*--*

Jaime only had to fight through about ten or twelve guards to get to the door that said "Control Room-Authorized Personnel Only." She tried turning the knob, but it was locked. So she took out a pistol and shot the doorknob and lock off all together. She kicked the door open and burst into the room.

"Huh?" There was only one person in the room. A little girl of about twelve sat in a high swivel chair; her face and pink hair highlighted an eerie blue colour by the hoard of computer monitors. "Hn. *You* must be Mariemaia. Where is Deakim Barton?" Jaime asked.

Mariemaia smiled innocently. "Oh, you mean him?" She pointed behind Jaime.

"What-?" Jaime turned around in time to see the butt of a rifle come barreling down at her before everything went black.

"Hold her until she wakes up," Mariemaia instructed Deakim.

*--*

"Duo, get me out of here!" Heero growled into his speaker.

"I'm trying, damnit!" Duo grunted. "They're like ants, man. Every time I hit one, another damned two show up!" He whipped a hand grenade from its holster and threw it at a group of soldiers. "Good thing they're not trained very well." Before they could figure out what it was, the miniature bomb killed thirty of their group. "The problem is, more keep coming!"

At this, Heero burst through the doors of the boiler room, a gun in each hand. "All right, let's go!" He laughed maniacally. "I'll kill all of you!"

Duo spared a glance for Heero. "Heero . . . ."

*--*

"WuFei," Kristen's voice came through my transponder. "WuFei, I've hit a dead end. I have to come back around your way. Damn it! I've got about ten soldiers on my tail!"

"Kristen?"

"It's all right. I'm shakin' 'em off. I've got it. Are you there, yet?"

I nodded. "Almost. I can see the door. I've got maybe a couple hundred of yards. Hurry!"

"I will. I-"

All of a sudden, two shots rang out. "WuFei? What the hell was that? WuFei?! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. It wasn't me. It came from the control room. Please hurry, Kristen!"

*--*

When Jaime came to and opened her eyes, she found herself staring into the face of an old man. "*You* must be *Deakim*," she spat. That earned her a slap across the face. She tried to reach a hand to her face, but when she couldn't, she looked down to see her hands restrained by some rope tied to a chair.

"Now," Mariemaia said, coming into Jaime's view, "I'll let you up, but you have to promise to be a good girl." Jaime just glared. "I'll take that as a 'yes'," Mariemaia said cheerfully. She cut the ropes binding Jaime with a knife, setting her free.

Jaime stood up slowly, then made a quick grab for her gun.

"Ah, ah, ah," Mariemaia laughed, wagging a finger at her. "We've already taken away your toys. Tsk, tsk, tsk. And I let you out on good behaviour. Deakim?"

Jaime felt her arms suddenly jerked backward behind her back and tied together painfully with a thick twine, tightened until she cried out. She then felt a sharp pain shoot across her neck, and felt hot liquid travel downward, making lazy tracks. "You monsters . . . ."

"Oh?" Again with the innocent look. "How is that? As I recall, *you* first attacked *us*."

"No!" Jaime yelled. "*You* attacked ESUN! What did they ever do to *you*?"

Mariemaia scowled. "They did *everything*. They're a hypocritical democracy that doesn't care for anyone but themselves!"

"You're wrong," a quiet voice said from the doorway.

"Trowa!" Jaime cried, delighted. "Thank god you're here!"

"Trowa, is it?" Deakim said from behind her. "Hm. This girl here seems to hold compassion for you. There's no place for that in this war."

"You're wrong," Trowa said again. "The war is over, if you'd only open your eyes and see."

"You are mistaken," Mariemaia said quietly. "ESUN doesn't care for the colonies! We're rectifying *their* mistake!"

Jaime felt a cold circle pressed against the back of her neck. "Oh, no . . . ." She shook her head back and forth.

"You will be but one of the many who are sacrificed for our noble cause. You are not the first, and will not be the last," Deakim said, cocking his gun.

"Trowa," Jaime whispered, her eyes wide with fear. "Please, no . . . . Trowa, please . . . ."

A shot rang out, and Trowa watched as Jaime's form crumpled to the ground.

"No . . . ." Trowa locked the gun's sight on Deakim. "You bastards . . . ."

*--*