One Night Part 3
"Just let me finish getting dressed before you kill me." Trowa said dryly. Duo shook his head.
"Actually, just the pants will work much better- kind of like you got started with Mr. Winner, tried to kill him, he stopped you, had a bit of a fight..." Duo chuckled. "This way we can give you some interesting looking bruises. Make it look like you put up a good fight."
Trowa could see the wisdom of that, though he wondered about how he was going to get some 'interesting looking bruises'. "All right." He joined Duo in the hallway. "Let's go."
"I was glad you joined up," Duo said as they started down the hallway. "Heero and I were hoping we wouldn't have to ice ya."
"So was I."
Duo laughed. "You haven't changed a bit. How's everything at the Org?"
Trowa rolled his eyes. "Same as it was when you left. The new management has not been very careful with its resources- I'm sure you've heard."
"I've heard." Duo frowned. "That's one of the reasons that Heero and I took up Winner's offer. He's very careful of his resources. I for one like being treated as a valuable commodity."
Trowa added this bit to his knowledge of Winner with an inner sigh of relief. That meant that he wouldn't be asked to throw his own life away merely for profit.
All he said was: "And Heero of course, also likes the fact you are treated like a valuable commodity."
Duo shook his head, laughing. "I suppose you heard about that last little dust up in the office?"
"Of course. They wanted you to start going alone. Claimed Heero's morals were getting in the way of you reaching your potential... I had thought your deaths were linked to that argument..."
"Oh, they tried." Duo rolled his eyes as they stopped at a door. "Just didn't succeed." He opened the door and waved Trowa inside.
The room was white, the tile floors and walls blending seamlessly into each other. In one corner was an overstuffed armchair with a large monitor and camera in front of it. Closer to the door was a plain wooden chair and a stool with a box on top.
"Have a seat." Duo gestured at the chair. "Let's get started."
Trowa sat as Duo flipped open the box and produced a few jars and bottles. "Relax. I studied under a Hollywood makeup artist. You'll be a very good looking corpse."
"Did you?" Trowa watched as Duo started uncapping jars and bottles.
"Yep, Heero thought it might be useful- so he studied with a special effects guy at the same time."
"The organization approved of that?"
"No, that was Mr. Winner. He's found our skills with it quite useful." Duo tilted Trowa's head back a little. "I think we'll start with a shiner, and then just see how things progress..."
Trowa wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, so he asked instead: "Can you explain how this game works? Winner said something about chess, but playing for power- with people?"
Duo nodded. "Yep, exactly so. Once a year the big powers- and the not so big- gather in one of four cities- and start the game. The rules are simple- the person with the most pieces at the end wins."
"So, you try and capture other people's pieces?"
Duo shrugged. "Sometimes. Sometimes the pieces are powers in their own right, so you try and get them to switch colors on their own so to speak. Or you sweep them off the board. The more power a piece has, the more valuable it is..."
"And so Winner's a King."
Duo nodded. "You got it." He frowned a little. "Though, you should know- that unlike the others, Winner is more concerned with keeping his section safe rather than expanding it."
"Why?"
"He says too much power is a bad thing. He wants a balance." Duo shrugged. "He could explain it to you better than I can, but that's basically it. That's another reason we joined up with him- his section of the Sphere is in better shape than the others."
Trowa nodded, considering. Winner had called him a 'knight'- not a pawn, so he had to have some value... but that made no sense. He was an assassin, a tool... a pawn. How did he become a knight in this game?
He was still thinking it over when Heero joined them an hour later, his hands full of ropes and tubes and things that looked like dead animals.
"Hey," he said as he put his armful of supplies on the floor and looked at Trowa. "You look like someone beat the shit out of you."
"I thought that was the idea." Trowa now had a black eye, a bloodied lip and a spectacular bruise on his torso.
"Great timing babe, I'm pretty much finished." Duo stepped back for a moment, admiring his work before he began putting the bottles and jars away. "He's all yours."
"Thanks." Heero gave Trowa a faint smile. "Duo explain what was going to happen?"
"Of course not." Trowa shook his head. "Just like that time in Cairo- I'm completely in the dark here."
Heero laughed as he sorted through the things he had brought into the room. "But it all worked out okay- we got you to the doctor in time."
"He still could've mentioned that he poisoned the dates."
"I resent being talked about as if I'm not here," Duo commented. "Besides, I did tell you the dates had been poisoned."
"You said some of them might have 'gone bad'." Trowa pointed out as Heero moved to stand behind him. He felt a cool touch on the back of his neck and flinched.
"Relax," Heero said. "Let me work."
"Well, the target was right there!" Duo protested. "What was I supposed to say? Don't eat the dates- I poisoned them? Besides, I think you more than made up for it that time in Montreal..."
Duo kept Trowa too busy to focus on what Heero was doing behind him. It was only when Heero stepped away and said: "Tie him up" that he finally remembered to ask how he was going to die.
Duo bound him to the chair as Heero explained briefly. Trowa was not sure of the wisdom of the plan- but before he could protest- Duo gagged him.
"Sorry," he said. "Time's running out. Just do your part. Trust us."
The door to the room swung open and Winner, followed by what seemed to be a dozen men in dark clothes came into the room.
"Finished?" Winner asked as he joined them.
"Yes," Heero answered. Winner let his eyes run over Trowa.
"Very nice work gentlemen. If you would please get ready for the next part?" Winner gestured and several of the men moved over to pick up the supplies and cart them away.
"Of course," Duo replied and left the room, Heero following behind.
The remaining black clad men swept over to the other side of the room, focusing their attention on the monitor and the chair, rearranging and making adjustments.
Winner's eyes met Trowa's. "I apologize for this small inconvenience. I assure you again that it is necessary, and I do appreciate your willingness to play along." He smiled slightly. "In a way, this is a test of your loyalty to me- as I'm sure you are aware."
Trowa nodded. He had figured that out already.
"I would assure you as well that if you are indeed loyal to me, anything else of this nature," Winner's eyes moved to the ropes, "will be unnecessary."
Then his expression changed, his smile becoming slightly predatory. He leaned over, his cheek brushing Trowa's, and murmured: "Though I will admit that I hope to persuade you to consent to ropes at... another time. And in a much more pleasurable way."
Heat immediately stirred in Trowa's blood.
A moment later, and Winner was on the other side of the room by the monitor, adjusting the collar of his white turtleneck, accepting a pair of sunglasses and gloves from one of the men.
Trowa wondered at first why Winner was covering up so much of his skin- and then realized that Winner was trying to look like he was covering up his own injuries.
Winner arranged himself in the chair, giving a quick glance to his watch.
A moment later, and the door opened again. Two more dark clad men- though these two wore caps pulled down to shadow their faces, sunglasses and masks pulled up over their noses. Unlike the others they both carried a gun in each hand.
They took up positions on either side of him. He tensed until one of them whistled faintly... and he recognized the tune.
Duo and Heero. He relaxed again.
Winner gave them one last look, before he turned to the men behind the monitor. "Auda- it's time."
Trowa couldn't see the monitor from his position, but he recognized the voice that issued over the speakers.
"Quatre, darling! How good it is to see you again!"
"Indeed," another female voice agreed.
"Ladies," Quatre tilted his head slightly. "Gentlemen."
"Sir," a deep baritone answered. "Ladies, a delight as always."
"So," a second male voice started, "a phone call already? We just arrived- the game has just started. Has one of you caught one of the pieces already?"
"Yes," Quatre replied. "The ladies were good enough to send him right to me."
A shrill laugh. "Are you so sure it was us?"
"It is your designated knight." Quatre said, smiling faintly. "See?"
One of the dark-clad men tilted the camera towards Trowa and then back again.
"So you did," the second female voice. "What do you want in ransom?"
"Willing to ransom so soon?' First male voice.
"It's still early in the game." The one who hired him.
"I'm afraid, Dorothy, that I won't be ransoming him." Quatre said.
"That's not fair- you can't have possibly turned him to your side! He's an assassin- one that stays bought!" Dorothy snapped.
"And you hired him to kill me- and Merquise. No. I'm sorry- he's too dangerous to keep on the board." Winner's voice was now pure steel.
"What?" The first male's voice- presumably Merquise. "So I was a target as well?"
"Don't be silly," the second female's voice. "You know I wouldn't countenance that!"
"Quite the contrary-" Winner made a gesture and the camera turned back to Trowa. "Mr. Barton could refute that statement- couldn't you Mr. Barton?"
Trowa lifted his head and glared at Winner. He was gagged! How could he?
"A man of few words. Pity, he could've been very useful. Kill him."
Duo and Heero raised their guns and fired at Trowa.
Blood splattered on the wall behind him, turning the white into a dark red. Trowa slumped over in his bonds.
"NO!"
The camera swung back to Winner. "Clean that up, will you please?" He asked and then frowned the camera. "I told you last time not to underestimate me..."
"He was a valuable piece!"
"I'll send you a check."
"Dorothy, Quatre please!" The second female stopped the argument as Duo and Heero picked up the chair with the bloodied Trowa in it. "Dorothy- you and I are going to talk later about this decision. Quatre- how could you? You know how important he is!"
"I'm afraid he got a little too close," Quatre fingered his collar. "If you didn't want to lose him- you should not have sent him against me."
TBC...
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