A/N: Wow, you guys really know how to make a girl feel special! I wanted to post another update in honor of hitting 100 reviews, but now we're at 101! CRAZY! You guys are awesome! So here's another update... I'm really excited about where this story is going, and I hope you are, too. Thanks for sticking with me!

Love love love,

- RFP

Heero's phone had been keeping him company during his flight. With the Wing Zero on autopilot, his hands were free to scroll through old text messages and replay Relena's voicemails until he thought he might go mad. And so, when his phone rang shrilly in the silent cockpit, displaying her name on the caller ID, he thought he must have already lost his mind.

He answered before he could talk himself out of it, knowing it could be a trap or a trick or some cruel combination of both, and pressed the phone to his ear. He said nothing but listened, and heard a voice coming out in shallow breaths. Is this some kind of sick joke?!

"Heero," she breathed. No, it was her. Her voice. "Heero? Are you there?"

"Relena." Relief poured over him like a baptism. "Is this a dream? Are you real?"

Her voice caught, on a sob or a laugh, he wasn't sure. "I'm here," she whispered. "How are you?"

How am I?! He wanted to yell at her, but refrained. There were things he needed to know and he didn't know how much time they had. "What's going on? What's happened?"

"They… they made me give that speech," she said, her voice hushed. "Which I'm sure you saw."

"Yes," Heero said quickly. "What else?"

"The man who seems to be in charge - Roy, Roy Bennett - he… he shot me." Heero gripped the phone, agony and rage coursing through him. He reminded himself to focus. She was alive. And she was talking.

"Where?"

"On my right side, but I've had stitches. S-someone helped me, and left me alone for the moment, so I had to call you…"

Heero's mind raced. "Are you in pain?"

"Yes, but I'm handling it," she said, sounding remarkably steady, now. He could almost hear the smile in her tone. "I've given birth, remember?"

Her words stoked the fire that was still aflame in his heart. "Baby," he breathed, "be careful. Don't do anything reckless. Wait for me. I'll be there soon."

"You need to be careful," Relena shot back with a vigor he wasn't expecting. "I don't know what they're planning, but it's clear they're using me to lure you and the others..."

"I don't care about that," Heero growled. "Five of us are headed your way-"

"No, Heero," she said firmly. "You're all flying into a trap. I don't know what they're planning, but whatever it is, it's likely a distraction from the larger plot. Or a precursor of what's to come. This crew is obviously just following orders, and their tactics change on a whim. One minute they're headed to the ESUN conference; the next, they change course. They want me dead, then they want me alive. Someone else is pulling the strings, Heero." Relena paused, her breathing shaky. "You have to find out who."

"I know," Heero started, "but-"

"But nothing," she snapped. "Tell the others - and heed this yourself - not to burden themselves rescuing me." Her voice had resumed its familiar, commanding resonance. "It's far more important that you stop these people, by whatever means necessary. The corruption in ESUN runs deep… we must stamp it out, or die trying. I'm prepared to go down fighting."

"No!" Heero shouted into the phone. "You're not going to die. I won't let you." She startled him by chuckling softly.

"Heero…" she murmured, her voice caressing each syllable of his name. "I love the sound of your voice, so strong and certain. You know that, don't you?" She sighed. "Lend me your strength again. One last time."

His heart dropped at her words. "Relena…"

She sniffed, and he could hear her hardfought composure breaking. "Tell Ella that I love her," she said with a choked voice. "Please?"

Heero shook his head violently, which was no use. "Don't go."

"I have to," she gasped. "Someone's coming. But promise me, Heero, that you'll keep fighting. I believe in you. I always have." Relena's voice hitched. "And Heero, I-"

The line went dead. Heero lowered the phone and stared down at it in disbelief.

He had to be hallucinating.

Her voice still rang in the cockpit, as if she'd been right there with him. I believe in you. He had all but begged her to do that, once, years ago.

Now, Heero didn't know what to believe. Had he really gone crazy? There was at least one way to find out…

He began to program Zero to contact the Sandrock Gundam, not knowing if Quatre was already in position. He needed to ask the empath if he had sensed anything from Relena. But before Heero could place his call, another came in, flashing red on the console. A mayday call, from Preventers shuttle 03.

Trowa's shuttle.

The acrobat's face filled up the screen, his expression pained.

"Sorry to trouble you again so soon," Trowa said, wincing as he clutched his left shoulder. Blood seeped through his Preventers jacket and stained his fingers. "I have a bit of a situation-"

"What happened?" Heero asked quickly.

"My alleged crew?" Trowa scoffed. "Defectors."

Heero's mind raced. "What?"

"They shot me and took off in the escape pods," Trowa continued through clenched teeth. "After gleefully informing me that they planted a bomb."

Heero cursed under his breath. "You haven't located anything? Nothing on the heat sensors?"

"No. They hacked the controls."

Heero got right to work, breaking into the shuttle's circuit controls. The heat sensors lit up immediately, gleaming red in the cockpit where Trowa was, as well as in the shuttle's undercarriage.

"There's something in the storage bay," Heero said. "Can you make it down there?"

"Well, I'll have to try. They didn't leave me an open escape route."

"Surprised they didn't blow your head off while they were at it," Heero said morosely.

"They tried," Trowa said with a chuckle. "They missed. I got my shots in, too, before they made their getaway."

Heero frowned. "If I could disable it from here-"

"I know," Trowa cut in.

"Well, get in a suit and get yourself down there." Heero didn't envy the task that laid before Trowa. Without an escape pod, he had no other chance of avoiding detonation. Unfortunately, there was no way to tell how long he had to disable the bomb, either.

"And stay online," Heero added. "I'll loop in the others and see who's closest to your vicinity…"

"Why bother?" Trowa asked darkly. "By the time anyone gets here-"

"Don't think about that now," Heero said curtly. "Just get your ass down there and deactivate that thing."

Trowa chuckled. "Thanks for the encouragement, Heero. I appreciate it."

"Yeah, well if you do get blown up," Heero said flatly, "remember, it hurts like hell."

Trowa's laughter grew boisterous. "You bastard. When you see Relena, give her a kiss for me."

"Not on your life, jackass," Heero snapped. "Now stop wasting time."

"Roger that." Trowa floated away from the screen. Heero quickly radioed the other Preventer shuttle, along with the Aventinus, Sandrock and Deathscythe.

Raquel's face was the first to appear on Zero's console screen.

"Heero-" Raquel started. "I mean, Agent Alpha-"

"Put Zechs on," Heero interrupted, not wanting to bother with codenames. Or with her. Raquel's eyes widened but she obeyed, as her image was almost instantly replaced by Zechs's scowling face. Wufei and Duo appeared in short succession. They all started to speak at once, but Heero's baritone overpowered each.

"There's a bomb onboard Preventer shuttle zero-three," he said curtly. "What is your proximity?"

"We are on course to intercept ESUN shuttle A-65," Wufei reported in a flat tone.

"Yeah, at this rate I'm closer to Relena's shuttle, too," Duo said, looking anxious.

"We're trailing Zero, still," Zechs snapped. "If we change course now-"

"I figured." Trowa's voice came in over the comm link. "It's just as well."

"Sorry, buddy," Duo lamented. "I could reroute, if you think that'll help-"

"Relena's more important," Heero and Trowa said in unison. "Sorry," Heero said to Trowa.

"Don't worry about it," the acrobat grunted. "You all need to focus on Relena."

"Barton, what's your status?" Wufei barked.

Trowa gave another grunt before responding. "Just got in a suit," he said breathlessly. "Heading out to see if I can disable the bomb…"

"Take an escape pod and get the hell away from there," said Wufei.

"Helpful," Trowa said sarcastically. "I hadn't thought of that…"

"The rest of the crew took the pods," Heero informed the others.

"But why?" Duo gasped as it dawned on him. "Mutiny?!"

"Affirmative," said Trowa.

"Well, there's nothing we can do," Zechs said flatly. "Good luck, Barton."

Heero's jaw clenched.

"I'm about to open the airlock," said Trowa, "so if we lose transmission-"

And then he was gone.

"Damn," said Duo, wide-eyed. "Now what?"

"We still haven't heard from Quatre," said Heero, his hope rising. "Whoever hears from him first, send him Barton's way." He had one other idea forming, but it was risky. As the others continued to talk over each other, Heero busied himself hacking into Heavyarms' controls. He had no idea where Trowa had stowed the thing, so it was a long shot, but the Gundams did have an autonomous mode…

Heero's attention was diverted when another mayday call came in. This time from Sandrock.

"Shit," Duo exclaimed as Quatre's harried face joined the others onscreen.

"Quatre," Heero started, his own face paling. "What-"

"The colony's under attack!"