Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters.

Warnings: Mild language and violence

ZERO SOUL

Chapter 11: The Past Unearthed

By: Vegie-kun

"Heero did what!?" Duo yelled when they told him of their recent battle. The American pilot had just arrived from L2 not less than an hour ago in one of the best moods of his life before it was quickly shattered by the shocking news. He had to fight back the urge to hop into Deathscythe Hell and track OZ down, intending to do some serious damage to their base.

"No mistake about it, it was definitely WingZERO we fought against back there," Trowa confirmed.

"There's no way Heero would let them do that to him!" Duo protested slamming his hands down on the table. "If we have a hard enough time restraining that psychotic nut case, what makes you think OZ can!? I mean it's HEERO for heaven's sake!" He was absolutely furious and had reverted to Shinigami mode, something usually reserved for when he was in a cockpit.

"I wish we could have had better news for you," Quatre replied, trying to soothe the rage within his friend.

"Dammit! This really sucks!" Deathscythe's pilot shouted as he moved away from the table only to slam his fist into a nearby wall.

"Calm down Maxwell," Wufei spoke up from his seat at the far end of the conference table, "now is not the time to lose one's head. We have to concentrate on developing a plan to get both Yuy and Foreign Minister Darlian back." He closed his eyes, crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned back in his chair. /The way he fought back there... it didn't seem like him. If he wanted to he could have killed us... it's not like him to hold back… unless he's trying to fight off OZ's control.../ He clicked his tongue in disgust. /Dammit, we're losing this battle with every passing minute./

"Wufei's right," Noin concurred as she gazed out the window, "but I think the Gundam pilots should lay low for a while and let the Preventers take over until we can locate their main base." She turned her head and was greeted by many looks of surprise.

"What are you saying, onna?" Wufei questioned, obviously angry and annoyed by that remark.

"Yeah, just what do you mean by that?" Duo inquired as he leaned against the wall.

"Miss Noin," the Arabian pilot protested, "we can't just sit down and do nothing while our friends are in OZ's hands. There's no telling what those people are putting them through." His usually sweet appearance was marred by a deep frown.

The older woman placed one hand on her hip and ran the other through her hair. "I understand your concern," she interjected, "but look at it this way... they managed to get a hold of Heero, what makes you think they aren't after the rest of you as well?" Her face and voice were stern as she continued, "If that happens, then they would be near impossible to defeat. We already have our hands tied trying to resolve this matter with WingZERO without alerting the public to our existence. We don't have the resources right now to spare if you all get taken."

"Yes," Quatre hesitantly agreed, "But we can't just sit around idly and do nothing."

"Look," Noin tried once more to reason with them, "If OZ somehow managed to get Gundams along with their pilots fighting on their side, neither the Earth nor the colonies will be able to stand up against them. The Preventers wouldn't be able to do anything against that kind of firepower and our world would fall easily into OZ's hands."

"If this were a different situation then I would have agreed with you," Wufei began in an even voice, "but right now we can't afford to lose any more time. The longer we wait the better the chances OZ has of accomplishing their goals, whatever they may be."

At this point she realized that they wouldn't easily budge on this matter. "But how do you plan on stopping them when you don't even know where they are?" Noin conceded as she tilted her head to the side.

The room became silent as the five pooled their brains together to formulate a plan that would help them in their endeavor. Wufei leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes while Quatre took up a thinking position from his seat directly across from him. The Deathscythe pilot started pacing around the room as the Heavyarms pilot stood in a corner, closely monitored his movements. Noin held her arms across her body with her head hung down in deep contemplation.

"We will set a trap." Trowa's sudden suggestion caught everyone's gaze as they listened intently for details.

"Go on, we're listening..." Duo urged, a devious smile creeping its way onto his face.

In one of OZ's medical labs, the doctors and scientists responsible for developing the Seele units were now hovering above an examination table, their experiment strapped firmly onto it. The girl was unconscious but her face still held its usual emotionless mask though none knew of the pain hidden behind it. /Why haven't you killed me yet?/

The guard placed in charge of delivering the prisoner's food was the one to report the boy missing, the girl unconscious and the other guards incapacitated. It was quite the shock for everyone when upon hearing the news, General Whitenburg had rushed from his inspection of the Gundams to the cell, ignoring the soldiers and mechanics on the floor. Without giving them a second thought he hastily sprinted to the girl's side. Upon arrive at the cell he had shown a surprising degree of concern as he tried to wake her up, shaking her gently. Shocking his men once again he picked her up and personally carried her off to the nearest med lab.

"How is she?" the General asked in a voice that was uncharacteristically full of fear and concern.

"Well sir, her vital signs seem to be in order," the man with graying brown hair replied. "She's in the best of physical conditions despite her recent battle with the Gundams."

"Then why is she like this?" the General's question came out in harshly as he dangerously eyed the man in the lab coat.

"It appears to be the Seele units, sir," the man with the black hair and beard replied. He gestured to the General to come see the information displayed on the computer monitor for himself. When Whitenburg reached the console the doctor found it safe to continue. "Some of the circuits to unit 3 have been damaged though it appears as if they've been that way for about a week now. Can you offer any ideas as to how that could have happened?"

"Damn," the General cursed beneath his breath. /That transmission we sent her must have been too much for the units to handle./ He composed himself and a thought entered his mind. "If the Seele units have been damaged this entire week, why is she just starting to show signs of breakdown now?"

"We can't really say for sure," the doctor with dark brown skin and hazel eyes answered, "but we think it could have been due to her recent experience in WingZERO."

"I can't see how that could be the reason," the man with the icy blue eyes stated, "Their ZERO systems are exactly identical. We've extensively checked the blueprints to make sure that it was."

"Well," the oldest doctor began, "the system might be the same but the pilot who operated it isn't." He then began to read the printouts that a machine was giving of her brain activity.

"What do you mean by that?" His interest perked up at the revelatory statement.

"We aren't precisely clear as to how it works," the old man with white hair began again, "but we believe the ZERO system starts to develop a certain feel for its main pilot." When he saw that the General still couldn't comprehend what he was saying he continued. "The more a pilot uses that ZERO system, the more the program gets accustomed to that one pilot, knowing its brainwaves and thought processes almost personally. Since that Gundam's original pilot has been piloting that machine for a longer period of time, it's safe to say he probably left a very strong impression behind in that ZERO system."

"And the Seele units can do nothing to block out the influence of the ZERO system," the General finished for him, receiving a slow nod in affirmation. "What are the possible options available to use in this situation? We can't just remove it; we'd risk causing her a memory flood if unit 3 was removed."

"Hmmm..." the doctor with dark brown skin contemplated as he placed his hand under his chin, thinking quickly, "we don't have to remove the unit to repair it. By hooking her up directly to Unit 3's program, we won't have to worry about the threat of memory flooding while we replace the broken circuit. The process won't take as long compared to installing a completely new unit."

"How long?" the General snapped causing the three younger doctors to jump.

"At most, it would take about two hours," he replied.

"Then get to it immediately," he prompted. The others instantly began to busy themselves as he moved closer to the examination table until he was hovering directly above the girl. His face softened momentarily as he reached out to brush aside a stray strand of hair before moving it lower to softly caress her cheek. Like a passing gust of wind, the look of content disappeared and he rushed out of the door.

The four men watched patiently as he left the room, the oldest face showed concern for the cold-hearted General. He sighed deeply and turned to his other comrades; his face held a look of sympathy. "I think that he still sees her in this girl."

/Who does he mean by her?... Whatever... It doesn't matter; I've got more important things to worry about right now. If I continue to observe them, hopefully I can understand more about those Seele units./ Heero tried to keep as still and quiet as he could while he lay on his stomach in the ventilation duct. It had only been a day since his 'escape' and while OZ believed him to be long gone by now, he merely hid himself. This was the opportune time to go search for information and get accustomed to the base.

As he watched the doctors attach wires to her head and pierce her arm with tubes, he made a mental note to hurt them for having done this to Relena. It wasn't a very pretty sight and he had never wanted to see her in such a cruel state; wired like a piece of machinery as men poked and prodded her like some specimen for a science project. However disturbing the scene he carefully burned everything he saw to memory. /So, by being in my WingZERO she feels the impressions I leave in it. I wonder if it's the same way with Epyon... I wonder how long she's been piloting that thing... Maybe there's a way to save her after all... ::Don't let that fact soften you, Yuy. The possibility that she will remain under their control still exists::/

The metal door slid open and Whitenburg walked slowly into his quarters, his pace even and unhurried. His living quarters was larger than most, a reflection of his high status within OZ. His personal belongings decorated the walls and littered his desk, revealing snippets of his personal life. The man sighed to himself and sluggishly walked over to the other side of the room where his bed was located. Before reaching it he stopped in front of his dresser and looked into the mirror hung directly above it. The sight that greeted him was a familiar one; it was an image that frequently graced that reflective surface every time he entered this chamber.

He saw his face transform from the stern mask to one that would have easily gained sympathy from strangers. His eyes became tired and drooped slightly while his once set lip and jaw turned into a frown. The gleam in his cold blue orbs diminished minutely as he continued to stare into the looking glass. This was a man of only thirty yet he had the soul of someone who had already lived a lifetime's worth of grief and heartache. He let out another deep sigh as he continued to stare. /I don't know how much longer I can survive this mundane routine. The years have really taken their toll on me, haven't they?/

Disgusted with his appearance, he gave a slight snort before walking the rest of the distance to his bed. He sat down on the edge of the soft mattress and buried his head in his hands; he was tired and exhausted. The General reached over to the stand beside the head of his bed and grabbed a flask of liquor along with a short glass. Before pouring anything into it he examined the glass with deep interest as if seeing it for the first time. It was a beautiful piece of work, intricately carved with designs of oak trees and a grassy meadow. His face frowned even more as he poured the liquor, whiskey to be exact, into the small container. Swirling the liquid around for a brief moment he downed the bittersweet substance in one quick gulp.

Whitenburg allowed himself a moment of peace as he felt the alcohol travel through his system before replacing both the flask and glass back to their original positions. Before he withdrew his hand from the stand he grabbed a picture frame that was resting next to the whiskey. The corners of his mouth curved up slightly as he stared into the framed photo, though his eyes held only sadness. It was a picture of two people, a younger version of himself and a woman with sandy blonde hair and warm blue eyes, sitting down in the shade of a large oak tree on a grassy green hill. He had his knees bent and his legs were spread apart while the woman sat between them with her back against his chest. They were both dressed in military attire and it seemed as if they didn't even know that someone had taken their picture. /Don't worry; I haven't forgotten the vow that we made... I wish you were here to see it though... we are so close to reviving our dreams... Oh God, I miss you so much. The nights always seem to get longer and the days just become more unpleasant with every passing hour... She's so much like you... that strong determination... that strength... those eyes.../

*FLASHBACK*

The beautiful day was drawing to a close as gentle winds swirled around a few leaves and made the grass dance happily on the hill. In the shadow of a large oak tree two people donning OZ uniforms stood leaning against the large organic pillar. Soft, sweet laughter was being shared between them as the young woman with blonde hair and warm blue eyes turned her head to look up at her comrade.

"I can't believe you actually had the guts to do that to the instructor. Exactly what did you put in his coffee anyways?" She threw him a whimsical glance before turning her attention to the view of the city.

"Well, that's my secret," he answered with a smile. The young man continued to look at her lovingly as she moved from her position near the tree to the large shadow created by the tree's top. She stopped in the center of the circular shade and clasped her hands behind her back. "What's on your mind?" He asked as he moved to join her.

"Well, tomorrow's our last day of training," she said in a distant voice.

"Yeah, so?"

"Soooo, we also get our ranking then and I have no doubt in my mind that you'll make captain or lieutenant," she said as she wrapped her arms around her body and allowed the wind to play with strands of her blonde, shoulder length hair, "and then you'll forget about me."

"How can you say that?"

"Well," she began playfully as she sat down on the ground, "I'm not as good a pilot as you are and I get nervous during the field operations while you're one of the top students in the class. I'll probably be a sergeant for a while."

"What are you talking about?" he asked feigning anger and disappointment. "Didn't we both vow to change this world together when we were younger? Don't tell me you forgot?"

"Of course I didn't," she replied as she gave him a smile, "I was just making sure that you hadn't."

He gave a soft chuckle as he seated himself right behind her. "Look," he said as he moved his arm over her shoulder to point at the setting sun in front of them.

*END FLASHBACK*

The General's hand traced over the glass of the frame and his lips curved into a bitter smile. Letting out one last sigh he put the photo back where it belonged and lay with his back on the soft mattress. The gray, metal ceiling was indifferent to his gaze and he absentmindedly placed his hands behind his head, his eyes slowly and eventually closed shut. /I hope that you're resting well, my friend... Don't worry, I haven't forgotten our vow.../

He bided his time and waited until the doctors had left the room, taking the girl with them, before he even attempted to move around in the vent. The Japanese pilot wasn't about to get captured a second time; he was extra careful to make sure that didn't happen. /The control room is three rooms forward then one room to the right... but it's sure to have people in it... I need to send out a transmission... I need to uncover some information... I need a computer./ While crawling through the small tunnel he cursed himself for all the growing he had done. Back when he was only fifteen he never had much trouble sneaking in through tight spaces. Of course that had been years ago and he was now taller, not to mention bulkier.

"Hn." Heero grunted in frustration when his shirt got snagged on a loose screw. He had to find where they had stashed his equipment; that included his flight suit, the laptop that was kept in WingZERO, and the detonator for his Gundam. The laptop was important but it could easily be replaced, he had most of its files saved on a master disk that he kept hidden in his room. The flight suit may not have seemed as necessary as the former but since WingZERO's detonator was located in one of its pockets, it acquired a new level of priority.

After what seemed like a lifetime, the youth was above a grate and already peering through its holes, checking for any obstacles. Seeing that no one was presently occupying the room, he backed a few inches and started to carefully remove the grate, placing it to the side. Lowering his head slightly through the opening he checked the room once more before jumping down from the hole. He landed with a barely audible thud and proceeded to closely examine his surroundings, checking for security cameras or alarms. It was safe. The room wasn't the main control center but it held computers and that was enough to satisfy Heero.

Running his hands over the panels he located the switch to activate the console and almost immediately the screen glowed a familiar eerie blue. Heero made sure to be as quiet as possible and softened his typing when he felt they were getting too loud. He halted in his actions when he heard footsteps approaching the doorway, holding his breath as he watched the door. Minutes passed and no one entered. He resumed his work once more, taking out a small flash drive he had hidden underneath the bandages still adorning his shoulder and chest. /Getting shot at wasn't pointless after all. I have to thank Trowa when this is all over./

Letting his fingers fly over the computer's keys he began to crack code after code after code. He wasn't sure of where it would lead to as long as he got to the classified files and maybe even get some information on this General. However, he knew the most important piece of information was the data on… /What were they calling it? Ah, yes, the Seele units./ If he was able to retrieve that then they'd be able to take the device apart layer by layer and maybe, just maybe, deactivate the thing without harming the girl. /Doctor J and the others would be more than happy to get their hands on this. They'd be able to figure those things out in a few days, hopefully before this battle becomes too dangerous to stop... Before she becomes too dangerous to try and get back./ His thoughts were suddenly brought to a halt when he came upon a file about the General. /Well, since it's here.../He delved into it with an unknown hunger and soon came upon what he was looking for.

"So when are we going to pull this off?" Duo's anxious voice interrupted their work for the third time that day. The remaining four pilots were in a hanger situated a few miles from the Preventer Headquarters, busy with some sort of work.

"Can't you shut up, Maxwell?" Wufei's impatient voice sliced the air. "Be patient, this is going to take some time, and we have to be careful about how we approach this. If we are not then we could all die… I wouldn't mind your death but I do mind my own."

"Aw, c'mon Wufei, you know you don't hate me as much as you say," the pilot teased as he jabbed a finger into the ribs of Altron's pilot.

"Don't count on it, baka," he smirked and continued to make repairs to his Gundam.

"Would you two just quit it?" Quatre himself was beginning to lose his composure. "We don't have time for this." He sighed to himself and picked up a stack of paper, handing it Trowa who entered it into a laptop. "Trowa, the amount we managed to salvage, will that be enough for at least one?"

The stoic pilot regarded him with a single visible eye before going back to his task. "Even though most were destroyed beyond repair and the few remaining operational ones were sent to Preventer Headquarters for analysis… some parts were still left intact. It's now just a matter of piecing them together and getting enough material to fill in the gaps."

The four did the remainder of their work in silence (for once). They had begun early that morning and had worked non-stop into the late afternoon. Occasionally they would glance at the empty space on the wall meant for WingZERO and their eyes cloud over briefly with sadness and remorse. What Wufei had said was true; they could all die if they weren't careful, especially considering Heero's suicidal tendencies. Oh yes, no one left that out. If Heero had no qualms about taking his own life then he certainly had none with taking any one of theirs; that was how they saw it anyways.

"Duo," a female voice rang out through the large hanger.

The American pilot's head automatically popped out from inside Altron's cockpit and he was grinning uncontrollably. "HILDE!" he shouted joyously as he quickly made his way down to the concrete floor. Once his feet were on solid ground he raced over to the familiar thin figure and swept it in a bear hug.

"Duo," the girl started out softly, but became sterner when she assumed he hadn't heard her, "Duo, let go... I can't breathe... Duo, let go!"

The boy reluctantly eased his embrace and smiled sheepishly at the German girl. "Oops, got carried away there, didn't I?"

"Baka," she teased, eyeing him playfully.

He let out a raucous laugh and kissed her cheek. "Is that my permanent nickname or something?" he asked jokingly.

"Keep that up and it might be," she teased and slapped him gently on the arm. "I came here to tell you that I got the rest of the materials you wanted."

"Really?"

"Yep!" Hilde smiled broadly as she placed her hands on her hips. "It was kinda difficult since you called me about it last minute but I got them."

"How did ya do it?" he asked as he poked a finger into her side.

"Well," she began, swatting his hand away from her, "I had to call in all those favors those people owed me. Some were more than happy to do so but a few were pretty teed off. How come you needed so much of the stuff anyways?"

"Because, Hilde, my dear," Duo exclaimed while giving her a sly grin, "we're going to build our own mobile suit."

"How's she doing?" the doctor with the graying brown hair asked as he entered the training room. "Any signs of complications?" He watched as she continued to do pull-ups on a bar about seven feet off the ground.

"None so far," the old man with the white hair answered as he flipped through sheets of paper on a clipboard. "She should be ready to get back into the cockpit after we finish this evaluation."

"Did you inform Whitenburg yet?" the one with dark brown skin asked.

"He wasn't happy we woke him up," the old man replied, "but he'll be here in a few minutes to inspect her."

"He thinks too much about her," the bearded man commented.

"She was a guinea pig!?" Heero's angry voice shattered the silence of the computer room. He quickly silenced himself and waited to see if anyone on the outside had heard him. No one did. After downloading the information on General Whitenburg Heero found the files on the Seele units, but more importantly he came across the files for Operation ZERO. He wasn't expecting much, maybe some strategic plans on how to destroy the military bases or the missions that Rei would be doing. Instead he found a file that detailed the experiment with the Seele units from day one.

Apparently, OZ had been trying to develop the Seele units over three years ago, after the Eve Wars had ended. They had only succeeded in making a prototype a little less than two years ago. He saw the data on the soldiers used as test subjects for the device and its program. The soldiers were all healthy males who possessed remarkable reflexes and piloting skills. There were no signs of complications when they were planted with the small objects and the experiments were deemed a success. That was until they were put into the ZERO system and its mind-altering effects. Neo Epyon hadn't been fully constructed at the time but the ZERO system was. As the soldiers were hooked up to the program they appeared to do well until something inside them snapped, something that wasn't unfamiliar but unexpected. The men didn't just start to hallucinate; they started to get violent and began slipping into insanity. The doctors had deemed it a berserker state. They weren't able to offer any sort of solutions and so the test subjects were left that way.

It had taken OZ another year before they came up with a suitable method to deal with the ZERO system, which they'd discovered was able to bypass unit 1 of the Seele devices. The doctors came up with several theories but none seemed plausible. Instead they thought of a way to get around the problem and that was to find subject who could stand the ZERO system, someone with a steadfast and unwavering mind. The Seele program only went so far but if they were able to find the right subject then it wouldn't matter the shortcomings; although that person would tame the device, they would still be under their control. The original plan was to have all of their soldiers implanted with the devices so the ZERO system could be installed into their mobile suits but that was obviously abandoned.

After they began their search of potential pilots that would operate the Neo Epyon they eventually came upon Vice Foreign Minister Darlian. Naturally there were many protests from the doctors and officers but Whitenburg wouldn't budge from his decision. His arguments that she would become a chess piece the Preventers and E.S.U.N. wouldn't dare risk harming finally convinced many of the naysayers and the plan was set into motion. Despite that, a few reports questioned whether he was doing this because he truly believed in its success or if were due personal reasons. To some extent it seemed personal since he really showed no concern about the girl ending up as an unstoppable, rampaging killing machine. Eventually even the doctors came to agree with the choice of candidates if somewhat reluctantly. Since they had no real subject with which to test out the theory their main candidate would have to be said test subject. From there on the file went into detail about her training but Heero already knew what that consisted of.

"She could have ended up as a mindless doll," Heero seethed through clenched teeth, "but they did it anyway!" The youth had to do all he could to contain the anger quickly building in him, threatening to send him in a blind rage. /We could have lost her forever... I could have lost her forever.../ It took him several moments before he set aside all those thoughts and continue on with his task.

-to be continued-