Disclaimers: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise, Shotsu Agency, Bandai, and other corporations, and has been used without permission, purely for entertainment purposes. OZ has its own owners, and they aren't me either.

Warnings: shounen-ai, 1+2, 2+1

Author's Notes: AU crossover with OZ – the TV prison series. Story takes place at the end of AC 195 war. The five Gundam pilots never met or worked together during the war. Heero is imprisoned for killing five anti-rebel attackers. But there is a new war looming on the horizon and those who are planning ahead see the need for all five Gundam pilots to unite and work together.

CHAPTER 1

Tim McManus gathered the four files and headed briskly down the corridor to the intake room at Ozwald prison. The new inmates were all headed for Emerald City – the experimental unit designed more for rehabilitation than retribution, and his particular baby. Three of the new ones seemed like they would fit in and benefit from the Em-city treatment. The fourth one was here only while waiting for his retrial a short three months from now. But because it was a murder trial, there was no choice other than to keep him in a maximum security facility until the final verdict. By all looks at the prisoner's records and the court transcript, the guy was not guilty, but had framed for the murder of his business partner, especially since she had been seen "alive and well" after his arraignment! According to his records, he seemed to be a bit on the shady side of things, however, hence the need for a safe place to keep him, just in case.

The four prisoners looked up as he entered the room once the bars were rolled out of the way. Looking down at his files, he began his usual welcoming spiel – the rules, the responsibilities, the warnings. Then he had a good look at his prisoners.

"Oh fuck," he said quietly. Then motioned to the last one. "Which one are you?"

"Maxwell, Mr. Prison Person, sir. Duo Maxwell."

Shit, the retrial one.

"Maxwell come with me. Officer Murphy will escort the rest of you to Em-City," he said without offering any explanation. "Bring your things and follow me, we're going to my office."

A somewhat confused young man stood up and gathered the blanket, sheets and his personal belongings and followed the unit head out of the intake cell, winking quickly at the others left inside as his braid swung jauntily behind him.

"Is there something wrong? Sir?"

McManus just shook his head. "Have you ever spent any time in a real prison before?" he asked instead.

"Uh, no, not really, not like this one – you know, bars and security and really nasty people..."

McManus rolled his eyes at that part and snorted "About the really nasty people, they are going to get one look at you and there are going to be all kinds of problems. I don't like problems. They give me headaches. I don't like headaches so I am going to try and avoid problems while I can. I am not exactly sure what I can do about you, but I am going to try a few things that might help keep you alive for the time that you are in here awaiting trial."

With that he turned to what was a small office and gestured for Maxwell to sit down. Then he picked up the phone and called Sr. Peter Marie and Father Ray Mukada to join him.

A few minutes later saw the curly-haired nun and the Japanese priest just outside his windows. Tim opened the door and ushered them in.

"Oh my!" was Sr. Pete's first words. Mukada just stared.

"This is a new prisoner to Emerald City, Duo Maxwell. He is here for three months until his retrial. I was thinking of putting him in Yuysan's pod."

The two stared at him in shock. "He'll never go for it! He manages to get rid of anyone who tries to room with him – you know that Tim," declared the priest.

"But he's the only one that has the ability to keep this guy from getting harmed by the rest! You know that, too! I just need you two to help me convince Yuysan that this needs to be done and he is the one to do it," was the reply.

The priest still shook his head. "He won't go for it. He's too antisocial, he'll refuse, we put this boy in..."

"Oi! Still in the room here! Not a boy, no way. I'm 22, I'm older than I look!" came an affronted response from the prisoner.

"Heero will end up doing what it takes to get rid of him. No one has lasted more than 48 hours in his pod – he scares the hell out of everyone and any one who doesn't, ends up begging to leave of their own accord," continued Mukada. "But you're right, we can't just room him with anyone. He'll never survive on his own."

"Uh – thanks for the vote of confidence, there, people. But I think you may be underestimating me a bit. I get along really well with ..."

All three of the others shook their heads in denial and began to explain the facts of prison life at the same time, unaware that the warden had now joined them in the small office until they heard a pointed clearing of his throat.

"I have never found Heero Yuysan to be a problem. I will tell him it is an order and he will do as I say," the warden stated in a voice that brooked no argument. "I will have him brought to my office. I want Tim and Prisoner . Maxwell there only. Agreed?"

Four heads nodded. The warden beamed a smile of false cheer and left. The two religious members also took their leave. McManus and Maxwell both sat – one staring at the phone that would summon him to his boss's office, the other lacing fingers behind his head and gazing at the ceiling tiles with apparent interest.

"Ya know, I grew up on L2, not the most civilised place to be a kid in. Been in gangs and such. Been to school, too. You ever been to school wearing a three foot long braid? And NOT know how to defend yourself? I'm just saying to give me a little credit here. I know what I look like and I know that it's gonna cause some grief for a while. But I've got ways of dealing with it – like I have my whole life – and once people get over the initial shock, I'll fit in like you wouldn't believe." He leaned forward with bright violet eyes twinkling. "I know how to make friends and influence enemies, when to run and when to hide. And when to kick ass."

The balding unit head did not seem all that impressed.

"So what happens if I have to kill a few guys in self defence? Just in case, like."

That caught McManus' attention.

"Don't you even think that way! Anything like that gets you Death Row."

"Even in self-defence?" came the shocked reply.

"Self defence has to be proved. How are you going to do that if the whole unit is against you? They'll lie, you'll die. Simple as that," he explained with some heat.

The young braided man just chuckled. "Nuthin's ever 'simple as that'. And I'm a hard guy ta kill."

Just then the phone rang – the warden's summons. Prisoner and unit chief rose together and went to meet the other man.

********************

Heero Yuysan sat rigidly in his chair opposite the warden. The situation had been explained to him. A new prisoner. An "innocent". Someone here for only three months, then a retrial and most likely freedom. Someone who did not belong here. Someone young, possibly helpless, one who could become a victim and never survive to see his trial. Heero understood this. He just didn't like it at all. He didn't like people. Period. He wanted to serve his sentence, his punishment. He wanted to be left alone and had fought successfully, against prisoners and others, to achieve this. However, the warden seemed to be able to move around all this. He ordered Heero to accept one Duo Maxwell in his pod and to act as his 'protector' for the time he was incarcerated. Ordered. And Heero could not find a way to refuse this direct order. So he accepted it. On one condition. All protection was off if Maxwell decided to change pods and room with someone else. Then he would be someone else's problem. And Heero had many ways to facilitate that! A small smirk settled on his face, unseen by the handsome warden.

A gentle knock was heard and the familiar form of Tim McManus entered the room. The figure that followed caused Heero's eyebrows to shoot impossibly high and his eyes to widened noticeably – both highly unusual for the normally stoic prisoner.

K'so he thought helplessly, I've been had. Mission denied.

TBC