July 28 2000
Ok, I thunk about it, and the idea was too good to pass up. <:) Lina, I hope this will meet with your approval - I think I can make it a happy ending. ^_~ But since parts of this are on the gruesome side, I'll call it dark for now. ^_^
Story idea by Lina Inverse
"Any idea what this is all about?" Duo asked, trotting alongside Heero at a half-jog in order to keep up with the Perfect Soldier's rapid pace, their boot heels clattering on a floor that gleamed with a high gloss and reflected their images as perfectly as a mirror. Duo was tempted to reach out and touch the walls of the reflective hallway, to smudge them with his fingerprints and disrupt the unbreakable, glassy perfection.
"Hn."
Duo sighed. "Man, we have got to work on your communication skills one of these days." Heero didn't bother to reply, but his pace picked up slightly as he caught sight of Wufei standing at the door to the conference room.
"Any idea what this is all about?" Wufei asked solemnly.
"No," Heero answered.
"Hey, how come you gave him an answer, and not me?" Duo griped cheerfully, giving Heero a friendly clap on the shoulder to show there were no hard feelings. "Wu-man, it's good to see you."
"Maxwell," Wufei replied with a nod. "You're looking fit."
"It looks like the Preventers have been good to all of us," Quatre interrupted, stepping up behind them with a smile.
"Where's Trowa?" Duo asked.
"Haven't seen him recently," Quatre answered, and a shadow of pain flickered across his bright eyes. Duo ducked his head, mentally kicking himself for bringing up an apparently painful subject.
"Gentlemen," a soft voice interrupted before Duo could say anything further. "If you'll please come in, we can get down to business."
The four former Gundam pilots stepped into the room, where Une sat waiting at the head of the conference table. By unspoken consent, Heero sat next to Duo, while Quatre and Wufei faced them. The fifth chair remained conspicuously absent.
"I have an important assignment for you," Une said without preamble. Heero, especially, had no patience for lengthy explanations, and with him and Wufei in the room, she was inclined to just cut to the chase. "There have been a series of murders in the New Atlanta area, and I want you to investigate them. So far, five victims have been discovered." On a screen behind Une, five images were projected. Each of the victims was both young and androgynously beautiful.
"Of these victims, three have been related to high-ranking officials. It is impossible to tell at this time whether that's a coincidence. All five were seen at a nightclub in the Midtown district before they disappeared."
"What's the modus operandi?" Heero asked, his intense cobalt eyes focused on Une rather than the pictures of the victims.
"Apparently, the victim is taken from the nightclub in such a way that nobody notices anything amiss. It's possible that drugs are administered in some way, and the killer, under the guise of assisting a drunken friend, then carries the victim out of the club. Post-mortem examination indicates that the victims were fed well caviar and champagne, among other things. They all had sexual intercourse prior to their deaths. They were all dressed in very expensive shoes and clothing, their hair washed and set, and makeup applied, all after death."
"Why go to all that trouble to make them pretty after death?" Duo asked.
"Perhaps because the killer takes pleasure in making these victims into playthings," Une suggested. "They are later discovered in a public setting, dressed and coiffed exquisitely. The latest victim was found in Piedmont Park, propped up against a tree as though he was having a nap. Nobody realized anything was wrong until a Frisbee game went out of control and somebody stumbled over him."
"How terrible," Quatre whispered, but Duo and the others seemed unfazed.
"You'll find the details we've been able to accumulate in these folders," Une said as she handed them out. "Autopsy reports, records on the lives of the four victims we were able to identify. We're still searching out the identity of the fifth."
"What do you want us to do?" Heero asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"I want you to cover that club. We'll provide you whatever backup and materials you require, but I want you to catch this man. Or woman."
"You want one of us to be bait," Wufei stated bluntly.
"With the other three watching over him," Une amended. "Yes."
"Who's the lucky one?" Duo asked, riffling through the pages of Victim #5's autopsy report. When nobody answered, he looked up with some misgivings. "No way."
"We'll be right there with you," Quatre said.
"No."
"You'll never be in a moment's danger. We'll let the killer try to drag you away, and we'll get him," Wufei added.
"No."
"It's the mission," Heero said. Violet eyes clashed with blue for a long, long moment, and then Duo's shoulders sagged and he dropped his gaze.
"Fine. But I don't have to like it."
Duo took a sip of his "Screaming Orgasm," which he had not taken his eyes from for even a fraction of a moment. So far, nobody had tried to slip anything into the drink. He glanced around the room, violet eyes taking in the sight of a sea of bodies pressed together in a primal mating ritual - dancing. Light sparkled off of the glitter around Duo's eyes, the tiny fake gems woven into his trademark braid. Dressed in shimmering grey satin and black leather, he felt terribly conspicuous. He seriously doubted that any self-respecting serial killer would pick such a flamboyantly-dressed victim, but the others had seemed convinced. Even Heero had had a gleam of appreciation in his deep blue eyes... either that, or he was glassy- eyed from the glare off all the sparkly stuff.
"You're new here, aren't you?" a strange man asked, giving Duo a smirky once-over that just barely fell short of being an outright leer. "Wanna dance?"
Duo downed the rest of his drink in one gulp, smiled brightly and allowed the stranger to pull him out onto the dance floor. Could this be the killer? He was certainly creepy enough; his hands and eyes were all over Duo, who was struggling to keep his cheerful grin plastered across his face and his clothing intact. As he spun and gyrated, he caught glimpses of Wufei and Quatre. The wide grins on their faces made him promise himself that when this was all over, he'd find a way to get them back. Right after he'd taken a bath and washed this guy's slime off of him.
"So, do you come here often?" a voice asked, the low tone whispered right in his ear making Heero shudder. He turned to face a tall blond man, then shrugged.
"Hn."
"Not much of a talker, huh? Well, that's all right. I don't mind being the one to talk."
Heero pointedly looked out at the dance floor, his eyes fixing easily on Duo. Unconsciously he shifted in his seat, moving to the pounding rhythm that Duo sketched out with hands, hips and hair.
"You like music? I love the music in this place. Oh, I see where you're looking. He's a pretty kid, isn't he? Never seen him here before. Gotta love the hair, though, don't you think?"
"Excuse me," Heero said, and unceremoniously getting up he made his way to the bathroom. Wufei and Quatre were in position. Secure in the knowledge that Duo was being watched, Heero wove through the crowd and finally made it to the men's room.
"Much quieter in here, isn't it?" the blond man asked, and Heero tensed up in aggravation. Why did these people always seem to single him out? Maybe he had a "please bother me; I don't really want to be left alone" sign on his forehead or something. He stepped up to the urinal, turning his shoulder slightly away from the obnoxious man.
"Oh, don't let me stop you," the man said. "I'll just wait for you."
"Why?"
"Well, I'm hoping you'll dance with me."
Heero grimaced, and shook his head. Why wouldn't the guy just get a clue? Undeterred by the man's presence, Heero went about what he had come here to do - relieve himself, and hurry back out to resume his vigil over Duo. As he unzipped his jeans and positioned himself, the blond man walked up behind him, and then there was a sudden sharp pricking sensation just under one ear.
"Yes, we'll dance, beautiful one," the man whispered, and Heero felt his bladder empty in a rush, the warm trickling of urine down one leg as his body went totally limp. Clouded blue eyes barely took in the sight of the blond man's vicious smile before Heero sank into unconsciousness.
End Part One
Yoiko ^_^v
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