you'd consider edible, since I don't eat anything I can't pronounce."
"That's just wrong on so many levels, Wu-tang," replied Duo. "What's the point of life if you can't put cheese in a can and fizz in candy?"
"I always knew your philosophy of life was something terribly profound," said Wufei sarcastically, "and with that, I'm hanging up."
"See you tonight!" said Duo gaily.
"Great," thought Wufei. "Now I must entertain the ben dan as well as be stalked by a psychopathic, spoiled rotten cat all weekend."
He was feeling slightly sorry for himself as he pulled into his parking spot.
He heard Sally's voice reminding him that he actually liked and even respected Duo, even though they were about as opposite in personality as two individuals could be and still be of the same species. It had been a while since he'd had 48 hours of Duo at once though.
"Hilde must have the patience of a saint," thought Wufei. Then he grimaced as he remembered Noin saying the same thing to Sally about him, once.
Duo pulled in 10 minutes after him, a bit late, as usual. He looked around briefly and having decided that no one was around, tried to sneak into the Preventors headquarters side entrance.
"Lieutenant Maxwell." Came a familiar voice as he slipped inside.
"Colonel Une, what a pleasure, first thing in the morning!" said Duo cheerfully, giving her a snappy salute.
"Can the crap, Maxwell," said Une, looking at him over her glasses. "You're late again. The 3rd time this week."
"Uh, there's road repairs being done near my house," Duo said quickly. This was true, although it had nothing to do with why he was late.
"No excuse, if you know this, leave earlier," she said to him, folding her arms in a no-nonsense manner.
"Yes, ma'am," said Duo, "May I go now, ma'am?" he said, avoiding her eyes.
"Yes, but one more time, and I'll have you cleaning my desk with your tongue, mister!" she stalked off, leaving Duo rolling his eyes and dancing impatiently in place until she went into the elevator. He took off running for the stairs.
"You're late, again," said Wufei, as Duo dashed past him in the hallway and darted to his office door, which adjoined Wufei's.
"Time slaves," Duo groused as he put his finger on the I.D. padd, which opened the door to his small office and clocked him in at the same time.
"Its called being conscientious," said Wufei, standing just outside the door. "Get a dictionary and look it up."
Duo gave him the finger. "Look this up," he said, and activated the door mechanism, closing it in Wufei's face.
Wufei walked into his own office, feeling slightly better having gotten under Maxwell's skin so easily.
He slid behind his desk, cleared his mind and began to work on some encryption codes Une had given him to decipher. It was engrossing work, for which he was grateful, since it gave him little chance to think about Sally, Duo or a certain despised cat that was probably shredding his favorite chair just for the hell of it until lunchtime.
At noon, Duo stuck his head in Wufei's doorway.
"Sorry about the rude gesture, Wu-man," he said. "Une had just finished reaming my ass about the late thing and I was a little testy."
"Forget it," said Wufei, waving a hand dismissively. "You know how I enjoy pissing you off."
Duo grinned at him. "Wanna grab some lunch?"
"Well," began Wufei, "I was going to finish this last encryption...."
"Ah, all work and no lunch makes Wufei a grumpy boy," said Duo, wagging his finger at Wufei. "Besides, your ass is probably numb from sitting there all morning, not healthy."
"I suppose you're right," sighed Wufei. "It's not as though there's any hurry."
"Yeah, I know, being temporarily sans female companionship stinks," said Duo. "I've actually got more work done this morning than I have all week, just trying to not think about Hilde being gone."
"Don't tell Une," said Wufei. "She'll arrange to have Hilde exiled to a distant asteroid just to get your production up."
Duo laughed. "I bet. Come on, get up and have lunch with me. Bad enough having to brave cafeteria mystery food without eating alone."
Wufei nodded, and closing his laptop, rose and walked out of his office with Duo.
"Hee-chan!" he yelled, seeing Heero's retreating form heading for the elevator.
Heero looked around, and seeing Duo with Wufei, began to impatiently push the buttons on the elevator again.
"Geez, you don't have to look so desperate," said Duo, affecting a hurt look. "I'm not going to attack you."
Heero looked around at Duo and frowned. "I'm late for an appointment," he said pointedly. "Not everything is about you, baka."
Wufei grinned faintly and wondered if Duo would ever learn to accept the fact that Heero was simply not a very open person. That didn't mean he didn't like you, or care, but he was never going to be the tactile and dramatic person Duo was.
"Oh," said Duo simply as they all stepped onto the elevator.
"Did you finish those encryptions?" asked Heero, looking at Wufei.
Wufei frowned slightly. "Une told me there was no rush," he said, "but, I finished them all but the last one."
"I could use them by this afternoon," said Heero. "Things have suddenly heated up with the syndicate on L-4 we're investigating. That's what this meeting is about."
"Really?" asked Duo. "I thought they were just some little punks trying to muscle in on the local crime scene."
"I'll fill you both in later in full," said Heero, "but I got a call from Winner Enterprises this morning. A shipment of a prototype weapon we've been developing in conjunction with them for the Preventors was hijacked last night."
"What kind of weapon?" asked Wufei.
"A weapon that targets a specific individual based on their specific body heat signatures."
"What the hell good is sumthin' like that?" asked Duo, grimacing.
"Actually, it was developed to prevent innocent bystanders from being killed by friendly fire," explained Heero.
Wufei nodded, seeing the implications.
"But, in the wrong hands, this could be used to assassinate a specific individual, correct?" asked the Chinese man.
"Exactly," said Heero grimly.
"In fact, Quatre himself may be the target they have in mind," said Heero. "There are factions that still don't want the peace that people like he and Relena have worked hard for."
"It's much easier to profit from crime during the chaos of war," said Wufei, shaking his head.
Duo bit his lip. "Quat is okay?" he asked Heero.
"He's doubled his personal security," said Heero. "And don't forget, he knows how to take care of himself. Peacetime hasn't made him soft, from what I can tell. He or Trowa."
Duo nodded his head. "Quatre never was soft, just hates killing."
"Don't we all," muttered Heero, as the elevator finally deposited him on the correct floor.
"Duo's going to be at my place this evening," said Wufei. Heero nodded. "Convenient, I can keep you both updated." He took off a jog down the hallway.
Wufei was still frowning in thought when he and Duo walked into the cafeteria.
"Suddenly, I'm not so hungry," said Duo. He proceeded to grab a tray and began to load it up.
"I'd hate to see what you eat when you are, then," said Wufei, looking at the food Duo was piling on.
He grabbed a chicken salad with sesame dressing and iced tea, and they sat down.
Wufei pushed some lettuce around on his plate in a disinterested fashion.
"Something buggin you?" said Duo, between large bites of his cheeseburger.
"Sally is on L-4," said Wufei.
"She's fine," said Duo. "This has nuthin' to do with some medical conference."
"Still, it makes me uneasy."
"Call her if it makes you feel better," suggested Duo. He slid a french fry through a puddle of ketchup and licked it off, then ate the fry.
Wufei looked up at him and nodded briefly, trying not to wince as Duo made love to his food. "I will," he said. "Excuse me for a moment."
He turned around. "Don't touch my food," he warned, as Duo drew back his hand, trying to look innocent.
Wufei went over to a public vidphone connection outside the cafeteria and pushed in the number Sally had given him of her accomodations on L-4.
"Hello?" said a familiar female voice after a few buzzes.
"It's me," said Wufei, wishing he were on the vidphone in his private office.
The visual came on and Sally smiled at him. "Miss me already?" she asked, raising an arched brow.
"Listen," said Wufei, ignoring her teasing. "There might be some trouble there on L-4, having to do with Winner Enterprises. I want you to be careful."
"Is Quatre involved?" asked Sally, now serious.
"Yes, he might be targeted by a crime syndicate we're investigating," said Wufei in a low voice, looking around.
"I'll be careful," promised Sally. "I am a trained soldier, you know."
"You're a civilian now," said Wufei. "Don't get any ideas about being a hero."
"Quit coddling me," said Sally, sounding a bit irritable. "I know what my limits are."
"I'm just making sure you know what's going on," said Wufei defensively.
"I know," said Sally. "I'll be a good girl," she said, giving him a reassuring smile.
Wufei looked around for eavesdroppers. "I miss you."
Sally's face softened. "Me too, ai-ren," she said quietly.
"Wo ni ai," Wufei said and put a finger to his lips.
Sally did the same. "Take care of my kitty," she said.
Wufei rolled his eyes disgustedly. "I assure you, that spawn of hell is living in her usual state of undeserved luxury."
Sally laughed. "Make sure it stays that way. She's my baby."
"Your baby attacks people and will only sleep on silk sheets," said Wufei.
"I know, she takes after you," said Sally.
She left Wufei with an indignant look of denial on his face as the connection was ended.
"How's Sally?" asked Duo when Wufei rejoined him.
"Worrying about the stupid cat," said Wufei.
"Then she's fine," said Duo. "That the kitty Relena gave her last year for her birthday?"
"The very same misbegotten beast," grumbled Wufei.
"What's the matter?" asked Duo. "Don't like cats?"
"No, the cat doesn't like me," said Wufei.
"Ah, what's not to like, Wu-tang?" Duo teased. "You're grumpy, have almost no discernible sense of humor, and perfectionistic."
"Then why to you want to 'hang out' with me?" countered Wufei.
"Because you need someone like me to pull that stick outta your ass occasionally."
"Pardon me while I get all sloppy with gratitude," humphed Wufei.
Duo laughed. "See what I mean?"