Narrator: After Colony 199: After losing all the women, Heero had stepped in, trying to warn the pilots what awaited the others if they played with RTL too much. Feeling an emotion toward Crystalia, he took him with her, and discovering a clue to reaching some humanity within, had rescued Relena that very night. Safe and warm in his arms, he finally started a real relationship with her, at the same time knowing the other pilots were going to hate him.

Three months later, it is now early morning in a regular post area of RTL. With a lot more groups in it than the pilots ever thought possible, it was a common site to find them on RTL grounds now. Some of them are getting closer to getting the women and children back, while they keep looking at different sites, to find their lost companions. Days get more stressed, knowing how much time has gone by. Heero's twins were now eight months old, and each picture seen of them, was a heavier reminder of how much time they were losing.

Little Alec, and Zara and Amira, would already be six months old, having last been seen at three months. The days drag on for the pilots, each trying to do what they can to not only satisfy what RTL wants, but saving the ones that RTL had once kept safe.

RTL Post 203

Duo cleaned his rifle while he waited in the snow. It was more than a little chilly at that moment. He stretched his legs and yawned. It was almost midnight.

He checked another box. "Clean and clean." There were only two kids and one lady at the last place. Numbers never really mattered when escaping though, because she had twenty people shooting to kill her. Politician crap was the worse next to embezzlement hounds.

He was tired, but he was near another RTL centered place. He picked up signals in his Deathscythe before bed. He technically stayed in the Junkyard so he could stash the second Deathscythe when he wasn't actually on a duty. Even if it was illegal, it was more helpful at times.

Besides, they were all doing illegal stuff anyway.

The pilots even did some redesigning so they could take a passenger if they had to. Had to be restructured, zero system all ripped out, and the steering had to be moved around, but when a real emergency popped up, it was helpful. Especially since a lot of cases were just individual.

It was a lot less dirty work than they thought. The organizations and people they were tasked were usually people trying to flee for their lives, someone that needed food, someone that was currently trapped and being hurt they couldn't get to. There was so much.

Hm? His phone went off again. Emergency. "Aw, damn." It wasn't too far, but it was a viscious one. No one would probably want that one.

He got up and got into Deathscythe one more time.

Johnny tried to hold strong as he felt his missing finger. Last time they threatened him like this, he lost it. He didn't want to lose another one, but he couldn't turn against his sister. "I really don't know anything." He felt a knife at his throat. He looked at Lucille, just weeping so much in the other room. He saw the sheen of the knife show against his vision, and he knew his finger was nothing to worry about. Everything else had been.

Lucille screamed. She struggled to get away, but all the people left from her brother went over to her now. She tried to bite too and stretched, anything to get away, but they still had sharp knives and-

She felt herself fall to the ground, but she was picked up. She found herself facing the window and then whoever held her darted to a different position. She was loose though with just an arm holding her.

She tried to get a grip around the arm holding her. She looked up and saw someone different than the people who held her. She still couldn't stop screaming though. The people kept yelling to let her go, but she got swung into the big closet. Her feet touched the wall for a second before she was moved again.

There was a lot of swearing and loud sounds, but not from the person holding her. She saw a braid hitting her. Then, the swearing became much larger but the loud sounds weren't around.

She watched as she was taken out of the front door and out of the apartment. Why was she being taken away? "Johnny!"

"You're safe."

The person holding Lucille talked to her as they started to run down the sidewalk. The house was getting farther and farther. She almost couldn't see it anymore.

The person started to slow it down, panting heavily. "Okay." He looked at her. He tried to smile. "It's okay. You okay? You stopped screaming, that's good."

Lucille didn't know what to say. "Johnny."

"Yeah. Sorry, we gotta keep going. Try not to scream if you can, okay?"

Lucille didn't scream anymore. She didn't really know what to do. "Johnny."

"Hey, hey. It's fine." She watched glass shatter in a car. She got put on the far side of the car. The person with the long braid was swishing the seat and started to drive. "Okay, there we go. Not bad. You didn't see anything right?"

See anything? "I don't know. I don't know anything!"

"It's okay. No more screaming, I'm not yelling," he stated as they continued to drive. "Keep your hands up from the seat, okay?" he stated. "Now. My name is Duo. What's yours?"

Mm. "Re . . ." No, she was being silly. Momma changed her name last year, said her real name was dangerous. "Lucille."

"Lucille, that's a pretty name." He was fidgeting with the wheel and on the phone with someone doing the words thing momma used to do with the phone. He stopped fidgeting with it and just drove now.

"Johnny?"

"Oh a second team was coming for him," he said. "They probably made it out in the kerfuffle."

"Kerwhuffle?" she asked.

"Oh, come on." He sounded bitter a second as he was texting again. "Sorry. I was going to drop you off to your mom again, but she's kind of far. She won't be back until morning."

Oh. Momma. "Who are you?"

"Duo." He repeated the name. She remembered again since he repeated it. "Duo Maxwell. It'll be okay. I'm part of the Burner Enforcers." He dug around his neck and pulled out a little ID. It was too far to read, but she couldn't read yet anyhow.

He had an official badge though, so that made him a good guy. "Good guys helping momma?"

"Yep. Good guys helping your momma." He put it back away. "Hey, so we are going to be off on a fun little trip, okay?" He pulled over to the curb. "Don't get out, I'll help." He got out and closed his door, then went around to her door.

He picked her back. "This way, Lucille."

She looked at his really long braid. "Long braid."

"Yep, I like long braids and saving the day," he joked. He had her look ahead. There was a really big robot ahead! It was gigantic. "This is our ride. Hang on." He messed with a rope nearby it. "I am going to climb this with you okay? I need you to just hang on as tight as you can."

He put her on his back like a monkey. She tried to hold on as tight as she could as they started to go up. "You're a monkey."

"Pretty close." He sounded strained. When they got to the top, he opened the front of the robot and put her in it. "Plenty of room." There was a strap on her side and he snapped one across her chest.

He got into the robot and the front door closed. "This is gonna be like a bumpy plane ride. It's not as fun as some people think," he cautioned her. "Just hang on and it won't last long. Then we'll be somewhere real safe, okay?"

Okay. He was right, there was a scary shaking, but he was a brave man. She felt safe beside him. When they touched down somewhere, it was super cold now! He helped her back out, but this time, there were railings to get on. He held her hand and they went down a funny looking elevator.

Reachout 53

"Okay. Stay right here," Duo insisted. "Welcome to Reachout 53. It's a safe kind of outpost place." They usually had a full stock. "We'll be getting a whole gaggle of women coming to help take care of you." He looked at his watch. "Any minute now?" He looked at his watch again.

No one was coming. "Empty base, really?" he complained. He rolled his eyes and looked back at her. "It's okay. I'm sure someone's here. Let's go look around. I bet we can find something interesting." They both moved around through the facility. It was just them so far.

"Well, kitchen?" He opened up some cupboards. "What do you want to eat? Some chips?" He looked around the freezer. "You want some pizza?"

"Cold pizza!" Cold pizza for breakfast was good, but it wasn't breakfast. "Hot pizza!"

"Yeah. I had a friend who liked to eat cold pizza or hot pizza with me all the time," he noted as he brought out a delivery box from the freezer. "Let's see what we got. Oh, pretty plain. You like pepperoni?" he asked.

She nodded and took a slice. He just gave her a slice without a plate. She made no complaints, just dived right in.

She watched as someone came around through the door and looked at them anxiously. The lady pointed at the braided man. "You!"

He held out his good guy badge toward her as he continued to eat his pizza. "Where is everybody?"

"Patrolling," she stated. She looked toward her. "You have been okay with him?"

Lucille nodded. "Cold pizza's good."

"I will get you all tucked into a nice room to wait for your mom." She went toward Lucille. "While the pilot leaves. Come on."

"No." She stayed closer to braided man. "Good guy." She continued to eat her pizza. The good guy didn't seem as fond of the idea.

"You know how heroes stick around in a game for so long, but they have to go in the end?" Duo said. "That's because they are heroes because they keep saving people. I have to get out there and help someone else. This lady is going to take care of you here. Now, you take your pizza. We'll get you something to drink, and then you're going to spend some time with the BS Lady."

"Burner Supporter," the lady said out for him. "We don't prefer the term BS, and he knows that. Pilot, you are not permitted in the nursery sections without permission here, only the kids area for her."

Duo just chuckled as he stood up and grabbed her a can of soda. "There you go, Lucille. Take your pizza and soda."

Lucille took another bite of her pizza and started to walk with the BS lady. The hero had to go save more people.

Didn't kill them, but they are never walking again, carrying guns, or even carrying their own groceries. Bastards. He was too late to help the teen, but he did get the little kid in the other room. Not only did he have to deal with everyone trying to kill some harmless girl that was barely even in school for codes she wouldn't know, but he needed to make sure he moved in a way that she didn't see her brother's dead body.

Since she was asking about her brother, he had accomplished what he wanted. He made a lot of disturbance with his guns, so he had to steal a car to bail further than just a gentle sprint to his gundam.

She was safe though. None of that was fit for one of his tasks, but he didn't just work on his assigned tasks. Some time ago, after Hilde was taken, he was just solely looking for her at each base. The more time they each spent looking for their friends, the more all of the pilots realized, that this wasn't going to be easy.

He finished his pizza and headed outside to see who was all on patrol over there. "Hey, Duo here!" he yelled out. He wanted more than just one person there tending to that girl.

It didn't take too long for him to be out there doing an occassional 'task' for RTL to help his chances, to figure out these weren't exactly legal tasks, but they were good. Every single one of them was good. RTL had changed back in AC 195 because of Superior, but before that?

It was an angel hiding in the fires of Hell. Stuff he just did today, was something they did. They took justice in their own hands, much like he did when he stole Deathscythe all those years ago.

Instead of running gundams, they ran their own underground associations and organizations, with just a few being seen above ground to look legit. What he was just a part of was the Burner Enforcers, people who took their own life in their hands to save others who had no hope from any kind of law to be saved.

Without going today, Duo knew that sweet little girl would be as dead as her brother. People took the tasks they wanted in the corner they wanted of RTL, and there were different positions for everything.

You could drop off food to people barely surviving. You could watch over kids. You could support monetarily some effort of something. You could distribute things. You could fight people. You could save people. You could treat people if you had the right qualifications mentally or physically. There was a spot for everyone to feel useful.

And like it or not, with RTL burning away because of STL's profits going down the wayside, each of the pilots found their kind of . . . niche again.

They liked having a peaceful world. They liked maintaining a peaceful world. But choosing to ferry people across the stars or save a little girl from a band of mindless assholes just ready to kill? One of them felt more like the God of Death was still doing something.

Of course though, it wasn't as strong. Less people could take on these emergencies. Less people could get paid to take on things. Most people that worked there that were either too programmed to quit, or just wanted to keep going, also had secondary jobs to survive in order to stay there.

If it hadn't been for that stupid Superior bringing in the zero system, those illegal little devil angels would still be doing their job strong today. Hell, Duo might have even joined them if he knew they existed back then.

But, everything eventually died off. His only goal left was to find Hilde in the last of the burning embers somewhere.

Duo stopped to take a breather. A nice little drink from the kitchen he had definitely earned. He felt his phone vibrate and saw the text message. "Well, well. Isn't that nice." He put it back away and took a swig of his drink to stay warm. "Relena's inviting me for a little get together with you and your fam? Fuck you, Heero." He'd probably still go, but he'd hate it. They all hated it.

He put his drink away and continued. "This weather is terrible today."

"Oh, I definitely heard it this way."

Ooh. Duo watched as someone looking like Noin came around scouting with another person. Looks like her. Duo took a snapshot. Zechs knew her the best. There was usually something wrong that kept the lookalikes looking exactly alike. Not always though. He threw Zechs the text with the snapshot and location.

Then, because he wasn't feeling so cheery, he asked how excited Zechs would be if Heero became a brother, and if he was coming to their eventual wedding in the future. It'd probably be awhile before he texted back.

Nope, it wasn't awhile after all. Zechs ignored the second part, just wanted another picture of Noin. Duo waited until she turned to her other side. Sides of the face. The voice. The eyes. She really did look like Noin. Instead of a picture, Duo recorded her briefly and sent him that.

Zechs texted back that it might be Noin. He asked if he could maybe try and do something, he wasn't far away. Ugh. Probably not possible, but Zechs would still try. Fighters could move back and forth a lot faster. They were actually using mobile suits for travel themselves.

Once again, one of those sticky situations that the probably future Mrs. Heero Yuy was helping out with politically. Okay, well? Whatever.

Duo revealed himself to the lady who might be Noin. "Hey there, so I did my part. Duo Maxwell, guy half of you want to kill but aren't allowed to?" Yeah, she held a weapon at him. Of course. "So what's your last memory, Lady?" She shot past him while he dodged. "Not much for conversation."

"Nancy, don't do that."

That voice? Duo looked out toward the lady who might be Noin. Someone was holding her gun down. That person was . . .

The hair. The eyes. The mouth. Hilde.

"Let's just go," Hilde said. "I don't want to get wrapped up in this."

"No, wait!" Duo ran out toward her. "Hilde!"

Hilde looked at him bizarrely. "Sorry, we are sorry, we didn't mean to mess with you, we were just guarding the perimeter?" She ran from him though, while the Noin lookalike was trying to shoot at him.

"Leave her alone!" Noin lookalike yelled.

Damn it. "Hilde." Come on. He kept running after her. "What is the last thing you remember? It's me, Hilde. Duo! I've been out here searching for you!" Anything, any kind of jarring memory.

"I'm not her," she insisted. She turned around and held a gun at him. "Sorry, Mister, I'm not her. I'm just someone that looks like her. I was messed up in the head." She was taking steps back. "I'm a little better now, and I don't want trouble."

"You aren't a lookalike. You are the genuine deal." Maybe a little off. Maybe the hair? But, it looked real close. It could be.

He hated when that happened. Those lookalikes usually weren't perfect, but from a distance? Something usually gave it away sooner, like the voice, or the actions.

"Sorry." Her hands were shaking. She was just a person slowly getting better away from the zero system. As more time went by, those women were starting to get better with no more zero system being used.

"Hands up!" The lady that looked like Noin also had her gun on him. "Don't come barreling down on guards."

"Noin!"

Great timing. Duo watched Zechs get involved with her, so he just glanced one more time at the lookalike Hilde. From far away, she was so perfect.

"She's not her." Zechs had that same kind of disappointment in his voice.

"Yeah, I know." Just another night of dashed hopes. They both left, not bothering the women further. "At least you saw yours once."

"Once, and she didn't recognize a thing about me," Zechs said. "If I only knew then what I know now." He looked at the snow as he walked. "She is going to be plaguing me until the end of one of us."

"Well, look on the bright side," Duo said to him. He was going to tease him about gaining a brother, but decided Zechs was feeling a bit too pathetic for it. "When you find the bright side, tell me what's over there? Find out how much the rent is too, because I'd like to move in."

"How far are you in your duties?" Zechs asked.

"I've got just 49 more to do. You?"

"I am almost done," Zechs admitted. "They mainly gave me distribution duties. I wanted to take an emergency today, but I got two duties out of the way I really needed to get done. We are getting closer."

"Yeah. I took the emergency. A little girl lived, but I was about five minutes late to save her brother." Duo didn't know if Zechs could have saved her brother instead. No one judged anybody. "She's in the base eating cold pizza. You know, I used to never be known for lying."

"They'll deal with the lie in a better way," Zechs encouraged his actions. "How is everyone pulling their weight?"

"Wufei is the second closest, he's only got 15 left. Quatre has a whopping seventy, but that's to be expected. They stuck him with rescue missions since he has connections. He really tries to help all these people find a decent place to call home. He has to help take care of the ones he was assigned, as well as helping whatever trouble we bring to him."

"He is noble. It's too bad he had to sacrifice his family in the process of helping," Zechs commented. "No one had anyone except Heero. He watched Sora and Sophia so closely, they didn't stand a chance to be taken."

"Yeah. He was smart," Duo agreed. "Wonder if Crystalia ever got any better with them."

Zechs didn't answer. There wasn't much to say to that. It was just small talk.

They headed back to the base toward their gundam platforms to leave when- "hey, hey!" Aw man, one of those little vixens were actually trying to snag his gundam! "I call foul right there!"

"Sorry, Mister Gundam Pilot, but I have an emergency, I can't stall. I'll bring it back, I promise!" Wait. Middie? Was that Middie Une?

Duo looked toward Zechs. "Is that Middie Une? I've been wrong twice tonight, you make the call if you think it is."

"I never met her," Zechs said in his defense.

Well, either way, Duo climbed over toward his gundam. "Stay right there." She couldn't aim her gun, the position was too hard in her climbing. "Not very good for a circus performer." Then again, it was mainly paint she did.

"Back off!" She yelled as she tried to push him away.

"Hey, I put a lot of time and effort into this gundam, so it's mine." He took a picture of her. "What's your name?" Nah, the hair was too curly and too colored. It didn't match her personality to do that. Too much seemed off. Middie was may more mellow than that. "Out, out." He dragged her out and Zechs caught her briefly for a second look before letting her go.

Whatever. All the duplicates at one outpost was annoying. Usually there was only one or two. "I'm going home. I'm tired and I'm cold." And? "And I dropped my wallet."

Oh, man! He left his gundam. "I know I had it in the gundam after that rescue. I'm gonna go scan the snow for a single wallet."

"Fine, I'm leaving," Zechs informed him.

"Yeah, uh huh, you do that, I'll just stay out in the cold looking for my wallet. All alone. Freezing!"

Zechs didn't answer back of course.