Author's Note: Longest chapter in this fic thus far but here is where things get interesting. I bet none of you were expecting Xavien to show up in the last chapter, now were you? Well, that brings me to something else. I am in need of cannon fodder, meaning, I need a lot OCs to kill off but I am having trouble coming up with them. That's where you, my reading audience comes in. Somewhere in this chapter is a reference to a previous fic of mine. If or when you review, I want you to tell me what part in the fic it was and what fic it is referring to. This is a first come, first serve basis and I will only accept one correct answer from one reviewer, maybe two if I feel like it. Should you guess correctly, I will contact you to tell you of your winning and with further instructions. Now, without further ado, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing and I do not own Frank Sinatra's "Jeepers Creepers."

Warning: language

Where'd You Get Those Peepers?

His name was Mobias. No last name or anything else. Just Mobias.

Once upon a time, he had just been another street rat, barely scraping a living on the streets that he had known for all his life. He hated being weak, hated being victimized over and over again, especially whenever he had managed to find a niche for himself where he could be supreme and lord over others.

He didn't remember his family, that is if he ever had one. He had no friends, no one to watch his back as he stole from the vending carts that populated the streets, always getting the less desirable choices of breads, fruits, or vegetables.

When it seemed as if he couldn't fall any further, he had been given the chance to do something else. Actually, it had been more like forced but at this point in time, he didn't see it like that.

He had been plucked off the streets without a murmur and the next thing he knew, he was strapped to a table and was experiencing the most incredible pain he had ever felt in his entire life.

But it was worth it.

He was powerful now.

As a result of the pain, the crap that was pumped into him, he had become stronger, he had gain true power, something he took ever opportunity to flaunt.

Fire, the very element that now flowed through his veins, had become his weapon of choice. At first, he had had difficulty using it; hell, he had trouble summoning it at first with the exception of those spontaneous outbursts of course. But he had driven himself to master his new found powers and now, he was fire's master. He enjoyed tormenting those that were weaker than him and he used his obviously greater brains to not only outsmart his victims but get out of trouble and avoid the consequences of his actions.

Life was perfect now.

Or at least it was until that blond fag had stolen his thunder.

He despised the one that called himself Solo. He had not only been the first to stand up to him but had knocked him off his pedestal of self-assurance. That Solo had everything that Mobias had wanted. Solo had not only been one of the first to be taken but also the first to survive the stuff that had been done to him. He was powerful, he was great, he was indestructible, much to his ire and fury, and yet he had the gall to hate these great gifts that had been given to them.

He had all that he could ever want but he wanted nothing to do with them? The guy was a moron! How could he not like his new power?

Even on this day as he juggled his fire, letting one of his friends occasionally freeze one of the balls, he couldn't help but glare murderously at his one and only rival. Or should that be rivals since that other long-haired freak seemed to be popular with the boss guys.

However, he knew better than to cross either of them. He knew what would happen if he messed with one of them but the other he had only heard stories about, stories of horror at what he had done to those before. He cared too much for his precious butt to let himself end up dead so he had to contend himself with just watching them.

But one of these days, he would beat them. He would win and show them who was truly the best, who really deserved to be the favorite of everybody here.

He just had to wait, wait until the perfect moment came and then…

--

The "dining" hour had ended a while ago and Solo had felt the need to be by himself for a bit. So here he was in his cell, reading a passage from one of his smuggled fantasy novels. It was only when reading one of these fantastic tales that a real, genuine smile let itself grow on the blond's face as he enjoyed reading and imagining the actions and dialogue that created worlds so vast and extraordinary that the closest he could get to it would be through his dreams and dreams alone.

However, he couldn't concentrate and get too deeply involved with his book since he had noticed the obvious change in décor. Instead of the single cot, there were now two in the cell, confirming the tidbit of info that Kid had given him earlier that day.

So he was going to get a cellmate huh? Whoever it was better not get any high and mighty ideas about running the show in here else they were begging for a trip to the infirmary. He was in no mood for any of that crap at this point in time.

He would be damned if he let one of those idiots try and get the idea into their head that he would roll over for them.

Sensing his new roommate entering the cell, Solo hid his book out of sight, not wanting one of his favorite pastimes to be discovered. However, as it turned out, he probably needn't have done that.

It seemed the person he was to be sharing his cell with was Kid.

Giving the boy a small smile, he greeted, "Hey Kid. Ya gonna be my roomie?"

The boy leaned back out the cell entrance, looking at the cell room number before leaning back in with a confused expression. "It looks like it," he said as he moved further in at a slow pace and gingerly sat on the unoccupied cot.

His green eyes never left Kid, even as he let himself relax further on his cot. He had to admit that he couldn't have liked the situation better. Out of all the people here, he enjoyed the company that only Kid could give him. "You can relax ya know," he stated. "I'm not gonna bite ya, ya know."

"Yeah, Solo," Kid mumbled as shifted on his cot and made no other movement.

Letting the book he was holding drop onto his cot, Solo contented himself in just staring at the smaller boy, taking in the way the boy's muscles were tense, as if he was afraid of something. Maybe it was because this was the first time the boy was sharing a room with someone else? Yeah, that had to it, what with the way those violet eyes kept darting at him then shifting away just as quickly.

However, he didn't get up and try to comfort the boy who was obviously out of his element. He didn't really know how to comfort the boy; all he could be was receptive to whatever physical affection the boy had given to him or just be completely blunt which was how he said anything anyhow. The blunt approach just didn't seem…right for this though so he just folded his arms and rested his chin on them, continuing to sprawl out on his cot, his eyes not leaving the braided boy.

Finally, Duo asked, "Why ya lookin' at me?"

"Nothin' else ta look at," Solo replied blandly.

"What about that?" Duo asked, gesturing to the forgotten book.

"Read it already, eleven times," Solo answered just as blandly as before.

"Then why were you…?"

"Nothin' else ta do."

For the next few hours, the two would continue on this vein, Duo always asking his quiet questions, Solo always answering them as if he answered such things all the time. It was only when the lights suddenly shut off that both knew it was curfew and that they were expected to sleep then. The only light that could be seen was that which managed to get through the crack under the heavy door that was now closed and audibly being locked. In only a few more minutes, not even that light would be available.

Shrugging to himself in the dark, Solo moved around on his cot, lifting up the too-thin blankets and slipping in under them, the sound of his book falling to the cold concrete floor reminding him of the object's presence. He would have to pick it up later before he left for the morning dinning hour.

Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he glanced over at his new roommate, raising an unseen eyebrow as he was able to make out the other boy still sitting on his cot, still in the same spot he had sat on the second he had come in.

"You know," he spoke, "I'm not gonna attack ya in ya sleep, right?"

For a moment, he heard nothing but then the sounds of the braided boy crawling under his own blankets came and Solo turned his face away to stare up through the darkness at the ceiling above. This was usually the time he reserved for pondering the mysteries of life or, in his own words, figuring out a way to get the hell out of this place and back into the world where the sun shown brightly. But, as always, he wouldn't ever get far, his mind always becoming blank, remaining like that until he fell into a dreamless sleep, which, by the way, wouldn't be happening for God knows how long.

However, the presence of Kid in the cell with him kinda threw things off. He was used to a set of things that he did every day, day in and day out, nothing ever changing. Nonetheless, it was throwing him off his rocker and time that would have been wasted thinking about getting out of here was more focused on the small body only mere feet away from him.

Questions like "is he doing all right?", "is he cold?", "does he need another blanket?" and others along this train of thought took up all of his concentration and he had to blink stupidly at himself to stop it. What was that all about? He couldn't really be concerned about Kid, could he? Look at him, he can get through those sessions and still stand up afterwards. Why should he, Solo, be concerned if he wasn't comfortable? And what was that annoying noise?

Wait, annoying noise? Again he blinked but raised his head up to stare in the general direction of where the door should be. That was new, he could hear some noise, not some rambling bunch of sounds, no, this was more smooth.

Could it be…music?

If he closed his eyes and strained his hearing hard enough, he found that he was able to make out some words.

Jeepers creepers, where'd you get those peepers?

Jeepers creepers, where'd you get those eyes?

How…corny could you get? What the hell was this? Jeepers? God, those assholes needed to get some taste or something. Now it was going to be harder to get to sleep with that annoying tune in his head. Damn them all to Hell! With a capital H!

Maybe he had been in this place too long or something but he was suddenly aware of a heat source right next to his cot. His old alarms in his head, the ones that screamed at him that there was a rapist right next to him, were screaming shrilly. So, in an old manner that he had ingrained into himself over time, Solo struck out with a fist, hitting nothing but air as the person that had snuck up on him dodged and then grabbed a hold of his wrist.

It was almost surreal how all his energy suddenly was zapped out of him and he flopped back onto his cot bonelessly. He was having trouble keeping his eyelids open, all the muscles in his body were slacking, and everything was suddenly so much colder than before. He had never felt anything like this before…

With great struggle, he managed to twist his head to a side and through slit eyes that were just beginning to sparkled with amber, he made out what seemed to be a crimson light above him, light that seemed to be coming from two…eyes?

Jeepers creepers, where'd you get those peepers?

Oh, those weepers, how they hypnotize

Where'd you get those eyes?

Gritting his teeth together and summoning all the strength he could get from his failing body, he somehow managed to throw another punch out, this time getting his assailant. He felt the hold on his wrist vanish and the sound of someone stumbling back, giving out a cry on pain that they weren't expecting. With his strength slowly beginning to return to him, Solo could only hope that whatever damage he had done, it would be enough to give him enough time to recuperate.

Funny, there was that word again, hope.

Rising up from his cot malevolently, ready to kick some ass, as much as he possibly could with the way he was feeling, Solo glared into the darkness before him, his now amber eyes giving off an unexpected light that brightened up the cell. What he found was Kid steadying himself against his own cot, a hand clutching at his bruised cheek.

Now that was unexpected yet it made sense. Kid was the only other person here but why would he attack him out of the blue all of a sudden? Now that didn't make any sense. But then Kid looked up at him with his own glowing crimson eyes and those eyes did not show any of the shy and timid boy that Solo knew so well. Instead, those eyes were reflecting amusement and something else, something not so innocent, an unnerving smirk only serving to put the blond on his guard.

What in hell was going on?

And as if that wasn't enough, Kid just started chuckling. It was freaky.

"I couldn't have expected less," Kid commented whimsically, his voice slightly deeper and more confident than it usually was. "He wouldn't have liked you if you were anything but."

Needless to say, Solo had no idea what he was talking about and made his confusion known by voicing it. "What da hell are you talkin' 'bout?"

Instead of a chuckle, Solo received a full, blown out laugh. If anything, this served to send chills up his spine, something that hadn't happen since he had almost been caught by that rapist one time. All the muscles in his body were on full alert, tensing up so much that the blond was nearly trembling.

"And you speak so well!" Kid declared once he got his laughter under control. "I'm liking you more and more. He really does have good tastes when it comes to picking his friends."

"What does that mean?!" Solo demanded, his hands fisting so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. "Who da hell are ya talkin' about?!"

"I'm talking about my other," Kid answered smugly, relaxing on the cot he was now sitting on.

"Other?"

"You know, Kid? The one guy who looks like he'll piss his pants if you look at him wrong?"

"But you're Kid!" the blond protested, gesturing wildly at him.

"Ah, ah, ah," the braided one gently reprimanded. "Not everything is as it seems, Solo boy! I am Kid but not quite Kid either. We share the same body but we're two different people, him and I."

Despite not grasping a hold of it in the beginning, no one could say that Solo didn't have a sharp mind. He had read enough of those fantasy books of his to get at least a clue of what Kid…er, this guy was talking about. "Are you sayin' ya got that multiple personality thing?"

"Ding, ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!" the braided one crowed in triumph, crimson eyes positively radiating with their eerie light.

Well…that was…wow…just…wow… As if his life wasn't screwed up enough, he has to find out that the one person who was the closest thing to a friend he ever had was not one but two people. This was just dandy. "So what do I call you?" he asked, feeling the tension slowly drain from his body, even though he still had his guard up. This side of Kid had attacked him a few minutes ago.

"Name's Reaper," the other Kid stated, "but…I think trying to keep two name's in mind is gonna be tough, ain't it?" Those crimson eyes suddenly flashing with inspiration, he continued, "So instead of calling each of us by a different name, you can call us Duo."

Solo blinked then narrowed his eyes. "Hey, you're rippin' off my name!" he accused.

"Oh, I don't see your copyright on it, blondie," Reaper…er Duo snarked back, grinning wickedly at him. Inwardly…okay, okay, visibly Solo bristled at the insult.

"Don't call me blondie, shorty!" he snapped.

This time it was Duo who was insulted. "Airhead!" he insulted back.

"Short Stuff!" Solo fired.

"Tree Trunk!"

"You know what they say about big feet, pipsqueak?"

Duo's fingers twitched. "Do you want to die?" he snarled.

"As if," Solo taunted. "I could hold you back with one hand on your forehead."

Instead of insulting back, Duo threw his head back and laughed out loud again, that manic laugh creeping the blond out once more. "Haven't you been paying attention to anything?" Duo questioned. "I just need to touch a part of you and voila, it's over!"

Solo's eye twitched. Okay, he didn't really want to remember ten minutes ago when he was laying on his back near death or whatever it was that was going on. What was going on then anyway? He hadn't been that helpless since he had first been abandoned.

His curiosity winning over his inflamed anger, he demanded, "What were ya doin' back there anyway?"

"What? You think I didn't get anything out of those experiments those lab rats have been putting us through?" Duo countered.

"I assumed that ya did but what did you get out it?" Solo clarified.

That answering smirk did nothing to put the blond at ease. "I sped up time," Duo answered, his crimson eyes now glowing malevolently.

"Sped up time?" Solo repeated.

"Yeah, it has a nasty side effect on people," Duo shrugged nonchalantly. "Makes them feel like they're dying, which is exactly what's going on. Since everybody is mortal, by speeding up the rate in which their life force diminishes over time, I basically give them a touch of death that's usually fatal."

Death. No matter had old he would get, that one word held so much implication to the blond. "So what you're saying is that you can kill people by touchin' them?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"He can be taught!" Duo exclaimed, cackling.

"You're crazy," Solo accused, moving as far back away from the braided one as he possibly could.

"Hey, you think that your precious Kid could have survived all that stuff that was done to us?" Duo suddenly snapped, eyes flaring. "No, he wouldn't have been able to. You can't tell me that you didn't wonder how it was that we were still alive all this time. My other created me when he was strapped down to that table and they were pumping him full of that stuff. I can do what he can't, I can take as much pain that they can dish out at us and live to tell about it."

That made sense, too much sense if you asked Solo. It did explain how Kid had been able to walk out of that room with only the minimal amount of assistance. But why had this other Kid…Reaper…Duo waited to make himself known now? Couldn't he have done it ages ago?

If he hadn't known better, he would have assumed that the braided one was a mindreader as he suddenly answered that question that had just popped up in his mind aloud.

"You hear that music?" Duo asked, tilted his head to a side and closing his eyes.

Yeah…he could still hear it, that Jeepers Creepers shit. But what was so special about it?

"They conditioned us," Duo suddenly spoke, startling the blond, much to his ire. "You, me, all the others, we're weapons. Ever since before Kid started to stick around you, the lab rats were doing some mind control crap to our brain. Whenever that song is played, we lose control and…something else takes over. We can't help it…"

"It makes you want to kill the closest thing to you, doesn't it?" Solo guessed, amazed at suddenly hearing the unease it the cocky asshole's voice. He didn't know whether or not to be smug over it or scared.

"Yes," Duo hissed, confirming the blond's suspicion. "We hate it. Kid because he doesn't understand what it is and afraid that…well, I'll let him tell you that later. I hate it because I have no control over it. I'm weak, helpless…" His crimson eyes suddenly blazing again, he spat venomously, "I hate that."

It was in that moment as he watched the other that Solo recognized that he had a kinsman of sorts. Here was somebody just like him who hated what was being done to them, somebody who he could confide it, perhaps even someone he could trust?

"Have ya ever thought about leavin' this place?" he asked of the braided one. "You know, escapin'?"

Those eyes turning towards him, there was a look of contemplation on the confident face of Duo's. Funny, he was beginning to see the person across from him not as Kid anymore and Kid was the closest thing he had to a friend ever. What did that say about him?

"You know," Duo spoke, "I've never really given that any thought."

Solo almost fell down. He had to be kidding him! Honestly! How could he not think about getting out of this place and back out into the real world, away from all this crap? Maybe he was giving this guy too much credit…

"But now that you mention it, it does sound like a good idea," Duo continued blithely.

Well, at least that was a start. Now to figure out a way to go about doing it.

"Ready to go?"

Solo blinked in confusion. "What?"

"No time like the present," Duo shrugged, standing up and stretching his arms.

"You mean…you're gonna to try now?" Solo exclaimed.

"Is that a problem?"

"No one's ever done it!" Solo cried out.

"Maybe that's because nobody has tried," Duo teased. Walking to the door of their cell, he laid a hand on the cold metal casually.

The next few minutes were incredible, at least to Solo they were. Watching with his amber eyes wide open, he stared as rust began to spread from beneath Duo's hand and expand to cover the entire thing. Shooting a smirk at him from over his shoulder, Duo then pressed lightly. The door fell forward off its hinges, the lock no longer being able to keep it shut, and collapsed noisily against the opposite wall and the floor.

Solo stared bug-eyed, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

"Yo!" Duo shot to him. "If you wanna get out of here, now's the time, blondie. Move it!"