Chapter V

Space Dementia

Space dementia in your eyes

Peace will arise

And tear us apart

And make us meaningless again

You'll make us want to die

I'd cut your name in my heart

We'll destroy this world for you

I know you want me to

Feel your pain

Heero's thoughts raced faster than his colony-bound shuttle; after all, he had a lot to think about. There was his upcoming meeting with the mysterious Jason; there was the link to the terrorist attack; there was his complicated relationship with Relena; there were the results of the blood tests he was still waiting for; there was the increasing velocity of the mobile dolls quickly approaching him; there was—Wait! Heero turned his shuttle away just in time to miss a blow from the incoming Virgos. He knew they must come from Jason, or someone connected to the terrorist attacks. Heero concentrated on evading them with his weaponless aircraft and was able to make a hasty landing in a field on the L2 colony.

Mobile dolls. I shouldn't be surprised. After all, how could any self-respecting terrorist faction hope to make a devastating impact on the government without using mobile suits, or some other weapons of mass destruction? A message blipped on the screen in front of him, and Heero turned it on to see Jason's smug face.

"Heero Yuy. So good to see you. I see you've successfully avoided my little trap."

"You sent those Virgos?" Heero growled.

Jason chuckled. "Of course! Were you surprised to see mobile dolls in an era where weapons have supposedly been eliminated? Think again. Phoenix is invincible!"

"Phoenix?"

"That's our group's name. Oh, I see, you were probably wondering who was behind the terrorist attack all this time, weren't you?"

Heero glared at him angrily. "You...were the one who set off the bomb in the UN?"

"Oh, that wasn't me, personally. That was my friend Victor. In fact, he just left on a mission to kill Relena Darlian, since he failed the first time around. I understand that she's someone you're very close to."

Heero's eyes widened. "Relena..."

"That's right, she's probably good and dead by now, especially since you weren't there to protect her this time. I suppose you could blame me for that, since I lured you away long enough under the guise that I was planning to blow up this colony."

Heero felt ready to explode, but kept his cool on the outside. "Very well," he answered flatly. "What do you want with me?"

Jason looked shocked. "Aren't you going to show a little emotion, Yuy? Your girl is gonna die, if she isn't dead already!"

Heero didn't even flinch. He refused to let Jason's words affect him. He knew Relena was with the other Preventers, who were more than capable of keeping her safe while he was away; at least, he hoped so.

Jason was flabbergasted by Heero's lack of emotion. "Well, just for that, I'm going to destroy this colony anyway! But you might be able to save it, if you cooperate with me."

"What do you want?" By now, Heero was more than annoyed.

"I'd like you to come with me."

Before Heero could reply, a group of armed men in red and black uniforms surrounded his shuttle. They stormed the inside and took the unarmed Heero into their custody. Normally it would be much harder to subdue the Perfect Soldier, but Heero decided to feign defeat for the sake of the colony. Also, he hoped that getting captured by Phoenix would give him a chance to destroy them from the inside out.

Duo looked down from the top of a nearby building, witnessing the rough landing of Heero's shuttle. He watched as the men in uniforms swarmed the area.

"I thought something fishy was going on here," he said under his breath. "Who are those guys? They just appeared out of nowhere! And whose shuttle is that?" He peered to get a closer look. "Oh, well. Whoever it is, this doesn't look good. I'd better go check it out."

He hopped down a few stories at a time until he landed softly on the ground, all without making a sound. Thank God for stealth! He stayed a good distance behind the uniformed group to keep from being detected while discreetly following them. Suddenly, they stopped. One of them punched a code into an electronic box on the wall, and the ground beneath them opened. One by one, the men dropped into it, until they were all gone from Duo's sight. By the time Duo rushed over to the spot, the hole had closed over.

Dang it! I missed it. Duo looked at the electronic box curiously. Hmm... Time to play guess that code! Duo scratched the back of his head. Ah, man, it could be anything! Let's see here; those guys were wearing uniforms of some sort. It has to be the name of their organization. Maybe they're the remnants of White Fang or Treize Faction. Duo tried both of these, as well as any variations he could think of, including backwards letters. None of them worked. Duo tried words that had to do with red and black, but to no avail. Just my luck. It's probably some complicated number that only one guy has memorized. I'd better start looking for
better clues. Duo snuck around the base, including the area outside the shuttle. Then he went inside the aircraft, since the uniformed men had been courteous enough to bust the door down. Inside, he found the golden information he'd been searching for; one of the men had dropped an ID card of some sort. Duo bent down to analyze it. It had a picture of a young man with dark hair and eyes and read:

PIERCE WINSTON
"BLUEFIRE"
12179030

On the bottom right hand corner was an insignia of a golden bird with flames all around it. "That's one weird-looking bird! Well, I'd better start punching in some of this stuff if I want to get in their secret hideout." Duo grinned and headed back to the single building. When he reached the box, he tried everything on the card, forward and backward, and mixed them up as well. Still, nothing worked. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place. Maybe... it has nothing to do with the information on this card. Duo looked down at the ID in his hand, examining the insignia more closely. What kind of bird is that? Looks like something I read about in a story once... Duo's eyes widened, as he remembered reading about a Phoenix in a Greek myth when he was a kid.

Duh! It's the bird! Phoenix! Duo typed this in, but the hole did not open. He tried it backwards. Nothing. One last resort… Duo mentally calculated the numeric value of "phoenix." The box beeped, and the ground opened.

"Bingo," Duo smiled. "Now let the games begin!" With that, he leapt down the hole and began a long descent down a metal slide. Why is it that secret organizations always have the coolest stuff? The Preventers oughta get one of these!

Duo realized that he was going faster the closer he came to the end of the slide, and would probably make a noticeable landing. Great. Talk about discreet. He sat up as straight as he could to slow himself down. By the time he neared the bottom, he had slowed to a snail's pace and was able to climb off the slide quietly. Upon landing, he surveyed the area—a large, empty room with metallic walls.

Where did all those red guys go? They've gotta be around here somewhere… Duo started to snoop around, even though there wasn't much to see. He saw that in order to leave the room, he had to punch in another code. He tried the same one from earlier, and was stunned to see that it worked. These guys aren't too bright. A little variation would be smarter. Matter of fact, their whole code is way too easy; Heero could figure it out in seconds. Then again, he is some kind of robot…

Duo's thoughts were interrupted when what he saw in the next room made his jaw drop: Hundreds of gleaming mobile suits that looked like they'd never been accessed.

"No way!" He couldn't help but exclaim out loud. "Where'd they get these?" Before Duo could explore the hangar, a strong hand clamped over his mouth with a cloth. Duo grunted in surprise before falling to the ground, unconscious.

"Take him into the cell for questioning," Jason ordered. "I'll deal with him later. First, I have to eliminate Yuy."

"Roger," a young soldier agreed, and proceeded to drag Duo away.

It was morning in New York City, and Relena sat in the hallway outside the hospital's ICU, waiting patiently to see Quatre. As grateful as she was for his noble sacrifice, she couldn't help but feel guilty about it.

Poor Quatre. You never deserved this; they were after me! She buried her face in her hands. After a moment, she felt a light hand on her shoulder.

"Are you all right, Miss Relena?" An eerily familiar voice inquired sweetly.

"Dorothy?" Relena looked up to confirm the voice's owner. "Dorothy Catalonia! It's... been a long time."

"Yes, it has. It's a shame we never kept in touch." Dorothy leaned down to give her a little hug. Relena hugged her back, not quite sure whether or not to interpret Dorothy's actions as sincere. She decided to, for now; she was too tired to question anyone.

"I heard about poor Quatre on the news," Dorothy said, sitting beside Relena, "and rushed right over here. Luckily, I was in the area, so it didn't take me long."

Relena nodded and let her gaze drift back to the closed doors of the ICU. The doctors still wouldn't allow anyone to see Quatre.

"You mustn't feel guilty about this, Relena; it wasn't your fault." Relena wondered how Dorothy could read her thoughts. "Quatre wanted to do this for you, or else he would not have risked it. Don't you see?" Relena just nodded again. "Try not to worry. Quatre can overcome this; he is a strong warrior."

"But he doesn't have to be!" Relena's head snapped up. "There should not be anymore fighting! That time has passed."

"Ah, that is where you're wrong, Miss Relena. No matter what you do, people will always have the instinct to fight."

"Even after witnessing such a terrible war? That's preposterous!"

"No, it's human nature. You cannot expect to change the course of humanity, can you?" Relena was getting very annoyed, very quickly, and Dorothy noticed. "I happen to know," Dorothy said with a flip of her hair, "that someone is trying to
wage another war."

"And how do you know?" Relena peered at her.

"I heard about a mobile suit factory that has yet to be destroyed... Or perhaps it's been newly created. Either way, someone desires another battle. And why not? It is perfectly natural, after all."

Relena thought for a moment. Dorothy was not trying to make the pacifist leader angry; this was her way of conveying vital information so Relena could put a stop to something before it started. Relena really should thank her... once she found out where this factory was. She began by changing the subject, using female intuition. She knew there was something else that had brought Dorothy Catalonia to New York.

"Dorothy, are you here to see Quatre?"

"Why, yes, of course. I had to wish him well after the accident. It's a terrible thing that happened."

"But you said you were already in the area—May I ask why?"

"Well... If you must know, I came to see the Preventers."

"One in particular?"

Dorothy blushed a little. "Yes. I felt I owed Quatre an apology, after my actions during the war. I haven't spoken to him since then, so I thought it was time. That's all."

"I see," Relena said with a satisfied smile. Dorothy was catching on.

"Do you think I have a crush on Mr. Quatre?"

"I don't know. That's for you to decide."

Dorothy leaned back in her seat and thought for a moment. "Perhaps I do. But it doesn't matter now. I was hoping... to undo the wrong I've done against him."

"You wish to make peace with him, and that is understandable." Relena touched Dorothy's hand. "I can help you, if you wish."

Dorothy raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"I… have my ways. But I must ask something of you first."

"That's fine. I will tell you what you want to know." Dorothy beamed. "It is wonderful that we can help one another."

"Yes," Relena smiled. "Wonderful, indeed."

Meanwhile, Wufei was crouched outside of the hotel Adrian Guilermo was staying in, waiting for any sign of his appearance. After spending the night searching the city for him, he had come here, figuring that the man had to sleep sometime. After a while, Wufei found what he had been waiting for; Adrian emerged from the hotel's front doors and headed across the street.

Wufei grinned to himself. "So... The dragon finally stirs from his lair." He began the lengthy process of tracking Adrian down. Wufei followed him for blocks, staying several paces behind him so as not to be detected. It was hardly an easy task, however; Adrian kept making sudden twists and turns, as if he knew he was being followed. Finally, they came to an abandoned warehouse, and Adrian began to scale the fire escape.

Now it's obvious that he's trying to be avoided! Wufei thought. He hid in the shadows and watched Adrian's ascent, trying to think of a way to watch him without being seen himself. Before he could execute a plan, Adrian leaned
over the top of the small building and yelled down to Wufei.

"Hey! Aren't you going to follow me? I haven't been able to lose you since 55th street!"

Wufei snapped his head up in alarm. 'He knew I was there all along!'

"Come on! What are you waiting for?" Adrian gestured to the fire escape. Wufei had been seen; he had no choice now but to climb. A few minutes later, he was standing on the roof with his target.

"You're suspicious of me, aren't you, Mr. Chang?" Adrian faced Wufei.

"Suspicious? Ha! I know you're guilty!"

"Guilty? Of what?"

"Don't play innocent now. The damage has already been done. Because of you, three of my friends were hospitalized, and two of them are fighting your men in space!"

"How do you know this for sure, Wufei?" Adrian still tried to maintain an air of innocence while mocking the Preventer. "You're so positive that all of the evidence points to me."

Wufei glared at him. "How do you know my name?"

Adrian looked momentarily shocked. "Why, from Miss Relena, of course. She often mentions her Preventer friends."

"Liar! Wufei yelled hotly. "It's because you keep a file on us. All the events of this week were carefully plotted by your design. You hired Heero to protect Relena so you could kill them in the UN bombing. When that didn't work, you sent Heero to space to fight someone who threatened to blow up L2." The facts were falling into place like puzzle pieces, and Wufei's voice rose along with his anger.

"You're going to have Heero killed on L2 because that's where your secret mobile suit factory is! There's no way he can defend himself in his unarmed shuttle! And you waited until he was gone to try and assassinate Relena again!"

Adrian laughed dryly. "My, my… You think you're quite smart, don't you?"

"Why don't you just admit it—you're guilty!"

"I think that would be giving up too easily, don't you? Besides, the fun has barely begun! I still have to storm the Cinque Kingdom, and activate all of my mobile dolls!"

Wufei stepped forward threateningly, balling his fists at his sides. "Why the hell are you doing this?"

"Because I hate the colonies. I hate the unified nation Relena Peacecraft is trying to establish. Put them together, and I hate the idea of the Earth and the colonies becoming one! The colonies were pompous enough to defy us in the last war, yet now they say they are seeking peace, and they're clinging to an Earth leader to fulfill their selfish desires. But they are filthy rags that do not deserve to be a part of the true humanity that only belongs to Earth! I will see that every last one of them is destroyed!"

He laughed louder this time, and Wufei rushed up to him, unsheathing his katana. Adrian delivered a swift kick to Wufei's stomach, causing him to drop the blade and fall on his back.

Adrian picked up the sword and examined it closely. "Nice katana," he said, holding it up so it gleamed in the morning sunlight. "Too bad you're such a pathetic swordsman." He tossed it aside carelessly and knelt in front of Wufei.

"You consider yourself a knight of the colonies, don't you? Yet your home was obliterated years ago. Why do you care, then, if I terminate the rest of the colonies? You are a strong fighter. Why don't you join me in my quest? That way, when I've wiped out the rest of the former Gundam pilots, you'll be on the winning side."

Wufei stood slowly. "I'm afraid I can't help you there. I'm not a strong soldier
anymore. I'm as weak as the rest of humanity, yet I will continue to fight you!" He lunged forward, eager to go at it again. Before he could do anything, a helicopter sounded overhead, causing both young men to look up.

"That's my ride," Adrian grinned. "Remember all I've told you, Wufei. Go, ahead, run and tell all your friends. Perhaps you will be able to catch me... But I doubt it." Adrian caught hold of a dangling rope and was pulled into the helicopter. Wufei watched, stunned, as his adversary flew away. Then Wufei snapped out of it, and leapt off the short building into the alley below. He ran out to the street and hailed a taxi cab to take to headquarters.

'I'm not letting anyone near the colonies. Adrian Guilermo, you will be defeated!'

A short time later, Wufei reached headquarters and ran inside to the control room. Sally, Une, and Noin were the only ones present.

Breathless, Wufei stopped in front of the women and blurted out his news. "I have confirmed that Adrian is guilty."

Noin raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"He told me so, woman! His next target is the Cinque Kingdom. We must hurry!"

No one doubted the former Gundam pilot's words. All four of them sprang into action. "I'm calling the palace to warn them to be on the highest alert," Noin called, racing to a nearby vid-phone.

"Wufei, you and I will head to Cinque. I'll ready a plane for us at the airport. You call for backup," Sally said.

"Right," Wufei nodded curtly.

"And I'm going to check the computer data to see if anyone of Adrian's men left for Europe yet. Perhaps we can stop them before we get there," Une said.

Moments later, Noin and Wufei were both off the phone.

"Did you call for backup yet, Wufei? You know the Cinque Kingdom is pretty much defenseless from any attack," Sally asked him.

"I just did. We've arranged to meet at a rendezvous point outside the Kingdom's border."

"Excellent," Sally commented. "I think we're ready to go."

Just then, Relena ran into the room with Zechs on her heels. "Sally! I need a shuttle ready, and fast!"

"Whoa! Calm down, Princess! What is it?"

"Dorothy told me about a mobile suit factory in space that has yet to be shut down! We've got to get there before our enemy does and destroy it!"

Une looked up. "But, Miss Relena—"

"I'll go check it out," Zechs volunteered. He turned to his sister. "But you're not going!"

She stiffened. "Yes, I am. I went to just about every MS plant I could and personally made sure that it was shut down. It's part of my job description as Vice Foreign Minister." Then her tone changed. "Besides, Trowa, Duo and Heero are in space now, and they're defenseless against that kind of threat. I-I wouldn't want…"

"I'm sure Heero knows how to take care of himself, Relena," Zechs muttered. "You'd probably only get in the way."

Relena remained firm, saying stubbornly, "I need to go there, Zechs. I owe it to the people. I should've spotted this long ago."

Zechs glared at her for a minute, then sighed. "Very well," Zechs said, signaling his defeat. "Sally, please prepare a shuttle for us."

Relena looked up questioningly, and Zechs met her gaze. "But I'm still going with you."

Back on L2, Duo awoke to unfamiliar surroundings. Then he remembered what had happened to him. "Man!" He groaned. "I hate getting captured! Why does it always have to be me?"

His head was killing him, so he tried to rub it with his hands, only to discover they were chained behind his back. "Big pockets sure come in handy!" Duo twisted one of his hands to reach into his pocket and fished out a pin. He painstakingly picked the lock on the chains, freeing one hand at a time. When he was done, he cracked his wrists and prepared to break down the door. He stepped back to the end of the room and ran forward at full speed, thrusting himself into the door.

Before his body even touched it, however, it swung open. A stunned Duo fell flat on his face in the hallway. Jason stood behind the open door, laughing.

"I can't believe you fell for that! Ha-ha! Get it?"

Duo jumped up angrily. "Very funny! Now there are a few things I'd like to know about you, buddy."

"You're the one who infiltrated my base, so I'm the one who should be asking the questions here!"

"I'm here to see why the heck you're manufacturing mobile suits! In case you haven't noticed the war's bee over for a long time, pal."

"As far as we're concerned, the war is just beginning—the true war against the colonies that Earth won't lose!"

Duo's eyes widened. "War against the colonies? What the heck for?"

"Because they should have nothing to do with ESUN! They must be terminated forever, beginning with this one!"

Duo let out an angry yell. "Why, you're just a no-good, pompous, egg-sucking piece of gutter trash!"

"I dare you to say that again!"

Duo chuckled. "Oh, yeah? You dare me, huh? Well, then, you no-good—Ugh!"

Duo moaned as Jason punched him hard in the jaw. Duo lashed back with an upper cut into Jason's stomach. A bloody fistfight ensued. Jason grabbed Duo's braid and yanked, causing Duo to react so strongly that he kicked Jason in the side. Jason fell but was up in seconds to retaliate, coming up behind Duo and pulling on his right arm with brute strength. Duo let out a pain-stricken howl; Jason had just pulled Duo's arm right out of the socket. He was defeated. Jason kicked him back into the cell and locked the door shut.

"I'd like to see him try to escape now," Jason laughed menacingly as he walked away. "Now to find that Yuy. I can't believe he escaped his cell without security detecting it! No matter. I'll find him and kill him with my bare hands!" He turned out of the hall and down another corridor. Little did he know a pair of dark blue eyes watched his every move.

Duo slumped against the cell wall, holding his arm. "Why?" He whimpered. "Why, why, why?"

"Quit crying already. It can't be that bad." A familiar voice said from the doorway.

"Yeah, well that's coming from a superhuman who can heal any injury at will. Sure, you're a lot of help..." Duo gasped when he realized that, standing at the now-opened doorway to freedom, was none other than Heero Yuy.

"Hey, buddy boy, it's really you! And here I thought you were just a figment of my imagination."

"I suggest you take that snide comment back," Heero said as he entered the cell. "I'm about to help you escape." He hooked Duo's good arm around his shoulder as the other one hung limply at Duo's side. Heero eyed the injury, then looked Duo in the eye.

"How's your trigger finger?"

"How do you think?" Duo made an effort to move his busted arm.

Heero shrugged. "I could fix that for you."

"Nooo way, pal! I've seen the way you operate." Duo gulped. "It looks mighty painful!"

"All you have to do is get it pushed back into place. You could do it yourself. Just slam it against the wall a few times; it should pop back in easily."

"Ugh!" Duo grimaced. "That's disgusting!"

"It works."

"I'll just, uh, worry about that later… For now, let's get out of here!"

Heero nodded. "Roger that."

Before Duo knew what was happening, Heero grabbed a hold of Duo's arm. Much to Duo's protesting, Heero held it with one hand and pushed on it with the other until he heard a few satisfying cracks.

"Ow! Ow! OWW!" Duo wailed. "That hurt worse than getting it dislocated!"

"Oh, well. It's fixed now."

"Geez! I'm never letting you touch me again."

"Whatever. Here." Heero tossed Duo a gun. The braided Preventer stared down at it blankly.

"But, Heero, I thought—"

"The bullets are blanks," Heero explained. "It'll help scare the soldiers. In the meanwhile, we can steal a couple of their mobile suits." He gave Duo a sidelong glance. "That is, if you're up for it."

Duo grinned. "Of course! I don't mind playing the God of Death again... at least, for a little while."

The two former Gundam pilots raced off to the hangar. When they reached it, they saw some of the Phoenix soldiers milling about. Duo quickly hid behind a wall while Heero remained in the open.

"Heero!" Duo hissed. "What are you doing! We gotta use stealth to sneak up on 'em!"

"Stealth?" Heero cocked an eyebrow. "What's the point?" To his comrade's horror, Heero began firing his blanks at the soldiers. To the Perfect Soldier's satisfaction, chaos ensued.

"Ahh!"

"Hey! Someone's firing!"

"That guy up there!"

"But we don't have any weapons!"

"Go get some, idiots!"

"Run! Run for your lives!"

"I found my gun! Quick!"

"I-I can't find mine!"

"Run away! Hurry!"

"You morons! Those are blanks!"

"How can you tell?"

"If you can't tell the difference between blanks and bullets, you shouldn't be a soldier!"

"Oh... Hey, those are blanks!"

"Told you!"

"Let's go get him!"

"Yeah!"

The group of soldiers rushed forward. When they reached Heero, some pulled out guns and began firing. Heero neatly dodged their bullets and flipped onto the mobile suit bay below. Duo took this as his cue and crated a diversion of his own to get away. A smoke grenade he'd been keeping in his pocket added to the soldiers' confusion, and Duo joined Heero on the lower area.

"This way!" Heero yelled.

Duo raced to follow him. Heero leapt inside a Leo, and Duo took the one next to him. Then, being careful not to fire where any of the soldiers were, they began the process of shutting the factory down by quickly destroying every Leo and Virgo in sight.

"This side's done!" Duo called. "Now what?"

"It would be far too easy if this was the only hangar," Heero answered. "Let's split up to make sure we get them all."

"Roger!"

Duo and Heero separated. A short while later, Heero had just finished destroying his third hangar and was about to contact Duo and inform him that the mission was complete. However, another mobile suit was coming up behind Heero, and it wasn't Duo. Heero turned the Leo around to face the approaching Taurus.

"Heero Yuy, I thought I'd find you here," Jason sneered.

"You've failed, Jason. We've destroyed every last mobile suit and doll. I suggest you surrender while you have the chance."

"Is that a threat? I thought Preventers don't kill."

"We don't. I made a promise after the war that I'd never kill again."

"How foolish," Jason laughed.

"However," Heero continued, "if you continue to provoke me, I just might have to break that promise."

Jason paled, but didn't want to let Heero detect his fear. "I'll give you a good reason to kill me, Yuy. You may have destroyed my MS, but you haven't even touched my beam cannon. It's aimed right at L2-74. What do you plan to do about that?"

"I'm going to stop you."

"Huh? That's strange," Jason quipped sarcastically. "I thought that your pacifist girlfriend won't let you fight!"

Heero calmly answered Jason's taunt. "I'm going to fight you with peace in mind. You want to destroy the colonies because you feel they are unfit to coexist with Earth. However, peace will only be attained when the two are united. This peace can only be last if people are willing to fight for it." Heero paused. "Besides, I already told you… I'm willing to kill you if it will save the people on this colony. Even Relena would have to agree with that."

"Oh yeah?" Jason sniffed. "Too bad she's dead now, isn't it?"

Heero gritted his teeth. "That's it. You really do have a death wish."

Jason snarled at Heero. "You wanna go, huh?" He lunged his suit forward. "Well do you?"

"You've left me no choice," Heero growled. "Let's go."

The two mobile suits charged each other and began a heated battle.