AN: Chapter 13!!!!!!! OMG! Wow! Anyways… the story is picking up quite nicely I think. I hope that you are in enjoying it so far. The final stages of the conspiracy are coming soon, and it promises for a killer ending! Well I think it will be. But as you know, I am expecting several emails from readers so that I will continue to submit and write.

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

Enemy base on L1

Wufei stood up groggily; before him, stood a guard about three times his size and weight. The man was pointing a gun to Wufei's head. Wufei rolled his eyes. He really didn't feel the need to put up with this at the moment.

"Injustice," he mumbled to himself.

"You stay right where you are," cried the guard forcefully. "Don't move or I promise you'll never see the light of day again."

Wufei snorted under his breath as the man reached for his communicator. That was all the time Wufei needed. With a swift kick Wufei sent the man's gun flying through the air. The guard fumbled and tried to retaliate, but his heavy size was no match for Wufei's grace and skill. He felled the man with a sharp kick.

Wufei heard others beginning to come. He ran quickly and quietly through the mobile suit bay and towards the winding staircase that he had come in by. Behind him he heard a cry,

"Stop him! Stop that man!"

Shots were fired but Wufei did not dare glance back. He just ran up the winding stairs. The officers were close behind he could hear them. A bullet ricocheted off the wall and glanced his left arm. Despite the burning sensation he felt, he kept moving now approaching the door that he had come in through.

He saw a large red button and pushed it quickly. The door slid open and Wufei dashed out into the warehouse, surrounded by the large wooden crates and boxes. He had to get out of there. He ran blindly, urging all speed through his body. The guards were still behind him. Their gunshots rang through out his ears. To make matters worse, warehouse workers were no starting to cut into the chase.

Wufei passed a cart full of empty boxes. He threw them on the ground behind him. Some of the guards stumbled and fell. Wufei could see the large opening of the warehouse appear ahead. It wouldn't be long before he reached it. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his leg. He cried out in pain but forced himself to keep moving.

"Close that door! Don't let him get of here!" cried a guard.

The large door began to slide down. Wufei ran desperately now, trying to reach safety, trying to get out alive. He had to complete the mission. He was almost there now, but the door was also almost completely closed. With a cry Wufei lunged forward and slid as hard as he could underneath the tiny opening of the door. He slid to safety and collapsed breathing heavily.

Colony L5…

Heero waited patiently while Relena attended yet another meeting. Although the process was slow moving, the tour was doing the job it was intended to do: give more time for reconstruction on the Gundams, which were by now practically complete.

Heero sighed inwardly. Though he did not show the others, he found himself struggling inside to maintain control over his emotions. What would happen to him once this was all over? Would he go back to the life he had lived after the war? It was hardly a life at all. He had had a steady job, but it was not to his satisfaction. He was bored out of his mind most of the time. No, he most certainly did not want that. What was there for a soldier when there was no more war?

A soldier; that is what he had been all his life. He thought that after the war he wouldn't have to fight anymore. He thought he would lead a normal life, or at least try to. But not fighting didn't mean he broke the promise he had made to Relena. That was why he was here in the first place. Protecting her meant he was protecting the peace. He knew that the day would come eventually when war would possibly break out again. That was why he had information on the Gundams. A soldier always had to be prepared.

Heero felt something stir inside of him. He was thinking only of the mission again. Didn't he want to regain his emotions? He knew that he was beginning to. It wasn't that he really cared, he was just unsure of how to handle some of the new emotions. After all, the Perfect Soldier had had none to begin with. That's all he was: a soldier. Well at least one person didn't seem to think so.

Why Relena had always cared for him, was always at the back of Heero's mind. What she had said the other night was certainly unexpected. No one had ever said anything like that to him before. Not even his fellow pilots. Then again, Relena had always been one to surprise him. He never knew what to expect when he was around her. She saw something in him that even he couldn't see.

Heero was interrupted from his thoughts as Relena walked out of her meeting. She looked tired and worn out. Heero nodded to her and took his place at her side, escorting her through the building and outside to a waiting limo that would take them to the airport. They were going to meet Quatre, Zechs, and Trowa then fly to L1 for an important meeting that Relena and Quatre were going to attend.

Relena slumped down into the limo. A sad expression was on her face. She stared straight ahead blankly into space. Heero sat next to her watching her expressions closely. She looked tired and much older than she should. He noticed that her eyes had lost their sparkle and now seemed dull and lifeless. The other night she had been upset, but this was much worse. Heero looked ahead for a moment to make sure she wouldn't notice his gaze lingering on her. She didn't seem to.

Then something unexpected happened. Relena began to cry. She stared straight ahead still and never looked at Heero, but he saw the crystal tears fall onto her face. Although she was silent, the tears still fell and the sight made Heero feel sick. He turned to face her, but she did not even spare him a glance.

"Relena?" he asked quietly.

At the sound of her name, she slowly turned her head to face him and the sight he saw nearly took his breath away. Her eyes were sad, yet beautiful. He long golden hair fell about her face. The tears still streamed forth like a waterfall, yet she remained silent. As she looked into his eyes, he felt himself become lost. But at the same time he felt like he had found something wonderful. He just didn't know what it was.

His hand moved as if it had a will of its own. Gently he brushed away her fallen tears. She almost shrunk back in fear at first, but his touch was surprisingly soothing. She just stared at him, right into his Prussian eyes, and noticed a change in their icy depths. She was about to look deeper when the limo suddenly came to an abrupt halt.

Heero took his hand away from her soft face and sat back away from her. He then turned to open the door. He stepped out and offered his hand to Relena as she slid out of the limo. They had arrived at the airport.

Preventers... Infirmary…

"Chang you're lucky you got out of there alive," Sally said quietly as she changed the bandages on his leg.

"Onna, why do you worry so much?"

"Listen here…"

"Enough you two!" cried Lady Une. "Wufei we are very grateful for the information you have brought back. We are even more grateful that you made it back safely. However, we must now issue a warrant for Representative Clemens's arrest. I wish to keep this as quiet as possible, but I know eventually things will leak out to the public. For now though, we must remain calm and bring him in to Preventers. Noin,"

"Yes Commander?" asked Noin as she stepped forward.

"First I want you to inform Zechs and the others of what is going on. Secondly, I want you to form a team and bring in Clemens to this space station. We will question him here. If we find enough evidence we will press charges against him. Remember to keep things quiet."

"Yes mam."

Meanwhile…

Trowa and Quatre sat together in the private shuttle as they flew to Colony L1. Zechs was sitting by a silent Relena, and Heero had isolated himself alone in the back of the space craft. Quatre frowned as he stared at the pilot of Wing Zero.

"I do wish Heero would converse with us more often."

"He never has been one of many words," replied Trowa quietly.

"Look who's talking," retorted the blonde haired pilot.

Trowa smiled slightly. Quatre had always seen right through him. Since the war had ended they had become the best and closest of friends, even if Trowa didn't talk very often. Most of the time, words were not needed between the two of them. They just understood each other. That was how they got along and communicated.

"Trowa, do you think that this whole thing will end soon? I'm afraid that of it goes on much longer Ms. Relena won't be able to take it."

Trowa nodded in agreement, "Yes, lately she has been wearing herself thin. But I'm not sure whether we are getting closer to solving this conspiracy or further from the answer itself."

"I was thinking the same thing," Quatre grumbled as he slumped down in his seat.

He cried out in pain as he tried to reach the sound of the voice. Something was pulling him back. It was a strong force that grabbed his arms, back, and legs. Each time he pulled free from it, he ran towards a light that seemed to be calling his name. Each time he reached the light the same force grabbed a hold of him. He jerked and tried to pull free, but this time it was no use. He felt a sharp pain, like knives digging into him. He cried out and fell to his knees…

Quatre and Trowa looked behind them in surprise. Heero had abruptly come out of a deep sleep crying out and breathing heavily. Quatre stood up and walked back towards the cold pilot while Trowa followed. 

Heero sat breathing heavily while cold beads of sweat drenched his forehead. On his back his swore he could still feel the shreds of pain that had ripped through his body in the nightmare he had just had. He was only vaguely aware of Quatre and Trowa as they stood beside him. Quatre knelt in front of him and asked him gently,

"Heero?"

Heero glared at the blonde haired man coldly before getting up from his seat and making his way from his fellow pilots to the bathroom. He cursed himself for becoming frightened from just a simple dream. He had dealt with his nightmares before. Why was this one so different?

Trowa and Quatre watched as the emotionless pilot locked himself in the bathroom. Quatre let out a long sigh.

"I wish he would at least speak to us Trowa. Maybe we could help him. It's not easy being alone in the world."

"Heero has too much pride to admit his own fears," Trowa stated quietly. "Then again he never had any emotions to deal with."

"Yes Trowa, I think you're right. Now he is becoming more human. I think the cost is more than he can bear. Do you think he will ever let anyone help him?"

Trowa glanced over his shoulder to the slender form of the Vice Foreign Minister as she lay fast asleep upon the shoulder of her equally tired brother. He whispered quietly to himself,

"Only if he follows his emotions."

Enemy main base…

Mavica was certainly not thrilled to be walking through the doors to the large spacious office. He knew what would be in store for him. His leader certainly would not be happy. He would consider himself lucky if he made it back out with his life. The day before his team had failed to destroy the Preventers base. That same day, a spy had been sighted inside of their secret mobile suit base on L1. The spy had to have been one of the Gundam pilots. No other man would have escaped that base alive.

Mavica stood to attention. He had been preparing himself for this all day.

"Bret, my boy, the past couple of days I must say you really have disappointed me. You assured me that your team would succeed in their mission and they failed. Our base on L1 was also infiltrated. I guess your security was not as tight as it should have been."

"Yes sir, but the information the enemy might have gathered from our base will not point to us. Remember our plan to use the decoy? It will take full effect and Preventers will land themselves in a trap."

"Consider yourself lucky that we thought of that or we would be in a heap of trouble right now my boy. Or should I say your life would have been in a heap of trouble."

"Yes sir," replied Mavica sheepishly.

His leader never moved his leather chair around to face his apprentice. His frustration and anger were building up inside of him. Finally he could take it no longer.

"Those pilots are making a fool out of me! And that girl is nothing but a menace! She should have died the day we attacked the ESUN! But I'll make sure she gets hers. As well as those pilots. Even if they complete their Gundams. And you," he said menacingly towards Mavica, "you had better not screw up again. I made you. I was the one who put you n your place. You should be grateful I took you in when I did after the wars. Without me you would still have been a pathetic mercenary soldier with no past and no future! Now get out of this office until I send further word. Soon we will strike. But for now you just keep up your masquerade as "Bret Mavica" ESUN representative."

"Yes sir."