About twenty four hours later . . .

Quatre stared at everyone in his biggest room. He had at least forty five children in his home now, of various ages, all eating and drinking. "Triple checked, Duo?" It was more than Duo originally thought. Shortly after visiting, Duo found out there were even more older ones that came and gone.

The older children suffered the most. Fifteen and over weren't supposed to eat from the food stash for the younger ones until a JC Guardian came back. They could rest and get clothes, but they were supposed to go out and find their own food. Duo held himself together for a lot of things, but when he heard that? He definitely didn't care there were very young kids around in the house.

He ranted for a little while, casting judgment against the whole of RTL, even stating the fifteen age limit was probably because that's when they were sent to Earth with the gundams. He hadn't really said a word to Quatre or anyone as he stood there and just made sure they all were safe, with food to eat. Especially the older ones.

Quatre had to think about what to do with all these children. He could give them houses on any of the Winner colonies that he had control of, but they were all too young. They needed someone official to watch over them. The official people that used to watch over them in their areas, were gone. They either lost the entities that were watching over them, or they were picked up by others that the entities had let through the doors.

This was going to take some time to get each one back into some kind of entities care, or back to their parents. Most of them had none, but some did say they still had their familes, but the ones who took them swore this would be better for them.

It obviously wasn't better. "Duo. I can't watch 45 kids by myself."

"The older ones help take care of the younger ones, it won't be all on you." Duo finally spoke again. "Just make sure they get clothes and food each day. Check on them. Check the medications."

"I'll do my best to get them all somewhere safe, that can legally take care of them in much better conditions," Quatre agreed. "I'm paying staff overtime to help. This wasn't any of their jobs."

"How much longer?" Duo asked. "They said they were dropping one of the women in the zero system off like six hours ago. They better not be lying." He crossed his arms. "They really better not be lying."

"Master Quatre?" Quatre's intercom went off. "We have someone bound in chains up front."

"Ooh, a surprise gift." Duo left the room.

Quatre looked toward all the kids, and the servants trying to help, and then followed after Duo. They both headed to the front.

They saw what the guards brought out. Crystalia, bound in cuffs on the hands, the legs, and chained together with a small bag on her.

" . . ." Quatre didn't know what to say. "Bring her inside."

"But don't take those cuffs or chains off," Duo added. "I knew that whole 'woman of zero system' wasn't going to turn out well."

When they got her in a decent room that she couldn't escape, Quatre called Trowa. He should know first.

"So what are we doing? Being nice so Trowa can meet her before we keelhaul her off to jail?" Duo complained. He got more near to her. "Are you the one that left 45 kids to defend for themselves on a colony?"

"Yes," she answered calmly.

"Why did you do that?" Duo's voice was dark.

"No one would take care of them. Only the younger children and girls got placed. I got them a place and JC droppers to give them a chance to survive. Only a chance," she said.

She looked out of it. This was Crystalia? Quatre felt her forehead. No fever. "They weren't lying. They sent someone from their zero system alright."

"I killed Superior," Crystalia said. She started to blow some hair out of her face. "I shot her when she wasn't looking. I made a joke too. Platinum liked it."

"What happened when you killed Superior?" Quatre asked. "Who are the other people making the deal?"

"Sapphire and Blue Ruby," she said. "They threw me in Wing Zero again. I hate it when they do that." She blew at the hair in front of her face. "I shot Superior in the head. She deserved it. She ruined my chips."

Duo waved his hand in front of her. "This bird is a long ways away, Quatre."

"She's a little scattered," Quatre agreed, "but she's still there. What's happening with the others?"

"Nothing," she answered. "You just have to search them out now."

"Search them out?" Duo asked. "Fine, sure, where?"

"They aren't going to lose themselves completely," she said. "The zero system, in it's raw form, affects differently. I made a joke. Platinum liked it."

Duo hung his head. "This isn't going well."

"What was the joke?" Quatre asked.

"Beret, but spelled like bear mixed with beret. That's a joke."

Beret?

"Hilde's beret." Duo knew what it meant.

"She was fighting like a bear. In a beret. That's how I made the joke," Crystalia said. "Bearet."

Duo smiled with a light sadness. "That sounds like Hilde."

"That is Hilde. She will remain a bear in a beret," Crystalia said. "They aren't going to erase their minds anymore. They accidentally showed them how useful they were. Noin and Hilde had taken gundams and rescued someone."

"They took gundams?" Duo growled. "Are you kidding? The gundam things we weren't supposed to be involved in, was actually them?!"

"Yes. They will be out there," Crystalia said. "In some capacity, your bear in a beret will stay out there. She is there. Her memory won't be, but she will be there. You just have to reach them, or win them."

"How do we do that?" Quatre asked.

"I created it all. I know all the emergency areas. I know how to find information. You have gundams, that are connected to the systems, to catch orders and what's going on. You can try and get to them, convince them they are the women you know. Most likely it will fail, it takes time to convince anyone under the zero system. However, they will always be loyal to RTL. If you win, they will have to come to you by order, giving you all the time in the world to convince them of who you are."

Duo tapped his fingers on the wall as he leaned against it. Quatre just gestured to the bag on her.

Duo outright grabbed it and looked in. "ID's?" He started to dig through them. "You are going to send us on fetch quests?" Duo said bitterly. "Hoping that we do all your dirty work."

"Not me. RTL," she corrected him. She blew her hair again.

"It's in the way."

Quatre watched Heero and Trowa. They had both came into the room already?

"Didn't feel like keeping your little twins at the circus, Heero?" Duo asked.

"It isn't a spot for them yet," Heero said simply, holding two carriers. "That is less of a spot for them, I don't trust it."

Quatre looked at the twins. It's good to see Heero taking care of them. At least. They look like him too.

Quatre watched Trowa go over to see Crystalia. For the first time. Mother and son, for the first time. Trowa came closer to her, studying her.

"I guess you two heard the whole thing, just being so quiet in a corner even a mouse would have jumped when you spoke?" Duo said, a little bitterly. "Seriously, how did those babies stay so quiet? Is it a family trait?"

Trowa tried to move his mother's hair out of the way. "How much have you experienced the zero system, Crystalia?"

"Lost count," she answered. "You got bigger."

"What do you want to do, Trowa?" Heero asked. "It's up to you."

"We are keeping her, she's got all the information to finding them," Duo said, not quite understanding what Heero or Trowa was meaning.

Quatre definitely felt something between Heero and Trowa. They discussed something. Something important. "Are you more aware of what happened to Crystalia, Heero?"

Heero didn't answer at first.

"Heero is going to spend some time alone with her," Trowa told them. "I'll tell you why outside this room." Trowa took the twins from Heero before he headed for the door.

Duo and Quatre headed out with Trowa while Heero stayed. Heero got closer to her. Eyes. Gestures. He looked at his fingerless gloves on his hand. Hm.

He punched her, waiting to see how she reacted. No anger or vengeance. No pleasure. Nothing.

"Hi to you too."

Humor? Maybe. Same kind of dead eyes looking back at him. He pulled out a switchknife. "Do you care if I kill you?" It looked like something sparked in her eyes.

"I'd prefer if you not."

Interesting. He put the switchblade back away. "How many times did they try to . . ." It hurt more than he thought to say it. "Remove your humanity?"

She just stared at him. "How many for you?"

"Once and it was enough." He watched her eyes. Watched her gestures.

"Five for raw, 125 with training wheels," she answered.

Yeah. That made sense. She felt so much worse than him. Except, she made a joke. That was still some kind of emotion. Some form of joy. "Who's been working with you?"

"Heero didn't know what it was called," Trowa explained to Quatre and Duo. "He showed too much empathy one time for a little girl and her puppy that he accidentally killed. The people he worked with, used something on him. It was supposed to remove his humanity. He suspects, that it might be similar to this strange zero system news. He is going to interrogate Crystalia to find out."

"She's not herself," Quatre said. "I'm sorry that something happened to Heero. I thought . . . I felt something."

"He gets better with time," Duo added. "And he's got a girlfriend, girlfriend helps."

"No, it's less a girlfriend, than who she is." Quatre touched where his heart beat through his vest. He'd felt it a long time ago, shortly after his experience with Wing Zero. He didn't know it at the time, but it was Relena. "She reacted differently with him."

"Yeah, you got that right." Duo touched the top of his cap. "You should have seen how I first met them. I thought she was crazy."

"She could reach him. Understand him," Quatre agreed.

Duo looked toward Trowa. "So. What do we do about this?"

"Start looking. Keep our eye on Crystalia, and then turn her in when we get what we need," Trowa said. "I can't be gentle just because she's my mother. I don't even know her."

Heero opened the door almost aggressively. "You really think it's just going to be that easy? Trowa, your mother. Whatever happened to her, she's almost gone. There's a thin level of humanity in her. It's real faint. I have a feeling she's been in the raw zero system again."

"Raw zero system?" Duo asked. "Is that what the memory loss the zero system causes is gonna be called?"

"We've all used the zero system," Heero explained. "It triggers when things intensify, and it can cause anything from nightmares to visions of oncoming futures. It only affects you when you are running it. It doesn't have long-lasting consequences. You can get used to it."

"The raw zero system is gonna have long consequences then? Like, with what Quatre said about Dorothy?" Duo asked. "Is Hilde gonna eventually . . ." He gestured to the room Heero left. "She's not gonna become like her, is she?"

"She would have, if Quatre hadn't gone to the base to ask for a deal." Heero glanced toward Quatre. "Thank you."

Quatre wanted to accept it. He should, it was polite. But? Doing that.

"I know what it cost you," Heero added. "You don't have to say your welcome, but I'm saying thank you anyway."

Quatre nodded.

"Listen" Heero explained. "They took them off the zero system for two days, then they'll be on training wheels. This means there is a chance we might be able to reach them before there is irreversible damage to their character," Heero stated as he took the carriers back from Trowa. "I've already got a list of places to check out. If I see someone that looks like your friends, I will let you know right away," he promised right before one of his twins started to cry out. "I need to go. I have my ID share. She can explain it all to you. I have to go."

"Character." Duo didn't look so well. "Are we all saying that they aren't even gonna remember us? Them?"

"They'll have their character, if we figure it out soon enough," Heero stated. "Crystalia said they will eventually give them back after large tasks. Don't grump. Don't groan. Just do it, and get them back as soon as possible."

"Well, no sacrifice of our friends, boo hoo," Duo mocked. "Geez, these women of RTL, even committing suicide to . . .?" It started to hit Duo. "It's all the zero system, isn't it? Is Hilde gonna hate me so bad she's going to want to kill me?"

Heero didn't answer his question, just headed out. "Update Wufei and Zechs of everything when they get here." He did turn around one more time. "If you see your friend, do not waste time. Try to reach them as much as possible. Make sure they know you aren't a threat to them. Be as honest about your emotions as possible. If you have to wait to get them from RTL themselves, it'll be harder to reach them."

Heero left, leaving the three pilots there to think.

Quatre went back into the room with Crystalia. There were a lot of ID's and papers of tasks. "Any paper?" he asked. She nodded. "100 tasks from all these different sources." The ID's were from Emergency areas to different ID's of different official organizations. RTL was really involved in much more than even Relena predicted.

"With maps, with circles." Trowa sighed as he looked at it.

"All the locations, to try to find . . ." Yeah, Duo was right. "We have to clean up your messes and do your dirty work." Quatre tried not to squish it all. "We get to play find the needle in the haystack, to find people you had no right to take from us!" Dorothy. Zara Amira. "I saw them for a car ride. Strapped them in. And." Gone.

Crystalia didn't say anything. She didn't show one sign of empathy.

"It's called forget your way, you give ID's, we'll be going straight to every place to find them!" Duo yelled at her.

"Okay." Crystalia didn't say anything else.

"We won't do it RTL's way," Trowa agreed. "Thank you for bearing me, and thank you for the tablet. I have nothing else to thank you for."