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The Shoot (Part 7)
The rooftop of the administration block was as silent as a graveyard. The silvery moon had hid its face behind a thin veil of gray clouds, its dim rays casting indistinct shadows. A trained eye would have noticed that one of the shadows appeared darker - more substantial. A more careful examination would reveal the silhouette of a human figure. Duo had shed the guise of his alter ego, Katherine Kane. His long, willowy hair was entwined in his usual thick braid. he wore a black top with rolled up sleeves and matching slacks that blended him nicely with the black night. It was fifteen minutes before the appointed time. Nearly his whole day was spent thinking about his encounter with Shang the previous night. Shang was no ordinary student; of that, Duo was very sure. A gut feeling told him that Shang was working for OZ. But if that is the case, why didn't he just put a bullet through my head at where I stood last night? Why go through all the trouble of abducting Doyce and Laila? His actions didn't make sense! There was only one logical explanation for this - Shang did not want him dead. Or rather, what he wanted from Duo could not be extracted from a corpse. Information perhaps? Does he think I'm foolish enough to be captured alive? Captured ... despite his efforts to cloak himself with an air of indifference, the genuine fear for the lives of those two girls was still acutely felt. Heero had called him a fool for letting his heart rule his mind during important missions. Duo had to agree with him this time. If he had distanced himself from Doyce and Laila and rejected their offered friendship right from the beginning, they would never be targeted by his enemies. Their lives would never be endangered. The pin-drop silence was shattered by the light scrape of a shoe against the rough floor. The illumination by the moon was just sufficient for Duo to make out Shang's face, which he scrutinized more thoroughly this time. He dismissed the white lock of hair as nothing more than the result of a few wonky genes. The eyes ... something about them struck a familiar cord in Duo; as if he had seen their like before. Trowa. Shang's eyes were identical to Trowa's. Vacant eyes that held no spark of life. Shang turned his body to face the patch of solid shadow that was Duo. "So, you have come." Even his voice reminded Duo of Trowa's sleep-inducing monotone. Duo detached himself from the shadows, the barrel of his pistol aimed right between Shang's eyes. * * * * * * So this is how Cheng's killer really looks like. The teenager standing before him was about his age, swathed in clothes that were as black as the Gundam he piloted. The glint of metal in Kane's hand generated no more than a raised eyebrow from Shang. "I don't see the girls. Where are they?" The falsetto was gone, replaced by a cool, calm voice that was distinctly male. "They are safe for the time being. You need not worry about them." The first question he asked was about those two girls. Can it be that this cold-blooded murderer has human emotions? "Perhaps you didn't hear me correctly." Kane thumbed the safety of his gun off with a faint but audible click. "Where are they?" "As I said before, they are safe. And you can stop threatening me with that pistol of yours. I only want to talk." Seeing that Duo made no move to lower his weapon, Shang smirked. "Are you so afraid of me that you won't feel safe without that thing pointing at me?" The gun held by Kane did not waver. "Do you think I won't pull the trigger? I've killed before and I'll kill again just as readily." Kane was impervious to his taunts. Good. The last thing Shang wanted was a short-tempered hothead as his wingmate. "I know perfectly well that you are a very experienced and accomplished killer. I'm quite surprised that you have come to meet me tonight. Death to you should be like water off a duck's back, shouldn't it? After the way you have been slaughtering people by the thousands, why should two more deaths matter to you so much that you are willing to put your life on the line for them?" "I'm not risking my neck for anyone. The main reason why I have come is to find out who the hell you are before I send you to hell." The tone of Kane's voice was so cold and deliberate that Shang would have believed him if he didn't see the lie in Kane's eyes. "If that is the only thing you have come for, I'll grant you your wish." Kane's face registered bafflement. Maybe he thought that I would only talk under duress. "We have not met before this, but what brought my attention to you was an incident that occurred near Salt Lake City five months ago." A look of recognition fleeted past Kane's visage. "Remember? You were there, wiping out every living soul at the military base. Cheng ..." Words died on Shang's lips at the mention of his dead wingmate's name. The memory of Cheng's death still burned in his mind ... and the thirst for revenge. Shang wondered why he didn't choose to destroy the boy in front of him. "Who is Cheng?" asked Kane. Shang had to curb his impulse to rush towards Kane and beat him black and blue. Sheila, who had asked him the same question two months ago, had learnt not to utter Cheng's name in his presence. "He is one of the victims of your killing spree, you maker of orphans and widows!" Shang tried to regain his composure but anguish and anger prevented him. "We were there minding our own business, when you suddenly appeared with that Gundam of yours and started killing everyone in sight! You and the rest of your Gundam-piloting team started this bloody war! Killing, always killing! What do you know about the extent of damage and suffering you have caused?" Patches of red blotched Kane's cheeks. "I don't have to take this from anyone, least of all an OZ underdog like you. We started the war?" Kane let out a harsh, scornful laugh. "I don't know what kind of a bullshit story OZ has been feeding you and I don't really care. What I do know is that once a person decides to don a soldier's uniform, he must be mentally prepared to kill and be killed." Shang sneered. "And that justifies your actions? You have never considered the possibility that the soldier whose blood you soak the ground with will have friends and families who will mourn his death, have you?" "I have never bothered to justify my actions." Kane's reply was barely audible. "When a life perishes under a sword, does it really matter who wielded the sword or why the sword was wielded in the first place? Seeking justifications for killing is a form of self-deception. Belief that you're destroying lives for the right cause only serves to reduce the torment of your conscience." Kane's words echoed Cheng's sentiments. For a brief moment, Shang imagined Cheng's face overlapping Kane's. Well, sport, humans fight against each other for many reasons - wealth, revenge, territory, power, religion.. and the most ironic of all.. peace. But all these so-called reasons are just excuses. Violence is never justified. Those were Cheng's exact words; words which Shang had accepted as life's truths. Shang's chaotic long tresses were obscuring his vision and he flicked them away from his face with a toss of his head. Cheng's apparition had disappeared, leaving behind Kane who was very much like Cheng. And very much alive. Shang could not resist smiling at Kane who then frowned at him in a puzzled manner. "I have no wish to drag this idle chit-chat. The girls you seek are presently in their room in the girls' dormitory. You will find them there." * * * * * * Duo bounded up the stairs leading to the second floor where the room occupied by Doyce and Laila was situated. He took great care not to be seen by any girls who would most likely scream their heads off and alarm everyone in the dormitory. Duo had left the meeting with Shang without using any of his bullets. He could not kill Shang before confirming that Doyce and Laila were at where Shang said they would be. And Shang knew this all too well. However, that didn't stop Duo from jabbing Shang's solar plexus just to deliver home the message that he was not to be messed with. Duo arrived at the door of the room of the two girls. Bracing himself for the worst, he turned the door knob and opened the door. He drew in a sharp intake of breath. No.... Two prone bodies were lying on the floor. Duo wasted no time in rushing to the still bodies of Doyce and Laila to test for warm breath from their nostrils. He resumed breathing only after he was sure that they were alive. They still had a healthy colour in their cheeks, which increased his relief further. He gently lifted their bodies from the floor and placed the girls on their respective beds. "I'm sorry for putting both of you through this ordeal," said Duo softly, even though he knew that neither of them could hear him. Duo dug his hands into his pockets for Laila's ear rings, which he then put back on her ear lobes. "That was a nasty blow you gave me just now." Shang! Duo whirled and was on the balls of his feet in a flash. The pistol was out and pointing at the boy who stood some distance before the entrance of the room. Duo discovered that he was having a hard time aiming a clean shot at Shang. There were two Shangs, which merged and separated repeatedly to give him a splitting headache. His vision was darkening around the edges and the weapon in his hand felt as if it weighed a tonne. What the .... so this is what Shang have in mind. Duo turned the pistol on himself. They were not going to take him alive. In his befuddled state, Duo could have sworn that Shang had teleported to his side to wrest the pistol from his hand. The outcome of the struggle was greatly shifted in Shang's favour as Duo had inhaled too much gas. Duo managed to squeeze off one shot before his knees buckled. * * * * * * The bullet had embedded itself in Shang's left shoulder and blood was oozing out in a viscous flow. It was a good thing that the gun had a silencer. Shang ignored the pain in his shoulder. What mattered now was Kane - he had to be moved to the underground OZ base. Then the mind-linking program could begin. Sheila appeared behind Shang and her face became twisted with worry and rage after taking in the scene. Malice poisoned her thoughts as she looked down at the unconscious boy at her feet. Her plan to deliver a savage kick to Kane's temple was thwarted when Shang scooped her feet from under her. She landed heavily on her back, all her breath knocked out of her lungs. "I would appreciate it if you refrain from harming Kane until the mind link fails. Harm him before that and I'll kill you." Sheila's pupils dilated with fear and shock. "Do you understand me?" Sheila swallowed and nodded her head mutely.
.: The story continues in "The Bud" series :. |