Chapter 23

Place in Author's Notes: expect more sappy stuff or I think I had too much drama from the soap opera I watch every night.

Wheels of Fate

From the last chapter:

Heero opened the communication system and Lizzy's face showed up. Duo swore violently upon seeing Lizzy's emotionless face so similar like Heero's.

Lizzy looked up to the vid and saw Heero's face. Her eyes and face were devoid of any signs of familiarity.

She said in a cold voice that seemed to echo through the barren Oz base, "Enemy sighted, going in for the kill".

-ooOOoo-

"What the fuck, Lizzy what are you doing?" Duo shouted over the video.

But Lizzy remained emotionless as she swung Wing Zero's blade towards Deathscythe with the intent to kill.

Heero immediately countered using the gundam's scythe. He is not yet sure if he needs to kill her so he was merely defending himsef. But what surprised him in a way is the sheer force exerted by Lizzy's attack. No normal person except him could make such powerful blow. He doesn't know if Deathscythe can withstand Wing Zero's blade.

"Talk to her Duo," Heero suddenly said. They all realized that she was being controlled by the Zero System. It was only logical to talk some sense into her.

"T-talk?" Duo said incredulously. "What should I say to her? Stop? Look at her, she's like a walking zombie!"

Heero had no choice but to fire at Wing Zero causing Lizzy to be outbalance for a while.

"What the fuck are you doing Heero?" Duo shouted. "Are you trying to kill her?"

Then Heero, using Lizzy's sudden confusion, further attacked with fire power and used the scythe to totally overpower Wing Zero but he was caught in surprise as Wing Zero successfully held the scythe and using that overpowered Deathscythe which was Heero's original plan.

Just then, Quatre's face showed up in the vid requesting permission for a teleconference adding, "I have 10 missed calls from Lizzy. Nobody's answering the phone so I figured she's probably fixing Deathscythe – "

"- Quatre!" Duo cut in and immediately accepted Quatre's call from Space. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!"

Quatre immediately sensed something was not right with the look in Howard and Duo's face. "What's – "

Duo for once decided not to talk and instead linked Quatre to Deathscythe's video stream. Duo and Howard all heard Quatre gasped and swore in Arabic.

Duo explained in less than 20 seconds to Quatre about what happened. "You need to talk to her Quatre," Duo pleaded. "I think she was mindfucked by the Zero system."

Quatre watched in horror as the Deathscythe was completely overpowered by Wing Zero. It was laughable actually to think that Heero Yuy, the perfect solider, to be at a disadvantage in a mobile suit fight. But Quatre couldn't laugh. It was too horrific to see Lizzy in such manner. She's far too innocent for this. Or is she?

Just then, everyone held their breath as they saw Lizzy firing up Wing Zero's canyon. Heero knew he will not survive if he will take the hit.

Heero thought, there was only one choice left.

Heero knew the exact amount of time for the canyon to gain power and he will use that time to make a fatal blow to destroy both Wing Zero and Lizzy.

"Heero, stop it!" Duo screamed knowing too well the almost crazed look in Heero's eyes. Duo knew Heero was going to kill Lizzy.

At the same time, Quatre shouted Lizzy's name in the hopes of reaching her mind.

-ooOOoo-

(Mostly Lizzy's POV)

Somebody was shouting. In the back of her mind, she knew that someone was shouting and screaming in fright. She was at peace. Fighting in total calmness. It was a new and satisfying feeling. The Zero System was showing her that she will attain peace by fighting the enemy.

Her eyes could only see destruction but she still felt at peace. Her heart was screaming. She knew it wasn't right. But her mind calmed her heart. It was better this way. Her mission is accomplished as her eyes surveyed the destruction she caused.

She saw an enemy advancing in. She fought and in her mind she smiled. She had found a worthy opponent. It was really hard to defeat the enemy. The enemy and its allies are all shouting at her. It was useless. In her mind, she knew that the Zero System will show her the truth.

Another ally showed up in her vid screen. She wanted to shut off her communication link but she can't because her enemy was taking too much of her time. Despite the blows she received, she felt at peace fighting. It was the only way to live, the system taught her.

Pinch.

Her heart was at it again. It wants her to look closely in the vidscreen and realize something. Her heart was screaming to make her control the system, not the other way around. That by controlling the system, she can be more powerful. She will know her enemies weakness and thoughts in advance. It was supposed to be that the heart and mind are in sync –

Her mind thought of a desperate move to end the fight. The gundam's canyon can put a stop to her enemy. The people in the vidscreen and her heart were slowly making her nauseous with something she can't place. And yet she maintained a cool exterior but inside she was crumbling. . . slowly. . .

"Lizzy!"

A desperate call that touched her heart. And as she looked up in her vid screen again, she caught a familiar face that was previously unfamiliar.

Quatre.

It was Quatre.

And behind him, Quatre's father.

She aimed at his father, like history repeating itself. Someone was blocking her view. She didn't mind. She knew her target was sighted. Behind Quatre, the enemy is behind Quatre. She screamed and fired.

Then everything went blank.

-ooOOoo-

From out of nowhere, Heero was caught off guard when Heavyarms' blade collided with his scythe. Heavyarm's blade was cut off but Heero's aim hit the target. Heero knew that his attack wasn't fatal since most of it was received by Heavyarms.

Another surprising thing happened. Wing Zero's aim changed off course towards the east from Deathscythe and fired. Then they heard the girl scream. The next thing they knew, Wing Zero is plummeting towards the sea.

-ooOOoo-

A faint sound that sounded like her mom's music.

She smiled. It was probably Sunday again. Her mom was playing those music from the 19th century again. Always on a Sunday.

"Wake up sleepy head," a man's voice. Or was it a boy's?

Her eyes twitched and tried to open her eyes slowly. All she could see was white. Did she died?

Then all of a sudden, all her bruises caught up with her and she moaned and writhed in pain.

"I think she's in pain. Howard, give me that pain killer," the voice said again.

The next thing she knew, she felt a needle poked her arm and the pain slowly ebbed away. She tried to open her eyes again and this time, she was able to see clearly.

She was in a bed with her head propped up. She voiced out the first thing she felt, "I'm thirsty."

Immediately, the braided young man beside her helped her to a drink. She looked at him for some time, causing the other boy to fidget.

"Do you know who you are?" the young man asked with worry written all over his face.

She smiled and said, "Duo no baka, whatever are you talking about?"

She felt or rather heard two people falling at the same time and some noises at the door. She realized that Duo and Howard fell off their chair and that Trowa and Heero were standing at the doorway.

"Trowa!" she exclaimed. "You're here!" There was an awkward silence as they all looked or rather Duo and Howard gaped at her looking as if she's an alien.

She frowned at them. "Howard, I could understand Duo's antics but you don't have to follow him though."

Howard cleared his throat to answer back, "Do you know what happened to you?"

Lizzy's forehead wrinkled in thought.

The others looked on as they saw Lizzy trying to think about what happened.

Duo decided it was not a good idea to make her think about the past. He tried to talk but then he saw how pale her face was and then she started crying which turned to sobbing.

Duo immediately pulled her up to his embrace and rock her back and forth. "Shh Lizzy, it wasn't' your fault. We know what happened with Dr J. It was a mission, just one fucked up mission."

Lizzy tried to get past Duo's embrace but he was too strong for her especially as she's weak at that moment. She looked at Heero teary-eyed, "I'm so sorry Heero. I have no intention of killing you!"

Surprisingly, Trowa spoke up, "So you know what happened to you?"

Lizzy nodded. Then shuddered and started to cry again.

"Shh love, it's okay. No one's going to hurt you," Duo tried to comfort her. Up close, he could see the look of dread and despair in her eyes. It was too familiar to him having experienced in the past just how life can be cruel especially on a kid.

"Well I think we should leave for now," Howard said seeing that Heero and Trowa wanted to know the details as to what exactly happened and how she managed to program such a deadly system code. Howard gave them a death glare of his own though for the two pilots it was really nonsense.

Howard, Heero and Trowa left and closed the door after them.

Duo was untangling himself from Lizzy when she caught his arms.

"Duo don't" Lizzy said sounding desperate. "Pls don't leave me."

Lizzy heard Duo sigh and placed his head on top of hers. "Okay."

Lizzy breath a sigh of relief. Then she asked, "How long was I out?"

"Two days." Duo answered. "It's nighttime already. Are you hungry? I have some food here."

Duo then got up and took a packaged food from the bedside drawer. "Here you go, bottoms up."

(Mostly Duo's POV)

Duo silently watched Lizzy eat her dinner. He could still see the violet marks on her arms and though she was wearing a tank top, he knows that there are more darker bruises on her back due to the fight.

It angered Duo so much that Dr J will use her. None of them, even Heero and Quatre, anticipated that Dr J will use her as a gundam pilot. And that Zero System, he wanted to ask outright how she managed to developed such system. They all looked at it and it was really complicated stuff. Not even Howard and Heero knew that such codes existed before. When Quatre activated it before, it came from Dr Reeds. It is not part of the gundam system. But he can't ask anything from Lizzy who still looks shaken from everything. A while back, he almost screamed out loud when she was just looking at him thinking she had an amnesia. Then they realized that she had a slight amnesia for a short while when she did forgot what happened two days ago. Take it to Howard for being direct! If only he could prevent Howard from mentioning the past. Howard mentioned that Lizzy collapsed already when she made a simulation test. And it angered him to think that she doesn't tell it to him or to any of the gundam pilots. The girl is also suicidal. But then he knew that she did it for a mission. He remembered how the Zero System also drove Quatre insane after his father died.

Duo sighed. It was not really helping any of them by harboring such dark thoughts.

"What are you thinking?" Lizzy suddenly asked as she helped herself to another spoonful of mashed potatoes.

"I was thinking that you mustn't talk to Dr J at all costs!" Duo was fuming.

He remembered the conversation with the freaking scientist an hour after Lizzy passed out two days ago. Dr J was all smiling and said that the mission was a success. Or rather the Zero System was a success. It also irritated him when Heero told them of his theory that Dr J had planned it from the beginning. To separate Lizzy from all the pilots and make her complete the Zero System. The small Oz base was a simple test area for the Zero system prototype and what better guinea pig to use than an innocent girl like Lizzy who had little to no experience in combat and worse piloting a gundam. Not to mention destroying the whole base and almost killing a fellow gundam pilot. Dr J said it exceeded his expectation seeing that Lizzy was able to be at par with Heero Yuy during that time.

"Is Heero mad at me?"

Duo looked at her like she had grown horns on her head. "Are you even listening to me?" he almost shouted. "I said it wasn't your fault that things happened back there. The least of your worry should be Heero. He is a perfect ass soldier, get it? He will not die easily."

Duo watched Lizzy smile but knew it didn't reach her eyes like they used too. It saddened him that she is tainted with blood now. Of course, he had seen her kill someone before when she is spying in the colonies. But for her to actually experience a massacre. Only he should be burden with that. It made him realize that Quatre and Lizzy should stay out of this war but then knew it was already too late.

He got up and was starting to tuck her in when she grabbed his left arm.

"Duo, will you stay with me tonight?"

Duo's eyebrow arched. He was kinda expecting it. She is afraid of the nightmare if she falls asleep.

He plopped down on the floor with a rug. "Okay babe, I'll even hold your hand out tonight until you fall asleep."

Lizzy stared into his eyes and said, "Actually Duo, I was hoping you will stay with me here on the bed. You have no idea how – how scared I am right now. I need to . . . I need to hold you."

Duo saw Lizzy blush. He knew it took a lot of guts for her to ask him that. He was debating with himself. To sleep or not to sleep with Lizzy. It's not that he doesn't want to hold her. He is actually afraid if he can stop himself from touching her! He remembered how he tried to rape her back then. And besides, he was supposed to hate her –

"-Alright", Duo couldn't believe he said that. He reasoned out that he will not touch her because he knows she is injured. Well... Maybe. . .

He stood up and Lizzy made room for him on the bed. He unbuckled his belt, removed his jacket, shoes and socks. He was dressed in his pants and shirt which he thinks is actually decent.

However, when he settled beside Lizzy who was pressed hard against the wall, he realized that Lizzy wasn't actually decent. For one thing, he and Trowa put only a tank top and one of Duo's boxer shorts so that she will be comfortable. No underwears. For one thing, all of her clothes are greased and dirty and her shirt and shorts were too rough for her bruises. Duo tried hard to suppress the ache in his lower regions.

Duo yelped when Lizzy embraced him suddenly. "W-what –". But he can't continue what he was saying. All he could feel was Lizzy's softness and her breasts poking his ribs on his left side. But then he stopped all thoughts and realized that Lizzy was actually shaking.

He sighed heavily. Lizzy was shaking with fear and to add to the effect, she placed her head on his chest, probably so she can feel and hear that another person is beside her. It was actually practical for Lizzy to embrace him like that. He tried not to squeal when Lizzy tentatively placed her leg in between his legs. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not that her leg only touched her upper thigh and not his groin. But he is sure as hell he could feel the V of her legs pressed against his thigh. She was holding him now like he was going to escape. Duo had no choice but to allow himself to melt in her softness. She looked fragile to his touch. He placed his left arm around her shoulders and his other arm to hold her hand. With his free leg, he put the bedsheets on top of them and tried to sleep hard. He could feel Lizzy's wild heartbeat and wondered if she could also hear his own heartbeat.

But surprisingly, after a few minutes, he could hear Lizzy's snooze. It was a different and delightful sound compared to Heero's. He could actually die at that instant. But then his expression hardened. He is after all a gundam pilot. He cannot allow this girl who is full of mystery to dominate his heart. His heart was already set for Quatre.

Thinking of Quatre, he wondered how the Arabian boy would react seeing her lying next to him. In a provocative manner also. He sighed. He's too messed up with his emotions and kinda envied Heero for once for being cold hearted.

After staring at the ceiling for some time devoid of any thoughts, the shinigami fell asleep but unknowingly placing a light kiss on Lizzy's forehead before engulfed into a dreamless state.

(TBC)