Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Designed Memories ❯ A Different Perspective ( Chapter 13 )

CH 13: A Different Perspective

 

“Get in the fuckin car idiot!” It was Charlie.

 

“I'm fuckin working on it! Don't yell at me!” I shot back.

 

“Wait.” The word wasn't yelled yet held so much power to it. My body froze on the spot as the car door opened behind me and the driver approached me. It was suddenly hard to breath.

 

“Here's my card. Get in touch with me soon kid.” I never turned around and it seemed he never expected me to as he placed the card and something heavier in my hand. The smooth coolness of his voice spoken just behind my ear, the heat of his breath and the hand that grazed mine assured me it was real.

 

My bottom lip quivered, the water filled my eyes. It felt like my heart beat for the first time after years of lying dormant. The feeling so unfamiliar filled my chest with an unyielding anguish that spread through me.

 

The car door shut behind me and my knees hit the ground, I wasn't feeling anything physical anymore. All I had to do was turn around, but I couldn't. I just sat there on my knees overtaken by a maelstrom of conflicting emotions my eyes turned to the sky, unsure of everything.

 

“Hey what the fuck you do to him you piece of shit!” Charlie ran past me screaming at the distancing car.

 

“Duo, you have to get up.” Cliff said coming to my side helping me to my feet that weren't functioning right. It seemed to not bother him in the least as he dragged me to it and sat me in the back seat. I leaned my head against the window feeling logic tearing me apart.

 

“Come on Charlie I got him!”

 

“Fuckin douche bags! I see ya again I'll beat your fuckin asses!” Charlie yelled before he climbed into the backseat.

 

“We good?”

 

“Just go Cliff.” Charlie was immediately calm I felt his hand come to my shoulder. “What'd he do to you Duo? I can't do anything unless I know.”

 

There was no way to explain it, my head full of the past, knowing the impossibility of my thoughts. If I would have looked back at him, I would have known. If I looked at the items in my hand, I would know, but I was scared. Terrified of this truth. I could still feel him grow cold in my arms. I could still remember that day so clearly. The dead never came back.

 

His voice was a close match, deeper, stronger, but the essence still remained. Of course it was only memory I had to work with and no matter how tightly I clung to it time would always erode the truth. Even I was amazed at how pathetic I was. To think it was Solo. I was so stupid.

 

“Duo what happened?”

 

My head fell back on the seat as I sighed. “A ghost of my past.”

 

“What?”

 

“It's always like that though isn't it?” I rolled my head over looking at Charlie. “Think you've moved on, but ya never really do. You walk a million miles and suddenly realize all you've been doing is going in circles.” I rolled my head back. “When am I going to wake up?”

 

“You drunk?”

 

“Naw.” I grunted dropping my head rubbing my left hand over it as my right still held the items the man had given me. I didn't have enough courage to look in it, instead I put them in the pocket the pants had.

 

“You okay?” Charlie was worried.

 

“Yeah. they were cool. My heads the problem.”

 

“You say that like you actually use it. So tell me what the fuck happened instead of brooding like a moody emo kid.”

 

I had to chuckle. “Shit, I ain't no emo kid. I'm a fuckin Steel Dog.”

 

“Yeah, keep calling yourself that and maybe someday when you grow up you'll actually be one.”

 

“I fuckin hate you.” I growled back at him dropping my hand to glare.

 

“That's good. So what happened?”

 

It was better to talk to him than think. “Eh, well guess God of Death dude gotta hold of me and pumped me full of drugs. The aspirin I took in the morning pushed me over, but the Preventer's were good enough to give me some Heal Boost, so I'm A-okay now.” I held my hand up in the OK sign

 

Charlie was quiet as a haunted look crossed his face. “They sure it was him that had you?”

 

“Seems that way. Guess he put something in me. Some kinda thing that runs interference on all the cameras around me. But dude is good and knows the Preventer's system anyway. Guess he hacked it when I left my apartment on Monday and that's why they got no clue where I was or what I've been doing. He even looped all the cameras around my place and work. Guess he already knew I was workin with em. Guys pretty damn good.

“Pretty sure that first hack was just to set everything up though. I wouldn't be surprised if he's still looping `em. It'd make it even harder for them to track me. I mean if it were me, I'd do that shit, then I'd prolly put something like I have in some other people and send them around just to fuck with `em more. That's just me though.” I shrugged Charlie looked a little pale.

 

“Hey you want me to take you back to Duo's apartment?” Cliff cut in.

 

“Yeah.” Charlie was looking out of the window. It wasn't far, but the car fell quiet until we stopped in front of my place.

 

“You staying here for tonight?” Cliff asked Charlie who slid out of the car and back into the passenger seat, while I was taking my sweet time getting out feeling some hurt.

 

“Most likely. I'll call you tomorrow when you can come, bring Jaster by so he stops whining about missing Duo.”

 

“You got it.” Cliff said before the two shared a deep kiss. I ignored it the best I could going towards the building.

 

“Thanks for the lift Cliff, you the man.” I patted the hood of the car.

 

Charlie and he broke there affection. “Hey you're almost family Duo.”

 

I gave a nervous laugh; too many levels of that statement ate at me. I hustled it up to my apartment as fast as I could, which wasn't fast at all. I so needed a beer.

 

“The hell happened to you anyway?” Charlie asked easily catching up to me.

 

“I hit a car.”

 

“Don't you mean a car hit you?”

 

“You would think that wouldn't you?”

 

“Honestly, no. It does sound more believable with you hitting a car. Is that who those people were?”

 

“Yeah, didn't see `em pulling out of an alley cause I thought I had a Preventer on my ass, so I nailed their car, caught some air, and met concrete. It was epic.”

 

Charlie cackled loudly behind me. “Ah shit, man I would give anything to see that, that how you got that fuckin shiner?”

 

“Maybe!” Like hell I as gonna tell him the truth about it. I got to my door and stepped to the side. Charlie's laugh faded as he looked at me looking at him.

 

“What?”

 

“I don't have keys.”

 

“Whad you lose em?”

 

“No, this fuckin dead behind the eyes nurse gave all my shit to my brother.” Yeah I was still mad about Melissa.

 

“You don't have a brother.”

 

“I know.”

 

Charlie was snickering again as he knocked on the door. “You really have no luck at all Duo.”

 

“Obviously.” I was so not amused at my cursed karma.

 

“No luck huh Sandman?” The defeated words came from my apartment along with a bunch of other murmurs.

 

“The fuck is going on?” I pushed Charlie to the side stepping in the doorway. “You gotta be fuckin kidding me.”

 

It was hard to believe what I was seeing, but it was what it was. My small ass apartment was at capacity. All the Steel Dogs were there, even Mickey. The files were scattered all over the place, beers just as scattered. These fuckin guys were insane. All of them were staring at me as I turned my attention to Charlie.

 

“You serious?”

 

“There was no way I could go through all of it. Cliff and Jaster are useless with things like this. The guys weren't cool with what went down today either.” Charlie explained.

 

“Yer ass just got drunk and chatty huh?”

 

The laughter tore from my room as the guys rushed to me. “Ha, that's our Pitbull all right. He fuckin called you out there Sandman.”

 

“He got lucky J-rod, nothing else.” Charlie grunted back.

 

I held my hands up keeping them back. “Kinda hurtin at the moment. Let me get fixed up first yeah?”

 

The guys did as I asked, we all clasped hands, a couple of us throwing an arm around each other. We were a tight ass group, like one fucked up little family.

 

My ass almost fell over all the shoes by the door as I took the one's I stole off going to the bathroom. I took off the hospital pants exchanging them for a pair of work pants; I was more comfortable in them. I grabbed a bottle of disinfectant from behind the mirror. Hey, I was good at hurting myself. Also, I grabbed the mini sewing kit I had. Never used it, but kept it in case I had the inkling to try and fix something. Least now it was proving useful.

 

“Eh Adam. You any good at stitchin shit up?” I came out of the bathroom frowning as there wasn't much room to walk with all the guys taking up floor space. I went to the open spot I assumed was left for me at the head of the futon and sat down. It seemed to work out the way they set themselves up, course we were used to working in odd tight spaces.

 

Tank was in the corner to my right by the bookshelf that was next to my futon. Next to him a little out from the wall was J-Rod. There was an open space. In the far corner was Mickey critically studying a case. Princess was by the fridge, making him our beer wench. Just in front of him and to the right was Q-Ball. In the middle of the room was 6-inch who was flipping through some pictures. Jinks was next to the bathroom and at the end of the futon was Sandman.

 

“What am I stitching?” Adam queried standing up. Charlie moved to Yoshi's place forcing Yoshi to take Adam's place, the move went amazingly smoothly like everyone automatically knew where to go.

 

“Kinda fucked myself up today.” I undid the ties around the various parts of my arms.

 

Adam gave a whistle. “Damn, how'd you manage them?”

 

Everyone was leaning to get a look. “I ran into a car.”

 

“You ran into a car?”

 

“Yeah Tank, ran into it. I was on a bike.”

 

“The fuck were you on a bike for?”

 

“Cause it's faster than fuckin walking 6-Inch and the Preventer's would be watchin the train, not to mention I have no money er nothin since my shit got stolen.”

 

“Your shit got stole?”

 

“Shut up Tank, I wanna here more bout this car.” Adam was already smirking.

 

“Yeah well I was checkin for Preventer's on my back and nailed the car. Flipped over the thing and nailed my arms on the wheel well blockin my face from it, but not my eye from my arms, hence why I got the shiner.” Adam was on the verge of laughing along with a few others. I guess I was pretty good at coming up with lies on the fly. “Just go head and laugh.”

 

“That what happened here too?” Ty asked, not finding the incident as funny as the rest who were talking about what I must have looked like.

 

“Naw, I got shot.”

 

“What?” Ty couldn't hear me over the roaring of the other guys.

 

“I said I got shot!” The laughter stopped.

 

“Eh? Who shot you?” Mickey sounded pissed.

 

“Fuckin weak ass Preventer. I scared the hell out of him though, so I don't think he'll be stayin with them much longer.” I'd put Young through enough, wasn't any point to letting the guys know.

 

A somber mood fell over the room. Adam pulled off some of the string dipping it in the disinfectant asking for a lighter, which Mickey provided. He used it to sterilize the needle then set to getting it ready for my arm.

 

“Ya might want this.” Ty said handing me a half drank bottle of whiskey. Did I ever.

 

Greedily I grabbed it wasting no time drinking it. Chugging whiskey is hard, really hard, but I did it anyway. By the time I was finished my eyes were watering and I was panting something fierce.

 

“Princess…” I meant to ask for a beer, but couldn't get it out as my insides burned. He didn't need the question already had one out and threw it to me. I caught it automatically. Adam used the church key on his keychain to open it for me and I drank it down. It was like water compared to the whiskey.

 

I leaned to the side of Adam; Princess threw me another beer seeming to know how it was going to flow. Adam again popped it open for me I took a few healthy gulps before switching it with the whiskey then handed the bottle back to Ty.

 

“I'm not feelin the whisky tonight man.” Ty shrugged to my comment.

 

“Got some Vodka.” Yoshi threw it to me before I could answer, but vodka sounded good. I took a few swigs of it and it settled the churning in my stomach.

 

“Ha, yeah seems that's my poison.”

 

“You wanna drink more before I start?”

 

“Naw, it's cool.” I pushed off from the wall and sat facing the bathroom giving Adam my right arm to work on.

 

“Alright.” Adam said wasting no time getting to it. I didn't even flinch as he pushed the needle in my bicep. I took a drink of the vodka like nothing was happening. The other guys cringed slightly, wincing as if it was them getting their arm stitched up.

 

“Aw, you guys a buncha pussies eh?”

 

“Fuck that man, that shit's gotta hurt. Man and once he gets to the forearm…” Yoshi visibly shook.

 

“It's nothin. You get use to it after awhile.”

 

“You one fucked up dude Pitbull.” Ty commented behind me.

 

“Think Jinks is even more fucked up. Doin that shit to a friend and ain't even flinching.” Joey added.

 

“Wars a dangerous game. Can't leave your wounds open not when the next fight can come at any moment. Ya ain't got time to go to medical for every little thing, so ya take care of that shit on your own or ask a friend.”

 

“Yeah, good thing yer here Jinks, cause I got no fuckin skill with my left hand.”

 

“Not a problem. Shit ain't so bad anyway.” He said finishing my bicep and going to my forearm. Yoshi paled out as he watched. Charlie smacked him upside the head.

 

“Stop fuckin looking at it idiot.”

 

“I can't help it Sandman, it's fucked up.”

 

“It's Pitbull, the only thing he knows how to do is fuck up.”

 

“Hey, do what your good at. Sorry I'm so good at fuckin up.” I snorted back.

 

“You should be.” Always, he always had to get the last word in.

 

“That's enough ladies.” Mickey stood up we all shut up out of pure instinct. “We should be talkin bout what's important here.”

 

“And what's important here?” I asked drinking more of the vodka and beer as Adam finished my arm. I turned holding out my other arm to him. He raised an eyebrow at me.

 

“Yer so good at it.” I replied. He heaved a sigh and started on that one as I drank with my fully stitched right arm. He did do an awesome job. It was a nice even stitch, not too tight, not too loose. He could be a surgeon with how perfect that shit was.

 

“This God of Death character.”

 

“Ah.” I said so tired of it.

 

“Don't get cocky boy.”

 

“Sorry Mickey.” I wasn't sounding sorry at all.

 

“Yeah, yeah, ya good for nothin. Now listen up. We found some things out for ya. Go head guys.” Mickey sat down.

 

“Guy's from L2. He's a native.” Maleek said. “You can tell from his communications. Most of `em you can't really notice, but there's a couple he musta been mad writin cause shit was straight L2 soundin.” I don't know if I was shocked by the information or by the fact Maleek talked so much.

 

“Yeah dudes got a straight hard on for you too man.” Yoshi added with a laugh.

 

“Seems to think Yuy's got the same thing for ya.” Joey continued with a snicker.

 

Now I was actually confused by the information. “Wha?”

 

“Read this shit. This had to be the shit that brought your old pals here for ya.” Joey answered handing me a paper. I took another swig from the vodka before grabbing the paper. It was a print out from an email there was no sender but the receiver was a Yuy, Heero. That wasn't so reassuring.

 

I've given you every clue yet you leave me so blue.

Without one you seem so undone.

What a waste he went to space.

You should get him in line before I make him mine.

A few more rounds until Sanq's in worthless mounds.

To a new rebel group, bring me your troupes

Until we meet, this shall repeat.

Your time is running out, all I have to do is give him a shout

What will you do when he's standing in front of you?

I'm sure you'll fight I will enjoy that sight.

I will watch you suffer in front of the one you wish to call lover.

In the end he will return to me for I am the God of Death you see.

 

“What the fuck is that suppose to mean? They all this rhymin shit?”

 

“Naw he changes his communication style.” Mickey answered. “Smart kid, little too smart. He varies too much, like he wants ta make `imself look unstable, when he ain't at all. Seems guy would be calm no matter what happenin. Don't seem like one to lose his head easy.”

 

“Yes. H-he is quiet the beast.” Renold finally spoke, his voice quivered. The other guys nodded their head in agreement.

 

“He's a cruel ass bastard.” Adam said finishing up my left arm looking grave.

 

“How so?”

 

“He's mutilated a lot of people, mostly Preventer's that got too close to finding him.” Charlie brought his hand to his mouth shaking his head looking like he was about to upchuck. “He's also done some regular people, I think they were either working with him or tried to back out, or just some unfortunate people who stumbled onto his base or something.”

 

“You okay Sandman.” Yoshi asked putting a hand on his shoulder. Charlie was up and in the bathroom. The sound of him losing the contents of his stomach filled the room.

 

“He's the only one that made it through all the pictures.” Adam said giving a nervous laugh. I was starting to get a bad feeling, but it made sense why he was so unsettled when he heard I was most likely with this God of Death character.

 

“You wanna see em?” Yoshi asked handing me the stack of pictures he'd been looking through, he was a little pale as well.

 

“Naw, I'll just leave it to my imagination.” Like hell I wanted to see that shit. I was the guy that had to meet with this psycho. Shit was gonna get to me if I looked at it.

 

“That'd be a good idea.”

 

“Fuckin not helping me Jinks.”

 

“Think your ass needs more help with coordination than anything else.” It was a good call by Adam to lighten the heavy mood in the room.

 

“I can fuckin coordinately kick your ass.”

 

“First you need to learn how to hit like a dude.”

 

“Oh snap!” Yoshi cackled. Along with everyone else even myself. I took a drink from the bottle the laughter dying down.

 

“Are you fuckin kidding me?” The words left my mouth as I dropped the bottle seeing a figure standing in the doorway. Our loud relief had muffled the sound of the door being unlocked and opened. I knew it was locked cause Charlie came in after me and he was one to always lock the door. Seems they must have made some keys, not that it was a shock or anything.