A/N: I think it's time to start pointing out that I am borrowing the idea of Pax Ultima from Serenity and their Pax drug. Didn't want to give that away before now. But… now that we are here, I want to acknowledge the awesome source material I'm stealing from.

Warnings: Angst, violence, language, sex

Pairings: If you need to know, please PM me and I will be happy to tell you.

Chapter Fourteen

Heero was in the same room again, and enough time had passed for the cuts on his legs to become thin, dark scabs. He was still naked, still unrestrained, his eyes still emotionless.

"Patient 8725 has been given additional treatments targeted at his emotional and intellectual barriers. Today we will -"

The tech was interrupted by the door opening and another technician entering.

He wore the same white lab coat over blue scrubs, the same surgical mask over his face, but his hair - his hair was a long braid that trailed down his back.

"Who are you? You don't have authorization to be in here. Who is your superior? I will call him and -"

"My superior is the God of Death, and don't worry about making any calls. You're going to be speaking with him in person presently."

He pulled off his mask, revealing his face, at the same time that he drew a gun from the small of his back.

The tech held his hands up and started to back away in fear, but Duo didn't hesitate at all. He depressed the trigger, three times, and the tech fell to the floor.

Through it all, Heero didn't move.

Duo surveyed the room and started to rifle through the cabinets.

"Gotta find you some clothes and then we are out of here, Heero. I'm sorry it took me so long. The fucking Preventers are -"

"Duo."

The braided man paused, his fingers clenching on the cabinet door he had opened as he reacted to his name said without emotion.

"Yeah, 'Ro? Any stops we need to make on our way out? Any favors you want to return?"

"Leave me."

Duo stood and turned in one angry, fluid motion.

"No."

"Leave me."

"I'm not fucking leaving you here. The security is crap - I got in and we're going to get out and I'm not going to leave you. I'm sorry it took me six months. I - I'm fucking sorry, 'Ro. Whatever they did, we're going to fix it. You're going to be fine and we're going to get the fuck out of here."

"They killed me, Duo. They took - they took everything away. I'm nothing."

"Don't fucking say that, 'Ro!" Duo crossed to the table and pulled Heero against him in a fierce hug. "Don't fucking say that. Please." Duo sounded desperate, his voice brittle and his grip around Heero's shoulders strong enough that veins stood out on his arms and hands.

"I'm nothing," Heero repeated, his voice still completely without emotion.

"You're Heero Yuy," Duo said. He pulled back and shook Heero's shoulders until he looked him in the eye. "You're Heero Fucking Yuy. You're the Perfect Soldier. You've survived self-destructing your Gundam, two wars, Wufei's cooking - Relena's birthday parties. You're going to survive this shit too. This is nothing compared to -"

"I feel nothing. They took everything away."

"They tried to but we can -"

"I am nothing, Duo. I feel nothing." He said again.

Through all of it, Heero's voice remained level, that same deadly, emotionless monotone.

Duo gave a frustrated growl and then kissed him, roughly pressing his lips against Heero's.

"You felt that, didn't you? Come on, 'Ro. You told me never to kiss you again - you know - you know you're pissed, right?" Duo's voice broke. "Please. Punch me. Tell me you don't want me. Tell me -"

"I don't want you. I don't want anything or anyone. I want nothing."

"What about Trowa? Come on. Let me take you back to him. You want Trowa, 'Ro. You want his hands and his mouth and his body - 'Ro, think about his smile. Think about his laugh. That makes you feel, doesn't it?"

"No." Heero took the gun from Duo's waistband. "I feel nothing. They took all of it away."

"Heero - give me back the fucking gun! I -"

Duo struggled to wrestle the gun from Heero, but the short haired man held him off calmly, using one hand to push Duo away from the exam table while he stood up on the other side.

"Heero, please!" Duo was openly crying.

Heero held the gun against his left temple.

"No -"

Duo's scream and the gunshot reverberated in the room.

Duo fell to his knees and stared at Heero's body.