Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Princes and Soldiers Series ❯ Sidewinder ( Chapter 31 )

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

Kracken

Disclaimer:I don't own them and I don't make any money off of them.
Warning:Male/Male sex, graphic, Violence, language.

Princes and Soldiers 3
6x2

Sideshow

"I hear Maxwell's music," Noin grunted.

Walking at Milliardo's elbow, she looked around her sourly, noticing how nervous and uncertain the guards seemed. She almost didn't blame them. While Duo and Heero hadn't attempted escape, they had managed to claim half the solitary detention floor for their own.

"Maxwell!" Milliardo shouted when they came to the thick, metal door that kept them from proceeding. "Agent Maxwell, it's Commander Peacecraft!"

The music was shut off abruptly, but it was a long moment before they heard Duo's muffled voice call back, "Mill?"

"Yes! I'm with Noin! Let us through." Milliardo had a pass card. He was a commander in the Preventer ranks, but he knew that Duo and Heero had infiltrated the system and locked everyone out. Nothing short of a Gundam, or a well placed bomb, could breach that door now.

When the thick door slid open, Heero was the first to greet Milliardo, eyes looking past him to check for enemies in the corridor. Satisfied that everything was still under their control, he stepped aside and let Milliardo and Noin enter.

"You have a lot of things to answer for, Yuy," Noin snarled angrily at Heero, one hand fisting in the orange jumpsuit the facility had issued him. "This so far out of the rule book..."

Heero closed the door, locked it, and then leaned and kissed her deeply.

Duo snorted at them from where he was leaning against a wall, one arm wrapped around his middle. He looked pale and shaky. Milliardo went quickly to his side in concern. "What happened? Are you ill?"

"I think I should lay down again," Duo told him, slumping even more. "They tried to slip us something in our food. Heero has a cast iron stomach so he was okay, but... I haven't felt too good since."

"Come," Milliardo hooked an arm around Duo and half carried him into an open cell. Inside, a cot looked as if someone had already been sleeping there. A chair had been placed beside it. As he lowered Duo onto the cot, Milliardo could reconstruct the scene in his mind as it had probably played out. Duo had reluctantly followed orders. A nervous guard detail, fearing his reputation, had tried to make sure of his compliance by drugging him. Duo had felt threatened, betrayed, and vulnerable. Heero had reacted to defend him, securing a section that was defensible and probably well supplied.

Heero stood in the doorway with Noin. "He's been throwing up," Heero informed Milliardo worriedly

"Any stomach cramps?" Milliardo asked. When Duo nodded , he asked, "Fever?"

"Chills," Duo replied.

Milliardo scowled at them both. "Didn't it occur, to either one of you, that Duo might be ill, that drugs might not have anything to do with this?"

Duo's eyes were drooping and he shivered and pulled a blanket up around himself. "Considering where we are, I think my bet is on it being drugs."

Milliardo brushed Duo's bangs from his eyes and checked his pupils. "You two are far too paranoid."

Heero said defensively, "He was acting disoriented. It was a logical conclusion."

Noin exclaimed in exasperation, "Do you really think that Po will let you get away with this? If you weren't in trouble before, you are now!"

"For what?" Duo shot back, rallying himself. "We were ordered to stay here, we stayed. We didn't harm any guards and we haven't destroyed any Preventer property."

"We were compromised," Heero added in their defense. "And we didn't have any way of knowing whether the guards were acting for or against us."

"We need to call in a physician," Milliardo told them. "To verify this. In the mean time, I order you to release this section back to the guards."

Milliardo didn't expect Heero to include himself and Noin in his protective tendencies, but he did just that as he replied, "And if they try to overwhelm all of us?"

"They are Preventer guards, Yuy," Milliardo told him sharply, taking back control. "I will investigate the matter and your safety will be assured. Or don't you trust me either?"

Heero froze in the middle of protesting again. His eyes met Milliardo's and Milliardo had the chill realization that, whatever Heero felt for him, it was nothing compared to his loyalty and feelings for Duo. Milliardo would be considered the enemy in a heartbeat if Heero felt the need for it.

"I didn't want to take over the entire section," Duo cut in weakly, "but the lock down door was the only one we could jump and have any kind of security."

"Duo," Milliardo said gravely. "I can't protect you if you do such things. If you weren't a flight risk... but we both know you and Heero would flee rather than be imprisoned."

"This is as far as we'll go," Duo agreed angrily. "There's just too many people who have a death wish for me and Heero, Mill, even on the Preventer side. They gun for you too, so you know we aren't just being stupid, just being paranoid. If we have our freedom to protect ourselves, we'll play nice. We'll stay where we're supposed to. Tell Po that."

"And if she decides to end this with force, by killing the both of you?" Milliardo shot back, seething at their stubbornness.

"She can try," Heero replied in a cold voice.

Duo reached out and Heero came to clasp hands with him, a sign of their solidarity. Duo reached out with his free hand and stroked Milliardo's cheek roughly.

"You know I love you, Mill," Duo told him, "but I'm not letting them have a crack at messing me up again."

"Duo," Noin stepped forward to argue, "They have video of someone they say is you shooting civilians. We're trying to make the case that you wouldn't do that, but this..." She motioned to the cell block, "puts torpedoes in our arguments."

"Video?" Duo snorted. "He's good, but the court, I hope, knows that stuff like that can be faked, right?"

Milliardo nodded. "It's being authenticated, but... of course you didn't do such a thing, so naturally it will be found to be fraudulent."

Duo's eyes closed. He seemed to be having trouble breathing. His lungs were making a wet sound as the air moved in and out of them. He said softly, "They're stalling... but why?"

"There is a way to cut their plans short and not give them a chance to implement whatever they're trying to do," Noin told him.

"And that would be?" Duo wondered.

"In the video, this person is seen going down a corridor shooting civilians," Noin recounted tersely. "The figure has on a Preventer mission jacket, a reason not to show a braid, and the feed is in black and white, making hair color indeterminate. The figure is under fire. Whether by design to make the video look more authentic, or by accident, one shot slices through the jacket under the right arm. There is a clear indication of a wound. You simply have to go to court and prove that you don't have such a wound."

Duo frowned and opened his eyes into slits to regard her. "Zanse has to know that too. They'll be ready with something else."

"Perhaps," Noin replied, "but it might free you if they have to produce a larger burden of proof."

"Then I'm for it," Duo told her. "Get the wheels rolling." He snorted. "Not every day I get to whip my shirt off for a whole courtroom of people."

"Noin, get a doctor," Milliardo ordered.

Noin nodded and was gone. Heero followed her to make sure their section stayed secure.

"He's worried," Duo sighed. "Take care of him, okay, Mill? Heero will beat himself up about this if he thinks any of this is his fault."

Milliardo brushed sweaty bangs from Duo's eyes. "He can't keep you from becoming sick."

"Tell that to him," Duo chuckled weakly and then shivered. "I think I'm gonna-" He suddenly bent over the side of the bed and vomited into the container there. Milliardo held his braid out of the way and smoothed a hand in circles on his shoulders until he was done.

There was a rag and a bowl of cool water. Milliardo wetted the rag, wrung it out, and then wiped Duo's face with it when Duo fell back into the bed with a groan.

"Food poisoning," Milliardo decided.

"Heero is fine," Duo pointed out and pulled the rag down over his eyes to block out the light.

"It's possible that he didn't eat," Milliardo suggested.

Duo was quiet and then he grunted. "That would be like him, starving himself just in case they do drug the food. Anyone else in this lockup get sick?"

"Not that I've been told," Milliardo replied."But your food may have been set aside separately and been..."

"Contaminated by someone who didn't appreciate our visit?" Duo finished viciously.

"A possibility," Milliardo agreed reluctantly.

Duo shivered and sank deeper under the blankets. "I don't want to be this sick again... ever."

A short, nervous, older man in a white coat, peered in and cleared his throat. Noin and Heero moved up on either side of him and brought him in all the way. "Dr. Mathews, " Heero told Milliardo, looking on edge. Heero squeezed the doctor's arm and leaned in close. "If you give him anything other than the correct treatment, I will make sure that you don't-"

"Yuy!" Milliardo snapped. "Stand down!"

Heero growled low in his throat and let the doctor go. The warning had been understood though. The doctor looked suitably frightened as he came to Duo's bedside. He looked around him in trepidation and then found comfort in his profession. He concentrated on the sick man before him.

"Just relax, young man," the doctor murmured. "I will make you feel better in no time."

Duo pulled off the rag and slitted purple eyes at him. Undaunted, the doctor pulled out a pen light and checked Duo's pupils. Duo winced away. "Stomach cramps? Nausea? Vomiting? Chills? Disorientation?" The doctor pulled down the blanket and pushed on Duo's stomach. "Tenderness?" He made a small noise of recognition every time that Duo answered. He checked Duo's heart, timed his pulse, and took his temperature. Finally, he said with confidence, "Stomach flu. Drink lots of fluids, eat bland food. Eat yogurt to replenish your proper stomach bacteria after you're past the vomiting stage. If your fever rises, you experience dehydration, or you continue to vomit for an extended period of time, call your regular physician at once."

Duo looked at the doctor and the doctor stared back in trepidation, perhaps wondering if he should be making out his will. Duo finally replied, "Don't I get a lollipop?"

The doctor fumbled in his bag with a trembling hand and pulled one out. He handed it to Duo and then quickly turned back towards the door. "May I leave now, please?"

Noin nodded and led him back out, Heero on their heels. Milliardo scowled down at Duo. "Lollipop? Let's put aside why a detention center doctor would have them and concentrate on how you knew he did have them?"

Duo snorted as he shakily unwrapped the candy. "I saw it on a movie once, docs carrying candy for good patients."

"Good children patients," Milliardo pointed out.

"But he gave it to me anyway," Duo snorted and put the candy in his mouth. "Besides, I need something to cut the bad taste in my mouth. Hmmm... grape."

"Insane," Milliardo grumbled as he rinsed the rag, wrung it out, and replaced it over Duo's eyes.

"Probably," Duo sighed. He lifted the edge of the rag and peeked out from beneath it, looking very young . "You understand, though, don't you? About the rest? I mean, getting this sick... what would you have thought?"

"It doesn't matter," Milliardo told him. "But, now that you know that the guards are blameless, you will return control back to them. You will also stay in this cell and you will follow orders."

Duo's eyes narrowed and he suddenly didn't look young at all. He looked much older than his years and very bitter. "Only as long as they follow their orders, Mill."

Milliardo sighed. "Rest, love... just rest and let me care for you. You trust Heero. Trust me now."

Duo's hand on the rag went lax and he let it fall back. "Sounds good. You two, together... nobody can get to me. I'm safe."

Milliardo waited a moment and then saw that Duo's breathing had evened out. He lifted the rag himself and saw that Duo was sleeping. He leaned forward and kissed Duo gently on the cheek. "Trust me," he begged in a whisper.
_________________________________

Defense and prosecution asked to see Duo's proof immediately. Milliardo balked when 'immediately' became the next day at noon. He had argued that Duo was too ill, but Po had insisted, explaining that clearing up the matter at once would bring Zanse to justice before he could find other ways to appeal. As it was, Duo had to be nearly carried into the Judge's chambers with his guards in attendance. Heero shadowed him and Milliardo kept a hand under his arm to steady him.

Noin took up a position at the door, a hand on her weapon as if she expected to use it. That was making Duo's guards nervous, which in turn was putting Heero on edge. Milliardo saw the situation escalating and put a stop to it.

"Everyone but Heero Yuy, outside please," Milliardo ordered. When Duo's guards looked unsure, he snapped, "He isn't in any shape to fight a butterfly let alone armed men. I vouch for his conduct."

The guards retreated, still looking unsure that a Gundam pilot, even one looking half dead, could not be a threat. Noin retreated with them, closing the door behind her.

The judge was a white haired man, tall and impressive in his robes. He looked offended by the chaos, but he brought everything to order quickly. "We are here to examine the defendant, Duo Maxwell, for wounds that might have been received during an incident in question, where he is accused of having targeted civilians. Since I have watched the taped evidence, I have determined that a simple examination of Agent Maxwell's upper body will suffice to verify the validity of that evidence."

"Duo," Milliardo urged and helped Duo lean against a desk while he helped Duo unzip and lower the upper half of his detention clothing.

The nipple ring was gone, Milliardo saw, probably taken by the guards. Duo's slim body, his hard, wiry muscles, and his pale skin were unmarked by anything other than bruises and scrapes from his latest mission. A short man, in a dark suit and spectacles, leaned in close, a hand on his chin as he examined Duo minutely. The other man, a young blonde in a pale cream suit, stood back and looked bored, easily seeing the lack of wounds.

"You've had reconstructive skin grafts," the spectacled man pointed out. "Your old scars end at your back and sides."

Duo flinched and hunched, both hands on the table gripping tight and his head bowed.

Heero answered for him, "He was attacked... there were scars. The time of the surgery is well documented."

The man pushed his spectacles up on his nose and squinted angrily at Heero. "And how does the court know that some of this hasn't been done recently?"

"Wounds need to heal before they can be covered with grafts," Milliardo replied with a scowl. It was something any fool would know whether he was a doctor or not."Duo's mission was completed only a short time ago."

"Hmm, of course, of course," the man agreed, but then he was looking at the judge. "I still think it is necessary to satisfy the court and to alleviate any doubts. A scan under the grafts is possible. I request that one be completed and the results shown publically."

"No!" Duo shouted, face twisting in anguish. "Hell, no!"

The judge was quick to say, "Come to order Agent Maxwell or you will be taken from the room!"

Milliardo thought that he understood, "Your honor," he explained, "These scars might cause Agent Maxwell severe embarrassment if they are revealed. I find the suggestion of making them public unnecessary. We do have documentation of the skin grafts."

"Unnecessary?" The spectacled man growled. "As the prosecution in this case, I must argue that the confidence of the public in the integrity of law enforcement is of paramount concern at this time. Showing that Agent Maxwell, beyond a shadow of a doubt, is above reproach in his conduct, is well worth some embarrassment on his part."

"No, I won't do it!" Duo seethed through barred teeth. He glared at the judge "Do what you want, put me the hell in jail, I don't care!"

The judge frowned, trying to understand what was happening, but then he sighed and sat behind his desk. "Agent Maxwell, your refusal, unfortunately, causes us to question the validity of your claim of innocence. I am going to have to order you to present yourself for a scan. I will, however, allow defense and prosecution to examine the scan only in chambers and not to discuss their observations to the public."

"I agree to those terms," the defense said, looking happy that the tension was being resolved.

The prosecution eyed Duo, eyed the judge, and then replied, "I will appeal your decision. The confidence of the public is at stake here."

The judge looked at Duo. "If you persist in your refusal, he will be able to drag this out for some time in the courts. I will have to postpone Zanse's case until yours is resolved. Son," he said with compassion, "There are things more important than your pride."

Duo bowed his head even deeper and then, after a long silence, he replied. "I.... All right... I... I don't have a choice..." He suddenly looked at Milliardo, pain and sickness in his eyes. "Mill... just... don't... I don't want you to look at them. I can do this if you don't, okay?"

"You have my word," Milliardo promised.

Duo firmed and nodded. "Okay... Okay," he repeated. "Can I... Do I have to go back to the lock up?"

The judge looked sympathetic as he flipped through his papers on his desk. He found one and looked it over. "You will be given home detention, but you must wear a locator, and you must not leave the premisses unless accompanied by a court designated guard detail." He eyed Duo. "This is highly unusual, considering your notoriety. I suggest that you keep this firmly in mind and obey my instructions."

"Yes, sir," Duo breathed. He swayed and Milliardo caught him around the waist.

Milliardo dealt with the rest of the meeting and then half carried Duo to his car. Noin drove and Heero took the passenger side seat. Milliardo and Duo took the backseat and Milliardo found his arms full of a half conscious Duo almost at once. Duo gripped at his coat with feverish strength.

"You promised," Duo insisted.

"But...," Milliardo was confused. "I already know what your scars say, Duo," he reasoned gently as he smoothed Duo's hair.

"Not all of it," Duo murmured as he fell into sleep. "Not... all...of...it..."