Disclaimer: Usually I write out a very specific disclaimer explaining exactly what it is I don't own but I find myself not really interested in doing so this time as it is very tedious. Suffice it to say I own nothing that was created by anyone else and I am not making any money off of this story or any of the other stories I have written.
AN: This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance.
Chapter 12: A Night of Mayhem and Madness
Heero wasn't the only one to glance sharply at Harry as the pint-sized teen began chuckling darkly after he'd buckled himself into his seat. Concerned, Heero turned to Quatre to see if the empathic teen had picked up on what Harry was feeling only to find the blonde staring at the Harry with a sad smile. Heero resolved to question his fellow pilot later as he resumed his trek up to the cockpit where he'd be spending most of the flight alongside Duo.
At the moment, he focused on going through the pre-flight checks with Duo, his annoyance with the rather obnoxious teen for once not present as his mind half stayed on Harry's strange reaction. Glancing back through the open door, Heero caught sight of Harry intently listening to Quatre as the blonde explained something; the kid's ability to focus so completely to what was obviously a long winded lecture making it far easier to believe the kid was really seventeen years old.
"What do ya think was runnin' through da little demon's mind when he laughed just now?" Duo inquired as he fired up the engines.
"Don't tell me you're still sore about him hanging you upside down earlier," Heero shot back as he pulled his gaze away from the person in question and attended to his duties as co-pilot.
"Ya have no idea how annoyin' that was."
"Actually, I do; only you got off easy. He left me hanging like that for close to five hours," Heero countered easily; not at all concerned that the other teen could potentially use the information against him.
"Five hours!? Damn Hee-man, what did ya do ta piss him off that badly?"
"I let my temper get the best of me; the little snot was being irritating and I was desperate for answers," Heero answered honestly as the plane picked up speed and slowly lifted off the ground. "He was expecting it though and the next thing I knew I was hanging upside down."
"He's got some wicked fast reflexes, that's for certain."
"Fast would be an accurate description and I don't just mean his reflexes and reaction times. He's light on his feet as well; almost as if he was born running. He's also very intuitive and intelligent."
"Which brings me back ta my original question, why do ya think he reacted like he did when he first got onta da plane? Do ya think we're gonna have ta worry about him flakin' out on us at some point?"
"No… he won't cause any trouble," Heero stated with conviction as they settled at cruising altitude and aimed the plain towards Japan. "If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say he reached some kind of conclusion that he found ironic or something along those lines. He reacted much the same way at one point during the conversation I had with him yesterday."
"Was that da one where he'd threatened ta hurt ya and make ya regret livin'?"
"Yeah…"
"Quite a way with words da little monster has, no?"
"You should hear him when he starts swearing up a storm; he's very creative when he wants to be."
"Ya can say that again," Duo replied with a laugh. "It should be smooth sailin' from here if ya want ta go check on da brat. We've got at least four hours before we reach da drop point."
"I think I will, just for a little while at least… just give me a holler if something comes up before I return."
"Ya got it, Hee-man."
"I think maybe I'll have to convince Harry to string you up by your feet every time you use that dreadful nickname," Heero mused thoughtfully before he walked out of the cockpit leaving Duo to stew nervously over the casual threat.
He found Harry sitting on the floor with Quatre and Wufei, the three of them playing cards. Harry had just picked up the deck and was currently shuffling the cards, his hands manipulating the cards with far more confidence and dexterity than a normal eight year old would. He flicked the cards out fairly expertly as well, never flipping the cards clumsily or overshooting his mark as he dealt out four hands. Once he finished, the kid looked right up at Heero and silently tilted his head letting the pilot know that the kid had known he was there watching the entire time.
Heero couldn't help the brief smirk that passed over his face as he moved forward, claimed his hand, and asked, "What are we playing? Poker? Gin Rummy?"
"Go Fish," Harry absently replied. "Do you have any fives, Quatre?"
"Go fish," Quatre replied with a laugh as Heero stared at Harry in disbelief.
Harry snickered and drew a card from the stock only to pout as he added it to his hand indicating that he'd not gotten the five he'd been hoping for. After getting over the idea of playing such a childish game, Heero allowed himself to relax enough to actually enjoy the rather cutthroat version of the game. He also noted that Harry's emotions seemed to bounce between almost happiness and bitter sadness and it made Heero wonder what the kid was thinking. When it was Wufei's turn to deal, the game changed to one of the many variations of Poker. Quatre then chose to play Hearts; taking the time to explain the rules to Harry, who'd apparently never played that particular game before.
Heero chose another variation of Poker since it was one he was very familiar with. He was surprised when Harry followed with Blackjack as he'd expected him to pick another childish game; which upon reflection was unrealistic of him since he knew Harry was far older than he appeared. The smirk Harry flashed his way let him know that Harry knew exactly what he'd been thinking and Heero realized that the game of Fish had been instigated by Harry to purposefully throw off Heero perceptions. Huffing, Heero rolled his eyes and simply enjoyed the game; wondering how Harry would do if they were playing for money instead of just playing for show.
After a couple more games, Heero climbed to his feet and retreated to the cockpit in order to allow Duo a break and to give himself time to process what he'd just learned about Harry. As he settled into his seat, Heero heard Duo's happy chatter drifting back through the open door and Heero couldn't help but wonder which game Harry was going to test Duo with. About twenty minute later, he found out when he heard Harry's childish voice ring out loudly calling someone a cheat. That seemed odd to Heero since Harry hadn't accused anyone of cheating earlier when he'd been playing only for clarity to come when Duo crassly called out 'bullshit' a few minutes later.
Shaking his head, Heero thought back to earlier that morning when he'd caught sight of Harry flashing by his window unexpectedly. His heart had damn near stopped as he watched some of the stunts the kid was pulling but at the same time he couldn't help but be impressed with the control that Harry had exhibited in flying a broom (of all things). It made Heero wonder if the kid would be able to apply those same instincts to piloting an airplane or a mobile suit. That thought actually made Heero feel a bit uncomfortable but before he could fully explore the reason why Duo returned and the two of them began discussing their impromptu mission.
When it came time to drop the Gundams, Heero once again left Duo to his flying as he headed back to assist Wufei and Quatre. He caught sight of Harry staring at the Gundams as the two pilots climbed inside and began running through their pre-flight procedures as they fired up their suits. He wondered briefly at the blank look on the kid's face before he opened the cargo bay door and watched first Wufei and then Quatre drop out the back. He then closed the bay door and headed back up front only to pause when he saw Harry was still staring into the nearly empty cargo bay.
"Something on your mind, Harry?"
"How do they do it?"
"How do they do what?"
"How can they sit there playing and laughing one minute and then climb into one of those machines knowing they're going out there to kill other people? How is it possible to live with yourself knowing you've killed someone…? How do you continue on with your life as if nothing has happened, as if there is no guilt eating away at you from the inside out and painting your dreams with blood?"
"We don't enjoy taking other lives even if that is what we have been trained to do for years," Heero replied softly, easily realizing that Harry's questions weren't really about Quatre and Wufei but his own guilt for the life he'd taken and the deaths he believed were his fault; Heero easily recalling the heart to heart the wizard had had with Quatre a few days earlier. "It might seem like it doesn't bother us but it does. We make the time to laugh and live when we are not out fighting because if we didn't we'd probably go insane from the guilt we feel from the lives we take in order to stop a war that could destroy everything. We don't go out seeking to murder people in cold blood though; we only fight those who attack us or those who pose a threat to us and those we wish to protect. War is ugly and wars kill people; both soldiers and civilians."
Moving closer, Heero crouched down so he could both look Harry in the eye and appear less threatening as he noticed how tense Harry had grown. He waited to see if Harry would ask another question or comment on his explanation but when Harry simply watched him with turbulent green eyes; he cast about for some way to address what he thought was the underlying issue in a way the kid could relate to.
"It also helps to consider what would happen if certain people don't die. Say there is a man who enjoys torturing and murdering innocent people. Only when he attacks his next chosen victim that person fights back and manages to kill him instead. Would you consider that victim to be a murderer or would you see him or her as a hero to all of those people the man would have potentially targeted once he was finished with that person? What about the families of his previous victims; do you think they would see that person as a murderer or as the person who avenged their missing loved ones?"
"I don't know. What if the person who killed him is just as terrible? Does one murderer killing another murderer really make the first murderer a better person just because he killed the second murderer before he himself was killed? Can someone who kills to selfishly save himself truly be a hero when the only reason he killed the other person was because he was afraid to die?" Harry demanded in return. "And what do you call those people that get other people killed because of the stupid mistakes they've made? Can you really call someone a hero when their actions are directly responsible for an innocent teen being killed? When the only reason that the teen was there in the first place was because I unwittingly dragged him into the spotlight alongside me because I selfishly didn't want to stand alone?"
"Did you fire the weapon that struck them down?" Heero asked in response instead of bothering to answer the first group of questions that the shorter teen had thrown him; instinctively knowing the second group of questions were the ones that needed to be addressed. It was obvious in the way Harry had switched from the generic references used in the majority of his questions to more a personal reference in that final question.
"No, but if not for me he never would have been there in the first place because they didn't want him; they wanted me."
"Did you know they were looking for you at the time?"
"Not exactly… but I knew someone wanted me dead because I never should have been in the stupid Tournament in the first place. I should have expected them to try something because it was the last task, their last chance to get to me, and I foolishly thought it was over just because we reached the center of the maze."
"But you still didn't know that they were going to strike at that moment, did you?"
"No."
"If you didn't know and you didn't fire the weapon; then you didn't kill anyone and it is not your fault he died."
"What if the only reason the man who killed him was still alive was because I saved his life and let him escape?"
"Was there a reason you saved his life?"
"I didn't want my godfather to go back to prison and thought if we turned over the person who framed him to the authorities than I could finally have a family. Only… only first Snape interfered and then Professor Lupin… it was the full moon and if not for Snape being late with Moony's potion that night and then not even bothering to bring the potion with him when he followed us; Moony wouldn't have been a threat that night. Wormtail escaped and though we had a second chance to recapture him we didn't. I know Hermione only stopped me because she was afraid I'd get myself killed and there were rules we had to follow so we didn't mess things up. I still tried but failed anyway and because I let Pettigrew escape, he was able to kill Cedric; so it is my fault that Cedric died."
"Or maybe he died because other people around you made certain you failed," Heero shrewdly suggested as he recognized a couple of the names from the journal entries he'd read and from a few of the rants Harry had given. "Kind of conceited of you to think the world revolves around your every action, don't you think?"
"Maybe," Harry hedged as Heero watched some of the tension leave the kid's shoulders. "I… why are you being so nice to me now? I know you want to keep me close because I can be considered a threat due to my abilities and because you want me to use my magic to give you an advantage… but that doesn't require you to be nice to me."
"Hurting you or treating you as a prisoner wouldn't accomplish anything as I've personally witnessed thanks to my blunder when we first met. You deserve to be treated as a person regardless of your abilities and all five of us honestly wish to help you. Sure, the potential your magic offers is an added incentive to keep you happy and cooperative but we would still treat you the same way even if you didn't have any special abilities. I also owe it to you to make up for what I did."
"I think I understand but that doesn't mean I like you or anything," Harry replied as he scrunched up his nose and half glared at Heero. The shorter teen then sighed and frowned slightly as he turned away and softly added, "And thank you, for listening to me and answering my questions; not many people would have bothered or even understood."
"You're welcome."
"Hee-man…? What are ya doing back there? We're nearing your drop off point, are ya ready ta go?" Duo demanded as his voice echoed back from the front of the plane.
"We're getting ready right now, Maxwell," Heero called back with a hint of exasperation as he glanced towards the front of the plane before he turned back towards Harry and ordered, "Go grab your helmet and put your jacket on, Harry."
Five minutes later, Heero was sitting astride the antique motorcycle (because really the thing was ancient when compared with the motorbikes of this day and age) with the motor idling silently and Harry sitting stiffly in front of him. He would have preferred to have the kid sitting behind him but there were several reasons for their current arrangement; one – Harry wouldn't have willingly held onto him if he'd been sitting on the back, two – Harry had to be able to reach the buttons to turn on the various features of the bike, and three – Heero could offer Harry a bit more protection in the event they were shot down out of the sky seated as they were.
The cargo bay was opened by Duo from the cockpit using the pilot's override the moment Heero told the other pilot they were ready and Heero revved the engine as Harry leaned slightly forward to stare down into the darkness below them. "Hold on tight, Harry," Heero instructed through the communication radios that had been installed in their helmets and he saw Harry nod as the smaller teen sat back up and grabbed hold of the sturdy strap that Heero had wrapped around the gas tank as a hand grip for the wizard.
"You're clear ta drop, Zero-One," Duo announced without his usual teasing a moment later over the connection.
"On the move now, Zero-Two," Heero called back as he pushed the bike forward before lifting his feet off the ground while cranking steadily back on the gas. The bike shot out of the cargo bay like a bat out of hell and there was a split second where they seemed to soar across the sky before gravity began pulling them down and Heero felt a brief moment of panic as he wondered how the hell he'd allowed himself to be talked into attempting to fly a motorcycle (of all things) before he pushed the feeling away and focused on the task at hand.
It was at that point, just before the front wheel of the motorcycle could began pointing towards the ground, that he softly ordered, "Engage flight mode, Harry."
Harry leaned forward and reached out with one hand to engage the clutch while thumbing the rune button that activated the flight mode and the bike bucked for a moment before the ride smoothed out and the two of them began soaring through the sky as if they were flying on an airplane instead of a motorcycle. Once he was certain the flight charms were fully engaged, Harry sat back and returned his hand to grip beside his other hand. The kid then leaned fearlessly to one side to curiously peek down at the blackness that was the ocean and the sea of lights that dotted the island country of Japan off in the distance.
"Flight mode engaged successfully, engaging invisibility booster in five, four, three, two, one," Heero intoned as Harry's fingers darted out a second time to press the gray button that sat centered between the handlebars and the entire bike plus both riders vanished completely from view. He then added, "Stealth mode fully activated, proceeding with mission."
"Roger that, Zero-One; watch yourselves down there. I'll see ya in three hours tops."
There was nothing else for Heero to say, so he leaned forward a bit and did his best to ignore the way Harry tensed as it brought him into physical contact with the smaller boy. The thrill of flying soon had the kid relaxing again though as Heero angled the bike to cut south as he headed for the small island off the southern coast of Japan where Harry's cave was hidden. Up ahead of them the night suddenly exploded in color as the two Gundams opened fire on the troops patrolling the beach.
"This is Zero-One reporting our current position as en-route at cruising altitude and rapidly approaching our objective from the north. Estimated time of arrival is ten minutes."
"I read you loud and clear, Zero-One," Wufei's voice announced over the connection. "Zero-Four and I are currently driving the troops south and east out over the ocean. There are two carriers on the ocean that might have heat scanners; I'm heading there to remove them from the equation now."
"Roger that, Zero-Five; I will let you know when we reach the coast."
"They will expect trouble to come from the north since they are being chased south," Harry suddenly announced as he craned forward to watch the series of small explosions that formed a line of after images out to the middle of the ocean where two huge explosions suddenly rocked the night and filled the sky with orange flames. "If you drop us down and approach along the cliff from the south, we can drop down through the wards without risking being seen by anyone that didn't give chase to the others while those on the south side will be too busy with the others to notice us."
"And if there are suits stationed up on the cliff?" Heero inquired.
"There isn't really any room up there for more than a handful of them and they would be sitting far enough back that they aren't in danger of falling over the edge and won't have a clear view of anything sitting below the edge. So long as we stay below their direct line of sight, we should be fine."
"That was rather well reasoned out for someone who has no experience in these kinds of things," Heero replied as he angled the bike slightly so that they'd come out to the south of the cave when they reached the coast instead of to the north; the others aware of the change in plans as they'd overheard Harry's suggestions through the active radio connection.
"I spent most of my childhood running and hiding from my bully of a cousin and his gang; these guys we're facing might have better tools and toys than Dudley did but they are essentially nothing but bullies from what you've told me about them. I also spent four years living in a magical castle where more than three-quarters of the population either wished to kill me in a slow and painful manner or shove me in a broom closet so they could claim to have scored with the Boy-Who-Lived."
"I quickly learned how to outsmart the rabid fan-girls, the Death Eaters in Waiting, and the rest of the jealous rabble that would have been happy to see me disappear. The rest of the population didn't seem to care one way or the other, though there were times when it was an all or nothing deal when the entire student population either adored me for some stupid reason or I was universally hated because I did something they disapproved of; like when they discovered I had an ability that was considered both rare and dark."
"What ability was that?" Heero asked curiously, wanting to keep the kid talking as it kept him from focusing on his discomfort as Heero wrapped an arm around Harry's waist and leaned to the side to swing the bike around so they were following the island coast heading north now towards Harry's cave. "This is Zero-One with an update on our current position; we're on the final approach and will be dropping through the wards in less than two minutes."
"Roger that, Zero-One, southern approach is clear. ETA for enemy reinforcements is nine minutes and counting," Quatre replied this time.
"Understood, Zero-Four," Heero responded as he dropped the bike down several hundred feet to drop below the rim of the cliff in which Harry's cave had been carved. The blue eyed pilot then addressed his passenger once more, "Sorry, Harry, I didn't mean to cut you off. What ability was it they ridiculed you for?"
"I wasn't ridiculed; I was reviled. There were attacks on students that year and because I could do something that a feared Dark Wizard was well known for, I was blamed; despite the fact that they had no proof. The rest of the students feared me and hated me in turns even though I'd never before done anything to hurt anyone and the professors and staff turned a blind eye to the accusations. They did the same thing in my fourth year when my name came out of the Goblet and I was forced to fight in the Tri-Wizard Tournament."
"People are stupid… what is it that you can do that bothered the other students so much?"
"You just flew right past the cave."
Heero cursed and held onto Harry once again as he slowed down and spun the bike in mid air so they were now heading back the way they came as he dropped closer to the ground as Harry directed him to where he needed to be. Less than thirty seconds later, they were slipping through the wards as Heero sent one last message before the magic in the wards killed the radios (there having been no time to turn them off before the passed through the leading line of the wards). That was not unexpected though and one of the things that Heero would be doing while Harry was packing would be changing out the radios in their helmets so they wouldn't be flying in silence once they were finished.
Harry had explained that the electronics wouldn't be affected by his magic if they weren't in use at the time they were exposed to the magic; it was only when a device had an active current running through it when it came into contact with a large concentration of magic that would short out the device (which is why Heero's Gundam had been only partially affected unlike Duo's since only a small portion of Wing's systems had still be active when Harry had summoned the suit out of the ocean).
As they touched down on the ground, Heero cut the power to the motorcycle and Harry practically dove off the bike as he yanked off the helmet and dropped it on the ground before dashing into the cave while frowning over his shoulder in Heero's direction briefly. Sighing, Heero pulled his own helmet off as he climbed off the bike, grabbed Harry's discarded helmet, and set about changing out the radios. It didn't take long to switch out the devices and he took care to make certain both of the radios were off so that when they left the wards there would be no risk of frying the tiny circuits.
He then propped both helmets on top of the bike before he wandered through the salvaged parts and glanced at the Leo suit that Harry had pulled from the sea the same time he'd pulled out Heero's Gundam. A quick glance back at the cave revealed that Harry had not yet finished and Heero returned his gaze to the Leo as he recalled his earlier thoughts about how Harry's talent flying on a broom might translate over to a mobile suit. He knew the suit was pretty much the same condition that Wing had been in (meaning only a handful of the circuits had been fried) and wondered if it would be worth it to take the suit for them to play with and better research the weaknesses inherent in the Leo.
He hummed thoughtfully to himself as he checked the cave's entrance a second time just as Harry walked out seemingly empty handed. Heero also noted that the wizard looked far more alert and showed no signs of feeling any lingering pain from his injuries; leading the pilot to assume that the kid had taken a few potions while he'd been gathering his things.
"Harry, come here a moment," Heero called as caught the kid's eye. "Do you think you would be able to shrink this suit down like you shrank Maxwell's Gundam, only making it small enough for us to carry so we can take it with us so we can take it as well?"
"Yes," Harry replied slowly as he reluctantly approached the suit as requested and glanced up at Heero briefly before he turned to stare at the suit with distaste and distrust that was slightly confusing until Heero came to the realization that the kid was probably projecting part of the blame for being taken from his cave on the suit. "Why?"
"So we can research the suit and discover any weaknesses we've missed and once it has been repaired, we can teach you how to operate it if you are interested."
"I will shrink it for you but it will be a cold day in hell before you get me to touch the damn thing let alone climb inside."
Heero was startled by the outburst as Harry positioned himself so he was standing beside the middle of the suit. As he watched, the kid swept his wand from left to right as he practically spat out the incantation as a blue light engulfed the suit which caused it to slowly begin shrinking down until it reached the size of an over large action figure. A second spell was applied then but Heero wasn't certain of the function and he didn't have time to ask as Harry backed away from the suit immediately afterwards and hurried over to the motorcycle to jam his helmet onto his head.
Heero frowned at him but quickly shook off his confusion over the kid's behavior and declaration as he leaned down and lifted the shrunken suit off the ground. He knew exactly what the second spell was meant to do the moment he had the suit in his hand; the doll sized suit now weighing as light as a feather instead of a several tons. Tucking the 'doll' into his jacket, Heero returned to Harry's side and put on his own helmet before leaning forward to ask, "You were able to get everything you needed?"
Harry edged further away from Heero, his eyes focused on the slight bulge the suit made beneath Heero's jacket as he gave a single sharp nod before scrambling into place on the bike. Sliding into place behind the kid, Heero kick started the Triumph and grinned as he heard the engine roar to life before settling into a steady rumble that quickly disappeared as Harry slapped his hand on the proper button to silence the machine. Harry then immediately hit the invisibility booster because they would be driving out over the beach in order to pick up enough speed to engage the flight mode. This would be the most dangerous part of their mission because they would be vulnerable until they managed to take off; especially when traveling over the sand.
"Ready, Harry?"
Harry nodded again as he slipped his wand up the left sleeve of his jacket where it would be within easy reach if he needed to protect them since they had no other weapons available to them on the bike (unless Heero counted his own pistols). Scanning the beach directly in front of them for any sign of enemy suits, Heero moved them forward towards the tide line as it would be easier to drive over the wet sand than it would be over dry sand. He paused just outside of the wards in order to turn on the radios in both his helmet and Harry's as he glanced right and left to search for threats.
"Mission complete, preparing to withdrawal from hostile territory," Heero announced without preamble.
"Good to hear you again, Zero-One," Quatre breathed in relief. "The beach is crawling with suits both north and south of you and they've got reinforcements along the cliffs that are giving us headaches. We can't give you more than five minutes to get out of there as we're running low on munitions."
"Understood, Zero-Four, we'll head north and circle around to the south before cutting west. Once those five minutes are up, get yourselves out of there no matter what is happening with us. We'll meet you at the rendezvous point in an hour if at all possible."
"You need to move, now, Hee… Zero-One," Harry suddenly stated (tripping a bit over Heero's code name) as he whipped out his wand and cast a shield charm that deflected several rounds of bullets that had been fired at them by a sleek new mobile suit that Heero didn't recognize. Once the rain of bullets stopped, Harry dropped the shield and fired off the gouging spell he'd been using to create the second cave as Heero twisted the bike and shot off towards the south even as the suit behind him exploded in a spectacular explosion as the spell first punched a hole through the suit before the destructive magic in the spell ruptured outwards destroying it completely.
"Thanks for the warning, kid. Change of plan guys, I'm heading south to avoid the new toys they're using down here."
"Those are the new Taurus class suits," Wufei interjected as he recognized the newly arrived suits. "They must have made more of them after I destroyed their prototypes in Africa."
"Joy. What can you tell me about them?" Heero asked before he let out a curse and swerved widely as Harry unexpectedly ducked under his arm and climbed around him as they went speeding around the shoreline of the island. Cursing loudly a second time, Heero eased the bike back into his control as he felt the kid standing up on the bike behind him. He automatically cut their speed out of fear that Harry would fall of even as he demanded, "What the hell are you doing, Harry? Are you trying to get yourself thrown from the bike?"
"Shut up and drive before you get us killed. I'm not going to fall off; I used a sticking charm to hold my feet in place. Someone has to cover your back because if you get shot; I'm screwed!"
"Saints preserve me," Heero hissed as he cranked on the gas and they shot off down the beach as two more explosions rang out behind them in the night; his mind no longer worried about gathering data on the new suits.
Harry simply snorted over the connection as he steadily continued to pick off the suits that were tracking them through their heat signature until Sandrock suddenly appeared and took up a defensive stance on their back trail. Harry sighed and slumped back against Heero's back for a moment, panting slightly as he wiped away the sweat that built up after using the high powered gouging spell so many times in a row (having overpowered the spell intentionally each time in order to do as much damage as possible with each shot).
Once the kid caught his breath, Heero felt Harry swing himself back around into place before he leaned forward to engage the flight mode even as his other hand sought out the hand hold Heero had strapped around the gas tank. The bike gave a mighty jerk as it lifted up off the ground and Heero pushed the bike to its limits as he climbed into the sky and swung the bike around to the west as he heard the sound of several suits lifting up off the ground in pursuit. A quick glance backwards revealed a trio of the black Aries that OZ's Special Forces used chasing him along with two more of the newer suits. Cursing beneath his breath, Heero shot upwards to gain more altitude as he cut back towards the open water in order to prevent any debris from crashing to the ground and killing an innocent.
"Hold on tight, Harry, things are about to get a little rough."
"You better not break Padfoot's bike."
"Got it; preserve the blasted motorcycle over our lives," Heero sniped sarcastically over Harry's apparent worry for the bike just because it had once belonged to his godfather; then again, breaking the bike would mean their death flying as they were several hundred feet above the ground. "Can I trust you to watch our back and keep the enemy from getting too close to us?"
"Unless you'd prefer that I invite them over for tea and crumpets; yeah, 'cause I'm not in the mood to take part in a private reenactment of the Spanish Inquisition any time soon."
"Think you could disable one of the purple suits and shrink it so we can take it with us to find out more about it?"
"Yeah, but I'll have to save that for last."
"Alright, ready when you are then, kid."
"Remind me to hex you for that later, will you?" Harry replied tiredly as he slipped back around Heero and once more stuck his feet to the seat as he fired off two quick spells that had twin explosions tearing through the sky.
Just a few minutes later, Heero felt Harry crashing into his back as the pilot was forced to swerve hard to the left to avoid two more of the purple suits that joined the chase. Heero then angled the bike downwards before leaning sideways so that the bike skidded across the sky on its side as they swung wide of a beam cannon blast that nearly incinerated them. The pilot heard Harry cursing his luck before he asked Heero to get him close to one of the purple suits because they moved too fast for him to hit in the air.
They circled back around and slipped into a corkscrew that placed them squarely behind one of the purple suits and Harry hit it in the back with the gouging spell as Heero jerked the handle bars up to shoot the bike up and away from the explosion. Shortly after that the bike was clipped by a blast from one of the beam rifles of their pursuers and they were knocked backwards as the force of the blast disrupted both the invisibility and silencing spell on the bike leaving them visible and vulnerable in the middle of the sky and scored both pilot and passenger with burning hot bits of metal and rubber.
"Merlin's sagging left… you bloody inconsiderate piss-ants just busted Padfoot's bike," Harry hissed angrily in a voice laced with pain.
Heero barely had time to register Harry's angry tirade before a circular wave of near unseen energy burst out from Harry, frying the systems of the final four suits that were chasing them as well as the replacement radios Heero had installed in their helmets. Twelve more spells flashed out in rapid succession as Harry shrank, lightened, and summoned all four of the mobile suits. He snagged them out of the air one at a time before he once again dropped back to lean on Heero as exhaustion set in.
As the kid's hold on consciousness began floundering the bike began spluttering and losing altitude as it steadily lost power (the flight spell siphoning magic directly from the wizard in order to maintain flight) and Heero was forced to land rather roughly due to the damage done to the back wheel by the hit they'd taken just a few minutes earlier. Once on the ground, Heero got Harry to remain awake just long enough to shrink the bike and helmets down so he could pocket them (knowing the kid would never forgive him if it got left behind). Heero then tucked the four additional purloined suits into his jacket with the Leo and checked to see how badly Harry had been injured when the bike had been hit before he gathered the now unconscious pint sized teen into his arms.
Heero then studied his surroundings before heading into the forest they'd landed beside in order to avoid walking out in the open where they'd be easily spotted until he could find a way to get in touch with the others. He had been walking for several hours when he noticed the trees thinning out and he nearly groaned when he broke through the edge of forest and found himself stumbling onto a party of some kind on the grounds of one of the local schools. Cursing his luck Heero slipped backwards into the shadows beneath the trees and tried to decide what to do now when he suddenly heard footsteps approaching.
"Hello? Is there someone there? I couldn't help but notice you just now and wondered what you were doing over here all alone while everyone else was enjoying the music and the food," a girl babbled as she edged closer.
"I'm sorry, we didn't mean to crash your party," Heero murmured as he quickly thought up a cover story. "My brother and I were out exploring the countryside when our bike ran out of gas and we got lost when we tried cutting through the forest thinking we'd get home faster that way. Can you tell me how to reach the main road from here?"
"Oh! You must be exhausted from tramping through the forest all day. Please, allow me to help you; I can get you both a little something to eat while you rest and then you can borrow my phone to call your parents so they don't worry about you. My driver is here with my car so I can even provide you with a ride home if they can't come and get you tonight."
"Thank you, your offer is generous but I wouldn't want to impose."
"Nonsense, I can't just let you leave if you are in trouble."
"I… thank you," Heero replied as he hid his frustration and finally stepped out of the shadows and got a good look at the young teen who had insisted on helping him. He nearly groaned out loud when he recognized Relena Darlian; daughter of the recently deceased Vice-Foreign-Minister Darlian.
"Oh, your brother is so adorable. And… is that blood on your shirt? Are you injured?"
"Only because he's sleeping," Heero quipped with honest exasperation as he glanced down at the top of Harry's head nestled against his shoulder. "And I'm fine, just a few scratches here and there."
"Such a comedian," Relena laughed before she blushed lightly. "Oh, listen to me, where are my manners; my name is Relena Darlian."
He wasn't certain why he did it but instead of introducing himself by his full mission alias, Heero used the first last name he could think of as he gave the diplomat's daughter a spur of the moment alias as well as assigning one to Harry, "Heero Black at your service, ma'am, and sleeping beauty here is my little brother James."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Black. I look forward to properly meeting your brother once he wakes as well. Come on, I'll show you to a place where you can set your brother down long enough to use my phone to contact your parents while I fix the two of you a plate and fetch the first aide kit so you can treat your injuries."
"Thank you," Heero replied as he let her assumption regarding his and Harry's non-existent parents slide in order to avoid any unnecessary questions or pity.
They were just approaching the entrance to the school when all hell broke loose as five of the black Special Aries used by OZ arrived and Heero cursed his luck a second time as the other teens began screaming the moment the suits open fired on the courtyard. Relena helped organize the retreat while Heero sank back into the shadows hoping that he wouldn't be seen. To his shock the mobile suits appeared to be targeting Relena instead of him and he suddenly recalled that her father had died in a supposed terrorist attack on one of the colonies.
At the time he heard the news, Heero (and the other four Gundam pilots) had suspected OZ to be behind the attack and if the suits were here after Relena (not chasing after him as he originally believed) then it lent credence to their suspicions. Making a decision he hoped he wasn't going to regret, Heero darted out from the shadows and jerked Relena out of the way of a flurry of machine gun fire before pulling her into the building where they were somewhat sheltered.
"You can't stand out in the open like that, they were obviously targeting you," Heero barked as he hustled Relena through the building while avoiding windows and any heavy objects that could crash down on them if knocked over.
"How… how did you know they were targeting me?" Relena asked tremulously.
"Aside from the fact that their attacks were focused on you rather than the rest of the kids running for their lives? Your father was recently killed in a supposed terrorist attack on one of the colonies and you were identified as one of the only survivors of the bombing. Logically, that would mean that you actually witnessed the attack and more than likely know who was responsible for the attack and the ones responsible are aware of that. The fact that those suits turned up at a party you were attending means that they recognize you as a threat and so they came here to eliminate you in order to prevent you from revealing whatever it is that you know or that they suspect you know."
"How…?"
"Not important right now, girl. You mentioned a car earlier… where is it?"
"This way," Relena replied as she began dragging Heero along much as he'd been dragging her along just moments earlier. "Why did you come after me? Don't you know you placed yourself and your brother in danger by helping me? Your parents are going to be so angry with you if anything happens to little James."
"I'm sure they'll understand once I explain the situation to them," Heero assured the troubled teen in keeping with the ruse that Miss Darlian had helpfully supplied him. "My brother and I were in danger the moment OZ turned up here and started attacking anyway. Besides, who else was going to pull you out of harm's way when they were all too busy running for their lives to notice you placing yourself in danger to save them?"
Their conversation was interrupted at that point as the building exploded around them and Heero pulled Relena down into an open doorway knowing that the structure of the doorway had a better chance of protecting them from the building crashing down around their ears. Kneeling on the ground over the young woman and Harry, Heero wondered if his current predicament was his punishment for torturing Harry when he first met the kid. He shoved the thought away a minute later as the building finally settled down around them and he discovered that they hadn't been squashed like bugs.
"Hold still and don't talk, try to relax and not do anything to draw attention our way; we can only hope they'll believe they succeeded in assassinating you," Heero murmured in a low voice that didn't carry very far.
Another fifteen minutes later, Heero slowly sat up to see how much room they had to move and found that they weren't quite as bad off as he originally feared but much worse than he'd hoped. He only prayed that Harry slept through the rest of the ordeal because he had no idea if the kid was claustrophobic or not. Nor did he have any idea how Harry would react to their present company as he'd never seen how Harry behaved around women because the kid hadn't spent any time around any girls in all the time Heero had known him. Shifting so there was enough room for her to sit up, Heero gathered Harry back into his arms as he breached the silence again.
"You can sit up a bit now, Miss Darlian. We don't have much room but it could have been far worse. Are you hurt anywhere?"
"I think I'm alright, I don't feel any pain," Relena replied as she sat up and took in their predicament with wide eyes. "How long do you think it will take them to dig us out? And after saving my life twice in one night, you've earned the right to call me Relena."
"I don't know and I don't know if it is safe enough for us to let them find us because whoever it is that finds us might just be part of the group that just tried to kill you and then we'd be sitting ducks."
"What do you suggest then?"
"First of all, do you have a cell phone on you and is there someone you could call who would have been in the area and can be discreet enough not to announce your unexpected survival to any enemies that are still in the area?"
"Yes, Pagan (my family's butler and my driver) should be somewhere near here and he is very loyal to my family."
"Perfect, give him a call but tell him not to tell anyone else that you're alright. Does he know you witnessed your father's death? Then it is best to tell him that you believe the same people are after you and warn him not to say anything to anyone about you still being alive just yet in case they are still in the area."
While she was doing that, Heero leaned down and checked on Harry, thankful that the kid was still out like a light. He was also a bit worried because Harry usually woke up fairly quickly if he sensed he was in any danger even when he was what he called magically exhausted (not counting the long weeks he'd been sick). It had now been well over five hours since their forced landing and Harry hadn't shown any signs of waking. Then again, it had been quite some time since Harry had used such a large amount of magic and the kid had only been up and out of bed for a day or two so maybe it wasn't all that surprising.
He was just wondering what he was going to do with the kid (given his current condition) when a bright pink cell phone was practically shoved beneath his nose as Relena declared, "So you can call your parents in order to let them know the two of you are alright."
"I… thank you," Heero replied after hesitatingly accepting the offer when he realized it was most likely the only opportunity he was going to get to contact the others any time soon.
He also knew his fellow pilots would be worried about the two of them because they hadn't been able to make it to their meeting point in the time allotted and they'd been out of radio contact since Harry unintentionally fried their backup radios in his anger over the bike having been damaged. After a few seconds thought, Heero used one hand to enter the number to Duo's phone since he didn't know what kind of situation Quatre and Wufei were in. He only hoped the long haired pilot had his phone on him and wasn't in any trouble at the moment. He nearly sighed out loud when Duo answered without any of his usual playful obnoxiousness.
"Maxwell here."
"Maxwell, it's Hee-man," Heero muttered all the while mentally cringing over the need to refer to himself by the horrible nickname but he knew the other pilot would pick up the subtle hint that he was both who he said he was and that he wasn't at liberty to give away any information. "I just wanted to let you and our folks know that our bratty little brother and I are alright but we've ran into a slight bit of trouble. I'm hoping to salvage the situation but we're in a bit of a bind at the moment; though we did manage to rescue a damsel in distress."
"About damn time ya let us know ya were alright," Duo practically yelled over the phone. "Do ya have any idea how worried we've been!? It's been five hours since Wuff-man saw ya shot down and when we couldn't raise ya on da radio or find ya on da grid we began fearin' da worst. Where da hell are ya two and how is da little demon holdin' up?"
"Our radio was fried unexpectedly, our bike ran out of gas so we had to ditch it, and we got lost in the forest at some point. James is alright if exhausted. We'll be stuck here for a while though; so let everyone know we're alright and that I'll call you again when we're on our way home so they don't have to worry any more."
"Yeah, if ya need any help extractin' yourself from whatever trouble da two of ya found call me back, Hee-man. And ya know our resident Clown is gonna skin ya alive if ya let anything happen ta da little monster so soon after how sick he'd been, right?"
"I know, Maxwell, I'm doing the best I can in light of our current situation. Unfortunately, it's not quite as roomy here as it was in that old fort James made on the beach and the bugs swarming the area are just as much of a hassle as the ones that were hovering around the fort. I'll call you back when I can."
"Roger that."
"You have an interesting family," Relena remarked as she accepted her phone back.
"You have no idea," Heero blandly replied before he froze as he felt Harry stirring in his arms. Knowing he had to keep the kid from either panicking or saying something inappropriate in front of Relena, Heero leaned down to whisper, "Hey, kid, I need you to stay calm as we're in a bit of a predicament here and we've got a bit of company; so make certain you mind your manners." Heero sat up at that point and eyed Harry critically as best he could in the darkness. "You're still looking awful pale; are you feeling any better after your nap?"
"I'm fine… just a little tired and sore… where are we anyway?" Harry replied as he shifted in Heero's arms as he opened his eyes and tried to sit up only to freeze and tense up as his eyes landed on Relena.
"Oh wow, Heero, your little brother has such gorgeous green eyes," Relena breathed as she smiled at Harry.
Heero tensed as he wasn't certain how Harry was going to react to that since he couldn't even warn the kid why he'd claimed they were brothers. Hoping to avoid any complications and prevent Harry from accidentally revealing that Heero had lied about their names or their non-existent status as family; Heero quickly introduced Harry to the other teen, "Relena, as I mentioned earlier, this is my little brother; James Black. James, meet Relena Darlian; she was lending us a hand after we crashed the party she was attending when things got a bit troublesome and she ended up in a bit of a bind so I gave her a hand only for all three of us to get caught up in a bit of a mess. So, we're going to have to sit tight for a while until we can find a way out."
Heero nearly cringed when he saw Harry's eyes narrow as the pint-sized teen glanced up at him briefly before he shocked Heero by giving their companion a shy smile as he timidly murmured, "Hi, Miss Darlian, ma'am; it's nice to meet you."
"My goodness, aren't you just the sweetest little boy I've ever met," Relena cooed and Heero worried that Harry was going to lash out when he felt Harry flinch and heard the soft growl he let out in response to both Relena's tone and her words. "But please call me Relena."
"Yes, ma'am," Harry replied as he shifted his arm.
Heero jumped a second later when a red light engulfed Relena and the girl slumped over against him. Harry then elbowed Heero hard in the stomach (to get Heero to release him) before he shifted so he was no longer sitting on the pilot's lap.
"Where in the hell are we, Heero?" Harry demanded heatedly.
"Buried beneath what used to be a school," Heero replied in a clipped tone over Harry's abrupt change in attitude. "What did you do to Miss Darlian?"
"I knocked her out because she reminded me of some of my more annoying fan-girls. She'll wake up in about two hours," Harry explained in an annoyed tone of voice. "Can you budge over and give me some room? I'm going to need a couple of potions if you expect me to be of any use. What exactly happened, anyway?"
"Nothing too terribly exciting; after our rough landing you passed out and I carried you. We ended up stumbling upon the school and Miss Darlian took pity on us because I told her we got lost in the forest after we ran out of gas. She was leading me to a place where I could let you rest for a bit when OZ tried to assassinate her and we just happened to be in the right place at the right time in order to save her and they dropped the building on us. I've already let Maxwell and the others know we're fine but in a bit of a tight spot and that OZ troops are probably hanging around in the area to make certain they finished her off."
"Joy… talk about being stuck between a rock and hard place," Harry muttered as he enlarged the suitcase he pulled out of his pocket to about one-fifth of its normal size and stuck his head inside before pulling out and cursing. "Wrong damn trunk; why couldn't you have gotten me ones that didn't all look exactly the same, Padfoot!?"
The process and the verbal curse were repeated a second time as the second trunk he brought out was still not the one he needed. Third time's the charm though, as Harry pulled out the final trunk and quickly disappeared inside. He came back up a few minutes later with his ears still slightly smoking and carrying an empty duffel bag that he tossed to Heero for the five mobile suits they'd been dragging around with them. Harry then switched out the trunks in order to retrieve several bottles of water, a few bags of chips, several apples, and a couple of sandwiches (that had been hastily thrown together) from the kitchen trunk and passed the lot to Heero before putting away the trunk.
Heero then watched as Harry took his first good look around their current lodging and Heero wondered at the look of distaste and disgust that crossed the smaller teen's face. He almost expected the kid to say something but instead he simply grabbed half a sandwich and nibbled his way through the rather unimaginative meal. As he ate, Harry tapped his wand against the dusty floor they were sitting on as he stared continuously at the precarious position of the debris that had fallen around the doorway they were trapped beneath.
"You think it would be safe to dig our way out, Heero?"
"No, if we shift anything, everything on top of it will fall and I already checked for places big enough for us to squeeze through but couldn't find any that went anywhere."
"Not up, down," Harry countered as he once again tapped the ground with his wand for emphasis. "I can make us a tunnel out of here unless you think there's a chance it would bring the rest of the debris down around our ears. If that's the case, I can at least make us a place to hide so that OZ doesn't find us."
"What about when Miss Darlian wakes? How would we explain it to her?"
"I brought up a sleeping draught that you can give to her that would keep her out for up to twelve hours and we can later tell her she passed out due to a lack of oxygen so she doesn't know what I did. I could alter her memory so she forgets ever meeting us as well but I've never done it before so I might mess up and I… I don't think it's right. I don't think I could do to her what they did to me."
"Are you sure it's safe for you to dig a tunnel after exhausting yourself earlier? How are you feeling anyway? And don't just say you're fine this time, please."
"So long as I don't throw so much power into the spell, I'll be fine. I'm not tired any more, the potions washed away the exhaustion already and the nap I had while you carried me helped a lot; I'm guessing I was out for at least a couple hours. I don't think I could face another robot… I…" Harry replied only to trail off suddenly as he stiffened and let out a tortured whine before he abruptly vomited up the sandwich he'd eaten before backing away from his mess as he stared up at Heero with wide panicked eyes as his face turned ashen. "I killed them… I never once stopped to think… I didn't even give them a chance… I just blew them up…"
Seeing that he was slipping into a full blown panic attack, Heero leaned forward as he held Harry's gaze and began speaking softly, "Do you remember what we talked about earlier? About war and death? You saved both of our lives tonight, Harry; you did nothing wrong. Think about this… the people those pilots worked for sent more people to this school tonight to murder the young lady sleeping off your spell and they destroyed an entire school and killed who knows how many other children just because she witnessed something they didn't want anyone to see. Do you really think people like that should be allowed to get away with what they've done?"
"I… I don't know. What about their families? What about any family they had? Was it fair to them to that I took away their husbands, fathers, brothers, uncles, and sons?"
"No it wasn't fair and their families will grieve for their loss but at the same time, it was those pilots' choices that put them in that position in the first place; they and their families were aware of what they were doing and the risks they were facing in the line of duty. Most of them were grown men and women who accepted the responsibility and knew what fighting in a war meant. You are not to blame for their decisions or for the decisions that their superior officers made when giving out the orders them to attack us. They could have tried capturing us instead of simply trying to kill us. They fired the first shot; you simply did what you had to do to save us. I don't think you're a monster for protecting us."
Heero watched as Harry nodded jerkily before scrubbing at the tears that had slipped down his face. He watched the kid then vanish the mess he made before he sat there still looking rather dejected and Heero surmised that even though he accepted Heero's words, the kid was still having trouble coping with the first lives he'd intentionally taken. It made Heero think back to his own first kill and how he'd felt afterwards before his thoughts turned even further back and he recalled the little girl that had been unintentionally caught up in an explosion he'd set and he clenched his fists at the old pain before he shoved it out of his mind.
Focusing on Harry once more, Heero noticed that the kid had once again curled in on himself and Heero called himself a sentimental fool even as he reached out and gathered Harry into his arms. It was a testament to just how troubled Harry was feeling when the rather standoffish kid didn't even put up a fight. In fact, after a few minutes, Harry began clinging to the taller teen as he pressed his face against Heero's shoulder and shook with silent sobs. Awkwardly, Heero patted the pint-sized teen's back in an effort to offer him a measure of comfort and prove that he didn't find him repulsive for doing what he'd done.
As he glanced down, Heero couldn't help but think that Harry was acting like the child he appeared to be for the first (or possibly second) time even if he was mentally a year or two older than the rest of them. Nearly an hour later, Harry sat up and extracted himself from Heero's arms as scrubbed at his face again before he murmured a soft apology before cleaning Heero's shirt with his wand. Heero merely ruffled Harry's hair causing the wizard to half glare and pout up at him which made Heero chuckle. Harry huffed but for once didn't make any comments. After a minute, Harry pulled a potion vial out of his pocket and passed it to Heero.
"You need to give half of that to her before she wakes up. We can give her the rest in six hours if we need to," Harry explained in a weary voice. "I'm going to box the two of you in so I can start on the tunnel."
Harry then suited actions to words before Heero could say anything and the Gundam pilot soon found himself in a small room made from the debris around them. Through the wall, he could hear a steady stream of muted concussions as Harry used a far weaker version of the gouging spell to tunnel his way through the floor, lower foundations, and the ground as he felt the floor shaking in time to the blasts. After several minutes, the vibrations became softer and softer, telling Heero that Harry was making steady progress. Hoping the kid wouldn't do himself any harm, Heero glanced at the potion in his hand and then at the young girl sprawled on the floor beside him before he sighed and gathered her into his arms so he could sit her up and feed her the potion a few sips at a time.
Once he'd gotten roughly half of the potion into her, he washed it down with a bit of water so as to get rid of the taste as he was certain the potion tasted nearly as bad as it smelled. He then laid her back down on the ground and carefully dug the phone out of her pocket before digging through her purse to find anything that would let him know where exactly they had ended up. He ended up finding both her school ID and an invitation to the school dance that the school had been holding before the suits had crashed the party. Sitting back, he hit redial to call Duo back and waited for the other pilot to pick up.
"That ya again, Hee-man?"
"Yeah, it's me, Maxwell. Listen, Harry's working on digging us a tunnel out of here but I don't know how long it's going to take. I need you guys to research everything you can on the terrorist attack that killed the Vice-Foreign-Minister about a week ago; pay close attention to anything you can dig up about his daughter, Relena Darlian. OZ tried to assassinate her tonight and after saving her life we got buried alive when they blew up the school where she was attending a dance. The school in question is St. Gabriel Academy. I also need to know who is hanging about above ground, what the news is saying about the attack, and who they are trying to blame."
"Damn… when ya go lookin' for trouble, ya certainly know how ta end up neck high in it; don't ya?"
"You don't know the half of it, Maxwell. I'd have called you back sooner when Harry first woke back up and put our damsel in distress into a magical slumber but he completely flipped out the moment he realized he'd killed the pilots of the suits that were attacking us. Warn Winner, will you? I talked with him about it a bit and he had a good cry but I think it's going to be a long time before he gets over it and I doubt he'd take too kindly to me forcing him to talk about it given how he feels about me."
"Will do. Call me back in about an hour and I'll have everything ya asked for," Duo replied before cutting the connection.
Snapping the phone shut, Heero took the time to put everything back so that Relena wouldn't know he'd been snooping before he sat back to wait the requested hour as he wondered how far Harry had gotten on the tunnel.
AN: I sat on this chapter a bit longer than I intended as I am not quite happy with the above ground fight sequence where the motorcycle is damaged but my head is too stuffed up right now to smooth it out any more than I have. My youngest was ever so kind to share her flu/cold bug with me and I've spent most of the past three to four days in bed sleeping to avoid the suffering. I may come back to this chapter and fix that section later but for now I'll leave it stand as is. Don't know when I'll have the next chapter up because the issues I mentioned in previous chapter notes haven't ran their course as of yet. I'll try not to take too long though.
Anyway onto the important chapter comments; the precocious pink princess has finally made an entrance! Introducing Relena was a chore and a half because I didn't want her to end up as obsessed with Heero as she had been in canon but at the same time I still wanted to give her a reason to have a crush on her personal hero. Harry's also having trouble knowing how to deal with Heero; bouncing between apathy, outright anger, and confusion since Heero isn't behaving as expected. We also saw a small fraction of the power Harry is capable of wielding when the need arises; though as Heero had noted, he's not yet fully recovered from his illness.
Next chapter will deal with the aftermath of Harry's run on his seaside cave and the failed assassination attempt before slipping into the New Edwards Base arc from the GW verse. We'll also see Harry's thoughts and impressions of Relena and his third meeting with Trowa. ~ Jenn