Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Mea Culpa ❯ Confession 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Mea Culpa

Confession Three

By Devon Masterson

"What are you doing here, Maxwell?" Wufei asked as not looking up from his paperwork. "Or should I say Wagner."

"Maxwell," he corrected. The network of information that they all seemed to have access to never failed. "A guy can't even think about having a nervous breakdown in peace," he thought. "I am myself."

At his tone, Wufei looked up. "Why are you here, Duo?"

"I need something to do," he replied. "I know you have a mission that I can go on."

Wufei shook his head. "Maxwell, as much as I admire your talents despite you your annoying personality, you are emotional and when you're emotional you get sloppy. I can not afford for you to get killed and have to bury another friend and have the others breathing down my neck."

"Didn't know you cared, Wu-man," Duo smirked.

The Chinese man rolled his eyes at the nickname. "If you need to go find yourself do it somewhere else, I know who you are."

"Look, I just need to get my mind off some things. I'm not looking to be killed or anything," Duo replied.

"Fine," Wufei said. "I do have something that your talents could use. There is a terrorist group on L-4 that starting to get a little too bold." He handed the braided pilot a folder.

Duo smiled as some familiarity started to come back to his life. "Consider it done," he smiled. "I'll be around."

Wufei nodded. Even though he knew that was an assignment that someone like Duo could handle with not too many problems, he had a feeling that maybe he should have just fired him.

mcmc

"So how did our little project go?" Dion asked as one of his associates walked into the room looking pleased with himself.

"Like clockwork," Brian answered sitting down. "The Preventers have become slack since Lady Une left."

"Don't underestimate that Chinese guy. He had not been in charge long enough for us to make a decision yet. I heard he was a gundam pilot."

"The gundam pilots are nothing without their gundams," Brian snorted.

"I make it a practice to never under estimate the opponent."

"You're too paranoid, Dion," Brian replied, "we're too small for the Preventers to even worry about, but after we blow up their headquarters of the Preventers, our major obstacles will be taken care of."

Dion smiled. "About that, I have a guy I want you to check out. His name is Maxwell Priest."

"Maxwell Priest, huh?"

"Yeah, he impressed me by getting in here undetected. Said he was impressed with some of our handiwork, but I want to be on the safe side. If he doesn't check out, shoot him."

Brian nodded. Their operation was in the critical stages. This mission could make or break them and there was no room for spies or wannabes. "I'll check him out. Is he in the tank?"

"Yeah, I did not want him roaming around. I already have Mitch working on how he got in here undetected. If he checks out he'll be a great asset."

Brian left the room and headed towards the lower levels of the hideout, affectionately called the tank. He waved and greeted his fellow compatriots as he worked his way downward. They were freedom fighters against the false peace that their government provided.

"Hey, Bri, I heard there's a new guy in the tank."

"Yeah, I'm going to check him out now," he said as he reached the holding room where they screened their applicants. He smirked as he saw the guy sitting casually in the chair with no worries in the world. There was something familiar about him that he just could not place, but he shrugged it off. "You Maxwell Priest?"

Duo turned around and grinned. "Who wants to know?"

"I don't have time for games," Brian replied. "So let's cut to the chase, why are you here."

"I like to blow things up," he answered grinning. "It's fun and I'm good at it. C4 or vintage primacord, doesn't matter as long as it's going up in the end."

"A psycho, huh?" Brian asked. "What you get off on it?"

"It doesn't compare to sex, though it does come close," he answered.

"Yeah, whatever," Brian said. "We're going to set up a test just see what you can do."

"What kind of test?" he asked curiously.

Brian's eyes glinted with mischief. "You'll see."

mcmc

"Wu, I'm blowing up Relena's apartment in fifteen minutes," Duo said as Wufei's image appeared on the vid screen through the encrypted channel.

Wufei raised an eyebrow but said nothing as the transmission ended. "At least he's taking this seriously," he mused as he left the room. Good thing he was already there.

Duo pulled the jammer device off vid phone. He smiled as he pocked the device and exited the phone booth. Anybody monitoring the call would have just heard him make a naughty phone call to his girlfriend instead of covert communications. "I love this job," he thought as he walked down the street to Relena's apartment.

Fourteen minutes later, he walked casually back down the street. He started to whistle as he saw Brian standing at the corner waiting for him. He had an angry look on his face. "Dude, chill," Duo replied as he turned the corner. Brian's scowl deepened and he followed after him trying not to be so conspicuous. As he turned the corner, he felt a shock and then a loud boom. The two of them kept walking as people started running towards them and away in chaotic panic.

"Nice job," Brian complimented once they got back to the hideout. "I was worried for a sec."

Duo grinned smugly. "I am a professional," he replied, "So what's next and I hope I break a sweat this time."

Brian chuckled at his eagerness. "There is no next job," he replied pulling out his gun, "You were our little distraction while we got the personnel files we needed. See you don't check out and I don't like that, we're the slightest bit suspicious."

"Okay you got me," Duo pouted, "but I plan to go out with the bang." He pushed the detonator and several explosions went off throughout their base. Brian looked away in surprise and Duo jumped on him. The two wrestled for the gun. "I don't think so, bud." He reached out for the gun while trying to hold Brian back as they struggled and nearly had it when Brian grabbed Duo by the braid and pulled on it. His head yanked back and he howled in pain.

"You should have cut it," Brian smirked as he raised the gun at Duo who he sat on the floor looking down. "Oh what's wrong? The wittle fairy boy head horts," he taunted sounding like a cross between Elmer Fudd and a mother talking to her baby. "I will make it all betta for wu." He pulled the trigger and nothing happened.

"Looking for this," Duo growled as he held the magazine for the gun in his hand. He had managed to liberate it right before his precious braid had been pulled. Amethyst eyes became cold as he stood and raised his gun. "Here's a ticket to hell on me." He pulled the trigger, throwing Brian back from the force as the bullet penetrated his skull and terminated his life. "All betta now," he replied just before leaving the room.

It was time to blow this popsicle stand. He depressed the detonator once again and more explosions went off behind him as he ran out. Normally he would have waited until he was outside before setting them off, but nothing went according to plan. He did not expect them to actually double cross him like that though he was set up in just in case something did happed. As for the special operative files they thought they had, they were stupid for thinking they actually kept some.

mcmc

"Did you really have to blow up Relena's apartment?" Wufei asked.

"She has the whole building to herself," Duo replied, "it's not like you had to evacuate a whole bunch of people. Besides, I take my work seriously."

Wufei shook his head. "Anyway, your handling of the remnants of Ocean Group went decently. It's nice to know working security for Heero did not make you soft."

"Well you know how Heero is," Duo smirked. Heero had enough people after him and his company. It seemed he was doing a lot of the same things except this was the first person he killed in a year. It felt kind of weird. Normally it would not bother him, but now he had a nagging sensation of dissatisfaction, but it was small. The jerk would have killed him and he pulled his braid, all of those were grounds for death in his book.

Wufei nodded. He knew there was no way Heero would let Duo's skills wane in the slightest, but he could not help teasing him, it had been awhile. "Go home, Maxwell."

"I don't know where that is anymore," he admitted then looked away. "I'm a Preventer this is where I belong."

Wufei shook his head. "You're fired."

"Oh come on, Wu, you're firing me," Duo whined.

"That's the only way you are going to face this, though I admit I am surprised you let this get to you. You are the most annoying, versatile person that I know."

Duo smirked. "That's what Vic said." He stood and turned to leave. "I'm going…home."

Wufei nodded and tossed him a package. "This is for Andrea. Open it and die."

"It's another stuffed animal isn't it?"

Wufei cleared his throat and went back to his paperwork to hide the crimson that warmed his cheeks. "Goodbye Maxwell."

© 2002 Devon Masterson.

Yeah, I know I am twisted, but I still don't own the Gundam and SM characters. I just own the entire Wagner family, associates, all gundam children, and the plot. No money is made by me so don't sue me.