Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, I don't know where you'd get an idea that I do…. And yes, the time line has changed so don't fuse at me if things happen differently now…artistic license in hand

Chapter 25

"Chang? Where'd everyone go?" Relena asked as she sleepily walked out of her hut, stretching and yawning. Chang glanced over at her and said, "They've left to check something out, they think it could endanger your life."

"My life?" Relena looked surprised, yet confused in her tired state. Chang jumped down from the railing and said, "They will be back soon."

"So it's just you and me?"

"No, Rachel's somewhere. She got mad at Duo and ran off. . ." He looked up and saw a white shimmer in the sky.

Huh? What was that? Did I see an. . .angel? Chang thought as he stared at the blue horizon.

"Oh." Relena followed his gaze and saw a flash of white. She gasped.

"You saw it too?" Chang asked, glancing at her over his shoulder. She nodded, inching closer to him.

"Is it a mobile suit?" Relena whispered. He slowly shook his head but stopped when he saw another flash in the sky colliding with the first. His eyes widened and he said, "Maybe it is. . .this isn't good. But I can't tell if there's more than one from here." He ran to the end of the encampment and jumped up onto the railing, leaning a hand against the last hut's roof as he strained his sight to catch a glance at the feuding sparks. Relena came up behind him and said, "Can you see it?"

"Them, there's two out there and they don't seem to like each other. Could be Heero since his Gundam can fly. . ." Relena held her hands against her chest as her heart pounded, worried for Heero's life.

Oh please let it not be Heero. . .Relena prayed silently in her mind, hoping someone would hear her cries.

I can feel a disturbance coming this way. . .from behind. Rachel's eyes lit up and she looked over her shoulder to see a brief glimpse of white metal before it slammed into her. She went rolling down its side and tumbled to the forest below, losing control of her flight. As she fell, she finally got a glance of what hit her.

Tallgeese. . .Zechs found us, but how? She thought, trying to recover from the hit. The Mobile suit stopped and turned back to see what it had collided with on its direct trajectory to the camp. She rose back to meet the suit's gaze, her wing span full out at her sides, stretching from tip to tip half as long as the suit, white and pure as fresh snow. She stared down the Tallgeese, saying, "So, you think you're going to go after Relena, well think again." Using her powers, she produced a sword in her hands 6 feet in length and an inch and a half wide, its braided ivory and gold hilt tightly grasped in her hands, its sheath hanging from her back by a strap crisscrossed over her torso. She assumed a fighting stance and yelled, "Milliardo, fight me!"

"Who in the world. . .Relena's guardian angel?" Zechs thought, staring at the winged form challenging his mobile suit. He turned on outside communications and shouted, "My mission doesn't involve your demise, concede and allow me to pass!"

"You will never get by me, you cannot have your sister!" She yelled back. Zechs stared wide-eyed at the girl, thinking, She knows. . .but. . .how's that possible! Only Treize knows my true identity and yet still he doesn't even know of my relation to Relena. . .

"Come now, you're not going to back down from a battle with me, are you? Or are you afraid I'll scratch your precious Mobile suit?" Rachel taunted, floating directly in his path to keep him from charging on. She pointed her sword at him like a lance, ready to thrust it forward through the suit's body. He bowed to meet her stance and said, "I don't know who you are but you're in my way, stand aside, this is my last warning."

"You do know me but all I am to your mind is a phantom memory. . ." He stared hard at her, trying to recall her. A faint memory of a female's figure flashed through his mind but it hurt to dwell on it too much. He cringed and said, "I think I remember you but it's too painful to think of it, so you'll have to remind me."

"Just call me Verein, the phantom knight for that is all I will be to those who oppose me, a mere flicker of a fantasy that has brought you to your knees. . ."

"Such clever talk for a young harpy like yourself. . .but it's an unfair duel, you do not possess a mobile suit to match my advantage."

"I have the advantage, just stop talking and come get some." Rachel said, curling her finger to him with a sly grin.

"you're nothing but a girl."

"Bite me." She lunged forward with her sword, but the suit was faster. He zipped up and over her, passing her by and heading straight for the camp.

INJUSTICE! Woah, I've been hanging out with Chang too much. . .Rachel growled and darted after him, trying to gain speed and pass him over to stop his advance.

"Chang, it's coming this way!" Relena shrieked, stepping back a bit. Chang saw this and jumped down, grabbing Relena's arm.

"Run!" Chang yelled, pushing her to head for the far side of the camp, but it was too late. The Tallgeese ripped into the forest and reached forward to grab Relena.

"CHANG!" Relena screamed, being pushed down to the floor by Chang and the strong gusts from Tallgeese's jetpacks.

"AH!" Chang yelled as Tallgeese grabbed him, pulling him back in its tight grip to dangle over the ground 100 feet below. He desperately writhed, screaming in pain as his body was slowly crushed in Tallgeese's hand. Suddenly with a flash of light, the hand was severed at the wrist, causing it to loosen its grip and plummet to the ground. Chang struggled to get free as the ground grew closer when suddenly, something grabbed his arm and wrenched him out just in time. He looked up and his wide eyes got wider.

"Rachel!" Chang said in surprise. She dropped him off on the deck and sped over to Relena who was cowering under the shadow of Tallgeese's other hand reaching for her. Rachel zipped under the hand and sliced off its fingers before it had the chance of grabbing anyone. It drew back suddenly and sharply swatted Rachel away, tossing her into the floor boards to tumble and slide rapidly into the end of the railing, busting through it and desperately grabbing onto the edge for dear life as her sword fell to the ground.

"Rachel, NO!" Relena screamed, her hand stretched out to her friend. She looked back at the mobile suit as it rested its maimed hand on the railing. The cockpit door opened and out popped Zechs, his cape flapping in the breeze as he dashed down the arm and jumped down in front of Relena. She screamed as he grabbed her, pulling her to her feet and saying, "Come with me." She fought to get away but he was too strong. Chang tried desperately to get up but his leg had been broken, causing him great pain as he scrambled to his feet, pulling himself up by the railing and wobbling.

"Relena. . .no, stop. . ." Chang muttered, painfully limping to the screaming girl. Zechs pulled her up onto the arm and lifted her in the air, dashing back across to the cockpit. Rachel finally managed to pull herself up as Zechs was almost to the open door.

"NO!" Rachel screamed, throwing her hand up. An explosion of energy flew from her palm and broke through the railing, slamming into the mobile suit and forcing it off balance. Zechs lost his footing as the suit fell backwards. Stumbling to her feet, Rachel leapt off the deck and soared over to Zechs and Relena, grabbing Zechs' hand. She tried to regain altitude but the weight and wind caused her right wing to crack in the middle. With a shriek, Rachel fell toward the ground, desperately trying to level out before they crashed. Chang watched hopelessly as they somewhat gently landed, Zechs shielding Relena's body from the crash as he tumbled across the ground with Rachel's body in the mix. They stopped in a heap below Chang and he quickly stumbled toward the elevator, stepping in and lowering it to the ground.

"Ughh. . ." Zechs moaned as he tried to get up but cried out in pain as his back sharply seized up. Relena pushed herself free of his arms and wobbled to her feet momentarily before falling back to the ground.

"Relena, Rachel, are you alright!" Chang slowly made his way over to them, trying to stay upright as his leg pounded, causing him much agony. He finally fell at Rachel's side and touched her still back, seeing her bloody wing laying limply at her side, tattered and broken. Feathers slowly drifted down with the wind, landing around the group and softly caressing them as they brushed past them to the ground. Relena gazed over at Rachel as she muttered, "Chang, is she. . .okay?"

"She's not moving." He rolled her over to see her eyes staring back at him blankly, dirt smeared all over her face and body, mixing with the blood slowly oozing from cuts and scrapes caused by the not so smooth landing. She gasped with a raspy and painful breath, drawing in air desperately.

"Ch-Cha. . .ng. . ." she uttered, not even blinking as he picked her up in his arms.

"Don't talk." He whispered, standing and ignoring the sharp pain from his leg as he said, "Relena, can you stand?" She nodded, trying to stand again. She wobbled a bit as she stumbled toward him but fell halfway with a painful moan.

"Relena, I'm. . .I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to. . .get hurt. . ." Zechs stammered, his eyes hidden under his mask that looked slightly cracked. Hanging limply in Chang's arms, Rachel's head fell to the side, staring blankly at Relena, her lips slowly moving in an attempt to form words.

"B. . .brea. . .k. . .h. . .is. . .m. . .ma. . .sk. . ." Rachel muttered slowly, fighting to stay conscious as blood dripped from her dangling wing. Relena stared up at her weakly and said, "What? Why?"

"Just. . .d. . .do. . .i. . .t. . ." Her vision began to blur as blood ran down her forehead from a gash hidden beneath her hair and trickled onto her eye. Relena looked around for something to crush it with but couldn't find anything so she reached to pull it off.

"No. . ." Zechs tried to stop her but couldn't move. She slowly eased it off his head and stared at his shimmering eyes, cold and icy like the color they were, sharp as the pain in his back. They locked gazes and stared at each other in silence for a few minutes.

His eyes. . .so. . .vaguely familiar. . .Relena thought as she stared at him curiously, his striking good looks a surprise for such a soldier of great battle experience, no signs of scars or any blemishes on his face.

She doesn't remember me. . .good. She's grown up so much. . .as beautiful as her mother was. . .Zechs thought as his eyes tighten in agony, causing Relena to look worried by his horrid physical condition. He moaned and said in his deep voice, lower than usual, "Don't. . ."

"R. . .Relen. . .a. . ." Relena broke her gaze with Zechs and looked up at Rachel, nodding. Zechs twitched as Relena raised up the mask in her hands, bringing it down hard on the ground. With an ear piercing shatter, the mask cracked into several pieces and cut Relena's hand.

"AH!" Relena yelped in pain, clutching her hand in her lap as she winced, gritting her teeth.

"No. . ." Zechs gasped in hopelessness, finally twitching once more before passing out. Chang wobbled a bit and decided he couldn't make it up to camp alone with three injured people in the condition his leg was in. He gently laid Rachel back down and stumbled toward the fallen Mobile suit.

"Chang, where are you-" Relena watched him climb into the cockpit and start fiddling around inside. Blinking she stared after him for a minute before looking back down at the man beside her and watching his face relax to a blank expression, almost looking at peace.

So. . .who are you. . .you seem so familiar. . .like, we've met on a similar occasion like this. Except, you were there to. . .protect me? Wait. . .I do remember you. Your hair is longer now. . .She gently stroked aside some of his bangs as she stared intently at him.

"Y. . .you remember. . .him. . ." Rachel looked over weakly as she smiled, a faint bit of strange joy on her lips.

"I think so. . .a long time ago when I was younger a man attacked me, using me as a human shield. But. . .this man saved me, scaring off my attacker before smiling at me and walking away. He was so. . .poetic." Her expression softened as she said, "Do you know who he is, Rachel?"

"Yes. . ." Rachel barely got out. Relena looked at her, saying, "Does he have a real name? Or is he like my Heero, a soul with a stolen identity?"

"He does. . .M. . .illiar. . .do. . .Pea. . .ce. . .crafffft. . ." She finally closed her eyes as the loss of blood was too much. As she passed out, the wings vanished from her back, leaving the wound on her shoulder instead. Relena gasped, suddenly staring down at him.

My. . .brother! So I'm not alone. . .Relena felt a tear slide down her cheek, whether in joy or fear she couldn't tell past her pounding heart.

"Heero, the comlink is flashing." Quatre announced, leaning toward the button.

"Who's it from?" Heero asked.

"An unknown source, should I answer it?" Heero thought for a moment before saying, "Let me do the talking." Quatre nodded and pressed the button, allowing the caller to speak.

Whoever's in this plane, this is Chang, we have a problem. Came the familiar Chinese voice, except a little angst ridden. Heero and Quatre looked at each other before Heero nodded for Quatre to speak.

"This is Quatre, Heero's with me. What seems to be the trouble?" Quatre asked.

We've been attacked by surprise, a lone fighter in a white mobile suit, looks somewhat like a Leo but resembles a Gundam more except for being built from Titanium. The pilot's unconscious at the moment but we're all injured, I'm not sure to what degree.

"How bad is everyone hurt?" Heero asked, thinking about Relena.

Rachel's the worst case I think, she has a broken wing and cuts and bruises everywhere, bleeding badly.

"Wing?" Quatre sounded confused.

Nevermind. I don't know if she'll be okay. I broke my leg when I tried to get Relena to safety so I can't take care of all of them alone, I'm bleeding everywhere. . . Chang sounded annoyed more than in pain by that last comment.

"And Relena?"

She can't seem to stand but she's quite awake, the officer broke her fall with his back. Quatre cringed inside and asked, "Do you suppose he's. . .dead?"

No, he didn't look that bad. I need backup, if you don't mind.

"I'll send Trowa and Duo back to help you, they'll be there soon. Heero out." Quatre ended the transmission and contacted Duo.

Yeah, this is Duo. . . Duo said calmly.

"Duo, we need you guys to head back to camp, apparently there's been an unexpected attack and everyone's been hurt, Rachel most of all." Quatre said sadly.

What? Oh great, okay, we're going! Duo out! Duo cut the connection quickly and the plane swerved, turning back to return to the encampment.