Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Devil's Due ❯ - 48 - ( Chapter 48 )

— 48 —

March 2, A.C. 205. Base. 5pm

‘Business as usual’ re-convened according to the week-day week-end schedule, and March started out with a sort of quiet contentment…that didn’t last long.

On Wednesday, Chance had three men in the hospital from a raid. Two of them had been brought in critically wounded, but the quick write-up of Remalene changed that status by lunch. The third had been shot in the leg…painful, but not nearly as traumatizing. Wufei was called into Une’s office and introduced to four men who looked to be escaped science experiments and told that they needed training. Trowa’s machines had passed the simple flying tests with…flying…colors, so they moved into the second stage of the testing, which was more like battle-readiness…and two of them lost power. Both pilots were fairly seriously injured in the resulting crash, and the rest of his testing had to be set aside until they could figure out what had actually happened and fix it, then check the rest of the machines.

And as if that wasn’t enough, one of Quatre’s empaths…his third, as it were, started suffering a serious breakdown because he was one of the ones that refused to take off his necklace, and Quatre was realizing more and more that those ones had serious problems dealing with the world around them.

Jordan tossed a file onto his desk, looking around his office before shoving from his seat and standing up.

Evidently, the arms ring he’d had his men in had faltered severely around when Judas left, and it had ended in the death of the man called Holt, who didn’t seem to have a replacement…before, but according to the reports that had been sent in from Vietnam, things were starting to stabilize.

Actually, the turmoil between Mozambique and Tanzania had roiled up again. Chance had been accosted by the Tanzanian ambassador in the same unofficial capacity as the Mozambique ambassador had attacked him, which meant he was trying to figure out what he could about everything going on in the countries.

Jordan had a feeling that was why he’d asked to talk to him…after hours.

The former pilot tossed his files in the various places they belonged, then stretched and popped his neck. By the time he’d finished gathering his things and moved into the hall, Chance was already waiting for him. He was leaning against the wall across from the door, and had his arms crossed.

“Hey, sexy,” Jordan muttered, pulling his office door closed.

“Shh,” Chance retorted, “someone might hear you…you got it?”

“The jelly?” Jordan asked, looking around the hall as if he was expecting to see someone. “Of course I do.”

Chance snorted. “Took you long enough.”

“It’s okay, baby…” Jor protested, moving closer to him.

Chance gave him a look that noted very pointedly that the game was over.

Jordan grinned at him. The non-reaction was even better than a response.

“Let’s go,” Chance suggested, pushing away from the wall and starting for the exit.

“What’s up?” Jor asked happily, moving to follow.

“I need to borrow your pretty little pets,” Chance explained. “Not the babies, either.”

“The babies are the ones that need the run,” Jor noted, tilting his head at his friend.

“But the babies have never been tested. I want you to send Mouthy and Jude to…”

“Xane and Judas?” Jordan cut him off, grabbing his arm. “You’re joking, right? You want me to send my best guys?”

“Raul and Riley are perfectly fine,” Chance retorted. “Danielle is good as long as the situation doesn’t change on her.”

“Do you have a mission for this?” Jor asked pointedly.

“No, but I’m sure we can throw something together pretty quick,” Chance retorted, turning to meet his eyes. “We can donate to some missions in either country and a couple men can get left behind.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t know what’s starting this shit,” Chance retorted, turning and pulling him so he was against the wall. He leaned in closer, studying his friend’s eyes. “There’s something going on between the two and neither government seems to be involved…but some of that shit has to be government operated. I don’t think it’s the ruling party doing it. It’s looking like dirty politicians from what I can see, but I can’t see more than this,” he held his hands out in front of himself a few feet apart. “I need eyes and ears out there to get me my damn information so I can figure out how to stop it.”

“So you’re single-handedly going to stop the unrest along four hundred miles of borderland?”

Chance turned and gave him a very wry look. “What was Libra?”

“A very big ship?” Jordan perked up slightly.

“And what was it doing?”

“Plummeting toward Earth like the meteor that took out the dinosaurs…to take out the humans?”

Chance nodded slightly at that. “And what did I do?”

“Went back to kick Zechs’ ass?”

Chance started laughing and smacked him hard in the arm.

Jordan laughed himself, pulling away from the wall and starting toward the stairs. “Oh, don’t even pretend you weren’t there to be the hero, Heero,” he added happily as he bounced down the stairs.

“And what were you doing?” Chance retorted.

“I was trying to kill that damned machine while you played inside it,” Jor noted.

Chance shook his head, then stopped and looked over the ground layer.

“What?” Jordan asked curiously, studying his friend. “What?” he rested beside him.

“Why did we live?” he asked quietly, studying the ground. “Why didn’t we die? Zechs thought he was dead…we all thought he was dead…why one out of all of us?”

“Only one?” Jordan asked, turning to focus back on him.

“Only Treize,” Chance agreed, looking toward the high ceiling above them.

“You honestly think fate is done with us yet?” Jordan asked curiously, looking up himself. “You seriously believe that we could have accomplished so much…and that we’d just get killed off?”

“I’ve gotten more serious wounds in my raids than I did in the war,” Chance noted, looking back to him.

“We also were surrounded in gundanium during the war,” Jor reminded him quietly. “What we’re doing now…the spying, the raids, the hand-to-hand…it’s just busy-work until the next big thing…the next big war.”

“I think the wars are done,” Chance retorted, turning to look at him curiously.

Jor snorted, moving away and starting down the stairs again. “Not until the devil has his due.”

“What is the devil’s due?” Chance demanded, giving chase. “I know I’ve asked you before and you never answer me.”

Jor laughed, turning to walk away from him backwards. “I’m just the god of death, Heero…I don’t hold no deep dark answers for you.”

“You’re running,” Chance noted, keeping the distance between them consistent. “You’re running from me.”

“I’m pretty damn good at it, huh?” Jor asked with a smirk. “Five years should be impressive.”

“Duo,” Chance snapped.

Jordan leaned against the door, noting that there were a few people in the lobby watching. He grinned as his friend got nearer him, then shoved the door open. “I may run, I may hide…but I never tell a lie.”

“Or at least, you didn’t,” Chance tilted his head. “I thought you wore that sorry line out.”

“You can have my guys,” Jordan informed him pointedly as he moved into the cool breeze. “Get your information ready and I’ll gather them up.”

“Why does that question freak you out so much?” Chance muttered, joining him as they headed for their cars. “You always freak out.”

“I don’t think the devil’s due is death,” Jordan noted, raising his head so they could meet eyes. “I don’t think that the blood spilled will be that of life.”

“Rape?” Chance was actually startled by that.

“Innocence,” Jordan returned, looking away. “I’m not the god of death because I flew a flashy black machine…I’m the god of death because I had no innocence left to me. I was born of no woman to no man…and that void of my creation gave no information. I saw so much blood and death…and then I caused blood and death…I hadn’t even had kissed a girl by the first time I killed a man. Instead of going to school and worrying about finals, I was taking down a tyrannical governing power…you didn’t even have a childhood, shitty or other…Trowa was with the mercenaries as far back as he can remember…and Quatre’s father didn’t allow him a normal childhood…and Wufei?”

“Atlas,” Chance noted.

Jordan looked away.

“Atlas,” Chance repeated as he stopped at the front of Jordan’s car. “They say you hold the weight of the world on your shoulder’s, but it’s not the world…it’s the sky.”

Jordan shook his head, sliding into his car.

Chance grinned slightly as he watched his friend start the engine, then moved to slide into his own vehicle.

- -

March 3, A.C. 205. Base. 9:30am

Judas was staring at Jordan.

“We haven’t set up the dates yet,” Jordan added, moving to sit at the head of the table. “Until he gets his shit together, we’re not doing anything.”

“I wonder if his mother knows what he’s doing,” Danielle muttered.

They all turned to look at her blankly.

“Why would you think that?” Simone asked, moving around the table to look at the folder Danielle had opened before her.

“Look,” Danielle returned, running her finger down it.

“What?” Jor asked curiously, tilting his head.

“It could be a cover,” Simone protested, considering the dates. “If he called his mother that consistently, I don’t think he’d have defected.”

“Turrell,” Judas noted to Xane and Raul.

“We could ask her,” Max suggested, looking to Trent.

“If it’s not really his mother, he’ll know we’re onto him,” Trent retorted, shaking his head.

“But that’s when we go in like an old military buddy,” Max protested, elbowing the guy companionably like an old friend. “If his papers say it’s his mommy, then it’s most likely that his friends would think it, too.”

“But we can’t pull that off,” Trent protested, giving the other a startled look. “We were babes in arms when he was playing soldier-boy.”

“He’s not that much older,” Simone argued, looking up to them in confusion. “I think he joined as soon as he was eighteen and went to war.”

They all looked to Jordan.

Jordan grinned, looking them all over before starting to shake his head.

“You get to figure it out,” Simone noted helpfully. “We’re just idea-tossing.”

“I’m aware, thank you, love,” he retorted rolling his eyes.

“Oooh, I’m telling Chai…” Riley noted, hopping from her seat with a wicked grin.

“Tell her I kinda want steak for supper while you’re at it,” Jordan retorted, giving her a look.

Riley giggled, moving to sit on the couch. They were in a meeting room that had a couch under the window, a long table with several chairs, and another couch against the far wall. They had been for a half an hour or better.

“So how the hell are we supposed to win the trust of people in African nations?” Judas demanded of Jordan as he looked the group over. “You don’t even have anyone of African descent here.”

“My main playground is Europe and Asia,” Jordan retorted. “Besides, the testing to get this position has nothing to do with race. You’re going, as far as we’ve talked right now , as missionaries or at the very least help…just like the Rest.”

“You’re going to overuse that ploy,” Riley muttered, staring at the ceiling as she chewed at the end of a pencil.

“And then when I’ve done it twenty times they’ll expect it and I can sneak a man in on the back-swing. Can’t you trust that I know what I’m doing?”

“Not when I can’t go play,” Riley retorted, focusing on him.

“Can’t you?” Jordan asked, as if confused. “I could have sworn I was sending you along as the catch-safe.”

She blinked at him.

“So, anyway,” he added, looking back to the rest of the group. “I’m putting these,” he pulled out a series of small figurines from his pocket, “in Angels. I’m separating you into teams of two again.”

They all turned to look at what he was holding, moving around properly to see him.

“I’m taking them out tonight…and sending you in tomorrow. Your teams will get a number and a clue…oh,” he smiled at them. “I almost forgot. You’ll also have members of Quatre’s team with you.”

They all looked at him blankly.

“I’m putting in my normal blockades, and I expect you to work fully with your empath fellows. Here are some write-ups of the empath abilities,” he tossed some packets on the table from his brief-case. “Read them, make them your lovers tonight so you know all about them for tomorrow. Winner and I will pair you up tomorrow morning before you go. You have until Friday,” he added, looking them all over pointedly. “The first team in gets to have a week of special training with my comrade of choice. The last team in gets to go run the new babies through basic for a week. The empaths are not going to be punished either way, and I want you lot to try to teach them as much as you can about what we actually do here.”

Xane scratched the back of his neck a moment, considering that. “How many fake figurines are there?”

“Five,” Jordan returned, nonplussed as Trent and Max looked at each other.

“What’s the punishment if we bring in fakes?” Xane met his superior’s eyes.

“You get a month in basic,” Jordan tilted his head.

“What’s the leathality level?” Riley muttered, moving to the table to grab a packet.

“Shouldn’t be one, unless you run into old enemies from before. You get to take into account your past dealings.”

“What money do we get?”

“You’ll see in the morning.”

“How do we tell the difference between the real and the fake figurines?” Xane pressed, studying the things in front of the man.

“You’re smart people, you’ll figure it out.”

“You’re not putting me with Simone again, are you?” Judas asked, frowning at the man.

“Oh, nice,” Simone retorted.

“Don’t take it that way,” Judas protested at her. “You know Quatre doesn’t like you with me…I’m more worried about getting my ass kicked than anything.”

Jordan flashed them both a grin and shrugged. “That’s why both Quatre and I are will be teaming you up in the morning. He seems to feel you and Mouthy are threats to her…virtue or something.”

Xane flashed the girl a grin. “I would be if she were interested.”

Simone’s cheeks colored very slightly as she gave him a dirty look.

“What’s the rules on working together?” Judas added, looking around at his comrades.

“Don’t do it,” Jordan retorted. “If you start teaming up then you’ll fly through this no problem. I’m trying to make you all work together and extend your camaraderie to the full group, not just the ones you trained with.”

“But there’s going to be one group with two of us,” Xane protested, blinking at him. “You don’t have five new recruits, remember? You’re at three.”

“The extras might just get paired with a couple empaths instead…and I think you’ll be one of those.”

“Are you sure you want me with empaths?” Xane asked, smirking at his superior.

“Any hanky-panky and I’ll throw your ass back into basic for discipline.”

Xane receded, though he was still amused.

“And don’t even look smug like that,” Jordan chided. “Quatre will read his men when we ask the questions and if you’ve done something with them we’ll know.”

Xane started laughing happily, sitting back and crossing his arms behind his head.

“You think,” Jordan noted, assuming his second was figuring he could get away with it entirely. He shook his head and looked back to the rest. “Any more questions?”

“What’s our danger loop?” Raul asked. “What resources do we have?”

“Resources? In Angels?” Jordan gave him a baffled sort of look. “I suppose you can get ahold of Jonathon…not you,” he pointed at Xane, “and figure something out…if you really have to.”

“You’re still on about me and Jon?” Xane demanded of him in disbelief. “What is your problem?”

“Jonathon doesn’t get to have any favors from you,” Jor retorted irritably.

“What’s this, now?” Simone asked, looking between the pair with interest.

“Breer fancies me,” Xane explained, rolling his eyes. “Jor doesn’t like it, so he makes everything more complicated for me. I guess he and Jon have their own pride game going on or something so that Jon really wants me to owe him something and Jor can’t let it lie.”

“Breer may not be entirely bad now,” Jor noted to the female, “but the first time he saw Yuy he asked me how much I waned for him.”

The younger three stared at him in disbelief.

“And if he can get into Mouthy’s bed, it’s one better than me. I’m not going to let him win,” he looked to his second levelly. “No matter how immature it is. That’s not for you lot to worry about, because me and Jon’s games are me and Jon’s games.”

Xane rolled his eyes and looked away.

“So take your papers,” he suggested, rising from his seat as he gestured at the table. “Get your affairs in order until Friday and then go do what you will to be ready. Two of you probably won’t have a team-mate, so try to think really hard on how to use emotion reading to your benefit. I’m heading to Angels to play hide-and-seek, and I’ll see you all at eight tomorrow morning…outside the main building.”

“Sir,” they muttered almost in unison as he closed his brief-case and winked at Simone.

“Wanna have lunch?” Xane called as he neared the door.

“Sure, let’s go to my place,” Jor agreed, then moved into the hall.

They all looked at Xane.

“What?” Xane asked blankly, looking back. “What did I do?”

They all exchanged looks, and went back to their tasks.