Title: Learn from the past and live for the future
Pairings: 1×2
Chapter 13 – B
Not having anything else to do other than to wait for folks to wake up, Duo decided to go explore the other corridors in the hopes of finding something fun or useful.
While moving through the corridors, he was astonished to find a kitchen with a large dining table. He felt like someone was offering him the opportunity to eat something. Having a little time to spare and now being hungry just thinking about food, he got inside to take a look through the cabinets, his intent to find something to eat or to make himself a sandwich if possible.
To his disappointment, the refrigerator did not have anything to brag about. Inside were some containers with names on it and small things but nothing that appealed to him. To his relief, he saw a door that probably led into the pantry. He was sure he would find something inside that room.
When he opened the door, he couldn't believe what he saw. Sitting on the floor inside the pantry was a young boy, who looked at him with scared eyes.
His first thought was "WTF," but knowing that would help nobody he tried a different approach.
"Hi, there."
Duo looked around the pantry as he waited for a response that did not come. He took anything he saw that could be of interest to him, taking the items and leaving the pantry. Once he reached the table, he released all the items and seated himself down, still looking toward the pantry. The door remained open and Duo could see the boy, who remained quiet.
He tried again, "Is there a reason you are sitting inside a pantry?"
"None of your business, go away."
"Oh you do speak, and here I thought you were mute or deaf."
Once again the boy stubbornly looked away, intending to ignore Duo.
While starting to prepare a sandwich for himself he tried to make the situation more peaceful.
"Okay, okay I got the message, but I cannot leave you here not knowing how it is that you are in here." While explaining himself Duo could see the emotion playing on the young boy's face. "I promise you, I won't do anything to you, I just want to understand, and eat at the same time. Are you hungry? There is enough to make more than two sandwiches."
"What will it cost me?"
"Nothing," Duo replied with humor, "it is not my food, but I still took it and am still going to eat it."
"Do you promise you won't do anything to me?" asked the boy again.
Duo put his hand on his heart, saying, "I promise. I won't do anything to you or try to harm you in any way."
A few minutes went by, with Duo making sandwiches and looking toward the boy who was deciding if he could trust his words. When Duo thought he wouldn't come out, the boy did. He also surprised Duo with taking the seat opposite him.
"Okay, now that we understand one another, can I ask you a few questions while we eat?"
The boy looked eagerly toward the sandwiches and then toward Duo, "Yes."
"Cool. So what are you doing in this building?" he moved all the sandwiches to the middle of the table as he asked.
"I am scavenging for interesting stuff." the boy replied, taking the offered food and taking a bite of it.
"Did you find anything useful?" asked Duo while eating his sandwich.
"Did not have the time," came the guarded voice, "I was waiting outside for the right moment to enter the building and hide in a closet."
"Okay, so far so good, continue please." the boy gave Duo an annoyed look.
"When I was sure I was alone I got out and was moving through the rooms looking for anything that could be useful for me." the only response he got from Duo was a nod to continue, "The problem was when I got to the people lying on the floor and saw some fall right before my eyes. That scared me so I ran in here and hid. That's it." The boy kept eating after his explanation.
"Sorry about that, it's my fault. I was looking for my friend and was using a sleeping gas to get all those people off my back. It is easier to just make them sleep for a while."
When Duo explained the boy looked at him, relieved, asking, "So they are not dead?"
"No, of course not. After some time passes they will start to wake up and will probably just have a big headache and feel fuzzy."
As the boy took his second sandwich Duo asked, "What is your name, anyway?" the boy gave a look at the personal question, but that did not discourage Duo. "Come on, I cannot call you boy in my head. Everyone has a name. My name is Duo. Nice to meet you." after offering his name and stretching his hand so the boy could shake it, he once again waited.
The boy's hand was cold but his shake still firm. "My name is Luke, nice to meet you too."
When the introduction was done Duo continued with his questions. "So tell me, Luke, how come you are doing what you are?"
"I need money to buy some food," Luke explained.
"If I understand you correctly, then you are breaking into houses and stealing stuff so you can sell it for some money?"
"Uh-huh," was all that Luke repaid.
"You taking care of yourself or your family?" asked Duo carefully.
"It is just me," came the reply, and Duo knew at once something was not alright. He continued, "What about getting some friends on the street, to get a safety net?" he studied the young kid as he added, "There is safety in numbers, you realize that right?"
"What do you know about any of that?" Luke asked angrily, "You cannot know how it feels to be on the streets without food or anyone around you, depending on yourself."
"I know everything about it kid. Did you ever hear about the colony V-08744 of the L2?" when Duo saw the negative shake of kids head he continued, "Let me tell you something about it. It's a colony were only like 20% of the population thrives, then there is another half of humanity that survives by bagging, stealing or doing crime. Guess which class I grew up in."
Luke looked at Duo suspiciously, as if he did not believe a word he'd said so far, but he still answered, "To the first class?"
Duo at first just shook his head, continuing, "No, I grew up in a colony cluster, knowing nothing about my family or my real name. In my eyes, my father was an old preacher and my mother a nun. My best friend and the most important person to me was a boy I met on the streets. And he was like a brother to me."
"But you grew up in a cluster, still not on the streets." the kid said stubbornly.
"Before the cluster, I was a part of a street gang of orphans. Everyone in the gang had to steal to survive. So yes I know exactly how it feels, but that is a story for another time. So once again, did you try to find some friends on the street?"
"I did try, but with the wrong ones. Once I was beaten, and afterward they took all I had on my person. So now I keep to myself and don't trust anybody. The risk is not worth it."
"What about your parents? Did they die?" Duo wanted to know.
When the question about his parents came Luke looked away again as if he did not want to talk about it, so it was surprising when he did.
"They did not want me." Luke replied with a shrug like that was something that happened every day.
"What you mean they did not want you? Are they your biological parents or were you adopted?"
"What? No, they are my real parents."
"And they told you to leave?"
Before answering Luke once again shrugged, then looked away, "What can I say? Whatever I did, I did. My parents just said to me that I am not what they wanted and that I should leave. If you ask me why I would say that they did not like me I showed interest in boys and not girls."
"Nothing wrong with that, I like to look at men too." Duo answered.
The unexpected reply made Luke give a hateful look toward Duo again, "Yes it is wrong, my parents said so. They threw me out just because of that. So it's wrong."
"It's nobody's business to whom you are attracted to, that is the truth. Also, I don't know your parents, but you should always listen to yourself about what is right or wrong."
Not wanting to give the kid a reason to stop talking, he changed the topic, "So how long have you been living on the streets?"
"A year, maybe more. I stopped counting the days."
"That is logical. I am sorry." responded Duo.
He looked at his wristwatch and saw that his free time for leaving the idiots was almost over. "I have to leave you now. I have something else to do."
When Duo stood up, the boy did so as well, and when Duo cleaned up after himself the boy did that too. Not feeling okay with not knowing if the boy was okay by himself he looked at him again.
"Will you be okay, by yourself?"
At the same time, Luke asked Duo, "Mister, do you need help while searching for your friend? I am fast and I can help."
That was something Duo did not expect to hear. He was sure the boy would flee the moment the opportunity arose. But no, he offered to stay and help out, even if Duo did not need any help. For that Duo was very touched.
"You can call me Duo, not Mister. Also, that is very generous of you to offer me your services. Even so, I've already found my friend, and he is on his way home."
"Oh," came the short reply, and Duo felt bad for disappointing the boy.
"So, you are going home now too?"
"No, I still need to punish all those who were involved with the kidnapping. If I don't, they will never learn not to touch someone who is not a willing participant." Duo's tone was emotionless.
The answer surprised Luke a bit, but not for long. "Can I still come with you?"
Deep down Duo knew how it felt to be alone, not having anyone to depend on. So when the question came, Duo stopped and gave the boy his full attention.
"I will hurt some people, do you understand that?"
"They started it," Luke shrugged, "so they should have expected something to happen."
"You are too young to be such a smart ass. But if you are sure, then you can come with me." the moment Duo gave his approval Luke smiled with satisfaction.
"Nice! What will we be doing first? Do we need to find all those who hurt your friend?" Luke looked up at him.
"It is already done. I have them all in one room."
"Oh." came the disappointed reply once again, "So is there anything I can help out with?"
"Yes, there is." Duo responded, "You will be staying outside in the corridor and guarding the room I will be staying in."
"But all those people are sleeping, what is the point of guarding an empty corridor?"
"You need to learn to foresee what could happen at any moment."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that even if all those people are sleeping you can never know if one of them wakes up and tries to call for help. So one of us has to be on guard duty." he looked at the boy as he explained and saw acceptance.
"I can do that. But what if someone does start to wake up? Am I allowed to come into the room?"
"Of course you can. You have to inform me."
It was hard not to see how eager the boy was to please Duo. That told him that the boy did not have a grown-up figure to look up to.
When Duo reached the right corridor, he went inside, with Luke right behind him. All he wanted was to see how all those beautiful idiots were doing. When he stepped into the room he saw each person awake and in panic mode, even Relena looked alarmed.
"Wow, so many people. Is that woman a bad person too?" Luke stood just behind Duo observing all the people strapped on the beds.
The question brought Duo out of his head.
"All of them all guilty of kidnapping, being an accessory to kidnapping, or just being here and looking away and not trying to get help." Duo looked each person in the eyes as he explained to Luke, making sure they understood why they all were here right now.
"What did those bad people do to your friend?" Luke asked.
"When I found him, he was naked on a bed, strapped down so he couldn't move. From his movements and reaction to me, I could tell that they had drugged him up so he was quiet and sleepy. From the monitor and the equipment they were using on him, I could see that they were electroshocking his brain and his body. While doing that they were taking notes on how his body and brain reacted to different electroshock levels."
"That is horrible." was all Luke said. Duo could read horror, revulsion, and anger on his face.
"Not as horrible as it will be for them when I am done." Duo replied coldly.
"What will happen to them?" asked Luke again, not realizing he was helping Duo, "Will you cut their tongues out or remove their organs? Will the blood flow?" each person in the room got more and more frightened with each question.
"Will you kill them?" came the last question, quieter than the others before it.
"Killing someone is the easy way out. With that option, you are releasing them too soon, and they don't learn from their mistakes. It is more effective if they feel the pain for the rest of their lives."
"Oh, okay. So the way their beds are setting, is there a reason for it? And why is that woman," he pointed to Relena, "at the end?"
"She is the reason all of this started, so she will be the last to feel it. She will watch every person before her getting what she is waiting for. In the end, the domino effect will take more than her body, her soul will go too. Do you know the domino effect?" Duo asked.
"Never heard of it," was all that Luke said.
"The domino effect is based on the domino game played with small tiles. The main part of the game is to assemble the domino tiles in innumerable ways to create simple or complex games. When your tiles are set to your satisfaction, you release them to fall. Then all eyes are on the falling domino tiles. If they fall in the right pattern, you win. Today, the domino game is being played all over the world. It's a national game in some countries. Sometimes it is very entertaining to watch those games on shows."
"I still don't understand completely. How are you going to use the domino effect?" just from the question Luke showed how innocent he still was in his soul.
Not wanting Luke inside the room while the domino effect was being played out, Duo turned to him. "The guarding duty is still yours to do, so go now and keep notes on all the people. When it's finished, I will come out. It won't take long." To his astonishment, the boy did just that.
"But you'll call if you need me?" asked Luke.
"Of course I will," replied Duo.
When he was sure Luke was out of the room he once again turned toward the crowd of beds and smiled his cold smile.
"Now let me explain what kind of game we are going to play. Afterward, we're all going to see how long it will take for each of you to give up and take the punishment like champions."
Relena was truly scared now. Duo Maxwell had gone nuts, and nobody saw it. Not even Heero or Trowa. She still did not know why she angered him or the other Pilots.
It was not fair to her. First he abducted her from her hotel room, threw her in his car and drugged her up so she would sleep and not try running away. And now she was on a medical bed strapped down like a criminal. Did the world go nuts?
And why did Trowa ignore her? There was no reason for it, she did not have contact with him for a long time. But he simply ignored her doing nothing to help her as she tried to run away (crawl away was more like it) from the car while two black dogs followed her. The hope that he would help her vanished as soon as he lifted her over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes and took her inside. In her mind, she tried to fool herself into believing that he was only taking her to the bathroom to freshen up, but she knew she was wrong. He walked through the corridors, not caring about the people on the floor. He was heading straight toward someone, though she didn't know who.
As they got to the destination he threw her down, not worried how she fell or if it'd hurt her. It took her several minutes for the pain to go away and to stop seeing stars. As the pain faded she took the opportunity to look around. The first person she recognized was, of course, Duo, who was sitting on the floor near Heero, who looked exhausted and terrible.
That took her by surprise, and she momentarily forgot her problem. She wondered why he was here, and if she was the reason. And if so, what had those doctors done to him? Whatever they did, it must have been horrible. How dare they go after Heero at all? All they had to do was look at her baby boy and make him normal again, was that too much to ask?
The problem she was facing now was that she couldn't hear what they were talking about. And even if she could, it wouldn't help her because nobody paid her any mind. If she were to guess, Trowa was probably here for Heero. That confirmed itself when Trowa helped Heero get on his feet. When both turned toward the exit, her hope that they would look at her grew. Her eyes were hoping for Heero to look at her, to see her on the floor, and to respond to her. But he did nothing of the sort, neither of them showed any respect for her. There wasn't any emotion on Heero's face. It was like he did not see her. And now she was scared shitless. If Heero, who had always helped her out, wouldn't even acknowledge her now, nobody would.
She was on her own.
That couldn't happen to her. What should she do? How could she help herself? Now, completely dependent on Duo, all she could do was try to make him see her point of view.
While Relena thought frantically for a way to show Duo that she was innocent, he was moving from person to person making sure all, even her, had the right combination of technology on their heads, hands, and inside their mouths. Why they had to have something in their mouth or why the right hand had to be raised, she did not know. When he was satisfied with everything, he went into the next room, bringing out a chair and sitting on it.
"Everyone, let me explain what is going on here and what will happen in the next few minutes."
As he spoke each person looked at Duo with scared, frantic eyes.
"First of all, let's give a big thank you to Relena Peacecraft, the leader of the Sanc Kingdom and also the person who is responsible for all this."
Since nobody could give the applause and a thank you, he did it for them. When he was satisfied with their reactions, he continued, "You see, she was married to my best friend Heero Yuy who was, by the way, a Gundam pilot with the code name 01."
Again Duo waited for everyone to react. When he got what he wanted he continued.
"They were married for, let's say six years and had a beautiful boy named Solo together. He is five years old."
Again he stopped to let his words sink into each person.
"I know each of you is asking yourself why I am telling you that. But be patient with me for a little while longer."
After a few minutes of quiet, Duo proceeded.
"Everyone wished the young family all the happiness they could get, even myself. But guess what. Relena wasn't happy. She wasn't satisfied with what she had, no she wanted more."
As he started to talk about her, Relena wanted to deny it. But in her heart, she knew he was right. Her ambitions, her wishes changed from having Heero in her life and having a family with him toward political ambitions. But that wasn't a crime, he shouldn't make her ashamed about it. And as if he could read what was going through her mind, he continued with his monologue.
"Of course that is one aspect we cannot fault her for. She is a normal human being, who was spoiled from a young age. And so when she got what she wanted, she started a new path, and that was going into political waters."
While he talked everyone's eyes moved from Duo to Relena and back to Duo.
"Her son became an obstacle to her ambitions, wishes, and even ideas."
When Duo saw that everyone was wondering where his tale would lead, he continued.
"You're all probably asking yourself how this small boy, her only son, could make problems for her. Let me explain. You see, he is not just a boy, no, he is a very gifted young boy. How is he gifted? He can look at you and tell from your tone of voice, from your emotions and thoughts, if you are telling the truth or lying. Is that not right Relena?"
With all eyes on her, she squirmed and all she wanted was to turn her body away from all those eyes. The problem was that she couldn't, not while being strapped to the bed. So all she could do was look away, asking herself, "Why is he telling them all of that? Isn't that a personal matter? Nobody should know these things".
"Anyway," continued Duo, "her son knew from the start how she was feeling, when she was sincere when she was pretending, when she was lying or when she was telling the truth. You see she couldn't pretend with him." Again his eyes went to Relena, "Is that not right Relena? You couldn't hide from your son."
While he talked Relena ignored him, looking away.
"Even though he was so young he knew what her personality was, and he started to avoid her. He did not want to be in the same room as her. His own mother, can anyone imagine that?"
Without making a suggestion all eyes when to Relena again, judging her with their stares.
"So what did she do? Did she try to explain to the boy what she was feeling, or why she pretended one thing while feeling another? No, she did not. She started to curse the gift her son had. She even went so far as to look for doctors who were willing to look at him and try to change him into a normal boy."
The looks she was getting now were not looks of curiousness. No, they were looks of disbelief.
"Of course, every honest doctor would tell her that those thoughts were wrong and not to look for something that does not exist. Every honest doctor would tell her that they could not help her son because there was nothing to help. They would tell her that he was a healthy young boy with a special gift and nothing more."
While Duo talked his eyes went from Relena to the leading doctor.
"Is that not right, doctor? Were you, as an expert, honest to Miss Relena? Did you explain to her that she was looking for a fairy tale? I guess you did not since all of us are here today. No, you did the opposite, you saw a desperate rich woman whose delusions you could use to your advantage."
For a few seconds Duo stopped his monologue, getting his thoughts straight.
"I wouldn't fault you for that if your greed did not turn toward Heero and Solo. If you just squeezed Relena for the money, I wouldn't even look toward you. But when you kidnapped Heero you unconsciously made a contract with the devil. And the devil sent me."
Now Duo's posture changed from relaxed to cold, unmoving to anything other than judgement.
"You, doctor send a team of specialist to attack and kidnap Heero and his son. With that, you inadvertently attacked a whole team of Gundam Pilots. And we take that very seriously. I, Shinigami am here today to give you the judgment for your decisions."
The look he gave the doctor shifted from him toward everyone else in the room.
"I judge not just him, I give the judgment to all of you. And in my eyes, each of you is guilty of collaboration. Because of that, all of you will have the privilege to know what the good doctor was doing to Heero. Specifically, all of you will get to know how it feels to have electricity flow through your body and brain."
"Each of you will be electroshocked. Also, each of you will have the privilege to choose when that will happen. When one is done, the power will be transferred to the next bed. The trigger will be set in motion by you. That is the reason each of you have your right hand up in the air."
"But because I want you all to live long and painful lives, I will lower the voltages. That way there won't be any deaths. What side effects there will be I cannot say because I don't know. But I am warning you all, if any of you by end still has the ability to give information about what happened today or who did this to you, then I will extend the punishment to all of your families. Don't make me come after them."
Earlier when he was preparing each person he moved their right hand up in the air. Each hand was supported with a rope. That rope would be cut by the first person, and the support would fall apart by the next person and the next after that.
"Also, when your hand falls or you put it down, you are triggering the mechanism that is going to electroshock you. Is this understood so far?"
Duo's eyes traced each person on the bed as he asked, judging when the moment was right to start the execution. When he was satisfied with the view, he continued.
"Okay, I see all of you know what will happen and how it will work. So we'll start with the good doctor here."
As he moved toward the doctor, the old man started to thrash on the bed, mumbling incomprehensibly. What he was saying nobody understood because each person had their mouths kept shut.
He moved toward the machine, preparing the right voltage so there weren't any fatalities. When he was sure the machine was set and the rope supporting the doctor's hand was removed, he stepped away and moved again to the chair.
"Now it's all set, doctor. You alone will decide when we will start. It all depends on how long you can keep your hand in the air."
Duo moved his chair to the middle of the room so he could watch each person and their struggles with the situation there found themselves in. As he sat down, he wondered how long it would take the doctor to start the chain effect. For now, the man was stubborn with his hand up in the air, still as a statue.
"Wow, what a strong start we've got here. It looks like the good doctor isn't giving up. But we have all night for the fun, so we can just wait and wait and wait."
While he talked some tried to talk as well, struggling on the beds in the hopes of getting the technology on their heads off and away from them. But this didn't help. Even Relena couldn't stay still, her movements were frantic and her head was moving from left to the right, looking for something or someone who would help her. But of course nobody came.
"Miss Relena, your turn will come swiftly, so try to calm down and wait for it. There is no hurry, all of you will get what you deserve."
Again his eyes moved from Relena back to the doctor. As he did so he saw the desperation in doctor's eyes. He was looking directly at Duo hopefully.
Without taking his eyes off the doctor Duo replied to an unasked question, "Sorry, but there won't be a change. What is happening here is all on you and Miss Relena. Each person here will take the fall for it. How long you delay it is up to you, but don't worry, in the end you will get what you deserve."
When the gravity became too strong for the old man and his hand fell to his right side the machine reacted and only the sound of the electroshock could be heard. With it, his whole body started to tremble with the force. When it ended the man did not move and the rope that pulled the hand of the next person fell away, and with it, the dance of will began once more.
As Duo watched the struggles of each person, he saw will, determination, and finally resignation with the wish of a quick ending. Some pulled their hands down without a struggle as soon as their time came. And now only Relena lay trembling, waiting for Duo to remove his hand from the rope holding her hand up.
For a while Duo just stood at her side saying nothing, doing nothing but being creepy and quiet. Relena hoped that was a good sign. Maybe, just maybe, he would just leave her alone. It was a hopeful wish, but just as her hope began to grow he began talking.
"And here we are Relena. The time to reflect on your life has come. Are you ready?"
The shake of her head was the only indicator that what was coming was not what she wished for.
"You know what is sad? Before I left home Solo came to me hopefully with a request. He asked, or more like begged, that I bring his daddy home. That is something I did do. Afterward, he surprised me with another request. Can you guess what he asked me next?"
This time he did look at her, "He asked me not to hurt his mommy. Even then, even after all you had done to Heero and him, he still asked me not to hurt you. Of course, I couldn't agree with that and I said so. But I did promise him that I would not kill you. Because killing you would be doing you a favor, and that is something I won't do."
With that, he released his hand on the rope. While watching the panic in her eyes, he stood still waiting for it to end. When the hand did fall and her body was shocked he still watched and waited. When it ended, he moved to the machine to release the main cables from it and destroyed it. When he was sure nobody could get it back together, he started to clean the room. As he was doing that, the door to the room opened and the kid looked inside.
"Mister Duo, the folks out here are starting to move slowly. Will it be long till it's done?" As he asked he saw all the people lying still on the beds, "Are they dead?"
"Nope, their bodies are just in shock. It's the same as when a computer's internal errors accrue, or the CPU overloads. The computer shuts itself down and then restarts itself again. These people are the same, they got shocked and the brain shut itself down. The right question is how long it will take for them to wake up and what state they will be in when they do." Answered Duo, still moving around the room cleaning. When he was sure it was clean enough, he turned toward the door and left the room.
The walk through the corridors toward the exit went faster now that he didn't need to look for Heero or worry about security. He also knew all the Preventers would get or find when they got on the scene was information that would justify said scene. He was sure Wufei and Quatre would make sure of it.
When he reached his car he turned around to see if the boy followed him out of the building. He was surprised to find that the boy did indeed follow him out, asking himself if he should offer him a place at his farm.
Not feeling good leaving without at least trying to give the kid the offer, Duo, reaching the driver's side of the car turned and leaned on the door.
"Is your place far from here?"
He got only a nod of confirmation as a reply.
"Would it be too personal to ask where exactly you're sleeping at nights?"
At first Luke did not respond, and Duo knew he needed to wait for the answer.
"It's on the roof of an old building. Nobody usually goes up there, and those who do don't look in the corners where I hide."
While the kid talked Duo saw the pride with which the kid spoke of finding a hiding spot that was his and his alone. Duo did not have the heart to tell him that he would be looking for safe places like that for a long time. Or at least it had been that way for Duo. As soon as he started to live on the land he called home the feeling started to fade.
"The place you call home is not a safe place. You can never forget that the owner has the right to tear the place down or demolish it, and you never know if or when they'll do that."
Duo got a nod from Luke, "For now it's all I have, and if that happens I will try to find some other place."
"The land I call home is very large and it lies in the middle of nowhere. My farm is there. If you want, you can stay with me for as long as you want. I can promise you I won't make you leave just because you like to look at boys."
The shocked expression Luke gave him told Duo the boy did not expect the offer.
"How do I know you are not playing me?" asked Luke stubbornly.
"You don't. But I can show you some pictures." he tapped his pockets in search of his iPhone as he spoke. When he found it he went directly to his photos.
"Okay, I have a few pictures of my place and some animals. You can look at it." Giving him his iPhone, he waited.
"That is a big house you are living in. It doesn't look like a farm though. And why do you have so many horses?" came Luke's response.
"Because I like horses. They are very intelligent. But I don't just have horses. I have dogs and other small animals too. It is a large land and it would be sad not to use as much of it as possible."
"Do you live alone? And what would be expected of me?" asked Luke.
"I have many people living on my property, and I would have to think about what I expect from you." Duo responded honestly, "But we both know nothing is free, or if there is then there has to be a reason for it." when a nod came Duo continued, "First you have to tell me if you accept my offer."
Luke looked down at his feet. "I don't have anything valuable and I cannot pay you back."
"Value is not just in what you can touch. It is also something you have inside yourself. Forget about the money for a few seconds. What is it you wish the most?"
The look the kid gave him asked, "Are you making fun of me? " Still he replied, "I wish to go back to school, I wish to have my own room and to have friends."
"Okay," responded Duo, "we will work on it. For now, if you do want to come with me, hop in the car."
"Is this for real?" asked Luke hopefully, "are you really offering me a place to stay?"
"Yes Luke, I am for real and it will be my privilege to show you my place. So, are you coming?"
As a reply, the boy ran to the other side of the car and took the passenger seat, asking, "Would it be okay if we visit my place first? I don't have much, but I would like to get my things."
"Of course we can. If you want, we can also go to your parents' house and take all your stuff from there too."
The abrupt shake of his head was all Duo got as a reply.
"Okay, I won't force it. But you will need your legal documents. Do you have them?"
"Yes I do. That was all I could take from home, maybe so I wouldn't come back. I really don't know."
"I don't care how you got them, it's good that you did. Now let's move."
The drive to the building where Luke lived was indeed a short one. The large building stood alone, and nobody was moving around it. It was like a tomb.
"Is it always so quiet out here?"
"Yes. It's like nobody cares about it." He answered as he jumped out of the car, "I will be right back, please don't leave without me."
"Don't worry kid, I am not moving from this place till you are back in my car. Do you want me to come with you?"
"No, it will be quicker if I go on my own."
As Duo watched Luke enter the building, his earplug gave a signal for an incoming call. Without checking who the caller was, he answered.
"Yes Quatre?"
"The time table for the mission should have you on the road towards home right now. From the GPS I am following you are still inside the city, a few blocks from the target location. Explain yourself."
"Let's say I got us a new flatmate."
"Duo, you don't own a flat so you cannot get us a flatmate."
"Well let's just say I met a boy. I don't know his real age, maybe 8 to 10. He was hiding in the kitchen pantry."
"They had a kitchen? I didn't know that. Anyway, what were you doing there?"
"I was hungry and I had to wait for people to wake up. I couldn't play with them while they slept."
"It's unethical to electroshock anyone while they're asleep. Plus they wouldn't learn from their mistakes. I agree, please proceed."
"That is new, even for you Quatre. You are talking almost like Wu-bear."
"The boy, Duo."
"Okay. He is homeless. His real parents threw him out because he likes to look at boys; his words not mine. He is living on the streets stealing stuff from other properties and selling them to survive. That is also the reason he was at the target location today. When I was done, he followed me out. It didn't seem right to leave him there without offering him a place to stay."
"Hmm, interesting. It was probably an unconscious move on his part. You looked like a safe person to be with, and he is alone."
"Wow Q did I just receive a compliment?"
"Oh shut up," replied Quatre.
"Did Trowa and Heero get home?" wondered Duo.
"No, but they are almost here. It won't take long now."
"Right now I am waiting at an old closed down building for Luke. Once he is back I will move out."
"Okay, will you be driving through the night or will you take a break?"
"No, I need to get home. You know how Shiny can get," answered Duo absently, looking at the building to see if Luke was coming or needed any help.
"Yes, Tom had some problems with him today. He did not want to eat his food so I took Solo to him."
"Did the little guy have any luck with him?" asked Duo, worried.
"Yes he did, even if he did not talk to him. They were just gazing at each other and then Shiny just turned and went to eat. It was really interesting to watch."
"Did Solo say anything when you talked to him?" asked Duo.
"He told me that Shiny was missing you. He also said Shiny did not want to eat because he was hoping you would worry and come back home."
"And they communicated all that while gazing at each other?" wondered Duo.
"Yes, interesting isn't it?"
"Yes it is. Quatre, could you do me a favor?"
"Is it about Luke?"
"Yes. He shared his name with me, and he has some of his documents with him, but even so, it would be good to see what information we can get."
"I guess you already have some ideas on how to start?" asked Quatre.
"I was hoping we could get a photo from the security cameras from earlier and use it on a face recognition app. Maybe there is a camera in the kitchen from when I was talking to him."
"We are on the same page and it's already being done as we speak. We started that process as soon as Wufei saw you talking with the boy."
"Am I that predictable?" wondered Duo aloud.
"No, you are not. But we do know you a little bit better than we had in wartime. Also, some documents you provided from Relena's home were interesting, and we will use them to influence the media. Others are of a personal nature though. Those will be given to Heero."
"You are the boss of those kinds of decisions. I don't care what we do with them as long as you know what they are. Does Wufei have eyes on the building?"
"Yes, he is monitoring the security cameras now. Some workers have started to wake up and slowly move around while some are still asleep. Nobody's gotten to the room to find Relena and the others. We should call and make an anonymous tip to the local authorities, but to do that you need to get out of the city. We both know when the help arrives all the roads will be closed down."
"I will be on my way as soon as Luke gets back." As soon as he said that Duo saw Luke leaving the building through a small window, "He is coming. Please monitor my phone, and as soon as you see me leave the city proceed with the plan."
"Okay, we will talk more when you get home. Till then have a safe trip."
With that, the communicators on both sides ended the call, and Duo was left to watch Luke approach. As he reached the car Luke automatically went to the front seat of the car with the intention to sit near Duo. Duo looked amused as the door was opened.
"Till you are sixteen years old your seat will be in the back."
For a few seconds Luke looked at him like Duo grew a new head, but then, deciding not to aggravate him, he took his place in the backseat of the car.
"Okay, you have everything?" asked Duo.
"Yes, I got what I came for." came Luke's reply.
"Good, then let's get out of this city and to your new home."
"What is it like there?" asked Luke.
"The farm?" Duo continued when he nodded, "It's quiet compared to the city. All you can hear is the wind blowing through the trees, animals moving in the woods and the familiar sounds of the farm. Once you get used to it, you don't want to be anywhere else. At least, that is how I feel about the place."
"What about other people, will they be okay with me being there?"
"Don't you worry about the others. Each person living on the farm has a reason to be there. So nobody will be against you being there."
"What reasons?" asked Luke.
"Those are stories you will have to get from everyone personally. It wouldn't be right to talk about it."
"Will the drive take long?" asked Luke again.
"It will take at least five hours," responded Duo.
"I can help with driving?" Luke asked.
"Young man, you have to be 16 before you are allowed to sit in the driver's seat. Until then you can be a companion in the back seat."
"What should I be doing while we drive?"
The question almost made Duo smile, almost, "You can always try to sleep. The drive will feel shorter that way." as he made the suggestion Duo saw vulnerability in Luke's eyes. He continued, "I promise you, nothing will happen while you sleep. I give you my word."
"Okay, but please, you have to promise me you will wake me up if I sleep too long. I want to see my new home."
The drive home wasn't as eventful as one might think. For the most part Duo just drove, making sure there was enough gas for the drive and that Luke slept.
At the beginning Luke tried to be tough, not wanting to sleep because he did not need it and because Duo would be left alone. But not half an hour went by before Luke's eyes started to close. In the end, the boy lay across the whole backseat and was asleep in 2 minutes.
When he was out of the city and driving on the highway, Duo got a message from Quatre, who informed him about the call he made anonymously. When he reached the farm, Duo's first thought was "Thank God it is over. "His next thought was, "Hope Shiny won't ignore me. "
His next move was waking the boy up.
"Hey sleepyhead, we're at our destination. You need to wake up and look around if you want to see the nature around the farm."
When Luke eventually rose from the backseat he looked around, "Why are we stopped at the closed fence door?"
"We are waiting for someone." informed Duo, while waiting for Shiny.
"Are we waiting for the owner? Are we even allowed to enter?" Luke continued asking, looking all around with fascination.
"Do you like it so far?" asked Duo, "The nature, I mean?"
"Yes." responded Luke, before asking, "Who will open the door?"
"I will," responded Duo.
As he said that he opened the car door and moved toward the fence. As he came to the big fence door he took out a key with which he unlocked the door. He continued, moving each side of the door as wide as the car needed for them to drive through. When the fence doors were wide enough Duo once again took the seat behind the steering wheel.
"You had the keys from the start? So why didn't you open the door earlier?"
"I wanted you to meet a friend of mine. He is very important to me, but it seems he is still too angry with me or is not patrolling," answered Duo, driving into the property. Once inside Duo again got out of the car, this time to close the doors. As he closed and locked them he felt a vibration in his ear. Just the thought of seeing Shiny again made Duo smile. When he was satisfied the doors were properly locked, Duo got back into the car and started to drive slowly.
Luke didn't know where he was or where they were driving to so he asked, "How do you know which way to drive? There is nothing all around us."
The question made Duo smile, "I know exactly where we are. We are moving toward the main house."
"Oh," came a quite response.
As they continued driving toward the house Shiny came into view. He was galloping toward the driving car.
"Mister Duo look, look a horse is coming toward the car!" Luke said with excitement.
"I know," answered Duo, stopping the car and waiting for Shiny to reach them.
When the silver-grey mustang reached them he stopped right in front of the car. Delightedly, Duo looked out and said, "You took your time coming after the car, I thought you would be more active." Shiny did not respond to him in any way, so Duo continued, "Are you still angry with me?"
This time Shiny did react, and with a vigorous nod moved his head up and down as if to say, "Yes, I am still very angry."
"I am sorry I was away for so long. But in my defense, I did tell you that would happen."
While Duo talked Shiny intentionally ignored him, looking left and right to make his point of not being a happy camper. Duo, knowing very well how Shiny's moods could be just talked on, "I have a new playmate for you. Do you want to meet him?"
At that Shiny moved to Duo's side of the car. When he was right at Duo's door he smelled Duo's head, as if to make sure the right person had come back. Afterward, he pulled on his hair just to make him wince.
"Alright, alright stop it." He said as he caressed Shiny's mane, "I know you are angry with me, but I promise you I won't leave anymore." as he talked Shiny nuzzled Duo's cheek. Then he lowered his head, looking at Luke with intelligent eyes.
Luke was astonished as he watched Mister Duo talking with such a magnificent animal. "Does he understand everything you are telling him?"
"A lot of people would tell you that horses don't understand human talk. That is something I don't agree with. From my point of view, he is as intelligent as any normal human being."
"Wow," responded Luke, adding, "he is so big."
The response made Duo smile. "He is big in your eyes because you are small. Any horse will look big to you now."
"Can I caress him?" added Luke.
"He won't allow it. He doesn't trust you yet and will move away from you. You will have to be patient with him so he can get to know you. Once he trusts you he will come to you on his own. Till then give him time."
"Okay," came a short reply.
Once again Duo turned his focus to the horse, "Okay Shiny, let's go home."
The word home was all Shiny needed to turn toward the house and start running. But before that, he nuzzled Duo's cheek once more.
"Is it okay, me being here?" asked Luke nervously, "I don't know anything about horses or other animals."
Duo looked at the rearview mirror and replied, "When I got here, I didn't know anything about the land and the animals either, so I learned. You can do it too, you just need to want to know and you will."
For a few minutes, both went quiet, each for their own reason. When the house started to come into view Luke moved from one side toward the middle of the front seats and looked more closely at the approaching house.
"Wow, you live in that house? It looks large and very modern."
"You think so?" asked Duo, trying to see the house from his point of view, "It's not as big as you think, but it has enough rooms for everyone. You will like it."
When they reached the house Duo parked his car by the barn where Shiny, Baba, and Buch were waiting.
"Those dogs don't look very friendly," commented Luke, looking out at the dogs circling Duo's car, waiting for their owner to step out of it.
"Don't worry, they are very well trained. I just need to give them a few words and they will know you are safe." Duo responded absently.
"Are you ready?" Duo asked.
"Not really," answered Luke honestly, "everything is new to me, and I don't know anyone here. I don't know if I would be welcome or if they will like me."
"It is very good you are talking about your feelings. Thank you for trusting me with them. I promise you, all the people living on this land are good people. You won't have a problem with anyone here."
When Duo once again asked Luke if he was ready, he got a nod in return. When both got out of the car Shiny automatically went to Duo, once again sniffing and nuzzling him from head to foot. When he was satisfied Duo was okay, he turned and went toward the barn, automatically ignoring Duo's shouts for him to stay by his side.
"Wow, he was clearly ignoring you," commented Luke in awe.
"He is angry with me," added Duo. When he did not see Shiny anymore he turned his gaze toward his dogs who were unmoving, but from their body language he saw how hard it was for them not to rush him.
"Okay, I will call my dogs. You stay still. Once they calm down I will introduce you."
"Okay."
And so Duo made a sound which gave both dogs the right to storm him. The jumping and licking was something Duo knew they needed, so he gave them their minute. When they calmed down Duo looked at Luke and said "Okay, let's introduce you. Come to me please, but do it calmly."
Luke did as he was told. He walked very slowly to Duo, and once he was right at his side both dogs looked at him. They did not bark or growl at him. They were just watching, assessing him.
"How come they are just looking at me? Usually dogs bark or snarl at people." commented Luke in astonishment.
"I started training them when they were still pups. That was very important for their breed. A lot of bad people use them as killing dogs. But my dogs are not like that. They are very loyal, friendly and calm dogs."
As Duo talked, he absently caressed both dogs equally. While they were being caressed both dogs took their gaze away from Luke and were gazing at Duo with all the love they could muster. When Duo had both dogs attention, he took Luke's hand and said, "That is Luke. From today on he will be staying with us."
The next words Luke heard were, "Luke, green and guard." How those words told the dogs that he was okay and was not edible Luke didn't know. He just hoped he would not be bitten by them.
When the dogs heard the words, they moved their muzzles to Luke's hand. That surprise Luke and his first reaction was to pull away. But Duo's hold on him stopped him from doing so. "They will accept you now. But to guard you and keep you safe, they need to get your smell. So let them smell you."
"Oh." replied Luke in a shaky tone.
So Luke stood stock still and let the dogs smell him. Once they were satisfied they move back to Duo, once again gazing lovingly at him.
"There you go. Now they will make sure nobody will fuck with you as long as you are on the land." added Duo then continued, "Now let us go to the house. I will introduce you to all the people".
"If we have to," said Luke nervously.
When they walked toward the house Duo saw everyone but Heero out on the porch waiting for him and Luke. Observing Luke, Duo could tell he was scared and nervous, so he tried to think of a way to calm the street kid down. As he thought, he started to talk.
"You see those two men, one big and one small?" He waited for Luke to nod before continuing, "Those two are married couple."
That information was something Luke had not anticipated, so he was stunned for a few seconds.
"Their names are Joe, he is the big one, and Tom, his roots are in Indian heritage."
While Duo explained both stood still, not moving.
"The woman by Tom's side is his sister. She goes by the name Ann. I don't know her too well because she came to live with us just before I went away to look for my friend."
Again, he only got a nod from Luke.
"Okay, the guys in the middle are my brothers, not by flesh and blood but in every other way. The tall one is Trowa and the blond one is Quatre, they are also married."
"I didn't know two guys could get married," Luke responded quietly.
"Some countries allow it. All you have to do is go there."
"Nice," added Luke who looked more at peace than before.
"Okay, the last guy you see standing a little further away from the others is also my brother. His name is Wufei. He is a Preventer agent. You need to be honest with him. He is like a dog who barks but never bites."
"He looks scary." responded Luke.
"In reality, he's just worried, and that brings out his angry side. At those moments all you need to do is to give him some space to calm down, or do everything he tells you to do. Okay, there is also a third option, but that is something you don't need to know. It wouldn't work with you."
"What option?" asked Luke.
Before Duo could reply a small boy stormed out of the house, moving fast on his small legs, screaming, "Uncle Duo, Uncle Duo!"
Duo automatically went down on one knee to scoop up the boy as he rushed at him, "Solo, your legs are too small for you to run around like a monkey."
Without responding to Duo's jab, Solo wrapped his small hands around Duo's neck, squeezing him tightly. "Shiny and I were very worried for you while you were gone. Then Uncle Trowa brought Daddy home but you still did not come. I thought something happened. Where were you so long? Daddy is not okay." Solo's rambling told Duo he was worried about his dad and that he did not know how to handle it.
Duo got a warm feeling as he held Heero's kid in his arms, "I am sorry, Solo. I had to stay behind to punish the people who were involved and to clean up after all of us. Why do you say your daddy is not okay?"
At that question Solo got even more serious, "He has a headache and a lot of bad dreams. He also feels cold in here." as he said that he pointed at himself as if to explain what he was talking about, then he continued, "Sometimes I feel like a shadow of himself is awake and doesn't want me near him. At those times I wait for the shadow to go back inside of dad."
What Solo described was nothing Duo had not anticipated. Those were the side effects that would need a lot of time to go away. Still, it was important for Solo to understand, so he tried to explain. "The shadow you are talking about is your dad's identity that when he was young and active in the war. He was known as a perfect soldier. That shadow form of him learned from a young age that he could not survive if he felt for or made connections with other people."
"But why is that happening to my daddy now? Before the bad guys took him, the shadow was never as active as it is now. Sometimes I did feel it inside of my dad, but during those times daddy took some time for himself. When he came back he was my daddy again."
The nod Solo gave him while he listened to Duo's explanation was all he got as a response so Duo continued, "When I found your daddy he was chained to a bed, and some doctors were doing shock treatment on him. That is the main reason the shadow that was dormant for such a long time came out. When you feel the shadow being active you need to let it go away on its own. It's probably just coming out to check if everything around your daddy is safe."
"How long will it take for daddy to be okay?" asked Solo.
"I don't know, but you will have to give him some time. With time the feeling of the treatment will fade away and the shadow will go back inside."
As they talked Solo leaned his head sideways to look closely toward Luke, who was watching them quietly, "Who is he?"
"Oh, I forgot to introduce you to my new friend." As he said that he turned toward Luke and said, "Luke, this is Solo. Solo, this is Luke."
"Hi," said Solo shyly.
To Duo's relief, Luke responded with a "Hello."
"Why is he here?" continued Solo.
Only a kid would ask something a grown-up would try to avoid to not to hurt someone.
"I met him when I was saving your daddy."
"Oh, will he be staying?" Solo wanted to know.
"That's the plan. Although I don't know if he will want to stay with us. So for now, he will be our guest."
When Duo mentioned Luke not wanting to stay or that he might change his mind Luke looked down, feeling embarrassed. It wasn't like he did not want to stay, it was just that he did not understand why someone would take him home and give him something his parents did not want to give.
"He is scared," murmured Solo into Duo's ear. "He doesn't believe he is welcome here and is scared someone will send him away." the explanation was open-minded, and Duo was thankful for it.
"Why does he feel that way?" continued Solo.
"His story is for him to tell. What I can tell you is that he was living on the streets and doesn't trust anyone. He will need a very long time to get the trust he lost while being on the streets back again."
"So for now, he is almost like my daddy. Both need time to get better." whispered Solo quietly, "Uncle Duo, do you think he will want to be my friend?"
"Of course he will." Duo whispered back, "There is no reason why he wouldn't. But to be on the safe side let's ask him, shall we?" Solo only nodded his reply.
To ask Luke if Solo could be his new friend both looked toward Luke, but just then howling could be heard from the inside of the house.
"Is that-" Duo started to ask but was stopped by Quatre's voice, "Solo, Bubbles is looking for you. Let Uncle Duo go and get inside the house."
Reminded about Bubbles Solo asked Duo to let him down, then started pulling him toward the house, "Hurry Uncle Duo, Bubbles has woken up."
"Okay, okay. How is he doing?" while asking the question Duo turned toward Luke and motioned for him to follow them.
When they reached the porch everyone moved away from the door to let Solo, Duo and Luke inside the house. The moment the way was freed a small puppy opened the screen door and ran out toward Solo. To Duo's relief, Trowa anticipated the pup's movements and picked him up the moment he was within reach.
Of course the moment Solo reached Trowa's side the puppy was given to him, and he automatically started licking every place on Solo's face he could reach. The joy the small puppy showed toward Solo was heart-warming and Duo was once again glad they had the opportunity to save the small beagle.
"Look Uncle Duo, Bubbles' legs are all healed up. He can run with Baba and Buch and play with them now!"
"He is not that kind of breed, Solo. He won't leave your side without you." commented Trowa absently while watching Duo and their new addition Luke.
When all entered the house Duo moved behind Luke while looking at everyone around the room.
"Everyone, this young man is Luke. He had the misfortune of living on the street, so I offered him a place to stay."
For a few minutes, everyone introduced themselves and shook Luke's hand. Meanwhile, Duo continued, "We will give him few months to get to know us and see if he likes it here. When the right time comes, he will make his decision of whether he wants to stay or if he wants something else. For now, let us welcome him to our home and help him in any way we can."
While everyone talked to Luke, Solo once again moved to Duo and pulled on his trousers, "Uncle Duo, can he have the room next to mine?"
"I don't know Solo," He looked at Duo like he lost his best lollipop. To make it better he continued, "But you can show him the room."
"Nice," commented Solo with relief, "I will do that right away." Then he ran to Luke and started moving him toward his room.
Before both could vanish into the corridor though, Duo called after Solo, then waited to get his attention, "You know, we have a lot of rooms. Show him all the free ones and let him decide for himself."
A nod was all he got before Solo pulled Luke away from all the grown-ups again.
"What is the chance of Luke deciding on another room besides the one Solo wants him in?"
"Zero of chance." responded Wufei by his side.
TBC
Okay, that is it for now. Thanks for reading. I have already 8 pages of the next chapter done and I will try to write fast to you guys will be able to read onward. For now, thanks for being patient.
Beta reader - snellybutter – Thank you for the marvelous work you have done. You rock as always.