The south wing was the 'intellectual' wing, as Duo loved to call it. It housed the library and the impressive, massive records archive of the Maxwell collection. Every piece was neatly catalogued and described into detail. Heero wasn't particularly worried about the library, knowing that it had been sealed with iron bars. The archive was even better guarded than the library itself, with a double iron gate and bullet proof glass; still it bothered Heero that he heard the most activity coming from there. He recognized the distinctive sound of a welding torch; it had to be multiple torches, as he could hear the sound swell in volume the more he approached the staircase leading up to the library.
The Remington a comfortable weight at his side, Heero moved forward slowly, grateful for taking the time to put on shoes. The glass of the broken atrium was spread all over the floor, cold wind blowing through the open roof. He couldn't make his way through without making a sound, the glass grinding under his soles, but the blaring alarm drowned out everything else. All he had to do was to make sure no one approached him from his blind side. Hiding behind a pillar, he tried to gauge the man guarding the staircase. Dressed in black, a mask hiding his eyes and his night vision goggles conveniently hanging around his neck, Heero decided to make use of the man's sloppiness. He turned on the bright light from the Remington, blinding the guard instantly and he covered the distance between them by sprinting towards him, whacking him with the butt of the Remington.
The guard fell on the floor without much protest. Heero grabbed him at the collar of his black vest, quickly looking around him if someone had noticed. No movement.
"Is this about Duo Maxwell? Duo Maxwell?" He hissed at the man.
"Che cosa?"
"Duo Maxwell," Heero hissed again, shaking him. The guard tried to move his arm, but Heero drove his knee into his stomach, eliciting a deep grunt. "Why are you here? Is this about Duo Maxwell?"
"Ottengami le vostre mani fuori, voi bastardo ripugnante!" The man squirmed and writhed in a futile attempt to break free. Heero pressed his knee in further.
"You're Italian?" If he didn't know any better, the man just told him to keep his dirty hands off of him, calling him a bastard to boot. What were Italians doing here?
"Bastardo," the man said again.
"Yeah yeah," Heero wasn't impressed. "You better talk, signore, or you'll be meeting a very nice friend of mine." He shifted around to show the intruder his Remington, and cocked it for good measure. He expected the man to be afraid, staring straight into the barrel, but instead, he started to smile. "What the…"
A foamy substance dribbled over the man's lips. The drool-like substance slid over his chin and his eyes glazed over in mere seconds. Staring in disbelief, Heero let go of him and the intruder's body relaxed, head falling on the floor, immediately rolling to the side. As if pestering him, the last expression on the man's face was one of smugness; the smile on his face was a wide grin of someone knowing a deep, hideous secret and whose life was worth nothing in order to keep that secret. Heero got up, discarding the body. He went up the stairs, his focus on the library. He took care of two more guards, the Remington proving its worth. It was daunting however, to see the professional equipment the intruders had, including their weapons. Heero started to believe that he might be in over his head. The majority of the activity seemed to concentrate around the library for whatever reason, but there were others in the Manor, spread over the several wings, and Duo… what if Duo encountered too many of these assholes?
Heero could hear mumbling. Ignoring the alarm, he could hear the welding torches and increasing voices. The mumbling quickly became talking at louder volume, and he strained his ears to overhear them. He picked up on something familiar, a name, and just as Heero was about to recall where he had heard that name before, his entire world exploded.
"I hate you, Duo Maxwell!" Hilde Schbeiker stamped with her foot on the tiled floor, her 5" heel no match for the ancient, sturdy stone. "I hate you so much!"
Tears were streaming down her face, her cheeks colored with a furious red. She still stamped on the floor, grinding the glass shards into unrecognizable splinters.
"Do you know what you're doing to me, huh? Do you know how difficult it is for me to not beat you senseless? You scared the shit out of me! You scared the ever-living shit out of me!"
"Hilde, please," Duo said, exhausted. "It's a good thing Heero can't hear you, even though I wouldn't be surprised if he did, as your voice has reached an impressive, new and unknown volume."
"I'm sorry," she said, downtrodden. "It's just that… well, goodness me Duo, I saw two ambulances and at least three coroner's vans outside!"
"I know, it's okay." Duo smiled softly, looking down at Heero as he stroke his hair, ruffling the unruly strands. One of the paramedics was checking his ears with a scope, clicking with his tongue as soon as he was done.
"You have a very lucky friend," he said. "Both his ear drums are perforated, but he's lucky not to have his entire head blown off."
"Heero is indestructible," Duo said, patting him on the shoulder. Heero looked up at him, not understanding what he said, and Duo gave him a quick cuddle. The paramedic continued treating Heero's injuries, consisting of cuts and scrapes and some first-degree burns. Duo didn't leave his side, but looked up at Hilde.
"Can you tell me what exactly happened?" she asked.
"The Manor was attacked by these guys," Duo said. "Heero said they were Italian."
"Maffia?" Hilde's eyes went wide.
"We don't know for sure, but they fucking blew a hole in my library," Duo grunted. "Anyway, they attacked it in military style, so someone has to be behind this all, organizing it into perfection. They had everything with them to blow up the entire Manor if they wanted to, and we retrieved guns and equipment from the...bodies that shows that there's a well-operating, well-financed team behind it all."
"Did they take something?"
"You never guess what," Duo said, patting Heero on the head as he got visibly annoyed by the paramedic poking and prodding at him.
"Tell me."
"Noventa's notes," Duo answered sourly. "All this devastation and violence for a few goddamn notes."
Hilde remained silent. "I…I just came by to bring you your clothes," she said. "For your.. expedition to the Himalayas, if you're still… going to continue."
"We're going, oh yes," Duo said. "But Heero has to recover first, and I can't leave the Manor with one big hole in the south wing and the roof over my head in pieces."
Hilde stared at the glass remnants on the floor. "What a waste." She looked like she could cry.
"It's all right," Duo answered, a little too lightly. He was devastated by the loss of the atrium and the destruction of the library. Whoever the intruders were, they had simply blown a hole in the wall to escape from the Manor. Even though the majority of the library had been sealed off, the damages were devastating. It was going to take a lot of time and effort to reconstruct it again, and those were only the material damages. Heero could've been killed by the explosion; the force of the blast had flung him over the balustrade, fortunately saving him from severe injuries. "We're not going to leave for a while, it seems."
"I know." Hilde's voice was affectionately, she knew exactly what Duo was thinking. They had been friends for so long that they could read each other perfectly; that's why she wasn't pressing him for more details. "I'll go get the clothes from my car," she said. "I'll have them brought to your bedroom, okay?"
Duo shook his head. "Hillary isn't around. His father suffered a heart attack due to all the commotion. He's in the hospital with him."
"How awful." Hilde shivered. "If this is all because of that sword, I'm already starting to despise it."
Heero pushed the paramedic away and yelled at him to stop. Duo motioned at the paramedic to leave him be. The man packed his medical equipment and gave some last instructions on how to treat Heero's injuries. Heero glared at him, but Duo thanked him for his efforts and showed him out the door, leaving Hilde and Heero alone.
"How are you feeling?" she asked him, exaggerating her pronunciation. As she expected, he read her lips without much trouble.
"I hate the ringing sound in my ears," he answered. "I hear nothing else, which is really annoying. I guess I've been lucky yes, if they had detonated the library I probably had been killed."
"They were after Noventa's notes," Hilde said. Heero nodded and plucked at the bandages around his wrist.
"Stupid," he said. "I have every piece of Noventa's notes scanned, so it's not a big loss to us. I just wonder why they used all this violence to get the original."
"I'm just wondering how they knew where to look," Hilde said. She looked up at the broken atrium, staring at the overcast sky. "All this violence and devastation, people getting killed…" She realized that she had been talking while not looking at Heero, so she quickly repeated her words to his face.
"People wanting to kill themselves," Heero corrected her.
"What?"
"When I encountered that guard, he was very happy to kill himself instead of talking to me." He scoffed at the memory. "Someone very powerful must be behind all of this…"
"Or someone very scary, if they're willing to give up their lives…"
"Hey, look at who I found," Duo interrupted them, dragging Howard with him. The elderly man took in the damages rather stoically, but everyone knew he had to be upset, just like Hilde.
"It's really astounding," he said, lips pursed. "In my entire life I've never seen such destruction in the Manor before. Whoever did this…"
"Was professional and organized," Duo finished the sentence. "We'll tell you about everything that has happened, Howard, Hilde. First I have to take care of some business, sign some papers and all that fun stuff - why don't you go to my office, and I'll catch up to you."
At least twenty-five minutes later, Duo opened the door of his office, visibly exhausted. He had to give statements about the three men killed on his premises, and the technical crew was still busy collecting evidence and other materials. The paramedics had left and the coroners would soon follow after they had wrapped up their business and filled out more paperwork. Sighing, Duo dropped in his chair, looking at Heero who shared the exhausted expression with him.
"I'll keep it brief," Howard said. "You've both gone through a hectic night, and that's keeping it simple. Heero already told me what happened, Duo, so don't bother rehashing it." Howard also made sure to pronounce his words in an exaggerated manner, so Heero could read his lips without much effort. "You mentioned someone named Bartoli previously, and Heero told me he overheard the name Bartoli before the explosion went off." He went with his large hand in one of the many pockets of his Hawaiian shirt, pulling out a small picture. He handed it to Duo.
"This is a ship," Duo said after studying the picture. "A sunken ship."
"May I introduce you to the Maria Doria," Howard said. "A cruise liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean decades ago, even before the Gundam wars."
"This wreck is from even before I was born," Duo marveled. "Why are you showing it to me?"
"Take another look at it," was all that Howard said. Duo opened the top drawer of his desk and retrieved a magnifying glass. It was a copy of an ancient picture, all gritty and spotted, but as Duo moved the glass over it, he suddenly let out a gasp.
"Exactly," Howard grinned.
"What's going on?" Heero said, almost yelling because he couldn't hear the volume of his own voice.
"Here," Duo handed him the picture and the magnifying glass, "look at the name of the ship."
"Maria Doria," Heero said and held the picture close, "what…Impresa Bartoli," he exclaimed, baffled.
"Yes, the Maria Doria was built and operated by the Bartoli Company." Howard tapped on the picture. "It was quite the family business too. Gianni was slated to become the next CEO after his traveling around the world."
"Where he met Noventa in Chengdu," Duo added. "But that's not possible, Howard. The Maria Doria sank before Gianni could assume any position in the company!"
"True, very true - but ask yourself why it sank."
"Ow man, you're not telling me… mafia?"
"The Bartolis have a very large criminal background, Duo. They don't belong to the mafia though; they are above the mafia, that's how much power and influence they have. The entire family is into the shipping business - salvaging, building, outfitting, and operating. According to the information I was able to acquire, the Maria Doria was their first cruise liner and it was doomed to fail from the first splash into the water."
"So they sank it," Duo said. "And hustled the insurance company for the money?"
"It got them millions." Howard checked if Heero was following the conversation and saw that nothing escaped him. "It was the start of their wealth. They had invested everything in the Maria Doria, so when it sank", he coughed, "the entire family made great profit from the insurance money."
"So where does that leave Gianni?" Hilde asked.
"In the Himalayas, frozen to death," Duo said deadpan. "I guess the family allowed him to travel around before assuming his responsibilities as head of the Bartoli Company. They couldn't know that he would die."
"It left the family in ruins," Howard took the picture back from Heero. "Gianni's son, Marco, was just a toddler. There was no one else to lead the family and they fall apart faster than their own cruise liner sank. All that's left of the Bartoli family is Marco, and no one knows where he is or what he's doing…"
"…but for breaking and entering Manors in order to retrieve notes on historical swords," Heero said. He looked frustrated, as he couldn't hear the intonation in the other's voices.
"He might very well be behind this." Howard put the picture back into one of his pockets. "So I suggest once more that you should be very, very careful."
"Suggestion duly noted," Duo yawned right in his face, "but I think we're first going to catch up on some sleep. Like you said, the night's been hectic. I have a lot to take care of, but right now Bartoli can kiss my sweet ass."
"Don't you think about it," Hilde said quickly when she saw Heero open his mouth. "You'll both catch up on some sleep, and Howard and I will stay here to take care of business."
"Oh, before you go, Duo," Howard adjusted his sunglasses on the bridge of his nose, "I arranged for your friend Wufei to pick you up at Chengdu. He'll have all the necessary permits for you to travel to and through Tibet."
"Thank you," Duo said. "I appreciate it."
"All right, get yourself to bed. I'll see if I can find some reliable repair men to start the reconstruction on the Manor, and if I hear something from Hillary and Jeeves, I'll let you know."
"Thank you for everything," Duo repeated. "It means a lot to me. Com'on Heero, let's go."
When Heero woke up, Duo's side of the bed was empty. Confused, he propped himself up on one elbow and scanned the room.
"Duo?" He asked out loud. The ringing in his ears was still present, and according to the paramedic it was going to take a while before his eardrums had recovered from the blast. Heero had rather broken an arm or a leg; he hated not being able to hear Duo's breathing, the steady breathing of his lover that lulled him to sleep, feeling safe and secure. "Duo!"
Heero realized that even if Duo was hollering back, he couldn't hear him. Annoyed, he slid out of the bed and grabbed a bathrobe. His stomach churned a little. Where was Duo? It wasn't like he had left the Manor, he probably thought that Heero was still asleep. He decided to check Duo's office first. It had been such a crazy night and day, perhaps Duo had gone to the gym for his usual workout, or he could be in the swimming pool… but his intuition proved right, as he saw Duo sitting behind his large desk, his laptop opened. Duo frowned at the screen, face contorted in very deep concentration. The moment Heero moved behind him and put his hands on his shoulders, Duo put his hands over his, squeezing. He craned his neck to look at Heero before he started to talk.
"How do you feel?"
"A lot better," Heero answered. "Except for the ears, of course. What are you doing? You should be in bed, get some rest."
"I couldn't sleep. I just couldn't think of why they wanted Noventa's notes. What does that sword mean to the Bartoli family?"
Heero gazed at the laptop screen, recognizing his very own scans of the Marshall's notes. "You went over them again?"
"To the smallest detail," Duo grumbled. "With this information, they could start up their own expedition to retrieve the sword."
"I wouldn't know why Bartoli is interested either."
"It could be revenge." Duo heaved a sigh. "Gianni died on his trip in Tibet, maybe his son feels like that as soon as he retrieves the sword, his father didn't die in vain."
"Nonsense." Heero raked with his hands through Duo's slightly damp hair. He smelled like a faint breeze, summer-y yet with a hint of winter, a scent that was unique to Duo, and he buried his fingers in the thick chestnut strands. "Bartoli traveled with Noventa together to Lhasa. Did Noventa mention the sword to him? How would Bartoli know what Noventa's purpose was?"
"I can't recall if Noventa mentioned the sword to Bartoli," Duo craned his neck and Heero showed a wistful smile.
"You're talking too fast."
Duo repeated his words, articulating them slightly exaggerated. "Even if we assume Noventa told Bartoli about the sword, why would he search for it? Gianni died in a cave on a mountain pass and Noventa went to the family to tell them about his death."
"Revenge, perhaps," Heero murmured. "Like you said. Perhaps he learned about Noventa commissioning us, and he wants to find the sword first, just to piss Noventa off."
"Noventa gave us his notes in good trust. We decided to pursue his lead. The Marshall kept his notes for over forty years. Why decide to retrieve them now, in a well-protected Manor?"
"Possibly because he wanted to show off is power? Why don't we give Bartoli a rest for now. We assume and we assume, but we don't know a thing for sure. We keep saying we were attacked by Bartoli's men, but we don't know for sure."
"That's my Heero," Duo said, smiling. "You don't stop until you know every detail, do you? But you're right. We have nothing to accuse Bartoli of. Why don't we concentrate on the men and see if we can find any leads?"
"You're still talking too fast. Must be your Yankee genes…"
"Hey! Since when do you know Americans who talk fast? Besides, I'm part British, from the mother's side, you know."
"Duo, I can't make heads or heels out of what you're saying, talk slower."
"Maybe we should just quit talking and start kissing…"
Heero couldn't help but grin. If there was anything he admired the most about Duo Maxwell, it was his strength to stay on his feet, no matter what happened. He knew how Duo was upset from the destruction of the atrium and the library, yet Duo refused to dwell upon it, refused to feel defeated. His lips met Duo's immediately, as he could read 'kissing' no matter how fast Duo spoke. Their arms slid around each other, a warm and loving embrace.
"We've never done it in my office before," Duo whispered, emphasizing the word 'office'. Heero's blue eyes expressed slight confusion, then he got the message from Duo's wide, devilish grin.
"There's got to be a first time for everything…"
"Oh, shut up."
Chapter 3 | Chapter 5 |