"Will you be needing me for the night, master Maxwell, master Yuy?"
"No thank you Hillary, it's all right. You may leave."
The butler nodded and closed the door behind him. The only sound was the ticking of the ancient grandfather's clock and the rustling of papers. Duo had studied Noventa's notes for the rest of the day and done more research on the mighty Kol An Anuum. They were in the library of the Maxwell Manor, one of Duo's least favourite places. It reminded him too much of all the time Solo had spend here, and while doing his own research, he often stumbled upon books with Solo's notes in it, his neat handwriting in the margins, a few words underlined or question marks on a page. Solo had loved to bring out stacks of books and sit in front of the massive lit fire place, leafing through text after text. He loved the smell of paper, of ancient ink, and most of all the knowledge hidden between the words. Duo hated libraries.
Heero looked at his watch. "It's getting late," he said. "We have a lot to do tomorrow to prepare for our trip. I suggest we go to bed."
"Yeah," Duo mumbled. He moved to put all of Noventa's notes back together again, shoving the papers between plastic sheets to preserve them. "Did you find anything?"
"There's enough on Genghis Khan and his descendants, but Kol An Anuum apparently wasn't one of the favourites. There's hardly any text or picture about him."
"It's a typical name, though." Duo started to muse. "From Genghis to Kol An Anuum. Maybe it's not as Mongolian as we thought it is."
"It's about his sword, not the man itself," Heero said.
"Yes, but the man will lead us to the sword. I guess." He rubbed his nose.
"You're tired." Heero closed his own book. "Let's go to bed."
Duo let out an impressive yawn and stretched his arms over his head. He pushed his chair back with his feet and got up with one fluid movement. "Yeah, it's time for bed. It's past midnight, and tomorrow we have a lot to do indeed…"
"When will Howard have the permits?" Heero asked as they left the library. Duo let out another yawn and he mock-sleepily leaned against Heero, enjoying his close proximity.
"According to his last e-mail, it's going to take a few more days."
"Days? I thought it was difficult to obtain those permits?"
"Wufei's helping out a lot," Duo said. "We owe him big time. Without his help, we wouldn't be able to leave for weeks."
"We have to think of a way to thank him properly," Heero answered. He didn't like owing anyone anything. It gave him the feeling of being dependent.
Without another word, they walked towards Duo's private quarters in the north wing. Duo never wanted to sleep anywhere else, even though the large manor housed plenty of comfortable bedrooms. He just didn't feel at ease sleeping in one of those large, ancient styled bedrooms, each one of them representing a different era or period in world history. Instead, he had rearranged the north wing so, that it was the most modern wing of the manor, including a bedroom suitable to his own wishes: a large bed, an adjacent bathroom, a walk-in closet and very little furniture, leaving the room spacious and open. With the large curtains open, the ceiling-high windows provided a breathtaking vision of the garden, the assault course in the far east corner.
After a few goodnight kisses, Duo was the first one to fall asleep, as usual. Heero relaxed in the bed, his arm around Duo's shoulders. His other hand toyed absent-mindedly with one of Duo's chestnut bangs, and he listened to his regular breathing. Heero closed his eyes. He wasn't that tired, but rest was important for his body. He couldn't go without sleep, that was for sure. There had been nights when he had felt so alone… when his adoptive father had abandoned him, never returning from the errand he had to run… when he had broken up with Duo, the nights had even been lonelier. He had forsaken sleep, thinking he didn't need it, but he'd been afraid of the loneliness in his sleep. Those dark hours, after midnight until sunrise, had been horrible. Heero Yuy was afraid of nothing but for those brutal hours when he felt like there was no one in the world who cared for him, and that there was nothing in the world he cared for.
Finding Duo again and rekindling their relationship had been the best things to happen in his life. Heero smiled, feeling the sweet bliss of healthy sleep just in his grasp. His body relaxed, sharing warmth with Duo's naked body, enjoying the trust his lover showed him every minute of the day. Yes, he was blessed, and those dark days were behind him, behind Duo, and…
He opened his eyes again. Something was off. Heero pursed his lips, his eyes slowly adjusting themselves to the dark. Was it just a noise? He tilted his head a little. Next to the bathroom door was a small side table with a few decorative ornaments on it. Under it, just out of sight, Heero had installed a control panel of the alarm system that protected Maxwell Manor. He could see from the corner of his eyes that a light was blinking. It could be anything - a wild hare in the garden, setting off an alarm, a rodent gnawing on one of the cables… but Heero wasn't that naïve. He had installed this system himself, so it was flawless: there were no animal intruders, there was a human intruder.
Gently, Heero slid out of the bed, careful to not awake Duo just yet. In case of an error, he didn't want to wake him just because minimal danger had been detected. He knelt down by the side table and peeked under it, his fingers moving to press the buttons. A small display blinked with a short text: 14 D-3. Heero grimaced. 14 was the code for burglars, and D-3 was the zone they were operating: the south wing. Now he frowned. The south wing? That's where he'd been with Duo just a few hours ago, the large library and the archive, holding every document and record of the Maxwell collection. He was about to get up again, when the display started showing much more locations where movement had been detected. Heero didn't hesitate much longer and moved back to the bed, pushing at Duo's shoulder.
"Duo. Wake up, Duo. Now."
"Whatsamatter?" Duo blinked, his eyes clouded with sleep.
"Get up, Duo. We have intruders."
"What?" Heero's stern voice woke him up immediately. Then he realized that Heero had used the word 'intruders', not 'burglars'. Due to the appeal of the internationally renowned Maxwell Collection, Duo was no stranger to dealing with burglars, but intruders were a whole different kind. Awake, he rolled out of the bed and dressed himself quickly. He followed Heero to the cupboard next to the walk-in closet; he had this cupboard installed at the same moment the detailed alarm system had started to operate. Heero opened the doors, revealing immediately the vast control panel of the alarm system: he flicked the switches for the cameras as he wanted a visual of the situation. The cameras showed men in black, hurrying through the open gate, trashing the beautifully sculpted grass and flower beddings of the front yard.
"Fuck," Duo said.
"Later," Heero couldn't resist to quip.
"They're all over the place!" Duo's eyes flew over the several screens. "Coming from the north, east, south…" He noticed a large black van standing in front of the main entrance. "How the hell did they get past the gate?"
His question went unanswered. Heero saw something else that was even more terrifying as the alarm lights started to blink. "Guns," he said, "and not the whimsical kind. The system detects electro-magnetic guns, plasma rifles and shotguns. They're moving to the east wing!"
"Fuck! Hillary!"
"Go," Heero said.
"What?" Duo looked up at him.
"Go! Go help him! He stands no chance against these professionals!"
"What about you? You can't take them on all by yourself!"
"Duo…" There was no time to get into a fight. Heero knew Duo could take care of himself, but his deep-rooted protectiveness towards Duo had been an issue between them previously, as Duo interpreted Heero's urge to protect him as disrespect to his own skills.
"They're not inside the house yet," Duo said. "What if we sound the alarm to let them know they've been noticed? Scare them off?"
"I don't think we can scare these guys off by any alarm system," Heero said. "Besides, it'll go off automatically as soon as they're within ten yards. All right, you make sure Hillary is unharmed, I'll check up on…"
"Don't be such a fucking hero!" Duo slammed the palm of his hand against Heero's chest. "They're with ten to twelve men, wielding guns..!"
"They're going after Hillary first, making sure that no one will be alive to call for help! We have to split up and keep the element of surprise."
"All right." Duo's face was set in grim determination. Moving away from Heero, he punched in a code on the control panel. A soft click and a secret cabinet in the bedroom opened, showing a wide array of weapons. Duo pressed his fingers against the glass separating him from the weapons, as his prints were quickly checked. Another soft click, and the glass doors opened. Duo immediately took out his Uzi's and cocked them. He grabbed the short-barreled shotgun Heero preferred, a Remington 870, and handed it over to him. They worked in silence to equip themselves with the weapons and ammunition. Duo strapped the Uzi holsters around his waist, clicking spare clips into the designated pockets. Heero slung the Remington over his shoulder and picked up an extra sling with ammunition. The shotgun had a devastating impact when fired, but Duo preferred the wide spray of the Uzis, who were faster to reload than the Remington. He was about to say something when the alarm went off. Duo turned to the monitors, the cameras displaying a horde of men running forward and jumping through the windows.
"Fuckers," Duo said out loud. "It's a goddamn guerrilla attack! If I get my hands on them..!"
"Hillary first," Heero repeated and Duo looked angrily at him.
"I know," he said, voice low. "Quit treating me like a baby, Heero."
"Now's not the time," Heero said, taken aback by Duo's vehemence. He adjusted the sling with the extra ammunition around his shoulder and grabbed the Remington with both hands. Even with the loud, shrill noises of the alarm, the sound of iron gates rattling down was audible. The Manor disposed over an impressive collection of safety measures and back-up systems in case of burglary or any other illegal way of entering the house. The iron gates shut off parts of hallways and wings that were extra vulnerable, sealing off the entry to the rooms hosting the valuable collection. Anxious, Duo asked himself what it was those men were after. They had chosen a veritable guerrilla technique, approaching the Manor from all angles. Not a second later, he and Heero ducked instinctively, as a thunderstorm of glass shattering and splintering all over tiled floors rattled them.
"Fuck! They're coming through the atrium!"
"We need to go there," Heero hissed. The main hall with its glass-in-lead atrium was one of the main treasures of Maxwell Manor. He could see the pain in Duo's eyes briefly from the loss of such a family heirloom before he steeled himself again, anger clouding his violet eyes, darkened by the night time.
"Shoes," he said and quickly went into the walk-in closet. He emerged seconds later with two sturdy pairs of shoes, both with thick rubber soles and steeled toes. It didn't take much than a few seconds more to put the shoes on, and Heero straightened himself, the Remington close to his side.
"Duo, we…" He was talking to empty air. Duo sprinted past him, out of the bedroom. He went to the right, to the east wing. Heero followed him, still amazed how graceful and how silent Duo could move with the large boots. He had already escaped into the darkness; the intruders had cut the electricity. The back-up system wasn't working at usual capacity; Heero suspected the intruders to have destroyed the generators completely. Only a small, dim strip of light was visible, outlining the hallway. Heero recognized the lighting; it was usually on to call the visitors' attention to the ancient floor tiles and carpentry. Now it provided him barely enough light to find his way through the Manor. Heero's grip on the Remington tightened as he went in the opposite direction, to the west wing.
When Duo turned eighteen, his father gave him the most bizarre gift for his birthday ever: a private military commando training. He was taught several survival techniques, along with an intense weapon training that had Duo's mother shake her head with disapproval. Years later, Duo came to realize how precious this gift had been to him; not only had it helped him to get out of some tough situations, it had also taught him to keep a rational, collected mind during moments of intense stress - like his own Manor being under siege by strange, unknown men. Who in the world would wage such an attack on the Manor? The guns, cutting the electricity, breaking and entering the several wings at the same time - that wasn't the work of a common burglar. Duo slid the Uzis out of their holster. Someone was going to answer all these questions sooner or later, but for now he had another urgent matter to attend to.
He was halfway through the hallway with the mannequins, displaying their uniforms as if they could come alive any moment. As only the floor lights were on, the mannequins were eerily lit from below, casting creepy shadows on the expressionless faces. The alarm had tripped the extra heavy-duty iron cages to protect the authentic and valuable garments as well as the weapons on the mannequins. Duo gritted his teeth. No one was going to touch his collection! He spotted a crouched figure between the two glass and iron cages of the samurai mannequins from the Kofun era, the gilt bronze decoration of the armour glowing faintly. Duo wasn't the person to shoot someone from behind, so he sprinted forward, jumped and landed his boot in the man's back. Grunting out loud, the man rolled over, his face hidden behind a mask and night vision goggles. Duo was quick to hit him again, the steel toed boots connecting with his jaw. A sickening crack was followed by a muffled, deep groan of pain, and the intruder moved his hands to his face, curling into a ball.
"Who are you?" Duo demanded, pointing both Uzis at the man. "Who do you work for? Why are you here?"
The man rolled from his left to his right side, hands clutching at his jaw, moaning in pain. Duo poked him once more with his foot, brushing his ribs. "Who are you?" he repeated. "I'm not known for my patience! What are you…"
It was the minimal of movements, but he caught it - Duo had just enough time to curse himself mentally for not checking his surroundings - and he threw himself to the left, away from the man on the floor. The gunshot almost tore his eardrums, and the bullet from a gatling shotgun blew a hole in the wall, right between the mannequin display cases. Rolling over the floor, Duo moved his Uzis and searched out his target: another man dressed in black, face hidden, and a camera mounted on his helmet. Duo's eyes went wide. What was this kind of equipment? He stared at the gatling shotgun, the huge weapon slowly turning around. It was massive, and one shot would blow half his body away…but it was also slow, and Duo had his fast, bullet-spewing Uzis. He didn't hesitate for a second, aimed and fired. Another grunt, and the man sank to his knees - all that equipment and apparently no one was wearing a bullet proof vest. Duo got up on both feet and went back to the first man, who was lying very still between the debris of the wall. A large splinter of the 16th century wainscoting had come loose due to the bullet impact and pierced his jugular vein. Blood seeped along his neck and into his clothes. Duo sighed. What a mess.
He was about to continue his way when he noticed something on the floor, next to the dead body of the first man. Duo scooped it up, carefully; it was a black bag and he flipped it open, staring at its contents. This time, he grimaced. Everything needed to set up a bomb was inside the bag, including the C-4; this was getting worse by the moment. He slung the bag over his shoulder and broke out in a jog, keeping his breathing under control and his mind focused as he went deeper into the east wing, to Hillary's quarters.
The door of his butler's bedroom was open. Duo refrained from cursing. A sickening feeling came over him. If he was going to find Hillary dead… Duo moved forward, his hand reaching for the door to push it further open. The Uzi in his hand made a faint 'clunk' sound as he pushed against the mahogany wood. Step by step, disturbed at the thought of what he was going to find, Duo slid through the door opening and into the room, both guns at the ready. He didn't need more than one second to take in the situation. Empty. No one was here. Where was Hillary?
Duo's eyes darted through the room, sweeping over the furniture. Nothing seemed out of place, only the bed linen was tousled. No blood, no signs of a struggle... had Hillary been abducted? The adrenaline was pumping in his ears. He took a few steps to the right. Think. What would Hillary's first concern be when he heard the alarm? Duo's gaze halted at the slender silver framed picture next to Hillary's bed. Of course, his father. Jeeves. Duo left the room and went down the hallway. No bad guys here, but he wasn't about to drop his guard just like before. Jeeves Wilson's bedroom was close to his son's, and Duo could see light coming from the door. He wondered what the light source was. Hillary was pretty inventive despite his stoic and stiff upper lip personality, and his father was very important to him. The Wilsons had been in the service of the Maxwell family for generations, and the thought of something happening to them was a heart wrenching one. If any of the bad guys had done something to them…
Careful, Duo gave one knock on the door before swinging it open. Hillary jumped to his feet in a preposterous pose of fighting him; his chest heaving, the bewildered look on his face was comical in any other circumstances.
"It's all right, it's me," Duo said, holstering his Uzis.
"Master Maxwell, please help us," Hillary said, relieved to see him. He dropped his fighting stance and knelt down quickly beside his father, who was struggling to breathe. "He's having a heart attack," he said, his own face pale as a ghost. "He went out of bed when he heard the alarm, and he tripped over the carpet…"
Duo knelt down as well, his senses warned at the signs of the heart attack; Jeeves had broken out in cold sweat, he could barely breathe and he struggled to stay conscious. There wasn't a lot of time.
"Did you give him aspirin? To prevent blood clotting?" Duo asked. Hillary nodded.
"I got one down into him, but he needs to get to a hospital. What's going on?" The butler asked, lowering his voice at the last question. Duo lowered his voice as well.
"Intruders in the Manor. We don't know what they're after, but they're not getting away with anything. Don't worry."
Hillary shook his head, frazzled. "I heard gunshots…"
"We have to get your father to the music room," Duo said, interrupting him. Hillary looked confused for a moment, but then he nodded. The music room had a secret passage to a hallway that lead out of the Manor without being spotted. There was no telling how many of these intruders were crawling around the premises; Duo had counted at least twelve men before he left his bedroom, but there could be many, many more. "I'll help you," he said. "We're going to move you, mister Wilson."
"M-master Maxwell…" the elderly man spoke with a faint voice.
"Easy, easy, we'll do the work," Duo said.
"Wh-what's going on?"
"Don't worry about it, father," Hillary said, a slight tremble in his voice. "We're going to get you into safety."
Too fatigued to answer, Jeeves Wilson rolled with his head and didn't protest when both Duo and Hillary helped him up, slowly getting him on his feet. He leaned heavily on the both of them. The music room wasn't that far, and Duo made sure he supported Jeeves with his left side, to keep his right side unblocked. He was quicker to shoot with right than with left, and who knew who they could come across to in the hallway. He hoped Heero was faring better.
Chapter 2 | Chapter 4 |