To Win the Heart of a Rebel

Chapter Two:

Two Weeks Earlier

Duo was in a fully fledged panic as he revved the engine of his new pickup truck. He had stolen it from an old farmer just down the road from the orphanage. Leaving a note saying he would return it swiftly and fully intact he signed it 'Eireann go Brach' or 'Ireland Forever'. He hoped fervently that the man would recognize the old saying for what it was and refrain from calling the police-no matter how unofficial this IRA business was. Driving half way across the six counties at breakneck speeds was difficult enough let alone doing so in a stolen vehicle.

As he travelled down long windy roads his thoughts occupied his mind. He wondered if he would get there in time, and what he would do when he did get there. Solo was being housed in a well guarded British base and one lone man could hardly do much against their sheer numbers. His duffle bag full of explosives was on the floor of the cab, and his two loaded rifles were sitting on the sit next to him. His plan as of now was to drive nonstop until daybreak, which he estimated to be two hours away. That left only two hours to reach the base under cover of darkness and another six before his brother was to be executed.

Duo's hands clutched the steering wheel and shifter, desperately hoping he would get there in time.

As he drove through another anonymous town and was on his way past the town limits, Duo found himself stuck behind a car. The roads were too curvy for him to pass safely, and Duo's patience was running thin. It was still dark out, but when the driver's side window rolled down Duo caught a glimpse of an orange band wrapped around the driver's upper arm as a cigarette butt was thrown out.

Duo hissed. A Protestant murder gang.

A few minutes later the car pulled off the road into a field and stopped. Duo drove on past them and watched from his rear view mirror as they pulled a man out of the backseat and threw him to the ground. The green of the man's sweater and hat made clear by the car's headlights that they were about to kill a Catholic. He knew that these murder gangs didn't affiliate with any particular organization, but that they took a life for a life for every civilian that was killed. Granted, there were plenty of Catholic murder gangs in Northern Ireland that are a mirror image to what the Protestants are. For the gang to have taken this man meant that the Catholic murder gang had killed a Protestant man.

An eye for an eye.

Duo only had one mission, and that mission was to save Solo. He didn't have time to stop and help this stranger.

He eyed them as he drove, the headlights getting dimmer and dimmer the farther he pulled away from the scene.

And as he drove away he knew it wasn't what Solo would want.

The truck's tires screeched on the gravel as he pulled the truck over to rest on the side of the road. He slammed a fist down on the dashboard, then grabbed his already loaded rifle and an extra clip. He left the keys, his explosives bag and the other rifle in the truck-hoping they wouldn't be discovered as he backtracked to save some strangers life.

When he got there, he saw that the man was on his knees in front of the five, their orange bands bright in the night. He could hear the jibes coming from them, but wondered what kept the man silent. Anyone in that situation would be begging for their lives. They poked at him and one kicked him in the stomach hard enough that even Duo could hear a rib or two crack. He maneuvered behind them so that the body on the ground was between him and his targets. The man's hands were tied behind his back, and certainly had broken ribs but he heaved himself back up onto his knees anyway.

Duo scowled. One of the men stepped forward and raised his rifle up, automatically becoming Duo's first target. He brought his own rifle up to his shoulder and clicked the safety off. He had five shots for five men, and he hoped that nothing would go wrong. Leaning forward to help minimize the recoil, he listened to the men in front of him.

"Have fun at judgment day," the man sneered.

"Same to you," Duo whispered and pulled the trigger. His first shot was immediately followed by three more, and as he pulled the bolt back one last time, it jammed. Duo tried frantically to push the bolt forwards but it just wouldn't move.

The last enemy already had his rifle up and Duo found himself staring down the barrel of a loyalist's gun. He wondered if this is what Solo would feel like in just a few hours.

The young man in front of him heaved himself up off his knees and slammed bodily into his opponent.

The shot rang out through the night, and a body fell heavily to the ground.

When Duo awoke he was made aware of two things. One was that there was an excruciating pain in his right arm, the other that he was in someone else's home. He felt the comfortable bed under him, very much unlike the simple rough beds at the orphanage. Duo took in his surroundings and saw that he was in a quaint little home with low ceilings and sparse furniture. His mind was fuzzy when he tried to remember how he got there.

Duo started when a small Asian woman came in through the door of the room, holding a tray of medical supplies. Duo felt fear pull at him when he realized that she was coming for him. He tucked his knees under himself and tried to make himself as small as possible. A cough came from the doorway and Duo saw a man lounging against the wall, an amused expression on his face.

"Don't worry. She's only giving you something for the pain." The man gestured at Duo's bandaged arm.

Duo looked down at where she laid the supplies and then reluctantly let her unwind the bandages from his arm. Gauze was sticking to the wound that was obviously from a bullet.

"I got shot? I got fucking shot." Duo's face was one of scandal, as if he had thought he was bulletproof.

The man at the door chuckled as the woman kept up her medical attention.

"My name is Wufei. Do you remember anything that happened?" He crossed the room and came over to sit on the floor by the low bed. As he moved it was obvious that he favoured his ribs.

Duo tried his hardest to remember but it was like his mind was vacant. Slowly he remembered driving and then seeing a Protestant murder gang with...

Duo flung himself off the bed, screaming like a madman, his braid following him out the door.

Wufei got out of the way as he darted from the room. His gash was openly bleeding again, and the wrappings had all come undone.

Duo took no notice of this, realizing that he had missed the only chance of saving his brother from his execution. He ran through doorways and started ducking after he slammed his head on the first low hanging one. Duo took no notice of the throbbing pain in his head and the burn of his arm. He tore frantically into the small kitchen area and grabbed the newspaper that was stretched out over the kitchen table. On the front he took in the date, it was the fourth. Solo's execution had been scheduled for the third. He stared out the window with a sinking feeling and found that it was the evening.

Turning back to the newspaper, he located a section that spoke of how four incarcerated IRA members had been executed the day before. They had listed the names below a picture of the head British Intelligence building. Apparently British military Intel were taking credit for the apprehension of the four terrorists. Duo figured that they could now take the blame for it. All he could think about was vengeance.

His insides felt like they were burning, and he started gasping in air desperately.

Wufei was watching him hyperventilate. When Duo's body fell to the floor he was ready to run over and catch him. They both fell to the tiles, and Wufei held him- rocked him-until Duo finally passed out. Whether it was from pain or emotional stress he wasn't sure.

Wufei picked him up and brought him back into the bedroom and laid Duo carefully out onto the bed. He could see how reluctant his cousin was to touch her patient after that almost violent display but he gave her a sharp look and she continued. He watched over Duo as his cousin re-bandaged his arm, and then held the ice himself on the bump Duo had gotten on his way out the door.

Duo woke up the next day still exhausted and in pain. Wufei had stayed at his bedside for most of the night and this time Duo was in control of himself enough to ask the questions he himself couldn't find the answer to.

"Who the hell are you?" He winced. That probably wasn't the best way to start. "What I meant was..."

The man next to him just shushed him quiet again. His black hair went down to his shoulders and he was obviously from Asian descent. Duo watched as the man straightened out the pillows and pulled the blankets up around him. It was quite a while before he began to speak, but when he did the past few days started to make sense to Duo.

"My name is Wufei," he told him again, "I was walking down the street a few days ago, and I was taken by a group of men intent on killing me. I was wearing a green hat, a green sweater and was walking in the early morning through a very Catholic neighbourhood. When I walk I meditate, as is my normal custom. When they took me, they had figured I was a Catholic man, but in the car on the way to a field they realized when I spoke that I wasn't even Irish. After I told them I was atheist, they figured that I was as good as dead anyway, since that is almost worst than being Catholic. When we reached the field where they were going to kill me, a pickup truck drove by. I thought for sure the driver would stop, but he didn't. Just as they were about to kill me, four shots rang out from behind, and when I realized that another shot wasn't coming to kill the last man, I knocked him to the ground. His rifle went off and the bullet hit your arm, but we were both alive."

Duo groaned.

All that work and it wasn't even for the cause.

"What happened to the last guy, the one you knocked to the ground?" Duo's mouth was dry and it made it difficult to speak. Wufei left for a moment and came back with a glass of water. He tipped Duo's head up and helped him drink.

"I killed him with his own rifle. After that I freed myself from my bonds and decided that taking you to a hospital was not an option. I brought you to my cousin's home and she cared for your wound."

Duo sat up slowly and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Well, that's just great, but I'll be on my way now. I've got some shit to do. Tell your cousin that I said thanks a bunch."

Wufei's eyes narrowed as Duo found his clothing by the side of the bed and proceeded to get dressed. He really was going to leave.

"I owe you my life. I need to repay you. It is my custom."

Duo snorted, his head half in and half out of his shirt. "Look buddy, I'm into some serious shit, and that shit is most likely gonna kill me before the month is out, alright?" His arm was still stinging, fucking Protestant bastards.

When he finally got his head into his shirt, he looked over to Wufei-who was holding up a duffle bag. He froze.

His duffle bag.

As far as he knew that was in the truck he left on the side of the road.

"Where did you get that?" Duo didn't move as he realized that this man now knew exactly what his job was. That bag was full of parts for explosives.

"How do you think I got you here? I could've used their car but I wasn't too keen on getting back inside it. So I figured you hadn't walked there and looked for your vehicle. I found out that the driver of the pickup truck did stop for me. As I said before, I owe you my life and need to repay you."

Both Wufei and Duo's attitudes clashed in that small room with the low ceiling. Duo was unsure of what to do about the situation. Anyone who had found out in the past what he was he had killed. This was an interesting predicament he found himself in. Duo decided to ditch the guy and get the hell out of there before he did anything rash.

"Listen man, I told you that I have shit to do. Irishmen are getting killed with no repercussions and I can't just sit back and let that happen." Duo had a noticeable gleam in his eye as he finished getting dressed, ignoring the pain that shot up his arm.

Wufei threw the bag onto the bed and said, "Then take me with you."

Duo shook his head. There was no getting rid of this guy. Hell, if one more person wanted to join the cause and die for it, who was he to say no?

"It's your funeral, buddy. I'm Duo Maxwell, welcome to the team."

Wufei nodded, glad that he would get his chance to serve his debt to him. "Chang Wufei."

As Wufei started to pack a small bag to take with him, he asked, "Where to first?"

Duo smiled.

"The British Intelligence building in Dublin."