After Colony: Revelation

Verse I

The year is After Colony 201. The peace that followed Mariemaia Kushrenada's surrender was almost as short as her reign. It was not long until yet another potential dictator rose up to the challenge of controlling the world and the colonies, together in unity.

As the young Kushrenada stated, war is nothing more than an endless waltz. As soon as one opponent was out of the way, the next appeared.

For Dorian Adelphie, the emphasis on peace over military power provided him with ample opportunity. After all, so many military strongholds and rebel forces had fallen to the false notion of peace while believing it was actually obtainable. They were mistaken.

They cursed themselves upon discovering that their decisions to destroy their means of defense, mobile dolls and suits, were incredibly rash actions.

Adelphie had been building his forces before Dekim Barton's plans had been set into motion. As a former member of the Romefeller foundation, he immediately recognized the openings for disaster that Barton had created. Sitting back, the Italian aristocrat merely relaxed while both the world and space militaries wasted away their resources on a pointless war that was destined to end.

Unbeknownst to the fighting troops of Mariemaia's Army, they would all have fallen due to internal failures, had the gundams not finished them off first.

Since he did not need his super weapon, Adelphie instead used his time to perfect it.

Caligo Sese, the organization that now ruled over the space and land, started out as Dorian Adelphie's corporation. It was, at the time, a global and spatial market that focused on military development and experimentation. While much of it had been temporarily shut down because the Barton Foundation had sought to become the only force with military capabilities, it was allowed to continue what was considered rather harmless research. Caligo Sese was viewed as a neutral entity and thus was permitted to thrive as long as it was not seeking to be an opposition. The harmless research, however, would prove to be some of the most useful and powerful developments to be created.

The world of information systems can be either extremely boring or extremely fascinating, depending on the individual. Adelphie, seeing a prime opportunity in a world that was heavily reliant on computers and technological connections, built himself a supercomputer which had the ability to get into almost any network. With his own private force of mobile dolls and mobile suits, as well as support from his old Romefeller allies, he seized power.

Without the means to retaliate, Dorian Adelphie remained in power as the Joint World-Colony Prime Minister using his corporation's military influence.

Until recently, the Gundam pilots had decided to try and stay out of the war that the rebels tried to fight. It was a choice made with reluctance, but there was not much more to be done, considering that their Gundams seemed almost obsolete. While their mobile suits had been destroyed after the Barton Foundation incident, they had still attempted to fight with the other, smaller military powers, using other suits. All was useless. Adelphie's supercomputer shut down their systems shortly after the start of an attack. There was no way to retaliate effectively, which ultimately led to the capture of 02 and 05, Duo Maxwell and Chang Wufei.

After almost a year, rebel forces, made up of the remaining Prevents and former Earth Sphere Unified Nations members, were once again ready to take a stand against the military entity known as CSO.

000

"How are things progressing?" Quatre Raberba Winner asked as he brought a bottle of water over to Heero Yuy. The dark-haired, twenty-one-year-old looked up momentarily, only to reach out for his drink. Quatre had been using his family funds to provide resources for scientists to develop a system that could block their biggest problem—the supercomputer of Adelphie. It had been a challenge since he constantly had to move the project around to advert suspicion from the ever spying CSO.

"Not really sure," Yuy stated flatly, "it's all installed, but it's really got to be tested before we can be sure. Honestly," he said as he hopped out of the mobile suit's cockpit, "I don't think the barriers will last long. It's a powerful firewall, but it starts to weaken after a duration. If we use it, we've got to do what we need to do, fast."

Quatre looked down and shook his head. "I suppose that's better than nothing… but we really aren't making any progress, are we?"

Heero shrugged. "Don't worry about it. We're doing better than anyone else out there against CSO. I'll just feel better as soon as we have Wufei and Duo out of their hands and with us."

"We should hurry," Trowa's voice echoed up from a few levels below the other two. "It took a while, but I caught a glimpse inside of the Organization. You know how we suspected that they did a lot of human experimentation? I have a bad feeling that they're turning their sights onto our companions."

"What do you mean?" Quatre asked his close friend, his voice hinting at a bit of panic.

"Duo's scheduled in one of their labs a few days from now. I couldn't get anymore—I was shut out of their system again. I will probably have to be in a new location before I can try to get back in. The worst part, however, is that I can't tell if this will be the first time they will undergo experimentation or if this has happened before," Barton explained. Even he, rather good at hiding his emotions, was clearly concerned over the matter.

After the pilots, the three remaining pilots at least, had come into contact with a few CSO soldiers, they had become suspicious. It seemed almost as if the men had been brainwashed into following orders. All the soldiers had marks around their temples and at the base of their necks.

"In that case," the former Wing Zero pilot said, "we need to make our move relatively soon. Who knows what they could do to him, or what they've already done."

000

"Hey, Wu, you still up?"

"Maxwell, if you call me that one more time, I swear I will murder you as soon as I get my hands on you," the Chinese male, who had been thrown back into his holding cell a short period ago, growled at Duo.

He had been pulled out for more of the random testing. They had been caged up for what they guessed to be nearly a year. They would be pulled in and out for different things—physical endurance testing, mental stress exams, and sometimes drug experiments. They had started out doing mostly the same things, but lately, it seemed that Duo was being put through more medical tests and such. Wufei on the other hand, took part more and more in physical observations.

"That's unlikely. We haven't even been in the same room for ages," Duo said and rolled his eyes. "Anyhow, what did they have you do this time?"

"It seemed to be training of some sort. I'm starting to wonder if I'm just becoming one of their forms of amusement—that same woman was nearby, also sparring. She had a crowd gathering. There were only maybe two doctors around, watching me. Most were soldiers who were lined up to watch their friends put on great displays of weakness," Wufei stated and sighed. He did not enjoy being someone's dancing monkey. Duo made a whining noise in response.

"I would much rather be doing that. They keep tying me up, take my blood, and inject me with something else. I'm not sure, but I think they did something to my head. Remember when I was gone for those two weeks? I don't know what they did but they shaved part of my precious hair away! The bastards! I'll have to cut it when we get out of here…"

"If we get out of here."

"Oh, we will," replied Duo, "the guys will come for us eventually. We've always got each others' backs."

"You've been saying that for months now, and we've had no sign from any of them. I think it would be more likely, at this point, that they've abandoned us," said Wufei, being completely serious. Most people would have had at least a hint of hopelessness in their voices, but he did not.

"No, I think they'll come. I know they'll come."

No matter how much he wished to stay optimistic however, the notorious God of Death was even starting to wonder. He had been hoping, everyday, that his comrades would show up miraculously to save the two of them. But with each day that passed now, doubt started to creep inside and affect his mentality. Still, he felt that some hope was better than none, and it would help him keep a bit stronger.

A few days later, something happened that was beyond their normal routine. Both Wufei and Duo were escorted out at the same time. For a brief moment, Duo had hoped that they would actually get a chance to interact, but he was mistaken. He was taken right back to the medical wing of the building they were confined to while his Chinese friend was moved in the opposite direction.

"Oh, c'mon, not more of this!" Duo snapped angrily, trying to struggle against the CSO guards dragging him along. It was useless. He tried every time, and every time, he failed.

"Strap him in," stated the doctor who was regularly waiting for Gundam 02's pilot. The guards moved Duo to the reclined medical seat and held both of his forearms to the arms of the chairs while a male nurse used the leather bindings to hold him down. After, they bound his legs.

This was nothing new to Duo. It was the same process each time. Next would come the injection to his arm and the inhalation of knockout gas. They had recently starting upping the dosages, however, because he was becoming increasingly resistant to the chemical combination. As to what they did to him while he was sleeping, he wasn't entirely sure. He woke up with strange pains and numbness.

The self-proclaimed God of Death's eyes shut and rolled back into his head. "Good," the doctor said, "now let's get started, shall we?"

000

Wufei, on the other hand, was much luckier. There were no bindings, no injections, no seedy doctors. He was told to change and was a bit surprised. Usually, he was told to put on a more appropriate outfit to spar in but today, he was given a full uniform. It was very much like the ones he would have worn on his own colony for a formal match.

"What, might I ask, am I doing?" Wufei asked, pulling off is prison shirt.

"The Prime Minster is visiting with some of his family. A weapons exhibition match has been organized as a form of entertainment. It would be best if you put on a good show," one of the guards said with a growl.

Wufei nodded and changed. He tied the sash around his waist and turned back to the men who had escorted him over to the locker room near a gym like area he had spent much time in recently. Seeing that he was ready, they walked him out and into the wide open space. There were bleachers pulled out and a special section reserved for the Prime Minister—he could tell because it was blocked off with red investigate not with Duo currently held captive in the medical section of the building.

Wufei stood on one side of the slightly raised platform that had been temporarily constructed in the center of the room. He wondered which poor sap was going to be chosen to fight against him while he waited quietly. Closing his eyes, he mentally prepared himself. He was expecting to win—no one had yet been good enough to last long in a full match against him. The young Chinese male only opened his eyes once more when an older soldier stepped into the center and started to make the starting announcements.

"The first one to do debilitating damage will be declared the winner, said damage will be interpreted by the Prime Minister. Each opponent may choose one weapon. A new weapon may be chosen only when the previous one has been discarded—either by choice, or by disarmament. If one wishes to wield two weapons at once, it may only be with his or her own weapon and a discarded weapon of the opponent. At the whistle, the match begins. Chose your weapons now," the announcer for the match explained to the crowd and to the two actually taking part in the match.

As the soldier stepped away, Wufei could see his opponent. He was only slightly surprised to see a certain young woman standing, looking at him with mild curiosity. He turned to a table lined with a small variety of weapons. Well, it was supposed to be a variety, at least. It was just blades really, different sizes and shapes. For a proficient swordsman like himself, he could wield all of with excellence.

It did not take him very long to find himself a Chinese short blade that he was comfortable with and turned back to his opponent. She watched carefully to see which weapon he picked, and then chose the same one. She stepped forward and waited for the whistle to blow.

"The match consists of Chang Wufei verses Edan. Begin," the announcer finished and brought the whistle to his mouth, blowing it. The small crowd behind him fell silent, waiting for the action to begin.

As Wufei took a step to the side, moving to see what his opponent would do, he momentarily thought that it was strange the announcer did not provide the young woman's full name. Wufei searched his mind for the name, pronounced Ee-dahn, but came up with nothing. He did not dwell on it as he readied himself to make a move.

With each step he took, she took another, maintaining their distance. The two were staring each other down, sizing each other up. While Wufei would have liked to think, 'oh, she's just a woman,' he really couldn't. He knew that she frequently drew a crowd and, though he had never really had the opportunity to see why, he was sure that was with reason.

Finally deciding that he was done with their lack of action, he took one step and then another, and then leapt at the woman. He moved himself in a way that had him low and aiming above his center of gravity. He wanted to see why they thought she was good enough to defeat him.

She used her own blade to block the blow, using her palm against the flat side to steady her sword as she pushed his weapon away. He spun himself around to immediately attack again, hoping to catch her off guard. He was not surprised that she was once again able to parry his attack. As he tried to take one more hit, it was clear that she was no longer going to stand back and simply defend.

She took a step forward, moving both of them back towards the center of their little stage, the two of them exchanging blows. To Wufei, it seemed that this exhibition-like match was going to be more training for him than any of his recent physical exams or tests, or any of the matches set up for him against other soldiers had never been.

The Chinese male wondered again, for a small time, who it was that he was facing. The girl had clearly gone through significant training, considering the way she was able to hold her own against him, despite the fact that she was physically not as strong. She seemed to understand perfectly how to use her weight to her advantage, being sure to counter at certain angles, maximizing her efficiency. This woman called Edan did not appear to be a solider—she was not in a uniform but was in a similar outfit to the one Wufei was wearing. She had dark hair pulled up high, her bangs falling into her green eyes. All in all, she did not display the same characteristics as all the other of the female soldiers.

Wufei was pulled from his thoughts by the cheering from the crowd. Fighting was almost mechanical to him, automatic, barely thinking. Even though he had not been entirely concentrating on his fight in front of him, it seemed he had been able to land a blow, his blade grazing his opponent's arm and drawing a thin line of blood. She frowned and quickly used her shoulder to push him away, and bringing her blade down as she swung around, knocking his sword from his hand. Being without a weapon, he backed up, as did she, apparently waiting to see the verdict from the Prime Minister.

The crowd of soldiers turned their attention to the head of the Caligo Sese Joint World-Colony Organization. He was an attractive aristocrat in his mid-fifties with slightly graying, black hair, wearing a three piece suit. He sat with his daughter, the lovely Moira Adelphie. She, like her father, also had dark hair. It was pulled back into a high bun, and she wore a black suit as well. She worked with her father, training to succeed him when he finally chose to retire from his organization and corporation.

Dorian Adelphie raised his hand and shook his head. No, Wufei's blow was not enough to end the match and give him a victory. It would continue, but he would have to choose another weapon since Edan had knocked his away. Wufei, groaning, went back to the weapons' line and grabbed yet another blade. It was longer than his previous sword and curved at the end. He stalked back into the square ring and took his stance. This time, it was his opponent who started the attack.

She jumped forward and he met her halfway, their blades hitting. He pushed her back to try to take a swing, but he was surprised by her next movement. She switched hands, moving from fighting with her right to her left hand. Edan narrowly missed slashing Wufei across his chest. He jumped backwards to put some space between the two of them and reevaluated his situation. Close combat was much different when the opponents did not have the same dominant hand. She, it appeared, was ambidextrous. He was sure of it when she casually walked to his discarded blade and picked it up. His opponent had chosen to wield two weapons.

The Gundam pilot glanced around to see some of the soldiers watching start to nod. It seemed that they had known about her skill beforehand.

They resumed exchanging hits. It was much harder for him to keep up with only one weapon. He knew that she now had the upper hand, and he would have to accept defeat. The problem he now had was that she was doing nothing more than toying with him. Edan had the ability to end their match at any point, but she was, apparently, just putting on a good show. He hated that—matches were displays of strength, and victory belonged to he, or she, who was the strongest. It was not for mere entertainment, for which the two of them were currently meant.

"It's a lowly act to use battle for pleasure," Wufei growled through gritted teeth as he used most of his strength to hold back to remove the two blades. "If you were a true warrior, you would end this match properly."

It seemed that he had hit something inside his opponent. He could tell as he looked up at her fully for the first time. He locked eyes with her, but immediately wished he hadn't. He did not like the way she seemed to just… stare. But, for a brief moment, he could see that there was a spark of something—be it irritation or what not, it seemed his point was made.

She pulled away and quickly ducked down, once again using her shoulder and upper body to push him away. This time, however, she more or less tackled him to the ground, pinning him. She had a leg on either side of his chest, her blades crossed at his neck. She shoved them into the wooden stage, far enough that when she let go, they held their position. Wufei didn't dare move, knowing that he was inches away from getting his throat sliced open.

Edan stood and placed her heel on his right hand, applying pressure. Though he didn't want to let go and release yet another weapon, she hit a nerve and he cringed in pain. Wufei's fingers uncurled from his blade and she reached down, snatching it up. She used it to slice down the length of his left forearm, leaving a deep gash—much, much worse than the one he had given her.

The Prime Minster approved and the match was ended. Edan silently turned and walked off of the stage. He watched her from the corner of his eye, very much irritated with the way she had defeated him. Perhaps it was his own fault that he had pushed her instead of letting her take her own course. Still, he was in such a position that he was stuck, unable to pick himself up from his loss. With each passing moment he was stuck on his back, pinned by the blades, he felt his dignity slide further and further away. And oh, how he hated losing to that woman.

One of the guards who had led him from his holding cell walked over to him and grabbed the end of one sword. He sighed and haphazardly pulled. He was shocked when the blade barely budged. His companion walked over and gave him a quizzical look, while Wufei stared down the edge of the blade cautiously. The weapons were deep in the wood, and if they were not careful, he could still be injured, despite the fact that the match was over.

The other guard took a handkerchief from his pocket and beckoned the soldier who still had one hand on the hilt of the sword to give him his own cloth as well. With both pieces of fabric in hand, the solider wadded them up and put them against Wufei's neck, just as a bit of added precaution. The guard steadied himself and gripped the handle with both hands. After a few light tugs, he pulled with a great deal of strength. The sword jerked out and he stumbled backwards. Wufei was glad for the padding against his skin—he would have surely been bleeding without it.

He groaned and rolled away from the other weapon before standing up. Rubbing his neck, Wufei glanced around to see what had happened to his opponent. He spotted her trying to get towards and exit, but it seemed there was an obstacle in her way. Another female was talking to her, smiling brightly, even hugging her. Perhaps she was being congratulated on her victory? This new young woman was blonde with a sloppy pony tail. His eyes narrowed as he watched her practically bounce towards the Prime Minister. The guards cleared a path for her with ease.

She walked right up to Adelphie, who was possibly the most protected person in their solar system at the moment, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He smiled at her and took her hands as they began to talk. Wufei raised a brow. He vaguely recognized her—he had probably seen her around at some point through his duration as a prisoner. He didn't think he had ever figured out who she was.

As the guards went to either side of him to escort him back to the locker room so that he could change, he continued to watch as the Prime Minister carefully examined the blonde girl's hands, gently flexing her fingers with interest, as if he had never seen such limbs before. Though he would have liked to observe some more, Wufei did not have the opportunity, as he was soon pulled into the opposite direction.

After he had thrown on the uniform that signified his status as a prisoner, and he had taken his grand old time doing so, he walked back out before the guards could come in after him. They led him out, back down the same hallways he had been walking for the last month.

"Who was the blonde who walked up to the Prime Minister? She seemed awfully comfortable with him. . ." He made the casual comment once they were a few hundred feet away from the large gym like room, hoping that the soldiers wouldn't see it as threatening and answer anyhow.

It took a few moments, but it seemed one of them decided to answer, "That's his daughter, Isabella."

"Really?" Wufei asked casually. "She doesn't look a thing like him. I knew of Miss Moira Adelphie, but I've never heard of an Isabella. She's never been in the papers with her father or sister, I guess."

"She's not an Adelphie," the other guard answered, his voice indicating the end of the conversation.

The Chinese male did not respond in any way, but was glad to know this information. It was what he had been doing during the entire time of his captivity: quietly gathering as much information as he could before they were rescued. Yes, even he had hopes that the fellow Gundam pilots would rescue both him and the braided fool, but he didn't tell Duo that.

When he finally made it back to his cell, the guards unlocked his shackles and locked him away. Wufei looked through the small opening that connected to Duo's chamber, but Duo was nowhere in sight. "I wonder what they've got him doing. . ."

000

"This is Doctor Thrice, head neurosurgeon," a voice spoke into a recorder. "We are now entering phase three of the Black Horse project. Specimen has been under for three hours now." The small, metallic grey device was set aside by one of the nurses standing around the reclined medical chair as the doctors could proceeded with their work. "Implant."

They had spent an hour with small bone saws, cutting away at small bits of their specimen's skull. They had been preparing for their actual entrance for a while, after injections and optical surgeries… It was time for the final step in their experiment. They had gone through three previous, similar but different experiments—White Horse, Red Horse, and Green Horse. Now, their final project was to be completed on a Gundam pilot. It took a few hours of painstakingly accurate work, but they were finally finished, at least with the third stage. The fourth was the last part, though it would have to be done at another time. The young man's mind needed time to recuperate, or else it would surely shut down on itself.

"We will have him moved back whenever everything is settled. He's in a weak state and we don't want to destroy our progress," Thrice said and pulled off his now slightly bloodied gloves. "Keep the room secured." After he washed up, he and the other surgeons left the medical room.

Duo was left, bound by his arms and legs, as well as with a brace to keep his head from moving, sitting in the chair.

He had no idea what was happening to him. When he would return from the medical rooms, back to his holding cell, Duo might have a really bad headache, or strained eyesight, but that was it. He had no idea what they were doing to him once he was knocked out, or how long he had been knocked out. Sometimes he would wake up to find himself still bound, but would pass out shortly after from unexplained pain or the sudden reapplication of drugs. Hours after his stage three surgery, he woke up with possibly the worst migraine he had ever had.

000

"Let's see, let's see, what room did I have to pick up that disc in?" A certain blonde asked herself as she walked down one of the deserted hallways in the medical wing, a finger tapping her lips thoughtfully. Finally, she stopped at the end, and then looked back down at the rooms she had passed. "Was it G-34 or… maybe not? Well, I guess that I can try that one first, it seems to ring a bell?" She shook her head and shrugged, trying to stop her continuous speaking.

It was a bad habit of hers to talk out loud. It came from all of her time spent with computers instead of actual people.

She walked a few yards ahead and stopped at the door. When she tried to open it, however, she found that it was indeed locked. "Not that a locked door has ever stopped me," she muttered and ran her fingers over the key pad to the right of the metal.

She started to input certain digits; mostly a series of ones and zeros, much like a computer binary code. For her, Isabella Vespasian Valentinian, perhaps the foremost expert in her field, a simple computerized lock was little more than a brain exercise. The green light that gave her access lit up, and the door slid open. "Now, my little disc-y wisky, where are you..? What the fu-?"

Isabella had entered the medical room, expecting to find it empty and her disc sitting right in the open for her, but that was not the case. The room was very much occupied.

There was a male, roughly about her age, strapped down to a chair, with equipment sitting out to be sterilized. He looked like he was in a great deal of pain. But she had to wonder, as an image seemed to flash before her eyes, why did the scene seem so oddly familiar?

"Hey," the male said weakly, his voice clearly revealing that he was trying to smile, "come here?"

Isabella looked around to make sure that he wasn't talking to anyone else. No. It was just her in the room. She stepped in, away from the door, which slid shut behind her automatically. She walked closer to the patient, but stayed far enough away that she wasn't in a bad position.

"Um, yes?" She asked slowly, her eyes scanning for the needed computer equipment.

"My name's Duo," he said, "it would be great if you could help me. I'm not asking for anything really, I just have the worst headache, and my legs are falling asleep. Could you just loosen up these bounds?"

"Please, you don't really think I'm that much of an idiot, do you?" Isabella asked, frowning, "I know who you are. You're one of the former Gundam pilots. Even if I wanted to help you, I can't. My father would murder me."

She, standing much taller now, waltzed over to a table to the side and started looking through the papers. She was looking for a disc with the Mountain Tree project on it, and she was told that it was left in one of the medical rooms, either G-34 or G-35.

She was starting to think that she was in the wrong room.

"Like I said, I'm not asking for real help. I'm just really uncomfortable, and I'm not sure how long I'm going to have to stay here—or how long until I'm put under again."

Isabella shook her head, ignoring him. She continued leafing through the papers on the table, but soon stopped. Something had caught her eye. There was a disc sitting under a folder entitled Black Horse. She had acquired information based off of a project called Red Horse. Was it possible that this was along those same lines? She desperately hoped not, considering she knew what terrible acts had been done in coincidence with the other project.

"What's your name, at least?" Duo persisted, trying to get some conversation from the young woman. He was hoping to stay awake for at least a bit of time. "You don't look like a doctor or nurse, and definitely not a soldier."

"Why? I'm not a soldier because I'm a woman?" She replied snappishly as she sat down at a nearby computer system, popping the disc into the drive, copying the information directly into the network so that she could retrieve it from her own private computer once she returned to her apartment two blocks away from the military facility. The entire colony, which was more like a large space station really, since it wasn't as big as a colony and entirely for CSO use, was made up of military buildings with different uses, storage units for mobile suits and dolls, and living quarters for some of the families of the soldiers and staff who worked full time on the bases. "I'm not a soldier because I'm a woman?"

"No. . ." Duo said slowly, a confused look on his face, "I didn't say that. You just don't look like one of the soldiers. You aren't wearing a uniform."

"Oh, I guess that's true," she responded absently "Isabella."

Duo smiled his typical goofy grin, but then groaned from a sudden pain coming from somewhere in his head. "Well, Miss Isabella, I wouldn't want to get you in trouble or anything, but it would be extremely appreciated if you could really just loosen up the leg bonds. I'm not asking you to take them off—my circulation is just being cut off."

The blonde did not give any indication that she had heard him. Instead, she continued typing away at the computer. He sighed and exhaled, deciding that it was rather futile to continue. After some moments, or, more particularly, after the computer started beep, she jumped up and looked at the bound boy. With her hands on her hips, she cocked her head to the side, analyzing the situation before her.

"Okay, but you can't tell anyone that you saw me in here, agreed?"

"Definitely!" Duo grinned again and started to try to move his legs around. She kneeled down and started to fiddle around with the metal latches, trying to loosen it up just a bit. Though he would have liked to trick her and try to escape, he couldn't. He wouldn't be able to get his arm out of his restraints. However, he would take what he could get, and work from there. As soon as the leather on his legs started to let up, he moaned in pleasure. "Dear Lord, that feels so much better."

"Remember, I was never in here," Isabella said, "I'm sure the doctors will be back in soon."

"Thanks very much, Bella!" The braided young man called out.

The woman stopped and turned around, a disgusted scowl on her face. "Don't call me that." She slapped a button on the side of the door, leaving Duo in the dark once more.

000