Impossible

A Gundam Wing Fan Fiction

Rambled Off by The Manwell

Book Two: PREVENTERS

Duo Maxwell

I love coming up with code names. It's actually a talent of mine. I have this knack for picking a completely believable name. My success rate is due, mostly, to the fact that no one but a parent could have thought of that particular name with any fondness. And, of course, there's no way in hell someone would actually choose that name for himself. And voila, the mark is completely oblivious to the fact that he or she is being investigated by a Preventer agent.

I've lost track of the number of times someone has come to me and asked for one of my brilliant code names. In the event of a request, I simply whip out my ever-growing list and select something that sounds believable for the person who will be answering to it. That's the final touch that makes it all perfect, you know. But for Heero's code names... well, that requires a certain... finesse that I don't bother with for anyone else.

I start to chuckle at the thought of Heero answering to the code name I'd picked out for him... but the sound dies almost right away. I find myself staring at the clock on my desk and calculating his shuttle's speed and location.

I still wish I'd been the one to go. But that sort of woe-is-me whining won't get me anywhere. I know it, but I'm still sulking. On the inside, of course.

"Maxwell, stop pouting."

I glance up and over my shoulder at Wufei. He leans quite insolently in the doorway of my office, smirking. My expression takes an evil turn. "Please, please tell me you're here for a code name."

Both his dark brows lift in barely-suppressed amusement. "Not for all the money in the world would I ask you for a code name after I'd just accused you of pouting."

"Heh. I guess you are kinda smart'n'stuff, aren'tcha?"

"Yes," he replies haughtily. "I suppose I am."

I snort. "Pompous ass."

He pauses a moment. I suppose he's waiting to see if I've managed to vent all my hostility in those three syllables. "Yuy en route?"

"Yeah," I say. "Got his shuttle on the GPS tracker. Wanna watch the little green light blink with me for a while?"

Wufei looks borderline worried. "Don't you have other things you could be doing?"

I roll my eyes. "Yeah. I was thinking I should probably start getting the logistics together for my scheduled mosey on down to the copy machine." Oh, yeah. Desk duty is just a whirlwind of activity. Oooh, baby.

Wufei stares at me for a moment. "I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but when it comes to operation support duty, if you weren't so amusing, you'd be intolerable."

"Thanks for the pick-me-up," I mutter dryly. "Rah-rah-rass."

Wufei looks even more worried. "What?" he asks with audible reluctance.

I sigh. "You know the old pep rally cheer?"

He gives me a blank look.

Dutifully, I recite, "Rah-rah-ree, kick 'em in the knee! Rah-rah-rass, kick 'em in the –"

"Maxwell!"

I grin maliciously and continue over Wufei's urgent whisper, "... other knee."

Wufei sighs. "Ancestors save us," I think I hear him mutter. He musters up a weak glare. "Is this what you do when you're on the Network all day? Dig up archaic – not to mention asinine – examples of pseudo-music."

I laugh: pseudo-music. How true. "So... if you're not here to get a code name and you don't want to listen to my collection of, er, pseudo-music, then why are you here?"

He stares at me for another moment. "Collection?" he manages. "You mean you know more of those hideous... things?"

"Well..." I drawl, "the word collection does tend to imply plurality, yes."

"You... collect some very strange things," he replies.

I can't say I disagree. "So..." I begin again. "You. Here. Why?"

Wufei takes a moment to study me. And I do mean study me. By the time he's finished memorizing my face, I'm starting to get a little weirded-out.

"Actually..." Wufei tells me with slow deliberation, "I came by to see if you're all right."

"Er... huh?"

He elaborates, "With Heero being gone."

I snort. "Bloody hell, man. It's not like we're joined at the hip! I'm just pissy 'cause he got to take this one. You know me."

Another quiet moment passes before Wufei agrees, "Yes, I do know you."

And with that cryptic remark, he wanders away again.