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"Defying Gravity"A Romance in Three PartsWritten By: Kaeru Shisho Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Gundam Wing
or its characters, nor do I make any monetary profit off this story. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: AU, yaoi, some language Summary: A multi part story of romance starting
with a turning point vacation, developing throughout a dangerous UC
mission, and moving ahead through the unexpected challenges of a summer
vacation. "Part Two: It's Back to Work"
Chapter 14
Sticking with Duo's POV for this chapter as he gets a break for a change. Gunter was taking the little boy? We had to get on that immediately. I had to get Gunter off the phone so we could start the extraction process rolling. I closed my eyes as I took a deep breath, and then returned to my call. "Dinner, nothing more." Gunter laughed. "I won't be up for more for a few days at least." My stomach churned at the reminder of what I done to him. "Just call me back with the details." "I'll have a full day tomorrow so it will probably be Tamer who calls you," Gunter said. "I'll be needing him tonight." "Whatever. Just make sure Tamer gets back," I said as I hung up the phone. I watched the monitor as Gunter stared at his phone for a few moments before putting it in his pocket. Heero came into the room and helped Pascal onto the futon beside Mill, handing the boy the milk and cookies he'd brought along. I caught Heero's unhappy looking eyes. "Did Tamer say where they were taking him?" Heero shook his head. "No, only that Gunter is taking him and he just gave him the transmitter. Trowa sounded distressed. I've never heard his voice shake so much." "He should be scared, he just..." I stopped speaking as Mill looked up from where he sat beside Pascal and shook his head, nodding toward the boy. I realized that I could not tell Heero what had happened; I could only show him. "Look at this," I said to Heero. "He has every right to be scared, but he's doing fine." I turned the monitor so the screen wasn't visible from where the boy was sitting and backed the feed up, while Heero slumped over the back of my chair. I could hear the hitch in his breathing as I replayed the video for Heero. "Can you take Pascal to meet his mom and dad?" Heero closed his eyes for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, you better call and get everyone set for Jimmy. Just make sure you and Wind stay out of it." I nodded. "Take Pascal and find him a shirt. I don't care what kind or whose, but get him something besides a blanket to cover him." Heero returned to Pascal and held out his hand. Pascal took it immediately and went out of the room with Heero. Mill walked over to the desk and replayed the audio feed that I'd muted. "I want to know what he said to Tamer before he went out of the room." As the audio replayed, we heard that Jimmy had a job to do. That made things considerably easier as far as getting Jimmy out of there. If all Gunter wanted was to take him with him, we'd be in trouble because we'd have no way to get him out without breaking cover. "Hey, Sand, what'sup?" I shouted toward the figure passing by the door. A minute later, Quatre returned and stood at the doorway. "I have arranged for the Maguanac Corps to accompany Pascal's parents to the airport and on a Winner Corp private jet. They will remain with them until we deliver their son." Mill thanked him for his generosity, but Quatre shook his head. "It's the fastest and most discreet way. We don't need this leaking into the press." "No, we don't." "Cool, man, but that's not what I was calling you about," I said. "Duo, I'm tired and worn out. I want to take a shower and wait for Trowa to get back then have some down time. If you're asking about anything else, I'm not interested," Quatre snapped and left the room. I hopped up and chased after him. "Oh, yes, you are. We need a team and we need warrants. Get them and get them fast. Gunter just shot and killed one of his own men point blank and then turned the gun on Trowa and nearly killed him." "No!" "Come back and look at the feed." While Quatre watched the horror play out on the monitor again, I told him the rest of what we'd learned. "I called Gunter and interrupted things. Trowa's fine; he talked to 'Ro. Gunter's going to need him, he's taking Jimmy with him saying he has a job to do, and since Trowa gave Jimmy the transmitter, as soon as Gunter is out of there, we are too." Mill stood, stiffly, favoring one side still. "Quatre, we need a team set up and ready to hit wherever Gunter lands with Jimmy, and it needs to be completely legal." He sighed heavily. "I'm not losing this chance, if the local police can't handle this, then we must." "Son of a bitch!" Quatre yelled. "I can't be in two places at once. Is Trowa still over there?!" "Yes." Mill rubbed his temples, his faced etched in pain. I stood and kissed Mill softly on the lips before I said anything else. "Give control over to Sand for the team getting Jimmy out. Heero can take care of Pascal and his parents. You lie down." "You are probably right; I can hardly think straight right now. "The four of you know how to work as a team." He met Quatre's eyes. "Winner, I trust you know what to do. I know you have the planning skills to do the job." He handed the phone to Quatre. "One last time, possibly." "Yes, sir." Quatre took the phone and began speaking to the local Preventer's field office as I rushed into the bedroom throwing on some clothes. If all went according to regulations, we would be trailing from a distance and we wouldn't even be involved with the team except by phone and radio contact. If Mill wasn't in charge, I wanted it to be Quatre. I was too emotionally involved and crippled when it came to making decisions about Jimmy. I knew in my heart that Quatre would do everything he could and that if a judgment call was necessary, he'd make it and it would be the right one. I also knew we could depend on Quatre's loyal Maguanacs to reunite Pascal with his parents, as promised. I walked into the living room after getting dressed and smiled at Pascal who was now wearing one of our infamous black and grey Preventer's t-shirts. I looked over at Heero who was sitting beside him on the couch. "Leave it to you, to bring one of our official shirts." Heero shrugged. "It was in the side panel of my bag. Just being prepared." I knelt down in front of Pascal. "Looks like you're one of us now." He nodded and handed my shield back to me. "Are you going to get the bad guys?" "That's where we're headed right now." I said. "This handsome dude's going to take you to your mom and dad as soon as they get into town, okay? They will all probably have lots of questions for you, but you just answer them honestly and in your own time." Mill's hand on my shoulder startled me. I had not even heard him walk into the room. "Are you ready?" he asked. I rose slowly and pulled his head down for a kiss, a light, affectionate one. "Yeah, is everything set?" Heero leaped up and blocked the way. "This is stupid. Your injuries are restricting your movements, and if Gunter spots that Jaguar, he'll know it's you and wonder why you are there. It could blow your cover. I am less recognizable. I should drive Duo in the car I've had rigged with some back up fire power. I'll keep a line open to Quatre and have greater technical skill if any hacking is necessary." Mill sighed and nodded in agreement as he rubbed his bound ribs. "Even better point. It is my job to ensure the handover of Pascal to his parents goes well." I nodded in agreement. "Okay, Pascal, I guess the big blond dude's going take you. That okay with you kid?" Mill smiled and jangled his keys. "Pascal, have you ever ridden in a Jaguar before?" The kid looked us in the eyes, questioning us silently. I was afraid he might have trust issues. "You'll love the car," I said encouragingly. Pascal grinned and turned to speak to Mill. "You mean a 2007 S-type?" Mill smiled. "No..." Pascal's face was glowing with excitement. "The XK?!" "No, not the coupe, the XJ sedan." "Oh, man! That's got a 4.2 liter V8 with a rear wheel drive drivetrain, 6-speed automatic transmission, and a price tag of $91 thousand dollars! I get to ride in one of those?!" "Yep," Mill said, leading the way to the garage. "Cool!" Pascal shouted, the cool car forming an instant bond of trust in his head. No wonder it was so easy for the bad guys to kidnap these kids. Luckily, this time he was trusting the good guys. While Mill adjusted the Jaguar seats, Heero and I said goodbye to Pascal, who was clearly more interested in testing all the car's gadgets than in talking to us. Mill buckled him in, we waved, and they left. Heero got into his car. He arranged his laptop within easy reach and sat immobile. I got in and contacted Quatre. "Slight change of plans, Sand. Wind's going to the airport with Pascal. Yeah, kid's cool with that. Whadaya mean? He's riding in a Jag! Anyway, Wing and I are in the rental, waiting for you to tell us when to leave." I felt Heero's eyes piercing my skull. "What?" I asked him. His expression was strange. "Are you Duo or Scythe right now," he asked. "Does it matter?" "Yes, Duo, it does. I am losing you a little more as each day passes on this job. I thought my being here would help...cement us, but now you have this...attachment for Zechs—" "Attachment? Hell, Wing, aren't we all supposed to? He's more than just our fancy-ass pimp." "That's true," he said, though, I don't think he meant it. I guess he just needed reminding, being one of the newer recruits, then again, I hadn't told him about my dream; the one with him and me making love. What I said must have satisfied him, though, because he dropped the topic. It was another ten minutes before Quatre stepped into the garage and tapped on my window. "Gunter just left with Jimmy. The local agency contact is a junior agent called Prior," Quatre said. "He will have the open warrants." "Thanks," I told him. "I'll keep the house line open for calls from you. Trowa might try my cell." Quatre turned, hesitating a moment. "Be careful," he said before returned to the house. Heero started the car and backed out of the garage. The first thing I did was call Prior. "UC agents Scythe and Wing here. You really got open warrants for us?" "We have a warrant to arrest anyone in possession of a boy named Jimmy and to search the residence in which he is found. We also got one with a lot of white space to fill in. That good enough for you?" "Yeah, sure. Sometimes you get a judge that gives you everything you ask for in a warrant and other times you get a judge that doesn't know what the fuck is going on and would rather make things more difficult than they need to be." "Just keep outta the way so I can get the job done," Prior tagged on before hanging up on me. "Asshole," I grumbled. Heero rolled the car down the street and just grunted. "Hn." We followed Gunter from a distance. Jimmy's transmitter activated the moment he swallowed it, but the signal was too weak to pick up. "500 feet is the best we could do in the time we had to develop the transmitter. Increasing the tracking distance required more power, which would make it too large for a child to swallow," Heero explained as he drove. "Just keep back out of sight. I got a tracking device on the car a month ago which I should be seeing on one of these channels." I searched for the blip using Heero's laptop. "Maybe the thing got mud splattered or something. The signal comes and goes. Turn left." "I will not lose them," Heero assured me. "Wouldja get a look at the tony neighborhood. Whatcha wanna bet these houses start out in the million-dollar range? I guess with enough money, you can buy anything you want, huh?" I asked, shaking my head. "Appears that way," Heero said. He parked the car down the road from where Gunter turned into a gated entrance. I got out the binoculars so that I could see better and what I saw turned my stomach. "Ah, damn. Gunter's leading Jimmy into the house with a chain around his neck." "Picking up Jimmy's transmitter," Heero said. I dropped the binoculars on my lap and looked at Heero, who was typing furiously into the computer and shaking his head. "Is something wrong?" He nodded his head. "Would you like to know whose house Jimmy is visiting tonight?" "Someone you know?" Heero turned the laptop so that I could see the screen. He'd traced the address. "The whole Italian Federation knows who Jimmy is visiting tonight." I narrowed my eyes as I stared at the picture of the bald-headed man on the screen. "That's the guy from the club. The one I wanted you to try to get onto the system for." "That was me trying to get Quatre to hack into the club security, not that it really matters," Heero corrected. "In any case, the security system was only on the doors for break-ins and the cameras were dummies. I think I recognize him, too. Are you sure this is the guy?" Heero asked. "I didn't forget everything about that night," I snapped. "Who is he?" "Get Quatre on the line." Heero cleared his throat. "Sand, I need ID verification. This is the address. Right, that's what I got. Scythe says it's the same man we wanted ID'd, the one we saw at Club OZ." "Who is it?!" I repeated. "Thanks, ah, Sand." Heero hung up. "I wanted to make certain. That man is Count Franco Giopinno, known better as parliamentary representative Frank Georgio of the Forza coalition." "Holy shit!" I exclaimed. "A fucking Italian government official? What now?" Heero shrugged. "We arrest him and take him in, just like anyone else. Get Quatre back on the phone, while I call agent Prior. We still have to wait for Gunter to leave." To say that Quatre was shocked to discover whose house were were watching would have been an understatement. He informed me that a local constable would be making contact with us before we went in and to wait for them. I didn't like having to wait on the local constabulary or some stupid junior agent for anything and I told Quatre that I would not fuck this up by waiting. As soon as I got off of the phone with him, Gunter left the house, and my cell phone rang again. "Hello, Scythe here." "This is Agent Bauer, am I speaking to Scythe-Wing?" "Yeah, you are," I said, "both of us. Who are you with?" "Preventer's local here. A man named Sand called me after you notified him of what was going on. We're going to let you guys handle this since you've done so well so far and since the players involve your main target. Just don't fuck it up." I wanted to reach through the phone, yank Mr. Pompous Asshole through and shove my boot up his ass. "No offense, Bauer, but everything that the Preventer's junior office has gotten their hands on there's been a fuck-up or two. It's like you guys just can't help yourselves. You just sit back and watch while our guys do your work for you. You know, if you guys had gotten off of your asses six months ago, Jimmy would have been out of there a lot sooner." "I could say the same about the two of you for the past two months. I guess you've been too busy fucking to do anything else." "Your ass is mine Bauer." I tossed the phone in the seat and looked over at Heero, who was staring at me like I'd sprouted a third head. I shrugged. "What?" He shook his head and went back to his conversation with Prior. A few minutes later, he hung the phone up and laughed. "Klaus Bauer is the Preventer's Agent in Charge down here, Zechs' equal at least. Prior probably reports to the man. No one talks to him the way you just did. He's probably fuming right about now that he can't get his hands on you." I cocked my head to the side. "He shouldn't have presumed that we'd fuck things up." I winked at him. "Or that we've been fucking instead of doing our job." "He said that?" Heero asked, as if shocked. "Yes, he said that," I said. "If he doesn't pull his head out of his high and mighty ass, I'm going to show him just what I mean about his ass being mine. What are we waiting on?" "I'm waiting on a call from Winner, to give the go ahead. He's coordinating all the teams right now. The guys are taking up position around the house as we speak." He squeezed my hand tightly. "He's going to be okay." I knew he meant Jimmy would be okay. "Send them in, Sand, and bring that boy out of hell," I muttered. I grabbed the binoculars but had a hard time looking through them as tears flooded my eyes. We'd been waiting on this moment for so long. I held my breath as Heero took the phone call on the first ring. "Hn. Okay, thanks, Sand." "He's buzzed Prior with the go ahead." We watched as the team entered the house. It wasn't like any other raid I'd been involved with before. This one was so very quiet, that I had to listen carefully to everything that was going on. About five minutes after the team had gone in, Prior's voice crackled through the radio. "We've got a problem." "What's going on, Prior? Your camera is off," Heero said, sounding a bit aggravated. "It's no good if I can't see. Turn it on, Prior, and show me." "Shit," Prior cursed. A few moments later, his camera came on and the image filling the screen will haunt my memories for the rest of my life. Count Franco Giopinno was half-naked and backing away from the agents in the room, holding onto Jimmy tightly, with a gun pressed to the side of his head. The look in Jimmy's eyes was even more haunting. He didn't seem scared, he seemed eager, as if he was ready for it all to end. "No, no fucking way," I whispered. I turned around and reached into the back seat of the truck. Lifting up the seat, where I knew Heero stowed his sniper kit, I pulled out a vest, a hood, and a rifle. I slipped the vest on and turned to Heero, expecting him to argue, daring him to tell me to stay put. "Just hold, Prior." Heero switched lines. "Catch that visual, Sand? Understood." Heero returned to Prior's line. "Try to talk to the count. Scythe is on his way." Heero pulled me close to him. "Go get him and keep the team alive—you included." "You're going to let me go?" I asked. "I trust you, and so does Sand," Heero said with a smile. "Besides, it's just a rich old man with a gun." "I love ya, Heero." I kissed him softly and rested my forehead against his for a few moments. "Watch my back." "Take this other radio. Prior's on #1; I'm on #2; Sand's on #5." Heero chuckled and added, "Go, baka." I didn't have to be told again. I slipped on my hood as I exited the car and made my way to the house, skirting the shadows. The front door was clear, so I entered and headed quietly up winding staircase. Prior shifted and leaned against the door. His voice came quietly through the radio. "Oh good, Agent Superhero is here. What can you do that we can't?" "Shove your attitude back up your ass, Prior, and just talk to the count. Your job is talking to him, not to me. I'll let you know when I'm settled." I sighed heavily. "I'm a last resort." Prior shifted again and I ignored him as I turned and made my way back down the stairs and out of the house. I keyed the radio as I jogged across the street. "There's not a good place for me there. I'm heading to the house across the street." Heero's voice came through the static. "Do what you need to in order to get a good position." I ripped off the hood and tossed it to the ground figuring it was just one more aggravation I didn't need distracting me., then studied the surrounds. The house across the street had a beautiful roof for playing on. There were several levels of the three-story house that I could choose from, but a dormer on the second story was absolutely perfect. By the time I climbed up there though, I was cursing myself for being so damned out of shape. Too much clubbing and drugging and not enough running and working out. It had been quite a while since I'd lifted my own ass up so far, and vacationing on a couch most of winter with a bum leg had softened me up. I lay down with my rifle and got comfortable before I started looking through the scope. I cranked the volume back up on the radio to notify Heero of my status first. "In position, holding." I gave him a precise location. "Hn." Next, I called out to Prior, wanting him to fill me in on what was happening. "He thinks he has some kind of immunity from criminal prosecution because he's a representative," Prior said. "Where did you go?" "I'm watching," I said. "Wing, has Sand got locals on the way?" I asked. "I can't get his line up on this radio thing." "Yes, they are already on the ground, heading toward your location. They're going to move everyone away from your immediate vicinity. I don't see Gunter or Tamer. Their car pulled around back. Sand notified everyone not to arrest or hold them. That's for later." He broke away. "Can you see your target?" Prior keyed the radio a few times and I peered through the scope. I could see him directly in front of the count on the other side of the room. I keyed my radio. "Do not stand directly in front of the target. Move away from the window." "He's talking, stand down," Prior said. I lay there in position and watched the scene as it unfolded across the street as I listened to the locals moving people out of and away from the house I was on. One of them must have been from the constabulary. I wished now that I'd contacted him earlier. It would have been nicer to talk to him than Prior. Heero's voice came through the radio telling me that the area was clear, and I relaxed even more. Thirty minutes after Prior's statement to stand down, his voice came back through the radio. I could see the count with the gun pointed at his own head. "Take the shot, but just wound him if possible. The boy is clear," Prior said. I raised my eyebrows at that. I don't shoot to wound; I shoot to kill. Still, to see the bastard's face making front page news as the biggest pervert on the continent, well, the thrill of killing him wouldn't compete with the joy of ruining his life. I turned off the radio so I wouldn't be interrupted. I could see the count's finger outside of the trigger guard and instead of aiming at the man, I set my aim for the gun. I shot and the gun flew in pieces from his hand. I could see agents moving toward him from across the room. Prior stepped up to the window, his fingers examining the perfect hole in the glass. He was staring my way and pointing to his radio, so I turned my back on. "What now?" I asked. "I don't think I want to know where you came from before you came to us," Prior's voice said quietly through the radio. I ignored him, shut off the radio, and unloaded the rifle. I took my time getting off the roof, and then I headed back to Heero, knowing that we couldn't be seen anywhere near here. I collected the hood on my way back to the car. There would be cameras and news crews here soon, if they weren't already parked up the street. I picked up my speed at that thought and ran faster. I opened the door and Heero looked at me and smiled. I moved the seat and put away the rifle and hood, took off the vest and stowed everything away before climbing into the passenger seat. I moved over towards Heero and leaned in. "Good shot," he chuckled. "Yeah." I brushed my lips against his. "Hope they don't figure out who we really are—Prior and Bauer, I mean. I shut off the radio when I was lining up the shot. Didn't turn it back on." "I hate to tell you, but after you took that shot tonight, everyone pretty much guessed," Heero said quietly. "You took a shot at nearly two hundred yards, in the dark, took out a handgun in a three inch proximity to the guy's hand without shooting his hand off. The shot also went through glass, which deflected the trajectory. That's an almost impossible shot." "It's not impossible Heero. You just have to know how to figure it. The scope also had night vision and the room was lit up by a lamp or two, so it wasn't completely dark." I nudged him with my shoulder. "So easy a caveman could do it." Heero exploded in laughter, releasing the tension he'd been holding in all night. "Jimmy is out, Heero," I said with satisfaction. He nodded and smiled. "Yes, Duo, he is." I sat back as Heero's cell phone rang. He looked down at the caller ID before he answered it. "It's Quatre." "Let me," I said, reaching for the phone. Heero drove and I conversed. "Hey! Yeah, it's me. Yeah, Jimmy's out, but no sign of Tro..." "I know," Quatre said calmly. "He called me from Gunter's house. He's there. Gunter's put him in charge of watching the boys for tonight. Gunter dropped him off then was on his way to pick up Jimmy, got a phone call, and ran out in a hurry, he said. Trowa's already talked to the boys about the transmitters and hidden them around the room, just in case someone tries to move them. Congratulations, Duo." "Just doing the job. Couldn't have done it without you and 'Ro." Jimmy and Pascal were both safe. I knew it had just begun, but doing something felt good, real good, and having Heero here with me seemed real good, too. Oh, and to top it off, Gunter called and canceled our dinner. Well, I guess me and my buds would have to go out and celebrate something real this time.
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