A/N: I finally went back and added chapter titles. In addition, I tweaked some of them for corrections, but nothing too major to the plot. As of now, there are two remaining chapters left and a mini epilogue at the end of chapter seven. Thank you to L.A. Une for the review! I truly appreciate the time you took to give a review. And since, my birthday is coming up (wink…wink), I'll appreciate any reviews, whether it maybe comments or flames. If I hear enough responses, I'll post even faster...the next target update will be in two weeks. Enough with my rambling…enjoy! Warning: some fluffiness in here.
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Battling Demons
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"What is that?" Cold eyes stared ahead of him. His IV was still hooked in his arm, as he pointed to the giant machine.
"This is something I've been working on," Lyra spoke softly. She noticed that he gritted his teeth when a shockwave of pain took over, but he never disclosed it to her. She wheeled him further into the large hangar. During the past few days, she easily swayed him into thinking that he was a pilot working for Graves. All it took were several hypnotic drugs to make sure his memory of being Heero didn't surface. She couldn't trust his amnesia being permanent at all. "Would you like to see the cockpit?" Her patient nodded.
She wheeled him onto a lift that brought them to the center of the mecha. The metallic sheen blinded him. He was still trying to get used to the bright lights that seemed to surround him, no matter where he went. He grabbed onto her arm, as she pulled him to the seat. The coldness inside the small enclosure seemed right. His pale hands hovered over the countless controls, but something told him he was there before.
"Are you alright, Odin?"
"Yeah I'm fine." His eyes honed in on the controls.
"You seem you're quite at home," she smiled back at him.
"I am." His monotone voice resonated slightly in the cockpit. "When can I fly?"
"Hold on for a sec, you're still injured." Lyra was amazed at how fast he wanted to try this Gundam out. "I'll get back to you on that. As your doctor, I'm ordering you to get some bed rest."
"Hn."
A week later"Now Mr. Graves I have to warn you that our new pilot is Heero Yuy," Lyra looked up from her desk.
"How the hell did that happen? I thought he died awhile back." His eyes conveyed a questioning look. In their last conversation together, he didn't recall her mentioning any of this new information.
"I found him out in the debris field from our surprised attack." She grappled a pen in her hands, not knowing what else to do with her hands.
"Has he tried our system yet?"
"Soon…I have to give him the final okay on that. But I'm warning you, not to mention anything of his former self." She made a brief pause before giving him the news. "It seems that Yuy suffered amnesia. I don't know if it's temporary or not, but I gave him some drugs to keep his past memories from resurfacing. He now goes by the name Odin."
Graves nodded in response to this new information. He had one question lingering in his mind, "Being that he was a former pilot that used the Zero system, what are the chances of him being rejected?"
"Slim to none," a smile graced her face. "This is something better than we hoped for."
"Indeed, fortune has been on our side since day one." A grin sneaked across his face. His plan was working out after all.
The two walked out of her glass-enclosed office, and headed over to the room where Odin was staying. Lyra greeted him and introduced him to Graves. "I think it's time for you to try out the system."
"Sounds fine to me." He hadn't a clue of what he was getting himself into.
The restricted area doors opened to the three, and even with him standing, it would make anyone cower in front of the machine. Odin stepped onto the lift, and it slowly ascended towards the cockpit. Once inside, the familiar smell greeted him once again. It felt like home once and for all. He remembered what he went through the simulations. His photographic memory kicked into gear, as his hands flawlessly flew over the controls. He brought the mecha to life.
A voice crept into his mind, "Well what took you so long to get back here?" He wasn't expecting any of this to happen. "You're still the same one like him."
"What are you talking about?" He shouted out to the emptiness of his cockpit. The only thing he heard was the hum coming from the reactors that brought the dormant giant to life. A sharp pain resonated from the back of his neck, and he grabbed the area instinctively. A cherry red, trail slippedbetween his fingers.
"You can't hide anymore."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Right before him, he saw a translucent version of himself appear. The image mocked at him, and it guided him to activate the system. His fingers moved on their own, as golden light enveloped the small space.
"My name is Zero…you will become me." The cryptic voice penetrated Odin's mental blocks. For a moment, he felt his mind connected to a faraway dream. A dream where he searched for one person that he knew could be his salvation. He called out to her hoping that he would hear her. This was his last trunk card in stopping Zero.
Outside, Lyra monitored his vitals, and nothing abnormal popped up. "This is definitely a good sign," she noted the approximate time and compared them to the other test subjects used before him. This was the breaking point, whether he would make it or not. The readings remained steady, "Mr. Graves, we have ourselves a new pilot."
The older man acknowledged, "Well look at the time, I must head back to the ESUN for an important meeting. Let me know about any important updates."
"Will do, sir."
Well…look who decided to grace their appearance finally. Sally looked through the darken windshields. Through the past several days, she followed his every move, and even placed several bugs in his office hoping that he would slip in one of his conversations. Nothing ever surfaced. The building that stood in front of her looked like a rundown warehouse building. Then again looks can be deceiving. She flipped through her log notebook, and noted that this was the first time that he was here. Her attention ran back to Graves, who already hopped into his limo. She made sure that her distance between him and her were great enough that she couldn't be spotted. While navigating into the restless city streets, she began to setup a transmission back to the colony that would be received by one person in particular.
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"Get out of my seat," Wufei gazed down upon the teenager who sat at his spot.
"I'm here to keep you company," Josh looked at the radar.
"I don't need any," he scowled. "I'm older than you."
"I'm here to help out anyway I can." The teen swiveled in his chair, ignoring what the older man said.
"Well raising my blood pressure isn't doing any justice at all." The Asian paced to an empty seat that was far away from the teenager.
Duo walked into the conversation, "Having a little stress isn't bad for you, Wu-man."
"Shut up, Maxwell."
"Touchy…touchy…" Duo walked up to Josh as if they had been buddies since the beginning of time. "Whatever you're doing, keep it up." He winked at the boy.
"You got it, Chief."
Duo stared into the onslaught of files that were scattered on his desktop's computer. Being on "desk duty" wasn't his plan of fun, but it can't be helped. So much for the paper…erm…byte trail that Heero had left them with. His violet eyes scanned through the financial transactions that their current president made for the past several years. "It seems the Prez has been a very busy man," he talked behind his screen. "He bought some fancy metal…man why couldn't he have done business with Hilde and I, we sure need the money."
"Isn't the paycheck from the Preventers paying enough already?" Wufei was trying to make his comeback.
"Heh…cheap shot Wu-man." His voice steered their conversation onto a more serious note, "The reports Sally and you collected are showing a pattern for sure."
"We know the new metal is not Gundanium. Sally saw one of the cargo ships carrying this new synthetic metal."
Duo nodded in response, "Let's just hope our weapons can make a scratch on it then."
Trowa radioed down their home base, "The final scan is clear. The sensors are all a go."
"Roger that," Josh radioed back.
The two former Gundam pilots looked back to their new comrade. How they both yearned to be a teen again, and not to have a single care in the world. Those were the good old days, chasing false promises and realizing in the end, there was something more precious to save. The two resumed their respective tasks, and decided to let a new generation take the helm for once. They couldn't expect to save the world every time when it was in danger.
"When will I be able to fly one of the Gundams?" The teenager had a keen eye for technology and weapons.
Wufei ignored him; he was expecting an important contact anytime. Duo responded, "One day, but not today. Besides, you have to go through the sims."
"Um…Trowa already showed me that like a week ago." Josh looked over to his prospective Gundam.
"What…you sure you're not another Heero?" Duo lifted his eyebrows in curiosity.
A minute beep caught Wufei's attention, "It took you long enough, woman."
"Sorry for the delay, Graves has been on the move for the past several days. I need you to run a check on this building." Her eyes focused on the road instead of him.
"Why can't you do it?" He always did this to her.
"I'm doing the hard work down here, and besides, the sooner you finish, the quicker I can come home."
He heard her rummaging through her car for her computer. In seconds, he received the coordinates of the building. "Very well."
"Thank you." She closed the connection.
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Quatre remained by Relena's bedside for most of the day. Being the Preventer liaison to the colony, it seemed only fitting to stay next to his friend. Everyone else was preoccupied in their race against Graves. He whispered to her, "Please hang on in there. The colonists need you here." He didn't know what else to say. The soft clicks coming from the monitors reassured him that she was still there, but only in a deep trance.
If he had the guts, he would punch Heero in the face or something. All through these years, he could tell she was hurting on the inside. During the day, she would put on her game face, and at night, everything came crashing down. "You know you deserve some happiness too." He didn't know if she heard the words or not, but he got that off his chest. The sleepy figured tossed and turned in her sleep. The IV line clanked against the metal bar of her bed. The crystal liquid continued to fall by gravity's pull. His power of premonitions was useless in this situation. All he could do was watch her fight for her life.
"Relena," a soft voice floated about her.
It was the only voice that she heard, "Who's there?" She spun around to see if anyone was beside her.
"Find me," the voice taunted her.
"Where?" She called out to the vast land. This purgatory of hers was driving her mad. Time didn't even move at all. The sun still shone through the faint wispy clouds above her. She shouted towards the sky, "What am I supposed to do?" As if on cue, she saw a cherry blossom tree standing in the middle of the field. From the lush green fields of lilacs, the tree stuck out. The cool refuge beckoned her to come.
The pink blossoms were already in full bloom, as she leaned her back onto the cool bark. It was better than standing out in the blazing sun. Her eyelids slowly drooped, as she felt sleep's grasp coming over her. Her newfound friend slowly dissipated when she heard someone cocking a gun.
"I will kill you." His deep voice drifted towards her.
The phrase brought her out of her quiet meditation. It was a phrase she had heard over and over again. She watched him steady the barrel and aimed it at her head. The cold metal sat upon her skin, but she didn't flinch. Her blue orbs were fixed upon the person that stood before her. If she was to die in this purgatory, then so be it.
"Just pull the trigger. End it now." A command echoed in his mind. What was really going on? He looked at the woman in front of him. No longer the former pacifist, but as a woman who had her heart torn in pieces years ago. His finger lingered on the trigger, hesitating as to follow the orders. His mind raced with other commands. "Kill her now," a voice hissed. "You don't need her. Finish the job."
"Leave me alone," he looked away from her, but his arm still maintained its stance. The barrel pressed harder into her smooth skin.
She noticed something was wrong with him. His bipolar personality was too abrupt. "What's wrong?" She felt the barrel from her head falter.
"Stay back from me." A wrangled scream escaped from his lips. A foreign sound that she didn't hear often, the Perfect Soldier was breaking down before her very eyes.
Realizing he was fighting against himself, she slammed her hands into his arm, knocking the gun out of his reach. "I'm right here," she knelt down beside him. "You have to fight this."
His hands clawed at the soil and ripped a patch of grass from the fragile ground. The blades fell loosely around his hands, as his rampage went on. He was hoping to gain some of his mental status back from the intruder. His warning to her was clear and succinct, but he was hurting deep inside. A minute passed and the rampage ceased. "Relena," his voice was hoarse, but he felt a pair of hands turning his body to face hers. He brushed away a loose strand of her honey-blonde hair away from her face, "you have to kill me before I do."
The last sentence punched her in the stomach. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, and she shook her head from side to side in disbelief. "No…no."
"You have to." His forehead glistened from his inner struggle. "I can't fight this anymore."
"You have to be strong," her fists clenched at her sides. "I'm not following your wish."
"Zero is back." His breath was ragged, but he maintained his composure for the time being. He managed to hold the system at bay.
The words were plain and simple. The devilish system was resurrected again, and she knew what it did to him the first time. "You have to fight it, Heero!" His eyes were the calm Prussian ones that she remembered back in the days when they were on Libra. She picked at a couple strands of grass, trying to figure out a way to change his mind. For a diplomat, her argumentative skills failed her. "I just can't…I won't."
"It's your turn, Relena." She couldn't take it and walked away from him, seeking refuge under the pink blossoms. The words killed her.
A calm wind blew between the pair. If only it was that simple to admit their feelings for each other. The battlefield and politics always intervened at the most convenient times. The soldier and the princess, a combination that never worked, no matter how many times they met after the war. The Fates were cruel in their work to keep them separated, and now it came to this. The effects of Zero were slowly creeping in his veins. He can tell his presence was becoming stronger. His body would no longer be in control. With the strength he had left, he mustered to pull himself up and walked over to the figure that stood at the base of the tree. He pulled her close and tightened his arms around her waist. Her heartbeat pounded against his cool skin, "Do this for me," he whispered into her ear and entangled his hands into her hair before returning them to her waist.
She closed her eyes, trying to shut away from the world around her. "Let me go." Her arms pushed away from his chest, in hopes of escaping. Why did she have to be so weak at a time like this? She squirmed in his arms, but she felt them clamping harder down onto her waist. It was a gentle pressure, but she couldn't do anything about it. This wasn't Heero at all, and it wasn't the Zero system either.
"Stop fighting me." He looked down upon her and forced her to look at him straight in his eyes. Faint lines on their faces showed years of regret and torment. Feeling the last of his personality fading, he had to succumb to his feelings for her. It might be the only chance that he'll ever get. Their lips brushed for a moment, a slow yet sweet kiss that should have happened long before. All their regrets finally disappeared in that one moment. She melted into his embrace, not wanting to leave at all. Around them, blossom petals whirled at their feet. If only they were shooting stars, she would have made one wish to keep him forever.
A sudden jerking from Heero brought her out of their embrace. Automatically, she knew what had ruined their kiss. Her feet were planted on the ground, while she stood by his side. She wanted to be with him still, it was her decision and hers alone. Two hands reached for her neck, and she remained her ground. "Heero." The man that she kissed was no longer there. Instead a monster appeared before her...a monster that had Heero's body. The world around her turned into blackness.
Quatre looked in horror, as he saw her thrashing in her bed. The alarms sounded off one by one. "What's going on?"
The main doctor stepped in. "She's having an allergic reaction to a new medication we gave her." The medic stepped over to a nearby counter and grabbed a small injection syringe filled with epinephrine. The monitor registered a normal heartbeat, and the warnings subsided.
Voices floated above her. Her hand rubbed her temple, in hopes of knocking out the migraine she was having. The two strangers stopped in their tracks, as to see how the patient reacted to the fluorescent lights above her head. Pale cerulean eyes flashed open and twirled about for a moment.
"Welcome back," her former advisor looked at her.
"Quatre," she blinked twice. The smell of antiseptics clued her in as to where she was. "How long was I out?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"About a week and a half." He looked at the clock that hung in the corner of her private room. "A lot has happened since then."
The doctor took that as a cue for her to leave the two alone. "I'll check back on you later." She smiled and closed the door behind her.
"Une found the disk that Heero left with you."
"Did anyone find him after the blast?" Her eyes focused on the white fabric in front of her. They then turned to the gauze that was lightly pressed on her hands and lower arms.
"No one did." There was something in her voice that made him think on the answer twice. "I'm sorry."
"Call me crazy, but he came to me in my dreams. He asked me to kill him."
She looked out her window and saw part of the earth. The gigantic, blue marble looked peaceful from this vantage point. "No one knows what's really happening."
Quatre heard her shuffle as she made an attempt to get off her bed, "You can't just get up."
She swatted his arms away from her, "I've been here long enough." A cold sensation crawled up from her feet, as she balanced herself on the sand, colored tiles. "I need to find him."
TBC
