Duo Maxwell shot up in bed and swung his head from side to side, brown eyes darting around, trying to find the source of the grating noise that had ruined his sleep. If he didn't get it shut off soon his neighbors would start pounding on the walls again and threatening to come and beat his ass for making noise. He paused and thought for a moment, after the day he had he might just welcome the chance to work out some stress on a ready and willing gorilla. He dropped down to his hands and knees and stuck his head under the bed where he ended up face to face with the source of the noise. A large 2 way government issued receiver was sitting under his bed buzzing incessantly. Hesitantly he reached out and picked it up. It looked familiar to be sure, but as far as he knew this kind of alarm had been left behind with his badge and gun when he was discharged by the government 4 years ago. He looked back at the spot where the phone had been and felt his stomach turn and drop at the sight of a new well oiled handgun, a few clips of ammunition, and a renewed and updated badge laid neatly side by side. Someone had been in this room. Duo sprung up, slid next to the closed window and looked out then scanned the small room, no one was there. He started to sink to the floor in relief when he was startled by the sound of the receiver buzzing again, he hadn't even noticed it had stopped. He raised it slowly and stared at the little display that changed from incoming signal to talk, whoever it was on the other end was now connected to him.
"Hello? Maxwell here." Duo listened to the silence stretch on the other side, had they not expected him to pick up?
"Duo?" Duo started. Was that Roger?
"Roger? What the hell are you doing calling me at 3 in the damn morning? The least you could have done was to wait until 9ཀ Then I might have been ready!"
"Ready for what?" replied Roger.
"Ready to hear the last four years I spent out of service thinking I was done have just been reduced to jack nothing. I'll see you in the morning. But for now, I'm going back to sleep." Duo hit the power button and tossed the large object across the room where it hit with a satisfying thump then sat down on the bed. His thoughts swirled in his head unable to settle on a specific complaint or idea. All he could think about over and over again was a conversation. The one part he remembered from the long winded speech that had accompanied his dismissal from duty . He had been sitting on stage about to fall asleep when one of the senior officers leaned over and asked what he was planning to do on his vacation.
"What?"
"Your vacation? The one you're about to go on? What are you going to do? I went to Africa for mine, strange place. Too hot. Don't recommend it."
"I'm leaving for good, not for a vacation."
"Hmm...that's what a lot of people think. Strange really, they give us so much opportunity to leave but only the people who run truly belong here. Well, good luck, don't start anything you can't end quickly." The truth of the words sunk in and filled the room with a heavy sickness. 'Don't start anything you can't end quickly.' Too bad he hadn't taken the officers advice. Maybe then he could at least be home when he got the news, instead of this hole of a motel he was currently sitting in.
"SHITཀ" he screamed into the dark room. It wasn't fairཀ Of course, when had it ever been fair?
