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"Friends "Written By: Karina
Series: Friends Pairings: 2+6 Ratings: M 15+ [In Australia] Rated in the event of bad language and violence. Disclaimer: I don’t own Gundam Wing or the characters. That’s the way it is. Warnings: Not a death fic despite how it starts.
Aussie spelling and unbetaed. Summary: When Milliardo Peacecraft is abducted
and left to die a solitary death Duo Maxwell decides to take a hand
in the proceedings.
“We need to decide how much I can tell them.” Duo glanced over his shoulder and through the doorway to see Trowa speaking to Heero and Wu Fei emerging from his tent. Duo knelt in the opening and, after a moment, turned his back on his friends and pushed his shoulders into the tent, keeping his voice low. He did not want the others to hear anything Zechs would rather not be known. “Nothing would be preferable,” The blonde murmured. “but one is a realist. You are in enough danger without involving others whose reactions might be questionable at best.” Duo shrugged. “Friends? Sometimes I have to wonder about that. I don’t understand them at the best of times, and I sure as hell know they don’t understand me.” “Friends are precious, Duo, you should savour having them while you can.” He had known friends for a time, though he had not accounted anyone that status since he had split with Noin and she had reviled him for his actions. She was right of course, he was a bastard, but on that occasion he had been a bastard in her best interests. For her safety, though she refused to see it. Better she hated him than have her involved with his Controllers. He had no doubt they would use her to control his mercurial independence. “Yeah, well. Let’s just agree to disagree, okay? You obviously don’t want them to know about the nanobots.” He was a young man with issues, but who of them did not have issues? The Gundam Pilots all were affected by the war before they had a place within it. They had once been something other than terrorists with powerful machines which elevated them from obscurity to notoriety. And once he had been something very different to Zechs Marquise, the soldier who had, in yet another phase of his existence, become Black Opal. It was not something to be particularly proud of, though he remained stubbornly true to what was left of his ideals. “It would indeed be preferable for them to remain ignorant of the oddities of my physiology.” The fewer people who knew of the alterations made to his physiology the better. He felt enough of a freak without people knowing just how different he was. Some days he wondered about the Perfect Soldier though. Heero was different than the others and there were days he wondered if those who had trained him had not, perhaps, shared the same ideals as those who altered him. He had heard some strange comments on events occurring during the war concerning Heero Yuy. “And I guess all references to Black Opal are off the topic of conversation too?” That was one name he did not want mentioned. Preventers would know of Black Opal and half the rumours accredited to be the results of his actions were false. There were other agents in the world, and other controlling agencies than the group who professed to control him. “Indeed. They have no need to know of the alter ego I have been wearing for some time now. The less people who know of the group managing Black Opal, the better for us all. There are already too many who might be considered to be of note and those who profess to control me have short patience, and a tendency to jump to conclusions.” “And a habit of removing what they judge to be inconvenient?” Duo shrugged, shifting his weight a little for ease of comfort. “Yeah, I figured they would practise the genteel art of overkill.” “They tend to shoot first and remember there is such a thing as questions later,” Zechs affirmed. “Nice people you work for, Zechs Marquise.” Intense blue eyes briefly studied the shadowed figure leaning into the tent. Duo sounded disgusted but in no way surprised. Nor did he sound accusatory and Zechs was thankful Duo was not judging him. While he knew some of the story he did not know all of it and therefore was not so quick to judge. “It was not considered necessary I approve of my Controllers or their actions. It was merely required that I carry out my missions to the best of my ability.” “You are an assassin for them then?” Duo looked far from happy with the possibility and Zechs was pleased he could set that subject to rest. He was many things but an assassin was not one of them, despite the will of those who considered themselves his betters. “I am not an assassin, nor have I ever been.” Zechs shifted his weight a little to ease the aches and pains of remaining still for so long. “I have killed no one since taking up the mantle of Black Opal. It was expected I would obey them to the full excess of their ideal. However, One made it clear to those in higher places that One would not kill unnecessarily. I demonstrated to them that there are other ways than killing.” Duo studied the blonde in the dim light for a long moment, considering the implications. In the shadowy world of intrigue Zechs lived in, that must not have been a popular decision for him to make. “I just bet that made you popular.” “It was a matter of some contention, until I demonstrated how effective not killing a target could be. I used one of those who were most rabid in their objections, and who preferred not to be named and clung to his protective shadows as a guineapig.” There was an underlying hint of amusement in the quiet words and more than a degree of satisfaction. Zechs certainly had no love for the organization which employed his particular skills. Duo snickered. “What did you do?” “I examined his life for the space of a week and revealed his clandestine activities to others who, like he, worked from the shadows and professed to be better than everyone else. When I delivered my report I asked if they would like me to turn my attention to their activities and air them for the world media to view. Strangely enough I was no longer instructed to assassinate targets.” “So you blackmailed them into respecting your will not to kill.” Zechs shrugged; a small life of broad shoulders. “I merely demonstrated the power of accurate information and what could be accomplished if one did not wish one’s activities to become public knowledge. It is by far better than killing someone because they are unknowingly associating with would be terrorists; or business concerns not conducive to the productivity of another company.” Duo sucked in a startled breath. “Ah, I thought this was supposed to be an antiterrorist organization?” “Corruption can be found everywhere, Mr. Maxwell, even amidst the halls of those who profess to have the greater good at heart. In fact, corruption and intrigue are most rife in those self same halls. It was not so simple of course, there was the need to demonstrate to them my abilities, but they determined it was best to step back from assassination and work with other means.” Duo could only wonder how Zechs accomplished what he suggested. Certainly those who worked with him would be sure to keep their activities low key, not desiring to have him turn his attention to them. “No wonder they wanted to get rid of you. You must have an idea of who stepped over the line and took action against you.” Blue eyes blazed in the darkness and he inclined his head. He had been doing some thinking on whom would best benefit from his removal and, while at the moment he could not point a finger at any one individual, he was not entirely clueless. “There are three possibilities of note and I shall visit each one, in the dark of night, and personally question them. I will know if they were involved and to what extent they involved themselves in the attempt on my life. They did not succeed and they will wish they had by the time Black Opal is retired.” Duo shook his head slowly. The deep voice was arctic, promising retribution. He did not doubt those responsible would hurt as much as Zechs had hurt and this time, despite his apparent distaste for killing, he guessed Zechs would kill. If he wanted to continue living he could not afford to allow the incident to go unpunished or, when his survival was discovered, he would have others seeking his death. To make a big enough impression to be left alone he would have to reinforce the lesson. “Will it be world shattering?” “It is a private matter, Mr. Maxwell.” “Ah.” So it would not be a glaringly obvious revenge. Something more discrete, something that would not raise questions Zechs would not want asked. Something he would certainly not want a group like Preventers investigating. Which brought them back to the three in the outer room of the cabin. “I need to tell them something. They will ask and they will not take ‘I can’t tell you’ well. At worst, they might begin an investigation of their own, without Lady Une’s knowledge.” If such was to happen it would not be for his sake. They would concern themselves with their friend’s involvement in something dark, sordid and dirty. Yes, he could see the Gundam Pilots meddling to protect one of their own, which would likely lead to Duo not going into hiding as he had promised. “They need only know that one or more of the people I work for has decided I am now to be considered expendable. Their attempt to dispose of a nuisance has failed and I no longer consider myself constrained by the contract I signed, to work under these conditions. That is likely more than they need to know but it might give them pause.” He doubted it would have any effect on whatever they were planning to do about this mess. He still had to decide what to do about the return to New Port City, but one thing he did know, was that he would quite willingly return to the fold… for a time. “I will, however, return to my employers to discuss the incident with them.” Discuss the incident. Such discussions, Duo decided, could amount to a world war if things went horribly wrong. Someone had made a decision at some time which called for Zechs to be removed and he would now return the favour and Duo did not doubt he would extract interest on that payment. “What do you want me to do?” He did not like the idea of Zechs working on his own when anyone around him could hold a knife aimed for his back. The man was no fool and he was not unaware of that shadowy, brooding darkness lurking in the tent. It was Zechs, but at the same time it was not and, to be honest, it scared the bejesus out of him. “Go to ground, Duo. Stay out of it and keep yourself safe. Enough people I considered friends have died already and I would not wish to place your name on the roll call of casualties. Warn your friends you will be going to ground and they do not need to become involved. Une will happily keep them out of the matter and it may be a good idea for them to go on an assignment requiring their presence in some obscure location.” “Sounds like cowardice to me,” Duo grumbled. “Never that, Duo. That is the last thing anyone could accuse you of.”
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