Little Boy Blue
Part 19
Duo's mind was going a million miles and hour as he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. What could he do? This was like the movies, this wasn't supposed to happen in real life. He didn't know what else to do except turn over the evidence and hope Treize released Heero. But what if he didn't? He didn't trust Treize as far as he could throw him. He could go to the police... but then they would all be busted. Duo was absolutely sure that Treize would take everyone down with him. And his parents... there was no way he could keep his parents from finding out. They would be back in a few days. If he was arrested, they would have to contact his parents... drag them back from vacation... even if he didn't go to jail his life would be hell, and he wouldn't be able to see Heero. He knew he would die if that happened. In the short time he had known the other boy, he had fallen so hopelessly in love that he couldn't imagine being without him. He knew he would die without Heero. He had to do something.
He drove automatically toward the bank, going as fast as he could, wincing with pain every time he had to shift the car and use his ankle. He had to slam on the brakes at one point, and a brown envelope flew out from underneath the passenger seat. He glanced over, and his heart leapt. The copies! Could he fool Treize with the copies? At least long enough to get Heero free? He had an idea... He continued on to the bank, as fast as he could.
+
Heero struggled against his bindings once again. Despite Treize's assurances, he thought he was making some progress with them. Treize and Zechs were deep in discussion across the room, and Heero couldn't make out what they were saying. Zechs looked worried, though.
"What if the kid doesn't come back?" Zechs wondered.
"He will," assured Treize. "He's scared to death. He'll do exactly what I tell him. They always do."
"Heero didn't," pointed out Zechs helpfully.
"Fuck off, Zechs, you're not helping," growled Treize. "It will all work out. We'll get the evidence back, and Duo will just crawl back wherever he came from, and everything will be back to normal."
Zechs looked at him doubtfully, but it was beyond him to go against what Treize said.
Treize didn't bother to mention that he didn't have another plan; he had done this in desperation. Oh well, what's another felony, he said to himself. He wouldn't lose. Not now. Tsubarov was after him already; the old man had given him the money for Heero's virginity already, and Treize had already spent it. He had to deliver. This had to work. He would let Duo go, but not Heero. Not until the boy performed his duty. He looked at his watch. One hour had passed already. He glared at Heero. Now he had the boy right where he wanted him, he didn't even have the urge to molest him any more. All he could see was Tsubarov's ugly face leering at him, coming after him... the last time they had spoken, Tsubarov had all but hinted that if he couldn't deliver Heero, he would expect Treize to step in to his place. Treize shuddered.
+
Exactly one hour and 45 minutes had elapsed when Treize heard the sound of a car pulling in. He nodded to Zechs, and the other man got up to stand by the door.
Heero was glad Treize was ignoring him despite his earlier threats. It gave him a chance to work on getting himself free. Zechs wasn't as good at tying as Treize seemed to think, and Heero was small-boned. His skin was getting rubbed raw, but he had to be free by the time Duo got back. He wasn't sure what the longhaired boy had planned, but they couldn't let Treize have the evidence. And he wasn't going to jail. He was getting away from Treize once and for all. And after all the man had done to him and Duo, Heero was not averse to hurting him. He would do anything to protect Duo, and be with him forever.
While he waited, he had been studying the warehouse, to see if there was anything he could use. It obviously hadn't been used for some time. Old construction equipment lay everywhere, rusted and in disrepair. This warehouse had obviously been used by a general contracting company; there were painting supplies, welding equipment, and various tools. He was starting to get some ideas.
Then Duo was back; Heero gave the ropes one final wrench, taking advantage of the fact that neither of his captors' eyes were on him at the moment. At first he thought he was struggling in vain; then just as Duo flung open the door he got his right hand free. He shook it quickly to get the circulation going again, then started on the left. That one went much more quickly.
Duo stalked in, stopping just inside the door, scanning the warehouse. His eyes rested on Heero, who looked flushed but ok. The other boy nodded at him quickly. Then he concentrated on Treize. He held out an envelope, and said, "Here it is. Now let him go."
Zechs grabbed the envelope and brought it to Treize. The older man took it, and said, "You don't mind if I take a look, do you?"
"Whatever," said Duo impatiently. He was hoping that Treize didn't know exactly how many pictures were taken, how much film there was. Duo had been surprised himself. He had brought some, but not all of the negatives. He had put in all the prints; those were of no consequence, really. More could be printed. He just hoped that Treize was nervous enough that he wouldn't notice the absence of a few choice shots. That, and he did have another ace up his sleeve.
"This looks like everything is in order... The webcast isn't a problem because I trashed your computer already. Looks good, thank you, Duo. You can go." Treize smirked.
"What?" Duo demanded. "Let Heero go!" He rushed forward, trying to get to the other boy, only to be grabbed by Zechs before he could get there.
"I don't think so. You're free to go, Duo, don't push your luck. Heero owes me one more small job," drawled the older man.
Duo looked at Heero desperately. "But..." Then he faltered. He had caught a glimpse of something behind Heero's back. The other men were preoccupied, they hadn't seen, but it looked like Heero's hands were free. Heero looked back at him and raised his eyebrows.
Then Heero spoke. "It's fine, Duo. Just go," he said, trying to convince the longhaired boy to get out. "Get out, I'll catch up to you as soon as I can."
"Listen to your boyfriend, Duo," laughed Treize. "I won't come after you."
"And I'm supposed to believe you?" snorted Duo.
"You don't have a choice," sneered Treize. "Zechs, escort the boy out to his car. Heero will be released tomorrow night. You can come get him right here. Now go."
Duo looked at Heero. The boy gave a minute nod, and he took a deep breath. Heero was up to something, but he needed to get both men out of the building. "Fine," he said, thinking fast. He let Zechs grab his arm and pull him out the door. Then, deliberately while the door was still closing, he kicked sideways as hard as he could at the side of the blond man's knee. The effect was better than he could have hoped for; Zechs howled in pain and half collapsed, bending over.
Treize's head snapped around at Zechs' cry; he looked at Heero and snarled, "Your little boyfriend is fucked," before he ran to the door.
Heero cursed; this was the opening he needed, but he didn't want Duo to get hurt. He had better take advantage of it. He quickly got the ropes off his hands; both were already free. He leaned down, fumbling with stiff, bloody fingers at the ropes around his legs. This was taking too long! Finally, one leg was free, and the other followed quickly. He stood up unsteadily, trying to get his circulation back so he could walk again. He knew he only had a few minutes.
Outside, Duo was running, trying to not to get away from the men, but to draw them away from the warehouse. He felt Zechs' hand close on his arm, and knew he had to fight like hell. He tried to use his smaller size and speed to duck back under the blond man's arm, shaking loose his hand. It worked for a minute, until Treize came running out toward him. Duo had mixed feelings; he had gotten both men out of the building, but now they were after him. He didn't know what Heero was up to; but he would stall as long as he could.
Inside, Heero ran right over to the pile of painting supplies he had spotted earlier. He had used his time in captivity well; he had a plan, one he had never tried but had read about many times. There were a lot of variables; but it was his only chance. He needed to create a diversion, to make sure that Treize and Zechs couldn't stay here, to give something else to worry about besides him and Duo. What he had planned should be just the ticket, even if it only succeeded partially. Luckily for him, there were quite a few cans of paint thinner; he just hoped there was enough in them. He checked the levels; combining several of them, he ended up with three cans that were half full, deliberately spilling some of the extremely flammable liquid in the process. Heero used several other items to fashion a Molotov-cocktail-type multi-stage bomb with a crude timer. (1) He now had 3 to 5 minutes. He finished the last part, and straightened up as he heard voices coming back. Too soon.
Duo struggled; but he was much smaller than either of the two men, and there were two of them. He fought as hard as he could, trying to use the jujitsu techniques he had learned some time ago for breaking holds. It worked the first couple of times, as Zechs was surprised; but they soon got wise to it, and held him so he couldn't break loose. The men were getting angry and less careful about not hurting him. Zechs especially was starting to lose his temper. He wrenched Duo's arm way up behind his back; if Duo hadn't been very flexible it would have done damage. It did hurt incredibly; and Treize held him on the other side so he couldn't execute the countermove. He tried to kick out, but he couldn't support his weight on the arm twisted behind his back. He stomped on Zechs' foot as hard as he could, then kicked out toward Treize's knees. He wanted to aim for the man's groin, but that was higher, and a good kneecapping could be just as painful, he knew. He only succeeded partially; but his aim wasn't to escape, just stall. He trusted Heero to come up with a plan. Inexorably, though, he was being dragged back toward the door. He hoped he had given Heero enough time.
Heero heard them coming; he hoped his concoction didn't go off too soon as he hid behind the door. The door opened, and Zechs and Treize dragged in a struggling Duo. He saw Treize look up, register the fact that Heero was no longer tied to the chair, and saw the man's mouth open to shout. Zechs had his back to him. Heero lunged forward, bringing his hands together and up to deliver a blow to the back of Zechs' neck. Heero put all his force into it, and the blond man staggered, stunned, and let go of Duo's arm.
Duo stumbled as he was released; part of his mind noted the smell of some sort of chemical as he used his momentum to drive into Treize. He crouched down as he ran at him, hitting the taller man just below his stomach. The blow came below Treize's center of gravity, and the man was knocked off balance.
Zechs recovered quickly, turning toward Heero with a cry of rage. He grabbed at Heero, but the smaller boy danced back, then ducked under the outstretched arms to get inside the man's guard. He continued forward, delivering a knife hand blow to Zechs' throat. The effect was immediate. The blond went down, clutching at his throat and gagging. Heero half hoped he hadn't hit too hard; it wasn't hard to crush a person's trachea that way. He didn't want to kill Zechs, not really, but if it came down to saving Duo, he would gladly do it. His internal clock told him he had to get Duo out of the building. He looked up just as Treize went down, Duo scrambling back to get away.
"Duo! Get out!" Heero screamed, and Duo ran for the door without asking any questions. Just as Heero followed him, he heard a sizzle and the unmistakable sound of a small explosion. He had one glimpse of Treize getting up and running to Zechs as they went out the door. He could just see flames spreading on the far side of the warehouse as the door shut behind them. "Run!" he screamed.
"Heero! The car! Follow me!" Duo ran toward the street, where he could see his car parked. The sun was just setting, and sky was going dark. Heero heard the door open behind him, and he chanced a glance back as he ran. Treize was dragging Zechs out the door, and flames were already starting to be visible on the far side. Another, larger boom signaled the ignition of the secondary fuel, and Heero grinned to himself. It had worked better than he had hoped. Soon, fire trucks would be on the way, and Treize would have to flee or explain what he was doing there.
"Heero! Can you drive?" Duo yelled.
"Yes!" he answered, and Duo threw him the keys as they skidded to a halt by the car. Treize wasn't immediately following; it was clear he was torn as to what to do; go for his car or follow the boys. They scrambled into the car. Heero fired up the engine and threw it into gear, squealing the tires as he popped the clutch. The car fishtailed as he made the turn onto the main road, and they could see the two older men were running for their SUV, presumably to come after them.
"Heero! Look!" Duo cried as they sped past. Heero glanced over to see that his homemade bomb had exceeded all expectations. Flames were now pouring from the entire side of the warehouse; the window on that side had blown out and flames were shooting out. Unfortunately for Treize and Zechs, that was the side they had chosen to park their car. He saw the two men skid to a halt and look in horror; there was no way they could get to the car. The flames were too intense. Heero looked in his rear view mirror just in time to see the fire reach the SUV. Treize and Zechs were running away as fast as they could, and then the truck caught fire. Heero rounded another corner; the warehouse was out of sight now. But they could feel the explosion even at that distance; Heero guessed that the SUV's fuel tank had just caught fire. He started to laugh then, and tried not to run off the road as Duo hugged him tightly.
"Is it over?" Duo asked.
"I think so. Treize thinks he has the evidence, and he has more to worry about right now than us," Heero paused. "He doesn't have the evidence, does he?"
"Some of it," Duo said, "But not all. The rest is still in the safety deposit box." He looked at Heero. "I tried to do the right thing."
"That's perfect, Duo! Exactly what you needed to do. You did great!" Heero said, sighing. "Once Treize figures out he hasn't got everything, it will be too late. He'll have a lot to deal with right now." Heero hesitated. "The problem is, what do we do now? We can't go back to my apartment, he'll be looking for us there." Heero hadn't thought past getting out of the warehouse. "Well, we could run by there and grab a few things very fast..." He drove in the direction of the apartment. Zechs and Treize would be busy for a while longer.
Luckily, Duo had. "I hope you're not mad at me, Heero..." began Duo, unsure of himself. "But I did a couple of things..."
Heero looked at Duo curiously. "Whatever you did is fine with me I'm sure, Duo. Just tell me."
"Well, I got some of the negatives, then I got to thinking what we could do after. So I," he swallowed nervously, "I withdrew some money. Um, a lot of money. Did you know how much money you had in there, Heero?"
Heero smiled. "Yes, Duo, that was a good idea. I gave you access to my account because I love you and trust you. But you're not carrying around a whole lot of money, are you? That's dangerous."
"No, the man at the bank told me that, so I got most of it in a cashier's check, made out to you. That made him happier about it." Duo dug around in the car and came up with a check that had lots of zeroes on it, and held it up. Heero nodded, and Duo continued, "I got some cash too." He waved a large wad of bills at Heero. "It does make me nervous, actually. It's more money than I've seen in my life I think."
"Well, between the two, I think we'll be ok for a while," smiled Heero. Just then, they pulled up at Heero's apartment. "We'll run in, we'll be five minutes, tops. I can grab a few things. I don't have much that means anything to me. Except for you, Duo."
Duo hugged him, and then they were in the building. They went into the apartment, ignoring the mess, and Heero grabbed a small suitcase and threw in a few things: clothes, bath items, a book and a few other things. He grabbed a wallet from the dresser that had some extra cash in it. And that was it. He was ready to go in seven minutes. His whole life, packed up that quickly.
Then he turned to Duo, the person he wanted to share his new life with. "Let's get out of here."
There was still no sign of pursuit. Heero threw his bag in the car's miniscule trunk, and they were off. "Where are we headed? Have you figured that out yet, Duo?"
Duo grinned. "I thought maybe we could go to San Diego? My parents will be back soon, but if you're nearby we can still see each other."
Heero indicated the cashier's check. "That ought to be enough to buy something small, and live off for a while, until I can sell my apartment in LA. And get to the rest of my money."
"The rest?" Duo asked incredulously. "There's more than that?"
"I have a few hidden accounts that take a bit longer to get into," explained Heero. "I can take care of you, Duo." He looked seriously at the longhaired boy. "If you'll let me. I want to see you go to college."
"We can go together!" exclaimed Duo.
Heero laughed, turning onto the San Diego freeway. "I just want to find a nice quiet hotel that takes cash and doesn't ask questions." He looked over at the beautiful boy next to him. "And had soundproofed walls."
Duo grinned back at him. "Sounds like a plan to me!"
(1) I don't feel comfortable going into detail, just in case someone decides to try this at home, I don't want to be responsible. But take my word, and the Anarchist's Cookbook for this, it works. It would give him a 3-5 minute window, and the extent of the conflagration would vary depending on a lot of factors. Heero is taking a chance because he is not sure what will happen.
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