Title: The World Restored Rent Asunder
Authors: James
Pairings: 1 2
Rating: Mature only
Warnings: Angst, Romance, Violence, Language

Disclaimer: I do not own or in anyway claim to have rights to anything involving Gundam Wing in any regards.

The World Restored Rent Asunder

The guards at the spaceport snapped to attention when Heero flashed his diplomatic identification, falsified of course and provided by Jackson when it became clear that they would need to travel to VC-454 quickly and with as little paperwork as possible. Any leak of information that got back to Rising Sun Research could give them enough time to destroy critical intelligence that Heero needed to track down New Horizon. The similarity of the two names, Rising Sun and New Horizon, were not lost on Heero and indeed had him suspecting far greater ties between the two groups than he had initially thought. Jackson was already through, watching as their 'diplomatic papers' were loaded onto the intrasystem diplomatic courier shuttle that they had, borrowed, from ESUN's fleet with even more falsified papers. Heero didn't like deceiving people that he supported and considered his allies, but he would take no chances with Duo's life. There was no telling how deeply New Horizon had infiltrated Preventer or if they had also penetrated ESUN. After he met up with Jackson they took the stairs into the nicely appointed cabin and strapped themselves in at the rear of the ship, the better to converse and plan without being overheard though Heero had brought a low-level sonic dampener just in case, something that wouldn't interfere with the shuttle's systems.

"Everything looks like its ready," Jackson told him, as they swiveled their chairs to face each other. "We should be at VC-454 in four hours and I have a car that will be waiting there for us. Rising Sun is near the largest hospital in the city center so we'll have to be discrete or else we'll have the police all over us before we can blink."
"We'll do what we have to," Heero corrected him, but understanding where his friend was coming from. "I will try to contain myself, but if I find that they were in any way responsible for Duo's abduction, I'll come down on them like the wrath of whatever god they worship."

"Just try to control those warrior tendencies," Jackson grinned, knowing that he was hardly one to talk. "We'll get to Rising Sun and find the highest-up person we can and flash our Preventer and diplomatic ID and see what we can shake loose. I think we can be plenty intimidating enough to get some answers, or at least access to their database so that we can locate whatever answers we want."

"Have you heard anything from your contacts?" Heero asked, turning and locking his chair into position at the request of the pilot who was taxiing for take off.

"Nothing useful yet. They have heard of the organization, but nothing beyond their existence. To be this large and well-funded though, I think that most of my sources will be out of their depth."
"I agree. Infiltrating Preventer is no small feat. Lady Une is most thorough and vigilant."
"She's only one person. All it takes is one person in the right position to decide that they don't need to work so hard and the system fails."

Heero pondered that as he felt the shuttle accelerate rapidly towards escape velocity. Having been through the procedure any number of times, Heero knew what was happening, that the shuttle was speeding towards the launch ramp that would help it get into the proper angle of attack before the booster engines were ignited. There was a thunder of sound as the boosters blazed to life and shoved the shuttle into space faster than any normal spaceship could possibly go. There was something to be said for hijacking the latest shuttle in the government fleet.

The vibration was still noticeable but Heero still managed to focus on the coming mission. It would take all of his control to not grab the first Rising Sun employee by the throat and have them lead him to the nearest mainframe and take whatever information he could dig up. Jackson had been right that drawing too much attention would not be a smart idea, but Heero knew that attention was the least of his worries. All it would take was one person at Rising Sun to communicate his investigation to New Horizon and they could decide that Duo was too great a liability and execute him. Heero felt his heart clench in his chest at the mere thought, at the idea that he would never see those cobalt eyes watching him as he performed the most mundane activities again and the smile that would follow him around the room. He might not see Duo dance again and lose himself in the moment, might not ever hold him again or taste his lips and know that someone had found something in himself to love.

Love.

He had tried to tell Jackson that what he felt for Duo, and what he was finding he truly hoped Duo felt for him, was something beyond a simple word but the word was suddenly one that Heero wasn't afraid to use. Yes, he loved Duo, and indeed probably had for years which only made the current situation worse. Jackson didn't know it but the suit that Heero was wearing was actually one of Duo's and just having something that was a direct reminder of what he was fighting to get back helped, not to mention he just looked good. A stewardess came towards them after they had cleared the atmosphere and adjusted their course for VC-454 intercept and offered them food and drink to pass the time. Taking an orange juice Heero set his laptop up on the table that came up out from the arm of his chair, he tried to lose himself in the data from New Horizon again, hoping that he had missed something that could help link everything together and give him some hint as to where to look for his missing friend. Something in the data seemed to hint at the overall plan his enemies seemed to be working toward, but Heero couldn't seem to pull the pieces together yet. All the data seemed to focus on mind control, something that had never been particularly reliable in the past, but seemed to hint at a breakthrough that would finally create a stable trigger to activate a sleeper agent. The technical data didn't seem to give any means to undo the process, but did suggest that someone of strong will could fight against the treatment and potentially ignore trigger commands. Perhaps there was more to Duo's abduction than simply wanting him as leverage against Heero and Preventer to leave New Horizon alone.

"Penny for your thoughts," Jackson said, sipping at his own juice. "Is there anything you missed in the data from before?"
"Nothing useful," Heero admitted, clearing the data and pulling up his mail to see if there was anything from Quatre or the others. "But it has me wondering if perhaps there was more to Duo being taken than I suspected. Perhaps they are hoping to use him as protection from Preventer, and at the same time use him as a test subject for their mind control experiments."

"That would make sense," Jackson mused. "Hopefully they haven't begun yet or gotten too far. I know I only met Duo once and don't know him well, but I wouldn't feel too confident that he could hold out under that level of torture and mental probing."

"You're right, you don't know him well," Heero countered, leaping to his friend's defense without hesitation. "He's suffered more than most people I know and still manages to live life with so much energy and zest it sometimes scares me. I would trade all my inhuman strength and emotional baggage to be able to be as he is. Maybe then it wouldn't have taken me so long to admit that I want and need more from him that just his friendship and that together we might be able to move past the nightmares that I know wake him every night."

That got Jackson and Heero took a perverse pleasure in backing him into a corner and browbeating him.
"Touche," Jackson replied, smiling and taking no offense at Heero's tirade. "We have a long trip ahead of us, so maybe you could tell me more about Duo. Who knows when it might come in useful."

Finishing his drink, Heero paused to collect his thoughts before he answered.

"You already know what's in Preventer's files," Heero started, losing himself in his memories of the American Gundam pilot who had so impacted his life. "The first time we met he thought I was trying to kill Relena and ended up shooting me twice. Anyone else would probably dead now for that, but after we rescued our Gundams and he started talking to me about anything and everything, I couldn't do it. I ended up stripping his Gundam for parts for my own, possibly as an unconscious effort at payback, but Duo never hated me for it and never demanded an apology. Time went on and we started partnering for missions on a regular basis, our styles fitting together the best I think of all the Gundams, and even of the pilots. We were undercover in school together, shared a dorm room, and over time I realized that for all his obnoxiousness and loud manner, he was a good person, funny, witty, loving and living life in a way that I am still a pale imitation of. He showed me friendship when others showed me suspicion. When I went to rescue him from Fortress Barge I held a gun on him and basically gave him a choice; live or die. Duo told me to pull the trigger, but the way he stood, the way he clenched his eyes closed against the bullet, told me that he didn't mean it. He just didn't think we could escape together and wanted to make certain that he wouldn't slow me down. I think that was the first time I truly felt something more than just friendship with him, and yes we were friends at that point even if I tried to stay completely focused on just fighting and completing my missions. I think the greatest reason that we didn't see what we truly had in those days was because of the way in which Relena kept inserting herself into our lives for no reason. I understood what she stood for, and what her role was, but I think her infatuation with me got in the way more than it helped, but I still risked my life countless times to save her and I think that that was when Duo decided that friendship was good enough. He thought I loved her, but the only thing I loved was the concept of a peaceful world that Relena was striving for, a place where I wouldn't have to keep killing just to make a place for myself in the world. You think Duo is weaker than myself, or yourself, because he seems frivolous and loud, always talking and never seeming to say much of any value, but that is because you don't know him. Perhaps when this is over you can get to know him as I do, well perhaps not exactly as I do, but enough to see what I see. Nothing kept me going more during the darkest days of the wars than his friendship and the notions of a potential future with him that I dreamed about. Duo is more emotional than I am and so he feels the weight of what he has done and what he has lost more keenly than I do, but still he is risking his life to help bring peace."
"Quite the guy," Jackson remarked, with not a trace of sarcasm. "I guess I missed all that in the hallway months ago. The one thing I can truly see is what you see in him physically."
Heero looked away, embarrassed and certain that he would begin to blush visibly.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
Smiling at the image of Duo in his mind, Heero turned back and met his friend's eyes.

"Don't be. You're right, I don't think I've ever met someone that catches my eye nearly so completely and in every way. Even that braid of his, though I don't know why, just adds to his appeal. His eyes, his face, his smile, his lips, everything, it's as though I built him in my imagination one day and then he simply appeared. I've never looked at anyone in the same way as I look at him, and I only hope he can say the same."
"Oh he can," Jackson grinned. "We only talked for a few minutes in the hallway that day, but as soon as your name came up he started off and it was only because I had a meeting with Lady Une that I was able to escape. Trust me, he might even think more of you than you do of him."
They had another three and a half hours to VC-454 but Heero spent most of the rest of the trip smiling and thinking only good thoughts of what the future might hold and thanking whatever god was watching that Duo had come into his life.

"Soon you will be finished Duo Maxwell, and then you will see the strength of our convictions."
Even as Janus's voice faded away Duo stood up, his body barely protesting anymore even after the rigorous hours of tests that the scientists had put him through. Duo couldn't understand how you could get accustomed to torture, but he wasn't about to argue too loudly given that he really didn't want to be curled up in a corner anymore. His head was the worst by far, pounding and throbbing so badly that Duo imagined it might just explode at any moment but every time he would stop pacing for a neurotic moment to see if it would, he was somewhat disappointed when his head remained on his shoulders. What was truly bothering him now, even though he had no way of knowing what was going on outside of the facility, was that he hadn't seen Heero come to his rescue. Janus still hinted at times that Heero was as much a prisoner as Duo, but that was a lie that Duo just hadn't bothered to call him on.

Heero would have put up too great a fight, Duo thought. That's why they chose me for this suffering, because I'm the weaker of the two of us. They knew that they couldn't take him without revealing themselves, so they took me instead.

It was a sobering thought, but not the first time it had run through Duo's mind given how often he and Heero had partnered on missions and fought together, or even just been at school together. It was always painfully obvious which of them was the strongest, the smartest, the best pilot, and it was never Duo. Thoughts started running through Duo's head and he cringed at them, so dark and violent they were but at the same time they were exhilarating. Grasping his head and trying to force the thoughts out, Duo found himself with his hands balled into fists and before he knew it he had slammed a fist into the cell wall. He cried out in pain and clutched at his throbbing hand, but even more incredible than the pain and his complete loss of control was the fact that there was a noticeable dent in the metal panel he had punched.

"That's impossible," Duo breathed, staring at his hand and the wall in equal horror. "Oh god, what have they done to me."
"We have made you more than you ever were," Janus laughed, interrupting Duo's thoughts and that only increased his anger. "Before you were just another ex-soldier and now you are more than human."
"I never wanted to be more than human!" Duo screamed. "All I ever wanted was to be normal and live a normal life. But people like you made that impossible and thanks to you I never had a childhood that I want to remember! So fuck you and you'd better hope I never fucking find you or I'll take your fucking head off!"

Panting after his raving Duo felt a surge of shame at his outburst and staggered backwards into the wall he had just pummeled and slid down it until he hit the floor and just stared at his knees and hands in silent horror. There was more at work here than just some science experiments; Duo was feeling emotional surges and tendencies that were scaring him both with their intensity but also with their nature. It seemed as though whatever the terrorists were doing to him had unleashed every dark impulse that he had ever thought or felt and suppressed as any normal person would. It was all too much and Duo felt a monumental headache coming on and brought his hands to his head in a futile effort to try and hold himself together.

"What have you done to me?" he asked, no strength behind his words as he felt himself start to shake, emotions reaching their boiling point.

"We have made you better and soon you will be ready," Janus told him, truly telling him nothing at all. "You will be my greatest weapon against the government you helped put into power and then I will reshape it to my own will. Everything will be as it should always have been."
"You're a monster. You would turn what all those people died for into a perversion."
"They died so that I might learn from the mistakes of the past, the mistakes of the Alliance, OZ, Romefeller, and Barton. There will be no military build up, because I will have my agents everywhere to remove those who would threaten my power. The masses will have no idea as to how tightly they are ruled, for there will always be those they can turn on as the cause of any unrest or dissatisfaction. I will rule Earth and the colonies and anyone who resists will simply disappear."
It was at that point that Duo realized the true scope of New Horizon's ambitions, and his heart sank as he realized just what they had been doing to him all along. They were turning him into a controllable agent that they could use to implement their terror plot and use him to consolidate their power. It was at that moment that Duo truly wished to see Heero one last time, and started looking for something with which to end his life before he could do anything to harm all that so many people had died for.

"Welcome to New Horizon," Janus said, and the cell door opened and a canister flew in, gas pouring from it before it even hit the ground. "I can't wait to see what you are capable of."
Duo tried to struggle to the door, but the gas was too much for him and he felt his body going numb and unresponsive until at last he crashed to the ground and before consciousness fled him he cried Heero's name as a tear of impotent rage rolled down his cheek.

Jackson watched as Heero jerked in his sleep during the last hour of their approach to VC-454, obviously in the throes of a nightmare he could not escape. Though the urge to wake his friend was strong, Jackson also knew that Heero needed to face his demons at some point and he could only hope that Heero proved to be the stronger.

"Would you care for something else to drink or perhaps something to eat?" the stewardess asked, indicating her cart.

"Another orange juice please," Jackson replied, as he eyed the cart. "And perhaps a sandwich…do you have turkey?"

"I do," the stewardess smiled, handing over the sandwich and juice. "If you need anything else, please let me know."
"I will. Thank you."

As he ate his sandwich, Jackson continued to watch as Heero battled the ghosts of his past and the demons lurking in the future, sometimes seeming to win and other times seeming to lose.
Now I know what I look like when I sleep, Jackson mused, with no humor. I only hope that someday it will stop, for both of us.

Subconsciously chewing as quietly as possible, lest he somehow wake Heero, Jackson pondered the mission before them. It would be unlikely that anyone at Rising Sun would be remotely prepared for their arrival or have any notice about it, and they had their identification that would grant them unlimited access, unless someone decided to stonewall them. The two agents would need to present a certain official authority to quickly intimidate any low-level peons that would attempt to sideline them, but Jackson knew it would be difficult to keep Heero in line. They both were committed to the enterprise, but Heero was unraveling as time went by and no progress was made to find his friend despite all their efforts. Over the few days since they had returned from New York Jackson had seen Heero try to fight his despair but more and more he had started to find his only solace from a bottle, though not to the same extent that had once had him trying to kill Jackson with selfsame bottle in hand. There was no judgment in Jackson's heart, for he too knew the emotionally draining effect of losing someone so important to you for it was the same feeling besides the mind numbing terror that he himself had experienced when his parents had been murdered. Finally Heero quieted and seemed to sink into a proper sleep, though only to have the shuttle prepare for its final approach. Jackson took a moment to pull out his phone and confirm that the car was waiting for them outside the VIP disembarkation area. The landing was flawless as Jackson had expected, so flawless that it didn't even manage to rouse Heero, so his friend was faced with the unenviable task of waking him.

"Heero," Jackson said, softly, as he gently shook the sleeping youth's shoulder. "Time for vengeance."
Whether that statement made partly in jest and partly in truth, somehow reached Heero and woke him or if it was the shaking or simply good timing, Jackson was startled when Heero bolted upright.

"I take it we're there," Heero stated, standing and stretching to unkink some knots that had formed during his unexpected nap.

"Well you can always just open the airlock and find out," Jackson suggested, getting himself a death glare in return for his comment, and decided that it would haunt him forever. "Perhaps not. The car is waiting for us so let's go and get this started."
Heero followed silently behind as Jackson let the way down the gangway and into the VIP lounge where they retrieved their luggage from the conveyor belt and went outside to where the limousine was waiting for them.

"Hn, some car," Heero observed, at the sheer opulence of the vehicle.

"We're important VIPs," Jackson explained, as the driver opened the trunk for them to deposit their cases inside before climbing into the back of the sound-proofed vehicle. "We have to arrive in a certain way, and this is the way they expect."
"I wasn't complaining. This is nicer than a mobile suit cockpit."

"Just stay out of the liquor until we're done," Jackson advised, and saw the remark stung Heero exactly as he had intended. "We have to conduct ourselves in a certain way. We need to be polite but at the same time assert our authority and the fact that we are only being polite as a courtesy. You be the aloof and observant one so leave the word games to me."

"I still think there are easier ways to do this," Heero sighed, and Jackson was tempted to slap him to keep him from going down that road but decided that that was counter-productive. "Possibly hacking in by remote or going in at night."

"Their mainframes are all self-contained so we can't get in remotely," Jackson reminded him, knowing that Heero was just frustrated. "And going in at night is too risky. Don't you think enough people have died so far, or are you that eager to bathe in more blood? Should I show you again what it really means to drown in blood?"
That seemed to take the wind out of Heero's sails for he slumped slightly and stared down at his hands, no doubt imagining the blood they were already stained with and truly not wishing to add any more to it than was necessary.
"I'm sorry," Jackson said, after the car had pulled away towards their destination and the silence had lingered longer than he was comfortable with. "I didn't mean that the way it sounded."
"Yes you did," Heero countered, clenching his hands into fists. "And you're right. I don't like what I've become during all this, and I only hope that I can go back to being the person I was. I need you to keep doing and saying whatever you have to until this is over to keep me on the right track. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I cost us the chance to bring Duo home."

"Don't worry, I'll give you both barrels as often as you need to keep you focused," Jackson promised. "Now what is your name?"
"Hiroshi Takahashi, aide to Undersecretary of Health Warren Thomas."
"Who would be me, at least for today," Jackson finished. "Excellent. We can assume they have competent security in place, and our ID will ensure that they don't frisk us or scan us. The colonies might not be under ESUN governance but they aren't stupid enough to violate diplomatic rights."

"That is what you hope at least."
"If it turns out differently, you just might get your wish to get your gun off."
Heero had to smile at the expression, and Jackson smiled back, glad that it was taken as a joke.

"I'd rather just find the information we need rather than, as you put it, getting my gun off," Heero replied, shaking his head at the very idea.

"Just keep yourself focused on that and we'll be fine. We're here."
After retrieving their briefcases from the trunk, Jackson led the way into the rather large and intimidating building, where they were both promptly stopped at the front desk by an employee as security looked on.

"Welcome to Rising Sun," the young lady said, smiling. "How can we help you today?"

"We are here to see Director Toshi," Jackson said, flashing his identification and stealing her smile away.

"Do you have an appointment?" she asked, all business now. "The director is a very busy man."

"Indeed he is," Jackson agreed, still holding his diplomatic papers though not throwing them in her face. "I've been attempting to get in contact with him to make an appointment for a number of weeks, but he has been rather incapable of returning a phone call. So I am here in person, to ensure that he gets the message this time."
"I understand Undersecretary, but the director does not take unscheduled guests. You will have to contact his assistant and find an appropriate appointment. I'm sure that if you plan to stay on the colony for the next few weeks we can surely get you in to see him."
"We will see him now," Jackson informed her, once again holding up his ID. "You perhaps may not be aware of diplomatic privileges guaranteed between the Earth Sphere United Nations and the colonies, so allow me to refresh your memory. It means myself and my aide are to have unrestricted access to any and all publicly owned or overseen businesses and facilities, as well as all companies that colony government has a more than twenty-five percent holding in. Would you care to guess if Rising Sun falls under those legally binding mandates? So, if you would be so kind, please have someone escort us to the director. Now."

There was no more defiance on her face as she hurried off to her large desk and called up to someone upstairs with more obvious authority.

"Weren't you pushing a little hard there?" Heero muttered, barely moving his mouth lest he attract any attention.

"I was ten seconds away from shooting that bitch," Jackson growled, under his breath. "Just be thankful she's going along with us."

"Thankful, that's the word I was looking for."
Jackson gave him a quick scowl, but all too soon a woman in a lab coat approached them, not at all pleased by their presence.

"I am Doctor Susanna Markham," she introduced herself. "I understand that you are insisting on seeing Director Toshi."
"You understand correctly," Jackson confirmed. "I do hope you are here to take us to him, otherwise I will be contacting your colonial government to file a diplomatic protest at the breech of diplomatic privilege you have been clearly guilty of."
"The director is currently in a meeting, but I will be glad to answer any questions or show you whatever you'd like," Susanna assured him, clearly eager to defuse the situation.

"Excellent," Jackson smiled, gesturing towards the rest of the building. "Please, lead on. I am most curious about your advancements in retroviral research."

"Of course, my office is several floors up. If you would follow me."
Jackson and Heero followed the good doctor to the nearest elevator as she waved them past the security guards posted around the scanners that led into the labs and offices of Rising Sun. There was no conversation on the ride up or the rest of the way to Dr. Markham's office, but once inside she was clearly looking to get rid of them as soon as possible.

"Was there a particular interest that brought you to us today?" she asked, leaning forward from behind her desk in an effort to seem eager to help and fooling no one.

Jackson exchanged a brief look with Heero, telling the other to activate the audio dampener concealed in his briefcase.

"I am here for several reasons," Jackson informed her, crossing his legs after laying his briefcase on the desk before him. "One reason is I'm looking for a friend of ours, and the other is that I'm looking for information on New Horizon."
Jackson watched the doctor for any signs that she was informed as to the potentially terrorist activities going on at Rising Sun, and sure enough the mention of New Horizon caused a small flinch in her facial expression and suddenly she seemed slightly less assured.

"I'm afraid we haven't received any visitors recently, at least not that I have been made aware of," Susanna tried to assure them. "And I am second under Director Toshi in running this research center. As for this New Horizon you said? I have not heard of it before, so I'm not sure how much help I could be to you."

"Oh come now Susanna, you know exactly what I'm talking about," Jackson laughed, and was pleased when the doctor shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Our friend, Duo Maxwell, might have been a guest of this facility sometime in the very recent past. You might recognize him; a little under six feet tall, long braid, Preventer ID in his pocket, being held against his will."
"I assure you that…"
"I assure you that if it is discovered that you knew of his kidnapping and incarceration let alone whatever else he has been subjected to," Jackson promised. "You will not live long enough to experience colonial justice. I'll let my associate here spend the next week killing you in as slow and painful a manner as he can devise, and I assure you again doctor that he can probably come up with many options right now."
"How dare you…"
Jackson could see it coming a mile away and did nothing to stop it, equally tired of wasting his time with this woman. Heero reached into the hidden and shielded compartment of his briefcase and pulled out the silence pistol and trained it on the doctor, the sight no doubt centered between her eyes.

"I will dare to do whatever I want," Jackson informed her, standing once more and watching as Heero stood as well, his aim never shifting. "You know exactly what I'm talking about and unless you plan to cooperate with us now, you won't live to regret whatever horrors you have been perpetuating here. Now, Duo Maxwell, have you seen him?"
"No, I swear I haven't," Susanna breathed, not even looking at Jackson but rather focused on the gun pointed at her head. "If your description is remotely accurate no one like that has ever been in this facility."
"Fine, I believe you," Jackson admitted, and he truly did as he measured her reactions and voice compared to the terror most people would be feeling having a weapon trained on them. "But as for New Horizon…"
"I…I have heard of them, but all their contact with us has been through Director Toshi. Please, don't kill me."
"Cooperate and you most likely will survive to see another dawn. New Horizon. Start talking."
"I don't know much," Susanna pleaded. "They came to the director almost two years ago and wanted to use our facility to perform some sort of research. I don't know exactly what happened between Hew Horizon and the director, but I do know that the research started barely a week later…and three months ago there was a human trial of whatever it was that they have been developing."

"And you knew about this?" Jackson asked, his anger mounting with each confession. "You knew that something most likely illegal and immoral was happening here and something that involved illegal human testing?"
"What could I do?" Susanna argued, and then calmed once more when Heero drew back the hammer on his weapon. "They knew that I knew what was going on, at least in the broad strokes. If I had tried to talk to the director about it or gone to the authorities they might have killed me."
"You were bound by law and conscience to report them, but you didn't," Jackson informed her, knowing what would happen even as he said so. "You have one chance at redemption. You will give us complete access to the mainframe so that we can download its contents to my associate's laptop."
"Of…of course, it will just take a moment."
Jackson came around behind the desk and watched as the doctor accessed the central data network and accessed the secure mainframe. Seeing that she was cooperating, at least for the moment, Jackson retrieved the laptop from his own briefcase and plugged it into the front of the terminal and opened a data channel into the mainframe. There was a lot of information, much more than a laptop no matter how advanced could hold, so there was a measure of trepidation on Jackson's part. Starting a search for several key words, Jackson could only hope that it would bring up the information that they needed or else the entire mission was worthless.

"Why are you doing this?" Susanna asked, nearly shaking in her fright, Heero still completely steady.

"Your company has allied themselves with a terrorist organization," Jackson explained, working the laptop to find the data he wanted. "They kidnapped my associate's friend to test their research in order to destabilize the government and seize power behind the scenes."
"But how is this possible?"

"That's what we are here to find out. Here we are. The files are encrypted but that won't be a problem. While I'm downloading them, you'll record a video testimony of all you know regarding this situation."
Producing a small vidcam from his briefcase, Jackson had the doctor sit as he checked the settings and indicated for her to begin. She only knew a few details and nothing overly damning, but combined with everything else that they would undoubtedly uncover Jackson didn't think they would have trouble building a solid legal case.

"Thank you doctor, this could prove very useful," Jackson informed her, returning the vidcam to his briefcase. "As will the files I'm sure. I would suggest that you disappear after we leave lest New Horizon or your boss think that you've been aiding us or told anyone about their indiscretions."
"But…where will I go?" Susanna begged, her hands shaking at the enormity of what she was facing for letting things progress so far. "You have to know that they will find me wherever I go."

"You feel you deserve some sympathy?" Jackson asked, and exchanged a look with Heero. "You won't find any here. People like you are the reason people like us exist, so no we don't have any sympathy for you. Mercy, that we can give you, if you consider a bullet to the brain better than what New Horizon will do to you when they find you."
Susanna was completely white now, but Jackson was through wasting his time.

"I suggest you remain quiet until after we leave, unless you truly want to die today."
Jackson packed up the laptop and turned to leave, nearly walking into a guard who had entered unannounced. The guard had obviously seen Heero with a weapon raised as he went for his own weapon. The plastic knife was in Jackson's hand in a flash and it slipped under the guard's chin and up into his brain. Pulling hard, Jackson tossed the body back into the room and came out looking as composed as ever. Heero was close behind, his weapon back inside the shielded briefcase.
"Doctor Markham?" Jackson asked, already knowing the answer and having no problem with it.

"I granted her more mercy than they gave their test subject," Heero replied, as they left Rising Sun and climbed into the car that was still waiting for them on the street.

"Was it mercy or revenge?"
"This time…mercy, I think."

"I think so too. Spaceport," Jackson ordered, as the driver pulled away from the building. "We should be long gone before they find the bodies."
"What did you find?" Heero asked, obviously anxious as to what files they had downloaded and if they would be of any help in their search.

"Why don't you find out?"

Heero didn't even remember the ride back to the spaceport or getting on the shuttle, but he remembered how heavy the laptop felt and how desperate he was to boot it up and start decrypting the files that Jackson had downloaded. As soon as he took his seat at the rear of the shuttle and belted in, Heero set the laptop on the table that he pulled out from his chair and started the laptop.

"Watch the decryption," Jackson advised. "Who knows what countermeasures they might have built into the files."
"I know what I'm doing," Heero snapped, working the keyboard furiously as he ran the highest-level decryption programs that the laptop had. "It will still take a few minutes. Where's the lady with the food?"
Ignoring Jackson's head shaking, Heero continued working at the files, hacking his way through layer after layer of fragmentation programming and corruption viruses that were programmed to activate if the files were access outside of certain terminals at Rising Sun. Despite being the one to ask for something to eat, Heero didn't hear the stewardess come, or the shuttle take off. In fact, he didn't notice anything until the sandwich hit him in the side of the head and fell to the floor.

"What the hell was that for?" he demanded, turning to face Jackson who arched an eyebrow.

"I've called your name about four times to give you your damn sandwich, so I decided to just throw it at you. Would you rather I threw your drink at you first?"
Smiling despite the frantic nature of his work, Heero accepted the bottle of juice and picked up the sandwich, thanking Jackson for remembering to get a vegetarian sandwich, and wolfed them both down as his code ran its course and at last unlocked the data.

The laptop was practically overflowing with information on Rising Sun and their experiments and illicit activities, and Heero could hardly decide where to start first. The most intriguing and damning evidence was that of obvious human trials of the mind control techniques that Rising Sun had been developing with New Horizon. There were no pictures or hints at whom the trials had been performed on, but Heero could well imagine the poor individual being executed after the tests were completed, regardless if they were successful or not.
"What have you got?" Jackson asked, leaning over Heero and reading over his shoulder. "Jesus, I can't believe they went so far."

"They seem to want to destabilize the ESUN for their own gains," Heero reminded him. "The using up of a human life, or many lives, would mean nothing to people like this. It's OZ, Romefeller and Barton all over again, except that these people hide in the shadows and don't seem eager to reveal themselves."
"Part of the fun is in the chase," Jackson interjected, but still agreed with Heero. "But I would much rather have a readily visible target to strike at than one shielding themselves with shadows and innocent lives."

"This section of the test results indicates that there was something else done in conjunction with the mind control," Heero pointed out, indicating the passage he was reading. "Look, they use the term Project Janus for whatever they did to this person. I knew that all this was connected and this is the key."

"My god, look at the kinaesthesia factors there. The muscle growth and bone density numbers aren't normal and look at the reflexology. I'm strong and fast, but not to this degree. I don't think I'd be able to defeat whoever this is one on one."

"I could," Heero replied, suddenly realizing what the medical data and reports he was reading were implying and none of it was good. "This looks like they were trying to genetically engineer someone to be superior to normal humans."
"How do you know that?" Jackson asked, still reading the screen. "There's not enough proof here to be certain of anything other than the immorality of it."

"I'm sure, because this is what Doctor J did to me years ago before he told me I would pilot the Wing Gundam."
It was the most horrible and shameful secret Heero had, and he had just told it to someone he had met only days earlier. Even Duo didn't know the full truth behind Heero's remarkable abilities or ability to survive, though Heero had planned to tell him given their new course together.

"That would explain a few things," Jackson observed, and there was no prejudice in his voice to Heero's relief. "You did seem a bit more, confident, in our escape from New Horizon, more so than I would have expected from even a veteran soldier or mobile suit pilot."

"I would gladly trade that confidence and all my abilities just to be normal," Heero assured him. "Doctor J never gave me much choice in the matter. He told me that it would make me the strongest mobile suit pilot and that it would aid me in completing the missions that he gave me, and at least in that he didn't lie. He was more humane than these people seemed to have been as I was sedated through the worst of the genetic re-sequencing. It took days for me to fully adapt to the changes, but it was a drastic change over my old body. Now I can bend steel bars with my bare hands, hear things more clearly and farther away, and more. My piloting skills surpassed everyone I have ever fought, though not always by a huge margin, and allowed me to survive where others would have perished. But now I wish I had refused and run away. Or ended up like this person."

Jackson saw the line to which Heero was referring.

"Testing and analysis completed. Subject terminated."

"That's what I was to Doctor J, a subject," Heero concluded. "He may have changed later, or even regretted what he had done, but in the end he still did it and it's your actions not your intentions that make you an angel or a demon."
Reading through all the information they had stolen Heero couldn't find any mention of Duo, just all the cold scientific data that no doubt indicated the horrors that they could be perpetrating on his friend even at that very moment. Heero looked down at his right hand and found it clenched into a fist and it took a concerted effort to relax enough to free the hand up to run through the data once more. There could be something crouched in other terms or phrases that might give him a clue as to where Duo was. Over the hours of the return flight back to Earth, Heero read and re-read the hundreds of pages of information but there was nothing that could help him locate his missing friend, only data that made him all the more fearful for Duo's life.

"There's nothing here," he concluded, any sense of accomplishment at getting in and out of Rising Sun with the data gone. "It will help us bring down Rising Sun and someday New Horizon, but there's not a damn thing here that will help me find Duo."
"Then we're back to square one," Jackson agreed. "The question is where do we go from here? I already had Preventer check and New Horizon have completely vanished from their New York offices and no one has any idea where they went to from there. Unless your friends in the colonies can get us a fresh lead, I honestly don't know what we're going to do."
That was hardly what Heero wanted to hear but he also recognized that his friend was right. The shuttle came in for its atmospheric re-entry and the buffeting only served to help distract Heero from the distinct possibility that he wouldn't find his friend again unless their enemy was so generous as to return him. And if wishes were horses…

The shuttle touched down and as they were leaving the terminal for Jackson's car stored in the secure parkade for VIPs, Heero looked around suddenly as he felt a familiar presence. The terminal was busy even with its limited clientele but still Heero saw no one that he recognized, but still the feeling persisted.

"What is it?" Jackson asked, on alert now as he saw the alarm in Heero's eyes.

"I don't know," Heero replied, still looking around as the feeling of the presence slowly faded away. "I just felt like there was someone I knew here, watching me or just somewhere close by."
Jackson relaxed as he scanned the crowd as well, but when they both admitted defeat and moved on, Heero could not shake the feeling that had washed over him. Just what was going on?

Duo woke suddenly as a large rat ran across his chest, and he recoiled in disgust and slapped the rodent away. Not a common sight any more, no one could find a way to finally eradicate rodent infestations, or this was one resilient rat. His eyes just wouldn't refocus so everything around him was incomprehensibly blurry. Trying to sit up, Duo put his hand into a puddle of something that he hoped was water and found himself leaning against a wall. Blinking rapidly and rubbing at his eyes with his non-soaked hand, Duo finally saw where he was sitting and almost wanted to laugh out loud until he realized that he had no idea how he had ended up in the alley. The last thing he had remembered was being in a metal cell somewhere, and then a brief flash of an airport, no spaceport, terminal, and now an alley.

"My head," he groaned, clutching at his throbbing head that seemed to be threatening to implode or explode depending on the moment he found himself in.
The sun was still out which was a good thing so far as Duo was concerned, and he wasn't naked either which was another good thing, indeed a great thing. But how had he ended up in the alley?"
"Janus!" Duo blurted out, and then looked around to see if anyone had appeared and heard his bizarre outburst. "Jesus, I need to get home."
Climbing back to his feet, Duo found himself feeling tired and drained but none the worse for wear considering and so he managed to make his way out onto the sidewalk and breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that he knew where he was. Checking his pockets Duo wasn't surprised to find that all his ID and money hadn't been returned and without that or a cellphone it looked like he would be walking home.

The first few minutes were tenuous, Duo feeling completely uncoordinated and clumsy but gradually he found himself regaining his confidence and navigated the crowds with ease, no one sparing him a second look. As he walked past a store front Duo stopped for a moment to look at himself in the large window and was repulsed by what he'd seen. His eyes seemed slightly sunken and haunted with bags under them that would explain why he felt so bone-weary. His hair was disheveled but still in a braid and he was wearing non-descript black clothes, and something told him that the clothes weren't his. Basically he looked as though he hadn't slept in days and then rolled down a hill just for fun.

"It's going to take a long shower to fix this," Duo sighed, then turned and focused on making it home.

The hours passed and Duo found himself fighting to stay awake as the sheer length of the trek threatened to steal whatever energy he had left. Each kilometer seemed to be harder than the last, but Duo didn't relent as he somehow found the strength to put one foot in front of the other. Thoughts started running through his mind causing his head to throb even more forcefully, but Duo bore it all and instead tried to bring the blizzard of images and feelings into some semblance of order. Heero's face flashed by repeatedly and often and each time it did Duo felt his heart speed up for just a moment and a warmth spread over his body that started to give him the strength to go on. Another face appeared, but it wasn't clear enough for Duo to figure out who it was, but the mere presence of the face was enough to drive the good feelings from his body once again and leave him feeling even more drained that before. Confused and alone, Duo found himself unconsciously turning into the suburban neighborhood where he lived, his feet somehow knowing to take him home even as his mind was in turmoil and the agony in his head threatened to overwhelm him. Finally he came to his house but as he approached the door realized that without keys he had little hope of entrance. Praying that Heero was home, Duo staggered to his friend's door and leaned heavily against the doorjamb as he knocked with the last of his energy. Several seconds ticked by and Duo felt himself tear up as he imagined collapsing on Heero's doorstep to be found god only knew how many hours later when his friend returned home. Just when all hope had nearly fled, the door opened and there stood Heero, looking every bit as amazing as he always did.
"Duo?" he asked, incredulous that his friend had somehow been returned looking a little haggard but alive and mostly well.

"Heero," Duo gasped, before slipping into unconsciousness, never feeling that Heero caught him before he struck the concrete stairs and carried him inside.

Duo felt himself slowly come awake for the second time that day, assuming that it was still the same day, and realized that he was lying not on the street this time but in a bed, and a comfortable one at that. Sitting up slowly, Duo found himself feeling so much better than the last time that he almost considered the idea that maybe he had died there on Heero's porch, but a quick look around the darkened room with only the moonlight through the blinds to aid him told him that he was in Heero's guestroom. A Spartan affair, as Heero's entire house was, it was still the most welcome sight that Duo could have imagined. Just as he felt a surge of relief it was replaced with terror as he heard footsteps approaching the bedroom door. New Horizon, it had to be, they'd found him and they'd killed Heero first and now they were coming for him. Duo knew that he should try to fight back, find something in the room to take down as many of the terrorists as he could before they killed him, but he found himself paralyzed as a jumble of memories overloaded his mind and left him staring in horror at the door as it slowly opened.
"Duo?" Heero whispered, checking to see if his friend was awake, and nearly dropping the tray when he saw the terror in his friends face. "What's wrong? Is someone here?"

When Duo didn't reply, Heero quickly set the tray of food on the dresser to the right of the door and drew one of his trusty silenced 10mms and swept the room.

"Heero," Duo managed to squeak, his hands clutching at the bedding and trembling as he tried to clamp down on his rampant emotions and memories. "Heero."
"I'm here," Heero replied, setting the gun down on the nightstand and turning on the small lamp there. "It's just me, no one else. You're safe."
"No, not safe. They'll come for me. I won't let them take me again!"

Duo moved faster than he could ever remember moving and grabbed the pistol, getting the silencer to his temple and pulling the trigger, but the bullet never struck as Heero managed to slap the weapon out of position before hitting the magazine release and detaching the slide in an amazingly deft movement. Duo felt himself start to cry and as ashamed as he was, his amazement overwhelmed him as Heero sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled him into an embrace that Duo quickly lost himself in, wrapping his arms around Heero so tightly he thought he would break him in half.
"It's okay," he heard Heero whisper in his ear. "You're back now and I won't let them take you again, ever again."
"Oh god, Heero," Duo choked. "I'm sorry. I couldn't stop them. I tried, I swear that I tried. I killed several of them but there were too many, too many…"
"It doesn't matter now," Heero told him. "You have nothing to be sorry for. They do, and they'll pay for everything, that I promise you. All you have to do now is rest. Just rest and get your strength back. I'll be here all night, I promise. I just have to do a few things and I'll only be gone a couple minutes, so just sit here and wait for me okay?"
"Okay," Duo agreed, releasing Heero and immediately feeling better just having his friend in the same room. "I'm sorry for that."
"For what?" Heero smiled. "It's hardly a first for us anymore."
With that Heero was gone but the door was left open and Duo knew that it was an effort to make sure Duo could yell for his friend at any moment, regardless of the reason. Still fighting against the adrenaline coursing through his system, Duo climbed out of bed and went to the tray that Heero had brought. It wasn't anything fancy, just a glass of water and a bowl of chicken broth, but Duo downed it in seconds, not even bothering to use the spoon provided. Dropping onto the edge of the bed again, Duo heard Heero talking to someone and rose and went out into the hallway to stand hidden at the top of the stairs.

"I don't know how he got away or how he made it back here," Heero was saying. "And I don't care. He's back and he's alive, and that's all that matters, but he's terrified that New Horizon is coming back for him. Get over here and bring your gear. You know the password. No, I don't think I'm overreacting. I hope they do come for him because I'm going to kill every last one of those bastards and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it. I'd announce your presence because I'm shooting to kill."
With that Heero hung up and Duo rushed back to the bedroom, his mind churning with questions he knew he couldn't ask and yet, how could he not?
When Heero came back into the bedroom he was carrying another tray this time more laden with food and drink, and the sight had Duo's mouth watering and his stomach demanding attention.

"I see you already finished the appetizer," Heero observed, glancing at the soup slopped all over the previous tray. "And with the typical Duo etiquette as well. At least you didn't lose that."
Duo didn't know why, but slapping Heero on the shoulder made him feel immeasurably better, though Heero rubbed his arm as though gravely wounded.

"What was that for?" he demanded, but only got a smile in return.

"So…who was that on the phone?" Duo asked, pointedly avoiding Heero's eyes now as he picked up a sandwich from the tray and bit into it.

"His name is Jackson Steele. You actually met him once a number of months ago at Preventer headquarters. When…you were taken, I needed help to get you back. All the others were too far away in the colonies or on undercover missions, so I took a chance from what you told me of him. We weren't able to bring you home, but he's been a good friend during all this and kept me from losing myself in my anger or a bottle."
"How long was I gone?" Duo asked, still concerned about the role that this Jackson Steele, of whom he did have vague memories of, was having in Heero's life.

"About five days," Heero told him, hardly able to believe it myself. "To be honest it has seemed much longer than that."
"You don't know the half of it," Duo smiled, trying to restart the old dynamic with his friend but finding himself more than a little strained. "There are huge holes in my memory, and what little I remember is so blurry and impossible to make sense of that I have no way of knowing what they were doing to me. All I know is that I didn't just sit in that cell for nearly a week."
"Tomorrow, when you've had a decent night sleep, we'll take you to Preventer and get you checked out," Heero promised. "Just to be sure, and to make sure you're still the hyper, crazy baka you were before."
This time Duo's smile was real and effortless, but the sandwich was gone as was another large glass of water, and he was still exhausted.

"I'm really tired," he yawned, the cue for Heero to remove the tray from the bed lest it be overturned. "Wake me in the morning and we'll go to Preventer."
"Don't worry about that. Just sleep as long as you can and the rest we'll take care of when the time comes. Do you need anything else?"
Duo almost said exactly what he wanted but decided that that was something for another day, one in which he didn't feel as though he might pass out at any moment. But there was something he wanted, needed even.
"Would you…" he began, unsure of how to put his request before just deciding to just say it. "Would you stay with me, at least for a little while until I fall asleep?"

For a moment Heero didn't do or say anything and Duo feared that he had gone too far, that the NightSky had been a one time thing or a mistake, and then Heero smiled and pulled the gun from behind his back before coming around the far side of the bed and hopping up to join Duo.
"I'm all yours," Heero replied, and put his arm around Duo and pulled him down onto his chest. "Get comfortable but first hit the light."
"Actually, I'd rather leave it on," Duo whispered, not comfortable with complete darkness after the last days in constant blazing light.

"Works for me."

Duo carefully wrapped his arms around Heero and laid his head onto his chest. He felt Heero lay his other arm over top of him and couldn't help but smile.

"Are you comfortable?" Heero asked, making sure that his weapon was just to his right and easy to grab if the need arose.

Duo couldn't reply because he was already asleep.

Heero couldn't help but enjoy the situation as Duo slept atop him, twitching occasionally but otherwise somehow sleeping soundly after all that he had undoubtedly been through. So natural it seemed that Heero found himself nodding off and did nothing to stop himself. When he jerked awake several hours later, Heero heard the creak of a footstep on the stairs coming up from the main floor and his weapon was in hand before he could even form a conscious thought. Pistol trained on the open door, Heero waited for the password but still eased the hammer back on his gun just in case he was wrong.

"Hitokiri."

The tension vanished as quickly as it had come and Heero set the gun down on the bed before trying to see how he could separate himself from Duo without waking the other.

"I'll wait downstairs," Jackson said, whispering given the lack of any noise he was hearing in the bedroom.

Heero finally managed to worm his way from Duo's embrace and made to leave, but at the last moment turned and kissed Duo's forehead and gently ran his hand through the other's hair briefly before heading downstairs.

"How is he?" Jackson asked, leaning against the back of the couch dressed all in black.

"As good as can be expected really," Heero admitted, looking back up stairs. "He looks worn and strung out, but that can only be expected after five days of torture and experimentation, if indeed the data we have is accurate."
"I'm just glad he's able to sleep. I brought my gear, as you requested. I take it you'd like me to help ensure that if he did indeed escape that New Horizon doesn't just waltz in here and take him back?"
"They can try," Heero growled, hand tightening on the grip of his weapon. "I need you to help keep watch because right now I'm not sure I'm able to keep from shooting at shadows."
Jackson nodded and started to unpack his equipment onto the coffee table, shrugging off his stormcoat and holstering weapons everywhere that his stealth armor would allow.
"Have you thought about the possibility that they let him go?"
The question hardly caught Heero off guard as it was one that had been running through his mind almost since the moment that Duo had collapsed on his door step. Sure he wanted to believe that Duo had fought his way to freedom, he almost needed to believe it, but one look at his friend told Heero that Duo had not been in any shape to attain his own freedom.
"Yes," Heero replied, at last. "They probably did set him free, and why I don't know. I almost don't even care or want to care, but we have to assume it can't be for any good reasons."
"I'd say not. Any ideas on that front?"

"I can't even think right now," Heero admitted, running his free hand over his face. "Too much has happened and I'm just not able to deal with anything more right now. Tomorrow we're going to Preventer to get him checked out, and then after that we'll start trying to track down New Horizon again, and maybe find out just what they had hoped to accomplish with all this."

"Fair enough."

Leaving Jackson to do whatever it was he planned to do, Heero went to the kitchen and pulled a bottle of vodka from the freezer and regarded it. Once it was a part of the evenings he and Duo spent together, and then it was a crutch for after Duo had been taken. Now what was it? Replacing the bottle and grabbing a water instead, Heero sat down at the kitchen table and stared at the gun he had placed before himself. Whatever symbolic meaning vodka had to him, a gun was far more significant. It was a tool as much as a weapon, giving him the ability to defend those who were helpless from those who would seek to dominate them. And it was as much that as it was a prison, trapping him in his former life, a life that Heero so much wanted to leave behind and yet couldn't, now more than ever.

"I've got button cams already set up outside," Jackson said, coming into the kitchen. "The laptops in the living room are set up to receive the signals but not record given that we don't need that. I also have weapons there, just in case, but I honestly don't expect them to come after him, or us. They set him free for some specific reason."

"I know," Heero told him, still regarding his weapon. "All of it ties in together, but how and why are eluding me. Maybe a good night sleep would help, because at this point I'm all out of ideas."
"Then get up to bed," Jackson told him, reaching over and putting the pistol on safety.

Heero didn't even reply to that, he simply picked up his gun and headed upstairs, hesitating at the top as he tried to decide which bed to go to, to decide which morning he wanted to wake up to.

"Don't make me shoot you," Jackson hissed from the bottom of the stairs, causing Heero to smile and head for the spare room where Duo was still fast asleep.

Indeed Duo was still lost to the world, sprawled now across the entire bed and breathing deeply, no sign on his face that he was battling his all too often nightmares.

Shaking his head, Heero moved to the right side of the bed and gently lifted Duo's arm and placed it on his chest before climbing into the bed. Another gentle movement had Duo rolled onto his left side and Heero wrapped himself around his friend and draped his right arm over the braided youth. Adjusting his pillow Heero started when Duo suddenly interlocked fingers with him and whispered his name from deep in whatever dream he was experiencing. A sense of peace and belonging overwhelmed Heero in that moment and he kissed Duo on the head and pulled him in closer and tighter, closing his eyes and letting sleep carry him away. The nightmares would not come this night to either of them for the first time in far too long, as two candles in the dark blaze brighter than one candle standing alone.

Duo woke first and for the life of him couldn't figure out why he felt so warm. As the fog of sleep cleared he saw that he was still holding Heero's hand from the night before and that the heat he was feeling was caused by their two bodies pressed so closely together for so prolonged a period. Suddenly the heat didn't bother him anymore and Duo pulled the clasped hands up to his face and kissed Heero's, a small thank you for staying that night and driving the inner demons away for the first time in months. Duo Maxwell sleeping through an entire night, would the miracles never cease? Looking again at the arm holding him tight, Duo smiled and thought to himself that he hoped they never would. There was one miracle that seemed to be ongoing for the moment and he couldn't wait to see just how this one finished up, though obviously Duo hoped for a bang and not a whimper. Gently releasing Heero's hand, Duo managed to turn to face his friend and saw the blissful slumber still heavy on his face and decided not to wake him. Preventer wasn't a difficult place to get to, though getting in without his ID would require more security checks than normal, and Duo felt himself stronger and more ready to take on the day, perhaps doing so by himself to assert his strength would be a good thing and speed the emotional healing.

"Thank you," Duo whispered, his voice so low that even he could barely hear it and Heero slumbered on. "When I get back we'll talk. But right now I desperately need a shower. I…I love you."
Kissing Heero quickly and softly lest he wake him, Duo made his way to Heero's bedroom and using the ensuite managed to get himself clean and freshened after almost a week of brutal torture and deprivation. Hair cleaned and teeth brushed so vigorously that he might have worn them down to nubs; Duo borrowed some of Heero's clothes and headed downstairs where Jackson was sitting on the couch and watching the button cam feeds.

"Morning," Jackson said, not even turning around. "Heero's still asleep I assume?"
"You got it," Duo replied, heading into the kitchen and firing up the coffeemaker and checking the time. "Not too bad, just a little after nine."
"I didn't know if you guys wanted a wake up call or not so I just assumed you both needed the sleep."
"Thanks. Yeah, I needed some major Z's or I was going to die, and I think I mean that literally. I don't think I got more than a few hours sleep the last five days and it was definitely starting to wear on me."
"I've been there before. It's not fun."

Once the coffee was finished Duo downed several cups in the space of five minutes and headed for the door.
"Forgetting something?" Jackson asked, extending a wad of money and a cellphone. "You might need this."
Duo slapped his forehead to acknowledge his stupidity and then took the generous offering.

"It has the same number as before, as well as all the toys," Jackson said, answering the unasked question.
"Thanks. I'll get Preventer to replace all of my ID today and I'll hit the bank for some cash to pay you back."
"Don't worry about that, I'm kind of in the same situation as you and Heero with regards to the money thing. But get going because if he wakes up soon you know he'll catch up."
Waving goodbye, Duo headed out and made his way to the nearest thoroughfare and flagged down a taxi to take him to Preventer headquarters. The taxi driver gave Duo a look for a moment, understandable given that that wasn't a common destination. The ride wasn't overly long, but it gave Duo a chance to think and to decide just what he wanted to do. Today would be just to get his life back on track, however slightly. After paying his driver, Duo took the main entrance into Preventer as the secret entrances required his ID card, which he obviously didn't have thanks to a week in captivity. Few people were quite as memorable as Duo Maxwell and after a quick retinal and palm scan, as well as visual scan against his most recent security image. The guards were thorough just as Duo had expected, and after he had been cleared through security Duo headed up to the administration floor. A brief visit with the department that issued security passes and Duo managed to force himself to visit the medical department. Thankfully Doctor Ian Marcus was on duty, someone that Duo had been able to partially confide in during previous examinations when old injuries and scars had come up.

"Morning Duo, how are you these days?" Ian asked, barely glancing up from his computer screen.

"Oh, some things are terrible, others at blowing my mind," Duo smiled. "It's the terrible things that have me visiting today. I need a check-up and a big one if you have the time.
"How big are we talking here?"
"Massive. I don't know how much I can tell you honestly, but basically I was on a mission that didn't go to plan and I think I need a thorough going over."
"Well I'm free all day so far so let's get started. I'll get the injection guns, you strip down and get on the exam table."
The following three hours were ones that Duo would try fervently to forget, but the sheer number of tests and x-rays and blood tests were such that he never would. Finally, as he say shivering in just his underwear on the exam table, Duo saw Ian coming towards him with a medical chart filled with dozens of reports and feared the worst.

"I see some malnutrition and other electrolyte imbalances," Doctor Marcus announced, flipping over page after page of test readouts. "A few new scars but nothing troublesome or unexpected given your duties. I did notice a few tiny shadows on your MRI and CT scans, but nothing that seemed to have any lasting repercussions. Is there anything I should know in order to interpret these results?"

"Well, maybe," Duo admitted. "But you know how it is, classified and top-secret and all that. So there's nothing that jumps out at you as overly abnormal or dangerous?"

"Nothing that I see honestly. These shadows could be the precursors to something, but they aren't located in the areas of the brain that I would normally be concerned about, especially given their size and lack of depth in the tissue. Given how many concussions you've had I'm not surprised that there is something on the scans. I'd say as long as you come in monthly for the next little while to give me a chance to chart any changes, you may as well get out of here."
"Thanks. See you next month then."

Duo was just on his way out of headquarters when his phone rang. Excited thinking that Heero had woken up finally and was calling to see how things went, Duo answered without even verifying the number.

"Hey hot stuff, what's shakin?" Duo asked, practically hopping down the stairs to the street below.

"Time to wake and embrace your destiny."

Duo did not hear what came next, nor did he feel himself start to walk away deeper into the city. After all, that was the point.

Heero had just woken up and realized that he was alone when the phone rang downstairs. The guestroom had no phone so Heero left it up to Jackson to answer it.

"Get down here!" Jackson shouted, causing Heero to bolt up from bed with his gun in hand and race downstairs.

"What the hell is going on?" Heero demanded, looking around for some unseen assailant.

"That was Lady Une. There's been an assassination in the city. Undersecretary of Health Warren Thomas and his aide Hiroshi Takahashi were gunned down as they left a medical conference fifteen minutes ago."
Heero nearly dropped his gun when he realized that he knew those two names.

"But, those were the people we were impersonating on VC-454," Heero breathed, realizing that he and Jackson were the reason those two innocent people were dead. "Oh god, we never planned for this."

"I know," Jackson sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I never expected this, or I never would have used real people to infiltrate Rising Sun."
"Regardless we have a problem now. What else did Une say?"
"She wants us, or rather you, on the scene right now."
"Be ready to go in five minutes."
Heero used that five minutes to shower and change clothes. With his Preventer jacket on and ID secured, Heero debated for a moment whether to take a weapon or not but quickly strapped on his underarm 10mms and tucked a few spare clips into the pockets sewn inside his standard-issue jacket.

Jackson was waiting downstairs and together they climbed into his car and sped to the crime scene which was already swarming with police. Even as they came to a stop several officers came to warn them away.

"Preventer," Heero informed them, flashing his ID and glaring at them until they parted before him. "Who's in charge here?"
"That would be me," a plainclothes officer said, intercepting Heero before he could reach the crime scene barrier. "Lieutenant Hans Rollmann. I was told you would be coming. You must be highly placed for Lady Une to be assigning you to this case."
"It would be better for you not to know who I am."
Hans was obviously an experienced investigator and no doubt had seen his share of battle during the wars, but the look on Heero's still-young face was enough to tell him that he truly did not want to know just how this young man fit into Preventer.

"I know who we have here," Heero said, trying to keep himself detached even as he saw the faces of the dead men and guilt stabbed deep into his heart. "Cause of death?"
"Single high-velocity round to the heart," Rollmann said, reciting from memory. "We haven't gotten forensics on this yet, but I'm thinking military-grade 12mm round from a M942 sniper rifle. I saw what they could do during the wars, and the wounds are consistent."
"Any trajectory yet?"
"We don't have any ideas beyond the fact that it was from a high-angle and at least five hundred meters away given the state of the slugs we dug out of the building. They went through and through."
"M942 indeed," Jackson muttered, just loud enough for Heero to hear. "It doesn't have the muzzle velocity for that, not if he has the range down. Not unless whoever did this is using some round I've never heard of."
"What type of round was it?" Heero continued, acting as though Jackson hadn't said anything. "I'm assuming a hypersonic armor-piercing round, possibly reinforced titanium."

"How did you know that?" Hans asked, now suspicious about the involvement of this youth who seemed to know far too much about what was classified military technology the last Hans had heard, and that was from very unofficial channels. "I'm the only one the ballistics guy has talked to."
"Because I don't sit behind a desk," Heero snapped, now conscious that he and Jackson were sitting ducks. "Jackson, track the ballistic line and get me a sniper nest. Lieutenant, I suggest you get this scene policed as soon as possible and advise your men to be on alert. Whoever did this may not be done."

Heero turned away and Jackson was at his side instantly, having already determined which building was the place from which the killings had taken place.

"That one," Jackson said, subtly indicating one building about four hundred meters away according to Heero's mental ruler. "From the roof. That's where I'd do it from."
"Get us there fast and we go in hot."
"You got it."
They tore away from the crime scene all the while Heero raged at himself for letting his own emotions get the better of him.
I should have insisted on using fabricated identities, he thought. Using real people was a stupid call and now two people are dead. How much more can I justify just to bring down New Horizon?
Even that question caused him to hate himself even more, because he knew that there was nothing he wouldn't do to give Duo closure over the horrors he had suffered.

Together Duo and Jackson marched into the lobby of the office building, flashing their IDs and drawing their weapons, not knowing what to expect on the roof. The elevator was a twenty second trip that gave Heero a chance to disengage the safeties on his pistols and coordinate the arrival with Jackson. They each took a side, shielding themselves beyond the door opening and when the elevator came to a stop and the doors did open, Jackson hit the emergency stop and it froze in place. A nod from Heero and Jackson lobbed a stun grenade onto the roof and the moment it exploded they burst out, weapons searching everywhere for any sign of movement.

"Clear," Jackson said, his voice still low just in case.

"Not completely," Heero countered, holstering his 10mms and walking to where the rifle lay on the rooftop. "Looks like you were right after all."
Heero pulled on a pair of gloves and picked the rifle up by the barrel, knowing that any prints or DNA would be concentrated at the rear of the weapon around the stock, sight, and trigger.

"It is an M942," Heero muttered, looking it over. "But it looks like it's been heavily modified. 12.5mm, five round mag, semi-automatic fire. Recoil suppression and barrel reinforcement. Someone knows their hardware."
"We have a direct line of sight to the crime scene," Jackson added, peering through a small single lens range finder he had pulled from somewhere. "The conference center is four hundred sixty eight yards from here, minimal windage. A tough shot, but with that rifle I doubt I'd have trouble with it, even if I was an amateur and I doubt that this hit was some low-rent contractor."
"Someone from New Horizon tracked the names we used and found the real people and killed them, thinking they were us."
"That's what I'm assuming. It fits the facts we have, and I have little doubt that they'd be ruthless enough to gun down the real Warren and Hiroshi even if they realized that they'd been duped. At the very least they'd use this attack to send us a warning."
"Message received," Heero muttered. "I can't until they get my reply."
"I presume it will include a lot of bullet points?"
"A lot of bullets at least. So what now? We obviously aren't going to get anything off this rifle or the blind here, and the crime scene won't tell us anything we haven't just figured out."
Jackson looked at the rifle and his eyes narrowed.
"That looks like an auto-adaptive lens with up to a hundred-power magnification tactical scope," he said, and Heero looked closer and found that he was indeed correct.
"That means we might be able to use its current setting to determine our suspects' optometric specs, maybe even pull a reflective image or retinal image from it," Heero finished.

"It's worth a try. We're going to need Preventer facilities for this though."
They made their way back down to Jackson's car just in time for Lieutenant Rollmann to pull up with half-a-dozen officers and several forensics people.

"Is that the weapon?" Hans asked, waving one of the forensics guys over to take it for analysis.

"It is," Heero affirmed, glaring the CSI man down. "We're taking it to Preventer to run tests to see if we can determine enough information about the shooter to compile a profile."
"I'm afraid that my cooperation extends only so far," Hans informed him. "I cannot allow you to remove evidence from a crime scene before we can photograph and print it, even though you've already violated standard protocols by moving the rifle before we could do our jobs."

"Your cooperation extends however far I demand it to," Heero snapped, Jackson casually opening his coat to reveal his weapons to the good lieutenant. "You know how high up my authority goes. Do not make the mistake of thinking me a child simply because I don't have grey hair and a paunch. I've done more in my short life than you can possibly dream of. You, give me that bag. The roof is yours, but this is mine. I expect you to send the rounds you've retrieved to Preventer ASAP. Am I being perfectly clear?"
Heero and Jackson left, rifle securely sealed inside an evidence bag, before Hans could even reply.
"Arrogant little prick isn't he, sir," one of the officers muttered, watching the two agents drive away.
"Yeah, he is, but he wasn't lying either," Hans replied. "It was his eyes; they've seen a lot more than they should have. Quit standing around everyone. Secure that roof and gather what evidence we can."

Duo frowned as he found Heero's townhouse empty with no signs of where Heero and Jackson could have run off to so quickly that they couldn't leave a note or at least phone him.

"Well, now this isn't very nice," Duo muttered, checking the time and deciding that it was time to get something to eat.

It was almost two o'clock so Duo decided on lunch instead of brunch as he had initially intended to make with Heero, but as usual there wasn't much to choose from at Heero's so Duo settled for ordering in a pizza and settled back on the couch to wait for it.

"Wait a minute," he said suddenly, bolting upright as he remembered the time he had seen in the kitchen. Pulling out his cellphone Duo felt an incomprehensible dread as it showed almost exactly the same time. "That's impossible. How could I have been gone for almost five hours?"

Panic started to settle in as Duo's mind started churning out any possibility that it could put together to explain where he had lost so much time and Duo found his heart racing at the mere implication.

"Where the hell is Heero?" he asked the empty room, fumbling with his cellphone as he tried to dial Heero's number but an incoming call interrupted him and he answered it. "Heero, is that you?"

"Time to wake and embrace your destiny."

Duo's face lost all emotion and his eyes settled on an invisible point somewhere in the distance as he listened to the voice on the other end of the line. After several minutes Duo hung up and left the cellphone on the couch as he headed upstairs into Heero's bedroom. In the closet behind a false panel was Heero's personal arsenal and Duo started to help himself to it. He left shortly thereafter, his weapons hidden beneath an overcoat, and walked off into the city.

Heero stood watching the scanner pass itself over the rifle again and again and nearly swore at himself for setting it to maximum resolution and maximum accuracy.

"How much longer?" Jackson asked, just as impatient.

"Thirty seconds," Heero replied, turning as there was a knock at the door to the lab. "Yes?"
"Uh, sir, this just arrived for you," a twenty-something lab assistant stammered, handing Heero two bags holding the two sniper rounds dug out of the ground at the crime scene.

"Thank you," Heero said, and the assistant left as quickly as he was forgotten. "Hypersonic armor-piercing and titanium reinforced, just as I thought."

"That's classified military technology, and not something from the war," Jackson reminded him. "That's something designed by Preventer totally in-house. No one outside active senior field agents, Lady Une, and a handful of other people should even know that we have it given that it's a violation of our own mandate."
"Lady Une has always been someone for whom rules are secondary to the needs of the mission, very much like myself. So we have someone who managed to obtain a military-grade sniper rifle and top-secret ammunition from within Preventer itself. What do you want to bet that the rifle is Preventer-issue too and that our manifests will show us full up but a hand count will put us one down."
"You won't get me taking that bet. I'll get a hand count done right now on the armory. If we pull the access logs and surveillance footage we might even be able to catch who did this."
"It's worth a shot," Heero admitted, but was dubious that someone so capable could make such a simple mistake and said as much.

"Well, it has to be done so let's just do it," Jackson countered. "Get the rifle finished up and I'll lead the count. Call me if you get something."
Heero nodded blindly and stared at the rounds in their little bags and tried to piece together the puzzle that just seemed to be getting more and more complex the more he tried to solve it.

Finally the contraption before him beeped several times announcing that it had completed the task it had been assigned and data began scrolling across the display screen. As Heero had suspected there were no finger prints that would be of any use, indeed none at all, but there were some skin flakes around the scope and an eyelash. The DNA was being run through the database as he continued on down the list of meaningless readouts until he got to something that stopped him dead. The data from the auto-adaptive scope had been downloaded and the ocular setting that it showed from the last use was all too familiar to Heero. He had seen it on any number of medical reports over the years and knew it as he knew his own. Pulling his phone clear, Heero tried to dial Duo but all he got were endless rings and his anxiety ramped up another notch.

"Jackson, I think I know who our assassin is," Heero said, having called his fellow operative.
"Great, so I can stop this nonsense," Jackson sighed. "It would have taken me all day to go through this place."
"It's Duo."
There was a pause before Jackson came back with a disbelieving expletive-filled reply.

"I know how it sounds," Heero pressed, making his way through the labs towards the nearest elevator. "But I know his retinal patterns and how he sets his sights on any weapons he uses almost as well as I know my own. That and the fact that he so conveniently escapes after a week of being a secure prisoner god-knows where? There are too many coincidences and the evidence is mounting."
"Where is he now?" Jackson asked, and Heero could hear him on the move as well as the elevator took the troubled young man into the underground garage.

"He should have gotten home hours ago unless he decided to go shopping or something," Heero replied. "But he isn't answering his phone and when he found me missing when he got back he would have phoned me right away."
"I'm heading up to see Une. I'll brief her when I get there and we'll try to figure out what to do on this end of things. You find our boy and get him locked down tight before he does even more damage than we can clean up for him."
"I'm taking your car," Heero informed him, even as he was climbing into Jackson's car.

"I still have the keys you know."
"Not a problem. I'll call when I find Duo."
Tossing the phone aside Heero hotwired the car with his Preventer-issue ignition inciter and sped off home, desperately hoping to intercept Duo before anything else went horribly wrong. The drive was all of twenty minutes but Heero had never found it so long as that day and was weaving through traffic at high speed to shave off any time he possibly could. Squealing to a halt outside his house, Heero raced up to the front door and felt his heart sink as he found it unlocked. Reaching under his jacket for a weapon, Heero pushed the door open and drew the 10mm free, flicking the safety off with his thumb. The security system was also disabled, another sign that something was wrong. Duo was forgetful at times to be certain, but he never forgot the important things like securing the front door and arming the security system even when at Heero's. Closing the door, Heero called out to Duo but merely got a silent reply. If Duo had been there he was gone now.

The doorbell rang and Heero whirled, weapon leveled at the door before he even realized it.
"Who is it?" Heero demanded, then slid his weapon away when he heard the voice of their usual pizza delivery boy.

Heero opened the door and took the proffered pizza and tried not to let his distress show through to the young man standing there. Instead he handed over far too much money and went back inside, setting the pizza on the kitchen table as he tried to figure out what was going on. Duo had obviously been home long enough to order a pizza but why was he now gone? It wasn't like Duo at all and that was what had Heero really worried. So many things seemed to be so far out of character for Duo since his return…and then it hit him.

Heero pulled out his phone and called Jackson, even as he rushed upstairs.

"Jackson," he said, even as he saw the open armory in the closet. "He's already got another target."

"Damn it," Jackson cursed. "Any idea who he's after?"

"No, there was nothing that I saw that would tell us where he's going," Heero replied, cradling the phone between his shoulder and ear as he started pulling weapons from their racks and piling them on the bed along with boxes of ammunition, spare magazines and a full set of body armor. "He took weapons and ammo and body armor so I'm guessing it's something big, something more dangerous than a simple assassination."
"That doesn't help us. Get back here quick and we'll talk to Une and get Preventer mobilized. He can't have gotten far and when we get a hundred agents on the streets we'll find him."
"I'll be there in twenty. Get to Une now and get her up to speed. I need to get ready for this."
Without waiting for a response Heero hung up and looked at the instruments of death before him and silently prayed that he wouldn't have to employ them to stop Duo. Quickly changing into a set of stealth armor, Heero then strapped the tactical body armor overtop before strapping a pair of pistols under his arms and a pair of knives to his thighs. There were more weapons before him but Heero decided that spare mags would likely be smarter than lugging around too many extra weapons. Armed and armored Heero tucked his cellphone into a pocket and turned to leave the bedroom but hesitated at the door. If he wanted any hope at breaking through whatever conditioning Duo was acting under Heero knew he could need something more than just words. There was something he had bought some time back when he had first thought to tell Duo the truth of how he felt but had never worked up the courage. It was still in his nightstand gathering dust but maybe the time had come for it to see the light of day and save Heero from what he knew he may have to do if he couldn't turn Duo back. Taking it from the nightstand and tucking it away, Heero fled downstairs but as he reached the front door there was a beeping from the living room. Heero had spun and raised his pistols before he even recognized the sound as a cellphone messaging alert. Confused he holstered his weapons and found a cellphone on the couch, a phone that looked exactly like the one that Duo had once possessed. Picking it up Heero saw that there was indeed an instant message and opened it. The number that had sent the message was a public payphone, that much Heero knew, but the message was both a tremendous relief and also near-paralyzing. New Horizon had obviously decided to go for broke and strike at the only organization that was poised to interfere with their plans to manipulate ESUN.

As he was speeding back to Preventer at a speed normally reserved for aircraft, Heero's mind kept taking him back to that message again and again and he managed to get Jackson's car to go slightly faster as he buried his foot to the carpet. There had only been one word to the message but it couldn't have been clearer if it was an entire sentence, and Heero could only imagine how much effort it had taken for Duo to free himself for those few seconds to send it.

Une.

Heero ran a red light causing a multiple car pile up and could only hope he was in time before his bestfriend was lost to him forever.

Duo walked up the steps towards the main entrance to Preventer headquarters and no one tried to stop him. It was still almost a minute before Heero would get the message that had been sent and until then Preventer had no idea what hell was about to be unleashed upon it.
Duo's mind was fighting against the programming and could only watch in horror through his eyes as his body came through the doors and immediately gunned down the two security guards that manned the security desk. Two more came quickly from the station around the corner and were similarly drilled with 10mm rounds. People were screaming and running as Duo walked through them, greatcoat falling to the ground to free up his enhanced form. Preventer was built like a fortress and so the sounds of gunfire did not travel far but there were still security cameras that covered every corridor and every entrance or exit and the agents manning the cameras raised the alarm. A wailing siren started to echo down the corridors, agents and security guards mobilizing in short order, but the first to encounter Duo were taken apart without mercy or hesitation. Like all the Gundam pilots Duo was faster and stronger than most people thanks to his extensive training and conditioning, but New Horizon had taken him beyond what any human could imagine or achieve. Now the opposition were carrying automatic weapons but even they could not gun down the traitor in their midst. Duo was too fast, never remaining stationary enough for them to draw an accurate bead before his twin machine pistols thundered and put them down as he dodged at inhuman speed. Leaving the bleeding bodies behind him, Duo ejected the spent clips and let them clatter to the ground before reloading and entering a stairwell to take him to the next floor. In less than five minutes the first floor of Preventer was left destroyed and silent save for the groans of wounded people and the distant roar of weapons fire as Duo ascended towards his target.

Heero roared into the parkade and sprinted for the elevator, pulling his cellphone out and dialing Jackson even as he drew a pistol with his free hand.

"I'm here," he said, keying the elevator for non-stop to the top floor. "Have you found Duo yet?"

"We don't need to find him, he's already here," Jackson informed him. "I've lost contact with everyone on the first five floors. I've routed the security camera feeds to Une's office and we've been watching the carnage your friend has been wreaking."
"Oh god," Heero groaned, closing his eyes and leaning against the elevator wall. "How many dead so far?"

"So far our medical teams have only found wounded but that kind of luck can't hold forever. Sooner or later we're going to have to break out the body bags if we don't do something soon."
"Stay with Une and block her door. Anyone coming through it without the password should be shot on sight. If I can't stop Duo…I'm sorry but I doubt you will be able to bring him down. I'll try to weaken him enough but until he comes through that door don't interfere."
"Do you think you can reach him?" Jackson asked, honest hope in his voice.
Heero thought of what he had brought with him and prayed that it was enough.
"I hope so," he replied, straightening as the elevator came to a stop. "Just let me do this. Keep Une safe but don't interfere."
"Good luck."
"To us all."

The seventh floor was quiet still so Heero assumed that Duo had yet to reach it so he made his way through the already evacuated floor towards Une's office at the end of the central hallway. There were offices scattered down its length and all of them deserted and open, leaving Heero with a number of places to seek cover should it be necessary. Only seconds later Heero watched as Duo came around the corner of the hallway, the still smoking machine pistols in his hands and a dead look in his eyes. It broke Heero's heart to see what he had been dreading confirmed. Duo was indeed the assassin, as his rampage through Preventer headquarters proved beyond a shadow of a doubt. His friend's eyes were the most disturbing change, now empty of the energy and vitality that had once shone so brightly, now they were staring and blank, void of the humanity that Duo had tried so hard to hang on to through all those battles. He seemed to be wearing body armor underneath his Preventer jacket evidenced by several bullet holes in the shoulders and sleeves that were free of blood, and his skills had only been heightened with his experiences. Heero knew that there were miraculously no dead among Preventer personnel, with each of Duo's shots somehow wounding but not killing, something that just didn't seem possible given his programming but it gave Heero hope that just maybe there was some Duo still there under the hypnotic suggestion and mental conditioning.

"Duo," Heero said, not really expecting any response other than gunfire but determined to try anyway, all too aware of the weight of the pistols in his hands.

His friend stopped advancing but that was the extent of the reaction he received.

"Can you hear me Duo?" Heero asked, taking a step closer but saw how Duo's body tensed and retreated the same distance. "If you can hear me Duo I want you to know that no one here has died today. Somehow everyone has only been hurt, though some will need emergency attention. You can still stop and we can work through this, but if you keep going and kill Une, that will be a line you can never uncross. I don't want you to cross that line Duo, so I need you to drop your weapons."
Heero pointedly avoided the word surrender, not knowing what reaction it might trigger in his friend.

The silence stretched on as Heero watched for any sign of the old Duo trying to fight for supremacy against the insidious mind control forced upon him.

"Please Duo, don't let things end like this," Heero begged, hands tightening on his weapons until they started to ache. "I just found you after all this time, I can't lose you again."
There was a series of loud clicks as Duo eased back the hammers on his machine pistols and Heero's heart beat a little faster and his soul died just a little more at the thought that he might have to kill his friend in order to save him from a lifetime of servitude to evil.

"Don't," Heero pleaded, not sure if he could allow himself to cry at the thought of what was coming. "Please, don't do this."
Both raised their weapons at the same time and started moving even as the first rounds left their barrels. Heero strafed quickly towards the open office to his right, pistols thundering under the slightly louder roar of Duo's weapons as they unloaded on full auto. A single round glanced off of Heero's left shoulder and the stinging pain forced him to focus that much more and bury his churning emotions lest he die before he freed his friend. Heero fired on the move until the doorframe shielded him, taking the brief respite to reload his weapons as they clicked empty. The roar from Duo's weapons was echoing down the corridor and distorting Heero's perception of his friend's location as the rounds ricocheted off the walls. Finally the deafening cacophony ended and Heero could hear the clatter of empty clips hitting the floor and knew the time was now or never. Bolting out from behind cover Heero snapped his pistols up and started firing, shocked that Duo wasn't attempting to seek cover but rather was standing in the center of the hallway reloading his weapons. Heero didn't want to kill his friend if there was any possible way to avoid it, so he was shooting for center mass where the armor Duo wore would be strongest. As he expected the 10mm rounds did not penetrate but they staggered Duo and caused him to even drop one of the clips he was reloading. The other pistol came up and sprayed fire but Duo's aim was way off and each round went wide. The empty pistol dropped from his hand and Heero knew what was coming but wasn't quick enough to avoid the small throwing knife that slid into his right shoulder, the agony causing the pistol in that hand to drop. His other weapon clicked empty and Heero dropped it, landing a flying kick to Duo's battered chest that send the braided youth flying. Pulling the blade from his shoulder, Heero tossed it aside and tested the shoulder's motion but though it burned everything seemed to be working. Duo was already back up on his feet, hands empty but advancing with a purpose. Adopting a defensive stance, Heero waited and braced himself for what he did not doubt would be a brutal assault. Sure enough the punch came in lightning fast and hit with the power of a sledgehammer as Heero's blocking arm surged with pain from the impact. Another punch came in and Heero ducked it and came in hard with a shot to the ribs, his hand aching as it struck armor but he knew that Duo had felt it from the unconscious look of pain that flickered across his face. Another blow followed before Heero ducked back from Duo's retaliatory strike, and then lashed out with a foot that took Duo in the side of the head and sent him to his knees. Any sense of accomplishment was quickly banished as Duo spun and took Heero's legs out from under him and then leapt at him, driving a left and then a right into his jaw. Prone and with his right arm flaring in agony, Heero managed to work a knee and then a leg up under Duo and with a quick pull and shove, sent the slightly smaller youth sailing over his head. Rolling and climbing back to his feet, Heero couldn't believe the sight as Duo seemed to have landed crouched and on his feet, knives in hand now. Quickly drawing a pair of similar knives from thigh sheathes, Heero reversed the one in his right hand, angling the blade towards his elbow to better block. Duo came on and his knives flashed, diving in towards Heero's wounded side.

So fast, Heero thought, as he parried the strikes and found himself being forced on the defensive. He's as strong and fast as I am, maybe even stronger and faster. I don't want to hurt him but if I can't reach him, I will have to take him down.

"Duo, listen to me," Heero begged, throwing up his right arm and intercepting an overhead swipe at his neck. "Don't listen to the voices in your head. All they're telling you are lies. You don't have to do this just because they're trying to make you. You're stronger than this. I've seen you face off against dozens of mobile suits, you can fight back now too."
Still Duo would not speak, but there was something different in his face now and Heero could only hope that his words were starting to penetrate the layers of posthypnotic suggestion that New Horizon had implanted in his mind. If Duo could just take control even for a few moments, Heero could take him down easily and they could try to undo whatever had been done to him.

"I know you can hear me," Heero continued, moving as fast as he could to try and keep up with Duo but the pain in his jaw and his shoulder were starting to take their toll. A blade came in and sliced open his left thigh but the cut wasn't serious. "If you're worried about what you've already done, don't be. I won't let them do anything to you. I only just found you and no one will take you away ever again. We'll face the consequences together and leave this all behind. Do you remember the NightSky? Do you remember what happened there? All I've wanted since then is to see where it could go, to see if what we both felt is real."
Duo came in again, blades whirling and darting and scoring several minor hits even as Heero did the same, his own knives weaving through the almost complete lack of defence Duo seemed to be putting up to slice into his stomach and arms. It was then that Heero realized just how hard his friend truly was fighting for his salvation. Somehow Duo was resisting the commands his brain was throwing at him and leaving himself wide open again and again hoping that Heero would land the killer blow and put a stop to the insanity he had been suffering. The warrior in Heero wanted to oblige and his hands tensed on the hilts of his blades but Heero knew he couldn't kill Duo any more than he could kill himself.

"I won't kill you Duo, I can't," Heero told him, stepping back and changing his stance, lowering his guard slightly to show that he truly meant what he was saying. It was now or never because Heero could feel his body starting to fail under the dozens of minor cuts and several deeper wounds. "I didn't go through all this just to kill you now."
"Kill me."
Heero blinked in surprise at the words that somehow forced themselves from between Duo's lips, as he stood rigid, obviously battling with all his will against his programming.

"Kill me," Duo managed again, and Heero felt his heart break as he saw the tears in his friend's cobalt eyes as he begged for mercy.

"No," Heero gasped, barely able to speak now and felt himself losing all control of his knives as they nearly slipped from his sweating hands. "I can't do it, I can't kill you…"
"Please."
"I can't!" Heero shouted, tears running down his own face now. "You may as well ask me to kill myself! I could never live with myself without you, not anymore. I need you more than I need the air I breathe."

Duo was visibly shaking now as the war within him raged and Heero knew that there was only one more chance to break the deadlock. Either Duo would regain control or he would be lost and only the puppet would remain so Heero took a deep breath and locked his eyes with Duo's before saying something that he had held back saying that fateful night in the NightSky but had known he would say for years.

"I love you Duo, more than I ever thought I could love anyone," he revealed, and it felt as though a tremendous weight had been lifted from his chest at last. For so long he had feared saying those words and now upon finally saying them, Heero felt himself lighter and more unencumbered than he could ever remember. "When you kissed me in the NightSky I thought I could fly faster than Wing Zero on full burn. I want to know that feeling again. I want you to come home with me."

For a moment it seemed to Heero that the battle had been won for Duo lowered his weapons and stood still, smiling at last, as it seemed he had overwhelmed the programming within. Any hope was soon dashed as Duo rushed forward, a look of horror on his face as he realized that he was not acting under his own volition. Heero tried to block the twin knives but Duo was inside his defenses before he could fully prepare. He managed to deflect the first blade that came in a high arcing move that would have seen it delving deep into his neck, but Duo's second knife came in low in a wide arc and Heero's parry was too slow. The knife wasn't too long, only eight inches, but it was razor sharp and slid through Heero's armor and into his side, slipping between his ribs before angling up and slashing his stomach and his left lung. Pain of a rare intensity nearly caused Heero to black out for a moment as his weapons fell from his now numb fingers and his body collapsed to the floor, the blade still held securely in Duo's hand sliding free. His blood pumping out of him rapidly, Heero managed to look up at Duo's horrified expression and smile.

"It's not your fault," he gasped, his wounded lung filling with blood. "This isn't you. I love you."

With that Heero lost consciousness and did not hear the clatter as the blood stained blade fell to the floor or the cry of anguished loss that came from the finally freed Duo.

Blood rushed over Duo's hand as the knife blade stabbed deeply into Heero, and it sprayed and splattered as his friend's body collapsed and jerked the blade free. His heart thudding in his ears Duo didn't hear the last words that Heero gasped before falling unconscious, though he could be dead for all that Duo knew.

Dead. Oh god no, he can't be dead.

The thought blasted through his head and in that soul destroying moment all the malicious thoughts and commands that New Horizon had burned into his brain were washed away and the truth of what he had done took hold.

"Heero," Duo whispered, his legs giving out beneath him and dropping him onto his knees. "Oh god, Heero, you can't die! Somebody help me!"

Duo crawled to Heero's body and lifted him into his arms, not caring that the blood soaked him even more completely that it already had, did not care that his own wounds were still bleeding freely.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Duo babbled, trying to hold Heero's wound closed even as he heard the pounding of approaching footsteps. "I love you Heero, don't leave me please don't leave me."

Jackson and Lady Une came rushing over from Une's office, and medical personnel came around the corner behind Duo, who ignored them all as he looked down at Heero's pale face and cradled his body.

"Forgive me," Duo begged, as the paramedics gently separated him from Heero and started to administer to his friend's wounds. "Forgive me."

There was one last bit of programming that Duo had not managed to overcome when he had seen Heero's collapse and possible death. The suicide imperative didn't come into play until the mission could no longer be achieved or if the operative was in danger of being captured. Duo knew what was coming and did nothing to stop it, so lost in his grief and wanting to die. Before anyone could stop him, Duo had scrambled over to where one of his machine pistols lay, scooped it up, pressed the barrel to his temple and fired.

Duo's eyes snapped open and then closed again as the bright lights assaulted his senses. Opening them more slowly now, Duo gave himself a chance to adjust to the light before taking a look around. He had half expected to see fire and brimstone, but all he found was a hospital room, clean and sterile with the only other bed in the room closed off with a curtain. Sitting up, Duo felt the tightness and pain from his many wounds but could already tell that he was on the mend, no doubt thanks to whatever doctor had treated him so quickly.
"Heero," he blurted, tearing the monitors from his body and ignoring the high-pitched whine that indicated a sensor malfunction.

On instinct Duo stumbled over to the cordoned off bed and jerked the curtain back and there was his friend, swathed in bandages and intravenous drips in both arms pumping him full of medications and nutrients as it appeared that his jaw was too swollen to chew even if he had the energy.

"Oh god," Duo whispered, not daring to approach any closer as he couldn't know if there were any lingering killer urges just waiting to re-emerge. "What have I done?"
The lifesigns monitors were showing strong readings across the board, but such knowledge did little to appease Duo's ever mounting guilt and having put his friend in such a position. Heero seemed to be healing as fast as ever, as was Duo now, but thinking about it only pained the American more. He had always been amazed at what Heero could do and coining the phrase Perfect Soldier to describe the Japanese youth, but now Heero looked just as fragile and helpless as anyone else. Tempting fate, Duo moved closer to his friend as quietly as he could lest he wake him from his healing slumber. Time passed and still Duo simply stood and watched, not caring that his legs were aching and tired or that his stomach was demanding food, but he spun around instantly as he hear the door behind him open. Without his armor and weapons Duo didn't know what kind of defense he could mount against any New Horizon agents that were coming for them, but he'd die trying.

"I'm glad to see that you're awake," Jackson said, and Duo relaxed as the sight of a friendly face. "I was more than a little worried that the suicide programming would stop your heart even though the gun you used was thankfully empty."
"I wish it wasn't," Duo said, unable to meet the others eyes. "Look what I did to him, and he let me on the faint hope that I could stop myself."
"You did stop yourself. It may have been at the very end, but you did."
"After I nearly killed him. After I stuck my knife into him and tried to bleed him dry. I've called myself the God of Death for so long now for just this reason; everyone I care about dies because I'm too weak and powerless to stop it."
"So you think you're weak because they were able to program you to kill without your knowing it?" Jackson asked, curious as to Duo's reasoning but the other was having none of it.

"Obviously I am. Heero would never have fallen for their lies. He never would have stopped fighting to free himself and strike back, but after a while I just let them do what they wanted and didn't even put up a fight. That's why they took me in the first place, because they knew who he was and they knew that he wouldn't be turned as easily as me."
"I can't deny that they chose you because they felt you would be easier to manipulate," Jackson admitted, and Duo felt his heart sink even lower. "But they came to regret their decision didn't they? You proved them wrong and Heero right."
"What do you mean?" Duo asked, now confused. "Proved Heero right about what?"

"On our way to VC-454 Heero told me all about you, how you were stronger than you seemed and how much like you he wished he was."
Duo didn't know what to say to that, turning and looking at Heero's sleeping form and gaping at his friend, unable to believe that he could have said something like that. And yet, given what they had shared at the NightSky, it was indeed probably true.

"He respects you and cares for you more than you might be ready to accept," Jackson continued. "Things will only get more complicated from here on in, but if you persevere the rewards will be greater than you can imagine."
"Oh, I can imagine quite a lot," Duo replied, smiling nervously. "It's a matter of if it will come to be or not."
"Do you really doubt that?"
"I have to. I won't let myself get lost in what I'm feeling."
"Why not?"
"Because if he doesn't feel the same, I'd rather be dead than without him."

"Well congratulations, he feels the same. Now get down to business and don't worry about New Horizon. I'll track them down and we can decide what to do then. In the mean time, I think Heero's awake."

Duo turned back to his wakening friend, then back to the man by the door only to find him gone as quickly as he had appeared.

"Duo?"

Pulling a chair over and sitting down next to Heero's bed, Duo looked into his friends Prussian blue eyes and saw that there was little pain there anymore.

"I'm here," Duo replied, not sure just what physical contact he could initiate and then deciding to throw caution to the wind and laid a hand on Heero's shoulder. "How are you feeling? Oh god, don't answer that, that's a stupid question."
"I'm fine," Heero told him, smiling slightly. "Thanks for the concern. Another day and I'll be back to normal. Until then I'm just going to enjoy all the painkillers and rest I'm getting."
"At least you finally know what it's like when you hit me all those times," Duo grinned, remembering the power behind the sucker punch Heero had landed when they were infiltrating colony X-18999. "Now maybe you'll think twice before you start beating me up for no good reason."
"I think I have a lot of reasons," Heero observed, waving a hand slowly across the numerous cuts and bruises that his body sported though hidden beneath the blanket covering him. "Well, they are there, so don't think just because you can't see them that you're off the hook."
"Well, I think I need proof," Duo countered. "I'm not going to get all guilty if I don't get to see all these injuries you supposedly have."
"You just want to look under the covers."
"And your point being?"
Heero actually laughed at that, and Duo felt a weight lift from his shoulders, and then Heero reached up with a hand trailing IV tubes and took Duo's hand in his.

"How much do you remember of what happened outside Une's office?" Heero asked, and Duo felt the weight return and start crushing the life out of him once more.

"Everything," he admitted, and started to pull his hand away but Heero held on tightly and wouldn't let him. "Until the very end, I just couldn't stop myself and by then…"
"I'm still alive aren't I?" Heero asked, the question clearly rhetorical. "My injuries will heal fully, and you managed to free yourself. Mission accomplished, I'd say."
"But I didn't free myself," Duo explained, remembering his despair in the cell he had been kept in. "I spent more time in my cell wondering where you were and why you weren't saving me than actually trying to free myself. All I wanted was for you to charge in to my rescue like on Barge and save the day. That's why they took me and not you Heero, because I'm weak."
"You aren't weak," Heero snapped, squeezing even tighter to the point that Duo thought his hand might shatter. "You fought two wars that ended up killing thousands of other people, and you didn't survive by hiding in a corner somewhere waiting for the end to come. You were in the thick of battle and you survived. So how does that make you weak? You think you're weak just because you despaired in an impossible situation? I've felt the same before, and I don't consider myself weak. If anything, I think I'm too strong at times, too willing to ignore my feelings in favor of completing the mission, single-minded to the point of disaster. I wish I was more like you."
Duo didn't even realize he was doing it but he soon found himself leaning over Heero's body and his lips found the others and once again he got the feeling of absolute happiness just as he had experienced in the NightSky. At first there was no passion in the kiss, but Duo felt himself being pulled in closer and tighter as Heero began to kiss him hungrily and Duo couldn't have been happier. Time slowed and in the end Duo wasn't sure and didn't care how long they had been pressed together, but finally needing breath they parted and seeing the look on Heero's face, Duo knew he could press forward with the questions he needed answered.

"I also remember everything else," Duo added, and he saw the concern in Heero's eyes that perhaps he shouldn't have said what he had said. "I…I need to know if you meant what you said or if all you wanted was to keep me from killing Une. Was it all just a tactical move or was it real?"
"Have I ever lied to you?"
"Not that I know of."
"The answer is no. Tactically deceived, maybe. Lied, no. Yesterday was real, as real as what we had at the NightSky, and that was as honest and real as it gets."
"So you weren't just trying to talk me down?"
"I meant every word I said," Heero told him, raising a hand and placing it on Duo's cheek. "Everything."
Duo reached up and put his hand over his friends and closed his eyes, unable to believe what was happening and even more unable to believe that the youth before him was about to confirm it with the five words Duo had never expected to hear.

"I love you Duo Maxwell."
If the world had ended at that very moment Duo would not have noticed nor cared, but thankfully the world didn't end and so he would get to see just where things were heading.

"I love you too, Heero," Duo whispered, opening his eyes and smiling down at the bandaged youth before taking the hand from his cheek and kissing it. "I guess the only question I have now is where do we go from here?"
"Well first off, you're taking me home in a few hours after they give me my discharge exam," Heero informed him, in a tone that brooked no argument. "They didn't want me to leave so soon, but as you now understand, I dislike hospitals."

"Oh, I think I understand that now."
"Beyond that…I think we may need to talk about it further to make sure we're both on the same page."
"Well what page are you on?" Duo pressed, now curious as to what was making Heero so reticent. "Read me the details of this page you speak of."
"Baka," Heero smiled. "Well my page tells me that there is no point in continuing to pay for two homes when we spend all of our time together anyway, even before our revelations."
"Such a romantic story," Duo joked, enjoying the blush that came to Heero's cheeks and then kissed him fiercely. "I love it. Keep going."
"I've also given some thought as I lay here in a semi-coma," Heero continued, giving Duo the most loving death glare ever recorded. "I don't plan to attach any words or labels to what we are to each other or anything like that…"
"But?"

"I bought something for you a long time ago. It's probably still there in my clothes if you want to take a look. I brought it to help bring you back…and to prove to you that I mean what I say."
Duo reluctantly released Heero's hand and went to where his clothes and armor lay on a trolley next to the window, left by Jackson no doubt. Rummaging through the pockets Duo quickly came across something that he nearly dropped, his heart was thumping so hard.

He really means it, Duo thrilled. He really means all of it.
From his hand dangled a chain of platinum and from the chain hung a crossed pair of scythes also made of platinum. Lifting the scythes up closer to his eyes, Duo could see that there were words engraved across the blades and down both shafts.

For Duo Maxwell

An Angel with Black Wings

An Angel who Stole My Heart

For a moment Duo thought his own heart had stopped beating completely as he felt wetness running down his cheeks. Slowly turning back, Duo watched as Heero blushed even more furiously and looked uncomfortable at what he knew would be running through Duo's mind at that moment, and he would not have been too far off.

"It's beautiful," Duo breathed, wiping quickly at his eyes with his free hand, smiling to let Heero know that he truly understood the depth of the gift. "I take it this is supposed to be similar to say…a ring?"

"That might be what is on my page," Heero smiled, as Duo came back and sat down next to him again. "Obviously that depends on if you like what you read."
"Hmm, I don't know, maybe I should hold off on any commitments for now," Duo mused, looking at the ceiling and trying to seem as deep in thought as possible. "I mean, maybe I can do better after all. I mean look at me. You sure you're in my league?"

"I know that I can't dance like you," Heero admitted, also looking thoughtful to play the game. "But I can drink more than you can, shoot straighter, drive better, and I can do more sit-ups and push-ups than you can. Well, maybe not now but we'll have to have another contest to decide that. You're also a complete disaster at home, despite the fact that you can cook. It took me hours to clean up your toxic waste dump of a house, and I don't even want to know how long that toilet had been clogged for."
"So basically it sounds as though we should really cut our losses," Duo observed. "We're obviously not compatible so we should just walk away."
When he went to look down at Heero, Duo was instead face to face with his friend, Heero having sat up on the edge of the bed.

"If you ever left me, I don't know what I would do with myself," Heero whispered, no more humor in his tone. "We've been friends for years, and if you honestly tell me that you don't think what we've started is worth risking that I'll understand, but I won't ever stop loving you. If it weren't for your constant chattering and forcing me to do more than just look to my missions, I would still be the soldier I was instead of the person I am now. I've wanted to tell you the truth of how I feel for a long time, but I couldn't be sure that you could love me back. Now that I know you do, or at least that you might in time, I'll do anything I can to show you that I love you more than anyone else ever can. I…"
"Oh shut up," Duo said, and then pulled Heero to him and again they were lost in the passion of another kiss that neither had ever dared to dream would ever happen. When at last they separated, Duo put the chain around his neck and tucked it inside his tattered shirt so that it was as close to him as it could be.

"I've loved you, truly known I've loved you, before the Eve War was even over and I've lived every day since loving you more and more and yet fearing to tell you in case you didn't feel the same," Duo told him, unconsciously running his eyes over Heero's revealed body and though he was saddened at the wounds that he had inflicted there was also a thrill at seeing the nearly naked body of the person he loved mere inches away. "When you took my hand in the NightSky, I thought that my heart would leap out of my chest. I took a chance then and kissed you but I had no guarantee that you truly cared for me, until you came out onto the dance floor and kissed me in return. I've never been that happy Heero. Never. You have no idea, or maybe you do, how hard it was for me not to drag you into a corner somewhere and kiss you all night. I swear that I can still taste you from that night. If you want to move in together, I'm all over that. If you want to date as a couple for a while I'm game, but if you think what we've been doing the entire time we've been friends has constituted dating and you just want to be my boyfriend then I couldn't be happier…unless you intended this to mean something even more than that."
Duo grabbed the scythes through his shirt and hoped that Heero would say those magic words.

"I never want you leave me," Heero whispered, never breaking eye contact with Duo. "I've never loved anyone before, but I know what I feel and I know how much I want you with me. Marry me."

Duo could have sworn that he had blacked out for a moment with all the emotions coursing through him, but in reality he had just taken some time to himself to make certain that he wanted this. God did he want this.
"You couldn't get rid of me now even if you tried," Duo grinned, tracing a finger across Heero's chest. "You're stuck with me now, with or without a ring or anything, so you better get used to it."
"I think I've made a horrible mistake," Heero teased, grinning back. "Maybe I should have shot you in that hotel room after all."
"Oh, the Heero Yuy wit, I've been pierced through the heart again," Duo mimed, leaning back heavily in his chair as he faked being shot. "Just for that we're moving into my place not yours and you'll just have to live with the mess. Wait, did you say earlier that you cleaned it up?"
Heero nodded.
"All my germs and moulds, dead and gone!" Duo cried. "Oh the humanity!"

"Oh shut up," Heero laughed. "Now get me the hell out of here before I try and take you."
"Would you even know how to do that?"
The look Heero gave him was so full of lust and desire that Duo found himself blushing and feeling hot enough to start sweating.

"You've seen how much time I spend on the computer…what do you think?"

"Duo, I swear I'm going to kill you if you can't learn to put your clothes in the hamper!"
Duo smiled as he stirred the scrambled eggs that were cooking in the frying pan and started the toast, as they wouldn't be long.

It had been five days since the two had moved in together in Duo's home, their home now, and it had been some of the best fun that Duo could remember having. They hadn't left the house the entire time, ordering in their groceries or food and spending the rest of the time simply relaxing and being together. Heero was completely healed again, as was Duo, and that was fortunate for they had discovered just how passionate they were together. Hardly an hour went by when one or the other wasn't grabbing their lover and throwing them up against the wall or onto the couch and kissing them as though the world would come to an end. Duo lamented the day that the passion in their lives would fade, but given how young they still were and the shower make-out session that very morning he didn't anticipate that happening for quite some time. Duo smiled at the memory, standing under the water for nearly an hour just he and Heero lost together until at last the hot water expired and the icy blast destroyed the passion they had been building. Turning down the heat on the eggs to just keep them warm until Heero was done, Duo found himself somewhat frustrated that he and Heero hadn't gone the final step in their relationship and become physically intimate, but at the same time realized that there was no need to rush things and that mere sex could hardly compare to waking up in Heero's arms.

"Baka," Heero muttered, coming up behind Duo and wrapping his arms around him. "Leave your wet towel on the bathroom floor again and I will destroy you."
"Oh, that sounds like it could be fun," Duo replied, turning in Heero's embrace and facing him before embracing him back. "And just how would you plan on destroying me?"
Heero leered at him and Duo found himself feeling warm once again.
"Oh," was all he could say in reply to that look, and then they were merged together again, breakfast forgotten as they freed their long-suppressed desires again.

The moment stretched on for almost ten minutes before the ringing of a phone ruined it, a disgusted Duo pulling away from Heero albeit reluctantly, and pulled his phone from his pocket.

"Duo's house of pleasure," Duo said, causing Heero to roll his eyes at the comment.

"Scramble channel."

Meeting Heero's eyes and nonverbally telling him that something was up, Duo hit the encoding command into the phone and spoke into it.

"Scrambled."
"Good. First I'm going to ask that you two keep the music down after midnight. Some of us aren't madly in love and wanting to party all night."
Duo grinned and nodded at Heero when he mouthed Jackson's name. Jackson had moved into Heero's old townhouse and was a regular visitor when his activities would permit.
"We'll try, but when Heero commands a dance I can hardly refuse."
"Whatever. This isn't just a social call. I think I've found our mole."
Now any playfulness Duo was experiencing was gone and only the soldier remained. Hitting the speakerphone button so that Heero could hear as well, Duo asked Jackson to repeat what he'd said.

"I think I know who the mole is," Jackson repeated.

"Finally," Heero hissed, taking Duo's hand in his and holding tightly. "Who is it? Who betrayed us?"
"As far as I can tell you've never even met him," Jackson replied, clearly consulting the information he had gathered. "He's part of the data gathering department, been there for about two years, and seems to only have normal security access."
"Obviously he's more than capable of getting past our security if he compromised us," Duo remarked.
"Obviously. Regardless, his file is completely clean and that is what first caught my eye. No military record that I could find under the name we have, but if he can get around Preventer security programs than he could obviously create a false identity convincing enough to get him through the screening process."
"What's his name?"
"Paul Lloyd but his codename is Agent Loki."
"Loki," Heero muttered, drawing a look from Duo.

"Something on your mind?" he asked his lover.

"I'm not sure. There's just something about that name that bothers me. Let me think on it. Have you found any concrete evidence besides a shady past?"
Jackson audibly rifled through some papers over the phone before answering.

"Well for one thing, he was one of only a handful of agents that weren't at headquarters when Duo was reported to be gunning for Lady Une."
"So why don't you suspect the other agents?" Duo asked, confused by Jackson's supposed evidence.

"Because all the other agents were on well-documented assignments like your friend Wufei. Loki on the other hand, well there's nothing anywhere to explain why he ignored the call for all agents to return to headquarters that day. Not to mention the fact that he has a large number of absences from headquarters for someone in his position, and none of them have solid reasons or any orders behind them."
"Why didn't someone notice this before?" Heero demanded, upset that his and Duo's lives could have been lost because some paper-pusher hadn't done their job.

"Whoever this guy is he's pretty good. Everything was misfiled and hidden extremely well but not so well as to draw undue suspicion. All my instincts are telling me that this is the guy."
"Come over then and we'll deal with this," Duo told him. "Do you know where he is right now or how to find him?"
"As a matter of fact, I'm watching him right now inside his house and quite the house it is."
"How long will it take you to get here?"
"About thirty minutes."
"See you then."
Duo hung up the phone and stared at it for several seconds, making Heero somewhat concerned until his future husband, for that was truly what the gift of the chain meant to them both, turned and gave him a look of supreme satisfaction.

"We found the bastard," Duo said, pushing closer to Heero and tossing the phone onto the kitchen table. "Finally we found him."
"Yes, we did," Heero replied, a sly smile forming on his lips as he knew what was coming. "And we're going to wring a confession out of him before we kill him for what he did. Wait, now I remember what I was thinking earlier. Loki and Janus are both mythical historical figures that are considered two-faced, Loki even turning against the ancient Norse gods and siding with their enemies."
"Is there anything you don't know?"
"Do you have to ask rhetorical questions?"
"Have I told you lately that I love you?" Duo asked, knowing that he told his boyfriend that so many times a day it was impossible to keep track.

"I'm not sure," Heero replied, leaning in closer. "Perhaps you should tell me again."
"How about I show you?"

Duo tapped his foot impatiently even as Heero busied himself cleaning and test firing the assault rifle that Jackson had given him as an engagement gift. Duo had received one of the katanas that Jackson had wielded for so long. Neither had known what to make of the gifts at first, but had decided later that it was a small way that Jackson could begin to move beyond his past. Besides, the weapons were exquisite and even if they had never found Janus they would have hung them above the fireplace or on the mantle, reminders and memories of the past.

"How longs it been?" Duo asked, impatiently looking at his watch.

"Twenty seven minutes," Heero replied, without even looking at his watch, which irritated Duo to no end.

"Could you at least pretend that you had to check the time before you said that?" Duo whined, causing Heero to roll his eyes and punch him in the shoulder. "Put some music on or I'm going to go nuts waiting."
Soon dance music was reverberating through the house as Duo tried to calm himself in the face of his revenge. It might have been wrong or selfish or any number of other words, but the scars that New Horizon had left on his psyche demanded that Duo do something to exorcise his demons.

"I like this song," Heero observed, unconsciously bobbing his head and Duo smiled. It had taken some effort but Heero was a more regular dance partner now during their evenings. Not as good as Duo yet, Heero still managed to cut quite the figure when he moved and more often than not Duo ended up throwing him to the couch and ravaging him with kisses after only a few songs, so great was his desire.

"So do I," Duo replied, feeling those desires building again as he watched his lover groove to the beat. "Seriously though, stop the head bobbing or I'm going to tackle you."
"Head bobbing turns you on?" Heero replied, shaking his head in mock disgust. "For shame Duo. You need to learn some self control."
"Look who's talking," Duo laughed. "You nearly froze me to death in the shower when you started in on me."
"Hey, until we ran out of hot water you were enjoying it!"

"Well obviously. I think you have the bruises on your thighs to prove it."
That had Heero blushing somewhat, and Duo couldn't stand it anymore. Heero was too attractive, too amazing, and do Duo bore him down into the couch and met no resistance as he pressed his lips to his lovers and they wiled away the last few minutes until at last there was a knock on the door.
"We should make him wait," Duo breathed, smiling down at Heero.

"We should get our revenge first," Heero suggested. "And then celebrate for a week."
"That sounds way better."
Duo kissed Heero fiercely once more before climbing off of him and helping him to his feet. Leaving Heero to cover the door with the assault rifle, now loaded, Duo opened the door fearlessly and allowed Jackson in.

"Quite the welcome," Jackson observed, as Heero lowered the rifle. "I don't think I want to ask what you two have been doing while you waited."
"Not really," Duo agreed, grinning at Heero who smiled back. "You'll have to forgive us, we're a bit excited at your news."

"Shocking. I assume that we aren't considering simply arresting him and handing him over to Preventer?"

Duo gave Jackson a look that assured the other that there would be no substituting justice for revenge, not this time.

"Stupid question."
"Very stupid," Heero agreed. "We'll deal with the situation. All we need from you is to get us there and hold back the police if they arrive. Hopefully we can take care of all of this before they even get a phone call."
"Not too quickly," Duo cut in. "I want this Janus, or whatever the hell his name is, to suffer as much as I did."
"We don't have five days to do it remember."
"Oh, I already have ideas so don't worry about that. We need five minutes to pack up and then we can go."
Duo strapped on his stealth armor in record time, slotting throwing knives into every sheath and looking across at the selection of weapons he had arrayed on the coffee table.

"Do we care about subtlety?" he asked Heero, who seemed similarly torn as to his choices. "I mean, if you're taking that cannon with you, does it really matter if I bring a few grenades with me?"
"Not particularly. I'm taking the cannon, as you call it, and some 10mms. I'll leave the knife work to you."

"Good choice. Hmm, so many choices, what is a boy to do."
"Hurry up. I'm not getting any younger."
"Shut up or I swear I'll stick this sword where the sun doesn't shine."
"Baka."

Duo smiled as they bantered, somewhat distracting himself from the fact that he was contemplating cold-blooded murder. Murder. This wasn't self-defense any more, or killing in the line of duty. Killing Janus was nothing more than revenge, but Duo was certain he could sleep with that on his conscience.

"Help me get this settled," Duo asked, trying to get the sword secured over his right shoulder, and Heero helped cinch it down tightly. "Okay let's go. He has two names so its only fitting I carve him into at least two pieces to match. Jackson, get the car started, we'll be out in a second."
When the other was gone Duo faced his other half, or better half as Heero undoubtedly would state, and looked for any sign that Heero was uncomfortable with what they were about to do.
"Are you having any doubts about this?" Duo asked, stepping closer but not making any physical contact that might force Heero to answer against his heart. "If you do, I don't want you coming."
"Are you serious?" Heero replied, and at first Duo thought that he was grateful for a way out until Heero put himself toe to toe with Duo and smiled at him. "I'm with you, all the way. Even if you didn't want this son of a bitch dead, I do. He almost took the only good thing I have from me. So don't worry about me, just worry about you. Get this guy and we'll work through the rest together."

"Do you have any idea how much I love you right now?" Duo asked, rhetorically.

"Oh, I think I have some idea."
Duo kissed him then, nothing overly amazing but one promising more if only they could come home again.

"Let's go," Duo smiled. "It's time to end this."

They piled into Jackson's car, uncaring if anyone noticed them toting such an arsenal in broad daylight. They made the drive in silence, save for Heero as he checked and re-checked his massive weapon, not wanting one of the immense shells to misfire and jam the magnificent rifle.

"Stop playing with that," Duo whispered, elbowing Heero in the ribs that earned him both a glare and a chaste kiss. "Hmm, maybe I should tease you more often."
That time he got an elbow in his own ribs for his trouble and wisely shut up for the rest of the trip. Duo stared in amazement at the size of the home that they pulled up across the road from.

"Not exactly being subtle is he," Duo muttered, though Heero nodded having heard the remark.
"It looks like he's still home and alone," Jackson reported, regarding the mansion through the magnoculars he held in hand now.
"Then let us serve an eviction notice," Duo said, reaching down and flicking off the safeties of the machine pistols holstered on his thighs.

Seconds later Duo and Heero were making their way quickly towards the front door of the home, Duo in the lead with hands on the butts of his weapons. With no need for stealth, or indeed any desire, Duo gave the door a solid kick just to the left of the door handle and watched as it splintered in a number of places where there were hidden deadbolts to secure the door. In the face of Duo's new strength though they just weren't enough, and the door banged open, Duo pouncing through with his weapons suddenly in his hands and searching for the man he came to kill.

"I know you're here Paul Lloyd," Duo called out, listening intently for any sign that his quarry was moving towards then. "Or do you prefer Janus? Or perhaps Agent Loki? Come out unarmed and I promise I'll kill you relatively quickly. Make me work for my revenge and you'll suffer as long as I can drag it out."
"You truly are pathetic," Janus replied, his voice seeming to come from everywhere at once. "Do you think that I will just surrender because you managed to deduce my true identity? Agent Loki may have out lived his usefulness now, but another agent will not be hard to insert into Preventer if I so choose, and that agent will be one of my covert soldiers."
"Oh, I doubt you'll manage it a second time. Lady Une will already be changing all of our security measures. Your little plan required access to Preventer files and influence, and now you won't have that."
"I will find a way, I always do. I'm a survivor. I will survive your changing sides, I will survive the loss of access at Preventer, and I will survive today."
Duo swing left facing the dining room and saw a flicker of movement and opened fire, his enhanced strength making controlling the bucking pistols so much easier than the past. Moving forward Duo continued to rake the room with automatic fire, splintering the expensive oak table and chairs and wreaking havoc on the walls. When as last his weapons clicked empty, Duo took a moment to assess his reaction and chided himself for wasting so much ammunition. Heero would certainly bring that up on the way home. Replacing the spent magazines, Duo quickly crossed the destroyed dining room to the door that led to the kitchen and saw that a jacket lay on the ground near the door, hit repeatedly by weapons fire.

"Damn it," he muttered, toeing it aside and turning to Heero. "Go ahead and say it."

"Nice shooting Tex," Heero deadpanned.

Duo shot him a not too pleasant look but felt his heart leap into his throat as Heero raised his rifle blindingly fast and squeeze off a single shot that whizzed past Duo's head and took a plate-sized chunk out of the doorframe behind him. Knowing just what Heero had done, that being saving his life, Duo dropped low and spun around, pistols searching for Janus. Heero came up slowly behind him with the still smoking weapon held steady in his arms and braced at the shoulder.

Unsure of the safety of assaulting the kitchen blind, Duo holstered one pistol and pulled a grenade from his belt and activated it with his thumb before tossing it into the kitchen. Flattening himself quickly against the wall and drawing his pistol again, Duo nodded to Heero who also moved to the wall beside him. A thunderous explosion rocked the house and Duo was instantly up and through the doorway, but the kitchen was nothing but a smoking ruin with fires guttering amongst a smashed table and several overhead cabinets. Checking the debris for any bodies or booby traps, Duo spotted something dangling from a charred overhead cabinet.

"He's got the entire house wired with speakers," Duo muttered, tearing the small three-inch speaker from the last wire holding it up. "That's how he was projecting his voice."
"We can't underestimate him," Heero agreed, looking about warily. "To have gotten this far he is not likely to make a simple mistake."
"I'm glad you agree," Janus' voice rang out from the surviving speakers all around them. "You should have let the past be past, but now you will die like all those who have opposed us."
A rattling noise startled them both and had them looking around with their weapons searching out the source of the sound. Duo saw it first as a cylindrical object dropped out of the ventilation fan above the melted stove and clattered to the ground. Faster than he could imagine, Duo tackled Heero back into the dining room, protecting Heero with his own body. The grenade exploded spectacularly, incinerating anything remaining in the kitchen that had survived Duo's similar assault moments before, even blasting its way through the adjoining wall into the dining room, showering the prone pair with debris.

"I am beginning to dislike this guy," Heero observed.

"Join the club," Duo groaned, climbing off his lover and helping him to his feet. "He's upstairs obviously. Any ideas about how to get up there without using the one set of stairs that is sure to be booby trapped or have him waiting for us?"
"The only other solution I see is equally risky, but he may not have thought about it."
"I prefer your way to his. What do you want to do?"

Looking around the dining room, Heero selected the far right exterior corner and moved towards it before training his assault rifle upwards and opening fire. Six precise shots and suddenly there was a gaping hole in the ceiling leading up into the room above. Duo watched as Heero slung his rifle and cupped his hands.

"You better know what you're doing," Duo muttered, holstering his pistols and stepping up into Heero's hands before finding himself hurtling through the hole.

Landing with both feet on either side of the hole, Duo had his weapons out before he even touched down and found himself alone in a well-appointed bedroom.

Moving to cover the closed door, Duo heard Heero pull himself up and move up close.

Using hand signals perfected after years of fighting together, Duo motioned for Heero to cover him as he opened the door. With the rifle trained on the opening, Duo slowly reached for and opened the door, pulling it open with just enough velocity to open itself entirely while he dropped back. The door opened silently and when no bullets started flying, the pair headed for the door and Duo used a small mirror to peer around the doorjamb and look down the hallway. At first glance there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary, but as he looked closer Duo could see something protruding ever so slightly from another room farther down the hallway. Indicating to Heero that he saw something, Duo moved out and kept flat to the left-hand wall, knives and not pistols in hand this time. He passed a bathroom and peeked in for an instant and found it empty and continued on, at last coming to the bedroom door with what was obviously a silencer protruding from it. Turning to look back at Heero, Duo smiled at him briefly and then plunged into the room, driving his blades into what he found there and bore it to the ground. The silenced pistol fell from the mannequin's hand as it struck the ground, Duo's knives buried deep in its chest.

"What the hell?" Duo exclaimed, and then the closet in the hallway behind him exploded.

The fire washed over him but the closet door had muffled the worst of the explosion at the cost of it being turned into shrapnel. Wood splinters flew everywhere, several catching Duo across the back of the head but Heero took the worst of the punishment as he was out in the open. Duo could hear his friend's groans of pain and rolled off the mannequin in time to see Janus come out of the bedroom closet clad in stealth armor and wearing a number of weapons, not least the silenced submachine gun in his hands.
"Well played," Janus laughed, weapon trained on Duo. "If you had bothered to locate the cameras hidden throughout my home your plan would have worked. However, this is just one more indication that you were a failure. Thankfully where I failed with you I succeeded with myself."
"You used your experiment on yourself?" Duo asked, disbelieving his ears.
"Of course, though from the information gathered from your enhancement has allowed my scientists and I to refine the procedure. I am now beyond even you or your friend, who lies bleeding and dying in the hallway."
"Just one more thing for you to pay for," Duo hissed, readying himself for the coming attack.
"Perhaps one day," Janus grinned. "But you will not be there to see it."

Duo could see his attacker's finger tighten on the trigger and knew it was now or never. With a quick snap movement of his right wrist, Duo sent the spring-loaded knife cutting upwards and deflecting the barrel of the weapon just as it discharged, spraying fire into a wall. With only a heartbeat until Janus would be able to bring the gun back around, Duo was up and charging. He knew that the experiments performed on him had given himself increased strength and speed, but with Duo's adrenaline pumping and his mind screaming about Heero, he lifted Janus clear from the ground and smashed him through the wall. Drywall and studs shattered and splintered from the impact, which also caused the terrorist to drop his weapon, and the two ended up in a clinch in another bedroom.

"You continue to impress me," Janus grunted, holding Duo's arms at bay as the other tried to wrap his grasping fingers around his throat. "It is unfortunate that you would not side with us."
"Keep talking," Duo hissed, pressing forward another inch. "I'm going to enjoy watching the light leave your eyes."
Duo almost reached Janus but the other managed to get a leg under him and kicked out hard, sending Duo crashing into a dresser where he grunted in pain from the impact. Even as Duo recovered Janus was coming towards him, a knife stabbing for his chest. On impulse Duo reached up and grabbed the handle of one of the dresser drawers and jerked the drawer out free, sending it crashing into Janus' face and distracting him long enough for Duo to regain his feet and draw a knife of his own. Blood running down his face from a deep cut in his forehead, Janus was off guard and defended madly as Duo worked his blade with total precision, scoring a few glancing blows that mostly struck armor and failed to draw any significant blood. Finally Janus managed to swipe a hand to clear the blood, which had clotted at last and gave Duo a look of utter hatred and rage.

"What?" Duo asked, grinning. "You expected me to just roll over and die? Think again."
The two met again, blades screeching as they struck at each other again and again with lightning fast genetically enhanced blows. It would take hours for either to tire enough to make a mistake or be unable to continue and Duo knew that Heero could be gravely wounded. When Janus stabbed towards him again, this time Duo stepped into the move and grasped his enemy's wrist and squeezed the proper pressure points and caused the knife to fall from temporarily numb fingers. Striking hard, Duo landed a number of sledgehammer punches before decking Janus in the jaw and dropping him to the ground. Leaving the momentarily stunned terrorist on the ground, Duo made it out into the demolished hallway and found Heero still lying there though conscious and trying to move. He was riddled with jagged splinters, including several large ones through his right shoulder and side.

"Are you okay?" Duo asked, checking to see if the explosion had given his other a concussion. "Can you hear me?"
"I'm fine," Heero replied, his voice still strong though in pain. "I just need a few minutes. Behind you!"
Duo turned without thinking and his hands snapped out, six small knives spinning end over end and striking Janus in the chest and stomach, dropping him to the hallway hardwood, pistol clattering from his hands. Turning back to his love, Duo could hear Janus start pulling the knives from his body and dropping them to the floor but didn't care.

"Hurry up and get better," Duo joked. "We have a week of celebrating ahead of us remember?"
"Why do you think I've got so much wood?" Heero replied, referring to the debris all around him and the shards of wood driven into his body.

"That was awful," Duo whispered, before leaning in and kissing his lover. "I'll be back soon."

Turning and standing in a single motion, Duo already had his auto pistols out but Janus was gone, the bloodstained knives lying on the floor where he had been.

"You move pretty quick for a guy slowly bleeding to death," Duo commented, seeing that the trail of blood drops lead farther down the hallway towards what seemed to be the master bedroom judging from the open double doors on the left.

Nearly passing the stairwell, Duo heard movement and ducked for cover just as Janus came out from the master bedroom and raked the hallway with automatic fire from an assault rifle he had retrieved from somewhere.

"Heero, get into cover!" Duo screamed, hoping that his friend acted with his customary quickness despite his injuries.
The stairwell wall wouldn't provide cover for long so Duo popped his weapons up and returned fire, hoping to force Janus to seek cover as well. The roar of his own weapons were almost lost in the din of the assault rifle, but both of them soon drained their weapons and had to reload, Janus ducking back into the bedroom to do so and leaving Duo with rapidly dwindling cover to hide behind.

"Heero are you okay?" Duo called out.
"Just kill this guy already!" came the response, but Duo could hear the clattering of Heero's weapons on the tile floor in the bathroom and knew his friend was safe.
Incoming fire started to nibble away at Duo's cover once again and he knew that he would only have another few seconds to make his move before Janus finished him off. Grabbing another grenade and thumbing the timer to three seconds before tossing it back over his head towards the bedroom. A single round deflected off the top of the stairwell wall and punched into Duo's forearm, causing him to curse loudly and grab at the wounded limb to staunch the blood flow.

"Damn it," Duo hissed, squeezing the wound to give his new metabolism time to clot the wound.
A near-deafening explosion behind him made Duo smile through his pain and he was quickly moving forward again, auto pistols in hand. The master bedroom was a smoking ruin and from the flames came Janus, armor smoking and face covered in ash but otherwise very much alive. The terrorist tackled Duo who lost his weapons as he struck the floor in the small sitting room across from the master bedroom. Two quick punches snapped Duo's head back and forth, then the Preventer agent counterattacked by grabbing his attacker's armor and pulling him close enough to deliver a devastating head butt. Janus recoiled dazed, and Duo kicked him with both feet to the chest and knocked him into a wall. Duo was starting to feel himself slow, the few wounds he'd taken conspiring to weaken him just as rapidly as his failing adrenaline rush. Janus wasn't looking much better and in fact was even more badly wounded but having taken himself beyond even the experiments done to Duo, he was still more than ready to continue the fight. At least it seemed that way until he made a dash for the stairwell.

"What the…" Duo said, giving chase.

Hands snapping out every which way, Duo sent a virtual hailstorm of throwing knives at Janus who skillfully ducked and dodged them until he was out of sight around the curve of the stairs. Duo came pounding down and caught a knife in the left shoulder and went sprawling. Move knives came in, Janus now on the offensive but Duo was too quick and ducked into the living room, hearing knives driving themselves hilt-deep in the wall behind him. Reaching up and pulling the bloody knife free, Duo drew a 10mm and fired off a few rounds before darting out into the foyer.

It was empty.

Confused, Duo didn't see the shadow descending towards him until it was too late. Janus had used Duo's attempt to find cover to use an ascension gun to disappear up into the cavernous open foyer ceiling and wait. A boot knocked the pistol from Duo's hand and the other struck him across the face, stunning him and driving him to the ground. Duo tried to pull away but took another powerful kick to the chest and slide across the marble floor until he came to rest at the foot of the stairs.

"A valiant effort," Janus acknowledged, breathing heavily. "But you could never win."

Duo looked up into the face of his tormenter and smiled.

"But I already have," he replied.

Janus arched an eyebrow and then took several steps back when Duo suddenly covered his face with his arms. Those steps back had him standing with a flash grenade only a few feet beside his boots. It exploded with a blinding light and still unused to his modifications, Janus screamed as his optic nerve was assaulted rendering him temporarily blind. As he scrabbled uselessly at his eyes and tried to fight through the pain, Duo came up behind him and drove the katana through Janus' lower back, severing his spine before coming out his stomach.

"Told ya," Duo breathed in his ear.

Ripping the blade free with little care of causing any additional injuries, Duo flung Janus into the wall next to the stairs and left him there bleeding to death and paralyzed from the waist down. Aching all over, most notably from the bullet lodged in his left forearm, Duo made his way upstairs and met Heero coming down the hallway, most of the wooden shrapnel pulled clear from his body but still covered in a fair amount of blood.

"Looking hot," Duo smiled, wrapping an arm around the limping Heero's shoulders. "Thanks for doing this with me."
"I definitely think I should have shot you in that hotel room," Heero deadpanned.
"And I definitely think I'm taking you out for dinner when we get all healed up again," Duo replied, kissing his partner on the cheek. "Come on, I can hear sirens coming and I want us both to be there when Janus dies."
They slowly made their way down to the foyer and came to a stop, staring at Janus who was gasping for breath, left arm limp but right hand holding what appeared to be a remote detonator.
"I may die here," Janus burbled, blood bubbling on his lips and running down his chin, the ground around him already a spreading red lake. "But I will take you with me and without you, New Horizon will prevail."
"Aren't you New Horizon?" Duo asked, confused but also planning on exactly how he was going to save both he and Heero from the suicide of Janus.

Janus tried to laugh but it came out more as a gasping cough.

"I am but one arm of New Horizon," Janus replied, his outstretched arm starting to shake with the exertion of using the last of his strength to hold the detonator. "You have struck us a blow, but we are not finished. When I am gone you will be faced with more shadows to uncover and before you do, this government shall fall."
Even as Janus died and his arm started to drop, Duo dashed forward and flicked his sword blade up, taking the dead man's hand off at the wrist and sending into the air where Duo caught it, keeping the thumb pressed tightly over the dead-man's switch.

"That's disgusting," Heero grimaced, watching as his lover held the severed and dripping appendage tightly. "I suggest we get out of here before the police arrive and ask why you're holding a severed hand."

"But it's such a conversation starter," Duo laughed, as they made their way outside and towards the car where Jackson waited, arms crossed. "I guess you're right, I should leave it here."

Tossing the hand back over his shoulder, Duo heard it strike the path leading to the front door and the clatter of the detonator as it popped free.

There was moment when Duo thought that the bomb had been a bluff, that Janus was just attempting to mess with their heads one last time, and then the bomb went off. The heat and pressure were terrible, nearly sending the two flying to the pavement but they managed to keep their feet and turn to watch as successive explosions ripped the mansion into a million pieces and cast columns of smoke and fire hundreds of feet into the air.

"Pretty," Duo observed. "Got any marshmallows?"

"No, I have a large number of splinters however," Heero replied. "Are we ready to go home so that you can spend the next few hours pulling them out of my ass?"

"God, you'd think we were already married," Duo remarked, sliding the sword back into its scabbard.

"I'm already rethinking our plans in that regard."
"You do that and I'll stalk you forever."
Together they eased their way into the back of Jackson's car as he watched in disgust at the blood that they were getting all over his seats. As they escaped the scene of destruction to avoid entanglements with the local authorities, Duo and Heero pondered just what they would do with their revenge complete.

"I'm not sure I want to stay with Preventer," Duo admitted, expecting a scolding from Heero about not sticking through with his commitments.
"I don't want to stay either," Heero replied, causing Duo to emit a sigh of relief. "I only got in because of you, and that isn't a problem so don't worry. But now I want to do something I really want to do and maybe it would be something we could do together."

"Any ideas?" Duo asked, having a few ideas himself.

"Well, I was thinking of seeing if Quatre needed anyone for computer security. Or perhaps just starting my own business and doing the same. A piloting job wouldn't be too bad either, something like shuttle runs between the colonies and Earth or even just working for Quatre."
"I like both of those choices," Duo admitted. "I was thinking about maybe opening up a club. Given that I spend so much of my time in them, why not make some money?"
"Good point. We could do both really, you start your club and me fly around the galaxy."
"Just so long as you wouldn't be gone too long," Duo informed him, leaning over and resting his head on his lover's shoulder.

"That would be the whole point," Heero replied. "Any time away from you is a great time."
Duo punched him in the stomach for that one though not hard given that both were smiling at each other. Their future looked good now that Janus was out of the way, but Duo couldn't shake the fact that the rest of New Horizon could decide at any time to seek revenge for the loss of one of their members. Perhaps it was too soon to just throw away their skills and positions with Preventer…

"If New Horizon comes for us, we won't go quietly," Heero promised, almost seeming to read Duo's mind. "Just because I don't want to kill for anyone else anymore doesn't mean I plan to sit back when someone comes gunning for us."
"My god it's like we're of one mind," Duo exclaimed, drawing a look from Jackson. "Besides, I didn't really want to throw away all my toys. I mean this sword is awesome, and that cannon you have, I'd hate to have to see you leave it with Preventer."
"They'd have to pry it from my cold dead hands. Speaking of which, we maybe should have kept Janus' hand to see if DNA or fingerprinting could help us identify who he actually was."
"You'd have been carrying it then. That was creepy having to hold onto that thing. I was glad to throw it away."
"Baka."

Duo stood on the balcony overlooking the rest of the colony as Heero finished up in the kitchen. The penthouse was higher than almost every building around it and though it had cost a small fortune to buy, Duo was glad of it for such early morning views and for the peace it offered being so high above the rest of the bustling colony. He and Heero had moved four months earlier to the L4 colony cluster, to Quatre's home colony as a matter of fact for Heero was now head of Corporate Security for Winner Enterprises Incorporated, a position he seemed to relish the challenges of. Four months and the two had been married for nearly all of that. In fact it had been the first thing they had done after finding a place to live and moving in and it had been everything they had hoped it would be. Duo could still see Heero standing there before the judge, dressed in a tuxedo that made him look every inch the man Duo knew him to be. Only their closest friends had been invited: Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, Hilde, Sally, Relena, and Jackson.

Duo had tried to coerce Heero into a more elaborate ceremony but his love had refused to budge, saying that rather than spending a ton of money on a one-day party that it would make more sense to put that towards the new club opening. Knowing how much it would cost to start up his dream Duo relented. Despite the simple ceremony the party afterwards at the penthouse had been a raucous affair resulting in inviting the neighbors from the apartments below them to join in lest they call the cops. It had taken two days to clean up from that event, and Duo was certain that it had taken a week to catch up on his sleep.

Two months later Club Angel opened its doors to unending lines of people, partly due to the TV advertisements thanks to Duo's connections with Quatre and WEI, and also the public flyers and posters that Heero had designed and placed up all over the colony. Ever since that opening night there had been no slowing down and Duo found himself spending more and more time running the business and putting in face time and that made him concerned that Heero would become upset at his absences. If anything his partner in crime had been even more supportive, often helping out with the bookkeeping and supply orders, as Duo was more of a people person than a details person. Every time he saw Heero hard at work on something club-related Duo wanted to take him then and there for his dedication and support, but usually managed to restrain himself after the incident where Heero's laptop had been damaged during a rather impromptu lovemaking session on the living room coffee table. It had taken a week of apologies and the purchasing of an incredibly expensive new computer to pacify Heero. But behind all the joys and the incredibly, mind altering sex, was the threat of New Horizon seeking its revenge and taking away all that he had found.

It was a sobering thought but Duo managed to push those thoughts away by remembering that he had someone always at his back now, someone who would do anything it would take to protect him. The thought of Heero taking on the entire remnants of New Horizon when they made their move made him smile. Whatever they thought of themselves, the terrorists had no idea just who they would be messing with if they tried to take Duo Maxwell away again. Heero had told him everything about the days when Duo had been a prisoner of New Horizon, and it hadn't taken much for Duo to picture Heero striding through the hallways of the New Horizons offices and gunning down everyone in a cold rage for the loss of his love. Just how close he had come to truly going down a one way road hadn't escaped Duo, and he had done all he could to show Heero that his risk and efforts had not gone unnoticed. That session had taken a day to recover from and they had needed to replace a kitchen table and several doors. Two genetically enhanced soldiers throwing themselves at each other with a passion that would make the sun dim in shame seemed to cause a lot of damage so Duo was thankful that Club Angel was making a huge profit. Club Angel. It was a great name in Duo's mind, both simply because it was a great name and because it was chosen for what it meant to him. Heero was his angel and so what better way to always honor that than to have the most successful club in the colonies named for him.

"Duo, lunch is up."

Turning and heading back into the penthouse Duo saw Heero ladling out some chicken noodle soup into the bowls already on the table, a salad for himself and several tuna sandwiches for Duo. Though he was a vegetarian, Heero was willing to bend his ways for special occasions; however lunch generally didn't fall under that category.

"Looks good," Duo told him, pulling up a chair after kissing his husband and grabbing his ass and dodging the ladle that came arching in towards his head. "Mmm, tuna sandwiches, did you spice them up?"
"Do you see the word idiot tattooed on my forehead?" Heero replied.

"No, but I see the word sexy across your ass. Better come closer so that I can check."
Heero smiled at him and lunch was forgotten until they realized that Duo needed to eat and get to the club to get it ready for opening in a few hours.

"Sorry," Heero apologized, and that guaranteed another five minute session of him pressed up against the counter with Duo ravishing his lips.

"Never apologize for that," Duo whispered, finally pulling away. "Ever."
"Gotcha," Heero grinned, and tucked Duo's chair in after he had sat down. "So, how goes the club?"
"Great, but then you know that given all the work you put in. I know I say this every week, sometimes twice, but you don't have to help out as much as you do. I really can manage it myself."
"Never said you couldn't," Heero replied, and Duo considered throwing the sandwich half that he had in his hand at his lover. "But your skills aren't at bookkeeping, and we both know that. You're a people person. You need to be on the floor, not up in an office. If you can make me human you need to be the one greeting clients and talking up the promoters."
"You aren't just human," Duo pointed out, a mouthful of tuna making Heero roll his eyes at his bad manners. "You're superhuman and I love that, especially when I throw you through a door."
Heero let out a bark of laughter at that, and Duo couldn't help but join in, remembering how not all that long ago that his friend and now husband did everything he could to keep his emotions controlled. It was amazing to see someone truly relax and let who they truly were shine through after so many years.
Duo ate in silence for a moment, eyes settling on the ring that he had bought for Heero for their wedding day and wondered if his partner had ever taken it off. He doubted it but for some reason he felt compelled to ask.

"Nope," Heero replied, munching on his salad. "Why do you ask?"
"I don't know," Duo admitted. "I guess it was just something I needed to know. I don't think I've ever taken your gift off either and I don't think I could because I might lose it. You know me…"
"Oh I do," Heero admitted. "And I know that you're not so much worried that I've taken my ring off as you are worried that what we've been working so hard to achieve might be taken away if New Horizon comes gunning for us."
Duo looked down at his other sandwich and realized that he should have known better than to try and deceive Heero; no one could look right through him the way his lover could and with such ease.

"Maybe," Duo admitted. "I've tried to forget about the past and move forward, but the past is what has brought us together and shaped the future we're living in so I can't just forget it. I get the feeling that everything isn't over and that they will try again and I'm afraid."
"There's nothing wrong with that. Everyone feels fear; its part of being human and it can help you survive when an uncaring universe doesn't seem to give a damn how much you've suffered to build a life out of the blood and bodies that you've waded through for as long as you can remember. But remember this; they aren't just coming after Duo Maxwell or Heero Yuy anymore, they're coming after us and together we can take on anything."
Duo looked up from his sandwich and knew that what Heero said was true, all of it, and that there was also one last thing he needed to do before going to work.

"You finished yet," Duo asked, getting up and coming towards Heero who he had to assume knew what was coming.

"I could be," Heero replied, pushing his lunch away and rising as well. "Don't you have to be at work in an hour?"
"Since I own the place I think they'll understand," Duo breathed and pushed Heero up against the wall and then all was forgotten as they once again found the love that had gotten them through two wars and let it take control.

It was more than an hour later then they stood on the balcony together looking out over the colony wearing nothing but their underwear and not caring if anyone could see them holding each other.

"Are you coming tonight?" Duo asked, still basking in the afterglow of one of the most intense experiences of his life.
"Well I have all this laundry to do, and there's a special on TV regarding the new political relations forming between the colonies and Earth that I think I really should watch."
Duo missed the humor and looked at Heero oddly for a moment until Heero kissed him soundly and held him tight.

"Oh, I'll be there," Heero whispered, running a hand through his lover's hair and causing Duo to thrill. "Just make sure you have my bartender on duty. I need someone who can catch a glass thrown from twenty feet."
"You know what I want right now," Duo replied, pressing Heero up against the railing and running a finger down his exquisite chest towards his perfect stomach.

"You'll be very late," Heero pointed out, grinning and not putting up much of a fight.

"I don't care," Duo told him, pulling him with little effort towards the bedroom for a change.

Yes, Duo thought as he and Heero lay next to each other once again and happier than they could have ever imagined. Maybe something good can come from war after all or maybe even something completely amazing.

Looking over at his love's peaceful face Duo definitely found himself leaning towards completely amazing. And this was just the beginning. Who knew what the future would hold…

Well there it is, the third part of this three part story. I hope you enjoyed reading it because I loved writing it. I do have more ideas for more chapters and I would love to hear from anyone who thinks I should continue. Thanks for taking the time to read. 