Infinity's End

Chapter 7

 

 

L-2 Colony Cluster

Colony U-571

 

                The Gundam pilots flew in formation toward the typical-looking space colony.  It slowly rotated on its axis, bright lights twinkling from the city built within.  Duo studied the lights thoughtfully.  He had been to this colony often during his Sweeper days.  Each colony had its own distinct personality in spite of their similar construction.  This one had been one of his favorites; their downtown had a party atmosphere that he loved.  The braided pilot glanced down at his radar console, wondering where the mobile dolls were going to attack from.  Heero had predicted that the Arys' army would be coming from the colony's moonside.  Somehow he had found out that Infinity was using the mobile suit manufacturing plant located on the lunar base.

                "That Heero.  Always manages to stay on top of things."  Duo fired the Deathscythe's reverse thrusters as Heero's Gundam slowed in front of him. 

                "She's here.  Take care of the dolls.   I'll take care of Arys."   Heero's voice was monotonic, as usual.  Behind the colony, the now-familiar sight of mobile dolls appeared on the viewscreen. 

                Quatre smiled slightly.  "Bring her back to us, Heero.  If anyone can, you can."

                Heero nodded and his face disappeared from the comm screen.  The Zero slowly headed toward the mobile doll army, setting a course straight for the lone Gundam hovering in the center of them.  

                The Nataku and the Heavyarms shot forward toward the closest contingent of mobile dolls.   Quatre and Duo hung back, waiting for the dolls which would circle the two approaching Gundams.  

                "You think we can win this one, Quatre?"  Duo asked, tightening a hand around the flightstick controlling the energy scythe.

                Quatre's voice was sad.  "We've got to, Duo.  Arys' life depends on it."  Quatre looked off in the direction of the Archangel.  "Actually, Arys' life depends on Heero."

                Duo's laugh was cynical.  "I think it's the other way around."

                Quatre looked down at his friend's face, wondering at Duo's insight.  "Perhaps you're right."

                Their conversation was cut off as a wall of mobile dolls slammed into the Sandrock and the Deathscythe.   The two Gundams simultaneously pulled out their weapons.  The Sandrock yanked its two scimitars from behind its back and raised them over its head before crisscrossing the two blades in front of itself through two mobile dolls.  The two Virgo IIs glowed with an inner light before sliding apart in two halves and exploding into a blossom of yellow fire. 

                The Deathscythe whirled its double beam scythe once before ripping it through four mobile dolls that had surrounded it.  The dolls floated aimlessly through space for a few microseconds, their torsos split in half.  They disappeared in a torus-shaped circle of flaming clouds.  The Gundam stuck in the middle of the circle blasted through the clouds like a bat out of Hades, undamaged. 

 

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                Heero flicked on the switch that would activate the Zero System.  It had been a long time since he had used the dangerous battle system.  He had been tempted to remove the Zero System from both his and Arys' Gundams.  Now, he wished he had.  Arys had said to him that, in spite of the Zero System's ability to drive a pilot insane, it did have its uses.  He had the Zero pull out its beam saber for defense while he went in to get Arys.  His Gundam was not responding.  He frowned and looked down at his hand.  It was trembling.  What was he afraid of?  He clamped his hand around the flightstick and the Zero finally pulled out its beam saber.  He let the Zero System take him.

                Within the space of a mere thought, he found himself standing in a dark room.  He scanned the room, hoping that Arys would take the bait.  Smoky clouds filled the room, turning his surroundings to a light gray, but the smoke did not affect Heero's lungs.  He had to keep reminding himself that the room he stood in existed only in his mind.  He resisted the urge to unholster his gun and stood silently, waiting. 

                A slender form appeared within the clouds, dark in comparison to the light-colored smoke clouds drifting around it.   The black silhouette coalesced into a familiar figure.  Arys strode forward until she was only a few feet in front of him.  Her gray eyes were distant.  One hand was arrogantly propped on one hip.  The other hand held a gun.  

                Heero stared down the barrel of the gun as Arys raised it to point straight at his chest.  An icy smile broke the frozen emotionless surface of her face.

                "Very clever, Heero Yuy, your using the Zero System to find me." 

                Heero stood easily, relaxed on one foot, tensed on the other.   He and Arys had often practiced hand-to-hand combat at the Preventer Headquarters.   The move he was about to do was one that always brought her down.  She insisted that it was an underhanded move, but Heero would just smile when she complained.  He had never tried it with guns involved, but with a few modifications, the technique would work.

                The smile faded from her lips.  "Goodbye, Heero Yuy.  You were a formidable enemy."  Her finger tightened on the trigger.

                Heero dove forward, straight toward the gun.  The pistol fired, but Heero had predicted its trajectory and was already moving in a direction that would allow the bullet to miss him.  It whizzed over his shoulder, and Arys stood dumbfounded as Heero knocked the gun from her hand.  Heero tackled her around the waist, and with a resounding grunt, he and Arys fell to the ground.   Arys struggled to get out of his grasp, but Heero's strength far outweighed her own.  He staggered to his feet, holding her against his chest with one arm and wrapping the other around her neck to keep her from moving.  The back of her head pressed against his chest, and he could hear her breathing heavily.  

                "What are you going to do with me now?"  Arys asked after regaining her breath. 

                Heero forced himself to remember that the Arys he held was not the one he knew.   "I'm trying to save your life, Arys."

                Arys snorted loudly.  "From what?  I don't need saving..."

                Heero wanted to turn her around so that he could see her eyes, but he knew she would only take advantage of the movement.  "You do need saving, Arys,... from yourself."

                Arys' body relaxed slightly.   He could sense the confusion she was feeling.  "I don't understand."

                When Heero realized that he was getting through to her, he turned her around and gripped her shoulders.  There was still that steel look in her eyes, but it had softened slightly.  "Arys, you are human.  Do you understand?  You are not Infinity."  Heero took her hand and placed it over his heart.  Her eyes widened in surprise at the contact.  "I have a heart."  He placed her hand over her own heart.  "You have a heart."  She looked down at her hand.  A tremor quaked through her.   Heero gazed into her eyes, saw the steel wall beginning to bend underneath the thoughts going through her mind.   "Tell me, Arys.  Does Infinity have a heart?"

                Arys shook her head.  Heero's hands slipped from her shoulders to hang at his side.  "I'll give you a choice, Arys.  You can come with me, or you can stay here.  If you stay here, your humanity will be lost forever."

                Arys began to laugh, but it was not filled with mirth.  It was a cynical sound.   The laughter stopped as quickly as it had begun.  "I lost my humanity long ago, Heero Yuy."

                "You returned my humanity to me, Arys.  I know you don't remember."

                Arys' tone was sarcastic.  "And how did I do that?"

                "You loved me."

                The look on Arys' face changed slightly as she searched his eyes.  "You're telling the truth."

                Heero nodded.

                "Isn't this sweet?"  A voice matching Arys' emerged from the dissipating smoke clouds.   "Just like in all fairy tales, the hero comes for his true love."  Infinity laughed as she strode into the quickly darkening room.  "Too bad he dies at the end."  Infinity aimed a gun at Heero.

                "No!"  Arys flew toward the sentient AI, and the two tumbled to the ground.  

                "You fool!"  Infinity shouted as she tried to jerk herself out of Arys' hold, but the two were equally matched in strength. 

                Arys reached for the gun Infinity held and slapped it from her hand.  "I'm not the fool here."  She grunted as Infinity straddled her, reaching for her neck.         

                Heero watched in horror.  He could not tell which one of the two women wrestling on the black ground was Arys.  He unholstered his gun as they staggered to their feet.  Both were unarmed.   Which one was Arys?

                "Shoot her, Heero Yuy.  You can end this battle."  The Arys on the left pointed to the other.

                Heero looked into the eyes of the Arys on the right.  There was something about her eyes...  She noticed his gaze on her and smiled sadly.

                "Kill me, Heero.  It's the only way to save my life." 

                Strange, it wasn't her statement that convinced him.  It was the look in her eyes.  For a moment, he had seen the Arys he knew.  A flicker of the love he remembered.  He turned to the Arys standing on the left.

                "Sayanara, Infinity."

                The gunshot reverberated off the high ceiling of the black room.  It hung in the air like a heavy shroud as Infinity collapsed to her knees, clutching reddened hands to her chest.  Her form melded into the blackness surrounding them.  A smile crossed her face from ear to ear as her body began to fade like a Cheshire cat.  The last thing to remain were her eyes and her mouth.  Her eyes glowed dangerously as she spoke.

                "This isn't finished yet," she whispered threateningly before the last pieces of her faded away.

                Arys stepped toward Heero, a slight smile on her face.   She took his hand.   "Thank you."

                Heero looked down at her, eyes filled with concern and questioning.

                The smile blossomed fully.  "Thank you for giving me back my humanity."  Her smile was replaced with a frown.  "But I'm afraid I still don't remember you."

                Heero took her arm.  "We can fix that.  Let's go."

                Together, the couple walked off into the dense blackness, their forms gradually blending in with the dark walls around them.