"She used it again." Saber said as he looked at the readouts from one of the machines that were scattered around the room.
"On who?" Swift asked as she walked in, tucking her short black hair underneath a baseball hat.
"Some girl, I believe it was Winner’s girlfriend."
"Hm, she’s becoming more active, we should hurry up."
Saber nodded in agreement. "I also believe she’s planning something back in Zimbabwe."
"Huh? Why do you say that?"
"Because, she’s been contacting someone in that area several times already."
"This isn’t good," Swift sighed, "Where did Tech go?" She growled, referring to her impulsive and sometimes irresponsible husband.
Saber shrugged, "The last I saw him he was down by the showers."
Swift growled as she stormed off. Saber resisted the urge to smirk. The couple had been that way ever since he’d met them. Frankly, he didn’t know how their marriage had survived this long.
And he had known them for quite a while, for ten years, since his parents had died, the couple had raised him and trained him to be a soldier. They knew that the peace would not last. So they decided that a highly skilled soldier, trained from a very young age, would be ideal for their group; much like Heero Yuy was for Operation Meteor. Now, all Saber knew was the organisation he’d grown up in, the Averis.
He knew where his loyalties were, but lately he’d been questioning them. He knew that absolute pacifism couldn’t possibly work, but neither could building up secret armies. He didn’t know whom to believe in anymore.
Shaking his head clear of the thoughts, he went back to work, getting ready for another great battle.
~~~
"So did you have fun?" Jeff asked Helen as the couple returned from their date. They’d gone to see a movie, but neither of them really watched it.
"Yeah," Helen blushed. "I had a great time."
"We should do it again real soon." Jeff added as he inched closer to her.
"Yeah…maybe we should…" Helen instinctively took a step back, but strangely enough didn’t protest and Jeff placed his hands on her hips.
"Maybe we should try it right now…" He backed Helen up against her door and opened it as he placed a trail of kisses along her neck.
Helen moaned and titled her head to allow him greater access and led them both into the room. They didn’t bother to turn on the lights, but they also forgot to close the door.
Jeff’s mouth attacked hers, and his hands grazed her body roughly.
"Jeff, slow down," Helen said as she wrapped her arms around him.
Jeff ignored her and continued to kiss her frantically. He pushed her up against the wall and let his hands glide up under her shirt, his fingers catching on the fabric. He began to slowly lift it up, his mouth exploring every curve of her slender neck and shoulders.
Helen giggled, much to her embarrassment, and allowed him to continue. As Jeff’s tongue began to slide over the top of her breast, she opened her eyes and saw a dark shadow approaching them. Two more followed the figure and then the first one raised something above his head.
"Jeff look out!" Helen shrieked; she pushed him away just as the first man lunged at them. Helen felt something sink into her neck and everything went black.
~~~
It took until noon of the next day for the abduction to be discovered.
When Helen was called, and she didn’t answer. Some people went out looking for her. They checked the dorm room, and saw that it had been ransacked. The Preventors knew something was up.
"Quickly, someone call Miss Noin at the Yuy mansion!" Richards screamed. "Tell her that someone had kidnapped Lt. Helen Maxwell!"
~~~
"News spread quickly throughout the kids of Helen’s capture.
Duo and Hilde were among the most distressed.
"She's going to kill her!" Hilde wailed.
"Come on babe," Duo said as he held her tightly. "Have more faith in her than that. She’s the spawn of death himself after all. She doesn’t die without my permission." But his words didn’t help. Hilde started crying even louder.
Jasmine and Seth sat in the corner, and David hugged Alexis nearby.
"How could anyone get Helen?" Brittney moaned. "She’s so tough! I would have thought she was invulnerable, if it were possible."
"Yeah…" Agreed Jason. He’d been unusually quiet since he’s heard. If that bitch touches her I’ll…I’ll… He was snapped out of his musings when Noin entered the room.
"I knew this was a bad idea," She groaned as she sat down. "Everyone listen very carefully. We are going to attempt to rescue Helen, and it is not going to be easy. Everything _must_ go perfectly, or Helen will die."
"What a way to get our attention." Joel grumbled.
Noin and everyone else glared at him; he muttered something under his breath and closed his mouth.
"Now listen carefully, Cheryl has explained to me that she has some new information about Cassius’ methods of warfare."
"What…?" Wufei hissed. "You’ve been holding out on us, woman?"
"I’m afraid so," Cheryl sighed. "But only because I wasn’t really completely sure of its existence. But I’ve heard what’s been going on lately, and I think that the rumours just may be true…" She paused.
"Get on with it, Mother," Brittney sighed.
"Well, ever since Brittney and I first started researching the Matatara, we heard rumours that they were in possession of a machine, which emits brain waves to a selected subject causing severe hallucinations and emotional stress, usually while the subject is sleeping."
"Um…can you repeat that in English, please?" Duo asked in annoyance.
"Basically, it creates dreams or visions, of Cassius’ choice, of course."
"What!" The group gasped.
"So that would explain our common dream before Indigo’s birthday, and my vision in the mall…"
"And the rest of our weird dreams…" David added, "And I thought I as just going crazy from the stress."
"You were crazy before this war even started." Joel snorted. "Of what use is this information?"
"Well…once we rescue Helen, we may be able to use it against Cassius. She’s already highly unstable. If we make it worse, she may, hopefully, have some sort of breakdown, rendering her helpless.
"Insane, but it just might work." Seth grinned. "Let’s get started."
~~~
When Saber heard of Helen’s capture, he was on a shuttle and on his way to New York in minutes. He still held a great deal of respect for his former instructor, even if she did send him to prison. He felt it was his duty to help her.
Noin guessed that Helen had been taken to a Matatara base situated underneath New York City. Travelling through the underground tunnel system was disgusting, but the security was almost non-existent. Probably because of the rats, smell, and raw sewage, not to mention that anyone who spent too much time down there would probably contract some form of radiation poisoning.
"This is absolutely disgusting…" Indigo winced as she picked her foot up out of the sludge and wrinkled her nose.
"Just keep going," Jason grumbled. "We’ll be out of here soon."
"Remind me why we decided to come this way." Brittney complained.
"Hey! Would you shut up back there?" Jason, who was at the front of the group, screamed.
"Remember why we’re doing this!"
"At this point, I’d be glad to risk death by the Matatara." Seth grumbled under his breath. He was lucky Jason didn’t hear him.
~
"I think this is the entrance." Jason said as he ran his hands over the steel grate in front of them. "Indy?"
Indigo stepped up beside him and looked at the maps. "Yeah, this looks like that place," She agreed, "But…how do we get in?"
"Leave that to me," Seth chuckled. He fished something out of his bag and proudly displayed it to the rest of them. "Watch carefully," He instructed. He flipped a switch and a small, red laser appeared from the top. He then used the laser to cut the steel grate and open the passage.
"Finally!" Indigo sighed with relief as she stepped up and out of the waste they’d been walking through."
"You think any of us will get sick?" David asked worriedly.
"There’s not time for that now! Keep moving!" Jason growled. He stepped through the opening and led the way.
~
Getting into the base after that was a lot easier. They downloaded the guards’ shifts from the Matatara computers and were able to avoid them for most of their journey through the base. But the problem was, the entire place was built as a labyrinth, and even with the maps it was nearly impossible to find their way through.
"I think we’ll have to split up," Jason said finally.
"I agreed," Seth piped, "David and I will go south, Joel and Indy west, and Jason, you and Brit can go north."
"Fine with me," Jason said in response. "We’ll capture a few shuttles to get out again."
The others nodded and they all split up into groups.
"I’m guessing the prisoners’ cells may be somewhere over here," Jason said, pointing at a location on the map, but we need to figure out how to get there."
He frowned as he studied the map. "Let’s try this way." He pointed down a hall and led the way.
~
"No, that not the way…" Jason sighed as he marked their rout on the map he had been given. By now the page looked like a child had gotten to it. It was scribbled on and coloured almost beyond recognition. They’d been wandering the base for nearly three hours now.
"Maybe if we went down there…?" Brittney suggested.
"No, that will just take us back to where we started." Jason retorted, a little too harshly. Brittney drew back. Jason had been acting strangely ever since he’d learned of Helen’s capture.
"Come on," He said finally, "Let’s go down here." He grabbed Brittney’s arm and dragged her away.
~~~
Saber had studied the labyrinth base many, many times before, and he knew the routes almost by heart. The design of the base was it’s main defence, so there weren’t many guards around the perimeter. The few that were there he took care of easily.
Once inside, he headed straight for where he knew the cells were.
He was halfway there when he heard voices through the vents.
Carefully, he climbed up and peered through a grate. He found himself looking down into a hallway on the other side of the wall.
"We’re lost, we’re never going to find her now," It was Jason.
"Come on Jason, don’t give up, maybe one of the others will find her…" Brittney said, trying to comfort him.
"No! Don’t you see? We’re never going to find Helen, and we’re never going to get out of this place." Jason sank to his knees in despair and shook, probably with tears. Brittney frowned and knelt next to him, but nothing could comfort the frustrated teen.
Saber rolled his eyes; he was upset with them. They were giving up on Helen, just like that? They were cowards! Both of them!
Snorting, he turned and went back on his way. If they wanted to quit, they could go ahead, but he would not let his instructor fall into the hands of the Matatara.
~~~
It was the cold and dampness that first woke Helen from her drug-induced slumber. She moaned as she opened her eyes and looked around. The surface she was lying on was stiff, and seemed to be made out of cement. Although, she was lying under a few thin, nearly transparent sheets.
"Glad to see you’re finally awake." Someone beside her said. Helen turned her head slowly and looked to see who it was. Jeff lay beside her on the bed, his arms draped over her, keeping her warm.
"Jeff! You’re OK!" She cried. "Where are we?"
"We are in Cassius’ headquarters." Jeff replied calmly. "But don’t worry, the guards don’t come by often."
"How long have I been out?" She wondered.
"A little over a day," Jeff shrugged, "But it’s OK, I didn’t mind waiting."
"Huh? Waiting for what?"
"You know, with all this time alone together, we can finish what we started back in Zimbabwe. You do remember, don’t you?" He leaned over and started sucking on her neck.
"Jeff! This is not the time!" Helen hissed as she shoved at him, but she discovered that her muscles were still weak from the drugs.
"Come on babe, relax, no one’s gonna know." He slipped his hands up her shirt and squeezed her breast. Helen shut her eyes tightly and tried to ignore the pain.
"Jeff, I said no!" She shrieked. She tried to kick him, but he just got more aggressive. Jeff held her down and ripped at her clothes.
Helen didn’t know what had gotten into him. Jeff’s eyes flashed with lust and madness.
"I’ve waited so long for this," He grinned, looking her over. Helen’s chest rose and fell with each laboured breath she took. Jeff was straddling her at her hips, grinning maniacally. He gripped her wrist tightly, holding them above her head. Helen was consumed with fear. She knew exactly what he was after, and she could see no escape.
Jeff grabbed the fabric of her shirt and tore it off her body. Now she was lying there in her bra and jeans. She shivered as Jeff forced his knee between her legs.
"Why," She choked, "Why are you doing this?"
Surprisingly enough, Jeff gave her no answer. He just grabbed her bra and ripped the hooks off it, pulled it off her body and tossed it aside.
Helen saw his lust increase as he stared at her naked chest.
"Wow…" He leaned over and took one nipple into his mouth. In the meantime he was working on undoing her pants. Helen squirmed and tried to fight him off.
Jeff finally managed to get her jeans and underwear off and dropped them on the floor next to her shredded shirt and bra. He pulled off his own clothes and tried to force himself inside her.
"NO!" Helen screamed and fought harder, kicking her legs and flailing her arms, trying to overpower him. She knew it was of no use, but she wasn’t about to lie there and let him take her.
How had Jeff changed so much? He must have been with the Matatara! He was the mole! How could she have missed it? How could she have been so stupid?
Thinking back, there were so many signs!
"You can’t dwell on this. That Cassy chick is the one who pushed the button, remember?"
"Cassius," Helen corrected.
…
"I have one more thing I want to show you, but uh…maybe I should change first?"
"Alright I guess…I’ll wait for you."
…And then the Preventor files had been hacked into.
"Helen, what is taking so long?"
"I have to find clothes that aren’t dirty!"
"I kinda left my money back in my room. I’ll be right back…"
…And then someone had placed bugs in the conference room…
"So where are you going?"
"Egypt, the Nile river."
…And then the Egyptian Preventors had been attacked, and their mission compromised.
Idiot! Saber had been innocent! It was Jeff all along! Helen was determined not to let him take advantage of her. She growled and bit down on his arm, hard.
"Ah! Bitch!" Jeff hissed. He wound up his fist and punched her in the face. Helen winced and felt warm blood pouring from her jaw.
"Now hold still!" Jeff ordered. Helen did not obey. She kicked and scratched and punched and bit, and anything else she could think of to slow him down. Jeff was getting impatient, she could tell, and he pulled back to punch her again. Helen squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the blow.
But it did not come. She opened her eyes slowly and saw Jeff being pulled off of her and onto the ground. Her rescuer was tall and thin, but she could not make any more details. He punched Jeff in the face several times, until he stopped getting up.
Helen was relieved, but also suddenly aware that she was naked. The reality of the situation hit her hard, and she rolled over to hide her body, as well as her tears.
The person draped a blanket over her and wrapped it up tightly around her body. She shifted slightly to see his face.
"S-Saber…?" She gasped. He said nothing as he slipped his hands underneath her and picked her up. Helen wrapped her arms around him, accepting the protection he offered her.
To Saber, Helen seemed like a little child as she clung to him. He carried her slowly out the door. As he left, he saw Brittney and Jason run up and stop in front of the door.
Jason’s jaw fell to the floor when he saw the shape Helen was in. The sight of Helen, bleeding and wrapped up in an old blanket, being cradled in someone else’s arms was enough to make him want to scream.
"What are you doing here?" Jason hissed. "Put her down!"
Saber only glared at the pair. "You have failed her."
Jason was stunned. What did he mean? And why was he helping Helen? Wasn’t he supposed to be with the Matatara? But no...Jeff was the one trying to hurt her! Saber had saved her.
Jason balled his hands into fists and clenched his teeth; he shouldn’t have let this happen. He should have known it was Jeff.
As he thought about what Saber had said, he realised he was right. He had failed Helen. He couldn’t protect her, and he couldn’t save her either. He should have kept going, instead of giving up on her.
"Jason, stop sulking and let’s go," Brittney’s harsh voice cut into his musings.
He looked up and nodded. "Ok," The two followed Saber through the halls, and back towards the hanger where they would meet the others.
