Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Devil's Due ❯ - 40 - ( Chapter 40 )

— 40 —

February 12, A.C. 205. Base. 7am

“Oh, Ambassador,” Chance stood respectfully from his chair as the Mozambique ambassador stopped in his door. “Good morning…”

“Good morning,” the man returned, stepping in the door and blinking at his various bruises in confusion. He decided, evidently, not to ask and tilted his head slightly. “May I have a moment of your time?”

“Of course,” Chance reassured him, moving around his desk to offer the man a hand, then grab the door and close it. “How can I help you?”

“I’m concerned,” the man explained, moving comfortably to sit at the desk. “The rebels we were discussing before…they’d calmed down and things had quieted along the border…and then they got riled up again.”

Chance blinked at that, moving to sit against his desk near him and cross his arms. “Your governments are talking, aren’t they?”

“Yes, and we’ve mutually agreed that we’re not trying to invade each other or such things…but the peoples along the borders are convinced that the other government is intending to take over. Even our troops along the border are getting antsy.”

Chance blinked at that, then nodded his head. “And your intelligence?”

He spread his hands helplessly, staring into Chance’s face with an earnest expression.

“That’s disturbing,” Chance noted quietly.

“We don’t get reports back and we don’t get reports of bodies,” the man noted, looking toward his lap. “We can’t confirm that the men we’ve sent have been killed…if they’re prisoners…or converted.”

“Very…disturbing,” Chance muttered, considering if it should be something for Jordan to do or the general government. “What is the racial stock? What’s the mix?”

“Excuse me?” the man asked, looking up to him in confusion.

“There are still parts of the world where racial stocks are pure…and there are parts of the world where the mix is extreme. I’ve never been to Mozambique. Is it a mixed country?”

The man thought a moment then half shrugged and nodded. “There are many races in the country…”

“That’s good,” Chance returned, considering the information. “What does your government say?”

“They told me what was happening to see if I could come up with any ideas.”

“And?”

“We need to find out who is inciting the rumors,” he shrugged slightly. “We need to cut the snake’s head off.”

That sort of reasoning didn’t lead to peace and Chance knew it factually. His own pseudonym was a standing memorial to how ‘cutting off the head’ left the body to writhe. He studied the man seriously a long moment, then looked away. There was an actual chance it would work…a philosophy such as that didn’t stay in the mind of many if it hadn’t proven itself…or was it just theory? It didn’t matter. His aversion to the idea, so simply stated, was much like Wufei’s aversion to rebuilding the mobile suits.

Wufei had still joined them in their flying.

“Hm,” he muttered.

“I trust you,” the man noted, looking up to meet his eyes. “You seem to me to be a man who knows the world. Is there anything in what I’ve said that you can see more in?”

Chance tilted his head at the guy in response, then settled back to think the information over. “All it really takes is one person,” he noted quietly. “You can settle the group down, but if they don’t feel secure and someone starts speaking the previous dialogue…”

“We thought we reassured them,” he returned, looking down.

“Maybe someone on the other side started shaking his spear, huh?” Chance suggested. “Maybe the people they’ve been worried about have been spotted again.”

The guy nodded, then sighed. “They reassured us they sincerely weren’t…”

“Maybe it’s just people,” Chance had no real idea, despite the confidence he was hearing in his own voice. The Tanzanian government hadn’t been very helpful or reassuring from the start.

The guy met his eyes again, looking upset.

“I know the information is confidential,” he noted, looking down again. “I’m aware that any information you might have on the matter is utterly confidential…but if you can get me the reports you’re receiving…past and present…I can look through it and see if I can find a pattern.”

“That’d be…” the man started to sit up with wide eyes. Not unpleased, either.

“Any assistance from me is from me,” Chance stated calmly. “From Chance Yuy…not Lieutenant General Chance Yuy…not the I.E.C. officer…”

That got him a startled look.

“If I meddle in this officially, it’ll create a scene,” Chance explained dryly, pushing away from the desk and moving to sit in his chair again. “It’s entirely up to you if you want me to have the information or not. I assure you I’ll try to help…but I cannot be officially involved without causing a major incident.”

The man sighed almost in resignation, then looked to the ceiling and nodded. He rose to his feet, then ducked his head respectfully to the man. “I’ll consider the matter. As this would be unofficial, shall I contact you at your home?”

“Or contact my friends,” Chance agreed. “The other generals. They can get ahold of me no matter where I happen to be.”

“Thank you, general.”

“I apologize, ambassador,” Chance returned as he started for the door. “I only wish I could be more help.”

- -

February 13, A.C. 205. Fuzhou, China. 12 am

“You think so?” Chao muttered into Xane’s hair, comfortable and relaxed.

“Yeah,” Xane agreed. “It was a good day,” he added, rolling to curl more into the man.

“Mm…I suppose you shouldn’t miss anymore work, huh?”

“Hm?”

“You have to prove the job by Wednesday,” Chao reminded him quietly. “It’s Sunday…”

“Oh…yeah,” Xane muttered, his eyes opening.

“You need to think about it, Mouthy. You don’t have that much time left…”

Chao kissed the top of his head and sighed heavily, then sniggered slightly.

“Hm?” Xane asked, glad for the distraction.

“What ever will you do all day when your new friend goes home?” Chao teased.

“I’ll work,” Xane returned dryly.

“You’re not going to miss him?” Chao protested, pulling back to grin down at him with mischief in his eyes.

“Maybe by an inch,” Xane returned easily.

Chao laughed at that, snuggling down again. “We should see if we can get him to come visit again. Juan didn’t used to bother me, but he was good in bed…he’s really kind of annoying.”

“I think he’s fun…but that’s more because I have you and he wants you.”

Chao laughed a wicked little laugh, nuzzling at him again, then sighed. “Really, though. Kody’s not so bad, huh? Or do you not like him?”

“He’s fun,” Xane reassured him. “It’d be good to have him come around again.”

“I’ll pull him aside later, then,” Chao muttered, sighing as he closed his eyes again. “He seems to understand how Juan works well enough…he should know not to mention it.”

“He’s smart,” Xane agreed, losing his focus again as he felt his lover shift into sleep.

He somehow got the impression he wasn’t going to be sleeping very well.

- -

February 13, A.C. 205. Fuzhou, China. 1 am

“You’re trying to get us caught, aren’t you?” Raul accused Riley as she climbed into the window of his hotel room. “You just want to have to take us running across the roof-tops.”

“Sort of,” Riley agreed pleasantly, pulling the window closed and hopping lightly into his waiting arms to hug him tightly. “How’s Mouthy?”

“He seems happy enough,” Raul half-lied. “He’s got Xu wrapped around his little finger, too. He took us to see the suits today.”

“Lets move away form the window,” she suggested, turning to pull the curtain closed. “Do you get woken up?”

“Whenever Juan decides he needs attention he wanders in here,” Raul agreed, rolling his eyes. “I think he wants to get laid and didn’t realize I’m straight.”

Riley giggled quietly at that, moving to sit on the bed. “What’s it he says? Personal preferences take a back seat to the need?”

“There is no need of me sleeping with him,” Raul retorted irritably.

Riley laughed more, watching as he kicked off his boots and pulled his shirt off. “Anything you can tell me?”

“No, I’m calling him in a few minutes,” Raul returned, tossing that aside and heading for the bathroom. “You gonna hang out?”

“I know you’re calling him,” she protested mildly. “That’s why I’m here.”

“Oh…and here I thought our conversation about sleeping with people had promise.”

She snorted.

Raul grinned at himself in the mirror as he started running the water.

He couldn’t wait until this shit was done and they could all go home again…he missed his comrades…hell, he missed Trowa.

“What do you get to report?” Riley asked quietly, stretching out across the mattress and sighing slightly. The bedding smelled like him, and it was a definite reassurance.

“Static numbers…a couple serial numbers,” Raul returned, nonplussed. Really, though, the stuff with Mouthy bugged him. He’d been trying to pretend it was fine all day, and while Juan had managed to get him out on the dance floor, there’d been a lovely distraction…now he had to talk to his superior…and he didn’t even get to do it alone.

“Static numbers?” Riley asked mildly. “How’d you come across a hanger?”

“You’ll hear me tell him,” Raul reassured her quietly. “You gonna sleep here?”

“No, I don’t want to get caught…I’ll report with you and then head back to my own place.”

“Damn,” he returned, wiping his face off with a slight grin.

“Don’t be special, baby,” she suggested, snuggling into the pillow. It was a damn comfy bed.

“You need to listen,” he returned, moving into the main room again as he started taking things from his pockets. “Juan was dancing with me tonight and shit, so he might actually try coming in here. He passed out, but I don’t know how far gone he was.”

“You are going to check on him, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Raul rolled his eyes. “Something about leaving my host to drown in his own vomit doesn’t settle well with my morals.”

“Morals take a back seat to the need,” she noted happily.

Raul flashed her a grin, digging the scrambler out of his suit-case.

“I’m serious!” she protested happily as he moved across the room and plugged the scrambler into the extension port of the vid. The country’s monitoring system would instantly pick up on his signal, but all of their scramblers were registered, and Jor had a damn high rank in the I.E.C. It’d tag on the mission code to the end and only people of Jor’s rank or higher would be able to hack the conversation…if Jor let them, anyway.

He typed in the number.

“Talk to me, ladies,” Jor purred, looking up to the monitor as he sat in full uniform at his desk.

“It’s true,” Raul informed him seriously. “One Taurus, one thrashed Aries, and one thrashed Leo. Chao’s building over the river there…” Raul laughed slightly. “It’s the old Fuzhou compound. He’s got the suits in the actual hanger underground.”

- -

February 13, A.C. 205. Weis, Austria. 12 pm

“Oi, wake up,” Judas muttered, kicking at Alek’s bed. “Come on, lazy ass.”

“What?” Alek asked, opening his eyes to blink at the guy.

“Food,” Judas explained, dangling the bag over the guy so he could see it. “It’s noon already.”

Alek blinked at him, pushing up onto an elbow and rubbing at his eyes.

Judas studied him a moment, then moved to drop on his own mattress and start digging out the foods. “Who have you told?”

“What?” Alek asked blankly.

“Who did you tell?” Judas repeated, meeting his eyes as he passed a burger over. “Vic?”

“No?” Alek took the thing from him and shook his head. “I didn’t tell anyone.”

Judas frowned slightly at that.

“Why?”

“Vic is giving up on us…and Kiel, too.”

“Huh?” Alek asked intelligently, sitting up properly. “What do you mean, giving up on us?”

“Going home. Vic said his girl called him this morning complaining that he’s never home…and Kiel’s girl was there, too. Ras even has the look in his eyes.”

Aleksander blinked at that in confusion, setting his feet on the floor as he thought. “You thought I told them?”

“Considering that this is from you,” he touched his still slightly swollen lip, “it sort of figured in.”

“They nervous of you or something?”

“No,” Judas admitted, considering things as he opened his own burger. “They were all apologetic.”

“Well, he wanted you,” Alek noted dryly. “He has no reason to love us.”

“Hahaha,” Judas retorted, passing him his fries as he scooted back to sit against the wall and study the other.

“Who are you working for?” the man asked quietly.

It had been vaguely entertaining when the others had seen their various bruises. The fact that they were sharing a room and were both a little beaten had made the others start the jokes about one trying to sleep with the other. The jokes had flown all day long since neither man had a very valid reason for obviously fighting. Judas wasn’t really trying to think of anything while Alek had nothing to say.

“I can’t tell you,” Judas returned evenly. “Do you think I honestly wouldn’t have if there was any way I could?”

Alek blinked at him.

Judas sighed, shifting down where he sat. “I want to go home.”

“You were there this Christmas,” Alek reminded him.

“Yeah, but how long have I been here?” he met the man’s eyes again. “At least I’m not alone, though. I wouldn’t be able to stand it if I was alone.”

“Half-assed,” Alek returned darkly, dropping back against the wall himself. “If I were really such a good friend you’d tell me who you work for.”

“You could get killed if I told you who I worked for…and it’d be more certain then any of us getting shot while out on a job,” Judas shook his head. “Just trust me…or are you leaving me, too?” he looked up again.

Alek frowned and focused on eating without responding.

“You seriously didn’t say?” Judas persisted.

“I didn’t say a word, Dead,” the man retorted, glaring at him. “It’d just be my word against yours and I don’t think I’d win that.”

. . . Judas felt his heart sink at that.

It was probably true.

He hadn’t heard what his friend had done, but he’d really made himself a black sheep…in everything. The only people he had were the ones they were traveling with.

“Just…trust me,” Judas half-whispered.

“You keep saying that,” the man muttered at, pulling a tomato from his burger. “But you’re not giving me anything to hold faith in.”

“Have faith in me,” Judas retorted.

“What if you’re a snitch?”

Judas snorted at that, meeting his eyes. “Do you honestly think I’d get away with murder, even if I were a snitch? Be serious.”

The man thought about that a long moment, then shrugged and looked back to his burger.

- -

February 13, A.C. 205. Fuzhou, China. 5 am

Raul blinked as the door to his room opened, wondering if Riley had come back…but only for a moment. He didn’t say anything as the door closed again, and wondered at the man’s brass as he set something on the counter.

If he touched him at all…

Juan slid into the bed quietly…and in against Raul’s side.

“I can’t sleep,” Juan muttered when Raul had started to move. “I just…I can’t sleep.”

He sounded like he’d been crying.

Raul sighed heavily, shifting so the man settled more into the mattress.

There was no point in winning over Juan Tsai. There was no use in wrapping the man around his finger. He was not part of the group with the illegal arms. He was not part of the huge network over the planet. He was the spoiled son of a retired drug-lord. He was a pretty-boy with his own island that didn’t threaten anyone unless they crossed him.

He was utterly unimportant, and he seemed to know it.

Juan curled more into Raul’s side, grabbing handfuls of his shirt in both his hands.

There was no point in winning him over…but there was also no point in being needlessly cruel.