Chapter Four: Zero One
Heero Yuy dropped his bag beside the mini bar. Everything looked normal. He knew that didn't mean anything. He pulled out a small green eye-spec from a secret pocket in his jacket and and adjusted it to sit firmly over his cheek and just under the ridge of his eyebrow. After years of working with such devices for military infiltrations his face had grooves that fit perfectly to the small metal monocle. Optic readouts blinked to life below the cross-section of the eye piece allowing him a multi-level view of the motel room.
Heero scanned the room through the green tint of the tiny piece of tech.
Alright, so this room was as it appeared. Safe. For now anyway. No hidden cameras or recording equipment and the bed didn't have any extra springs laced with explosives (happened in Mexico once and since then it became a priority on the Asian man's list of things to avoid). A thorough check of the rest of the grimy motel room affirmed that everything was in deed all clear.
Perfect.
Setting aside the optic eye with care and re-holstering his gun Heero Yuy took a running leap...and landed with a flop on the bed.
Oh yeah, this is what he wanted his life to be. No more secret missions against the innocent. No more ruined childhood, teenager-hood, or young adulthood. Here he could live out the life he wanted with no one telling him what to do!
No one telling him what to...
Shaking that thought before it even started to sneak through his mind Heero tossed his beret onto the floor and started to unbutton the stiff jacket to his uniform. Being free was worth it. It also came at a price.
He had been raised all his life to be a weapon the perfect solider. Peace after the war hadn't grant him any freedom like he'd hoped. War was over. The home front was safe and secure once again. And yet the world he'd given his soul, life, mind, and body to demanded more from him. The military of planet Earth wanted (required) more then he could give. They asked for too much.
Did he not deserve to enjoy this planetary peace? He helped bring it about took deliberate action to ensure the safety of millions ignoring his own wants, thoughts, and desires for the greater good. Or maybe he did it so he could shot things. Either way it didn't matter. The day the war was truly over and Doctor J had told him to prepare for his next covert mission Heero knew that they would never let him go. In all honesty he never dreamed he'd survive this long. One mission or another would be his down fall. It was only a matter of time.
So keep going is what they said to him and that's just what he did. Now, at twenty-one years old he could disarm bombs in the dark of night, shoot a target half a mile away with his eyes closed, and take down an entire base full of soldiers single handed. It was time to escape. Time to escape when he realized he was no longer being told to target militias or gorilla mercenaries but normal, ordinary, everyday people. A glorified hit-man.
Heero had a frame of mind for justice but that didn't mean he could justify his actions. When he'd gone to Doctor J and explained these new found feelings and emotions for his targets J had smiled that stomach lurching smile of his. Heero had barely made it away from the man before the scientist told him he'd be used for some "military secrets" . That was J's way of saying he'd work the boy to the bone re-breaking the Asian solider to conform once again to the doctor's way of thinking. The finale straw or the ultimate scare (however you wanted to look at it) was when J strapped Heero to a metal table and started to preform these so-called "experiments".
Heero Yuy had never cried out. His body sweat, shook with the aftermaths, sizzled with pain...but he never screamed.
He'd been sent back to his rooms to recoup for the next days testing. That's when the blue-eyed man decided to fuck with this place. He was nineteen then. It was two years later and Heero had been on the run ever since. Until the letter from Relena Peacecraft found him in Tokyo.
Heero's hands pulled apart the thick material of his coat from his over heated body. This city was hotter then Tokyo but on the bright side it wasn't as crowded. He'd noticed that walking in the airport. In Japan there had barely been room to move let alone find a clear path to walk thru without bumping shoulders with a hundred people. It was a...calming change yet a more dangerous situation.
More dangerous in this city for two reasons. One; less people meant viewer heads to count. Eventually J would send some cronies here just as he'd done in Japan. They'd possibly spot the solider trying to blend in with the crowd. Heero would have to be careful fully integrate himself into this society. Second and arguably the actual reason Doctor J's eyes would be turned toward this booming metropolis was that Relena Peacecraft lived here.
Heero closed his eyes his brow frowning with concern. The last target J wanted him to kill of had been Peacecraft. The woman's father was a powerful military man, a general in fact, and on several occasions Heero had been charge of Relena's care. All that body shielding and gun-pointing on her behave had some who given the millionaire debutant the impression that Heero was in love with her. Foolish Romanticism. After the war when J started instructing Heero to slowly pick-off nearly anyone connected to the new found world peace the quiet solider drew the line at killing Relena.
Should've done that one just on merit...then I wouldn't be risking my life now! Heero pinched the bridge of his nose silencing that thought. He should not blame Relena for him being here. In all fairness he could have told her to shove it and stayed in Tokyo. Peacecraft finding him had been a chance meeting anyway. He was going about his normal day to day life working in a very successful business firm. He wasn't in the meeting with the higher-ups when Relena came to talk merger. After all he was just another working happily typing away data on his computer. But she had gotten lost on her way to the boardroom and passed his desk.
Relena stopped but Heero just kept on working hoping in vain that the irritating woman from his past would just shut her gaping mouth and get to her meeting. Eventually, after trying and failing to get him into conversation, she did leave. But then the next day a letter was on his desk. A pink enveloped letter. Fuck...
Heero reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the offending note. "Heero, Please! I need your help! Someone is trying to kill me! Please you are my only hope...!"
Blue eyes scowled. Damn woman owned half the planet and the colonies. The world was at peace for the most part but she wanted a personal body guard/ military weapon to make sure no one looked at her the wrong way. Damn.
Heero couldn't refuse. Soon after her meeting in Japan just as the solider predicted J's boys showed up asking questions. It was time to vacate. Besides there was a certain tactical advantage at being under J's very nose hiding out in the open. Old bastard never did account for the unexpected.
Looking over at the clock Heero sighed with relief that it was still early yet. Time to begin his...night time excursions. Eyes glittering with intent smirking to himself Heero pushed back on the bed and stood up to stretch and begin his workout. He always warmed up his body each night with a series of push-ups, hand-stands, and sit-ups. Just a thousand of each nothing strenuous. It wouldn't do to pull a hammy before he got the chance to bust some skulls on the streets.
Pulling off the remainder of his military garb Heero donned his black eye mask and suited up for a little hero work.
Silhouetted against a starry sky Heero looked down from the roof of the motel. He adjusted the black biker gloves on his hands and pulled up the collar on his aviator jacket. The tight material of his black leggings were snug yet sufficiently lax to hide and hold the multitude of guns and small weapons he had on his person. The sharp slice of a jagged yellow line down his forest green tank disappeared into the heavy swath of his utility belt.
Mask firmly in place over his eyes Yuy smirked adding the last touch to his costume before scaling down the three story building and dashing off into the night. In Japan he'd been given the surname "Zero" but here in this city he wanted a slightly different identity. Heero replaced the round Z badge on his jacket sleeve with a slightly updated version. Now when burglars trembled on the witness stand or drug dealers gave up the business to avoid heroic wrath they would have one name running through their terrified minds.
Zero One. The Perfect Solider.
Author's note: This one was quick but I wanted to spend some time on Heero's reasons for being here. Also he's the first one to get an actual costume description so I hope everyone is pleased. If anyone is interested in seeing the guys in their hero cloths let me know and I'll draw up some sketches.