Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Catching the Past ❯ Duo's Story Part A ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

DUO'S STORY PART A
CHAPTER 2


If he'd known then what he knew now, he'd of done something different. What... he didn't know but he'd of done something different. It all started when Deuce Kipling had come to visit. Duo had been happily working on a salvaged shuttle, checking it out for worn parts, damages and giving it a general once over. He had plans for this shuttle. That's when the blond man came sauntering in looking around for all the world as if he owned the place.
Duo gave one last heave on a stubborn bolt and it came undone suddenly. Duo, half distracted by the sight of the blond man, lost his grip on the wrench and watched in horror as it went flying to ricochet off an open panel exposing wires galore, clanging off a strut on the way down and head directly for the stranger.
"HEY! WATCH OUT BELOW!!" he yelled frantically. The blond man looked around at the clang of metal on metal and watched as the wrench headed directly towards him calmly lifting his foot and watching the wrench bounce off the floor to skid along passing neatly under it with a fine spray of chips. He bent down to pick it up.
Duo nearly went limp in relief. Just what he didn't need. Another hurt customer. Although it wasn't HIS fault that he'd forgotten to warn that smart alec about climbing around that old clunker in the middle of that one junk pile. You just don't think of things like that when you're getting sprayed in the face with an innocent can of soda. And how was he supposed to know that the clunker had been placed on a heap that had become unstable? The man had only been buried for an hour! Sure the man had been a screeching claustrophobic after they got them out but it wasn't his fault! Why, Duo had spent much longer than that in his Deathyscythe at the bottom of the ocean. And the worst the customer had gotten was a sprained ankle and a few cuts and bruises anyhow.


Shaking his head to reinstate himself in the present, Duo peered curiously down at the man. Something seemed familiar about him but what? Then the blond man had called up.
"If you really don't like your job there are better ways to get out of it than throwing wrenches at unsuspecting customers..." he called up a thin grin curling the corners of his mouth. Duo grinned the famous Maxwell grin and shinnied down.
"I wasn't serious!" he protested with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "The ones I don't like get squashed and buried, not hammered."
"I'll be sure to stay out from under the shuttle then." the man said dryly. "I prefer my dimensions the way they are now, thank you very much!"
Duo laughed. He thought he could get to like this guy.
"So what can I do for you?" he asked pulling out a rag to wipe hands clean....that is...cleaner.
"I'm looking for a Duo Maxwell." the man said looking at him intently.
"That might be me depending on what you want him for! And you are?" Duo looked back curiously.
"Deuce Kipling. I've been told you knew my twin brother. He was going by the name of Solo." the man said quietly.
Duo went pale. There was a ringing in his ears and he could feel the blood pounding in his head suddenly.
"S-solo....d-didn't...he never said..." Duo trailed off staring at the young man. There was no mistake. Deuce looked exactly like Solo would have had he lived.
"If you don't mind....I'd like to know more about...you and him." Deuce said softly.
They had talked for a couple of hours. Duo had found it very strange. The brother of his best friend... he truly hadn't known of it. Solo hadn't been one to talk much about the past. The main concern of the day was survival. Although there had been that one time....Duo hadn't thought much of it. Solo had just made some mention that having a brother wouldn't be so bad and had gotten a strange, sad look on his face.
After Deuce had left, Duo hadn't been able to lose this strange feeling of his past catching up with him. Hilde had noticed of course but it wasn't anything Duo could pin down or explain and so in the end he had told her it was nothing. It had been the truth at the time.
Having gotten the message from Howard, Duo had grabbed some clothes and made arrangements at the salvage yard to cover for him while he was gone. It wasn't till the shuttle that his sense of unease caught up with him in the flesh. Not long into the trip, someone had settled in beside him. Opening his eyes, Duo saw that it was Deuce. Deuce grinned at him.
"What a coincidence! I wrap up my business on L2, decide to head for home and here you are!" Deuce's grin turned lopsided. Duo smirked back.
"It's my magnetic personality...only works on days ending in Y. So why are you really here?" Duo chuckled.
"Really, it's revenge for that wrench. Now that I have you trapped inside this shuttle I'm going to beat you to death with a this package of ramen." Deuce said with mock menace holding up the package of food typically handed out to customers on long shuttle flights. They chuckled companionably, then settled in for the flight eventually digging a pack of cards from somewhere and playing several games of this and that. Eventually, finding that they both could handle a deck of cards pretty good they found themselves going all out trying to out do the other with any and all tricks at their disposal.
Finally, when they had only an hour left till they arrived at their destination, Deuce looked over at his seat mate who had finally fallen asleep. Good gosh the man could talk! Deuce grinned to himself.
Taking another good, long, intent look at his sleeping companion, he slid his hand into his inside coat pocket feeling around a bit till he found what he was looking for. Pulling out a small case that securely held a pack of six small vials, he leaned over his companion as if adjusting Duo's collar while sliding the specially made case under his rather wide jacket collar at the back of the neck. Once positioned where Deuce wanted it, he pressed and the case sealed itself to the material of the jacket. Satisfied, Deuce sank back in his seat and observed Duo for a long minute. Nope, sound asleep. Deuce grinned rather regretfully at this friend of his brother's, sighed and decided a nap was a good idea. They didn't rouse till the shuttle came in for the landing.
Duo noticed that while Deuce had seemed relaxed at the beginning of the trip, he wasn't any such thing now. Wary and tense, he seemed as if he were expecting trouble. Glancing at Duo, Deuce recognized that Duo had noticed and shrugged sheepishly. Stepping down off the shuttle, Duo fell in beside Deuce who looked at him oddly but didn't protest. They had made it almost to the exit of the shuttle port when Deuce found what he was looking for. Two men were making their way with a casual but determined sense of purpose in their general direction. Too bad there weren't more people on the flight, there wasn't much chance of hiding in the crowd.
"Err, Duo old buddy, you see those fellows over there just radiating zeal and purpose?" Deuce asked coolly.
"Yup." Duo nodded having already taken in the scene.
"Well, I'm allergic to zeal and purpose, especially purpose. This vicinity isn't healthy right now so we prob'ly ought to part company." A soft chuckle was his only answer. Duo clapped him on the back and with an intense gleam in his eye, moved so he was leading in front of Deuce by just a bit and between him and the two thugs.
"Just follow my lead." Duo said softly, something in his face and body spelling out unholy glee and havoc to follow. Deuce held up for a moment and then shrugged and decided to see what Duo was up to out of sheer curiosity.
"Do you know either of them and would they know you?" Duo hissed, Deuce shrugged.
As they got fairly close, Duo struck up a debate with Deuce, making it as natural as possible. Deuce played along but Duo could tell he was ready to fight or flee whichever was needed.
The two casually dressed strong-arms for hire were scanning the crowd. The two young men were just about to pass the two thugs when the farthest one got a look at Deuce. Doing a neat side step, he blocked their path. Looking full on at Deuce, he addressed him leaving Duo to his partner who was looking in disdain at Duo's slender physique and long braid.
"Hold it you!" thug #1 growled in as gravelly a voice Duo had ever heard.
They stopped, Deuce taut as a coiled spring about to snap. Duo frowned in belligerent annoyance at their interrupted debate.
"What do you want?" Duo asked sharply not missing how each of them had one hand in their jacket pocket.
"We're looking for a Douglas McArthur." thug #2 replied flatly, doing his best to out sneer Duo and look menacing. The effect was lost due to his missing front teeth and his voice squeaking till it cracked. That was aside from the half hearted mohawk that kept falling down into his face. Duo made a valiant effort not to crack up. Deuce's face was carefully blank.
"Sorry, I don't know any such person." Duo replied flatly gaining control of himself and getting back into the spirit of things. He moved as if to step past them.
"I don't buy that. This guy right here is him." thug #1 growled. Duo paused.
"Am not. Like he said , I don't know any such person." Deuce said with a veneer of calm.
"Good try but we don't buy it!" thug #2 keeping up his sneer.
"Well, we're not selling. I said there's no such person here. What is it you really want?" Duo asked with narrowed eyes.
"It's not really any of your business! Just walk out of here and you haven't seen anything and no one will get hurt." thug #2 sneered a little more.
"But you must be mistaken, I've been with Deuce here for ages. What business could he possibly have with the likes of you?" Duo growled waving his hands in the air emphatically, gaining both their attention. They paused, unsure of themselves for a moment.
"We're not mistaken. He's got something of ours; we're here to get it back!" thug #1 barked getting irritated.
Duo paused. Then he wheeled on Deuce, eyes blazing in mock irritation.
"Ok, Deuce, give the money back Didn't I tell you playing with a marked deck was no good? Didn't I tell you that you'd get caught?? It's got no finesse!!!"
"No! That's not what he......" thug #1's voice was lost in the escalating voices.
"What?! You've got everything I had, though how you managed that one I'll never be able to tell.... don't look at me!!" Deuce sputtered back. He wheeled on the two thugs.
"You want it back, ask HIM!!" Deuce flung an arm out towards Duo.
Then he continued to rant at Duo, "Finesse or no, it's still smoother than you and your 14 fingers on a deck of cards!!"
"That's not...." once again thug #1's voice lost the contest.
"14 FINGERS?! If I'm so bad how'd I end up with all the money?? And look WHO'S TALKING!! WHY DON'T YOU GET YOURSELF A HAT THAT SAYS 'I HAVE A MARKED DECK' IN BLAZE ORANGE?!!! THAT WOULD BE LESS CONSPICUOUS!!" Duo hollered back giving Deuce a shove.
"IS ANYONE LISTENING TO ME??!" it was thug #1 again.
"NO!!!" Deuce and Duo shouted simultaneously. Thug #2 was snickering to himself
"LAY OFF! HAVE YOU EVER SEEN YOURSELF DEAL OFF THE BOTTOM? MY CHIMPANZEE CAN DO IT SLICKER THAN YOU!" Deuce shoved him back. Duo blinked what the heck was a chimpanzee?? Another good question, Duo thought would be... where was the shuttle port security?
"SO NOW I'M A CHIMPANZEE AM I? WELL, YOU'RE BLOND HAIR IS SHOWING UP!" <push>
"JACKASS!" <slap>
"BASTARD!" <slap>
Their eyes met briefly and Duo gave a fractional nod.
"S- O- B----!" as one, Duo and Deuce turned, Duo's leg lifting in a textbook perfect snap kick at thug #2 while Deuce's fist hammered thug #1. Thug #2 flew back just in time for thug #1 to trip and fall on top of him and Deuce took off running at full speed through the door and out into the parking lot with Duo right behind him. Weaving their way through all the parked vehicles, Deuce was grinning from ear to ear while Duo could hardly run he was laughing so hard.
"BE-gasp-U-choke-TIFUL!!!" Duo wheezed. An angry shout was raised behind them and shots rang out but they weren't worried; the shots were way off. Then they were out of the lot, free and clear.
"Me 'n Solo never done it so good!!!" Duo was still laughing his head off and falling behind as a result.
"Duo!" Deuce shouted running backward for a bit.
"Yeah?" Duo managed to shout back.
"Meet me at Juke's Bar & Grill!! Around 9!"
"Yeah, sure! Whatever!" Duo waved him off, coming to a stop where he laughed himself out. After he'd recovered, he set off for the nearby rental agency to pick up his reserved bike; still keeping a keen eye out for those two but confident in his ability to stay free and clear. The thought returned to him that he hadn't at any time, seen any shuttle security.
I'll meet him all right, Deuce's got some explaining to do. The security had to have been payed off, that just wasn't natural. And so that means he's mixed it up with someone who has the power to mess with the authorities. I wonder if he knows what he got himself into? Still, he's the brother of my friend. I feel like I owe it to Solo to keep his brother alive...maybe...that will make up for failing him.
First though, I gotta get Howard taken care of! What a day!!! Lessee, if I head over directly and catch Howard I can spend a few hours there before hunting that Bar & Grill down.
An hour later he was hopping onto the huge ocean bound Sweeper base. Pausing to survey the familiar structure, he let a fond smile curve his lips. This was almost a second home in some respects. Crew welcomed him aboard with shouts and waves. He waved back calling out names, than bellowed for Howard. One of the men waved him towards the front.
Moving along, he soon found Howard up front studying some maps. Howard looked up and smiled upon catching sight of Duo. Duo smirked back.
"So old man, have you figured out which end goes up yet?" Duo asked trademark grin showing. Howard chuckled and shook his head.
"Haven't changed much have you Duo?" Howard folded up his maps and tucked them in their packet.
"Why would I want to?" Duo wisecracked. His stomach rumbled and Duo looked startled at the reminder that he hadn't had much to eat since the evening before. He didn't count in-flight meals!
Howard grinned and then asked with a straight face,"Well, what'll it be Duo? Food or that SBE (Shuttle Boost Evaluator) you been after me about?"
"Both!" Duo exclaimed. Then added reluctantly, "Maybe the food better come first before I fade away to nothing."
"As if!" Howard snorted and started towards the galley.
Hours later, after spending the afternoon visiting and helping to sort through some new acquisitions of Howard's, he figured it was about time to go. Lessee, if I hunt up this Bar & Grill and then catch the late shuttle.....hmmm... I better freshen up while I can. I'll just take a quick shower.
That's when Duo found the case of vials. Peeling his black jacket off, Duo scrunched the top together in his hand ready to fling it on the bunk when he paused. Thoughtfully, he fingered the jacket, then peeled the collar back to get a better look at what he'd discovered. Having investigated it as thoroughly as possible without having any tools on hand, he sat down to have a heavy think session.
Eventually, plans were decided on and he hastily finished his shower. Finishing his braid, he took out the protective casing for the SBE. Popping the lid, he nodded. Carefully prying at the cushioning for the SBE, he made room for the case and just managed to fit it in. Snapping the lid shut he gave it a pat. This wasn't a half bad idea. Now for Step 2. He had a stop to make.
He'd spotted a rent-and-store facility on his way over and after the events of the day, he would feel a lot better if his precious SBE and the vials (obviously they were what those two thugs had really been after) were safe. That meant somewhere off of his person. Besides, that would give him some leverage, something to bargain with.
When he got to Whooser's Storage Plaza, a fancy name for a bunch of buildings that looked on their last legs, (although it did look better inside than outside) he rented a locker from the fat man that ran the place using Quatre's name and address. Never once did he say he was Quatre; he may run and hide but he doesn't lie. Father Maxwell had managed that much at least. On the other hand, you can do a lot with truth. And people thought he blathered on for no reason.
It actually takes some skill to say a lot without saying anything at all and he could think of several ways to say any one thing on any given moment. And people often underestimated him as a result. He chuckled to himself...he should have been a blond!
He didn't have very many options anyway; Wufei, being a Preventer, was a bad choice and wouldn't put up with it. He didn't have access to any of Trowa's possible accounts as Trowa traveled all the time. Heero...well, even though he considered Heero one of his best friends and sometimes he thought Heero thought the same, it was hard to tell and he didn't feel like pushing it. Besides, it would take too long to get in and Heero would be quick to spot it too. He was trying to keep what he was doing low key.
Pocketing his keycard Duo walked out and flung his leg over his bike. Kicking it into life he took off. There was just one more thing he wanted to do in case things took an unexpected turn. He grinned; wasn't Quatre in for a surprise!! It would give Quatre something to puzzle over when he got bored or needed a diversion.
After a few trial and error runs he finally found Juke's Bar & Grill. He was late but figured that Deuce wouldn't get on his case too much considering what Deuce had gotten him involved in. Slipping in the door, he slid to one side to get the wall to his back as he scanned the room. Not seeing Deuce right away, he made his way to the bar and absently ordered a drink.
Turning part way around to scan the dim and slightly smoky room a second time, drink in hand, he took a small swallow. He choked as the drink made it's fiery path down his throat...WHAT WAS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE AGAIN? Someone slapped his back and a familiar voice laughed in his ear.
"You gotta be careful what you order here, they make their own! Very cheap and has quite a kick...if you survive." Deuce's voice was deep and amused.
"I didn't survive the war only to die of someone's idea of recycling! Here, it's all yours!"
Duo said in a strangled voice and shoved it into Deuce's hand. Deuce just laughed and shoved it on down the bar into the hands of a man already too drunk to know the difference.
The man looked at the drink that appeared in front of him blearily wondering where it came from. After a moment of deep and thoughtful (for him) consideration, he came to the conclusion that it was lonely and that the best cure for that was to drink it which he did, spilling part of the drink on the counter top where it sizzled. Duo shuddered at the theoretically harmless chemical reaction to the counter top but he really didn't want to find out if he was right or not.
The man finished the drink, smiled in satisfaction at nothing. Slowly with an odd sort of grace, he tilted over onto his neighbor who after a long attempt at sober thought; gave up, propped the unconscious man against one of the barstools, and proceeded to see how many glasses he could stack on his newfound drinking buddy's head.
Deuce laughed deep and low, waving the bartender over.
"Hey, Mack, how about one of your good ones for my friend here?" Deuce called out.
"Hunh!"
"Thanks Mack, scintillating as always Mack! Any brighter and someone'll mistake you for a light bulb." Deuce said mockingly. Mack just glared scathingly and shoved a glass down towards them.
"Hmmm..." Duo hummed thoughtfully. "On a scale of one to ten I give him a 6.5."
"What?!" Deuce asked startled as he led the way to a small enclosed booth. No wonder Duo hadn't seen him.
"6.5." Duo repeated. "Compared to a friend of mine...well, he needs some more practice."
"Strange friends you got." Deuce commented adding, "Mack is harmless mostly. He just has a belly of bad humor and I give him something to focus on."
"Speaking of friends..." Duo casually scanned the room. Then he fixed his gaze on Deuce.
"Why don't you tell me a bit about the six I found this afternoon?" Dead silence. Duo looked at Deuce calmly while Deuce looked back with a calculating gaze.
"Well, it's like this. Those little friends of mine are my keys to revenge. Do you have them with you?" Deuce asked after a moment.
"Depends on your answers." Duo answered calmly. Deuce looked at him narrowly.
"What did you do with them?" he asked in a quiet tone of voice that held undertones of quiet menace.
"2.3." Duo leaned back and put his arm over the back of his seat. Deuce blinked looking confused.
"What?" He said sharply leaning forward.
"You need to practice more..." Duo said dryly. Deuce slapped both hands down and leaned forward with a snarl starting on his face.
"Don't mess with me..." he started but Duo interrupted sublimely unimpressed.
"If you're trying to get tough on me, forget it." One finger was raised in the air.
" I get threatened by a pro every day of the week so if you don't mind I'll just skip the shaking in my boots part, for the sake of energy conservation mind." Two fingers were raised.
" I hold ALL the cards. I have it, you have nothing. When you're ready to deal let me know. Until then I go back to counting bullets." Duo purred. Deuce looked wrathful for a long moment then the start of a grin began to tweak his mouth. He shook his head.
"You're a case you know that?" He began to chuckle. Duo grinned cheerfully.
"So I've been told. Ready to talk?" he leaned forward a bit taking a drink.
"Does the name Pratcher mean anything to you?" Deuce asked.
"No."
"Year AC 190. The year the drug PC11 was outlawed on L2..." Duo sucked in his breath.
That he remembered very well. The drug that was supposed to be a cure. Pratcher's Cure. It cured all right, it cured you of living. The man had been researching bioweapons and had come up with a doozy; a toxin that was a sure kill called simply Slow Death or PSD23. Like any good biochemist, he tried to develop an antidote. A chemical combination that had one slight drawback. It was instantly addictive. It only took two exposures or on the rare occasion one, to make your body dependent on it for function, then it literally rotted the brain. Oh, yes, Duo knew about that one. He'd watched helpless while a friend of his died of it on L2 before it was considered too dangerous even by the dope dealers. At least his friend had died happy. Practically brain dead but happy.
Duo sat up sharply. Deuce nodded. Duo narrowed his eyes at Deuce.
"It's going down the disposal then just as soon as I can manage it." Duo stated flatly. Deuce leaned forward shaking his head.
"What you got is just the PSD23. I've got the PC11 tucked away elsewhere." Deuce stared evenly at Duo. Just then a group of five people shambled past headed for a booth farther back, in noisy celebration. Deuce was staring at Duo with determination in his face while Duo's face was rock hard in anger. Then the noisy groups was past and the familiar sound of a cocking gun was heard. Their heads snapped around to meet those of Tweedledee and Tweedledum from the shuttle port. They froze.
"Jez here has something to say to you." the one with the failing mohawk spat at Duo. Clearly, he was determined not to underestimate Duo a second time. The other man nodded.
They were dressed in casual clothes that looked like they'd been slept in. They probably had. From the worn faces Duo guessed maybe their boss hadn't taken too kindly to failure. The arresting thing about them was the jacket Jez had on his arm mostly concealing his weapon and the hand that Mohawk Man had under his jacket.
"My boss wants ta talk. I wanna shoot. What'll it be boys?" Jez asked a hungry look in his eyes.
"Personally I find talking much more entertaining." Duo said carefully taking stock of their situation. Jez and No Name were actually fairly competent with their guns from the way they handled them, it was their lack of discernment/judgement that made them second rate.
Duo was thinking fast, Hmmmm...the table is fastened solidly to the floor, no help there. Still have some drink left...maybe if I ....
<thunk>
Duo clutched at his hand in sudden pain as a knife blurred, pinning it to the table. Deuce had started to move but didn't get very far. Jez had his gun settled on him and was looking happy.
Deuce settled back very carefully. Jez looked disappointed. After a long moment in which Duo's face slowly took on a pale, pinched look; Jez nodded at his companion.
"Guess they gonna behave now, Chance, better get your knife an' lets go."
Chance glared at Duo and leaned over without taking his gaze off him and yanked the knife free.
"Ahhhhh!! Hey, couldn't you be a little more gent......urk!" Duo shut up upon finding the bloody blade at his throat. He went cross eyed trying to look at it, then looked up nearly gagging on Chance's bad breath.
"We want just one thing from you wuss and that's silence!" Chance squeaked into his face trying to look intimidating. Irreverently, the only thing Duo could think of at that moment was intimidation factor: negative 2, the mohawk has got to go. Then the pain in his hand brought him back to the reality of their situation as he held it trying to stop the bleeding. Deep down he started to get mad but seeing as how he was at a disadvantage he didn't let it go to his head. He'd get his chance And when he did, Chance would be one of the first to go. His grin slowly spread over his face. Deuce looked at him uneasily, the grin wasn't natural.
I think Chance over there just made a bad move....Deuce thought with a touch of admiration. I wish I'd had more time to get to know this guy. Kinda wish he hadn't gotten involved...but I can't let this stand in my way. Peter Sangre is going to pay.
"Ok, guys, here's what we's gonna do. We are gonna back up and let you guys up but you better keep them hands in sight at all times. Then you Braid Boy, are gonna act like Chance is helpin' you outside and me 'n Kipling here is gonna follow. Last time was a fluke. You try anything and you're gonna end up with a hole in you and we get off scot free, get that? Good. Move it." Jez snapped looking bellicose.
Cautiously, the boys slid out and moved where they were indicated. Duo started for the entrance still cradling his hand. Chance pulled a dirty kerchief out and handed it to him. As Duo reached for it he could see the tip of a shoulder harness under Chance's equally dirty jacket. So he used both. As they made their way to the exit, Deuce happened to glance over at Mack.
Mack leered at them and spun a coin along his hand then vanishing into a pocket.
Deuce felt fury start to boil, that answered the question of how they'd been found. Duo glanced at him knowingly but didn't say a word. Deuce didn't say a word either but his fury was beginning to spill over well seasoned with frustration. This had not been what he had in mind when he'd stolen the toxin....and everything was going wrong. In fact, the more he thought on it, wronger everything got and the more his fury raged.
He'd been on the run instead of getting his revenge and he had his fill of it. And now Duo had half of it and they were prisoners....no telling what Duo would do to get out of this. What if he used it to bargain his way to freedom?
Duo sensed Deuce's agitation rise and had a feeling that things were going to start happening and he was right.
They had made it outside and to the car. Jez had taken the lead and opened the back door motioning for Deuce to get in. He did, sliding slowly part way down the seat. Then, as Jez was jostled from behind by Chance, Deuce took his chance at Jez's distraction and kicked up knocking the gun out of alignment. The shot ricocheted off the interior on it's way out but the report of the gun itself just wheezed. They were using silencers.
Duo, seeing Deuce lash out with a punch that had Jez's head bouncing off the ceiling of the car and seeing double; spun away from Chance and his knife or gun whatever he was using this time, and gave him an elbow to the kidney. This jarred Duo's hand and he let out a yell of pain.
Chance bellowed and started to crumple but caught himself on the car just in time for Jez to explode out of the car as a result of Deuce ramming into him with all his not inconsiderable weight. Deuce rolled out of the car and was on his feet in a split second.
Deuce took off running yelling at Duo to get a move on. A bloodcurdling yell of sheer outrage followed by shots sped him on his way. That's why he didn't see Duo, who had seen Jez come up off of Chance gun in hand, taking careful aim at Deuce; lunge in between Deuce and Jez being too far away to do anything else. He didn't see Duo spin from the force of the shot and fall. And he didn't see Jez and Chance load the body in the car and take off.