This section went through quite a bit of revision…some after it came back from beta so errors may have crept in where the plot bunnies diverged; I hope you enjoy it and apologies in advance for any discrepancies. ~wraith

0-0-0-SECTION EIGHT-0-0-0

I can't believe we're doing this!" Duo stormed pacing the small clearing miles from anywhere. "You said we needed to stay visible! Stay where Fei can find us when he is ready. That does not include getting airlifted out the back of beyond!"

"You could have stayed in Sanc to wait. I did suggest it." Heero sent a cold eyed frown at the other three pilots as knelt on the loam working the complicated locking mechanism on a large metal suitcase, the type one usually expected to contain a dirty bomb or some equally devious WMD.

"No self-destructing on my watch, buddy. And I ain't leaving you to face this alone neither. That's final." Duo declared pacing again, braid lashing at each turn like a tigers tail. The tip of the flailing plat almost hit Trowa in the chest but the telepath didn't seem to care, standing stoic as always, arms crossed over his chest. Quatre rolled his eyes at the energetic young man but said nothing.

Heero found himself expending quite a bit of effort resisting the urge to yank that tail. The urge brought home the fact that the effects of his usual chemical cocktail were rapidly fading. It was only a matter of time before the rest of the symptoms of withdrawal came in to play. It was going to be rough. Knowing J as he did, the man most likely orchestrated the reactions as a deterrent at attempting this very thing. Quatre had tried to convince him to do this in a hospital or at least keep Sally on call, but he flat out refused to put anyone else in danger.

"My way…or no way. You gave your word." Heero pinned him with a cobalt glare. Duo stopped his pacing and nodded. Heero waited for Quatre and Trowa to acknowledge the statement as well. He was reasonably sure the telepth would not cause problems but the empath was going to have a hard time with this. His gaze did not waver till the blonde's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Tell us what you need us to do," Quatre said at last.

Heero nodded and opened the case. He could feel the others drawing near, peering over his shoulders to get a look at the contents. Their nearness made the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. He took slow breaths; in through the nose, out through the mouth.

'You know what you need to do.' the voice in heero's mind snapped, 'Focus' It still sounded suspiciously like J. Death hadn't even ended the man's recriminations. Heero snorted at the idea. He was starting to feel lightheaded now and that meant He didn't have much time.

"This is a self injector." He took the jointed gundanium band from a foam compartment in the case and fitted it around his right bicep so the injector cartage nestled in the hollow of his underarm. Then, he cinched the band as tight as it would go. Heero needed a fusion cutter to add holes to the band some time ago, a testament to the fact that his trainers hadn't expected him to live this long.

"Screwdriver- Duo in the case." Heero directed and the braided boy complied wordlessly. "Tighten it here and back there." The angle made it impossible to do it himself. "I've pre-loaded it with five shots strong enough to sedate me. These remotes are keyed to trigger it. Wear them at all times." he withdrew the dog tag shaped devices and tossed one to each of his companions. "Yellow is a warning, red will take me out for at least an hour possibly two...blue ends the experiment. There are restraints strong enough to hold me in the case if you need them. The test will end in three days regardless. One more turn ought to do it," he directed "That's right." His arm barely trembled at the electric jolt but 02 yelped and dropped the tool.

"It shocked me!" he exclaimed with wild eyes.

"It does that when it's secure and active; didn't mean to hurt you though, Sorry." Heero sounded tired and he relaxed on his knees.

"Oh-three, I need you to touch my mind. I know you can't remember but you've done it before. It is the reason Barton had you purged. You said there was something like a keyhole in my psyche. You said that by examining it you could make a key but you needed an empath to help you use it. Tetra sacrificed himself in the attempt." Heero gave the blonde a pointed look, "Quatre WON'T!" He faltered then shook his head to clear the tangled images of another empathic blonde; a blonde that for all intent and purpose had been Winner's twin.

Unlike his 29 sisters Quatre had a natural birth…but that birth had been the result of artificial insemination. The Zygote had been split and the remaining portion had been left to develop in an artificial womb within the confines of Project Dætalus. Quatre would never meet his twin and Heero could not forgive himself for robbing him of that opportunity. He thrust the memory away forcibly lest it consume him. But wide green eyes reflected that Trowa had managed to catch Heero's stray thoughts as well. The perfect soldier winced as his defenses crumbled a bit more. He hated for his companions to see him like this but they hadn't given him any choice in the matter.

"I won't forget my t-training. I c-can't. Not t-taking any chance this time. Once Winner gives you the empathic push you need, he and Duo will get on that motorbike and drive as far and as fast as they can," Then he turned that same intense glare on the other two, "Promise me!" he demanded.

Quatre actually stepped back a pace from the intensity in his voice but nodded mutely…a gesture Duo dutifully mirrored.

Teetering on the brink of extreme withdrawal Heero sounded a bit like a surly drunk. He just hoped they would forgive him when all this was over. "Tracking device in the cuff; can't lose me, no worries. Receiver's in the lid." The first wave of pain hit rocking him backward. "Do it soon." He gasped clutching at his ribs.

"Do you understand what he wants us to do?" Quatre's voice sounded far away but Heero knew he wasn't. He could almost feel the empath's light singeing him and felt a growl building in his chest in consequence.

"I think so, give me your hand." Trowa's fingers brushed the center of Heero's brow and his telepathy followed moments later leaving a cool tingle he got the impression of green seeping in behind his eyes; it was familiar, soothing. Then suddenly, his world exploded in a blaze of white light and pain. He fell back gasping blinded by the rainbows in his eyes.

"Go!" Heero shouted, or thought he did. The dull roar of the bikes engine was all the confirmation he got that they had obeyed him as his world slid inexorably away - and he knew no more.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Trowa was oblivious to the tears that ran freely down his cheeks as he knelt and held his friend. He was wracked by what could only be described as seizures he thought he recalled Sally describing; anything this violent such as a 'Grand mal.' There was no wonder why this process terrified Heero, and yet they had forced him into it.

"I'm sorry Heero, so very sorry." He whispered again and again till the words lost all meaning. He didn't notice when the clutching hands shredded the shoulder of his turtleneck, nor the way those intense blue-eyes narrowed revealing slitted pupils. Nostrils flared at the scent of blood, the body twisted in his grasp and Trowa released him watching in wide eyed astonishment when his companion let out a feral scream and writhed as wings erupted from his shoulder blades.

"What have they done to us?" Trowa stumbled to his feet in surprise.

Heero was on all fours, still obviously in pain. A tail extended above the loose waistband of his shorts lashing furiously and the wings seemed to stretch and unfold almost like an insect that had just won free of its cocoon; the shape was more like a bat though feathers developed quickly, appearing as scales at first but the distinctive shape became more apparent as they lengthened. In a flash, it was as if Trowa was back in the ring with his great cats - except Heero was nothing evenly remotely domesticated.

The growl made the hair on his arms prickle and the human part of Trowa's mind brought a hand to the chain around his neck and the remote trigger it held.

"The yellow will give him a warning." His thumb caressed the stud on the remote but he did not trigger the device. He knew what would happen when he did. His friend would receive an electric jolt from the armband, something strong enough to break through the haze of instinct that shrouded his mind. But Trowa found he couldn't do it.

Heero might not be in his right mind but Trowa didn't want to hurt him. Heero wouldn't be happy to return to himself only to learn he had mauled one of his best friends…and it looked as of that might be a real possibility. But Trowa was still reluctant to use the device. The rational behind it was flawed. When dealing with large dangerous predators… it is never a good idea to hurt them. Pain only makes them angry and less likely to cooperate.

"Shhh," Trowa whispered stretching a hand and his telepathy along with it. **No-threat.** He carefully formed the word in Heero's mind, exploiting the same rift he had earlier with Quatre's help. Oh-One shook his head as of to shake out the intrusion. **It's me Heero. We're friends…packmates.**

Heero's nostrils flared cautiously scenting him. "Trrrrien?"he growled the name Trowa had no memory of but knew better than to deny.

The telepath caught hazy flashes of himself from his companion's mind. He looked so very young, skinny and pale, dressed in shapeless grey fatigues emblazoned with the number O3-10 on the breast. His younger self was seemingly maneuvering through a Zero-G obstacle course. The only sense the image evoked was that failure meant pain.

The memory seemingly confirmed his identity for Heero who sat back on his haunches, tail wagging in a slightly less deadly fashion, "Hunt." He challenged, showing his fangs and the razor sharp talons.

**I can't.** Trowa shook his head ruefully knowing he wasn't in the same league as the perfect soldier…if he had ever been. **There are more friends in the woods, allies. ** he warned both speaking the words, and sending them into Heero mind. It seemed he needed this double reinforcement. Trowa went a step further and paired the thought with images of Quatre and Duo on the motorbike.

"Kitt an Tetra" Heero cocked his head thoughtfully a frown creasing his features. Recent memories were hazy but thoughts of long ago were clear. Heero had no words to convey what confused him about the image Trowa had sent but the telepath could read it from his surface thoughts through the link they shared. The image of Duo was overlaid with an older one, a memory of two young boys in hospital whites, one O1-0Z a tough looking blonde Heero identified as 'Zolo' was an O1 like himself, a peer, someone to compete against and respect. The other child, O2-KT was violet eyed and chestnut haired, belonged to Zolo. The Kit required training and protection Zolo would get angry if any harm came to his 2nd.

**LOST** Heero's confused thoughts were tinged in pain. **Mission failure.** the haze words were paired with images of a young Heero receiving a painful round of injections that left him dizzy, disoriented, feverish, and ill for days. **hurt**

Trowa was busy translating the tangled images and placing them in context. **Solo was lost on L2 on a training exercise. He died of the plague. The shots you got ensured your immunity** he announced.**the kit…Duo survived on his own and was recovered. He belongs with us Now.** Trowa paired the thought with random images of Shinigami clowning in various safe-houses they'd shared, missions together, boarding school experiences. Heero…or O1-L0 as he presently though of himself had been calming…relaxing but images of Quatre set him off again. Curved talons wrapped around the telepaths upper arms. **WRONG** the word was apparent in his atavistic companions mind.

Tetra…O4-RA was apparently broken…beyond repair. Heero looked at his blood stained talons. **My fault**? How had he? The panic began to bubble up from the place O1 had dutifully locked it away. 'No!' he whimpered.

The telepath wasn't as adept at reading emotion as Quatre was but even he could read something this strong; which was strange in itself because he couldn't normally read anything from his friend. The O4 heero had known as Tetra was dead the image of one so very like Quatre lying, body broken and torn like the bodies they found in the laboratory would likely give Trowa nightmares for some time…and he hadn't even known the youth…Well 3-10 likely had. They had been friends in the past, just as he and Quatre were now. The telepath dug a bit deeper, searching his companions mind for clarification.

**Quatre was made by a rival O4 program in Winner Inc** that made sense, **You may have lost Tetra, but Quatre is part of our pack. We protect him and we trust you. Trust me.** Trowa silently implored. **You have come so far from who you were then. This doesn't change. Just as Solo was partnered with Duo, you lead us all.** the telepath didn't want to overwhelm Heero with a flood of shared memories but they were his family; and there was nothing Trowa wanted more then to have them together again. It was difficult for him to stop sending rapid-fire flashes of the five of them at various times and places over the past two and a half years.

Unfortunately, the connection went both ways and Trowa's consciousness took the full backlash of the torment Oh-One had experienced in his during the rare occasions he was permitted to take on bestial form. Trowa could feel it pounding in his blood, waking long dormantinstinct. And it was very difficult to contain.

A small whine slipped past Trowa's quiet resolve but vivid impressions kept coming. White walls closing in and a bright light that seared his very soul- he lost his balance and felt himself falling, falling into liquid yellow pain.

"Hunt." Heero grunted the word, backing away and breaking off contact with a willful shake of his head. Then with a few steps and a giant spring he leapt into the air and took off soaring low over the trees and was quickly lost from view.

**Come back, now! ** Trowa sent the words after Quatre and Duo knowing they would hear and understand more readily than Heero was likely too. And his gift was likely more reliable than cell phone service in this wilderness. "Don't want to be alone." He whimpered again. He couldn't help it. It seemed only natural to tuck his knees against his chest throw back his head and howl 'till the forest was alive with the sound.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Trowa? Trowa, what is wrong? What happened? You're bleeding." Quatre gasped at the state of his friends shoulder and arm. "Did Heero do this?" he demanded, but received no response. It took all the Empath's self-control to resist the urge to shake the green-eyed youth from his daze. But he could feel the conflict roiling about in his companions mind and prodded a bit more gently using his empathy. "What did you see?" he reached out to lure his friend back from where he had retreated in the ragged corners of his mind.

While the blonde was occupied with Trowa's mental health, Duo was more concerned with the physical. He removed his companion's shredded turtleneck to get a better look at the torn flesh beneath. Heero had insisted they have a fully stocked med-kit handy so it was not difficult to clean the deep scratches and cover them with gauze pads.

Quatre's blue eyes refocused though he still seemed a bit glazed as he imparted the knowledge he had gleaned, "He flew away. Heero grew wings and flew away. He is hunting now. Trowa tried to get him to understand we weren't to be harmed but Heero is running almost purely on instinct."

"Wings huh?" the braided boy didn't seem quite as awed by the idea as Quatre had expected him to be.

"Did you see that in your visions?" the blonde inquired a bit petulant. Duo never lied, but he definitely had a penchant for leaving out potentially important details when he recounted what his clairvoyant gift revealed.

Maxwell shrugged as he finished bandaging Trowa's torso. "In my experience, our perfect soldier doesn't let the impossibility of a thing keep him from doing something. He told us he would turn into something beastly. Don't get mad at me if I trust him to do it. There is no doubt the mad five were twisted so-and-so's and I know I'm not normal. Are you?"

"I don't have wings. Do you?" Quatre asked incredulously.

"Well no, but as far as I know, neither did Heero an hour ago. AND now that you mention it, I'm pretty sure our Tro didn't use'ta have a tail 'neither." The braided urchin drew the blonde's attention the appendage emerging from comrade's waistband to twine itself around one camouflage-clad leg.

The most articulate response Quatre manage was, "Oh my." One pale hand stretched out of its own accord to stroke the dark auburn fur. Trowa couldn't resist the urge to arch his back at the tentative contact.