Prologue
Bleep. Bleep. Bleep. BLEEP!
Heero Yuy's computer cried without stopping, not liking being ignored. After a few moments the pilot awoke from the deep and tormenting sleep in his small room in the living quarters of the base, realizing that for the first time he had ignored his laptop. With a groan, he stood and stumbled to the desk where his laptop sat, wiping the cold sweat off of his forehead with the back of his arm, he flicked on the computer.
The image on the screen flickered and focused, revealing the face of Dr. J.
"What took so long, 01?" he inquired, displeased.
Heero grumbled something in return and the scientist frowned, noting that the pilot had been off more than usual lately.
"Report to the office 0401 immediately, along with the other pilots" he told Heero and the screen went blank.
Heero glanced at the clock in the bottom right hand corner of the screen and sighed, noticing it was 1:04 AM. After grabbing a shirt from the closet he headed out into the dimly lit hall.
The five pilots stood in the elevator as it descended. Heero, standing at the front of the group stared directly in front of himself, ignoring the fact that Duo was snoring in the corner and Wufei was ready to chop off his brain since the American decided to use him for a pillow.
The elevator smoothly came to a stop and with a soft ding the doors opened and the pilots stepped out, Duo screaming protests when Wufei had dragged him out by his hair.
Office 0401 was the fourth door on the right and Heero pushed it open and entered, followed by the others. Dr. J was seated on a dark leather couch opposite the wall and gestured to a couch to the left of the door for them to take a seat.
"What's up, Doc?" Duo yawned and flopped down on the couch between Heero and Quatre.
"I have a new mission for you," Dr. J replied, giving Duo a displeased look, "It is very important that none of this leaves the walls of this room"
"Of course," Quatre nodded, seeming not one bit bothered by the fact that it was the middle of the night.
Dr. J pressed a button on the arm of his couch and the lights dimmed, a single flat screen on the wall being practically the only thing lighting up the room. A newspaper article appeared, the headline read 'Deadly Serial Killer Anonymously Turned It'. After a few moments the picture changed showing a different article, this one read, 'Underground Police Unit or Good Samaritan(s)?'. As the pilots watched silently, that article was replaced by a video clip of an evening reportage.
"And they strike again. Another gang that had been terrorizing a peaceful neighborhood on the outskirts of Los Angeles had been found bound and gagged in a police warehouse. It is believed that this is the work of the group of rebels that had come to be known as the Avengers, is responsible. This would be the fourth incident this week, and so far neither the police nor the Preventers have any information on the identities or number of these rebels." The clip ended and was replaced by another article.
"Criminals have been literally showing up on the Preventers' doorsteps, whole gangs caught and their headquarters exposed, even as simple as old ladies mysteriously getting their stolen purses back and as far as whole operations mysteriously going from wrong to right," Dr. J spoke as the articled continued changing, their supply seemed endless, "And the list goes on,"
"When did this begin?" Trowa spoke up for the first time that night.
"Just a few weeks ago," the scientist replied.
"So you want us to go to LA and hunt down these so called, rebels."
The balding man looked up at Heero who had spoken, his tone more of a statement than a question.
"Yes. They can be valuable allies or equally costly enemies."
"Why would they be enemies if they're helping to clean up Los Angeles?" This time it was Duo who had spoken; he was now awake and alert.
"It can be a way to get the public under their control," Dr. J replied, "Or a part of some other plan they have up their sleeve. Either way, it's important we find who they are and what they're capable of. You leave for LA tomorrow."
* * *
Heero stared up at the plain white ceiling of his room. Sleep wasn't coming back to him that night, but in a way he was glad. There was nothing but nightmares for him anyway. But they felt so real, so unbelievably real. And every time they showed a new horror, each worse than the previous.
He rolled over onto his side and his arm swiped the night table next to his bed; a small piece of thick paper fluttered to the ground. He leaned over and picked it up, glancing at it. Illuminated in the silvery moonlight was the photograph of him and Trin that Duo had taken at the beach. He was angry then, but he was glad Duo had done it. It was his only visual memory of her. His fingers ran over the girl's face gently.
He was still so confused. Ever since she disappeared it was like there was a big hole in him that would never be filled again; almost the same as when Relena had died. But strangely, the hole in him that was made by Relena's death was still there, and it never vanished, not even when Trin was around.
Anger flowed through is veins and his eyes flashed. He didn't want to be confused anymore, why couldn't he just figure it out? Dr. J was right, he would be so much better off without emotions.
His hand shook, wanting to crumble the picture. But he couldn't.
'Why did she leave?'
His feelings had formed into an actual thought, and he fought angrily trying to push it away. He didn't care if she left, he tried to convince himself. She had a few options and she had made a choice. It was her decision, her life, and it didn't effect him. But it did. Painfully, it did.
Pulling open the drawer of the night table, he dropped the picture inside and slammed the drawer shut. Invisible to him, the picture fell to the bottom and landed on top of another picture, covering it half way. The picture was of a brunette in a pink business suit, Relena. The two girls' faces pictured on pieces of paper, lay side by side in the drawer of the Wing Zero pilot. Relena and Trinity, both parts of his past. Neither a part of the present.
A/N: Well, that's the Prologue. I know I took forever with this, and I apologize once more. Tell me what you think, onegai?
~Arion