Gundam Wing, Shutter, Heero x Duo [2/3]
Sep. 26th, 2015 04:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_goldenpathTitle: Shutter
Fandom: Gundam Wing
Pairings: forthcoming Heero x Duo
Genre: some drama, romance
Warnings: shounen-ai, foul language
Summary: Heero Yuy, award-winning reporter and photographer, travels to the L2 cluster colony to write a book about the colonists and the ongoing war. He’s more than surprised to find a young cleric, a priest, who will do anything to save the children at his church.
Key: ----- = scene change
I had no other choice but to return to my hotel. It was of no use to follow Duo, he had made his point very clear. Going back to the church would only aggravate matters and I didn’t want to confront him right now. I didn’t know what I wanted. I had to straighten out my thoughts, I had to think and decided to call it quits for the night. When I arrived at the hotel, the woman behind the reception desk was the same woman who had told me about Duo and his possible involvement in criminal activities. After tonight, it really pissed me off that she’d been right. I was a star reporter - how could I have missed the signs? Her eyes traveled immediately to my face; the impressive bruise on my jaw had turned yellowish, and it was still quite conspicuous. I had taken off the bandages on my hand and knees; the cuts and scrapes had healed nicely, only a band-aid would do.
“You like danger, don’t you?” She said. “Not many people go out at night.”
“I’m a reporter,” I said gruffly. Being honest about my job had brought me more than telling lies, oddly enough. I didn’t like to spin twists and tales and to get caught in my own web of lies.
“A reporter, hm? Something specific in mind?”
I told her about my book, giving her the general outline without mentioning Duo.
“It’d be nice if someone without prejudice told the rest of the world about L2,” she said, nodding in approval. “Too many wild stories are going around. Not everyone here is a criminal or a smuggler.”
“I noticed a lot of bad luck going around,” I said.
“It’s the government,” she immediately answered. “A lot of corruption and a lot of bad decisions. Sometimes the other colonies reach out and send us food transports and the government is all too happy to accept it. They think they can solve all the problems but they are the biggest problem. They take the food for themselves and stuff their faces with meat and potatoes, while wondering why the inhabitants are so dissatisfied and rebellious? They can’t see the forest for the trees and the entire colony suffers for it.”
It was the same story I had heard over and over before, and I knew it was going to be the message of my book: an accusation at the address of the current corrupted and lazy government. As an Earth citizen, I wouldn’t have to be afraid of any repercussions, and Quatre Raberba Winner had my back. I thanked the woman for her time and she looked pleased. I went to my room, took an ice-cold shower (no warm water past midnight) and went to bed.
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After a night of restless sleep, I went back to the church in the morning, of course. Truth to be told, I didn’t dare to admit to myself that personal reasons were involved - I wanted to see Duo. I just couldn’t leave him alone. I wanted to know more about him, to be with him… fortunately, Sister Helen and the kids welcomed me exuberantly, but when I asked for Duo, the nun shook her head.
“Father is out this morning,” she said. “He’ll be back by noon, though. Would you care to wait?”
Hesitant, I was about to say that I’d be back later when suddenly a piece of wood snapped, sounding like a gunshot being fired. Everyone ducked, but soon the crying started: a young boy had sunk through one of the rickety chairs and had hurt his leg from a splinter in the wood. Tears streamed down his face and Sister Helen went over to the boy to comfort him, while I picked up the chair.
“More wood for the open fire,” she said, always looking on the bright side.
“It snapped quite clean,” I told her. “I can fix this. Do you have a hammer and some nails, perhaps?”
“There’s a shed in the garden,” the nun answered. “I’m not sure if the tools can still be used, though.”
“I’ll go check,” I said and I left the living room. One of the kids followed me: it was Solo.
“Hey,” I greeted him.
“Hey,” he said. The bump on his head was as good as gone, but the scrapes on his face were still showing. “It’s through here.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I’m sorry if I caused you any trouble.”
“It’s not your fault,” he said as he kicked at a pebble. “But I was going to get some sweet credit for that camera of yours. Now the toddlers are playing with it.”
“What were you going to do with the credits? Keep them to yourself?”
“Nah,” he said and he kicked at the pebble again. “I would’ve given it to Duo.”
“To Duo?”
“Yeah, but the Sister doesn’t want me to give him anything. I mean, she knows that most of the things we… have, is stolen. She doesn’t want us to bother him with stolen things.”
“Well, as head of this church, he won’t accept something stolen or illegal,” I said and cringed at the same time. Solo looked at me quizzically as he guided me into the garden. It was the saddest excuse for a vegetable garden I’ve ever seen.
“I don’t want to get Duo in any trouble,” Solo continued. “If the police comes and takes him away, the church would be no more.” So young and already so aware of the consequences of Duo’s absence, it was just sad. He should be playing outdoors with the other kids, instead of worrying and suffering from the impact of life on L2. Without another word, we reached the garden shed. I pulled the door.
“It’s stuck,” I said, superfluously.
“Sister Helen couldn’t open it.” Solo looked at me with his freckled face, smirking. “You’re stronger than Sister Helen, aren’t you?”
I accepted the kid’s challenge and tugged and pulled harder, finally yanking the door open. Clouds of dust and all kinds of bugs flew out, and I quickly stepped aside. Solo batted at the bugs and danced around to avoid being stung. I entered the shed without giving it a further thought and walked straight into the thickest cobweb of my life. Ignoring Solo’s howls of laughter, I removed the sticky strings and praised myself lucky I wasn’t wearing any Armani. A little bit of light was filtered through the broken window panes, the remnants of glass too dirty to allow any light in. I squinted. Large equipment like a lawnmower, rakes, hoes, even a shovel and a pair of large hedge clippers was positioned against the back wall. Nothing was electrical, of course. I spotted a rusty tool box on a shelf, along with a few other tools: hammers, pliers and brushes scattered all over the place.
“Hey, look at this! It’s a bike!” Solo pulled a dusty piece of cloth off of a shapeless object.
“I love your optimism,” I said. That thing could hardly be called a bike. Rusty, flat tires, a broken frame, no brakes… No one had been in this shed for years; decades, perhaps. I gave Solo the brushes to carry and we stepped outside, back into the artificial sunlight again. I didn’t need more than one second to see who was waiting for us. Duo stood next to the door leading back to the church. Solo beamed at him.
“Look, Duo! Tools! Heero’s going to fix the chair!”
“That’s great,” Duo said, his voice calm yet without intonation. “Why don’t you go inside, Solo, and show the Sister your tools?”
The boy all but skipped inside. I put the toolbox down, as it was heavy. I waited for Duo to start talking. He didn’t disappoint me.
“I told you to not come back here,” he said. No hostility or menace in his voice, though. I shrugged sheepishly.
“I haven’t finished all the interviews for my book yet.”
“Then finish them and leave.” Duo turned around so fast that his braid cut the air with the same sharp, brusque motion.
“Duo, wait.”
He froze mid-step. My heart skipped a beat. “Please,” I said.
“Please what?” He didn’t turn around. I didn’t know what to say. He looked over his shoulder, his face downtrodden, but with a determined expression. “What, Heero? You’ve seen what I am. You’ve seen what I do. You can write all about the thieving, stealing Priest in your important book and let the world know that L2 is sick to its very core.”
“Duo, that’s not what…” I couldn’t come up with the right words. Strange how I always knew what to say when writing, but now I was lacking eloquent, coherent thoughts, and I faltered like a shy high school kid. “Please listen to me,” I said. “I acted too roughly and too rashly. I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to be sorry.” Duo straightened himself and resumed walking, leaving me in the garden. He hadn’t told me to leave right now, so I stubbornly went into the church, following him.
“Duo. Duo, please wait.”
“What is it you want, Heero?” He raised his voice slightly. Despite the curt tone, his warm, rich timbre was music to my ears, and I… wanted to hear his voice over and over again. What I wanted? I wanted to help him. I wanted to protect him. Something was going on and now that the cat was out of the bag, I couldn’t turn away and pretend that nothing had happened. Call it my reporter’s instinct, and yes, I pretty much ignored the warning bells going off in my head. It was becoming personal and there was no way I could stop it.
“You’re not sick,” I said. “The kids adore you. Sister Helen thinks the world of you.”
“They wouldn’t if they knew who I really am.”
I grabbed him at the upper arm, not to restrain him, but to force him to look at me. I knew he had the strength to break free, but he didn’t fight back.
“I want to help you,” I said. “If there’s anything I can do…”
“Why?”
I was taken aback. “Because…”
“Because of your book? Because you want to be the hero? I don’t need a hero, and the kids don’t need a hero either. Do you know what they need? Do you know who they need? A provider, a caretaker, someone who gives them love and warmth, someone who gives them food and shelter…”
“And that’s what you do,” I said. “Can’t you see? Don’t you understand what I’m telling you?” I could’ve recited a phone book for all that matter, I just wanted Duo’s attention. Those eyes, those violet eyes with a hint of purple…blue… anything in it, his face, framed by those chestnut colored bangs, I wanted to touch him, I wanted to cup his face and kiss him. The thought of a kiss jerked me out of my trance and I let go of him.
“Like I said, finish your interviews and leave.” He straightened out the black tunic he was wearing, dusting himself off. The silver crucifix on his chest caught a shimmer of light and reflected it, reminding me painfully that Duo was a man of the church, despite his flaws… but who was I to accuse someone of not being perfect? I had my own share of mistakes and flaws. This time, I watched his retreating back and I wished I could run after him. I wished I could promise everything was going to be all right… but I just couldn’t.
Solo waited for me in the living room, along with the boy who had broken the chair. He had an extremely guilty look on his face. Sister Helen had comforted him, telling him that it wasn’t his fault, but he watched me with great apprehension while I fixed the chair. The other children came to sit in a huge circle around me. As soon as I had finished, Katherine asked me to repair a toy train, which only needed a few tweaks to get the wooden wheels rolling again. Not soon thereafter, Sister Helen, albeit hesitantly, asked me if I could please take a look at that leaky faucet and the stuck window on the first floor? She couldn’t pay me of course, but if I wanted to stay for dinner..? I declined her kind offer and told her I’d be happy to do whatever she asked me to. My adoptive father had taught me a lot about repairing stuff like this, and my technical skills had proven quite handy in my life. If anything, keeping my hands busy made sure I couldn’t say something stupid, especially when a certain Father was involved.
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My time on L2 was coming to an end, fast. Quatre had given me one week, including time to write the first draft of my book. I had much material to organize; I had divided my notes into in chapters and I was satisfied with the general outline. However, I was going to need a lot more time than the remaining two days to sort through it all and actually start writing. Two days… and I still wanted to talk to Duo. I wanted to do more than just ‘talk’ to Duo. I couldn’t get him out of my head. I wanted to help him, but how? He thought I was going to leave soon anyway. He was under the impression that I was only interested in him and the church to get more material for my book. What were his words? He didn’t need a hero… what did he mean by that? Duo wasn’t a damsel in distress, he could take care of himself. On the other hand, there was only so much that one person could deal with.
I knew what it was like to be alone all the time. My adoptive father raised me to be a very independent person, but I discovered that even someone like me needed someone to talk to. I found a good friend in Quatre and through him, I met Trowa and Wufei. Even though we didn’t talk to each other that often, we kept in touch and we regarded each other as friends. But to feel something so personal, such a… belonging, a strange kind of longing… no, I never felt like that before. It wasn’t the hormones. I wasn’t thinking of any physical… interaction right now. It was Duo himself, something about him, something that he was, who he was, that made me feel attracted to him. Yes, he was handsome, I couldn’t deny that, but I’ve never been the kind of person to go for the exterior only. Duo was more than a pretty face. I had to muster up all of my strength and talk to him, no matter what. As my feet brought me back to Maxwell Church, I thought that I’d rather outrun a stomping Gundam again than face the man I was falling head over heels for. He wasn’t very happy with me to start with, and why should I ever think he would reciprocate? He’d probably toss me out of the church.
-----------------------------------
I greeted Sister Helen and the kids, who weren’t surprised at all to see me again, and went straight to Duo’s office. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door.
“Enter!”
He was standing behind his desk, as rigid as a ruler. Duo was slightly smaller than me, but the ink black garb he wore made him look taller. His desk was empty, safe for a rectangular, small object that I easily recognized. A flash drive.
“Duo, what’s this?”
“You’re right.”
“About what?”
“About whatever it is that you think about me. I’m a thief, and I always have been. I never thought that my… skills would come in handy someday.”
“What’s on the flash drive?” I couldn’t help but ask. Duo put his finger on it and shoved it towards me.
“You’re a reporter,” he said and the bitterness in his voice unsettled me. “So, report. Rebels on L2 are building mobile suits. You’ll find the plans and schematics on this flash drive. You can tell the world that our reputation is true: a bunch of warmongering rebels who perpetuate the desolation the colony is in, and I’m a part of it.”
“That’s not the truth. You didn’t steal it for your own profit.” I refused to believe his words. “Unless you hide a mobile suit factory underneath the church?”
A tight smile. “He promised me milk,” was all he said. I didn’t understand it at first. “Real milk. Not the watered down, artificial crap that’s been sold for extremely high prices here.”
“The children.”
“They can’t thrive on molded bread and stale water, Heero.” He didn’t look at me. “Milk and potatoes. Apples and oranges, maybe even strawberries. Clothes, books and toys. A whole shipment of goods for the children, in exchange for this flash drive.” Duo shifted his position and the silver crucifix once again caught a glimpse of the sun and blinked at me. His hand went to the piece of jewelry, his fingers stroking the object. “Did you know this was the first thing I ever stole? I nicked it from an old man, dressed in black. I figured he was just stupid for wearing jewelry in public.”
“Father Maxwell,” I took a guess. Duo’s gaze turned melancholic.
“I ran away with it, totally excited,” he continued. “But before I reached the end of the street, I… lost all my energy. I halted and looked over my shoulder. He was just standing there, and he was… smiling at me. No yelling, no screaming, no curse words or condemnation. I never felt so ashamed, and I went back to him. He didn’t even hold out his hand when I wanted to return the crucifix.”
I waited for him to finish his story. “He told me that it would suit me much better.” A snort. “I just stood there and listened to him telling me about some Lord and Savior, but all that I remember was his promise that if I went with him, I would get a hot meal. I hadn’t had hot food for as long as I lived. Next thing I know, I’m in charge of the church.”
A moment of silence, but not uncomfortable. “What happened to him?” I asked, cautiously.
“He died.” A blank look on his face and a neutral tone to his voice. “He was an old man. He already lived longer than many of the colonists.”
“He was your friend,” I said. Duo stared out of the window.
“I guess so. I didn’t regard him as my father, or anything sentimental like that. But he was kind, open, and trusting. I tried to do the same.”
“The children love you,” I reminded him. “You’re everything to them.”
“Maybe.” Duo sounded doubtful. “When the Father died, he asked me to continue his work, without pressuring me. He wanted someone to be there for the children, to give support, to provide them with a safe place. The church was a steady roof over my head and I knew by then, if I had continued my ways, I’d either end up a criminal boss or dead on the streets. Before he died, he asked me to believe in God. He would show me the way.”
“And do you? Believe in God, that is?”
Another snort. “There’s only one God I believe in,” Duo said. “I’ve seen so much destruction and death around me. It’s much easier to believe in the God of Death than God himself.”
I didn’t know what to answer. Duo gave the flash drive another shove so it teetered on the edge of the desk.
“Take it. You’ll have a real scoop on your hands, Heero. The names of everyone involved with the rebel upraise.”
“Including the name of the guy who visited you earlier?”
He didn’t seem surprised about me knowing. “Quinze,” Duo said. “He calls himself a ‘mediator’, He’s on the government’s payroll as an advisor; in reality, he’s the leader of a group called the White Fang. He has gained followers all over the colonies, but the core of his activities is concentrated on L2. White Fang wants to build mobile dolls for something they call ‘Operation Meteor’. The details are on the flash drive. I don’t know the details, as I don’t have a computer to read out the data.”
“And how did Quinze get to you?”
“He knew my reputation.” Duo crossed his arms in front of his chest. His posture was straight and strong, yet he looked vulnerable. I was dying to stand behind him, wrap my arms around him and tell him that everything was going to be all right. “I’ve always been a thief, Heero. I know what I did, was wrong... but it helped me to feed and clothe the children, and ironically enough, to keep them off the streets so they wouldn’t follow into my footsteps. I want them to believe that kindness, sharing and helping each other is the right way of living, instead of stealing and thieving. Quinze has money and he knows his way around. He approached me to steal a couple of documents, and it was easy enough. When I brought him the documents, he arranged for a shipment of powdered milk.” He finally turned his head around to look at me. “You should’ve seen their faces, Heero. The kids had never seen milk before! They were afraid to drink it, not knowing what it was!”
My heart raced as I closed the distance between us. He didn’t step away from me. This was his moment to tell his story, and I listened with rapt fascination. “The next shipment was apples,” Duo said. “Along with crates of assorted vegetables and potatoes, even frozen chicken! Sister Helen suggested we’d roast it over the open fire place. We ate with our hands and everyone was covered in grease, but we had so much fun, and it tasted so good!” He turned to me, eyes sparkling with mirth before they turned dark, but not mistrusting. “Now I’ve become Quinze’s lapdog, stealing for him what he wants. I’m caught between government, police and White Fang. All I want is for the children to be safe. I did what I had to do… what I have to do. I’ll answer to God’s judgment when it’s my time, not to someone else’s.”
“You’re so strong,” I said.
“I’m a survivor, like everyone else around here.”
I ached to touch his face, to brush that wayward strand of hair away from his cheek. “You survived on your own for so long. What would the children do without you?”
“Sister Helen’s still here.”
“She’s looking up to you, Duo. There’s such a heavy burden on your shoulders.”
“I don’t see it as such.” He tilted his head a little. I could deduce from the look in his eyes that he expected me to tell something about myself, and so I did. After all, he had opened up to me, and it wouldn’t be fair to not return the gesture. So I told him that I grew up without knowing my mother and that my adoptive father was a good person, but none too bright in the empathic department. We never really bonded as father and son and he left me starving for attention. When I got a hug from my first boyfriend years and years ago, I didn’t realize what he was doing, why the guy I loved was putting his arms around me. Before I knew it, I was telling Duo about my crush on unreachable men, like Zechs Merquise.
“The brother of the Queen of the World,” Duo said. “You have ambitions, Heero.”
“I should’ve known better,” I said. “He was, and still is, in a firm relationship with Lucrezia Noin. I know exactly what to look for, but apparently, not where to look.”
“You work hard,” Duo said. “You’re honest and you have a lot of skills. You’re a good party for anyone.”
“Yeah.” I shrugged awkwardly. I knew who I wanted to be a party for, and he was standing right in front of me. Another moment of silence. I could tell that something was bothering Duo, and I guessed it was me standing so close to him. “I really didn’t want you to…I didn’t want to bother you,” I said.
He looked up, a quizzical look on his face. “What do you mean?”
“That night, when I caught you in the act. I shouldn’t have stalked you. I probably hurt you back then…”
He made a dismissive gesture. “I guess any thief, no matter how good, sooner or later gets caught. It was just a matter of time.”
“You did what you had to do,” I said, repeating his words. “These are extreme circumstances. We’ll find a way to help the children.”
“We?”
“I want to help,” I said. “With your story and my book, I can ask for international aid. When Earth and the other colonies learn of the full story of L2 and understand what’s going on, they’ll reach out to you!”
Duo inclined his head just a little and I couldn’t help myself; I reached for him and brushed a few strands away. He shivered and I immediately withdrew my hand. He didn’t turn away though, nor did he tell me to leave.
“It’s too late,” he said, voice low. “Maybe your book will gather interest, but then what? Life will go on, Earth will move on, and the colonies are too far apart to really care. A book won’t stop Quinze or the government. It doesn’t matter. I already made my choice by giving you this flash drive. I had to deliver it two hours ago at the agreed rendez-vous point. He’s probably flaming mad. I don’t know what he’s going to do.”
“I’ll stay,” I offered immediately.
“You don’t want to stay with me.” Duo’s voice was curt and his face showed that cold, hard mask I had seen before: when he was talking to Quinze. “This is dangerous, Heero. Take the flash drive and leave. Write your book. Tell our story, my story, and show it to the world as you see fit. Go back to your safe home on Earth.”
“I’ll go,” I said, gauging his reaction. A mixture of relief and… disappointment? washed over his face. “I’ll go to my hotel, pack up my stuff and come back to you right away.”
“Heero..! You can’t!”
“Yes I can, and yes I will,” I said, stubbornly. “This Quinze isn’t going to hurt you or the children.”
“You can’t protect us all,” he protested.
“And you can’t shoulder all these problems on your own. I’ll be back soon, all right?”
“No. Go home, Heero. Write your book-”
“I don’t want to hear it,” I said and as he was so close, I could smell him. I could count the strands of his hair; I could count his eyelashes, framing those amazing eyes. I could… kiss him. The thought crossed my mind while I was already pressing my lips on his, boldly and… well, sort of invading. I actually expected him to plant his elbow in my stomach the way he had done when I had caught him red-handed. Duo broke up the kiss, albeit not hurriedly. He turned his head and my lips ended up on his cheek. Was he embarrassed?
“Go, Heero,” he said, his voice low. My heart fell. I had overstepped boundaries, and now he was sending me away. I didn’t want to leave before apologizing. As soon as I opened my mouth, he said: “Go, and come back right away.”
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I rushed back to the spaceport hotel to retrieve my belongings: clothes, the camera, my notes. The gruff receptionist, who had checked me in on my first night on L2, looked particularly bored.
“I’m checking out,” I told him, “and I need to send a message to Earth, so get an interstellar secured line ready.”
“That’s going to cost you,” he hollered after me as I ran up the stairs.
“You know I’ve got a credit card!” I hollered back irritably, as I didn’t want to waste one more second of my precious time. I had to inform Quatre that I was going to stay a little while longer on L2. Through the years, I had built up an impressive amount of paid time off, which I rarely ever took - work was my life. Quatre hopefully wouldn’t mind my spontaneous action. The moment I opened the door to my room and switched on the light, I busted out a string of expletives I didn’t know I had in me. The entire room had been trashed! Every piece of furniture had been turned upside down, the mattress cut open and the floor littered with my handwritten notes, crumpled and discarded. I picked them up, muttering more expletives under my breath. What kind of asshole had thrashed my room? He, or they, had meticulously searched my clothes, my toiletries - as if a bottle of aftershave contained precious information about me - and my notes, fortunately not tearing them in half.
I grabbed everything and stuffed it into my suitcase. The notes contained the interviews with the adults and children from the church; I hadn’t gotten around writing Duo’s story down yet. I had the feeling Duo’s story wasn’t the main goal to ransack my room. The Nikon perhaps, to exchange for credits on the black market? I found the slightly damaged camera underneath a pile of towels and tossed it in the suitcase. There was nothing left for me to do here, so I left my room and stomped down the stairs. As I reached the reception desk, I slammed my fist down, not in the mood for chit-chat.
“Is the interstellar secured line ready?”
I received a dirty look, but the man handed me the communication device that established secured lines and I punched in my verification code. I hadn’t bothered to check the time zone difference and I was immediately transferred to the voicemail of Quatre’s secretary; it was midnight on Earth. I left a message and disconnected the line.
“Checking out, huh?” The man started to write on a piece of paper. “Three nights, communication service…”
“I won’t pay the charges,” I said brusquely. He looked up.
“Excuse me?”
“Someone has wrecked the room, turning everything upside down and inside out,” I continued. “It wasn’t housekeeping. You’re damn lucky that I’m not suing your ass.”
I would’ve laughed at his fake wide-eyed-surprised-look in any other circumstances, but right now I was in a hurry. I wanted to get back to the church and Duo was more important than this guy. “I don’t know how much they bribed you with,” I said, “but I’m sure it’s enough to cover my expenses.”
“Hey, it doesn’t work that way,” he whined. “If you damaged your room…”
“Do you have too much wax in your ears? I didn’t trash the room, someone else did!” I thought I saw a flicker of fear in the man’s eyes. “If you want to sue me, you know where to find me.” I had given him one of my business cards when I registered for the room.
“You just can’t leave like that, man,” he said, his eyes darting back and forth. He grated me on my nerves.
“Feel free to call the police, or whatever law-enforcing clique you have around here,” I said disdainfully. Another flicker of fear and now I took pity on him, albeit not too much. There was a possibility that he hadn’t been bribed, but threatened. If Quinze’s men had done this, he probably wouldn’t have stood much of a chance. I steeled myself. I would deal with this guy and whatever concerning the hotel, later. Without another word, I left - and he didn’t dare to call after me.
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When I arrived at the church, I spotted Quinze before he saw me. He was surrounded by burly men, grinning sadistically like a bunch of brain-dead goons with enough muscles to ram their way through a wall. My eyes scanned the area for Duo and my heart plummeted when I saw him lying on the ground, his back turned to me, at the entrance of the church. Solo and Katherine stood in front of him, their faces contorted, smudges and tears on their cheeks. Solo shook his fists at the burly guys, his expression a dark cloud of unadulterated hatred and anger. Katherine held her hands up high and clawed, ready to fight. The rest of the children, along with Sister Helen, stood to the side, huddled together. The nun did her best to keep them calm, speaking in a hushed tone of voice. Duo didn’t move, but I could see that he was breathing. My heart turned into a block of ice, filled with disdain and anger towards the ones who had hurt my Duo.
“What’s going on here?” I called out, with as much authority as I could muster.
Quinze and his goons turned to me, as if they had all the time in the world. In a split second, one of the guys’ vests lifted up slightly and I saw the unmistakable contours of a gun.
“Ah, Heero,” Quinze said, casually confirming that he and his men had been in my hotel room.
“Heero Yuy, Earth Alliance Press,” I stated for good measure. “I work for the Global Press, owned by Quatre Raberba Winner. State your business, Quinze.”
He wasn’t surprised that I knew his name. His right eye slightly twitched in annoyance when I dropped Quatre’s name; my boss was widely known, even in the colonies and just for a moment Quinze showed a little bit of apprehension. It was gone the next second.
“My business is with the Father here,” he said. “I’d advise you to stay out of it.”
“The Father is a personal friend,” I said. “If there’s a problem, I’d be happy to help.” I had to get Sister Helen and the children out of here. I had to make sure that Duo was all right. As soon as I took a step towards the church, Quinze’s bodyguards blocked my way. I growled. The physical strength of these jerks far surpassed mine, I would lose in combat. Besides, one of them was packing a gun, and I was sure his friend would carry a weapon as well; if it wasn’t a gun, it would be a knife. My anger wasn’t enough to win this battle. My body was shaking in barely suppressed rage. If I couldn’t fight them, I had to outsmart them, but how? The next moment, I heard some rustling and a soft groan; it was Duo, getting up from the ground.
“The matter is already settled.” His voice was hoarse. Carefully, he moved his hands to search for balance as he got up. I gasped at the difficulty of his movements. Had these goons broken his bones? I tried to make eye contact. He showed me a sickly grin, split lip and all. “I gave back what I owed him.” The flash drive.
“The Father knows that it’s not sufficient,” Quinze said. “He knows that…”
“Sister, would you be as kind as to take the children inside?” I interrupted him. The nun, face fear-stricken, was relieved to see me. Solo took a step forward, about to lash out.
“Solo, you’ll help, won’t you? Take your brothers and sisters back inside, and stay there. Katherine, you too, right?”
Both children looked at me, insecure. Duo made a shooing gesture, showing a smile that could’ve fooled me into believing that everything was all right. Finally, the children did as they were told and along with Sister Helen, moved back into the church. To my relief, Quinze let them go; he didn’t call for his bodyguards to harass them. The men took a defensive stance when Duo descended the stairs and came to stand next to me. I was sickened by their ‘loyalty’ to their boss, and my anger flared up when I saw the bruises on his face. What had these goons done to him?
“Well, mister reporter,” Quinze said tonelessly, “your personal friend here hasn’t kept himself to his word. A man of God, who steals and lies!”
“I never lie!” Duo protested.
“You didn’t show up at the arranged rendez-vous point,” Quinze snarled. “You broke our arrangement. For all the trouble you caused me, you’re going to have to pay!”
“You got what you wanted,” Duo said. “Now leave!”
“No, it’s not going to be that easy. You’re not getting away that easy. I’ve been nothing but a good provider to you, and you repay me like this? We had agreed to a shipment of milk, bread and fresh vegetables for the children; you can forget about it.”
“Asshole,” I said. “You heard him! Leave!”
“Heero, the children,” Duo said, downtrodden. I understood: a whole shipment of food was a big loss.
“We’ll think of a way,” I told him. Quinze made a gesture and the two goons pulled out their guns. “No!”
“You seem like a fit and able young man,” Quinze said, grinning as his men pointed their guns at Duo. “The Father has done his work. Now it’s time for you to do something for me.”
“Why would I do something for you?” I asked, incredulously.
“Because if you don’t, the Father is going to meet his Maker,” Quinze answered coolly. “Now, there’s a factory close by. On the outside, it looks like any regular processing plant, but it’s a secret hideout where the first prototype mobile doll has been build. You’ll steal that prototype and bring it back to us.”
“Heero, no!” Duo took a step forward, but froze on the spot when the goons cocked their guns. He turned to me. “This is how it all starts! One thing leads to another, and he’ll never be satisfied. It’s extortion! You don’t owe him a thing! It’s not worth it, Heero. You’re right, we’ll think of a way. There has to be another way!”
My stomach tied itself into knots. Two guns pointed to his head, and Quinze wouldn’t hesitate to give the command to fire. I commended Duo for not panicking, in fact it was disturbing to see how calm he was while being held at gunpoint. Maybe he was reconciled with dying on the spot, but I wasn’t. Slowly, I turned to Quinze and dropped my voice until below freezing point.
“If I bring you that prototype…then you’ll leave and never come back?”
Quinze showed me a calculating grin. “More so, I’ll give you that shipment of food for the kids, per our prior agreement.”
Duo grabbed my arm, his movement so fast that it was a miracle the bodyguards didn’t act upon their reflexes to pull the trigger. “Heero, if you get caught, no press card will save your life.”
“Where’s the factory?” I said, gently shaking his hand off. I could only hope that my calm composure would reassure him, somehow. I could do this. Quinze looked like a cat that ate the canary, ensured of his victory. I wanted to wipe that smirk off of his face.
“My my, if I knew you’d agree so soon, I would’ve asked for more. As it is, bringing me that prototype will do. The factory is just four blocks from here. You’ve got until midnight. We’ll stay here to take good care of the Father.”
“Don’t you dare lay a finger on him,” I said. Quinze wasn’t impressed.
“Heero, no,” Duo said again. “You…”
“We all go inside,” Quinze interrupted him, “except for our cunning reporter, that is. Come gentlemen, let’s enjoy the hospitality of Maxwell Church, shall we?”
The bodyguards snickered like lunatics as they both grabbed Duo at the upper arm and all but dragged him away from me. He managed to throw one more look over his shoulder, his eyes filled with guilt, fear and frustration. I was abandoned right in front of the church. The massive wooden door was closed shut; the silence surrounding me was eerie and cold. If I wanted Duo, Sister Helen and the children to be safe, I had no choice but to do what Quinze had ‘asked’ me to do. A mobile suit prototype in the hands of this man was going to create more trouble… ‘Operation Meteor’, as Duo had called it. If only I had taken that flash drive from him, so Quinze would’ve come after me. Instead, I had left it on his desk, so caught up in kissing him that it had slipped my mind. Stupid, stupid!
-------------------------------------------
Four blocks was a minor distance and I could already see the tall chimneys of the processing plant looming over the streets. I quickened my pace while my mind raced a thousand miles a minute. Duo was right; my press card might give me some leeway on Earth or the other colonies, but not on L2. The authorities would ban me, if I didn’t have to serve jail time first. Not being able to visit L2 wasn’t an option; I couldn’t live without Duo. He wouldn’t go anywhere without the children, so I had to make sure not to get caught. Duo was right about Quinze, of course: this was extortion. Hiring muscle, holding a gun to someone’s head and having no qualms about denying food to children… what kind of man was he? Duo had told me that the flash drive contained all kinds of incriminating material, but now it was back in Quinze’s possession. I was in trouble, Duo was in trouble, and I didn’t have any proof because I had failed to take the flash drive.
I decided to concentrate on my ‘task’ at hand. The processing plant was right around the corner and my first problem was how to get in. The factory, its name eroded from the building, was surrounded by a steep, huge wall, at least thrice my height. As it wasn’t midnight yet, I still had a couple of hours, which I used to check for the entrance, the exits, any guards, escape routes and so on. The building looked deserted to me. The entrance gate was closed. No truck or workers went in or out. This plant wasn’t in use anymore. I took my time checking and checking the building again. In my job as a reporter, the first rule I learned was to always look past the first impression. Never judge a book by its cover. Anyone else would’ve walked away empty-handed, but I was going inside and investigate. Who knew what kind of illegal operations were going on? Quinze had mentioned this processing plant in particular and according to Duo, the man had a substantial network. He had to have information from reliable sources, otherwise he wouldn’t have send me to this place. After ransacking my hotel room, he probably had learned of my reputation. On the other hand, he’d shown slight apprehension when I mentioned Quatre. I mentally berated myself. Focus! Quinze and his background would have to wait. Right now, I had a prototype to retrieve, but I didn’t have much information to work with. The factory was as silent and spooky as a grave. If there was any rebel activity, it had to be underground. Nightfall was settling in and no windows lit up at the factory. At least there wasn’t any nightshift… but I hadn’t seen any dayshift either. I felt relieved and burdened at the same time.
This was going to be difficult. Why had Quinze asked me to do this? Could it be that he had performed a background check on me? If so, he would know I was capable of piloting a mobile suit. Well, piloting… when I was writing an article about the Gundams years ago, I had operated the controls of a Leo, just to get acquainted with it. Duo didn’t have that kind of knowledge or experience and it wasn’t like he could put a mobile suit prototype in his pants pocket. That asshole Quinze had played his game well; through Duo, he could get to me and through me, he could get his precious prototype. Fuck! Taking a deep breath, I checked my watch. It wasn’t completely dark yet, but I needed time to locate the prototype and get it out of the factory. If I took too long, Quinze was going to do who know what to Duo and the children. I couldn’t wait for it to be completely dark. As there were hardly any bystanders, I walked up to the gate. I knew how to pick a lock, but to my surprise, it wasn’t necessary. When I pulled the metal handle, the gate went open with a rattling noise. It was ridiculous. I crossed the terrain with designated parking spots for the board of directors (overgrown, no car had been parked there for years) and unreadable signs, probably for delivering cargo. No one stopped me. There was no one to stop me. As I approached the building, I could see the broken windows, the graffiti on the walls and the vandalized doors. I was severely tempted to return to the church and tell Quinze where he could shove it. The thought of failing this ‘mission’ and consequently endangering Duo and the children withheld me from doing so. I went inside. The main hall was huge and empty, safe for a few iron bars and metal grates lying on the floor. Even the ventilation pipes and inner isolation had been stripped off clean; for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what had been processed at this factory. It didn’t really matter. I started looking for concealed doors, trap doors, anything that would lead to a secret room where the prototype would be. I cursed Quinze and I cursed myself.
I didn’t have a flash light and it was getting dark quickly. I picked up one of the iron bars in case I would need it as a weapon. For an hour, I wandered around the factory hall and crossed it to search the offices. No indication of a cellar, no sounds, just a few squeaky rats. I was wasting time. What was I supposed to do? I was making a fool of myself and Quinze was probably laughing at me. He was mocking me. There was nothing at this factory. There was no one here. The only footprints in the dust were mine. This was a wild goose chase, and for what? I looked outside, at the artificial moon. Its light was none too bright and I felt completely alone in this silence, in this darkness, in this goddamn empty factory. Dark clouds covered large parts of the moon, reducing the weak light even more. Annoyed, I turned around to leave, until realization hit me. L2 was a colony with artificial day and night routine, controlled by an intricate climate system. A system that kept the entire colony at a perfect temperature: a mixture of warmth and humidity. A system that didn’t know ‘rain’ or ‘clouds’. It was smoke, and it came from the direction of the church! I dropped the metal bar and ran. I ran like the devil was at my heels and I left the factory behind me. The distinctive scent of fire was already in the air and I ran. My legs protested, my lungs labored to keep up and I almost stumbled, yet I kept running.
Four blocks had never seemed so far away before.
--------------------------------
Previous chapter: 1 |
Fandom: Gundam Wing
Pairings: forthcoming Heero x Duo
Genre: some drama, romance
Warnings: shounen-ai, foul language
Summary: Heero Yuy, award-winning reporter and photographer, travels to the L2 cluster colony to write a book about the colonists and the ongoing war. He’s more than surprised to find a young cleric, a priest, who will do anything to save the children at his church.
Key: ----- = scene change
I had no other choice but to return to my hotel. It was of no use to follow Duo, he had made his point very clear. Going back to the church would only aggravate matters and I didn’t want to confront him right now. I didn’t know what I wanted. I had to straighten out my thoughts, I had to think and decided to call it quits for the night. When I arrived at the hotel, the woman behind the reception desk was the same woman who had told me about Duo and his possible involvement in criminal activities. After tonight, it really pissed me off that she’d been right. I was a star reporter - how could I have missed the signs? Her eyes traveled immediately to my face; the impressive bruise on my jaw had turned yellowish, and it was still quite conspicuous. I had taken off the bandages on my hand and knees; the cuts and scrapes had healed nicely, only a band-aid would do.
“You like danger, don’t you?” She said. “Not many people go out at night.”
“I’m a reporter,” I said gruffly. Being honest about my job had brought me more than telling lies, oddly enough. I didn’t like to spin twists and tales and to get caught in my own web of lies.
“A reporter, hm? Something specific in mind?”
I told her about my book, giving her the general outline without mentioning Duo.
“It’d be nice if someone without prejudice told the rest of the world about L2,” she said, nodding in approval. “Too many wild stories are going around. Not everyone here is a criminal or a smuggler.”
“I noticed a lot of bad luck going around,” I said.
“It’s the government,” she immediately answered. “A lot of corruption and a lot of bad decisions. Sometimes the other colonies reach out and send us food transports and the government is all too happy to accept it. They think they can solve all the problems but they are the biggest problem. They take the food for themselves and stuff their faces with meat and potatoes, while wondering why the inhabitants are so dissatisfied and rebellious? They can’t see the forest for the trees and the entire colony suffers for it.”
It was the same story I had heard over and over before, and I knew it was going to be the message of my book: an accusation at the address of the current corrupted and lazy government. As an Earth citizen, I wouldn’t have to be afraid of any repercussions, and Quatre Raberba Winner had my back. I thanked the woman for her time and she looked pleased. I went to my room, took an ice-cold shower (no warm water past midnight) and went to bed.
After a night of restless sleep, I went back to the church in the morning, of course. Truth to be told, I didn’t dare to admit to myself that personal reasons were involved - I wanted to see Duo. I just couldn’t leave him alone. I wanted to know more about him, to be with him… fortunately, Sister Helen and the kids welcomed me exuberantly, but when I asked for Duo, the nun shook her head.
“Father is out this morning,” she said. “He’ll be back by noon, though. Would you care to wait?”
Hesitant, I was about to say that I’d be back later when suddenly a piece of wood snapped, sounding like a gunshot being fired. Everyone ducked, but soon the crying started: a young boy had sunk through one of the rickety chairs and had hurt his leg from a splinter in the wood. Tears streamed down his face and Sister Helen went over to the boy to comfort him, while I picked up the chair.
“More wood for the open fire,” she said, always looking on the bright side.
“It snapped quite clean,” I told her. “I can fix this. Do you have a hammer and some nails, perhaps?”
“There’s a shed in the garden,” the nun answered. “I’m not sure if the tools can still be used, though.”
“I’ll go check,” I said and I left the living room. One of the kids followed me: it was Solo.
“Hey,” I greeted him.
“Hey,” he said. The bump on his head was as good as gone, but the scrapes on his face were still showing. “It’s through here.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I’m sorry if I caused you any trouble.”
“It’s not your fault,” he said as he kicked at a pebble. “But I was going to get some sweet credit for that camera of yours. Now the toddlers are playing with it.”
“What were you going to do with the credits? Keep them to yourself?”
“Nah,” he said and he kicked at the pebble again. “I would’ve given it to Duo.”
“To Duo?”
“Yeah, but the Sister doesn’t want me to give him anything. I mean, she knows that most of the things we… have, is stolen. She doesn’t want us to bother him with stolen things.”
“Well, as head of this church, he won’t accept something stolen or illegal,” I said and cringed at the same time. Solo looked at me quizzically as he guided me into the garden. It was the saddest excuse for a vegetable garden I’ve ever seen.
“I don’t want to get Duo in any trouble,” Solo continued. “If the police comes and takes him away, the church would be no more.” So young and already so aware of the consequences of Duo’s absence, it was just sad. He should be playing outdoors with the other kids, instead of worrying and suffering from the impact of life on L2. Without another word, we reached the garden shed. I pulled the door.
“It’s stuck,” I said, superfluously.
“Sister Helen couldn’t open it.” Solo looked at me with his freckled face, smirking. “You’re stronger than Sister Helen, aren’t you?”
I accepted the kid’s challenge and tugged and pulled harder, finally yanking the door open. Clouds of dust and all kinds of bugs flew out, and I quickly stepped aside. Solo batted at the bugs and danced around to avoid being stung. I entered the shed without giving it a further thought and walked straight into the thickest cobweb of my life. Ignoring Solo’s howls of laughter, I removed the sticky strings and praised myself lucky I wasn’t wearing any Armani. A little bit of light was filtered through the broken window panes, the remnants of glass too dirty to allow any light in. I squinted. Large equipment like a lawnmower, rakes, hoes, even a shovel and a pair of large hedge clippers was positioned against the back wall. Nothing was electrical, of course. I spotted a rusty tool box on a shelf, along with a few other tools: hammers, pliers and brushes scattered all over the place.
“Hey, look at this! It’s a bike!” Solo pulled a dusty piece of cloth off of a shapeless object.
“I love your optimism,” I said. That thing could hardly be called a bike. Rusty, flat tires, a broken frame, no brakes… No one had been in this shed for years; decades, perhaps. I gave Solo the brushes to carry and we stepped outside, back into the artificial sunlight again. I didn’t need more than one second to see who was waiting for us. Duo stood next to the door leading back to the church. Solo beamed at him.
“Look, Duo! Tools! Heero’s going to fix the chair!”
“That’s great,” Duo said, his voice calm yet without intonation. “Why don’t you go inside, Solo, and show the Sister your tools?”
The boy all but skipped inside. I put the toolbox down, as it was heavy. I waited for Duo to start talking. He didn’t disappoint me.
“I told you to not come back here,” he said. No hostility or menace in his voice, though. I shrugged sheepishly.
“I haven’t finished all the interviews for my book yet.”
“Then finish them and leave.” Duo turned around so fast that his braid cut the air with the same sharp, brusque motion.
“Duo, wait.”
He froze mid-step. My heart skipped a beat. “Please,” I said.
“Please what?” He didn’t turn around. I didn’t know what to say. He looked over his shoulder, his face downtrodden, but with a determined expression. “What, Heero? You’ve seen what I am. You’ve seen what I do. You can write all about the thieving, stealing Priest in your important book and let the world know that L2 is sick to its very core.”
“Duo, that’s not what…” I couldn’t come up with the right words. Strange how I always knew what to say when writing, but now I was lacking eloquent, coherent thoughts, and I faltered like a shy high school kid. “Please listen to me,” I said. “I acted too roughly and too rashly. I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to be sorry.” Duo straightened himself and resumed walking, leaving me in the garden. He hadn’t told me to leave right now, so I stubbornly went into the church, following him.
“Duo. Duo, please wait.”
“What is it you want, Heero?” He raised his voice slightly. Despite the curt tone, his warm, rich timbre was music to my ears, and I… wanted to hear his voice over and over again. What I wanted? I wanted to help him. I wanted to protect him. Something was going on and now that the cat was out of the bag, I couldn’t turn away and pretend that nothing had happened. Call it my reporter’s instinct, and yes, I pretty much ignored the warning bells going off in my head. It was becoming personal and there was no way I could stop it.
“You’re not sick,” I said. “The kids adore you. Sister Helen thinks the world of you.”
“They wouldn’t if they knew who I really am.”
I grabbed him at the upper arm, not to restrain him, but to force him to look at me. I knew he had the strength to break free, but he didn’t fight back.
“I want to help you,” I said. “If there’s anything I can do…”
“Why?”
I was taken aback. “Because…”
“Because of your book? Because you want to be the hero? I don’t need a hero, and the kids don’t need a hero either. Do you know what they need? Do you know who they need? A provider, a caretaker, someone who gives them love and warmth, someone who gives them food and shelter…”
“And that’s what you do,” I said. “Can’t you see? Don’t you understand what I’m telling you?” I could’ve recited a phone book for all that matter, I just wanted Duo’s attention. Those eyes, those violet eyes with a hint of purple…blue… anything in it, his face, framed by those chestnut colored bangs, I wanted to touch him, I wanted to cup his face and kiss him. The thought of a kiss jerked me out of my trance and I let go of him.
“Like I said, finish your interviews and leave.” He straightened out the black tunic he was wearing, dusting himself off. The silver crucifix on his chest caught a shimmer of light and reflected it, reminding me painfully that Duo was a man of the church, despite his flaws… but who was I to accuse someone of not being perfect? I had my own share of mistakes and flaws. This time, I watched his retreating back and I wished I could run after him. I wished I could promise everything was going to be all right… but I just couldn’t.
Solo waited for me in the living room, along with the boy who had broken the chair. He had an extremely guilty look on his face. Sister Helen had comforted him, telling him that it wasn’t his fault, but he watched me with great apprehension while I fixed the chair. The other children came to sit in a huge circle around me. As soon as I had finished, Katherine asked me to repair a toy train, which only needed a few tweaks to get the wooden wheels rolling again. Not soon thereafter, Sister Helen, albeit hesitantly, asked me if I could please take a look at that leaky faucet and the stuck window on the first floor? She couldn’t pay me of course, but if I wanted to stay for dinner..? I declined her kind offer and told her I’d be happy to do whatever she asked me to. My adoptive father had taught me a lot about repairing stuff like this, and my technical skills had proven quite handy in my life. If anything, keeping my hands busy made sure I couldn’t say something stupid, especially when a certain Father was involved.
My time on L2 was coming to an end, fast. Quatre had given me one week, including time to write the first draft of my book. I had much material to organize; I had divided my notes into in chapters and I was satisfied with the general outline. However, I was going to need a lot more time than the remaining two days to sort through it all and actually start writing. Two days… and I still wanted to talk to Duo. I wanted to do more than just ‘talk’ to Duo. I couldn’t get him out of my head. I wanted to help him, but how? He thought I was going to leave soon anyway. He was under the impression that I was only interested in him and the church to get more material for my book. What were his words? He didn’t need a hero… what did he mean by that? Duo wasn’t a damsel in distress, he could take care of himself. On the other hand, there was only so much that one person could deal with.
I knew what it was like to be alone all the time. My adoptive father raised me to be a very independent person, but I discovered that even someone like me needed someone to talk to. I found a good friend in Quatre and through him, I met Trowa and Wufei. Even though we didn’t talk to each other that often, we kept in touch and we regarded each other as friends. But to feel something so personal, such a… belonging, a strange kind of longing… no, I never felt like that before. It wasn’t the hormones. I wasn’t thinking of any physical… interaction right now. It was Duo himself, something about him, something that he was, who he was, that made me feel attracted to him. Yes, he was handsome, I couldn’t deny that, but I’ve never been the kind of person to go for the exterior only. Duo was more than a pretty face. I had to muster up all of my strength and talk to him, no matter what. As my feet brought me back to Maxwell Church, I thought that I’d rather outrun a stomping Gundam again than face the man I was falling head over heels for. He wasn’t very happy with me to start with, and why should I ever think he would reciprocate? He’d probably toss me out of the church.
I greeted Sister Helen and the kids, who weren’t surprised at all to see me again, and went straight to Duo’s office. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door.
“Enter!”
He was standing behind his desk, as rigid as a ruler. Duo was slightly smaller than me, but the ink black garb he wore made him look taller. His desk was empty, safe for a rectangular, small object that I easily recognized. A flash drive.
“Duo, what’s this?”
“You’re right.”
“About what?”
“About whatever it is that you think about me. I’m a thief, and I always have been. I never thought that my… skills would come in handy someday.”
“What’s on the flash drive?” I couldn’t help but ask. Duo put his finger on it and shoved it towards me.
“You’re a reporter,” he said and the bitterness in his voice unsettled me. “So, report. Rebels on L2 are building mobile suits. You’ll find the plans and schematics on this flash drive. You can tell the world that our reputation is true: a bunch of warmongering rebels who perpetuate the desolation the colony is in, and I’m a part of it.”
“That’s not the truth. You didn’t steal it for your own profit.” I refused to believe his words. “Unless you hide a mobile suit factory underneath the church?”
A tight smile. “He promised me milk,” was all he said. I didn’t understand it at first. “Real milk. Not the watered down, artificial crap that’s been sold for extremely high prices here.”
“The children.”
“They can’t thrive on molded bread and stale water, Heero.” He didn’t look at me. “Milk and potatoes. Apples and oranges, maybe even strawberries. Clothes, books and toys. A whole shipment of goods for the children, in exchange for this flash drive.” Duo shifted his position and the silver crucifix once again caught a glimpse of the sun and blinked at me. His hand went to the piece of jewelry, his fingers stroking the object. “Did you know this was the first thing I ever stole? I nicked it from an old man, dressed in black. I figured he was just stupid for wearing jewelry in public.”
“Father Maxwell,” I took a guess. Duo’s gaze turned melancholic.
“I ran away with it, totally excited,” he continued. “But before I reached the end of the street, I… lost all my energy. I halted and looked over my shoulder. He was just standing there, and he was… smiling at me. No yelling, no screaming, no curse words or condemnation. I never felt so ashamed, and I went back to him. He didn’t even hold out his hand when I wanted to return the crucifix.”
I waited for him to finish his story. “He told me that it would suit me much better.” A snort. “I just stood there and listened to him telling me about some Lord and Savior, but all that I remember was his promise that if I went with him, I would get a hot meal. I hadn’t had hot food for as long as I lived. Next thing I know, I’m in charge of the church.”
A moment of silence, but not uncomfortable. “What happened to him?” I asked, cautiously.
“He died.” A blank look on his face and a neutral tone to his voice. “He was an old man. He already lived longer than many of the colonists.”
“He was your friend,” I said. Duo stared out of the window.
“I guess so. I didn’t regard him as my father, or anything sentimental like that. But he was kind, open, and trusting. I tried to do the same.”
“The children love you,” I reminded him. “You’re everything to them.”
“Maybe.” Duo sounded doubtful. “When the Father died, he asked me to continue his work, without pressuring me. He wanted someone to be there for the children, to give support, to provide them with a safe place. The church was a steady roof over my head and I knew by then, if I had continued my ways, I’d either end up a criminal boss or dead on the streets. Before he died, he asked me to believe in God. He would show me the way.”
“And do you? Believe in God, that is?”
Another snort. “There’s only one God I believe in,” Duo said. “I’ve seen so much destruction and death around me. It’s much easier to believe in the God of Death than God himself.”
I didn’t know what to answer. Duo gave the flash drive another shove so it teetered on the edge of the desk.
“Take it. You’ll have a real scoop on your hands, Heero. The names of everyone involved with the rebel upraise.”
“Including the name of the guy who visited you earlier?”
He didn’t seem surprised about me knowing. “Quinze,” Duo said. “He calls himself a ‘mediator’, He’s on the government’s payroll as an advisor; in reality, he’s the leader of a group called the White Fang. He has gained followers all over the colonies, but the core of his activities is concentrated on L2. White Fang wants to build mobile dolls for something they call ‘Operation Meteor’. The details are on the flash drive. I don’t know the details, as I don’t have a computer to read out the data.”
“And how did Quinze get to you?”
“He knew my reputation.” Duo crossed his arms in front of his chest. His posture was straight and strong, yet he looked vulnerable. I was dying to stand behind him, wrap my arms around him and tell him that everything was going to be all right. “I’ve always been a thief, Heero. I know what I did, was wrong... but it helped me to feed and clothe the children, and ironically enough, to keep them off the streets so they wouldn’t follow into my footsteps. I want them to believe that kindness, sharing and helping each other is the right way of living, instead of stealing and thieving. Quinze has money and he knows his way around. He approached me to steal a couple of documents, and it was easy enough. When I brought him the documents, he arranged for a shipment of powdered milk.” He finally turned his head around to look at me. “You should’ve seen their faces, Heero. The kids had never seen milk before! They were afraid to drink it, not knowing what it was!”
My heart raced as I closed the distance between us. He didn’t step away from me. This was his moment to tell his story, and I listened with rapt fascination. “The next shipment was apples,” Duo said. “Along with crates of assorted vegetables and potatoes, even frozen chicken! Sister Helen suggested we’d roast it over the open fire place. We ate with our hands and everyone was covered in grease, but we had so much fun, and it tasted so good!” He turned to me, eyes sparkling with mirth before they turned dark, but not mistrusting. “Now I’ve become Quinze’s lapdog, stealing for him what he wants. I’m caught between government, police and White Fang. All I want is for the children to be safe. I did what I had to do… what I have to do. I’ll answer to God’s judgment when it’s my time, not to someone else’s.”
“You’re so strong,” I said.
“I’m a survivor, like everyone else around here.”
I ached to touch his face, to brush that wayward strand of hair away from his cheek. “You survived on your own for so long. What would the children do without you?”
“Sister Helen’s still here.”
“She’s looking up to you, Duo. There’s such a heavy burden on your shoulders.”
“I don’t see it as such.” He tilted his head a little. I could deduce from the look in his eyes that he expected me to tell something about myself, and so I did. After all, he had opened up to me, and it wouldn’t be fair to not return the gesture. So I told him that I grew up without knowing my mother and that my adoptive father was a good person, but none too bright in the empathic department. We never really bonded as father and son and he left me starving for attention. When I got a hug from my first boyfriend years and years ago, I didn’t realize what he was doing, why the guy I loved was putting his arms around me. Before I knew it, I was telling Duo about my crush on unreachable men, like Zechs Merquise.
“The brother of the Queen of the World,” Duo said. “You have ambitions, Heero.”
“I should’ve known better,” I said. “He was, and still is, in a firm relationship with Lucrezia Noin. I know exactly what to look for, but apparently, not where to look.”
“You work hard,” Duo said. “You’re honest and you have a lot of skills. You’re a good party for anyone.”
“Yeah.” I shrugged awkwardly. I knew who I wanted to be a party for, and he was standing right in front of me. Another moment of silence. I could tell that something was bothering Duo, and I guessed it was me standing so close to him. “I really didn’t want you to…I didn’t want to bother you,” I said.
He looked up, a quizzical look on his face. “What do you mean?”
“That night, when I caught you in the act. I shouldn’t have stalked you. I probably hurt you back then…”
He made a dismissive gesture. “I guess any thief, no matter how good, sooner or later gets caught. It was just a matter of time.”
“You did what you had to do,” I said, repeating his words. “These are extreme circumstances. We’ll find a way to help the children.”
“We?”
“I want to help,” I said. “With your story and my book, I can ask for international aid. When Earth and the other colonies learn of the full story of L2 and understand what’s going on, they’ll reach out to you!”
Duo inclined his head just a little and I couldn’t help myself; I reached for him and brushed a few strands away. He shivered and I immediately withdrew my hand. He didn’t turn away though, nor did he tell me to leave.
“It’s too late,” he said, voice low. “Maybe your book will gather interest, but then what? Life will go on, Earth will move on, and the colonies are too far apart to really care. A book won’t stop Quinze or the government. It doesn’t matter. I already made my choice by giving you this flash drive. I had to deliver it two hours ago at the agreed rendez-vous point. He’s probably flaming mad. I don’t know what he’s going to do.”
“I’ll stay,” I offered immediately.
“You don’t want to stay with me.” Duo’s voice was curt and his face showed that cold, hard mask I had seen before: when he was talking to Quinze. “This is dangerous, Heero. Take the flash drive and leave. Write your book. Tell our story, my story, and show it to the world as you see fit. Go back to your safe home on Earth.”
“I’ll go,” I said, gauging his reaction. A mixture of relief and… disappointment? washed over his face. “I’ll go to my hotel, pack up my stuff and come back to you right away.”
“Heero..! You can’t!”
“Yes I can, and yes I will,” I said, stubbornly. “This Quinze isn’t going to hurt you or the children.”
“You can’t protect us all,” he protested.
“And you can’t shoulder all these problems on your own. I’ll be back soon, all right?”
“No. Go home, Heero. Write your book-”
“I don’t want to hear it,” I said and as he was so close, I could smell him. I could count the strands of his hair; I could count his eyelashes, framing those amazing eyes. I could… kiss him. The thought crossed my mind while I was already pressing my lips on his, boldly and… well, sort of invading. I actually expected him to plant his elbow in my stomach the way he had done when I had caught him red-handed. Duo broke up the kiss, albeit not hurriedly. He turned his head and my lips ended up on his cheek. Was he embarrassed?
“Go, Heero,” he said, his voice low. My heart fell. I had overstepped boundaries, and now he was sending me away. I didn’t want to leave before apologizing. As soon as I opened my mouth, he said: “Go, and come back right away.”
I rushed back to the spaceport hotel to retrieve my belongings: clothes, the camera, my notes. The gruff receptionist, who had checked me in on my first night on L2, looked particularly bored.
“I’m checking out,” I told him, “and I need to send a message to Earth, so get an interstellar secured line ready.”
“That’s going to cost you,” he hollered after me as I ran up the stairs.
“You know I’ve got a credit card!” I hollered back irritably, as I didn’t want to waste one more second of my precious time. I had to inform Quatre that I was going to stay a little while longer on L2. Through the years, I had built up an impressive amount of paid time off, which I rarely ever took - work was my life. Quatre hopefully wouldn’t mind my spontaneous action. The moment I opened the door to my room and switched on the light, I busted out a string of expletives I didn’t know I had in me. The entire room had been trashed! Every piece of furniture had been turned upside down, the mattress cut open and the floor littered with my handwritten notes, crumpled and discarded. I picked them up, muttering more expletives under my breath. What kind of asshole had thrashed my room? He, or they, had meticulously searched my clothes, my toiletries - as if a bottle of aftershave contained precious information about me - and my notes, fortunately not tearing them in half.
I grabbed everything and stuffed it into my suitcase. The notes contained the interviews with the adults and children from the church; I hadn’t gotten around writing Duo’s story down yet. I had the feeling Duo’s story wasn’t the main goal to ransack my room. The Nikon perhaps, to exchange for credits on the black market? I found the slightly damaged camera underneath a pile of towels and tossed it in the suitcase. There was nothing left for me to do here, so I left my room and stomped down the stairs. As I reached the reception desk, I slammed my fist down, not in the mood for chit-chat.
“Is the interstellar secured line ready?”
I received a dirty look, but the man handed me the communication device that established secured lines and I punched in my verification code. I hadn’t bothered to check the time zone difference and I was immediately transferred to the voicemail of Quatre’s secretary; it was midnight on Earth. I left a message and disconnected the line.
“Checking out, huh?” The man started to write on a piece of paper. “Three nights, communication service…”
“I won’t pay the charges,” I said brusquely. He looked up.
“Excuse me?”
“Someone has wrecked the room, turning everything upside down and inside out,” I continued. “It wasn’t housekeeping. You’re damn lucky that I’m not suing your ass.”
I would’ve laughed at his fake wide-eyed-surprised-look in any other circumstances, but right now I was in a hurry. I wanted to get back to the church and Duo was more important than this guy. “I don’t know how much they bribed you with,” I said, “but I’m sure it’s enough to cover my expenses.”
“Hey, it doesn’t work that way,” he whined. “If you damaged your room…”
“Do you have too much wax in your ears? I didn’t trash the room, someone else did!” I thought I saw a flicker of fear in the man’s eyes. “If you want to sue me, you know where to find me.” I had given him one of my business cards when I registered for the room.
“You just can’t leave like that, man,” he said, his eyes darting back and forth. He grated me on my nerves.
“Feel free to call the police, or whatever law-enforcing clique you have around here,” I said disdainfully. Another flicker of fear and now I took pity on him, albeit not too much. There was a possibility that he hadn’t been bribed, but threatened. If Quinze’s men had done this, he probably wouldn’t have stood much of a chance. I steeled myself. I would deal with this guy and whatever concerning the hotel, later. Without another word, I left - and he didn’t dare to call after me.
When I arrived at the church, I spotted Quinze before he saw me. He was surrounded by burly men, grinning sadistically like a bunch of brain-dead goons with enough muscles to ram their way through a wall. My eyes scanned the area for Duo and my heart plummeted when I saw him lying on the ground, his back turned to me, at the entrance of the church. Solo and Katherine stood in front of him, their faces contorted, smudges and tears on their cheeks. Solo shook his fists at the burly guys, his expression a dark cloud of unadulterated hatred and anger. Katherine held her hands up high and clawed, ready to fight. The rest of the children, along with Sister Helen, stood to the side, huddled together. The nun did her best to keep them calm, speaking in a hushed tone of voice. Duo didn’t move, but I could see that he was breathing. My heart turned into a block of ice, filled with disdain and anger towards the ones who had hurt my Duo.
“What’s going on here?” I called out, with as much authority as I could muster.
Quinze and his goons turned to me, as if they had all the time in the world. In a split second, one of the guys’ vests lifted up slightly and I saw the unmistakable contours of a gun.
“Ah, Heero,” Quinze said, casually confirming that he and his men had been in my hotel room.
“Heero Yuy, Earth Alliance Press,” I stated for good measure. “I work for the Global Press, owned by Quatre Raberba Winner. State your business, Quinze.”
He wasn’t surprised that I knew his name. His right eye slightly twitched in annoyance when I dropped Quatre’s name; my boss was widely known, even in the colonies and just for a moment Quinze showed a little bit of apprehension. It was gone the next second.
“My business is with the Father here,” he said. “I’d advise you to stay out of it.”
“The Father is a personal friend,” I said. “If there’s a problem, I’d be happy to help.” I had to get Sister Helen and the children out of here. I had to make sure that Duo was all right. As soon as I took a step towards the church, Quinze’s bodyguards blocked my way. I growled. The physical strength of these jerks far surpassed mine, I would lose in combat. Besides, one of them was packing a gun, and I was sure his friend would carry a weapon as well; if it wasn’t a gun, it would be a knife. My anger wasn’t enough to win this battle. My body was shaking in barely suppressed rage. If I couldn’t fight them, I had to outsmart them, but how? The next moment, I heard some rustling and a soft groan; it was Duo, getting up from the ground.
“The matter is already settled.” His voice was hoarse. Carefully, he moved his hands to search for balance as he got up. I gasped at the difficulty of his movements. Had these goons broken his bones? I tried to make eye contact. He showed me a sickly grin, split lip and all. “I gave back what I owed him.” The flash drive.
“The Father knows that it’s not sufficient,” Quinze said. “He knows that…”
“Sister, would you be as kind as to take the children inside?” I interrupted him. The nun, face fear-stricken, was relieved to see me. Solo took a step forward, about to lash out.
“Solo, you’ll help, won’t you? Take your brothers and sisters back inside, and stay there. Katherine, you too, right?”
Both children looked at me, insecure. Duo made a shooing gesture, showing a smile that could’ve fooled me into believing that everything was all right. Finally, the children did as they were told and along with Sister Helen, moved back into the church. To my relief, Quinze let them go; he didn’t call for his bodyguards to harass them. The men took a defensive stance when Duo descended the stairs and came to stand next to me. I was sickened by their ‘loyalty’ to their boss, and my anger flared up when I saw the bruises on his face. What had these goons done to him?
“Well, mister reporter,” Quinze said tonelessly, “your personal friend here hasn’t kept himself to his word. A man of God, who steals and lies!”
“I never lie!” Duo protested.
“You didn’t show up at the arranged rendez-vous point,” Quinze snarled. “You broke our arrangement. For all the trouble you caused me, you’re going to have to pay!”
“You got what you wanted,” Duo said. “Now leave!”
“No, it’s not going to be that easy. You’re not getting away that easy. I’ve been nothing but a good provider to you, and you repay me like this? We had agreed to a shipment of milk, bread and fresh vegetables for the children; you can forget about it.”
“Asshole,” I said. “You heard him! Leave!”
“Heero, the children,” Duo said, downtrodden. I understood: a whole shipment of food was a big loss.
“We’ll think of a way,” I told him. Quinze made a gesture and the two goons pulled out their guns. “No!”
“You seem like a fit and able young man,” Quinze said, grinning as his men pointed their guns at Duo. “The Father has done his work. Now it’s time for you to do something for me.”
“Why would I do something for you?” I asked, incredulously.
“Because if you don’t, the Father is going to meet his Maker,” Quinze answered coolly. “Now, there’s a factory close by. On the outside, it looks like any regular processing plant, but it’s a secret hideout where the first prototype mobile doll has been build. You’ll steal that prototype and bring it back to us.”
“Heero, no!” Duo took a step forward, but froze on the spot when the goons cocked their guns. He turned to me. “This is how it all starts! One thing leads to another, and he’ll never be satisfied. It’s extortion! You don’t owe him a thing! It’s not worth it, Heero. You’re right, we’ll think of a way. There has to be another way!”
My stomach tied itself into knots. Two guns pointed to his head, and Quinze wouldn’t hesitate to give the command to fire. I commended Duo for not panicking, in fact it was disturbing to see how calm he was while being held at gunpoint. Maybe he was reconciled with dying on the spot, but I wasn’t. Slowly, I turned to Quinze and dropped my voice until below freezing point.
“If I bring you that prototype…then you’ll leave and never come back?”
Quinze showed me a calculating grin. “More so, I’ll give you that shipment of food for the kids, per our prior agreement.”
Duo grabbed my arm, his movement so fast that it was a miracle the bodyguards didn’t act upon their reflexes to pull the trigger. “Heero, if you get caught, no press card will save your life.”
“Where’s the factory?” I said, gently shaking his hand off. I could only hope that my calm composure would reassure him, somehow. I could do this. Quinze looked like a cat that ate the canary, ensured of his victory. I wanted to wipe that smirk off of his face.
“My my, if I knew you’d agree so soon, I would’ve asked for more. As it is, bringing me that prototype will do. The factory is just four blocks from here. You’ve got until midnight. We’ll stay here to take good care of the Father.”
“Don’t you dare lay a finger on him,” I said. Quinze wasn’t impressed.
“Heero, no,” Duo said again. “You…”
“We all go inside,” Quinze interrupted him, “except for our cunning reporter, that is. Come gentlemen, let’s enjoy the hospitality of Maxwell Church, shall we?”
The bodyguards snickered like lunatics as they both grabbed Duo at the upper arm and all but dragged him away from me. He managed to throw one more look over his shoulder, his eyes filled with guilt, fear and frustration. I was abandoned right in front of the church. The massive wooden door was closed shut; the silence surrounding me was eerie and cold. If I wanted Duo, Sister Helen and the children to be safe, I had no choice but to do what Quinze had ‘asked’ me to do. A mobile suit prototype in the hands of this man was going to create more trouble… ‘Operation Meteor’, as Duo had called it. If only I had taken that flash drive from him, so Quinze would’ve come after me. Instead, I had left it on his desk, so caught up in kissing him that it had slipped my mind. Stupid, stupid!
Four blocks was a minor distance and I could already see the tall chimneys of the processing plant looming over the streets. I quickened my pace while my mind raced a thousand miles a minute. Duo was right; my press card might give me some leeway on Earth or the other colonies, but not on L2. The authorities would ban me, if I didn’t have to serve jail time first. Not being able to visit L2 wasn’t an option; I couldn’t live without Duo. He wouldn’t go anywhere without the children, so I had to make sure not to get caught. Duo was right about Quinze, of course: this was extortion. Hiring muscle, holding a gun to someone’s head and having no qualms about denying food to children… what kind of man was he? Duo had told me that the flash drive contained all kinds of incriminating material, but now it was back in Quinze’s possession. I was in trouble, Duo was in trouble, and I didn’t have any proof because I had failed to take the flash drive.
I decided to concentrate on my ‘task’ at hand. The processing plant was right around the corner and my first problem was how to get in. The factory, its name eroded from the building, was surrounded by a steep, huge wall, at least thrice my height. As it wasn’t midnight yet, I still had a couple of hours, which I used to check for the entrance, the exits, any guards, escape routes and so on. The building looked deserted to me. The entrance gate was closed. No truck or workers went in or out. This plant wasn’t in use anymore. I took my time checking and checking the building again. In my job as a reporter, the first rule I learned was to always look past the first impression. Never judge a book by its cover. Anyone else would’ve walked away empty-handed, but I was going inside and investigate. Who knew what kind of illegal operations were going on? Quinze had mentioned this processing plant in particular and according to Duo, the man had a substantial network. He had to have information from reliable sources, otherwise he wouldn’t have send me to this place. After ransacking my hotel room, he probably had learned of my reputation. On the other hand, he’d shown slight apprehension when I mentioned Quatre. I mentally berated myself. Focus! Quinze and his background would have to wait. Right now, I had a prototype to retrieve, but I didn’t have much information to work with. The factory was as silent and spooky as a grave. If there was any rebel activity, it had to be underground. Nightfall was settling in and no windows lit up at the factory. At least there wasn’t any nightshift… but I hadn’t seen any dayshift either. I felt relieved and burdened at the same time.
This was going to be difficult. Why had Quinze asked me to do this? Could it be that he had performed a background check on me? If so, he would know I was capable of piloting a mobile suit. Well, piloting… when I was writing an article about the Gundams years ago, I had operated the controls of a Leo, just to get acquainted with it. Duo didn’t have that kind of knowledge or experience and it wasn’t like he could put a mobile suit prototype in his pants pocket. That asshole Quinze had played his game well; through Duo, he could get to me and through me, he could get his precious prototype. Fuck! Taking a deep breath, I checked my watch. It wasn’t completely dark yet, but I needed time to locate the prototype and get it out of the factory. If I took too long, Quinze was going to do who know what to Duo and the children. I couldn’t wait for it to be completely dark. As there were hardly any bystanders, I walked up to the gate. I knew how to pick a lock, but to my surprise, it wasn’t necessary. When I pulled the metal handle, the gate went open with a rattling noise. It was ridiculous. I crossed the terrain with designated parking spots for the board of directors (overgrown, no car had been parked there for years) and unreadable signs, probably for delivering cargo. No one stopped me. There was no one to stop me. As I approached the building, I could see the broken windows, the graffiti on the walls and the vandalized doors. I was severely tempted to return to the church and tell Quinze where he could shove it. The thought of failing this ‘mission’ and consequently endangering Duo and the children withheld me from doing so. I went inside. The main hall was huge and empty, safe for a few iron bars and metal grates lying on the floor. Even the ventilation pipes and inner isolation had been stripped off clean; for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what had been processed at this factory. It didn’t really matter. I started looking for concealed doors, trap doors, anything that would lead to a secret room where the prototype would be. I cursed Quinze and I cursed myself.
I didn’t have a flash light and it was getting dark quickly. I picked up one of the iron bars in case I would need it as a weapon. For an hour, I wandered around the factory hall and crossed it to search the offices. No indication of a cellar, no sounds, just a few squeaky rats. I was wasting time. What was I supposed to do? I was making a fool of myself and Quinze was probably laughing at me. He was mocking me. There was nothing at this factory. There was no one here. The only footprints in the dust were mine. This was a wild goose chase, and for what? I looked outside, at the artificial moon. Its light was none too bright and I felt completely alone in this silence, in this darkness, in this goddamn empty factory. Dark clouds covered large parts of the moon, reducing the weak light even more. Annoyed, I turned around to leave, until realization hit me. L2 was a colony with artificial day and night routine, controlled by an intricate climate system. A system that kept the entire colony at a perfect temperature: a mixture of warmth and humidity. A system that didn’t know ‘rain’ or ‘clouds’. It was smoke, and it came from the direction of the church! I dropped the metal bar and ran. I ran like the devil was at my heels and I left the factory behind me. The distinctive scent of fire was already in the air and I ran. My legs protested, my lungs labored to keep up and I almost stumbled, yet I kept running.
Four blocks had never seemed so far away before.
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