Obi Land

Mission Failed

Chapter One

A mission. Another fuckin' mission. Sure Doc G was cool and all, but why does he always have to send me on these damned missions? They could get Heero. He'd been all perfect soldier once. I bet ya he could do it again too. Being with Relena hasn't changed him enough that he couldn't go back. Or Wufei. The Wu-man is still an awesome fighter, plus isn't he a Preventer or somethin'? Trowa. He's always complainin' that he's nobody; that he has no reason to live. Yea that pretty much means Cathy died. I don't expect them to lay this on Quatre. Sometimes he still seems so young I wouldn't believe he'd ever been near a Gundam. Ever seen those chibi pictures people draw of anime characters? He's one of them even at nineteen. I know, I've seen the guy.

Then you got me. Mister Gundam Pilot himself. Yea, I got one. They built me a new one. Deathscythe is better than ever. What's that? Why ain't I happy? Well, why should I be? Sorry guys, but Shinigami wants a vacation! My hair's still long. Yea the braid still reaches my butt. I wear leather now though, and my ears are pierced. Once in the right, twice in the left. The tattoo on my left bicep is a scythe. 'Shinigami' is written below it. The God of Death. Now, who the hell would miss him?

Apparently the Doctors would. I scan the screen, much like I'd seen Heero do many times during Operation Meteor. Our version of it anyway. A target. Some old fat dude with too much lace on his to pink outfit. Maybe it's a Halloween costume. Yea, I know, old, but it's a classic, right? It's an assassination. Now why would they want this guy dead? He looks to me like he don't got much time left anyways. I send them an e-mail. It says I'll do it. What's one more dead guy? Or girl for that matter. Man! I am so depressed. Bet you never thought I'd say that, huh. A small screen pops up. I see Dr. G's face. His lips begin to move and a few seconds later I hear what he's saying.

"At o two hundred hours, the day after your friend Quatre's party, I expect you to be here so we can safely fill you in on the details of your mission."

"O two hun- that's two in the morning! Come on Doc, how do you expect me to get up that early?"

"Be here."

"Bu-"

"Duo."

"What?"

"Shut up."

"Shut up? I'll give you shut up! I can't possibly be up that early, man. I'll be snorin' away while you sit there going 'Where is that brat! I told him to be here. That damned bastard is probably fast asleep. Someday that'll so get him killed!'" I do a pretty good imitation of his voice.

"I don't sound like that! Fine, be here at noon, okay. We'll feed you."

I smirk at the computer screen. "Roger," I say cheerfully.

Doc G mumbles to himself as he turns off the screen. Probably about how he's gonna explain the change of plans to his colleagues. I turn off my laptop and put it back into my duffle bag. I throw the bag over my shoulder and walk out of my room. As I pass the reception desk downstairs I toss the key to the room I've been using and some cash in front of a bored looking girl. She blows a bubble with her gum as I walk away. Outside I catch a cab to take me to the airport. The ride is slow. Traffic jams seem to exist everywhere. The driver doesn't care. He ignores the traffic. I see him change the price meter a few times, but don't say anything. I pay him before walking off to find Quatre. He wanted to come pick me up in his plane. Kid's rich, and acts like a toddler with a new toy every time he gets somethin' new. I see him waving his hands at me. The blonde boy starts talking to me as he leads me off to his plane. I talk back saying whatever funny comment pops into my head. He laughs a lot. The boy's happy. I hope everyone else is as good off as him. Emotionally I mean. Well, 'cept maybe Heero. Relena is the former Queen of the World after all. That means cash. I know; I've stayed with them a few times. Yea, dude moved in with her. The plane ride is smooth. Somehow Quatre is occupied the whole time by staring out the window. I simply take a nap.

His place is huge. I swear it's bigger than the last time I was here. I'll be stayin' here with Quatre for 'bout a week. Then, adios I've gotta go kill a guy. Wow, I think that sounded cheerful. He shows me to a pretty damn big room. It's redecorated, but I can tell it's the same one as the last time I stayed over. He tells me dinner's at eight, and I should probably dress up. I complain for a few minutes before agreeing. He laughs while walking outta the room.

A little over a few hours later, I'm downstairs with Quatre in his private dining room. I can't pronounce the stuff we're eating, but it tastes good. We talk about anything from politics to socks. Sitting here talking to a friend I'm actually happy. I smile and it's real. I don't have to force my laughs, or my jokes for that matter. He has that effect on people, Quatre does. It's the little kid thing again. He's the world's little brother, and he's determined to act the part.

The week passes quickly, too quickly if you ask me. The party's tonight. Everyone else should be here soon. I'm helping Quatre set the table. As I pass him on my way to get plates from the kitchen he grabs my arm and says, "Duo, what's wrong?"

I fake ignorance with one of my slightly funny looks. "What do you mean? Nothing's the matter."

"Yes, something is. You've been distracted all week. A sad distracted. You can tell me, Duo. I'm your friend. It's in the job description."

I smile slightly, but it's a sickly smile. "I know. You should try talking to Heero sometime, last I heard he's way more impossible than me."

"Duo, it's okay if you don't want to tell me, but I think you probably should. Now we have to finish getting ready, the others will be here soon." Damn, he's more insightful than I thought he was. Oh well. We finish getting everything ready. The place looks really nice.

Heero and Relena show up first. I play doorman. Quatre plays host. He doesn't actually have to play cause he is the host, but I can tell he's having fun. He shows them to his TV room where they can wait for everyone else to show up. Next is Trowa. He's not as dressed up as Heero, but then again he doesn't live with Relena. I ask and he says that yea, he still goes by Trowa. Just about everyone Quatre's ever met seems to show up. Wufei is last. I snicker as he comes in. Never thought I'd get to see the Wu-man in a suit. But here he is all dressed up. He gives me a look that clearly says 'say anything and you die'. I give him the yea whatever look and show him to where everyone else is waiting.

"Hi Wufei!" Quatre flies across the room to greet his newest guest. He gives a long speech that I quietly snore through. Heero sees me at one point and actually smiles. After the speech we have dinner. Only it's not a dinner. It's a feast large enough too feed me for the rest of my life! Name a food and it's there. Some of his guests brought kids, so there was even pizza and ravioli. Eventually everyone's done eating. Everyone toasts a lot. We all know this party is more of a reunion than anything else. Quatre's birthday was just a great excuse for it.

It's an hour or two after dinner and the crowd had dwindled. Quatre and Trowa are talking in the corner. Heero, Relena and Wu-man are on the couch. Oddly enough, talking and laughing. A few people I don't know are dancing. Eventually they get bored and leave. Then the others decide to corner me.

Quatre walks up to me. I can tell he was the one who arranged this. "Duo, I know something's wrong. The others noticed it too. Heero thinks you might have found out about that assassin."

"Which one?" I know which one.

"The famous one you idiot." Heero just called me an idiot. Huh.

"Oh, him."

Wufei pounces. "So you do know something!"

"Yea, I could give you a full name, an alias, a background, his current address, and the names of his bosses."

"So give." I'm not really sure who said it.

"Don't wanna."

Trowa hasn't said anything so far, but I guess he gets bored. "I know who it is."

"What?" I'm confused, sue me.

"Before he kills people he tells them he is the Shinigami. He had a tramatic past. As a boy he even survived the Maxwell Church Tragedy on the L2 Colony."

"Whada?" Now I'm not even using real words.

"He spent the next six years in and out of jail. Then he snuck aboard a ship and ended up being a mobile suit pilot."

I can't talk anymore. The others don't seem to be putting two and two together yet, but they might.

"Before that he was a war ophen. I can't be sure because he didn't have a file back then, but he was a member of a gang of orphans who all caught a disease that was plaguing the colony and died. All except him. Sometime after that he was sent to the church."

"How do you know all this about him. Why would someone like him have a background?" Dammit Quatre, don't be so curious.

"Because he needs one. This guy has to live a real life so his friends won't think it's him."

"Who is it?" Shut up you stupid kid.

"Why don't you ask Duo? He knows more than I do about this guy."

They turn and I'm gone. I'm careful but Heero gets a hold of me before I can get out the door. "Duo. Why? I thought you were done with that Shinigami crap!"

I sigh. Busted. "Yea me too." I pull up my sleeve so he can see the backside/inside whatever you wanna call it of my elbow. There's a tiny scar over the smallest lump in my skin. "Detonation device. They have the remote."

"Who's they?"

"My bosses, I think you've met them. They're the ones who made us all gundam pilots." The others show up as I tell him what's in my arm. The fucked up thing may be small, but it would easily destroy me if it went off.

-flashback-

"Wh-where am I?"

My vision is blurred, but I see someone walking towards me. The blur speaks and it's Dr.G. "Duo, good you're awake." I start run off. "Oh no, I wouldn't do that, Duo. You see that little scratch on your arm? Under it is a small bomb that could blow you to bits if I push this button." He holds up a small remote with a bunch of buttons on it and points to a bright red one. "Here let me show you. This is identical to the bomb in your arm." He holds up a small metal object and tosses it onto a box. He presses a button near the one that'll blow me up and the box explodes along with anything within five feet of it. The stuff is completely totaled. Gulp.

"Why?"

"Because we have some work for you. Now follow me."

-end flash back-

I break out of Heero's grip and leave. They don't catch me; They can't. I wish they could though. That would mean I don't have this job. I be a normal dude again, not an assassin. Life sucks.


Dr. G is glad to see me, glad that I was on time. Overjoyed even. Needless to say, he didn't tell the others about the new time. So, two A.M. and I'm out in an apparently run down colony with a group of mad scientists who want me to wipe another man from their little board game. I'd say they're playing Life, but that's just me, and it'd have to be a pretty screwed up version of it.