Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Integration ❯ Wring Out The Old ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer and warnings on first page of story.

Integration

By: Bane's Desire

Part 8 - Wring Out The Old

Walking into the apartment with five minutes to spare, Duo cast a weary and wary glance at Scott who met him at the door looking perturbed.

"Cutting it a little close, aren't you?" the Asian asked snidely.

"Sorry," Duo took off his tinted glasses and lowered his head. "They had a little impromptu party and it was hard to get away."

"I've got dinner waiting," Scott announced as he moved to take Jason's coat from off his shoulders. He hung it up on the standing coat rack next to the door then turned and looked expectantly at the younger man. "Haven't you got something to say to me?" he asked, a dark eyebrow raised in anticipation.

Duo looked up, surprised at the question, then shifted his eyes back down to the floor again and noticed a dark stain on the carpet, probably his own blood. He refocused and searched through Jason's memories for a hint of whatever it was his abuser was looking for. "Um.. thanks for making dinner?" he guessed. Then, too late, Jason memories came up with the significance of the day's date.

"How about happy birthday?" Scott frowned and peered a bit closer at him. "Are you all right?"

Duo mentally snorted at the comment. Of course he wasn't all right. What a stupid, asinine question, he thought. He was in the early stages of recovering from the savage beating he'd gotten the night before and his headache was threatening to split his skull in half after the long session with Duane. He knew better than to say that out loud, so instead of telling the truth, he simply answered, "Sorry. Guess I'm just worn out from... yesterday and the strain of avoiding everyone I could today. Sorry, I don't have a present."

"I didn't expect one. I never get you anything," Scott said, still eyeing the injured man. "I thought we'd have dinner then relax in front of the fireplace. Fool around a bit, sort of a birthday celebration."

The part of him that had been Jason flinched, and Duo knew exactly what Scott meant and there was no way he'd let the other man "fool around" with him. Remembering to keep up the facade of Jason, he answered as timidly as possible. "I... I'm sorry, Scott, but I just in too much pain. I think I'll try to eat something and then take a pain and sleeping pill, if that's all right with you. Maybe I'll feel better in a day or two."

It was clear by the irritated huff that came from the other man that Scott wasn't happy about his reply. 'Screw you,' Duo thought to himself, adding several other derogatory expletives in his mind about his so-called lover.

"All right. Go into the kitchen and I'll just put this stuff away," the Asian man replied unhappily. Duo shuddered as he watched as the other man went to the couch and picked up the handcuffs, a blindfold and lube that had been placed there earlier. He tracked Scott as he left the room before his eyes narrowed with hatred aimed at the man as he watched him go. How the other man could have ever thought he could put handcuffs on him with a broken arm that was swollen and hurting like nobody's business was beyond his understanding. "Sick bastard," he muttered under his breath, then made his way to the kitchen.

The table was set and the prepared meal was sitting on the table ready to be consumed. It was probably all right for Scott's birthday, but as he looked around the apartment and took in the lack of holiday decorations that generally signified that the biggest holiday of the year was only two days away, he felt even more empty than before. 'What a pathetic Christmas,' Duo thought, sitting down in the chair Jason always occupied. He recalled from Jason's memories that Scott never did celebrate holidays. Early in their relationship, Scott had stated that he'd been estranged from his dysfunctional family and set out on his own when he turned sixteen. He'd been angry and bitter and consigned all of his relatives to the past as well as any traditions they celebrated. There was no traditional celebrating of birthdays or holidays in Scott's world. Instead of cake and presents, a dinner and kinky sex was the usual birthday tradition for Scott, and New Year's Eve was pretty much celebrated the same way, only alcohol was usually involved.

A deep feeling of sadness rose up within him as he realized he'd never celebrated Christmas with Heero like he'd always wanted, with a tree, lights and presents shared together with their friends. That dream had been obliterated when they were Integrated.

His broken arm and ribs throbbed and ached and his head hurt as a result of the long afternoon session spent under hypnosis. Damn, but he was tired. He set his elbows on the table and rested his forehead against his uninjured upraised hand, wishing he could just fade away.

His dulled senses registered Scott's entrance into the kitchen and that the other man had come to stand at his side. Two pills, a white and a blue one, were set on the edge of his empty plate. He had to wonder if they were the medication he thought they were or maybe some placebo.

"Take those now and they'll be well into your system by the time you've finished eating," Scott advised.

Duo reached for the two pills. The white one was supposed to be for pain and the blue was the sleeping pill he took on occasion. He set the pain pill in his mouth and palmed the other, deciding on a better use for it. He chased the pill down with the glass of milk that was sitting next to his plate.

Scott then took his dinner plate and filled it with lasagna, green beans and salad, then put it back in place before he picked up his own plate and filled it. "Eat something," his abuser ordered. Deciding it was better to eat than carry on a conversation, Duo took small portions of food on his fork, just as his memory of Jason indicated he should. Scott sat across from him in his usual chair and Duo could feel the other man's eyes on him as he studied his food.

"I told you to stay home today and now you're paying for your stubbornness," the other man commented smugly.

Duo ignored the comment and thought darkly about how the bastard always managed to blame him for his poor health or beaten condition. Hatred rose inside of him for the man sitting across the table, casually eating his dinner. He thought of all the abuse Jason and now he had suffered at his hands, and envisioned using some of the warped torture techniques Professor G had taught him before he was sent off to war. With a silent gasp, a sudden realization struck him like a bolt of lightening, sharp and brilliant. He kept his face down as a dark grin of satisfaction formed on his lips. There had been no pain from the violent thoughts that had just passed through his mind. Duane had successfully managed to rid him of the inhibiting chest pain his past violent thoughts always brought on. He felt a rush of excitement knowing that with the removal of those inhibitors, he was well on his way to being free, that everything was going to work out. Relaxing his facial muscles, taking on a slack expression in order to hide his awakened self from Scott, he prepared himself to continue biding his time and wait to extract his revenge.

The meal was finished in silence and Duo watched from out of the corner of his eye as Scott rose from his chair and started the coffee machine for his nightly cup. The tea kettle was turned on for his cup of herbal tea. He'd always hated tea and he couldn't help but wonder if he'd been programed for Jason to prefer it to coffee, taking away one of his other former pleasures. Why? He didn't know.

Scott put their respective mugs on the table and Duo's nose wrinkled at the distasteful thought of the green tea he knew he'd be drinking. It was supposed to be good for him, he knew, but it tasted like boiled twigs and dirt. He rested his chin in his hands as Scott finished clearing away the table and began to run water in the sink to rinse the dishes and wash the pots and pans. Making sure the Japanese man had his back turned, Duo took his spoon and leaned his body slightly over the table's edge to hide his actions. He then put the saved sleeping pill on the tabletop and pressed the back of his spoon against the top of it, crushing it into powder. He silently ground it down, making sure there were no lumps left. Quickly checking again, making sure Scott was preoccupied and looking the other way, he placed his splintered arm over the powder and waited.

When the dishes were loaded into the dishwasher and the pots and pans were washed and put away, the coffee and hot water were ready. Scott brought the kettle over and after putting the tea bag in Jason's mug and pouring the hot water over it, he grabbed his own cup and moved to fill it.

Duo let the tea steep only a short while before he pulled the tea bag out and set it on the edge of the saucer, then doctored the hot water with as much sugar as he could while Scott's back was turned. He recalled sourly that Jason wasn't allowed much sugar to sweeten the awful brew. Scott returned to the table and added cream and sugar to his coffee, stirred it and then sipped it appreciatively.

"Do we have any crackers or cookies?" Duo dared to ask.

Scott stood. "I bought some especially for tonight, being my birthday and all." He went to the pantry to retrieve the treat.

While his back was turned, Duo scraped the powder substance off the table with his finger and into the palm of his other hand, then put it in Scott's coffee. Sticking his finger into it, he quickly stirred the hot liquid. He pulled his hand back quickly when he saw the other man turning around, a tin of butter cookies in his hands.

Popping open the lid, Scott put the container down on the table. "An early Merry Christmas," he said, his tone anything but cheery.

Duo reached over and took one, figuring this was probably the extent of his Christmas celebration. The part of his memories that belonged to Jason were pretty much bereft of any memories of happy times or traditional celebrations. In that respect, he and Jason were similar. He'd missed all those things as a homeless street kid, and had always longed to have those traditional celebrations as a part of his life if he survived the war. Now knowing that those things had been taken away from him along with everything else, served to fuel his anger even more. Whoever put him here with Scott the sadist was going to pay and pay dearly.

There was a small spark of satisfaction deep inside him as he watched the Japanese man drink the remainder of his coffee. Once Scott was sound asleep, he'd do some snooping, assured that the other man would be out cold for at least six hours.

Excusing himself several moments later, Duo made his way to the bathroom to prepare for bed. He struggled one-handed to get the sweater off that he'd worn all day. It was difficult, but he'd be damned if he'd ask the bastard who'd done this to him for any help. His loose dress pants were more easily removed, but his hand stilled as he came to his zipper, knowing he wasn't wearing boxers. Scott insisted they both sleep naked. A shudder of revulsion shook his slender frame as Jason's memory of what he'd endured in the bed he was about to climb into. Rape, degradation, and humiliation had dominated his nights and the bedroom's activities. Feeling his stomach reacting to those strong, adverse memories, Duo leaned over the toilet and vomited out the contents of his stomach, causing his injured ribs and aching head to hurt abominably. "Oh, God," he moaned, clutching his good hand to his head. He quickly flushed the toilet, brushed his teeth, rinsed out his mouth, then left the bathroom to seek out his bed. He then removed this pants and climbing under the covers, between the top sheet and comforter, hopefully giving him some barrier between himself and the other man, he huddled on the edge of Jason's side of the bed and waited.

He didn't have to wait long as Scott entered the bedroom shortly after the bedding began to warm. The man yawned loudly and after undressing, he climbed into the bed and between the sheets properly and thankfully stayed on his side of it. Not ten minutes later, his soft snores punctuated the otherwise silent room.

This was the moment he'd been waiting for. Pushing any traces of weariness aside and after making sure Scott was sleeping deeply, Duo slowly eased himself out of bed and left the bedroom, silently closing the door after him. Snagging a blanket off the back of the couch, he managed to get it over his goose bump-covered shoulders to ward off the cold and headed towards the room that had always been forbidden to him - Scott's locked office.

With his hand on the cold doorknob, Duo paused as Jason's fear rose within him. He'd been conditioned to never go into this room. It was Scott's and he knew the penalty would be severe if any evidence was found that he'd been in there. Duo pushed back Jason's fear, telling himself he'd been a gundam pilot, a master at infiltration. He had nothing to fear from Jason's abuser. He might be in less than peak condition but he could still kill the other man if he was attacked.

Reaching up and feeling the top edge of the door frame with his fingertips he found the narrow pin that would unlock the office door. He put the slender tool into the small hole in the doorknob, wiggled it around until he found the flat catch and pushed in on it. Turning the doorknob with growing confidence, Duo put the door-opening tool back in its place, entered the office and found the light switch on the wall. He flicked it on and the room was immediately lit. To all appearances the eight by twelve foot room looked just what he imagined a rarely used office should; it was sparse. There was a modest-size oak desk against the far wall with a folding chair pushed up against it and a computer sitting on top of it, an item Scott refused to let him have access to. At long last, with his returned memories, he finally understood why. To the right of the desk was the brightly-lit standing lamp, the only means of illumination in the room. A quick scan showed there were no pictures on the walls, no bookcase or stereo. The only piece of furniture other than the desk was the three -foot tall metal cabinet that sat alone against the left wall.

Shutting the door soundlessly behind him, Duo locked it and went for the computer. As it booted up, he turned to the file cabinet and tried opening it. It was locked. At the moment he'd give anything for his lock picks.

Going back to the desk, he opened the drawers, of which there were six, three on both sides, and began searching the surface area of each one. A triumphant smile crossed his face as he felt an out-of-place object. Pulling the taped key from off the bottom of the drawer, he brought it up and examined it. "What a simpleton," he said, chuckling darkly at Scott's idea of hiding his key. He rose from the chair and went back to the metal cabinet and inserted the key into the lock, located at the top right corner. A satisfying click announced the unlocking of all four drawers.

Opening the top drawer, Duo found a neatly organized system of filing. The front folders were labeled in alphabetical order the names of utility vendors, rent and car payments as well as medical insurance bills. Towards the back of the cabinet he discovered two blue folders which he pulled out to get a better look at them. Taking them over to the desk, he set them down. The label on each folder was vaguely familiar to him. If he remembered right, the white symbol of a dove on the dark blue cover was the insignia of the Preventers, the so-called world peacekeeping organization. Opening the folder, he wasn't too surprise to see a dossier on himself. He scanned his background information dating from the end of the war, his signed contract agreeing to the terms of the first Integration, as well as reports documenting his first successful attempt at freeing himself and Heero from their wrongful identities. Another report cited their capture and incarceration and the order for the Integration that had been forced upon him. He was somewhat surprised to see a complaint filed by the lawyer he'd visited as well as letters from Lady Une and Relena stating the necessity of immediately re-Integrating both himself and Heero.

He held his breath and his eyes widened with disbelief as he read the request from the Vice Foreign Minister on the official letterhead from her office that Heero be returned to his original memories as Kai Ozuka. As for pilot 02, he was to be given a new identity, a more passive personality and placed in the United States with a hired guardian to ensure by any means that he didn't regain his memories.

Anger, resentment and the deep sense of betrayal for what he'd suffered at that girl's hands brought unwanted moisture to his eyes. He turned on the computer, called up a search engine and typed in Kai Ozuka. Ten pages of sites with information about his former lover came up. With some trepidation, he clicked on the first link. His heart felt like lead as he saw a large head shot of the one person in the world that had earned his respect and love. His hand rose to trace the handsome face with the deep blue eyes on the screen.

With a shuddering sigh, he scanned down each picture revealing Kai Ozuka's life, first as a college student, then as a Preventer. There were photos of him appearing stone-faced and alert as he stood guard beside Relena as she lied through her teeth while making her speeches about peace, justice and pacifism. Even with his anger and frustration, Duo noted that in all of the pictures of he and Relena that Kai/Heero rarely smiled, and when he did it appeared strained. He was the picture of stoicism and duty, just like Heero had been during the war.

He scrolled down and suddenly stopped, struck to the heart by a series of wedding pictures. Relena was dressed in a long, white wedding gown and clung to the arm of her new husband. Heero, or rather Kai, was dressed in a light gray tuxedo, his face as pinched with serious intention as ever when there appeared to be a crowd crouching in too close for comfort. Even though Heero didn't look to be all that happy, Duo knew he'd never seen a more handsome man.

"Shit, Heero. Why?" he asked in an agonized whisper, the unshed tears in his eyes finally spilling over as his heart felt the pain of betrayal. His initial impulse was to turn off the computer, to hide from the evidence of Relena's scheming coming to a successful conclusion. But instead of running from it, he spent the next hour scanning several sites, gleaning as much information as he could, learning of Kai's made up but well documented and believable past and of the time that had passed since they'd been separated. The well-known couple had been married for eighteen months and Kai continued to serve as the head of Relena's official security team. He was somewhat surprised that Relena had kept her maiden name, but guessed she didn't want to give up the last name that was synonymous with pacifism. He continued to scan more of the pictures taken of the couple at many official and social gatherings, Relena always within arm's reach of her husband in almost every shot.

When he finally shut the site windows down an hour later, his hatred for Relena Peacecraft was complete. He decided that it didn't matter what had gone on during Heero's Integration. Relena had tricked him, and when Duane gave him back his memories, he'd leave her in a minute, then publically humiliate her when news got out that her devoted husband left her for someone else, someone she'd unjustly lied to and manipulated into a hellish life in order to get her own way.

With his revenge burning in every fiber of his being, he had to force himself to re-focus on his goals for the night by taking out the bank statements from the cabinet. A humorless grin came back to his face, now dry from tears. It was so nice of Scott to leave his ID and passwords to his bank account written on the inside of the folder. The man had been so sure of his domination of Jason, of his control over the person made weak at the whim of a spoiled girl, that he had been sloppy with his own security. He logged into Scott's account and found himself surprised once again. It seemed the undercover Preventer/caretaker received a hefty salary and a living allowance. Duo noted his bimonthly paycheck had also been deposited. With over one hundred thousand in savings and the ten thousand in checking, Duo knew he had enough to get him to his next destination and then some extra to play with. His eyes narrowed as plans began to form in his mind. He'd get away, of that he was sure, but not until he took care of the freak sleeping in the other room.

Looking at the small clock on the computer, he noted it was well after midnight. Options flashed through his mind, and after quickly analyzing them the most sensible one came to him. He put the fingers of his uninjured hand on the keyboard and began to manipulate the information on the screen. "And a fine Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas to you too, asshole" he said jeeringly.

*******

By five o'clock that morning, Duo had all the information he needed. Bank account numbers and pass words were memorized and Scott's true identity had been found. He was Preventer Eric Yannoshi, who'd volunteered for his current lucrative assignment, guaranteeing the Integrated person known as Jason Phillips was in his personal custody and that he would be limited in his association with others in order to maintain the integrity of the Integrated programming. He was not to allow his charge to have any opportunity to gain his memories back. Travel was forbidden to the two of them to any city other than Chicago without advance notice to the Preventers' office, and the former gundam pilot's violent tendencies were to be subdued at all costs, an order that was to be carried out within the Integration.

After reading a good part of the file, Duo sat back in the chair and covered his tired and burning eyes with his undamaged hand. Those orders had hit him like a wrecking ball on his stomach and fueled his anger even more. And with that anger, he mentally drafted a plan to escape the hell the Preventer's and Relena had concocted for him. He just had to hold out until New Year's Eve. He needed time to set things up and then he would have the first part of his revenge, after which he planned on disappearing for a while, resurfacing only to continue his retaliation on those who'd brought him to this end; and then he'd disappear... with Heero.

********

Scott woke up grumpy on Christmas Eve morning from his drugged sleep, frequently complaining about how lousy he felt and that he might be coming down with something. Duo stayed as much to himself as possible, joining the other man in complaining about his own discomforts in an effort to remind Scott to keep his hands to himself. It was the beginning of the Christmas holiday, one that had been repeated over the last several he'd known as Jason. But his disappointment at not even having a tree or presents was somewhat placated as he told himself that next year would be different. He would be free of Scott, of the Preventers, and if things went as planned, he'd be buying presents for Heero.

*********

Duo gave the appearance of going to work the day after Christmas, the holiday officially over, but as soon as he left the apartment he went to the nearest payphone and called in sick and then phoned Debra on her cell phone to tell her he had errands to run, not wanting her to worry about him. He told her he needed his small stash of money that she'd been saving for him and she volunteered to go to the bank during lunch and bring it back to the office. He agreed to meet her in the parking lot near the end of her lunch hour in order to get it from her and to fill her in on what was going on.

He hung up after speaking with her, thinking fondly about the young woman who had been the one bright spot in Jason's life, and he promised himself that he would do everything in his power to keep her uninvolved in his escape and free from any hint of involvement in his breaking free from the Integration. With the knowledge he'd gained of who he was and the people involved in screwing up his life, he knew the consequences would be severe for anyone who helped him. He was determined that neither she nor Duane would suffer from having been his friend.

He turned his attention towards his future escape. There was some business he needed to conduct in order to make sure his escape successful. He wished for a moment that Heero was beside him, using his superior skills at hacking into bank accounts, but he let the thought go as the recent memory of the pictures he'd seen of his lover marrying Relena flashed in his mind, bringing an overwhelming wave of pain and self pity that he knew would be detrimental to his thought process in the busy days ahead. He re-focused his mind, turning his thoughts to his first priority: freeing himself from Scott and from being under the thumb of Relena and the Preventers, specifically Agent Fire, who was Scott's superior and had given him the order to keep him in his current state no matter what the means. He was determined he'd have his revenge on all of them, and Duo Maxwell was one tenacious terrorist when it came to revenge.

After determining how much money Scott had the night before, Duo set to work in gaining access to Scott's funds. Being a bit rusty, the task had been a little more time consuming and difficult than he first thought it would be, but in the end his on-line trip to the bank proved successful, gaining him full access to all of Scott's accounts. Knowing the statement date for the month's activities was past and that the bug he'd put into Scott's private computer would deny the other man access to the Internet, he had no compunction or fear of being discovered. He knew how to get around the bug, and he'd go back to the bank's web site to make the large transfer as soon as he opened a new account in another bank, which topped his list of things to do that day. Once that was put in place, he'd wait until just before New Years Eve to transfer enough money from Scott's accounts to buy a new identity. With that much money in his hands, he planned on doing some shopping to buy clothing and accessories that would help to create the new person he'd become in order to keep himself hidden from the all seeing eyes of the Preventers.

He sat in a café near his work place and nursed a cup of coffee while he enjoyed a blueberry muffin with the five dollars Scott had given him for lunch, waiting for the time to pass before he was to meet Debra. At twelve forty-five, he walked into the parking lot and saw the familiar small woman standing alone on the sidewalk, grinning at him with a white paper bag in her hand.

Two hours later and after opening a new bank account with some of the money he'd gotten from Debra, he took a bus downtown and walked the busy streets of Chicago. His packages containing clothing purchased from a second-hand store dangled in his hand as he ignored his discomfort from his healing injuries while trying to appear to be nothing more than a causal shopper as he'd scouted around the city streets and businesses looking for someone who appeared similar in age and size to himself, preferably a male. After an hour of actively searching the busy bus terminal, he found such an individual and waited for the right moment to lift the guy's wallet, a task too easily accomplished despite his current physical limitations. He left the building and checked the wallet's contents after ducking into an alley, smiling at the sight of the young man's pilfered driver's license, social security card and student ID number, all of which would take him one step closer to freedom.

Next, he went to an even less reputable part of town, pulling from his past experiences and knowledge of who to make his subtle inquiries to. He was eventually led to a woman with a reputation for being one of the best forgers in the underground business, and who, for a sizeable fee, would give him the documentation he needed to become another person completely, whose background was legitimate enough to make him employable and allow him to travel.

At first he thought the bent and wrinkled Chinese woman was a bit long in the tooth for the kind of work she had a reputation for, but her manner was professional and her initial greeting was cautious. She questioned him, subtly at first, feeling out his reasons for the documents he was requesting, making sure he was legit and not an undercover cop. Deciding more or less by intuition that he was sincere, she then brought out a folder and showed him examples of her work and quoted him the sum of money that was required for her to provide him with a bogus birth certificate, a social security number and drivers license. And, for an extra two thousand credits, she would craft a travel visa that would allow him to go anywhere in the world as well as off planet. Duo tried to haggle the price with her, knowing it was expected, but in the long run he ended up paying her price. If her work was as good as the samples she'd shown him, any amount of money would be worth the freedom her forging would give him.

He left a cash down payment for the job with Mrs. Foo as well as the pilfered driver's license and student card from the kid in the bus terminal. At least the guy had a cool name, Skyler Watson, though it was a little too memorable. He figured he could live with it until it was time to take on another identity off planet. He told the woman that he would be altering his appearance to avoid any confrontation with the people chasing him, and even though he left out the fact that it was the authorities that would be looking for him, the woman gave him a knowing glance but asked no questions. Mrs. Foo agreed to start working on the documents immediately, and it came as no surprise that she requested a picture of him after he'd made his physical transformation and would need general information as to his height, weight and eye color to place his description as needed on the documentation. She assured him it would take three days after she received the picture to finish the documents and at the time of pick-up, full payment would be expected. He agreed readily, knowing it would take him a day or two after leaving Scott to change his physical appearance. He figured it would be two weeks until she finished with his papers. Two weeks to plan and make his escape. The idea that he would soon be free sent a pulse of adrenaline and excited anticipation through his body. He didn't know if he could wait that long to be away from Scott's abusive presence, but knew that he would stick it out; he really didn't have any other choice because timing was everything.

Thinking of time, he glanced to his watch he realized the day was slipping by quickly. He made his way back to the bus terminal, rented a locker and stashed his purchases inside, then slipped the key into his sock. He'd have to be careful that Scott didn't discover it. Then hailing a taxi, he went back to the apartment where the other man was no doubt waiting for him and decided to finish the rest of his preparations for the next day.

*******

He returned to work on Wednesday, three days after Christmas, in order to keep up appearances. The slightly-faded bruises and splintered arm brought looks of pity and disgust from his co-workers, but it was only Debra's feelings that he was concerned about.

Anger shot from the brown eyes of the petite woman as she took in the latest damage to his small frame that had been hidden by his coat and sunglasses on Monday. "When?" she demanded, standing over his as he ate his lunch.

"The twenty-third," he answered, his green tinted glasses covering his eyes looked at her with a steady and sure gaze that Jason had.

The young black woman's breath hitched suddenly, noting the changes in him. She quickly sat herself down into the chair next to him and scooted it closer for a more private conversation. "Duane called me and said you remembered your entire past. What are you going to do?" she whispered.

"Escape," he replied, in an equally low voice. "But the less you know the better, Deb. Now that I know who I am and who's behind my shitty life, I realize how much trouble you could be in. I won't repay your friendship to Jason by letting any harm come to you."

His friend's face became clouded with concern. "I might have been Jason's friend," she said softly, her eyes focused on his displayed her sincerity as she said, "But I'm your friend, too."

A warm smile lit Duo's face. "You're the only good thing that's happened to me since I became Jason. Thanks, Deb. There should be more people like you in the world."

Her hand moved to cover his own, resting on the table top. The stark contrast in their skin tones was something neither of them ever considered in their friendship. "When are you leaving?"

"If all goes well, New Year's Eve. I've got somewhere to hide out all set up until things fall into place. We go out every New Year's to the party downtown. I'll just slip away into the crowd and disappear off the face of the Earth."

"You're going to just walk away?" She raised a dubious eyebrow.

"Well, not quite," he smirked. "I've been emptying out his bank accounts this week, and by the time I leave he'll be penniless, a failure at his job with his reputation and record ruined at the Preventers. I'd like to skin him alive but that would be too messy and send out a clear signal that I regained my memories. No doubt they'll wonder if I stole the money and disappeared, but it will just be speculation as there won't be a trace of where the money or I've gone. I've implanted some incriminating and illegal information on his computer, web sites depicting violent sex and child pron. I then wired some traceable, stolen funds to an off-shore bank in his real name. If I just disappear during the New Year's celebration, the authorities will have to wonder if some random violence happened to me in my helpless state and that Scott's money was stolen at random, or if Scott himself set up the other account in order to hide his on-the-side activities that his computer will hint at."

Debra looked into his eyes and was surprised to find the absence of fear she always saw in Jason's face and posture, it had been replaced with a look of determination that she'd always wished for her friend to possess. She'd only been told a little about his last session with Duane, but she was more than glad to see that her friend Jason, now Duo, obviously had what it would take to get him out of his abusive relationship. "I've talked with Duane," she told him. "He told me just a bit about who you are and what happened. I'm so sorry," she said sincerely, squeezing his hand slightly to express her sincerity and wishing the simple words could erase the pain he'd been through for the last couple of years. "I don't know anything about you as Duo Maxwell," she continued. "I tried to search the net for information about the gundam pilots, but the records remain sealed. There were only past articles, gossip really, that reported what little the government let out about your pasts. I read about the Integration procedure and that you and the other pilots accepted it in order to keep peace with Earth and the Colonies. That gesture was very... commendable," she added. Her expression then turned sad as she said, "He also told me of how you were forced into it again after you'd gained you memory back, that you were forcibly separated from your lover by order of Relena Peacecraft. Are you going to go after her?"

Duo's eyes narrowed, his face hardened. "She'll have her day of reckoning," he promised, a hard edge to his voice.

"Just be careful,' Debra advised. "She's an important person, a celebrity if not a diplomat. Her husband is her bodyguard and from what I've read, he's already killed and seriously injured those who've posed a threat to her."

Duo had already decided not to share the knowledge he'd gained the night before, that Relena's husband had been his lover, that somehow the peace-touting bitch had betrayed both he and Heero in a highly illegal, immoral way to secure Heero as hers. "I'll do it right this time," he told his friend, trying to soften his facial features. "I'll plot, plan and scheme just as she did. I'll have allies this time and I'll take back what's mine." He tone of voice was firm, showing his strength of resolve.

Worry and fear flashed on Debra's face, and Duo had to wonder if she was afraid of or for him. She squeezed his hand once more then let go completely. "Guess this means you won't be giving a two week notice," she said and Duo snorted in response. "I'll miss you." Tears gathered in her eyes as she spoke the words. "Will I ever see you again or find out how things worked out?"

"I can't promise anything, Deb," he answered sadly. "But I'll try to get word to you, somehow. I don't want to do anything that would lead the authorities to you or Duane."

She nodded, sensing their time together had come to an end, and as if he felt the same, Duo stood from his chair and began to gather up his trash. "I've got to get back to work," he stated. He turned to go, but stopped when he felt Debra's arm go around his shoulder and she turned him in order to give him a sisterly embrace.

"Goodbye," she whispered, her emotions rising to the surface.

"Thanks for everything," he replied, then stepped back and left her, depositing his meager trash into the receptacle located by the break-room door.

The three days following his goodbye to Debra were productive and passed quickly. It was New Year's Eve and Duo had finished making his preparations for his departure and he'd all but emptied Scott's bank account. After leaving work on Wednesday, he'd taken the rest of his personal days which extended until January third. He'd be long gone by then and Jason Phillips would truly be a missing person.

Yet the best laid plans always seemed to come with a snag. For Duo it was in the form of Scott Mercer changing their annual plans for New Year's Eve.

TBC