12-Feb-2001
Oh stop yawning!
Disclaimer: I don't own GW. I am poor and would not be if I did. Go bug someone with money as that is all you really care about. These stories are for entertainment only. The have yaoi lemon, mention of NCS, some NCS, vampires, blood, revenge, dark stuff, and something that just might offend you. If you can't deal, don't read.
I spent about a week gloating over my revenge on Une. You have to admit it was a thing of beauty. The reporters hounded her day and night asking very inconvenient questions. Who was Duo? What did the message mean? What would the Preventers do now? All that bother must have seemed like nothing when she at last managed to open the file cabinets and found all the material on Duo gone. Two days after the "incident," as reporters called it, she put an A.P.B. out on Duo Maxwell. He was wanted alive at all costs, but should be considered dangerous; something about him needing "help." Poor, poor Lady Une. Still had no idea what she was up against.
I suppose most people would have left Earth immediately. I had my revenge and nothing else was keeping me. Right? No matter what most people say about me, I am not stupid. There was a chance I might have made it offworld if I went the same night I trashed Preventer Headquarters, but I wasn't done yet. The hotel was a perfect staging grounds. No one would ever think to look for me there, the room was sound proof so I could make all my little items in peace, Internet access was untraceable and free, and the food was fantastic!
Once I finished devouring news reports about Une, I settled down to work. With my laptop, I accessed all the records on Hilde. Before I left Earth, she had to be taken care of. There was no way the little minx was going back and running Duo's business. Not after what she'd done. No, Hilde deserved a very special revenge.
It is amazing how secure people feel in the age of electronics; they shouldn't. When important information about people is all kept in digital databases it is easy to corrupt. Hilde had no record. Clean as a whistle. Not wanted for anything, but then the bitch always valued her freedom. I think she left OZ more because they tried to control her than any love of justice or right. So what should I take from her? What else: Her Freedom.
After ten hours of rigorous hacking, I got into every major records department on Earth and the Colonies and made a few "improvements." Small things really. Just enough to teach a certain homophobe a very valuable lesson: When you betray someone, make sure you're not caught.
Dearest Hilde was now wanted on L2 for a variety of crimes ranging from shoplifting to suspected fraud linked to obtaining goods for the salvage business. No one in salvage would trust her once the "facts" came to life. She was also being sought after for the debts incurred by the business Duo and she'd built; of course, Hilde was now listed as the sole owner and therefore the only one responsible. It hurt, tearing up what Duo had spent so much time and effort creating, but I knew none of those debts were real, but then, I was the only person who knew that. Though, Hilde would figure it out in time. Wish I could see her face then.
On Earth, I created several clues that would tie her into crimes committed when she was in different countries looking for parts. Several warrants for her arrest as an OZ collaborator turned up in numerous places. Finally, just to be vindictive, I drained her bank accounts, cancelled her driver's license, and had ownership of her house turned over to an orphanage as a gift. And to top everything off, I sent anonymous tips to all the law enforcement offices now looking for her. Someone might think the sudden appearance of all these documents, evidence, and warrants odd, yet that was the beauty of it; people would trust the computers more than their own gut instincts. Hilde was going to jail. For a very long time.
Now I knew Hilde would try to contact the others for help. I had it covered. By the time she was caught and realized how deep things went, there would be no one left to help her. Well, maybe Trowa and Wufei, but she'd never think of going to them until too late.
For the next two weeks, I relaxed, set up a bunch of new identities, created some accounts and used them to order stuff. Oh nothing really big. That could be traced. No, I wanted things like hair dye, colored contacts, earrings, nose rings, and a ton of professional quality make-up. Getting offworld looking as I did presented quite a problem. Solution? Look different.
In retrospect, ordering as much as I did was a mistake. The day I planned to leave started out fine. I placed a little virus in the hotel's computer system. Ten minutes after I downloaded it, the sprinklers would come on, fire alarms go off, and the real names of their illustrious clients and guests would be sent to three major newspapers. Just thinking about the scandal made me feel all warm inside.
As I opened the door to leave, I ran into a wall; one I new personally. Rashid took up the entire doorway and looked at me with such a look of pity it made my stomach turn.
"Master Duo," he whispered. Pity in the voice too. It pissed me off.
"Go away, Rashid," I growled. "You don't want any part of this." Duo had liked the guy and so I didn't think I could kill him and that might be the only way to beat the guy. Naturally, he didn't listen.
"Please come with me," he pretty much begged. "We have people who can help you." He started walking forward. It forced me back. "If you run, I will simply trace you through your purchases again."
"Stay away from me." I hissed. If the Arab got a good grip on me, everything was over. I wasn't ready to quit. I was also cursing myself. Of course someone had to be smart enough to figure out the kind of things I would need and watch for anyone buying them. Baka. Baka. Baka!
We stood for a long time, just starting at each other. Rashid didn't want to force Duo to come with him. The big man truly thought the ordeal had unbalanced me, Duo, Duo, somehow. He meant well. Which is why I didn't kill him in the end, I just showed him the truth.
Tension built between us until the fire alarms went off and the sprinklers kicked in. Rashid looked away for a second and that was all I needed. When his eyes moved back to where I had been, I was already behind him. Three quick jabs along his spine froze his motor skills. For two hours, the big guy would be helpless, unable to move.
I didn't bother trying to catch him as he fell. Do I look like I want to be crushed? A pillowcase turned out to be a great gag. From there, I searched through my bags and pulled out a tape recorder. Time for Rashid to know all that I knew.
"You love Quatre don't you?" He glared rather than answer me. "I want you to listen to this." I pressed play and pushed it against his ear.
For five minutes, he listened, a look of shocked horror growing on his face. I probably looked the same first time I heard it too. The shaking took me by surprise, though. Who knew the big guy could tremble?
Done with the tape, I pushed it back into my bag.
"Now you know. Make you feel better?" Just a hint of taunt entered my voice. "Like having all the facts? I sure as hell don't!" I walked to the door. Something drove me to turn back. "And by the way, Rashid," I glared violet daggers at him, "Duo is dead. He died that night. I'm his vengeance. You think what I have just done is cruel? Stay out of my way or I will show you just how bad Death can be when seeking justice."
I keep telling myself the droplets running down his face were due to the sprinklers. My conscious however keeps pointing out they'd been off too long. Part of me wonders if the tears were for Quatre or Duo or maybe for the loss of innocence on all sides.
Either way, I headed for the spaceport. Tons of Preventers were there. I'd stopped at a fast food place a block down and dyed my hair black and put in some dark green contacts. Add to that the conservative suit I wore and getting my ticket and boarding the shuttle was no problem. Even getting my bags through was too easy. Bribes are beautiful things.
The L4 colony is nice. Very rich. Very swank. I hate it. These people knew nothing about suffering or pain. Life for them meant parties, expensive dinners, and glamorous clothes. Had any of them ever felt true hunger? Real despair? One of them was about to.
The time spent on the net showed Trowa left Quatre in Sank and came back to his blond lover's L4 estate. Perhaps the Latin saw the futility of searching for me when I didn't want to be found. Whatever the cause, he was alone. Waiting for his beloved to give up the fight and return. Only it would be me who came to him. I waited until night fell and went after him.
Security for the place was pathetic. I got in without even breaking a sweat. Trowa's room was easy to find; it had the only light on.
Did I ever tell you Trowa is very beautiful when he sleeps? The pain and misery of his life fade and only his true soul shows through. I hated what I was going to do, but I had to do it. If anyone deserved to know about Quatre, it was he.
He woke up before I'd gotten five steps into the room; once a Gundam pilot, always a Gundam pilot. Green eyes calmly stared, taking in my drawn gun and cold expression.
"Duo," Trowa whispered. "We've been very worried about you."
"I bet you have." He started to get up. "Don't move.'
"You won't shoot me." The confidence in his voice shook me.
"I will shoot you. Though it might just be in the leg. See, I'm not Duo, I'm Shinigami." I'm proud to say my voice stayed steady despite my inner turmoil. "I only want you to listen to something. After that, you're free to do whatever you want."
I watched Trowa fight with himself. The longer he kept me, the more chance there was someone would come along. Two people could take me down. At last, he nodded and settled back.
I dragged the recorder out again. Pressing play seemed so hard. Trowa needed to know, but I loathed hurting him.
"Are you sure this is the only way?" Quatre's voice startled my fellow pilot even as it captured his attention.
"How many times do I have to repeat myself?" Relena whined. "The men will not cooperate. If they manage to sink this plan, millions will remain homeless and hungry. You don't want that, do you?"
"Of course not! I just find the idea of using Duo repulsive. Why does it have to be him? Why can't we just ask him to help?"
A gentle, exasperated sigh filled our ears.
"It has to be Duo because he is the only one who fits the profile. The men all prefer longhaired, lithe, young men. As for asking, Noin did and Duo refused. There is no time to find anyone else. Besides, he's whored himself before. You read the report. At least this way, he's selling his body to save over two million people."
The little bitch sounded so sincere. A quick looked showed Trowa had gone pale; he could tell where this was going.
"Please do not call him that. Duo did as much as any of us to make this peace possible."
"Very well. If it makes it any easier for you, the men often drug their victims. Duo will probably not feel a thing."
"But why do they have to rape him?"
"Blackmail only works if it is something a person is afraid to have come out. None of these men fear having their sexual preferences announced. Most people have figured it out already. But raping a young man? No matter how powerful they are, such a thing will cost them dearly. And thinking about jail time will make them easier to control."
"Couldn't Duo act?"
A dismissive snort suddenly threw itself in. Noin.
"Do you really think anyone could act that good? It has to be real! Anything less and the targets will refuse to cooperate."
Relena came in again with the kicker.
"Over two million people, on Earth and the Colonies, will have jobs if we can remove the opposition these men represent. Even L2 will be able to make a profit and recover. Wouldn't that make Duo happy? I'll keep Heero listening and if things sound like they are getting out of hand, we will all charge to his rescue.'
She paused and I could just see her gently smiling at Quatre.
"Sometimes you have to sacrifice a pawn to win the game. It is terrible and I hate it as much as you do, but this is absolutely necessary."
Right, Relena. I'm sure you sat up at nights agonizing over doing this to me, I mean to Duo.
"Very well, I will have Winner Enterprises set up the room and provide you with all the electronic equipment you need. I do wish, however, you would have left me out of this."
"You have the best equipment and no records can show how we set this up. By coming to you directly and having it done like this, no one will be able to trace it back and implicate the Preventers. The only way to stop a blackmailer is to get something on him. We can't afford it."
Noin again. Sounding so logical.
"Let's just get this over with. I am going to have a special room at the local hospital prepared for Duo and I want to be in charge of his recovery. He is to have the best of everything."
"Very well." Relena sounded a bit exasperated. "But I keep telling you, Duo is used to this sort of thing."
I cut the tape off there. Trowa looked so pale I thought he might pass out.
"Why, Duo?" He said, so softly I almost missed it. "Why did you bring this to me?"
"Two reasons. First, you deserve to know. He used Duo and there is no way to foresee what he might do one day. Second, Duo is dead. They killed him in that room. Remember? I'm Shinigami. Nothing exists for me except revenge."
"Against me?" I flinched at the pain in his voice.
"No. You can stay here if you like, forget the truth. Maybe love is worth that. But you needed to have the truth. All of it. You're in love with a lie and such love leads to exactly one place: suffering. Better now than later."
He got up from the bed and brushed past me. I thought he might try to take me down; it was a silly fear. Trowa moved like a man in a nightmare. He packed his clothes as the tears streaked his cheeks.
I felt like shit. At the same time, I wanted Quatre to suffer. Why did one's pain have to include the others?
"Trowa," my voice seemed like a gunshot in the silent room. He turned agony filled green eyes toward me. "He needs help. Ever since the Zero System, Quatre's been funny."
"I know," his once gentle voice grated with raw emotion. "I thought I could heal him. Be all that he needed to get better. You proved me wrong. He's gotten worse. That's why I am crying. I failed him and you paid the price. I am so sorry."
Imagine that. I cut out his heart and he apologizes. I was so busy marveling over that little fact, I never saw Trowa move. One second I was in control, the next he had me in a fierce hug. Before I got over my shock, he spoke.
"You are Duo Maxwell. Right now you're hurting and angry, but that will fade. When it does, come back to us. We miss you." Then he stepped back. I might have asked him what he meant, but we were rudely interrupted. By Quatre.
"What is going on here?" Oh the surprise in his voice! "Duo? Is that you? Do you have any idea how much trouble you have caused? Everyone is worried sick."
He stopped as blue eyes fell on the suitcase Trowa held.
"Trowa?" There was a definite whine.
"I know what you did."
Those simple words caused an amazing change in our little blond friend. His eyes narrowed and a look of possessive fury twisted his features.
"You belong to me, Trowa," The declaration was hissed. "You don't get to leave until I'm done with you!"
The extreme change left us stunned, so Quatre got in the first blow; he launched himself at Trowa, locking his hands around the taller man's throat.
"Mine," he was shrieking. "Mine!"
Holy shit! I'd figured Quatre had problems; yet in my wildest dreams I never imagined him this far gone. And Trowa wasn't even fighting him! Shit. Shit. Shit.
Moving on instinct, I smacked the back of Quatre's head with my gun, feeling more than a little relieved when he collapsed and no blood marred the golden strands of his hair.
Trowa calmly picked his lover up and placed him on the bed.
"Make him get help, Duo. Make him see what he's become." He looked at me with a universe of pain filling the emerald of his eyes. "I can't help him." Then he was gone. Leaving me with one hell of a problem.
I had my revenge. Trowa left Quatre, but Quatre wasn't Quatre. This thing on the bed was nothing more than a dark shadow of the person Duo called friend. Yeah, he needed help and that would be the perfect way to get even. It would kill the sickening creature before me and bring back an innocent soul wounded in the name of peace. So how did I force him to get help? A delightfully devious plan came to mind.
I tied and gagged the blond demon to the bed and went in search of a his office. The computer there told me everything. I could recite Quatre's schedule by heart; he came back early by the way. His sister's schedules were another matter. It looked as if fifteen of them were coming to visit my banged friend in about two hours. At seven am. Appeared as if they planned to take him shopping. Would they ever be surprised with what I presented them.
I left a message for the servants to take the day off and am proud of how well I forged Quatre's signature. From there I went back to his room and got him ready.
Now most people think it's easy to strip an unconscious person; that's only because they've never done it before. It takes forever, especially if the one you're stripping is your size. Needless to say, I finally got him naked and tied standing up to the bedpost nearest the door. I used a clean pair of underwear to gag him.
About 6:30 he showed signs of waking up, so I slapped him. His eyes flew open. I swear that boy has a nastier glare than Heero! Still, I had half an hour to get him ready, so I began.
"You know, Quatre, you should really think before you act. I mean did you honestly believe someone as pathetic as you could ever beat Duo?" Insult after insult poured from my lips. I called him short, pathetic, impotent, skinny, ridiculous, a sad excuse for a lover, and anything else that came to mind. Not once did my tone leave conversational, which made it all the worse for him. I sounded as if I was reciting a well-known list.
Quatre writhed in his bonds, abrading his skin till blood trickled down his arms. Behind the gag, I could tell he was foaming at the mouth. Finally, I heard the soft call of a woman. The sisters were here. I removed the gag and stepped back.
Oh the words that came out of his mouth! Screaming at the top of his lungs no less. Not even I could cuss like that. And then there were the threats. Of torture, rape, or death. A few creative ones actually made my ears burn. Who knew Quatre could think along those lines?
He was so far gone, he didn't notice when I slipped out the window. I listened, hanging onto the sill, as the women found him. As they started crying. As Iria promised her baby brother the best help money could buy. They would help him. Get him to doctors who could undo what Zero did. They would or Shinigami would come and visit them.
Leaving the estate grounds, I reviewed the plans for my next revenge. A phone call later and everything was in motion. Noin was about to lose something precious. To me. The little street rat. Something big, blond, and strikingly beautiful. Humming, I went off to find out just how good Millardo Peacecraft was in bed.
End Part 3
Looks like someone is going to get it...in more ways than one. What do you think Shinigami will do to get even with Noin? Find out next time.
Phoenix
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