Frequency Channels

Andre Domini had the day off and like any other day he spent it monitoring the prison channels, hoping to pick up any clues that he could. At the end of one particular call he threw off the headphones and swore. It looked like his employer had been correct and the people who had put Dorothy Catalonia away were getting desperate and sloppy. They had stupidly used a prison channel to relay orders to kill Catalonia. This was big.

Outwardly he remained calm even though he longed to run out of the facility so that he could get into town. It was too risky to make a call from within the prison to Quatre Winner; he did not have the proper equipment to block any signals. His employer could make calls in to him but Winner had the money to have the proper equipment and ran no risk of being caught. Domini nodded to the front door guards, showing them his pass. They opened the doors without a word, knowing already that he was heading into the nearby Capitol City.

Domini climbed into his car and drove down to the gate.

"Hey there Domini," Bates nodded. "Have a good time."

"Will do," Domini smiled.

The gate swung open on its electric hinges and Domini drove off into Capitol City. He went to a nearby pub run by an Irishman named Delaney. The balding man said nothing as he let Domini into the back where his office was.

"You tell Winner to come in more often," Delaney said as he shut the door.

Domini did not bother to ask how or where Delaney had met his employer. Quatre Winner seemed to know people from all walks of life and for many different reasons.

Domini lifted the receiver and dialed Winner's cell phone.

"Winner here," Quatre said, probably with a smile on his face.

"Domini," He identified himself. "We've got a problem boss."

"What?" Quatre was all business now.

"Picked up a transmission at the prison," Domini said. "Someone put out a hit on Catalonia. I didn't recognize the guard who was on my end, but that's not too unusual since we get people cycling in and out of there, not many who are permanent except for the gate guards and a few others like myself. The one who ordered the hit, now his voice sounded kind of familiar but I can't place him."

"Damn it," Quatre cursed. "This is a problem."

"Job has to be done by the end of this month, so in another two and a half weeks," Domini told his boss.

"So they won't move in right away," Quatre's mind was rapidly thinking. "They might try poison or they might make it messy. That doesn't really matter. But whoever is doing the job will wait for a few days to make sure they have everyone's schedules and the security down."

"That's what I figured otherwise I never would have left the prison," Domini responded.

"Any money discussed? Prices?" Quatre asked.

"Half a million credits now and two hundred fifty for a completed job," Domini supplied the numbers. "Also it sounded like this wasn't the first job that had been ordered by the rich guy to the guard."

"You're at Delaney's right?" Quatre questioned.

"Yeah," Domini answered.

"I'm sending someone to get you," Quatre said. "Wait there."

"Sure thing boss," Domini was able to answer just before Quatre hung up the phone on him.

Domini walked out to the counter of the pub. Delaney was behind the bar and poured him a drink without question. Domini took it and downed it silently.

"Thanks," He said.

"You look like you needed it," Delaney commented. "Like you'd been kicked in the gut or something."

"You could say that," Domini sighed setting the glass on the counter. "What do I owe you for the drink?"

"Nothing son," Delaney declared. "Like I said, you needed it. Waiting for a ride I take it?"

"Yeah," Domini nodded.

"Then pull up a chair," Delaney told him. "If you're car is out back you don't have to worry about it getting towed. I'll keep it as long as you need. There's no telling when you might be back."

"I'll get it tonight," Domini said.

"You tell Quatre I said hi," Delaney winked and went back to cleaning up behind the bar.

Domini could hardly believe the Irishman. He was different from most of the people he had come across before. A strange but good man. He rubbed his forehead with his hand, becoming impatient with waiting. Waiting was never something that he did well. It always stifled him to not be out doing something to change things. But he reminded himself that what he was doing needed to be done so he sat and surreptitiously watched the doorway. Without a word Delaney came back over and poured him a drink of watered down vodka. Domini understood the gesture, it kept up the pretense that he was a regular and watered-down drinks would ensure he stayed sober longer.

He gave Delaney a thankful nod and took a sip, making the drink last. He went through two more of them until three other people had trickled in. Two sat at a table together and the third ordered a beer and then went to the restroom. Domini considered going in after him until two other men came in. One came up to the bar and ordered a straight shot of whiskey, drinking it down with easy familiarity.

"Domini," The stranger with bangs obscuring one side of his face nodded. "Come with me."

Domini finished his last drink and followed the man out of the pub.

The stranger led him over to a black jeep. Domini got in on the passenger side and the stranger started the jeep and pulled away from the curb quickly. The stranger seemed to drive a random pattern, turning left at some intersections and right at others but he seemed to know where he was.

"What do I call you?" Domini asked knowing this had to be the man his boss had sent.

"Call me Heavyarms," The banged man stated.

"Wasn't that the name of a Gundam?" Domini wondered aloud.

"Yes," The stranger said without looking at Domini.

"Did you pick that name?" Domini asked.

"No, the scientist who built it did," The banged man glanced over at Domini for the first time. "I hope you're sober or Quatre isn't going to be happy."

"They were watered down shots," Domini protested. "And how do you know who named that Gundam?"

"Has anyone ever told you, you ask too many questions?" The stranger gave a hint of a smile that quickly disappeared.

"So you don't know the answer then?" Domini pressed.

"It's a need to know basis," The man said brushing off the questions. "But depending on how far Quatre decides to let you in on this growing organization you might learn those answers and more."

Domini studied the stranger. He seemed to be about his boss's age or not much older. He was slim but there was strength in his frame, like a lion waiting to spring at its prey. Domini shook his head, clearing away the fuzziness that was gathering. Perhaps he had had too much to drink.

Finally the jeep got on the freeway and sped through traffic. They got off three exits later and Domini could not figure out where they were headed to. They were in the downtown district with all the towering skyscrapers.

The stranger navigated the jeep into an underground parking garage, parking in a permit only spot. The permit was extracted from the glove box and Domini wondered again who the stranger was, no one he had ever seen before. The two men went over to the elevators. The stranger pulled out a set of keys and stuck one of them into the elevator and pushed the designated button to head up to the top floor.

Stepping out of the elevator Domini noticed the high-tech surroundings and then his boss was walking toward him, dressed in a business suit.

Without a word Quatre Winner beckoned to the two men and they followed him down a hallway into a private conference room, all the blinds were covering the windows so no one from the outside could look in. Another man was waiting for them, someone Domini had never before seen. This stranger was dressed in all black with a black cap pulled low over his face and a long chestnut braid which he pushed back over his shoulder when the group entered.

"Sure took you long enough Trowa," The black-clad stranger snorted. "I was about to have a coronary a few times when someone tried the door."

"Had to make sure there were no tails," The slim man shrugged unconcerned.

"All right then," The braided stranger lifted his head and shot a grin at Domini. "Now that Quatre and his little guard are here we can begin. Please, take a seat Andre, you too Quatre."

"Can I just ask something please?" Domini felt slightly nervous and exposed with the braided man's gaze trained on him.

"Sure," The braided man leaned back in his chair, black boots now resting on the conference table.

Quatre shot a slight glare at the braided man who grinned sheepishly and took his feet off the table.

"Who are you people?" Domini let out a breath.

"Ah, an excellent question," The braided man chuckled. "I am the esteemed, best thief and all-around top dog of the Underworld, Shinigami. And over there we have the greatest acrobatic Gundam Pilot Trowa."

"Gundam Pilot?" Domini's eyes went wide.

"All three of us are Gundam Pilots," Quatre used his boardroom voice and smile. "Trowa piloted Heavyarms, I piloted Sandrock and Shinigami over there piloted Deathscythe."

"I don't understand," Domini looked to his boss.

"We have an interest in Catalonia," Trowa said. "Quatre hired you and got you placed at the prison to make sure that she was treated decently and in case there were any assassination plots you could warn us of."

"That's correct," Quatre confirmed. "We needed someone on the inside. There was no danger to you, we made sure of that."

Domini was silent, digesting the new information that had been revealed to him. He looked at each of the Gundam Pilots faces trying to figure out why they were so concerned with Dorothy Catalonia of all people.

"Dorothy was a good warrior," Shinigami broke the silence. "She was wrong the first time but she saved Relena's life during the second war. If it wasn't for her the Queen of Sanc and the Vice-Foreign Minister would be dead. Dorothy doesn't deserve what she's getting."

"Ok, I can understand that," Domini nodded managing to remain calm. "But how could you partner with Shinigami? You're the bad guy right, or one of them?"

"I'm watching the peace," Shinigami said. "I'm just using the Underworld to get the information. You hold a large secret now. If I think you'll betray it to anyone outside of this group I'll kill you."

Domini nodded. He could understand that and he knew that if he tried to go against the most powerful man in the Underworld he probably would never get the chance to tell his story.

"We need you on the inside still," Quatre said. "But right now we need you to look at some plans and mark down where the cameras and guards and alarms are for us. Shinigami is going to stop the assassin."

"How?" Domini asked.

"He'll come up with something," Quatre assured Domini. "He always does."

Four hours later he was dropped back at his car and Trowa took off in the jeep. His hands were shaking and he could hardly believe that he had met Gundam Pilots and that one of them was the most important man in the Underworld and the other was an important Colonial politician.

He fished his keys out of his pocket and started his jeep. He got back to the prison and was waved in by a new shift of guards. Domini made it to his room and crashed on his bed, setting the alarm so that he would have enough time to wake up early enough to get ready for his shift.