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"The Heist "Written 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, male/male pairings, language Pairings: 1x2x1 Summary: Duo's planning a robbery, considering a reality TV show, and falling for the man who can lock him up for good. Can his friends help him? Can he help himself? A/N: This story takes place in a universe more
like ours today, where the colonies exist on land, not in space, and
where the world is on the cusp of change. Thanks goes to Waterlily
for her tireless editing and thoughtful suggestions throughout. "The Heist " Chapter 17 - Pseudo Psychometry A/N: In the realm of magic trickery, Pseudo Psychometry is known as a type of mentalism routine where several spectators have items that are associated with them and the magician somehow identifies which item is owned by which person. The ride took Duo and Heero all day, with a short stop for lunch, arriving in the vicinity of Milliardo's property in the heat of the late afternoon. The weather was much finer than what they'd left behind in damp Sanc: warm sunshine, cool ocean breezes mixing with an herbal mix of lavender from inland. The villa Embarcation de la Paix rose out of the rocks like a great warship. Ship of Peace. A call to their host and the gates opened automatically, and they purred on in, following the curving drive to a parking strip. Quatre greeted them with outstretched arms, but with a guarded look in Heero's direction. "You made it!" "Yep," Duo said, half daring his friend to deny them both access. "This is so nice!" Quatre said instead. "Is that a cat? She's beautiful! Can I hold her?" "You can try. She's a bit of a stray." Duo passed the basket of cat into his friend's welcoming arms. "Her name is Tiger," Heero said. "Oh, such a ferocious kitty cat!" Quatre teased. The threesome plus cat strode across a tiled patio, joining the group already seated under a covered outdoor eating area. Suddenly, the men at the table stopped arguing, went dead silent, and stared at them. (o) Everyone exchanged greetings, some warmer than others, especially where Heero was included. He hadn't expected a welcoming reception; he certainly hadn't expected to be included in this tightly managed club, and knew he had Duo to thank for the invitation. The others must have held Duo in such high esteem that their acceptance included Heero. He wanted Duo's admiration, mostly, but that meant impressing his close friends, so he planned to do everything he could to prove his worthiness. Tiger prowled the perimeter of the patio before succumbing to the warm brick, stretching full length by Heero's feet, and falling into a catnap. Refreshments appeared and an expectant stillness settled over them. Quiet, comfortable, but not serene. Duo tapped out a rhythm on the table, unable to contain his loose energy, but that didn't last long. He hopped to his feet and blurted out, "Heero's one of us, just so you know. He told me how he got to be Relena's guard and I believe him." Quatre had sent the empty cat basket down and now grabbed both Duo's hands. "I'm glad he told you. Milliardo was just now explaining to us that Heero was fighting for L1. How you were another colony fighter." Heero's eyes slid from Quatre's face to examine the faces of everyone present. "I see." What he saw wasn't strongly positive, what he considered to be a level one acceptance, a beginning. It was up to him to take it to the next level, which made him smile just a little. "This is beautiful," Heero said, looking around until he fixed his gaze on the taller, older man, his host, seated across the table from him. Mill held him in a steely, Nordic gaze, and then smiled and gave him a nearly imperceptible nod. Go ahead. "It doesn't make sense. Who would bring an enemy combatant into the elite corps?" Trowa commented. "I would." Mill raised a hand. "It was not a particularly noble time for me, I'm afraid. I was depressed and drank too much." Wufei pressed his hand. Duo thought he revealed more understanding in his dark eyes than he had ever seen him show before. His friend was in love, he decided, really and truly in love. "I retained valuable contacts after the war, and was fortunate to be able to reward Heero with ever improving positions in the Sanc military, and hiding Heero's war activity." Quatre cleared his throat. "That's all in the past now, a past that we should leave buried, to give everyone a fresh start, all right?" No one objected and there were several gestures of approval. "You said you didn't want to be a king," Duo said, not ready to drop every sensitive topic. "That was true; I still don't." The prince looked around for a member of his staff. "Champagne for everyone, please," he requested. "Relena and I have an agreement that the rule will pass to her and from there to the other governing bodies, once everything is in place. Then she will become a figurehead with very little power left to wield. The most critical part, once I learned about the New Alliance plans to take control, was to keep Sanc's treasures out of their hands. Here we are. A toast!" They all stood with him, glasses upraised. "To Sanc! To the colonies! To friendship!" And again, the tension eased from the group now that the misunderstandings and ill-will were banked. Everyone felt they could speak more freely with Heero one of the players on their team. "So, I suspected Duo was behind something...and as more and more events overlapped, I was certain something was afoot. So, Quatre, what did you do?" Heero asked. Duo beat him to the answer. "He was in league from the beginning, even before I was involved, right Quat?" "Guilty as charged!" The young man stood and took a little bow. "But I won't give away all my secrets, so don't ask me to." Heero glared. "So, you didn't take anything? Just mastermind the heist and help the princess pack? Pack... wait!" Heero frowned as he thought hard. "What did you pack besides clothes?" Quatre smiled, looking pleased that Heero had figured out so much. "Stock and bonds and crowns." He laughed aloud. "But it was crucial to get Princess Relena safely to my sister's estate." "If I'd known what was going on, I could have helped," Heero said sadly. "I'm so sorry, Heero, but not knowing where your affiliations lay, I couldn't take that chance." "Let bygones be bygones," Duo said. Quatre wasn't through apologizing, though. "Still, it was necessary that Heero didn't know what was going on, because I didn't know whose side he'd fought on. I did know that Relena would turn to him, her trusted bodyguard, first off if she learned an attack was imminent, and inadvertently spoil everything. I stopped her, so don't blame her, Heero. If there's anyone to blame, it's me, and I'm very sorry. I trust you now, of course." Heero wasn't holding grudges. "Don't worry about it." "I told her that plan just before we left, with the Governor of L2 at hand. He brought us the proof of Khushrenada's involvement." "I want to hear more about that someday." Quatre smiled impishly. "Someday." "You can tell him how you got me involved with AOK," Duo said. "The only way to force Khushrenada's hand was to set him up, so when he came to me with what at the time was a TV documentary idea, I thought immediately of Duo." "Thanks, man." "I knew you'd take his idea and run with it." "Grow it into a monster, is what I did," Duo grumbled. The sun hammered down on the stone and the men moved into the deeper shade of the trees and canvas umbrellas. "All right, do I get to find out where the wealth of Sanc has gone?" Heero said. "You have one hour, and then I'm going swimming," Trowa said. Duo folded his hands behind his head and studied the clouds, white and towering, sharp against the clear sky. "Maybe a thunderstorm by late afternoon," he forecasted. "I thought it didn't rain here in summer." "It won't," Mill told him. "Those are just for show, for un artiste peintre, a fine painter." "Who's going to start telling me where the wealth of Sanc has gone?" Heero repeated. "Quatre Winner is keeping the securities safe-" Mill said. "And what about you, Wufei? Besides having your hands on the best art and who knows what else from the palace?" Heero urged. "Including the prince," Duo joked. That won him a dark glower from the serious Chinese man, but it also got him to answer Heero. Win-win! "Except for the actual crowns, Quatre took those, I have hidden the Crown Jewels. The real ones. I built crates with secret compartments to hide and protect them." He swatted at Mill's hand, which had been pulling loose strands of silky, black hair from the band at his neck. "Stop that!" "Remarkably heavy crates," Milliardo complained. "Reminds me, I have a sore shoulder that could use a massage." "I'll bet that's just the beginning!" Duo laughed, causing Mill to laugh along with him. Wufei's expression soured. "Such infantile behavior." "Where did you get them?" Heero asked, trying to pry Wufei's attention away from his boyfriend. "I never knew the ones on display were replicas until Duo explained it to me." "Some security," Trowa mumbled. "The real ones were in the treasury building. Duo's friend, Hilde, carried them out through a tunnel," Wufei told him. Trowa edged closer. "You might want to look over your maps." Heero gave him a stern look. "I will." "Now, don't start fights. We're all in this together, remember?" Quatre said. "You were in the treasury!" Heero concluded, looking at Trowa now. "I kept an eye out for you at the circus and never saw you once." "That's right." Trowa sat back, relaxed and glowing with self-confidence. "I stole the gold, so to speak." He flashed a toothy smile Heero's way like a taunt. Quatre huffed. "You two! I'll tell it then! It was Trowa's job to take out the gold reserve, carrying it by train out of the kingdom to Paris." "Paris- the time-honored host to governments in exile," Mill noted. "Yeah, I found a note in my pocket that directed me to...just a second...I got it here. It says: 'bury the loot in the TK memorial rose garden, Paris.' I assume that's here on your property?" Trowa asked Milliardo. "Yes. It's the safest place I know. Although I expect a few bars will make their way into the circus coffers. Oh, don't be coy." "I'm not!" Trowa declared, blushing and looking even more bashful than before. "I thought about skimming a little off the top, but I haven't." "How honorable you are!" "Shut up! Are you telling me that it's still on the train? For anyone to steal?" Heero cried out. "It's impossible to find," Trowa said. "I guarantee it." "So can I and I can promise you that because there's an around-the-clock armed guard aboard," Mill assured them all. "My hand picks." "Your men?" Heero asked warily. "Not Sanc military. Mercenaries?" "White Fang. They loaded the train and have secured it, and will continue to stand guard nearby after it is buried." "White Fang," Heero repeated. "That's fine then." "And now that you and Duo are here," Trowa said, "You can help us hide the cash reserves. Digging holes is hard work." "We can do that," Heero said. "Give them a chance to digest, first!" Quatre said, signaling Heero return to his seat. "Trowa, you are being awful!" His adoring smile said the opposite, though. "Yeah, bro'," Duo said in a sleepy voice. "Don't push us into hard labor just yet. I haven't even tested the pool." "Then why don't you regale us with your story?" Trowa asked. "Oh, it was nothing. Mine is the story of false jewels and a reality TV show heist, which was really just a decoy for all real stuff we were doing." "You did one thing I hadn't planned for that made everything turn out right in the end." "What's that?" he asked the mastermind. Quatre rolled his eyes. "Duo! You asked me to invite Solo Solomon, the governor of L2, to the going away party." "You know the governor of L2?" Heero asked, clearly surprised. "Oh, yeah, I know everybody!" Duo crowed. Wufei returned the conversation to the subject. "How was inviting that man important?" "You mean besides distracting Relena enough to drag her attention off of his boyfriend?" Trowa guessed. Milliardo let out an audible gasp. "God, I hadn't thought he'd done that on purpose!" he said. "Good for you, Duo." Heero agreed, but he didn't say so. He'd reward his clever boyfriend later. He simply couldn't stop grinning. "Did you know," Quatre went on, clearly having more fun telling Duo's story than Duo, "that he and Solo grew up together and that Duo never, ever used that connection to his benefit? Solo told me. And what's more, he brought the proof of Khushrenada's involvement in the New Alliance as well as other OZ sympathizers." Quatre stopped to give Duo a hug. "When he received my invitation, it was great timing, he said, which was why he delivered the proof personally. He hadn't counted on the princess being so personable and attractive, though. And she is just as taken by him. I expect they'll have an interesting future together." With a little prompting from both Duo and Quatre, Heero took out the envelope Relena had given him and shared the contents with the others. There was nothing new, except the revelations where it was explained the Khushrenada front for the New Alliance take over. "Mr. Treize Khushrenada, producer for the AOK Broadcasting Company-" "Hold it!" Duo yelled over Heero. "AOK! That stands for Alliance OZ Khushrenada-am I right?" "Damn, now it just seems obvious," Trowa groaned. "It wasn't," Heero said. He rubbed his temples. "I thought Duo was the criminal element to keep an eye on, while the worst offender was Khushrenada." Quatre placed a hand on Duo's arm. "We all know you are a better man than you pretend to be." Milliardo had returned to monitor the news feeds on his computer and noticed something of interest. "You won't believe this!" "What?" Wufei was first to Mill's side. "I'm getting several stories related to the reality show. Here's a headline: Khushrenada furious. Let's see... Reality show with working title of 'The Heist' has been the talk of the town." "What town do you think?" Trowa asked. "Not Sanc," Duo answered. "Blah, blah...oh, here: Features a ringleader and his team of specialists-it doesn't give names, which is a good thing, I think. There's more: revolves around the planning and actual carrying out of a robbery... highlight centered on the robbery of the Sanc Palace." "So, what's the news in that?" Duo groused. "Sounds like a promo material." "I'm scanning another story. All right, here we go: New reality show plagued with problems." Duo barked a laugh. "They don't know problems!" "Ringleader leaves the booty and disappears... Not enough video for an entire season! Show is cancelled." "Cancelled? Whatta loada crap! They weren't ever gonna make a show." "What else does the story say?" Heero asked. "Do they give any other reasons for cancelling?" Wufei had been reading ahead over Mill's shoulder, and answered, "Yes, they do. Very interesting." "So, tell us!" Trowa said, voice raised. "I will. Be patient! So, apparently some mogul at the top with the imaginative name of Lady Une- number one, get it?- was annoyed because the show 'glorified criminals'. I don't know if she was referring to the robbers or the New Alliance taking the palace," Wufei said with a sly smile. "Whatta joke! Of course it's about that, it's a robbery!" Duo threw an arm over his eyes and leaned back. Trowa patted his head, grinning, and crooned, "Don't cry." "Fuck off!" Duo's words lacked vehemence and his swinging arm only managed to knock the offending hand away. Milliardo straightened his back and flipped the bangs out of his eyes. "Breaking news! " All heads turned his way, poised to listen. Trowa crossed his fingers and Heero could hear Duo whisper a prayer for Sanc. "Troops from the L2 colony are leading the United Colony and Earth Sphere peacekeeping forces to remove the New Alliance from the sovereign city-state of Sanc, should the situation necessitate it." "Kick ass, Solo!" Duo cheered. "In a statement from Governor Solomon," Milliardo cast a smile at Duo from over his shoulder. "That is quite some connection you have, Duo." "The man's got balls," Trowa admitted. "Keep reading!" Heero ordered. "Where was I? Oh, here: 'Sanc is the first step. If we let Sanc fall into NA control, so shall we all follow like dominos in a line! Today, it is the capital city and Sanc's palace, a symbol of peace everywhere, that is under siege. Tomorrow, may bring the fighting to your own doorstep, if we don't bring an end to this now, with no blood shed.'" "Hopefully, no blood shed," Wufei said. "So putting two and two together, that Lady Une character was probably trying to cover her ass by cancelling the show and backing away from a too-hot-to-handle situation." "Yeah, she's trying to save the company more embarrassment," Trowa said. Quatre, as bubbly as his drink said, "We did it! Your robbery worked, Duo; it saved Sanc! Stealing the crown jewels under the pretense of making a reality show would have allowed Khushrenada to acquire a great deal of wealth for the NA and blame it on you." "They coulda tried! Good ole Solo! He sure called them on the carpet for starting a takeover." Duo glowed with pride. "And you switched out the treasures for fakes so they wouldn't have gotten away with it no matter what!" Quatre added. "So, is Sanc occupied at all?" Wufei asked. "I'm trying to find out. There's no report that it is. All the movie crew has been arrested and their videos confiscated by the peacekeeping forces. Ah, this is it. Since Khushrenada's team was merely the precursor of the main forces, and the aim of getting the treasure was pretty much spoiled, it seems The New Alliance is not entering Sanc." "No one killed." "Not a one." The breeze rustled the leaves of the aged olive trees, renewing the scent of thyme and lavender and mixing it with a briny tang. The six men gazed out over the cliffs to the deep blue sea beyond. A heavenly, peaceful view. "Am I the only one thinking about the pool?" Trowa asked. "No," his new lover remarked without moving an inch. "A swim would be delicious right now." "Yeah, now that we know our country's not being invaded," Duo said, "we can kick back for a little holiday." "For a day," Wufei remarked. "Remember, many of us have our roles in the resistance back at our home colonies. Oh!" He found himself dragged onto Mill's lap. "At this stage, darling, I believe all of you are more valuable as fundraisers for the cause than as fighters." "Well, I don't think one mission-" The rest of what Wufei had been about to say was lost in a passionate kiss, Mill demonstrating his skills at diplomacy, avoiding confrontation, and at silencing the opposition. "Thank God," Trowa said. "The man was bringing down the party." "Yeah." Duo nodded, sympathetic. He snagged a few carrot sticks and munched as he wandered over to where Quatre and Heero were searching for more relevant news stories. "Can we take a break yet?" "I think so." Quatre turned from the screen. "I'd say that congratulations are in order, although we haven't all been identified, it won't be long before we are being vaulted to fame as the heroes of Sanc for saving the wealth of the Sanc Kingdom from the New World Alliance. That implies, of course, that we do return it all, promptly." "The sooner the better. I'd rather not dig holes to hide it, if I don't have to." Trowa touched a finger to his brow in his own salute. "Here's to us!" A chorus of male voices shouted, "Champagne!" and more glasses were raised in celebration. "The fact that I can't walk straight is not keeping me from that pool," Trowa said. Quatre draped over his lap probably was, temporarily. Leaning on Heero with Tiger tucked between them on the ground and an idyllic view, should have put Duo in a great mood. Heero could tell something was bothering the subdued man. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked. Duo drew a deep, deep breath. "So, I'm fired, I guess. I've never been fired from a job. Man that is so messed up. I didn't get all that was coming to me either, what the contract promised! Standard 20 grand per person plus a daily budget. Now, I'm gonna be depressed." "It'll all work out." Heero squirmed to make more room for the cat. "I should return the videos I took." "What was that?" Duo asked. "I have something that might cheer you up," Heero said. "Can't you find a more private spot for...that?" Wufei asked. "I wasn't thinking of... whatever you're implying." "No, stop, 'Ro. I heard you. What about videos?" Heero pulled out disc from the inner pocket of his jacket. "I have the video feed from your heist. Want to see it?" "Yes!" They all did. Their host called for a large-screen monitor to be brought out, while everyone pulled up their chairs. Heero explained how he had collected all the surveillance recordings before leaving. "I didn't want them to be damaged in case there is evidence of the invasion. Then I noticed the camera coming off the roof and understood what it had been recording. I convinced the cameraman he wanted to keep his body parts more than the video, and he turned it over to me." "Can everyone see?" Milliardo asked, adjusting the monitor so everyone could get a clear look, and then inserted the disc. They watched as Duo slipped on the roof, and then caught himself. "Sloppy, Maxwell. I taught you better," Trowa chastised him lightly. "It was wet!" "Oh look at him grin!" Quatre said, then laughed. "You are such a ham, Duo!" They gasped when he hung in space. "How many floors up were you?" Wufei asked. "Too many," he replied. They watched as he began his descent. Wufei told him, "I bet that isn't as easy as it looks." "You know it." The rest of the video played out, giving them a good laugh when Duo took Heero's call concerning Hilde. "I had no idea," Heero said. Duo's image filled his pack with the replica treasures. "Nice backpack," Mill pointed out. "Hilde carried an identical one. I had them made to my design. I think I could make a living designing carrier bags." "You should," Duo agreed. "You could hire me to model them and do quality testing." He sighed deeply. "Are you sorry to miss out on your TV career?" Heero asked him. "Nah, too much trouble and preparation." "Worse than that," Trowa said. "Worse? Don't make it worse, bubba!" Duo wailed in mock injury. He startled Tiger when he dropped to the ground and rolled over her tail. "Ach! Cat attack!" Heero leaned closer to Trowa and asked what he meant. "If the media starts posting shots of him, and there must be shots of you, Duo, from other videos- tucked-in and out-of-sight braid or not- then, yeah, it's the end of Duo "Fingers" Maxwell in Sanc." After that pronouncement, Trowa wrapped his arms over his chest. "Sorry." The combination of champagne, the heat, and fresh air worked its magic. Lethargy was taking over. Fighting it, Duo stood, walked over to where Quatre was standing, staring out to sea. Duo stretched his arms over his head. "You know. I'd rather be a hero." Heero embraced him from behind and nuzzled into his hair by an ear. "One 'Heero' is enough, I think." He got an elbow in the ribs for his joke, but he could feel the suppressed laughter coming from his lover and knew he'd lifted his mood. "When we go back to Sanc," Milliardo said. "I can assure you, both of you- Duo and Trowa- positions in the Elite guard. I want men in the palace Relena can count on for protection." Trowa shrugged grandly. "I may be retiring from the workplace." "Thank you for the generous offer," Quatre said quickly, always politic and polite. "He and I will discuss our future and let you know our decision, if you don't mind?" "I'd expect that. And you, Duo?" "Ditto-'Ro and I got some talking to do, but I can tell you, it sounds like an offer I can't refuse. Except...I ain't sleeping like a monk in those barracks!" "No," Mill chuckled into a hand, "I suppose a few rules will need to change. Take your time making a decision." Trowa threw back the dregs of his drink and gathered himself to stand close to the blond mastermind. "We should do this more often," Quatre commented. His shimmering blue eyes settled on the circus man and he smiled. Stirred by the breeze, his soft, golden hair fell across his face- radiance like the sun. "Yeah," Trowa drawled, then he added in a whisper, "But first, I'd like to sink my cock into your brilliance." Quatre's expression indicated he wasn't opposed to the idea. He gave a self-conscious chuckle, saying, "You are drunk, aren't you?" His look of relief conveyed a feeling of "about time." "It's fortunate that you can afford fine champagne," Mill commented. "I find it essential when seducing those with a taste for the finer things in life." "Is that so?" Wufei mumbled as if he were waking out of a doze. "Good intentions has to count for something, my dear, right?" Wufei's face showed exactly what it counted for. "Very good." Milliardo called for more champagne, but his staff had retreated to the cooler building. He retrieved the champagne from the ice bucket, held the cork, and twisted the bottle slowly until the air hissed out. He filled a glass, then another, then another until Wufei walked over and he gave one to him, poured one for himself. "Oh, I forgive you for making such ridiculous asser...asser-" Wufei's tongue stuck, apparently slowed by an excess of alcohol. "Assertions?" Mill prompted him. "Or do you wish to amend that further?" "Claims." Wufei pretended to ignore his boyfriend's fingers loosening the tie from his hair and handed the brimming glasses to each of his friends. He shook out the slick hair and clicked his glass to the taller man's. "To you and me, Mill, and all our hero friends," he said. It was terrific champagne, complex with depth and roundedness, dry as the air and with the finest bubbles, as the Chinese man knew it would be- everything about his lover he'd discovered was high quality. He'd never feel cheated. "To heroes and reformed criminals alike!" Milliardo called out. "To us!" About which they could all find something to celebrate. "Now, my reward." Milliardo swung a complaining Wufei off his feet and carried him into the house. "Oh, what the hell," Trowa groaned. "Just throw me in the pool. I'm going to be too drunk to swim." "Come with me, then." Quatre took him by the hand and led him away. Before they had gone two steps, Trowa tugged him to the side. "Changing room's this way." "I haven't anything to change into!" Trowa must have said something with his eyes or a whispered word, because Quatre colored pink. "Oh, well, it's so small a room." Despite the accommodations, Quatre followed Trowa's lead this time. "How much more room do they need?" Duo asked Heero, laughing. Heero stared into his eyes. "We've got the entire lawn to ourselves. Is that sufficient for you?" "You, me, the lawn... maybe a towel or two-what could be better?" Meow! "One less cat?" We have reached THE END. Thank you for staying with me. I hope you enjoyed The Heist and found the story entertaining! You've been lovely readers. - KS
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