Out of habit, Heero checked Dorothy's pulse. The girl was unconscious, not injured. Her breathing was even and he gently rolled her over on her side, brushing away long strands of blond hair. Without her harsh exterior, she looked like any young woman her age, her face much kinder, without the helmet covering up her features. It hit Heero painfully that both he and Dorothy had been so affected by the faults of mankind. She had been right when calling him out; he had seen more than enough to know how cowardly and cruel people could be, how greedy, how selfish... how many wanna-be dictators had he stopped? How many coup d'etats had he foiled? Maybe Zechs was right after all. Maybe it was better to remove Earth as the center of all conflict... but that was a dangerous train of thoughts, and Heero had no difficulties shoving it aside. He was stronger than that. Not everyone was a murderous, callous freak who wanted to destroy or kill. For every bad person he had encountered, Heero had met someone who had faith, who wanted to help, who could be trusted... someone like Duo, strong and tough, yet willing to help others and putting himself and his life on the line. No, Heero would never believe in destroying the planet, any planet. Zechs and Dorothy would never be the saviors of mankind if they thought such a drastic measure would solve everything! Heero straightened himself. First, he had to find a way to contact Duo, Chang, Howard... anyone!
He got up and scanned the data on the control panels. The mobile dolls had been launched and he could read the number of suits being deployed. Another violent shiver ran down his spine. His Gundam was damaged and Epyon was in no better condition. He couldn't battle them all, and certainly not alone. Their destination was Earth, and even if he could reach them in time... he simply didn't have the firepower to stop them. There had to be some kind of override, manual or by computer, and he had to find it fast! The wailing sirens all over Lunar Base made it hard for him to concentrate. People ran around, he could hear orders being shouted. He tried to ignore the pandemonium as best as he could, studying the control panels frantically. Heero didn't have the time to figure out the complicated programs. Every minute, every second he was staring at the screens was another minute, another second lost. His fingers pressed buttons, but nothing happened. Heero had no idea how to stop the mobile dolls, and he feared that only Dorothy knew how... and she wasn't going to cooperate.
The door opened and the stark light from the hallway poured in. A couple of armed guards forced their way inside, needing only a second to discover Dorothy on the floor and Heero at the control panels.
"Hey you! Stop what you're doing!"
His training kicked in. He was sure the guards weren't going to fire; there wasn't much space and they'd run the risk of hitting either Dorothy or the control panels. Heero jumped at them, using the element of surprise to yank the machine gun out of one of the guards' hands. Turning the gun around, Heero whacked the butt end against the temple of the first guy, and immediately struck the second guard in the face, breaking his nose as he went down. The fight was over in just a few seconds. Heero stepped over the unconscious bodies and looked into the empty hallway. How long before his luck was going to run out? He decided to hold on to the machine gun and ran into the direction Dorothy had pointed out to Duo: go to the left, second door on the right, and you'll find the elevator. He didn't want to consider the possibility that she had lied and Duo had walked straight into a trap. Running, he skidded to a halt and tripped over his own feet when the Lunar Base rocked violently. An explosion? Heero grabbed the machine gun he had dropped in the commotion and continued to run. He reached the second door and hit the access panel; to his relief, the door slid open and the elevator was right in front of him. No one was in sight. He hurried to press the button, struggling to keep his balance when another... tremor went through the base. He could hear voices, screaming and yelling, adding to the total panic. What was going on? Who was doing this? The elevator arrived and Heero jumped in, smacking the 'Clear' button. Dorothy claimed it lead to the hangar where Deathscythe was stored... the contraption went down. So she hadn't been lying after all. Heero checked the machine gun, it had a full magazine. Keeping the weapon close to his body, he mentally prepared himself. If the Lunar Base had more mobile suits in storage, he could use one to escape! Any suit would do... another tremor caused the entire Lunar Base to rock again, and the elevator came to a screeching halt. Fuck!
He tried to pry open the doors of the elevator, but he lacked strength. The massive steel plates of the doors refused to budge. Heero didn't even have the energy left to curse, and he let go. He sank to the floor, feeling lost and defeated. He had come so far... how could he be thwarted by a malfunctioning elevator at a time like this? Duo... he couldn't keep his promise if he was locked up like this! Duo. He wanted to see him so badly. Heero closed his eyes, immediately calling up the image of the man he loved. He wanted to hold him, to touch him, to be with him... such an irony that a man who used to think of relationships as sheer liability, now was longing to hold the one he loved and cared for so much. In this cold elevator, stuck between the lower levels of the Lunar Base, with only a machine gun to keep him company, Heero felt truly defeated. In his life as a secret agent, he'd been in dire situations before, and he would always come up with a solution, no matter what. He just... needed some time, that was all. Time to think. Time to analyze his situation and formulate a new strategy. Just a little time. Leaning against the wall in the corner of the elevator, Heero's head sank to his chest, the fatigue and strain overwhelming him.
A loud banging noise shook him out of his dreamless sleep. Immediately alert, Heero grabbed the machine gun and assumed a defensive stance, tilting the gun into the direction of the noise. How long had he been asleep? How could he have fallen asleep at a time like this? He knew the answer of course, but he refused to acknowledge it; now wasn't the time for weakness. That noise again..! Someone was on top of the elevator! His quick mind went into overdrive. He had to determine his actions depending on who he was going to meet: rescuers or enemies? He cocked the gun, his body tensing up and preparing itself for the upcoming fight.
"Agent 01?" The voice sounded muffled. "Agent 01!"
"Who's there!" Heero barked in return.
"Sweepers," the voice rang out. "Howard sent us!"
"Howard..?" He was flabbergasted. The eccentric elder man with a penchant for bright Hawaiian t-shirts was Duo's contact, along with the Sweepers: a group of salvagers operating in international waters. Heero had met them after he had fled L3 along with Duo, when all hell had broken lose. "How..?"
"Stand back!"
Heero pressed himself into the corner. The grating sound of a torch welder, cutting through metal, hurt his ears. Sparks flew around, spraying all over the floor and walls. Heero hissed when a few wayward sparks touched his skin. Covering his ears, he crouched in the corner as the welder continued to cut through the metal. After a while, hands started to pull at the large plate, revealing several Sweepers standing on top of the elevator. Heero flung the machine gun over his shoulder and got up. They peeled the heavy plate back far enough for Heero to pass, and the closest Sweeper leaned in to grab his hand. Heero didn't hesitate for a second and allowed himself to be hoisted up, through the opening, on top of the elevator. The group had brought large flashlights and all kinds of equipment, stabilizing the elevator as it was jammed between levels. Above him, Heero saw the rest of the Sweepers, standing in the door opening of the upper level.
"Thank you," he said. "How did you find me?"
"We followed Duo's instructions," the Sweeper next to him grinned. "He expected you to go to the hangar as soon as you've dealt with the girl."
"Where's Duo?"
"Holding off the mobile dolls before they reach Earth. We have to hurry, Agent 01. You're needed, urgently!"
"Over here," one of the Sweepers on the upper level motioned with his hand. "Howard's getting impatient."
"Get me up!" Heero waited impatiently for the Sweeper to lower a makeshift ladder, so he could climb up to the upper level. When he was on the top rung, they grabbed him at the shoulders and lifted him up. He was so glad to touch solid ground again, that he almost wanted to kiss it. The Sweeper took the machine gun from him.
"You won't need that," he said. "The Lunar Base is in our hands. Go with them," he pointed at a few of his colleagues, "they'll take you to the Peacemillion."
"Howard's this close?" Heero asked, incredulously.
"He immediately set course for the Lunar Base when you told him Duo was here. And give the lady some credit; she might be big, but she's fast. Now, go!"
He didn't protest. He hurried along with the other Sweepers through the corridors. All of the Lunar Base personnel had been captured; without central command, they surrendered quickly. Heero trusted Howard and his men to take care of everything, including Dorothy. The Sweepers weren't violent and they would follow rules of conduct; the girl would be safe. She wasn't going to appreciate her new position as a prisoner, but it wasn't up to Heero to decide what was going to happen to her. For now, she'd have to wait; he had more urgent matters to attend to. Heero followed the Sweepers with renewed energy, his catnap in the elevator had invigorated his body.
"Howard!"
"Heero! Good to see you!"
"Good to see you too," Heero said. "If it weren't for you and your men..."
"My apologies for any discomfort," the elder man grimaced. "We had to use quite the excessive force to crack the Base open. We don't all have a Gundam, and the Peacemillion isn't a battleship. However, you have to save the thanks for later, if there's going to be a 'later' to speak of."
"The mobile dolls," Heero nodded.
"We picked up on their signals. They were too many to count, Heero."
"Give me a mobile suit, any suit!"
"No, Heero. We've got an ever bigger problem," Howard said gravely. "When we arrived at MO-II, we found Wing and your 'surprise package'... Zechs Merquise himself."
"Is he all right?"
"Don't worry about him. Apart from some dizziness and nausea from the change in pressure on MO-II, he's just going to be peachy keen. It's about what Zechs told me. That's the bigger problem."
"Tell me!"
"He and Dorothy invited a lot of world leaders and peace activists to the Libra, under the false pretext of discussing peace treaties between Earth and the colonies in outer space," Howard said. "To mend all the relationships between the different factions: White Fang, Romefeller, the ESUN... and everyone accepted."
"Hilde mentioned she had seen Relena on the Libra," Heero recalled.
Howard nodded. "You can't have such a meeting without the Queen of the World. Of course she was the guest of honor, and of course she wouldn't pass up on such an opportunity. World peace, interstellar peace: the chance to finally end wars and conflict! I didn't understand it at first; I figured it was just another summit meeting, political bla-bla. But now I understand why Zechs and Dorothy brought everyone together on the Libra, Heero, and I think you understand it too."
"A guaranteed victory," Heero said. His breathing was labored. All the leaders of Earth, every representative of the colonies and the Queen of the World, all together in one place. "If Zechs would fail, or Dorothy would fail..."
"...then they would still have the Libra," Howard finished his sentence. "Blowing it up would be too easy. Instead, they set it for a collision course with Earth. If the mobile dolls can't accomplish their work, then crashing the Libra into the planet will. The fallout would cause a nuclear winter, destroying all life."
"I need a suit." Heero gritted his teeth. "Now!"
"We patched up Wing as best as we could. We reattached the left arm, but it's not working properly. It can't bend, and it's only movement is forward. Come, it's waiting for you."
Heero grabbed Howard at the arm. "Where's Duo?"
"He's fighting off the mobile dolls," Howard answered. "Wufei was waiting for him when he escaped the Lunar Base, and he brought Deathscythe's scythe along."
"Good." Heero remembered that Duo had lost the weapon in his short battle with Zechs and he mentally thanked Wufei's foresight. "I'll get to the mobile dolls first, and..."
"There's no time, Heero. Leave the mobile dolls for now. You have to go to Libra first! Only Wing is fast enough to reach it. Turning the Peacemillion around will take too long, and we'll never be able to catch up."
"But..."
"Leave the mobile dolls for now," Howard repeated. "Trust your friends. Now suit up! I wish I could give you a break, but..."
"I'll sleep later," Heero said. One of the Sweepers approached him, carrying a spacesuit. Heero put it on, closing all the belts and buckles as the familiar adrenaline rushed through his body. He was excited to see Wing again, though he flinched at the sight of all the damage from its earlier fight with Epyon. The provisionary reattached arm marred the majestic suit, but it was either that or no arm at all, and he needed it to wield the recharged buster rifle. Heero grabbed the wench cable to hoist himself up to the open chest hatch. He climbed into the cockpit and buckled himself up. A few Sweepers finished up the refueling of the suit and then cleared the way for the Gundam to ignite its engines. His hands around the levers, Heero took a very deep breath to focus himself. He had to muster up every ounce of his energy to fight. Libra first, then the mobile dolls. He couldn't let Relena die. He couldn't let anyone die.
"Howard, 01 here."
"01, the coordinates of Libra are programmed into your system," Howard said. "One more thing, most of your cameras don't work. We didn't have the time to fix them all, sorry."
"That's okay, I'll rely on my proximity meters," Heero said. "I'm moving out!"
"Make way for the Gundam!" Howard hollered through the communication link, making sure that everyone was out of Wing's path. Heero gave the Gundam the command to walk. He entered the airlock and waited for the respective doors to be opened and closed. He tightened his grip on the levers. The outer door of the airlock opened, revealing the impressive vastness of space. Heero gave his Gundam the command to move, engaging the engines. Because of the poor condition of its left arm, Wing couldn't transform in bird mode, which meant a significant loss in speed. However, he was still fast enough to catch up with Libra before it would crash into Earth. It was going to be a race against time; either Libra or the mobile dolls battlefield, he couldn't do both. Heero gritted his teeth. He had no choice but to trust Duo and Wufei. being able to hold their own. As soon as he set course for Libra, Heero opened the communication link and searched the frequencies for Duo, frantically repeating his number.
"02, where are you? Come in, 02!"
"Heero!" Duo's voice pierced through the static, and the weight that was lifted from Heero's shoulders was so great, that he almost slumped from the relief. "I knew you'd make it out of there!"
"Duo, where are you? What-"
"Fucking mobile dolls!" A grunt, the ringing alarm of the proximity meter, and a bunch of unidentifiable noises.
"Duo!"
"I'm a bit busy right now!" He sounded out-of-breath.
"Where are you?"
"Can't you track me right now? Fuck!"
"Hyperjammers, Duo," Heero couldn't help but to grin, "your suit has a stealth mode, remember? You're scrambling your own signals. It doesn't matter, I'll find you-"
"Heero? Is that you? Are you heading for the Libra?" That wasn't Duo's voice. This was a voice he hadn't thought he'd hear anytime soon.
"Quatre?"
"One and the same! I am so glad I can finally join you," it was unmistakably Quatre, "leave the mobile dolls to us, Heero. Go to the Libra and save the Queen of the World; we need her!"
"Us? Who's there with you?"
"We're all here," came Trowa's voice, "Sandrock and HeavyArms are finished and fully operational. We can handle this, 01. Do what you must do!"
The communication link wasn't just only that, a link for communication, but also a link for... life. Heero had felt relief before when hearing Duo's voice, but knowing that the others were at the battlefield as well, lifted another huge weight from his shoulders. To hear them, Quatre, Trowa -Wufei was silent- and of course, Duo, brought him much joy and hope, despite the grave situation. Heero had one more message for the man he loved.
"Duo, wait for me."
"Always," Duo said, oddly calm in the midst of a battle zone.
"Knock it off you two," Wufei sounded grumpy, "we have mobile dolls to destroy!"
"Good luck, 01," Quatre said, with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Leave the mobile dolls to us!"
"I'll see you soon!" Heero wished he could move faster, but Wing's mobility was limited. In the time it would take to reach Libra, he focused on his breathing and saving his energy. He banned every thought of Duo and his friends out of his mind. One more task. He had to save the Queen of the World, for if she would die, Earth would be even more devastated than any damage a mobile doll attack or nuclear winter could inflict. One more task, and then he could join Duo, and see him again, hold him again...
The battleship with its unique structure, resembling five geometric diamonds, came into view. Relying on his single camera feed, Heero noticed immediately that the engines weren't operating. Without power, without a plotted course, the Libra was like any other ship without a sail: completely out of control. It was pulled towards the Earth because of natural gravity; if it reached the atmosphere, everything would be too late. He could only imagine the fear and panic of the hostages and he felt uncomfortable, not knowing if they were still alive or not.
"01 here, approaching Libra," he reported.
"We're running low on time," Howard answered. "Hurry! Enter the cargo bay in the southern quadrant. Leave Wing there and proceed to the main control room!"
Heero steered his Gundam to the southern quadrant. Whoever had shut down the Libra's engines, had probably disabled the electric power also, which meant that the cargo bay was closed and that it was of no use to run a bypass. He couldn't operate Wing's left hand to perform such a delicate task anyway. He had no other choice than to blast the cargo bay open. After adjusting the beam rifle to its weakest shot, Heero released the blast. Now that he made an entry for himself, he moved Wing inside, forcing it into a kneeling position, yet keeping the beam rifle ready for battle in its hands. He had no idea what kind of enemies he was going to encounter here; Heero packed his Walther PPK just in case. The cargo bay was fairly close to the main control room. No one was in sight. Had they abandoned ship after the engines were cut off? Libra was huge. Someone could be waiting for him around each and every corner. Heero focused on the main control room first. The doors were closed and without electricity, the access panel didn't work. He took out his Watermark 1990 ballpoint pen and activated the tip to cut through the wires. As the main connection was severed, the lock on the door was forced into 'open' and the panels slid apart. Heero prepared himself mentally before he went inside. He was afraid to find destroyed control panels and computers, but to his relief, no one had tampered with the equipment. Everything looked in working order - at least, if there was electricity to make it all work.
"01 here," he said, "how do I restart the grid on the Libra?" No answer. "Peacemillion? Come in!" Silence. Heero tapped the microphone in his suit. Howard had crafted the hardware for the communication link to work in both mobile suits and space suits, as to stay connected at all times. Apparently, either the link was damaged or something in Libra, or the massive ship itself, was jamming the signal. Fuck. He had extensive pilot training and he had operated several space ships, not to mention a Gundam, but directing the Libra wasn't a one man's job. It took an entire team to keep this ship afloat; this was too complex for one person. But all he needed to do, was to start the engines to restore the balance of the ship. And to start the engines, he needed the computers to work... he needed electricity.
"Think, Yuy," he said out loud. Every ship had a main control panel. Every ship had a backup system. No way had Libra been built with just one operating system; it was a battleship, it had to be prepared for the main system to be targeted first! Where the hell was the auxiliary system? Heero went to the main control panel, noticing a weak light that flickered every other second. He almost wanted to howl at the message displayed on the screen: 'NO CONNECTION RESTART SYSTEM'. If only he could simply press a 'restart' button and make it all work! His fingers danced over the keyboard as he tried every command, ranging from 'reboot' to 'start engines', but nothing happened. More typing, frantic, any kind of command to override the system, but the ship didn't answer. The screen displayed 'NO CONNECTION' over and over again... He was wasting precious time here. Frustrated, Heero turned around and all but ran out of the main control room. He would try his luck at the engine room instead. If he couldn't give the commands by computer, he would jumpstart the engines manually. Frantically, sweat dripping from his brow, Heero went into the belly of the beast, Libra silent and cold as a grave, with time breathing down his neck. He located the engine room and opened the door the same way as the main control room one. As he busted into the room, he couldn't help but to be impressed with the sheer mass and size of the engines. The mechanics to build these things was sheer breathtaking, but he wasn't here to admire the work of others. Heero spotted the large levers to start the mighty engines by hand, three in total. The levers were covered by glass panes, and he smashed them in with the butt of his Walther PPK. Removing the last of the glass shards, he clamped his fingers around the heavy handle and pulled it down, one by one. When all the levers went down, Heero was met with silence.
"What is it you want?" He hollered. Desperate, his heart froze at the thought that he was failing. That he had failed. That the Libra was sabotaged beyond repair. That he wasn't able to save Relena and the representatives of Earth and the colonies. Peace... he had just killed it, by failing to restart the engines. No! He was a goddamn secret agent and a Gundam pilot, he wasn't going to stand here and watch Earth being destroyed! Everyone was fighting to keep the mobile dolls away, to destroy that immense threat... and he couldn't get the goddamn engines to start. The adrenaline and anxiety was crushing his body. His hands were shaking, and he was running on empty again. No time to rest, no time to think. If the battleship entered Earth's atmosphere... "Generators," Heero muttered. He made his way past the machinery: rotors, pistons and gears twice his size, covering a surface as big as an entire baseball field. There! An electronic switchboard was mounted on the wall, red lights on. Heero stumbled towards it, forcing his body to move, step by step. Time was running out... he flipped the switches, but they didn't turn green. Sighing heavily, his attention was drawn to a big, black box under the switchboard, and it dawned to him that he had to jumpstart the generator. Reaching for the heavy lever, Heero started to pump it. The weight of the lever was almost too much for him to handle.
Push, push! One more time, one more time... it was about the sixth time pushing the lever, when he heard a loud 'click', followed by a rattling sound, that increased rapidly. He let go of the lever and took a step back. Ticking, tapping, thundering noises, raising in ominous volumes, a cacophony he couldn't identify, and he raised his hands to cover his ears. Row after row of check lights flashed, first a warning red, then switching to a reassuring green, and the power gauges started to run. The meters indicated the build up of the engine system, and Heero moved to the left, to a terminal. It displayed a set of numbers that was familiar to him: the plotted course of the Libra, before the power was cut and the ship left to drift towards Earth. He fed the terminal a string of commands to stabilize the battleship; the final course was for Howard to decide, or Relena, or whoever who was going to be in charge. Heero slumped over the terminal, fatigue washing over him. Aside from the catnap in the elevator on the Lunar Base, he had had no rest for almost twenty-four hours, and no food or drink either. His body couldn't go on. But he had to save Relena... His hands went over the keyboard again, pulling up a layout of the Libra. "Show me... everyone on the ship," he talked out loud. A bundle of blue dots showed up in the northern quadrant. He groaned at the sheer distance. Now that the pressure of time had been lifted, his body wanted to relax, and making his way over to the northern quadrant was going to take the last remainder of his energy. After taking another deep breath, Heero left the engine room in search for Relena.
Keeping his focus on his breathing allowed him to jog in a steady pace. Heero ignored his body's fatigue, picturing Duo in his mind. Duo on the battlefield, fighting off the battle dolls. Duo in his black garb, long chestnut braid dangling over his shoulder, smiling at him. It was a great comfort to know that Quatre, Trowa and Wufei were with him. He had faith in Duo's abilities, and he was glad he wasn't fighting off such a massive horde of mobile dolls alone. The thought of his reunion with Duo was all that kept him going, but he was running out of energy fast, and not even that happy thought was able to sustain him... Just a little more, just a little more... it became his mantra, as he repeated it over and over again. All the corridors started to look the same to him, and his focus wavered. How much longer... how much more? Finally, finally, he reached the northern quadrant and the room where Relena and the other peace negotiators and political representatives were held hostage. Now that the auxiliary system had been rebooted to take care of the engines of the battleship, it has also rebooted the electrical grid. Heero only needed to touch the access panel to open the door, without any difficulties.
"Who's there?" someone asked, with a high-pitched, scared voice. It wasn't Relena's voice, that was for sure.
"Relena," was all that Heero said, as loud as he could. Everyone was bunched up in the farthest corner of the large room, cowering together.
"Heero!" Relena recognized him immediately. "Heero, is it really you?" The crowd moved to the side, as a sea parting for the Queen. She was dressed in full regalia, stressing the importance of her position.
"Relena..." He was truly glad to see her safe. She looked horrified and confused as she all but ran towards him. She reached for him, and he took her hands, if only to keep himself standing up.
"We heard the engines starting up again," she said. "But we didn't dare to go outside. Heero, I was so afraid! They gathered us here with machine guns and forced us to stay here! We didn't know what was happening! I'm so glad to see you!"
"It's all right," he said. "I'm glad to see you to. No one injured? No one hurt?"
"We're all fine." Relena looked over her shoulder. "We're not as courageous as you, Heero. I wanted to go outside, but they wouldn't let me leave."
He mustered up a smile. "Good. You weren't supposed to leave, it'd be dangerous..." It was hard to process his thoughts. The battlefield. The mobile dolls. Duo... and he had to contact Howard again, to tell him that the Libra was stabilized and the Queen of the World was safe.
"Heero, you look completely worn out." Relena's voice was filled with worry. "You should..."
He didn't hear the rest of her words. Still holding her hands, he sank to his knees. If she gasped, or yelled, or cried out, he wasn't aware of it anymore. Her warmth, her kindness was so overwhelming that his body responded to it by shutting down. He tumbled forwards and he could feel arms sliding around his torso in an attempt to hold him up.
"Mission accomplished," he mumbled, before he closed his eyes and sank away in deep bliss, exhaustion claiming him.
When he woke up, Heero didn't recognize his environment. The ceiling, painted a distinguished silver-grey color and with an ornate brass lamp, was unfamiliar to him. It wasn't his apartment, and it wasn't a hospital room...
"Hey sleepyhead," a voice to his right greeted him. Heero couldn't help it, his lips curled into a smile.
"Duo," he said, his voice raspy.
"Shhh, take it easy." Duo appeared in his view, and as he leaned into Heero, his thick braid shifted over his shoulder, the tuft end sliding over Heero's cheek. Such a soft touch, and he immediately wished for more. He tried to bring up his arm, but Duo put his hand on his wrist, gently pushing his arm down again. "No, you're exhausted. By all means, you should be in a coma."
"I told you I'd find you," Heero said.
"I know." Duo pressed a kiss to his forehead. "And I told you I'd wait for you. So we both kept our promise."
Heero nodded and shifted around. "Where are we?"
"In a swanky hotel, courtesy of the Queen of the World," Duo said, with awe in his voice. "I never knew you had a girlfriend in such a high place, Heero. I guess it comes with the perks of being a secret agent..?"
"Yeah," Heero said, scrunching up his nose. "About that..."
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," a female voice rang out, startling Heero. He hadn't noticed that there had been other people in the room. When he raised his head a little, he saw Lady Une and Relena standing close to the door. Relief washed over him; even though Zechs had told him that Une was still alive, he hadn't believed it at that moment.
"Lady Une," he said.
"Take it easy," she made a dismissive gesture with her hand, repeating Duo's words. "You have the gratitude of the ESUN and the entire world, 001. Or should I say 01, Gundam pilot?"
"I... I don't know," Heero said.
"It's been a hell of a ride," Une said. "Merquise had planned this all in advance, into the greatest detail. He made sure to get you out of the way first, before tackling the HQ - like ticking off the boxes on a shopping list. The entire staff was held prisoner by his men, and only after they learned from his defeat, they allowed us to leave; in fact, they abandoned ship as soon as their leader wasn't around anymore. He..." She suddenly halted, aware of whose presence she was in. Relena's expression was hard to describe; a mixture of disappointment, a bit bitter, and perhaps some anger, but it wasn't targeted at anyone in the room. It was a rare sight for the Queen of the World to show her emotions so open like this.
"I never knew I had a brother," she said. "Zechs... no, Milliardo... I want to get to know him, but I can't condone his actions. His ideals are so opposite of mine, I'm not sure how to talk to him."
"At least accompanied by five bodyguards," Heero said heatedly. "No way you're going to talk to the man alone! You don't think that he can be your brother, like nothing has happened?"
"And you talk to the Queen of the World like that?" Duo said, perplexed.
Relena put up her hand. "I know Heero," she said. "He's the best secret agent, and I'm very happy and humbled that he wants to be in my service. I know he wants the best protection for me. I don't believe in violence, I'll forever dislike any act of violence. I'll treat Milliardo as my brother, as he's the only relative I have left. No Heero, I will talk to him, you can't change my mind."
"He gets more than he deserves," Heero grunted, but he knew he would never win this battle. Whatever punishment Zechs was going to face because of his crimes, he would have the support of his sister, no matter what. Relena saw hope and light in every situation, no matter how dark or grave; it was that compassion that made Heero want to fight for her. The compassion he lacked in his own life, in his own work - he didn't want it to die with Relena. The world needed her.
"Speaking of the service, I need your help to reorganize the entire system, Heero," Lady Une took over, pragmatic as usual. "I'm not sure if I have weeded out the last of Merquise's 'friends and allies', and we need to overhaul the entire service and restructure its operations. As soon as you're rested up, I'd like you to get started on it."
Heero turned his head towards Duo. "I'm not going to start anything without him," he said. Was it his imagination of did he see... amusement in her eyes? Une kept a neutral expression on her face and nodded.
"I'd like to offer Duo a position in the service as well," she said. "You make an excellent team, and Duo's expertise on..."
"Breaking and entering," he supplied.
"...would be most welcome. Our scientists, J and G, still wonder how you were able to use a thermal scythe underwater when you stole the blueprints of the original Gundams."
"Ah, that's a secret of the trade," Duo answered, winking at her. "Would you mind if I gave it some thought?"
"No, of course not, take your time. But while you do, please extend the offer to Howard."
"Howard?"
"Yes. He and his Sweepers did excellent work on the Lunar Base, and his resources and technical abilities are extremely valuable. He could mean the world to our new secret service."
"I'll tell him," Duo said. "The old fart's going to like being important."
"I'll leave you be, then. Report back when you're ready, Heero. There's a lot of work to do." She hesitated. "We managed to apprehend a lot of anti-peace activists and a handful of other bad guys on the Lunar Base. Gwinter, Quinze, Bundt, even your friend Nichol," she said with a hint of sarcasm. "A great catch, but the biggest fish got away. Tsubarov, for example."
"That's too bad," Heero said. "But at least we delivered quite a blow to the factions involved." He thought of the Romefeller Foundation, and how the charismatic Treize had managed to stay out of trouble. Sooner or later, even the biggest fish would make a mistake, and fall into the hands of the secret service. Une turned around on her heels and left. Relena showed Heero and Duo a smile.
"Thank you for saving us all, Heero," she said.
"I wasn't the only one," he said.
"I know. You all deserve Earth's gratitude. But as usual, when it concerns the secret service`..."
"The public doesn't even know we exist," Heero finished her sentence.
"They don't even know what great danger they escaped from. But I know, Heero. I know."
Relena patted his hand. "Consider Une's offer," she said, "but don't feel obliged, Heero. Your life has taken a different turn," hereby she looked at Duo, "and maybe you like to keep it that way."
"I'm not going anywhere without Duo," Heero said firmly.
"Then you have a lot of things to discuss. I know that a lot of people want to visit you and talk to you, Heero. I'll tell them you need your rest, and if they want to make an appointment to see you, they can get in touch with my secretary."
"Thank you, Relena. Still... what about Zechs... Milliardo, and Dorothy?"
"They committed crimes," she answered, with sadness in their voice. "Justice needs to be served, I can't ignore that. He deserves punishment, and Dorothy... her part can't be overlooked either. Her involvement with the mobile dolls is a serious... misdemeanor." She grimaced. "I'll leave it up to the legal system with lawyers and judges who know more about this than I do. You'll probably be called upon to deliver your statement, or testify... We haven't seen the last of this."
"Unfortunately not," Heero said. "There will always be people wanting to start a war."
"That's why we need people like you, who want to fight for peace and justice." She squeezed his hand. "Once again, thank you for everything. Take your time to rest up, all right?"
After Relena had left, Duo tugged a little at Heero's sheets, as if he wanted to tuck him in.
"You need to rest," he said. Heero managed to grab his hand.
"You're not fit to be a nurse," he said. "What about you? The battle, the mobile dolls..."
"We all survived," Duo said crudely. "I didn't run on my reserves for twenty hours non-stop, hauling my ass to a big battleship."
"Don't," Heero said. "Don't do this."
"I'm the God of Death," Duo said. "Shinigami, remember? I thieved my way through life, and joined forces with the wrong people in the hope of winning a war."
"It's not your fault," Heero said. "You got caught in the crossfire and your loyalty was questioned, but you made the right choice to work for Quatre, Trowa and Wufei. You didn't do anything wrong. L2 has been the center for rebel activity for so long, and it'll continue to be a harbor for those who want to do wrong. Zechs knew that, he and Dorothy manipulated all the factions into conspiring against each other."
"I hate politics," Duo mumbled.
"So that's a no on the job offer to join the secret service?"
"I don't know, I really don't. Quatre offered me a job too, and he's dying to talk to you for a position in his organization to help out with security, computer systems and stuff like that."
"All those job offers," Heero tried to joke, but he was still too tired to put any effort towards joking. His body felt like it weighed a ton. "How's Quatre anyway?"
"He was placed under arrest due to all those false accusations of warmongery, remember?" Duo tickled Heero's upper arm. "It was taking far too long for his lawyers to refute those accusations, so his Manguanac Corps busted him free. And after him destroying all those mobile dolls, I doubt any court will prosecute him."
"We should combine forces," Heero yawned. "Quatre, Trowa, Chang, you, me, the secret service, Howard and his Sweepers..."
"I'm sure we'll think of something," Duo said. "There's a lot of work to be done, like your boss-lady said. But not for now, though. We need to recuperate and recover."
"The bed is big enough," Heero said lamely. Duo hadn't exaggerated when he had called it 'swanky'; Heero's apartment would fit at least five times in this room alone, and the bed could house an entire army. Duo grinned, and undressed in record time to his skivvies. He joined Heero in the bed, and he lazily draped his arm over his chest.
"I'm so glad you aren't injured," Heero said.
"Me too," Duo said, nuzzling his neck. "I was quite afraid, though. Battling those mobile dolls, not knowing how you were doing, hearing all about Libra and how dangerous it was... I don't want you to throw yourself in danger right away again."
"What do you suggest? I stay at home?"
"For now, yes." Heero could see that Duo was serious. "We haven't known each other for that long, Heero. We said that we love each other... and I want to learn to know you better. I want you to take me to your apartment and show it to me. I want to learn about your work and see what you do. I want to be there."
"I understand." Heero caressed Duo's cheek. "We've been through great stress, but it brought us also close."
"Exactly." Duo leaned into his touch. "I got to know you as Odin Lowe. I want to know everything about Heero Yuy, while I explore his deliciously sexy body once he's recovered."
"And I want to know everything about the thief and stealth master, Duo Maxwell," Heero said. "No more persona's, Shinigami."
Duo blushed a little. "My real name..."
"... is Duo Maxwell," Heero said. "I'll never let you go, no matter what. I'll find you, wherever you are."
"I'll be waiting for you," Duo said, repeating the promise he made earlier. He pecked him on the cheek. "Go to sleep. You need it."
"You too." He closed his eyes, as he was simply too tired to keep them open. It would take a couple of days before he'd be fully rested and recovered, but he didn't mind. He was going to use his downtime to think about the future, his and Duo's. Would he return to the secret service, or become Quatre's employee? Relena was right, they had a lot of things to discuss. So many things had happened in such little time, great stress and great strain, and yet he found someone to stand by his side, the man he loved. Heero had an inkling he was going to choose the service, if only to keep the world safe from growing threats and dangers. But exactly how and what, he didn't know yet. Whatever his position in the new organization, it didn't really matter, as long as Duo was at his side. His beautiful God of Death, who had brought more life into his life than he could ever imagine. He didn't want to be without him, he couldn't live without him. That was something he didn't need to think about at all. Content, Heero fell asleep, knowing that Duo would be there when he woke up again.
End.
Chapter 16 |