Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ In Proper Relief ❯ 01 ( Chapter 1 )

In Proper Relief

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing does not belong to me.

Notes: There are companies, organizations, politics, brands, things, etc that are real, made-up, or from Gundam Wing. Sorry but I thought since it's in the future, there will naturally be different things, right? Pairings are 1x2 main.

 

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The air was calm and only a slight breeze brushed through his tousled dark hair. The cement felt firm beneath his feet as Heero bent to peer through his binoculars, adjusting them until the vision cleared and centered on a familiar face though his expression had matured some and his golden hair had darkened since the four years Heero had last seen Quatre Raberba Winner.

 

He was smiling and motioning for his secretary to leave. She shut the door behind her and Quatre's shoulders relaxed as he returned to his ornate desk and booted up his laptop.

 

Heero zoomed in the lens of the binoculars but from the rooftop a building away, it was too far and he couldn't make out what Quatre was typing. He did, however, watch as Quatre printed out several sheets of something and lock them in his desk before packing up his laptop, straightening his dress shirt, and leaving the office.

 

Heero took out his cellphone and punched in the numbers he had memorized long ago.

 

“Target made no move. Printed out some papers and left.” He spoke softly though there was little chance anyone could hear him on the rooftop.

 

“Retrieve them, Agent Zero.” Milliardo Peacecraft's voice said through the phone.

 

“Roger.” Heero answered and cut the connection, picking up the binoculars again to watch for unusual activity and wait until it became dark in another hour or two so he could make his move. If all went well, he would have those papers by dawn.

 

Heero Yuy had joined the Preventers four years ago after the MarieMaia Incident at Une's request. It was to protect the peace, she said - still so fragile and easily crumbled as it was in the slow process of being established. Wufei, Duo, and Trowa had also joined back then - Quatre was the only one of them who had not because he was one of the most important corporate leaders and hardly had the time to eat lunch much less take on a second job.

 

Things had immediately gone to a rocky start. There had been three insurrections within the first year of joining - each one that required militant action in the end. Then there were the terrorist threats and political oppositions that always seemed to be coming. In fact, there was so much difficulty in maintaining peace that the Preventers had had to double in number - almost half of them sent to protect the Earth-Sphere United Nation and Relena, especially.

 

When Relena was shot and sent to the hospital for the second time that year, Heero was asked to join a new faction of the Preventers headed by Milliardo Peacecraft with only two members - Heero and Trowa. Yggdrasil had been reluctantly formed by Lady Une as a way to most effectively protect the peace. It was top secret and very few people knew about its existence besides those involved and a few of the higher ranking officials because of the scandal it would have caused. It was, in essence, an elite killing squad created to quietly and effectively take out dangerous opposition, though of course the existence itself was a threat to peace. Not even the other pilots knew about it.

 

Heero had been reluctant to join at first but Une had explained the necessity. He did not want to return to killing and furthermore, he still felt uncomfortable around Milliardo. Heero couldn't force himself to trust Milliardo after their former clashing so he had joined partially to protect the peace and partially to keep an eye on Milliardo despite the fact Heero knew he was working for the peace. Trowa had also joined. The two of them had been selected for their former training in assassination and Milliardo had been the one to first suggest the organization.

 

Heero, just as he formerly had as gundam pilot, thrived no matter how reluctantly. His entire life had been spent training to be a perfect soldier - a perfect killer - and he could do his job well. Trowa had gone on several undercover jobs but resigned a year ago, giving his reason as no longer wanting to kill even for peace. He had retired to the circus.

 

Heero watched as the lighting of the colony dimmed in imitation of the sunset and more and more cars left the office building - Winner Enterprises headquarters on L4.

 

He had found it difficult to believe but there were rumors of Quatre's opposition to the new Weapons Act - a proposition to get rid of all weapons of war - passed by Relena just a month ago. He had been sent to investigate the truth of it and to then determine what had to be done. Quatre was important enough that if he opposed the act, it could cause major problems for Relena.

 

One by one the street lights went on. There were very few cars left around the building now and the lights inside the building had also been dimmed.

 

Heero put his binoculars away and stood. Now was the best time to act - just after closing so that hardly anyone should be left in the building but still early enough that if he was caught by a security guard, he could say he had gone back to the office to pick up documents.

 

The lock on the back door was formidable to normal thieves but easily cracked by the years of experience backing Heero and he stepped inside without trouble. He took the emergency stairs up to Quatre's floor - a few moments with the lock pick again and he was inside. The security wasn't as strict as Heero would have expected Quatre to have but then, most of Quatre's security involved protecting him - not his office - and of course, Heero was an expert at breaking and entering.

 

The lights in Qutre's office were off, only the pinpricks of the city lights illuminated the room. Heero pulled the flashlight out of his pack and walked up to the desk. He moved the flashlight to clamp between his teeth so he could focus on the lock and use the picks with both hands. The desk was positioned at an angle with the window to one side and wall to the other. There were bookshelves and filing cabinets lining the walls and casting dark shadows on everything but they were not what Heero was after.

 

He heard a click as the drawer unlocked, but a brief flash of movement in his peripheral vision alerted him. He turned just as something hard and heavy connected to the side of his head. There was a brief flash of pain and then everything went black.

 

---

 

Heero woke to a piercing throb in his temple. He suppressed a groan, forcing himself instead to take assess of his situation as he remembered what had happened. A quick check of his body told him he had no other injuries and Heero opened his eyes, biting down a wince at the bright ceiling lights shining in his face.

 

“Awake?” A familiar voice asked and Heero quickly sat up to face someone he had not seen in more than a year. He was slightly surprised to find himself unrestrained.

 

“Trowa.”

 

The tall young man gave a slight nod from his position in the chair facing Heero. They were in a small room, bare except for the table Heero had been lying on and the chair Trowa was sitting in. The ceiling lights were fluorescent and the floor was carpeted with linoleum so that the room looked like it belonged to a much cheaper office building than Winner Enterprise Headquarters.

 

“What are you doing here?” Heero asked. “You work for Quatre now?”

 

Trowa continued to stare at him without answering. “What are you doing here?” He asked.

 

“Mission.” Heero answered. Trowa had probably guessed that as it was so there was no point in hiding it.

 

“To do what?” Trowa asked.

 

“You left. The information is classified.” Heero said, shortly. Why had Trowa left the Preventers to work for Quatre? He was fairly sure that Trowa had said he wanted to go back to the circus when he resigned. What was more pressing was how Trowa had known Heero would be breaking into Quatre's office. Did he know what Heero was after? And where did Trowa get the information? If both Quatre and Trowa were on the opposing team, the situation would be difficult - they were not only powerful and rich but also gundam pilots.

 

“Who gave you the mission?” Trowa asked.

 

Heero said nothing, staring at his former comrade.

 

“What were you looking for?” Trowa said after a moment.

 

When Heero still did not answer, he slowly stood and pulled a communicator from his pocket. “Come in.” He said and the metal handle turned as the door opened from the outside.

 

It was unlocked, Heero noted, as a middle-aged man with wispy blond hair walked in. His cheeks were pink and he was wearing a casual suit that could not hide the slight belly he had.

 

“Done with your questioning?” He asked Trowa who gestured him to the seat he had vacated.

 

The man took a seat, straightening his shirt and looking at Heero who had slid off his seat at the table and now leaned against it. Trowa left the room, closing the door behind him.

 

Heero couldn't figure out what was going on. Trowa had just left him an open way to escape if he wanted to. Why had Trowa brought him here then? And what was the connection to Quatre?

 

He wiped his hands on his pants as he shifted, “Now we don't care what you've been involved in, we just need you to do a job...” He said. “It should be easy considering your occupation…”

 

Heero frowned. Trowa must have told this man about Yggdrasil and he wondered how many more people knew about it now. If any information about it leaked, they would have to dissolve the organization as soon as possible and it was still currently necessary.

 

“Kill Treize Khushrenada.” The man said.

 

Heero temporarily put aside his other problems, his focus completely on this man now. “Treize Khushrenada?”

 

The man nodded.

 

“He's dead.” Heero said.

 

The man shrugged. “Did anyone actually see him die? He's back and it will be trouble for the Preventers and Confederation too if you leave him alone.” He leaned forward eagerly.

 

“How do you have this information?” Heero asked, narrowing his eyes. Wufei had killed Treize himself. And if Treize wasn't dead, why had he waited four to resurface?

 

“Ah, that is…there have been rumors that threaten our interests.” The man said.

 

“And Barton?” Heero asked.

 

“Who?” The man stared at him.

 

“The man who just left.” Heero answered.

 

“Oh him, I'm not sure…he just came to ask some questions before I gave you the proposal.” The man said.

 

“What interests do Khushrenada threaten for you? Who are you working for?” Heero asked though it was becoming clear that this man was only an attendant, an informer, who did not know much.

 

Furthermore, he did not know who Trowa was so were they working for different people or was this man simply too unimportant to know who Trowa was?

 

The man shrugged. “A rich man. You'll be paid well for the job.”

 

Heero frowned. “Quatre Raberba Winner?”

 

The man gave no response and Heero decided he was through listening to him. He launched forward, driving a fist into the man's stomach. A completely useless lackey - the punch was all that was needed to send him into a fit of gasping as the man clutched his stomach, two fingers against his pressure point - eight seconds and the man was unconscious.

 

The door was unlocked and the hallways empty when Heero stepped out of the makeshift interrogation room. Heero took the emergency stairway to the outside where he easily evaded a lone security guard as the colony began to lighten into day. Heero had entered the building almost immediately after closing at night, which meant that more time than he thought had passed by while he was unconscious. More importantly, though, he had not come out of the Winner Enterprise Headquarters that he had entered - it was a comparatively smaller building, also an office, with very clear lettering on the front of the building: Janss Insurance Co. headquarters. It was the lead insurance company in the colonies and on Earth and one that was funded directly by Earth-Sphere Unified Nation - the government.

 

There was very likely an insider - either in the government or in the Preventers themselves for others to get the information on Heero's mission. Quatre Raberba Winner was involved in some complicated politics with Trowa Barton as another important player. Worst of all, Treize Khushrenada was rumored to be alive - and Heero had just been asked to kill him.

 

He was going to find out what was going on.

 

---

 

Heero leaned back and stretched, drinking the last of his tepid coffee. His eyes felt like they might shrivel up and fall out from staring at the computer screen for the past eighteen hours though he had made only a little headway into the case.

 

After the failed mission, Heero left L4 altogether with just his few portable belongings. He was at the shuttle port when he typed up his report to Milliardo, explaining the failure, reappearance of Trowa Barton, and request for elimination of Treize Khushrenada.

 

The reply came almost immediately - a confirmation to Heero's request to investigate and telling him to keep it quiet.

 

Heero boarded the shuttle for L2 as Odin James and checked into a nice hotel where he had been for the last eighteen hours, trying to find information about the former head of OZ and the Winner Enterprises.

 

So far, he hadn't come up with much. Quatre had been all over Earth and the colonies, establishing connections, going through school and economical training though he had been acting as the head of the Winner Enterprises since age fifteen. He had done a decent job - expanding several branches, increasing share points, sponsoring several new ventures, etc.

 

Treize Khushrenada's information was almost all about his position when he was the head of OZ - his politics, positions, a united Earth sphere through military action if necessary. All sources said that he was dead, a casualty of war and even if by some chance, he had survived, there was no information about him beyond the first war.

 

Heero shut his laptop and pulled on his dark jacket before tucking his handgun into the back of his belt as was habit. A walk would refresh his mind and help him think the situation through again.

 

The streets of L2 were as he remembered from the few times he had been there. The sector he had gone to was populated by mostly lower-class people. It was a little grungy with the gum-lined sidewalks, cheap stores with barred windows, and street vendors - not entirely unlike the downtowns of major cities on Earth. It was mid-afternoon now and the streets were busy. Heero bought a sandwich and bottle of water from an easy mart and ate as he walked.

 

There were quite a few children among the vendors - mostly playing or tagging along with parents though a few were also helping to sell the wares. Heero remembered that L2 was the colony that Duo had grown up on. He couldn't remember if his former partner had told him about his past or if Heero had read or heard about it elsewhere. Duo was an orphan, taken in by the church that had later been destroyed in the war - explaining the priest's collar and cross that Duo had almost always worn into battle.

 

Heero thought that Duo might actually be stationed on L2 now. While four of the five pilots had joined the Preventers, they had all ended up in different bureaus - he and Trowa in Yggdrasil, Wufei in Central, and Duo had been restationed a few times and was still occasionally called in for a cases that needed his expertise. He knew that Duo had requested his permanent station to be in L2, though, wanting to be sure that the peace stayed there.

 

A siren drew Heero's attention and he watched as a police car drove by a block down, heading the way Heero had come. The weariness fell off him as instinct kicked in again and Heero continued walking casually down the street though he quickly finished his sandwich and tossed the wrapper in a nearby trashcan. A woman vendor was looking at him from the corner. Two cars drove up the street - one of them a cream Ford, not unaffordable or unexpected on L2 except for its meticulous appearance. There were no dents or scratches on it and at a glance, Heero was pretty certain that no parts had ever been replaced either. It was new and that was what was rare on L2. The car didn't fit right.

 

Heero turned and began following it up the street. It moved slowly because the car in front of it was carefully weaving through the people. Heero memorized the license plate number and debated following it or going back to the hotel to check on the number - if he got the information fast enough and it was a threat, they could mobilize the police before the car could get away.

 

Two more police cars sped up from another street and fell in line behind the Ford and Heero realized his mistake almost too late. They had just about reached the entrance of his hotel where the two police cars from before were now parked in front of.

 

They were looking for him.

 

Heero couldn't understand why. He was working for Yggdrasil - for the Preventers and the government. The police were another jurisdiction under the Preventers so why were the police looking for him?

 

He debated going back to the hotel or just continuing down the street. He had done nothing wrong, there had to be an explanation. Maybe the police weren't looking for him at all - it could be another situation at the hotel.

 

An officer came out of the entrance and the Ford stopped, flanked by the two other police cars.

 

Heero stood for a moment, deciding what to do but before he could, one of the policemen had already seen him and a pair came up to him.

 

“Hello, Preventer Heero Yuy.” One of them extended a hand to Heero.

 

Heero automatically grasped it and shook.

 

“Could you come with us to headquarters? There's been a small mixup.” The police said. He was smiling as he drew back.

 

“About what?” Heero asked. He realized he was feeling reluctant because they knew who he was. He rarely showed up at normal Preventers headquarters being in Yggdrasil, and his identity was a secret so very few knew what he looked like much less who he was.

 

“We'll explain when we get there. It's not…street business.” The second policeman gave a pointed look at some of the pedestrians.

 

Heero gave a brief nod but as he took a step forward, the police stayed in place, looking at him…as though waiting for something. One of the policemen's eyes flickered to the left.

 

Heero reacted a second too late, throwing himself down to the ground as the loud bang of gunfire echoed behind him and a flash of pain shot through his left shoulder. He was already running before he had completely hit the ground, pushing up with his right hand and shooting twice at the policeman who had come up behind him. He didn't need to hear the shout and curse to know his bullet had found its mark.

 

He felt the heat as another bullet brushed past his thigh and turned to fire at the two remaining policemen, forcing them to take cover and giving him the precious time he needed to reach the corner of the street.

 

Heero had endured much worse than a bullet wound before but it would need treating soon if he didn't want to lose too much blood. He had to find a new safe place he could stay until he could sort out this most recent string of events.

 

He wouldn't be able to leave L2 now - not with his conspicuous injury, though Heero thanked god he had worn his dark coat - it would hide the bloodstains if no one looked too closely. If the police were after him, it was also likely that his fake passports had been tagged as well.

 

Heero kept his head low as he ran down two more streets and then made several turns before he slowed to a brisk walk - neither too fast nor slow to merit any attention. He tried to remember if he had contacts on L2 - no personal ones, they had all been through Yggdrasil here.

 

No wait, there was still one person he could trust, Heero thought, if he was actually on L2: Duo Maxwell, his former partner and friend during the wars.

 

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