Relena drove. She didn't know where she was going, or where she'd finally end up, but she drove anyway. Her mind whirled with the conversation she'd had with Heero… Odin. He really didn't remember anything about their past together. That fact made her heart ache.
She slowed her car and turned off a main road onto a dirt road that led into the woods. She realized that she was still near the research facility, and she was heading towards the place she'd last seen Heero, when he'd escaped. Her unconscious mind was taking her back.
The road curved to the right, and as Relena navigated around the bend, her headlights swept across the trees and brushes. Up ahead, her headlights shone against a figure standing in the middle of the road. Relena screamed and slammed on her breaks. The car skidded across dirt and rocks, coming to a stop just before hitting the figure.
Relena turned off the engine and looked back up through the windshield. It was him. It was Heero, standing in front of her car in the middle of the woods. He had escaped, or did Wufei let him go?
She pushed open her door and stepped out of the car. Looking at him, strong conflicting emotions tore at her mind. How did he know she'd be here, when she didn't even know she'd end up in the same woods? Had he intended to find her?
Faye itched at her psyche, wanting to be released. The danger Heero posed was too much for Relena to handle on her own. But Relena held on, wanting another chance to talk to Heero.
"How did you get away?" Relena asked, staring him down. Heero shrugged a shoulder and a slow smile spread across his face.
"It wasn't too hard to escape," Heero said. "They didn't know the true extent of my strength. I never showed them." Relena blinked.
"You held back in all your testing," she said, and Heero nodded. Just how strong was he? Hairs on the back of Relena's neck stuck up on end, reacting to the potential danger that Heero posed. But her heart went out to him, even as Faye struggled to pull it back. Relena pressed a hand to the side of her head, willing Faye to back off for a moment, to let her speak. But the man in front of her was changed. He was no longer the Heero she had known and with whom she had fallen in love. Nothing would ever be the same.
Relena lost her hold. Faye took over, reaching down into the car and pulling a pistol from under the seat. She pointed it at Heero's chest. "You're a danger to society," she said.
Don't kill him.
"Hush, Relena," Faye said. Her eyes narrowed on Heero, who remained standing, staring down the barrel of the pistol, unafraid. In fact, he was smirking.
"There's only one person who can kill me, and it's not you," Heero said.
Faye smirked. "We'll see about that." She fired the pistol, but Heero moved out of the way so fast he was a blur. Faye's resolve wavered for just a moment, and she lost hold when Heero appeared in front of her and landed a punch to her gut. Relena edged herself in and cried out in pain as her body crumpled to the ground.
"Please Hee-... Odin. Don't do this," she said through gasping breaths. Heero stared down at her, confusion etched on his face.
Get out of the way, Relena.
"No!" Relena pushed herself off the ground, sucking in air to regain her breath. Her abdomen ached where the punch from Heero had landed. Once on her feet, she stood, hunched over. The pain was too much for Relena to bear, and Faye easily slipped into control.
"You'll pay for that," Faye said, lifting herself up to her full height. She pointed her pistol at Heero once more and fired off a round, but Heero dodged easily once again. Two more shots fired, and each one rammed into trees beyond, splintering the wood. Heero shook his head.
"You're not going to succeed," he said. "I already told you, you are not strong enough to kill me."
"Bullshit," Faye said. "You're just a human, like the rest of us."
Heero laughed.
You're wrong. He's too strong for you, Faye!
Faye ignored Relena's voice, but tossed her pistol to the ground, though the magazine was not spent. She edged towards the car and lifted the truck.
"Then I guess I need more firepower," she said. She pulled an AR-57 from the truck and hoisted it up to her shoulder. Heero shook his head, but Faye fired. He dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way from the barrage of bullets that flew past, splintering more trees with the impact of each bullet. Faye lowered the rifle from her shoulder and looked at Heero, sprawled on the ground. He rose, dusting himself off.
"I'm going to keep dodging your attacks," Heero said. His eyes narrowed. "Let me talk to Relena."
Let me out, Faye!
"She's not available right now," Faye said. Relena struggled against Faye's hold, but she was too strong, had too much of a grip. Heero nodded, as if confirming his suspicions about the war waging inside the body of Relena Darlian.
"Sorry about this, Relena," he said, and ran at her, his fist colliding with her stomach once more. Her breath wooshed from her lungs, and she doubled over, clutching her stomach. She dropped to one knee, gasping for breath. Distracted, Heero turned to the truck of the car and rummaged around for whatever weapons she had hiding in the trunk.
"Get. Out. Of. There," Faye gasped. Heero ignored her and lifted a small, black orb from the trunk. Faye knew what it was, and fear gripped her as she watched Heero examine the small explosive. Small, yes, but deadly.
"This ought to do it," Heero said, popping the bomb up into the air and catching it with his hand. Faye pushed herself to her feet, still doubled over, and for a moment, lost control. Relena fought her way back in.
"Please, don't kill me, Odin," she pleaded. "Let me help you." She lifted herself up from her hunched position. "I can help you regain your lost memories. We can-"
Heero cut her off with a wave of his hand. "I'm not going to kill you," he said. "I'm going to kill myself."
Both Relena and Faye gasped.
Let him. He's a danger to society.
"Be quiet," Relena said. Heero blinked at her, but her gaze shifted back to him. "You don't need to kill yourself. You can learn to control your strength. You don't have to kill anyone. You probably don't remember this, but a long time ago, you said you'd never have to kill anyone ever again. That's still true." Heero shook his head.
"You don't understand. I am too strong, too strong for anyone. And I will kill," Heero said. "I have to kill. It's programmed into my brain, now." Relena shook her head from side to side, her hair whipping in her face.
"No, you don't have to kill. Killing is a choice," she cried.
"Not for me."
"Well, what about the Zero system?" she asked. Heero looked puzzled.
"What Zero system?" he asked. Relena blinked, and remembered. Heero - Odin - didn't know about the Zero system.
"It's this… system…" she said, trying to explain, circling her hands. Heero stared at her with a skeptical expression.
Just kill him!
Relena shook away Faye's voice from her mind. "It can manipulate your thoughts…"
"I don't like the sound of that," Heero said. "I've been manipulated enough. Whatever they've done to me…" His voice trailed off and he dropped his eyes to the ground. "It's too much to bear," he added after a moment. "I feel like I'm falling apart from the inside. No human can withstand this kind of power. It must be destroyed. I must be destroyed."
Heero took a few steps back, away from Relena. But she closed the gap, stepping even closer to him. He was trying to get away, but she couldn't let him. If she could just keep him talking... "But you could possibly recover your memories," she cried. "You could remember everything, including us…"
"Even if I remembered, nothing would be the same," Heero said.
Let me out, Relena!
Relena held on as tight as he could. She stepped up to Heero and threw her arms around his neck and crushed a kiss to his lips. His hand lingered on her hip for a moment, but then he pushed her away. Relena's arms fell away from him, and a heavy sadness came over her. Heero gave her one look and continued to back up. In his hand, he flicked the detonation switch, still moving backwards, away from Relena. A soft beeping came from the bomb.
Faye tore at her mind, desperate to take control, but Relena held on.
"Heero!" Relena cried out, her voice cracking with desperation.
The beeping stopped. Heero looked up at Relena, and for a moment, recognition filled his blue eyes. They softened.
"Relena…" he said, sending a chill up Relena's spine. She opened her mouth to cry out again, but a flash of light consumed Heero, and a roaring sound filled Relena's ears. Her resolve broke and Faye took over. Turning her body, Faye threw herself down behind the car and covered her head with her hands. The roaring escalated into an explosion. Faye could feel the heat of the explosion on her back. A wind blew hard against her.
And silence.
Faye lifted her head. She pushed herself up to her feet and stepped around the car. The front end of the car was partially destroyed. It was a wonder she didn't have damage herself. A blast circle edged out from the center of the explosion. A body lay in the center, the remains of Heero Yuy. Faye pressed her lips together. She could hear Relena screaming in her mind, desperately wanting to take control, but Faye pushed her back. This was not something Relena should have to deal with.
Faye walked into the blast circle and knelt down beside the body. She gathered the remains up in her arms and carried him back to the car, where she carefully laid the body in the backseat. She didn't know what she'd do next, but she knew Relena would never forgive her if she left his body in the middle of the woods.
Faye climbed into the car and started the engine. At first, the car didn't want to start, but eventually, the engine turned off and the car revved to life. She backed the car down the dirt road, turned, and sped away.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed the action. ;-) Thank you to everyone still reading and reviewing!
-RGS
