It was a short, but fast drive of fifteen minutes before the TransAm finally came to a halt- not for an abandoned warehouse as Heero expected, but before a rather exclusive looking apartment complex. He parked the BMW, locking it with his electronic handheld and made sure he didn't walk into the eyesight of the couple. They went into the large building, talking softly, occasionally laughing. Heero quickly crossed the street, but was too late to keep the entrance door open; it fell back into its electronic lock. With no one in sight, Heero used the function on his Breil to jam the circuit of the lock and it sprang open. The voices of the couple were overheard from the stair case; he could pinpoint them halting on the fourth floor, rattling with door keys. Heero cursed himself mentally for not having planted a transmitter on either of them, but he hadn't known Hilde was connected to Duo, nor didn't expect to meet the man from the picture so soon. He just knew there was something to Duo; his intuition never lied to him. Une would probably be pissed off to hear that he went after someone whose identity hadn't been established yet or rather, she had dismissed as being not important. Heero's gut feeling didn't deny itself. Debating how to approach the situation, as he was standing on the stairs, he overheard them talk.
"...sure about that?" Hilde’s voice.
"I'm not sure, no." Duo's voice. "What about Gwinter? What did he have to offer?"
Hilde snorted. "He wouldn't pay- he thinks you should crawl on your knees and thank him for getting the job. It's not our fault that the deal didn't go through!"
"That remind me- you spoke with the manufacturer of the conductors?"
Heero almost stopped breathing. Perfect! They were talking about him! He pulled one of his credit cards out of the inner pocket of his tux- this example had a recording facility and reach of a few hundred meters. Some genius at headquarters would filter out all excessive sounds later. Heero pushed the minuscule 'record' button. If they were talking about the deal, maybe he could collect enough dirt to arrest them later.
"Odin Lowe? Yes, I talked to him. A bit uptight, but okay."
He bristled.
"I don't know if he can be useful, though. I don't know if Dermail really wanted to buy those conductors. Wufei had another offer."
Wufei? Could that be Chang's first name? Heero was of course aware of the Chinese culture of addressing a native Chinese with his last name first. Europeans or Americans would rather address someone with his or her first name. Filing this information away for further use, Duo's other words sank in. Another offer?
"Let's first get those chips back, don't you think?"
"I'll leave you to prepare," Hilde said and the door of the apartment closed- no matter how good the recording radius of the credit card was, the thick door literally stood in the way. Heero was shocked. Let's get those chips back. The chips were about to be stolen back, he had informed headquarters about that...and this Duo Maxwell was the thief? Was he Shinigami, where Nichol had referred to? He couldn't fathom it and was lost in thought when he suddenly heard the entrance door of the building open, realizing he was still standing on the stairs, pretty much in the open. Quickly he put his credit card away, adjusted his tie and descended the stairs, even friendly greeting the elderly woman going up. Heero decided to go back to his hotel to reevaluate the situation and the mission...
The drive back to the hotel didn't take him more than half an hour and when he checked in, the receptionist smiled at him. "Mrs. Lowe is already waiting for you," he said.
Heero succeeded in containing the surprised look on his face. "Thank you. I do hope you've treated her right."
"But of course," the receptionist answered, almost indignant. "Dom Perignon '68, smoked salmon salad and creme brulee went all on your account according to Mrs. Lowe's wishes."
Heero almost choked, but he managed to croak out an "Excellent". He motioned the bellboy to get the elevator to the highest floor, meanwhile thinking about what the receptionist had said. After checking that there was no one on his floor, he pulled out his Smith and Wesson .28 and loaded it. Mrs. Lowe...well, if it wasn't one of the eldest tricks out of the book. He opened his door and carefully pushed it further open, gun in hand. The room was sparsely lit, casting a soft glow on the furniture and highlighting the silhouette of a woman with a glass in her hand. She had already noticed him.
"Come on in, Odin. You don't want to keep a woman waiting, now do you?" Her voice was low for a woman, with a throaty chuckle. "Get in, before the creme brulee gets cold."
Heero closed the door, gun still pointed to the woman. He walked into the room, gauging her. She wore her strawberry blond hair in two braids, carefully plaited and resting on her shoulders. She was clad in a men's jumpsuit, possessing sophisticated class and a flair that Relena with her girlish look couldn't touch within a mile; but this was a dangerous woman, unlike Relena. He knew he had to be careful.
"To what do I owe this honor?"
She chuckled again, putting the glass down on the small glass table next to her. "One of my friends wants to see you. I'm just here to deliver the invitation, Odin. I'll give you a hint, though; it has to do with your merchandise. Oh, and as soon as you've accepted the invitation... I should inform you that he'd love to talk about the Duke’s death."
Heero's hand didn't waver. "If I think I know who your 'friend' is who wants to see me, than I'm very surprised to learn that he isn't behind the murder of the Duke himself."
She shrugged and hoisted herself up from the velvet chair, with such a swift movement that Heero hardly noticed. Her large blue eyes looked at him and he felt as he'd been x-rayed. "You're not the only player on the market, though you are an interesting one. I don't know if my friend can offer you something you can't refuse, but I know one thing for certain- you shouldn't refuse the invitation."
"Very well. I accept."
"Good boy." She smiled, without any emotion. "Be prepared tomorrow. We will pick you up at the hotel before lunchtime."
"Very well," he repeated, but she was already through the door, the click of the lock closing the only sound to rupture the silence.
------------------------
Heero yawned. He had stayed up late to perform an Internet search for Duo Maxwell and Hilde Schbeiker, but he didn’t dig up any important information, even the profound databanks of headquarters had left him empty handed. He had relayed the two names through to Lucrezia Noin, hoping that she'd be able to pass him something he could work with. After a simple breakfast Heero had spend the morning doing meditation and exercises, as well as mentally preparing himself for his "lunch appointment". If he really was to face Chang so soon, he had to have his story ready- even the slightest mistake could cost him his head. He felt the usual surge of adrenaline flowing through his body while he pumped himself up. This was the work he was cut out for, and any relationship, any bond or friendship would undermine it. He'd never allow one of his friends or lovers to be used against him and he wouldn’t want to endanger anyone close to him. This was where he was born for to do and nothing would stand in his way...though he couldn't deny that a certain braided man had featured in his dream last night. Well, looking is okay, touching is not. Feeling is not okay. Keep your head clear.
The telephone rang and he picked up the horn.
"Lowe here."
"Mr. Lowe, there are two men down here to pick you up," the pleasant voice of the receptionist rang out to him.
"Excellent. I'm coming down." Heero hung up. He quickly finished dressing, putting his black jacket over the holster with the Smith & Wesson. His escort certainly would be donned with a gun as well, no doubt about it. If they'd search him and took the Smith & Wesson- well, he wasn't dependent of the gun to ensure his life.
Heero went downstairs, taking the stairs instead of the lift, and greeted the two young men. He recognized the left one as Walker, the one who was with Nichol when he visited him yesterday. The other one was pretty burly and probably strong enough to throw Heero across the lobby without breaking a sweat. Neither of them bothered with introductions and Walker didn't show any sign of recognition.
"The car is outside."
Heero wasn't surprised to see a silver Mercedes, limousine class, and he stepped in. The burly man took a seat next to him while Walker took the opposite chair. Nobody uttered a word, and Heero didn't mind- he didn't want to waste his time dealing with cronies when he was on his way to the big fish.
The car drive took at least one hour and a half- he noticed immediately they were out of town, despite the heavy tinted glasses. The amount of traffic noise diminished rather quickly, meaning they were on the countryside- L4 had lots of specific areas where the rich could relax in relative privacy, away from the smoking cities.
The limousine came to a halt and the door was yanked open by an impeccable groomed young man, looking extremely bored.
"Mr. Lowe? The General is expecting you."
So it was Septem who had orchestrated this meeting, not Chang. Heero was almost disappointed. He reminded himself that it would take some time to catch the big fish, and that he had to deal with the small fry first. He would get to Chang eventually- assuming that he had something to do with the whole gundanium chips business. Heero followed the servant through pompously decorated hallways and antechambers until he came to stand in front of a very elaborated oak wooden door.
"The General will receive you now."
He didn't bother to thank the man who opened the doors to announce him. Noticing that Walker and the burly bodyguard had disappeared, he stepped inside the luxurious room.
"General Septem, it's a pleasure to meet you."
The man balked a short laugh, sounding like grating chainsaws on a chalk board. "To tell you the truth, Lowe, I was a bit nervous at first. It seems that everyone you talk to, has the nasty habit to get killed."
Heero straightened his face. "I'll be sure to when I catch the killer, I will tell him to refrain from doing so, sir."
"You want to catch Dermail's killer?" Septem motioned for Heero to sit. He had already seen that the corner of the room was a bit dark and he clearly distinguished the outlines. Someone was sitting there. Could it be the woman of yesterday? The outline was too obscure to distinguish if it was a man or a woman.
"Why not? He ruined my transaction and my reputation. Something I pride myself in."
"Ah, your transaction. Circuit conductors, hm? Cigar? Real Havanas."
Heero declined politely. He didn't smoke. Septem used the occasion to lit one up, making a big show of it and inhaling deeply.
"Circuit conductors compatible for Gundam chips. Interesting niche of the market, Mister Lowe. Don't you think you're restricting yourself too much? Gundanium isn't that widely available, nor that much in use."
"There's enough to make a living," Heero informed him, quite deadpan. "And with the deal I was about to make with Dermail, it would've lasted me a lifetime."
"Very true," the man said. "About that deal with Dermail. You certainly know by now that we're pretty much interested in your conductors. We tried fabricating them on our own, but it turns out to be too labor intensive and our output isn't as flawless as yours. So why do all the hard work when someone already did that?"
Bingo. Heero didn't change the expression on his face.
"We can't promise you the same deal, however. I don't know the exact details."
"I think you know them just fine. Or else your mysterious partner over there in the corner knows them," Heero said, nodding with his head. He wasn't about to get caught in this web, he had too much invested and worked too hard to fall for such a trick.
A short laugh erupted from the corner and a chair scraped over the floor. The person who had shrouded himself in the shadows, emerged rather quick. Heero managed to keep a smirk off his face. It was Chang, no doubt about it.
The young Chinese, stern and rigid in every move, approached him. He wore traditional Chinese garb, akin to the one he'd worn on the picture. The golden and crimson broidered dragon shone in the sunlight, filtered through the large window panes. Chang came to stand in front of him and Heero was confirmed in his earlier suspicions- this was a dangerous man as well. Chang didn't sport one ounce of fat on his body, being one and all toned and slender muscle. His dark ebony eyes had a piercing glaze; once again Heero felt like he was being x-rayed. He maintained his position and refused to be intimidated by the glare. Chang didn't offer Heero a hand, only looked at him
"Despite what you think, I wasn't au courant with Dermail's plans," the Chinese young man said, speech and diction controlled and composed. "He left our Earthly plane before I could talk to him about it."
"Convenient, or not?"
"Highly inconvenient. I'd love to have known the details. It makes our deal so much more difficult, don't you think? Septem!"
The General almost fell out of his chair. "Yes?"
"Have some tea brought up to us. I'm going to discuss business with Mister Lowe in the green room." He excluded rather significantly Septem and Heero duly noted the sullen look on the face of the general, now reduced to mere errand boy. His voice was rather curt when he answered: "As you wish."
"Mister Lowe?" Chang motioned him to walk forward and Heero left the room via another door. There was a huge hallway behind it and he wondered how much corridors this mansion had. He easily could get lost in here.
"This way." Chang opened a door that was hardly noticeable, as it was decorated with the same pattern as the wall paper. The green room was named green for a reason- everything was decorated in several hues of green and showed lots of traditional Chinese influences on the furniture. Heero couldn't help but admire the beautiful silk screens depicting large parrots, elephants and other animals, all hand painted and crafted. While he followed Chang to the seats, he threw a look out of the window; and saw, to his surprise, a beautiful rose garden.
"Are you the owner of this mansion?"
A servant came in with the tea, carrying a silver tray with Chinese porcelain cups, and started pouring. Chang shook his head. "This mansion belongs to the good General."
No doubt, Heero mussed and looked outside again. "Beautiful garden. Peons, roses...lilies..." Suddenly his eye caught something. Two men walked through the garden, relatively close, talking amiably. They were too far away to lip read or to understand what they were saying, but Heero recognized them. Quatre Winner and Trowa Barton. What the hell were they doing here in a mansion owned by Septem? Septem wasn't very clean, and for a prominent business man like Quatre Winner, any connection between him and the shady general wasn't good for his public relations. Heero assumed that the man walking next to Winner was Barton; but as he had a far lower profile in society, Heero wasn't sure. He ached to active his Breil to take a picture, but the distance was too far. He cursed mentally.
"Septem's roses always win on the local fairs," Chang said, voice amused. Even Heero couldn't suppress a snicker at the thought of the crude General with a bulk of roses at a garden fair.
"Please have a seat, Mister Lowe."
"Thank you." Chang still hadn't introduced himself and Heero didn't ask.
"The circuit conductors for the gundanium chips. What was your price?"
"Ten thousand a piece," Heero said. Chang held a cup of tea in his hand and didn't waver. He had his emotions under a rigid control.
"That's quite the price, Mister Lowe. Are you sure you aren't overrating your merchandise?"
"You're quite welcome to bargain, and of course, feel free to manufacture the conductors yourself. I haven't upped the price, if that's it what you mean. I had a deal with Dermail for two thousand conductors, for two million."
"Two million earth credits," Chang mussed. He put down the tea cup. "All right, you got yourself a deal. I'll take it over from Dermail, and I'm a man of my word."
"I rather see something more official, if you know what I mean." Heero took a sip of his own tea, if only to hide his slight surprise that Chang agreed so fast. That could only mean that they really had no other methods of producing the conductors themselves, or were quite desperate to get the conductors...because of what? Lack of time?
"I understand. I'll give you an advance of five hundred thousand."
"Five hundred thousand is just fine."
Chang smiled a mere tugging at his lips. "It's a pleasure doing business with you." He reached forward to the ebony coffee table, opened a small drawer and pulled out a check book. Heero waited until he was finished writing the check and accepted the paper.
"You can cash it at any bank on L4, no questions asked. If you want, I can have someone accompany you."
"No thank you," Heero shook his head. "It'll be quite all right. Do you already have some details about the delivery?"
"We are a bit dependant on the delivery of the chips ourselves, but I expect them any day now. We'll let you know immediately when you can deliver."
Heero pocketed the check. "Do you need help with the retrieval of the chips?"
"Thank you for your offer, Mister Lowe, but no, thank you. The retrieval is in good hands. Why don't you be our guest for the rest of the day? Dinner is at seven."
"Thank you," Heero said. It was no use to decline- it hadn't been a question either. Sipping the last of his tea, his thoughts drifted to Duo -he corrected himself- the braided man, who more than probably had something to do with the upcoming theft. He could only hope that Une had increased security around the stored chips, as he had recommended in his last e-mail.
Chang suddenly rose from his chair, a sign that the meeting was over and he bowed lightly to him.
Heero dwelled through the impressive mansion, awaiting dinnertime. The house was decorated in an exclusive Victorian style, but it looked like the interior decorator had crammed as much pompous objects as possible in each and every room. To top it off, whoever was responsible for it, had mixed in baroque Louis XIV and Louis XV furniture, as well as chromed every door handle and knob. It was an awful match, and it certainly wasn't Heero's taste - he couldn't imagine how much Septem had paid for this atrocity of an interior. He left the salon he had 'admired' and walked down the hallway, looking at the paintings, who seemed to be genuine paintings, caught in heavy, wooden, cheaply gilded frames. A little absent-mindedly, he continued to wander around, until he heard a loud clunk and an equally loud, yet irritated "Damn!"
It came from a door at the end of the hallway, and curiously Heero approached the slightly ajar door, and pushed it open. He could only see stairs, leading down; obviously to the basement. The lights were on and music played at a rather low level; opera music, judging from the first impression of bombastic tones and a low, yet female voice. Heero ventured down, taking the steps one by one, unable to keep his curiosity down. He heard someone bustling about, humming to the music.
He reached the end of the stairs, only to stare at the back of a man who was knelt down on the floor, hands picking up bits and pieces from something that Heero didn't recognize. He did recognize the thick, chestnut braid dangling over the man's shoulder, when he reached forward to pick up a shard. Still humming along to the music, he casually collected everything on the floor and got back on his feet, stretching his back.
"Stupid recirculation unit," he muttered under his breath and took a few steps to dump the broken equipment on a grey, metal table top.
Heero quickly contemplated what he should do; he better leave him, this Duo...of course he remembered his name, he made it his point to remember people's name and faces as soon as he met or saw them, and he had no trouble at all remembering Duo. It was obvious that he was busy with something, and he didn't want to bother him; they weren't supposed to meet, not yet...but fate wasn't on Heero's side that day. Just as he was about to turn around, the heel of his shoe grinded on the stairs. It wasn't a loud noise, certainly not in comparison with the music, but Duo overheard it and whirled around, hands immediately shifting into a position a martial arts master would be jealous of. He hardly seem to move at all, he was that fast.
"My apologies," Heero said quickly. "I didn't mean to startle you."
The other relaxed, but just very slightly, and he didn't let go of his stance, hands still in the air. Heero recognized the pyong-hi sogi, a basic Tae Kwon Do stance - it looked even deadlier as Duo balled his hands into fists. It was a severe mistake to take him for a easy-going guy who liked to dance with girls; this man could kill him in a blink of an eye. Heero stiffened, his heart racing, his mind focusing on the situation at hand. He knew how to defend himself, and he would fight to the death if need be. Duo was expendable, like everyone else he would meet in this mansion; they were all rebels, criminals, terrorists, and he had Lady Une's orders to eliminate any threat to the United Earth Sphere Alliance...even if that meant killing someone he was potentially interested in...in another way than just an enemy who needed to be defeated.
"I know you," Duo suddenly spoke, and relaxed with the same ease as it had taken him to jump into the stance. "You were at the charity ball, dancing with Hilde. Lowe, wasn't it?"
"Correct," Heero answered. "Odin, Odin Lowe."
"Duo Maxwell," he re-introduced himself. "So, you're doing business with Wufei?"
Heero was again taken aback by Duo's casual use of Chang's first name, but remembered that Duo was either European or American, what probably made him either uncaring for or unaware of the different use of first and last names in Japanese and Chinese culture. Chang wouldn't exactly appreciate being addressed in this familiar matter. Heero took the last step of the stairs and sauntered over to Duo, his eyes taking in his surroundings. The basement was a well-lit room stacked with crates and boxes; only a few of them were opened, and held equipment that he couldn't identify at first sight. There was also some equipment on the table, besides the broken recirculation unit Duo had put on it: a grapple, binoculars, some kind of hooks, climbing gear and a few other things Heero couldn't name, but it looked like tools of a thief to him...a very cunning thief. Duo had to be 'Shinigami', the man contracted to steal the two thousand Gundanium chips from the vault at the International Deposit.
"I'm only delivering the circuit conductors," Heero said, tone neutral. "They have unique abilities and are very versatile; they don't need to be manufactured in outer space either, unlike the gundanium chips."
"What are you implying?" Duo said, voice suddenly turning cold. "That the colonies are responsible for fabricating those chips? That the colonies are considering waging or starting up a new war?"
Heero put his hands up in defense. "I didn't imply anything. I only told you about my merchandise. I'm a trader, like anybody else here, okay?"
Duo showed a smile, baring his perfect white teeth, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
"My apologies, if I've offended you. I take any accusation towards the colonies rather personally. I'm from L2 myself, you know."
L2 housed the most notorious rebel groups from the entire colony cluster. It was the home of bombings, revolts and fire fights, as well as the home of the most incompetent government Heero ever had seen. Outbreaks of violence were common in L2's daily life; Lady Une was right that the only good fortune about this particular colony was, that they didn't dispose over the heavy artillery and firepower like L3 did. L3 was an innocent toddler compared to L2.
Furthermore, this meant that Duo Maxwell was more likely than not a war orphan, growing up on the streets, and involved with rebel factions as soon as he was able to walk. The question remained: which rebel side was he on, or was he working for himself only? Had he taken Chang's side, or had he rented himself out to the highest bidder? Heero filed the information carefully away and kept a perfectly neutral expression on his face.
"I'm a war orphan myself, you know." He blurted it out, and immediately blinked in surprise. That wasn't what he'd meant to say. Duo leaned against the table and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He was wearing a simple black shirt with black slacks, nothing identifying about him but his conspicuous braid. Heero didn't know if his words affected the other in any way.
"Fucking war," Duo muttered under his breath but Heero caught his words. No doubt, Duo was referring to the second and last war, called the Eve Wars. So many had become orphaned that the authorities had stopped counting them. It was almost as if he could see the wall building up in front of Duo. It wasn't going to be easy to get through to him.
"Hard times," he said. Duo looked at him, examining.
"What are your reasons?"
"What do you mean?"
"You said you're a war orphan. Why are you in the business, with your conductors, specifically matching the unique abilities of gundanium chips?" Duo snorted. "What are your reasons, Odin Lowe, to deal with people like Wufei? Are you doing it for the highest bidder? To earn your next meal, or do you really think I don't know what conductors matching gundanium chips can do?"
The other's vehemence took Heero aback, and he knew he had to be careful. If he wanted to use Duo as his contact, he had to milk him for information as much as possible. For the first time in his career, it annoyed him that he thought of 'using' the other. He had used others for information a million times before.
"There is some self gratification, yes. I want to earn money just like anybody else."
"You don't have to be ashamed about it. I know people who sleep well at night when they earned their money killing others; they'd do anything to avoid becoming a poor, helpless orphan again."
"I don't kill people," Heero said and cringed inwardly. He had a double zero in his codename, signifying his license to kill - but that didn't mean he took pleasure in it. If anything, he tried to avoid casualties as much as possible; he wasn't like 006, who thought that the only good informer was a dead informer. He was nothing like Marquise. He wouldn't hesitate to kill the leaders behind an operation, the ones responsible for death and destruction, but he wasn't going to kill each and everyone crossing his path. If Duo turned out to be a major player in this, he'd inevitably have to face him...and maybe...kill him.
Heero shook his head as if he wanted to get rid of the thought. "I don't kill," he repeated, even if it was a lie.
"There are only victims in a war," Duo said. "On every side."
"You're confident that there will be another war," Heero said.
"What else do you think Wufei is going to do with your precious conductors? Modifying them into kitchen appliances?" Duo barked a short laugh, but there was no humor in it.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're working for him. So, what's your reason?"
Duo glared at him, and reached behind him, only to pull out black gloves out of nowhere; they'd been lying between all the equipment on the table. "Fair enough. I asked you about your reasons first."
He put on the smooth, skin tight gloves, taking his time. "I don't work for Wufei like that," he said. "I'm only here for a commission." He didn't elaborate. "I'm not sure what he's going to do with your conductors, I was joking about the kitchen appliances."
Showing Heero a watery grin, he clenched and unclenched his fists, the fabric of the gloves creaking.
"I have faith in him that he won't do what I think he's going to do. Wufei...he believes in honor and tradition, and he wants to live up to the standards of his colony."
"L5," Heero said.
Duo nodded. "His honor compels him to take revenge. L5 self-detonated, but they burdened their only survivor with a charge I can't imagine how it must feel like. He wants his revenge, but I...don't believe he's ready to wage a war for it. He saw from up close and personal what war does. A war isn't going to give him his colony back, and his honor would be ashamed or something like that...he talked about 'resurrecting Nataku', but I don't know what that means."
"So where does that put you?" Heero tried to press the matter.
"Me? Somewhere along the bottom of the food chain." He grinned deviously, yet disarmingly. It looked good on him. Suddenly, he was interrupted by an annoying, shrill beeping noise.
"My pager." He took the device out of his formfitting black slacks and read the display. His grin was still firmly in place, and Heero couldn't see any changes in his face, whether the message was good or bad. Duo pocketed the pager and brushed some imaginary dust from his pants. "Well, I see you at dinner, Odin Lowe."
Heero recognized a dismissal whenever it was given and only nodded at Duo. The other already had turned around and rummaged through the equipment on the table. A little stupefied, Heero climbed up the stairs and emerged in the pompous hallway again. He needed to find a calm spot where he could make an urgent phone call.
The large rose garden was the only place where he wouldn't be disturbed. The mansion was quiet, the servants moved silently and discreetly, but Heero hadn't had the chance to debug the mansion and he didn't want to take the risk of being overheard. Taking out his Sony Ericsson Black Diamond, his fingers tapped at the speed dial button and he waited impatiently for his call to be answered.
"Good afternoon, Central Colony Cleaning Company, how may I help you?" A pleasant female voice rang out to him.
"Yes, this is Odin Lowe speaking. Connect me through to your Customer Service, please."
"One moment please." She almost sang the words to him.
"Central Colony Cleaning Company, Customer Service, how may I help you?" This voice was very familiar. Heero pressed the phone closer to his ear. How Lucrezia Noin kept all those fake companies, codewords and charades apart was a mystery to him, but she was very good at it - leaving a message with her was a 100% guarantee it would reach the person it was intended for.
"Yes, I'd like to file a complaint," he said. "My name is Lowe, Odin Lowe."
"What can I do for you, mister Lowe?"
"When I picked up my coat, it looked clean on the outside." These words would mean that he had arrived safely and that his mission was going smoothly so far. "However, when I wanted to wear it, I found large stains on the inside." The 'stains' would stand for 'problems'.
"What kind of stains, sir?"
"Black," Heero said. If he'd said 'red', it would obviously mean that victims would be involved.
"Large stains?"
He hesitated. How much of a threat was Duo Maxwell? If he got his hands on the gundanium chips, leading to the first steps in rebuilding the machines of war...
"Exceptionally large. I want you to take this up with your headquarters."
"I'm sorry, sir," Lucrezia's voice was flat, "there's no one at the headquarters at the moment."
"What!" Heero almost choked. Une was gone? He quickly tried to calculate the time difference between the L4 colony and Earth. It shouldn't make that much of a difference, and it was mid-day. Had she gone out for a meeting? "When can I talk to someone from headquarters?"
He needed to know if she had received his e-mails and followed up on his advice. Why had she left her office? "It's imperative that I talk to someone from headquarters today!"
"I'm sorry sir," Lucrezia Noin didn't sound apologetic at all. "At this moment, no one is in. If you bring back your coat at the earliest, convenient time as possible, we can have another department take a look at it."
Heero gritted his teeth. He needed to talk on a secure line with Une, and tell her to either relocate the gundanium chips or increase security at the International Depository. He needed to know if she had followed up on his advice. He couldn't think of someone else in charge who could help him, and he would only call Relena when the Earth was about to implode.
"There's no time to bring in my coat," he answered curtly. If he'd ask for a replacement or a refund, Headquarters would take that as a sign to send in reinforcements. "I want to talk to someone from Headquarters, that it all!"
"I'm sorry, the manager isn't in right now. Can I take a message?"
Goddamnit Lucrezia! "Tell your manager that I will sue you all!" Heero closed his phone and released the breath he was holding. If anyone intercepted his call, they would think that Odin Lowe was an impatient man who was stirring up a fuss because of some coat that hadn't been dry-cleaned according to his wishes. Noin would know, however, that she needed to contact Une as soon as possible because there was trouble at hand. Major trouble. They had to prevent Duo Maxwell from stealing those chips. Those small things could be the start of an entire new war, no matter what Duo had said about Chang and his honor; gundanium chips were gundanium chips. Chang could make a fortune re-selling them. Maybe Une was preparing to set up a trap. Sometimes you could catch a small fish, and use him as a bait to lure the bigger fish. Heero wasn't so sure if Duo Maxwell was a small fish, though. If he could pull off walking out of the vault with two thousand Gundanium chips, he would prove to be a bigger fish than maybe Chang himself.
This was all that he could do, the rest was up to Une. He did trust Noin to pass the message to her, but there was something else bothering him, and it didn't have anything to do with Headquarters. He couldn't keep his mind off of Duo, and he didn't know why. Sure, he was good looking, and that braid was... downright sexy. It had been a very, very long time since Heero Yuy had thought of anyone as 'sexy'. He had put his social life, his lovelife, on the backburner for his job. Relationships were a liability in his line of business, and yet this Duo Maxwell made him reconsider...what nonsense! He'd never considered a relationship before, heck, he had rejected the Queen of the World. Why would a thief like him change his opinion on relationship? He was a secret agent. There was no match. It just couldn't be. Heero went back into the mansion and bumped into General Septem, who was accompanied by a young, tall girl who was clearly far too young for the 'general'. The man with the grinding, nasal voice introduced her to him, but he forgot her name as soon as it was pronounced. She didn't really impress him with her giggling either. Unfortunately, she proved to be another guest for dinner, and Heero didn't want to think what her business with the general was, even if he could take a good guess.
After the dinner, for which Chang had excused himself at the very last moment, Heero wanted to return to his hotel. Duo had been pleasant company, even involving the bimbo at Septem's side in the conversation every now and then, but nobody had spoken about 'business'. As soon as Duo left the dinner table, there was no reason for Heero to stay any longer. He had hoped to get another chance to talk to Duo, but he had disappeared as soon as he had walked out of the room.
If the General was miffed about Chang making the deal with Heero, he didn't let it show when they said their goodbyes. Septem was just a contact, but a valuable one; without him, the meeting between Heero and Chang hadn't been possible. Nevertheless, when talking about fish, the 'general' was nothing but a small one; a very, very small one. Heero took great care not to ruffle the man's feathers further; any contact turning against you was another problem to deal with. The both of them were all pleasant and smiles when saying goodbye; Septem had called for a limousine to take Heero back to his hotel. Strangely enough, nobody accompanied him on the way back. He made a quick stop at the bank to cash Chang's check; it would cause suspicion if he didn't go after the money immediately. The teller studied the check - it was a small advance, but it still made for a hefty sum - and finally disappeared to get the money. Heero drummed with his fingers on the desk. He wondered for a brief moment why Chang had used a check, for crying out loud. Heero didn't expect to be handed the stereotypical briefcases with wads of money immediately, but most rebel factions kept Earth credits and hard cash around them, instead of using banks and checks. He'd have to investigate if the money he was about to receive, wasn't part of some kind of money-laundring scheme. He couldn't afford to get side-tracked; besides, money-laundring wasn't part of his job description. Heero had dealt with more delicate and dangerous missions than just a 'simple' money-laundry operation. He wasn't a secret agent for nothing, and he knew exactly why he was so good at what he did; he had his father to thank for it. His 'father'...why was he thinking of Odin Lowe right now? The man had been dead for almost over a decade, but Heero hadn't forgotten about him. It was because of him that he followed into his footsteps, and Heero had never considered any other career. With his talents, it was only a matter of time before he would end up being a secret agent.
He didn't want to think about it right now. Focus on the mission, that was the most important at the moment. He had to be careful; maybe Chang's people were around somewhere to keep an eye on him. Well, they could report their boss that he had cashed in his check already, which was to be expected. He didn't make sloppy mistakes. As he was waiting for the teller to return, he pondered about Une. There could be a million reasons why she was out of the office. Even Une took a break; not that Heero ever had used his vacation days. His secretary, Sylvia Noventa, had stopped reminding him of all his outstanding vacation time, because he never took it. She had stopped reminding him about getting a social life, too. And at a certain moment, she had stopped talking to him, safe for the necessary exchange of information; Heero Yuy didn't waste his time with chitchats.
Chapter 2 |
Chapter 4