Dreams Won't Let Go Part 5
Retribution
Preventer Headquarters
Heero and Duo didn't bother to knock before entering the office they were certain housed the accomplice in Duo's abduction and subsequent injuries.
David Austin paused in his conversation with his partner Robert Norris. Noticeably annoyed by Yuy and Maxwell's unauthorized intrusion he demanded. "What the hell do you want?"
For the moment the curt query was ignored, instead Heero centered his attention on Norris. "Leave."
When Norris hesitated he was pinned by Heero's best acidic glare. "Leaving was not a suggestion." was hissed darkly.
Norris cut is eyes at his counterpart.
Austin studied Agent Yuy's no-nonsense demeanor before inclining his head towards the partially opened door. "Go on."
Duo expedited Norris' departure by acting as doorman then, since there was no lock, braced his shoulder on the doorframe to discourage further interruptions.
Austin, displaying a cocky attitude designed to accentuate his indifference, leaned back in his chair. "Whatever you have to say make it quick."
If any more arrogant dialogue was poised to be spoken, the words never made it passed Austin's smug grin.
Lightning reflexes fastened Heero's hands around two fistfuls of uniform jacket and employed a forceful yank to extracted Austin from his seat. With equal swiftness Austin's back was slammed against the wall and his breathing compromised by Heero's forearm pressed across his trachea.
With his free hand Heero relieved the stunned agent of the Preventer standard issue Combat-Master resting on his hip and flung the .45 caliber pistol across room where it hit the opposite wall with a dull clink.
"Now we're going to engage in a bout of interrogation and I will not tolerate any bullshit." Heero warned, increasing the pressure to emphasize his lack of patience with anything but the truth.
Despite gasping for air, Austin managed to nod "yes" as he stared into incensed blue orbs glinting with a glower that could only be described as vicious.
Heero wasted no time getting to the point. "We," he included Duo, "know about your gambling debts and that you're in deep shit with Antonio Sanchez. We also know those markers have been paid in full. Who supplied the money and what did you give in exchange?"
The arm's influence lessened to allow Austin to choke out. "I don't know their name."
The agent's windpipe seized again as the well-positioned forearm raked roughly over Austin's Adam's apple and plowed into his jawbone to cause additional trauma to his already overextended neck.
Growled with obvious irritation, the ex-Gundam pilot declared. "Wrong answer."
Meanwhile Duo had become bored with guarding the door and had sauntered over to flank the Perfect Soldier's right side.
"Heero." he called above the conspicuous gurgling growing in Austin's throat.
When no response was forthcoming, he raised the volume. "HEERO!"
"WHAT?"
"Maybe you'd better ease up 'cause the bastard is turnin' blue."
For what seemed like forever Heero considered his cohort's recommendation. With a huff of resignation the constricting arm dropped away.
David Austin sucked in a sturdy gulp of depleted oxygen seconds before his knees buckled and his ass flopped on the floor. Wheezing and coughing, wide-eyed and red faced, he gazed up at the pair of peeved Preventers who appeared angry enough to do something dangerous.
Duo leaned forward causing his braid to slip over his shoulder and swing like a plaited pendulum. "Are you sure you wouldn't prefer to spare yourself a thrashing from me?" he inquired sardonically.
Leveling his own malevolent glare, he reinforced the threat. "I don't think you wanna find out how I earned the name Shinigami."
Visibly shaken by the promised peril should he refuse, Austin wisely decided to cooperate. "I communicated with my contact via vid-phone with the screen switched off. The marker credits plus interest was paid directly to Sanchez."
Resisting the urge to wrench Austin's arm out of its socket and beat the newly revealed traitor with his detached appendage, Heero displayed remarkable restraint.
"In exchange for your damned worthless life, you arranged to give Duo to your mysterious benefactor." he put the final puzzle piece into place.
Agent Austin's anxious sight searched the room, finally focusing on the discarded pistol. He knew an attempt to reclaim the weapon would be met with severe, possibly fatal, consequences; still death was preferred to the possible lifetime of imprisonment garnered by his betrayal.
But in the end David Austin was a coward. Aiming his eyes at his boots, he surrendered the only clue he had to barter for his life. "The exchange number is 555-6680-45." was whispered in the hushed tones of dishonor.
Duo repeated the number under his breath then confirmed aloud, "45 is a government clearance code."
Heero followed the line of thought. "That should narrow the exploratory parameters." he theorized then asked one final question of Austin. "Was the voice on the phone male or female?"
In spite of Heero's deliberate effort to keep from snarling, Austin flinched as the gruff words chilled his soul to its core. "Female."
Duo was granted the honor of handcuffing Agent Austin and handing him over to two security guards. "I want him held in strict isolation, no visitors and absolutely no incoming or outgoing phone calls. Understand?"
Just before the humiliated agent stepped over the threshold into an indefinite future, he turned and dared to hope for some measure of redemption. "I'm sorry." he offered the woefully inadequate apology.
Duo pivoted in place and the resulting twinge across his tender ribs almost triggered a full-blown assault. If a look could kill, the ferociousness in his liquid lavender eyes would have made Shinigami proud. If callous disdain was required then Duo's cruel childhood on the streets of L2 proved to be a blessing in disguise.
David Austin would receive no mercy; no clemency for his crime. Duo's reply was succinct and left no chance for misunderstanding.
"FUCK YOU!"
*********
Cold mist glazed the streets as Heero piloted the black Viper home. In the passenger seat Duo appeared to be half asleep.
It had been a long day. The night didn't promise to be shorter. Serious questions would vie for consideration, answers would demand debate; tough choices would be made and judgments rendered.
The jolt when the tires bounced over the driveway curb cut stirred Duo from his pseudo-slumber. Annoyed with his rude awakening, he mumbled something vulgar, but Heero didn't bother to ask for clarification.
A steady drizzle encouraged the agents to jog up the sidewalk. Key in hand, Heero unlocked the front door. Uniform jackets were hung in the foyer closet and shoes toed off in the hall.
While Duo made a trip to the bathroom, Heero turned on the kitchen light and investigated to determine what contents of the refrigerator had not grown green fuzz.
"There's chicken and egg noodles left from last night or pasta in tomato sauce." he reviewed the limited menu.
Duo flopped down at the table to mull over the meager fare. "Don't you have anything that's not loaded with carbohydrates, complex or otherwise?"
Heero paused in taking stock of the cabinets to regard his partner over his shoulder. "You want soup?"
"What I really want is a beer." Duo made his wishes known.
"There's no beer. I'll heat up the chicken and noodles then we'll share something stronger."
Duo found a well-chilled bottle of Smirnoff in the refrigerator's freezer and poured two glasses while Heero plated the reheated supper. Slices of French bread and a tub of reduced fat margarine finished the quick-fix meal.
"We're gonna have to hack into the Code Directory and find out whose name corresponds to 45." Duo stated between alternating bites of chicken and bread.
Heero washed down his mouthful then wrinkled his nose as the vodka burned his throat. "If Commander Po finds out she's going to be pissed."
Duo speared a noodle with his fork. "So what? I ain't asking her permission anyway."
"Do we get anyone else in Preventer involved?" Heero wondered.
"Nope. We can't be sure if Austin is the only agent with a traitorous agenda."
"We can always count on Quatre, Trowa and Wufei."
"Yeah, but under the circumstances I rather not get them involved," Duo countered the logic of enlisting the seasoned soldiers who were also friends; "there's too many unknown variables."
Heero took another drink then studied Duo's prudent reasoning, weighted the pros and cons and accessed the potential repercussions if the unsanctioned mission went wrong.
"I suppose we've been forced into the position of damned if we do and damned if we don't, although it won't be the first time we've breached protocol or set our own rules."
Duo shifted in his seat and winced when his ribs registered a protest. "We go it alone." he decided for he and Heero. "Beside this isn't an assignment, this is personal."
*********
Heero utilized an advanced skill level to hack into the Earth/Colony Code Registry. Soon the supposedly secure files were giving up all their secrets and Code 45 offered itself like a whore on a slow night.
The name attached was Elektra Morgan, single, age 25, a citizen of L1 now residing in the Spring Crest Ambassadorial Complex. Ms. Morgan's job description was listed as Administrative Secretary for Ambassador Paul Stevens at the Lagrange Point One Colonial Embassy.
"She seems mundane enough." Duo commented as he read over Heero's shoulder. "But then Austin said the caller was female. You think it's a coincidence?"
Heero shrugged. "My instincts don't believe in coincidence, yet this time it could be more than a twist of fate. What to you say to some Embassy spying to ferret out the facts? If we wait until midnight we can use the guards' apathetic boredom to our advantage."
Noticing the clock on the microwave read 7:18 pm Duo reviewed the time span for their planned breaking and entering.
"Fifteen minutes to get ready, forty-five minutes to reach our objective." He figured. "What are we gonna do with the interval hours?"
"We sleep."
*********
Midnight.
Amber running lights gleaming like tiger eyes, the Viper ZB snaked along a frontage road parallel to the eight foot chain link fence topped with razor wire guarding the L1 Embassy. Partly cloudy had replaced the rain. Thin shifts of moonlight shimmered silver across the windscreen and played hide and seek with overhead branches shivering in the brisk breeze.
Backing the sleek Dodge sports car into a cocoon of white pines, Heero switched off the engine then retrieved a computer printout of the Embassy grounds from a storage compartment nestled between the seats.
Aided by the nearly full moon, the unauthorized agents engaged in a final strategy session. "This camera can be bypassed if we skirt the perimeter here." Duo traced the proposed path with his finger.
Heero nodded in agreement. "The best insertion point is the gate at the employee's entrance." he pointed out one of many flaws in the poorly conceived security system. "How quickly can you disable the protection grid?"
"Sixty seconds if the circuit is a single numerical cycle, add fifteen more if it's double routed."
The plan of action fixed in their minds, each agent tucked extra clips in the pockets of their bulletproof vests, disengaged the safety on their Berettas and exited the Viper in unison.
With the trespassing twosome clad entirely in black, Duo thought Heero could've been a character in a Fredrick Forsyth novel or, perhaps, Duo envisioned himself playing in Ian Fleming's world.
With a sly grin Duo turned to Heero and slipped into his imagined persona. "The name is Maxwell, Duo Maxwell." he declared in his best British accent.
Unfortunately his impersonation of a certain suave Double 0 agent was wasted on Heero who was totally engrossed in his predator mode.
"Let's play a game of fox and geese." Heero began the hunt.
A barely audible click verified the electronic latch was deactivated. Quite pleased with himself, Duo gave the gate a nudge with his boot and stood aside to let Heero take the point.
Closing the gate to hide the breach, the semi-retired God of Death moved with the collective proficiency of an adolescent pickpocket, an insurgent guerrilla and a callous veteran who had paid a high emotional price for his survival.
A zigzag course wove around halogen spotlights' circular pools that dotted the darkness. The evasive maneuvers continued, ducking beneath a series of surveillance cameras then blending into the shadows to avoid a pair of sentries whose state of vigilance had been compromised by bragging about their previous night's sexual conquests.
A side door alarm sequence was less opposed to being bypassed. Duo neutralized it in ten seconds. Also the hallway lighting, set on energy conservation levels, was more than willing to accommodate the invading agents' quest for secretive advancement.
With a mental blueprint etched in their minds, the spies navigated the labyrinth of hallways leading to Ms. Morgan's office.
Despite Heero and Duo's best stealthy efforts, each carefully placed step tapped on the floor tiles and resounded along the walls. Forward progress metered out in degrees, they'd pause, listen for footfalls or voices that would provide advance warning of detection then proceed with their watchfulness in full force.
At an intersecting corridor, Heero flattened against the wall and dared a quick look in both directions. A silence hand signal prompted Duo to follow.
The fourth door on the left was identified as their objective by "Paul Stevens: Ambassador Lagrange Point One" inscribed on a brass plaque. This time the last barrier was removed when a lock pick worked its magic.
Twin beams from pen lights fluttered over the outer reception area revealing snippets of a desk, three chairs, an array of file cabinets and the familiar silhouette of a computer.
"You take the computer. I'll see what the desk drawers might be tryin' to hide." Duo directed as Heero settled behind the desk.
The computer came to life with a BEEP then flooded a limited space on the desktop and Heero's face with a soft blue aura. Nimble fingers flew over the keyboard. Every tap, every stroke focused on the single-minded goal of establishing a link between Elektra Morgan, David Austin and the homicidal psychopath Antonia Sanchez.
Heero wasn't certain what he was looking for, but he'd recognize any pertinent data that presented itself. He clicked on every menu icon, perused Embassy related material and mundane communiqués then moved on to the next item.
It didn't take long to realize there wasn't much useable information. "Maybe we're reached a dead end." he admitted reluctantly.
"Maybe." Duo agreed as the desk drawers, including the top one on the right that use to be locked, yielded nothing of value.
Just as Duo was about to give up the fruitless search, his glove snagged on a notch in the afore-mentioned drawer's lower corner. Upon further inspection he slipped his index finger into the indention and lifted the false bottom to expose a hidden compartment.
"HOT DAMN!" Duo exclaimed in celebratory delight as Heero rolled back his chair to watch his partner retrieve a book bound in maroon leather.
In the pen lights' combined radiance Duo flipped through the book's first five pages inscribed with rows of assorted numbers and letters listed one under the other in black ink. In the margin beside some lines, a set of letters had been assigned significance by being written in red ink.
Duo tiled his head at the ambiguous entries. "What the hell?"
Heero leaned closer to study the encoded sequences that reminded him of cryptograms in the newspaper he solved on weekends. "This is an interesting discovery." he stated the obvious. "Use the digital mini-camera; we'll download the pages on the computer at home."
With multiple digital images stored in the camera, the book was returned to its hiding place, the desk area tidied up and the pen lights switched off. After quick glance found the corridor vacant, the successful agents retraced their steps to the exit and traversed the grounds without incident.
*********
2:36 am.
Once again Heero's kitchen table served as a computer station, however, the pilfered pictures, downloaded for systematic examination, had yet to disclose any answers to their enigmatic messages.
As the Preventer partners engaged in a brainstorming session, several sheets from a yellow legal pad were scribbled over with rejected attempts at deciphering. Like crusty snowballs, additional sheets crumpled from exasperation littered the tabletop.
With a frustrated sigh Heero laid his pen down and rubbed the nape of his neck to ease the stress-taut muscles. "All we need is a single decode-key and the group patterns will fall into place." he thought aloud. "Got any ideas about these letters in the margin?"
Silence.
"Duo?"
Seated in the adjacent chair, Duo's torso was drooped in a lopsided posture and his eyelids were drifting over his lavender sight.
"Duo." Heero called softly with a gentle stroke on the arm to stir his napping partner.
"Humm."
"Let's go to bed."
In a sluggish response, Duo muttered. "Sorry. All I need is strong coffee."
Heero shook his head negatively. "What you need is sleep." Before a protest could be registered, a good dose of common sense was prescribed. "If you don't build up your stamina you'll get sick then you won't be worth a damn."
Snickering at his partner's concise logic, Duo offered no further arguments.
Fatigue issuing the orders, the computer and the obstinate codes were retired for the night. Morning would come soon enough and with the new day, clearer heads and sharper instincts would prevail.
After Duo visited the bathroom to pee and brush his teeth, Heero helped him strip down to his boxers and slip into the inviting embrace of sheets and comforter.
"Sleep well." Heero wished as he switched off the bedside lamp, but Duo had already succumbed to the Sand Man's sway.
*********
After he own trek to the bathroom, Heero gathered the blanket and pillow that had been reassigned to the foyer closet. With extra effort he tugged off his shirt and trousers, fluffed the pillow, stretched out on the sofa, pulled the blanket over his bare chest and turned off the lamp.
Moonlight diffused through the window blinds washed the room in silvery radiance. The whir from the vent fan preceded a swish of air that feathered an abandon cobweb clinging to the wall's upper left corner.
Heero made a mental note of the cobweb's location, but set no schedule for its removal. His brain wanted nothing to do with thinking or figuring or deciphering damnable codes.
Sleep seeped around the margins of his consciousness. Ragged remnants of perception rendered him unable to process the simplest computations and he was quite willing to let the riddle, the why and the how, remain unsolved, at least for the few hours until dawn.
*********
"Shoot me!"
A sneer ripples along the gunman's lips.
"No." Heero pleads.
"He doesn't have the balls."
Everything in slow motion.
The recoil of the pistol.
The blinding flash.
The deafening discharge.
Heero can't move, can't breathe as he's bombarded by shards of skull and drenched in bloody blobs of brain matter.
He can't break free, sight fixed by Duo's glassy gazed eyes.
"No."
Helpless.
Beyond salvation.
"NO!" is wailed in the torment of failure.
Heero's eyes popped open and for a panic-stricken moment he was in that dilapidated apartment, the walls, the floor splattered with blood.
Bathed in cold sweat, he shuddered. Chest aching, he struggled for a single gulp as if he was drowning in syrupy air.
"Duo." he wheezed then closed his eyes to stop the room from spinning.
Heero's mind told him Duo was all right. Logic assured him the dream had not followed him into reality. Still his heart hammered hard enough to hurt.
Wobbly legs transported Heero to the bedroom. Trembling fingers turned the doorknob.
In the backwash from the hall, he could see Duo lying on his side, peaceful and unblemished except for the tattletale traces of bruising over his cheekbone.
In the silence Heero inwardly cursed his sudden surge of self-doubt. In that moment of clarity he realized the Perfect Soldier wasn't perfect after all and the fallibility of his human limitations was yet another reason why he couldn't allow himself to love Duo.
"I'm sorry." Heero whispered as he remembered the last time he'd left Duo alone in the dark to wonder why.
TBC...
Author's Note: Frederick Forsyth wrote many espionage novels including "The Day of the Jackal", "The Dogs of War", "The Odessa Files" and "The Fourth Protocol".
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