AN: Well, I had kind of intended for this to only be a one shot, but people seem to be enjoying it, and I have a list of 11 different sequel possibilities, including some that weren't mentioned in the reviews. I'm going to try to get in every single evil plot point that I can, as long as my muse lasts. After all, it is finals week, I have to do something to procrastinate.
Summary: Duo takes in votes and mind games.
The Devious Election
The mood of Preventer's HQ was nervous, yet anticipatory. Through the halls stalked various brooding pilots and upper management. Heero and Wufei seemed to be sharing a pained and embarrassed frown as they strode down a darkened back hall way. Heero's usual confident stalk had developed an odd stutter, as if he seemed hesitant to go around corners. Wufei as well had developed an odd passive aggressive stride, a combination of I'm-not-here and even-if-I-am-I-will-kick-your-ass. Approaching a main and better lighted and populated corridor the two agents slowed. They seemed to have a silent conversation of glares, Wufei huffed slightly. Speeding up and moving ahead he glanced either way down the hall in a paranoid fashion before quickly darting across the hall to his office. Heero followed quickly, maintaining a deceptively casual walk that screamed repressed paranoia. Quickly he shut the door to the office behind him and glared at it ferociously.
Wufei rolled his eyes as he sat at his desk. "You're going to have to find someone else to play scout for you, Yuy. I'm getting enough funny looks as it is, I don't care how much you want to avoid the Peacecraft-onna."
Heero twitched slightly and turned his glare to Wufei, "Are you insane? I can't trust anyone else, they'd think it's funny, and I can't go near Relena until that stupid email blows over."
"Humph. Be quick and painless then, just move quickly down the halls."
"I am moving quickly."
Wufei raised an eyebrow slowly, "Quickly… Yes, that's why we made the five minute walk from the main cafeteria into a forty five minute round trip down back halls to the auxiliary kitchen."
Heero glared back, "It worked didn't it? We've got bigger problems if you haven't noticed..."
"The groups that suddenly go silent when we enter their sight? Yes I noticed, and I'd be willing to bet that Maxwell-baka has something to do with it."
Rubbing his face with his hand Heero sighed lightly as he sat down on the edge of Sally's desk. "I expect Wufei," he looked at his fellow pilot, "That the willingness to bet is the true source of the problem."
Wufei's eyes widened, "He wouldn't… After all he'd be on the…"
Heero nodded with a miserable expression on his face.
Duo hummed merrily as he counted up ballots. He was tucked in an out of the way corner of the main cafeteria. 'I'm willing to bet that everyone else is going to avoid large areas of people… and I need people for this.' Seated at a lunch table with a pile of scrap paper and a series of printouts on the wall behind him Duo looked like an ordinary teenage class representative asking for votes on student elections. That is if class reps existed in military organizations and smirked evil smiles while counting up votes on embarrassing situations for their friends. Chattering groups of officers, agents, mechanics, scientists and technicians drifted around peering over Duo's head at the wall behind him, agonizing over the proper choices to make. Occasionally a group would drift over and drop their scraps with votes into the trash can with a sign on it saying 'Voting Bucket, one person, one vote please'. Duo peered at his watch frowning, 'I've got a meeting with Une at three, it's nearly one thirty now… maybe an hour of counting..?'
Nodding to himself he stood and cleared his throat. "Ok people, make your choices and clear out, you've got half an hour to finish up then I stop taking votes. I'll release the majority either this afternoon, or tomorrow, so finish up placing your bets with your preferred bookie's too." The announcement created a sudden buzz of discussion and movement as people began rushing toward the voting area to deposit slips and vacate the area before the other pilots heard about this.
As the crowds stirred and began to dissipate a blond head covered with a baseball cap and wearing a pair of ratty overalls emerged from the press to stare in horror at Duo. On the wall was a posting reading 'Please vote only once per category unless otherwise noted, options include; 2 male repressed/SM, 2 female dominatrix, 1 bondage, 1 exhibitionist, 1 role-player, and 1 voyeur. Candidates include Pilots 01, 02, 04, and 05, Dr. S. Po, Lady Une, Zechs M., and Lt. L. Noin. A special election will be held later to determine pilot 03.'
"I can't believe you…" whispered the horrified figure beneath the black baseball cap.
Looking up Duo peered closer at the figure, noting the Maguanac Corp. logo on the hat he finally identified the scruffy figure in front of him, "Q-man! I knew you'd come out of hiding eventually! Hey, take a piece of paper, vote huh? So what's unbelievable about me today, my awesomeness, handsomeness, charming personality..?"
"Your apparent suicidal behavior in fact," Quatre absently took the offered paper. "You do realize you're going to be dead meat once Wufei and Heero hear about this right?"
Duo grinned up at his distressed friend, "Nope. See, I got permission before I started this whole thing."
Quatre gaped at him, "You… asked… Heero? Wufei..?"
"Hell no, I like my braid and body intact. I asked Lady Une, she said I could."
"Lady Une! Said YES!" Quatre staggered and sat heavily at the table next to the voting bucket that was rapidly filling up from people quietly brushing past him and dropping in various note papers, recycled copier paper, and a few napkins swiped from the lunch lines.
Duo smirked at his friend and nodded, "Yeah, she said that it was an excellent moral building exercise. She was one of the first votes." The smirk slowly drifted off of his face, being replaced by a puzzled frown, "Kinda strange, after she said that she excused herself, thought I heard maniacal laughter through the door. Weird." Duo shrugged, "Still, it counts as permission, so they can't really retaliate on Preventer property, or using Preventer equipment."
"That's… Terrifying…" Quatre gazed blankly down at the piece of paper he was crumpling in his hand.
"Which one though, that I got permission, or that Lady Une has something that resembles a sadistic sense of humor?"
Quatre rubbed his eyes and leaned on the table with his elbow, "A little of both actually."
"So has Relena heard about all of this yet? And have you heard from Trowa lately?"
Beneath his hand covered eyes Quatre's face took on a frown, "You'd know better than I about Relena, after all, as you told Trowa I've been hiding out. Trowa seems to be fine; having a good time with his friend who lives out in the woods near some isolated farms as far as I can tell from his emails. Other than that he's been very vague on where he is, wary about Heero intercepting our emails I suppose."
"He probably has good reason to be nervous… although Heero's been a bit distracted from his pursuit, have you seen him run into Relena yet? Or heard about the first time that he did?"
Quatre looked up from his hand, "What part of 'in hiding' did you not understand?" Duo shrugged and gave an evil smirk. "Alright, what happened when Heero met Relena?"
Duo's smirk grew even wider as he leaned forward across the table, "It was awesome! You should have been there, Relena tried glomping him as her usual deal you know, but Hee-chan does this complete spaz attack! He actually hid behind Lady Une with this terrified hunted rabbit expression on his face, so Relena is all 'What's wrong dearest Heero?' Heero can't even talk he's twitching so much, and Lady Une has this really evil grin on her face, I think she's really having fun with all of this insanity… But Relena's confused so she goes and asks him, heh, she asks him if he's having flashbacks to the war, and offers to, 'nurse him back to health'. Wufei's in the corner making strangling noises, and Sally's standing next to him so she turns and asks with a completely straight face if he needs assistance as well, as she's a qualified doctor. She gives him this look while she says it, couldn't quite see from my angle, so he spazzes out just as bad as Heero and so now they're both hiding behind Lady Une. So Sally is smirking and Relena's looking more confused than ever, then Lady Une with this really evil grin on her face turns to them and says that they need to face their fears and reached for something under her desk. I couldn't see what it was but whatever it was it freaked the hell out of them, 'cause they both stared at her in horror and then exchanged a look and ran for it past all of us out the door and down the hall. They've been avoiding her now as much as Sally and Relena now. Not sure what they're going to do about the meeting we've got though 'cause it's mandatory an' everyone but Trowa's gonna be there."
Quatre blinked at Duo's rapid babble, "Breathe Duo, before you pass out from excitement." Carefully he rubbed at his temples and gave a rueful smile, "So Lady Une isn't going to stop any of this is she?"
"Na, like I told you and Trowa, I think she thinks it's funny."
Quatre gave a deep sigh as he absently adjusted his baseball cap. "Oh well, not much we can do but go along is there." Duo nodded with a grin. Quatre looked at the paper with a grim expression on his face, and then looked up at the options on the wall. "Alright, Duo," Duo blinked at him with a slightly puzzled expression on his face. "Lend me a pencil will you?" Duo smiled and pulled a pen out from behind his ear and ceremoniously placed it in Quatre's outstretched hand. Quatre accepted it with a faintly amused smile, as he turned to the paper and began to scribble out his votes he said absently, "Time to do some damage."
AN: Feel free to vote for whom you think is who, I already have most planned as part of the plot, but being second runner up is open on most categories.
