AN: Chapter 17 Here we go! The best parts of this story are yet to come! Please keep reading and sending me all your comments! Because I have not posted in so long I am making it my goal to finish the story and submit it within the next couple of days. I hope I can do it! Standard disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the characters.

Heero could feel himself leaning towards Relena as if he had no control over his own actions. Relena did likewise, her sapphire eyes wide and focused on a sea of Prussian blue. But, a knock at the door caused them to break apart. Relena jumped a little, startled to come out of her trance. Heero merely stood up and walked to the door. He opened it to find Quatre, with a tired look on his face.

"Heero, Commander Une wishes to speak to you over the Vid-Phone."

"Hn," said Heero. Without a glance back at Relena, he walked out of the room.

"I'm sorry Miss Relena if I interrupted anything," apologized the blonde pilot.

"Quatre, you're fine. It wasn't important; he was just returning the gun to me, that's all."

"All right, I guess I will be going, we need to get at least a few hours of sleep, we have several meetings in the morning and the following day we have the large conference on L1. You will need to rest up for that. It could determine everything."

"I know, go Quatre, get some rest, I'm tired too."

Quatre turned to leave but stopped,

"Are you sure I didn't…"

"Quatre, everything is fine," reassured Relena.

"All right, good night," he said as he closed the door.

Relena sighed and stood. She peered out her window and looked up at the moon once more. She spoke quietly, her words filled with sadness,

"Nothing important at all."

"Heero, I trust your decision to let the man go, but please do not make any other decisions such as that, before consulting either me, Zechs, or Noin beforehand."

Heero simply nodded his head. He had much more important matters to discuss with the head of the Preventers.

"I have some important matters that must be discussed with you, Commander. Earlier, before the intruder entered my room, I was examining the information about the enemy base that Wufei had brought back."

"What did you find?"

"It holds all the completed mobile suits as we suspected earlier. There are approximately 6 docking bays that carry hundred of them. The size of the station is about the size of a small moon. But there was something much more critical that came to my attention."

"Continue please," said Lady Une listening intently.

"A weapon of mass destruction has been built into this space station. Its purpose is to destroy entire colonies with a single shot."

"Impossible, the enemy is against the earth not the colonies." She paused slightly. "Aren't they?"

"It appears the tables have turned Commander," said Heero coldly.

"I am afraid we are right back to where we started from."

"I have to leave you now. I will transmit all the information I gathered back to Preventers where the others can examine it."

"All right, good bye, Heero."

Heero shut down the Vid-Phone. Now all he had to do was tell the others what he had found. He knew there would be many questions and he wasn't looking forward to answering them. But he felt he was close to solving the mystery, he was just missing one piece of the puzzle now.

Preventers Space Port…

Duo wiped the sweat from his brow. He and his team had finally completed the Gundams. It had been a long and tedious task, but well worth it. He smiled widely and looked over to Rashid. He would never have been able to have completed the task without the help from him and the Manguacs. For that he was eternally grateful. Howard came up and clapped his hand heavily on Duo's shoulder,

"Well man we did it. We rebuilt all five of them in a couple of weeks. That's like a record or something."

Duo sighed,

"Howard, buddy, I couldn't have done it without you. Or you, Rashid. Thank you. I really mean it."

Rashid smiled,

"It has been my pleasure. Not only have I had a good experience, but I have made a good friend. Master Quatre will be pleased to hear the good news, I am sure."

"Everyone will," said Duo happily. He looked around the bay for a familiar girl with short blue hair. "Where's Hilde?"

"I think she said she was just going to do a final check on all the Gundams to make sure everything was in order," said Howard. "There she is right now in Wing Zero," said the man as he pointed to a tiny figure in the cockpit.

Duo looked up at her and smiled. But it soon faded as something flashed in his mind. Something dark and fearful, the fear that always came to Duo when something was about to happen…Shignami.

Duo watched as Hilde punched buttons and performed a routine checkup. He tried to grasp the fear inside of him. The dread of the uncertainty that was yet to come. His violet eyes became troubled and he thought long and hard.

"Duo, what's wrong man?" asked Howard as he studied the young man's face.

Duo's mind flashed and he faltered back slightly. Shignami. He turned to Howard with fearful eyes,

"Is the zero system activated?"

"I think it is why?"

Before Duo could answer, a scream came from inside the cockpit of the large Gundam. Duo ran.

Hilde had only been performing a routine checkup on all of the Gundams to make sure everything was in order. The Wing Zero was the last one. Unknowingly, she began the same routine she had with all the other suits. She checked all the manual functions, the artillery and weaponry. When she was almost complete, she fired up the mobile suit just as the others, to make sure it was running soundly. She watched as some of the Manguacs flew in and out of the docking bay while test flying the Gundams Shenlong and Heavyarms. It was then that her mind began to grow fuzzy.

As Hilde watched the mobile suits leave the bay, a strange feeling came over her. She watched again, from a large picture window, as the two Gundams made their way into space. A cold sweat was forming on her brow. She breathed more heavily as fear enveloped her body. Suddenly the two suits blew up right before her eyes! She gasped terrified as enemy suits approached the docking bay. They fired several shots. Hilde screamed as she saw several Preventers fall. She saw Duo racing to Deathscythe, but he too was shot down. Hilde's eyes grew wide. Suddenly she saw a large Gundam appear in the window, the one that belonged to the enemy. She saw it raise its buster rifle and fire into the bay. Hilde screamed and lost consciousness.

"Hilde!" screamed Duo and he tore into the cockpit of the Wing Zero. He saw her body lying limp in the chair. Duo shut down the entire mobile suit and picked her up into his arms. He carried her down the ladder and laid her onto the ground while several others crowded around. Duo held her in his arms and spoke softly to her,

"Hilde, come on, please open your eyes. Please, baby, just open your eyes for me."

Sally rushed forth parting the crowd. She knelt down and listened to Hilde's chest as Duo held her.

"She's in a state of shock, somebody get me a stretcher over here!" screamed the doctor.

"Hilde, baby, please, come on, please." Duo said softly.

Sally looked at the pilot with troubled eyes. Those who were inexperienced with the zero system suffered grievously. She had never treated a case before, but as far as she had learned, it could sometimes prove fatal, had the victim been using the system long enough. The effects that it had on the mind were baffling. She often wondered how Heero Yuy had ever learned to master it.

The stretcher finally came and the paramedics placed Hilde's small body on top of it. Duo watched as they took away. He was about to follow, when Wufei grabbed his shoulder and shook his head. Duo sighed. His fellow pilot need not say anything at all. He knew there was nothing he could do for her. He would have to put his faith into Sally. Crushed, Duo watched Hilde's frail form disappear towards the infirmary. He would have to wait and visit her later when he was allowed.

Howard came and touched Duo lightly on the shoulder, but Duo shrugged him off and walked briskly away.

"Duo come on it wasn't your fault!" cried Howard after him. "Why do you feel like you have to go through this alone?"

Wufei sighed softly and looked at the mechanic, "Haven't you learned by now? To be a Gundam pilot, is to be alone." The Chinese man walked a way with a strange look on his face. If Howard would have been able to see more clearly, he would have seen the sadness in Wufei's eyes.

AN: I know it's a little but shorter than what I usually write, but I wanted to make sure I posted a new chapter for my readers. The next couple of chapters will be exciting I promise as my story is finally coming to an end. Please keep sending me your comments or I will discontinue posting new chapters. Thank you for reading my story. Email: WildRose1404earthlink.net