"Well I'm sorry if my introduction was a little over the top. I get that way when I'm nervous. You're right Heero I'm a brain augment, but I prefer to be called psionic. I have telepathic and telekinetic abilities."
Duo watched his friends while Shelby spent the next quarter of an hour explaining how she was recruited.
Now, Duo noticed most of them flinched from her telepathic thought for the tricky part. They felt her send her mind out somewhere far. Anna. Anna I need your help. No response. God dammit Annabella this is an emergency! Where are you?
I'm sleeping. Came the feminine reply. I usually do that at two a.m.
It's happened Anna, I told Duo the truth. Duo could feel the other mind snap to full alertness.
HAVE YOU COMPLETELY LOST YOUR MIND? Was the very frightened response If we're lucky we'll only be killed.
What would dying be preferable to? interrupted Relena's thought. She didn't realize her mental connection to Shelby made her thoughts audible to all of them.
Anna's mind suddenly went icy cold. TELL ME that was Duo. Tell me I don't sense several minds tagging along on yours like some FREAKING AMUSMENT PARK RIDE!
Anna. It's happened. Shelby laid heavy emphasis on those two words, but somehow kept their meaning from the rest of them. On the other end Anna's mind became a hurricane of emotions. Most of them were based in fear. It was then Duo realized the fear in Shelby as well. If he was certain of one thing it was that these two women were terrified of him and his friends.
He reached over and put his arms around her. "You never have to be afraid of me. I'll never hurt you." He kissed her on the forehead and tried to mentally project reassurance.
Well I can see why you love him. Anna said wryly. She'd regained control over her emotions. You must be Duo, I'm Annabella Rosemarita Petronovitch.
Shelby signaled for everyone to introduce themselves. "Just speak normally. It will help focus your thoughts."
One by one they gave their names. Quatre and Trowa seemed cautious but curious. Heero and Wufei were reluctant.
"Hello I'm Relena Peacecraft. I believe we've met before. You were the one who came to visit Ms Fox uh… McGuire right?"
That's right I'm surprised you remembered. Anna said pleasantly. I guess I should tell all of you a little bit about myself. Or I guess I'd be better if I showed you.
Having experienced the mental rollercoaster of someone else's memories before, Duo found he could focus better. He could note how both women's experiences at the complex were similar, but felt so different. He was able to stay in his body and watch his friends have feelings that didn't belong to them. Relena had tears in her eyes when she had to watch Cyber and Tav die. Quatre looked as if he wanted to erase the pain from a person he'd never met. The other three had almost the same stony expressions. Anna was about to continue after Tav's suicide, but Shelby stopped her.
"Perhaps we should leave it there." She said "I think any more would be too much at one time."
Anna paused to think on that. Good idea. You know we exist now and a little of what we can do. It's probably better if you go now and decide what you want to do with that knowledge. You can expose us, ignore us, or choose to learn more about us. If you want to learn more, I only ask two favors. First, I'd rather we talk in person and not several time zones away. Second, you keep our secret until after we meet.
"I fail to see why we should abide by such restrictions" Wufei said.
It is certainly up to you what you do of course. I'm simply hoping for the outcome which won't have me strapped to a lab table being dissected. Anna said reminding him that she could see many outcomes depending on their actions. Now I'm going to hope I can get back to sleep. Good day everyone. And her mind was gone.
"It's a little difficult to take in." said Quatre quietly. "I hope you'll forgive me for being rude, but what are the chances of you going mad?"
"It's alright. It's a fair question. You can choose to accept Anna's failure to predict such an outcome, or you can simply do the math. I've been like this for fifteen years now. Two at the lab complex and thirteen hiding in society. The subjects in the disaster eighty years ago went insane within months of their initial treatments. The only time I've ever used my abilities to harm was during my escape. Simply, if it hasn't happened yet, chances are it's not going to."
"Alright" Duo said as he started to herd them towards the door. "You've got what you came for now leave!"
Not all of them wanted to leave, and some of them gave him dirty looks, but they did leave. He quickly shut the door behind them and turned to Shelby.
"Okay finish it." He said "you're hiding something else, and I want it out now. No more secrets from you, no more craziness from me. I just want us to be us."
She smiled at him "Duo didn't you ever wonder why you could feel me? Why you seemed to always know where I was? How we are connected?"
He did wonder that, but it got forgotten under everything else.
Think Duo. She opened her mind to him. The connection was deeper than she'd done before. He realized he was completely joined at the soul to her. He felt everything she felt.
Think love what do you feel?
"I feel…I feel" there was something wriggling in the back of his mind trying to get out. He focused on it "I feel… Deathscythe. I feel Deathscythe. My Deathscythe!" How could he have not seen it before?
"Yes love. I'm your Deathscythe. When you spoke to your gundam and knew someone was there, that was me. When you needed strength or support I gave it. When you and those other idiots almost got yourselves killed I'd tip the scales so you lived."
"IT WAS YOU! You stopped my self detonation! I was seriously pissed at that!" he said with mock ferocity.
"I remember." She couldn't help laughing at the memory.
Now that he knew, he realized how truly right they were for each other. He understood why he was so crazy around her. He knew now why no other woman had ever stood a chance with him. Why he as much as he loved his friend Hilde, he couldn't love her the way she deserved. He had already given his heart away to the soul that lived in his gundam. They loved each other before they'd even met. Somehow even when he was a fifteen year old kid, he must have known she was out there without him.
"Okay there's just one more thing I'd like to know." He scooped her up into his arms carrying her to the bedroom. "Can you keep this mental bond open for a while? I bet It'd be great during sex."
"You mean like this?" She kissed him passionately. He felt the not only in himself become aroused, but her blood heating as well.
Oh yeah that's exactly what I mean.
Authors note: The story thread isn't done. Keep watching for the sequel to this story. When Quatre meets Anna in She's Sandrock.
