Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of the characters. I just borrow them for my nefarious and fictional purposes.
Living The Lie
Chapter Six: A Damsel Yet Again
General Stryker stood up abruptly and slammed his fist down on his desk. "They what!?"
The soldier swallowed thickly and tried not to flinch. "They have left L2," he repeated. "They obtained false passports and documentation. We are currently trying to determine which flight they left on. We hope to have their location within twenty-four hours."
Stryker scowled at the soldier. "I want their location within the next twelve. If we don't find them soon, the trail will go cold. Maxwell has the resources to make them disappear." Stryker paused to glower at the soldier. "That cannot happen."
"Y-yes, sir."
"Now, tell me about the information on this drive."
The young man glanced at the USB stick in Stryker's hand. "The drive contains information taken from this facility by the target, as well as a record of her travels and aliases. We believe that it is the only copy she had."
"We have no way of confirming that, but if it were true, that would make her all the more desperate and vulnerable."
"Sir, when we locate the target, what are your orders?"
Stryker fell silent as he considered the possible options. Meeting Maxwell was an unexpected twist that they hadn't counted on. The chances of her regaining her suppressed memories under the current circumstances were high. But suddenly, Stryker wondered if that was as terrible a possibility as he had first suspected. If she remembers everything…that would open another window of opportunity. Stryker's mouth curved in a malicious smile that turned the young soldier's blood cold.
"When you find them, set up surveillance. I will prepare a team that will observe them at a closer range." Stryker paced behind his desk as his mind formulated a plan around this new idea. "They cannot know that we are observing them. They will be allowed their freedom for as long as necessary. The target must be given time for her suppressed memories to resurface."
Stryker noticed the look of confusion on the soldier's face and grinned to himself at the brilliance of it all. "That will be all for now. I will be alerted at once when their location is known. Dismissed."
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"How beautiful," the raven-haired woman murmured to herself. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, tilting her head back.
"I take it you approve of my choice of location."
The woman smiled, keeping her eyes closed. "Maybe."
"At least it's not a 'no'," Duo remarked, leaning against the railing of the balcony beside her.
She laughed, and looked over at him. "It's wonderful." She gestured to the bay before them filled with sailboats gliding by lazily. "And the mountains," she whispered, turning around and gazing at the stark peaks beyond the roof of the building.
"I'm glad you like it." He grinned as he watched her take it all in.
"I won't even ask how you managed to get an apartment on the south coast of France."
"It's on loan from a friend of mine."
"Nice friend."
"Yeah, I owe him one."
"I'll say. This place is amazing. I didn't think places like this still existed." She let her eyes roam over the surrounding town. "So untouched by war and strife. It's like a whole different world." She looked over at Duo, only to find him staring at her. She punched him lightly on the arm. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's impolite to stare?" she called over her shoulder.
"Nope, guess I missed that lesson," he replied, following her inside.
"You should try listening more often then."
Duo feigned hurt and gave her a pained look. "I always listen to you."
She laughed and shook her head. "You hardly know me."
The young man looked at her seriously. "It doesn't feel that way."
She stopped and turned to face him. "What?" She felt her pulse quicken as he continued to stare at her silently. Duo walked towards her slowly and she backed up on instinct. "Umm…Duo?" she asked quietly. She bit back her panic as she felt her back press up against the wall.
Duo put his hands on the wall just above her shoulders and stared at her intently. "Yumi…there's a few things I think we should talk about before anything else happens."
She felt her breath catch in her throat as he leaned in closer. "What kind of things?"
"I think it's time to come clean. After all we've been through, you still won't open up to me. You've thrown up this indestructible wall, and no matter what I say or do, you won't lower that guard one bit. Why? Do you still not trust me?"
The raven-haired woman gaped at him, her eyes going wide. "Duo, I-I…" She could feel her chest constrict as she started to panic. His eyes bored into hers as she just stared at him mutely. What do I say? I do trust him…I think…it's just…I can't right now. Just a little more time.
"Well?"
She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. "I'll tell you when I'm good and ready to tell you, thank you very much." She pushed him off and started to walk away.
Duo grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her backward, locking his arms around her waist. "I don't think so. That's not going to work this time around. It's now or never."
She shook her head and tried to pull his arms off. "Stop it, Duo!"
He pulled her closer and held her tightly. "No. Not until I hear the truth. There's a reason you're still not being open with me, and I want to know what it is."
I can't do this right now! She thought desperately. I'm not ready for this. I'm still…The woman stopped squirming and squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm scared, alright! Is that a crime? I'm terrified of making another huge mistake and spending the rest of my miserable life paying for it! You can see what they did to me. They stole everything from me! Everything! If that were to happen again, I don't think I'd be able to recover…" She felt his grip slacken and she took the opportunity to wrench out of his grasp. "There, happy now?" she demanded, turning to face him.
Duo just watched her solemnly, and didn't say a word.
"Well? Don't you have anything to say?" She crossed her arms and tried to fight the telltale prickling feeling behind her eyes. I can't cry, she thought angrily. I can't show my weakness…I need to divert his focus to something else. Taking a deep breath, she glared up at him defiantly. "And what about you? Mr. Mysterious."
Duo frowned. "What're you talking about?"
"You're always sulking or frowning every time I turn around. You look at me, and all I feel is…disappointment." She struggled to find the right words.
Duo sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing his temples. "It's not like that, Yumi. It isn't." He took a deep breath, and looked at her squarely. "It's just… you're a lot like someone that I used to know…and…"
"Used to know?" She repeated when he didn't continue. However, the words sent a shiver down her back, bringing back the feeling of déjà vu she had felt while in his office.
"Yeah. There was a woman that I knew a long time ago. We were close and it ended badly." He sighed, his eyes clouded with pain. "You're like her in a lot of ways, and being around you brings back a lot of memories. Memories I thought I'd left in the past." Duo paused, looking at the ground darkly. "Every time I look at you, I can't help but be reminded of her. I guess…I guess I'm not as past the experience as I thought I was. It's still a little painful." He smiled ruefully.
The raven-haired woman swallowed thickly. For some reason what he said weighed heavily on her heart. A horrible feeling of guilt choked her. All the times he'd smiled at me, had it been just to hide the pain? Why didn't he just tell me? I would never have wanted to put him through all this. I don't want him to see me cry, I need to get out of here.
Blinking back tears, the woman smiled up at him sadly. "I…umm…" She cleared her throat and licked her dry lips. "I'm just going to get some air." She was already grabbing her purse and heading to the door before he could react. "I'll be back later." She managed a quavering smile and left, ignoring his protests behind her.
Duo blinked a few times at the closed door in confusion. He sighed in frustration, cursing the complexity of women. "Goddammit! Why can't they just say what's on their mind?" Duo growled at the empty room. He grabbed his keys, swearing under his breath as he left to follow her. "I'll never understand women," he grumbled.
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The young woman sighed, hugging herself as she walked aimlessly through the streets. She wiped the errant tears from her eyes and put on her sunglasses. She shoved her hands in her pockets and glared at no one in particular. It isn't fair. Just when I think I've found someone to trust and care about again, it all blows up in my face. If being with me made him miserable, why didn't he just say something? Why lead me on like that…? She sighed again, feeling the guilt coming back to constrict around her heart. I never wanted to make him unhappy. Not after all he did for me. Duo…Maybe it's time for me to say goodbye…I don't want to be a burden.
She stopped and looked up for the first time since leaving the apartment. Turning around, she quickly realized that she was lost. "This can't be happening," she groaned. She cursed under her breath and looked for a familiar landmark. The young woman had hardly walked a few steps when her progress was halted by the feeling of a gun pressed to the small of her back.
"If you want to get out of this alive, you better do everything I tell you," whispered the voice in her ear.
The woman gritted her teeth and then nodded to show her compliance. She followed the instructions given to her and found herself in a deserted catacomb under an older part of the city. She knew if she screamed there was a chance someone might hear her, but she didn't think her captor would hesitate to kill her. Dying wasn't exactly on the top of her list of things to do.
"Turn around and put your hands above your head."
She held her chin up defiantly and turned around. As she lifted her eyes to meet those of her captor, she faltered. "Dax?" she asked, her voice quavering.
"Long time no see, Dee," Dax grinned.
"W-what are you doing?" she demanded. Hearing her old nickname had thrown her off balance.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" He gestured with his free hand. "I'm turning you in and cashing out."
His all too familiar grin was not what she remembered. Speechless, she just stared at him.
"Oh, come on, Dee. Don't gimme that face. Do you know how much you're worth to Stryker?"
She swallowed past the rising bile in her throat and glared at him. "More than anything I ever meant to you, obviously."
"Oh, gimme a break, Dee. It's been what, three years? Don't get me wrong, we had fun." He flashed her a feral grin. "But three years is a long time. I'll give you this much though, you were a real good time. Maxwell's a lucky guy." He winked at her and laughed.
She could feel her face flush in anger and her eyes narrow dangerously. "You were lousy. I just never had the heart to tell you. Egotistical bastard," she spat.
Dax lost his grin and slapped her across the face. "I was gonna be nice, Dee, but now you've pushed me too far." He hit her on the side of the head with the gun, leaving a cut above her temple.
She grinned up at him, ignoring the pulsing pain. "Aww, what a shame. I'm quaking in my boots."
"Why you goddamn little bitch—" Dax stopped in mid swing as he heard something echo down the corridor. He hesitated, weighing his options.
One moment of hesitation was all the young woman needed. She swung her arm down hard and hit Dax on the wrist. Once he dropped the gun, she brought up her other hand, and used her palm to stun him, breaking his nose. Before he could recover, she grabbed his shoulders and brought her knee up hard to meet his groin. Shoving him to the floor, she lunged for the gun and held it out in front of her as she stood over him.
"Asshole," she growled. "I can't believe I ever had feelings for a piece of shit like you." She kicked him in the gut, and watched him writhe on the floor in pain. "When you see that bastard Stryker," she said, cocking the gun and taking aim. "Send him my love."
The bullet exploded in Dax's thigh. She watched him howl in pain disapprovingly. "Now, now, I can't have you making too much noise. Maybe I should just finish the job, hm?" He glared at her as best he could while still grimacing in pain. "Now, Dax, don't give me that look," she said mockingly. "Be grateful I didn't aim higher," she told him as she kept the gun trained on him.
A stone skittered across the ground behind her and she whirled around, her heart racing. She should've felt relief as the person now in front of her came into focus, but all she felt was another stab of pain in her chest. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.
"Saving you, but you seem to have done pretty well yourself." Duo eyed the gun being pointed at him wearily. "You don't have to be so happy to see me," he muttered.
The raven-haired woman narrowed her eyes and then sighed. "I can handle my own. I don't need to be saved." She turned her back to him. "Don't you trust me?"
Duo smirked at her. "Of course I trust you." He glanced at the wounded man. "It's jerks like him that I don't trust."
She bit back her grin as she felt herself relaxing already. "Him, nah, he's about as dangerous as a kitten." She turned back to Duo and waved nonchalantly. "I could take him with my eyes closed."
Duo smiled and reached out for her. But before he could reach her, he noticed movement behind her. He opened his mouth to warn her, but he was already too late. Duo watched helplessly as the injured soldier put one arm around her chest, pining her arms, while the other held a dagger pressed against her throat.
"Sorry to interrupt your fun, but really, Dee, with your eyes closed? I don't think so." Dax grinned and tightened his hold on her. "You know, Dee, that wasn't very nice of you. Now I'll have to repay the favor. Drop the gun."
She scowled. "I knew I shouldn't have been so charitable. I should've killed you when I had the chance." She looked Duo in the eye, trying to silently communicate her plan. She shifted the gun to her left hand slowly.
"Regrets, Dee. It's far too late for all that now." Dax put a little more pressure on the dagger. "I said, drop the gun. I'm sure your little friend over here doesn't want to see me slit your throat."
Duo watched her shift the gun and understood immediately what she intended to do. If she's not careful, he'll kill her. Dammit woman! Duo took a step towards them and held out his hands. "Come on, babe, put down the gun." Duo saw Dax shift his eyes warily to Duo's outstretched hands. Good, he thought to himself. His attention's on me. Now to keep it that way. "Just put it down, babe. You know if you don't do it, you won't have a chance to kill the bastard later." Duo grinned as Dax glared at him.
"What the hell are you—" Dax started, but a loud crack interrupted him as the butt of the gun connected with the gunshot wound in his leg. He howled in pain and released her.
Duo quickly stepped forward and grabbed the hand that held the dagger. He twisted Dax's wrist hard, causing the knife to fall from his nerveless fingers.
The raven-haired woman twisted out of his grasp, still clutching the gun. She watched as Duo slugged Dax across the face, knocking him to the ground unconscious. She extended the gun and took aim at his head, but before she could pull the trigger, Duo laid his hand over hers and shook his head.
"Don't do it," he said, looking her in the eye.
"Why the hell not?" she growled in frustration. "He was going to kill me without a second thought!"
"What will killing him prove?" Duo pulled the gun from her, putting it in his pocket. "You've already won. It's over."
"No!" she shouted "It'll never be over! They'll never stop!"
"Then we'll have to find the source of the problem and put a stop to it," Duo smiled. "Come on, let's get outta here."
The young woman shook her head. "I'm sick of it. I'm done with being hunted and chased." She looked up at him gravely. "I won't run anymore."
Duo smiled at her and slipped his hand in hers. "That's the spirit! We'll get those bastards!"
She couldn't help but return his smile as he led her out of the catacomb. "You're crazy, you know that."
"About you," he said with a wink.
"Sure, sure," she replied, rolling her eyes. She allowed him to lead the way, not looking back once.
