The Hit List

Chapter 8

by Starling

0800 hours

            It amazed him that she looked vibrant, healthy, like she had in his dreams the night before. For a moment, Heero could almost dispel the thought that Arys was lying in a hospital bed deep in Preventer Headquarters, pale and unmoving. He looked around the apartment, surprised to see how closely it resembled the real one. Arys sat on the couch, watching his reaction with that half-smirk on her face. Arys stood to her feet, the smirk changing to a smile, the smile she always reserved for him. She held her hands out to him.

            “On time as usual, Heero.”

            Heero took her hands in his, glad to see that spark in her eyes, even if they were interacting in a virtual world.

            It took him a moment to find his voice. He felt suddenly as if it had escaped him. “It’s... good to see you.”

            Arys shook her head, gazing up at him. Compassion crossed her face and she led him to the couch. “You miss me.” It was a statement, not a question.

            Heero nodded stiffly.

            Arys reached for a piece of paper on the coffee table. She glanced over at him, a look that Heero recognized on her face. He could not help smiling at her.

            “A kiss first, then we can get to business?” Arys asked, batting her eyelashes at him teasingly.

            “Not if you’re going to act like a flirt.”

            Arys laughed and put a hand on Heero’s arm. “I’ve missed you.”

            “Glad to know it. I wasn’t sure if you did at first.” Heero put his hand over hers, realizing that somehow this world allowed the warmth of her hand to register to his senses. He leaned forward until his face was inches from hers. “Yours forever,” he whispered.

            “Yours forever,” Arys repeated. He saw her eyes close in response to his kiss, and then felt his own close as well.

            Kira stood inside the warehouse with Wufei, studying the Gundam in front of them thoughtfully. It was a powerful-looking machine, and she wondered how anyone could get away with building one without the whole world finding out. Wufei had his arms crossed over his chest, it seemed to be a normal stance for Gundam pilots, and he was practically glaring up at the cockpit Heero had disappeared into.

            “I hope those two don’t waste any time. We need to get the rest of the list before someone else gets assassinated.” Wufei looked like he was impatient, but beneath the impatience, Kira could sense a sympathy for his friend as well as a longing to see his own wife. Kira had had the ability to read people for a long time. She had often been told that she should go into politics. But red tape did not appeal to her and she had dived into her work at the college. Science was her field, not politics. She had a great respect for Relena Darlian and often wondered how the 18 year old put up with all the media attention and stressful meetings.

            “This Gundam doesn’t have a main engine, does it?” Kira asked, her eyes following the slender lines of the Archangel’s wings.

            Wufei shook his head. “Actually, it does. The engines are built right into the wings. Heero explained to me once that the wings provide more lift in Earth’s atmosphere and in space, giving it a maneuverability greater than any of the other Gundams.” Kira noticed his eyes drift over to a tarp-covered Gundam in the corner. More than likely his own.

            Wufei glanced down at his watch next. “He’s been up there for thirty minutes now...” He sounded a little exasperated.

            Kira nodded sagely. “He’ll be down in about two seconds.”

            Just as she predicted, Heero stepped out onto the door as soon as she had finished speaking. He looked down at them, a troubled expression on his face. When Heero descended using the haul line, Wufei immediately asked him what had happened.

            “Relena’s name is the last one on the list,” Heero said, holding out a piece of paper to Wufei. “I told Arys about our plan, and she has reason to believe that the assassin may skip to Relena next when he finds out that she has been released from the hospital.”

            Wufei shook his head. “It’s only 8:30 though. The newscast won’t be going public until noon.” Kira jumped slightly as Wufei’s cellphone rang. She tried to hide her embarrassment, but both Preventer agents were too busy mulling over this new information to notice the blush creeping into her face.

            Wufei glanced over at both Heero and Kira with a grimace before picking up the phone. Kira could guess what had happened as Wufei scanned the list in his hand.

            “All right. We’ll be right there.” Wufei snapped his cellphone shut. He slid it into his pocket without looking at them. “Boris Lutevsky was just killed fifteen minutes ago. He was the second name on the list. Une wants us back at headquarters.”

            “We need to find out where Relena is. Are you in?” Kira was surprised to find Heero looking at her, his blue eyes dark with some hidden emotion.

            “Of course I’m in. I can’t guarantee that I’ll be as good an agent as Arys is,” Kira emphasized the present tense ‘is’ and saw the gratitude on Heero’s face. “But I’ll do my best.”

            Wufei folded up the paper and placed it carefully in his pocket. “All you have to do, Kira, is play with our assassin’s mind. We’ll even have Gavin watch over you.”

            Kira frowned at him, and then laughed. “Wufei has a sense of humor.”

            Heero laughed along with her, and Kira was shocked at how natural it sounded. These Gundam pilots were human after all.

            Brekken glared at the newscast rolling across the television screen. He had just finished his second job that morning and had been planning on getting to the third job that afternoon. But this newscast was messing up his plans. He watched as Arys Walker walked out of the hospital, her head bandaged and looking weak. But she was alive and conscious. Now she was a danger to him, a mistake he had made, an obstacle in his path to completing his mission. He watched as Heero helped Arys to a waiting car and then got in beside her. There was a swarm of reporters around the car, but the couple ignored the media and the car drove away, parting a gap in the crowd.

            The next piece of news was a snippet on Relena Darlian’s whereabouts. Brekken sighed. Relena was his most important target and the one he had saved for last. But with this latest development, he knew Jerry would want Relena disposed of immediately. Brekken would not get his million but he could negotiate for three-fourths of it. That would be more than enough for him to change his name and appearance, and disappear from the Earth Sphere as BrekkenWolff, assassin for hire.

            He would miss his job though. He wondered if he’d be able to handle being back in the mainstream of society. It would be... boring.

            This was to be his last job. He had better make it a good one.

            Kira breathed in deeply as soon as the car cleared the sea of reporters. Heero sat next to her, frowning. Gavin had already been in the car, and his brown eyes were steely as he looked at her.

            “Where to next?” Kira asked, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere in the car. Wufei sat up front, driving, while Mei was in the passenger seat, scanning through some information on a Palmpilot. Mei was the one to answer her.

            “We’re catching a shuttle to Colony L1ZX901 after we “drop” you off at Preventer Headquarters.”

            “That’s where Relena will be for the next week.” Heero’s deep voice startled her slightly. “We’ll have to keep a low profile so that the assassin doesn’t suspect that we know where he’s going.”

            “But we don’t know what this guy looks like.” Kira shifted in her seat, trying to get comfortable and wondering when she could take off the ridiculous bandage swathed around her head.

            “Arys gave me a description of him, but that was when he was under the disguise of an Ambassador Harrington. Nari saw him when he came into the lobby and even spoke to him. Here’s his picture.” Heero handed her a 3x5 photograph of a cocky-looking man in his early 30s.            “This is what he really looks like?”

            Heero nodded. “He is an expert at disguising himself, but Nari saw his real face. He has shown it a few times, especially for his last two targets. We’ve caught him on a few security cameras. It’s almost like he doesn’t care that he’s being seen.”

            Wufei glanced up, his dark eyes reflected in the rearview mirror. “Like it’s the last job he’s ever going to do.”