Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Deadly Beautiful ❯ Kids with Guns ( Chapter 31 )

Disclaimer: Can anyone here tell me any new, inventive ways to say that I don't own Gundam Wing or any parts of it? And possibly also that I'm not making any money from this effort? Hmm, perhaps I could try it in the form of a question... (.-)

Deadly Beautiful - Chapter 31

By danse

Quatre sat in the Maganac cafeteria with a cup of his favourite Turkish coffee in front of him, but his thoughts were far away. He was thinking about the upcoming mission to Georgia, and about how he was going to get his new army together. Trowa will be a big help, I know it, but we can't take on OZ with just the two of us. But if there were five with our training...He took a swallow of coffee, dimly noticing that it was starting to cool off. How do I get everyone together? It was pure chance that we met last time, but I got their names. Not that a first name will help you find a professional terrorist hiding somewhere on the planet. Maybe chance will favour me again...

Just then, H wheeled into the cafeteria, loaded up a tray with lunch, and joined Quatre at his table. "Hello, Quatre," H said, shaking the boy out of his trance. "How are you today?"

"Wha--uh, I'm fine. Just thinking, is all." Quatre shifted in his seat, peering into his coffee cup. He drained the last few mouthfuls before setting the cup aside. "You?"

H set down his tray and picked up his fork to poke at a slice of beef. "I'm still here. I hear you're going off on another mission, but Abdul didn't elaborate. Where are you going, now?"

"Georgia," Quatre mumbled, his chin propped up on his palm.

"Ah. I've been there. It's beautiful in the summer. Is your army accompanying you?" H started eating his rice.

The teenager smiled lopsidedly. He'd mentioned his encounter with the other four boys shortly after returning home. "One of them. I can't get in contact with the others. But anything helps, so I'm good."

H nodded. "Well, you never know what may happen."

"No," Quatre agreed. "You never do." He fiddled with the handle on his coffee cup briefly before getting up. "I have some things to attend to, if you'll excuse me." With that, he left the cafeteria to go find Rashid, needing to discuss the use of a helicopter for the Georgia mission.

When his charge was gone, H put down his fork and patted at his mouth with a napkin. It appears that a little more 'divine intervention' may be necessary to light a fire under that boy. I must be careful, though; if my esteemed colleagues get too much free intelligence dropped into their laps, they might get wise. He picked up his fork again. I'll lend a helping hand after lunch, I think...

Heero was sitting in the library of J's compound, halfway through a Tom Clancy novel, when the intercom beeped overhead. He frowned up at it, suspecting what was coming. "Heero Yuy to J's office, Heero Yuy to J's office," a female voice crackled.

"I knew it," he muttered, abandoning his book on the table and stretching as he stood up. It never failed; just as he was starting to enjoy himself with some activity, he was interrupted by work. He had half a mind to just abandon fun altogether, just so that it couldn't be cut short anymore. He scuffed his sneakers on the tiled hallway floors as he made his way to the office, listening to the loud squeaks they made. I wonder if this has more to do with those OZ people, he thought idly. Most likely. They're the enemy of the week.

He completely ignored the secretary as he pushed through the inner door to J's personal space. He was immediately faced with the big desk, its chair turned away from him. When the door clicked shut behind him, the chair swung around, revealing a withered, old man wearing what looked like welder's goggles, the shiny pneumatic claw on one arm gripping a report as he scanned it. At length, he put the paper down and faced Heero, who was settling into a chair.

"How are you today, my boy?" J asked.

"Breathing, blinking, thinking. Fully functional." Heero's voice was a bored monotone, but his gaze never left the claw.

J pursed his lips in distaste at the remark, but got to business. "We got another bit of intel on OZ," he said, waving his claw at the report he'd been reading. "Details about some higher-ups meeting at a compound in Georgia."

Heero raised an eyebrow. "Georgia of the former Soviet Union, or Georgia of the United States?" he asked, although he knew what the answer would be. He just liked to be difficult on days like today.

"The one in Asia," J snapped. "Where was I? Oh, yes. Like I said, there are supposed to be several high-ranking OZ officials meeting at a compound in Georgia on June 11th and 12th."

"And I'm supposed to go and kill them," Heero supplied.

"As well as obliterating the base," J finished with a smile. "Can you do it?"

Heero stood up. "As long as I don't have to see their faces before I do it, yes." He left the room without another word, ready to go back to his book.

"We'll start planning the mission soon!" J called after him, just before the door closed. When it clicked shut, he leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "Teenagers," he muttered softly.
 

***

Wufei wandered through a busy Beijing street, eagerly soaking up the sights, smells, and sounds of his homeland through every pore, as he always did when he went back after a long time away. I always miss this too much,he thought wistfully. Maybe someday soon, I can come back for good.He navigated deftly through several side streets, a route designed to shake any followers, and made his way to a plain door in an alley, its green paint mostly peeled away. He knocked four times, and a peephole in the door slid open, revealing a single, dark eye.

"Chang Wufei," the boy said casually. He heard a grunt, and the peephole slammed shut. The door opened immediately afterwards, and he walked into a small mud room. Several pairs of outdoor shoes sat next to clean, straw sandals, and he switched his shoes for the sandals before continuing through the next door.

The interior of the building was a long, wooden-floored hallway lined with red doors. Once an opium den, the place still held a faint, sickly sweet smell, trapped in the wood for years upon years. Wufei walked down the hall and up to the last door on the left, which had a dragon carved into the wood. He knocked four times again, and the door swung open to reveal a well-built bodyguard with an automatic weapon slung over his shoulder. With a quiet, 'Nihao,' and a nod, the bodyguard opened the door wider to let Wufei inside.

Within, a tall, completely bald Chinese man sat cross-legged at a low table, drinking his afternoon tea. He didn't so much as acknowledge Wufei's presence until the boy had seated himself on the other side of the table in front of an empty teacup. "Good afternoon, Master O," Wufei said.

"Hello, Chang," O responded quietly. He had a generally calm demeanour that clashed with his large, powerful body and easy strength. "There's a new mission for you."

"And here I thought I was getting a vacation," Wufei said glibly.

O ignored him. "OZ officials are meeting at a compound in the nation of Georgia," he said. He sipped his tea. "They are quite high-ranking, apparently." He gave Wufei a meaningful look.

Wufei's eyes went wide. "Treize..." he breathed, his excitement building.

"Perhaps. I don't have any names for you, but there is a distinct chance." O smiled.

"I'll do it," the boy said immediately. "When?"

"Their meeting is on June 11th and 12th, according to our intelligence. You should strike on the night in between."

"Of course." Wufei got to his feet and bowed respectfully. "Thank you for this opportunity," he said.

"I wouldn't give it to anyone else," O said truthfully. "Now, would you like something to eat?"

Figuring that they were going to get arrested for lurking around the palace soon, and not being able to think up a better plan, Zechs and Noin had taken to sightseeing, and had spent the last two days wandering around Vaduz, seeing everything there was to see. Today, they were sitting on a park bench three blocks from the palace, Noin in a skirt and Zechs in a baseball cap, with his hair in a ponytail tucked down the back of his shirt. It had been Noin's idea to do that, reasoning that if his unique hair attracted peoples' attention, they might look twice and realize who he was.

Noin was relaxing and people-watching, and Zechs was looking at a swallow flying overhead, when his cell phone started ringing. He jumped in surprise, because it was a secured line to Treize, and he hadn't been expecting it to ring, but he answered it quickly. "Hello?" he said.

Treize's voice answered. "Zechs, I need you back at headquarters for another assignment. I gave you a week for this one, and I'm afraid your time is up."

Zechs frowned. "But... we haven't made any kind of progress yet. I just need a little more time."

"Time is not on your side, Merquise. I'm sorry, but I need you back here."

"But..." Zechs looked around wildly, trying to think of a solution. His eyes settled on Noin, who was giving him a confused, expectant look. All of a sudden, she put the conversation together from her partner's monologue, and met his eyes. She recognized the unspoken question and nodded her agreement. He smiled. "Sir," he said, "can Noin stay behind? She can continue the investigation on her own."

There was a pause, and then Treize answered. "I don't see why she can't stay for a while. There's nothing we urgently need her for at home. She'll have to be picked up afterwards, though. Discreetly."

"I'll look after it, Sir." Zechs sounded excited, having worked out something that benefited him. "Thank you... okay... goodbye." He turned off the phone and looked at Noin. "Thank you, Lucy," he said. "You're an angel."

Noin raised her eyebrows, hoping she wasn't blushing from the unexpected compliment. "It's no problem, Zechs. Beats going home and doing more paperwork, anyways. Besides," she said, settling back on the bench, "it could be easier for me to do this alone, since they won't have a clue who I am."

Zechs made a noise of agreement and then was silent. Suddenly, he spoke again. "Lucy, if she stays--and I think she might stay--I have a favour to ask of you. Would you protect her for me? You're the only one I can trust."

Those words again,Noin thought. You're the only one I can trust...She felt confused by that. She really had deep feelings for Zechs, but this felt more like the responsibility of a best friend. A big responsibility. The park felt deadly quiet all of a sudden; a roaring silence in her ears. "I promise I'll do all I can," she said, her voice sounding like a hollow echo in the stillness she imagined.

Before she knew what was happening, Zechs had wrapped her in a fierce hug. "Thank you," he whispered. "You don't know how much that means to me."

She hesitantly placed a hand on his back, hugging back a little. Her world was turning upside-down on her, and she really didn't like the feeling.

"What do you mean, you have to go to work?" Hilde said. "It's Memorial Day."

Duo pulled on his jacket and drained a cup of coffee. "I got called in this morning. Boss says jump, I ask how high," he explained. "I think I have another business trip coming up soon, and I need to get some material ready for it. Busy time of year, ya know." He winked at her. "See you later!" he called, grabbing his car keys and heading out of the door.

"See ya," she muttered, draining a glass of milk. "Well, Hilde, it's just you again today. I think it's time for some house cleaning." She'd discovered the vacuum and cleaning supplies buried in the hall closet during her two weeks alone, and had taken to doing the cleaning. If Duo had noticed, he hadn't said anything yet. She put her glass in the sink and walked down the hallway to get the vacuum. "I think I'll move the couch today, and clean under there. There's probably popcorn and dust and chip bits and... ugh."

Duo pulled into the parking garage at the office and jumped out of his Mustang, whistling tunelessly as he made his way to the door. Just as he nodded a greeting to the garage security guard, he froze in his tracks, his face white. The guard frowned. "Something wrong, sir?" he called.

Duo blinked, shook his head, and grinned at the guard. "Nope, nothing's wrong," he replied. "Just remembered something, is all." He kept walking for the front door, his face creased with worry. I left my gun behind the couch the other night, when I woke Hilde up.As he pushed the front door open, though, he dismissed his fear. It'll be fine. What reason would she have to look behind the couch, anyway? I'm panicking over nothing...He went inside to get his newest mission briefing from G.

Hilde sat flat on the floor, the couch pushed into the middle of the room. The vacuum whirred behind her, but she couldn't hear it over the pounding of her pulse in her ears. She held the gun in her hand, feeling its unfamiliar weight. She wasn't supposed to start weapons training for another few weeks.

I think it's loaded... Why was there a gun behind the couch? It must be Duo's... but why would he need one?A memory came unbidden to her mind, of waking up from her nightmare to see Duo in front of her. He hid it behind the couch before he woke me up? But why did he have it out?

And what was she supposed to do, now that she'd found it? She bit her lip, her mind racing. Finally, she came to a decision. I'll put it back behind the couch and pretend I never saw it. The dust bunnies can thrive a little longer.She put the gun back on the floor where she'd found it and started shoving on the couch to push it back against the wall.

"I'm going to find out why he has it, though," she said out loud. The vacuum was still whirring.

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A/N: Hokay. So. Here's the review corner. Chillin'.

/Bec/ is at least as impatient as everybody else, and probably likes to read the last page first.

/MintyPill/ doesn't know I don't speak Spanish. Actually, that's not true. I can say hello, tomorrow, please, and thank you, and count to seven. :P

/Dreamwinder001/ can say anything she damn well wants on my review board, because no one will laugh, not knowing the ending and all, and because I'm not changing a perfectly good ending on her account.

Link: I pity the fool who can't handle my cynicism. Redundancy affects us all.

/Angel of the Fallen Stars/ is apparently an innocent, and unaware of how badly I'd like to jump Johnny Depp. looks down You're not a eunuch, are you? (.-)