New Haven

Chapter 5: Bang Bang

“Down!” He roared as he dived under the table dragging Shenlong with him. Only pausing long enough to make certain that everyone else had followed his order.

The sound of breaking glass followed his order and the pock pock sound of bullets hitting chairs and table of where they had sat moments ago.

Duo looked up at the underside of the table and an evil grin spread across his face. There was an arsenal strapped to it. He grabbed the sniper riffle and ammo. He winked at the people under the table and rolled to the windows. He calmly filled the riffle with ammo and caressed the stock. It was a good make. But then Remington was always a good deal. He closed his eyes and remembered how the light had played across the room and waited for the count of ten as he gained his center.

In one smooth motion he was standing, sighting, firing, and down out of sight again. After another ten seconds he repeated the actions as the men under the table watched the pro at work. He had remembered two lights but it was a safe bet that there might be a backup so he repeated the action as he remembered the third face in the sights.

He looked under the table. An evil light that had been in his eyes was almost gone and he gave a big lopsided grin to the four eyes staring at him from under the table. “I think I got them all. But I’d say we should get any targets out of the room just in case.”

He received a grunt as Heero rolled to the door and checked to see if anything or anyone was out in the hall. The receptionist stood wide eyed at the end of the corridor. Hands over her mouth in horror. He turned and nodded to the rooms occupants that it was safe. He slowly slid into the hall and gained his feet still checking his surroundings.

He turned his attention to the woman. “Call Preventers and get them to check the building across from here. The roof to be exact. Here as well. Too check not just the roof.” He said dryly. She nodded and ran back to her desk to do as he ordered.

Duo left the room last and gave a rueful laugh. “Sorry,” He told the men with a matching rueful expression. “It’s kind of automatic to do what I did. I don’t think I left anyone to answer any questions. I hope Une will go easy on me.”

Quatre shook his head and gave a dry chuckle. “If she doesn’t you can always threaten to do Shinigami’s other best your at.” He gave a little smile at the thought of the jokes the man could play. “I can imagine her expression at a whip cream bomb.”

Wufei slowly straightened from where he was on the wall.

Duo slowly turned and eeped at the expression on the man’s face. He eeped and hid behind the tall fireman. As he peeked around the man to keep an eye on the man stalking him.

“That was you?” The outrage on the man’s face was enough to send Quatre into wails of laughter. “You put that…that…outrage in my office.” Wufei’s eyebrow twitched in rage at the man he was slowly stalking around his friends. “It took me a week to get all the whip cream off of everything.” He hissed at the braided man. “YOU…YOU…Baka!!!”

Duo suddenly changed directions and threw himself at the man whose arms came up automatically to catch him. “I promise never to do it again. I miscalculated. I hadn’t done one in four years.” Duo apologized profusely to the man.

“I will show you how whip cream is supposed to be used.” He grumbled into the shell ear that was close to his lips.

Duo pulled back and stared up at the man in surprise a slow smile lit his features. “Promise?” He asked of the man.

Wufei nodded and winked when he heard the commanding tones of the head of Preventers coming their way. He released his armful of squirming man and turned towards the approaching woman.

A woman in a plain Preventer uniform strode purposely towards the group. Her hair brushed her shoulders as her steely eyes lit on the five men and she paused. “Well I know who to thank for the three dead men in the building across the way.”

Duo winced and lowered his head as he raised his hand. “Sorry.” He muttered.

A cool hand raised his chin so she could meet his eyes. “That is not the problem Maxwell. The problem is someone tried to kill the most dangerous men in the world. Which usually means that there will be havoc, chaos, and mayhem to follow.”

Duo grinned. “I’m Chaos.” He told the woman with a little cheery smile. “He’s Mayhem, and he’s havoc.” He said as he pointed towards Quatre and Trowa. “The others are the clean up crew.”

Everyone stared in startled amazement as Lady Anne Une, the Head of the Preventers and one of the worst enemies in the war, threw back her head and trills of laughter resounded in the hall. The clean up crew who went to inspect the room stopped to stare. It was an unusual thing to be heard and only her wife was known to do so.

“Well I see you haven’t lost your touch Duo.” A calm sultry voice commented as she joined the group. Her honey hair parted into two braids and slight asian accents to her features she looked at the group of men with wonder. She had never thought that these men would ever be found in one place.

“Hey Dragon Lady.” Duo waved from where he was standing. He turned to look back at the Head of Preventers. “So it was three.” He confirmed.

Lady Une nodded. “Yes and it was three clean head shots. They were all armed. They all had armor piercing bullets as well. Which tells me how they were able to get through the window.” She blinked and sighed as she thought about the chaos that would have evolved if this group of men had been taken from the picture. “Who gave the warning?” She asked as she looked at each man in turn.

Four fingers pointed at Duo and a raised hand of said person confirmed it. She grinned wryly. The man still had the instincts of a steel trap. She still wanted the man to work for her but she knew that he was happy doing the work he was doing.

“Heero, we’ll need you to make this your top priority.” She told her top agent. “You’ll have to start immediately.”

Quatre grimaced at the time that would not be spent with his love. His grimace worsened as he heard a stampede of feet heading their way. Fifteen over protective women burst into the hallway where they stood. Converging on the group.

Heero seeing the oncoming avalanche slipped into the conference room to talk to the men working there. Trowa sighed and leaned against the wall accepting the inevitable. Wufei rolled his eyes and prepared his quickest escape route. He was also prepared to drag his new love with him.

The avalanche stopped at the sudden barked order. “Halt.” The word echoed in the hall. “This is a crime scene and these men are being questioned. You will all turn around and wait for me to release them to pander them.”

Fifteen women with looks very similar to a blushing doctor slowly backed away and stopped at a safe distance.

“Sorry.” Quatre muttered to the group within hearing. “They’re a little overprotective.”

Une looked at him dryly. “I noticed.” Was the only comment. “Now gentlemen if you would explain. And please tell me who made Mr. Maxwell cry so I can blow them to pieces.”

Three sets of stunned eyes looked at the woman.

“It’s okay Lady.” Duo reassured before she could get all frothed up. “I was just telling them about my past and what made me do what I did during the war.”

She blinked and stared. She had only gotten part of tale from the man. If he had told the whole tale to these men…‘Maybe he’s finally making some friends.’ She thought in jubilation. She reined in the thoughts knowing that they would have to wait till later. “Well, then what happened?”

Duo shrugged and told her. “We were finally over my tale and talking about old times. I saw some tracking light going across the room and gave the word. I found a nice little arsenal under the table and used the Remington Sniper to take down the Hunters before they took down the targets. The rest as they say is history.”

Une looked questioningly at the others who all nodded. She was still amazed that this man had never taken it into mind to kill her. His reason he had told her was ‘I felt sorry for you.’ She shook herself internally. She had answers to gather. She nodded dismissing the men and entered the scene of the crime.

The other woman smiled wryly. “She really likes you Mr. Maxwell. Don’t end up dead anytime soon.”

“Not if I can help it Dr. Po.” Duo answered with a wry grin.

“I won’t allow that to happen.” Wufei growled and he caught a hand to drag the braided man to the elevators. “Tell Heero that we’ll be at my place. I have to discuss something with Duo.”

Duo trailed behind the man and waved to the woman who watched as the man she thought was tougher than nails.

“Did I just see Chang Wufei dragging the man I consider my little brother to a ‘discussion’?” Dr. Po shifted to see her love peeking out of the room after the two men.

“Yes Anne.” She grinned as he managed avoid the Winner Sisters. “It’s about bloody time.”

“I’ll have to have a discussion with Chang. If he hurts Duo I’ll have to find a fitting punishment for him. Remind me about it later Sally.” She murmured as she returned her attention to the room.

Sally chuckled as she thought of that discussion.

Quatre stared at where the woman had stood a moment ago. “She considers him her little brother?” He all but squeaked. Leaning against Trowa.

“Yes during the war he went out of his way to make her laugh. She prizes that above all.” Sally looked in the door fondly at her wife. “She needed that. I think that is what brought her out of her shell she had been hiding in and why she changed so much at the end of the war.”

Quatre stared in amazement at the confession he had just heard. His mouth snapped closed at the touch of Trowa’s long finger. This is the first time he had heard this. He turned to look up into the single visible eye. He saw bemusement in that eye.

Sally chuckled at their expression. “It is hard to believe, isn’t it?” She looked fondly at the woman she loved. “One boy could change a woman who was her sworn enemy into a living being instead of a robot following orders.” She grinned and joined the people in the room to see what she could see and paused. “Still keeping an arsenal in case?” She question/stated. She got a rueful smile in return.

Quatre braced himself as he turned to face the inevitable.

“You’re on your own.” The quiet statement startled the blond. He turned to find his tall eurasian high tailing it in the other direction.

“Trowa!!!”