Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, or the characters within it

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, or the characters within it.

Note: I did this one as quickly as I could, without actually working too hard for it to come out. Then I thought it should be longer, but I couldn't stretch it out and people got mad so I figure: post it as is.

Also, to clarify: my question posed to my readers was not going to be the final decision in the development of Duo – it was my guide. I've had this story worked out all along. I just needed a few details clarified by my readers.

TO MY SUBLIMINAL READERS: I realized that many of you don't actually review, and you deserve your shout out! So this chapter is for all of my readers who just don't care enough to leave me feedback. You're important, too. Power to the silent reader!

Title: The Perfection of 02

By: Maxwell-Yuy

Even without a space heart Heero could tell that something big was about to go down. For the first time that he could readily recall he was worried. Duo was going to die. It was clear as day from inside the compound that there was simply no way to successfully navigate both in and out – and the last thing he would want was for Duo to die for him.

Even worse, he couldn't shake off Quatre's reaction. The blonde had been uneasy for two hours. All of the captive pilots knew that the Arabian had spent time searching with his space heart for Duo, and now that he found the braided pilot the horror that filled him was making him ill. Even worse, he couldn't let go of his connection to Duo. It was as though the terror held him down and forced him to experience Duo's emptiness and pain without pause or room to breathe. The fact that whatever it was he felt in Duo was making him physically sick… that was a cause for extreme alarm.

Trowa was worried for his boyfriend and for the rescue mission they all knew was happening. The tension was unbearable. Quatre was a wreck, sweating and shutting his eyes in a way that suggested he was trying not to see something devastating happening in front of him. Heero was simultaneously shut down and on high alert, the anticipation and apprehension radiating from his figure. And Wu-Fei had never seemed so cold and distant.

He knew that silence and stillness was part of the Chinese pilot's meditation – his way of coping in a situation where he was waiting for an outcome but could have no active part in its delivery. But his behavior was nevertheless unnerving. He almost didn't want to be there to witness the event that would trigger Wu-Fei into action.

It was clear that everyone was scared. They were anxious to be freed from their holding cell while simultaneously terrified that the Gundam pilot about to show up to free them wasn't really their friend at all.

One thought found its way into all of their minds, weaving a path from pilot to pilot until it consumed them all: something big was happening. And they were afraid it was entirely out of their control.

"You're not real."

There was something about that assertion that amused Solo to no end, and it was written clear as day on his face. "If I'm not real, then neither are you."

Duo was both puzzled and annoyed. "But you're dead. I'm not."

"Are you sure about that?"

A grave paused settled over the Gundam pilot. He knew he wasn't dead, right? Right. Solo was just messing with him like always. The older boy always enjoyed getting a reaction out of his "first lieutenant." But with his death, Solo had been frozen in time, and Duo now matched him in age and height.

"This is my reality, Solo. I made it. You are here because I created you in this space. But you're really dead. You're a figment of my imagination, and I am a projection of myself into my own dreaming subconscious." It sounded like a solid enough explanation, so Duo stopped explaining and waited for Solo to agree.

"You're an idiot"

Duo frowned. That wasn't the response he was waiting for.

"Come on. You know why I'm here, Spooks."

Spooks. The name sounded alien to his ears. For Duo, that name was from a lifetime ago. Before adopting his current name, there had been discussion within Solo's gang about what to name the newcomer. The kids quickly started calling him Spooks. Officially it was because of his stealthy nature and the way he'd always sneak up on people, scaring the crap out of them. Unofficially it was because the new kid was creeping them out like nothing else ever had, and thereby was insanely spooky.

Still, Duo couldn't believe he already knew the answer. If he did, he wouldn't be arguing with his subconscious, would he? Finding out the truth from his dead friend suddenly became more important than practicing self-psychology.

"No, I don't. I have no idea why you're here. So why, Solo?"

The apparition began to slowly and casually walk around Duo. As he passed behind the gundam pilot he smirked. "Because of that braid," he said as he gestured to the familiar chestnut rope running down Duo's back.

Spinning to look his childhood friend in the face, the violet-eyed boy reflexively grabbed hold of the tail end of his hair in a defensive move. He was angry, and it was evident in his voice. "What about it?"

"It's not very YOU, is it?"

Panic immediately spread through Duo as he suddenly recoiled. When he spoke he couldn't keep the fear from his voice, and he couldn't help but speak a little too loudly. "It is me! You don't know what you're talking about!"

The mischievous glint in Solo's eyes switched over to a cold stare and the smile playing at his lips lost its mirth. "You spent so much time running from who you were that you never came to terms with it all. You may legitimately be a new person, but you can't ignore your old self."

Duo was positively seething. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Solo gave him the smug look he used to get when he'd scammed a businessman out of a few bucks. "Just because you don't remember doesn't mean it wasn't real."

Looking at the other boy with scrutiny, Duo pursed his lips. Something was wrong, and it wasn't just that he was seeing the dead. "Your accent," he began with a hint of bewilderment, "it's gone. Where's the L2 slang you always used?"

"And where's yours?"

Duo froze. "What?"

Solo spoke slowly and smoothly. "I said: Where. Is. Yours?"

He waited for a response as Duo stood there with a blank and bewildered look on his face. His eyes showed that the gears in his head were turning, but his face showed no answers or recognition.

At the end of a long pause, Duo slowly answered. "It's gone because… because I adapted my speech once I left L2. To fit in better."

"Are you sure it wasn't the other way around?"

Before he could respond, Duo jolted awake.

He didn't know what to do with himself. Some part of him whispered that he should be preparing for the inevitable, but the rest of him was frozen by regret and anxiety. His chance was coming. He could destroy the person who destroyed his future. But somehow that didn't fill his emptiness.

Caught in a mix of emotions he hardly registered which hallways he stormed through or which doors he pushed his way past. He was angry. Overwhelmingly angry. And maybe Treize was right – maybe the best way to survive would be to direct his rage towards a goal.

But now wasn't the time for thoughts. It wasn't a time for reflection or philosophy. It was a time to lose all direction and fall into a haze of passionate discord. Blood would soon be shed, and Pilot 02 would suffer. He would take on the Rebel pilot in the most distinctly admirable fashion he knew to honor the family he lost – an old fashioned, formal duel.

Sally was dead silent. She didn't know what to say, and Howard wasn't supplying her with more information until she reacted. "So… Duo isn't an L2 street kid?"

The old man frowned. "Not exactly. Most of the kids there were born, raised, and abandoned on the street. Duo was, shall we say, an import. Have you read about the failed L2 revival some 10 years ago?"

Sally nodded. It was standard to go over the L2 experiment in medical school. It was a case with everything from cutting edge science to ethical dilemmas. "I've read about it, yes. We discussed it once at an ethics seminar."

"So you know all about the background stuff – but schools and seminars don't discuss the classified details. It was set up to look like an entrepreneurial deal. The biggest social reform in colonial history – two big companies coming together to bring jobs, hospitals, and technology to a dying colony. They did manage to come though on some of what they promised. They attracted brilliant researchers and built large facilities to help the homeless and poor. And that's where Duo comes into play."

"So he was one of the poor people they helped?"

"No. He was the son of two of the engineers on the project. His parents didn't realize that behind the façade of social reform the project was running unsanctioned and inhumane experiments on some of the patients. They were testing new medications and trying to completely decode human genetics. When his parents found out about the illegal experimentation and decided to leave the project, they were killed. And Duo was left in the hands of those… monsters in charge."

Sally couldn't help herself – she just had to interrupt. "But how do you know all of this?"

Sad, old eyes turned to look at her. "Because nothing goes down on L2 in the name of science without Doc. G. knowing."

"So he knew all along?"

"Sally, there are a million things that old kook knows that no one else does. But I can tell you one thing – he did his best by Duo." Howard suddenly looked troubled. "When everything was going down that kid was just an afterthought. And when they crossed paths again the old man did what he had to do for everyone in the Earth Sphere to survive, including Duo."

"But to keep his identity a secret – "

Sally shrank a little when the old engineer turned to her with an angry look. "That's not who Duo is anymore. It's completely irrelevant information that would only serve to cause him pain. It's best to let sleeping dogs lie."

A loud beep startled Sally and caused Howard to reach for his pocket. Pulling out a small device he smiled. "Good. We're ready to roll."

Sally looked confused. Howard smiled again.

"Sally," he said putting the communication device back into his pocket. "We're going to Spain."

What the fuck was that?

Nearly shaking in his seat, Duo grasped onto the arm rests of his chair. Eyes widening, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. This was new. Solo never spoke – not once in all the years since his death. It was an unspoken rule because he never spoke. So what was different now?

It was a stupid question, and Duo knew it. He could pinpoint exactly what the change was – he was unraveling at the seams. Never in his life had he been so confused, so edgy, so angry. He was trapped under a waterfall of emotion and there was no way to slow down the rush.

Thanks for reading! Again, sorry it's so short. Let me know what you think (or don't!).