Crimson Ties Part 41
Seated in the back seat of his siblings' car alongside Heero, Duo stared out his window to watch the snow-covered countryside roll past them. Well beyond any major city now, only the hilly ranges of Virginia remained around them in their travel that was now well and truly a few hours in.
Missing from the family were Trowa and Midi, who were already making good to get as much personal time as they could in before the next hunt that would take Barton away. Rather than dwell over how that same mission meant Heero would be off in the field, Duo set himself to his own task of training in the hopes of joining his Vampire some day.
Howard. The braided living recalled hearing that name on a couple of instances, mentioned in the middle of discussion between his family that he never dwelt on. At the few times he caught it, there was nothing to make him think that there was a link of interest to him at the time.
Now that he was on his way to meet this person, or Infected for that matter, there was a definite reason for Maxwell to be curious. With that, he turned his head towards his Vampire and asked, "So, who is this Howard that we're going to see? Which camp is he from?"
Snickering at that wording, Heero met his gaze and replied, "Howard is a human. And the old man has been a friend of ours, along with all of the Preventers, for a long time now."
From the front passenger seat, Anna peered over her shoulder at her brother, grinning, "He's our weapons expert, also lovingly known to us as our 'great equalizer' in our fight against Rogues. Everything that we use in the field are his creations."
Wufei continued to focus on the road ahead of them with both one hand on the wheel and the other holding onto his wife's atop the console between them as he smirked, "If you're going to be training with me, I want you to have something that will tip the scales a little closer to even for your sake."
Violet eyes wide and blinking, Duo managed a soft, "O-oh." An excited smile splitting his face, he cheered, "Cool! So, he's like your own form of top-secret supplier!"
"That's pretty much the sum of it," Heero snickered. "And you'll be the only human besides a small handful in Howard's family to set foot into his station." His lips curled up more as he said, "Consider it an early Christmas present of sorts as you'll have your choice of weapons to take up as your own."
Maxwell felt his jaw drop over his shock. He was being trusted explicitly here, not only in being shown the location of the hideout of the Preventers' weaponry base, but in being able to wield one of those deadly tools. And his Vampire was in complete acceptance of the notion.
Grinning widely, the braided teenager reached over to take Yuy's hand into his own to squeeze it tightly. The extension of his appreciation was not missed as the Infected returned the private smile, their eyes remaining locked as he squeezed back.
With a soft giggle, Anna looked across to her 'little brother' as she smirked, "You're going to get along great with Howard. The old man is a character and a hard one to not like. I can already imagine him taking to you as well. He loves to show off his 'toys', and I'm sure he'll be happy to have another human appreciate them for a change."
"I'm looking forward to meeting him already," Duo chuckled, keeping his fingers laced with Heero's between them.
The more he came to know every aspect of his family, the more he felt like one of them. And it was a wonderful feeling, his knowing that he was becoming a part of the whole.
* * * * * *
Winding around the hilly banks of the grounds closer to the coastal line of the state, the black car navigated the inclined back road that was not cleanly plowed free of snow in light of its rare use. Near the top of that crest, a practically invisible fork in the street was taken.
Duo leaned forward in his seat to watch in awe as the side of the hill opened to them just when he thought that they would be driving right into a bed of rock and ice.
"Awesome," he breathed as they rolled into the brightly lit station hidden from the rest of the world that was being sealed off by the doors once again. Heero chuckled softly in his amusement in seeing the boy's captivation.
Parking the car at the end of the opening's spiral down into the actual hubbub of metal and computers, Wufei smirked over his shoulder, "Welcome to one of our few Preventers' quarters." That said, he undid his seat-belt along with his wife before they stepped out. Quickly undoing his own belt, the braided youth opened his door to scan the surroundings.
For as far as he could see, there were computers and closed off display cases hanging on the wall and standing upright where there were not work stations. At the sudden and loud creak of the steel door at the opposite end of the room, Duo jumped as a gravely voice greeted, "Ah, you made it!"
Practically running into the brilliant overhead lights of the room, an old man with a balding head of gray hair approached his visitors. Wearing a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt, tan pants and dark sunglasses that he kept over his eyes, his face bore a wide smile as he neared. "It's good to see you, friends," he beamed.
Simply seeing the human was enough for Duo to get why Anna called the old man a character. His attire was more fitting of a retiree lounging on a beach on a summer day rather than an expert in weaponry living in the middle of a snow-capped hill in the dead of winter.
"Good to see you, Howard," Chang was the first to smile in greeting, being the closest to their friend as he exchanged a one-armed embrace and pats to the back.
Moving down the line, the 'supplier' grinned, "Ah, mi Irish lassie. I've been working on me accent of yur good 'ld Isle. How's it coming?"
Anna hugged him tightly as she laughed, "Still terrible, old man! But I admire the effort!" Snickering, Howard held her tightly and spun her around like a person half his age.
When he lowered the giggling redhead, the balding human smiled to the next Vampire, "Ah, Yuy. I hardly recognized you. I can't tell ya how good it is to see you in such good shape now that you're with your Chosen. You were giving us quite a scare the last time I saw you a few months ago."
Shaking the hand that was offered to him firmly, Heero smirked, "Always a pleasure, Howard. Thankfully, there won't be any need for that kind of concern anymore."
"No kidding," the old man commented. Whistling through his teeth, he rubbed his freed hand and chuckled, "Hell of a grip you have there now." The Infected ducked his head a bit with a sheepish grin over forgetting his own renewed strength.
As he faced the braided teenager, he lifted his shades to prop them at the top of his head. "And you must be Duo," he smiled. "Nice to make your acquaintance, kid."
Maxwell exchanged a handshake with the engineer, replying, "Thanks. I've been looking forward to meeting you too, Howard. My family, here, has mentioned you on more than a few occasions around me since I came to join them."
With a warm snicker, the 'supplier' winked, "Well, I'm glad to see that whatever they had to say didn't scare you out of meeting me." Waving to his friends, he walked towards the door he had entered through as he urged, "Come on. I cleaned the lounge so that we could sit around and catch up before we get to business."
As he slid his glasses back onto his nose, he snorted over his shoulder, "After picking up around there for the first time in weeks, I don't want my cleaning efforts to go to waste."
Following after him along with Heero and their siblings, Duo's smile grew. Already, he could tell that Anna had been right in saying that he would like this Howard.
* * * * * *
Once the initial introductions were out of the way and the family was well settled in with Howard, Duo came to know more of the ins-and-outs of how they all came to know each other.
Their long-time friend had been a successful weapons manufacturer for the American military forces. Over the course of his career, the old man had made a name for himself and so was known throughout the government... human and Vampire.
And when he began to grow weary of making tools that killed other people, he was approached by none other than Treize Khushrenada and Lady Une to shift his gears to a more fulfilling role.
His arms folded behind his head as he reclined in back in his lounge chair, Howard shrugged, "So, now I get to sleep well every night knowing that I'm helping humans and Vampires alike by making weapons that take out Rogues."
Shaking his braided head, Duo complimented, "Well, you have a pretty amazing lab that you're running here. And all of this is on your own time and volunteering?"
"Oh, trust me, my job with the military left me pretty loaded," the 'supplier' snickered. "In addition to that, Treize and Lady Une make sure that I'm taken care of. As for the time I put in, it's an honor for me to be a part of the Preventers and so I don't mind what little effort I can offer."
The smile on his face faded a bit as he looked back to the wall photo of a black-and-white image of a smiling, lovely woman in a printed sundress with light-colored hair. Sighing, he muttered, "My only wish is that my late wife was still alive to see to see how I've contributed to the world now. She would've been proud."
Anna shifted on the edge of the round table that she was perched on as she reassured with a small grin, "I'm sure that Carla's around and is more than proud of you, Howard." The redheaded Vampire was rewarded with a blinding smile of appreciation.
Finishing his glass of soda and setting the glass aside, Duo hesitated he asked, "So, no offense or anything, but what's going to happen with your development here when you're gone? Considering how important an asset you are with your weapons, is there anyone left to... carry the torch?" Even the sound of those words coming from his mouth made him wince.
Howard lowered his arms from behind his head, laughing, "No offense at all, kiddo." Slapping his hands on his thighs, he hunched forward and grinned, "I'm not about to deny the fact that I'm up there in age and I'm going to be joining Carla at some point here. And I already have the right person to take up my place when that happens."
Eyebrows raising over his concealed eyes, the old man smirked, "And I do believe that you already know my granddaughter." The amused grins running over the faces of his Vampire family were not lost to Maxwell. Just as he opened his mouth to press for more information, a familiar voice giggled around the bend.
Stepping into the lounge from the laboratory, a very familiar face appeared to the living's stunned gasp. "C-Catherine?" he stammered in disbelief.
"Hey, Duo," the redhead chuckled as she sat on the armrest of Howard's recliner. Her laughter grew when the old man leaned towards her as he tapped his cheek for a quick kiss. "Hello, Pop," she greeted as she pulled away. Looking back to the wide violet eyes on her, she smirked, "Surprise."
A sharp puff of air escaping him, Maxwell snickered, "No shit! Why in the hell didn't you-" Cutting himself off, he mildly glared at his all too amused Vampire and siblings to add, "Or any of you, for that matter, tell me about this?!"
Wufei turned the table chair that he occupied to face his would be brother-in-law and replied simply, "Anything related to the Preventer Organization is only shared on a need-to-know basis." The corner of his mouth curling up, he shrugged, "You didn't need to know until now."
Giggling, Catherine went on, "And it's not exactly as if I can introduce myself to people announcing that my grandfather makes weapons for Vampires. Could you imagine the stir that would cause?"
Not at all sure how the conversation had turned around to make him look the fool, Duo fought the blush from his cheeks as he huffed and crossed his arms across his chest.
Heero chuckled and wrapped an arm around his Chosen's shoulders, whispering, "You're too cute when you pout like that." He laughed, ducking out of the way just in time when an arm shot up to swat at him.
Ignoring his burning cheeks, the braided teenager got back to the heart of the conversation by grinning to his classmate, "So, you're going to be taking up the family business here then? That's awesome, Cat!"
The short-haired girl beamed, "From the first day my Pop, here, brought me into his lab when I was a little, I've had a fascination for his work. And also being intrigued by Vampires, I took up genealogy to know how to study the best way to defend them."
Howard nodded, "You'd be surprised how much of the creation of these weapons required a knowledge of our enemies' makeup. More and more with these Rogues, science is becoming involved to effectively take them out." He gestured to the Irish Infected.
At that, Anna raised the sleeve of her hunter green sweater to reveal the knife strapped to her upper arm. Unlatching it, she tossed the sheathed tool to the old man for an easy catch.
"Now, this dagger for example," the weapons expert began as he pulled the jagged-edged blade from its confines to hold it up so it could glisten in the light. At the sight of the knife, Duo's eyes widened in the realization that his sister carried such a threatening thing on her this whole time without his knowing.
Turning his 'toy' back and forth in his hand, the 'supplier' continued, "So, other than its frightening appearance, you wouldn't think there is much to it. But, I promise that everything we produce is very complex in its structure. Whether it's the shape of the weapon or the chemicals used to enhance it, every fine detail makes my crafts the one sure thing in taking out Vampires."
Quickly sheathing the dagger again, Howard lobbed it back to its rightful owner. Smirking, Anna caught the weapon and strapped it back onto her upper arm to cover it with her sleeve again.
A thumb raising to point at Catherine, the old man grinned, "My granddaughter, here, has been using the same blood that your friend, Quatre, was given so that I can find the best ways of besting them."
His lips drooping in a deep frown that looked out of place on the jolly mortal, he stated, "I have to admit these bastards are a lot trickier for us in finding the right combination to complety annihilate them. Sure, we can make things that will wound and give them something to think about. But their make up is extremely complex compared to any other I've seen."
Swallowing roughly at that, Maxwell unconsciously reached over to place his hand over Heero's where it had fallen on his leg.
"It's downright annoying is what it is," Catherine grumbled, eyes narrowed. "Pop and I would much rather find ways of quickly and efficiently ridding the problem, rather than hoping that what we can provide will be enough for its wielder to finish the job without a risk to their safety."
Brightening a bit, she said, "I'm putting as much time and research into cracking their code as possible. And I'm determined to find the way to break them down so that they can be exterminated."
Lightly patting her back, the old man snickered, "Takes after her granddaddy with that stubbornness of hers, she does. I'm convinced she's going to be the one between us to figure this problem out. Once we have that knowledge, we'll be able to help the Preventer agents stand up against anything without the need for worry."
Wufei grinned sincerely, "And the help that you're providing us couldn't be more appreciated." Howard and Catherine smiled back. Taking a deep breath, the scaly Infected looked back to his braided 'brother' and suggested, "Shall we go to look over what weapon you would like?"
Before Duo could reply, the balding scientist clapped his hands together and sprung from his chair as he cheered, "Of course, he does! This is the fun part of training, after all!" Waving, he wordlessly urged the others to follow after him. "Step into my toy room!" he cheered.
Moved to the front of the pack to stay right behind their host, Maxwell gazed around the brightly lit lab as he stepped inside. Flipping a few switches, Howard opened his arms as the metallic panels of the display cases on the floor and ceiling opened.
"Have a good look at everything, kid," the old man suggested. "Everyone has a different style to them, so they all have their own taste in weapons that suit them best. Take all the time you need to find what you like. And always stick to your instinct when something appeals to you."
Gasping sharply as the dozens upon dozens of tools were revealed, Duo's eyes widened in disbelief and his heart hammered in his chest. There was literally every kind of harmful 'toy', from blades to guns, to crossbows and throwing blades to whips and armor... all of many different shapes and sizes. And every one structured to look as threatening as they would in their use.
Finally closing his jaw, the braided teenager breathed, "This is one... fucked up version of a toy room." His head falling back, Howard laughed along with his friends.
Chewing on the inside of his cheek, Duo slowly began to walk through the isles of cases to scan over everything up close. Timidly taking up a gin here and a sword there for an up close inspection of the design while trying the feel of the weapons, he made sure to give everything at least a look over.
Patiently staying back to give him his space, his family could be heard quietly making bets to which form of protection he would lean towards. "I can see him wielding a couple of swords much like Trowa," Anna whispered as she leaned towards her husband.
"I think that guns would be more his thing. Less chance of hand-to-hand contact, even though I'll have him working into holding his own with that as well," Wufei commented quietly.
Heero remained silent the whole time, his gold-and-cobalt eyes following his Chosen the entire time he walked the floor with his unreadable, stoic mask. Clearly, he did not want to weigh in on the discussion and possibly tip the human into a decision that was Duo's and Duo's alone.
There were just so many options that the young scholar was completely overwhelmed when he came to the end of the last bank of weapons. Shaking his head, he rubbed the back of his neck and sighed deeply, "I don't even know where to start."
Shrugging to the others, he said, "Nothing really jumped out at me right away, but I could just be trying to take too much in."
Howard chuckled, "It happens. And we have all day, so don't feel rushed into anything. If you'd like to try a few things out-"
"Actually, might I make a suggestion?" Catherine offered as she stepped forward from the group. Biting her lip when her friend's violet eyes settled on her, she smiled, "I might have a strong contender for you, if you wouldn't mind looking at something I made on my own." Biting her lip, she looked back at her grandfather.
Rubbing his chin, the old man appraised the braided teenager as he muttered, "That actually might be a good call, Cathy. He has the right build for it. And it is your baby, so you would know best before you'd make that suggestion."
Interest piqued, Duo smirked to the redheaded living, "I'd love to take a look at whatever it is."
Not needing to be told twice, his classmate was off in a run as everyone in the room watched her hasty departure. In less than a minute, Catherine returned with a long staff of cold steel. At a closer inspection, the simple looking rod had a slit in its structure in one end, but there was nothing very special about it otherwise.
Blinking, Maxwell took up the weapon when it was handed over and held it horizontally before himself. He smirked to his friend and joked with a soft snicker, "I'm not exactly sure how effective I'll be fighting Vampires with a stick."
"Counter turn the halves," the redhead snickered with a roll of her eyes.
At those instructions, Duo noticed the very fine divot that wrapped the middle of the long staff that would stand at his height from tip to tip. Keeping his hands at either half of the rod, he spun them and stopped at the sound and feel of the click when he met resistance.
Suddenly, the sound of a low hum filled the air as a green laser pierced through the slit at the top of the weapon to form a thick, downward curve of a 'blade' to reveal the tool to be a massive scythe. "Holy shit!" the teenager laughed as he lifted the weapon to stand as he appraised the glowing curvature.
Heero, Wufei and Anna approached, eyes wide and taking in the living as he tested a couple of swings and lunges. "Oh I like that on him," the Irish Infected giggled softly. Smirking, her scaly husband nodded.
Comfortable with the weight and feel of the scythe, Maxwell grinned and held it before himself in both hands again as he turned the halves of the rod back to make the brilliant laser retract. "This is so mine," he snickered excitedly.
Her brilliant smile growing, Catherine clapped her hands together as she cheered, "Great! I had a feeling that would be perfect for you. I'm so glad to see my first weapon design in good hands. We tend to only use lasers with our guns, but I was looking to do something a little different with this. The blade will cut through virtually anything."
Glancing over at Wufei, she smirked, "With a few exceptions when it comes to mutated skin. But that is not a common occurrence, even amongst Rogues. And it's good that Chang will be training you so there wouldn't be the threat of hurting him."
"It's very impressive," Heero praised his redheaded friend. "I've never seen anything like that around before. Congratulations on a fine piece of work." Blushing, the girl bowed her head as her proud grandfather wrapped an arm around her shoulders for a side hug.
Wufei stepped up to his braided 'brother' and asked, "You're content with that choice, then?" Unable to help his goofy grin, Duo nodded enthusiastically. "Good," the Vampire chucked. "Now we'll go through once more, together this time, to pick out a couple smaller weapons that you can always carry around along with some armor."
As Anna held onto the rod of his scythe, the braided living was instantly thankful for Chang's assistance in his choosing the final additions of his artillery. He'd never dealt with anything the likes of what the lab held.
Satisfied when they had two daggers, a belt of throwing stars and a body suit of armor much like Anna's metallic corset, the scaly Infected smirked, "That should do it. You'll be able to work well with these things without the risk of you hurting yourself." Duo huffed indignantly with a mild glare for his brother, but it only met with an amused snicker from Wufei as they rejoined the others.
Howard seemed all too pleased to see his crafts when the two neared with their arms full. "Ah, excellent choices," he nodded firmly. "Very nice, indeed." Tilting his balding head, he met the teenager's eyes and inquired, "Would you also like to take a Companion band home with you today while you're here? I do manufacture those, as well."
Taken aback by the question, Maxwell's violet eyes widened. Beside him, he could feel Heero stiffen. Swallowing roughly, Anna and Chang moved quickly to take up the gear to load them into the car as an excuse to give their brothers their space over the matter at hand. Catherine was giving them a hand in following their lead.
"You don't have to say yes," Heero all but whispered as he faced his Other when they were alone with the old man. Smiling, he shrugged, "I promise that I'd understand if you're not ready to have that in our home yet."
Quickly over his surprise, Duo peered away from his Vampire to grin to the 'supplier', "Actually, that's a good idea, Howard. I'm going to be wearing it eventually, anyway. Since we're here, I might as well take it back with me."
It was the Infected's turn to freeze in shock. Snickering at the sight of the widened cobalt-and-gold eyes on him, Maxwell gave into his urge and kissed the end of his Yuy's nose. "It's cool, 'Ro," he grinned in reassurance.
And it really was. Loaded as the symbolism of the Companion band would be, the braided teenager was very accepting in having it around. It might even be a thing of comfort rather than something to dread.
His toothy smile growing, Howard rubbed his hands together as he replied, "Have a seat, then. I'll be right back." That said, he hurried off and stepped through a hidden door at the other end of the room.
Once they were completely alone, Heero stared off in the direction that his friend had disappeared with a sense of anticipation in his expression that he couldn't contain. Seeing that look only made Duo all the more certain that he was doing the right thing, in taking this next step closer to sealing the tie between them.
Of course there were nerves at play for the living, but that was expected. At least he had the best creature in the world to face them with.
At the sound of Howard's footsteps making their way back into the lab, Duo took hold of the Infected's hand to squeeze it. Even through his palm, he was pretty sure that Heero would have been able to feel how his heart had begun to race on him.
Their eyes locking, the Vampire's lit up with a wide smile as he squeezed the hand in his own back with a mouthed 'love you.'
"Your destiny awaits here, kiddo," the old man called just before he appeared with his offering. "Come have a good look at it."
TBC...
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