I do not own Gundam Wing.  This fan fiction has no commercial value and I am not making any kind of profit or income off of this.  

 

Chapter 10

 

            Trowa glanced up from his papers when Heero entered the room.

            “I want you to let me do it,” Heero said, his eyes narrowed into ice blue slits.

            Trowa crossed his arms and leaned back.  “You can’t stop this.”

            “I don’t want to.  I want revenge.”

            Trowa eyed him thoughtfully, carefully observing and then measuring his friend’s motivations.  Heero’s eyes glazed over in anger as he remembered the last time he had met with Relena’s adopted father.

“You’re just another one of her charity cases, you know.  She’ll get tired of you eventually.”

            Trowa’s expression changed to one of interest.  “Go on.”

            “We should have ended up the same, Trowa.  Did you ever wonder what the difference in our pasts was – that put us on opposing sides?”

            “We’re not on opposing sides, my friend,” Trowa replied, his green eyes glittering dangerously.

            “Not now.  But for a moment – we could have been.”

            “Yes, I have wondered, but you never spoke of it.”

            “I’ll tell you now – Governor Darlian.  Only he was Ambassador Darlian back then.”

            Trowa raised an eyebrow.  “You want revenge for this?”

            “Through a strange twist of fate, I met his daughter when we were sixteen.”

            The white-hot anger of jealousy flashed in Trowa’s eyes before he regained control of his emotions.  “Ah, that explains a lot.” His face went back to its usual expressionless mask.

            “I loved her then.  I guess I never stopped.  But he wouldn’t allow her to associate with…” several adjectives came to mind, but he settled with “…me.”

“One of you will leave.  I can send her away, but I have no guarantee that you will cease to be a problem for her.”

            “Her real brother, Zeches Marquise, was a lieutenant on the police force then.  They were going to send my brother, Odin, back to prison.  God knows they could have sent him back anytime.  So, I took what they offered me – an opportunity to go to college.”

            “Your school records indicate that you are an intelligent young man.  You could get an education and make something of yourself.”

            Trowa nodded slowly as Heero continued his narration.

            “I guess I shouldn’t have believed him when he said she didn’t care.  She never knew, though - they never told her.  She thought I left her.”

            Trowa smiled faintly.  “If she didn’t love you, there wouldn’t have been the need to get rid of you.  But you were young, who’s ever really certain of anything at that age?”

            “He took her from me, Trowa.  All those years….” Anger flashed like lightning in his midnight blue eyes, and his fists clenched at his sides.

            “But she’s here, now. What he took, I’ve given back to you.” He studied Heero’s face intently.

            “Yes, but I still hate him.  If he is going to die anyway, I want the opportunity….”

 

            He could still hear those words taunting him: “A girl like her will never love someone like you.”

            *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *         

            “Heero?”  Relena asked, rubbing her eyes sleepily as she sat up in Heero’s queen-sized bed at the sound of the opening door.

            “Hn.”

            “Where have you been?”

            “Go back to sleep,” he said gruffly as he locked the fifteen cartridge chamber into his Tactical Smith and Wesson 9mm with a resounding click.

            She sat up and looked at him, a worried frown pinching her brow.  He walked over and kissed her forehead tenderly.  “Everything’s okay.  I’ll be back in a little while.”

            She smiled, and sunk back down in the sheets.  He let his gaze linger for a moment before he left the room.

            *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

            Governor Darlian sat in the office of his country manor.  It was dark, just like his life.  Relena was gone, and he was lonely.  She was the only family he had.

            “I came to give you this,” a voice broke through the stillness of the air.

            He looked up to see a silhouette in the doorway.  “How did you get in here?” he demanded, rising from his desk.

            Moonlight reflected on something metallic.  He drew in a shaky breath as he realized the shadow was holding a gun.

            “I let myself in,” Heero said, raising the pistol.  A gunshot shattered the silence.

            *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

            Relena woke to the sound of a phone ringing.  She quickly shoved sleep and the covers aside and ran to answer it.

            “Heero!”

            “Get out of there, now, Relena.”

            “What…why?

            “I don’t have time for questions – just do as I say.”

            “I’m not dressed…”

            “Throw something on, grab my cell phone and get out of there.  Walk away from the house, as far away from the house as you can get.  I’ll be there in five minutes.  Understand?”

            “Yes.”

            “Five minutes.”

            “Okay.”

            Heero looked over at the Governor, who was still staring at the corpse behind his desk.

            “You’re coming, too.” He said to the older man, walking around the desk, and looking down at the would-be assassin. 

            Heero pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and gingerly picked up the revolver.  It was a .38 Undercover Special.  “Why?” he wondered, kicking the body to turn it over onto its back.  His mind struggled to put the pieces together.  “Who?”

“I can’t give you this assignment.  I already gave the guy his ‘down payment’…It’s going down tonight.”  Trowa said with an enigmatic smile.

 

            “You said you had something to give me?” Darlian asked, still dazed by his brush with death.

            Heero pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to him.

            “What…?” He exclaimed, his eyes widening, as he unfolded what turned out to be a check.

            “It’s yours.  The whole amount.  I don’t want it.” His eyes narrowed.  “I want her.”

            Governor Darlian looked up at the man who had just saved his life.  “You….”

            “We have to go,” Heero said brusquely, grabbing the older man and leading him out to his car.

            *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

            Heero’s black Mercedes 600 SL screeched to an abrupt halt down the street from his house.   Relena walked towards the curb.  The passenger’s door flew open, and he peered out at her.  “Get in.”

            “What took you so long?” She said with a grin.  The smile faded when she saw how serious he looked.  She got in and shut the door.  The car sped away into the night.

            Relena noticed movement in the backseat and turned around.  “Father?  What are you doing here?” 

            “Relena, I don’t know, dear.  I haven’t a clue what is going on.”

            “Heero?” She asked, turning her upper body to face him.

            “Not now Relena,” he growled, mashing his foot down on the gas.

            Suddenly, there was a loud noise, and the world behind them seemed to erupt in a tower of flames.  They were far enough away from the blast, but falling debris from Heero’s former home landed around the car as he swerved violently to avoid it.

            Relena opened her mouth to scream, but a look from Heero silenced her.  As the sky stopped falling, the car was ghostly quiet.  They sped toward the city lights visible in the distance.

 

            “Where are we going?”  Relena finally asked.

            “Give me the phone.” 

            She handed him the cell phone he had asked her to bring.  Heero pressed a few buttons, and held the receiver to his ear.

            “Hilde?  Where’s Duo?”

            “Uh-huh.  Thanks.” He pressed the ‘End’ button and handed the phone back to Relena.  They fell back into an uneasy silence.

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

            The car sped down the highway; the twinkling distant city lights grew closer with every passing moment.  Heero’s mind was racing, but his puzzle was desperately short of pieces.  He needed answers.

“Tell me this, Darlian, and I need the truth,” Heero said menacingly.

            The Governor looked up.  From his position on the driver’s side of the backseat, he could see the flashing blue eyes in the rear view mirror.  “What’s that?”

            “What is your tie with Barton?  How are you involved in this?”

            “I’m not ‘involved’, with Barton.  As I’ve said before…”

            “I’m not interested in your political babble bull-shit!  Do you want to die?”  Heero snarled.  There was a click as he removed the safety from his gun, “Do you want your daughter to die?” he asked in a low voice, pointing the 9mm in Relena’s face.

            Relena’s eyes widened, but she remained silent.  “Who is this person?” she wondered.  “What happened to that lost little boy that I fell in love with?  He’s so cold now, distant…” And suddenly that memory played again in her mind.
            She looked up into empty ice-blue eyes.

“I’ll kill you.”

             She shook her head, unaware that Heero was watching her intently out of the corner of his eye.
            “All right, all right!  When I first ran for office as Mayor, Quinze Barton helped finance my campaign. Back then, no one knew he wasn’t a legitimate businessman.  He might have been…”

            Heero lowered the gun, re-engaging the safety mechanism, and glanced up in the rear view mirror.  “Go on.”

            “I did a few favors for him, nothing illegal, mind you, but pulled some strings here and there.

            “When I became an Ambassador, I didn’t hear from him for a long time.  I thought our business was finished.  Then I was elected Governor, and found out how mistaken I was.” His voice trailed off, as if he was remembering something.  He drew in a breath and continued his narrative, barely able to contain his temper.

            “He claimed he was the reason I had won the election, and he had damning evidence of our former ‘friendship’ from my days as Mayor.  He wanted me to cooperate or he’d bury my political career.  I refused and waited for the worst to happen…” His voice lowered as he finished the sentence, “and it did.”

            “The next thing I knew, Feds were crawling all over my books, my personal life, everything.  They told me his son was dating Relena.  She had always had a soft spot in her heart for worthless young men.  I don’t know why…”

            The harsh words came out of his mouth before he realized what he was saying.

            “Father!” she looked over at Heero, who was gripping the steering wheel so hard, his knuckles had turned white.  She put a hand on his arm, but he wrenched out of her grasp.

            Brown eyes flashed in anger as he watched the exchange.  “You, sir, are no better. Holding a gun to her head to get me to talk!”

            “You’re not done, yet.  There’s evidence…evidence that judges took bribes to let Barton’s guys walk; evidence of botched raids and drug busts, and evidence of state and national officials being paid off in funds traced back to a dummy corporation in which you are a share holder.” 

There was silence for a moment.

Heero continued in a voice filled with restrained fury, “And you mustn’t think I’m too worthless because you’re counting on me not to kill her.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!  I have nothing to do with any of that if what you say is even true!”

“Why does Barton want you dead?”

“I assumed it was because I wouldn’t cooperate.  That theory won’t hold water with you, obviously.”

“Hn.”

They pulled up outside the First Methodist Hospital.  Heero got out and walked over to Relena’s door.  He opened it and she stood up.  He grabbed the arms hanging limply down at her sides, and pulled her close.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered in her ear.

She didn’t look at him.  He moved one hand to her face, tipping it gently, silently willing her to look at him.

“I’ll explain everything…when this is over, I promise.”

She looked down and nodded.

“Relena, you have to trust me.  It’s not always easy, I know, but please, I need you to believe in me.”

She finally met his gaze.  He saw the tears and put his arms around her.  “I don’t have a lot of time,” he continued whispering.

She returned the embrace, breathing in his comforting scent.  She had never lost her faith in him, but she was beginning to wonder what else she didn’t know.

“I love you, Relena.” He wanted to say the words to her out loud, but they stuck in his throat, so he settled for kissing the top of her head.

She let out a quiet sob.  He pushed her away gently, “Get in the car, I’ll be right back.  Sit with your father.  Duo will need the front seat.”

She nodded and opened the door to the backseat.  Heero turned and went into the hospital.

 

Duo opened his eyes and looked over at his friend.  “Not that I’m unhappy to see ya, buddy, but visiting hours are over.”

“You’re coming with me.”

“What?  Oh, okay, yeah, sure.  You’re funny.” He said and closed his eyes again.

“I’m not kidding,” he said and yanked the IV out of Duo’s arm.

“HEY!” he cried out, and brought his left arm in close to his body, cradling it in his right.  “What are you, crazy?”

“Shut up,” Heero commanded as he looked for something to bandage Duo’s arm. He moved over to the little desk area and grabbed some gauze and tape.

“I’m bleeding,” Duo whimpered.

“I don’t have time for this,” Heero hissed, dressing Duo’s wound.

“How do you expect me to get out of here?  I’m not supposed to be putting weight on this leg, yet.”

Heero glared at him.

“Look, I’m only human”

“You’re going to be dead, if you don’t get moving.”

“Sheesh!  You’re sure in a good mood.  Apparently, you need more than a woman to cure your dysfunction...AAAAAAA!”  Duo screamed as he was pushed forward and then collapsed into the waiting wheelchair.

Heero covered him with his coat and the two young men tried to look like they belonged there as he pushed the escapee toward the waiting room leading to the exit.

“Where are we going?” Duo asked, his face set in a grim expression as he bit back pain that radiated from his healing wounds.

“Someplace safe.  Where I can think.”

“Hn.  Did you at least grab my medication?”

“No.  I need you to be responsive.”

“Shit!  I’m not that responsive when I’m not on medication!”

“Shh…” Heero suddenly opened a door and wheeled Duo into a room that looked very similar to the one they had just left.  Duo looked up at him questioningly.  Heero didn’t notice; he was listening to footsteps.

“What are we doing?” Duo whispered.

Heero looked around the room and spied some clothing draped over a chair.  He tossed it over to Duo, and then walked to the window.

“Damn it!”  Heero hissed. They were on the first floor, but nowhere near the car.  He quickly chose one of the two equally bad alternatives and opened the window.  “Come on.”

“What?  I can’t walk!” Duo cried out, pulling on the oversized shirt.  It looked a little ridiculous, but not nearly as bad as the hospital gown he had been wearing.  He managed to wriggle into the pants without having to fully leave the chair.

“Now!”

With great effort, Duo rose to his feet.  He took a step and almost collapsed from the pain shooting up his leg.  Heero caught him and half-dragged him to the window.  Duo managed to struggle out the small window and prop himself up against the outside wall.  Heero was right behind him.

The two made their way slower than what Heero would have liked towards the front of the building.  Duo was making progress with every step, able to stand more of the pain.  But he still leaned heavily on Heero.  Suddenly, gunshots rang out from their destination followed by a squeal of tires as a big black car tore around the corner racing towards them.

The driver slammed on the brakes, and opened the door.  A blond head peeked out from the driver’s side window. 

“Hurry!  Get in!”

Heero ran, carrying Duo the remaining few feet to the car.  He shoved him into the back before sliding into the passenger’s seat.  Before he could shut the door, there was another screech of tires and the sound of glass shattering as a big black Lincoln Town car slid around the corner behind them.  Relena jammed her foot down on the gas pedal as Heero wrestled to close a now windowless door.

“What took you so long?”  Heero shouted as Relena tore out of the parking lot onto the street, and pressed the pedal to the floor.  Relena tried to keep from smiling as she gave him a disapproving sidelong glance.

“Turn here,” he ordered, grabbing the wheel and yanking it to the right.  She tried to keep control of the vehicle by stepping lightly on the brake.  The car slid across three lanes of traffic before she was able to straighten it out.

“Where are we going?”

“Just do as I say.”

She frowned at him.

“Turn left.” 

Relena turned the wheel hard to the left, barely avoiding the curb on the far side of the two lane street.  The Lincoln flew around the corner right behind them.  There was the sound of more gunshots, metal tearing, and glass shattering. 

She had the accelerator to the floor, and they were picking up speed, but she had lost track of where the highway was from their location.  Heero once again grabbed the wheel and yanked it hard to the right, turning the Mercedes violently to avoid their pursuers.  She recovered, and then was instantly ordered to turn left.  The highway was just up ahead.  But the Lincoln was still right behind them. 

She didn’t stop at the light, glad it was the dead of night, and praying there weren’t any cops to see her obvious traffic violation as she desperately spun the wheel to turn onto the highway entrance ramp.  The car slid around the corner and then jostled over the tiny bumps on the shoulder before she was able to get them back onto the road.  The Lincoln followed suit as both cars finally merged onto the long two-way, two lane highway.

“Move to the left.” Heero ordered as more shots rang out.  He didn’t need to tell the backseat occupants to get down; both were hunched over in their seats, covered with glass from the back windshield.

They were already in the left lane of the highway divided only by two stripes down the center.  Relena figured he could only mean to move over into oncoming traffic.  She positioned the car in the far left lane on the wrong side of the road.  She could see headlights in the distance, coming towards them and glanced worriedly over at Heero.  He nodded at her to hold their position and then turned away from her in his seat.  Heero pulled his pistol from its holster and began firing at their pursuers through his windowless door.  He took out the Lincoln’s left front tire, causing the car to pitch forward and skid wildly out of control. It veered left, heading towards the Mercedes.

Relena looked at the Lincoln threatening their right side, then up at the semi truck that had come into view, barreling down on them.