Chapter 2: Servers Off-line

The four entered the estate quickly carrying the unconscious Prussian eyed boy. They laid him down on the medical table but Duo was reluctant to let go. He held his hand protectively. "Duo?" Trowa asked.

"What?", Duo said brusquely and tightened his grip.

"The doctors want us to leave the room.", Trowa said as soothingly as he could and tried again.

"I'm not leaving him, Trowa," Duo said, a possessive look gleamed in his violet eyes and he pulled Heero's body towards him again. The others shook their heads and sighed. They felt Duo's pain, but knew this had to be done.

"Come on Duo. We have too-"

"NO! I am not leaving him alone with those... those... FREAKS!" At that moment the five doctors entered the room. Each of the doctors walked in slowly and surveyed the room before taking their places around the operation table.

"So glad to see you again too, Duo," Doctor G said and started pressing buttons to prep the table.

"If you think we're freaks, you should look at yourself, Duo," Doctor J said and went to help G. Duo suddenly ran up to Doctor J and pulled him against a wall.

"What did you do to him?", his voice was deadly cold. Trowa grabbed Duo and started to drag Duo away.

"That's enough, Duo. Let them do their repairs.", he said sadly and picked Duo's protesting form up.

"What did you do to him, damn it!" Duo screamed as he was pulled away, "WHAT DID YOU DO!!" Trowa successfully got him out side the door.

The doctors crowded around Heero, connecting wires to outlets, fixing stray and destroyed wiring, and started to replace his main battery. While working on the battery they noticed a chip out of place behind it. A short discussion was held and they decided to replace it. Heero was repaired in two hours and Duo waited outside the door the whole time. Heero emerged from the operating room perfectly operational and no scars could be seen.

"Heero!!!", Duo yelled as he got up from his seat and ran to the fixed pilot. He tried to hug Heero but received a push back from the other pilot. "What's wrong Heero?"

"I have to go file the report of the weaponry used against us. I do not have time to talk.", Heero said in a computer-like monotone and walked off to his room.

"I guess he did malfuction J," Doctor G said as he left the room.

"Yes well, it was only a matter of time before he reacted to the element...even if the basic format was missing. Strange how he responds negatively to his other component.", Doctor J replied.

"Units three and four have malfunctioned as well, but they respond just like unit one. They are responding to the elements without the format. I guess we really messed up on the rewrite programs.", Doctor O said.

"What are you guys talking about and you better tell me right now!!", Duo said and walked in front of the doctors, his eyes narrowing.

"It is none of your business Duo. You will find out soon enough. And to answer your question, we didn't do anything to 01.", with that said, all the doctors walked out of the mansion.

Duo walked slowly to his room and sat on the bed. The room was altered to Duo's exact specifications. Every wall was painted black and it shinned cobalt blue in the moonlight with sliver flecks in the paint every so often. The room reminded him of space and the darkness made him fell at home. It was also his penance, but he wouldn't tell anyone that. Darkness let him reflect on his actions and to feel the pain of those lives he'd ended. The clock struck midnight and it was time to go into the trance again. This trance was another way he did penance. It let him see the souls of the dead and they would beat him until he was unconscious in the spirit world. After he was unconscious there, then he would return to the living world with a few bruises and nothing more.

It was dark and smelled of blood. Blood of the people he had killed. They were coming for him. Beating him down, killing him. He cannot die. Their deaths keep him living, dying again and again. Torture and ghostly bloodshed. The way of the Shinigami.

Duo had fallen off the bed this time and some of his concentration was broken. He was unlucky, and Quatre walked by. His door was wide open and he started to scream from the pain. "Damn it!! Why in the hell did I do this!! Just let me die!! Why can't you kill me!!! KILL ME!!!!", the last parts were screeched and Duo's body jolted from invisible impact.

"Duo!! Daijoubu!!", Quatre yelled and ran in. He shook the entranced boy lightly. "Duo, snap out of it!! Onegai!!" Duo continued to convulse as the blows continued. Blood began to run from his forehead and this worried Quatre even more. "Someone help me!!!", Quatre screamed into the sleepy mansion. The empath started to grasp at his chest. "Iie....the pain...uchuu no kokoro....what are you trying to tell me...", Quatre's voice and breathing became ragged and he past out just as Wufei arrived. He wasted no time and ran to the fallen boys.

"Nataku.. what should I do...", he said and turned to find Trowa rushing in the room. The tall pilot rushed to his lover's side and held him in his arms. "Trowa! We need to get them in bed until we can figure out what's wrong." The two pilots picked up their friends and placed them under the black satin covers. As Duo's screams echoed through the dark room, Quatre tried to fight the pain but he soon fell unconscious. Heero entered the room a half hour later and Duo stopped screaming. He fell unconscious as well when Heero approached the bedside.

"What is going on here," he asked in an unusually dead monotone. His eyes shifted around the room and analyzed the area like a perfect soldier would. Wufei and Trowa remained silent in their chairs as they stared at the two boys who were consumed by pain only a half hour ago. Footsteps were heard out on the balcony and Heero drew his gun. Wufei's hand went to his sword as Trowa moved closer to the bed.

On the balcony, clicking could be heard. It was the reloading of many guns and a pin dropped on the marble floor. Heero dashed over to the bed and shielded Duo and Quatre as the glass panel doors exploded inwards and the intruder proceeded inside. Trowa had grabbed Heero's gun and made a few shots at the person. It was hit in the leg and made and unearthly shriek. In a possible rage it darted forward towards the bed and a limb was cut off by Wufei's sword. The creature was completely hidden by the dark room and was deadly quiet when it moved. It made another charge toward the bed and pushed Trowa forcefully into a wall. Heero attacked it and was fending it off well when something smashed into his neck. Someone shot at his knees and he fell forward, slowly loosing consciousness. Trowa had risen from his place in the wall and shot at the creature again. What he didn't realize was that it had Duo and he shot him in the left arm as well as the creature in the side. It shrieked again and ran with lightning speed out into the balcony. Wufei and Trowa followed only to find that they couldn't even see the creature in the moonlight. It spread black battered and skinned wings with ragged holes and flew off into the night, carrying Duo with it.