Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Mission Impossible ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: I don't own the G boys, I just borrow them from time to time and return them a whole lot happier, ne? Written for pleasure not profit.

Warnings: Yaoi, sap, angst, fluff, perverseness, humor attempts, Lemon, Heero POV.

Pairing: eventual 2x1

Rating: NC 17

Summary: Heero and Duo have worked as partners for Preventer for several years, completing many successful missions. What happens on this latest mission though will change them both forever.

Notes: Written for Sharon's Moment's of Rapture 2005/2006 fic comp.

Many thanks to Artemis & Yami_tai for the beta!

"Mission Impossible"

Dec 2005 ShenLong

Chapter 2

It didn't take Duo long to throw together his gear for our latest mission. Duffle in hand, he emerged from his bedroom ten minutes after entering, changed out of his uniform into a pair of black jeans that rode low on his hips, a dark blue button down shirt, leather jacket slung over one arm and ready to go. We paused at his neighbor's apartment, Duo giving the elderly woman his spare key so she could water his plants and keep an eye on the place while he was gone. Then we were once more on the road, this time heading for my apartment.

Entering my apartment, Duo made a beeline for my kitchen and helped himself to a beer from the 'fridge and brought one back for me. With the mission not starting until we arrived at the shuttle port, Duo figured we had time to knock back one beer each . I'd booted up my lap top and while it was loading, fetched the manila envelope from inside my briefcase and opened it. Duo sprawled out on my couch and I took a seat next to him, spilling the contents of the envelope onto the coffee table. Duo rifled through the papers, picking one up.

"Your mission, should you choose to accept it…" he began with a grin.

I rolled my eyes. Would he never be serious and simply read what was written? Obviously not as he continued on.

"Is to play bodyguard to one Relena Peacecraft, to protect her and keep her safe from harm. Hey, Heero?"

"Hai?" I replied as I fished through the paperwork.

"Define harm, as in how it relates to her Highness."

"Are you sure you weren't blond before?" I replied in a scathing tone. I really didn't need his jokes. It was bad enough that our weekend plans had changed.

Taking the hint, Duo dropped the joking. "I wish there was a little more information here. All it says is the name of the hotel and that we are to be present and accompany Relena, discreetly of course, for the duration of her weekend away."

Knowing exactly what Duo meant, I looked to my desk, and the lap top humming away. I went and typed in a few commands, waiting for the results to appear. I felt Duo move up behind me and peer over my shoulder.

"Ah, the Clariton Hotel," he murmured as the information came up on the screen.

We spent the next half hour scanning the hotel's web site to determine the layout for possible threat points and emergency escape routes. I tried the online booking form and found, to my surprise, that the hotel was completely booked out for the weekend. My unease was growing by the minute.

"Fuck!" Duo stated as he also observed the fully booked status.

"Ditto to that. We're going to have to be extra vigilant given the hotel's status."

"Why couldn't she just take a holiday here, camping or something simple and easy? Why does she have to go to San Francisco?" Duo grumbled.

"Because she's a woman?" I offered as I scanned around the Internet but couldn't find out anything more on this particular hotel or a reason for Relena wanting to visit San Francisco.

"Figures," Duo sighed.

I tried in vain to find out more details and would have managed to hack my way into the hotel's list of guests if time hadn't been against me.

"I hate to interrupt your fun there, partner, but I think we need to be making a move."

Duo's voice cut into my thoughts and I looked at the clock on the computer. "Shit!"

"There's a toilet for that," came the chuckled response.

Ignoring the comedian, I shut down the lap top and deposited it into its carry bag. I shot through to the bedroom, yanked my duffle from inside the closet and proceeded to toss in a few clothes. The sane part of my brain told me I needed to pack clothes suitable for the mission, however, not my usual uniform or Preventer body suit worn on field missions. Just what the hell did one wear in San Francisco anyway? Duo must have sensed my dilemma as his head poked around the doorway.

"Need some help?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "What should I pack?"

"Underwear and socks would be a start."

"I know that," I growled back at him.

In a flash, Duo was in my closet and passing out clothes. "Here, these slacks, this shirt, ummm..."

Within ten minutes he had me organized with what he termed suitable attire. I didn't bother to argue.

"You going to change?"

His voice cut into my thoughts again and I looked down at my green Preventer Jacket, khaki shirt and pants. "Might be an idea," I replied.

"You change, I'll go call Wuffers and organize your cat for you."

I nodded my thanks and looked at what remained in my closet for something suitable to wear.

***

We arrived at the shuttle port with a good hour and a half before departure, mainly due to Duo's driving skills. He liked to call them skills, I likened it more to grand prix racing. I swear he missed his calling in that department. So, here we were, car parked in the long term parking area facing a good long walk to the terminal.

"Why the fuck do they have the car parks so far away from the terminal?" grumbled Duo, echoing my thoughts.

"Probably to deter you from taking a lot of luggage?" I offered as I shouldered my duffle and picked up the lap top case.

Duo ignored me, but continued to grumble about the unfairness of it all as we walked towards the terminal. Once inside it was a simple case of finding the check-in counter and passing our luggage through. At least we had one consolation, Relena traveled first class which meant we would, and that held its own perks. Once our luggage was taken care of we were escorted through to the customs section, had our passports stamped and then shown through to the first class lounge to await the shuttle departure. Relena hadn't arrived yet, as a safety measure. She was allowed very little sitting around time, to minimize becoming a target for some idiot who fancied himself as the one to take out the former queen of the Earth and colonies.

I walked over to the window and gazed down at the tarmac. I could see the shuttle, cargo doors open as various items were loaded inside. I also spotted the discreet presence of Preventer agents as they went over the transport with a fine-toothed comb. I sensed Duo's presence behind me moments before he spoke.

"She's here."

I turned and looked around. Relena was just entering the lounge, accompanied by a couple of her security detail that I recognized. She smiled when she saw Duo and myself and then turned to speak with the larger of the two men that accompanied her. I began to walk towards her, Duo at my side.

"Relena," I said in greeting and offered my hand.

"Heero. Good to see you again. You too, Duo," she replied as she shook my hand.

Duo took her hand, raised it to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of it. "Princess," he murmured.

"Oh, Duo," she giggled. "No need to stand on ceremony here, we're all friends so quit with the princess stuff. I'm on vacation."

Duo gave her a charming smile. I just shook my head.

"I'm sorry you two had to give up your weekend to accompany me. I was planning on going by myself, but..." she gave a small sigh of resignation. "The powers that be wouldn't allow it."

"No biggie," replied Duo. "At least we will get some sort of vacation as well. Could be worse."

"I don't know about that," muttered Relena with a mysterious air. "Depends which side of the fence you're on and how you interpret worse."

I caught the cryptic words and quirked an eyebrow in question. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to ask what she meant as the public address system crackled into life and announced the boarding of our shuttle. I exchanged a few quick words with Relena's security before taking over the detail and heading towards the boarding gate with Relena between Duo and myself. We handed over our boarding passes and were escorted to our seats. Relena took the window seat, myself beside her. Duo sat just across the aisle. I patted my shoulder holster, more out of habit than anything else. It was a comfort to feel the hard press of metal against my palm.

As I sat down and buckled my seat belt I noted Duo also checking his firearm and various other weapons concealed on his person. I couldn't help the smile as I recalled our trip through the metal detectors and x-ray apparatus. We had shown the security our Preventer badges which allowed us clearance to carry weapons on board before we passed through the metal detector. The damn thing had gone off as expected but the guards didn't worry seeing as how we'd already provided our clearance. They did, however, have to put us through the x-ray machine, simply to determine that we carried what we'd stated. It was state of the art - you simply walked into it and it showed anything and everything metal on your person.

When Duo stepped inside, I was standing with the guards and had to stifle the snicker as his 'picture' was displayed. Aside from the shoulder holster, Duo's body was a pattern of metal. A second gun could be seen inside his boot, a scattering of knives showed up in various places over his slender frame.

"Shit!" The guard exclaimed. "Who does this guy think he is? Rambo?"

"No. Just prepared," I said in Duo's defense.

I glanced around at the other passengers, making mental notes on each one. I also cataloged the possible threat risk and safe places within the shuttle should we need them. A poke from Relena drew me from my observations and I looked at her.

"Most people just check out where the toilets are," she snickered.

I blushed slightly. I didn't realize I'd been so obvious in my perusal. I'd need to be a bit more discreet in future.

The pilot's voice came over the address system, welcoming us aboard and explaining the route we would be taking as well as pointing out a few other minor details. The stewards took over next, going through the safety drill, one I knew like the back of my hand and still found amusing.

"In case of an emergency landing, please fold your arms, rest your head on them and brace them against the seat in front of you. If you can't reach the seat in front then bend forwards, rest your head on your knees and hold tightly to your legs."

"In other words, put your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye," Duo muttered from across the aisle. I snickered and turned to see my partner gazing back at me with a grin.

His sense of humor helped to ease a little of my fears. I wasn't afraid of flying, hell no! I'd been a Gundam Pilot, goddammit! No, what made me nervous was someone else at the controls. I was so used to having either myself or Duo pilot that it wasn't easy to put my trust in a complete stranger to get me safely to my destination. I knew Duo felt the same.

The shuttle taxied out and moments later we were pushed back in our seats as the forward thrust took us up and into the atmosphere. The flight was scheduled to take eight hours, arriving in San Francisco at eleven am, local time. Once we were airborne and the shuttle leveled out at its cruising height, the stewards came around with the usual offerings of food and drinks. I accepted the food, not having had the time to eat after leaving headquarters, but declined the alcoholic beverages. I was, after all, on duty so I settled for a green tea. Relena seemed comfortable enough, eating most of her food and enjoying a glass of Riesling with it. Duo also declined the alcohol, asking for a coffee to accompany his meal. Once the food containers were removed, the captain dimmed the lights on the shuttle and most people, including Relena, opted to try and grab a few hours sleep. I took a look at Duo and noticed the tiredness in his eyes.

"I'll take first watch," I offered.

"Thanks," he murmured and proceeded to recline his seat back, tuck the small pillow under his head and drift off to sleep.

A few minutes later, I could hear him snoring. Unfortunately, so could a few of the other passengers. It wasn't a good idea to spring wakefulness onto a sleeping Shinigami. That resulted in blood being spilled, and I was damn sure I needed all of mine. There was also the fact that shuttles didn't fly too well with a bullet hole in their fuselage. So, trying to be as careful as I could, I reached across and nudged him, calling his name at the same time.

"Duo? Duo? Hey, buddy. Close your mouth, you're snoring."

He grunted, snuffled a couple of times and then settled again.

Peace returned for all of five minutes.

Relena giggled beside me and I shot her a glare. I don't think she realized the seriousness of the situation. Or maybe she did. Judging by the disgruntled noises coming from the other passengers I needed to do something about Duo's snoring. Otherwise, he would find himself in the cargo hold for the rest of the trip. Relena passed me a pillow.

"Here, put that over his face, it should drown out a little of the noise," she said with a smirk.

I gave her another of my patented glares. "He'll suffocate," I snapped quietly.

"At least he won't be snoring anymore," Relena quipped with a grin.

Just what I needed on this trip, two comedians. I chose to ignore her as another thought hit my tired brain. I eased out of my chair and crouched beside Duo's form. The snoring was getting louder, so I needed to do this quick, before he reached freight train volume.

"Zero Two, silent mode. Non friendlies around; copy?"

Even in his sleep he couldn't deny his former training and the words had the effect I'd hoped for. He grunted and murmured, "Copy." The snoring ceased.

I sat back in my seat, a smirk on my face as I looked at Relena's shock.

"How did you do that?" Her eyes darted from the now quiet Duo, to me, and back again.

"Ah. Trade secret," I replied and then shifted in my seat to get comfortable. "You should rest," I told her, unable to hide the smugness from my voice.

Though obviously not satisfied with my answer, Relena decided not to push the issue. She settled into her seat, pulling the small blanket over her shoulder and resting her head on the pillow. Moments later, she too was asleep.

The flight passed pleasantly enough. I woke Duo after a couple of hours and he took over the watch so I could snatch some sleep. We were used to grabbing a few hours here and there, although we both preferred an uninterrupted sleeping pattern, sometimes it just wasn't possible. Duo woke me half an hour before landing time. I'd missed breakfast but it didn't bother me, I'd grab something later. Relena was awake and in need of the bathroom, my bladder informed me it also needed to relieve itself so I followed her to the toilets.

The shuttle captain announced our pending descent into San Francisco and there was the usual flurry of activity by the stewards as they secured the cabin for landing. Seat belts were buckled, tray tables returned to their positions and all seats put back into their upright positions. I could feel the mild tremors passing through the craft as we gradually descended, breaking through the clouds and closing in on the city. Beside me, Relena craned her neck to see out of the window at the approaching landscape. Within minutes we were on the ground and taxiing towards the terminal. Once the shuttle was stationary, the captain gave the all clear and it was the normal scramble to retrieve items from the overhead lockers and beat everyone else to the exit.

We decided to wait and let the rest of the first class passengers leave ahead of us. Once the way was clear, we proceeded along the aisle and out into the terminal. Immigration was next, then we had to wait for our luggage at the carousel. My eyes widened when I saw what Relena had brought. While Duo and I had opted for our duffles, Relena had two suitcases - and neither was light.

I'd already told Duo I would carry Relena's suitcases while he took both our duffles; I was beginning to regret the decision. The snicker he gave me told me he knew he'd gotten the better end of the deal. I made myself a silent promise that Duo would be the one to carry Relena's suitcases on the return journey. That thought cheered me up a little, knowing Relena's penchant for shopping, those bags would be even heavier.

We breezed through customs, partially due to our Preventer status and partially due to Relena's presence. I swear that woman could have been carrying all sorts of illegal contraband and the authorities would still let her though. I put it down to her innocent smile. Now cleared to leave the shuttle port, our next stop was transport to the hotel.

The information I'd dug up on the Internet told me that the Clariton was only about five minutes away from the shuttle port. Normally, I would have walked, but given the fact that Relena was our purpose for being here, as well as her baggage was getting heavier by the minute, I didn't fancy demonstrating my enhanced stamina. Knowing my luck I'd fall flat on my face.

Relena was muttering something about shuttle buses that ran from the hotel and headed in that direction. Duo though, was one step ahead of her and next minute had her highness by the elbow and discreetly directing her towards a car rental booth. Seems he'd anticipated our transport problem and while I'd been sleeping, he'd made a call to the rental company and booked a vehicle.

It didn't take long for Duo to fill out the paperwork and obtain the keys. With a grin that promised something I wasn't sure I was going to like, he led us out of the shuttle port and into the rental car park. When my eyes alighted on the vehicle, I knew I'd been right. I didn't like it.

Let me rephrase that. I liked the car; it was the thought of Duo behind the wheel I didn't like. Not that Duo was a bad driver, no, he was usually quite good. Somehow though, when he got behind the wheel of a flashy car it was as if he took on yet another personality. Like I said before, he missed his calling as a grand prix driver.

The car was a jet black, top of the range, Mercedes Benz.

Putting the luggage in the trunk, I tried not to drool over the paint work. Relena wasn't as affected, since she'd spent most of her life being carted around in a pink limo. At least with her maturity she'd gotten rid of the pink for a new, silver colored model. Even Pargan seemed to gain a new lease on life with the change of décor.

I could tell I wasn't going to be lucky enough to score the keys, the fact confirmed when Duo slipped behind the wheel. Relena slid into the front seat and I was left with no choice but to get in the rear. I buckled up, relieved when I saw Relena doing the same. I wondered if I should say a couple of prayers, even if I wasn't religious, but didn't get a chance to think anymore on that as Duo shot out of the parking space and headed for the car park exit. When he left the car park and filtered into the other traffic, I knew no amount of praying to any god that might care to listen would do any good. What I really needed was a change of underwear.

We sped down the road, making the appropriate turns, mostly on four wheels and it wasn't long before we could see the rising brickwork of the Clariton Hotel. Making the turn into the sweeping drive that led us to the front doors of the hotel I stared around, consciously cataloging everything. Duo brought the car to a halt and the bell hop came over with his little trolley for our luggage. I climbed out, noting that Relena, like myself, was resisting the urge to kiss the ground.

Duo was busy looking around, so I helped the bell hop with the bags. Poor guy nearly fell over when he lifted one of Relena's cases and then wisely left the second one to me. Once all the luggage was on the trolley, the bell hop began to push it towards the sliding, glass doors that led into the foyer. I was about to follow with Relena when Duo nudged me.

I scowled at him. It didn't have any effect. "What?" I asked, annoyed.

"Look."

I turned my gaze to look where Duo was pointing. There stood the main sign advertising the Clariton Hotel. I scratched my head in puzzlement as I read the two foot high letters.

"The Clariton Hotel Welcomes Yaoi - Con AC 200."

"Relena?" I asked, turning my sight towards the woman who was now trying to become invisible.

"I'll explain once we get inside," she replied rapidly and then took off at a very brisk walk into the hotel foyer.

"What the hell is a Yaoi - Con?" asked Duo beside me as we moved to catch up to our 'mission'.

"I have no idea," I growled. "But you can bet I'm going to find out."

~ * ~

tbc......