The former queen exhaled in relief, �They are getting more forward, are they not, Pagan?� Receiving no answer, Relena frowned, �Pagan, is there something wrong?� Heavy silence followed her question, causing her to shift uncomfortably. Pilot one turned the bulky vehicle onto a side street that the teenage peacemaker was unfamiliar with, she began to fear that Pagan was not at the wheel, �Where are we going, this isn�t the way back to the airport. Is it?� Heero forced himself to remain silent in order to keep her guessing. After nearly ten nerve-wracking minutes, the limousine slowed to a stop in front of a hotel. Relena gripped the seat, desperately trying to figure out whether running or fighting would be a better option as she heard the cab door close. Closing her blue eyes tightly, she decided that she couldn�t run in high heels, but Heero had taught her a few techniques that could get her out of a fix�
The side door opened and a battle callused hand was offered, it�s owner smiled gently, �Relena.� The well mannered diplomat gasped, �Heero, what are you�Why are you�It�s good to see you!� Upon saying this, she flung her arms around the pilot�s neck happily. Heero lifted her from the seat and set her on her feet. Relena pulled away from him to examine their destination for the first time, �Heero, why did you bring me here?� He took her hand and led her inside, explaining as he did so, �There�s something I need to show you, I needed to show you somewhere that won�t be bugged.� Relena stopped in her tracks, a look of complete shock on her face, �Heero Yuy! We aren�t even married!� He glanced over his shoulder, �It�s not what you think and it certainly isn�t that� She blushed a deep crimson and continued to follow his footsteps. The halls of the hotel were barren and they encountered no one on their way to one of the many rooms. Heero produced a card key from his pocket, slid it into the lock and opened the door to room 1574.
The room was furnished with a single queen sized bed, a simple desk and several lounging chairs. Vice minister Darlian stepped inside as she examined the European decorations that adorned the walls, �This is a magnificent suite! It must be expensive!� Heero closed the door and slid the deadbolt home, �It wasn�t that bad, besides, we won�t be here long.� He passed on her right side and made his way to the room�s center, �I�m going to show you something that I�ve never shown anyone. It may be slightly frightening, but understand that I wouldn�t hurt you at any cost.� Relena nodded, more curious by Heero�s statement than scared. Receiving this answer, the slender pilot shucked off his green muscle shirt. �Heero! I can�t believe that you would suggest that we�� He cut off her outraged words quickly, �It�s not that! Just wait!� Relena quieted her tongue and watched her secret boyfriend carefully. Once his shirt had been discarded, Heero raised his Persian blue eyes slowly, �Whatever you do, please do not scream.� He could feel the bright silver power welling inside of him; it begged to be free. His strangely muscled back ached as an underlying force pressed to get out.
It was an explosion of feathers and blood as two brilliantly white wings shot from between his narrow shoulder blades. Splashes of crimson speckled the canary yellow walls on either side of him. Relena pulled away with a gasp, her hand pressing against her own mouth to contain anything more. In the same instant as the eruption of his wings, Heero�s hair lengthened and silver spread from the roots to the tips. It halted growth just above his shoulders, shimmering with the same tint as the great-feathered masses that hung nearly to the floor. Pilot one opened his eyes, they too were platinum gray, �This is my secret, Relena.�
The blonde diplomat let her hand fall to her side and took a step towards him, �Heero, you�re bleeding!� She dashed forward and began to examine the place his wings had emerged. Zero�s pilot cocked his head to one side, the liquid silver of his hair spilling over one shoulder, �That�s the first thing you noticed?� She shook her head as she began to dab droplets of crimson off of his bare back, �I noticed those as well, but I was worried that you�d been hurt. That�s all.� Eyes floating over his silver tipped wings, Relena reached out gently tapered fingers. She paused, her fingertips nearly brushing the feathers and raised her blue eyes to Heero�s platinum ones, �Can I?� He nodded slowly and she slid her fingers between his coarse outer feathers and into the soft downy below them, sending chills through the thick skin underneath. Pilot one drew his breath in sharply when he first felt her caress, causing Relena to pull her hand away, �Did I do something wrong?� Wrapping both wings around her, Heero�s breathing returned to normal, �No, I�ve just never really been touched like that before. Not once in my many years of existence.� Relena smiled and began to run her hands along the hollow supporting bones, rocketing tiny shivers of pleasure through Heero�s spine.
He allowed her to continue this for a long amount of time before catching her delicate hand in his, �This wasn�t the only thing I brought you here for. There�s an option I want you to consider.� A comfortable silence settled as Relena waited for him to continue. He unlaced his wings from around her finely curved form and sat on the brightly decorated comforter of the bed, �Relena, there is something of major importance that separates us now.� The young Peacecraft took a seat beside him, carefully tucking her legs so her skirt draped over the end of the bed, �And what�s that?� Heero seemed to be focused on a single point on the floor and didn�t speak for several moments. When words did form, they were strained, �I am immortal.� Relena tried not to let the heavy sinking feeling in her stomach reflect on her face. What her face didn�t show, her voice told, �I see.� She choked out the sentence quickly in fear that she would burst into tears if she spoke to long. Heero sighed and offered his arms to her. Relena gladly accepted them, allowing herself to be cradled by hands that could take life just as easily as they could gently caress, �You said there was an option for me to consider, but you�ve given me no option.� He smiled, �As usual, you are very observant. I haven�t told you yet.� More hopeful, she laid her head against his chest, �Whatever it is, I�ll accept. As long as I�m with you.� The teenage pilot brushed a strand of hair from the young woman�s face; �Every human being has the potential to become divine. The smallest trace of angel blood exists in everyone and even the tiniest drop will do to change the person into an angel. They just need a bit of influence first.� He paused to let this sink in. Relena slid her hand into the archangel�s; �Will it hurt?� He squeezed her hand comfortingly, �Only for a moment.� �Then I�m ready.�
Amber examined one of the many pages tacked onto the bulletin board in the garage. She pulled it off, ripping the edge without caring. The mission printed on the thin typing paper seemed easy enough to complete. A voice of velvet thunder rolled over her shoulder; �You�re going to need a hand with that one, looks simple though, doesn�t it?� Pilot six looked back at the silencer questioningly, �Isn�t it though?� Trowa shook his head, �I checked the place out, it needs more than one to get into the base. Especially if they intend to erase the computer files on us. This computer system has a direct link and is the only one that those files can be reached from.� The slender German sighed and scanned the page once more, �Give me a hand then, will you?� Pilot three opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by Duo�s uncontrolled shouting, �Have you seen Jess?� Amber growled under her breath before shouting back to the garage entrance, where Duo stood, �She went grocery shopping, you moron!� The death of darkness whined and grumbled as he made his way to the mission bulletin. He peered over both Trowa and Amber�s shoulder to read the page, �Ooh! I wanna go!� The huntress began to say �no� but the Latino beside her told him that he could. Amber glared at him as Duo rushed back into the house to retrieve a weapon. She shoved her fist into Trowa�s stomach, which was like punching a sheet of Gundanium, �Why are you letting him come?� She rubbed her hand but refused to wince, after all, he was the one meant to do that. Trowa shrugged, �He�s a pilot as well and we�re going to need all the help we can get.� Waiting until the silencer entered one of the storage areas that branched off the garage, Amber began to curse in her native tongue. Duo trotted back to the mission board area carrying a compact metal tube, �Are we ready to go?� The German pilot glared at him, �No! Trowa went to go get something and isn�t back yet.� After all, I refuse to go alone with you! A few minutes later, Trowa came out of the back room dressed in a complete Oz uniform, adjusting a cap over his unruly hair. He tossed an identical folded uniform at Amber who was gaping in complete shock, �Put that on.� She took several steps back and the suit landed with a dull thud on the cement floor, �No, it�s all Ozy and nasty!� Pilot three was to busy snapping the cuff buttons on his jacket to make eye contact with her as he spoke, �Don�t wear it, don�t come.� Duo began laughing hysterically as Amber picked up the stolen cloths and held them at arms length as though they were something utterly disgusting.
It took nearly twenty minutes for them to get on the road in a stolen jeep with Oz detailing. Duo remained in the back, a pair of handcuffs snapped tightly around his wrists. Trowa explained the plan as he drove the hour and a half to reach the designated base. As they pulled up to the massive compound, Duo�s face became hard and angry as he began to yell obscene things. Amber turned in her seat to aim her gun at his temple. �You can�t keep me here, I�ll get out!� Amber grinned, �Sure you will, brat.� Pilot two fumed, �You bitch! You�re gunna� be the first that I�� The huntress plowed the butt of her gun into the side of his head, causing his to bite off the end of his sentence, �Shut up, captive!� As they pulled up in front of the gate, a guard stepped out of the control house beside it, �I.D. please.� Trowa handed him a plastic card, �We�re from base 23178, but it�s to far away to transport this pilot we�ve captured.� The guard peered into the back of the vehicle, his eyes growing wide as they fell on Duo, �That�s pilot two! I�ll open the gate right away!� He handed back Trowa�s I.D. and pressed the gate�s control. The well built teenager replaced it in his pocket and put the vehicle into gear, �And one more thing, could you call ahead for another person to give us a hand with this guy?� He nodded and Trowa pulled into the compound.
In front of the main entrance, pilot three let the car idle as he jumped out the door. He forcefully yanked Duo from the back by his handcuffs and began dragging him inside. Duo attempted to kick Amber as she followed them, �Let me go you bastards, I�m going to kill you all one by one! You�ll all die!� Another soldier ran from his post to help contain him. Duo continued making threats, as he was lead inside the complex system of the base�s halls. Secretly, pilot three slipped the key into the handcuff�s lock and turned it, he pulled away quickly as the death of darkness swiped at him with his now free arm, �Holy shit, he�s loose!� Amber moved to intercept him but was flung, none to sweetly, against the nearby wall. �Go catch him!� The soldier with dirty blonde hair that had been accompanying them took off after the rampaging Duo, following Trowa�s orders. Groaning and rubbing the back of her head, pilot six climbed slowly to her feet, �Didn�t he realize that we were just acting?� Heavy Arms� pilot offered his hand to the half standing Amber, �Come on, let�s go.� She nodded and staggered down the hall behind him.
Two programmers sat at the main computer councils, both tapping away incessantly at the keyboards. Information flew across the monitors in front of them, the blue and white reflecting on their eyes and faces. The only door to the room slid open, distracting one of them, �Can I help you?� The nameless soldier rammed his fist across the programmer�s face, rendering him unconscious. The other stood to confront him but soon joined his coworker on the floor. Trowa scanned the roof for cameras before signaling Amber in. She unloaded the backpack she�d carried in with her and sorted its explosive contents into separate piles. The silencer slid into a chair at the computer council to begin a search for the appropriate files.
After setting up all of the explosives, Amber leaned over Trowa�s shoulder to see how far along he�d gotten, �I�m going to go start causing a ruckus, �k? You come find me when you�re done.� Pilot three nodded silently and she exited the room. The hallways were strangely void of life; all the soldiers that occupied the base had already answered to the siren that was still wailing. Eyes darting, Amber slid into an open doorway and eased it shut behind her. There were hundreds of voices echoing in the room, all coming from below her. The huntress looked down at the catwalk she was standing on and the dozens of soldiers on the floor below her. There were no sirens screaming here, as if someone had silenced them but she took no notice. A wicked smile slid onto her face as she pulled out her gun, �Like shooting a rat in a trap.� Amber took several steps before realizing that there was another presence on the walkway. She readied her gun in the chance that it was a soldier and raised her eyes to see, not military personnel, but Duo. He seemed to be unaware of her, crouched in perfect balance on the side railing of the catwalk. The death of darkness was watching the men on the floor below with a strange interest. Amber opened her mouth to question him but closed it again, something wasn�t right. With one hand, the longhaired boy pulled out the odd compact tube he�d had with him earlier. He flicked his wrist and it extended into a staff. What Amber had originally taken as a hand guard slid outward and locked into place as a blade, it had become a scythe. Duo grinned, revealing two overly large canines that hadn�t been there before. Pilot six sucked in her breath sharply, surprised, but did nothing else to draw his attention.He peered over his shoulder at her briefly, his eyes glowing a deep crimson, and leapt off the banister.
She ran to the edge and watched as Duo sliced the first soldier through his skull, using the velocity of his fall to force the blade all the way down until the soldier fell, in two pieces, on the cement floor. Several yells rose as he moved on to begin slashing others, releasing one man�s intestines onto the floor. He quickened his pace, spun the scythe around his body and decapitated three others that were advancing. Blood filled the air, raining down on those who remained standing. The only safe bystander shivered as Duo raised his face to the shower of blood, allowing the crimson liquid to flow across his skin. This massacre continued until every living being lay dismembered and dead on the red stained floor. Amber covered her mouth to contain breakfast as her eyes swept over the carnage that pilot two had created, she lost it to her nausea as she witnessed Duo lick the blood off his hands and fingers. He paid no attention to the sounds she was making as he picked his way over dead bodies to the steel door of the mess hall.
When she�d finished tossing her food, Amber staggered down the catwalk, gasping for her breath. Once in the hallway, she nearly ran headlong into Trowa. He frowned, �You look a little pale.� She placed a heavy hand on his shoulder for support, �If you�d seen what I just saw, you�d be a little pale too!� She started to say more but her body was wracked by a dry heave. Trowa moved away from her without breaking his support, �Let me guess, you saw Duo in one of his moods. Right?� She looked up at him, shocked, �What do you mean �one of his moods�? He was a fucking maniac!� The tall pilot shrugged, �He�s been worse.� Amber�s mouth dropped open, �How do you know he�s been worse, you haven�t even see what he did!� He pat her shoulder comfortingly and continued his path down the hall, �Trust me, he�s been worse. At least the base is still standing.� Amber stopped in her tracks, dry heaved again and stared at Trowa�s muscular back, �Still� Standing�?�
Their progress was slow due to Amber�s sickness, but they made it to the lower level to round up the black clad demon. Mangled bodies marked his path through the complex corridors, letting them easily track him. Trowa stopped near an open door, his eyes on the opposite wall, his face remained expressionless. The blood written letters dripped on the cinder gray wall; �Shinigami lives�. The words were bold, three symbols spilled over them, creeping slowly into an unreadable splotch. Amber examined the bleeding letters in disgust, �What�s �Shinigami�?� Trowa turned to the open door, stepping over a headless body, �The god of death.� They found Duo inside, his bloody scythe lying across his lap, sitting amidst a sea of bodies. Amber dry heaved again and returned to the hallway. The silencer looked around and shook his head, �What do you think you�re doing?� Duo looked around at his prey and grinned, the congealed blood in the corners of his mouth cracked, �Having fun!�
