Disclaimer: I do not own the Durarara! characters.

Rating: T for swearing and violence.

Pairings: Shizaya friendship (or more?), Shinra/Celty, other canon pairings

Summary: AU. Super powered government agents Heiwajima Shizuo and Orihara Izaya are partnered together on a relatively simple search-and-rescue mission. That is, it seems simple until Shizuo is given the instructions to permanently silence his partner…

Notes: And finally, the action begins! God, it's been long enough, hasn't it? You're going to have to forgive me for any inaccuracies in the following chapters. I've been so out of touch with Durarara that can barely remember anything that happens in the series. If any of the characters are OOC or if you spot any mistakes then please feel free to tell me so I can correct that for future chapters.

Also, a warning – the violence gets quite graphic in this chapter. Any resemblance to the 'Incredibles' will probably end with the amount of violence and dark material that begins to arise during and after this chapter. Hopefully it's not too disturbing for anyone, because it's a guilty pleasure of mine to write very violent and gory action scenes.

Chapter Three

Explosion

Kida was such an eavesdropper. He was always so nosy and curious about other people's business, and he was never ashamed of sneaking around to gather whatever dirt he could about anyone he knew. The moment a whisper of gossip was heard his ears would perk up and he would begin pestering whoever he thought would be able to tell him what he wanted to find out.

He had no qualms about dragging his best friend into the center of the drama, claiming that it was for Mikado's own good. A person needed to know the ins and outs of the Agency if they ever wanted to get near the top.

"Networking," he would say, pointing a finger at the center of his friend's forehead, an inch from his face, "is the only way you can climb your way up in a place like this. There's no better way to network than to dig up everything you can find about that person, because that's gives you an edge over everyone else. You know what to say to them, or what not to say, or whatever. So, Mikado, I need you to keep your eyes and ears open and tell me everything you hear."

He especially liked hearing about people's sex lives. The hot female agents' sex lives in particular.

That was why it didn't really surprise Mikado when he stumbled upon Kida pressing his ear to Hawkins' door, face tense with concentration. Hawkins was one of Kida's targets – not only was she supremely attractive, but she was, in Kida's words, "always plastered." He sighed, approaching the blond with considerable reluctance. With everything that had happened involving Anri, he wasn't in the mood for Kida's ramblings and failed attempts at seducing superiors. He wasn't even sure how Kida could think of doing that at a time like this.

"Kida, what are you-"

Alarmed, the blond's eyes widened and he slapped a hand over Mikado's mouth, making a soft shushing noise. Before his friend could protest, he had been pulled forward so that he was crouched next to the door. When Kida spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper:

"Agent Three is in there."

Mikado stared at him in shock. "Agent Three? As in the Agent Three? What's he doing in Hawkins' office?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out. It's something about Shizuo and Izaya, and their mission. They've mentioned Anri a few times, but I can't hear them properly. We're going to have to go inside."

"If they catch us, they'll make us disappear," Mikado hissed, eyes darting frantically to the door. He was as desperate, if not more, to know what Agent Three was doing here, but he didn't want to disappear. He'd known agents who had disappeared and he wasn't disillusioned – 'disappearing' was the term they used when an agent needed to be terminated permanently. Unlike any other person though, there would be no burial, no records and no proof that you ever existed. The thought frightened him, almost enough to insist on staying out here, or better yet, just leaving the general vicinity. "How do you know that Agent Three won't sense us there?"

"I don't," Kida mumbled. "But we have to try. The stuff they're saying, Mikado, it isn't right. Something's up, and I'm willing to bet it involves Anri. She's our friend, and if she's in danger we have a right to know. You with me?" He held out his hands, looking expectantly at Mikado. The other boy hesitated momentarily, then nodded grimly and grasped Kida's hand. He concentrated deeply, watching as his body flickered out of sight in an instant. Kida's disappearance was much more gradual, the edges of his figure turning blurry before he slowly faded away and Mikado found himself looking down the hallway. "You ready?"

Mikado made a soft noise of approval, though inside he braced himself for what was about to happen.

"Remember, don't look into his eyes. They say that's how he gets into your soul."

Kida's hands tightened around his, and he felt his whole body drop suddenly like he was falling into the ground, then suddenly he was face to face with the corner of Hawkins' office, body trembling slightly. He'd never get used to that horrible feeling – like the floor had just been pulled out from under his feet.

The voices, once muffled by the door, were now loud and clear. Mikado, not daring to move, silently turned his head so that he could get a good look at the Agent Three.

The man who was the Head of the Agency, one of the most powerful beings in the organization, certainly looked the part. He had the air of a sharp, proud businessman who would rather sacrifice his entire group of employees than admit defeat, the kind of man who would trample on everyone in his way just to prove a point. Nothing on this person was out of place – not the slicked-back black hair, nor the spotless grey suit and pitch black tie. His eyes though, were his most striking and terrifying feature. The tiny pupils were surrounded by a constant moving swirl of grey and black and white, colors moving and circling and flashing around the black dots so fluidly they were hypnotizing.

Mesmerized, he felt himself lean forward and would have toppled over if not for his friend giving him a gentle squeeze. It was almost as if Kida had read his mind and known that he would fall into the trap of looking into the man's eyes.

Agent Three had paused, looking sweepingly around the room. For one terrifying moment, Mikado felt like that man knew they were being watched. But he did not indicate that anything was different and continued to speak, his voice emotionless:

"He's been showing signs of losing control lately, and he's begun questioning orders. If everything happens like it did before, he'll start to defy us and eventually go into a rage."

"Last time there was a trigger that caused the incident. When he discovered the truth about his brother he lost control, but from what I've seen Kasuka has proven to be his only weak spot. Won't Shizuo's memory of the incident stop history from repeating itself?"

For once, Hawkins was stone cold sober, her eyes focused on a spot slightly below Agent Three's chin – she was also clearly aware of what would happen if they made eye contact.

"From the reports, it seems that Izaya is managing to carve out another little weak spot in Shizuo's psyche, though I wouldn't compare it to his weakness for his brother. I have a suspicion that if we allow them to continue their little rivalry it won't be long before Shizuo reaches his breaking point. I want to prevent that from happening."

"If you think that Izaya will push him to the edge, why have you been partnering them up together? Shouldn't you be trying to avoid them being in the same vicinity, never mind actually working on a mission together?"

"I've needed Shizuo to be forced with Izaya, to allow his hatred to grow, mainly because I've decided to kill two birds with one stone. Izaya has become a problem for this Agency, and it is time for him to be terminated. Unfortunately, his powers are well-developed and I've been wary about who I can send to eliminate him, but I discovered that Shizuo seems to be quite immune to his…persuasions."

Mikado felt Kida's hands tighten around his, and he remembered the blond once telling him that Izaya's powers had become less effective after one particular incident, involving a girl named Saki and a misguided rescue attempt. After that incident, Kida had been one of the few people able to somewhat resist Izaya's powers if he tried. The effort would leave him weak and with a nose gushing precious blood, but he managed. To think that Shizuo was completely immune made Mikado wonder just how powerful the blond was.

"You want Shizuo to kill Izaya? Then what?"

"If Shizuo kills the informant, he'll have vented his rage. With Izaya gone, Shizuo will retreat back into his more complacent self and we can have him eliminated once his usefulness runs out. If Shizuo doesn't kill Izaya…then I guess we'll have a very interesting situation on our hands."

Hawkins scoffed. "Shizuo hates him – I'm sure he'll have no problem with the task."

Agent Three shot her a look tainted with amusement. "I always prepare for the worst. If-"

Mikado felt that falling sensation and couldn't help but gasp at the suddenness of it, but fortunately they were no longer in Hawkins' office anymore. Instead, Mikado recognized the room he shared with Kida, staring at his friend's side of the room that was plastered with posters of bands and pictures of scantily clad women. His own side was practically bare, with the exception of a couple of pictures of himself, Anri and Kida.

He had barely adjusted to having been teleported so roughly before Kida was up and pacing the room frantically, looking torn between concern and confusion:

"Did you hear what he was saying? They're going to terminate Izaya. Well, they're going to get Shizuo to terminate Izaya, but whatever. The guy's a powerful agent, and he's proven himself to be insanely useful to the Agency countless times, so why would they suddenly want him dead?"

"Agent Three said that Izaya had become a problem for them. Maybe…maybe he's involved with the enemy? Or maybe he knows something that could get them in trouble, something that he isn't supposed to know," Mikado offered tentatively. In all honesty, he wasn't sure how to feel about the fact that Izaya Orihara might be killed in the next couple of hours. He didn't particularly like the man, but that was nowhere near wishing him dead. He caught a flash of Izaya's crumpled figure, blank eyes staring forward, broken body strewn carelessly on the ground, and he shuddered.

"I wonder what he knows that would mark him as a threat," Kida mused.

Mikado was sure that the Agency was riddled with secrets and confidential information, things that would be dangerous if they got into the hands of a man like Izaya, a man known to sell information to gain favors. Izaya Orihara was the kind of person that you either wanted on your side, or dead. He was also skilled at cheating death, and if anyone else had been tasked to kill him, Mikado would not have worried that they would get the job done.

Shizuo, however, was another story.

-o-o-o-o-

-o-o-o-o-

The third man to come across them was sharp-eyed, lanky and slow to react. Shizuo had already located Anri with the help of Kadota's instructions and the two men were peering around the corner of a shelf when the first guard came across them completely by accident.

His first mistake was to pause in shock for a single millisecond. His second mistake was to lock eyes with Izaya.

Shizuo tensed, ready to jump the man the moment he showed signs of giving away their position, but he needn't have bothered. The guard was already blank-faced, near drooling and eyes glazed yet focused on Izaya, who was holding his gaze with ease.

"Sleep," the informant instructed under his breath, and the man dropped like a stone to the ground. Shizuo was already prepared to catch him, and he stuffed the man's unconscious body in one of the shelves as quietly as possible, shifting the boxes to hide him from sight. The other guards had been disposed of in a similar manner, and according to Erika, the only ones left were the three guarding their target. "You got a plan?" His voice was barely louder than a mumble, eyes darting towards the gap in the shelves.

Shizuo could see a blindfolded Anri tied to a chair, head tilted downwards and the slight rise and fall of her chest being the only indication she was even alive. A trickle of blood had dried on her chin and he could see a faint bruise on her cheek, which made his skin ripple with irritation. What kind of bastards hit a young girl?

Snapping out of his daze of anger, he suddenly realized what had just occurred:

"Since when do you look to me for a plan?" It had always been clear that Izaya thought he was a no-brained primate, and therefore always told Shizuo what to do during the missions. As much as the blond hated to admit it, the informant's plan had never led them astray, so he followed with a glare and a death threat.

"I find myself to be a little distracted today, Shizu-chan, and I don't trust my judgment," was the offhand reply. The casual way he said this made Shizuo's head begin to hurt and he gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the flashing lights in his vision.

"Well, get focused," he hissed. "The last thing we need is your head in the clouds while we try to rescue that little girl. If she gets hurt, I'll break your fucking neck."

Izaya stared at him, his expression unreadable. He lifted his blade, pointing it directly at Shizuo's forehead: "Don't worry, Shizu-chan, you'll get your chance to kill me before the day is over. I have a feeling that this time you might succeed."

Before Shizuo could ask him what he meant, the informant stepped back, eyeing the rack that they were stood behind. The shelves of the warehouse reached the ceiling and were filled with numerous objects – mostly heavy boxes. The man's eyes were darting around and Shizuo knew that a plan was forming in that wicked brain of his. His head began to throb from the pressure and he knew that if he didn't hit something or someone soon, the pain would be too much.

"All right, Shizu-chan, do exactly what I say," Izaya muttered, then pointed to the shelf in front of them. "Tip this over."

The blond frowned, but went to position himself with his hands under the giant shelf and gripped the wood tight. 'The girl' he mouthed, and Izaya tapped his own head, indicating that he had 'spoken' to Kadota. The telepath's voice speared through the growing fog of agony :

'Izaya told me the plan. Don't worry about Anri, Walker will grab her from below.'

That was all Shizuo needed. Tensing, he began to lift the shelves and winced as it groaned loudly. The boxes began to tremble and the entire structure shuddered before tilting over slowly. The bright lights in front of his eyes began to diminish as his muscles ached from the strain of the action. He heard the sounds of alarm behind the shelf-

"What the fuck? Holy shit!"

"Get the sword!"

"The girl! Where the fuck's the girl?"

He threw his arms up violently, sending the rack backwards towards the center of the warehouse at a ridiculous speed. He barely had time to duck before all hell broke loose.

There was a loud whizzing sound, slicing through his head, before the shelves exploded seconds later. A mass of flames burst up, filling his vision with a swirl of red and yellow and orange. The blast knocked him backwards, scorching his skin with heat and making all the colors and edges momentarily blur and turn dark red. He saw two figures rise from the burning debris before running to the side and melting into the wall and despite the confusion he knew that Anri and Walker were safe.

Dazed, he lifted himself from the ground, knocking away charred wood from his skin. He knew that if he didn't regain his composure he could be killed any second and the very thought forced him to stumble away from the center. The fire was roaring, burning through the broken pile of shelves that he had tipped over. Flames were licking at the other shelves and spreading.

Through the smoke and fire he saw Izaya stumbling away from the chaos and throwing himself behind another rack, somehow still making his actions seem light and graceful. Shizuo followed after, hoping that none of the kidnappers saw him. In the state his mind was in, he'd be a pretty easy target at this moment.

He collapsed next to Izaya, so close that he was practically in the other man's lap, and swore:

"Fuck, fuck, fuck! I wasn't expecting that! I didn't realize they were so powerful!"

When Izaya spoke, his voice was hoarse form the smoke: "It's the girl. She's shooting blasts from her eyes that caused the explosion. It means that I won't be able to hypnotize her without risk of her blasting my head into pieces."

"Ha, maybe you should give it a shot anyway," Shizuo sneered, and the other shot him a hateful glare, his usually playful composure temporarily shattered by the situation. "What about the other two?"

"The human is dead, but the other Random isn't anywhere in sight. If he's as powerful as the other one, I doubt a little explosion like that was enough to kill him." The informant hissed, his face twisted in an expression of pure annoyance. "I blame the Agency for this. That Random is clearly a Level 5, and they should have warned us in advance." He inhaled some of the smoke and began to cough violently, then steadied himself, eyes watering from the pain. "The sword is still there."

"You kill the girl, I'll handle the other one and when they're dead, we can grab the sword."

"Oh, what a brilliant plan, Shizu-chan," Izaya hissed. "I especially enjoyed the part where you dumped explosion girl on me even though my powers are all but useless against hers."

"I thought you'd appreciate the challenge, flea."

Izaya pulled his knife out from the pocket of his jacket, flicking it open and peering around the corner. He jerked back violently, grabbing Shizuo by the collar and hauling him away from the shelf. "She's coming!"

The shelf exploded behind them, sending them careening forward. This time they were ready and Shizuo rolled forward to cushion the fall. Without hesitation he grabbed the first thing within reach – a heavy box fitted on the second shelf of a rack – and lifted it. He could hear the clanging of metal as he lifted the box and heaved it with all his might towards the source of the explosions. The Random didn't move, simply sending an optic blast of energy towards the flying projectile.

"Oh noooo," Izaya groaned, before-

The box blasted into pieces, shards of wood flying everywhere. Shizuo put a hand up to shield himself from the debris but something felt wrong. It took a couple of milliseconds to realize the searing pain in his arms wasn't just in his imagination. Vaguely he heard the agonized screams around himself, but his eyes were fixated in horror on the droplets of molten metal that had landed on his arm and he could smell his skin burning and feel the heated metal sizzling away at his flesh. The pain was near unbearable but he couldn't scream, merely let out a choked cry.

The Random was lurching around, shrieking and clawing at her face. One of her eyes had been completely melted, some of it leaking down her face and burning a path on her skin. The other one was shooting optic blasts at random, darting around rapidly and unseeingly. The warehouse had become a cage of fireworks and they were trapped in the middle.

In his haze of pain and chaos, Shizuo could see Izaya on the ground, hands gripping his leg tightly and face contorted in agony. His right pant leg had been burned off, material melting into the informant's leg which was scalded beyond repair, and as the blond watched, Izaya moved and some of the burnt skin sloughed off under his hands.

The fire was everywhere. He couldn't understand how things had gone so bad so quickly, but then again they'd never faced such a formidably destructive opponent with so little preparation.

Hands gripped him tight and pulled him around, and he was too shocked to resist, too stunned by the suddenness of the movement.

Lips met his in a rough kiss.

He felt hands holding his face and his mouth parting, but he didn't respond. The surprise cleared and he found himself facing the other Random, who was currently keeping him in a death grip and glowing a deep red. Shizuo's strength began to drain away and weakly he cursed himself for having completely forgotten about the other Random.

After what seemed like an eternity, the man released him, giving him no time to shakily stumble back before pushing him to the ground. Shizuo's strength was almost completely gone and he could do nothing except watch as the man gripped one of the metal bars from a rack and ripped it off, tipping the entire thing over. It slammed into another shelf, creating a domino effect and a deafening clatter.

"You son of a bitch," he wheezed, tight with fury and shame. "You stole my power. You…stole…"

The blond tried to crawl away unsuccessfully from his attacker. He couldn't die like this, couldn't die at all. He hadn't even killed the flea yet, hadn't redeemed himself for his wrongdoings, hadn't done so many things he'd wanted to do. Dying like this would be pathetic and he couldn't stand the thought that he had made it so easy for the enemy.

The Random approached him with the bar calmly, ignoring the howls of pain from his comrade, or the fact that the entire warehouse was on the verge of going up in flames. The flames around him were growing and behind him things were shattering and bursting and exploding but he lifted the crowbar nonetheless and brought it down, using his borrowed super strength, and Shizuo could only close his eyes and hope it was quick:

Thwack-

The sickening sound of metal meeting flesh wasn't accompanied by intense agony or the peace of death like he'd expected. Instead he felt something heavy land on him and his eyes snapped open when warm drops of liquid landed on his face.

He was met with the sight of black hair matted down by blood onto pale skin. What was under that was a gruesome picture.

Izaya's face had been practically ripped open diagonally, blood gushing from the slash down his cheeks and neck. The man was still alive, breath gurgling pathetically and chest rising and falling, and Shizuo could only stare at the gaping wound in dismay .

"Why would you…how could you…why?" he asked, his words coming out in a garbled moan. Izaya's eyes flickered towards him and he managed a weak, unintelligible mumble before sliding into unconsciousness. His body slumped down, sending a jolt of absolute terror into Shizuo's heart.

He caught the bar mid-swing, his eyes rising to meet those of his attacker's, gaze burning with hatred.

"You bastard," he snarled, pulling the bar out of he man's hands and swinging it with all the strength he had. The bar smacked into the man's neck and there was the distinct crack of bones breaking. He wasted no time in heaving the bar like a javelin towards the other Random, impaling her.

She stumbled back, her one good eye darting around and sending stray optic blasts around the warehouse before finally closing. The damage was done, however, and before Shizuo had time to think, his world turned to flame.