Part one

Act one

Chapter one

Wound

~*~

The year is 196 and on the night of Christmas eve the eastern half of the US, in the airia of Main, was curently expiriencing one of the more fearce winter storms of the season. Along the choppy coast, near the city of Portland, an old industrial building lay partly hidden among the snow and ice laden trees. It was a sprawling complex, red streaks of rust ran from it's icy roof all the way to the thick white snow drifing here and there on the ground. Standing next to the building were three silent gients that duwarfed the inconspicuious industrial building. Each gient was diferent in coloring, one black, another green and gold, and the third white and blue. The details were blured in to obscurity by the winter flurry. Near the feet of these gients a door was open slightly ajar, now and then swinging as the wind blew it. In side the door a dim and dingy hall way leading in to a seemingly dark and opressive oblivion, the only sings of life being wet foot prints leading in and out of sight down the pasage way.

For a long while only the haunting howl of the wind could be heard. Then, like distant thunder, rol of gun fire echoed and re echoed from some unknown place. It grew louder and after a moment mens faint voices could be heard between the burst of fire. Together the voises and the guns became more clear and pronounced untill individuals could be picked out. Small bursts of gold and amber iluminated the dark passage way and the sent of gunpowder drifted and mixed with the pine of the world out side. Men could be seen in the breef rounds of light. One man in particular stood out. He was burly and dark in complection.

The man lowered his weapon and gleared. “Seal this exit off! Don't let them come this way!”

A dozzen men gave crisp 'yes sirs' as they continued to fire. Though they were willing, and even eager, to cary out the order to thier fullist they were not expirienced enough to stop thier rapidly aproaching enimy. Sudenly a burst of light iluminated the eintier aria. Them men cryed out in pain and fear, then droped thier weapons.

“We can't see!” One cryed.

The burly comander swore and blinked, trying to clear his visson. He gropped for a gun in the chaos as two runing figures aproached. His fingers felt the but of one fallen gun. Instantly the gun was thrust to his sholder and he fired. One of the figures stumbled and almost dropped the disks he was carying. But he managed to recover and return fire. The shot landed squairly in the comander's right arm and he droped the weapon. He swore again, frustrated, and watched the two escape in to the cold night out side. Growling he grasped his radio.

“Call out the moble suits, the enimy has escaped!”

~*~

Heero stumbled in the snow and gasped. “Duo, take these.”

Duo hesitated and waited for Heero to catch up. A small trail of red followed the foot prints back to the industrial facility. Duo grabed the disks and looked to the sorce of the bleeding. Heero's stomach was awash in crimson.

“You going to be all right?” Duo asked. “It looks prity bad.”

“Just get to your gundam.” Heero grunted. Then he stoborny pushed forward.

Duo watched Heero for a moment before he turned towards his suit. Before he could reach the foot of his gundam a female voice caught his ear. He turned and squinted in to the blizerd. Brekke was rushing towards them. She apeared to be unharmed.

“Hury and get out of here!” She called as she got closer. “They are sending suits out”

“OK. We have the disks.” Duo called back. Then he asended his lead rope and climbed in to the cockpit. He stuffed the disks in to the side of his chair before tugging his harnes on. Heero's image apeared on the screen of his gundam as soon as he started it up.

“Duo, hury and get the disks out of here, I'll cover you and Brekke.”

“You sure? I mean I may just be mortal and all, but you *were* shot, Yuy.”

“I'll be fine. Just go, this is importent.”

“Yeah yeah, you all ways do the flashy super man stunts.” Duo sighed. “OK, I'm leaving. But don't hesitate to call for back up if you need it.”

Heero gleared at him. “Duo, it's more importent to secure the information on that disk than any thing else.”

Duo frowned. “Heero...” Before he could finish his sentence his Gundam alerted him to aproaching enimy suits.

“Hury up Duo.” Heero said grufly. Then the comunications window disapeared.

Duo grumbled his frustration as he shifted his gundam in to flight mode. As it took off he scanned Heero's gundam, Wing Zero. It was charging in to the battle head on. Brekke's suit, Guardian Angel, was transforming in to it's bird mode. Her face apeared on his screen.

“What's up Brek?” Duo asked.

“Heero gave me the boot. He seemed a little agitated. Did you give him a lot of touble?”

Duo smiled a little. “Yes, but that's not his problem. He was shot.”

Brekke's eyebrows creped up. “Realy? Is it a bad wound?”

Duo shruged as best his harnes would let him. “I couldn't tell. I didn't get a chance to see it. It's a gut shot, but Heero isn't human. I'm sure he'll just ignore it untell it heals over.”

Brekke forced a smile. “Sure he will. Now let's get out of here, we'll be late for the party.”

Duo grined. “Hay, that's right. I almost for got about that.” He pushed his Death Scythe to go faster. “Wouldn't want to miss that.”

Brekke chuckled, then sobered a little. “I sure hope Heero knows what he's doing.”

Duo nodded, his eyes touched with wory. “Me too.”

~*~

The suits were a dark gray hilighted by silver and white. They were small and fast like hornets, yet seemed to handle like a clumsy child was piloting them. They slowly began to work more smothly as time went on, though, and the battles were becomiong more and more fearce. Heero grunted as one suit pumled his Gundam from behind. Then bit back a groan as a second suit slamed in to Wing's side. Aperently they were learning how to fight with a gundam.

The wound in his belly was ozzing blood down his shirt and in to his lap. Every jar to the gundam turned the ozzing breifly in to a steady streem. It didn't hurt like Heero knew it should have and that woried him. Hypothermia could dull his sences to pain and, in this tempiture it was very likely. It was cold in his gundam, dispite the heating system, he could see his breath.

Trembling slightly, he knew not if it was from the cold or shock, he reached up and swiched scanning views. He knew he had destroyed well over two dozzen suits out of posibly thirty, but now there seemed to be three score out there, looming just out side of the flurie's visibility range. He had no idea ho many more were hidden in the aria. It could be a hundred, or a thousand. The odds were bad, more than he could handle in a timly maner. Not to mention with a wound as deep as the one he had. Human or not his body only had so much blood to loose.

With a shaking hand he reached out and did the only thing he could think of. He typed in the word “ZERO”.

~*~

Duo bit his lip and opened the chanel between Death Scythe and Guardian Angel. “Brekke, I want to give you the disks. I'm going back in to that fight. Heero is taking to long.”

“Are you woried about him?” Brekke asked. She seemed a little suprised.

“Yes, arn't you?”

“I think he can handle him self.” She said.

“I do too... still...” Duo let the sentence hang for a moment. “We have no idea what sort of suits those were. Did you get a look at them?”

“Yes. They wern't very big. But I have no idea how many there were.”

“Let's land. I'll give you the disks and then you can take them back to base. Even if Heero's fine I can at least help him do things faster. We wouldn't want him to miss out on our first Christ-mass pary.”

She smiled. “Ok. There is a clearing up ahead, we can land there.”

“Greate, I'll meet you down there.”

~*~

Heero grit his teath as he tried to focus through the ZERO systems mind numbing efects. The suits were easy for both pilot and system to track, but there was and odd, almost tinny feeling, disturbence in the program. At first Heero had ignored it, but now it was slowly becoming more intence. He could 'feel' the metalic twinge etching it's way in to his brain. After a while he could taist it... almost. And smell it... almost. Last of all his eyes started to see the world askue... almost.

He wondred if it was from the wound. He had lost an alarming amount of blood. But that couldn't be it. If that had been it He would have felt weaker. Not odd like this.

He managed to toss a fiew suits aay from him before the feeling had creped in to his shoulders. A small buzzing with in his brain clouded his mind further causing him to lose

track of a fiew suits. Then a fiew more. ZERO demanded rather bluntly that the Batle should end. It was imposible for Heero to continue. How ever Heero wondered where he could go. The suits were every where. He couldn't retreat, they woud simply follow him. Yet ZERO was right, there was no way he could win against some thing his mind was refusing to follow.

He fought through the thinest part and tried to sicure a getaway point. But they blocked him. Grimacing he pulled back and looked over his situation. There was no way out of this fight. So as long as he was surounded he might as well give it his all.. or die trying.

~*~

Duo and Brekke had met breefly; the second she had the discs sicure Duo had again taken off. He nervoisely thumbed the controles for his scythe as he activated the suit's cloaking device. The last year had hightened his instincts for war enough to know that Heero did need back up. He knew full well that in even the most dire situations Heero could take care of him self. Never the less Heero rarly fought with such a wound, and almost never in such conditions of weather. Not to mention that they had not expected these strange new suits. It was enough, Duo mused grimly, to knock Heero down, even if it was only a litle bit.

He aproached the sight and slowed to a hault, eventualy landing at the tree line. Wing Zero was battleing full force in the center of a relentless army. The suits were well built and tough, but seemed clumsy. Dispite the awkward movments they were now over powering the mighty Wing Zero. Sudenly one managed to knock it over. In an instant they were all tearing in to the gundam like vultures on a carcus.

Duo took a breath before he pushed his suit in to a lunge.

~*~

Heero cryed out more from the shock of the unexpected blow than from the pain it cause. ZERO was demanding the fight to end and now Heero rather despretly wanted the same. Never the less he wasn't about to let the system contrle his thoughts or feelings. As he tried to get his barings he again felt the tinny, metalic sensation in his mind and body. It was rather like a wall preventing him from fully engaging with the ZERO system.

For a moment he wondered what to do. He didn't have time to try and figure out what was wrong with his system. And he defenetly didn't have time to disengage it. Yet he didn't trust it. The normaly warm, yet harsh pulses he would feel were being distorted. It was almost as if another program was braking in to his mind. It was a frightining thought, especialy in the middle of a loosing battle. Breefly he wondered if he should atleast try to turn the system off, but as soon as he reached for the controles a suit blasted Wing Zero front and center.

The force was tremendous and it thrust Heero back painfully. After a moment the shock war off and he realised the gundam was prone. It had been knocked flat on it's back. He tried to get it to move but the suits had piled on top of it. For a fiew moments Wing Zero managed to endure the strain. Yet it culd not endure for long. The powere, system by system, failed. As the ZERO systems fadded a huge surge of cold energy rushed through Heero's brain. He gasped and fell back in to his seat. As he blinked back the spots in his viussion the screens and the lights faded. Then he heard the heatter turn off.

Slowly the tinny feeling fadded, but in it's place was a hollow emptyness. It was most nausiating. Heero swalowed and reached out for the controles he could not see, but the jarring from the pack of suits was keeping him from gather ing his barings. Then the fighting died down and his suit lay still. Carfuly he worked and coaxed some power back in to his mecha. As the screens flickered to life the looming out line of Death Scythe met his exhausted gaze. The huge black suit was being swarmed by the smaller suits.Each mecha stood out in the white wash of faling snow.

Grunting and fighting back a wave of nausia Heero forced his gundam to sit up. Then, with more pain now than before, Heero move the gundam to it's feet. He felt the suit stager as her pushed it forward. Every motion it made caused his nausia to double. He felt as if he would retch if he didn't constantly fight it back. Just as he was about to give up and satisfy the urge to empty his stomach the comunication system beeped.

He swalowed the rising bile before responding to the hail. Duo's woried face greted him.

“Hay, you are alive... whoah.. but just barly.”

Heero gleared. “How many suits are out there?”

“I have no idea. But it loooks like a heck of a lot.”

Heero frowned. “They are moble dolls of some sort.”

“I gathered that. Even a rooky just out on the batle field can pilot better than most can walk.” Duo frowned this time. “How on Earth did they manage to over power you?”

Heero grimaced. “I'm not sure. Why arn't they afecting you?”

“How should I know?” Duo asked. Then he grunted as he was slamed back in to his seat. “They sure do know how to pack a punch though.”

“Agreed. We should spread out and attack from oposite sides.”

“Roger that.”

Heero cut the comunications and pulled his limping gundam east ward as Duo piloted his towards the west end of the clearing. The suits spread out and Heero picked as many as he could off. Duo was taking them out with his scythe. For a wile between the two of them it wasn't much of a battle. Then with out warning Heero's suit was tackled from behind. The force of the blow knocked Wing Zero to the ground. In an instant Duo's Death Scythe leaped in to the air and dove on the ofending attacker. The dark gundam sliced the smalr suit in half and it exploaded.

“Heero? You all ri... arg...”

Heero watched as a dozzen or so suits jumped on to Duo's gundam.

Heero swalowed and bade his gunmdam to roll on to it's side. Taking ame he fired and shot a fiew small suits off, but more came.

Heero frowned and forced his suit to sit up. Then turned his comunication system on. “Duo, they seemed to finaly figure out attack plan out.”

“That's just peachy.” Duo grunted. He was so far managing to keep his gundam on it's feet.

Heero pulled Wing Zero in to a standing position as a fiew advanced towards him. “It's as if who ever is piloting the system that controles the dolls have never been in a batle before.”

“Maybe it's some sort of AI.” Duo replied.

Heero thought about the posibility for a moment while he fired on a fiew suits that were closssing in on him. If AI was the controling factor than that would explain why theu were so disorginized. AI can be programed to do many hundreds of thousands of things, but only by learning could it put any of the information to use. Still, Heero wasn't sure that Duo was corect.

“Let's split up again... This time don't fire, I want to test some thing.”

“Are you craz...”

“Just do it.”

Duo grumbed, but followed his orders. His gundam leaped in to the air and landed near the tree line. Half of the suits followed him. After a second or two they started to fire. Duo made no atempt to return fire. Heero how ever doubled his efforts. He managed to keep the suits off of Wing Zero and at the same time pulled an efort to keep Duo's gundam from being swamped as well.

“Is this doing any thing for you, Yuy?” Duo asked after a moment.

“Not yet. Wait just a little longer.” Heero replied.

“It's your ammo.”

Heero grunted and continued to fight for the two of them. Then, as if a swich had been pulled, all of the suits converged on Duo's gundam.

“Whoa... what are they attacking me for?”

“Because you seem to be defenceless.”

“That's what they think.” Duo smerked.

“Duo, wait...”

Before Heero could finish Duo dragged his scythe through five of the small suits. They exploaded and sent his gundam flying back in to the tree line.

“Duo?”

“W-wonder what they thought... of that.” He gasped.

Heero shot him a glear through the com. “Think before you act.”

Duo grumbled some thing and shot Heero a glear of his own. “I did.”

Heero ignored him as now the suits were again splitting up to attack each gundam equaly. This time however there were far less suits than there had been.

Heero readied him self for more fighting as Duo got his gundam to it's feet. Duo waited untill the suits were with in his range before he took them out with his Scythe. Heero on the other hand used his cannons. That was untill his Ammo ran low. Heero growled a curse.

“What?” Duo asked, the com still open.

“I'm almost out of amunition.”

“I can take the rest if you want to get back to the base.” Duo offered.

Heero thought it over for a moment. His gundam had cooled drasticly sence the power had gone down. In the batle he hadn't stoped to reactivate his heater. He was cold now, and the wound was starting to hurt. The odds were, however, much better now that Duo was present. Even with the wound Heero was confident that all the suits could be distroyed. If only he used all the advantiges open to him. “No. I want to make sure the suits here are eliminated.”

“Well, if that's what you want.” Duo said flatly. “But I don't think...”

“I'm going to use the ZERO system.” Heero inturupted. “You might want to stay out of my fiering range.”

Duo frowned. “You'd shoot me?”

“I'm not saying I would aim at you.” Heero replied, then he cut communincations. He reached for the key board and hesitated for a moment. Some times disitions were automatic, some times they needed carefull planing. Heero was traped in the place between. With out giving it much thought his other hand reached down and touched his wound. He was cold and he was no longer bleading. It wasn't a good sign and he knew it. He took a breath and carefully typed Z-E-R-O.

For a moment nothing happened. Then a suit slamed in to Wing Zeero. The ZERO system kicked in as Wing Zero fell towards the ground. In the back of Heero's mind some thing 'popped' and then he slamed back in to his seat. The gundam shuddered as the suits attacked all at once. But Heero. for the moment, couldn't move. He could feel every vibration through his body. His right hand lay limp over the controls and his left over his blood soaked uniform. The world fadded in to a streak of white and he felt the ZERO system come on full in the back of his mind. But his attention was slowly drawn else where.

A girl... the mission he had been sent on... it had been warm that day. It is always the right tempeture in a colony. And he had seen the field of flowers that never really die. That was where he ended up. Laughing, feeling that he had done some marvelous thing...

She had the sweetest eyes... the girl... and her puppy...

His bloody fingers reached up and touched the comunication's board.

The building was in danger... a mobile suit was falling on it... both collapsed...

“Duo...” He shuddered as his mind was pulled at by the past. He licked his dry lips. “Don't let them...” He shut his eyes and gasped.

Now it was burning... He was running - looking - calling to her...

“Heero? What's wrong?” As Duo's voice filtered through the cockpit memories filtered through Heero's mind.

Then he was at her side.

Heero's eyes opened and he slowly grasped the gundam's controls.

“Heero? Heero talk to me.”

The building was in danger... a mobile suit was falling on it... both collapsed...

"I know you can hear me... I'm not leaving you here alone... I'm not."

He had seen the girl run in to the building. She had been laughing, playing with the puppy. Now it was burning... He was running - looking - calling to her... Then he was at her side. And the puppy... limp, still warm from the run, grass clinging to the paws...

"Heero, come on, at least let me know if you are still awake. Heero?"

“Duo?” Heero gasped. He shook his head and reached for his helmet. His fingers were to cold to get the chin clasp unfastened.

“Tell me what's wrong.” Duo said firmly.

“I... I don't...” He closed his eyes and grit his teath. More Moble suits were on his gundam. He could hear them taring the metal apart.

She had the sweetest eyes...

A wave of nausia hit Heero and he had to swalow to keep from gagging.

“You don't what? Heero, talk to me!”

“ZERO... stop...”

~*~

Duo cut his way through another suit and finaly made his way to Heero's gundam. The suit was being shredded by the last handfull of dolls. One of the dolls had even managed to pry some of the gundainium off of Wing Zero's shoulders. Growling in both frustration and anger Duo charged the offending mass. He slamed as many off as he could to get some distance between Wing Zero and them. Then he sliced them through and watched in hollow satisfaction as they exploaded. Then he charged and took out a nother fiew. Finaly there were only a couple left. Crying out Duo charged and slamed them both clear in to the tree line. Then he dove on them like a cat. In an instant they erupted in a fire ball. When the flames died down there was nothing left off the battle but debries.

“Heero?” Duo piloted his batered Death Scythe back to Wing Zero's side. “Heero, say some thng, any thing!”

Heero's only reply was a groan of pain. Cursing Duo tore his harnes off and opened his hatch. As quickly as he could he desended on to Wing Zero's masive batle torn chest and popped the hatch. He scrambled in side, not expecting to find Heero in the state he was.

Blood was every where and Heero's helmet was streaming blank batle information to his mind. Duo quickly unbuckled the helmet and yanked it off of Heero's head.

Heero moaned and coughed. His eyes blinked a fiew times before they opened compleatly. “Duo?”

Duo sighed with relief. “Are you all right?”

~*~

“Are you all right?”

The words seemed to filter through a thick fog untill they finaly registered. Heero tried to find the words he wanted, but the same fog was not alowing him the coherency to compleat the task. He heard him self cough a couple of times before the word 'cold'. came to his mind. He must have spoken out out loud because Duo removed the harnes Heero was still traped in, then took his own jacket off and wraped Heero up in it.

“Hold on Hero, I'll get the heater started up.”

Heero nodded. The fog was lifting. “Where are the suits?”

Duo looked up from the controles and smerked a litle. “I took them out.”

Heero nodded and closed his eyes. “Good.”

He heard Duo accessing Wing Zero's main control grid. Then after a moment the heater kicked on. “Duo?”

“Yeah?”

“What happened to the disks?” He oppened his eyes. Duo was rummaging through his first aid kit.

“Brekke has them.”

Heero nodded again.

Duo pulled some gloves out out of the Kit and put them on. Then he pulled out an ace band-aid wrap. “Heero, I know your probibly tierd, but try to prop your self up on your elbows, ok?”

Wordlessly Heero comlied. Duo slid closer and wraped the ace Band-aid around his stomach. After it was tightly bound and sicured Duo pulled it away from the wound and packed the aria with gauze. “You can lay back again.”

Heero lowered him self slowly back in to the seat.

“Think you can manage to get your gundam upright?” Duo asked.

Heero nodded.

“Good. I'll be standing by in Death Scythe if you need me.”

Heero nodded again.

Duo cast Heero one last woried look before he stood and climbed out the hatch. Heero sighed and let his hand rest on the band-aid over the wound. he took another moment to orient him self before he atempted to deal with Wing Zero.

~*~

Duo sat down in his own seat and watched as Wing Zero's hatched closed. Then it slowly roled and pitched untill it could get a footing and pull its self up to a kneeling possition. A fiew minutes after that it stumbled up on to both leggs. Duo reached out with his own gundam and steadied Wing Zero. Together the Gundams made thier way out of the cleaing and in to the woods.

~*~

Brekke was puting the finnnal touches on her Cristmass decorations in the hanger (a last minute suprise for the boys) when the hatch doors flew open. A gust of blizrd air rushed in and nearly knocked her from her place on top of a latter. She squinted against the snow and ice as Death Scythe entered half draging and half carying Wing Zero with it. Terror griped her as she watched Duo burst open the hatch to Death Scythe and scrable over to Heero's gundam.

“Shut the doors Brekke!” Duo shouted.

She jumped off the ladder and rushed for the door controles. The moment she had ordered them to close she turned and charged for the two gundams. Duo had disapeared in to the battered and broken Wing Zero.

“Duo, what happened?” Brekke shouted.

He stuck his head out and shook his head. “I'm not sure. Go get some blankets.”

She turned abruptly and huried for the suply closet. Then she returned as fast as she could and asended the Gundam's lift roap. When she arived on to the plat form of the hatch she bit back a gasp.

Heero was only half awake. His skin was dark, dusky blue, and his breathing was quick, jerky and shallow. He was shivvering and his brow was awash with sweat.

“Heero?” she asked tentivly.

“Hand me a blanket.” Duo said gently. She handed him one and stepped back.

“Heero, try to stand up.” Duo said as he unfolded the blanket.

"Can't..."

"Do it." He said firmly as he edged in and warped Heero's arm around his shoulder. “Come on I'll help you.”

Heero took a breath and forced his body up and out of the chair. Duo held him steady as he wraped the blanket arounf Heero's shoulders.

“Good.” Duo mumbled. “Now come on, let's get out of here.”

Heero groaned as they made there way out on to the hatch.

"Heero, do you think you can make it onto the foot hold?" Duo asked him quietly.

Heero shook his head. “No.” Pain was clearly writen on his face. It was a rair thing to see from one who could set his own broken "Brekke, I think we need a hand down."

“Right.” She stood and entered Heero's gundam. From there she lifted the gundam's hand and watched as Duo lead Heero in to it's palm. Then she gently lowered the hand to the ground, making the Gundam kneel in order to do so. Carefully Duo helped Heero to the floor. Brekke huried out of the cockpit and joined them.

“What happpened?” She asked.

“I don't know. He activated the ZERO system and just went blank. He also lost a lot of blood, as you could see.”

Brekke nodded. “We need to get him to bed.”

“Agreed. Come on Heero, it's not far.”

Heero moaned and leaned against Duo's sholder but made to protest. Slowly the thre of them made thier way deeper in to the base.

~*~

Heero felt him self being lead away from his gundam and he could hear the voices that he knew belonged to Brekke and Duo. He could understand the words and, if he tried hard enough, he could answer thier questions. But the fog was growing thick again and it was hard for him to tell if he had spoken aloud or mearly thought the reply.

The room he was in was dark then and he felt him self being lowered on to some thing soft. Duo was over him then, his hand resting on Heero's head just under the bangs.

Heero closed his eyes and forced him self to think through the fog. “Duo?”

“Just relax, Heero. Try to rest.”

Heero closed his eyes and nodded, Duo's hand didn't let up with the motion. Slowly the fog thickened untill Heero slipped in to a reatsless dream filled with he memories of a girl and her puppy.

~*~

Chapter Two

Santa's Helpers

~*~

Trowa entered the dimly lit hanger and parked his truck next to the battered form of Wing Zero. He frowned as he looked the battered gient over. What ever had happened to it had been rough. There were several places where the gundanium armor had been torn from it's fassets.

The wall behind the gundam was a glow with the twinkeling of cheary cristmass lights. They sparkled and reflected off of the tatered gundam. Standing tall next to Wing Zero was Death Scythe. Thugh the strung up festivity lights reflected off of it's armor it seemed to suck the very light i to it's self. Like some opressive balck hole.

“Trowa?”

He turned and looked towards the door way to the rest of the base. Brekke was standing threre, tears in her eyes. “Hay, what's wrong? Arn't you happy to see me?”

She shok her head and stood looking a little lost. “It's not that.”

Trowa shut the truck's door, his frown deepining. “What happened? Did the mission go badly?”

She nodded. “I-I think Heero is dieing.”

Trowa cast a look up at the battered gundam. Then he looked back at Brekke. “The suit didn't take enough Damage to kill him...”

She hung her head and her sholders shoook a little.

Trowa left the truck's side and walked up to her. He pulled her in to his arms and rested his chin on her head. “You had better take me to him.”

She nodded and then pulled out of his embrace. With a trembling hand she took his arm and lead him in to the hallway.

~*~

Duo looked up from his bed side post and smiled faintly. “Trowa, you made it.”

“What happened?” Trowas asked, ignoring Duo's greeting.

“I'm not sure, but Heero was shot. Then a little skermish sort of draged out for to long.”

Trowa stepped up to the bed side and pulled the covers down. Heero had been stripd to the waist and his abdomin had been washed and bound. Heero's face was tight and pale; his expression that of rugged pain. Trowa laned down and picked up Heero's hand. He rubbed the skin over the knuckles for a moment before speaking. “We need to start an IV. He's lost a lot of blood and is clearly dehydrated.”

“I'll go look for the medical suplies.” Duo said. He stood and streached.

“Be quick about it.” Trowa said as he took Duo's seat.

Duo left and Brekke stepped up next to Trowa. “What can I do?”

“I'm not sure. Have you given him any thing for his feaver?”

“No. I didn't think giving him any thing with a gut wound would be a good idea.”

Trowa nodded and thought for a minute. “Then we'll need some ice. Do we have any?”

“Yes. I'll go get some. Any thing else?”

Throwa thought for a moment more. “Wet wash rags. We'll want to wrap the ice with them.”

“I'll get them.” Brekke said. “Any thing else?”

“Sally was a medic, right?” He asked.

“Yes.”

“I was in contact with her not long ago. She said she would be spending the holiday with some family members in New York. Try and get ahold of her.”

“But there's a storm. Even if I get a hold of her I she wouldn't be able to make it untill late tomorrow.”

“Heero will last that long. I'm sure of it.”

She nodded and left the room, promising to be quick.

When she was gone Trowa sighed and looked down at Heero. “You just can't stay out of trouble can you?”

Trowa's only responce from the pained youth was a weak moan.

With a sigh Trowa reached over then and pulled the blankets back up around Heero's shivering form. Unable to do more than that Trowa sat down to wait. As he watched Heero a frown slowly touched his slim face.

“Heero, you are still looking for honor in death, arn't you?”

~*~

He was in the most desolate of places. Death all around him... only death...

A girl... the mission he had been sent on... it had been warm that day. It is always the right tempeture in a colony. And he had seen the field of flowers that never really die. That was where he ended up. Laughing, feeling that he had done some marvelous thing...

"You already died a long time ago."

"...to die with honor."

She had the sweetest eyes...

"...a long time ago."

"I know you can hear me... I'm not leaving you here alone... I'm not."

"...with honor."

"You already died..."

“Hay, you are alive... whoah.. but just barly.”

"...with honor."

"...a long time ago."

"Heero, come on, at least let me know if you are still awake. Heero?"

"I was supposed to die with honor."

She had the sweetest eyes... the girl... and her puppy...

Heero yelped and shot stright up in bed. The sudden motion sent him in to a spiral of dizzyness and nausia causing bile to rise in his throat. Acting quickly he rolled and retched on to the floor. Blood and bile was the only thing to come up. As he emptied his stomach he felt a hand rest on his shoulders.

“Well, that answers one question.” It was Duo's voice.

“I supose.” That one belonged to Trowa.

Heero grunted and pushed him self up on to his hands and knees. Duo knelt down in front of him and held out a roll of paper towels. “Here.”

Heero took them and wiped his mouth off. “Thanks... uhh... move.” Duo stood and stepped back as Heero retched again. After a moment his stomach eased up again and he sat back, shaking and sweating.

“I was going to ask you what you wanted for brakefast when you woke up but...”

Heero gleared at Duo. “Uhg... no food.” He closed his eyes and swallowed.

“Actualy, Heero, if you want you can eat. The bullit missed most of your intestines.” Trowa informed him.

“And just how would you know that?”

Trowa was about to answer but Duo spoke up first. “Ah.. Santa came last night and fixed you up.”

“Santa?” Heero asked with one eye brow lifted slightly.

“Actualy Sally came up.” Trowa answered. “She canceled some fancy dinner with her family to help you.”

“She did?” Heero asked.

“Yeah, she just up and left her family right before dinner.” Duo replied.

Heero was silent for a moment, contemplating. “Is she still here?”

“Yes.” Trowa rose out of the chair he was sitting in. “I'll go inform her that you are awake.”

“Tell Brekke too.” Duo said. Troa nodded once and left the room.

Heero layed back down and grunted. “What happened?”

Duo pulled up the chair Trowa had been using and sat down. “Well, after Trowa came he sugested we call Sally. Brekke called and as soon as the storm cleareed up Sally took the earliest flight up to Portland and drove here. She patched you up and then desided to stay here for Christmas instead of trying to make the flight back to New York.”

Heero frowned. “What day is it?”

“It's Christmass.” Duo replied. “So Sally did play the part of Santa.”

“Santa doesn't really exist.”

Duo frowned. “Your no fun.”

Sally entered the room as Duo was speaking. She smiled warmly and walked up to Heero. “How are you feeling?”

“Better than I did last night.” Heero admitted. “But not much better.”

Sally's smile fadded a little and she took his hand. “You gave the other's quite a scare, you know that?”

Heero glanced at Duo who nodded. “All I was concerned about was getting the job done. I don't really care what happens to me.”

Duo and Sally exchanged woried looks. “But we care, Heero.” She said gently. “So try and take better care of your self. OK?”

“Fine.” Heero grunted.

“Promis me?” She asked, her thumb rubbing the back of his hand.

“Yeah, sure.” Heero mumbled. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Duo frowning. “I prommis.” He added, a little quieter.

“Good.” Sally gave his hand a squeeze before letting it drop. “I should go see if Brekke needs any help with the cooking. Keep an eye on him Duo, let me know if he needs any thing.”

“I will so long as you hurry that dinner up.” Duo said with a smile.

Sally chuckled and left the room. Heero watched her go, then turned his eyes on to Duo.

“You don't have to baby sit me.”

“I'm not baby sitting you Heero.” Duo replied. He shifted and started to play with the end of the braid. “I want to know what happened out there.”

Heero gleared at him, then layed his head back and closed his eyes. “I'm not sure.”

“Some thing happened with the ZERO system.” Duo let the tip of his braid drop and looked up in to Heero's half clouded eyes. “It didn't look good from my point of view. I'm going to guess it wasn't much better from yours.”

Heero was silent for a moment. Ten he proped him self up and turned towards Duo. “It may have been because I was injured, but...”

“But?”

“But the ZERO System felt diferent.” Heero fell silent again for a moment. “I'll look it over latter to find out what it was.”

Duo nodded. “Sounds like a good plan.” He leaned back and streached. The light caught his features and showed off the dark circles under his eyes. He yawned then and streached a little further.

Heero's brows fell together. “How long have you been here?”

Duo shruged and bit off hte end of his yawn. “Uh... sence we got back last night.”

One of Heero's lowerd brows twiched, then lifted. “Why?”

Duo, caught off guard, fumbled for an answer. “Uh... well... you were prity torn up... It's a holiday...”

“Duo.”

Duo let his shoulders sag, though he smiled a little. “Well, you had me woried. But Trowa was here most of the night too.”

Heero's face returned to a dry, unfeeling, expression. “Go to bed, Duo.” He then gingerly layed back down. “You did a lot of fighting too.”

“You let me know if you need any thing?” Duo asked.

Heero shruged. “I'll be fine.”

Duo hesitated a moment before getting up. “You sure?”

“I'm fine.” Heero insisted.

Duo sighed and walked to the door. “You wern't fine last night, just so you know.”

“I'm fine now, Duo. I'll see you later.” Heero heard Duo grumbled under his breath as he opened the door. A moment latter the door shut and Heero was alone. Frowning he wondered what exactly had happened with the ZERO System.

And the dreams. What of the dreams?

~*~

Chapter Three

Christamas Time

~*~

Brekke was standing in the center of the large kitchen with a turky waiting to be stuffed sitting in front of her. She bit her lower lip and looked over all of the ingredents one more time before finaly aproaching the task. SHe had just shoved the first hand full of stuffing in the bird when Trowa entered the room. Brekke looked up and whiped her hands on her jeans.

“Hay. How is Heero?”

“His feaver broke and he finaly woke up.”

Brekke sighed in relief. “That's good. What about Duo?”

Trowa shruged. “He looked all right. He's woried though.”

“We all are.” Brekke said softly. “Heero doesn't normaly fall so easily.”

“It's a mystery.” Trowa said. He sat down and picked at the bowl of stuffing. Brekke gave him a quick frown.

“Leave that stuffing alone till we all eat.”

He let the crumbs fall back in to the bowl. “Sorry I'm just...” Before He could Finish Duoentered the room and ploped down next to Trowa. Duo looked over all of the food quickly before grabing a hand full of stuffing.

“Heero gave me the boot.” He said, then shuved the stuffing in to his mouth.

Brekke frowned. “Duo, plese don't eat the food untill dinner time.”

He looked up at her, then over at Trowa. Trowa nodded.

“Sorry.”

“So...” Brekke said, changing the subject. “...Heero gave you the boot?”

“Yeah. But I think he just wanted some more sleap before he went to lok over his gundam.”

“I had a lok at it.” Trowa said. “Even with the parts here in the Base he'll never get it fixed.”

Duo frowned. “Don't be too sure of that.”

Brekke chuckled. “I don't think he'll take your parts this time Duo. He'd have to fight you for them.”

“Even though he is injured my money lies with Heero.” Trowa said with just the slightest hint of humor.

“Thank you for your vote of confadence, Trowa.” Duo roled his eyes.

“Siriously, though, how are we going to get the suplies to fix the gundams?” Brekke asked as she crammed a nother hand full of stuffing in to the turky.

There was a moment of silence as the three pilots thought. Then Duo snaped his fingers and grinned. “I have an idea.”

“What?” Trowa asked.

“Nope, It's a suprise. Now... where is Sally?”

~*~

Sally looked up at Duo with a smile. He had bounded in minutes ago with a very intreuging request. “Yes, I know where he is. Infact I was tempted to ask him to join me for dinner tonight. but then my family called. Then you called.”

Duo grinned. “Well, it still isn't dinner time yet here. So maybe, just maybe, it'll work out tonight.”

Sally folded her arms. “It might. For you gundam pilots a lot of things are posible. but how are you going to get him here?”

Duo thought for a moment. “I... have no idea.” He looked pt off, but still determined.

“I'll call him.” Sally said. “And we'll see what we can do.”

“Thanks Sally, we owe you a lot.”

She shrugged. “You pilots deserve the brake. Besides what are friends for?”

~*~

Heero rolled to his side after an hour or so of little sleap. Slowly he pushed him self to a sitting possition. Then, carefully, he scooted off the bed and stood up. When he didn't stumble or fall he felt confadent he would be all right. He walked a little stiffly over to the door and oppened it. The light fronm the hall stung his eyes causing him to blink. He reached up and shadded his vission as he waited for his eyes to ajust. Then he stepped out in to the coridor.

He had studied the lay out to the base several times before ariving at this location. The first and most striking thing about this place was that it wasn't a building but a space ship. One that had crashed several years before. There was a cargo bay, where the Gundams were now being held, that was tooo small to sugest it had ever been used as a freight ship. More over it had been armed once sugesting that it had been a battle cruser of some sort. The crue aria, kitchen, mess hall and recreation hall were all embedded deep with in the earth bound vessel where they would be saffer from any attacks. There were manny weapons and battle stations to act as a defence in case the ship had ever been boarded. The bridge it's self was quitposibly the most vunrible spot on the top of the vessel loking over it's long hull and wide frame. The ships design was sturdy and efficiant, wich is exactly why Heero had chosen this place as the new Gundam Earth Base.

Dispite all of this knowladge Heero now fond him sellf quite lost. He hadn't been awake enough to observe where Duo and Brekke had taken him the night before and he wasn't sure if he had ever even been in this part of the ship prior to now. This did not deture him, however, from continuing his self aponted task. Finding his Gundam and assessing the damage.

Heero's eyes finaly ajusted and he stepped out of the room he had awoken in. faint on the drifting air was the sent of some thing cooking. He reasoned that he must be near the kitchen. The air was comming from the left end of the hall. He closed his eys and tried to recall the exact lay out. After a little effort and some guess work heero came to the conclution that he needed to head towards that cooking smell. He would need to pass the mess hall and kitchen in order to get to the Aft cargo bay where his Wing Zero was.

Taking a breath Heero started out down the hall and winced as each step caused more than a little pain to race through his belly. Normaly things like this wouldn't bother him, he would be able to block the pain mentaly. The fact that he couldn't do so only added to the mystery of the dreams and the strange encounter with the ZERO system. Never the less he tried to ignore it as best he could as he made his way down the dingy white coridore.

By the time he arived near the mess hall he was clutcing his stomach and strugling to get a full breath of air in. More iritated than actualy woried Heero cursed under his breath. He stopped and leaned against the wall to rest for a moment. As he caught his breath he streached back and rested his head against the cool metal wall. Absentmindedly he plased his hand over the wound and sighed. He stood like that for a moment, staring at the opposing wall, as he tried once again to calmly block the pain. When he was still unable to he cursed in frustration and shoved off the wall again to continue on his small quest.

The hall was longer than he thought it would be and when he came to the mess hall, almost half way to the cargo bay, he desided to stop and rest for a moment. The smells drifting out of the large room were enticing, dispite his still uneasy stomach, and he aproached the door with no small amount of hungry curiosity. He stopped before entering though when he saw Duo sitting at one of the tables talking excitedly in to a moble phone. Sally was standing next to him with a grin on her face. Before Heero could make out the nature of the call Duo hung up, leaned back, and grinned.

“It's all set Sal. He'll be here in about two hours.”

“We should have Dinner compleatly done by then.” Sally said with a grin nearly matching that of the braided pilot. “I'll tell Brekke and Trowa.”

“Greate, your the best.”

“Well thank you. Hay, should some one tell Heero?”

Heero tilted his head and cleared his throat. Sally and Duo looked up suprised.

“Hay man, how long have you been standing there?” Duo asked, looking a little put off.

“Not long. Who was that on the phone?”

Duo smiled. “Your Christmas gift.”

“My what?” Heero's eye bows rose.

“That's all I'm saying.” Duo said with a smerk. Then his face turned a little more sirious. “You want to come sit down? You look like hell.”

Heero shrugged. “I'm fine standing.”

Sally frowned. “Heero, why don't you coe sit with us. You do need to take it easy.”

Heero considered pressing on to the cargo bay, but desided a little rest couldn't hurt. “All right.” As he walked in he could fell Sally and Duo's eye on him.

“It must hurt prity bad.” Sally comented.

Heero grunted and shrugged. “I'll be fine.”

Duo leaned forward and folded his hands together on the table. “Heero, buddy, tell us the truth, is some thing wrong?”

Heero gleared at him for a moment. Finaly he sighed. “I'm not sure yet. I'll need to run some tests.”

“What sort of tests?”

“I'm not sure of that either. I need to look my gundam over.”

Duo nodded. “OK. You let me know what you find. I'd like a heads up incase it's some thing that can affect all the gundams.”

“I'll let you know if that's the case.”

“Aside from the gundams, Heero, what about you?” Sally asked. She sat down and looked him over.

“I'll be fine.” He grunted.

Sally didn't seem satisfied with his answer. Frowning she reached over and felt his head. “You still have a feaver. And let's not forget how much blood you lost last night.”

Heero fought the urge to yank his head away from her touch. “I've had worse.”

“I know... but still...”

Duo cleared his throat. “Come on Sally, this is Heero here. He's like a cat with nine lives. Well, more like ninety-nine lives, but who's keeping track?”

Sally pulled back from Heero. “I supose your right.” She smiled a little. “I remember the first time I saw you, Heero. You had been brought in to an OZ medical ward.” She chuckled. “He was prity badly beaten but he still managed to escape some how.”

Heero and Duo glanced at eachother for a moment. Then Duo laughed.

“What?”

“I wonder how.” Heero said, a very faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Sally glanced between Heero and Duo for a moment. “Is there some thing I should know?”

“It's not importent now.” Heero replied. Then he stood. “I should go start my tests.”

“You want any help?” Duo asked slowly.

Heero thought for a moment. “I'll let you know if I do.”

Duo nodded. “Ok.”

“Take it easy Heero.” Sally said in a warning tone. “Don't over do it. If you start to bleed at all you let me know right away. I don't want to have to have Duo or Trowa cary you back to bed.”

He nodded.

“You shouldn't even be out of bed yet any way.” She added.

Heero gleared a little feeling like a scolded child. “I'll be carefull.”

“That's all I want, Heero.” Sally said. She offerd him a smile, but he ignored it.

He turned from them and walked out of the mess hall. Almost right away the pain returned. Grimicing he reached down and rubbed his trobbing wound as he started the longer half of the walk to the cargo bay. Several times he found it nesisary to stop and catch his breath and at one point he wondered if it would have been wiser to have waited a day or so before atempting this task. Never the les he pressed on and, finaly, he stumbled in to the massive room where his gundam was.

The massive metal man, Aing Zero, was not standing proud as it had been the day before, prior to the battle. It was on its knees instead. One hand was streached to the ground suporting much of it's weight while the other one lay limp at it's side. The sholder over the limp arm was missing a greate deal of it's armor and there were plases where even the inner structure was torn away, leaving the vunrible joint unprotected. The chest and part of the head had been scratched and dented in several places. The legs seemed to have faired a little better, but not by much. Over all the Gundam had sustained heavy damage.

Heero leaned against the door frame and frownwd. He couldn't remember when or where the majority of the damage had been done. Infact most of the battle was more or less bluring in his mind. The fact was that his suit had takken more than a fiew massive hits. The repair would take time, effort, and resorces.

Heero knew that he didn't have the resorces now, and time was of the esence. There was no telling when or how the nw enimy would attack. All he had at his disposle was effort. And even that seemed to be farly limited. He wasn't going to give in though. Gritting his teath he pushed forward and asended his gundam.

The cockpit was in wretched shape, he discovered. Blood had gone every where. He was amazed at the quantity that had soaked in to the seat and washed over the controles. It was more than enough to have killed a lesser man. Posibly even a lesser pilot, such as Duo or Quatre. Dispite that Heero knew he verye well could have died from another cause. He fainly remembered being cold. The heater had turned off. Infact most of the gundam had been offline at one point. Except for the ZERO system.

Heero stiffened at that memory, the only clear memory of that fight was of the ZERO system and the tinny feeling that had filled his mind and ran down his spine. He remembered being trapped, and cold, and... alone?

"I know you can hear me... I'm not leaving you here alone... I'm not."

Heero shook his head to clear it. Duo had been there. The braided youth had fought off the suits that Heero had fallen under. It was Duo and not his own supirior strength that had saved him. He owed Duo his life. Again.

Heero let out a weary sigh and slumped in to the now stiff and soiled fabric of his pilot's seat, it crackled under his weight. If it hadn't been for Duo Heero knew for a fact that he, and Wing Zero, would no longer exist. The fact it's self didn't bother him, but the feelings that acompanied it did. He now felt obligated to watch Duo's back. The reason for the feeling was not certain for he had never been trained to pay back a life debt. The feelings, Heero reasoned, must have come from his own will. A will, he mused darkly, that was iron clad yet held in a broken body.

“But not beeten.” He mumbled. Sitting up he reached out for the controles. After peeling and scraping away even more blood Heero started up his battered gundam.

If he was going to keep Duo safe untill the debt could be repayed then he had to have a working gundam. And it *would* work, no matter how long it tok him to repair the damage.

He only wish he had extra parts to use. Some thing told him “borowing” from another gundam would be more trouble than it was worth.

~*~

Brekke entered the mess hall from the kitchen and smiled when she saw Duo and Sally relaxing at one of the tables. “Dinner should be ready in about an hour.” She anonced happily.

“An hour yet?” Duo moaned. “I'll die of starvation!”

Sally chuckled. “More for the rest of us.”

Duo moaned again and tried to look pathetic. “Please, Brekke, your my pal, my best bud, can't you give me a sample?”

She sighed and looked at Sally. “Boys never grow up, do they?”

“Nope. Never.”

Duo folded his arms. “I'l bet you give it to Trowa or Heero.”

“Trowa has the good sence to wait, and Heero...” Brekke hesitated. “Welll he needs the food. Speaking of Heero some one want to tell him that dinner will be ready soon?”

“He knows.” Sally said.

“How? Isn't he in bed?”

Duo smiled a little. “Nope, he got up to go work on his gundam.”

Brekke frowned. “He should stay in bed.”

“He'll be fine.” Sally sighed. “So long as he takes it easy. Besides, no one can stop him if he really wants to do some thing.”

Duo nodded. “This is true.”

“Well some one should go keep an eye on him.” Brekke retorted. “No ofence, Sally, but he can be stuborn and self sacrificing when he doesn't have to be.”

“True.” Sally said, again sighing. “I think he would resent it if I went to check up on him and you need to finish dinner, Brekke.”

“And Trowa is working on the disks we brought back from that base yesterday.” Brekke added.

Duo sighed. “Why do I have to baby sit him?”

“Because all you are doing is sitting here whining about being hungry.” Brekke replied.

“Fine, but I get extra stufffing for this.”

Brekke smiled. “OK.”

Duo, nither pleased or displeased, stoood and looked at the door way. “Do I have to?”

Sally and Brekke nodded.

“Fine.” He walked out, grumbling and mutttering as he went.

~*~

Heero Heard some one from the ground level calling his name. Gingerly he crept out of his cockpit and looked out. Duo was standing near the foot of Wing Zero and toying with his braid.

“What do you want?” Heero grunted.

“Oh, hay, I didn't know if you were still here. Um... Brekke wants you to know that she'll have dinner ready in about...” He looked at his over sized black watch. “Fourty-five minutes.”

Heero grunted again.

“So what's the progress report?” Duo asked as he craned his neck to look up.

“Incompleat.” Heero replied. “I would like to access your data loggs for the last twenty four hours.”

Duo looked mildly suprised. “Didn't Wing get every thing?”

“No.”

Duo hesitated for a moment. “All right, I'll send them to you, but I want to know every thing you find out.”

“I planned on telling every one concerned.”

He heard Duo mumbles some thing, but ignored it. The braided pilot then walked over to his gundam and asended the metal man. Heero retreated to the darkness of his own suit. After a moment Duo's face apeared on Heero's screen.

“It'll take a minute for the data to down load.”

“That's fine.” Heero said dryly. He went back to his tasks.

THere was a moment of silence as both pilots worked before Duo cleared his throat. “So ah... what do you want to eat firdst? Turky? Mashed potatoes?”

Heero looked up blankly. “What?”

“For dinner. What do you want to eat first?”

“Oh... um... I hadn't thought about it.”

Duo's eyes widdened. “Hadn't thought about it?”

Heero, smerking ever so slightly, turned back to his work. “I'm not obsessed about food, like you, Maxwell.”

“I hardly call being excited over your faveorite food at Christmas time obsessed.”

Heero shrugged. “I've never celibrated Christmas before.”

Duo's lack of responce prompted Heero to chech the state of the braided pilot. His mouth was slack and he had an expression of uter shock.

“What?”

“That's.... that's crazy Heero.” He shook his head in disbelief.

“Why is it crazy?” Heero asked dryly. “I'm a solder... it was never part of my missions.”

“Missions.” Duo said with a snort. “Life is more than missions, Heero. Besides... you had to have been a kid once in your life. Right?”

Heero looked at Duo blankly for a moment, then turned back to his task. “I was born a solder, Duo.”

He heard Duo sigh. For a fiew minutes there was another streach of silence. Then Duo mumbled some thing.

“Pardon me?” Heero asked, loking back at the screen.

“I said the files are ready.”

“Ready to receive files.” Heero grunted. The files apeared on his frward facing screen and he started to scroll through them. “Hn...”

“What? What's 'Hn'?”

“I'm not sure yet.” Heero typed for a moment and frowned. “Duo at what time did I black out?”

“Oh... uh... I wasn't watching the clock. I don't even know if you blacked out for sure.”

“Hn.”

“There is that magic sound again.” Duo said. “What are you thinking?”

“The suits were defenetly controled by AI. Like the mobile dolls were. And like the dolls were at first each is fighting on it's own. Though some thing... it's diferent some how.”

“What do yoou mean diferent?”

“There is a signal that seemed to eminate from all of them. It may have enabled them to coordinae thier movements. Or they may have been in comunication with a controle bace some where else. We did disable all comunications while were where there.”

“That means that this isn't an isolated insodent. There could be any number of baces.”

“That is corect.”

“How big of a threat do you think this is?”

“I'm not sure.” Heero typed for a fiew nimutes longer before leaning back and sighing. “I can't acount for nearly twenty munutes of that battle from my data banks and yours doesn't have the information I need.” Heero paused then looked over at Duo's projection. “What happened out there?”

Duo seemed taken back by the question. “You want me to tell you?”

“You were there.”

“Well... I... ah... I arived and started to help. You activated the ZERO system and your gundam shut down. But that didn't happen at the same time.”

“I knew that already.” Heero said dryly.

“Oh.” Duo cleared his throat before turning serious. “Heero, Some thing odd did happen that I'll nevere forget.”

“That was?” Heero prompted.

“When I made it over to your suit the ZERO system was still active, dispite Wing Zero's shut down. You also seemed to be having some sort of flash back.”

Heero turned away from Duo's image. Back flashes, that was exactly what they were. “The ZERO system was still on?”

“Yeah. It was freaky Heero. It was on but there was no information coming or going.”

“Tell me what's wrong.” Duo said firmly.

“I... I don't...” He closed his eyes and grit his teath. More Moble suits were on his gundam. He could hear them taring the metal apart.

“You don't what? Heero, talk to me!”

“ZERO... stop...”

Heero took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“... then we arived here. Trowa called Sally when he arived and she pulled an all nighter on you patching you up.”

Heero looked back at Duo. “Huh?”

“Look, your obviously still warn out from what happened. Why don'y you come back to the mess hall and after dinner, if we both haven't fallen asleap or some thing, we'll both work on solveing this mystery?”

Heero mulled it over for a moment. There was no imminent danger, just yet, and his stomach was killing him still. Duo alsoo could be valuble help simply because he could remember the battle. “How long untill dinner is served?”

Duo glanced at his watch. “Half an hour.”

“I'll bring my lap top and work on the problem while we wait.”

“Greate. I'll meet you ground level.” Duo's immage disapeared and Heero was again alone with him self. He quickly searched out his battered lap top and down loaded the information he was working on. Then he exited his Gundam with caution. He moved slowly and tried not to pull at the tender skin around the wound. He could feel Duo's intence gaze on him as he desended, but he ignored it untill he reached the floor. Then he turned and met Duo's gaze with a small glear.

“What?”

“You sure you are up to working on your gundam at all?” Duo asked.

“I'll be fine.”

“If you say so.”

Heero watched as Duo shrugged and walked towards the door. “Well? Are you coming?”

Heero grunted and reluctenly followed Duo towards the mess hall.

By the time Heero and duo made it to the mess hall Brekke and sally were setting the table. Heero quickly noticed that a sixth seet had been set.

“Who are we expecting?” Heero asked.

Duo grinned. “That's a suprise.”

~*~

Trowa tugged on his heavy over coat and oppened the hanger doors. A frosty blast of wing russhed around him as a well bundled figure drew near.

“Hay, Trowa Barton! Glad to see you again, how are you doing?”

Trowa smiled a litle. “I was instructed to help you bring your cargo in.”

Howard smiled. “Cool. Let's make it quick. I think I'm a little bit late. I wouldn't want to hold Duo back from his christmas meal. It's hazordious to one's health!”

Trowa chuckled and trughed out in to the snow after the figure.

~*~

Duo bit his lower lip and shifted in his seat again. “Man... I'm starving...”

Heero glanced up from his lap top. “Do you realize that you have said that seven times now?”

“Really?” Duo looked suprised.

“Yes.” Heero replied. “I highly doubt you will starve.”

“But I AM starving!” Duo replied nearly whining.

Heero sighed and returned to his work. “If you say so.”

Both boys fell in to a streach of silence before Duo spoke again. “You never answered me.”

“Huh?” Heero looked up.

“What's the first thing you want to eat?”

“I don't know.” Heero shrugged. “Food?”

Duo tossed his head back and sighed. “Man Heero, you drive me crazy.”

“That isn't a very long trip!” Some one said from the other side of the room. Both boys turned and looked at the newcomer.

“Howard, you made it!” Duo exclamed. He jumped from his seat and ran up to the older man. “Did you bring the stuff?”

Howard laughed. “Of corse I did. I wouldn't have COME if I couldn't play my part!”

“Part?” Trowa asked from the door.

“Santa.” Heero stood slowly and joined the others. “Am I corect?”

“Cool, Heero guessed it.” Howard smiled. “Yep, I'm santa. I even brought you a gift.”

“Me?” Heero asked.

“Yeah. It was Duo's idea.”

Heero looked over at Duo and raised his eye brow. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Duo shruged. “It's just some stuff to fix your gundam up.”

“So that's what the cargo is for.” Trowa mumbled.

Heero's other eyebrow raised to meet it's mate. “Parts?”

Duo grinned and rubbed the back of his head. “I thought I would try and prevent any... uh... unnessicary barowing in advance.”

“I see.”

“Any way I WILL starve to DEATH if we don't eat.” Duo looked over at the table. “I swear.”

“I'll get Brekke and Sally.” Trowa said.

“Sally is here?” Howard asked, clearly suprised.

“Didn't Duo tell you?” Trowa asked.

“No.” He looked at Duo who simply shrugged.

“I forgot to mention it.”

“Well, I had some thing I wanted to discuss with her... i guess I'll do it now.” Howard replied. “Lead the way Trowa.”

Trowa noded once and lead Howard to the kitchen. Duo srtarted towards the table but he was stopped by Heero.

“Hay, Duo.”

“Yah?”

“Why did you do that for me?”

Duo smiled. “Christmas gift, it's what people do on christmas. Besides I had Howard bring enough parts to repare the other gundams as well. Though most of the parts are for Wing Zero.” Duo Shrugged. “It just seemed the natural thing to do.”

Brekke walked through the kitchen door then with the turky in her hands. Howard, Sally and Trowa were behind here. Each holding some thing else.

“All right finaly!” Duo whooped. “Come on Heero, let's chow down!”

Heero smiled slightly. “Coming.”