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 18

 

            Heero arrived at interrogation room one, and barged in without knocking.  Treize was on his cell phone, and completely ignored his subordinate’s entrance.  “Yes Catherine, I need you to make arrangements ASAP for a Mr. and Mrs. Trowa Barton.  Yes, that’s right.  No, he didn’t, I mean, he doesn’t, but they should be married before he goes…so, arrange that, too…Hey!”  The last part of his sentence was directed at Heero, who had ripped the cell phone from his superior’s hand and thrown it across the room.

            “If you have something to settle with me, Treize, why don’t you say it to my face, instead of all this behind-the-back bullshit!”  Heero seethed through clenched teeth.

            “You know, Yuy, you really should be grateful to me.  I’m not bringing you up on charges in this case, or even officially reprimanding you.  You’re going to take a vacation; you’ve got the time saved up.  And then, when you can pass a psych evaluation, I’ll let you come back.  Although I won’t be sending you on another undercover assignment until I decide you’re ready.”

            “Oh, like you decided I was ready last time? That’s what this is all about, isn’t it?  You think I’m dirty.”

            A smile played on Treize’s lips.  “No, Yuy.  I don’t think that.  I know what you were doing; I know what you were up to.  Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”

            Heero glared at his superior.

            “We had agents placed throughout the broader parts of the organization, and they would occasionally report in about your activities.  It was always rumors and hearsay, of course.  So, we decided to send in Maxwell.  He was the one person you wouldn’t suspect.”

            Heero ran a hand through his hair, and turned away from Treize.

            “We were closing in, Yuy, on the whole ‘Foundation’.  You were just going to be swept along with the tide.  But somehow, you managed to stay a step ahead of us, turning on Barton before we could snare you both.”

            “That’s bullshit.”

            Treize smirked again.  “The hotbed of your illegal activities along with all the evidence I suppose we would have needed, conveniently went up in smoke the other night.  Who was it that planted that bomb, you or Trowa?”

            “Do I need an attorney, Treize?”  Heero spat with venom dripping from his voice.

            His superior grinned.  “Of course not.  I already told you, I’m willing to let bygones be bygones,” he said with a wave of the hand.  “You were young, too green to be sent on this assignment.  That was my mistake.  But you did what you had to in order to stay alive.  I shouldn’t have expected different from someone who grew up on the streets.”

            Heero’s face remained blank as he watched Treize through narrowed eyes.

            “The end justifies the means in this case, and the result is that the Barton Foundation crumbles with Trowa Barton’s testimony and I get a promotion.”

            “So, I’m on vacation?” Heero asked flatly.

            “Yes.  Take a couple of weeks, I’ll write it off as due to the injuries you sustained while in the line of duty, and then, you can come back.  No one need know we ever had this conversation.”

            “Fine, my vacation starts now.”

            Treize smiled.

            “So, since I’m on vacation…You’re a pompous ass, Treize!” Heero shouted angrily.

            Treize smirked.  “Now, now, Yuy.  If you’re not nice, I won’t let you say goodbye to your girlfriend, since you’re not on duty.”

            Heero’s dark blue eyes glowed with hatred, but he stayed silent.

            “By the way, when you do see her, a thank you probably wouldn’t be out of line.  Considering the fact that she is the reason behind the Bureau’s and my own, ah.. policy of goodwill and tolerance towards your actions,” Treize said mockingly.

            “What did you say to her, Treize?” Heero snarled.

            The older man chuckled.  “Just that if she didn’t want to see you in prison, she’d make sure that Barton agreed to testify.”

            Heero lunged for the older man, knocking him backwards to the floor.  Despite the obvious disadvantage he suffered as a result of his weakened state, Heero managed to land a few blows as the two struggled on the ground.  But Treize knew how to play rough, despite his highly developed sense of justice.  He grabbed Heero by the wounded shoulder and squeezed savagely.  Pain flared in Heero’s body like a raging fire out of control.  It momentarily numbed his mind despite his efforts to push it aside and continue the fight.  Treize used the precious few seconds to throw Heero off him, and reach for his gun.  But the younger man recovered more quickly than he had anticipated, and Treize found himself on the wrong end of Yuy’s nine-millimeter side arm.

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *         

            In the small observation area looking in on interrogation room one, Duo watched the two men threaten and argue until their heart’s content.  But when they got to the topic of Relena, his eyes widened at his superior’s obvious abuse of power.  He secretly cheered his friend on during the short fistfight, but abruptly stopped when he saw Heero point the gun at Treize.  He ran for the door to intervene, but halted at the sound of Treize’s unaffected tone.

 

            “Yuy, I’m seriously reconsidering my earlier statements about not charging you.  Put the gun down while I’m still in a good mood,” Treize cautioned.

            Heero glared.  “If I was really a criminal, Treize, I’d shoot you and leave without a trace.” He said, relaxing the arm that held the gun, and re-engaging the safety mechanism before tucking it away.  Pain danced on the perimeter of his sense of consciousness with every movement. “You should have left her out of this.  She’s already being torn in every possible direction.  But your promotion is more important than a civilian’s welfare, obviously.  Otherwise you would never have attempted to send her into a potentially dangerous situation.”

            “We had the place surrounded, with our backup agents on full alert,” Treize sputtered.

            “You attempted to send a virtually defenseless civilian wearing a wire into a nest of violent criminals.  You saw how quickly the situation went bad.  I didn’t even have time….”

            “You endangered your own life as well as the lives of your fellow agents and Trowa Barton,” Treize said in an accusing tone.

            “But you overstepped your authority and put a civilian’s life in danger, which is specifically against code.  Not only in that instance, but what you’re doing now.  Regardless of how well we hide Trowa, he is making some very powerful enemies, by testifying.  You pushed her to accept a situation that will put her life in danger!”

            “You’re just pissed that she’s leaving you,” Treize growled, refusing to acknowledge that Heero was right.

            “I have every right to be,” he replied quietly.  “I guess it doesn’t matter to you that I love her.”

            “Let me give you some advice, Yuy.  Love doesn’t really exist.  It’s purely a sentiment on greeting cards and found in sappy romance novels.  It’s a myth.  I’m doing you a favor, Yuy, really.  ‘Cuz one day, she’ll wake up and tell you that she doesn’t know who she is anymore, and could you just give her some time to find herself?  Then the next time you see her is nine months later, at the divorce proceedings and she’s taking away your son.”

            Heero blinked.  “You got divorced?”

            Treize looked away, “Yeah, last summer, she hit me with it.”

            Heero nodded slowly.  “No one has to know about our conversation?”

            Treize shook his head.  “We’ll both be clear.”

            “Maybe you should take a vacation, too.  I’m already enjoying mine so much,” Heero replied wryly.

            Treize snorted.  “Get out of here.  You need to rest.  I’m sure I didn’t do your shoulder any good.”

            Heero started towards the door, but stopped at the sound of Treize calling his name.  He swiveled his head to look back at his superior.

            “Yuy! If it’s any consolation, I’m ..sorry.”

            Heero glared at him a moment.  “It’s not,” he said harshly as he continued out into the hallway, slamming the door shut behind him.

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

            Trowa sat down at the tiny wood veneer table across from the court reporter already cheerfully typing away on her stenograph machine.  A sea of men in power suits stood politely when he entered the already crowded hotel room, but only two were on his side.  The rest were attorneys for the defendants in the case, drawn here to hang on his every word and determine how much damage he would be causing their clients.  Trowa felt slightly uneasy as the questions for his deposition began.

           

            In the lobby of the same hotel, FBI agents kept watch and the place secure for their informant.  Trowa Barton’s cooperation was big news within the Bureau, and Special Agent in Charge Krushrenada was looking at a promotion for his role in cracking down on the well-known crime syndicate. 

            In the back parking lot, a white van waited for Trowa to finish recording his deposition before whisking him away to a safe house while the Bureau completed the arrangements for his new identity.  Agent Catherine Bloom was his relocation specialist, and currently perched comfortably in the back of the van talking to one of the agents posted outside of the conference room where the deposition was taking place.

            “You let me know as soon as Trowa is leaving the room.  We’ll swing around and pick him up at the side door, over,” the redhead said into her walkie-talkie.

 

            “Mr. Barton, please tell us what your role was within the Barton Foundation.  Public record has you listed as the company’s,” Trowa’s attorney, a tall distinguished-looking man in his early fifties named Julian Bagley stared at a piece of paper in his hand, “Vice President, is that correct?”

            Trowa’s eyes gleamed with amusement.  “Yes, that is correct.  However, my actual duties don’t quite fit those of the typical VP, I’m sure you will all agree.”

            Heads nodded in anticipation.

            “Go on.  Please describe the activities you performed for the Barton Foundation,” Mr. Bagley pressed.

            “I was responsible for all the local activities of the Barton Foundation.  I offered bribes to judges and policemen to look the other direction, or toss out cases against the Foundation’s people that carried on the actual money-making activities –smuggling and selling of drugs and illegal firearms.  I had no part in that; Quinze Barton and former police chief Zeches Marquise were the brains behind the organization.”

            “Please continue.”

            “They used the money from the drug and gun smuggling to fund several illegal contributions to various lawmakers in an attempt to influence their votes on important issues regarding foreign trade and weapons dealings.  They used a dummy corporation to launder the money before actually sending the funds to the various officials.”

            “Do you know these officials’ names?”

            “Yes, they were provided with the various documents and other pieces of evidence I turned over to the FBI.”

            “Of course.  Please forgive us, this deposition was arranged at the last minute.”

            Trowa smiled slightly.

            “I believe this dummy corporation you are referring to, Cinq Toys and Collectibles, has Governor Darlian listed as a majority shareholder.  Is he part of the Barton Foundation as well?  If so, did he participate in the various illegal activities you mentioned before?”      

            “Governor Darlian wasn’t part of the organization.  He just looked the other way.  He had a prior business relationship with Quinze that was used to Foundation’s advantage.  Basically, the Governor was being black mailed into protecting the Foundation’s people that were already in place.  It is also my understanding that Darlian’s influence stopped an Internal Affairs investigation into Zeches’s activities a couple of years ago.”

            Mr. Bagley’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.  “Interesting.  And yet didn’t you tell Agent Krushrenada that Zeches wanted the Governor dead, and hired you to find an assassin?”

            “Yes, that is correct.  And when Agent Yuy stepped in and stopped the attempt, the Chief eventually tried to kill us both.”

            The defense team representing Zeches Marquise listened intently to Trowa’s smooth recital.  The lead attorney turned to his assistant and wrote a single note at the top of a fresh sheet of legal paper.  “Plea bargain.”

           

            Trowa emerged from the hotel lobby and exited the side door.  He climbed into the waiting van and greeted Agent Bloom.

            “Don’t look so glum, Trowa.  You did a good thing today.”

            He smiled slightly at the bubbly redhead with such cheerful green eyes.  “Where are we going, Cathy?”

            She grinned, “You know better than that.  But I can tell you that Relena’s already there.”

            He nodded silently and closed his eyes, leaning back into his seat – completely unaware of the icy blue eyes watching him in the rearview mirror.