Chapter Eight

The next day Heero woke up to find that Milliardo and Lucrezia were already gone. He had a really quick breakfast, he never ate too much anyway. Looking at the videocom he saw a blinking light, there was a message for him. It was Dr J. He was telling Heero where and when to meet him. He then went back to his room to pack up.

He found Dr J quite easily. The guy was unmistakable. They had to meet outside the base so they were wearing the spatial suits. Dr J had a small shuttle there waiting for them. It was only after they boarded it that Dr J started talking.

"Hello Heero, how are you?"

"I'm ok. So, tell me what happened…" replied Heero going straight to the point. Collaborating once again with that crazy man of Dr J was not a pleasure and Heero really wanted this mission to be over soon.

"Well, you pretty much know everything. I had a new assistant, even though I was being my usual cautious self, he still managed to get all the data for the gravitational project. Well, I then discovered that he was a member of a group of ex-soldiers that had belonged to the several factions that fought during the last war. They have re-united and found a common goal, they are seeking to create chaos so they will be able to fight. They only justify their lives through fighting…"

While Dr J was explaining all of this, Heero felt that he had really changed a lot. Once upon a time, he would have supported the same theory. Now, he felt, among other things, pity and anger that they would be prepared to threaten the peace everyone had fought so hard to obtain. This gave him an urge to find them and eliminate the problem as soon as possible.

"Can you show me where they are?" Asked Heero.

"Sure I can, but it's very dangerous…we don't want to get caught…" replied Dr J.

"I was not expecting it to be easy…we have a plan and I think its chances for success are higher than average…" answered Heero.

"Ok, then. I will take you there…" said Dr J.

"Well, let's get going then…" finished Heero.

During the relatively short trip to the other side of Mars where Dr J said they had their secret base. Heero, for the first time ever, was not fully concentrated on his mission. He kept trying to analyse his feelings towards Relena. He really felt he ought to find out before he saw her again. Had he been focused on the mission, his instincts would have picked up that something was not quite right…

As soon as they got to the base, Dr J decided to land behind it, hoping, of course, that they would not be detected. Heero got off the shuttle and with his spatial suit went to investigate. Dr J said to him he would wait there for him to make a quick get away if things got out of hand.

He had reached the base and had started inspecting it to find ways to get in and out of it when he felt a gun pressed on his back.

"Don't turn around if you appreciate your life…" said an unknown voice.

"You're getting the wrong guy, I do not appreciate my life that much so you can kill me if you want…" replied Heero with his proverbial calmness…

"As you wish…" replied the voice.

Suddenly another voice came from not too far away, and said:

"Don't kill him, we need him alive…"

Heero's blood froze. That was Dr J's voice.

"What the…" tried to say before he felt some gas invading his suit. They had injected something in the tube that connected the oxygen supply to the suit. He started coughing and felt himself drowsing away. All around him went black. The last thing he heard was:

"Fantastic, now we only need to re-train him. This way we will have our Perfect Soldier back in full form…"