All The Way Here

The mannequin was right at the other side of the warehouse. Matt kept his hand off the trigger of the rifle, but practiced looking along it, waiting for Mello to come off the \'phone so he could shoot. Despite Mello\'s feigned long-suffering comments, Matt was sure he was getting the hang of sniper shot now. Finally bored of looking, he wondered how far his programme had got, unpicking the code which would locate the Japanese headquarters. He glanced at Mello to try and gage how long he\'d be and stopped short. Mello had just closed the \'phone and was looking up at him with the strangest expression.



"What\'s happened?" Matt\'s heart sank. "Who\'s died?"



Mello rose slowly, exhaled, then turned to stare at the chair he had just vacated. "Fire your shot."



With precipient alarm bells ringing through his senses, Matt raised the rifle. He breathed out, emptying his lungs, and focused on all Mello had been telling him for the last hour. When he was ready, he pulled the trigger and a shot rang out. The mannequin fell sidewards and the bullet ricocheted several feet across the concrete. "Bit shit."



Mello was behind him, taking the rifle from his hands, as he had every other time. This time was different. "I\'m going to have to make my move." He spoke with a dry mouth, his voice rasping. "It\'s a plan B. But if I don\'t..." He turned and marched off towards the stairs.



Matt jogged to keep up with him. "I\'ve nearly cracked it. I\'ve nearly got the location."



"It\'s too late." Mello\'s back straightened and his head went up, a look of fierce determination firing across his face. "I need to look at my notes again."



"What\'s happened?" Matt caught his arm. "Please, tell me."



"Near has made his move. He has got a meeting with Raito Yagami and he\'s going to get the evidence."



"How...? What?" Matt followed him up the stairs and into their living area, sitting beside him as Mello reduced the window with one of Matt\'s programmes in it and brought up his own circles. "So this is about beating Near?"



"No." Mello glared, barely suppressed fury dancing in his eyes. "It\'s about covering Near\'s arse."



Matt stared at him. "Wow? Really?"



"Yes. It has to be." Mello\'s eyes should have bore a hole into the laptop monitor. "I... I need to make a call." He stood again. "Matt, get me tools. I need a wrench, rope, tape. Please." As the redhead ran to do it, Mello dialled a number. Speaking in Japanese, he began, "Put me through to Sato-san."



The lorry arrived at eight pm, a young driver leaping down from the carriage to speak with Matt. Mello kept out of sight, his face too known for the risk of emerging. Matt took the box and the keys, bowed deeply and watched the man leave in the car that had trailed him here. He walked out as far as the street, just to make sure that they had gone, then carried the things inside.



Mello swopped them for a box of CS gas and a smokegun, with instructions to find another warehouse to practice firing it in. Wordlessly, Matt took it and did as he was told.



By 10pm, the blond was like a cat on a hot tin roof, pacing the living area until Matt asked him for a cup of tea, just to give him something to do. Matt\'s programme had Raito\'s location pin-pointed to the sector of the city, but not yet the street or building. One more day would probably do it. He\'d closed down every other application on his laptop to divert the speed. But it wasn\'t enough. They would be leaving at midnight.



Just past half 10, Matt looked up to find that Mello had disappeared behind the settee. A steady stream of words, in Croatian, told him that something Catholic was going on. He started to ignore it, but an idea occurred. It might calm Mello at least. Matt rose from his chair and strolled across to where the shrine of the Mother watched over their living space. He sank to his knees beside Mello and, despite not believing, brought his hands together in a perfect imitation of his lover\'s. In amongst the words, he heard his own name mentioned and understood that Mello was praying for them both.



Close to quarter past 11, the blond double-checked every piece of equipment that they would be taking with them. By twenty past, Mello was satisfied and returned to the room where Matt sat chain-smoking. Mello sat down beside him. "You don\'t have to come."



"Will the plan work without me there?"



"No."



"Well then." Matt played on his Gameboy, but it was a mindless Tetris type game. It didn\'t require any strategy. "You don\'t think you\'re coming back."



Mello started at that and glanced at him. "What makes you say that?"



"The letter addressed to me propped up by the Virgin Mary." Matt shrugged. "I assume I open it if I get back and you don\'t."



"Yes." Mello didn\'t lie. "But if everything goes according to plan, I\'m coming back."



"If I kiss you, will it undo your Confession or whatever?" Matt kept his eyes trained on the game in his hands.



Mello shook his head. "I don\'t think it would." Matt switched off his game and wrapped himself in his lover\'s arms, kissing him tenderly. "It\'s going to be alright, Matty." His eyes displayed the doubt of his usually hidden sense of inferiority.



"I trust you."



The television was on, charting the outside world which they were about to enter, but the couple cuddled and kissed with all the desperation of their jangling nerves.



The hour came and, with both car and motorcycle stowed in the back, Mello drove the lorry into the city and parked it in a side-street. No-one stopped them. Mello walked Matt to his car and kissed him again once he was seated. "See you later."



Matt watched as Mello put on his helmet and climbed onto the back of the motorcycle. A hand raised in farewell. "See you later."



Both glancing at their watches, they drove off in different directions into the night. Despite the patrol cars, no-one knew to stop them.