Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Red Lined ❯ The family Business ( Chapter 3 )

The Family Business

Three months later found Duo and Heero on a road trip to New Orleans. He had graduated a few days ago and was pretty much forced to go to the one place in America he dreaded. He admitted he was nervous about what was going on, but Heero said that he wasn't going to be coerced into anything. Strangely, Duo actually believed him.

As Heero drove the rented Bentley to New Orleans Duo's thoughts drifted back to when he was told that he was going to be living with an assassin for three months. In the beginning he was on pins and needles about the arrangement. His dreams were filled with daggers in the back during the first week of having the deadly room mate. Gradually though things got better as they each got into a routine. Heero had hated Duo's bachelor lifestyle and he soon found himself eating home cooked meals on a daily basis. It was a surprise that the assassin enjoyed cooking.

Jesse and Courtney had seemed to fall head over heels about the fact that a man could cook and get Duo to eat somewhat healthy. It was a chore they were happy to pass onto someone else. He chuckled quietly as he remembered how Heero had to get used to the early morning visits from the girls. He turned and looked out the window not really looking at anything as Heero glanced his way.

Duo had enjoyed the assassins shock and surprise since it nearly made him ruin that blank and emotionless mask that he had on. Duo wanted to see the real Heero and he was damn sure that the mask the man wore to hide his emotions was not the real man. Over the course of three months it became one of his goals to push Heero into showing some emotion. He never achieved his goal, but he was pretty sure he had gotten close twice.

The first being when he met Duo's pets for the first time. The rats being the smart and curious buggers that they were had made Heero's life somewhat difficult. They had stolen pieces of the assassin's equipment and gotten underfoot literally as he walked around. That was the closest Duo had seen to the mask slipping. It had seemed to Duo that his pets had taken up the challenge as well and he had to admit that they seemed to be pretty good at trying to set Heero off.

The second was when Duo went street racing for the first time since his arrest. Heero had come along for security reasons. He was taking his job as a bodyguard seriously and it kind of irked Duo since he felt he could take care of himself. However, when the assassin had seen the race site he had calmly told Duo that he couldn't race.

The expression never changed, but Duo could have sworn that Heero's eyes were slightly wider then before.

Duo smiled out the window as he thought about that. It had been a fun three months. In that time he had learned much about Heero. The man had hardly spoken in the first weeks, but he had become more open as the months went by. There was no way that two people could live together and not speak the entire time. It was an entirely impossible venture especially with someone like Duo.

Duo felt the car slow to a stop and he turned to look at Heero. The assassin put the Bentley into park and turned the motor off with a flick of his wrist. Cold dark blue eyes met vivid violet. "We're here."

Duo looked out the window and actually paid attention to where they were at. He stared up at a traditional New Orleans style home. It had a large oak tree that kept the front of the house shaded no matter what time of day it was. The hedge bushes were tall enough to make an organic fence that ran down the length of the property before ending in a wrought iron fence. At a closer inspection the chestnut haired man noticed that the wrought iron fence was inside the bushes.

Opening the door he stood up and tried to ignore the chill he felt on his backside. He had never wanted to be back here. There were too many old memories that were better off forgotten. And yet it was those memories that were bringing him back here.

He stared at the stately white two story house and felt nothing but nausea and chills. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans he started walking forward acutely aware that Heero was behind him and a little to the left. At the door he stopped almost afraid to knock or even open the door. Heero saved him from making the decision and opened the door while walking in.

Duo followed somewhat happier to not have to be point man. After telling Jonathan that he never wanted to be here again he had hoped that would be the last of it. Apparently not. Although he had to admit that he hadn't known he was lonely until Heero was there. It was so much nicer having a daily companion even if he was stoic and not talkative. He was there and that had made a difference. One he'd never admit to, but true all the same.

Heero led him down a narrow hallway to a set of stairs that gently curved around to the second floor. Heading up the narrow stairs, Duo was greeted with another long hallway ahead and a second one to the right. Heero headed right and Duo reluctantly followed. It was a very nice house he noted as he walked past a Monet and a Rembrandt. It was full of expensive tastes along with being brightly lit. It was supposed to make it seem like a cheerful atmosphere, but Duo felt like he was walking into a deep dark dungeon.

Finally Heero stopped by a door and knocked briskly. A voice said, "Come in" and the door opened. Duo pasted a fake joker smile on and followed the assassin wishing for once that the other could read his thoughts and stab him so he wouldn't have to go through with it. Of course that wouldn't happen. Heero followed orders, but not his. The bastard.

Duo kept his attention ahead of him as he looked at the familiar face of Quatre Winner. Quatre was about his age when his dad died and he had come to live here briefly. He had stayed locked in his room and in his own turmoil before he had made the decision to leave his home and its horrid memories behind. He had seen Quatre briefly at the funeral for his guardian Jonathan Winner. He and Heero had left shortly after with a few words of sympathy to the grieving son.

And now here he was facing Quatre again, but this time they were not on even ground. This was Quatre the businessman flanked by his people. The only one he recognized was the Chinese man and that was because he remembered that the Winners had ties with the local prestigious Chinese family. It was clear the young man on the right was a Chang. The man on the left was unknown to Duo. He had purposely kept himself out of the loop.

Quatre was looking down at some papers on his desk when they had walked in. When he finally looked up he smiled and Duo knew it wasn't entirely friendly. Duo felt like the prey under the predatory smile.

Quatre stood and walked around his desk and to Duo it seemed me to be the walk of a panther as it stalked its prey. "Duo, it's been awhile since I last saw you. I Heard about the second degree. Congrats. So what are your plans now that you have that degree?" He asked as he walked up to the chestnut haired man.

Duo fiddled with a loose strand of hair as he answered. "I figured I'd probably go look for a job in robotics and maybe start school for a third degree. Since I have my master's I might as well go for the doctorate and PHD." He kept his composure calm and collected, but inside he was nervous with the blond haired man being so close.

Quatre nodded as Duo spoke and smiled a smile that reached all the way up to his eyes. "No need to look for a robotics job. I have a job for you. The salvage yard has been fixed up and you can take over your father's business once more." His voice said matter-of-factly. It was a voice that gave no room for disagreeance.

"No." Duo responded in a flat voice as he let go of his hair. His eyes narrowed and the violet orbs flashed angrily. "If this is what you wanted to see me about then you're out of luck. I told your father that I wanted out. I don't want to know anything your family deals in. Your father wanted to bear all, but I wouldn't let him. If you're worried about some one making me spill info you and them are barking up the wrong tree cause I don't know shit."

Quatre's smile disappeared. "I don't think you understand Duo. I need all my people here and as far as I know we paid for MIT and boarding school. That's a lot of money to pay off in the here and now. However, if you work for me and do what needs done, I'll consider it paying the family back for what we did for you. Afterwards I'll pay you a salary and you can earn your third degree and open your own business for all I care." His voice darkened and the predator/prey feeling Duo had was reinforced with the dark look in Quatre's blue eyes.

Duo stared at the blonds face for a few moments searching it for some sign that he could get out of this. He couldn't. He was betting that the room was probably sound proof and that no one would hear a gunshot or ever find his body. He was stuck doing the one thing he and his father had never wanted him to do.

In a defeated yet angry voice Duo said, "Fine. I'll work for you, but I want what you said in writing and in my hand when I get back with my things. I want a list of what my job is and how long it's going to take for me to pay you back. And then I'm gone. You got that?"

Quatre nodded. "I find that acceptable terms. Heero is going to show you the salvage yard and then take you to your old house. Your things have already been packed and will arrive sometime tomorrow to the salvage yard. Also by the time you get to the house our agreement will be waiting for you." His smile reappeared and he said quietly, "Its good to have you back with us."

Duo's mouth gaped and he sputtered, "What? What do you mean my things will arrive tomorrow? What if I hadn't agreed to everything?"

Quatre's smile brightened. "You'll find I'm very persuasive when I want to be. Heero?" he waved them off effectively dismissing any more protests from Duo. Closing his mouth he glared at the blond, turned, and not quite stormed out of the room with his hair fluttering like a kite tail behind him. He didn't even bother paying attention to where Heero was. He was too busy being pissed off at Quatre, at Heero, and even at his father. Nobody should have forced him to do something he didn't want to, yet Quatre had. The fucking asshole!

Stomping his feet as he walked out the door he knew was extremely childish, but it was his only outlet for the rage that he was trying to quell inside of himself. He had worked so hard to stay out of the Winner family clutches, yet here he was back in the fold that he didn't want to be in.

Walking up to the Bentley he leaned forward and rested his head on the roof of the vehicle. He was so angry. He was angry at being dragged back here, angry at Heero for lying to his face, angry at Quatre for being forced into something he tried so hard to stay away from, and he was angry at himself for being weak and not sticking to his guns. Did death really scare him that much that he would rather be part of the mob then dead?

As Heero walked up behind him he schooled his face into a mask showing none of his anger, only fake amusement from what had happened. He couldn't let anyone see the real him while he was here. They may have taken just about everything from him, but he wouldn't let his anger be stripped from him too. Even his pride was taken from him.

Pushing himself away from the car he stood, a slight smirk on his face and a tiny amused twinkle in his eye as Heero unlocked the passenger door before walking around the Bentley to his own door. As Duo slid into the soft leather seat he mused about the fact that while the assassin roomed with him that he had learned many of the tricks that he was now using to hide himself away.

He kept the smirk on his face as they drove. He couldn't trust anyone it seemed. Duo's eyes widened a second and he glanced at Heero from peripheral vision. Had he begun to trust an assassin who wouldn't hesitate to cap his ass if ordered? He almost laughed at that. What an idiot he was!

Well, he learned his lesson on trusting. He wouldn't trust anyone anymore. He didn't know who was a spy and who wasn't anymore and if he wanted to stay alive around these people he was being forced to associate he'd certainly have to get information on his coworkers as blackmail.

But how? He'd have to think on that one.

His attention turned back outside the window and he watched with only a slight interest on what his surroundings were. He watched as the cityscape gave way to an industrial area. They seemed to be following the river and heading south. At a stop sign Duo was able to catch the name of the street: Saro Lane. Interesting name he thought as they left the intersection and continued on.

Duo glanced at his watch looking at the time. It seemed like it was a long drive to wherever they were going. He recognized some things that had not changed in the ten years he was gone, but a lot had as well. Duo knew they were nearing his fathers old place of business because changes in the landscape were rarer and he remembered his past with his father as they drove.

Duo closed his eyes and let the memories come. He watched as his father showed him the place for the first time. When he had thought his son was old enough to not get hurt and know to not wander around. He had been seven and he had stuck to his father like glue. Everything had been so big and it scared him. His dad had laughed and showed him that the big machines weren't going to hurt him. He had shown his son the inner workings of the machines and Duo knew he was hooked on machines for the rest of his life. He had loved how the parts and wires had made the big things move and work. Duo smiled at the thought of how he had gone home and begun to read anything on machines to learn them and improve on them.

In the course of learning how the salvage equipment worked Duo had experimented with anything mechanical. Cars were the most fun. He learned what made the car work, what parts were technically unnecessary, and parts that he could improve on. It was almost an epiphany in young Duo's mind. He was twelve when he showed his father everything that he had learned on the old broken down jeep in the backyard. He told him how he got the engine to work, some of the parts he removed once he had deemed them unnecessary, and he even showed him a couple changes that would make the jeep run better.

His dad was completely astonished and told Duo that his salvage yard was a front for a boosting operation and if Duo wanted to he could help out and get part of the take which he could use for whatever he wanted. To a twelve year old that had sounded like the magic words of infinite allowance. After the stars in his eyes, or more precisely the money signs, had faded away he said yes and that had begun his trip into the criminal world.

The criminal world paid well, though, and he was able to keep devouring information on machines. It was his love. He had periodically worked on the jeep in his free time and the Cherokee became both an experiment and a work of art. The outside resembled a green 96 Cherokee, but under the hood was a different story. He kept the straight six 4.0 liter output engine, but he increased the engine output a bit. The wiring changed around a bit and since Duo had criminal connections he made the car bulletproof for the fun of it.

By the time Duo turned fourteen he had finished modifying the jeep and moved onto a much more complex machine design that was still in the works in the world. Robotics. He had begun reading everything he could on the subject and worked on the little bug type robots as he got the basics down. It was right before his father's death that he had made a new discovery. To really understand robotics one needed to be able to write programs for specific functions.

He hadn't begun learning about programming when his father died and his enthusiasm for learning hit rock bottom. He was practically a vegetable for a few months. He wouldn't eat, wouldn't drink, wouldn't move, and he couldn't seem to keep his eyes open. He wound up in the hospital a few times before he suddenly broke from his near comatose mode and told Jonathan that he wanted to leave and never come back.

Jonathan had convinced him to try to stay here first and Duo had reluctantly agreed. Jonathan's son Quatre tried to bring him to his group of friends, but Duo was not a rich snob and to Quatre's friend's he was nothing but an uneducated orphan that was dependent on a better family. That had pissed Duo off and he refused to have anything to do with Quatre. Instead he began to learn about programming and writing them to do specific things. Once again the jeep became his experiment as he tried things out that he thought were fun and interesting.

Jonathan took that as a sign that he was adjusting and would be staying, but Duo would have none of that. He still told Jonathan that he wanted out. He wanted to be somewhere that wasn't New Orleans, somewhere he wasn't considered an uneducated orphan, and somewhere that would let him be who he wanted instead of what he might have been forced to be. He knew that staying here would cast him into a role that he didn't want to be.

He was shaken out of his thoughts as the Bentley slowed to a stop in front of the large gates of the salvage yard. Heero got out of the car and Duo followed as he remembered Jonathan finally letting him go. He had wanted to tell Duo something, but he had told Jonathan that if it dealt with his business than he didn't want to know. It would keep him safe if he didn't know the truth. He shook his head a bit at that. It sure saved his ass all right. He was back doing exactly what he didn't want to.