Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Perfection Breakdown ❯ Further Adjustments ( Chapter 6 )

Perfection Breakdown- by masamune

Part 6- Further adjustments

The high leather boots were tight fitting but somewhat comfortable. The pants were white, crisp and clean. They too were…tight…to say the least. The dark green uniform top was spotless and magically tucked into the soft, white pants. The empty holster hung loosely from the sparkling belt. The two hated letters gleamed and shimmered, a testament in themselves to the organization's power and nobility. The silver buttons of the jacket fit easily into their counterpart and wrapped it around the chest and back…tightly…

"How the Hell can you live in these things?" Duo asked, leaning out of the small bathroom to peek in the mirror. "It's a miracle Zechs can fight so well with these damn pants riding up his ass."

Maxim only smiled slightly at Duo's less then gracious remark about the Lightning Count. The tall soldier waited by the doorway, his back against the wall and his head down as if he were in deep thought. Waited, because Duo was most definitely taking his sweet time putting on the uniform.

Finally snapping the last buckle into place and slightly adjusting the belt Duo looked into the mirror. Even though he frowned at the fact that he was wearing an OZ uniform Duo had to admit the ensemble was very impressive. And despite the very constricting size it was surprisingly comfortable.

/Man I look good in this thing!/ Duo thought to himself as a smile broke out across his face. /If this wasn't the enemy uniform I'd go out and buy this outfit any day. Wish the pants were a little baggier though/

Duo stepped out of the bathroom and walked over to where Maxim stood. The quiet OZ soldier raised his head. His shimmering red eyes peered out from under his brownish bangs, glimmering with a plain look of interest. If Duo didn't know any better, he'd say the OZ gunman was checking him out.

"You look good in it," Maxim said finally.

/Hai, definitely checking me out. Although he looks pretty *good* too/ Duo thought as blushed slightly in reply. /Blushing? I've gotten better compliments before and none of them even slightly effect me. So why do his?/

"Couldn't you've gotten some bigger pants though?" Duo joked as he tried in vain to loosen the white fabric's grip on his waist. "These things sure don't need a belt on them. Guess that's there for decoration."

"Gomen," Maxim apologized, "Those pants were mine. I'll try to get another pair tomorrow."

Duo gazed up at Maxim. The youth was almost a full foot taller then Duo. Duo suddenly wondered exactly how old the mysterious gunman was. Although he still had a boyish look, his face was almost worn with an experienced and pained mask.

"These were yours?" Duo asked as he gently fingered the cloth material, as though it was suddenly a priceless relic. "They're so small and in such good shape. How long ago did you join OZ?"

"We were the Specials then," Maxim answered as his voice drifted off slightly in reminiscence. "All of us were bright, young, foolish. I was originally one of the few members with actual combat experience. This was all before the coup. I guess I joined because I had no place to go and the only thing I knew how to do was fight and kill."

Again Duo looked down at the uniform he wore. Even he knew when to stop perusing a conversation. /He seems to have a very mysterious past. He's so mature and serious, he almost reminds me of Heero. Exactly how old could he have been when he entered the military?/ he wondered.

"Lets go to the cafeteria," Maxim smiled suddenly, doing his best to put back on a cheery face. "I'll have Torres cook you something special. I'll bet you're pretty damn hungry ne?"

Duo's stomach rumbled and Maxim grinned. The tall sniper opened the dormitory door and exited with Duo following behind.

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It was a dull pain that ached through all of Wufei's bones. His arms were especially sore and the Chinese youth shuddered as he rubbed them. The mere remembrance of the interrogation was enough to shake the young warrior. It was no longer a fight against an unjust and cowardly actions. The whole noble process had devolved into the simple struggle to stay conscious, to stay awake, and to push the fear away as much as possible.

/I screamed/ Wufei recalled faintly.

Truly the amassed hours spent in the white room seemed to be an entire lifetime of pain and suffering. Strapped to the always-buzzing machine, electrodes sticking into his arms, Wufei had soon ceased trying to be noble. At first it was about remaining calm and ignoring the pain. However it was proved that such tactics didn't work. Then it became a struggle to keep his cries to a whimper and to hold back his tears. Now the proud Chinese youth was struggling just to hang on to conciseness. His strength was long gone, and his pride stripped away. All he had left now was his will.

/For a moment I almost wanted to give up/ Wufei's thoughts were his only companion in the dark cell. /All I wanted to do was divulge all my secrets to them, tell them everything, anything to end the pain./

He was afraid. Chang Wufei, last of his noble bloodline was afraid of a machine and a small mustachioed OZ officer. He was afraid of letting loose any information amidst his throes of anguish. He didn't want to feel any more pain. That's when the sounds of voices outside his cell startled him.

/Again? They've come to torture me again?/ He thought wildly and his body shook at the fear of another "session". He didn't think his body could even survive another interrogation so soon after.

/Iie…those voices sound…familiar?/

Wufei's mind began to search back, past the time of his capture. As he tried to identify the new, but somewhat recognizable voices, he moved closer to the cell door. Pressing his ear against the cold metal, he could faintly make out some of the conversation going on outside.

"…authorization? From what I know this is an important prisoner," it was a guard's voice, one Wufei had heard on previous occasions.

"You don't know much of anything," A voice shot back. "We were sent to take this prisoner to another facility. We have orders from General Treize himself! It would be quite foolish of you to stand in our way."

"You could be court-martialed if you don't watch it," another voice came. They were both so familiar and yet… Wufei still couldn't' place them.

"Yo Justin! When the brass interfere you just let them do whatever they want!" another guard's voice.

It was at this point that Wufei backed away from the door. A mixture of fear and curiosity ran through his mind. The sound of an access code being punched in rang out loud and clear.

/Treize sent them? What's going on? What would Treize want with me? Why do they sound so familiar?/

The heavy metal door was pushed open. The dazzlingly bright light blinded Wufei but was quickly blocked by the image of three men standing in the doorway.

/Why are Abdul and Auda here?/ He thought as a smile plain as day spread across Wufei's lips.

The two Arab friends walked over and stood above Wufei. The Chinese warrior recognized the third man as one of the regular guards. He was in fact Wufei's personal favorite as he had been the one to return heat to the freezing cell. Now the man was frowning and seemed to be wondering whether or not Auda and Abdul were telling the truth.

"Let's get him out of here," Abdul said turning him to Auda, "Commander Treize will be eager to hear of our progress," he added as an afterthought, although he smiled in a way that only Wufei could see.

/Thank the Gods!/ Wufei thought as the guard named Justin bent down and removed the shackles from Wufei's arms. /They must be here to get me out/

Wufei stood up and shot a defiant smile at the guards as he passed them. Auda said something to the guards as Justin shut the cell door. Abdul helped Wufei walk, holding the Asian noble as if he were still a prisoner. The three walked off down the hallway, away from the guard station and towards freedom.

"I don't like it one goddamn bit!" One guard spat as the trio departed. "Fuckin' ragheads! I've never heard of all that bullshit going on before! Then they ask where cellblock A is and where 54-A is. Damn officers act like they own the whole world."

"Stuff like this happens all the time," another one whispered. "When I was posted in Madrid these two prisoners just disappeared one day. The executives and Romafeller do whatever they want. I'm not going to interfere. It's usually best to keep your mouth shut in these situations."

Justin walked over to the phone and picked it up. "I don't like it either. I smell something bad ya know? I'm just going to make a call and check something."

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Wufei looked down disdainfully at the clothes Abdul had handed him. There was a pair of ugly gray pants and a matching beige shirt. It was a janitor's outfit.

"I have to wear this?" Wufei asked with a plainly. "I mean is it that necessary?"

"It was hard enough convincing those guards to let you go," Auda said, "The least you could do is be grateful and put this on. You'll have better cover as a janitor then as a prisoner."

Reluctantly Wufei agreed and began to put on the dirty uniform. It hung off of him loosely and he realized for the first time how much weight he'd lost.

"Auda, you know the way to Duo right?" Abdul asked as the two waited for Wufei to change.

"Hai," Auda replied curtly, "That guard back there told me. It's on the other side of the base actually."

"Shimatta! Just our luck ne?" Abdul stamped the floor. "I can't stand this place… the sooner we get out the better. You know where the transport bay is right?"

"Heh, you've got no sense of direction. We passed it earlier. So we'll have to go rescue Duo and then return to the transport bay. Hopefully we'll be done within two hours."

Abdul nodded. "Hai…hopefully."

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/He's very hungry/ Maxim observed as Duo wolfed down his second helping of sashimi. /Perhaps hungry is too slight a term to describe appetite of this proportion. Let's try ravenous. To eat like that and still have his body…it boggles the mind/

The two sat at a small table in the cafeteria. The messhall was actually rather comfortable. The walls and ceiling were light blue and the floor had a nice checkered pattern. The chairs had soft red cushions and the room was even furnished with an occasional plant.

When Duo had finished eating there'd been an awkward silence that fell over the two. Duo found himself at a loss for words as he looked at the OZ soldier.

Maxim was tall, standing almost a full head over Duo. The OZ gunman was solidly built but not bulky. His slim figure still obtained an almost boyish look. His hair was a soft sandy brown and seemed to have a reddish tint. The soldier's skin was rather pale and Duo had decided that it'd been forever since Maxim had last seen a beach. All in all Duo had to admit that Maxim was handsome…to say the least.

"Why did you come to this base anyway?" Maxim finally broke the silence. Duo's brow wrinkled and Maxim decided to rephrase the question. "I mean, why did you Gundam pilots choose this base as a target? And why didn't you use your Gundams? Why go in on foot where you're more vulnerable?"

"Why should I tell you?" Duo replied with a cheeky smile. "You'd think this was an interrogation, ne?"

"It is," Maxim's voice was dry and serious. Duo's smile faded as the sniper's expression became very callous and cold suddenly. "I'm assigned to interrogate you. I suggest you answer my questions as best you can…unless you want to be back in your cell?"

/I hate to have to be so harsh towards him/ Maxim thought to himself wistfully. /But it seems he won't cooperate otherwise. But…I'm not even so sure I'd lock him up again. Yesterday I would have, but not now. What's going on with me?/

"We came to sabotage the Velius prototype," Duo said at last, suddenly feeling sick wearing an Oz uniform and telling secrets to the enemy.

"Velius operations and all other Zodiac based prototypes have been scrapped already," Maxim replied, not making a word of sense to Duo. "The new prototypes for the Aries, Cancer and Leo units were scrapped."

"Then what is going on here?" Duo asked. "Security was pretty damn tight here, unusually so."

Maxim hesitated for a second and then leaned forward as if telling a secret that could be disastrous if overheard. His red eyes gleamed with a spark that Duo recognized as seeing in the face of ambitious salesmen before they sold a product.

"Mobile doll system," Maxim whispered as if anything louder would cause an avalanche. "Romafeller's been pouring in funds for it. If it's completed then OZ will be unstoppable."

"What does it do?" Duo finally asked, becoming aware that perhaps Maxim shouldn't be disclosing this information.

"The mobile doll system can be loaded into the new Taurus models," Maxim said, keeping his voice down. "The system plays the role of a pilot. But unlike any regular human it doesn't make mistakes… at least not often. It can push the suit to its limits and its reaction time is higher then most normal humans."

Duo sat, quite stunned at what he had just learned. If he managed to get back to the others then this information could prove helpful. Both youths seemed to let the silence sit for itself. Then Duo asked the question that both knew was coming.

"Why are you telling me this?" Duo's voice was horse and he was surprised that he was letting his anxiety show so much.

"Let's just say I'm against this particular technological advancement," Maxim answered. "Personally I'm against these mobile dolls. If battles are left to machines, it's only a massacre ne? This situation has actually made me question my loyalty to OZ… I've even had thoughts of sabotaging the system…"

A wicked smirk spread over Duo's face and Maxim couldn't help but think /Why oh why is he so damn kawaii? I would never tell anyone about my discontent with OZ…so why him?/

"You wouldn't want me to perhaps…" Duo began, his violet gaze locking with Maxim's.

"Don't even think about it," Maxim cut him off curtly.

"Surely you wouldn't mind if an 'accident' happened?" Duo pressed even deeper trying to gauge the sniper's seriousness about acting against OZ.

"I thought I was running this interrogation," The red eyes flickered but no other sign of emotion was visible. "And that brings me to my next question. Who is Heero? Is he another Gundam pilot?"

/Shimatta, I hadn't even thought about Heero/ Duo thought, but he nodded and immediately cursed himself for the action. /Look at me! I'm having dinner with an OZ officer, wearing an OZ uniform and giving information away/

"Hm?" Maxim moved in even closer and Duo could feel the heat of the soldier's breath. The Deathscythe pilot really wanted to reply but couldn't think of anything else other than the man in front of him.

"Oi Maxim! Phone's for you!"

Duo was saved by the convenient interruption. Maxim's head snapped away suddenly. The gunman stood up from his chair and walked over to where Torres, the chef, was holding the phone for him. With a slight frown Maxim pressed the receiver to his ear.

"Sergeant Maxim Andalsaar," He answered, his deep voice was as calm and serious as ever.

Duo watched from afar as the sniper slipped on his callous mask. Even though it was only a phone call, Maxim's entire face and atmosphere had changed completely. He had just been friendly and almost excited while talking with Duo. Now his voice was that of a drone, taught and instructed to have no emotions. Indeed other then the fiery red jewels, Maxim seemed to be almost robotic.

/He's a lot like Heero that way/ Duo thought quietly to himself while Maxim was occupied. /He's always so professional and strong. He's a lot like Heero in those ways…maybe that's why I feel so comfortable around him? Is that part of the reason I find myself thinking about him at night instead of Heero?/

/He is handsome…very handsome…drop dead drool on the floor gorgeous is probably the best term for him/ Duo thought as a smile spread across his face. /He's so much like Heero and yet… completely different. Heero is always cold, always so detached from his emotions… Maxim's different. K'so! If I keep thinking I'll be in his bed by tomorrow night…not that that's such a bad idea though…/

Maxim hung up the phone and wheeled around. The tall gunman was caught somewhat off guard to find Duo staring straight at him. Duo flushed a very deep crimson color. Maxim walked over to the table but made no move to sit again. Duo hoped in earnest that the ruby-eyed youth wouldn't notice his erection. The OZ pants didn't do very much good in the way of hiding such things.

"Come with me," Maxim said softly. Duo noticed that the soldier's voice sounded distant. "We're going to take a short trip back to your old cell."

-end part 6

Note: Well this part took awhile. Mostly due to my incredible laziness.) I didn't put in as many scenes as usual, I just tried to go into deeper detail. I think this part was pretty good actually. Next chapter will be quite the show so don't miss it.

And as always please send comments to MasamuneEHS@hotmail.com Arigato!