Duo's contact, Howard, was located on a salvage ship in the Pacific Ocean, Earth. Apparently he was at a port somewhere in Scandinavia at the moment, and Duo knew how to reach him. Once the decision was taken, Heero and Duo prepared for their flight back to Earth. With no news about the fate of Quatre, Trowa or Wufei, they took as many precautions as they could and traveled separately, using their fake ID's and disguises. It took three days for the both of them to reach the border of Norway and to finally meet up at Sandefjord Station. From there, they would travel together to Bergen Port, Howard's location.
It was uncanny to see Duo with shoulder-length, curly hair; his wig was a perfect fit for the long braid. Heero had to look twice now that Duo's distinctive hairstyle was disguised, accompanied by glasses and loose-fitting, casual clothing, as if he was a student on his way back to campus. Heero had dressed the opposite, in a business suit and also sporting a wig that kept his unruly hair slicked back and neat. Minor changes, with a major difference in appearance.
Bergen Port was a busy hub for cargo ships and cruise passengers, with at least 5,500 meters of quays and lots of warehouses. Heero worried for a moment how Duo was going to spot his contact; it was so crowded. He objected when Duo took off his disguise, but as soon as his trademark braid was visible, a burly man put up his hand and beckoned them over. It was a member of the 'Sweepers' - a group of salvage workers - who took them by boat to Howard's ship in international waters.
Once on deck, an elderly man, dressed in short pants and a ridiculous colorful Hawaiian t-shirt, approached them and embraced Duo as if welcoming back a long lost son.
"Kid! So good to see you! Who did ya bring? Hey, come over here!"
"Howard, this is Heero Yuy. Heero, this is Howard!"
"Nice to meet you," Heero said stiffly, offering the man a hand. Instead, Howard slapped him so hard on the shoulder, he almost buckled. He'd severely underestimated the other's strength.
"Don't be afraid, Heero, you can talk freely here. These men are all 100 percent loyal to the good cause: my cause. As soon as you contacted me, I dredged up the Gundams, Duo. They're ready and awaiting for you."
"Awaiting Heero," Duo corrected him. Howard looked quizzically at him over the rim of his equally ridiculous sunglasses, but didn't comment.
Heero cringed at hearing Duo's remark. Even though the topic had barely been touched the last few days, he knew it bothered Duo greatly that he didn't have his own Gundam and that Heero was favored by Quatre in that subject matter. It wasn't about getting a Gundam for himself; it was about the choice he had made to fight for the colony that had burdened him his entire life.
"Follow me," was all that Howard said and he went below deck.
"You stored them at the bottom of the Pacific?" Heero inquired, curious. Howard nodded.
"Gundanium is perfectly resistant to water. We work here under the guise of salvage work, so whenever someone comes for an unexpected inspection, they will only see scrap and junk. No need to store two Gundams in plain sight, don't you think?"
Heero agreed and they went further down into the large cargo room of the ship. Howard kneeled and opened a hatch. "This is a makeshift container that storages the Gundams. When alarms sound, we can disengage the container immediately. Be careful, it can be slippery. Watch your step."
Howard went first and turned on some camping lights. Heero allowed Duo to go second, and then he lowered himself down into the container, ignoring the distinctive smell of seawater. Placing his feet carefully on the slippery steps, he climbed all the way down until he reached the floor. Howard was igniting more camping lights and took a step back, waving dramatically with his arms.
"Well Heero Yuy and Duo Maxwell, meet Wing Zero and Deathscythe Hell." The elder man snickered. "That rhymes."
"Well I'll be damned," Heero said.
"God in heaven," was Duo's only answer.
The lights revealed the two Gundams in a kneeled position. The Gundam on the left was a bright white with red and blue markings, and with a huge shield strapped to its right arm. The other Gundam was all black, huddled in the shadows and not quite distinctive to see despite the lights. Heero shuddered at the sight of the dark mobile suit, which reminded him vaguely of a samurai. It emitted an eerie, powerful aura that had him frozen to the spot.
"Well, the Wing Zero is yours," Howard said and handed Heero a keypad to unlock the chest hatch. "I don't think I've to tell you which one is which."
Heero noticed the sullen look on Duo's face.
"For who is the Deathscythe Hell?" he asked. Howard looked stupefied.
"Well for you, of course. Who else do you think?"
Duo looked flabbergasted. "For me? Quatre never mentioned me getting a Gundam, ever!"
"Who else can make the God of Death listen to him?" Howard said. "You're the only one who can bring death to life. Here."
Duo received a keypad. "I haven't got any training. I don't know..."
"I'll teach you the basics. True, Quatre never mentioned anything about you getting you a Gundam, Duo, and I'm sure he's sorry... It's just that... when this fellow was being build, he didn't know you could pilot it. Just the resemblance, the implications..."
"I'm not fucking made out of glass, I can handle it!" Duo snarled, almost crushing the keypad as he frantically pressed the button to release the chest hatch. Ignoring the other two, he stalked towards the mobile suit as the a cable wench lowered down from the chest hatch; he grabbed it and used the keypad again to retract the wench, so he could get inside the Gundam.
"Duo..." Heero was about to follow him, when Howard held him back, by grabbing him at the elbow.
"Leave him be. He needs time to get used to it," he said. "Why don't you try out Wing Zero yourself? I'll leave you two alone for a bit, to get acquainted with it all. Come back when you're ready for dinner, then we'll talk."
"Thank you, Howard," Heero said and watched the man climb up the stairs again. Suddenly, the eyes of Deathscythe Hell lit up and Heero shuddered again. The God of Death had indeed come to life- and he didn't like it one bit that Duo was the one doing it.
Taking Howard's advice, Heero left Duo alone for now and got himself into the cockpit of the Wing Zero. He tried out the communication link and immediately patched into Duo's frequency so they could exchange data. Heero switched on the control panel, tapping the buttons without engaging the Gundam, recognizing the commands and functions as Trent had taught him. He was very impressed. No wonder those suits had sowed so much fear and sorrow- these were forces beyond nature.
Finally, he shut everything off and climbed out of the cockpit, signaling for Duo to leave his as well. The master thief came out reluctantly, using the cable wench to lower himself down.
"What do you think?"
"It's impressive," Duo said and went silent.
"Let's get something to eat," Heero suggested. Duo nodded in agreement. They went upstairs and carefully sealed the entrance to the container.
"So, what's the plan?" Howard sat at their table, munching down his mashed potatoes. The mess hall was quite large and occupied by rows of tables and chairs. Members of the Sweepers joined each other for dinner, greeting each other after a day of salvaging work. The group was legit, and a perfect cover for the Gundams.
"I don't know," Heero answered truthfully. "Wufei or Quatre mentioned the Libra as the symbol of the White Fang movement. I'd like to find out more, before planning any kind of attack."
"Forget about Libra," Howard said, voice stern. He frowned. "It's the battleship of the White Fang, yes, but you should focus on their goals instead of the ship. Besides, I already had my people obtain the blueprints of the Libra."
"How?" Duo asked, suddenly speaking up. He was far too silent to Heero's liking. He carefully watched the American eating some food, albeit with much less gusto than before.
"Hilde risked her life to get the blueprints. But she also brought other-"
"Hilde! Is she all right? Damn you Howard, I told you before that I didn't want her to be put into dangerous situations like that! She could get hurt!"
"She was hurt, in fact," the man said, ignoring Duo's heated glare. "She had to get rushed to the hospital, as she was almost gunned down by two mobile suits. The Vayeate and the Mercurius, two prototypes of the Mobile Doll System. The White Fang has succeeded in finishing the two suits, just like we have two suits complete."
"What about the others: HeavyArms, Sandrock, Altron?" Heero asked.
Howard looked pained. "The last thing I know, is that they weren't finished yet. Just at 70%, which isn't enough to perform the mission they're build for. Besides, with the pilots scattered all over, not knowing their whereabouts..." He clenched his fists. "It's a complete mystery to me where the Gundams are now. Winner has set up an elaborate escape plan, but he obviously didn't share the details with me."
"Is there any way to contact his commander, Sadaul? The man saved my life, and he was in charge of the evacuation."
"Sadaul? I'll have my contacts look out for him, thank you, Heero. But even if we manage to retrieve those Gundams, it'll take weeks to complete them. I don't have shortage of manpower, but the parts and gundanium will be tough to obtain, especially now that Winner is out of the picture."
"Everybody will follow you, Howard," Duo said. He made a wide gesture with his arm. "All of these men will follow you to the end of the Earth and into space."
Howard looked oddly satisfied, but his voice was nothing but serious. "They might, but time is working against us, Duo. Like I said, even if we were to obtain the three Gundams, it would take too much time to finish them. We can't win this war with two Gundams alone, and when we've finished the other three, it might be too late. White Fang isn't exactly sitting on their collective asses doing nothing, you know."
"Finish them anyway," Duo said. "Maybe you complete them sooner than you think, and we need the firepower."
"All right. Meanwhile, we'll keep an eye on the news. It's going to be an interesting trial; Quatre is too much of a public figure to have this go unnoticed. They have to prove that the factory was used to rebuild the Gundams, and that's going to be tough. I trust Quatre and his men to have left no trail whatsoever of the suits. But again, time is short- especially with Zechs on the move. Finish your dinner, Duo. You're not eating much. Don't worry about Hilde, she's in good hands."
Duo shot Howard a grumpy look, but obeyed and continued eating. Heero addressed the elder man.
"I would like to have a look at those Libra maps."
"Excellent. What about you, Duo?"
"I'm kind of worn out," Duo said and smiled apologetically. "I think I'm going to my room."
He stood up and left the table rather hastily. Howard looked at his retreating back.
"He told me he'd never tell a lie, but this was borderline," he said, without any trace of humor in his voice. "Why don't you go after him, Heero? I'll let you know when we discuss the Libra plans."
"Very well. Thank you, Howard." Heero put down his napkin and turned around to follow Duo.
Duo was in a fairly large cabin, rummaging through drawers. Heero closed the door behind him for some privacy and closed the distance between them, gently placed his hands on Duo's shoulders. He was surprised when Duo stiffened immediately.
"What's going on?" Heero leaned forward, whispering in his ear.
Duo relaxed slightly and pulled out a pair of sweat pants from the drawer. "We're sharing a room, so I was looking if there were any night clothes."
He crooked his neck a little and intentionally or not, Heero used the opportunity to kiss the bare flesh, stroking the skin with his fingers.
"Please tell me what's wrong."
"It's okay," Duo only answered.
"It's not. Are you really tired?"
"Yeah. I guess I'm just tired of today's events."
It wasn't like Duo to avoid a topic or not willing to talk about something, but Heero didn't want to impose. If Duo didn't want to talk about it, no matter hell or high water, he wouldn't get anything out of him anyway. He lowered his hands to rest on Duo's hips and pulled him closer.
"It's not everyday that you get a Gundam hurled towards you and that you hear your best friend had to be hospitalized," he murmured, chin resting on Duo's shoulder.
"I thought I knew Howard well, but when there's a war at stake, he's prepared to sacrifice everything and everyone around him. I don't want Hilde to suffer."
"You don't want anyone to suffer, that's why you want to fight," Heero said.
"What's your reason?"
"Huh?"
"Your reason, Heero. Why do you want to fight?"
Heero smiled, albeit a bit watery. "I fight for peace. I want the Earth and the colonies to co-exist."
"That's what you're fighting for," Duo pointed out. "Not why you fight. Who do you protect?"
"Relena, I guess."
"The Queen of the World?"
"We know each other pretty well. She used to be infatuated with me."
"I didn't know she had such good taste." Heero could hear the smile in Duo's voice. "But is she the only one, Heero?"
"No. The people in general. Those who can't fight, who don't dare to fight, who won't fight. There has to be someone who picks up the sword for them."
"A hero," Duo said and Heero understood that he wasn't making a lame pun.
"Perhaps. I just can't sit still and watch idly when a war breaks out. I used to be a secret agent - I took care of dangers and threats the general public wasn't aware of, just to protect them."
Duo remained silent and Heero stood comfortably with his love pressed against him.
"You still don't want to talk about it?" he asked.
"No, not tonight." Duo turned around so fast that Heero let go of his hold on him. Duo caught his hands and planted them back on his hips, moving his own arms up to embrace Heero. They kissed, rather forcefully. Duo staggered against him, pushing him towards to the bed. His fingers plucked at Heero's shirt, tugging at the fabric so it rode up. Heero tightened his grip on Duo, his thumbs hooking behind his belt. The buckle gave way, and the black fabric of his shirt billowed up slightly. His hands went under the fabric, touching bare skin, his fingertips pressing, touching, exploring. Duo leaned into him, his knee against Heero's, forcing him to take another step back until he hit the small bed in the cabin, promptly sitting down.
He had to move his arms up as Duo pulled the shirt over his head, discarding the garment. As he was leaning into Heero, Duo's braid slipped over his shoulder and dangled between them, brushing Heero's bare chest. He shivered from the electrifying touch.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Before we die," Duo answered. Heero almost choked.
"Talking about a mood killer..!"
Duo grabbed Heero's chin and looked him straight in the eyes. "I'm very serious, Heero. We could die out there as soon as we decide to take on Merquise... and I don't want to die without knowing how it's like to make love to you."
If he already wanted to answer, Heero didn't get the opportunity. Duo pressed his lips on his and all but jumped into his lap. Rolling over the bed, the gentle touches soon became frantic, heated and lustful, breathing became erratic and voices hoarse with need and passion; the night was spend exploring and discovering, kissing and touching, but no words were exchanged; they didn't need to, as their bodies were talking on their own.
At breakfast, Duo and Heero were ready to prepare themselves for a day of training with their respective Gundams. One man of the Sweepers approached them and relayed the message that Howard wanted to see them as soon as possible. Without further ado, they went to his quarters, only to find the man behind his desk, looking quite sullen.
"Howard, what's the matter?"
"You didn't give me a chance to finish what I was saying yesterday, Duo. There was some other news I wanted to tell the both of you. When Hilde returned with the data on the Libra, she told me that she had seen Relena on the ship, Heero."
"Relena? Impossible! She's supposed to be in Sanq Kingdom, leading her government in New Port City! Quatre told me that she was safe! His personal army was looking after her!"
"I don't know the reasons, Heero, but Hilde spotted her and I trust her unconditionally." Howard briefly touched the rim of his sunglasses.
"If Relena is on the Libra...we can't attack them if she's still there!"
"I don't think she is," Howard said. "We tried to determine their course with the current known data. The Libra is on its way to space fortress Barge."
"God damn it!" Duo yelled so loud that it startled Heero. "Fuck them all to hell!"
"What?"
"Space fortress Barge was the main battleship of OZ, the organization that initiated the first war," Howard elaborated. "Barge has been built by L2 workers; a lot of L2 people were killed in test programs and experiments. It's a black page in their history book."
"Barge fired a test missile at L2 to see its implications when it hit a colony," Duo hissed. "Hundreds of people were killed and the colony almost lost its balance. After that, they decided not to use a missile because it 'wasn't effective enough'."
"Instead, they developed a cannon as big as a skyscraper. It's centered exactly in the space fortress itself, and it takes at least fifteen minutes to charge. But when the cannon is charged, and subsequently fired...it can blow up a colony cluster in a few seconds. Listen to me- a colony cluster, not only a colony."
"Christ..." Heero heard his own voice, strangely high-pitched. How come the intelligence service hadn't been aware of this? Why had Lady Une never given him a mission to prevent all of this? Had they been so much concentrating on Earth that they had forgotten all about the colonies? "White Fang wants to seize that weapon? Why hasn't it been put out of order?"
"Why else do you think the Sweepers exist, Heero?" Howard asked, sounding bitter all of the sudden. "We keep an eye out for all the junk and war materials that remain on Earth and in outer space. You'd be surprised at how many objects, weapons and ships are still fully functional, charged and ready to use, that have been discarded. The Sweepers are trying to salvage all those materials to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands."
"There's no time to waste," Duo said, gritting his teeth.
"You're right, there isn't." Howard pointed at the papers on his desk. "I'll have my men move the Gundams into pods, and we'll launch them this afternoon, as soon as possible. You'll set course to Libra and infiltrate it from the inside. Either you protect Barge from being taken over, or you prevent Libra from taking it over."
"Are there still people present at Barge?"
"No, there isn't. Barge just drifts around, waiting to be used again. We kept our eye on it all along, knowing some day people would remember this fortress of power."
"Why didn't you take it down? I thought it was destroyed in the last war!" Duo yelled.
"Dismantling Barge is a year's work in the least." Howard shook his head. "We didn't have the material and the manpower by then. Besides, our attention was divided over many other projects, like the Gundams. Maybe you will end it forever."
"I'll blast that thing even if it's the last thing I'll ever do," Duo said forcefully and crossed his arms. "I trust you to have uploaded the itinerary and plans to the Gundams?"
"All done. They're fueled, armed, equipped and ready to go," the elder man said, sadness hidden in his eyes. "It's not fun to see you two go, but I think you're the best chance we've got."
"Any news on Quatre?" Heero asked.
"Still under arrest. He's been formally accused of rebuilding the Gundams. His lawyers will have a field day with this, but it's taking to much time to get Quatre back into action. I have no clue about Chang or Barton- when I have more news, I'll let you know."
"Sadaul?"
"Nothing yet, I'm sorry. Go pack your things, Heero, Duo. There's a lot on your shoulders, and I hate to see you carry the burden… but there's not much choice left."
"Mission accepted," Heero said. Howard nodded tersely and Duo stormed out of the office so fast that Heero didn't even bother to keep up. He found Duo in their cabin, where they had made love and had explored each other's bodies, again and again, with a passion and a lust that had made them lose every track of time, of the world around them.
"Now what," he whispered. "Now what's going to happen to us?"
"We're going to fight and we're going to win," Duo said and his hand went to his crucifix. "We'll end this, Heero."
"We're not trained enough to launch an attack on a giant space fortress, we're only with the two of us..."
"Two is all we need. I don't believe in large numbers. And I," he balked a short, impersonal laugh, "I have the God of Death on my side! We can't lose!"
"And then what...we live happily ever after?"
Duo showed him a devilish grin. "No, we live happily ever tranquilized on a load of drugs and psychiatric help after all these traumatic experiences," he said. "We've got to save the Queen of the World, Earth and the colonies, and defeat the bad guy in the process. Who wouldn't want this job?"
"Duo..." Heero said, uncertain about his sarcasm.
"We're going to die, aren't we?"
"No, we're not." Heero refused to believe such a thing. "I love you too much to let anything happen to you."
"You can't be everywhere at the same time," Duo said and he flicked his braid over his shoulder. "My life isn't as important as winning a war. If all else fails, you'll have to sacrifice me. Promise me that, Heero."
"Wh- what?"
"Promise me, Heero!"
"Do you have any idea what you're asking me?"
"I do. Now promise me, Heero! Promise you will finish this mission and don't hesitate to take my life if it's necessary. Then you can go back to your Queen and live happily ever after."
"What…what are you talking about? Do you think I'm in love with Relena? That she.."
"She belongs more to you than me," Duo said and he turned away so that Heero couldn't look in his eyes. "I'm not perfect, Heero. I've made mistakes and I'm bound to make more. There's blood on my hands, and I don't have a peaceful past. You should stick to her."
"No way," Heero hissed and grabbed Duo's wrist, forcing him to turn around and to look at him. "I'll make you a promise, Duo Maxwell! I promise I come back to you no matter what. No way am I going to take your life, as if I would even consider it! We're in this together, and together we can make it! We will make it! I promise you again, Duo; I'll come back to you no matter what. Nobody means as much to me as you do."
He searched Duo's face frantically, staring at his eyes, seeing the relief and the love. All these years, Heero had prided himself in being alone, not needing any emotional attachment. While working for the intelligence service, he had devoted his life to the Queen of the World and the public's safety and peace. But now he had found someone, and everything he had took pride in: solitude, no attachments, no emotions, it had all gone out of the window and he welcomed love and warmth back in. Now he felt that he really was alive, he felt what he had missed all these years, and now he knew where he was fighting for. It wasn't only for peace. Heero kissed Duo on his cheek and then on the lips. Quickly they embraced each other and kissed forcefully.
"Duo..."
"Heero..."
They rummaged through each other's hair, Heero disheveling Duo's braid. He couldn't help but to laugh into the kiss, taking the braid away from Heero by tucking it behind his back.
"It's too bad we have so little time."
"Remember what I promised," Heero said forcefully. "Promise me too."
"I promise you," Duo said solemnly, "that I'll come back to you, no matter what."
"Pinkie swear?"
"Pinkie swear," Duo answered in all earnest and there was only one more moment for a last kiss.
Chapter 10 | Chapter 12