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"Bounty Hunters: The Case of the Stolen Yacht"Written By: Yanagi Disclaimer: I do not own or hold any rights to
[Gundam Wing]. Those rights belong to [Bandai, Sunrise, and the Sotsu
Agency]. These fan fictions were written for fun, not profit. However,
this story does belong to me. Please don’t snitch it. Warnings: the usual Beta: rogue53 Pairings: 1x2 Authors notes: The next in the Bounty Hunters
series and my NaNo for 2009. "Bounty Hunters: The Case of the Stolen Yacht" Chapter eight The docking was as unprofessional as the launch, with gravity off for forty-five minutes and a definite 'clunk' when the onboard tube connected. Duo shook his head and announced, “I am not flying with this dweeb again. No way. I'll swim home, thankyouverymuch.” Heero just nodded grimly and stood up. They both noticed at once that the gravity was wonky, something very wrong with it. The generators weren't fluctuating but there was a definite vibration on the station that didn't belong. It was being transferred to the ship by the debarkation tube. Duo gave Heero a wide-eyed, rather panicky look. Heero returned one of reassurance. “We'll be ok. Remember, we're bounty hunters, not Preventers, and definitely not heroes. We don't have to rescue anyone but ourselves. The second we reach quarters, we'll report this to Wufei and he'll hand it on. Relax.” Duo managed to do as Heero told him but he reserved the right to head for an escape pod at a seconds notice. Unknown to Duo, Heero did the same. They made it from their suite to the main passenger airlock without incident. At the airlock they were given keys to their rooms on station and a small USB chip with which to claim their luggage. They accepted the items, tucked them away, shouldered their backpacks and left the ship with silent sighs of relief. No one commented on the fact that they'd shown up with those packs and refused to allow any one near them. The tube was an adventure that both of them would have preferred to avoid. It wasn't hooked up properly, the whole tube was kinked. The collar that connected it to the station wasn't attached properly either. Heero shuddered, one wrong move and the whole thing would disconnect and send them drifting into space without suits. Duo just grimly opened a locker and handed Heero a vacuum suit. One of the nearby crew started to object but Duo glared him into silence with a look; backed by Heero it was pretty impressive. They put on the suits, left the ship and shot through the tube as fast as they could manage without creating tremors that might cause the disaster they were trying to avoid. They touched foot onto the station and entered the small passenger airlock, cycled through and accepted a small package from a smiling woman by the entrance to the main station. Heero thanked her while Duo shook it near his ear. It rattled in a rather alarming manner so he stuck it into his pack. As they walked to their quarters they noticed that everything on the station was designed to catch the eye of passers by. Signs were colorful, blinking or moving. Doors were also colorful and set in inviting alcoves. The elevator they took up three levels featured ads for everything under the sun and reminded them to check their package for details as not all packages featured the same entertainments. They got off the elevator and started toward their lodgings. Duo poked Heero who turned his head just in time to catch an obvious drug deal. A woman handed a man a package that obviously contained pills, easy to see because the bag was clear. The man handed her an envelope and a debit card. All of this went on out in the open so Duo managed to get a clear series of pictures. They had evidence that dealing was going on on the station. Duo cheered up considerably. “Heero, I really want to get Ameena on more than the piracy charge. She's responsible for the situation on this station and I really, really want her.” Heero smiled at Duo, patted his shoulder and said softly, “Then you shall have her. On a plate. Calm down.” “Why? I'm supposed to look excited, right?” Heero laughed out loud and said, “Yes, we are. Come on, I'll race you.” No one paid much attention to them as they ran through the wide corridors that passed for streets, people ran through them day and night. They reached their accommodation, checked in and found their rooms. They explored them quickly and found that there was a menu on the table in the small sitting room. Duo nearly choked when he realized that it contained not only food but a list of liquor and drugs as well as prostitutes both male and female. “Heero, I think I'm gonna be sick. This is ... just ...” “Bad. Very, very bad. I wonder how many of the prostitutes are addicted and taking their pay in drugs and booze. Room and board. I don't like this place at all.” “Me neither. We need to bust this mess as soon as we can. I don't know how long I can take this.” Heero just hugged Duo, caressing his hair with one hand and holding him around the waist with the other. Duo sighed, “How did we wind up in this mess? I didn't join Preventers just because I didn't want this kind of assignment. No more sneaking around, no more hacking into hostile computer systems. Simple piloting jobs. That's all. When you found me, I liked what you were doing. Go out bring in the bad guy. No guns, no getting shot at. Now, how the hell did we wind up here?” “Doing a favor for Quatre. But I agree with you. This is not what we signed up for. So ... now what?” Duo thought for a moment. “Do we have a secure connection to Wufei?” Heero hooked up his computer, typed for a moment then said, “We do. And an email from Wufei.” He opened the mail and read. Duo couldn't handle the wait and demanded, “What's he say? Come on, man.” Heero smirked. “He says to send him the pictures we just took, see if we can't get a few more, then we're to bale. Leave any way we can.” Duo grinned in a fashion that made Heero laugh. “I need to check to see how much of the crew is still aboard.” Heero just got out of Duo's way. Duo spent an hour doing things with his computer that Heero really didn't bother to keep track of. Instead, he was ordering food, drinks and some clothing, just to see what might happen. The food arrived on a cart, along with a selection of drugs and bottles. Duo offered the man payment but he refused saying that even his tip was figured into the package deal. After he left, Duo handed Heero his plate with a sigh. “Well, that went well, not! Fuck!” Heero just picked at his tuna salad absently as he hacked into the station computers with the other hand. His soft crow of success brought Duo from the bathroom, towel still in his hand, to see what was happening. “What?” “I've really hit the jackpot. There's a whole list, in the station commander's files, of sales, addresses and names. Yes!” Heero pumped one fist in celebration. Duo did a little jig then settled beside Heero to offer back up as he hacked the communications and sent the whole mess and all the other stuff they'd collected to Preventers. Then they locked their door. It was a lucky thing they did as the next thing that happened was a knock on the door with an immediate demand to be let it. Heero answered with, “Who the fuck is it?” and was informed that it didn't make any difference who they were they wanted in. Duo snorted, “Fat chance.” he closed up their computers and stuffed them into their backpacks. Heero took his and armed himself for a fire fight of epic proportions. Duo followed suit and they quickly made their escape through an access hatch at the back of the bathroom closet. Duo closed the bathroom door and the closet door, locking both to slow down their pursuers. Duo led the way while Heero kept a close eye on their backs. “Here, we can hole up here for a few minutes. Give me my computer.” Heero got Duo's computer out and gave it to him. Duo booted it up and opened several programs including his email. He let out a soft groan making Heero exclaim, “What?” “Chang Wufei is not happy. He says that our invasion set off a silent alarm. Damn, we're slipping badly. I never found it. He says to stay in our quarters until they come for us.” Heero shook his head. “No! I'm not inclined to take a chance on that. We'll go repo, what the hell did Quatre name that ship? Anyway, we'll grab Q's toy and head for his place. Come on.” Duo did a few things with his computer and nodded. “I got a blueprint of the area. Here, take a look. And ... we're off.” Heero took a few moments to memorize the blue print then they headed for the docking bay and Quatre's ship. Heero drew his side arm and prepared for combat. Duo did the same thing but also made a few small bombs. He was going to make sure that they weren't interrupted during their recovery attempt. It didn't take them long to make it to the docking bay as it was only a few floors away. They made it in fifteen minutes. Heero peered through the vent cover, wondering idly why it was always vents and ductwork. There didn't seem to be anyone in the docking bay so he signaled Duo who'd opened his computer again and was industriously locking every door to the bay except the air lock to the ship. “Ready!' Duo closed the computer, tucked it away and waited for Heero to push the vent cover off. Heero lowered the cover carefully so as not to make a noise, just because he hadn't seen anyone didn't mean there was no one there. He dropped silently onto the deck. He wished for some bit of cover but there wasn't much, no piles of cargo or extraneous parts, just a few containers of supplies for the yacht. They were all piled near the single tube attached to the station. Duo grimaced in disgust, the crew hadn't even attached the more difficult to control cargo tube. All the cargo had to pass through the passenger tube. But it was going to make it easier for them to repo the ship. All they had to do was go through the tube, detach it and leave. Heero went to detach the inner ring of the tube. Duo fiddled with the outer door for a moment then went to do something to some controls. He snatched two universal suits out of a locker and hurried to Heero with them slung over one shoulder. “Let's go! Now! Go! Now!” Duo jittered from foot to foot, clenching and unclenching his hand on the grips of his pistol. Heero didn't ask any questions, you didn't question Shinigami. He just finished what he was doing and grabbed the suit Duo thrust at him and scrambled into it. Duo put his pistol down on the control board by the airlock and got into his. Heero headed into the ship, sealing his helmet to the neck ring as he went. Then he realized that Duo wasn't right behind him. He started to turn but Duo shot into the tube with a howl of “Gogogogo!” echoing through the radio. Heero went. They made it to the bridge in seconds and slipped into the pilot and co-pilot seats, snatching at belts before they were even properly settled. Duo started retracting the tube before Heero started the checks. “Don't bother with the checks, we don't have time. Just fire up the engines and let's get out of here.” Heero obeyed, asking, “Duo? What the hell did you do?” “I left a few presents for anyone following us and sealed the doors. The tube controls on their side are fubar too.” He grinned maniacally and pulled something from his pocket. He watched it, counting down, “four ... three ... two ... one. And there she blows!” And blow something did. Heero couldn't feel anything from the station as the tube was already detached and retracting. But he could see the cloud of 'smoke', comprised of water vapor and explosive gasses and he couldn't tell what, that puffed into space behind their rapidly retreating ship. He snickered. “Well, that's that and 'Fei is going to have a litter.” Heero shrugged, “I don't care. We're space worthy and that's all that counts. Down load coordinates for our pickup and let’s get under weigh.” “Got ya. Downloading now.” Duo punched a few buttons and keyed in a command that activated the auto pilot. He grinned, they were on their way. Heero checked the communications and laughed, “The station is demanding that we return to station at once. Preventers is demanding that we file a proper flight plan and Wufei is having a fit. What do you want to do?” Duo cracked his knuckles. “Tell the station to go fuck themselves, file a flight plan and ignore Wufei.” “Ok.” Heero did as his captain ordered with a pleased smirk firmly plastered on his face. It took him a bit more time than Duo thought it should so he asked, “Heero, what's the hang up?” “Got in touch with Q too. We're waiting on an answer and I had to have him forward a copy of the repo order to the battle ship. We're good to go.” “Q gonna send a coordinate for pickup?” Heero started to answer but got a ping from the com station before he could do so. He opened the message and smiled. “Quatre says to bring the ship to his station for refitting.” Heero grinned, let Duo handle all the piloting, sitting back and watching Duo as his quick fingers tapped in the commands and reset the auto pilot. “You done?” Duo nodded. “Repo accomplished, sir.” .~ * ~ Authors notes: Colonies are identified by the L point they are at L1, L2 etc. Then the order they were constructed in, 100, 200, etc. L5-Chang being the exception. They can also have a name i.e. Minna Hurr, Eden and so on. |
