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"Honor Betrayed"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 Pairings: 1x2 But it's Wufei centric [very] Beta note: I think the days in the trip to Shanghai
are messed up. They fly east so they'd arrive in late
afternoon/early evening and Yet another note: There are a lot of FAQ at the
end of the epilogue.
"Honor Betrayed " Chapter 2 The library was wonderful, quiet, elegant and well appointed. Wufei settled into a chair in a small alcove and booted his computer. He'd chosen one of the old fashioned hard shell type as they were more resistant to damage. Housed as it was in a steel case it was well nigh indestructible. Now he opened several threads and spent the short wait time making some tentative plans. He didn't have much time as his laptop booted in record time. He smiled just a bit then started checking his searches. As he'd snuck his search engine onto a small, relatively unused server somewhere online it had been running for several hours and he had a ton of data to go through. But he found his first man and two others that he wanted but hadn't set a specific search for yet. He had six men in his direct sights and ten more who would get a visit from him if he could find them. They were not critical but the Beastly Six were. Now he'd found one of the six and two of the ten. He had addresses and maps to them. He checked his watch and decided that he had to head back to his rooms or be caught out after curfew. He wondered how soon he could get a place of his own. He checked quickly before he shut down. All he needed was the permission of his release officer. Une would approve it, she wanted him too badly not to. He knew she expected him to join Preventers and be glad of the job. He realized that he really didn't care. He wanted a few things he was going to have, come hell or high water, working for anyone was a secondary consideration for the foreseeable future. He didn't need the money, he had plenty, but he needed the cover. He returned to the house to a disgruntled Onna who demanded to know what he had been doing. He just stood, head bowed slightly as the woman jumped all over him. When she finally got done he just shrugged. “I found a job. Excuse me.” Then he walked away leaving her sputtering. He returned to his room to see that his bed was already made with a note in the middle of it. The note was from Roy. “I made your bed for you before someone else snatched your clean sheets. I'm on duty at the deli down the street. Come to the back door and I'll give you a sandwich. [signed] Roy.” Wufei decided that he had to do something nice for Roy. Wufei took Roy up on his offer of a sandwich. He paid for the chips and tea. As he sat eating, Duo ambled into the deli, looking around as if he was searching for someone. Which, Wufei realized he was. He wondered how Duo had found him so easily. “'Fei, can I sit down?” Duo hovered near a seat for a moment. Wufei just nodded but said, “Buy something.” Duo nodded obediently and joined the end of the line. After placing his order and retrieving it from the pickup counter, he rejoined Wufei and settled down to eat. “OK, Wufei, I'll admit that Une sent me to check up on you, but I really wanted to see you myself. How are you doing?” “I thought you had a mission.” “Weather. We got all preped then the cloud cover shut us down. Grunts are going in to see if they can do something.” Duo picked at the crust on his roll. “Wufei, I really need answers.” “Hn. Well, I have a job. At a dojo. I'm going to look for somewhere to live that's a bit more private. Someplace where I don't have to keep my hand on my possessions at all times. And ... I'm not working for Preventers. Not until I feel I'm ready. Or, maybe, ever.” “You can't just turn Une down. Can you?” Duo looked doubtful. “At least, if you work for Preventers, you'll be using your skills for good.” “No.” Wufei ate the last bite of his sandwich. “I'm not going to be coerced in to joining. And that's exactly what Une's doing. Either I work for Preventers. Be their dog. Or she'll see that I go back to prison on some trumped up charge or other. Won't work. I'll be a lifer before I'll let her chain me to her.” Duo goggled at Wufei, wide-eyed at the low fierce snarl. “Um ... Wufei? I don't think ... well, she wouldn't be allowed. There's phycological evaluations and all sorts of stuff. We, Heero and I, were asked exactly that. Were we being forced, blackmailed or whatever. I asked the guy what would happen if I said 'yes' and it caused all sorts of hoopla. Une was really pissed. She's just kinda intense and really wants you.” Wufei shrugged. “I see. So, if I refuse to work for Preventers, she won't try to send me back?” Duo nodded, picking at his sandwich again. “She can't. You served your sentence and you're free now. The only thing she could do was get herself assigned as your release officer and, I think, she really has good intentions.” Wufei scowled at Duo for a second then just remarked mildly. “Maxwell, quit picking at that. Either eat it or toss it.” Duo grimaced at his now mangled sandwich and put it down on the table. “Well, shit.” Just then his phone beeped. “Damn, I have to go. Um ...” He opened it and punched up the text. “That mission is back on. Got to go. Listen, if you need anything ... anything at all, get in touch with either me or Heero. I mean it. Hear?” and with that he rushed off without giving Wufei a chance to reply. Wufei finished his meal, considering all the consequences of his intended actions. He decided on one more try to gain justice without taking things into his own hands. He returned to his room to get some sleep. He decided
that he was going to keep his own hours as much as he could. He had
a job that required him to be awake from approximately 8am to 1pm,
other than that his time was his own. Ann Une finished reading Wufei's files with disgust. They had been throughly sanitized, references to 'incidents' and 'arguments' as well as vague remarks about Wufei 'failing to integrate' made her grind her teeth. The absolute absence of any medical records at all gave her chills. Wufei hadn't even been in the infirmary for a cold. As ex-Oz she considered that more than suspicious, it was down right chilling. She wondered if she'd ever get the straight story. She also remembered what Wufei had said to her about multiplying the contents of the files. Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft buzz from her desk top phone. She pressed the appropriate button in the array on her phone and said, “Yes?” “Sorry to disturb you but there's a young man here. No ID but security let him in .... Says his name is Chang. Will you see him?” Une sighed then replied, “Send him in. If my next appointment comes before I'm done, ask them to wait.” “Yes, ma'am.” Une heard a vague mutter before the connection was cut then the door opened and Chang Wufei walked in. This time he took a seat with an arrogant insolence that would have gotten any other agent dismissed at once “I want justice. You read those files?” Une shook her head. “They've been sanitized. Not worth the trouble to download them.” “I see.” Wufei just got back up and started towards the door. “Chang.” Une waited to see if Wufei would stop, he did but kept his back turned to her. “I don't want to know what you get up to. Your ID is with my secretary. I was going to send it to you, but since you're here be sure to take it with you.” “Thank you.” Wufei didn't turn back around, instead he turned his head just enough to look at her over his shoulder. “Should you have something you need done, something specific, let me know. I'll consider it carefully.” “I see. In that case, I won't interfere in your other jobs. Just ... don't make too much of a mess.” “I don't make messes. I can be persuaded to clean up one or two.” He faced the door again. “Set me up a bank account.” Then he left. Une stared at the door for a moment, muttered, “Lord, what have I gotten into.” then went back to work. . Wufei considered his next move. He knew where his target was, he knew what he wanted to do to him and he knew the equipment he needed to do it. All he had to figure out was how to get his equipment then get it from where it was to where he needed it. He decided to leave further planning for later and see what kind of ID Une had secured for him. He sat for a moment, holding the wallet in his hand, staring at his new ID. He shuddered then sighed. It was a universal ID. No one would track it, no one would question it. It was the kind of ID that Heero and Duo, as well as other top operatives, had. He basically had a cart blanc to do as he pleased, as long as he didn't get caught. He wondered what would happen if he did get caught then vowed he never would. He put his ID away and began training himself. He needed to know what facilities he had available, how to get from one place to another without being tracked, how to acquire weapons, where he could actually hide and when. He decided that he was going to simply ask for passwords to the computers in Preventers HQ. If he didn't get them, well, he'd find another way. He sent an email to Une, asking her for access to the HQ computers, claiming the need for research. She sent him a password and the startling information that his clearance was five star. The same as Heero, Duo, Quatre, Trowa and Milliardo. The only one who had a clearance higher than that was Une herself. He wondered if he was buckling the collar around his own neck. If he was, it wouldn't stay there. So, he checked to see how he could get weapons from Preventers and the process was unacceptable. He had to fill out a request form, state reasons and sign them out and back in. Travel wasn't much better as he could only get tickets from Preventers by submitting a travel voucher form. He shut down his computer with a grumble. This wouldn't do at all. He needed to travel quickly and quietly. He settled on his bed with a sigh. It was late afternoon and he had to be at the dojo at 9am. He wasn't tired and wasn't inclined to go out. Meditation seemed like a good idea. Meditation hadn't been possible in prison. At first, any attempt had been forcibly discouraged by his 'Daddy'. After the man had met a very messy end, Wufei hadn't felt safe closing his eyes unless it was behind a locked door. If he wasn't flat on his bed during lights out, he'd been subjected to 'reconditioning'. He wondered if he could even do it any more. It turned out that he could. He dropped into a deep meditative state within a few minutes. It seemed that meditation, like riding a bike, was not something that you forgot. He meditated for the twenty minutes he'd set his watch to and started slightly at the soft beep that was the alarm. He'd been gratified to find that his watch was still in the toe of his boot, where he'd stuffed it when he was arrested. He had also turned over his family sword and shrine, neither of which could now be found. So this watch was all he had left of any keepsakes from his family. He thought about that for a moment, stroking the crystal with one finger. He wondered if there were any Chang family artifacts left anywhere and decided to do a search for them. His search turned up several surprises; one, Quatre had his sword in a display case in his office and told anyone who asked that he had it on loan from its owner. Two, his family shrine was in a museum in Shanghai also listed as on loan from owner. But the third thing was the real surprise, he had a lot more money than he'd thought. The accounts he'd accessed by phone were accounts that had been set up for him by O. There was still a lot of money there. He'd planned on using it to get an education after he got out. Those plans had been made when he was still innocent, so young and truly innocent of the things he now knew. He couldn't even wish he didn't. Now he had a lot more money. It seemed that Clan Chang wasn't as dead as he'd been led to believe. And he was heir to his family money, which the clan had been managing for him. He was very rich. Not as rich as Winner, but he'd have to try very, very hard to run himself out of money. Very hard. He contacted his financial manager, he didn't question why he hadn't been informed of his wealth before he was incarcerated. If he didn't know about it he couldn't be 'persuaded' to part with it and it was plain that nothing was going to keep him out of prison. So, he just made his arrangements, asked the man to send him quarterly reports to a clean address and find him an apartment. Roy came in just then and sighed, “I wish I had a computer. I ... I miss it.” “You miss it? Why don't you just buy yourself a computer?” “Um ... I'm not allowed.” Wufei just raised an eyebrow, in this day and age, everyone had a computer of some kind. It was almost impossible to do anything with out one. Banking was mostly online even. “Not allowed? Why not?” Roy looked down, flushed and mumbled, “I got caught trying to hack Preventer's central computer.” Wufei blinked at Roy for a moment then fell over himself he laughed so hard. “Oh, you did not.” “Yes, I did, you hyena. And got fucking caught about two minutes after my second attempt fried my mother board. Asshole.” Wufei couldn't help it. “I'm sorry. Really I am. But, why would you do something so spectacularly idiotic?” Roy turned even redder, flopped down on his bed and glowered for a second before he replied to Wufei's question with a shamefaced, “It was a dare.” Wufei shook his head. “That was really, really stupid. Were you drunk?” “No. But you should have seen the guys who came to bust me. There I was, sitting in my living room with three of my buddies when, WHAM! My door is splinters and this freaky guy with blazing blue eyes is just sort of sitting on my chest while some other guy with hair down to here ..” he indicated his belt with one hand. “is telling my friends that we're all under arrest and he's the God of Death. Got a really creepy laugh too. Only I swear that it was the other guy. And he looked Oriental of some kind or other. And I really, really wish I had stayed in bed that day.” Wufei sorted this rather incoherent explanation out and realized that the arresting officers could only have been Heero and Duo. He nearly fell off the bed he laughed so hard. “Look, Roy, I'm sorry. I know it's really not funny but I haven't had a chance to laugh like this in a really long time. I know both of those guys and the long haired one was called Shinigami during the war, which translates to God of Death. The other was Heero Yuy. He's part Japanese but has blue eyes. He's also referred to, behind his back, as the Perfect Soldier.” Roy turned a nasty, putty color. “But ... but they ... that's ... they were both Gundam pilots.” His awestricken tone and expression made Wufei sigh. “Well, and so was I.” Again Roy was reduced to stutters and sputters. “But .. I don't ... why?” Wufei wasn't about to lie, even to himself about what Roy was asking. “I wound up on the wrong side in the 100 Day War. So they sent me to Alcatraz-2 for a little vacation.” Roy sighed, “Man, that's harsh. Can we change the subject. I get the wobbles just thinking about winding up there. All I got was a year on probation and two years suspension of all computer rights. I really got off easy. I just ... I don't get why that .. Yuy was it? He was really pissed. Seemed to take it personal.” Wufei's amusement showed in a surprisingly gentle smile, especially with his usually dour expression. “That's because he designed the system, with help from Maxwell. That's the other, long haired guy.” “Well, fuck!” Roy snarled wordlessly after that and finally picked up a book to read, leaving Wufei to go back to his arrangements. . Wufei received a text that morning that said he wasn't going to be needed at the dojo until 1pm. He sighed as he had been counting on the afternoon to take care of some of his business. So, instead of being gone from 8am til 12 he returned to his room at exactly 9:15. He wasn't best pleased by what he found. Feeling it safe enough for the short time he was going to be gone, Wufei had left his computer case and backpack shoved under his bed, safe from prying eyes. It hadn't kept it safe from prying fingers. He walked in the door and found that some man was doing his best to open his computer case. He had also taken everything out of Wufei's backpack and scattered it all over the now unmade bed. Wufei just stood for a second, fists clenched in fury. Then he just said, “You're not going to open that with anything less than a laser cutter. Put it down.” The man just gazed at Wufei for a moment. “Then I'll have to have Roy open it for me. He's not allowed computers.” “As that's mine, it's not opening for less than the second coming of Shinigami. And why did you toss my pack?” Wufei let some of his fury bleed into his eyes. As Duo said, it really wasn't what you said, it was how you said it that counted. “Your pack? I thought this was Roy's bed.” “It was.” Wufei gave this person a slow once over, implying by expression, or lack there of, that he was somehow lacking. He raised an eye brow in what he knew was a supercilious expression. “I persuaded him to trade beds.” He gave his clothing a pointed look. “My things?” The intruder gave Wufei a disgruntled look. “Well, I had to check for contraband, didn't I?” “Actually, you did not. You're only required to ask about it. Roy is to plain faced to lie well and you know it. You're just on some power trip or other and I don't appreciate it.”
Wufei curled his lip. “I have had my attitude adjusted by experts, it just gets worse. My release officer is Ann Une. I don't suggest you bother her. She's not known for putting up with interference. From anyone.” Wufei just picked up his pack and started replacing his things. Everything would have to be washed now. He flinched a bit when the man pulled something out of his pocket and ran it over Wufei's shoulder. It buzzed then clicked. “Well, Chang Wufei, number 67334-9. We'll just see about that.” He looked very satisfied with himself, but Wufei finally let his fury loose. “What the hell was that? What did you do?” Wufei reached out and took the small scanner from the man's hand. He gazed at the readout with a cold feeling settling around his shoulders. I read your chip.” He blinked at Wufei's face. “You didn't know? No one told you?” Wufei just shook his head, hair swinging. “Well, damn. Did you read ... no ... probably not. I've got to call my superior. I'll be right back.” He left the room, obviously to keep his call private. Wufei just stuffed all his possessions into his pack, gave the room a quick sweep for anything he might have missed, or was not where it was supposed to be. He didn't see anything so he just jumped out the window. This was intolerable. He had to get rid of that chip. He wondered just when it had been inserted then decided it had to have been during one of his innumerable visits to the infirmary. Wufei darted around the corner of the building and into the alley. He ran as if his feet were on fire. He had to get rid of that chip, now. He thought quickly, he was sure that he could be tracked by the damn thing. He found a place to sit, just to calm himself down. He couldn't just run around in a panic. But, he wouldn't be returning to the residence no matter what anyone said. He just couldn't take their intrusiveness. He decided that the first thing he needed to do was find out exactly what was on that chip and, if possible, how to either wipe it or remove it. He used his phone to check for wireless service, found he was in a good spot and booted his computer. After five minutes of checking, he found that the chip only held information, he couldn't be tracked by it. He also found that he could access his file using his new, high security clearance. He found out that his chip contained all the records that Alcatraz-2 had sanitized away. He wondered how he could get a read out of it. He decided the best way to handle this was to take the bull by the horns. Une wasn't going to be happy but Wufei couldn't find it in himself to care. In fact, he was going to enjoy rubbing her nose in this. This decision led him to check his in box for mail. He found that the account manager couldn't find him anything in the area he wanted that he felt met all of Wufei's requirements. He'd sent an apology and asked if Wufei wanted him to check further out. Wufei just told him no, he'd find something himself. There had to be something in this area that would do. He'd just walk around, later. As he walked to PHQ, he realized that there really wasn't a lot of residential property in this area. It was mostly either Preventer barracks or high rise apartments. He didn't want either one, there were way too many eyes around. What he needed was somewhere that no one would pay much attention to. Somewhere that comings and goings at all times of day and night would be ignored. He walked on, enjoying the freedom, the ability to go where he wanted, when he wanted. He had always enjoyed walking and missed this simple pleasure in the regimented and restrained routine of Alcatraz-2. He hadn't been out of the 1500 sq. ft. pod he'd been assigned to except to go to the infirmary or SID. So now, he walked. It didn't take him long to reach PHQ. He showed his ID and was admitted at once. The guard asked him to check his weapons and Wufei just replied with admirable mildness, “I'd rather not leave my hands here, if you don't mind.” The guard gulped and motioned him through the detectors and into the vestibule. He checked the directory on the wall between the two banks of elevators and found that there was actually a department dedicated to data collection. He decided that he should try there first. . The tech looked up then held out his hand. “Medium please.” “It's implanted” The tech nodded. “Ok. I need the object it's implanted in, unless it's too big to bring into the lab.” “I'm the object.” Wufei waited for some kind of reaction and was strangely pleased when there wasn't much. “Ok, I'll need to to come with me then. Where's the implant?” The tech didn't even look to see if Wufei was following him. He just assumed Wufei was, in this case he was right. Wufei shrugged. “I have no real idea. Somewhere in my back.” The tech gathered up a few bits of equipment and some cables. “How the hell did you get an implant and not know where it is?” “Unwillingly. Can you find it and read it or not?” Wufei knew that he was letting his bad mood sour his behavior, but he couldn't seem to help himself. He'd had to contain his anger in prison or risk SID, now it was bursting its bonds. “I can. I just need to scan you. Just take a mo. Please tell me you were unconscious when it was done.” Wufei looked at the tech's concerned expression and realized that the man was genuinely disgusted. “Probably, but it's possible that it was implanted in an open wound which the aid just stitched closed.” “Ugh. And that's a picture I really didn't want.” He fiddled with his equipment for a moment then said in a disgustingly cheerful voice. “Ok, I'm all set. If you give me a general location I can start there and work out.” “Somewhere in my back, around the left scapula? There should be a scar.” Wufei moved to take off his shirt, he was reluctant to remove any garment within the sight of anyone else. “You don't have to take off anything, the scanner will work through anything short of body armor.” It didn't take the tech long to find the implant. He fiddled with another bit of equipment then asked, “Do you want a total download or just the most recent bits?” “I'd like a full download. Two copies, one on this.” Wufei handed the tech a USB drive he took from his pocket. “And another to Une.” The tech gulped audibly. “I need to see your authorization. Don't worry about messing up the equipment.” Wufei pulled his wallet from his pocket and handed his ID to the tech. He looked at it, made a funny sound and handed it back. “Thanks. Ok, you might feel a bit of a tingle. If you do and it's unpleasant, let me know. Um ... I'll have to scan the document to make sure that the download isn't scrambled, but I don't actually read anything. I don't want to know.” Wufei just agreed that it would be a good idea so the tech did his thing. He pressed a sensor against Wufei's back and moved it around a bit to get the best signal then downloaded all the data on the chip. He glanced at some of the info then made a soft whimpering sound. “Oh, man, I don't read this shit for a good reason. I don't. But, fuck. If this is real, you're ... tough. If it's not, you should have this purged. I swear, it's than nasty.” He trailed off into mumbles. Wufei just blinked at himself, reflected in a glass fronted case. “It can be erased? They didn't tell me that. Hummm.” The tech just said, “I can erase that, put in your real data, or just leave it blank. I'd rather not input any cover data until it's been checked by your mission coordinator. That's ok?” Wufei thought carefully. “You better get in touch with Une and see what data is appropriate. I don't have a mission but my clearance is five star.” The tech gasped loudly. “Oh, fuck man. I'll send your data on to Une but I don't have to ask her what to put on that chip. I'd really rather keep my contact with her to an absolute minimum, she's really scary. All you should have is a coronet.” Wufei grasped his patience with both hands so as not to snap the man's head off, or literally snap his neck. “And what, pray tell, is that?” “You really are new, aren't you? What the hell are your training officers thinking?” He sighed in disgust at the lack. “Well, since your clearance is so high, no information is supposed to be on an unsecured medium. And these chips are about as insecure as possible. So, we put an image on them. Five stars in a circle, like a general's pip. Anyone who reads the chip sees that and knows not to ask any questions about anything. I'm so low on the totem pole that that's all I know.” Wufei nodded his understanding. “I must have missed that class somehow. Just put the coronet on it without a name.” “Damn it! I just really need more questions from my boss.” “Tell him to yell at Une.” Wufei gave him a bland, chilling look then said, “Or me.” “I will. Now, all I need to do ... is ...” Wufei felt a slight tingle as the tech uploaded the image into his chip. He'd rather have had it out but his rathers bent to necessity. It was much better to have his chip loaded with what amounted to a free ride to and from anywhere and a blackout on information on him. When the tech was done, he patted Wufei on the shoulder and dismissed him saying, “Here's your USB, I locked it but the current password is 'Let me in.' Change it as soon as you can. And I sent a copy to Une like you said. See you around.” Wufei bowed slightly. “Thank you for your kindness. Good-by.” With that he left, avoiding an explosion from Une that rivaled some of her more ferocious outbursts during her Oz days. . Wufei decided that, despite carrying both his case and backpack, he would take a longer route back to his rooming house, then realized that he was never going back there. This made it imperative that he find somewhere to live at once. So, he went to his second home, the coffee bar, and settled in for a good search. He knew what he needed, he just wasn't sure how to find it. He was nearly startled into a rash act when Roy flopped down in a chair across from him. “Fuck, Chang, you scared the shit out of me. Where have you been. I've been looking all over for you.” “I've been taking care of somethings. Why?” “Well, shit! When the Old Bat told us you'd jumped out the window to get away from Henderson, my release officer, I nearly had a heart attack. Then I remembered...” He paused discreetly for a second. “something. I heard Henderson tossed your stuff. Not good. He's not supposed to touch our things without us right there but he's always trying to get one over on someone. I heard, with my own ears, mind you, that he's on report and near suspension. Une, Ann Une? ...” Wufei nodded slightly. “No fucking shit? Wow! Anyway ... she had a tizzy the likes of nothing on Earth ... ever. I got a call from, get this, Quatre Winner himself, asking me to see if I can't find you. So ... you're found, now what?” Wufei thought for a few seconds, in which Roy remained politely still. “Call Winner and tell him that I'm fine, I'm not returning to that residence and I'll email him at my earliest opportunity. And that he's not to try to find me, or worry. I'm fine. Repeat that at least twice. Also, tell him that I'm looking for a residence where I have room to secure a motorcycle and car, install a dojo and gym, and still have room for my computer equipment and living quarters. I'm having trouble as I want to stay near the dojo where I'm working as well as HQ. Can you do that?” Roy nodded eagerly. “Sure, I can do that. But, I'll tell you right now, that you're not going to find anything in this area that meets those specs. Not an apartment at any rate. And there's no houses around here either. But ... you could convert a warehouse. There's lots of those going begging for renters. And ... um ... I think you could afford it.” Wufei was already typing at his keyboard like a fiend. This was much better and he couldn't understand why he hadn't thought of it himself. A warehouse. Perfect. No one would notice anything much, especially if he did a lot of his work at night. “I can afford it. Thanks. This is perfect. I owe you one. Don't tell Winner about the lodging problem.” Wufei looked Roy in the eye. “Call him now, please. I don't necessarily need to overhear the conversation. I just need to be able to tell him that I made sure you called.” Roy grinned, pulled out his phone and dialed, remarking as he did so, “You don't owe me, I'm glad I could help...and get asshole in trouble at the same time. I'll talk to whoever is on the other end. Winner said he might not be able to take the call himself, something about time thingies?” Wufei nodded absently as he looked over the adds for warehousing. “I do owe you and a Chang always pays. Don't shake your head at me, my mind is made up.” Roy just shrugged and continued talking. Wufei listened with half an ear to what he said. Roy was having trouble understanding that the time laps between Earth and the colony to which he was calling was around four minutes. Finally, Wufei told him this and got a blank look. “You mean I'm calling a damn colony? Fuck, my bill is going to be gianormous. I'm so screwed.” He hastily finished what he was telling the other end of his conversation, cut the connection and tossed his phone on the table. “Damn it! I was just getting out from under too.” Wufei opened a new tab and asked, “What's your phone number and service provider?” Roy told him absently, looking slightly sick. Wufei just reversed the charges to the contact number and added 20 thousand unexpiring minutes to his account. All without a penny leaving his pocket. “Don't worry about it. I reversed the charges and added some minutes to your account. Now, go home and stop worrying about so much.” Roy gave him a sad look but got up to leave. “What was that look for?” “Well, you're just so ... angry. I don't know why and I'm not asking, I've been in the system long enough to keep out of it. But, if you stay angry, you'll ruin your life and they'll win. Think about it. Make friends, be happy, it's the best revenge. I just wish I'd ... I miss working on programs and systems and my chances of getting a good job are dwindling away as I get further and further out of the loop. Sorry, I've got my own angst to deal with, too, I guess.” Wufei opened a new email window, typed quickly and sent the message. “I think we're even. Go home, relax. Order a pizza, on me.” Wufei handed him some money, waving away his protest. “Go. Enjoy. I'm finding a place to live and don't have time to argue with you. Scat.” He glowered for a moment then grinned. Roy just left, thinking he'd never see Wufei again. He was right, but a call from a WEI headhunter let him know that he wasn't forgotten. . Wufei found four places within six blocks of PHQ that he thought might be serviceable. They all had water, electric, sewer and gas already available. He Googled maps for all of them and crossed off two at once as indefensible. He decided to physically look at the other two, but one was of great interest to him. He decided to look at it last. He walked to his storage and locked up his laptop case and pack. Then he walked the block from there to the warehouse. This was one of the reasons that he'd liked this location, it was central to most of his destinations. It turned out not to be acceptable at all. It was smaller than advertised, Wufei could eyeball that and the floors were in very bad condition. He left with a snort. His last location was everything he could have wished for. Unlike other warehouses, this one had four floors, connected only by a large freight elevator set at the back of a loading dock that took up one third of the ground floor. This was excellent as it was a perfect garage. The rest of the bottom floor was huge, empty and echoing. Wufei admired the hard wood floors, scared though they were. The middle two floors, accessed only by the elevator, who's shaft ran up the outside of the building, were also empty, a bit smaller than the ground floor but still large. They also had electrical outlets dropped from the ceiling at regular intervals. The top floor had an office complex that took up about two thirds of it, the rest was divided into three large rooms. Wufei fell in love. He could turn the office area into living quarters easily enough, there was already a break room with a huge kitchen which could be turned into a kitchen/dinning room with just a few bits of furniture. He could turn the main office into a bed room and the reception area was a ready made lounge. The three other rooms would be his armory, a guest room and the last just left empty. He had plenty of room, he could afford to take his time arranging this to suit. He decided to turn the third floor into another eating area and a lounge/ office complex. He didn't need walls as he was probably the only person who would ever be in there. The second floor might make a good shooting range, there was enough room for a pistol range, if he could insulate it enough. He made arrangements via computer and purchased the whole building outright. It should have taken days to complete his purchase but he pled time constraints that made it necessary to complete the bargain now or look elsewhere. The realtor was very helpful, especially when Wufei waved more money under her nose. The papers were faxed to him in three hours, he signed them, faxed them back and approved the transfer of funds. His purchase of 80,000 sq. ft unequally divided between four floors and a basement of unknown area and contents took a total of four hours. Wufei looked around at his new home and realized that he was going to need a bunch of help. He wasn't into hours of painstaking restoration and fiddling. He needed this place up and running, now. He decided on a cattle call as the best way to get it done. A cattle call was almost exactly what it sounded like. He'd post a message on a bulletin board and people who wanted to work would answer. For tonight, he'd go out and buy a sleeping bag and an air mattress, he'd slept on much worse. His bed on Alcatraz-2 had been a sheet of steel suspended from one wall of his cell by chains and covered with a three-fourths inch thick piece of foam, one sheet, a blanket and that was all. He decided to splurge on a thick foam pillow. He completed his shopping at the nearby surplus store, posted his flyer and returned to the warehouse. He slept very well in his soon to be bed room. ~ * ~ tbc... |
