They got through the crowds with relative ease. As they were walking by a Nokia Wireless booth, Quinn reached out silently and slipped a phone into the pocket of her trenchcoat, like the pro she was, never getting a second glance from the teenager who was 'watching' the place. "What are you doing?" hissed Tabby. "That's stealing!" Quinn pursed her lips. "And what d'you think we do for a living, Tabitha? Give candy to the children at Halloween?" She addressed Jon. "To replace your last one," and handed the phone to her friend, who nodded. "What we do is for everybody's well-being, not for our own personal welfare! Stealing phones isn't part of our job! Don't you know that?" Tabby continued. Quinn gave her a murderous look, one reserved for when she was in the worst of moods. "Of course I do, Tabitha! And if this is what it takes to achieve that well-being then that's what has to be done. But a person as naïve as you wouldn't understand that, would you?!" she spat. "--I'm NOT--" began Tabby. Jonya put a hand to her aching head. Her tone was forceful. "Guys. Shut up." They did so, not wanting to draw attention. That girl! Tabby thought, shaking with anger. I really don't like her. I wish she'd just.I don't know, get a brain transplant, or something. She could DEFINITELY use some Prozac. She's so.ugh. So anti-social. Why did I volunteer to come again? Quinn stood tall, trying to ignore Barbie as much as possible. What an idiot. If Jon weren't here.god, I'd enjoy pushing that girl into the window over there. But if I do nothing else, I've got to get Jon to the plane safely. That's all that matters. She's got to get to Base.get medical care.Please, God, let Jonya live. I'd never forgive myself if she didn't.It would be the fatal blow for me and Kite. Kill me if you want. I've wanted to die for a long time. Just don't let Jonya die. It's all I ask. Getting though Customs was a breeze, considering the 'security' was made up of a heavy-set man who looked like he wouldn't be chasing down a criminal anytime soon, a young girl who seemed to be asleep, and an older man who was absently cleaning his false teeth. Quinn snickered. Sad, really. The Alliance can afford to create Mobile Suits by the thousands, but can't afford a decent security crew. How pathetic. "How're you holding up, J?" Tabby asked suddenly. Jonya grimaced slightly, still holding her lacerated abdomen. "Ok I guess.Considering the facts, it could be worse." And it might as well be. She sighed angrily. I hate guilt. I screwed the mission into the ground and I'm about to start another. Hopefully I won't mess this up as well. The airplane air was a dry cancer in Jonya's laboring lungs. She oozed into the seat with a stifled moan. The boy beside her turned to look at her, concerned.

"Are you alright, miss?"

She took one look at his sunny blonde hair and kind blue eyes, her brain screamed GUNDAM PILOT! And she felt panic ebb the pan in her gut.

"F-fine r-really! Thanks for asking though."

He smiled. "That's good."

She smiled.

He stuck out a hand without a moment's hesitation. "I'm Quatre Winner."

She shook the extended appendage. "Jon-"

"It's dangerous going around with a name like that." Quinn interrupted coldly, eyes flickering over Quatre.

He shrugged.

A dark haired boy sat next to him quietly, ebony pigtail flipping with the sharp movement. Jonya glanced quickly at Quinn, then back to the new occupant of their aisle.

The boy stared into a book, pretending to read, so Jonya allowed her gaze to outline every detail of his face. Finally, he could take it no longer and snapped the heavy, maroon covered book closed.

"What?" he growled at her.

She cocked her head to the right. "You remind me of someone I've met before."

He rolled his eyes. "That's lovely. Now please leave me alone."

Jonya's amber feline eyes flashed, but by now the pain had washed through her again. She leaned back in her seat, resting her head on Quinn's leather- clad shoulder.

"It's them." She whispered sleepily, as if it was nothing.

"You're sure?" asked Quinn, trying to look as if her plum lips weren't forming words.

Jonya nodded sleepily. "When do I have to wake up?" she murmured.

"Soon."

Jonya's head filled with a heavy mist, and her eyelids seemed to fuse together. A deep, soothing pall came over her body, and she drifted away into the stars.

Quinn leaned back in her seat, sliding a lumpy pillow under her friend's head, and checked her watch. '10 minutes till the plane begins to take off, three after that for us to get into the cockpit, 2 more then for Jon to hotwire the auto pilot.then lord knows how long after that to convince the Gundam Pilots to help us. We don't have time to screw up.but after the take over we've got to get to Swansea, to my house.everything will be easier if we operate from earth.but that'll take a while.we'll have to drop all these people off somewhere.But we'll agree on that when the first part gets done.and lord knows that'll take awhile.' Restless, she picked up her cell phone, and dialed a number. Kite picked up. "Yes?" she asked. "It's me," Quinn tried to put some emotion into her greeting. "Oh, hi." answered Kite's voice. No need to ask who it was. "Where are you?" "Nowhere important. Just waiting around." Came the reply. Quinn was an expert at fooling those around her into thinking she was a normal teenage girl having a normal conversation with a good friend. Kite lowered her voice. "Have you spotted them all yet?" Inwardly, Quinn chuckled. Kite had always been paranoid about someone listening in on their conversations.with good reason, but humorous nonetheless. "Only Four, and Five." Overhearing this, 04 gave her a puzzled look out of the corner of his eye. Noting this, Quinn continued: "Like I said, I haven't listened to any of the other songs yet. Only numbers four and five." Seeming (mostly) satisfied with this explanation, Quatre went back to whatever he'd been doing before. Her friend smiled. "Well, you'll find the rest soon enough. They have a way of usually being noticed, after all," A small movement caught Quinn's eye. It was Duo Maxwell, pilot 02, who was trying to untangle the cord of his headset, and failing, for that matter. She laughed and lowered her voice. "You're right. I just saw Number Two." "So which one do you have a thing for?" Quinn struggled to keep up the façade. Though her friend could not see it, Kite blushed a shade of red. "Number Two." Quinn frowned. She'd just been messing with her friend.Why had Kite..? "You like him?!" she sputtered. "Are you SERIOUS?! Have you ever met him?!" "Yeah.I, um--" Kite stammered. "I was joking, genius," Quinn interrupted flatly. On the other side of the phone, Kite cursed herself. "Shut up. I'm sick, remember? I'll.see you later, I'm in isle 23" she said vaguely. "Later," Quinn confirmed. "But--"

A sudden jolt shocked her out of her next words, and her hands flew to grip the armrests.

"What was that?" she hissed.

Jonya's tired head came up. "HUH?" she demanded into thin air. "What is it?" asked Kite's voice, sounding tinny and small through the phone.

Quinn's head whipped to peer out the window, and her heart plummeted into her stomach. A gundam fighter had knocked them out of the way and was hurtling down the runway. She picked the phone up off the floor of the airplane and put it to her ear. "Er--I'll be seeing you sooner rather than later, ok? It fits my schedule better." Kite struggled to make herself heard over the static. "There in a flash." The call was then disconnected.

Quinn waited impatiently while tr runway was cleared and the confusion had been accepted., and the till the shuttle took off in a thundering roar after Wing Zero. Silently, Quinn turned to her partner and friend. "C'mon, J.We've got work to do." she breathed, astounded at the size and grandeur of the glistening machine. Dizzy from blood loss, Jonya put a hand to her head. Get up, Jonya; just stand up. Stand up! She willed her legs to work, though they felt like lead weights. Seeing Jonya's condition, Quinn searched her mind for reason, silently asking if it was all too much. Jonya made a small face. "My leg fell asleep," she 'explained' to Quinn, who simply nodded. They made their way into the aisle, catching a glimpse of Tabby, as a flight attendant, thumbing through a magazine at the front of the plane. Quinn approached 'Barbie' and plastered a smile on her face. "Excuse me, miss, but are we allowed to go inside the cockpit? My brother is a pilot on this plane and I'd just love to say hello to him before we take off.I'm worried" Her voice dripped with fake sweetness. Tabby flashed a wide smile. "Ma'am, I'd have to see an ID, but I think we can arrange it," Meanwhile, Jonya made her way to the small bathroom in the back. Once inside, she pulled various weapons and other items out of her bag; she tried not to think about what could happen if she screwed up again. She flinched slightly as her new phone rang. "Yeah," she whispered hoarsely. "You're almost ready?" It was Quinn. "I've taken over the front of the plane.all that's left to do is make the announcement." Jonya nodded. "So I'm acting as the special-effects department?" "You've got it. Just make sure the Pilots don't interfere yet," "Will do. I'll be there in a couple of minutes." Quinn hung up, going over the plan in her head. Tabby will come out as the flight attendant, saying that we've blown a fuse or something and the passengers will have to wait until we land to repair and board another plane. Then Kite and Jonya will rewire the system to catch fire, so the passengers are forced to jump. Thank the lord these shuttles carry parachutes. The Gundam Pilots will most likely stay on board.They aren't the types to buy a story like that. Wing Zero was the complicating factor, however: the Gundams themselves weren't supposed to be there.just their pilots. She'd just have to take care of it herself. Quinn picked up the comlink and set it on a frequency that could contact the Gundam. "Just what do you think you're doing?" she sneered. "This is a civilian shuttle, not some hidden OZ spacecraft. It's not exactly smart to fly your Gundam near this plane, now is it?" She chuckled silently. Good thing I did my background research. Maybe I'll just piss him off; have some fun while I'm here. Meanwhile, in the passenger compartment, the intercom light blinked on, and Tabby's voice was heard: "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sorry to report that we're experiencing some engine trouble, and will have to land nearby for repairs so you can board another aircraft. If you'll please stay calm, there should be nothing to worry about. We'll be there momentarily. Again, everything is under control, so please stay in your seats and enjoy the rest of the flight." Kite and Jonya met up in the tiny bathroom. "You're still hurt," Kite noted. Jonya shook her head. "I'll be alright.Let's just get on with the job," Several minutes later, a spark shot through the plane, courtesy of Jonya's fine handiwork, and something in the back caught fire. One of the passengers let out a scream. Tabby instructed everyone to stay in their seats, saying that she'd bring parachutes for everyone so they could exit the plane. Wufei and Quatre exchanged suspicious looks. "I saw Wing Zero awhile ago," Quatre said. "And that was before any of this started happening. I think someone's making this up, it's some type of plan being carried out, or something." Wufei snorted. "Yuy's not supposed to be here at all, Winner. Something about another mission. But I don't buy this crap either." "Are Trowa and Duo here? Let's find them and check it out." "Barton is sitting somewhere in the back, and I don't know where Maxwell is. Frankly, I don't care where he is," Quatre made a face. "That wasn't very nice, Wufei," "Like I said before: I don't care," Nevertheless, they got up and went to see what was going on. Jonya peered around the bathroom door, watching people gather their belongings and Tabby handing out parachutes. One child was sobbing into his mother's shirt, and almost in front of them, a teenage girl was comforting her little sister. Beneath her, Jonya could almost feel the plane slowing so that when the passengers jumped; they wouldn't get their bodies torn in half, 'which would be very messy for the airline company. They'll already have enough on their hands with us hijacking the plane.'

She closed her eyes and tapped the palm pilot screen a few times, and tried to ignore the pain simmering in her side. Kite looked at her worriedly. "You gonna be alright, Jon?"

Jonya looked at her delicate friend. Soft auburn hair fell over clear, sky- blue eyes, but there was a frailty to her, shifting in her caring face. Kite was sick. Very sick. Ever since Jonya and Quinn had first met her, she'd had it. A disease that no one knew how to cure, or were too busy making machines of mass destruction to attempt and save her. Quinn had gone to L3's clinic every day for YEARS, shoving the money in their faces, begging for a glimmer of hope for their friend, but all in vain. There were too many soldiers, too many wounded to pay attention to such specific, individual cases. Jonya closed her eyes, 'She shouldn't have come, she'll get even weaker, and then who knows how long it'll be before.she.God, this war HAS to end, she NEEDS medicine.and its my fault. If I hadn't screwed up, then she wouldn't have come down, and now this mission.I'm going to kill her.' She bit her lip and leaned back against the cold wall.

Kite put a hand to her friend's unsteady shoulder. "Jon?"

"Yeah," Jonya answered shakily, "yeah, I'll be ok."

Kite nodded, "Well, we've got to keep this bluff looking pretty convincing."

Jonya nodded, handing her friend the palm pilot, "You. You were always better at this than me, you're the special effects, and I'm the nerd."

Kite arched an eyebrow, staring into the depths of the screen. "Nerd? I haven't heard that since.like, second grade."

A smile, vibrant as one of her old ones, danced on Jonya's dangerously pale lips. "The terminology that returns to one in dire situations, my vocabulary has improved though, right?"

Kite smirked, her fingers flying over the tiny calculator, "You bet. We'd never have gotten anywhere without you for a muse."

Jonya's soft laugh caught in her throat as sharp footsteps warned her of an incoming persona. Her fingers were steel vices around Kite's arm. "Be ready, they're coming."

Kite didn't have to ask what Jonya meant. If the Gundam Pilots would not cooperate, then they would get them off and blow up the plane. Without a doubt, if they didn't self-detonate, then Romefeller would find them, and that meant the Thieves Guild would go under. None would be spared. Kite nodded stiffly, the realization, and acceptance that it might be she who had to press the button.the switch that would lead to all their deaths.

Jonya stood; gun tucked into her enormous pockets, and opened the door before the person had a chance to touch the handle. The two Gundam Pilots she's seen earlier stared angrily back at her.

"What?" she asked innocently.