Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. . .I can't think of anything else to say. . .so just read the story already. . .

Chapter 48

Noin swiftly gained her balance back and barely avoided smashing into the ground as she zipped over the surface of the salt flat. Quickly, she turned around and headed toward the factory, her wings stretched out tightly to glide and save energy. She heard booster rockets coming close and looked up to see two Taurus suits coming after her, their guns trained on her.

I don't think so. . .I didn't graduate 2nd in my class for looking hot in a uniform! Noin thought to herself with a grin, speeding up and heading straight for the factory's walls. She punched her left fist out in front of her, a wave of energy bursting forth and breaking through the wall, leaving an opening for Noin to enter the building by. She came to halt in the middle of the factory, looking around to see many mobile Dolls in production.

There're hundreds of Dolls here, enough for an army twice the size of what they have right now! I can't let them finish their work. . .time to see what my limits are. . .Noin bowed her head slowly, glaring at the machines quickly assembling Doll after Doll on a long line of conveyer belts. With a flash, her eyes lit up with a purple glow, a mysterious wind striking up around her, rustling her hair and clothes. Raising her hands at her sides, the wind speed picked up, blowing further away from her as it filled the room. Tilting her gaze to the ceiling, she raised her hands to meet it, the gusts of powerful wind gaining hurricane strength, ripping the crossbeams from the roof and removing its supports. Without a backbone, the ceiling began to cave in, falling all around Noin as she put up a force field to prevent damage to herself. She whipped her head to the right, throwing her hand out toward the wall beside her and clenching her hand into a fist. The wall immediately crumbled under her telepathic powers, flying inward as she pulled her hand back toward herself. She did the same to the other walls, making the entire factory implode on itself. Scrambling wildly, soldiers ran for their lives from the flying debris, trying desperately to get to the escape planes stationed nearby in a hangar next to the factory. Noin watched them leave, watching for them to get far enough away before finishing her job. She rose higher above the dilapidated factory and stretched out her wings and arms, saying, "This place will give birth to destruction no longer. . .but burn in the ruin of its own terror." Fireballs appeared from the sky and rained down on the half demolished structure, exploding on impact and bringing about a great blaze that roared to life, melting the machines within the belly of the fire.

His eyes flickered open slowly, a painful throbbing in his head urging him to return to his slumber. But his instincts told him it was time to get up as he moaned and reached to his head. Something soft and light stopped him and he opened his eyes fully to see a pair of beautiful green and blue eyes staring down at him, affixed on his face. He blinked sleepily and said quietly, "Who are. . .you?" The woman seemed to smile with her eyes as she said in a distinctively Indian accent, "My name is. . . Sayla. . .what is yours?"

"Quatre. . .Quatre Winner. . ." He smiled at her but winced as his head pounded more. She dabbed a cold cloth over his forehead and said, "You have a. . .fever, lie still." He quietly obeyed as she wiped the sweat from his face, cooling him down a few degrees. He smiled softly with his eyes closed and said, "Sayla. . .that means. . .the end, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does. . .how did you know?"

"That's one of my sisters' names. . ."

"Really? How many sisters do you have?"

"29. . .I can name them: Sayla, Iria, Asha, Mythily, Tara, Leela, Roshan, Yashila, Bhairavi, Hema, Karuka, Vinaya, Ela, Nita, Shanti, Charu, Jyoti, Padma, Dristi, Usha, Anita, Menaka, Tanushri, Rukma, Yoshita, Lona, Pavana, Indrakshi, and Omkareshwari. . .the last one's hard to say so I say her last." Quatre rattled off the names like it was nothing. She blinked and said, "Well, your mind isn't broken, just your body. . ." Quatre laughed but moaned as his head hurt again. She gently ran the cold, damp cloth around his neck and little down on his chest, soothing his discomfort for the moment.

"Sayla. . .you speak English so well. . .how is that?" Quatre whispered, his eyes closed softly as he enjoyed the refreshing coolness of the cloth.

"I went to school in America for a year, my family was against it but I wanted to become a teacher. . .I love children and teaching them is a dream of mine for someday in the future as a job. . ."

"Really. . .I never really thought about what I'd be when I grew up. . .it wasn't exactly high on my priority list. . ." Quatre said, slowly opening his eyes and looking into Sayla's piercing two-toned irises.

"Are you a. . .soldier? Or just an angel sent from Heaven. . ." Sayla asked, fascinated by his wings, dusty and a bit dirty but still glistening white.

"Are you?. . ." Quatre said softly. She blinked and said, "What do you mean? I am no soldier. . ."

"No. . .an. . .angel. . .your eyes are so beautiful, possibly the most amazing thing I've seen on this Earth. . ."

"I. . .well. . .thank you. . ." She looked away, having a tinge of embarrassment in her voice. His face returned to a serious expression as he said, "Sayla. . .are you. . .alone?"

"Alone?" She seemed surprised.

"Do you live with anyone, family, friends. . .husband. . ." He said, a bit lower on the last word. She looked down and said, "I live with my sisters, you may have seen them running with me. We all have been living on our own for a year since our parents were murdered in a massacre taken place in that very square you fought in. It wasn't by OZ, but by another evil military group that has since faded away. The men of this city have either died or left to fight OZ and never returned, so we're vulnerable to attacks. We would have all died today if it weren't for you, Quatre. . ."

"It's my debt to society. . .and my goal in life. Sayla. . .I wish I could stay here and protect you but I have a job to do. . ."

"I understand, I could never asked you to stay. I only hope that my humble services to you now have been of help. . ." Sayla bowed her head solemnly to Quatre. He lifted his hand and rested it on hers, surprising a gasp out of her. She looked up into his eyes as he said, "Sayla . . .I've. . .never met anyone like you before. . .I know we barely know each other but. . .will you come with me?"

"Excuse me?" She looked a little set back by his request.

"I want to get to know you better but I'm afraid if I leave. . .I'll never see you again. . .please, will you come with me?"

"Quatre, I. . .my sisters. . ." She looked over her shoulder. He slowly sat up, his head pounding in disagreement to his movement.

"They should be safe, I'm here in the region to destroy the threat OZ presents so there shouldn't be anything to worry about."

"Then why take me with you if there's nothing to worry about?" She asked, looking into his eyes.

"I don't want to take any chances. . .I have a feeling that our meeting wasn't just by accident. . ."

"You mean. . .as in. . .fate?" Quatre nodded and she blushed, looking away again, "Quatre. . .I. . ."

"Please. . .I don't want to lose you. . .I could regret it forever. Sayla,. . ." He leaned toward her, reaching to her veil and pulling it loose.

"This is the last OZ station in the whole of North America, I didn't expect such a low amount of influence in this region of the Earth. . .I wonder if Duo's almost done as well. . .I'll check in on him when I'm done here." Rachel said to herself, diving through the clouds to attack the final band of mobile suits in the United States. As she approached their location, or where they were suppose to be, she found a surprising sight below her. Among the tents and temporary buildings and storage sheds she found. . .

"Nothing? Where is everyone?" She said to herself, coming to a landing in the middle of the camp. As she began to search for the elusive mobile suits, their presence was revealed. From out of nowhere, a small dart hit her arm and she yelped in pain, reaching over and pulling it out.

Tranquilizer dart? Oh no. . .She thought to herself, starting to feel its affects already. Desperately, she tried to teleport to avoid getting caught but found it impossible. She stumbled around, flapping her wings and slowly rising off the ground as she attempted an escape.

What's wrong with me, I can't use my powers! I can't teleport, I can't form any kind of defense, I'm trapped if I don't fly any faster than a mile an hour! She thought, her eyes flashing with fear as the camp erupted with mobile suits and OZ soldiers. She heard an explosion and a net flew at her suddenly, wrapping itself around her like an octopus, entangling her wings and causing her to fall. She hit the ground hard and groaned, hearing quick footsteps storming closer and closer to her as her vision blurred. She tried to move but found it impossible from her present state.

No. . .this can't be happening. . .Duo, help me. . .anyone. . .please, someone help. . .me. . .help. . .m. . .e. . .She barely saw the first soldier coming to pick her up before the world spun into sudden darkness.

"Olay! Toro, Toro! Come on, you lazy bums, you can fight better than that!" Duo taunted the mobile suits as he shook his backside in their faces to rile them up. She pulled down his eyelid and stuck out his tongue as one finally was infuriated enough to launch an attack. He quickly dodged its attempts and sliced its head clean off with his scythe, flying away as it fell to the ground. He went after the remainder of the suits and brought them out of the sky, taking his final swipe and smiling proudly at his work. As he began to fly on the next target, something hit him in the shoulder and he froze, feeling a sudden painful sensation as he flapped his wings. He looked over and saw a small dribble of red flowing down his jacket, telling him that he had been shot. As he reached to it, another painful feeling formed in his side and he finally yelled, looking for where it had come from. Down below, a mobile suit faced him, one he didn't quite recognize to be any one type or model. He staggered a little and finally dove down to it, avoiding the rain of shots suddenly spewing from its gun.

Whoever this is, he's got an accurate shot! It's getting hard to dodge them! Duo thought as too many bullets drew close to hitting him. He closed his wings back against his back and dove down, creating a slipstream of wind around him to speed through and float on clear down to his attacker. The shots ended as he drew to above 10 feet from its face and he flipped back, whipping out his wings to bring him to a sudden stop. He dropped down and jammed the end of his scythe into the edge of the hatch, using it as a crowbar to force open the cockpit and reveal the attacker's face to him. As it decompressed, the hatch gave way and fell open, giving away its hidden pilot.

"What the. . ." Duo exclaimed as a 5 year old girl launched herself at him and tackled him, hitting him repeatedly and screaming. He stumbled backwards and the girl slipped, beginning to fall. He grabbed hold of her and she bit him, shouting at him in Spanish.

"Hey, knock it off, kid! What are you doing, I'm the good guy! GOOD! STOP!" Duo finally grabbed her arms and dangled her over the forest, holding her out far enough that she couldn't reach him or bite him. She took a swing with her foot and caught him in a place that caused more pain than either bullet wound he had sustained combined. His eyes widened and he almost dropped the girl, releasing his hold on her as he hunched over in excruciating agony. She climbed up onto his back and pulled at his wings, almost as if she thought they were fake and wanted to relieve him of their burdensome weight. He couldn't reach her now from her perch and in his present painful state, he didn't want to move, he wanted an ice pack. He began to fall as his flying capabilities were compromised and he flapped wildly, trying to regain his balance as the girl wrapped her arms around his neck, choking him.

"GAH!" Duo yelled, reaching to the girl's arms to release the pressure to his throat, quickly constricting tighter by the foot they fell.

Relena woke slowly to the sound of a kettle whistling off in the distance, disturbing her from a restless nightmare. She tried to sit up but the pain from her wing hurt too much to move as she reached to it, moaning in discomfort.

"Hang on now, Sheila, don't move!" The Australian man came running back into the room after hearing her moan and knelt by her side, checking on her bandage in case it needed changing. She stared groggily at him and said, "Where am I?"

"You fell asleep in my house, remember? After that barney, you were zonked and crashed on my couch. Fancy a cuppa? I have some brewing in the billy." The man said cheerfully, smiling. Blinking, she stared at him in confusion.

"A cup of what?" She asked, still confused by his overuse of slang.

"Sorry, miss, cup of tea. . .when you've been in the bush for yonks, you don't have anyone to practice English on!" He laughed, scratching his head. She smiled and said, "I understand, it's a learning experience. . .yes, thank you, I would love some tea."

"Bonza! I'll pour some right now! I have some bangers on the barbie, would you like some of those too?" He asked as he walked off to the kitchen.

"Sure. . ." She shouted to him, then whispered, "Whatever those are. . .I'm guessing food. I hope. . ." She sighed and slowly sat up. She felt her wing to see how badly it was hurt and figured it wouldn't be but a day's time before it was perfectly healed. Looking up, she said, "So, um, I don't think I caught your name, sir."

"No need to be callin' me sir! My name's Nate Bradley, but you can just call me Nate. I'm afraid I don't have any sugar, miss. . ." Nate shouted from the kitchen.

"That's quite fine, it's the liquid that counts, not the taste." She replied. He reentered the room and handed her a cup steaming hot, saying, "Careful you don't burn yourself, it's hot."

"Thank you. . ." She said, blowing the tea to cool it before taking a sip. The man sat down his own cup and headed toward the door, saying, "Sit tight, I'll get the bangers. . ." Relena watched him go before looking around the room. It was dilapidated, to say the least, with holes showing in the light in several parts of the roof. She stood up and began to walk about, seeing finally how small the house really was, consisting of not much more than a kitchen, bathroom, and living room/bedroom, by her guess. She peeked into the doorless bathroom and watched a bug run off behind the toilet, causing her to jump back with a nervous gulp.

"How could anyone live like this?" She whispered to herself, a bit repulsed by the company he kept.

"When all you've got is memories and the two hands you were born with, this is the best you get." Relena whirled around to meet Nate's gaze with a sudden startled gasp. He smiled and sat down a plate of sausages, walking toward the kitchen.

"Oh, I didn't mean to-" She tried to make up for her rude comment.

"No worries, I'm used to it. Don't think it's the first time I've been called a swagman, the people in the Big Smoke say it all the time." Nate said with a chuckle, seeming amused by her reaction. She looked down in shame and walked toward the couch, sitting down slowly and looking the sausages over with a curious eye. She jumped slightly when she heard a great clattering noise in the kitchen and arguing.

"Look out, miss, Goanna coming your way!" Nate yelled. Relena's eyes widened as a large lizard ran into the living room, heading toward her. She threw her hand out to it as it jumped for the coffee table and it froze in the air, floating motionless in her mental grasp. Nate ran out just then, stumbling a bit before freezing himself. He stared in surprise at the floating lizard and said, "Struth! What-"

"It's alright, I have it. . ." Relena said, her chest heaving as her heart raced momentarily from the scare. Nate blinked and said, "So. . .other than those wings and. . .the floaty thing. . .what can you do?"

"A lot. . .aren't you scared? I thought it was odd you didn't mind my wings but this. . .I thought you would have started calling me a demon for sure!" Relena said, staring at the lizard warily as it hissed at her, finally getting over the momentary shock of being frozen in mid-jump.

"Not really. . .I've seen weirder things. . .may I?" He inched toward the lizard. She nodded and floated it toward him to grab hold of. He held tight as it writhed around in his grasp, quickly walking toward the door and setting the lizard down to run off outside. He turned back to face Relena who stared after it and said, "What was that anyway?"

"Goanna. . .frilled dragon. Nasty little things if you're not careful. That Sheila was trying to build a nest in my silverware drawer." He laughed, walking back into the kitchen to clean up the mess made by the encounter. He returned with two plates and forks, handing a set to Relena and said, "Here, eat up before it gets cold!" She nodded and speared a sausage, forgetting her manners for a minute to follow Nate's example.

Better not get all regal right now. . .it might be an insult. . .Relena thought, taking a bite of the sausage and smiling her approval.