Silent Partners

The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become. Charles DuBois

Zechs Merquise stared at the package that Wufei must have put on the table for him a few days back. He had not been to back to their apartment for several days now due to the case he was working on. Their address was printed onto the package but there was no return address. He frowned at that but it could have been from any number of people, his sister included.

He carried the package into his bedroom and shut the door behind him even though he was alone in the apartment. The outside world had been entreating enough on him and the more distance he put between it and himself the better he felt, even if it was only for a few hours. He stripped off the wrapping and opened the cardboard box beneath it. Inside was a single folder containing papers. For a moment he thought it was more work for him to finish but then he took a closer look, removing the file from the box.

There was an envelope under the file folder with the name Zechs scrawled across it in a bold and flashy script. Curious he set the folder aside and ripped into the envelope to see if there would be any clue as to who had given him the mysterious package.

Zechs

Now before you get all self-righteous and go to Une or Wufei with this just sit back and think for a moment.

I bet you'll have a few questions as to why I'm going to you with this and not Wufei or someone else. For starters Wufei is far too honorable and he wants a fresh start and I respect him too much to not give it to him after everything that's happened.

I'm sure you're wondering what I'm doing with bringing you into this mess then. It's quite simple really, I need someone on the inside of the Preventers who has top level clearance and you fit that description. I'm not asking for you to do anything bad, I just want to know when you're getting close to my people and operations and in return I'll supply you with information on any cases the Preventers are stumped on if I can. So what do you say Zechs? Do we have a deal? Think this over carefully. I'll wait to hear from you.

Shinigami

Zechs felt an icy chill settle over him as he read the hastily scrawled note. He knew this note was from Duo Maxwell and still he was not reaching for the phone to call Une or at the very least Wufei. He reached out his hand to do just that but found himself drawing back at the last moment, uncertain. Zechs did not know Duo well at all but there was something about his deal that Zechs could appreciate. Parts of the note were seared into his brain as were the implied messages. He could not bring this on Wufei and he had only joined the Preventers because he did not know anything else and had no desire to learn now.

He looked at the vid-phone number that was scrawled beneath the signature. He re-read the note and thought for several long minutes about just what he wanted. Wufei would be home for the weekend which would leave him with almost no free time to contact Maxwell, if that was what he chose to do. But Zechs knew that he would join forces with Shinigami even if he were back with OZ, the deal was too good to pass up.

Hesitantly he dialed the number and sat back waiting for it to go through. It rang twice before being answered but not by who he had been expecting.

"Zechs Merquise?" Howard appeared on the other end of the screen. "Let me guess you're calling for Duo? I'll go and get him for you. Just wait for a moment."

Zechs nodded mutely. The man who controlled the Sweepers left his line of sight. He should have guessed that Maxwell would ally himself with the Sweepers after he had disappeared. It was a logical move for him to make.

He heard a set of footsteps and then Duo Maxwell appeared in his line of sight and took a seat in the chair Howard had recently vacated.

"Hey Howard," The young man called out with a somewhat serious expression. "Don't forget about my pick-up."

Howard gave an affirmative response and Duo merely grinned and then Zechs heard a door slam shut.

"Glad you called Zechs," Duo grinned again at the platinum haired man. "Do you agree to my proposition?"

"How do I know I can trust you?" Zechs asked the young man, deciding to start out with the first question on his mind.

"The same way I know you won't tell anyone about me," Duo shrugged unrepentantly at his none answer, knowing that to declare he was trustworthy could not be believed by someone who did not know him or have to trust him out of necessity. "Really, you don't. You have to take it on faith." He smiled mockingly at the last word, finding it comical.

"I'm risking a lot if I accept this," Zechs stated evenly, letting Duo know that he was concerned.

"And I'm not?" All traces of joking and laughter were wiped from Duo's face to be replaced with one of indignation. "I'm risking more than you are Zechs, even if you are a Preventer. Do you have a computer that's tied into the Preventer network?" He changed his side of the conversation suddenly.

"Of course," Zechs said.

"Run a search on Shinigami," Duo suggested.

Interested Zechs booted up his computer and logged into the Preventer mainframe and ran his search on the name. Dozens of documents popped up in no time at all. Documents he had never been aware of had even existed but then again he was dealing with the Underworld and it was not his usual job within the Preventers.

"I am Shinigami," Duo Maxwell proclaimed with a small amount of pride. "I control L2, despite what the politics might say. And it's true, I deal in illegal things, in the dark things that no one wants to think about really exist. But someone's got to watch the back door Zechs; if not me will it be the Preventers? I don't think so. You people deal with threats that rise up while I squash them before they get that chance, but I don't catch all of them. What do you say Zechs? Allies or will you forgo my offer and tell about this little conversation to Une?"

"Allies," Zechs said still not believing that he was actually joining with Duo Maxwell of all people.

"This has to be our little secret Zechs," Duo smiled at his former enemy. "After our call this number will no longer work. I'll give you my assistants number, Troy always knows how to get in touch with me no matter where I am or what I'm doing. Although be warned it might take a day or so for the message to get through to me but I'll have you put on top priority as well."

Zechs copied down the number that Duo recited to him. He could hardly believe that Duo Maxwell was his unofficial partner. The man was so unpredictable and lacked the proper attitude of a soldier and yet there was something about him that commanded respect. The concept of Maxwell having so much power and control was a bit hard to grasp but he supposed it was no more different than his sister or Quatre Winner. The only difference was that Maxwell was not in the public eye and his power stemmed from very questionable enterprises.

"I have just one more question," Zechs said.

"What?" Duo raised an eyebrow.

"Do you know who killed Herr Redner?" Zechs asked.

"I did," Duo shrugged unapologetically. "He was warned not to go to the Earth Sphere United Nation with his information on the Ichii family, several times in fact. He was given several opportunities to edit his report as well but he refused. I wasn't about to let him destroy all my hard work."

"This isn't the war anymore," Zechs pointed out to the former Gundam Pilot of Deathscythe Hell.

"I know that," Duo sighed heavily. "But I couldn't let him talk to anyone. He got in over his head and he knew the risks from the beginning, he just never believed anything would happen to him. And it risked my exposure if certain people did a little heavy digging around. It would never look good for it to come out that a Gundam Pilot runs the Underworld or even just the Shadows of L2. The people would start clamoring for all our blood, not just Dorothy's. Speaking of which if her trail goes south I'm going to get her out of there."

"So you support Dorothy's freedom?" Zechs nodded in approval at Duo's "hell yes".

"Of course," Duo said after he calmed down. "Now I've got to go, I have stuff to take care of."

Zechs watched as the screen faded to black as the call disconnected. He sat at his computer reading through the files on Shinigami until the sun had long since set, trying to figure out just who Duo Maxwell had become, or who he had been all along.