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"Witness Protection"Written By: Snowdragonct Disclaimer: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing
or the characters, more's the pity. This is for fun...no profit involved. Rating: R Warnings: Warnings: AU , yaoi, swearing (lots),
some OOC (probably), violence, drugs, sex, a naughty Duo (i.e. he
has a potty mouth and is a bit, er, slutty)…if you are wedded
to the “pure, chaste” version of Duo, he might be a bit
dark and crude for your taste…ditto for the other characters
in here…hey, Quat’s a lawyer…how much lower could he
get? Pairings: 1X2 eventually, 3X4 also eventually, (past 2X3, 6X2) A/N: I’ll apologize in advance that Zechs is, well, deceased right from the start. I like him a lot, and there’ll be mention of him…but mostly in the form of discussing/investigating his murder. Sorry. Summary: When Zechs Merquise is found murdered,
detectives Heero Yuy and Wufei Chang are tasked with the unenviable
chore of keeping the only witness to the crime alive long enough to
testify against the leader of the Oz syndicate, Treize Khushrenada. "Witness Protection"
Chang had called ahead to make sure Captain Po didn’t go home for the day. But I hadn’t counted on Relena hanging around. Sure enough, she was at her desk when we approached our boss’ private lair with Quatre Winner in tow. “Heero! How did it go at the hospital?” she asked, obviously having picked up the office gossip about the explosion and our mad dash to Sisters of Mercy. “Fine,” I said shortly. “Captain Po is expecting us.” My partner tapped on Po’s door and reached for the knob, but Relena caught me by the arm, making me lag behind the others. “That man who came to see you—Mueller? I loaned him cab fare after you left. He said he’d come all the way from downtown to see you.” I sighed deeply. “Relena, he’s a pawn broker. And an information broker.” She looked blankly at me. “A snitch,” I clarified. “He brought me outdated information and tried to squeeze money out of me for it.” “Oh.” I shook my head. “How much did you give him?” “Fifty.” Nearly groaning aloud, I pulled out my wallet and counted the money, then shoved it into her hand. “Next time just tell him to file a request with the desk clerk to have a check sent.” She blinked her wide blue eyes at me. “Do they do that?” “No.” I turned on my heel and followed Chang and Winner into the office, pointedly closing the door before Relena could invite herself in. Not that I didn’t trust her, more or less—but as naïve as she was, I didn’t want her to have information someone could trick her into revealing. She’d only been working for the department a few months, since she turned eighteen, and she just didn’t seem to understand how deceitful people could be. Captain Po gave Winner a narrow look as we approached her desk. “And why are you here, counselor?” “Several reasons,” he said smoothly. “For starters, once your detectives explain what my client knows about the Merquise case, I’ll need your promise of immunity for him. And then, when you get to discussing where he’ll be hidden and protected, I want to offer the use of some family property.” She raised an eyebrow, a faintly skeptical smile playing about her lips. “Protecting your client’s best interests, eh? You really seem to think you’ve got something,” she scoffed. “But I’m still waiting to hear why we shouldn’t arrest him and charge him with the murder.” “Aside from the fact that he didn’t do it,” Winner riposted, “there’s also the fact that he saw who did.” He smiled coolly. “And I’m willing to wager a year’s salary that it’s someone you’d much rather put away than my hard-working young client.” “Don’t take that bet,” I cautioned my Captain. “He’ll win, hands down.” Her sharp gaze settled on me. “So—you agree that Maxwell can identify the killer and is credible enough to convince a jury?” Chang made a slight gurgling noise that he covered by coughing. “If forensics can give us a little physical evidence to back up his version of events, I think Maxwell could be a reasonably credible witness,” I said rather vaguely. If we cleaned him up and put a suit and tie on him, I honestly believed he might be able to pull off a semblance of decency. I mean, he was presentable enough—good-looking if you wanted to get right down to it—but if every other word out of his mouth was “fuck” there was no way a jury was going to find him a sympathetic witness. “And what would your ‘reasonably credible’ witness be able to tell a jury that might earn him a free pass on a murder charge?” asked Captain Po. “He saw Treize Khushrenada pull the trigger,” I said firmly, watching for the color to drain from her face. It did—in record time, too. “Treize Khushrenada killed Zechs Merquise?” she breathed in disbelief. “Personally?” “As I said—he pulled the trigger himself. It wasn’t one of his hired guns or a contract killer; it was Khushrenada himself.” She shook her head, managing a wan smile. “Well, Yuy—and I thought you couldn’t shock me.” Right. Wonder what she’d say if I told her I was gay? “You should have seen my face when he told me,” I said with a shrug. She took a moment to compose herself, staring down at her desk and idly fiddling with the papers strewn across it. Then she looked up at Winner. “You really were serious about protecting your client’s best interests.” He gave a curt nod. “And his life,” he added. “That’s our job,” Captain Po said firmly. She looked at me with a slight frown. “We have to keep this quiet you know. The fewer people who know, the better.” No shit. “I’ll need to get a second forensics team over to the penthouse first thing in the morning,” she continued, beginning to scribble on a pad. “I’d like them to analyze that rug for bits of dirt or shoe prints that might back up Maxwell’s claim. If Khushrenada was there, we should be able to find some trace evidence. He absolutely had to leave something behind.” “Yuy and I could supervise,” Wufei offered. “Now that we know who the killer was, we know what kind of evidence should have been left behind.” Heh…he wanted Khushrenada convicted as badly as I did…so much he could taste it. “Did the coroner’s office send up their report yet?” I asked her. “Maxwell said Khushrenada had three people with him; Une, Trant, and Otto. The two men held Merquise by the arms—there should be bruising somewhere—maybe the wrists or shoulders. That will verify Maxwell’s account and give us grounds for a search warrant of Khushrenada’s place.” “I’ll look into it,” Po said firmly, already beginning to make lengthier notes. She spared a glance at Winner. “I take it your client has agreed to police protection?” “I wouldn’t have let him do otherwise at this point,” Quatre told her. “One attempt has already been made on his life—and I’ve no doubt there will be more. The sooner you get him hidden away, the better.” “I agree.” “Who do you have in mind for a protective detail?” She bristled a bit at the lawyer’s demanding tone, but concealed it well. “Generally, in a case of this magnitude, the Federal Bureau—.” “No!” he said firmly. “Duo specifically expressed concern for the integrity of the Bureau. Khushrenada has people on the inside.” “Unlikely,” she scoffed. “I don’t care how unlikely it is!” he retorted sharply. “It you want my client’s cooperation, I need some assurance that you’ll take his fears seriously.” “What do you suggest I do?” Captain Po asked with a scowl. “Can’t your people protect Duo?” He gave her one of his most beguiling, persuasive smiles, damn him! “I trust the integrity of your department implicitly.” Have I ever mentioned I think all lawyers are manipulative bastards? She considered his words for a moment, and obviously fell for the smoothly-delivered compliment. “I suppose we could handle it ourselves,” she conceded. “We have jurisdiction over the Feds for Merquise’s murder. But they’ve wanted Khushrenada for years for federal and international crimes. I’d think they’d be very motivated—if they could bring him down with a murder conviction, it would give them the chance to pick his empire apart piece by piece.” “I frankly don’t give a shit about Khushrenada’s empire,” Winner responded. “All I care about is Duo’s life. And if he’s convinced your people can be trusted more than the Feds, I have to insist that we leave the Bureau out of it.” “Very well,” she agreed, glancing at me. “Clark and Mason could do the job, don’t you think?” I grimaced slightly. “Clark has three kids and Mason just got married,” I reminded her. “You might not want to put them on such a dangerous detail.” She eyed me warily. “You really think Khushrenada will believe we have enough to convict him? And act on it?” “He blew up Barton’s car,” Wufei pointed out with a shrug. “Or rather, someone did it for him; there’s already a substantial reward being offered—quite discretely—for Maxwell’s death.” “Every time anyone’s gotten close to building a case against Khushrenada, all the witnesses changed their minds or disappeared,” I added. “I’d put nothing past the man.” She sighed deeply. “Three-quarters of my officers are married. I’d have to mix and match teams to get two single—.” She paused, turning an astute gaze to Chang and me. I guess we should have seen that coming. “Oh no!” Chang blurted. “You can’t be thinking of Yuy and me!” “We’re the lead investigators!” I protested. “We need to stay here and put together the case against Khushrenada!” “What better way to solidify the case than by keeping your star witness alive?” she countered. Winner wore a slightly bemused expression. “I did tell my client that I believe Detectives Yuy and Chang are good, honest cops.” “That’s beside the point!” my partner said hastily. “No, it is the point,” the attorney insisted. “I think my faith in you will help Duo to trust you, and he needs to trust his protectors.” “He needs to learn manners!” Wufei shot back. “Maxwell is uncouth, belligerent, foul-mouthed—.” Oversexed, sensual, drool-worthy…ah shit. I didn’t want to have to hide and protect Maxwell any more than my partner did, but for very different reasons. While I found the braided man’s attitude annoying and his manners atrocious, it was his sinuous grace and blatant sexuality that really made me dread spending time in his company. Might as well just come right out and admit it—he was hot! Even Winner had noticed my gaze follow him out of the interrogation room. And while sheer hotness wasn’t what I looked for in a lover, it was certainly enough to attract my attention. I did not want to be attracted to someone I despised as much as the punk who’d spit in my face the first time we met…and on my paperwork the second. And I seriously didn’t want to spend a prolonged period of time in cramped quarters with him…let alone with him and Wufei. “Objections aside, I think you two are the perfect choice,” Captain Po stated. She shrugged slightly. “You’re really the only choice.” “I find them acceptable,” Winner piped up. “And I’m sure Duo will, too.” I snorted aloud at that. “Your client despises us,” I pointed out. The annoyingly pleasant lawyer held out a hand. “Hate…love…” He flipped it palm up. “Two sides of the same coin, detective.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” Chang demanded of the cryptic comment. “Duo is very—passionate. And although he professes to hate cops, he just needs time to get to know you. Then he’ll change his tune. And vice versa.” He smiled encouragingly at Chang, and knowingly at me. “You’ll learn to like him,” he predicted. “We don’t have to like him to protect him,” I growled. “It would help. I mean, if you’re going to put your life on the line for someone, shouldn’t you feel that he’s worth keeping alive?” “I do,” I said earnestly. “But only for his testimony.” The aquamarine eyes fixed me with a very piercing gaze, and I had a feeling the too-perceptive lawyer could read me like an open book. He seemed to take it for granted that I was attracted to his client—just because I’d snuck a look at his ass—once. Briefly. And, no, there’s no need to point out that he was right. “When you took down that testimony, you saw what it cost him, didn’t you?” he pressed. I looked away, waving a hand dismissively. “Yeah, whatever. And he donates time to an orphanage. So what? That doesn’t make him a fucking saint, counselor. He’s been a criminal all his life, stealing, lying, whoring…and now he’s finally got a chance to give something back to the society he’s thumbed his nose at.” I glared steadily at the attorney. “I’d say he owes it—wouldn’t you?” He rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to respond, but my boss cut him off. “This debate ends here and now, gentlemen!” she snapped sternly. “I don’t care what redeeming personal qualities your client has, counselor—or how offensive you find him, Yuy—the bottom line is, you and Chang will collect his ass from that hospital first thing in the morning and get him safely tucked away until the trial. Do I make myself clear?” Winner and I were too busy glaring at one another to respond. It was Chang who chose to speak up—sounding like a man accepting a death sentence. “Where would you like us to take him, Captain?” That snapped Winner out of our staring match. “I’d like to offer some assistance in that matter, Captain Po.” He was all suave charm again in an instant, and I wanted to throttle him. “I have some properties—a hunting lodge and a mountain retreat—as well as access to vacation homes belonging to my rather numerous sisters. The places are remote, but fully equipped with electricity, heat, water—all the amenities. Some have vehicles stored there for recreational use, and there’s probably even some food in the freezer.” “You’re volunteering your family’s vacation homes?” Chang asked in a slightly horrified tone. “We all use them,” Winner explained. “If I simply call whichever sister I need to and ask for sole use for a few weeks, there’ll be no problem. And there’ll be no intrusion, either. We respect each other’s privacy completely.” He turned to the Captain, giving her that trademark smile. “It would save your department a substantial amount of money, especially if the first location gets compromised and they have to move.” “Yes, it would,” she said slowly, looking a tad skeptical. “But there’s the matter of liability—damage to the property if any disturbance occurs.” “I’ll sign a waiver if you like,” shrugged the lawyer. “Why would you do so much for a mere client?” demanded Chang. “You’re a public defender, Winner—not Maxwell’s keeper.” “I told you before,” came the patient reply. “He’s not just a client. I wasn’t lying to Trowa when I said I consider Duo a friend. And if you took the time to get to know him, you might too.” “I don’t need to know him,” sniffed my partner. “I know the type.” “Once again,” Captain Po cut in smoothly, “we’re getting off on a tangent.” She fixed a discerning gaze on the lawyer. “I can tell you think highly of your client. And knowing your family’s financial reputation, I feel confident no one could buy information from you as to Maxwell’s whereabouts even if he wasn’t your friend. So I’ll accept your gracious offer, and we’ll keep this completely between the four of us in this room, and Maxwell.” Quatre nodded in satisfaction, beaming at her. “I’ll give you a list of locations—.” “No! Nothing in writing,” she said quickly, proving the sharp mind that had earned her the position of Captain was as keen as ever. “I don’t want anything lying around my office with that much information on it. Give the list to Yuy and Chang. All I want to know is the first location. From that point on, everything is in their hands.” I was impressed. She was taking this as seriously as I’d hoped. “What sort of contact schedule would you like?” The next hour we spent hashing out details of the plan. We’d start by going to a hunting lodge owned by Winner, and hope we were hidden well enough to stay put while evidence was gathered and charges were filed against Khushrenada. If all went well, we’d simply have to get Maxwell to the courthouse to meet with the DA just prior to testifying. But naturally we didn’t expect everything to go well. We weren’t that naïve—or optimistic. We set up a system by which I’d make periodic contact with the Captain to find out the progress of the investigation. Our primary means of communication would be via e-mail, since I had a state-of-the-art laptop and was proficient at its use. I’d nearly gotten arrested for hacking when I was much younger, and although I now stayed on the right side of the law, I knew all the tricks to cover my tracks and hide my location. If we needed more immediate communication, or an actual dialogue, Chang or I could call in on a cell phone. By using a power booster, we could bounce the cell phone signal off a satellite instead of a tower, making detection much harder. We’d avoid the use of land lines altogether. As far as security went, Winner informed us that each family property had a state of the art alarm system, and gave me the access codes along with the list of addresses. But what I didn’t tell anyone, my boss included, was that I had my own security system. My father had been an operative for an agency that conducted covert operations. Well, actually, he wasn’t my real father—just my guardian—and the term “assassin” would probably be more accurate than “operative.” At any rate, when he died, he left behind a treasure trove of surveillance equipment, and being a resourceful young man, I learned how to use it all. Most of the little trinkets—things like motion sensors, sound detectors, and pressure plates—fit into a single briefcase. If I separated them into two or three containers, I could stash spares in whatever I was carrying for luggage, ensuring that if I had to leave some behind in an emergency, I’d still have enough to serve their purpose. We’d been at our work just over an hour when there was a tap at the door and Relena stuck her head in. Captain Po raised a startled look to her secretary. “Oh Relena—are you still here? You didn’t have to stay, dear.” Way to kiss the Chief’s ass, I couldn’t help thinking. Okay, so technically it was the Chief’s daughter’s ass, but that didn’t make the notion any less repugnant. Relena smiled. “I don’t mind,” she assured Po. “But did you want some food brought in, or something?” “No—we’re almost finished. You go ahead and leave for the night, and I’ll close up the office when I go.” The young blonde woman nodded, and her eyes slid over to me. She flashed a rather timid smile, and I glared wearily back. I was in no mood to put up with flirting. “Goodnight, Relena,” Chang spoke up with a warmth in his voice he reserved for his favorite people, effectively diverting her attention from me. And thus distracted, she replied in kind, and left. I’d have to thank him later. It took us another hour to finish our plans, but finish them we did. First thing in the morning, Chang was going to procure a rental car for the two-day drive it would take to get to Winner’s hunting lodge upstate. He’d pick me up at my apartment and together we’d stop at an ATM to get traveling cash from a department account. That should put us at the hospital by mid-to-late morning to fetch Maxwell and hit the road. Meanwhile, Winner and Barton would nip out early, accompanied by at least one officer, and make a quick trip to Maxwell’s apartment to pack him some clothes and personal items. They’d bring those back to the hospital, which we had decided was the safest place to leave Maxwell for the moment. There were two armed guards at his door, and we’d squelched the media hype over the car bomb enough that Khushrenada couldn’t possibly know who’d died, or more importantly, who hadn’t. When we finished our preparations, we were reasonably satisfied with the basic outline. “You realize, of course, that all this is subject to change drastically, depending on whether you encounter trouble,” Captain Po reminded us. As if we needed reminding. Encounter trouble? How could we not? We were taking a cop-hating hoodlum into hiding, out in the middle of nowhere. Even if Khushrenada’s assassins never found us, I had a feeling it wouldn’t be a pleasant experience. It was bad enough that Maxwell was brash, abrasive and confrontational; but my own partner could be equally difficult in his own way. He tended to be judgmental and stern, traits I had learned to accept and tolerate; I didn’t think either trait would sit well with our witness. Knowing Chang and his penchant for lecturing and scolding, I had a feeling I’d find myself in the middle of a constant power struggle. And if the external one wasn’t bad enough, I already faced an internal one. Maxwell was very easy on the eyes, as I’d noticed before. If I’d met him in a nightclub, I’d have bought him a drink in a heartbeat. But I’d met him in a squad room, in handcuffs, and seen the anger and attitude in him before anything else. How could such a pretty package contain such an irritating personality? And why, knowing how incompatible we were, did I still flash back to the sight of him walking away with that swagger and sway of his hips? Maybe if I was very lucky, I’d get shot protecting him and get a hero’s funeral. Right at the moment, that looked like the most painless way out. “And boys,” Captain Po was saying, concluding a little pep talk I’d been tuning out. “Remember that you are professionals. Keep your personal feelings in check and try to be civil to Maxwell, hm? I know you aren’t looking forward to this assignment, but you truly are the best qualified.” Well weren’t we just flattered as hell?
tbc... |
