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"Alternative Directions: Options "Written By: Karina Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the lovely
boys and their girls in the series. Wish I did. Please don't sue me.
I haven't even got a brass razoo to give you. Rating: Deffinately PG in Australia, at the moment,
but probably safer to say R for later chapters. Not sure about international
ratings Warnings: It will be 6x2, even though it does
not start out that way. After all, Zechs and Duo never met in Gundam
Wing and only spoke briefly over a com line in Endless Waltz. I've
tried to keep them in character as I saw them in the series. A bit
of language creeping in under stressful conditions. Pairings: eventual 6x2, past 2xH, 2+H,6x9, 1+R
Summary: Directions is set post Endless Waltz
and roughly 2 years have passed. Zechs and Noin are on Mars and Duo,
after spending some time with Hilde in a relationship leaves L2 to
join Preventers. Hilde was not happy about his decision. I guess enough
said. Here t'is, and I hope you like it. This is also AU for the standard
setting, as well as the series and Endless Waltz. Spoilers: Gundam Wing Series and Endless Waltz Many thanks to ShenLong for volunteering to beta this. //... // thoughts
"Alternative Directions: Options" Chapter 192 2nd March AC 198 New Port City, Sanc Palace Time: 14:30 Wu Fei Some things in life were seriously underrated, usually the simple things. Things taken for granted as every day occurrence. Mundane, routine things. A hot shower was one of the most under appreciated pleasures the human body could ever experience, of that Wu Fei had no doubt. The simple pleasure to be found in taking a hot shower; the hot water rolling in a free flowing cascade over chilled aching flesh, for example. Of course the water had not been hot, merely lukewarm, but to his chilled frame it had been blissfully hot and chased some of the cold from him. The true pleasure though, had been the warmth and utter luxury of a bed. Admittedly, he had been exhausted to the point that a plank of wood would have been comfortable to his failing body, but it had not been a plank he had found waiting for him in his assigned quarters. It was a wide bed with a firm, well padded mattress and a blessedly thick eiderdown in which to snuggle up under. He did not want to move, not ever again, and he could ignore a full bladder. Naked from the shower, dried by soft thick towels that he had taken directly from a warming rail, he had thought only of the one thing remaining to make his life complete. Falling into that wonderful bed and allowing himself to fall deeper into exhausted sleep. It had been the highlight of a most disagreeable day. Waking in the warmth and comfort the bed generated was almost a decadent contentment. He pulled the eiderdown tighter about his shoulders and rubbed his cheek into the pillow. He was so warm he could purr like a contented cat, and there was no one to witness his weakness; no one to see that Chang Wu Fei could be weak enough to snuggle. One dark eye peered out from an untidy nest of black hair. The room was dark, heavy curtains closed over the windows and insulating the room from the chill of the outside world. Though he could see nothing of the weather beyond the palace, he could hear the continued wail of the wind. Listening intently for a few minutes, unable to contemplate the idea of moving at the moment, he determined the wind might not be so fierce as earlier in the day. He would request a tropical assignment from Une for the inconvenience of this assignment and blissfully bake himself in heat at the first opportunity. Did he need to get up? Aching bladder aside, did he need to get out of bed and face the trials of the day? It was a question he needed to face and it was with no conscious thought that he found his hand grasping the eiderdown more firmly and his body shifted deeper into the nest he had made for himself. No, his body at least was not enamoured of the idea of leaving the warmth of his bed. To leave that warmth would be to acknowledge the idea of going out, yet again, into the frigid conditions and working at perpetrating a lie. Why should he leap out of bed to advance a lie; a deception? He was the lead investigator on a crack investigative team looking into the terrorist activities of a newly emerging group bent on forcing their will on the free people of the ESUN. He hunched in on himself. It was all a lie. Smoke and mirrors designed to distract from another deception. Was everything in life deception? Was this what he had fought for? What his clan had died for? For him to perpetrate a lie? There was no terrorist organization. There was no person involved in terrorism in this case for him to investigate; it was nothing more than an elaborate sham. A hoax designed by Lady Une to distract the press and the people from something happening in the vastness of space, on another planet. It was fake. He was part of this lie and he did not like it. By nature he was honest, not a liar, and he did not approve of this elaborate deception. It was not as though he owed anything to Marquise, who undoubtedly had brought about mayhem and death to innocents on that distant planet. The man was a curse upon humanity; wherever he went he brought mayhem and chaos. Did Chang Wu Fei wish to be a part of this cover up? No, he did not. Why then should he abandon the warmth of this nest which separated him from the harsh reality of life? No, he did not want to abandon his warmth and face a world full of lies. He had been taught it was dishonourable to lie and to deceive others; and to lie to so many… To the entire world?! For what? Because a woman who had been crazy in the past said it was for the best? He was crazy himself to have agreed to this farce. He was not even certain it would do any good to follow this elaborate scheme to its conclusion. She had been Treize Khushrenada' s assistant; his assassin. Her hands were far from clean, and her sanity had to be brought back into question by this deception. Could he trust her? Could he really place his trust in her and her decisions when he had no real understanding of exactly what they were doing and, more importantly, why it was necessary? Dare he trust Lady Anne Une? Given her past did he dare to trust his life to her? Why was she acting as she was? There had appeared to be no love between Marquise and Une, so why should she bother with such an elaborate charade? It was entirely possible she might turn on him and expose
him as the `terrorist' responsible for the destruction of her home
and the attack on the palace. It was possible she could betray him,
setting him up as the scapegoat. It would serve to get the ESUN off
her own back and have him targeted and running from them. He would be certain to take her down with him. Publically, messily and thoroughly. One did not bring the name of Chang into disrepute and expect to avoid the consequences. So, did he dare continue with this deception? It was not necessary the farce continue in light of the appearance of this so named Station Alliance. He had chanced to observe a news report before falling into an exhausted sleep. The news on all stations would be full of the appearance of this new faction headed by a supposed Khushrenada. Had any of the political commentators yet floated the idea of the Station Alliance being responsible for the terrorist activities now taking place within Sanc's borders? Someone was sure to make such a supposition, and they would be sure not to keep the idea to themselves. It would not be long before the media would be slavering over the idea. Who would bother wondering what was occurring on Mars when there was the potential for a hostile space bound organization opposing the ESUN? And they would be innocent! What would Une do about that if it happened? The fears of another Operation Meteor would rise, the politicians would begin to circle, testing the waters, forming little clusters of alliances with differing dynamics; none of them so peacefully inclined as they currently were. Politicians with ambitions would be looking to rise higher in the world order. Given some of the newly elected members were from factions in power during the war, it would come as no surprise to him when they began to talk of building weapons to defend the Earth and the colonies from this unknown alliance. An Alliance who had nothing to do with the terrorist attack on the Sanc Palace, or on the home of Preventer Earth. He would have to prove their innocence or chance starting the wars all over again. War, surely, Une would not chance recurring? Where did they come from? What were their intentions? Just who were these people who professed to be an Alliance? They could be a few people in an obscure room with no followers and delusions of grandeur… or they could indeed head an organization of thousands, as they had suggested, who might be capable of fielding an army. Was their leader really a Khushrenada? That was possibly the most important question of many to be answered. Treize Khushrenada had made quite the impression as the World Sovereign defending the planet from White Fang. The very name Khushrenada held power. A power Dekim Barton had already sought to use. Power this Christian Khushrenada might well seek to take advantage of. Was it coincidence his name was Khushrenada, or was it by design? Was he nothing more than a figurehead, or did he actually hold power? Was he a tame sheep held in place by sheep dogs, or was he a wolf prowling after the sheep? //We are spread too far apart.// We. The Gundam Pilots. Not that they had mobile suits any more, but they had fought together in the past, and he strangely could not think of fighting a war that might shake the world they knew without them to defend his back. //Maxwell and Barton are in space. Winner and Yuy are somewhere out in this blizzard, Ancestors knows where exactly. They might be stuck in a snow drift, frozen to death for all I know.// A fate he would not wish on anyone. Exposed to the elements as he had been, he knew just how cold and lonely a death it would have been. He clutched the eiderdown tightly to him, half rolling to draw it tighter to his body, a psychological reaching for warmth. He was making himself cold just by thinking about the weather and being trapped in its icy grasp. He ran a bare foot over his calf muscle testing to make certain he could feel all of his toes before trading foot and calf to be sure he had a full ten to the count. It was stupid, of course. If he had suffered frostbite and lost a toe or three he would have woken in a hospital, not in what was recognizably a room in the palace. A room he had used before. He would have been assigned a room in the quarters that housed security personnel, where there was always room for any additional personnel assigned to cater to the degree of security required on a daily basis for Relena's activities. He really needed to relieve himself… and he was well aware that he was awake. He was not going to get back to sleep. His mind was beginning to run at a mile a minute, and if he was to function at all he would need to control his thoughts, and the best way to acquire that control was to employ a little meditation. Meditation would require he shift his sorry arse out of his nice warm nest and if he did that… The day would begin again, filled with working on a lie perpetrated because it pleased Preventer Earth to deceive the entire ESUN. He could not work to his efficient best knowing it was a farce. He would make a mistake and give away his knowledge of the incidents. Someone would be certain to notice, ask questions, dig until they revealed the deception. It would serve no one if he panicked. Such would only reveal all to the world, and he would have to continue with the charade. To control what was known and surmised and believed by others, he would have to continue and perpetrate the lie. But he would take her down with him if she betrayed his part in the deception. He could not feel less like taking part in the investigation, but he was committed. With a disgruntled snarl Wu Fei flung the eiderdown from him and swung his feet to the floor. The carpet reassured him of what he already knew; that he had ten toes, five to each foot and they were just as they should be. At least the price of deceit did not involve the loss of his feet. Small compensation to the weight on his honour. He began his day by relieving his screaming bladder and retreating into the shower. The water was near to scalding and he luxuriated in the heat before moderating the temperature a little and washing his hair. He took the time to inspect every part of his body, seeking any indication he might have sustained an injury during his terrorist activities, particularly during his stumbling around in the snow. There were a few bruises, courtesy of his sojourn in the woods seeking the place where the `terrorist' had fired on the palace. He had a witness who could explain those bruises though, so he was not concerned. Insane as it had been insisting he be shown the possible attack site, it had served to place him in the area legitimately if the boffins in forensics should chance to come up with DNA evidence which would point squarely to him. He sported a dark and furious looking bruise on one leg and wondered when he had achieved that, but it would not hamper his activities. Considering the bruise on his shin he suddenly remembered bright hair and flashing eyes and caught sight of his blush in the mirror. That simply would not do. He could not afford to be distracted by a pretty face when his freedom was reliant on his keeping alert. He was supposed to be the consummate professional, he heard his co workers comment on it often enough and he would not permit himself to fall the way of too many before him. Becoming involved on a personal level was a distraction he could not afford in his line of work. He thought he might even be able to convince himself of that, and anyway, the chances of him seeing that particular woman again were practically nonexistent. He certainly would not pursue her, and it was in his power to do more than simply look for her in order to initiate another meeting. With his access to the Preventers records department he could find out every detail there was to know about her and… What did he think he was doing, following this line of thought? He was not a stalker and he would not turn into one. That was what taking note of a pretty face, and a prettier set of eyes, did to a man. It made him stupid. Finding a change of clothing hanging in the wardrobe and underwear in a drawer, Wu Fei dressed, trying every distraction he could think of to stop his thoughts from wandering back to forbidden territory. He was a Preventer Agent, a professional and he had other things to concern himself with. Like Lady Une. Yes, Une. He distinctly recalled the woman saying she would fully brief him when he awoke. Well, he was awake, he was dressed and he needed distracting, so why was he still in the bedroom? He was not lurking, he was not avoiding the necessities of the moment and look, he was striding purposefully down the hallway and turning the corner and… "Mr. Chang. Lady Une is in the Green Room, if you are ready to return to your duties." Damn! How did the old man succeed in sneaking up on him? He was a Gundam Pilot, for the love of the Ancestors! He was a trained fighter, taught to notice everything about him in the interests of survival, so why had he not noticed the old man lurking in the hallway? Had he jumped? He sincerely hoped not. That would not do. It was not turning out to be a good...afternoon? What time was it anyway? How long had he slept? He had not thought to look at the clock in his room, too focused as he was on getting about his business. "Pagan. What time is it?" "Approaching three o'clock, sir. If you would kindly make your way to the Green Room, I shall have some food sent in for you." "Thank you, that would be appreciated. Has there been any word on Yuy and Winner?" The old man looked concerned as he shook his head. "No, sir, there has been no communications between Miss Relena's party and palace security." He scowled, not liking that silence, but communications was sketchy because of the interference of the storm. Until repairs could be made on the transmission towers what more did he expect? He was sure he recalled someone saying something about they had lost one of the communications towers above the city. "Has the storm finished?" Stupid question, he could hear the wind howling beyond the walls of the building, even in this internal corridor, but perhaps the snow had stopped falling and the emergency services might be able to clear the roads making travel easier. "It has eased somewhat, sir. The snow ploughs are operating and repair crews are working on the telephone lines and the communications tower." "You know the weather in this area, Pagan. Is the storm over, or is this only a lull?" It was best to gather what intelligence one could from the locals and Pagan had been born and reared in Sanc. Wu Fei was hoping the answer would be yes and he could look forward to warm, dry feet for a change. "The worst, I believe, is over, sir. We may get a little more snow yet, but the wind has abated somewhat and conditions are much improved. By morning I expect the weather will be clear, though moving around the country will be hindered by the extent of the damage done. I believe a number of modern buildings have taken considerable damage from the elements, though from what I have heard, no one was injured." "Thank you." He nodded in farewell and strode off, keeping his back stiff and straight, feeling the eyes on him. The efficient old man was likely to have the food arrive before he himself arrived, and he could not say such would not please him. He was rather hungry. And perhaps it was not Pagan watching him but someone else, but he would not turn around to look. In the palace someone was always watching and listening. It was just the way things were in the halls of power. Walls had both eyes to see and ears to hear, and one needed to recall where one was at all times. He hoped Lady Une had secured the Green Room against listeners, as it would not do to have eavesdroppers aware of the identity and nature of the terrorist threat now threatening the ESUN. "Afternoon, Chang. Have a seat." Oh, that old man was indeed efficient. A maid bobbed a curtsey to Lady Une and slipped out of the room leaving behind her a tray heavily laden with covered dishes, including a tea service for two. "Ma'am." A delicate hand wafted in the air in roughly the direction of the tray. "Eat. I'll be sending you out in the weather shortly and you could do with a little fortification before you are exposed to the elements once again." Oh joy. Another attempt to prune his feet by the measure of his toes. If she had rested there was little sign of it, though to be certain she did not look as though she was dead on her feet. In the past Une had displayed a tendency to not require rest as much as her agents; she was at headquarters at all hours of the day and night. She was efficient, imaginative and down right stubborn when pursuing an investigation and she demanded no less of her agents than she demanded of herself. He found beneath the cover a large bowl of steaming meat and vegetables in a rich gravy, with warm crusty bread as an accompaniment. It was hearty fair, designed by people who knew the climate and how to fortify the body against it. He was not about to go against the wisdom of the people who had lived in this extreme climate successfully for generations. Besides, his first taste informed him it was delicious. "There have been a number of developments, not the least of which is a number of calls from people whose names are on the death list." Her gaze caught and held his and he noted the way her eyes moved pointedly to a wall. It was likely they had listeners then and that meant the extent of the information he would receive, would, of necessity, be edited, which annoyed him as he wanted answers. He did not like working in the dark, but that seemed to be all he did recently. He needed to get the woman in a secured location and find out exactly what was happening. No information, or misinformation, could land him with the blame firmly on his back and he would not have it. "I have received a number of objections to the new security procedures in effect in light of the new threat. The most vocal of the objections coming from Senator Harrison. He is of the opinion his privately employed security detail is more than sufficient to deal with any perceivable threat from upstart terrorists. In short, he has refused a Preventer protection detail." "It is surely his right… and his funeral." Une arched an eyebrow and smothered the smirk, her lips giving a betraying twitch. Wu Fei decided she did not particularly care what the august Senator Harrison wanted and she would be only too pleased to see matters his way, however, she had a job to do and she must be seen to be doing it. Une would be bloody minded enough to insist the Senator lived with added security provided by Preventers and it was her head on the block should anything happen to the man. Not that anything would, given there were no actual terrorists. There would be no order for the terrorists to strike again so quickly. Demands had been made, a threat delivered on, and now there would be a pause for the authorities to consider matters and then negotiations would be entered into once more. No, there was no immediate threat as one must follow the natural procedure of these things. For now it was the time of the investigator and any self respecting terrorist would lie low and plot their next move. "On your way back into the city I want you to call by the Senator's estate and have a word with him. If he still will not see the benefits of agreeing to include Preventers in his security detail, request he forward his objections, in writing, to the ESUN Security Agency. I will not have Preventers called into doubt because one bull headed politician thinks he knows best." "There has been word of the Princesses party?" Une looked unhappy for a moment and shook her head, stretching her neck in an effort to relax stiffened muscles. "No, Mr. Chang, unfortunately there has not been word, but that is hardly surprising considering the weather conditions. If the weather continues to ease and the repair crews are efficient, I expect to have reasonable communications restored by tomorrow morning." "And this… Station Alliance? What has been decided there?" Surely she could slip him some information without alerting any listeners to their deception? "Not a great deal, however, I think it would be understood by the government that there must be some attempt made at negotiating with these people. Before one can deal effectively with someone, one must know what it is they want and it would be an advantage to know where they operate from. I can not see the government making rash or hasty decisions. If there has been word from the Sweepers as to the location of this meeting, it has not filtered down to me at this time. Communications due to the storm might be at fault for that… or it might be that there has been no word as yet. There could not have been a worse time for the storm to have hit and locked us down." Wu Fei nodded, that was the truth. The storm was causing all kinds of problems and it seemed that a good portion of the ESUN Council of Representatives was present in New Port City at this time. He doubted any decisions would be made in haste and a special sitting of the Council would undoubtedly be called to discuss the issue. Finishing the last of his meal and settling back with a content sigh, Wu Fei admitted to himself that he could not feel less like braving the storm again, but he had a job to do and he would do it, to the best of his considerable abilities. And he still wanted answers. Wu Fei caught the Lady's eye with a burning look and Une smiled, pouring tea with all the delicacy and poise of a Victorian Lady in her parlour. "I will be making my way to headquarters as soon as the roads are cleared. I believe the roads have been ploughed in the area of Senator Harrison's estate, so when you have finished your meal I suggest you attend to that matter first. I will shortly be departing for the city where I have a few meetings to attend and a briefing for the Council to conduct. I will want to see you as soon as you return to headquarters and for God's sake, Chang, return with either the idiot's signature on a piece of paper saying he does not want our protection, or the news that he's done a moonlight flit out of the country and spared me the headache of dealing with the Security Agency." Chang smirked. "I believe the Senator does not like Preventers." Une glared at no one in particular, staring into the fire. "He does not, and why that is I will never understand. It is not as though we had much in the way of dealings in the past, and nothing too notable there that I recall. Finish your tea, see Harrison and I will meet you back at headquarters. " "Yes, Ma'am. On my way through New Port City I shall call by your house to ascertain how it weathered the storm, and to check on how the forensic units have fared." "Good. Give my best regards to the Senator and assure him Preventers is on the case and we will hunt down the terrorists. Do stress that it would be expedient for him to accept our protection. If he insists on refusing then request he forward his objections, if he has not already done so, to the Security Agency as a matter of record. Make sure you stress he makes his refusal a matter of record. The man is an outspoken opponent of Preventers and I have no intention of giving his cronies ammunition in their fight to pull our budget. Hopefully by the time we meet at headquarters I will have some sort of decision from the Council about this Alliance and have their input on the terrorist activities." The tea was hot and sweet, much sweeter than was his preference, but somehow it seemed to fortify him against the conditions which were, he discovered, not quite as improved as he had hoped. He could not say he was thrilled with the driving conditions. A car had been waiting for him at the palace steps, fuelled and ready to go, along with the instructions on how to reach the Harrison Estate, given only certain roads had been cleared. He settled behind the wheel, pulling away from the palace after ensuring the heater was on high and the fan was blasting hot air into the car. He pulled over just before the palace gates to consider the crudely drawn map and driving instructions, shaking his head at the roundabout route he would be required to drive. By the time he reached the estate he supposed it was not beyond the realms of possibility that a faster and easier route to navigate might have been cleared. Not to worry, it was not as though there was actually anything for him to investigate after all. Glaring at the snowfall and the wind driving it into the windscreen, he lifted the receiver of the car radio and punched in a call to the Senator's security number. Not that he was actually expecting the call to go through and, indeed, it did not. With a profound sigh Wu Fei consigned himself to a useless drive and concentrated on the road. This new snowfall, while thick, was not the blinding whiteout that had forced the investigations teams to seek shelter or perish. Still, it was no pleasant drive and he was forced to emulate a snails pace. //This is idiocy.// No more idiocy, he decided, than it had been for his Elders to detonate the colony and remove from his options the choice of ever going home. That was why he was a Preventer after all, because he had no where else to go. People like Harrison did not like Preventers, did not like the fact it was primarily made up of soldiers who had no where else to go… their families wiped out in the war or, for some reason real or imagined, they felt themselves disowned by their kin. If there was some other place for him, some place where he could find at least some measure of understanding and acceptance, he might well consider vanishing into the crowd one day and seeking it out. Shaking his head at the thought he returned his drifting thoughts to what lay ahead. Deciding he really should make at least another attempt to announce his imminent arrival, it would look good on the logs after all, he dialled the estate number again and, to his surprise, his call was answered. Announcing his identity and his intentions drew an odd moments silence and then the request he hold the line. It was not a long wait before the radio crackled to life again. "Harrison. I'm busy, what to you want?" So the Senator was busy and in no reasonable frame of mind, Wu Fei reflected. Lovely. Just what he needed to compliment his already noteworthy day. "Senator Harison, my name is Chang Wu Fei, Preventer Dragon. I have been requested by Preventer Earth to discuss with you new security measures given the recent… disturbances. " "I have security, Chang. I don't need more." "Never the less, Senator, I am required by my Commander to call on you." Was that teeth grinding? "Fine, call, but I'm not taking a Preventer security detail and I'm going to protest about Preventer harassment to the Council." Charming. It appeared the Senator had no one from the general public to impress in his immediate vicinity. He was far from his public persona of a genial and soft spoken man. "That is your prerogative Senator, I am merely following my Commander's instructions. I should be arriving at the estate in approximately thirty minutes." A disgruntled snort followed by the breaking of the connection was his only response and Wu Fei sighed. What a charming person. //I only hope he does send the protest to the Council. At least then it will officially be logged that he is not interested in having Preventers guard his arse, not that I would wish to be the agents chosen for such a task.// He, like many of his fellow field agents, knew the Senator wanted the Preventers disbanded, calling them useless and a wasteful doubling up of tax payer credits. Senator Harrison was an advocate of the ESUN Security Agency, the rival organization to Preventers and he wanted the Preventer's budget injected into the Security Agency. Wu Fei could see that the Security Agency was backed by too many politicians who had served during the war. There were too many political advocates at the present time who had military connections for Une's peace of mind, not, of course, that Preventers did not have a few. There was something about the set up of the Security Agency which annoyed Wu Fei and worried him. Or perhaps it was simply because their agents were the ones dogging his footsteps when he was not working a case? He had too much time to think and distract himself from the task of keeping the car on the road. At this rate his thirty minute estimate would be out by more than a few minutes, and that would be just one more thing for the Senator to complain about. Massive wrought iron gates loomed out of the darkness ahead and he pulled carefully into the driveway. Winding down the window and letting all of his lovely hot air escape in the process, he pushed the call button on the gates, thankful the enquiry as to his identity came quickly. "Preventer Dragon, Chang Wu Fei to see the Senator. I am expected." He passed his identity card through the scanner and watched it flash from green to red. While the gates swung open before him a toneless voice instructed him to drive to the front of the house and he would be met at the doors. //Now for a very unpleasant, and hopefully equally short, interview with the Senator.// He parked the car as close to the steps of the house as he feasibly could, pulling his coat firmly around him as he carefully climbed the steps. He hoped someone would salt the steps by the time he was ready to depart as they were laden with snow and slick with ice. Thankfully he did not perform a comic arse plant for the Senator's amusement and someone must have been watching because the door swung open as he approached within three steps of it. "Agent Dragon? I am Jonothan Maraket, the Senator's personal secretary." The door closed behind him, shutting out the cold and reducing the wail of the wind to a dull roar. "I have been instructed to escort you to his study on your arrival." His coat was taken by an efficient butler and he wiped his boots carefully on a mat provided for just that purpose as he surveyed the highly polished floor. He need not track snow and slush all over the servant's clean floor, after all, it was not the Senator who had to clean them. The secretary, a man in his early thirties with close cropped blonde hair, a penchant for expensive designer suits and who was no doubt a political hopeful serving his apprenticeship with the Senator, led him across the wide foyer to the central sweeping staircase. The dark red carpet under foot muffled their footsteps and the secretary led the way up to the first floor in silence, pausing before a heavy oak door with an electronic keypad set to one side and a heavy brass doorknob. The Senator liked the old and employed new gadgetry without a qualm, Wu Fei noted. That lock was state of the art and would take even Duo a few minutes to defeat. Maraket reached to the intercom on the keypad with a brief and very bland smile at the Preventer. "Preventer Agent Dragon to see you, Senator." Wu Fei waited, watching, noted when the secretary frowned and reached a second time to the intercom. He was not surprised the Senator did not reply immediately, he would not feel at all put out to make a Preventer wait, though the secretary was clearly disturbed. "Senator Harrison? The Preventer agent you were expecting has arrived." Silence. Wu Fei felt a prickling at the back of his neck, instinct kicking in and setting him to turning sharply. Every sense sprang to life and warned him that something was very wrong. Dark eyes moved over the length of the hallway behind him… nothing… moved on to the other side and that too was empty. Nothing untoward, no shadows moving, no fleeting glimpse of someone watching… But there was something wrong. "Open the door," he instructed. Maraket started, glaring at him. "I can't do that without the Senator's…" A glare colder than the ice forming on the outside steps effectively silenced him and following a pregnant silence the secretary punched in a key code, the lock beeped and they heard a click as the lock disengaged. "This is highly…" Wu Fei motioned imperiously to him to open the door and Maraket huffed, reaching to knock, rapping his knuckles sharply against the wood and earning only silence. With a growl Wu Fei stepped around him, reaching for the brass doorknob, twisting and pushed the door open wide in one quick movement. "You can't do… Oh my God!" Vaguely he was aware of the secretary stumbling out of the room and hearing him throw up. t.b.c.
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