Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing

_I know this chapter is way late. It's actually been finished for a long time, but with my being sick for a good month I got behind on the rest of the story and wanted to catch up before I posted this chapter. So please forgive me and thanks to Trowa, *wink*, for making me put out the rest.

Perfect Soldiers

Chapter 9 'Facing an End'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~`````` Preventer's base Hospital Protective Custody ~~~~~~~~~

"Do you have any idea why we're guarding an unconscious girl?" Markus asked as he relaxed a bit from his military stance and slouched against the wall. "I mean it's not like anyone is after her and we're here to make sure she doesn't leave." Markus shook his head and ran his hand through his short cropped blond locks and frowned. "It's a waste of time."

Beside him Denver looked to each side making sure no one was coming and leaned back as well. He tilted his neck to both sides and cracked it loudly before stretching his arms over his head. "I have no idea." He added after a moment of stretching and after he was sure no superiors were within earshot.

"You're such a coward." Markus observed.

"What do you want to get grilled by that hard ass Yuy." Denver asked lowering his voice when he mentioned his superior's name.

"Well have you seen him around lately?" Markus asked raising a brow. "The way I hear it him and that Maxwell guy have been kidnapped."

"Where did you get that gossip shit from?" Denver asked sniggering. "Yeah right, some one caught the Gundam pilots."

"That's just what I've heard. Plus have you seen either one of them around here in the past two weeks. If they are gone the military is keeping a tight lid on it. The reporters don't even have wind of it yet." Markus sent Denver a knowing look. "Trust me."

"Humph." Denver snorted as Markus turned back around. "If by some half assed miracle you're right I'd say the rest of us or in for some trouble."

"Why is that?" Markus asked as he glanced down the hallway catching sight of one of the Preventer's nurses rounding the corner and winked at her. Denver didn't answer. "Denver?" Markus called still not turning around. "Are you deaf? I said why is that." With that said Markus flipped around only to come in contact with the put of his partner's gun. Before he could even wonder who had done it he fell into blackness.

Sarah winced and grabbed her side. Her ribs had to be broken. They ached with every move and breath she took, but she didn't know how long she had been out, but judging by the extent of her injuries she guessed a while. She had only started to regain consciousness that morning, or so she guessed. She'd asked for Troy, but the nurse had merely nodded and sent her back to sleep. She guessed she must have done a lot of incoherent ranting. The next time had been when the nurse was changing her IV and she noticed the shot that was placed into the plastic vein. Immediately after the shot was injected she began to feel drowsy. This was the first she'd woken up alone and unlike the last time there was nothing to stop her from moving. She needed to find Relena and warn her, or help, or something.

Images of the blond woman crumpled against the conference room desk flashed through her mind with a painful accuracy of each and every detail. Everything was so vivid. What if she had not survived and no one knew the truth? Sarah winced and wished for something better than her hospital gown, but for right now it would have to do. As she slunk through the well-lit military hospital she became very aware of her other ailments.

Her head was pounding and her right shoulder throbbing. It was likely she had dislocated it when Mace, her brother, had been beating the life out of her. Sarah stopped for a moment a painful rush of emotion sweeping over her. Her own brother…he had broken her ribs dislocated her arm, given her a concussion, and covered her body with countless bruises. Faintly she remembered the taste of her metallic blood in her mouth. Reaching her hand up, she felt for a scab or something on her lip but there was nothing. Her stomach ached terribly, but something told her it should hurt more than that. Was some sort of super healing part of her training as well? Should she be in more pain than she actually was? It was odd, just before she remembered losing consciousness she could recall her mind still working logically. She wasn't panicking at all. For some reason she was able think of a way to counter each and every blow he had sent at her, but everyone of them involved hurting him and just barely she had been able to restrain herself. It was almost scary the scenarios her mind came up with, each one bloody, each one heartless. Sarah shivered, what had happened to her? What happened to Mace?

At one time Mace had almost given his life to save her and now he wanted nothing more than to take the life he had given. It wasn't right. Sarah felt tears building her eyes as she limped foreword trying to take the pressure off her body. A few tears managed to fall down her cheeks before she heard somebody coming down the hallway. Turning to her right Sarah spun into a supply closet and left the door slightly open so she could hear what was going on outside it. The tears were forgotten for a moment and Sarah listened.

"I have to see her. You have no idea what she had provided us with. She had given us the only lead we have against…" The soft yet weakened voice trailed off slightly and Sarah heard a swallow. "Against those that have threatened us. I have to make sure everything is being done to make sure she wakes up. She gave us the bridge that linked us with the Dragon army Une, Noin, and Sally brought back with them. Because of her we know what we're facing."

"That kid Trowa found seemed to provide nearly the same answers Relena." Sarah listened intently wondering whom it could. "I don't trust her." Sarah snorted. 'Thanks.'

"And you trust a child that could probably kill you and take three other's down with him before he was caught!" Sarah listened as Relena sighed and the sound of rolling wheels and feet stopped abruptly.

"Relena you just learned that Heero and Duo might be our new enemies. I know that you loved him Relena. No matter how much I tired to ignore it I knew it was there." The man's voice softened considerably. "I know you're upset and you feel lost. You have to deal with those feelings. Heero might be your enemy. You need to focus on the now, not the past."

"I've been at the other end of Heero's gun before." Relena stated slowly.

"Relena, that's not…"

A shrill voice cut him off. "Not what? Not the same? He was intent on killing me back then and if he's intent on killing me know I have to wake Sarah up. I have to talk to her because she may know how to turn him back." She trailed off suddenly. "What am I going to tell Hilde?"

Sarah tuned them out for a moment. She should have known that was the illustrious Zechs Marquise or better known Milliardo Peacecraft. So it seemed those guards weren't posted out there to keep her in, or at least they wouldn't have been for long. That brought up another question that had alluded he before, how long? If they had gotten word that Troy was already turned she was too late. What then? Lost in her thoughts Sarah barely heard the wheels on Relena's chair moving again. Jumping out of the shadows she called after them.

"Wait!" The scream took more out of her than she would have ever though possible and a sharp burning pain started in her chest and radiated throughout her body making her sink to her knees as they turned around.

"Sarah!" Relena called concern etching her words. "How did…when did you wake up?"

Sarah glanced up at the wheelchair-clad minister and wondered if she should get one of those herself. "I'm okay." Sarah whispered as she felt Zechs' arm on hers. She yanked it from his grasp her teenage pride taking over her better judgement. He had insulted her and mistrusted her why should she except help from him. It was harder to stand with no help, but she made it eventually. "I woke up and kinda panicked." She mumbled motioning down the hall. "I knocked out your guards."

"How?" Zechs asked truly amazed. "You look as if you can barely stand."

Sarah smirked at the slight compliment and leaned against the wall for support. "How long has it been?"

Relena lowered her gaze. " A week. I just woke up today as well. We have news though…" She trailed off and looked up again. "It's bad. It seems your brother, Heero, and Duo are working for Hammond."

Sarah slumped slightly. "If only I hadn't. If…" She had failed. She had come here to save Heero to warn him before it was too late and all she had managed to do was get him caught and now it was likely her brother and her long lost childhood savior would die. All the sudden she didn't feel so tough. Her journey alone from Florida to Europe was forgotten. She didn't want to remember what it had been like to hold a gun between her fingers for the first time in nine years, she didn't want to remember how she had threatened Dr. J and almost taken his life. She was only fifteen and she wanted her mother. Slumping down on the floor Sarah let the pain overtake her and the tears she had been hiding since she'd gotten the news streamed down her cheeks without a sign of stopping. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "I want to be strong. I'm sorry."

Sarah barely felt Relena's arms wrapping around her and whispering encouragement. She just held her tighter and wished that it would all go away. She just wanted her brother back. She had never wanted to be a soldier. She had never wanted this life.

"I understand how it is." Relena reassured her. "I grew up way before I was supposed to and it's all right to cry."

Sarah smiled despite her tears and clung to the woman tightly. "Thank you." How was it that so much love seeped from her? She gave it so selflessly even when she was in so much pain herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~ ``````` Lady Une's Office ```````~~~~~~~~~

"Tell me Anthony, tell me how I'm supposed to train my soldiers to defend against Heero, Duo and the others. It can't be that hard can it? There are only three of them?" Lady Une slumped into her chair and ignored the looks the others were giving her. Quatre and Wufie were in there as well as Noin and Sally. Trowa was off with the child trying to pry as much from his as possible and would be filled in later. Right now she had to learn how to defend against two of her best agents.

"I can't tell you it'll be easy. The chips as far as we could tell enhance every ability the victim has and makes them completely loyal to the programmer. Their hearing is better. They can pick out a man seemingly walking silently from 400 feet. Their vision is better that akin to an eagle. Strength, agility, speed, need I go one?" Anthony asked raising a brow. "Telling your soldiers this will not make it easier for them."

"Then what do you think we should do?" Quatre asked. "Send them in blindly not knowing that they will most likely die? These men and women have families."

"That's unfortunate." Anthony said smiling sadly and shaking his head. "I know that they have families, but what is more important. If Hammond and Smith get what they want they'll have the world under their control. With the chips they'll be able to turn everyone against us."

"I know that but…" Quatre started but Wufie cut him off.

"He is right." He said under his breath. "It will only discourage the soldiers and we need them at there best. They must be confident with they stand any chance of beating the enemy. We'll tell them who they are fighting but we'll keep their hopes up. After all there are only three."

"It doesn't seem fair three against an army." Noin said slowly.

"Better prepared than not. You knew Heero during the wars. He was nearly unstoppable." Sally stated. "I remember fighting along side him." The room fell into silence for a moment.

"So we put the base on full red alert." Une said slowly. "All soldiers ready at any moment. The only question we need answered now is where will they strike."

Quatre looked up for a moment and frowned. "I know where I would start." He paused his mind working strategically. "If I wanted to take over the world I start at its only defense."

"The Preventer's base!" Noin cried. "There have got to be over 10,000 soldiers at the one here alone and…" She trailed off swallowing not really able to finish her own horrifying thought.

"All of the potential enemies. All they have to do is get through the defenses knock out the ones they need, kill the ones that get in the way or the ones they don't need and they have an army." Anthony finished. "If that happens they'll be impossible to beat."

Lady Une narrowed her eyes and threw open one of her cabinets making everyone jump including the two former Gundam pilots. "All right then. All we have to do is figure out which one they plan to hit first." She pulled out a large three-inch blinder and dropped it on the table with a loud boom. "In here I have the name of every Preventer base throughout the world and the colonies. We'll take stock of each one warn them and figure out which one would be the best to hit."

Une opened the binder and pulled out a stack of files and handed half to Noin and half to Sally. "Those have the names of all the recruits and officers placed at four bases located in the North America, two in South America and one in Africa." She said pointing to Noin. "Get them all on alert and check out the stats. I want to know about security. I want to know what to know exactly about their location. I want to know what time they go to bed at night." She pointed to Sally next. "Yours is for the three in Europe including ours and the four in the Asia. I want to know all the weaknesses. If we let them beat us to this we're doomed."

"What do you want my army to do?" Anthony asked.

"You I want training my men. I'm naming you commanding officer along with Wufie and together you'll train my troops. Do the best you can with the small amount of time we have. Make each day count." Wufie saluted and Anthony nodded.

Lady Une's eyes fell on Quatre lastly. "I know you were the leader in the last battle against White Fang. I know that you are one of the best strategist of this time and I want you to do the impossible."

"What's that?" Quatre asked even though he already knew.

"I want you to figure out a way to beat Heero and Duo. I want you to analyze any weaknesses they had and make them work for us. Noin and Sally are to come to you with any leads. I need to you to call the shots. Your intuition is very valuable." Lady Une couldn't help the frown that crossed her face when she looked at the pain in Quatre's soulful blue eyes.

"What do you want me to do?" Trowa asked, as he suddenly appeared at the door his hand on the shoulder of the small boy he'd found earlier that morning.

"Trowa. You're to go to the base where Heero and Duo are being held and gather as much intelligence as possible. Take the kid with you. He knows how to get around in there. You'll leave after taking a sort briefing with me and come back when you have gathered sufficient intelligence." Lady Une bit her lip as guilt overwhelmed her. She was possibly sending Trowa to his death, but she had no other choice.

~~~~~~~~~~`````` Hilde and Duo's house late that afternoon ```````~~~~~~~~~~

Hilde felt her breathing hitch again as she tried to breath normally. She didn't know what to do. She had cried so many tears there weren't any left. The only thing that escaped her throat were silent screams and the occasional moan of agony. She didn't want to be like this, weak and crying over Duo. She knew that at least he was alive, but what he had become…that was something she could never imagine. Duo wasn't Duo anymore.

Putting her hand over her mouth Hilde closed her eyes a painful sting running through them as she shut her dry lids. Her delicate hand balled into a fist in front of her mouth and the ring that Duo had slipped on her finger only a year ago glinted in the darkness. She would probably never see him again.

"Hilde?"

Hilde sat up quickly and tried smoothing her hair with her fingers and wiped her face where long since shed tears had left dried glistening paths of pain on her cheeks. "Come in." She croaked and cleared her throat for a moment trying to get it to sound normal again. "I'm in the kitchen." Hilde pushed her chair away from the table and headed toward the kitchen light, but it flipped on before she could get to it. Before her stood Relena, standing now, though her face was very pale.

"I rang the bell but no one answered." Relena said slowly and took a few steps into the room giving Hilde a once over.

"I was about to…cook dinner." Hilde said off handedly waving her hand at the cabinets. "I was concentrating on what I was going to make. Sorry."

"Oh." Relena said her voice indicating that she didn't believe a word of what Hilde was saying but she didn't voice her concern.

Hilde moved back toward her chair and sat down pushing her short locks behind her ears and smiling slowly. "How are things? I heard you were talking to the President today."

Relena shrugged. "I did the best I could with trying to convince him, but we don't have any really concrete evidence. They want proof and what we have isn't enough to send everyone into alert. He is taking precautions. He's beefed up security on the Preventer bases, but that's it." She sank into a chair across from Hilde her long blond locks spilling over her shoulder in waves. Her brow was creased in worry and she looked exhausted.

"Relena you want some tea or something?" Hilde asked taking in her weary friend with concern. It was good to think of someone else and not dwell on Duo. "You look so beat."

"Actually yeah." Relena her fingers shaking a bit as she tucked a few loose strands behind her ear. "I've been doing so much today and I felt ready to collapse when I first awoke this morning."

"You should have rested." Hilde told her going to the cabinet and pulling out a pack of tea. "You shouldn't have done so much your first day awake."

"I had to." Relena said slowly no contempt or remorse in her words. There was only fact. She knew she was a calming influence. She knew it was her responsibility to unite the people.

"Still," Hilde began, "it was a lot to take on." Hilde trailed off as she put the pot on the stove and went back to sit at the table. Relena was looking at the table's wooden surface her fingers tracing one grain lightly.

"I wanted to be the one to tell you." Relena said suddenly as her head shot up her aqua eyes brimming with tears. "I was so devastated when I heard. I wanted to be the one to tell you. I wanted you to hear it from somebody that understood what you were going through. I'm sorry."

Hilde swallowed the pain and the tears that had somehow regained purchase and were threatening to fall again. "I-I don't know what to think." Hilde whispered as she put her hand over her mouth again and swallowed. "I love him Relena. We were going to have children together and if what we hear is right he'll either die or I will. It seems like it's all over."

"I know." Relena said slowly as a single tear slipped down her cheek before she could wipe it away like the others. "I know." She swallowed heavily and tried a smile but it wouldn't cover her face. She didn't feel like smiling at all. "I did the same thing you're doing." Relena said weakly. "I cried. I wondered and I realized that none of it was doing me any good. I don't know if he's gone yet. It might not be true."

Hilde nodded. "I know that but sometimes it's hard for me to look at that." They both fell into a deep silence only broken by the sound of the teapot whistling. Hilde hopped to her feet and took it off the lit burner and placed it on another one to cool before she took her seat again.

"Hilde." Relena said. "We need your help."

Hilde cocked her head to the side. "What for?"

"I've reinitiated the production of mobile suit and I need you to teach them how to fly them." Relena kept her gaze firm and didn't waver when Hilde started to shake her head.

"Relena what if…I can't not when there's a chance…"

"Please Hilde I'm asking you not only as a Preventer, but as a friend. I need your help. We don't have anyone as skilled as you are. I'm not asking you to fly one I'm just asking you to train them. I'd never ask you to pilot one if you didn't want to."

Hilde looked away from Relena's intense gaze and settled in on the teapot as she pushed the tears away and replaced them with resolve. For now anyway she had to put it behind her. "All right. I'll do it."

"Thank you." Relena whispered. "I'm sorry to ask. I really am, but I wanted to do it in person. I wanted to make sure this was your choice and not an order."

~~~~~~~```` Preventer's Base: Central Europe Cinq Kingdom 1am``~~~~~~~~

Quatre leaned over his glowing computer console and blinked trying to make his eyes focus on the blurring words and numbers. A few hours ago they had been short statistics and descriptions but now they were nothing but a blurring mass of black and white. Quatre let his platinum blond head slam onto the desk as he groaned and reached to his side wrapping his fingers around his cup of coffee. This was too much. On the screen he was trying to figure out how to take out two of his closest friends and to his other side he had stakes of bases and reports to review and get back to Lady Une on.

Quatre lifted his head and took a lengthy sip from his cup and set it back on the table and turned from the screen to the files. Quatre was really sure why but he didn't feel as if he needed to check out the other bases. Something told him that the strike was going to come to the Cinq kingdom Preventer's base. It wasn't the most logical or even strategically sound approach, but something nagged at him telling him to forget the rest and focus on here. Of course he had already told Lady Une how he felt. She had backed him up of course but encouraged him to keep looking. He had no proof and what she needed was proof.

"Hey Quatre, I've got another stack for you to look though. I figured I give it a run over with you just to make it easier."

Quatre looked up to see Noin striding into the room holding two files and smiling wanly. "Sure Noin." Quatre said removing a few of his book from the other seat around hi computer and patting it so she knew she could sit.

"Yeah well these don't look as if they'll be any help. Most of the recruits on the base in Oregon are new. The place did just start up and would be fairly easy to penetrate, but the skills of the recruits are limited." She flipped open the file and pulled out a roster. "Take a look at this. There are only two hundred men here and none of them have even started special ops."

Quatre forced his eyes open and scanned over the list. She was right. These men weren't what he would be looking for. Quatre rubbed his reddening eyes and set the file on top of the others. "That looks about right."

Noin paused before she opened the next file and frowned. "Quatre, you've said just about the same thing about every file. Where do you think it will happen."

"In my gut I feel like they're coming here. It doesn't make any sense at all. This is the largest base the most secure, the most personal! We have three Gundam pilots on part time and full active duty. There's you, Zechs, Sally, and Lady Une as well as countless other people who fought in this war working here, but something tells me this is where they're going to come." Quatre frowned and looked at his computer. "I'm supposed to stop them though."

"We're supposed to stop them." Noin stated and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We don't even know if everything the kid said is true. He could be wrong. Maybe it's not Heero and Duo."

Quatre laughed slowly his voice not truly veiling in happiness. "Optimism, I used to be good at that."

Before Noin could say anything else the com-link on her belt beeped. Noin set the file on the desk and picked up the pager. "What is it?" She asked and turned up the volume so Quatre could listen.

"Col. Noin this is Lt. Marks on sector twelve security. A silent alarm was tripped in the south wing ten minutes ago. I sent one of me men to check it out, but he hasn't returned. I need back up and I'm awaiting orders."

Noin froze unable to look at Quatre knowing his eyes mirrored the fear seeping into her chest. "Stay alert Lt. we are sending back up. Stay where you are. Do you copy stay there."

"But, ma'am these are the new recruit barracks some of these men just arrived. They have no skills and no way of defending themselves."

"I repeat. Stay where you are!" Noin called into the mike. "Don't abandon post. We're calling back up this very second. Over" Noin looked up to see Quatre calling Une.

"Sir I hear something. I'm just going to peek out my door. Over."

"Dammit. I told you to stay Marks! Marks?"

~~~~~~``` Sector Twelve Security booth ````~~~~~~~

Troy grabbed hold of the shaking boy and looked him in the eye for a moment. The youth was shaking and his fingers were wrapped loosely around his own arm in a feeble attempt to pull himself free. Troy cocked his head to the side and gave the boy's neck a violent twist before dropping him to the floor in an unconscious heap. There wasn't even a good struggle with that one.

Troy frowned. He wanted a good fight. He wanted a reason to shed some blood and the way things were working out it didn't seem as if it was going to be possible.

"Marks! Marks?"

Troy turned away for the unconscious youth and too the surveillance equipment. After switching off the link he pulled himself into the chair and let his fingers fly across the keyboard hacking into files and changing things to the way he wanted them. Within moments a bright red light began flashing overhead and an ear piercing alarm rang through out the corridors.

Troy flipped the switch on the earpiece securely wrapped around the outside of his ear and spoke. "Mace, Duo this is Troy phase one is complete. Move on to phase two."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~```

OH that was kinda evil, but what do you think of this chapter. Not much action true, but the next one promises to be full of it. Next chapter is also done and should be out by this time next week!