~2~

The boy now known as Heero Yuy sat up and momentarily wondered where he was. Then his brain pulled itself together and the memories came crashing back. He'd gotten to earth, that part of his mission was complete. Unfortunately his Gundam had been damaged and salvaged by the Alliance. He couldn't allow them access to his mobile suit, and to even allow them to study the weaponry would be disastrous. So he'd broken into the military base with the intent of destroying it, and that was where things had gone wrong. He had been interrupted, and shot, and then knocked unconscious. He could reasonably assume that he was now inside some kind of military hospital. Logically there was no way that they would allow him to be here without restraints, which therefore meant...

He looked behind him and was not particularly surprised to see his own unconscious body lying there. This was obviously some kind of dream, albeit a remarkably lucid one. That was a good thing, however, because it allowed him more time to plan his next moves.

"Hello again!"

Heero turned around and stared. It was her again. Ten years later, and she was standing in front of him in the same dark outfit, not looking a day older. In his dream. This was not possible.

"So, how have you been? World been treating you well?"

He did not know what to say.

"Cat got your tongue?"

He scowled. "I don't know what that means. What are you doing here?"

She smiled brightly. "Oh, you know, the usual. Work again, I'm afraid. Which reminds me, I've got a job to do pretty soon. Walk with me?"

She made her way to the door purposely, not looking back. He followed her, although he didn't really understand why.

"So, what's been happening lately?"

He looked at her suspiciously, but her question appeared to have been asked completely innocently, and this was a dream. So he hesitated, and then replied. "I have failed my mission. I should not have allowed Wing to be captured, and now I have only compounded my mistake by allowing myself to be taken."

Her look was sympathetic. "Wow, you must be feeling a bit down right now."

"My feelings don't matter. I need to escape as soon as possible."

"Seems like pretty sound reasoning. But confidentially?" She leaned towards him conspiringly. "I wouldn't actually worry too much about coming up with an escape plan. Others have got it in hand."

He stared at her. "I don't know any others."

"Lets just say that a friend of yours is working on the situation right now."

"I don't have any friends."

"Okay, so friend is possibly too strong a word. He did shoot you twice, after all."

The boy in black. The one who had shot him at the base, the one who was at least partially responsible for him being captured. That made no sense. "Why would he be attempting to rescue me?"

"I dunno, maybe he's sorry for shooting you."

"He should not be. He had no idea who I was and had to grasp the situation quickly and without many of the facts. It is possible that I would have done the same thing under the circumstances."

"Well, I'm sure he'd feel better knowing that."

He didn't answer, and they walked in silence for a few seconds. He took care to note his surroundings; by comparing them to the blueprints of the area's military buildings that he had earlier committed to memory he should be able to get some idea of where he was.

"Penny for them?"

He turned back and gave her a blank look.

"Penny for your thoughts. It's an old phrase; I always kind of liked it. I was just wondering what you were thinking there."

"I am thinking about how to escape. What else would I be thinking about?"

"Heh. You've got a point there. This mission is everything to you, isn't it, Heero?"

This was getting ridiculous. He needed answers. "How would you know this? And how do you know my alias?"

"Would you believe me if I told you it's all just a dream?"

"I am beginning to suspect it may not be. There could be some type of technology that can allow psychic intrusion, and if so..."

To his utmost annoyance, she burst into laughter at this. "Good grief! You're quite the little paranoid, aren't you?"

"I am a soldier!" His voice was positively icy. "If I wasn't paranoid, then I would probably have died years ago."

Just like that, she was dead serious, and when she spoke he swore he could again hear the faintest traces of sadness.

"You really do believe that, don't you? And worse, you may even be right."

"I am right."

"I suspect those with a somewhat nicer childhood would think differently."

"This mission does not need someone with a 'nicer childhood'. I have trained for years to be what I am. I am completely devoted to accomplishing my goals."

She didn't try to argue with him this time, just smiled sadly and stopped walking. "If you'll excuse me for just a sec, Heero. Work calls, but I wont be long."

"Go ahead."

She walked through the doorway of the nearest ward and the Heero was left standing alone in the corridor. He was confused, and frustrated because he disliked the confusion. What kind of 'job' could she possibly be talking about? He tried to tell himself that it didn't matter to him, that it was irrelevant to his own concerns but...

He edged closer to the door, and listened. There was a patient in the ward, as well as doctors and nurses. He heard frantic talking amongst the medical staff.

"...pulse down to... vitals not holding he's... dammit where's the... sorry I got it now... get the defib... but I don't think... if we can try... I don't think he's... try to get a pulse back... I don't think he's going to make it..."

The chatter slowed down after that, and for a few minutes all he could hear were whispers and the quiet whine of a heart monitor gone dead.

And then...

Amongst the whispering he heard the woman speaking gently, too low for him to hear the words. Someone replied, equally softly but in tones filled with sadness, and awe, and trepidation.

And then...

He couldn't identify the sound at first. It started low and soft and gentle, the faintest fluttering which expanded outwards until there was no mistaking what he heard.

Wings

The beating of mighty wings, filled with purpose and power beyond imagining. Bearing away the most precious of burden to... somewhere else. It was the sound of her wings. It was the sound of... She was...

Death.

When she stepped outside again, he was frozen. She gave him a big smile and dusted her hands on her shirt.

"Okay, all finished. Now where were we?"

"You."

She cocked her head to the side, thinking. "Actually no, I'm fairly sure that wasn't it. Though you're welcome to change the topic if you want to..."

"You are..."

"You look a little tongue tied there."

Again with the amusement! Was she playing with him? This wasn't funny! He pulled himself together and gave her his best glare of disgust.

"I'm not afraid of you", he said.

"Who on earth said you had to be?"

"You're Death." He spat it out.

She sighed at this. "Yes, Heero, you're right. I am. But what I told you was the truth. I'm not here to take you away, and I'm not here to frighten you. It wouldn't work, and I know it."

"But..."

"I'm just here to talk, Heero. I told you, I was here and you were here, and I thought you might want someone to discuss things with. Besides, it's kind of refreshing for me as well. I don't often get to have more than one conversation with someone!"

He stared at her smiling face. "I don't understand."

"I don't suppose you do. Maybe it's just an anthropomorphic personification thing."

"Why me?"

"Why not? Don't you think you're an interesting person?"

"I... I don't..."

Again she sighed. "Look I'm sorry to have to leave things at this point but I really have to go now and you're going to be waking up pretty soon. Why don't you just think about some of the things we said?"

He looked up and met her eyes. They were warm, and filled with sympathy, and...

Comforting.

"Yes", he said.

She gave him a wave, and faded away.

-+-

He woke up strapped into restraints, pushed the remnants of the dream away, and concentrated on the job at hand, getting away. Later he'd think of the dream. Later, he'd debate the reality of it. Later he'd wonder what it meant, and whether he'd see her again.

He did. It didn't take long at all.

*************

Continued...